November 28, 2025
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SMa.r.t. Column: Fix Those Balconies!

About six years ago a fifth-floor balcony in a Berkeley apartment building collapsed. A group of students standing on the balcony died and several others were injured. Investigations into the tragedy suggested that the balcony […]

SMa.r.t. Column: The Main Pain

Visiting Main St. several times each day of what was to be a test trial of closure to thru traffic revealed seemingly little increase in foot traffic, and not much activity in the middle of […]

SMa.r.t Column: Promenade Progress?

As we find ourselves approaching August, the question is what, if any, progress has been made on conceptual design and management improvements for one of our city’s significant assets, the Promenade, since our series of […]

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 […]