SMa.r.t. Column: Going Bare
(part 3 of 3 articles) Every City faces periodic interruptions to its normal life. Some interruptions in our City are minor and predictable such as gridlock on Lincoln Blvd every afternoon. Because of their relatively […]
SMa.r.t. Column: The Urgency to Retrofit Earthquake-Deficient Buildings
Recent early-morning tremors off the Malibu coast, and the huge and terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria have made us take another look at Santa Monica’s earthquake-retrofit program for vulnerable buildings. This program, started in […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Reinforcing the Future – A Revisit
Six years go we discussed, in these pages, the city’s then-renewed earthquake-retrofit rules. At the time we argued that the anticipated volume of building permit applications would create a serious challenge for the city’s staff. […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Santa Monica City Council – Planners, Politicians, or Developers?
Santa Monica – a progressive city 20 years ago, a chaotic city today! A city that is struggling for its identity and life is a titanic struggle for the heart and soul of our city. […]
SMa.r.t. Column: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
The picture shown above is the future of Santa Monica. Large tall buildings along the Boulevards and Avenues plus Downtown and in the Bergamot Area will be massed to completely shade adjacent low-rise smaller homes […]
SMa.r.t. Column: To a Better Housing Element
Your City is busy rewriting much of its zoning code to implement our new Housing Element as demanded by the State of California. That laborious rewrite has been going on for months because every line […]
SMa.r.t Column: Widespread Issues Put Santa Monica in Danger
Following are 5 issues which, along with homelessness and crime, should take priority over all else in our city’s immediate future: 1. Paramount is our city’s economic uncertainty! Historically, our city has been wealthy and […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Let’s Get Real and Apply Practical Common Sense
This week’s column is a letter to the City Council, written by Arthur Jeon and sent in this past week. “Dear City Council, Happy New Year and a hearty welcome to the new council members. […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Water Water Everywhere
The new year has started with water, lots of WATER. The west coast and particularly central and northern California have been pummeled with torrents of biblical proportions. This coming week seems like it will be […]
SMa.r.t. Column: The “Beachtown Remedy”
The failure of the State to clearly define the controlling criteria for any city to follow while preparing their Housing Element (HE) leads to the opportunity for the State ‘regulators’ to pick and choose at […]
Sweet Laurel Bakery Will Not Reopen in Palisades, Closes Santa Monica Pickup Spot
Sweet Laurel opened its flagship store in Palisades Village in 2018 and built a strong following across West Los Angeles....
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SM.a.r.t. Column: Santa Monica Isn’t Rebounding Yet. It’s Replacing
Santa Monica officially reports numerous new business openings, often highlighted by the media as signs of economic recovery. However, a...
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