Community Rallies To Keep Holiday Tree In Santa Barbara

The Community Holiday Tree in downtown Santa Barbara may not go up this year. Santa Barbara city leaders say Southern California Edison withdrew funding just last week. It costs an estimated $35,000 to put up the tree.

City leaders, the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization and community members are trying to raise enough funds to keep the tradition alive. The 45-foot-tall Douglas fir tree is installed before Thanksgiving in front of the Arlington Theater on State Street.

The official tree lighting usually takes place at the start of the annual Downtown Holiday Parade.

Late Sunday evening, Southern California Edison released this statement to KEY News: “SCE is offering to provide a Christmas tree to Santa Barbara. But because of the company’s focus on infrastructure investment, SCE will do so if another organization comes forward to pay the cost of transportation. The approximate transportation cost is between $2,000 – $3,000.”