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Santa Barbara City Council Pushes Back on Downtown Parking Meters and Fee Increases
It’s the Staff, not the hourly attendants who are responsive to the public, that are costly, Public Works/ Parking Department, not the minimum wage folks. It’s they who devised these tone-deaf plans! It was interesting to see that the new parking manager who worked so hard for weeks, it was said, is a fierce bicycle proponent who founded Bici Centro! Maybe a hostility to cars coupled with a favoritism for downtown employees was at play here?
Children’s Creative Project Returns to Mission Santa Barbara with the 38th Annual I Madonnari Street Painting Festival
I'll go if that local architect with the crazy hair is drawing pics of his kids again. What his name ? Meaney? Tom Meaney? yeah that dude...
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
Hilarious response. What part of this is inaccurate Einstein?
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
Excellent summary.
May Tree of the Month: Brazilian Cedarwood
Thank you. I love these articles about the Tree of the Month! I especially appreciate the detailed photos of the various aspects of the tree. (Don’t recall if that’s always the case, but this month especially so. Thank you!)
California Republicans want to Take Financial Aid from Protesters if they were Violent
Trump said “go in peace”
Former Insurance Agent who Scammed Elderly Faces 24 Years in Prison
Or who tries to hawk bibles.
California Republicans want to Take Financial Aid from Protesters if they were Violent
Heh heh. Good projection there. The orange moron is already beginning to try to squirm out of the debates, and can't even construct a coherent sentence. What will he tell you sycophants to say next?
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
And that's different in its effects than a tax writeoff how?
Why are Local Doctors Charging Monthly Fees?
Obviously, it costs nothing for you to comment, in terms of thought. add random word at end
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
Who needs an ignorant screed by some con in Lompoc?
Op-Ed: After Losing Population in Recent Years, California is Starting to Grow Again. Is that a Good Thing?
That's the Republican way. Reduce taxes, but spend away! Who is deficit Ann? And why is anyone paying her?
Op-Ed: After Losing Population in Recent Years, California is Starting to Grow Again. Is that a Good Thing?
What bothers me is that the deficit Ann our grandchildren pay for indigent care - we are quite good at spending our children’s money.
Op-Ed: After Losing Population in Recent Years, California is Starting to Grow Again. Is that a Good Thing?
Adding 25,000 to Santa Barbara would change the character of the town - but 25,000 to a major metropolitan area would do nothing.
Santa Barbara City Council Pushes Back on Downtown Parking Meters and Fee Increases
I liked your idea, until I remembered that the parking structures and lots need some maintenance. We would have to fund that somehow. But yes! If we didn’t have to pay any attendants, wouldn’t that save a lot of money (and unfortunately put a few people out of work)?
Is there an Increase in Landscaping Theft?
I, too, doubt it was due to visibility BUT even so; NOT the way to handle it. REALLY beyond rude... There is a growing feeling of entitlement and just a take-what-you-want attitude. NOT good...
Santa Barbara Planning Commission Begrudgingly Approves 250-Room Garden Street Hotel Project
Update: the key player is the ASCE 24 committee currently updating the standard, and hopefully providing a coherent definition of "mixed use". But I am doubtful the new standard will be released for public comment prior to the City Council appeal (scheduled for June 25). I do know that FEMA explicitly states that the definition the City mostly recently employed should NOT be used.
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
Ron Fink said it well in his May 15th Noozhawk piece. Although I haven't done a complete analysis on his op-ed, I do know that what he describes actually happened: https://www.noozhawk.com/ron-fink-the-state-of-state-street-what-happened-to-the-good-vibe/ Ron Fink: The State of State Street; What Happened to the Good Vibe? May 14, 2024 Twenty-five years ago, Santa Barbara’s State Street was still a destination for retail shoppers, people who wanted to window shop, and folks who wanted a good meal in a nice setting. When the street was teaming with foot traffic, stores were welcoming, and the restaurants crowded. It was a pleasant experience, well worth the 100-mile round trip from Lompoc for a day away from home. We felt lucky to have a trendy vacation spot just an hour away, and frequently made the trip just for lunch. We don’t make that trip any more, but why? There were several factors that contributed to the deterioration of this once gracious boulevard; most were caused by poor political decisions made by voters who elected people who had more consideration for vagrants, shoplifters, rabble-rousers, and other seedy distractions than they did for the shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and the public they served. First came the vagrants; a few eccentric individuals with their tattoos, guitars, colorful clothing, and carefree style started a slow migration up the street. They would “entertain” for handouts, and people would often drop some change into their collection box. It didn’t take long for these folks to become pests who became more demanding of the handouts, used doorways as their sleeping areas, and turned parking garage stairwells and public sidewalks into outhouses. The stench of the street began to overwhelm observers of the street scene, kill appetites, and foot traffic seemed to fade. When the very liberal Ninth District Court of Appeals determined that homeless people had a right to “camp” in any public space unless local taxpayers provided them with free housing and food, it got worse. Politicians formed committees and spread money helter skelter, but the more taxpayer cash they tossed at the problem, the worse it got. You see, what politicians can’t figure out is when you give things away more people will show up with their hands out. Then the Santa Barbara City Council stepped in to “fix the problem.” Many people who owned the businesses and buildings helped elect these folks, and they wanted some action. Businesses were losing business largely because shoppers didn’t want to wade through squads of the unwashed and dodge piles of residue on sidewalks. Without foot traffic, the restaurants lost diners. But the unhoused had more clout than either the elected officials or the taxpayers who elected them. To further exacerbate the issue, Sacramento politicians changed the laws regarding commercial thefts, vagrancy and vandalism, following a move by slow-thinking voters. Next was an all-out campaign to “reduce crime” by simply declaring the crimes were no longer illegal. There — no more crime, so stop complaining. What followed was predictable: Businesses simply closed because they were experiencing what retailers call “leakage” or losses from the cumulative impact of thefts that were too great to endure. Another factor, a result of the unexpected government reaction to a disease, was the rapid expansion of online shopping. Now you could get anything from a tube of toothpaste to a refrigerator delivered to your door — no parking hassle, no crowded stores, no wading through the homeless. Then there were the parklets, first allowed in public spaces to allow businesses to operate during the pandemic. Once the indoor eating restrictions were lifted, owners wanted to keep the parklets because they increased the seating capacity of their restaurants, and the public seemed to like them. This transformed sidewalks into enclosures, but also exposed customers directly to passing vagrants. Now the current transformation of State Street into a large sidewalk; no cars or trucks allowed, but in the interest of saving the earth, e-bikes are permitted in pedestrian friendly areas. Of course, the riders can zoom much faster than a human-powered scooter on these things, and pedestrians have been hit. Once again, this was predictable but not by the consultants or politicians who dreamed up this idea. With all that empty commercial space in Paseo Nuevo, some say the mall should be converted to affordable housing. This could take the property off the tax rolls and, of course, there is the loss of sales tax revenue. So, what happened to State Street? Political actions seem to have created more problems than they solved, and the vibe died.
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
Yeah, David and Chalf - you guys about summed it up. The problem lies within the current City leadership and especially those who vote for them. Unfortunately, SB has a lotta ultra liberals who tolerate this stuff in their backyard. I don’t know why.
Baron Ranch Revisited for Mothers’ Day
Thanks for the blog link to 2021, great photos and related story!