...I'm still so upset about East Beach Grill and I avoid State St. - now it all looks like lower state with all the empty buildings and graffiti and homeless and there is no safe place to walk. I had a horrible experience running an errand on State. I didn't want to be on the sidewalk (which I would much prefer with its pretty tiles and nice landscaping, compared to the ugly asphalt) because of a homeless encampment. I tried to stay near the side of the street, but there was an ownerless dog with diarrhea in the bushes and bikes zooming on either side of me all while a homeless person was banging way on one of the pianos - it was hellacious. (I wondered what happened with commuter lot- what a shame, that seemed like a great solution to our growing homeless population.)
haven’t visited State Street in years, after living here for 50 years and visiting often prior to the last 10-15 years of neglect and changes…it’s a sad place to visit…
Per Los Padres ForestWatch- (Their IG post with video.) :
"Last week, the Project for Resilient Communities (PRC) announced its intent to remove the ring nets from Montecito canyons in accordance with the terms of its existing Santa Barbara County permit. The PRC also withdrew its application to the County for permit extension. The PRC cited a breakdown in negotiations with the County regarding the cost of ongoing maintenance as the reason for its change of course.
The announcement is good news for wildlife of the coastal creeks of the Los Padres, as well as for ForestWatch, which advocated (alongside a coalition of like-minded environmental organizations) for the PRC to uphold its commitments and promises to the community regarding the nets.
The PRC sold the ring net project to the community and local agencies as a temporary, emergency project that would be fully funded by private entities. Nevertheless, millions of public tax dollars have been spent do-date on the project, and up until this recent announcement, the PRC was pushing hard to extend the project for at least another 5-years, despite mountain slopes now being revegetated. The PRC was also advocating for the County to take over project costs.
Last January, the upper net on San Ysidro creek filled with small debris that would have otherwise traveled downstream to the ocean. Due to various complications, the PRC was not able to clear out the blockage within permitted timelines resulting in the blockage of an important wildlife corridor for roughly 10-months.
Per its recent announcement, the PRC now intends to remove the nets before the end of 2023, in accordance with existing permit conditions.
...I'm still so upset about East Beach Grill and I avoid State St. - now it all looks like lower state with all the empty buildings and graffiti and homeless and there is no safe place to walk. I had a horrible experience running an errand on State. I didn't want to be on the sidewalk (which I would much prefer with its pretty tiles and nice landscaping, compared to the ugly asphalt) because of a homeless encampment. I tried to stay near the side of the street, but there was an ownerless dog with diarrhea in the bushes and bikes zooming on either side of me all while a homeless person was banging way on one of the pianos - it was hellacious. (I wondered what happened with commuter lot- what a shame, that seemed like a great solution to our growing homeless population.)
haven’t visited State Street in years, after living here for 50 years and visiting often prior to the last 10-15 years of neglect and changes…it’s a sad place to visit…
Per Los Padres ForestWatch- (Their IG post with video.) :
"Last week, the Project for Resilient Communities (PRC) announced its intent to remove the ring nets from Montecito canyons in accordance with the terms of its existing Santa Barbara County permit. The PRC also withdrew its application to the County for permit extension. The PRC cited a breakdown in negotiations with the County regarding the cost of ongoing maintenance as the reason for its change of course.
The announcement is good news for wildlife of the coastal creeks of the Los Padres, as well as for ForestWatch, which advocated (alongside a coalition of like-minded environmental organizations) for the PRC to uphold its commitments and promises to the community regarding the nets.
The PRC sold the ring net project to the community and local agencies as a temporary, emergency project that would be fully funded by private entities. Nevertheless, millions of public tax dollars have been spent do-date on the project, and up until this recent announcement, the PRC was pushing hard to extend the project for at least another 5-years, despite mountain slopes now being revegetated. The PRC was also advocating for the County to take over project costs.
Last January, the upper net on San Ysidro creek filled with small debris that would have otherwise traveled downstream to the ocean. Due to various complications, the PRC was not able to clear out the blockage within permitted timelines resulting in the blockage of an important wildlife corridor for roughly 10-months.
Per its recent announcement, the PRC now intends to remove the nets before the end of 2023, in accordance with existing permit conditions.