Consider OPA for End of Year Charitable Giving: We're proud of the year we've had that included multiple “Open Main St.” street closure festivals, our 4th of July Parade, publishing about 100 newsletters, expanding our newsletter reach to nearly 3000 community members, advocating to the city on a variety of neighborhood issues, and much more! And we've done it all on a shoestring budget with all the work being done by community volunteers. As you make your end of the year donations, please consider joining and/or donating to YOUR neighborhood organization. OPA is a 501(c)(3) and all donations are tax deductible. CLICK HERE TO GIVE OR JOIN

New State Law Makes it Easier for Cities to Deploy Automated Traffic Enforcement Tools: "In October, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that allows cities to use automated traffic enforcement systems to assess fines to owners of cars that fail to stop at red lights or stop signs. The Santa Monica Police Department has reduced traffic enforcement in recent years. However, after a leadership change in recent months, the interim police chief has made traffic enforcement a priority. Automated traffic enforcement systems, implemented smartly, will serve as a force multiplier, increasing compliance with traffic safety laws while freeing up officer time to address chronic and emergent traffic safety and community issues." More details here.

The Blue Notebook – SMPD Recap Nov. 30 - Dec. 6: Click here for the written report and click here to WATCH the Blue Notebook Review on the SMPD YouTube channel.

SaMo Among the Best Hospitals In The World according to this report. #23 is UCLA Health Santa Monica Medical Center and #233: Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica.

First Fully Rebuilt Home Completed in Pacific Palisades After Fire: The first fully rebuilt home has debuted in the Pacific Palisades. It was completed by Thomas James Homes 310 days after the Palisades Fire was extinguished. Here is a photo gallery of the house.

Free Appliances for Santa Monica Renters through the REACH Program: The City of Santa Monica is now accepting applications for the Renters’ Energy and Cooling/Heating (REACH) Program, a new initiative offering free electric home appliances to renters in Santa Monica. Participants will be selected through a lottery system, and appliances will be awarded through several lottery rounds in 2026.

AI-Powered Laundry Service NoScrubs Launches in Santa Monica With 4-Hour Turnaround: NoScrubs, an AI-powered laundry delivery service promising 4-hour turnarounds, has launched in Santa Monica with $4.2M in funding. The service uses AI for quality control and partners with local laundromats to clean and fold clothes for less than $1 per day. More details here.

The Street Seen: Ocean Park Bath House Ocean Front Walk (Between Navy St & Ozone Ave): The massive Ocean Park Bath House with an enormous indoor heated salt-water plunge opens on the July 4th weekend, 1905. Looking more like a movie set, the Ocean Park Bath House is one of the most talked-about buildings of its day, the subject of many postcards, and a great draw for the Ocean Park beach area. The Ocean Park Bath House, after surviving the 1912 and 1924 pier fires, is demolished in 1933. More details here.

Family-Owned Arcade Marks 71 Years on Santa Monica Pier: 71 years after opening its doors, Playland Arcade continues to light up the Santa Monica Pier as one of Southern California's last authentic boardwalk arcades and the pier's longest-running family-owned business. More details here.

Nancy Silverton to Open Spacca Tutto, an Italian American Steakhouse, at Palisades Village in 2026: Southern California’s next hot restaurant opening is a collaboration that could only be born in Los Angeles: bringing together a revered chef, a successful filmmaker, and one of Los Angeles’s most recognizable billionaires. Chef Nancy Silverton, of Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca fame, will open Spacca Tutto at local magnate Rick Caruso’s retail restaurant property Palisades Village in August 2026 in partnership with River Jetty Restaurant Group co-founder Joseph “McG” Nichol (who directed Charlie’s Angels in a previous lifetime). More details here.