WEST BEACH MOUSETRAP:

Agreeing that the maze of bikeways, sidewalks, parking lots, and
driveways connecting Stearns Wharf to the Harbor was a mess, the
S.B. City Council unanimously voted to spend $2 million in
Redevelopment Agency funds to make the area more
pedestrian-friendly for tourists and natives alike. Waterfront
merchants and business owners embraced the improvements proposed by
architect Steve Yates and urged the council to extend them from the
Funk Zone to Leadbetter Beach. Councilmembers Brian Barnwell and
Iya Falcone gushed approval, while Councilmember Helene Schneider
sought to inject a note of fiscal sobriety, observing that all of
the improvements enumerated by Yates would cost City Hall $2-$4
million more than was earmarked.