Community Action and Cruise Ships

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper would like to thank the community leaders who worked together to realign the City of Santa Barbara’s cruise ship program with our community’s priorities and helped advance our city’s legacy of environmental leadership.

The Santa Barbara City Council voted last Tuesday 6 to 1 to improve the City’s cruise ship program with measures to limit the number of ships and to prioritize those with advanced pollution prevention technology and solid environmental compliance records.

This positive step is the result of citizens speaking out and local organizations and city leaders working together to develop changes that benefit the place we call home.  

Channelkeeper was honored to be at the forefront of this two-year effort.  

In 2022, as community members raised concerns over the increasing number of visiting ships, Channelkeeper asked the city to conduct a public assessment of its cruise ship program. The city began an evaluation of its cruise ship program by establishing a cruise ship subcommittee made up of three Harbor Commissioners. Our staff provided input at public meetings and developed a set of recommendations to better safeguard public health as well as the wildlife and sensitive habitats of the Santa Barbara Channel.

We would like to thank the many community members who supported our efforts to reshape the program, as well as the Cruise Ship Working Group members, Harbor Commissioners, partnering environmental organizations, local business owners, and elected officials. We are deeply grateful for your dedication, positive energy, and passionate advocacy.