SMMUSD HDQTRS — Attempting to pass Measure A — the $198 parcel tax that would raise an estimated $5.8 million annually for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School district — campaign boosters have raised more than $332,000 since January, records on file with the Santa Monica City Clerk’s Office show.
DOWNTOWN — Cynthia Rose is the type of shopper city officials are trying to attract here. She’s local and she doesn’t drive. Instead of adding to traffic congestion, Rose likes to run errands on her bicycle, making more parking available for others.
Singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan will help environmental group Heal the Bay celebrate its 25th anniversary by offering a special benefit performance at its Bring Back the Beach gala dinner on May 20.
CITY HALL — When it landed on her desk, the case was like scores of others that Debra Kanoff has handled during her nearly three-decade career in the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office: A man who had boarded a Big Blue Bus claimed he’d been injured when the driver closed the door on him.
Dear EarthTalk: At a meeting of a local art association, an artist who paints in acrylics said that doing so is more eco-friendly than painting in oils.
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Celebrity Chef Juan-Carlos Cruz, host of the show “Calorie Commando” on the Food Network, was arrested Thursday for allegedly masterminding a failed murder-for-hire plot, police said.
SM COURTHOUSE — The parents of a young woman killed after being struck by a Los Angeles police cruiser are suing the department and the officers involved.
In celebration of the opening of Santa Monica Place, slated for Aug. 6, a new program has been launched where up to 100 local designers, artists, retailers and community leaders will create individual expressions of art and fashion using mannequins.
MAIN STREET — For those who make it to Main Street’s Sunday Farmers’ Market early enough to claim a spot, the lawn outside the California Heritage Museum has long been a favorite place to spread a picnic blanket and take in the scene.
DOWNTOWN — Thousands of running shoes will be pounding pavement on Sunday, punctuating the end of spring with the fifth annual Santa Monica Classic, a 5K and 10K running event that benefits the local non-profit organization Heal the Bay.
Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
DOWNTOWN — Parking rates at City Hall’s Downtown lots are going up, part of a plan city officials say will make more efficient use of parking structures and ease traffic congestion in Santa Monica’s clogged business and shopping district.
