No, we are not going down that hole, nor are we going to endure this incompetent insanity any longer. We never thought a planned community would be appealing, too generic or conforming, but that’s where we are going. Watching our beloved city self destruct in the last decade is more than we can bear. We lost shopping, eating, and strolling around downtown. Driving has become an obstacle course with no rational reasoning. Parking is prohibited, penalized, or nonexistent to venture downtown so we just don’t go, and don’t ask us to dress up to enjoy dinner and a show at the Granada on our bicycles 😡Utopia is a pipe dream always one more failed experiment away. So we are moving, and will not miss the urine stench, overgrown weeds, dead trees and city area landscaping ( to save water?) Bums sleeping on the streets (protected like endangered species) crime and gang tags, with no policing presence. So farewell, and thanks for the memories of a wonderful city that was.
It is sad to me that the sane ones who know how magical SB can be - and was - are leaving. They are breaking us. Always considered myself a fighter, but when the battlefield was obviously so stacked, with no improvement or hope in sight, it became unbearable to stay and watch the decline. I applaud those on the front lines who continue to battle, but completely understand your choice. I wish you unfettered joy and abundance on the other side.
I am so sorry you are moving, but I have to say I agree. And you know what? I moved about 4 years ago, I just didn't know it yet. I traveled often to Texas to spend time with my family and I found myself spending more and more time away from California. Even traveling through Arizona and New Mexico was better than trying to travel to downtown Santa Barbara. So we finally gave up and now call Texas our home.
Guess what we don't deal with? Gangs, fear that our packages will get stolen from our front porch or even from our backyard, homelessness, trash everywhere, potholes everywhere, a horrible economy, people who slash your tires if you fly a trump flag or even a USA flag!
You know what we DO have?Affordable grocery stores that care about you, neighbors that say hello and bring you poinsettias and cookies / fudge at Christmas, people that actually WAVE just because you're there, people who are kind and friendly just because you're a human being. I actually had to relearn how to drive! I use my signals now because people slow down and let you in, not tailgate the person in front of them so you can't get over. I'm now the slowpoke on the freeway 😂
And you know what else? After decades living in Santa Barbara and Goleta, I can say I almost never knew my neighbors. I know my entire block now here in Texas and I knew them within the first few weeks of visiting!
I have a Trump flag and two USA flags flying proudly at our home. And you know what? I have no fear that people know that I am a Republican and that I voted for Trump.
I cannot believe the difference! It's like a breath of fresh air being anywhere except Santa Barbara. It is not the same place. I visit frequently and I go through there as quickly as I can because I still have some business to do now and again. And I have to tell you that it turns my stomach every time I go.
People are stressed, you can see it in their faces as they walk by or drive by. They're often hunched over their steering wheels and you can just tell how stressed out and frustrated they are. Cars upon cars upon cars upon cars are parked filling the both sides of the streets. I feel claustrophobic just driving through!!!
In Texas I have a huge two-story 5,000+ sq ft house, gourmet kitchen, five bedrooms with a huge den, six bathrooms, a huge pool with a cabana that has a shower and another bathroom, basketball court, three car garage, 1,000 ft separate shop for my husband, circle driveway, and neighbors that I would trust with a key to my home.
I will never go back to California and the only thing I regret is not moving sooner!!
If you decide to consider texas, stay away from Austin because that's mini California. Dallas and Houston are slowly getting there as well. (You know, stay away from Democrat cities.) Central Texas or northeastern Texas are both great areas.
I wish you well in your move and can confirm from experience you won't regret it!
Great summary Mrs. D. I struggle constantly over going back to my hometown of San Antonio. I struggle because of the great climate here and the beach, which I can walk to from my home. I am concerned about property taxes, and school bonds in Texas. However, unlike California, they do offer a Senior Citizen deduction and a Homestead exemption. I do fear Texas could be turning “Purple,” in fact, it was mostly Blue when I lived there in the 80’s. Henry B. Gonzalez who was a formidable Dem. Congressman, back when Democrats were normal people.
My wife is a California girl, so moving back to SA is a work in progress.
Yes, people in Texas are good natured, God fearing folks who are fiercely independent and believe in freedom and owning firearms in order to keep it that way! My family history goes way back, were early pioneers, and my Great Grandmother was even kidnapped by the Comanche, until rescued by the Rangers.
It’s very sad to see how California, and specifically SB has lost their way in favor of high taxes, and pathetic public services. Unfortunately, I think we’re now at the tipping point and the ratio of normal people to a-holes is way out of wack here! Why? Because our elected officials are more concerned about the homeless, illegals, pronouns and climate change over the tax paying public!
You could build a house with how many nails you hit right on the head 😂 I've only been to San Antonio once, specifically to the big beautiful mall they have there, and it was lovely. We are in Central Texas and have become fairly accustomed to the hot weather months. The worst weather we have experienced was hail last Mother's Day and it was a hail of a storm 🤣
It hasn't been cold enough to impact us where we are, but I know a few years back during the freeze it got pretty bad no matter where you were.
What a lovely story about your family ties that go so far back! Incidentally we own quite a few firearms now. Apparently I'm pretty good with a handgun now. We inherited several shotguns and handguns and enough ammunition for an apocalypse 🤣
What's happened to Santa Barbara is just devastating. My mother's side of the family has roots that go back to the late 1800s. We have streets named after our family but that's more a shame now than anything else given what has happened to that community.
When I was in college I was more independent or maybe even green party, but the more I saw what Democrats were doing and how they really did not support the working class, the more I realized that Republican values squarely matched my own.
For your sake and the sake of the other sane people who live in Santa Barbara and Goleta areas, I truly hope that y'all (yes y'all) can vote some people with common sense into leadership. I won't hold my breath, but I will hope and pray that things turn around for that community!
“Old Town Goleta was destroyed in less than four months of narrowing a great working street.
What happened?”
Follow the money 💰 it’s always the money. Every city council for the last 30-40 years has been taking on debt offered by the state to build capital improvement projects (CIP’s) that far exceed the tax revenues generated and collected by an aging and declining retirement population.
No investments in our young people born and raised here.
When the bill comes due, another grant is taken from the state robbing Peter to pay Paul.
That’s how the Goleta restripe boondoggle happened. That’s how a $25M train station is being built to service less than 100 people in a town of barely 30,000…that’s how $50M bike paths are built to service a small community average age over 60….
Thanks for the article and fighting the good fight. As long as the current political leadership can brainwash the community into thinking it’s a Democrat vs Republican fight instead of a “hey this is our town and we like our town the way it is”…this will continue until this entire area is unrecognizable soulless homogeneous urban scape indistinguishable from all the others
Old Town Goleta make-over was created in a vacuum. Someone plotted theoretical traffic efficiencies on a computer, oblivious they were stabbing to death the organic heart of the wider community at the same time.
Well said. Sadly the predominantly far left voter majority votes ‘yes’ for their side without any ability to critically think. This is supported State wide by the far left super majority. The only way out of the developing hell-hole may sadly eventually be to leave and watch CA and SB disintegrate from the safety of a Red State.
Unfortunately I just think it's too late. Too many people have moved and continue to move because of Newscum and all the other stupid Democratic people in power. I know that there are more Republicans in California that somehow are not reflected on the ballots. No I can't prove it, yes I do believe that voter fraud happens in California. I believe it happens severely in California. Until ID is required to vote, it will continue to happen. I don't know why people are so afraid of it! You need an ID to do everything else, why not to vote? It just doesn't make any sense to me at all, it never has and it never will.
Please remind Carabal that the govt was shut down by Schumer and your party. Also, despite his interferance with a raid we are not going to give health care to illegals -felons!!
LOL, Mudge. Hope you are not losing your time on MSNBC, when you bother posting here.
You lost the election soundly in 2024. You do not get to reset the national agenda now being petulant obstructionists. We win if the government shuts down, like a really good spring house cleaning. DOGE already proved how necessary that is. The advantage is on our side. Ask yourself, why is extortion now your only game plan?
BTW: some of us have been inside government at both the federal and local levels. We do know how it works. In fact, that is what drives most of the commentary you will find here.
”I” did not lose any election as I’ve never stood for office and am neither Republican or democrat.
“I” don’t watch msnbc.
You’re trying to “other” me for stating a clear and obvious fact.
“We win if government shuts down” No one wins. It is a failure to govern. Our elected representatives have failed us; all of them. It’s a group effort. Don’t pretend it’s some hollow victory for “your” side.
I hope we agree that city council and planning has failed the community. And that Sacramento is the bigger problem. (Builders remedy and housing mandates)
Hey, we do agree. Though we will do better if we agree on the root causes of these failures - our current election system and take-over by the big government employee unions. Are you ready to go there?
Except why do you keep using he term "Sacramento". That in fact would be our Senator Monique Limon and our Assemblyman Gregg Hart. They carry 100% of the blame. Two little people who carry our local sensibilities to the state Capitol, in our names.
"Sacramento" was not elected nor created to do anything on its own. Sacramento does not exist in a vacuum. Even though it operates today, as if it did. Slay voter laziness. Do we agree on that?
Absolutely correct that the Dems shutdown our government. If you'd like I have a screenshot of the bill with the program they wanted to pass to find Healthcare from illegal aliens.Of course it was under the guise of protecting Obamacare. Why are we protecting that? It has caused major problems with our Health Care Insurance industry and politicians didn't even read the bill when the passed it.
Anyway Repubs voted no because they read the bill and did not want to fund Health Care for Illegals.
The Repubs passed a stop Gap bill and Dems didn't pass that either.
Another one was passed on Friday and Dems didn't pass it either.
So yes it is their fault and it is the Schumer Shutdown. It's all on him and AOC.
this is the Best gobbermint shutdown ever, everything working just fine, plus chance to cut dead wood from gobbermint tree of life, plus great Entertainment provided by POTUS!!! Enjoy The Show!
Carbajal...being a good Democrat hack,,,send out an email calling it a Republican shutdown! In his defense, he is not the brightest bulb and may actually believe what his fellow hacks told him...and he nodded his head.
As a Goleta girl since a little kid in 1961, I'm appalled at how expendable SB considers us and how our Goleta government bends over and takes it. Goleta, the Goodland? Make that Goleta, the Dumping Land. Yes, SB always threw its problems at us, but the difference is that we used to have a voice. When the jets flew too low overhead my mom would call the tower and say “Would you tell that pilot who just flew over to be more considerate? I could see him picking his nose.” (See, I got my snarkiness from my mom.) And the problem was solved. Now if I complain, Laura Capps either doesn't respond or, when a bunch of us asked her in person she informed us that “it's a Fed thing.” Oh, so Miss Capps will fight the Federal to protect illegals — but not those of us who pay her salary.
100%! I just commented on Gary Smythe's comment that I moved to Texas four years ago but I just hadn't realized it yet. It's a long story that you can read under his comment if you wish, but I wanted to mention that it is so different here!
You mentioned how easy it was to solve problems and it's like that here in Texas. There are a couple of potholes by a corner I have to turn in order to get to my cul-de-sac. This one pothole I have to either hug the curb or go on the opposite side of the road and it hasn't been fixed by the city for a while, I can tell. So you know what? I called Public works and I told them how I felt about that stupid pothole.
They fixed it within 2 weeks!!! In fact they fixed all the potholes in the whole area!!
I was absolutely shocked and I still am just bewildered that they understood my concern and handled it immediately! I used to call Santa Barbara public works and Goleta public works because we lived in both cities over many years and potholes never got fixed, streets never got fixed, nothing ever got fixed!!
I actually feel bad for people who still live in California, the ones that are there because of family or jobs or whatever. I get it, but I feel like I was being suffocated and now I can breathe. I love my city and I love my state!
I have family in San Antonio, going back to 1973. I like visiting once in a while, but I could never handle the weather. Don't feel bad for us living here. Mostly because the last few days here are classic October. Beautiful sun rising and highs in the upper 70's.
I feel bad for people that have to live with policies they didn't vote for, neighbors they can't commune with, and jobs they have to take so they can afford to survive. That's why I feel bad for people who live in the Santa Barbara area. And the weather here is fabulous.
Absolutely gorgeous today and for the past many weeks. It's only a little hotter than I prefer in July and the first part of August. After that, it's about 80° give or take and enough breeze to make it feel like the mid-70s. I absolutely love the weather here.
In fact, my husband was in California most of the time that I was here in Texas and we would video chat almost everyday and the weather in Santa Barbara was predominantly overcast, gray, and in the 60s while here in Texas the sky was beautiful blue and about 75° to 80°. I was so concerned that I was going to miss all of the "good weather" in California but I don't miss it at all. I'm so glad you are enjoying everything about where you live, too many people can't say that and those are the people I feel bad for.
Inbreeding from the same talent pool creates the next round of Democrat-elected officials. This is a company town. Government is the largest employer, hence they become a dominant voter base.
100% dependent on our tax dollars. Odd, isn't it? They need us to get paid, then they kick us in the teeth. Yes, there is something wrong with this picture. And it is mainly those who are too lazy to vote, who could join up and kick them all out.
Don't stay away from the polls, if we want to finally get rid of the pols. NO on Prop 50.
One Example of inbreeding: City Rep & wanna-a-be Kristen Sneddon’s husband is County Public Works Director Sneddon. Pull in $750,000 annually from taxpayers to eliminate our streets.how we need to allocate how our taxes are spend, and reduce government 75%.
It is astounding how prepared our city leaders are to abandon the community commitment to preserving the wonderful beauty and sensibility of Santa Barbara. Why would you even think of constructing a 7 story building? Throw the bums out.
What’s our action plan Scott? Only ignorant or stupid persons on a mission are public works bureaucrats and elected decision makers. Be forewarned: more is coming! Wanna-a-be Mayor Kristen Sneddon’s husband Sneddon is head of County Public Works.
It is indeed clear: “open streets, efficient shopping routes, and badly needed emergency street planning were [& are] not what they wanted.”
All I want is a jackhammer, silencers, and all video cameras turned off. I’ll start at Milpas and 101 underpass, then move up and across all intersections along Alisos Street. It’s a maze in the Eastside. The Milpas 101 off-ramp and inability to turn left is a nightmare. It’s wide enough for a 2 even 3 lane off ramp to avoid the resulting traffic jam.
Give us the names of the idiots who advised CalTrans that hundreds of Eastside, Eucalyptus Hill, West Montecito residents would turn right to go left, without intentionally then making illegal U-turns or going the wrong way on blockaded one way streets to avoid the newly created extra .4 mile maze? We politely wait while neighbors make illegal 3-point turns or other required manipulations. We need army tanks.
AND, it’s so rare to ever see a bicycle on closed Alisos because bicycle riding is on every street. People live in houses everywhere. Students and workers use bicycles on every Eastside street so why block off Alisos? Recreational cyclists control our town: got it!
Why narrow Milpas our only emergency route? Why add hundreds of new housing units around Milpas without widening the streets versus narrowing them?
Because we’re suppose to never leave home, never to support commerce, and allow our keepers to destroy Santa Barbara.
I live in Old Town Goleta. Every single person you talk to here dislikes what they did with our main street, and the city council knows it. However, they keep doubling down on irrational policies. Results are very poor or even negative, most people dislike the outcome of these policies but they keep "wining" elections, where is the common sense in CA?
Deference to "experts", and UCSB is loaded with them, is a major problem for many marginally-talented elected officials. Primarily this (1) lets them avoid any heavy lifting on their own part; and (2) is a very convenient way to escape blame when it all goes wrong. Neither quality is admirable in our elected representatives.
Commented to my partner last week while walking to Granada for an event that it seemed strange to be downtown...that was immediately before coming very close to be run over by...wait for it...ebikes traveling at a very high rate of speed. Yawn.
When I read pieces like this I wonder how many times a week the authors actually travel, work or live downtown. Urban living is a choice for people mostly under 40. Many do not rely solely on cars like one has too in Montecito, the Riviera, etc. I spend at least 12 hours a week walking, biking, shopping, working and playing downtown. It’s vibrant, especially in the 500 block and arts district.
Is it perfect, no. Paseo should be an adaptive reuse project as should many other spaces.
As an urban planner, I look at change as a good thing, especially when it addresses the issues of future generations versus outdated ideas that do not.
Nice platitudes, Gene, but no flesh on those bones.
"Change is good". "State Street is vibrant". (Eg: The "vibrant" bar zone 500 block) What is "perfect"? What is "outdated"? How will future generation raise sufficient revenues to support this current city structure and make-work planning departments, like the Dept of Sustainability and Resiliency?
Why should we make SB attractive only to those under 40? Who decided this. Why not make it more attractive to only those over 50, who are the far better investment that maintains the current infrastructure.
Clue, apartment living downtown for those "under 40" (the UCSB hanger-overs who refuse to leave?) is a fiscal investment dead end. This demographic demands far more from taxpayers right now, than they will ever return.
Thank you for your thoughts and opinions as well. With most downtown housing being investor-owned (like over 50% of Santa Barbara), rentals are what's available. BTW... the average age in DT is now 38 years old and with an income of $160K. Most Gen Xers have been priced out of the housing market, often without families, and thus decidedly different priorities. They frequently choose walking or biking as their primary mode of transportation, with Uber and car sharing filling the gap. Urban living is one of their top choices
My nephew, a city planner visiting from Austin, asked me a telling question. Are most of the people reading this old and that out of touch? I just smiled at him since I am over 70.
If Santa Barbara is the current choice of those under 40, they can take it for what it is right now. Why should we bother to change for people who have already decided they want to stay here anyway on the terms that are well known and obvious. They have to figure out how to make this work for themselves on their own .It is not our civic duty to give them a free ride.
Case in point, a whole block (among many) had to give up all the street parking on one side in a very densely populated part of town, so a connnecter bike lane could be installed to meet some visionary planning criteria. I have randomly observed this space for well over a year now at various times of the day, all months of the year. I saw only on bike rider using it. One.
Yet all those using this space for street parking 365 days of the year had to give up something material to meets some 40 somethings demand for an "ideal community" for their own randomly exercised needs.
Many Gen Xers quite frankly have lousy spending habits and even worse priorities which is why they, unlike prior generations, can't afford to purchase a home.
So why not go with the flow, make SB attractive and utilitarian for those who can afford to live in Santa Barbara. Their property tax base and discretionary income spending habits is sorely needed. Non-proift and subsidized housing for everyone (there are no upper limits)who wants to live here is not.
Using tax dollars so the under 40 crowd does not have to commute (normal behavior for most in America - 45 minutes average commute time) so they can "afford to live in Santa Barbara" on their $160K salaries, is a non starter.
PS: I would not call Santa Barbara "urban living" so obviously this Gen Z demanding set needs to pick another location or give up turning this town into blocks of 7 story high-rises with rows of dining and drinking spots in the same blocks, if this is what urban means to them.
WSJ just highlighted the attractions of "urban living" in downtown Milan Italy - look up the housing prices on Idealista (their Zillow equivalent) and have Gen Z do a massive reality check.
They can start just like very prior generation before them - a modest bungalow, or even double wide and an hour's commute each way. The opportunities to "own their own home"are endless for them.
PS: we long timers are not out of touch at all. Our preservationist instincts are keen and worthy of emulating. So wipe that knowing smirk off your face. Austin is the places for the new and edgy. May they make their city work for the long-term on their enlightened ethos. And stay the heck away from ours.
Senior residents are known for something positive that no other demographics can provide: regular turn over and predictable numbers of pending vacancies. Senior can't yet outsmart mother nature. This makes us "over 70's" the perfect demographic to encourage to come here in droves.
BTW tell your smug nephew we are not impressed with his demand to cater to those making $160K salaries, who claim they cannot afford to live here. All you have to do is work for the city government itself, and that lets you "live in Santa Barbara".
That is who the under-40 urban dwelling unhoused set is competing with, for housing here. Especially those playing insider games, when subsidized housing does come up on the insider market.
Keep in mind the "salary" is discretionary take home pay, since tax payers fund city employee health benefits and pensions off the top. This allows a city employee to spend a larger percentage of their salary on housing knowing they do not need to also fund what others call necessities like health care and retirement. They can spend easily 50% or more of their take home pay on housing when those major benefits are already covered .
Gene, I agree with you that change can be a good thing. Nothing stays the same forever but I think the point is that the "changes" that have been made in both Goleta and Santa Barbara are not for the better of future generations but for the benefit of the pocket books of the people in charge of making these changes. I am also not sure of what changes that are being made will benefit future generations. If you sincerely believe that Santa Barbara is bettering itself with their ideas of a better city, then you are surely in the minority. Being born and raised here, I don't expect the town to be as it was during my childhood but the drastic changes that have altered the uniqueness of Santa Barbara is, at the least, alarming and I know of no one who has lived here and come back to visit has not been sickened at how little of the charm is left and how much it resembles a good portion of other southern California cities.
I agree with you on many points you make. Santa Barbara has a charm, a uniqueness. When we see housing projects like the one proposed behind the Mission, it makes me long for the vision that Harriett Miller brought to planning. As a transportation policy guy, Old Town Goleta is puzzling and quite a mess.
That said, with the Saturday and Tuesday Farmers Markets on State, the line dancing classes, music at Mosaic/Satellite and easy tourist access, I am seeing the start of a socially vibrant region.
Don't even get me on Paseo. The idea of creating thousands, if not millions, of metric tons of debris, tearing the project down, is anything but sustainable. Reconfiguring the existing building into mixed-use residential makes more sense to me.
If we can get the city to understand the value of adaptive reuse, many of the partially vacant buildings can be used for modern purposes. As much as it pains me, the days of brick-and-mortar retail are mostly behind us.
I won't dispute your view of State street being vibrant. (I don't agree.) However, what bothers me is this, why keep spending large amounts of tax payer money on saving State street. How about the Milpas corridor, or Coast Village road, or the Wharf and Waterfront areas?? Or the Funk Zone. . .
At this point I think State street should be fixed by the owners of property & businesses.
Thank you for your observations on what you feel are positive improvements. Let's hope so. I am, however, a bit more cynical than you about the future of Santa Barbara from what I am witnessing now but let's keep our fingers crossed that I, and a good majority of folks, are wrong.
Not many jobs are downtown anymore due to shutting down state street and multiple business being closed. Statistics probably show less people walk and more people drive especially those visiting SB.
The current vacancy rate is 12.4 percent — the lowest rate seen in four years. By this metric alone, the car-free State Street is outperforming the pre-pandemic version of itself. Even the mayor acknowledges that the issues precede the car-free street yet provides no evidence to bolster the claim that cars will remedy the problems. In fact, actual research, rather than the more common "opinion pieces," supports bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly streets as a means to economic development.
The urban planner reference was sufficient for me. As a 60 year resident my experience is that downtown is a mere shell of its former self. Also...the vast majority of I speak with whom I speak with on the topic wildly opposed the current mess made by urban planners...lack of parking...open space...egregious height limits...density etc.
FYI, my back ground is real estate broker, general contractor and developer and believe it is sinful what has happened to this once great city by abandoning former reasonable zoning ordinances. I'm sure if you're someone who needs tax dollars to subsidize your housing and existence in SB, it probably looks pretty good. However, if you're a self-sufficient independent citizen who wants a city that is manageable and liveable, Santa Barbara is rapidly diminishing in that regard...in no small part due to urban planners.
No, we are not going down that hole, nor are we going to endure this incompetent insanity any longer. We never thought a planned community would be appealing, too generic or conforming, but that’s where we are going. Watching our beloved city self destruct in the last decade is more than we can bear. We lost shopping, eating, and strolling around downtown. Driving has become an obstacle course with no rational reasoning. Parking is prohibited, penalized, or nonexistent to venture downtown so we just don’t go, and don’t ask us to dress up to enjoy dinner and a show at the Granada on our bicycles 😡Utopia is a pipe dream always one more failed experiment away. So we are moving, and will not miss the urine stench, overgrown weeds, dead trees and city area landscaping ( to save water?) Bums sleeping on the streets (protected like endangered species) crime and gang tags, with no policing presence. So farewell, and thanks for the memories of a wonderful city that was.
Gary & Linda Smythe
It is sad to me that the sane ones who know how magical SB can be - and was - are leaving. They are breaking us. Always considered myself a fighter, but when the battlefield was obviously so stacked, with no improvement or hope in sight, it became unbearable to stay and watch the decline. I applaud those on the front lines who continue to battle, but completely understand your choice. I wish you unfettered joy and abundance on the other side.
I am so sorry you are moving, but I have to say I agree. And you know what? I moved about 4 years ago, I just didn't know it yet. I traveled often to Texas to spend time with my family and I found myself spending more and more time away from California. Even traveling through Arizona and New Mexico was better than trying to travel to downtown Santa Barbara. So we finally gave up and now call Texas our home.
Guess what we don't deal with? Gangs, fear that our packages will get stolen from our front porch or even from our backyard, homelessness, trash everywhere, potholes everywhere, a horrible economy, people who slash your tires if you fly a trump flag or even a USA flag!
You know what we DO have?Affordable grocery stores that care about you, neighbors that say hello and bring you poinsettias and cookies / fudge at Christmas, people that actually WAVE just because you're there, people who are kind and friendly just because you're a human being. I actually had to relearn how to drive! I use my signals now because people slow down and let you in, not tailgate the person in front of them so you can't get over. I'm now the slowpoke on the freeway 😂
And you know what else? After decades living in Santa Barbara and Goleta, I can say I almost never knew my neighbors. I know my entire block now here in Texas and I knew them within the first few weeks of visiting!
I have a Trump flag and two USA flags flying proudly at our home. And you know what? I have no fear that people know that I am a Republican and that I voted for Trump.
I cannot believe the difference! It's like a breath of fresh air being anywhere except Santa Barbara. It is not the same place. I visit frequently and I go through there as quickly as I can because I still have some business to do now and again. And I have to tell you that it turns my stomach every time I go.
People are stressed, you can see it in their faces as they walk by or drive by. They're often hunched over their steering wheels and you can just tell how stressed out and frustrated they are. Cars upon cars upon cars upon cars are parked filling the both sides of the streets. I feel claustrophobic just driving through!!!
In Texas I have a huge two-story 5,000+ sq ft house, gourmet kitchen, five bedrooms with a huge den, six bathrooms, a huge pool with a cabana that has a shower and another bathroom, basketball court, three car garage, 1,000 ft separate shop for my husband, circle driveway, and neighbors that I would trust with a key to my home.
I will never go back to California and the only thing I regret is not moving sooner!!
If you decide to consider texas, stay away from Austin because that's mini California. Dallas and Houston are slowly getting there as well. (You know, stay away from Democrat cities.) Central Texas or northeastern Texas are both great areas.
I wish you well in your move and can confirm from experience you won't regret it!
Great summary Mrs. D. I struggle constantly over going back to my hometown of San Antonio. I struggle because of the great climate here and the beach, which I can walk to from my home. I am concerned about property taxes, and school bonds in Texas. However, unlike California, they do offer a Senior Citizen deduction and a Homestead exemption. I do fear Texas could be turning “Purple,” in fact, it was mostly Blue when I lived there in the 80’s. Henry B. Gonzalez who was a formidable Dem. Congressman, back when Democrats were normal people.
My wife is a California girl, so moving back to SA is a work in progress.
Yes, people in Texas are good natured, God fearing folks who are fiercely independent and believe in freedom and owning firearms in order to keep it that way! My family history goes way back, were early pioneers, and my Great Grandmother was even kidnapped by the Comanche, until rescued by the Rangers.
It’s very sad to see how California, and specifically SB has lost their way in favor of high taxes, and pathetic public services. Unfortunately, I think we’re now at the tipping point and the ratio of normal people to a-holes is way out of wack here! Why? Because our elected officials are more concerned about the homeless, illegals, pronouns and climate change over the tax paying public!
You could build a house with how many nails you hit right on the head 😂 I've only been to San Antonio once, specifically to the big beautiful mall they have there, and it was lovely. We are in Central Texas and have become fairly accustomed to the hot weather months. The worst weather we have experienced was hail last Mother's Day and it was a hail of a storm 🤣
It hasn't been cold enough to impact us where we are, but I know a few years back during the freeze it got pretty bad no matter where you were.
What a lovely story about your family ties that go so far back! Incidentally we own quite a few firearms now. Apparently I'm pretty good with a handgun now. We inherited several shotguns and handguns and enough ammunition for an apocalypse 🤣
What's happened to Santa Barbara is just devastating. My mother's side of the family has roots that go back to the late 1800s. We have streets named after our family but that's more a shame now than anything else given what has happened to that community.
When I was in college I was more independent or maybe even green party, but the more I saw what Democrats were doing and how they really did not support the working class, the more I realized that Republican values squarely matched my own.
For your sake and the sake of the other sane people who live in Santa Barbara and Goleta areas, I truly hope that y'all (yes y'all) can vote some people with common sense into leadership. I won't hold my breath, but I will hope and pray that things turn around for that community!
“Old Town Goleta was destroyed in less than four months of narrowing a great working street.
What happened?”
Follow the money 💰 it’s always the money. Every city council for the last 30-40 years has been taking on debt offered by the state to build capital improvement projects (CIP’s) that far exceed the tax revenues generated and collected by an aging and declining retirement population.
No investments in our young people born and raised here.
When the bill comes due, another grant is taken from the state robbing Peter to pay Paul.
That’s how the Goleta restripe boondoggle happened. That’s how a $25M train station is being built to service less than 100 people in a town of barely 30,000…that’s how $50M bike paths are built to service a small community average age over 60….
Thanks for the article and fighting the good fight. As long as the current political leadership can brainwash the community into thinking it’s a Democrat vs Republican fight instead of a “hey this is our town and we like our town the way it is”…this will continue until this entire area is unrecognizable soulless homogeneous urban scape indistinguishable from all the others
Old Town Goleta make-over was created in a vacuum. Someone plotted theoretical traffic efficiencies on a computer, oblivious they were stabbing to death the organic heart of the wider community at the same time.
Well said. Sadly the predominantly far left voter majority votes ‘yes’ for their side without any ability to critically think. This is supported State wide by the far left super majority. The only way out of the developing hell-hole may sadly eventually be to leave and watch CA and SB disintegrate from the safety of a Red State.
SLO is turning red. Therapy hope. A report in February showed that amongst new voters in SB about 48k registered were Repubs and only were 198 Dems.
2 other Counties turned Red also.
Follow Carl DeMaio. There's hope
Unfortunately I just think it's too late. Too many people have moved and continue to move because of Newscum and all the other stupid Democratic people in power. I know that there are more Republicans in California that somehow are not reflected on the ballots. No I can't prove it, yes I do believe that voter fraud happens in California. I believe it happens severely in California. Until ID is required to vote, it will continue to happen. I don't know why people are so afraid of it! You need an ID to do everything else, why not to vote? It just doesn't make any sense to me at all, it never has and it never will.
Wow, well said. Unbelievable how many people have their heads in the sand. Very sad and awful. Thanks for a great article. 🥰❤️😔🤔🧐
Please remind Carabal that the govt was shut down by Schumer and your party. Also, despite his interferance with a raid we are not going to give health care to illegals -felons!!
Patently false. The question you ought to ask is why did the party that holds the Oval Office, house and senate choose to shut down our government?
Not knowing how government works is how your masters control you.
LOL, Mudge. Hope you are not losing your time on MSNBC, when you bother posting here.
You lost the election soundly in 2024. You do not get to reset the national agenda now being petulant obstructionists. We win if the government shuts down, like a really good spring house cleaning. DOGE already proved how necessary that is. The advantage is on our side. Ask yourself, why is extortion now your only game plan?
BTW: some of us have been inside government at both the federal and local levels. We do know how it works. In fact, that is what drives most of the commentary you will find here.
Anonymous ad hominem attacks; charming.
”I” did not lose any election as I’ve never stood for office and am neither Republican or democrat.
“I” don’t watch msnbc.
You’re trying to “other” me for stating a clear and obvious fact.
“We win if government shuts down” No one wins. It is a failure to govern. Our elected representatives have failed us; all of them. It’s a group effort. Don’t pretend it’s some hollow victory for “your” side.
I hope we agree that city council and planning has failed the community. And that Sacramento is the bigger problem. (Builders remedy and housing mandates)
Hey, we do agree. Though we will do better if we agree on the root causes of these failures - our current election system and take-over by the big government employee unions. Are you ready to go there?
Except why do you keep using he term "Sacramento". That in fact would be our Senator Monique Limon and our Assemblyman Gregg Hart. They carry 100% of the blame. Two little people who carry our local sensibilities to the state Capitol, in our names.
"Sacramento" was not elected nor created to do anything on its own. Sacramento does not exist in a vacuum. Even though it operates today, as if it did. Slay voter laziness. Do we agree on that?
RM...agree....however the City Council should offer resistance...instead they delight in the mandates.
Absolutely correct that the Dems shutdown our government. If you'd like I have a screenshot of the bill with the program they wanted to pass to find Healthcare from illegal aliens.Of course it was under the guise of protecting Obamacare. Why are we protecting that? It has caused major problems with our Health Care Insurance industry and politicians didn't even read the bill when the passed it.
Anyway Repubs voted no because they read the bill and did not want to fund Health Care for Illegals.
The Repubs passed a stop Gap bill and Dems didn't pass that either.
Another one was passed on Friday and Dems didn't pass it either.
So yes it is their fault and it is the Schumer Shutdown. It's all on him and AOC.
this is the Best gobbermint shutdown ever, everything working just fine, plus chance to cut dead wood from gobbermint tree of life, plus great Entertainment provided by POTUS!!! Enjoy The Show!
RM...Absurd...pay attention...it is not sophisticated or complicated...the Dems shut it down...which is fine with me...but that is factual.
Nudge- please explain your logic. I’d like to understand what I don’t know about how government works. Thank you.
Carbajal...being a good Democrat hack,,,send out an email calling it a Republican shutdown! In his defense, he is not the brightest bulb and may actually believe what his fellow hacks told him...and he nodded his head.
100% Let's not forget the legion of empty MTD buses impeding traffic flow by stopping at unoccupied bus stops.
And Mike the pollution from huge empty buses when small shuttles would be perfect on our narrow, car parked lined streets.
As a Goleta girl since a little kid in 1961, I'm appalled at how expendable SB considers us and how our Goleta government bends over and takes it. Goleta, the Goodland? Make that Goleta, the Dumping Land. Yes, SB always threw its problems at us, but the difference is that we used to have a voice. When the jets flew too low overhead my mom would call the tower and say “Would you tell that pilot who just flew over to be more considerate? I could see him picking his nose.” (See, I got my snarkiness from my mom.) And the problem was solved. Now if I complain, Laura Capps either doesn't respond or, when a bunch of us asked her in person she informed us that “it's a Fed thing.” Oh, so Miss Capps will fight the Federal to protect illegals — but not those of us who pay her salary.
100%! I just commented on Gary Smythe's comment that I moved to Texas four years ago but I just hadn't realized it yet. It's a long story that you can read under his comment if you wish, but I wanted to mention that it is so different here!
You mentioned how easy it was to solve problems and it's like that here in Texas. There are a couple of potholes by a corner I have to turn in order to get to my cul-de-sac. This one pothole I have to either hug the curb or go on the opposite side of the road and it hasn't been fixed by the city for a while, I can tell. So you know what? I called Public works and I told them how I felt about that stupid pothole.
They fixed it within 2 weeks!!! In fact they fixed all the potholes in the whole area!!
I was absolutely shocked and I still am just bewildered that they understood my concern and handled it immediately! I used to call Santa Barbara public works and Goleta public works because we lived in both cities over many years and potholes never got fixed, streets never got fixed, nothing ever got fixed!!
I actually feel bad for people who still live in California, the ones that are there because of family or jobs or whatever. I get it, but I feel like I was being suffocated and now I can breathe. I love my city and I love my state!
I have family in San Antonio, going back to 1973. I like visiting once in a while, but I could never handle the weather. Don't feel bad for us living here. Mostly because the last few days here are classic October. Beautiful sun rising and highs in the upper 70's.
I feel bad for people that have to live with policies they didn't vote for, neighbors they can't commune with, and jobs they have to take so they can afford to survive. That's why I feel bad for people who live in the Santa Barbara area. And the weather here is fabulous.
Absolutely gorgeous today and for the past many weeks. It's only a little hotter than I prefer in July and the first part of August. After that, it's about 80° give or take and enough breeze to make it feel like the mid-70s. I absolutely love the weather here.
In fact, my husband was in California most of the time that I was here in Texas and we would video chat almost everyday and the weather in Santa Barbara was predominantly overcast, gray, and in the 60s while here in Texas the sky was beautiful blue and about 75° to 80°. I was so concerned that I was going to miss all of the "good weather" in California but I don't miss it at all. I'm so glad you are enjoying everything about where you live, too many people can't say that and those are the people I feel bad for.
Huh? It must be the water… Santa Barbara County Supervisors seem to mirror the Santa Barbara City Council.
Inbreeding from the same talent pool creates the next round of Democrat-elected officials. This is a company town. Government is the largest employer, hence they become a dominant voter base.
100% dependent on our tax dollars. Odd, isn't it? They need us to get paid, then they kick us in the teeth. Yes, there is something wrong with this picture. And it is mainly those who are too lazy to vote, who could join up and kick them all out.
Don't stay away from the polls, if we want to finally get rid of the pols. NO on Prop 50.
One Example of inbreeding: City Rep & wanna-a-be Kristen Sneddon’s husband is County Public Works Director Sneddon. Pull in $750,000 annually from taxpayers to eliminate our streets.how we need to allocate how our taxes are spend, and reduce government 75%.
It is astounding how prepared our city leaders are to abandon the community commitment to preserving the wonderful beauty and sensibility of Santa Barbara. Why would you even think of constructing a 7 story building? Throw the bums out.
What’s our action plan Scott? Only ignorant or stupid persons on a mission are public works bureaucrats and elected decision makers. Be forewarned: more is coming! Wanna-a-be Mayor Kristen Sneddon’s husband Sneddon is head of County Public Works.
It is indeed clear: “open streets, efficient shopping routes, and badly needed emergency street planning were [& are] not what they wanted.”
All I want is a jackhammer, silencers, and all video cameras turned off. I’ll start at Milpas and 101 underpass, then move up and across all intersections along Alisos Street. It’s a maze in the Eastside. The Milpas 101 off-ramp and inability to turn left is a nightmare. It’s wide enough for a 2 even 3 lane off ramp to avoid the resulting traffic jam.
Give us the names of the idiots who advised CalTrans that hundreds of Eastside, Eucalyptus Hill, West Montecito residents would turn right to go left, without intentionally then making illegal U-turns or going the wrong way on blockaded one way streets to avoid the newly created extra .4 mile maze? We politely wait while neighbors make illegal 3-point turns or other required manipulations. We need army tanks.
AND, it’s so rare to ever see a bicycle on closed Alisos because bicycle riding is on every street. People live in houses everywhere. Students and workers use bicycles on every Eastside street so why block off Alisos? Recreational cyclists control our town: got it!
Why narrow Milpas our only emergency route? Why add hundreds of new housing units around Milpas without widening the streets versus narrowing them?
Because we’re suppose to never leave home, never to support commerce, and allow our keepers to destroy Santa Barbara.
I live in Old Town Goleta. Every single person you talk to here dislikes what they did with our main street, and the city council knows it. However, they keep doubling down on irrational policies. Results are very poor or even negative, most people dislike the outcome of these policies but they keep "wining" elections, where is the common sense in CA?
Deference to "experts", and UCSB is loaded with them, is a major problem for many marginally-talented elected officials. Primarily this (1) lets them avoid any heavy lifting on their own part; and (2) is a very convenient way to escape blame when it all goes wrong. Neither quality is admirable in our elected representatives.
Before: I loved my downtown. Went there often, regularly.
After: I hate my downtown. Never go there, regularly.
SAAAAAME!!! I used to go every Sunday after church for shopping, dinner, then movies! After they shut down State Street? Maybe twice in years!!
Commented to my partner last week while walking to Granada for an event that it seemed strange to be downtown...that was immediately before coming very close to be run over by...wait for it...ebikes traveling at a very high rate of speed. Yawn.
Add one more to that we warned SB not to give 500k to NGOS and now SB is a budget crisis and might be laying off employees and cut other programs.
Same with Carpinteria they are also suffering a budget crisis and guess want to raise fees and cut programs.
All this affects the other group of Citizens who are paying the taxes.
Who is running these insane asylums? Did they not see the writing on the wall?
Everyone must vote these people out at the next elections.
OK you have to like the humor of this comment.
What a great item, and what can I say about the wonderful author.
Come on it's worth a smile.......
Love you Scott!! Best comment heard: “What would I miss from smaller government? Streets— and they’re already gone so I’d miss nothing.”
When I read pieces like this I wonder how many times a week the authors actually travel, work or live downtown. Urban living is a choice for people mostly under 40. Many do not rely solely on cars like one has too in Montecito, the Riviera, etc. I spend at least 12 hours a week walking, biking, shopping, working and playing downtown. It’s vibrant, especially in the 500 block and arts district.
Is it perfect, no. Paseo should be an adaptive reuse project as should many other spaces.
As an urban planner, I look at change as a good thing, especially when it addresses the issues of future generations versus outdated ideas that do not.
Nice platitudes, Gene, but no flesh on those bones.
"Change is good". "State Street is vibrant". (Eg: The "vibrant" bar zone 500 block) What is "perfect"? What is "outdated"? How will future generation raise sufficient revenues to support this current city structure and make-work planning departments, like the Dept of Sustainability and Resiliency?
Why should we make SB attractive only to those under 40? Who decided this. Why not make it more attractive to only those over 50, who are the far better investment that maintains the current infrastructure.
Clue, apartment living downtown for those "under 40" (the UCSB hanger-overs who refuse to leave?) is a fiscal investment dead end. This demographic demands far more from taxpayers right now, than they will ever return.
Thank you for your thoughts and opinions as well. With most downtown housing being investor-owned (like over 50% of Santa Barbara), rentals are what's available. BTW... the average age in DT is now 38 years old and with an income of $160K. Most Gen Xers have been priced out of the housing market, often without families, and thus decidedly different priorities. They frequently choose walking or biking as their primary mode of transportation, with Uber and car sharing filling the gap. Urban living is one of their top choices
My nephew, a city planner visiting from Austin, asked me a telling question. Are most of the people reading this old and that out of touch? I just smiled at him since I am over 70.
If Santa Barbara is the current choice of those under 40, they can take it for what it is right now. Why should we bother to change for people who have already decided they want to stay here anyway on the terms that are well known and obvious. They have to figure out how to make this work for themselves on their own .It is not our civic duty to give them a free ride.
Case in point, a whole block (among many) had to give up all the street parking on one side in a very densely populated part of town, so a connnecter bike lane could be installed to meet some visionary planning criteria. I have randomly observed this space for well over a year now at various times of the day, all months of the year. I saw only on bike rider using it. One.
Yet all those using this space for street parking 365 days of the year had to give up something material to meets some 40 somethings demand for an "ideal community" for their own randomly exercised needs.
Many Gen Xers quite frankly have lousy spending habits and even worse priorities which is why they, unlike prior generations, can't afford to purchase a home.
So why not go with the flow, make SB attractive and utilitarian for those who can afford to live in Santa Barbara. Their property tax base and discretionary income spending habits is sorely needed. Non-proift and subsidized housing for everyone (there are no upper limits)who wants to live here is not.
Using tax dollars so the under 40 crowd does not have to commute (normal behavior for most in America - 45 minutes average commute time) so they can "afford to live in Santa Barbara" on their $160K salaries, is a non starter.
PS: I would not call Santa Barbara "urban living" so obviously this Gen Z demanding set needs to pick another location or give up turning this town into blocks of 7 story high-rises with rows of dining and drinking spots in the same blocks, if this is what urban means to them.
WSJ just highlighted the attractions of "urban living" in downtown Milan Italy - look up the housing prices on Idealista (their Zillow equivalent) and have Gen Z do a massive reality check.
They can start just like very prior generation before them - a modest bungalow, or even double wide and an hour's commute each way. The opportunities to "own their own home"are endless for them.
PS: we long timers are not out of touch at all. Our preservationist instincts are keen and worthy of emulating. So wipe that knowing smirk off your face. Austin is the places for the new and edgy. May they make their city work for the long-term on their enlightened ethos. And stay the heck away from ours.
Senior residents are known for something positive that no other demographics can provide: regular turn over and predictable numbers of pending vacancies. Senior can't yet outsmart mother nature. This makes us "over 70's" the perfect demographic to encourage to come here in droves.
BTW tell your smug nephew we are not impressed with his demand to cater to those making $160K salaries, who claim they cannot afford to live here. All you have to do is work for the city government itself, and that lets you "live in Santa Barbara".
That is who the under-40 urban dwelling unhoused set is competing with, for housing here. Especially those playing insider games, when subsidized housing does come up on the insider market.
Transparent California lets you know how some people can afford to live in Santa Barbara. https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2024/santa-barbara/
Keep in mind the "salary" is discretionary take home pay, since tax payers fund city employee health benefits and pensions off the top. This allows a city employee to spend a larger percentage of their salary on housing knowing they do not need to also fund what others call necessities like health care and retirement. They can spend easily 50% or more of their take home pay on housing when those major benefits are already covered .
Gene, I agree with you that change can be a good thing. Nothing stays the same forever but I think the point is that the "changes" that have been made in both Goleta and Santa Barbara are not for the better of future generations but for the benefit of the pocket books of the people in charge of making these changes. I am also not sure of what changes that are being made will benefit future generations. If you sincerely believe that Santa Barbara is bettering itself with their ideas of a better city, then you are surely in the minority. Being born and raised here, I don't expect the town to be as it was during my childhood but the drastic changes that have altered the uniqueness of Santa Barbara is, at the least, alarming and I know of no one who has lived here and come back to visit has not been sickened at how little of the charm is left and how much it resembles a good portion of other southern California cities.
I agree with you on many points you make. Santa Barbara has a charm, a uniqueness. When we see housing projects like the one proposed behind the Mission, it makes me long for the vision that Harriett Miller brought to planning. As a transportation policy guy, Old Town Goleta is puzzling and quite a mess.
That said, with the Saturday and Tuesday Farmers Markets on State, the line dancing classes, music at Mosaic/Satellite and easy tourist access, I am seeing the start of a socially vibrant region.
Don't even get me on Paseo. The idea of creating thousands, if not millions, of metric tons of debris, tearing the project down, is anything but sustainable. Reconfiguring the existing building into mixed-use residential makes more sense to me.
If we can get the city to understand the value of adaptive reuse, many of the partially vacant buildings can be used for modern purposes. As much as it pains me, the days of brick-and-mortar retail are mostly behind us.
I won't dispute your view of State street being vibrant. (I don't agree.) However, what bothers me is this, why keep spending large amounts of tax payer money on saving State street. How about the Milpas corridor, or Coast Village road, or the Wharf and Waterfront areas?? Or the Funk Zone. . .
At this point I think State street should be fixed by the owners of property & businesses.
Thank you for your observations on what you feel are positive improvements. Let's hope so. I am, however, a bit more cynical than you about the future of Santa Barbara from what I am witnessing now but let's keep our fingers crossed that I, and a good majority of folks, are wrong.
Not many jobs are downtown anymore due to shutting down state street and multiple business being closed. Statistics probably show less people walk and more people drive especially those visiting SB.
The current vacancy rate is 12.4 percent — the lowest rate seen in four years. By this metric alone, the car-free State Street is outperforming the pre-pandemic version of itself. Even the mayor acknowledges that the issues precede the car-free street yet provides no evidence to bolster the claim that cars will remedy the problems. In fact, actual research, rather than the more common "opinion pieces," supports bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly streets as a means to economic development.
Please share research and source you reference....thanks...
Well not helping SB obviously.
The urban planner reference was sufficient for me. As a 60 year resident my experience is that downtown is a mere shell of its former self. Also...the vast majority of I speak with whom I speak with on the topic wildly opposed the current mess made by urban planners...lack of parking...open space...egregious height limits...density etc.
FYI, my back ground is real estate broker, general contractor and developer and believe it is sinful what has happened to this once great city by abandoning former reasonable zoning ordinances. I'm sure if you're someone who needs tax dollars to subsidize your housing and existence in SB, it probably looks pretty good. However, if you're a self-sufficient independent citizen who wants a city that is manageable and liveable, Santa Barbara is rapidly diminishing in that regard...in no small part due to urban planners.
Takes sixty votes to pass some of your dem friends have to go along with!! Schumer is trying to blackmail