Regarding the Aug. 10 story, “Fate of Treasured Franceschi House on Santa Barbara Riveria Goes Before Key Commission This Week,” the City of Santa Barbara’s demolition proposal is the right direction.
Too much time and money have been spent on trying to save a building of little architectural significance, but of obvious historical importance. There is a difference.
Commemorating Franceschi House with panels and saving the medallions that are an interesting part of the property’s history is a good solution.
The view from the site is stunning and will be enhanced with a friendly garden design that will, I believe, finally turn this into a city park experience of great value.
Jarrell Jackman
Santa Barbara
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Regarding the Aug. 15 article, “Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Marks Opening of Goleta’s Buena Tierra Supportive Housing Development,” the 60-unit project was celebrated by all our local politicos but I ask, “At what cost?”
Homelessness is an issue but the lack of “economically” affordable housing for our public safety personnel is critical. So is the housing need for teachers and nurses who keep our community moving forward.
Citizens have asked that something be done about homeless encampments and great progress has been made at clearing out camps. But one must ask at what cost and whose expense is re-housing achieved?
Buena Tierra remodeling cost $19 million for 60 living units. That is $316,666 per unit.
Over 10 years each resident could be given $31,666 to live on, instead of this project. Homeless efforts need to be streamlined and be more cost conscious.
Citizens also want safe streets and criminals arrested. Those goals take staffing. Those law enforcement officers need affordable housing close to where they serve.
Why is there no plan to make “economical” housing affordable for police and firefighters? Many positions are not filled because of housing costs.
Priorities for spending should be top-down for our community’s needs. Where is our community’s support for public safety?
Richard Foster
Goleta
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Housing for street people, call them what you will.
How fast will the word get out that we — that’s you and I who are employed and are not drug users or alcoholics or derelicts, and pay heavy taxes — give free rooms to “them.”
Gee, that won’t bring more street people to the area …
Nicholas Angel
Buellton
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When I caught wind of Major League Baseball’s newest engineering project, I immediately thought of Mark Patton and what his reaction would be.
In lieu of bothering him, I decided to address this new idea of requiring a starting pitcher to throw a minimum six innings. This forcing the players to adhere to requirements implemented for the sole purpose of creating an ideal (read that utopian without the flaws, mostly human) and more marketable experience works contrary to the desired results.
Instead, players are forced to conform to ludicrous rules, like the pickup game rule of our childhood of having ghost runners in extra innings, Artificial Intelligence calling balls and strikes, relief pitchers facing a minimum three batters. And the list goes on and on.
The minimum six-inning starter rule should be shut down. Baseball was pure, unadulterated athletics that transcended the world of finance and allowed fans to regale in sport for sport’s sake.
Now, though Pete Rose is banned from MLB for betting, Major League Baseball now promotes gambling, all for the mighty dollar! If anyone should be in the Hall of Fame, it is indeed Rose (check his numbers and accomplishments).
This forcing the issue is akin to social engineering, it can’t be forced, it needs to be worked out rationally in a humanistic manner, not forced by rules and laws, though laws guaranteeing personal rights and safety are essential.
MLB, don’t dilute our national pastime like our ever-growing central government is diluting the human experience. Stop making an overabundance of engineering rules, and set a new and more purely humanistic example for our government to follow, and save our national game concurrently.
Mark, do you have a connection to MLB commissioner Rob “The Grand Engineer” Manfred’s office? If so, pass this on to the commissioner!
Brian Massey
Sonoita, Arizona, and formerly of Santa Barbara
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Vandenberg Space Force Base, the neglected stepchild of America’s space tourism. Our government has invested heavily in space tourism on the East Coast but neglects us here on the West Coast.
No matter how much I whine and complain about this situation, my elected representatives in government contend that this situation is none of my business, issuing proclamations written by the U.S. military spouting dismissive nonsense that “We have no money or personnel to deal with the public on Vandenberg Space Force Base.”
I do not expect the U.S. military to deal with the public for space tourism on Vandenberg; that is not their job.
I do, however, expect this issue to be addressed with the same exuberance — and financing — that it has shown for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Freeland Jay Salsburg
Lompoc
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Regarding the recent letters to the editor about the launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base and the complaints about launch rates, noise, rumbles, etc., my observation is this:
You moved here knowing it was next to a military base that launches rockets. There are many different types of rockets so launch rates should be expected to increase.
It is similar to houses next to an airport. What’s next? Should we limit airport flights because of the noise and rumblings? Next thing you know, you’ll have to wait months to get an airline flight.
Here is something to consider if you live next to a rocket launch facility: Rocket flight will soon be as reliable as airplane flight and the frequency will increase, too.
Space is the next frontier, and space is the future of the human race and replacing earth’s dwindling natural resources.
If this seems too galactic, the only thing slowing this down is the current administration’s lack of vision and inability to control government budgets. Instead of spending funds on space, we spend it on illegal reimbursements of student loans, immigration costs, etc.
Perhaps, instead of complaining about the rocket noise, you should be complaining about the administration noise. Let’s make the space race great again.
Bart Bader
Goleta
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Regarding Ron Fink’s Aug. 13 commentary, “Are Actual Emergency Medical/Fire Service Response Times Adequate?,” he discussed the current and ongoing disagreement over Santa Barbara County’s pending ambulance service contract renewal. Of particular interest were response times.
My question is, regardless of who provides the service, who determines the response times?
Is there some remote, impartial referee who logs the fire or ambulance vehicle departure and arrival times or are those times self-reported?
I suspect it’s the latter, which renders the entire discussion about response times moot as there are numerous ways to “adjust” departure and arrival times in any recorded data.
Art Thomas
Santa Barbara
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I just wanted to say thank you to Capt. David Bacon for his Aug. 8 column, “Skateboarders Create Their Own Brave New World.”
I am a recently retired airline pilot and lifetime skater. I believe I started skating shortly after Bacon did as there were skateboards to buy, albeit with clay wheels (no urethane yet).
Before the City of Santa Barbara built Skaters Point I wrote a newspaper letter to the editor in response to a letter from a citizen expressing her distaste for the park, skateboarding and skaters. My letter was published under the title of “This is your Captain speaking.”
I just wanted to say thank you to Bacon for expressing support for a sport that I believe teaches people so many lessons in so many ways, and is fun to boot. Hey, it is even an Olympic sport now.
Thank you, Captain.
Paul Phillips
Santa Barbara
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I have found that almost no one uses the bike lanes that are all over Santa Barbara County! They are such a horrible waste of time, money and effort!
Carol Redhead
Lompoc
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