Santa Monica’s Shore Hotel Alleges Union Harassment
May 31, 2016 -- High-ranking staff from Santa Monica’s Shore Hotel say daily union protests are disturbing the peace, and the City Council should do something to stop it.

Panel Calls for Greater Concentration of Art, No Hotel at Santa Monica's Bergamot Center
May 31, 2016 -- More than two years after public outcry and a successful referendum drive prompted City officials to ditch one of Santa Monica’s biggest proposed developments, an advisory panel for the Bergamot Station Arts Center is calling for far more arts-related uses but not a future six-story hotel.

Memorial Day Ushers in Predictions of Less Sweltering Summer for Santa Monica
May 31, 2016 -- Memorial Day ushered in predictions that the coming summer won’t be quite as sweltering as it was last year in Santa Monica and Southern California in general.

Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel Shows Off Its New Colors
May 27, 2016 -- The bright new lights on the Santa Monica Pier's iconic Ferris wheel displayed a waving American flag against the night sky for the grand finale of Pacific Park's 20th anniversary celebration Thursday night.

Santa Monica-Malibu School Board Wants More Focus on Ethnic, LGBT Issues
May 24, 2016 -- Board of Education members say the proposed textbooks for grades nine through 11 in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s (SMMUSD) language arts program are lacking on the ethnic and sexual identity diversity front.

Santa Monica Becomes Bernie Sanders Country as Faithful Flock to Rally
May 24, 2016 -- Santa Monica, or at least the area around its high school near Downtown, was Bernie Sanders country Monday.

Opinion: Making History in Santa Monica
May 24, 2015 -- It was great walking on the Samohi football field today where I once played and practiced. Only this time I was there to tackle social justice issues with presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Santa Monica College Student Receives State Department Scholarship
May 24, 2016 -- A Santa Monica College (SMC) student is headed to India to study Punjabi this summer after being awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language (CLS) Scholarship.

The Last Train to Santa Monica
May 23, 2016 -- While the arrival of the first Expo train to Santa Monica Friday garnered national headlines, few recall the day the last passenger train made its final trip to the beach city nearly 63 years ago.

Light Rail Brings Changes to Santa Monica
May 23, 2016 -- A new Santa Monica era began Friday with the opening of the Expo light rail line. And this era is about more than trains and the sprucing up of areas next to the train stations. Several developments will soon be popping up along or near the rail’s path.

Small Plane Crashes at Santa Monica Airport
May 23, 2016 -- A single engine plane crashed at Santa Monica Airport early Sunday afternoon but no one was injured, the Fire Department said.

All Aboard Santa Monica’s New Light Rail Line
May 20, 2016 -- The little boy smiled and wiggled with joy at the prospect of riding the new train.

Former Santa Monica Mayor on Board Train from the Start
May 20, 2016 -- When the first train in more than 60 years rolls into Santa Monica Friday morning, Pam O'Connor hopes to be inside the first car peering through the front window.

Santa Monica Greets Train's Arrival with Festivities, Campaign
May 20, 2016 –- The long-awaited arrival of the Expo Light Rail Line in Santa Monica will be one piece in a transit puzzle that officials hope will lure motorists out of their cars.

Santa Monica Government Taking on ‘Fast-Casual’ Restaurants
May 20, 2015 -- So-called fast casual restaurants, where customers order and pay for their food at a counter and a server brings it to them, have become a growing trend in Santa Monica and the country as a whole. But government officials say they could be a problem.

Santa Monica College Planetarium Announces June Shows
May 19, 2016 -- An ill-fated mission, a view of deep sky objects (DSOs) and an update on a spacecraft that will arrive in Jupiter orbit on July 4th will be showcased at the Santa Monica College planetarium next month, college officials announced.

Passenger Trains Return to Santa Monica Friday
May 19, 2016 -- For the first time in more than 60 years, a passenger train will be traveling through Santa Monica beginning this Friday. The public can hop on the Expo Light Rail for free rides starting in the afternoon, followed by a day of station celebrations Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Santa Monica to Upgrade Pickup Truck Fleet
May 19, 2016 -- The City of Santa Monica plans to add 31 new pickup trucks to its fleet, replacing aging vehicles with new Ford models that run on Compressed Natural Gas for tasks related to everything from animal control to traffic signal maintenance.

Santa Monica Hippodrome to Celebrate 100 Years
May 18, 2016 -- One hundred years ago, amusement park entrepreneur Charles Looff flung open the doors of a hippodrome on his newly built pier in Santa Monica

Recommended Deadline Nears for Santa Monica Ballot Measure Petitions
May 18, 2016 -- Absentee balloting for Santa Monica residents voting in the June primary election has only just begun, but an important deadline is already fast approaching for the November general election.

Big Names from Past Top Santa Monica Pier Concert Series Lineup
May 18, 2016 -- Big-name acts from the past announced Tuesday and the long-awaited arrival of light rail service to Santa Monica this week promise to bring record crowds to this year's Twilight Concert Series Thursday nights on the Pier.

Santa Monica Rent Board Raises Penalty for Neglected Maintenance
May 17, 2015 -- It is about to get more expensive for Santa Monica landlords to disregard maintenance needs and reduce tenants' amenities.

Santa Monica Can Sue for Airport Control, Appellate Court Rules
May 17, 2016 -- Local municipal officials’ quest to take control of Santa Monica Airport received a boost Monday when a three-judge panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the City could sue the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over this issue.

Santa Monica Fairview Branch Library to Re-Open June 1
May 17, 2016 -- Exactly a year after closing for more than $900,000 in interior renovations, Santa Monica’s six decades-old Fairview Branch Library is set to re-open on June 1, officials announced.

Council Approves Downtown Santa Monica Mixed-Use Project Near Rail Station
May 16, 2016 -- Downtown Santa Monica will soon feature a seven-story, mixed-use development with 249 residential units in a range of sizes and ground-floor commercial space that includes a grocery store.

Santa Monica School Board Member Says Malibu Parents Boycotting Education Foundation
May 16, 2016 -- Observing a large discrepancy between the percentage of families in the local school district’s two cities that donate to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation (SMMEF), School Board President Laurie Lieberman alleged there was an organized boycott in Malibu.

Santa Monica Officers to Receive National Medal of Valor
May 16, 2016 -- When an armed gunman, who already had taken five lives, entered the busy Santa Monica College Library in June 2013, the three officers who arrived at the scene were forced to quickly respond.

Consultant Recommends Half-Cent Sales Tax Measure for Santa Monica Ballot
May 13, 2016 -- A consultant hired by the Santa Monica City Council says poll results show voters would pass a half-cent sales tax in November to fund affordable housing programs and support schools.

Test Train and Pickup Collide in Santa Monica
May 13, 2016 -- An Expo train testing the new light rail service scheduled to open in Santa Monica next week collided with a pickup truck making an illegal turn Wednesday evening, police officials said.

Education Foundation Gets PTA Matching Grant
May 13, 2016 -- With a month and a half left in its fundraising campaign, the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation (SMMEF)announced Thursday that it has received a $200,000 matching gift from the Franklin Elementary School PTA.

Proposed Changes to Santa Monica Anti-Corruption Law Possibly Headed to Ballot
May 12, 2016 -- The Santa Monica City Council took the first steps on Tuesday toward the possible amending of an anti-corruption law.

Sheriff's Deputies Will Back Santa Monica Police at Big Events
May 12, 2016 -- Twilight Concert-goers will see more brown-shirted deputies backing Santa Monica's men and women in blue this summer at the massively popular ten-week series of live music performances at the Pier.

Santa Monica Funds Reed Park Improvement Project
May 12, 2016 -- A passive clump of trees and grass on the northeast side of Christine Emerson Reed Park will get a curving little pathway linking shaded areas with tables and benches where people can picnic, play chess and exercise.

Santa Monica Pony Rides Lawsuit Decision Reversed on Appeal
May 11, 2016 -- In what Santa Monica resident Marcy Winograd called a victory for citizen activism, a California Court of Appeal panel ruled this week that the owner of a company providing pony rides could not sue Winograd for defamation because she is protected by free speech laws.

Santa Monica Officials Review State's New Water Rules
May 11, 2016 -- State water officials this week tossed the formula they devised to tell cities how much water they need to save during the drought, but it probably won't change anything Santa Monica has been doing to conserve, a City official said Tuesday.

Top Flutist Takes Stage at Santa Monica Library
May 11, 2016 -- Widely regarded as a performer, as well as a respected teacher, it's fitting that flutist Nicole Mitchell will showcase her talents at the Santa Monica Public Library next week.

City of Santa Monica Launches Ethics Hotline
May 10, 2015 -- Santa Monica officials announced this week that the City has launched a hotline to share information about possible ethics violations by City officials and staff.

Santa Monica College Board Election Takes Shape
May 10, 2016 -- At least one incumbent and one challenger will be in the November election for three seats on the Santa Monica College (SMC) Board of Trustees. Three-term Trustee Rob Rader and newcomer Sion Roy announced their candidacies this week.

Santa Monica Museum of Art Finds New Home in Downtown LA
May 10, 2016 -- The Santa Monica Museum of Art won't be returning to the bayside city but instead will move to Downtown Los Angeles and re-emerge as the the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, its executive director has announced.

Federal Airport Bill Attracts Attention in Santa Monica
May 9, 2016 -- A bill requiring the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to consider community impacts when determining flight patterns could factor into the debate on the future of the Santa Monica Airport.

Santa Monica College Holds Environmental Symposium
May 9, 2016 -- Pursuing the "good life" seems like a good common goal, but what values should guide that pursuit?

Death, Life and Art at Santa Monica Beach House
May 9, 2016 -- When artist Candy Chang stenciled the words, “Before I Die I want to,” followed by a space for people to fill in the blank, little did she expect her “experiment” stuck to the wall of a vacant building in her New Orleans neighborhood would strike such a chord across the globe.

Santa Monica Set to Invest More Than $2 million To Tap Stormwater
May 6, 2016 -- In one of two water-related agenda items pending City Council approval, Santa Monica would invest more than $2 million on a new system to capture stormwater at Los Amigos Park, store it below ground and use it to irrigate the park's lawn and flush the toilets.

Governor Rejects Santa Monica Lawmaker's Tobacco Bill
May 6, 2016 -- Santa Monica Assemblyman Richard Bloom was the odd one out on Wednesday when his bill was the only one in a package of anti-tobacco legislation that failed to win Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.

Pacific Park Wheel in Santa Monica Goes Dark
May 6, 2016 -- Eight years ago, Pacific Park ushered in a new era on the Santa Monica Pier when it unveiled its iconic Ferris Wheel with a festive fireworks bash.

Santa Monica Council Poised to Approve Major Development at Fred Segal Site
May 5, 2016 -- A seven-story development replacing the old Fred Segal shopping complex in downtown Santa Monica goes to the City Council Tuesday, possibly the last project tied to a way of doing business at City Hall that inspired the wrath of slow-growth advocates.

Santa Monica Population Increases Slightly
May 5, 2016 -- The population of Santa Monica increased from 93,093 to 93,640 between January 2015 and January 2016 for a change of .6 percent, according to information released this week by the California Department of Finance Santa Monica ranked 264th of California’s 482 cities in population change by percentage.

HUD Vouchers in Santa Monica Increased to Help Needy
May 5, 2012 -- Coping with a crippling shortage of affordable housing, Santa Monica officials finally have some good news, courtesy of the federal government.

Santa Monica to Require Solar Rooftops on New Buildings
May 4, 2016 -- At the end of the month, Santa Monica will start requiring solar rooftops for all new buildings, becoming the fourth municipality in California with such a law on the books.

Departing Santa Monica-Malibu Schools Superintendent Gets Generally Positive Reviews
May 4, 2016 -- Santa Monica-Malibu Schools Superintendent Sandra Lyon is leaving her post of five years with mixed reviews, with supporters citing her efforts to help poor and minority students but at least one critic saying her exit is welcomed.

Santa Monica Looks North for New Cultural Affairs Manager
May 4, 2016 -- Santa Monica looked to the frigid north for its new cultural affairs manager, tapping Shannon Daut, who headed the Alaska State Council of the Arts for five years before accepting the City post.

Santa Monica Workers’ Compensation Costs on Rise Again
May 3, 2016 -- After briefly slowing, costs for employees injured on the job are rising again for Santa Monica’s city government and are likely to continue rising well into the future, a new risk management report has found.

Organizers for Santa Monica LUVE Initiative Say Signature Goal Met
May 3, 2016 -- Organizers for a proposed initiative that could sharply cut new development in Santa Monica announced Monday they have collected 10,000 signatures, far more than needed to help earn LUVE a spot on the ballot in November.

Santa Monica-Malibu Schools Superintendent to Leave Post
May 3, 2016 -- After a five-year stint, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Sandra Lyon on Monday announced she is leaving her post to head the public school district serving Palm Springs and surrounding cities.

New Park Names Honor Santa Monica World War II Veterans
May 2, 2016 -- Two Santa Monica men who fought in World War II -- one who died on the battlefield in France and another who lived until 2009 -- will soon be memorialized when Pico Neighborhood parks carry their names.

First Santa Monica Homicide of the Year Remains Unsolved
May 2, 2016 -- Almost a month after a 35-year-old man was found stabbed to death in the middle of the afternoon on April 5 at a 46-unit apartment building in the heart of Downtown Santa Monica, the City's first homicide of 2016 remains an unsolved mystery.

Santa Monica Students Get Chance to Explore Careers in Space
May 2, 2016 -- More than 150 Santa Monica College students and faculty have applied for a program that will allow them to work as paid interns at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena this year, college officials announced last week.