By Julie A. Werner-Simon My 16-year-old daughter joined with fellow Santa Monica High School students on Sunday to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. She and her friends wore black, chanted, walked down […]

“Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech…or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” 1st Amendment, Bill of Rights ~ Chaos, anguish, […]

When the COVID financial crisis struck it cut the city’s income in half, causing widespread layoffs and suspension of popular services. Right away, prominent groups who weigh in on the city’s actions sprang forward to offer […]

Dear Editor, As a long-time resident of Santa Monica, I raised my daughters and worked as an educator for close to forty years, retiring as the principal of Olympic High School, the Adult Education Center, […]

“We’re still out here, kicking and screaming,” a resident wrote to me, repeating her email to the Planning Commission about proposed changes to the city’s zoning codes. The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City […]

As Californians shelter at home, eagerly awaiting the eventual reopening of myriad businesses and hoping for the quick rehire of millions of the virally unemployed, at least they can be thankful state legislators had the […]

Wow! Our city faces unprecedented amounts of high drama over the next seven weeks as a byproduct of the COVID-19 crisis. Our city manager “offered” his resignation. It was accepted, and our “wise” city government […]

Californians have shown with great clarity during the coronavirus pandemic that if they’re convinced something needs to be done, they’ll cheerfully do it even when it’s uncomfortable and terribly expensive. So when Gov. Gavin Newsom […]

(Updated as of Sunday Evening, April 26, 2020, revising death and confirmed cases since published print version, Friday, April 24, 2020)   By Julie A. Werner-Simon, former federal prosecutor & Fellow, Constitutional Studies at Southwestern Law […]