Dear Mayor Rowse and City Council Members,
I’m writing this letter to you all to ask a fundamental question: Who is actually leading this city — and when will you, our elected officials, make some of the important decisions this community needs?
I’ve watched as major policy decisions increasingly bypass the public process that we rely on for accountability. But beyond transparency issues, we seem to have a leadership vacuum. Critical decisions keep getting delayed, delegated, or made behind closed doors.
Here are just a few examples:
The FARO Day Center: You approved a drop-in center 7-0. The Planning Commission approved it unanimously. Then the City Administrator unilaterally changed it to appointments-only and terminated the agreement — fundamentally altering the policy you approved, without coming back to you or the public. No vote. No discussion. Just done.
Paseo Nuevo: The Planning Commission called a $32 million land transfer “ill-defined” and “rushed.” Your own Planning Commission chair said it “appears to be helping a private company recover a loss, and that’s not a public purpose.” Financial details were hidden behind non-disclosure agreements that staff signed. Commissioners — your appointed commissioners — couldn’t see the full picture. Neither could we. This project doesn’t require meaningful Planning Commission review? Where was your leadership? Where was the transparency?
State Street: This is perhaps the most glaring example. Local architects worked pro bono starting in December 2023, throwing every idea at the wall to create a vision for State Street. Qualified residents gave their time and expertise for free. Then you paid MIG consultants $510,000, only to terminate their contract because they “didn’t quite meet the city’s expectations.” Now you’re spending an additional $343,250 to bring in new consultants, with the Master Plan release pushed to early 2026 — about three years after its initial planned release.
Three years of process. Advisory Committee meetings nearly two dozen times. Hundreds of hours of community input. And still no decision. Meanwhile, businesses are struggling, the community is divided, and everyone is frustrated. Councilmember Mike Jordan said it himself: “If we don’t have wins pretty soon, all we’re doing is bolstering the negative association with this process.”
Some of you have raised similar concerns. Councilmember Kristen Sneddon discovered that actual budget numbers aren’t even public. Finance staff called it “an internal process.” She said it felt like information was being kept internal so staff could control decisions. Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez objected when the public comment policy changed without any public discussion. Councilmember Meagan Harmon worried about rushing processes that seem “destined to pit community members against one another.”
So here is what I am thinking and hoping that you might also think about. We don’t need more studies. We don’t need more consultants. We need you to actually lead. Make decisions. Take votes. And yes, own the outcomes.
I would also ask that you demand transparency in financial dealings involving public assets. Empower, yes, even require that Planning Commission reviews be meaningful, not ceremonial. I would ask you to also insist that major policy changes come back to you for approval.
But most importantly: decide and do something! Stop delegating governance to unelected staff. Stop hiding behind consultants and studies. Stop letting perfect be the enemy of good. The City Administrator runs operations — you set policy and make decisions. That’s why you were elected in the first place!
Our city, Santa Barbara, doesn’t need administrators making policy decisions. We don’t need consultants making plans that get dusty up on shelves. We need our elected leaders to lead, to make the tough calls, and to be accountable for those decisions.
The question isn’t just about process anymore. It’s about leadership. Will you step up and govern, or will you continue to let this city drift while staff and consultants call the shots?
We’re counting on you. Thank you.
