Santa Barbara City Council Tackles Mobile Home Ordinance, Project Labor Agreement, E-Bikes
Tuesday start time moved up to 10 a.m. to accommodate lengthy agenda, including SBPD report on Jan. 3 murders of two high school students
The Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday will consider an appeal challenging the Planning Commission’s approval of a waterfront eBike project. Some docking stations for ride share bicycles have already been installed in downtown areas, including in front of the Santa Barbara Central Library. (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo ) By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
January 24, 2021
| 11:55 p.m.
The Santa Barbara City Council will take the unusual step of beginning its weekly meeting at 10 a.m. this Tuesday instead of 2 p.m. to make time for a long agenda that includes several big-ticket items.
By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
January 13, 2021
| 11:15 a.m.
At the end of a marathon, 9-hour meeting, 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.
City officials said transitioning away from natural gas use in buildings will improve indoor air quality and health, and even potentially generate significant new jobs.
Electrification is the most viable and reliable path to zero-emission buildings, they said. The science isn t complicated, the science is clear, said Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon. I am a scientist and I teach science. The knowledge of climate change has been around for decades. I learned it when I was in elementary school in the 1970s.
United Way Rental Assistance Program Provides Much-Needed Relief for Struggling Residents
An additional $1.9 million is available starting this month, with local funding from the federal CARES Act and Community Development Block Grants
The United Way of Santa Barbara County, with an office at 320 E. Gutierrez St. in Santa Barbara, has helped distribute COVID-19 rental assistance grants to eligible individuals and families living in unincorporated areas. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo) By Brooke Holland, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @BT Holland
January 1, 2021
| 10:22 p.m.
Santa Maria native Marie Sherwood was set to move to Arizona on April 1, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed her plans.
COVID-19 Dominates Noozhawk’s Top Stories of 2020
Other most-read stories include fatal vehicle crashes, the arrival of British royalty, a spectacular meteor shower and a persistent mountain lion
Sansum Clinic medical assistant Leti Gutierrez administers novel coronavirus tests to patients with drive-through appointments in Santa Barbara on Aug. 4. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk file photo) By Brooke Holland, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @BT Holland
December 30, 2020
| 10:13 p.m.
The dynamic novel coronavirus took center stage this year, and Noozhawk coverage of the pandemic captured readers’ attention.
The list of most-read stories of the year was dominated by stories on the pandemic, public health response, and widespread business and school closures in Santa Barbara County.
As last holdout in Santa Barbara County, city will start holding even-year municipal elections in 2024
Santa Barbara City Council members elected in 2019, seen here, and 2021 will serve longer, five-year terms to bridge the gap to even-year elections in 2024 and 2026. From left, Meagan Harmon, Oscar Gutierrez, Mike Jordan and Alejandra Gutierrez take the oath of office on Jan. 7, 2020. (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk file photo) By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
December 27, 2020
| 6:00 p.m.
[Noozhawk’s note: Part of a series about Santa Barbara’s switch to district-based City Council elections.]
District elections for seats on the Santa Barbara City Council have not significantly increased voter turnout, a Noozhawk review of election data has found, but it is expected that the switch to even-year elections in 2024 will have a bigger impact.