Editorials, letters to the editor, and other community opinions about Santa Monica.
This article first appeared at Streetsblog California. Our old friend, and current board member, Abby Arnold is taking the Week without Driving challenge in her new home in Santa Rosa. Read her first piece here, and the experience on her e-trike…
The quotes in this article are taken from a January 2013 city staff report which recommended to city council that they should withdraw funding from the Pico Youth Family Center (PYFC). At the time, now-Councilmember Oscar de la Torre was…
Image: The campaign for and against Measure K has been so subdued that I had couldn’t find a graphic. Santa Monica Next urges you to vote “Yes” on Measure K this fall. Measure K will help the city to recover…
In an article published on Friday, Santa Monica Daily Press editor Matt Hall repeats Oscar de la Torre’s false claims about what René Bobadilla said in his offer withdrawing his acceptance of the city manager position in June 2021. The…
Last night at the end of yet another very long council meeting, city council took a 4-3 vote ordering the city manager and the city attorney to break the law. This happened after minimal discussion on councilmember Oscar de la…
“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts,” is an oft- quoted truism from the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. It has become more and more relevant as the ability to spread disinformation…
Full credit where it’s due. The Santa Monica Daily Press has been covering the issue and you can read more details about the measure here and here. This fall, Santa Monica voters will have the chance to approve a ballot…
Photo: Gage SkidmoreHey look, I got published in Streetsblog USA. As activists and journalists ponder what a Harris presidency would mean for the country’s efforts to combat climate change, her record as AG will doubtless be put under the microscope. …
You can watch the shine flash at upcoming drivers on video at Carter Rubin’S Twitter In December of 2022, the Santa Monica City Council approved a contract with Big Outdoors to bring multimedia kiosks to Santa Monica’s street. The proposal…
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…
This Pulse Poll Is WILD Even by the admittedly low standards of the Pulse Polls, push polls designed to shape public policy by asking a conservative group of self-identified residents loaded questions, this month’s edition has produced questionable results. The…
The following post first appeared at The Healthy City Local. I have been attending the endorsement conventions of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR) for decades. I joined the organization nearly 40 years ago. Even after I had resigned from…
The third iteration of the “Santa Monica Is Not Safe” signs on the unrented property on the Promenade owned by John Alle is certainly the most whimsical, although it still maligns City Manager David White with a charge that not…
The Levine Act is a California law which came into effect on January 1, 2023 which makes it illegal for individuals and businesses to make donations to politicians in excess of $250 while “a proceeding involving a license, permit, or…
The UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies is hosting TransportationCamp LA 2024 on Saturday, June 8. Transportation Camp will bring together around 150 people interested in transportation to discuss whatever they decide to based on their interests and experiences. There is no set agenda…
