He's only 24, but already, Sullivan Israel is one of Santa Barbara's most influential people. He founded the local Strong Towns SB and has been advocated for safer streets for all types of transportation. Sullivan wants Santa Barbara to move away from planning with a car as the main focus and instead make all ways of transportation an equal option. He wants to bring more housing to the downtown Santa Barbara area because housing downtown, he says, will help revitalize retail on State Street. Sullivan isn't just a guy with ideas. He has degrees in civil engineering and urban planning and is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and UCLA. He attended Laguna Blanca school and guess what? He wants to run for Santa Barbara City Council, possibly even mayor. Check out this dynamic podcast with one of Santa Barbara's brightest stars.

Award-winning journalist Josh Molina creates dynamic and compelling conversations with the region's leaders on the issues of housing, transportation, education, business and culture. He formally worked at the San Jose Mercury News and now is a local journalist and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College. Consider a contribution to support his podcast by visiting www.santabarbaratalks.com and please subscribe on YouTube.