I don’t know about you, but it would be nice to have a fling of spring before May Gray and June Gloom arrive.
But I guess that window has closed.
At least Noozhawk’s readership has been heating up, with an audience of 148,886 of you turning to us over the past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over the last seven days.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column and not a news story, and I write it in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher. Thank you for reading it.
1. Facing Financial Peril, Santa Barbara Looks to Charge ‘Pay-by-Plate’ Downtown Parking Fees
Although City of Santa Barbara officials boast about how downtown is thriving with State Street closed to motor vehicles, a downtown parking fund on life support — and a projected $7.1 million overall budget shortfall — would appear to indicate otherwise.
As our Josh Molina reported, the city’s plan to avert a complete collapse of the downtown parking budget is to start charging people to park using timed “pay-by-plate” meters.
Finance Department officials predict the parking meters will generate $2.5 million annually while additional rate hikes for parking garages and lots will bring in another $1.5 million.
To that I use my favorite response: Perhaps.
The scheme was unveiled at the April 23 City Council meeting as part of a presentation on the 2024-2025 municipal budget.
That budget outlook is grim.
Officials already are projecting a $7.1 million shortage, citing increased salary and pension costs, plummeting hotel bed taxes, and the new normal of inflation.
They warn that the deficit could reach $10.1 million if something isn’t done to shore up the parking problem.
“If we are not able to get the rate structure approved and continue to operate as is,” finance director Keith DeMartini told the council, “(the downtown parking fund) is projected to deplete all of their reserves by the end of next fiscal year, and also go negative.”
Should that happen, City Councilman Eric Friedman said, the city would have to tap into the general fund to replenish the downtown parking fund.
“The deficit is real,” he said. “It is something that has been building, and a lot of it is out of our control in terms of cost.”
The council plans further discussion on April 30 before a final budget vote in June.
Meanwhile, Josh elaborates on the city’s new parking avenue in his Santa Barbara Talks podcast.
2. Family of Victim in Suspected DUI Crash in Goleta Suing Uber for Wrongful Death
The family of Silvia Velasco, one of two people killed in a 2021 suspected DUI collision in Goleta, is suing ride-share service Uber and related companies over the wreck.
As our Tom Bolton reported, the lawsuit alleges that then-31-year-old Andrew Raymond Burgher of Santa Barbara, accused of causing the fatal crash, was heavily intoxicated and operating his vehicle utilizing the Uber and/or Uber Eats app at the time.
Velasco’s family claims Uber failed to adequately vet and train Burgher, who had prior DUI convictions in 2010 and 2012 that allegedly were not properly disclosed.
Burgher has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder among other charges, and is being held without bail in Santa Barbara County Jail awaiting his criminal trial.
On April 24, District Attorney John Savrnoch announced that Burgher had pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charges.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 13, when Burgher is to be sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison.
The civil suit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, seeks monetary damages from Uber, subsidiary Portier LLC, and background check provider Checkr Inc. for wrongful death, negligence and negligent hiring.
That trial is set for May 2025.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Burgher was driving a Toyota 4Runner at a high rate of speed the night of Oct. 26, 2021, when he rear-ended a Ford Mustang on Cathedral Oaks Road, sending the Mustang spinning out of control and slamming into two parked vehicles.
The Mustang driver, 40-year-old Gilberto Arteaga-Gutierrez of Santa Barbara, and Velasco, a 45-year-old Lompoc resident riding in the front passenger seat, were fatally injured and died at the crash scene, about a quarter-mile west of North Kellogg Avenue.
Burgher suffered only minor injuries. The CHP said he had a blood-alcohol level over twice the legal limit at the time of the collision.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Velasco’s husband, Richard Velasco; her children, Juan, Ana, Kasandra and Monica Velasco; José Alvarado, her grandson; and her mother, Francisca Solis.
“The facts of this case are horrendous,” according to the filing. “Multiple witnesses observed defendant Burgher driving at speeds estimated as high as 120 mph on a 40-mph street, running a red light, passing multiple vehicles on the right side in a lane otherwise designated for bicycles, and hopping a curb, and ultimately plowing into the 2002 Mustang being driven by decedent Gilberto Arteaga-Gutierrez, in which decedent Silvia Manzo Velasco was also killed.”
The defendants have filed responses claiming multiple defenses, including the statute of limitation, lack of proper standing, and that other entities are responsible for any injuries.
3. Woman Falls From More Mesa Bluff, Days After Fatal Isla Vista Cliff Fall
A woman suffered serious injuries April 23 when she fell about 80 feet from the More Mesa bluffs east of Goleta and landed on the beach below.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, a witness called 9-1-1 around 12:40 p.m. to say the woman had fallen from the bluff trail onto the beach.
Santa Barbara County firefighters used the beach stairs near Austin Road, off Orchard Drive, to reach the woman and carry her back up.
Accompanied by a fire medic, the woman was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Her identity and medical condition were not disclosed.
4. Authorities Identify Man Who Died After Isla Vista Cliff Fall
A UC Santa Barbara alumnus from San Diego was identified as the man who died from a fall from the Isla Vista bluffs the afternoon of April 20.
The death was the second fatal cliff fall in just the last eight months.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau identified the dead man as 23-year-old Jacob “Jake” Parker, who graduated last year from UCSB.
Authorities say Parker fell about 50 feet to the beach below after climbing over a barrier fence in the 6600 block of Del Playa Drive.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said no additional information was available about the incident.
Friends of Parker’s family established a GoFundMe account to assist with funeral services and to establish an annual scholarship in his name. As of April 26, nearly $39,000 had been donated.
Organizers say Parker “changed lives in his own way, as a loving son, caring sibling, loyal friend, proud UCSB graduate, sharp entrepreneur.”
He also was described as “a prolific lover of music, so much so that he started successfully running live music events.”
A 2019 graduate of Carlmont High School in Belmont, near San Mateo, Parker attended Santa Barbara City College before transferring to UCSB.
According to his LinkedIn page, he was working as a San Diego account manager for Bisco Industries, an Anaheim-based electronics parts company.
At the time of his death, Parker was back in Isla Vista to attend the All-Gaucho Reunion 2024.
Click here to make an online donation.
The deaths of Parker and Benny Schurmer, a 19-year-old SBCC student from Ojai who died under similar tragic circumstances in September, have put Isla Vista cliff safety in the spotlight. Again.
The county has raised required fence heights to 6 feet on public and private property along the blufftops, and some officials are demanding that landlords take more responsibility.
It’s certainly a fair discussion to have, but — and do not misinterpret my words as somehow me “blaming” the victims — personal responsibility must be part of that conversation, too. From all involved.
Rest in peace.
5. BizHawk: Oliver’s Vegan Restaurant on Coast Village Road Bids Farewell
After a seven-year run, Oliver’s has served its last bite of vegan cuisine from its fortress-like corner of Coast Village Road in Montecito.
That’s it. That’s pretty much the whole story, as our Josh Molina reported.
The restaurant, the brainchild of Montecito billionaire Craig McCaw, opened in 2017 after an interminable renovation of the former Peabody’s, a beloved and longtime hangout for young Montecito families, as ours was back in the 1990s.
According to an Oliver’s social media post, “a new concept” will be coming to the site at 1198 Coast Village Road. Hopefully, it will include beef.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Developers of Proposed 642-Unit La Cumbre Plaza Housing Project Criticized for Lack of Affordable Units — South County editor Josh Molina reports on the uneven progress of the proposed housing project at Santa Barbara’s La Cumbre Plaza.
» County Reopening Crisis Stabilization Unit as ‘Locked’ Mental Health Facility — Executive editor Giana Magnoli has some good news for acute mental health care in Santa Barbara County.
» Isla Vista Celebrates Earth Day with Massive Ocean Plunge — Contributing writer Alissa Orozco is on hand for a group “plunge” into the ocean on the environment’s behalf. Although organizers fell far short of the participation record they sought, the several hundred supporters who turned out made an impressive splash — and had a whole lot of fun.
» County Homelessness on the Rise Despite Record Number of People Transitioning Into Housing — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway does the math on homelessness in Santa Barbara County. The results shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who read the recent CalMatters story, “California Fails to Track Its Homelessness Spending or Results, New Audit Says.”
» Santa Barbara Community Rowing Finds Spring Success, Looks to Grow Sport on Central Coast — Sports editor Diego Sandoval dips an oar in the water with an old sport finding a new popularity.
» Mark Patton: Transfer Portal War Is Hellacious for UCSB Basketball — Sports columnist Mark Patton provides a glimpse of modern NCAA Division I roster maneuvering. The complexities of the transfer portal and NIL alone make 4D chess look like tic-tac-toe.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? 1 Dead, 2 Men Injured in Collision on Cathedral Oaks Road in Goleta.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Every day, I’m striding closer and closer to this being the cane of my existence: Global Designers Explore the World of Walking Sticks and Canes.
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Here’s What I’m Up To
- June 6 — I’m not a morning person but the Rotary Club of Santa Maria Breakfast mentioned the possibility of pancakes. I’ll be there early to share Noozhawk’s story and North County expansion plans.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
The past is present in my Instagram feed, but my favorite historical figure of the week is my Aunt Sally Macfadyen. Happy 90th birthday!
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Watch It
Pro tip.
