Facing grant deadlines and increased costs, the Guadalupe City Council voted 4-1 (with Councilmember Eugene Costa Jr. dissenting) during its June 11 meeting to approve a bond measure for the Nov. 5 ballot that would help fund the Royal Theater renovation project.
The project proposes to revitalize the historic site (built in 1940) with a new state-of-the-art movie theater and a performing arts center for hosting live stage productions, musical events, educational and cultural programs, and a meeting space for local organizations, according to the staff report.
The city received $9.8 million in grant funding—$5 million from the California Arts Council and $4.8 million from the U.S. Economic Development Agency—that was originally slated to cover the cost of the entire project, City Attorney Philip Sinco told the council. However, due to inflation, the city now needs about $3 million to complete the project as it’s currently proposed.
“We are running into some potential deadlines with the Economic Development Agency’s $4.8 million; we need to begin construction in March [2025]—the 25th at the latest,” Sinco said, adding that he didn’t know if the city could get an extension. “I understand that no matter how we cut it, if we modify the project or reduce some elements that can be deferred later, it’s still going to be short.”
Guadalupe city staff proposed a general obligation bond measure to raise the additional funds needed to complete the project. If passed, Guadalupe property owners would be required to pay an additional $77 per year in property taxes to repay the proposed bonds, said Steve Gordon, a consultant working with the city on the project. He added that the rate will fluctuate depending on the property’s value.
Guadalupe Mayor Ariston Julian said during the meeting that Guadalupe “is a community in favor of supporting the community.” Voters passed measures for public safety in 2020 and a bond measure for the school district in 2022, however he saw this time around as a “hard hill to climb.”
“I’m going to say the negative side of things: Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is going to push a bond perhaps in November, too, for maintenance and a new school. How does that look for our taxpayers?” Julian said. “I think we’ve heard individuals speak. I know they’re not opposed to the theater; they are opposed to how we go about it.”
Many residents voiced support and highlighted the need for this project, but others said that the city was putting “the cart before the horse,” by approving the bond measure before a special meeting scheduled for June 18—after the Sun went to press—where residents could learn more about the project and the bond measure.
“This scheduling puts the cart before the horse or [keeps] people in the dark before they know what’s going on. It’s disgraceful and disrespectful,” resident Jeannie Mello told City Council during public comment.
She and her husband are barely “keeping their heads above water now,” she added. “Please don’t throw us an anchor.”
“Costs will continue to skyrocket. I’m not saying we shouldn’t aim high, but hope is not a plan, and you seem to hope that the community will come through and trust this will be well-managed even though we don’t know what nonprofit out there will be capable of running the site,” Mello said.
City consultant Gordon said during the meeting that the city had to vote on moving the bond measure forward on June 11 to keep up with Santa Barbara County’s June 27 deadline to get measures on the ballot, otherwise there will be no option to move forward.
He added that the City Council could later strike the measure down during its second reading on June 25, which requires a four-fifths vote from the council to approve the measure.
“You have more opportunities to say no. You don’t have more opportunities to say yes,” Gordon said.
