What “bumpy facts” are you referring to?
Food banks do keep citizens from going hungry.
Trump did cut $1B from federal food bank funding, indicating this is not a priority.
Trump does want to extend tax cuts and increase military spending, costing trillions of dollars, indicating that these are his priorities.
It’s pretty straightforward.
I can imagine the comments section is a lot of work. The independent turned theirs off and that is likely where you will end up. It is nice however to have a community bulletin board. Granted, people can be very absurd, unkind, vulgar and so you have to police the comments. It's easy for us to say 'keep it'!
Regarding feeding the hungry, I think everyone agrees it is a #1 priority, along with tending to those who are sick or hurt. However, some of us have lost faith government. But we have not lost our faith in people. To have faith in people and nonprofits - but not the government - in carrying out various missions and functions - does not make some of us bad or uncaring people. We just want things to be more efficient so they can continue on. In the end, I don't relish saying this, it is about economics. The debt reaper will come and he be merciless, and more will suffer rather than less. There will not be enough money to plug all the holes.
I think most reasonable people care about the same things, just not always on the means to achieve the ends. Let us not be unnecessarily divided and find solutions we can all agree with. Consensus is often found where unanimity cannot even be imagined.
Hear hear! My sister works at the Food Bank and these cuts are VERY real and painful. It’s devastating for the staff and the people they’re feeding. Absolutely absurd that people can argue in the comments about feeding our local Santa Barbarians who need assistance. Go Erik!
I heard they couldn’t afford to hold off as long as this development took (since it was pushed back so many times). Would love to know what happened for real though because we were all looking forward to seeing them again!
🤔 hmmm there is a public parking lot at Amtrak Train stop about 1 block away, probably less than a block. Smart & Final has a big parking lot but not sure if there is a parking attendant.
Can't we all at least TRY to meet somewhere in the MIDDLE? It seems folks are hell bent to stay either hard left or hard right. I agree with John, let's volunteer more and not rely on government to try to solve all problems, because they can't.
We went to Linden Square around 4:30 yesterday to check it out and it was hopping. I've never seen Carp this vibrant! It's a beautiful space and I think it's going to be a huge success.
I would love for you to turn off the comments section. Some are simply too disrespectful and unkind. Thank you for all you share, Erik. Your site has become such a wonderful part of our community!
I totally get that and agree they should have signs at least warning people. But the owners may just be flat out fed up with people parking on their property.
When the Post was getting ready to open, the owner (either Runyon group or the individual owners, not sure which) were telling all the staff to park in Stella Mares parking lot. Mind you this is when the restaurant was STILL OPEN and extremely busy due to their impending closure.
The owners were forced to block their own private parking lot to prevent Post employees from using it. So the Magic Castle owners may be at the end of their rope and going tow crazy.
Happy to hear about the Derfs space being put to good use!
I'll try asking but I suspect not, as the leasing map shows the bookstore space as for lease.
Will the Lantern Tree bookshop be opening soon at Linden Square? They were slated to be there.
Thank you. I really enjoy your site and think it is extremely valuable. Fills a need in our community. Why people feel a need to visit someone's website and then feel the need to rudely comment on that website's content, is unbelievable. No one is forcing anyone to be here. You and your website are very appreciated.
Very nice response Erik! It’s hard to believe that people here are actually hungry and rely on food assistance from the Food Bank but it’s true, sadly.
‘Delighted to hear of the continuing work and success by the Land Trust for SB Co. A fantastic organization and effort.
Erik,
Dont think The Win-Dow building had that much charm before BUT Im glad its got a new kitchen!
They have a good burger & the line will be huge on June 5th!
Well said Erik, and the levity is enjoyed and appreciated.
Please, carry on!
I applaud you Erik!
Ha! Now thats’s good😁
I'm pretty sure nothing is happening anytime soon, because I peeked inside the other day and it looks like this: https://www.sitelinesb.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/216-E-Yanonali-former-Metropulos-by-Siteline.jpeg. But there's no "for lease" sign or online listing, so perhaps that will change.
Hi Erik, by chance do you have any information on what is happening with the former Metropulos location? Such a fantastic spot and prime location in the Funk Zone, hoping there might be some sort of update in the near future. Thanks!
Please believe me when I say that I don't care whether people comment. The business doesn't need more interaction or even traffic (although, sure, that's always nice). And I often dream about turning the comments off entirely. Now and then, there are great ones—insightful, educational, and/or entertaining—but a lot of times people are just complaining (not merely about what I write, but everything), and it wears me down because I have to vet every one. On top of that, there are all the comments you don't see because I don't allow them: people can be so mean. But I leave the comments on because a lot of readers tell me how much they love reading them (even if it's in a hate-read way). And perhaps it's good to give people an outlet for their grievances so they don't go storm the Capitol.
I don't bring up national politics very often because the subject is rarely relevant—but in the case of Foodbank struggling because of cuts, it certainly is.
As for a government ensuring that its citizens don't go hungry—far different from "a responsibility to feed every American citizen"—I struggle to think what could be more important. Is it really such a controversial opinion? I absolutely believe in a safety net. May none of us ever need it.
You answered your own question. It’s a beach town fgs… walk a few steps…
It blows my mind how people complain about missing parking spots in this town. Maybe they should stick to drive-throughs instead of walking a block or two…
Don’t fall for Erik’s engagement bait. He’s the one that inserted politics with his claim to know what the entire Trump administration believes about charity and by implying the federal government has a responsibility to feed every American citizen. 🙄
