West Beach (Santa Barbara)
Encyclopedia
West beach is in Santa Barbara, California
. It is home to Santa Barbara's New Years and 4th of July
Fireworks
shows.
beach
and swimming is prohibited, however kayaking
, windsurfing
, and sailing
are common activities.
The 2008 lineup featured Ziggy Marley
, Jason Mraz
, Natasha Bedingfield
, Big Head Todd and the Monsters
and much more.
In 2009 the festival sold out, bringing over 33,000 people to the beach. It was a flagship year for the young production company, Twiin Productions.
In 2010, local government bureaucracy denied the event permit, resulting in an appeal of the decision by the organizers. In February 2009, with local politics and the Nederlander
controlled Santa Barbara Bowl
fiercely competing against the event, the Parks & Recreation director, went as far as to say the decision to deny the permit was unappealable. Citing due process in the United States Constitution to the City Council, the appeal process was allowed.
On May 19, 2010, the production company won the appeal to put on the event and was granted it's permit by the Park & Recreation Commission.
13 days later an appeal of this decision was filed. Three days past the allowable date for appeal - two appellants, Hilary Kleger, UCSB's associated student's "Community Advisor" and Tony Romasanta, owner of Harbor View Inn, separately submitted their appeals at the same time.
Hilary Kleger, hired by UCSB to be a liaison for students to the community, assist with program development and event planning became a different citizen all together at the hearing. Though the event organizers contacted her several times in 2009 and 2010 when her concerns were voiced, she refused to respond, and instead grandstanded to City Council at the appeal hearing. With no understood motive of why this community activist would want to shut down a community driven event, industry insiders have concluded that she was paid off by Nederlander, the promoter of the Santa Barbara Bowl
.
Tony Romasanta's appeal was more straight forward. A known litigious attorney, Mr. Romasanta denied the organizer's offer to buy-out the hotel, citing the wrong demographic for his hotel. Comparing the community festival to a "drunken mob," he successfully presented a scare tactic to the City Council of which he has paid them off through political contributions.
Even the endorsement from the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce couldn't withstand the politics and money at play. After four hours of the hearing, the powerful and influential minority had the festival moved 1,500 feet down the street to Chase Palm Park across from Allan Herschell 3-Abreast Carousel
.
The City Council went even further in denying Constitutional rights to the organizers by stating, "Staff’s decision on the application cannot be appealed to the Parks and Recreation Commission or the City Council."
Staff took full advantage of their unappealable power by requiring incredulous, comprehensive plans to be developed, increasing costs by 250%, moving up deposit deadlines, requiring turf replacement costs, and reducing the capacity of the festival to a mere 13,000 over two days. This was down from 45,000 and three days in 2009. This was catastrophic to the festival and organizers. Forty days following the festival, the local production company, Twiin Productions filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. It is home to Santa Barbara's New Years and 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
Fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
shows.
Activities
It is an industrialIndustry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
and swimming is prohibited, however kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
, and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
are common activities.
West Beach Music & Arts Festival
West Beach is also the home to the West Beach Music & Arts Festival.The 2008 lineup featured Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley
David "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
, Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Big Head Todd & the Monsters is a rock band formed in 1986 in Colorado. The band has released a number of albums since 1989 with their 1993 album Sister Sweetly going platinum in the United States...
and much more.
In 2009 the festival sold out, bringing over 33,000 people to the beach. It was a flagship year for the young production company, Twiin Productions.
In 2010, local government bureaucracy denied the event permit, resulting in an appeal of the decision by the organizers. In February 2009, with local politics and the Nederlander
Nederlander Organization
The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander and based in Detroit, Michigan, is one of the largest operators of legitimate theatres and music venuesin the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on the Detroit Opera House in 1912. The building was demolished in...
controlled Santa Barbara Bowl
Santa Barbara Bowl
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California.It was carved into the hillside, in 1936, as a WPA project...
fiercely competing against the event, the Parks & Recreation director, went as far as to say the decision to deny the permit was unappealable. Citing due process in the United States Constitution to the City Council, the appeal process was allowed.
On May 19, 2010, the production company won the appeal to put on the event and was granted it's permit by the Park & Recreation Commission.
13 days later an appeal of this decision was filed. Three days past the allowable date for appeal - two appellants, Hilary Kleger, UCSB's associated student's "Community Advisor" and Tony Romasanta, owner of Harbor View Inn, separately submitted their appeals at the same time.
Hilary Kleger, hired by UCSB to be a liaison for students to the community, assist with program development and event planning became a different citizen all together at the hearing. Though the event organizers contacted her several times in 2009 and 2010 when her concerns were voiced, she refused to respond, and instead grandstanded to City Council at the appeal hearing. With no understood motive of why this community activist would want to shut down a community driven event, industry insiders have concluded that she was paid off by Nederlander, the promoter of the Santa Barbara Bowl
Santa Barbara Bowl
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California.It was carved into the hillside, in 1936, as a WPA project...
.
Tony Romasanta's appeal was more straight forward. A known litigious attorney, Mr. Romasanta denied the organizer's offer to buy-out the hotel, citing the wrong demographic for his hotel. Comparing the community festival to a "drunken mob," he successfully presented a scare tactic to the City Council of which he has paid them off through political contributions.
Even the endorsement from the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce couldn't withstand the politics and money at play. After four hours of the hearing, the powerful and influential minority had the festival moved 1,500 feet down the street to Chase Palm Park across from Allan Herschell 3-Abreast Carousel
Allan Herschell 3-Abreast Carousel
The Allan Herschell 3-Abreast Carousel is a carousel built in 1916 by the Allan Herschell Company. It is located in Chase Palm Park, a waterfront park in Santa Barbara, California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000....
.
The City Council went even further in denying Constitutional rights to the organizers by stating, "Staff’s decision on the application cannot be appealed to the Parks and Recreation Commission or the City Council."
Staff took full advantage of their unappealable power by requiring incredulous, comprehensive plans to be developed, increasing costs by 250%, moving up deposit deadlines, requiring turf replacement costs, and reducing the capacity of the festival to a mere 13,000 over two days. This was down from 45,000 and three days in 2009. This was catastrophic to the festival and organizers. Forty days following the festival, the local production company, Twiin Productions filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.