R E L A X
WITH EXPRESS... NO STRESS
CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR FREE QUOTE 3222 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 453-5736
LOWEST INSURANCE RATES IN SANTA MONICA
MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2010
Volume 9 Issue 184
Santa Monica Daily Press WHAT’S A SAFE DISTANCE? SEE PAGE 6
We have you covered
THE LET THE VOTERS DECIDE ISSUE
City Council moves ahead with expanded protections for SM renters BY NICK TABOREK Daily Press Staff Writer
IN THE WAVES
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com Local athletes (above) prepare for the 5-mile paddleboard long course during the first annual Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race on Saturday morning. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to Heal the Bay and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.
Budget cuts mean fewer fingerprints for L.A. Sheriff THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department is collecting fewer fingerprints because of budget cuts, leading to delays in scores of criminal investigations. Sheriff Lee Baca cut overtime expenses in March for 59 fingerprint specialists in an effort to help fill a $128 million budget gap, The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. As a result, more than 65 homicide probes have been held up and potential leads in a number of other crimes have been destroyed.
There’s now a backlog of more than 100 prints waiting to be analyzed and compared against a statewide database. The collection of evidence in crimes such as burglaries has been delayed by as much as a week or more. Burglary victims have had to stay away from parts of their homes or temporarily close their businesses to avoid smudging prints and destroying evidence, according to the Times. Lt. Leonard McCray of the Compton Sheriff’s Station said he has received calls from burglary victims upset that no one from
Commitment Bands
the department had shown up to take prints. “There are often times when the citizen opts to not wait,” he said. “And that impacts our ability to solve crimes.” Sheriff’s officials estimate that since the cuts went into effect, 10 percent of burglary victims have simply cleaned up and moved on with their lives because they couldn’t afford to wait. Officials wouldn’t predict how many crimes could have been solved but weren’t as a result of the delays. Fingerprints are known to be one of the most reliable pieces of evidence in solving crimes.
SEE RENT CONTROL PAGE 8
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! 331 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica | 2 Hours Free Parking (Behind Store) Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm • 310.451.1349 • www.readersjewelers.com
CITY HALL A plan that would strengthen rules that protect against evictions and extend protections to tenants who live in non rent-controlled units got the City Council’s initial approval last week, a step that could pave the way for the proposals to appear on a citywide ballot in November. The proposals would extend basic eviction protections that tenants in rent-controlled buildings receive to all tenants in Santa Monica and would afford added eviction protections to senior citizens and those who are disabled or terminally ill. Each of those proposals would require an amendment to the Rent Control Agency’s charter, said Deputy City Attorney Adam Radinsky, which means they’ll have to receive support from a majority of voters to take effect. The City Council this summer will consider precise language for the amendments and is expected to approve placing them before voters in November’s election. If adopted, the protections that would be extended to all Santa Monica tenants would affect the eviction process in cases where a landlord alleges a tenant has breached a contract, created a nuisance, refused to execute a written lease extension, damaged the premises or denied the landlord access to the rented unit. The council also tentatively supported two other proposed changes to the rent control law last Tuesday that would not require charter amendments. Those changes, which Radinsky said the council could enact by adopting new ordinances, would increase the amount tenants receive in relocation payments after an eviction and increase the amount of time tenants receive to correct lease violations before
garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
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