Santa Monica Tackles $33M Budget Deficit with Bold Solutions
March ZJ Boarding House Closes Iconic surf shop ZJ Boarding House closed after 37 years as its parent company, Liberated Brands, files for bankruptcy. The store, a Main Street staple,…
Santa Monica News Recap: Fire Recovery, School Updates
February School board stumped by low grades and high test scores SMMUSD officials expressed concern regarding over 800 secondary students receiving D or F grades in math during the fall…
Newsletter: Dec 27, 2025
Devastating Palisades Fire Marks Catastrophic Start to 2025 How did the 2025 Palisades Fire impact Santa Monica? The wildfire destroyed 6,800+ structures, killed at least 12 people, and led to…
SMPD prevent downtown suicide
The Santa Monica Police Department prevented a suicide in the Downtown area on Saturday when they pulled a man off a ledge after a brief standoff. While Santa Monica officers…
California Proposed Tax on $1M Part-Time Homes to Help Students
Getting into college is harder than ever. Every year, Americans spend about $500 million on “educational consultants” who help students navigate applying to college. Most first-generation, low-income students don’t have…
California’s PACE Program Helps Seniors Age at Home
You’ve likely never heard of PACE, but for thousands of California seniors, it’s the reason they’re still living at home. PACE stands for Program of All Inclusive Care for the…
Newsletter: Dec 26, 2025
Front & Center Trader Joe's buys former Rite Aid for $22 million Trader Joe's has purchased the former Rite Aid property at 1331 Wilshire Blvd. for $22 million. The acquisition…
LA County Declares Emergency as Winter Storm Batters Region
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has issued a local emergency proclamation as a powerful winter storm continued to pummel the region with heavy rain and strong winds, threatening…
Mayor Bass got some of LA’s homeless people indoors. Will it matter to voters?
By Jim Newton, CalMatters This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass staked her political future on a promise: As a…
Santa Monica’s 2025 Began with Catastrophic Palisades Fire
January Homegrown homeless deterrent device, the Blue Chirper, makes Promenade debut A Santa Monica resident created the “Blue Chirper,” a device emitting a high-pitched sound to deter loiterers. The device…