October 30, 2026
October 30, 2026
On October 29, 2026, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to Parking Structure 5 near Broadway and 4th Street after receiving a report of an individual experiencing a mental health crisis. Officers made contact with the person at the scene. The individual was subsequently taken into police custody and transported for a medical evaluation, consistent with procedures for welfare checks and crisis interventions under California law....
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A man accused of fatally shooting a 22-year-old during a vehicle confrontation in Santa Monica in late March was arrested in Mexico nearly seven months later and returned to the United States to face murder and attempted murder charges, the Santa Monica Police Department announced this week. Manuel Reyes, 26, of Adelanto, was taken into custody on Oct. 20 in the Mexican state of Nayarit, on the country's Pacific coast. The arrest followed a coordinated...
OCEANO, Calif. - A large great white shark swam within feet of surfers off the San Luis Obispo County coast Wednesday morning, splashing one with its tail before turning and swimming away, according to drone footage and the surfer involved. The encounter occurred around 10:30 a.m. near Pier Avenue. Drone pilot David Steiner captured the moment as the shark, estimated at 12 to 15 feet long, approached a group of surfers. It passed near the board of Oceano resident Joel...
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - Sick and dead sea lions have continued to appear on beaches in Half Moon Bay and surrounding San Mateo County waters throughout October, even as response calls declined elsewhere along the California coast. The area has remained a primary hotspot for strandings linked to a record-setting outbreak of domoic acid poisoning. The Marine Mammal Center, which operates a roughly 600-mile response range, reported more than 300 cases of domoic acid poisoning in...
Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority since 2024, resigned late Wednesday, citing personal and family priorities. His departure comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the long-delayed project. An inspector general investigation recently found nearly $600,000 in questionable consultant travel expenses, including first-class flights and trips to a nightclub, cigar lounge, and other locations. Earlier this month, the board stripped Choudri of sole authority over...
October 28, 2026 - A temporary localized ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian forces took effect early Tuesday in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Ukraine's Kherson region, brokered through the direct efforts of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The pause began at 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (3:00 a.m. Kyiv time) on October 27-accelerated by two days from an earlier announced start date-to protect civilians and enable the delivery of critical humanitarian aid. In a post on...
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was re-elected to a fourth non-consecutive term on October 25, 2026, defeating Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil's presidential runoff. With nearly all votes counted, Lula received 51.79% of valid votes (approximately 64.26 million) to Bolsonaro's 48.21% (approximately 59.83 million), a margin of about 4.43 million votes, according to Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The result marked a historic comeback. In the first round on...
Shani Nicole Louk, the 22-year-old German-Israeli tattoo artist and influencer whose partially clothed body was filmed being paraded through Gaza on a pickup truck on October 7, 2023, has seen the Hamas cell responsible for abducting her remains fully accounted for by Israeli forces. Louk, born February 7, 2001, to an Israeli father and German mother, lived in Tel Aviv and was known for her art, dreadlocks, and love of music and dance. She was attending the Nova (Supernova)...
LOS ANGELES - Federal prosecutors on Monday charged 28 lawful permanent residents across California with election-related crimes, including fraudulent voter registration and making false statements on naturalization applications, in a coordinated operation officials dubbed "Protect the Vote." Eleven of the defendants were taken into custody that day, with the remainder expected to be arrested soon, according to the Department of Justice. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent...
SAN ANTONIO — Technical Sergeant Ian Patterson, a decorated 15-year U.S. Air Force veteran, died October 17, 2026, from injuries sustained when he fell during a military rappelling demonstration at the Alamodome ahead of a University of Texas at San Antonio football game against the U.S. Naval Academy. Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, at Joint Base San Antonio, was one of four Air Force members...
Thousands of registered voters in California's Tulare County were accidentally mailed duplicate vote-by-mail ballots for the November 3, 2026, midterm elections after a private printing vendor reprinted and sent a batch of ballots by mistake, county officials said. The error affected 7,791 voters-about 3% of the county's roughly 227,000 registered voters-and was concentrated in the city of Tulare, where roughly 23% of the city's more than 34,500 registered voters received an...
SAN FRANCISCO - Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton announced Wednesday that he would abolish tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge and other fully paid-off bridges if elected, funding maintenance instead through the state budget. In a video posted to X from the bridge itself, Hilton said drivers currently pay over $10 to cross, "supposedly to cover its construction costs," but noted that the original $35 million in construction bonds were retired in 1971. "California...
The New York City Council voted on October 22, 2026, to ban horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park, approving legislation known as Romanch's Law that will end the industry by June 1, 2028. The measure passed 40-7, with two abstentions, and is supported by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is expected to sign it. The ban follows years of debate over animal welfare and public safety and gained momentum after a fatal accident earlier this year. Romanch's Law is named for...
How Come it Took the Left 8 Months to Expel George Santos, But it Took the Right 8 Years to Indict Ilhan Omar? Both lied about their names and origins. WASHINGTON - As federal investigators probe Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) immigration history and identity following a search of her Washington residence earlier this month, some observers and the former congressman George Santos have drawn parallels to Santos's own well-documented fabrications about his background. The cases...
The recent "OmniPeace Foundation Casino Night" brought the glitz and the glam in full style for their recent fundraising event. Hundreds of supportive guests showed up wearing black tie and stunning gowns, a nod to the days gone by of sophisticated Hollywood glamor and the golden days of Las Vegas. Founder of OmniPeace, beautiful powerhouse Mary Fanaro designed/produced the event and ensured the red, black and gold decor was flawless. She left no details out and transformed...
I lived in Santa Monica for over 33 years. I raised five kids here, in rent-controlled buildings. My kids go/went to Samo public schools and SM college. I've worked with youth for the SM Boys and Girls Club at various school playgrounds and volunteer coached youth for many seasons in AYSO. Our kids swim at the beach, go to the libraries, play at the parks, skate at the Cove. At its heart, this is a great town, and it should be a great town for our kids to fully enjoy. But our...
