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February 28, 2025 - March 6, 2025 Volume CXXIII Issue 214
Palisades Charter High School Eyes Downtown Santa Monica Building for Temporary Relocation School leaders have stressed the importance of resuming in-person learning to provide stability and support for students The old Sears building in downtown Santa Monica is being considered as a temporary campus for Palisades Charter High School, which suffered damage in the Palisades fire earlier this year, school officials revealed during a board meeting Tuesday. School administrators acknowledged ongoing negotiations but emphasized that no formal agreement has been reached. “I won’t say a lot about the temporary relocation, because we have more to talk about later,” said the school’s executive director and principal, Dr.
Pamela Magee. “But I do want to assure everyone we’re working on that. We had a little bit of a delay, because, as with many things that deal with contracts, things sometimes come up. We’re working through it. We think that we’ll get it all resolved quickly.” The high school has been searching for a temporary site after the January wildfires forced students and staff out of their original campus. Last month, school officials issued a public appeal for assistance in securing an interim location, calling on local businesses and organizations to help provide space for continued instruction. “We have a unique opportunity to show the strength and resilience of our community in the face of adversity,” Magee said at the time. “By coming together, we can ensure that our students can stay in their learning environment, with their friends and mentors, at a time when they need it most.” The former Sears building, located on Colorado Avenue, has been the site of other redevelopment efforts. Most
recently, it was set to house SCI-FI WORLD: The Experience, a museum dedicated to science fiction and fantasy memorabilia. However, the museum’s grand opening was delayed last year due to regulatory and staffing issues. If an agreement is reached, the Sears
building would serve as a temporary home for Palisades Charter High School while officials work on long-term solutions. School leaders have stressed the importance of resuming in-person learning to provide stability and support for students affected by the fires.
ZJ Boarding House, Popular Santa Monica Surf Shop, to Close Four Years After Reopening Financial troubles of parent company lead to shutdown of beloved surf and skate shop ZJ Boarding House, a long-standing surf and skate shop on Main Street, is set to close its doors once again this April, just four years after its celebrated reopening. Originally founded in 1988 at the corner of Main Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, ZJ Boarding House first shut down in August 2020 due to difficulties negotiating a lease. However, a new five-year lease agreement allowed the store to reopen in spring 2021 following extensive renovations. The return was heralded as a victory for the local surf and skate community, with co-founder
Todd Roberts calling it “a silver lining at the end of such a challenging year.” Despite its revival, ZJ Boarding House is now among the many retail locations affected by the ongoing financial struggles of its parent company, Liberated Brands. The firm, which operated several well-known surf and skate brands under a licensing agreement with Authentic Brands Group, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, as reported by Digital Commerce 360. The filing followed Authentic Brands’ decision to terminate its licensing deal with Liberated Brands, leaving the company in financial turmoil. Gordon Brothers, the asset management firm overseeing the liquidation of Liberated Brands’ retail locations, announced storewide closing sales at all 122 affected stores, including ZJ Boarding House. Discounts range from 20% to 50% off, with all sales final during the store closing event.