#1 Hardware (Home Improvement Center) faced competition from big box Home Depot and what did they do?
They doubled up on fantastic and knowledgeable personal service, more inventory depth, and ease of ready and direct access to one's shopping needs. Personnel with specialized knowledge who go out of their way to help each customer without attitude or indifference, goes a long way to guarantee shopper loyalty. Even though it is a chain, ACE feels local, homey and welcoming.
Bravo ACE hardware- Home Improvement Center. Thank you Bonnie Donovan for your in-depth research and showcasing this great local institution. Fantastic article.
Silly, it has nothing to do with customer service, they are just in the enviable position of being alphabetically advantaged or having alphabetical privilege. Much to the chagrin of Zeeks hardware on San Andreas.
Home Improvement Center comes in #8 in the alphabet list. No need to disparage them as only alphabet lottery winners. They had a serious competition challenge and responded in business school textbook fashion -putting the customers at the top of their list.
However, also appreciate the shout-out for San Andres Hardware (Westside) which is a local gem, with equally helpful staff and inventory that meets most homeowners immediate needs.
Small but mighty, San Andres Hardware has definitely well-earned local support. Located on San Andres at West Micheltorena, where a side trip to Super-Cucas across the street for their super nachos is always a great addition when shopping at San Andres Hardware. Who needs Target when the best value shopping is done at our local hardware stores -useful products people need which actually work, and won't get thrown out the next day.
Take the 101 toward Goleta and exit Fairview to aero camino and visit channel city lumber and be treated to friendly and knowledgeable staff. After picking up a ball cock and closet flange, visit goodland bbq on Fairview in old town and enjoy their bbq or two for one Thursday burgers. Don't forget to stop at the imperial longue for a cocktail.
What do you have in Down Town Old Town Santa Barbara?
Intentional shutting down and constricting of auto use and the customers that drive them!!!
Paseo Nuevo is blocks away from 1 freeway access (yes it is called Carillo St.) and its underground parking is difficult at best. When built it had open State St. access, Chapala was not narrowed as now, De la Vina flowed and there was still some vestige of on street parking. As Bonnie states lower State has more restaurants BUT the narrowing of State, the Bulbout Hell on many of the feeder streets, make access difficult at best. To quote the now disgraced Rob Dayton when asked by former (and dedicated anti car) City Councilman Gregg Hart how the destruction of street auto use was working to promote walking "you cannot get people to walk 5 minutes." (finance committee meeting)
What has driven this Council Majority for a minimum of 10 years? They have kissed the ring of the failed Vision Zero, intentionally used a now massive failure of an Emergency Ordinance that short circuited the HLC. The Move/bike boys have failed, and the dangerous Electric Motorcycles are attracting kids who ride/drive in a chaotic fashion all over the City.
CAB loves your Public Records requests.
It is clear after decades; tourist are not interested in walking up and down the city, locals want clear and open access and as they age want cars to get around. In the past decade there has not been and never was "demand" pedal bike use on the streets. Bus use numbers were declining for that decade.
Wow, Bonnie! Magnificent. “…when you read or listen to the news, or our elected officials do your own research. Try to find or see the truth.”
You've done it with this piece. Everyone should read it to be informed on the facts about downtown Santa Barbara. And also to be liberated from what they're told by the media and the people in power. This is our city, not theirs.
I'm sending it not just to my friends here but all over this country. Because this piece doesn't just pertain to Santa Barbara, but to this country. Bonnie's piece outlines how everyone should inform themselves. When you hear something, like you did from the media that Trump colluded with Putin - do your own research. When you're told to take a new vaccine by the medical establishment - do your own research. Don't just believe what you're told. Don't rely on some politician to liberate you. Liberate yourself. That's freedom.
Bonnie, a few years ago when I chaired the Coast Village Assn, we requested sales tax reports for that area. I was building the case for CVR being a net contributor to the city's revenue. The spreadsheet that then Finance Director sent over was much more detailed than it should have been....with business level detail provided. That "oops" was very enlightening. And disturbing. Turns out the city aggregated all the taxable sales for CVS stores and attributed them to downtown....and I think did the same for Vons' taxable sales. I objected, but was rebuffed in that (a) I wasn't supposed to have business level detail, and (b) that's the way the City chose to attribute sales tax. Never got a satisfactory answer, but I suspected there was a "back room" reason for this treatment of sales tax. Not sure they still do this...you might check. However, now that we have "cell phone location data" (Placer.ai is one app that provides this) we know precisely how much traffic goes in and out of individual stores, and we can draw the conclusions you were looking to make using sales tax data which may or may not be reliable (plus, not all traffic results in TAXABLE retail). Your suspicion that the CBD in Santa Barbara is trending downward is, I think, well founded. Sad to say, there is no quick fix...it is probably generational in timeframe, and will likely require a cataclysmic-induced political and cultural shift, IMHO.
Many year ago I took a vow not to ever go in a WallMart. The details I heard about the decimation of small town America downtowns, unique shops replaced by centralized Big Box shopping, made me sure I must not support it. But then along came Amazon, and instead of dealing with dismissive clerks and struggling to choose the right product from a limited selection I could compare multiple options in depth online. Then came the plague, and in addition to the contactless delivery from Amazon I began using InstaCart for groceries. This has become so routine for me that in fact Home Improvement Center is the only brick and mortar I have gone to in the past 6 years, and that was for gallons of paint I wanted specially mixed. My limited forays onto Lower State have involved weird interactions with transients that were incentive to encourage my clients to patronize other parts of town for their tourist meals. I'm part of the problem. Because the businesses in our central corridor offer nothing for me.
Extraordinary work Bonnie! Imagine if we had a local government that put in the time, effort and interest you and your associates have invested.
Is not the City aggressively moving forward to support and promote hyper-dense "affordable" and subsidized housing in the upper State St. retail area...i.e., La Cumbre Plaza including replacing #14 Macy's?
Also, I was surprised that shops selling new bicycles were not strongly represented on your list given the City's longstanding effort to discourage autos both from an infrastructure perspective as well as their promotion and participation of dense development with little to no accommodation for automobiles. Presumably, increasing the number of people living in subsidized housing will necessarily fill the empty seats on subsidized public transportation. Is this a great country or what?
Surrounding both sides of State Street with major low-income housing projects has not been a downtown retail sales booster. Now the city will target their one last major retail cash cow - Upper State Street - by repeating the same thing? Has anyone run the numbers on any of this?
At what point does even more mandatory low-income housing finally sicken an entire local economy? What is the necessary healthy housing ratio (market plus subsidized) for the city itself to remain economically healthy and not just provide low-income housing within the city limits, for other surrounding community needs?
I did write about that. All the low-income housing is listed under Non-Profit and is taken off the tax roll... And why we had to add yet another increase in our SALES TAX to fund Police, Fire, Streets, Parks etc etc etc
I recently walked down State Street and on one side of the block there were at least 4 empty store. That's one block and one side.
I try to always park on the street but now there's an utter mess with construction so I have to park in the underground parking lot . On more than one occasion the people mover isn't working and one time both entrances were blocked off and I had to search for an elevator or stairs.
In comparison,Carpinteria downtowns closed stores immediately have a new tenant pop up with no problem paying the high rent.
A friend told me that people from LA are constantly inquiring about the rent and and if the tenants are willing to leave.
Shopping in Goleta Costco area is easy and accessible by car. You can walk with so many food and shopping options in one place.
Love Upper State it is also a bustling shopping and dining experience easy to park, for free like Goleta.
To me it seems like State Street has a bigger problem like homelessness and crime.
I mostly heard and saw a lot of tourists as I was walking State Street.
I think it's just a big failure from City leaders and they are avoiding accountability for their failures.
Bonnie, another A+ commentary with very interesting statistics. Thanks once again for all the time you put in to get this information out to the public.
Bonnie, another excellent informative article. Just to be complete, can you tell us how much, in total, the City Council and City senior staff have spent and wasted on State Street since they changed it from a thriving throughfare to what it has now become?
Since the last total, I've been keeping after my first PRAR on the cost of the Pedestrian Promenade, which is over 5 million. At City Council this week, they will be approving more for Street/Sidewalk Cleaning (power washing?) I think between 6 or 7 hundred thousand. But remember, they are taxing all property owners in the Central Downtown District now (2 million dollars!)
I read this excellent article titled "The State Street Promenade is an Utter Failure"
By Bonnie Bell, the Bell of Justice casting a light on the City of INJUSTICE.
Of course, I have a new title "Santa Barbara the City of Injustice, an Utter Failure"
I quote from the BELL OF JUSTICE below>
"…When Bonnie asks for a specific public records request, she should get exactly what she asks for. Why? Because every time I ask, and you say you can’t give me exactly what I asked for, or you say you need more time due to “sensitive” information you’re not allowed to share… You go on to black out information, etc."
The Bell and Howard really need to get together and COMPARE OUR CA RECORDS ACT REQUESTS to see WHAT SB IS CONCEALING WHICH IS ............. ITS ALL BIG AND SMALL!!!
When you make twelve records request and SB Attorney's Office Says 12 Times>>>
"We cannot provide the records you have requested" ........ then you get the general idea of
BIG CONCEALMENT OF THE BIG CON as described by FBI Director Robert Mueller III and I know,
everyone does not like the Deep State US Gov, but read here on the $$$ PREDATORS BIG CON
I think Joe is still around because within three weeks of my husband’s death I received a letter from his office that my husband’s name was taken off of the voters list. Maybe that fast because he was a registered Republican?
Thomas, you asked important questions in your link.
Voters must answer these questions, when they select new city council members. Since all new council members will be tasked with exercising their blue pencils on all future city budgets which also include increasing city personnel costs.
Cole writes: ...."So after all that, does the City need to spend more money? Hire more employees? Pay for more studies? Raise fees? Raise taxes? Close down more businesses?
Or instead spend less money and spend it more wisely? We can hope our new business oriented mayor will help.
And knowing all this, if the City wants to keep spending more of our tax money on;
1. New City police station proposed cost $100M
2. City desal plant - build cost $250M
3. City Sustainability & Resilience Program unfunded $36,844,038 (per year)
Spot on. Unfortunately the electorate has little to no interest in how "their" money is spent and perhaps more important the ability to process it.
Perhaps town halls should be held...in multiple languages of course...offering alternative to how that money is spent..i.e., better streets, parks, recreational opportunities etc. that serve the local public... not an illegal alien or some homeless person who blew into town from Hoboken because Santa Barbara is the most beautiful town in America and its' "leaders' want to give them "free" food and a hotel while patting g themselves on the back for being compassionate. Absurd.
Townhalls are useless in this ongoing ginned up "Indivisible" hysteria mongering and verbal thuggery, that now passes for "public debate".
Relentless attacks that guarantee hostile groups show up with canned talking points which are brazenly intended to chill any possible free speech debate with their immediate stomps, cheers, boos, threats and slurs.
Council members Santamaria, Gutierrez, Harmon and Sneddon lead and encourage this pack. Time for the mayor and other council persons to speak up and start representing the rest of the city who does not dare show up and subject themselves to these organized and divisive beatdowns.
The traditional concept of a "townhall" implies that civility exists in these events. They do not. The Left/Democrats have substituted that form of discourse with violence, shutting down conversation and stuffing foreign flags in the faces of those of us sufficiently naive to believe such engagement is possible.
I have been on the short end of that stick...years ago during School board meetings...where police presence was required to allow those who wanted to speak against the inclusion of anti-American, pro-illegal immigration text books into the curriculum. Those were the days when a group of concerned parents sought to create an alternative middle and high school option for local students. They were denied, in part because the infamous board member Grace Flores (who hailed from Puerto Rico)...falsely claimed there were not enough "brown faces" on the formation committee...so much for good intentions.
Perhaps if the folks were given a binary choice...an improved park and/or other community centric capital improvement...or hotel rooms for newly arrived "homeless" or illegal aliens. Hmmmmmm.....
In today's strapped city budgets, it is a given there are binary choices on the table. They should be brought to light.
Plus every year more discretionary funding must go instead to mandatory city employee compensation packages, stressing-out the available discretionary spending choices even more.
Given the significant discrepancies and compensation between the private and public sectors...and job security...the data could/should be aggressively and overtly shared with voters during election cycles utilizing sources like Transparentcalifornia.org or Openthebooks.com.
#1 is $121M now and that's only if the city had been setting aside funds since the regressive tax Measure C was approved in 2017.
It's now a permanent $8m hit to the budget for 30 years which all told is about $240M.
I guess were supposed to consider this a deal since the dollar won't be worth squat in 30 years.
"Finance Director Keith DeMartini said the city has an “excellent credit rating,” and was in the “best position possible to issue debt with a favorable rate.”"
I wonder if Keith got us the same deal on the $392M in unfunded pension obligations? That'd be another $26M per year for 30 years.
Looks like you have drilled down into these issues, Samsonite. Helpful to bring in your detailed knowledge. Thank you.
How much of the "excellent credit rating" for the city of Santa Barbara comes from the few remaining high property tax-paying areas, while of the rest of the city is slowly converted to more non-profit, non-property tax paying housing schemes for more low-income, low discretionary income residents.
How will this city trend supporting more low discretionary income residents coupled with greater numbers of no-property tax paying housing projects come together over the long run?
It would be instructional to map this entire city and account for property tax contributions (revenues) versus service area demands (expenses) to see who, what, where and how the city will continue to support its "good credit rating".
Do you know if any such study has been done? Now that we are divided into city election districts - how does that play out for each city district's revenue and expense contributions to the city over all?
Has our recent CVRA mandatory balkanization into separate, and artificially-created population-based voting districts been good for the city's overall economic health?
#1 Hardware (Home Improvement Center) faced competition from big box Home Depot and what did they do?
They doubled up on fantastic and knowledgeable personal service, more inventory depth, and ease of ready and direct access to one's shopping needs. Personnel with specialized knowledge who go out of their way to help each customer without attitude or indifference, goes a long way to guarantee shopper loyalty. Even though it is a chain, ACE feels local, homey and welcoming.
Bravo ACE hardware- Home Improvement Center. Thank you Bonnie Donovan for your in-depth research and showcasing this great local institution. Fantastic article.
Silly, it has nothing to do with customer service, they are just in the enviable position of being alphabetically advantaged or having alphabetical privilege. Much to the chagrin of Zeeks hardware on San Andreas.
Home Improvement Center comes in #8 in the alphabet list. No need to disparage them as only alphabet lottery winners. They had a serious competition challenge and responded in business school textbook fashion -putting the customers at the top of their list.
However, also appreciate the shout-out for San Andres Hardware (Westside) which is a local gem, with equally helpful staff and inventory that meets most homeowners immediate needs.
Small but mighty, San Andres Hardware has definitely well-earned local support. Located on San Andres at West Micheltorena, where a side trip to Super-Cucas across the street for their super nachos is always a great addition when shopping at San Andres Hardware. Who needs Target when the best value shopping is done at our local hardware stores -useful products people need which actually work, and won't get thrown out the next day.
ACE, aka Home Improvement, actual name is Santa Barbara Home Improvement!!
Take the 101 toward Goleta and exit Fairview to aero camino and visit channel city lumber and be treated to friendly and knowledgeable staff. After picking up a ball cock and closet flange, visit goodland bbq on Fairview in old town and enjoy their bbq or two for one Thursday burgers. Don't forget to stop at the imperial longue for a cocktail.
Is Dawn still running The Imperial?
Great report Bonnie.
What do you have in Down Town Old Town Santa Barbara?
Intentional shutting down and constricting of auto use and the customers that drive them!!!
Paseo Nuevo is blocks away from 1 freeway access (yes it is called Carillo St.) and its underground parking is difficult at best. When built it had open State St. access, Chapala was not narrowed as now, De la Vina flowed and there was still some vestige of on street parking. As Bonnie states lower State has more restaurants BUT the narrowing of State, the Bulbout Hell on many of the feeder streets, make access difficult at best. To quote the now disgraced Rob Dayton when asked by former (and dedicated anti car) City Councilman Gregg Hart how the destruction of street auto use was working to promote walking "you cannot get people to walk 5 minutes." (finance committee meeting)
What has driven this Council Majority for a minimum of 10 years? They have kissed the ring of the failed Vision Zero, intentionally used a now massive failure of an Emergency Ordinance that short circuited the HLC. The Move/bike boys have failed, and the dangerous Electric Motorcycles are attracting kids who ride/drive in a chaotic fashion all over the City.
CAB loves your Public Records requests.
It is clear after decades; tourist are not interested in walking up and down the city, locals want clear and open access and as they age want cars to get around. In the past decade there has not been and never was "demand" pedal bike use on the streets. Bus use numbers were declining for that decade.
Nicely done Bonnie.
Congratulations Bonnie, your research should be compensated with $100,000 consultation fee!
Wow, Bonnie! Magnificent. “…when you read or listen to the news, or our elected officials do your own research. Try to find or see the truth.”
You've done it with this piece. Everyone should read it to be informed on the facts about downtown Santa Barbara. And also to be liberated from what they're told by the media and the people in power. This is our city, not theirs.
I'm sending it not just to my friends here but all over this country. Because this piece doesn't just pertain to Santa Barbara, but to this country. Bonnie's piece outlines how everyone should inform themselves. When you hear something, like you did from the media that Trump colluded with Putin - do your own research. When you're told to take a new vaccine by the medical establishment - do your own research. Don't just believe what you're told. Don't rely on some politician to liberate you. Liberate yourself. That's freedom.
GO BONNIE!
Thanks, Paul!!!
Bonnie, a few years ago when I chaired the Coast Village Assn, we requested sales tax reports for that area. I was building the case for CVR being a net contributor to the city's revenue. The spreadsheet that then Finance Director sent over was much more detailed than it should have been....with business level detail provided. That "oops" was very enlightening. And disturbing. Turns out the city aggregated all the taxable sales for CVS stores and attributed them to downtown....and I think did the same for Vons' taxable sales. I objected, but was rebuffed in that (a) I wasn't supposed to have business level detail, and (b) that's the way the City chose to attribute sales tax. Never got a satisfactory answer, but I suspected there was a "back room" reason for this treatment of sales tax. Not sure they still do this...you might check. However, now that we have "cell phone location data" (Placer.ai is one app that provides this) we know precisely how much traffic goes in and out of individual stores, and we can draw the conclusions you were looking to make using sales tax data which may or may not be reliable (plus, not all traffic results in TAXABLE retail). Your suspicion that the CBD in Santa Barbara is trending downward is, I think, well founded. Sad to say, there is no quick fix...it is probably generational in timeframe, and will likely require a cataclysmic-induced political and cultural shift, IMHO.
Go Ace! And thank you for your clever and determined reporting Bonnie.
:)
No one in our media takes the time to research and address what’s going on in our community like Bonnie Donovan. Thank you and Bravo !!!!
Thank You, Michael!!!
Many year ago I took a vow not to ever go in a WallMart. The details I heard about the decimation of small town America downtowns, unique shops replaced by centralized Big Box shopping, made me sure I must not support it. But then along came Amazon, and instead of dealing with dismissive clerks and struggling to choose the right product from a limited selection I could compare multiple options in depth online. Then came the plague, and in addition to the contactless delivery from Amazon I began using InstaCart for groceries. This has become so routine for me that in fact Home Improvement Center is the only brick and mortar I have gone to in the past 6 years, and that was for gallons of paint I wanted specially mixed. My limited forays onto Lower State have involved weird interactions with transients that were incentive to encourage my clients to patronize other parts of town for their tourist meals. I'm part of the problem. Because the businesses in our central corridor offer nothing for me.
That could be why FisHouse on Cabrillo was the only restaurant to make the top 25!!!
Extraordinary work Bonnie! Imagine if we had a local government that put in the time, effort and interest you and your associates have invested.
Is not the City aggressively moving forward to support and promote hyper-dense "affordable" and subsidized housing in the upper State St. retail area...i.e., La Cumbre Plaza including replacing #14 Macy's?
Also, I was surprised that shops selling new bicycles were not strongly represented on your list given the City's longstanding effort to discourage autos both from an infrastructure perspective as well as their promotion and participation of dense development with little to no accommodation for automobiles. Presumably, increasing the number of people living in subsidized housing will necessarily fill the empty seats on subsidized public transportation. Is this a great country or what?
Surrounding both sides of State Street with major low-income housing projects has not been a downtown retail sales booster. Now the city will target their one last major retail cash cow - Upper State Street - by repeating the same thing? Has anyone run the numbers on any of this?
At what point does even more mandatory low-income housing finally sicken an entire local economy? What is the necessary healthy housing ratio (market plus subsidized) for the city itself to remain economically healthy and not just provide low-income housing within the city limits, for other surrounding community needs?
I did write about that. All the low-income housing is listed under Non-Profit and is taken off the tax roll... And why we had to add yet another increase in our SALES TAX to fund Police, Fire, Streets, Parks etc etc etc
Thank You. If you all remember, I have informed everyone that they will be road dieting Upper State soon, and that will also crumble :(
Great article and what an eye opener.
I recently walked down State Street and on one side of the block there were at least 4 empty store. That's one block and one side.
I try to always park on the street but now there's an utter mess with construction so I have to park in the underground parking lot . On more than one occasion the people mover isn't working and one time both entrances were blocked off and I had to search for an elevator or stairs.
In comparison,Carpinteria downtowns closed stores immediately have a new tenant pop up with no problem paying the high rent.
A friend told me that people from LA are constantly inquiring about the rent and and if the tenants are willing to leave.
Shopping in Goleta Costco area is easy and accessible by car. You can walk with so many food and shopping options in one place.
Love Upper State it is also a bustling shopping and dining experience easy to park, for free like Goleta.
To me it seems like State Street has a bigger problem like homelessness and crime.
I mostly heard and saw a lot of tourists as I was walking State Street.
I think it's just a big failure from City leaders and they are avoiding accountability for their failures.
Kudos to Ace Hardware for making #1.
Bonnie, another A+ commentary with very interesting statistics. Thanks once again for all the time you put in to get this information out to the public.
Bonnie, another excellent informative article. Just to be complete, can you tell us how much, in total, the City Council and City senior staff have spent and wasted on State Street since they changed it from a thriving throughfare to what it has now become?
Since the last total, I've been keeping after my first PRAR on the cost of the Pedestrian Promenade, which is over 5 million. At City Council this week, they will be approving more for Street/Sidewalk Cleaning (power washing?) I think between 6 or 7 hundred thousand. But remember, they are taxing all property owners in the Central Downtown District now (2 million dollars!)
Here you go: more info for next Tuesday's meeting
https://docs.santabarbaraca.gov/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Documents/ViewDocument/Attachment%201%20-%20GENERAL.pdf?meetingId=1071&documentType=Agenda&itemId=35229&publishId=24573&isSection=false
I read this excellent article titled "The State Street Promenade is an Utter Failure"
By Bonnie Bell, the Bell of Justice casting a light on the City of INJUSTICE.
Of course, I have a new title "Santa Barbara the City of Injustice, an Utter Failure"
I quote from the BELL OF JUSTICE below>
"…When Bonnie asks for a specific public records request, she should get exactly what she asks for. Why? Because every time I ask, and you say you can’t give me exactly what I asked for, or you say you need more time due to “sensitive” information you’re not allowed to share… You go on to black out information, etc."
The Bell and Howard really need to get together and COMPARE OUR CA RECORDS ACT REQUESTS to see WHAT SB IS CONCEALING WHICH IS ............. ITS ALL BIG AND SMALL!!!
When you make twelve records request and SB Attorney's Office Says 12 Times>>>
"We cannot provide the records you have requested" ........ then you get the general idea of
BIG CONCEALMENT OF THE BIG CON as described by FBI Director Robert Mueller III and I know,
everyone does not like the Deep State US Gov, but read here on the $$$ PREDATORS BIG CON
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/speeches/its-a-jungle-out-there-taking-on-todays-financial-predators
"WHERE IS JOE HOLLAND!"
Howard Walther, Member of a Military Family
I think Joe is still around because within three weeks of my husband’s death I received a letter from his office that my husband’s name was taken off of the voters list. Maybe that fast because he was a registered Republican?
Sorry to hear about your husband Mary.
So Sorry for your loss. Hugs
Awesome reporting of raw facts, Bonnie. Illuminates flawed City decisions. Hopefully these findings will be published in all local news/social media.
They would have to do the research... Go against the... Or reach out to me for the info, which they would never do!!!
Wow , great article well researched as usual. Here's a survey we did on the actual value of State Street properties, block by block which may be of interest. https://www.analytics805.com/post/city-government-now-owns-12-blocks-of-state-street
Thomas, you asked important questions in your link.
Voters must answer these questions, when they select new city council members. Since all new council members will be tasked with exercising their blue pencils on all future city budgets which also include increasing city personnel costs.
Cole writes: ...."So after all that, does the City need to spend more money? Hire more employees? Pay for more studies? Raise fees? Raise taxes? Close down more businesses?
Or instead spend less money and spend it more wisely? We can hope our new business oriented mayor will help.
And knowing all this, if the City wants to keep spending more of our tax money on;
1. New City police station proposed cost $100M
2. City desal plant - build cost $250M
3. City Sustainability & Resilience Program unfunded $36,844,038 (per year)
4. 28 affordable housing units $30M
5. Global warming lines across town,
6. Hotels for homeless,
7. Empty bus lines,
8. Giant town malls,
9. Tax giveaways for Saks Fifth Ave,
10. Police Equity Training Programs… ........"
(My blue pencil strikes out: 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
Spot on. Unfortunately the electorate has little to no interest in how "their" money is spent and perhaps more important the ability to process it.
Perhaps town halls should be held...in multiple languages of course...offering alternative to how that money is spent..i.e., better streets, parks, recreational opportunities etc. that serve the local public... not an illegal alien or some homeless person who blew into town from Hoboken because Santa Barbara is the most beautiful town in America and its' "leaders' want to give them "free" food and a hotel while patting g themselves on the back for being compassionate. Absurd.
Townhalls are useless in this ongoing ginned up "Indivisible" hysteria mongering and verbal thuggery, that now passes for "public debate".
Relentless attacks that guarantee hostile groups show up with canned talking points which are brazenly intended to chill any possible free speech debate with their immediate stomps, cheers, boos, threats and slurs.
Council members Santamaria, Gutierrez, Harmon and Sneddon lead and encourage this pack. Time for the mayor and other council persons to speak up and start representing the rest of the city who does not dare show up and subject themselves to these organized and divisive beatdowns.
Agree...I withdraw and amend my remarks.
The traditional concept of a "townhall" implies that civility exists in these events. They do not. The Left/Democrats have substituted that form of discourse with violence, shutting down conversation and stuffing foreign flags in the faces of those of us sufficiently naive to believe such engagement is possible.
I have been on the short end of that stick...years ago during School board meetings...where police presence was required to allow those who wanted to speak against the inclusion of anti-American, pro-illegal immigration text books into the curriculum. Those were the days when a group of concerned parents sought to create an alternative middle and high school option for local students. They were denied, in part because the infamous board member Grace Flores (who hailed from Puerto Rico)...falsely claimed there were not enough "brown faces" on the formation committee...so much for good intentions.
Perhaps if the folks were given a binary choice...an improved park and/or other community centric capital improvement...or hotel rooms for newly arrived "homeless" or illegal aliens. Hmmmmmm.....
In today's strapped city budgets, it is a given there are binary choices on the table. They should be brought to light.
Plus every year more discretionary funding must go instead to mandatory city employee compensation packages, stressing-out the available discretionary spending choices even more.
Excellent suggestion. Should be put on the table.
Given the significant discrepancies and compensation between the private and public sectors...and job security...the data could/should be aggressively and overtly shared with voters during election cycles utilizing sources like Transparentcalifornia.org or Openthebooks.com.
#1 is $121M now and that's only if the city had been setting aside funds since the regressive tax Measure C was approved in 2017.
It's now a permanent $8m hit to the budget for 30 years which all told is about $240M.
I guess were supposed to consider this a deal since the dollar won't be worth squat in 30 years.
"Finance Director Keith DeMartini said the city has an “excellent credit rating,” and was in the “best position possible to issue debt with a favorable rate.”"
I wonder if Keith got us the same deal on the $392M in unfunded pension obligations? That'd be another $26M per year for 30 years.
Looks like you have drilled down into these issues, Samsonite. Helpful to bring in your detailed knowledge. Thank you.
How much of the "excellent credit rating" for the city of Santa Barbara comes from the few remaining high property tax-paying areas, while of the rest of the city is slowly converted to more non-profit, non-property tax paying housing schemes for more low-income, low discretionary income residents.
How will this city trend supporting more low discretionary income residents coupled with greater numbers of no-property tax paying housing projects come together over the long run?
It would be instructional to map this entire city and account for property tax contributions (revenues) versus service area demands (expenses) to see who, what, where and how the city will continue to support its "good credit rating".
Do you know if any such study has been done? Now that we are divided into city election districts - how does that play out for each city district's revenue and expense contributions to the city over all?
Has our recent CVRA mandatory balkanization into separate, and artificially-created population-based voting districts been good for the city's overall economic health?