SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Downtown Substation on Thursday, May 28 at 12 p.m.

The new Substation is located at Santa Monica Place at 395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 122, marking the next step in Santa Monica’s focus to strengthen public safety, support downtown revitalization, and expand visible police presence in one of Santa Monica’s busiest areas.

The Downtown Substation will serve as a public safety command center and community engagement hub, supporting faster coordination with downtown partners, enhanced foot and bike patrol deployment, and direct access for residents, visitors, and businesses.

The Downtown Substation reflects SMPD’s continued focus on the department’s four public safety pillars: crime suppression, homelessness response, traffic safety, and community engagement.

The new location will support a consistent and visible presence in the downtown core, including the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place, the Pier, and surrounding transit and pedestrian corridors.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—Around 12:26 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, a pair of thieves was captured on video entering an apartment building in West Hollywood and allegedly stealing packages and mail from the apartment’s mailbox located on the 1100 block of Larrabee Street, the WeHo Times first reported.

In the video, two suspects, a man and a woman, are seen walking toward the mailbox. The woman has black hair and light skin, and was wearing a black top, black pants, and a blue jean jacket.  The man was wearing blue jeans, a grayish hoodie, sneakers, and a blue baseball cap with the letters JA printed on the front.

The woman inserts an object into the lock and starts fiddling with it, while the man keeps watch, fiddling with something in his hand.  A nearby elevator door opens, and the man bends down, picks up the packages resting against the wall, and carries them into the elevator.  He comes back out and uses his hand to keep the elevator door open prompting the woman to step into the doorway, as he takes over the task.

After a few seconds, he succeeds in opening the front of the mailbox, allowing him to reach into all the slots, taking all envelopes and packages. The woman comes out of the elevator, takes some from him, and goes back into the elevator.

The theft was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and the investigation is ongoing; it is unclear how many packages and pieces of mail were stolen.

In July 2025, a person forced their way into Holloway Terrace at 8530 Holloway Drive and took mail on July 21, 24, 30 and July 31, the Beverly Press/Park LaBrea News reported.

According to ABC 7 Los Angeles, an apartment building on Sweetzer Avenue was broken into several times in 2025 where mail thefts transpired.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. They can also contact Crimestoppers by calling (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S).

By Daniel Diquinzio

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On May 13 and March 14, several incidents occurred in front of a business in the 8800 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, leading to the arrest of three suspects, who have all been charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office with felonies, the Pride LA reported.

On May 20, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station noted that deputies responded inside a business after a after a claim that a person had allegedly slapped and made criminal threats against another.  Security was forced to remove the suspect who allegedly threw glass and other things at patrons before getting involved in a fight.

After being located by the deputies, the suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats.

Deputies returned to region of Santa Monica Boulevard the next day in response to reports that two people were struggling outside.  A third person attempted to intervene and in the process was injured and taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

All 3 suspects were processed at the West Hollywood Station after being arrested, no details on the names of the suspects have or additional charges have been disclosed to the public.

By Daniel Diquinzio

SANTA MONICA—On May 24, at approximately 5:20 p.m. officers with the Santa Monica Police Department assigned to patrol downtown responded to a call of a reported assault with a deadly weapon in the vicinity of 3rd Street and Broadway. Officers arrived at the scene to discover a male suspect later identified as Tar Nay in his vehicle, brandishing stopping traffic, brandishing a baseball bat, and yelling threats at his victims. He exited his vehicle with his Cane Corso dog and were giving chase when Nay sicced his dog on one of the victims. The dog bit the victim on the thigh. Officers in pursuit stopped Nay on 4th Street and detained him. Bystanders provided witness statements and video evidence to the police to use in their investigation. Santa Monica Fire Department paramedics treated the victim of the dog bite at the scene. Nay was transported to the Santa Monica Jail and booked on the following charges: 245(a)(1) PC – Assault with a Deadly Weapon 422(a) PC – Criminal Threats The Santa Monica Animal Control Officers took custody of the dog and brought it to the local animal shelter. This is an active investigation. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the SMPD at 310-458-8427. By Sharon

MALIBU—On Tuesday, May 26, the city of Malibu announced that Southern California Edison (SCE) has started construction on the Merlin Circuit Targeted Undergrounding Project along approximately 3.2 miles of Latigo Canyon Road in Malibu as part of ongoing wildfire mitigation and electric reliability efforts.

This important infrastructure project will relocate overhead electrical equipment underground to help decrease wildfire risk, improve long-term fire safety, and strengthen electrical reliability during extreme weather conditions. Undergrounding utilities can help protect the power system from high winds, vegetation impacts, and other hazards that may contribute to wildfires and outages.

Construction is anticipated to continue through the third quarter of 2026 and will generally take place Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Residents and motorists should expect intermittent lane closures, minor traffic delays, construction noise, and traffic control measures in the work area along Latigo Canyon Rd during active operations.

Construction activities may include:
• Trenching and utility potholing
• Installation of conduits, vaults, and manholes
• Cable installation
• Asphalt restoration
• Removal of overhead electrical equipment
• Vegetation trimming for safe construction access

For more details visit: www.sce.com/tug. For questions or concerns email SCEprojects@sce.com or call 1-888-331-0010.

By Danny Jones

MALIBU—On Tuesday, May 26, the city of Malibu announced that Southern California Edison (SCE) has started construction on the Merlin Circuit Targeted Undergrounding Project along approximately 3.2 miles of Latigo Canyon Road in Malibu as part of ongoing wildfire mitigation and electric reliability efforts.

This important infrastructure project will relocate overhead electrical equipment underground to help decrease wildfire risk, improve long-term fire safety, and strengthen electrical reliability during extreme weather conditions. Undergrounding utilities can help protect the power system from high winds, vegetation impacts, and other hazards that may contribute to wildfires and outages.

Construction is anticipated to continue through the third quarter of 2026 and will generally take place Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Residents and motorists should expect intermittent lane closures, minor traffic delays, construction noise, and traffic control measures in the work area along Latigo Canyon Rd during active operations.

Construction activities may include:
• Trenching and utility potholing
• Installation of conduits, vaults, and manholes
• Cable installation
• Asphalt restoration
• Removal of overhead electrical equipment
• Vegetation trimming for safe construction access

For more details visit: www.sce.com/tug. For questions or concerns email SCEprojects@sce.com or call 1-888-331-0010.

By Danny Jones

MALIBU—The city of Malibu is looking to hire an Environmental Health Administrator to help protect public health, preserve water quality, and safeguard Malibu’s coastline for generations to come.

The position is open until filled and has a salary between $119,184-$155,508 annually with benefits. The position entails leading in planning, directing, administering and evaluating the City-wide Wastewater Management Program; develops and implements ordinances and regulations to promote the facilitation of decentralized wastewater treatment facilities, safety inspections, training and policy administration; administers and conducts plan check reviews of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems; provides complex professional staff assistance to the Community Development Director in areas of expertise; and performs related work as required.

Recruitment may close at any time without notice. To view the complete job description and qualifications, and apply at:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/malibucity/jobs/5153672/environmental-health-administrator?fbclid=IwY2xjawSDvt9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETAzQjNkSUVPSHIxQ0dOUnR6c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHs6J2qAv2MZoYimv4FtfGF5hZlchKn6j8SNkQvO2m13_0W_imztCRf5c_tVc_aem_d6eQsocOWqe44Z9eFsORBw

Anyone with details or who need special accommodation with the recruitment process can contact Human Resources at (310) 456-2489 ext. 488. Malibu is an equal opportunity employer.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Friday, June 12, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station arrested Shawn Greene, 35, on suspicion of bank robbery. Greene is now being charged with two counts of bank robbery. He is accused of robbing a Culver City bank on June 2 and a West Hollywood bank on June 12 using similar tactics.

At 1:10 p.m., deputies learned of a bank robbery occurred on the 3800 block of Culver Center Drive. The suspect entered the bank, approached the teller, and presented a demand note claiming to be armed and walked out with cash. The West Hollywood robbery occurred within view of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. According to WEHOonline, deputies tracked Greene using over 60 surveillance cameras and a drone as he fled on foot.

After Greene’s arrest, Culver City detectives traveled to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station to interview him.

He later admitted to committing the June 2 Culver City robbery, according to the Culver City Police Department. The case has been filed with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on June 16, where Greene was charged with two counts of bank robbery.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Stulp at (310) 253-6312. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

By Milan Manesh

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On June 13, former Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance at the historic LGBTQ+ bar The Abbey to celebrate Pride Month with the bar’s Saturday night dinner crowd. Accompanied by The Secret Service and her husband Doug Emhoff, Harris was captured on camera happily greeting guests, taking photos, and wishing The Abbey patrons “Happy Pride” documented by the WeHo Times News and Facebook page. After her appearance, Harris reposted the celebratory compilation video on June 15, curated by The Abbey Weho Instagram page, of her unexpected arrival to her 20 million Instagram followers. Megan Hanson

WEST HOLLYWOOD—Just in time to celebrate Pride Month, a new sapphic nightclub, Sweetwater, has opened up in West Hollywood. SweetWater opened its doors on the WeHo strip with a soft opening on June 5, the first day of WeHo Pride. The establishment is expected to celebrate a grand opening in the middle of June. 

SweetWater is a 2,363-square-foot nightclub that runs across 8869-8871 Santa Monica Boulevard on the corner of San Vicente Boulevard. The hours of operation will be Wednesday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 a.m. 

Owner, Bernadette Gambino, expressed how important it was to her to open one of the few lesbian owned spaces in West Hollywood after working on the club for the past two years, she informed Fox 11.  “Women don’t have a place. West Hollywood has been Boystown forever,” said Gambino to Fox 11. She added, “When they come through, i want them to say, Oh my God, I’m finally home.”

SweetWater is not only a nightclub with music and cocktails, but a place where women can come dance and enjoy themselves on a night out. Gambino hopes the establishment becomes a safe place for many women, lesbian identifying or not, who frequent the West Hollywood strip.

“This is SweetWater. A place where waves of energy meet the dance floor, where self-expression knows no limits, and where the connection between people is as deep and vast as the ocean,” the establishment states on its website.

By Ryley Metten