Apologies for not posting this yesterday. The newsletter has been lightly edited to remove events that happened yesterday.
Frank Gehry Designed Ocean Park Apartment Building Hits the Market: “The Hillcrest Apartments, completed in 1962 at 2807 Highland Ave., showcase Gehry’s early architectural vision before he gained international fame for his deconstructivist style seen in buildings like the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.” It could be yours if you have $3.5 million burning a hole in your pocket. More details here and here’s the listing on Redfin.
Suspect Wanted After a Pit Bull Mauls a Poodle to Death on Main St.: A local search is underway for the owner of a violent dog that attacked and killed another dog Friday night in the Ocean Park neighborhood. More details here.
Levain Bakery in Venice Now Open: As a special flavor, they will be offering our Black & White Chocolate Chip Cookie ONLY at the Venice bakery, for a limited time. 1161 Abbot Kinney Blvd. https://levainbakery.com/pages/venice-ca
No Wildfire-Related Health Risks at Santa Monica & Area Beaches, Experts Confirm: Public health officials announced this week that results from both ocean water and sand testing along the county coastline after January’s Palisades Fire showed no evidence of wildfire-related chemical levels that pose a risk to human health. More details here.
Santa Monica to Explore Options of Beach Curfew: The City Council on Tuesday voted to explore ways to make the beach safer late at night in the wake of several deaths but stopped short of backing a curfew. The … Council directed the City Attorney to contact the California Coastal Commission to determine what the State agency would allow. More details here.
Public Health Dept. Cites Upscale Erewhon Santa Monica Food Market for Roaches: Known for its celebrity clientele and a $19 strawberry, Erewhon made global headlines Thursday after its cafe was shut down due to a “vermin infestation.” The LA County Department of Public Health cited the grocery store’s tonic bar “after finding cockroaches” at the store at 2800 Wilshire Boulevard, the LA Times reported early Thursday afternoon. More details here.
Councilmember Zwick Clarifies Position on Fairview Library Amid Public Outcry: On Monday, he walked back earlier comments suggesting possible consolidation of city library services, clarifying his support for the Fairview Branch Library after an outpouring of public support to keep it open. More details here.
Airport Conversion Project Survey: “The city has launched Phase 3a (Three Scenarios) for the future of the Santa Monic Airport and we are excited to begin envisioning three scenarios together. There is a new Virtual Education Session (VES) that explores different approaches to understand potential benefits, impacts, feasibility, and trade-offs of six different layers (or master plan systems) for community feedback in the Layers Survey. Please share these widely as community input on the layers is critical for the creation of the three test fit scenarios.” Survey ends 4/27.
Join BBB’s Transit Security Advisory Committee: Interested in serving your community? Big Blue Bus is seeking applicants to participate in our Transit Security Advisory Committee (TSAC), which will work to improve public safety on our system. As a member of TSAC, you will: Advise the Department of Transportation on the implementation of its prohibition order program Evaluate procedures for issuing prohibition orders Recommend training for personnel tasked with issuing and enforcing prohibition orders If you are passionate about serving your community, we urge you to apply! Experience in law enforcement, youth advocacy, or supporting individuals with psychiatric or other disabilities is preferred but not required. The application deadline is Tuesday, April 15, 2025. More details and apply here.
The Blue Notebook – A Weekly SMPD Recap March 23 – 29: Click here to read the report.
Waymo Slows Down Fast Food: This KTLA report details a Waymo driverless taxi that got stuck in the SaMo Chick-fil-A drive thru.
Things To Do This Week:
- Free Walk-In Legal Clinic (Wednesday 4:30 – 7pm): Santa Monica residents can meet one on one with a lawyer from Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles for help with HOUSING issues. More details here.
- Santa Monica Forward Happy Hour (Thursday 6pm): Meet at @ Santa Monica Brew Works (1920 Colorado Ave.). SantaMonicaForward.org
- Celebrate Earth Day at Heart of LA’s Annual Spring Clean (Saturday 10am): Volunteers will be helping with a number of beautification projects so expect to get your hands dirty working in and around Heart LA’s Arts and Recreation Center! Some of these projects will includepicking up debris, weeding, painting, and cleaning hallways and classroom spaces! More details here.
OPA & City Meetings:
- OPA Connects Meeting (Wednesday 12pm): Here is the Zoom link.
- Recreation & Parks Commission Meeting (Thursday 6pm): Click Here for agenda.
- Caltrans Explores Bus Lane Expansion on Lincoln Boulevard; Public Meeting (Wednesday): Caltrans is conducting a feasibility study to examine whether peak-hour bus lanes could be extended along a 3.1-mile stretch of Lincoln Boulevard, from Venice Blvd. to West Manchester Ave. The agency will host a public open house in Venice to present preliminary findings and gather community feedback. More details here.
