Year in Review from the Opinions Page

Santa Barbara residents spoke their mind all year by writing to the Independent about issues from national politics to the placement of police headquarters downtown, but standouts among the writings submitted were those that sang to a different choir.

Amid the concern for climate change and fossil-fueled cars and trucks, a controversy about two-wheeled scooters, of all things, took center stage. In The Other Side of the E-Scooter Story, an economic consequence of banning them was outlined by Justin Russak from the street level.

None of us can forget how the year began with horrific days of smoke-filled streets, death, and a mud-filled highway. A couple months down the road, Mark Alvarado took a hard look at the national hyperbole from the other end of the telescope in Quit Calling Santa Barbara Paradise.