Thank you, Bonnie. I wish Kyndal Ray Edwards would take Governor Newsom on a walk through California's ever growing street population of drug addicts and mentally ill people. What you're doing ain't working, Gavin, and all the money you claim you need to fix the problem is not fixing anything.
Points out very serious problems with the State Street Committee process.
When faced with opening State St. and stopping the destruction of a critical downtown wide transportation the Council and anti car insiders dug in their heels. After all why use what works and has failed in other locations all over the State.
Good article, Bonnie. I do hear what you're saying about State Street and the street vendors perhaps getting out of hand and not charging sales tax but at the same time I have to wonder when, if ever, the sales tax percentage will quit going up and up. If one can believe what they read on Google, the sales tax rate when it began in California in 1933 was 2.5%. 1963 it went up to 4% and in the early 1990's the rate was 7.9% The taxation doesn't seem to stop and the worst part is that a good portion of the taxes go to projects that may not be in the public's interest, but are certainly in the bureaucrat's interests. Thank you for all the investigating that you do. Good job!
Bonnie, am I correct in assuming that only S.B. city residents will be able to vote in the November ballot for the sales tax increase? If so, I won't be able to do any good in that department. I don't live within the city limits.
I noticed the other morning at the Home Improvement (ACE) Parking lot at the corner of Olive Street, there was a large truck carrying many of these little food carts, getting off-loaded and picked up by what must be their assigned as individual vendors - no mom and pop "micro" food service operation, but a highly coordinated enterprise. What role does Home Improvement Center play making their parking spaces available for this, while taking away customer spaces?
Acknowledge local reality: we live in Tijuana Norte with multiple street vendors (minus only the children selling chiclets). Owner Gary and his senior management staff at Home Improvement have been asked multiple times if he’s changed his business focus. Seems he’s tolerant of his public street frontage being used daily by 2 ovetsized food trucks that take up a lane on Gutierrez Street blocking access to his store while allowing diners to park in his Home Improvement lot. Solution is to shop at Home Depot: there’s parking and Goleta benefits from our paid sales tax. Our SB Mayor, Council Reps, police chief facilitate these cash only unlicensed pop up commercial enterprises with a smile at the expense of legitimate, tax paying businesses. One solution would be to eliminate sales tax in CA which supports a cash economy for an estimated 40% of its workers. Why not reduce the number of bureaucrats to those doing essential jobs providing water, sewer, road maintenance, signals, public health? The CA “Honor System” for taxing and voter registration doesn’t work. Doing business in the City of Santa Barbara is unfair.
You are correct, organized, and coming from outside of our area. This has been reported to the city multiple times and the license plate of the truck dropping them off. At Ace aka SB Home Improvement, every day is a Taco Truck operating on the street and a sidewalk vendor selling fruit on a stick on the sidewalk this vendor is one from that truck. Chevron at Westbeach has one, at the entrance of the wharf is another one on and on and on. My pictures weren't included in the column but if you go to SBCurrent.com and look up the story they have been added. We have full-size kitchens unloaded and set up on our sidewalks all over town, they are also coming from out of the area....
Thanks for the informative column. The city staff certainly does seem to have predetermined solutions for just about everything. Except how to pay for their dreams.
Also exceptionally reasonable. No mention of demonic hordes, thank goodness.
Thank you, Bonnie. I wish Kyndal Ray Edwards would take Governor Newsom on a walk through California's ever growing street population of drug addicts and mentally ill people. What you're doing ain't working, Gavin, and all the money you claim you need to fix the problem is not fixing anything.
Got a better idea - take Gruesom Newsom for a long walk on a short pier :)
Points out very serious problems with the State Street Committee process.
When faced with opening State St. and stopping the destruction of a critical downtown wide transportation the Council and anti car insiders dug in their heels. After all why use what works and has failed in other locations all over the State.
Nice article.
Good article, Bonnie. I do hear what you're saying about State Street and the street vendors perhaps getting out of hand and not charging sales tax but at the same time I have to wonder when, if ever, the sales tax percentage will quit going up and up. If one can believe what they read on Google, the sales tax rate when it began in California in 1933 was 2.5%. 1963 it went up to 4% and in the early 1990's the rate was 7.9% The taxation doesn't seem to stop and the worst part is that a good portion of the taxes go to projects that may not be in the public's interest, but are certainly in the bureaucrat's interests. Thank you for all the investigating that you do. Good job!
Help stop the addition to our sales tax in November.....
Please
Bonnie, am I correct in assuming that only S.B. city residents will be able to vote in the November ballot for the sales tax increase? If so, I won't be able to do any good in that department. I don't live within the city limits.
Correct, only city residents. How you can help is to inform your friends/family who live in the city to vote no, Please.
I noticed the other morning at the Home Improvement (ACE) Parking lot at the corner of Olive Street, there was a large truck carrying many of these little food carts, getting off-loaded and picked up by what must be their assigned as individual vendors - no mom and pop "micro" food service operation, but a highly coordinated enterprise. What role does Home Improvement Center play making their parking spaces available for this, while taking away customer spaces?
Acknowledge local reality: we live in Tijuana Norte with multiple street vendors (minus only the children selling chiclets). Owner Gary and his senior management staff at Home Improvement have been asked multiple times if he’s changed his business focus. Seems he’s tolerant of his public street frontage being used daily by 2 ovetsized food trucks that take up a lane on Gutierrez Street blocking access to his store while allowing diners to park in his Home Improvement lot. Solution is to shop at Home Depot: there’s parking and Goleta benefits from our paid sales tax. Our SB Mayor, Council Reps, police chief facilitate these cash only unlicensed pop up commercial enterprises with a smile at the expense of legitimate, tax paying businesses. One solution would be to eliminate sales tax in CA which supports a cash economy for an estimated 40% of its workers. Why not reduce the number of bureaucrats to those doing essential jobs providing water, sewer, road maintenance, signals, public health? The CA “Honor System” for taxing and voter registration doesn’t work. Doing business in the City of Santa Barbara is unfair.
You are correct, organized, and coming from outside of our area. This has been reported to the city multiple times and the license plate of the truck dropping them off. At Ace aka SB Home Improvement, every day is a Taco Truck operating on the street and a sidewalk vendor selling fruit on a stick on the sidewalk this vendor is one from that truck. Chevron at Westbeach has one, at the entrance of the wharf is another one on and on and on. My pictures weren't included in the column but if you go to SBCurrent.com and look up the story they have been added. We have full-size kitchens unloaded and set up on our sidewalks all over town, they are also coming from out of the area....
Great column, thanks. I always learn a lot from your work.
wish pictures were in the column. If you log in to SBCurrent.com they have added them. Shows what we are up against.
Thanks for the informative column. The city staff certainly does seem to have predetermined solutions for just about everything. Except how to pay for their dreams.
Also exceptionally reasonable. No mention of demonic hordes, thank goodness.