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MONDAY
07.18.16 Volume 15 Issue 202
@smdailypress
WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 LEO CARRILLO’S LEGACY ............PAGE 3 MY WRITE ........................................PAGE 4 EARTH TALK ....................................PAGE 5 LIBRARY LOWDOWN ......................PAGE 6
@smdailypress
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
SMMEF raises $2M, falls short of goal School board closes deficit after heated discussion BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
The local Board of Education was forced to make another tough budgetary decision after the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation fell short of its annual fundraising goal. The foundation raised $2.03 million for school programs in a cycle that ended June 30, well short of the $2.5 million it was asked to collect over the last 12 months. After about an hour of testy deliberation, the school board last month voted to make up for the nearly $500,000 deficit by using $300,000 in funds tied to the Local Control and Accountability Plan and roughly $200,000 from the school district’s general fund. The board’s heated debate came as district stakeholders continue adjusting to the recently implemented centralized fundraising
model, which was opposed by many Malibu families. Ongoing litigation over chemical testing at Malibu schools and efforts to create a separate Malibu district have also hampered the foundation’s efforts. “We’re a school district with lots of distractions,” SMMEF board president Kathleen Rawson said. “We would be remiss not to acknowledge that these obstacles are hindering some of our fundraising success.” Giving fell slightly from the $2.36 million raised in last year’s cycle, which lasted 17 months so the foundation could align its campaign with the school district calendar. Board member Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein said it wouldn’t be right to make reductions to SMMEF-funded programs even as the district faces a $10-million shortfall heading into 2016-
Youth nonprofit names leader Arellano returns to guide Boys and Girls Clubs
SEE MONEY PAGE 8
Avoiding silence on gun violence SMC to host film screening, panel discussion BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
For years, Suzanne Verge has been trying to educate people about gun violence and urge them to advocate for change. They’re finally listening. The recent mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub has shoved problems surrounding gun safety and gun control into the national discussion, drawing in citizens who may have avoided the issues in the past. “People are coming out and saying, ‘I can’t stand by anymore — I’ve got to be part of the solution,’” said Verge, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “But we can’t come up with a solution unless we have these tough conversations.” Verge, a Santa Monica resident,
will be featured in a panel discussion about guns following a screening of the documentary “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed and the NRA” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Santa Monica College. The event, hosted by the local community college’s Public Policy Institute, will be held in Room 165 of the Humanities and Social Sciences building on the main SMC campus. The panel will be moderated by institute co-director Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein and will also include Rep. Ted Lieu and the film’s director, Robert Greenwald. According to the League of Women Voters of Santa Monica, the screening and discussion were planned long before the recent spate of gun violence that has fueled debates across the country about public safety and the Second
From Realtors to Auto Mechanics, Accountants and Lawyers Pico Merchants Have Your Back!
BY JEONG PARK Daily Press Intern
Michelle Arellano has moved around in the last two years. She lived in Oregon but flew back and forth to Santa Monica to serve as an interim director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, staying in the city for weeks at a time. Arellano then moved to Sacramento to serve as an interim director for the Boys and Girls Clubs there. During those two years, she also consulted nonprofit organizations, coached new CEOs and became a minister. “One thing I noticed was that there’s only so much you can do as an interim,” Arellano said. For her, it was about time to settle down, and Santa Monica gave her that opportunity. In April, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa
Monica, a nonprofit organization supporting nearly 4,000 youths throughout Los Angeles County, chose Arellano to be a full-time CEO, two months after she had started out as an interim. Arellano had worked as the club’s interim chief in 2014 as well. Arellano did not imagine coming back to Santa Monica. However, she said she has known the club for the last 10 years. When she was approached to again lead the club, she said she knew the club was a good fit for her. “They have such a big heart, rich history, dedicated staff and wonderful community,” Arellano said. After Tim Blaylock stepped down in February, a couple board members approached her about leading the club, Arellano said. SEE BGC PAGE 7
SEE GUN PAGE 7
LIFE HAPPENS!
PICOPASSPORT.COM
Courtesy Photo
CEO: Michelle Arellano is now in charge of all operations at the local Boys and Girls Club.
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
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