All stories from last week in one place

Decline in gas business is a silver lining in the expensive consumer price report:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest consumer price index for the Los Angeles region confirmed the economic concerns of many, with prices in the region rising 0.2% in July and 3.4% year over year, including categories such as food, housing, transportation and medical care. Despite the overall increase, the report also noted positives, such as a 0.9% decline in the energy index, driven by a 3% drop in gasoline prices. The decline is also evident locally: The 14 Santa Monica gas stations covered each week in the Daily Press’ “Gas Buddy” graph saw an average drop of 41 cents per gallon between June 11 and August 13.

Heal the Bay awarded a $30,000 grant to support the local Adopt-A-Beach program:

Heal the Bay, a well-known environmental group based in Santa Monica, has secured a $30,000 Whale Tail grant to support its Adopt-A-Beach program. The grant, which is funded in part by the sale of the Whale Tail specialty license plates, is designed to advance coastal conservation and environmental education throughout California. Adopt-A-Beach is a statewide program run locally by local organizations like Heal the Bay. People can “adopt” a beach and help keep it clean and well-maintained.

Gluten-free donut duo for a healthier morning:

Now open at 709 Montana, Fōnuts Bakery is the culmination of the kitchen adventures of Los Angeles native Nancy Truman, who spent 25 years searching for the perfect doughnut that combatted her gluten intolerance. The result is the always baked, never fried new Santa Monica sensation in flavors like churro, strawberry shortcake, blueberry Earl Grey, vanilla and double chocolate. This is the third location of the bakery business, which was designed by Truman’s husband, New York native Thom Furtado.

The rollout of the Wayfinder kiosks continues and the first data on usage is available:

More Wayfinder kiosks are popping up all over downtown, and two recently popped up at the intersection of 3rd Street and Santa Monica Blvd., one on the northwest corner and one on the southeast corner. As of last week, 12 kiosks are currently in operation and are cleaned twice a day by Block By Block staff. Kiley Kmiec, business developer at BIG Outdoor, provided insight into the kiosk analytics, explaining that “usage data” such as apps opened and the time a kiosk is in interactive mode is collected, but no personal user data is collected for the project.

Suspect in unprovoked attack on Big Blue Bus found and taken into custody:

On the afternoon of July 29, officers with the Santa Monica Police Department responded to the 3200 block of Santa Monica Blvd. for an assault that had occurred a short time earlier on a Santa Monica Big Blue Bus. According to police, officers found the victim, who reported being attacked from behind while seated on the bus. It was an unprovoked attack that left the victim with significant injuries and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Although the suspect fled the scene before officers arrived, detectives used surveillance video from the Big Blue Bus, among other things, to identify 34-year-old Erik Morgan of Los Angeles as the suspect. On August 9, Morgan was found and taken into custody. He faces aggravated assault, assault with a high probability of causing bodily harm, aggravated assault and probation violation.

Local artist pays tribute to inspiration at Bergamot exhibition:

Through September 1, Venice-based artist Victoria White is giving the region a deeper look at icons of the past with her solo exhibition, “Legends in Monochrome.” On display at the Fabrik Projects Gallery in the Bergamot Station Arts Center, the series of monochrome portraits pays homage to musicians, actors and other modern figures. White experimented with legends such as Bob Marley, Albert Einstein, Audrey Hepburn and Dolly Parton, using their unique features to highlight valuable personality traits, values ​​that reflect White’s own character.

As school resumes, school district staff are focused on one key priority:

With students now officially back on Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) school campuses, district staff recently gathered at Barnum Hall in Samohi for an annual wrap-up event to share insight on the district’s six priorities: reclassification, special education, transformative approaches, maintenance, financial services and a guaranteed viable curriculum. SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton said these approaches “support and sustain” staff to focus on key areas that “support all of our students.” The maintenance priority is wide-ranging and includes the opening of the Exploration Building and Gold Gym in Samohi.

Partain from Palisades and his partner are looking forward to the Olympic spotlight in Santa Monica:

Miles Partain of Pacific Palisades and Andy Benesh of Rancho Palos Verdes finished fifth for the U.S. men’s beach volleyball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and will vie to represent both their country and their home region when the volleyball games come to Santa Monica in 2028. Benesh said it would be “iconic” to play in Santa Monica with the pier as a backdrop, but on the road to 2028, he and Partain will have to beat other competitors at the national level. In addition to being a volleyball star, Partain is also the valedictorian at Palisades High, and the 22-year-old calls AP Chemistry his favorite subject.

California’s law to reduce shoplifting just needs to be signed by the governor:

The California Retail Theft Reduction Act has been passed by both houses of the legislature and is now awaiting the governor’s signature. Also known as AB 2943, it is described as a pivotal, bipartisan legislative package to curb retail crime. The bill places a strong emphasis on combating organized crime gangs and provides a penalty of up to three years in prison for possession of stolen property with the intent to resell it.

USC and UCLA may be college rivals, but they are great business partners:

Nutrition and wellness company Momentous recently opened an office at 2210 Main Street to bring its products, such as creatine, protein, omegas and other supplements, to the everyday consumer. Led by UCLA graduate Erica Good and former All-American offensive lineman for USC Jeff Byers, Momentous products have been co-signed by more than 150 professional and college teams, including more than half of the National Football League (NFL). The U.S. Department of Defense also awarded the company 10 innovation and research contracts in its early days.

Drive carefully, school has started again:

With Santa Monica Public Schools reopening, public employees have been working hard over the summer to develop measures to combat the impacts of school traffic and promote environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The City is encouraging the use of public transportation to combat traffic, especially in the coming weeks as school traffic can be quite chaotic for both commuters and residents living near schools. The City of Santa Monica has also been working on landscaping projects to ensure pedestrians feel more comfortable in the City, such as the Safe Routes to School initiative to improve pedestrian safety at 10 school campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

Barnes & Noble on the Promenade opens this week:

Barnes & Noble is returning to Santa Monica on Wednesday with the grand opening of a new bookstore. The shop, located at 1318 Third Street Promenade, will open its doors at 10 a.m., with author Olivia Blake cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her books. The announcement of the new store was preceded by months of rumors, cryptic window signs and teasers on social media. Barnes & Noble previously occupied a two-story storefront on the northeast corner of the Promenade and served the community for 22 years before closing in January 2018.

The Santa Monica Animal Shelter is hosting a Clear the Shelter day with reduced adoption fees:

On August 24, the Santa Monica Animal Shelter held its annual Clear the Shelter Day, where adoption fees were reduced to just $20. Each year, the shelter participates in this annual campaign to help animals find homes, and this year the shelter subsidized pet adoption fees, which are normally several hundred dollars. The shelter is currently overcrowded and needs space for the cats, dogs, and other rescued animals that benefit from the care and attention of staff.

Suspect arrested in connection with second attempted child abduction in city this year:

A suspect was arrested after attempting to grab an 8-year-old child and flee with her near Lincoln Blvd and Maple Street. According to Santa Monica Police, 39-year-old Courtney Perrone has been positively identified as the suspect. According to multiple reports, she attempted to grab the child and then fled south toward the parking lot of Gelson’s. The child was not injured. Investigation revealed that the child was in the alley and an adult neighbor was helping load several pets into the neighbor’s car. When confronted by a neighbor, Perrone pulled out a switchblade before fleeing on foot through the alley and was later arrested. Perrone will be arraigned on August 23 and is charged with attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment. She is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

3 million people ask a financial influencer: “What the hell happened to Santa Monica?”:

A recent video by popular business and real estate influencer Graham Stephan has garnered significant attention on YouTube, garnering nearly 3 million views. It addresses “What the heck happened to Santa Monica?” The obscene title sums up Stephan’s confusion as he reconciles his memories of the city as a teenager with current reality. Focusing on the boardwalk, Stephen talked about the area’s vacancy rate, growing homelessness crisis, and perceptions of crime. While he didn’t offer any concrete solutions to the problem, he did highlight the issue of landlords keeping rents high to justify property values, pandemic-related retail losses, and general retail trends.

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