Some places are inherently sacred and must be protected and preserved. They hold cultural, historical and spiritual meaning, felt instantly by those who visit.
The area surrounding Santa Barbara’s Old Mission is one of these rare places, anchoring the city’s heart and soul, with bells calling to the community every morning and evening — for centuries.
For thousands of years, the Chumash people have lived on and cared for this land. To the owners of nearby 505 E. Los Olivos St., that parcel lies within this sacred landscape, near ancestral village sites, burial grounds, Mission Creek and the Old Mission itself.
It holds deep memory and significance.
This is not a place for a high-density apartment complex. Santa Barbara has many other sites where needed housing can be built to be compatible and beautiful.
I respectfully urge the owners of 505 E. Los Olivos St. to reconsider their plan. Instead, to join and engage the community in creating a public park, one that honors Indigenous heritage, preserves the historic homes, and that could potentially link to future trails along Mission Creek.
This is an opportunity to turn conflict into collaboration to protect Santa Barbara’s soul. Let’s come together to preserve this sacred place now and for generations to come.
Cassandra Ensberg FAIA
Santa Barbara
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I really enjoyed Tom Modugno’s July 26 column, “Daniel Hill — The Man Who Named Goleta.”
I give historical/architectural tours of Santa Barbara and knew about Daniel Hill and Nicholas Den, but the way Modugno wrote the article, I was left remembering every detail. It was just so clear and concise.
Meredith Brace
Santa Barbara
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I wish to thank Tom Modugno for the fascinating article on Daniel Hill, his family and the naming of Goleta. Excellent!
Ingrid Anderson Smith
Goleta
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As a freelance photojournalist and former Santa Barbara resident, I congratulate Tom Modugno for his history of Daniel Hill, the man who named Goleta.
Modugno skillfully compiles from multiple resources a fascinating story, whose irony also amuses.
While we now have so many people from other lands vying for U.S. citizenship, this story explains that Hill, a U.S. citizen from Boston, had to become a MEXICAN citizen in order to gain land ownership in the Goleta area.
Sylvia Allen
Yuma, Arizona
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While I appreciate the passion and anger demonstrated by Rep. Salud Carbajal et al. in their July 25 letter to the editor and their demand for immediate action, isn’t it a wonder that they are only now declaring, “our community cannot accept this” (their words)?
Why is the Santa Barbara community expected to accept the chronic problems that plague us year after year?
Must we accept:
- Endless debates about the future of State Street that benefit only consultants?
- Continued harassment and shouting at people strolling down State Street?
- Illegal street vendors stealing from local businesses and endangering the health of consumers?
- Municipal budgets that consistently fall short even though tax rates are increased?
- Increasing business vacancies?
- Overly onerous permitting / approval processes that quell development?
- Alarmingly decreasing math and reading test scores in our public schools?
The letter they penned states: This moment demands … leadership.
Where is the leadership to fix the day-to-day problems in Santa Barbara?
How does the community “demand” action for these “unacceptable” problems?
Mark Philibosian
Santa Barbara
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There is a coordinated effort by 29 people acting in an erroneous capacity, holding elected positions in Santa Barbara County. These individuals are attempting to undermine our government and elicit wrongful action by elected Sheriff Bill Brown.
On July 10, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s biggest nationwide raid at the Glass House Farms cannabis facilities in Carpinteria and Camarillo resulted in the following, according to ICE:
“On July 10, we executed federal search warrants at two marijuana operations. These ICE operations resulted in the arrests of 300+ illegal aliens, including:13 criminals convicted of such crimes as RAPE, KIDNAPPING and attempted FIRST-DEGREE RAPE, terrorism, narcotics trafficking, previous deportations and first-degree battery, felony firearm possession, WILLFUL CHILD CRUELTY, indecent exposure, assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and burglary. 14 unaccompanied children were rescued. One identified by the Center for Countering Human Trafficking.”
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, is asking our elected sheriff to oppose the federal government mandate and not to support the removal of criminals and save children.
Carbajal wants people to believe it is because Latino parents are being taken. Predominantly criminals are the focus of ICE, however, and anyone being arrested is investigated and getting their due process. Carbajal would want you to think otherwise, but that is false.
We have to respect law and order and the federal government rule.
We The People support the federal government and Sheriff Brown in the difficult job of handling these matters professionally with ICE officers.
Christy Lozano
Santa Barbara
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I doubt that Rep. Salud Carbajal and the other elected officials advocating for breaking federal law want to deal directly with the Homeland Security Department for their intentional violation of the law.
Sheriff Bill Brown is honoring his oath to serve all lawful residents, not just undocumented residents illegally here.
Thousands of taxpayers, citizens and legal immigrants who we welcome are watching these officials today.
Denice Spangler Adams
Montecito
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Regarding the July 25 article, “805UndocuFund Enlists Volunteers to Be Part of Immigrant Rapid Response Network,” I wonder how the children rescued from the pot farm human traffickers feel about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
I also wonder how neighbors of the arrested convicted criminals feel about ICE?
Juan Duarte-Velasquez, said by the Homeland Security Department to be a convicted rapist, and the others on ICE’s removal list are not our neighbors, and we are safer having them off our streets.
Cheryl Trosky
Santa Barbara
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I am in full agreement with Fred Sanford’s July 25 letter to the editor about Santa Barbara’s traffic patterns.
Who are the people making the decisions to ruin mobility in Santa Barbara? Many of our residential streets are quite narrow and they want to cut lanes.
There is a growing elderly population in Santa Barbara that depend on their cars for shopping and medical needs. Do the people making these “traffic” decisions think the older population is going to ride bikes to their doctor’s office or go to the grocery store? It’s not going to happen.
I deliver Meals on Wheels on Santa Barbara’s Westside. I had to change my route to avoid street closures, bulb-outs and blocked two-way traffic — wasting time and fuel for the sake of “traffic flow.”
I also drive along Modoc Road where there is a beautiful, expensive bike path. Most of the cyclists, of which there are very few, still ride on the street, not on the bike path!
Cliff Drive is one of the few streets left in Santa Barbara that is able to carry a traffic load, including emergency vehicles in case of an emergency. Leave it alone!
Steve Petersen
Noleta
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I am a little disappointed in the July 31 article, “Safe Snacking: What Human Foods You Can (and Can’t) Share with Your Dog.” I only saw the CAN eats.
Did this not get edited or is it just half-done?
Bart Bader
Goleta
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