City Unveils First Prefab Apartments
March 31, 2026 -- Santa Monica on Friday unveiled its first modular affordable apartment building, which broke ground two years ago and cost more than $870,000 per unit to construct.

Fatal Shooting Near Police Headquarters
March 31, 2026 -- Police are investigating a fatal shooting involving the occupants of two cars that took place near Santa Monica's Public Safety building Saturday night.

Council Approves Plan to Bring City Workers Back to the Office
March 27, 2026 -- After six years of allowing many City employees -- including top staff -- to work remotely, the offices at City Hall will soon begin filling up again.

Conviction Upheld in Pickax Murder of Santa Monica Senior
March 26, 2026 -- A State appeals court on Wednesday upheld the murder conviction of Roy Antonio Davis, who used a pickax to kill an 88-year-old man found dead in his Santa Monica apartment on New Year's Day 2018.

Crime Saw Significant Drop Last Year
March 26, 2026 -- Serious crime fell by 12.5 percent in Santa Monica last year, reaching the lowest level in at least a decade, according to the Police Department's annual crime report released Wednesday.

Santa Monica Review Kicks Off 38th Year
March 26, 2026 -- Santa Monica College (SMC) will release the Spring 2026 issue of its celebrated national literary magazine next month, inaugurating its 38th year of publication.

Santa Monica Man Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping, Rape
March 25, 2026 -- A Santa Monica man was arrested Friday and charged with kidnapping two female UCLA students this month and raping a woman unaffiliated with the school in a separate incident last October.

SMC Planetarium Offers Deep Dive into the Universe
March 25, 2026 -- The Santa Monica College Planetarium will offer a multifaceted view of the universe during shows on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons in April.

Council Calls Special Meeting to 'Clarify' Neighborhood Grant Program Rules
March 24, 2026 -- The City Council will hold a hastily called special meeting Tuesday to clarify the guidelines for a new Neighborhood Organization Grant Program that has prompted the exodus of three groups.

Elderly Santa Monica Homeowners Defrauded in Elaborate Loan Scheme
March 24, 2025 -- Eleven defendants were arrested last Thursday and charged in a scheme to steal the identities of elderly victims and obtain title reports to properties that included Santa Monica homes, according to Federal prosecutors.

NOMA Declines to Take Part in Grant Program
March 23, 2026 -- A third neighborhood group on Thursday declined to participate in a new City grant program that bans them from using funding to communicate directly with residents or recruit members.

SMFD's First Support Dog Dies
March 23, 2026 -- Roger, an English Labrador that became a member of the Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) last April to help firefighters combat stress, died Friday after a battle with cancer, City officials said.

EXTRA -- Bold Proposal Gives City Control of Affordable Housing
March 20, 2026 -- The City Council on Tuesday will discuss a groundbreaking proposal to create a "City-aligned nonprofit" that would build, own and operate affordable housing in Santa Monica.

Police Department Reaches Full Force
March 20, 2026 -- For the first time in more than two decades, the Santa Monica Police Department is fully staffed and has received nearly 400 new applicants this year, City officials said.

BBB Ridership Hits Recovery 'Milestone'
March 19, 2026 -- Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus (BBB) topped 10 million riders last year, marking "a major milestone in ridership recovery," according to the Transportation Department's Annual Report released Wednesday.

Beach House Exhibit Explores Water
March 19, 2026 -- Santa Monica will celebrate the "currency" of water with an art exhibition just a dash away from the world's largest and deepest ocean.

Meals on Wheels Back on Track After Freezer Failure
March 18, 2026 -- Meals on Wheels quickly recovered from a freezer malfunction Monday that led to the loss of half of the meals the agency delivers to the homebound in Santa Monica and across the Westside.

SMPD Launches 'Know Your Limit' Campaign
March 18, 2026 -- You didn't have to be pulled over by an officer to take a breathalyzer test on Tuesday. You could have been invited to take one at a local restaurant or bar.

LETTERS -- Don't Blame Drivers for Traffic Safety Failures
March 18, 2026 -- Overall, bicyclists cause nearly as many FSI collisions as drivers, but are ticketed at about half the rate of drivers in traffic safety crackdowns.

Judge to Take up Motion to Dismiss Airport Lawsuit
March 17, 2026 -- A lawsuit claiming the City violated State law when it allowed a charter air carrier to operate at Santa Monica Airport without conducting an environmental review could be dismissed before it goes to trial.

Police Arrest Suspect in Pier Shooting
March 17, 2026 -- Two people, including the shooter, were wounded after a "large fight" broke out on the Santa Monica Pier Sunday night, police officials said.

Council Locks in Recycling Contract
March 16, 2026 -- The City Council last Tuesday authorized a 10-year contract to secure the services of one of "only a handful" of recycling process facilities in the Los Angeles region.

‘Locals’ Night’ Celebrates L.A. Hip-Hop Culture
March 16, 2026 -- "Locals' Night" at the Santa Monica Pier Thursday celebrates L.A.’s hip-hop culture and the legendary highway that ended a few blocks away.

Police Crack Down on Dangerous Driving
March 13, 2026 -- The Santa Monica Police Department is conducting another traffic safety operation today as it boosts enforcement to crack down on dangerous driving.

Landlords Ordered to Pay Relocation Fees
March 13, 2026 -- Two Santa Monica landlords will have to pay their tenants more than $50,000 in unpaid relocation fees after the City Attorney's Office obtained final judgments in two cases.

Council Appoints Permanent City Attorney
March 12, 2026 -- On Tuesday, Heidi von Tongeln was named City Attorney, marking the first time in more than half a century that the post was permanently filled from within City Hall.

Health Advisory Lifted for Most Local Beaches
March 12, 2026 -- It's safe to wade into the water at most Santa Monica beaches as summertime temperatures hit the region on Thursday and Friday.

Rise in Workers Comp Claims 'Will Be Costly'
March 11, 2026 -- The number of open worker compensation claims filed by City workers grew to a record 653 during the past fiscal year, or nearly one-third of all employees, according to a report to the City Council last week.

Details of Waymo Collision with Child Released
March 11, 2026 -- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last week released its preliminary findings in a widely publicized collision between a self-driving Waymo car and a a 9-year-old pedestrian.

Chief Jacob Discusses Policing Santa Monica
March 10, 2026 -- The Lookout recently asked Police Chief Darrick Jacob to share his thoughts on a range of issues. Here are his answers to six questions we posed.

Police Seek Help Identifying Sexual Battery Suspect
March 10, 2026 -- The Santa Monica Police Department is asking the public's help identifying a suspect in a sexual battery investigation who may have attacked additional victims.

LETTERS -- Making Councilmembers Shiver
March 10, 2026 -- If all Santa Monica neighborhood associations said "we have a right to endorse," there would be a counterweight to Santa Monica's entrenched ideological organizations.

Second Neighborhood Group Pulls Out of City Grants Program
March 9, 2026 -- Friends of Sunset Park (FOSP) informed City officials Friday it would not participate in the City's new grant program, making it the second neighborhood group to reject the new restrictions.

Santa Monica Beach Under Heat, Water Advisories
March 9, 2026 -- Santa Monica State Beach was under both heat and water quality advisories this weekend with bacteria levels exceeding health standards at all six local beaches.

EXTRA -- Fatal, Severe Injury Crashes Fall
March 6, 2026 -- The number of Fatal and Severe Injury (FSI) crashes in Santa Monica fell in 2025 after soaring to a record high the previous year, according to Transportation Department data.

SMC Kicks off Spring Jazz Series
March 6, 2026 -- Three elite jazz veterans who have been performing for a combined total of more than 100 years will take center stage this spring during the Santa Monica College Music Department's Friday Night Jazz Series.

Cybertrucks Burn in Santa Monica Garage
March 5, 2026 -- Tesla Cybertruck fires continued to make headlines after two of the hulking futuristic vehicles were engulfed in flames in a Santa Monica parking garage Wednesday.

Stay in Santa Monica Like a Tourist
March 5, 2026 -- Los Angeles County residents can experience Santa Monica as tourists do with discounted rates at more than a dozen hotels in the world-renown beach city.

SMPD Increases Patrols Amid War in Iran
March 4, 2026 -- The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) is "conducting additional patrols" in select locations as the war in Iran escalates, officials announced Monday.

Council to Select New Poet Laureate
March 4, 2026 -- The City Council on Tuesday is expected to appoint Jay Baldwin as Santa Monica's second Poet Laureate.

Motel Claimed to Be Bane on City Permanently Shut Down
March 3, 2026 -- A Sunset Park motel City officials say has long been a "hotbed" for drugs and other illegal activities will be permanently shut down under a settlement approved by the City Council last week.

Police Focus on Drivers Using Cell Phones
March 3, 2026 -- Santa Monica police are cracking down this month on drivers who violate the hands-free cell phone law, a leading cause of distracted driving that can result in deaths and serious injuries.

Pro-Housing Group Opposes Building on Airport Land
March 2, 2026 -- The rift in Santa Monica's pro-housing bloc is widening over a potential ballot measure that would allow housing to be built on Airport land.

Santa Monica Celebrates Women's History Month
March 2, 2026 -- Santa Monica is celebrating Women's History Month in March with a series of events that include an indigenous jazz ensemble and a candid discussion with the women who have served as mayor.