SMMUSD HDQTRS — Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is calling for soil testing and a site assessment of the entire Malibu High School campus. The Washington D.C.-based advocacy group also wants the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to test for lead, arsenic, and benzene, not just Polychlorinated biphenyl... Read more →

Officers with the Santa Monica Police Department have been receiving advanced training to deal with active shooters and other critical incidents thanks to a Department of Homeland Security grant. (Photo courtesy SMPD) For two months, Santa Monica Police Department officers have been training to respond to a host of critical incidents,... Read more →

A recent blog from the Natural Resources Defense Council’s ocean expert Leila Monroe includes a video shot by Santa Monica High School teacher Benjamin Kay following the “second flush” of rain in California last week. The video documents the waste and plastic pollution that flowed into Santa Monica Bay as a result of the... Read more →

UP THEY GO: Pedestrians walk up the Santa Monica Pier bridge before recent renovations. (File photo) CITY HALL — Remember the new Santa Monica Pier bridge that’s been in the works for 15 years? Well it’s still in the works. City Council will select a design or two to pass on to the environmental study phase at Tuesday’s... Read more →

Expo Light Rail Line   Note the following activities: 1. Intersection closures: 11th Street will be closed to northbound and southbound traffic at Colorado Avenue, Dec. 9-15 from 9 a.m. to 6 a.m.  Work will continue 24 hours per day for seven days to install train tracks.  Relocation of traffic signals will occur at the... Read more →

SMMUSD HDQTRS — Caulk tested for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at Malibu High School showed levels high enough to get the federal government involved, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Sandra Lyon said Thursday. On Wednesday, the school district verbally informed the Environmental Protection Agency that PCB... Read more →

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — The Santa Monica Police Department was awarded two grants totaling $185,000 to help make the roadways safer through DUI checkpoints and special enforcement actions, including targeting reckless motorcyclists and drivers texting or talking on cellphones. A Santa Monica police officer directs traffic during a DUI... Read more →

CITY HALL — A pair of medical marijuana dispensaries would be allowed in the areas surrounding Santa Monica’s hospitals, according to the Draft Zoning Ordinance released last week. In August, City Council ordered planning officials to include regulations for dispensaries in the zoning draft. The Planning Commission will discuss the... Read more →

File photo CITY HALL — Morrison and Foerster, the law firm selected by City Hall for its litigation against the Federal Aviation Administration, is putting the Living Wage Ordinance to shame. City officials will pay the firm $575 an hour to represent them in the lawsuit, filed Oct. 31, meant to settle the ongoing dispute over who has... Read more →

Santa Monica State Beach after an early morning rain storm on Thursday. (Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com) The Los Angeles Public Works Department is urging residents to keep the streets clean to protect local waterways due to a stormy forecast through Friday. Despite the installation of trash boom collection systems at the Ballona... Read more →