“By Right” state housing laws that give developers, in certain projects, the ability to ignore codes ‘by right.’ Well, that is the lovable jargon developers have jumped in bed with at the State level to […]

Homelessness is a problem in California, and nowhere is this more evident than in our fair city, where the unhoused population has skyrocketed with the completion of the Expo Metro Line that tacitly offers free […]

Last week’s SMart article,  described two critical problems faced by our Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD): the declining enrollment and the tendency to inexorably increase the bond debt burden on the City’s businesses […]

We are all, by now, saturated with jingles, holiday cards, “ho ho ho’s,” countless commercial advertisements, and exhortations to feel the holiday spirit. But with the world the way it is today,  this is easier […]

I became Santa Monica’s Mayor on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, following a simple “switch of the chairs” transition with outgoing Mayor Gleam Davis during the first hour of last Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. I […]

Position:Seeking Santa Monica City Council Candidate(s) Introduction:Exciting opportunity for the right candidate(s) to work with like-minded Council members committed to preserving and protecting the history, culture, and integrity of our iconic beachside community. Background:Nestled between […]

Santa Monica City’s Architectural Review Board (ARB), established in 1974, acts “…to preserve existing areas of natural beauty, cultural importance and assure that buildings, structures, signs or other developments are in good taste, good design, […]

SMa.r.t. would like to wish you all a great Thanksgiving with friends and family and also to thank its readers for their loyalty this year. We all have much to be thankful for. Specifically, we […]

When the COVID crisis struck, it cut the city’s income in half, demolishing many businesses and causing widespread layoffs and suspension of popular services. Faster than a speeding locomotive, certain groups who like to weigh […]

As well described by Paul Krugman, all cities have a core competency: things they do well or better regionally or internationally than other cities. Think Atlanta for logistics, London for finance, and  Los Angeles for […]