Inside the Daily Press

Josh Loeb from the Rustic Canyon family of restaurants talks about tough decisions, rents, food supply and why people love dining.

Josh Loeb talks with Matt Hall about his 8 independent restaurants and the decisions they had to make as a result of the current pandemic. They discuss alternative plans, keeping workers employed, the difficulty in opening a business in Santa Monica, some great thoughts around the greater role that independent restaurants play in our city. https://www.rusticcanyonfamily.com/

The city budget crisis. This is when our city values get tested. Part 2 of a discussion with former Chief Sustainable Officer Dean Kubani and former Mayor Mike Feinstein.

Ross and Matt discuss the Santa Monica budget crisis at a 30k ft level, then dive into discussions with former Chief Sustainable Officer Dean Kubani (17:46) about why environmental values should be considered essential, and insight to his hopes for how they will make decisions around the cuts. He also gives us a great nugget at (44:45) Former Michael Feinstein (47:02) discusses the decisions that had to be made as Mayor during 9-11, and some parallels to the current crisis. Mike talks about...

Rick Cole, Santa Monica City Manager resigns. A discussion with former Mayor Michael Feinstein and former Chief Environmental Officer Dean Kubani

Ross and Matt talk about the recent departure of the Santa Monica City Manager.  Michael Feinstein gives his perspective as a former mayor, and Dean Kubani talks about his experience as a department head and how the transitions have typically gone in the past. 

Pausing evictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Eda Suh and Gary Rhoades from the City Attorney's office.

Gary Rhoades, Deputy City Attorney Eda Suh, Deputy City Attorney https://www.santamonica.gov/coronavirus City of Santa Monica 310-458-8400 City Attorney's Office 310-458-8336    

Patty Wong from the Santa Monica Libraries talks about services that are still operating during the pandemic.

How to access the online resources of the library, and some tips to create a better learning environment during these extraordinary times. 

A conversation with Police Chief Cynthia Renaud about the local response to COVID 19.

Matt Hall and Police Chief Cynthia Renaud discuss the Santa Monica Police Department's local response and adjustments to the coronavirus.  They discuss; What the Santa Monica Police Department is doing differently during this pandemic What the SMPD is doing to respond the the recent order to release inmates.  Will arrests still continue?  What about crimes related to the pandemic, what the SMPD is doing to ensure public safety against looting, behavior related to possible Safer at Home ...

A conversation with Santa Monica Fire Chief Bill Walker about local coronavirus response.

Matt Hall and Santa Monica Fire Chief Bill Walker discuss how the Fire Department is handling coronavirus preparation, handling of cases and any changes to their process as first responders.  They discuss; What the fire department currently doing to adapt to the current coronavirus crisis. How often actual coronavirus calls they are getting. Have any calls come back as a positive COVID 19 patient. What kind of training they have to deal with infectious patients. How confident the Fire ...

A discussion with Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole about local response to the Coronavirus

Matt and Rick talk about: - Measures the city has taken to coordinate with local, regional and national organizations.  -What city services are suspended. -Some current predictions on timelines.  -What residents and can do to help slow the spread of the virus. 

The Coronavirus, local experts weigh in on education and containment.

Matt and Ross discuss the coronavirus, and how much of the panic over the virus is based on what people don't know. They talk to experts from UCLA Medical Center, the City of Santa Monica and Downtown Santa Monica to discuss how the virus transmits, what the local emergency plan is and how safe it really is out there.  Hand washing or hand sanitizer? Masks or no masks? Panic or no panic?    

California 50th Assembly Member Richard Bloom

Ross and Assembly Member Bloom talk about what initiatives he is working on in Sacramento, dive into the district which includes Malibu, Agoura Hills, Pacific Palisades, West LA, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Hollywood.  Homelessness, housing, urban run off, AB5, and some new initiatives that will make sure all communities share the burden of these issues. 

Producer/Director Brian Falk talks about his new show, What's Eating America on MSNBC, and why bowling alleys are essential places in our social fabric.

Brian Falk What's Eating America, airing at 6pm on Sundays on MSNBC.  Santa Monica Bowlero Local showrunner takes a bite out of politics in MSNBC series  

Schools, Wine and Fundraising. A deep dive into the Education Foundation and the Wine Auction Fundraiser.

Come by and visit the Santa Monica Education Foundation! They need your help.  1645 16th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 396-4557 https://www.smedfoundation.org Better yet, donate!     

Buy Local and the Most Loved Contest. Why you need to vote for your favorite local business.

Voting is open now! Vote for your favorite business here.  Matt Hall interviews Jennifer Taylor, Economic Development Administrator and Chair of the Buy Local Santa Monica. They talk about the Buy Local mission and the Most Loved contest, where you vote for your favorite local business.   

E-scooters and micro-mobility. The concept was born in Santa Monica, almost banned, and now beginning phase 2 of regulation. Here's what the City of Santa Monica is doing, and what the scooter companies have to say about it.

Ross Furukawa and Todd James talk about scooters and micro mobility, then Matt jumps into a conversation with Francie Stefan, Chief Mobility Officer for the City of Santa Monica. They talk about what the City is doing to regulate the micro mobility companies, how the pilot program worked, how they manage devices and how they plan to manage the programs in the future.  Matt then interviews Karla Owunwanne head of Socal Community and Government Relations for Lime. They talk about how cities a...

Recently Homeless Charlie, some street hacks and hustles. Part 2

Subjects discussed: Violence. Mental illness. Relationship with the cops they don’t want to touch them or put them in the car. Where you can put a tent down. What the cops will enforce and not enforce. Entitlement of some of the homeless with food. Life is good on the beach in Venice, pastry trucks, shower trucks, hot dog trucks. Some pretty awesome conspiracy theories about what’s next for the homeless population, among the homeless population. Where the homeless get their free sma...

This is what it's like to be homeless in LA. An interview with Charlie, who recently spent 2.5 years on the street.

Ross talks with Charlie about his years on the street, and how it all goes down.  -Scooter charging and how to hack energy.  -Where his homeless hangouts  -Living with a prostitute roommate in a hotel room in the Valley -Tells his story about how he became homeless, and how he got out of homelessness. -Drug use, types of drugs and who's doing them. -Safety on the streets, who is safe, how to stay safe. -Homeless people don’t want to work, work is a 4 letter word to them. -How to not ...

The 2020 Homeless Count

Ross and Matt talk about homelessness on the Westside of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Venice.  When did it become such a problem? Where are they from? What can we do about it? Does it have anything to do with the Expo line? 

The Gig Worker Bill AB5. How it's going to change and what it means for you.

Ross and Matt talk about AB5, the new bill that went into effect on January 1. AB5 eliminates the ability for many professions in the gig economy to operate as independent contractors. 

Looking forward into 2020, what will be the hot topics of the coming year.

Ross Furukawa and Matt Hall discuss what they see are the main topics of news coverage going into 2020.  Election year, voting districts, homelessness and some possible amendments to some of the propositions that are blamed with causing the increase in crime across the state.  With lots of retail square footage coming online while retail in general is declining will create news stories, and the changing use of retail space will also be very reportable. 

The most important reporting we did in 2019

Matt Hall discusses the most important issues we have tackled this year, and how they relate to larger, regional and national issues.  They discuss 2019 coverage on the districting of our city council elections, homelessness, the Eric Uller case at PAL (Police Activities League) and crime.  Other subjects include housing, development, traffic and what you may see on the front page shortly.     

The most read stories of 2019

Todd James and Matt Hall talk shop about the most read stories in the Santa Monica Daily Press for 2019.  The most read story of the year was an obituary written by Tatiana Blackington James about the founder of Yogaworks passing while in Japan.  https://www.smdp.com/yogaworks-founder-dies-while-in-japan/177356 Some other stories that got lots of readership was the Target and Tesla opening stories written by Madeleine Pauker. https://www.smdp.com/target-and-tesla-announce-santa-monica-lo...

It's Awards Season and Lael Lowenstein shares her picks, recommendations and whether we should be watching films on our phones.

Tis the Season for Flavor

Matt and Brennon discuss the new gastro-publication, Flavor. It's the only dedicated food magazine in the Los Angeles area, produced by the team at the Santa Monica Daily Press.  Brennon and Matt talk about Hamburgers, Hornblower Dinner cruises, cocktails and new restaurant openings.  Jenny give the inside scoop on great places to go to celebrate the holidays, how to get a fast pass to take a photo with Santa, and some of her local favorites for shopping. 

Architect Greg Ginter discusses why it's easy to build here, neighborhood density and Santa Monica's architectural identity.

Ross and Greg talk about how to get projects done in Santa Monica.  

Crime reporting

Ross Furukawa and Matt Hall discuss crime, reporting and policy.   

Interview with State Senator Ben Allen

Ben and Ross sit down and catch up over his life as a new father. They talk about his vaccination bill, and dive into the nuances and details on the needs for better legislation around keeping our population safe. The discussion moves on to environmental bills he has worked on, then the recycling manufacturing policy he has introduced that will force packaging manufacturers to use earth friendlier raw materials.   

Interview with attorney Rob Lemle discussing surfing lawyers, dogs, scooters and accidents.

Publisher Ross Furukawa interviews attorney Rob Lemle of Lemle Law Group.  They discuss the Surfing Lawyers, dog bites and who's responsible.  Scooter liability, what to do if you're injured.  Auto accidents, insurance and who's at fault. www.lemlelaw.com  

Restaurant Updates and an Introduction to new reporter Brennon Dixon

Fritto Misto will be moving to a new location, adding a bar, larger kitchen and bringing over some original items to the new location.  Pasjoli is the new restaurant on Main Street, serving up an elevated neighborhood French bistro menu where the food. Kappo Osen is a new tatami style dining spot in Downtown Santa Monica.  Blake interviews Brennon Dixon who shares his reasons why he joined the Daily Press, what his background as a reporter included and what kinds of stories we can expect ...

Are suicides a trend downtown? City wins AirBnB fight.

Downtown suicides have been on the rise, and the Santa Monica Daily Press has written several stories about this trend.   Fences, signs and other methods of intervention have proven to be effective in other high risk areas.  Madeleine Pauker interviewed top experts in the field, and updated what the Santa Monica City Manager, Rick Cole has addressed thus far.    The City of Santa Monica has been navigating how to regulate AirBnB, VRBO and other home share services. Madeleine takes us thr...

New buildings and business in Downtown Santa Monica

Matt discusses Santa Monica's version of Grand Central Market, which will be a mix of food, retail, office and a garden.  The former Fred Segal (ice rink) building at 5th and Broadway will become a mixed use housing project. 84' high, approximately 250 housing units, subterranean parking, restaurants and retail.  The other former Fred Segal building across the street on the west side of 5th will not change significantly, and will become a City Target.  The former Whole Foods location at 5...

Promenade bomb threats and getting to know Senior Reporter Madeleine Pauker

Matt discusses a historical account of bomb threats, frequency, reactions. Hearing about threats vs actual bombs can help us understand what level of panic we should be have moving forward. Senior Reporter Madeleine Pauker is interviewed by Blake. Discusses her journalism history, how she landed in Santa Monica and what she is looking forward to in the future.        

Restaurant news, meet the editor, and the Great Cheeseburger Ramen debate.

Madeleine Pauker discusses some hot new restaurants in Santa Monica and Venice, dives into the history of the Michelin-starred chefs expanding on some recent coverage from the Santa Monica Daily Press. Editor in Chief Matt Hall shares his background, some similarities that Santa Monica shares with other cities he's lived in, what makes Santa Monica special to him. He dives into some restaurant news, data, and how Santa Monica has become home to a very competitive cheeseburger and ramen mar...

School Vandalism, New Facilities, Lawsuits, and the Vanlord.

From the newsroom of the Santa Monica Daily Press, Madeline Pauker gives insight to recent stories she's written about the Santa Monica Malibu School District, including Vandalism to SMASH and John Muir, new faciliites that are opening soon and the results of a settlement on a lawsuit. They discuss the Vanlord story, regulations around sleeping in vehicles, recent fails in goverment to manage this issue, and a preview of some upcoming stories she is researching. For more information on any...

The Genesis of the Daily Press

Blake interviews Ross Furukawa and Todd James, owners of the Santa Monica Daily Press. First Ross discusses how the Daily Press was started, the origins of the free daily newspaper model, and how the are managing the changing environment of local media. Next Todd discusses his involvment with the Daily Press, how he became and owner, and what he envisions for the future of the company. Music is provided courtesy of the Brig Band, a LA based jam band comprised of professional studio and tour...

Inside the Daily Press is here

Inside the Daily Press is a weekly podcast that will encapsulate the news of the week, preview of upcoming coverage and give the audience additional insight to our news making and story selection decisions. Music is courtesy of the Brig Band of Santa Monica and Venice, CA.