Members of Team Marine install a giant plastic bottle sculpture entitled, "Message in a Bottle," at the Third Street Promenade on Saturday, October 9, 2021. The interactive 11-foot sculpture is made from more than 600 plastic bottles. Team Marine is an enviornmental advocacy organization from Santa Monica High School. They focus on plastic pollution, climate change, and ocean acidification. @teammarinesamohi

Highlights from Nick Gabaldón Day at Inkwell Beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, October 9, 2021. Nick Gabaldón Day introduces young and old from inland communities to the magic of the coast through free surf and ocean safety lessons, beach ecology exploration, and a history lesson about a man who followed his passion and a community who challenged anti-Black discrimination to enjoy the beach. The Black Surfers Collective, Heal the Bay, Surf Bus Foundation, and the Santa Monica Conservancy collaborate for Nick Gabaldón Day to reach families in resource-challenged communities and connect them to meaningful educational programming. Together, we are helping build personal experiences with cultural, historical, natural heritage, and civic engagement that make up the foundation of stewardship, and the development of the next generation of heritage conservation and environmental leaders. The shoreline and waters at Bay Street in Santa Monica were an active hub of African American beach life during the Jim Crow era. This beach was popular from the 1900s to early 1960s among African American people, who sought to avoid hostile and racial discrimination they might experience at other southland beaches. Racial discrimination and restrictive covenants prevented African Americans from buying property throughout the Los Angeles region, but their community’s presence and agency sustained their oceanfront usage in Santa Monica. In 2008, the City of Santa Monica officially recognized the “Inkwell” and Nick Gabaldón with a landmark monument at Bay Street and the Oceanfront Walk. In 2019, this same beach was listed as the Bay Street Beach Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the African American experience and American history. SOURCE: https://healthebay.org/nick-gabaldon-day-2021/

Allen Lighting Services, Inc. Technitians lay conduit for fiber optics along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica on Thursday, October 7, 2021.

A Tortoise delivery robot rolls along Downtown Santa Monica on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. Tortoise delivery robots are teleoperated by remote “drivers” (Not-Autonomous) across the world who can also perform remote ID verification. Robots are designed to power same-day delivery within 3 miles of a store or hub. They are 100% electric with top speed of 8MPH. “Pick up truck” style robot can hold up to 150+ pounds of groceries & goods in secure containers. Modular lockable container system supports batched deliveries and ambient, frozen and warm items.

Rev. Patricia Farris blesses pets at First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica during "Blessing of the. Animals" service on Saturday, October 2, 2021.

A lowrider hops at Santa Monica Cruisin' Classics (@santamonica_cruisinclassics) meetup at Santa Monica Beach on Friday, October 1, 2021. The car club meets-up every Friday night at Santa Monica Beach.

The Santa Monica Police Mobile Command Center was deployed for “Coffee with a Cop" at Pete's Coffee at Montana Avenue on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Prevention Coordinators, Neighborhood Resource Officers, Command Staff and Police Officers met with members of the community over a Cup of Jo. The majority of law enforcement contacts with the public occur during emergencies or emotional situations. Those situations are not always the most effective time to build relationships. Coffee with a Cop aims to break down barriers and allow for relaxed interaction. Coffee with a Cop events are designed to provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know their Police Department. The relaxed nature of this event is intended to allow Police Department to get to know the community, and for community members to get to know the officers who serve Santa Monica. The goal is to strengthen the relationship between the Santa Monica Police Department and the community. Coffee with a Cop events are now held in all 50 states and is one of the most successful community oriented policing programs across the country. The program has also expanded to outside the Unites States to Canada, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Latin America. The key to Coffee with a Cop’s growing success is that it opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together.