Bonnie, I'm also did a "Danny Thomas." Thanks for another Santa Barbara Weird story. I looked up the word pedlet on the Internet and Santa Barbara pops up first. State Street looks like a hodgepodge of add-ons. The citizens should consider gathering together with chairs and tables and play games in the middle of State Street. Just tell the cops it's only "temporary" and therefore it's legal. Maybe setup a few card games with penny betting. Have a few saloon girls in decorative outfits join the fun. Tourism will increase bringing more money to the Mafia and the citizens will have a lot of fun, too. Unfortunately, the city government will be praised for its ingenuity. But that shouldn't stop anyone from experiencing the surprise, simulated O.K. Corral gunfight in full cowboy regalia. The nudist protestors will spice up things, too.
Kidding aside, the city will probably end up with lawsuits caused by tripping on the physical ground transitions. It would appear a walker has to be more careful not to walk into or trip on something that's been added to the usual and expected daily walking routine on a sidewalk. It would be interesting to follow the money trail between the Mafia and the Politicians (transitioning to owning a Mercedes).
Bonnie, brilliant and hilarious! You just made me do a Danny Thomas with my morning coffee reading this. And then I remembered - this city government farce is all too real! Sigh. How do these people live with themselves? Very well, thanks to our tax dollars. But thank God we have you, Bonnie.
We need more Charlie’s in every city, ours particularly.
The City Council and board of supervisors here, along with Limon, Hart and Carbajal all reek of the same rotting fish smell. We are not all having the same olfactory hallucination. Keep shining the light onto the darkness of our local government. We support you and pray for your success and safety. The events at the Utah college clearly showed that truth tellers are now targeted.
Thank you Bonnie for your in depth reporting, peeling back the layers of corruption, incompetence and fraud which is going on right in front of us! Forget Danny Thomas, more like a Dick Van Dyke tripping over the ottoman!
I just noticed that the Ventura CC recently voted to keep Main Street closed to car traffic by a 6-1 majority.
So I guess the bike lobby, environmentalists and other lefty kooks have decided cars are out, walking, public transit and biking are in.
Yes, I also just read that even trying to extract oil and gas from your own pipeline can get you charged with a felony!
Thanks Bonnie for another great review of the City’s lack of care & fairness for its citizens…same with our State government, these decision makers are not for the people & mostly owned & controlled by their puppeteers…the grift is on!
Like Gobbernor Needsom, they pretend to care about wasting tax dollars…Heir Newsom says he is looking into the missing $100 million from FireAid, but he’s is too busy trying to find the $100 billion from the High Speed Rail, the $37 billion from homelessness, the $40 billion for affordable housing, the $5 billion for water storage, and the $500 million to stop the flow of raw sewage from Mexico!
How many more businesses are going to be allowed in Santa Barbara without business licenses?
Reminder b-Bike has been operating for years without such a license, or required to pay sales tax on the service they provide.
Bonnie was talking about getting permits etc. I have a hedge height issue where it is well over 3 stories high and not once was it remedied. But guess what the city made sure a 3 foot high hedge on my property was cut to no more then 2 feet. On another property, again a 3 story high hedge next to my wood frame 70 year old house, was supposed to meet the city ordinance and violation was filed over 6 years ago. Outcome? zero. Followup? zero. Rats, squirrels and the rest constantly are on my building and the result of the city? zero.
I wrote a letter pointing out other cities in the State where the stupidity of pedlets, blocking the entire sidewalks, and more had been reversed. What was the Council response? zero
This is a council that is being run by outside state organizations and pressures. LOSSAN is one of them. A horses ass from that group stated the open State people just don't get it.
The problem is we do get it. The dictator elite in Sacramento has too much invested to recognize Density, and destroyed street grids are not working!!! Are they having minions locally?
This is clear when the City of SB hires a dedicated traffic jerk who narrows streets, and promotes 15 minute city after reading statements like "you cannot get people to walk 5 minutes let alone 15 minutes one way." The same supposed city managers hire failed people from the Bike Coalition now called Move so they will be political advocates for what they failed at.
I read this article titled "It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
By Bonnie Donovan" Of course unfortunately I have another title
"Violence in America Is Escalating" I quote from Ms. Donovan>>
"We must ask: Are our leaders fulfilling their duty? Are they doing everything in their power to protect the vulnerable, uphold justice, and ensure that Santa Barbara is not a safe haven for exploitation?" So, what is the final analysis?
Yesterday I happened to have a simple exchange with a newer young SBPD Police Officer who kindly asked me if his Police car was too close to mine. Surprised I said, no your fine. I walked away thinking that yesterday three Police Officers were shot in Pennsylvania>>
The week before Charlie Kirck was assassinated. The week before that another act of violence, Iryna, as we move into an America, in the escalation of violence.
"She was a "little person" trying to make ends meet and doing her best"
When does all of this stop folks? When does the "Little Person" get justice if ever?
Howard Walther, Member of a Military Family
PS1- Is this where we are going? >> Battle of Stalingrad 1.5 Million Russian & 1.5 Millon Germans Killed. Famous Russian Poem and Song for those 3.0 Million who died at Stalingrad.
Hi Bonnie thanks for your great efforts to enlighten as always! Traveling in France recently, I met a couple from Guernsey, Saint Peter's Port, who visited SB last year. They were so excited to see our city after hearing many wonderful things about it. They walked on our famous "main street", State Street, and were completely disappointed. Commenting that "it was dirty, dangerous with all the bikes, smelled disgusting and there were so many homeless people"! Take a clue City of SB. Ann
Thanks Bonnie for helping us follow events in our town. Listing the 17 meetings already missed this year by city council stirred a variety of thoughts, such as if they miss four more meetings they will provide an answer to a new trivial question: what public body took more vacation time than the 40% Biden took?
A question for discussion is: would taxpayers benefit more, or less, if the council met fewer times?
Maybe they could take turns, and only meet with less than a quorum and still get paid for doing nothing? Then we could measure voter satisfaction at the end of the year. A year with no official virtue-signaling and new meddling ordinances. Worth a try.
Consider the increased tax dollars the City receives from restaurants versus the diminishing taxes received from retail merchandise on the 500 block of State Street. Also, since the 500 block is the first block that is closed on State Street and is adjacent to the heavily vehicular trafficked State in the 'funk zone' toward the wharf, more tourists are able to access it easily. Aha, more tax revenue!
Excellent column Bonnie. Thank you. Glad you are also shining the light on these pop-up street sellers. Always sensed they were selling things other than fruit, but it would take a police sting to prove that. Not seeing as many these days however, now that the ICE heat is on. Good.
That is what the City Development Dir. said about the first 3 blocks of State St. narrowing if the businesses were hurt between Victoria and Carrillo.
The answer was no answer and then after years of complaint it was we need to do a little bit more. When that failed it was we need to go to Cabrillo Blvd. Guess what that failed.
The electric bike rental has failed to generate and reduce commercial traffic in the City.
Bike numbers are dismal, but wait the failure is only temporary .... Tell that to the City who did their last official count and found there were and are fewer bike riders than the baseline of 1974 and far less then the hay day of 1981-83. With zero bike paths on the streets.
Parklets failed.... It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
Bulbouts failed, narrowing streets failed, most certainly vision less Vision Zero has failed.
But hey lets hire people who promote this and were head of the bike guys and failed.
$500K for the stupidity of the 500 block of State, and another $500K on Las Positas with the lie that there was a pedestrian killed crossing Las Positas. (~60 feet away, in the dead of night walking on the 2nd lane.) Almost forgot the "Last Mile" failed and is a joke.
CAB is now in its 27th year. CAB has never lied or exploded numbers. CAB has never taken 1 penny of taxpayer money.
When City officials, organizations like taxpayer sucking MOVE, AND CEC, are found out to have failed why are you continuing to back them?
When does the quote finally kill the liars and failures ... It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
Bonnie, I'm also did a "Danny Thomas." Thanks for another Santa Barbara Weird story. I looked up the word pedlet on the Internet and Santa Barbara pops up first. State Street looks like a hodgepodge of add-ons. The citizens should consider gathering together with chairs and tables and play games in the middle of State Street. Just tell the cops it's only "temporary" and therefore it's legal. Maybe setup a few card games with penny betting. Have a few saloon girls in decorative outfits join the fun. Tourism will increase bringing more money to the Mafia and the citizens will have a lot of fun, too. Unfortunately, the city government will be praised for its ingenuity. But that shouldn't stop anyone from experiencing the surprise, simulated O.K. Corral gunfight in full cowboy regalia. The nudist protestors will spice up things, too.
Kidding aside, the city will probably end up with lawsuits caused by tripping on the physical ground transitions. It would appear a walker has to be more careful not to walk into or trip on something that's been added to the usual and expected daily walking routine on a sidewalk. It would be interesting to follow the money trail between the Mafia and the Politicians (transitioning to owning a Mercedes).
Bonnie, brilliant and hilarious! You just made me do a Danny Thomas with my morning coffee reading this. And then I remembered - this city government farce is all too real! Sigh. How do these people live with themselves? Very well, thanks to our tax dollars. But thank God we have you, Bonnie.
Great article, Bonnie !
We need more Charlie’s in every city, ours particularly.
The City Council and board of supervisors here, along with Limon, Hart and Carbajal all reek of the same rotting fish smell. We are not all having the same olfactory hallucination. Keep shining the light onto the darkness of our local government. We support you and pray for your success and safety. The events at the Utah college clearly showed that truth tellers are now targeted.
Thank you Bonnie for your in depth reporting, peeling back the layers of corruption, incompetence and fraud which is going on right in front of us! Forget Danny Thomas, more like a Dick Van Dyke tripping over the ottoman!
I just noticed that the Ventura CC recently voted to keep Main Street closed to car traffic by a 6-1 majority.
So I guess the bike lobby, environmentalists and other lefty kooks have decided cars are out, walking, public transit and biking are in.
Yes, I also just read that even trying to extract oil and gas from your own pipeline can get you charged with a felony!
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2025/09/17/venturas-downtown-will-stay-car-free-council-decides/86120278007/#
https://www.noozhawk.com/sable-calls-criminal-charges-for-oil-pipeline-work-extremely-misleading/
Thanks Bonnie for another great review of the City’s lack of care & fairness for its citizens…same with our State government, these decision makers are not for the people & mostly owned & controlled by their puppeteers…the grift is on!
Like Gobbernor Needsom, they pretend to care about wasting tax dollars…Heir Newsom says he is looking into the missing $100 million from FireAid, but he’s is too busy trying to find the $100 billion from the High Speed Rail, the $37 billion from homelessness, the $40 billion for affordable housing, the $5 billion for water storage, and the $500 million to stop the flow of raw sewage from Mexico!
How many more businesses are going to be allowed in Santa Barbara without business licenses?
Reminder b-Bike has been operating for years without such a license, or required to pay sales tax on the service they provide.
Bonnie was talking about getting permits etc. I have a hedge height issue where it is well over 3 stories high and not once was it remedied. But guess what the city made sure a 3 foot high hedge on my property was cut to no more then 2 feet. On another property, again a 3 story high hedge next to my wood frame 70 year old house, was supposed to meet the city ordinance and violation was filed over 6 years ago. Outcome? zero. Followup? zero. Rats, squirrels and the rest constantly are on my building and the result of the city? zero.
I wrote a letter pointing out other cities in the State where the stupidity of pedlets, blocking the entire sidewalks, and more had been reversed. What was the Council response? zero
This is a council that is being run by outside state organizations and pressures. LOSSAN is one of them. A horses ass from that group stated the open State people just don't get it.
The problem is we do get it. The dictator elite in Sacramento has too much invested to recognize Density, and destroyed street grids are not working!!! Are they having minions locally?
This is clear when the City of SB hires a dedicated traffic jerk who narrows streets, and promotes 15 minute city after reading statements like "you cannot get people to walk 5 minutes let alone 15 minutes one way." The same supposed city managers hire failed people from the Bike Coalition now called Move so they will be political advocates for what they failed at.
REMEMBER --- IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY -- HA! HA!
Good job reporting!!!!!
I read this article titled "It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
By Bonnie Donovan" Of course unfortunately I have another title
"Violence in America Is Escalating" I quote from Ms. Donovan>>
"We must ask: Are our leaders fulfilling their duty? Are they doing everything in their power to protect the vulnerable, uphold justice, and ensure that Santa Barbara is not a safe haven for exploitation?" So, what is the final analysis?
Yesterday I happened to have a simple exchange with a newer young SBPD Police Officer who kindly asked me if his Police car was too close to mine. Surprised I said, no your fine. I walked away thinking that yesterday three Police Officers were shot in Pennsylvania>>
https://x.com/geotechwar/status/1969033662243959290
The week before Charlie Kirck was assassinated. The week before that another act of violence, Iryna, as we move into an America, in the escalation of violence.
https://x.com/Balder998/status/1969032358335566295
"She was a "little person" trying to make ends meet and doing her best"
When does all of this stop folks? When does the "Little Person" get justice if ever?
Howard Walther, Member of a Military Family
PS1- Is this where we are going? >> Battle of Stalingrad 1.5 Million Russian & 1.5 Millon Germans Killed. Famous Russian Poem and Song for those 3.0 Million who died at Stalingrad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Stalingrad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im-u2_kPQkE
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/r-rozhdestvensky-remember-translation-rus/
Hi Bonnie thanks for your great efforts to enlighten as always! Traveling in France recently, I met a couple from Guernsey, Saint Peter's Port, who visited SB last year. They were so excited to see our city after hearing many wonderful things about it. They walked on our famous "main street", State Street, and were completely disappointed. Commenting that "it was dirty, dangerous with all the bikes, smelled disgusting and there were so many homeless people"! Take a clue City of SB. Ann
Thanks Bonnie for helping us follow events in our town. Listing the 17 meetings already missed this year by city council stirred a variety of thoughts, such as if they miss four more meetings they will provide an answer to a new trivial question: what public body took more vacation time than the 40% Biden took?
A question for discussion is: would taxpayers benefit more, or less, if the council met fewer times?
Maybe they could take turns, and only meet with less than a quorum and still get paid for doing nothing? Then we could measure voter satisfaction at the end of the year. A year with no official virtue-signaling and new meddling ordinances. Worth a try.
Consider the increased tax dollars the City receives from restaurants versus the diminishing taxes received from retail merchandise on the 500 block of State Street. Also, since the 500 block is the first block that is closed on State Street and is adjacent to the heavily vehicular trafficked State in the 'funk zone' toward the wharf, more tourists are able to access it easily. Aha, more tax revenue!
Yet our sales tax totals came in lower than expected...
Will the City make the distinction between merchandise taxes versus restaurant taxes>
Recall I wrote about my PRAR on sales tax. They can do that, but not to us due to privacy.... They did report the top 25, though.
Go back and read Did You Know "The State Street Promenade is an Utter Failure"
ONLY, one restaurant made the list.
Excellent column Bonnie. Thank you. Glad you are also shining the light on these pop-up street sellers. Always sensed they were selling things other than fruit, but it would take a police sting to prove that. Not seeing as many these days however, now that the ICE heat is on. Good.
It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
That is what the City Development Dir. said about the first 3 blocks of State St. narrowing if the businesses were hurt between Victoria and Carrillo.
The answer was no answer and then after years of complaint it was we need to do a little bit more. When that failed it was we need to go to Cabrillo Blvd. Guess what that failed.
The electric bike rental has failed to generate and reduce commercial traffic in the City.
Bike numbers are dismal, but wait the failure is only temporary .... Tell that to the City who did their last official count and found there were and are fewer bike riders than the baseline of 1974 and far less then the hay day of 1981-83. With zero bike paths on the streets.
Parklets failed.... It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
Bulbouts failed, narrowing streets failed, most certainly vision less Vision Zero has failed.
But hey lets hire people who promote this and were head of the bike guys and failed.
$500K for the stupidity of the 500 block of State, and another $500K on Las Positas with the lie that there was a pedestrian killed crossing Las Positas. (~60 feet away, in the dead of night walking on the 2nd lane.) Almost forgot the "Last Mile" failed and is a joke.
CAB is now in its 27th year. CAB has never lied or exploded numbers. CAB has never taken 1 penny of taxpayer money.
When City officials, organizations like taxpayer sucking MOVE, AND CEC, are found out to have failed why are you continuing to back them?
When does the quote finally kill the liars and failures ... It’s Only Temporary, Ha! Ha!
Honest and good article.