INSIDE SCOOP
OPINION
SPORTS
ADOPTION TALE PAGE 3 JUDGING A CANDIDATE ON CHARACTER PAGE 4 DODGERTOWN CRITICS SPEAK PAGE 14
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 311
Santa Monica Daily Press DON’T BREAK THE BANK SEE PAGE 7
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE BOOK ‘EM DANNO ISSUE
Police nab burglary suspects BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY A pair of burglary suspects whom police believe are connected to nine residential break-ins were arrested on Tuesday after a resident spotted them carrying a television away from an apartment. Jovani Manuel Morales, 25, and Joselyn Keny Galdamez, 30, were booked on suspicion of burglary after they were caught with
a stolen television and laptop computer that were taken from an apartment in the 2800 block of Arizona Avenue. The relationship between the two suspects is unknown. The suspects are expected to be arraigned on Friday. In addition to suspicion of burglary, Morales was booked for possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana and violation of probation. Galdamez was also booked for violation of probation. No bail has been set. Authorities believe the two suspects, who
are both from Los Angeles, have committed several related crimes in Santa Monica, including a break-in earlier on Tuesday in the 1400 block of Idaho Avenue where several electronic items were stolen, and another incident in the 1700 block of California Avenue on Nov. 5. The latter break-in prompted the Santa Monica Police Department to post a bulletin last week warning residents against “distraction-style burglaries” in which one suspect tries to grab the attention of the homeown-
er while an accomplice sneaks in and steals their belongings. The burglary in the Wilshire-Montana neighborhood last week occurred after a neighbor was reportedly approached by a strange person whom she suspected was trying to distract her, eventually dismissing the suspect. Another neighbor on the same block later reported seeing a male and a female suspect SEE ARREST PAGE 12
Residents demand City Hall continue battle with FAA BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
SANTA MONICA AIRPORT Jet-fatigued residents want City Hall to keep on fighting. Facing a possible three-year battle with the Federal Aviation Administration over a ban on the fastest and largest jets from Santa Monica Airport, the City Council on Tuesday solicited public opinion on whether it should continue in court or opt for a settlement agreement, which would most likely involve the installation of a runway safety system. The overwhelming opinion from residents was not to relent. “My wish is (for an) unconditional non surrender to the FAA and keep the standards of what we expect for safety and not capitulate to the FAA’s convenience,” Jeanne Laurie, a Sunset Park resident, said. City Hall is engaged in two proceedings regarding the matter — a challenge in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals over a cease and desist order issued against the ban on categories C and D jets, and an administrative hearing contesting the FAA’s internal review, which concluded the restriction of the larger aircraft was illegal. The court is expected to hear the appeal on Nov. 19 and the administrative hearing is currently in mediation in which a settlement could be possible. Both parties have signed a confidentiality agreement barring them SEE FAA PAGE 10
TAKING IT TO THE STREETS
Ray Solano news@smdp.com Roughly 250 protesters with the No on 8 campaign march through the Third Street Promenade on Tuesday night. Since voters approved Proposition 8, a ban on gay marriage, on Nov. 4, those opposed have held rallies across Los Angeles County, with a focus on the Mormon Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard, which has caused gridlock in West Los Angeles. More rallies are scheduled later this week.
Council puts lost traffic study issue to rest BY MELODY HANATANI
might never be solved, and city officials said they’re ready to put the past behind them. The City Council on Tuesday heard the outcome of a nearly three-week-long search into the fate of a nexus study that was authorized following the 1991 adoption of
Daily Press Staff Writer
CITYWIDE The mystery of what happened to a 1990s study that would’ve prompted the collection of traffic mitigation fees
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an ordinance to collect developer fees. The nexus study looks at the relationship between the fee and its impact and would’ve set the rate that City Hall would SEE TRAFFIC FEE PAGE 12
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