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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 LIBRARY LOWDOWN ......................PAGE 4 LAUGHING MATTERS ....................PAGE 5 MOVIE REVIEW ................................PAGE 7 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9
FRIDAY
10.09.15 Volume 14 Issue 284
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Santa Monica Daily Press
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$55M Innovation Building unveiled at Samohi
Shore Hotel operating without required permits
Completion comes amid increased focus on STEM education
Coastal Commission denies after-the-fact application BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
The Shore Hotel is currently operating without a valid permit from the Coastal Commission and owners are relying on a pair of court cases to determine the hotel’s future. Without a valid permit the bestcase scenario for the hotel could be millions of dollars in fines, or at worst, the hotel could be shutdown until the commission is satisfied its conditions have been met. The dispute dates back to the original application to build the hotel. In 2009, the Farzam family filed paperwork to demolish their two hotels on Ocean Avenue (the
Pacific Sands Motel and a Travelodge) and they proposed a new hotel with 164 rooms. At the time of their application, they said the old hotels were approaching the end of their useful lives and new construction was the best option for the site. The application said the family chose to build a moderate-priced hotel over a boutique luxury hotel. “…the Farzams, consistent with City and State policies for the Coastal Zone, elected to pursue a replacement moderately-priced Travelodge rather than yet another new luxury hotel in the Coastal zone,” their application said. The documents say the new SEE PERMIT PAGE 8
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NOW OPEN: New facilities at Santa Monica High School will benefit science classes.
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
When Dean Chien started as a freshman at Santa Monica High School three years ago, plans were already in motion for the Santa MonicaMalibu school district to construct a new science and technology building on campus. But the finished product still made a powerful impression on Chien, who is now a senior and the school’s student body president. Chien donned a suit and tie and wielded oversized scissors last month when district and city officials hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration to signify the grand opening of the socalled Innovation Building, a $55-million project that welcomed students at the start of the 2015-2016 school year. “It’s quite amazing to have that structure,” Chien said. Chien and his peers, as well as future Samohi students, stand to benefit from the new 3-story facility, which has 15 science labs as well as 17 classrooms for math, English, social studies and
language courses. The building also features eight prep rooms, a computer lab, an auto shop, storage space and six administrative offices. A quad and an atrium with drought-friendly plants, student lockers and benches were also constructed. The project was funded through Measure BB, a $268-million bond for school improvements that voters passed in 2006. The completion of the building comes at a time of increasing emphasis on education in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) as public officials, business executives and academic leaders envision a future in which skills in those subjects are crucial for job prospects and economic growth. “The opening of this new building will provide unique learning opportunities for all students who pass through our doors,” Superintendent Sandra Lyon said. “Classes in science, technology, engineering and math offer important college and career pathways and we
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SEE SCIENCE PAGE 11
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SPEAKER: Bill Patzert will speak as part of “El Nino Week.”
Heal the Bay aims to educate during ‘El Niño Week’ BY JENNIFER MAAS Daily Press Staff Writer
El Niño is coming, we think, and Heal the Bay doesn’t want you to forget it.
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In fact, the topic is of such importance to the organization that they have named Oct. 11 - 17, “El Niño Week,” a seven day stretch SEE WEATHER PAGE 9
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