November 7, 2024
News Roundup
October 31, 2024
The CVS Store on State Street Is Closing
Other recent news: The downtown library plaza has opened; oak trees to replace stone pines on E. Anapamu Street; Caruso and All Saints by-the-Sea church make a deal; the head of UCSB Arts & Lectures is retiring; free digitization of local home movies; the tree of the month. 6
October 24, 2024
How the Montecito Planning Commission Shot Itself in the Foot
Other recent news: Biltmore's family pool complex moves forward in slightly smaller form; Isla Vista now has a vending machine with Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and emergency contraceptives; land preservation on Goleta ballot; another Huguette Clark estate is on the market. 3
October 17, 2024
Santa Barbara Is Finally Getting Serious About E-Bikes
Other recent news: Art Essentials is moving at year end; Montecito police blotter; the latest on the proposed Rosewood Miramar Beach expansion; the city council's District 3 race; the Lobero Theatre’s executive director is stepping down; California Coastal Commission refuses to allow more SpaceX launches. 14
October 3, 2024
Debate Rages Over the 250-Room Garden Street Hotel
Other recent news: Debunked rumor that the Bidens bought in the Santa Ynez Valley; District 1 candidate forum recap; Funk Zone art gallery closed; city councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez's poor attendance; criticism for cannabis stink abatement plan; Goleta library to close for up to two years; Mission Creek restoration; Cottage Health to create employee housing; what's next for Andersen's Pea Soup in Buellton. 3
September 26, 2024
A Faster Track for the Miramar’s Retail and Housing Expansion
Other recent news: The new owner of Buellton landmark Pea Soup Andersen's; California to finally ban the sale of all plastic bags at grocery stores; buyer found for the News-Press's physical archive; bomb thrown inside a Santa Maria courthouse building; the tree of the month; the Riv's ode to Bianca Censori. 3
September 19, 2024
The City Council’s Current Thinking About State Street
Other recent news: CVS is said to be closing downtown; Metropolitan Theatres has left the Fiesta Five on State Street; interview with city administrator Kelly McAdoo; what to do with two dilapidated airport hangars; Fuel Depot opened on Storke Road; candidates for Goleta elections; progress for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. 11
September 5, 2024
The Debate Over Rent Control in Santa Barbara
Other recent news: A rise in stolen checks; vintage shop updates; Lucidity Festival is shutting down for good; Goleta likely to lower speed limits; Platform Holly has been plugged; the county's agricultural enterprise ordinance moves forward; Eric Goode's huge Ojai spread; positive feedback for the proposed Tri-County Produce project; SBCC wants a bond extension; the Surfliner Inn's slow progress. 31
August 29, 2024
August 22, 2024
Opening Date for the Santa Barbara Public Library Plaza
Other recent news: The eight-story building proposed near the Mission; a bit of intel on the buyers of the former St. Anthony's Seminary complex; President Biden and his family are vacationing in the Santa Ynez Valley; feedback on the plaza to replace Franceschi House; Moody Sisters cottages istreated; the new Tilly Timms souvenir store; California Highway Patrol issued a ton of speeding tickets; driver crashes car and flees on skateboard. 5
Burning Questions
- Was There a Fisherman Inn in Downtown Santa Barbara?
- What Are Those Old Buildings at the Corner of Castillo and Montecito Streets?
- When Will the Coast Village Road Medians Be Completed?
- What’s This Scaffold Structure on Las Positas Road?
- Why Does Street Striping Take So Long to Happen?
- Why Do Rocket Launches Look the Way They Do?
- How Is the San Ysidro Debris Basin Designed to Work?
Recent Comments
Everybody has an idea of how State street should work. But nothing is going to be changed because there is no money. From the city.… — Dan O.
So happy to hear that they are still open! We tried going a few times since December and it was always closed. I was worried… — Tracy
Bingo, this is typical cart before the horse. We simply don't have the population to support such a long promenade. Build another 1-2,000 housing units… — Jefferson A.
I agree with most except that bicycle traffic is not good for business on State street. We spend more on State when riding as its… — Don
I agree with you that it isn’t terribly inviting. It just looks like a street. Numerous case studies show people won’t use pedestrian thoroughfares that… — BW
Serious suggestion ... if State Street isn't working as a "street," change it into something else. Add a water feature? Make it a High Line-esque… — A
Fox News says what? — Dad
Agreed. Not one mention from the city how they would pay for all this (they are in a budget deficit as it is) or made… — Jefferson A.
It doesn’t seem that complicated? The opening at night is for deliveries, maintenance, and service, similar to how it’s opened for that at night today. — TJ
For crying out loud—no new taxes! Trim the programs, trim the services. — Christine!