Five Things You Need to Know: Feb. 8

1.    The decision to initiate a child endangerment investigation of Santa Monica-Malibu school board member Oscar de la Torre by the Santa Monica Police Department was “appropriate,” an independent review panel concluded in a report released Monday. However, the report from the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review also states that during the investigation, “certain interview techniques were employed, such as advocating a point of view and feeding witnesses information, that do not comport with the ‘just the facts’ orientation of common investigative practices.”

The independent review document further states that the SMPD's investigation report “contained an unusual mixture of facts and advocacy and was not a dispassionate rendering of the facts,” and this as well as other findings “may have contributed to the belief by some, including Mr. de la Torre himself, that the investigation was not objective.”

The SMPD's investigation involved a fight between two young people near the Santa Monica youth center run by de la Torre. The SMPD claimed de la Torre did not break up the fight early enough, and might have encouraged it to continue. The SMPD recommended de la Torre be charged with child endangerment. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to charge. De la Torre has denied any wrongdoing, and alleged the investigation was politically motivated.

De la Torre and the SMPD have had a contentious relationship for many years on various issues, including how to deal with youth violence. To read the independent review document, go here.

2.    The county Board of Education will vote this afternoon in Downey on the charter petition for . Things do not look to be in the charter petitioners' favor. The board will be voting based on a Los Angeles County Office of Eucation . Also, the interim superintendent of the Los Angeles County Office of Education has . If the board rejects the petition, the decision can be appealed to the state.

The meeting will take place at the Los Angeles County Office of Education office at 9300 Imperial Highway in Downey. The session is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

3.    The Malibu High School girls basketball team is in action today at home. The game will begin at 7 p.m.

4.    Looking to get out for a matinee or romantic dinner with your significant other? The will offer sitting services Sunday from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. It will include pizza, drinks and activities for children ages 4 and older. And no, you don’t have to be Methodist to send your child there. For more information, go .

5.    The strong wind returns. During the day, there will be a northeast wind between 15 mph and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service. At night, the wind speed is expected to pick up to 20 mph to 30 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph.

The daytime temperature is expected to reach a sunny 65. At night, the temperature could drop to 48.