FR EE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2004
Volume 3, Issue 251
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
DAILY LOTTERY
Campaign trail exacts a hefty toll
Sowing circle
FANTASY 5 15 39 21 11 37
DAILY 3 Daytime: Evening:
848 998
DAILY DERBY 1st: 2nd: 3rd:
01 Gold Rush 07 Eureka 04 Big Ben
RACE TIME:
1:44.23
BY CAROLYN SACKARIASON Daily Press Staff Writer
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY CHUCK SHEPARD
■ U.S. military personnel and their immediate families can routinely receive elective plastic surgery at government expense, including liposuction and facelifts and even breast implants for women (if the woman supplies the implants), according to a July report in The New Yorker. The writer found that, though the military did not offer the benefits in writing, word gets around, and the benefit helps in recruiting as well as in keeping the military’s reconstructivesurgery doctors sharp. ■ Merle Hatch, 42, was arrested shortly after he allegedly robbed a Compass Bank in Denver, even though he was dressed (in running shorts and shoes) entirely differently than when he pulled off the job. Hatch’s plan was to leave the bank, then strip off his pants and appear to be a jogger out for a morning run, carrying the money. However, for some reason, he did the clothing change in front of the bank building in full view of the employees, who reported his new outfit. According to a police spokesman, Hatch expressed surprise when he was caught so quickly.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press City workers Jacoby Day (front) and James Packard re-sod the gravesite of Sally Chest (1924-1972) at Woodlawn Cemetery on Tuesday. Irrigation caused ground throughout the cemetery to cave in.
Not so fast: ‘Gift policy’ will limit school spending BY GENEVA WHITMARSH
“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.”
Daily Press Staff Writer
VOLTAIRE
INDEX Horoscopes Taurus, make some time
2
Local Down with GOP
3
Surf Report Water temperature: 71°
3
Opinion Capitol venting
4
State Kobe not lovin’ it
7
10-13
National Jet set lifestyle
14
Comics Gotta giggle
16
Classifieds Ad space odyssey
17-19
Service Directory Got leakage?
19
See GIFT, page 6
See COST OF FAME, page 5
District achievement gap appears to be tightening BY PAM WIGHT
Real Estate Come sale away
DISTRICT HDQTRS. — Schools will soon be limited on how much they can spend from donations they receive from parents. A controversial “gift policy,” which has been debated in the community for more than a year, is expected to undergo some slight tweaking before receiving the school board’s stamp of approval next month. “There are two parts of the policy that the school board wanted to take a closer look at,”
schools superintendent John Deasy said Tuesday. “Both involve making it clearer what the process for district intervention is, summer school, kids who can’t read by third grade, etc.” Deasy said he expects the gift policy to be approved on Sept. 9. “The board seems to like it,” he said. “It’s their policy.” The controversial plan has pitted many members of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District against one another. Opponents call the policy an unfair “tax” that will quell
While you ponder over the next two months on who you will vote for in the local City Council election, consider this: Each candidate will spend between $4 and $8 for your vote. A successful — or at least competitive — bid for one of the four open City Council seats will require candidates to raise in excess of $100,000. The amount of fundraising is dependent on whether the candidates run individually, or are propped up by Santa Monica’s longtime political ruling party — the Santa Monicans For Renters Rights — or its arch nemesis, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. Both entities will raise money for a slate of candidates, send direct mailers to voters’ homes, and campaign tirelessly for their chosen ones. SMRR typically spends close to $100,000 for its slate, which this year consists of incumbents Ken Genser and Richard Bloom, Pico neighborhood activist Maria Loya and former school board president Patricia Hoffman. SMRR will spend most of that money on direct mailers, which cost about $17,000 to print and deliver to an estimated 35,000 households. The Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee, which will announce its slate the week of Sept. 13, is expected to raise even more than SMRR. Some estimates have been as high as $300,000. However, Kathy Dodson, president and CEO of the chamber, said she doesn’t know how much money the committee will raise — this is the first year the chamber has officially raised money for candidates. “It sounds like a cop-out, but we just don’t know,” she said. “We are going to raise as
Special to the Daily Press
Local students, particularly from lowincome families, are getting smarter. That’s according to recently released results from the California High School Exit Exam and state assessments, which show Santa Monica and Malibu students had significantly higher averages in passing exams than students statewide. The largest difference between the district and state scores came in the category of “low
Jacquie Banks
income,” with the Santa Monica-Malibu School District showing a 23-point higher pass rate than the state averages. The group also showed a significant improvement between 2003 and 2004 in fourth grade through seventh grade, as well as ninth grade. “We will not be satisfied,” said Superintendent of Schools John Deasy, “until we reach the point where every child has access to high quality and rigorous coursework — and then achieves proficiency on the state standards. We emphatically believe that every
child in the district can and will be wholly successful in their educational career.” The California Standards Test is the primary component of the exams and is seen nationally as one of the most rigorous. Results showed that overall, 89 percent of district students passed mathematics and 91 percent passed English-Language Arts, while state and county scores were 15 to 18 percentage points lower. Categories by language and income groups See BRIGHT IDEAS, page 6
SMALL BUSINESS STARTUP? Let me help you succeed
310.586.0342
CONSULTING • BOOKKEEPING • PLANNING TAXES
Your local Realtor since 1987
100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800 Santa Monica 90401
SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA
(310) 395-9922