Regarding Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina’s June 27 article, “Santa Barbara’s State Street Promenade to Remain Closed to Vehicles Through at Least 2026,” we have a problem with State Street and the future of downtown.
The most disappointing thing about our City Council is its inability to make a decision and to push things off until 2026. A lot of time and money has been spent to explore options, and the council’s obligation was to sort through this information and decide on a plan of action that is in the best interest of the city.
Doing nothing is a dereliction of duty and does not bode well for the city and its future.
George Lilly
Santa Barbara
• • •
2026?! Could the City Council get any lamer?
The COVID-19 pandemic is over, the three-year State Street experiment is a failure, and it’s time the council stopped catering to a few at the expense of the many.
Steven Lee
Santa Barbara
• • •
I lived in the Santa Barbara area from 1971 to 2005, and my husband and I now live in Santa Ynez. So, I have seen State Street go through many phases.
Living in the Santa Ynez Valley, we often visit Santa Barbara. There are a variety of reasons that State Street has become controversial.
I support allowing cars to use State Street without interruption. This provides easy transportation and finding parking facilities that are close to where people want to walk. Bikes belong on the street.
This does put a limit on outside dining, which was great during the COVID-19 pandemic. But these days there are vaccines and medications to alleviate or decrease the intensity of the disease.
Certainly, COVID-19 played a part in many businesses not being able to survive. So, I think it will be a long-term process of recovering the commercial population.
I think State Street needs to consider the needs of its residents and surrounding communities. As a former resident, there was always a reason to go to a particular shop for some needed item. And driving along State Street made this easier.
I think the problem for Santa Barbara is State Street began catering to tourists, who may not drive, more than to its citizens.
There are many things to do in Santa Barbara, including visiting the Santa Barbara Zoo, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Sea Center.
All have museum stores where visitors can buy souvenirs that are often good-quality items. There is no need for souvenirs that say “State Street.”
Casey Bemis
Santa Ynez
• • •
My husband and I have been taking day trips to Santa Barbara (by train) several times a year for the past 25-plus years.
The love I have for your city started for me as a child as my father had attended college in Santa Barbara in the late 1920s, and the day that we were married (60 years ago this July 4), we had dinner at the Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf.
We have always enjoyed your weather, shopping on State Street, O’Malley’s Bar, restaurants and the friendly people. We could make the choice of walking or taking the shuttle from the Amtrak station up State Street, down to the wharf, or over to the marina and just enjoy a beautiful day.
Our day in Santa Barbara would start with lunch, shopping, stopping at O’Malley’s, shopping some more and ending with dinner on the wharf before our train ride back home.
It has become distressing to see the lack of the shuttle on State Street, having to deal with the homeless on the sidewalks or lying flat in the middle of State Street, and the many empty storefronts as merchants have moved on.
Now that we are a bit older, with a few health issues, we find it much easier to shorten our train ride and visit Carpinteria, which is more compact and visitor friendly.
We still plan to visit Santa Barbara on occasion, but to do so has become a challenge.
Betty Ancewicz
Granada Hills
• • •
Thank you to architect Cass Ensberg for her insightful and thoughtful concepts for State Street as reported in the June 25 article, “Ahead of Council Meeting, Architect Sketches Alternative Plan to Avert Permanent State Street Closure.” I love it all!
Penny Wilson
Santa Barbara
• • •
Cass Ensberg’s suggestions deserve serious consideration. Since the city is in no hurry to do anything, I don’t understand why they can’t just try her plan out in the meantime. What do they have to lose?
Linda Lopez
Santa Barbara
• • •
I love Cass Ensberg’s designs! They’re exactly what State Street needs, now!
It’s disappointing that the City Council shows such favoritism toward parklets and bicycles. That’s not fair.
M. Downey
Santa Barbara
• • •
Thank you to Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen for emphasizing his support for Cass Ensberg’s suggestions for State Street in his June 30 column, “Architect’s State Street Design Concept Too Good to Be Used.”
It’s time for civic leaders to step up and be heard on the terrible condition that State Street is in and to advocate for genuine solutions that won’t take three more years of hand-wringing.
Richard Dalton
Montecito
• • •
I had lunch last week in a city one might call the “Santa Barbara of the East”: Greenwich, Connecticut. The two cities have much in common, including a primary shopping street called Greenwich Avenue that is our State Street.
The difference between the two streets could not be more pronounced: Greenwich Avenue is fully leased with a nice mix of national and local retailers; has a very vibrant dining scene, including lots of parklets; and has two-way vehicle traffic and delightful sidewalk promenades.
Greenwich Avenue is clean, safe and attractive to both residents and tourists.
Our State Street once was the twin of Greenwich Avenue, but the difference today is staggering and depressing.
Perhaps our city officials could examine Greenwich Avenue as a case study to see what they are getting right and we are getting wrong. If Greenwich can make it work, Santa Barbara can make it work, too.
Tom Mullaney
Santa Barbara
• • •
I just want to say how much I enjoy Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen’s “Best of Bill” columns, and I always look forward to finding the gems he hides in them.
A case in point is his latest and his reference to the “State Street bicycle, er, pedestrian promenade.” It’s funny because it’s true.
Chris Spencer
Buellton
• • •
Regarding the June 24 article, “Santa Barbara Celebrates Its ‘Roots’ with Colorful Solstice Parade,” I lived in Santa Barbara for 80 years. As I remember it, the Solstice Parade never had anything to do with Santa Barbara’s roots.
In fact, as I remember it, the first few parades, beginning in 1974, were a tribute to what were then alternative lifestyles. Most of the country would say those lifestyles are still alternative.
Tom Williams
Chino Valley, Arizona
• • •
In his June 26 commentary, “Who Owns the Front Country Trails?” Ray Ford has presented a well-researched article regarding the trails in the hills above Santa Barbara and the surrounding area. Good on him.
R. Kent Richards
Montecito
• • •
Mega-kudos and thanks to Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal for his year-round, dependable and comprehensive coverage of the full range of local sports.
His prolific output, from preps to the Foresters and the post-graduation achievements of local athletes is solid, informative and inclusive. Does this guy ever sleep?
That Mark Patton fella is pretty good, too.
Jerry Roberts
Santa Barbara
• • •
I am very concerned about the safety of walking and biking on the Santa Barbara waterfront along Cabrillo Boulevard, from the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge up to and beyond Shoreline Park.
I’ve been in Santa Barbara for 45 years, I live at East Beach and walk the waterfront several times a week.
The electric bicycle speeding situation is getting worse. It’s a matter time before someone is seriously or fatally injured, and I don’t want it to be me.
Somebody needs to monitor and patrol how fast these people are going on electric bikes! They should definitely be ticketed, and they should definitely have drivers licenses if they are under 16 years old!
We didn’t have electric bikes 30 years ago, so transportation has changed, and now the monitoring of this issue and laws need to be changed.
There is only one sign on all of the waterfront walkway that mentions to share the path with bicyclists and pedestrians.
There are also designated bike lanes on both sides of Cabrillo Boulevard on both sides! There needs to be a law that if you are riding an electric bike or going more than 10 mph, you need to use the designated bike lanes on the street!
There are so many young children, riding two and three persons at a time while texting (most with no helmets), speeding along the Cabrillo walk/bike path while there are babies learning to walk and are pushing their little strollers, the elderly and young are walking and just strolling, and crazy bicyclists are swerving in between and in and out, dodging people.
I have seen several near misses with speeding bicyclists veering onto the grass to try to avoid a disaster.
It’s super dangerous and a major injury or fatality is going to happen soon. Will the city then be responsible to care for the injured? Of course, the City of Santa Barbara will be sued.
I sent the Santa Barbara grand jury an email detailing my concerns two years ago. I received one acknowledgement six months later, but no other follow up.
I am not the only person in Santa Barbara who thinks this is a very dangerous situation.
Daisy Del Moreo
Santa Barbara
• • •
Brian Sarvis’ June 4 commentary, “Condor National Forest Is More Deserving, Descriptive Than Los Padres Name,” proposes changing the name of Los Padres National Forest to “Condor National Forest.” He makes a good point.
I am part of a Monterey-based, nonprofit land trust, the Conservancy for the Range of the Condor, or “Range of the Condor” for short. We emphasize the “Range” part of the name, the land that is — or was — patrolled by the condor. That defines our territory.
However, “Condor” itself is an important word, because it symbolizes survival, and return from the brink of extinction — all esteemed qualities.
Humans brought the condor to the edge of extinction, true, but humans also have brought it back, with great care and at great expense — a fantastic and inspiring story!
And that is in addition to its significance in indigenous legend.
Arguments can be made about the benefits and detriments brought to California by the padres long ago, but for certain the word “Padres” makes a lot of people cringe. For that reason it seems logical to avoid naming a public place with a title that automatically causes negative feeling for so many.
I might also mention that there exists a proposal encased in legislation — initiated, I think, by Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and last seen as the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, H.R. 973, which creates the Condor National Scenic Trail.
The Condor trail would run from Lake Piru in Ventura County through the national forest about 400 miles, to wind up in Big Sur, the northern part of the forest.
Aside from the “national” designation, the Condor trail” already exists, the description of which can be read in Brian Sarvis’ own book, Condor Trail Guide.
This trail would possibly bring a lot of attention to the coastal forests, and I think it would be most appropriate if the Condor National Scenic Trail were to be found in the Condor National Forest.
Don Gruber
Conservancy for the Range of the Condor, Monterey
• • •
I do love Noozhawk’s letters to the editor and often wish an issue of local interest would strike my ire enough to write one.
Well, thank you for the inspiration, however feeble the issue, by publishing Brad Blue’s June 23 letter to the editor: “Climate change is a liberal lie. Green energy is bull. Stop your lying.” That’s not the headline; that’s the whole letter.
While it certainly meets Noozhawk’s word limit parameters for a letter to the editor, I hardly think it was worth posting. It is nothing more than etherial graffiti. You may as well have printed “Kilroy was here.”
Brevity may be the soul of wit, but Blue’s missive had none. If it was a slow week at the letters desk, I get it, but that doesn’t mean you have to give a tagger a free shot at your wall.
Regardless, thank you for providing your readers a place to express their opinions, however inane they may be at times. Just make them earn it.
Mike Gerken
Goleta
• • •
I strongly disagree with statements of Carpinteria Valley Water District representatives that reclaimed water from the Carpinteria Sanitary District will be “pure.” It is a foolish statement.
Water is dynamic and pure is an impossible label for it. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on an information campaign offering propaganda is probably why no one is interested.
It seems to me that the water district project is about to reach the $50 million mark. I regret not speaking up about this sooner.
I ran the Colorama Nursery on Via Real from 2001 to 2016 using exclusively Carpinteria Valley Water District water. The water PH, frequently 8 and constantly high, was toxic for some crops, and reclaimed water has notoriously high PH.
Now, I’m only pointing out the harm from plants, not my or others’ kidney stones that are caused by hard water.
The public should be made aware of the facts about the high PH and the toxic concentrations of boron in the reclaimed water since reverse osmosis does not remove it. Also, the amount of hormones and pharmaceuticals from human waste that will be pumped into our drinking water and the possible harm to mental health and early child development.
I appreciate the opportunity to address this issue with my community, and hope to open to an honest evaluation of the negative aspects of this project and its effects on our most valuable resource.
Curtis Thornton
Carpinteria
• • •
Mail Calls
Noozhawk welcomes and encourages expressions of all views on Santa Barbara County issues.
Letters should be BRIEF — as in 200 words-BRIEF — and letters under 150 words are given priority. Each must include a valid mailing address and contact information. Pseudonyms will not be used, and repeat letters will be skipped. Letters may be edited for clarity, length and style.
With rare exceptions, this feature is published on Saturdays.
By submitting any content to Noozhawk, you warrant that the material is your original expression, free of plagiarism, and does not violate any copyright, proprietary, contract or personal right of anyone else. Noozhawk reserves, at our sole discretion, the right to choose not to publish a submission.
Click here for Noozhawk’s Terms of Use, and click here for more information about how to submit letters to the editor and other announcements, tips and stories.