Guest Columnist: A Perspective…
Six or so years ago, I started reading some pieces in a local Santa Monica paper. I was struck by those pieces. They were articulating the issues of how a city approaches development that reflected […]
When Reality Meets the Housing Element
Affordability is the housing issue in Santa Monica (SM). Densification of the City is the primary objective of the draft 2021 – 2029 Housing Element, ostensibly to address an 8,895 RHNA unit target that is […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Community vs Commodity
The cost of housing in a capitalist society is primarily determined by who owns it. While housing can be bought, sold, or leased according to certain constraints, fees, and changing tax laws, the principal agency […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Everyone Has a Plan……
In the summer of 2010 your City adopted its Land Use and Circulation element (LUCE). This legal document, a product of 6 years of public meetings, hearings, debates and revisions, was to govern the next […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Power to the People
Electrical power is now determining much of modern life from smartphones, to electric toothbrushes, to scooters to cars and beyond the usual lights and air-conditioning. Its generation distribution and consumption is no longer just a […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Santa Monica Needs More Sunshine
You wouldn’t think so by looking outside, but Santa Monica is under ominous dark grey clouds on the horizon in which a storm is brewing, but this is not a weather forecast or about climate […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Politics as Usual
Friday, October 11, 2019, was a warm, pleasant day in the Bay Area town of Newark, California. Midday temps were in the mid-70s, but the folks working in the office of a local attorney were […]
SMa.r.t. Column: SMMUSD’s Financial Performance and Underlying Issues
There has been much discussion regarding the SMMUSD’s financial performance. The Board recently issued a statement noting that they have “Fortified our financial reserves, balanced our budget and Improved our credit rating.” All good things. […]
SMa.r.t. Column: History Repeats Itself
Santa Monicans today understand there is a titanic struggle going on for the heart and soul of their City. And it’s not the first time this has happened. The battle manifests itself in infinite ways […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Santa Monica’s Precarious Business Plan
As the City’s budget season gets underway, it is helpful to step back from the minutiae of an annual process and reflect on the emerging financial trends from City management decisions that will impact the […]
Urban Jungle: Deck The Halls This Holiday Season With Plants
The holiday season is fast approaching. To make your holidays more sustainable, Urban Jungle, an indoor and tropical plants nursery...
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Santa Monica Is Stronger Than Anonymous Attacks
By Mayor Pro Tempore Caroline Torosis I entered public service because I love Santa Monica. I believe in its people,...
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