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Showing posts with label Upcoming Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Upcoming Events. Show all posts


Join us for our second public cleanup of the year at Tower 20, Santa Monica from 1pm-3pm! We will be keeping our coastlines clean with a team of committed volunteers just like you for an afternoon of fun and sun. Select OBX cast members are expected to be in attendance.

Sun, Feb 19, 2023
1:00PM-3:00PM PST

For more info and to register, Click Here



Join us for a morning of sun and fun at Sunset Point from 10am-12pm! We will be picking up trash along our beloved California shorelines and keeping it out of our marine environments for generations to come.

Sun, Feb 26, 2023
10:00AM-12:00PM

For more info and to register, Click Here


"Police Out Of Traffic!" protest in Venice Beach held on Sunday Afternoon at the corner of Venice & Lincoln.





Black Lives Matter held a "Police Out Of Traffic!" protest at the corner of Venice & Lincoln on Sunday afternoon.





Photos from Aryeh Cohen.

Photos from Jodie Evans.






Roll up your sleeves to help clean up the last coastal wetland in Los Angeles. Did you know that 130 square miles of storm drains flow into Ballona Creek? Gutter trash from as far away as North Hollywood can end up right here! The time and effort you put in to clear out debris means less trash in the wetlands, on our beaches, and in the open ocean.

Saturday, February 11, 2023
9:30 AM 12:00 PM
Meet us in the dirt parking lot behind Gordon's Market / Alka Water:
303 Culver BoulevardPlaya del Rey, CA

For more info and to register, Click Here.



SMPD released an update on the Santa Monica Road Rage Shhoting.

On January 24, 2023, at approximately 3:42 PM, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers were flagged down by several people, who heard gunshots near 6th and Broadway. Officers located two vehicles, an SUV and a van, both were involved in a collision. The driver of the SUV, Emilio Reyes, appeared to have a gunshot wound to his upper arm.

SMPD Officers learned that the driver of the van, identified as Manuel Jaramillo, shot several rounds at Reyes. In response, Reyes intentionally rammed his SUV into Jaramillo’s van twice, while he was still inside. Reyes and Jaramillo are known to each other and were involved in an argument prior to the incident.

Reyes was transported to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury and has subsequently been discharged. The handgun used by Jaramillo was recovered, and both vehicles were towed to be processed by Forensics. There are no outstanding suspects.

Manuel Jaramillo-Heredia, a 52-year-old male from Inglewood, and Emilio Reyes a 43-year-old from Los Angeles were both booked for Attempted Murder. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office on January 26, 2023, for filing consideration.



Anyone with any additional information pertaining to this subject or incident is strongly encouraged to contact SMPD Detective George Burciaga at 310-458- 8932 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8426.


News from The Friends and Ballona Wetlands Conservancy:

Last Monday, several City of Los Angeles departments and agencies came together for a long-awaited comprehensive cleanup to remove debris and hazardous materials on Jefferson Blvd at the Freshwater Marsh.

More than 19 tons of debris was removed, including 200 + lbs of toxic and hazardous materials and dozens of needles. LAHSA and St Joseph’s offered housing to every person dwelling in the encampment.

This effort was no small feat. The Friends and Ballona Wetlands Conservancy invested thousands of hours to find solutions to protect and repair the Freshwater Marsh.

Special thanks to Councilwoman Traci Park and her team. We look forward to the day when wildlife will not be endangered, and public access can return to the Ballona Freshwater Marsh. To read more about the comprehensive cleanup, see thier latest blog post: The Freshwater Marsh Comprehensive Cleanup - A Step In The Right Direction






Due to a recent significant sewage discharge in the Marina Del Rey area, the following beaches are closed: Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey, Venice Beach: ½ Mile North of Marina entrance, Dockweiler State Beach: ½ Mile South of Ballona Creek.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued beach closures for the following areas due to the release of approximately 64,000 gallons of untreated sewage:

Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey
Venice City Beach, ½ Mile North of Marina entrance
Dockweiler State Beach, ½ Mile South of Ballona Creek



Public Health officials are advising residents or visitors planning to visit Los Angeles County beaches to avoid contact with ocean water and wet sand in the areas noted above. The cause of the sewage discharge was a blocked main line which resulted in sewage entering the storm drain system at the corner of Admiralty Way and Palawan Way. The blockage has been cleared at this time, and the immediate area cleaned.



Lifeguards are patrolling the affected beaches posting signs to warn the public. Please stay out of the water in these areas until further notice.





Beach Closures
A beach is closed anytime there is a known sewage or chemical spill impacting ocean waters. Water contact may cause someone to become ill. When a beach is closed, the Department of Public Health advises beach users to avoid all contact with ocean water in the closure area and where closure signs are posted.


An 4.2 Magnitude earthquake off the coast of Malibu shook the west coast at 2:00 AM on Wednesday morning.

The USGS reports a second earthquake of a Magnitude 3.5, 11 miles from Malibu, CA at 2:03 AM. Followed by 2 more quakes of 2.8 and 2,6 magnitudes.

The NOAA reports there is NO tsunami danger from these earthquakes.




A long-period west swell will bring high surf to local beaches.

- LA Coast/S SBA Coast 3-6 ft

Strong and dangerous rip currents will be main risk.



Update on Police Activity Near 6th and Broadway: At approximately 3:42 PM officers were flagged down by an individual reporting shots fired near 6th and Broadway. Officers located two vehicles involved in a collision and one victim with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Witnesses report that the driver of a SUV involved in the collision exited the vehicle and shot at the other car. The victim was transported to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening wound.

No motive at this time, however it appears both individuals involved are known to each other. The shooter has been taken into custody and the gun is recovered. This remains an active investigation.

Here's a screen cap of the notes a witness took down:



And some photos of the scene, including the people invovled:



Photos via Colin Hellbut


Interceptor 007 – deployed in Ballona Creek, L.A. County – was damaged in the recent storm affecting California.

On Jan 9, one of Interceptor 007's barriers was damaged in California’s storms. Strong flow damaged one of the barriers, while several floats escaped. However, the Interceptor itself was unharmed and has collected over 38,555 kg (85,000 lbs) of trash since deployment. A new barrier is being produced, and we aim to have it installed by mid-Feb.




The righthand lanes of northbound and southbound PCH will be closed from Big Rock Drive to Tuna Canyon Road weeknights, 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, January 23 to approximately March 23 for Southern California Gas Company gas line repair work. The work is required to enable Caltrans to proceed with slope restoration work on the coastal side of PCH south of Big Rock Drive. Crews will replace and relocate two steel gas lines, requiring digging a trench that will be covered by a steel plate during the day. Some daytime work may be required. Residents and businesses near the work site may notice noise, vibrations and dust.



Photos via Venice Justice Committee


On Saturday, a brush fire was reported a few minutes before 1 p.m., and it was described as being one-eighth of an acre above 19056 W. Pacific Coast Hwy. Reports stated the the "Fire possibly originated from a homeless encampment. LAFD eventually put out the 1-acre fire.



Hazarous marine and surf conditions caused by strong NW winds and large seas will affect the waters and coast Sun into Mon. Use caution if you are planning to be on or near the water.



Point Dume access road & parking lot closed due to storm damage. The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors is doing emergency repairs in close coordination with CA Coastal Commission. The beach remains open, but is heavily eroded - hazardous conditions, beachgoers advised to stay away. For info call 424-526-7777

These are just a few of the 200+ photos from this session. If you were out there, you probably got some surfing shots, probably multiple photos, they will be in the complete photo galleries for this day, check them out, the links to the complete galleries are down below.






 On November 2, 2022, at approximately 2:43 PM, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers were dispatched to the Lot 1 North Parking Lot at 1550 Pacific Coast Highway to check the status of a male inside a vehicle that appeared to be deceased. When officers arrived on scene, they confirmed the subject to be deceased with stab wounds to his upper body.

SMPD Robbery & Homicide Detectives were assigned the case. Further investigation revealed the suspect to be Mohamed Abou-Arabi, a 22-year-old male from Michigan, who is known to the victim. After the homicide, Abou-Arabi fled back to his home in Dearborn, MI. SMPD Detectives worked in conjunction with the Dearborn Police Department to obtain additional evidence connecting Abou-Arabi as the suspect in this homicide. The evidence was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office – Airport Court and a felony complaint for extradition arrest warrant was filed for Abou-Arabi.

SMPD Detectives responded to Dearborn, MI, and worked with the Dearborn Police Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force to arrest Abou-Arabi. A search warrant was served at his home where additional evidence was collected. Abou-Arabi was extradited from Michigan to California on January 18, 2023, and he was booked at the SMPD Jail for 187(a) PC - Murder.
⁠

Back in August 2021, a mother and her baby where hit by a car that fled on Speedway in Venice Beach. The 15 year old driver of the car was stopped by another driver right after. ⁠

It was later revealed that teen hit-&-run driver was on drugs when he ran over the mother and her baby.. And when he pleaded guilty to the hit and run, he was only given 5 months of diversionary camp as punishment. Which pissed off a lot of people, especially since he was already on felony probation for poisoning a high school girl's drink at the time of the hit-and-run. ⁠

"Someone with a criminal record tried to kill me and my son, and George Gascon thinks that five months of camp is a sufficient punishment," the mother who he hit said. The mother eventually moved her family out of Los Angeles to get away from what she has described as "soft-on-crime policies." ⁠

Flash forward to this week, authorities have identified a teenager who was fatally shot in Palmdale Wednesday night as 17-year-old Kristopher Baca of Palmdale, the driver of the hit-&-run in Venice Beach. ⁠

Witness stated Kristopher had been at a fast food restaurant earlier trying to "get with a girl." ⁠

"As he walked home alone, a car pulled up next to him and an argument broke out. Someone in the vehicle opened fire, then sped off."

"The universe delivered the justice we weren’t given in court, but a much harsher punishment than he’d have been dealt in a court of law," the mother, who asked only to be identified as Rachel told news reporters.


Malibu Library Speaker Series
Tuesday, January 31, 7:00 PM at the Malibu Library 

Dr. Douglas McCauley, a professor at UC Santa Barbara, willDr. Douglas McCauley standing next to a surfboard provide a brief history of human use of our seas and will share a view of what the future may bring for our oceans. The discussion will include the explosion of new activity in the blue economy and the effects of wildlife and extinction in our oceans. Learn how we can leverage the power of exciting developments in ocean data and technology to shape what the future of this new Marine Industrial Revolution becomes.

Professor McCauley’s work on oceans has been featured in the New York Times, National Public Radio, and Time. He has researched topics ranging from manta rays, to bumphead parrotfish, to shark spotting drones, to AI for whales. He is a Sloan Research Fellow in the Ocean Sciences and a member of the World Economic Forum’s ocean team.

For more info and to register, Click Here

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