Effective January 2, 2026, all plaintiffs in limited-jurisdiction unlawful detainer actions must submit all known cellular telephone numbers for the defendant(s) at the time they file the complaint, according to General Order 2025-GEN-022-00 signed by Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II.The order requires plaintiffs to:Use the new Form LASC CIV 312 to list any known cell phone numbers for the tenant(s)/defendant(s).

Certify that they have provided all known cellular numbers.

Read More: https://www.smobserved.com/story/2025/12/02/news/span-classbrnwsbreaking-news-spannew-requirement-for-los-angeles-county-eviction-filings-cell-phone-numbers-must-be-provided-starting-january-2-2026/9442.html

Yet the 2024 US Census notes something else is missing— school-age children. Despite adding thousands of housing units, the interplay of demographic shifts, family composition, and economic constraints has led to a reduced demand for new three-bedroom units in Santa Monica, contributing to the broader enrollment decline observed in the local school district.

This isn’t anecdotal observation. It is demographic transition wrapped in the language of progress.

The school district runs parallel deception. Facing enrollment collapse that should trigger consolidations and administrative cuts, they import students from other districts. These families pay zero Santa Monica school bond assessments while their property taxes support their home districts. We subsidize their education while our own families flee.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2025/12/sm-a-r-t-column-the-erasure-how-santa-monica-lost-school-children-and-its-memory-part-one-of-three/

See Video: https://smmirror.com/2025/12/video-rents-at-new-santa-monica-complex-raise-eyebrows/

Applicants for free appliances under Santa Monica's REACH program must be renters as well as Clean Power Alliance (CPA) customers, "live in a building that is able to enroll in CPA service, or be able to confirm your landlord is enrolled with CPA," City officials said.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2025/December-2025/12_08_2025_City_to_Give_Low_Income_Renters_Free_Appliances.html

City officials announced Friday that City Clerk Nikima Newsome will leave the post in January, marking the fifth department head to depart since July.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2025/December-2025/12_08_2025_City_Clerk_Latest_Top_Official_to_Leave.html

We know it’s physically possible to build tall and dense. But the fact that we can doesn’t mean we should. Without analysis showing demonstrated need, this isn’t problem solving—it creates more problems and demonstrates that excesses result from poor planning.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2025/11/sm-a-r-t-column-the-case-against-overdevelopment-the-problem-with-problem-solving/

 The Santa Monica Rent Control Board received a comprehensive update on California’s 2025 legislative session on Thursday, though the presentation was marred by a significant error that drew sharp public criticism.

Read More on page 1: https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp_backissues/111925.pdf%0A

But unchecked growth risks eroding the very qualities that made the city desirable in the first place. Tourism, once the city’s lifeblood, has yet to fully recover since COVID. Visitors still come for the beach, the pier, and the promenade, but fewer linger. What drew them here was never density or spectacle; it was the feeling of openness, community, and the promise of restoration at the edge of the sea.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2025/11/sm-a-r-t-column-at-the-crossroads-preserving-santa-monicas-soul/

Second Readings

The council will also consider second readings and adoptions of several ordinances previously introduced Oct. 28, including amendments to rental housing registration requirements for units not subject to local rent control,

Read More: https://smdp.com/government-politics-2/santa-monica-city-council-to-tackle-airport-tanks-water-infrastructure-and-historic-preservation-appeal/

The new vacant properties registration ordinance will kick in 30 days after the City Council is expected to give its final approval on Tuesday and carries fees and penalties that have not yet been set.

Anyone who "owns or has control of a vacant property" must register the property by July 1, 2026 or within 30 days after it becomes vacant, whichever is later.