••• Lucky’s steakhouse on Coast Village Road “temporarily closed on Thursday because an employee tested positive for the Coronavirus. A sign was posted to explain how they’re working with the Santa Barbara County Health Department to follow recommended guidelines. They said the restaurant will be cleaned and the entire staff is being tested.” —KEYT
••• “The Montecito Water District board voted unanimously on Thursday to ‘drought-proof’ the wealthy enclave by importing a large supply of Santa Barbara water every year for the next 50 years, rain or no rain. The initial annual cost will be $4.6 million.” —Newsmakers
••• For an article about Montecito’s hot real-estate market, the Montecito Journal (not online yet) reached out to the Montecito Association for advice to prospective buyers. The organization’s president, Megan Orloff, emailed back a whopper of a quote: “Aside from my suggesting they don’t move here, my primary message would be, if you move here don’t try to recreate what you left. It’s very concerning. I was shocked when I recently looked at Zillow and saw the volume of homes for sale. Montecito is not a ‘playground’; it is not the Hamptons, it is not Malibu, it is not Palm Springs, it is not Orange County. The more people who move here, the more that quiet and simple life is threatened. We’re already seeing it. Increases in noisy parties on the weekend, parking on the streets, violations of lighting, traffic queues, speeding on streets, mail theft, crowding of trails, trash on the trails, use of public spaces as bathrooms—a complete lack of respect for our community.”
••• “The Santa Barbara Westside neighborhood is gearing up for a street closure to help revive the economy during the Covid-19 recovery period. It takes place this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to sunset. […] The area between Sola St. and Micheltorena St. [i.e., one block of presumably San Andres Street] will be closed to traffic. Businesses will be able to utilize the street for tables and the sale of their goods whether they are a restaurant or a retail site.” —KEYT
••• From a Los Padres ForestWatch press release on Edhat: “The Forest Service has extended the deadline, from June 30 to August 14, for the public to comment on its proposal to cut down old-growth trees and chaparral across 755 acres deep in the Ventura County backcountry. The move follows a letter sent to Los Padres National Forest Supervisor Kevin Elliott by Congressman Salud Carbajal, who introduced legislation earlier this year that would protect portions of the project area under the Wilderness Act.”
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