OCTOBER
Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy commemorated the establishment’s success and more than 75 years of business with dozens of longtime patients, elected representatives and local doctors for a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring product demonstrations, heartwarming speeches and a rundown of the pharmacy’s history.
Police prevented an individual from jumping off a downtown parking structure. This was the fifth time someone has jumped or attempted to jump from a downtown parking structure in the past year.
Property owners who rent units subject to Santa Monica’s rent control laws at market rates or convert permanent housing into vacation rentals will face a new $1,000 fine. City Council unanimously voted to raise fines for unlawfully evicting rent-controlled tenants and operating vacation rentals.
Officials said the Third Street Promenade needs restaurants and bars that give visitors a reason to stay past 4 p.m. The zoning changes would be part of Promenade 3.0, a project led by the city and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. to reimagine the shopping district as consumers turn away from brick-and-mortar retail.
A lawsuit filed against the JW Marriott Le Merigot hotel alleged an employee was wrongfully terminated after she reported that spa employees had allegedly sexually assaulted guests.
Fritto Misto said it will keep the same familial atmosphere that has kept local diners loyal to the restaurant for 29 years, when it moves to a new location. The popular Italian restaurant will move to the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and 7th Street before its current location at 601 Colorado Ave. is demolished to make room for an eight-story building.
A pair of donations to local institutions helped fund new research into kindness at UCLA and pay for a variety of medical research and treatment programs at Saint John’s hospital. The anonymous gift to Saint John’s was announced as the start of a $150 million effort to raise funds. UCLA received a $20 million gift to establish the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute.
Santa Monica’s home sharing rules were affirmed again in court following a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals saying the city’s rules do not violate regulations on interstate commerce. Santa Monica resident Arlene Rosenblatt brought the class action suit against the city claiming the restrictions violated constitutional protections on interstate commerce because they unfairly restricted the ability of visitors to access the coast.
An armed robbery suspect escaped from police on Montana Avenue after trying to rob a man in a car. Two individuals were sitting in their car near 21st Street and Montana when the suspect approached pointed a handgun at the couple and demanded money.
Hungry to prove they’re the best in the world, the top-ranked Major League Eaters gathered on National Taco Day for the 2nd annual Pacific Park World Taco-Eating Championship.
Travelers were not be able to hail a rideshare or taxi outside terminals at Los Angeles International Airport after LAX announced travelers will instead have to take shuttles or walk to a special location outside the central terminal area where they can be picked up.
The founder of the Pico Youth & Family Center said he would step down at the end of the year. Oscar de la Torre founded the nonprofit in 2002. For almost two decades, the center has served as a place for Pico youth to learn leadership, technology and arts skills. It has also become a center of the neighborhood’s social justice efforts.
Santa Monica experienced a 15% drop in serious crime in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Chief Cynthia Renaud announced there have been 655 fewer Part 1 crimes this year to date — about 2.3 fewer per day — and particularly significant decreases in car break-ins and assaults.
Special Olympics Southern California hosted Pier del Sol at the Santa Monica Pier. Featuring 35 of LA’s best restaurants and chefs, those in attendance enjoyed a fun-filled day of food, music and unlimited rides at Pacific Park.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill introduced by the state assemblymember representing Santa Monica to reduce barriers to the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Assembly Richard Bloom said AB 881 will give homeowners and local governments more clarity on key provisions of California’s ADU law.
Santa Monica College redesigned its student support services to increase the number of individuals that complete educational programs within self defined deadlines. The efforts, specifically the college’s Pathways program, are part of an ongoing effort by the school to help more students graduate on time and to provide additional aid to students who have been underserved by the existing education system.
Public health officials said a person with measles visited several businesses in Santa Monica, Culver City and Baldwin Hills.
A wildfire raged along the northern edge of Los Angeles, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes as firefighters battled flames from the air and on the ground. The Santa Monica Fire Department deployed one Engine, staffed with four firefighters, as part of a five Engine Strike Team with Beverly Hills and Culver City.
County supervisors asked for options to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in the local food industry. Supervisors Kuehl and Hahn are asked for a $50,000 contract with the UCLA Luskin Center to study single-use plastic food waste in the city.
Santa Monica decided to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the request of a Chicanx student group at Santa Monica High School. The City Council voted to join more than 130 other cities around the country in recognizing the second Monday in October of each year as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The holiday was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native Nations to the United Nations.
Three-quarters of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District students met or exceeded state English standards and 6 in 10 tested at or above grade level for math, according to data released by the California Department of Education. SMMUSD students posted a six-point gain in English and a five-point gain in math on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress from 2015 to 2017.
The Rent Control Board clarified existing rules stipulating landlords may not take rent controlled apartments off the market and later rent them at market rate. The Rent Control Board voted unanimously to clarify that a previously rent-controlled unit that is no longer on the rental market will become subject to rent control if its owner decides to put it back on the market.
A large development at 500 Broadway that has been in the works for five years officially received a name and an opening date. The 249 apartments in The Park will be ready for leasing by late 2021, developer The Witkoff Group said. The seven-story project at Fred Segal’s former Downtown Santa Monica location will also contain 55,000 square feet of retail space and a four-level, 200-car underground parking structure.
A consultant recommended the city of Santa Monica standardize training, policies and procedures to prevent and detect youth sexual abuse across all city programs. The city hired Praesidium, a company that specializes in preventing institutional abuse, shortly after the October 2018 arrest of Eric Uller on charges that he abused at least 14 boys in the late 1980s to early 1990s while volunteering at the Santa Monica Police Activities League (PAL), a youth program operated by the city.
The Santa Monica Police Department investigated a gang related shooting in the 1550 lot of the Santa Monica Pier. A man was shot his lower leg by a group of suspected gang members who escaped.
City Council approved plans to refurbish Memorial Park with a larger park, new sports fields and community amenities to meet an increasing demand for recreational activities. City Hall marked the park for redevelopment in 1997, but did not start work on the project until 2018, when it hired an architectural consultant to study the site and solicit community input before drawing up a master plan.
The city of Santa Monica paid $99,000 to a man who sued after a Santa Monica Police Department officer ordered his canine partner to bite the man’s leg during an arrest. Officials said the city agreed to settle the case initiated by Jovane Leonard, 43, to avoid the expense of litigation and does not admit liability or wrongdoing.
A mural located at the former location of John Muir Elementary School for more than 30 years will remain in place until the community and the artwork’s artist decide if the mural will be replaced. The SMMUSD Board of Education came to the decision unanimously after hours of discussion and input from residents, board members and district staff.
The Planning Commission said it’s time for Santa Monica to reopen the conversation around upzoning in the wake of new state efforts to address California’s housing shortage and lack of affordable housing. Santa Monica will likely have to support taller and denser development in response to recent legislation aimed at boosting housing construction and an upcoming mandate that cities across California build thousands of new housing units, commissioners said.
Police officers shot a man after he produced a handgun while fleeing an alleged attempted murder. Officers heard two gunshots from the end of Bay Street near Santa Monica State Beach and found a man who had just shot into an occupied vehicle. Officers pursued the man after he did not comply with their commands and fled on foot, running southwest onto the beach. He produced a handgun while running and officers fired at him. SMPD said a preliminary investigation indicates the man died after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A brush fire broke out in Pacific Palisades. More than 150 county and city firefighters battled the fire on the ground and from helicopters, bringing the blaze under control. No structures were burned and one firefighter injury was reported.
A man was arrested after spraying a crowd of anti-Trump protesters with bear repellent at the Santa Monica Pier. David Dempsey, 32, of Orange County, was arrested for prohibited use of a tear gas weapon and assault with a caustic chemical.
Santa Monica was the first city to get Wander, a startup that aims to undercut behemoth internet companies with reliable internet service at $25 per month. The startup installed infrastructure in several apartment buildings in the area that will rebroadcast internet to about 20,000 potential subscribers.
City Council adopted regulations to limit the “mansionization” of the city’s single-family neighborhoods, but some residents said the new rules will prevent them from renovating their homes to accommodate their growing families.
The Happy Dog Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Santa Monica resident Barbara Hecht, filed an application to build a rescue across the street from the city of Santa Monica’s animal shelter at 1639-1649 9th St. Hecht said the facility will allow patrons to interact with rescue dogs in lounges and a cafe.
The construction on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s A Line — formerly known as the Blue Line — came to an end and the line reopened.
After purchasing its first zero emissions bus in August, the Big Blue Bus purchased an additional 18 electric buses to replace aging vehicles in its fleet. BBB is aiming for a nearly 70% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning its entire fleet to battery-powered buses by 2030, a goal the City Council set three years ago.
The Los Angeles Fire Department ordered residents living west of a fast-moving brush fire along the 405 Freeway to evacuate. The evacuation zone included Pacific Palisades and small parts of Santa Monica north of San Vicente.
Metro returned cars to Expo Line trains to address overcrowding. In August, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut two Expo Line trains per hour during peak commute hours. The decision forced riders to pack themselves onto trains shoulder-to-shoulder or miss trains entirely if they couldn’t squeeze into a gap in the proverbial sardine can.
The Samohi Marching Band and Color Guard moved to Division 5A for competition scoring well in several events.
