May 16, 2026

BREAKING NEWS: Drug Zombie Apocalypse: In Half Square Mile of Santa Monica, 8 Bodies of Homeless People Have been Found in the last 4 Weeks

David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer | May 16, 2026

In what some local residents are calling a "drug zombie apocalypse," Santa Monica authorities have recovered bodies of 8 homeless people in a half mile square area of Santa Monica 90403 in the 4 weeks leading up to May 15, 2026. According to community reports and references to Santa Monica Police Department activity, at least eight bodies of homeless or transient individuals have been discovered in a roughly half-square-mile zone bounded by Ocean Avenue to the west, Lincoln...

BREAKING NEWS: US Delegation Discards All Chinese Gifts and Items Before Boarding Air Force One After Trump-Xi Summit in Beijing

David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer | May 16, 2026

Beijing, China – May 15, 2026--In a display of stringent counterintelligence protocols, the entire U.S. delegation accompanying President Donald Trump discarded every item provided by their Chinese hosts before boarding Air Force One for departure from Beijing on Friday. According to reports citing New York Post correspondent Emily Goodin, who was traveling with the press pool, staff collected gifts, badges, pins, commemorative items, and other materials given by Chinese...

BREAKING NEWS: FBI Offers $200,000 Bounty for "Tehran's Tootsie" Monica Witt - A Woman Who Sold Out the US to Iran for Money

David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer | May 16, 2026

Washington, D.C. - More than a decade after her disappearance into the arms of America's adversaries, the FBI on May 14, 2026, announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Monica Elfriede Witt, a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist turned alleged Iranian asset. Witt, 47, once held a trusted position inside America's intelligence apparatus. From 1997 to 2008 she served as an Air Force Intelligence Specialist and Special Agent with the...

BREAKING NEWS: Woman Fatally Struck by #33 Metro Bus At Ocean Park Blvd and Main Street Friday; Speculation It May Have Been a Suicide by Bus

Stan Greene, Observer Staff Writer | May 16, 2026

Santa Monica - A pedestrian was killed Friday afternoon after being struck by a westbound Metro Line 33 bus in Santa Monica, authorities said. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. near the intersection of Main Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, close to the Santa Monica Pier area. Santa Monica police responded to the scene where the woman was pronounced dead. According to a statement from LA Metro: "A westbound Metro 33 Line Bus, pulling away from the bus stop at Main Street and...

BREAKING NEWS: Decomposed Body Discovered in Homeless Encampment Under Santa Monica Bridge. "When I saw him, his leg had been chewed on by some animal."

David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer | May 16, 2026

(May 16, 2026) - A decomposed body was found Saturday morning in a homeless encampment beneath the California Incline near Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), according to local resident and City Council candidate Derrick Townsend. Townsend, who is running for Santa Monica City Council in the 2026 election, said he and his dog Frank discovered the remains while walking in the area. He described the body as "very decayed" with a strong odor, noting it was located in a known...

BREAKING NEWS: Opinion: You Pay $7 a Gallon for Gas, Because of Decisions Made By the California Legislature. Scott Weiner Wants to Take the Anti-Car Crusade National

David Ganezer, Republican Candidate for California's 11th Congressional District | May 16, 2026

California just received its last shipment of Middle Eastern oil. Nothing else is on the way. This should be a national wake-up call. Instead, San Francisco seems poised to reward an author of such anti-automobile policies with a seat in Congress. California sits on over one billion barrels of proven oil reserves and produces roughly 250,000 barrels per day. Our refineries have the capacity to process 1.4 million barrels daily. And yet, we now import roughly 60% of our crude...

  • AI's Undead Masterpiece: "Zombie Scavenger" Is the 3.5 Minute Film That Just Raised the Bar for Hollywood

    Zeke Bytewalker, Special to the Observer | May 16, 2026

    In a town where green-light meetings still drag on longer than most feature films, a lone AI creator just dropped a post-apocalyptic gem that feels more cinematic than half the tentpoles streaming this summer. Clocking in at a brisk 3:34, Zombie Scavenger (also circulating as Zombie Sweeper) is the kind of scrappy, stylish knockout that makes you wonder why we're still pretending artificial intelligence can't tell a story. Picture this: a rugged, robotic cowboy-type...

  • San Francisco Spends $100,000 to $300,000 Per Homeless Annually. Yet the tents and fentanyl crisis remain. Why?

    David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer | May 16, 2026

    As the only Republican running for Nancy Pelosi's former seat, voters deserve to know exactly how my views differ from the leading Democratic candidate, State Senator Scott Wiener.Here is a clear, side-by-side comparison on the issues that matter most to San Francisco residents:Housing Scott Wiener has authored several major bills (SB 35, SB 423, SB 79) designed to force more housing development by overriding local zoning. While we both want more housing, I believe we must...

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