On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council will take a vote on the short-term future of State Street. This week’s regular council meeting includes a decision on whether to extend the current car-free configuration of State Street, an issue that has been hotly debated by community groups and residents since the street was converted to a pedestrian-and-bicycle-focused promenade in 2020.
Technically, the council will take a vote on whether the city should reauthorize Title 31, a measure put in place to codify the closure of State Street between Victoria Street and Haley Street while the city worked on the long-term master plan. When it was approved in 2023, Title 31 was to expire at the end of 2026 — or upon the adoption of the State Street Master Plan — but with the long-term plan still in the works, the council will now decide whether to extend the current car-free setup or return to the pre-COVID configuration.
While a four-vote majority on the council has supported the closure of State Street in the past, the upcoming vote has reignited public discourse about traffic on downtown’s main drag, with competing op-eds pouring in from concerned community members, business owners, and advocacy groups on either side of the argument…