It feels like year since our last legislative update, but there’s been a lot of hearings, movement, amendments, and more that happened in the capitol in the last month. Below is all of the legislation Streetsblog has been tracking. Assembly…
The race for three seats on the Santa Monica City Council is quickly coming into focus, with a growing field of candidates entering ahead of the November 2026 election. Filing deadlines are still months away, but the pace of announcements…
The city of Santa Monica will begin automated enforcement of vehicles parked illegally in bike lanes on May 1, marking a first-in-California effort to use camera technology mounted on parking enforcement vehicles to keep bike lanes clear. The new Automated Bike Lane…
It may still be a few months until candidates can “pull papers” and officially begin their campaigns for City Council, but the past week has seen a few developments that are shaping the race. The city will decide three of…
The Santa Monica Police Department has officially launched a new high-tech policing hub, the Santa Monica Analytical Real-Time Center (SMART Center), backed by more than $6 million in state funding and framed by city leaders as a key piece of…
Thank You Chi Trainer for Joining OPA as a Gold Member!!! With over 8 years of dedicated practice in Tai Chi Gung, Qigong, yoga, meditation, and nature-based healing traditions, Sean created Chi Trainer as a sanctuary for restoration, vitality, and inner…
Assemblymember Rick Zbur’s (D-Santa Monica) legislation to give greater local permitting powers to a handful of cities in areas where the California Coastal Commission has authority has been watered down and narrowed in scope, but for the one city it…
With the way advocates, and news reports, were talking about Senate Bill 1361, legislation written in response to cities balking at supporting transit projects to avoid last year’s Senate Bill 79, a new law facilitating greater density near major transit stops, one would have…
Photo of 1934 golf tournament at the original park. Credit UCLA Archives provided by Great Park Coalition. Santa Monica residents will have a chance to celebrate the city’s past—and its future—this weekend at a community picnic hosted by the Santa…
On Monday night, the Assembly Transportation Committee advanced four pieces of legislation designed to regulate the growing e-bike and e-motorcycle industries. As the popularity of e-bikes and e-motorcycles has grown, so has the number of crashes and fatalities. There is…
Image provided by BXP. A new all-day cafe and restaurant is getting ready to open its doors in Santa Monica this summer, bringing a mix of Australian surf culture, California coastal cuisine, and neighborhood hangout energy to the east side…
Update: Staff for Senator Durazo reached out noting that our description of the legislation, which was based on what was said at the Metro meeting last week, is different than the analysis on the official legislative website, available here (click on the…
More Earth Day! In celebration of Earth Day 2026 and this year’s global theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier will illuminate its iconic solar-powered Ferris wheel with vibrant green and blue lighting, highlighted by a striking 90-foot-tall spinning…
Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade Entertainment Zone (EZ) has completed its first six months, with early results suggesting it has become a useful tool for boosting activity downtown. According to a staff report to City Council (link to report here),…
The following is a submission from SMMUSD. Image: From left to right, Brandon Kirbyson, Landon Kummer and Tobin Palmer Three Santa Monica High School (Samohi) students have been named finalists in the prestigious 2026 Conrad Challenge, an international innovation and…
