The Santa Barbara City Council voted 5-2 last night to continue the car-free State Street Promenade after an intense debate.
State St was already in decline before the pandemic. Letting cars back won't save it. The promenade injected a new energy to downtown I've haven't seen in the years before.
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Santa Barbara City Council backs electric bikes, votes to keep cars off downtown State Street - Santa Barbara News-Press
The battle over State Street has shined a spotlight on a demographic and power shift in Santa Barbara and sparked a debate about the future of the city.