Downtown Film Center on Track to Open in Two Weeks

••• “Multi-million-dollar project to renovate the SBIFF’s five-screen theater complex on track for the festival’s opening on February 4.” —KCLU

••• “Santa Barbara County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato announced her retirement on Friday. She plans to retire in July 2026. She has served in the top spot for the past 12 years. […] The County will initiate a national recruitment process.” —Santa Barbara News-Press

••• The five-story apartment complex at 102 W. De la Guerra Street received final approval from the city, reports Noozhawk. “The development will include 44 new housing units and 77 parking spots. [See update.] The storage facility [in the former Frontier building at Chapala and Canon Perdido] will be four stories tall.” Noozhawk included an elevation of the new building’s north side, while most of us will experience it from the south. The most recent look at that facade, from April, is here. Assuming it hasn’t changed too much, I have to agree with this: “Board member Trey Anderson was the main opposition to the residential building, which he said did not match the city’s other architecture. Anderson said other buildings in the city attempt to create a distinct experience for people walking down the street and put beauty forward.” [UPDATE: Thanks to Mercedita for pointing out that Noozhawk was wrong, and the project will in fact not have any parking, as mentioned on the developer’s site: “The project is in the center of Santa Barbara’s downtown: walking distance to a full array of amenities and workplaces just a few steps from Paseo Nuevo. Those without a car will benefit from not paying for parking and others will be able to conveniently rent a spot in a nearby parking lot.” They can do this because of a state law that allows for no parking if a project is within a certain distance or mass transportation—which of course makes far more sense in a big city than it does in a small one.]

••• More on the overtime shenanigans at the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office: “The audit found that nearly 25 percent of all workdays worked triggered overtime billing. Twenty-four managers—exempt from overtime—reportedly racked up $715,000 in ‘Extra Help’ job assignments. Twenty-nine sheriff’s employees took home more than $1,000 per pay period in overtime, and 84 out of 184 new hires onboarded in the past two years worked more than 500 hours in overtime during those two years.” Sheriff Bill Brown attempted to justify it in a response; nonetheless, “the matter is scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors on February 10.” —Independent

••• “Goleta Valley Library Moves a Step Closer to Construction, Interior Renovation […] Goleta council approves a construction contract and hears from library and city staff regarding interior design plans.” —Noozhawk

••• There’s a new theater company in town: HappySad Theatre Company, whose debut production of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect (“a contemporary conundrum that questions authenticity of experience when under the influence of psychiatric medications”) was praised by the Independent.

••• “The City of Goleta will serve as the official host city for one of this year’s World Cup contenders. One international team—which has yet to be revealed—will be staying at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara and holding practices at UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium in preparation for the World Cup matches starting in June.” Maybe it’ll be Denmark and we can go root for them. —Independent

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