Heartless Hotchkiss

One man running for mayor has publicly called homeless people “pigeons.” He shut down Casa Esperanza lunches where individuals could shower, see a doctor, and have social services and legal assistance. For many, this was their only meal and the only way advocates could assist change.

He claims he brought 29 cruise ships to Santa Barbara for tourism ($94 per couple is the average they spend). The amount of waste in our ocean is shocking, and three miles off our beaches where they may dump without regulation enforcement; it’s right where our desal plant is about to operate.

He claims to have removed the recreational vehicles from Carrillo Boulevard (that is not where they were), but he actually authored the ordinance to ban all “oversized vehicles” from the city. Instead of resolving the issue of 67 RVs, he created a law that includes Mercedes Sprinters, Dodges, Hondas, your gardeners’ trucks, UPS, and contractors who now must pay special permits to work. Two lawsuits are against our city!

Further, he claims that State Street shops are closed up due to homeless panhandling. Not the fact that no one in their right mind would pay the excessively exorbitant lease fees of the greedy out-of-town landlords or the fact that almost everybody shops the internet. He thinks a Nike store would revitalize downtown.

He is not about solving problems, extending a welcome to clean businesses, or finding solutions to keep our vibrant young entrepreneurials in town, who leave because they cannot afford to live here. Traffic, too much growth and development, crowding, abuse of the poor, filthy ships for a few bucks regardless of the damage they cause, lack of compassion, and inability to see the big picture is not who should be mayor at such a crucial time in our city history. Please vote no to Frank Hotchkiss.