INSIDE
A Regional Wildfire Authority for Santa Monica Mountains Could Be in the Making smmirror.com
March 20 – March 26, 2026 Volume CXXIII Issue 214
See Page 6
Fight on Santa Monica Pier ends in shooting, 18-year-old suspect arrested One person was shot in the arm during a large fight on Sunday night.
Santa Monica Police officers arrested an 18-year-old Rialto resident following a shooting that left one person wounded Sunday night during a large fight on the Santa Monica Pier, according to a SMPD press release. Officers with the Santa Monica Police Department responded around 9 p.m. March 15 to reports of gunfire at the pier, where a confrontation involving several individuals had broken out. Responding officers located a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the
arm and provided emergency aid before paramedics arrived. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment, police said. Another individual later sought medical treatment at a nearby hospital for what officials described as a graze wound. During the investigation, detectives determined that the second injured individual was allegedly the person who fired the weapon. Authorities identified the suspect as Jaysawn Williams, 18, of Rialto. After receiving medical care, Williams was taken into custody and transported to the Santa Monica Jail. Williams was booked on suspicion of assault with a firearm and grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, according to police. The Santa Monica Police Department said officers maintain a regular patrol presence on the Santa Monica Pier, allowing for rapid response to incidents in
the high-traffic tourist area. Pier operations have since resumed, and the area has reopened to the public. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective
Esteban Hernandez at esteban.hernandez@ santamonica.gov or the Santa Monica Police Department Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.
Santa Monica releases draft plan for an airport park as public input phase opens
Officials unveil Framework Diagram for airport site and invite community feedback through March 29. Planning for the future of the Santa Monica Airport site has moved into a new phase, with city officials releasing a draft
framework outlining potential uses and design concepts for the property. The Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project has entered Phase 3B, during which a “Framework Diagram” has been introduced to guide how the site could be organized as it transitions into a large public park. City officials said the draft reflects direction from the City Council as well as input gathered from community members during earlier phases of outreach. The diagram presents a high-level vision for how different areas of the site might be used and how the overall character of the
future park could take shape. Residents are invited to review the framework and provide feedback through an online survey, which will remain open through March 29. The survey and presentation materials are available on the project’s engagement website. You can review the framework at the Santa Monica Airport Conversion website. The survey is available in English here and in Spanish here.
The framework will also be discussed at public meetings. The remaining meetings are the VA Advisory committee meeting, which is to be scheduled, and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils of Mar Vista and Venice in April, with details to be announced. Public input collected during this phase will be used to refine the framework plan and help shape the next stage of the project.