OPA & Main St. Calendar This Week:
- Housing Committee Ballot Measure Meeting (Wednesday 5:15pm): Join for a conversation about Measures on the ballot that have a housing component. The group will discuss 1) What is the Measure 2) What does a Yes/No vote mean, and 3) Discussion on State Measure 5, State Measure 33, County Measure A, and SaMo Measure F (funds to be directed toward homeless services). The meeting is at Ashland Hill (2807 Main St.). Click here to email Robbie Leer for more details if interested in attending.
- Main Street HOWL-O-WEEN Event & Pet Costume Contest (Saturday 3-6pm): Enjoy a spooktacular afternoon at the annual Main St. HOWL-O-WEEN event. Dress up your furry friend in their best costume and enter the Costume Contest for a chance to win some fang-tastic prizes. Additional activities: Face Painting Pet Photo Booth Pet Adoption by: theyari.org Pet-Approved Vendors Performances by: Sophie Dance West & Lincoln Middle School Choir. After the contest, grab some popcorn and settle in for a special outdoor screening of the original Ghostbusters. @ Ashland Hill Parking Lot, 2807 Main St. More details here.
- Main St. Halloween Movie on the Street – Ghostbusters (Saturday 6-8pm): This year’s movie (as voted by the community) is the original Ghostbusters (1984). Lincoln Middle School Madrigals will kick off the evening at 5:45pm with a 15 minute medley of Halloween carols before a showing It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, followed by the original Ghostbusters! The movies and popcorn are free, but *BYO whatever else you want (food, drink, lawn chairs, blankets). Click here to RSVP to the movie and/or pet costume contest.
Looking for 2025 OPA Board Nominations: Nov. 8 is the deadline for 2024 OPA Board Nominations: Reply to this email asap if you’re interested in joining the board and want to learn more about it and/or want to nominate someone else.
Halloween & Dia de los Muertos Safety Tips: This SaMo.gov post details best practices, including how to Walk Safely, Plan Activities Wisely, Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe, and Drive Safely.
Last Week of SOCKtober! “Socks are the #1 requested item in homeless shelters and rehab facilities, so please donate new socks for all ages at SMTT’s Visitor Center, 2427 Main St. Participate in Santa MoniCARES’ SOCKtober collection drive now until Oct. 31, to make an impact in our community. Last year, we gathered 1,100 pairs of socks, and this year, we aim to match or beat that number.” More details here.
The Street Seen: Morgan’s Cafe (212 – 214 Ashland @ 2nd St.): This week’s write-up details the property that “was constructed in 1926 as 2nd floor residential over a short-lived ground-floor restaurant.”
Big Blue Bus Awarded $53.3 Million to Accelerate Fleet Electrification, Service Enhancements, & Workforce Development: The California State Transportation Agency announced that BBB will receive the grant complete the phased implementation of an electrification master plan, enable the purchase of 73 battery electric buses, and provide workforce development to operate infrastructure improvements. More details here.
Santa Monica Cannabis Stores Seek Extended Hours Amid Customer Demand: “While state law allows such retail outlets to stay open until 10:00 p.m., because the hours of the stores are regulated by the state and local municipalities, in the city of Santa Monica, retail cannabis stores are only allowed to stay open until 8:00 p.m.” More details here.
Election / Voting News:
- Oscar de la Torre Faced Multiple Accusations of Racism in Tuesday’s Council Meeting: Here is SMDP’s recap of last week’s very heated City Council meeting.
- Ballot Measures Made Simple Deck: Here is the deck that was used for the recent OPA meeting focused on explaining all the ballot measures.
- Measure K: This Santa Monica Next article in favor it, details “the measure would raise an estimated $6,700,000 annually by placing an additional 8% tax on parking fees charged by a parking facility operator. This will bring the tax to 18%, and because city-owned lots are exempt from the city’s parking facilities tax, the city estimates that most of the increased rates will be paid by visitors and tourists.”
- SaMo City Council Candidate Forum Video: Here is a link to the video of the two-hour Forum that all 10 candidates participated in on Sept. 8.
- Check on Your Voter Registration Status: If you are unsure of your voter registration status go to https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ to find your current status.
- In Person Voting: In person voting starts Saturday, Oct. 26, 10am – 7pm at Civic Center parking Structure 2nd floor (330 Olympic Dr.). In person in Ocean Park is Nov. 2 -5 at at Joslyn Park (633 Kensington) and Washington Pre-School (2728 4th St.) 10am – 7pm on Sat, Sun, and Mon and 7am – 8pm Tuesday.
- Ballot Box Voting: Ballots can be dropped off 24 hours per day at any participating vote by mail ballot box location in the county. The Ocean Park ballot box is at Ocean View Park (2701 Barnard Way).
- Ballot Tracking: You can track the progress of your mailed in ballot at https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/
- There are many other details that may be necessary to vote (replacement ballots, not receiving ballot in the mail, mobility access issues etc.etc.). See https://www.lavote.gov/home/voting-elections/current-elections/find-my-election-information for additional help voting.
Things To Do This Week:
- Family Storytime with Special Guests from Cirque Du Soleil (Wednesday 4pm): “Join us for a delightful family story time and get a sneak preview of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA! Children of all ages are welcome! Limited space; tickets will be available starting at 3:30 PM at the Main library front entrance.” @ Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. More details here.
- Annual Volley-Ween Beach Volleyball Tournament (Wednesday 3:00 – 6:30pm): Enjoy games, entertainment, food, a friendly volleyball tournament and a Halloween costume contest. $35 to attend and/or play either on your own or with a volleyball team of 2, 4 or 6 players. All proceeds will go towards Santa MoniCARES and its charities. @ 2400 Ocean Front Walk: https://santamonicares.org/volley-ween-2024/
- Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future of the Santa Monica Airport Site (Wednesday 5pm): The Santa Monica Conservancy is hosting an OPEN listening session regarding the Santa Monica Airport site, specifically about the role that history might play in designing the future of the 192 acres of airport land. @ Ocean Park Library, 2601 Main St. Can join via Zoom as well. More details here.
- Annual Marina Monster Paddle Parade & Costume Contest (Wednesday 6pm): Paddle into the sunset in your spookiest getup with fellow witches, goblins, and ghouls for an unforgettable Halloween-themed paddleboarding and kayaking cruise at Marina del Rey. More details here.
- 10/31 Trick-or-Treating:
- @ the Library: Main Library 10am – 8pm and Pico and Montana Branches 12 – 8pm. More details here.
- Downtown: Participating businesses will be handing out candy 3 – 6pm. More details here.
- Montana Ave. Halloween Hop: 3 – 6pm on Montana Ave. from 6th – 17th Streets. More details here.
OPA & City Meetings:
- Airport Commission Meeting (Monday 7pm): More details & agenda here.
- Below Market Housing (BMH) Information Session (Tuesday 6:30pm): The BMH Waitlist is the central application for affordable housing opportunities within the City. Residents and those employed within Santa Monica have priority on the waitlist. This workshop is intended for applicants to learn more about the waitlist and the matching process. @ 2200 Virginia Ave. More details here.
- OPA Connects Meeting (Wednesday 12pm): Here is the Zoom link.
