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Griffith Park
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Superbowl repeat?
Blind Boys.
Rams
Theft ring targets tourists.
Noteworthy
THURSDAY
Volume 21 Issue 239
08.25.22 Chief says Downtown patrols cut serious crime by half GRACE INEZ ADAMS SMDP Staff Writer
A new focus on patrolling Downtown Santa Monica has cut serious crimes by almost half over the past month according to information presented to Council this week. Chief of Police Ramon Batista said Part 1 and Part 2 crimes (covering serious incidents like rape, murder, theft, auto theft, assault and robbery) have seen significant decreases of almost 50 percent. “That means that we’ve had nearly zero or reduced assaults, zero or reduced aggravated assaults (one of each) and no robberies and no arson cases,” Batista said. “Now why this is important to us is because for all the weekends that we were looking at previously, we had a combination of these incidents happening sometimes on the same day or the same weekend. So noting
that we’ve now cut this in half, and these more serious Part 1 crimes are not occurring, that is important to us, and we’re seeing that as a success and the results of the work that we’re doing.” According to Batista the efforts include a bike patrol deployed in the area to support officers already stationed there, the neighborhood resource officer for the department has been reassigned to the Promenade and they are working on a transit detail to address safety concerns at bus stops. In his presentation, Batista took time to directly address false information that has been broadcast by some downtown business owners claiming officers do not work overnight and refute calls made by those same individuals to bring in Sheriff deputies to patrol the area. “I want to bring attention to the falsehood, the falsehood that our officers are not working at night. It is completely incredulous to
SMC’s art gallery namesake dies MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
One of Santa Monica’s bestknown philanthropic leaders died recently but her name lives on in the community thanks to a lifetime of community work. Susan Barrett, of Barrett’s Appliances died earlier this month from Parkinson’s Disease and while many locals shopped from the store she ran with her husband Pete, others may also recognize her name from her generous community work. Born to Julian and Amada Jimenez on December 16, 1938 on the dining SEE BARRETT PAGE 4
fathom that Santa Monica Police officers don’t work at night. Santa Monica Police officers work around the clock,” he said. “Moreover, the idea that another local police department can come in and provide the same level of service, care and compassion to the men and women of the Santa Monica Police Department is something for which I take great exception as our elected officials, as the longtime architects of this professional police department, you should be outright offended as well. Our Santa Monica Police Officers risk their lives every day. They’re human beings and they deserve our support. We don’t need to look very far to recognize that undermining our social contract is inherently dangerous to everyone. This false notion stands to undercut the trust and confidence from our residents. It places everyone and everything that we work for in SEE CRIME PAGE 8
Vendors in Palisades Park will soon have designated ‘patios’ EMILY SAWICKI SMDP Staff Writer
SUSAN BARRETT
Courtesy photo
BOGO HOURS: 11AM-7PM
Mold closes two elementary school classrooms
If you spend any time on the Santa Monica Pier, you’re probably familiar with the white painted spaces established for vendors to set up shop along the Pier deck. Soon, that concept will be making its way to nearby Palisades Park. Current municipal code rules state that vendors in the southern part of Palisades Park, roughly SEE PARK VENDORS PAGE 7
Editor’s Note: From Our Archives is a new feature of the Daily Press reprinting stories from the paper’s 20-year history. With the ongoing discussion over solving the mold problem at the Muir/SMASH campus, the first story from our archives comes from March 29, 2002.
ANDREW H. FIXMER SMDP Reporter
Two classrooms in the Santa Monica Alternative School
House have been sealed shut because they contain high levels of mold. Initially, a few teachers and children became ill after working in one of the contaminated rooms at the school, located at 2625 5th St. Further tests revealed that an adjoining classroom also was infected with three types of mold, Penicillium, Fungal Spores, and Aspergillus, said Kenneth Bailey, SEE ARCHIVES PAGE 6
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