Celebrate the Easter season at Third Street Promenade with fun, games, and FREE photos with the Easter Bunny!

On Sunday, April 6th from 12-4PM, celebrate the Easter season at Third Street Promenade!

This event is FREE and for ALL AGES!

There will be fun activities for all ages including:
Photos with the Easter Bunny (pets welcome!)
Live Childrens’ music + entertainment
Arts & crafts + games
Balloon twisters + face painters

Photos with the Easter Bunny will be first-come, first-served. There will be a (2) picture limit per group with the Easter Bunny.
There will be no egg hunt, rather Easter Eggs will be handed out .

Event will be on the 1200 Block of Third Street Promenade (between Arizona & Wilshire)

Find out about more upcoming local events, Click Here for the Event Calendar.

If you passed by the intersection of Main Street and Pico Boulevard this morning, you may have noticed some exciting activity taking place just outside the southwest corner of the shuttered Civic Auditorium.

Early this morning, a pair of mobile buildings were delivered to the parking lot. These trailers will soon house SaMo Bridge, a new city diversion program set to launch this month.

The SaMo Bridge program will join STEP Court and the Alternatives to Incarceration Pre-Filing Diversion Program as the latest tool to help the city intercept individuals experiencing homelessness or behavioral health issues before they enter the criminal justice system – and offer a different path.

The program is a key component of the city’s innovative strategy to address homelessness by focusing on sustainable solutions with lasting impacts.

When Santa Monica Police Department, or SMPD, personnel contact an individual who has committed a low-level crime – such as violating the city’s camping ordinance – they can now offer the person two choices: go to jail or go to the SaMo Bridge “respite hub.”

If the person chooses jail, they are usually either cited or booked and then released, with an obligation to appear in court in 30 days. But in the intervening month, they may pick up more offenses or have to wait to be connected with resources.

The idea is that the 24/7 respite hub is a more attractive option, with the goal of getting people off the street and connected to services. It also offers SMPD a new and much-needed resource to refer people to after hours.

At the respite hub, the individual can have a snack, take a shower and temporarily rest in a safe place. This environment makes it more likely the individual will be receptive to meeting with an onsite case manager to help find long-term solutions to the issues that brought them into contact with law enforcement.

Exodus Recovery Inc., the city’s nonprofit partner for existing diversion programs, will provide SaMo Bridge’s onsite, around-the-clock case management services.

Case managers will work with participants to create a 90-day care plan focused on housing and treatment. For participants who complete the 90-day plan, the City Attorney’s Office will not file the misdemeanor criminal case for which they were picked up, providing significant motivation to follow through with the program.

The SaMo Bridge respite hub will consist of two mobile trailers, one for Exodus staff and one for time-limited use by participants. The space has capacity to host three to four individuals at any given time.

Participation in the program is by SMPD referral only, and no loitering or walk-ups will be permitted outside the trailers. The site will have a 24/7 security guard, staffed by Exodus, with additional video monitoring by SMPD.

SaMo Bridge is a three-year pilot program fully funded by a grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections. While the concept of “respite hubs” is not new, this is the first program of its kind to serve Santa Monica, and joins a host of innovative, holistic strategies for addressing homelessness within the city.

On March 25, the Santa Monica City Council approved an interim zoning ordinance that allows for SaMo Bridge’s location next to the Civic Auditorium. If conversations about reactivating the Civic Auditorium proceed before the three-year pilot is up, the location of SaMo Bridge could change if needed.

Authored By
Jenna Grigsby-Taggart
Santa Monica Deputy City Attorney

The City of Malibu, Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath from LA County’s Third Supervisorial District, LA County’s Third Supervisorial District, LA County Sheriff’s Department, LA County Public Works, Caltrans and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an important discussion on the impacts of the Palisades Fire on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), its progress and ongoing recovery efforts.

For more news and updates on the Palisades Fire, Click Here.

The landmark Santa Monica Civic Auditorium opened in 1958 as a public gathering place for cultural, educational, and community events. Designed by noted architect Welton Beckett, the classic Streamline Modern building is the architectural focal point for the southern sector of Santa Monica's Civic Center. Regular operation of the Civic Auditorium was suspended in June 2013, due to the loss of redevelopment funds needed to rehabilitate the facility.

The Santa Monica City Council Tuesday approved execution of an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with development team Revitalization Partners Group, to renovate, operate and program the shuttered Civic Auditorium.

An Exclusive Negotiating Agreement, or ENA, provides a specified period during which involved parties can conduct due diligence to evaluate the feasibility of a project and negotiate terms for a final agreement, which in this case would be a Disposition and Development Agreement.

Under the ENA, the city agrees to negotiate solely with Revitalization Partners Group, or RPG, to determine the feasibility for redeveloping the Civic Auditorium site. The ENA also sets forth agreed upon timelines and performance schedules, creates financial responsibilities and outlines future discussions.

The term of the agreement is six months.

The next step includes the city coordinating with RPG to complete various site analyses to understand the feasibility of redevelopment and renovation. As part of the ENA, RPG will submit a cost recovery deposit of $250,000 to cover staff and consultant costs for analysis of the Civic project.

“As a city we are pursuing multiple strategies to bolster our economic recovery,” Director of Community Development Arminé Chaparyan said. “From streamlining permitting processes to advancing revitalization projects such as the Civic Auditorium, we’re focused on continuing to push forward initiatives that support our businesses and local economy.”

The process of selecting the development team kicked off in late 2023 when the City Council directed staff to seek Letters of Interest from entities with demonstrated financial capacity and extensive redevelopment experience. 

RPG was selected for the ENA based on their experience and financial resources to renovate, operate and program entertainment venues that have historical attributes. 

Here's surfing photos from Friday, April 28th, at the Venice Breakwater. This set of surf photos was shot by Six12 Media.                                                                

Here's some surfing photos from Friday, April 28th, at the Venice Breakwater.

This set of surf photos was shot by Six12 Media and brought to you by Hulu.

These are just a few of the 90+ 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 gallery for this day, check them out, the link to the complete gallery is down below.










You can find 90+ more photos from this session, all full size and in high-resolution, in this photo gallery:

Venice Breakwater - Friday 3-28-2025 Photo Gallery


If you were out there, we probably got some cool surfing shots of you, go check them out!

Wanna see photos from previous days at this and other local surf spots from this photographer?
Click Surf Spot Galleries and look for the spot and then the date.

Touring the devastating damage from the Palisades Fire to all the homes on the hillside above the "Alphabet Streets" in the Pacific Palisades. These homes had beautiful views of the ocean, several are tagged as dangerous as they are in danger of falling onto the hilside.

For more news and updates on the Palisades Fire, Click Here.

UPDATE AS OF 3/25: Dukes Malibu is temporarily closed due to the mudslide that caused extensive damage. However, they are anticipate reopening this summer once they complete the cleanup and repairs. ds, Click Here.

For more news and updates on the Palisades Fire, Click Here.

March 24, 2025

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters:

BEACH AREA WARNINGS (NON-FIRE RELATED):

· Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica

100 yards up and down the coast from the pier.

· Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey

The entire swim area.

These warnings have been issued due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.

OCEAN WATER ADVISORY DUE TO FIRE IMPACTS:

The ocean water advisory due to fire impacts from Las Flores State Beach to Santa Monica State Beach remains in effect until further notice.

Beach goers may recreate on the sand but continue to be advised to stay away from visible fire debris and to stay out of the ocean water during any posted ocean advisory.


For more news and updates on the Palisades Fire, Click Here.

Beachside Benefit at Perry's Cafe on the beach in Santa Monica. Zuma Cars & Coffee gather at this event honoring the great Malibu, Altadena and Pasadena Fire Fighters. This event directly benefits California Fire Foundation, Pasadena Humane Society, and Palisades Forever, three incredible organizations assisting fire-impacted communities through emergency aid, pet rescue and care, and essential supplies for families in crisis.

For more news and updates on the Palisades Fire, Click Here.