August 5, 2026
Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Opinion pieces, editorials and letters to the editor on Santa Monica issues from Santa Monica Mirror.

Thomas B. Elias, Columnist

State Demos Start Talking Tough To Obama On Housing:

Pinpointing the prime cause of California’s slow recovery from recession is easy: Too little has been done about the crisis in housing construction, values, and foreclosures. While only one in 579 homes nationally is “under […]

Steve Stajich, Columnist

My Content,Your Content, Our Internet…:

With so many Internet-based companies headquartered in Santa Monica and so many content creators making their home in our city, I don’t think I’m off task if we take a moment to consider the recent […]

Thomas B. Elias, Columnist

Late GOP Primary Hurting California: Elias:

Consider for a moment what this winter season of Republican presidential candidates lambasting each other while they traversed the countryside of early primary states might have been had California been involved. Instead of watching the […]

Steve Stajich, Columnist

Trending Now: New Super Lying!:

Actually Al Franken was way ahead of me on this back in 2003 with his book “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.” At that time, the realization that FOX News offered a product […]

Steve Stajich, Columnist

The Third Street Promenade: Our Downtown Street:

Our digital-age Santa Monica Mirror has a great new web page video feature called the Santa Monica Beat, and it will be refreshed every Monday morning. Maybe mentioning that constitutes product placement in my column, […]

Steve Stajich, Columnist

Santa Monica Learns How To Drive… Safely:

At a meeting of a neighborhood group just before the holidays, representatives of the Santa Monica Police Department reacted with grins when my question to them suggesting ‘stings’ to catch drivers texting or using mobile […]

Thomas B. Elias, Columnist

Big Savings In Return To Original Three Strikes Intent:

When California voters begin thinking seriously next fall about the propositions they’ll vote up or down, one that’s currently circulating might stand out as eminently sensible: Return the state’s three-strikes-and-you’re-out law to its original intent. […]