Red Tie Affair Coming Soon
The American Red Cross of Santa Monica’s annual “Red Tie Affair” fundraiser gala will be held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel on Saturday, March 15.
Honorees will include the cast and crew of Grey’s Anatomy as well as local doctors Kathy Magliato and Wally Ghrurabi. News anchor Christine Devine will be the Master of Ceremonies, celebrity chef Nick Stellino will create the dinner, and Councilmember Bobby Shriver will be handing out the awards. On behalf of the Santa Monica Fire Department, Fire Chief Jim Hone will accept the Rick Crocker Award, given to the SMFD for their help in fighting the wildfires last fall.
For more information, contact Marcia Caldirola at 310.394.3773 or go to redcrosssofsantamonica.org.
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Santa Monica Earns a “B”
Earlier this month, the American Lung Association of California issued mixed grades to 88 Los Angeles County cities and 34 Orange County cities, ranking their efforts to pass policies protecting residents from second-hand smoke in various outdoor air categories or multi-unit housing.
Cities were graded based on what local ordinances or policies had been passed in five categories (recreation areas, outdoor dining, entryways, outdoor service areas, multi-unit housing) and tobacco retail licensing ordinances aimed at reducing illegal sales of tobacco to minors.
Only three cities in the two-county area earned an overall “A” grade: Baldwin Park, Burbank, and Calabasas.
Cities with an overall “B” grade included Gardena, Irwindale, Lomita, Santa Monica, South Gate, and South Pasadena in Los Angeles County, as well as Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods in Orange County.
More than 38,000 people in California die each year from diseases caused by cigarette smoking. Tobacco-related illness kills more than 438,000 Americans every year.
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Local Architect
The National Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has elected Michael W. Folonis to The College of Fellows.
The AIA Fellowship program was developed to honor those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to Fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of the architect as an individual, but also honors before the public and the profession a model architect who has made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.
Of more than 80,000 AIA members, fewer than 2,000 have been accorded the honor of Fellowship.
Folonis has been a resident of Santa Monica since 1972, and established his Santa Monica Architectural firm, Michael W. Folonis, AIA and Associates in 1983. The firm is experienced in residential, mixed use, commercial, and restoration projects. His work has been published nationally and internationally. In 2007, he received a design award from the Los Angeles Chapter of the AIA for the Ocean Park Housing project located in Santa Monica.
Folonis is the Chair of the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board.
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Venice Family Clinic Receives Grant
Venice Family Clinic has received a $575,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente of Southern California. The grant will be used for renovations at three of its seven Westside locations, for funding a full-time staff physician, to streamline the procedures used for enrolling eligible children and adults in public health insurance programs, and for educational and self-monitoring programs to help patients with diabetes manage their illness more effectively.
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Allsteel Inc. Receives $25,000 Green Grant
The City of Santa Monica recently awarded Allsteel Inc., a furniture designer and manufacturer, a $25,000 grant as an incentive for certifying its new Santa Monica showroom under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Program.
In fall of 2007, Allsteel’s Santa Monica Water Garden location, designed by architectural firm HOK, earned Silver certification in LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI), the rating system for building tenants to certify their interiors are healthy, productive work environments.
As part of the grant award, Allsteel will open its facility to the city for green building tours. The company will also work with the city to create educational materials, case studies, and photos, making the showroom an ongoing resource center for green building in the city.
