Cheri Rae’s Our Santa Barbara column reminds us that despite a century of effort to preserve and protect Franceschi House, it’s obvious the efforts have failed.
Gifted to the City of Santa Barbara by a wealthy philanthropist who embraced socialism, the ensuing century-long actions of the City of Santa Barbara have led to its decay, worthy of being unsafe for habitation.
Franceschi House should be sold to the private sector so that individuals acting in their own self-interest can unintentionally promote the overall good of society. In short, a private residence or even a private foundation would be better there because, at the very least, the city would receive property taxes every year. More important, with the sale proceeds, the City of Santa Barbara could pay down some of its huge budget deficit.
The end result would promote the needs and interests of our community.
