FIRST OPA Monthly Meeting of the Year Next Monday (Jan 12): It's a great time to check out the organization and help set our 2025 priorities. The meeting is at the Ocean Park Library @ 2601 Main St. starting with food and mingling at 6:00pm. We will also be hybrid on Zoom. Click here to add the OPA monthly meeting and Zoom link to your calendar. Here's the zoom link, here’s the full agenda, and here's the schedule:

Ocean Park Branch Library to Open Three Days Per Week: Exciting news for our community! Beginning Tuesday, January 20, there will be three days of full-service hours at Ocean Park Branch library. A celebration event will mark the reopening, with city leadership on site to welcome patrons and answer questions on Wednesday, January 21, 12 - 2 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. All ages are welcome, and no RSVP is required. More details here on this and the Fairview branch opening.

Santa Monica Housing Market Cools as Rents Fall, Home Prices Drop in 2025: Santa Monica's housing market cooled significantly in 2025, with rents falling 1.2% in November and median home prices dropping 10.5% year-over-year to $1.75 million. Only 37% of homes sold above list price as buyers gained negotiating power. More details here.

Top 10 Burgers List: Pasjoli tops the list, along with Heavy Handed, Wally’s and more. https://www.instagram.com/p/DS5nY8ckm6b/ 

Dry January at Zinque: Zinque is hosting a weeklong cocktail competition at various locations. Stop by yours to vote for one of three killer mocktails to become the city-wide winner. 🍹1440 Lincoln Blvd., Venice instagram.com/zinque 

Dry January in LA Without Missing the Nightlife: Kavahana Offers a New Way to Go Out: Located at 306 Pico Blvd., “Kavahana is a late-night hangout that blends café comfort with the energy of a neighborhood gathering space. It is not a “traditional” bar, nor is it a coffee shop. It is a place where mornings turn into afternoons, afternoons turn into evenings, and people stay a little longer than they planned.” More details here.

Historic Santa Monica Pier Building to Become Route 66–Inspired California Roadhouse: Plans are underway to transform part of the 108-year-old Billiard & Bowling Building on the Santa Monica Pier into The California Roadhouse, a Route 66–inspired dining and entertainment venue scheduled to open in spring 2026. The project is led by Santa Monica native Sean Ahaus, a local restaurateur and co-owner of Vito Restaurant, a long-running neighborhood fixture on Ocean Park Boulevard. The California Roadhouse is expected to open on March 20, 2026, coinciding with the first day of spring. More details here.

Corrected Link to Blow Me Candle Shop Included in REALLY Funny Insta Video (wait for the last video): Watch here.

Registration Now Open for 2026 Homeless Count on Jan. 22: "The annual Homeless Count is an important tool that helps us better understand and address homelessness across LA County. It provides valuable data that guides the deployment of resources, identifies trends, and informs strategies to combat homelessness effectively. Your participation as a volunteer is instrumental in ensuring the success of this initiative." Visit theycountwillyou.org to learn more and register OR reply to this email to join an OPA team.  

Aileen Reynolds appointed as Santa Monica’s new Director of Housing and Human Services: Reynolds brings more than a decade of experience in affordable housing and housing policy. Most recently, she served as Assistant Commissioner of Housing Opportunity at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where she oversaw a team of more than 75 employees dedicated to placing vulnerable New Yorkers into stable, secure housing. Under her leadership, the department achieved record-breaking outcomes, securing housing for more than 43,000 households. More details here.