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June 23 - June 29, 2023 Volume CXCIX, Issue 200
Santa Monica Council advances proposal for more gun restrictions City Manager and the City Attorney Will Make an Ordinance Within Two Months By Zach Armstrong The Santa Monica City Council has advanced a proposal by Councilmember Caroline Torosis to restrict the sale of guns and create new regulations on ownership. As part of the proposal, the council will direct the City Manager and the City Attorney to make an ordinance within two months on restricting gun sales in Santa Monica with
more gun owner responsibilities. While the city already has stringent firearm laws, there are still incidents of gun violence in Santa Monica. In 2013, five people were killed after a gunman opened fire at Santa Monica College. The City already has rules in place that requires gun dealers to obtain a local license, prohibits firearm sales at home businesses and requires dealers to occasionally report their inventories to law enforcement. The proposal pointed out that surrounding cities have adopted additional restrictions, such as San Jose which became the first U.S. city to require gun owners to pay an annual fee and carry liability insurance “In Santa Monica, we have yet to restrict gun dealers from operating near sensitive areas where children or families are congregating,
we do not require dealers to videotape sales, we do not prohibit unaccompanied minors from entering gun stores, and we do not require regular police inspections of gun dealer premises,” the proposal read. “Moreover,
Santa Monica has not adopted safe storage laws to require safe storage in the home and in vehicles, nor do we require loss and theft reporting.”
How Polluted are the Waters Around Santa Monica State Beach?
City Approves $2.2M Contract With Private Firm for Security at Parking Structures
Waters Around the Pier Were Ranked Most Polluted in California
The Firm Almost Had Its San Jose Contract Taken Away
By Zach Armstrong
Santa Monica City Council approved a $2.2 million, five and a half-year contract with Good Guard Security Inc. for the firm to provide overnight security in parking facilities and adjacent areas. In January, the City piloted a six-month agreement with Good Guard for overnight security in ten parking structures in the
In a new report by environmental non-profit organization Heal the Bay, water surrounding the Santa Monica Pier was ranked as the most polluted in California while other areas around Santa Monica State Beach got mixed reviews. “Being a perpetual Beach Bummer was the norm for [Santa Monica Pier] until 2018 when the city installed a stormwater capture system next to the pier. Unfortunately, it appears that Santa Monica Pier’s water quality woes go beyond polluted runoff.” the report read. Because bird feces could be a large factor for poor water quality, the city is replacing the bird deterrent netting under the pier. It is also installing a trash removal device in the large storm drain at Pico Boulevard, which could reduce bacteria levels. The City also completed a stormwater capture project preventing contaminated water from entering the ocean and increasing water resilience. But it wasn’t all terrible news for waters
Over Labor Issues By Zach Armstrong
surrounding Santa Monica. Santa Monica Beach at Montana Ave got an A+ grade for summer conditions and a B grade for wet conditions (after rainfall) in the report, while Santa Monica Beach at Wilshire Blvd. got an A for summer conditions. The area around Wilshire unfortunately failed under wet conditions. Coastal counties in California got 50% more rainfall than the decade average during the winter months, while the state saw 19 large storm events from October 2022 to March 2023, far more than the six the state usually gets. The extreme amounts of precipitation caused landslides, floods, power outages and blizzards. The rainfall had multiple negative impacts on water quality by washing pollutants such as bacteria into the ocean, leading to a decline in Wet Weather Grades
downtown area. The program was successful, according to an agenda item, with results such as a 48% decrease in calls for service, a 60% decrease in calls on burglary theft from motor vehicles and Good Guard assigning six guards with a supervisor within 24 hours notice when needed on the Promenade. In February, San Jose City Council approved a $9 million agreement with Good Guard to manage the city’s security guards, but only after it resolved labor issues, San Jose Spotlight reported. After the firm failed to meet a labor agreement, SJCC sent a memo to find a new contractor. At which point, Good Guard reversed course to promise its workers their health care and retirement benefits wouldn’t be taken away and that they could unionize.
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