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From Santa Monica Close Up:

"Woman lifeguards showcase their prowess in a thrilling surf race at Santa Monica Beach during the unforgettable Pier 360 festival!"

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


Ocean Water Use Warnings for beaches in Los Angeles. County Of Los Angeles Public Health advises not coming in contact with ocean water as it may cause illness.

June 23, 2023 - 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 AREAS WARNINGS:

• Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu. 100 yards up and down the coast from the lagoon.

• Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach 100 yards up and down the coast from the public restrooms.

• Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey The entire swim area.

• Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier.

• Las Flores Creek at Las Flores State Beach 100 yards up and down the coast from the creek.

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

Recorded information on beach conditions is available 24- hours a day on the County's beach closure hotline: 1-800- 525-5662.

Use the map below to obtain the current water quality status of your favorite beach location. Use your mouse wheel to zoom into a particular location. Click on the marker to identify the sampling location. This map is updated as conditions change.






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

"Today, I saw some helicopters circling over Venice. The area was taped off with the caution tape, lots of police. A homeless man just stabbed a bus driver in the back. Really sad situation."

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


Join us for our Summer Open House Event! We will have a Magic Show with Magic Wayne at 11 a.m., and then a Swing Dance Party with the Benny Brydern Trio at 12:30 p.m. Sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge and receive your sign-up prizes. Plus: Food Trucks, Crafts, and More!

Saturday, June 24th from 11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

11 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ~ Magic Show with Magic Wayne

12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Swing Dance Party with Benny Brydern Trio

501 S. Venice Boulevard
Venice, CA 90291

For more info, Click Here



UPDATE: A man who recently moved his family from Las Vegas to Venice to live in an RV, is accused of setting the RV on fire following a fight with his wife. His wife and 3 young children (ages 3, 6, 12) were inside the RV at the time, but managed to escape.

Around noon on Friday, A RV stationed by the Ralph's on Lincoln Blvd. in Venice caught fire.

"RV on fire next to Ralphs saw young people jumping out the back window, blonde young woman and a child was standing crying in the street. Took 911 ages to even pick up then put me on hold for ages before connecting to fire dept." a witness reported.





URGENT COASTAL ALERT: California coasts are experiencing a significant increase in sea lions and dolphins suffering from domoic acid (DA) poisoning due to a toxic algal bloom.

If you see any marine mammals on the beach the public should keep away at least 50 yards & call Marine Mammal Care Center's Rescue Hotline at 1-800-39-WHALE.

Email Volunteer@healthebay.org to learn how you can help keep these animals and the public safe.

More on DA poisening: Pseudo-nitzschia blooms (toxic algal blooms) offshore along the Central and Southern California coast. This algae produces a neurotoxin called domoic acid, which accumulates in fish such as sardines, anchovies, and squid. The toxin then transfers to predators such as sea lions and birds that prey on the fish—causing seizures, brain damage, and sometimes death.

Symptoms of DA poisoning in Marine mammals include side-to-side head movement, seizing, bulging eyes, extending their heads back for long periods, and erratic behavior.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act states that "it is illegal to feed or harass wild marine mammals including dolphins, porpoises, whales, seals, sea lions, and manatees."


Earlier this week, our report of the Pride Lifeguard Towers being vandalized, as well as all the mainstream news outlets' reports, did not mention the missing Ginger Rogers Beach signage that was missing from both towers. Smashed windows were the only vandalism reported.

Both towers had interpretive signage installed on them.




When we went to view the towers in person today, both towers appeared to have had the signage ripped out.






World Famous First Point Malibu to Host Queen Of The Point Surfing Contest in June 2023, Celebrating Female Longboarders

As the fastest-growing population of surfers, female longboarders are not only taking over lineups, but they represent the beauty, flow, and art of the sport. The Queen Of The Point surfing contest, set to take place at the world-renowned First Point Malibu on June 24-25, 2023, celebrates and showcases the talents of female longboarders from around the world.



The mission of QOTP is to acknowledge and show respect to the women who came before, to give a platform for the current class, and to encourage girls of the future to embrace longboard surfing. This event brings together some of the most talented longboard surfers on the planet to compete for the prestigious title of Queen Of The Point.



The Only ALL Lady, All Longboard Surf Competition Series

The Queen Of The Point contest has become one of the most highly anticipated events on the surfing calendar, attracting competitors and spectators from around the world. This year’s event promises to be another thrilling showcase of female longboarding talent, set against the stunning backdrop of First Point Malibu.

The time is now! The ladies will reign!

The event includes AMATEUR divisions, with a maximum of 12 spots per division, running in a round-robin format, guaranteeing participants a minimum of 2 heats!

The PRO division has 24 spots available, with a $6,000 Prize Purse. Heats have a maximum of 4 riders, with an early second chance elimination round.






For more info, Click Here


The suspect went up to the bus driver who at the time was outside working on the bus, and stabbed him once in the back.

The driver is currently in emergency surgery.

This happened at about 1:50PM at the Metro stop by Grand & Main St. across from Green Goddess.

911 calls stated the suspect is a man armed with a kitchen knife.

LAPD has confirmed that the suspect is now in custody.

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