November 4, 2026
November 4, 2026
Statewide, Democrats are ahead in most executive offices, while voters are supporting several housing- and education-related measures and rejecting others on voter ID, a billionaire wealth tax, and public campaign financing. These figures come from the California Secretary of State's unofficial election-night tallies (roughly 44–45% of precincts partially reporting as of about 9 p.m. Pacific Time) and contemporaneous updates from outlets such as NBC News. Results remain...
An elderly man died Tuesday afternoon after falling from a scooter and striking his head at the corner of 20th Street, according to accounts from people who passed the scene in the aftermath. The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on the block that includes a medical building next to St. John's Hospital. Witnesses described seeing police cordon off the area following the fall. The man, who had been riding the scooter, hit his head in the fall and later died. No other details...
The wind off the Pacific still carried the faint, sweet-rot smell of ash. I parked in the PCH parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach, where the road narrowed and walked the last quarter-mile down the slope to what had been the Palisades Bowl. The mobile-home park featuring wide views of the blue Pacific, sat in a shallow bowl of eucalyptus and ice plant; now the bowl held only concrete pads, blackened trailer frames twisted into question marks, and the occasional scorched...
GREENACRES, Fla. - A Learjet 60 carrying nine people plunged from the sky in a steep, high-speed dive and exploded in a massive fireball on impact in a mobile home park near West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon. The incident was captured in dramatic dashcam video, and air traffic control audio has circulated widely showing the crew's final, panicked transmissions. The aircraft, registered N722BD, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas earlier in the day...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
Los Angeles has no shortage of exciting restaurants, but gathering so much culinary talent under one roof is a rare treat. The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl 2026, held at the historic Barker Hangar (3021 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica) on Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, offered exactly that: a first-class pairing of restaurant tastings, awards, cooking demonstrations, and celebrity appearances. I attended both evenings and found the food exceptional. Each night had...
You took twenty years to save for that house. Or you have held onto a rent-controlled unit through three landlords because it is the only reason your family is still in Santa Monica. Either way, you were here first, and you are not sure anyone at City Hall remembers that. You have seen public land that could hold homes sold off instead. You called code enforcement about the leak, or the permit, and waited. You went to the meeting, and your three minutes became one, and the...
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...
FIVE ARTISTS, 1 STAGE, NO OVERLAPPING SETS Moby, the multi-Platinum-certified, 5x GRAMMY-nominated electronic music legend, is bringing a one-night-only headline performance to Pasadena on Saturday, November 7, with special guests Underworld, Fcukers, Nia Archives (DJ Set), and DJ Holographic. Produced by Goldenvoice, the concert will take place at Brookside at The Rose Bowl and marks one of only three confirmed North America live performances for Moby for the remainder of...
