Welcome to 2012! As you are aware, this is an election year. In addition to electing or re-electing (as the case may be) holders for national, state and county offices, Santa Monicans will elect people for City Council, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education and Rent Control
It’s time for the Sammies — my annual awards for the good, bad and ugly in Santa Monica. The 2011 Sammy for “Architectural Thuggery” goes to Texas developer Hines, whose original development proposal for the former Paper Mate property on Olympic Boulevard was best described as “packing boxes the Wat
CITY HALL — A last minute twist in a new plan to preserve and enhance the tree population of Santa Monica may make it difficult to conform to the requirements of a federal grant that provides 1,000 free trees to the city.
DOWNTOWN — The City Council approved a developer’s plan to build a 56-unit apartment complex at the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway Tuesday, but warned developers not to expect similar projects to pass muster.
CITY HALL — Saving the Village Trailer Park is going to be an expensive proposition that could jeopardize city services or other capital projects, city officials told the City Council at its meeting Tuesday.
CITY HALL — In a nod to public opinion, Santa Monica City Council members voted Tuesday to raise the limit on campaign contributions, but by half of what was originally recommended by staff.
CITY HALL — Lighting. Traffic. Parking. It sounds like a laundry list of resident concerns, but a presentation by Santa Monica’s four Business Improvement Districts before the City Council Tuesday hit all of the same notes, underscoring the tight relationship between quality of life for citizens and
CITYWIDE — City staff are reviewing regulations that govern development within city limits, but community groups argue that large projects already in the works are doing an end-run around the planning effort before it’s completed.
CITY HALL — “Why nix the bricks?” Santa Monica City Councilmember Kevin McKeown’s pithy inquiry cut to the heart of one of the last remaining questions regarding the design of the Town Square Park in front of City Hall, which became a battleground between the Landmarks Commission and an internationa
CITY HALL — The dogs had their day Tuesday when City Council members voted to champion a pilot program which would allow dogs and their human companions to play on the beach.
CITY HALL — An organization dedicated to establishing a Santa Monica dog beach where canines can scamper in the sand without a leash have been thrown a bone.
CITY HALL — The long-delayed Civic Center Village housing project narrowly skirted another stumbling block Tuesday when three City Council members dug in their heels over a provision requested by the developer to extend the term of the land lease 50 years past its original expiration date.
