When it comes to mobility beyond the private automobile, bus systems preform a lot of the heavy lifting. They are spatially efficient, carrying dozens of people in a fraction of the space otherwise distributed in cars, are more energy efficient…
I am pleased to announce the topic for our third Santa Monica Next Salon, where we pick the topic and you provide the stories. The next topic will be “There’s an app for that,” where readers can send us stories…
Big Blue Bus (BBB) has just begun the gargantuan process of figuring out how to best integrate its system with the Metro Expo Line Phase 2, set to open in early 2016. Three of the seven new stations being built…
A federal judge issued a harsh rebuke last week to Santa Monica’s legal efforts to wrest control of the city’s airport from the federal government. In a word: dismissed. As in, go home, your legal arguments carry no weight here. U.S. …
I am excited to see the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway (MANGo) proposal move forward with council approval, along with the connecting Safe Routes to School plan for Santa Monica High School. It has been quite a process, including some innovative…
The Santa Monica City Council took a historic vote last night to approve the conceptual design for the city’s first greenway on Michigan Avenue. The goal for the Michigan Ave. Neighborhood Greenway (MANGo) is to reduce and slow car traffic…
(If you’re looking to show support for the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway and can’t make tomorrow’s meeting, Santa Monica Spoke has a good list of links and draft letters. – DN) With MANGo, the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway proposal,…
As work on Expo Phase II speeds forward, Santa Monica is busy preparing for the changes it will bring. Just last week, the City Council approved the long-debated Bergamot Transit Village. This will completely transform the Bergamot area, adding restaurants,…
In the time that I have participated and written about local political issues in Santa Monica, one of the nuances that I’ve increasingly become acutely aware of, is the deceptive manner in which the word “residents” is frequently employed. Most…
With low water levels throughout California, and officials calling for a 20 percent reduction in water usage, a visit to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is a good idea to soak up the facility’s important message about water conservation. The…
The Santa Monica City Council approved the controversial Bergamot Transit Village project last night with a four-three vote. This vote, with a few small amendments to the development agreement, will allow the developer Hines to move forward with plans for…
Let’s believe our own eyes Know we’ve come to the end All our patience is gone Let’s admit we intend To believe our own eyes It might seem an odd way to begin a discussion of the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood…
(Unless someone emails me and wants to write on this project, this will conclude our first Santa Monica Next Salon on the topic of “why you live in Santa Monica.” Previously, Sirinya Matute wrote on why she stays in Santa…
In a city that prides itself on working towards a sustainable future, textile recycling remains an oft-overlooked practice. Although glass, paper, and plastic recycling are all important steps in developing a zero waste city, textile recycling is equally necessary. As…
I’m accustomed to seeing the Santa Monica Daily Press littered with largely petty and baseless characterizations of bicycling as some plot to ruin the city on a regular basis, ever since I began living here after college in 2006, but…
