WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
Volume 13 Issue 301
Santa Monica Daily Press
EBOLA REBUTTAL SEE PAGE 5
We have you covered
THE POST VOTE ISSUE
Post Office swamped by campaign mailers BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift delivery of piles of campaign garbage.
Politicians and newspaper reporters aren’t the only ones happy to see this election cycle come to a close. Postal workers delivered overtime and on Sundays to keep up with the reams of campaign mailers that have choked mailboxes across the city.
Millions of dollars were spent on local election this year and the political weapon of choice, as it has been in the past, are the mailers. On Sunday, in preparation for Tuesday’s election, carriers made the rounds with only the campaign literature (and their
normal Sunday package deliveries). “It’s pretty unusual,” said U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Richard Maher. “This was a special case because of the high volSEE MAIL PAGE 8
Council to consider 500-bicycle bikeshare BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
VOTERS DECIDE
Ross Furukawa and Rob Schwenker
Santa Monicans took to the polls yesterday to cast their votes in several races. Absentee results were released at 8:10 p.m. and showed Kevin McKeown in first place in the race for City Council with 16.79 percent of the vote. Sue Himmelrich was in second with 15.37 percent and Pam O’Connor in third with 11.53 percent. Final results were not available at press time but complete results are available online at www.smdp.com. Outside Santa Monica, Republicans took control of the Senate, Governor Jerry Brown won reelection and Jim McDonnell won the race for Los Angeles County Sheriff. Prop 1 passed as did Prop 2. Prop 47 passed while Prop 46 was rejected.
CITYWIDE Santa Monica could be the first city in the region to approve a significant bikesharing program. On Tuesday, City Council will consider authorizing a $10.4 million contract with CycleHop to add a 500-bike system in the city by the sea. Bikeshares allow riders to check-out bikes from one station and drop them off at any other station in the city. City Hall’s proposal would likely include 65 to 75 stations, all on public property. Riders could pay $2 for every 20 minutes of use or buy memberships ranging from $15 to $25 per month. Grant funding would cover about $2 million and rider fees would pitch in an estimated $1.26 million each year. But even those two funding sources won’t cover the cost of the whole system, city officials say. They recommended soliciting for bids from a corporate sponsor that would pay between $250,000 and $500,000 annually to display its messaging on the bikes. “Additional revenue to augment user fees through corporate messaging is proposed to be consistent with Big Blue Bus advertising guidelines,” city officials said. “Accordingly, messages may appear on the bikes and website, but not on fixed, permanent signs at the stations or elsewhere in the public right of way.” If all goes smoothly, the bikeshare could be in place before the opening of the Expo Light Rail next year. There are advantages and disadvantages to jumping out in front of neighboring cities, including Los Angeles, in approving this bikesharing plan. SEE BIKE PAGE 6
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