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Volume 9 Issue 57
Santa Monica Daily Press STILL A FAN FAVORITE SEE PAGE 11
We have you covered
THE REMEMBERING MLK ISSUE
Big Blue Bus city’s biggest liability
COMMUNITYPROFILES
LES JONES
BY NICK TABOREK Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL Lawrence Powell had just gotten off the Big Blue Bus and was crossing Santa Monica Boulevard at Ocean Avenue. As he stepped into the crosswalk, the bus he’d been riding on started to turn right, cutting into the crosswalk. Pedestrians yelled at the driver to stop but it was too late. The bus ran over Powell, breaking his leg and toes and causing severe abrasions on his arms. The accident, which happened in September 2007, was one of the most severe
for the bus system in recent years, resulting in a $1.5 million settlement. But It was just one of hundreds of claims stemming from the Big Blue Bus that together make the popular transportation service City Hall’s biggest liability. In the past two fiscal years, incidents involving the Big Blue Bus have accounted for 44 percent of the $7.4 million City Hall has paid out in claims, documents provided by the risk management department show. Deb Hossli, Santa Monica’s risk manager, said that’s in part because the highest profile, most expensive claims in the city tend to be bus related.
In the 2008-2009 fiscal year, 14 out of the 20 most expensive claims were the result of incidents involving the bus system. And the trend appears to be continuing. “I think it’s fair to say the Big Blue Bus has the most expensive litigation in the city right now,” Hossli said. Traffic collisions, hit pedestrians and bicyclists, passenger falls, and bus doors closing on riders all regularly result in claims. Many claims, like minor collisions with parked vehicles, typically cost City Hall less than $1,000. But incidents that SEE BBB PAGE 8
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com JONES
Computers are a real life saver BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief
DOWNTOWN Les Jones loves computers. It’s not because they make our lives easier or allow us to reconnect with old friends with the click of a button. Those features are great, but Jones loves computers for a different reason. In a way, computers saved his life. A decade ago, Jones, 54, was lost. Suffering from schizophrenia and severe depression and anxiety, Jones, a towering, soft-spoken Texan with a warm smile and calm demeanor, was wondering aimlessly through the streets of Santa Monica, unable to hold down a steady job because of his mental illness. Estranged from his family, Jones was alone and on the verge of giving up on life. “When you’ve lost 100 times and all you’ve seen is failure, you begin to wonder what the
PHOTO PLAY
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com Visitors walk by the works of Alex Guofeng Cao and his 'Marilyn vs Monalisa' chromogenic print at the photo l.a. art exhibit on Saturday. The exhibit ran from Friday to Sunday and offered seminars and lectures by noted photographers.
SEE CP PAGE 9
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