Santa Monica, a Lifelong Learning Community


Lifelong Learning Community News - October 2005...
 
October begins this Saturday with a two-day Design Workshop for 415 PCH and the World Jewish Music Festival on the Santa Monica Pier, and thatÕs just for starters! Before you review the Calendar for this monthÕs wide range of lifelong learning community events, I'd like to ask you to do two things:
 
#1 – Make sure you are registered to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot.
 
Register to Vote: October 24th is the deadline for new voters to register to vote in the November 8th Special Election. You can pick up voter registration forms at any public library, post office, or department of motor vehicles office. Please make sure you are registered.
 
Absentee Ballot: Elections are won by those who actually vote and this is especially true for special elections. If you think there is any chance youÕll be unable to get to the polls on November 8th, please apply for an absentee ballot. You can download a request for an absentee ballot or apply online on www.lavote.net/voter/absent_voter.htm
 
Why is this election so important for lifelong learning?
Proposition 76 on the November 8th ballot would decimate checks and balances in the state budget process by granting unprecedented powers to the Governor, and would permanently cut school funding by $4 billion -- this at a time when CaliforniaÕs spending for education is already well below the national average.
 
Prop 76 is opposed by the California State PTA, Santa Monica Malibu Council of PTAs, City of Santa Monica, City of Malibu, Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, Community for Excellent Public Schools, League of Women Voters of California, League of Women Voters of Santa Monica, and Congress of California Seniors. Please make sure that you will be eligible to vote in the November 8th election to resoundingly defeat Prop 76.
 
#2 – Support safe access to SMCÕs Bundy Campus by urging Santa Monica City Councilmembers to grant access from Airport Avenue and by urging Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosendahl to support a synchronized traffic light on Bundy Drive.
 
HereÕs the update on this ongoing saga:
 
SMC and Santa Monica are currently in talks with each other and with Councilmember Rosendahl to try to come up with a 3-way agreement to provide safe access to the campus while addressing neighborhood concerns.
 
The Bundy Campus is now open and providing classes for early childhood education and nursing students. The campus classroom building has been beautifully remodeled and is surrounded by empty parking lots with 600 spaces available. In response to neighborhood concerns, SMC scaled back their original plans for the site and agreed to move their existing shuttle operation from the Airport area. Currently, the College is using one of the beach parking lots as a temporary parking/shuttle site for the Main Campus while they search for a new permanent parking/shuttle location.
 
Meanwhile, the Santa Monica City Council has granted students temporary pedestrian access from Airport Avenue. Students attending the Bundy Campus now can park on the north side of Airport Avenue (where the shuttle used to be and where the new Airport Park will soon be), cross the street, walk past the 600 empty parking spaces, and attend their classes. My hope is that the City of Santa Monica will permit vehicular access from Airport Avenue so that the very same students who are now parking on the north side of the street, will be able to park on the south side in the actual parking lots on the Campus. ThatÕs the current Santa Monica side of the situation. 
 
Los Angeles also has a role to play. Los Angeles residents also greatly benefit from Santa Monica College and will also need and benefit from SMC-educated early childhood educators and nurses, and community classes. This is especially true for residents from those areas immediately surrounding Santa Monica, Los Angeles Councilmember Bill RosendahlÕs District 11 constituents. The best and most appropriate solution for the Bundy Campus is to provide safe access from both Airport Avenue in Santa Monica and from Bundy Drive in LA.
 
At this point in time, it is very important that Councilmember Rosendahl hear from his constituents that they too value and support Santa Monica College and safe access to the Bundy Campus. So, please call your LA friends, forward this email (or this portion of this email), encourage everyone you know in RosendahlÕs District 11 (which envelopes Santa Monica on all non-ocean sides) to urge Councilman Rosendahl to support a synchronized traffic light to facilitate safe access and egress from Bundy Drive to SMC's Bundy Campus.
 
Please have District 11 constituents contact:
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl
councilman.rosendahl@lacity.org,
(213) 473-7011 or (213) 473-6926 Fax 
City Hall Office, 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 415 Los Angeles, CA 90012
 If you go to Councilmember RosendahlÕs website at www.lacity.org/council/cd11/ you can also Ōsign up for open office hours,Ķ review his staff directory and find other contact info. For a map of District 11, go to http://www.billrosendahl.com/img/CD11.pdf
Whew. Sorry that took so long.
 
One last thing: The City has posted a progress report/follow up for the Community Workshops on Gang Violence Prevention held earlier this year. You can read the report at
pen.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/residents/sgv/ProgressReport_Aug2005.pdf
 
Now, please do take a good look at the wonderful lifelong learning community events listed on our Calendar for October at http://smllc.org/calendar.html (There are quite a few events I would highlight more in this newsletter if it werenÕt already too long.)
The calendar will be updated as we become aware of new events throughout the month so check back regularly.
Also use LLC Links (http://smllc.org/links.html) to quickly take you to the websites of lifelong learning providers and resources here in Santa Monica.
 
Thank you for forwarding this email to others who may be interested.
If you would like to receive Lifelong Learning Community eNews, please go to http://smllc.org/subscribe.html
 
ThatÕs all for now. Enjoy October.
For more information about the Lifelong Learning Community, contact

Louise Jaffe
lcjaffe@aol.com
310-450-2487



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