COP OUT ... AT 7TH AND MONTANA!

Drivers beware. Santa Monica's finest have been out in full force all week writing ticket after ticket for anyone caught using their cell phone while driving. Personally, I like the fact that there is a cell phone law, but I must say, after watching four cars get pulled over on Tuesday in the space of 30-minutes, it seems clear to me what the police are up to. They're raising revenue. Last month they went after jaywalkers. And if you think that's bad, I can tell you it's much worse in Culver City, where police have set-up what amounts to an ongoing sting operation in front of my old office at Higuera and Hayden. Officers there hide behind the bushes all day, often four abreast, waiting for people to fall into an almost unavoidable trap. At that intersection, Higuera -- a main thoroughfare -- is blocked. A barrier forces drivers to turn on Hayden. If they turn right, they enter a quiet, dead-end zone. Nearly everyone in that case -- trapped as they are -- makes a quick U-turn to get back onto Higuera and that's when the police swoop in. "Tsssk, Tsssk ... didn't you see that tiny No U-Turn sign over there?!?" It's like shooting fish in a barrel. We all know times are tough, but I wish the City would find some other way to raise money. Bake sale, anyone ...?