Why do constituents elect and pay local representatives? Isn’t it to protect our safety and well-being? After five hours on Tuesday, August 12, I heard not one speaker in support of the District 1 Eastside 90-unit project "as is" while some could support it if reduced to respect the safety of existing residents and if the city did its part to ensure adequate road capacity. The city has recently foolishly reduced Milpas Street to one directional north-south lane.
Mayor Rowse failed us! With a 3-3 tie vote, as the only person representing every resident, Rowse showed he’s an agent of The State, unwilling to represent the best interests of Santa Barbara. He joined state-complicit technocrats District 2's Jordan, District 5's Friedman, and District 6's Harmon.
Courageously, armed with facts, District 4's Sneddon took the lead for the 4,000 of us on Eucalyptus Hill and the Riviera where both fire experience and a UCSB study confirm we’re “funnel” residents dependent on Eastside streets Gutierrez, Cota, and Carpinteria to escape. These narrow streets are inadequate for even daily travel. The speed of a fire (Tea-2008) was 13 minutes from mountains to sea. We’re trapped!