PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — In all of my visits to interview law enforcement authorities for articles, never did I imagine the tables would one day be turned. But there I stood in the lobby of the Santa Monica Police Department on a Friday night, filing a report and answering questions describing every detail of an incident that had just... Read more →

Santa Monica will host the Sixth Annual AltBuild Expo this weekend to display the best of green building practices and design. AltBuild, which stands for the Alternative Building Materials & Design Expo, will include speakers and noted exhibitors within the green community. The Expo is a much-anticipated event that brings together members... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — The once pervasive sounds of drilling, sawing and hammering are quieting. In a city where residents frequently complain about the amount of construction activity and waged an unsuccesful campaign to restrict development, the recession is pulling the plug on many projects. The number of applications requesting new... 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. Wednesday, April 29, at 11:55 p.m., A Santa Monica police officer in a marked vehicle was parked along the curb at the corner of Pico Boulevard and... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — There’s the cost of going green, and then there’s the cost of letting everyone know about it. One of the largest local developers of affordable housing, Community Corporation of Santa Monica owns approximately 80 properties in the city, a combination of apartment rehabilitation and newly constructed complexes.... Read more →

PICO BLVD — While the economic downturn is forcing an upturn in enrollment at Santa Monica College, it’s also cutting into the number of available classes to those new students. After eliminating about 193 sections — or about 6 percent — from its course offerings in the spring semester, administrators with SMC said... Read more →

MALIBU — With proceeds from a lemonade stand, students at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School are reducing their carbon footprint by going solar. Students contributed $300 toward the purchase of 33 solar panels, which have been installed at one of the Malibu campus’ buildings, making Point Dume, a member of the Santa... Read more →

Concerned about people on fixed incomes and their ability to make ends meet during the economic downturn, WISE & Healthy Aging is offering free, nutritional lunches at five locations across the city for those who are 60 years of age or older and for those with disabilities. The lunches are served each weekday. “Good nutrition is... Read more →

Over 130 entries were received, more than 4,000 people voted, and now Rachel Malovany has been declared the winner of the 2009 Twilight Dance Series Poster Contest. Her winning poster entitled “100 Years of Memories” features a photo collage depicting various images of the Santa Monica Pier with a background of wooden planks and... Read more →

CITYWIDE — Using a leaf blower within the city limits has been off limits since 1991, but a daytime walk through most neighborhoods would seem to suggest otherwise, and some residents are steamed. “You can walk around Santa Monica on any day of the week and see people using leaf blowers,” said one resident who lives near... Read more →