••• Casa del Herrero members are now allowed to explore the gardens on their own—and even picnic—instead of having to go on the tour. But that may get less appealing as the Montecito property is about to launch a full-scale restoration in advance of its 100th anniversary in 2025. Unfortunately for the tenants in the outbuildings, this is a renoviction situation.
••• As expected, MichaelKate Interiors in the Funk Zone is having a big sale in the run-up to the store’s closing: “At these ridiculously low prices, all sales are as-is. All sales final. No exchanges. No returns.”
••• The Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Dance will be at the Lobero Theatre on May 28 “for an arresting evening of contemporary flight.” Photo by Onno Sweep.
••• “Can you find out why the Sun Country Airlines flight from Santa Barbara to Minneapolis was discontinued?” asked J. A rep for the Santa Barbara Airport said that it was a business decision by the airline, likely because the route just wasn’t cutting it economically, and suggested that you reach out to the airline (perhaps through social media) to express your desire that it return.
••• The owner of 655 Park Lane explained why he removed the eucalyptus trees along the street: “It is a beautiful part of Montecito and the tunnel of Eucalyptus on lower Park is fantastic. However, we have had three of the Eucalyptus tress that line the road come down over the last few years and each of these had taken out a specimen Live Oak on each occasion. The last tree fall took out both an irreplaceable Oak and put holes in our roof. They are not native to the area and, unfortunately, don’t have great root systems so in that particular location, with native Oaks and our home on one side, and the power lines on the other (which causes SCE to trim them such that they are weighted toward the house)—it’s a problem. After the last tree fall, that was my limit. I value the Oaks higher than the Eucalyptus, and the danger to the home was just an overhanging worry.”
••• From the Santa Barbara Police Department: “The SBPD will hold a Gun Buyback on Saturday, May 20, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the City Yards, off 300 E. Cota Street. […] Turn in your firearms and receive a $100 gift card. Individuals can drive into the City Yards and surrender any unwanted firearms to officers—no questions asked. We request all firearms be unloaded and transported in the vehicle’s trunk and once arrived, SBPD will collect the firearm(s).”
••• Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service will be at the Santa Barbara Bowl on October 14 to play their respective 2003 albums, Transatlanticism and Give Up, from start to finish.
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Curious how many guns were turned in? How many had been used in a crime?
united also didn’t bring back their direct flights santa barbara to and from chicago…
I am so surprised United didn’t bring them back. Flight times weren’t great but the convenience was awesome. I wonder if it was due to lack of pilots?
Having been in the airline biz for 35 years you’d be surprised sometimes how routes aren’t extensively researched. Sometimes it’s a reasonableness/dartboard approach. This one was set up to catch European flights both ways from ORD. It always was going to be summertime seasonal. It obviously didn’t meet United’s expectations. It always amazes me which routes stick and which don’t. I had a friend who was an executive at American. He’s since passed away but he always fought for more service here. Surprisingly, the numbers rarely worked out. The cost of the new airport and proximity to LAX didn’t work in our favor.
After a career in this business, there is a general rule that small airports must keep costs low. That is all they have to offer carriers whose profit on short hops and volume of originating traffic is slim. One gate at LAX or SFO boards more passengers in a day than the entire terminal @ SBA does in a week, or month. An overbuilt terminal increased costs. We may have gone a bit overboard on it. Two stories for a tiny tarmac and small airplanes.