The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted Friday to approve sweeping changes to the state’s cap-and-trade (or cap-and-invest) program, moving forward despite warnings from transit agencies, affordable housing advocates, environmental organizations, and local elected officials that the proposal could divert…
Big Blue Bus riders can now pay their fare by simply tapping a contactless credit or debit card, or a mobile wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, directly on the bus fare validator. The update was rolled out…
The first half of the story was written with an AI Assist. This week, the city council approved a memorandum of understanding with the California Coastal Commission (Agenda, Item 4I) establishing a framework to pursue a fully certified Local Coastal…
With the June 2, 2026, Election Day approaching, California election officials are encouraging voters to make a plan now for returning their ballots or voting in person. Because California conducts elections primarily by mail, most registered voters have already received…
Santa Monica residents interested in shaping city policy and governance will soon have a chance to apply for dozens of openings on city boards and commissions. Applications due by noon, June 16, 2026 and can be found here. According to…
A looming overhaul of California’s cap-and-trade program is raising alarm among transit advocates, affordable housing organizations, and environmental justice groups, who warn the state could weaken a key climate funding source at a moment when cities already face transit funding…
The Santa Monica Conservancy is launching a new self-guided historical tour called “Coastal Crossroads,” highlighting the cultural and historical significance of Santa Monica’s coastline. For more information, or to make a reservation, click here. The new tour is part of…
Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, one of Santa Monica’s most influential political organizations, will hold the 2026 Annual Membership Convention on August 9 at 1 p.m. at the Grant Elementary School Auditorium. Amongst other things, members will vote on endorsements…
Between this morning’s Bike to Anywhere Day festivities and the Rick Crocker 5K in just a couple of hours, I didn’t have a lot of time to explore Bike to Anywhere Day, but I did manage to hit three stops…
Tomorrow, Santa Monica cyclists won’t just be riding…they’ll be celebrating. Santa Monica Spoke and a coalition of local businesses and advocacy groups are organizing a full day of events for Bike Anywhere Day on Thursday, May 21, including morning pit…
The City of Santa Monica promised to make the results of its “Realignment Plan” public through an online dashboard of statistics. Yesterday, the city released its first update, “Realignment Plan Performance Measurement Dashboard” and the early results seem to show…
Last Friday was the first “deadline” for legislation to have moved through the Appropriations and/or Finance Committees in its house of origin or it would have to wait for the next legislative session for a chance to become law. As…
Santa Monica’s Coastal Fight Is Moving From Sacramento Back to City Hall Two separate but closely connected debates over the future of development in Santa Monica are now unfolding at the same time: one in Sacramento over Assembly Bill 1740,…
In most parts of the state, today is “Bike to Anywhere” day. And while Santa Monica, and many other parts of SoCal, are waiting a week; I decided to take a morning rush hour ride to mark the occasion by…
With ballots already in the mail and televised debates between the candidates already over, this may be the last check-in on the positions taken for the major candidates for governor. Last week, Streetsblog discussed the candidates’ answers to debate questions on…
