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Out of an abundance of caution, Los Angeles County is following the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to pause the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports that six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed unusual types of blood clots 6 to 13 days after receiving the vaccine. This pause will last until the FDA and CDC complete their review, which is expected to take several days....

Santa Monica may not be as renowned as Hollywood and Beverly Hills but a report from Stacker has revealed the home to Third Street Promenade, the Pier and a sun-drenched coastline was one of the top 5 beach town in the United States in 2020. Santa Monica placed fifth in the survey, just one ranking below Newport Beach. In fact, it was ranked higher that all the beach cities in the South Bay and most of the coastal towns in Southern California. Stacker – a news organization c...

Students in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District won't be required to take the federal and state-mandated assessment tests this school year. But they will have to take local standardized tests that measure their literacy and numeracy skills, Supt. Ben Drati said this week. In a letter to parents, released on Wednesday, Drati said school districts in California have recently been given the flexibility by the federal and the state governments to use locally selected...

Sometimes the unthinkable happens and no matter how secure your home, how mindful you are, and how careful of a pet parent you are, your beloved pet may get out and get lost. Each year, thousands of animals are brought into animal care centers as strays and only about 35% of dogs and less than five percent of cats are reunited with their homes. The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control recognizes April 23rd as National Lost Pet Awareness Day and encourages...

A proposed new Fire Training Center, renovations in Tongva and Palisades parks and temporary closures of Main Street during summer weekends will top the agenda at the April 27 meeting of the Santa Monica City Council. In its report, city staff recommends that Council approves up to $6,350,000 for the design and construction of Santa Monica Fire Training facility, which represents part of the City Yards Modernization Plan. The new 12,000 square-foot facility would be built in...

As the trial of Derek Chauvin begins to draw to an end with the jury beginning its deliberations this week regarding the death of George Floyd, Santa Monica's Police Chief, Jacqueline Seabrook, delivered a message addressing concerns of possible civil unrest. "There have been no threats or any activities specifically targeting our community," Seabrook wrote although she acknowledged "concerns happening in the broader environment." Apparently because of those concerns (and poss...

4/20 The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial reached a guilty verdict after about 16 hours of deliberations. The judge read their verdict just after 5 PM in Minneapolis. Unintentional second degree murder they found him guilty. Count two, third degree murder, also guilty. Count three, Culpable Negligence, also guilty. Chauvin blinked, and wore a mask, but showed no emotion. The emotional decision seemed fitting, given the video of the incident. The jury was polled and each of...

You're Invited Crime Survivors Resource Center is proud to partner with organizations and individuals united together for National Crime Victims' Rights Week for the Los Angeles County Crime Victims' Rally on Tuesday, April 20th from 10 AM to Noon. https://www.facebook.com/CrimeSurvivors/photos/a.158438010851246/4370570972971241/ Tell A Friend If you have friends and family who would like to receive our weekly Monday Morning Memo, they can sign up for FREE and confidentially...

Representatives from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the local community argued at Saturday's hearing on the City of Malibu's separation petition that splitting the district would create "irreparable harm to both Santa Monica and Malibu, specifically in the areas of diversity, equity, educational programs and finances." Speaking at Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization (LACOE) meeting, SMMUSD officials also invited representatives...

SANTA MONICA, Calif., (April 16, 2021) – Residents and visitors are urged to help Santa Monica Shine leading up to Earth Day and beyond by joining the "Santa Monica Shines Clean Campaign" for spring with a comprehensive community clean up drive now through August 31. Residents can pick up a free cleanup kit at any of the six convenient Santa Monica locations to pick-up trash around their neighborhood. After the clean up is done, residents can dispose of their items c...

A fight that broke out among pier vendors on Sunday afternoon highlights a persistent and dangerous problem at the Santa Monica landmark: criminal gang involvement in illegal street vending. Several police officers were called after a fight began in the parking lot just north of the Santa Monica Pier at 2:30 on Sunday afternoon. After the fight was stopped, with great difficulty, six individuals were eventually cited and released. According to a highly placed government...

Santa Monica Police arrested two suspects on Thursday, April 8th, near 7 pm for possession of marijuana for sale. One of the suspects was found to have a 9mm handgun with a high-capacity 9 mm magazine loaded with 16 rounds. This suspect had a prior conviction for 1st degree manslaughter and was additionally charged for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. SMPD officers first observed an apparent hand-to-hand purchase of marijuana near Ocean Avenue and Colorado...

Because of the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, some pet owners may have delayed purchasing their annual pet licenses and are now subject to late penalty fees. To provide opportunities for pet owners to economically renew their pet licenses, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) is waiving late fees for renewed or new licenses purchased between April 15th and June 30th, 2021. These fee waivers are open for residents of all...

Like any messy divorce in California, the splitting of Santa Monica and Malibu into two separate independent school districts will come down to money, specifically "alimony" for SMMUSD. Last Thursday, the school board voted 6-1 in closed session to reject the "best and final offer" made by the City of Malibu. By unanimous vote, the board also authorized the district staff to submit a counter proposal to Malibu that "achieves the goal of a separation on fair and equitable...

I've been telling you about my former fiancé over these past 2 months. We met on my birthday, Feb.18th. It was a whirlwind romance. We both felt instant connection to each other, blah, blah, blah and so on! He just dumped me in a text message over the prison Jpay.com email system!! He's a coward!! We talk by phone everyday! He dodged my phone calls for 2 days then texted me saying "we should continue our journey as friends." As you may imagine, I was crying and in a mix of emo...

The Santa Monica City Council will consider at its April 13 meeting an emergency ordinance which would ban certain items that "can be weaponized" at public assemblies and community events. "There is an increasing concern about violence at public events and about violent clashes at such events between those with opposing views and numerous public protests, demonstrations, and rallies conducted throughout the nation," said city staff in a report. The report cited the cities of...

As Los Angeles County moved into the Orange Tier on Monday and following the latest CDC directives, public health officials issued new guidelines regarding travel. Now travelers who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine upon their entry into the county. Travelers who are not vaccinated must still quarantine. However, they have a choice. If they take a COVID-19 test 3-5 days after their arrival that is negative, they only need to quarantine for 7 full days after their...

The City of Santa Monica this week launched its pilot Right to Counsel project, an initiative to provide legal assistance and support for tenants facing eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will help address what is expected to be a wave of evictions in the wake of the public health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 emergency, city officials said in a press release. Local and state eviction moratoriums "have delayed and blunted the impact of potential...

After more than a year of forced closure, the Pacific Park amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier has reopened. With the county entering the red, and then the orange tiers of public health restrictions, more sectors of the economy have been allowed to resume operations. However, continued fear over COVID-19 and the constant refrain of the rise of virus variants places restrictions on capacity and some aspects of business reopenings. The amusement park on the pier, for...

Maintaining that "10% of Santa Monica residents speak Spanish at home," the City Council has backed a motion calling for all city information be disseminated in Spanish as well as English "to ensure that language justice has a prominent place in our efforts." At its last meeting, the Council directed staff to draft an ordinance "creating a biennial language access plan" in accordance with its "recent priorities regarding equity and inclusion." The motion, requested by Mayor...

Cal OES today announced that it has received a $1 million donation from technology company DoorDash through its Community Credits program to support broader vaccine access in underserved communities. This new partnership also aims to bolster the outreach efforts of Mobile Vaccination Clinics (MVCs) and Community Vaccination Clinics (CVCs). "As a critical component in our fight against COVID-19, we have prioritized making these vaccines and our distribution points for the...

Santa Monica launched yesterday a new 311 assistance program to improve customer service for all non-emergency City services. Santa Monica 311, available in English and Spanish, is an integrated program accessible via phone, email and web, city officials said a press release yesterday. The city has also launched a new mobile app that replaces the Santa Monica Works/Go system to make it easier to contact city departments and submit requests. "Our new 311 program will allow...

The Westside felt a series of earthquakes on Monday morning, April 5th 2021. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 4.0 magnitude quake hit at 4:40 am, just east of Los Angeles International Airport. About 30 minutes earlier, a 3.3-magnitude earthquake was centered in Lennox, also East of LAX. at around 6 am, a 2.5 earthquake or aftershock was also felt. Many residents woke up when the main quake hit, though certainly others slept through all three. There were no reports...

The Santa Monica City Council met this week to discuss affordable housing plans for its "Housing Element" update that "prioritizes 100% affordable housing in city-owned land" and "addresses historic discrimination and satisfies affirmatively furthering fair housing." After a spirited 7-hour debate, Council, by a 4-3 vote, directed staff to focus its planning efforts on "prioritizing the production of affordable housing on city-owned land and seeking to distribute housing in...

4/2/21 – Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to extend the eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021. He said the law was intended to help "millions of Californians struggling as a result of the economic hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the passage of SB 91, California leads all states by enacting the strongest renter protections in the nation." On Monday, Governor Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon a...