Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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Santa Monica High School (Samohi) proudly conferred diplomas on its Class of 2026 during a vibrant commencement ceremony held on Tuesday, June 10, 2026, at the historic Memorial Greek Theatre on campus. The evening event, which began at 5:30 p.m., drew hundreds of proud families, faculty, and community members to honor the district's largest high school graduating class. The ceremony featured inspiring remarks from SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton, who congratulated t...
The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Watch for much of Los Angeles County from Tuesday, June 23, through Thursday, June 25. Inland areas could see temperatures climbing into the mid-to-upper 80s or higher, with Downtown Los Angeles potentially reaching up to 88 degrees and valleys pushing even warmer. Officials are warning of health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, outdoor workers, and those without reliable air...
UCs and Cal States Should Admit Students Totally on Merit The University of California system and California State University system are among America's great public universities. They built world-class reputations through rigorous standards and merit. But recent policies have eroded that foundation, leading to unprepared students, strained faculty, and long-term damage to California's higher education brand. It's time to return to pure merit-based admissions : objective measu...
SANTA MONICA - The iconic Santa Monica Pier and the surrounding beach waters have once again landed on Heal the Bay's notorious "Beach Bummers" list, ranking as the second most polluted beach in California during dry weather conditions according to the organization's 2025-2026 Annual Beach Report Card, released just ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend. This marks the 10th consecutive year that the popular tourist destination has appeared among the state's worst performers f...
Dakota Nelson is eight years old, a second-grader at Franklin Elementary, and she has very clear opinions about her ballet teacher. "Mr. Mitchell says 'legs like steel,'" she reports, "and 'if I see your feet in fifth position I'll cut them off and make toe soup.' Why they stick in my head is because it's really funny. It's (better) to remember something if it's funny." This spring, Dakota will dance in a newly choreographed ballet My Favourite Things at the Broad on May 29,...
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 scavenger...
Santa Monica City Council has unanimously approved a $3 million economic revitalization strategy aimed at breathing new life into the struggling Third Street Promenade. Once the vibrant heart of the city's retail and entertainment scene, the pedestrian-only thoroughfare has faced mounting challenges in recent years, including persistent store closures, declining foot traffic, and shifting consumer behaviors. City officials say the multifaceted plan-funded through a mix of...
Washington, D.C. – April 24, 2026 - House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) have sent formal letters to the FBI, Department of Energy, NASA, and Department of Defense, demanding briefings on a string of deaths and disappearances involving at least 11 scientists, researchers, and officials with access to highly sensitive U.S. nuclear secrets, advanced rocket technology, and aerospace programs. The lawmakers warned that if the r...
Los Angeles County health officials announced a record 220 cases of flea-borne typhus (also known as murine or endemic typhus) in 2025, the highest number ever documented in the county. The increase appears connected to homeless encampments, which attract rats, mice and illness. This marks a continuation of a multi-year upward trend. In 2024, the county recorded 187 cases-a previous record-with 106 cases reported by late August 2025, already exceeding the same period the prior...
San Francisco, CA - Segments of two popular trails in the Presidio of San Francisco will be off-limits to all dogs, both on-leash and off-leash, starting Friday, March 27, 2026, and continuing through early October. The seasonal closure aims to reduce potential conflicts between dogs, their owners, and coyotes during pupping season, when coyote parents become more protective of their dens and young. The Presidio Trust announced the measure on Monday, March 23. The restricted...
SANTA MONICA – The City of Santa Monica has completed a major phase of street infrastructure work on California Avenue, with crews now transitioning to ongoing improvements along Broadway as part of broader efforts to enhance safety, mobility, and downtown vitality. The California Avenue Street Reconstruction project, which focused on rebuilding roadway surfaces, installing a new storm drain system, and related upgrades between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street, reached s...
Mountain Lion Kittens Spotted in the Santa Monica Foothills (February 2026) Trail cam footage from the Santa Monica Mountains recently captured something rare and adorable: a mother mountain lion leading her two spotted kittens across a fire road at dusk. The family, part of the local puma population monitored by the National Park Service, appeared healthy and well-fed, likely thriving on deer in the chaparral. The sighting thrilled biologists, who note that mountain lion...
Regional Briefs Local Police Response to Iran War By Amanda Hugginkiss LOS ANGELES – Heightened security concerns are rippling through Los Angeles following FBI warnings about potential Iranian retaliation, including unconfirmed rumors of drone attacks targeting California in response to U.S. actions abroad. While authorities have downplayed the immediacy and credibility of any specific threats, the alerts have prompted increased vigilance, particularly in high-profile Westsid...
The poor will always be with you, says the new testament; but does it really have to be in my backyard? In early March 2026, the City of LA had had enough of homeless people living in RV's in residential parts of Playa Vista. Lead by Councilwoman Traci Parks, they conducted a targeted cleanup operation. The focus was an RV encampment located on Alla Road behind the Home Depot and adjacent to Ballona Creek. Crews worked to remove recreational vehicles, makeshift shelters, accum...
Santa Monica, CA – February 26, 2026 – State Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), who represents the Westside including Santa Monica, received the highest share of delegate votes among Democratic candidates at the California Democratic Party's state convention held last weekend in San Francisco. According to reports from the convention, Allen garnered approximately 42% (1,056 votes, or 41.7%) of the ballots cast by delegates in the race for Insurance Commissioner. Former San...
Looking for something to watch on this 3 day weekend with your lover, in bed? The 2000s were the golden age of mainstream romantic comedies - a time when Hollywood leaned hard into the formula of meet-cutes, grand gestures, misunderstandings, and happy endings, often with a glossy, feel-good vibe that made them endlessly re-watchable. They were "angsty but hopeful" because they thrived on romantic tension (miscommunications, career vs. love conflicts, self-doubt) while always...
The 25 best places to retire in the US in 2026, ranked by what retirees value most What’s the best place to retire? To answer that question, The Motley Fool surveyed 2,000 retired Americans to understand what matters most in retirement and used those insights to rank the best places to retire across the United States. Based on the survey results, The Motley Fool identified seven key retirement factors and weighted each according to retiree preferences: quality of life (...
Why does your dog get so excited about snow? It’s a delightful scene: The first snow of the year falls, and you get your dog all suited up to venture outside for a walk. The second they lay eyes on the winter wonderland, their ears perk up. Setting that first paw print into the snow, their snout goes into overdrive, and the seemingly endless zoomies start. You may have wondered: What is it exactly about snow that gets them going? Is it the look of it? The texture on their p...
9 everyday things tourists do that are accidents waiting to happen Tourists often move through American cities, beaches, and national parks with a sense of ease, soaking in places locals know can change quickly. Residents in major destinations say many of the mishaps they witness don’t stem from thrill-seeking but from the everyday habits visitors bring with them: stepping into a busy street for a better angle, edging too close to wildlife, or venturing into water that l...
Why January can feel emotionally heavy It’s early January. Your inbox is crowded with fresh-start messages, your calendar looks untouched, and social media hums with promises of transformation. Everywhere you look, momentum seems to be building. Yet you’re sitting with your coffee, feeling oddly out of sync with all this optimism. The gap between January's promises and its reality feels disorienting. While the world races toward change, you might feel a heaviness in these ear...
Chico, California - January 7, 2026 -- Republican U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa, who represented California's 1st Congressional District for over a decade, died on January 6, 2026, at the age of 65 following a medical emergency and complications during surgery. LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer from Northern California, experienced a medical emergency at his home on January 5. He was transported to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he underwent emergency surgery...
A new ‘solution’ to student homelessness: A parking lot where students can sleep safely in their cars When Edgar Rosales Jr. uses the word “home,” the second-year college student with a linebacker’s build isn’t referring to the house he plans to buy after becoming a nurse or getting a job in public health. Rather, the student at California’s Long Beach City College is talking about the parking lot he slept in every night for more than a year. With Oprah-esque enthusiasm, R...
jittawit21 // Shutterstock Cheapest gas stations in every state Dec. 23, 2025 Anyone who drives a car understands the sting of having to fill up their tank and pulling into the gas station, only to discover that gas prices have skyrocketed. Paying extra for gas means you have less to spend on other things, which, over time, can really put a crimp in your budget. Cheap Insurance explored some of the reasons behind major changes in gas prices, and compiled a list of the...
As California heads into 2026, the state's gasoline market faces significant disruption from the closures of two major refineries: Phillips 66's Los Angeles-area facility, which ceased operations in the fourth quarter of 2025, and Valero's Benicia refinery, scheduled to shut down by April 2026. Together, these closures eliminate roughly 17-20% of California's in-state refining capacity, raising concerns about supply shortages, increased reliance on imports, and higher prices...
Dear Residents of Santa Monica, When the train finished in 2016, our lives near 9th and Wilshire changed completely. For almost a decade I've written about the decline of the downtown area, being attacked by addicts, cleaning human feces out of our condo's carports, and witnessing a skid row reality take over my local Reed Park. I've become a crank to myself, trying to sound the alarm about a disintegrating city right before my eyes. Before my work responsibilities buried...
