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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS......PAGE 3 EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT ................PAGE 4 CRIME WATCH ..................................PAGE 8 MYSTERY REVEALED ......................PAGE 9
WEEKEND EDITION
05.05.18 - 05.06.18 Volume 17 Issue 144
@smdailypress
SMMUSD moves forward on Malibu reimagining
@smdailypress
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Fresh Finds: Organic Garden
ANGEL CARRERAS Daily Press Staff Writer
The Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District will reenvision Malibu education for the 21st century, agreeing at a May 3 board meeting to combine Juan Cabrillo Elementary School and Point Dume Marine Science School, to consider the creation of a separate Malibu Middle School, and to reconstruct Malibu High School. The board agreed to the alignment decision, with Carey Upton, SEE SMMUSD PAGE 11
Police raise visibility with mobile command post
PLANTS: If you want to try growing your own food, there are live plants available at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
KATE CAGLE
KATE CAGLE
Daily Press Staff Writer
Daily Press Staff Writer
Looking for new ways to combat a rising crime rate, the Santa Monica Police Department has launched a program to deploy its massive, mobile command post throughout the city. Affectionately nicknamed “Optimus Crime� by officers, the 30-foot vehicle has two conference rooms, air-conditioning, a refrigerator and access to the city’s incident management system and law enforcement software. Generally reserved for big events like the Twilight Concert Series and major incidents, Optimus Crime will now be
If you look beyond the half-dozen rows of lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and other plants, you may notice an empty chair sitting in some shade at the Logan’s Garden booth at the Saturday Downtown Farmers Market. It’s the seat Logan Williams and his father, Jimmy, have been reserving for customers every weekend for years. “We always bring three chairs,� Logan said on a recent spring morning in Santa Monica. “Customers just hang out after they buy their plants. We’ll talk. Customers have gotten to know us over the years.� It is one of the secrets to the organic gardeners’ success. It turns out, friendship and good conversation are essential to helping Santa Monicans grow their own backyard
Kate Cagle
and balcony crops. If you buy a plant from the Williams family, they’ll see it through. “Any problems that you have, take a picture,� Logan said. “Come on back. We’ll coach you through it. We try to be as helpful as we can be here.� The coaching can be key as amateur gardeners tackle thorny issues when it comes to plants. The Williams family sells about 400 types of heirloom tomatoes alone, and they know from experience how to deal with temperamental plants. “Sprinkler systems are the enemy of tomatoes, believe it or not,� Logan said. “You get mildew on the leaves.� The urban farmers have given so much advice over the years, Jimmy published a book in 2010, “From Seed to Skillet,� a collection of gardening advice, recipes and general wisdom. Jimmy has been featured
by national publications like Martha Stewart and Modern Farmer. The family’s gardening legacy runs deep: Jimmy’s greatgreat-grandmother carried Goosecreek tomato seeds from West Africa on a slave ship. The family has grown them ever since. Logan always tells his customers to invest in good, organic soil and fertilizer. Beyond that, he said to simply pay attention. New gardeners tend to over water; most plants don’t need another drink until the first inch or two of soil is dry. After coaching generations of Santa Monicans who buy his plants, he advises most people to start growing foods they like to eat. “You’re always going to be more inclined to take care of something that you know you like,� Logan said. “It’s a relationship.� SEE FRESH PAGE 6
SEE MOBILE PAGE 5
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