It is too early to capture all the valuable lessons of the November 8 Woolsey Fire, but it has a depressing familiarity. Before full containment on November 21, that fire destroyed 1643 structures and damaged […]

As Thanksgiving approaches our thoughts turn to the blessings so many of us have enjoyed, and the needs that so many continue to have during this turbulent period. The recent disasters continue to remind us […]

The recent fires along California’s coast have been unusually destructive this year. Many lives were lost, along with many square miles of forest burned, as well as the houses in their midst. Are we going […]

SM.a.r.t. (Santa Monica Architect’s for a Responsible Tomorrow) is always scanning the virtual horizon for threats to our urban fabric. We try to align the City into a better position to withstand the inevitable forces […]

California has an ambitious goal (SB100) of getting all the electricity for the entire state from renewable energy sources by 2045. The mandated incremental steps are 50 percent by 2026 and 60 percent by 2030. […]

It’s local election time and the Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow weigh in on several of the local candidates and issues. As a group of concerned residents, we focus on how good development, […]

Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City’s  (SMCLC) Diana Gordon wrote this wide-reaching report on Santa Monica’s troubled Mobility Plan. SMart shares it with you this week. Internal City records obtained by SMCLC, and other […]

In about four weeks we will be voting on a school bond. This $485 million bond will cost over a billion dollars by the time the bond is retired in 30-40 years depending on how […]

    After about a year of exposure to E-scooters, the City has approved a one year “study” involving up to 2000 scooters. The entire City: visitors, residents, workers, students, skaters and skateboarders, cyclists, drivers, and […]

I was lamenting the turn our beach town has taken in the last few years. Sadly, not for the better. Crime is up significantly. Homelessness seems to have increased, and from reading various comments made […]