Little blue box hopes to ‘chirp’ away at crime:
Longtime Santa Monica local Stephen McMahon has come up with a way to discourage homeless from making camp and taking drugs in his building’s courtyard parking space, as well as preventing inevitable repeat burglaries. His idea, the “Blue Chirper,” combined the concept of blue flashing light together with the extremely annoying sound of crickets and created a deterrent that he has proved to be highly successful. McMahon lives in Lincoln Blvd, close to Reed Park, and he says that the unpleasantness he has to deal with is relentless. He explained to the Daily Press that because the courtyard roadway was raised decades ago, none of the buildings can install gated parking, so he and other residents have frequently been confronted with a homeless individual when walking to their vehicles.
Boutique anything but budget during prom season:
One of the last milestones in the high school career of Samohi’s 2024 class took place this month with prom night at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. To help dress students in the lead-up to prom, Samohi Bilingual Community Liaison Johanna De la Rosa opened the doors of classroom E100 to all Samohi students needing a suit or dress, curating a free “prom boutique” that students could step into during afternoon hours. The boutique featured a selection of designer clothes and accessories that go far beyond what you may see at a typical thrift store. Along with the vast amount of clothing options taken from donations, the boutique also offered tailoring services by parent volunteer Julie Flanders and a host of help from student volunteers.
New heroes, Mean Girls make May Locals’ Night a special affair:
Though it was the final edition of Locals’ Night on the Santa Monica Pier until September, the evening packed in enough activities to fill residents with Santa Monica spirit through the summer. The day began with the Rick Crocker 5K Challenge, an annual run benefiting the Santa Monica Police Activities League, followed by a “New Heroes” commendation ceremony with local officials welcoming new hires to the Santa Monica Police Department and Santa Monica Fire Department. The typical Locals’ Night fare of a classic car show and musical performances was augmented by a special showcase of the John Adams Middle School-Santa Monica Alternative School House musical theater company, who shined on the west end of the Pier with selections from “Mean Girls Jr.”
City seeks closure of infamous motel alleging long history of drug sales and nuisances:
The City of Santa Monica is seeking the temporary closure of a local motel alongside fines and security improvements due to ongoing criminal activity at the location that has resulted in numerous arrests and complaints. City Hall has filed a nuisance abatement action against the owners and managers of the Pavilions Motel in Sunset Park, Saeed Farm and Goharshad Farm, alleging they have violated the state Drug Abatement Act, state public nuisance laws and Santa Monica public nuisance law. The suit claims the motel is known for drug sales, fights and other problems that make it a nuisance for the surrounding community.
Suspect arrested after stabbing:
A 29-year-old man was recently arrested for an unprovoked stabbing in Downtown Santa Monica that sent two victims to the local hospital. According to the Santa Monica Police Department, two of the victims were hospitalized, one in critical condition, while the third was assaulted but reported no major injuries. The police department said the incident began at about 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, when suspect Larry Ameyal Cedeno attacked the three victims on the 1500 block of 4th Street near Parking Structure #7, two of which being tourists visiting from Germany. Upon arriving at the scene, officers immediately began CPR on the first victim while additional officers located Cedeno, who was detained and arrested a short time later. The Santa Monica Criminal Investigations Division later presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney and filed charges of one count of attempted murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced his office is recommending bail of $2,155,000.
New appointments, district finance discussions held by school board:
At the May 16 meeting of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education, the board approved Elizabeth Ipina as the new Edison Language Academy principal, replacing Lori Orum who will retire next month after 19 years in the role. Ipina has worked at Edison for 28 years in a number of positions, most recently as assistant principal for the past three years. The board also approved of two new roles, those being Walter Gavidia as a new Samohi House Principal and Dr. Brenda Clarke as a Special Education Coordinator. Gavidia has 14 years of experience in SMMUSD in various roles, while Clarke was recently in leadership roles at Santa Barbara High School and Palisades Charter High School. The board also looked at district finances during the meeting, receiving a presentation on the 2023-24 third budget revision, which included a $1.5 transfer of local general fund contributions from the district’s unrestricted fund to the restricted fund.
Successful Samohi season stopped short in title game clash:
The Samohi Vikings baseball squad’s run towards a CIF Southern Section Division V championship came up three runs short, ending the team’s most successful season in over a decade. On May 17, the Vikings traveled to Lake Elsinore Storm Stadium to face off with the Chino Hills Huskies in the Division V title game, dropping the contest 4-1. Both squads threw out their aces in the contest, with the Vikings’ Jackson Klein and the Huskies’ Brody Buoncristiani facing off in a matchup between two of California’s top hurlers. The Huskies got to Klein early, scoring four runs in the first three innings, partially due to costly errors on the Vikings’ part.
Council passes Israel-Gaza resolution despite some division:
The May 14 meeting of Santa Monica City Council was dominated by the Israel-Gaza resolution proposed by Councilmembers Gleam Davis, Caroline Torosis and Jesse Zwick. The discussion item, a resolution supporting the resumption of a negotiated bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and condemning all forms of hate, drew over two and a half hours of public comment with some 94 speakers coming forward to share their opinions. On several occasions, Mayor Phil Brock had to insist that gathered members of the public be respectful to other speakers after multiple instances of jeering, sneering, hollering and hooting before finally asking several of them to leave the chamber, resulting in even more of a furor. A motion was made to keep two resolutions, the main one and a separate one adding a statement from Brock naming tolerance as “the key to peace in our city,” and the motion passed 6-1 with Christina Parra the only member of council to vote against it, saying she was concerned about local division on the subject.
Hotel rebrand, new coffee spot highlighted by Chamber:
The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed a new business to Ocean Avenue and embraced another location’s rebranding on Lincoln Blvd. On May 15, the Chamber and other local guests were serenaded with a live band and imbibed in an outdoor bar setting for the rebranding of the Santa Monica Hotel at 2102 Lincoln. Co-owner Jon Farzam, who has experience in the local hospitality industry with the Shore Hotel and Ocean View Hotel, decided a rebrand for the Lincoln location from a motel to a hotel was due, along with a general sprucing up of the spot. The ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the rebrand was followed by a similar ceremony two days later, welcoming Coffee with Creme and Sugar to 1447 Ocean View Ave, adjacent to the Ocean View Hotel. Along with the typical coffee fare, the new business offers signature drinks like a s’mores mocha and food items like gelato and sorbet PopBars with custom dippings, toppings and drizzles.
Main Street patrons filled with food, drinks in quirky board game mashup:
Locals took advantage of a sunny May 19 on Main Street by traversing the neighborhood’s vast collection of eateries and bars. At the ninth annual “MAINopoly: The Taste of Main Street” event, over 20 Main Street locations hosted samplings of their best food and drinks, with patrons exchanging “MAINopoly dollars” for items like peanut butter whiskey shots at Jameson’s and pizza courtesy of Triple Beam Pizza. The lawn of the California Heritage Museum acted as the hub of the afternoon, featuring the “Go To Jail” beer garden with drinks provided by Venice Duck Brewery, Dulce Vida Tequila and JuneShine. A portion of the event’s proceeds benefited the Main Street Business Improvement District, helping fund community programming.
Adventure awaits for creative children at bevy of summer camps:
To help grow the physical and mental skills of local youth, the Santa Monica area boasts an impressive lineup of summer camps in several categories, including in the areas of sciences, arts, sports and traditional summer camp fare. Staving off the learning loss associated with the summer heat are several STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs, including Camp Galileo running weekly at the St. Martin of Tours School. The creativity of youth will also be on display at art-centric camps like Camp Cosmo, a 2022 winner of the Most Loved New Business honor in Santa Monica, as well as PAINT:LAB’s weekday and weekend art camps. For more active kids, athletic endeavors over the summer will take place in the seasonal tradition of baseball as well as camps for soccer, tennis, karate and skateboarding.
School district board tackles priority of district-wide social justice:
At the May 16 meeting of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education, SMMUSD Coordinator of American Cultures & Ethnic Studies Erin Hill provided an annual update on social justice studies within the district. The report emphasized the first goal of the SMMUSD Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), part of which being that “all graduates are socially just.” Hill also presented the bevy of American Cultures and Ethnic Studies (ACES) courses available to high school students, an initiative taken up by the district after Assembly Bill 101’s passing in October 2021 that includes ethnic studies as a high school graduation requirement.
Samohi grad serving up bold theater on the courts:
This weekend, the Reed Park Tennis Courts will continue to play host to the wild world of “Bimbo Tennis: The Play,” a love letter to the sport of tennis and recreational opportunities in the area. The play is directed by Madeleine Woolner, who was approached with the idea by Santa Monica’s own Emma Gardner, who wrote the script with Reed Park in mind. The innovative play idea is a full-circle moment for Gardner, who played tennis at Reed Park growing up while also taking in performances like the Shakespeare classic “Much Ado About Nothing” at the unique theater locale.
Art walk draws impressive crowd to airport:
The 18th Street Arts Center at the Santa Monica Airport opened its vast space on May 18 to dozens of artists showcasing their unique works. The Santa Monica Airport Art Walk had 27 artists in residence hosting open studio sessions, along with a collection of vendors set up outside of the venue adjacent to food trucks provided by Pepe’s Red Tacos and Chicaterranean. The 18th Street Arts Center has served the Santa Monica arts scene since 1988, supporting artists from across the globe to develop new artworks and share them with the public.
SMDP Staff Report
