Santa Monica Daily Press

Payam Music, whose Santa Monica school teaches beginners to play piano through a proprietary alphanumeric notation rather than traditional sheet music, said it has partnered with composer Hans Zimmer and raised funding from a group of technology and media executives to expand across Southern California and the country.

A large-scale studio production currently filming on Ocean Avenue has become the largest production Film Santa Monica has coordinated since taking over the city's permitting duties — and the largest in Santa Monica's history, according to Evan Edwards, chief operating officer of Film Santa Monica. "Not only the largest production Film Santa Monica has coordinated since becoming the city's official film office, but also the largest productions in the city's history," Edwards said.

Santa Monica College's Emeritus Acting Troupe will present its showcase, "Conversations: Scenes from Film and Theater," as a free, live virtual event at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 18. The performance will be presented online via Zoom. A link at the atsmc.edu/calendar takes guests directly to the online event. The showcase features students in SMC's Emeritus acting classes and will present silly, serious and quirky scenes meant to inspire, entertain and offer something to think about.

Tom Rush, the singer-songwriter credited with helping shape the folk revival, will perform at McCabe's in Santa Monica on July 25. The show comes as Rush promotes "Gardens Old, Flowers New," his first album of new music since 2018's "Voices." Released March 1, 2024, on Appleseed Records, the album has drawn strong reviews and radio chart action. Rush calls it his best album yet — a notable claim from an artist whose career spans more than 60 years.

The city of Santa Monica will hold its State of the City 2026 on Thursday, July 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. as a free, open-street celebration on Main Street between Hollister Avenue and Ocean Park Boulevard. The event will highlight 2026 achievements, including expanded full-service hours at the Santa Monica Public Library, and look ahead to 2027 with Mayor Caroline Torosis.

When Matthew Smith took his five-year-old son to a World Cup game in the Los Angeles area earlier this month, they opted to take public transit instead of driving from their nearby coastal city. It was Smith's first time on the LA Metro in a decade, and the experience exceeded his expectations. "Seems like a very functioning transit system, which is somewhat surprising given its reputation," he said.

The Santa Monica City Council will consider placing two significant measures before voters this November when it meets Tuesday, July 14, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers, alongside a slate of development-related zoning changes and a possible deal over the future of the Civic Auditorium.

Editor’s Note: As the city touts the success of World Cup tourism, the Daily Press is taking a look at the city’s overall tourism industry. Yesterday we covered the city’s ongoing failure to rebound from a Covid-induced decline in tourism and the reasons why officials say Santa Monica remains at 50% of historic highs. Today we cover the economic value of tourism.

Fiber artists, their friends and their families are invited to the sand this weekend, as Los Angeles fiber artist Alexis Kavros hosts the first LA Fiber Clubs Beach Takeover, a free community gathering at Will Rogers State Beach. The event begins at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 12, near Lifeguard Tower No. 7, just north of the snack bar at 15800 Pacific Coast Highway, and will continue into the afternoon.

Published: July 10, 2026, 11:17 am 0 | Share to X Share to Bluesky Share to Facebook Share to LinkedIn Share by email A person died Thursday night after falling from the an overpass onto Interstate 10, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Officers responded to the overpass at about 9:41 p.m. Thursday after receiving a report of a person who had fallen onto the freeway, police said. The person was struck by a passing vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.