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Monday, June 17, 2019

Five Factors That Can Lead To A Collision & (tips to prevent them)

Learn the 5 factors that lead to collisions and how to be safe on the road
More often than not, you probably don’t give a second’s thought to getting behind the wheel, starting up the ignition, and heading out on the road. It’s only when you’re confronted with the scene of an crash — lights flashing, crumpled steel, distraught bystanders — that you’re reminded that the vehicle you’re steering is a remarkably powerful invention — one that has potential to do serious harm.
Just how serious is it? Serious enough to be considered a public health problem by experts. For example, The National Safety Council has found that someone is injured in a crash every seven seconds, and that that there were 40,000 roadway deaths in 2018 — a 14 percent increase since its measurement four years ago.
The statistics are even more sobering when it comes to children. The Center for Disease Control found that traffic-related crashes are the overall leading cause of death for people under 20 years of age.
Now here’s the thing to keep in mind: these crashes aren’t just caused by “bad drivers.” The truth is, we all give ourselves a little leeway when it comes to following the rules of the road — but we can do better.
Want to be a part of the solution to this public health problem? Read on for the top factors that contribute to serious crashes, so you can take steps to avoid them.
Speeding
In the most recent year analyzed by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, speeding was responsible for the deaths of 9,717 people, and represented 26 percent of all traffic fatalities. This statistic gets even more serious in areas where there’s high foot traffic. The human body hardly stands a chance when it’s struck by 2,400 pounds of steel, and only half of people survive when hit at 30 miles per hour.
So when you’re feeling stressed about getting to an appointment on time, remember — posted speed limits are not intended to hinder you or make you late. They’re designed to preserve your life and the lives of others.
Failure to Yield the Right of Way
According the Federal Highway Administration, more than 50 percent of the combined total of all fatal and injury crashes take place at intersections. Whether it’s inattention, rushing, or ignorance, it’s just not uncommon for people to fail to yield when someone else has the right of way. This, in turn, paves the way for a serious collision.
Of course, those collisions aren’t just with other cars; they can happen with people who are walking, biking, or scooting as well. Here are a few tips for safe travel in busy areas:
Slow your speed when approaching a crosswalk or intersection.
Never pass a car that’s stopped at a crosswalk — there may be a pedestrian you can’t see.
If you’re biking, scooting, or walking, make eye contact with the person in a car before crossing to ensure that they see you.
Need a refresher on who has the right of way in any given scenario? Take 10 minutes to read the DMV’s guide to right of way rules. And above all — if it becomes clear that someone else isn’t giving you the right of way even when you do have it — yield. You just might save a life.
Driving Under the Influence
Here’s some good news: deaths caused by drunk driving have fallen by one-third in the past 30 years. That progress is encouraging, but we’re not out of the woods yet, as driving under the influence still bears responsibility for 29 percent of traffic fatalities in the United States.
As you might know, the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level for driving is 0.08 percent — about four drinks for the average 160-pound male. (Keep in mind — women and those who weigh less will reach that blood alcohol content level with fewer drinks.) At 0.08 percent BAC, your balance, vision, reaction time, and reasoning are impaired to a dangerous degree. But you don’t have to be at 0.08 percent for there to be significant risk involved with driving. At just .05 percent BAC, you will experience lowered alertness, decreased coordination, reduced ability to focus vision, and blunted response time.
It’s important to keep in mind that driving under the influence of marijuana is also illegal and can interfere with you alertness and decision-making. So when we talk about “driving under the influence,” we’re talking about marijuana as well.
So if you’re going to indulge, plan a safe route home — hop on a bus, train, designate a driver, or use a rideshare service.
Distraction
Smartphones, checking out the beautiful views from PCH, changing the playlist, looking for parking, reaching for something that fell to the floor — they all add up to a major distraction. Of course, none of these distractions feels like a big deal at the time since you’re simply taking your eyes of the road for a brief moment. But you can miss a lot in that moment: an unexpected stop sign or lane change from another car can instantly turn that brief distraction into a disaster.
According to recent NHTSA studies, distracted driving has claimed the lives of 3,450 people and injured 391,000. So if you’re tempted to look away, if only for a split second —  don’t. Keeping your eyes on the road may save lives.
One easy way to cut down on distractions from smartphones is to enable the Do Not Disturb While Driving feature available from most manufacturers, including iPhones and Androids. It will save calls and texts until you’ve reached your destination safely.
Fatigue
Drowsy driving is harder to measure than other collision factors, but the NHTSA estimated that 795 deaths were caused by fatigued driving in 2017. Most of these crashes occur at certain times of day: between midnight and 6 a.m. and in the late afternoon, when many people experience a slowing in their circadian rhythm. So if you’re driving at these times, be extra aware of your own fatigue as well as the fact that other drivers may be fatigued.
Having a hard time staying awake? Pull over for a short nap or a cup of joe before continuing on the road.
The Bottom Line
Being out on the road is a big responsibility, one that requires attention and respect for the rules of the road. So when you’re driving, be sure to keep in mind these top factors that contribute to serious crashes and fatalities. They just might help you make better decisions… and save lives as a result.
Together, let’s Take the Friendly Road and create a safe and friendly Santa Monica for everyone.  For more information, visit santamonica.gov/friendlyroad.



source https://www.santamonica.gov/five-collision-factors

Santa Monica’s Homelessness Strategy is Showing Results

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti called the news “heartbreaking.” LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas admitted he was “stunned.”  The Los Angeles Times distilled the grim results of the 2019 Homeless Counts for the City and the County of Los Angeles:
“In a hard reality check for Los Angeles County’s multi-billion-dollar hope of ending homelessness, officials reported Tuesday that the number of people living on the streets, in vehicles, and in shelters increased by about 12% over last year.  The annual point-in-time count, delivered to the Board of Supervisors, put the number of homeless people just shy of 59,000 countywide. Within the city of Los Angeles, the number soared to more than 36,000, a 16% increase.”
The numbers sparked an immediate and intense round of finger-pointing.  In a column splashed across the front page, Times writer Steve Lopez blamed “city and county officials.” According to Lopez, they “move too slowly and preside over an evolving catastrophe that may get worse before it gets better, even with thousands more housing units in the pipeline.”  The fast-flying accusations followed predictable patterns, focused on blame and point-scoring rather than fresh insights.
Across California, the homeless count numbers are even more dire than LA County.  Orange County recorded a 43% increase from its last count in 2017 and Ventura, San Bernardino and Kern counties all reported increases of more than 20%. Up north, Alameda County saw a 43% increase and Santa Clara County was up 31% since their last counts in 2017. San Francisco recorded a 17% jump. 
It’s a different story in Santa Monica.  We announced the results of our 2019 Homeless Count back in March.  Even taking into account the limitations of the methodology for counting people experiencing homelessness, our local results were encouraging. The 3% increase was well within the range of statistical variance – which means our numbers were essentially flat.  Most striking, the number counted in our Downtown showed a 19% decrease.  Why is that significant?  Because that’s where we’d focused our intense outreach and engagement strategies.  The results seem to vindicate that we are on the right track.
So what’s working in Santa Monica?  During the past three decades, we’ve built a solid foundation.  Homelessness is not a new problem for us.  As Alisa Orduna, our Senior Advisor on Homelessness notes:  “Our first spike in homelessness was in the late 1980s into the 1990s. We had another surge following the economic recession of 2008, and we are now in the midst of one that began in 2016. We do see people living with mental illnesses, but beyond that, we’re seeing the impact of the housing crisis.”  Orduna, who coordinates Santa Monica’s efforts to combat homelessness, explains that we previously focused on those “who grew up here, went to school here, had their last permanent address here, and so on.”  
When the regional surge in homelessness since 2016 overwhelmed that approach, Santa Monica pivoted to a relentless focus on outreach and engagement.  That approach is getting traction – and showing results.
Our Police Department has long had a model Homeless Liaison Program (HLP Team). Former Interim Chief Ken Semko and new Chief Cynthia Reynaud not only expanded the team’s size, but they also deployed our Patrol and our Public Safety Officers to focus on our public spaces.  After City Council adopted “a regional approach to homelessness” as one of their Strategic Priorities, we created a pilot Homeless Multi-Disciplinary Street Team (HMST).  It’s a new model for successful street medicine aimed at our most chronic users of emergency services.  A new Rand Report credits the team with measurable success in changing lives. 

Senior Advisor on Homelessness Alisa Orduña
Orduna describes the safety net that Santa Monica has created: “We have about 400 emergency shelter beds, which serve the entire region. We were one of the first cities to embrace the Housing First model and build permanent supportive housing (PSH); we now have about 330 PSH units. We also have an access center where people can shower, pick up their mail, and see a medical doctor or nurse practitioner, as well as link to case management services.”
We adopted and funded a C3 Team to fan out across Downtown to connect people with services.  Our Library launched a wide range of effective measures, with new staffing, including two part-time social workers.  Fire launched a Community Response Team pilot. A Community Steering Committee enlisted additional civic, social, business and religious resources to work collaboratively.  Engagement only goes so far.  The housing affordability crisis continues to worsen regionally and the region is far behind in building enough permanent supportive housing to address the magnitude of the problem. But Santa Monica’s success with outreach and engagement is a necessary link to longer-term solutions — and it’s working. We’re determined to do more.  We’ve developed a revised Action Plan to Reduce Homelessness.  It’s a blueprint for continuing and expanding our efforts.  We are quickening the pace of experimenting with new tactics to pursue four key goals:
Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless and increase affordable housing opportunities
Address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable residents
Maintain equitable access to safe, fun, and healthy open spaces
Strengthen regional capacity to address homelessness
To learn more about this critical challenge, follow the links I’ve included here and to find ways you can help, check out We are Santa Monica.



source https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/Santa-Monicas-Homelessness-Strategy-is-Showing-Results

Sunday, June 16, 2019

🌈 SaMo PRIDE: Get to Know Kathleen Rawson, Leo Garcia and Brandy/Emily

In honor of Pride Month, we are celebrating the diversity of our community by asking different members of the LGBTQA community to share their story, ideas and perspective on Santa Monica. 
These bios originally appeared in the June edition of Seascape. 

Kathleen Rawson
CEO, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. 
1) How do you identify?

I came out as a lesbian in my early 20s, during my last years of college. I grew up in a small, central Minnesota town and the LGBTQ+ community was very invisible. I didn’t even tell my family until I moved to California.

2)What else can we do to make our City welcoming for LGBTQ people? 

As you can imagine, it was a significant change from Minnesota. Not only was I in a new town, just out of college and trying to find my way, I was also involved in my first real romantic relationship where I was living with someone, sharing our lives together as a couple. I remember those early days walking down the boardwalk, holding hands and there were plenty of times where that felt unsafe. So you stop holding hands. It was 1988, and I wouldn’t say I was overly comfortable, but certainly more so than in Minnesota. There were plenty of times when we had a conversation at work and the gender of the person I was living with was omitted. I was concerned about how my co-workers would react. People could be hostile. It wasn’t safe. Now, it’s completely different. When my partner and I decided to have our first child, we had no choice but to be true to ourselves and who we are as a couple. It was a conscious decision and the right one. For every job, every scenario, I was definitely out. And, generally speaking, people have always been very open and accepting. It has changed dramatically, as the world has changed. But Santa Monica has always been more accepting than other places I have lived.

Leo Garcia
Executive Director, Highway Performance Space and resident
1) How do you identify? 
As a gay Latino man.

2) What brought you to Santa Monica?
I feel that in 1991 Santa Monica was a forgotten beach community and so it was perfect. The promenade was manageable in terms of traffic and shopping and community. Now, I’m concerned about its growth and how that growth is changing Santa Monica. I prefer to be positive about Santa Monica and there many conversations that can take place about growth, diversity, affordability and all that is important to me.

3) What’s your experience in Santa Monica, and how has it changed since you arrived? 
I was a multi-hyphened artist who settled here. I was bi-coastal between NYC and Santa Monica for about four or five years, until I stayed here longer than I stayed in NYC. Travel became very complicated and so did the bicoastal life. I chose to stay in one place for a while and Santa Monica was that place. There’s no place I’d rather be.

4)What else can we do to make our City welcoming for LGBTQ people? 
Though Santa Monica is generally gay-friendly, I don’t think anyone thinks of Santa Monica as a place for LGBTQ people to connect. It’s a seemingly liberal California beach community and I believe LGBTQ people, like all people, enjoy the beach and the climate, so like all others, they find there way here to enjoy the city. I’ve no doubt that there are families with gay children here. I know there are LGBTQ home and business owners and renter, but I don’t think of Santa Monica as a gay enclave. I’ve heard a little about the gay community Santa Monica in the past and would love to learn more.

Brandy & Emily 
Resident
1) How do you identify?
She / Her / Hers

2)What else can we do to make our City welcoming for LGBTQ people? 
Coming from San Francisco, the lack of Santa Monica queer-friendly venues, bars and events was surprising. We hope the addition of this Pride event, and the Birdcage will help encourage more of an LGBTQ community



source https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/samo-pride-get-to-know-kathleen-rawson-leo-garcia-and-brandy-emily

Friday, June 14, 2019

Every Month Must Be Fair Housing Month

The article below originally appeared in the Santa Monica Daily Press on June 12, 2019.

Two months ago, as part of its ongoing efforts against housing discrimination, the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office (CAO) celebrated April as National Fair Housing Month.  Approximately 100 tenants, landlords, and community members gathered to hear from local and regional fair housing experts at the Santa Monica Library at a forum we co-hosted with the Santa Monica Rent Control Board, Santa Monica Renter’s Rights, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, and the Action Apartment Association.
More than 350 students participated in our “Fair Housing Opens Doors” poster contest, including Eden Craig, a fifth-grader at Grant Elementary School, whose vibrant work accompanies this column. Two of the students’ posters became part of a month-long public service advertising campaign in the Daily Press and on social media.
Finally in April — and perhaps in response to the ads and forum — tenants were bringing forth new complaints for review by our investigators.
Two months later, the work goes on full speed here and everywhere else. Our office continues to investigate and litigate housing discrimination cases while new and old fair housing issues also rear up their ugly heads across the country.
Many of these cases involve new strains of discrimination. For over fifty years, fair housing laws have prohibited discrimination by landlords, realtors, banks, cities, and insurance companies. Classic cases of discrimination include refusing to rent to people who are a different race or religion. Or denying a tenant with a disability her request for a reasonable accommodation (nearby parking space) or modification (wheelchair ramp). Or turning away a family with two children from a vacant two-bedroom apartment.
But for a good look at discrimination’s relentless variety, here are the allegations in four fair housing cases that our office is litigating in court this month:
A Santa Monica landlord rented exclusively to young female students, then regularly used his key to walk into their home without notice.
A property manager engaged in a campaign of unfair demands and rules to make life exceedingly difficult for a single mother and her severely disabled daughter.
A Santa Monica landlord threatened to report her tenants to the police based on their immigration status if they did not pay a higher rent or leave.
A local landlord has refused to allow her disabled, senior, and severely rent-burdened tenant to use a Section 8 voucher to help pay the rent.
The CAO obtained preliminary injunctions in the first two cases, stopping the alleged conduct pending trial, while the landlords in the second two have voluntarily resolved the alleged conduct pending trial. We are also litigating our third affordable housing enforcement case, where owners are allegedly violating obligations under affordable housing deed restrictions, and will soon be filing our fourth. Affordable housing for people of all walks of life is a crucial piece of a community’s fair housing puzzle.
The variety of housing discrimination continues at the state and national levels:
The U.S. Department of Justice has just charged Facebook with creating advertising tools that blatantly allow housing providers to either target or exclude consumers for or from housing opportunities based on their race, religion, gender and other protected classes.
Since 2016, hate crimes against all protected classes have been surging in Los Angeles, in California, and across the country. According to a January 2019 Los Angeles Times article, hate crimes shot up again in 2018, up 13 percent in Los Angeles and 17 percent in California.
In the past twelve months, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has reported several cases against housing providers who were allegedly denying tenants with disabilities reasonable accommodations that would allow them equal and fair housing.
A large real investment firm paid $2.5 million this year to settle a federal fair housing lawsuit alleging that it pressured Latino and mentally disabled tenants to leave its rent-controlled buildings in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles.
Last week, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released the results of the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. The number of homeless people in the county increased from 52,765 to 58,936, a 12% rise. Distressingly high numbers. But the major fair housing red flags continue to be statistics for the African-American homeless population, which constitutes 33% of the homeless population even though African-Americans constitute only 8.3% of the overall county population.
So let’s face it, every month must be Fair Housing Month. Housing discrimination has not been eradicated, not even close. The federal, state and local fair housing laws must keep up with the new tactics, but it’s also up to us—no matter what month it is—to know our rights and responsibilities under the law so that we can recognize and stop discrimination in any form and in its tracks.
Gary Rhoades is a Deputy City Attorney in the Consumer Protection Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office. Potential violations of the fair housing laws may be reported to the Consumer Protection Division by calling 310-458-8336 or by going to smconsumer.org.



source https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/every-month-must-be-fair-housing-month

Santa Monica Travel & Tourism Launches Complete Guide to Street Art Murals

This article was written in partnership with Santa Monica Travel and Tourism and originally appeared in the June edition of Seascape. 
As you may have noticed, our beach city is now home to more than 120 street art murals all within 8.3 square miles. These murals are brought to life by a combination of different entities from the City of Santa Monica, local business improvement districts, individuals and Beautify Earth, a non-profit whose mission is to transform every wall into a beautiful piece of art. Each mural has its own story to tell, and many stand out for capturing the unique history and vision of Santa Monica.
For example, the “Jay Adams Tribute” by artist Dvate pays tribute to the accomplishments of one of skateboarding’s biggest icons on Main Street while “Beach Day” by Bumblebee, located on Wilshire Boulevard, shares the excitement of a day at the beach from the perspective of a child, albeit a larger-than-life child at 50-feet tall. To help both visitors and residents better discover our local art scene, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has created a comprehensive guide that lists every street art mural in the city. The guide provides a photo, address and – when possible – mural and artist name to provide for the easiest and most efficient way to explore Santa Monica’s street art scene.
The guide can be accessed at santamonica.com/complete-guideto-street-art-murals-in-santa-monica. Is there a street mural we missed or a new one you’ve spotted? Email marketing@santamonica.com so we can add it to the guide!



source https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/santa-monica-travel-tourism-launches-complete-guide-to-street-art-murals

Santa Monica ❤️ ‘s Parklets!

Have you noticed the large wooden seating areas on Main Street packed with people enjoying coffee, food, or conversation? These spots are part of a public space experiment called “parklets” that have popped up in many cities across America and have demonstrated that streets can be used for more than just moving people from point A to point B.
In 2015, City Council approved a parklet pilot program along Main Street to join the growing trend to reclaim city streets for public use. To accomplish this, the City started by converting two metered parking spaces into “parklets” at three different locations on Main Street: Holy Guacamole, Jameson’s (formerly Finn McCool’s), and Ashland Hill. These restaurants agreed to maintain and furnish the parklets during the pilot.
In a partnership, the three parklets were designed, built, and paid for by the City of Santa Monica and the parklet operators did their part by providing the furniture and landscaping, and by keeping them clean. 

Did the experiment work? Do people like parklets?
To measure their impact on the community, staff partnered with the Lewis Center at UCLA who deployed an army of researchers to gather feedback from people walking on Main Street and parklet visitors to assess what factors contribute to a good parklet experience. On June 11, 2019, two years later after the pilot launch, staff reported back to City Council with an update on the parklets pilot, informed by UCLA’s study and by continuous interaction between City staff and the parklet operators.
Here’s what we learned about parklets:

Everybody LOVES Parklets!
The parklets were well-maintained and kept clean.
People feel safe in them.
People that visit the parklets often come back to the parklets.

Additionally, the program team learned that parklets create a rare opportunity to create public space on streets with narrow sidewalks where there isn’t currently a place to rest or sit in public.
So what’s next for Santa Monica’s new parklets program? At the Council meeting, the program team was directed to expand the pilot to other parts of Santa Monica, such as Downtown, Montana Avenue, and other spots on Main Street. The team was directed to transfer the cost of building new parklets onto applicants and operators, and to develop a more robust criteria and process to guide the selection of parklet operators.
Overall, the parklets pilot has been a great success in Santa Monica and the City is eager to expand the parklets pilot throughout the City. The City team estimates their research for exploring an expanded pilot would take approximately 6-8 months when they will report back to City Council with their findings. 
If you have any questions or inquiries about the parklet pilot, please reach out Russell Bunim with the City Planning Division at russell.bunim@smgov.net or 310-458-8341.
 



source https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/santa-monica-loves-parklets

Thursday, June 13, 2019

🌈 SaMo PRIDE: Get to Know Supervisor Sheila Kuehl & Reverend James E. Boline

In honor of Pride Month, we are celebrating the diversity of our community by asking different members of the LGBTQA community to share their story, ideas and perspective on Santa Monica. 
These bios originally appeared in the June edition of Seascape. 

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl
Third District LA County Supervisor and Santa Monica resident
1) How do you identify?
Lesbian

2) What are some of the ways LGBTQ people connect or feel a sense of community in Santa Monica?

 Santa Monica is a welcoming city and the LGBTQ community has always felt comfortable at the beach, in schools, and in our religious institutions. I went to lots of events at the Church In Ocean Park which has always been very diverse and gay-inclusive.

3)What else can we do to make our City welcoming for LGBTQ people? 
While we’ve made tremendous progress on so many fronts with gay marriage and supporting queer young people, there is still work to do. We need more places to gather and socialize. We especially need to provide support to trans youth, who continue to face tremendous discrimination.

Reverend James E. Boline
Pastor of Lutheran Congregation, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church 
1) How do you identify? 
 I identify as gay and married 11 years, together 22, with my husband Christopher.

2) What’s your experience in Santa Monica, and how has it changed since you arrived? 
When I first arrived on the scene back in 2000, another local pastor left the Ministerial Association because of an openly gay minister (me) who began attending the meetings! Other than that, my experience as a gay man working in Santa Monica has been one of gracious hospitality and receptivity; since arriving in 2000, the welcome has only widened.



source https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/samo-pride-get-to-know-supervisor-sheila-kuehl-reverend-james-e-boline