REAL ESTATE & BUSINESS
PHOTO ESSAY
COMMENTARY
SIMON SAYS
THE REAL DEAL ELECTION DAY IN PICTURES PAGE 3 PICKING A WINNER? PAGE 5 GRAB SOME LAND PAGE 6 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 304
Santa Monica Daily Press Since 2001: A news odyssey
OUR NEXT PRESIDENT
THE WE VOTED ISSUE
For kids, it’s all about Obama
Too early to call Election ‘08 preliminary results City Council: Bobby Shriver: 2,700 (20.59 percent) Richard Bloom: 2,008 (15.31 percent) Ken Genser: 1,850 (14.11 percent) Herb Katz: 1,781 (13.58 percent) * With 1 of 54 precincts reporting. School Board: Ben Allen: 2,756 (27.42 percent) M. Leon-Vazquez: 2,508 (24.95 percent) Chris Bley: 2,504 (24.91 percent) * With 2 of 72 precincts reporting.
BY MELODY HANATANI
SMC Board of Trustees: Susan Aminoff: 3,007 (30.34 percent) Rob Rader: 2,902 (29.28 percent) M. Quinones-Perez: 2,702 (27.27 percent) * With 1 of 71 precincts reporting.
Daily Press Staff Writer
SUNSET PARK It could be his stance on education or even his plans to address the current economic crisis, but there’s something about Barack Obama that made him the overwhelming presidential pick among fifth graders at Will Rogers Learning Community. Seven years from being legally eligible to vote, roughly 100 fifth graders got a taste of civic participation on Tuesday when they cast their ballots for the presidential race in a mock election, basing their decisions not on the candidates’ name, but rather their positions on key issues. “When I stepped inside the booth, I felt 18 instead of 11,” said Charlie Whitesell, a student in Devon Smith’s class, the teacher who spearheaded the educational project for the entire fifth grade. The mock elections featured the players of the real thing, including the popular vote early in the school day, followed by a gathering of the electoral college in the afternoon. There were 23 electors designated from four different fifth grade classes whose apportionment to the college was based on the size of the class. “You learn about the process and stick to the integrity of the issues,” Smith said. The election day activity was the culmination of a week-long series of exercises in which the students studied six major issues — the war in Iraq, health care, education, environment, energy and the economy — and learned about the candidates’ positions without knowing their identities, instead being referred to simply as “Candidate A” and “Candidate B.” The intent was to allow the students to make an informed decision without outside influences, such as the media and even their own parents. A makeshift polling place was set up in the
Rent Control Board: Joel Koury: 2,159 (41.16 percent) R. Kronovet: 1,759 (33.53 percent) * With 1 of 54 precincts reporting. Measure T: 2,020 (Y) 2,167 (N) Measure SM: 2,096 (Y) 1,847 (N) Measure AA: 3,021 (Y) 2,316 (N) * With 1 of 54 precincts reporting. Measure R: 216,931 (Y) 121,642 (N) * With 489 of 4,883 precincts reporting.
Commitment to civic duty BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
SUNSET PARK The energy level was undeni-
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
ably high, the room buzzing with electoral activity, and in the middle of all the action was a Santa Monica woman who just despises hanging chads. For Nicole Picard, Election Day held special meaning this year, marking the end to both the current administration in the White House and a personal seven-year run working every election in Santa Monica — whether they be primary or general. The long-time poll inspector and single mother of two children has been there and
LEARNING THE PROCESS AT A YOUNG AGE: Jacob Jamal James, a fifth grader at Will
SEE MOCK ELECTION PAGE 8
Rogers Learning Community, casts his ballot in a mock election on Tuesday morning.
Gary Limjap
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