Former
Westside Councilman Who Championed Santa Monica Causes Dies
March 31, 2016 -- Former Los
Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represented the Westside and
championed causes in nearby Santa Monica, has died. He was 70.
Vote
on Santa Monica Downtown Plan Delayed Yet Again
March 31, 2016 -- The City
has once again delayed final action on a blueprint for future development
in Downtown Santa Monica that has been in the making for more than
six years, officials announced this week.
Pacific
Park Ferris Wheel to Get New Lights
March 31, 2016 -- Pacific
Park's iconic solar-powered Ferris Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier
will get a new, nearly $1 million lighting package in time for its
20th Birthday Celebration May 20, amusement park officials announced
Wednesday.
Santa
Monica Planning Commission to Consider New Fire Station Downtown
March 30, 2016 -- A $37 million
project to replace the 1950s-era fire station in downtown Santa Monica
will go before the Planning Commission next week, with officials promising
the new structure will last another half century.
Santa
Monica Airport Park Expansion Hits Milestone
March 30, 2016 -- Santa Monica’s
battle to close its airport has suffered decades of roadblocks, but
officials this week reported hitting a major milestone.
Santa
Monica College Concert Series Showcases Students
March 30, 2016 -- Santa Monica
College music students will get a chance to display their musical
chops during a series of April concerts that kicks off Saturday.
“Abundance
of Caution” Cited for Santa Monica Airport Warnings
March 29, 2016 -- An “abundance
of caution” is being cited as the reason the City has posted
signs warnings of possible exposure to toxic chemicals at the observation
decks at Santa Monica Airport, according to a new report.
IRS
Warns of Payroll Email Scheme
March 29, 2016 -- Cybercriminals
posing as company executives are seeking to obtain payroll data in
what is an "emerging phishing email scheme" that has claimed
five victims in the LA area, IRS officials said Monday.
Girl
Caught in Rip Current Near Santa Monica Pier May Not Survive
March 29, 2016 -- Chances
of survival are bleak for a teenage girl rescued Saturday following
a search by air, land and sea after she waded a few feet into the
ocean waters near the Santa Monica Pier and was suddenly sucked under
by a rip current, a lifeguard said Monday.
Proposed
Changes for Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus Routes Hit Roadblock
March 28, 2016 -- Santa Monica
transit officials plan to hold a series of meetings in Venice after
residents there expressed concerns over proposed Big Blue Bus route
changes that are aimed at better integrating the service with Expo
Light Rail trains, officials said.
Santa
Monica Education Activist Plans School Board Run
March 28, 2016 -- There will
be at least one challenger in the November election for three seats
on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) board.
Conservancy
Highlights Santa Monica History in April
March 28, 2016 -- It's all
about the past this weekend when the Santa Monica Conservancy showcases
two of its preservation success stories and the City celebrates the
100th anniversary of the Dudley Cup Tennis Tournament.
Santa
Monica Group Promps Federal Safety Hearings on Self-Driving Vehicles
March 25, 2016 -- Would you
feel safe in a completely driver-less car? Consumer Watchdog, a Santa
Monica-based nationally recognized advocacy group prone to litigating
issues involving taxpayers and shoppers, says no way.
Slow-Growth
Group Raises $20K for Santa Monica Ballot Measure
March 25, 2016 -- Residocracy
is in the beginning stages of building a treasury to fund its campaign
for a ballot measure that, if approved, would radically change the
development approval process in Santa Monica and put many decisions
in the hands of the voters.
Santa
Monica Amusement Park Now Hiring
March 25, 2016 -- Last year,
Pacific Park employed more than 500 workers at any given time throughout
the year, making it one of Santa Monica’s largest employers,
park officials said. The amusement park hires, trains and employs
more than 750 individuals a year.
Major
Construction Projects in Downtown Santa Monica Nearing Completion
March 24, 2016 -- The frenzy
of construction on big projects that has produced no small number
of traffic jams and a lot of headaches in downtown Santa Monica is
starting to wind down.
Santa
Monica Council Awards Multi-Million Dollar Contracts
March 24, 2016 -- Major contracts
to boost monitoring for contamination of Santa Monica’s second-largest
drinking water aquifer, to pay for landfills and recycling and to
expand the City-run fiber optics network were approved by the City
Council Tuesday.
Santa
Monica Police to Enforce Bicycle Safety Saturday
March 24, 2016 -- The Santa
Monica Police Department (SMPD) will be on the lookout for those violating
bicycle safety rules this Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Simulated
Expo Train Runs Start in Santa Monica
March 23, 2016 -- Simulated
passenger service to Santa Monica on the Expo Light Rail Line started
Monday – albeit without actual passengers – as Metro works
to establish final scheduling of the trains and completed last-minute
business like fencing before the official May 20 opening.
Santa
Monica City Council Approves New Airport Leasing Policy
March 23, 2016 -- Struggling
to regain ground in its long, uphill battle to close the municipal
airport, the Santa Monica City Council Tuesday approved a new leasing
policy that will make it harder for aviation to continue operating
there.
Santa
Monica Review Celebrates New Issue
March 23, 2016 -- Santa Monica
College will celebrate the Spring 2016 issue of its biannual national
literary arts journal with readings by an eclectic mix of contributors
next month.
Aging
Santa Monica High School to Expand by Nearly 50 Percent
March 22, 2016 -- More than
a half century after its last major rebuild, Santa Monica High School
officials are talking about increasing the size of the campus by nearly
50 percent, not to accommodate more students but to keep up with 21st
Century needs for technology and space for education.
Santa
Monica Enforcers Crack Down on Short-Term Rentals
March 22, 2016 -- After nine
months, Santa Monica’s crackdown on short-term vacation rentals
– one of the most aggressive in the nation -- is being called
a success so far by its enforcers.
Santa
Monica Library Event Focuses on Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
March 22, 2016 -- In Edan
Lepucki's 2014 debut novel, "California," LA has been hit
by a series of devastating catastrophes that has erased all power
and communications systems and sent survivors scrambling into the
wilderness.
Fate
of City Claim Over Santa Monica Airport in Hands of Appeals Court
March 21, 2016 -- Whether
the City ever gets its day in court in its David versus Goliath legal
battle against the United States of America over Santa Monica Airport
is now in the hands of the three judges of the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals.
Santa
Monica Poised to Spend Nearly Half a Million on Expo Party
March 21, 2016 –- The
City of Santa Monica raised eyebrows after approving a $500,000 contract
earlier this month to an outside media firm to handle marketing for
the already highly publicized arrival of the Expo Light rail line
on May 20.
Equity
within Santa Monica-Malibu School District Subject of Report
March 21, 2016 -- A UCLA professor
and his team will present the first phase of his research into gaps
in achievement among Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District students
at a special upcoming community meeting.
Council
to Pick Santa Monica Parks for Potential County Funding
March 18, 2016 -- At their
next meeting, elected leaders in park-starved Santa Monica could approve
a wish list of open-space projects for inclusion in a county parks
survey aimed at laying the groundwork for future public spending.
Fans
Gather for Big Bang
March 18, 2016 -- Simon Helberg
leaned back in his chair with a crossed leg resting on his knee. The
father of two who attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica fiddled
with the cuff of his slim fit jeans.
Commissioners,
Former Mayor Irked by Fence Planned for Santa Monica Post Office Remodeling
Project
March 17, 2016 -- Television
and film production company Skydance Media’s plan for transforming
the historic Santa Monica post office on 5th Street off Arizona Avenue
into an office includes a controversial five-foot fence around the
perimeter of the property.
College
Bond Measure Considered for Santa Monica Ballot
March 17, 2016 -- Voters could
be asked in November to vote on a bond measure to fund Santa Monica
College (SMC) facilities projects. This would be the fourth such proposal
put before SMC district residents since 2002.
Space
Exploration Subject of Santa Monica College Planetarium Series
March 17, 2016 -- Amazon founder
Jeff Bezos and PayPal co-founder Elon Musk share more than a zeal
for making billions on the internet. Both are betting a chuck of their
fortunes on personally exploring space.
Santa
Monica State Senator Authors Bill to Protect Marine Wildlife
March 16, 2016 -- State Senator
Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, announced Tuesday that he is authoring
legislation to phase out the controversial use of drifting gillnets
off the California coast.
Santa
Monica Files Tenant Harassment Lawsuit
March 16, 2016 -- The City
Attorney's Office filed a lawsuit Friday claiming that a Santa Monica
landlord and his attorney tried to harass a tenant by installing video
cameras aimed at her apartment.
Santa
Monica 2016 Sustainability Awards Announced
March 16, 2016 -- A Santa
Monica-based urban design firm, a well-known national environmental
group, a medical center and a luxury hotel are top winners of the
2016 Sustainable Quality Awards (SQA), officials announced Wednesday.
Nobel
Prize Winner, Researcher at Santa Monica RAND Dies
March 15, 2016 -- Lloyd S.
Shapley, a longtime RAND Corporation researcher and academic who shared
a Nobel Prize in economics for his study of strategic decision-making
called “game theory,” died Saturday. He was 92.
Historic
Santa Monica Post Office Could Be “Creative” Space
March 15, 2016 -- Santa Monica’s
U.S. Post Office on 5th Street, a legacy of the New Deal-era that
was closed three years ago, might re-open as a “creative”
office space under a proposal that adds a new building while also
trying to preserve the site’s historic character.
Winners
of Santa Monica Conservancy Awards
March 15, 2016 -- Grassroots
groups that successfully campaigned to preserve the
historic Third Street neighborhood and the iconic courtyard apartments
of San
Vicente Boulevard just last year are among winners of the 2016 Santa
Monica
Conservancy Awards.
Santa
Monica Assistant City Manager Honored
March 14, 2016 -- Assistant
City Manager Elaine Polachek, a veteran administrator who leads Santa
Monica's economic efforts, is among 77 women from Assembly districts
across the state scheduled to be honored in Sacramento Monday.
Santa
Monica Chamber Presents Entrepreneurship Series
March 14, 2016 -- Starting
a business from the ground up will be explained in three free upcoming
discussions sponsored by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
Santa
Monica College Professors Spread a Message of Financial Literacy
March 14, 2016 -- Santa Monica
College has held its first financial literacy music concert, the latest
effort of an ongoing SMC initiative launched by faculty members who
grew concerned after learning that most of their student had no idea
how to budget or save, a spokesperson said.
Planning
Commission Endorses Major Downtown Santa Monica Project
March 11, 2016 -- In an unusual
night at Santa Monica City Hall on Wednesday, a large-scale development
proposal received high praise and little criticism from all the public
speakers and nearly all the members of a government panel
Santa
Monica Airport Case Gets Hearing Friday
March 11, 2016 -- Santa Monica's
attorney Friday will argue before a three-judge panel why a district
court judge made an error in siding with the federal government's continuing
claim over Santa Monica Airport property.
Santa
Monica Library Hosts Panel on Local Phenomenon
March 10, 2016 -- What is
boxy, considered ugly, synonymous with idiot, moron and fool, and
found across Santa Monica?
Santa
Monica Council Members Could Consider Initiative to Counter LUVE
March 10, 2016 -- Members
of the Santa Monica City Council are considering floating a ballot
measure to counter LUVE, an initiative that would require voter approval
of most developments taller than two floors, The Lookout has learned.
Santa
Monica School Board Wants More Civility at Meetings
March 10, 2016 -- In reaction
to an emotional and heated meeting last month in Malibu, Laurie Lieberman,
president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board,
proposed the board should adopt a policy regarding civility.
Fundraising
for Santa Monica-Malibu Public Schools Closer to Goal
March 10, 2016 -- With less
than three months to go, fundraising for Santa Monica-Malibu public
schools has reached nearly $2.6 million in contributions, or about
$1.1 million shy of the goal, officials said.
Study
Finds Santa Monica Affordable Housing Disappearing
March 9, 2016 -- To afford anything larger than a one-bedroom
rental unit in Santa Monica requires a household annual income of
$100,000.
Proposed
LUVE Initiative Getting Little Support from Santa Monica Council Members
March 9, 2016 -- The slow-growth
“LUVE” initiative proposed for Santa Monica sure isn’t
getting much of that sentiment from members of the City Council, including
those considered part of the slow-growth majority.
Santa
Monica Representative to Submit New Bill Targeting Sugar-sweetened
Drinks
March 9, 2016 -- Assembly
member Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) on Wednesday is expected to
introduce legislation that would establish a health impact fee on
sugar sweetened-beverages nearly one year after a similar bill died
in committee, his office announced Tuesday.
Santa
Monica Downtown Plan Will “Open Floodgates” to Massive
Development, Group Contends
March 8, 2016 -- The new draft
plan for downtown development over the next 20 years will open the
“floodgates” to massive development, clear the way for
mega-projects and blot out the last of the city’s beach town
charm, one of Santa Monica’s two major slow-growth organizations
said Monday.
Santa
Monica Plan for Aging City Yards Site Gets Public Airing
March 8, 2016 -- Santa Monica’s
1940s-era City Yards, home to everything from maintenance of City
vehicles to training for its firefighters, is winding its way toward
a long-sought modernization, with officials taking their newest designs
to the public for another look next week.
Santa
Monica College Extension Program Wins Award
March 8, 2016 -- Santa Monica
College's newly launched Extension Program has won the 2016 “Excellence
in Community Education” award from the statewide Association
of Community and Continuing Education (ACCE) for its “profound
effect” on community education.
Santa
Monica Library Showcases a Universe of Sound
March 7, 2016 -- Other-worldly
sounds will invade the Santa Monica Library this month when composer
Ulrich Krieger performs excerpts from his four-hour "Universe"
for saxophone and electronics.
Santa
Monica Hires Media Firm for Expo Launch and Education Campaign
March 7, 2016 -- A media company
with links to publishing, video production, event organizing and promotion
will lead a $500,000 public relations campaign tied to the May launch
of the Expo Light Rail Line in Santa Monica.
City
Rebukes National Business Aviation Association Letter to Vazque
March 7, 2016 -- The City's
point person on Santa Monica Airport is rebuking a national commercial
aviation association's letter linking the Council's recent restrictions
at the airfield to federal transportation funding, describing it as
a veiled threat to low-income bus users.
Tough
Road for Voter Initiatives in Santa Monica
March 4, 2016 -- Slow-growth
activist group Residocracy will begin a signature drive on Sunday
to qualify its LUVE Initiative for the Santa Monica ballot. If successful,
it must then convince voters to pass the measure in November. Recent
history shows this is no easy task.
Call for Implementation of Action on Immigration
March 4, 2016 -- A case headed
to the U.S. Supreme Court that will determine the validity of President
Obama’s use of executive action and the fate of millions of
people living in the United States illegally has a Santa Monica connection.
 |
Santa
Monica College Gets New
Police Chief
March 4, 2015 -- Johnnie
Adams, a 32-year veteran of law enforcement, was sworn in by
the Board of Trustees Tuesday as Santa Monica College's new
police chief. Adams will oversee safety, law enforcement, emergency
preparedness operations and parking on SMC's main campus at
1900 Pico Boulevard and on satellite campuses throughout the
city. |
Bi-Annual
Survey To Query Residents on Travel Modes
March 3, 2016 -- The City
wants to know how you get around town. Santa Monica officials hope
to get a better picture of what modes of transportation residents
use to get about the City, and will pay a research firm an extra $69,000
to find out.
Santa
Monica Conservancy to Elect New Board Members at Annual Meeting
March 3, 2016 -- The Santa
Monica Conservancy is electing new board members and handing out preservation
awards at its annual meeting on Saturday.
Santa
Monica City Officials Approve Lobbyists Regulations
March 3, 2016 -- First it
was too complicated; then it was too simple. But on Tuesday, a once-again
revised law that requires greater disclosure on public issues by both
lobbyists and Santa Monica City officials finally won initial adoption
by the City Council.
Santa
Monicas Homeless Population Declines
March 2, 2016 -- For the third
year in a row, Santa Monica's overall homeless population including
those who live in shelters, has decreased, but more individuals are
living in the streets, acccording to Santa Monica’s 2016 Homeless
Count released Tuesday night.
Head
of Affordable Housing in Santa Monica Leaving
March 2, 2016 -- The head
of Santa Monica’s largest affordable-housing organization is
leaving after five years for a similar post in Hollywood. The good
news for her is it will lessen the weekday commute from Pasadena for
Sarah Letts, executive director of the Community Corporation of Santa
Monica.
Santa
Monica Appoints New City Clerk
March 2, 2016 -- As a 21-year
veteran of the Santa Monica City Clerk’s Office, Denise Anderson-Warren
has done almost every job there is to do in that office.
Fines
Start in Santa Monica for Customers Using Too Much Water
March 1, 2016 -- Customers
using too much City water in Santa Monica as the drought worsens are
about to face first-ever fines, officials said Monday.
Major
Aviation-Related Tenant at Santa Monica Airport to Vacate
March 1, 2016 -- A major aviation-related
tenant involved in the bitter battle to close the Santa Monica Municipal
Airport was scheduled to vacate the airport as of Monday following
failed negotiations with the City, an official representing the airport
said.
Women
of Mystery Featured at Santa Monica Public Library
March 1, 2016 -- A former
journalist and an actress who took very different paths to becoming
popular mystery writers will discuss the craft of thrilling readers
at the Santa Monica Public Library next week.
Santa
Monica Lookout
