State Street restaurants beautify their parklets

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Some downtown Santa Barbara restaurants have been busy painting their outdoor dining parklets and making other improvements to improve their appearance in order to meet Wednesday’s deadline for implementing the city’s new design requirements.

The design requirements are the latest – and last — set of major requirements for the parklets.

The others deal with stormwater runoff and compliance with accessibility requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“The major changes to State Street facilities will include painting to match the approved color palette (dark grays, browns, and black); removal of lighting from trees and over sidewalks; removal of visible advertising, signs, logos, etc.; and removal of turf grass,” Sarah Clark, the city’s downtown plaza parking manager, told the News-Press.

Some of the restaurants are doing their best to comply. A newly formed group called Friends of State Street recently pitched in, sending volunteers to paint more than a dozen of the parklets. Ms. Clark was all for the idea.

“We’re glad to see businesses working together to improve the appearance of the Promenade,” she said.

Regarding ADA-required accessibility, the last time Ms. Clark reported to the council on the matter, all parklets on the 500-

Please see PARKLETS on A4 coat paint, and community members in both schools and offices treat all persons equally and respectfully and refrain from the willful or negligent use of slurs against any person on the basis of race, language spoken, color, sex, religion, disability, national origin, immigration status, age, gender, sexual orientation or political belief.”

Mr. Zuchelli said the district has several initiatives under way to address racial incidents in the community. “Our staff is taking Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist Training right now, and we are awaiting the results of the Insight Racial Climate Survey analysis. SB Unified is also preparing to launch the ‘I U We Stand’ campaign soon as part of an education campaign against hate. “Any student or staff member should report any incident to their school site leaders, and we will address any situation swiftly and thoroughly,” Mr. Zuchelli said.

Dr. Hilda Maldonado, the Santa Barbara Unified superintendent, said the district stands with the Jewish community and condemns all forms of hate. She referred to the incidents at Dos Pueblos and to anti-Semitic fliers found in the Isla Vista area.

“What’s happened at Dos Pueblos and across Isla Vista/UCSB is troubling,” Dr. Maldonado said. “We continue our commitment to identifying, responding and providing remedies to racial incidents when they occur in our schools. We believe in and stand for the respectful treatment and dignity of all people as one of our strongest values.”

On Nov. 15, the school district’s board of trustees adopted a Resolution on Respectful Treatment of All Persons.

The resolution calls for “students, employees, parents

“These incidents happened as we enter Black History Month and just after International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” he said. “SB Unified encourages our families to join us in having conversations with students about how these and other groups have historically faced discrimination. Instead, the district wants to celebrate our differences and denounce all forms of hate and violence.” email: dmason@newspress.com

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Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown has issued a statement condemning the antiSemitic fliers found in the Isla Vista area. A2.