Santa Feans have been driving down West San Francisco Street for decades

Now another initiative by a downtown merchant who wants to see the Santa Fe Plaza look like another city or country.

For over 400 years our city has been doing something right but now merchants want to close the street to vehicle access. IMO another way that deters local Santa Fesinos from coming down to the plaza. I see this only benefiting the Tourist as usual and the locals are again being made to feel unwanted in their plaza.

Streets around the plaza are already closed during the summer with the only street open West San Francisco (WSF)

When on the council when this proposal to close the plaza to traffic for the summer was broght up it was I that fought to leave WSF open to vehicle traffic so that Santa Fesinos could still drive by the plaza and enjoy seeing their plaza as some people just enjoy a nice drive to their plaza just to see and enjoy or our elderly Santa Fesinos can't walk the plaza any longer and just enjoy a drive to see their hometown plaza.

The original proposal by SANTA FE SELLOUT JAVIER GONZALES wanted to close the entire plaza off to vehicle traffic. Luckily I had support from a majority of councilors to add this amendments to allow WSF steet to stay open to vehicles.

Now this proposal wants to close the entire WSF street to all vehicles so that it becomes a FREEMONT STREET or 16TH STREET MALL.

Anyone who knows me knows I do not like when people who are not from here come into our city and try to make it look and act like the city they were born and raised in.

Our beautiful Santa Fe is over 400 years old we are proud Santa Fesinos who are proud of our city its history and cultures.

It irks me to see more and more changes that IMO are finding more and more ways for TRUE LOCALS to be exiled and not wanted in our own plaza.

If some of these merchants had it their way FIESTA, SPANISH MARKET, INDIAN MARKET, PRIDE and other celebrations and events on the plaza would be removed from the plaza I know first hand because merchants had approached the city years ago asking that all these high profile celebrations be moved off the plaza to a venue better suited to accommodate them.

In other words we don't want your celebrations in the plaza as it hurts our businesses.

The City of Santa Fe is already looking at a $100 million dollar shortfall and by taking street parking revenue from its coffers in this area are the downtown merchants going to pay this lost revenue back to the city??? Probably NOT

The GENTRIFICATION of SANTA FE is again hard at work trying to keep the locals out of the plaza and embrace and welcome only the tourist.

IMHO this plan to close the designated streets is not a good plan for our city.

Please contact the Mayor and City Councilors and let them know how you feel about this issue.