| Thank You St. Matthew’s Thrift Shop for Joining OPA as a Silver Member!!! St. Matthew’s is a cherished Ocean Park gem where neighbors can uncover unique treasures and quality vintage finds while directly supporting vital local community programs. Every purchase and donation helps keep the shop’s neighborly spirit thriving right in the heart of our neighborhood. Their site is stmatthewsthriftshop.com and we encourage readers to check out their store at 2812 Main St. This weekend is the perfect time to do so as they have this HUGE sale now through Sunday: |
| St. Matthew’s Thrift Shop – 50% off everything: Come shop and save! Literally EVERYTHING at the Thrift Shop is 50% OFF for six days only. Find your new look or some special treasures at half price – then get ready for brand new merchandise right after the sale! 2812 Main St., Sept. 1–6 |
| TONIGHT is the FINAL Ocean Park Social Club Summer Picnic Series: Tonight/Thursday is the final of the bi-weekly summer evening picnics at Hotchkiss Park from 5:30-7:30pm. No RSVP needed. Bring your own snacks, drinks, and smiles. Email Tess with any questions. |
| Bowlmor Construction Quarterly Update: We spoke with a representative for the project at Pico & 3rd St. last week, and here are some key updates: |
| Structural Concrete work is complete with only site concrete work left to perform that will take place in late winter of 2027Wood Framing continues and is currently about 50% completeDaily closure of the Parking Lane and (1) Eastbound travel lane will continue for the next several months to facilitate deliveries and construction operations. All traffic control will be removed from the street at the end of each daily shift.Interior Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing work is ongoing throughout the garage and upper floors.The exterior skin work phase has begun with the installation of exterior scaffolding. Scaffolding will be wrapped with a mesh screen material to help prevent any construction debris from getting outside the site. The project schedule is still on track for a initial construction completion Q4 2027, with final C of O in January 2028 |
| The Blue Notebook – A Weekly SMPD Recap – August 9-15: Here is the weekly police recap that details “SMPD made 123 arrests during a week marked by coordinated enforcement across Downtown Santa Monica, the beach, parks, and major commercial corridors.” |
| Man accused of killing Jameson’s manager is now suing Santa Monica and the police department: “Venice man who was once charged in the death of a Santa Monica bar manager has moved his fight from criminal to civil court, filing a lawsuit against Los Angeles County, the city of Santa Monica and the state of California that alleges malicious prosecution, civil rights violations and defamation. Leonard Korpie filed the complaint in August, seeking economic and non-economic damages, along with punitive damages, according to court records. The case is separate from a wrongful death lawsuit still pending against Korpie in Santa Monica.” More details here. |
| Parcel Tax Fails to Win Dem Club Backing: The Santa Monica Democratic Club won’t be endorsing a $495 parcel tax on the November ballot to help fund the School District after opponents on Wednesday blocked the measure from gaining the necessary votes. Measure ES fell short of winning the 55 percent needed, with 96 Club members, or 52 percent, voting to endorse the tax, 80 voting to oppose it, or 44 percent, and 7 members voting to make no endorsement, or 4 percent. More details here. |
| Lawmakers kill coastal exemption effort tied to Gehry-designed Ocean Avenue project: last-minute effort to exempt a Frank Gehry-designed downtown development from California Coastal Commission review has died, ending a monthslong fight that pitted a politically connected developer against environmental advocates, neighborhood groups and the city’s state representatives. Language that would have created a streamlined approval pathway for the Ocean Avenue Project did not survive as part of a state budget trailer bill this year, according to Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, D-Santa Monica, who confirmed the proposal is “dead for this year.” More details here. |
| Reducing drug penalties likely increased homelessness in California, new report says: When Californians voted to reduce drug penalties in 2014, it likely had the unintended consequence of also increasing homelessness in the state, according to a new report. The report, released Thursday by the Public Policy Institute of California, set out to measure the long-term effects of Proposition 47 – a 2014 ballot measure that lowered some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. It found that while the measure succeeded in reducing prison overcrowding as intended, it also appears to have contributed to an increase in people living on the street, a rise in overdoses and a drop in the number of people getting drug treatment. The PPIC researchers determined Prop. 47 caused an estimated increase in street homelessness of about 10% between 2015 and 2019. The study suggests the measure increased drug use (as measured by overdose deaths and hospitalizations) by between 7% and 8%. The researchers also found evidence that Prop. 47 led to a 20% reduction in the number of Californians receiving drug treatment, because the courts referred fewer people into treatment programs. More details here. |
| Joni Mitchell’s former Malibu Colony beach home receives $2 million price cut: The Cape Cod-style oceanfront residence is now asking ONLY $24.9 million. Seems like a bargain, right? More details here. |
