California voters should reject Proposition 43, which would make it significantly harder for voters to approve local taxes for transportation and other public services. Under current law, local governments generally need two-thirds voter approval to pass special taxes. But when residents…
Before the Ashley Oelson campaign even opened its headquarters in the old Barnes & Noble building on the Promenade, political observers were asking questions. How could a city council campaign, where individual contributions are capped at $1,200 per cycle, possibly…
Santa Monica Next is urging a “yes” vote on Measure ES. Since much of our coverage the past couple of years has focused on some of the school district’s controversies (HVACs, turf, Safe Routes to Schools) a reader might be…
Streetsblog California and Santa Monica Next are urging voters to reject Proposition 45. The measure is being pitched as a way to modernize the state’s landmark environmental protection law, the California Environmental Quality Act; but its impact would make it easier to…
(Note: An earlier version of this article misquoted the flyer stating that there were 557 apartments proposed. That has been corrected in the headline and throughout the article.) A flyer circulating in Ocean Park by an anonymous group called “Save…
Santa Monica Firefighters Local 1109 and the Santa Monica Police Officers Association have broadened their slate of endorsed City Council candidates for the November election, adding challengers Doug Trussler and Ashley Oelsen to their earlier support for incumbent Councilmember Lana…
The first joint campaign message from Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights and UNITE HERE Local 11 is highlighting three candidates for Santa Monica City Council, while leaving two names notably absent. The message urges voters to support Mayor Caroline Torosis,…
UNITE HERE Local 11 released its candidate endorsements yesterday in a way that is sure to stand out. The local hospitality union endorsed four candidates for three city council seats and also chose to dis-endorse two candidates. The text of…
The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, one of the city’s longest-running organized opponents of large-scale development, has endorsed Councilmember Lana Negrete and Planning Commissioner Ashley Oelsen for Santa Monica City Council. The endorsements also mark a notable break…
Streets for All, a statewide political advocacy organization dedicated to making streets safer for all road users, announced its candidate forum for September 9. The forum, which is open to all City Council candidates, will be held on Zoom at…
Communities for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) split their endorsement for City Council between two competing slates, choosing to endorse incumbents Caroline Torosis and Lana Negrete. CEPS did not make an endorsement for the open seat being vacated by Jesse Zwick…
Every week, Next republishes an article from the City Manager’s Weekly Newsletter. With November’s elections fast approaching, we’re pleased to share that a full slate of nonpartisan candidate forums has been confirmed in coordination with the League of Women Voters…
The Santa Monica City Council will officially decide Tuesday (Agenda, Item 11a) whether to place a proposed school funding parcel tax before voters this November. The citizen-sponsored initiative would levy a $495 annual parcel tax on property owners, with all…
For the last week, Next has been publishing the responses to one question from the Santa Monica Democratic Club’s candidate questionnaire for candidates seeking seats on the Rent Control Board, SMMUSD School Board, and Santa Monica College Board of Trustees.…
As we continue our series where we republish the answers given to the Santa Monica Dem. Club candidate questionaires, today we keep it simple. The first question given to candidates for the Santa Monica College Board is simply, “What qualifications…
