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Over 1000 flights were cancelled Sunday as 1500 employees of Southwest Airlines, the nation's #5 carrier, began a sickout to protest mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations. Passengers were reportedly scrambling to book other airlines, while Southwest itself blamed the weather. "ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation. We appreciate your patience as we accommodate affected...

Monday October 11 2021 is Columbus Day. Los Angeles Superior Court's are closed, as are other County offices. US District Courts and all Federal offices will shutter too. But State offices, such as the California Secretary of State and the EDD, will remain open. The US stock market exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ) will be open on Columbus day, but the Bond market and most retail banks will be closed. Most banks will be closed on Monday, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, U.S....

1/8/21: As Columbus Day becomes Indigenous People's Day: On the holiday formerly known as Columbus Day, new attempts to remove the murals from city hall are afoot. "On September 28th, City Council moved forward on assigning the Landmarks Commission," The City's landmark commission posted on 9/30 on Facebook, "the responsibility of interpreting and contextualizing the City Hall murals, supported by an ad hoc Council committee consisting of Oscar De La Torre and Christine...

1/4 Santa Monica was treated to a rare thunder and lightning display on Monday afternoon around the 5 PM hour. Men walking dogs and women with baby strollers scrambled to get out of the sudden rain in my neighborhood. Southern California is, of course, in a drought situation. Less than 6.5 inches of precipitation have fallen over the region, which receives 14.25 inches of rain in a typical year. The day grew dark very quickly, and no rain had been predicted by the National...

The US Coast Guard responded to an oil spill 4 miles off the coast of Newport Beach, the Federal Agency reported on Saturday. The event interrupted an airshow over Newport Beach. An oil slick just off OC Coastline is expected to come ashore at some point Saturday night, officials in Huntington Beach said at a press conference Saturday, 10/2/21. Authorities added that residents should expect beach closures and stay out of the water. The oil slick is believed to have resulted...

9/24: Last weekend, our photographer Mary Leipziger captured these photos of kids and adults playing beach volley ball on Santa Monica beach. The modern game originated on Santa Monica Beach. An annual tournament played in Ocean Park in August attracts players from around the world. During the academic year, an after school program for kids called West Coast Beach Volleyball operates from 3-5 pm daily, says Mary. Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two...

Smoke can travel hundreds of miles in the upper atmosphere, as it did this week. Smoke lingering in the air from Northern and Central California turned skies red all over Southern California on Thursday and Friday. An orange sun and a red moon were visible in the skies. Numerous photos were posted to social media, including many by me. Calls were made to police and fire, and they explained to concerned residents that there was no fire within 300 miles of Santa Monica. The...

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake centered in Carson shook the Westside on Friday evening just before 8 pm. It was felt as a low rolling motion, for about ten seconds. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. It was the latest in a series of earthquakes in So. Cal. this week. This was the largest jolt, which some sources measured at 4.6 on the Richter scale. It lasted for about ten seconds. One in San Fernando was said to be shallow. Epicenter was said to be below...

A few of you in my generation may remember your parents watching a certain musical variety show back in the day. A musician, accordionist and bandleader, Welk hosted "The Lawrence Welk Show" from 1951 to 1982. The show is still one of the longest runs ever on TV. Fewer folks know that Welk was also responsible for the One Wilshire Building. Known as a skillful businessman, Welk had investments in real estate and music publishing. He was the general partner in a commercial...

Politics makes strange bedfellows. Rose McGowan just got into bed, politically speaking, with Larry Elder. This afternoon, the Me Too movement founder will hold a press conference with Larry Elder, where she will say that she was approached by Jennifer Siebold Newsom 6 months before McGowan released her allegations against Harvey Weinstein, and asked to be silent. Weinstein is now known as the biggest serial rapist in Hollywood History. LINK TO MCGOWAN NEWS CONFERENCE:...

Authorities may claim success in removing homeless people from the Venice boardwalk, a task that seemed impossible at the beginning of the summer. In my Labor Day visit to the Boardwalk, I saw no homeless encampments in a four block stretch from Windward Circle North. The area was filled with homeless tents and makeshift huts just 8 weeks ago. "It started about six weeks ago" said Keith Parker, whose family owns Big Daddy's Pizza near Horizon and the Boardwalk. "I credit...

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...

Who's smarter than the average bear? South Lake Tahoe, a city of 22,000 people, has been evacuated due to the Caldor Fire. Caldor has burned 208,000 acres to the Southwest of Lake Tahoe, coming within three miles of the lake. Firefighters seem to have gotten the upper hand on the blaze during the last several days. Local police report a number of burglary alarms every day in the deserted streets. They are almost always due to black bears, who break in to find food. With the...

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...