Natasha Todorovic
We’ve been outdone by Ventura? With high hopes for policies like Ventura’s excellent alcohol ordinance to improve Santa Barbara’s public spaces, citizens have been asking for a solution to problems along our main corridors for years. The other day, at 8:30 a.m., we walked by parade of drunks. One was passed out on the sidewalk, another was doubled over vomiting a mere 20 feet past the liquor store, and an inebriated couple alternately yelled and then sang with one another outside another liquor store, hugging the trash bin. It’s another day in paradise. Then there were the bottles strewn on the sidewalk, in the gutter and by the trash can. Good aim while intoxicated might be too much to ask. After years of the ABC handing out permits like candy, and citizens trying to get this topic on the city’s agenda only to have it die in committee, our “Manager of Permits and Licensing” at SBPD, Anthony Wagner, will hold a meeting from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at City Council chambers, 735 Anacapa St., as a way to get public input to reduce “alcohol-related harms.” Awesome! It’s about time! Thank you! Our city is finally considering thinking about tackling problem behaviors, high-risk consumption and nuisance activities that degrade neighborhoods. After years of pushing for this, there’s now an opportunity to share your experiences, needs and requests. Don’t allow the slow pace of government bureaucracy to dampen your enthusiasm. Show up. Speak up. Insist on a policy for a better Santa Barbara, at least as good as Ventura’s.
