PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310)
458-7737
MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2013
Volume 12 Issue 235
Santa Monica Daily Press
SCI-FI WINNER SEE PAGE 3
We have you covered
THE DIFFERENT KIND OF GREEN ISSUE
City Council considering extending pot ban BY AMEERA BUTT Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL The debate on whether medical marijuana dispensaries have a place in Santa Monica is back in the news. The City Council Tuesday is expected to
decide whether or not to extend for one year the moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries. Santa Monica currently does not have any dispensaries and City Hall does not recognize them as legitimate businesses. But there’s some concern among advocates who want to lift the moratorium, argu-
ing patients should have access to marijuana, which has been recognized as a medicine by the state but not by the federal government, which still considers it an addictive drug on the level of cocaine, LSD and ecstasy. For the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue, a majority of
Americans favor legalizing the use of marijuana, according to a national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center earlier this year. Over 50 percent of those surveyed said that the use of marijuana should be SEE POT PAGE 10
SM harnesses sun’s energy Solar powers up to the tune of 455 sites BY AMEERA BUTT Daily Press Staff Writer
“If you believe in what you’re doing and you believe you have something to say, good things can happen,” Mindell said. “Hopefully my achievements will give inspi-
CITYWIDE In a recent report from the Environment California Research & Policy Center, a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization, California ranked sixth in cumulative solar electricity capacity per capita, providing 75 watts per person. In terms of total solar electricity capacity, the report said California leads the nation with more than 2.9 gigawatts — more than one-third of the nation’s total. Santa Monica city officials said adopting solar energy as an alternative energy source has been quick to find root in the city by the sea, an environmentally conscious town, which is trying to rely less on fossil fuels and save money on electricity bills. Thanks to Solar Santa Monica, an initiative by City Hall that provides support to residents and businesses who are planning on investing in solar, there are a total of 455 solar installations in Santa Monica. The city has 3.6 megawatts of solar capacity installed right now, Matt Henigan, sustainable energy engineer for City Hall, said. “There’s been a steady interest, and now more and more interest,” Ted Flanigan, executive director of Irvine-based EcoMotion, Inc., a consulting company that manages Solar Santa Monica for City Hall, said. Solar Santa Monica, which formed seven
SEE CP PAGE 11
SEE SOLAR PAGE 11
FOLLOW ALONG
Paul Alvarez Jr editor@smdp.com Cristi Christensen instructs a free yoga/running class titled ‘ROGA’ at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday. ROGA combines running and yoga.
COMMUNITYPROFILES ALAN MINDELL
Local writer finally gets published after years of trying BY KRISTEN TAKETA Special to the Daily Press
SOLANA BEACH After writing novels since his 20s and receiving hundreds of rejection letters, Alan Mindell finally got his debut as
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310) 458-7737
a published author — at 72 years old. The longtime Santa Monica resident, who kept each rejection letter as a reminder to keep persevering, said he hopes his accomplishment would encourage others of his age to also be active and seize the day.
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
TAXES 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