News from Santa Monica.
Tonight, the Santa Monica City Council (Agenda, Item 11a) is widely expected to approve the changes to Big Blue Bus (BBB) routes recommended by staff as part of the “Brighter Blue” initiatives. Most of the proposed changes are proving uncontroversial,…
Streets for All, the only mobility-focused non-profit with a 501c(4) branch that can make endorsements, has made its endorsement in the Santa Monica City Council election…and its endorsements may look familiar. Streets for All endorsed the “Unity Slate ” of…
One of the missions of Santa Monica Next is to battle the flood of misinformation that pollutes the public discourse and even public policy in Santa Monica. One of our favorite targets is the scientifically unsound and often inaccurate “Pulse…
OPA Membership Drive: If you enjoy this newsletter and all the events and community work OPA is leading (like last week’s parade), please help our efforts by becoming a member or making a donation. Most memberships are $20/year but there is also a $10/year option. CLICK…
Have a safe and happy 4th. See you then.
Santa Monica’s Minimum and Living Wages Go Up Every Year on July 1 Happy fiscal New Year Santa Monica. Every year on July 1, the minimum and living wages in the City of Santa Monica increase thanks to an ordinance…
In February, the electronic bike counter located at Main Street just south of where it intersects with Colorado Avenue, stopped working; but as first noted by Cynthia Rose of Santa Monica Spoke the bike counter is back up and running.…
Last night the Santa Monica Democratic Club held their endorsement meeting for the fall election. For the City Council, the club had to choose between six candidates that took part in their endorsement process, and overwhelmingly settled on: Dan Hall,…
Last night, by a 4-3 vote, the City Council voted against placing a measure on the fall ballot that would have generated $7 million annually by increasing the tax on privately owned parking lots. The proposed 8% increase would have…
In a rare show of solidarity, the Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously at its Tuesday, June 25 meeting to direct city staff to prepare a formal resolution to express its disapproval of banners on an unrented storefront on the…
When I first approached my Board of Directors about bringing back Santa Monica Next and helming it as editor in a part-time capacity, I thought most of my time was going to be writing about transit services, bike and pedestrian…
At tomorrow night’s meeting of the Santa Monica City Council, a motion will be presented by Mayor Phil Brock, Vice-Mayor Lana Negrete and Councilmember Gleam Davis directing city staff to draft a motion expressing their disapproval of the current and…
At their annual members convention over the weekend, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR) endorsed what is becoming a familiar group of four candidates: Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, Dan Hall, and Natalya Zernitskaya. SMRR was formed in the 1970’s with…
Last month, the City Council passed a budget that cut millions of dollars proposed for the maintenance of city owned properties and streets in favor of funding two new police officer positions. Councilmember Jesse Zwick is asking the City Council…
In 2022, Santa Monica residents, especially those in were shocked when the voter-approved formula for setting rent increases in those units rose to 6.4%, the highest increase in Santa Monica in over four decades. They responded by passing Measure RC which…
