••• The Santa Barbara Museum of Art would like to wrap its State Street stairs with marketing for an upcoming show (as in the above rendering). Two questions: Does this set a precedent? And do cultural institutions have more license for this kind of thing than for-profit businesses? —Noozhawk
••• “UC Santa Barbara increased admissions by 11.63% from 2024 by admitting 53,259 first-time students and transfer applicants.” —Noozhawk
••• “As of December 31, the statewide non-profit PATH—People Assisting the Homeless—announced it will cease homeless service operations out of a former furniture warehouse located at 816 Cacique Street by the railroad tracks near Marborg’s operations. PATH executives confirmed reports that they’re in negotiations with top administrators at City Hall to buy the building. Neither side is willing to discuss terms or conditions, but the building is encumbered with a debt of $3.2 million and is bound by a covenant limiting its use to homeless shelter and services through the year 2049.” —Independent
••• The Independent and Montecito Journal profile Montecito’s Tecolote Bookshop on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. I was glad to have read the Independent’s article if only for the story of the customer who hated Hana Yanagihara’s grueling A Little Life.
••• “The plan to launch Metrolink service from Ventura County to Santa Barbara and Goleta has been delayed until January at the earliest. Officials hoped to launch it this year, possibly in October, but a series of changes amid last-minute negotiations and other bureaucracy have slowed the train down.” —Noozhawk
••• The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum “has launched a high-tech ship simulator that lets guests steer a vessel through changing ocean conditions.” —KEYT
••• Take it away, John Palminteri…
Either we are getting visitors from afar soon on the Santa Barbara Riviera or this traffic control sign is just simply “out of this world!” (Courtesy photos) pic.twitter.com/a17q8AWHrA
— John Palminteri (@JohnPalminteri) August 27, 2025
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53,259 student?
Santa Barbara only have 80,000 peoples, this is no good
They want money, no care for house problem or cost to comunity with too many peoples. I wonder how many are Chinese people?
I sure they will save PATH like they do with Casa de La Raza. Casa de Rosa was important for community until taken over by people they hire and push no Catholic ideas like stuff Latino community no like.
PATH is bad for east side, like zombie everywere near the buildgn.
People live there not happy. I hope it go away, not get pardon. If you sad about this, let’s PATH moce to your neigborhood, bring zombie crazy people there
Cacique bridge project so nice, but now trash with body and poo. So sad. People want walk to beach, but scary drug people everywere. This because of PATH. If you don’t like my word, I hope they move it near your kids, see how you feel then. We scared walking with our children to beach from our neighborhoods because these people on drugs going to the bathroom everywhere we’re tired of seeing he naked body.
53k admitted but only 7-10k will actually accept and attend. Kids apply to many colleges these days and schools have to over accept. I only applied to UCSB back in the day but my kids probably applied to numerous UC’s and other schools.
I want to echo what AFC has stated. Just because admissions were offered to a record number of students does not mean enrollment will increase. Due to the current administration’s view on higher education and immigration, many schools are facing an uphill battle when it comes to enrollment.
Please correct your headline because school hasn’t started yet and we won’t know what the actual attendance is until September 25th. This misleads people like Rogelio into thinking SB is being invaded by students (and apparently Chinese??)
Well said. Panic before facts is a waste of time and causes chaos…..
Museums should have way more leeway for that kind of marketing signage. I think it looks great.
Any day of the week you can pass through the 800 block of Cacique Street—where the shelter is located, and experience excessive obscenities, shouting, physical threats, heaps of rubbish obstructing public ways, human feces on the streets & sidewalks, and a stench so potent you physically recoil.
Look beyond this stretch and you will find an ever growing “Public Health Risk”. In which the Code Enforcement Staff and Police refer to as “Highly Impacted Zones”. Which I quote, “From our Code Enforcement angle, we are working to abate the trash and odor complaints with power washing of the sidewalks, paired with a litter pickup. Homeless outreach services are working to contact individuals on the sidewalk and address the homelessness that is largely responsible for the trash and odor issues. The Police continue regular patrols of the area. (Yet our City with a population of approx. 90,000, only has 6 police on patrol at any given time). These areas are a continuing challenge for the City to address, but we hope to make positive impacts with the resources noted above. We appreciate your assistance in reporting issues as you see them.”
If they speak the truth, and use the words “Public Health Risk” the City is liable for allowing this risk to the public to perpetuate over the past decade. So they speak in code. Using deceptive phrases like “Highly Impacted Zones”. If human feces is on our street, if a homeless person throws feces at you, or leaves infected needles in the park where your child plays, THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH RISK.
The allowance of this behavior to fester has created a daily interference with the public’s health, safety, peace of mind, and overall sense of freedom to walk down the street in their own City and their own neighborhood.
These conditions have created a situation so substantial, that it has caused an unreasonable interference with the public’s health, safety, peace, and convenience, affecting an entire community, not just a single neighborhood or individual.
More specifically, the 800 block of Cacique Street—where the shelter is located—has experienced an uptick in homeless-related 911 calls. Residents have reported increased incidents of loitering, public defecation, theft, disruptive behaviors, sexual assault crimes, drug issues, trespassing, theft, burglary, breaking & entering, car jacking, bike theft, and violent behavior that spills over into surrounding areas.
The Police classify a majority of these calls as “Nuisance Crimes”. No report is filed – which artificially alter crime stats. Creating lower crime statistics than the reality we all live in. Gaslighting the public.
Did you know that when you call 911 for emergency help, you must request “Police Contact”? If you do not specifically request “Police Contact” and the responding officer drives by without witnessing anything, the officer automatically reports the incident as “Cleared”! The officer does not even get out of their vehicle.
Police responses fall short of resolving crime in Santa Barbara. Leaving the taxpaying, law abiding citizens to bear the consequences. Acquiring the PATH building will entrench these issues rather than alleviate them.
The financial implications of this purchase are inconceivable. The building carries a $3,200,000 MILLION DEBT and is encumbered with a covenant restricting its use to homeless services until 2049.
Acquiring it would saddle the City with significant liabilities for the next 24 YEARS!
PATH itself has cited inadequate public funding as a key reason for ceasing operations by December 31, 2025, after operating at a deficit.
If the City proceeds with this purchase, they will be irresponsibly taking on more debt, for the next 24 YEARS.
In addition to this year’s FISCAL BUDGET DEFICIT of $8,052,695 MILLION. Is the City’s estimated annual lease payment for the Series 2024 lease revenue bonds. Which is approximately $9,200,000 MILLION per year for the next 20-30 years. (Exact data not published) Not to mention the UNFUNDED PENSION LIABILITIES totaling approximately $344,500,000 MILLION.
Santa Barbara is in a state of financial distress. The City Council is mismanaging our tax payer money. Year after year, piling up more debt. And burdening tax paying citizens. Costs keep rising. And the benefits to those paying taxes are simultaneously degrading.
Our community deserves solutions that enhance safety and fiscal responsibility, without exacerbating existing problems at an additional expense to tax paying, law abiding citizens. We have had enough! We deserve better.
This acquisition would impose an undue financial burden on taxpayers, perpetuate ongoing community disruptions, and fail to deliver effective solutions based on the shelter’s track record.
Thank you for the commercial for the National Guard being sent to DC and next to Chicago- imagine if SB is experiencing THIS, imagine what big cities are experiencing🥹 #fixthisdisgustingISSUEnow
I had to park by PATH to go to the irrigation supply store and was shocked at watching the local drug dealers walk up with their backpacks, make deals with the holeless, then in amazement watched them smoke (meth?) off of tinfoil right on the sidewalk! It was obvious that there is no enformecment that happens as the half dozen of them had no care in the world doing this in the open!
I have been more worried though when Im at Habit with my kids and get approached by intimidating homeless asking for money or the time one walked into the Habit and grab condiments and peppers with their bare hands and walk out- yes super randome.
PATH being run with no supervision on the outside of the facility is a definete detriment to the entire area! Just a meeting point for addicts.
Found this article tonight- that Meals on Wheels will be ceasing operations in downtown Portland OR, due to not being able to shield there staff/volunteer staff from the crud on the streets- which sounds like the 2 descriptions made here about PATH..
“Washington said the charity has been continually losing volunteers due to the conditions they are forced to work in, including coming face-to-face with vagrants and criminals almost every day.
‘Every day, they’re stepping over feces, and there’s needles and drug dealing and deaths,’ she said.
The charity chief added that she has personally had to deal with the same challenges, recalling a recent incident where she had to step over a body to get into a Meals on Wheels facility.
She said she has considered trying to find another facility to help the needy in downtown Portland, but decided that the charity’s money is needed in other places that don’t put staff at such a risk.”
Oh no, you poor thing. You read an online article and it made you scared. Life must be so hard for you.
Bless your itty bitty, teeny weenie, evil heart Christine. Allah loves you regardless. The rest of us? Not so much…
You speak for Allah? HOLY SHIT! Someone call Nipper!
I have been approached at the gas station and Habit in intimidating ways. I have felt scared and threatened with my young kids. I would like the non-profits who help the homeless to provide some accountability and safety to the neighborhoods they set up in. I never saw any patrol outside PATH and if they are there to feed and offer service why am I being approached, just feet away? It certainly seems to be a meeting place for drug addicts and suppliers, as said above.
Gross enough to have to deal with it human to human, but when your kids have to be subject to things you aren’t quite ready or want to have to explain to them- well it sucks. Do-gooders never put facilities in their neighborhood