Petition for Yanonali Garden

I have had a garden plot in the Eastside Park Yanonali Community Garden since my family moved to Santa Barbara from Goleta in 2009. Over the years, I have reached out to the Parks and Recreation Department to do more to maintain and improve the garden.

To me it seems that the city sees the garden as their piece of property, an empty lot, not valuing the people who created their gardens or the community garden itself.

Apparently, Parks & Rec announced at an October meeting that the fence would be moved in a considerable distance and a number of plots would be removed to make room for adult exercise stations. The gardeners who were there said that it was not presented as an option, that it was a done deal. The city staff asked what color the fence should be. The city seems to want to prettify the park at the expense of the 60-70 people who garden.

Yanonali Garden is not a piece of property, a vacant lot or an open space. It is a vital community place filled with growing plants, nurturing the lives of people in need, as well as birds, insects, and gophers!

Please sign this online petition to Save Yanonali Garden that has been signed by over 640 community members as of Monday, February 7, 2022. https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-yanonali-community-garden