Two Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty-One Dollars per minute

By Bonnie Donovan

Oct 03, 2025

And you thought last week’s city council meeting cost a lot at $178.67 per minute?

Try $2,651.11 per minute.

This week, the council convened at 2 pm, approved the consent agenda, and adjourned at 2:09. That’s nine minutes of official business—then back to their free private parking spaces and taxpayer-funded vehicle allowances. Each councilmember receives $9,822 annually for travel, totaling $68,554 a year for all seven.

City Council - September 30, 2025

These are the same folks who approved road dieting, closures, and bike lanes. Maybe it’s time they practiced what they preach.

Ride your bikes, councilmembers—lead by example.

And yes, Oscar Gutierrez arrived at 2:09. Just in time to see the meeting end.

More Letters

Bonnie,

Recently on my travels, I visited a small town that, in many ways, reminded me of Santa Barbara.

This downtown has a primary corridor that has traditionally served residents via small boutique retail businesses and restaurants.

There is a creamery with a long history that people line up in front of on Friday nights to get a scoop of ice cream, not unlike our own McConnell’s.

The buildings are older, have nice detailing, and reflect the history of the area. The primary street is tree-lined with in-ground planting beds.

There are benches, nicely designed trash receptacles. The sidewalks are brick.

While the town grid is orthogonal, the railroad line runs diagonally through it.

The town has a University that is immediately adjacent to it.

The University population represents approximately one third of what the fundamental town population is, or about one quarter when school is in session.

And that is where the similarities ended.

There is no view of the magnificent Pacific Ocean or the Lower Riviera from their downtown.

But it is vibrant, busy with pedestrians, and the shops appear to be thriving.

The people walking about and strolling through the shops were respectably dressed (not necessarily in expensive clothes and shoes) and clean.

There was no litter anywhere to be found - it was all IN the trash receptacles.

There were cars moving in both directions on the main street - and bicycles.

There was parallel parking (metered) against the curbs that allowed people to park, conduct business, and return to their vehicles with ease.

There was no reek of marijuana.

There were no homeless milling about, sleeping on sidewalks or benches, or screaming epithets and curse words into the air.

In fact, I did not hear one curse word the whole time I was in the area – from anyone!

There was not one person asking for money.

The in-ground planters were well kept with vibrant color and flowers.

There was a modest amount of sidewalk dining on the streets running parallel to, or perpendicular to, the primary corridor.

There was tree lighting.

How did this town achieve such a what-we-would-now-call utopian condition?

I am sure that I could conduct years of research comparing downtown SB to this one.

But here are a few basic things that I have come to realize and/or observed during my time there and since.

This town is in a more conservative area of the country.

When you talk to the locals, you realize they have common attitudes and beliefs about self, others, and community. There is group cohesion!

The locals openly recognize and talk about their responsibility to conduct themselves (and for their family to do the same) in a respectable manner, obey the law, and in many cases, put others before self.

They understand how these work together – SUCCESSFULLY!

Local law enforcement enforces the law, and the locals appreciate them for doing so.

Their real estate is priced affordably – even for a mom and pop store.

(I did not see one chain or big box store on the main street.)

They teach their children how “their town” works. They teach them to throw trash in receptacles.

I saw someone admonishing someone else’s child for not doing so. And the parent of that child was ok with it and thanked the other parent!

There are apparently local programs and facilities for those in need, but I was told by the locals with whom we were staying that family and church is the first and foremost resource.

I was reminded that this has the benefit of reducing burdens on government – and helps to keep taxes lower.

There are ways to fix downtown.

It requires buy-in...to a common vision...by all of US in OUR community. Inhabitants, students, and government.

It starts by each of us taking off the sweatpants and crocs and dressing like we care – about ourselves, this place, and our place in the world.

It moves outward by picking up an extra piece of trash and asking someone nicely to pick up theirs…and being grown up enough to be on the receiving end of such a request without feeling “assaulted.”

Smoke pot if you want to. But do it at home. That IS the law!

Engage in policy making and demand that our elected “leaders” change what is going on downtown.

Demand that they fund law enforcement adequately and support our officers doing their job.

Open the street. The ongoing experiment that City Council has been conducting for roughly 5 years now is failing.

We can pretend that downtown is great as-is, and that we have a utopian State Street corridor.

Or we can be honest with ourselves, stare the situation and our leaders in the face, make changes…and get there.

It is up to us and our elected officials.

Step up, speak up, and step into the voting booth!

SB Homeowner, Parent,

Taxpayer and Resident since 1974

America the Beautiful?? Santa Barbara - the Jewel of the Central Coast??

Unattractive, Confused, and Filthy

Over $500,000 later for a city that is in the RED, Does anyone seriously like this utterly unattractive poorly thought out condition??

What is completely clear is that this was not well thought out or professionally designed and has resulted in an unattractive, confused circulation route that is full of obstacles and a filthy Public Right of Way where some people use the space to hang out and smoke pot at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday. See guy in red hat.

All of this contributes to the creation of a generally unsafe environment that does not communicate community care or pride.

In the Design Profession this is what is called an “Attractive Nuisance”.

The solution is simple (and low cost): remove all the clutter, repair and freshen,, steam clean, and restore State Street to the original beautiful, simple, and classic design:

A main street for AUTOS and BIKES and PARADES

Wide brick sidewalks for PEDESTRIANS and some OUTDOOR DINING

all lined by beautiful buildings & Street Trees

These simple steps would go a long way to correct many problems.

Critically important is to hire a skilled designer!

Signed

A 40-year Santa Barbara resident,

Bicycle rider, and gardener

who misses parades on our once beautiful State Street

Channeling Mini Pearl Street

Is Santa Barbara trying to channel Boulder’s Pearl Street and somehow ended up with Minnie Pearl instead? The new outdoor market on the 500 block feels more like a sidewalk stage set—complete with dangling price tags—than a thoughtfully curated promenade.

If this is our version of revitalization, someone forgot to take off the tags before curtain call.

Stay tuned. We’ll be watching—and asking the questions the City Council forgot to ask.

Credit Where it’s Due

Councilmember Eric Friedman put in the work on Pearl Street, digging into the details and presenting a well-researched case to the City Council — a rare example of leadership grounded in facts and community needs. Yet when he brought that information forward, it seemed only Mayor Randy Rowse truly listened, while others on the Council remained disengaged.

Back to City Council

Maybe council members should have spent some time asking staff some real questions. (Of course, that’s not allowed unless it’s on the agenda—so perhaps two of them can request it be added).

For starters:

Who authorized the spending on the new pots and plants in the 500 block of State Street?
What’s with the traffic cones?
What account did that money come from?
If this setup is “only temporary,” are all Santa Barbara businesses now allowed to operate this way?
Is the city still projecting a deficit?
Are we ADA compliant throughout the 500 block of State Street?
And most importantly: Where are the answers for the public?

We’re still waiting. And watching.

Please Vote NO on Prop 50

Two Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty-One Dollars per minute

By Bonnie Donovan

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