President’s Message:
Thank you to the 60+ people that made it out to our holiday event on Sunday at Lula’s! And to the many people who supported OPA by buying raffle tickets and donating to the organization…sorry if you didn’t win, but your support is greatly appreciated as it helps us put on events like that.
We are tabulating our 2025 Board of Directors votes, and will be posting results on our website & sharing via our newsletter next Monday.
We’ve had a great 2024 and I’m looking forward to an even better 2025!
Sean Besser, OPA President
Holiday Party Thank You’s: We couldn’t have done it without the generosity of these people and companies:
- We want to say a special thank you to the sponsors of the event:
- Jameson’s On Main
- Will Burrington & Cam Meyer of Harmony Partners
- Another sponsor who asked not be named
- A big thank you to all these amazing neighborhood businesses who donated raffle prizes. Please say thank you to their managers when you frequent them.
- Blow Me Candle Co.
- Blue Plate Restaurant Group
- Divine Winery
- Dolcenero Gelato
- Edgemar Restaurant
- F45 Training
- Holey Grail Donuts
- Papille Gustative
- Pilatesmith
- Pump Station
- Rustic Canyon Restaurants (Rustic Canyon, Birdie G, Milo & Olive, Sweet Rose Creamery)
- Salt & Straw Ice Cream
- Shore Hotel
- Triple Beam Pizza
OPA 2024 Board Election Now Open: Dues-paying OPA members should receive their ballots on-line today for the 2025 Board Election. Click here to join or renew your membership today.
Consider OPA for End of Year Charitable Giving: We’re proud of the year we’ve had that included multiple “Open Main St.” street closure festivals, our 4th of July Parade, publishing about 100 newsletters, expanding our newsletter reach to nearly 2200 community members, advocating to the city on a variety of neighborhood issues, and much more! And we’ve done it all on a shoestring budget with all the work being done by community volunteers. As you make your end of the year donations, please consider joining and/or donating to YOUR neighborhood organization. OPA is a 501(c)(3) and all donations are tax deductible. CLICK HERE TO GIVE OR JOIN
Local Rents Rose in November: SaMo rents rose in November for the third time this year, bucking a nationwide trend that saw rents dip during the slow rental season, according to Apartment List’s monthly report. The median rent in Santa Monica rose 1.3 percent last month and now stands at $2,338 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,803 for a two-bedroom, according to the popular rental site. Click here for the full report.
Survey on Fence, Wall, Hedge Height Limits in Multi-Family Zones: City Council is considering increasing the height limit of fences, walls, and hedges ONLY in the R2, R3, and R4 zones within the front setback to a maximum height of 5 feet, as well as how the height of retaining walls are measured. They are asking for community members to complete this short survey to weigh in on this possible change.
Santa Monica Offering $500 Grants for Community Members to Host Small Events for Community-Led Discussions About Cannabis Social Equity: “The grant is to help make the events inclusive and accessible such as for food, childcare, interpretation, paying a notetaker or other relevant accommodations, or any other way that supports your efforts in creating an environment where every voice can be heard. Cannabis social equity is an important issue that we need the community’s valuable input in developing Santa Monica’s cannabis equity program. Application deadline is Dec. 31 and events must be held by Feb. 16. More details here.
The Infatuation’s Is on the The Best Restaurants In Santa Monica List: This updated list includes Main St. Michelin ranked Pasjoli, Crudo e Nudo, and Cobi’s, among others.
The Santa Monica Nativity Scene Now Open on Main St.: Check it out until Jan 3 at 2311 Main St. (in the parking lot between Alfalfa and Urth Café. Click here to learn more about the history of Santa Monica nativity scenes.
The Street Seen: New Neighbors (2 Years On): This week’s column looks at the progress at 6 new residential buildings that were under construction in Ocean Park at the end of 2023. An interesting note is that “no new residential construction in Ocean Park has started since January 2022.”
Christmas Tree Guide – Where To Buy A Tree Near Santa Monica: Options for getting Christmas trees include Lopez Ranch in Marina del Rey, Shawn’s Christmas Trees in West LA, and Palisades-Malibu YMCA Tree Lot in Pacific Palisades. According to PickYourOwnChristmasTree, real trees will cost about $13 a foot, depending on the type of tree. At that cost, a typical 7-foot tree would cost about $90.
Things To Do This Week:
- Workshop for SaMo Landlords & Tenants (Monday 5:30 – 8:30pm): Residential landlords, tenants, property managers, service providers and city staff are set to discuss the latest information in landlord/tenant topics at the popular free annual Landlord/Tenant Forum at the Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Auditorium. More details here.
- Samohi Orchestra Concert (Tuesday 6:30pm): Founded in 1903, the nationally recognized, award-winning Santa Monica High School orchestra program has 300+ student musicians participating in 7 orchestras. @ Barnum Hall, 600 Olympic Blvd.
- SMC Lyric Chorus at the Songs of the Season Concert (Thursday 11am – 12pm): The Chorus puts you in the holiday mood with their seasonal favorites and festive Broadway tunes. Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. More details here.
- Holiday Cheer on the Pier (Thursday, Dec. 12 & 19, 4 – 8pm): The SaMo Pier is bringing the holiday cheer this year with holiday music and performances, puppetry, singalongs, and holiday cheer. https://www.santamonicapier.org/cheeronthepier/
- SaMo Black Empowerment Association “WE” Women’s Empowerment Mixer (Thursday 6pm): Learn more and register here.
OPA & City Meetings:
- City Council Meeting (Tuesday 5:30 pm): Come support the new councimembers getting sworn it. Meetings are hybrid and can be viewed on this YouTube channel. Click here for agenda.
- OPA Connects Meeting (Wednesday 12pm): Here is the Zoom link.
- SMMUSD Board of Education Meeting (Thursday 6pm): Click Here for agenda.
