Regarding the Dec. 24 article, “Sewage Spill Leads to East Beach Closure in Santa Barbara,” to those people who complain every time a cruise ship visits, it’s not the ships that dump raw sewage into our waters, it’s the City of Santa Barbara.
The spill took place where De la Vina Street crosses Mission Creek and reportedly was “approximately 4,500 gallons of untreated sewage.”
Thousands of gallons flowed down Mission Creek, being diluted by rain swollen water, entered the ocean being even more diluted and was bad enough for the city to close the beach. I bet it was much more than the estimated 4,500 gallons.
I would hope City Administrator Kelly McAdoo and City Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon would see the hypocrisy of limiting cruise ship visits and also putting additional conditions on those ships that do visit.
Also to Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and Heal the Ocean, do you see that monitoring cruise ships is noble, yet kind of a waste of resources?
Dan Seibert
Santa Barbara
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Didn’t the City of Santa Barbara’s sewage spill happen where, just a few months ago, a major telecommunications line was severed during work to replace the Mission Creek bridge on De la Vina Street? Are the two related?
Lou Costa
Santa Barbara
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Regarding the Dec. 24 article, “County Issues Correction Notices for Isla Vista Rental Inspection Program,” as an Isla Vista landlord, my first thought was, this was a witch hunt against the landlords as Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps has not been our “friend.”
I agree, SOME properties do need improvement, and perhaps those properties should have been targeted first.
Personally, I have completed inspections of 18 of my apartments. All but three passed and the inspectors were very personable and understanding.
At one of these properties, I was the one to tell the inspectors about a code violation, a violation that was not noted on the check sheets.
At another property, the tenants had contacted the office for maintenance two hours before we met the inspector last week and TWO MONTHS after the mold problem began!
At the third one, there was a leak under the kitchen sink and around the faucet, both of which were VERY visible!
All of these issues are easily repaired but the tenants MUST have an implied responsibility to notify the landlord in a timely manner! The longer they wait, the bigger the problem becomes, and the more expensive it is to fix!
One set of tenants lived with substantial mold in their bathroom, that had extended into the bedrooms. As we all know, mold can be unhealthful so why would they wait so long to report it?
If we decide to give 24-hours notice and check out apartments more frequently, many tenants complain of harassment.
It is NOT ALWAYS the fault of the landlords. Capps must understand that students are part of the problem. Many CHOOSE to live in sub-standard or poor conditions and do not contact the landlord for repairs!
Please stop blaming the landlords! In 2025, I’ve made massive repairs and roof replacements from $60,000 and up. Bath and kitchen remodels have to be completed every 10 years or so due to proximity to the ocean mists and the students’ lifestyle. Please note I am not a landlord who stuffs four students in one room to increase the rent. My rents are some of the most reasonable in IV.
Plumbing repairs are substantial due to the age of the buildings, most of which are 60-65 years old! It costs a lot to maintain these properties, far more than a residential home.
Valerie Sweatt
SFM Vista Del Mar Property Management
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Regarding the Dec. 20 article, “Interfaith Gathering Marks Next Step in La Casa de Maria’s Post-Debris Flow Rebuilding,” it is sad that La Casa de Maria has waited eight years for permission to rebuild on its site that was devastated by the 2018 Montecito debris flows.
This proves yet again that FEMA has become an ineffective government agency.
La Casa de Maria was previously an important spiritual retreat center for the community and contributed to our mental well-being. I am glad to hear it can now finally rebuild but it should not have had to wait so long.
Susan Shields
Santa Barbara
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A hearty thanks for including Montecito’s Hanukkah lighting ceremony in the Dec. 17 article, “Amid Grief, Hanukkah Ceremonies Shed Light on Hope After Deadly Shooting.” It’s nice to read about holiday celebrations other than Christmas.
Additionally, the wonderful Dec. 23 article, “From Intern to Senior Rabbi: Q&A with Congregation B’nai B’rith’s Daniel Brenner,” was even more exciting.
Congregation B’nai B’rith is a warm and very inclusive community that genuinely seeks to meet the many needs of a large congregation. While Rabbi Steve Cohen has served it splendidly for the past 20 years, he has passed on the duties to a very gifted successor, Rabbi Daniel Brenner.
It’s also good news that the rabbi’s baby daughter has now been declared cancer-free.
Kudos to Noozhawk for paying attention and bringing us these fine pieces of news.
Josie Martin
Montecito
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Regarding Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse’s Dec. 16 commentary, “Why Redeveloping Paseo Nuevo Is Worth the Complexity,” calling the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment a “generational opportunity” overstates its likely impact.
Adding 350 housing units does not automatically revitalize downtown — especially if those units are unaffordable, transient or disconnected from the everyday workforce that sustains street life.
Density alone is not a strategy.
Downtown’s struggles stem from deeper issues than a lack of housing: unresolved State Street policy, high commercial rents, retail shifts, traffic and parking challenges, and inconsistent planning.
A single private project cannot substitute for comprehensive solutions to these structural problems.
Projected tax revenues are also presented uncritically. Such forecasts often assume ideal conditions while ignoring added public costs and infrastructure strain. Without independent analysis, they are aspirations, not guarantees.
Paseo Nuevo itself was built decades ago to “revitalize” downtown, yet the same challenges persist. That history should temper today’s optimism.
Real revitalization requires affordability, local businesses, coordinated planning and year-round activity — not just faith that one large project will finally succeed where others have fallen short.
Gina Quiroz
Santa Barbara
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Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and Community Environmental Council CEO Sigrid Wright make some interesting points in their Dec. 21 commentary, “A Warning and a Way Forward on Climate Action.”
But while complaining about President Donald Trump they inadvertently expose their own hypocrisy. They write:
“It isn’t just the loss of funding — it’s the instability and uncertainty created by abrupt policy reversals …
“Local governments shared how paused contracts and shortened timelines make it nearly impossible to implement adaptation plans.
“Community groups noted that this policy whiplash disrupts their planning and operations, forcing them to prepare for one set of federal guidelines and then quickly adjust when they are abruptly rewritten.”
But have Carbajal, Wright and the CEC ever expressed any objections to such circumstances when they’re imposed on businesses via policies they advocate for? Carbajal has literally voted FOR such policies throughout his lifelong career as a politician.
Doesn’t feel so fair now, does it?
As a matter of fact, just three days before their high-minded op/ed, Carbajal voted AGAINST the bipartisan SPEED Act that was intended to speed up permitting reviews for new energy infrastructure projects. Some environmentalist HE is.
Trump may not be the only problem here. But before pointing fingers, Carbajal ought to look in a mirror.
Brian Martinez
Buellton
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Regarding the Dec. 22 article, “Tory Bruno Resigns as CEO of United Launch Alliance,” I’m guessing Bruno is getting out while things are going OK. Probably following those other engineers who left a few years back.
I always wondered why United Launch Alliance went with engines from its competitor, Blue Origin, for the Vulcan rocket. Using the engines of your competitors didn’t seem like a good business decision.
If there is a future systemic problem with the engines or Blue Origin needs the engines for its own launch, where does that leave ULA?
After my 40 years in the aerospace business, I think Bruno is leaving for a reason and it might be self preservation.
Decisions are made every day in this business and perhaps the future is questionable, especially when your next-door neighbor is Space X and is launching twice a week.
Good luck, TB.
Bart Bader
Goleta
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Regarding Tony Lopez’s Dec. 19 letter to the editor suggesting Santa Barbara City College would benefit from the greater presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on its campus, I wonder if he could clue us in as to how that would work.
Would ICE be detaining students and on what grounds would they be detained? Where would they be detained and for how long? Who would investigate their cases? Would they be separating citizens from immigrants? Would all students be required to carry passports? And who would pay for this?
Reports of ICE operations detail how many of the people they’ve detained were held for days if not months before being released without charges. I don’t think ICE’s presence would do anything more than inspire fear and damage the mission of SBCC as a public community college dedicated to the success of each student.
Any ideas, Mr. Lopez?
Brian Epstein
Santa Barbara
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Smoke and vape shops in Santa Barbara County are selling products containing an opioid called 7-OH (short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, derived from kratom leaf). I am writing to make people aware of the dangers of 7-OH, and to build support for removing it from shops in our community.
A review of scientific literature on 7-OH by the Food & Drug Administration finds that 7-OH has “high potential for abuse,” and recommended it be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. The Drug Enforcement Administration is currently reviewing that recommendation.
Meanwhile, municipalities like Los Angeles County are passing and enforcing bans on 7-OH products. Santa Barbara County could benefit from a ban as well.
I hope you will protect yourself and your loved ones from this dangerous and widely available opioid in our community. We also need action from our community leaders to ban access to this dangerous drug.
Craig Abbey
Santa Barbara
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I would like to share a short story that epitomizes our admiration for how the Santa Barbara/Carpinteria part of the world is run.
I came west from New York at 25 or so — got a commission as a lawyer in the U.S. Coast Guard during Vietnam and miraculously was delivered to Seattle, where I later started my own firm and have remained ever since.
Forty years later, I retired. In the meantime my wife, Carol, and I had acquired a home in Carpinteria while keeping our place in Seattle. This little tale focuses on Carpinteria/Santa Barbara. There is no place like it.
First, when we need to return to Seattle we get into a cab and go to the airport. There are no lines. Get the boarding pass, one minute. Go up one flight of steps, check through security — it takes one tenth the time of any other airport. Everyone is friendly and very capable.
There is a restaurant and there is a bookstore. The food is very good, the book selection is, too.
On this recent trip I sat down in the restaurant, ordered and, while waiting, I realized I had somehow lost track of my boarding pass. I immediately got up, abandoning the imminent arrival of the food, and headed to the gate where the woman handling things said “no problem. Come back when you are ready and I will give you a new one.”
I returned to the restaurant where the waitress was concerned that my food was getting cold.
I went to the bookstore and found it had the most recent book of one of my favorite authors.
I returned to the gate, where the same friendly woman handed me my boarding pass.
This is a story of a magical place that surpasses any other travel operation that I have ever experienced. Thank you, Santa Barbara.
Art and Carol Harrigan
Carpinteria and Seattle
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