Anonymous
By an edhat reader
The Public Parking structure at Helena and Mason in the Funk Zone is supposed to have 123 parking places available on a first come first serve basis for the public or guests of the Hotel Californian. That was what the City approved.
The first 75 minutes are free, and $1.50 thereafter, as well as a daily maximum fee, although there’s always a “Lot Full” sign up. Seems as if the public is blocked from parking there but hotel guests are not.
If you are down in the Funk Zone and need parking, go there first. Tell them that you won’t move your vehicle until you get a public parking place, it is a public parking facility above ground. (People leave frequently and there are usually a lot of spaces inside that are available too.) The hotel will eventually open it up because a valet will need to park a vehicle. – Ignore the red neon sign or sandwich board sign saying LOT FULL or if they say it’s for hotel guests only.
If someone won’t let you park or you see a sign out email the City Council and tell them you want the parking conditions of Approval enforced. (SBCityCouncil@santabarbaraca.gov)
All these first world parking problems…ay yo Cathy what happened? Though everyone was gonna magically start riding bikes everywhere in Santa Barbara. Seems our auto issue gets worse by the day. What exactly is your plan for this town?
You waited for 20-30min min in a battle of wills against a valet parking attendant? Ohkay LocalinSB… I have to wonder if you’re really a local because if you were , you’d know where there are a ton of parking spots less than 100yards away that you could have had for well beyond the 75min limit.
This kind of stuff is what gives locals a bad name. Please try to be less entitled and more of a good citizen. Yelling at a kid who is just doing his measly job is not friendly, helpful or worth the time.
Hotel pulled the wool over the city’s eyes. Want to make a bet? City won’t be able to stop it and won’t do a Damm thing about it. Murillo, Rowse, Friedman and Hart will rally around the hotel. – They screew residents regularly, so don’t be surprised if it happens here.
Of course SBs thoughtful and talented mayor will get right on this.
And DON’T act like the council is NOT complicit in this issue. Plausible deniability is not an action.
The SB Council Knows EXACTLY what they signed up for.
“Oh we’ll pretend we don’t see it and collect a few extra dollars in tax revenue while favoring a friend..hehe!!”
Scooters and Skateboards. – That’s what the Mayor want’s people to drive around in. Transportation system doesn’t work. Housing is getting more expensive because of the inaction of Murillo, Friedman, Hart and Rowse. They voted against residents and affordable housing and FOR DEVELOPERS in February. Developers want to use the parking structures downtown to parking cars for residential units and reduce their parking further. – The will be at City Council Tuesday at 3pm to storm the City about it. Watch them cave and give Developers what they want, our Parking Structures.