Council Approves Five-Year-Plan to Improve Big Blue Bus Services
The Initiative Aims to Expand Operating Hours, Improve Connectivity, and Create More Frequent Service
By Zach Armstrong
A five-year plan from Big Blue Bus to expand operating hours, improve connectivity, and create more frequent service was approved by the Santa Monica City Council following 18 months of community and stakeholder outreach by the transit agency.
Under the initiative, the Westside transportation service aims to yield a series of improvements: a weekday service every 10 minutes on select corridors during peak hours; enhanced connectivity to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, Culver City Transit Center and the Metro Rail D Line extensions; and added service time so that most routes start earlier, end later and have weekend operations.
According to a draft of the proposal, changes include several routes being discontinued and reinvested into other
routes to increase bus frequencies. These include the Rapid 3 line which would be reinvested into Route 3 for more rapid bus service along Lincoln Boulevard.
The “Brighter Blue” plan was conceived “in response to post-pandemic travel behavior changes” and to make Westside’s transit system adequate and ready for upcoming major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.
“Service needs to be fast, frequent, safe, and reliable to serve as an effective transportation mode.” Santa Monica Department of Transportation Director Anuj Gupta said in a news release. “Concentrating investments on key highfrequency routes will create a stronger foundation for our overall network, making Big Blue Bus’s service more attractive and convenient, reducing wait times, and providing more flexibility to current and future riders planning their trips.”
“Brighter Blue” is one of many projects from the Department of Transportation to bolster rider experience on a Big Blue Bus.
By the end of the decade, BBB aims to achieve a complete zero-emission, battery electric bus fleet by 2030. After the transient agency conducted an automated bus lane technology pilot last summer, staff is expected to recommend a permanent program to City Council for approval. BBB also began upgrading its fleet communications system for better real-time bus arrival predictions and minimize service delays and
disruptions.
Approval of the half-decade-long initiative also comes just months after Big Blue Bus began stationing “transit safety officers” at certain bus stops and on high-traffic routes to enhance safety.
The officers were provided by Good Guard Security: a California-based firm that signed a $2.2 million contract with the City of Santa Monica the previous year.
The last time Big Blue Bus conducted a systematic examination of its
Fatal Collision on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on July 4
Driver Killed in Head-On Crash; Investigation Ongoing
The City of Malibu is deeply saddened by the loss of life following a fatal traffic collision on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) at Carbon Canyon Road on the night of July 4, 2024.
According to a press release from the City of Malibu, deputies from the Malibu/ Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station responded
to the incident at approximately 10:17 p.m. The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2019 Mercedes Benz traveling eastbound on PCH crossed the center median for unknown reasons and collided head-on with a westbound 2020 Cadillac.
Tragically, the driver of the Cadillac was pronounced dead at the scene. The identities of the individuals involved are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The passenger of the Cadillac and the driver of the Mercedes Benz sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to a local hospital for
treatment. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, and further details will be provided as they become available.
Mayor Steve Uhring expressed his condolences: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life resulting from last night’s accident. This heartbreaking incident underscores the importance of the City’s ongoing efforts to address safety on Pacific Coast Highway.”
The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station is seeking witnesses to the collision. Anyone with information is urged to contact the station at (818) 878-1808.
operations and performance was in 2015 when it aimed to integrate its services with the Metro Expo Light Rail Line (E Line) which had just launched operations in Santa Monica. Since then, conditions within the city and ridership trends changed; particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Brighter Blue” was an effort to address those changes. For more details on “Brighter Blue”, go to https://storymaps.arcgis.com/ stories/62ad3b005e91485 2b0f90d5b28ecf7e2.
1 OF 2 DISPENSARY IN SANTA MONICA
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Four Arrested After Brawl at the Santa Monica Pier
Several vendors armed themselves with umbrella poles, belts, and at least one knife
Santa Monica police arrested four men after a brawl at the Pier left one victim with a stab wound and another with a potential broken ankle.
The altercation began on June 29 when vendor Efigenio Tacuba allegedly approached a group of beachgoers and sexually battered several females. Members of the group confronted Tacuba, who then called for assistance from fellow vendors.
Several vendors armed themselves with umbrella poles, belts, and at least one knife. Officers found one victim with a non-life-threatening stab wound and another with a possible broken ankle. Both were transported to local hospitals for treatment.
At 2:21 p.m., Santa Monica police officers responded to a 911 call reporting
multiple men fighting near Tower 14.
The report included information about one individual being stabbed. The SMPD drone was the first to arrive on the scene and confirmed an active fight, according to SMPD. Additional officers arrived shortly after and intervened.
Four individuals were taken into custody and charged by the LA County District Attorney with felony assault, and one with multiple counts of sexual battery.
Those arrested include Efigenio Tacuba, born January 1, 1994, charged with three counts of sexual battery and two counts of felony assault; Jorge Luis Cruz Murcia, born March 2, 1995, charged with two counts of felony assault; Samuel Manzanarez Hernandez, born July 19, 1984, charged with two counts of felony assault; and Oscar Samuel Hernandez, born July 2, 1977, charged with two counts of felony assault.
Additional arrests are likely. Anyone with information related to this incident, particularly cell phone video footage, is encouraged to contact Detective Holloway at Jacob. Holloway@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.
Food Water and Energy Part 1 of 3
SMa.r.t.
Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
Civilization, as we know it, requires many things, but the most critical and fundamental is an uninterrupted supply of three basic factors: food, clean water, and energy. If you have a steady supply of those (along with clean air) you can generally get your other basic needs met: clothing, housing, employment, mobility, education, Taylor Swift concerts, etc. etc. But the opposite is also true.
Any interruption of that steady supply cripples civilization and eventually crushes it. It does not matter if the interruption is caused by human carelessness or greed (think global warming), or by criminal human intention (think the war in Gaza or Ukraine), or by nature (think earthquakes or tidal waves) whenever that essential supply of those three factors is interrupted, the result is always the same. Sooner or later, we get: war, migration, disease, poverty, famine, death, and incalculable human suffering.
Seismic Threat Overdue
For our City, the biggest long-term threat to our supply of food, water, and energy is the San Andreas Fault. About every quarter century, that fault system, along with its many cousins, will shake the
Los Angeles basin with an earthquake of 6.0 or greater. Computer models suggest up to an 8.3 is possible in LA, but the last one was the Northridge earthquake in 1994 rated at 6.7.
Needless to say, we are “overdue” for another large shake. While the LA Basin is moving northward at an average of about 1 1/4” per year; the movement is not a smooth slide but a series of destructive jerks, often of several feet, that we experience as an earthquake.
The reason this fault system is so dangerous is that not only does it regularly kill and maim our residents,
but when it does snap, it can break a series of pipes, aqueducts, highways, and transmission lines that sustain our City and the 13 million residents of the greater LA regional area. That fault system is, unfortunately, perfectly positioned to sever our major arteries of water, food, and energy that come from sources east and north of us. Two aqueducts that supply us with about a quarter of our City’s water from the Sierras and the Colorado River cross the Fault.
The seismically vulnerable Highway 5, which was severely damaged by the Northridge Quake (see picture above), connects us to the Central Valley, our major food source. And finally, that fault system crosses natural gas pipelines and transmission lines that connect us to hydropower (Hoover Dam) and vast fields of solar collectors and windmills located in the deserts east and north of us.
Many Santa Monica businesses and residents already pay extra in their monthly power bills through the Clean Power Alliance to provide us the majority of our renewably (hydro, wind, and solar) generated electricity. However, those distant renewable power sources unfortunately are more vulnerable to seismic interruption than closer local fossil fuel power plants.
Threats already here. ??
While periodic seismic events are a
long-term threat to our constant water, food, and energy needs, the short-term threats are already present and impacting us today. For example, the water shortage caused by human-generated global warming has created a heatwave, cooking both the Central Valley (Fresno) reached 112 degrees last weekend) and the entire seven-state Colorado River watershed, which in turn is threatening our current water, food, and hydropower supplies. You can see this every two months when your water bill is going up at 20% a year (about 7 times the rate of inflation). This increase is designed to do five things. First is to encourage water conservation because of the higher price.
The second is to double the cost of water to businesses and residents in five years. (Explain why?) Third, this cost increase is designed to shift the huge burden of water infrastructure construction (new wells, bigger water mains, etc.) from developers to residents. The developers want you to pay the large costs of adding to the water infrastructure for the 8895 new Sacramento-mandated units to our City ( a nominal 20% population increase). Fourth, when the water finally becomes even more critical than it is now, there will be a bidding war for each increasingly expensive drop among the 88 cities LA County served by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD).
With the higher water fees, our City will be able to outbid many other cities to get a larger share of that vanishingly scarce resource. And finally fifth, with the water rates doubled, it will position the City to start the desalinization process since desalinated ocean water now costs about twice river and well water. Naturally, the desalinization plant will require another citizen paid for bond. Needless to say, desalinization comes with its own environmental downsides effecting marine life.
The lesson here is that our City is fortunate to be able to get 3/4 of its water from local wells and recycling at this time. If a quake knocks out the entire MWD water supply, but all our wells survive, we could still stagger on with the remaining 75% supply for the weeks or months it takes to fix the water system.
During that reconstruction period, we could, for example, pump out more water from our wells, temporarily dropping below the recharging level. In fact, up until the last few years, the City was making good progress in reaching water neutrality (no added consumption) and actually starting to reduce the remaining 25% of imported water.
This was particularly notable given the increasing development that has already occurred in the last few years. Had we stuck to our water sustainability plan and reached zero imports by 2023, we would have reached full potential seismic survivability in water independence.
However, when the State crammed 9000 new units in the next 8 years into our builtout City, our water sustainability plan blew out the window. Our potential seismic shortfall ballooned from about 25% to about 35%. So, to please Sacramento, the pre-2020 city council gave up much of the water resilience we would need to survive in the seismic jelly bowl we live in. Sacramento’s water goal for us is even more hypocritical: that we should reduce our water consumption from all sources by 6% by 2040 while simultaneously increasing population by 20% by 2028. Its highly unlikely that any increased efficiency, reduced demand, or water recycling will close a putative 35% gap and then still reduce water consumption by another 6%. We need to get used to living with a potential self-inflicted water shortage Disaster.
Next week’s article is about energy survivability.
By Mario Fonda-Bonardi AIA
S.M.a.r.t Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
Thane Roberts, Architect, Mario Fonda-Bonardi AIA, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Architect, Dan Jansenson, Architect & Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission, Samuel Tolkin Architect & Planning Commissioner, Michael Jolly, AIR-CRE Marie Standing. Jack Hillbrand AIA
For previous articles, see www. santamonicaarch.wordpress.com/writing
Elderly Hiker Rescued from Santa Monica Mountains
The LAFD dispatched both ground and air units to respond to the situation
A 66-year-old woman was rescued Saturday afternoon after suffering from exhaustion while hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The incident occurred around 3:37
PM on the Bienveneda Trail, north of Leacock Trail near Topanga State Park. The LAFD dispatched both ground and air units to respond to the situation.
An LAFD rescue helicopter deployed a flight paramedic to assess and stabilize the hiker. The paramedic determined the need for air evacuation. The hiker, whose condition was not immediately known, was hoisted into the helicopter and received continuing in-flight care en route to a nearby hospital.
The rescue operation involved multiple LAFD units, including Engine 23, Truck 69, and two rescue helicopters, among others.
Letter to the Editor: Criticizing Israeli Policy is Not Antisemitic
In the past several months, we’ve seen increasing protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza. We have also seen these protests brutally shut down in the name of fighting antisemitism. But are these protests actually antisemitic, or is that label a disingenuous attempt to quell legitimate criticism?
My Jewish ancestors immigrated from Russia in the mid-1800s to escape antisemitic violence. My great-greatgrandfather, Abraham Mooser, opened a dry goods store at Temple and Beaudry in Los Angeles. A short time later, he moved not too far from Ocean Park to become the first Jewish business owner in Santa Monica and later the postmaster of Ocean Park. Around that same time, the LA Times reported that “Two thousand Jewish families were driven out of Balta, and their houses wrecked recently by the Russians. They made a regular picnic of it, taking two days to complete the fiendish work.”
This was the antisemitism Abraham Mooser knew first-hand. He would be outraged by the way “antisemitism” is being used today: not to protect Jews, but to protect political agendas. War-mongers and right-wing Zionists (the majority of which are not Jewish, but white Evangelical Christians) are using Jews to justify continued support of a country that has killed thousands of women and children, committed
countless war crimes, and continues to illegally seize land in the West Bank. Protests (in which Jews play a significant role) are expressing legitimate desire to stop the flow of our tax and tuition dollars to fund these horrors. We must be able to have conversations about what we can and cannot condone in this world. When we call the slightest critique of Israel “antisemitic,” it not only shuts down these conversations
but obscures true antisemitism that is sadly alive and well in this world. It gives antisemites who want to harm Jews simply because they are Jewish a shield to hide behind and makes Jews around the world less safe. Holding Israel accountable for their actions is not antisemitic; it’s essential.
Respectfully, Dr. Chelsea Mooser
LA Times from 1882
Santa Monica Has a New City Clerk
She Served as Interim City Clerk Since December Following the Retirement of Denise AndersonWarren
The Santa Monica City Council has appointed Nikima Newsome as the new City Clerk. Her appointment is effective immediately, with an annual salary of $230,784.
Newsome, who has been with the City Clerk’s Office for five years, has served as interim city clerk since December 2023 following the retirement of Denise Anderson-Warren. Before joining Santa Monica, Newsome served the Township of Mount Holly in New Jersey for five years as township clerk, deputy registrar, and purchasing agent. She also held the position of deputy clerk of council
for the Cuyahoga County Council in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Being a city clerk has been my passion since I was introduced to the field, and I am incredibly honored and humbled to do what I love in the city I have come to love,” Newsome said in a news release. “I am so excited to usher in a new dynamic and energy to the City Clerk’s Office.”
Newsome holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgian Court University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Dayton. She is certified as a Certified Municipal Clerk and a Master Municipal Clerk by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, and she is a licensed Registered Municipal Clerk and Qualified Purchasing Agent in New Jersey.
“Ms. Newsome’s depth of experience and leadership makes her the perfect choice for our next city clerk,” said Mayor Phil Brock in a news release. “We’ve seen her navigate the interim role with the utmost professionalism, and I know we are in the best hands as she continues as our permanent city clerk.”
LAPD Detectives and LASD Collaborate to Nab Group Responsible for Over 30 Residential Burglaries
“Reflector Vest Crew” Burglary Suspects Arrested in Los Angeles
North Hollywood Division burglary detectives, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau, arrested members of the so-called “Reflector Vest Crew” on June 27 and July 3, 2024. The crew earned their nickname for using reflective clothing typical of construction workers to blend in and scout potential burglary targets without arousing suspicion.
The suspects, 39-year-old Roderick Dennis of Los Angeles, 21-yearold Michael Mitchell of Ontario, and 21-year-old Munya Jones of Los Angeles, targeted residences in affluent areas such as Studio City, West Los Angeles, and West Hollywood. The suspects would send one person, dressed in reflective clothing, to knock on doors to check if anyone was home. If the residence appeared unoccupied, the rest of the crew would break in, usually through the rear entrance.
Los Angeles Police detectives have
linked the crew to over 30 burglaries from March to June 2024. The suspects primarily stole high-end purses, jewelry, watches, and cash, using multiple rented vehicles and sophisticated techniques to avoid detection.
The investigation came to a head when detectives caught the suspects in the act during a burglary in Studio City on June 27, 2024. Subsequently, all three men were arrested and charged with multiple counts of residential burglary.
On July 3, 2024, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Burglary-Robbery Task Force executed a search warrant related to the investigation. The search led to the arrest of 33-year-old Ashely Ellison, Roderick Dennis’s girlfriend. Ellison was found to have rented vehicles used in the burglaries and stored stolen items for Dennis. During the search, detectives recovered thousands of dollars in cash, two stolen firearms, jewelry appraisals, and additional evidence linking the crew to the burglaries. Ellison was arrested for receiving stolen property.
The investigation is ongoing as detectives work to identify additional suspects and potential crimes committed by the group. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, Major Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case.
Detectives are seeking further
information regarding these burglaries. Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD North Hollywood Burglary Detectives at 818-754-8410. For calls outside business hours or on weekends, please dial 1-877-LAPD24-7 (877-527-3247). Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-
TIPS (800-222-8477) or visit www. lacrimestoppers.org. Tips can also be submitted online via www.lapdonline. org under the “Anonymous Web Tips” section in the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu or through the “P3 Tips” mobile application, selecting LA Regional Crime Stoppers as the local program.
Award-Winning Soprano Makes Broad Stage Debut
Golda Zahra to Perform in LA July 13
By Susan Payne
Renowned Soprano Golda Zahra is making her homecoming back to Los Angeles this Saturday at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
Music lovers of every generation and genres are invited to experience Golda’s angelic soprano voice along with the Dream Orchestra conducted by Maestro Daniel Suk, who will perform music that will touch and appeal to music lovers of all ages.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, the 2015 LA Spotlight winner Golda’s return to Los Angeles culminates her talent and development in classical music starting a young age.
After high school in 2017, Golda moved to Italy to continue studying opera privately with some of the greatest Italian opera masters. Now at age 25, she returns this Saturday to share the two styles she knows best — opera and Broadway — and everything she’s learned from her overseas studies with Los Angeles.
Performing with Maestro Daniel Suk again, Golda says, is a dream come true, and a full circle moment, as she started training with Suk when she was 16 years old.
“Being able to sing at the Broad Stage is such an honor and it’s a beautiful full circle moment for me. To be able to work with Daniel and the Dream Orchestra; he’s really helped me grow as an artist and given me amazing opportunities and I’m so excited to share this labor of love to the Los Angeles audience and my fellow Angelenos,” Golda said.
Golda’s love for opera dates back to a young singer, age 4, listening to and attending operas with her parents. She studied classical piano and musical theater, ultimately joining the Colburn Music School in downtown LA and dedicated her life to opera. In 2021, as a finalist for Rai Radio’s “Voci in Barcaccia” international opera competition, she recorded a CD for Rai Radio in a performance that was broadcasted live from Rome.
Golda brings her love for opera to the Broad Stage this Saturday with hopes to liven her current vision and dream: to make classical voice exciting to all generations. From the perspective of a young classic musical artist, excitement and accessibility is important to Golda.
“As a classical singer, my goal is to make opera accessible for anybody and anyone,” said Golda. “Like Pavarotti, and friends — that was something that brought opera to everyone. It was something that made people smile and it warmed people’s hearts and it brought people together. I want to show everyone that opera is relevant to younger generation because you can feel, understanding and learn something
as you listen.”
Together with the Maestro Suk and The Dream Orchestra, Golda is scheduled to perform on July 13 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Broad Stage (1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401).
“We are bringing something different to the table, showing people that classical music isn’t only for one group
Westside Coffee Cart Establishes Santa Monica Spot
The Coffee Cart Will Continue Serving Coffee and Tea Options, Breakfast Selections, Along With Kids Options
By Zach Armstrong
7even Seas Coffee Co., a mobile specialty coffee cart company based in Venice Beach known for its specialty coffee and pastries, has established a
permanent spot in Santa Monica, as reported by LA Eater.
Now situated at 1715 14th St., 7even Seas will continue serving what it has from its cart set up: an array of coffee and tea options including cold brews, matchas, iced lattes, and more; breakfast selections such as the veggie burrito, breakfast sammie (english muffin, maple italian sausage, avocado, fried egg), barbacoa quesadilla (barbacoa cheese, avocado mash, grilled corn & peppers); along with kids options such as the honey hazelnut steamer or the pumpkin apple butter milk.
“Our team strives to foster an environment of inclusivity, where everyone feels welcome and valued. Additionally, we maintain the highest standards of integrity, conducting our business with transparency and
honesty.” as 7even Seas states on its website. “We are dedicated to the art and craft of coffee, continuously honing our skills and knowledge to deliver an everlasting coffee experience.”
7even Seas was created by CEO & President/Owner Ahmad Taylor who, according to its website, has been busy the past decade doing coffee roasting, coffee education and training, and then, as a logical next step, running his own coffee company.
“Taylor decided to combine his passion for coffee with his creativity as a photographer and graphic designer to build a coffee brand that focuses on making the highest quality coffee both delicious and convenient.” as its website states.
For more information, go to https://7evenseascoffeeco.com/.
of people, it can be enjoyed by anybody and anyone. Making this performance accessible to younger audience — both in ticket prices and relevance — it something that is important to me,” Golda added.
For ticket reservations and more information, visit GoldaInConcert.com.
