By CHARLES ANDREWS IN CASE YOU WONDER Why I keep pounding on the City Council vote last month to abandon an extraordinary, exciting possibility to bring our famous Civic Auditorium back to performance status, at […]

Professor Horst Rittel of UC Berkeley’s School of Architecture coined the term “wicked problems” to describe planning challenges in constant flux with many moving parts and stakeholders. He taught that effective problem-solving requires defining the […]

By CHARLES ANDREWS QUICK TAKES FIRST Necessary business out of the way. Mark my words. We can change the fallen reputation of the great city of Santa Monica. It should be known as a haven […]

By CHARLES ANDREWS NOT SELL OFF, SELL OUT Well, isn’t that handy. This is the third time I have been able to use that headline. I pray there is not a fourth. But… We would […]

Long before Santa Monica became a global destination, it was a humble seaside town defined by salt air, sunshine, and a sense of belonging. Families gathered on the sand, cyclists rolled down Ocean Avenue, and […]

Every year, the Santa Monica Conservancy issues a list of the best Santa Monica preservation projects and the most distinguished individuals working in this field. These awards are the equivalent for the preservation community of […]

By CHARLES ANDREWS First, these public service announcements.  People tell me it’s not always easy to find a copy of The Mirror on Fridays. Nor to remember to search online on the right day. So […]

In a move that stunned many civic leaders, the Santa Monica City Council voted this fall to suspend and overhaul the Neighborhood Organization Grant Program, cutting off funds that for years had helped the city’s seven […]

By CHARLES ANDREWS DAN HALL NATALYA ZERNITSKAYA CAROLINE TOROSIS JESSE ZWICK Why am I singling out four of our City Council members, especially for my NOTEWORTHY music and arts recommendations calendar? – available in your […]

The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium stands as more than a shuttered venue awaiting revival—it remains an active force in global performance architecture and cultural memory, its influence reverberating through concert halls from London to Tokyo […]