SMa.r.t. Column: Why Native Gardens?
Voltaire said it best at the end of his 1759 novel Candide: “We must cultivate our own garden”. This simple phrase has special meaning today as the ecological noose tightens with brownouts (1/4 of our […]
SMa.r.t. Column: We’re All Wet – Not!
Don’t you think that if you heard, or read, statements from controlling government agencies that said you were threatened by a health hazard if the threatening condition was allowed to continue unabated, and the same […]
Affordability Answer: A New Tax on Housing Speculators?
By Tom Elias, Columnist The TV commercials and online ads are fast becoming ubiquitous: “We’ll buy your house as is,” they trumpet. “No need to spend any money fixing it up.” That’s commonly the message […]
SMar.t. Column: Has the Promenade Turned a Corner?
In large complex systems with dynamically balanced forces, it’s paradoxically often hard to tell when something has actually happened, For example, when did the British Empire start to crumble? What was the first sign of […]
Column: Groundwater Law Has Not Stopped Subsidence
By Tom Elias Drive almost any road in the vast San Joaquin Valley and you’ll see irrigation pipes standing up several feet tall in the middle of fields and orchards, pipes that once were underground. […]
SMa.r.t. Column: It’s Time to Look at the Facts of Santa Monica’s Housing History
The Narrative: Santa Monica’s decades-long housing construction “shortage” The Narrative endlessly repeats the refrain that for decades Santa Monica has built almost nothing. The implication is that residents should feel guilty about “selfishly” wanted to […]
SMa.r.t. Column: The Mansionization of Santa Monica
Editor’s note: This column originally appeared in print in 2016. In the 1980s, Santa Monica’s single family zoning code was rewritten and modified to prevent the “mansionization” of small homes on small lots, from being […]
OP-Ed Response to DTSM Board Chair Barry Snell and Plea to City Council Regarding Safety Ambassadors and Ambassador Program
I am responding to the OP-ED (dated June 7, 2022, Santa Monica Mirror) by City-appointed DTSM Board Member and now Board Chair, Barry Snell, regarding his support of DTSM using about $550,000 every month of […]
SMa.r.t. Column: Wheeling Electrically
A recent weekend visit to Dana Point, on the Orange County coastline, revealed a curious scene: dozens, if not hundreds of folks using electric bicycles to visit the coastline, ride in the streets and travel […]
Population Loss: New Era or Pandemic Glitch?
By Tom Elias, Columnist The numbers suggest a major change is underway in California. It would take a Nostradamus to know if that change is real and long lasting or if those proclaiming it are […]
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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