Santa Barbara

* Re “High-Tech Firms Plug Into Santa Barbara Lifestyle,” May 31:

Well, I’m certainly not one of Santa Barbara’s “old-money elite.” Just one of the many working people who struggle to live in this town of 0% available home and apartment rentals, a difficult job market, median house prices in the $500,000 range and a reputation for being the home of the rich and idle. Santa Barbara can be a great place to live, but more and more it takes a lot of money to do so.

If I ever expect to own a home and have more access to a wider variety of jobs, I will need to leave this beautiful city. And who will answer the phones, wash the cars, type the letters and clean the homes of the new elite? People who are commuting from Santa Maria, Lompoc, Oxnard and other communities, adding to the traffic and pollution. Or families living five to six in a one-bedroom apartment in a marginal neighborhood.

TRACEY BEAUCHAMP

Santa Barbara