Make State Street Accessible to All

By Bonnie Donovan

Letter to the City Council and City Administrator

Subject: Make State Street Accessible to All

Good Morning Mayor Rowse, council members & Ms. McAdoo,

We have been writing to you all on this topic for over 5 years.

Our downtown district needs to be accessible to all who wish to visit. Eliminating a mode of transportation, one that is used by most all who are of legal age, is harming not just our downtown businesses and property owners, but it is also alienating a large population of would-be visitors. The current lack of accessibility to all is taking a financial toll on property owners, business owners, and our city.

When the street was initially closed, it was closed for a purpose. A purpose that was to help our businesses through an unprecedented time. There was no playbook, there was no history to work from, it was reactive to a need. It did fulfill that need for a small percentage of downtown businesses, but it did not help all downtown businesses; it caused harm.

As we are far removed from that unprecedented time in our world, we are clinging to a fiscally failing model of a downtown that continues to spiral downward. We now have data, and similar historical failures, to use as a guide.

Their time is now to re-open our State Street to all visitors. Re-open our State Street to vehicles and allow the business owners to revitalize what was lost, while you all try to figure out a master plan and funding. Re-open our State Street regains the necessary support from our local community. Re-open our State Street and restore its beauty and historical charm. Re-open our State Street so developers will want to bring in housing. Re-open our State Street so businesses will want to open up in the heart of downtown. Re-open State Street now, before it is devastated even worse than any disaster from our past.

We are following in the footsteps of the failed Fulton Street Mall of Fresno from the 1960s. As our State Street sits in its current configuration, businesses are fleeing for other areas of the city. Storefronts are emptying, parking revenues are crashing into a losing enterprise, filth and stench is increasing.

It took Fresno 50+ years to reverse its mistake, and it came at a significant cost to the city (one of the biggest costs was to reverse the failed flat & flexible model). We are still in a position to rescue our city from repeating the same fate for our downtown by re-opening State Street to vehicular traffic, and thus opening State Street to all.

Our businesses need visibility, accessibility, and connectedness. All of which do not exist in a pedestrian mall configuration.

Business owners want the street re-opened, and they pay the rent

Property owners want the street open, and they pay the property tax (although, as the property value continues to plummet due to the street closure, that tax collection will shrink as well).

The DSBIA has met with you all and expressed their demand to re-open the street while the masterplan is continued to be developed. Unfortunately, their opportunity to bring their proposal to the public via the council was denied when the State Street Update agenda item was pulled to await a traffic circulation study (five years later, and there hasn't even been a study?).

Over the past five years, we have had two City Administrators resign, both of whom were not in support of a permanently closed State Street. Poor Ms. Bjork all but forced into retirement for her lack of support of continuing the closed street.

The fear of Ms. Bjork's ability to overturn the street closure produced Title 31 behind closed doors. A tactic to strip the City Admin of their power over State Street.

More recently, Mr. Bosse also abruptly stepped away, as he too was becoming more public in his stance against a permanently closed State Street.

We spent over $800k on an experienced consultant that spoke in favor of re-opening State Street to vehicular traffic. Their role with the SSAC was all but diminished after they publicly stated the unsustainable nature of a 12-block closure of our downtown main street.

Our most current City Admin also brought in consultants, who also recommended the need to re-open the street to vehicles to revitalize our downtown.

The Annual Economic Forecast provided the data supporting the need to re-open State Street ASAP

Parking revenues are down.

Vacancy is up.

Property values are down.

Sales tax is trending down, even with an increase.

The pedlets never arrived as promised, and probably never will be installed, another failed promise and smoke screen.

Alliance Bernstein will not provide the housing as desired, so long as the street is closed. Developers will not bring the housing on a closed street. The theory of housing saving downtown, relies on downtown becoming accessible to all. Open the street to all modes of traffic and save our downtown from being Fresno'd.

Sincerely,

Patrick Casey

State & Fig - La Arcada

We do know that Council member Gutierrez read the letter because he responded:

From: Oscar Gutierrez <OGutierrez@SantaBarbaraCA.gov>

Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2025, 1:10:33 PM

To: patrick stateandfig.com <patrick@stateandfig.com>

Subject: Re: Make State Street Accessible to All

“Thank you for sharing this with us Mr. Casey.”

And if that doesn’t say enough, how about this post from Teresa Kuskey:

Teresa promises to send a letter to the City Council too.

Since we aren’t listened to, will they listen to the Grand Jury?

Grand Jury Report Harshly Criticizes Local Leaders for E-Bike Enforcement Issues and Lack of Public Information:

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury has issued a strongly-worded report on e-bike enforcement and education for riders in the region, specifically in the City of Santa Barbara.

They called the investigation 'a sense of urgency' after numerous complaints and public comments about the increase in e-bikes and the safety issues that have been reported both in the main downtown area and other sectors of the community. That would include school routes and the bike paths at the beaches.

It said in a clear, direct statement: "Public safety is at risk."

“Public safety is our number one priority. So, when there's a report stating that we're not doing enough to address this, then it should be in the forefront of what we're planning to do for the city overall,” said City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez. He is the owner of an e-bike and rides it often through his Westside district and around downtown.

The report shows bike related crashes as reported to the police and at Cottage Hospital but points out that the way crashes are or are not reported indicates the numbers are likely low.

The hospital data shows bike riders have suffered injuries to their head, arms, and legs.

The Grand Jury details went through the process of identifying what the difference is between various e-bikes. It also went through the process of how state and local laws have been changed to keep up with the vehicle types and the issues with riders.

E-bikes considered e-motorcycles are absolutely not allowed on the street and will be impounded. In Santa Barbara, the report says that has already happened. It also says citations have been issued and, in some cases, parents have been notified if the rider is underage.

Administrative fines for citations start at $100 and can go up to $500.

The Santa Barbara Police Department has started enforcement efforts with a new ordinance and rules, but the report says there has been no extra staff or funds to help carry out the added duties. The Grand Jury recommends “a more consistent and strategic approach to unsafe actions by e-bike riders to bring about needed changes in behavior.”

Gutierrez said, “We've been trying to address this issue since the start of the pandemic, and the report somewhat alluded to that in parts of it. And I can't really find anything I disagree with in the report.” With the new police enforcement, he said, “I personally have seen a change in some of the e-bike riders. I don't see them being as reckless as they were prior to the police increased enforcement.”

The enforcement has been with bicycle cops and officers on motorcycles.

The report says with the new ordinance that there has not been an adequate amount of community outreach to educate the public about the laws and the riding risks.

The Grand Jury recommends an expanded community-wide public information campaign.

Part of the investigation included social media.

Numerous messages and posts cited bad behavior and near accidents on the part of e-bike riders. Accidents have been verified by local police and hospital records.

One person died in May on State Street downtown in an e-bike crash. It involved a suspected drunk driver, and the incident is currently in the court system.

One rider on an e-motorcycle bike or "pocket bike" said, "Yeah, it's so fun riding. It's an awesome bike. Yeah." Michael Firestone says he doesn't do wheelies. " I'm a good boy, you know?" He was wearing full safety gear at the time, including a full face helmet.

Three Junior High students said they are not happy with friends who are dangerous on any bike. Aaron Horta said police came to his school to do a safety presentation and, "they did a demonstration if a car backed out of a driveway, how long it would take you to stop before you got to the back of the car."

It's not uncommon for people to have had a bad experience around dangerous riders, that includes knowing of people with injuries.

Happy Beltran said a friend was hit and wounded. “She got her legs hurt and she had to go to the hospital to get better and she got better but that guy didn't stop at all.”

Louis Sanchez said, "I feel like it could be safer because sometimes people don't really look when they cross. I have almost been hit by an e-bike. I feel like it could be safer."

The report focused on safety only, although in recent months there's been a larger community discussion taking place on the possible economic impacts of the e-bikes in the retail and restaurant promenade.

After all City Council has wasted on the Promenade when will they wake-up?

Five years and five million dollars.

All the money we pay staff and council; is anyone listening?

You can write your letter to the City Council to the email address below and demand it’s time to open State Street and stop taking Santa Barbara down and wasting our taxpayers’ money.

SBCityCouncil@santabarbaraca.gov and Clerk@santabarbaraca.gov

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UPDATES

I was out of town last week and haven’t had time to meet with Sullivan Israel on his survey. I will do it this week.

NO, Joe Holland hasn’t been found yet.

Hope your Fourth of July was meaningful and fulfilling!