SMa.r.t. Column: Water Woes Not Be Gone
Re-visiting a column of ours from 2014. The more things change, the more they stay the same. “Water Woes” from 12/29/14 “By now everyone knows about the drought, although some people seem to be […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Warning Water Wars Ahead
Until it rains again, all the western states (including California) are being fried by a deadly drought. We have seen this before: seven years ago we had to reduce the entire State’s water consumption by […]
SMa.r.t Column: Blind Upzoning’s False Promise
SMa.r.t. is proud to introduce this essay by a Commissioner and former Chair of the Santa Monica Rent Control Board, and a Past Commissioner, Commission on the Status of Women, Nicole Phillis. As we have […]
SMa.r.t. Column: A Meeting of Two Worlds
The end of 2001 was a very tough time in Argentina. The national currency was devaluated, interest rates ballooned, and bank deposit holders could no longer access their savings. A quarter of Argentines were unemployed […]
Zone Wars: The Return Of Common Sense
Zoning has been an accelerating controversial issue, especially when weighing the acceptable levels of local municipal control versus State control. First and foremost, our city has a legitimate interest in ensuring that all commercial and […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Does Increased Density Lead to Increased Affordability?
Much of recent debate in Santa Monica has centered around the idea that changing zoning in single-family zones would result in lower-priced housing units. Recent projects, however, suggest the actual situation may be more complex […]
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 […]
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