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MONDAY
06.26.17 Volume 16 Issue 193
@smdailypress
Police force to get body cameras KATE CAGLE After a successful seven-month pilot program, the Santa Monica Police Department is moving forward with plans to purchase body cameras for the force. More than fifty officers participated in the pilot which started in September of last year. While the City is still analyzing all the data collected from the program, the overwhelming majority of pilot program officers saw a significant benefit to the technology, according to a new report from the SMPD. Officers thought the presence of the cameras improved both citizen’s behavior and their own.
■ 77 percent believe the cameras give a more accurate account of what transpired ■ 76 percent thought it would improve officer training ■ 68 percent said field employees will act more professionally ■ 55 percent thought the cameras would decrease the number of citizen complaints against officers Under the pilot, it was up to the individual officer to activate the recording feature on the camera while contacting members of the public. A green flashing light sigSEE CAMERAS PAGE 7
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
City leaders look to prevent more luxury condos by the beach
SOME OF THE OFFICER SURVEY RESULTS:
Daily Press Staff Writer
@smdailypress
WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 HANDLEBAR HAPPY HOUR ........PAGE 3 ENVIRONMENTAL GAMES ............PAGE 4 KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ................PAGE 8 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9
KATE CAGLE Daily Press Staff Writer
The makeover of the Waldorf Astoria in New York City may have repercussions in Santa Monica, as City leaders look for ways to prevent luxury condominiums from popping up by the beach. Nearly two years after China’s Anbang Insurance Group Co. bought the Waldorf for nearly $2 billion, the hotel has become a construction zone. When the building finally reopens, the hotel’s function will be permanently transformed with hundreds of new
private condominiums hitting New York’s luxury real estate market. Only some of the historic building’s 47 floors will remain a hotel in two or three years. “International investment trends show multi-national corporations gobbling up American hospitality facilities, sometimes to cash them out by conversion of hotels into luxury condos,” said Councilmember Kevin McKeown, who has introduced an item on Tuesday’s Council agenda to direct staff members to look into ways to keep it from happening here. The memorandum looks to
“explore ways to protect hotel tax revenue, jobs and employment opportunities, preservation of visitor-serving uses in the California Coastal Zone and controls on coastal land use intensification under Santa Monica’s 1990 Prop S.” Anbang also owns Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel on Ocean Avenue near Olympic Drive. Santa Monica’s largest union, Unite Here Local 11, is in the middle or negotiating a new labor contract there for housekeepers, bellmen and other workers. Unite Here also represents workers at two SEE CONDOS PAGE 6
PARKLETS
Matthew Hall
The City of Santa Monica held a ribbon cutting for its new parklets on Main Street over the weekend. The three park spaces are open to the public and were built in partnership with Main Street businesses. The parklets are located at 2702 (Finn McCool’s), 2807 (Ashland Hill) and 2906 Main Street (Holy Guacamole).
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
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