By Lookout Staff

In January, the hotel workers union reaches a tentative agreement with the Miramar Hotel, an indebted Downtown office complex sells for $86.7 million and the revitalization of the Civic Auditorium takes a major step forward.

Meanwhile, the accuracy of the annual homeless count is jeopardized, Santa Monica rents see the biggest drop in LA County and a homeless woman is arrested in the year's first murder.

Here are the top stories:

The hotel workers union announces it has reached a tentative agreement with the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, ending a 6-month-long intermittent strike that heightened tensions with neighboring residents (" EXTRA -- Union, Miramar Reach Tentative Agreement," January 8, 2024).

A mental health crisis team is deployed as part of a pilot program to help, and eventually alleviate, the heavy workload of first responders dealing with the homeless ("Mental Health Crisis Team Hits Streets," January 8, 2024).

A Downtown office complex that became a cautionary tale of navigating Santa Monica's notoriously slow planning process sells for $86.7 million -- far below the value of the debt on the building ("Indebted Downtown Building Sells for More Than $86 Million," January 9, 2024).

The City issues a request for "letters of interest" to revitalize the shuttered Civic Auditorium as an entertainment, events and cultural arts venue ("City Requests Proposals for Civic Auditorium," January 10, 2024).

City Manager David White announces the hiring of Monterey Park Fire Chief Matthew Hallock to lead a much larger fire department in Santa Monica ("Santa Monica Hires New Fire Chief," January 25, 2024 .

The annual homeless count in Santa Monica had far fewer volunteers than previous years and may have encountered some technical glitches ("Few Volunteers, Tech Glitches Hamper Homeless Count," January 29, 2024).

A homeless woman responsible for violent crimes in Los Angeles is charged with the murder of a 46-year-old man in Sunset Park the previous week ("Sunset Park Shooter Charged with Murder," January 30, 2024).

Santa Monica posts the largest annual rent decrease in the LA region, dropping by -5.4 percent after prices fell in January for the third straight month ("Santa Monica Sees Biggest Annual Rent Drop in Region," January 31, 2024).

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In February, the voting rights lawsuit against the City is sent back to Superior Court, where it had been launched by Latino activsts eight year earlier, and racial justice advocates contend the City's support for Santa Monica's Black community has been more talk than action.

In addition, the City begins exploring the future of a historic City Hall murual, while in the City of Orange a historic mural Santa Monica had lost was unveiled.

Here are the top stories:

A Santa Monica man is sentenced for hacking into the computer of a Congressional Democratic candidate in 2018 that set off a domino effect resulting in Republicans regaining the key seat ("Santa Monica Man Who Hacked Campaign Website Sentenced," February 1, 2024).

The Ciy Council takes initial steps to "reframe" the towering murals that have greeted visitors to City Hall since 1939 but have become a subject of controversy ("Council to Launch Process to 'Reframe' Controversial City Hall Murals," February 6, 2024).

A California Appeals Court remands the voting rights case against the City of Santa Monica to the lower court that ruled in favor of the Latino plaintiffs ("EXTRA -- Appeals Court Bounces Voting Rights Case Back to Trial Court," February 9, 2024).

Mayor Phil Brock becomes the first mayor in LA County to endorse a proposed statewide ballot measure to toughen penalties for drug and theft crimes ("Brock Endorses State Measure to Increase Drug and Theft Penalties," February 12, 2024).

The Santa Monica Coalition sues the LA County Health Department to halt a program that distributes clean needles in parks and other outdoor spaces ("Santa Monica Group Files Lawsuit Over Needle Program," February 16, 2024).

A midyear budget review finds that Santa Monica's economy continues to recover but faces local challenges and national uncertainty that will hamstring efforts to enhance programs and services ("City's Economic Recovery Hampered By 'Challenges,'" February 21, 2024).

An iconic half-century-old Santa Monica mosaic -- transported and installed piece by piece in the City of Orange -- is officially welcomed during a ceremony for the re-opening of the Hilbert Museum ("EXTRA -- Orange County Museum Showcases Iconic Santa Monica Mosaic," February 22, 2024).

Black History month has been celebrated in Santa Monica this year with food trucks and dancing, proclamations and special events. That the City is not funding the community events is indicative of an underlying problem ("Black Apology Fails to Deliver, Racial Justice Advocates Say," February 26, 2024).

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In March, the State's authority over Santa Monica development is driven home when one of the largest housing projects in the City's history is given a routine approval and after more than three decades, the American Film Market (AFM) departs for Vegas.

Meanwhile, security guards begin patrolling the Big Blue Bus system, Pacific Park is sold and two more hotels sign union contracts.

Here arre the top stories:

What planning officials deemed inevitable two years earlier becomes a done deal as the city's biggest housing development in nearly 60 years is approved unanimously at its only public hearing ("Gelson's Project Gets First and Final Board Approval," March 5, 2024) .

A plan to divide the School District into trustee voting areas falls through after the County Committee in charge of redistricting shoots down the map presented by proponents ("County Committee Rejects Trustee Voting Areas for School District," March 7, 2024).

Unarmed security guards begin patrolling Santa Monica buses and bus stops to assist passengers and deter crime and unwanted behavior ("Guards to Begin Patrolling City Buses," March 8, 2024).

After 33 years in Santa Monica, the American Film Market (AFM) announced Friday it is moving to Las Vegas, dealing a crushing blow to the city's slowly recovering economy ("EXTRA -- Santa Monica Loses Lucrative Film Market," March 10, 2024).

Two top City officials scrap their plans to attend a "social housing study trip" to Vienna that focuses on the Austrian city's public housing projects ("Two Top City Officials Cancel Vienna Housing Trip," March 11, 2024).

Pacific Park -- the iconic amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier -- is sold to the New York City-based private equity firm SC Holdings for an undisclosed amount ("Pacific Park Bought by Private Equity Firm," March 14, 2024).

The FBI seeks potential victims of a Santa Monica man charged with recruiting underage girls to engage in "sexually explicit conduct" and prostitution ("FBI Seeks Potential Sex Slave Victims of Santa Monica Suspect," March 18, 2024).

The City Council on Tuesday chooses the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (HCHC) to build 130 housing units for low-income and homeless tenants on three City-owned properties ("Council Chooses Developer for Affordable Housing Projects," March 21, 2024).

The City Council narrowly approves a resolution denouncing a County program that distributes clean needles in parks to homeless addicts ("Council Majority Denounces Needle Program in Parks," March 22, 2024).

Workers at the Miramar and Le Merigot hotels overwhelmingly vote to ratify union contracts, but protests continue at five others hotels where agreements have not been reached ("Workers Ratify Union Contracts at 2 Local Hotels," March 25, 2024).