DOWNTOWN — Those who work for bosses too cheap to pay for parking Downtown will have some more affordable options come May 1. Instead of doing the parking shuffle — moving cars every two or three hours to avoid paying parking structure fees or getting a $62 ticket for staying too long — employees can now purchase a monthly... Read more →

CITYWIDE — There’s a stark choice facing proponents of tougher anti-smoking laws in Santa Monica. Should they urge the City Council to expand its existing bans on smoking in many public places to include private balconies and patios in apartment buildings? Or should they back the campaign of Rent Control Board Commissioner Robert... Read more →

The Santa Monica College Foundation has received a $100,000 donation from the Santa Monica Bay Chapter of the American Association of University Women for a new scholarship to be earmarked primarily for women students pursuing careers in nursing and education. The gift has a two-fold significance. It is the largest one-time contribution from... Read more →

PCH — For those who love the surf and sand, an initiative expected to be on the statewide ballot this November that would make parking free at Santa Monica State Beach may seem like a gift from the gods. But it’s causing concern at City Hall, where officials say it could cut into Downtown parking revenues and complicate... Read more →

The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank has launched a free app for the iPhone. The new Pantry Locator provides a portal for users to make cash donations using software via their iPhone or iPod and searches for local food pantries using online GPS technology. SPINX, Inc., a leading Los Angeles-based Web design and development services provider,... Read more →

CITY HALL — Santa Monica makes up just a tiny portion of the Ballona Creek Watershed — .32 percent of its overall land area — but City Hall still has to pay its fair share to help limit urban runoff from flowing into the Santa Monica Bay. Accordingly, the City Council on Tuesday is being asked to approve $3,511 to cover... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — As summer nears, Santa Monica Place emerged from its two-year renovation to announce the addition of 14 new retailers to its already robust line-up of shopping and dining attractions. In addition to brands like Burberry, Hugo Boss, and Swarovski, the property revealed on Thursday that Betsey Johnson, Barneys Co-Op,... Read more →

Dear EarthTalk: Which woods are OK to purchase, and which are not, in the interest of preserving forests and not harming those who depend upon them? Jon Steiner, Boise, ID Deforestation continues to be one of the world’s biggest environmental problems, especially in fast developing regions like South America, Southeast Asia and Africa.... Read more →

CITY HALL — Santa Monica could take a step toward repealing its beekeeping ban on Tuesday, as the City Council is set to discuss a proposal that also calls for setting up a bee sanctuary on City Hall-owned land. The plan has the ardent support of the Los Angeles-area beekeeping community, members of which have criticized Santa Monica... Read more →

ALTA AVE — Although Santa Monica is generally an environmentally friendly town, one couple and contractor are taking green living to a new level with what they say is the city’s first carbon-neutral, 100-percent waste diversion house. As contractor Sean King, president of SMK Construction, transforms an old Alta Avenue bungalow... Read more →

MALIBU — Concerned that the state budget crisis and declining enrollment at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School could prompt the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to close the award-winning campus, a coalition of parents and teachers at the campus want permission to operate it under an independent charter. Leaders of... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Santa Monica-based homeless services provider Step Up on Second is expanding its presence outside of its home base with a plan to open a new housing facility for the chronically homeless in Hollywood. The non-profit, which operates three housing projects in Santa Monica, has acquired the former Galaxy Hotel on Vine Street... Read more →

BROADWAY — In a move that almost certainly spells the end of the line for the venerable Broadway Deli, the Planning Commission on Wednesday granted the restaurant’s landlord, Promenade Gateway LLP, a permit it needs to move ahead with plans to replace the deli with two new, higher paying tenants. The land owner wants to subdivide... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Some heroes are closer to home than most people realize. Eight community members were recognized Thursday as this year’s recipients of Santa Monica Human Relations Council’s Community Heroes awards. These stand-out citizens represent a broad spectrum of volunteer organizations to which they have made significant... Read more →

MALIBU — A plan to bring a Santa Monica College satellite campus to Malibu moved a step closer to reality on Tuesday as the Malibu Public Facilities Authority approved the outline of a deal to build the campus on Los Angeles County-owned land in the city’s Civic Center. The vote by the four-member panel, which is composed of two... Read more →