The Red Queen and The Catcher In The Rye
Hello, all! Some folks seem to be reading these weekly postings on a substack not of my creation. The better way to get them as I send them is to join my email list. It’s only for Kool Happs, period.…
Category Opinion
Editorials, letters to the editor, and other community opinions about Santa Monica.
Kool Happenings: The Little Match Boy and Crypto-creep
In the early 1950s, when many of us had yet to buy our first television set, Truth or Consequences was a popular TV game show, one of many quickly thrown together to fill the sudden gaping time demands of this…
Santa Monica Gets Down to Business at Council Budget Workshop
Discussions at the City Council’s March 8th budget workshop reveal a determined push to run the municipality more like a business, focusing on well-defined priorities and bringing revenues more in sync with expenses. Economic development, housing, support for education, and…
Kool Happenings: The Least Dangerous Branch
To all of you who are asking what can be done when the orders of our courts are not obeyed: In 1962, legal scholar Alexander Bickel authored an analysis of our federal courts and their place in our system. He…
Save the Civic or Save the City?
Most Santa Monicans likely can’t identify the large crumbling building that has sat empty on the corner of Main Street and Pico Boulevard for over a decade. To others, the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a historic icon worth preserving…
Statement from the Mayor: Santa Monica Is a Safe City for Everyone
To read the Mayor’s letter in Spanish, click here. Dear Santa Monicans, In recent weeks, many in our community have felt unsettled by dramatic shifts in federal policies. We want to assure you: we hear you, we care about you, and…
The Complaints Department
A city that is responsive to complaints seems like a desirable standard to strive for. Who doesn’t like having their complaints addressed in a timely manner? This was the idea when Santa Monica contracted for a 311 system in 2018,…
Samohi Walkhout Speech 2
(The following speech was delivered on the steps of City Hall by Samohi student Sara Javerbaum.) Tell me if you’ve heard this before: this walkout is meaningless. It won’t make a difference, or it’s just an excuse to cut classes.…
Samohi Walkout Speech
(The following speech was delivered on the steps of City Hall by Samohi student Elliot Ho.) I feel the need to explain why we have organized this walkout. We have done so because we believe that we must allow the…
The Observer Blows Smoke on Oregon Fire Fighters. Continues Its Run As City’s Worst “News” Source.
As heroic Californians fighting the blazes that erupted throughout Southern California last week were joined by heroes from other states and countries, the country’s right-wing disinformation machine was busy tut-tutting at California for imaginary policies that they say led to…
After the Fires, Action on Housing Can’t Wait
Los Angeles County has been grappling with a housing shortage for years, a crisis that has manifested in crippling rent burdens, widespread displacement, and a shameful number of residents forced to endure substandard living conditions. This pre-existing vulnerability has now…
Commentary: Palisades Fire and Future Impacts in Santa Monica
The Palisades Fire, a devastating wildfire that has ravaged the Westside of Los Angeles, has caused immense destruction and loss. My heart goes out to all those impacted by this tragedy. However, as a trained urban planner who often thinks…
Airport Conversion Team Launches Its Third Online Survey
Following the completion of Saturday’s public meeting (more on that later), the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project launched its third survey to bring in stakeholder feedback about the future land uses for the land on which the airport now rests.…
It Was Another Terrible Election for the Pulse Polls
This might be the last time we look in on the laughably inaccurate Pulse Polls as their influence has waned after inacurate after inacurate poll is published.. The polls’ record of predicting elections was inaccurate in 2022, but was even…
What’s Affordable in Santa Monica?
With new council-members elected, now is the time to consider what can be achieved together to make Santa Monica a better place to live. The race featured lots of discussion on the need for more affordable housing in Santa Monica…