AnonymousBy Natalia Govoni
Mayor Murrillo has now presided over two City Council Meetings and some disturbing trends are emerging. She has begun chastising residents for exercising their right to free speech at City Council meetings, inferred that some take up too much of Council’s time and criticized the volunteers of two of our most venerable organizations—the Pearl Chase Society and the Santa Barbara Conservancy, for wasting her time in hearing an appeal. Conversely, she has overly praised Developers, who may not live in Santa Barbara, at every opportunity.
Isn’t the mayor supposed to represent all residents and encourage them to participate in government? After watching our former Mayor, Helene Schneider, skillfully preside over meetings, appeals, and public comment one would think that our current Mayor would have mastered the basic understanding of how to treat residents at City Council.
Alas, Mayor Murillo seems to have decided to exercise her new mayoral muscle. First, she told the applicants of the Pearl Chase Society and the Santa Barbara Conservancy that their appeal of 800 Santa Barbara Street was the “WORST appeal” she had ever seen, while she went overboard complimenting the Developer who proposed a 3 story high-density AUD project in the city’s historical district. Browbeating a respected organization that spent hundreds of hours and resources to make their case to preserve this city is not befitting of a public employee.
As if this wasn’t sufficiently egregious, Murillo chided Pete DaBello, an Eastside resident, during his public comments. The public has the right, enshrined in the first amendment of the US constitution, the state constitution, the city charter and numerous city resolutions and ordinances to voice their concerns. It is indeed a right, not a privilege. As those who have summoned the courage to speak at City Council meetings know only too well it is intimidating. Raised above the public and behind their seats of authority, it easy to forget that this council serves the public. This effort to intimidate members of the public, wield power against those with whom she disagrees and disrespect constituents in a public forum is likely to have a chilling effect on speech.
Is this how we want the Santa Barbara City Council to operate? Tell the City Council what you think: SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.
Murillo IS a Bully, a Spoilsport and IS Manipulative. Anyone who regularly attends meetings just needs to watch what she does to see this, but most never attended meetings. So they see a sweet persona she plays. More importantly, watch what she says. Murillo doesn’t vote the way you would expect. She says she IS for affordable housing. Yet she sides with developers every chance she gets. She doesn’t want to vote for impact fees that could pay for some affordable housing, but she will IF all AUD projects with Applications in by 9-13-2017 are EXCLUDED! (That’s wrong! It should be with building permits!) Tax payers fund 75% of Development Fees and the AUD was supposed to provide housing affordable for local workers. Yet the units built are only affordable to those earning the most and if Murillo gets her way about 700 units that are not even approved yet will pay $0.00, but thoes 700 market rate units with create a demand of at least 250 below market rentals + whatever units destroyed to build market rate. (With building permits would limit the damge.) Bottomline is the AUD and Murillo’s rabid support of it IS making things worse! Tell The City Council that Impact Fees should be based on AUD projects with building permits as of 9-13-2017 and they must be at the highest level possible: SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
It’s funny how a strong woman can men so angry. I’m currently more concerned about POTUS complete lack of disregard for the Constitution, the environment, and the people he serves – How Cathy Murillo acts at council meetings, not so much..
In response to A-1517865796:
She is NOT trying to do her best so STOP defending her! She did a PISS POOR JOB as Council Member for her district so do not think for one minute that won’t act in the same manner now that she is Mayor. She is completely incompetent, unqualified and inept for this new role and if you think otherwise, you are as stupid and brainless as her!
The mayor didn’t have the sense to return to town during the greatest crisis in memory, a complete failure in leadership. As a council member she looked to solve all problems by increasing fines.
She doesn’t represent all people of the city; she has a lot of prejudices towards people not of her demographic.
Murillo’s reign over Santa Barbara’s Council will be entertaining. Let all, in the local Democratic Machine, who embraced this “opposite of Trump, but like him in so many ways” Mayor and let their decision play out! LMAO!!!
I admire strong, fair and rational women. If they ran the world we wouldn’t have war or inequality. Murillo isn’t strong or rational. She does have biases. She favors Developers over residents (they have $$). She isn’t informed because she is out and about campaigning rather than reading reports or educating herself. And she clearly has issues with self control. Start attending meetings and you will see all of this and things will come into focus on just how screwed the City Is and just how stupid the Local Democratic Party is to have ever endorsed her.
These negative comments are pretty funny. Edhat has historically been anti-Murillo and is continuing this trend. But clearly you do not represent the majority of Santa Barbara. I know Cathy slightly and have never seen the behavior described here. I will wait until someone who was actually there and who opinion I trust can verify that this actually happened.
Four words. Just four: I TOLD YOU SO. The Murillo woman is the dreadful consequence when no one votes.
She was a foolish choice, and y’all fell for it. Shame, shame on any of you who voted for her.
CIVILENGINEER, I would suggest you get stop sticking your head in the sand and WAKE UP! You definitely are drinking her Kool Aid!
CIVILENGINEER, I would suggest you get stop sticking your head in the sand and WAKE UP! You definitely are drinking her Kool Aid!
CIVILENGINEER, I would suggest you stop sticking your head in the sand and WAKE UP! You are DEFINITELY drinking her Kool-Aid!
Ms. Murillo is an advocate of rampant development (as long as its CHEAP housing) and she’s a PODER lackey. Any sane, rational citizen should be able to see right through her. Shame on the idiot Dems for selecting her as their poster child. Speak up, Santa Barbara! SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.
#ResisttheINSIST #ImNOTwithher #WhenSHEgoeslowWEgohigh
If you see something, say something: SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.
You have to admit, even if you voted for her (I didn’t), that this is a dismal performance by a new mayor. She fails to run the first three council meetings. She is then utterly silent on the mudslide disaster. She proclaims she feels pussy power in the park while neighbors 1 mile away are facing lives newly obliterated. How tone deaf can you be??? She doesn’t understand business at all. Attending WEV sessions and distributing notes as your one action to help the business community is like going to the Jr High Prom in the hopes of meeting a potential spouse. She. Is. Way. Out. Of. Her. League, and everyone saying she’s so nice and will eventually be good is willfully blinding themselves.
Calm down folks. She has only been in office for a short time. To many people she comes across as a gruff, uneducated bully, but she is not. She is obviously trying her best to let everone know that there is “a new sheriff in town.” When people get in over their heads with a new job they often lash out, and I suspect Cathy is in that space right now. She is laser focused on getting businesses to fill the empty storefronts, shelter and help the homeless, but mostly she is concentrating on disaster recovery. Everyone should support her.
Still waiting to hear her speak to us about the Montecito mudslide. Waiting to see the heart of our city beating… isn’t the mayor supposed to care about the city?
Due to the language used in the description. Not unbiased or evenhanded. Like most of the comments here. Must really chap your hides to know that she will be your mayor for the next 8 years!
CIVILENGINEER – I love how you admit that you only “know Cathy slightly and have never seen the behavior described here.” So, in your admittedly limited knowledge of Cathy, you can undoubtedly claim that all who find her actions and deeds wanting are just being biased and unfair to this woman you know so little? Please tell us more about Cathy, or is that all you know?
Listen bucko, she won’t be our mayor for 8 more years. She’ll be seeking higher political office before two more years have passed. She’ll be leaving on her own accord.
Pete is Pete and a concerned member of the community. For him to be teated so horribly my Marillo is very telling. Her silence on the Thomas fire and subsequent mudslide disaster in Montecito prove that “leading from behind” is quite telling. Cathy, what ARE you doing?…..crickets…
If this is true, that Mayor Murillo has not yet made any public speech or anything regarding the deadly mudslides and catastrophic Thomas Fire, then I think that speaks VOLUMES about your new mayor.
I think LOCALINSB should win an award for accurately predicting what our new sneaky-sneak mayor was going to do….and she done did it:
___________”Tuesday Murillo & Friedman plan to remove Council member Jason Dominguez from the SBCAG post he was elected to in January.”_________ “Cathy works tirelessly…..blah, blah, blah…..”