SM.a.r.t: Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail
Parks & Rec Master Plan Twenty years ago, the City of Santa Monica unveiled a roadmap for the development of our parks and recreational programs. The plan, adopted in 1997, laid out a blueprint for […]
SM.a.r.t: Santa Monica Must Prepare for Future
Eight big challenges the City must address right now. The City must get ready to deal with the rise in sea levels. In Southern California we are likely to see a huge erosion of the […]
SM.a.r.t: Residents and the Pension Crisis
The members of the SM.a.r.t. group are deeply concerned about the City of Santa Monica’s long-term financial health. This guest column is by members of the now-disbanded Compensation Advisory Committee. Santa Monica faces an unfunded […]
Opinion: Santa Monica – So Much More Than Sand!
Santa Monica’s sand and cooler air and our front-porch view of the Pacific Ocean are the prime reasons for our immense popularity as a city. We were always the escape hatch for those who live […]
Art + Walk + Wellness = Olympic Art Trail
Thousands of cars inch along Santa Monica’s Olympic Blvd each day. Lanes separated by a center median that was, at one time, Red Car train tracks, have a heavy traffic load that for hours allows […]
Opinion: A Treemendous Victory
…was how Jerry Rubin, Santa Monica’s own professional positivist, described Monday night’s down to the wire Landmark Commission vote to landmark the huge Sycamore at 1122 California Ave., near the intersection of 12th Street […]
SM.a.r.t Opinion: Our Data, Our Privacy Part 3
In recent articles we stated that the City of Santa Monica gathers data about its citizens (and obtains it from other sources too), and suggested ways to protect that information, with oversight from […]
Opinion: SMa.r.t. “Who’s Listening!?”
This article was being written as our City Council was spending a weekend retreat in Virginia Park addressing the City’s five strategic goals using “data driven planning” to solve “mobility,” “inclusiveness and diversity,” re-purposing […]
Opinion: SM.a.r.t: The Wall (not music to our eyes)
The Fairmont Miramar Hotel has released its revised design concept, and, not unexpectedly, the local resident responses, per several local Facebook pages, has been one of great concern and rejection, eliciting what appears to be […]
SMa.r.t.-ARB (All Ready to Build?)
By Bob Taylor Santa Monica City’s Architectural Review Board (ARB), established in 1974, acts “to preserve existing areas of natural beauty, cultural importance and assure that buildings, structures, signs or other developments are in good […]
Meals on Wheels West LA Urgently Seeks Holiday Volunteers for Meal Deliveries
Brentwood-Based Program Needs Help Delivering Meals During the Holidays Meals on Wheels West Los Angeles is urgently seeking additional volunteers to...
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Housing Group Sues State Over Limits on Post-Wildfire Rebuilding in L.A. County
YIMBY Law Challenges Governor’s Order Allowing Cities to Restrict SB 9 Housing in High Fire Hazard Zones The housing advocacy...
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