Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously to extend operating hours from some restaurants until 12:30 a.m.
The Tuesday evening decision now allows bar/restaurants in the Funk Zone, Central Business District, and Coast Village Road to extend their closing time and alcohol sales from 10:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Local business owners overwhelmingly supported this measure during the city council meeting and stated it offers patrons more dining options later into the evening.
The council agreed on these zoned areas that contain the majority of bars and restaurants instead of a city-wide order as some businesses are too close to residential homes. Restaurants outside of these areas must stop selling alcohol at 10:00 p.m.
All businesses are still expected to follow the Public Health Department’s strict COVID-19 guidance and regulations.
The council also voted to extend the State Street Pedestrian Promenade through December 8 and close beaches for the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
So, basically turning restaurants into bars. Hmm, great for business, probably crappy for our health though.
If it’s bad for your health don’t go. Pretty simple.
420722 – No, it’s not “pretty simple” and you know it. Why do you insist on ignoring all the science/data, etc showing that gatherings (especially with alcohol involved) are high risk situations for spreading the virus? It’s not just about me catching it. If I go, I can spread it to others. Again though, you know all this, yet you insist on acting like nothing’s wrong. Not surprised here.
Just in time for returning college students who don’t seem to care if they spread the disease.
What parent is going to send their kid back to IV if the classes are all online? Only parents that never liked their kid much to begin with.
Explain to me why adults can go to “restaurants” (bars that serve chips with shots of tequila aren’t restaurants) to drink until 12:30am during a pandemic, but our kids can’t go to school even in outdoor classes with masks and distancing? The optics are bad on this one, SB.
Because there is no Union of risk averse employees being paid to stay home backed by vocal rich stay at home moms.
1. The Governor of the state has set the metrics that are required in order to have in-person school. We do not meet those metrics, not even close.
2. Prior to the Governor’s order in July, the district was, in fact, planning to return to school in person (the school board meeting they mentioned that they had to “pivot”.) Not clear whether they were planning on full in person or hybrid.
3. SBUSD has been, in fact, going through all of the planning required to return students to school – working on both hybrid and fully in person. These plans include additional cleaning, purchasing tents to allow for outdoor learning, changing class sizes (or using a hybrid model), to allow for 6′ distancing, purchasing masks and face shields for all teachers and students, etc.
TLDR; stop blaming the schools, parents, or teachers for the love of all that is holy. Or attend a frigging meeting once in awhile. The metrics required to return to school in person are very clear, and are being mandated from above. This change is a CITY change and has nothing to do with the schools.
It’s all about the Benjamins.
Yeah, I get it, $. Or more specifically $100 dollar bills. But the intent of your comment reeks of anti-semitism. We are in an era of unprecedented business hardship. The ripple effect of the unanticipated consequences of trumps fecklessness will take years to heal. I’m more in favor of a national mandate to require masks (Go Joe and Kamala!) than to, through civic negligence, cause local businesses to close forever from loss of business. Personally, I miss the martinis and Lasagna at Trattoria Vittoria.
Not right to do this but still close spas and hair bc we wear ppe. Yes we can work outside but I’m limited to eyebrow waxing only bc my other services like bikini waxing are not appropriate to be outdoor in my opinion. 6 months closed til sept 10 now. Not fair. I get there is a pandemic but we are not being treated equally. Strippers then should be closed or move them outdoor and if u think that they can’t bc it’s inappropriate then tell the governor bc he feels it’s completely appropriate to allow for outdoor Brazilian waxing so there u go.
When a government fears its people there is liberty. When people fear the government there is Tyranny
Remember folks only 73 Deaths out of 500,000 in 6 months. Zero we’re children
City Council has two goals- keep the populace safe and keep the businesses healthy. These goals conflict at this time. I don’t fault them for trying to achieve a balance in this situation. Depending on your priorities, feel free to criticize and let them know what you would do to achieve these two goals in tandem.