What Kind of Local News Does the Santa Monica Daily Press Cover?

Updated

The Santa Monica Daily Press (smdp.com) is a local news outlet covering Santa Monica and the surrounding Westside communities, including Venice, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Marina del Rey. It has served readers in the area since 2001. If your interest is in city-level government decisions, local business changes, public safety, or community events on LA's Westside, this site is aimed at you. Its coverage is hyperlocal rather than regional or national.

Main coverage areas

The site organizes its reporting around a handful of recurring sections, visible in its navigation and story tags:

  • Government & Politics — City Council votes, housing and zoning policy, and local infrastructure changes
  • Business — Store openings and closures, local economy stories, and institutional news
  • Crime — Public safety incidents and police reports
  • Sports — Local and regional sporting events, including LA28 Olympic planning
  • Opinion — Columns and reader commentary
  • Podcasts — Audio content alongside written reporting

What the reporting actually looks like

The clearest way to judge fit is by the stories themselves. Recent examples from the site include:

Topic Story
Business Starbucks closing two Santa Monica stores (Main Street and Wilshire) as part of a 250-store North America cutback
Government Santa Monica council upzoning 89 Pico-area lots near the Expo/Bundy transit station, voting 4–2
Crime Pedestrian in critical condition after a downtown intersection crash
Government Two-month closure of Moomat Ahiko Way ramps to and from Pacific Coast Highway
Sports LA28 unveiling preliminary Venice triathlon courses for the 2028 Olympics
Business Museum of Flying at Santa Monica Airport extending hours for after-school visitors

The pattern: stories are tied to specific streets, intersections, council votes, and named local institutions. That level of geographic specificity is the main signal that this is a neighborhood-focused paper rather than a general LA news source.

Who it's for

  • Residents of Santa Monica and nearby Westside neighborhoods who want to know how council decisions, road closures, and business changes affect daily life
  • People tracking local housing and zoning policy, since the site covers council votes and state housing law responses in detail
  • Readers who prefer a mix of formats — written articles, a print edition, and podcasts

If you need broader Southern California, national, or international coverage, this site is not built for that. Its scope stays close to the Westside.

Practical notes

  • The site references a subscription option, so some content may sit behind a paywall — check before assuming full access.
  • A print edition is available alongside the online reporting.
  • Podcasts are offered as a separate format if you prefer listening over reading.