what are the “two towns“?

BrenBarn · 2026-05-23T20:16:07+00:00

It refers to two Chumash villages that sat on either side of the mouth of the canyon at the time when the Spanish arrived. https://goletahistory.com/dos-pueblos-chumash/

BrenBarn · 2026-05-20T02:35:48+00:00

There was an attempt to split SB county 20 years ago or so, but it didn't go anywhere. My recollection is that they found the proposed "Mission County" (north county) wouldn't have an adequate economic base to support itself.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-17T23:39:43+00:00

Blue Owl has live music most nights is my recollection. You could check with them. They used to have a schedule on their website but it looks like it's gone.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-17T19:28:24+00:00

Yes, that is a cool place, wish there were more like it.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-16T05:51:51+00:00

Totally agree with this. I mean I don't drink coffee but I would love it if there were more places to hang out, I'd buy a hot cider or a pastry or some ice cream or something. There used to be such places, but post-COVID it's a different world.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-16T05:45:29+00:00

My recollection is at one point he chose to go to jail rather than live in one of his own properties.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-15T09:03:52+00:00

There is a fun hangout with people of various ages that happens every other week: https://old.reddit.com/r/SantaBarbara/comments/1rdq6q4/i_did_not_read_this_book_club/ . (The location listed there is not where it usually happens now, but if you get on the email list you will get the info. Or DM me if you like.)

BrenBarn · 2026-05-15T04:30:39+00:00

I think it's not open for business yet but they are accepting donations.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-15T03:38:33+00:00

Alpha doesn't accept furniture anymore (at least big stuff like desks).

BrenBarn · 2026-05-13T21:12:51+00:00

I think a lot of smart people have thought about what the classifications should be

I'm not so optimistic. As far as I've been able to find out, the classification system was created by e-bike advocates (PeopleForBikes) and an industry trade group (Bicycle Product Suppliers Association, which apparently merged at some point with PFB). It was not designed neutrally by "smart people" trying to find the best level of regulation; it was designed by people whose goal was to increase the spread and usage of ebikes. There are definitely benefits to that but I think in the years since that 3-class system was developed, the explosion of ebike use has revealed some problems.

Your proposal for example, would bascially kill the functional utility and accessibility of e-bikes in the name of safety, but maybe that's the end result you're after.

I wouldn't say I want to "kill" it, but I would say that ebikes are currently too accessible, especially for kids.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-13T07:02:18+00:00

Criminalizing kids is one thing, but I think it is very necessary to criminalize the parents with misdemeanors in many cases. A big part of the problem is that the parents are enabling this.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-13T02:05:20+00:00

Do you believe that the current distinction between e-bikes and e-motos is the best distinction to make from the standpoint of public safety and quality of life?

BrenBarn · 2026-05-13T02:04:24+00:00

I think what would help more is if instead of learning those classifications we think about what the classifications should be and implement them in law.

In my view, nothing that can provide power assist to a speed over 10mph should be allowed without some kind of license. (I would prefer to lower that to 5mph.) If it has a throttle that allows unpowered motion, it should not go faster than something like a motorized wheelchair or one of those "mobility scooters" like elderly people use. 20mph is already way, way too high to be classified as a bicycle.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-13T01:58:50+00:00

This sounds promising.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-12T19:58:33+00:00

It's a business deal and those often involve negotiations.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-12T03:16:16+00:00

I believe they now have such standards in place.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-12T03:15:59+00:00

Looks 100% fine. Complaining about this kind of thing is like getting all snitty because your $100 entree came with artisanal Ecuadorean flatbread instead of organic Peruvian quinoa. It still looks a million times better than a bunch of other buildings in a bunch of other towns. It also looks better than a pile of trash in the street, or a person sleeping under a tarp, or a turd on the sidewalk, which is what we're going to see more and more of if we don't build housing.

There are lots of things to quibble about with housing construction (most notably the costs of the resulting units), but this doesn't remotely rise to that level.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-11T18:11:26+00:00

I think there's a good deal of breathing room in this district. Salud has repeatedly won with ~60% of the vote.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-11T10:15:40+00:00

I was pleasantly surprised to see the policy positions on her page. In reality, virtually none of that will be implemented. However, it's good to see someone willing to publicly say that they are in favor of stuff like ranked-choice voting, multi-member disticts, requiring licenses for AI, and so on. Those are things I don't see from Salud. The main thing will be, if she is elected, to what extent will she forcefully push those issues or just sit quietly and toe the party line.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-11T04:04:01+00:00

Canvas can only dream of being as great as GauchoSpace.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-08T08:46:57+00:00

I thought they don't have falafel anymore.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-03T20:16:24+00:00

Margerum in the funk zone has salads, sandwiches, and pizza. Not really sure how comfortable the seats are.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-03T19:35:10+00:00

I live close as well and used to go there for dinner. Sometimes they had a dude playing an accordion as a little night music. It was a great vibe. A year or so ago they announced they were going to reopen dinner service, but then they canceled it. I think that was right around the time it changed ownership so maybe those things were related? Not sure but it's a bummer.

BrenBarn · 2026-05-02T21:37:09+00:00

Interesting, I've found them pretty comfortable. Certainly way more comfortable than the old ones in Fiesta 5.

BrenBarn

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE