CITY HALL — The results are in! Judges with the Fifth Annual Santa Monica Teen Film Festival sifted through more than 180 submissions from across the country and Canada and screened 33 films over two days to award top honors to Harry Keenan and Max Groel of Pacific Palisades for their film. “Batman Starts,” a humorous... Read more →

JAMS — In the fight to restore the Los Angeles River and end wasteful water practices, Venice activists have enlisted the mathematical minds of local students. Using complex algebraic equations, Parisa Jung’s seventh grade math class at John Adams Middle School tackled extra credit questions posed by non profits L.A. River... Read more →

SM PIER — Continuing a trend toward stricter anti-smoking rules in town, officials are set to consider an outright ban on lighting up at the Santa Monica Pier, citing concern that discarded cigarettes pose a fire risk. Smoking on the family-friendly pier is already confined to seven designated areas, but there’s a growing... Read more →

CITY HALL — Despite a balanced budget for the next fiscal year, City Hall officials are looking into options to boost revenue by possibly asking voters to approve one or more ballot measures this November. City Hall on Sunday began polling residents by phone about their support for possible “revenue enhancements” that could... Read more →

SM PIER — With more performers seeking spots on the Santa Monica Pier to entertain the crowds, officials say the time-honored first-come, first-serve system is no longer practical. Performers sometimes show up before dawn to wait for the best locations and fights have broken out as performers jockey for position in line, said Ben... Read more →

MALIBU — Malibu officials Monday celebrated the completion of a stormwater-treatment project aimed at preventing millions of gallons of polluted water from pouring into the ocean at one of the city’s most famous beaches. The Paradise Cove Clean Ocean Project uses three filtration systems to remove trash, sediment and bacteria from... Read more →

VENICE BLVD — The Metro bus system on Sunday introduced a new route that travels between Santa Monica and Downtown Los Angeles via Venice Boulevard. Rapid Line 733 begins at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Arizona Avenue and ends at Union Station in Los Angeles. The line runs seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with buses... Read more →

DOWNTOWN — Aiming to ease congestion for commuters who use City Hall-owned parking structures Downtown, officials are planning to add additional pay stations to the structures so more customers can settle their bills before they get in their cars. Don Patterson, City Hall’s business and revenue operations manager, said the... Read more →

WESTWOOD — A building on the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration campus will be converted into a therapeutic-housing facility for chronically homeless veterans, thanks to $20 million in federal funds, local officials announced Monday. “Veterans have provided a great service to our nation, and it is our responsibility to... Read more →

LOS ANGELES — A woman charged in the 2008 murder of an aspiring model-actress whose body was discovered in her Santa Monica apartment received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a business associate of the victim’s father, according to a published report. Kelly Soo Park, 44, was charged last week in the death of... Read more →

PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Santa Monica police have cited 12 people for selling tobacco to minors in recent months, the result of an operation on unscrupulous stores that fail to check IDs before making cigarette sales. Following the City Council’s adoption in 2008 of an ordinance aimed at keeping closer watch over stores that sell... Read more →

Dear EarthTalk I heard about a supposed dangerous chemical called “triclosan” that is in many personal care and other consumer products. Can you enlighten? Carl Stoneman Richland, Wash. Triclosan is a synthetic chemical compound added to many personal and household care products to inhibit illness by preventing bacterial... Read more →

SACRAMENTO — The California state Assembly will vote today on a bill written by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) that would ban a chemical some say is toxic that is often used in plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and the lining of formula cans. The vote comes a year after the bill, the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act, or SB... Read more →

CITYWIDE — Nearly one out of every 11 adults here smoke cigarettes, according to a report released this week by Los Angeles County health officials. The report, “Cigarette Smoking in Los Angeles County: Local Data to Inform Tobacco Policy,” found that 10.7 percent of Santa Monicans over the age of 18 smoke, ranking the city... Read more →

SM MOUNTAINS — Three baby mountain lions were discovered by researchers in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, officials announced this week. The litter, consisting of two females and one male, was born last month and found on May 26 by National Park Service researchers just south of Peter Strauss Ranch off of... Read more →