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March OPA Monthly Meeting This Monday (March 9): 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, and here's the schedule:
6:00 - 6:30: Food, refreshments and mingling
6:30 - 7:30: Guest Speakers:
SaMo Police Department
SaMo Fire Department
Juan Matute Deputy Director at UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies
Others TBD: Maybe a councilmember and/or state senate candidate
7:30 - 8:30: Board business, including 2026 priorities, upcoming calendar of events, & more)
Spring Forward into Daylight Saving This Sunday: Didn't we vote to abolish the time change? This article details the roadblocks facing the Sunshine Protection Act while this article gives you tips to prepare you and your pets for the time change.
LA Marathon Sunday: While the race now finishes in Century City instead of SaMo, plan accordingly for traffic if you are navigating around town.
Recycling & Waste: Confused about what goes into each of the green, blue and black bins? Here are some Cliff's Notes from this handy guide:
Green Bin (Compost): All food scraps — bones, meat, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, dairy, food-soiled paper like plates and napkins. But no dog waste — that goes in your black bin.
Blue Bin (Recycling): Glass, plastic containers, cardboard — clean, dry, and loose. Not stuffed in a plastic bag. No soft plastics like chip bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, or Ziploc bags — those go in your black bin.
New study lays out trade-offs as Santa Monica school district weighs artificial turf decisions: The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has released an updated independent study comparing artificial turf and natural grass playing fields, finding that synthetic surfaces offer major advantages in water savings and usability but carry unresolved concerns about chemical exposure, microplastic pollution and extreme surface temperatures. More details here.
2 Tesla Cybertrucks catch fire in Santa Monica: This NBC4 video report details how firefighters extinguished a blaze after two Tesla Cybertrucks caught fire at a parking garage at Olympic & Cloverfield.
Santa Monica Girl, 11, Builds 3D Printing Business: It started with cardboard keychains and a dream.Aria Mendoza, 11, wanted a 3D printer after spotting articulated animal designs on Pinterest, but she didn't have the money to buy one. So she and a friend got to work — cutting and selling handmade cardboard keychains and clay items until they'd saved enough to purchase their first machine. That scrappy origin story has since grown into Print Love by Aria, a 3D printing business run out of the Santa Monica homeschool-turned-lab where Aria serves as founder and CEO. The business has accumulated more than 40,000 followers on TikTok, with multiple videos reaching millions of views, and donates a portion of its profits to the Marayah Cares Foundation, a nonprofit that assists families facing the financial burden of childhood cancer treatment. More details here.
OPA Gold Member Robert Maschio returns to ABC’s Scrubs, doesn’t forget Ocean Park roots: After Scrubs ended, Maschio became a successful realtor in Ocean Park. “I love this neighborhood so much, it’s easy for me to sell it. I’m not returning to acting, I’m exclusively doing Scrubs & real estate.” Here’s an article about him and the recently relaunched show.
Things to Do This Weekend
Padel Courts Grand Opening: Fernando Belasteguín — widely considered the greatest padel player of all time, with 16 consecutive years at world No. 1 — is traveling from Spain for the grand opening. If you haven't heard of padel, think tennis meets squash in a glass-walled box. Thursday, March 5, 1318 4th St. instagram.com/smpicklenpadel
Pottery with BeSound & Perkies - For a Cause: Join an intimate evening of pottery and connection and gather in honor of International Women’s Month to support women’s health 🤍 Enjoy talks from the founders of multiple women-led health companies and raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Thursday, March 5 6p.m., ARTime BARRO, 302 Pico Blvd. partiful.com/e/K097zi9x8TqbkvulUg36
Abbot Kinney First Friday Food Truck Fest: About two dozen food trucks are expected to line the street for the monthly event. Friday, March 6, starting at 5p.m. https://www.abbotkinneyblvd.com/
L.A. County Dragon Boat Festival: Just a quick hop south to Marina del Rey on Saturday, March 7, for this annual high-energy race. It’s a great visual event for families and fitness enthusiasts. visitmdr.com/annual-events/dragon-boat-festival
Montana Ave. Spring Fling Streetwide Sale: Come celebrate the season at the Montana Avenue Spring Fling! This is your chance to shop locally while exploring new arrivals and scoring some great deals. Stroll through the neighborhood, explore unique boutiques, and indulge in some of the West Side’s finest dining. Saturday, March 7, 11a.m. - 6p.m. instagram.com/montanaavesm
Venice Street Fair: The fair will close 3rd Ave between Rose Ave and Sunset Ave for artists and small businesses. Sunday, March 8, 9:30a.m. - 4:30p.m. instagram.com/theartistfair
Main St. Farmers Market (Sunday 8:30am - 1:30pm): Yep. It's that time of year again. Don't forget to set your clocks and spring forward to the Main Street Farmers Market this Sunday for a jazz brunch with the GM Jazz Trio 10am-1pm. Also joining us are Buon Gusto olive oil and new to the market for a monthly pop up, Something Good Treats for pets! Check it out!
Most anti-aging devices are expensive placebos. This one isn't.
Red light therapy sounds like wellness bullsh*t. We get it.
But Celluma is the only LED brand with 5 FDA clearances, not just for wrinkles, but also pain relief, hair growth, body contouring & more. Clinical trials showed 80% improvement in skin texture and a 66% reduction in wrinkles after 4 weeks of consistent use.
Most LED devices don't have the power density or wavelength precision to actually do anything. Celluma does. With proprietary processor-driven algorithms that deliver proven results, plus a patented design that shapes around your face, scalp, or any body part. No needles, no downtime, no Botox appointments.
The only catch? Consistent use. This isn't a one-and-done fix. It's mitochondrial support for your skin & entire body, a fancy way of saying it helps your cells do their job.
If you're already spending money on anti-aging stuff anyway, at least try something with actual clinical backing.
Results vary. Consistency required. FDA-cleared for specific indications.
Upcoming Calendar of Events
Upcoming OPA Book Club Meetings: Planned dates are April 1 (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 Happy Hour March 4: Our next community gathering will be at Lula’s. Stay tuned for more info.
OPA Monthly Meeting: Monday, March 9, 6p.m. @ Ocean Park Library
Pi Day (3/14) Pie Baking 101: 🥧 Back by popular demand, join Lissa and Tess for Pi(e) Day! We are planning to make apple pies with pie pastry using this ridiculously easy recipe from the 1978 Betty Crocker cookbook (flaky! inexpensive! takes 10 minutes start to finish! no packaging waste! vegan! delicious!), so if you want to learn to make pie, come on over for Pie Baking 101. RSVP to [email protected]
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!
