Santa Monica. Our Playground.

Bahala’s mission is to help neighbors collaborate and have fun together.

Our goal is to strengthen our collective feeling of connection by fostering community in Santa Monica.

Bahala’s programs and events connect people of all ages by establishing spaces for supportive, mutually beneficial projects, pursuits and play.

Coffee & Connections: A weekly Santa Monica neighborhood gathering

BUILDING LOCAL THIRD PLACES

COFFEE & CONNECTIONS

A weekly neighborhood gathering providing a space for genuine connections and community building. Held every Friday from 10am-1 pm at the Colorado Center in front of Elabrew. All are welcome!

Coffee & Connections

Tea & Talks is your Monday night reset, where curiosity meets community. Most Monday evenings, Bahala transforms the Colorado Center Community Room into a cozy hub where neighbors gather over tea, snacks, thoughtful conversation and hands-on activities.

TEA & TALKS

Tea & Talks

Residents capture the local natural world through photographs and stories and share to Bahala’s social media and newsletter. Sharing our community’s natural beauty helps us remember to look around and be curious about the local flowers and trees all around us.

GREEN SPACES

Green Spaces

EVERYDAY TECH

Everyday Tech: Connecting people to information and resources on digital safety and AI talks, tech tips in our newsletter and everyday tech education on our blog. Bahala’s Event Calendar provides information on activities and events for residents and neighbors to connect.

Everyday Tech

Community stories

Blog
From Stand-Up to Seven Novels: Suzanne Park’s Paths to Laughter
Books, Local, Author, Stories
From Stand-Up to Seven Novels: Suzanne Park’s Paths to Laughter
Books, Local, Author, Stories

Through every stage of her career—from stand-up to novels—the throughline has been humor.

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Books, Local, Author, Stories
The Whole Child: Dads Early Engagement
Parenting, Dads, Babies
The Whole Child: Dads Early Engagement
Parenting, Dads, Babies

“Who is the most powerful person in your kid’s life?” he often asks. “Once you recognize that, everything changes. How you set boundaries. How you respond.  How you help them learn through their choices.”

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Parenting, Dads, Babies
Podcast #3: AI Dialogue followup discussion
AI, Everyday Tech
Podcast #3: AI Dialogue followup discussion
AI, Everyday Tech

Can AI be your therapist, your creative twin, and your kid's homework buddy — all at once? This week, Deb, Jess and I recap the AI Community Dialogue we had on February 9th. We gauge the feelings and intents from the meeting, dig into the unresolved emotions we're still carrying from the social media era, lament the lack of education around our "information diets", and much more. Hope you enjoy!

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AI, Everyday Tech
Santa Monica Wayfinding with Garden Safaris
Being in Santa Monica, Gardening, Green Spaces, Local
Santa Monica Wayfinding with Garden Safaris
Being in Santa Monica, Gardening, Green Spaces, Local

The seed for the Garden Safaris walking tours sprouted from an online community group.

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Being in Santa Monica, Gardening, Green Spaces, Local

Meet the Team

Bahala staff are your friendly local experts ready to help you discover and enjoy the best of Santa Monica as your ultimate playground!

Bahala Team

Volunteer with US

Want to make a difference? Volunteering at Bahala is a great way to contribute your skills, meet new people, and help build a stronger community. Whether you want to help on a project remotely, need community service hours for school, let’s start by having a conversation.

Submit Interest

Support Our Mission

Your support helps us keep our programs running and our community thriving. Whether it’s a one-time donation, a recurring gift, or an in-kind contribution, every bit makes a difference. Let’s build something great together.

Give Today