OPA Update 9/11/23: OPA Monthly Meeting TONIGHT, How SaMo Preparing Now for 2028 Olympics, & Things To Do This Week

Date:

 Invite to Attend OPA In Person Monthly Meeting TONIGHT: 

Join us on Alfafa’s back patio @ 2309 Main St Monday, Sept. 11 @ 6:30pm! Salads provided by OPA. We will also be hybrid on Zoom. Click here to add to your calendar. Here is the Zoom link to join the meeting starting at 7:00pm. Here is the schedule: 

  • 6:30-7:00: FREE salads and mingling
  • 7:00-7:15: Guest – SMPD: Update on recent activity
  • 7:15-7:30: Guest – Jim Harris: Executive Director, SaMo Pier
  • 7:30-7:45: Livable Communities Initiative
  • 7:45-8:30: Board Agenda, including Sharing an Open Main St Recap & Sept planning 

Shameless Plug to Join OPA and/or Get Involved: Events like the Main St. Festival don’t program themselves. You can support OPA by joining today and/or joining a committee. Most memberships are $20-$30/year but there is also a $10/year option. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OR DONATE or reply to this email to learn more.

Final 2023 Sharing an Open Main St Festival: Mark your calendars for the weekend of Oct 21-22 for the next weekend when Main St. becomes a pedestrian plaza. Expect a spooktacular Halloween themed weekend! 

News:

SMMUSD Superintendent’s Message: This letter from Dr. Antonio Shelton was sent to all teachers, parents and staff to welcome them to the 2023-24 school year.

SaMo Preparing for 2028 Olympics: This SMDP article explains many of the efforts the City is undertaking to hopefully be one of the centerpieces of the event, including hosting beach volleyball competition.

SMDP Profiles Bill’s Liquor @ Lincoln Blvd & Pacific St. This story shares the history of the couple that started this store 60 years ago. 

Rosh Hashanah Food Options: 

The Jewish New Year begins on Friday, Sept. 15 and multiple local restaurants have you covered if you need some menu help:

  • Huckleberry: Offering a full menu of options, including Whole Mary’s Organic Apple Honey Glazed Chicken with herbed pearl couscous, housemade Apple Sauce to go with Organic Potato Pancakes, a crunchy, Organic Kale Salad with roasted beets, apples, celery, herbs & white wine vinaigrette and Honey Glazed Baked Apples with walnut oat crumble for dessert. They’ve got Milo + Olive Challah too! Orders include heat & serve instructions. 1014 Wilshire Blvd. https://www.huckleberrycafe.com/cateringandevents
  • Wexler’s: Pre-order a traditional holiday brisket, farmer’s market big salad, matzo ball soup, noodle kugel with walnut crumble, roasted heirloom carrots with honey & rosemary, challah, and  honey cake to feed 4-6 people. 616 Santa Monica Blvd. https://www.wexlersdeli.com/high-holidays
  • Birdie G’s is cooking up special dishes like a Whole Roasted Chicken with black lime & fenugreek, Prime Corned Beef Tri-Tip with smoked tomato remoulade, and Apple-Sunchoke Cake with hazelnut & caramel sauce, Southern Kugel with chow-chow, pecan & sage brown butter. Everything feeds about 4-6 people and comes with simple heat & serve instructions. https://www.birdiegsla.com
  • The Gourmandise School: If you’re feeling ambitious, join chef Benedetta Guetta, author of Cooking alla Giudia, on Sept. 12th for a class where you’ll learn to make honey challah, Lebanese mahshi, couscous, tzimmes, and apple roses. 395 Santa Monica Place. https://thegourmandiseschool.com

Things To Do This Week: 

  • Red Cross Blood Drive: Help with the blood shortage. Wednesday, Sept. 13, 10am – 4pm @ Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. More details here.
  • SMC to Honor Constitution Day with Two FREE Talks by Popular Legal Scholars: Audience Q&A follows talk with USC Law Professor Jody Armour Tuesday, Sept. 12 @ 6:30p.m. and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky Thursday, Sept. 14 @ 11:15a.m. smc.edu/events
  • Fraud and Identity Theft Awareness: Antonia Villasenor, from the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation, discusses how to protect yourself and your loved ones from financial fraud, and steps to take if your identity is stolen. Thursday, Sept. 14, 4 – 5p.m. @ Main Library, Multipurpose Room
  • Comedy on Main: Laugh the night away every 2nd Thursday at Tavern on Main, with comedians from Netflix, BET, Amazon Prime and more performing. Use code MAIN for half off tickets. Sept. 14, 8 -10pm. More details here.

OPA & City Meetings:

  • Landmarks Commission Meeting (Monday 7pm): More details & agenda here.
  • City Council Meeting  (Tuesday @ 5:30 pm – public portion starts closer to 6:30 pm):Meetings are hybrid and can be viewed on this YouTube channel. Click here for agenda. 
  • OPA Connects Meeting (Wednesday 12pm): Here is the Zoom link or Click Here to add it to your calendar.
  • Library Board Meeting (Thursday 6pm): More details & agenda here
  • Rent Control Board Meeting (Thursday 7pm): More details & agenda here.
Damien Newton
Damien Newton
Damien is the executive director of the Southern California Streets Initiative which publishes Santa Monica Next, Streetsblog Los Angeles, Streetsblog San Francisco, Streetsblog California and Longbeachize.

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