Thank You Chi Trainer for Joining OPA as a Gold Member!!! With over 8 years of dedicated practice in Tai Chi Gung, Qigong, yoga, meditation, and nature-based healing traditions, Sean created Chi Trainer as a sanctuary for restoration, vitality, and inner harmony. This practice invites you to slow down, reconnect, and return to your natural rhythm while elevating your energy. Chi Trainer is a safe place for you to come as you are, ground yourself, and reconnect. Feel it to Believe it! They can't wait to welcome you. @ 2921 Main St. Your first class is FREE and you can check them out at chitrainer.com and follow their Insta here.

OPA Volunteer Opportunity - Fire Service Day is Saturday, May 9, 10am – 1pm at Fire Station 1 (1337 7th St.): OPA will have a table at this event and it is a great opportunity to represent OPA and meet and greet community members. No previous volunteer experience is needed…it’s really just a great way to lean in on community engagement. Reply to this email to volunteer.

Santa Monica Remains in Zbur’s Bill to Limit Coastal Commission Powers: “Zbur and other supporters say that Assembly Bill 1740 responds to concerns that the current coastal review process, administered by the Coastal Commission, creates lengthy and unpredictable delays for routine, low-impact projects in already built-out urban areas. Zbur feels this drawn-out process empowers the Commission in ways voters and the legislature didn’t intend when they created the commission through referendums in the 1970s. While he is disappointed that his legislation was scaled back to only apply to Santa Monica, he sees it as an important first step in reforming the Commission’s work.” More details here.

SMPD’s Blue Notebook: Here is their latest video highlighting last week’s activity. It’s worth checking out to see how they are creatively engaging with the community via social videos.

New letter asks Council to redo Airport-to-Park plan to include housing: Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) is urging the Santa Monica City Council to designate a portion of the future Santa Monica Airport park for 3,000 units of below-market-rate housing, arguing that the area known as the “Urban Edge” in the city’s own planning documents is the most logical and least disruptive place to build. More details here.

Group of E-Bike Regulation Bills Advance in Assembly: As the popularity of e-bikes and e-motorcycles has grown, so has the number of crashes and fatalities. The Assembly Transportation Committee advanced four pieces of legislation designed to regulate the growing e-bike and e-motorcycle industries. More details here.

Santa Monica Council Takes Up SB 9 Zoning Overhaul to Align With State Housing Law: The Santa Monica City Council voted April 14 to advance an ordinance realigning the city's implementation of Senate Bill 9 with state law, while amending staff's recommendation to retain a minimum guaranteed unit size of 1,500 square feet — a standard staff had proposed reverting to the state's 800-square-foot floor. The ordinance, prepared by Planning Manager Ross Fehrman, amends Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 9.31.125, which governs duplexes and lot splits on parcels zoned for single-unit residential use. More details here.

Multiple SaMo Restaurants on The Infatuation's "Patio Power Rankings: Where To Eat & Drink Outside": Michael's Restaurant (1147 3rd St.) & Din Tai Fung (395 Santa Monica Place) both make this list with DTF being described as “A rooftop with ocean views is always a draw. A rooftop with ocean views that also serves excellent soup dumplings? That’s basically Eras x Cowboy Carter joining up for an arena tour.”

SaMo International Jazz Festival (May 1-9): The inaugural Santa Monica International Jazz Festival is a nine-day "citywide destination" event that blends the coastal elegance of the Westside with the global reach of jazz. The festival carries a deep sense of history, honoring the 100th anniversaries of jazz icons Miles Davis and John Coltrane, as well as the centennial of the historic Route 66. smjazzfest.com 

The Street Seen: Crystal Pier (Hollister Avenue @ Ocean Front Walk): This is the end of our Hollister Ave pier series - and the end of the pier itself. Between 1904 and 1948, the pier existed in three versions. Today, we look at the 1913 version named the Crystal Pier. More details here.

Councilmember Dan Hall Newsletter: Here is his weekly newsletter, with his thoughts on Activating Economic Opportunity & Growth, Developing Affordable, Livable, & Secure Housing for All, Building Organizational Health, and much more.