The Earl Warren Showgrounds has a long history of disturbing both its immediate neighbors and more distant parts of the city with excessive sound levels. If any private citizen played music at the high decibel level that comes out of Earl Warren Showgrounds – especially late at night – that citizen would be in violation of city noise regulations.

The music and the shouting MCs blaring out from the showgrounds’ giant speakers are frequently amplified to levels that permanently damage the hearing of those in attendance and harm the well-being, if not actually causing hearing damage, of neighbors who are forced to endure these sound orgies. Someday, a class-action lawsuit will be filed to force the sound levels down to a point where they do not put human health at risk.

The real problem is that Earl Warren Showgrounds is a venue that badly needs re-thinking so it can pay its own way without destroying neighborhood tranquillity.  Unfortunately the original, admirable function of the showgrounds – to showcase agricultural pursuits, including horse shows – no longer pays the bills. The management is obviously flailing about to find ways to bring in enough cash but shouldn’t be allowed to do so at the expense of the health and peace of the citizens of Santa Barbara.

Since the showgrounds is controlled by the state, we must ask our state politicians to rein it in.

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