Sorted by date Results 735 - 759 of 1043

CalFire rescinded its evacuation order for the South Lake Tahoe area at 4 pm Sunday afternoon. The order came into effect after the town of 22,000 residents and several large casinos, was threatened by the fire that has burned 225,000 acres from August 14th till September 5th. "#CaldorFire: The following Evacuation Orders have been downgraded to Evacuation Warnings in El Dorado County: South Lake Tahoe City Limits... North of the City of South Lake Tahoe..." reads the tweet...

For local Jews, the New Year is upon us. For the second year in a row, local temples and synagogues are preparing for High Holiday services during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Conservative congregation Sinai Temple will require either proof of Covid vaccination, or a negative PCR test within 72 hours to enter the building. But not both, their website emphasizes. "You will be asked to show proof of the above at the entry point (either garage or walk-in) for each holiday...

About 400 to 500 demonstrators prayed by the Santa Monica Pier Sunday afternoon. Speakers of every race exhorted the genteel crowd to vote to recall Gavin Newsom and George Gascon. They also opposed vaccination mandates, though some in the crowd had themselves been vaccinated. While there was a lot of prayer, it did not turn out to be the apocalypse by the sea that some predicted. Antifa or other left-wing demonstrators did not show up and the event was entirely peaceful....

8/27: The California Parole Board has voted to release Sirhan Sirhan, the man who shot and killed RFK in 1968. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has decided not to oppose Sirhan's release, and did not send a prosecutor to oppose a hearing this week. Gascon, a progressive, believes that everyone deserves a second chance, and in any case Sirhan does not represent a threat to the public, being 77 years old. On August 27th 2021 he was granted parole. He served 53...

Time to get excited people! Randy's donuts at 9th Street and Wilshire will be opening August 31, 2021, says Lawrence Carroll, their publicist. What makes Randy's Donuts different? "We only use the freshest ingredients. We throw out donuts that are older than an hour," says one of the perky kids who will soon be selling donuts. Randy's Donuts is a bakery and landmark building in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles International Airport, in a style that dates to a period in...

Gavin Newsom, a rich white guy from the Bay Area who is backed by some of the richest people in the State, faces a real challenge from the Recall Campaign. This has galvanized since June, when former Talk Radio host Larry Elder announced that he was running for the Golden State's top job. Some say the establishment is running scared. "There's real anger at Sacramento, real anger at Gavin Newsom. Larry Elder, temperament wise, symbolizes that, In a way that Kevin Falconer and...

Rolling Stones Guitarist Charlie Watts has died, said his publicist in a statement on Twitter. Watts, 80 joined the legendary rock band in 1963 at the beginning of their 58 year career. "He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family," the Stone's publicist tweeted on August 24, 2021. It was announced last week that Watts' physical condition would prevent him from touring with the band this year. The band, which planned to tour this year,...

The Santa Monica City Council will consider at its August 24th meeting, whether City employees should be required to obtain vaccinations for Covid-19, prior to reporting for their jobs and as a condition of employment. The City Council (should) express its position that to protect the health and safety of both City Employees and the public we serve, absent legitimate medical or religious concerns, all city employees volunteers and contractors should be required to be fully...

Witnesses reported a small fire along the cliffs above Pacific Coast Highway. The blaze was just north of Channel Road in Pacific Palisades on Sunday Morning at about 9:00 am. The fire did not seem to involve more than an acre. Homeless encampments are common on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. But it is not immediately apparent whether the area on fire involved a homeless encampment. The fire was fully extinguished by 10:00 a.m. Helicopters were still seen circling...

A fatality collision at the East end of the McClure Tunnel closed the 10 freeway for a few hours Saturday afternoon, the Santa Monica Fire Department said in a press release. Four people were injured and one was pronounced dead at the scene. 27 Fire fighters in addition to Santa Monica Police and CHP units responded. The Freeway was closed for five hours Eastbound past the McClure Tunnel. Official press release written by Patrick Nulty of the SMFD, follows. On Friday August...

Santa Monica Police have caught a 28 year old Los Angeles man in the act of stealing a catalytic convertor from a pickup truck. "On August 12, 2021 at about 5:35 AM," Spokesman Lt. Rudy Flores writes, "Officers were dispatched to investigate an active burglary involving a vehicle that was parked in the secured parking lot at 1833 Lincoln Blvd, Rainbow Carpet Cleaners." Officers observed Alexander Torres holding a flashlight and making a grinding noise underneath the white...

Someone has vandalized the flag in front of Santa Monica City Hall. Both the US Flag and the LGBTQ flag are missing. "The US flag and pride flag were raised in front of City Hall for the month of July," said an unnamed source at City Hall. "However, about 1½ weeks ago, staff found the pole hardware vandalized and both the US flag and pride flag missing. A work order has been placed for pole repair. The flag will be raised as soon as the pole is repaired and a new flag...

Once again, an entire California town has been lost to a wildfire. The town of Greenville has about 1150 residents, a fraction the size of Paradise California, which burned to the ground in 2018. But its loss is no less tragic for the townsfolk, no doubt. According to the AP, "the Dixie Fire tore through the Greenville on Wednesday evening, destroying businesses and homes as the sky was cast in an orange glow. A photographer on assignment for The Associated Press described...

There are two perspectives on the current state of the pandemic in the U.S. One perspective is that it's time to accept some sickness and return to our lives. The New York Post recently printed an editorial entitled "Ignore the Hysteria: It's Time to Move Past Covid, America." The Post, a conservative newspaper founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1790, argues that with the vaccines, Covid is now like Influenza. Although the flu kills thousands of people every year, we do not...

The SMMUSD has issued a press release, reaffirming that in class instruction will begin in Santa Monica and Malibu on August 19th, 2021. It is unclear whether or not masks will be required of students. "Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is returning to in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year with health and safety protocols in place as directed by our guiding agencies," writes the District. "The California Department of Education (CDE) has authorized...

West LA residents report that they have seen newly dead house cats killed by coyotes. Brazen coyotes have been seen in busy intersections such as Olympic and Sepulveda, which carry freeway levels of traffic. Residents report seeing corpses of cats across the fine trimmed lawns of West Los Angeles. "Coyotes are hunting in our neighborhood again and are a threat to pets and children!" warns a poster that has appeared in the neighborhood. Olympic is full of cars during the day, b...

At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, a caller informed the City Council that "agents of Satan" were "driving Christians from the Promenade." The City Clerk allowed the caller her two minutes to speak, then told her "your time is up." and then cut her off. You can't make this stuff up, people. The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian mall esplanade, shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the downtown area of Santa Monica. According to Wikipedia, it originally...

Conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder has won his fight to be on the September 14th recall ballot. The son of a restaurant owner, Elder has electrified Republicans with the possibility that they could defeat Gov. Gavin Newsom and replace him with the first statewide Republican officeholder since Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Elder sent out the following email: "Huge news, fellow conservative! We won our lawsuit against the California Secretary of State and are back on the...

The Santa Monica City Council announced on Thursday that it has selected David White to serve as Santa Monica’s next city manager. White’s employment contract – including an October 11 start date and salary – will be considered at the July 27 Council meeting, said city officials at last night’s special Council meeting. White currently serves as deputy city manager for the City of Berkeley, where he oversees internal service departments, public safety reform, economic...

The Los Angeles Times has posted an editorial criticizing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, for his willingness to resign as Mayor of Los Angeles and accept the Biden Administration's nomination to be Ambassador to India. "Mayor Eric Garcetti's willingness to abandon his office in L.A. is a sign of the city's civic inadequacies," writes the editorial board in the Los Angeles Times website. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-07-09/eric-garcetti-ambassadorship-los-angeles...

As suddenly as they disappeared 16 months ago, salad bars and hot food bars have returned to local markets this month. According to one source at a market, who asked not to be named, LA County Public Health has removed protocols that forbade salad bars and hot food bars during the Coronavirus pandemic. At Publichealth.lacounty.gov, there are a list of "Retired Protocols – Not in Effect." It does in fact say that "these following protocols and guidance documents are no longer i...

In a 4 to 2 vote, the Santa Monica City Council appointed Lana Negrete to take Kevin McKeown's seat on the 7 member Santa Monica City Council. The Council selected Negrete from 34 eligible candidates who submitted their interest for the appointment to the seat vacated by Kevin McKeown in June. Her term lasts until November 2022. “Lana Negrete was born and raised in Santa Monica and is the owner of the Santa Monica Music Center. As a mother, she has long been active in the l...

Britney Spears has committed no crime, she says. She alleges that her father and his conservatorship are blocking her from living her life, and becoming a mom again. The mother of two is of course one of the most successful musicians of the last 20 years. But she seemed to be suffering from bipolar disorder in 2007. That year, her father went to Court and proved by clear and convincing evidence that the pop queen was not able to manage her own financial affairs. Her father, Ja...

Bus riders will no longer be able to pay for their rides in cash. Starting Monday July 12, the Big Blue Bus Co. has announced that it will no longer accept cash from riders. Customers must pay with TAP cards purchased from machines at train stations, or they will have to buy mobile tickets online. The idea is to make payment "contactless," seemingly a holdover from the pandemic. During the pandemic, both MTA and BBB buses were free to all. Both companies have since started...

James Dean walked down the hallways of the History Building at Santa Monica High School in Rebel Without a Cause. Protestors at SamoHi last Saturday tried a last minute effort to save the building. The History building was originally constructed in 1913, but largely rebuilt as a WPA project in the 1930's. The building is undergoing asbestos abatement. Which means the contractor awarded the $200 million contract to replace the historic structure with a "state of the art Career...