Santa Barbara’s neighborhoods carry real age and character differences that shape our service calls. The Westside is the city’s oldest established residential area, with a mix of historic craftsman bungalows and modern apartments; the Eastside has diverse housing from 1920s multifamily buildings to midcentury properties; the Riviera is one of the older, more stabilized hillside neighborhoods; and San Roque has been built up since 1925 with Spanish Colonial and Tudor-style homes. Older properties across these neighborhoods frequently need panel upgrades and rewiring to bring 1920s-1950s electrical systems up to code for modern appliance and EV loads. Building permits are issued through the City of Santa Barbara’s Building & Safety Division, and Southern California Edison provides electric service to the city. Hillside and wildland-urban interface properties are subject to additional local wildfire-related building requirements.