A pair of Samohi alumni are tackling the vaping crisis
A new Santa Monica company is working to help curb the use of non cigarette nicotine vaping devices. Jones, an anti-vaping network, was founded by local natives Hilary Dubin and Caroline Vasquez Huber to help destigmatize quitting and expand access to resources available to cease the habit. The group combines Nicotine replacement therapy, behavioral support and a judgment-free "quitters" community to help those looking to quit or reduce their vaping.
Design fair levels up homesteads for holiday season
The WestEdge Design Fair returned to Santa Monica for the first time since 2019 this past week, bringing a three-day experience featuring over 175 of the latest and greatest interior design and housing lifestyle brands. The event took over the Santa Monica Airport’s Barker Hangar venue, giving attendees the chance to view new products, hear from over 45 presenting speakers and take part in 20 culinary and mixology demonstrations.
Wonderfully weird world of Seuss comes to life
On Nov. 9, families were given the first opportunity to visit the Dr. Seuss Experience at Santa Monica Place, an exhibit dedicated to the author’s timeless children’s classics. The exhibit featured various tributes to Seuss’ works, such as a replica of the Whoville tree from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and a replica of the Truffula Forest from The Lorax. The Dr. Seuss Experience will remain at Santa Monica Place through the end of 2023.
A salon with a side of sculpture
A professional hair stylist with decades of experience, Mauricio Navvaro channeled his artistic endeavors into a combination men’s hair salon and art gallery in Santa Monica’s mid-city neighborhood. Mauricio’s VIP Hair Lounge specializes in men’s haircuts and grooming, with the walls of the salon covered with his colorful works of art. Born in Mexico City, Navvaro has been making art for as long as he can remember, and hopes that clients find a love for artistic beauty inside the lounge.
Pier ceremony celebrates Veterans Day in style
The Santa Monica Pier hosted its fourth-annual Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 10 alongside representatives of the United States Army. Attended by veterans and military families, the ceremony featured distinguished speakers like Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis and Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Mario Diaz. Other guests included the West Point Drill Team, which gave a demonstration for the crowd, as well as musical performances from groups like the 300th Army Band. The event also looked toward the future of the Army with a recruit swearing-in ceremony given by Major General Dianne Del Rosso.
Two weeks after fatal crash, second bicyclist injured at 19th and Idaho
A second bicyclist was injured at the same location where a bike rider was killed in late October. According to the Santa Monica Police Department, a car traveling westbound on Idaho broadsided a bicyclist traveling southbound on 19th, knocking the rider to the ground with minor injuries like abrasions, bruising and some soreness. The 19th and Idaho intersection, like many in the neighborhood, is a two-way stop sign, not a four way stop. Traffic traveling east/west has a stop sign but traffic going north/south does not. On Oct. 27, Tania Mooser was killed at the intersection while she was traveling west and was hit by a southbound car.
Popular Downtown pizzeria Dagwoods set to close at the end of the year
Popular Downtown pizzeria Dagwoods announced it is set to permanently close at an as-yet unspecified date at the end of 2023. A note was sent out to subscribers to the restaurant’s email newsletter last week with as much information as staff was told, and Restaurant Manager Orlando Hernandez told the Daily Press that "despite a number of efforts to generate more sales," ownership was unable to pay staff wages any longer. The eatery earned "Santa Monica’s Most Loved Restaurant of 2020" and it managed to survive the pandemic, an event that caused countless closures in the catering industry.
New program provides an oceanfront view for environmental conservation
Longstanding Santa Monica institution Hotel Casa Del Mar recently opened its latest event and meeting venue, called The Conservatory, partnering with the Schmidt Ocean Institute on a 2024 event slate stressing public engagement in oceanic education. Casa Del Mar has been consistently conscious of its beach and ocean surroundings, previously teaming with local organization Heal the Bay on charitable efforts, and hotel leadership sees "the health of the ocean" as something deserving of "making a contribution to."
Wilmont residents rattled by recent bike accidents
Residents of the Wilmont neighborhood are demanding changes to local roads following two crashes at the 19th and Idaho intersection in recent weeks. After the death of Tania Mooser and injuries to Paul Postel from crashes, nearby residents have voiced their support for additional safety efforts, advocating for more measures to be taken at intersection stops, such as the transition of the intersection into a 4-way stop, the implementation of speed bumps and more legible markings before stop signs. Postel, who suffered four broken and two bruised ribs from his crash, said he learned of Mooser’s death from a bystander while lying on the ground after the accident.
Local influences guide world-renowned string group’s return
On Nov. 17, the legendary Takács Quartet returned to Santa Monica’s BroadStage as part of the California Festival, a statewide affair featuring new music from symphony orchestras, chamber music groups, jazz ensembles, choirs and more. The string quartet had a local influence during its performance, playing a newly-commissioned work entitled "Flow" from Los Angeles native and accomplished violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, who fine-tuned her musical ability in Santa Monica at the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. The piece is based on the "natural world" and Ngwenyama relied on her local upbringing for guidance, eventually settling on an "overarching concept" which she equated to the "flow" of the universe.
With one bicyclist dead and another injured, Council approves new safety measures
At the Nov. 14 meeting of Santa Monica City Council, councilmembers voted unanimously to strengthen the City’s Vision Zero commitment to reduce road-related injuries, brought about by accidents at the intersection of 19th and Idaho over recent weeks. Points raised by council included consideration of speeding, proper signage, visibility, pedestrian crossings, traffic congestion, cycle lanes and more. Eventually, councilmembers asked for the Vision Zero plan to include engineering analysis to upgrade intersections to 4-way stops, upgrade non-signaled intersections to 4-way stop controlled intersections, upgrade the portal through which residents can report a dangerous intersection, and adopt "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" signs at two-way stop-controlled intersections, among other recommendations. The item was passed unanimously, 6-0, with Mayor Pro Tempore Lana Negrete being absent for the meeting.
Don’t feed the birds: new rule aims to curb bird poop pollution at the Santa Monica Pier
The waters surrounding Santa Monica Pier were ranked as some of the most polluted in California, according to a June report from environmental non-profit organization Heal the Bay, prompting Santa Monica City Council to make a move potentially curbing bacterial contamination surrounding the Pier. During a Nov. 14 meeting, councilmembers unanimously approved new rules prohibiting the feeding of birds and other wild animals in the area, which has been found to increase health and safety risks for humans, disease transmission and the local environment. The proposed change to local rules would have a citywide impact, with Civil Engineering Associate in the Santa Monica Public Works Department Jonathan Maldonado stating that the "overall goal was to improve water quality," and Santa Monica City Manager David White added that the city will work on a case-by-case basis with those found to be feeding animals "and not try to put them in a position of being punitive." The motion passed 6-0, with Mayor Pro Tempore Lana Negrete absent for the meeting.
Four decades in, legendary local opera group continues growth
For its 2023-24 concert season, the Verdi Chorus in Santa Monica is celebrating its 40th anniversary, with the group having performed its Fall 2023 concert at the First Presbyterian Church over the weekend. Four decades after a group of "passionate amateur music lovers" began singing opera at the city’s old Verdi Restaurant, the singers continue to thrive under the artistic direction of Anne Marie Ketchum, who said she is "incredibly grateful that this has been a part of my life." Verdi Chorus has also expanded into endeavors such as the young professional group Fox Singers and the Sahm Foundation Apprentice Singers scholarship program.
Los Angeles adopts rent increases of up to 6%
The City of Los Angeles imposed new caps on rent increases for its rent-stabilized apartments following hours of debate and public comment last week. Landlords who cover utilities (gas and electric) will be able to raise rents by 6% while those who do not will be limited to 4%. The increases are less than would have occurred without Council intervention after the City previously voted to let a pandemic era rent freeze expire. In Santa Monica, tenants in rent controlled apartments saw their rents increase by 2.8% or $67 this year, whichever was lower.
