Santa Monicans: Here’s How to Get Your Ocean Way Tickets Now…
Golden Voice sent Next an email asking us to pass along this information to make your ticket purchases easier… SM Residents: How To Purchase During The Resident Presale Insider Tips:
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.
Ocean Way Festival Marks Latest Step in Santa Monica’s Reinvention as an Entertainment Destination
Santa Monica’s efforts to redefine itself as a destination for entertainment and experiences rather than primarily shopping and dining will take another major step this September with the debut of the Ocean Way Festival. City officials and festival promoter Goldenvoice…
Keeping Santa Monica Housed: New Renter Aid Program Launches
Every week, Santa Monica Next re-publishes a story from the City Manager’s Newsletter. This week, the story has been slightly edited because the newsletter was published on Sunday, and the opening happened yesterday. Santa Monica has officially launched Santa Monica…
COAST Returns
The Santa Monica COAST open streets event returned yesterday after an eight-year hiatus, as part of the city’s celebration of the final World Cup game of 2026. Yesterday’s event had more of a “really big street fair” vibe than the…
6 Artists Selected for Residencies at the Bergamot Station Arts Center
The following is a submission from the City of Santa Monica. Image: Dopamine, Primeras Impesiones by Nicolette Spear. Six Los Angeles County-based artists have been chosen as the 2026-2027 cohort for the city of Santa Monica Artist Residency Program, formerly…
Dem. Club Makes Endorsements in Rent Control Board, School, College Board Elections. Fails to Reach Consensus on City Council.
Last night, the Santa Monica Democratic Club held its annual endorsement meeting, and, in a sign of both how hotly contested this year’s election will be and the rightward drift of its membership, it failed to reach consensus on any…
Council Briefs: Ballot Measures for SMMUD, Tenant Protections, Progress on the Civic, Punt on SB 79 and More…
Santa Monica Next received an AI assist in creating this story. Santa Monica City Council placed two school-funding and tenant-protection measures on the November ballot, directed staff to negotiate a Civic Auditorium deal with concert giant Golden Voice, and adopted…
Eyes on the Street: Protected Bikeways Have Arrived at 26th and Broadway
All images by Cynthia Rose. As any regular reader of Santa Monica Next can tell you, we’ve been very excited about the Broadway Safety Project, a project that runs between Ocean Avenue and 26th Street to repave the street and…
Council to Consider School Funding Parcel Tax for November Ballot
The Santa Monica City Council will officially decide Tuesday (Agenda, Item 11a) whether to place a proposed school funding parcel tax before voters this November. The citizen-sponsored initiative would levy a $495 annual parcel tax on property owners, with all…
Santa Monica COAST World Cup Finale Will Open Downtown Streets on 7/19
Santa Monica’s six-week FIFA World Cup celebration wraps up with COAST 2026 on Sunday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The free, all-ages event will transform more than a mile of Downtown Santa Monica—including the Third Street Promenade,…
Environmental Justice Group Sues Over California’s New Cap-and-Trade Rules
Just days after California’s controversial overhaul of its cap-and-trade (called cap-and-invest by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office) program took effect, an environmental justice organization has filed suit (link directly to lawsuit) seeking to overturn the regulations. On July 1, Communities for a…
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 that’s impacted the Promenade, the global pandemic, and the decline in international tourism in recent years…
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 to our Housing Progress Dashboard which provides the clearest current picture of housing production in…
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 city to adapt its long-term strategy. While visitor spending, hotel performance, and major events have helped…
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 after work had completed. Ocean Park resident Matthew Stevens has been asking the city to improve…