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Affordable Housing
Project breaks ground.
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Homie.
Plus weather.
Pet of the Week
Surf Report
MONDAY
Volume 21 Issue 236
08.22.22 Poetry under the Pier
City considers extending relaxed land-use measures for businesses
Big Blue Bus receives grant to fund rider survey GRACE INEZ ADAMS
GRACE INEZ ADAMS
SMDP Staff Writer
SMDP Staff Writer
Several pandemic-era land use measures could be here to stay if a set of temporary provisions implemented in May 2020 to support businesses in the face of COVID-related challenges are made permanent by the City by the end of this year. The provisions have allowed businesses increased flexibility over the last two years by eliminating the need for certain permits, relaxing alcohol exemption conditions and making it easier for spaces to be used for multiple and mixed SEE BUSINESS PAGE 2
Santa Monica Bay moves forward on plan to rebuild breakwater EMILY SAWICKI SMDP Staff Writer
Details remain scant, but local environmental leaders have voiced their unanimous support for pursuing a slate of new environmental programs in and around the Santa Monica Bay using funds provided by last year’s federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Emily Sawicki
BAY: About 50 community members gathered under the Santa Monica Pier on Wednesday, Aug. 17, to
participate in Heal the Bay’s inaugural Poetry Under the Pier event, featuring readings in English and Spanish from poets Ulalume González, Marjorie Agosín and Los Angeles Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson. The literary event took place inside Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica aquarium, with many poems featuring ocean and nature themes. The event celebrated the launch of two bilingual works of poetry: “Plagios/Plagiarisms, Volumes One and Two,” by Mexican poet Ulalume González de Leó and “Beyond the Time of Words/Más allá del tiempo de las palabras,” by Chilean poet Marjorie Agosín. The event, co-sponsored by Sixteen Rivers Press, was free and open to the public.
SEE BREAKWATER PAGE 7
SEE BIG BLUE BUS PAGE 6
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339
In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
Riders of the Big Blue Bus (BBB) will soon be able to provide more feedback on their experience in real-time through the “Rate My Ride” feature of the Transit app. The feature is being further developed with the help of a $330,432 grant awarded to BBB by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as part of its Enhancing Mobility Innovation (EMI) Program. A version of the survey is already available to BBB users through the Transit app, but Robert McCall, the community engagement manager for BBB, said the new funding will allow them to take it a step farther towards better understanding customer needs. “The funding will afford us an opportunity to test and develop methods to improve the functionality and end-user experience for future iterations,” said McCall. Congressman Ted Lieu announced the grant award last week, stating that he believes it will be “invaluable to residents and visitors in Santa Monica.” According to McCall, BBB will be testing new ways of gathering feedback from customers, including ratings and direct questions. Surveys will touch on topics such as safety, accessibility and timeliness. “The questions asked in the surveys will allow BBB to
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