SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The month-long celebration SaMo PRIDE returns in June with activities and experiences that honor the LGBTQ+ community. SaMo PRIDE is a citywide partnership between Santa Monica Place, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. and Santa Monica Pier, in collaboration with the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Travel and Tourism. 

On Saturday, June 3 the first-ever SaMo PRIDE Festival will turn the entire downtown district, from the Third Street Promenade through Santa Monica Place to the Santa Monica Pier, into a PRIDE zone. All ages are welcome to enjoy live musical performances, PRIDE-related treats, free swag, games and much more.

The Santa Monica Public Library will share queer books for kids, featuring a special Drag Queen storytime, suited for all ages and abilities. Local service providers and community groups will offer support and resources for the LGBTQ+ community throughout the event along the Promenade.

Presented in partnership with Cayton’s Children’s Museum, the Santa Monica Place family zone will provide kid-friendly PRIDE activities, transforming Center Plaza into an interactive space for kids to play and learn about inclusivity and acceptance.

“Colors of PRIDE” photobooth installations, designed by LGBTQ+ artists, will be placed throughout the SaMo PRIDE Festival with fun, interactive props. Photos from the installations will be assembled to create a photographic mosaic, bringing the three districts together in a rainbow of colors that make up the LGBTQ+ Progress PRIDE flag. 

The celebration continues throughout the month with events that bring together the community including the Made with PRIDE Marketplace, a unique retail pop-up hosted every Friday through Sunday in June at Santa Monica Place on Level One.

Hosted in partnership with Streetlet, the Marketplace showcases over a dozen LGBTQ+ business owners, highlighting their stories and featuring local goods and services made, conceived and curated in Southern California. Santa Monica Place will also host a live DJ spinning every weekend throughout the month where guests can enjoy music under “Lanterns of Love,” an overhead colored lantern installation that spans across Center Plaza. 

The City of Santa Monica is dedicated to increasing visibility and understanding of the broad spectrum of gender identities and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community. The City celebrates PRIDE with the month-long lighting of City Hall in rainbow colors and a series of educational, uplifting events during the month of June.

Community events include the City’s PRIDE Proclamation on May 23; live music, theatre and dance performances by SORORITY: WAVES on June 4; Rainbow Family Storytime at the Santa Monica Public Library on June 6; an AIDS LifeCycle Ride finish line celebration on June 10; Queer Prom for LGBTQ+ youth on June 12; Drag Queen Storytime on June 16; PRIDE sunset swim at the Annenberg Community Beach House on June 23; Sapphic Poetry Workshop on June 24; Party with a Purpose mixer and fundraiser on June 29; and much more.

Santa Monica Pride free community event also is a Local LGBTQ+ History and discussion, Noon to 2:30pm, at the Santa Monica Public Library’s Pico branch Annex, 2201 Pico Blvd, at Virginia Park.

Free and open to the public, this is a community celebration of and sharing of local history directly from the people who experienced it. Share your memories and learn more about our local lgbtq+ heroes. Allies and family welcome.

The Santa Monica History Museum, in partnership with the OUTWORDS Archive, will feature the exhibit “Coming Out West”, a video-based collection of oral histories of Santa Monica Bay area LGBTQ+ elders, opening June 1.  

For more information and the full calendar of SaMo PRIDE events visit smpride.com. 

For sponsorship inquiries please reach out to DTSM, Inc. Director of Marketing & Partnerships Ariana Gomez at [email protected]. 

SANTA MONICA – The Santa Monica Police Department confirmed that the body of Beau Mann, a tech executive, was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner more than a year after he was reported missing by the Los Angeles Police Department. 

On April 25th, 2023, the SMPD received information that human skeletal remains were found in the courtyard of an abandoned property in the 2900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard.

The Los Angeles County Coroner took possession of the remains and are currently working to determine the cause of death. On May 6, 2023, the Coroner positively identified the remains as those of Beau Mann.

Mann, who was last seen on November 30, 2021, was reported missing to the Los Angeles Police Department on December 4, 2021.

According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, Mann, 38, had recently returned from a family trip to his native Massachusetts when he went for what appeared to be a routine trip to the store. He was last seen at a 7-Eleven where he sent a text to the 911 service saying he was in an Uber vehicle. At the time, he didn’t elaborate on why he needed to contact 911 and LAPD has said he didn’t respond to their follow-up requests. 

“We can confirm that there was a 911 text that was received at a 911 center dispatch call center and they did make an attempt to contact him to get more clarification on what that request was,” LAPD Officer Jill Calhoun said. “But there was no response.”

Uber reported that he was dropped off on Berkeley Street and his trail went cold at that point.

LAPD issued a missing person alert in December of 2021.

Mann was engaged to his partner Jason J. Abate who left a heartbroken tribute on his personal Facebook to Mann Monday:

“I have so many questions and no answers. Beau, how can you be gone, how do all of these memories exist so vividly and you’re gone? Can someone please explain to me how this is possible. I need someone to help me understand this. Beau, I still have your toothbrush where you left it and every single room in this house has your beautiful spirit attached to it. I can’t move even a inch without seeing you because everything has a memory of us and I can’t breath. You’re not just “remains” found I can’t stand one more time I hear about your “remains”. Please stop saying remains, just stop saying dental records. Please don’t let anyone cut your beautiful soul that was bigger than life down to just remains.”

Mann is the founder and CEO of Sober Grid, a Recovery App designed to help recovering addicts, Mann himself was a recovering addict.

Abate and others launched an extensive effort to locate Mann, His surrogate mother of 20 years, Sandy Eggers, who served on the Sober Grid board and was the first person Mann told he was gay described the toll the search was taking on Mann’s partner and friends:

“It’s been draining, just draining. I go to bed thinking about Beau, I wake up thinking about Beau — all kinds of theories and possibilities that we’ve explored,“ Eggers said.

Anyone with any information pertaining to this incident or person(s) involved is strongly encouraged to contact SMPD Detective Ismael Tavera at 310-458-2256, [email protected], or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.

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: 

• Jewel Thais-Williams, proprietor of the renowned club Jewel’s Catch One. 
  • Jewel Thais-Williams was born in Indiana and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she revolutionized the city’s nightlife and LGBTQ+ community space. Nicknamed ‘The Catch,’ it was the only Black and queer-friendly disco in Los Angeles and one of the first in the U.S. 

• Chuck Williams, founder and namesake of the venerated Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, who sadly passed away on April 12.  In 2001 Chuck donated 2.5 million to fund the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, the largest-ever donation for an LGBTQ+ academic center. The Williams Institute conducts rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. Chuck and his partner Stu Walter were together for over 50 years.

• Judy Abdo, former Santa Monica city councilperson and one of the nation’s first out-lesbian mayors.
  • An educator, activist, and civic leader, Judy made history as Santa Monica’s first openly lesbian mayor. During her term, she championed initiatives for environmental sustainability, rent control, early childhood education, and equal rights for people with HIV/AIDS. 

• L. Frank, Tongva-Ajachmem artist, writer, activist, and tribal scholar.
  • Born in Santa Monica, L. Frank (who uses the Tongva-Ajachmem pronoun‘pó’) moved to Palos Verdes during childhood and attended Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood.  L. Frank always knew and accepted pó as Two-Spirit, a contemporary term with ancient roots that encompasses fluid gender identities and sexual orientation among Indigenous peoples. L. Frank co-founded Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival to ensure the continuation of indigenous languages. 

• Don Bachardy, visual artist.
  • Known for his portraits of notable people, and his long-term partnership with Christopher Isherwood. The couple are considered icons in the LGBTQ+ community. Bachardy’s work is featured in prestigious museums worldwide. 

• Mia Yamamoto, Harvey Milk Legacy Award-winning lawyer, and transgender rights activist.
  • Born in the Poston concentration camp in Arizona, Yamamoto’s early experiences shaped her understanding of racial injustice in the United States. She is a passionate advocate for the trans community and has received numerous accolades for her work in both the courtroom and the public sphere.

• Marianne Diaz, educator, activist, and civic leader.
  • Marianne Diaz has dedicated her career to breaking the cycle of violence in underserved communities. She founded CleanSlate, a program that provides low-cost tattoo removal, therapy, support, and conflict resolution practices for former gang members. Diaz has expanded her work to include empowerment programs that support LGBTQ+ youth in the Watts community.

• Terri de la Peña, celebrated Chicana author and descendant of one of Santa Monica’s oldest families.
  • Terri’s mother immigrated to Santa Monica from Mexico, and her father was a descendant of the Marquez family, one of the earliest families to settle in the area.  Terri began writing her first novel in her late teens. She attended L.A. Trade Tech after high school to learn commercial art, then began working at UCLA, where she continued throughout her career.

“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.

SANTA MONICA – Hundreds of Angelenos angered by what they are saying is government overreach gathered for the S.O.S. California No Vaccine Passport rally Saturday. The protest comes as Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles are moving to require proof of vaccination or stringent COVID-19 testing for government workers and inside businesses.

The rally occurred as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to fully approve Pfizer Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine early next week.

The approval probably will come Monday or Tuesday, according to one official familiar with the plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement. Pfizer’s vaccine has been in use in the U.S. based on an emergency authorization, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed 31 new deaths and 3,361 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday as the Delta Variant cases continue to impact the region. One of those COVID-19 deaths was a teen between the ages of 12 and 17. 

There are 1,786 people with COVID-19 currently hospitalized and 23% of these people are in the ICU. Testing results are available for nearly 7,900,000 individuals with 16% of people testing positive. Today’s test positivity rate is 3.6%.

 “Everyone who is not yet vaccinated needs to know they do not have the same protection as vaccinated people. While the highest hospitalization rate is among older unvaccinated adults over 50, hospitalizations in younger unvaccinated adults between the ages of 18 and 49 have increased 226% since July 7,” said Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health. “Relative to unvaccinated adults, hospitalization rates among vaccinated adults of all ages remain very low. The data continues to show how well protected vaccinated people are from bad outcomes. Our top priority is vaccinating those not yet vaccinated.”

Sandra Mitchell reports for the KTLA 5 News: