••• The I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival, on Memorial Day weekend, is back at the Mission after two years of being online. —Edible Santa Barbara
••• “Santa Barbara County Sheriff Candidates Bill Brown, Juan Camarena Talk Priorities at Forum […] ‘Discussion with the Candidates’ focuses on their plans to address homelessness, drug-related issues, a civilian oversight board, and more.” —Noozhawk
••• “The League of Women Voters cancelled a face-off featuring County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido and rival Christy Lozano on the eve of the event Wednesday, after the challenger objected to the group’s rules for its election forums. […] Lozano, a veteran physical education teacher, did not sign a required, pre-forum release form in time; among other things, it prohibits candidates from criticizing each other directly and bans the candidates’ use in their campaigns of any excerpts from a video recording of the event. Lozano also wanted the League to provide her the questions to be asked in advance.” Oy. —Newsmakers
••• KEYT ran an item about the opening of Highway 101 carpool lanes in Carp that I didn’t quite understand, so I reached out to project spokesperson Kirsten Ayers for clarity. Her explanation: “The northbound carpool lane in Carpinteria will open end of May/beginning of June and the southbound lane will open mid-June. Crews are working on the final grinding, close-out items, and then striping of the lanes before we can open them.”
••• Sidecar Tours, “the world’s first and only tandem motorcycle sidecar experience,” is now offering tours in the Santa Barbara area. —KEYT
••• “After more than a decade of planning and restoration, UC Santa Barbara will officially unveil the North Campus Open Space with a public grand opening Saturday, May 14. The event will celebrate the opening of the Mesa Trail, Carlton-Duncan Visitor Plaza, Duttenhaver Outdoor Classroom and parking lot. […] The university first opened a few of the trails around the 136-acre project site in 2018, and now the last one is ready for footsteps.” —from a UCSB press release on Edhat
••• “The Carpinteria City Council will vote on an emergency ordinance temporarily limiting new chain businesses within city limits.” —Coastal View News
••• Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced that “a Sheriff’s deputy interrupted the theft of avocados at a ranch in Goleta and arrested a Lompoc man for the grand theft of fruit as well as narcotics charges,” and the Independent had a winner of a headline: “Grand Theft Avocado?” (This seems like an apt moment to remind everyone that I would pay good money for one of those “Avocado theft is a crime” signs.)
················
Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter and you’ll never miss a post.
“Grand Theft Avocado” would be a great video game
Warner Ebbink, the owner of Little Dom’s Seafood on Linden Avenue, urged the council during public comment to pass an ordinance limiting new chain businesses in the city. Ebbink expressed concern that real estate changes in Carpinteria could lead to more chain stores.
“There are really expensive pieces of prime commercial real estate (in Carpinteria) that are going to start changing hands,” Ebbink said. “That’s not going to be a mom-and-pop business that goes in there – they can’t pay the rent.”
So… next in the council’s agenda will be setting a limit on rents that can be charged, right? These seem like two issues. On the one hand, Carp is saying they don’t want chain restaurants, and on the other, the local restaurants are saying that new real estate transactions will leave the rents too high for those allowed operators? So… if the properties change hands, but no one can pay the rent, will the locations remain empty?