October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
SANTA MONICA - City staff presented a one-year accounting of the Realignment Plan to the City Council this week, citing lower crime figures, reduced commercial vacancies, and a smaller-than-budgeted draw on reserves. The numbers come from the city's own tracking system and were not independently verified in the staff report. The council adopted the plan on October 28, 2025, when staff projected a $29.6 million structural deficit. Of 179 activities listed in the plan, staff...
Outside laboratory tests have allegedly detected E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria on tables and keyboards at the Santa Monica Public Library, according to a report commissioned by the Santa Monica Coalition, prompting critics to renew claims that the facility functions more as a de facto shelter than a traditional library. Fox 11 News reported that the tests found the bacteria on public surfaces. John Alle and the Santa Monica Coalition have linked the alleged results to...
SANTA MONICA, 10.14.26 - The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Santa Monica mountain areas as strong Santa Ana winds and very low humidity create elevated wildfire conditions, with Southern California Edison warning of possible power shutoffs in parts of nearby Malibu. Forecasters said gusts could reach 70 mph with single-digit humidity levels, conditions expected to support extreme fire behavior. The warning applies to mountain and foothill zones...
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles County jury on Oct. 6 convicted Lebaron Anthony Alexander Jr., a well-known pimp, of sex trafficking nine women-two of them minors-between 2016 and 2020 across Los Angeles County and other parts of Southern California. The 41-year-old, whose date of birth is listed as Nov. 23, 1984, faces a maximum sentence of 84 years in prison. In case BA484835, Alexander was found guilty of three counts of human trafficking of an adult, three counts of...
SANTA MONICA - A 1959 Googie-style diner long associated with the western end of Route 66 is the subject of a preliminary redevelopment application and a concurrent bid for historic landmark status, setting up a potential conflict between housing construction and preservation. ValueRock Realty has filed a preliminary application under Senate Bill 330 to replace the building at 1670 Lincoln Boulevard-currently occupied by Mel's Drive-In and formerly known as the Penguin Coffee...
ORANGE COUNTY, 10.12.2026. — Southbound Pacific Coast Highway has been reduced to one lane in northern Laguna Beach as emergency work addresses coastal erosion linked to high surf and elevated tides from Tropical Storm Rachel, according to traffic monitoring data. The restriction runs from Irvine Cove to Reef Point Drive, an area adjacent to Crystal Cove State Park at the northern edge of Laguna Beach and between Corona del Mar and central Laguna Beach. California State...
Los Angeles, Oct. 13, 2026 - A suspected arson fire broke out on South Hope Street in Downtown Los Angeles early Tuesday, prompting a large response from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), according to a report posted by local resident @Stellaaa on X.com. @Stellaaa first noted smelling smoke and hearing numerous sirens around 3:05 a.m., then followed up minutes later with video of the scene, describing a "massive LAFD response" to what she characterized as another...
Update 2:22 pm PST: LAPD has confirmed the incident at Milken Community School was a hoax.According to ABC7, a call about a supposed active shooter around 1 p.m. at the school on Zeldins Way triggered a lockdown and a large police response. When officers arrived, no threat was found. LAPD described it as an apparent swatting call (a fake emergency report to 911). The school is a private Jewish middle and high school in the Brentwood/Bel Air area. Earlier social media reports...
Updated story (based on reporting as of October 13, 2026): Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a judicially authorized search warrant early Monday, October 12, 2026, at the Washington-area residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). The Department of Justice confirmed the action was part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Agents were observed removing boxes, including some labeled "Seized Property Evidence." Federal crime(s) authorities...
Sunset Boulevard is partially closed west of Allenford Avenue after a water main leak forced Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews to set up a multi-day repair zone in the Brentwood area. The leak, located at approximately 13316 West Sunset Boulevard on the Westgate Trunkline, was first reported Friday afternoon. By Saturday evening, all eastbound lanes and one westbound lane between Allenford Avenue and Mandeville Canyon Road were closed to accommodate excavation...
A man in his twenties died after climbing from a raised visitor walkway into the Amur tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday 10 October 2026, South Yorkshire Police confirmed. Emergency services were called at about 1.35pm after reports that he had entered the enclosure. Two ambulances, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and a doctor attended, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by specialist...
