••• Governor Newsom signed the two bills that could change the way neighborhoods around here look: “SB 9 will allow property owners to build up to four residential units on many lots currently zoned for single family homes. That could lead to more duplexes and the splitting of large lots. SB 10 will allow cities and counties to streamlining the approval of new housing near job-rich and transit-rich areas. It will allow a jurisdiction to zone any parcel that meets those requirements for up to 10 residential units, without environmental review for the rezoning. Cities and counties will not be required to take such actions.” —Pacific Coast Business Times
••• “Ortega Park is closer to a $15 million refresh after the Santa Barbara Planning Commission approved a master plan. City staff presented a plan for the 18 murals currently beautifying the park.” —Santa Barbara News-Press
••• “After multiple quarters of increasing cannabis tax revenues, Santa Barbara County reported an ‘unanticipated’ drop in the fourth quarter of the 2020-21 fiscal year. The county collected a total of $3.8 million in cannabis gross tax receipts from 58 operators during the fourth quarter, which is a 34% decrease from the third quarter total of $5.1 million and a 45% decrease from the revenues collected in the same quarter of the previous year.” —Noozhawk
••• “In just two weeks, zoning permit approvals for outdoor cannabis ‘grows’ will likely reach the 1,575-acre cap that was set by the county Board of Supervisors for unincorporated areas outside the Carpinteria Valley—if the growers with permits are able to get their business licenses, authorities say. […] Signaling a dramatic change from past policy, the board voted 3-2 on Tuesday to direct planners to draw up a cannabis ordinance amendment that would require a more stringent permit, called a conditional-use permit, for any outdoor cannabis operation that doesn’t make the cap. The amendment would apply to all unincorporated areas except the Carpinteria Valley, where the board has set a 186-acre cap on cannabis grown in greenhouses.” —Independent
••• Regarding Rob Dayton, the former Santa Barbara transportation chief who resigned after claiming he was passed over for other positions because of his religious activities (including encouraging others to join him in “taking back” Santa Barbara): “The [city] council approved a settlement deal with Dayton for an unspecified amount that, which when combined with his accrued vacation time, was reportedly in the ballpark of half a million dollars.” —Independent
••• “At least 85% of all patients hospitalized with Covid-19 during the month of August were unvaccinated, while 9% of patients were fully vaccinated, the Public Health Department shared on Tuesday. […] Between the 100 Covid-19 patients hospitalized during the months of May, June, and July, 88 were unvaccinated and 22 were fully vaccinated.” —Noozhawk
••• “The city of Carpinteria has begun transitioning from at-large City Council elections to district elections, a process that will result in five separate districts represented by one city council member each.” (The same way Santa Barbara does.) “The city is encouraging members of the public to participate in the process, starting with learning more and providing input into district mapping.” —Coastal View News
••• “The Goleta Planning Commission passed a resolution on Monday to formalize its system of in-lieu fees for affordable housing, which developers pay when they do not build the required number of affordable residential units in a project. […] In-lieu fee payments have been an option for developments since the Housing Element was adopted in 2010; however, they have been implemented on a case-by-case basis, with no specified amount or schedule.” —Noozhawk
••• “Two Santa Barbara parks [Alameda and Shoreline] now have new water stations for passersby carrying containers that can be reused.” —KEYT
••• “A dangerous insect has arrived in Santa Barbara County, and it could threaten the county’s citrus groves. […] Citrus producers are attempting to treat their trees against the pest, and the county has sent letters to affected property owners.” —Noozhawk
••• “Developer Ed St. George on Tuesday won approval for a series of changes he made to his [82-unit] apartment project at 701 N. Milpas St.” (at Ortega Street). Related: One way of making a building look less tall in a rendering is to include a lot of sky above it. —Noozhawk
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