News from Santa Monica.
Statistics released in an email from the City Manager show a shocking drop in the amount of traffic stops made by the Santa Monica Police Department over the last decade. In 2015, the department issued 12,526 total traffic citations. That…
Major changes are coming to Ocean Park Boulevard (adjacent to the Santa Monica Airport, Clover Park and the Santa Monica Business Park) if a project outlined in a permit application to the city comes to fruition. The mixed-use project proposes…
The city is one step closer to bringing justice to the family of Silas White following a vote to offer mediation to the White family. White was a prominent Black entrepreneur who owned businesses and property in and near Santa…
Next is debuting a new feature this week. Following City Council meetings we’ll have a quick recap of all of the pieces of legislation that we’re not planning larger stories of. Council Recalls and Replaces Six Members of DTSM Board…
(Photo: Miles Freeman/Google) RAND Seeks Changes to 25-Year-Old Development Deal to Allow for Mixed-Use At tonight’s City Council meeting, the RAND Corporation is seeking changes in its Development Agreement with the city agreed to in 2000 that is set to…
Just a couple of years ago, the 3rd Street Promenade seemed to be on its last legs. Storefront vacancies were higher than they should have been. There was a perception that crime and homelessness were out of control. The outdoor…
In 1971, “gonzo” author, Hunter S. Thompson, debuted his novel, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. His soon-to-be-classic became a seminal part of over-the-top fiction depicting the exploding phenomenon of a drug-fueled counter-culture and a wild disregard for the behavior of the…
California State Senator Ben Allen (D–Santa Monica) has officially put Senate Bill 549 on hold for the remainder of 2025, halting efforts to advance the legislation designed to aid wildfire recovery after a an online misinformation campaign and compliant media sullied…
Last we week, Next posted a cry for help from the family of Brian Umali who had gone missing after his wallet had been found at the Pier. We don’t have the details of how he was found, but Umali’s…
In yet another gift to the oil industry, United States President Donald Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced the cancellation of $4 billion in federal grants to the California High-Speed Rail project awarded under previous administrations. The move will likely…
In 2020, Los Angeles County voters passed Measure J – an effort to shift the county away from carceral infrastructure by moving no less than 10 percent of its locally generated unrestricted revenue to investments in communities and programs that…
The following is a press statement from the Office of Lindsey Horvath: Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Holly J. Mitchell to support state and federal legislation aimed…
Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) announced last Friday that Chief Executive Officer Andrew Thomas will step down after three years. “When I returned to DTSM in 2022, it truly felt like coming home,” said Thomas. “I knew the energy, passion,…
OPA July 14 Monthly Meeting Tonight/Monday: This month’s meeting will be at the Ocean Park Library (@ 2601 Main St.) starting with food and mingling at 6:00pm. We will also be hybrid on Zoom. Here’s the zoom link and here’s…
It was no quiet night in city council chambers on Tuesday evening, as the council conducted a study session on the much-anticipated, much-desired park space on the land that is currently the Santa Monica Airport. A couple hundred residents rallied…
