Population Down; Deficit Spending Up
by Scott Wenz
As the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria, continue to destroy what had been an efficient and inviting traffic grid that encourages job, let’s look at the item below:
The State of California is facing a 6+% jobless rate, while the rest of the nation has a 4+% jobless rate.
The jobless rate would be far greater if it were not that Sacramento continues to grow government jobs while ballooning billion-dollar deficits.
Stats from the federal government shows a loss of 400 federal jobs in July, as the Trump Administration continues to tighten the Federal Budget to stop the hemorrhaging at taxpayers’ expense. However, California has added 7,000-plus new well-paid and most likely unneeded new employees.
Hand Wringers cry about food, as AG farming continues to mechanize production. The number of farm related jobs will drop.
Does anyone besides CAB (Cars Are Basic) care that the “nonfarming” sector has lost 6,700 jobs? From 2023 to 2025 it would appear the number of new hires in the City of Santa Barbara is around 105 new employees in the period preceding April 2025. The City reports approximately 1,000 employees.
During the same time of job losses, the high-density crowd demands housing, housing, housing, while the number of Baby Boomers continue to decline. This means high density, and while there are fewer people and jobs, it will lead to long-term slums.
Q. Does it mean the Socialist demand for more and more "subsidized" housing (your tax dollars) in the face of a shrinking job market cost government (taxpayers) more money?
A. Yes indeed.
Reminder: the State of California has admitted to a third year of billion-dollar deficits.
Santa Barbara is facing two repeat years of deficit spending (-$8mil in 2025), continues to expand its worker numbers and allows a shortened work week for these “over-worked” and over-paid civil servants. The City has a budget for 1,098 workers as of April of this year. This means it is expanding its employee numbers by 10% in face of deficits and a declining population.
City Population
As of 2025, Santa Barbara's population is estimated at 84,990: a decline. CAB wonders how the City population declines yet the City continues to approve and spend money on Housing Authority conversions that remove property from tax rolls? How does it fold to RHNA density projects?
The City population decline allows for greater freedom of travel on streets by autos, bikes, and walkers. Yet fewer and fewer percent of workers and the general population ride bikes. All the time, the Council intentionally hires more staff and pursues the failure called Vision Zero, placing intentional hazards on streets, with slanted misleading statements that more people will give up auto use. A former disgraced alternative transportation planner announced his failure by stating “You cannot get people to walk five minutes.”
More Government “Workers,” Less Private Sector Employees
Private sector employment in Santa Barbara, CA, declined at a rate of 1.28% between 2022 and 2023, falling from 46,800 to 46,200 employees. Sucking on diminishing tax dollars from fewer private-sector employees, government work force expands.
The City reported to SBCAG that while the number of auto trips has declined, accident rates are up, making claims of expanded Vision Zero either a joke or a lie.
Pedal bike use has declined on major routes CAB has monitored, and the City has stopped its official bike counts from around 2013. Traffic staff have been unable to explain how expansion of the bike routes from 25 miles of interconnected paths to just under 100 miles with a declining population has fewer pedal bike riders.
If the economy and health of the City of Santa Barbara is tied to "Traffic Planning," it is now clear that the unequivocal evidence of the last 25 years of destroying a 100-year-old and efficient traffic grid has failed.
Touted "alternative" transportation has failed.
The “Greatest Generation” Shrinkage
CAB has not had access to classified information while serving as a non-aligned NGO. CAB has never lied or attempted to give false indications. CAB has had confidential statements by government workers that the numbers are there, the anti-car groups have failed, and it is politics pure and simple. Eventually and reluctantly the numbers are uncovered, supporting CAB’s positions and conclusions.
The Demographic Projections of the 1960s are proving out. There is and will be a continuing population decline from the Greatest Generation, bringing it more aligned to the percentages of pre-WWII.
As the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria, continue to destroy what was an efficient and inviting traffic grid that encourages jobs, so will the quality of life degrade.
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All of us obediently hump-bump over the speed-reducing obstacles placed in residential streets, and wend our way on the major cross-town streets now narrowed for non-existant bicycle traffic ... except the manic children on the electric motorcycle bikes.... and watching out for corner bulb-outs and trees unaccountably planted in streets taking up random parking spaces, and streets blocked with dead-end "bike only" barricades. ... On-street parking insufficient for high density "Builders' Remedy" projects and downtown workers driving in circles looking for a free place to stash their car all day.... CUI BONO? in English "to whom is it a benefit?", is a Latin phrase about identifying crime suspects.
The inmates are running the asylum. Until there is significant public accountability for these forced failed policies and programs it will get worse. What the City has allowed...actually encouraged...with high density housing, etc., is beyond immoral.
One need only to look at SB's zoning very reasonable ordinances in the 70's and 80's where open space, off street parking, setbacks, height limitation, shadow factors etc., were a basis for a well planned community. Today that has all been trashed...not just figuratively, but literally.
The claim that the State of California has "mandated" this debacle is weak cheese. If the CA State legislature told our local so-called "leaders" to burn the City to the ground would they (or have they)? Taking instructions from the most incompetent, bankrupt and corrupt legislature on the planet is indefensible.