March 20, 2025
News Roundup
Longstanding Carpinteria Surf Shop to Close
Other recent news: Santa Barbara considers disincentivizing landlords to renovate; teacher layoffs by the Santa Barbara Unified School District; county to increase oversight of battery storage systems; "Restraining Order Violation" in Montecito; more studies of noise impacts of space launches; cannabis farms required to install carbon scrubbers; lawsuit by residents affected by cannabis stench granted class-action status; cannabis farm goes bankrupt. 3
March 6, 2025
County Task Force to Take on Street Food Vendors
Other recent news: Efforts to curtail Hot Springs trail visitors; Channel Islands National Park layoffs; two old Summerland Beach oil wells have been resealed (but hundreds remain); a historian's Santa Barbara book recommendations; update on the Ava Hotel in Paso Robles. 8
February 27, 2025
Santa Barbara Tightens Its E-Bike Regulations
Other recent news: The latest on the battle over restarting offshore drilling; the argument against the proposed creeks ordinance; tour bus spotted at Hot Springs trailhead; cannabis farms may get extensions on odor abatement; SpaceX debris lands in Poland; Couture Pattern Museum profile. 2
February 20, 2025
The Threat of “South American Theft Groups”
Other recent news: Renderings of the apartment complex proposed for the Sears lot at La Cumbre Plaza; new Goleta housing development to rent by the bed; county supervisors are thinking of giving themselves a raise; CADA sold its E. Haley building; possible funding cuts to local public radio stations; Meghan Markle renamed her forthcoming lifestyle brand; history of the Cold Spring Canyon bridge. 2
February 13, 2025
Santa Barbara Is Trying for a Creek Buffer Ordinance Again
Other recent news: The Wine Business Improvement District has been approved; tenant-vs.-landlord drama at 215 Bath Street; the city's Public Works director is leaving; Craig Case's trial for embezzlement; Faitell Attractions is closing; the fight over development on the Gaviota Coast. 2
February 6, 2025
Pedicabs and a Pop-Up Forest Proposed for State Street
Other recent news: The risks associated with the lithium-ion battery storage facility in Goleta; Billabong and Volcom stores have closed; more on the development proposed for the Sears lot at La Cumbre Plaza; new design standards for developers; changes to Milpas Street's trees; the history of Santa Barbara City College's land; Santa Maria to get a Planes of Fame Air Museum; the reopening of Pacific Coast Highway. 20
January 30, 2025
January 23, 2025
Return of the Santa Barbara News-Press
Other recent news: Author and historian Erin Graffy has died; drought conditions are back; changes in city garbage collection; Bungalow Haven historic designation update; the Isla Vista Food Co-op's financial crisis; recapping the meetings about space launches; commuter train to launch service this fall. 7
January 16, 2025
The County Is Finally Doing Something About the Cannabis Stench
Other recent news: Did Ty Warner destroy this artwork?; the stone pines of E. Anapamu get a reprieve; Biltmore to install butterfly-shaped swim rafts; Macy's at La Cumbre Plaza survived the first round of store closures; Santa Barbara may raise bus fares; out-of-control minivan on Stearns Wharf. 16
January 9, 2025
The George Floyd Mural Has Been Painted Over
Other recent news: San Marcos Growers nursery will close at the end of the year; Las Alturas landslide house demolished; more on the Sandpiper Golf Club proposal; World War II relic destroyed by storm; Heal the Ocean's appeal of the Rosewood Miramar Beach project; Moby Dick mural needs attention. 8
Burning Questions
- Why Are the Railroad Tracks Being Expanded Along Padaro Lane?
- Will You Explain the Plan to Adapt the Waterfront for Climate Change?
- Why Did the Rosewood Miramar Beach Install Gates?
- How Long Will This Big Pipe Be at East Beach?
- Is Cabrillo Boulevard Going to Be Widened Under Highway 101?
- Was There a Fisherman Inn in Downtown Santa Barbara?
- What Are Those Old Buildings at the Corner of Castillo and Montecito Streets?
Recent Comments
Very interesting. If Yardi is paying anywhere near $120M + $35M + $5.7M for almost 250k empty square feet, this is going to take a… — NuemanJ
I think some folks who would consider this is a windfall for Yardi may be overlooking two things: 1)The cost to Yardi to buyout AB's… — StanThompson
Just realizing I did not address your first point. The buildings on the property have been up for sale, and their value is also depressed… — SBradley
I think that the city's representation of this land as having ‘zero value’ is confusing because it sums together the value of 2 distinct things… — SBradley
No idea whether this is a good deal for Yardi or not. Paseo Nuevo has been available for sale since 2020 with no buyers -… — NuemanJ
I wish this same logic worked for Thrifty ice cream! According to the BLS inflation calculator, something that cost 5 cents in 1970 should cost… — Doug B
I'm unclear how bike lanes are related to maga. For that matter please explain how freeways and rail lines are remotely maga in a state… — Bettye Jones
Worth knowing about the Paseo Nuevo deal: the city is skipping the required competitive bidding process for this public land transfer by using the state-approved… — SBradley
This write up is such a biased take that sides with a handful of people. I imagine the people groaning about this project have a… — Yesenia G.
And if the anti's are worried about pollution, the answer is obvious. Electrify the entire LOSSAN Corridor. Cleaner, quieter, and allows for faster trains. And… — Judy's Older Brother