Early this month, I retired as a City of Santa Barbara employee. I was hired as an entry-level employee in 1983, but since 1995, I have been able to help shape my community as a city planner. I learned a lot about our local history, the city’s architectural heritage, and why Santa Barbara is such a special place.
Public service also taught me that I could have a role in helping my fellow citizens. I enjoyed being a public servant for the past 34 years, helping our English- and Spanish-speaking permit-seeking applicants understand all the city��s (at times) complex regulations and helping them get through our design review process. Government workers are often criticized as lazy bureaucrats. But I can tell you that I have seen many dedicated city staff work tirelessly to assist the public.
Why is Santa Barbara so special, besides its overwhelming natural beauty, architecture, and location? It is special because we have a long history of civic duty and people who volunteer their precious time to help shape their community. This is reflected by the number of citizens who sit on all the city’s various advisory boards. I have supervised the Design Review and Historic Preservation Section for the city for the past 22 years. I have seen architects, landscape design professionals, contractors, and concerned citizens all volunteer on various design review committees, including single-family building design and signs, using their expertise to try to guide this city to grow, change, and become better.