1. Extend the Santa Barbara Bus Line One-Half Mile

The route for lines 20/21 from Santa Barbara goes through Carpinteria to Bailard Road, 1/2 mile from Bates Beach, before turning north and then back toward Santa Barbara, We ask it be extended that extra 1/2 mile so that beachgoers and hikers (for the new Coastal Trail) can reach Bates Beach.

All the bus has to do is get onto the freeway at Bailard, exit at Bates, then turn left and stop on the right side of the road just before the south on-ramp. Then the bus can make an immediate left back onto the freeway and exit at Bailard to turn right (north) and continue on its original path. The entire process should add only about five minutes to the existing schedule. The new riders will easily cover the half-pint of additional gas required by the bus.

Currently the Carpinteria Seaside Shuttle circulates through the town, casrrying hotel tourists to Carpinteria State Beach and to shops along Linden Avenue. The farthest south/east it goes is Casitas Pass Road. By extending it along Carpinteria Avenue to the south, it will access the Coastal Trail trailhead at Bates Beach and bring hikers, bikers, and beachgoers there from the center of town.

The shuttle has a small enough turn radius to go into the Bates parking lot and make a U-turn at the end of the parking lot to return, something the Santa Barbara busses cannot do.

Member, Carpinteria Valley
Chamber of Commerce Since 2005

3. Create Carpinteria Business Partnerships with Bates Beachgoers

As members of the local Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Bates Beach already partners with local Carpinteria merchants on special promotions. Along with our trash bags, Friend brochure, and Beach Etiquette page, we also distribute a Discount Booklet to beachgoers at Bates, asking them to support the local merchants in town that support our mission. (Samples above). We believe this partnershop approach is the key to returning the local economy to profitability.

Our alliance with other beach groups in the country will promote Carpenteria as a tourist destination, helping to fill the hotels and restaurants after they have enjoyed a day at the beach. The extended bus line will get them there; the relaxation of the county nudity ordinance will again fill the northern end of the beach, thus driving off the drug dealers and gangs (as has been done at many other beaches around the U.S.)

Estimated Carpinteria City Revenue Generated by Our Proposal

Assuming our two-year test works out well for all parties and the beach has been repopulated and is relatively crime-free, the beach can become an international tourist destination and bring an estimated $800,000 annually the first year to the city of Carpinteria and to its hotels and restaurants. As word about Bates spreads, this number could jump as high as $1.2 million/year. How did we arrive at these numbers? Let's do the math:

At Bates Beach there are 156 marked parking spaces, plus about 30 parking spots for cars parking parallel against the curb on the other side of the lot.

However, if the Carpinteria Seaside Shuttle and the Santa Barbara bus lines are extended to Bates, so that tourists from the Carpinteria hotels can come both to the beach and to the start of the Rincom Coastal trail, the number of potential beachgoers becomes much higher, as people now have access to an alternative besides the overcrowded Carpinteria State Beach to the north.

If the beach attracts 500 additional people per weekend day (a low estimate during the summer), a 10% response at $10/meal translates to $400,000/year for local restaurants. We expect that gross revenue to at least double within three years based upon statistics collected at both San Diego's Black's Beach and Miami's Haulover Beach under similar circumstances.

If 30 beach tourists will stay overnight just one night in Carpintera, and the average hotel/motel fee is $125/night per room (double occupancy), this generates $ 200,000 in gross income for the hotels from out-of-town tourists you would not otherwise get.

The county may also consider charging a parking fee for beachgoers who use the parking lot instead of the bus shuttle. At $5 per day (or a montly pass of $50), projected revenue could be as high as $50,000 per year. We understand the Coastal Commission and the County are both opposed to this idea at this time but as revenues continue to shrink, they may have no alternative. Another positive thing the pay gate will do: keep out the voyeurs on the cliffs!

Are we exaggerating? To the contrary, we think these numbers are very conservative. This more than covers the existing (2011) Carpinteria city budget deficit. We can do this now with no additional cost to the city or county! This should be a no-brainer, all we need is the political will to do it!