Cars to be Outlawed on State St.
MONDAY
Santa Barbara City Council to vote on $60 million plan for State Street
NEWS
voicesb.com
By mArk Whitehurst VOICE
August 31, 2026
THE CLOSURE OF STATE STREET TO CARS WILL BECOME LAW in Santa Barbara, if the city council approves the State Street Master Plan ordinance during its at 2 pm meeting on Tuesday, September 1st. Comments are still being taken by city council and the meeting is open to the public.
SB’s Financial Wakeup Call
Courtesy photo
According to Mayor Randy Rowse, “Tuesday’s item includes both adoption of the Master Plan as well as altering Title 31 to make the temporary closure permanent. That follows the pattern of what we’ve seen thus far, i.e., no flexibility for experimentation with an interim opening and a major commitment of funds that are yet to be determined. This contravenes what the business community, i.e., the DSBIA, has said they would prefer. In my personal opinion, the loss of the Main Street of our Central Business District will hurt the recovery of vitality downtown.” (See NO CARS, 3)
By AmAndA VelAsco, Santa Barbara News-Press, 8.27.26
“We cannot allow this to occur,” said city finance director Keith DeMartini. “We won’t.”
Current policy says the City Council must save 25 percent of its operating budget as reserve funds, with ten percent allocated for contingency reserves and 15 percent for disaster relief. (See WAKEUP, 2
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation to Honor Leaders at Women Waging Peace Luncheon RECOGNIZING TWO INFLUENTIAL WOMEN who have drawn national attention to questions of war, peace, and nuclear danger, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will honor Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen with its 2026 Women Waging Peace Award on September 30th, at the Kimpton Canary Hotel Rooftop.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off turns 40!
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(See PEACE, 4)
In This Issue Community News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 , 4 , 7 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Harlan Green: Economic Voice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Photo by Gregory Scaffidi
After draining most of its financial savings—leaving only its emergency disaster relief funds—the city is now exploring new ways to replenish its budget. The finance committee met on Tuesday to discuss potential solutions.
Photo by Mark Whitehurst / VOICE
THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA’S FINANCES survived the Great Recession. This year, it’s fallen into an even deeper hole.
Annie Jacobsen
Katrina vanden Heuvel
DSBIA’s Position on Master Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 West Marine Closing soon?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Book Gathering at Bronfman Center. . . . . . . . . 1 0
Calendar........10-11 Cinema............9