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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
3w10.442.1651 ww.andrewthurm.com Volume 9 Issue 121
Santa Manica Daily Press ECONOMY STILL SUCKS SEE PAGE 17,642
At least we’re not the Mirror
THE APRIL FOOLS’ DAY ISSUE
Whale meat came from pregnant female BY NICK HIROHITO Daily Press Staff Writer
SM AIRPORT The results of new genetic tests made public this week revealed that a dish served at The Hump sushi restaurant was not only an endangered species of whale, but was from a female specimen that had been pregnant with twins at the time she was harpooned to death. The revelation, detailed in court documents filed Wednesday, means the restaurant’s owners will face two additional counts of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act and will be fined $600,000, instead of the $200,000 amount authorities originally announced. The restaurant, located at the Santa Monica Airport, admitted to serving whale SEE WHALE PAGE 8
New gang terrorizes city streets, drivers Brandon Unwise brandonu@smdp.com
WELCOME! Gambling boats arrive in the Santa Monica Bay on Wednesday. City leaders cut deal with Coastal Commission to allow boats into bay.
Gambling ships return to SM Bay BY NICK NOLTY SM BAY Gambling ships will once again be allowed to anchor in Santa Monica Bay, officials announced Wednesday, under a controversial plan City Council members said will help close the budget gap and fund additional social welfare programs. As many as eight “casino ships” that offer Las Vegas-style card and table games will be allowed into the bay under the plan, which is expected to generate $25 million annually for City Hall. The floating casinos will be accessible via a motorboat taxi system that will ferry revelers from the Santa Monica Pier to the ships, which will dock a half-mile off shore. Several leading casino operators, including
Harrah’s and Trump Entertainment, have already committed to sending ships from their cruise lines to Santa Monica, a City Hall report said. The City Council approved the special arrangement with the California Coastal Commission by a 5-2 vote Wednesday night. The casino boats are expected to open for business by mid April. After the vote, City Manager Rod Ghoul praised the council’s decision. “In these difficult economic times, this is a courageous step that we feel will benefit our community, our schools and the most vulnerable in our Santa Monica family,” he said. “With this new revenue we will be able to keep Santa Monica’s many environmental, affordable housing and homelessness programs on track and fully funded. We
will also be increasing our contribution to the local public school district, because supporting education is one of our highest priorities, aside from feeding the homeless.” Some members of the public, though, strongly objected to the idea, likening the casino ships to “floating blight” and arguing they will destroy the pier’s family friendly atmosphere. Under the agreement negotiated by Councilman Richard Blume, who also sits on the coastal commission, the ships will operate 24 hours a day and will be allowed to stage burlesque shows and other adultthemed performances. “These are going to be world class casinos, with all the bells and whistles — places SEE BOATS PAGE 7
SEE GANG PAGE 8
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DOWNTOWN There’s a new gang in town that police say is terrorizing drivers with the goal of clearing the streets of all vehicular traffic. Police would not release the name of the gang per department policy, however, sources inside the SMPD said the gang calls itself “The Fixies,” and is comprised mostly of college-educated white males in their 20s with a fetish for extremely tight jeans and tattoos who still live at home and ride around town on fixed-wheel bicycles with no brakes. The gang is an off-shoot of Critical Dumbass, a loosely-organized group of cyclists who once a month engage in a nighttime ride through Santa Monica, taking over the roads as part of a peaceful protest against the smog-causing auto. For those unfamiliar with fixed-wheel bicycles, they are bikes with no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast — the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving. This allows a cyclist to stop without using a break by resisting the rotation of the
Despite concerns about attracting degenerates, council approves casino boats to help close budget gap Daily Press Staff Writer
BY KEVIN BACON
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