Assemblymember and former Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) announced Thursday that he has introduced legislation, AB 1699, to ban the sale of personal care products that contain mirco-plastic particle abrasives, commonly referred to as “microbeads,” that are found in products such as facial scrubs, soaps and... Read more →

The Big Blue Bus is celebrating Valentine’s Day with their riders this year with a little sweetness. Hop on a random Big Blue Bus on Friday to see if you can find a Sweethearts candy packet with a little Valentine’s Day message. They will be randomly placed across the bus fleet. Lucky riders who find the sweet treats are being asked... 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.     Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 5 p.m., Santa Monica Police officers saw a car traveling north on Fifth Street near Santa Monica Boulevard that... Read more →

CITY HALL — One of the nation’s largest precious metals dealers is being sued by City Hall for allegedly engaging in a nationwide “bait and switch scam” by using false, deceptive and aggressive sales tactics to trick customers into buying heavily marked-up collector coins instead of gold or silver bars. The Consumer Protection Unit... Read more →

AFTERMATH: A number of buildings including St. Monica Church were damaged in 1994. (Santa Monica History Museum/Outlook Collection) CITYWIDE — When the next earthquake hits Santa Monica, will your office building hold up? City Hall wants to know. City Council set aside $105,000 to kick off a three-part seismic safety program. The... Read more →

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Sen. Tom Harkin, and Rep. Peter Welch sent a letter to California Attorney Gen. Kamala D. Harris, Iowa Attorney Gen. Tom Miller, and Vermont Attorney Gen. William H. Sorrell urging them to classify electronic cigarettes as cigarettes under the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) to prevent e-cigarette companies... Read more →

The Rent Control Board has received inquires from local residents who claim they have received fake eviction notices via e-mail. These are most likely nothing more than junk mail, the board is advising residents. State laws govern how eviction notices must be served, and e-mail is not one of the lawful methods. Some of the notices even... Read more →

Rayven Paige Ferguson, 15, was found by Santa Monica Police last week. She had been missing since Feb. 3 when she left for school. She never made it to campus. She was found in good health and reunited with her family. The SMPD thanks those that made inquiries or offered help. Police did not elaborate on where she was found or why... Read more →

Sandra Lyon The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) has named Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Sandra Lyon Superintendent of the Year due to her outstanding leadership, it was announced this week. ACSA Region 14 is one of 19 regions which divide the state geographically, and serves 14 school districts... Read more →

SAVING THE BLOOMS: Back in 1914, the City Council voted to restrict flower picking in city parks. (Daniel Archuleta daniela@smdp.com) ANCIENT SANTA MONICA — The 1914 City Council would have felt a kinship to their political descendants of 2014. A hundred years ago this month, council opted to discuss restrictions in Santa Monica’s... Read more →