Carp’s Measure T battle ramps up as election approaches

With Election Day just three weeks away, both sides of Carpinteria’s controversial Measure T ballot initiative are relying on campaign ads and rallies, letters to the editor and, increasingly, high-profile endorsements to sway voters to their way of thinking.

“Vote No on Measure T” organizers, in particular, are focusing on endorsements, telling the News-Press exclusively that County Supervisor Das Williams has now joined their cause.

“I don’t always agree with the land use decisions of the City Council, but to overrule them with ballot-box planning is well-known bad mojo,” Supervisor Williams said. “Measure T will lead to unintended consequences that could impact parcels across the city, not just one parking lot. Vote No On T.”  

He is the second half of the group’s one-two political punch, following Congressman Salud Carbajal’s recent announcement that he, too, opposes passage of Measure T on Nov. 8.

“The City Council has proposed land use laws with broad community input and thorough research, and the council is dedicated to protecting the charm and open spaces currently present in Carpinteria,” the congressman said. “Drastically changing these laws, with consequences we cannot fully foresee, will threaten Carpinteria’s future. That is why I recommend voting No on Measure T.”

“Vote Yes on Measure T” spokeswoman Annie Sly said she is “very disappointed” with their decision, and that of the Santa Barbara Democratic Party, which also came out against Measure T.

“I don’t know his thinking on this,” she said, referring to Supervisor Williams. “Could be the same as Democratic Committee and Salud Carbajal.

“Salud admitted publicly that he should have contacted the YES on T supporters before announcing an endorsement. That would have been the fair thing to do. He did not say it would have changed his mind, just that it might have.”

According to Ms. Sly, these endorsements do not address the issue of unwanted development in Carpinteria.

“The Democratic Committee, Das Williams and Salud Carbajal object to land use planning decisions made by initiatives. That’s why they did not endorse us. Politicians do not like to have their power threatened and this threatens their power. The citizens have a right to be heard. The council members would not allow a non-binding advisory vote. What does that tell you? They did not want to hear from their constituents regarding this matter,” she said.

Measure T was crafted to stop a developer’s plans to build a two-story boutique hotel with rooftop bar on two downtown parking lots on either side of the railroad tracks. Supporters say the proposal threatens an adjacent community garden and provides yet another drain on the city’s precious water supply. But mostly, they object to the idea of private commercial development on public land.

“I moved here three years ago from downtown Santa Barbara to raise my daughter in the small town atmosphere that Carpinteria provides. Without rooftop bars and a downtown crammed with hotels, our sleepy town feels safe and secure even at night,” one woman wrote in a vote yes campaign ad.

“Imagine having to close your windows night after night from the noise of party revelers on a rooftop bar in your neighborhood. This is the reality of building a hotel with a rooftop bar in a residential area. A fun drinking hole on the wrong side of town,” wrote another.

So Measure T aims to rezone the two lots in question to open space/recreation to stop the project cold.

Opponents like Congressman Carbajal and Supervisor Williams – and four out of five City Council members, the South Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Barbara Democratic Party – object to the idea of citizens resorting to a ballot initiative to decide city development/growth issues, preferring to leave those decisions to the city’s current planning process by staff and boards, up to and including the Planning Commission and City Council.

They also say Measure T could have the unintended consequence of allowing massive residential housing to be built on any city parcel designated as open space.

“Measure T is a deceptive measure obfuscating the full content and scope of the errant law,” Congressman Carbajal said. “Supporters claim Measure T will only impact one section of land. Yet, the impartial analysis of Measure T’s impacts states Measure T will change land use laws across the entire city, affecting all Real Open Spaces and Recreation Areas. 

“The No On Measure T committee is working to ensure the community is fully educated before voters make a decision which could be rife with unintended consequences like increased development in open space and the long-term inability to alter parking lots serving the city. 

“In endorsing the rebuttal against Measure T 2022, 4-of-5 Carpinteria City council members say the measure is misleading to the point of doing the opposite of its stated intent. Rather than preventing development in the city’s Parking Lot #3, if passed, Measure T would, in fact, allow the development of high-density housing on the property through a zoning change.”

Ms. Sly, however, says that would never happen.

As currently zoned, lot 3 is commercial with a housing overlay, she said. If Measure T passes and its zoning changes to open space/recreation, the housing overlay must remain, she admits, but that is only because it is state law that you cannot take away potential housing.

But, she stressed, property zoned open space recreation with a housing overlay would only allow a caretaker house, not dense housing. “That info is in one of the city reports. Anyway, the difference is clear. Commercial with housing overlay allows dense housing development. Open space/recreation with housing overlay does not.

“Also, there are NO other lots in Carp that are zoned open space/recreation that have a housing overlay. This measure affects these two lots and these two lots only. This is written clearly on the ballot. The No side is using scare tactics and speculation. I hope the voters don’t drink the kool-aid.”

As for citizens using the ballot initiative to make development decisions, she said the city leaders left them with no choice.

“The Yes on T supporters chose the initiative process after six years of frustration at not being listened to by the City Council. The City Council would not support a non-binding advisory vote. That vote would have informed them of the majority opinion of Carpinteria citizens. Politicians, developers and special interests do not favor initiatives by the public because it gives the citizens too much say re: the future of their city,” she said. 

Some critics question whether Vote No endorsements by Congressman Carbajal and Supervisor Williams even matter beyond their popularity and influence with voters since they have no say whatsoever in local decisions affecting Carpinteria residents.

But Leigh-Anne Anderson, a Vote No spokeswoman, disagrees, noting both the congressman and supervisor have strong local ties. Supervisor Williams lives in Carpinteria and, as District 1 supervisor, represents the city on the Board of Supervisors. And Congressman Carbajal held the District 1 supervisor post before him.

“Congressman Carbajal is one of the most well respected and accomplished policy makers in the Central Coast,” she said. “He has deep connections and experience with Carpinteria issues as he represented our community as a County Supervisor for over a decade prior to his election to Congress and prior to that served as Chief of Staff to former Supervisor Namoi Schwartz.  The congressman, like so many others in Carpinteria, sees the danger of Measure T and we are proud to have his support.”

But as Ms. Sly points out, the Vote Yes side has its own list of endorsements, including those from former mayor and councilmember Donna Jordan, former county supervisor Gail Marshall, and former mayor and councilmember Mike Ledbetter.

Mr. Ledbetter, in a letter to the editor, said he’s voting yes on Measure “because I believe that our residents are entitled to override bad decisions of the City Council, as provided by California law. Reliance on developer-paid experts is not in the best interest of the residents and taxpayers. The property owned by the city was paid for by the residents and should be saved for the direct benefit of our community.”

And a lot of Carpinteria residents apparently agree.

On Friday, more than 100 citizens gathered to spread the word that a yes vote on Measure T means no hotel, Ms. Sly said. They started out on the corner of Carpinteria and Linden avenues and walked to Parking Lot 3.

“Our supporters live and work in Carpinteria and have a vested interest in the future of our city,” she said. “Hundreds of our supporters have shared their names as a public statement of their desire to maintain the small town charm of Carpinteria. Our list of supporters grows by the day.”

email: nhartstein@gmail.com