Downtown Commuter Lot to Become Workforce Housing

Other recent news: Sinkhole gobbles up parked car; new design for proposed Montecito Street hotel; Coast Village Road crosswalk to get flashing lights; Stearns Wharf sign damaged; Buellton urges county to regulate cannabis farms.

Newsletter: December 16

The twice-weekly Siteline newsletter is the best way to follow the website. To subscribe, click the link at the bottom of this post. And you can unsubscribe at any time.

Paso Robles Light Show Has Been Extended Through June

Other local news: Santa Barbara Police Department wants more control over alcohol sales; Earl Warren Showgrounds equestrian renovation plan; Anderson .Paak wants to save the Oxnard Performing Arts Center; injured owl update.

A New Chef-Owned Restaurant in Old Town Goleta

More food news: The Los Agaves spinoff near East Beach is indeed Oaxacan; the old Giovanni's space on the Mesa will become Mesa Brew; Brasil Arts Café closed; Recipes Bakery has merged with a caterer; activity at the dormant 805 Hazy and Deli.

Shop-Local Gift Guide, Part 3: The Shopkeepers and Garde

If you want Santa Barbara to have wonderful independent shops, you need to support them. So this holiday season—and year-round, really—make an effort to spend your money here.

Mountain Lion Spotted in Elings Park

Plus: The original Santa Barbara Polo Club is available to rent; new trails and repairs on Montecito Trails Foundation's list for 2020; meeting about Highway 154 safety; Eastside Library to be closed for renovations.

“One-Stop Shop” for High-End Home Design

While you can buy anything right off the floor at Birgit Klein's new Montecito space, the emphasis is on custom design, whether it's furniture, accessories like pillows and throws, light fixtures, rugs, or wallpaper. "We can do anything," she says.

Newsletter: December 12

The twice-weekly Siteline newsletter is the best, easiest way to follow the website. To subscribe, click the link at the bottom of this post; you can unsubscribe at any time.

A Pair of Brand-New Houses in San Antonio Creek

Highlights of this weekend's open-house lineup: Forty acres on Spyglass Ridge Road; Montecito midcentury mini-compound; 1895 Upper East house with a surprise upstairs.

George Lucas Has Now Spent $47 Million on Padaro Lane

Other recent news: Santa Barbara Airport finally got a Gate 3; photos of the Cave Fire burn area; downtown apartment buildings can now be three feet taller; another lawsuit over the city's vacation-rental ban; revised plans for Montecito Street hotel.