From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Santa Monica police officers have detained a man on Ocean Avenue on Saturday, March 18, 2023. According to sources, the man allegedly punched a food vendor in the face at Palisades Park. Despite the severity of the incident, the man was not arrested, as the victims did not want to press charges. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of local vendors and the need for increased security measures in public areas. It is important to note that incidents like these are not isolated and have been happening more frequently in recent years."

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:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"The Venice Love Fest, held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in downtown Mar Vista on Venice Blvd, was a celebration of local artists, designers, musicians, and businesses. The fest was located between Centinela & Inglewood Blvd, and the city had closed Venice Blvd for the event. The festival was a complete takeover of Venice Blvd in the heart of Mar Vista, featuring an assortment of LA's most curated brands and artists."

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:

https://venmo.com/u/santamonicacloseup

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/fabianlewkowicz

A book launch and reading to celebrate the newest release by Tom Laichas

In this extraordinary collection, Tom Laichas is our Vigil, guiding us through Venice, California, and its ancient namesake. Throughout Laichas shape-shifts from resident, to historian, to social critic, to ghost, moving among one neighborhood’s heavens and hells. A work of poetry, prose, and memoir, Three Hundred Streets of Venice is masterful, provocative, and unforgettable.

To celebrate Laichas’s third poetry collection, poets-travelers Susan Suntree, Beth Ruscio, & Mike Sonsken will be reading their selected works. A reception will be held before and after the event with food & light refreshments. The authors will also be signing books.

Saturday, April 1
Doors open: 6:30 p.m. Readings: 7:00 p.m.

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center
681 Venice Blvd
Venice Beach Los Angeles, CA 90291 For more info: Click Here



This event is Free & In-Person at Beyond Baroque. Masks are required while inside our center.

Event attendees are expected to behave in a respectful and considerate manner while in our space. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our events, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, fellow attendees, or performers.

If you can’t join us in-person the event will be livestreamed on Beyond Baroque’s YouTube channel at the scheduled time of the event.

Please RSVP if you are planning to attend this event. We accept walk-ins, but priority will be given to people that have registered. Limited seating is available; we recommend arriving early.

Wade in the Water: A Journey into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture

Join us at The Garland in North Hollywood for a screening of Wade in the Water documentary. Brought to you by Black Surfer Collective

EVENT:
6:15 pm Mixer
7:00 pm Screener
8:10 pm Q&A

Date and time
Sun, April 2 , 2023,
6:15 PM

Location
THE GARLAND
4222 Vineland Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91602

A documentary film that delve into the 1,000-year-old tradition of Black surfing and aquatic culture from Africa to the Americas.

In an effort to educate, inspire, and develop the next generation of Black surfers. A documentary and art project to perpetuate this ancestral wisdom to re-connect with the ocean, nature, and the love of surfing.



Sponsored by Black Surfers Collective and The Garland

Discounted self parking rate $10 available.

Ticket does NOT include food or beverage

The Garland (818) 980-8000

For tickets and more info, Click Here

We have created a playful program dedicated to women surfers and all other women who seek emotional connection, healing, companionship, and the power of friendship.

Join us for a panel with Ivana Bajic, author of the book Nature of Surf Women, Natalie Small, LMFT, surf therapist and founder of the Groundswell Community Project and Joanna Burga, Co-lead, One Watershed Program, Surfrider Los Angeles.

Moderated by Anna Dimond, journalist and surf writer.

Special guest: Giselle Carrillo, founder of Los Courage Camps.

Additional activities during the evening:

Interactive exhibition of women surfers in Costa Rica.

Meet representatives from Surfrider and Los Courage Camps, and find your call to action.

Participate in the raffle: Win a fine art photography print.

Meet your new surf buddies and make memories.

Open bar and live DJ from 5 - 9 pm

Please RSVP if you are planning to attend this event. Limited seating is available; we recommend arriving early.



Friday, March 24 · 5pm PDT
Deus Ex Machina - Emporium Of Post Modern Activities
1001 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90291

For more info and to register, Click Here

Join Surfrider for a morning of sun and fun at Lifeguard Tower 19 in Venice 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 with our generous sponsors from Cariuma and Gjelina Group to celebrate their shoe collaboration. The first 80 participants to collect trash are welcome to a treat of coffee and a pastry provided by Gjelina Group after the cleanup.

Fri, Mar 31, 2023
10:00AM-12:00PM

For more info and to register, Click Here

In 2017 photographer Pep Williams had the opportunity to photograph inmates at the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison and Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California. In his photographs, Mr. Williams portrays these men’s lives with dignity and humanity, even in a harsh setting and in the shadow of difficult pasts, and discovered a functioning social world and individual wisdom from men he met in prison.

Mr. Williams is a fine art photographer, video director, and third-generation DogTown skateboarder from South Central Los Angeles. He has traveled globally, creating materials for his photographic exhibitions, and has photographed spreads for magazines worldwide. The series, “Behind Bars,” is on permanent display at The Autry Museum.



"Behind Bars" is on display from March 27 to May 5, 2023 at the Malibu City Gallery (23825 Stuart Ranch Rd). Free admission and open to the public Monday - Friday, from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

For more info, Click Here

Mike, aka German in Venice, vlogs about daily life in Venice Beach, and the nearby communities.

"Today, my friend called me and let me know that there is a free concert car show and a silent disco on the Santa Monica Pier. I believe spring break started already. Lots of people walked on the pier in Santa Monica. We had fun listening to the free concert. The car show was amazing with classic cars and super cars. We also walked around the ferris wheel and all the other rides on the pier it was a fun day, lots of things to see.."

If you would like to support German in Venice with some gas money or you want to buy him a coffee, you are welcome to donate to his paypal account: https://paypal.me/germaninvenice

Westward Beach Road in Malibu is open, following a closure from Birdview Ave to PCH due to a downed utility pole during this week's storm.