••• “Rebecca Bjork, a 33-year veteran of Santa Barbara government with a reputation for hyper-efficiency and getting things done, has been appointed city administrator. City Hall’s top post was previously occupied by Paul Casey, who stepped down last fall. Bjork had served in an interim role since.” —Independent
••• Mattress Mike signed a 10-year lease at the former Sears building at La Cumbre Plaza: “the tenant will occupy most of the 70,000 square feet of the first floor, with a portion subleased to Moving Miss Daisy” consignment store. Mattress Mike hopes to open in April. —Pacific Coast Business Times
••• The Kimpton Goodland Goleta hotel, which was recently sold, has been rebranded as The Leta. “The name, according to a press release, is ‘a nod to the city of Goleta.'” —Noozhawk
••• “On a 3-to-1 vote, the county Board of Supervisors approved zoning permits this week for a 24-acre cannabis ‘grow’ on Santa Rosa Road owned by John De Friel, a North County industry leader—despite unresolved air quality violations, contradictory reports on the proposed water supply and references to ‘misstatements and misrepresentations’ made by De Friel’s lawyer at a previous hearing. Supervisors Das Williams, Steve Lavagnino and Gregg Hart, three reflexive votes on behalf of the cannabis industry, backed the controversial project.” Of course they did. —Newsmakers
••• “The county supervisors agreed to spend nearly half a million dollars of one-time cannabis revenues on a new countywide recreational master plan [….] To get farmers, ranchers, and developers to open up their vast private properties to create new public recreational spaces, [supervisor Joan] Hartmann is pushing for a new bag of zoning and planning tricks to provide them the necessary incentives. By allowing farmers, ranchers, and vintners the option of ancillary developments involving agricultural tourism — such as high-end glamping — they might be inclined to provide public trail easements to enlarge the county’s sprawling network of trails.” —Independent
••• The Montecito Journal ran a lovely remembrance of movie producer/director Ivan Reitman, who died last week.
••• “The fate of the City of Goleta’s flavored tobacco ban—which was passed by the Goleta City Council last October and subsequently challenged with a referendum petition in December—will be decided by voters in the November election after a 4-1 vote on the action by the City Council.” —Noozhawk
••• “The city received only one bid for the Carpinteria Skate Park construction contract, city staff told the council on Monday. The bid was $500,000 over the city and the Carpinteria Skate Foundation’s budget, according to Parks Director Matt Roberts. He asked that the council defer accepting the bid to allow city staff to explore its options.” —Coastal View News
••• Pacific Paper has closed its Santa Barbara store; it’s moving to Oxnard. Bummer! —Independent
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