Phil discovers some fascinating stories about Santa Monica’s Ocean Park neighborhood with local historian Richard Orton.
BOYB: Ocean Park and Richard Orton
ARB Courage (Part 1 of 2)
On March 4, 2024, your ARB (Architectural Review Board) ruled in favor of the 521-unit Gelson’s Project at Ocean Park...
SM.a.r.t Column: Can California ARBs Balance Affordable Housing with Community Character in the Face of New Housing Laws?
By suggestion, I attended the March 4th ARB (Architectural Review Board) meeting that addressed the Gelson Lincoln Boulevard Project. After...
S.M.a.r.t Column: On the Need for Safety
Earlier this week, in the dark pre-dawn hours, a pair of thugs covered in masks and hoodies burst into the...
Film Review: The Oscar Landscape 2024
FILM REVIEWTHE OSCAR LANDSCAPE 2024A Look at the Choices – Academy Awards – March 10, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. on...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Five Saving Historic Santa Monica
Our beloved City is surrounded by many threats, from sea level rise to homelessness, to housing affordability, to cancerous overdevelopment,...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Gelson’s Looms Large
Our guest column this week is by SMCLC (the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City). SMCLC is a well-established...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Top Toady Town
Throughout history, from the ancient Romans and Assyrians to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, siege warfare has served as an...
S.M.a.r.t Column: The Sunset of Home Ownership
We are watching the sunset of our historical and cultural American dream of home ownership as we now are crossing...
SMa.r.t. Column: B(U)Y RIGHT
“By Right” state housing laws that give developers, in certain projects, the ability to ignore codes ‘by right.’ Well, that...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Serf City
Homelessness is a problem in California, and nowhere is this more evident than in our fair city, where the unhoused...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Bond Fatigue
Last week’s SMart article, described two critical problems faced by our Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD): the declining...
S.M.a.r.t Column: Peace on Earth
We are all, by now, saturated with jingles, holiday cards, “ho ho ho’s,” countless commercial advertisements, and exhortations to feel...
S.M.a.r.t Column: On the Clock with Mayor Brock
I became Santa Monica’s Mayor on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, following a simple “switch of the chairs” transition with outgoing...
S.M.a.r.t Column: SANTA MONICA CITY COUNCIL 2024
Position:Seeking Santa Monica City Council Candidate(s) Introduction:Exciting opportunity for the right candidate(s) to work with like-minded Council members committed to...
S.M.a.r.t Column: ARB (NOT Ready to Build!)
Santa Monica City’s Architectural Review Board (ARB), established in 1974, acts “…to preserve existing areas of natural beauty, cultural importance...
Newsletter
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and events in Santa Monica and the surrounding areas!
DIGITAL
RECENT POSTS
(Video) Philz Coffee Set to Close Westside Location Next Month
The Franchise Recently Made Headlines for Changing Headquarters @smmirrornews Philz is closing its Santa Monica shop #coffeeaddict #coffee #coffeeshop #losangeles...
Read morePOPULAR
After Securing $200K Grant, City Embarks on Action Plan for Older Adults, People with Disabilities and Caregivers
The City Will Engage Experts, Nonprofit Partners, Commissioners, and Stakeholders to Spearhead the Planning Process The city of Santa Monica...
Read more