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FRIDAY AUGUST 28, 2009
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Volume 8 Issue 253
Santa Monica Daily Press DODGER DAYS OF SUMMER SEE PAGE 5
We have you covered
THE TINKERING ISSUE
Only one applicant for Rent Control Board
TAKING IT IN
Prowling the promenade Editor’s Note: This is a series in which Daily Press writers overhear and observe happenings around Santa Monica.
BY EMMA TROTTER Special to the Daily Press
BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL There once stood a stack of more than two dozen applications from residents who were interested in replacing late Councilman Herb Katz after he died in January from cancer, making up a larger pool of candidates than in the election just a few months prior. It’s been a different story for the vacancy on the unsung Rent Control Board. Christopher Braun, a 34-year-old chiropractor who narrowly lost to landlord Robert Kronovet in the November 2008 election, was the only person to submit an application by Wednesday evening’s deadline to fill a vacancy left by former Chairman Joel Koury, who resigned last month to spend more time with his young family. The lack of interest in the board, which handles all matters related to landlord and tenant issues in rent controlled buildings, came as a surprise to many. Kronovet, who last year became the first person to win a seat on the board without the political backing of the influential Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), said he reached out to a variety of individuals to apply for the position, including bankers, former City Councilmembers, property owners and tenants, some of whom reportedly indicated that they would consider it. “I can’t understand why some people allowed themselves to be intimidated and let the government function as is,” Kronovet said. “Here is a chance for citizens who have been complaining to be involved.”
FITTING TRIBUTE
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com An American flag flies at half-mast Thursday morning at the home of City Councilman Bobby Shriver in memory of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Kennedy was his uncle.
SEE RENT CONTROL PAGE 10
Gary Limjap
SEE PROMENADE PAGE 11
Five generations of family jewelers
(310) 586-0339
garylimjap@earthlink.net
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DOWNTOWN A girl in a yellow halter top sits on the edge of the ivy-covered triceratops fountain on the Third Street Promenade. She runs her fingers through her curly brown hair as the wind lifts it gently. The street is packed with people, however, and her peaceful moment is short-lived. “Mommy, take a picture of me right there!” a young boy shouts, clambering past the seated woman. His sister stands on the other end of the fountain, framing the shot. A moment later, the girl is joined by her perturbed boyfriend, who examines the bottom of his foot and speaks forcefully in a foreign language. Lots of different languages can be heard on the promenade. It’s early evening on Wednesday, and the tourists are out in force. “You know what?” a woman pushing a stroller says wearily to the rest of her family. “How about we walk around just a little bit longer?” Outside J.Crew, a girl consults at least two generations of female family members about a potential purchase. “I’m gonna go see if they have bigger sizes,” she says, flapping her arms impatiently. A couple converses over a locked bike with a small dog in its basket. A man holds two Starbucks drinks as his companion digs through her purse. Near Fatburger, another man uses a pay phone — a rare sight these days. “Never use anyone else’s eye make-up!” a woman lectures her daughter outside Sephora. “You can get an infection.” A few people out on the promenade today are on the job. Downtown ambassadors in red shirts, khaki shorts and straw hats cruise up and down the sidewalks, looking for rule-breakers — one asks a man on his cell phone to extinguish a cigarette — or
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