••• The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum at 21 W. Anapamu Street is on the market for $3.9 million. “The eventual closure, said Museum Director Norman Cohan, is tied not to a lack of interest or attendance, but to a broader shift following [founder David] Karpeles’s death in 2022. His family, now based in Florida, has been consolidating the once-national network of Karpeles museums into a single primary location in St. Augustine, Florida.” —Independent
••• “Jay and Kristen Ruskey—who pioneered California’s coffee-growing movement from their farm in the hills of western Goleta—both died suddenly on Sunday due to what’s being described as a ‘tragic accident.’ On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the Ruskeys died in Cambria. There does not appear to be any crime or foul play involved, according to the department, and autopsies will be performed this week. The co-founders of Frinj Coffee helped develop more than 70 coffee farms across Southern California based on what they learned at Good Land Organics, their farming operation atop Farren Road where the Ruskeys also tested now-popular exotic crops such as caviar limes and dragon fruit.” —Independent
••• “The Santa Barbara City Council voted 4-1 to move forward with amendments to the city’s rules regarding single-use materials, restricting the use of Mylar balloons, plastic confetti, and disposable polystyrene food ware. […] All to-go containers must now be compostable.” —Independent
••• From Noozhawk: “This June Santa Barbara voters will decide on a ballot measure that would allow the city to change the way it manages contracts and leases for city-owned property. If approved, the city’s charter would be updated to allow for leases of city property for more than 50 years, which is the current limit, and would allow the city to make changes to contracts without going through the ordinance process. […] The ability to have a contract for longer than 50 years was a major issue for AB Commercial, the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment team. […] If approved, the city could enter leases for as long as 99 years and could make changes to leases of city-owned property that are longer than five years without having to go through an ordinance process. Because adopting an ordinance typically takes 40 days before it goes into effect, [city administrator Kelly] McAdoo said that causes delays when the city works with businesses that want to open quickly.” Yeah, the city is famous for that.
••• “The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday to require the Sheriff’s Office to make monthly reports on its overtime use after years of the department exceeding its annual overtime budget.” What took them so long? And if any department goes over budget for years, perhaps the budget needs to be revised. —Noozhawk
••• The Independent spoke with the owner of the Frog Wall on the Riviera about the changes there. The lede is over-the-top-and-back-again: “Apollo once served as a shepherd, charged with tending sacred cattle and keeping chaos from the herd. It was less about ownership than stewardship—knowing when to protect, when to prune, and when intervention was unavoidable. That, in essence, is the position Jay Griffith now occupies at Santa Barbara’s Frog Wall.”
••• “The Carpinteria Unified School District board of trustees voted Tuesday night to close Carpinteria Family School, citing declining enrollment districtwide and budget challenges. The school—one of four elementary schools in the district—will officially close June 30.” —Noozhawk
••• “State Wants Public Input on General Plan for El Capitán, Refugio, Gaviota Parks [….] Draft concepts to be shared at two upcoming meetings.” —Noozhawk
················
Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter and you’ll never miss a post.
Comment: