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 […]
Low-Cost Housing? State Keeps Ignoring the New Realities
From Sacramento comes word that the median price for a single-family home in California skyrocketed by 24 percent over less than one year, topping $810,000 in May, a rise of almost 30 percent from the […]
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 […]
Opinion: City Manager Lane Dilg’s Leadership Saw Us Through Our Darkest Days
By Mayor Sue Himmelrich and Mayor Pro Tem Kristin McCowan This week, we say goodbye to Lane Dilg, who for the last four years has served the Santa Monica community with keen intellect, clear foresight, […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Does Increased Density Lead to Increased Affordability?
Much of recent debate in Santa Monica has centered around the idea that changing zoning in single-family zones would result in lower-priced housing units. Recent projects, however, suggest the actual situation may be more complex […]
The first protest at René Redzepi’s Noma pop-up at the Paramour Estate (Video)
The protest was organized by Jason Ignacio White and One Fair Wage after the owner and chef of Noma, René...
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Film Review: Oscars Landscape 2026
My Oscar choices and predictions. The 98th Academy Awards, Sunday, March 15th at 4:00 PM, on ABC, and streaming on...
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