Council to consider public hearing regarding Downtown and Old Town Business Improvement Districts

Continued from Page A2 neighborhood that continues to provide beauty and greenspace to the City,” staff said. “Santa Barbara’s growth as a tree-filled, green city was due in large part to the philosophy of the City Beautiful Movement and the vision of many early planners and residents.”

The Parkway represents a period when the nation as a whole was beautifying cities and towns with parkways as part of the City Beautiful Movement, staff said.

“State Street Parkway embodies distinctive characteristics of the period in the early 20th century when Santa Barbara was purposefully beautifying the urban environment.

“Santa Barbara was fortunate to have one of the most noted authorities of the City Beautiful Movement, Charles Mulford Robinson, complete a report with suggestions for beautification of the City in 1909,” staff said.

“He recommended Santa Barbara install the State Street Parkway to give the street a stately effect for its the main vertebral avenue; however, it was not until 1917 that

Santa Barbara installed the Parkway to soften, beautify and create green space to the six blocks of the newly developing residential portion of State Street, from Mission Street to Constance Avenue.” email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com knowing people are watching and see this as a door opening for others. I know I am the first African-American judge in Santa Barbara County, but I certainly don’t want to be the last. I want other people of color to follow me and defy all expectations and stereotypes.”

In other business, staff recommends the council conduct a public hearing and consider appropriate protests to the renewal of the Downtown and Old Town Business Improvement Districts Assessments for 2023.

Staff also recommends the council adopt a resolution confirming the Fiscal Year 2023 assessment report for the districts and renewing their assessments for 2023.

The Downtown and Old Town business improvement districts have provided marketing and promotional services for downtown businesses for several decades.

The merchants in both business improvement districts pay for these services through an assessment based on their business license fee, location and type of business.

The assessment revenue is collected each year by the city, then remitted to Downtown Santa Barbara. Downtown Santa Barbara operates both improvement districts after merging with the Old Town Merchants Association in 2005.

The Downtown Business Improvement District serves businesses between Chapala and Anacapa Streets, from Ortega Street north to Micheltorena Street.

The Old Town Improvement District serves businesses between Chapala and Anacapa streets, from Gutierrez Street north to Ortega Street.

For the calendar year of 2023, there are no proposed changes to the districts’ boundaries or assessment rates.

Prior to submission of this report, staff received 12 protests from a total of 1,225 businesses in the Downtown District and 246 in the Old Town District. At the public hearing, the council will confirm whether there is a lack of majority protest (protests received from business owners who pay 50% or more of the total assessments to be levied), and adopt a resolution to assess the rates in accordance with the annual report.

The Downtown and Old Town districts’ revenues are projected to be approximately $238,000 in business assessments to fund marketing and promotional activities for local businesses.

She said she was honored to have been appointed judge and that she takes her responsibility very seriously.

“I am a mom, a wife and a real person, and I will always strive to do my very best with compassion, commitment and understanding,” she said.

“I look forward to serving the citizens in the county in my new role.” email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

“One group involved in the altercation has been identified as local Santa Barbara area residents with ties to a local Santa Barbara street gang,” police said. “The opposing group in the altercation has been identified as Ventura County residents with ties to Ventura County street gangs.” Prosecutors allege the four adult defendants were driving on Stearns Wharf when they verbally challenged their alleged Ventura County rivals, and that they stopped their vehicle for the purpose of deploying two of their party to attack them with a firearm. Prosecutors contend the four Santa Barbara defendants fled the scene of the shooting afterward, two on foot and two by vehicle, and that those in the vehicle then circled back to the location of the shooting to extract those who fled on foot to avoid apprehension.

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