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Trash White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller if you must. I remember him as the kid who used to work for me. In 2001, a Santa Monica High School student named Stephen Miller walked into my office at the Santa Monica Observer, and asked if he could write opinion pieces for the Santa Monica Observer. That kids name was Stephen Miller. Even then, he was serious, cerebral, quiet and studied. It was hard for me to take him seriously, he was so serious. I mean, at 16,...

On Saturday, March 3, 2018, in a large tent just steps from the Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood's most accomplished and up-and-coming independent filmmakers gathered together for the 2018 Independent Spirit Awards. Now in its thirty-third year, the Independent Spirit Awards annually recognizes the best low budget, artist-driven, independent films – films that embody an unfailing commitment to creativity, diversity, innovation, and a uniqueness of vision. Many films that were h...

In the wake of a Florida shooting, a high school protest movement appears to be snowballing. A 19 year old boy carrying an automatic weapon to the Parkland, Florida public high school, shot and killed 17 fellow students on February 14th. The 10 am walkout planned for March 14th is set to last 17 minutes, to honor the 17 Florida students killed. 14 more were wounded, some seriously. Another walkout is planned on April 20, which will mark the 19th year since the Columbine High S...

After 27 years of music-making in Santa Monica, Allen Robert Gross, will be retiring from his current position as Music Director and Conductor of Orchestra Santa Monica. Following his service as conductor of the Santa Monica Symphony for 21 years, Gross founded Orchestra Santa Monica in 2012 where he has continued to create life-enriching music for musicians and audience members alike. "It's been an honor and a privilege to make music in Santa Monica for twenty- seven years",...

An internal investigation into the possibility of conflicts of interest among members of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board will be presented at their meeting on Thursday. After the Los Angeles Times broke a story in November, 2017, about potential conflicts of interest regarding School Board Member Maria Leon-Vazquez and her husband, Santa Monica Councilmember Tony Vazquez, the school board launched this internal investigation. The investigation ended up...

Do you hate the Dentist? Most people hate going, and it makes good sense. Having someone poke and prod into one of your most sensitive and vulnerable orifices is quite intimidating. One may wonder why so many people let their teeth go, until the fears are fully comprehended. Not every dentist has the best chairside manner. Not every dentist has a compassion and understanding for what their patients are feeling. Not every dentist has the skill and expertise to competently treat...

It has been a year for the record books! While a Santa Monica Observer Intern goes to Washington and writes speeches for a Republican president, 3 of 7 members of the SMMUSD Board end up under investigation for conflict of interest. In no particular order, here our our top ten stories of 2017: 1. DISTRICTING LAWSUIT - The City has spent several million $ already and plans to keep fighting a losing battle 2. SMRR supposed to mean Santa Monicans for Renters Rights but has...

Latest on #CreekFire: -Fire is 10% contained-15 buildings destroyed, 15 damaged-Some evac orders will be cleared. Updates here: http://emergency.lacity.org/creek-fire -LAUSD schools remain closed, but libraries will be open. The situation is STILL insecure - embers & hotspots are a risk. State Sen. Bob Hertzberg, Twitter. Smoky Monica: 405 and other Fires Smoke Out the Town The worst wind blown, Santa Ana fire event in Southern California history, resulted in smoke and health...

Santa Monica Malibu Unified SchoolDistrict Schools will once again be closed on Thursday, December 7, 2017. The following is the press release explaining the District's decision: Dear parents and guardians, All SMMUSD schools will be closed tomorrow, Dec. 7, 2017, in an abundance of caution and with the health and safety of our students and staff in mind. We are concerned about staff and families as this smoke, air quality and fire threat may turn very quickly throughout the...

At 6:30 am on Wednesday, 12/6/17, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District announced that "ALL SMMUSD SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED TODAY (12/6) DUE TO NEW FIRE DEVELOPMENTS." Update: The Los Angeles Unified School District has closed 50 schools due to the fire in the Sepulveda pass. Schools closed include Community Elementary Magnet Charter, Kenter Canyon Elementary, Roscomare Road Elementary, and Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet (students relocated to Dorsey High...

Santa Monica College announced that it will officially open its newest campus-housing The Center for Media and Design (CMD) and the KCRW Media Center-on December 2, 2017. We have repeatedly pointed out that only 4% (yes that's right, FOUR PERCENT) of SMC students are Santa Monica High School graduates, and that about half the student body are foreigners, who pay top dollar to study abroad. So it's unclear to us exactly how this will benefit local residents. But saying that is...

It's not every day that astronauts circling the globe in theInternational Space Station (ISS) take time out from space walks and science missions to talk to elementary, middle school, high school, and college students, live from space. But that's exactly what NASA Astronauts, Commander Randy Bresnik and Joe Acaba did during a NASA Educational In-Flight Event, on Monday morning, October 30, in Barnum Hall at Santa Monica High School (Samohi). Students from Santa Monica-Malibu...

File this one under Life in LA, #WeGoofed. An elderly homeless woman named Mildred Goldman aka Mildred Maxwell died at USC--LA County Hospital on October 9th, 2017. During the last 30 or so years, she succeeded in convincing people including her longtime boyfriend, that she was Marcie Blane, singer of the 1962 hit "Bobby's Girl." The truth is, Mildred Maxwell was someone else. (BTW, she also told people that her dead husband, Arthur Maxwell, had been the heir to the Maxwell Ho...

A bomb threat closed Santa Monica high school early this afternoon. Students were sent home just after lunch and Pico Boulevard was closed west of Lincoln Boulevard for two hours. All available Santa Monica Police Department units responded at the time. It was determined that the telephone thread had no validity and ultimately the area was cleared and reopened. Lincoln Boulevard and Pico Boulevard may both be considered major Westside arteries....

Suja Lowenthal, currently the Community and Government Engagement Manager for the Big Blue Bus, will transition to the Senior Advisor to the City Manager on Airport Affairs. She replaces Nelson Hernandez, who holds the post until his retirement on October 6th. Securing local control of Santa Monica Airport has been a longtime community priority and was selected as one of the City Council's top strategic goals adopted in 2015. Ms. Lowenthal has served in planning and community...

On Monday September 11th, 2017 at 10:40 a.m. the Santa Monica Fire Department received multiple 911 calls in the "Wilmont" neighborhood of the City of Santa Monica reporting various emergencies including explosions, and electrical wires down in multiple locations. The preliminary cause of the incidents was determined to be the result of construction crews excavating the athletic field of Lincoln Middle School, located at 1501 California Ave, who dug into buried high-voltage...

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District was ranked 29 in the 2018 Best School Districts in California by national academic ranking service, Niche. Nearly 500 school districts are included. The ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. "We are honored to be recognized for the extraordinary achievements of our students and teachers," Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati...

(Aug. 21, 2017) – Feel good, do good and look good this September by donating blood or platelets with the American Red Cross and get a free haircut coupon from Sport Clips Haircuts. Blood and platelet donors of all blood types, especially type O negative and O positive, are urgently needed to replenish the blood supply following a critical summer blood shortage. "We are excited to continue the Saving Lives Never Looked So Good campaign and partnership with Sport Clips this S...

James Damore, a Google engineer who wrote a now notorious memorandum, confirmed his dismissal in an email, saying that he had been fired for “perpetuating gender stereotypes.” Google's controversy is the latest in a long string of incidents concerning gender bias and diversity in the tech space. Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick lost his job in June amid scandals over sexual harassment, discrimination and an aggressive culture. Ellen Pao’s gende...

8/7/17: Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier hosted the 13th Annual PALpalooza on Tuesday, July 25 from 5-9 p.m. The Santa Monica Police Activities League (PAL) and more than 18 California Police Activities League (CAL-PAL) chapters, from Santa Barbara to Victorville, received a free, fun-filled back-to-school treat. PALpalooza had its largest attendance with more than 900 kids enjoying Pacific Park's exciting rides, midway games and a food selection from the Park's...

Another impressive turnout was enjoyed for the annual Santa Monica Police Activities League (PAL) Charity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2017, at the MountatinGate Country Club in Los Angeles. Now in its 8th year, the tournament hosted 150 golfers for a round of competition and a good cause while raising more than $91,000 to help support the Santa Monica PAL program. The tournament field and guests featured a wide array of Santa Monica community members including many Santa...

6/27: At its Tuesday night meeting, the Santa Monica City Council reaffirmed a "temporary" soccer/lacrosse field will be built at the Civic Center. If all goes according to current plan, it would be installed by March of 2021. Hurdles still to go include a parking study to assess adequate replacement parking options for when part of the Civic lot is removed to accommodate the field (parking study will take 9-12 months) and then Coastal Commission approval of the plan. There...

Update 6/28: Last night, the City Council voted 7-0 to move forward with a temporary field at the Civic Center, at an estimated cost of $8.6 million, and work with the various constituents to address their parking needs. The motion included authorization for a mandatory parking study related to the site, issuing an RFP for renovation of the Civic building and analysis of additional field space at Memorial Park. Staff were also directed to take feedback from Thursday’s S...

"SHOWSEARCH 2017" was hosted by the Santa Monica College (SMC) Theatre Arts Department in collaboration with the Foundation for New American Musicals (FNAM). The competition to find new short musicals created by students in high schools and colleges throughout Southern California was held Sunday, June 11, at the Theatre Arts Main Stage on the SMC main campus. The musicals were judged by a panel that included Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Executive Director of A...

The City of Santa Monica is hosting the national free summer lunch for youth at three locations from June 12- August 4, 2017 This national service is sponsored by USDA and is for children 18 years old and under, Monday-Friday from noon to 1 pm. Closed July 4th. Lunches are first come, first serve. The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides...