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"Folks, there is a direct relationship between RVs and our beaches being closed due to high bacteria counts. I’ll let you do the math, GROSS!" stated Sheriff of LA County Alex Villanueva on his official twitter acount on Sunday. Ending his statement with the hashtag #Factsmatter

And since facts do matter, here are the actual facts about the most recent local beach closures:

The most recent beach closure was Malibu, and that was due to a sewage leak. The City of Malibu said the sewage came from a damaged wastewater line that leaked into a storm drain, there was not mention of RVs being the cause.

5 months ago, Venice, Mother's and Dockweiler Beaches were closed and that was because of the release of approximately 64,000 gallons of untreated sewage. The cause of the sewage discharge was a blocked main line which resulted in sewage entering the storm drain system. There was no mention of RV dumping their crap as being the cause.

There have been no other beach closures in our local area.

As for Santa Monica Pier being Califronia's most polluted beach, Heal the Bay said said in their report that bird feces is suspected to be the main culprit for the poor water quality.



Go Skateboarding Day 2023 is right around the corner. Whether you’re a first timer or a long time skateboarder, here’s Everything you Need to Know About Go Skateboarding Day 2023.

History of Go Skateboarding Day



Go Skateboarding Day was created by the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) in 2004, to promote events in major cities around the world to help make skateboarding more accessible. The goal has always been to encourage more people to skate for the first time.

As a testament to the holiday, Go Skateboarding Day is sometimes referred to as International Skate Day, as what started in the US has since spanned to every corner of the globe.

Go Skate Day has grown to become a global event, with thousands of skaters celebrating in cities around the world. It’s a day that promotes the positive aspects of skateboarding, including creativity, community, and healthy physical activity, and helps to bring the skateboarding community closer together.



That being said, most skate shops will throw an event at your local skatepark to encourage young people to get outside and practice the sport of skateboarding. Historically, making skate shops the perfect place to ask about events for your area’s Go Skateboarding Day.

When is Go Skate Day?

Summer is set to make it’s official equinox debut and with it the longest day of the year.

With June 21st being the longest day of the year, Go Skate Day holiday lands cleverly by design.



With Go Skateboarding Day being on the longest day of the year, skaters have more daylight hours to partake in their favorite activity. Skateparks from Los Angeles to Tokyo will be full of kids and young adults from sunrise to sunset, hosting contests, BBQs, free raffles, and overall good times.

Skateboarding comes in many forms, but arguably Go Skate Day is the largest and most authentic communal gathering. It’s the perfect time to check out your local skatepark to get a glimpse at your local skate scene and the people behind it.

For local Go Skateboarding Day events, Click Here



Venice Skateboarding Stuff got some cool giveaways happening in front of their shop on Wednesday.

1601 Ocean Front Walk (OFW) Venice CA 90291

For more local Go Skate Day events, Click Here


Go Skate Day is Wednesday people! Skate games and free prizes. Come by the Venice Skatepark and we’ll share the rules.

For more local Go Skate Day events, Click Here



The Venice Beach Games is a sun soaked celebration of sports and fitness, that brings together the entire community and beyond in a healthy, fun, day of sports, fitness, competition, and camaraderie in the world's greatest beach front recreation center.

The entire park and its glorious amenities are full of organized activity put on by the fantastic groups of people playing here. It is a day where the public can join 25+ sports groups running free activities, clinics, contests, games, and tournaments. Our Fitness Village and Main Stage also facilitate guest interaction with the best in local gyms, group workouts, personal training, athletic brands, recovery, nutrition, and more.

The Venice Beach Games is Venice Beach’s premier summer sports festival. With thousands of participants and tens of thousands of spectators, it is not to be missed.

Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023.
Time: 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Who can participate: You can! And everyone else too!
Location: Venice Beach Recreation Center.
1800 Ocean Front Walk. Venice, California 90291

The 2023 event will included:

- Battle of the Bars presented by World Calisthenics Org.
- Calisthenics Reps competition by United Nation of Gains
- Skate park competition: Pup cup, snake run, big bowl, highest ollie by Skateparks Intl.
- Muscle Beach Stage group fitness classes with: CAMPLA, MODO yoga, Sweat Yoga, Basecamp LA, F45 Fitness
- Epicenter Fitness Stage group fitness classes with: Barry's Bootcamp, Box Union, Team 3XT, Capoeira Brasil, Santa Monica Striking, JFM Boxing, Movement Co. and more!
- On the Mat Martial Arts Zone classes with Animal Flow, Jiu Jitsu Flo, Wrestling with Westside Mat Monsters, Jiu Jitsu with Rey Diogo, and Sambo with Make Step Foundation.
- KinFlo: The New Aerodynamic Flow Sport the World has been waiting for!
- Soccer clinics and organized games by Venice Beach Football Club
- Handball tournament by Mike Koss
- Bicycle clinic by Venice Electric Light Parade
- Paddle tennis clinics and tournament by Street Paddle and Pop Paddle
- Pickle ball clinics and tournament by Venice Pickle Ball
- Beach volley ball games by Westside Volley Ball
- Basketball clinics and games and dunk contest by Venice Ball
- VibeRide LA and LA Skate Hunnies host Long board, flat land, scooter, blades, and more, competition, lessons, and open dance jam with beats by Sound Box and Alf Alpha.
- Roller Skating open dance and lessons with Venice Beach Skate Dance Assoc.
- Kids Zone with arts and crafts by Venice Beach Rec. Center
- Beach clean up contest by Venice Com
munity Cleanups, Venice Beach BID, and Spogomi.
- Ping Pong with Venice Pong Club - Fitness Zone Vendor Village featuring Santa Monica Row House, Perfect Bar, Venice Beach Beverage, Life Way Foods, Jiant Kombucha, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Basecamp Santa Monica, CAMPLA, Venice Chamber of Commerce, and more!



For more info, Click Here


On Wednesday, June 14th, at 3:05pm, Venice resident Laura Michele Rosenfeld took her beloved dog Bart out for a quick walk when a homeless man who appeared to be on drugs "danced" up to them and kicked Bart so hard, he flew into the metal claw of the bobcat tractor city workers were using to repair the street. As Laura screamed in horror, a good samartitan (and former firewoman) on vacation with her son jumped into action.


The attack was caught by a security camera. The above photos shows him walking up towards the dog, the photo below shows the moment just before he kicked the dog.




"The dog was not breathing. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth. There was no life in his eyes. There was no pulse so I asked bystanders to call 911 and began CPR. After about seven minutes, he started to breathe but was still unconscious. He started to display seizure-like symptoms including clonic-tonic convulsions and uncontrolled urination."

Bart is 15 years old. He is still in the hospital and in critical condition with brain swelling. My neighbor has organized a gofundme to help with his medical costs

Photos of the attacker from Wednesday.



Some nearby city construction workers saw and ran after the man. They held him till the police showed up.



“The attacker has since been arrested", FOX 11's crew reports. "As of Friday night, the suspect has not been publicly identified and charges against the man has not been announced.”

Barty is doing a tiny bit better today thanks to all of the good wishes and his mother that spends every moment of the two separate visiting hours by his side. The swelling in his head is going down, but he still cannot stand on his own. The staff is hopeful that time will change that. In the meantime, he is being monitored 24 -7 thanks to everyone’s generosity in donating here and also directly to the hospital. I requested an up-to-date bill for transparency and I’m working on making the donations go straight to the hospital.





Friday morning, county crews installed interpretive signage on the newly-painted lifeguard towers at Ginger Rogers Beach.



From Santa Monica Close Up:

"On Friday, June 16, 2023, the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, in collaboration with Clean Harbors Environmental Inc., conducted a cleanup operation at the Venice Pier to address the homeless encampment. To ensure safety, sanitation workers wore white hazardous materials suits as part of the protocol. LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) was also present, offering homeless outreach during the operation."

Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

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

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