••• “The City of Santa Barbara wants to restore the Andrée Clark Bird Refuge to improve the quality of the water, invite more birds and reduce the foul odor that often arises because of the poor circulation of the water.” —Noozhawk
••• “New state data shows Santa Barbara County has the highest rate of Covid-19 spread out of any other county in California.” —Edhat
••• “Santa Barbara County will start vaccinating residents 75 years old and older next Wednesday, but limited Covid-19 vaccine supplies mean people may not receive an immediate appointment. […] The state expanded eligibility to people 65 years and older at this stage, but since vaccine supplies are still limited, Santa Barbara County and others are prioritizing the 75-plus population right now.” —Noozhawk
••• “The Santa Barbara City Council late Tuesday night directed city staff to come up with a plan to require all-electric construction with new buildings. […] The council in its motion also director [sic] staff to come up with a plan to encourage existing building owners to transition from gas to all electric.” I’m all for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and perhaps there’s an argument for discouraging gas to heat air and water. But are gas cooktops and gas fireplaces really causing significant harm to the environment? —Noozhawk
••• An educated guess from Pacific Coast Business Times editor Henry Dubroff regarding which cities Southwest Airlines might serve from Santa Barbara Airport: “Based on my years of experience as the airline reporter for the Denver Post, I’d put money on Denver, the Bay Area, and Phoenix or Dallas—places that already have a big Southwest presence. Las Vegas and Sacramento could also be in the mix.”
••• The argument for keeping the murals at Ortega Park. UPDATE: I went over and took a few photos, below. —Newsmakers
••• “Four sets of streetlights installed in [Goleta’s] Cannon Green Drive neighborhood are prototypes of the choices the city is considering as it transitions to an all-LED lighting scheme. And the city invites Goletans to take a look and send feedback.” —Independent
••• Paso Robles’s “new ‘Keep it Local’ Gift Card Program allows citizens to buy full-value gift cards or certificates from Paso Robles businesses at a 20% discount. The city will then fund the difference up to $1,000 per business, equating to $5,000 in sales revenue per business. The goal of this program is to allow residents an easier way to provide sales revenue to local stores while also saving money themselves.” If only Santa Barbara leadership had this kind of vision. —KEYT
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I feel like city council is going rogue here. I genuinely don’t believe most of our citizens support a total ban on all new natural gas installations. Restaurants will have to bring in propane tanks to cook. People won’t be able to get plumbed gas grills installed in their yards, fireplaces converted from wood to gas, etc. If anyone thinks people burning wood is better for the environment than gas, I’ve got a lesson in environmental science for you. I’m going to write to them.