As FIFA World Cup 2026 brings international attention, visitors, and fan celebrations to the greater Los Angeles area, the Santa Monica Police Department is preparing for an increased public safety presence throughout the city, with a particular focus on the Pier, Downtown, Santa Monica Place, the Third Street Promenade, transit corridors, beach areas, and other high-activity locations.

Los Angeles will host multiple World Cup matches during the tournament, and Santa Monica will be home to several related activations and community events over the two-week celebration period.

SMPD’s enhanced deployment is a proactive effort to support safe, welcoming, and well-managed public spaces as residents, visitors, businesses, and soccer fans gather across the city. Officers and professional staff will be visible throughout high-activity areas, with added support from the department’s Downtown Substation.

Located at Santa Monica Place (395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 122), the Downtown Substation serves as a public safety command center and community engagement hub in the heart of the downtown corridor. During World Cup-related activities, the Substation will support coordination between SMPD personnel, event partners, businesses, visitors, and the broader downtown community. Residents and visitors are encouraged to stop by, meet the officers and public safety personnel working in the area, and learn more about SMPD’s ongoing work downtown.

The department’s Santa Monica Analytical Real-Time Center (SMART Center) will also support public safety operations by helping coordinate information, identify emerging issues, and provide real-time situational awareness during high-attendance events and busy travel periods. These resources allow SMPD to better align field personnel, respond quickly to calls for service, and support a safer experience across Santa Monica’s major gathering areas.

“Santa Monica is proud to be part of this regional celebration,” Chief Darrick Jacob said. “Our role is to create the conditions for people to enjoy these events safely. That means visible presence, strong coordination, clear communication, and a public safety posture that supports both celebration and accountability.”

The department will coordinate closely with City departments, event organizers, regional law enforcement partners, Santa Monica Fire Department, Big Blue Bus, Downtown Santa Monica, Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, and other public and private partners throughout the tournament period.

Public safety efforts will include:

· Increased foot, bike, and vehicle patrols in high-traffic areas.

· Additional visibility near event sites, parking structures, transit stops, and pedestrian corridors.

· Traffic safety and crowd management support as needed.

· Coordination with event security teams and regional public safety partners.

· Real-time monitoring of public safety conditions through department resources.

· Ongoing public updates through SMPD and City communication channels.

SMPD encourages visitors and residents to plan ahead, use public transportation when possible, allow extra travel time, and remain aware of their surroundings. Anyone attending events should follow posted rules, report suspicious or unsafe activity, and call 9-1-1 in an emergency.

“This is an opportunity to showcase the best of Santa Monica,” Chief Jacob said. “We want people to come, enjoy the city, support local businesses, and celebrate responsibly. Our officers and professional staff will be out throughout the city to help make that possible.”

The Venice Beach department of Recreation and Parks in coordination with the USA Freestyle Skateboarding Association presents the U.S. Open of Freestyle Skateboarding! Join the best freestyle skateboarders in the world for a Pro/Am freestyle showdown at the iconic Venice Beach Roller Dance Plaza!

The Venice Beach Roller Dance Plaza

1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291

Pro/Am Open: June 13th, 9am – 6pm

Rookies: June 14th, 10am – 1pm

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The City of Santa Monica anounnanced the return of COAST Open Streets Festival, July 19 – a free, all-ages, car-free, pedestrian-focused culmination of Santa Monica’s World Cup activations featuring art installations, cultural programming, interactive experiences and food vendors. COAST will link key destinations along and near Ocean Avenue, including the Santa Monica Pier, Tongva Park, Palisades Park, Arizona Avenue, Third Street Promenade and the Fourth Street Metro E Line terminus.

From 2016 - 2019, Community Arts Resources (CARS) produced COAST, the City of Santa Monica's Open Streets Event, transforming the streets of Santa Monica into a giant park for a day.

For two miles COAST brought the streets of Santa Monica to life with arts and cultural programming and installations, community outreach by city departments, engaging and active workshops, as well as small business outreach.



COAST was Southern California's most pedestrian-centered open streets event, with more than 80% of participants walking the route. With over 50,000 locals and visitors in attendance each time along parts of Ocean Avenue, Colorado Avenue and Main Street.

Until the pandemic, this project was the City of Santa Monica's signature event, inviting the local community and visitors from across greater Los Angeles to experience car-free streets in Santa Monica every fall. The event included live music and performances, curated art installations, interactive workshops, food, and more! CARS produced COAST in collaboration with the City of Santa Monica's Cultural Affairs Division, the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, and Transportation Planning Division.

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Venice Healer Daisy eaFpMIo-MZQ

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Conquer The Venice Beach Pier 5K Run will take place on Saturday, July 18. Registration is open now.



Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Start Time: 8:00 AM PDT

Location: 1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291 (Venice Beach Pier)

Registration Fee: Approximately $59.30 (includes fees)

Beneficiary: Proceeds support the Los Angeles Parks Foundation's programs at the Venice Beach Recreation Center

The Course: Flat, fast, and highly scenic, running along the historic Venice Beach Boardwalk and out across the ocean on the pier.

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Join us for the 14th Annual Nick Gabaldón Day—a celebration of surf, community, culture, that honors the legacy of one of California’s pioneering Black surfers.

Pull up, bring the family, get a lesson, and help us start the 2026 season off right! We can’t wait to see you.

Registration for free lessons open.

For more info, Click Here

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California Department of Fish and Wildlife finds Venice's Dudley Market Restaurant in Violation of Fishing and Advertising Laws

Restaurant Managers Ordered to Pay Tens of Thousands in Penalties; Fishing Vessel Owner and Operators Prohibited from Commercial Fishing in State.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) wildlife officers conducted an investigation into Dudley Market, a high-end restaurant and fish business in Venice, Calif., for unlawfully selling seafood while advertising its products as traceable, sustainable and lawfully sourced. The investigation found repeated violations of state and federal commercial fishing laws in 2020 and 2021.

Prosecutors from the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County district attorney’s offices resolved the case through a civil enforcement action under California’s Unfair Competition Law. The case resulted in more than $100,000 in penalties for the restaurant and its managers, and fishing vessel owners and operators involved have been prohibited from owning or operating a commercial fishing vessel in California.

“Commercial fishing laws exist to protect our oceans and preserve marine ecosystems,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “These businesses lured the public into thinking they were caring for our precious resources, when in reality, their fish was unlawfully sourced. Sustainability was the bait, but fraud was the hook. The message is clear; this kind of deception will not be tolerated.”

Conner Mitchell, 37, of Venice, and Taylor Grant, 41, of Santa Monica, managed Dudley Market in 2020 through the business entities Dudley Street Oyster Bar and Shark Bite Fish Co. Grant later ended her association with the business, while Mitchell continued overseeing daily operations and seafood procurement. Mitchell operated the commercial fishing vessel Jamaica Day, which he and Grant used to catch fish for the restaurant. Cody Martin, 30, of El Segundo, operated the commercial fishing vessel Predator and supplied fish to Dudley Market.

CDFW wildlife officers served search warrants on cellular devices belonging to Mitchell and Martin, as well as the chart plotter aboard the commercial fishing vessel Predator. Evidence obtained during the investigation revealed repeated violations of laws governing California’s commercial fishing and seafood industry.

Under California law, it is illegal to sell sport-caught fish commercially. Fish taken by a commercial vessel also must be lawfully brought to port and documented on an electronic fish ticket before being removed from the vessel. This documentation is critical for CDFW and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries to effectively manage California fisheries and ensure long-term sustainability.

The investigation revealed numerous violations of California commercial fishing laws, including the unlawful purchase, possession and sale of sport-caught fish such as rockfish, bluefin tuna and yellowtail; commercial fishing activity conducted without required licenses; failure to lawfully document federally managed species brought to shore; illegal harvest of rockfish within restricted conservation areas and state marine protected areas; and the marketing of unlawfully sourced seafood as sustainable, traceable and lawfully procured.

As part of the settlement Mitchell, Dudley Street Oyster Bar and Shark Bite Fish Co. were ordered to pay $58,226.25 in civil penalties, $15,000 to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund and $1,773.75 in court costs and fees in May 2026. Grant was ordered to pay $40,000 in civil penalties and $10,000 to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund in Jul. 2025. Martin was ordered to pay $8,000 in civil penalties and $2,000 to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund in Sep. 2025. Grant and Martin are prohibited from commercial fishing in California. Gilmer Grant, owner of fishing vessel Jamaica Day in 2020, was ordered to pay $10,000 in civil penalties and $5,000 to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund in Aug. 2025 and is prohibited from owning or operating a commercial fishing vessel in California. The settlement also requires compliance oversight measures, public disclosure notices and additional financial penalties should future violations occur.

“Angelenos deserve to know that the seafood they purchase is safely sourced from businesses that are following the law and not jeopardizing local marine life,” according to Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto. “My office will always hold accountable those who violate laws designed to protect consumers and our fragile ecosystems.”

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch added, “Violating fishing regulations that are intended to preserve Marine Protected Areas threatens the environment and the fishing industry that depends on sustainable fish stocks in the future.”

Dudley Marrket posted this "Pursuant to the terms of a recently entered Los Angeles Superior Court Order, we are required to provide you with notice that throughout the years 2020 and 2021, we violated California and federal laws applicable to commercial fishermen and fish businesses in California. Simultaneously therewith, we falsely advertised the Dudley Market as source of fully sustainable, transparent, and lawfully procured fish. We now comply with California and federal law and have we have ceased all such false advertising."

Photos via CDFW

Video of the chaotic brawl that happened during the Cinco de Mayo Car Show at Venice Beach. Guy gets upset and repeatedly says "Fuck Mexicans", pretty much offending everyone there. The angry crowd jumps him. Police eventually showed up after the fight was broken up. No arrests were made and the police encouraged the man to leave the area, instead of going back and fighting more.

Join us for the 14th Annual Nick Gabaldón Day—a celebration of surf, community, culture, that honors the legacy of one of California’s pioneering Black surfers.

Pull up, bring the family, get a lesson, and help us start the 2026 season off right! We can’t wait to see you.

Registration for free lessons open.

For more info, Click Here

Find out about more upcoming local events, Click Here