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Turn It Down, Please
updated: Mar 03, 2013, 8:26 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Amplified Ranchera music has been blaring over alta mesa all afternoon. Is it coming from Eilings park?

	Every once In a while, we experience the weirdest phenomenon on the upper east side. (03/04/13)	321	11
	Extremely loud mariachi music has been playing for hours on the upper east side. (03/04/13)	198	add
	Bombarded from Earl Warren Mexican Music... "They have a permit until 7 pm." "Can you drop an incendiary device?" I queried. "I need to inform you that this call is being recorded." Seems that unlike the Bowl, there is no requirement that the music be controlled at a certain decibel level. I don't care if it's mariachi or Wayne Newton. I'm a musician, so it's not like I don't appreciate artistic expression. But must an entire community be held hostage? This is how they flushed Manuel Noriega out of his lair a few decades ago. (03/04/13)	217	2

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 381063	2013-03-03 08:32 PM
Welcome to Santa Bruta.
COMMENT 381064	2013-03-03 08:37 PM
063, right, because no other type of music ever blares in SB.
ROGER DODGER	2013-03-03 08:45 PM
I don't hear anything..I haven't heard anything since my ears fell off this morning around 10am...
REXOFSB	2013-03-03 08:53 PM
I can't believe that majorly amplified music isn't subject to the same laws as other loud, awful noises that impinge on everyone's right to a little peace and quiet, regardless of the hour. Was it ever determined where this racket came from? If it indeed was from Earl Warren, I'd suggest that the EWS phone ring off the hook tomorrow with complaints.
CHERIDIANE	2013-03-03 09:50 PM
Oh, I am glad to know someone else was not liking the loud music. On the eastside near SBHS it very loud and obnoxious. We could not help hearing it from inside our living room.
COMMENT 381086P	2013-03-03 10:13 PM
I could hear it on APS... and something loud at the harbor, too.
COMMENT 381089P	2013-03-03 11:31 PM
Un (you know what) believable! The new folks at KEYT who are swearing and heavily advertising that they are radically changing the way news is reported has gone thru one full broadcast with NO word about any of this. NONE! So much for the hope that they will cover REAL news and not report on fluff, and on anything truly "local." I 'm done with News Channel 3.
ROGER DODGER	2013-03-04 07:17 AM
I say we pipe in Black Sabbith and turn it up full blast all over town next Sunday,Fight fire with fire.
COMMENT 381111	2013-03-04 07:33 AM
We live in the upper east and it sounds like it is in our living room too. I drove to find it, the sound bounces around, loud on one street, gone on the next. it is coming all the way from EARL WARREN SHOWGROUNDS. And usually about once a month, they choose a quiet Sunday evening always. I drove over they told me it was "Mexican Dance Night' there. Don't know if they have permits for so loud on a Sunday. Seems odd they can't use gas leaf blowers around town, but this is OK?
COMMENT 381112	2013-03-04 07:35 AM
I live off APS, could hear the music, and had no problem with it. We can also hear concerts @Bowl and seals barking when the atmospheric conditions are right. Always hear semi-trucks on the freeway too. No biggie.
COMMENT 381117	2013-03-04 07:45 AM
now 112 has the right attitude......its occasional....and just part of the SB sounds...no biggie....Roger....how about Houses of the Holy for next Sunday.
UPONTHEHILL	2013-03-04 07:48 AM
Last night was exceptionally loud. I thought it was a party on our street. We could hear the MC speaking.
COMMENT 381119	2013-03-04 07:50 AM
We live near EWS and rarely, if EVER to we hear noise , but last night was out of control, it was the loudest we have ever heard anything out of EWS. Please call their Administration office@ 687-0766. They need to know this occured to the point where CHP was dispatched to handle as it is out of the City and State property.
COMMENT 381124	2013-03-04 08:04 AM
EPA sets limits (85 dBA) and OSHA sets a higher, less useful limit (90 dBA) that audiologists don't agree with. Those are 8 hour time weighted averages for a workplace.
COMMENT 381132	2013-03-04 08:25 AM
and I heard this music(?) too but I live downtown! much too loud, could hardly hear my own thoughts. Went outside to try to figure out where it was coming from. Thought maybe some nearby neighbors were having a party -- although the sound seemed to come and go.
COMMENT 381136	2013-03-04 08:33 AM
@64...Pretty much!
COMMENT 381138P	2013-03-04 08:38 AM
EWS should set reasonable decibel level for neighbors, period, for all types of music, plus time limits on Sundays. Glad to hear it's just once a month. But what if you were somewhere around town trying to have a celebration of your own? For some, it might be their only day off. Bottom line: One party should not be allowed to spoil an entire day of enjoying the outdoors for so many others.
COMMENT 381139	2013-03-04 08:39 AM
Whether it's rock, reggae, country, mariachi, ranchera, blues, soul, r&b, folk, gregorian chant, grunge, punk, big band, symphony orchestra, techno, jazz, pop, religious, acappella or any other style of music. If it's being amplified then there should be a limit as to how loud & for how long it can be played. It's unfair to be exposed to the volume level of Sunday's event without any fair recourse. For the record, I'm an child of the sixties and I still like it loud & strong but I respect my neighbor's right to not being unreasonably subjected to my music & volume preference ad nauseum.
SBALAX	2013-03-04 08:39 AM
With all of the doors and windows (Double pane) we could hear it clearly on APS near the Mission. This is not the first time.
COMMENT 381143	2013-03-04 08:41 AM
It would be politically incorrect to criticize or tone down ethnic oriented music of any kind, votes are at stake!
COMMENT 381153P	2013-03-04 09:03 AM
People who make this all about the style of music are extremely disappointing. It's about the volume.
COMMENT 381156	2013-03-04 09:13 AM
I could hear it, loud, intrusive and disturbing on Anapamu and Olive. It was louder than anything I've ever heard from the Bowl. Even with my doors closed and a video on the Kindle that was held near my face. This is not right. This was too loud for too long. Jarring abrasive music and amplified speakers.
COMMENT 381165	2013-03-04 09:30 AM
I live about two blocks east of EWS and I thought it was in my living room last night!! I have made calls over the years to EWS but it is always on Sunday that the violation occurs and no one there answers a phone call. I have been told in the past to call the SBSO as they have jurisdiction because it is state property. Now am I hearing to call CHP?? Bottom line here is someone at EWS needs to be accountable. The email address for the CEO, Scott Grieve at Earl Warren is scott@earlwarren dot com. I ask you, if you were effected last night, to please send him an email. This needs to stop and we as a community need to voice our concerns. Those in power at EWS are NOT GOOD NEIGHBORS.
COMMENT 381174	2013-03-04 09:42 AM
@ 381143 Funny how there's a large group (the majority) of people who are considered to have no ethnicity.
COMMENT 381176	2013-03-04 09:50 AM
I live up on Miramonte, and yes it was loud, but it was only for a couple of hours, it ended before 7pm, and I have heard shows at the Bowl that were louder. The Bowl is a 1/4 mile further away from us than the Showgrounds. Chill.
COMMENT 381179P	2013-03-04 09:54 AM
It was happening downtown all afternoon and into the evening.
COMMENT 381180P	2013-03-04 09:58 AM
This reminds me of several years ago at the Santa Maria Fair grounds. There was a rock band and people five miles away from the fairgrounds were calling in and complaining. Several different times the sound man was asked to turn it down but after about 5 minutes he'd turn it up again. Maybe these technicians become deaf afer awhile along with all the guests,and all the neighbors.
COMMENT 381193	2013-03-04 10:13 AM
Gather enough signatures (and $) to form a lawsuit. That's the only way things get done now.
COMMENT 381209P	2013-03-04 11:04 AM
Legal noise limit is 65 d. EWS should be fined for this violation and if it ever happens again, the fine should be multiplied by ten or more. Shame on management to let this situation go on. SB City should require monitors on site. I know EWS is state owned but neighbors deserve better behavior regarding impacts. Noise is just one of them. EWS events violate sign ordinances on a regular basis.
SBALAX	2013-03-04 11:10 AM
E-mail sent!
COMMENT 381214	2013-03-04 11:17 AM
thanks SBLAX for sending an email to scott@earlwarren dot com Now we need more to voice their concerns
COMMENT 381217	2013-03-04 11:29 AM
381209P - Read the municipal code.... Noise limitations...shall not apply to...[sound] amplification...as part of an event...approved by a public entity on property owned by...said public entity.
COMMENT 381229	2013-03-04 12:19 PM
209P how do you interpret that code??? Remember the showgrounds is owned by State of CA Ag dept. Give us your spin in layman terms
COMMENT 381230	2013-03-04 12:19 PM
SHOOK MY HOUSE FOR HOURS, THIS IS NOT FAIR, the whole westside shook and people looking for scared animals in the streets that got out trying to run away, TURN THE NOISE DOWN. THIS IS NO DIFFERENT FROM THE LOCAL CHURCHES TRYING TO PLAY THEIR AWFUL OUT OF TUNE MUSIC THROUGH THE STREETS doors and windows open FORCING all THEIR different RELIGION ON US AND DISTURBING THE PEACE, SHEESH! Party or churches it's the same parties! This is so disturbing that we have to put up with inconsiderate actions, what recourse do we have but to run away and leave our homes ! Why do I pay taxes for this disturbance of my peaceful home?
COMMENT 381235P	2013-03-04 12:32 PM
Noise is measured from the source but also at the receiving end. City Neighbors of this state owned facility should ask for noise monitors at their locations. If it is above 65 dbs at your home, it should be a violation of city code. If the city municipal code reads as 217 quotes, the City residents are screwed. Usually event permits list the noise regulations. Time to hit City Hall to get this changed to some reasonable level. I am no expert on these matters. I would like to see language of the actual noise ordinance the city follows.
ROGER DODGER	2013-03-04 12:50 PM
This is the new music of Santa Barbara get used to it..
COMMENT 381268	2013-03-04 01:41 PM
EWS was way too loud. Thanks for Scott's email, I need his cell number and home address! It got that loud sometime I think a few weeks before or after Fiesta last year but it was the same type of music. We've lived in the EWS area for three years now and it's great, no issues until La Musica (twice now) That can't be good for the folks inside either!
COMMENT 381282	2013-03-04 02:24 PM
Part of the EWS Vision Statement.... "To be a valued community asset and considered a component of Santa Barbara's quality of life." Hmmmmm.....methinks they need to do some work to achieve their vision.
COMMENT 381284	2013-03-04 02:35 PM
381229 - Ummmmm, I'm not sure how much more plain that the interpretation of this code can be. See SB Muni Code 9.16.050. The showgrounds are a PUBLIC entity. I don't care if the city, county, or state owns it; if a group gets approval from them to blast music, then they are not breaking the law. Question is, did they actually have approval?
COMMENT 381291	2013-03-04 02:59 PM
It would be great if Scott Grieve from EWSG could fill us in on this string on to how we go about communicating with them on this issue. I had a neighbor call in and all he could get was the Ventura Highway Patrol!!
COMMENT 381295	2013-03-04 03:06 PM
ugh. Oompa Loompa circus music. It's crap and horrible. ugh. Somebody make them turn it off.
COMMENT 381296	2013-03-04 03:08 PM
To: Rodger Dodger, So is the answer to all annoyances "get used to it"? That's a broad and over simplified way of allowing all offensive behaviors and/or actions to continue to exist. The line of civil and polite behavior has to be drawn definitively so that everyone knows what the expectation is.
COMMENT 381301	2013-03-04 03:26 PM
Wow, some really intolerant views here. I live near Samarkand and wasn't bothered a bit by it. But then I also don't view all hispanics as gang members and I don't think I am entitled to silence every second of the day. If you had a problem with it or you were in an area where it was truly noise pollution (again, I could barely hear it in Samarkand, so I'm not sure where the people here who were so upset by it were) then complain to local officials and to the people who run EWS. But to make it like it's some offensive thing because it was Hispanic music is....well, offensive in itself.
COMMENT 381307	2013-03-04 03:43 PM
301 the point is that it's way to loud. Not because of the music. The second anyone complains about this, the racist card is drawn and that is weak. I read through the comments and I don't think anyone mentioned gang members. You also wrote you live "near Samarkand" so is that where? My point is don't pull the race card when it doesn't need it (ever).......... And that was loud!!!
COMMENT 381311	2013-03-04 04:09 PM
307, I'm not saying that anyone who complains is racist. I'm saying those who said it was 'welcome to Santa Bruta' and such...well, that's racist and lumping everyone who enjoys this music or who went to this event into a gang. That's just wrong. So you're mistaken that the so-called race card was drawn by ME. I'm merely responding to commenters here who made this noise complaint blatantly about culture and race. Those comments may have been removed, so perhaps you didn't see them. I live between Samarkand and San Roque. Technically San Roque. City-map wise, I live right behind Kyoto restaurant which is technically still Samarkand but colloquially is San Roque. Pretty close to EWS. I didn't hear music unless I was outside in my backyard and even then it wasn't loud to my standards.
AUNTIE S.	2013-03-04 04:14 PM
Forget Scott's email. This noise should be recorded at the accurate level and a group gather at his house at 2:00 a.m.and play it under his bedroom window for hours I also agree that a lawsuit (for mucho dinero) is the way to go.
AUNTIE S.	2013-03-04 04:29 PM
1296, you make a good point and I couldn't agree more. And to the person who said noise complaints are really intolerant - I guess we should all "live and let live" no matter how offensive someone else" habits are. Remember in a free society - your rights end where mine begin.
COMMENT 381318	2013-03-04 04:34 PM
381311 - You (and others in areas of Samarkand) didn't hear the music because there is a huge hill between you and the showgrounds. Much different story on the west side and up on Miramonte Dr.
COMMENT 381319	2013-03-04 04:35 PM
Kyoto is on the other side of the Hill. You travel up the hill, pass McCaw then down the hill to the bottom where EWSG is, so this wouldn't affect you at all! Lucky you. That's San Roque FYI
COMMENT 381325	2013-03-04 04:54 PM
huge hill !!!! what huge hill?? Hills do not block sound if there were one near EWSG. Come on over and have a listen
COMMENT 381330P	2013-03-04 05:22 PM
I live three blocks from West Beach and I didn't hear the loud music from the WB Music Festival a few years ago. But people in Montecito and Summerland called the cops. I have a feeling the event at EWSG had speakers pointed to the ocean or downtown. That's why people in San Roque didn't hear it.
COMMENT 381333P	2013-03-04 05:28 PM
You need to show up at the next City Council meeting and speak to the issue during public comment time. Get the issue on a future agenda. Noise ordinances are there to protect neighbors and make good neighborhoods. If 30 people show up and speak, the City can't ignore the issue (I hope!)
COMMENT 381343	2013-03-04 05:51 PM
319, actually I do know what zoned hood I live in. If you care to check with the city, my actual street is considered Samarkand. And what hill? You mean the golf course????
COMMENT 381388	2013-03-04 08:20 PM
Any amplified music that can be heard past the property line is illegal according to the SB Noise Disturbance law which is in effect 24-7 in the City of SB, this is on the police code, isn't it? Disturbing the peace is not a even a doubt, so much for a peaceful and restful Sunday! Why don't they have to adhere to it too? People, file a complaint with the police and call the police or there will be concerts like this all the time, how ignorant to think that just because it was oompa music that it was okay, if it was rock it wouldn't be okay either, just tooooooo loud, what about the horses boarded at the showgrounds, animals living in the area, human ears were blasted, what about the more sensitive that live around there! Ridiculousness
COMMENT 381418P	2013-03-05 12:57 AM
Gawd, I LOVE Edhat! We live at the top of Olive St., which means we're 2+ miles East of Earl Warren Showgrounds. We could hear, clearly, every word the announcer said. He may as well have been set up across the street from our house. Sunday afternoons, our neighborhood is usually nice and quiet, but, no, we couldn't sit out and enjoy our garden last Sunday because then we'd have to listen to BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH. After two hours of this super-loud commentary, and the music in between, I was nominated to call Dispatch and say we'd had enough of this aural abuse. The Dispatch person acted like he'd never heard a peep about this from anyone else. Not that I think these dispatchers are supposed to tell me "Geez, you're the 20th person that called this in," but I HATE IT how I was made to feel I was some kind of crank. Like we were the only ones who objected. Thank you, Edhatters, for making us feel not alone in all of this. It is late now, nearly 1am Tuesday, but later today I am going to shoot off an email to Scott G., you betcha. This isn't the first time we've been subjected to this obnoxious assault against our peace and quiet, thanks to EWS. I encourage everyone to email Scott and tell him this needs to stop. City Council will only tell you EWS is a State-owned property. What a drag. Next time, I am calling SBSO and CHP, just to cover all the basses, uh, er, bases. BOOMBADABOOMBADABOOM. What's the world coming to if we can't enjoy our tranquil Sunday afternoons?
COMMENT 381448	2013-03-05 07:27 AM
The board of directors are the responsible parties. Suzanne Perkins Art Najera Corola Nicholson Marshall Miller Alex Rodriguez Mary Rose June Van Wingerden Betty Weiner Chip Wullbrandt From their vision statement: To be a valued community asset and considered a component of Santa Barbara's quality of life. To be so integrated in the daily life of the community that individuals, organizations and companies of all types willingly invest resources in our success.
ROGER DODGER	2013-03-05 07:45 AM
@296 Then do something about it..Your just looking for someone to blame..I don't even hear the music anymore don't bother me..No one cares till it's in THEIR backyard
COMMENT 381506	2013-03-05 09:42 AM
First of all it wasn't ranchera or mariachi music get it straight. All these people complaining and crying like little kids I heard the music and didn't care to cry about it. I went on with my day and had a wonderful evening too. It happens once a year but yet I hear the Sb bowl more often and still mind my own business. You should try it too!
COMMENT 381613	2013-03-05 12:38 PM
If someone deprives you of the peaceful use of your property, you should charge them rent. Enough for you to leave town and find a nice hotel. Multiply that by several thousand properties, and you would think the EWSG would be wiser.
COMMENT 381615	2013-03-05 12:39 PM
506 if it was once a year we could deal with it. I say turn it down and take down the sign violations on the fence that the rest of the City of SB has to adhere to

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