Portraits of Hope  unveils the first 3 of 156 Los Angeles County lifeguard towers covered in vibrant art panels -- officially launching "Summer of Color" on Wednesday, May 19, 2010.

Nearly 6,000 kids in schools, hospitals, and community programs and nearly 2,500 adult volunteers, have been involved in the unprecedented public art and civic project involving all the LA County lifeguard towers on 31 miles of beach from Zuma to Palos Verdes!

For six months preceding the installation, Portraits of Hope engaged children and adults from 118 school, hospital, youth, and social service programs in civic leadership and creative therapy sessions. The Braille Institute, Special Olympics, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitative Center, and Program for Torture Victims are among the many organizations that have participated.

In preparation for the exhibition, the rails and cross beams on the 156 towers were freshly painted three weeks ago in five rotating Benjamin Moore colors. Thanks to the great organizational skills of Danai, the paint supply distribution by Vista Paints, and the volunteer turnout efforts by Starbucks and others, the rails on 151 of the 156 towers were painted in a single four-hour period by 1,200 volunteers! The rails on the last 5 towers were painted shortly thereafter. 2,200+ panels will be installed on the towers within 3 weeks, courtesy of Chris Bonas and Morley Builders.



Two stone crabs crawl on the Santa Monica Pier Tuesday, April 12, 2010. The crabs were caught by a local fisherman.

On May 18, 2010, at approximately 1:40 a.m., a Santa Monica Police Department officer observed a vehicle driving erratically northbound on Lincoln Boulevard. The officer conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Bay Street to investigate the driver for driving while under the influence.

While officers were administering field sobriety tests to the driver of the vehicle, the passenger exited the vehicle with a gun and shot at the officers.   Officers returned shots at the suspect.  One officer, a 16-year veteran, was struck in the abdomen by a bullet from the suspect.  His injury is listed as non-life threatening.

The suspect fled the scene and a perimeter of the area was set up. The driver of the vehicle, a male, white, 46-years-old from Ohio, was taken into custody without further incident.  He was later released as an uninvolved party.

The Santa Monica Police Department’s S.W.A.T. Team and K-9 officers responded to the scene to search for the suspect. Mutual aid was requested from surrounding police agencies. Officers from Beverly Hills, Culver City, Inglewood, El Segundo, Gardena, California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department responded to assist.

At approximately 5:10 a.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers located the suspect in an alley adjacent to where the initial traffic stop occurred. The suspect confronted the K-9 and officers.  Officers fired upon the suspect, who was taken to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries from the K-9 contact and wounds received from the gunshots.

The suspect, Dante Glenn Leverette, male, black, 32-years-old from Los Angeles, was arrested and will booked for attempted homicide.

The criminal investigation is being handled by the Santa Monica Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit.  The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Officer Involved Shooting Team is assisting in the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Michael Bambrick at (310) 458-8932 or Sergeant Ira Rutan at (310) 458-8959 or the police department (24 hours) (310) 458-8426.

Mary Chancellor of Santa Monica Museum of Art waters Farmlabs latest Junker Garden at Bergamot Station on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. The environmental car exhibit is a transformed 1990 Mercedes Benz 300s, planted with Australian tree ferns.



Athletes run during the Fifth Annual Santa Monica Classic 5K/10K on Sunday, May 16, 2010. More than 4,000 people will participated in the Santa Monica Classic which raised money and awareness for Heal the Bay, an organization that keeps coastal waters safe and clean in Southern California.

Environmental activists from Santa Monica Treesavers  hold a Vigil at the Santa Monica Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The vigil marked the 2 year anniversary of the removal of 23 ficus trees from 2nd and 4rth street.