| June OPA Monthly Meeting Next Monday (June 8): The meeting is at the Ocean Park Library @ 2601 Main St. starting with food and mingling at 6:00pm. We will also be hybrid on Zoom. Click here to add the OPA monthly meeting and Zoom link to your calendar. Here’s the zoom link, and here’s the schedule: |
| 6:00 – 6:30: Food, refreshments and mingling6:30 – 7:30: Guest Speakers:City Attorney Heidi von TongelnSaMo Police DepartmentSaMo Fire DepartmentBarbara Wallace, Street RepavingOthers TBD7:30 – 8:30: Board business, including the Summer SOULstice event (June 20), Make Music Day (June 21), July 4 parade, & more) |
| June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month! |
| This City Post contains this year’s “2026 Santa Monica Pride Month Proclamation.”SaMo Public Library has a variety of event throughout the month, including Pride on the Promenade Pop-Up Library for all ages on Saturday, June 13 at the 3rd Street Promenade and a Pride Month YA Author Panel for teens on Thursday, June 18 at the Main St. Ocean Park Branch.This City post also highlights many more events scheduled this month, including Pride on the Promenade, BlockFest, and Cabaret at the Crow. |
| City to launch $6 million Santa Monica Renter Aid program: The program is the first major funding allocation from Measure GS and will be a partnership with The People Concern. Santa Monica Renter Aid is part of the city’s broader investment in homelessness prevention and renter protections, originally approved by the City Council in March 2025. The program is expected to launch in summer 2026 and will provide targeted financial assistance and housing stabilization services to eligible renter households facing housing instability or at risk of homelessness. The program is expected to assist approximately 150 vulnerable renter households each year. More details here. |
| Vote Centers Open across L.A. County ahead of this Tuesday’s (June 2) Primary Election: |
| “The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk recommends voters mail their ballots at least 7 days before Election Day. Voters can avoid postmark risk entirely by using one of more than 400 official 24-hour drop boxes throughout the county or dropping off a ballot at any Vote Center. Voters can also cast their ballots in person at one of the 122 Vote Centers…For a complete list of Vote Center locations, drop box sites, registration status, and other election information, visit lavote.gov.LA Times “Your last-minute voter guide to California’s 2026 primary election”: This page attempts to answers last-minute questions about the voting process, including who is running, where and when to vote, etc. |
| Santa Monica doubles down on major events strategy with additional Olympic activations: “Santa Monica is cementing its place on the global sports calendar, with the City Council approving negotiations for an ESPN broadcast hub during the 2027 Super Bowl and a Swiss Olympic hospitality house during the 2028 Games — the latest in a growing portfolio of major activations the city is banking on to drive economic recovery.” More details here. |
| College Board Erupts over Layoffs as Financial Crisis Deepens: “Accusations of anti-labor bias, a decade of poor financial stewardship and a leadership vacuum collided at Santa Monica College’s Board of Trustees May meeting, as members traded sharp criticisms over mass layoffs while the institution’s financial reserves continued a four-year slide toward insolvency. The board voted 6-2 to finalize the termination of 45 classified employees — custodians, administrative assistants, parking enforcement officers, tutors and other support staff — effective June 30, as the college grapples with a projected $14.7 million deficit heading into the 2026-27 fiscal year….” More details here. |
| Police Investigate Possible Hate Crime after Man Uses a Bat and Dog in Promenade Assault (with video): “A man was arrested Sunday after allegedly threatening two pedestrians with a baseball bat and unleashing a dog that bit one of them in the thigh, as investigators examine whether the attack was motivated by hate. Tar Nay, whose age was not immediately available, was booked into Santa Monica Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats following the 5:20 PM incident near 3rd Street and Broadway. More details here. |
| May 2026 SMMUSD Wave: Here is the monthly newsletter of all things going on in the school district. For the first time this year, there is actually mention of the Ocean Park School House. While there is no substantive update on timing or scope of opening, it states “Ocean Park School House (formerly SMASH) welcomed students and their families for an exhibition of learning showcasing their Westward Movement project-based learning work in the school’s new multipurpose room. The program covers the history of the American West, the concept of Manifest Destiny and the impact on Native Americans.” |
| Mountain lion runs through North Santa Monica: This video report details how NOMA is literally turning into a jungle with the animal spotted in a backyard at 14th & Montana. 😜 |
| Councilmember Dan Hall Newsletter: Here is his weekly newsletter, with his thoughts on news in and around the city over the past week, upcoming calendar of events, and much more. |
| Apply now to be appointed by City Council to a Board or Commission: Appointments scheduled for the June 23 Council meeting. Here is a list of expected openings and requirements. Click here to apply on-line. Applications are due by noon on June 16. |
