We received an answer.
According to Sarah Clark from the City:
Sarah Clark - Downtown Team Manager
“We are purchasing the pots and plants out of the State Street Action Plan budget that was funded by measure C and previously approved by council.
We decided to add the pots to provide an additional visual cue and separation between the pedlet and the street, and to help further delineate the new ped path of travel (for example, guiding peds back onto the brick sidewalk at the triangle end pieces). They also serve to break up the cut line of the pedlet to prevent skateboarders from grinding on them. We are also using them along the edges of the ramps to prevent trip hazards. They look nicer than orange cones.”
Kelly McAdoo - City Administrator
This morning (Tuesday Oct 7), I asked her (Sarah) for the total dollar figure spent.
Pots. That’s what they’re spending our infrastructure tax dollars on — decorative pots.
Tuesday morning, Kelly asked for the total dollar amount spent. We’re still waiting for that figure. I suggested there should be receipts from SB Home Improvement… Remember the price tags left on the pots?
UPDATE: Kelly McAdoo just sent the dollar figure:
Ok, have the numbers. We have spent $1,600 on what is currently out on the street. The pedlet manufacturer is coming out next week to make some repairs that we have identified. We have about $4,400 in additional pots and plants that we intend to put out when the pedlets are repaired. So $5,000 total.
Measure C was passed with the promise of improving infrastructure across all of Santa Barbara — not just to make State Street look nice or skateboarder-proof. But once again, downtown gets the money, while other neighborhoods remain neglected.
Follow the Money – And the Meeting
The Finance Committee is meeting next Tuesday, October 14 at 12pm. If you’re concerned about how Measure C funds are being used — or misused — this is the meeting to watch.
Hi Bonnie,
Yes, that would be an appropriate use for that. “Business district infrastructure projects, with a focus on the State Street Promenade” is one of the current adopted priorities for Measure-C funds.
If you are interested in keeping the City from wasting Measure C funds on things that they are totally not authorized for, like using it to reimburse the housing fund for the money they took out of that to pay for services for people who are affected by ICE activities, then you need to come to the Finance Committee meeting next week. Kristen Sneddon and Wendy Santamaria are planning to try to raid Measure C again. Finance Committee | City of Santa Barbara
If you think Measure C should go toward fixing cracked sidewalks, dangerous intersections, or long-overdue repairs across the entire city — not to reimburse unrelated programs — it’s time to speak up.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere in the City…
While downtown gets planter pots and street art, here are just a few sidewalks in other neighborhoods that haven’t seen a cent of Measure C money. Crumbling sidewalks and pedestrian hazards remain untouched — year after year.
Remember, Measure C was a citywide tax increase. Shouldn’t the benefits be spread citywide too?
Yes, this is a sidewalk
A Strange Text From Wisconsin
By the way — did anyone else get this?
“We need your help to provide transportation for college students and young people, feed them, print signs, and more.
$25 = Bagels and coffee for one busload
$35 = Signs and materials for one busload
$50 = Pizza for one busload
$100 = 60 students driven to a No Kings Day protest.”
It came from a 414 area code — Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One message on Tuesday, another on Wednesday. Why are organizers in Wisconsin texting people in Santa Barbara?
Are they bussing people in for protests? It’s a fair question.
Vote No on Prop 50!
What’s Coming Next
Curious what the City and project partners want to do with Paseo Nuevo? There are two open houses next week where you can find out: Paseo Nuevo Open House Flyer (ENG/SPA_
Wednesday, October 15 from 6:00–7:30 pm
Thursday, October 16 from Noon–1:30 pm
And don’t forget: the 22nd Annual Harbor & Seafood Festival is happening next Saturday, October 18, from 10am to 5pm.Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival | City of Santa Barbara
Final Thought
Measure C was meant to fix what’s broken — not fund flowerpots and pay back unrelated programs. If you want to see that money used the way voters intended, show up or speak out.
It’s our city. And it’s our money.
Oh Wait, There’s More!
You can’t make this stuff up. Remember they paid over a half a million dollars for the new Pedlets for the 500 block of State Street… Read this email I was forwarded:
On Oct 7, 2025, at 5:03 PM, Sarah Clark <sclark@santabarbaraca.gov> wrote:
Good afternoon,
I’m writing to let you know that the City will need to temporarily close the pedlets and reopen the sidewalks on the 500 block of State Street beginning at 6:00 AM on Monday, October 13 and continuing through 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 16th.
Unfortunately, we’ve identified some quality control issues with the pedlets that require repair. During this period, Modstreet, the pedlet vendor, will be on site to inspect, repair, and replace pedlet sections as needed.
To allow this work to proceed safely and efficiently, we ask that you remove all outdoor dining furnishings and enclosures from the sidewalk by 6:00 AM on Monday, October 13 so that pedestrians can be re-routed. Once the repairs are complete, the pedlets will be reopened.
We recognize that this will create an inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to ensure these installations are safe, durable, and well-maintained for long-term use. Our goal is to minimize disruption and restore the pedlets as quickly as possible.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you.
Sarah Clark
Downtown Team Manager
CITY OF SANTA BARBARA
ROFLOL means, Rolling On the Floor Laughing Out Loud.
Final Thought Measure C was meant to fix what’s broken—not fund flowerpots, reimburse unrelated programs, or install pedlets that break down within a month.
We raised a citywide infrastructure tax to buy decorative pots, install half-million-dollar pedlets, and now shut them down for repairs. Meanwhile, sidewalks across Santa Barbara crumble untouched.
The city calls it “infrastructure.” We call it decorative spending, broken promises, and receipts with price tags still attached.
But hey—at least the flowerpots look nicer than orange cones.
ROFLOL—because crying would be too predictable.
🤣 Glad I could spark a laugh!
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IT WOULD SEEM that once revealed these financial shennanigans would be reversed, or that someone in Government would show remorse or shame. But no, where money is involved there is no sense of propriety or accountability. Slowly, inexorably, our beautiful city is being eroded and what made it so lovely ruined.
Excellent as always, Bonnie. Fixing things is just not good enough for our elected officials. No, they insist on redoing things that aren't broken so that they *are* now broken.