A surfer heads out toward the Santa Monica Bay at 5:50 a.m. on Thursday, June 21, 2007 — the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.  Beginning tomorrow, the days will get shorter, but the sun will still set later in the evening.

Jose Hernandez casts his line during the 17th Annual Santa Monica Pier Father’s Day Fishing Derby on Sunday, June 17, 2007. He won the competition with a 21-pound Leopard Shark.

Zurab  Nebieridze, a bodybuilder, power lifter and wrestler from Hollywood,  jumps over four plastic buckets while carrying 200 pounds of weight on his back at the Santa Monica Pier on Friday, June 15, 2007.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department and guests practice rescue drills on Wednesday, June 13, 2007  during a Full-Scale Functional Multi-Agency Exercise.  There were about 100 emergency personnel from twelve different agencies participating in the drill. The Santa Monica Urban-Search and Rescue, Santa Monica Police, Harbor and Fire Departments along with the LA County Sherifs, Montebello FD, Downey FD, Santa Fe Springs FD, Compton FD, Gerber Ambulance and the American Red Cross participated in the rescue drills - which were held above and bellow the pier. 

Iao Katagiri (center) from the Rand Corporation, reads excerpts from a fourth-graders writings during the 47th Annual Literature & Arts Program at John Adams Middle Schools on Wednesday, June 13, 2007. All the fourth graders on stage, who had  their names projected up behind them, had their literature read by Katagiri and the rest of the panel,  SMPD Chief Tim Jackman (seated-right) and Nathaniel Trives (seated-left)  from the New Vision Foundation.