Arrest Made After $56K in Jewelry Robbed from Santa Monica Home
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives review evidence and explore the possibility of additional suspects
A man was arrested in Los Angeles last week after allegedly robbing a Santa Monica home at gunpoint and stealing tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry, authorities said.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, officers responded to a report of a robbery around 8:40 p.m. on April 23 in the 2000 block of La Mesa Drive. The victim told police that an unknown man entered the residence, displayed a firearm, and stole approximately $56,000 worth of jewelry before fleeing.
Detectives tracked the stolen items, which led them to the suspect, identified as Craig Anthony Richey, 66, in Los Angeles later that evening. Richey was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of firstdegree robbery under California Penal Code 211.
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives review evidence and explore the possibility of additional suspects or related incidents.
Santa Monica Physical Therapist Arrested for Sexual Battery; Police Seek Additional Victims
The arrest stems from a February 19 report of a suspected sexual battery at
Select Physical Therapy
A licensed physical therapist was arrested last month in connection with an alleged sexual assault during a treatment session at a Santa Monica clinic, and police are now asking the public to help identify any additional
victims.
Fernando A. Salazar, 28, was arrested on April 17 by Santa Monica Police Department detectives and patrol officers for one count of sexual battery under California Penal Code 243.4(a), according to a statement released by the department.
The arrest stems from a February 19 report of a suspected sexual battery at Select Physical Therapy, located at 507 Wilshire Boulevard. Police said the alleged assault occurred during a scheduled appointment while the victim was being treated for injuries.
Detectives launched what they described as an immediate and thorough
investigation, which led to Salazar’s arrest.
Authorities are now urging anyone who may have had similar experiences with the suspect to come forward. “All reports will be handled with discretion and sensitivity,” the department said. Those with information are encouraged to contact Detective Darnell Crumpler at (310) 458-8941 or [Darnell.Crumpler@ santamonica.gov](mailto:Darnell. Crumpler@santamonica.gov); Sergeant David Haro at (310) 458-8952 or [David. Haro@santamonica.gov](mailto:David. Haro@santamonica.gov); or the SMPD Watch Commander desk 24 hours a day at (310) 458-8427.
Santa Monica Kids Get $60K in Crayola Art
Supplies to Inspire Healing and Creativity
Epic Delivers Art Supplies to WildfireAffected Kids in Santa Monica
600 children at Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica will be tapping into their creative potential with the help of a major donation of Crayola art supplies valued at over $60,000, courtesy of Epic Entertainment Group.
The Los Angeles-based company, known for its immersive experiences, launched the initiative with an April 30 event at Franklin Elementary School’s Playground Club. During the gathering, around 60 students participated in an afternoon of artistic expression led by Epic staff. Children used glitter markers, stickers, crayons, and colored pencils to decorate oversized paper bags before choosing their own Crayola items to take home.
The donation, which includes supplies like markers, colored pencils, and art kits, is being distributed to youth across eight club locations this week. Many recipients come from families displaced or otherwise affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles County. The effort aims to provide both emotional healing and joyful distraction through creative activity.
“This experience brought just as much joy to our team as it did to the kids,” said Steve Sheldon, Co-Founder of EPIC Entertainment Group. “To see their faces light up as they created and selected their own Crayola treasures was something we’ll never forget. Art is powerful, and EPIC is honored to play a small part in helping these families find moments of light and fun.”
Brynja Seagren, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, noted the
significance of the donation in the wake of recent trauma experienced by many local families.
Seagren said, “We are grateful for this support from Epic, which helps our Club kids tap into creativity and access the transformative power of the arts. This donation is especially meaningful for our families who evacuated or were displaced by the wildfires. EPIC’s generosity is not only helping our youth heal through creativity, but also showing them they are supported and valued by their community.”
Vending Kiosks Pop Up Around Santa Monica to Expand Access to Health Supplies
Each station offers access to COVID-19 antigen test kits, naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and more
In an effort to combat rising public health threats, including opioid overdoses and the spread of infectious diseases, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has installed three Community Health Stations in Santa Monica that dispense free overdose reversal kits, COVID-19 tests, and sexual health supplies.
The vending machine-style kiosks— located at The People Concern’s Turning Point, Samoshel, and Access Center facilities—are part of a broader countywide initiative that launched earlier this year. According to a press release from the L.A. County Department of Public Health, a total of 51 machines have been deployed so far, with plans to expand to 100 across the county.
The Santa Monica kiosks are accessible to the public at the following addresses:
• Turning Point (1447 16th St) – open 24/7 Monday through Friday
• Samoshel (505 Olympic Blvd) – open 24/7, seven days a week
• Access Center (503 Olympic Blvd) –open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Each station offers self-service access to COVID-19 antigen test kits, naloxone (used to reverse opioid overdoses), fentanyl test strips, internal and external condoms, and personal lubricant. No ID, insurance, or payment is required. The program is designed to reduce barriers to health resources in underserved areas and at-risk populations, including individuals experiencing homelessness.
“These supplies allow individuals to take actions that protect themselves and others in the community,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, in a statement. “Having free public health supplies available seven days a week through these stations makes it easier to access important products that support health and save lives.”
The Community Health Stations were developed in partnership with the Department of Public Health’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Bureau, and the Division of HIV and STD Programs. While users can voluntarily complete an anonymous demographic survey on the machines’ touchscreens, no personal information is required to use the service.
Immerse yourself in a sanctuary where nature’s tranquility meets the vibrancy of city life. Urban Jungle is more than a plant store it’s a communitycentered oasis bringing a lush slice of paradise to your urban lifestyle. Here, we passionately believe in the power of plants to transform spaces and elevate well-being.
For a full map of machine locations or more information, visit ph.lacounty.gov/ CommunityHealthStation.
GOLDA ZAHRA
“The Rising Star of the Opera World” -Hollywood Times
“Truly Talented” – Jazz Legend Kenny Burrell
Open Container, Closed Minds: Why
Santa Monica’s Outdoor Drinking Plan Will Likely Drown
SMa.r.t.
Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
Santa Monica’s new plan to allow outdoor drinking on the Third Street Promenade between 8:00 AM and 2:00 AM is being pitched as a revitalization effort, but it’s more like pouring a shot into a sinking glass. Proponents claim the move will boost foot traffic and energize nightlife. In reality, it threatens to turn a once-vibrant, friendly, and diversified shopping destination into a magnet for crime and chaos, with no real safety net.
Let’s start with the obvious: Santa Monica’s current budget doesn’t stretch far enough to implement the existing basic rules. Public smoking bans are routinely flouted, and visible enforcement of drinking-related offenses—think public intoxication or aggressive panhandling— is rare. The city’s police department has already stated it lacks the resources to monitor a larger, more volatile outdoor drinking scene. So, who exactly will keep the peace when things go sideways?
The presence of alcohol in outdoor communal spaces, especially without robust oversight, only increases the risk of substance abuse-related incidents. Cities like Savannah, Georgia, and parts of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine district have rolled back or restructured similar opencontainer programs due to spikes in public intoxication, vandalism, and quality-of-life complaints. Despite some initial economic gains, there was a marked increase in nuisance complaints, public intoxication, and assaults—problems that the city struggled with. Similarly, Nashville’s Broadway district has become notorious for alcohol-fueled fights and vandalism, prompting city leaders to consider stricter rules after years of lax oversight. Does Santa Monica think that we are going to fare differently? Are we emulating a success model—or just repeating proven mistakes?
The assumption that alcohol will draw crowds is not unfounded, but the kind of crowd and attention it draws matters. The general population and tourists are unlikely to linger where inebriated patrons spill drinks and lose tempers. By prioritizing bar crawlers, Santa Monica risks trading stability for short-term sizzle and pop.
Instead of promoting a healthy, allinclusive message showing our year-round fun California beach lifestyle, this plan caters to a narrow demographic: bar-goers and nightlife seekers. It sidelines families, residents, and seniors, it downplays wellness, and further distances those who want and value Santa Monica as a safe, accessible coastal community. In trying to
chase a dollar sign out of desperation, the city has overlooked and sold out its core identity.
Worse, it comes without the necessary infrastructure to manage the fallout, and due to fiscal negligence and poor management over the last 20 years or so, the city has no additional funding to control drinking limits, monitor behavior, or even uphold basic ordinances like its widely ignored public non-smoking ban. Our police force is already stretched thin, and business owners are already at their wits’ end dealing with property damage and individuals experiencing homelessness setting up in doorways.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t New Orleans, where open-container culture is ingrained. And we’re not Nashville, where touristfueled honky-tonk strips dominate the local economy. Santa Monica is—and should remain—a place that balances tourism with livability. This plan tips the scale.
Santa Monica’s vision overlooks a fundamental principle: you can’t outsource community vibrancy to alcohol. And you definitely can’t do it without the resources to enforce basic law and order. Sorry, but wrist bands will not do it unless you are waiting in line for a ride at Disneyland. Without adequate, intelligent planning and policing, the Promenade’s new open-drink zone is less a toast to revitalization and more a recipe for regression.
The Santa Monica City Council is out of touch by prioritizing an alcoholfirst solution. Rather than amplifying what makes Santa Monica special—its walkability, beach culture, artistic energy, and diversity—the city is lowering its image and betting on booze to save the Promenade.
There’s a better path forward. Instead of pouring drinks in the streets, why not pour energy and marketing efforts into programming that brings people together? Host, encourage, and support when possible, consistent multicultural festivals, fitness and food pop-ups, night markets, and local art fairs—events that attract a broad range of people and reflect the city’s vibrancy. Create a Promenade that welcomes all, not just the 21-and-over crowd looking to bar-hop outdoors.
Santa Monica doesn’t need a drink in its hand. It requires a clear-eyed sobering vision of the future, with leadership that
respects its residents, its values, and the unique culture that made it a stellar destination in the first place.
Michael Jolly for SMa.r.t.
Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
Samuel Tolkin, Architect & Planning Commissioner; Thane Roberts, Architect; Mario Fonda-Bonardi AIA, Architect; Robert H. Taylor AIA, Architect; Dan Jansenson, Architect & Building and FireLife Safety Commission; Michael Jolly, AIRCRE; Jack Hillbrand AIA, Architect; Matt Hoefler AIA, Architect; Phil Brock, SM Mayor (ret)
Meet the Man Behind the Burritos: Severiano Gonzalez Marks Four Decades at Tito’s Tacos
One Man’s Dedication, Four Decades of Flavor: Tito’s Senior Cook Speaks
By Dolores Quintana
Severiano Gonzalez is the senior cook at Culver City’s iconic Mexican restaurant Tito’s Tacos. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Gonzales was hired to work at Tito’s in 1985. After working at a plastics manufacturing company, when he was offered a job at the restaurant, he took it, and never looked back. The seventeenyear-old knew opportunity when he saw it.
After forty years with Tito’s and as the father of a family of four, Severiano Gonzales is known as a man of few words but a sincere dedication to his craft as a cook and, dare I say it, a chef.
I spoke with Severiano Gonzales, through an interpreter, about his work and his passion for cooking. One of the other employees, who has worked with him for many years, said that he was surprised that Gonzales spoke so freely, because he is a man of few words.
After the interview, I stopped to order food, and I had to wait for a bit because the restaurant had a line. It was clear that people love the food that Tito’s Tacos serves and the food that Severiano cooks with love.
Dolores Quintana: When did you first decide you wanted to be a cook?
Severiano Gonzalez: When there was an opportunity [at Tito’s Tacos], when they gave it to me. I took it.
Dolores Quintana: But I wondered if your family cooked a lot and if you learned how to cook at home. If you loved cooking with your family in your home, if that’s where your desire to cook came from. Also, I know that the cuisine in Mexico is different from what people in the United States know as Mexican food.
Severiano Gonzalez: Yes, my family always cooked, but restaurant cooking is different from homemade cooking. Home cooking is different because it’s not in a restaurant setting where you’re making tons of food all at once, but it’s also different because you’re making something for your children. Yes, I agree, Mexican food in Mexico is much different than Mexican food in the United States.
When the opportunity was given to me, and I found that I loved working here at
Tito’s, I took that opportunity because I wanted to grow. I wanted to learn. I was taught by the ones that came before me, the managers and the bosses that I worked with before when I was young. They taught me everything about the restaurant business: how to cook and how to manage the volume. Tito’s is a family business, and the ingredients have been in the family since the business started. They haven’t changed, so I have learned the Tito’s way.
Dolores Quintana: How long have you worked at Tito’s?
Severiano Gonzalez: 40 years. I started as a runner and a server, and then moved up to making food for the customers. I have been the senior cook for 25 years. I am in charge of cooking beans, rice, and enchiladas, and in charge of always being on top of what they need in the front of the house.
you say is correct. It’s a passion, and you do it, not just with passion, but with your heart.
Dolores Quintana: Cooking is a craft, and like a lot of other crafts, like writing or filmmaking or acting, or dancing, it’s also an art. I believe that chefs and cooks know that there is a magic of creativity involved. I think it is very similar. I’ve heard it described that they just want to feed people, and it’s just what makes them happy, you know? When they see people enjoying their food, they say, “My life has meaning.”
Severiano Gonzalez: It is a great pleasure to see people love what they’re eating, especially when the food is something that you’ve cooked.
Dolores Quintana: Is there anything like a specific dish or a type of food here that
Dolores Quintana: Does that mean that part of your skill as a cook is knowing and anticipating the needs of the business throughout the day? Is it that you have an eye for those needs or training?
Severiano Gonzalez: It’s both. I was very well trained to be on top of what is needed out in the front, and because I was so well trained, it has given me the eye to watch what is needed and to know what will be needed. I do this daily, so it’s something that comes naturally now.
I love what I do, and I’m very good at it, and I always strive to do my best when I am working.
Dolores Quintana: I’ve noticed that to cooks and chefs, cooking is more than just a job. It’s like a passion that is within them. How do you feel about your work?
Severiano Gonzalez: You have to be very vigilant when cooking because you know you want to make sure everything is coming out correctly. You’re right, what
you really enjoy?
Severiano Gonzalez: I eat a bean, cheese, and rice burrito and one taco with cheese every single day.
ZipRecruiter Inc. seeks Sr. Software Engineer II in Santa Monica, CA to design & implement user-facing web apps at scale & hold up to expansion of a diverse user base. Reqs. BS deg or foreign equiv in Comp Sci, Mgmt Info Systems, or rel. field & 5 yrs of post-bacc. exp. as Sr Software Engr, Staff Engr or rel. role. Exp. must incl. Linux, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, ECMAScript, Ruby & Java. Posn will be hqd in Santa Monica, CA but is a telecommuting posn, allowing for remote employment from various unanticipated worksites throughout the U.S. Salary $212,750/yr. Email resume: immigration@ziprecruiter.com.
