Tunneling for Mobility
Starting this year permits from the Santa Monica Planning Department will require a new additional fee called “Travel Demand Forecasting Model.” This has come not a moment too soon, as the model predicts that the […]
Our City’s Unique Charm…And our ability to share it.
Santa Monica is unique in many ways. Perhaps most significant is how we are perched, high on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the west. On our north side, we have another attractive view […]
Thanks, Village of Field Warriors
That huge gust of wind you felt one rainy afternoon last week wasn’t a gust of wind at all. It was the collective sigh of relief from supporters when the Coastal Commission granted a Coastal […]
Open Space… Is There Any Left?
Yes there is. Small as it is, there is about 2.5 acres in the heart of downtown waiting to be designed as a public park/plaza. Well, maybe. Our city has designed and approved a Downtown […]
No Excuses: Stop the Crime Wave
My mother turned 91 last Saturday. Happy Birthday, Mom! She has walked the streets of Santa Monica her whole life and almost always lived in our Mid-City Neighborhood, between Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards. She’s […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Gridlocked Best Intentions
On any given evening (and especially weekends) pay a visit to north-bound 2nd Street between Broadway Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, and you’ll encounter a world-class clusterpuck. A cast-in-cement gridlock that often extends back along […]
Is Santa Monica’s Heart for Sale?
Note from SMa.r.t.: This article, in a longer form, was originally published four years ago but is still as pertinent as ever. The Plaza at Santa Monica asks a simple question: Is our downtown the […]
The Myth of “Public” Art in Santa Monica
Over the past few years, the Stanton MacDonald Wright murals at the entrance to Santa Monica City Hall have stirred up a controversy. They were a Works Progress Administration project funded during America’s Great Depression. […]
A Clean(er) Energy Future in SM
Where do we get our electricity? Until now, from Southern California Edison. But beginning next month, Santa Monica residents will have a second option: The Clean Power Alliance, a collaborative organization of public agencies in […]
The City Must Redo and Recirculate the EIR for the Massive Project at 4th and Arizona
Let’s just say it: This is Hines ALL OVER AGAIN! An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that doesn’t select qualified alternatives to the project that would have fewer environmental impacts so as to choose a better […]
Three independent food pop-ups are taking over this popular Santa Monica bakery
Petitgrain Boulangerie lines up a delicious slate of local guest chefs for the rest of July. Acclaimed Westside bakery Petitgrain...
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LA Chefs Join Restaurant Fundraising Campaign for Pediatric Cancer Research
The initiative, led this year by 17-year-old Charles Lentz, asks participating restaurants to donate $1 from the sale of designated...
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