Damien Newton
341 POSTS
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.
National Media Focuses on Santa Monica
The Wall Street Journal and MSN checked in on Santa Monica’s economic struggles caused in large part by the decline in retail shopping nationally...
City Publishes New Housing Data
(Every week, Santa Monica Next republishes an article from City Manager Oliver Chi's newsletter)This past week, our team in Community Development published fresh data...
Dan Hall Breaks Down the State of Tourism
Councilmember Dan Hall's latest newsletter argues that Santa Monica's tourism industry is showing encouraging signs of recovery but faces significant headwinds that require the...
Eyes on the Street: Sidewalk Construction on Ashland
Both images by Matthew Stevens. Image above was construction on the north side earlier this week. Image below is the north side yesterday afternoon...
Next 3.0 – Back to Our Roots
When we launched Santa Monica Next in 2013, we had a simple idea: create a news site that focused not just on what happened...
Latest
Council to Consider School Funding Parcel Tax for November Ballot
The Santa Monica City Council will officially decide Tuesday...
Santa Monica Forward Endorses Torosis, Gill, and Morrow for City Council
The following is a submission from Santa Monica Forward.Santa...
SMC’s Emeritus Acting Troupe to Perform July 18, “Conversations: Scenes from Film and Theater”
The following is a submission from SMC.Santa Monica College’s...
OPA Update 7/9/26: Ocean Park Summer Picnic Series Kicks Off Tonight, 2026 Most Loved Businesses, City Issues Fines in Automated Bike Lane Enforcement Program,...
OPA Membership Drive: If you enjoy this newsletter and all the...

