By Michael Feinstein. Inside/Outside. November 23, 2015
Most voting systems work well enough when elections are not competitive. But when elections are close, the flaws and limitations of different
By Michael Feinstein. Inside/Outside. October 27, 2015
The public's right to know is something we take very seriously in Santa Monica.
That's why in July
The Santa Monica City Clerk's Office, in partnership with the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, has announced that Thursday, Aug. 6, is the 50th anniversary of
Editor:
I've been reading SMDP columnists Jack Neworth and Bill Bauer for some time and am usually in agreement with each, even though they are both self-serving, opinionated
It's the most wonderful time of the year for budget nerds.
On Tuesday, City Council will consider approval of a roughly $1.17-billion biennial budget covering fiscal years
On Monday, I was watching Fox News. (Actually, while flipping channels.) Anchor Megyn Kelly asked Jeb Bush, "On Iraq, if you knew what we now know, would you still
As part of last weekend's Republican Leadership Summit, 19 (count 'em) GOP presidential hopefuls descended upon New Hampshire. The collection consisted of 18 white men and Carly
Hillary: Hooray or hell no?
Sunday, Hillary Clinton announced she was running for president. Sunday night started the mud-slinging. It's been 96 years since the 19th Amendment gave
By Michael Feinstein. Inside/Outside. April 8, 2015
After the recent cynical attempts by the Indiana and Arkansas legislatures to authorize LGBT discrimination, watching Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush contort
Last Wednesday night I watched our Planning Commission complete the last of 33 public hearings on our city's new draft zoning ordinance. Yes, that's right: thirty-three!
All that super-helpful campaign literature that clogged your mailbox and gave your mail carrier a hernia last election season cost political supporters a fortune.
While voter turnout was abysmally low
By Michael Feinstein. Inside/Outside. February 09, 2015
It costs a lot to win a City Council seat in Santa Monica. One citywide direct mail piece costs close to $20,