••• According to a note on its reservations page, the soonest that The Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara now expects to open is sometime this fall—which sounds more realistic than July, given the state of its front yard.
••• Andy posted a comment that will be of interest to anyone who would like to see changes in the way that Santa Barbara is run:
The travesty behind the Mission is a tipping point. This project is irreversible. Once built, there’s no Undo button. It has pushed me past my limit of being able to sit on the sidelines and do nothing but complain about the total leadership void in this city. We must act—decisively and immediately — to stop it. Whatever it takes. I call on City leadership to DO SOMETHING NOW, and tell us what the plan is. I won’t hold my breath.
It’s clear that our City leadership has totally abdicated. They’ve got no vision, are putting in no apparent effort, and aren’t willing to fight for what needs to be done—whether that’s against internal inertia, or the overreach by the State of CA.
Have you tried talking to the City Council or Mayor, or head of a department? Every interaction with City leadership reeks of complacency. As one commenter here mentioned: there’s an excuse for everything. Often, blaming the State for why nothing can be done. If you aren’t willing to fight for what needs to be done, step aside.
We are creating a group of people who want to work together on a platform for the future of the city, and ultimately to select people we’ll support in running for office. People who never want Santa Barbara to become an overbuilt LA suburb, but who also want it continuously improve. We’ll settle for nothing less than Santa Barbara being an absolutely world-class seaside small city.
If you want to join the mailing list, we’ll email you as we progress updates and how you can get involved. The site is brand-new, so there isn’t much yet, but join the mailing list to follow along: vision4santabarbara.com.
••• According to the city’s Planning and Zoning department, the Electrify America charging station long planned for the corner of Chapala and Carrillo is still in the works. It received final approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission in February 2024, and “the related BLD case (Building Permit application) was last reviewed by the City on 4/21/2025 and we are awaiting another submittal from the applicant to review again.”
••• The Kaarem pop-up boutique at Victoria Court has closed after 18 months (the plan was for only six). “We will relocate to a private office/studio next to Oat Bakery in Old Town Goleta and will be open for shopping appointments starting August. Contact us at [email protected] or @kaaremvn to schedule a visit!
••• I have more fear than excitement about the ways AI will change our world, but I have to admit that ChatGPT’s roast of Santa Barbara County has some good lines.
View this post on Instagram
••• Dawes (Duo) comes to the Lobero Theatre on September 25: “For the first time in almost a decade, brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith grace the cover of a Dawes record. It’s just the two of them this time, and as such, Oh Brother marks a distinctive new chapter for the California rock band [….] They’re a band that can move seamlessly between folk rock, piano ballads, and sprawling jams.”
••• Here’s a new one…. According to the Architectural Board of Review’s June 2 consent agenda, SBCAST (a.k.a. Santa Barbara Center of Art, Science and Technology) at 513 Garden Street wants to clad an existing ADU, including the roof, in artificial turf.
••• Remember the post about the former Weeping Willow Inn on East Valley Road? “This is such an interesting article and we were ecstatic to see it,” emailed K. “My great-great aunts were the Sanchez sisters. One had the store, and one had the Weeping Willow Inn, which was used as a house of prostitution at one point. My aunt Maryann remembers being there as a child and watching the ladies walk by the window in what she remembers to be, their nightgowns…. So many interesting stories about this place and my ancestors here. My mother and her mother and all my aunts and uncles were born and raised in Santa Barbara—they were the original Cotas and Romeros. We visited the Weeping Willow a few years ago. Here’s a photo of myself, my aunt, and my mother at our last visit there.”
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Oh god, please don’t tell me that the “Andy” behind that vision4santabarbara is failed right-wing candidate, Andy Caldwell.
Yes it is a monstrosity behind the mission, but Santa Barbara’s very own “election fraud” conspirator has a vision no one wants. I hope this is the last time we see his nonsense on Siteline so it doesn’t be come “Rightline”.
Different Andy.
😂 Thanks Erik, I needed that this morning…
FYI – Andy C does not have the exclusive rights to the name Andy…
Hopefully not a radical left wing Andy , that would be way worse.
Obnoxious gratuitous attack on someone not even involved in efgort
ChatGPT nailed it.
Andy C. would like us to follow him. Who is Andy C. of vision4santabarbara?
Maybe I experienced the parting of the Red Sea twice but have had decent luck contacting City elected officials.
It is hard to get a consensus, the lack of obtaining approval of a housing element plan in time was a terrible mistake. Costly.
As for plastic turf on exterior walls…
plastic can burn, they will have to periodically hire a turf cleaning vendor.
Hopefully level minds will prevail.
Erik, thank you for sharing Vision4SantaBarbara.
I’m so grateful to see that someone is organizing a group to contest the continued degradation of our sweet community. State Street has gone to hell and I agree that if this monstrosity is built behind the Mission, there will be no turning back. The City Council seems to be steering us towards ruination. Santa Barbarans need to stand up now or not complain later when it’s too late.