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A PLACE TO CALL THEIR OWN PAGE 3 MAKING SENSE OF MURDER PAGE 4 BACK TO CINEMA’S PAST GLORY PAGE 8 Visit us online at smdp.com
THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007
Volume 6 Issue 135
Santa Monica Daily Press TONY SKIPS TRIP SEE PAGE 17
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE BUZZ KILL ISSUE
The wee hours of the day City cleaning crew deals with making Downtown beautiful BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN SM Hours before the carts roll out and shop doors open, Linwood Fenderson is power-washing the city’s streets and sidewalks. It’s a side of the world famous Third Street Promenade that remains largely unseen — the approximately 20 city workers who rise and shine in the early morning hours, scrubbing the ground, taking out the trash and spraying deodorizers where homeless and drunken patrons have left their marks. It’s a job that these workers — many of whom were born and bred in Santa Monica — hold in the highest regard, but in some cases, a respect that is not returned by the users of the promenade. “The health of the business community is on our uppermost mind,” said Promenade & Parking Structure Maintenance Supervisor Eddie Greenberg. “To be on the promenade maintenance crew, it requires dedication to the community.” A city employee of 12 years, Fenderson was power-washing the promenade Wednesday morning around 7 a.m. Fenderson started his day three hours earlier, blowing the dirt and grime out of cracks in the ground and ultimately covering about five to eight city blocks by the end of his shift. Waving to a homeless man carrying a cardboard cutout sign, Fenderson said he has established a good rapport with the promenade’s down-and-out residents. “As long as I treat them with respect, they treat me with respect,” Fenderson said. Spraying hot water at such a high pressure, the promenade regulars know to get out of Fenderson’s way when he’s toiling away. He only occasionally runs into an out-of-town homeless person unaware of the protocol. The first wave of workers start their shifts at 3 a.m., while
THAT REALLY SUCKS
(Right) Clay Renwick, a vector control supervisor for Los Angeles County, vacuums up a swarm of Honey Bees on Sixth Street near Santa Monica Boulevard on Wednesday. Renwick said that after testing area bees four years ago, it was determined that 75 percent were Africanized Honey Bees, aka “Killer Bees,” so named for their tendency to attack people and animals who unwittingly stray into their territory. Fabian Lewkowicz fabianl@smdp.com
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