INSIDE SCOOP
OPINION
ENTERTAINMENT
NEW PRINCIPAL IN TOWN PAGE 3 ‘IT’ FACTOR WILL BE BIG ON ELECTION DAY PAGE 4 SPELLING IT OUT PAGE 7
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007
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Volume 6 Issue 253
Santa Monica Daily Press
MOVIE TIME SEE PAGE 12
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE PROPS TO CONNIE ISSUE
COMMUNITY SAFETY
MEAN STREETS
PEDESTRIAN SERIOUSLY INJURED BY LOCAL BUS STORY BY GERRY SHIH PAGE 19
Photo courtesy Kristopher Wedman
MAN DOWN: A pedestrian crossing Santa Monica Boulevard was seriously injured when a Big Blue Bus struck him while he was crossing the street late Wednesday evening.
Communicating to the masses BY KEVIN HERRERA Daily Press Staff Writer
SMMUSD HDQTRS Communication is the key to any healthy relationship, which stands to reason why the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has been under fire recently for failing to keep the community informed about the appointment of a new school board member and other issues.
The district has been without a public information officer for several years, a position that was cut because of budget constraints. This has made it difficult for parents and the media to get information they need in a timely manner. That changed Tuesday when on the first day of school, parents joined with district officials, union representatives and school board members in announcing the launch of a new marketing and communications campaign that is
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intended to keep the community informed, while simultaneously promoting the achievements made by students and faculty. The district will still be without a public information officer for the time being, but volunteers will work closely with district staff to create information bulletins and fun facts that will be made available to not just parents with children in SMMUSD schools, but to the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu as a whole.
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Volunteers will also work to set up a Web site where parents would be able to access the latest information on test scores or changes in leadership, as well as post bulletins about events taking place around the district. “You could call it a marketing campaign, but the intent is to really foster more communication because that is where parents SEE COMMUNICATION PAGE 20
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