What Should Mayor Murillo’s Priorities Be?
By Anna Marie Gott
It took 12 days after the devastating mudslides caused by the Thomas Fire to re-open HWY 101. Since it's closure on January 9th, we've discovered that the mudslides completely destroyed or heavily damaged hundreds of homes, approximately 10,000 residents were forced to evacuate, over 100 business were shuttered, tens of thousands could not get to work due to the closure, over 21 residents lost their lives, landlords began price gouging their neighbors in need and Cathy Murillo was installed as the Mayor of Santa Barbara.
While neighbors pitched in to help one another and shelters opened and closed, the Mayor was usually quiet and absent until the Woman's March on Saturday.
The most important job of any elected official is to mobilize agencies, departments and direct efforts to our community. In times like these the very least they can do is to be present, to witness catastrophe, and to lend comfort and support to those affected. When the City needed her, she choose to attend an onsite training in Sacramento that could have been completed online.
The County of Santa Barbara, in cooperation with local state and federal emergency agencies, opened a Local Recovery and Assistance Center for victims of the Thomas Fire and January Storm tragedies. This assistance center serves as a single point resource hub for those who have been impacted by these back to back disasters. Representatives from federal, state, local and nonprofit agencies are on site to provide resources to victims of the mudslide, many of which are residents of the City. Yet, the only representation missing was the City of Santa Barbara. How is this possible?
We have no doubt that this disaster and the needs of our extended community would have been the sole preoccupation of any of our former Mayors just as it is the obsession of our County Supervisor. Yet the new Mayor who disappeared in the midst of the crisis and was not working to help displaced residents and merchants of Coast Village Road, which is in the city limits.
With the urgent issues facing the city today, it is disappointing and disheartening that the very first legislative policy that Mayor Murillo, and newly elected Councilmember Eric Friedman, are bringing to the new City Council, on February 6th, is to rehash and re-litigate committee seats. Why is that important? Councilmembers already were assigned their committee seats. These decisions were made during the first council meeting conducted by our newly elected mayor. Democratic votes were made and seats filled. This happened the very same sad day as the mudslides
During that meeting she INSISTED on being appointed to a specific committee, but majority of the Councilmembers voted against this. Rather than be graceful and accept the democratic process in place, she is currently trying to upend the system.
Is this the type of leadership we should expect from a mayor? Mayor Murillo coveted the committee seat and a democratic vote denied it to her. Now, rather than helping the mudslide victims and the businesses affected by the Thomas Fire in any way the she can, Mayor Murillo is “hard at work” revisiting committee seat assignments made just weeks ago in a desperate effort to get what she wants.
What do you think Mayor Murillo’s priorities should be? Tell the City Council at: SBCityCouncil@SantaBarbaraCA.g
Do you have an opinion on something local? Share it with us at ed@edhat.com. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of edhat.
Comments Penalty Box
19 Comments deleted due to down vote
1 Comments deleted by Administrator
52 Comments
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Jan 24, 2018 09:25 AMHow about next time we send all the candidates to training and then document their testing scores. We can use that as criteria for our next election and our Mayor will be trained and ready to go on day one... Not sitting in class when our community is under 10 feet of mud.
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Jan 25, 2018 06:32 AMI don't care if people vote me down that's just a sign I'm speaking the truth and they cannot take it.... I like those rotisserie chickens better they are better for you Wish there was a place near by that sold them.
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Jan 24, 2018 07:32 PMJust so you know Roger I value your discourse and I did not down vote you. Different opinions are what makes the world work! No pitch forks yet but I will let you know.
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Jan 24, 2018 07:18 PMHow long should we wait? I did not say anything until this week which is 10 days of no action and we needed leadership. The leaders in place did a great job but I am having a hard time seeing her in a room and these guys not rolling their eyes after her lack of involvement. But maybe she will paint the city gold! I can't say I am hopeful or holding my breath but there are weirder things that have happened like a guy with orange hair and a keen interest in KFC and golf making more sense every day.
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Jan 24, 2018 07:12 PMShe will be fine...Give her a chance you might be surprised.
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Jan 24, 2018 06:39 PMRoger I am not mad ha ha he he. She is an under qualified community organizer and she will get nothing accomplished with that pedigree. Republican or democratic does not really matter in a local election but she is so far left that I think it would take at least you me and a few other guys your size sitting near the center right just to keep her balanced on the seesaw. All I am saying
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Jan 24, 2018 06:31 PMUnless you guys are going to start protesting at City Hall with Pitch Forks and Torches ya all should just get over it she won....I did not vote for her either but she is the mayor won fair and square...The Cubs had their day in the Sun they have a hundred more years to wait for another... Shes not a republican that is why your mad...HeeheeheeHa,Ha,Ha,teeheeeeeheeteeheeha!!!
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Jan 24, 2018 05:59 PMOk I think Murillo should do some spring training with the Cubs. It will up her game.
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Jan 24, 2018 05:56 PMNever You just basically admitted what I said Fire away! I love my White Sox and there is nothing you can say to hurt that. PS The Cubs sucked this year.
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Jan 24, 2018 04:49 PMmaybe but she is not. She is a community organizer with no real leadership experience and she just spent the last couple weeks in training and writing a speech while our community was in shambles. Its not like she is a new hire she is a "community girl" she just shows up for the things that work for her electoral purposes. if you can leave golf out I will leave the white sox out.
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Jan 24, 2018 08:58 AMSo I just down voted 3 comments. All were flinging insults at people for no reason at all. I think its great that Edhat allows self moderation but I also think people could take some of that personal ownership as well. People who throw personal insults when someone states an opinion that is not in line with theirs is pretty low. It seems like people that have nothing to say to defend their actions or the actions of others resort to this to put the other party on the defensive. Well I hope you know thats kinda what a bully does. Thats that thing you guys are all up in arms about. Very hypocritical and super sad. I will not comment on the color of her hair or the size of her hands or the quality of her words. I will comment on her actions and outcomes and I am sure that will continue to elicit the typical insults that I see getting flung around to others.
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Jan 24, 2018 08:43 AMShe got well under 30 percent of the popular vote so do the math and you can wonder why there might be a majority that does not agree with her. Hence you get an electoral outcome that does not represent the consensus but rather who is able to muster up enough emotion and can promise the most to their constituents. She was so painfully left that Schneider would not endorse her. She will likely do nothing as Mayor (hopefully). But stating that one cannot be critical of her performance or her ideals is not democratic. Thats the beginning of a dictatorship. But discourse requires two parties and some desire to compromise. Anyone who is critical will ultimately be called sexist or racist or elitist or you fill in the blank. She plays the victim well and or victim advocate. She does not play leader or problem solver at all, hence her absence when those skills are needed. There were many times including coordinating with the red cross's shelter shut down that she could have been more involved in solutions at the very least public communications... but she doesn't want to deal with the homeless issue she fosters She just wants us to understand it and work with it for her. Democracy requires accountability. I have yet to understand what someone sees in a middle aged man or woman with no professional background, no home ownership experience and really no meaningful societal input other than "community organizing" No wonder all she did this past month was try and undermine the election by inserting herself in a position she does not have privilege to and making a speech that isolates almost half of our population.
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Jan 23, 2018 10:03 PMI appreciate Ms Gott's editorial. She asks valid questions. A major disaster happens, and part of the area affected is IN the city limits.
And our mayor is where? Grandstanding at the vigil, where everyone elected within 20 miles was present?
Um...gee...thanks.
And she's offered what to the affected district?
Nothing.
She got plenty of love at her women's rally last weekend. She made time for that.
She made time for Sacramento.
So...she's showing where her priorities are.
And it's not caring for the death and destruction suffered in the eastern edge of the city limit and adjacent territory.
What would a good mayor do?
I suspect Helene would have convened a roundtable of the right folks to figure out how they could get through this. She would have pursued things like asking landlords to reduce or waive rents for now so their business and residential tenants survive. A mayor has the pulpit to do that. Let's get city staff to take a stance of helping, rather than hindering with their usual bureaucratic red tape. What can we do to promote visits to the businesses in the affected area? Is our police department being respectful of the people that have suffered trauma when encountering them at the barricades? Let's not take a hit to sales tax and TOT if we can avoid it. What FEMA and state resources are available? Is anyone having a hard time accessing them?
Let's fix that!
That's what a good mayor would have done.
That's not what our mayor has done, or is doing.
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Jan 23, 2018 09:38 PMWhat should the priorities be? Lower state street smells like urine, there are too many empty store fronts on State, at night (and sometimes during the day)people sleep in front of business doors, disheveled people stare at you while you eat breakfast outside. How about starting there? Increase Police presence around the over pass, ticket people urinating in public, charge a blight tax on building owners who won’t lower their rents to coincide with store owners competing with online shopping. Ticket and move people camping on State street and the side streets. At the beginning of the month I was shopping at the “ Collection” and the absence of the above was wonderful. If Santa Barbara doesn’t address the above, more people will shop and eat elsewhere.
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Jan 24, 2018 09:32 PMYES. Greed is killing our city. Vacant buildings all up and down State St. I work in a popular downtown establishment and we have seen a downslide in business that is unprecedented. A customer asked me "What has happened to downtown?" and I told him it was greed, pure and simple. SKY HIGH rents. It's sick. Wouldn't it be better to be getting an affordable rent with a thriving local business economy than for these landlords to sit on empty boarded up properties. It's disgusting. Something needs to give.
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Jan 24, 2018 09:29 PMA loud AMEN to the part about charging a blight tax on building owners who will not lower their rents to coincide with store owners and mom & pop businesses! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
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Jan 24, 2018 09:40 AMAgree. What we used to call Ventucky is now a nice break from out over populated and dreary downtown. We have so much more to offer yet we have squandered it somehow. Very sad. I have been for for almost 20 years with family going back another 100. I am looking at another place to live while this city sorts itself out. SB will always be special because of our climate but its pretty amazing how local leadership can marginalize what is inherently valuable when you add that the equation of overall quality of life. Seems they are determined to screw up paradise.
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Jan 24, 2018 09:28 AMI agree! I live a few blocks from downtown. I have been here since 82 and have not seen downtown looking this bad...ever. Building owners have held this place hostage since they ousted Esaus from lower state (17 years ago and it's STILL vacant!). This really needs to end. The city HAS upped the police presence downtown and they downtown patrols are great with the public and great at keeping the vagrants and drunks in check. As for locals eating and shopping elsewhere...I assure you the City of Ventura has been elated over the past decade...that is where most of us end up shopping and dining now...
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Jan 23, 2018 09:33 PMI am glad she did not get in the way of the important work and recovery that is being done. I hope she can keep this up for the next 4 years. We can let Randy and the rest sort the "tedious" things like budgeting and infastructure matinance out. There is no need for her to start stepping out of her wheelhouse of socail justice missions. If we could give her those little plastic scissors a crayon or two and some construction paper i think we could get at least a couple more months of complete disconnect! I would be thankful for any silence or inaction you get from her. She may decide montecito needs to be highrise low income housing... dont wake the beast!
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Jan 23, 2018 03:43 PMSo where do I find these Online classes to be a mayor? I'm curious. Do they have online courses to be a police chief? or a Fire Captain? How about a Sheriff do they have an online course for that?
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Jan 23, 2018 05:02 PMGoogle League of CA Cities Training and Resources. I don't think I can post a link.
Police and Fire might have some types of online training available, but not all. As far as I know, Murillo won't be carrying a gun, arresting anyone or driving a firetruck. That requires far more than online training on how to run meetings or work through processes...
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Jan 23, 2018 12:26 PMMurillo became Mayor on Jan 10th and yes her lack of presence was noticeable, but perhaps not missed. Not sure if Sneddon went to Montecito as it is her district, but as a days old coucil member it makes even more reason not to boggie out durning the worst local disaster in recent history and Coast Village Rd is her territory. One thing for sure, our first “Latina Mayor” is no Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto (Mayor of San Juan PR)
Choosing Dominguez for SBCAG was the perfect choice given experience, education and qualifications. If she tries to high jack that, there is going to hell to payBelow taken from Jason’s his Linked In page:
Leader in the social sector (non-profit and government) with specialization in education, legal, and social services industries.
Past experience includes:
Founder and Director of Justice Center of Santa Barbara
Legal Aid Foundation (Executive Director)
California Rural Legal Assistance (Director, Community Equity Initiative)
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal (Legal Officer)
Santa Barbara Deputy County Counsel
Deputy City Attorney and Deputy District Attorney (Los Angeles)
Community service/board positions - Leadership Santa Barbara County, Worth Street Reach, American Bar Association Committee on Pro Bono Service, etc
10 Years teaching experience (SB College of Law, T.S.U., American University/Washington College of Law, Warren High School, and Charles University)
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Jan 24, 2018 02:14 PMYour question of why change now is a good one, but in the wrong context. The seat on the SBCAG Board has mayors and done via the democratic process and consensus of the council, so the question should be; who benefits if the current mayor decides to challenge the process or make a move to change the appointment to a official duty of the current mayor? I don’t think the 2nd option is realistic or wise given a change to the city charter may be required. It has not been updated since 2009 and doesn’t include a democratic process for filling the empty council seat. That should be addressed ASAP instead of calling for a recount.
If you recall Helene’s term on the SBCAG didn’t end up so rosy and she was denied what was considered the gimme Chair position due to some heavy conflict of interest calls by her fellow members and siding with the Montecito group which has been fighting their portion of the widening of 101. They delayed the project for years which I recall is why it started in SB then went to Carpinteria and now going north. It may have been done by now. Why is that important? Because it included flood control and just maybe lives would have been saved. Below is from Caltrans:
“The project includes widening two bridges (Franklin and Santa Monica creeks) and replacing five bridges (Arroyo Paredon, Romero, San Ysidro, Oak, and Toro creeks). All bridges would be designed to improve flood flows over existing conditions. However, full capacity of the bridges at Arroyo Paredon, Romero, San Ysidro, and Oak creeks would not be used until flow capacity improvements are made by others up and downstream along the creeks. Four of the five bridges would be designed to handle a 100-year storm; Arroyo Paredon would be designed to meet a 25- year storm. The project avoids encroaching into two floodways by eliminating segments of two considered soundwalls. Soundwalls encroaching on other floodways would be designed to pass flood flows and not raise base flood elevations. The proposed improvements do not constitute a longitudinal encroachment on any of the identified floodplains.”
The Mayor’s constitutes deserve to have the best people working on their behalf. If you look at the committees, scope and projects of the SBCAG and Murillo’s participation in related areas during her terms as council it was very limited.
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Jan 24, 2018 02:13 PMYour question of why change now is a good one, but in the wrong context. The seat on the SBCAG Board has mayors and done via the democratic process and consensus of the council, so the question should be; who benefits if the current mayor decides to challenge the process or make a move to change the appointment to a official duty of the current mayor? I don’t think the 2nd option is realistic or wise given a change to the city charter may be required. It has not been updated since 2009 and doesn’t include a democratic process for filling the empty council seat. That should be addressed ASAP instead of calling for a recount.
If you recall Helene’s term on the SBCAG didn’t end up so rosy and she was denied what was considered the gimme Chair position due to some heavy conflict of interest calls by her fellow members and siding with the Montecito group which has been fighting their portion of the widening of 101. They delayed the project for years which I recall is why it started in SB then went to Carpinteria and now going north. It may have been done by now. Why is that important? Because it included flood control and just maybe lives would have been saved. Below is from Caltrans:
“The project includes widening two bridges (Franklin and Santa Monica creeks) and replacing five bridges (Arroyo Paredon, Romero, San Ysidro, Oak, and Toro creeks). All bridges would be designed to improve flood flows over existing conditions. However, full capacity of the bridges at Arroyo Paredon, Romero, San Ysidro, and Oak creeks would not be used until flow capacity improvements are made by others up and downstream along the creeks. Four of the five bridges would be designed to handle a 100-year storm; Arroyo Paredon would be designed to meet a 25- year storm. The project avoids encroaching into two floodways by eliminating segments of two considered soundwalls. Soundwalls encroaching on other floodways would be designed to pass flood flows and not raise base flood elevations. The proposed improvements do not constitute a longitudinal encroachment on any of the identified floodplains.”
The Mayor’s constitutes deserve to have the best people working on their behalf. If you look at the committees, scope and projects of the SBCAG and Murillo’s participation in related areas during her terms as council it was very limited.
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Jan 23, 2018 05:09 PMThis is an issue of competency, intelligence and critical analysis not race, which is what you are suggesting. It also seems to be a behavioral issue. Murillo should be graceful in her loss. Friedman needs to be called out for trying to game the system in light of Murillo's democratic loss.
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Jan 23, 2018 05:08 PMThis is an issue of competency, intelligence and critical analysis not race, which is what you are suggesting. It also seems to be a behavioral issue. Murillo should be graceful in her loss. Friedman needs to be called out for trying to game the system in light of Murillo's democratic loss.
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Jan 23, 2018 01:21 PMSanta Barbara has always sent the mayor to be on SBCAG board like almost all of the cities in Santa Barbara County. Why change now. Helene sat on the board and she has / had a very limited curriculum vitae. She is the first Latina mayor, no quotes needed.
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Jan 23, 2018 09:55 AM--------------- --------------- OP ED AUTHOR HERE --------------- ---------------
The vote was for the Committee Seat on the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). The vote was 3 to 2 with Hart abstaining. (It was not proper for Hart to vote on the item because he works for the County.) Jason Dominguez was elected to fill the position. ---------------
Dominguez, Rowse and Sneddon voted for Dominguez. ---------------
Murillo and Friedman voted for Murillo. --------------- ---------------
--------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------
My guess is that to get around the vote to have Dominguez represent the City on SBCAG that Murillo and Friedman plan to ask for a vote to require that the SBCAG Committee Seat be held by the Mayor.
--------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------
Cathy's M.O. has always been to undermine anything she does not like. This is just the first example of her bad behavior as Mayor. It is a shame that Friedman is supporting her in this. Many expected better of him.
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Jan 23, 2018 08:52 AMThe worst is yet to come. She will be self-serving and bigoted and push the city down the unfortunate path it is currently on, and all we love about this jewel of a city will be further eroded away.
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Jan 22, 2018 08:09 PMMs. Gott,
My questions to you are how do you know this "onsite" training could be completed on line?
Did you know when the Ellen show called the mayor's office for an interview they were referred to Supervisor Williams office? I am sure you wouldn't consider that a graceful move.
Did you see the mayor at the vigil on Sunday night?
If she had been more in the forefront no doubt you would have dubbed it grandstanding somehow.
I imagine this is just the first of your many upcoming Murillo bashing (+ who else will be in your gun sites) op eds we can look forward to in the next 4 (hopefully 8) years.
Remember: “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do.”
– Dale Carnegie
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Jan 24, 2018 02:17 PMLink to training
http://www.ca-ilg.org/ethics-education-ab-1234-training
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Jan 23, 2018 10:47 AMGreat post! How would someone know that the talk show called the Mayor's Office UNLESS it was someone from the inside? And I too want to know if the poster was Cathy Murillo or a friend of hers. Murillo and Friedman should be ashamed of themselves. I agree they are trying to Rig the System. It is beyond obvious that Cathy Murillo could have done all her Mayoral training online. It is shameful that she abandoned the City in a time of crisis. Being here should have been the One and Only Priority.
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Jan 23, 2018 10:46 AMGreat post! How would someone know that the talk show called the Mayor's Office UNLESS it was someone from the inside? And I too want to know if the poster was Cathy Murillo or a friend of hers. Murillo and Friedman should be ashamed of themselves. I agree they are trying to Rig the System. It is beyond obvious that Cathy Murillo could have done all her Mayoral training online. It is shameful that she abandoned the City in a time of crisis. Being here should have been the One and Only Priority.
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Jan 22, 2018 11:23 PMNot Ms. Gott. - I don't think you read her whole post. But first, how would you know if the Ellen Show called the City? IS this CATHY or one of her friends? ----------------- She should have stayed in SB. It is clear that any travel plans should have been cancelled. No matter the reason... It IS crystal clear that the new Mayor IS throwing a temper tantrum because she didn't get the position on SBCAG. Read the Op Ed. Seems that Murillo IS trying to "Rig the System!" Just like Hillary, who lost to Trump! And look what that has gotten us! ---. Do we want a Mayor like this?????? Someone who protects their self interests rather than Democracy?????? I looked up it up BTW the League of Cities has all the materials online. Google it. - Who is the Fool Now? I would say it IS YOU!!!!!
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Jan 22, 2018 08:05 PMThanks for this op-ed, and I agree that it was disheartening that councilmember Friedman and mayor Murillo chose to trip off to Sacramento (what about Sneddon, did she go, too?) But what are those committee seats and what was the committee seat that she specifically wanted?
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Jan 22, 2018 07:33 PMHa,ha,ha,ha,ha.....Heeheeheeheeteeteeteehahaha
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Jan 22, 2018 06:56 PMShe has been mayor for less than two weeks, give her a chance. BTW she was at the vigil at the Sunken Gardens. The City of Santa Barbara has committed huge resorces to this unprecedented disaster. Did the poster think that she should be operating a skiploader or driving a dump truck?
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Jan 23, 2018 12:11 PMI totally agree. She is just beginning her term as mayor. Give her a break. I know that this is a hard-working person. She'll of course face tons of criticism in this town for trying to do anything. I stand behind our new mayor. I'm expecting she'll do good things for us ordinary citizens.
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Jan 22, 2018 11:29 PMYou want to excuse "rigging the system?" Allowing someone to rig the system in their favor IS never a good thing. She should be ashamed of herself. And Friedman should be put on Notice that being Cathy's Mini Me IS unacceptable!
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Jan 22, 2018 05:43 PMHa. If this has you questioning her or the rest of the cities actions or lack thereof just wait. This won’t be the first time you feel this way.
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Jan 22, 2018 06:00 PM420722---- I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jan 22, 2018 05:29 PMWe have to put up with Donny the least you can do is put up with Cathy...
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Jan 24, 2018 09:36 PMAMEN to that!
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Jan 22, 2018 05:24 PMAll I can say is: Get involved in your City and City Council Meetings, there are some self centered and your typical "what's in it for me" politicians that are making some serious decisions about your City...
Cathy Murrillo is a train wreck waiting to happen.
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Jan 23, 2018 02:38 PMEd, I think that you are wrong when you say that the mayor has no role in leading and providing guidance in a case like this. While it is true that the staff under the city administrator does the actual work, the mayor normally would be expected to provide the city's visible face to those impacted and the population in general.
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Jan 23, 2018 12:13 PMBut short term rentals just hurt the locals in the long run. This is the only example of them being helpful or useful at all. Price gouging is business as usual in Santa Barbara. Long time local here, native Californian. I've seen it all. Short term rentals do nothing good at all for locals who don't own homes. SHAME.
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Jan 22, 2018 04:44 PMI wish people would stop using multiple exclamation points. Typically one exclamation point is sufficient and generally its use is not even called for in the first place.
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Jan 22, 2018 05:24 PMA-1516670167--Too bad that you get irritated if people use more than one exclamation point. If you don't like it, don't read the article.
And, furthermore, that is the only comment you decided to make in regards to this article? You DEFINITELY must be another IDIOT who supported our newly elected INEPT Mayor!!
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Jan 22, 2018 04:14 PMWish I knew more about these "committee seats" and to which committee the new mayor wants to be appointed.
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Jan 22, 2018 04:12 PMSo, all you Murrillo Lovers, Disciples and Patrons, what do you think of your newly elected Mayor?? Her lack of professionalism and compassion regarding this tradegy is absolutely reprehensible!!!!!
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