Santa Barbara Municipal Code Art. XV Miscellaneous

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the City that oil drilling, exploration or prospecting for oil, gas or other hydrocarbon substances and operations incidental thereto within the Municipal limits, are inimical to the basic residential and historical character of the City, and constitute a nuisance. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, whether as principal, agent, employee or otherwise, to explore for, prospect for, or drill for, or to permit or to commence the exploration, prospecting or drilling for oil, gas or other hydrocarbon substances within the corporate limits of the City. Any such activity shall be deemed to constitute a nuisance and shall also constitute a violation of this Charter.

Unless the provision or the context otherwise requires, as used in this Charter:

"Shall"

is mandatory, and "may" is permissive.

"City"

is the City of Santa Barbara and "department," "board," "commission," "agency," "officer" or "employee" is a department, board, commission, agency, officer or employee, as the case may be, of the City of Santa Barbara.

"County"

is the County of Santa Barbara.

"State"

is the State of California.

"Person"

includes firm and corporation.

The violation of any provision of this Charter shall be a misdemeanor and shall be punishable upon conviction by a fine of not exceeding $500 or by imprisonment for a term of not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment; and each day that any such violation continues shall constitute a separate violation.

If any provision of this Charter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the Charter, and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.

In the case where property is annexed to the City, all residence requirements for election or appointment to an office in the City government elsewhere contained in this Charter shall be deemed met if the person elected or appointed has resided in the area annexed, or in the area annexed and in the City, for the required period or residence prior to his election or appointment.

In the case where property is annexed to the City, any requirement elsewhere contained in this Charter that a person be a qualified elector of the City for a period of time prior to his election or appointment to an office in the City government shall be deemed met if the person was a qualified elector of the area annexed, or of the area annexed and of the City, for the required period of time prior to his election or appointment.

It is hereby declared the policy of the City that high buildings are inimical to the basic residential and historical character of the City. Building heights are limited to 30 feet in areas zoned for single family and two family residences; are limited to 45 feet in areas zoned for residences for three or more families, for hotel, motel and office use; are limited to 60 feet in areas zoned for industrial, manufacturing and other commercial uses; and 30 feet for all other zones. The Council may, by ordinance, set limits of heights less than these maximums. The Council may, by ordinance, set up reasonable methods of measuring the heights set forth in this section.

(Approved by election held November 7, 1972)

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the City that its land development shall not exceed its public services and physical and natural resources. These include, but are not limited to, water, air quality, wastewater treatment capacity, and traffic and transportation capacity. All land use policies shall provide for a level and balance of residential and commercial development which will effectively utilize, but will not exhaust, the City's resources in the foreseeable future. In making land use decisions, the City shall be guided by the policies set forth in this section. In furtherance of these policies, no amendments to the City's General Plan and Zoning Ordinance shall be effective unless approved by five affirmative votes of the City Council. Upon such approval, General Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments shall be conclusively presumed to comply with the policies set forth herein.

(Approved by election held November 2, 1982)

Municipal Code