Venice Healer Daisy is officialy running for Santa Monica City Council. A Santa Monica that builds systems rooted in care: meeting basic needs with dignity, strengthening community bonds, protecting our environment, and ensuring no person or neighborhood is left behind.

"I've lived the survival stress of homelessness and the long path of recovery. I've learned firsthand what it means when systems are built on scarcity instead of care—how loneliness multiplies suffering, how shame replaces dignity. But I've also experienced the healing power of community, the resilience in human connection, and what becomes possible when people are met with compassion instead of judgment."

"I'm running because I want to build a Santa Monica where fewer people have to survive the way I did. Where everyone belongs. Where our systems are designed to meet needs, reduce suffering, and lift people up with their dignity intact. That's what a caring city looks like."

Click Here for more Stories about Venice Healer Daisy

Sunday, Oct 11, 2026
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Historic Belmar Park
1840 4th Street
Santa Monica, California 90401

Historic Belmar Park in Santa Monica is more than just a green space; it's a poignant memorial to a vibrant African American community that thrived in the Belmar neighborhood from the late 19th century until the 1950s. The park serves as a reminder of the importance of community, offering a space for healing and education.

This public cultural activation will focus on the history of Belmar and Black Santa Monica, celebrating the contributions of Black residents and acknowledging the historic loss of land and homes in the area.

The day will include:

Conversations with award-winning journalist, radio host, and podcaster Sam Sanders DJ Sets by KCRW's Tyler "Boogie" Boudreaux

Live music from 2026 NPR Tiny Desk Winner Cure For Paranoia, and a performance by Songs with Strings and special guests

Interactive art-making celebrating Belmar History A "Give Someone Their Flowers" Bloom Bar Activation

Art and photo installation by interdisciplinary artist April Banks, Santa Monica Conservancy, and Quinn Research Center

Food vendors, along with a Wine Garden curated by Offhand Wine Bar

This community benefit was made possible by Ocean Way Festival, in partnership with the city of Santa Monica.

Find out about more upcoming local events, Click Here

Join the 2nd Annual FREE Longest Table Potluck Picnic in Pacific Palisades!

​You bring lunch, we provide the tables, chairs and facilities —Noon to 2pm, Sunday October 4th.

​Tell your friends too!! The Longest Table is a chance to enjoy connection and meaningful conversation with your Pacific Palisades friends and neighbors.

​This year’s event will have additional tents for shade. RSVP today!

Click Here for more info.

Find out about more upcoming local events, Click Here

Find out about more upcoming local events, Click Here

The city said the swells from Hurricane Marie stripped away too much sand to safely hold the beach festival.

A 550-foot-long mural by Daniel Alonzo extends from 3rd to 5th Street along Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica. Known as "Whale of a Mural," this vibrant artwork depicts Pacific gray whales and pilot whales, accompanied by bottlenose dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and common dolphins, all swimming together in harmony.

Located at Ocean Park Boulevard and 4th Street, the mural has democratized art by bringing it into public space, standing as a symbol of resilience, creativity, and communal spirit. It is a cherished feature of Santa Monica, a testament to the city’s rich artistic history and its community’s passion for environmental conservation. Its depiction of marine life native to Santa Monica Bay has inspired countless residents and visitors alike.

Unfortunately, over the years, this iconic mural has suffered from neglect and exposure to the elements, leaving it in dire need of restoration. Its gradual deterioration has been heartbreaking for the community. Beyond its artistic beauty, it serves as a continuous reminder of our responsibility to protect both our natural environment and the art that celebrates it.

To ensure future generations can experience its beauty, we urge the City of Santa Monica to allocate funding and resources to restore Whale of a Mural to its original glory.

Restoration efforts would require collaboration with the original artist, Daniel Alonzo, his assistants, conservation experts, and the City Council to ensure an accurate, respectful, and long-lasting refurbishment of this treasured landmark.

Recognizing the mural as a historical landmark would further highlight its significance and facilitate future maintenance, ensuring it receives the care it deserves. Such designation would protect the mural from potential threats, including urban development or changes in city ordinances that could otherwise jeopardize its existence.

Help us breathe new life into Whale of a Mural and secure its place in Santa Monica’s cultural landscape for years to come. Sign the petition calling on the City of Santa Monica to act now to preserve this irreplaceable masterpiece for the benefit of our community, the greater Los Angeles area, and the many who visit our beautiful city.

Let’s unite to honor our past, celebrate this artist’s achievements, and protect our environment. Your signature will make a difference.

Click Here for more info.

A body was spotted floating in Bollaona Creek at 8:44 a.m. Monday morning, near Lincoln and Culver boulevards, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The deceased person was not immediately identified, and the cause of death was under investigation.

“I went on a morning walk along this edge of the bike path and I thought I saw something floating, but I thought, ‘okay, it’s just in my mind.’ Then I went back in my house and I was looking across, and I saw it again,” said the witness who gave the name Kristen.

“I decided to walk and get a closer look. And yes, it was a gentleman in the water, and I don’t know how long he’d been there,” she added.

Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 65, the founder and CEO of a Santa Monica-based tech company called StarClub Inc., was charged federally in Los Angeles in August 2017 for defrauding investors out of more than $20 million between 2014 and 2017 by lying to them about his company’s financial performance. Fritsch convinced victims to invest in his company’s application, known as StarSite, technology he claimed could help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements. He also claimed the app would deliver advertising content and share ad revenue with the celebrity poster.

While pitching to investors, Fritsch made several false and fraudulent claims, including that StarClub was on the verge of entering into commercial deals with or obtaining investments and buyout offers from major media companies, such as Disney; or that StarClub had earned $15 million in revenue in 2015; and that StarClub’s current investors included major media companies and a global investment banking firm. 

Rather than using investor money to build out StarClub’s technology, Fritsch used much of investors’ money to enrich himself and support his luxurious lifestyle, including by purchasing luxury cars such as a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce, by upgrading his yacht, and by renovating his Malibu mansion, located near Carbon Beach. The FBI seized the yacht, McLaren, and the Rolls-Royce.

One victim invested more than $20 million in StarClub over the course of two years, based on Fritsch’s false statements. This victim also introduced Fritsch to other victims who invested millions of additional funds in the company. Prosecutors estimate that Fritsch caused at least approximately $26.8 million in victim losses due to his scheme.

"Southern California is a target-rich environment for fraudsters—among them Bernhard Fritsch, who was convicted of ripping off investors of millions and fleeing the United States prior to his sentencing," said Patrick Grandy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "Regardless of how long it takes for Mr. Fritsch to serve his sentence, the FBI will unrelentingly seek his whereabouts and is offering a significant reward of up to $150,000 in exchange for information leading to his apprehension and conviction." 

Fritsch was found guilty by a jury in Los Angeles in April 2025. While awaiting sentencing, he fled to Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico in June 2025, prior to a bond revocation hearing. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Fritsch in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles after he failed to appear for a post-conviction bond revocation hearing.

“Placing Fritsch on the Most Wanted Fraudsters list reflects our commitment to pursue those who attempt to outrun the law. Fleeing the United States will not shield him from justice,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “We will find him and he will answer for his conduct in a court of law.”

In September of 2025, Mexican law enforcement detained Fritsch, who was found with false identification, in violation of Mexico’s immigration laws. He was released from immigration custody and ordered to check in with the immigration court in Mexico every two weeks; instead, however, Fritsch fled to Munich, Germany, on October 6, 2025.

On October 20, 2025, Fritsch was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in federal prison, fined $35,000, and was later ordered to pay $26,806,901 in restitution.

In June 2026, Fritsch’s girlfriend, Lucinda Jane Weist Manera, 63, of Malibu, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact for helping Fritsch hide from the FBI, hide in Mexico, and then flee to his native Germany to avoid incarceration.

The Most Wanted Fraudsters list was created and launched in June 2026 to generate public interest and assistance with information leading to the location and apprehension of fraud fugitives. A large reward of up to $150,000 is being offered in exchange for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a member on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list.

Since the inception of the list of the Most Wanted Fraudsters list, 15 fugitives have been added, to include the ones being announced today. Four fugitives have since been captured and, currently, there are 12 fugitives on the list.

LA County Fire Dept reports that beaches in Malibu are temporarily CLOSED due to lightning. Follow instructions from Lifeguards, Fire Dept and Sheriff's Dept personnel.