The claims published in the “Save De la Guerra Plaza” ad taken out in the October 7 Independent are not only absurd, but factually incorrect.
They write that there will be a “loss of all lawn area.” Have any of the authors been to the plaza recently? All the grass is dead and there are patches of dirt. This is because we live in a dry climate and are in a years-long drought. The city has been discouraging homeowners from wasting water on lawns as Lake Cachuma diminishes every day. We should not promote lawns right in front of the City Hall. Either way, the “lawn” has already been lost.
They also write that “it would no longer be possible to hold Fiesta Mercado [or host] speakers and political rallies and events [the plaza].” Again, this is completely untrue. The new plan calls for a resurfacing of the plaza that will bring all the ground up to the same level (rather than having the parking and road areas lower than the center grass and sidewalks). This, if anything, will make it easier to hold events in the plaza, and not worry about curbs and accessibility. Additionally, the plan calls for the planting of shade trees across the space, which will make it more pleasant to attend any event in the plaza.