Petition of Ongoing Downtown Concerns Hopes to Reach Santa Barbara City Hall
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – With a list of concerns that comes with an ongoing debate about what’s being done in downtown Santa Barbara, a business owner has a petition out seeking signatures.
Dylan Mancuso who owns Cuso’s Creamery is reaching out to the public.
Signatures are being collected at the Farmers Market.
Cuso’s is in the eye of the downtown evolution in Santa Barbara with a bike and creamery business on the 600 block between Cota Street and Ortega Street.
Three years into life in this prime downtown spot, multiple concerns have come up, leading to the petition.
It is written by “Concerned Residents, Business Owners, and Community Members” followed by MancusoforSB.com. A letter about the effort says in part, “State Street is the heart of downtown Santa Barbara and an essential part of the city’s economy, culture, and tourism. Families, visitors, and local residents rely on this area being safe and welcoming. In recent months, however, many in our community have observed an increase in safety concerns including aggressive or disruptive behavior, theft, vandalism, harassment of customers and staff, and drug-related activity.”The petition lists key concerns as:
Aggressive or disruptive behavior
Theft and vandalism
Harassment of customers and staff
Drug-related activity
Groups of minors riding high-speed electric bicycles recklessly through pedestrian areas
It goes on to ask the City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Police Department to:
Increase uniformed patrol presence along State Street
Implement consistent foot patrols in pedestrian areas
Enforce safety regulations related to electric bicycles
Increase visibility during peak business and evening hours
regulate unlicensed street vendors
The goal is 250 signatures.
As of Tuesday morning the site has received 96 signatures.
In recent weeks the Santa Barbara Police Department has increased its enforcement of vehicle and municipal code violations in the area including the crack down on reckless bike riders. That includes impounding e-motorcycle-type bikes that are illegal on the street. Fines for bike violations start at $100. Teens can clear their tickets by passing an in person two hours safety class.
The Chief of Police Kelly Gordon and her staff report regularly to the council on the analytics of their efforts which are up over 2024 and often rely on adequate staffing.
The Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association has been in the forefront of cleaning up the core downtown area, adding security cameras and looking into more safety features. That also includes a rapid response to graffiti, trash and vandalism issues. Workers are out seven days a week.
The city also has an ambassador foot patrol team to document health and safety concerns, contact police when necessary and interact with business owners.
(More details, photos and video will be added here later today)
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