Santa Monica Launches Sweeping Economic Recovery Package as Downtown Struggles to Rebound: Facing declining restaurant sales, stubbornly high retail vacancies, and the lingering economic shadow of the 2025 Palisades Fire, the Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an eight-point economic development toolkit designed to lower barriers for businesses, attract new investment, and position the city to capitalize on a wave of major global events arriving in the next two years. The package, adopted as part of a broader update to the city's Realignment Plan, includes a $3 million economic development fund, elimination of key restaurant fees, an expanded entertainment zone, discounted downtown parking, and a temporary waiver of film permit fees — measures city officials said reflect both the urgency of the city's economic challenges and a newfound confidence in its financial footing. More details in this SMDP article and this City post.
Details on the Sit-Lie Ordinance Expansion to Main St.: At last Tuesday’s City Council Meeting, the City also updated its public spaces regulations to extend the prohibition against sitting and lying in the public right-of-way to the commercially-zoned portions of Main Street. Here are some summary notes about that pulled from Councilmember Dan Hall’s Newsletter:
The existing prohibition has been in place on the Third Street Promenade and in the Downtown core, where it has supported a safer, more navigable pedestrian environment. The expansion to Main Street and Montana Avenue reflects the same intent. Both streets are high-foot-traffic pedestrian-serving commercial corridors where obstruction of sidewalks and access routes creates real safety concerns. Unlike the Promenade, these corridors are not pedestrian malls, meaning that when pedestrian pathways are blocked, people are more likely to step into travel lanes, creating exposure to vehicular conflict.
The City is committed to implementing this expansion in a humane and service-connected way. Consistent with Santa Monica's longstanding approach to public space enforcement, the ordinance will be implemented through a progressive model that prioritizes outreach and connection to services first. Individuals will be offered resources and referrals before any enforcement action is taken, including connections to Samoshel, SamoBridge, Project Homecoming, and the City's network of local and regional service partners.
Santa Monica Forward Recap of City Council Meetings: Here is a link to their summary of last week’s meeting that covered a variety of topics, including the next phase of the Realignment Plan and the Neighborhood Grant Program.
Councilmember Dan Hall Newsletter: Here is his weekly newsletter, with his thoughts on Initial Results and Next Steps of the Realignment Plan, including the 2025 Public Safety Report, Street and Sidewalk Improvements, Sit-Lie Ordinance Expansion to Main Street, and much more.
Maverick Helicopters Launches Santa Monica Flight Operations: “Maverick Helicopters is one of the world’s largest aviation-based tourism companies. The company welcomes more than 200,000 guests each year across 7 destinations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada.” More details here.
March 2026 SMMUSD Wave: Here is the monthly newsletter of all things going on in the school district. Maybe not all things, because yet again, it is completely silent about the Ocean Park school (or lack thereof).
The Street Seen: 149 Fraser Ave (Inskeep): In 1902, a summer cottage is built at 149 Fraser Ave for Professor I.N. Inskeep. From 1922 to 1936, the house is occupied by Fanny Lane and her daughter, Helen. The Miller family are here from 1946 to at least 1960. More details here.
Look of the 2028 LA Olympics Unveiled: LA28 Olympic officials say their color scheme will have the verve of a spring superbloom. The designers chose an array of bright, sun-soaked colors — ranging from a “sagebrush” green to a “poppy” (like the state flower) to an almost periwinkle “bluebell” to a magenta-ish “scarlet flax.” They also unveiled a larger rainbow of colors linking those signature hues, an approach they said will allow a “revolutionary” array of options, as the Games’ design continues to be refined. More details here.
April is Arts, Culture & Creativity Month in California, as well as National Poetry Month: It’s a chance to celebrate the many ways creativity shapes our communities – from exhibitions and live performances to programs at libraries, in classrooms, and at neighborhood gatherings. This City post lists a variety of events planned throughout the month.
Venice Boardwalk Castanea Sicilian Cafe Offers Hands-On Espresso and Coffee Classes: Learn barista techniques in hands-on espresso and coffee classes on select Thursday and Friday nights, including April 2 and 10, 7p.m., 1307 Ocean Front Walk. More details here.
Airbnb Lists Hannah Montana's Malibu Home for an Overnight Stay: Next month, Airbnb is letting fans sleep steps from the ocean, explore Hannah’s dream closet, and live out the fantasy the show sold for years. Ten one-night stays are available from April 6 through April 16 in Malibu, with room for up to four guests per stay. More details here.
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Things to Do This Week
Seed Swap (Tuesday 3pm): Stop by this informal drop-in event to pick up free seeds from the SMPL Seed Library, connect with fellow gardeners, ask questions, share tips, and get inspiration for your garden. More details here.
Wine Tasting 101 Class (Wednesday 6pm): Discover the art of wine tasting with Sommelier Murphy Perng, who will walk you through a tasting of six different wines from the world's preeminent winemaking regions. You'll learn how to see, smell, and taste wine, how to identify its aromas and flavors, and how to assess its quality based on an analysis of its length, balance, intensity, and complexity. Gourmandise School, 395 Santa Monica Place More details here.
Pop-Up Pool Day (Thursday and Saturday 11am-5pm): Pop-Up Pool Days are here for Spring Break! Annenberg Community Beach House is opening the pool for three special days—just in time for sunshine, splashes, and a perfect day at the Beach House. More details here.
Abbot Kinney First Friday Food Truck Fest (Friday starting at 5p.m): About two dozen food trucks are expected to line the street for the monthly event. https://www.abbotkinneyblvd.com/
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OPA & City Meetings
OPA Connects Meeting (Wednesday 12pm): Here is the Zoom link.
Housing Commission Meeting (Thursday 6pm): Click Here for agenda.
Upcoming Calendar of Events
Upcoming OPA Book Club Meetings: Planned dates are April 8 (The Housemaid), May 6 (Demon Copperhead), June 3 (Remarkably Bright Creatures). Email [email protected] for more info. All meets are at 6pm at the Ocean Park Library (2601 Main St.).
OPA Monthly Meeting: Monday, April 13, 6pm @ Ocean Park Library
Want to Volunteer for Future OPA-Sponsored Heal The Bay Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Ups? Contact Dave Tann at [email protected]. He is the coordinator for the OPA/Heal The Bay events, always meeting at Tower 26. Dates this summer are 6/28, 7/26, & 8/30.
Santa Monica 311. Submit non-emergency requests to the City.
Santa Monica Alerts. Sign up for emergency text and email alerts.
SaMoNews. Subscribe to the official newsletter of the City of Santa Monica.
Board and Commission Openings. Volunteer to serve the community!
City of Santa Monica Career Opportunities. Get paid to serve the community!
Santa Monica Animal Shelter. Support our municipal Animal Shelter!
Locals Discount Program is Back! OPA has partnered with the SaMo Public Library to launch a Community Discount Program. Local Ocean Park participating businesses include Fitoor and Junior Cookies. Check out the full list here and expect more to come!
