News from Santa Monica.
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…
The following is a submission from the Police Activities League. Santa Monica Police Activities League (PAL) celebrated the academic achievements and future aspirations of local youth during its annual Chris Carrey PAL Education Fund Recognition Dinner on Thursday, July 9,…
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…
(Follow Todd’s socials LinkTree.) In April, I marked 29 years living in Santa Monica. In that time, I’ve enjoyed careers in public and government affairs, corporate philanthropy, manufacturing, journalism, and now, travel. I’ve been a travel agent and advisor for…
The following was submitted as a “Letter to the Editor” by Ted Winterer. Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) has voted on its endorsements for this fall’s election to seats on the SMMUSD Board of Education and the SMC Board of Trustees.…
The following is a submission from Santa Monica Forward. Santa Monica Forward is proud to endorse Caroline Torosis, Eli Gill, and Brett Morrow for Santa Monica City Council in November 2026, three leaders with the record, urgency, and expertise to…
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,…
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…
(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…
The nomination period for three seats on the Santa Monica City Council, three seats on the Rent Control Board, four seats on the Santa Monica-Malibu School District Board and four seats on the Santa Monica College District Board opens on…
As America was fighting its war against the British in 1812, the commander of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Major George Armistead, commissioned a local seamstress named Mary Pickersgill to sew a large flag to fly over the citadel. Bringing together…
OPA Membership Drive: If you enjoy this newsletter and all the events and community work OPA is leading (like the recent SOULstice street festival & this weekend’s Parade), please help our efforts by becoming a member or making a donation. Most memberships are $20/year…
Since May 1, the city of Santa Monica has been using AI camera technology to ticket drivers parked in bike lanes. Starting today, the program shifted from issuing warnings to issuing actual $93 tickets. Santa Monica is the first California city…
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…
When we launched Santa Monica Next in 2013, we had a simple idea: create a news site that focused not just on what happened today, but on how today’s decisions shape the future. To do that, we recruited young journalists,…
