••• “The Santa Barbara Housing Authority wants to build 103 apartments on the corner of Carrillo and Castillo streets [currently the site of a commuter parking lot] for Santa Barbara’s ‘missing middle’—people who can’t afford market-rate apartments, but earn too much to qualify for housing subsidies. […] The projected rents for the development are $1,600 for a studio; $1,900 for a one-bedroom; and $2,200 for a two-bedroom.” Renderings by the Cearnal Collective. —Noozhawk
••• A Heal the Ocean press release on Edhat lists three places where you can recycle plastic bags: Ralphs and Albertsons in Goleta, and Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners on Gutierrez (but read the restrictions before you head over to the latter). Related: At the Montecito Village Grocery this morning, I told the cashier that I didn’t need a bag because I had brought my own. He asked that I do the bagging outside. Now, I can understand that cashiers might not want to touch my bag, even though surfaces appear not to be a major concern in the transmission of the coronavirus. But why on earth does it matter whether I bag my three items in the store or outside? If we’re going to be in this pandemic for a long time—and we are—then can we start getting realistic about where the risks are?
••• Noozhawk had a better photo of the bear than explored Montecito yesterday. And here’s a video.
••• “There could be several blocks closed off in Carpinteria for about a month as a way to encourage the public to dine and shop safely during the coronavirus crisis. The Carpinteria City Council is going over the details including the specific days and number of streets that will be part of the plan.” —KEYT
••• “Santa Barbara Hair Salons Not Impressed with Outside Chance to Resume Reduced Services […] Cleared to reopen personal care services if they operate outdoors, salons struggle to adapt to changes with many deciding restrictions are not worth it for clients or the business.” —Noozhawk
••• “School board President Laura Capps will run for a new four-year term as a Santa Barbara Unified School District trustee. Other current members Wendy Sims-Moten and Jackie Reid “both have formed campaign committees, according to documents on file at the county elections office, but neither responded to requests for comment last night. Also considering a run is Monie de Wit, a parent who speaks frequently and passionately at school board meetings about the importance of literacy and programs for special needs students.” —Newsmakers
••• The Independent reviews The Last of Us Part II, a PlayStation 4 game where the “final act unfolds in Santa Barbara, opening on a zombie-infested stretch of Constance Avenue. It is here that we first encounter the Rattlers, Santa Barbara’s brutal gang of slaveholders who have established their headquarters in a resort that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Four Seasons Biltmore. […] At one point, Ellie traverses the Mesa Bluffs, working her way through Spanish Revival mansions replete with wine fridges, Fiesta-esque artwork, and encroaching bougainvillea. She later emerges onto a street closely approximating Loma Alta Drive, allowing the player the opportunity to gaze out onto an uncanny simulacrum of Santa Barbara’s coastline.”
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