TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2006
Volume 5, Issue 44
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
Cemetery director fights for reputation
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Running from the past
BY RYAN HYATT Daily Press Staff Writer
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
CHUCK
SHEPARD
David Smith Sr., who holds the world record for the longest flight of being shot from a cannon, was blasted about 150 feet in August from Tijuana, Mexico, into California, uninjured, as part of an art project about “dissolving borders.” (He showed his passport before blast-off.) However, a November 2002 catapult shot of a 19-year-old Oxford University (England) biochemistry student (who was a member of Oxford’s extreme sports club) ended badly, as an inquest in October 2005 heard; he was propelled almost 100 yards, which was just short of his landing net.
TODAY IN HISTORY Today is the third day of 2006. There are 362 days left in the year. On Jan. 3, 1777, Gen. George Washington’s army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, N.J. In 1938, the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was organized. In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. In 2000, the last new daily “Peanuts” strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “To have reason to get up in the morning, it is necessary to possess a guiding principle. A belief of some kind. A bumper sticker, if you will.”
JUDITH GUEST
AMERICAN AUTHOR
INDEX Horoscopes Follow the music, Sag
2
Snow & Surf Report Water temperature: 59°
3
Opinion Two words: No plastics
4
Commentary As the crow flies
6
SM Parenting Routine redux
8
Classifieds Ad space odyssey
15-16
CITY HALL — A personnel hearing to determine if the director of the city’s cemetery was incompetent or just had his own management style which led to financial troubles at the graveyard will resume next week. Michael Steen was fired this past fall after three audits revealed the management of Woodlawn Cemetery’s finances was not in line with general accounting practices. Steen, who is appealing his dismissal, said he has his own management style and had a lack of appropriate resources from City Hall. That’s according to testimony from both sides at a personnel board hearing held last month. The hearing will continue Jan. 9. Steen appealed City Hall’s decision to terminate him in September after a nine-month investigation concluded there was no criminal wrongdoing on his part regarding financial discrepancies discovered at Woodlawn, a municipal cemetery located between Pico Boulevard and Michigan Avenue, from 14th to 17th streets. Officials at City Hall haven’t said specifically how much money might not be accounted for at Woodlawn or what revenue might remain so. They have, however, paid outside firms for two audits, as well as conducted their own audit, all of which have shown discrepancies in Woodlawn’s financial books. The cemetery brings in about $450,000 a year in revenue. Because Steen’s firing is a personnel matter, city officials won’t elaborate on circumstances surrounding the criminal investigation, or his termination — beyond what is said in the appeal hearing,
People in the News 16
Rose parade: Youngsters pave the way BY RYAN HYATT Daily Press Staff Writer
ROSE AVENUE — Young students wearing florescent green vests and hard hats are cleaning up this neighborhood street some say has been neglected — until now. The effort will better maintain a LOCAL
Homeless man’s body found on New Year’s By Daily Press staff
DOWNTOWN — A homeless man’s dead body was found on a bench by passersby on New Year’s Day. At about 6:50 p.m., Santa Monica Police were called to the 200 block of Wilshire Boulevard, in front of the Banana Republic. Upon investigation, officers confirmed that a homeless man in his 50s had died. Preliminary investigation indicates that the cause of death is natural.
See WOODLAWN, page 5
GABY SCHKUD
01584718
It’s a b-b-boy
Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press Alex Tiseo leads the pack during the inaugural 5K Resolution Festival Soft Sand Run on New Year’s Day. Tiseo, a 19year-old football kicker from Michigan Tech, crossed the finish line first in 23 minutes and 52 seconds.
BEST ON THE WESTSIDE
eight-week program are honored with an award ceremony hosted by Rosendahl. The program runs year round, and the sweeps are expected to continue indefinitely, Grant said. The effort was initiated by a local resident, Jamie Cantor Ginsburg, who owns Plantine Cookies, which are made to order from a commercial kitchen in Venice. “I moved to the area six months ago and my husband and I were walking down Rose Avenue and noticed it could use a little love,” Ginsburg said. “The kids have See ROSE PARADE, page 5
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gateway to Venice Beach where trash from motor and pedestrian traffic often collects on the sidewalks and is slow to disappear. The dozen or so Los Angeles middle school students — who can be seen shoveling, raking and sweeping sections of Rose Avenue twice a month — are involved in a program called “Clean and Green,” organized by the Los Angeles Conservation Corps. The LACC is a nonprofit group which provides struggling youth with employment opportunities to develop their job skills and character while working on communityoriented projects. Participating students are paid minimum wage. In addition, they gain a better sense of pride, responsibility and community involvement, said Mark Antonio Grant, a field deputy for Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose jurisdiction includes Venice and helped organize the sweeps. “This is a great program that gets the kids out there making a difference and being recognized for it,” Grant said. Younsgters who complete the
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