ENTERTAINMENT
INSIDE SCOOP
THEATRE REVIEW
MASSAGE PARLORS FACE RESTRICTIONS PAGE 3 NOTHING HIDDEN IN THIS PLAY’S PLOT PAGE 15
FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 170
Santa Monica Daily Press FAA finds jet ban illegal REMEMBERING PAT SEE PAGE 16
BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL In an expected turn-of-events, the Federal Aviation Administration ruled this week that an outright ban on private jets at Santa Monica Airport is illegal, a determination that could put future transportation grants in jeopardy. The FAA released the results of its nearly six-year internal investigation on Tuesday,
Since 2001: A news odyssey
concluding that an ordinance prohibiting category C and D aircraft from SMO would put City Hall in violation of its federal obligations to the aviation agency. The administrative review started in 2002 when the Airport Commission recommended that the City Council adopt a ban on the fastest jets. The review was placed on hold soon thereafter as both city and federal officials began negotiating several runway safety enhancement options.
THE FLASHING LIGHTS ISSUE
“We put it on hold while we tried to come to an agreement with the city and when that failed and when the city passed the ordinance [banning C and D jets], we resumed the investigation,” Ian Gregor, the spokesman for the FAA, said. The initial determination came as little surprise to city officials as the FAA had been arguing all along that the ordinance was most likely unlawful. Both City Hall and the FAA are currently entangled in a legal battle
over the ordinance. “The basic claims are not new to us and were what we expected,” Kate Vernez, assistant to the city manager for governmental relations, said. The FAA directed City Hall to present within the next 20 days a plan on how it intends to address the agency’s concerns by doing away with the violations outlined in SEE BAN PAGE 9
City considers smoking ban in residential common areas BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
SM LIBRARY First it was beaches and parks, then most outdoor areas, now the City Council is considering regulating smoking in multi-unit residences. In doing so Santa Monica would join a handful of California cities that have restricted smoking in apartments, including in some cases, condominiums. The council last month directed the City Attorney’s Office to begin drafting an ordinance that would ban smoking in all outdoor common areas in multi-residential buildings, defined as locations where more than one tenant is allowed to congregate. While the ordinance has yet to be constructed, the City Attorney’s Office held a public meeting on Thursday to gauge residents’ and property owners’ reaction to such a suggestion, the majority of those in attendance expressing interest in cigarette smoke being blown away for good. “We are not here to advocate for anything,” Adam Radinsky, the head of the Consumer Protection Unit with the City Attorney’s Office, said. “We are here to get your opinions.” Smoking is currently illegal anywhere
GRAND OPENING
Photos by Morgan Genser news@smdp.com (Above) The new Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier was reopened Wednesday night. (Right) Special Olympics of Southern California ambassadors Andrea Friedman (left) and Eddie Mack hold a check for $65,000, which was donated by the amusement park after it sold the old Ferris wheel on eBay for $132,400 to a Oklahoma City-based real estate developer in April. One of the key differences between the old and the new Ferris wheels is the upgraded ride uses roughly 25 percent less energy. The illumination scheme of the ride allows for different patterns as 15,000 energy-efficient LED bulbs light up the night sky above the venerable pier.
SEE SMOKING PAGE 10
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