I think we have lived through the Camelot era of Santa Barbara. I envision a sad future where all the aging, charming bungalows are razed for cookie cutter apartments. A future where we will have to use public transpiration to get into downtown and all the parking lots will also be apartments. Breaks my heart because the charm is disappearing quickly...
1970's was the beginning of the slow-growth movement in Santa Barbara, and the raucous Goleta Water Board days using water hook ups to also control growth. I believe there were some recalls of county supervisors over kickbacks from developers back then too. A voter initiative which was advisory only, agreed the city population should hold around 80,000. And building heights were typically limited by custom to two stories with deep set-backs.
We also only had a few restaurants, and most things closed down by 9pm. UCSB was a minor campus in the UC system. We were known in the state as a backwater retirement town. $10 could buy you an entire season of Santa Barbara Symphony concerts, held in high school auditoriums.
We finally were put on the wider map only after the national media started broadcasting from President Reagan's winter White House. With palm trees waving in the background. In December. That is when the "world" suddenly discovered our sleepy town.
As usual, Bonnie shines a light on the questions that most residents of Santa Barbara want to know. The lack of common sense, planning and consideration of the quality of life that makes Santa Barbara such a desirable place to live is all but non-existent by those who ‘rule’ us. Every Council member, every City Planner should be given a vote of ‘No Confidence’ and removed from their tax payer funded positions. The will of the community is being hijacked by the ‘Build Back Better’ motives of the DCC and our town is being destroyed before our eyes. They are ‘breaking’ our town so that it can be rebuilt in their twisted vision. Wake up Santa Barbara before we reach a point of no return.
The quality in project is literally in my backyard. When asked how old is Will affect the property value in the neighborhood the answer was, it will increase the value. Really?????
They all rent so they don’t care about your investment. If they owned your house and that project was being proposed next door, they’d be singing a different tune.
Miss your column,, in the news press.Glad I found you here. I don't understand why most of our politicians are intent of destroying the beauty of Santa Barbara. I guess they're only concern is to get elected.
Regarding the Quality Inn proposal, please note that the first public meeting on this project occurred on January 18, 2024 (by Zoom) after the Housing Authority had already opened escrow. Also note that the City Council, several days later, approved a $6 million dollar taxpayer loan to the Housing Authority to buy the property, reflecting the Council’s below-the-radar commitment to the project well before it ever surfaced to the pubic. In both cases, the horse had already left the barn before our public officials purported to take neighborhood input about this significant change in the nearby neighborhoods. The next public meeting about this project will occur in mid-March after the close of escrow. Again, the horse will already be out of the barn by the time of this meeting. I remain open minded about the project but it is clear that the residents of the Samarkand and adjacent neighborhoods will need to express themselves at the March meeting in order to insure that we have true transparency from our public and elected officials.
I think we have lived through the Camelot era Santa Barbara, and sadly it is disappearing before our eyes. I imagine the unique, quaint bungalows, east and west side, being destroyed for 4 to even 6 (I have heard talk of raising the limited height) (cookie cutter) story apartments. All the new, weird street-being-torn-up seems to indicate a future where no cars will be allowed in the downtown area, forcing us to use public transportation. That way, all those giant parking lot areas will become housing!
What am I missing here. Is the city betting against "affordable home prices" by creating a vested interest in accelerating home resale values? Prop 13 resale tax windfalls are necessary to fund increasing city expenses, and now must also compensate lost property tax revenues after taking even more city properties off the property tax rolls. Who is keeping score on the big picture.
Thank you for a great article. You hit every unreal issue SB is facing. We as a community have chosen to just stay in our own bubble and have become lazy. Well, look at where that got us. They are trying to push us out of our own community. Either by making it so expensive to live here (through utilities & homeowner's insurance) or driving us crazy over all their terrible policies that make zero sense for SB. I sure hope this community (especially those that consider themselves locals) will really consider voting for a different kind of candidate in November. We need public servants, not compromised politicians who just want to climb the corrupt ladder!
District elections now require new voting coalitions.
How do we gain four votes on city council to share common concerns city wide? To be honest, did we care when big development projects happened in other parts of town, which also triggered local opposition in those districts? Or did we only wake up when they hit closer to home.
Coalescing round common core values to create a new three district plus mayor city voting majority will be the key to Santa Barbara's future. Including supporting a slate of like-minded candidates during future city council elections, even when we do not reside or vote in those city districts. Recruiting candidates, sending in donations, walking precincts, help get out the vote - that we can all do, no matter in which district we reside.
Six city council persons, each going off in a separate directions on their own, will not save our city as a whole.
Bonnie, again you have a finger on the pulses of the deliberate destroyers of the beauty and harmony that was Santa Barbara.
Your example of local Hispanic citizens turning out in force to stop another unwelcome city council action, proves one again, the obvious.
That, unless conservatives and CAGOP leadership and staffers focus on and recruit from all age groups among Hispanic citizenry, the new energetic voters to gain parity in registered voters with the Democrats, our priorities for the future of California will remain laying in the weeds.
Today, people of Hispanic origin make up the largest ethnic group in California. On average across most of California, public school students are now around 60% of the student body. That is the future. That is our future.
Derek, Voter turn-out in various city districts is the true test that determines who is ignoring or who is engaged in the future of this city. It varies widely. Not sure there is any one voice for this city yet , among the various new six city voting districts. What are you sensing?
Getting the city fiscal house in order, sustainable and long term, should be number one for all city districts. But one hears far more about increasing city expenses and micromanaging the private sector economy instead, to the point of stagnation . As well as sabotaging various city revenue streams.
Will district elections ultimately lead to a new coalition of support for common city goals. Or a balkanization of interests, that leaves us lost, floundering and counter-productive. Any thoughts about this new direction we have now embarked upon over these past few years?
" Russians have been pouring into real estate for decades. From Sunny Isles, Florida, to Cleveland and high rises in Manhattan, post-Soviet oligarchs’ money has poured into big cities and the heartland in recent decades with little recourse."
Welcome folks to your hard working So-Called-Leaders at work or more likely totally asleep.
I think we have lived through the Camelot era of Santa Barbara. I envision a sad future where all the aging, charming bungalows are razed for cookie cutter apartments. A future where we will have to use public transpiration to get into downtown and all the parking lots will also be apartments. Breaks my heart because the charm is disappearing quickly...
1970's was the beginning of the slow-growth movement in Santa Barbara, and the raucous Goleta Water Board days using water hook ups to also control growth. I believe there were some recalls of county supervisors over kickbacks from developers back then too. A voter initiative which was advisory only, agreed the city population should hold around 80,000. And building heights were typically limited by custom to two stories with deep set-backs.
We also only had a few restaurants, and most things closed down by 9pm. UCSB was a minor campus in the UC system. We were known in the state as a backwater retirement town. $10 could buy you an entire season of Santa Barbara Symphony concerts, held in high school auditoriums.
We finally were put on the wider map only after the national media started broadcasting from President Reagan's winter White House. With palm trees waving in the background. In December. That is when the "world" suddenly discovered our sleepy town.
As usual, Bonnie shines a light on the questions that most residents of Santa Barbara want to know. The lack of common sense, planning and consideration of the quality of life that makes Santa Barbara such a desirable place to live is all but non-existent by those who ‘rule’ us. Every Council member, every City Planner should be given a vote of ‘No Confidence’ and removed from their tax payer funded positions. The will of the community is being hijacked by the ‘Build Back Better’ motives of the DCC and our town is being destroyed before our eyes. They are ‘breaking’ our town so that it can be rebuilt in their twisted vision. Wake up Santa Barbara before we reach a point of no return.
The quality in project is literally in my backyard. When asked how old is Will affect the property value in the neighborhood the answer was, it will increase the value. Really?????
They all rent so they don’t care about your investment. If they owned your house and that project was being proposed next door, they’d be singing a different tune.
Miss your column,, in the news press.Glad I found you here. I don't understand why most of our politicians are intent of destroying the beauty of Santa Barbara. I guess they're only concern is to get elected.
Regarding the Quality Inn proposal, please note that the first public meeting on this project occurred on January 18, 2024 (by Zoom) after the Housing Authority had already opened escrow. Also note that the City Council, several days later, approved a $6 million dollar taxpayer loan to the Housing Authority to buy the property, reflecting the Council’s below-the-radar commitment to the project well before it ever surfaced to the pubic. In both cases, the horse had already left the barn before our public officials purported to take neighborhood input about this significant change in the nearby neighborhoods. The next public meeting about this project will occur in mid-March after the close of escrow. Again, the horse will already be out of the barn by the time of this meeting. I remain open minded about the project but it is clear that the residents of the Samarkand and adjacent neighborhoods will need to express themselves at the March meeting in order to insure that we have true transparency from our public and elected officials.
I think we have lived through the Camelot era Santa Barbara, and sadly it is disappearing before our eyes. I imagine the unique, quaint bungalows, east and west side, being destroyed for 4 to even 6 (I have heard talk of raising the limited height) (cookie cutter) story apartments. All the new, weird street-being-torn-up seems to indicate a future where no cars will be allowed in the downtown area, forcing us to use public transportation. That way, all those giant parking lot areas will become housing!
What am I missing here. Is the city betting against "affordable home prices" by creating a vested interest in accelerating home resale values? Prop 13 resale tax windfalls are necessary to fund increasing city expenses, and now must also compensate lost property tax revenues after taking even more city properties off the property tax rolls. Who is keeping score on the big picture.
Thank you for a great article. You hit every unreal issue SB is facing. We as a community have chosen to just stay in our own bubble and have become lazy. Well, look at where that got us. They are trying to push us out of our own community. Either by making it so expensive to live here (through utilities & homeowner's insurance) or driving us crazy over all their terrible policies that make zero sense for SB. I sure hope this community (especially those that consider themselves locals) will really consider voting for a different kind of candidate in November. We need public servants, not compromised politicians who just want to climb the corrupt ladder!
District elections now require new voting coalitions.
How do we gain four votes on city council to share common concerns city wide? To be honest, did we care when big development projects happened in other parts of town, which also triggered local opposition in those districts? Or did we only wake up when they hit closer to home.
Coalescing round common core values to create a new three district plus mayor city voting majority will be the key to Santa Barbara's future. Including supporting a slate of like-minded candidates during future city council elections, even when we do not reside or vote in those city districts. Recruiting candidates, sending in donations, walking precincts, help get out the vote - that we can all do, no matter in which district we reside.
Six city council persons, each going off in a separate directions on their own, will not save our city as a whole.
Bonnie, again you have a finger on the pulses of the deliberate destroyers of the beauty and harmony that was Santa Barbara.
Your example of local Hispanic citizens turning out in force to stop another unwelcome city council action, proves one again, the obvious.
That, unless conservatives and CAGOP leadership and staffers focus on and recruit from all age groups among Hispanic citizenry, the new energetic voters to gain parity in registered voters with the Democrats, our priorities for the future of California will remain laying in the weeds.
Today, people of Hispanic origin make up the largest ethnic group in California. On average across most of California, public school students are now around 60% of the student body. That is the future. That is our future.
We cannot ignore it!
Derek, Voter turn-out in various city districts is the true test that determines who is ignoring or who is engaged in the future of this city. It varies widely. Not sure there is any one voice for this city yet , among the various new six city voting districts. What are you sensing?
Getting the city fiscal house in order, sustainable and long term, should be number one for all city districts. But one hears far more about increasing city expenses and micromanaging the private sector economy instead, to the point of stagnation . As well as sabotaging various city revenue streams.
Will district elections ultimately lead to a new coalition of support for common city goals. Or a balkanization of interests, that leaves us lost, floundering and counter-productive. Any thoughts about this new direction we have now embarked upon over these past few years?
I just read this posting by Bonnie "More Property Sucked Up"
I will add to the Santa Barbara County woes with a new Heading
"$200 Million Property Sucked Up By Russian's Via Money Laundering"
I for one would like to know where oh where is the SBPD and Sheriffs
Department who failed to stop the Russian's buying up over $200 Million
of single family houses up and down the coast of CA including Santa Barbara.
Read here from this weblink how the Russian infiltrated into our Communities
all the while the Good Ole Boys and Good Ole Gals are not just asleep but
Covered It All Up>>> https://cina.gmu.edu/russian-money-flows-through-u-s-real-estate/
" Russians have been pouring into real estate for decades. From Sunny Isles, Florida, to Cleveland and high rises in Manhattan, post-Soviet oligarchs’ money has poured into big cities and the heartland in recent decades with little recourse."
Welcome folks to your hard working So-Called-Leaders at work or more likely totally asleep.
Howard Walther member of a military family