FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014
Volume 13 Issue 213
Santa Monica Daily Press
PALPALOOZA SEE PAGE 9
We have you covered
THE BLACKOUT ISSUE
Council wants rising tenant complaints addressed BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL When tenants complain in a city that's majority renters, elected officials listen. Tenant harassment complaints nearly
doubled in the last fiscal year, which ended earlier this month, city attorneys told City Council on Tuesday. Councilmembers gave the attorneys a list of suggestions for potentially solving the problems. “In the previous four years the number had
stayed fairly constant other than one large case (Village Trailer Park) that doubled in the previous fiscal year,” said Adam Radinsky of City Hall's Consumer Protection Unit. Changing market forces, Radinsky acknowledged, are part of the problem.
“There are undoubtedly greater pressures than we've seen in many years due to the real estate market rebounding,” he said. “Rents are going higher than they have in quite SEE RENT PAGE 8
Man gets 15 years for 2008 killing BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES Daniel Becerril
TRUNK SHOW
Matthew Hall matt@smdp.com Several large palm trees have been cut down in the Santa Monica Place courtyard and the remaining stumps have been barricaded or covered with temporary tabletops. Mall visitors decried the loss of the trees that reached to the third floor but according to Senior Manager Shoshana Puccia, mall officials were told the trees were unhealthy. She said the trees would be replaced sometime in the future.
Editor's note: The Santa Monica Daily Press, and several other businesses, lost power on July 24. According to Southern California Edison, a bird on the power lines in the vicinity of 6th Street and Taft Way caused the outage. Power was knocked out at about 11:48 a.m. for 108 customers and electricity was restored by 2:50 p.m.
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310) 458-7737
High ratings for school bonds BY FRANCESCA BILLINGTON & MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Staff
SMMUSDHQ The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has maintained high bond ratings from two prominent rating
agencies, enabling the district to proceed with the sale of the district's first series of Measure “ES” bonds in the coming weeks. The District received a bond rating of 'Aa1' and 'AA' from rating agencies, Moody's SEE BOND PAGE 9
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
was sentenced to 15 years in state prison in July 23 for the 2008 killing of a Santa Monica man, according to Sgt. Rudy Camarena of the Santa Monica Police Department. Becerril pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, money laundering, and five counts of grand theft. He was ordered to pay $442,000 in restitution including $315,000 to the family of the murder victim, Alexander Merman. Merman, 35, was found dead, covered in stab wounds, in his apartment on the 500 block of Montana Avenue in March of 2008. “The case initially had no leads, but an intensive investigation by SMPD detectives led them to Becerril who owed Merman over $550,000,” Camarena said in a release. “The complex investigation revealed Becerril as the head of AP Financial Group in Orange County which was found to be involved in numerous cases of fraud and theft.” Victims were believed to have been bilked out of millions of dollars, mostly through pyramid schemes, mortgage fraud, and retirement scams. “Merman and Becerril were friends and most of the money involved was loaned to Becerril by Merman to help him with his business,” Camarena said. “Becerril promised to pay Merman back but never did.” Merman discovered Becerril's scheme and was killed shortly thereafter. Becerril, of Huntington Beach, was arrested in March of 2012 after evidence was taken from volumes of financial, cellular phone, computer and Internet records. dave@smdp.com
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