Did you see Jordan's screed about how we need to provide more language services to immigrants? He thought Los Angeles' provision of language services in 20 languages was a good idea. As I recall, this article was in Noozhawk last week. I can't believe Jordan's disconnect from the real world, or is it a conscious effort to balkanize us?
How much fun it will be when the ranks of the homeless increase and we ourselves come closer to becoming homeless.
Whoever imagined that the day would come when working people would be living in their cars, and the terms "Three paychecks away from being homeless" would be accepted as part of life?
This, and the fact that our national debt increases with each passing administration are bad enough, yet the masses continue to support politicians who tax and spend beyond our means.
Don't forget: while Dorothy and the others were enthralled by the giant green head belching smoke, the actual wizard was a little old man standing behind a curtain speaking into a microphone. This analogy describes the naivety of the voters.
By the way, regarding Swede Savage, what was the actual cause of death: smoke inhalation, or the Hepatitis B he contracted from that blood transfusion?
The original mission of SBCC Adult Education over 100 years ago, was to provide English language and citizenship classes for newly arriving legal immigrants to this area. Truly a community wide service. Now SBCC Adult Ed seems to exist primarily to fight over limited spaces in the jewelry and ceramics classes.
It’s crazy how the Government can break laws and pay for their Defence with our taxes using a blank check to Government Attorneys. They get paid no matter the outcome. SBCC and SBUSD have the same attorney who covers for all their mistakes and bully’s the public.
Dononvan's article is timely considering the middle finger attitude by the Santa Barbara City Council on transportation and the public.
26 year old Cars Are Basic, Inc. has been amazed at some of the failed issues about cars, work efficiency, council pay, and more.
Former Mayor of SB, Blum, openly hammered car drivers (workers/shoppers) stating they should be using buses, bikes, or walk. The Mayors parking spot at City Hall was always occupied with Blum's car. When called on it her answer was the Council Business was too important and needed the use of cars.
Former Mayor Schneider was asked why she continued to use autos to get around, as Mayor, she refused to answer. Note when she worked at Channel Island college she drove "all" the time.
Former Mayor Murillo faced with the same situation and questions followed the brass monkey approach of refusal to engage.
When the Council increased their pay to over $50,000+ benefits CAB warned it would become a professional activist job, with little responsibility to the voters in the City. Look at the outcomes of failed transportation, destruction of Down Town as a cultural and tourist center.
Instead of a Council that are successful business owners, you now have in-your-face "professional" politicians who for the most part cannot exist in the private sector and are government trolls.
Donnovan talks about the "Bike Guys" now called Move, and their Government collaboration. Why? Because it is a life line to a 40 year failed organization. The Bike Guys have openly admitted Safe Routes to Schools has failed, they admit the St. Francis Traffic Plan failed to increase bike use. So why is government giving money for failure? Her article opens that can of worms.
Why is SBCAG Promoting what has failed, supports a what looks like a rookie organization, and refuses to ask where is the EIR?
Great article. What percent of time our City Council member supposed to work if it was a full-time job, are they now working less than 50% in which case they should not be subject to pension benefits.
Next, look at school boards, civil service commissions etc.
The community needs to be dotted with an equal number of yard signs that claim "we support our teachers, but we do not support the teachers unions". Many do not understand this important distinction.
Opting out of the now voluntary teacher union memberships means an automatic $1000+ a year raise for each teacher. California after a SCOTUS ruling, became a right to work state. No teacher is now forced to donate this $1000+ a year to the teachers unions, as had been the case in the past.
Prop 98 guarantees 50% of all general funds go to public education. There are only so many tax dollars generated to spread across the vast enterprise of government services. Right off the top Prop 98 means we do support our teachers, automatically granting public education the majority share. In return we only ask, but cannot demand, this public largesse is spent wisely while demonstrating proven benefit for our students.
2019 Mike Jordan stated that cars were the cause of global warming and that everyone should be riding bicycles, while he drives his full sized ford pickup truck. I’d say looking at him he doesn’t seem like a bike to work guy. Does he ride a bike to work every day as he eliminates traffic lanes and parking spots from downtown? Anyone see him on a bike?
How about our Mayor and the other council members who readily get rid of parking & driving lanes, which we need for evacuation in case of another fire or flood?
Downtown was under an evacuation order for a “wildfire” years ago and we had the Mesa fire which was right in the middle of a heavily populated area.
They expect you to jump on your bike to flee to safety?
In 2019 He promised, said that the bike lane initiative was already approved and in process for Cliff Dr. 5 years later, no bike lanes like Modoc and Las Positas.
The City & the Mesa area City Council Member never submitted the request. As a planning department guy working for the city he knew he was lying to you all.
But that is what politicians do, they lie to get your vote.
He said there were no homeless on the Mesa.
If you live in SB you know the truth.
Don’t listen to the lies from our career politicians who are bought and paid for by the DNC.
having worked for the City (short stint years ago) & 30+ years for local traffic engineering consulting firm, I can say that bike commuting has always been less than 4% and trending downwards over the years (we are busy people & like our cars)…the mismanagement of our tax dollars for social outcomes is top down: Fed $$$ (+strings attached) and/or State & Regional $$$ (more strings attached) -> local project $$$ (+ local strings)…
Bonus: traffic models show that commuter delay time (aggregate) could be improved significantly by eliminating HOV lanes…more social engineering…
I believe the official response at a public hearing to the evacuation question was, when seeking approval for car-free housing projects like the one on the corner of West Carrillo and Castillo, the city would provide buses for evacuation of the car-free residents.
It would be good to review the city's current logistical planning for this promised accommodation.
Great article. Stimulating the mind to want more explanations as to how our city and tax monies are spent and WHY government employees and elected officials make so much (bennies included).
I believe if elected officials vote for specific new laws or regulations, that they must first abide by them out of their OWN money. Alas, I can only hope for transparency and honesty from them.
The City wants to prioritize services cutting those that are deemed not important by residents. All of the services mentioned are priority in my opinion. They don't talk about cutting salaries for employees but they do like to cut priority services funded through the General Fund.
Environmental Services seems to be floundering without a mission of late. I think it gave itself a new name, but not sure what their new mission is.
The original merit of this city department has radically changed since recycling is now so restricted, graffiti is yet again rampant but deemed untouchable as "cultural expressions", and most landscaping has already been converted to drought tolerant. Mission accomplished.
When does a department that started out with a novel mission decades ago, finally take a bow and wind down? Should the city Creeks Division still be getting so much Measure B money when so many of our creeks are now neglected and highly polluting vagrant camps?
We could use a new department of "City Employee Cross-Training Department" and put more current city employees back on the long neglected city zoning code enforcement duty. Or else take those city blight ordinances off the books. They stand now as only false promises. How many more unpermitted public-view murals will continue to be in clear violation of the city Sign Ordinance?
I welcome being proven wrong on all counts. My observations are purely anecdotal, as I move around town -wondering why are we now putting up with what we once rigorously regulated, and why are we continuing to feed budgets where the original and even noble mission has ceased to exist.
My observation is that more the regulations, the more rampant the lawlessness. Secondly, the City is so mired in it's own regulations that they are unable to enforce the silly rules they put in.
But according to the Independent, Ariel Calonne was fired in 2022. Per his contract, he was "contractually entitled to a year’s salary, plus a year’s worth of health insurance and the equivalent of his car allowance, valued at $605 a month."
I have a suggestion: in the spirit of the tours that give locals a chance to see the best Christmas decorations or Halloween yard displays, let's make a map to the worst of the local traffic impeding abominations. Streets blocked to allow only bike entry, unused bike lanes replacing neighborhood parking, bulb outs that force bikes into cars, double bike lanes that cut major arteries down to one lane, trees planted in former parking spaces, and roundabouts covered with scrapes and tire marks. I agree the politicians who force these aggravations on us in the name of bicycle priority should be required as a condition of employment to exclusively commute to work on bikes.
I nominate Santa Barbara Street and East Sola Street for one. The chess pieces scattered all across the Micheltorena Street Overpass and on down Castillo Street for number two. Never have seen a single bike negotiate either of them. (So far)
From his linkedIN website: I was a full-time city attorney from 1990 to 2022, practicing in Palo Alto, California; Boulder, Colorado; Ventura, California; and, Santa Barbara. I have been practicing law in California since 1983. I was licensed in Colorado in 2004.
Specialties: Open government laws, due process, public finance, First Amendment, land use and water law.
(Surely one devoted to open government laws, due process, public finance, and First Amendment should be willing to answer your question.)
Cheaters and frauds have to go. Maybe THIS election cycle the general public will see the Swamp in our own backyard. Does that mean vote Republican? Unfortunately until the thieves are rooted out, there doesn't seem to be a choice. Termites are not seen, but eventually if not checked an entire building will fall. Just because you hate the GOP, as do many of us, the alternative will bring a guaranteed slow death, eaten from the inside out. Stop this global runaway train before we loose our country! It is noted the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and others are also being consumed and loosing their culture because of liberal mandates. Their people are sounding the alert. Protect your town and your country before it's gone.
Thank you, Bonnie, for this excellent column and for continuing to try to get through to the people running this city. How much do you think they listen to you? I would say not at all. You're too smart, too rational and you challenge the hypocrisy by which they live. They have a complete F… you attitude towards all of us lowly people who merely pay their salaries. Our representative is Laura Capps and while she doesn't come out and directly say I'm Laura Capps and you're not - she says it in her cheery, oh I'm so tired, gosh what hard choices I have to make for you missives. In her latest compassionate public servant email with yet another photo of her wearing Ukraine yellow, she once again mentioned AI, as in “AL GORE said to me once when I was on my way into the Deep State, Laura, you can't make everyone happy, so just concentrate on making BlackRock, Klaus Schwab and whoever is running this country happy.” If only we had an RFK Jr. running for office here, an independent with popularity who would threaten their hold over us. Then they might even pretend to listen. And we might be on the way to getting rid of them.
How do we motivate voters to make difference choices? The issue is not who gets elected; but why they get elected. Once elected, the people have spoken. Why did they win; over the others who did not.
The day we can convince union members to vote against their union we win. Once you get all on the government programs to vote differently, we win............
Bahahaha..... This got to be one of the mist halerious and sad 😔 articles we have ever read. Halerious about the hypocrisy of government and sad 😔 about our tax money 💰 being spent this way.
Did you see Jordan's screed about how we need to provide more language services to immigrants? He thought Los Angeles' provision of language services in 20 languages was a good idea. As I recall, this article was in Noozhawk last week. I can't believe Jordan's disconnect from the real world, or is it a conscious effort to balkanize us?
If we went to their countries would we be offered the same???! NO!
Exactly.
Jordan also thought it is a good idea to spend millions buying buildings to give homeless a hangout spot downtown.
No beds, no housing.
City council likes throwing tax payer money away. How many of those “housed” in hotels are still under a roof?
Millions thrown away for a known temporary roof.
Jordan & his lot are purposely trying to keep homeless in the due town corridor.
Do homeless have jobs there?
Do homeless do their shopping downtown?
So homeless go to school nearby?
That’s right. They want to put people who do not need to be in the must expensive areas on tax payer monies.
But why do they insist on keeping homeless in front of Thursday house & business?
While they evict homeless from the hotels, no tenant or squatters rights if the city is your landlord?
Why doesn’t the city use one of its numerous empty parking lots for Safe Parking?
Because they don’t want to help the people. They only care about what serves them and garnishes votes. Y
If the put a stop to the importing of homeless to SB, we might be able to get it under control.
How much fun it will be when the ranks of the homeless increase and we ourselves come closer to becoming homeless.
Whoever imagined that the day would come when working people would be living in their cars, and the terms "Three paychecks away from being homeless" would be accepted as part of life?
This, and the fact that our national debt increases with each passing administration are bad enough, yet the masses continue to support politicians who tax and spend beyond our means.
Bill, Mike Jordan knows EXACTLY what is going down here in SB and EXACTLY
who is here. I like that word "Balkanize" because that is EXACTLY what SB County/City
and thier "minion munckins" have been doing to all of us now for years.
When it comes to salaries these So-Called-Leaders always follows the
Yellow-Gold-Plated Road aka "The Grand Wizard of Oz" ..... to thier own wealth.
I am surprised these folks don't show up in Klan-Gear to these So-Called-Public Meetings.
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/pnp/npcc/30400/30454v.jpg
Howard Walther member of a Military Family
Don't forget: while Dorothy and the others were enthralled by the giant green head belching smoke, the actual wizard was a little old man standing behind a curtain speaking into a microphone. This analogy describes the naivety of the voters.
By the way, regarding Swede Savage, what was the actual cause of death: smoke inhalation, or the Hepatitis B he contracted from that blood transfusion?
Hello Bill, Yes the Grand Wizard is always lurking and spewing the nonsense
everywhere including here. On Swede Savage I think I was at Indy that day his
car crashed, "STP-sponsored Eagle-Offenhauser race car", we all had
been going to Indy for years and never missed it.
https://www.autoracing.com/nascar/drivers/swede-savage/
His Daugthers article is worth the read>>
https://www.watchonista.com/articles/interviews/time-heals-swede-savages-daughter-angela-discusses-her-fathers-omega-speedmaster
They were all very close, the drivers and crews always pushing the limits.
I left the area in the end of 1973 to attend Unversity so that took me away
from the midwest and Indy 500.
Howard
It could have been a combination of both? Either way, thankfully, major improvements have been made.
The original mission of SBCC Adult Education over 100 years ago, was to provide English language and citizenship classes for newly arriving legal immigrants to this area. Truly a community wide service. Now SBCC Adult Ed seems to exist primarily to fight over limited spaces in the jewelry and ceramics classes.
The new adult ed is not the old adult ed.
I was surprised, therefore, when I attended a ceremony recognizing ten months of adult education, and it was called a 100-year anniversary.
That’s not how trust is built.
But not French
Indeed,
It’s crazy how the Government can break laws and pay for their Defence with our taxes using a blank check to Government Attorneys. They get paid no matter the outcome. SBCC and SBUSD have the same attorney who covers for all their mistakes and bully’s the public.
Excellent comment. We the tax payers ALWAYS, pay for the mistakes, bad decisions, or corruptions, harassment, abuse by public employees/officials
Do you happen to know whether the attorney is also the council for Montecito Union?
Dononvan's article is timely considering the middle finger attitude by the Santa Barbara City Council on transportation and the public.
26 year old Cars Are Basic, Inc. has been amazed at some of the failed issues about cars, work efficiency, council pay, and more.
Former Mayor of SB, Blum, openly hammered car drivers (workers/shoppers) stating they should be using buses, bikes, or walk. The Mayors parking spot at City Hall was always occupied with Blum's car. When called on it her answer was the Council Business was too important and needed the use of cars.
Former Mayor Schneider was asked why she continued to use autos to get around, as Mayor, she refused to answer. Note when she worked at Channel Island college she drove "all" the time.
Former Mayor Murillo faced with the same situation and questions followed the brass monkey approach of refusal to engage.
When the Council increased their pay to over $50,000+ benefits CAB warned it would become a professional activist job, with little responsibility to the voters in the City. Look at the outcomes of failed transportation, destruction of Down Town as a cultural and tourist center.
Instead of a Council that are successful business owners, you now have in-your-face "professional" politicians who for the most part cannot exist in the private sector and are government trolls.
Donnovan talks about the "Bike Guys" now called Move, and their Government collaboration. Why? Because it is a life line to a 40 year failed organization. The Bike Guys have openly admitted Safe Routes to Schools has failed, they admit the St. Francis Traffic Plan failed to increase bike use. So why is government giving money for failure? Her article opens that can of worms.
Why is SBCAG Promoting what has failed, supports a what looks like a rookie organization, and refuses to ask where is the EIR?
There is soo much more.
Thanks for your article.
Keep up the good work. Very instructive to keep us informed on the absurd policies and costs of our “public servants”
Great article. What percent of time our City Council member supposed to work if it was a full-time job, are they now working less than 50% in which case they should not be subject to pension benefits.
Next, look at school boards, civil service commissions etc.
ridiculous.
Calif. Teachers Asso are the most corrupt group pushing their BS agenda on the children.
The community needs to be dotted with an equal number of yard signs that claim "we support our teachers, but we do not support the teachers unions". Many do not understand this important distinction.
Opting out of the now voluntary teacher union memberships means an automatic $1000+ a year raise for each teacher. California after a SCOTUS ruling, became a right to work state. No teacher is now forced to donate this $1000+ a year to the teachers unions, as had been the case in the past.
Prop 98 guarantees 50% of all general funds go to public education. There are only so many tax dollars generated to spread across the vast enterprise of government services. Right off the top Prop 98 means we do support our teachers, automatically granting public education the majority share. In return we only ask, but cannot demand, this public largesse is spent wisely while demonstrating proven benefit for our students.
Sign me up for that 'other pay'!!!!! Remember this in the voting booth.....
Rules for these, but not for me.
Bicycle lanes
2019 Mike Jordan stated that cars were the cause of global warming and that everyone should be riding bicycles, while he drives his full sized ford pickup truck. I’d say looking at him he doesn’t seem like a bike to work guy. Does he ride a bike to work every day as he eliminates traffic lanes and parking spots from downtown? Anyone see him on a bike?
How about our Mayor and the other council members who readily get rid of parking & driving lanes, which we need for evacuation in case of another fire or flood?
Downtown was under an evacuation order for a “wildfire” years ago and we had the Mesa fire which was right in the middle of a heavily populated area.
They expect you to jump on your bike to flee to safety?
In 2019 He promised, said that the bike lane initiative was already approved and in process for Cliff Dr. 5 years later, no bike lanes like Modoc and Las Positas.
The City & the Mesa area City Council Member never submitted the request. As a planning department guy working for the city he knew he was lying to you all.
But that is what politicians do, they lie to get your vote.
He said there were no homeless on the Mesa.
If you live in SB you know the truth.
Don’t listen to the lies from our career politicians who are bought and paid for by the DNC.
having worked for the City (short stint years ago) & 30+ years for local traffic engineering consulting firm, I can say that bike commuting has always been less than 4% and trending downwards over the years (we are busy people & like our cars)…the mismanagement of our tax dollars for social outcomes is top down: Fed $$$ (+strings attached) and/or State & Regional $$$ (more strings attached) -> local project $$$ (+ local strings)…
Bonus: traffic models show that commuter delay time (aggregate) could be improved significantly by eliminating HOV lanes…more social engineering…
[they] want US living in 15-minute cities, asking permission to move about freely…NowIsTheTime to wake up… https://rumble.com/v4sac50-time-of-deceit.html
I believe the official response at a public hearing to the evacuation question was, when seeking approval for car-free housing projects like the one on the corner of West Carrillo and Castillo, the city would provide buses for evacuation of the car-free residents.
It would be good to review the city's current logistical planning for this promised accommodation.
Your Cliff bike path was in last week's column. The city needs to come up with their share of the money...
Point was that Jordan lied in 2019 when he said it was a fine deal and approved and would follow the las positas completion.
Great article. Stimulating the mind to want more explanations as to how our city and tax monies are spent and WHY government employees and elected officials make so much (bennies included).
I believe if elected officials vote for specific new laws or regulations, that they must first abide by them out of their OWN money. Alas, I can only hope for transparency and honesty from them.
Timely article. Has anyone received a flyer from the City of SB to join them in a Townhall meeting?
https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/Essential%20SB%20Town%20Hall%20Flyer%20%28ENG-SPA%29.pdf
The City wants to prioritize services cutting those that are deemed not important by residents. All of the services mentioned are priority in my opinion. They don't talk about cutting salaries for employees but they do like to cut priority services funded through the General Fund.
Environmental Services seems to be floundering without a mission of late. I think it gave itself a new name, but not sure what their new mission is.
The original merit of this city department has radically changed since recycling is now so restricted, graffiti is yet again rampant but deemed untouchable as "cultural expressions", and most landscaping has already been converted to drought tolerant. Mission accomplished.
When does a department that started out with a novel mission decades ago, finally take a bow and wind down? Should the city Creeks Division still be getting so much Measure B money when so many of our creeks are now neglected and highly polluting vagrant camps?
We could use a new department of "City Employee Cross-Training Department" and put more current city employees back on the long neglected city zoning code enforcement duty. Or else take those city blight ordinances off the books. They stand now as only false promises. How many more unpermitted public-view murals will continue to be in clear violation of the city Sign Ordinance?
I welcome being proven wrong on all counts. My observations are purely anecdotal, as I move around town -wondering why are we now putting up with what we once rigorously regulated, and why are we continuing to feed budgets where the original and even noble mission has ceased to exist.
My observation is that more the regulations, the more rampant the lawlessness. Secondly, the City is so mired in it's own regulations that they are unable to enforce the silly rules they put in.
Maybe this has already been answered...
But according to the Independent, Ariel Calonne was fired in 2022. Per his contract, he was "contractually entitled to a year’s salary, plus a year’s worth of health insurance and the equivalent of his car allowance, valued at $605 a month."
https://www.independent.com/2022/11/08/santa-barbara-city-attorney-gets-the-boot/
I was wondering if it was some kind of pay off like Rob Dayton's $500,000.00 so I went to Dayton and nothing was on his...
Wasn’t he part of a sex abuse at work scandal?
No
I have a suggestion: in the spirit of the tours that give locals a chance to see the best Christmas decorations or Halloween yard displays, let's make a map to the worst of the local traffic impeding abominations. Streets blocked to allow only bike entry, unused bike lanes replacing neighborhood parking, bulb outs that force bikes into cars, double bike lanes that cut major arteries down to one lane, trees planted in former parking spaces, and roundabouts covered with scrapes and tire marks. I agree the politicians who force these aggravations on us in the name of bicycle priority should be required as a condition of employment to exclusively commute to work on bikes.
I nominate Santa Barbara Street and East Sola Street for one. The chess pieces scattered all across the Micheltorena Street Overpass and on down Castillo Street for number two. Never have seen a single bike negotiate either of them. (So far)
Bonnie, great job. Thanks for digging-in and shining a light.
Did we ever discover the real reason for Ariel Calonne's departure?
Great question, that’s a lot of cash to walk away from.
From his linkedIN website: I was a full-time city attorney from 1990 to 2022, practicing in Palo Alto, California; Boulder, Colorado; Ventura, California; and, Santa Barbara. I have been practicing law in California since 1983. I was licensed in Colorado in 2004.
Specialties: Open government laws, due process, public finance, First Amendment, land use and water law.
(Surely one devoted to open government laws, due process, public finance, and First Amendment should be willing to answer your question.)
Cheaters and frauds have to go. Maybe THIS election cycle the general public will see the Swamp in our own backyard. Does that mean vote Republican? Unfortunately until the thieves are rooted out, there doesn't seem to be a choice. Termites are not seen, but eventually if not checked an entire building will fall. Just because you hate the GOP, as do many of us, the alternative will bring a guaranteed slow death, eaten from the inside out. Stop this global runaway train before we loose our country! It is noted the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and others are also being consumed and loosing their culture because of liberal mandates. Their people are sounding the alert. Protect your town and your country before it's gone.
Thank you, Bonnie, for this excellent column and for continuing to try to get through to the people running this city. How much do you think they listen to you? I would say not at all. You're too smart, too rational and you challenge the hypocrisy by which they live. They have a complete F… you attitude towards all of us lowly people who merely pay their salaries. Our representative is Laura Capps and while she doesn't come out and directly say I'm Laura Capps and you're not - she says it in her cheery, oh I'm so tired, gosh what hard choices I have to make for you missives. In her latest compassionate public servant email with yet another photo of her wearing Ukraine yellow, she once again mentioned AI, as in “AL GORE said to me once when I was on my way into the Deep State, Laura, you can't make everyone happy, so just concentrate on making BlackRock, Klaus Schwab and whoever is running this country happy.” If only we had an RFK Jr. running for office here, an independent with popularity who would threaten their hold over us. Then they might even pretend to listen. And we might be on the way to getting rid of them.
How do we motivate voters to make difference choices? The issue is not who gets elected; but why they get elected. Once elected, the people have spoken. Why did they win; over the others who did not.
The day we can convince union members to vote against their union we win. Once you get all on the government programs to vote differently, we win............
Bahahaha..... This got to be one of the mist halerious and sad 😔 articles we have ever read. Halerious about the hypocrisy of government and sad 😔 about our tax money 💰 being spent this way.