Santa Monica City Manager Rod Gould (left) with Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Laurel Rosen (center) and Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy J. Jackman (right) present Santa Monica Police Officer Roberto Villegas  the 2011 Inspirational Hero Award during Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce's  17th Annual New Heroes Celebration at Le Merigot on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. The event is held to welcome new educators, police officers, and firefighters to the Santa Monica community.

Meet Heal the Bay’s and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium’s new giant sea bass! The new giant sea bass was living at the SEA Lab Aquarium. It is about 2 feet in length. The Santa Monica Pier Pier Aquarium doesn’t know how old the fish is but it can grow to over 8 feet and live more than 75 years. Giant sea bass are protected in California waters. The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium has a special permit to display the fish. Although the population of the giant sea bass recovered some over the past years, they still remain on the Endangered Species List.

6th Annual Pico Festival and Classic Car Show - Images by Fabian Lewkowicz

The 6th Annual Pico Festival and Classic Car Show was held at Virginia Avenue Park on Sunday, October 2, 2011. Musical performances included Upground, Mariachi Alta California, the Russ Mullen Jazz Associates, and the Samohi Jazz Combo. Various dance performances were presented by Folklorico La Rosa, Capoeira Besouro, YWCA Dancers, and the Samohi Cheerleaders. The festival spotlighted the many creative businesses and artists of Pico Blvd in Santa Monica. Artists displayed and demonstrated an array of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other colorful creations, all for sale. The festival was organized by the Pico Improvement Organization and the City of Santa Monica.

Athletes run on Barnard Way during the sixth annual Lexus Santa Monica 5000 on Sunday, October 2, 2011. The race raises money for local student athletes and school sports programs with the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation. They raised over $40,000.00.

2011 World Festival of Sacred Music Opening Ceremony - Images by Fabian Lewkowicz

More than three hundred artists presented sacred traditions from seven lineages of world cultures during the 2011 World Festival of Sacred Music Opening ceremony at Santa Monica Beach on Saturday, October 1, 2011.The opening event, Honoring the Sea is a WFSM tradition that celebrates the shared resource of our oceans and importance of its spiritual meaning. The Festival program reflected concerns of peace, unity and environmental stewardship.

The opening procession included La Canada High School Marching Band; Halau Keali’i O Nalani and Halau O Lilinoe; Swing Brazil Tribe with Viver Brasil, Capoeira Batuque, Seara de Caridade do Cabolo Tupinamba and the Elders of the Diaspora; Senshin Buddhist Temple’s Kinnara Taiko; Agape Choir; and Remo Drum Circle. The 2011 World Festival of Sacred Music is a project of Foundation for World Arts and UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance. 

Charlie Sutro, 11, plays with Rachel Hovnanian’s interactive art piece entitled, “Beauty Queen Vending Machine,” (2009) during the Art Platform - Los Angeles preview at L.A. Mart on Friday, September 30, 2011.

Art Platform—Los Angeles presents an extraordinary roster of international dealers such as the Andrew Kreps Gallery, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Kavi Gupta, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, Patrick Painter Inc., Seventeen Gallery, James Barron Art, Max Wigram Gallery, Nina Menocal Gallery, Yossi Milo Gallery, Cardi Black Box, Gering & López Gallery, DCKT Contemporary, Corbett vs. Dempsey and many more.

Art Platform—Los Angeles, in keeping with its mission to demonstrate the rich and diverse cultural landscape of Southern California, has become a sponsor of the historic Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980. The fair, located at the L.A. Mart in Downtown Los Angeles, will be one of the many exciting art and cultural events taking place during the opening weekend of Pacific Standard Time, a collaboration of more than sixty diverse cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to tell the story of the artistic evolution of the Los Angeles art scene through an unprecedented array of simultaneous exhibitions and programs.

Special programs on offer through the fair include the Open Platform speaker series highlighting the region’s most influential collectors, curators, museum directors, gallerists, scholars, and critics. Open Platform is curated by Aandrea Stang, Senior Education Program Manager for The Museum of Contemporary Art , Los Angeles and  instigates a dialogue around significant issues in the city’s cultural landscape. Also located on the Concourse level of Art Platform—Los Angeles, the Artillery Lounge  features cutting-edge videos, a happy-hour bar and live performances.

Art Platform—Los Angeles has partnered with West of Rome on Trespass: First a Parade, Then a Party, set to take place in downtown on October 2 and 3. On Sunday, October 2 the streets of downtown Los Angeles will erupt in a parade of local artists and residents, complete with music, dancing and performance.Trespass, a collaborative project between Arto Lindsay, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and West of Rome Public Art will begin at Art Platform—Los Angeles at 11am on October 2 and end at MOCA, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. 

Attendees look at TREXA, the world's first universally scalable electric vehicle platform, during 6th Annual Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo (AltCar Expo) at the Santa Monica Civic Center on Friday, September 30 , 2011. 

The expo provides one of the most extensive presentations of Alternative technology vehicles and transportation, infrastructure, renewable energies, energy efficiency and urban planning found worldwide. FREE ADMISSION

Members of Temple Isaiah throw bread into the ocean symbolizing the "casting off" of sins during Rosh Hashanah Tashlich Service at Santa Monica Beach on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Rosh Hashana marks the Jewish New Year.