FR EE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2002
Volume 2, Issue 22
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
Pavillions charged with overcharging customers
Getting festive!
By Daily Press staff
A Santa Monica judge has denied a local grocery store’s motion to dismiss criminal charges alleging that it overcharged customers. Pavillions on Montana Avenue, which is owned by Vons, is accused of charging customers more at the check-out line for products than what was advertised in the store. A routine undercover scanner inspection conducted on Oct. 31, 2001, at Pavilions by an investigator from the Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures found that six of the 20 items
Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press
‘Jade’ (left) and Tom Nolan of the Tom Nolan Band, jam out on Sunday during Main Street’s Get Festive! celebration. The numerous bands weren’t the only ones jamming over the weekend — Main Street was packed with people for the events.
Downtown L.V. residents don’t want homes labeled historic By The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Mike Ganson lives in a 3,200-square-foot house in downtown’s John S. Park neighborhood. He bought it two years ago thinking he could one day sell it for a profit if a developer came along with plans to build a shopping center and the right price. Ganson may lose that option if the city designates the neighborhood its first historic district — and he’s unhappy about that prospect. “If I could flip the property and get an extra $150,000 for the property, I should have that right,” Ganson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Similar to some Santa Monica residents who are pushing a measure called the Homeowners Freedom of Choice Initiative, which aims to give homeowners more say in the landmark designation process of their homes, a group of Las Vegas citizens think a historic district would erode their property rights. And now what began almost three years ago as an earnest neighborhood planning effort has begun to divide residents. It’s a squabble that helps highlight the difficulties of preserving history in a valley that’s long been defined by its insistence on looking forward.
“It is more difficult here than in any other American and Western city,” said Hal Rothman, chairman of the history department at UNLV. “The reason is we’re the city of reinvention. We’re not interested in the past. We’re really not interested in the present. We’re more interested in the future.” Last month, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission approved a petition nominating the neighborhood. Next month, it goes before the planning commission and then the city council. A building generally has to be at least 50 years old to be considered historic. Listing the neighborhood as historic would not automatically veto a switch to commercial zoning, but it would likely make such changes more difficult to obtain. It also would erect a bureaucratic hurdle for property owners who want to change the outside appearance of their homes. Any such changes would have to be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission, an 11-member panel of experts and citizens appointed by the city council. Mary Hausch, a commission member and a John S. Park resident, said preservation is needed to prevent exactly the type of commercial zoning that Ganson wants to obtain.
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selected were incorrectly scanned, resulting in overcharges. Vons officials were unavailable for comment. Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Bernard Kamins on Friday ruled that Von’s should go to trial on the charges. The Vons Companies, Inc. is charged with six counts of violating the business and professions code for charging higher than the posted price on sale items. Vons also is charged with one count of violating of the business and professions code for disseminating false and misleading advertisements. See PAVILLIONS, page 6
City attorney and landlords settle over harassment suit Settlement gives tenant more than $6,000 BY ANDREW H. FIXMER Daily Press Staff Writer
A tenant with a Santa Monica, rentcontrolled apartment received more than a $6,000 settlement because her landlords allegedly violated city law. Landlords Mary Brittany Stevenson and Anthony T. Wells agreed Thursday to pay their tenant, Hamlin — a woman who asked her first name not be used — $6,371 to settle a harassment lawsuit brought by the city.
The city’s Tenant Harassment Ordinance allows renters to file complaints through the city if their landlord refuses to make repairs, blocks access to their apartment or treats them unfairly. Hamlin alleges in August 2001, when Stevenson and Wells bought the apartment building at 2633 Lincoln Blvd., the landlords refused to accept her rent payments. Hamlin had leased a rent-controlled unit at the building since 1984. The tenant said she tried to send a check by mail, but it was returned. She said she then tried to send it by certified mail, but again it was returned. And, finalSee SETTLEMENT, page 6
Gunfire wakes up community By Daily Press staff
Shots were fired early Sunday morning in a Santa Monica neighborhood, but no one was injured, police said. Santa Monica police were called to 17th Street and Delaware Avenue at 2:05 a.m. on Dec. 8 after several residents reported that shots were being fired. When officers arrived, they spoke to several witnesses who said two Hispanic men were seen in the area when they heard two to three shots, police said. No vehicle was seen or heard leaving the area. Officers checked the area and found pieces of evidence, including empty gun casings, said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega. Officers assigned to the Pico Neighborhood Taskforce contacted other agencies in surrounding cities to determine if similar incidents had occurred elsewhere. Nothing had been reported as of Sunday afternoon, Fabrega said. The area, which is known as the Pico Neighborhood and is located on the eastside of Santa Monica, has been rife with gang and drug activity for years. There have been several shootings in the neighborhood this year. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the SMPD’s Robbery/Homicide Unit at (310) 458-8451.
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press
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JACQUELINE BIGAR'S STARS The stars show the kind of day you'll have: ★★★★★-Dynamic ★★★★-Positive ★★★-Average ★★-So-so ★-Difficult ARIES (March 21-April 19) ★★★★ Meetings provide you with incentive and energy, whether you want it or not. Learn to like the feedback, as you cannot change it. Revise your thinking about a key project. In this case, many cooks in one kitchen works! Tonight: Get some extra sleep.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) ★★★★★ Dig in your hat of creativity. You discover solutions easily. You find another way to communicate, helping you redefine a personal matter. What you might have been doing could be ineffective. Consider what is needed. Tonight: Work as late as need be.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ★★★ Pressure builds with bosses and associates who demand results. You might find it difficult to meet everyone’s expectations. Be extremely careful handling finances. A boss reacts in a surprising manner. Know what you want. Tonight: Follow the crowds.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) ★★★★ Prioritize, and you’ll get much more done than you anticipated. Realize your limits within your personal circle. Revise your budget if you feel the need. Tap into your feelings and creativity in order to solve a problem with an associate. Tonight: Ignore the fact that it’s Monday.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) ★★★★ Keep reaching out for those at a distance. Act on that hunch, and others could be thrilled by the end results. Realize what might be too much for you to take on. Say “no.” The atmosphere becomes more work than play. Tonight: Burn the candle at both ends.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) ★★★★ You twist and turn trying to make the facts conform to your sense of what you know. Revise your thinking pattern. Seek out someone to brainstorm with. You’ll like the answers. Unexpected news heads your way. Tonight: Romp on home.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) ★★★ Use your ability to sleuth through what is happening with a partner. You might not always understand what he or she wants. You could be taken aback by a sudden reaction or change of pace. Focus on effectiveness in the workplace. Tonight: Imagine if you were “that” person.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) ★★★ Instead of attempting to work out a problem by yourself, allow others to come to the rescue. Sometimes a totally different perspective helps you open up doors. Your hard-earned efforts pay off, yet what toll do you pay? Tonight: Your treat.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) ★★★ Others dominate, even if you would prefer to take charge. Somehow, you use your creativity to find a way to add your two cents. Reach out for a loved one or friend who is sometimes unusually difficult. Tonight: A must appearance.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) ★★★★ Realize what someone is saying when this person says that he or she has had enough. You might need to rework or revamp a friendship and your expectations. Unexpected developments spin from your personality tossed in with someone’s conservative personality. Tonight: Be spontaneous.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ★★★ You reverse course, possibly causing tremors in your immediate turf. Not everything comes easily, as you will see. Work with associates’ unpredictability. In the midst of an uproar, you will find solutions if you listen and detach. Tonight: Allow someone to lure you into his or her plans.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) ★★★ Step back. You might not understand what “hit” a boss. It also might not be what you think is happening. Avoid making a judgment. Go with the moment. You could be most pleased with a developing situation if you lay back. Tonight: Do your thing.
QUOTE of the DAY
“If Borg’s parents hadn’t liked the name, he might never had been Bjorn.” — Marty Indik
Santa Monica Daily Press Published Monday through Saturday Phone: 310.458.PRESS(7737) • Fax: 310.576.9913 1427 Third Street Promenade, Suite #202 • Santa Monica, CA 90401 PUBLISHER Ross Furukawa . . . . . . . . . . . .ross@smdp.com
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Santa Monica Daily Press
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 3
LOCAL
A day for the kids Information compiled by Jesse Haley
Sunday, we got our first signs of the new northwest swell, and it should fill in for better surf today at exposed breaks. It won’t be as big as it was over the weekend, but then the west swell that was hitting so perfectly at L.A.’s breaks is now on the decline. Northern spots promise waist- to chest-high surf on average. South Bay spots come out better, of course, showing in the chest to shoulder range on most sets. Tuesday a mix of west and southwest swell is predicted. Expect surf to pick up one to two feet as that fills in. Venice and Porto are cranking, with overhead surf everywhere, but unfortunately the waves remain dangerously close out.
Franklin Smith/Special to the Daily Press
A volunteer at the Blue Cross of California Kids Safe Day takes the fingerprints of Emily Chan (left), who was one of the many children who visited the event at Santa Monica College’s Madison campus. Kids and their parents were entertained by Santa Monica police cars and fire trucks, prize raffles and live entertainment, while they also learned more about children safety.
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The Santa Monica City Council was recently investigated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for violating the state’s open meeting laws. The district attorney’s office sent a strong warning to council members telling them to stop passing notes during public meetings. It appears that city council members have been engaged in a longtime practice of passing notes to each other without the benefit of the public knowing what they are communicating about. While council members say the content of the notes are trivial, the district
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A non-native English speaker learned an expensive lesson in legalese last week when she lost her $5,000 lawsuit against gym giant Bally Total Fitness. Judge Pro Tem Donna Gradstein ruled against Uyansaikhan Ganbold of Los Angeles — who claimed the fitness chain ruined her credit and took advantage of her unfamiliarity with English — and reminded the woman that ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse. “When you sign a contract in this day and age, that contract is binding,” the judge said. Ganbold signed up for what she thought was one month of access to the gym in August 2000. Shortly thereafter, she stopped using Bally’s facilities, saying she didn’t have transportation to get to and from the gym. It wasn’t until over a year later, when Bally sold the overdue account to a collection agency, that Ganbold found out she’d actually signed on to a 36-month membership. “They just said sign there,” Ganbold told the court. “I thought it was like when you use your card and you have to sign.” Eric Blohm, an assistant at Bally, explained that the only way out of Bally’s standard 36-month contracts is serious illness or relocation to a new city. Ganbold, who paid $632 in back fees to the collection agency, sued the fitness chain for $5,000, saying the lapse in communication kept her from acquiring a student loan, among other things. “The collection agency screwed up my credit and now I can’t get the student loan,”
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Page 4
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press
OPINION
LETTERS What’s happened to Santa Monica? Editor: Two headlines in last week’s Daily Press bring attention to a nationwide problem. In one article, about New York City, the problem is defined as “homeless people.” The other, about Santa Monica, it’s called “bad behavior.” It’s interesting to note how the two cities cope with their shared dilemma. New York officials are creative in their approach. One official remarked, “We won’t and can’t reject any idea.” Those ideas range from a homeless population survey to the purchase of a retired cruise ship for use by the homeless. There is an advocacy group ready to sue the city for targeting the homeless for arrest. No such advocacy group could exist in Santa Monica. The problem is simplified down to increased police patrols, implying that the homeless (conveniently labeled transients with “anti-social behavior”) are simply common criminals. The police adopt a heroic status by “determining where to focus its resources,” yet everybody concerned has to admit that all they can do is to force the homeless population from one section of Santa Monica to another. The new pilot program is a short-term solution that is really no solution at all. I lived next door to Santa Monica, in Mar Vista, until 1992, when I moved to Japan. I remember Santa Monica as being a creative place, with room for tolerance and a bit of humanity. People did not especially like the presence of the homeless, but they at least treated them like human beings. What has happened in the last 10 years? Paul Binford Nagoya, Japan
means your home could be included even if almost half of the people on your street are opposed to it. On my street that means 57 homes could be designated over their owners’ objections! If you live on a small street, three or four people could decide the fate of your home. Our initiative would allow a district to be created by only the homeowners who want to participate. 61 homes on my street could form a district, and the other 57 could opt out. Half the houses on my street are relatively new anyway, so where is the harm? She also invokes the Oscar Neimeyer house on La Mesa. This home is a perfect example of what is wrong with the current ordinance. If this house is so important, why did the Landmarks Commission wait to take action until a new owner applied for a demolition permit? Where were they for the last 40 years? Where was the outreach, the education, the offer of incentives for designation? This house happens to be almost directly across the street from one of the commissioners, and yet somehow they never noticed it until a demo permit was filed. The current system allows the city to be reactive rather than pro-active. We can change that. The bottom line is, our initiative gives owners of single-family homes a choice, and that is all that it does. Interior renovations, permit processes, fees, tax breaks; good conversation, but none of these are affected in any way by our initiative. We gladly leave that stuff to the wisdom of the Landmarks Commission. The Homeowners Freedom of Choice Initiative is only one paragraph; I urge you to read it for yourself. If an election is scheduled on Tuesday, the text will appear on the city Web site, and we will buy space to print the text of the initiative in this and other local papers. By invoking a threat to treasured public spaces, Schnitzler signals the campaign of fear and disinformation that will clearly be the city’s tactic in this election. I have faith that the people will see through it.
Landmarks and fear mongering Editor: Barbara Schnitzler’s guest commentary on the Homeowners Freedom of Choice Initiative is another example of how the powers-that-be are gathering to fight our initiative through every tactic other than actually discussing the document itself. Invoking the Pier and the carousel is fear mongering of the lowest order. Our initiative SPECIFICALLY pertains only to single-family, R1 homes. It would NOT affect the city’s power to designate public buildings like the Pier, or the carousel, or the Merle Norman Building, which she also cites. It doesn’t even effect apartment buildings. Schnitzler stated publicly at the Landmark Commission’s December 2 meeting that she had read the initiative, so I can only assume this is a deliberate effort to frighten people. As for the proposal that 51 percent approval be needed for an historic district, this
Gregory Poirier Santa Monica
A local embarrassment Editor: Finally. The City Council’s constant and blatant violations of the letter and the spirit of the Brown Act are an unending source of irritation and embarrassment. Natterings by city officials about open government and participation do nothing to obscure their obvious distaste for democratic processes. Good for Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley and citizen Chuck Allord. John Gabree Santa Monica
We need to help each other, not throw away our rights FROM THE STREET By Charles Springer
The commies are coming the commies are coming ... oops, that was 1950s America. Now it’s the terrorists. If anyone who reads this was alive for the McCarthy era, you would see the similarities. Communists or terrorists, it’s all the same old song and dance. The truth is this country’s government and military does not function without an “enemy” to conquer. And instead of looking at the real constitutional enemies, the powers-that-be must look outside its own borders for something to fight.
Don’t get me wrong. I hate what happened on 9/11 and think it was the most horrible thing that has happened in my lifetime. But the United States of America has its own backyard to worry about. In New York, for example, the homeless situation is the worse it’s ever been, even worse than it was in the Great Depression, but we are not in a depression, according to all the federal economic “specialists.” Yet, the cost of housing is astronomical and forcing even families on the streets. And there will be more tax cuts for the upper 1 percent instead of incentives to build affordable housing. Now good old Georgie has signed into law something that will take even more of our constitutional rights away from us. And if you think this is not true, wait a few months and see what happens. See what happens after this war with Iraq kicks off. Wait and see when the draft is re-instituted and our sons and daughters are sent off to war for Iraqi oil. The difference between this
and the 60s is that the borders will be closed, and the first draft dodgers will be affected by the Homeland Security Act. They will be able to be branded as terrorists through this very “law” that is supposed to protect us. Meanwhile, we have untold millions of people winding up on the streets and money pouring into taking away rights from the Constitution instead of being poured into creating an effective solution to this rising homeless situation in America. Many of you are just one check away from the streets, whether you choose to believe this or not. And now all your neighbor has to do is not like you, brand you a terrorist and the feds will take all you have, just as they did to many Americans during the McCarthy era. That’s all it took for many in Hollywood to lose work during this time. And it is happening again! All of the precautions taken, and money spent with this “Homeland Security Act,” would be better spent to
help the nation recover from this depression, to educate our children and to give medical benefits to those of us who cannot afford it. Instead it is used to take away more of our constitutional rights under the guise of homeland security. The funny thing is, most of you believe this is a good thing and, like sheep, only “bleat” when you are being led to the slaughter, but then it is too late and we are all oppressed. And the terrorists will win because they have succeeded in taking away from our most precious possession, the very thing that separates us from the world as a whole, the very freedom our forefathers fought and died to pass on to us. The very freedom each of us enjoys and takes for granted on a daily basis. I strongly suggest we think about this next time you pick up the phone or log on the Internet. Big Brother in watching ... FOR REAL, this time. Charles Springer is homeless in Santa Monica and a regular columnist
Opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Santa Monica Daily Press staff. Guest editorials from residents are encouraged, as are letters to the editor. Letters will be published on a space-available basis. It is our intention to publish all letters we receive, except those that are libelous or are unsigned. Preference will be given to those that are e-mailed to sack@smdp.com. All letters must include the author’s name and telephone number for purposes of verification. Letters also may be mailed to our offices located at 1427 Third Street Promenade, Suite 202, Santa Monica, 90401, or faxed to (310) 576-9913. All letters and guest editorials are subject to editing for space and content.
CREAT SOME DIALOGUE! YOUR OPINION M ATTERS! Please send letters to The Santa Monica Daily Press PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO: Att. Editor: 1427 Third Street Promenade Suite 202 • Santa Monica, SANTA MONICA DAILY PRESS: ATT. EDITOR CA 90401• sack@smdp.com
Santa Monica Daily Press
LOCAL
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 5
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Aaron Davis Herber (right) plays his first match of the day against Dondi Aguirre at the Thelma Terry Center in Virginia Avenue Park, where the center and the Santa Monica Bay Area Chess Club hosted a chess tournament for young people between the ages of 6 and 18 years old. Herber went on to win the championship for the high school age group.
COMMUNITY BRIEFS Nativity scene donations By Daily Press staff
Santa Monica’s annual nativity scene presentation will once again be on display along Ocean Avenue in Palisades Park. Since 1953, the city has been home to the extensive, life-size exhibit that depicts the events surrounding Christ’s birth as told in the Gospel of St. Luke. The interdenominational pageant, which will be on display through Jan. 1, will feature 14 scenes that have been designed by individuals from local churches; the lighted booths will be easily visible when walking or driving south along Ocean Avenue from Arizona. Sponsored by private citizens and businesses, the display has earned Santa Monica the official distinction of being “The City of the Christmas Story.” On December 15 at 2:15 p.m., the public is invited to join a caroling procession that will make its way from the Third Street Promenade at Broadway to the opening ceremony in Palisades Park. The ceremony, which will begin at 3 p.m., will be presided over by businessman Bob Gabriel and feature music from church youth choirs in the area. The program will focus on the telling of the Christmas story through Christmas carols and music. The non-profit Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee welcomes support to help cover the cost of insurance, maintenance, storage and replacement of revenue lost to the city due to the covering of parking meters along Ocean Avenue. No city funds are used to pay for the displays. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to P.O. Box 648, Santa Monica, CA, 90406.
Fund-raiser for Daybreak By Daily Press staff
Shop at Wild Oats Markets at 1425 Montana Ave. and 500 Wilshire Blvd. and in West L.A. at 3476 S. Centinela Ave. on Monday, December 9, and 5 percent of the day’s grocery receipts will be donated to Daybreak Day Center and Shelter, a project assisting homeless mentally ill women. Daybreak is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency basic services, emergency and transitional housing, after-care support and supportive housing to over 600 mentally ill women each year. Most importantly, Daybreak has one of the highest success rates of any supportive housing program in the nation. “It is with the support of caring organizations like Wild Oats that Daybreak has been able to provide a way back to self-reliance for thousands of women since its inception in 1987,” said Roxann Smith, director of Development for OPCC, Daybreak’s parent organization. “Life on the streets is not easy for anyone. And with few mental health care resources available to the homeless, it means that the mentally ill who live on the street are worse off than the general population. For women, and especially for mentally disabled women, the dangers and difficulties of life on the streets are enormous. Due to extreme poverty, violence, disease and the ravages of mental illness, the women Daybreak serves are among our community’s most vulnerable members.” With a donation of 5 percent of an average day’s sales from Wild Oats, Daybreak estimates that it can feed 400 women this holiday season. The more people who shop on December 9, the more money will be raised for this worthy cause. Daybreak Day Center and Shelter is the only program on the westside of Los Angeles County solely designed and operated to assist mentally ill homeless women. Daybreak’s Day Center provides emergency services such as two hot meals each day, showers, medical care, etc., seven days a week. The shelter provides up to nine months of transitional housing for those women who are motivated to make the move to independent living, while the WIND (Women in New Directions) after-care program assists the women in making a successful transition to living on their own. Earlier this year, Daybreak added five emergency beds to its complement of services, the first new emergency shelter beds in Santa Monica in the past decade. For more information about Daybreak, please contact Roxann Smith at (310) 264-6646.
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Landlords may stop renting in Santa Monica SETTLEMENT, from page 1 ly, she tried to hand deliver the check, but she said Stevenson refused to accept it even after the landlord was told the rent money was in the envelope. Shortly afterwards, Stevenson and Wells tried to evict Hamlin from her twobedroom, $758-a-month apartment, according to the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office. Stevenson and Wells deny Hamlin ever attempted to pay them her rent money, despite the evidence Hamlin has to the contrary, and the couple said they only attempted to evict her on an attorney’s advice. Through the city attorney’s office, Hamlin declined to be interviewed for this article. But a Superior Court judge ruled that Hamlin should be allowed to stay in her apartment and denied the eviction. A subsequent appeal was also denied. Meanwhile, Hamlin contacted the city attorney’s office and asked if her landlords’ actions were legal. After investigating Hamlin’s complaints and her evidence, the city attorney’s office filed civil charges earlier this year. “They had no reason not to accept her rent payments,” said Deputy City Attorney Eda Suh. “She attempts to pay, but they refuse to accept it. Well, that’s not fair to her, that’s not right, and that constitutes a pattern of harassment and a violation of our local harassment laws.” “Not only to not accept rent but then try to evict her because of it,” Suh added, “is just plain wrong.” Stevenson and Wells say they own apartment buildings in West L.A. and Venice Beach and they maintain they followed the letter of the law, and they were well within their right to evict Hamlin. “There was no malice on our part,” Stevenson said. “There was no effort to unfairly evict her from her rent-controlled apartment.” Under terms of the settlement agreement, Stevenson and Wells agreed to reimburse Hamlin’s legal bills; if future harassment is proved during the next
three years, the typical fines of $1,000 will be increased to $2,500; and if future harassment is proven, the landlords must also reimburse the city for the cost of its investigation. The landlords and their attorney, Robert M. Moss — a local rental lawyer — describe the settlement with the city as a “win-win situation for everyone.” Moss was not the attorney who worked to evict Hamlin. He was hired to help negotiate the settlement with the city.
“There was no malice on our part. There was no effort to unfairly evict her from her rentcontrolled apartment.” — MARY BRITTANY STEVENSON Santa Monica landlord
“They came to me for an explanation of the law, and once they understood the law they asked me to work with the city attorney’s office to come to an arrangement that would resolve the issue so everyone could live in peace in the apartment building,” Moss said. “My clients were anxious to cooperate with the city attorney’s office, and the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the tenant and the property owners,” he said. “I have great respect and admiration for my clients and the approach they took towards resolving this matter.” Stevenson and Wells said they are now thinking about selling their Santa Monica apartment building, the only apartments they own in the city. “We loved Santa Monica and we wanted to buy here,” Wells said, “but now we want out, and we can’t wait to sell and get out of here.”
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Vons has been convicted numerous times of charging more than the posted sale prices stores in Los Angeles County, according to Santa Monica officials. Vons unsuccessfully argued on Friday that the City of Santa Monica is barred from prosecuting the case under the doctrine of “collateral estoppel.” Vons said that since a judge in 1998 acquitted the company in a similar case, and an administrative hearing officer in Ventura County earlier this year found Vons had not violated the business and professions code, the city is now and in the future precluded from bringing charges against the supermarket chain in similar cases. Judge Kamins denied the motion, stating that the case stems from new facts. “Vons’ argument that because they were acquitted of similar charges four years ago, they are now free from prosecution for new violations, is legal nonsense,” said Deputy City Attorney Eda U. Suh, who is handling the case. Trial is set for Feb. 6, 2003.
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Neighbors in a Venice duplex resolved a heated financial dispute last week, ending a three-year battle that began after one of the tenants bought the building and allegedly jacked up the rent illegally. Judge Pro Tem Caroline Welch ordered Frank Suffert, owner of the building, to reimburse Toni Pezone $2,330 in overpaid back rent. But the judge denied Pezone’s request for a $2,000 relocation fee, saying that Pezone wasn’t technically evicted. Evicted tenants are entitled to relocation assistance under Santa Monica law. Pezone, who has since moved to Topanga, said Suffert asked her for more money immediately after buying the building, and she agreed. But just a year later, Suffert demanded another increase and she refused. So Suffert allegedly began harassing and intimidating her, and when Pezone finally agreed to leave, Suffert reneged his offer to provide $2,000 in relocation assistance, saying he wasn’t legally required to do so, Pezone told the court. Angered by the way her new landlord was treating her, Pezone took her case to the rent control board, where she was advised to file a lawsuit. Though the board deemed her move to Topanga a “voluntary vacate,” Pezone decided to sue for the relocation fee anyway, saying that if she hadn’t left, Suffert had threatened to evict her under a now-defunct “major rehabilitation” ordinance that allowed landlords to evict tenants in order to remodel their properties. Judge Welch sympathized with Pezone’s situation, but said Suffert was not required to provide a relocation fee because Pezone was not technically evicted. The judge then scolded Suffert for charging a monthly fee that was more than $200 what rent control laws allow. “The fact is we all are responsible whenever we purchase or take on responsibility that we understand what that means,” said the judge. When Suffert explained he was a first-time homeowner, the judge offered an analogy. “It’s like driving a car, she said. “Just because you don’t know the speed doesn’t mean you won’t get a ticket.”
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said Ganbold, adding that Bally personnel were uncooperative throughout the ordeal. But Judge Gradstein said she couldn’t award damages because Ganbold didn’t prove she would have gotten the loan had Bally not turned the account over to a collection agency. The judge ruled that the contract was valid and found against the plaintiff.
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GAVEL TO GAVEL, from page 3
Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 7
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LOS ANGELES — In a letter read Sunday at Catholic churches throughout California, priests challenged a new state law they believe will bring a flood of sexual abuse lawsuits seeking millions of dollars. Starting Jan. 1, the statute of limitations on the filing of molestation lawsuits will be lifted for one year. Catholic officials intend to contest the new law in court. Several parishioners at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles said the church should not balk at paying damages to victims of sexual abuse. “I think what they need to do now is pay and apologize,” said Ben Carlo, who attended mass with his wife and 5-year-old son. The letter was drafted by the 12 bishops in the state. “Some of the lawsuits may involve the revival of already settled cases and some may involve alleged perpetrators and witnesses long since dead,” the letter said. “Under those circumstances, it will be difficult, if not impossible to ascertain the truth. ... We anticipate that new law suits, some involving very old allegations, will be filed against dioceses in California.” In Los Angeles, it was read to thousands of parishioners at the new cathedral by Cardinal Roger Mahony. Many applauded after he finished. Outside the cathedral, about 10 protesters representing sexual abuse victims said the bishops should support the new law, not challenge it. “We think it’s inappropriate, especially in view of the terrible revelations in Boston,” said Mary Jane McGraw, referring to the release last week of documents describing sexual abuse in the Boston archdiocese. In San Francisco, parishioners at Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption
received a copy of the letter inside the day’s program. The congregation of several hundred people followed along as the Rev. Agnel De Heredia read the letter. “At least the church is conscious about it. I think it’s important to recognize the mistake, not just sweep it under the rug,” Alex Liu said as he left the cathedral. The letter was sparked by concerns that a new wave of lawsuits would be so expensive that key educational and social services will have to be curtailed. Budget problems have already forced the Los Angeles archdiocese to make $4.3 million in program cuts and layoffs. “The Catholic church has been falsely portrayed as a large corporation with ‘deep pockets,”’ the letter said. “In reality, the vast majority of Catholic assets belong to the people of our parishes, schools, charities and other institutions.” The letter did pledge that the church would seek to help victims of abuse. It also pointed out that in the past year, U.S. bishops have adopted a number of reforms, including working with parishes in the reporting of sex abuse allegations to authorities and removing abusive priests. Parishioner Michelle Jolliffe Gonzalez said the church is doing a better job of responding to the sexual abuse allegations than it did earlier this year. She was not worried that new sexual abuse lawsuits would bankrupt the Los Angeles archdiocese. Under current law, victims of childhood sexual abuse have to file lawsuits by their 26th birthday or within three years of discovering emotional problems linked to a childhood molestation. The new law would lift those restrictions in cases against churches or other institutions that continued to employ known molesters who went on to abuse other victims. The lawsuits would have to be filed in 2003.
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LOS ANGELES — Two Los Angeles police officers were with a 16-year-old gang member minutes before he was shot to death, but intentionally withheld the information from investigators, according to a report by the district attorney’s office. The investigation into whether Officers Mario Rios and Michael Montoya could be charged with obstruction of justice began as part of a larger corruption probe into the department’s anti-gang unit in the Rampart area west of downtown, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. The inquiry officially ended last month when the district attorney decided not to file criminal charges in 82 remaining incidents, which included the two officers who failed to report they were with Eric Vega, also known as “Baby Happy,” moments before he was killed in 1996. “It appears, based on this investigation, that (the officers) intentionally withheld information from the homicide detectives, internal affairs investigators and their chain of command,” Deputy District Attorney Laura L. Laesecke wrote in the report. “Not only does their lie obstruct justice, but it also calls into question the veracity of the rest of their statements.” Both officers have denied any wrongdoing and remain with the department. In the report, Laesecke concluded the officers could not be prosecuted for obstruction of justice because the best evidence against them came from their own statements. They were ordered to cooperate with authorities or face termi-
nation from the police department. Such statements cannot be used in court, and the statute of limitations in the case had expired. “This is not the first bad thing that’s been said about me. They’re not true,” said Montoya, who is now assigned to the community relations office in the department’s northeast division. “But what can be done about it?” About 100 criminal cases associated with the Rampart scandal were overturned after investigators found evidence of police abuses that included unjustified shootings, thefts and evidence tampering. Montoya and Rios were looking for suspicious gang or drug activity when they handcuffed Vega and put him in the back of their patrol car on Nov. 5, 1996. The officers said later that Vega was not arrested but was a police informant who wanted to pass information to them. He was handcuffed so fellow gang members would not become suspicious of him, the officers said. After a few minutes of driving around, the officers said they concluded Vega did not have any significant information and asked him where he wanted to be dropped off. Vega asked to be let out near a gang hangout known as El Castillo. Moments later, the two officers received a radio call about a shooting. Within a minute, they were at the scene, which was a couple of blocks from where the officers said they dropped Vega off. Although witnesses implicated a rival gang member in Vega’s murder, no arrests have been made.
Pasadena freshman lives on street, studies by street lamp By The Associated Press
PASADENA — By day, Sharon Brooms is a college freshman with a course load of 17 units and tentative plans to major in law, music and languages. By night, she is a homeless person who sleeps on a public bus and studies by the light of a street lamp. Brooms, 38, believes going to college takes her mind off more pressing problems — how to live on a $221 monthly welfare check, how to find a cheap apartment and how to reclaim her five children from the foster-care system. “I would be very frustrated if I weren’t going to school and church,” Brooms told the Pasadena Star-News. “Thank God for that structure.” Since enrolling at Pasadena City College in July, Brooms has gained a newfound self-confidence and has made improvements in her dress and personal hygiene, said Charles Clay, director of the college’s Program for Academic Support Services. “When she first came to us, she was more inward, reserved,” Clay said. “It’s like day and night. She’s a lot happier ...” Brooms, a native of Memphis, admits she has made some poor choices. Though she attended high school, Brooms had her first child at age 19. She then gave birth to three more children, but her boyfriend refused to get married. “I was young, naive and not using my judgment,” she said. She came to California on a Greyhound
bus in 1989 after finding out the father of her oldest child was physically abusing the boy. But when she landed in Santa Barbara, she had a fifth child and ended up on welfare. By 1992, she had moved to Los Angeles and her three sons were in foster care. By April this year, she also had lost custody of her two daughters. Brooms ended up in Pasadena when a county housing agency gave her a voucher for a local hotel. While scouring the classifieds for work, she realized most jobs require a college degree. “I was picking out the things that drew me, and they all required that you have a higher education. I thought, why not go? Let me go get this B.A.,” she said. Brooms’ tuition and books are covered by financial aid, but the county cut off her food stamps after finding out she was a full-time student. When deciding how to live on $221 a month, Brooms often chooses the sentimental over the practical. She pays from $130 to $170 a month for a storage unit, where she keeps photo albums and personal papers. A monthly bus pass costs $53, leaving less than $50 for food and other expenses. While Brooms looks for a part-time job, she climbs aboard a bus most nights to catch a few hours of sleep and continues to dream about the future. “Now that I’m back to school, I want to go all the way — get my master’s and my doctorate eventually,” she said.
Santa Monica Daily Press
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 9
NATIONAL
Government to open off-limit airport parking BY LESLIE MILLER Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Beginning Monday, the federal government will open parking lots at the country’s biggest airports that have been off-limits since Sept. 11 because of worries about car bombs. Federal officials also will change the way air travelers are screened after they pass through security checkpoints over the next few weeks, checking them only at randomly selected gates, according to Robert Johnson, Transportation Security Administration spokesman. “We’re trying to avoid screening Grandma two or three times as she makes her way home for the holidays,” Johnson said. Johnson said the prohibition on unattended vehicles parking within 300 feet of a terminal will be dropped on Monday as long as the terrorist threat level is at code yellow, or “elevated,” the middle of a five-point scale of risk developed after the terror attacks. TSA chief James Loy was scheduled to announce the change at an airport security conference co-sponsored by the Airports Council International-North America and the American Association of Airport Executives. The so-called 300-foot rule will be reimposed if the threat level rises to orange or red, Johnson said. Airports, though, will have to draw up plans outlining how they would deal with the threat of an explosion. They won’t have to close the parking areas during an elevated threat if their plans don’t call for that, Johnson said. New layers of airport security allow the rules to be eased, Johnson said, listing a better-trained screener work force, federal air marshals, background checks of people who work beyond airport security checkpoints and screening of checked baggage at 252 airports. Todd Hauptli, an airport lobbyist, said the airports have pushed the TSA hard to let them reopen their close-in parking lots.
“This has been a thorn in the side of many airports,” Hauptli said, and the rule brought no significant improvement security. Not only do some airports lose money because they’ve closed parking, they have to bus people from remote parking lots, he said. “It’s definitely a passenger convenience, customer convenience issue,” Hauptli said. Like the parking restrictions, screening passengers just before they board their plane was on a “stupid rule” list that Loy drew up. He promised to look at the list and try more commonsense approaches. As part of that effort, the TSA will change boarding pass procedures at all or part of eight airports, adding to the nine that are in a pilot program to eliminate gate screening. Johnson said the boarding pass procedures will be changed at Milwaukee’s Gen. Mitchell International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport, Boston’s Logan International Airport, Memphis International Airport in Tennessee, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Pittsburgh International Airport. The places where some or all passengers must get their boarding passes before going through security checkpoints are Los Angeles; Long Beach, Calif.; Newark, N.J.; Detroit; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Miami; St. Louis; and LaGuardia and Kennedy in New York. At the 17 airports, passengers will have to get their boarding passes before they go through security. Air travelers selected for the secondary screening previously conducted at the gate will be more thoroughly screened at the security checkpoints. Johnson said there’s a very slim chance they might be screened a third time at the gates. At all other U.S. airports, mobile teams of screeners will check passengers a second time at randomly selected gates, Johnson said.
Construction at Cheney residence upsets neighbors BY JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Neighbors of Vice President Dick Cheney are being shaken and rattled at least once a day by mysterious blasts at the U.S. Naval Observatory where Cheney lives. The Navy says the explosions are part of a construction project that has been going on for several months now, but won’t say more because the project is classified. Navy spokeswoman Cate Mueller described the work as an “infrastructure improvement, a utility upgrade.” She said they have tried to reassure the neighborhood, which includes the Washington residence of former President Bill and Sen. Hillary Clinton, that the blasts will not damage their homes. She said most understand that, because of national security concerns, they can’t reveal details or confine the construction to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.
Joseph Rieser, who lives a half-block off Observatory Circle, said each blast was “almost like thunder because it rolls and it lasts a noticeable period, probably several seconds.” It said the explosions rattle windows that aren’t shut tight. He said his concern was that neighbors received no forewarning of the project. “If this were a normal construction contract I would expect that they would have told the neighbors.” Mueller acknowledged that they were “not as aggressive up front in warning” neighbors about the project. She said the construction is expected to last another eight months, and for the time being there will be one or two blasts a day, each lasting about three to five seconds. The blasts were being carefully monitored to assure they were well under acceptable vibration standards so there would be no damage to either nearby residences or to facilities at the observatory, she said.
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press
NATIONAL
FBI investigates Boston organized crime scandal BY PETE YOST Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — When the agent just promoted to the No. 3 job at the FBI investigated mob-FBI ties in Boston, he reported he could not substantiate the allegation — later proved true — that agents had tipped off informants that they were under investigation, internal documents show. Charles Prouty, whom FBI Director Robert Mueller recently named executive assistant director of law enforcement, was the inspector in charge of the 1997 administrative inquiry in Boston. The five-week inquiry ended inconclusively when two of the FBI agents suspected of wrongdoing would not talk to investigators. “Ten specific allegations of FBI tipping/leaking were investigated and none could be substantiated,” the team of FBI and Justice Department investigators wrote in a 1997 internal report. Excerpts were obtained by The Associated Press. The team, including Prouty, the senior FBI investigator on the scene, urged that further investigation be undertaken. The Justice Department lawyer leading the matter was Joshua Hochberg, now acting U.S. attorney in the criminal investigation of Enron Corp. The report by Hochberg and Prouty, which has never been publicly released, did identify numerous other problems in the Boston FBI’s handling of mob informants dating to the 1960s. The report found that the FBI was aware some of its informants were committing crimes while on the government payroll. The FBI and federal prosecutors eventually substantiated the allegations of tipoffs; one retired FBI agent has gone to prison. Prouty rejects criticism in the news media that the investigative team in 1997 went easy on the bureau. “I am saddened and frustrated by the allegations that the investigation was a
whitewash,” Prouty said in an interview. “Everyone on the team gave it everything they had. We filed this as an interim report and our recommendation was that the investigation would continue. It did. We didn’t exonerate anyone.” “I had my marching orders but there were no limitations; nobody said to me ‘Don’t go here,”’ Prouty added. After it was over, “I was thanked for the effort by the FBI’s deputy director and that was pretty much the extent of my involvement.” Prouty said he cannot discuss the report because of a gag order by a federal judge. The FBI has been under scrutiny on several fronts, from its handling of whistle-blowers to its attention to terrorist threat information prior to Sept. 11, 2001. This past week, the House Government Reform Committee held the latest set of hearings into the overly cozy relationship over a 25-year span between the FBI and the Boston underworld. More than $1 billion in lawsuits have been brought against the government by victims of crimes committed by the Boston informants while they were under FBI protection. Retired agent John Connolly recently was convicted for tipping off informants about to be charged in criminal cases. One of those tipped, James “Whitey” Bulger, is still a fugitive on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. The allegations of FBI misconduct in the use of informants had surfaced in a federal courtroom in Boston, and Prouty was brought in from the bureau’s Columbia, S.C., office where he was second-in-command. The 1997 report states that Connolly gave only a limited interview through his attorney, making it impossible to resolve the matter regarding informants being tipped off. The report also stated that while there was evidence at least two FBI agents received gifts from informants, “we have
Pearl Harbor salute
Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
The statue of the “Lone Sailor” is seen during a wreath laying ceremony to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day, Saturday at the U.S. Navy Memorial, in Washington. On December 7, 1941, over 2,300 Americans died in the attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, forcing the United States to enter war in the Pacific.
not developed evidence that the gifts received by agents represented a quid pro quo.” In a trial this year, retired FBI supervisor John Morris testified under a grant of immunity that he took $7,000 in bribes from informants. Morris refused to be interviewed in Prouty’s 1997 probe, which concluded that “John Morris appears to have been a recipient of gifts” from Bulger and another mob leader and FBI informant, Stephen Flemmi. The scandal stemmed from FBI agents in Boston turning to members of Bulger’s Irish organized crime group for help in investigating the Mafia’s Patriarca family. Three months after completing the Boston inquiry, Prouty was sent to FBI headquarters in Washington to run the bureau’s applicant recruiting and selection
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section. A year later, he was put in charge of the bureau’s Little Rock, Ark., office, then the scene of the Whitewater investigation, and in 2000 he returned to Boston to run the bureau he had once investigated. While Prouty quickly moved up after the Boston probe, “Charlie was a rising star for a long time” before 1997, recalls former deputy FBI director Weldon Kennedy. “He is very, very knowledgeable in responding to crisis situations and he has a vast amount of management experience,” Kennedy added. A former Navy SEAL, Prouty has a law degree, has supervised the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team and has overseen training of FBI SWAT teams and negotiators.
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 11
INTERNATIONAL
Iraqi officials want U.S. to present evidence of weapons BY CHARLES J. HANLEY AP Special Correspondent
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq challenged the United States on Sunday to produce evidence it still has weapons of mass destruction. “Why play a game?” a top adviser to President Saddam Hussein asked. As the huge collection of documents on Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological programs was being flown to the U.N. headquarters, Lt. Gen. Amer Al-Saadi said the declaration demanded by the United Nations is accurate and complete. Al-Saadi told reporters that the report contains no new Iraqi evidence to answer lingering questions inspectors have about crucial part of Baghdad’s chemical and biological weapons programs. Baghdad has previously presented “first-class evidence” that was ignored for political reasons, he said. A U.N. inspector brought a copy of the part of the report dealing with Iraq’s nuclear program to Vienna on Sunday and handed it over to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. agency overseeing nuclear inspections in Iraq. IAEA experts were to begin examining the documents Sunday night, a spokeswoman said. Two more copies of the report — which in its complete form totals more than 12,000 pages — were on their way to New York, one for the Security Council and the other for the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. The U.N. resolution requiring the declaration be filed by Sunday also called on Iraq to declare any stocks or programs in chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. The Baghdad government says it has none. Bush administration officials reject such Iraqi denials and threaten war if, in their view, Baghdad does not meet U.N. arms control demands. They say they have “solid evidence” Iraq retains weapons of mass destruction, but U.N. inspectors indicate they have seen no conclusive evidence thus far from U.S. or other sources. Al-Saadi, a British-educated, former chief of military production for Iraq, told reporters the Iraqi declaration was “accurate” and “truthful.” Then he added: “If they have anything to the contrary, let them forthwith come up with it, give it to (the U.N. inspectors). They are here. Why play a game?” Al-Saadi said the report “will embarrass some nations and companies” cited as having assisted in Iraq’s pre-1991 efforts to build weapons of mass destruction, which Baghdad insists it no longer holds.
accompanied by computer disks, covering such subjects as the 1990s U.N. weapons inspection regime in Iraq, when many arms and much production equipment were destroyed, and “dual-use” industries that can alternate between civilian and military production. The arms declaration will draw weeks of scrutiny from nuclear engineers, chemists, microbiologists, missile technicians and other specialists as the United Nations searches for clues, among the dry accounts, of hidden arms programs or remaining caches of weapons of mass destruction. “I hope the international community will bear with us and give us time to do a proper job,” said Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA director-general. The U.N. experts are expected to “sanitize” the documents for distribution to representatives of 15 Security Council member nations, by removing sensitive information on producing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Translating from Arabic may also cause delays. The U.N. agencies will compare the new Iraqi information with past Iraqi Nasser Nasser/Associated Press reports and with their own databases of Two Iraqi employees expose stored machinery at the Iraqi Nuclear Energy past inspections and other information. Organization facility warehouse in Tuwaitha, some 25 kilometers southeast of What they learn “will be integrated in our Baghdad Saturday. The U.N. weapons inspectors visited the sight after a two- overall strategy” as they plan targets for day break for a Muslim Eid holiday. surprise visits in the coming weeks, said Al-Saadi said the document was so satisfy the inspectors then “because they Jacques Baute, leader of the nuclear complete that if the council makes it all were mainly led by personnel from the inspection team here. “The information provided in this decpublic, “this means that the Security United States and Britain.” As for biologCouncil is participating in the prolifera- ical weapons, he said further evidence laration will have to be verified, and the tion of materials” relating to prohibited doesn’t exist because “the program didn’t onus of that will fall on us,” said Demetrius Perricos, operational chief for weapons. He said the council already was exist after 1991.” The U.N. plane carried the Iraqi decla- the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and discussing how to handle the report durration out of Baghdad to Cyprus for Inspection Commission, responsible for ing a meeting in New York on Tuesday. He complained that the U.S. administra- onward flights. On its return, the plane chemical and biological weapons and tion, even before reading the dossiers filed brought reinforcements for the U.N. missiles. Saturday, had ridiculed the mass of Iraqi weapons inspectors in the Iraqi capital, 25 If Iraq is eventually found to have coopnew investigators who will double the erated fully with the inspectors, U.N. resodocuments as a “telephone directory.” “We don’t understand this rush to judg- staff and allow quick expansion of the lutions call for the Security Council to conment,” he said. “A superpower should inspection schedule. sider lifting economic sanctions imposed The inspectors’ first helicopter was on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait in 1990. study and take its time in judging, especially since everyone is looking on as it being assembled Sunday at Baghdad’s Although Washington was dismissive prepares for a huge military campaign, for Saddam International Airport. They of the Iraqi document submitted this weekan aggression against Iraq. It should expect eight in all, enabling them to range end, the Russian Foreign Ministry, by confarther afield with their daily surprise trast, issued a statement saying the declabehave wisely.” Asked whether Iraq itself has included inspections. ration shows Iraq is committed “to act in The U.N. teams continued those mis- compliance” with U.N. requirements. new evidence in its declaration to address major unanswered questions posed by the sions Sunday, visiting a government minIn the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar, U.N. inspectors, al-Saadi focused on two ing and survey company in Baghdad with meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command issues: reported discrepancies in the dispo- past association with uranium processing, prepared to inaugurate a seven-day, comsition of large amounts of lethal VX nerve which could help make fuel for nuclear puter-assisted war game Monday that agent produced by Iraq in the 1980s, and bombs, and a pesticide plant west of some observers speculate could be a large gaps in documentation linked to Baghdad. Pesticide production can be rehearsal for a war against Iraq. The exerconverted to chemical weapons making. Iraq’s biological weapons program. cise will not involve troops in the field, The long-awaited Iraqi declaration but rather “tabletop” scenarios played out On VX, he said, “some first-class evidence” was given in the 1990s, but did not comprised at least a dozen bound volumes by staff officers.
Bombings of four movie theaters kill 18, injures over 200 BY FARID HOSSAIN Associated Press Writer
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh authorities questioned movie theater employees Sunday after a string of deadly bomb explosions at four crowded cinemas, and the government ruled out alQaida involvement in the attacks. The blasts Saturday night tore through movie houses during a 30-minute period, killing 18 people and injuring more than 200 in Mymensingh, a small town 70 miles north of the capital, Dhaka. The government ordered heightened security at mosques, temples, churches, shopping malls and theaters and appointed a retired judge to launch an investigation. Visiting the attacks sites Sunday, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said police had
many leads and that “those who are responsible will be tracked down and put on trial.” The bombs were planted in the theaters’ projection rooms, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. They exploded while the cinemas were packed with early evening moviegoers — most of them Muslims celebrating the Eid-ul-Fitr festival marking the end of the fasting month Ramadan. As many as 3,000 people were inside or near the theaters at the time. The army defused a fifth bomb Saturday night in a theater in the nearby town Gaibandha, wrapped in a plastic bag tied of back of a seat, police said. Police chief Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury said the blasts were “the work of an organized group,” but he stopped
short of labeling it an act of terror. Muslim Bangladesh has denied accusations by neighboring India that it has become a safe haven for terrorists and rejected media claims that it has been used as a base for al-Qaida. “I ... would like to categorically state here that there is no al-Qaida network on the soil of Bangladesh,” Home Minister Altaf Hussain Chowdhury told a news conference. No suspects have been identified and no one claimed responsibility for the attacks. Police detained 21 theater employees for questioning. The explosions killed 15 people Saturday, and three men died of injuries Sunday. Doctors feared the death toll would rise because many wounded were in critical condition. Poorly equipped hospitals
appealed for medicine and blood donations. Army troops patrolled the small town as thousands of people besieged hospitals looking for relatives and friends. Many of the victims were hit by falling bricks and steel, witnesses said. “It was a terrible scene. Doctors were overwhelmed with so many injured,” said Muzahed Ahmed, a university teacher who took part in the rescue work. “I heard a big bang and then saw many people running for shelter,” said Jahangir Alam, a journalist who was witnessed one blast. “There were bodies lying in blood and many injured crying for help,” he told The Associated Press by telephone. Similar bombings of at theater and a circus killed six people and wounded 200 in September in Bangladesh’s southwest.
Page 12
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press
SPORTS
Orphans find their way home at sports bars around Los Angeles Today at The Shack: A “live” column by syndicated humorist and Table 8 regular, Dan Dunn who is writing this column for Miller Beer, which sponsored this sports page today. WARNING: Column may cause drowsiness, nausea, diarrhea and swelling of Dan’s ego. Keep out of reach of children (or anyone with taste). Hunter S. Thompson once wrote, “Writing is like sex, it’s only fun for amateurs.” And make no mistake, I’m nothing if not a consummate professional. This would explain why the fine folks from Miller Beer chose me as the point man for their ambitious “Football Orphans” campaign. But I won’t lie to you, friends, writing live, for an audience, is a scary and painful undertaking. Think Koy Detmer, laid out on the turf in San Francisco, elbow shattered, convulsing uncontrollably, hair all over the place … yeah, that’s how I feel now. But what are football orphans, and why does Miller give a flying fumble about them? Well, maybe, ‘cuz they drink … “I don’t know that you can call us ‘orphans.’ We have a team — it’s just that the team is 3,000 miles away,” said Kevin Butler, an insurance underwriter and die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, who moved to Southern California two years ago. “I’d have to say that being at the Shack, surrounded by Eagles fans, is as close as you can get to Philly in California,” added Donna Burke, a native of South Jersey. The Shack, on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, is THE Southern California outpost for football nuts from Philadelphia. These are the so-called football “orphans.” Rabid fans who left their hometown behind, yet never lost their hometown spirit. “The thing is, back in Philly, people tend to criticize the Eagles at every turn,” said Pat Good, owner of The Shack. “Here, we’re just happy to be together, far from home, pulling for our team.” “Of course, you’d be miserable too if you were freezing your ass off in Philly. The sun always shines in
Southern California,” said Philly transplant Crisi Amaroso. And now we’ve reached the portion of the live column where — with the aid of some of my drunken cronies — I’ll make random … uh, what’s the word I’m looking for (damn you, beer, and your vocabulary-sapping qualities!) … OBSERVATIONS! Ha! That’s it — random observations: ■ Most people are like Slinkies — they don’t do much, but it’s fun watching them fall down steps. ■ The Shack really is just like a Philly bar, except everyone here has teeth and there’s a conspicuous lack of “yo’s.” ■ I can’t believe that out of 100,000 sperm, I was the one that made it. ■ Being at a sports bar on a Sunday afternoon is like being a baby in a playpen — you suck on a bottle all day, and before you know it, you’re crawling around, drooling, and then you pass out dreaming of nipple. ■ Hey, the girl in the corner has nice, um, qualities. ■ When the hell is Wham! getting back together? Because just about no one in L.A. is actually from L.A., there are hundreds of outposts that have become gathering spots for sports fans looking for comraderie and a reason to cheer on their home team. The Shack is just one of them. “I love the communal lunacy,” said Brian McCole, of Ambler, Pa., a six-year Shack veteran. “I feel more at home here than I do at home.” “I love Miller Beer,” I said, hoping to get that bonus check before Christmas. And when it comes to football orphans, even the kids get into the action. “I like that when they score, everybody does the Eagles chant,” said Greg Comanor, 10, of Hancock Park. Greg’s dad, Bill, is a longtime Philly fan, who watched the Eagles win championships in 1948 and 1960. Philadelphia football orphans stay connected thanks to the efforts of Jon Burk, founder of Eagleswest.com, a Web site devoted to the community of Eagles fans in Southern California. This has been a paid advertisement by Miller Beer
FOOTBALL ORPHANS
Above: Columnist Dan Dunn pens his latest live writing exercise from Table 8 at Santa Monica’s home of the Eagles. Below: Philly fans go nuts after the Eagles make a touchdown early in the game on Sunday.
“My whole idea was to develop a network of Philadelphia natives in Los Angeles — a town where people are generally disconnected from each other,” said Burk. “We’re talking about people who bleed Eagles green, who come together every week to bleed together.” Let’s hope we can do some more communal bleeding straight into the Super Bowl.
Klitschko cautious but still a winner in his biggest fight BY TIM DAHLBERG AP Boxing Writer
LAS VEGAS — Wladimir Klitschko wanted to win his biggest fight on his own terms, which meant not getting hit much by Jameel McCline. That’s an admirable trait for a fighter, but it doesn’t win over fans who generally prefer their heavyweights to punch with the frenzy of a young Mike Tyson. Klitschko found that out Saturday night, when he methodically disposed of a stiff McCline only to hear scattered boos from a crowd gathered for his coming out party in the United States. The Ukrainian who some think could be boxing’s next great heavyweight might have been a bit too cautious for his own good, though there was no arguing with the final result. “It was maybe a little bit boring,” Klitschko admitted. “A couple of rounds there was not much action. But this is the heavyweight division, and you have to be very careful. Sometimes one punch changes everything.” McCline hardly seemed to be a fighter who could change anything, despite coming into the ring at 6-foot-6 and a chiseled 263 pounds. He appeared intimidated from
the opening bell, threw few punches and seemed content to try to go the distance. That didn’t happen after Klitschko finally opened up a bit to knock McCline down near the end of the 10th round. McCline’s corner wouldn’t let him come out for the 11th round — and McCline didn’t object.
“It was maybe a little bit boring. A couple of rounds there was not much action.” — WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO Professional heavyweight boxer
Stopping McCline in 10 rounds will look good on Klitschko’s record. But those at ringside Saturday sensed it could have happened a lot sooner had Klitschko pressed the issue. Even Klitschko grudgingly agreed. “Obviously, I can make more action,” Klitschko said. “(But) I don’t want to prove how hard my head is.” If Klitschko and his older brother, Vitali, are going to
be heavyweight stars, the time will come when they have to do more fighting and less thinking in the ring. Both have advanced degrees, speak four languages and love to play chess. But fans don’t pay to see fighters — especially big heavyweights — engage in strategic matches, no matter how good the strategy is. “You have to feel in the end the result was good,” Klitschko said. “It was the right way to win the fight.” McCline was the 6-7 Klitschko’s first ranked opponent in the United States, after an early career fighting mostly in his adopted country of Germany. The next time he’s in this country, it most likely will be for Vitali’s fight against champion Lennox Lewis, probably in April. Vitali was in Wladimir’s corner Saturday, offering advice between rounds, and Wladimir will return the favor as the brothers take steps toward their goal of holding heavyweight titles at the same time. Wladimir is considered by many to be a better fighter than his brother, but he is being brought along more cautiously than the 31-year-old Vitali. “Vitali is ready to fight Lennox Lewis, while with Wladimir we need a little more time,” said Peter Kohl, a German who promotes the brothers. “Give him a little more time, and he will be the greatest.”
DID YOU KNOW?: Boxing became a legal sport in 1901.
Santa Monica Daily Press
COMICS Natural Selection® By Russ Wallace
Speed Bump®
Reality Check® By Dave Whammond
By Dave Coverly
NEWS OF THE WEIRD by Chuck Shepard
Hairier butt argument ends in knife fight • Police in Mansfield Township and Hackettstown, N.J., charged Emmanuel Nieves, 23, with aggravated assault on Nov. 13 after he allegedly slashed the face of his friend Erik Saporito, 21, as the two men fought after arguing over which one had more hair on his buttocks. • In September, Robert Rozenhart, now 56, won his 7-year-old lawsuit against Skier’s Sportshop (Edmonton, Alberta) for injuries suffered on his maiden attempt to in-line skate, which came after a Skier’s employee tried unsuccessfully to tell Rozenhart not to venture out until the store’s instructor arrived to help him. Rozenhart skated away anyway, and was on a downward incline when he first realized he did not know how to stop.
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 13
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Monday, December 9, 2002 â?‘ Santa Monica Daily Press
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Page 15
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M O N D A Y , D E C E M B E R 9 , 2 0 0 2 MOVIE °GUIDE TODAY’S EVENTS
TUESDAY’S EVENTS
Toddler Time, 10 a.m. Barnes & Noble at the Promenade and Wilshire. (310)260-9110.
Sleigh on down to the Ocean Park Library to hear some wonderful holiday stories and see a very funny puppet show! For ages 3 and up. This program is free, but you will need to pick up tickets. 3:30pm to 4:15pm and from 4:30pm to 5:15pm. For more info call the Ocean Park Library, 2601 Main Street, Santa Monica (310) 392-3804.
Dodd Art Gallery showing Dafne Nesti "Paintings" and Dodd Jolsapple "New Works". Nov. 17th through Dec. 16th, 5pm to 8pm, 1650 20th Street, Santa Monica. For more information please call (310) 828-5825. Harvelle's Blues Club present Sports Happy Hour, 5pm to 8pm. 100 inch movie screen with high definition LCD projector, JBL surround sound, drink specials, $3.00 Happy Hour Buffet. 1432 4th Street. Between Broadway and Santa Monica Blvd. (310)395-1676 Conversations with God study group in Santa Monica every Monday night 7-8:30 pm, sequentially exploring and implementing the concepts of the "with God" books authored by Neale Donald Walsch. Meets in an ocean front condominium, donation $5. For further information call Grant at (310) 399-8982. Santa Monica Strutters, a FREE program sponsored by UCLA Healthcare's 50-Plus Program! Walking programs for adults 50 or older looking for safe, low-impact exercise in a comfortable environment. The Santa Monica Strutters meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 8 a.m. To 10 a.m., at Santa Monica Place, Fourth St. and Broadway Ave. in Santa Monica. Senior Suppers - Discounted meals for people AGE 55 or older are served daily, from 3:30 p.m. To 7 p.m., in the cafeteria at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, 1250 16th Street in Santa Monica. $3.69 Info only: (310)319-4837. Unurban Coffee House presents Hot Topics Night hosted by Ali every Monday evening. Signup is at 8pm. Open panel discussion and open forum. 3301 Pico Blvd. (310)315-0056
Santa Monica College Emeritus College Band invites adult musicians who play a band instrument to join the band. Rehearsals are held each Tuesday evening in the Band room at Lincoln Middle School, 14th and California Streets from 7pm to 9:15pm, Concerts are given during the year. For more information call (310)474-5271. Crossroads Schools in Santa Monica invites local musicians (grades 3-7) to join orchestra rehearsals. Rehearsals are ongoing and are held each Tuesday of the school year, from 3:15 to 4:15. Students may join at anytime. Cost is free, students must bring their own instruments. 1714 21st Street, SM. For more information please call (310)829-7391 The Santa Monica Bay Area Chapter of the California Retired Teacher's Association will meet at the United Methodist Church, 1008 Eleventh Street, Santa Monica. Social hour begins at 11:30am. Lunch served at 12 noon. The cost is $7.50. Reservations are appreciated by calling Marilyn Hedges to make a reservation (310)450-8167 Unurban Coffee House presents Stitch 'n' Bitch every Tuesday evening. Chicks, yarn, coffee & chat. 7:30pm to 9:30pm. 3301 Pico Blvd. (310)315-0056
LOEWS CINIPLEX BROADWAY CINEMA 1441 Third St. at Broadway The Emperor's Club (PG-13) 11:00, 1:40, 4:20, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40. Empire (R) 11:20, 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 10:00. Solaris (2002) (PG-13) 10:40, 11:40, 1:20, 2:20, 4:00, 5:00, 6:40, 7:40, 9:20, 10:20. MANN CRITERION 1313 Third St. The Ring (PG-13) 12:45, 3:45, 7:05, 10:00. Punch-Drunk Love (R) 11:45, 2:15, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG) 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:45. Extreme Ops (NR) 12:15, 10:05. Friday After Next (R) 2:45, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30. Adaptation (R.) 11:00, 12:30, 2:00, 4:00, 5:00, 7:15, 8:00, 10:15, 11:00. AMC THEATRE SM 7 1310 3rd Street Santa Clause 2 (G) 1:35, 4:00, 7:00, 9:30. 8 Mile (R) 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:05. Analyze That (R) 1:55, 3:10, 4:30, 5:30, 7:05, 7:55, 9:40. Treasure Planet (PG) 1:05, 3:05, 5:10, 7:25, 9:35. Die Another Day (PG-13) 1:25, 4:20, 7:20, 10:10. Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (PG-13) 2:30, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00. Wes Craven Presents: THEY (PG-13) 1:00, 10:15. LANDMARK NU-WILSHIRE 1314 Wilshire Blvd. Bowling for Columbine (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:30, 10:15. Far From Heaven (PG-13) 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30. LAEMMLE MONICA 1332 2nd St. Real Women Have Curves (PG-13) 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00. Rabbit-Proof Fence (PG) 12:15, 2:40. 5:05, 7:30, 9:55. The Quiet American (R) 1:45, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40. El Crimen del Padre Amaro (R) 1:30, 4:20, 7:15, 10:05. AERO THEATRE 1328 Montana Ave. Bloody Sunday 5:00 Secretary 7:30, 10:00
Calendar items are printed free of charge as a service to our readers. Please submit your items to todayspaper@smdp.com for consideration. Calendar events are limited by space, and will be run at the discretion of the Calendar Editor.
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Monday, December 9, 2002 ❑ Santa Monica Daily Press
BACK PAGE
Cheaters pose serious threat to success of online gaming BY MATT SLAGLE Associated Press Writer
DALLAS — Tony Ray knows how cheating can ruin a good time online. Two years ago, he was among video gamers who regularly conquered rivals in the three-dimensional combat game “Team Fortress.” Then something odd started happening. Opposing teams acquired supernatural powers. They could see and shoot through walls. Their perfect aim just wasn’t humanly possible. The online world, Ray was discovering, has its share of cheats and scoundrels. “Basically, it just destroys the integrity of the games,” laments Ray, a 35-year-old self-employed Houston software developer. While rogue players have plied Internet-based games for years, they can now be expected to annoy and rile not thousands but millions as the networking of game consoles moves video games online in a very big way. There are hackers who write programs that give them perfect aim in shooting games. And then there are socalled player- and team-killers who hunt down and slay others then steal their virtual possessions. Some ne’er-do-wells find loopholes to duplicate money or weaponry ad infinitum. Still other online rascals solicit e-mails to snare players’ user names and passwords, which they use to access accounts and strip them of valuables. Such practices have long been the ire of PC gamers. And while consoles have yet to be impacted, industry leaders including Microsoft and Sony fear such cheats could ruin an entertainment form still in its infancy. The revenue potential is huge for online gaming, which IDC analyst Schelley Olhava projects will reach some 10 million households by 2005. Microsoft and Sony have just launched online gaming networks for their Xbox and PlayStation2 consoles and officials of the two companies say their consoles
were designed from the hardware up to thwart cheating. Broadband-only Xbox Live, which expects to offer 14 multiplayer games and have 100,000 subscribers by year’s end, uses a secure network to keep out cheaters, said Cameron Ferroni, Xbox product manager. “The number one thing we worked really hard to prevent is anyone from running code that we haven’t authorized,” he said. “You can’t just go in like you can in a PC.”
“The number one thing we worked really hard to prevent is anyone from running code that we haven’t authorized. You can’t just go in like you can in a PC.” — CAMERON FERRONI Xbox product manager
Sony, meanwhile, is banking on its experience with “EverQuest,” a PC-only online world with nearly a halfmillion dragon-slaying and treasure-seeking players. Key to foiling cheaters is a responsive community like the one in “EverQuest,” which has been quick to alert Sony to new hacks, cheats and exploits, Sony spokesman Scott McDaniel said. Beyond network security, Microsoft touts a reputation system that, like eBay, lets players rate their peers. Those who don’t play by the rules will find it hard to locate online partners, Ferroni said. “It creates its own social upward spiral, which is a really cool thing,” he said. Fostering a sense of community may be key to derailing cheaters, given that the anonymous nature of online
games often is what entices people to cheat in the first place, said Peter Crabb, associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University. “The player is — and feels that he or she is — alone and is not under surveillance by other players or the game hosts,” Crabb said. After Ray’s experience with “Team Fortress” cheaters, he founded Even Balance, Inc. where he developed “Punkbuster,” anti-cheat software for PC games. “When you run into cheaters, you’re saying ’Those little punks!’ The idea was to detect cheaters and report them so that they would not be able to play on the server,” Ray said. Punkbuster appears to be working. Gamers sign up to play on cheat-proof servers, and players who don’t use Punkbuster can’t join, Ray said. He said cheaters regularly find ways around Punkbuster but a quick software patch usually mends the problem — until the next exploit. The software is used on about 80 percent of the thousands of computers that host online matches in the wildly popular WWII shoot-em-up “Return to Castle Wolfenstein.” “Soldier of Fortune II” and “Quake III: Arena” are other titles that include the option to play in Punkbuster-safe games. Still, cheating continues. For now, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have successfully blocked Hong Kong-based Lik Sang International Ltd. from selling special “mod” chips that allow users to alter the innards of their consoles. Sony, meanwhile, has managed to stop “ShowEQ,” which spies on the “EverQuest” network and lets players see all the monsters and other players on the map — things normally hidden from view. Non-gamers may find all the fuss over online cheating a bit much. But to those who’ve invested lots of time in their hobby, it’s no laughing matter. “It’s a very emotional but serious issue to these gamers,” Ray said. “They spent a lot of money on their computers. It just kills the game is what it does.”
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