Ed Board Approves Transfer
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INSIDE SCOOP COMMENTARY WEEKEND EDITION PICTURES OF ‘MY GIRL’ PAGE 3 CROSSING THE BORDER FOR GAS PAGE 4 Visit us online at smdp.com JUNE 28-29, 2008 Volume 7 Issue 195 Santa Monica Daily Press DETECTING BIKES SEE PAGE 3 Since 2001: A news odyssey THE SIRENS BLARING ISSUE Crosswalks Ed board that sting SMPD conducts citywide approves crackdown on failure to yield to pedestrians transfer BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief SAN VICENTE BLVD Seated on his black and white motorcycle at the busy intersection of SMMUSD HDQTRS While anger and frustra- Fourth Street and San Vicente Boulevard tion was palpable, it was sadness that parents Friday morning, Officer Rob Dawson of students at John Muir Elementary School gripped the handlebars tightly as he waited seemed to express most during a recent for drivers to speed passed him, failing to school board meeting, because the principal stop for pedestrians clad in workout wear. that helped their children progress scholasti- He didn’t have to wait long. Within a few cally and, in some cases, socially is being seconds Dawson and his fellow traffic offi- transferred after five years of service. cers flipped on their emergency lights and Instead of leading John Muir in the fall, a sped off in pursuit of violators. Within the school she helped earn a California span of an hour, the officers wrote nearly a Distinguished School designation, Martha dozen tickets, a sobering reminder of how Duran-Contreras has been tapped to dangerous it can be to step out into the Kevin Herrera [email protected] strengthen instruction at all Title 1 schools, street, even if you are strolling across a FEELING CROSS: A Santa Monica police officer (left) speeds off to issue a citation to a driver who elected officials feeling that her talent at marked crosswalk in broad daylight. failed to yield for a pedestrian during a crosswalk sting operation on Friday morning. turning those schools around is extremely “We could do this all day long,” Dawson valuable and must be shared with other said. “For some reason people just don’t To bring that number down, the SMPD raise awareness.” Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School want to stop for pedestrians. … It almost has conducted a citywide crosswalk sting, post- The citywide enforcement effort was the District campuses that need help. Title 1 to be a close call for someone to stop. Some ing motorcycle officers like Dawson at busy largest of its kind, involving seven intersec- schools are those that have the highest con- just don’t know the law. As soon as that intersections to catch drivers who failed to tions, eight decoys and 20 officers, including centration of students living in poverty. pedestrian steps into the crosswalk, that stop for a mixture of decoys and unsuspect- two from the Culver City Police “Martha didn’t have the opportunity to intersection belongs to them.” ing pedestrians out for their morning walks. Department. Officers were deployed around say good-bye to the children she cares about While City Hall works hard to encour- “The bottom line is this is a serious viola- 9 a.m. and worked well into the afternoon. so much,” said Marie Robinson, the parent age people to get out of their cars and walk, tion that is occurring,” said Sgt. Larry Horn In all, 192 citations were issued for failing to of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome who spending millions to modify streets and with the SMPD’s Office of Special yield, a handful of cars were impounded and attends John Muir. “Martha helped my son sidewalks to make them more pedestrian Enforcement/Traffic, who was overseeing some misdemeanor citations were issued, tremendously. He really has opened up.” friendly, Santa Monica has seen an increase the sting. “The public is constantly com- Horn said. Another parent, Liane Sato, said Duran- in the number of auto accidents involving plaining about it. It is no doubt a serious Those who were cited were suspected of Contreras served as a positive role model for pedestrians, many of them elderly. Over problem and a lot of it is due to people just breaking one of two laws — Sections 21950 her daughter. half of injury accidents are auto versus being impatient, while for others it is an “She was just super positive and very pedestrian. honest mistake. Either way we are here to SEE STING PAGE 13 helpful,” Sato said. “I feel that there was not time given for closure. We were notified after the fact.” Replacing Duran-Contreras at John Muir will be former Lincoln Middle School Fire, hazmat crews respond to chemical spill Principal Tristan Komlos, who has been BY CHRISTINA YOON p.m. on Thursday and found a five-gallon Bridges said that the chemical waste was heavily criticized by parents following the Special to the Daily Press bucket of lacquer, thinners and solvents next taken to the city’s household hazardous arrest of Thomas Beltran, a former English to a dumpster in an alley. The bucket had waste facility at the City Yards. He recom- as a second language teacher who has been MONTANA AVENUE Santa Monica fire and been knocked over, and the fumes from the mended that all Santa Monica residents take charged with multiple counts of child hazardous materials crews, responding to spill had entered the three businesses adja- their chemical waste products to the facility molestation. Parents voiced concerns with complaints that people were having difficul- cent to the alley. The building was evacuated themselves to avoid this type of dangerous leadership at the school, pointing out that ty breathing, discovered a chemical waste while specialists ventilated the businesses situation. Komlos had taken two maternity leaves since spill behind a building on Montana Avenue and tested the air inside. “A lot of people aren’t aware and think her arrival in 2006. on Thursday evening, according to Hazmat The four people who complained of ill- that it’s too expensive to take it there,” he The recent arrest of Beltran, a 30-year Specialist Capt. Mark Bridges. ness were evaluated on the scene, but none said. veteran educator in the district, for allegedly Santa Monica Fire Department personnel were taken to the hospital for further treat- arrived at 1119 Montana Ave. at around 5 ment. 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Actors try to escape the stage 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. 2 Hours Free Parking (Behind Store) The Actor’s Gang hits close to home in KLÜB, a bizarre play where aspiring actor’s 310.451.1349 become trapped in their play. Each of the 10 performers is dysfunctional in their own way, as audiences learn as they reveal their life stories to try and get off stage. Monday-Saturday Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $25 and the 10:30 p.m. show is $15. 10am-6pm www.readersjewelers.com Laughing with good will 235 Hill St., 7 p.m. — 12 a.m. Food, drinks, and a good cause for laughter will all be provided at the Church at Ocean GABY SELLS Park. The event is presented by the L.A. Women’s Shakespeare Company and The Dogsbody, who are trying to raise money to get to London and Edinburgh. Tickets are $20. For more information, contact Shae Kuehimann at (310) 923-3430. Stroll into the past 1436 2nd St., 10 a.m. — 12 p.m. A walking tour presented by the Santa Monica Conservancy reviews over 100 years of local history in just six blocks. Docents view city landmarks and share the story of Santa Monica’s development from a frontier town to bustling metropolis. Tours are given every Saturday, at a cost of $10 for the general public and $5 for conservancy members. Reservations can be made by calling (310) 496-3146. 303 - 22ND STREET, SANTA MONICA ASKING $2,895,000 Sunday, June 29, 2008 A RARE OPPORTUNITY - A CORNER LOT Get it while it’s fresh CORNER OF 22ND AND GEORGINA Downtown Mar Vista, 9 a.m. — 1 p.m. OVER 13,000 SQUARE FOOT LOT Head out to lovely Mar Vista for the weekly Farmers’ Market. Located at the corner of REMODEL EXISTING DUTCH COLONIAL Grandview and Venice boulevards, the market includes fresh fruits and vegetables as Gaby Schkud OR BUILD NEW well as some prepared foods. (310)586-0308 GABY & ASSOCIATES - COLDWELL BANKER The other Jerry's kids 2444 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403 1348 14th St., 7 p.m. EXPERIENCE DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Cubensis brings the sights and sounds of a live Grateful Dead concert to 14 Below every Sunday.