Nick Gabaldón Day will take place on Saturday, October 9, 2021.

Nick Gabaldón (1927-1951) was a pioneering surfer of African American and Mexican American descent. He was the first documented surfer of color in the Santa Monica Bay. Gabaldón’s passion, athleticism, discipline, love, and respect for the ocean live on as the quintessential qualities of the California surfer.

In 2013, with the help of African American historian Alison Rose Jefferson, Heal the Bay joined forces with the Black Surfers Collective to amplify and expand their prior Nick Gabaldón efforts. Nick Gabaldón Day, in its current form, is now in its 9th year and will be held on October 9, 2021. This innovative celebration provides an amazing opportunity for broadening outreach, action, and education to connect Angelenos with their cultural, historical, and natural heritage.

The shoreline and waters at Bay Street in Santa Monica were an active hub of African American beach life during the Jim Crow era. This beach was popular from the 1900s to early 1960s among African American people, who sought to avoid hostile and racial discrimination they might experience at other southland beaches. Racial discrimination and restrictive covenants prevented African Americans from buying property throughout the Los Angeles region, but their community’s presence and agency sustained their oceanfront usage in Santa Monica.

In 2008, the City of Santa Monica officially recognized the “Inkwell” and Nick Gabaldón with a landmark monument at Bay Street and the Oceanfront Walk. In 2019, this same beach was listed as the Bay Street Beach Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the African American experience and American history.

Nick Gabaldón Day introduces young and old from inland communities to the magic of the coast through free surf and ocean safety lessons, beach ecology exploration, and a history lesson about a man who followed his passion and a community who challenged anti-Black discrimination to enjoy the beach.

The Black Surfers Collective, Heal the Bay, Surf Bus Foundation, and the Santa Monica Conservancy collaborate for Nick Gabaldón Day to reach families in resource-challenged communities and connect them to meaningful educational programming. Together, we are helping build personal experiences with cultural, historical, natural heritage, and civic engagement that make up the foundation of stewardship, and the development of the next generation of heritage conservation and environmental leaders.

For more info, Click Here.

Photo: moonknightsonata
A few photos of the lightning over the Santa Monica Bay from Monday afternoon's thunderstorm.




Photos: bentburton
Photo: RipcurlNg

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"A lowrider hops at Santa Monica Cruisin' Classics meetup at Santa Monica Beach on Friday, October 1, 2021. The car club meets-up every Friday night at Santa Monica Beach"

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Dogtown and The Z Boys found an audience outside of the traditional skateboard community. Tony Alva, Peggy Oki, Stacy Peralta and more from the OG Zephyr scene break down why it worked and what was missing.

Boarding For Breast Cancer is thrilled to announce the 14th Annual Skate The Coast October 23 + 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA.

Skate the Coast is a 19 mile skate-bike-roll from the Santa Monica Pier to Redondo Beach along the iconic Southern California Strand with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop for this mellow cruise.

B4BC welcomes anyone on wheels of all ages and abilities to join this push for prevention as we raise funds for B4BC's education, prevention and survivorship programs. Please help us reach our $50K goal by registering today! Registration includes an event tee shirt, goodie bag and prizes for top fundraisers!

Skate-bike-roll 19 miles from the Santa Monica Pier to Dive N Surf in Redondo Beach with B4BC and friends! This is a collective push for prevention with three hydration stops along the way. The morning will start at Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach where we'll load the shuttles to the Santa Monica Pier. From there we'll cruise down the coast to Arbor Venice, Marina Del Rey, Dockweiler State Beach, Hermosa Beach and finishing off at Dive N Surf for awards and celebrations.

For more info and to register, Click Here

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Construction workers replace wooden boards and support beams on the Santa Monica Pier deck, Monday, September 27, 2021."

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Santa Monica Police Department detectives continue to actively investigate an early Wednesday morning shooting that left one person hospitalized and suspects outstanding.

At approximately 3:00 am the Santa Monica Public Safety Dispatch Center received multiple phone calls regarding shots fired in the area of Ocean and Pacific. A subsequent call was received from a male stating he had been shot in the face during a possible carjacking. The victim stated he was asleep in his car when two possible suspects approached his vehicle. The suspects demanded the victim provide the keys to the vehicle, abruptly shot him, and possibly fled in an unknown vehicle and unknown direction at a high rate of speed.

The victim was located by SMPD and transported to a local area hospital where he is recovering and in stable condition.

Santa Monica Police Department personnel continue to gather evidence related to the incident. Anyone with possible video footage or any additional information is encouraged to contact Detective Nicole Murphy with the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) at (310) 458-8941, Nicole.Murphy@santamonica.gov; or the Watch Commander’s office at (310) 458-2249

The Santa Monica Pier is the place to be for classic car fans on Saturday, September 11th. The Santa Monica Pier Classic “End of Summer” Car Show takes place from 10A-5P directly on the Santa Monica Pier deck parking lot.

The event is free for guests to attend and will have food and drink available for purchase. There will be live performances by local bands and artists The Midnight Cruzzers and DJ Chel, as well as the Miss Chevy Pinup Contest.

For those wishing to participate in the car show, there is a $30 roll in fee and a requirement for pre-1972 cars only. Roll in times are from 7A-9A; limited spaces available. Participants will be entered in a raffle and award show.

For more information and to pre-register your car, contact Turi at (310) 291-7628 or Rigo at (636) 219-6582.

Largest Southern Hemi Swell of the season.

On August 31, 2021, at about 12:54 AM, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers responded to a report of Shots Fired at the Santa Monica Pier. Comments on the call indicated the reporting party heard approximately 3-4 gunshots, then witnessed an unknown male running towards the Ferris Wheel and out of sight.

When Officers arrived on scene, they met with a witness who reported that she recovered a handgun dropped by a male while he was trying to jump over a fence. Officers did not find any victims; however, the Officers located spent casings and impact holes on a wall. All the parties to the shooting fled prior to Officers arriving and no suspects were arrested.

At this time, SMPD detectives are attempting to identify and locate the following subject who dropped the handgun at the scene:

• Male Hispanic, 25-30 years-old, approximately 5’7”, black hair, brown eyes wearing a black hat and black clothing.

Anyone with additional information pertaining to this incident or individual is strongly encouraged to contact Detective Tavera with the Criminal Investigations Division at 310-458-2256 or the Santa Monica Department’s Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.

Santa Monica Police are bracing for the possibility of violence when anti-vaccine demonstrators rally near the city’s pier on Sunday. Unlike last year, when the disgraced former police chief's incompetence led to hundreds of businessses getting looted and dozens of residents getting injured, the new chief appears to be actually doing her job.

The rally, part of an international day of protest against what participants describe is “medical tyranny,” is being promoted as a peaceful demonstration. But SMDP officers have noted that violence has broken out between anti-vaccine demonstrators and counterprotesters at similar events in cities throughout California, including L.A., Long Beach and Oakland. SMPD has urged residents to report anything suspicious they may see leading up to and on the day of the rally, and register for the city’s emergency alert system. The department is also supporting local businesses that wish to board up storefronts in advance.

“Given the nature of this upcoming event and in an abundance of caution, this weekend you’ll see an increased uniformed police presence throughout the city, and in particular the downtown area,” Santa Monica Interim Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said in a video statement uploaded to the department’s Facebook page on Wednesday.



"Hello, I am your interim Chief of Police, Jacqueline Seabrooks. This is the most recent in a series of safety messages I am sharing with our community concerning the Police Department’s unusual incident response planning and preparation. Recently, the Police Department’s Planning & Intelligence Unit received specific information regarding a rally that is scheduled to take place near the Pier on Sunday, August 29, 2021. The primary participants are those who have taken a position against COVID-19 vaccinations and against the wearing of protective masks. Currently available intelligence and information indicates opposition groups will very likely be in attendance as well.

As a Santa Monica community member, business owner, or visitor, you should know that the City of Santa Monica, and by extension, its Police Department values the ability of the public to engage in peacefully expressive conduct as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. On the other hand, we do take issue with those who come to our community specifically to intimidate—through violence or other criminal behavior—those who seek to peacefully exercise their Constitutional rights.

Given the nature of this upcoming event, and in an abundance of caution, this weekend, you will see an increased uniformed police presence throughout the City and in particular, the Downtown area. We are working with our municipal partners and other regional partners to ensure the Police Department is able to facilitate peaceful First Amendment activity even as we work to ensure a safe environment for our residents, business owners, and visitors. To assist us in our efforts in maintaining a safe community, last night, the Santa Monica City Council passed an emergency ordinance prohibiting possession of certain items while attending public assemblies or community events. Please visit the provided link below for more details on the prohibited items.

EMERGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA AMENDING SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 4.08.780

Thank you for your attention and don’t forget to mask up for community safety."

The Santa Monica City Council's adopted emergency ordinance bars people from bringing certain types of items to public protests, assemblies or community events. The list of banned items includes plastic pipes, baseball bats, aerosol sprays, weapons, glass bottles, chains longer than 20 inches, metal containers, shields, gas masks, helmets, body armor, bricks and rocks.

The Santa Monica Pier is the place to be for classic car fans on Saturday, September 11th. The Santa Monica Pier Classic “End of Summer” Car Show takes place from 10A-5P directly on the Santa Monica Pier deck parking lot.

The event is free for guests to attend and will have food and drink available for purchase. There will be live performances by local bands and artists The Midnight Cruzzers and DJ Chel, as well as the Miss Chevy Pinup Contest.

For those wishing to participate in the car show, there is a $30 roll in fee and a requirement for pre-1972 cars only. Roll in times are from 7A-9A; limited spaces available. Participants will be entered in a raffle and award show.

For more information and to pre-register your car, contact Turi at (310) 291-7628 or Rigo at (636) 219-6582.

Boarding For Breast Cancer is thrilled to announce the 14th Annual Skate The Coast October 23 + 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA.

Skate the Coast is a 19 mile skate-bike-roll from the Santa Monica Pier to Redondo Beach along the iconic Southern California Strand with the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop for this mellow cruise.

B4BC welcomes anyone on wheels of all ages and abilities to join this push for prevention as we raise funds for B4BC's education, prevention and survivorship programs. Please help us reach our $50K goal by registering today! Registration includes an event tee shirt, goodie bag and prizes for top fundraisers!

Skate-bike-roll 19 miles from the Santa Monica Pier to Dive N Surf in Redondo Beach with B4BC and friends! This is a collective push for prevention with three hydration stops along the way. The morning will start at Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach where we'll load the shuttles to the Santa Monica Pier. From there we'll cruise down the coast to Arbor Venice, Marina Del Rey, Dockweiler State Beach, Hermosa Beach and finishing off at Dive N Surf for awards and celebrations.

For more info and to register, Click Here

Saturday morning, August 7, 2021 at approximately 2:30am, Santa Monica Police Department officers assigned to the Major Accident Response Team (MART) responded to a traffic collision involving a solo vehicle and a pedestrian near Main and Ashland.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with officers. The unidentified victim was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her  injuries.

This remains an active investigation. Anyone with additional information pertaining to this incident can contact the Santa Monica Police Department’s Traffic Division at 310-458-8993 or Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427. 

SUNDAY: Search underway for a missing person in the water near the Santa Monica Pier.

MONDAY UPDATE: The search has been suspended pending further information. Land based Lifeguard Units and Lifeguard Rescue Boats will continue periodic patrols.

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Los Angeles County Lifeguards tryout to compete in the Taplin Lifeguard Championship, Santa Monica Beach, Wednesday, July 14, 2021."

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On Tuesday, this guy was trying to set up an encampment ON the PCH Southbound lane at Chatauqua. Cars going 60mph+ were trying to avoid hitting him.

After several called to LAPD, some local residents eventually convinced him to GTF off the road.

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"A painting at the Third Street Promenade promoting National Geographic’s SharkFest, Saturday, June 3, 2021."

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

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From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Santa Monica Pier amid the sunset on Friday, July 2, 2021."

Support Santa Monica Closeup/Fabian Lewkowicz with Venmo or PayPal to help earn money to make these videos:

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