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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!
Biz News: Wendy Foster Closes State Street Location, Isla Vista Co-Op Takes Over Cantwell’s and More
Wendy Foster probably didn’t like their store getting pooped/peed on nightly. I get it. State St. is getting killed by bleeding-heart homeless advocates.
Is there an Increase in Landscaping Theft?
This amazes me. There are so many people who feel entitled to take whatever they want. Years ago, my family was on vacation in the Sierras, and we saw some people digging up manzanita plants near the road and putting them in their pickup truck. Crazy.
California Republicans want to Take Financial Aid from Protesters if they were Violent
RUBAIYAT - Please explain how in any sense of the English word, "discourage," that Trump did so while watching for OVER 2.5 HOURS as the traitors broke into our Capitol building? How is doing nothing, "discouraging?" Also, how is fueling the crowd with lies and false information that HE KNEW was false, "discouraging the riot?" Do MAGA folks not know English words?
Santa Barbara City Council Pushes Back on Downtown Parking Meters and Fee Increases
Since the parking department is losing money there seems there is a simpler solution -- make all parking free and eliminate the parking department. No funding from the general fund or from Measure C needed.
Why are Local Doctors Charging Monthly Fees?
The price of homes in Ventura are close to SB then add in commenting expenses and you have a losing. Situation.
Is there an Increase in Landscaping Theft?
Looking at the size of the trunk and the OP stating it was small and recently planted, I cannot fathom someone cutting it down due to "visibility." If it was a rare varietal it could have a decent price tag on it.
Is there an Increase in Landscaping Theft?
I've had friends around town who recently added landscaping to have some rather expensive plants ripped up or cut down. Likely people were scoping out the work ahead of time and went at night to cut it down and resell or reuse for their own clients. Pretty awful. My tip has been to plant things that are less desirable and abundant.
The state of State: What Would it Take to Rescue Santa Barbara’s State Street?
Empty buildings are NOT a tax write off. All commercial buildings are depreciated on tax returns. Commercial buildings are valued by their net rents. Renting properties at low rents decreases their value, so leaving them empty until conditions improve in many cases is a financial advantage.
Baron Ranch Revisited for Mothers’ Day
Thanks for the "tick pic", surprised you only were able to find just one :)
California Republicans want to Take Financial Aid from Protesters if they were Violent
ruby - Speaking of "deep seated problems." We can start at the top with the president. For a person in his position I can't think of anyone with more deep seated problems. The debate(s), if Brandon attends, will be quite a show.
Is there an Increase in Landscaping Theft?
Whoever cut down your little palm tree couldn't then grow it somewhere else, you can't root a palm trunk! So that was not a a theft, more like vandalism. Maybe what Minibeast suggests is true, that someone thought it was blocking their view? Anyway, just destructive behavior but not theft. But the flagstones, that is so petty and nasty. Very sorry. We have had fruit stolen, also occasional garden tools that were left out and shouldn't have been, over the years. No uptick recently.
Santa Barbara City Council Pushes Back on Downtown Parking Meters and Fee Increases
Pay by plate would be perfect Notice how the article says "people would be less likely to visit downtown"? All tourists or transplants that just come to work here with registrations addressed to places other than SB, should pay, and residents should be free. Free cuz we live here and struggle to live here Also, we should be seeing Kamaʻāina discount for residents, which means we shouldn't have to pay ridiculous markups on goods and services that are traditionally way overpriced for tourists It's a thing, trust me, they do it in Hawaii when I lived there, New Orleans, North County San Diego and a couple other places I've lived There's businesses that do this Thanks, have a nice day
California Republicans want to Take Financial Aid from Protesters if they were Violent
Some people are good at denying reality. Either that, or they're really, really bad at sarcasm.
Former Insurance Agent who Scammed Elderly Faces 24 Years in Prison
The past restitution needs to be enforced and he should be assessed full restitution with interest for his current conviction. Why this is not standard practice for these types of crimes is a mystery.
California Republicans want to Take Financial Aid from Protesters if they were Violent
Trump discouraged the riot. But this country has man. many deep seated problems.
Former Insurance Agent who Scammed Elderly Faces 24 Years in Prison
Never trust anyone religious
Santa Barbara City Council Pushes Back on Downtown Parking Meters and Fee Increases
Good call here! State street would have less visitors with higher rates.