News Roundup

January 4, 2022

Cottage Hospital Has Stopped Allowing Visitors Again

Other recent news: Mask mandate extended another month; Covid tests are in short supply; the Santa Barbara Arts shop in La Arcada Plaza is closing after 18 years; a profile of AutoCamp, the Santa Barbara–based chain of Airstream hotels; six people recently robbed Macy's; East Valley Road water main construction; the buyers of a Bali-inspired house in Montecito; a new 112-square-mile nature preserve.

December 24, 2021

15,000 Monarch Butterflies Have Returned to Goleta

Other recent news: Charlie Munger bought an $11 million house in Montecito; local TV personality accused of fraud; UCSB to start winter quarter online; more analysis of the county redistricting; buyer of Ellwood Ranch has no plans to develop it.

December 18, 2021

Cannabis Tax Revenue Continues to Decline

Other recent news: Upgraded security technology coming to the Santa Barbara airport; Montecito YMCA's new buildings face pushback; Laguna Blanca School has accepted more students than it's allowed to have; the many ways the proposed Munger Hall would affect the campus; Goleta looks at ways to temper the effects of the SB 9 housing bill; a gym has opened the former Sizzler space in Old Town Goleta.

December 14, 2021

Is Something Big Brewing at La Cumbre Plaza?

Other recent news: Record-breaking rainfall in Santa Barbara County; an updated storm impact consideration map was released; statewide indoor mask mandate; Santa Barbara moves toward regulating sidewalk vendors; work completed on a Summerland Beach oil well; decommissioning of Platform Holly has restarted. 5

December 9, 2021

Santa Barbara Airbus Has Changed Its Pickup Location

Other recent news: The county redistricting commission decided on a new map; magnitude 3.4 earthquake last night; Santa Barbara puts limits on new zoning law; Carpinteria Planning Commission approved a new multi-use path connecting Carpinteria Avenue and Santa Claus Lane; Santa Barbara city council voted to move rent cap forward; artist Ragnar Kjartansson is recreating the soap opera "Santa Barbara" for a Moscow museum. 2

December 4, 2021

Roller Skating and Laser Tag Are Coming to the Old Macy’s Store

Other recent news: Carpinteria city council approved the Surfliner Inn; Santa Barbara County extended its indoor mask mandate; false alarm about local Omicron cases; elected officials are said to be considering a vacancy tax; redistricting narrowed down to three maps; an interview with Jeff Shelton; eight former University of California architects call the proposed Munger Hall a "disaster in the making."

November 30, 2021

What It’s Like to Live in a Windowless Dorm

Other recent news: The county redistricting process continues; outgoing mayor proposes two-percent cap on rent increases; Garden Street apartment complex sent back to the drawing board; update on the Highway 101 wildlife corridor in Gaviota; Santa Barbara will have holiday events in lieu of a parade; the tree of the month is the windmill palm; "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl" creator sells in Hope Ranch.

November 20, 2021

Bellosguardo Released Specifics About Proposed Tours and Events

Other recent news: American Indian Health & Services makes progress on the old Army Reserve Center; Athleta opening date; preliminary maps for state redistricting; the Natural History Museum's Folk & Tribal Arts Marketplace is coming up; a new yoga studio in Goleta; Hitchcock Cinemas reopens next week; the Four Seasons hotel in New York City is said to be reopening, so maybe there's hope for the Biltmore.

November 11, 2021

33 Tiny Cabins for the Homeless Will Be Installed Downtown

Other recent news: Santa Barbara County bought an Isla Vista building for the homeless; county Sheriff's Office patrol deputies are resisting vaccination and testing; a survey of hitching posts in Santa Barbara; a 32,000-square-foot bowling alley is opening in Oxnard.

November 7, 2021

More Fallout from the UCSB Dorm Debacle

While the university explained the rationale for its proposed Munger Hall and benefactor Charlie Munger compared the bedrooms to basement restrooms, students protested, architecture history professors started a petition, and local architects blasted the design. Other recent news: Goleta will sue UCSB over the lack of student housing; Carpinteria High School's Warrior statue will not be redesigned; the Rincon Multi-Use Trail moves forward; more study approved for floating wind farms.