The campaign to bring cars back to State Street through a voter referendum reached the minimum 5,400 signatures needed to potentially place the issue on the ballot during a future election.
The Committee to Reopen State Street — backed by SIMA Corporation President Jim Knell — announced that the initiative gathered 6,000 signatures in just over three weeks, and the petition was submitted to the city clerk on Wednesday, October 14.
The petition was launched shortly after the Santa Barbara City Council officially approved the State Street Master Plan in a 6-1 vote on September 1. The referendum was supported by business owners and city residents frustrated with the process and eager to have voters weigh in on whether State Street should remain closed as it has been since the COVID pandemic.
For the past several weeks, paid signature gatherers were spotted outside grocery stores and shopping centers in the city, asking city residents to join in the referendum.
“Santa Barbara voters are tired of the mess on State Street,” Knell said. “In just three weeks, more than 6,000 Santa Barbara voters signed the petition because they want the street open again…. Voters, not just the City Council, should decide what happens to the heart of our city and, more importantly, whether over $100 million we don’t have should be committed to it.”
While the city has been working toward the State Street Master Plan for more than five years, the current configuration — which supports pedestrians and bicycles and prohibits vehicles along the main stretch — has been the center of much-polarized debate, and several petitions launched by community organizations wishing to either reopen the street or keep it closed.
Business owners cite the success in other parts of the city, such as Coast Village Road, Milpas Street, and the Funk Zone, which have all seen an increase in sales while State Street has been stagnant. Those opposed to the current plan for State Street also raise concerns about the hefty price tag of nearly $100 million for the master plan, which would include a rehaul of the downtown stormwater infrastructure.
“Merchants and city taxpayers need State Street open; it doesn’t need a $100 million investment to make it special again,” Knell said. “Every other business district in this city has recovered and is booming, as are similar districts across Southern California. The difference is the poor vehicular circulation downtown with State Street closed and the reduced visibility for stores, particularly to tourists and those who don’t often venture downtown.”
A group of hundreds of merchants joined together as the State Street Business Alliance, and together they funded the legal costs to support the voter referendum. The Committee to Reopen State Street is advocating for a “shared-use” street with low-speed vehicle access, parking and deliveries, wide sidewalks, outdoor dining, and retractable bollards.
The city clerk will now verify the signatures, and the City Council would then decide whether to repeal the ordinance or put the matter before voters during a future election. This is one of two potential referendums on City Council decisions; another petition against the city’s recently passed rent stabilization ordinance is currently gathering signatures citywide.
