Santa Monica Senior Food Program Scrambles to Stay Afloat
May 31, 2012 -- Due to the increased cost of food and gas, Santa Monica's homebound seniors will have to pay more to have their daily meals delivered starting in July, according to Meals on Wheels West officials.

Santa Monica Buys Back Downtown Parking Spaces
May 31, 2012 -- In an effort to free up Downtown Santa Monica's parking, the City has bought back more 350 parking spaces it had been leasing to private companies for decades.

Santa Monica to Host an Inventive 4th of July Parade
May 31, 2012 -- Organizers hope Santa Monica’s 6th Annual Fourth of July Parade on Main Street will bring out plenty of propeller hats and anti-matter pods

Santa Monica Contemplates New Parking Rates
May 30, 2012 -- Visitors to Santa Monica could see a reduction in free parking Downtown as early as September and an increase in the cost of meter parking throughout the beachside city from 75 cents an hour to $1 an hour, finance officials say.

Santa Monica Coin Dealer to Pay Back Customers
May 30, 2012 -- In what marks the City of Santa Monica's second settlement with a national gold coin dealer this year, the owner of Superior Gold will be required to pay $2 million toward customer refunds.

Santa Monica College Celebrates the Arts in June
May 30, 2012 -- The seaside city will be alive with the arts this summer thanks to Santa Monica College's month-long show of Emeritus College students' art works and a series of jazz and tap performances by SMC students.

Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Announces Route Changes, Cancellations
May 29, 2012 -- Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus will alter routes next month to coincide with the opening of the Expo Light Rail station in Culver City and will eliminate two shuttles with few riders in the beachside city.

Santa Monica Planning Commission to Weigh in on Village Trailer Park
May 29, 2012 -- Santa Monica's Planning Commission will take up the fate of the Village Trailer Park Wednesday after more than three dozen speakers weighed in last week on a nearly 500-unit residential project proposed for the site.

OPINION: Village Trailer Park, Santa Monica
May 29, 2012 -- A group of senior citizens interspersed with a tiny handful of children and two handfuls of “soon to be” seniors are living in a mutually supporting, self-evolved community. Many moved into it when middle-aged, or “young-old.”

Santa Monica Police Warn: Click it or Ticket
May 29, 2012 -- Santa Monica police have kicked off the start-of-summer Click It or Ticket campaign to crack down on those who don’t buckle up.

Santa Monica Plays Host to American Military Widows
May 25, 2012 -- Earlier this month , a nonprofit organization called the American Widow Project showed Santa Monica and the world the resilience and courage of the nation’s military families in the face of unbearable tragedy.

Santa Monica Celebrates Memorial Day
May 25, 2012 -- Santa Monica will honor veterans of America's armed forces, living and dead, this Memorial Day with a flyover of a locally produced World War II-era plane and new wardrobes for returning vets.

Good Taste -- Discovering a " Meat Market" Across the Street from Santa Monica College
March 25, 2012 -- Okay, so it's not that kind of meat market, but an unassuming little shop called Carniceria Reynoso Meat Market tucked away in a barely-noticeable mini strip center on 17th and Pico, right across from Santa Monica College.

Santa Monica Beaches Get High Marks
May 25, 2012 -- No need to worry if you plan to swim and surf at Santa Monica beaches this summer, with all seven of the city's coastal testing sites earning an A or A+ during dry weather, according to Heal The Bay's Annual Beach report card.

Santa Monica City Council Gives Youth Center Six Months to Shape Up
May 24, 2012 -- The Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday told the Pico Youth and Family Center (PYFC) in no uncertain terms that its future depends on whether or not it can get its accounts in order after a financial monitor found irregularities in the non-profit agency's records.

Lincoln School Brings Light Opera to Santa Monica
May 24, 2012-- If you thought that the words “Victorian-era light opera” and “Lincoln Middle School” could never be used in the same sentence, think again. The junior high schoolers just staged a production of  “The Pirates of Penzance” with as much full-throated zest and ensemble silliness as was ever seen at London’s Savoy Theatre more than 130 years ago.

Tour Offers Close-up Look at Santa Monica Historic Homes
May 24, 2012 -- It is arguably one of the most beautiful structures in Santa Monica, and the public can have a rare chance to visit Irving Gill's Horatio West Court during a tour of local landmarks Sunday, June 3.

Santa Monica Goes Wild
May 23, 2012 -- It is a lush plot in the midst of a world of concrete and asphalt, and its palms and thick vegetation offered the final refuge for the three-year-old male mountain lion that had strayed far from its natural habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Santa Monica's Village Trailer Park Gets Celebrity Boost
May 23, 2012 -- David Mamet arrives Saturday at Gallery 169 in Santa Monica in a pink Hawaiian shirt and straw hat, chatting casually with one of Village Trailer Park's long-term residents, a subject of a photo-essay exhibit by the playwright's daughter.

Police Officer Will Attempt World Record on Santa Monica Ferris Wheel
May 23, 2012 --- Los Angeles Police Officer Gus Martinez has a good reason and the training necessary to ride the Santa Monica Pier's world-famous Ferris wheel for 25 straight hours and break the world record.

Santa Monica City Council to Take on Growing Deficit
May 22, 2012 -- The Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday will begin to grapple with a projected $4.5 million budget shortfall due to the rising cost of retirement benefits and the elimination of the state's Redevelopment Agencies (RDAs).

Santa Monica’s Tudor House to Serve its Last Cup of Tea
May 22, 2012 -- The Tudor House, Santa Monica's purveyor of British comestibles, will be closing its doors after nearly 50 years. Like many other “Mom and Pop”-type shops Downtown, the tearoom is caving to the fiscal realities of recession-weary customers and rising rents.

Santa Monica Camps Now Enrolling For Summer
May 22, 2012 -- In Santa Monica, summer camp is more than swimming and camping. It's also arts and dance and science and even rock 'n roll, and the City's camps are enrolling until all the spaces are filled, City officials said.

Santa MonicaYouth Center Given Final Ultimatum
May 21, 2012 -- The City has given the Pico Youth and Family Center (PYFC) six months to shape up or lose its funding after a financial monitor found irregularities in the non-profit agency's records, including "unexplained salary overages" for its top staff, according to a report by the City.

Area Around Santa Monica's First Expo Stop Begins Taking Shape
May 21, 2012 -- The Santa Monica Planning Commission on Wednesday recommended that steps be taken to add open space and reduce traffic in the Bergamot Area that will surround the first Expo Light Rail line stop in the beachside city.

Group Warns Santa Monica About Nativity Scene Proposal
May 21, 2012 -- A national group that champions the separation of church and state has threatened to sue the City of Santa Monica if it moves forward Tuesday with a proposal by Nativity scene organizers that would ban signs and banners that "denigrate" holiday traditions.

Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau Summit looks up, up, up
May 17, 2012 -- Numbers released at the Third Annual Santa Monica Travel & Tourism Summit on Wednesday show that visitors to Santa Monica are arriving in higher numbers and are spending more than they did the previous year.

Santa Monica Festival Features Food
May 17, 2012 -- The 21st Annual Santa Monica's Festival Saturday at Clover Park is so food-oriented, it easily could have been called a Taste of Santa Monica.

GOOD TASTE -- Tea at Tudor House
May 17, 2012 -- On this week's "Good Taste" journey, a friend and I stopped in at the Tudor House for a late lunch. The restaurant was almost full, with folks of all ages enjoying lunch, high tea, dessert or browsing in the cute English-themed gift shop.

LETTERS -- Santa Monica Airport Opponents Should Be More Open-minded
May 17, 2012 -- In her correspondence ("Letters: Take Back Santa Monica Airport Land,"Kelly Stevens claims 85 percent of people living near the airport want it closed. Where is this “fact” sourced? Which survey?

Epic EIR Sets Santa Monica Record
May 16, 2012 -- Weighing in at more than 8,500 pages, the environmental impact report (EIR) for the future Bergamot Transit Village likely will go unread by even the most zealous civic watchdog, despite an extra six months delay in the process.

Santa Monica Students Tackle Comic Opera Masterpiece
May 16, 2012 -- If anybody doubted the firepower that the Lincoln Middle School Theatre can muster, four shows this weekend should put any doubts to rest.The school will stage a full-fledged production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera masterpiece, "The Pirates of Penzance."

Santa Monica College Student Wins National Hair Competition
May 16, 2012 -- Santa Monica College students took the top two spots and four of the top 11 in the Junior Style Stars National Hair Competition, beating out 315 students nationwide, college officials said.

LETTERS: Poll Showing Support for Santa Monica Airport Statistically Valid
May 16, 2012 -- In her letter regarding the City Council review on the future of Santa Monica Airport ("Take Back Santa Monica Airport Land," May 14)

Santa Monica Landmarks Commission Moves Forward with Designation for “Chain Reaction”
May 15, 2012 -- The Santa Monica Landmarks Commission voted unanimously Monday night to recommend political cartoonist Paul Conrad's iconic “Chain Reaction” sculpture for landmark designation.

The Sky’s the Limit at Annenberg Exhibit in Santa Monica
May 15, 2012 -- Angelenos rarely get the opportunity to really see the sky. Smog and light pollution conspire to deprive residents of the ethereal magic overhead. But a new exhibit at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica changes all that.

Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women Seeks Applicants
May 15, 2012 -- The Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women is seeking applicants for an opening on the nine-member panel, which is in the process of implementing its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan.

Landmarks Commission Takes Up Iconic Santa Monica Sculpture
May 14, 2012 -- The Landmarks Commission will decide Monday night whether or not it is within the limits of its power to designate Santa Monica's iconic “Chain Reaction” sculpture as a landmark.

Santa Monica's Olympic High Offers Second Chance
May 14, 2012 -- Olympic High School’s Food Truck Thursday has all the elements of a great neighborhood block party. Youngsters shoot hoops, the aroma of freshly-grilled steak sliders waft over the crowd, and a local high school band rocks some heavy bass.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium Gets New Director
May 14, 2012 -- Heal the Bay has tapped a South Dakota native who comes from a long line of educators to run its Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Letters: Take Back Santa Monica Airport Land
Thanks for the article on the Santa Monica Airport. ("Council Puts Closing Santa Monica Airport on the Table," May 10, 2012).

Local Group Tries to Save Santa Monica Christmas Displays
May 11, 2012 -- A local group has presented a proposal that would ban signs and banners that "denigrate" holiday traditions and set deadlines in an effort to save the Nativity Scenes that have been displayed in Santa Monica's Palisades Park for six decades.

Santa Monica’s Off Campus Learning Center Shapes Lives
May 11, 2012 -- Cynthia MacGregory’s job requires her to wear many hats. She is the special education teacher at Santa Monica's Off Campus Learning Center for some 24 students, but she also finds herself acting as school counselor, “regular ed” teacher and administrator.

Council Puts Closing Santa Monica Airport on the Table
May 10, 2012 -- The Santa Monica City Council voted Tuesday night to move forward with the airport visioning process, but added to the City's list of recommended actions closing the airport if its impacts aren't satisfactorily reduced.

Santa Monica Expands Parking Meter Sensors
May 10, 2012 -- In Santa Monica, there soon will be no need to rush back to feed the meter if the time limit has expired. Under "customer service enhancements" being implemented by the City, motorists will be sure to get a ticket anyway.

Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel Offers Moms a Free Ride
May 10, 2012 -- To celebrate Mother’s Day, moms can get a free ride Sunday on Pacific Park's world-famous Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier.

Santa Monica's Controlled Rents Could See a Slight Rise
May 9, 2012 -- Staff is recommending that the Santa Monica Rent Control Board allow landlords to raise the rent by less than 2 percent in the upcoming fiscal year, an amount property owners argue is far too small.

Iconic Santa Monica Brand Goes Global
May 9, 2012 -- Fred Segal -- a Santa Monica brand that is popular among celebrities and has become a pop culture reference -- has been bought by Sandow Media, a company that develops luxury brands in the fashion and home industries.

 Boeing to Pay Santa Monica $39.5 million for Well Clean Up
May 9, 2012 -- The Boeing Company has agreed to pay Santa Monica $39.5 over the next ten years to clean up the ground water at the City's Olympic Well Field, which officials claim was contaminated by the aircraft giant.

LETTERS: Keep the Santa Monica Views for Seniors
May 9, 2012 ---I can't tell you how much a wrong decision is being made to move the designated Senior Center from the Camera Obscura building in Palisades Park on Ocean Avenue to the Ken Edwards Center on 4th Street. ("Santa Monica to Revamp Senior Services," April 30, 2012)

Council to Discuss Santa Monica Airport's Future
May 8, 2012 -- When the City Council takes up the future of one of the nation's oldest municipal airports Tuesday night, the meeting will cap what Santa Monica officials are calling one of the most extensive community discussions ever conducted by the City.

Santa Monica Activist Jerry Rubin to Make Fifth Council Bid
May 8, 2012 -- If attending City Council meetings -- which are known for their marathon length -- is the best way to prepare to run for a seat on the dais, Jerry Rubin must be the most prepared man in America.

Santa Monica College Seeks Applicants for Bond Oversight Committee
May 8, 2012 -- Santa Monica College is seeking applicants for the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee that oversees the implementation of three bond measures that are funding capital improvement projects at the college.

Olympic High School’s Alternative Approach Helps Students Succeed
May 7, 2012 -- In an era of budget cuts and declining performance demands from public education, Santa Monica has one public school whose accomplishments have continued to defy expectation.

Nearly Two-Thirds of Santa Monica's Rent Control Units at Market Rate, Report Finds
May 7, 2012 -- Nearly two-thirds of Santa Monica's rent-controlled units are now being rented at market rates, up from ten percent in 1999, when a State law lifted rent limits on most vacated units, according to a report released by the Rent Board.

Malibu's Split from Santa Monica Would be Costly, School District Report Finds
May 4, 2012 -- Splitting the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District could be costly, especially for Malibu, where a secession movement has been gaining momentum, according to a preliminary report issued by District officials.

Few Discrimination Complaints Filed Against Santa Monica Police, Report Finds
May 4, 2012 -- The Santa Monica Police Department's racial sensitivity training seems to be working, with only one personnel complaint alleging "some form of racial or cultural discrimination" currently under investigation, according to a report issued by police officials.

Santa Monica Celebrates Cinco de Mayo Sunday
May 4, 2012 -- Enter your best salsa recipe in the Homemade Salsa Tasting Contest, play Lotería, or participate in the Traditional Fashion Contest at Santa Monica's Cico de Mayo celebration Sunday at Virginia Avenue Park.

Santa Monica's Bike Center Extends Its Reach with “Bikes at Work”
May 3, 2012 -- Santa Monica's award-winning Bike Center is getting down to the business of encouraging employees to pedal around the beachside city once they get to work.

Santa Monica Police Monitor Jaywalking, Crack Down on Speeding Motorists
May 3, 2012 -- The stretch of Pico Boulevard near Santa Monica High School is a busy thoroughfare for both vehicles and pedestrians, with students often darting across the street against the light or away from designated crosswalks as they race to class or to catch a bus.

Chez Jay's Future Uncertain in a Redeveloped Santa Monica
May 2, 2012 -- In a city that prides itself on its beach culture, one of the iconic structures from Santa Monica's days as a carefree seaside getaway may no longer fit in.

Santa Monica Rep’s “Proof” Painful and Provocative
May 2, 2012 -- It is simply remarkable what Santa Monica Rep, which has yet to find permanent digs, is able to produce with a budget that probably wouldn’t feed a cat for a month.

Santa Monica Home Tour to Benefit High School Orchestras
May 2, 2012 -- If you've always wanted to check out that stupendous garden or wondered what the house behind the lush greenery looks like inside, you've got your chance to get an up-close view on Sunday.

Santa Monica College Seeks Solutions to Budget Crisis
May 1, 2012 -- After postponing a controversial plan to offer self-funded classes, Santa Monica College officials are seeking input on how to best deal with a funding crisis that could result in the end of summer courses at the city college.

Expo Line Moves Closer to Santa Monica with Weekend Opening
May 1, 2012 -- The first phase of the Expo Light Rail line, which will eventually stretch from the heart of Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica, carried its first passengers this weekend.