PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Santa Monica police officers need the public’s help, but this time it’s not to identify a hit-and-run driver or a suspect in a robbery. It’s to help save the lives of those suffering from Leukemia and other diseases in which the only cure is a bone marrow transplant. In connection with the... Read more →

PICO BLVD — For upscale fashion retailer Nordstrom, diversity goes beyond the collection sitting on its racks or the faces of employees manning the floor. With construction expected to break ground on the Seattle-based department store’s second Westside location this summer, Nordstrom officials heading the Santa Monica Place... Read more →

CITY HALL — When the Exposition Light Rail rolls into Santa Monica in the next six to eight years, the Downtown terminal is expected to swarm with several hundred passengers with each inbound train, squeezing an already impacted area. Such a scenario has raised some flags for city planning officials who are exploring traffic... Read more →

SMMUSD HDQTRS — As school district officials continue to address a budget deficit caused by state funding cuts, one area likely to take a hit is class sizes. The teacher-to-student ratio is expected to increase at nearly every grade level and school starting in September, potentially saving the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School... Read more →

SUNSET PARK — Fast food isn’t always considered the healthiest option, but diners can now alleviate at least some of that guilt by eating green. Santa Monica-based Greenopia recently released a new rating system for the nation’s 23 most popular fast food restaurants, evaluating the eateries based on characteristics that... Read more →

SM MOUNTAINS — These hills are under attack by foreign invaders. Fending off exotic plants, global warming and development are some of the challenges facing the park rangers stationed in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Luckily these rangers have some back up — students. Through the Parks as Classrooms... Read more →

CITY HALL A decade after a controversial state law allowed rent-controlled units to be set at market rate once they were vacated, the rental housing market in Santa Monica has become more expensive. That’s according to a recently-released report by the Rent Control Board about the impact that vacancy decontrol, which was enacted in... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce will host the Sustainable Quality Awards luncheon on Wednesday to celebrate businesses who are taking steps to be more environmentally friendly. City Hall announced the 2009 award winners last week, doling out four SQA grand prize winners and six winners in the Excellence... Read more →

<i>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... Read more →

Dear EarthTalk I want to start an organic vegetable garden in my yard and I would like to know how to combine crops to make better use of time and space. Val Thomason Denton, TX Most commercial farms concentrate on growing a few select crops to supply a wide variety of customers, but gardening at home is a different story entirely. Most... Read more →