Council joins community for study session homelessness
Feb. 25, 2021 at 6:00 am
Santa Monica City Council has prioritized the strategies it will use to address homelessness throughout the Westside, a region that is still grappling with a pandemic that threatens to put more people on the street than ever before.
City leaders would have typically completed the Point-In-Time homeless count prior to this week’s annual study session on homelessness, but Covid-19 forced the cancellation of the count so Council and the local community gathered via Zoom Tuesday evening for a four-hour discussion that concluded with Council affirming its intentions: to prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless; address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable residents; advocate for regional capacity to address homelessness; and maintain access to safe, fun, and healthy open spaces.
Community Briefs
Citywide
Arson / Grand Theft Auto Suspect Arrest
On February 23, 2021 at about 2:15 p.m., officers from the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) responded to area of 23rd and Dewey regarding a male trying to set a vehicle on fire. Details of the call indicated the male was attempting to light an item stuffed in the gas tank of the reporting party’s vehicle. Officers arrived on scene and were directed to the subject, later identified as Alex Omar Aguirre, a 28-year-old Hispanic male from Los Angeles.
Officers could see Aguirre leaning into the car window of a separate vehicle, rummaging through the contents of that car. Officers noticed that vehicle had smoke emitting from the inside compartment and immediately summoned for the Santa Monica Fire Department. Officers detained Aguirre and spoke with the victim to ascertain the details of this incident, while Fire personnel extinguished the burning vehicle.
Canyon News
SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, January 26, the Santa Monica Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 1554 Princeton Street that left one resident displaced. Upon arrival, responding crews reported a one-story multi-family residential dwelling with fire showing from a first-floor apartment.
According to SMFD, fire crews made an aggressive offensive attack and knocked down the interior fire within 10 minutes of dispatch. Responding units determined all occupants had safely exited the structure after they completed a primary search of the fire unit and the adjacent units. There were no reported injuries.
The damage was contained to the bathroom, hallway, and extended into the living room. A total of 23 firefighters, 4 fire engines, 1 truck company, and a Battalion Command Team were at the scene to mitigate the incident. SMFD Fire Prevention investigators responded to the scene and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
UpdatedSat, Jan 9, 2021 at 6:31 am PT
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SMFD RN Catherine Borman administers the vaccine to firefighter Jacob Proano. (Courtesy of the city of Santa Monica)
SANTA MONICA, CA — A sign of hope arrived last week in Santa Monica, with Santa Monica Fire Department firefighters and paramedics among the first fire departments in Southern California to receive the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.
"This is a critical milestone in keeping all frontline medical personnel safe as they prepare for an increase in the number of cases across the county, which is occurring as local hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients," city officials announced.
In addition to SMFD frontline personnel receiving the vaccine, SMFD leadership was integral to the rollout of the vaccine to 20 fire departments across Los Angeles County, officials said.