Transcript 0:00 Hey, Venice families, and happy Monday. This is the Venice Rising weekly podcast. If you don't have time to scroll the newsletter, we read it to you. Quick heads-up before we start. 0:10 This show is brand new, and the hosts, us, we are local kids. We're not pros yet, but we're getting better every week, so thanks for hanging out. Okay, two big things this week. 0:19 Halloween falls on a Saturday, and the governor just declared a state of emergency for El Niño, plus a fee vote in Culver City you'll wanna know about. Let's go. Story one: El Niño state of emergency. 0:31 First thing, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency on Sunday ahead of what forecasters say could be the strongest El Niño on record. Federal forecasters put the odds at 75%. 0:42 In plain English, that emergency order lets the state pre-position sandbags, pumps, and the National Guard before storms hit. 0:50 It also fast-tracks flood protection permits so cities aren't stuck on paperwork when things get real. Why we care on the Coast. Three things. One, king tides plus big waves plus heavy rain equals flooding. 1:04 The usual spots are Marina del Rey, the Venice Canals, low-lying Playa del Rey, and Pacific Coast Highway. The governor's office specifically calls out coastal flooding when storms hit during very high tides. 1:16 Two, mudslides near recent burn areas. Anywhere downslope of a recent fire footprint can get debris flows in even moderate rain. Three, power outages and road closures. Watch Lincoln, PCH, and the canyon roads. 1:30 What to actually do this week. Sign up for local alerts. Santa Monica, Culver City, and LA County all run separate systems, and the links are in the show notes. Clear your drains and gutters at home. 1:42 Sounds boring, works. If you live near the canals or in Playa, ask your landlord where the closest sandbag station is. LA County stages them at fire stations. 1:52 And charge your devices before any watch is issued, not during. We'll flag local watches or warnings in the newsletter as the season develops. Story two: Halloween 2026 is a full Saturday. 2:04 Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which changes everything. No school-night trick-or-treating, no rushing home from work to shove a kid into a costume. 2:13 You can do a full daytime event and trick-or-treating that same night without anyone melting down over bedtime. Our full Halloween roundup is live on the website. 2:22 It covers every free and low-cost event across Venice, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Playa Vista, Culver City, and Westchester. That link is in the show notes and the newsletter. District news. 2:33 Okay, quick school district update. LA Unified. 2:37 The board pulled a scheduled vote last Monday on a nearly $1 million contract with a consulting firm hired to build a framework for possible school closures, mergers, and reconfigurations. 2:48 Community pushback killed the vote, but the superintendent said the district still needs help, and community conversations start in the next few weeks. Next thing to watch is the September 22nd board meeting. 3:00 The pressure behind all of this, LAUSD enrollment is down almost 4% this year alone, nearly a full point worse than they projected. Their budget is running a $2 billion deficit. 3:12 No campus list exists yet, and no closure decisions have been made. Santa Monica-Malibu. Lincoln Middle School's Legacy building reopened after modernization. Ribbon-cutting was September 10th. Nine new classrooms. 3:27 Also this week, Santa Monica City Council ordered negotiations with the school district to preserve public access to school fields, gyms, and playgrounds beyond 2027. That's a big deal for youth sports families. 3:40 And a related parcel tax is on the November ballot. Culver City Unified. This is the one to pay attention to. Culver City Council voted on September 14th to raise CCARP fees by 50%. 3:53 CCARP is the city's most affordable after-school program for CCUSD elementary students, and the plan is to double the fees over two years total. 4:03 So the weekly cost goes from $51 to $127.50 for this school year, then $153 next year. Subsidies are still available. 4:15 Category 1 is 100% off for families experiencing homelessness, foster care, or CPS involvement. Category 2 is 50% off for income-qualified families. Category 3 is 15% off for CalFresh, WIC, or SNAP households. 4:32 Can parents still weigh in? Yes, just not on this specific vote. Long-term CCARP fees get revisited during the citywide fee study late next year, and that's where the subsidy percentage gets set. 4:44 If affordable childcare matters to your family, email council directly. That list is in the show notes. Prep note: Culver disaster drill Thursday. 4:53 Related heads-up: Culver City is running its annual community-wide disaster drill Thursday, September 24th, 7:00 to 9:00 PM at El Marino Park. 5:02 You'll hear hi-low sirens across the city, same tone used during evacuation orders. No action required beyond making sure your family knows what the sound means. And sign up for Culver alerts if you haven't already. 5:14 Link in the show notes. Events for the week. All right, the week ahead. Grab your calendar. Everything free unless we say otherwise. Tuesday, September 22nd, 5:25 Toddler Storytime at Mar Vista Library at 12:30 PM, half an hour of songs and stories. And over at Santa Monica's Pico branch, they've got Toddler Tuesdays Travelin' Storytime at 10:30 and 11:30. 5:38 For older kids, Mar Vista Library has Volunteer Club for grades 6 through 12, 3:00 to 5:00 PM. 5:45 Wednesday, September 23rd, LEGO Club at the Ocean Park branch in Santa Monica, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, ages 18 months through 11, all materials provided. 5:55 And Babytime at the Santa Monica Main Library, 11:30 AM, lap-sit storytime for pre-walkers. Thursday, September 24th, Bright Horizons in Playa Vista is hosting a fall family festival, 3:00 to 4:00 PM. 6:08 It's their brand-new campus in the Brickyard. Free, open to everyone, tour welcome even if you're not enrolled. Also Thursday, Teen RPG at Mar Vista Library, 4:30 PM, for grades 6 through 12. 6:21 Collaborative storytelling, dice, the works. LEGO Club also runs at the Santa Monica Main Library at 4:00 PM. 6:27 Friday, September 25th, low-key one, the Wendy Museum in Culver City is open Friday through Sunday, always free. Kids under 11 need an adult, but it's a great weekend art visit. 6:39 Saturday, September 26th, big one, Culver City's Hispanic Heritage Celebration at Tellefsen Park, noon to 3:00 PM. Live muralist, crafts, food, entertainment, free. 6:51 Also Saturday, Dog Man: The Musical at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Shows at 11:00, 3:00, and 7:00 PM. It's based on the Dav Pilkey books, and it's pretty much perfect for elementary school kids. 7:03 Tickets from $40. Sunday, September 27th, Family Day at the Wendy Museum. Kids design their own imaginary museum, noon to 3:00 PM, free. 7:14 Also Sunday, a free chess tournament at the Wendy, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, all ages, all skill levels. And more Dog Man showtimes at the Kirk Douglas at 1:00 and 5:00 PM. That's the week. 7:28 Full newsletter with every link is on venicerising.com. Reply to the email with any Halloween events we should add, or forward it to a Westside parent who's still trying to figure out which pumpkin patch is which. 7:39 Bye, Venice. [outro music]
