I’ve been a business and property owner on State Street for 47 years, and I think I have a pretty good perspective of the issues that confront our downtown.
Five years ago, closing State Street to vehicles was an understandable experiment during a crisis. But today, that closure has outlived its purpose — and the result is a downtown that feels stagnant, underutilized, and, in some areas, unsafe. We’ve lost the energy that comes from movement — people arriving, parking, stopping to shop, to dine, to explore.
Reopening State Street —in a balanced, shared configuration — would restore vitality and accessibility. It would bring life back to the storefronts that remain empty, support local merchants who depend on foot and vehicle traffic, and reconnect our waterfront to the heart of the city.
Our police are wasting precious time trying to chase and cite e-bikers who ignore the rules — when their attention should be focused on more important community needs. This is not a sustainable use of city resources, nor is it creating the welcoming atmosphere we all envision.
We can design a street that is both beautiful and functional — with wide sidewalks, defined bike lanes, outdoor dining, and limited traffic — without sacrificing the character that makes State Street special. The current closure was meant to be temporary. Let’s treat it that way.
Santa Barbara deserves a downtown that works for everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, visitors, and residents alike. It’s time to move forward — not remain frozen in a pandemic-era reaction with no future plan and no way to fund one.
Please, let’s reopen State Street and bring our downtown back to life. This is the easiest, most cost effective option while the State Street Master Plan works through its various iterations and the City Council figures out a way to pay for it. Those two steps could take up to 10 years. Do we really want to see State Street in its current condition for that long?
