Private Donation Funds Light Blue Line Project

Santa Barbara City Councilmember Helene Schneider announced that a private citizen has agreed to donate the $12,000 needed to cover the cost of creating the city’s controversial light blue line. The 1,000 foot-long strip of paint on downtown city streets and sidewalks will show where the water level would be if Greenland’s ice sheets were to melt, causing the sea to rise 21 feet. Schneider’s announcement came in the wake of community opposition to City Hall’s $12,000 contribution to the public art project. Last week, fellow Councilmember Iya Falcone announced that she regretted voting in favor of the project, arguing that the $12,000 could be spent on better causes.