Jan. 19: Single-Use Carryout-Bag Ordinance to Be Discussed

While Monday was full of things to do, in light of the holiday, Tuesday was full of things to talk about. Among the news we reported on:

• Memorial services for Matthew Mezza, the Santa Monica High School student who died tragically late last week, are planned for this afternoon. Go  for more information;
• The Tucson tragedy was recalled at one of the MLK celebrations on Monday;
• The Santa Monica Police Department revealed that it had assisted with a big cocaine bust earlier in the month;
• Santa Monica College and KCRW jointly announced a new program that will provide students at the former with paid internships at the latter;
• And the Samohi girls basketball team fell to formidable opponent Fullerton Troy on Monday night.

Also on Tuesday, the family of Sargent Shriver announced that he had died following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. The towering figure was the first director of the Peace Corps, a former vice presidential candidate and a member of the Kennedy clan.

Santa Monica Patch extends its condolences to Sargent Shriver's first-born child, City Councilmember Bobby Shriver.

Weather Forecast

• warm and sunny
• high temperature: 73 degrees
• low temperature: 52 degrees
• chance of precipitation: 0 percent
• sunrise: 6:58 a.m.
• sunset: 5:12 p.m.

The Main Event

• Curious about the single-use carryout-bag measure proposed for Santa Monica? Today is your chance to get acquainted with the ordinance: At 9 a.m., the  will give a presentation about it at the 's MLK Auditorium. The event is being cosponsored by the Bayside District Corporation and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce—which, incidentally, will host a  at 5:30 p.m. at .
  

The Runner-Up

• New music releases typically come out on Tuesdays, but Brazilian musician Mario Costa is making an exception today by releasing his new record, Total Unknown, at . The producer and songwriter—whose music blends together Latin, pop and samba sounds—will perform selections from the album, with Katia Moraes and Brazilian Heart Project opening. Doors are at 9 p.m.

Other Happenings

• Kelly Soo Park—the Thousand Oaks woman who was indicted for killing actress Juliana Redding in her Santa Monica apartment in March 2008—is scheduled for a pretrial hearing today at the Criminal Courts Building in Los Angeles.
• Also on the docket is a hearing pertaining to the . With a temporary restraining order currently in effect, a court will decide to either grant or dismiss the plaintiff companies' request for a preliminary injunction of the proposed ordinance.
• Actresses Pat Crowley and Gigi Perreau, who appeared in the 1956 drama There's Always Tomorrow, will discuss the film after it screens at the  at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $11, with discounts available.

Last but Not Least

• Regulars at  are going to have to hold off on their haircut: The barber shop is closed today, as McDonald's is shooting a commercial there.

(Go here for more events happening today.)

This Day in Santa Monica History

• The  opened on Jan. 19, 2002.

Did you take a great pic of SM in the early morning? Want to see it in The SM AM Report? Drop a note to Kurt.Orzeck@patch.com.

City News Service contributed to this report.