The Proposed Rules to Reduce Vegetation Near Houses

••• “Goleta Grapples with Car-Camping Community,” reports the Independent. “‘No Parking’ Signs and Citations Go into Effect as City Expands Safe Parking Program.” Speaking of which, all of the RVs parked on the stretch of Quarantina Street near the Highway 101 overpass (above) are starting to make it look like Venice Beach.

••• Noozhawk ran an update on the state’s proposed rules to reduce vegetation around houses. As is often the case, it’s a broad-brush application to a problem that warrants finesse, but there’s hope: “Approved alternatives to the proposed regulations from local fire agencies—to be decided—will also be permitted.”

If approved later this year, the changes would immediately apply to any new construction within [State Responsibility Area and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Area] zones.

Owners of already-built structures would have three years to remove combustible items such as firewood, dead leaves, mulch, wood chips, branches, dead and dying vegetation. That also includes any vegetation on roof and gutters. Herbaceous plants and succulents would be allowed within that 5-foot zone, but they must be under 18 inches and “not woody,” per Board staff. Any vegetation, live or dead, would have to be removed within a minimum of 1 foot of a structure or up to the edge of a structure’s roof eave, whichever is longer. Trees would be allowed, but branches must be at least 10 feet away from chimneys. Branches must also be trimmed to 5 feet above roofs and would be prohibited under eaves.

Property owners would also be required to create an “under-eave safety zone,” where any combustible material is removed under a property’s eaves, within five years of regulation approval.

Any gates made of combustible materials, such as wood, would have to be replaced with a non-combustible material, such as metal, also within five years. Any sheds, fences and outbuildings within 5 feet of a property must also have exterior non-combustible materials.

••• The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County “has moved from its more reactive posture of the past, waiting for opportunities to arise, to a more active position now of pursuing conservation deals with landowners. While upcoming deals are still being worked out and thus confidential, the Land Trust expects to close on seven transactions totaling more than 6,000 acres in the next 12 months. The properties are in high biodiversity and agricultural areas, including in the Santa Maria Valley, Happy Canyon, Purisima Hills, and Lompoc Valley. More than $17 million in federal and state funds, some private funds, and landowner donations and mitigation have enabled this incredible level of transactions to take place.” —Independent

••• “Goleta Board Favors Revised Design for Anthem Chapel Construction Project [….] The revisions sought to address neighbor and board member concerns about design and impacts to the area.” —Noozhawk

••• “Santa Rosa Island Fire Nears Full Containment [….] No Further Fire Growth Expected After Largest Wildfire in Channel Islands’ Recorded History Burns 18,379 Acres.” —Independent

••• Vina Robles Amphitheater, the popular outdoor concert venue in Paso Robles, has a new owner [L.A.-based Nederlander Concerts], and with it will come a new name [TBD], more concerts and expanded opportunities for events.” —Noozhawk

••• “Pacific Point Resort is set to open in July 2026 in Pismo Beach, folding two longtime hotels into one expansive oceanfront property. The 170-key resort, created from the former Pismo Lighthouse Suites and Shore Cliff Hotel, sits 90 feet above the Pacific where the bluffs meet the edge of town.” —Travel + Leisure

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