This is the season of gratitude — and all of us at Noozhawk are deeply grateful for you.
Whether you’ve read us for the last 18 years or discovered us just this Thanksgiving, thank you for trusting Noozhawk as your source for local news.
Our team of professional reporters and editors works every day, and night, to deliver thoughtful, objective, reliable journalism, because Santa Barbara County deserves nothing less.
Strong communities depend on strong local news coverage.
Without it, how do we stay informed about the decisions shaping our neighborhoods, our schools and our future? How do we hold institutions accountable or take part in the democratic process?
That work is essential — and it’s only possible because of our Hawks Club members, the readers who help fund our independent, professional journalism.
We’ve launched our Year-End Webathon with a goal of raising $125,000 by Dec. 31. Your support will help power both the urgent daily reporting you depend on — breaking news, sports, public safety, schools, government — and deeper projects ahead.
If Noozhawk helps you stay informed, will you make a contribution today — at any amount — and do your part to keep our newsroom going and growing?
On behalf of Team Noozhawk, thank you.
According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 129,982 readers this past week.
What follows is my recap of the Top 5 stories you were reading over that period, as tracked by our Google Analytics.
Just remember that this is my opinion column, which I write in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher. It is not a news story, nor am I a reporter.
1. Santa Barbara to Remove Nordstrom Land From Paseo Nuevo Deal
The City of Santa Barbara has pulled a key piece out of its controversial Paseo Nuevo redevelopment plan in an effort to keep the deal from collapsing.
Hours after our Josh Molina broke the story that the proposal threatened a separate 112-unit housing project in the former Nordstrom building, City Administrator Kelly McAdoo said the city will not transfer the land beneath that building to AB Commercial, which owns the mall’s long-term leases.
“We ended up removing the transfer of the parcel of the Nordstrom building,” McAdoo told Josh on Nov. 24, noting the change followed discussions the day before with Shopoff Realty Investments, which owns the Nordstrom building on the corner of Chapala Street and West Canon Perdido.
“This just preserves the negotiation about the Nordstrom parcel at a later date.”
Irvine-based Shopoff had warned that transferring its land to AB Commercial would force the company to negotiate directly with the mall owner — a move it said could kill its proposed adaptive-reuse project.
As reported by Josh, who has been extremely busy with the housing beat these days, Shopoff has applied under the city’s new adaptive reuse ordinance to transform the three-story building into 60 one-bedroom units, 23 two-bedroom units, 22 microunits and seven studios, including 11 affordable units.
“The exterior design fits beautifully in Santa Barbara, adding more windows, balconies and an atrium,” said Stephen Logan, a Shopoff senior vice president.
The city still plans to give AB Commercial the rest of the Paseo Nuevo land — valued between $32 million and $39 million — to make its own project financially viable.
AB Commercial — an entity of AllianceBernstein, a Nashville-based global investment company — and The Georgetown Company of New York City want to demolish the old Macy’s building and build 209 market-rate apartments and 24 affordable units, a far smaller proposal than earlier versions.
A longstanding reciprocal easement agreement requires the developers of both projects to approve each other’s plans before construction can begin.
The City Council is expected to vote on the revised land deal on Dec. 2.
2. Santa Barbara’s Proposed Rules Would Put Squeeze on Massage Therapists
Massage therapists in Santa Barbara are pushing back hard against a city proposal to raise fees, require new certifications and mandate annual inspections — changes they say target legitimate practitioners instead of cracking down on skanky massage parlors linked to human trafficking.
As our Josh Molina reported, the proposed ordinance would raise annual fees to $275 from $25 for sole proprietors and to $375 for massage establishments.
It also would require therapists to obtain certification from the California Massage Therapy Council, which mandates 500 hours of training.
Santa Barbara police would conduct yearly inspections, either announced or unannounced.
Letters outlining the proposal went out earlier this month, triggering strong objections. Law-abiding practitioners say the rules would force many to return to school or disrupt their businesses.
“I understand why they are doing it,” said therapist Kathy Gruver, who has publicly advocated against illicit operations. “I don’t think this is the way to go about it.”
She says police know the dozen of places that are “doing sex” and that they should focus their resources on them.
“They are open, they are running and they are pretty obvious,” Gruver said. “… If they truly want to crack down on this, let’s get rid of the known ones first.”
It’s an entirely reasonable and logical suggestion, just not in an age when the term “law and order” is more gray area than black and white.
Police Chief Kelly Gordon said the current ordinance hasn’t been updated since 1976 and the changes are intended to improve safety.
She said revisions are underway based on community feedback before the proposal goes to the City Council’s Ordinance Committee.
Mohammed Abdul, a 20-year massage therapist, said meeting the new training requirements would be financially impossible, especially with two daughters in college.
“You can’t do both at the same time,” he said. “How can I make money and feed my family?”
3. BizHawk: Santa Barbara Italian Restaurant Pascucci Closing for Good in February
Pascucci, a longtime Italian restaurant presence on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, is closing for good after nearly 33 years.
As our Josh Molina was first to report, owner Laura Knight blamed inconsistent business at the restaurant’s latest location, which she said has made operations unsustainable.
Earlier this year, Pascucci moved to 1230-A State St. after losing its previous space to an incoming Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop that still has not opened.
Knight said economic pressures, staffing challenges and the costly relocation ultimately proved too much.
Pascucci began as a seven-table spot in Paseo Nuevo in the 1990s, later expanding within the mall before moving to 509 State St. in 2020.
Knight said the restaurant will remain open through the holidays and plans to close in mid-February.
“My staff and I wish to thank our amazing and supportive customers who have been dining with us for so many years,” she said.
“We love you, and we will miss you.”
A furniture sale is planned before the final closure.
4. 18-Story, 130-Unit Housing Project Proposed for Carpinteria
A developer has triggered shock, disbelief and derision in Carpinteria with a nonsensical proposal for an 18-story skyscraper, unlike anything ever seen in the small beach town — or anywhere else on the Central Coast this side of Vandenberg Space Force Base’s rocket launch pad infrastructure.
At a height of 218 feet, the proposed apartment tower at 5115 Ogan Road — near the Highway 101 roundabout off Linden Avenue north of the freeway — would be more than six times taller than the City of Carpinteria’s 30-foot height limit.
As our Josh Molina reported, the project calls for 130 apartments: 47 one-bedroom units, 46 two-bedroom units and 37 three-bedroom units.
Twenty-six units would be designated for low-income renters, and the project would include a three-story parking structure.
All existing eucalyptus trees and vegetation would be cleared from the roughly half-acre lot and replaced with gardens, vertical landscaping and green roofs.
Developer Ben Eilenberg, manager of Fullerton-based Carpinteria Group LLC, urged the city to fast-track approval, calling the building a necessary response to the region’s housing crisis.
But the application has been deemed incomplete three times — in July, September and again on Oct. 29 — with the city requesting additional information on drainage, grading, water issues and project details.
The developer, however, has argued that some of the demands aren’t required at this stage.
City officials say Eilenberg’s application will be dropped if he doesn’t respond within 90 days.
You may recall that Eilenberg is also behind the hugely controversial proposal for an eight-story apartment building next door to the Santa Barbara Mission.
That monstrosity — currently tied up in court — would tower over the beloved, 238-year-old “Queen of the California Missions.” And to think I had naïvely been calling that mere 90-foot-tall building a “skyscraper.”
Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Roy Lee, a former Carpinteria city councilman, blasted the Carpinteria proposal as “an 18-story middle finger” to the community’s character.
5. UCSB Students Advocate for Improved Safety After Assault at Lagoon
One month after an attempted sexual assault near the UC Santa Barbara lagoon, students are intensifying pressure on campus administrators and the California Coastal Commission to install safety lighting along the notoriously dark pathway.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, Associated Students leaders Enri Lala and Evan Sussman traveled to Sacramento earlier this month to address commissioners directly during public comment, seeking early support for a future lighting permit in the environmentally sensitive habitat area.
“Our job is to protect all students … and that includes student safety,” Sussman told Rebecca.
“When there is a blatantly obvious problem on campus, which is the lagoon, … there’s a simple solution in my mind, which is to add lighting.”
The renewed push comes after an unidentified man allegedly forced a female student to the ground and attempted to sexually assault her in October near the lagoon trail, an area with a decades-long history of reported attacks.
Similar concerns surfaced last year when UCSB police investigated an attempted kidnapping of a first-year student on the same path.
A 1999 Coastal Commission staff report already documented rapes, attempted rapes, molestations, flashings, robberies and attempted robberies in the vicinity.
I don’t understand the holdup. Are we waiting for a murder?
On Nov. 5, the lagoon was added for the first time to UCPD’s annual lighting safety walk.
Students propose low-impact, downward-facing fixtures and additional emergency blue-light phones, insisting the measures can enhance safety without compromising the lagoon’s protected status or public coastal access.
• • •
Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» Leadbetter Beach Keeps Rock Revetment to Protect Coast During Winter Storms — Staff writer Nick Forselles goes beachcombing for his story on winter storm surge protection.
» Montecito Bank & Trust Awards $1 Million to Local Nonprofit Organizations — Staff writer Pricila Flores is on hand for an annual Montecito Bank & Trust tradition that makes a huge impact throughout Santa Barbara County.
» Christmas in the Country Shelved for 2025 Season, Set to Return in 2026 — North County editor Janene Scully has some disappointing news for fans of Santa Maria Elks Recreation’s annual Christmas in the Country extravaganza.
» Cal Poly’s Jeffrey Armstrong Is Highest-Paid CSU President After 20% Salary Boost — San Luis Obispo Tribune education writer Sadie Dittenber does the math on Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong’s compensation package.
» Mark Patton: Shane Bieber Throws a Curveball at Major League Baseball — Sports columnist Mark Patton follows Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber on the whirlwind start to his off-season.
» All-Channel League Flag Football: San Marcos, Dos Pueblos Sweep Individual Awards — Sports editor Diego Sandoval is following the gridiron glory piled up by the powerhouse flag football programs at San Marcos and Dos Pueblos high schools.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? RV Explodes, Catches Fire in Santa Barbara Neighborhood.
• • •
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.
Dec. 11 — The Channel City Club has asked me to emcee its Christmas brunch at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. I’m honored to be recruited, all the more so because I’m following the giant footsteps of my close friend, the late Erin Graffy.
Feb. 5 — Noozhawk is partnering with Spotlight Santa Barbara on a 2026 speaker series and I’ll be moderating a Q&A with Dan Walters, the legendary gold standard of California political writers. His topic at the Lobero Theatre? California politics — past, present and future. Click here to purchase tickets online.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
The real emergency in California? Its leadership: California Scraps $450 Million NextGen 9-1-1 System, Proposes New Design.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed went #californiaroadtrippin this past week, with some interesting sights to see.
• • •
Watch It
Now THIS is the kind of action I hoped to see, but didn’t, at last month’s sheep dog trials during the Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Hailey, Idaho. In case you haven’t “herd,” black sheep Ozzy Man always comes with a language warning.
