Another Step Forward for the Revamp of De La Guerra Plaza

••• “Santa Barbara Zoo officials officially introduced Raj, the red panda, to his new habitat at the zoo. Zoo officials say the male red panda came to Santa Barbara in April from Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School in New York. Raj had to live behind the scenes for a few months as his new permanent home was being renovated.” —KSBY

••• “The developers of a proposed 250-room hotel [at 101 Garden Street] fell short again on Thursday at a five-hour Santa Barbara Planning Commission meeting. A majority of the commission declined to approve their project, and instead told them to pay for a housing study while the staff considers whether a robust environmental review is needed. […] It was the second time in three months that the commission has reviewed the project, but the concerns about conducting an environmental review arose only at Thursday’s meeting.” And this is despite the fact that years ago the city “created a specific plan for the site, which included either housing or a hotel.” —Noozhawk

••• Edhat unearthed interesting info about into Ocean Fathoms, the company that got into trouble for aging wine on the ocean floor without permission:

The federal Food and Drug Administration considered the wine adulterated and not fit for human consumption, because it was submerged in the ocean and potentially contaminated. The wine was also sold without any of the required federally-approved labeling.

Additionally, Ocean Fathoms was selling the wine without an ABC alcohol sales permit and without a valid business license. The company was also collecting sales tax from its customers without ever paying those taxes to the State of California.

Finally, the company advertised that it was donating a portion of its profits to a local environmental nonprofit, yet there was no evidence that any donations were ever made. The company took thousands of dollars from investors without ever disclosing that they were operating in violation of the law.

••• “The Santa Barbara News-Press’* parent company owes millions to former employees, vendors, utility companies and subscribers, according to owner Wendy McCaw’s updated list of creditors filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week. With $5.13 million in total liabilities, Ampersand Publishing owes the largest amounts to McCaw herself [….] The listed creditors known to be associated with McCaw and co-publisher [and fiancé, at least at one time] Arthur Von Wiesenberger: $1.47 million to McCaw for a 2014 loan plus interest (This is the only liability with a basis for the claim listed),” and around $683,000 to various entities with which McCaw and Von Wiesenberger are involved. (*Singular possessive takes an apostrophe and the letter s, even if the last letter is an s. And yes I’ll die on that hill.) —Noozhawk

••• “Environmental documents for Goleta’s Stow Grove Park Master Plan are now available for public review and public comment through Aug. 31. […] Some of the plans include refurbishing and renovating the existing parking lot, restroom, maintenance facility, picnic area and more, as well as installing a new restroom, a new fitness trail loop and nature/play areas, the creation of a Channel Islands plaza with interpretive signage of Channel Islands flora, and expanding the playground to be suitable for all abilities. The city also plans to rehabilitate the caretaker cottage to include public use, such as an education or nature center.” —Noozhawk

••• An update on the effort to revamp De La Guerra Plaza: “Despite some concerns, the Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Commission agrees to support the current plan.” —Noozhawk

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