La Entrada Backers Given Notice to Clean Up Californian Hotel

Public complaints lead to an investigation, revealing structural and health hazards with the State Street property

The previously condemned and now vacant Californian Hotel at 35 State St. sits on a parcel that's part of the larger La Entrada project. The owners, Mountain Funding, were served a notice Monday outlining complaints about the property.
The previously condemned and now vacant Californian Hotel at 35 State St. sits on a parcel that’s part of the larger La Entrada project. The owners, Mountain Funding, were served a notice Monday outlining complaints about the property. (Lara Cooper / Noozhawk photo)

By Lara Cooper, Noozhawk Staff Writer | Published on 12.10.2009

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It’s a building that’s been derelict for years, but Santa Barbara city officials say it’s time for the Californian Hotel to get some attention.

The previously condemned and now vacant building at 35 State St. rests on a parcel that’s part of the larger La Entrada project, a 123-key hotel and timeshare plan involving three plots on the corners of Mason and State streets.

Mountain Funding, the owners of all three parcels, were served a notice Monday stating that the Fire Department and the city’s building and safety division have been investigating complaints about the property.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from the public, according to George Estrella, the city’s chief building official.

The city received reports of homeless people entering and leaving the building, graffiti, broken windows and even tiles falling off the roof, he said.

An investigation showed that the building was in violation of city code regarding the abatement of dangerous buildings, in addition to being determined seismically unfit.

The notice said several buckets of sewage left by homeless people had been found in the hotel and that two rooms were being occupied, although no one was there when inspectors passed through.

The instability of the structure makes it especially vulnerable to fire, the chances of which increase as the winter months set in and because evidence of possible cooking fires, a burned cigarette on a pillow and hazardous wiring were found in the building.

If Mountain Funding doesn’t comply, the city can issue a citation of $250 for every day the property is in violation, or file a civil or criminal complaint in court.

According to the notice, the company must provide a plan of action within 30 days with dates to fix a list of problems, including stabilizing the walls, securing roof tiles and removing all graffiti — and the work would need to be completed within 60 days. Cleanup of the interior needs to begin immediately, according to the city.

Estrella was part of the team that went into the building with the fire department to look around, and he said he wasn’t prepared for the condition of the interior.

“We knew that the building continues to degrade, but I was totally taken aback,” he said. “It’s a real potential health hazard.”

The original La Entrada project approved by the city in 2001 was for 62 timeshare condominiums, but the permits still apply if the city decides revisions to the plan “substantially conform” to the older ones.

No formal action was taken at the project’s last public appearance in October, and it’s up to City Manager Jim Armstrong to approve or deny the plan. Armstrong will have to decide whether the project conforms to the property’s previous plans that were granted before the developer, Bill Levy, went bankrupt two years ago.

Officials from Mountain Funding did not respond with comment on the notice, but Estrella said city officials met with Mountain Funding representatives Thursday, and that they had accepted the notice.

“They did say they’re going to jump on this and comply,” he said. “These items need to be taken care of as soon as possible.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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» SB Frank on 12.11.09 @ 08:17 AM

Bill Levy and the list of all of his original financial partners in this project should be published in Noozhawk.  I am sure Noozhawk can find that list.  We all know that Bill and his greed are responsible for this blight on the city but the community would be shocked if they were to also read the names of the “Mr and Mrs Santa Barbarans” who catered to Mr. Levy’s thirst for power at the very beginning of the project.  These people invested finances to get it to where it is today.  I hope that Noozhawk can obtain that list and publish it so that all of SB can be informed.

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» Daggersome on 12.11.09 @ 08:47 AM

SB Frank: What good would that do to list names? These people have already lost their savings/retirement funds. Mountain Funding has had many opportunities to develop or sell the project for 5 years. Would you post the names of families not making their mortgage payments or the lenders who take possession? Your comment is so typical of the many NIMBY’s who got theirs and want to constrict communities and businesses from growing & prospering. It’s the economy. At least the building department is finally putting pressure on Mountain Funding.

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» amazed on 12.11.09 @ 09:12 AM

30 days to submit a PLAN to clean up graffiti?!!! then 60 days to complete the work… when the rest of us have to do that pronto or be fined by the city…go figure!

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» arts advocate on 12.11.09 @ 09:22 AM

How about putting some art on those walls like they did across the street?  Studies show, where there is art, graffiti subsides.

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» John Locke on 12.11.09 @ 10:22 AM

10 days to completely clean it up or start accruing daily fines.

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» wondering... on 12.11.09 @ 10:52 AM

WHAT ABOUT THE MIRAMAR???? That property is in far worse condition (and dangerous) than the California Hotel.

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» adaptive reuse on 12.11.09 @ 10:55 AM

One Word: Warming Center

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» not amazed on 12.11.09 @ 11:21 AM

This was and is a project that should have had its permits permanently revoked.  It was too big, and the traffic plan to narrow roads was stupid.

Levy took his investors, no question. 


It is time to kill this bad plan and force a completely new application.  The past mayor and majority of council wanted to keep bleeding the bank.  Tell them its over, cut their losses and sell or re-submit.

No I am not amazed ........ it has become business as usual in Santa Barbara

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» sbLoc on 12.11.09 @ 01:57 PM

I wanna go sleep in the room with the buckets of sewage, sounds nice.

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» John Locke on 12.11.09 @ 11:55 PM

The Miramar is not in the City; the Californian is in the City.  The City has no juricdiction over the Miramar.

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» Richard Foster on 12.12.09 @ 06:39 PM

Why not level it?  The cost of seismic retrofit followed by rehabilitation of its facilities is likely more than the building structure is worth.  Mountain Funding is garnering no income from the property now anyway.  Clearing the lot would removes a blight before the homeless accidentally torch it.  Besides it might free up a new designe for the whole project, rather than allowing existing footprints to drive the design for the whole project.

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» AN50 on 12.15.09 @ 12:25 PM

Sorry Richard, normally I would agree with you on the demo. But the only thing Santa Barbara has that resembles a city is its old buildings. Leveling the hotel would just usher in more of this low rise suburban style crap that, in spite of the red tile roofs, is so common in So Cal. More garden style condos is not what we need. However any developer coming in with a uniquely urban design would be slaughtered by the “too big, too tall” crowd here. I’d rather keep a wretched dilapidated old building than see more sprawling low rise Chapala One’s built down town.

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