THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH
Domestic violence can affect anyone involved in a relationship. A relationship that begins with a lot of attention, romance, intensity and companionship can become abusive when this attention is turned into extreme jealousy, obsession, explosive outbursts and/or possible threats of injury or death. The abusive partner may use verbal, physical, psychological, financial or sexual abuse to control the victim, who feels scared, confused and alone. Often, the abuser is able to convince the victim that he or she is to blame for the abuse.
The City of Santa Monica provides funding to many local programs that both support and save the lives of victims of domestic violence, including Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Their Children, the Domestic Violence Clinic operated by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles at the Courthouse in Santa Monica, and the Westside Domestic Violence Network. If you or someone you know is being abused by a partner, please call Sojourn's 24-hour Hotline at 264-6644 for immediate help and referrals.
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WEST NILE VIRUS
IN OUR MIDST
The L.A. County West Vector Control District recently posted signs in Santa Monica parks to caution visitors that the mosquito-borne West Nile virus has been confirmed in or near our area. For helpful information about how to avoid infection and how to identify the disease's symptoms, visit
www.lawestvector.org. |
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NEW ART BANNERS COMMEMORATE
FACTS AND FANTASIES OF THE
SANTA MONICA PIER
Haven't you always wanted to find a sunken pirate's galleon overflowing with precious jewels and priceless cargo? Or maybe you're longing for an aquatic estate – perhaps a comfy trailer home about 50 feet below sea level with all the oxygen you can breathe? Have you been craving a bowl of Captain Tom's Fish Ball Soup, or could you use a spoonful of magical Neptune's Pride Elixir to get you back on your feet? And wouldn't your child love to munch on a hot corn dog on a stick while petting Rocky, the Scuba Diving Pig? If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, look no further than the Santa Monica Pier to find these unearthly delights!
It's there you can see the recently unveiled lightpole banners created by  local artists Michael C. McMillen and Steve Galloway, who found their inspiration for the fanciful banner series in the facts, folklore, myths and legends of the Pier's early history. Each banner depicts an image representing historical events that may--or may not--have actually occurred. So, while visitors will surely recognize salutes to the old La Monica Ballroom, home of dancing on the Pier, the Blue Streak Roller Coaster, and the Mysterious Thing, they'll likely puzzle over the historical truth behind Li'l Ricky the Surfing Possum, the ghostly Lost Diver, the Amazing Giant Singing Clam and Milo, the Rooster Who Swam to Catalina.
The Santa Monica Pier banners are a project of the Santa Monica Arts Commission, in partnership with the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation and funded through the city's Percent for Art program. Artists Galloway and McMillen were selected for the project though a competitive process in 2002. For additional information on this or other city arts programming, please call the Cultural Affairs Division at 458-8350 or visit
arts.smgov.net, where you can see all 29 banners in full color.
OCTOBER IS DISABILITIES
AWARENESS MONTH
City Commission a Voice for the Disability Community
What do curb ramps, Mental Health Awareness Month, affordable housing and children with special needs have in common? The City of Santa Monica's Disabilities Commission (DC) has tackled all of these issues and more in its first two years of existence. Formed in the fall of 2002 to advise the City Council and staff, this commission stays busy making frequent recommendations on ways to foster inclusion of people with disabilities into everyday community life.
The commission's 11 members represent a wide range of professional and life experiences (judge, parent of a child with a disability, student and retired mathematician, to name a few), ages (from 30 to 74) and disabilities (including hearing and vision loss, mental disability and mobility limitations). Commission meetings, held the first Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Ken Edwards Center (1527 4th Street), are open to the public. For more information, contact the DC staff liaison at 458-8701 (TTY 458-8696), or via e-mail at janet-hand@santa-monica.org.
JOIN THE DISABILITIES COMMISSION AT ITS ANNUAL RETREAT ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 10 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M. AT THE KEN EDWARDS CENTER. AND WATCH FOR DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS FALL ON THE WEB AT
www.smgov.net/CCS AND IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS.
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