FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
Volume 11 Issue 260
Santa Monica Daily Press
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THE WISH I COULD AFFORD A HOME ISSUE
Santa Monica property values climb
NYC bans big, sugary drinks at restaurants DAVID B. CARUSO JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK New York City cracked down on
ical marijuana for testing purposes, which gave City Hall grounds under its municipal code to deny it a business license. The hearing officer interpreted the law narrowly, McDonald said.
the sale of supersized sodas and other sugary drinks Thursday in what was celebrated by some as a groundbreaking attempt to curb obesity but condemned by others as a blatant intrusion into people’s lives by a busybody mayor. Public health experts around the nation — and the restaurant and soft-drink industry — will be watching closely to see how it goes over among New Yorkers, a famously disputatious bunch. Barring any court action, the measure will take effect in March. The regulations, approved easily by the city Board of Health, apply to any establishment with a food-service license, including fast-food places, delis, movie and Broadway theaters, the concession stands at Yankee Stadium and the pizzerias of Little Italy. They will be barred from serving sugary beverages in cups or bottles larger than 16 ounces. No other U.S. city has gone so far as to restrict portion sizes at restaurants to fight weight gain. “We cannot continue to have our kids come down with diabetes at age 6,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor rejected suggestions that the rule constitutes an assault on personal liberty. “Nobody is banning anything,” he said, noting that restaurant customers can still buy as much soda as they want, as long as they are willing to carry it in multiple containers. He said the inconvenience is well worth the potential public health benefit, and likened the city’s actions to measures taken decades ago to phase out lead in household paint. Others, though, likened the ban to Prohibition. A New York Times poll last month showed that six in 10 New Yorkers opposed the restrictions. “It’s a slippery slope. When does it stop? What comes next?” said Sebastian Lopez, a college student from Queens. He added: “This is my life. I should be able to do what I want.” The restrictions do not apply to super-
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BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE The assessed value of properties in Santa Monica increased by 4.6 percent over last year, beating out Los Angeles County figures and Santa Monica officials’ own expectations. According to a report released Monday by the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office, commercial and residential properties in Santa Monica gained $1.121 billion in assessed value over 2011, making it the third most valuable city in Los Angeles County. The only two cities to surpass Santa Monica, which is only 8.3 square miles in size, were Los Angeles (468.67 square miles) in first place with $419.127 billion in value and Long Beach (50 square miles) with $44.104 billion. Santa Monica’s total value was $25.765 billion. The assessed value references the value of Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com
SEE VALUE PAGE 10 ON THE RISE: Property values increased by 4.6 percent over last year in Santa Monica.
Pot lab loses again, tries new tactic BY ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Daily Press Staff Writer
CIVIC CENTER The owner of a medical marijuana testing laboratory plans to appeal a decision by an administrative law judge who ruled that City Hall did nothing
wrong when it denied the facility a license to operate. According to a decision written by Judge Howard W. Cohen, Golden State Collective owner Richard McDonald failed to prove that his business was approved by either the state or federal government to possess med-
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