City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Good afternoon. Viva la fiesta. It is the August 4th regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council. Would you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Madam Clerk, would you call the roll, please?

Certainly, Council Member Friedman. Here. Council Member Santamaria. Here. Council Member Gutierrez. Present. Mayor Rouse. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Stanton. Here. Council Member Harmon. Here. And Council Member Jordan, who is here.

All right, very good. Thank you. And you have some ceremonial items to read.

Yes, I'll go ahead and read both of them. Item one, Old Spanish Day is weak. And then you'll hear number two, Employee Recognition Service Award pins.

Thank you. Old Spanish Days Week, August 5 through 9, 2026. Whereas 2026 marks the 103rd annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta in Santa Barbara, a five-day celebration of Santa Barbara's historical origins, it honors the Spanish, Mexican, and Chumash cultures that are integral to the very fabric of our community. And whereas thousands of visitors flock to Santa Barbara each year to experience this unique celebration of culture, arts, food, history, and community, and whereas Old Spanish Days benefits many area nonprofits, businesses, youth programs, and community groups as it boosts the local economy, and whereas this local tradition has continued to thrive and grow for more than a century due to the dedication of all current and former organizers, board members, volunteers, performers, flower children, and event participants, And whereas the City of Santa Barbara recognizes this year's El Presidente, Colin Hayward, Spirit of Fiesta, Jenna Ramirez, Junior Spirit of Fiesta, Penny Hernandez, and all Los Ninos de la Flores, whose service and ambassadorship help preserve and celebrate the rich cultural traditions of Old Spanish Day's Fiesta. Therefore, I, Randy Rouse, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Santa Barbara, do hereby proclaim August 5-9, 2026, as Old Spanish Days Week in Santa Barbara. I encourage residents and visitors alike to explore, enjoy the many fiesta festivities, performances, food offerings, historical presentations, and cultural activities throughout the town. And viva la fiesta, Mr. President. Thank you, Mayor.

Here's what it looks like. It looks beautiful. What you just read was excellent, better than anybody could have done off the cuff. Thank you so much. And Mayor, I have something for you as well. This is one of our posters, 2026, signed by me, going to the mayor.

Mayor, at this point, I'd like to ask your permission to welcome and ask the Flores de los Ninos, Ninos de los Flores.

to approach the city council. Okay. Which way do you want them?

Are they gonna go through over there?

This is the one time we allow this. There's some space where they can see. Oh, you guys are going to keep going. We can take a picture, all right.

Okay, hey, everybody, Chase.

Oh, hello. Hey, Chase, over here.

I think we got it.

Do we have all the girls up in the front?

Yeah, we have them all. All right.

There we are. Actually, let's just get them over towards the middle.

Here you go.

For me, for me, for me. Maybe a little Fiesta 2026. For me. There you go.

Fantastic. All right. Just a little bit more.

up at the camera, three, two, one. Thank you.

Thank you to Los Linos de El Flores and Viva La Fiesta. We're gonna be seeing you around town, I'm sure. Maybe even tomorrow night. And thanks to all the dedicated moms and dads that have something to do with this little celebration, by the way. Appreciate that. And Madam Clerk, I believe you have another item to read.

Yes, and this is the Employee Recognition Service Award pins.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. I will start off with doing some of our more recent employees and recognizing them for, we're doing our August 2026 service awards and then we have one in-person recognition today. So I'll start off with employees celebrating five years of service. I'll read all of these and then we can applaud them by years of service. So first, Raymond Rango, Rental Housing Mediation Specialist in the City Administrator's Office. Tess Therese Harris, State Street Master Planner in the City Administrator's Office. Carissa Salazar, Finance Analyst One in the Finance Department. Brian Fetterman, Fire Operations Division Chief. Madison Hank, Police Officer. Michelle Royals, Police Officer. Jesse Wheeler, Supervising Engineer in the Public Works Department. And Mark Burdick, Airport Police Officer. And we'll give them a round of applause. Next, celebrating 10 years of service, we have Carlos Razo, Custodial Supervisor in the Public Works Department, Andrew Benson, Water Distribution Supervisor in the Department of Water Resources, and Blake Yeager, Airport Operations Specialist. Give them a round of applause. And celebrating 15 years of service, Derek Bailey, Principal Traffic Engineer in our Public Works Department. And 20 years of service, Julie Thomas, Recreation Coordinator in our Parks and Recreation Department. Before we go back to our in-person recognition, we do have two employees celebrating 30 years of service, but neither of whom is with us today, but want to recognize Margaret DeVille, Applications Administrator in our IT Department, and Andrew Hill, Police Sergeant in our Police Department.

Yep, one more.

And last but certainly not least, celebrating 25 years of service, Christopher Short, Senior Plan Check Engineer in Community Development, and I believe he is here to receive his recognition. Thank you.

Thank you.

To recognize Chris Short, senior plan check engineer for 25 years of service. Chris Short joined the City of Santa Barbara Community Development Department's Building and Safety Division in 2001 as a plans examiner. His credentials at that time included an architectural degree from Cal Poly and an architect license. In 2002, he advanced to senior plans examiner. In 2003, he began assisting with the flood review and in 2005, became the city's floodplain coordinator. In July 2009, he was promoted to Senior Plan Check Engineer. He retired in January 2023, but returned as a Senior Plan Check Engineer in July 2023, before retiring again in December 2023, and then returning again in June 2024. Kind of like a Tom Brady situation, I guess, okay. As the city's floodplain coordinator, Chris's broad understanding of the structural and FEMA flood plan review is admired by his land development team colleagues. During his city career, Chris contributed to developing building and safety's plan check templates and procedures for FEMA floodplain division and the state's CalGEMS oil well criteria. Early in his city career, Chris recognized the need for a mapping tool to help people find oil wells and earthquake data and subsequently mapped all the oil well locations and the city's seismic and wind design parameters. During his 25-year career, Chris has assisted countless customers, colleagues, and design professionals. He has been commended for his flexibility, valued for his work ethic, and praised for his ability to express his point of view tactfully and thoughtfully. His priorities plan review deadlines and excels at the complex, technically nuanced demands of his role. Chris's dedication to his work is admirable. He is collaborative, helpful, and generous with his knowledge and professional expertise. and his accomplishments are as meaningful to his colleagues as to himself. Chris's empathy and humility are reflected in his humble statement, my accomplishments would not have been possible without all of the city professionals who I had the privilege to work with. Thanks to all. So Chris Short, on behalf of the Santa Barbara City Council, the residents of Santa Barbara, and your fellow employees, it is a great pleasure to honor you for your 25 years of service to the city and your outstanding service to our community. Congratulations, Chris.

I paid a lot to get that. Anyway, it has been remarkable working with the city. Prior to this, I worked 26 years in architecture, did commercial and residential work. And I went to many of the building departments in L.A. County. in Ventura County, so I was well aware of their proficiency and what they could or couldn't do. This group that I've worked with exceeded all my expectations. The planning, the public works, the people I've worked with are absolutely dedicated to the highest level, and I appreciate them all. Thank you for allowing me to do this service for the city.

All right, very good, Ms. McAdoo. Are there changes to the agenda?

No, did you want to do the one last ceremonial item before we do changes to the agenda?

Okay, very good. We will go a little bit out of order, and I want to recognize the students here from Toba, Japan, and I would like to call Linda to the mic and Takako to present these students from the exchange students from Toba.

Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor and council members all. and the public such as they are. We're the Santa Barbara TOBA Sister Cities Organization. We've been sisters with TOBA Japan for 60 years. And this is our 30th year of student exchange. So we're very proud of the trail that we've blazed there and that we continue on through thick and thin. So we wanna just introduce and recognize our students that are visiting and the families that are hosting them as well as the two chaperones, one from Santa Barbara and one from Toba that are wrangling the kids and making sure everybody stays happy and safe. So I will turn it over to our Mimi who's going to introduce herself and the students and they will all come up and tell you who they are.

Hello, my name is Memi Williams, and this is the group of ambassadors that are visiting Toba.

All right, very good.

My name is Mahirokida. I am 15 years old. My name is Ram Okano. I am 15 years old. My name is Kaisei Miyahama. I am 13 years old.

I'm 40 years old. All right, very good.

You're going to say your name and then your school.

Yes, please, local students. I'm Leon, and I go to Santa Barbara Junior High.

I'm Koi, and I go to La Corina. You already know me, but I go to Dos Pueblos. I'm Kachin, and I go to Crane Country Day School.

All right, very good.

So these are our very important chaperones, and Aiko, can you tell the folks here what your name is and where do you work?

Hi, my name is Aiko Emura. I'm working at Toba City Hall. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Alisa Bollinger, and I am a retired teacher from Dos Pueblos High School.

And where would we be without the families? Moms and dads and little sisters, please stand up real quick. Thank you so much, everybody.

All right, thank you very much, and thank you to all the students that came here from Toba and all the families that are sponsoring them. That's a great program. Thanks so much. With that, we'll go to our Madam Administrator for changes to the agenda.

Thank you, Mayor. Just consistent with how we've been rearranging the agenda, we will do pulled consent items before we go to general public comment today. All right, thank you.

And with that, we'll go to the consent calendar. Madam Clerk, you have some items to read.

Item 4, adoption of an ordinance approving a lease agreement with La Patera Investors LP ordinance adoption. Recommendation that council adopt by reading of title only an ordinance of the council of the city of Santa Barbara approving and authorizing airport director to execute a lease agreement with La Patera Investors LP for 41,760 square feet of paved land at the Santa Barbara airport. Item five, adoption of an ordinance approving second amendment to agreement number 18538 for signature flight support LLC ordinance adoption. Recommendation the council adopt by reading of title only an ordinance to the council of the city of Santa Barbara approving authorizing airport director to execute a second agreement. I'm sorry, a second amendment. to agreement number 18538 with signature flight support LLC commencing upon the effective date of the enabling ordinance. Item six, acceptance of $10,000 from Matawan LLC resolution. Recommendation that council adopt by reading of title only a resolution of the council of the city of Santa Barbara amending resolution number 26057 adopting the budget for fiscal year 2027 to increase revenue and expenditure appropriations by 10,000 in the fiscal year 2027 waterfront department and harbor patrol equipment budget for a donation received from Matawan LLC. Item 7, grant agreement with the California State Coastal Conservancy for Lower Sycamore Creek Flood Mitigation and Restoration Planning Project Resolution Agreement. Recommendation that Council adopt by reading of title only, a resolution of the Council of the City of Santa Barbara accepting grant funds from the California State Coastal Conservancy in the amount of $2,015,000, authorizing Sustainability and Resilience Director or designee to execute a grant agreement for the Lower Sycamore Creek Flood Mitigation and Restoration Planning Project and amending resolution number 26057 to approve an increase and Revenue and Expenditure Appropriations and Sustainability and Resilience Department, Creeks Fund, in the amount of $2,015,000. Item eight, Annual Assessments for Downtown Community Benefit Improvement District and Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District Resolution. Recommendation that Council A adopt by reading of title only, a resolution of the Council of the City of Santa Barbara requesting the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County to include the Downtown Community Benefit Improvement District Special Assessment on the 2026-2027 Parcel Tax Rule. and to be adopted by reading of title only, a resolution of the Council of the State of Santa Barbara, requesting the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County to include the Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District Special Assessment on the 2026-2027 Parcel Tax Roll. And that is all the items to read on consent, Mr. Mayor.

All right, very good. Are there any items that need to be polled for further discussion or separate vote by council members? Ms. Sneddon.

Item 16, just for a question.

15, okay. 16. 16, thank you. And Ms. Santa Maria.

Thank you, Mayor Rouse. Item 13 for questions and comment.

Item, I'm sorry, which item again?

13.

All right, very good. And are there any speakers on the line for specific consent items, Madam Clerk?

We do have one hand raised from Stanley Zankoff. Mr. Zankoff, I'm just going to unmute you for a moment and ask which item. Mr. Zankoff, what item would you like to speak on?

Yes, I believe it's 13.

Very good. Thank you.

Okay, very good.

And that's the only public speaker for item 13.

All right, very good. Then I will entertain a motion for the balance of the consent calendar absent items 13 and 16. So moved. Moved by Friedman. Second. Second by Sneddon. No, it was Harmon. One of you.

Okay.

We understand the motion is second. Very good.

Friedman-Harmon. This is a motion by Council Member Friedman, seconded by Council Member Harmon, for the balance of the consent calendar accepting items 13 and 16.

Correct.

Please go ahead and vote.

Thank you very much. Madam Clerk, then, would you go ahead and read item 13 into the record?

Yes. Item 13, agreement to the reciprocal easement agreement for 16 and 20 West Cannon Perdido Street.

All right. Very good. And that was polled by Ms. Santa Maria. Would you like to go ahead, Ms. Santa Maria?

Yes. I believe there's also public comment. Do you want to do public comment first or questions and comments first? No, you go ahead and I'll do it. Okay. Thank you, Mayor Rouse. Ms. McAdoo, just wanted to ask you a few questions about item 13, if that's okay. Sure thing. So I just want to make sure that it's clear to the public what this amendment would do. And so my understanding is this is currently the use of this property is restricted to high-end retail, correct?

That's correct. It is. part of the Paseo Nuevo Mall development, but across the street on Cannon Perdido, there's a small commercial property that is attached to parking lot two, and it is governed by a similar reciprocal easement as the entire shopping mall used to be governed by.

Thank you so much. And removing the, or amending the reciprocal easement agreement, what will that do in terms of the type of usage for that property?

So what the proposed amendment would do would basically make the property subject to the city's current general plan and zoning. So any allowed use that is in the city's current general plan and zoning would then be applicable to this property. Right now, the only use that is allowed is that high-end retail, which really precludes redevelopment of that property into something else.

Okay, and so the amendment to this REA, would that allow for other types of retail? Would it allow for housing? Or I know that the owner has a proposed hotel. So what's the scope of what is allowable there?

So I'm actually going to ask Ms. Harris to respond to what are some of the other allowable uses under the general plan in zoning.

Thank you, Ms. McAdoo. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council Members. Council Member Santa Maria, I have with me Katie Mamulski, and we also have a couple slides, if you don't mind, if we go through just the project summary, and then I'll more directly answer your question in a moment.

Good evening, Council. Katie Momolsky, Development Liaison for the City. So the project that is currently under review is to convert the existing office use into an eight-suite hotel use. A CORRECTION TO THE SLIDE, IT SAYS NINE SUITE BUT IT'S ACTUALLY AN EIGHT SUITE PROPOSED HOTEL USE. THEY'RE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH THE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS SO THE STATUS OF THE APPLICATION AT THIS TIME IS INCOMPLETE AND TO PROCEED WITH THEIR APPLICATION THEY WOULD NEED TO AMEND THIS REA IN ORDER TO PROCEED WITH THE PROPOSED USE OF THE HOTEL. So a little bit of acquainting you with the site. The property is to the northeast here and continues along the Paseo. This is a city-owned parcel. That is the Paseo that leads to lot two at the rear. So it's adjacent to an existing Paseo that functions primarily for back of house use for the businesses on State Street. some trash service and then also there's some pedestrian usage of the Paseo. And then this is the proposed site plan. So you'll see below that there are eight proposed hotel units and currently the design is proposing for each of the hotel units to take access from the city owned property or Paseo. So the property owner and applicant would need to comply with all ADA requirements, fire requirements in terms of minimum width for a fire engine. So they're still currently working through meeting those requirements, but you can see here that there are some minor landscape changes proposed to the existing planters to allow those individual hotel entries off of the Paseo. The other exterior changes would include alterations to windows and doors, some painting and light fixtures. And then the property just to the north is the Music Academy's property. And they're proposing some very minor changes to their existing patio, or excuse me, planters that you see here and here. So those are the extent of the changes within the Paseo. I'll just add also that amending the REA would formally dedicate this as a fire lane as requested by the fire marshal.

Thank you, Ms. Mamulski. And then this slide here just shows you kind of what the site in the initial stages looks like. Could you go back to slide three for a moment? Great. So Council Member Santamaria, just to answer your question around the uses that would be allowed, it would be the same uses that are currently allowed in our zoning and our general plan. So it's commercial, would be commercial uses, but it also would allow for both residential and hotel type uses. Pretty much anything with the exception of manufacturing can happen in our downtown core. We also have some restrictions with like a live work unit type situation because that can be considered manufacturing. So those types of uses aren't currently allowed. But generally speaking, it's one of the most, the area downtown has the least amount of restrictions in terms of the type of use that could happen.

Thank you so much. That answers my question. I'll just, is that the end of your presentation?

Yes, Councilmember Santa Maria, I just wanted to let Katie have the opportunity to really share what the project was as a whole. I know that what's before you is the reciprocal easement agreement, not the specific project. But given the location of this particular parcel and the connection with Paseo Nuevo, I felt that it was just important to share what that looked like in the context of development.

Thank you both, I really appreciate the thorough explanation. So I'll just make very brief comments, but I think in In a place like our downtown that has the least restrictions on what we could have that property be used for, what I'm hearing from the public is a hotel is kind of the last thing we need. And the property owner has every right to do what they want to do, it's their property. But I would hope that they are open to conversations about what else we could, do with that site that would help revitalize the downtown but also explore if we could build a few units of housing I mean in this housing shortage every single unit counts we have you know our adaptive reuse ordinance that could help them through this process but I I'm hopeful that we can I know that that's not the decision today we're not going to decide what the project is at all but I am very much inclined to support the amendments to the REA because it's going to open up the possibility of using it for something else, whether that be housing or a hotel or something else, or potentially even lower, and that's not high-end retail, right, just like regular retail that residents have been asking for. But I think it's important that, you know, we have very limited land, as we know, and so we just need to be conscious of how we are We are repurposing our downtown so that it drives the most economic development to the surrounding area, but also answers to our very real housing shortage. But the fact that we're going to be able to formally designate the space that was showed in the slide as a fire lane as requested by our fire department, that 100% I would prefer to go with what the fire department has requested. So I will be supporting it and just wanted to ask for some clarification. So thank you all.

All right, very good. We'll go to the public speaker on this item, Madam Clerk.

Stanley Zankov, please go ahead.

Council Mayor, staff, and fellow members of the public, Stanley Tinkoff here. I'm, some of you know, a long-time resident, co-founder, and volunteer organizer at the State Department Tenants Union. And, you know, just someone who loves walking and riding my bike down State Street. I hate to slow down the festivities, but I wanted to briefly comment on this item. I support staff's recommendation to approve the easement and rezone. I totally agree that we don't need another parcel dedicated to high-end retail, especially given how much our retail landscape has changed over the last several decades, and how much commercial space already exists downtown. That said, I was concerned to hear that the anticipated project for the site might be another hotel. I understand today's action isn't about approving a hotel or not, it's simply the rezone, but I wanted to share this perspective while we're still at an early stage. And I'd urge you to the extent it's within the city's influence in the future, I hope we encourage development that better reflects our community's greatest need, which is housing. I'll say it again, we simply don't need more hotels and resorts and definitely not expensive ones. Instead, I think... Most would agree we've been needing more housing that's truly affordable and lots more of it, not more hotels. Having housing in this area especially can be a win-win, win-win, right? Good for residents, workers, good for increasing mixed-use walkable developments that only make our downtown more vibrant, diverse, and lively. And, you know, downtown land is limited, we know. And every major project represents an opportunity. So wherever possible, I hope we prioritize housing, especially affordable and workforce housing, over additional hotel development. And more housing downtown would benefit residents and workers alike. So thanks so much for your time, and looking forward to following this issue.

All right, very good. Are there further public speakers online? Madam Clerk, can you sign?

No, Mr. Mayor.

Okay, very good. With that, if there's any further deliberation or comments, if not, we'll go ahead and entertain a motion on item 13.

So moved.

Moved by Jordan.

Second.

Second by Harmon. Okay. Okay, moved by Jordan, second by Harmon. And would you like to put the vote up, please, unless there's further comment?

Certainly. Certainly, this is a motion by Councilmember Jordan, seconded by Councilmember Harmon for the recommended action for item 13. Please go ahead and vote.

Pass unanimously. Thank you very much. Would you read item 16 into the record, please?

Certainly. Item 16, Fourth Amendment to Professional Services Agreement for the Evaluation of Proposed Development at Paseo Nuevo Agreement.

Very good. Ann, I believe Ms. Sneddon, this was your item.

Thank you, Mayor Ross. I just had a couple of questions. One, what budget the 21,600 comes from? Is it already budgeted and approved?

Mayor and Council Member Sneddon, yes, it is already budgeted. I believe it's in our Measure C allocation for the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment project.

Thank you. And then is this for work that was already completed or any of this that's still to be done?

Mayor and Council Member Sneddon and Council Members, this was for work that's been completed. So during the briefings and then the final council meeting and briefings with each of you, this work occurred. And to be honest, it just didn't come at that moment in time and is here before you for that contract amendment.

Okay, thank you. And then I'll just make a request. I'll vote on this with everybody else, but Just make a request that we maybe compile just one document that has the community benefit analysis. I think you have to go to some documents or things we were briefed on. And I think to really close this out, it would be nice, especially for the public, to have one document. So recognizing this work has been completed, I think that would really be necessary.

Thank you for that, Council Member Senn. We can absolutely do that, and we do have the Paseo Nuevo project page, so we can put that information together. I think a lot of the community benefit analysis was included in different staff reports, so we can compile that in one document and put it on the Paseo Nuevo project page.

Thank you. It would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Okay. If there are no further discussions, we'll go ahead and put that up for a vote for Item 16. May I have a motion, please, to approve it?

Anybody?

Okay, move by Harmon. Second. Second by Santa Maria. Boy, I feel like a dentist up here.

All right, for item 16, we have a motion by Councilmember Harmon, seconded by Councilmember Santa Maria for the recommended action for item 16. Please go ahead and vote.

Thank you very much. That just passes unanimously. That concludes the consent calendar. We will now move to general public comment, which is three minutes at the dais for anything that's not on today's agenda but is within the purview of this body. We have three minutes at the dais. We'll start with Mark Redman.

Hey, Viva La Fiesta, 102 years. Come to the parade Friday, I'll be Spider-Man on roller skates. I won't have a shirt that says here's on Santa Barbara in my podcast or Elvis. But I still go to the meetings. I was going to quit because I'm running for mayor. And they said, don't go to the meetings. I said, how can I let those kids down? They printed these up, Redmond for mayor, and put Elvis and me on the front when I had my beard last six months ago now. Got clean shaven so I don't look like some hillbilly homeless guy under the bridge asking for $40 for the bottle of wine. Anyway, it just shows me we need freedom of speech in this country because Disney did not stand up to Trump. He sued Disney for letting this guy tell the truth, Stephen Colbert, about Trump, and he got his revenge. So he's canceled as of May. We still have Jimmy Kimmel because the public couldn't take it. And you shouldn't get revenge. You should work with people, unite. And what's going on in this world right now is a guy that thinks he's a king, an oligarch, and he's run in America. And now the grandkids are going to have to pay $2 trillion in the last three months on the Iran epic fury war. Who came up with that? Mr. T. And also, I don't really read this rag, but my sister was in town. People magazine, Billy Cyrus, he's had problems, and now he's back to his religion. He's the one that started Achy Breaky Heart, his one-hit wonder. Come to the parade Friday. Happy Viva La Fiesta.

Oh, I've got another minute and 30.

Okay. So what I'm saying is the death rate has come down at the meetings. We're only experiencing eight to 10 deaths per month in this County of three and a half million and the city of Santa Barbara next to none. Cottage hospital tells me the numbers. They don't tell me the sex or the age, but I did see this 56, 56 year old man in front of the crossroads on state street. They've had oxygen to him and gave him Narcan. He died. He took too much cocaine. That was dirty. They shoot it now. I don't know why these kids do this. And don't drink more. I go and bring my alcohol anonymous book. So do it yourself if you don't come to meetings and I give it out. And these kids go, oh, you got to say I'm sorry for being alcoholic and drink coffee. I said, well, drink some pineapple juice if I care. I said, and don't do anything on the street because if you do, it's loaded with fentanyl. China makes it. Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia. They send it over by boat, tunnel, and sometimes air. And they sell it to these stupid college kids with their parents' allowance money, buy these drugs, and then they die. If they're not next to the paramedics, the firemen, or the police officers that have. And I've got a few packs in my trunk. I did an Arcana girl two years ago at the Wildcat Lounge that was frothing at the mouth. They said I kept her stable and she lived. Imagine that. Anyway, I'm done, and everyone have a good fiesta. Eat some watermelon.

Next speaker is Graham Marker-Citaro.

And, Sarah, this is for you. Shows that I worked 42 years at the Burlington. Well, you said that was my last straw to be a mayor of Canada on the ballot.

Thank you. Okay, and Mr. Citaro, go right ahead. Buenos tardes. In 1835, our anchorage was a safe refuge for the sailor, writer, and maritime lawyer Richard Henry Dana, Jr., who was an abolitionist and stood up for civil rights. The Santa Barbara Harbor is designated as an official safe refuge and should live up to its historical maritime culture. Patrons who own safe moorings migrate and prefer the risks of living with transient vessels because of the calm protection the seasonal anchorage provides. Agencies are manufacturing consent with an exploitive spin by denigrating Anchorage patrons and projecting the stigmata of irresponsibility. Patrons who invest their lives to work and live on the Anchorage are losing the calm sanctuary we thought was ours and are forced into unsafe, undesirable, and financially draining situations. I advise you to heed my warnings and rescind your support of the commercialization of our public domain. You'll thank me later if you take my advice now. However, if you decide to pigeonhole what I am saying, you will suffer the consequence of true justice. The State Lands Commission's independent public trust doctrine is obligated to protect navigation, commerce, fisheries, and public recreation on sovereign land. On December 9th, 2021, the California State Lands Commission issued a 10-year general lease public agency use for areas outside of the City of Santa Barbara's legislative grant. A class one categorical exemption was facilitated as a type of exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act that allows certain projects to proceed without preparing an environmental impact report or negative declaration because they are determined not to have significant environmental impact. It simply authorizes the continued use of an existing facility without creating new environmental impacts. And under the CEQA guidelines, Title 14, Section 15301, it very clearly states no expansion of the existing use. The stated reason for the exemption was issuance of a 10-year general lease public agency use for the above-mentioned structures will not cause a physical change in the environment and will not change existing activities in the area. There's no reasonable possibility that the activity will have significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. However, it directly affects the human environment and ecology by terminating our historical resource, the seasonal anchorage, and converting it into a commercialized mooring zone. CEQA officially recognizes that human beings and nature exist in shared interconnected ecosystems. This conversion will directly affect the socioeconomics and safety of current anchorage patrons, which requires analysis. Permanent clump weight moorings have a cumulative impact on the environment by causing sediment, resuspension, and mooring scars. even when not in use. This could also be very visually disturbing when they are left empty in the wintertime. Damage to federally protected eelgrass would be far worse compared to temporary anchors that allow for recovery in the winter. Codified under Division 21 of the California Public Resource Code, the core provisions of the California Coastal Commission focus on balancing coastal resource protection with public assets, sustainable development, Coastal development planning and review requires specialized permit for almost any development defined broadly to and conclude construction zoning changes and land subdivisions. Next speaker, Shelly Lennox.

Hello.

Um, I just wanted to talk a little bit about something I think that would bring people to downtown. State Street. And I was just down in San Diego. I don't know if you're familiar with the gas lamp district there. And every Thursday they have pickleball right there in the streets. And it's unbelievable. It starts I think at 4 to 7 and it's just brought all these people. I mean I don't know if any of you play pickleball. I certainly do three days a week. I kind of gave this idea to my girlfriends this morning. And they were all talking about it. But anyway, so it's a temporary thing where you would paint the courts on the street of State Street. And I would suggest probably 700 or 800 block, because that looks like a dead area to me. I mean, 500's doing great. 1,100's doing pretty good. But that's kind of where nothing's going on. So I think you could get at least four or five courts in there. And I researched... these I guess they'd just be called fences temporary fences we can get three for $99 and it's kind of the same ones they had down there in San Diego and I just went on chat and checked it all out I mean you only need like six of them and then you paint the courts on the street and then you need the net which doesn't cost much at all and then you need organization obviously you can do it through the recreation department downtown the gas lamp they charge people to play. But I think it would be best for us not to charge, bring the people in, the families. You could change it up every week, have it like all women or all men or co-op or families. And just bring some fun sports competition downtown. And people like me, I would be there. And we'd be spending money in the restaurants and whatnot. And you can even get the restaurants involved. They could give prizes or something, coupons, whatnot. You could even go to Pickler and have them sponsor it. They probably would love to get more people involved in their business, their retail business. And then just go from there, too. I think Cornhole, people love that. That's something families could do. You can do even something for kids' basketball or something. Just sports, I think, I don't know if it's been talked about at any of the meetings, but I really think that's a good way to get people downtown and good family fun. Plus, putting together something like that every, let's say, Thursday or Tuesday or whenever it is, kind of would create a blockage for these e-motorcycles that are blasting down State Street. It would bring more families that are on their regular normal pedal assist bikes. Oh, that's it. Thank you. That was my idea.

There you go. Thank you. Stacy Roberts in Espana.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council Members. I'm here today to talk about the status of some of my public records requests. On June 19th and June 16th, I requested documentation behind several of the specific claims that were made in the June 2nd staff presentation on the draft terms of the Paseo Nuevo deal. Things like valuation figures, the zero value determination for the city's fee interest, the anticipated public benefits of the $100 million public investment estimate, the basis for the affordable housing projections, the projected tax and parking revenues. And on July 7th and 8th, I followed up with the city clerk's office and with a staff person in the city administrator's office who's responsible for repairing those records and I shared a prioritized list of the documents most central to substantiating those claims. On July 8th, staff committed to beginning rolling production on that list. Today's August 4th. That's 56 days since my original request and 27 days since that rolling commitment. I haven't received any documents yet. I want to raise a question for you to consider. What's causing the delay in producing even a portion of these documents on a timeline that's actually useful to the public? I mention the 56- and 27-day figures because the entire window for public review and deliberation on this transaction was 28 days. If it takes twice that long just to begin producing the documents that substantiate the claims the decision was based on, the public review process hasn't really done its job. I've also submitted a similar request related to the upcoming discussion of the Better Buildings Pilot Program or Better Buildings Ordinance. I'd like the community and this council to have access to the evidence behind the current proposal, the data behind the housing unit targets, the feasibility analysis on parcel eligibility, and the cost benefit work. Specifically, I hope these records help answer whether displacement risk to current downtown residents and businesses has been assessed, who captures the value created by the program's incentives, and how public input and design oversight will be preserved once existing review steps are eliminated. Economic development decisions like these shape our community for decades, and I care about getting them right. I don't assume bad intent on anyone's part. I simply believe good decisions require good information available to everyone in time to use it. Public discussion of big projects and policies can get heated, often because strong opinions fill the space where information should be, and assumptions people make reasonably without evidence don't always hold up once more information comes to light. The more of this evidence we get into the open and early, the more our disagreements can be about the merits informed by facts we all share rather than competing guesses. I think this community is at its best when we bring our full collective judgment to these decisions using the best information available. I'm grateful for staff's time on these requests, and I hope we can get these documents flowing in time to be useful. Copies of both records requests are included with my written comment for the record. Thank you.

Thank you. Lisa Sands.

Good afternoon, council members.

It's nice to see you today. I am here to support verbatim what Stacey just said to you. As you know, I am very, very disenchanted with this Paseo deal. I understand that escrow is closed now and We weren't even able to get documents to make decisions that are open to the public. This is a big issue. If we're formulating decisions, basically giving away this property, sorry, I have my opinion about that, where you state that the property is worth zero in tax value, it's very upsetting to me. So I am... here because I want to repeat the importance and our responsibility. We need all the facts. We need all of the support to make proper decisions, not only about this particular property, but how it's handled. I don't think it was handled at all with real public input. I mean, Stacy put in for those documents way before and they're still not here. I have also asked for those documents and I've also contacted the state of California. We are still in the midst of the city planning, the master plan, all these things that are highly important. So I ask you with all my heart is that we continue to have public opinion not fights, but with facts so we can make really good decisions for now and for later. And I really appreciate your consideration. I know that you do really hard work. But unless we have proper documentation to make choices, I don't think we're on the right path. And I appreciate you listening. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh, Harris Ahmed.

Uh, good afternoon, uh, mayor and council members. Uh, my name is Harris Ahmed and I'm here to propose a proclamation recognizing September 16th, 2026 as Mexican independence day in the city of Santa Barbara. This year gives us meaningful, uh, this year gives us meaningful cultural connection. Carlos Santana, one of the most influential Mexican-born artists in modern music, will be performing at the Santa Barbara Bowl on September 12th, just four days before Mexican Independence Day and shortly before the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. September 16th commemorates the Grito de Dolores of 1810 and the beginning of Mexico's struggle for independence for Mexican and Mexican-American families in Santa Barbara. This is a day of history, pride, resilience, family, and belonging. The recognition matters in a county where nearly half of the residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. Santana's music offers a powerful bridge into this celebration. His fusion of Latin rhythms, blues, jazz, and rock has carried Mexican and Latino artistry to audiences around the world. while showing how culture can remain deeply rooted and still speak universally. I respectfully ask the city to proclaim September 16th as Mexican Independence Day and to acknowledge Santana's September 12th Santa Barbara Bowl performance as a timely celebration of Mexican heritage and music's power to unite us. If a personal honor of Mr. Santana is better handled through a certificate of recognition, I would welcome that as a companion request. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you. Pfizer Dean.

Hi, everyone. This is like Toastmaster for me. Hi, Mayor Randy Ross. My name is Faysia Dean. I'm here again today. I presented to you guys some work I did quickly, but I'm working. And I wanted to show, this is not my best work, but this is some points that I'll be putting out there. So at least I'm transparent. Okay, you have my official nomination petition drive poster and my accountability telling them a little bit about me. So you know what I'll be talking about. But today I want to bring up a couple of things. One, I have a vision problem. Okay, all right. I want to talk about biblical authority. Don't take it personal. I read all cultural things. I listen to all beliefs, and I'm willing to learn about everything. With a willful heart. Okay, but I stand with your official standard voucher. We're talking about my Section 8 standard voucher. I'm fighting for my housing right now, right? Against a network of 10 high-priced pretending defendants matches the exact moments in scripture where a hidden true document was brought into the light to smash a corrupt administrative conspiracy. Ezra 6, 1 through 5. The corrupt local governors tried to legally block and halt the work of the remnant by claiming they had no right to the land, but the leaders demanded a search of the rural archives. The text notes that King Darius ordered a search and a scroll was found containing the original literal written decree of King Cyrus that completely validated their project and ordered the state treasury to pay for their expenses. My standard voucher contract is that scroll. Matthew 10, 26. So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. I bring this up because I have outlasted the expectations of all this going on. And I want to speak next meeting about incentivizing businesses here in the city of Santa Barbara. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there speakers online, Madam Clerk?

Yes, Mr. Mayor, we have one raised hand. Aaron Ashland. Aaron Ashland, please go ahead.

Thank you. Mayor and City Council, I wanted to make three quick points. First, I read about the Downtown Economic Forum, and one comment really stood out to me. The speaker said that tax revenues still haven't recovered to pre-COVID levels, as though that was a reason to prove that the promenade wasn't successful, but I think that overlooks some important context. Many of downtown's largest tenants had already decided not to renew their leases or had already closed before State Street became a promenade. Those businesses generated significant sales tax, and many of those are now in housing, which doesn't generate the same type of sales tax. So I don't think it's fair to use the tax revenue as evidence that the promenade has been successful. It's more like the result of long-term changes in retail that were already in the way of BEFORE COVID AND BEFORE STATE STREET WAS CLOSED TO CARS. SECOND, WHEN COUNCIL PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED BRINGING CARS TO STATE, IT SEEMED LIKE THAT PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES GENERALLY READ THAT THE BIGGEST BUM DOWN IN TOWN ISN'T THE LOWER CARS. UNSAFE BEHAVIOR IS LIKE FOR MOST PEOPLE. WE'LL ALL READ IT. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST CASE. EITHER A LOCAL EMPIRE PROMPTED FOR JUST THE 500 TO 600 BUCKS BY RESTRICTING THOSE DRIVERS EXCEPT THOSE AUTHORIZED BY THE CITY. Did we lose our connection, Madam Clerk? Let's see. It looks like Mr. Ashland, go ahead.

Mr. Ashland, go ahead. Looks like he is not connecting.

Okay, very good. Any other further commenters online?

Yes, we have one additional commenter, Jacqueline Inda. Jacqueline Inda, you can go ahead.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

Hi, Mayor, Council. My name is Jacqueline Carlson. I am speaking to you on behalf of the community that best represents our most majority minority protected class. And what I'm speaking about today has to do with Mexican Independence Day. Mexican Independence Day is a tradition that holds wide in our community and it has for decades. I am here to ask you to consider a proclamation or resolution in support of supporting an icon in our community. Santana will be in Santa Barbara on the 12th and 13th and us with our organizing effort at the Restorative Justice Education Center in La Casa de la Raza are partnering with Golden Voice to allow him to be recognized for the artist that he is and to allow for that recognition in that time when ballots go out into the community and when folks start to really think about government and governance. We hope that you will consider a proclamation, a resolution, or some type of supporting document in which we could present to Santa Ana that the city of Santa Barbara could present to Santa Ana in that space where we could continue to honor our heritage, our community, with music, dance, and culture. Thank you.

Any further speakers online?

No further speakers, Mr. Mayor.

Okay. Thank you very much. With that, we'll close public comment, and we'll go to committee assignment reports. Anyone? Okay. That's all right. Anybody? Ms. Sned is looking for hers. Anybody else?

Go ahead.

Thank you, Mayor Rouse. You and I and Council Member Gutierrez all attended the Day Reporting Center graduation, very inspiring, and handed out diplomas. Attended the Fiesta Kickoff, Coast Village Road, the Los Ninos de las Flores Garden Party, and I'm sure others will say, but happy birthday, Megan Harmon.

All right. Ms. Santamaria. Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Ross. Yes, happy birthday, Megan, or Council Member Harmon. So yeah, so I also attended the Fiesta Kickoff on Coast Village Road and unfortunately had to miss Los Niños de las Flores Garden Party because it was at the same time as the seventh annual Eastside Backpack Drive at Ortega Park, which was another success. And I just really want to thank all of the organizers who put this incredible school supply drive for our children together. in all of the organizations that came out.

All right. All right, very good. Well, obviously we're going to turn it off to Fiesta now. I will say one thing, that having seen our Spirit and Junior Spirit perform a couple of times now, they are especially good this year. They're really worthwhile making the time to go see them. And with that, we'll adjourn and see you next week.

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