••• Newsmakers breaks down the winners and losers in the recent debate between mayoral candidates (watch or listen to the debate for yourself, if you dare). A highlight for those of us who are a bit baffled by Fiesta:
Asked if they believe “systemic racism” exists in city government, most of the candidates (Rowse was a notable exception) rushed to declare that there is: “There’s systemic racism everywhere,” proclaimed Murillo. But it was [James Joyce III] who offered the most thorough, concise response, a one-minute tutorial that began with slavery, extended historic racial power relationships to government, business, legal and banking systems today and concluded by noting that in Santa Barbara “we celebrate” the colonialization of Native lands. Viva La Fiesta, indeed.
••• “A man who was once homeless is now leading an effort to clean up camps that are an environmental risk in Santa Barbara County. Already there have been cleanups in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Lake Cachuma and Goleta. At each site, hundreds of pounds of trash, debris and leftover camping areas have been removed. Already nearly 16,000 pounds have been hauled out.” —KEYT
••• “Judge Thomas Anderle rejected a claim by Pat Nesbitt—the South Coast’s most outspoken sod farmer, a high-flying hotel developer, and a famous polo patron—that the Santa Barbara County supervisors abused their discretion by relying on what he claimed was unproven evidence when denying his bid to install a helicopter landing pad on his property on the outskirts of Summerland last year.” No word on whether Nesbitt will appeal. —Independent
••• An update from the Montecito Association on the State Senate bills that override local regulations and make it much easier to build housing, likely to the detriment of areas that don’t really need it: “Both Senate Bills 9 and 10 passed in the Assembly last week. Both got the bare minimum of votes needed, and our rep Steve Bennett didn’t support either bill. The next step is reconciliation in the California Senate, which happened for SB10 today, and then to the Governor’s desk. He has until October 10 to sign the bills or veto them.”
••• “UCSB Arts and Lectures will deliver a full season of live events at multiple venues throughout Santa Barbara in 2021 and 2022 with guests including Julian Castro, Roxane Gay, and Jason Isbell.” —Independent
••• “On the heels of the successful post–mud flow event known as the One 805 Ash Bash, comes the One 805 Live show on September 18 in Montecito. It will feature Robby Krieger of the Doors and British singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. […] This event will raise more funds, that are not normally allocated in the annual budgets, for special gear and support needs for first responders.” The event is at the Winn-Twining estate on Santa Rosa Lane, and tickets start at $750. —KEYT
••• More on the two yachts moored off the coast: they’re owned by “Lorenzo Fertitta, former CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The Lonian was purchased for $160 million in 2018 and can hold up to 12 guests and 27 crew members, including the captain. […] The ship is ranked as the 117th largest super-yacht in the world, and its sister ship, the Hodor serves as a trailing garage, housing the ‘toys,’ which include ATVs, motorcycles, and a helicopter; the ship has its very own helicopter pad.” —Independent
••• “San Luis Obispo County is again mandating the use of face coverings in all indoor public places. […] It applies to people who are unvaccinated as well as those who are vaccinated.” —KSBY
••• “Board of Supervisors Adopts Covid-19 Vaccine, Testing Requirement for All County Employees […] Those who decide against vaccination must undergo weekly testing, with the policy taking effect Sept. 30.” —Noozhawk
••• “Starting after Labor Day, Santa Barbara Unified School District will implement mandatory Covid-19 testing for all K-12 students, with consent from parents when necessary. […] Any family that would like to opt out of testing will not be allowed to participate in in-person classes, but they may participate in independent study through Alta Vista Alternative High School.” —Independent
················
Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter and you’ll never miss a post.
Comment: