Hello everyone:
Join us and other concerned community members this Tuesday, August 22 at 12 p.m. for the next Harbor Commission Cruise Ship Subcommittee meeting. The meeting will most likely take place in the Marine Center Classroom, 125 Harbor Way, 2nd Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. I will send the agenda as soon as it is released.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Subcommittee will discuss recommended changes to the City’s Cruise Ship program. The goal is to incorporate and align public comments and written recommendations from:
- Waterfront Department staff;
- Santa Barbara Channelkeeper (see attached);
- Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (see attached).
There will be a public comment period.
This is a critical opportunity to help shape the future of the City’s Cruise Ship program by voicing your perspective. Please advocate for specific Channelkeeper or Sanctuary Advisory Council recommendations that you support in your comments. There are indications that tourism businesses have been encouraged to show up at this meeting. Your voice helps underscore our recommendations and strengthen our position.
Points to consider:
We believe improvements to the program are needed to:
- Reduce the risk and impact of cruise ship operations on the environment and public health.
- Better align with our community’s goals and priorities (such as the City’s Goal of Carbon Neutrality Goal by 2035).
- Contribute to further advancements in cruise ship technology and operations.
We encourage you to advocate for recommendations that:
- Reduce and cap the annual number of cruise ships visiting Santa Barbara (SBCK recommendation is no more than 18 annually – you may have a different number);
- Make sure that visiting ships use state of art technology and have a strong record of compliance with environment laws;
- Support the expansion of the Vessel Speed Reduction Zone and limit ship speed to 10 knots in this Zone; and
- Keep the Cruise Ship Subcommittee in place for ongoing public engagement.
After the public comment period, the Subcommittee will ask invited panelists representing Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, Visit Santa Barbara, and the Cruise Lines International Association questions as they discuss specific recommendations.
We hope you’ll attend Tuesday’s meeting and voice your concerns.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Ted
Ted Morton
Executive Director
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
714 Bond Ave
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
805.563.3377
www.sbck.org