Latest news with #SantaMonicaCityCouncil
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Southern California's Third Street Promenade to join Vegas, NOLA to allow booze on street
Southern California's Third Street Promenade to join Vegas, NOLA to allow booze on street Show Caption Hide Caption Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade entertainment zone approved Adults 21 and over will be able to buy alcohol from licensed participating businesses and consume drinks in designated areas beginning next month. Fox - LA LOS ANGELES – A prominent Southern California shopping district is taking a cue from Bourbon Street and the Las Vegas Strip in an effort to draw more crowds. The Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved an ordinance allowing people to drink alcohol along the Third Street Prominade, provided they've bought it from one of the zone's businesses. The ordinance, voted on in the early hours of May 14, created a new entertainment zone that covers a three-block stretch from Wilshire Boulevard to Broadway. The promenade is for pedestrians only and has long been blocked off to cars. Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis said that the entertainment zone is an attempt to stimulate an area that has seen waning fortunes since the COVID-19 pandemic. "We're trying to revitalize our downtown core, we're trying to support our small businesses, and we're trying to bring fun and joy and vibrancy back to the Promenade," Torosis said during the over eight-hour meeting. Residents voiced concerns over safety and public intoxication during public comment ahead of the decision. "If you have no control over the homeless, by not providing the city with enough police, how will this action create more control over those issues?" resident Denise Barton said during the meeting. Local business owners supported the action, saying that the promenade needs to diversify its offerings to survive. "Everything that you've seen in the last six months on the promenade that has opened have been predominantly entertainment and interactive-based businesses,' Motty Miranda, a resident and business owner said at the meeting. 'When you have these businesses, you have limited capacity of reservations and alcohol is essential in order to pay rent and be successful in a place like Santa Monica.' Entertainment zone rollout limited, with eyes towards expansion The entertainment zone will initially apply from Fridays to Sundays, between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. A city staff report states that, though the ordinance takes immediate effect, the rollout requires that the city and businesses have security and operational safeguards – including appropriate signage and alcohol safety training for participating establishments – before the "regular activation" of the zone begins. The council provided direction to staff to expand the zone to cover the promenade throughout the week from 8 a.m. and 2 a.m. as quickly as possible. The ordinance prevents shoppers from bringing their own alcohol to the promenade, requiring businesses to provide wristbands to show that beverages were purchased in the entertainment zone. Drinks will not be allowed inside shops. There are 13 businesses licensed to serve alcohol on the promenade, according to a city staff report. The city anticipates that the first day the entertainment zone will be activated is June 21 to coincide with the city's Pride on the Promenade event. First entertainment zone outside San Francisco following new state law The Third Street Promenade entertainment zone is the first in the region following the passage of California Senate Bill 969 in September 2024. The bill expanded the ability to create entertainment zones to local governments throughout the entire state after previous legislation gave the ability to the city and county of San Francisco. San Francisco lists four entertainment zones across the city on its website, and Mission Local reported that Mayor Daniel Lurie announced legislation to add five more in April.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Concerns linger about toxic materials from Palisades Fire found in sand at local beaches
As summer approaches and beachgoers flock to the coast, environmental groups are warning that the sand at many of Los Angeles' most popular beaches may not be safe. After the Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres in January, toxic debris has blanketed several coastal communities. Now, environmental organizations say the sand contains harmful toxins. It's been four months since the fire, and chunks of toxic debris remain in storm drains — not just pieces of homes, but electronics, car parts and other unknown materials. Concerned for public safety, one local conservationist, who is also a mother, spent $8,000 of her own money to test sand from multiple locations in Santa Monica Bay. Ashley Oleson, a conservation biologist who spends time at the beach daily, said the debris has been polluting the beaches and storm drains for months, creating a public health hazard. 'It's shocking. I know it's hard to believe that kids play here all the time. I see kids in this water,' Oleson said. She confirmed the presence of toxic metals. 'This is, yeah, I tested this specifically. And lead, arsenic, mercury and chromium,' she said. Concerned about the impact on wildlife and the environment, Oleson has been tracking the response to the debris and repeatedly speaking at Santa Monica City Council meetings to urge officials to stop grooming the sand. 'As this debris has been left out on the beach in the sun, it's become really brittle. It's breaking into smaller and smaller pieces,' Oleson said. 'They groom the beach and they — and it's just a big rake. And so as they're doing this now, all the pieces of debris that are brittle, you'll see they're burnt, pieces of wood are breaking down and being spread all over.' Oleson began collecting sand samples 49 days before government agencies conducted their own testing. She sent six critical samples from January and February to a lab and compared the data to California Human Health Screening Levels. KTLA 5's Kacey Montoya stands next to conservation biologist Ashley Oleson in the Santa Monica Bay, observing some debris left behind from the Palisades Fire. (KTLA) Her results showed that arsenic, chromium and mercury were above safe levels and rose even more after two rain events. Lead levels were below the screening threshold, but she said no amount of lead is safe for children. 'I absolutely don't think it's safe for children, especially with the hand-mouth behavior on the sand,' Oleson said. The State Water Board conducted its own testing in late February, collecting 15 samples across Santa Monica Bay, from Zuma Beach to RAT Beach. Arsenic levels were above the state's safe thresholds at all 15 locations. Lead was present at all sites as well. However, Los Angeles County health officials said those lead levels were below background levels and do not pose a risk to human health. In a statement, officials said: 'Beachgoers may now enter the ocean water and recreate on the sand in these areas, but they are still advised to avoid fire debris in the water, as the fire debris may contain harmful substances.' Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, said she wouldn't let her own children near the affected sand. 'I wouldn't want my children playing in that sand. I wouldn't want that sand in my sandbox,' Williams said. Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, talks to KTLA about toxic debris left behind on local beaches following the Palisades Fire. She argued the metrics being used by the county are outdated, especially after the Environmental Protection Agency tightened decades-old standards on lead dust exposure in January. 'Well, the most current EPA standards on indoor lead exposure is zero. And the most current Center for Disease Control guidance document on lead exposure is zero,' Williams said. She also noted that arsenic, like lead, is more dangerous than previously thought. 'Arsenic is similar to lead, except it's carcinogenic as well as being a neurotoxin,' she said. 'And so this is something that the state probably should rethink and develop new guidance on.' Both Williams and Oleson said officials need to communicate better with the public by posting warning signs on the beach to alert visitors about elevated toxic metal levels. 'I'm still looking at so much debris, which could be manually removed from here that kids are playing in daily,' Oleson said. 'And so I don't understand how that is acceptable at this point. The homes that burned down in Malibu are still sitting in the water's edge right now, leaching all kinds of stuff into the ocean which comes directly here onto our shores. The bottom line is do you want your family to be exposed to these — this number of lead or mercury or arsenic? I think that overall people are going to say no.' Los Angeles County health officials declined to speak on camera. The city of Santa Monica did not respond to requests for comment. Officials have never tested Santa Monica Bay beaches for toxic metals before, meaning there are no benchmarks to compare current results against. They used results from previous California wildfires instead — but some experts say that's not an accurate comparison, noting that an urban wildfire like the Palisades Fire reaching these beaches is unprecedented. The most recent testing showed arsenic levels above what the state considers safe. While officials claim these are within naturally occurring levels, experts dispute that. Exposure to these toxins likely won't cause immediate symptoms but may increase the risk of long-term health problems. County officials said they plan to test again before Memorial Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
