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Santa Monica Daily Press MAY 30-31, 2015
Volume 14 Issue 171
BEACH HOUSE FUN SEE PAGE 7
Seniors leave City Manager to make $329K plus benefits lasting legacy at Pacifica SOFTBALL:
BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL Rick Cole, who was select-
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
ed as Santa Monica’s next city manager this week, is slated to make $329,424 plus benefits, according to a motion passed unanimously by City Council early
Friday morning. Cole is currently serving as Los Angeles’ deputy mayor of budget and innovation. He’ll start at the same rate that Interim City Manager Elaine Polachek was making during the four months she watched the city’s throne. Council is set to officially
approve Cole’s contract at a regular meeting on June 9. It’s expected that Cole will be present at that meeting, Mayor Kevin McKeown said. Polachek, who told council early on in the process that she wasn’t interested in City Hall’s top job, will return to her position as
assistant city manager. Cole, who’s previously served as the city manager of Ventura and Azusa, will receive the same benefits as City Hall’s other department heads and will accrue vacation and sick days in the same way, but will SEE MONEY PAGE 10
CITYWIDE Remove the seniors from
this year’s Pacifica Christian softball team, and there wouldn’t have been a Pacifica Christian softball team. The graduating players make up more than half of the 13-member roster, and they capped their high school careers by leading the squad into the CIF Southern Section Division 7 playoffs. “This senior class was foundational,” coach Mike Dolan said, noting that six of the girls were part
Exit interviews prepare students for high school — and beyond BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
SUNSET PARK If Benjamin Karni was nervous, he didn’t show it. Wearing a dark suit, blue tie and dress shoes, he sat upright with hands clasped on a table in the back of the John Adams Middle School library and gave a phenomenal performance. He made eye contact, spoke clearly and exuded confidence. He nodded and reacted to show he was listening. He was in the moment. Karni was one of about 340 students participating in exit interviews, a longstanding rite of passage for outgoing JAMS eighthgraders that continued May 20-21. The annual tradition puts students in short one-on-one meetings with members of the community, who volunteer their time to ask a series of questions while evaluating students’ interview skills. The process encourages students to reflect on their years in middle school while guiding their transition into high school and beyond, co-organizer Titia Murphy said. “As students prepare to take the step to the next level, it’s important for them to get skills that will help them on their path,” said Murphy,
SEE SOFTBALL PAGE 9
California beaches to remain closed after oily goo washes up CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press
MANHATTAN BEACH A 7-mile stretch of
Southern California coastline where globs of oily goo washed ashore will remain closed until officials determine the water is safe for swimmers and surfers, authorities said Friday. The popular beaches on Santa Monica Bay will stay shut down indefinitely as crews collect the remaining tar balls and tar patties that began washing up Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Michael Anderson said. “This is just us being thorough,”
Photo courtesy Jessica Handy
SCHOLARSHIPS The Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica gave away over $24,000 in scholarship money to local high school students on Wednesday night.
SEE OIL PAGE 8
SUMMER DANCE CAMPS Now enrolling! All Skill levels welcome! JUNE 22nd-JULY 16th Day Camp and Teen Summer Intensive ages 7-18 Space is limited…call today!
SEE JAMS PAGE 8
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