Is it just me or is winter really lingering this year?
While I’ve been shivering my way through the week, anticipating the promised warmer weather next week, Noozhawk has been sizzling.
According to our WordPress analytics, we had an audience of 138,492 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over that period, as compiled by our Google Analytics.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column. It may be newsy but it’s not a news story, and I am Noozhawk’s publisher and not a reporter.
1. Ready for 1,127 New Apartments at La Cumbre Plaza? Here’s the Plan for Santa Barbara Mall
Santa Barbara’s La Cumbre Plaza is poised for a significant transformation as two separate housing developments are set to replace its retail anchors.
The projects will add more than 1,100 apartments to the area while maintaining the shopping center’s interior establishments through 2077.
Our Josh Molina has been reporting on the developments since his 2022 explosive, two-scoop story on the City of Santa Barbara’s hopes for a site-specific plan for the 31-acre property and one developer’s site-specific proposal.
With the projects working their way through the city’s planning process, he thought now would be a good time to provide an overall update.
The former Sears building at 3845 State St., currently home to Furniture Gallery by Mattress Mike, will become La Cumbre South Homes with 443 rental apartments across two four-story buildings.
Beverly Hills developer Kennedy Wilson plans a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units with approximately 10% designated for moderate-income residents.
The proposal includes extensive amenities, outdoor spaces and a multiuse path along Arroyo Burro Creek on the project’s east side.
Dave Eadie, senior vice president of entitlement and development for Kennedy Wilson, said the development “will replace acres of asphalt parking and an abandoned/obsolete former Sears building with needed residential units, and an expansive tree canopy to augment shade and air quality.”
Meanwhile, the Macy’s site at 3805 State St. awaits an even larger development called The Neighborhood at State & Hope, featuring 684 units in six buildings ranging from two to six stories.
This project, developed by the father-and-son duo of Jim and Matt Taylor, includes underground parking and approximately 55 affordable units under California’s bonus density law.
Construction won’t begin until after the Macy’s lease expires in 2028.
Acknowledging the far-reaching neighborhood impacts, City Councilman Eric Friedman noted that the two developments demonstrate why the city wanted a specific plan for the complex site.
“We can’t say no, so we might as well try to get as much of a public benefit as we can,” he said.
The Planning Commission reviewed the Sears site project on April 3.
2. Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo Announces End to Events
The Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo, a cornerstone of Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days festival, has called it quits after its historic 100-year run.
As our Josh Molina reported, organizers announced on April 1 that they could not overcome “increasing operational and production challenges” to staging the rodeo, which featured three sold-out performances during last year’s centennial celebration at Earl Warren Showgrounds.
What rodeo fan could have seen this coming? Me. I did. In 2023, which is when Noozhawk rode off and began sponsoring the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo & Parade in 2024.
We have an even bigger presence at this year’s five-day Elks Rodeo extravaganza, May 27-June 1, but that’s a story for an upcoming time. You can click here for tickets, though.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or the showgrounds, the Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo was a major attraction during the annual community Fiesta celebration honoring Santa Barbara County’s rich vaquero and Western heritage.
“While it is difficult to say goodbye, we take immense pride in the impact and memories created over the decades,” rodeo organizers wrote to supporters in an email.
According to a subsequent joint statement from 2025 Fiesta El Presidente Fritz Olenberger and Ben Sprague, general manager of Earl Warren Showgrounds, officials are “actively working together” to possibly revive a rodeo event for this year’s Fiesta, which runs July 30 to Aug. 3.
Local rodeo enthusiasts do have options. In addition to next month’s 82nd annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, the sixth annual Old Santa Ynez Days Rodeo is scheduled for June 21-22 in Santa Ynez.
At the college level, the Cal Poly Rodeo Team hosts its annual Poly Royal Rodeo from April 9-12 at the Cotton Rosser Rodeo Complex on the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. The Allan Hancock College Rodeo Team just put on its Spring Roundup College Rodeo last weekend at the Santa Maria Elks Event Center.
And the SLO County Sheriff’s Rodeo is May 9-10 at the Paso Robles Event Center.
3. Driver Hospitalized After SUV Slams Into Westside Duplex in Santa Barbara
A woman was hospitalized the night of March 28 after the SUV she was driving crashed into a duplex on Santa Barbara’s Westside.
And by “into,” I mean all the way inside. Like she was parking in the garage.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Rich Ames said emergency crews responded shortly before 9 p.m. to the 600 block of West Canon Perdido, where a Ford Explorer had plowed some 15 feet into a living room.
Witnesses said the driver was traveling south on San Andres Street when she ran the stop sign at the West Canon Perdido intersection.
The vehicle jumped the curb, crossed a front yard and slammed into the one-story house.
Ames said the unit was unoccupied at the time.
The driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Her current condition remains unknown.
A building inspector was called to evaluate the structural integrity of the damaged duplex.
Santa Barbara police are investigating the crash. No further details have been released.
4. Fire Damages Multiple Businesses at Mesa Shopping Center
South Coast firefighters were busy this week, responding to an unusual run of three separate commercial structure fires.
As our Daniel Green reported, the most recent incident occurred around 5:45 a.m. April 2 when Santa Barbara fire crews responded to an alarm at the Mesa Center, on the northwest corner of Cliff Drive and Meigs Road.
Firefighters traced flames to Essence Med Spa, at 2026 Cliff Drive, and had the blaze contained within 20 minutes.
Battalion Chief Jon Turner told Daniel that the response was upgraded to a structure fire and additional resources were deployed.
While the fire was limited to the spa, there was smoke and water damage to adjacent businesses.
On the afternoon of March 31, Santa Barbara firefighters responded to a downtown commercial building at 827 State St., where about a dozen employees had evacuated after a fire broke out in an electrical room.
Turner told our Rebecca Caraway that maintenance staff had extinguished the flames before SBFD crews arrived.
Earlier that day, Santa Barbara County firefighters rushed to The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, at 8301 Hollister Ave. in western Goleta, after hotel staff reported sparking on the renowned ballroom’s high ceiling.
Capt. Scott Safechuck told our Giana Magnoli that crews quickly contained the electrical fire using a scissor-lift inside the unoccupied ballroom.
There were no injuries in any of the fires, and the cause and circumstances of all three are under investigation.
5. Milpas Street Taco Bell Has Its Nostalgia, but Added Arch Makes It Not ‘Historic’
I didn’t know this, and you probably didn’t either, but one of California’s oldest Taco Bell restaurants is on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside.
Opened in 1965 at 821 N. Milpas St., the building and its classic rooftop bell, were being considered for a “structure of merit” designation.
As our Josh Molina reported, however, a single architectural modification has cost the building its shot at historic glory.
The Historic Landmarks Commission voted unanimously against the classification, citing alterations made in the 1990s that compromised its historic integrity.
“It doesn’t retain its iconic street façade,” explained Tim Hazeltine, a senior partner at Post/Hazeltine, which conducted the historic assessment.
The building originally featured three open-air arches — matching the design of the first Taco Bell, which opened in Downey in 1962.
However, when owners added a fourth arch to expand indoor seating, they inadvertently disqualified the structure from a historic designation.
The Milpas location represents “programmatic architecture,” Hazeltine said, in which the building’s design expresses something about the product being sold.
It evokes what he described as a “Zorro, this is what a Spanish building would look like” feel.
HLC commissioner Dennis Doordan acknowledged the nostalgic appeal but concluded it was not enough.
“Nostalgia is different than historical significance,” he said. “Nostalgia, in my opinion, is not a reason to preserve.”
In other words, Live Más.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories worth your time:
» County Declines Ambulance Subcontract, Will Sell Surplus Vehicles — Executive editor Giana Magnoli rides along as Santa Barbara County’s ambulance service contract hopes crash and burn in the exact place where the boondoggle started, at a staggering loss of more than $10 million.
» Goleta Council Approves Fourth of July Drone Show — Goleta’s popular Fourth of July fireworks show was another casualty of the COVID-19 catastrophe. Staff writer Rebecca Caraway reports on new — electronic — plans to light up the sky, and it’s kind of fitting for the city with such a high-tech heritage.
» Influenza Has Put Up a Nasty Fight This Season in Santa Barbara County — Editor in chief Tom Bolton coughs up a flu story that you can read without fear of catching it.
» Housing Authority Plans 205 New Apartments in Santa Barbara for Seniors — Rebecca adds some good news for seniors looking to live near downtown Santa Barbara.
» MarBorg Secures Design Approval to Build Glass-Walled, 2-Story Headquarters — South County editor Josh Molina picks up on big news from MarBorg Industries, Santa Barbara County’s primary waste management company.
» Locals in the Pros: Former High School Baseball Standouts Rise Through Ranks — Sports editor Diego Sandoval scouts the pro baseball rosters for former area high school stars. Sadly, the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers no longer field a local connection.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Highway 101 Flooding, Closures Snarl Traffic Through Montecito as Rain Hammers Region.
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What I’m Up To
Although I’m not looking for a free meal, I occasionally do have free time if you’re looking for a speaker for your club, group or organization and want to hear more about Noozhawk. Email me at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.
- April 4 — Noozhawk in the age of artificial intelligence will be the topic when I make a return visit to the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara.
- May 28 — My favorite topic, Noozhawk, is on the agenda for my appearance at the Rotary Club of the Santa Ynez Valley.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
No way to soft petal this: Expect a Limited Wildflower Bloom This Spring in Southern California’s State Parks.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed had some vivid imagery this past week, but my favorite pic was Shohei Ohtani’s latest walk-off appearance for the 8-0 @dodgers.
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Watch It
He may be a jackass but he eats like a gentleman. For the most part. HT to Best of Bill reader Ava Hernández.
