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WEEKEND EDITION
10.07.17 - 10.08.17 Volume 16 Issue 282
@smdailypress
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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 CRJ WORKSHOP ..............................PAGE 3 GARDENING AND COMMUNITY ....PAGE 4 CRIME WATCH ..................................PAGE 8 FOOD AID SERVICES ....................PAGE 10
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Bus-only lanes open on Lincoln
New trees heading to Palisades Park if Council approves
Jazz Shademan
LANES: A dedicated bus lane is now operating along Lincoln Blvd.
RYAN MCGOWAN Daily Press/SMC Corsair Staff Writer
File photo
PALM TREES: Replacement trees are part of Council’s consent calendar on Tuesday.
KATE CAGLE Daily Press Staff Writer
A medical marijuana ordinance will be the main discussion during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Before the councilmembers discuss pot, however, they have to get through the consent calendar. This week it includes everything from palm trees to leaky roofs at the airport, as well as some changes coming to the Big Blue Bus. BBB URGES TAP CARD DISCOUNT
Big Blue Bus is looking to tweak consumer behavior by restructuring some of their fares. The BBB proposes changing the TAP stored value for a single ride from $1.25 to $1.10 to discourage the use of cash on the bus. “The shift would reduce the time-consuming process of cash boarding, reduce dwell time, and speed up bus service,” promises a staff report on the matter. Staff want to reduce cash transactions from 44 percent of trips to just fifteen percent. It takes
a rider 23 seconds to pay for the bus in cash versus just four seconds to swipe a tap card. The BBB argues faster buses are also cheaper – reducing the operating cost by about 55 cents per customer per ride. Customer surveys show the excessive time it takes to travel by bus is the number one complaint about the system. The restructure would also include the introduction of a $500 unlimited ride pass. BBB will market the pass to employers who subsidize public transit costs for their workers. The pass will also be available to the general public. If the Council approves, new fares would be effective Nov. 25 this year. Staff predicts the fare changes would reduce short term revenue by about $697,000, according to the staff report. However, BBB hopes increased ridership will offset at least a portion of the cost. Staff promises to monitor the effects of the changes and report back to Council in 12 months. SEE COUNCIL PAGE 6
In the past couple of years, Santa Monica has seen a significant improvement in public transportation options. Less than two years ago, Metro’s Expo Line provided a long-anticipated extension of the Los Angeles rail system that runs as far as Downtown and other transit options include bikeshares, the Free Ride and carshare programs. The city hopes to streamline transportation, increase commuter safety, and revitalize the pedestrian
experience on many city streets and boulevards. This year the city of Santa Monica, in partnership with Big Blue Bus, has begun to implement numerous changes to the city’s bus infrastructure including revised route maps and now a new dedicated bus-only lane on Lincoln Blvd. The stretch of Lincoln Boulevard, between the I-10 freeway and the city limits at Ozone Avenue is scheduled for several changes over the next few months in SEE LANES PAGE 7
Trump’s one-two punch hits birth control, LGBT rights BY DAVID CRARY & RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press
In a one-two punch elating religious conservatives, President Donald Trump’s administration is allowing more employers to opt out of no-cost birth control for workers and issuing sweeping religious-freedom directions that could override many anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people and others.
At a time when Trump finds himself embattled on many fronts, the two directives — issued almost simultaneously on Friday — demonstrated the president’s eagerness to retain the loyalty of social conservatives who make up a key part of his base. Leaders of that constituency were exultant. “President Trump is demonstrating his commitment to undoing the anti-faith policies of the SEE TRUMP PAGE 5
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