Local Briefs

Miramar Redevelopment Approved

The California Coastal Commission has signed off on a revised plan to redevelop the century-old Fairmont Miramar Hotel on Wilshire and Ocean Avenue.

The State’s coastline regulator approved a proposal by the Athens Group to greatly expand the seaside hotel at 101 Wilshire Blvd.

The Phoenix-based developer, acting on behalf of property owner MSD Partners of New York, intends to intensively redevelopment the property, once owned by Sen. Jones, the founder of Santa Monica. The new design does preserve the Live Oak tree at the center of the property.

In September 2020, the City of Santa Monica approved the 4.5-acre redevelopment project. A newly named Miramar Santa Monica would include 312 hotel rooms, 60 rentable condominiums, 18,000 square feet of ground-floor shops and restaurants, and a 428-vehicle garage.

Muscle Beach Reopens

After a two year closure, Venice's famous Muscle Beach reopened Monday morning.

The gym equipment is one of the most iconic fixtures along the Venice boardwalk. On Monday, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the outdoor gym's new equipment.

The park was fitted with all new racks, benches, machines, plates, and more, according to the City.

While the venue itself was closed for renovations, the annual Muscle Beach Championship was canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic after 20 straight years of competition. The competition returned in September 2021.

Ferris Wheel Green for St. Patrick’s Day

Pacific Park’s iconic ferris wheel was lit up in Green for St. Patrick’s day on March 17th.

Separately, Cameron Andrews suggests that Santa Monica is the perfect place to spend Spring Break 2022. “Now is the time to plan your Spring Break in Santa Monica to take advantage of exciting escapes with family friendly hotels, unique alfresco restaurants and plenty of fun outdoor activities for all ages. Spring Break vacation periods vary between March and late April.

A suggested 3-day itinerary fun plan includes visits to the Heal The Bay Aquarium, Pacific Park on the historic Santa Monica Pier, Cayton Children’s Museum and Stella Barra Pizzeria with time to hit the sand and parks to play or cruise 22 miles of paved bike path along the shoreline.

PO Boxes for Drug Dealers

The FBI seized money and valuable contained in about 800 safe deposit boxes they rented at the U.S. Private Vaults store in a strip mall on Olympic Boulevard in Beverly Hills, the LA Times reported in September 2021. The company admitted this week that many of its box holders were engaged in illegal activities, such as drug dealing.

Federal agents had suspected for years that criminals were stashing loot there, and they assert that’s exactly what they found. The government is trying to confiscate $86 million in cash and a stockpile of jewelry, rare coins and precious metals taken from about half of the boxes.

But six months after the raid, the FBI and U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles have produced no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the vast majority of box holders whose belongings the government is trying to keep, says the Times.

About 300 of the box holders are contesting the attempted confiscation. About 65 box holders have filed government claims the dragnet forfeiture operation is unconstitutional.

3 Car Crash on PCH

3.17.22 A three car collision on Pacific Coast Highway caused a car to roll into the sea on Thursday night just before 10 pm PST. After the vehicle rolled into the ocean, the driver and 2 passengers ran up the beach. The driver was captured later by police.

Police took one man to the hospital, he is reported in stable condition. The driver is in custody. Police closed 2 lanes of PCH following the accident.