A Couple of Imminent Teardowns

Plus: Best-case scenario for the Montecito Creek Bridge is now mid-December; scorpions; another empty retail space at the Montecito Country Mart; kite roosts in More Mesa.

Tarantula Mating Season Is Here

Other recent news: Preliminary rendering of the San Ysidro roundabout; how hemp cultivation could affect the area; co-working company changes its name; paddleboarding with sharks.

You’re Cordially Invited to a 1980s Party Palace

Open houses this weekend: A midcentury home that looks like a Palm Springs motel (in the best way); two 18th-century barns brought over from England and conjoined into one house; a single-level Mesa retreat; and many more.

Why Isn’t the Rosewood Miramar’s Ice Cream Shop Open to the Public?

More food news and notes: Sama Sama Kitchen's offshoot in Los Alamos has soft-opened; the first-ever Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley is coming up; Bree'osh celebrates its fourth anniversary with a look back; new restaurant at Cachuma Lake.

Montecito “Dream Home” Drops Its Price by $986,000

Also newly reduced: Spanish house in Montecito that could use some lightening up; a multi-level Tuscan-style villa in Carpinteria; an oldie-but-goodie from 1930 in Hope Ranch; a Moroccan fantasia.

Law Passed Allowing Public Access to Hollister Ranch Beaches

Plus: Target's soft opening is coming up; this year's Night Market has been canceled; mountain lion spotted again in Isla Vista; great white sharks off Carp; waterfront parking overhauled; Eastside candidates running for city council.

Café Ana Has Plans to Start Dinner Service

Other food-related news: Impossible's fake ground "beef" is now being sold at Gelson's; Dave's Dogs Grill rumored to be opening on Milpas; Rascal's pop-up at Satellite; an attempt to cure olives in the ocean.

L.A.’s Lucca Antiques Has Opened a Huge Showroom in Montecito’s Upper Village

Plus: Route 192 bridge now slated to reopen in November; last chance to visit Lotusland before it closes for the winter; plans for a 16,338-square-foot house on Padaro Lane.

How Badly Do You Want to Live on the Beach?

It's always instructive to take a close look at a beachfront property, especially when the house needs substantial work. Given the amount of money you'd have to spend on this house, the $6.85 million price becomes even more purely about the location.

Where to Buy the Best Bread in Town

Plus: The Fairview Gardens farmstand appears to have reopened; Santa Barbara Harbor Festival is this weekend; Merci's sandwiches are all that and a bag of chips.