In partnership with
Green Dog Dental & Veterinary Center Joins OPA as a Silver Member! Green Dog has long called the Westside home, supporting Main Street events, caring for local pets and families, and hosting Adoptapalooza. Here’s a message from them to the community: “We’ve been part of this neighborhood for a long time — and now we’re proud to officially become members of the Ocean Park Association. Green Dog has deep roots on the Westside. Many of our team members live right here in the surrounding community, our Venice hospital cares for pets from across Ocean Park, Venice, and the rest of Santa Monica, and we’re proud to serve as the pet medical providers for many Main Street events throughout the year. We also host Adoptapalooza, one of the area’s largest annual dog and cat adoption events, bringing together local rescues, pet lovers, businesses, and neighbors for a day centered around finding animals homes. For us, being local has always meant more than simply having an address here. It means showing up, supporting the businesses and organizations around us, creating local jobs, participating in neighborhood events, and being an active part of the community we call home. We’re excited to make that connection even stronger as proud members of the Ocean Park Association — and to keep doing our part for the pets, people, and neighborhood around us.” Learn more here: greendogdental.com
September OPA Monthly Meeting Monday (Sept 14): 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
Westside Food Bank
Jacob Wasserman from the Planning Commission
Ashley Oelson discussing landmarking the WHALE MURAL on OP BLVD
7:30 - 8:30: Board business, including the upcoming calendar of events.
Ocean Way Festival is Coming to Santa Monica Sept. 26 & 27: The City published this guide on what the community can expect, including Festival Details, Event Preparation (setup for the festival on Sept. 14), Pier details, and more.
Blue Notebook - A Weekly Recap August 16-22: SMPD made 110 arrests while responding to significant incidents across the City and maintaining focused enforcement in downtown, beach, residential, and school areas. More details here.
Santa Monica seeks cafe operator for Camera Obscura, Switzerland's 2028 Olympic house: The city of Santa Monica is searching for a cafe operator to run the historic Camera Obscura Building on Ocean Avenue, opening a competition that will help shape the future of a coastal landmark set to double as Switzerland's official hospitality house during the 2028 Olympics. The city released a request for proposals Aug. 20 seeking qualified cafe operators, hospitality professionals and food-and-beverage concessionaires to program and operate up to 2,000 square feet of cafe and warming-kitchen space inside the building at 1450 Ocean Ave. Proposals are due Oct. 1. More details here.
Fitoor Named OpenTable 2026 Diners' Choice Winner: The modern coastal Indian restaurant Fitoor has been named an OpenTable 2026 Diners' Choice restaurant. Based directly on verified diner reviews and reservations, the award spotlights the hotspot's bold regional Indian flavors, creative cocktail menu, and vibrant atmosphere. It is one of my favorite SaMo spots and am excited for it to get the accolades it deserves. 1755 Ocean Ave. instagram.com/eatdrinkatfitoor
Eater Gives West Side Oyster Club a Shucking Good Review: Eater has named West Side Oyster Club one of the best places for oysters in Santa Monica right now, praising its high-quality shellfish, lobster rolls, clam chowder and fish and chips. The review calls it a more affordable alternative to some of Santa Monica's pricier seafood destinations. la.eater.com/dining-report/306278/west-side-oyster-club-review
Councilmember Dan Hall Newsletter: He published this summary of the Recreation and Arts Impact Report with his thoughts on accomplishments to date, what’s coming up, and much more. One interesting note is how many people use the swimming facilities (over 200k), followed by pickleball (40k+), and the a huge drop off from there. Guess we need more pools and pickleball courts.
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Things to Do This Weekend
Bergamot Station Fall Open House (Saturday 11 am – 10pm): Bergamot Station kicks off its fall season with a free daylong celebration featuring gallery openings, artist talks, curator walkthroughs and special events. Curator and advisor Hannah Sloan will lead two guided tours highlighting exhibitions throughout the complex at noon and 3 p.m. 2525 Michigan Ave. bergamotstation.com
Marina Movie Nights: Michael (2026): Grab your family, a picnic dinner, and a blanket or low-profile beach chairs and make your way to Burton Chace Park for the free Summer Concerts presented by the L.A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors on select Saturdays through Sept. 26. Movies start at 8 p.m. but arrive by 7 to pick out your spot on the lawn. Free admission! More details here.
Tongva Twilight Says Goodbye to Summer (Saturday 7-10 pm): Spend your Saturday night under the stars at TONGVA TWILIGHT: Sounds & Cinema, a free outdoor series blending live music, iconic films, and summer vibes in Tongva Park. Grab your friends, pack a picnic and enjoy complimentary popcorn on movie nights while supplies last. This week is a Concert & Film: Myra Washington – Country, Soul, Funk + screening of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). @ 1615 Ocean Ave. More details here.
Santa Monica Block Fest & Night Food Market (Saturday 5 pm – Midnight): Downtown Santa Monica again hosts this massive second-Saturday evening block party featuring live EDM DJs across all three blocks of the Promenade, an open-air night food market on Arizona Ave., and late-night restaurant specials. @ Third Street Promenade More details here.
Main St. Farmers Market (Sunday 8:30am - 1:30pm): This Sunday, the Main Street Farmers Market presents GM Jazz 10 am-1pm. My Gym kids' obstacle course will be on the lawn. Special pop up Something Good pet treats is back and also joining us is Kreung LA Cambodian BBQ! A special shout out to all of our dedicated farmers market shoppers who came this past very rainy Sunday. It means a lot especially to farmers who have travelled for miles to bring you fresh produce. Rain or shine we are here for you!
Santa Monica Classic 5K/10K & Promenade Festival (Sunday 7am – 11am): Lace up your running shoes to support neurological disease research. Whether you're aiming for a personal record or taking a scenic walk, stick around afterward for the post-race Finish Festival on the Promenade complete with music, bites, and community celebrations. @ Third Street Promenade (1300 Block) santamonicaclassic.com
Free Venice Street Fair (Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm): With more than 150 local artists and makers, the fair will close 3rd Ave between Rose Ave and Sunset Ave. instagram.com/theartistfair
Americana in the Park Returns to Gandara Park (Sunday 1:30 – 6:30 pm): The sixth annual outdoor festival returns for an all-ages afternoon of live roots, blues, jazz, and folk music. This year's stellar lineup features Grammy-winning guitarist Albert Lee, Afro-Cuban innovators Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, folk-rock multi-instrumentalist Abby Posner, singer-songwriter Jason Luckett, and a performance by the historic Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Pack a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy food trucks, crafts, and family activities on the grass. @ 1819 Stewart St. More details here.
Upcoming Calendar of Events
OPA Book Club: Next planned dates are 10/7 (The Big Sleep), 11/4 (James), and 12/2 (The Year of Living Danishly). Email [email protected] for more info. All meets are at 6pm at the Ocean Park Library (2601 Main St.).
OPA Monthly Meeting: Monday, Sept. 14, 6pm @ Ocean Park Library
Resources
Police non-emergency Phone #: Call 310-458-8491 or click here for more info.
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!
Have News to Share? Email [email protected] anytime you have news you think we should share
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