A PUBLICATION OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA | SUMMER 2014 SeascapeFOLLOW US: facebook.com/cityofsantamonica • twitter.com/santamonicacity This Is What Saving Water Looks Like (and It’s Easier Than You Think!) Be Part of the Big Read Now through May 4, 2014 This isn’t your everyday read—this is The Big Read, a community reading program designed to revitalize the role of literature and to encourage everyone to read for pleasure and enlightenment. The Santa Monica Public Library invites you, and the entire Santa Monica community, to read and discuss Luis Alberto Urrea’s Into the Beautiful North. A contemporary novel set in the U.S. and Mexico, Into the Beautiful North features strong characters and universal themes that will be explored in many free book discussions and special events held around the city through May 4. Copies of Into the Beautiful North, in both English and Spanish, are available at all library locations. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. That’s right, saving water can be easy. In fact, most of us are doing quite well already, but meeting the 20% reduction target established in the wake of California’s severest drought in decades requires a bit THE BIG READ, more action. Take toilets, for example. New WaterSense® toilets save 20% more water than the ones SMGOV.NET/RESERVECONTINUED ON BACK you IS have rightNOW now, and you canOPEN get a cash rebate for purchasing one for your home. A new toilet can COVER easily reduce your water use, and you can receive cash back. What’s not to like? 24/7 INFORMATION AND EASY REGISTRATION GATEWAY TO THE CITY’s FUN & ACTIVE CLASSES FOR ALL AGES SAVING WATER CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 IN THIS ISSUE p.3 p.7 p.15 p.20 SUMMER CLASS REGISTRATION SM PLACE DRILL—PREPARING MANGo AND SAFE ROUTES TO TRASH TRUCK B-DAY— CELEBRATE NOW ONLINE FOR THE WORST SCHOOL PLANS APPROVED smgov.netRECYCLING AT YOUR| NEXT P3ARTY 1450 Ocean Santa Monica Swim Center Annenberg Beach House [PLACEHOLDER] Community + Crafts [Tag line] A Great Day at the Beach [Tagline] [Short List Stand Up Paddleboarding Synchronized Swimming [Short list of 5 Surf Camps & Private Lessons Water Polo of 5 classes classes Tai Chi by the Sea Adult Fitness Workouts with with interesting Beach Volleyball Classes & Camps Group & semi-private lesssons interesting titles] titles] Fun events & family nights Beach Soccer smgov.net/reserve is brought to you by Active Santa Monica and the Community & Cultural Services Department Active More info offline (regular business hours only): 310-458-8300 I [[email protected]] SANSTAANTMAOMNOICNAICA City of Santa Monica Launches Briefly... CITY HALL, 1685 MAIN STREET, Seismic Safety Program is open Monday through Thursday from The month of March brought more seismic 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and every other activity to Southern California than we have seen in Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most city two decades. When the ground shakes, you want offices are closed on alternate Fridays as to know that the building you are in can withstand part of the city’s commute trip reduction the tremors. To address this, the city already has plan to improve air quality: April 4 and a comprehensive seismic safety program well underway. The three-phase plan addresses the 18, May 2, 16 and 30. City Hall will also be structural vulnerabilities in Santa Monica. closed Monday, May 26, for Memorial Day. Payment and permit services are available PHASE 1: An inventory is being created of buildings that may require seismic retrofitting. every Friday; please call 310.458.8411 for Buildings being assessed include non-ductile the counter hours of your preferred service. concrete, steel moment frame, unreinforced FREE WORKSHOP: FAIR HOUSING ISSUES masonry, concrete wall tilt-up buildings, and IN RENTAL HOUSING Find out what rights soft-story structures. you have when it comes to renting. The PHASE 2: City staff will Consumer Protection Unit of the Santa re-assess the current Monica City Attorney’s Office is sponsoring seismic retrofit plan the workshop, April 30 from 9 a.m. to 12 check and permit p.m. at the Main Library. This workshop is fee waiver that was instituted after the part of the city’s ongoing efforts to increase 1994 Northridge awareness of fair housing laws. earthquake, while For more information, please visit working closely with smgov.net/departments/cpu. Rent Control staff on the rent-related ROSIE’S GIRLS 2014 SUMMER CAMP Rosie’s Girls is an award-winning program implications of designed to build self-esteem, leadership building upgrades. skills and physical confidence. During this Aftermath of the Northridge SEISMIC SAFETY Damage from the Northridge earthquake on an intensive summer program, girls learn earthquake at the Santa Monica CONTINUED ON unreinforced masonry apartment in Santa Monica. Image Public Library PAGE 14 Credit: NOAA/NGDC, J. Dewey, U.S. Geological Survey firsthand what it takes to maintain a city. This summer’s project is “From Where I Sit.” Girls will design a chair or “throne” that expresses the issues, experiences, goals Be Excited! Be Prepared! Expo Is on Its or values that are important to them. Find Way into Santa Monica more information at rosiesgirls.smgov.net. Soon we will have the option to travel between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles in approximately 46 minutes—even during rush hour. To make this quick trip a reality, several intersections will be closed in the next few months as Expo Line rails are installed. Three closures have been successfully SANTA MONICA completed and five more will occur between now and the summer. The next closure is planned for the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard and is anticipated to occur in late April. Seascape In addition, extensive utility relocation work is nearly finished, all three stations and the maintenance Seascape is a publication of the City of Santa facility are under construction, and installation of more than 30 miles of rail between Culver City and Monica designed to inform residents about Santa Monica is well underway. city programs and services. Please email editorial information and comments to The Expo Line will extend light rail service from [email protected] or mail to: the current terminus in Culver City to Santa Robin Gee Monica, with three new stations in our city. Santa Monica Seascape City of Santa Monica Already more than 50% complete, the project 1685 Main Street is scheduled to be finished in 2015, with testing Santa Monica, CA 90401 to follow soon after. The line is anticipated to Seascape is printed on recycled paper be operational by early 2016. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, For more information, visit smconstructs.org Seascape is available in alternate formats by calling the City or follow us at facebook.com/smconstructs or Manager’s Office at 310.458.8301 (TDD/TTY 310.917.6626). twitter.com/SMConstructs. 2 | SANTA MONICA SEASCAPE 2014 Homeless Count Shows Numbers Are Down Across the Board On the night of January 29 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., hundreds Homeless counts are mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of volunteers and city staff walked a total of 226 linear miles of Housing and Urban Development for communities that receive through the streets, alleys, parks and beach of Santa Monica federal homeless funds. The city chooses to conduct counts annually in to visually count homeless individuals. Results of this year’s order to quickly identify and respond to homeless population trends. annual Homeless Count showed an overall reduction in The annual Homeless Count would not have been possible without street homelessness: the hundreds of volunteers who took part. Find out how you can get involved at smgov.net/homelessness. • The point-in-time count found 742 individuals, a decrease from 780 (5%) in 2013. • The street count was 346, a decrease of 9% from 380 in 2013. • Once again, there were no families observed on the street. Decreasing street homelessness is a key measure of the city’s Action Plan to Address Homelessness, and this year’s reduction was achieved through enhanced coordination in several different areas. City staff worked with local service providers to engage individuals, coordinate services, identify appropriate housing and ensure that local resources are dedicated to individuals on the city’s by-name Service Registry. Also, last year the Police Department utilized the Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) to identify the most chronic and long-term homeless individuals in the downtown area and link them to housing and services. Results show that these strategies were highly effective, and contributed to an overall reduction in street homelessness. The Homeless Count was hosted by St. Monica’s Catholic Community. Credit: Shams Soomar SMGOV.NET/RESERVE IS NOW OPEN YOUR GATEWAY TO 24/7 INFORMATION AND EASY REGISTRATION FOR THE CITY’s FUN & ACTIVE CLASSES FOR ALL AGES PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS 1450 Ocean Santa Monica Swim Center Annenberg Beach House Fitness Classes Creativity + Community Splash Into Summer A Great Day at the Beach Recharge & Get Moving enaMeled sIlver Jewelry SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING STAND UP PADDLEBOARDING Groove danCe & FItness AMIGURUMI CROCHET ANIMALS WATER POLO surF CaMps & prIvate lessons KARATE STARS pleIn-aIr drawInG ADULT FITNESS WORKOUTS TAI CHI BY THE SEA BEACH GYMNASTICS MODERN MILLINERY Group & seMI-prIvate lesssons BeaCh volleyBall Classes & CaMps BARRE WORKOUT SALSA DANCING Fun events & FaMIly nIGhts BEACH SOCCER YOGA BY THE BEACH FIND MORE ONLINE @ SMGOV.NET/RESERVE smgov.net/reserve is brought to you by Active Santa Monica and the Community & Cultural Services Department Active More info offline (regular business hours only): 310.458.8300310-458-8300 I [email protected] SANSTAANTMAOMNOICNAICA smgov.net | 3 A Clean Sweep for the City New and Improved Bus Stops On any given weekday and nearly every night, Santa Monica’s street- Popping Up Around the City cleaning vehicles swoop down and sweep up debris all over the city.