SMa.r.t.-Big Versus Small
By Mario Fonda-Bonardi The story of the small taking down the big is an old one we are all familiar with: think David and Goliath. The modern version might by the low-paid, long-hour worker of […]
Gas Tax Boost Key to Trump Infrastructure Cash
By Tom Elias Strong ironies are playing out today as California’s 14 Republican members of Congress support President Trump’s announced $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan at the same time they all back a planned ballot initiative […]
Zoning Nullification: The End of Local Control?
By Tom Elias Gov. Jerry Brown, a former mayor of Oakland who often griped about state government’s interference with local issues, ran in 2010 on a platform of stronger local control. He’s delivered on that […]
SMa.r.t.- Commercial Dinosaurs or Visionary Rebirth
By Samuel Tolkin In the economic downturn of the early 1990s, I was asked to help craft a Q&A video to be aired on public television regarding the demise of suburban shopping centers. My extensive […]
If Undisciplined, GOP Won’t Make Fall Ballot
By Tom Elias It’s well established that the California Republican Party has been almost without influence in the state’s public affairs for years, but at least until now it has always placed someone on the […]
Gender Gap the Key to Congress
By Tom Elias The most dramatic news in the year’s first big round of political polling, out a few days ago, was that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, once the prohibitive leader in the run for […]
“Water by the Spoonful” – A Disappointment at Mark Taper
By Beverly Cohn A funny thing happened on the way to the Mark Taper Forum to “Water by the Spoonful,” Quiara Alegria Hudes’ Pulitzer-prize winning play. Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, it began with lively opening […]
SMa.r.t.-A Driverless Santa Monica?
By Thane Roberts While there are several new technologies that will affect our small city, one that is sure to have a profound impact will be the advent of self-driving cars. Automobiles that have always […]
Trump Ignores California, Unlike Predecessors
By Tom Elias When devastating wildfires whipped through both Northern and Southern California last fall, state requests for emergency declarations that would open federal purse strings to assist in paying for firefighting, cleanup and recovery […]
Quiara Alegría Hudes’ “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
By Beverly Cohn Quiara Alegría Hudes’ brilliantly written “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue,” springs from her two worlds – that of a music degree from Yale University and a Master’s Degree in playwriting from Brown University. […]
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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