Garbage In, Garbage Out, at City Council
By Bonnie Donovan
The city sent out your notification of another increase. This time for trash.
A 7.40% increase in trash bills has been announced, and residents should have received a notification in the mail. This news comes just a week after Council members Kristen Sneddon and Wendy Santamaria revisited the topic of rent control, alongside their colleagues Meagan Harmon and Oscar Gutierrez. The timing of this increase raises concerns about the city’s approach to managing costs for its residents.
Residents have a limited window to voice their objections, as only written protests submitted before the public hearing on June 10, 2025, will be considered. To make your protest valid, it must include your name and service address, and must also specify whether you are contesting the fee increase, the calculation method, or both. Protests can be mailed or delivered in person to 735 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, or placed in the bill payment drop box at City Hall.
The decision to restrict protests to written submissions, rather than allowing emails, raises further questions about transparency and accessibility. While landlords face limitations on rent increases, the city continues to impose rising fees on residents. This situation prompts a reevaluation of whether landlords should exclude certain services from rental agreements as, traditionally, utilities like water and trash have been included to alleviate financial burdens and streamline the transition for tenants.
Heading for Another Fiscal Crisis
The City of Santa Barbara is currently engaged in budget hearings that will extend through June, with stakeholders advocating for an additional $5 million in funding beyond the existing allocations. Concerns have been raised by the Finance Director regarding the city's financial trajectory, suggesting that without intervention, the city may face a similar fiscal crisis in two to three years. Initial estimates indicated a deficit of $7 to $10 million, but recent discussions have hinted at a more alarming figure closer to $15 million.
During budget hearings they did bring up union bargaining about to happen soon. Tell the union they’re draining us
Some proposals include drawing from reserve funds, which raises further concerns about long-term sustainability. A review of departmental budgets reveals significant expenditures on salaries and benefits, with the issue compounded by the city's CALPERS obligations to retirees. The golf course's financial model, which transitioned to independent contractors, has proven to be a successful strategy, yielding substantial savings. This approach could be considered for other departments to mitigate the financial strain and enhance fiscal responsibility.
OMG don’t use the word Defund!!!
Ha ha, Kristen Sneddon told the City Administrator, Kelly McAdoo to rephrase her words, don’t use that word. Yep, because the city went to Hell when you guys pushed defunding the police, Kristen.
From a Reader:
Since all politics are local, we now have a city council, supported by our state representative Gregg Hart and Monique Limon, that wants to drop manufactured ADU's into everyone's back and eventually front yards, plus rob the city budget, which is already in pension free fall-for more "housing."
We must stay alert and alarmed, because forces are out there who do want to take everything away. And their hive-mind crowds show up to intimidate even the strong-willed into submission.
Of all people, city council rep Kristen Sneddon – who personally is pulling down a quarter of a million dollars a year in total taxpayer compensation – is demanding the city taxpayers find $5 million "extra dollars" in the city budget for more "housing." Things like this are still happening, but who is going to city hall to protest?
New and Proposed Expenditures
The Measure I Sales Tax has been incorporated into the fiscal budgets for FY2026 and FY2027, directing funds to various established programs and services. The police department is set to maintain its officer count, including the reinstatement of three officers previously affected by a hiring freeze, with allocated budgets of $6,298,046 for FY2026 and $6,209,376 for FY2027. Similarly, the fire department will continue its operations with a budget of $3,542,319 in FY2026 and $3,466,185 in FY2027, ensuring adequate staffing of firefighters.
In the realm of Parks and Recreation, eight positions will be sustained alongside consistent funding for after-school sports, maintaining a budget of $955,120 for both fiscal years. Library services will retain a team of four librarians and one library technician, with security and digital collections funded through previous one-time sources, also maintaining a budget of $952,785 for both years. Additionally, existing homeless services will support five contracts, with funding increasing from $351,730 in FY2026 to $894,034 in FY2027, reflecting a commitment to service continuity.
New budget allocations include a transfer of $1,500,000 each for housing and homeless services, as well as for the Local Housing Trust Fund, resulting in total budgets of $15,100,000 for FY2026 and $15,477,500 for FY2027. The city is currently navigating several fiscal challenges, including declining tax revenues and economic uncertainty, which necessitate strategic planning and effective implementation of Measure I. Key initiatives include conducting a Class and Compensation Study, addressing pension costs and unfunded liabilities, and reorganizing services related to downtown, housing, homelessness, and parking, potentially involving fee adjustments to align with the city's financial objectives.
Council May 6, 2025 - FY26 Two-year Full presentation - DRAFT (2).pdf
They Showed Up to Demand Five Million Dollars
A public commenter said the $15.1 million dollar deficit is gone now with measure I tax. OMG, they don’t see it is an ongoing issue and isn’t going away. The same commenter was there with others demanding $5 million dollars be put into the housing fund.
The League of Women Voters (LWV), Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), and the Santa Barbara Housing Authority (SBHA) are advocating for an annual allocation of five million dollars to the Housing Trust Fund. This raises critical questions about city budget priorities: which city departments are we willing to cut back on? Should we consider reducing resources for parks, libraries, police, or fire services – areas that were previously deemed essential and funded through Measure I?
Public speaker Liz Rodriques proposed that the city could fund the housing trust by maintaining three currently frozen police positions. However, there is a concern that the $15.1 million generated from the Measure I tax is no longer available, highlighting a persistent financial issue. If city officials were to heed the advice of Finance Director Demartini, they might better understand the ongoing nature of this challenge.
Furthermore, it may be worth considering whether SBHA, LWV, and CLUE should advocate for city employees to opt out of unions, which could potentially save millions. The budget deficit is likely to resurface, especially with demands from council members like Harmon, Santamaria, Sneddon, and Oscar for increased employee compensation.
“Market Leaders”
Additionally, the question arises as to why part-time employees are receiving benefits, and whether more city jobs could be outsourced, as was successfully done with the municipal golf course, to achieve significant savings.
What will take us back into a deficit is the cost for Salaries and Benefits, CALPERS isn’t in these totals.
This is just one department:
Salaries
$11,642,934
$12,992,482
$14,495,223
$15,394,986
Benefits
$5,707,598
$7,170,820
$7,348,139
$7,725,624
Ms. McAdoo: stop the madness in the city. Number one, Open State Street!!
Again, it started five years ago this month.
They have wasted five million dollars or more.
It started as a Pedestrian Promenade and quickly dropped the pedestrian part.
Pedestrians are all back on the sidewalk (and have been for years).
Ms. McAdoo: it's time to stop this shit and open the damn street.
Back to the money wasted on it, it’s time LWV, CLUE, and SBHA along with Sneddon, Harmon, Santamaria, and Gutierrez start speaking up about the five million wasted on State Street Promenade. Boom, I just found the five million you have your hands out for to build more socialized housing in Santa Barbara.
I submitted another PRAR to the County
They sent me an email stating they need an extension to gather the emails I wanted.
So, I went to check on Joe Holland again on Transparent California and found the top paid in the County for 2023.
Shocked again and more info on where all our taxes go.
Former county employee received $780,705.60
Top of the list (highest paid) for 2023, the County of Santa Barbara, in Transparent California is Robert Hample. Mr. Hample worked in the Dep Probation Officers. NO, this wasn’t regular pay, or overtime pay.
It is for:
Other pay - $401,555.95
Benefits - $379,149.65
For the total of $780,705.60
Then I searched the internet for Robert Hample County of Santa Barbara and found this,
It’s not just happening in the city!
More money spent to fix a problem
Be aware of a new traffic pattern between Haley and Gutierrez on Anacapa Street. It is no longer one-way.
Take a look at COLAB’s latest video, “The Great Fee Heist”
I couldn't even finish reading the article because I am so disgusted by the Santa Barbara City counsel. It does not surprise me. I was born and raised here for 52 years and the state Santa Barbara is in is alarming. This used to be a family oriented, touristy town but no longer. I have never seen the emptiness at paseo Nuevo or on State Street the way it is now. And those stupid bike lanes that were put in, where you have to go around the block is ridiculous. And I have not seen one bike rider ever utilizing those bike lanes in those neighborhoods.
Well done, Bonnie!
Re Anacapa between Haley and Gutierrez, yay!! It's about time. To drive back home after shopping at REI anybody living NE of REI had to take a left on Gutierrez (obvi), cross State St, take a right on Chapala, another right on Haley, and cross State again.
Regarding all the funding and defunding, when is the City going to fund the Ortega Park renovation, specifically the pool? In this context, a couple of years ago I asked Kristen Sneddon about Measure C funds. I understand that Measure C funds, at least in part, are being spent on the State Street debacle? Enquiring minds want to know...