••• A few photos from the Christmas drone show in Solvang. —KEYT (photo courtesy Firefly Drone Shows)
••• The New York Times‘s 52 Places columnist visited Santa Barbara, concluding that “with sunshine glistening off ubiquitous Spanish tilework and a cool breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean, the town is almost too pleasant, like it has been packaged and gilded for maximum enjoyment.” He goes on to make a little too much of the city’s food scene.
••• “Old Town Goleta will get new sidewalks—but […] the project will cost $4.24 million—about $1.8 million more than what the city expected.” —Noozhawk
••• “About 20 scarfs [were left] on the trees at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara for those who are cold and in need. Each has a note. No one knows where they came from.” —John Palminteri of KEYT
••• Edhat ran dueling press releases regarding the battle over public access to the beaches of Hollister Ranch. From the Gaviota Coastal Trail Alliance: “The campaign to obtain responsible public coastal access to the beaches by Hollister Ranch secured a significant victory last week with Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Colleen Sterne’s ruling that invalidated a 2017 Settlement Agreement that purported to extinguish all public rights under a contested 1982 public access easement. This ruling culminated an eighteen-month process during which the Gaviota Coastal Trail Alliance argued that the State Agencies could not approve the Settlement Agreement without conducting a public hearing and making specific factual findings, as required by law.” And from the lawyer representing Hollister Ranch landowners: “A recent ruling by a Santa Barbara Superior Court judge will mean less public access to Hollister Ranch beaches for at least three to five years as litigation in the land use dispute continues.”
Comment: