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Volume 8 Issue 110
Santa Monica Daily Press THOMPSON IS LATEST ADDITION SEE PAGE 14
We have you covered
THE ALMOST THERE ISSUE
Taking a bite out of crime
New shelter for families breaks ground BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
CULVER CITY The ongoing efforts by Santa
Violent crime drops 7 percent in Santa Monica in 2008
Monica city officials to take a regional approach in addressing homelessness took a giant step forward on Thursday when a locally-based nonprofit broke ground on a new family shelter in a neighboring community. A large crowd of homeless service advocates and officials from Los Angeles County and nearby municipalities gathered at the old Sunbay Motel in Culver City to celebrate the beginning of the roughly five-monthlong construction of Upward Bound House’s new Family Shelter. “The opening can’t happen soon enough for the thousands of families across Los Angeles who are losing their jobs, their homes, their hope,” said David Snow, the executive director of Santa Monica-based
BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor in Chief
SEE HOME PAGE 12
LA County agency nixes stimulus-money swaps BY MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES Can taxpayer dollars intended to pave roads be used instead to pay salaries in a cash-strapped California city? Almost. Los Angeles County officials this week blocked several small cities from swapping federal stimulus dollars destined for transportation projects with other communities in exchange for cash for their treasuries. One city planned to trade an expected $500,000 stimulus check for money it could use to avert layoffs. But in a turnaround, county transit officials blocked the stimulusfor-cash dealmaking that it blamed on imprecise wording in a letter it sent to cities SEE NO DEAL PAGE 10
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
PROTECT AND SERVE: Santa Monica Police officers search three suspicious individuals at Virginia Avenue Park on Wednesday afternoon. Violent crime dropped by 7 percent in 2008, according to figures released by the SMPD. Police Chief Tim Jackman credited the decrease to increased community involvement and connecting homeless to services.
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PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY Violent crimes in Santa Monica continued to hit historic lows in 2008, a trend which SMPD Chief Tim Jackman credited to increased community involvement and an intense focus on connecting the homeless population with social service agencies. Part 1 crimes, which include rapes, murders and assaults, were down 7 percent compared to 2007, according to figures released by the SMPD. Leading the overall decline in serious crime was a 56 percent drop in arsons, with seven reported in 2008 compared to 16 the year prior. That was followed by a 30 percent drop in rapes, with 21 being reported in 2008 compared to 30 in 2007. While on the rise in 2009, auto thefts were down in ‘08 by 26 percent, with 243 reports compared to 327 in ‘07. “We are doing very well,” Jackman said during an interview Tuesday in his office at the Public Safety Facility. “As a matter of fact, we are so far below reported crime 50 years ago it is almost incredible.” Santa Monica is not alone. Throughout the nation and in the region, crime has steadily decreased over the last few years, with Los Angeles experiencing a 2.5 percent drop in violent crimes in 2008. The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department reported a 6 percent drop in such crimes through the end of November 2008. “This is really a community effort,” Jackman said of the reduction locally. “Police SEE CRIME PAGE 11
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