Tag: Main Street

SANTA MONICA—Santa Monica’s summer event, “State of the City 2026: From Realignment to Renaissance,” will take place Thursday, July 23, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ocean Park Branch Library located along Main Street between Hollister Avenue and Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica.

This family-friendly event invites residents and visitors to support local businesses, explore the corridor, and even take part in fun activities and exhibits celebrating the city of Santa Monica’s accomplishments. There will even be special meet-and-greet opportunities with ESPN personality and NFL Network reporter Taylor Bisciotti to celebrate the launch of ESPN Beach next year.

ESPN Beach is scheduled to launch next year as the state-of-the-art multiplatform hub for Super Bowl coverage and will simultaneously serve as an immersive fan experience. ESPN Beach will be located at the Santa Monica Pier and Beach.

Goldenvoice, a division of AEG Presents and creator of Coachella, will offer a preview of Ocean Way Festival, a new music festival coming to Santa Monica this September.

Mayor of Santa Monica, Caroline Torosis, will deliver a speech during the event addressing its importance and attendees. Torosis explains the significance of “State of the City” being held on Main Street.

“Santa Monica is on stronger footing than we’ve been in years, and this year’s State of the City is about what we do with that. We’re holding it on Main Street, outside the newly reopened Ocean Park Branch Library, because the future of this city gets built in neighborhoods like this one. I’ll be sharing where we’re headed on housing, public safety, and a local economy that works for the people who live and work here,” said Torosis. 

The city of Santa Monica will also distribute a limited number of vouchers that are redeemable for one eligible purchase per person, excluding alcohol, at participating Main Street businesses while supplies last. 

The Main Street Entertainment Zone will allow adults 21 and older to purchase alcoholic beverages from participating businesses and consume them on sidewalks between Strand Avenue and Pier Avenue as well as in the closed section of Main Street. Wristbands are required, and outside alcohol is prohibited. 

Due to the event, Main Street will be closed from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information on “State of the City,” including parking, transportation, and accessibility, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/state-of-the-city-2026-tickets-1991414932671

By Ryley Metten

SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department is looking for a suspect who attacked a 6-year-old girl on Sunday, March 10.

Canyon News received an email from Lt. Erika Aklufi of the SMPD who indicated the incident transpired at 7 p.m. on March 10.

A male (not confirmed as homeless) was sitting on a bus bench at Main Street and Marine
Avenue acting erratically. A 6-year-old child and her parents were walking
northbound on Main Street behind the bench when the suspect spun around and
struck the child causing her to fall to the ground.

Authorities indicated the child was not seriously injured. The suspect, described as a Black male, approximately 6 feet and 1 inches tall and between 30-35 years old, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans, fled the location northbound on Main Street and out of sight. He was not apprehended.

There was no warning before the incident transpired. The suspect then got up and started screaming. The girl and her family were visiting Santa Monica from the East Coast. The city of Santa Monica recently started a Homeless Liaison Program aimed at addressing the issue of homelessness in the region.

“An incident like this one is an affront to public safety and will not be
tolerated. Even more so that a child was involved. Any crime committed in
Santa Monica is a crime too many; our department stands strong in the
face of anyone who chooses to victimize those who are in this city. Our
detectives are working hard to uncover more details of the incident and
identify and apprehend the suspect.

We appreciate our partnership with our community, relying on our
residents, business owners and visitors to provide us with information about
criminal behavior. We continue our specialized uniformed deployments on
Main Street and in our Downtown area. Our goal is to be proactive and
present, providing safety and security to our residents and visitors.

In addition, we are deploying our Homeless Liaison Program Team of police
officers and a mental health clinician to provide much needed resources to
those experiencing homelessness. Our efforts, combined with the Therapeutic Transport Team and the Salvation Army, provide us a platform to redouble our efforts to connect individuals with treatment and shelter,” said Chief Ramon Batista in a statement.

The SMPD is asking anyone with information related to the suspect or incident to
contact Detective Diaz and Daniel.Diaz@santamonica.gov, Detective Sergeant
Goodwin at Chad.Goodwin@santamonica.gov, or the Watch Commander (24
hours) at 310-458-8427.

By Trevor