SMO — A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. has declined to review an FAA ruling that determined City Hall is barred from enforcing a ban, passed by the City Council in 2008, prohibiting class C and D jets from landing at the Santa Monica Airport. The ruling, issued on Friday, was the latest blow to local officials’ attempt... Read more →

CITYWIDE — Flashback to the days leading up to this past Christmas: The region was being pounded by a rare, nearly week-long storm that brought down trees and caused hill dwellers to fear their homes would be swallowed up in a cascade of mud. In Santa Monica, there were few reports of damage. In fact, the storm had an upside for... Read more →

DOWNTOWN LA — Jurors could not come to an agreement on whether or not to recommend the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole for a hard-core gang member who murdered five people, including two Santa Monica men at the Sunset Park Moose Lodge. The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated about three days... Read more →

Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Friday, Jan. 14, at 10:17 a.m., Santa Monica police officers responded to the 2600 block of Alley Five regarding a suspect throwing garbage cans and... Read more →

Today's events have a heavy dose of theater. A nose for theatre Ruskin Group Theatre 3000 Airport Ave., 8 p.m. Ruskin Group Theatre presents an adventure based on the legend of 17th Century French dramatist and duelist Savinien de Bergerac, now known the world over as Cyrano. Afflicted with an enormous and bulbous nose, he is convinced... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — While nearly two-thirds of all cities in the state received failing grades in an annual smoking report released Thursday by the American Lung Association, Santa Monica earned a B for its policies restricting smoking and the sales of tobacco products. The report rates cities in the areas of providing smoke-free outdoor... Read more →

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Police said Thursday that Judson Birza, the million dollar winner of “Survivor: Nicaragua” just one month ago, was arrested around noon on Wednesday while riding his skateboard in the middle of the street. Birza was detained for a vehicle code violation. Officers ran his name through a database... Read more →

CITY HALL — Bracing for a fight with Sacramento, Santa Monica’s City Council joined a raft of other California cities this week by moving to shore up tens of millions of dollars per year in Redevelopment Agency funding that Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed using to help close the state’s multi-billion dollar budget gap. City... Read more →

INGLEWOOD — Former Santa Monica police chief James Butts edged out incumbent Inglewood Mayor Daniel Tabor in the special Jan. 11 mayoral election, according to election results released Thursday. Butts had 55.6 percent, or 3,776 votes, to Tabor’s 44.3 percent, or 3,004 votes, official election results show. Butts’ winning... Read more →

CITY HALL — Santa Monica officials are free to set up the taxi cab franchise system the City Council adopted last month despite a pending claim the city discriminated against Armenian-Americans when it selected franchisees, a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge ruled Wednesday morning. The ruling denied a request for a preliminary... Read more →

MAIN LIBRARY — If there are opponents in Santa Monica’s business community of the proposed law banning stores from giving out free single-use plastic bags, they haven’t made themselves known to the local Chamber of Commerce. At an informational session about the proposed ban the business group held on Wednesday morning at... Read more →

CITY HALL — The City Council on Monday decided to do away with a law that few people were following anyway, voting to repeal a long-standing requirement that Santa Monica residents register their bicycles at City Hall. The law, intended to discourage theft and help cyclists recover stolen bicycles, was viewed by many bike advocates as... Read more →

Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of... Read more →

DOWNTOWN Services planned A service for Matthew Mezza will be held today at 3 p.m. at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, located at 6001 W. Centinela Ave. in Los Angeles. Mezza, 14, died on Friday after jumping from an upper floor of the Sheraton Delfina Hotel. The family has asked that donations in Mezza’s honor be made to either... Read more →

PICO NEIGHBORHOOD — Police are investigating a possible gang-related shooting that erupted here Sunday night following a brawl that involved 20 to 30 black and Hispanic men who gathered near Woodlawn Cemetery, an area known for gang activity. SMPD Sgt. Jay Trisler said several shots were fired but there were no victims at the scene... Read more →