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).
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.
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.
Bonnie and I have both received a "Danny Thomas" from you, Polly. The appearance of downtown State Street illustrates the often characterization about the fact the Democrats have gone crazy. Space aliens landing in this area of State Street would be completely confused and frightened resulting in the short circuiting of their minds. Maybe Dems will figure out where to install small wading pools for kids, of course for a fee.
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!
The $46 billion already lost to fraudulent California "covid payouts". Nary a peep from Newsom. No attempt to claw back a single sou, eh Gavin? Show us the money.
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.
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!
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.
Great idea. After all, the S.B. Library functioned quite fine last year while the head and assistant librarians were being paid full salaries to stay home. Sadly, a new head was just hired at $281,000: should we look for reports on improvements in the library?
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.
Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) has authority over alcohol sales in California, not the City. Businesses selling alcohol have a diagram on file with ABC which shows where they are permitted to sell alcohol. I suspect most of the restaurants modified the drawings- but some may not???
Never forget it takes only four council member votes to change the direction of city council.
Even if your own district is a lost cause, what four other districts can be cobbled together to bring back sanity to this city? Or three other districts, and solidly good mayor?
We can all fight the good fight in this city, when those 3-4 other sane candidates are identified. Help them win their districts, even if it is not our own.
The Democrat machine swoops into the two very low registered, low voter turnout special districts (Eastside-Westside) to call them their own, needing to win only a few hundred votes total. Why should we passively concede these two full votes on city council to this current permanent Democrat machine control?
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.
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!
Answer: The extended sidewalk dining areas are temporary and do not require permitting or updated fixtures at this time, although we will be executing license agreements with participating businesses.
David, THEY WILL BE EXECUTING A LICENSE AGREEMENT, in the future...
I am not questioning your interviewing the city by any means. I am questioning the answers given to you. My basis for this the businesses on state street complaining about the high costs, the regulations for the usage of public space. That simple point contradicts what was told to you. Here is the other point that confuses me, and it can your way or my way :) If these buildouts were there without city approval, I feel quite confident that they would be there fining the bejeebus out of the business. Thus that can lead to believing that they are (a) paying, or even (b) got approval and there is no payment process yet.
I have often argued AGAINST the sidewalk become part of the business. My argument to the business is "Uhh, just because you didn't sign a lease for enough space does not give you the right to take the public space." Then there are arguments all over the place from them about the number of chairs, tables, etc. and how the city charges, and then their argument about how it helps state street.
Yeah, Bonnie, this is the weird part. Again, I am not questioning your interviewing. All that information was taken from the cities website. Are they not updating the site? I don't know. That link with the lists, seems to be dated Q2FY23.
https://santabarbaraca.gov/OBFLicense that looks like it can be on the 500 block :) Looking at that, it looks like it is what you are talking about. And if you look at, it states it is supposed to be charged $2 per sq ft.
So again . . . I dunno! :) The city says there is a fee to apply and money to be paid. What is interesting though from looking at the city, this is handled by the downtown parking office. Did you talk to that department?
Yes, David, I attended all the meetings over the years. They had a price, but they (parklet owners) complained it was so high, and it was lowered to $2.00 per sf. Follow-up meetings, they would update that not all parklets have finished turning in their applications or other things... Then, when they went to enforce it, people complained they weren't given enough time. On and on it went.
They are still waiting on the State Street Master Plan, and some are saying it will come to the council in October.
Yes, the Downtown Parking Department is who answered my questions.
This is where I am still confused. The parklets are not what is on State Street. Parklets, according to the city, are ones that take over parking spots. As an example, this would be the former Cantwells taking a few parking spots and then making that dining.
The program that would be for the 500 block, taking over the sidewalk is the OBF program and that is the $2 per square foot. So you are saying that the downtown parking department is not taking permit applications, not collecting rent and allowing restuarants to just put something on the sidewalk without inspection, plans, or paying? That is what confuses me. If they have the paperwork, they have the city vote, why would they not apply what is in the record for how to run the program?
Hi Bob, unfortunately Substack platform's only option to is bring in flyers as a graphic. For those community events that have websites ( this doesn't) we also link to the site, making ordering tickets easier.
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).
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.
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.
Bonnie and I have both received a "Danny Thomas" from you, Polly. The appearance of downtown State Street illustrates the often characterization about the fact the Democrats have gone crazy. Space aliens landing in this area of State Street would be completely confused and frightened resulting in the short circuiting of their minds. Maybe Dems will figure out where to install small wading pools for kids, of course for a fee.
Luckily I'm not drinking coffee right now.
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!
The $46 billion already lost to fraudulent California "covid payouts". Nary a peep from Newsom. No attempt to claw back a single sou, eh Gavin? Show us the money.
Good catch, yes also was grifting the Scamdemic throughout…
https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/04/14/newsom-defends-1-billion-deal-for-masks-with-chinese-firm-after-questions-raised-about-companys-track-record/
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!
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/
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.
Great idea. After all, the S.B. Library functioned quite fine last year while the head and assistant librarians were being paid full salaries to stay home. Sadly, a new head was just hired at $281,000: should we look for reports on improvements in the library?
They keep showing us what they think is still good enough for government work. Time instead to show them what we expect in return for our tax dollars.
Did they ever find Joe Holland? Is someone else cashing his paychecks in his name? Do they have a valid power of attorney?
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/
Good job reporting!!!!!
Wonder if restaurants serving alcohol have modified their permit to sell with the State department of Alcoholic Beverages???
There's no need, as the city is still operating under the COVID emergency.
Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) has authority over alcohol sales in California, not the City. Businesses selling alcohol have a diagram on file with ABC which shows where they are permitted to sell alcohol. I suspect most of the restaurants modified the drawings- but some may not???
I'll get you an updated answer.
Wonder if restaurants serving alcohol have modified their permit to sell with the State department of Alcoholic Beverages???
Never forget it takes only four council member votes to change the direction of city council.
Even if your own district is a lost cause, what four other districts can be cobbled together to bring back sanity to this city? Or three other districts, and solidly good mayor?
We can all fight the good fight in this city, when those 3-4 other sane candidates are identified. Help them win their districts, even if it is not our own.
The Democrat machine swoops into the two very low registered, low voter turnout special districts (Eastside-Westside) to call them their own, needing to win only a few hundred votes total. Why should we passively concede these two full votes on city council to this current permanent Democrat machine control?
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.
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.
And the restaurant wasn't on State Street!
Does anybody here check what the author mentions or are you all just lemmings?
https://santabarbaraca.gov/business/outdoor-dining-programs/parklets-public-right-way
There are fees for these, it is not free.
Answer: The extended sidewalk dining areas are temporary and do not require permitting or updated fixtures at this time, although we will be executing license agreements with participating businesses.
David, THEY WILL BE EXECUTING A LICENSE AGREEMENT, in the future...
Answers came from the city.
I am not questioning your interviewing the city by any means. I am questioning the answers given to you. My basis for this the businesses on state street complaining about the high costs, the regulations for the usage of public space. That simple point contradicts what was told to you. Here is the other point that confuses me, and it can your way or my way :) If these buildouts were there without city approval, I feel quite confident that they would be there fining the bejeebus out of the business. Thus that can lead to believing that they are (a) paying, or even (b) got approval and there is no payment process yet.
I have often argued AGAINST the sidewalk become part of the business. My argument to the business is "Uhh, just because you didn't sign a lease for enough space does not give you the right to take the public space." Then there are arguments all over the place from them about the number of chairs, tables, etc. and how the city charges, and then their argument about how it helps state street.
So I am still left saying, hmm. I am not sure.
See, and then there is this:
https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-06/Outdoor%20Dining%20License%20Holders.pdf
David, your first sentence started... Does anybody here check what the author mentions or are you all just lemmings?
I just arrived home. I will answer your questions soon
sir
please don’t make a fool of yourself and assume Bonnie didn’t do her homework.
I am not. I stated my reason
I need to take your list and update what is there now.
Before COVID the city had a fee per chair and table... When a parade was scheduled, they were to be removed until the event was over.
Yeah, Bonnie, this is the weird part. Again, I am not questioning your interviewing. All that information was taken from the cities website. Are they not updating the site? I don't know. That link with the lists, seems to be dated Q2FY23.
https://santabarbaraca.gov/business/outdoor-dining-programs/parklets-public-right-way - See that is something from 2024. But that is for parklets, nothing that could be on the 500 block :)
https://santabarbaraca.gov/OBFLicense that looks like it can be on the 500 block :) Looking at that, it looks like it is what you are talking about. And if you look at, it states it is supposed to be charged $2 per sq ft.
So again . . . I dunno! :) The city says there is a fee to apply and money to be paid. What is interesting though from looking at the city, this is handled by the downtown parking office. Did you talk to that department?
Yes, David, I attended all the meetings over the years. They had a price, but they (parklet owners) complained it was so high, and it was lowered to $2.00 per sf. Follow-up meetings, they would update that not all parklets have finished turning in their applications or other things... Then, when they went to enforce it, people complained they weren't given enough time. On and on it went.
They are still waiting on the State Street Master Plan, and some are saying it will come to the council in October.
Yes, the Downtown Parking Department is who answered my questions.
Bonnie,
This is where I am still confused. The parklets are not what is on State Street. Parklets, according to the city, are ones that take over parking spots. As an example, this would be the former Cantwells taking a few parking spots and then making that dining.
The program that would be for the 500 block, taking over the sidewalk is the OBF program and that is the $2 per square foot. So you are saying that the downtown parking department is not taking permit applications, not collecting rent and allowing restuarants to just put something on the sidewalk without inspection, plans, or paying? That is what confuses me. If they have the paperwork, they have the city vote, why would they not apply what is in the record for how to run the program?
It would be nice if the info about the Oct 11th meeting wasn't a graphic so the link could be directly copied.
Bob, what Oct 11th meeting
The Luncheon at the Timbers for the Santa Barbara Conservative Republicans
Hi Bob, unfortunately Substack platform's only option to is bring in flyers as a graphic. For those community events that have websites ( this doesn't) we also link to the site, making ordering tickets easier.
Bob, I emailed them to assist you; see if they respond here.
Bob, they sent me the flyer via email. I need your email address to forward it to you. You can send it to me on chat.