The best two things that could happen in American politics would be cutting or removing altogether the corporate and labor union campaign contributions that are the most significant sources of corruption in both national and […]

Operas are usually dramatic, to say the least.  There are songs of emotional torment, followed by florid suicide scenes, followed by songs of emotional torment over florid suicides.   In 1987 composer John Adams and librettist […]

One way to start a dialogue on the ironically delicate subject of what it is we want from professional sports might be to ask ourselves why we still have professional boxing. We sent Michael Vick […]

Expect foreign companies galore to bid on major contracts for building components of California’s planned high speed rail system, the largest such project now planned anywhere in the world. They will come from Germany and […]

How did it all go so wrong is the question being asked regarding the development proposed by Hines 26th Street, LLC (Hines) for a 960,000 square feet project located on the north side of Olympic […]

Editor’s Note: The following is a revised version of a letter to the editor, which originally appeared at Santa Monica LookOut surfsantamonica.com I live steps from the Pacific Ocean in the Ocean Park neighborhood of […]

When I think of a really bad tsunami hitting Santa Monica, I fear something more intense than just raised sea levels covering our beautiful beaches. I think of waves crashing into our low-lying residential neighborhoods […]

Richie Havens used to sing a little song underneath TV ads for Amtrak years ago, and the repeating chorus idea was “There’s something about a train…” which at that time might have engendered the response […]

For years, Democrats have called California Republicans the “Party of No” because almost all they ever did was say “no, no, no” to Democratic budget plans and even those of former GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. […]

Once again, a logical solution to California’s estimated $25 billion budget quandary stares the state in the face. All the money that would be needed to keep all services going, pay all state employees and […]