••• “The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to slash $30 million in revenues from the city of Santa Barbara’s budget this year and next.” —Noozhawk
••• “As of Tuesday, there are 429 cases of Covid-19 in Santa Barbara County including 53 health care workers and dozens of inmates at the Lompoc Prison.” And “a fifth Santa Barbara County resident has died.” —KEYT
••• Bicycle shops have been deemed essential, and business is up at Hazard’s Cyclesport in the Funk Zone. “I almost feel a little guilty sometimes because we are doing so well, business-wise,” [owner Bruce] Davis said. “But we’re also helping people… these people are digging their bikes out of the garage, bringing them to the bike shops, saying ‘Hey, can you fix this up? Because we need a little mental break here to get out and exercise.’” Only one customer is allowed inside at a time. Here’s hoping the store can stay there for a while; that “for lease” sign has been up for months. —KEYT
••• “Covid-19 Lockdown Spurs Rise in Crime in City of Santa Barbara.” That’s Noozhawk headline. The reality is less dramatic: Year over year, there have been 12 robberies (up from 10), and 31 aggravated assaults (up from 28).
••• City administrator “Paul Casey Agrees to Possible Pay Cut; Santa Barbara Mayor’s Task Force Sparks Controversy.” The “controversy” is that some people who wanted to be on it weren’t included. —Noozhawk
••• “The Santa Barbara County U.S. Census Complete Count Committee is worried that [the exodus of students because of Covid-19] could lead to undercounting people for the 2020 Census, especially in heavily student-populated areas like Isla Vista. Students who normally live at school should be counted in that community, even if they are temporarily living somewhere else due to the pandemic.” —Noozhawk
••• “Sea Life Finds a Way Among Old Oil Platforms’ ‘Jacket Complexity’ […] UC Santa Barbara Marine Biologists Share Findings in ‘Bulletin of Marine Science.'” —Independent
••• “Highway 101 between Patterson and Fairview Avenue as it runs through Goleta sits atop the San Jose Creek Bridge, which is built of a concrete aggregate that has been found to be susceptible to expansion and contraction. Caltrans is mapping out a project to replace the bridge that will cost about $20 million and take 280 days to complete over two construction seasons. […] One lane will close in both directions as the work progresses, but two would remain open. Concrete barriers will line the worksite, and highway traffic speeds will go down from 65mph to 55mph.” Best case, the construction will run from June 2022 to December 2024.—Independent
••• Edhat ran a post about how “UCSB is erecting a fence at Campus Point to keep people off the beach and out of the water,” but it turns out that it had nothing to do with Covid-19. Instead, “the University is conducting emergency stabilization of the lagoon berm,” and the beach remains open.
••• The Boat Launch Mini Mart at the harbor burned to a crisp this morning. —Noozhawk
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