𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗬: Fans Flood Venice Beach to Celebrate Spain's Triumph

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: Spain supporters and soccer fans gathered Sunday at the end of Washington Boulevard near the Venice Beach Fishing Pier to celebrate the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Spain's World Cup championship victory. The free outdoor block party featured live performances on stage, DJs, dancing, and a festive atmosphere as hundreds of attendees filled the street. Fans waved Spanish flags, sang along with performers, enjoyed food and beer, and celebrated into the evening following the tournament final. The event, presented by Revival, marked the closing celebration of the month-long FIFA World Cup, which brought matches and fan events to Los Angeles and energized communities across Southern California.

𝗞-𝟵 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟: Santa Monica Police Canine Teams Sweep COAST 2026 Festival Before World Cup Final

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Sunday, July 19, 2026 — Santa Monica Police Department K-9 officers conducted a security sweep along Ocean Avenue Sunday morning ahead of the COAST 2026 open-streets festival, a citywide celebration marking the FIFA World Cup Final.

Santa Monica Closeup accompanied the K-9 teams for approximately 30 minutes as they patrolled the event footprint, moving methodically from booth to booth and through high-traffic gathering areas. The feature video offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the important role police canines play in securing large public events before crowds arrive.

The department's K-9 teams, K-9 Jack and K-9 Mylo, worked alongside their handlers, carefully inspecting vendor tents, equipment, staging areas, and other locations throughout the festival route. While the Santa Monica Police Department did not publicly detail the specific purpose of the operation, such pre-event sweeps are commonly conducted to detect explosives and other potential threats before major public gatherings.

The officers and their canine partners continued along Ocean Avenue from the Santa Monica Pier area through the festival grounds, with the dogs using their highly trained sense of smell to examine locations inaccessible to conventional security screening.

The Santa Monica Police Department's K-9 Unit serves as a specialized resource supporting patrol operations, public safety, and critical incident response. Depending on each dog's certification and training, police canines may assist with explosive detection, suspect apprehension, evidence recovery, building searches, area searches, and locating missing persons. Their ability to rapidly screen large areas makes them an important asset during major events attended by thousands of people.

This year's COAST 2026 festival transformed more than a mile of downtown Santa Monica into a car-free pedestrian zone extending from the Third Street Promenade and Metro E Line Station to Ocean Avenue, Colorado Avenue, Arizona Avenue, and the Santa Monica Pier. The free community event featured live entertainment, food vendors, art installations, family activities, and large-screen viewing of the FIFA World Cup Final.

Security planning for events of this size involves coordination among law enforcement, city staff, and event organizers to help provide a safe environment for attendees while minimizing disruptions to the festivities. The K-9 sweep represented one visible component of those preparations before thousands of visitors filled the streets.

Santa Monica Closeup followed K-9 Jack, K-9 Mylo, and their handlers throughout the morning patrol, providing an extended look at the professionalism, discipline, and teamwork involved in preparing one of Santa Monica's largest public events for the day ahead.

Santa Monica Closeup covers public safety, community events, civic life, and breaking news throughout Santa Monica and the surrounding communities.

𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘: Remote Workers Trade Cubicles for Sand and Surf in Venice

VENICE, Calif. — Friday, July 17, 2026 — Remote-work advocate and social media personality Scott Muirhead brought his popular outdoor meetup concept to Venice Beach on Friday, transforming a stretch of sand into an unconventional open-air office.

Muirhead, known online as “The Remote Work Guy,” curates gatherings in scenic locations where participants can work outside traditional offices while connecting with other remote professionals.

Dozens of participants worked from laptops beneath beach umbrellas as sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s provided comfortable conditions along the coast.

Some attendees wore bathing suits and bikinis, while others arrived with surfboards or brought their dogs. Makeshift workstations—including portable desks, folding tables and beach chairs—were arranged across the sand, blending a typical workday with the relaxed atmosphere of Venice Beach.

The gathering reflected the continued flexibility of remote employment, allowing participants to conduct business while spending the day beside the Pacific Ocean.

Santa Monica Closeup covers news, community events and coastal lifestyle throughout Santa Monica, Venice and surrounding communities.

𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗣 𝗟𝗔𝗫: JSX Makes Flying Into Santa Monica Fast, Easy and Surprisingly Affordable

 

One of the best parts of my recent trip wasn't just Cozumel—it was flying home from Scottsdale directly into Santa Monica Airport.

After spending a couple of days in Arizona following my trip to Cozumel, I headed to Scottsdale Airport and boarded a JSX flight to Santa Monica. The convenience was remarkable. Instead of flying into LAX, waiting for a shuttle, and then catching an Uber from the rideshare lot, I was home in about 10 minutes. It was one of the smoothest and most enjoyable travel experiences I've had.

One thing that surprised me was the cost. Once I factored in the value of free checked baggage, arriving only about 20 minutes before departure, the ability to bring my own beverages onboard, and not having to worry about the typical TSA liquid restrictions, the overall cost was about the same as flying through a major commercial airport. You don't have to be a celebrity or a business executive to fly JSX. For anyone who lives near Santa Monica or on Los Angeles' Westside, it can be a convenient, cost-effective, and low-stress alternative to LAX.

The experience also served as a reminder that Santa Monica Airport is currently scheduled to close on December 31, 2028, with the 227-acre property planned for redevelopment as a public park.

Beyond passenger convenience, the airport serves several other important functions. It supports aircraft maintenance, fueling, charter operations, flight instruction, and other aviation-related businesses that provide local jobs. It also serves as a training airport for student pilots and flight schools, and its closure would shift more training activity to surrounding airports. Visitors arriving by private aircraft also contribute to the local economy by staying in local hotels and patronizing restaurants and businesses.

The airport also plays a role in regional emergency preparedness. Located on the Westside, it provides an aviation resource that could be valuable if a major earthquake or other disaster were to limit access to LAX or make road travel difficult.

Since the airport opened in 1919, aircraft accidents have occurred, but there have been no reported fatalities involving a person on the ground struck by an aircraft.

Have you ever flown into or out of Santa Monica Airport? What was your experience?

𝗣𝗜𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗘: California Roadhouse Founder Publishes Open Letter Urging Resolution of Vacant Restaurant Space

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Sean Ahaus, founder of California Roadhouse, Inc., has released an open letter calling on Santa Monica city leaders to resolve the long-running lease dispute over the former Rusty's Surf Ranch restaurant space on the Santa Monica Pier.

In the letter, Ahaus says the restaurant group remains prepared to move forward with a California-themed restaurant and live music venue but contends that negotiations have stalled over labor-related provisions included in the City's proposed lease. He writes that California Roadhouse has agreed to the commercial terms of the lease and believes the remaining dispute involves issues governed by state and federal labor law rather than the City's role as landlord.

Ahaus also states that his company has repeatedly sought meetings with members of the City Council, the City Manager, and the City Attorney in an effort to resolve the matter. He acknowledges Councilmember Lana Negrete for meeting with the company to discuss its concerns.

According to the letter, the prolonged vacancy has delayed job creation, reduced potential tax revenue, and left a prominent commercial space on the Pier unused while also limiting opportunities for local musicians and neighboring businesses that could benefit from increased visitor activity.

Ahaus calls for renewed good-faith negotiations and greater transparency regarding the lease provisions, stating that California Roadhouse remains prepared to sign a lawful lease and begin construction and hiring.

Santa Monica Closeup has not independently verified the legal claims contained in the letter. The City of Santa Monica has not responded publicly to the issues raised by the author.

Photo Caption: The former Rusty's Surf Ranch building on the Santa Monica Pier, shown before its closure. The property has been proposed as the future home of California Roadhouse.

Editor's Note

The following open letter was submitted by Sean Ahaus, founder of California Roadhouse, Inc. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Santa Monica Closeup. The letter is published in the interest of informing readers about a matter of public interest concerning the Santa Monica Pier. The letter has been edited only for formatting.

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Open Letter to Santa Monica City Leaders: It's Time to Resolve the California Roadhouse Lease

By Sean Ahaus

For nearly two years, one of the Santa Monica Pier's most visible restaurant spaces has remained vacant.

That vacancy represents more than an empty building. It represents delayed jobs, unrealized tax revenue, lost opportunities for local musicians and performers, and another missed opportunity to strengthen one of Santa Monica's most recognizable public destinations.

My name is Sean Ahaus, founder of California Roadhouse, Inc. Our vision is to create a California-themed restaurant and live music venue celebrating the culture, music, and hospitality that have made Southern California famous around the world. We remain ready to move forward immediately.

Many people assume this project has stalled because of financing, construction, or permitting. It has not.

California Roadhouse has agreed to the commercial terms of the City's proposed lease. The remaining disagreement concerns labor-related provisions that we believe improperly extend beyond the City's role as a landlord and into matters governed by state and federal labor law.

Reasonable people may disagree with our legal position. That is exactly why these issues deserve open discussion rather than prolonged silence.

For months, we have repeatedly requested meetings with members of the City Council, the City Manager, and the City Attorney to explain our concerns and discuss a path toward resolution. Those requests have produced very little meaningful dialogue.

I want to acknowledge Councilmember Lana Negrete, who took the time to meet with us and hear our concerns directly. Whether or not elected officials ultimately agree with us, the willingness to listen is an important part of public service.

This issue is about more than one lease. It raises larger questions about how Santa Monica works with businesses that want to invest in the community. How should public property be managed? When should government act as a landlord, and when does it risk becoming a regulator? How do we encourage economic investment while respecting the legal rights of employers and employees alike?

The public also deserves transparency. Residents should understand how the disputed lease provisions were developed, who participated in those discussions, and why they remain necessary. When significant policy questions affect a publicly owned property and the future of dozens of jobs, transparency is fundamental to public trust.

Meanwhile, the consequences continue to grow. A public restaurant space remains vacant. Prospective employees continue waiting for work. Local musicians lose another potential stage. Visitors lose another destination on the Pier. Nearby businesses lose the additional activity that a successful restaurant could generate.

California Roadhouse remains prepared to sign a lawful lease and begin hiring immediately. We continue to believe this project can become a positive addition to the Santa Monica Pier while creating jobs, supporting local artists, attracting visitors, and contributing to the City's economic recovery.

My hope is simple: that City leaders return to good-faith negotiations, openly address the remaining issues, and allow this project to move forward.

The Santa Monica Pier deserves to be known for opportunity, not prolonged vacancies. Most importantly, the residents of Santa Monica deserve a transparent government that welcomes dialogue, encourages investment, and works to put people back to work.

Respectfully,

Sean Ahaus

Founder

California Roadhouse, Inc..

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Santa Monica Closeup has not independently verified the legal claims contained in the letter. The City of Santa Monica had not provided comment to Santa Monica Closeup at the time of publication.