SMO - The pro-airport group that filed 15,700 petition signatures last week supporting a ballot initiative to pull the future of Santa Monica Airport from City Council's hands say a lawsuit brought against them is frivolous. The group has filed an anti-SLAPP (or strategic lawsuit against public participation) motion in response to a lawsuit... Read more →

CITY HALL — While the Los Angeles County Registrar is busy verifying signatures for a pro-Santa Monica Airport ballot measure, City Council will consider a measure its own. Council’s measure is a response to the proposed charter amendment, which is financially backed by a national aviation advocacy group. Last week, proponents of... Read more →

Tongva Park (File photo) CITY HALL — Whatever happened to that "Chain Reaction" sculpture that everyone was so worked up about earlier this year? In February, City Council voted to pick up the tab on the repairs to the piece of public art, which was donated to the city by Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Paul... 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.   Sunday, June 15, at 1:20 a.m. Santa Monica officers were at the Fairmont Hotel when they saw a male walk into the women’s restroom along... Read more →

This Sunday, June 22, the Main Street Business Improvement Association will host their 14th Annual Summer SOULstice Festival on Main Street. The festival will include live music, food, sidewalk sales, and shopping. Musical acts Black Crystal Wolf Kids, The Paul Chesne Band, the Neil Young tribute band, 'Neil Deal', and the reggae-rock band,... Read more →

Photo courtesy KCRW SMC — KCRW is coming up for air. The local public radio station has been operating out of the basement of Santa Monica College for more than 30 years but broke ground last week on its new 35,000-square-foot building, which will be located above ground. The building, which will also be on the SMC campus, is... Read more →

CITY HALL — The attorney for Elizabeth Riel, who was offered and then denied a top city job, filed a lawsuit against City Hall on Wednesday alleging that City Manager Rod Gould bullied Riel after he learned of her past political affiliations. The lawsuit further alleges that the job offer was rescinded because of contributions she made... Read more →

Battalion Chief Mark Bridges CITYWIDE — The Santa Monica Fire Department has been protecting residents for 125 years and in that time the department has evolved from volunteers with buckets to a full fledged, multi-talented emergency service provider. The department's growth can be attributed to many individuals but as of June 13,... Read more →

Dr. George R. Blumenthal — astronomer, astrophysicist, and Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) — will be the 2014 commencement speaker at Santa Monica College. SMC’s 84th commencement ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 at Corsair Field. For the fifth year in a row, the ceremony will also be... Read more →

June 25 deadline for July 4 parade entries The Ocean Park Association (OPA) announced that its 8th Annual 4th of July Parade will take place this year on Friday, July 4. Themed “May the 4th be with You,” the parade organizers are calling on local resident, service and family groups, along with businesses, to become participants as... Read more →