They Can’t Read Writing on the Wall

Some people will do anything to find a parking space--especially in earthquake country. Wouldn’t you think that even the most aggressive drivers might think twice before parking in front of a wall with a big crack on it and the words “unsafe” spray-painted?

Apparently not.

Instead, drivers park right in front of the sign warning them that the wall, at 9th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, could come tumbling down.

And they did so even before the paint was dry, said Maxine Woody, general manager of Apex Restorations. She spray-painted the warning and a rendering of a sad face just after the Northridge earthquake.

Woody was reached in Encino where Apex, a furniture repair and antique restoration business, is now located after losing its rented Santa Monica quarters because of quake damage.

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SPARE CHANGE: A Third Street Promenade program that allows pedestrians to bypass panhandlers and drop their spare change into dolphin-shaped “piggy banks” has brought in $12,000 for homeless programs in its first year.

Two checks, each for $5,000, were awarded last week to the Ocean Park Community Center and Step Up on Second, both local Santa Monica agencies.

The remaining money, minus $200 in administrative fees, was set aside for distribution next year, said Ron Cano, director of the Bayside District, which oversees the Promenade.

Cano said the program has about $8,000 in the bank. In addition to bringing in much-needed dollars for homeless programs, Cano said, the dolphin program has helped discourage aggressive panhandling, which was bad for business.

“There’s no question that aggressive panhandling has diminished a noticeable degree,” Cano said.