PICO BLVD — Arlington West — the makeshift cemetery that volunteers construct on the beach near the Santa Monica Pier each Sunday as a memorial to troops killed in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — is by now a familiar part of the landscape for most locals.
So, who is Jeff Decker? As a write-in candidate for City Council whose name won’t appear on the ballot, local odds-makers are rating him a heavy underdog — to put it mildly — to win one of five seats that are up for grabs on Nov.
DOWNTOWN — As Nov. 2 nears, a certain sector of the Santa Monica electorate is beginning to wonder: What’s more important, experience or newcomer enthusiasm? And who’s got the right mix of both? The question may have the most relevance to the campaign of school board challenger Nimish Patel.
Barney Cashman is frumpy, lumpy, and awkward with women. And so is John Combs, the actor who plays him in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.” Coincidence? I think not.
CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday got its first chance to formally weigh in on early-stage concepts for what is likely to become the most significant public space in Santa Monica — and the council’s most lasting legacy.
Dear New Shrink, My daughter is currently working on her college applications and I am trying my best to support her. For most of the schools she is applying to she must declare a major.
DOWNTOWN — Like many creative minds, Mary Jo Deschanel keeps a journal for inspiration, recording everything she hears and sees. From the dark director David Lynch to the playwriting professor at UCLA, she’s encountered her fair share of colorful characters.
MALIBU HIGH — Trouble, it seems, is always right around the corner. Tuesday evening, as school board member Oscar de la Torre was heading to a candidate forum being held at Malibu High School, for the second time this year, he saw a fight in progress and stopped to intervene.
A connoisseur of romantic comedies, I learned ages ago that despite how hilarious and charming Katherine Heigl and Cynthia Nixon are when they have it unknowingly smeared on their cheeks, there’s actually nothing adorable about real life, non-chick flick poop.
XRDS — With eight games left in the regular season and a record of 10-4-1, the Crossroads High School varsity girls’ volleyball team is close to matching the number of wins they had last season with 11.
Lighthouse Christian’s football team improved its record to 3-1 with a huge win over Ribet Academy on Friday. The Lighthouse Saints are now 1-1 in Coastal League play.
OPCC — In honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, fashion brand GUESS is rolling out a special edition T-shirt that will benefit Sojourn Services for Battered Women and their Children, a project spearheaded by OPCC.
