u/Beachy-Bali

I have a 62+ friend who might be looking for housing soon. Anyone have any experience with living here?

Are rent increases frequent?
Are the units in good condition?
Are there any extra fees besides rent?
Laundry facilities?

Other thoughts, positive or negative?

As a local, I’ve never paid attention to which restaurants have A/C. But I am now, lol.

Any suggestions for air conditioned SB/Goleta restaurants for casual dinner under $30/per person? We don’t drink, so that’s up to $30 pp just for food & not including tax/tip.

I know the Los Agaves on Milpas has A/C. I’m assuming Public Market does as well. Any others?

FDA hasn’t officially designated estrogen patches as a “shortage,” even though pharmacists nationwide report multiple brands on backorder. That designation matters. It’s what unlocks faster approval of alternative supply and pressure on manufacturers. Right now there’s no urgency because, on paper, the FDA says supply is fine.

Takes 5 minutes:

**1. Find your rep: house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
**2. Find your senators: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
**3.** Use their contact form to ask them to press FDA to officially recognize the estradiol patch shortage and demand a public timeline from manufacturers.

Every letter is a data point. Offices track volume on issues and this is one of the few points of leverage we have.

My letter is below. Feel free to copy/paste using your own contact information & the names of your elected officials.

Let’s speak truth to power and demand an end to this insanity!

——————————

Subject: URGENT: Nationwide Estradiol Patch Shortage Is Harming Constituents — Request for Immediate Action

Dear [Representative / Senator],

I am a constituent writing to demand urgent action on the nationwide shortage of estradiol transdermal patches, a medically necessary hormone therapy for postmenopausal women.

This is not a minor inconvenience. It is a public health failure with real physical and financial consequences:

- Abrupt loss of hormone therapy causes the return of severe menopausal symptoms — hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and cognitive impairment — for women who were previously stable on treatment.
- Women are losing paid work hours calling dozens of pharmacies, driving long distances, and coordinating with prescribers just to maintain a medication that was working.
- The FDA has not added estradiol patches to its official shortage list, even though the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists lists multiple affected products. This bureaucratic gap is denying the problem the regulatory urgency it needs — expedited alternative-source approvals, allocation oversight, and manufacturer accountability all depend on that designation.

I am asking you to:

1. Formally request that the FDA reconcile its shortage list with ASHP's reporting and designate estradiol transdermal patches as an official drug shortage.
2. Press FDA and the manufacturers (Sandoz, Amneal, Noven, Zydus, Viatris) for a public timeline on restored supply.
3. Support regulatory tools — including expedited review of overseas-approved equivalents — to close the gap while U.S. manufacturing catches up.

This shortage is affecting thousands of women in your district and across the country, right now. I ask for a direct response describing what action your office will take, and by when.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Phone/Email]

The city Council voted to remove its local historical landmark designation, which means most of the site can now be demolished.

A little piece of my childhood, sacrificed to the gods of progress. 😢 Anyone else have happy memories here?

I’m asking this as a genuine discussion question.

Maui county’s property tax is based on property valuation as well as classification.

https://www.mauicounty.gov/755/Real-Property-Tax-Rates

For example, if you own a $1.3 million home that is owner occupied, you pay about $2,100 per year in property tax. In Santa Barbara for that same home, you pay around $14-$16,000 per year. (These are rough estimates, so please don’t slam my back of the envelope calculations.)

More expensive owner occupied homes have higher property tax rates, but for a $4.5+ million home in Maui, you still pay less than half of what you currently pay in Santa Barbara.

Moving onto classification, owner occupied homes are in the lowest tax brackets, with long-term rentals, apartments, non-owner occupied homes, hotels, short-term rentals, and timeshares incurring higher property taxes according to use classification.

This is a vast oversimplification, but I’d love to hear some polite, thoughtful discussion about whether a similar tiered, valuation and classification-based property tax could work in Santa Barbara. I’m especially interested in our local politicians weighing in.

*Edit: the valuation and classification mentioned above is from Maui County & I’ve edited my post to clarify. I am not suggesting we replicate these specific tiers in SB, rather I’m ideating on what property tax approach might be politically viable, have broad public support, encourage owner occupation, and disincentivize housing commodification.