FR EE
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2002
Volume 2, Issue 20
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
Luxury hotel sees tall building on the horizon BY ANDREW H. FIXMER Daily Press Staff Writer
A luxury hotel owner may propose a 16-story apartment building in downtown Santa Monica. Matt Dinapoli, part-owner of the Fairmont Miramar Hotel located at the corner of
Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, discussed the plans Wednesday with the city’s Planning Commission. The proposal includes a new, 16-story residential building with ground floor retail and restaurant uses, a four-story residential building with ground-floor uses at the
Beats hitting the field
corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Second Street and a new, three-story building to include the hotel’s ballroom. There also would be another four-story building on Second Street containing 38 affordable housing units — See PLANS, page 5
Ninth U.S. Circuit Court may determine Jerry Rubin’s title BY ANDREW H. FIXMER Daily Press Staff Writer
He’s been the only city council candidate without a designation. But Jerry Rubin — who sued the city when it refused to allow him to use “peace activist” as his official ballot designation in his 2000 campaign for City Council — may get his day in court. A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge asked his colleagues this week to convene a
Jerry Rubin panel of 11 justices to hear Rubin’s case. A majority of the
judges have to agree that Rubin’s case warrants a full hearing for it to go forward. “It’s unusual, but it doesn’t mean it’ll change anything,” said James H. Fosbinder, Rubin’s attorney. “Even if they agree to have the hearing, we might not win. “It’s the most judges a lawyer in the United States can argue before,” he added. “It would be an incredible thing, and we hope we’re See APPEAL, page 5
Davis to propose $10B in cuts
BY JENNIFER COLEMAN Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gray Davis will propose $10 billion in midyear budget cuts and savings on Friday to help address a budget shortfall that could soar past $21 billion over the next 18 months.
The $10 billion proposal doubles Davis’ initial plan for midyear cuts as lawmakers prepare to begin a special session on the budget Monday. The figure includes cuts to this year’s budget, savings in the following year and other measures but Davis has said it will not include tax or fee increases.
“Hard times require hard decisions,” Davis said in a prepared statement Thursday. “I am announcing these proposals now so we can begin next week — not next month — to tackle the fiscal challenge before us.” Meanwhile, special-interest groups lobbied furiously
Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press
Palisades High School marine biology teacher Ray Millette (front) paddles out off Will Rogers State Beach Thursday morning with his students. Pali High students spend their first period of school in their physical education class learning how to catch waves.The course, taught by Millette, is an elective for freshman through senior grades.
Thursday to prevent or lessen cuts to their budgets in Davis’ new proposed spending plan. A sagging economy has led to less state revenue, causing a shortfall that could exceed $21 billion deficit over the next 18 months. Education, law enforcement and local government groups all said major reductions to their budgets would cut into essential services. “We recognize that this budget isn’t going to be solved by cuts alone,” said
Pat Leary, of the California State Association of Counties. A coalition of local governments proposed increasing the state’s vehicle license fee to its 1998 level, which would raise nearly $4 billion for the next fiscal year. “We’re not just sitting here saying ‘Don’t cut us, cut someone else,”’ Leary said. “We want to help the state get there. We’re working on See BUDGET, page 7
Lobbies push for lawsuit limits while GOP controls Congress BY SHARON THEIMER Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Capitalizing on GOP control of Congress and the White House, lobbying interests as diverse as doctors and asbestos users are pressing for new limitations on when, where and how consumers can file lawsuits.
In some cases, they already have the blessing of President Bush, who succeeded in winning limits on lawsuits when he was Texas governor in the 1990s. Lobbyists have taken a verbal cue from the president, who often refers to proposals to limit lawsuits as “job creation bills.” They’re recasting pitches that have traditionally lampooned trial
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lawyers to focus more on the faltering economy, arguing that lawsuit curbs will help save struggling businesses, preserve jobs and protect access to health care. “It became an economic development issue,” said Bruce Josten, the lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among the politically powerful groups leading the charge to restrain
malpractice lawsuits. And in the subtle game of influence, groups tend to avoid traditional terms like “tort reform” or “malpractice liability limits” to describe their current efforts. “We think that plays into the hands of the people who don’t want to fix the broken system,” said Dr. Donald Palmisano, a
New Orleans physician and attorney who takes over as American Medical Association president next year. The AMA is among those that have honed their arguments to convince Americans that limits on their right to sue would benefit consumers. The group See LOBBIES, page 9