Copenhagen Drive in Solvang is reopening to vehicle traffic on Feb. 2, according to the Santa Barbara-News Press.
According to the Sun’s reporting, it most certainly is not. In fact, the Solvang City Council is now considering potentially keeping the city’s main downtown drag closed to trucks, trailers, cars, and buses in perpetuity.
Ooh. So who’s right?
Considering the Sun story attributes its information to the City Council meeting where the decision was made as well as public commenters and council members who attended the meeting, and the only attribution in the News-Press story was “as reported by news channels ABC3, CBS12, and Fox11,” I’d say this little newspaper has it in the bag!
So what have we learned? Copying “news” reporting from television stations is not a replacement for watching a good, old fashioned City Council meeting. I get it though; times are hard. Not enough staffers, too much news to report, too much of a rush to get information out—first.
I’m not trying to be the pot that called the kettle black—I’m just trying to be the canary who sings and stings. Listen up, people!
I’m betting that story, which is very short and lacking details, came out before the City Council meeting even took place on Jan. 10, before a good number of city residents asked council members—who were considering reopening the street—to keep it closed and walkable.
Business owners were all about keeping that street for pedestrians only. It’s relaxing, jovial, and full of people after 5 p.m.
“The town is full of life,” Copenhagen House owner ElseMarie Petersen told council members.
I’m into it! Keep Solvang walkable!
And while some business owners kept things reasonably polite during public comment, one resident relied on fear to make his point.
“We have to ask which of the following headlines we would like to see on the front page of the Los Angeles Times: ‘City of Solvang remains open for dining and wine tasting’ or ‘City of Solvang forces visitors to eat and taste wine indoors while COVID cases continue to rise’?” Eric Hutchins asked.
Well, aren’t you dramatic!
Wait, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?
First of all: A more appropriate threat would have included the Santa Barbara News-Press, duh! I’m pretty sure Solvang wouldn’t make the LA Times front page with “news” like that. The city isn’t that important to Los Angelenos, although I dare say Los Angelenos are that important to Solvang.
Second of all: Either way, Solvang would “remain open” for “dining and wine tasting,” as the city hasn’t ever really shut down, even when the pandemic first swept through the Central Coast.
And lastly: Any newspaper worth its salt would only use the phrase “forces visitors” if a city was kidnapping residents from other areas and busing them into the city, demanding money and shoving food and wine down their throats. Oh boy, what a story that would be.
I can see it now: “Solvang runs low on transient occupancy tax, forces ‘visitors’ to come by bus.”
The canary is into food, wine, and visitors. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2022.
