Farmers Market Benefits

Members of Santa Barbara’s City
Council face enormous and unprecedented challenges in the areas of climate
change, population increase, water shortages and food security. All of these
must be addressed in their decision regarding where to locate the new Santa
Barbara Police station.

On Tuesday, September 17, city staff
will recommend to the City Council that the Cota Street Commuter Lot be used to
build the new police station. Everyone agrees that a new police station is much
needed and long overdue.  The greatest challenge has been deciding where
to build it.

There is another major challenge
facing the city: Santa Barbara County farmland, historically used for growing
food, is increasingly being converted to cannabis and wine and production. This
loss of farmland is the single biggest immediate threat to food farmers in
Santa Barbara County.  Compound that with rising costs of water, labor
shortages and escalating environmental unpredictability, and the pressures on
farmers growing food for local residents increase exponentially.