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SANTA MONICA – The Santa Monica History Museum announced a new exhibition, opening June 1, 2023 this week. Coming Out West: LGBTQ+ Elders Share Their Stories presents oral histories, images, art, and ephemera from well-known LGBTQ+ elders with ties to Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Bay area.

Created in collaboration with The Outwords Archive, the exhibition is a unique opportunity for the Santa Monica History Museum to share a history of the LGBTQ+ community through the lens of eight people who shaped it.

“We are thrilled to partner with The Outwords Archive to celebrate the rich history of the LGBTQ+ community and to use our museum as a conduit for bringing that to the public,” stated Rob Schwenker, Executive Director of Santa Monica History Museum. “In Santa Monica’s history, there has never been an exhibition of this nature; given there are more than 240 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation making their way through our government, now it is more important than ever to tell these stories.”

The exhibition features excerpts from oral histories recorded by The Outwords Archive (OUTWORDS). “OUTWORDS has recorded nearly 300 interviews in 38 states. We share our stories with students and teachers around the globe,” said Mason Funk, Executive Director of The Outwords Archive. “We are grateful and thrilled to partner with the renowned Santa Monica History Museum in this collaborative exhibition.”

Featured in the exhibition are revered members of the LGBTQ+ community:

“We’re honored to showcase each individual’s unique journey in this exhibition, as well as the history of the progress and the community they forged,” said exhibition curator Anne Wallentine. “With these artists, activists, writers, and philanthropists, we’re excited to highlight the wonderful diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the many ways people have created and lived their authentic lives.”

The exhibition will be open June 1 through December 17 at the Santa Monica History Museum, 1350 7th Street in Santa Monica. Public hours: Thursday, 2 pm-5 pm; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11 am-5 pm.

On June 24, there will be a community open house at the museum with free admission. All are welcome to experience this important exhibition.

The Santa Monica History Museum’s mission is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the Santa Monica Bay area. Founded in 1975, The Santa Monica History Museum makes accessible the diverse stories and experiences of the community through exhibitions, special events, oral histories, and via its celebrated collection of historical photographs.

The mission of The Outwords Archive (OUTWORDS) is to capture, preserve, and share the stories of LGBTQ+ elders, to build community and catalyze social change. OUTWORDS was founded on the belief that these unique narratives are essential to preserve as a priceless record of an unprecedented American social change movement, and as an invaluable source of education and inspiration for current and future generations of change-makers.

SANTA MONICA — Ahead of Thanksgiving, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Tuesday volunteered with Santa Monica College (SMC) for their 2nd Annual GIVING THANKS(giving) Holiday Grocery Drive-Thru Giveaway.

Padilla joined dedicated SMC volunteers, along with state and local officials to provide fresh holiday groceries to 1,500 food insecure students.

“As we approach Thanksgiving, it is important to support each other and our communities, and give back when we can,” said Senator Padilla. “I was proud to join Santa Monica College and regional partners for their annual holiday food drive to make sure students have access to fresh food and groceries this holiday season. But this is also a stark reminder that there is more work to be done to address student food insecurity, an issue that existed since before the pandemic. I’ve introduced the BASIC Act to give students the resources they need to stay focused on their education. No student should have to worry about meeting their basic needs while pursuing their education.”

“Having Senator Padilla attend today’s event is so powerful because it raises the importance of giving back to our community,” said Lizzy Moore, president of the Santa Monica College Foundation and Santa Monica College’s dean of institutional advancement. “The Santa Monica College community is grateful for his leadership in the Senate to push for the BASIC Act and other legislative proposals to address the dramatic rates of food insecurity that exists on all college campuses including Santa Monica College.”

Even before the pandemic, 50 percent of California Community College students were food insecure.

Senator Padilla has been a strong advocate for addressing food insecurity and ensuring students can meet their basic needs while pursuing a higher education. This year, Padilla introduced the Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act, bicameral legislation to ensure college students are able to meet their basic needs while pursuing their education. Specifically, the legislation provides $1 billion for grants to ensure institutions of higher learning have the resources they need to support their students’ most fundamental needs, and directs the federal government to streamline data sharing across agencies to help students qualify for aid – particularly Pell Grant recipients and attendees of community colleges and minority-serving institutions.

Senator Padilla also joined his colleagues in introducing the Student Food Security Act of 2021. This bicameral legislation helps address food insecurity on college campuses by enabling more low-income college students to access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), improve data collection and sharing, and create a new grant program to help colleges and universities support their students.

A rare black bear living in the Santa Monica Mountains has been tagged for research, according to park officials — the first bear to make its home in the region in decades.

The male bear, now known as BB-12, was captured last week in the western Santa Monica Mountains, where National Park Service biologists attached an ear tag and GPS radio collar to the 210-pound animal, according to an NPS news release. The bear is the first to be GPS-tracked in the park, which has not been home to a bear population in centuries, according to park officials.

In recent years, black bears have occasionally made their way south of the 101 Freeway — sometimes tragically killed trying to cross the highway — but such spottings are rare and usually short-lived, park officials said.

“He appears to be the only bear here in the Santa Monica Mountains, and he’s likely been here for almost two years based on our remote camera data,” said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the park’s 20-year mountain lion study. “This seems to be our first resident bear in the 20 years we have conducted mountain lion research in the area. It will be interesting to see how he shares the landscape with our other resident large carnivores.”

Biologists think the bear, estimated to be 3 or 4 years old, could be the cub that made headlines in July 2021 wandering through a Thousand Oaks neighborhood. Since that summer, researchers have captured a bear repeatedly on wildlife trail cameras in the western half of the park, according to the news release.

California

July 9, 2021

The Santa Monica Mountains haven’t had a resident bear population since the late 1800s, when grizzly bears last inhabited the region before they were hunted to extinction in California.

Black bears are not native to Southern California but are the only wild bears in the region, with the closest population living in the Santa Susana Mountains, park officials said. Occasionally, bears travel south of the 118 or 101 freeways: In 2021, one was spotted in Simi Valley, and in 2016, another was recorded in the Santa Monica Mountains. But park officials said there’s no evidence of a breeding population that far south.

“As this bear gets older and is looking to mate, it might attempt to move back north and cross the freeway again,” Sikich said. “With the radio collar, we can track its movements and hopefully know where it may attempt to cross the freeway. This can help us better understand habitat connectivity for wildlife in the area.”

Sikich said his team wasn’t expected to be able to tag the bear, but “an opportunity came up.”

Opinion

Aug. 1, 2022

“So we decided to do that and place a radio collar on it, and hopefully learn about where it goes, what’s its diet, is it crossing roads?” Sikich said. “There are a lot of basic ecological questions we hope to answer.”

When biologists captured the bear in late April to attach the tagging device, they also conducted a physical exam and took biological samples and body measurements, the news release said.

Park officials reminded hikers and visitors that black bears rarely become aggressive, but if one is spotted nearby, people should slowly back away while making their presence clear to the bear: yelling, clapping hands, whistling and trying to look bigger.

People should not run or make eye contact, park officials said, but fight back if the bear makes contact.

Biologists from the National Park Service are tracking an adult black bear that is believed to be the only bear living in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The three or four-year-old black bear, dubbed BB-12, was captured on April 23 in the western portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, just south of the 101 Freeway.

Biologists performed a physical exam, took samples and measurements, and attached both an ear tag and a radio collar before releasing it.

The National Park Service said it’s the first time they’ve ever captured and collared a bear in this area and BB-12 is possibly the only bear living in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“He’s likely been here for almost two years based on our remote camera data,” said Jeff Sikich, who has been the lead field biologist in charge of the park’s long-running mountain lion study. “This seems to be our first resident bear in the 20 years we have conducted mountain lion research in the area. It will be interesting to see how he shares the landscape with our other resident large carnivores.”

There have been bear sightings in the area throughout the years, NPS said, but BB-12 appears to be the first bear to call the region home. In July 2021, images of a young black bear were captured in Newbury Park and trail cameras have spotted a bear from Malibu State Park to Point Mugu — biologists say those images might just be of BB-12.

On occasion, black bears have been spotted in Simi Hills south of the 118 Freeway and even in the Santa Monicas south of the 101, but there’s no evidence of a viable breeding population in either area. The nearest breeding population, NPS says, is in the Santa Susana Mountains north of the 118 Freeway. That means this bear more than likely crossed a freeway or two to get to his current stomping ground.

Sikich says that the bear might attempt to move back north and cross the freeway again once he gets older and starts looking for a mate.

“With the radio-collar, we can track its movements and hopefully know where it may attempt to cross the freeway. This can help us better understand habitat connectivity for wildlife in the area,” Sikich said in a release.

Bears are omnivores and can live between 15 and 25 years, eating whatever is available to them, including fruits, nuts and insects, in addition to small animals and deer. They’ll often search out human food from cars, garbage cans and campsites and they’ll even consume dead animals that they find.

Although black bears can be found throughout much of the state, they aren’t actual native to Southern California. Thirty of them were brought to the region in the 1930s from Yosemite National Park. Previously, grizzly bears roamed the entire state before they were hunted to extinction. The state’s iconic flag is highlighted by a California grizzly bear front and center.

Sikich and his team say they are excited to begin monitoring the bear as part of the Park Service’s ongoing wildlife study in the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s a new species for the biologists whose work tracking mountain lions revitalized interest in Southern California’s carnivores and shed new light on the interconnectivity between humanity and the wild.

They hope BB-12’s actions and movements will provide new insight on how wildlife “utilizes this urban, fragmented landscape.”

Whatever your preconceived notions of Westsiders are, there’s one stereotype we’ll allow: people who live on the Westside don’t like to leave the Westside. OK, one more: they like brunch. A lot. With these facts in mind, here you’ll find everything you need to know about brunch on the Westside. Whether you haven’t crossed the 405 in six years, or you just need a place to eat before the beach, this guide should point you in the right direction.

THE SPOTS

photo credit: Liz Barclay

7.9

Juliet

French•

Culver City

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Juliet is not a casual Saturday brunch option that calls for sweatpants: it's a glamorous occasion. This gorgeous French brasserie is filled with people who put serious thought into their monochromatic outfits, and every breakfast dish that hits your table looks expensive (because it is.) Luckily everything tastes good, too, like the sweet crêpres suzette with tangerine wedges, a croque madame that packs a kick from green chiles, and warm madeleines that come with whipped cream for dipping.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

7.7

Mírame

Mexican•

$$$$

419 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills

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Brunch at Mírame is the best of both worlds. You get to eat delicious and creative Mexican-leaning dishes like fried chicken tacos and sourdough pancakes stuffed with sweet corn, but on a breezy Beverly Hills patio that feels refreshingly casual for the 90210. The cocktails also happen to be excellent, including the tart Bidi Bidi Bom Bom that's essentially a passion fruit slushie spiked with tequila.

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7.7

Berbere

Ethiopian•

Santa Monica

BYOBLunch

$$$$

510 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica

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A good brunch date spot can be hard to find. Thankfully for anyone in the Santa Monica area, Berbere exists. This bright and airy vegan Ethiopian spot has white tablecloths and a serene jazz playlist. It's walk-in only, but never gets packed, and has a separate loft-style dining room that feels like a private oasis. The menu at Berbere includes some fun Ethiopian twists on tacos, sliders, and breakfast burritos, plus more traditional dishes. Plan a weekend morning meal here the next time you find yourself in love with a vegan.

Located in a part of Culver filled with very cool people who work in very creative offices, Destroyer is a daytime cafe unlike any other. We're pretty sure the coffee machine was brought here from the future (it's built into the counter), and it's entirely possible the food was, too. Seemingly simple dishes like raw oatmeal and almond milk or citrus-y french toast are transformed into works of abstract sci-fi art. A seasonal menu is projected on a wall like a slideshow presentation. And on weekends, the line to order at the counter wraps around the block. Destroyer is straight-up weird and oddly zen, but in the kind of way that has us planning our next meal on the sidewalk patio as you read this.

AOC is a classic, and even if it’s not as exciting as it was 10 years ago, it’s still a great spot to grab a crab omelet or vanilla french toast on a weekend morning. With a roaring fireplace and Juliet balconies circling the courtyard, this California/French spot still has one of the best patios in the city. You might be across the street from the biggest hospital in California, but here, you feel like you’ve been transported to a farm estate deep in Provence.

With a menu that swings from Korean to Japanese to Mexican to Italian and back again, even the pickiest eaters will find something great for brunch at Interstellar. This Santa Monica all-day cafe is one of the neighborhood's best sit-down options, and we've yet to try anything here that we wouldn't endorse. Biting into a fluffy milk bread and egg sando is practically meditative. You'll have similar perfect-bite experiences with the breakfast burrito, cotto ham croissant, and the black truffle linguini with a poached egg.

LA Guide

Uncle Bill's Pancake House is as old-school as it gets. This Manhattan Beach spot has been open for almost 60 years and still attracts pretty long waits on the weekend. Don't expect craft cocktails and creative uses of avocado—you're here for giant stacks of pancakes with a side order of waffles. Bonus: a pretty awesome ocean view.

Brunch is essentially The Rose's reason for being. The huge interior and two patios look their best during daylight hours, there's no shortage of options on the cocktail front, and the breakfast items are all over the place in a good way. You can order a standard breakfast burrito and fruit bowl or kick off the day with dishes like Korean-style duck egg fried rice, lobster scramble, and breakfast cacio e pepe covered in grated pecorino.

This old-school diner is the kind of spot where you’ll sit next to a couple dissecting their granddaughter’s soccer game and debating the best dogsitter for their corgi over perfectly fluffy pancakes. Weekends usually mean you’ll wait, but you can always pour yourself a cup of self-serve coffee from the big carafe out front and wander over to the nearby golf course to continue living out your suburban fantasies. Once you sit down, focus on the classics and grab an order of the Biscuits From Heaven.

LA Guide

There’s no denying that on Venice’s Abbot Kinney Blvd, Gjelina reigns supreme. While there may be an aggressive wait and uncomfortably attractive people inside, Gjelina is always a good idea. Their Neapolitan pizzas, lemon ricotta pancakes, and soft scrambles are among our all-time brunch favorites. Go ahead and wait the extra 30 minutes to sit outside, we promise the out-of-towners you’re trying to impress will love it.

Before you spend a day at the beach pretending you’ve played beach volleyball before and forgetting to put on sunscreen, you’ll need brunch. And Playa Provisions is about as close as you can get to eating eggs on the beach, without the risk of sand in your scramble. The outdoor dining room has dune views, and you can sit next to a fireplace that makes you feel like you’re at a bonfire at Dockweiler (before you go to an actual bonfire at Dockweiler). Get one of their cocktails and you won’t ever want a mimosa in the morning again.

SANTA MONICA, CA — A First Republic Bank branch in Santa Monica was among 10 in Los Angeles and Orange counties that became a JP Morgan Chase Bank overnight after regulators seized First Republic in what's being called the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

The change stems from a fast-paced series of events over the weekend, but local customers were being assured Monday morning that their money was safe. The bank was the 14th largest U.S. bank with 84 locations across eight states, the New York Times reported.

"JPMorgan will protect all deposits, insured and uninsured, bringing our financial strength, capabilities and capital to support First Republic's clients and the U.S. banking system," Chase officials said in a statement. "JPMorgan Chase has been a leader in financial services for more than 200 years, and we look forward to continuing to serve you and be deserving of your trust and business."

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Chase noted that all banking offices will be operating as usual, and customers can continue to manage their funds through www.FirstRepublic.com or on the bank's mobile app.

First Republic was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver. The FDIC, in turn, entered into an agreement to sell the bank's assets to JPMorgan Chase.

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As a result, the First Republic Bank branches opened Monday morning as branches of JPMorgan Chase, including the branch at 431 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.

First Republic’s shareholders and debt holders will be wiped out in the deal, according to the Times.

First Republic Bank had approximately $229.1 billion in total assets and $103.9 billion in total deposits as of April 13, 2023, according to the FDIC.

First Republic Bank was based in San Francisco. It is the third and biggest U.S. bank to fail this year, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in March and Signature Bank. First Citizens Bank eventually acquired Silicon Valley Bank and a subsidiary of New York Community Bank bought most of Signature Bank after they were taken into receivership by the FDIC.

First Republic Bank had 7,213 employees as of 2022 and served customers in Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Wyoming in addition to California.

On Friday, shares of First Republic Bank stock closed at $3.51, down more than 97% to date. Trading of the bank's shares was halted on the New York Stock Exchange several dozen times last week because of its value was so volatile. The bank announced on April 24 it lost $100 billion worth of deposits during the first three months of the year.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement saying, "In close partnership and coordination with the FDIC, California DFPI took decisive and critical action to stabilize the situation, avert layoffs, and protect Californians. The swift action by FDIC to secure a purchaser for the bank will protect depositors, including uninsured depositors."

The failure of First Republic is second in size only to the 2008 collapse of Washington Mutual, which was also taken over by JPMorgan Chase.

President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters outside the White House Monday, sought to assure the public that bank funds are safe.

"Regulators have taken action to facilitate the sale of First Republic Bank and ensure that all depositors are protected, and the taxpayers are not on the hook," he said. ``These actions are going to make sure that the banking system is safe and sound and that includes protecting small businesses across the country who need to make payroll for workers.

``Let me be very clear, while depositors are being protected, shareholders are losing their investments, and critically, taxpayers are not on the hook, as I said earlier."

City News Service. Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.