What I Say--Due Process is as Due Process does
January 31, 2011 -- In 1983 in a still debatable decision, I left the law firm where I was drawing a good salary and opened my own practice. I changed from employee to small-business owner.

“State of the City” an Upbeat View in Hard Times
January 31, 2011 -- Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom and City Manager Rod Gould shared the municipal spotlight Thursday as “State of the City 2011” gave a prognosis of the City’s condition and a prediction of things to come.

Santa Monica's Homeless Count Goes Smoothly
January 31, 2011 – City staff is happy with last Wednesday night's tally of Santa Monica's homeless population.

Santa Monica Conservancy Honors Preservationists
January 31, 2011 -- The Santa Monica Conservancy held its annual meeting a week ago to elect its board of directors and present awards to those residents who have done so much to preserve the city’s unique architectural heritage.

Letters-- Implement LUCE Now
January 29, 2011 --As we all know, the LUCE recognizes the inter-connected nature of our City. Area plans and development agreements are tools to improve and preserve the quality of life for all who live, work or do business in Santa Monica.

Santa Monica Restaurants Seduce Foodies with dineLA
January 28, 2011 -- Get on your marks, foodies. dineLA, the "Who says we don't know fine cuisine?" county-wide, week-long dining celebration has returned.

Santa Monica-Malibu School District Wants Help in Superintendent Search
January 28, 2011 -- The Santa Monica-Malibu School District is starting to look for a new superintendent. Tim Cuneo, the current district leader, will step down in June.

L.A. Opera Talks Begin Saturday at the Santa Monica Public Library
January 28,2011 -- If you love opera or just want to learn more about it, here’s your chance! L.A. Opera Talk is back at the Santa Monica Public Library for its eleventh year.

McKeown Can't Coax Council Disclosure
January 28, 2011 -- Council member Kevin McKeown has again tried and failed to make campaign disclosure a regular part of City Council meetings.

Santa Monica Content Provider Goes Public
January 28, 2011 -- Demand Media, an internet how-to and general information provider with headquarters in Santa Monica, went public Wednesday to the tune of some $1.5 billion.

Santa Monica Police Search for Suspect in Attempted Kidnapping
January 27, 2011 -- Santa Monica Police are asking the public to help them find two suspects wanted for an attempted kidnapping.

Meet New Manager for Santa Monica's Downtown Ambassadors
January 27, 2011 -- Paulita Elliott may be new to Bayside District, but the five-year Navy veteran, who was recently hired as operations manager of Downtown's popular Ambassador Program, is no stranger to the challenges that await her.

City of Santa Monica, Governor Get Ready to Face Off
January 27, 2011 -- Cities across California are heading for a showdown with the governor this spring, and Santa Monica is among them. There's too much money at stake for it to be any other way.

Letters--Downtown Standards Need Update
January 26, 2011 --I respect Frank Gruber's breadth of knowledge about the history of our city, but I disagree with him regarding the interim ordinance being proposed tonight by city staff planners to City Council ("Not an Insult," Jan. 24, 2011).

Letters--Santa Monica Places New Parking System Needs Tweaking
January 26, 2011 --Interesting article on the parking system at Santa Monica Place ("Cartopia at Santa Monica Place," January 21, 2011) . I was there twice and the system did not appear to work.

Santa Monica City Council Approves Interim LUCE Ordinance
January 26, 2011 -- Developers will have to follow stricter building guidelines in Santa Monica sooner than they might have thought, under an interim ordinance approved Tuesday by the City Council.

Santa Monica City Council Approves Bag Ban
January 26, 2011 -- Santa Monica businesses will no longer be able to give out light-weight plastic shopping bags, under an ordinance passed Tuesday by the City Council.

Meet New Manager for Santa Monica's Downtown Ambassadors
January 26, 2011 -- Paulita Elliott may be new to Bayside District, but the five-year Navy veteran, who was recently hired as operations manager of Downtown's popular Ambassador Program, is no stranger to the challenges that await her.

Sunnier Forecast for Tourism in Santa Monica
January 25, 2011 -- Santa Monica's hotel industry, a key barometer of the health of the local tourism business, had a better recovery than expected during 2010, and the prognosis is for further improvement in 2011.

Santa Monica City Council to Tackle Plastic Bags, LUCE
January 25, 2011 -- Tuesday's City Council agenda is deceptively short but rich with abstruse and controversial recommendations that should keep council members working well into the night.

Saint John's Play Date in Santa Monica
January 25, 2011 -- Children of all ages will be sure to enjoy Saint John's Health Center's first annual PLAY DATE, a fundraiser for its Child and Family Development Center (CFDC).

Support Session for Santa Monica High School Students
January 24, 2011 -- High school families are invited to a support session at Santa Monica High School Tuesday night.

Santa Monica Loses Jet Ban Case
January 24, 2011 -- Santa Monica's ordinance banning jets at the city's airport was shot down by the United States Court of Appeals Friday.

A Year to Remember for Downtown Santa Monica
January 24, 2011 -- 2010 should prove to be a transformative year for Downtown Santa Monica. It was the year when a newly remodeled Santa Monica Place reopened with much fanfare and a light rail train that promises to change Downtown Santa Monica accessibility finally got the green light.

What I Say--Not an Insult
Jan. 24, 2011 -- Mental illness is in the news nationally and locally. In Tucson a young man on his way to a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia attacks a congresswoman and kills six bystanders.

Fireside Fun at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica
January 21, 2011 -- Want a great date this weekend?
Try lounging by a roaring fire, cup of tea in hand, while soaking in the latest live culture Santa Monica has to offer.

Donors Pay Santa Monica College Students to Work at KCRW
January 21, 2011 -- Starting in February, a lucky handful of Santa Monica College students will get to paid to work at KCRW, learning valuable broadcast skills at the same time as they pay for their education.

Cartopia at Santa Monica Place
January 21, 2011 -- Welcome to the future of easy parking as M3 – the first “find-your-car” system to hit Santa Monica – kicks off in Lots 7 and 8 at Santa Monica Place.

Santa Monica Cab Franchises Free to Roll
January 20, 2011 -- Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant cleared the way Wednesday for the city to move forward with its taxi franchise ordinance.

Remembering Sargent Shriver
January 20, 2011 -- Robert Sargent Shriver, Democratic Party leader, advocate for America’s poor and disadvantaged and father of Santa Monica Council member Bobby Shriver, died Tuesday in Maryland. He was 95.

Former Santa Monica Police Chief Wins Final Tally for Mayor of Inglewood
January 20, 2011 -- The final count is in, and James T. Butts has clearly won the title of Mayor-Elect of Inglewood.

Santa Monica Police Chief Discusses the Issues
January 19, 2011 -- The Lookout is conducting a series of interviews to find out what city staff and officials expect in 2011. Last week, we sat down with Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy Jackman who told us what his department has on its plate.

12th Annual Lei-out Frisbee Competition Lets Fly in Santa Monica
January 19, 2011 -- On an unseasonably warm day of light winds and sunny skies – “perfect” Frisbee weather, according to bystanders – the classic Sunday afternoon game with the round plastic disc returned to its roots, albeit in a much more organized structure.

School District Reaches Out Following Student's Death
January 19, 2011 -- School Superintendent Tim Cuneo let the community know his staff is trying to help students and parents come to terms with the tragic death of Santa Monica High School student Matthew Mezza.

Student's Tragic Death Shocks Santa Monica
January 18, 2011 -- Onlookers were shocked Friday afternoon when Santa Monica High School student Matthew Mezza fell from an upper floor of the Sheraton Delfina Hotel.

Santa Monica's Sunset Park Hit by Burglars
January 18, 2011 -- A recent string of burglaries has Sunset Park residents on the defensive.

Santa Monica Police Involved in Major Drug Bust
January 18, 2011 -- Santa Monica police were involved in a sting at Los Angeles Airport that led to the seizure of more than $2 million worth of cocaine in a Valencia warehouse last Wednesday.

What I Say--Politics: Here, There, Everywhere
January 18, 2011 -- Suffering a hangover from November’s election, the Santa Monica City Council has been hearing various complaints about and considering various actions regarding the local political process.

Martin Luther King Remembered in Santa Monica
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shiiiiiine!”
January 18, 2011 -- Keynote speaker Val Zavala headlined a brisk, rousing celebration of the life of slain Civil Rights leader Monday.

Santa Monica City Council Cans Effort Toward More Disclosure
January 14, 2011-- By a 4-to-2 vote Tuesday night, the Santa Monica City Council shot down an attempt to add another level of public disclosure about who gives them money.

Council Reviews Santa Monica's Homeless Services
January 14, 2011 -- Santa Monica’s homeless services were on the agenda when the City Council reviewed and adopted the city’s action plan Tuesday.

Butts Still Ahead in Stalled Voting in Inglewood Mayors Race
January 14 -- With some 6,000 ballots counted and roughly 600 more to go, the race for Mayor of Inglewood seems stalled since Wednesday morning's “unofficial tally” showed former Santa Monica Police Chief James Butts in the lead.

Santa Monica City Council Debates Whether Voters Should Elect Mayor
January 13, 2011 -- The City Council agreed to consider ways to let voters pick the city’s mayor. But most council members seem less than enthusiastic about the idea.

Butts Leads in Inglewood Mayor's Race
January 13, 2011 -- Election results for the Inglewood Mayor's race are still up in the air.As of Wednesday afternoon, an unofficial tally of fewer than 6,000 ballots show former Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts in the lead, with 3,162 votes to his opponent Incumbent Mayor Daniel K. Tabor's 2,508, according to the Inglewood City Clerk's office.

Santa Monica Officials Alarmed by Governor's Plan to Axe Redevelopment Agencies
January 13, 2011 -- Jerry Brown may kill one of Santa Monica's largest cash cows if his budget makes it through the State Legislature.

Santa Monica Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 12, 2011 -- This weekend Santa Monica will celebrate Martin Luther King Day with a host of events around the city. January 15 marks would have been the civil rights leader's 82nd birthday.

Santa Monica Historical Society Gets New Board
January 12, 2011 -- The Santa Monica Historical Society got a brand new board of directors to go with its spiffy new digs at the downtown library, The Lookout learned this week.

Santa Monica High School Bands Strut Their Stuff
January 12, 2011 -- Parents and friends will get to hear the culmination long years of hard practice when award-winning SAMOHI band musicians perform Friday night.

Former Santa Monica Police Chief Vies for Inglewood's Top Post
January 11, 2011 -- Former Santa Monica Chief of Police James T. Butts will soon know whether Inglewood voters pick him to lead their city.

Deasy Rumored to Be in Line to Head Los Angeles Schools
January 11, 2011 -- Former Santa Monica school district chief John Deasy is likely to be named Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Tuesday, according to news sources.

Evening Music by the Sea in Santa Monica
January 10, 2010 -- Visitors to the Annenberg Community Beach House are in for a treat Monday as the strains of the Lyris String Quartet waft over the shore in the evening air.

Santa Monica City Council Tackles Old and New Items in First Meeting of 2011
January 10, 2011 -- The Santa Monica City Council will return to the dais for the first time after the holidays Tuesday to a mixed plate of the new, the revisited and the deferred.

What I Say--I, Californian
January 10, 2011 --I made my permanent move to California 32 years ago, and since then I have become a true Californian.

Santa Monica Police Join Facebook
January 7, 2011 -- The Santa Monica police wants us to like them, comment and share.

Santa Monica College Launches Innovative Program for At-Risk Youth
January 4, 2011 -- Two dozen at-risk youths became the first such group in the nation to take part in a program launched Monday that prepares them for a lucrative career creating promotional spots for television shows and films.

Green for the New Year
January 4, 2011 --The city's making it easier than ever to to live up to your green resolutions this year.

Santa Monica Vending Carts Brave the Storm
January 3, 2011 -- Santa Monica's vending cart program braved an early controversy when it was launched five years ago, a subsequent economic downturn and, most recently, a series of winter storms that have dampened sales.

Santa Monica Offers Christmas Tree Recycling
January 3, 2011 -- With the 12 days of Christmas nearly over, those who want to take their trees down can take advantage of the City’s various recycling services.

What I Say--Age of Majority
January 3, 2011 -- Longtime readers of this column may recall that in years past I would use the experiences of my son, Henry, as grist for my mill, as he grew up and, in particular, made his way through the Santa Monica public schools.