I was lamenting the turn our beach town has taken in the last few years. Sadly, not for the better. Crime is up significantly. Homelessness seems to have increased, and from reading various comments made […]

By Thomas D. Elias For all three decades since Ronald Reagan left the presidency, California has been all but irrelevant at the top level of American politics. Sure, plenty of ultra-wealthy Californians are regularly among […]

As you may have heard, Santa Monica is currently planning to expand Memorial Park northward into the 3 acres formerly known as the Fisher lumber site currently being used as storage of City maintenance equipment […]

By Thomas D. Elias It’s almost fall, and college students are back on many campuses around California, with the rest due to return soon. College football is already going strong. One question many would rather […]

By Rick Cole City Manager When it comes to assets and liabilities, the City of Santa Monica has one of the strongest balance sheets among the 482 cities in California. We have consistently earned AAA […]

Fabric, Thread, and Glue – All great towns are held together not by the flashiness of their buildings and landscapes but by the people who inhabit them and the fabric of history they weave upon […]

Thirst, according to Merriam-Webster: “a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids.” We’re getting thirstier. A year ago our colleague Thane Roberts pointed out that between 2005 and […]

SMa.r.t. Column How sad it is to journey to Santa Monica and I can’t find it. The open blue sky hides behind canyon walls. I look for glimpses of sun and sea, but they are […]

By Thomas D. Elias From Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lake County and Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area on the Sacramento River in Tehama County. From the vast Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San […]