Opinion
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To Save the US Post Office, Fire Louis de Joy, Bring Back Historic Post Offices and Restore the 25 Cent Stamps
To save, preserve and expand the United States Postal Service requires making the post office a national priority. Plus, first firing Louis de Joy. Now that the dysfunctional board which governs the...
Just Say No to Santa Monica's Transfer Tax, The Highest in the State of California
This is not a 'wealth tax' as the signature gatherers proclaim - it is a real estate transfer tax. They are completely different things. With this new transfer tax, if you buy and sell a house for...
Memorial Day: Take Time to Teach the Next Generation What the Day Means
WASHINGTON, DC, May 27 – Memorial Day is of great importance for those of us who lost friends and family members in armed conflicts. But it should also encompass the ranks of those who have even a m...
Master of Irony: Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon Blames Other Political Leaders for Mass Shootings, Ignoring His Own Complicity
May 18, 2022 - At a press conference today, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, who has presided over one of the highest increases in crime in the region, sought to educate the public...
A Single Morning Snapshot of Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade Shows City Leadership Dysfunction
May 13, 2022 - The Ambassador program is a waste, and in the words of Councilmember Phil Brock, DTSM, Inc. itself must be dissolved. We need real law enforcement during the hours of 11 pm and 8 am....
Vote of No Confidence in Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich
A Change.org petition seeks to express a public vote of no confidence in the Mayor: "The undersigned members of the Santa Monica community support a vote of no confidence in Mayor Sue Himmelrich for t...
Under Santa Monica Transfer Tax Proposal, Renters May Face Their Home Converting to Affordable Housing
May 9, 2022 - Renters in Santa Monica may believe themselves exempt from the ramifications of a proposed ballot measure to increase the tax rate on the sale of certain buildings by 833%. After all,...
Affordable Home Ownership in Santa Monica - Not Affordable Renting
The state of California has issued an unfunded mandate that Santa Monica must build 6000+ affordable homes, or face punitive fines and loss of zoning control. The city currently plans to build these...
"Mayor Himmelrich Wants to Suspend Meetings of Housing Commission Now That Her Husband Is No Longer On It."
Editor's Note: The following is a public comment by Michael Soloff, the Mayor's husband and then-Chair of the Housing Commission, at the 4/27/21 meeting of the Santa Monica City Council. His request...
Mayor Himmelrich's Vendetta Against Housing Commission After Husband Ineligible to Serve Due to Anti-Nepotism Policy
Amid an affordable housing and homelessness crisis, why would the City want to suspend all meetings of the Housing Commission "until City Council considers its annual appointments in June 2022" (May 1...
Santa Monica Mayor Himmelrich Needs to Use Tough Love on the Homeless, Not Give Them Free Housing Near the Beach
Dear Councilwoman Himmelrich, I just received your "Standing Firm For Santa Monica" flyer, which I understand is yours alone. I don't have a financial dog in this fight, as the condo I own doesn't...
Assaults on Police Up: 627 Batteries Committed Against Los Angeles Police Officers and 219 Assaults with a Deadly Weapon Last Year
Los Angeles, CA-Last night, on 60-Minutes, FBI Director Christopher Wray elevated what front-line law enforcement officers have been experiencing; Police officers are being targeted for assault and...
Resident to City: Honor City Clerks Week by Replacing Unethical Anderson-Warren
While I am happy to celebrate the City Clerks Week, and I am supportive and grateful for some of the employees at the City Clerk's office, I have grave concerns about the continued employment of...
Santa Monica's Disastrous "Housing and Schools" Transfer Tax Proposal
This is not a 'wealth tax' as the signature gatherers proclaim - it is a real estate transfer tax. They are completely different things. With this new transfer tax, if you buy and sell a house for...
As Dr. Fauci Says, We Don't Yet Know What We Don't Know
In my recent article, News not Fit to Print? some responded in a way that is best summed up by this one reader: "I genuinely believe that Dr. Fauci is a dedicated and HONEST public servant. Clearly...
Santa Monica is Indeed Unsafe, City Manager White and Police Chief Batista - Please Listen to Us
I am responding to the Opinion piece co-authored by City Manager David White and Police Chief Ramon Batista. They responded to the "recent local and regional news coverage of a report portraying...
After Spending $1.6 Million, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is Still Unable to File Charges on Any Reopened Police Misconduct Cases
While running for office, George Gascón attacked Jackie Lacey's record of declining to prosecute police officers who killed people and promised to go a step further and undo what he saw as her mistak...
Denials, Promises, and Bald-faced Lies Fly Fast and Furious as City Officials at All Levels in Santa Monica React to City's Poor Crime Ranking
April 12, 2022 - City officials at all levels are struggling to respond to the recent news reports ranking Santa Monica as one of the least safe cities in California. In an open letter, City Manager...
Los Angeles District Attorney Gascon's Campaign Pledges Have Become a Trail of Broken Promises
Leadership and competence matter when you are in charge. As George Gascón has been subjecting Los Angeles County residents to his massive social experiment, it has become painfully clear he lacks...
Vaccines are Safe, Say Los Angeles County Health Officials, But What Proof Do They Have for the Claim?
April 7, 2022 - The LA County Department of Public Health relies on data disseminated to them from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and direct voluntary reports from hospitals, care...
Santa Monica Resident Alerts City Council to Staff Misconduct Obstructing Housing Commission Work
The following is public input offered before the City Council on April 12, 2022: By now you've received time sensitive notice of misconduct by City staff. I am here to amplify that notice. For...
This Murder Only Happened Because George Gascon is our District Attorney
On Jan. 8, 41-year-old Alejandro Garcia was working the drive-through at Taco Bell in South Los Angeles. Mr. Garcia was shot to death by Jonathan Madden after Madden tried to pay with a counterfeit $2...
Supreme Court to Rule on California Pork Ban
March 31, 2022 - The Supreme Court announced Monday it would rule on the constitutionality of Proposition 12, a California ballot measure passed in 2018 that attempts to tell farmers in Iowa, North...
News Not Fit to Print?
I read an article in the Observer with the headline stating that 80% of covid deaths in a one-week period in Los Angeles County in March were among the vaccinated. Although this was astonishing...
The BA2 Variant is Expanding in Los Angeles County, But Should You Care?
March 25, 2022 - The BA2 variant of the Omicron version of Covid-19 now comprises 14.7% of samples sequenced, and that has Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health worried. In the...
