From Goleta, with love ❤️, I couldn’t decide which popular phrase to use here either 1. “Welcome to my Nightmare” by Alice Cooper….or 2. “Welcome to the party, pal!!” (Bruce Willis to the cop in the movie “Die Hard”
One more time for posterity: there is no housing crisis. These politicians are just servicing their donors that overwhelmingly got them reelected a few weeks ago.
The city and entire South Coast area will be trashed and congested and ugly and crime ridden. It’s what was voted for.
My friend the wonderful political/architecture writer, James Kunstler, once said that Americans will spend thousands so they be in a beautifully preserved European village, then come home and allow their own small town to be wrecked.
Merry Christmas, Bonnie. Thanks for your watchdog efforts to point out the vagaries and foibles of the City's development approval process. Most notably, you mention the appointment of yet another "activist/newbie" to the P'Commission by the machine. In my 50 yrs paying attention to the jurisdictions of the South Coast, I have seen one newbie after another be elected to the council, or appointed to commissions and governing boards as if by some magic line-jumping power, generally without resume of civic service or pertinent zip code. It is a remarkable "dais ex machina" smoothly run by the local democratic central cmte and it's well funded cousin, the SEIU. Now as an observer from afar (we moved out of state 3 yrs ago), I sadly opine that while for many of us who arrived in the 1970s it was Paradise Found, the region--indeed the State-- too quickly became Paradise Lost-its-way under the misguided values now colliding with reality.
Thank you, Bonnie, for another informative column. The headline says it all! Corruption from top to bottom in our beloved city. The legions of bureaucrats (city employees) get a two-week paid vacation on the backs of the taxpayers. I would like to see a "cohort group" of residents tackle a "DOGE" mission with the objective of eliminating 40% of the Environmental Studies majors who make up our city employees. I'll volunteer to sit on the committee.
Definitely dump the building department looking for code violations. It is used as a way of forcing people out of their homes. They were planting stuff all over my house to make me look like a hoodlum. Trust me, I know. Just "blow-up" the entire city government and start over again.
Another "blow-up" is those having anything to do with the water stuff, excluding the guys that walk around taking the meter readings, they actually work. I complained to the water department I wasn't always able to read my water meter because cars parked over the water and gas meters of several homeowners. Of course, earthquakes, fires and water leaks may require access to the utilities in order to shut them off. After going back and forth with different city workers, someone in the water department piped up and said, "The meter reader doesn't have a problem." What the hell does the meter reader have to do with access to shutoff valves of the utility meters! In fact, I setup a security camera to view the utility meters at the top of my driveway and there were times it was difficult for the meter reader. The gas company would leave monthly billings saying they estimated the amount of gas used because the gas meter was inaccessible because of the parked cars. What I recommended was to install bollards (metal posts) to prevent the cars parking over the utility meters. But that went in one ear and out the other. Definitely fire the gal that said the "meter reader doesn't have a problem."
For a year or so while investigating my water usage, each morning at 5AM I would take a meter reading, sometimes having to crawl under a car to take the reading. By the way, I even purchased on eBay water meters to study ... mainly I was wondering if a check valve was built-in to the water meters ... and discovered they are not. Rain or shine, I was sometimes pumping rainwater out of my meter vault at 5AM in the morning. Maybe I was a bit paranoid back then. There were a few early-morning walkers that probably wondered what I was doing.
For the Hollywood playwriters, someone could pump chemicals from their home to the water supply. A neighbor could pump water with chemicals, at a higher pressure via a pump, into another neighbor's city water supply. And the neighbor I suspected stealing my water did have a water tank later he removed on his property, claiming it was used for water purification purpose ... of course, with my water. There are several ways of being "screwed" by the city with regards to the water. I'll have to go back and research a lot of my findings. I created a lot of "tools" to determine water usage, etc. And I thought a lot of my 1st cousin Gordon Russell (deceased) that wrote hundreds of Dark Shadows soap episodes. Gordon would love my ideas for what you could do to water and how it could affect people. I had water on the brain back then. Amazon sells the Flume Home Water Monitor and Leak Detector for $249.00. I found the Flume to be a great product because it worked my 300-foot distance from the house to the water vault ... and you too can become a water detective like I did. I have always had to deal with a lot of water issues. Maybe it has something to do with being an Aquarian, The Water Bearer.
You gotta love our city. The city in a Normal rain year: ‘we live in a desert! We must conserve water! We need to raise your rates to force conservation’. Also the city in a normal rain year: “ we approved 5,000 new housing units for 10,000 new water users oh, and your high water rates are staying in place because you need to conserve water so we can add even more taxable water using units’. What a joke.
When we were living at 3236 Laurel Canyon Road, our property touched seven other properties ... it was a former dumping ground for those seven other homes. We had at least one other home tapping into our water. I monitored our water usage and compared it to the meter readings. After finally locking all the spigots, a magic thing happened. Our water usage decreased in the month of December 2017. And our water usage calculated to be only what we were using, finally. Another neighbor on our street had a water theft problem, too. Can you imagine how much water theft will occur with more homeowners!
I determined our spigot water theft occurred during the evening hours and was probably used for others to shower and do their laundry and water their lawn. Clever, but we were screwed by others for decades in the process.
I bought my house here 26 years ago, back in the mythical time when you still could. I watched the inspectors overlook glaring errors in construction by my contractor, and then when I wanted to add one small additional change was required to pay as much for the new permit as for the entire house remodel. I have no doubt that the improvements I made then would not be allowed now, unless of course I knew how to play the game using the right PC words.
When my next door neighbor's house recently sold I held my breath, as did the rest of my neighborhood, waiting to see if a developer might have purchased it to replace it with a high density horror.
The "housing crisis" could easily be mitigated by two minor legislative changes: 1. No more Air-B-n-Bs, no short term rentals. You want to approve more hotels, fine, fill them up with people who instead are renting what used to be private homes rented out to people who live here. 2. Limit the number of international and out-of-area students at SBCC, and utilize the facility for the abandoned "life enhancement for the older adult" programs that used to be such a lively part of the community and where I taught art 40 years ago. We need to get people off their computer screens and back to gathering in real life and creating community. The City College could be the hub of that effort, focused on teaching skills, languages, and gathering together people with like enthusiasms.
As for the government employees now having an all expense paid two week shut down, I begrudge them their salaries. As I drive the city and run into blockaded streets and overloaded parking I see the evidence of their agendas, with worse to come, and mourn the destruction of the very quality of life and beauty that brought me here 50 years ago.
Basically, as a property owner, I want to control the use of my property and eliminate the government control.
I believe that the path for more housing must address rent control. By increasing the laws in favor of tenants, the government decreases the supply; restoring owner's rights (constitutional stuff) would re enforce property owner's ability to regain control of their property and decide whom they do business with increasing supply. The owner would become more confident that a tenant would never have more control of the property and open their business for more rental possibilities. More units available reduces rents.
More of the same Bonnie, incompetence, activism and corruption at the city and county levels…what a surprise! In the meantime, Monique Limon is conspiring ways to put up roadblocks for the incoming Trump administration. That’s right, flood the zone with frivolous lawsuits, paid for by our tax dollars instead of addressing real problems affecting our communities. Oh well, this is what you get when your stupid enough to promote a radical, comunista to elected office!
https://www.justice.gov/ ... Somewhere on their website you can checkoff many newsletters. Be careful what you checkoff or you'll be undated with emails.
Please elaborate Bill. It’s my understanding that City authorized time off at Christmas is paid bonus time in addition to their paid vacation, sick leave, and regular national/ state holiday time. SB City apparently can run without non-essential workers so why not eliminate their positions all together? Much work is already contracted out. The police headquarters closes because why? —- police must be considered non-essential also by City Council (with reps on vacation too). Seems only private sector is open year round. Thank you Marborg and the hundreds of local businesses for not closing! City has much tax money to waste with voters again recently approving tax increases. The downward spiral continues in paradise lost.
Perhaps Elon Musk will provide a discount for his ugly, angular Tesla trucks for those additional 42 parking spaces that don't exist. I saw one of these trucks for the first time last week ... yuk!. I hear they are all over Santa Barbara. The city is taking the tact of not looking down the road. First build the ADUs and then figure out the parking which doesn't exist. It's obvious the city wants those ADUs no matter what. The City of SB government needs to be swept out like the Federal government needs to be. Follow the money trail.
The irrational and and self serving destruction of cities and counties up and down the coast from San Diego to Frisco.
The infill projects are backed by elected people who don't give a darn. It is about radical political philosophy that states high density will overcome any failure and destruction of the urban and once (now gone) rural ag. communities.
CAB tried to warn the voters that backing the current majorities in all south county cities and the BOS would end in destruction. It is like hearing from the supposed guardians of fact that the national Washington based administration has not had a rational head of government for 4 years. Now you see infill projects without parking. Anyone seen the long term slums and failed pride of ownership on the east coast and midwest?
Millions have been repeatedly spent on the failed MTD, that at one time resulted in criminal and un-ethical actions by employees and oversight board member. Millions have been spent just in the City of Santa Barbara to blockade streets, build now almost 100 miles of interconnected bike paths, using greasy palms for Developer Types who could give a darn about quality of life.
YOU who voted for the incumbents know what was happening. YOU are responsible for this DAMAGE to both the physical and social outcomes.
The Democrat Central Committee is responsible and the deep pockets of gated communities in Montecito, Hope Ranch, own this destruction. Every day the lies of quality of life and transportation reality are there. When will the Left take responsibility? I know when they cannot believe formation numbers that were and are false.
Handing the soap box back to Bonnie.
Do you think when you see these types in public they will avoid you hello?
Bonnie, did you happen to watch the city Planning commission meeting yesterday regarding the home "renovation" at 1269 Ferrelo road? WOW, four hours long and what a mix of opinions. Wait, I meant to say emotions. I've watched decades of city boards and commission meetings and this was one of the most bizarre. I feel for the owners since they have gone through 14 hearings and 3 appeals over the last two years. Including one appeal to the city council that went in their favor. But the reason this appeal was taking place is because the project is AWFUL!! It has about as much negative impact on the neighbors as the proposed high rise behind the Mission. As I was watching I brought up Google street view and the story poles from 2022 are visible.
During the public comments I learned the house on the right is a Moody sisters cottage and the one on the left is a D'Alfonso house, both structures of merit from the city. About two hours in the commissioners expressed exasperation that the project had been approved by the SFDB and the city council had also supported it. This was crazy to watch. Talk about planning gone bad. At the same time I did have some sympathy for the owners since they have spent more than two years going through the process.
But here's the deal, the process is flawed, as our the mandates coming from Sacramento regarding new housing. And don't get me started on the idea that housing doesn't need parking for cars!
After about four hours a motion was made to uphold the appeal which would kill the project and the owners would have to start from scratch. I think four of the five were in support of this motion but a last minute question from the last commissioner to speak changed everything. She said, "Is it possible we continue this to next month and let the attorney's hash this out?" That was voted for. . . So stay tuned to January 16th for the next meeting.
Again we’re reminded why property owners choose to bypass planning and build first, then pay the fine: it’s cheaper, less invasive, reduces anxiety and frustration. There’s no property owner group advocating to protect owner property rights. Why not?
Interesting salary ranges. The Airport Director (small hub airport) is eye-popping generous. This position is generally called ‘operations manager’ and run by the Dept of Public Works at a far lower cost. There is zero international traffic, very few airport leases, and marginal income so why the enormous salary? Curious.
From Goleta, with love ❤️, I couldn’t decide which popular phrase to use here either 1. “Welcome to my Nightmare” by Alice Cooper….or 2. “Welcome to the party, pal!!” (Bruce Willis to the cop in the movie “Die Hard”
One more time for posterity: there is no housing crisis. These politicians are just servicing their donors that overwhelmingly got them reelected a few weeks ago.
The city and entire South Coast area will be trashed and congested and ugly and crime ridden. It’s what was voted for.
My friend the wonderful political/architecture writer, James Kunstler, once said that Americans will spend thousands so they be in a beautifully preserved European village, then come home and allow their own small town to be wrecked.
Merry Christmas, Bonnie. Thanks for your watchdog efforts to point out the vagaries and foibles of the City's development approval process. Most notably, you mention the appointment of yet another "activist/newbie" to the P'Commission by the machine. In my 50 yrs paying attention to the jurisdictions of the South Coast, I have seen one newbie after another be elected to the council, or appointed to commissions and governing boards as if by some magic line-jumping power, generally without resume of civic service or pertinent zip code. It is a remarkable "dais ex machina" smoothly run by the local democratic central cmte and it's well funded cousin, the SEIU. Now as an observer from afar (we moved out of state 3 yrs ago), I sadly opine that while for many of us who arrived in the 1970s it was Paradise Found, the region--indeed the State-- too quickly became Paradise Lost-its-way under the misguided values now colliding with reality.
Thank you, Bonnie, for another informative column. The headline says it all! Corruption from top to bottom in our beloved city. The legions of bureaucrats (city employees) get a two-week paid vacation on the backs of the taxpayers. I would like to see a "cohort group" of residents tackle a "DOGE" mission with the objective of eliminating 40% of the Environmental Studies majors who make up our city employees. I'll volunteer to sit on the committee.
Merry Christmas.
This would be great!!! Send me your email address and we'll start our list for this "DOGE" commission!
Definitely dump the building department looking for code violations. It is used as a way of forcing people out of their homes. They were planting stuff all over my house to make me look like a hoodlum. Trust me, I know. Just "blow-up" the entire city government and start over again.
Another "blow-up" is those having anything to do with the water stuff, excluding the guys that walk around taking the meter readings, they actually work. I complained to the water department I wasn't always able to read my water meter because cars parked over the water and gas meters of several homeowners. Of course, earthquakes, fires and water leaks may require access to the utilities in order to shut them off. After going back and forth with different city workers, someone in the water department piped up and said, "The meter reader doesn't have a problem." What the hell does the meter reader have to do with access to shutoff valves of the utility meters! In fact, I setup a security camera to view the utility meters at the top of my driveway and there were times it was difficult for the meter reader. The gas company would leave monthly billings saying they estimated the amount of gas used because the gas meter was inaccessible because of the parked cars. What I recommended was to install bollards (metal posts) to prevent the cars parking over the utility meters. But that went in one ear and out the other. Definitely fire the gal that said the "meter reader doesn't have a problem."
For a year or so while investigating my water usage, each morning at 5AM I would take a meter reading, sometimes having to crawl under a car to take the reading. By the way, I even purchased on eBay water meters to study ... mainly I was wondering if a check valve was built-in to the water meters ... and discovered they are not. Rain or shine, I was sometimes pumping rainwater out of my meter vault at 5AM in the morning. Maybe I was a bit paranoid back then. There were a few early-morning walkers that probably wondered what I was doing.
For the Hollywood playwriters, someone could pump chemicals from their home to the water supply. A neighbor could pump water with chemicals, at a higher pressure via a pump, into another neighbor's city water supply. And the neighbor I suspected stealing my water did have a water tank later he removed on his property, claiming it was used for water purification purpose ... of course, with my water. There are several ways of being "screwed" by the city with regards to the water. I'll have to go back and research a lot of my findings. I created a lot of "tools" to determine water usage, etc. And I thought a lot of my 1st cousin Gordon Russell (deceased) that wrote hundreds of Dark Shadows soap episodes. Gordon would love my ideas for what you could do to water and how it could affect people. I had water on the brain back then. Amazon sells the Flume Home Water Monitor and Leak Detector for $249.00. I found the Flume to be a great product because it worked my 300-foot distance from the house to the water vault ... and you too can become a water detective like I did. I have always had to deal with a lot of water issues. Maybe it has something to do with being an Aquarian, The Water Bearer.
You gotta love our city. The city in a Normal rain year: ‘we live in a desert! We must conserve water! We need to raise your rates to force conservation’. Also the city in a normal rain year: “ we approved 5,000 new housing units for 10,000 new water users oh, and your high water rates are staying in place because you need to conserve water so we can add even more taxable water using units’. What a joke.
When we were living at 3236 Laurel Canyon Road, our property touched seven other properties ... it was a former dumping ground for those seven other homes. We had at least one other home tapping into our water. I monitored our water usage and compared it to the meter readings. After finally locking all the spigots, a magic thing happened. Our water usage decreased in the month of December 2017. And our water usage calculated to be only what we were using, finally. Another neighbor on our street had a water theft problem, too. Can you imagine how much water theft will occur with more homeowners!
I determined our spigot water theft occurred during the evening hours and was probably used for others to shower and do their laundry and water their lawn. Clever, but we were screwed by others for decades in the process.
I bought my house here 26 years ago, back in the mythical time when you still could. I watched the inspectors overlook glaring errors in construction by my contractor, and then when I wanted to add one small additional change was required to pay as much for the new permit as for the entire house remodel. I have no doubt that the improvements I made then would not be allowed now, unless of course I knew how to play the game using the right PC words.
When my next door neighbor's house recently sold I held my breath, as did the rest of my neighborhood, waiting to see if a developer might have purchased it to replace it with a high density horror.
The "housing crisis" could easily be mitigated by two minor legislative changes: 1. No more Air-B-n-Bs, no short term rentals. You want to approve more hotels, fine, fill them up with people who instead are renting what used to be private homes rented out to people who live here. 2. Limit the number of international and out-of-area students at SBCC, and utilize the facility for the abandoned "life enhancement for the older adult" programs that used to be such a lively part of the community and where I taught art 40 years ago. We need to get people off their computer screens and back to gathering in real life and creating community. The City College could be the hub of that effort, focused on teaching skills, languages, and gathering together people with like enthusiasms.
As for the government employees now having an all expense paid two week shut down, I begrudge them their salaries. As I drive the city and run into blockaded streets and overloaded parking I see the evidence of their agendas, with worse to come, and mourn the destruction of the very quality of life and beauty that brought me here 50 years ago.
Basically, as a property owner, I want to control the use of my property and eliminate the government control.
I believe that the path for more housing must address rent control. By increasing the laws in favor of tenants, the government decreases the supply; restoring owner's rights (constitutional stuff) would re enforce property owner's ability to regain control of their property and decide whom they do business with increasing supply. The owner would become more confident that a tenant would never have more control of the property and open their business for more rental possibilities. More units available reduces rents.
The government is not worried about parking because they don’t want us to have cars anymore. More bikes, more walking, more 15 min cities.
I would vote for Bonnie for sure.
Her integrity and honesty are solid!
Great column! I should add “as usual”. Ho! Ho! Ho!🌸
Thank you Bonnie for your article. As always, very informative - and head shaking.
More of the same Bonnie, incompetence, activism and corruption at the city and county levels…what a surprise! In the meantime, Monique Limon is conspiring ways to put up roadblocks for the incoming Trump administration. That’s right, flood the zone with frivolous lawsuits, paid for by our tax dollars instead of addressing real problems affecting our communities. Oh well, this is what you get when your stupid enough to promote a radical, comunista to elected office!
Bonnie, is there any chance you'll apply for one (or better yet - all!) of these positions?
I second the nomination!
I wish I had more time.......
Do what the politicians do … get some interns!
I'm on the DOJ list to receive all their stuff. They are packing the government with lawyer interns.
Bill - what is the "DOJ list"?
https://www.justice.gov/ ... Somewhere on their website you can checkoff many newsletters. Be careful what you checkoff or you'll be undated with emails.
Thanks!
Maybe the City is closed for two weeks because they believe it's their last hoorah ... their walls will come tumbling down.
They get this vacation every year.
The “Vacation” time is deducted from the employees accrued (earned) vacation time. Any time taken is logged as vacation time and paid accordingly.
Please elaborate Bill. It’s my understanding that City authorized time off at Christmas is paid bonus time in addition to their paid vacation, sick leave, and regular national/ state holiday time. SB City apparently can run without non-essential workers so why not eliminate their positions all together? Much work is already contracted out. The police headquarters closes because why? —- police must be considered non-essential also by City Council (with reps on vacation too). Seems only private sector is open year round. Thank you Marborg and the hundreds of local businesses for not closing! City has much tax money to waste with voters again recently approving tax increases. The downward spiral continues in paradise lost.
Two weeks is the City's "official" Holiday time off, and the remaining time of the year is the "unofficial" All Year Holiday time off <g>.
Perhaps Elon Musk will provide a discount for his ugly, angular Tesla trucks for those additional 42 parking spaces that don't exist. I saw one of these trucks for the first time last week ... yuk!. I hear they are all over Santa Barbara. The city is taking the tact of not looking down the road. First build the ADUs and then figure out the parking which doesn't exist. It's obvious the city wants those ADUs no matter what. The City of SB government needs to be swept out like the Federal government needs to be. Follow the money trail.
What does this sound like?
The irrational and and self serving destruction of cities and counties up and down the coast from San Diego to Frisco.
The infill projects are backed by elected people who don't give a darn. It is about radical political philosophy that states high density will overcome any failure and destruction of the urban and once (now gone) rural ag. communities.
CAB tried to warn the voters that backing the current majorities in all south county cities and the BOS would end in destruction. It is like hearing from the supposed guardians of fact that the national Washington based administration has not had a rational head of government for 4 years. Now you see infill projects without parking. Anyone seen the long term slums and failed pride of ownership on the east coast and midwest?
Millions have been repeatedly spent on the failed MTD, that at one time resulted in criminal and un-ethical actions by employees and oversight board member. Millions have been spent just in the City of Santa Barbara to blockade streets, build now almost 100 miles of interconnected bike paths, using greasy palms for Developer Types who could give a darn about quality of life.
YOU who voted for the incumbents know what was happening. YOU are responsible for this DAMAGE to both the physical and social outcomes.
The Democrat Central Committee is responsible and the deep pockets of gated communities in Montecito, Hope Ranch, own this destruction. Every day the lies of quality of life and transportation reality are there. When will the Left take responsibility? I know when they cannot believe formation numbers that were and are false.
Handing the soap box back to Bonnie.
Do you think when you see these types in public they will avoid you hello?
Bonnie, did you happen to watch the city Planning commission meeting yesterday regarding the home "renovation" at 1269 Ferrelo road? WOW, four hours long and what a mix of opinions. Wait, I meant to say emotions. I've watched decades of city boards and commission meetings and this was one of the most bizarre. I feel for the owners since they have gone through 14 hearings and 3 appeals over the last two years. Including one appeal to the city council that went in their favor. But the reason this appeal was taking place is because the project is AWFUL!! It has about as much negative impact on the neighbors as the proposed high rise behind the Mission. As I was watching I brought up Google street view and the story poles from 2022 are visible.
During the public comments I learned the house on the right is a Moody sisters cottage and the one on the left is a D'Alfonso house, both structures of merit from the city. About two hours in the commissioners expressed exasperation that the project had been approved by the SFDB and the city council had also supported it. This was crazy to watch. Talk about planning gone bad. At the same time I did have some sympathy for the owners since they have spent more than two years going through the process.
But here's the deal, the process is flawed, as our the mandates coming from Sacramento regarding new housing. And don't get me started on the idea that housing doesn't need parking for cars!
After about four hours a motion was made to uphold the appeal which would kill the project and the owners would have to start from scratch. I think four of the five were in support of this motion but a last minute question from the last commissioner to speak changed everything. She said, "Is it possible we continue this to next month and let the attorney's hash this out?" That was voted for. . . So stay tuned to January 16th for the next meeting.
Again we’re reminded why property owners choose to bypass planning and build first, then pay the fine: it’s cheaper, less invasive, reduces anxiety and frustration. There’s no property owner group advocating to protect owner property rights. Why not?
Please see Appendix F
Not a paid furlough to city employees.
https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024-2027%20General%20Unit%20MOU.pdf
What did the new guy vote and suggest?
Both the new guy and Brian Barnwell were absent.
Interesting salary ranges. The Airport Director (small hub airport) is eye-popping generous. This position is generally called ‘operations manager’ and run by the Dept of Public Works at a far lower cost. There is zero international traffic, very few airport leases, and marginal income so why the enormous salary? Curious.