••• “Cottage Health has treated seven victims [of rattlesnake bites] in the last seven weeks, compared to only two for all of last year,” reports Noozhawk. The photo is from that time my husband and I found a rattlesnake in our kitchen. If it happens to you, we later learned, you should call 911.
••• “The Santa Barbara City Council on Wednesday rejected a city staff proposal to overhaul fees to park on city streets and in surface lots and garages. In fact, the council moved in the opposite direction, opting to increase the amount of time people can park for free in city lots and garages from 75 minutes to 90 minutes.” If the city council also discussed how to address the financial crisis that provoked the proposal, Noozhawk‘s article doesn’t mention it.
••• A Montecito Journal piece about how the Four Seasons Biltmore and former employees have agreed on a settlement includes information about the new pools in the front yard: “Our plan is to designate the existing pool for adults only while adding a family pool with a sandy beach entry and an adjoining tropical pool to meet a variety of discerning traveler needs.” The emphasis is on “luxury family travel,” according to the spokesperson for owner Ty Warner. And he also mentioned “adding new restaurant concepts”—note the plural.
••• “During a California Coastal Commission hearing Friday, U.S. Space Force officials outlined for the first time its own plans to multiply the number of launches from [Vandenberg Space Force Base], from 37 in 2023 to more than 120 a year by 2026. The overwhelming majority of those rocket blasts would be conducted by SpaceX, which has already done more launches from the base than the commission has approved.” In my opinion, here’s the most pertinent part of the L.A. Times article:
Members of the California Coastal Commission are also asking if SpaceX should be entitled to circumvent the permit process, as federal agencies are. Federal entities negotiate agreements with the commission but ultimately can move ahead even if the commission doesn’t approve. In such cases, the commission’s recourse would be through mediation or the courts.
Since SpaceX acts as a contractor for U.S. Space Force, military officials argue that all launch operations at the base by the company are “federal activities.” But U.S. Space Force officials said only only 25% of the rockets launched into space by SpaceX are carrying payloads for the Department of the Defense. The vast majority of the blasts are for the company’s private benefit, raising questions about why SpaceX can dispense with permits when 75% of its blasts from the base don’t involve the U.S. government.
••• “County Supervisors May Send New Cannabis Cultivation Tax Model to Voters in November […] Hybrid approach would have growers pay whatever is greater: a square-footage rate or 4% of their gross receipts. […] County voters previously approved a 4% gross receipts tax for cultivation, and different rates for other cannabis-related businesses.” —Noozhawk
••• “The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is reporting a surge in sick brown pelicans throughout Santa Barbara County and Ventura County. […] The cause is still under investigation, but it has been determined that it is not the avian influenza.” —Noozhawk
••• The Mission Canyon house that came on the market last week is owned by actor Billy Baldwin and singer Chynna Phillips. —Robb Report
••• “The Carpinteria Valley Museum of History’s vast collection of 19th- and 20th-century photographs has entered the 21st century: the photo index is now online. The museum has more than 10,000 photos dating back to the late 1800s. […] For now, only the index cards are digitized and online, though [curator Jayme Yahr] hopes to digitize the photos themselves someday.” —Coastal View News
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Erik: Thanks for the rattlesnake story and the detailed photos: I probably won’t sleep for a week. On a serious note–important information.
The link to your story about the rattlesnake in your kitchen almost made me pee my pants! Andy the Wildlife Trapper is legend.
120 launches a year is a huge change from current state. We need to know that air quality in Santa Barbara won’t be affected by that many launches. Like the article states, these are not for defense, but primarily for SpaceX’s private Starlink product.
Also sad news about Trattoria Vittoria.
That is indeed a huge bump up from the number of current launches — which is already a big increase from just a few years ago. Aside from concerns about the impact on air quality and other important environmental factors, I have questions about how the noise and vibrations from these seemingly back-to-back launches are affecting buildings in the area. Is that crack on my back patio growing because that’s just what happens over time, or is it from the deep rumbling of every launch? ????????♀️
Random question regarding parking.
Why are there still city parking lot attendants when we have the license plane scanners?
Seems like either the attendants shouldn’t be there or the “automated” parking lot system should be removed if it is not working consistently enough to warrant attendants.
Thank you for asking that question S,
I’m a business owner downtown and asked the same question at a meeting and got the most ridiculous answer….Occasionally someone will lose their ticket and there needs to be someone there in the kiosk to help them., otherwise a long line will form… Doesn’t quite explain it to me.
Normally the park-and-pay app works really well for me but I have occasionally been stuck behind an out-of-towner who hasn’t downloaded the app and can’t get their card to work at the exit and need to be walked through it. The kids at the kiosks have a lot of time to scroll on their phones, but I’m not sure what would be a better alternative.