Siteline | What to Expect in the Orange Tier

••• “Santa Barbara County met all of the moderate orange tier criteria for the first time on Tuesday, and is on track to officially advance into the less-restrictive orange tier […] as soon as April 20.” Graphics illustrating the various tiers are at the bottom of this post; thanks to the indispensable Montecito Association for sending them out. —Noozhawk

••• “El Capitán State Beach is going to completely close for about one year starting on September 1, 2021. […] The good news, for those with patience, is that the closure will allow State Parks to build a new entry road to accommodate more cars; a new bridge over the creek near the entrance to the park, with ample room for steelhead trout passage beneath; a larger kiosk for rangers to process day-use and camping visitors; and an ADA-accessible trail along the entrance road to allow safer access for pedestrians, who currently must walk along the road to reach the beach and campground.” —Independent

••• The parent-vs.-administration saga at Cold Spring School gets uglier. —Montecito Journal (article not online)

••• “Toronto-based Mercer Park Brand Acquisition Corp. bought Glass House Farms, a Carpinteria-based cannabis company, to create the state’s biggest cannabis brand-building platform. […] Mercer Park Brand acquired Glass House Farms for $567 million.” Sounds like someone is in a nice position to make a juicy donation to the San Marcos Foothills fund. —Independent

••• The Independent profiles Santa Barbara–based Evidation Health, “the largest digital health network in the United States, with more than 4.5 million people using [an app called] Achievement to track and share their steps, heart rhythms, sleeping patterns, and other health indicators via wearable devices like Fitbits and Apple Watches. Participants receive reward points that they can convert into cash or donations to charities of their choosing. They can also opt into anonymous studies or answer questionnaires for even more rewards.”

••• “Santa Barbara’s Library Plaza to Be Named in Honor of Late Philanthropist Michael Towbes.” —Noozhawk

••• “The county’s most depleted water basin, the Cuyama Valley, is fast becoming the latest battleground in the fight over how—and whether—to address the negative impacts of the lucrative cannabis industry on farming and residential communities. […] More than 740 acres of outdoor cannabis cultivation has been proposed for the Cuyama Valley and is under review for zoning permits, county planners say. The industry is poised to drop new straws into the declining basin, where some of the well water is 1,000 feet deep and 30,000 years old—so old, it’s known as ‘fossil water.'” —Edhat and Independent

••• “Ventura has extended portions of Main Street to be closed to traffic through January 2022 but efforts are underway to make the closure permanent.” —Ventura County Star

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