Santa Monica Mayor Vazquez Says State Of City Is 'Strong'
January 29, 2016 -- In his first
State of the City address, Santa Monica Mayor Tony Vazquez said Thursday
the City made big strides forward over the past year, including enhancing
mobility on multiple fronts, steering the Colorado Esplanade and California
Incline construction projects to completion, and making the City the
second in the region to adopt a $15 an hour minimum wage.
Council
Pleased with Santa Monica City Manager, Mayor Says
January 29, 2016 -- Santa Monica
is “blessed” to have Rick Cole as its city manager, Mayor
Tony Vazquez said on Tuesday following a closed-session evaluation of
Cole during the City Council meeting.
Santa
Monica Recovery Program Shows Off Remodeled Men's Residence
January 29, 2016 -- CLARE Foundation
officials showed off newly remodeled residential quarters for men clients
during an open house Thursday at the drug and alcohol recovery program
on Pico Boulevard.
City
of Santa Monica Sets Sights on $86 Million in Capital Improvements
January 28, 2016 -- The City’s
Big Blue Bus system, fire safety, replacing old government vehicles,
fixing up parks and updating technology all share big chunks of spending
in an $86 million blueprint for making capital improvements this fiscal
year.
Pico
Branch Library Becomes Second Most Visited in Santa Monica System
January 28, 2016 -- The Pico
Branch Library, the first addition to the Santa Monica Public Library
system in more than half a century, is now the second-most visited,
officials said Tuesday in an update.
Santa
Monica Commission on Women Sets Slate of Events for Women's History
Month
January 28, 2016 -- Santa Monica's
Commission on the Status of Women, which has been active in the City
since 1981, is sponsoring and co-sponsoring a wealth of educational
and physical fitness events for the upcoming Women's History Month,
organizers announced.
Activist
Group Finds City of Santa Monica Abuses Own Campaign Limiting Driving
and Parking Downtown
January 27, 2016 -- The City
of Santa Monica is abusing its own campaign to limit driving and parking
downtown, with more municipal employees than ever coming and going to
their offices in the badly congested area, a local activist group has
found.
VA
Chief McDonald Will Unveil Long-Awaited Plan For Homeless Veterans
January 27, 2016 -- A year
after former Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver and Veterans Affairs Secretary
Robert McDonald announced a comprehensive plan to help homeless veterans
in the county, McDonald is set to provide details this week for “a
collective path forward to help homeless veterans,” an agency
spokesman announced Tuesday.
Santa Monica’s Pacific Park Begins Celebration of 20th Birthday
January 27, 2016 -- Pacific
Park on the Santa Monica Pier is starting a months-long celebration
of its upcoming 20th birthday with the rollout of a new logo, some fresh
painting, new lighting for the Ferris wheel and other changes, officials
said Tuesday.
Santa
Monica City Council Incumbents Mostly Quiet on Potential Re-Election
Bids
January 26, 2016 -- Four Santa
Monica City Council seats will be on the line in November, but how many
incumbents will be competing for them remains a mystery.
Police
Release Sketch Of Suspect In Santa Monica Sexual Assault
January 26, 2016 -- After a
year that saw more than 870 people assaulted in the City, the second-most
reported crime in 2015, Santa Monica police investigators are asking
the public for help in finding the person behind a recent violent sexual
assault along the beach at sunset earlier this month.
Santa
Monica Student Is National Chess Champion
January 26, 2016 -- At age 13,
Danial Asaria is making his mark in the world of amateur competitive
chess.
Santa
Monica Year-End Unemployment Down from Previous Years
January 25, 2016 -- Santa Monica’s
unemployment rate was at 4.9 percent in December, lower than it has
been in any previous December since 2010 (the earliest year data are
immediately available), according to preliminary data from the California
Employment Development Department (EDD).
Volunteers
Can Sign Now For Santa Monica's Homeless Count
January 25, 2016 -- Los Angeles
County now has a strategy in place to end homelessness, but first officials
need to know the actually size of the population living on the streets.
Santa
Monica and Malibu School Officials Explore Preschool For All
January 25, 2016 -- Santa Monica-Malibu
Unified School District leaders are exploring a plan to provide preschool
at every elementary school as part of a new early learners “pathway”
program
Advisory
Group Releases Plan For Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
January 22, 2016 -- Two years
after convening in 2013, a nine-member City Council-appointed committee
tasked with creating a viable plan to save and renovate the Santa Monica
City Auditorium has released its final recommendations.
Santa
Monica Nonprofit Treatment Center Announces Open House
January 22, 2016 -- CLARE Foundation,
a nonprofit Santa Monica drug and alcohol treatment center, will hold
an open house and offer public tours of its newly renovated and improved
Men's Treatment Program facility, the organization announced.
Conviction
Closes Book On Violent Street Assault in Santa Monica
January 22, 2016 -- Police have
closed the book on a violent attempted car-jacking case, announcing
this week the 30-year state prison sentence of their prime suspect in
the 2012 assault.
Working
Group Calls for Help from the Rich
January 21, 2016 -- After 18
months of analysis, a working group established to guide recreation
of Santa Monica’s historic, but now shuttered, Civic Auditorium
is calling for help from philanthropists, the affluent city’s
entertainment community and others in the private sector.
Santa
Monica College Students Earn MLK Education Awards
January 21, 2016 - -A diverse
group of Santa Monica College students earned the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Westside Coalition 2016 Education Awards at this week's celebration
honoring King's birthday.
Santa
Monica College Planetarium Salutes America's Gemini Space Missions
January 21, 2016 -- Sputnik
1 woke America to space exploration when the USSR launched the satellite
into orbit in 1957, but by the time the Gemini program began just seven
years later, the nation was well on the way toward a moon shot.
Correspondence
to Santa Monica Council Now Posted Online
January 20, 2016 -- Letters,
emails and other correspondence sent to the Santa Monica City Council
will be easier for the public to find now, with City officials making
good on a motion from last year to post all of the information online.
Public
Offered Warnings and Safety Tips as Expo Line Debut in Santa Monica
Nears
January 20, 2016 -- Santa Monica
police are hosting two sessions with the public aimed at teaching everyone
from drivers to skateboarders how to co-exist safely with the Expo Light
Rail, which makes its debut this spring.
Santa
Monica Council Considers More Protections from Ellis Act Evictions
January 20, 2016 -- The eviction
of a single mother and her young son in the middle of the school year
has prompted the Santa Monica City Council to look at whether it can
expand the length of time such families are allowed for relocation under
provisions related to the state Ellis Act.
Saga
of Santa Monica's Shotgun House Ends Back on Second Street
January 19, 2016 -- Whoever
lived in the historic Shotgun House when it was just a small wooden
shack on Second Street in Ocean Park back in the 1890s would marvel
at the hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours that went
into saving it and moving it just up the street.
Santa
Monica Realtor Compares Rent Board Appointment to ‘The Godfather’
January 19, 2016 -- Last Thursday’s
Santa Monica Rent Control Board meeting took an unusual turn when local
Realtor Elaine Golden-Gealer made a PowerPoint presentation featuring
scenes from “The Godfather” and a nuclear test explosion.
Santa
Monica Gets New Rep On Bay Restoration Commission
January 19, 2016 -- For the
first time in more than two decades, the City will have a voting member
on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission Governing Board with
the appointment of Council member Kevin McKeown as the Westside cities'
representative, the City announced.
City
to Query Residents On Affordable Housing Funding Options
January 14, 2016 -- If the City
is to be a serious player in the affordable housing market, it needs to
invest $7.5 million a year from its own annual general fund to keep rents
within reach of its lowest-income residents, Santa Monica's housing and
economic director said this week.
New
Campaign To Keep Kids Away From Alcohol Kicks Off In Santa Monica
January 14, 2016 -- A campaign
aimed at making it harder for minors to get alcohol will kickoff this
week in Santa Monica, organizers said.
Santa
Monica City Council Votes to Hike Hourly Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour by
2020
January 14, 2016 -- The Santa
Monica City Council on Tuesday approved raising the minimum wage for employees
of most businesses there to $15 per hour by 2020, aligning the City for
the most part with new laws for higher pay in Los Angeles City and unincorporated
Los Angeles County.
Downed
Power Lines in Santa Monica Alley Leave Thousands of Customers Temporarily
in the Dark
January 13, 2016 -- Downed and
arcing power wires at a transformer in a Santa Monica alley on Tuesday
evening left thousands of customers of Southern California Edison in the
dark for about five hours, officials said Wednesday.
Santa
Monica and other Cities Asked to Take Larger Role in Helping the Homeless
January 13, 2016 -- Santa Monica
and other cities in Los Angeles County are being asked to shoulder a larger
– and potentially costlier – role in the region’s effort
to help the tens of thousands of homeless people officials scrambled to
shelter during last week’s pounding El Nino storms.
More
Hazardous Conditions Forecast for Santa Monica Ocean Waters
January 13, 2016 -- Santa Monica’s
ocean waters continued to experience high waves and rip currents Tuesday,
triggering a new warning of hazardous conditions even as the Southland
enjoyed clear skies after last week’s pounding by El Nino.
Santa
Monica Fire Department Getting $1.2 Million In Equipment
January 12, 2016 -- Santa Monica
firefighters are getting more than $1.5 million in new equipment and gear
to ensure they're ready and fully prepared for tackle emergencies.
Clean
Up Drive on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica Hauls Away Nearly 15,500
Pounds of Trash
January 12, 2016 -- A project
that make Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica into a corridor that is more
visually appealing and people pleasing is off to a clean start this year,
with officials announcing on Monday that workers hauled away huge loads
of trash, removed graffiti and made other improvements leading up to 2016.
Nearly
$312,500 Raised By Education Foundations for Santa Monica-Malibu Public
Schools in December
January
12, 2016 -- Fundraising for Santa Monica-Malibu public schools picked
up steam last month, reaching almost $312,500 in December alone, leaders
said.
Santa
Monica Moves Toward More Control of Coastal Permitting
January 11, 2016 -- For several
decades, people with development projects near the Santa Monica coast
have needed to go to the California Coastal Commission for final approval
in the form of a coastal permit.
Santa
Monica Group Says City's New Wage Law Won't Pass Legal Muster
January 11, 2016 -- A hotly debated
provision in Santa Monica's proposed new minimum wage law that exempts
unions is against U.S. labor laws and provides grounds for a future lawsuit
if the language stays in the final ordinance, said a spokesman for Fair
Wage Santa Monica.
Supervisor
Will Speak At Santa Monica Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance
January 11, 2016 -- Santa Monica's
annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King this
year will feature a keynote speech by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila
James Kuehl.
Study
Rings Up Santa Monicans Holiday Credit Spending
January 8, 2016 -- Santa Monica
residents are carrying an average credit card debt of $8,294, which will
take them well past next Christmas to pay off and cost them $1,978 in
interest, said a new post-holiday study on U.S. credit card debt.
Santa
Monica Police Will Ticket Bike Law Violators This Weekend
January 8, 2016 -- Santa Monica
police will be watching out for traffic violation by people riding on
two wheels this weekend.
Santa
Monica Weathers First Bout With El Niño
January 8, 2016 -- Months of planning,
preparations and public outreach are paying off for Santa Monica, which
weathered the season's first round of powerful El Nino-fed storms this
week and came out ready for more, emergency response officials said Thursday.
Unions
Says Petition Drive Against Santa Monica New Minimum Law is Front for
Political Conservatives
January 7, 2016 -- One of Santa
Monica’s largest unions came out swinging Wednesday against a last-minute
attempt to stop the union exemption in the City’s proposed new $15-an-hour
minimum wage law, saying the drive is the work of political conservatives.
Santa
Monica Homeless Struggle as El Niño Storm Conditions Worsen
January 7, 2016 -- With El Nino
rainfall growing worse on Wednesday, Santa Monica police were urging the
city’s homeless population to get to nearby shelters either by bus
or, in extreme cases, via personal delivery by police officers.
Santa
Monica's Big Blue Bus Fares Going Up This Weekend
January 7, 2016 -- Like rents,
food and nearly everything else, rides on Santa Monica's bargain-basement
Big Blue Buses are going up this year, starting Sunday when a completely
new rate structure kicks in.
New
Year in Santa Monica Likely to Bring New Round of Development Wars
January 6, 2015 -- Battled scarred
as it is from development wars of the past, Santa Monica is likely to
see a new round of fighting over the issue soon, with an increasingly
active slow-growth group about to launch a public signature drive to clamp
down hard on proposed high-rises and other big projects.
Contamination
Warnings Issued as Santa Monica Endures First El Niño Storm of
2016
January 6, 2016 -- Some storm
drains overflowed and contaminated debris ended up on Santa Monica beaches,
prompting health warnings as the city by the bay endured the first El
Niño-related rainfall of 2016, officials and environmentalists
said.
Santa
Monica Senator Bloom to Put Citizens United Case to State's Voters
January 6, 2016 -- Californians
will get to weigh in on whether corporations should be able to spend as
much as they want on political activities that don't directly benefit
a particular party or candidate, thanks to a state Supreme Court decision
clearing the way for the question to appear on ballots in November.
Hazardous
Conditions Posted for Santa Monica Ocean Waters
January 5, 2016 -- The first El
Niño storm of the year to hit the Southland might chase away most
visitors to Santa Monica’s seaside in the next few days, but for
those who do decide to risk it, be warned: Conditions might be very dangerous.
Former
Santa Monica College President of Two Decades Dies
January 5, 2016 -- Richard Moore,
a former Santa Monica College President who for two decades guided the
institution through expansive growth in enrollment and added some of the
ambitious programs for which the college is known today, has died.
Santa
Monica College Board Elects New Chair, Vice Chair
January 5, 2016 -- When the Santa
Monica College Board meets next week to discuss a proposed campus in Malibu,
it will have two new board members at the helm.
Theft
Top Reported Crime in Santa Monica for 2015
January 4, 2016 -- Among the nearly
8,900 reported crimes in Santa Monica during 2015, theft of varying degrees
of severity was the most frequent with 3,250, according to the Santa Monica
Open Data Portal. The most frequent type of theft reported was items stolen
from vehicles with 897.
Santa
Monica Seniors Get Big Rent Break for New Year
January 4, 2016 -- Dozens of low-income
seniors in subsidized apartments on Nielson Way in Santa Monica will have
more money in their pockets in the new year after renewing lease agreements
calling for rent decreases instead of increases.
Planetarium
at Santa Monica College Good Place to Catch a Comet This Year
January 4, 2016 -- Thousands of
comets, those dirty snowballs of the galaxy, will be paying visits to
our solar system this year. More than 40 of them will be visible with
the naked eye.
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Santa Monica Lookout
