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City Council Forum
updated: Aug 19, 2011, 5:18 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

There's a city council candidate forum on Friday night. If you could ask the 10 candidates a question about their platform or goals, what would it be?

Forum info:

In 2009, the South Coast Community Coalition, a Santa Barbara based non-partisan advocate group for better government, produced a Santa Barbara City Council Candidate Forum at the DoubleTree Hotel where more than 200 members of the public listened to 14 council candidates and six mayor hopefuls.

Next Friday, August 19, 2011, will be the second South Coast Community Coalition Candidate Forum, again at the DoubleTree Hotel, 6:30P -8p. MC of this year's Forum will be Sheila Lodge, former Mayor of Santa Barbara and the Forum Moderator will be Phil Bugay, former City Council member.

Members of the public are invited to attend the free Candidate Forum and questions of the council candidates may be submitted in advance. Seating is first-come first-served and audience size is limited.

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

COMMENT 205115	2011-08-18 08:02 AM
What is their plan to tackle the blight of the homeless and panhandlers on State St. so shoppers will feel comfortable walking around downtown again? Just this week my husband and I decided to eat inside instead of on the patio at a local restaraunt to avoid the obnoxious panhandlers on the one bench and the sad looking homeless woman who was staring at everyone on the other.
ANEMONEFISH	2011-08-18 08:33 AM
What's chances of your moving the City of Santa Barbara to catch up with the more health-aware County and the City of Goleta in at least banning smoking within 20 feet of non-smoking areas? No smoking in unenclosed areas of restaurants and bars - like along State Street? On beaches and in public parks?
COMMENT 205166P	2011-08-18 09:19 AM
What do you think the job of a City Council representative is? What are your priorities? Do you believe government needs to be downsized? What are your specific plans to make government both more efficient and more responsive? What jobs, departments or functions could be combined, rethought, eliminated, etc.?
CAPTAIN HALEY	2011-08-18 09:47 AM
I'd like to hear candidates speak a little about the General Plan and how they might hope to reach some agreement about it. Also, not a question for the candidates, but will these forums be televised and rebroadcast?
COMMENT 205341P	2011-08-18 01:12 PM
Captain Haley: some of the forums are televised, notably that of the LWV, if they have one this year --- they usually do. Probably the other ones are by localized groups and won't be televised.
SHAKEY	2011-08-18 02:34 PM
Are the homeless problems on Milpas ever going to be cleaned up? Or is this just lip service to get elected? For the conservo's and the moderate Democrat that runs MCA and gets paid very well for it when are you going to stop slamming current city council members and the Mayor and do something constructive? I know your claimming some victories on Milpas but nothing is really getting done. It's out of sight, out of mind for a week or two then it's back to the way it was, or worse. What are you really going to do about it? I mean besides blamming Grant House, and what you keep calling Homeless Inc.?
COMMENT 205531P	2011-08-18 07:32 PM
What is your plan to return State Street back to the families, shoppers & tourists? The homeless & in-your-face panhandlers need to move off State!
NIGHTCAP	2011-08-18 08:01 PM
How are you going to clean up State Street and make it a inviting jewel for tourists and locals?
ROGER DODGER	2011-08-18 09:40 PM
Where are you going to move the homeless people till after the election?
COMMENT 205555	2011-08-18 09:57 PM
Roger- maybe they can get a discounted group rate with Greyhound to San Diego or San Fran
COMMENT 205561P	2011-08-18 11:04 PM
1. Will you consider granny flat/garage conversions for low income housing for students, seniors, single parents, etc... The permit process is so crazy it causes people to make "illegal" rentals that then are often substandard. 2. Why is lower State Street and the funk zone/waterfront area such a blight? Can citizens be involved in offering solutions to make the town both local and tourist friendly? oops that's two...
COMMENT 205578P	2011-08-19 06:40 AM
Target Corporation wants to lease 10 acres of the blighted SB Airport land on Hollister Avenue, across from the Elephant Bar. A Target store will bring up to $1M in new sales tax revenue, jobs our lower economic community needs, and $10M in traffic fees that the City of Goleta can use for its streets and parks, not to mention the fact that every SB family wants a Target store in Santa Barbara/Goleta. Will you support an open, public and frank discussion about the benefits and negatives associated with leasing a portion of the land to Target?
ROGER DODGER	2011-08-19 07:16 AM
Can you spare 1.50 for a small coffee at Starbucks?
SBROCKS	2011-08-19 08:09 AM
Regarding illegal Vacation Rentals: What will they do to stop this violation on Single Family Dwellings and the illegal taxes that the City is excepting from them. The City and the local businesses are losing thousands of dollars in lost taxes and revenues. When a home is rented, restaurants lose, hotels loose and the city loses when bed taxes are not turned into the City.
COMMENT 205627P	2011-08-19 08:09 AM
As City Council person will you vote to restore Rental Housing Mediation Task Force funding? If not why not?
COMMENT 205658P	2011-08-19 09:03 AM
Good one, 578P
COMMENT 205808P	2011-08-19 01:25 PM
I'd like some straight talk on the ever-increasing gang problems of all kinds of crime-violence, graffiti, robberies, etc. What are the candidates' proposals and why the delay on a gang injunction?
COMMENT 205813P	2011-08-19 01:32 PM
Do you believe the city council should meet in private to deliberate decisions? If not, then why did you vote for that?
COMMENT 205815P	2011-08-19 01:34 PM
If you do not want more housing density to be located downtown, then where do you want it to go instead? Or, are you really for no growth at all but will not admit it?
COMMENT 205817	2011-08-19 01:36 PM
This forum will be recorded by Santa Barbara Channels and played on cable TV-21 quite frequently, starting early next week.
COMMENT 205908P	2011-08-19 04:19 PM
David - please forward this thread to your wife. Maybe we can get some questions answered.
ROGER DODGER	2011-08-19 06:48 PM
How can you promise to clean up the city if crime is running rampet in your own back yards?
ROGER DODGER	2011-08-20 11:29 AM
Sure had alot of cops in the neighborhood last night protecting their silly council...

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