MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012
Volume 11 Issue 133
Santa Monica Daily Press
DODGERS CONTINUE HOT START SEE PAGE 14
We have you covered
THE RIDE OR DIE ISSUE
Getting caught in the till
COMMUNITYPROFILES
LIZ CROSSON
Employee theft causes major heartache in offices
CROSSON
Baykeeper leader educates through paddleboarding event
BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
BY SAMANTHA MASUNAGA CITYWIDE Most people will get on board
Special to the Daily Press
BROADWAY As a teenager, Liz Crosson contrasted her suburban lifestyle in Northern California with back country adventures in the wilderness. She still remembers her first backpacking trip to the Central Coast of California during her time as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. Surrounded by redwood trees, Crosson came to a new understanding. “The wilderness was important for my own happiness,” she said. “I realized how little we have left.” This realization has driven Crosson’s entire career arc, starting with her work in nonprofit organizations, to environmental law and finally to her role as executive director of the Santa Monica Baykeeper, a position she’s held for the past two years. “It’s important to have access to clean water and clean air,” she said. “We want to stop pollution from entering the bay.” Established in 1993, the Santa Monica Baykeeper is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the waters of the Santa Monica Bay, San Pedro Bay and other adjacent waters throughout Los Angeles County. The group also works on environmental advocacy and education — a mission they take seriously. “People don’t realize what pollutes the bay,” said Tami Clark, chair of the Board of Directors for Baykeeper. “They have no idea
FLYING HIGH
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com George Peters (center) and Melanie Walker (bottom left) from Boulder, Colo., along with other guest kite artists, enjoy the strong wind during the first annual Otis Kite Festival at Santa Monica Beach on Saturday. The event was created as a daylong celebration of kites for families.
SEE CP PAGE 9
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
with the idea that stealing is bad. It’s written into rule books, laws, even engraved on stone tablets if you believe in that kind of thing, and certainly nobody wants to be stolen from. But theft happens at unexpected times, and it can cost businesses a lot of dough. That postage stamp you grabbed from the mailroom in the office to send off a lastminute “Get Well” card. The stash of ballpoint pens that found their way into your purse because you kept forgetting you’d grabbed one. The amount of work time you spend watching ridiculous YouTube videos, or scrolling around Reddit’s cute animals page. People may not feel guilty about the liberties taken around the office until things get egregious. According to the National Retail Federation, 43 percent of total losses in the retail industry in 2010 resulted from employee theft, and a 2008 study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that at least a quarter of all respondents found that theft of company-owned items like office supplies, products and electronic equipment had risen as a result of the recession. Jessica Lobelli certainly doesn’t think of herself as a thief. The 37-year-old Santa Monica resident does a lot of work at home, and often runs SEE LIBERTIES PAGE 8
TAXES ALL FORMS, ALL TYPES, ALL STATES
BACK TAXES • BOOKKEEPING • SMALL BUSINESS
SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA
(310) 395-9922
100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800Santa Monica 90401