OPA Emergency Preparedness Committee Meeting (Wednesday 6pm): Come to Ocean Park Library on Main St. on Wednesday @ 6pm to be part of the team that is helping the community be prepared for emergencies! Click here to email Abe Sassoon for more details if interested in attending.

Thank You Rob Maschio for Joining OPA as a “Silver Business Member”! We encourage all community members to share their appreciation for the long time Ocean Park resident and real estate agent for his community support. More details on him at MaschioRealEstate.com. If other businesses are interested in joining, business memberships range from $50-$250 and include a variety of benefits. Individual and family memberships start at only $10! More details here or reply to this newsletter with any questions.

LA Olympic Committee OKs Changes Under Updated Venue Proposal: No news yet though about beach volleyball and Santa Monica. That said, City Council discussed this in closed session last week, so a safe assumption is that negotiations are ongoing. More details here. 

Water Rate Hike Approved to Support Aging Infrastructure: The approved plan will increase water rates by 20% in the first year, followed by increases of 16%, 9%, 9%, and 6% over the subsequent four years. Wastewater rates will rise by 7% for the first three years, followed by 6% increases in the final two years. For the average single-family home, the combined bimonthly water and wastewater bill will increase by approximately $37 each year over the five-year period, or about $19 monthly. Multi-family residential buildings with eight units will see approximately $80 increases in bimonthly bills, translating to roughly $10 monthly per unit. More details here. 

Economic Growth & Cultural Vitality: City moves forward in pursuing revitalization of historic Civic Auditorium: The Santa Monica City Council Tuesday approved execution of an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with development team Revitalization Partners Group, to renovate, operate and program the shuttered Civic Auditorium. Under the ENA, the city agrees to negotiate solely with Revitalization Partners Group, or RPG, to determine the feasibility for redeveloping the Civic Auditorium site. More details here. 

Celebrate Arts, Culture & Creativity Month 2025 this April: This post lists a variety of artsy events in April along with City arts programs. 

Plans updated for 122-unit affordable housing development at 1318 4th Street: Updated plans for a proposed affordable housing development at the former site of Parking Structure 3 were presented recently in a staff report to the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board. According to an agreement with the city, the apartments will be reserved for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income. Fifty of the units will be designated as permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. More details here. 

The Airport Conversion LOI is Live: The City of Santa Monica is excited to request Letters of Interest for the conversion of the Santa Monica Airport via our online procurement portal OpenGov, please click here, registration is free. With the closure of the Santa Monica Airport at the end of 2028, there is an exciting and unique opportunity to develop a vision for nearly 200 acres of public land to serve current and future generations, centered on a great park. The city is looking for interesting ideas and partnerships that deepen our community as a vibrant, safe, sustainable, resilient, mobile, culturally rich, ethnically diverse, and equitable place that serves the needs of the entire community and fosters a thriving local economy.

Things To Do This Week: 

• Bergamot Comedy Festival: The week-long event will feature a lineup of performances from 53 up-and-coming comedians, educational workshops, and networking programs providing underrepresented voices the amplification and professional advancement they need and deserve in the comedy space. This year’s comedy fest will include the debut Storytelling Showcase featuring eight dynamic storytellers and titled Metamorphosis, where performers will tell a personal story that will transform the audience as it transformed their own lives. Monday, March 31 – Saturday, April 5, The Crow, Bergamot Station https://bergamotcomedyfest.com/schedule/
• Friends of Venice Library: YOGA for everyone (Every Wednesday @ 12:30pm): Through body awareness, movement, and breath, you will be guided on how to bring your body, mind, and spirit back into balance for overall well-being. All levels are welcome. Venice Branch Library 501 S Venice Blvd. More details here. 
• Author Talk with Jodi Picoult (Wednesday 4pm): Step into Spring with us as we chat with the highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult about her newest novel, By Any Other Name. Virtual and Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd. More details here. 
• Michael C. Thorpe: Quilts: On display now through Sunday, May 4 at the California Heritage Museum, Quilts is a contemporary exhibit by fabric and thread visual artist Michael C. Thorpe. Based in New York City, Thorpe’s primary focus is paint on textiles upon learning quilting at a young age from his mother Susan, telling stories about identity his as a Black man in America, including his former college basketball career at Emerson College and the use of language with vibrant imagery to evoke alternative perspectives on the human experience. 2612 Main St. https://californiaheritagemuseum.org/ 

OPA & City Meetings:

• Public Safety Reform & Oversight Commission Meeting (Tuesday 5:30pm): More details & agenda here.
• OPA Connects Meeting (Wednesday 12pm): Here is the Zoom link.
• Big Blue Bus Virtual Public Hearing re Proposed Fare Changes (Wednesday 5:30pm): Register at bigbluebus.com/meetings. If you can’t attend a public hearing, you can still provide feedback by taking their online survey before April 10 here.
• Big Blue Bus In-Person Public Hearing re Proposed Fare Changes (Thursday 5:30pm): Main Library, MLK Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. More details at bigbluebus.com/meetings.
• Housing Commission Meeting (Thursday 6pm): Click Here for agenda.
• SMMUSD Board of Education Meeting  (Thursday 6pm): Click Here for agenda.