News from Santa Monica.
If, like me, you were watching the news on Wednesday night, you might have noticed a cameo appearance by the Santa Monica Police Department at the breakup of the Pro-Palestinian encampent. A row of SMPD squad cars was shown on…
The author is a studio at Santa Monica High School. It has been lightly edited. Excitement builds as Santa Monica High School (Samohi) students, alongside community leaders, prepare to host the “Plugging In” ceremony. The event marks the Santa Monica-Malibu…
The City of Santa Monica has launched an e-bike voucher program to allow 90 low and moderate families residing in the city to purchase an e-bike. Last year, the city announced it was working on a program similar to the…
Earlier this morning, UNITE HERE Local 11 announced that the last four hotels that were under strike in Santa Monica have reached a settlement. The UNITE HERE Local 11 hotel strike is over in Santa Monica. Hampton Inn Santa Monica,…
Between the fall of 2022 and May of last year, there was constant chatter about the “builder’s remedy” and the sixteen projects that were submitted to the city during a brief time when the state suspended the city’s zoning code.…
The Santa Monica Big Blue Bus announced changes to nine routes along its service, mostly with increased hours, starting on Sunday, May 5. Three other lines, E7, 42 and 44, will cease service. “We’re making service improvements on nine routes…
“Persistence with kindness.” “Don’t take no for an answer.” “Keep trying different things, keep pivoting.” “You have to be very persistent, and kind of annoying.” “District leaders should know who you are; light up their phones.” These consistent bits of…
Over the weekend, environmental activist Carter Rubin shot a video showing the “small mighty” bike path that will provide a safe connection between the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway (MANGo) and the Expo Bike path. Watch the video on Twitter/X or below:…
Metro bus riders will soon see faster bus speeds when Metro and L.A. City get a new bus lane enforcement program underway this year. Metro is adding on-bus cameras that will automatically issue tickets to drivers parking in bus lanes…
On Tuesday I went to Reed Park to observe the anti-needle-exchange rally hosted by the Santa Monica Coalition, co-founded by Pacific Palisades resident Jessica Rogers and Trump supporter John Alle, who also doesn’t live in Santa Monica. As noted in…
Yesterday, a majority of the Santa Monica City Council joined roughly four dozen activists at a political rally organized by the Santa Monica Coalition to demand that LA County end its needle exchange program in Santa Monica public parks. The…
The American Planning Association announced the winners of the 11th Annual Awards for Excellence in Sustainability at the 2024 National Planning Conference in Minneapolis. The City of Santa Monica took home the “Quality of Life” award for the Active Aging…
Last week, strikes resumed at a pair of Santa Monica hotels as Southern California elected leaders wrote the new Craig Smith, the Chief Executive Officer Aimbridge Hospitality which operates several hotels in Southern California including the Hampton Inn and Suites…
On Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council approved a design concept for a project that would bring 120 affordable apartments, 50 of which would include supportive services, at a city owned project at 1318 4th Street where a parking lot…
This story includes reporting initially from a legislative update at Streetsblog California that includes more on E-bike Classifications and Batteries. Read the rest of the report here. This story is an edited copy of a legislative update at Streetsblog California…
