Happy New Year!
Jan 9th: Climate Corps Club at Jinya Ramen
Kickin’ off the year with another action-packed meeting of talented teens and tasty eats
Check out this reel of students writing for a mini open mic from last month’s Creative Expression event with Downbeat 720.
Jan 10th: CASM Booth at Farmer’s Market
Come celebrate the New Year with us, starting the change we want to make in 2026. We’ll have a table at the Downtown Santa Monica Farmer’s market. There will be:
- Snacks to share
- CASM Climate Conversations Game to inspire our vision
- Information, Resources, and all the details you need to know about the city’s Climate plan, recent updates, and what you can do now.
We had two awesome SAMOCAN webinars at the end of last year. If you missed them, we’ve got you! Recordings below.
Nuclear Power Isn’t Green Enough… And America Can’t Deal with the Waste!
Polluters Pay: Accountability for Climate Costs in California
Recycle Your Holiday Tree – Between Dec. 26 and Jan. 31, 2026, trees will be picked from the curbside or alley to receive a second life as mulch, keeping Santa Monica clean and sustainable.
Santa Monica awarded nearly $50 million for housing and transportation projects
$35 million for new affordable housing development in downtown SM
$14.3 million for sustainable transportation infrastructure projects led by DOT
Free Appliances for Santa Monica Renters through the REACH Program!
The City of Santa Monica is now accepting applications for the Renters’ Energy and Cooling/Heating (REACH) Program, a new initiative offering free electric home appliances to renters in Santa Monica.
Upcoming in the Community:
Jan 10th: EVERYDAY APOTHECARY: Preparing Herbal Teas, Oils & Tinctures
Jan 24th: NEW YEAR !! NEW GARDEN !!
Start off the New Year talking about planting a New Garden. Seeds and seedlings available.
Recap at a Glance:
In 2025 we reached over 500 people through events and climate conversations, and thousands more through our newsletter, social media, and other outreach. We hosted 6 monthly picnics, 3 SAMOCAN webinars, and 2 major community events. We hosted monthly meetings of the energy working group and of the Climate Corps Club, and participated in meetings of GoSaMo TMO and the SMMUSD Sustainability committee. We provided feedback to SMC and SMMUSD in support of updates to their sustainability plans, which are a key resource in reducing Santa Monica’s emissions, and we supported efforts around climate literacy and sustainable commutes to school at SMMUSD. We tabled at farmers markets, climate expos, Santa Monica PRIDE, and 4th of July Parade, and we spoke before city council and at the Church in Ocean Park.
Our advocacy:
- Tracked and commented upon renewable energy and community initiatives at the Clean Power Alliance through Santa Monica representatives and on the Board and the Community Advisory Council.
- Supported “Make Polluters Pay” efforts, including encouraging the City to adopt a resolution in support, and hosting an SAMOCAN webinar on the topic.
- Participated in public input processes led by the city to develop policy options to reduce indoor air pollution and supporting clean, renewable energy in large and new buildings.
- Wrote a letter supporting a campaign to oppose further widening of the 405 in the Sepulveda Pass in lieu of designating more express lanes.
- Submitted comment re EPA Endangerment finding.
- Met with the new city manager to get to know CASM and welcome and learn more about city goals under new leadership.
- Urged our city council to oppose AB 306, which would have weakened renewable energy and fire-hardening codes.
- Supported funding for transportation safety, mobility, and beach restoration projects.
- Advocated for expedited permitting for building improvements that would help achieve goals in the Santa Monica Climate Action plan.
- Reached out to parents and students during school registration to support students and parents choosing safe, healthy, and sustainable commutes to school.
- Supported plans for the Great Park that would provide significant community benefits including water storage, cooling, renewable energy, habitat and flexible options for suture programs.
We started the year in the wake of the January wildfires with a Wildfire Open Sharing for youth, we learned with you, our community, at “Reducing Waste with Sun Moon Rain,” and we finished up the year with you at our annual King Tides Celebration in December. And there was so much more. What a year! Thank you for being with us.
After the seeing the tides, Claire from the Bay Foundation shares about the organization’s work.
Full King Tides photo album here.