Longtime Porter Ranch resident Ari Demiral, his wife Christine, and their three children left their Porter Ranch home just after midnight on Friday, Oct. 11, nearly three hours after the Saddleridge fire began blazing through the San Fernando Valley. Demiral witnessed the fire making its way up and over the mountains separating Sylmar from Porter Ranch.

Roughly 100,000 people were forced from their homes as the Saddleridge wildfire blazed across the San Fernando Valley over the weekend, impacting residents of Granada Hills, Sylmar and Porter Ranch.

Roughly 100,000 people are forced from their homes as the Saddleridge wildfire blazes across the San Fernando Valley, impacting residents of Granada Hills, Sylmar and Porter Ranch.

A wildfire broke out late last night in Sylmar. At approximately 9:00pm, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFP) reported that high winds were causing the fire to spread rapidly. Affected areas include Sylmar, Porter Ranch, and parts of Granada Hills.

As of 8:30am on Friday morning, approximately 4,700 acres have burned, 25,000 homes have been evacuated, and 100,000 people have been displayed, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Containment is at 0%.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, clubs from the Santa Monica College (SMC) community were on display with hopes of recruiting new members. Each club had their own unique formula to draw in as many students as they could at their respective tables.

California Senate Bill 276, signed into law on Sept. 9, 2019, places tighter regulations on medical exemptions given for children’s vaccines. The bill cements a deadline of Jan. 1, 2021, for the State Department of Public Health (CDPH) to create a standardized form system through California’s Immunization Registry for approving and tracking exemptions.

Beto O'Rourke, a 47-year old former three-term congressman representing El Paso Texas, now running for the 2020 democratic Presidential nomination, arrived at La Casa Del Mexicano, a historic hispanic landmark that has been around for 88 years, located in Boyle Heights. With a small turn out of supporters that came to the event on Saturday, O'Rourke used the moment to send a personal message to the crowd.

During the latest Board of Trustees meeting, representatives from the Guided Pathways redesign team presented a report to the Board, updating them on the progress in implementing the new Pathways framework.

Despite the small group of students dealing with the issue of having to use the loud and ever so crowded Santa Monica College (SMC) cafeteria as a temporary space, they aren't discouraged one bit. Once they settle in, everyone introduces themselves one by one, before admitting a personal problem that they all share – alcoholism.

The Center for Wellness and Wellbeing at Santa Monica College (SMC) recognizes September’s Suicide Prevention Month by offering a robust schedule of workshops, special events, and trainings that cover suicide prevention as well as other mental health topics, such as anxiety, depression, mindfulness, relationships, and stress management.

Recent deaths and other heat-related injuries of hikers in the Santa Monica Mountains have highlighted the need for proper awareness and preparation. It's important to know the basics and have a plan in case of emergencies.

Two hikers have died and multiple others have suffered heat-related injuries in the Santa Monica Mountains over the past two months, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

In 2018, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) reported that there are an estimated 129,972 homeless people in California. Of that number, roughly 52,765 resided in Los Angeles County, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). In the past year since these findings, there has been a 12% increase of homeless people in LA, up to nearly 59,000.

Throughout the month of September, different organizations have been using their platforms to publicly address issues pertaining to diet culture and weight stigmatization. Two different companies have been at the forefront of the month’s wellness campaigns – the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the social networking company Instagram.

Santa Monica College's (SMC) Associated Students (A.S.) are currently planning the school's first Indigenous Peoples' Day event on the main campus. A.S. hopes to bring an event that focuses more on the celebration of Indigenous people rather than Christopher Columbus.

Pedestrians walking along Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, Calif. cheered on protester Therese Sweeney on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 17. Therese, a 68 year old retiree, wooed honks from cars stuck in rush hour traffic, as a group of LAPD officers monitoring President Trump’s arrival huddled up for a coffee break nearby. Therese was one of the peaceful demonstrators who turned out to protest the President’s arrival at Santa Monica Airport on one of his infrequent visits to California.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislature have approved a large budget increase for California community colleges. The increased funds will go towards extending the 'California Promise Program' to a second year as well as the first.

The Cayton Center on the main campus of Santa Monica College (SMC) will be updated this semester with a $12,000 budget with the hopes of providing a better on campus experience for students.

SMC's Student Trustee Brooke Harrington is looking to SMC students first for ideas on possible new Cayton Center updates and uses, asking students for their suggestions on how the popular student lounge should be updated. Harrington has asked students to write down their needs on post-it sticky notes and hang them on a poster in the Cayton Center designated for this activity.

SMC has adopted a new parking system called iParq, which has eliminated the need for window decals.

Due to the limited food options near the CMD campus, many students rely on food trucks for their meals. The lack of sidewalks on Pennsylvania Avenue, however, pose a serious safety threat as it forces to pedestrians to walk on the street, putting themselves at danger of being struck by a vehicle.

Where were you on 9/11? On this eighteenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, most of us have an answer to this question that comes immediately to mind; it has become a part of our consciousness, but for some Freshman at Santa Monica College (SMC) this Fall, they may not...It is for this reason that on this eighteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we remember the day and how it changed us.