Santa Monica Daily Press, April 14, 2012

Page 1

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Volume 11 Issue 132

Santa Monica Daily Press

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THE BURN BEFORE READING ISSUE ISSUE

No expiration date Judge rules against City Hall in parking privilege dispute BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief

DOWNTOWN Barry Silver purchased his

Ashley Archibald ashley@smdp.com

RESPONSE: Residents are treated for minor injuries sustained in a fire that broke out Friday in their apartment building (background) on Second Street.

Toyota Prius in November 2005 because he wanted to reduce his impact on the environment. An added bonus was that he could park for free at meters in Santa Monica thanks to a law passed by the City Council to entice people to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles. But when the Department of Motor Vehicles on July 1, 2011 phased out the yellow clean-air-vehicle stickers for hybrids that allowed Prius owners like Silver to drive in the car pool lane alone, that parking privilege also ended. The way the local law is written ties the privilege to whichever decals are still active and not to the make or model of the vehicle. The problem is, Silver, 70, claims he didn’t know that. So when he went to the Co-Opportunity Market on Broadway in August of last year, the Culver City resident returned to his car to find a parking ticket for $54. Upset, Silver

Fire breaks out in Downtown apartments BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer

SECOND STREET The Santa Monica Fire Department responded to a call about multiple explosions coming from a low-income apartment building in the 1300 block of Second Street at 4:46 p.m. Friday. A fire broke out in a first floor unit, and was visible from the street, according to officials. Residents, mostly elderly, got out through first floor windows and a fire

escape, although some had to be evacuated from the second floor, said SMFD Capt. Michael McElvaney. Three people sustained minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and a bruised wrist. Nobody needed to be taken to the hospital. The cause of the fire is unknown, McElvaney said. Eight SMFD units, three Los Angeles City Fire units and four AmeriCare ambulances responded to the scene. The fire department has conducted drills

SEE PARKING PAGE 9

at the building in the past because its U-shape and “old school” fire escapes present unique challenges, said SMFD Capt. Judah Mitchell. “We want to be on our A-game,” Mitchell said. Smoke detectors in the building had just been replaced, said resident Brian Helip. “The Santa Monica Fire Department was right on time,” Helip said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No word on the cost of the damage. ashley@smdp.com

Study: Most gas pedal accidents involve women BY JOAN LOWY Associated Press

WASHINGTON Accidents in which drivers mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake tend to involve older female drivers in park-

ing lots, a new government study has found. One of the study’s most striking and consistent findings was that nearly twothirds of drivers who had such accidents were female. When looking at all crashes,

Andrew Thurm

the reverse is true — about 60 percent of drivers involved in crashes are male, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study noted.

Photo courtesy Mario Duran Ortiz

OLD SCHOOL: Toyota Prius with old car-

SEE CRASH PAGE 9

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