Comments by Holly
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Posted on February 28 at 11:37 p.m.
And who is paying for this special bicyclist-benefitting re-do? The bikers themselves? Uh...no. They don't pay a penny in registrations or road usage fees, they just consume the resources, hand the rest of us the bill, then complain when things aren't to their liking.
No, the road shouldn't be slimy.
Yes, people should be careful.
Yes, that lawsuit was another get-rich-quick scam, a variation of a slip-and-fall.
And yes, it's long past time to start requiring registration fees and clearly visible license plates on bicycles.
Posted on February 25 at 1:09 p.m.
First: bury the lines. Makes sense on several levels: they're less susceptible to the whims of wind & weather, not in contact with trees, etc, and the ugly factor is completely removed.
Second; plant trees which are native to the area, fast-growing, drought-tolerant and offer actual shade and plenty of oxygen to the neighborhood.
This isn't rocket science, but as usual, SB gets it wrong; they talk out of their mouths and act out of the other end...and the result is the city which exists today.
Pathetic.
Posted on February 20 at 9:46 a.m.
I'm sure it won't be, Ken...the descriptions of the high-end shops already signing on are making it pretty clear that this is another "exclusive" project aimed at a specific demographic, and it ain't us!
BTW, I have been to Pike Place market, and it is far from a chi-chi spot serving the chosen few. As usual, Santa Babylon gets it wrong, and to make it acceptable, slaps a Spanish name on the project to fit in with the Disneyland Del Norte theme.
Meanwhile, real grocery stores where real people shop and buy milk that doesn't have the "organic" type labels (read: overpriced) so their kids can have breakfast, are torn down right and left. Downtown is a ghetto of tourist traps and high-end development. People who don't drive are forced to shop at high-priced convenience stores or "options" like this one.
Good job, SB; another perk for the preferred demographic...
Posted on February 20 at 9:36 a.m.
In this publication, I fully expect to get bashed and told to sit down and shut up for my observations, but since I am far from alone in them, I'll share them anyway.
What and who pays for the building/maintenance of the streets there...or here for that matter? Are all these bicyclists paying an annual registration fee to help pay for the roads they use? It's mentioned repeatedly that the bikes are "expensive" and the riders are wearing those silly, pricey lycra outfits...so these folks clearly have plenty of disposable income and can no doubt contribute to the roads and infrastructure they are using.
My finding, as a pedestrian, is that streets are NOT safer because of bikers; I've had numerous encounters with aggressive, self-entitled bicyclists speeding through stop signs & red lights, riding on sidewalks, etc. Don't get in the way, or you risk being run down, spit on, cussed at, etc. This insistence on making bicyclists out as candidates for sainthood is just wrong; there is just as much road rage and aggression in that population as there is in any other; maybe even more, because of the complete anonymity enjoyed by bikers as they aren't required to display a visible, easily readable license plate of any kind.
They pay nothing in road use or maintenance fees, no registration fees, nothing. They just go out, buy a bike and a silly special suit, and hit the road, usually in packs, pushing pedestrians out of the way and holding up traffic.
And we celebrate this culture.
It's time to treat bikers the same way we treat drivers of motor vehicles: first by cracking down and enforcing the rules of the road, requiring safe and law-abiding behavior, staying off sidewalks, stopping for signs, red lights, & pedestrians, using safety lights fore & aft so they can be seen, & last but not least, requiring an annual registration fee and clearly visible, easily readable license plates for identification to be displayed at all times. For too long, bikers have been treated as neither fish nor fowl, but with far more rights than either motorists or pedestrians.
If you want to ride a bike, fine, just don't be a self-absorbed jerk who thinks the road was built just for you & that no one else exists out there. Cities and towns contain cars and pedestrians, whether the bikers like it or not. Obey the rules, pay your fair share, etc. Clogging the streets, blocking off the roads, and "taking over" is actually NOT something we should be celebrating and does NOT promote unity, harmony, or safety for anyone; these actions just promote frustration, anger, and a general traffic jam nightmare as people are trying to get to work, school, or anywhere else.
Be part of solutions, not more problems.
Posted on February 5 at 4:38 p.m.
We've lived in SB County for close to 40 years, so actually no...we didn't move here after it became a distillery and bar. The distillery/bar businesses actually moved here after WE did.
If we need real shopping, or want to go to a restaurant that isn't a tourist trap/front for a winery, we are forced to go to Santa Maria, Lompoc or Santa Barbara. The needs of locals are completely ignored in favor of the wants of tourists. What the tourist industry fails to realize is that once the balance is lost, there is no foundation left to hold up the local economy and everybody loses.
In other words, when an area becomes "all tourists all the time", the locals find somewhere to live where they can find shopping, restaurants, doctors, and other needed services FOR locals.
When that happens, they take all their skills, shopping, and tax dollars with them.
A new wine bar is opening up across from the Solvang Post Office...because we don't have enough bars here (sarcasm)...we need another one.
Again...if I wanted to live in a bar/distillery/event center...I'd have moved to one. When we moved here, we were moving to a municipality. This has changed, and it is now a bar/distillery/event center catering to rich tourists who drink and drive.
I fail to see how this is an improvement, or even mildly beneficial to those of us living and paying taxes here.
Posted on February 4 at 10:02 p.m.
Actually....Ivan Reitman is the ONLY actual filmmaker on the rather large Board of Directors- the rest are mostly tourist, real estate and banking industry peops.
Agents and PR people don't count as filmmakers!
Posted on February 4 at 1:01 a.m.
"We ask for a minimum adoption donation of $250 for young dogs (under three years), $150 for adult dogs, and $125 for seniors (dogs 8 years old and over)."
OK...sorry, but that is not an "adoption donation" in ANY way, shape or form; that is a firm sales price.
Nothing wrong with that, but how about calling it what it is; a price being charged for the animals in question. have NO problem seeing a price being charged for a pet...I shudder when I see the "free to good home" ads or even worse, the shelter sales where they are hawking two cats for the price of one...I can't begin to imagine what kind of "good homes" are availing themselves of these good deals. There is no prescreening, homechecking, or followup being done on these situations, either, and the giveaways just make the potential danger for the animal even greater.
Meanwhile... please stop insulting everyone's intelligence with the slick language; these are not "adoptions" and the fees being charged are not "donations". Just saying.
Posted on January 30 at 4:02 p.m.
"Residents of Santa Barbara County support wineries."
Wrong. If I wanted to live in a bar/liquor store/event venue, I'd move to one.
Last time checked, I live in a private home, in a residential area of the Santa Ynez Valley...an area which has rapidly been turned into a bar/liquor store/event venue instead.
No...our family does NOT "support wineries"...we're way beyond fed up with wine bars and their associated headaches, including the hordes of drunks unleashed on our roads and the Pass after these "tastings" and other events.
But our opinions don't count; the money being slung around by the alcohol industry completely trumps the needs and wishes of the residents and our families.
And THAT is the problem.
Posted on January 30 at 3:55 p.m.
Does anyone here seriously believe for one second that any of US would get away with this behavior? REALLY?? Wow...
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Posted on February 28 at 11:41 p.m.
Another 10 pounds of sand being shoved in the 5 pound sack. I am so incredibly glad I don't live down in that cesspool!
More people, more crowds, less quality of life.
On 22 Cruise Ships Set Course for Santa Barbara