Today’s newsletter is presented by Goodwin & Thyne Properties.
I remember when it happened.
On May 19, 2020, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to close State Street to cars from the 500 block to the 1200 block as a result of a global pandemic.
Six years later, the street is still closed to traffic. Will the City Council vote to reopen it to vehicles? We’ll find out this Tuesday when the council decides on the future of the street.
The fight is real.
Bicycle and pedestrian advocates want the street to remain closed to vehicles. Motorists and many longtime Santa Barbara residents support a return to pre-COVID conditions by allowing cars back on the street.
Just about everyone seems to agree that people on electric bikes have taken over the street, meaning most pedestrians are back on the sidewalks.
Businesses are split on the issue, while property owners lean toward reopening the street to cars.
The City Council majority has consistently voted to keep the street closed to cars, in several votes since 2020. Has anything changed this time around? It is an election year, so anything can happen. Expect City Hall to feel a bit like a World Cup game this Tuesday.
In the meantime, check out our letters to the editor, both for and against opening the street to cars.
I have covered every turn of the screw about the State Street controversy, and I’ll have the latest at newspress.com later this week.
Joshua Molina
News-Press Editor
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Local voices
“This budget you’re being asked to adopt reflects a four-year cumulated deficit of over $60 million with over $34 million in losses last year, over $20 million this year. This trend is a bump? It’s not a bump, it’s a cliff.”
— Parent Michele Voigt, voicing disapproval of raises for Santa Barbara Unified cabinet members.
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