Excellent discussion of issues Bonnie, that are becoming far too real today. Not a single word you wrote can be dismissed or ignored. In fact this entire column needs to printed out, and serve as a starting point for a long slow discussion on each point.
Supported by the immediate recognition each issue has been creeping into our own community, ripe for harvest in our currently moribund local political climate. This radical shift in local engagement, which contrasts to the local vigor just a few decades ago - was an intended feature, not a flaw of the Democrat party machine take over of our town.
Thank you, Bonnie. This column is tour de force. Each point worthy of forming ongoing neighborhood discussion groups, before we throw even more of our city away in the upcoming election.
STATE OF STATE STREET: I am haunted by a visit to downtown yesterday, late afternoon on a week day. Totally empty sidewalks, multiple vacant storefronts and empty businesses devoid of any interior activity. What we did see were four young people careening down this ghost town State Street on their electric bikes, two in the street and two on the sidewalks.
For all our local efforts and how many hundreds of thousands of dollars, we turned our once thriving down town into a speedway exclusively for electric bikes who have no regard for anything other than themselves. They took possession of the entire street and pedestrian-only zones totally ignoring the freshly painted bike lanes.
This downtown which used to thrive with lively pedestrian traffic and active businesss that met most everyone's local and immediate needs. State Street was far more than just retail, that was now competing with online commerce. It was the beating heart of our community.
Can any business of any type now survive the gloom of an empty downtown, when at one time this is where the whole community went for their one-stop needs. Banks, professional offices, support services, dining, entertainment, retail, theaters, museums, galleries, people watching.
Now just a speedway for electric bikes and two empty transit shuttles with no riders and few open business to even attract anyone - on this weekday late afternoon. Dead, killed by our own hand.
Pt. ii because this is so wrong. The old downtown you lament about can never exist anymore. The nature of commerce has changed in the last 10 years. Cars on the street won’t fix that. This is the least solutions-oriented drivel blah blah. Again ppl on here have the worst takes. It’s where stereotypes come to flourish.
Best to read for full content presented before replying. Thank you.
Downtown is far more than "retail". Next, will you please run the numbers - what specific income groups need to be attracted to live downtown in order to revive city tax revenues? What can be cut from the current city budget, if local tax revenues do not recover?
The 10 block long State Street has many personalities throughout the day - blocks I visited were 900-1300. Dead as a door nail. What blocks do you observe?
1. What income level, population groups and discretionary spending habits are needed to revive city revenues? For retail and/or higher property taxes?
2. What city expenses need to be cut if/when city revenues do not revive?
3. What State Street blocks do you daily observe?
4. Zillow has 411 rentals currently available in Santa Barbara - across a range of prices, from student shared housing on up. What housing issues are not addressed by the current listings?
Oh gawd numbered questions. There shouldn’t be a target income level…wtf dawg. The problem is the cost of living is not in line with wages for pretty much any job you can get. That wasn’t the case historically. That impacts discretionary income. 50% of purchasing power is held by 10% of the population and it will get worse without intervention. The richest people are indeed our biggest welfare queens and are the ones most afraid of becoming poor. What kind of question are you asking?
The city will be insolvent if we don’t reimagine revenue and expenditures. Why do you think most cities want big box shopping centers and car dealerships? SB needs to diversify its income streams to adapt into the future. My opinion on this is more than I want to type out to answer bad-faith questions. Most people at the city don’t get paid that much. Material costs went way up during the pandemic and now because of the tariffs that every economist said would be disastrous. Privatizing the operation of a city wouldn’t be much cheaper. Going the NH live free or die route also wouldn’t work out very well.
I observe the entire corridor from the freeway through mission. IMO, the worst block is the 400 block with 2 way traffic. I welcome UCSBs redevelopment of the old staples building. I think that will be great for that block. The university is a good friend to have.
You are anecdotally basing residential vacancy rates on *looks both ways* Zillow listings? This is problematic on multiple levels. But this whole op-ed rag is about manufacturing outrage for the people who have it the best in this town. Keep being angry at the wrong people.
Downtown is predominantly retail, office, restaurants. Retail and office took a huge hit during the pandemic and I doubt it will ever come back. The issues in our downtown preceded the pandemic. These are largely influenced by external factors.
I thought the readers of the current told me that Santa Barbara had endless housing demand. Are you saying no one will want to live downtown? Or are you saying we need to turn DT Santa Barbara into west Palm beach so we have more mar-a-lago faces and can reimagine the downtown into an exclusive locale for the resort goers only. How much foot traffic are you seeing on coast village road on a weekday? Where’s the outrage about an empty la cumbre plaza? Or the bed bath and beyond in Goleta that’s been vacant for how long?
What are you talking about? I’m downtown everyday and there’s tons of people. This is why I discredit most of these accounts. I see what is going on with my own eyes. Or maybe you’re schizo and are seeing things that are not there.
Maybe the truth is there is too much retail. Over 60% of residents are renters. People aren’t spending money like they used to. And when they do it’s at places that are more affordable like Marshall’s. That’s why it’s consistently in the top 25 tax remitters for the city. Consumer purchasing power is held by a smaller portion of the population. The downtown needs less retail and more housing.
Post please your source for “the top 25 tax remitters for the city”. Under CA rules public disclosure of specific individuals or businesses is a privacy violation. That isn’t to say that SB hasn’t made such a list for economic forecasting or other purposes. Posting the list would be helpful to understanding the city’s existing, growing deficit.
Grok reply: One related mention in a Santa Barbara Retailers & Property Association document (from around 2025) noted that of the top 25 sales tax remitters in SB (likely city or area), only five were in the Central Business District, with just two on the State Street promenade (e.g., Apple Store)—implying downtown retail like Marshalls might not rank as high as assumed.
You are all so predictable… grok… ok? In ANY jurisdiction big box retailers, larger grocers, and car dealerships are going to be your biggest sales tax generators. It’s also a bad model. What do you think happens to small business when wal mart moves to the region? That’s why you drive through America and everything starts to look the same.
The city can share the top tax remitters as long as they don’t provide their order or the amount. Your very own Bonnie Donovan cited some info in an op-ed she wrote for this publication a few months ago. Although she erroneously listed rankings when the city just shares the info in alphabetical order. I don’t have a link offhand but maybe she can share with you.
Thank you. Appreciate the info. I’ll contact Bonnie. I searched City website and couldn’t find which businesses remit most to City. I had planned to inquire at City Finance Dept next week. You saved me the time.
Is SB moving towards Socialism? Sure seems to be the case. The “Fab 4,” on the City Council, Santamaria, Gutierrez, Harmon and Sneddon certainly gives the impression that they are for radical changes, especially as it relates to private property.
Unlike LA, SB has a higher concentration of wealthy people and even though they lean left, not sure they will be willing to make the uncomfortable changes which affect their lifestyles. After all, it’s all about them and their relevance in life.
Can’t help but wonder why the movement to Socialism? I think it’s due to a number of social constructs; climate change, gender/sexual orientation and work/life balance. In other words, young people want their work to revolve around their lives, not the other way around. Facing massive student debt, chronic low pay (especially in SB) has left many with the inability to ever own real property, no matter how many hours a day they spend working.
They (Gen Z/X) do not identify whatsoever with Babyboomers and actually resent the notion of capitalism, hard work, faith, starting a business or family, sacrifice, or doing without.
They want their SB lifestyle now and vote accordingly.
There appears to be a disconnect with these folks. Simply wishing for different outcomes over reality. Whether it be outcomes related to the climate, personal identity or economic reality.
Not being able to look forward to buying a house in Santa Barbara should never be looked at as personal life failure; because very few actually can anyway. That is a fact check. And nothing more.
It’s not a failure? What is it then? I personally, would never live in a town which I couldn’t afford, ie. buying a home, and creating wealth. My kids feel the same way and that’s why they no longer live here. There are too many other places (in Red States )which offer lifestyles, jobs and affordable housing. My hometown of San Antonio, Texas is booming.
Living in SB is NOT the end all or be all and certainly NOT the center of the universe!
Thank you for writing. I want to live in an area that has solution oriented leaders. What we have here are "leaders" that become to adept at penalizing and punish everything that they don't understand (or don't want to understand).
Simply: It takes time and effort to learn how to make a living and raise a family.
Simply: Successful people pay taxes (that support successful areas).
Simply: Anything for free is bad economics and bankrupts the area.
Simply: Elections and voting for solution oriented leaders can be Successful.
How many properties are tax exempt by zip code? How many owners take the $7000 Homeowners Exemption for primary residence? (Only 2 of 7 homes on my street. What about your street?). Is a shared community goal to stabilize Santa Barbara by increasing home ownership with buyers who actually occupy the purchased housing? Does this conflict with private property ownership rights?
The take over continues as CA passed legislation to buy (and allow NPOs/NGOs) Palisades burned property for more ‘Affordable Housing’.
“Right of First Refusal: SB 658 allows qualified entities (nonprofits, land trusts) a chance to purchase fire-damaged properties, requiring them to maintain or restore affordable units.”
Certainly agree, as you may know, when UCSB bought the Tropicana Apartments for $70 million and it was subsequently removed from the County tax base. Also applies to Ag land, as when wealthy land owners donate over 200,000 acres to the SB Land trust in order for the family trust tax benefits and removal from further development (like housing).
Conversely development of open space creates sprawl which is fiscally unsustainable. You said you are from TX. They’ve built homes before they even have the infrastructure to support new residents.
Side note im almost certain that if you took a deep dive into the portfolios of the wealthiest they are finding ways out of paying taxes. That’s why Epstein was so well connected. He was a “tax expert”. Peter Thiel said so to Joe Rogan. That is why Thiel claims to know Epstein. You don’t pay a tax pro to give you the same number as freetaxusa. Kind of tired of this boo taxes thing. I have friends in Europe paying way more than we can imagine and they don’t mind. Because there is a higher quality of life.
Yes, there remain many infrastructure issues in this part of Texas. Why? Because of the caravan, fleets of people fleeing California driving up prices for native Texans…and their pissed! But, being friendly folks as Texan are, they are very welcoming. Just leave your crazy politics behind.
People aren’t moving because of politics so much as the cost of living. The outmigration would slow if there was more affordable housing and more housing options. Most people that leave would prefer to not. I think it’s funny when someone would want to leave paradise to move into a McMansion in the suburbs where they have to sit in an hour of traffic to get to work.
This is such an over simplified blanket statement. It’s like a platitude. Could be interpreted in a million ways. Here’s how I think decades of poor policy have increased costs. The places that have built a lot of housing have seen housing prices drop. SB stopped building lots of multifamily housing in the 1970s through downzoning layered w CEQA. Not sure that’s the “politics” you are alluding to.
Omissions for consideration: 1) need for high paying oil/ energy and other jobs banned by leaders hostile to business and families; and 2) Santa Barbara’s push for public subsidized Housing Authority and other NPO property tax EXEMPT projects while over-regulating private sector. A significant portion of Santa Barbara’s properties and residents are exempt from taxation, which increases the tax burden on the rest of us.
CA needs to incentivize private ownership and occupancy of housing, and reduce ‘resident income tax avoidance’ by too many claiming residency in NV or TX.
Let’s push to increase the property tax Homeowner Exemption of owner occupied homes from $7000 to at minimum $300,000; and tax all currently ‘exempt properties’ currently paying nothing.
Moreover, CA’s public K-14 schools and school bonds need to be funded via the CA General Fund and not only by property owners of taxable properties. CA’s high tax burden has valued families and businesses leaving our state.
Concerning the survey on a potential Supervisor race, I support Roger Aceves. He did a great job on the Goleta City Council, seems to NOT be a left leaning extremist, and still has lots to give. He gets fiscal responsibility and governance.
Mayor Bass proposed before the fires last year the confiscation of property to build high density infill for the Olympics and then rent it as city owned rentals. At the same time she proposed making most of the high density locations with only one or two main roads and the rest would be cul-de-sac's without any significant parking. She then stated it would be forced busing, walking, or bikes.
Have you, the reader, looked at the projects the City of SB has done under the 2023 West Side Capital Improvement projects? It is almost identical cutting streets, forcing more driving to get to locations. Do you understand that a project stated for the West Side is being implemented all over town including the vaunted Montecito corridor?
Does the intentional bulbouts on streets where the city cannot prove reduced pedestrian accidents seem a joke? Have the past 5 years of less bike use while the city continues to hammer required parking and street access (narrowing) dawned upon you?
Did anyone see that Bass and her unrealistic nightmare of Metro Link from San Fernando to L.A. look like the same stupidity of the Central Valley High Speed Rail that its HSR Authority states it will not run at speed for most of the fantasy route?
Transportation is the lynch key for all of these plans. Screw up the ability of people to have their own choice of private vehicles and you have told the world independence and freedom is not what you want.
You missed the point. The highest use of bikes and walking in Santa Barbara was 1980-83. There were no bike paths. As bike paths expanded the numbers dropped. As sidewalks expanded fewer walkers. As streets were blocked off both of the above reduced and businesses failed.
That’s why we should remove every bike path, lane, boulevard and fully defund transit. Let’s drastically decrease the share of ppl that walk, bike, or use the train. Everyone should aspire to be in a privately owned single-occupancy vehicle.
"Free Public Transportation". Bus fares currently cover only 20% of SBMTD's costs. A senior fare using a 10-ride is 85 cents. Essentially free already.
Who is in charge of MTD insanity?Effectively free transit with very low ridership on huge, costly buses on the Eastside. These monster-sized buses can only navigate narrow streets with the cooperation from other drivers pulling over. Replace these with smaller shuttles, and pass the full cost onto riders.
I think that Newton's third law of motion might be applicable. "For every action force, .there is an equal and opposite reaction force."
The question is whether the population at, large, will deploy it?
If current rental homes are threatened with government seizure, surely the owners will react in some way such as selling those homes before the legislation is enacted.
I have lived under government ownership of all basic services ,and controls over most rental housing. It was a disaster. Local government could never afford the maintenence costs and public housing gradually deteriorated and became slums. The same was true in many government owned public services. In addition, as the government employees, we're unionized, the public was frequently harmed by constant strikes. The situation was made worse by the fact that these same unions controlled most of the funding of the Labour's Party in power.
If these proposals are enacted, more young people will leave California to find work, or will go on the Dole. Upper middle class and the wealthy will leave California if they are able to do so.
Think of Los Angeles in its heyday and the state of Moscow, at the same time.
Happening Now in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara! Prop 218-Cost To Serve: Noteworthy Noozhawk Letter to Editor.
“under Prop. 218, votes are weighted by benefit/financial burden rather than ‘one person, one vote.’”
In other words, in order to defeat it, 50% plus one of the TOTAL DOLLAR VALUE of ballots cast must protest. Look at the math in the image provided by the district’s website in its Jan. 14 board packet:
• Residential Parcels: 461 votes
• Commercial Parcels: 3,770 votes
Los Olivos homeowners are being outvoted before they walk through the door with a 50% plus one-vote majority.
A few large commercial property owners hold more power than hundreds of Los Olivos residents. This means small property owners in the Los Olivos district, even those without septic issues, could be forced to subsidize the commercial core’s expensive sewer problems and the construction of the massive Alamo Pintado sewer pipeline to Solvang, and pay Solvang sewer rates as determined by the City of Solvang — forever.
The Los Olivos board members are not being forthright about this issue, which may force many long-term community members to sell their properties if the excessive tax is passed.
"Ban on unhosted STRs". The City currently allows STRs in the C-G and R-MH zones. Rent control will encourage conversion of units to STRs in these zones, so a City-wide ban is a likely future.
"Seize Privately Owned Housing". A more accurate description would be "purchase private property at fair market value" (no sales costs to owner). Owners of rental property would then have 2-3 years to purchase 1033 replacement property. That is a big beautiful bounty to owners.
Excellent discussion of issues Bonnie, that are becoming far too real today. Not a single word you wrote can be dismissed or ignored. In fact this entire column needs to printed out, and serve as a starting point for a long slow discussion on each point.
Supported by the immediate recognition each issue has been creeping into our own community, ripe for harvest in our currently moribund local political climate. This radical shift in local engagement, which contrasts to the local vigor just a few decades ago - was an intended feature, not a flaw of the Democrat party machine take over of our town.
Thank you, Bonnie. This column is tour de force. Each point worthy of forming ongoing neighborhood discussion groups, before we throw even more of our city away in the upcoming election.
STATE OF STATE STREET: I am haunted by a visit to downtown yesterday, late afternoon on a week day. Totally empty sidewalks, multiple vacant storefronts and empty businesses devoid of any interior activity. What we did see were four young people careening down this ghost town State Street on their electric bikes, two in the street and two on the sidewalks.
For all our local efforts and how many hundreds of thousands of dollars, we turned our once thriving down town into a speedway exclusively for electric bikes who have no regard for anything other than themselves. They took possession of the entire street and pedestrian-only zones totally ignoring the freshly painted bike lanes.
This downtown which used to thrive with lively pedestrian traffic and active businesss that met most everyone's local and immediate needs. State Street was far more than just retail, that was now competing with online commerce. It was the beating heart of our community.
Can any business of any type now survive the gloom of an empty downtown, when at one time this is where the whole community went for their one-stop needs. Banks, professional offices, support services, dining, entertainment, retail, theaters, museums, galleries, people watching.
Now just a speedway for electric bikes and two empty transit shuttles with no riders and few open business to even attract anyone - on this weekday late afternoon. Dead, killed by our own hand.
Pt. ii because this is so wrong. The old downtown you lament about can never exist anymore. The nature of commerce has changed in the last 10 years. Cars on the street won’t fix that. This is the least solutions-oriented drivel blah blah. Again ppl on here have the worst takes. It’s where stereotypes come to flourish.
Best to read for full content presented before replying. Thank you.
Downtown is far more than "retail". Next, will you please run the numbers - what specific income groups need to be attracted to live downtown in order to revive city tax revenues? What can be cut from the current city budget, if local tax revenues do not recover?
The 10 block long State Street has many personalities throughout the day - blocks I visited were 900-1300. Dead as a door nail. What blocks do you observe?
Do you really want to solve the problem or do you just want to complain?
I'll repeat the questions:
1. What income level, population groups and discretionary spending habits are needed to revive city revenues? For retail and/or higher property taxes?
2. What city expenses need to be cut if/when city revenues do not revive?
3. What State Street blocks do you daily observe?
4. Zillow has 411 rentals currently available in Santa Barbara - across a range of prices, from student shared housing on up. What housing issues are not addressed by the current listings?
Oh gawd numbered questions. There shouldn’t be a target income level…wtf dawg. The problem is the cost of living is not in line with wages for pretty much any job you can get. That wasn’t the case historically. That impacts discretionary income. 50% of purchasing power is held by 10% of the population and it will get worse without intervention. The richest people are indeed our biggest welfare queens and are the ones most afraid of becoming poor. What kind of question are you asking?
The city will be insolvent if we don’t reimagine revenue and expenditures. Why do you think most cities want big box shopping centers and car dealerships? SB needs to diversify its income streams to adapt into the future. My opinion on this is more than I want to type out to answer bad-faith questions. Most people at the city don’t get paid that much. Material costs went way up during the pandemic and now because of the tariffs that every economist said would be disastrous. Privatizing the operation of a city wouldn’t be much cheaper. Going the NH live free or die route also wouldn’t work out very well.
I observe the entire corridor from the freeway through mission. IMO, the worst block is the 400 block with 2 way traffic. I welcome UCSBs redevelopment of the old staples building. I think that will be great for that block. The university is a good friend to have.
You are anecdotally basing residential vacancy rates on *looks both ways* Zillow listings? This is problematic on multiple levels. But this whole op-ed rag is about manufacturing outrage for the people who have it the best in this town. Keep being angry at the wrong people.
Downtown is predominantly retail, office, restaurants. Retail and office took a huge hit during the pandemic and I doubt it will ever come back. The issues in our downtown preceded the pandemic. These are largely influenced by external factors.
I thought the readers of the current told me that Santa Barbara had endless housing demand. Are you saying no one will want to live downtown? Or are you saying we need to turn DT Santa Barbara into west Palm beach so we have more mar-a-lago faces and can reimagine the downtown into an exclusive locale for the resort goers only. How much foot traffic are you seeing on coast village road on a weekday? Where’s the outrage about an empty la cumbre plaza? Or the bed bath and beyond in Goleta that’s been vacant for how long?
900-1300 block… two of those blocks allow cars.
What are you talking about? I’m downtown everyday and there’s tons of people. This is why I discredit most of these accounts. I see what is going on with my own eyes. Or maybe you’re schizo and are seeing things that are not there.
Maybe the truth is there is too much retail. Over 60% of residents are renters. People aren’t spending money like they used to. And when they do it’s at places that are more affordable like Marshall’s. That’s why it’s consistently in the top 25 tax remitters for the city. Consumer purchasing power is held by a smaller portion of the population. The downtown needs less retail and more housing.
Post please your source for “the top 25 tax remitters for the city”. Under CA rules public disclosure of specific individuals or businesses is a privacy violation. That isn’t to say that SB hasn’t made such a list for economic forecasting or other purposes. Posting the list would be helpful to understanding the city’s existing, growing deficit.
Grok reply: One related mention in a Santa Barbara Retailers & Property Association document (from around 2025) noted that of the top 25 sales tax remitters in SB (likely city or area), only five were in the Central Business District, with just two on the State Street promenade (e.g., Apple Store)—implying downtown retail like Marshalls might not rank as high as assumed.
You are all so predictable… grok… ok? In ANY jurisdiction big box retailers, larger grocers, and car dealerships are going to be your biggest sales tax generators. It’s also a bad model. What do you think happens to small business when wal mart moves to the region? That’s why you drive through America and everything starts to look the same.
The city can share the top tax remitters as long as they don’t provide their order or the amount. Your very own Bonnie Donovan cited some info in an op-ed she wrote for this publication a few months ago. Although she erroneously listed rankings when the city just shares the info in alphabetical order. I don’t have a link offhand but maybe she can share with you.
Thank you. Appreciate the info. I’ll contact Bonnie. I searched City website and couldn’t find which businesses remit most to City. I had planned to inquire at City Finance Dept next week. You saved me the time.
Is SB moving towards Socialism? Sure seems to be the case. The “Fab 4,” on the City Council, Santamaria, Gutierrez, Harmon and Sneddon certainly gives the impression that they are for radical changes, especially as it relates to private property.
Unlike LA, SB has a higher concentration of wealthy people and even though they lean left, not sure they will be willing to make the uncomfortable changes which affect their lifestyles. After all, it’s all about them and their relevance in life.
Can’t help but wonder why the movement to Socialism? I think it’s due to a number of social constructs; climate change, gender/sexual orientation and work/life balance. In other words, young people want their work to revolve around their lives, not the other way around. Facing massive student debt, chronic low pay (especially in SB) has left many with the inability to ever own real property, no matter how many hours a day they spend working.
They (Gen Z/X) do not identify whatsoever with Babyboomers and actually resent the notion of capitalism, hard work, faith, starting a business or family, sacrifice, or doing without.
They want their SB lifestyle now and vote accordingly.
There appears to be a disconnect with these folks. Simply wishing for different outcomes over reality. Whether it be outcomes related to the climate, personal identity or economic reality.
Not being able to look forward to buying a house in Santa Barbara should never be looked at as personal life failure; because very few actually can anyway. That is a fact check. And nothing more.
It’s not a failure? What is it then? I personally, would never live in a town which I couldn’t afford, ie. buying a home, and creating wealth. My kids feel the same way and that’s why they no longer live here. There are too many other places (in Red States )which offer lifestyles, jobs and affordable housing. My hometown of San Antonio, Texas is booming.
Living in SB is NOT the end all or be all and certainly NOT the center of the universe!
You are showing your age by raging against Gen Z/x. That’s every adult younger than 61 years old…
Thank you for writing. I want to live in an area that has solution oriented leaders. What we have here are "leaders" that become to adept at penalizing and punish everything that they don't understand (or don't want to understand).
Simply: It takes time and effort to learn how to make a living and raise a family.
Simply: Successful people pay taxes (that support successful areas).
Simply: Anything for free is bad economics and bankrupts the area.
Simply: Elections and voting for solution oriented leaders can be Successful.
Define Free.
Margaret Thatcher: 'The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money.'
This is such an over simplification. But I guess you need to oversimplify to be against it. Because Mamdani is a communist! /s
You left out free airfare, this is public transit…where does it stop? Everything can’t be free, somebody pays!!!
How many properties are tax exempt by zip code? How many owners take the $7000 Homeowners Exemption for primary residence? (Only 2 of 7 homes on my street. What about your street?). Is a shared community goal to stabilize Santa Barbara by increasing home ownership with buyers who actually occupy the purchased housing? Does this conflict with private property ownership rights?
The take over continues as CA passed legislation to buy (and allow NPOs/NGOs) Palisades burned property for more ‘Affordable Housing’.
“Right of First Refusal: SB 658 allows qualified entities (nonprofits, land trusts) a chance to purchase fire-damaged properties, requiring them to maintain or restore affordable units.”
Certainly agree, as you may know, when UCSB bought the Tropicana Apartments for $70 million and it was subsequently removed from the County tax base. Also applies to Ag land, as when wealthy land owners donate over 200,000 acres to the SB Land trust in order for the family trust tax benefits and removal from further development (like housing).
Conversely development of open space creates sprawl which is fiscally unsustainable. You said you are from TX. They’ve built homes before they even have the infrastructure to support new residents.
Side note im almost certain that if you took a deep dive into the portfolios of the wealthiest they are finding ways out of paying taxes. That’s why Epstein was so well connected. He was a “tax expert”. Peter Thiel said so to Joe Rogan. That is why Thiel claims to know Epstein. You don’t pay a tax pro to give you the same number as freetaxusa. Kind of tired of this boo taxes thing. I have friends in Europe paying way more than we can imagine and they don’t mind. Because there is a higher quality of life.
Yes, there remain many infrastructure issues in this part of Texas. Why? Because of the caravan, fleets of people fleeing California driving up prices for native Texans…and their pissed! But, being friendly folks as Texan are, they are very welcoming. Just leave your crazy politics behind.
People aren’t moving because of politics so much as the cost of living. The outmigration would slow if there was more affordable housing and more housing options. Most people that leave would prefer to not. I think it’s funny when someone would want to leave paradise to move into a McMansion in the suburbs where they have to sit in an hour of traffic to get to work.
Politics adversely impacts the cost to live in CA. Government officials and regulations drive up costs, and keep wages low.
This is such an over simplified blanket statement. It’s like a platitude. Could be interpreted in a million ways. Here’s how I think decades of poor policy have increased costs. The places that have built a lot of housing have seen housing prices drop. SB stopped building lots of multifamily housing in the 1970s through downzoning layered w CEQA. Not sure that’s the “politics” you are alluding to.
Omissions for consideration: 1) need for high paying oil/ energy and other jobs banned by leaders hostile to business and families; and 2) Santa Barbara’s push for public subsidized Housing Authority and other NPO property tax EXEMPT projects while over-regulating private sector. A significant portion of Santa Barbara’s properties and residents are exempt from taxation, which increases the tax burden on the rest of us.
CA needs to incentivize private ownership and occupancy of housing, and reduce ‘resident income tax avoidance’ by too many claiming residency in NV or TX.
Let’s push to increase the property tax Homeowner Exemption of owner occupied homes from $7000 to at minimum $300,000; and tax all currently ‘exempt properties’ currently paying nothing.
Moreover, CA’s public K-14 schools and school bonds need to be funded via the CA General Fund and not only by property owners of taxable properties. CA’s high tax burden has valued families and businesses leaving our state.
Very concerning Bonnie.. thank you once again for this informative article..this is important information
And btw who is the upcoming candidate for mayor that is the dem socialist ..? Does anyone know
Have a great freezing day!!!
Sneddon is pushing for rent control, rent freeze, rental registry.........etc
Randy and Eric voted against it.
Concerning the survey on a potential Supervisor race, I support Roger Aceves. He did a great job on the Goleta City Council, seems to NOT be a left leaning extremist, and still has lots to give. He gets fiscal responsibility and governance.
Mayor Bass proposed before the fires last year the confiscation of property to build high density infill for the Olympics and then rent it as city owned rentals. At the same time she proposed making most of the high density locations with only one or two main roads and the rest would be cul-de-sac's without any significant parking. She then stated it would be forced busing, walking, or bikes.
Have you, the reader, looked at the projects the City of SB has done under the 2023 West Side Capital Improvement projects? It is almost identical cutting streets, forcing more driving to get to locations. Do you understand that a project stated for the West Side is being implemented all over town including the vaunted Montecito corridor?
Does the intentional bulbouts on streets where the city cannot prove reduced pedestrian accidents seem a joke? Have the past 5 years of less bike use while the city continues to hammer required parking and street access (narrowing) dawned upon you?
Did anyone see that Bass and her unrealistic nightmare of Metro Link from San Fernando to L.A. look like the same stupidity of the Central Valley High Speed Rail that its HSR Authority states it will not run at speed for most of the fantasy route?
Transportation is the lynch key for all of these plans. Screw up the ability of people to have their own choice of private vehicles and you have told the world independence and freedom is not what you want.
Good comparisons .....
Your logic… let’s make it so unsafe to walk and bike that everyone can have the “choice” to drive a car! Let’s get more people to drive!
You missed the point. The highest use of bikes and walking in Santa Barbara was 1980-83. There were no bike paths. As bike paths expanded the numbers dropped. As sidewalks expanded fewer walkers. As streets were blocked off both of the above reduced and businesses failed.
Sorry I wasn't more blunt so you would get it.
That’s why we should remove every bike path, lane, boulevard and fully defund transit. Let’s drastically decrease the share of ppl that walk, bike, or use the train. Everyone should aspire to be in a privately owned single-occupancy vehicle.
"Free Public Transportation". Bus fares currently cover only 20% of SBMTD's costs. A senior fare using a 10-ride is 85 cents. Essentially free already.
Who is in charge of MTD insanity?Effectively free transit with very low ridership on huge, costly buses on the Eastside. These monster-sized buses can only navigate narrow streets with the cooperation from other drivers pulling over. Replace these with smaller shuttles, and pass the full cost onto riders.
I think that Newton's third law of motion might be applicable. "For every action force, .there is an equal and opposite reaction force."
The question is whether the population at, large, will deploy it?
If current rental homes are threatened with government seizure, surely the owners will react in some way such as selling those homes before the legislation is enacted.
I have lived under government ownership of all basic services ,and controls over most rental housing. It was a disaster. Local government could never afford the maintenence costs and public housing gradually deteriorated and became slums. The same was true in many government owned public services. In addition, as the government employees, we're unionized, the public was frequently harmed by constant strikes. The situation was made worse by the fact that these same unions controlled most of the funding of the Labour's Party in power.
If these proposals are enacted, more young people will leave California to find work, or will go on the Dole. Upper middle class and the wealthy will leave California if they are able to do so.
Think of Los Angeles in its heyday and the state of Moscow, at the same time.
Happening Now in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara! Prop 218-Cost To Serve: Noteworthy Noozhawk Letter to Editor.
“under Prop. 218, votes are weighted by benefit/financial burden rather than ‘one person, one vote.’”
In other words, in order to defeat it, 50% plus one of the TOTAL DOLLAR VALUE of ballots cast must protest. Look at the math in the image provided by the district’s website in its Jan. 14 board packet:
• Residential Parcels: 461 votes
• Commercial Parcels: 3,770 votes
Los Olivos homeowners are being outvoted before they walk through the door with a 50% plus one-vote majority.
A few large commercial property owners hold more power than hundreds of Los Olivos residents. This means small property owners in the Los Olivos district, even those without septic issues, could be forced to subsidize the commercial core’s expensive sewer problems and the construction of the massive Alamo Pintado sewer pipeline to Solvang, and pay Solvang sewer rates as determined by the City of Solvang — forever.
The Los Olivos board members are not being forthright about this issue, which may force many long-term community members to sell their properties if the excessive tax is passed.
Michelle de Werd Los Olivos
"Ban on unhosted STRs". The City currently allows STRs in the C-G and R-MH zones. Rent control will encourage conversion of units to STRs in these zones, so a City-wide ban is a likely future.
Support first responders mental health in Santa Barbara
"Seize Privately Owned Housing". A more accurate description would be "purchase private property at fair market value" (no sales costs to owner). Owners of rental property would then have 2-3 years to purchase 1033 replacement property. That is a big beautiful bounty to owners.