From Santa Monica Close Up:

"During the weekly homeless encampment cleanup at Venice Beach, a brief standoff occurred between Venice Healer Daisy and Los Angeles Park Rangers, as they requested her to dismantle her "Goddess Temple," a 10x10 pop-up tent she had set up on the beach. Daisy initially refused, standing her ground when asked to take it down.

After discussions with both the Park Rangers and LAPD officers, a peaceful agreement was reached. Daisy agreed to take down her temple voluntarily, allowing the cleanup task force to continue its operation. She dismantled the pop-up tent that serves as her temple, and the task force moved on to address other homeless encampments along Venice Beach."

Click Here for more Stories about Venice Healer Daisy

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.

New video from Real Skate Stories.

"oin us as we pay tribute to Shogo Kubo, celebrated as the most stylish skateboarder in history. This video features a compilation of his most impressive performances, alongside his 1977 Skateboarder Magazine "Who's Hot" interview that reveals the passion and dedication behind his craft. As a founding member of Dogtown Z-Boyz team, he is one of the greatest skateboarders of the 70's and 80's and was mentioned by Mark Gonzales as his second most influential skater ever. Experience the blend of skill and style that has made Kubo a beloved figure in the skateboarding world, inspiring countless fans and aspiring skaters alike, and cementing his legacy as perhaps the most stylish skateboarder ever."

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

It’s officially October and the free Marina Movie Nights series has a scary good lineup to get you ready for Halloween!

October Movie Lineup:
10/5 | Haunted Mansion (2023) (PG-13)
10/12 | Get Out (R)
10/19 | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (PG-13)
10/26 | Hocus Pocus (PG)

For more info, Click Here

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

Following Governor Gavin Newsom's signing of SB 1297 into law, the City of Malibu is taking swift action to implement speed cameras along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in order to reduce speeding and enhance road safety. This critical step is part of the City's comprehensive efforts to protect residents, visitors, and all who travel through Malibu.

The City has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop a Speed Safety System Use Policy and a Speed Safety System Impact Report, which are essential first steps in implementing the speed camera system. These measures will ensure the program is rolled out responsibly and in accordance with the state statute outlined in the bill. Proposals must be electronically submitted to Susan Duenas, Public Safety Director, at SDuenas@malibucity.org no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 1, 2024

"We are committed to moving forward with the speed camera program as quickly as possible, while adhering to all state guidelines," said Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart. "This is an important tool in our ongoing efforts to improve safety on PCH, and we will continue to keep the community informed as we progress."

The City’s Public Works Department has already identified the locations where speed cameras will be placed based on the highest rates of speed-related collisions and fatalities.

The speed cameras will be installed in the following high-risk areas along PCH:

Decker Canyon

Between Guernsey Avenue & Morning View

Latigo Canyon

Between Carbon Beach Terrace & Carbon Canyon

Tuna Canyon

The law goes into effect in January 2025, and the City is focused on moving swiftly while ensuring that all necessary regulatory processes are followed. Malibu remains dedicated to an "all of the above" approach to road safety, combining enforcement, education, and infrastructure improvements. The speed cameras will complement these ongoing efforts to reduce dangerous speeding and protect lives.

Another glimpse into the real-life troubling issues the beachside city of Santa Monica has on a daily basis. Some of these scenes may be disturbing or gross to some viewers, therefor viewer discretion is advised.

The Santa Monica City Council will hold a study session Tuesday, Oct. 8, to discuss the proposed Games Agreement to host beach volleyball on Santa Monica State Beach, the birthplace of the modern sport, for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

The first of four formal agreements with the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, or LA28, the Games Agreement would secure Santa Monica as a venue city and provide a framework for future, more detailed, agreements.

The discussion is the result of more than a year of negotiations between Santa Monica city staff and LA28 and is an opportunity for the City Council and the public to weigh in on the proposed deal points and the potential costs and benefits of moving forward.

One huge concern is that the agreement prohibits public and private events from being hosted citywide unless approved by or in coordination with LA28. Which mean any type of event in the city must be approve by the Olympic committee. The current agreement does not state whether or not the Pier will be allowed to stay open

“Santa Monica is an iconic destination known worldwide. And as the birthplace of the modern sport of beach volleyball, there is no better place to host the competition for the 2028 Summer Olympics,” City Manager David White said. “The city team has worked hard to negotiate a deal that works for Santa Monica, and the study session is a critical opportunity for the City Council and the public to provide input on what’s best for our unique community.”

If the council gives direction to move forward, a finalized Games Agreement would come back for a final vote at a future meeting. Exact terms, conditions, costs, and operational details would be negotiated in three additional future agreements.

A person freom Michigan was found guilty of murdering a man at the beach in Santa Monica

On November 2, 2022, Santa Monica Police Officers responded to Lot 1 North, the beach parking lot just north of the Pier, for a suspicious circumstances call. A parking attendant noticed a male subject lying motionless in the driver seat and possibly bleeding.

Officers located the vehicle in the west end of the parking lot, facing the beach. The individual inside the vehicle was clearly grievously injured in a knife attack and was confirmed deceased by responding firefighters. Initially, the victim was listed as a John Doe. Forensics Specialists responded to the scene, collecting hundreds of DNA swabs and latent fingerprints along with over a thousand photos. SMPD detectives quickly learned the victim was a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, who recently purchased the vehicle from a private party in Southern California.

Using evidence collected from the vehicle and other investigative tools, the murder suspect was identified as Dearborn resident Mohamed Abou-Arabi (DOB: 01/22/2000). The LA County District Attorney’s Office filed a single count of murder with an enhancement for utilizing a knife to commit the fatal attack. A warrant was then issued for Abou-Arabi’s arrest.

With crucial assistance from the Dearborn Police Department, SMPD was able to pinpoint Abou-Arabi’s movements from California back to Michigan following the attack. In January 2023, SMPD Detectives flew to Michigan and arrested Abou-Arabi for murder. He was booked into the Santa Monica Jail on January 18, 2023, and has been in the custody of LA County since that time.

At trial in September of 2024, Abou-Arabi was found guilty of First-Degree Murder. His sentencing will be in December.

Abou-Arabi has no prior arrests or convictions in California. He has two prior arrests for misdemeanor weapons offenses in Michigan. Abou-Arabi refused to provide a motive during the investigation and trial.

The Venice Afterburn is a daytime art and music festival in Venice Beach, California, and it's an official Regional Burning Man event. Artists are invited to bring their art cars, theme camps, burner bikes, interactive installations and other playa art for two days of magic by the beach. The event is FREE before 6:00pm and family friendly, and runs each day until 10pm. We strongly encourage to show up early, to ensure full engagement and participation.



The event will run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day and is free to attend before 6:30 p.m. After that, a $10 entry fee applies, with no entry allowed after 9 p.m.

For more info, Click Here

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

3rd Annual Santa MoniCARES Volley-Ween Tournament and Fundraiser on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024. Enjoy games, entertainment, food, a friendly volleyball tournament and a Halloween costume contest at Perry’s Beach Cafe & Rentals. Register for just $35 to attend and/or play either on your own or with a volleyball team of 2, 4 or 6 players. All proceeds will go towards Santa MoniCARES and its charities.

For more info, Click Here

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