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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 DEATHS IN 2016 ..............................PAGE 3 POLICE/FIRE LOGS ........................PAGE 8 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9 COMICS ............................................PAGE 10
FRIDAY
12.30.16 Volume 16 Issue 41
@smdailypress
@smdailypress
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Year in Review: Environment The year began with forecasts of a wet winter. An El Niño weather system prompted local officials to issue reminders about basic safety precautions but the rain bypassed much of the area. Northern California received several inches of rain and snow fell in the highest points of the Sierra Nevada. Rain did fall in Santa Monica but there was very little damage or impact to local roads. Surrounding areas did experience problems such as flooded roads and mudslides. Subsequent rainstorms did little to improve the fifth year of drought conditions. The Los Angeles Department of Public Health, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment, TreePeople, Heal the Bay, and the Natural Resources Defense Council created a new set of voluntary guidelines, known as Matrix 2.0, which officials said are the first of their kind for the county, and possibly even the state of California for regulating nonpotable water. Comprised of rainwater, gray-
Matthew Hall
water, stormwater and blackwater, cooling tower blow-down water, condensate, and foundation drainage, non-potable water is water that is not intended for drinking, but is still of import for the many ways it can be used. The first round of fines for perpetual water wasters hit the mail and City Hall said it could send about 100 citations per month to individuals that did not reduce water waste. Delinquent customers have three options for the first offense: pay the fine, appeal the citation or attend “water school,” similar to traffic school. Completion of the water education course would waive the first fine. Heal the Bay released its annual beach report card and the Santa Monica Pier continued to score poorly on the report. Systemic issues such as a lack of sunlight under the pier and the presence of many birds perpetually tarnish the quality of the water and sand in close proximity to the
NOT ENOUGH RAIN: The few wet days in 2016 were welcome but rainfall was still below average and drought conditions persisted.
Bigger stakes produced better games in ‘16
SEE REVIEW PAGE 5
LeBron James named AP Male Athlete of Year
Simone Biles soars to AP Female Athlete of the Year
BY EDDIE PELLS
BY TOM WITHERS
BY WILL GRAVES
AP National Writer
AP Sports Writer
AP Sports Writer
Don’t you love it when the game lives up to the hype? The year 2016 produced plenty of games like that — contests in which the action was the best when everything was on the line. The Cubs and Indians, the Warriors and Cavs, the Tar Heels and Wildcats all saved their best for when it was win or go home. A look at some of the best games of 2016: You wanted drama? Well, leave it to the Cubs to give you drama . After trailing 3 games to 1 to Cleveland in the World Series, the Cubs drew even, and then it came down to a single game to see if the championship drought that dated to 1908 would come to an end. In Game 7, the Cubs led 5-1 in the fifth inning and 6-3 in the eighth. But the Indians were also trying to break a drought; they hadn’t won a title since
LeBron James was jolted forward when the massive crowd swelled from the sidewalks and into Cleveland’s streets, surrounding the convertible that he and his family were riding in. This wasn’t supposed to happen. James looked at his wife, Savannah, their baby daughter and two sons and feared for their safety. “We were kind of afraid for a second,” James said. Then relieved. Scanning the crowd, James spotted people dangling from lamp posts and traffic lights, even a few straddling window ledges to get a glimpse of the champion Cavaliers, who were being honored with a once-in-a-generation downtown parade after their comeback in the NBA Finals. James was awe-struck, and any concerns quickly melted away when he looked at the spectators’ faces and saw only smiles, laughter and tears of joy. “Everybody was just rejoicing in grace and happiness,”
Simone Biles tried to treat the 2016 Summer Olympics like just your average ordinary gymnastics meet. So what if the stage and the stakes were different? The floor was still the floor. The vault still the vault. The uneven bars still uneven. The balance beam still a four-inch wide test of nerves. And the 19-year-old with the electric smile and boundless talent was still the best in the world. Maybe the best of alltime. Over the course of 10 days in August, the biggest meet of her life ended like pretty much all the others in the four years that came before it: with Biles standing atop the podium, a gold medal around her neck and the sport she’s redefining one boundary-pushing routine at a time staring up at her. Not that she remembers any of it. “It’s kind of a blur,” Biles said. Maybe to Biles, but not to the rest of the world. Her mas-
SEE SPORTS PAGE 4
SEE LEBRON PAGE 4
SEE BILES PAGE 5
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