Noteworthy 2/11-18/26: “HONOUR” COMES TO THE AIRPORT
By Charles Andrews THE NEW RUSKIN GROUP THEATRE IS OPEN, AND IT’S GORGEOUS! I hope to see their opening production, “Honour,” very soon, and to give you the lowdown, but I can tell you, in […]
SM.a.r.t Column: The Mathematics of Erasure
How Solo Living Is Shrinking the Functional City SMa.r.t.’s article last month referred to Santa Monica’s collapsed school enrollment of 8,900 students. The figure arrives despite the addition of thousands of new apartment units over […]
Noteworthy 2/4-11/26: BRUCE YES, BUT NO PIE
By CHARLES ANDREWS YOUR FRIENDLY WEEKLY REMINDER Four City Council members – DAN HALL, JESSE ZWICK, NATALYA ZERNITSKAYA, CAROLINE TOROSIS – Voted to throw away the best chance we had to not only save the […]
SM.a.r.t Column: Santa Monica’s Housing Push—and the Ethics Crisis Behind It
Santa Monica’s housing debate is no longer just about zoning, density, or state mandates. It has become a test of basic political ethics—and of whether residents can trust how major land-use decisions are being made […]
CuriousCity 1/30/26: JUST BEGINNING?
By CHARLES ANDREWS THESE ARE HISTORIC DAYS Our young children or grandchildren will be reading about this time, and the account they get in schoolbooks depends on how it plays out in the next few […]
Noteworthy 1/28-2/4: JAZZ FESTIVAL, FROM STANLEY CLARKE
By CHARLES ANDREWS “CULTURE” IS VERY SUBJECTIVE Woody Allen once complained in “Annie Hall” that the only culture in California was “being able to turn right on a red light.” Outdated completely, of course, if […]
Noteworthy1/21-28: A CITY OF THE ARTS
By CHARLES ANDREWS I have been mocked for using that “title” to describe Santa Monica. It is partly aspirational, in our being known that way (blame our troglodytic City functionaries for more often getting in […]
SM.a.r.t Column: Why Go Beyond?
One question echoed through City Hall’s chambers Tuesday night, asked almost four dozen different ways by four dozen different residents who stayed until nearly 1 AM: Why is this Council going beyond the already transformative […]
CuriousCity1/16/26: GET REAL ON TUES
By CHARLES ANDREWS A REVEALING, IMPORTANT COUNCIL MEETING LAST TUESDAY A City Council member, JESSE ZWICK, who took a six-figure salary position as an advocate for a housing developer, which he revealed last October just […]
Noteworthy1/14-21: PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER
By CHARLES ANDREWS WORRIED YET? Tough week. And who knows what will happen between when I write this and the next 12 hours. I check my TV way too frequently these days. Finally, white folks […]
What to Know About Santa Monica’s $3.5M ‘Restorative Justice Program’ (Video)
The City Council unanimously launched a $3.5 million Restorative Justice Program — one of the largest locally funded efforts of...
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Malibu Oceanfront Lot with Rebuild Potential Listed for $1.9M
Buyers can rebuild under Malibu’s Fast Track Rebuild Program, with potential for up to 3,433 square feet of livable space,...
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