News from Santa Monica.
Santa Monica released the results of this year’s annual city-wide homelessness count Tuesday, showing a continued increase in the number of people struggling with homelessness in the city for the second year in a row after nearly a decade of…
Santa Monica Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of an 88-year-old man earlier this year, officials said. Late last week, police arrested 26-year-old Roy Antonio Davis as a suspect in the murder of John Hautz, the elderly Santa…
Four years after a major realignment of service and facing declining ridership, the Big Blue Bus will once again go before the City Council to discuss the future of the regional transit agency. The staff report for Tuesday’s Council meeting,…
This post originally appeared on Streetsblog California. It’s February, so all bills that did not get passed by their first house by now, in either the California Assembly or Senate, are being officially declared dead. Unfortunately, among them are some…
This post originally appeared on Santa Monica Next’s sister site, Los Angeles Streetsblog. Since 2016, the media has been reporting that Metro ridership is declining. But how bad is the problem and what is causing it? A report out this week takes a hard look…
A petition filed with the City Clerk Monday could put the question of whether Santa Monica City Council members should have term limits before the voters this November. The proposed ballot measure [PDF], signed by Santa Monica City Councilmember Sue…
Members of the regional hospitality workers union, UNITE HERE Local 11, gathered to protest Monday in front of the JW Marriot Le Merigot after the National Labor Relations Board filed charges against the hotel’s management company, Columbia Sussex. The NLRB…
A national anti-union organization took aim at UNITE HERE Local 11, the regional hospitality workers’ union earlier this month, spurring responses from Santa Monica leaders. “I’m a big believer in the role labor unions can play in addressing the great…
Last Thursday, the California State Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee narrowly killed a controversial bill that would have repealed the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which limits local jurisdictions’ ability to enact or strengthen rent control laws. In order to…
The team behind a proposed Frank Gehry-designed hotel at Santa Monica Boulevard and Ocean Avenue revealed revised plans Thursday night at a well-attended community meeting. Thursday’s meeting was the first public reveal of the new plans, which have been significantly…
Workers at Santa Monica’s Le Merigot hotel filed a complaint Wednesday with the California Labor Commission, alleging thousands of dollars in lost wages and rest and meal-break violations. According to a press release issued Thursday by UNITE HERE Local 11,…
After a woman riding an electric scooter was injured in a crash earlier this week, the city of Santa Monica issued safety tips for using the increasingly popular mode of transportation. The woman, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press,…
The city of Santa Monica is looking for volunteers to help with its annual homelessness count, which helps the city keep tabs on and take steps to address the growing problem of people without shelter. Those interested in helping with…
For more than four years, Santa Monica Next has been a loud and clear voice for safe streets, progressive urban design, and a balanced approach to increasing our city’s housing stock. Twice a year, we reach out to you, our readers, to ask…
Smoky conditions caused by high winds and two fires, the Thomas fire in Ventura County and the Creek fire in Sylmar, have led Santa Monica officials end school early and cancel after school activities. “We recognize that the nearby fires…
