Local Briefs

Jetpack Guy Seen Again at LAX

"The jet man is back." an air traffic controller told a SkyWest flight after another possible jetpack sighting reported Wednesday evening near Los Angeles International Airport.

The sighting comes after at least four pilots reported seeing a similar aerial mystery last year in the same area.

"A Boeing 747 pilot reported seeing an object that might have resembled a jetpack 15 miles east of LAX at 5,000 feet altitude," a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, air traffic controllers alerted other pilots in the vicinity."

In recordings, air traffic control personnel could be heard issuing a warning to pilots.

ATC: Skywest 3626, use caution. The jet man is back, let me know if you see him."

ATC: Skywest 3626, did you see the UFO?

Pilot: We were looking, but we did not see Iron Man.

ATC: Evergreen 8023 ... use caution, there was a report of a man in jetpack around 5,000 feet in the vicinity of Los Angeles.

Late last year, a number of similar reports were made near the airport, prompting the FBI to investigate. The source of the UFO reports has never been identified. A drone is suspected, but a jetpack man is also possible.

Search for Missing Swimmer

7/26: The US Coast Guard and LA County Lifeguards searched for a woman a beachgoer saw disappear into the surf near the Santa Monica Pier Monday morning.

A man visiting the beach told the Santa Monica Harbor Patrol at 8:45 p.m. Sunday that he had seen a woman clinging to the pier pilings and asking for help. He described her as in her 30s and wearing a swimsuit

"The witnesses said that a wave hit her, and then she was gone," said Lidia Barillas, a lifeguard captain for the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Lifeguard Division.

Emergency response teams combed the beach, with lifeguards arriving within a minute to search the water from the shore and from the department's Baywatch del Rey boat.

The Coast Guard and other authorities searched in area 9 miles wide and 10 miles long, but found no sign of the woman.

False or erroneous reports of missing swimmers are not at all uncommon on Santa Monica beach. Millions of people visit LA County Beaches every year.

No Tsunami Warning Following Earthquake

7/29: An earthquake measured at 8.2 on the Richter scale struck remote Perryville Island Alaska, at 15 minutes after midnight local time Thursday morning. The earthquake was the strongest in North America since 1965, and the largest anywhere in the world in 36 months. It briefly caused a Tsunami alert for Japan, Guam and Hawaii.

Four hours later, the National Weather Service declared there was no possibility of a tsunami along the Southern California coastline.

Pacific Palisades and the Southern California coastline have the all-clear of any possible tsunami activity Thursday. However, the National Weather Service did advise that "stronger than normal currents were possible in all harbors and bays later this morning."

No one was reported injured from the Alaskan earthquake.

Authorities Clear the Beach in Venice

The City of LA and other agencies have attempted to house homeless people on Venice Beach. The pricey area is a flashpoint in the homeless issue, which has become a counterpoint in local politics.

An effort to house homeless people and remove clutter that proliferated is nearing completion. But residents upset over government inaction that allowed the problem to get out of control are warily watching how it unfolds and whether the cleanup takes hold.

A problem once largely limited to the Skid Row section of downtown has spread to virtually all parts of Los Angeles. The nation's second-largest city also has the second-largest homeless population in the country - 41,000 among the overall city population of 4 million people, according to the most recent survey conducted before the pandemic.

Venice has a disproportionate concentration with an estimated 1,600 homeless people in the neighborhood of about 40,000.

The area has become a flashpoint because of its visibility as an LA landmark - the boardwalk attracts an estimated 10 million visitors per year - and a well-publicized political spat over fixing the problem.

When COVID-19 struck, streets already were lined with inhabited RVs and sidewalks overflowing with tents, collections of bikes, furniture and shopping carts. Encampments sprang up along the beach when restrictions on camping were not enforced during stay-home orders.

Telecommunications Facility

In accordance with Sec. 106 of the Programmatic Agreement, AT&T plans to upgrade an existing telecommunications facility at 415 WASHINGTON BOULEVARD MARINA DEL REY, CA 90292. Please direct comments to Gavin L. at 818-898-4866 regarding site LAC615-01.

8/2, 8/9/21

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SANTA MONICA OBSERVER