November 23, 2025
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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 population has skyrocketed with the completion of the Expo Metro Line that tacitly offers free […]

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 enrollment and the tendency to inexorably increase the bond debt burden on the City’s businesses […]

S.M.a.r.t Column: A School District Conundrum

As most of you who drive on 4th or Pico Avenue or use the 4th Street freeway on-ramp know, the whole Santa Monica High School campus has been a construction zone for almost a decade. […]

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 Mayor Gleam Davis during the first hour of last Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. I […]

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 preserving and protecting the history, culture, and integrity of our iconic beachside community. Background:Nestled between […]

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 and assure that buildings, structures, signs or other developments are in good taste, good design, […]

SMa.r.t. Column: We are thankful for….

SMa.r.t. would like to wish you all a great Thanksgiving with friends and family and also to thank its readers for their loyalty this year. We all have much to be thankful for. Specifically, we […]

S.M.a.r.t Column: Make the City New Again

When the COVID crisis struck, it cut the city’s income in half, demolishing many businesses and causing widespread layoffs and suspension of popular services. Faster than a speeding locomotive, certain groups who like to weigh […]

S.M.a.r.t Column: Four Futures

As well described by Paul Krugman, all cities have a core competency: things they do well or better regionally or internationally than other cities. Think Atlanta for logistics, London for finance, and  Los Angeles for […]

SMa.r.t. Column: AS HE SAID

Last week, we eulogized our friend and fellow SMa.r.t. architect, Ron Goldman, FAIA. We spoke of his passion for design and urban planning and his lifelong commitment to improving the physical environment in which we […]