LAPD Shoots Venice Man in Domestic Dispute; City Agrees to Limit Increases to Employees

Local Briefs

LAPD Shoots Venice Man in Domestic Dispute

The LAPD Thursday night August 3rd, shot a Venice man after responding to a domestic violence call. LAPD spokesmen said he brandished an assault rifle when officers confronted him at his Venice Boulevard residence Friday night.

The officer who fired the shot had gone to the home with a partner around 8:30 p.m. in response to a call "to keep the peace," Sgt. Barry Montgomery told reporters at the scene of the shooting.

"Upon their arrival, they were met by a female outside who stated the suspect was in the residence destroying property," Montgomery said.

The officers approached the front door and saw the man inside with the weapon, and that is when the shooting occurred, he said.

Lt. Titus Tyler said the unidentified man was taken by ambulance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he died.

The rifle was recovered, Tyler said, and an investigation was underway.

Whole Foods Closes One Market, Opens Second

The fifth Whole Foods Market 365 opens Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 9 a.m. in Santa Monica at 2121 Cloverfield Blvd at Pico.

Simultaneously, Whole Foods closed the former Wild Oats store, at 5th Street and Wilshire Blvd. Most employees were offered new positions at the Cloverfield store, or at another location.

Regular store hours are 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., seven days a week. This will be the second Whole Foods Market 365 location for the Los Angeles area. The idea is to be more upscale, and charge yet higher prices for groceries.

'Clear the Shelters' Event August 19

Animal shelters throughout LA will open their doors from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Aug. 19, offering adoptions for $20 on all pets.

Clear the Shelters raises awareness about the benefits of pet adoption and aims to reduce the animal overpopulation at local shelters.

As part of the event, VCA – Santa Monica Animal Hospital will be onsite offering pet advice from expert veterinarians and their healthcare teams. All pets adopted during the event will receive a limited health guarantee and a gift bag filled with pet essentials.

As part of this initiative, the public is encouraged to share photos and tweet about it.

City Signs Five Year Lease with Museum of Flying

The City of Santa Monica and the Museum of Flying have agreed to a long-term lease with an annual rent of $1 for five years with the option to renew for an additional five.

"The museum has served the community since 1979, sharing Santa Monica's aviation history as the home of the Douglas Aircraft Company with thousands of visitors and students annually," said the City in a press release.

The City has pressed the FAA to close the airport, and it is scheduled to be closed in 12 years time.

City Agrees to Limit Increases to Employees

The City of Santa Monica famously pays its employees more than any other municipality in California. Last night, on August 8, 2017, the Santa Monica City Council authorized City Manager Rick Cole to execute seven employee union agreements that seek to limit, at least, the growth of salaries..

"Overall, the agreements limit annual salary increases to 1.5 to 1.7%, which is equal to or below the region's Consumer Price Index increase of 1.7% (as of January 2017). The net increase over the two or three year term of the contracts range from 3.5 to 4.7%. The total cost of the negotiated changes is approximately $2,842,088 for FY 2017-18. The budget impact of these changes was included in the General Fund FY 2017-18 through FY 2021-22 Five-Year Financial Forecast.

 "The recent cycle of negotiations demonstrate the City's commitment to addressing our long-term pension obligations by limiting salaries to no more than the annual cost of living and sharing more pension and medical costs with employees," said Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis. "We are being fiscally prudent while offering competitive compensation to our workforce."