The Santa Monica City Council got a peek last week at initial design concepts for the Colorado Esplanade project that will connect the eventual terminus of the Expo Light Rail line with downtown SaMo. According to a staff report (pdf) presented to council earlier this month, the project will deliver "major urban design improvements at the Downtown Expo Station Plaza and along Colorado Avenue between 4th Street and Ocean Avenue." The project design is the work of Berkeley-based Peter Walker Partners, which signed a $2.2 million contract for the gig last year.

The new proposal includes a substantial reconfiguration of Colorado Avenue: "there will be one lane of traffic in each direction on Colorado Avenue from 17th to 5th Street. Between 4th and 5th Streets, Colorado will be westbound-only with one through-lane and a dedicated left-turn lane at 4th Street. Existing eastbound traffic will be eliminated." In addition to that vehicle traffic reconfiguration, bike lanes in both directions will be added: "Bike Lanes in both directions connect the Downtown Station and the Pier; a proposed bike connection through the 4th Court alley proposes to connect the Downtown Station to the bike lanes on Broadway; and the Main to 2nd Street realignment connects the Main Street bike lane directly to the new Bike Center and Downtown."

Back in September, the SaMo Planning Commission voiced concern about the impact of pedestrian traffic on the flow of vehicles through the neighborhood. A Santa Monica Mirror article on the hearing last week describes the current proposal as "a more simplified and organized 'flow of pedestrians, vehicles and bicycles.'" Although reaction at the hearing was mostly positive, councilmembers did ask for some improvements to the designs--Terry O'Day didn't like the amount of hardscaping currently in the plan, and O'Day and Kevin McKeown both lamented the lack of bus stops in the plan area.

The hearing was the first study session for the council, so no vote was taken.

If you believe you're paying too much property tax because the county has overestimated the value of your home, you can seek a reduction. Here are tips on how to do this:

•If you believe the assessment was unfair in the past, contact your county assessor's office or visit its website as soon as possible. At this time of year, many assessors are in the process of updating property values, so it's good to express your concerns before the new assessment is finalized.

•Be cautious of any mail, email or phone solicitations by people or companies offering to contest your property valuation for a fee. You can usually do it yourself, except for a fee in some counties to file an appeal. In the past, groups have sent out property tax adjustment mailings that were made to look like government documents. Beware.

•Many assessments are based on "comps" — recent sale prices of similar-size homes in your area. If you suspect that inappropriate comps were used, use websites such as Yahoo Real Estate or Zillow.com to look for comps that might be more apt.

•If your home has suffered more than $10,000 worth of damage from a fire or other disaster, you may be eligible in California for a lower taxable value. Contact your assessor's office to get an application for the discount.

•If you get turned down for a reduction, you can take your case to your county's assessment appeals board, a panel independent of the assessor's office. For information on how to file an appeal, including filing deadlines, call your county assessor's office.

Calling all those born on February 29 -- the first 100 people who can show that February 29th is their birthday with a valid id on Wednesday will receive two complimentary tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's "OVO" that night at the Santa Monica Pier.

Just head on down to the pier between 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 29, to take advantage of the promotion (see santamonicapier.org for full details).

This fun-filled afternoon at the pier will feature a special appearance by "OVO" from Cirque du Soleil, free merry-go-round rides, two-for-one pier deals, and the Radio Disney road crew.

“The Santa Monica Pier is excited to celebrate Leap Day by providing a special pier-wide experience for all visitors, said Steve Gibson, Interim Director of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation. "The pier retailers, OVO by Cirque du Soleil, and our non-profit organization teamed together to create the Leap Day Celebration."

The world-famous Santa Monica Pier offers a variety of entertainment and shopping including Pacific Park amusement park, Heal the Bay Aquarium, an historic 1922 Carousel plus specialty shops/carts, eateries, and several full-service restaurants.

The Pier is open year-round, and parking is available for a fee on a first come, first served basis.

Borrowers seeking a review of their foreclosures for errors committed by banks have been given an extra three months to apply for the free federal program, which may result in compensation.

Federal bank regulators said in a statement Tuesday that they have moved the deadline to July 31 from April 30 this year to encourage greater participation in the independent foreclosure review program.

Borrowers are eligible if the property in question was their main home, was anywhere in the foreclosure process during 2009 or 2010, and was foreclosed on by one of 14 financial firms that settled a bank regulator investigation into their foreclosure practices last April.

The 14 firms — all major providers of customer service on home loans — were required to hire independent consultants to identify borrowers injured by errors, misrepresentations or other mistakes. Those reviews are underway.

The settlement with the Federal Reserve and other regulators also entitled certain borrowers to make their own requests for independent reviews of their foreclosures for problems. If the review turns up financial injury, the borrower may receive compensation or another remedy.

The bank regulator settlement and foreclosure reviews are separate from the recent $25-billion settlement reached by five major banks, 49 states and several federal agencies. Borrowers compensated as part of the latter settlement may still seek to recover damages by using the foreclosure reviews.

A spokesman for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Treasury Department agency that regulates national banks and savings and loans, said the servicers sent letters to more than 4.3 million eligible borrowers by the end of December. As of Feb. 5, nearly 90,000 borrowers had requested reviews, a Federal Reserve spokeswoman said.

The OCC spokesman, Bryan Hubbard, said borrowers' complaints have involved such issues as the handling of loan modifications, mortgage balance discrepancies, timeliness of payments and improper fees.

Participating mortgage servicers include: America's Servicing Co., Aurora Loan Services, BAC Home Loans Servicing, Bank of America, Beneficial, Chase, Citibank, CitiFinancial, CitiMortgage, Countrywide, EMC, Everbank/Everhome Mortgage Co.,  Financial Freedom, GMAC Mortgage, HFC, HSBC, IndyMac Mortgage Services, MetLife Bank, National City Mortgage, PNC Mortgage, Sovereign Bank, U.S. Bank, Wachovia Mortgage; Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo; and Wilshire Credit Corp.

For more information, borrowers can call (888) 952-9105 or visit the Federal Reserve or Comptroller of the Currency website.

Your monthly mortgage bill soon could get easier to understand, and it wouldn't change each time your loan is sold to a new servicer.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has developed a proposed standardized mortgage servicer statement designed to provide clear information about the loan on a single page.

The prototype released Monday included a breakdown of how much of the monthly payment went to principal, interest and escrow. The form also detailed the outstanding principal, maturity date, prepayment penalty and, for adjustable-rate mortgages, the time when the interest rate could change.

"This information will help consumers stay on top of their mortgage costs and hold their mortgage servicers accountable for fixing errors that crop up," said Richard Cordray, the agency's director. "Given the widespread mortgage servicing problems we've seen over the past few years, consumers need clear disclosures they can count on."

Although many servicers already provide such information on their monthly statements, there are no industrywide standards, the agency said.

Such standards are a good idea, and initial reaction from servicers to the agency's proposal was positive, said Rod J. Alba, senior counsel in the mortgage markets division at the American Bankers Assn.

The agency posted a working draft of the standardized statement on its website, http://www.consumerfinance.gov to solicit input from the public and industry before a version of the form formally is proposed this summer.

Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said simplified mortgage statements would help resolve the broad mortgage servicing problems that were at the heart of last week's federal and state settlement with five of the nation's largest banks over botched foreclosure paperwork.

The consumer agency is required under the 2010 financial reform law to put new mortgage servicing rules in place to help consumers, Cordray said. The law has specific requirements for mortgage statements, including a phone number and email address for the customer to get information about the loan, as well as information about housing counselors.

The new mortgage statement is the latest consumer financial paperwork the agency is trying to simplify.

In May, it released two prototypes for shorter, easier-to-understand disclosure forms that lenders would have to give home buyers before they close on a mortgage. The agency has been receiving comments on the forms and tested them last month in Philadelphia.

And in December, the agency proposed a simplified credit card agreement form to make it easier to understand interest rate terms and comparison shop.

The agency also is developing a new disclosure rule for hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages that would require consumers to be notified months before their first interest rate increase, as well as to be provided with a good-faith estimate of the new monthly payment.

Come early March, what was previously known as The Hideout (smack dab between The Hungry Cat and Giorgio Baldi) on W. Channel Road in Santa Monica will undergo a facelift and emerge in April as SHOREbar. Behind this project is a one John Terzian of the.h.wood.group (h.wood, Tea Room, Las Palmas), and this project marks the hospitality firm's first endeavor on the westside.

PR explains that SHOREbar's "vibe and decor will have an elegant New England type feel mixed with a beach vibe (think a Martha's Vineyard house meets the James Perse Malibu store)" and designer/stylist Rosetta Getty will consult on this aesthetic. An "upscale cocktail program" is in the works, too.

Today is the last day to bid on the Los Angeles Dodgers! To preview the highly-anticipated ownership change (in case you haven't heard, last owner Frank McCourt took the team into bankruptcy), the LA Times has a recap of the bidders who have made public their intentions to buy the team.

The list is well-stocked with local developers and real estate investors, and based on the type of weight the people on this list throw around, it's hard to imagine how McCourt managed to get his paws on the team in the first place.

However, McCourt is a real estate guy too--he originally made his money developing parking lots in Boston--and he had hoped to develop the land around Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine, presenting a big plan called the Next 50 back in 2008.

The Dodgers sale won't necessarily include the stadium's parking lots (since they're owned by a separate McCourt company), which means McCourt could potentially build on them. Or the lots could sell with the team, in which case, who knows what'll happen? (A spokesperson for at least one bidder (Rick Caruso) has said he has no intentions to develop the land.) To give you an idea of what each possible owner might bring to the table, here's a rundown on them and some of their most notable projects.

1) Magic Johnson -- Possibly LA's most beloved basketball player, Johnson also co-founded Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund. CJUF has recently finished the 38 live/work townhouses known as 940 E. 2nd Street (formerly the Barn Lofts) and closed the funding gap for the long-awaited One Santa Fe project. Johnson is teaming with Stan Kasten, the former president of the Washington Nationals.

2) Rick Caruso -- The perennial tease never quite manages to run for mayor of LA, but he developed infamous malls The Grove and The Americana. He's partnering with recent Dodgers manager Joe Torre.

3) Tom Barrack -- Named the "world's greatest real estate investor" on the cover of Fortune magazine in 2007, Barrack offers no shortage of interesting local connections: his fund, Colony Capital, owns Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and part-owns Miramax, and was co-founded by former Hollywood bad-boy Rob Lowe.

4) Ron Burkle -- Burkle isn't really a real estate guy--he got his start in grocery stores and is now mostly an investor--but he did buy the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House in 2011 for $4.5 million.

5) Peter O'Malley -- Owner of the Dodgers from 1979 until 1998, O'Malley hatched a plan to build an NFL stadium in Chavez Ravine in 1996. Someone, somewhere is still trying to make that happen.

6) Alan Casden -- Casden was the original developer of Movietown Plaza in West Hollywood and the Third Street Dress for Less project before losing them last year in a breakup. He's also behind the Palazzo Westwood

Just a few days ago, the Santa Monica Playhouse on Fourth Street was named home to one of the “10 best New Year’s Eve events in Los Angeles” by LA Weekly.  The venue has been a mainstay in local theatrical arts for nearly 50 years, hosting actor workshops and educational programs for young students while also supporting many stage thespians developing their respective careers.

The future did not always look so bright for the Playhouse. The 2012 calendar of events was in danger of cancellation as the venue was struggling to makes ends meet this month. With a light calendar on its docket as of Jan. 4, the Playhouse was in need of $15,000 to continue operations this month.

Though some programming, such as the productions of “A Carlin Home Companion” and “Pentagon Papers”, as well as Family Theater series, may still be found on the Playhouse’s January 2012 calendar, the venue is still in a holding pattern until its finances are in the black.

According to one of the venue’s co-directors, Chris DeCarlo, the Playhouse did not meet its $15,000 goal as of Jan. 4, but enough money was raised to keep operations running a little while longer.

“We didn’t raise all the money we wanted to raise, but we came very close. We’re going to keep going. We are not in great shape, but it’s not disastrous,” DeCarlo told The Mirror. “We’ve been struggling for almost 10 years now. We were doing great for the 80s and 90s. It goes in cycles. We’ve had good times and bad times.”

He added that the Playhouse’s recent economic struggles are partially attributed to the recent economic struggles endured by the nation as a whole, yet DeCarlo also observed the theater market has become increasing saturated in the past 20 years, with more playhouses now in operation than ever before.

He also observed the Playhouse audience has been mostly seniors, which not only affects ticket revenue due to discounted tickets, but also means there is a smaller pool of supporters.

“Theater is not something the younger generations are frequenting. We have to constantly reinvent ourselves,” DeCarlo said. “We’ve got a benefits program – it’s helping us augment our income. Financially, we also have seasonable rises and drops. January is traditionally our worst month of the year.”

Should everything work out, DeCarlo hopes to have the Playhouse looking beyond the immediate future as the venue is in the midst of developing a five-year plan to, ideally, keep its finances in the black without having to immensely rely on emergency fundraisers (such as the current one) or bailouts by City Hall (which happened a year ago).

As the Playhouse inches ever so close to its immediate financial goals – the Playhouse did not announce its most up-to-date numbers – the venue may indeed avoid witnessing its final curtain call anytime soon.

“We got some really good programs coming up this year,” DeCarlo said, adding that the next Family Theater series will feature “The Adventures of Red Riding Hood.”

“We’re humbled by the fact we’ve had so much support in these hard times,” he said. “I don’t know how to thank [the public] enough. It’s a gift they are providing for the community. It seems people with less are giving more.

Donations may still be made to the Playhouse, either by calling the venue at 310.394.9779 or by visiting its website, santamonicaplayhouse.com.

The Playhouse is located at 1201 Fourth Street, just south of Wilshire Boulevard.

Amidst all the talk at Santa Monica City Hall of major capital improvement projects such as Palisades Garden Walk and the Colorado Esplanade, a pair of local roads and recreational facilities will receive some cosmetic boosts, thanks to a pair of consent calendar items unanimously approved by council members at its Dec. 13 meeting.

Los Amigos Park on Sixth Street between Hollister Avenue and Ocean Park Boulevard will have its tennis and basketball courts resurfaced, while concrete pavements, curbs, driveways, and sidewalks on and along Robson Avenue and Marine Street will be upgraded.

Over at Los Amigos Park, TrueLine Construction Company from Corona, will be working on improving the multi-use courts. TrueLine’s bid of $182,000 outbid four other submissions.

“This capital improvement project would improve the existing surface conditions on the multi-use courts at Los Amigos Park, which have settled and cracked in various locations,” a staff report to council members stated. “Also, the project would better address the inadequate drainage conditions behind the west-facing retaining wall.”

City Hall anticipates the courts will be closed for about 60 days between February and April.

Meanwhile, the concrete pavement on Robson Avenue from 17th Street to Dewey Street and Marine Street from 16th Street to 17th Street will also be replaced. Sully-Miller Contracting Company’s bid for $383,025 won out over four other companies.

Among the improvements included in the project are repair to damaged curbs, driveways and sidewalks as well as replaced or upgraded curb ramps.
“The project would be phased to minimize impacts to the adjacent residents and to street parking during non-working hours,” the staff report to council members stated. “However, due to the nature of the work, temporary street closures would be necessary for portions of the project during construction hours.”

According to City Hall, “the Robson Avenue and Marine Street Reconstruction Project would replace the damaged concrete pavement on Robson Avenue and Marine Street using the City’s allocation of Surface Transportation Program – Local (STPL) funds.”

With the 10 percent contingency fee, the total cost of the repaving project is estimated to be $421,327.

The damp weather was no match for the good vibes felt at the Ocean Park Branch Library on Monday when Santa Monica elected and community officials broke ground to launch a new era along a key stretch of road.

With construction starting this week, Ocean Park Boulevard between Neilson Way and Lincoln Boulevard will soon be turned into a “Complete Green Street.”
The project is expected to serve as a model of sustainability, multi-modality, and low-impact street design.

“This project is expected to improve the character and functionality of the street for all users, and improve the quality and reduce the quantity of storm water runoff from the adjacent drainage area,” Rick Valte, a principal engineer at City Hall, wrote to council members in a staff report a few months back.

Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony was hosted by the Ocean Park Association and was the culmination of a team effort involving City Hall, local stakeholders, and community leaders.
City Hall hopes the new Ocean Park Boulevard will reclaim public open space and rescale the thoroughfare while following the principles of the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE).
Proponents of the “Complete Green Street” project believe Ocean Park Boulevard west of Lincoln Boulevard will become one of the most pedestrian and bicycle friendly stretches of road in the city, if not the region.

Even more, once complete, the “Complete Green Street” will prevent urban runoff from spilling into the Santa Monica Bay, according to City Hall.

Ocean Park Boulevard will be limited to one lane in each direction during construction, which is estimated to take at least one year to complete. This means the “Complete Green Street” could be ready for the beginning of 2013 if there are no major delays.

Carrying a construction price tag of about $3.8 million, City Hall expects the “Complete Green Street” to entirely change the physical landscape of about two miles of road in the southwestern corner of the city.

Once complete, the new-look Ocean Park Boulevard will include: wider sidewalks; more than 100 new trees, landscaping, and medians; newly marked crosswalks with “enhanced overhead flashing beacons;” bike racks; painted bike lanes and traffic striping; street furniture; trash and recycling cans; 75 “pedestrian-scaled” light poles; traffic signal improvements; Los Amigos Park storm drain improvements; a drip irrigation system; and, advanced storm water bio-filter swales and infiltration areas.

Funding for the “Complete Green Street” project was made possible by a combination of resources, including Measure V (the Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax), Proposition 1B, Proposition C, and the city’s General Fund.

For more information on the Ocean Park Boulevard “Complete Green Street” project, please visit www.SMConstructs.org/OPB.

All construction-related questions may be directed to the construction manager, Arcadis U.S., Inc., at 310.857.4946.

After countless hours of internal and community meetings, the Urban Forest Master Plan and a related Community Forest ordinance were both unanimously passed by the Santa Monica City Council at its final meeting of 2011 last Tuesday.

Accordingly, a whole new generation of trees will be making their respective ways to Santa Monica and, once planted, will change the face of many local streets for the next 50 years.

Even more, the Master Plan may open the door for Santa Monica to be designated as a citywide Arboretum.
Community and Cultural Services Director Barbara Stinchfield, who retires from her post on Dec. 29, presented her final staff report after 31 years of service to Santa Monica.

“We learned the community cared deeply about their streetscapes and the streets that lined their neighborhoods,” Stinchfield said.  
She added that “Santa Monica’s forest is an aging forest” and “it is in a period of transition.”

At least 1,000 trees must be planted by March 2012 in order to maintain and satisfy an Air Quality Management District (AQMD) grant. An extension might be requested if the city would be unable to plant 1,000 trees in essentially 90 days.

As per the plan, the re-forestation process will include street tree removal and relocation.

“The proposed Master Plan outlines strict inspection and risk assessment criteria for the removal of street trees and a revised tree removal process that provides specific procedures for assessment of street trees to ensure they meet the approved removal criteria,” a staff report stated.

“The proposed Master Plan outlines a separate process for determining tree relocation and tree removal in public improvement projects conducted by the City. This process includes incorporation of existing healthy trees in the project’s design wherever consistent with the project’s design objectives.”

Also included in the Urban Forest Master Plan were street tree designations, which focused on “replacement recommendations for all 394 street segments in the event tree removal is necessary or when tree vacancies are to be filled.”

The street tree designations were a source of some controversy among residents, as it called for palm trees to be replaced by another species along four streets within Santa Monica, including Marguerita Ave. and 18th, 19th, and 20th streets.

A timeline for implementation is still in the works.
In October, the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force formally approved the first official version of its Draft Master Plan after gathering public input. Among the key highlights of the Draft Master Plan included a street-by-street list of current trees and respective replacements, Santa Monica’s tree-planting history, and tips for tree removal.

In June, a “Street Tree Species Selections” workshop was held at the Santa Monica Main Library as part of the city’s plan to ensure the long-term health of Santa Monica’s urban forest.

There are about 83,000 trees in Santa Monica today, according to City Hall.
For detailed information on specific tree species included as in part of the plan, as well as the tree designation list, visit www.santamonicatrees.com.

Marla’s Cafe is somewhat of a local insider’s secret, known mostly by word of mouth. It keeps a low profile in a part of Venice on Abbot Kinney Boulevard that’s well off the beaten track, in a neighborhood that’s part residential and part commercial.

The cafe is run by Marla Barreira, a Wisconsin transplant who moved west, traveled throughout Europe in a camper, and then worked for decades in the catering and party planning business. The grueling demands of putting together big corporate events for thousands of guests all around Los Angeles gradually took their toll, and she realized that she wanted to shift her focus to the part of the business that’s closest to her heart: cooking.
“People love my food - my food is good. I’m very proud of it,” says Marla, an amiable chef who enjoys taking care of her customers. “A lot of cooking is about love, caring, loving good food.”

The cafe is actually an outdoor space that Marla has fashioned into a fully enclosed  dining area next to the catering office. Walk to the side of the building, pull open the curtain, and when you step inside you’ll know you’ve entered a one-of-a-kind place. The decor is devised out of catering props, with assorted glittery fabric around the room’s perimeter and a ceiling of big canvas umbrellas. Potted plants, mirror balls, twinkle lights, and miscellaneous statues add eccentric touches that make the room feel like an intimate hideaway.

The pride and talent that Marla brings to the kitchen are evident in the menu of small bites, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, entrees, pastas, pizzas, and desserts.

The guacamole and chips ($6.99) are a standout. The tasty chips are made of flour tortillas seasoned with savory spices, and fried until they’re crisp, but not greasy. There’s no filler in the guacamole – just fresh avocado and seasonings. The combination of the two is a good example of quality ingredients prepared in a way that adds up to more than the sum of the parts.

Home made soups ($6.99) are made from scratch with pureed vegetables. No dairy or filler is used, so the flavors shine brightly. There are half a dozen daily soup choices; some of the more popular ones are the tomato basil, corn, spinach cilantro, and lentil soups.

The baby back ribs ($16.98) are famously juicy. Another top seller is the steak sandwich ($14.98) made of sliced filet mignon, sauteed mushrooms, onions, and garlic aioli. Sandwiches are served on home made bread, and the freshly baked dinner rolls are exceptional.

Marla says she tries to eliminate as much fat as she can and doesn’t use cream or butter in her cooking, with the exception of butter in the mashed potatoes. “You need butter in mashed potatoes,” she says. She believes in letting the flavors of the ingredients speak for themselves.

After dinner, complimentary homemade cookies are served for dessert. Marla likes to come out of the kitchen and say hello to her guests, making them feel comfortable and welcome. Her son, Danny, is a gracious host and server.

The café’s patrons come from the surrounding neighborhood and beyond. Santa Monica resident and massage therapist Vaia Potter, who was dining with a friend recently at Marla’s Cafe, told The Mirror she came back to the cafe after first going there on a date.

“My date told me the cafe is kind of a secret,” she said. “It’s really nice and cool; I like it. Marla’s a very good chef.”
She recommended the guacamole, bruschetta ($6.99), filet mignon ($20.98), and shrimp tacos ($2.99).
Marla’s Cafe is open Mondays through Saturdays. Corkage fee $5. Catering services also available.

Marla’s Café
2300 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
310.827.1843
marlascafe.com

Santa Monica Airport's current operational agreement with the FAA expires in 2015, and to prepare, the city is doing various studies and evaluations to determine what to do with the unpopular facility when that day comes. While some residents call for closure, the airport issue is causing City Hall rifts that are being aired publicly, thanks to the Santa Monica Patch. The website got a glimpse of a letter from City Manager Rod Gould in which he accused the airport commission of working clandestinely with anti-airport residents and circulating a biased survey. Airport Commission Chairman Richard Brown says one commissioner, not the whole commission, is involved with the survey and that he "can't be responsible for what others do." Councilman Bobby Shriver says "there's a mounting body of evidence that the Airport Commission is not interested in understanding a full range of options" for the airport.

This kerfuffle comes after Brown blasted two "visioning" studies on the airport last week, saying they didn't cover as much ground as they should have. Or as Venice resident Nathan Court said at a recent public meeting on SMO, the studies failed to look at the airport as "a big, dirty, noisy industrial operation that has an impact far beyond its borders."

But back to Gould and Brown--Patch says the two scheduled a meeting to iron out differences.

The annual Santa Monica Nativity Scenes display opened to the public in Palisades Park at on Sunday, Dec. 11, as bells ring in the distance.
    
The interdenominational display of scenes began in 1954 and features life size figures depicting events surrounding Christ’s birth. It will continue through the end of the year.
    
The opening ceremony at Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard included seasonal songs and the recital of the Christmas story. The Rev. Nathan Kilian, pastor of Pilgrim Lutheran Church, was master of ceremonies.

A choral ensemble from Pacific Crossroads Church made its first appearance in the opening ceremony, and choirs, vocalists and musicians from these additional Santa Monica organizations also took part: St. Monica Church and High School, Calvary Baptist Church, Lighthouse Church School, Pilgrim Lutheran Church, St. Anne Church, and Metro Church Calvary Chapel.

In a new undertaking, the Nativity Scenes Committee has invited churches throughout the city to ring bells at the opening hour of the ceremony as well as on Christmas Day, a spokesman said.

Voluntary donations from businesses, churches, and individuals defray the annual cost of the scenes.

Costs include storage, transportation, setup and take down of the booths; advertising, insurance and mailing; and replacement of revenue lost by the city due to covering of parking meters along the scenes.  
Donations may be sent to the nonprofit Nativity Scenes Committee at P.O. Box 0648, Santa Monica 90406.

The display will be limited because of space restrictions in Palisades Park this year, but sponsors look forward to presenting the full display next year, the spokesman said.

CNN is doing a series on Apple's sometimes odd devotion to secrecy and today looks at the pretty ridiculous events behind the not-Apple Store under construction now on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica (just down the way from an older, smaller Apple). We first reported in August that someone had submitted plans to the city for a store that not only looks exactly like an Apple Store in Manhattan, but is also just really obviously an Apple Store. At the time, a planner involved told us she couldn't say who the planned retailer was. Here's some of the nonsense illustrated by CNN:

-- Tony Kim, the planner assigned to the project says "I've been asked not to divulge [the name of the tenant]." He adds that "Several aspects of his dealings with the company for the new store were out of the ordinary."

-- At a September meeting of the Architectural Review Board, member John Ellis said "'When I'm in these stores," Ellis began, paused and then whispered, 'You know, I mean, the Apple stores, they sometimes can get hot because there are so many people.'"

-- At that same meeting, the ARB voted unanimously to delay the project because not-Apple had not completed a full report and because it had concerns over the sustainability of the glass roof. Then: "six minutes later, as the board was preparing to adjourn, the Apple team returned and requested that the board vote again."

-- The not-Apple team argued that sustainability is not the ARB's concern, so it shouldn't factor into the decision. And then developer Howard Robinson, who's been repping the project, said "This company has a proven track record in sustainability. They have many, many programs. They've been well-known for it around the world." But he still wouldn't say the name!

With the return of Cirque du Soleil to Santa Monica just over a month away, the costume designer of “OVO” made a special visit to the city this week to talk about her colorful, elaborate, and innovative costumes.
The trademark blue-and-yellow big-top tent will open performances to the public starting Jan. 20.

Costume designer Liz Vandal was one of the last collaborators brought onto the “OVO” production about a year before the touring show launched in April 2009.

When she started her contract, she said the story board for the show was already conceived by artistic director Deborah Colker – a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight, and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement.

“The most important parameter after knowing they were insects and which kind of insects, we had to evocate insects, not imitate, that’s a very abstract thing to understand,” Vandal said. “You think of a spider and you want to draw a spider and you want to make a spider costume, which is sort of normal. But to go into the mindset of evocation was very abstract and difficult at first.”

When she started on the project, she said she had many drawings and prototypes that she created during the interview process.
She said she continued to develop these drawings and prototypes during the first few months of her contract.

“My way to show the concept is to make a costume,” she said. “It’s not about making so many drawings, but it’s really to see how the idea looks in space on the body.”

Her way of developing so many “works in progress” prototypes was not common to Cirque du Soleil’s founder Guy Laliberté who was keeping an eye on the production’s creation.

“He did not understand the way I was doing all these costumes that were temporary costumes, these prototypes just to show the whole space,” she said. “He was used to seeing a drawing and the finished product. Throughout the whole process he would say ‘Liz I don’t understand, it’s not so nice, it’s not finished.’ I said ‘Guy, it’s going to work, it’s going to work’ so he trusted me. When he saw the first general rehearsal with costumes, he said ‘Oh that was a big surprise.’ He was very happy.”

With a background in making dance costumes, Vandal knew the restrictions she faced when creating the 17 different insect costumes for “OVO.”
To allow for flexibility, she made the costumes from a mixture of fabrics to create both hard and soft flexible fabrics to give the look of a hard shell.
“It’s got to be stretched and they have to be able to do their extreme movement,” she said. “We have developed the specialist of the body movement, and no matter what they do they are not bothered in any way with what they are wearing. It becomes their second skin.”

“OVO,” meaning “egg” in Portuguese, will run through March 25. For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/OVO.

The Santa Monica Symphony will take to the stage this Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for its second of five free concerts as part of its 2011-12 season.

The program will include William Mathias’ “Laudi,” Ginastera’s “Pampeana No. 3,” and Dvofiák’s “Symphony No. 6.”
UCLA Professor of Musicology Raymond Knapp will present a pre-concert lecture on the repertoire beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Allen Robert Gross, Santa Monica Symphony music director, said he encouraged music lovers of all ages to attend – especially those community members who have never seen a symphony in action.
He said anyone with inhibition or trepidation about attending a formal orchestra concert need not worry.

“Some people are afraid to applaud and they are afraid to not know what do to at a symphony concert,” Gross said. “Part of my job on the podium when I talk to the audience is to allow them to relax and enjoy the music and steer to them to a few things they may find interesting in the performance.”
Each of the concerts in the symphony’s 2011-12 season is unique.
Gross said he programmed a variety of music each year that builds with each performance to add thrust to the season.
“For instance, we have done quite a bit of Latin America music over the years,” he said. “Especially, Mexican composers like (Silvestre) Revueltas and the Argentinian composer (Alberto) Ginastera. The interesting thing is the orchestra is getting very used to this style and enjoying these wonderful cross rhythms, which are typical of Latin American music.”
Gross said dance was a fundamental musical quality as well as a physical quality.

“Of course not all composers use dance rhythms up front, but dance rhythms since Bach, and even before that, have played a very important role in instrumental music, even music which is not just for dancing.”
One example is Dvofiák’s “Symphony No. 6.”

“What is interesting is that the Czech country side that Dvofiák portrays so wonderfully is also full of dance rhythms and extraordinarily enough, some of these have the same kinds of cross rhythms as the Latin American rhythms,” Gross said. “It’s a completely different orchestral style, completely different orchestral colors, but you can hear the connection”
No reservations or tickets are required for Saturday night’s free performance.

Upcoming concerts in early 2012 include Strauss’ “Death and Transfiguration,” John Adams’ “Eros Piano” with preeminent Adams interpreter Gloria Cheng, and the premiere of “Paisajes: Concerto for Flamenco Guitar and Orchestra” by Adam del Monte.
For more information, visit www.smsymphony.org.

It is no secret Santa Monica is connected to one of the most active earthquake zones in the world. If a major earthquake were to strike close or off the coast, it could very well result in a tsunami.

To ensure the city is prepared for a potentially catastrophic disaster rooting from the Pacific Ocean, the Santa Monica City Council directed staff to move forward with implementing the Tsunami Response Plan presented to the dais as part of a study session on Tuesday.

City Hall identified portions of Santa Monica as residing within a “Tsunami Inundation Zone,” which include: All local beaches; Palisades Beach Road; the Annenberg Beach House; portions of the city along the northwest coast from the Santa Monica and within the bluffs to Pacific Palisades; and, the areas south of the pier toward Venice and east into Fourth Street.

“Tsunamis, though infrequent in the State of California, are highly dangerous and can potentially cause the loss of life and property damage,” Emergency Manager Ken Semko said. “California is at risk of tsunami damage from events that happen within a few minutes of warning or several hours of warning.”

Semko said most of Santa Monica would be safe from a tsunami and the city would not experience the level of devastation witnessed in Japan and other recent locations struck by tsunamis.

“The majority of Santa Monica is well protected from the devastating effects witnessed in other parts of the world,” he said. “The height of the bluffs north of the Santa Monica Pier and the distance between the ocean and development south of the Santa Monica Pier provides Santa Monica with a natural, geologic buffer from significant impacts of a tsunami.”

As a worst case, Semko said only select areas closest to the ocean would be adversely affected by a tsunami.

“The expected ‘worst case’ scenario of a tsunami in Santa Monica would likely result in damage to the homes and businesses north of the Santa Monica Pier, below the bluffs,” he said. “All areas above the bluffs in Santa Monica are not expected to be impacted by the effects of a tsunami due to the height of the bluffs.”

In addition to identifying impacted areas, the Tsunami Response Plan also outlined notification systems, evacuation plans, communications, and outreach.

If a tsunami potentially struck Santa Monica and the local communities, the distance of the event with relation to the city would determine the notification system.

A “near source tsunami” is one where a tsunami would take place minutes after an earthquake. In such a scenario, the earthquake itself is the warning.

However, in a “distant source tsunami” one that may be “generated from distances up to several thousands of miles from Santa Monica.”
When a distant source tsunami is generated, the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center would contact the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management and local police and fire in Santa Monica and Los Angeles.

“Depending on the distance, there will likely be several hours in which to prepare for the event,” Semko said.

The distance would dictate evacuation and communication procedures, with the Santa Monica Police Department responsible for evacuating those directly living within the tsunami inundation zone.

Signage would be key to the evacuation right, Semko said.
“The community would follow posted evacuation routes out of the inundation zone,” he said. “Evacuation route maps would be made readily available to residents and businesses immediately following implementation of the Tsunami Response Plan.”

The Tsumani Response Plan also calls for several layers of communication to best inform Santa Monica’s residents and visitors of an impending tsunami, including the city’s alert notification system, SM Alerts.

A database of landline telephone numbers across the city “is capable of disseminating thousands of notifications in a short period of time” and, in times of emergency, would be able to contact all landlines at once.
Also assisting with communication is SMPD, as officers would be deployed to reach out to Santa Monicans via “public address systems, bullhorns, and sirens to notify those located within the designated tsunami inundation zone.”

Door-to-door notifications are also an option, as are communications through television, radio, social media sources, and other media resources.
While notifications, evacuations, and communications are all vital elements of the Tsunami Response Plan, City Hall also plans to do conduct public outreach in order to “educate all those who live, work and visit Santa Monica, about overall tsunami risk and the newly adopted plan.”

“Outreach efforts would also include the distribution of information and accompanying materials through local print and web media,” Semko said. “Staff would also begin the installation of tsunami evacuation route signage in the City’s tsunami inundation zone.”

During the council meeting, a pair of residents applauded the Tsunami Response Plan, but also offered recommendations on how it may be more effectively implemented.

Reina Alvarez suggested installing sirens or having a backup system in place should any portion of the proposed plans fail.
Meanwhile, Michael Toney recommended a breakwater be built in front of the pier to help mitigate or control the landing of a potential tsunami on Santa Monica’s shores.

Council member Bob Holbrook also supported the use of sirens or foghorns. However, staff responded that sirens are both costly and difficult to maintain.

Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis cautioned against relying upon modern telephones, many of which require electricity that may not be available in an emergency.

“This is a very real concern for us,” Mayor Richard Bloom said of the prospects of a tsunami striking Santa Monica and the significance of having a response plan in place. “We are well advised it seriously.”