People walk down the 900 block of State Street. Goleta resident Madison Schock would like to see the downtown Santa Barbara street return to its past glory.
As part of the fifth generation of my family living in Santa Barbara, I grew up hearing stories about my parents and grandparents strolling down State Street, shopping, talking, eating and being together.
State Street was the place to go with friends to watch parades, shop for clothing and talk with each other without being accosted with parklets, homeless, vacant buildings, removed benches, trash, urine and smoke. Driving down the street with friends was a rite of passage as a young adult, but is now something this generation has never experienced.
I have no idea what they talk of when they speak of a glorious State Street. The State Street that I grew up with is largely empty save for a few pop up stores and restaurants. With the COVID-19 virus in 2020, the once glorious destination finally collapsed.
In the past two years, State Street businesses have slowly been making attempts at a return. The stores slowly began to open (though many remained closed permanently), the restaurants moved their seating outside to parklets, and the street itself is closed off and no cars drive through. The once beautiful tourist destination is growing vacant and beginning to dull.
In the past, each generation has found flaws or issues in our town and sought to remedy them. The town saw this in the 1920s through Pearl Chase and her devotion to restoring the beauty.
The time has come for people to take action to better the environment and condition of State Street.
Madison Schock
Goleta
