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Santa Monica Daily Press WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015
Volume 14 Issue 246
CONCERT GUIDE INSIDE
St. Monica to present John Angotti’s “JOB: The Now Testament”
Riel fired for political activity BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
BY JENNIFER MAAS CITY HALL Court documents from a
Daily Press Staff Writer
recent lawsuit appear to confirm the longstanding belief that Elizabeth Riel was fired due to her past political activities. Riel was offered the position of Communications and Public Affairs Officer in 2014, however, then City Manager Rod Gould rescinded the offer the next month for what was described as “personnel reasons.” Gould has since retired. Speculation for the decision focused on a 2006 donation made by Riel to a campaign that was running attack advertisements against Councilwoman Pam O’Connor, who was seeking reelection at the time. Riel also penned a column that appeared in the Daily Press,
ST. MONICA’S Why do bad things happen to good
people? If there is suffering in the world, how do we know there is a god? These are the questions John Angotti focuses on in his musical, “JOB: The Now Testament.” St. Monica Catholic Community will present a special performance of the production on Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. as part of their annual Feast Day celebration honoring their patroness, St. Monica. “JOB: The Now Testament” tells the story of a man named Aaron who is dealing with the subject matter of his own mortality, as the play begins with Aaron and his wife and friends waiting to hear news about Aaron’s health. Aaron receives bad news, and his friend, an agnostic, begins to question his faith because of it. That night, the group happens to be on their way to feed children at a soup kitchen. After they return home, Aaron is in his bedroom wondering, “Why does it have to be me?” about his illness. He has a religious friend who heard his lament and comes to tell him the story of Job, as he believes it will help him understand his suffering better. As his friend tells the story Aaron drifts off. While he sleeps, Aaron dreams he is Job and lives out the Old Testament tale, with his friends serving as all the different characters. When he awakens Aaron has to decide what to do regarding his suffering and illness after what he learned through his dream. “At the end of the show it leaves people with a sense of hope,” Angotti said. “It leaves people with a sense of healing. So if somebody is dealing with bullying as a teenager, or relationship issues, or the loss of a job … Somehow through this show, the music and the message of it, people can hold on to faith and recognize it and see how God is working in our everyday lives.” The show will feature Angotti, Anna Betancourt, Nathan Shrake, and St. Monica parishioner, Harrison Crenshaw, with Meredith Dean Agustin, Phoebe Crenshaw, Merrick McMahon, and ten select voices from the student choir at St. Monica, Monica’s Joy.
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which was critical of decisions made by city officials. O’Connor told the Daily Press in June of 2014 that she “might have commented” to Gould about her discomfort with the hiring of Riel. She went on to explain that she can’t tell the city manager what to do. Riel filed a lawsuit against City Hall and Gould claiming that her First Amendment rights had been violated but dropped Gould from the suit earlier this year. The City settled their suit in July for $710,000. Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) published excerpts of depositions, emails and other records earlier this week. A Daily Press review of the same documents confirms O’Connor communicated with Gould about the SEE RIEL PAGE 6
Boys cross-country: Samohi’s Jackson eyes state berth Motivated senior to lead Vikings in 2015 campaign BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Courtesy Photo
Daily Press Staff Writer
JOB: The Special performance will be Aug. 28. SAMOHI Lucas Jackson doesn’t want
Angotti is based in Memphis, Tenn., but his fulltime music ministry, John Angotti Music Mission (JAMM), has taken him around the world, including his “home away from home,” Santa Monica. “[St. Monica’s] does a lot of my music, so there is that connection.” Angotti said that the play is intended for all ages and he believes it is a great fit for the St. Monica Feast Day Celebration. “It’s a great opportunity for those who come, because St. Monica’s is an awesome family here, where they really do a great job with SEE PLAY PAGE 9
to miss the state meet again. As a junior on the Santa Monica High boys cross-country team last season, Jackson qualified for the CIF Southern Section championships at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. But his top-20 finish wasn’t enough to earn him a trip to the state competition, a shortcoming that is motivating him as he and the Vikings enter their 2015 season under longtime coach Tania Fischer. “It was so close,” Fischer said. “We’re looking for him to lead our team, and our goal is to go to CIF finals.”
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It’s shaping up to be a promising fall for the Vikings, whose campaign begins Sept. 5 with the Cool Breeze Invitational at El Prado Golf Course in Chino. Their first Ocean League meet is scheduled for Sept. 24 at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center in Los Angeles. SEE SPORTS PAGE 9
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