FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2005
Volume 4, Issue 231
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
Leaders shaken by earthquake report
DAILY LOTTERY SUPER LOTTO 9 10 23 33 34 Meganumber: 22 Jackpot: $16 Million
FANTASY 5 13 15 17 31 35
DAILY 3 Daytime: Evening:
BY RYAN HYATT
038 306
Daily Press Staff Writer
DAILY DERBY 1st: 2nd: 3rd:
01 Gold Rush 12 Lucky Charms 07 Eureka!
RACE TIME:
1:40.38
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the winning number information, mistakes can occur. In the event of any discrepancies, California State laws and California Lottery regulations will prevail. Complete game information and prize claiming instructions are available at California Lottery retailers. Visit the California State Lottery web site: http://www.calottery.com
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
CHUCK
SHEPARD
From the University of Utah Department of Public Safety report for October (2005-22280): “Unwanted Guest. A security officer from Primary Children’s Medical Center called to report a man in that hospital who had no legitimate business there and wouldn’t leave. University Police responded and were told by the man that he comes to Primary because he can find longer cigarette butts there because the doctors and nurses at Primary don’t smoke their cigarettes all the way down like everyone else does. The man left when ordered to do so by the police.”
TODAY IN HISTORY Today is the 301st day of 2005. There are 64 days left in the year. On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Cleveland. In 1636, Harvard College was founded in Massachusetts. In 1793, Eli Whitney applied for a patent for his cotton gin (the patent was granted the following March).
QUOTE OF THE DAY “Truth is not introduced into the individual from without, but was within him all the time.”
SOREN KIERKEGAARD
DANISH PHILOSOPHER (1813-1855)
INDEX Horoscopes Take it easy, Gemini
2
Surf Report Water temperature: 64°
3
Opinion Like a good neighbor
4
Opinion Enforce to be reckoned with
5
State Split decision
9
Entertainment Rain on Cage’s parade
10
Film Festival Coming to theater near you
11
Classifieds Ad space odyssey
17-19
Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press Firefighters from the Santa Monica Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue bust through a wall with a hydraulic jack on Thursday during an extensive emergency training drill.
Rescue, we: Firefighters sharpen recovery skills BY RYAN HYATT Daily Press Staff Writer
SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD — Though the earth was still, and the city’s structures still intact, Santa Monica’s first line of defense was at the ready on Thursday. The handful of men and women who would be first on the scene in the event of a major earthquake gathered near an abandoned building to practice rescuing people buried beneath rubble. More than a dozen members of the Santa Monica Fire Department — supported by a large fire engine, two specialty trucks and equipment — practiced urban search-and-rescue techniques on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Berkeley Street, honing skills they’d use on victims in the event of earthquakes and other disasters. “This is typically how we would handle a situation if a building collapsed,” said Santa Monica Fire Capt. Scott Ziegert. “Earthquakes would be the primary disaster these guys would be responding to.” The firefighters, dressed in full-body yellow uniforms and hard-hats, worked together positioning a large drill against a wall for safe human passage. The drill
Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press SMFD engineer Paddy Cates helps fellow firefighter John Skorstad don his hazardous material suit during a drill at the city yards on Thursday.
is part of a diverse arsenal the men and women work with when calamity strikes, said firefighter Jimmy Scott, who’s been with the department for 30 years. “We’re pretty much self-contained, and self-sufficient, to handle any kind of situation on site,” Scott said. Santa Monica’s speciallytrained Urban Search and Rescue team (SAR) consists of 18 firefighters, six of whom are available on any given shift, Scott said. They are part of truck company See RESCUE, page 8
CITYWIDE — The fact that thousands of Santa Monica buildings may not be able to withstand a major earthquake has prompted concern from some elected officials, who’d like the enforcement of seismic retrofitting laws to become a major city priority. A recent report by the Daily Press (Oct. 21, Bracing the city for next quake) which indicated that hundreds, maybe thousands of Santa Monica buildings may not be able to hold up after a 7.0 earthquake — prompted reaction from some City Councilmembers, who fear the public may be in peril if updated building safety laws to protect structures during earthquakes aren’t enforced. While the 1994 Northridge earthquake presented an opportunity for City Hall to toughen up its own buildings within Santa Monica, records show there is still a long way to go before a citywide overhaul to retrofit structures is complete. Ben Yousefi, assistant building official, explained that there are several types of buildings in Santa Monica, many of which may require varying degrees of attention before they meet City Hall’s most recent seismic standards — put into effect three years ago.
SAY IT AGAIN Meanwhile, Councilman Ken Genser, referring to the Oct. 21 article, said the council had previously instructed city staff to enforce the updated laws, which would require the majority of buildings within Santa Monica to be brought up to the latest standards so they might be able to successfully endure a major earthquake. According to Yousefi, city staff has since deferred enforcing the upgraded standards except for those buildings up for major renovation or replacement. If true, Genser said he is greatly concerned by city staff’s lack of enforcement. The councilman said city staff was previously requested to send
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310-664-8777
CALL NOW! EATHQUAKE SHUT-OFF VALVES SAVE LIVES!!
out notices to building owners, who would then have a certain number of days to prepare engineering reports and start ordering seismic retrofitting upgrades to their facilities. “None of this seems to have been done,” Genser said. “If that’s true (staff has not enforced the upgrades) because the costs associated were too prohibitive, as the article indicates, then staff should have returned to the council to seek advice.” Genser — who believes City Hall must do a better job in general of enforcing the city code — said previous issues he’s had with out-of-compliant commercial signs and banners pales in comparison to his concern about the lack of seismic retrofitting. “I’m upset for two reasons,” Genser said. “One is that the city has let these safety violations exist without any enforcement and didn’t inform the council about it. “Also, it’s not their judgment to make.” Yousefi and Tim McCormick, city building official, were out of the office on Thursday and unavailable to comment. See SHAKEN UP, page 7
STATE
Those who left loot asked to search vault BY LAURA WIDES Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES — State Controller Steve Westly is calling on Californians to “come search the vault.” Westly kicked off a campaign this week to find the owners of $4.8 billion worth of items including checks, jewelry and antique gold coins from California’s unclaimed property vault. Californians owed money include actor Danny DeVito, who has a $26 check waiting for him from All-State See LEFT LOOT, page 9
BACK OR UNFILED TAXES? ALL FORMS • ALL TYPES • ALL STATES SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA
(310) 395-9922 100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800 Santa Monica 90401