February 2, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Category: Opinion


SMa.r.t. Column: Texas Comes to SMMUSD

February 25, 2021

February 25, 2021

Last week Texas suffered a dramatic blow out between the loss of power and the related water system collapse caused...

Promenade now – Back to the Future?

February 22, 2021

February 22, 2021

Last week, this column reviewed the backstory of the Promenade within the context of Downtown Santa Monica.  This week, we...

SMa.r.t. Column: The Promenade – Leaving the Past to Reimagine its Future

February 12, 2021

February 12, 2021

PART I This week the City Council started discussing the next move for the Santa Monica Promenade, our beleaguered and...

Opinion: Councilmember Davis on Miramar Recusal

February 11, 2021

February 11, 2021

By Gleam Davis, Santa Monica City Councilmember Prior to receiving any inquiry from any member of the public, I timely...

Creating your Own Stimulus in 2021 – How Southern California Residents Can Use Lawsuit Funding to Help with Everyday Bills

February 7, 2021

February 7, 2021

Lawsuit funding is an alternative to direct cash payments for immediate help Despite unprecedented government assistance in 2020, many American...

Saving a Failed Marriage Part 4 – Looking to Our Zoning Code for Family Counseling!

February 4, 2021

February 4, 2021

Santa Monica has spent 20+ years swimming uphill in a partnership with the development community that isn’t working – a...

SMa.r.t. Column: Saving a Failed Marriage – Part 2

January 22, 2021

January 22, 2021

Every 8 years, the state requires cities to update their planning code’s “housing element” to reflect the number of dwelling...

SMa.r.t. Column: Saving a Failed Marriage – Part 1

January 14, 2021

January 14, 2021

After several decades of wedlock and blind pursuit, our Santa Monica City Council finds itself in a failed marriage with...

SMa.r.t. Column: School Board Dilemmas – Campus Construction Planning and New Member Appointment

January 7, 2021

January 7, 2021

Between crafting COVID-era return-to-school plans, fine-tuning Distance Learning, developing major district-wide campus improvements, giving fair process to the Santa Monica...

SMa.r.t. Column: Planning Is a Vital Need

January 4, 2021

January 4, 2021

[We wrote this article 6.5 years ago. Today, the issues it raises continue to bedevil the city, and with more...