Main St. Closure This Weekend: “Jane’s Main Street Mile” is Sunday May 11 and Main St. will be closed between Tongva Park and Hollister Avenue from 6:30am – 11am.
OPA May 12 Monthly Meeting This Monday: This month’s meeting will be at the Ocean Park Library (@ 2601 Main St.) starting with food and mingling at 6:00pm. We will also be hybrid on Zoom. Here’s the zoom link and here’s schedule:
- 6:00 – 6:30pm: Food, refreshments and mingling
- 6:30 – 6:45pm: SMPD
- 6:45 – 7:00: Mayor Lana Negrette
- 7:00 – 7:15: Sunny Wang, Water Resources Manager
- 7:15 – 7:30: State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur
- 7:30 – 8:30: Board business, including housing matters and upcoming calendar of events
Encampment Reports Are Climbing Again on the Westside: In March, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority announced that initial findings from this year’s homeless count showed a 5%-10% decline in the number of unhoused individuals in L.A. County. While a reduction would be welcomed (the full report comes out in the summer), this may not square with what people in Palms are seeing. Residents of the Westside neighborhood made 601 reports about tent encampments to the city’s MyLA311 system https://myla311.lacity.gov/s/ in the first quarter of 2025. That marks a 26.8% increase from the same period last year. More details here.
The Blue Notebook – A Weekly SMPD Recap April 20 – 26: This is last week’s recap of police activity.
Samohi Prom Boutique Seeking Donations: Samohi is collecting new or gently used formal dresses and men’s formal wear in all sizes for their Prom Boutique. Purses, jewelry and accessories and more are requested too. Click here to sponsor a student who may not otherwise be able to have the amazing high school experience and click here for more details on the Prom Boutique.
May is Bike Month: See a list of May Bike Month Events, Promotions and Discounts HERE.
New Vending Machines Dispense Free Condoms, COVID Tests, Narcan In Santa Monica: The LA County Department of Public Health announced Monday that the department launched its first 51 Community Health Stations earlier this year, and plans to deploy a total of 100 stations in the coming months. They’re located in accessible locations like pharmacies, clinics, community centers and homeless shelters. The vending machines are stocked with COVID-19 tests, Narcan, Fentanyl test strip kit, external and internal condoms. More details here including with a map of locations.
CBS TV Video Report on the Promenade’s Potential New Open Container Rules: “The initial zone would run between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, but the city hopes to expand the area in the future. Signs would be placed to highlight the areas where drinking is allowed. Drinkers would need to wear wristbands and, of course, be 21 or older. Alcoholic drinks would also need to be served in containers that are not made of glass or metal.” Watch the report here.
The April 2025 SMMUSD Wave: Here is the April edition of the school district’s newsletter.
Diane Keaton’s Rustic Canyon Home Listed For $12.88M: Dubbed the Newman Residence, the five bedroom, 3.5 bath home was originally built in 1950 for Alfred Newman, the nine-time Oscar-winning composer — and designed by Lloyd Wright, son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. More details here.
Mother’s Day:
Pasjoli’s Mother’s Day Brunch: The family style menu includes deviled eggs, french onion dip, fried chicken, black truffle gravy, and french toast. $115 for adults and $65 for kids. 2732 Main St. https://www.opentable.com/r/pasjoli-santa-monica
Papille Gustative Mother’s Day Brunch: Multi-course menu options include Strawberry salad, smoke salmon Benedict, French toast, flame seared salmon and more for $59. Saturday & Sunday https://www.opentable.com/r/papille-gustative-santa-monica
Here is my weekly SMDP column with a variety of other Mother’s Day options.
Things To Do This Weekend:
Madhappy Hosts One-Night-Only Fundraiser at Pacific Park in Support of Mental Health Awareness Month (Thursday 6pm): “Madhappy and Friends” brings together community, culture, and cause for a night of amusement park rides, games, food, music, exclusive brand activations, and photo-worthy moments. Guests will enjoy complimentary access to Pacific Park’s most popular rides—including the iconic Pacific Wheel, the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel—alongside boardwalk-style midway games like Ring Toss and Whac-A-Mole. https://www.madhappy.com/pages/madhappy-friends
46th Annual Venice Family Clinic Art Walk + Auction (starts Friday): The event features work from 200+ artists with all proceeds benefiting the Clinic’s essential medical, dental, and mental health services for low-income Angelenos. Free and open to the public. May 9–18, 910 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. venicefamilyclinic.org/veniceartwalk
Marathon From Altadena to Palisades to Raise Funds For Recovery Efforts (Saturday): The course will begin at 7 a.m. at Good Neighbor Bar in Altadena and pass through a series of checkpoints roughly every 10 kilometers, including stops in Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, Hollywood, and Santa Monica, before concluding at Will Rogers Beach in the Palisades. More details here.
Celebrate Mother’s Day Weekend with Music in the Garden (Saturday 9 – 11am @ Main Street Community Garden 2318 Main St.): Grammy-nominated Main St. gardeners, Andrew & Polly, will lead us in a morning of music, dance and garden activities. Enjoy a family-friendly concert for all ages – sing and dance your hearts together! Polly & Andrew are the hosts of Ear Snacks, the kids’ podcast “packed with earworms and made with heart”. Discover the wonders of the garden through a scavenger hunt, grab some refreshments and wander the gardens. Concert begins at 10:00 am. Limited seating – bring your own chairs, blankets or throws.
Celebrate Fire Service Day at Fire Station 1 (Saturday 10am – 1pm): Fire service day is a unique opportunity to meet local firefighters and learn about what they do through a hands-on learning experience. Free open house activities for families include fire engine and trucks displays for exploration, fire station tours with firefighters, learn hands-only CPR alongside emergency preparedness information with the American Red Cross, and meet and greet with Roger, SMFD’s new K-9 peer support dog. @ Fire Station 1, 1337 7th St. https://www.santamonica.gov/events/fire-service-day-0
Montana Ave. Sidewalk Sale (Saturday 10am – 6pm): The beloved Montana Avenue Sidewalk Sale is BACK, and it’s the perfect occasion to support local shops while snagging amazing deals on new arrivals! Join us on Saturday for a day filled with great shopping and explore some of the best dining the West Side has to offer. Enjoy the neighborhood’s vibrant atmosphere and welcome the season in style with friends and family. https://www.instagram.com/p/C56RBM2Jqxm/
Main St. Farmers Market (Sunday 8:30am – 1:30pm): Happy Mother’s Day! Treat Mom to a super fun day at the Main Street Farmers Market with the GM Jazz Quartet 10am-1pm and on the lawn, the Bamola Shoppe – Upcycling project – clothing patches for Mom. Also joining us with CalFresh signup information, Providence St. John’s! Try farm baked whole grain bread, heritage grains and organic almonds at the Fat Uncle Farms pop up and Yes! Erickson Farm cherries are here!!
