I was walking out of church the morning of July 23 when I got Josh Molina’s text that Santa Barbara’s venerable daily newspaper had declared bankruptcy.
He had enough to source his scoop and just wanted to make sure I was around to read and post it promptly. By the time I got home a few minutes later, his story was waiting.
Even though the newspaper was an irrelevant shell of its formerly formidable self, we both recognized the ramifications.
Founded in 1868, 18 years after Santa Barbara’s incorporation and California statehood, the publication was as vital to and intertwined with the community’s life and identity as the Santa Barbara Mission (established in 1786) and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (1891).
Tom Bolton, our executive editor and one of my business partners, and I will have more to say about the newspaper’s legacy here later.
But I want to point out its roots in Noozhawk, because that heritage — its original heritage — is in our DNA.
Many of you may be surprised to learn I once worked at the newspaper, for 15 years under The New York Times’ ownership in what, at the time, I thought was my dream job: news editor/front page editor and in charge of the 17 editors on the copy desk.
I’ve always admitted that part of my past if asked directly, but since I resigned during Fiesta week in August 2001, nine months into the new ownership, I’ve not set foot on the property and have rarely referred to it in public.
Only my family, colleagues and my inner-most circle have ever even heard me say the name. And by inner most, I mean my ride or die, donate a kidney, take a bullet, drive to Cuyama to pick you up on the spur of the moment circle. That’s probably a dozen people.
In fact, other than a period starting in mid-2006, when I was inspired to explore hatching Noozhawk, I hardly thought about the newspaper — notwithstanding a run of inside jokes involving 700 Picacho Lane and the shorthand sign-off of HITYL, that is.
But while the circumstances created by the daily newspaper’s last owner may have been the catalyst for the entrepreneurial opportunity, much of Noozhawk’s success can be traced to the lessons learned from its previous owners.
When I reflect on those “good old days,” I’m struck by the dedication we had to our shared mission.
No matter the job or the department, we — including the ownership — understood we were stewards of the newspaper for just a short while, that it belonged to the community and not to us.
We were building on the foundation left by those who came before us, and none of us wanted to be the one who screwed it up for those who would come after.
Thanks to the leadership of publishers like Steve Ainsley and executive editors like Allen Parsons, my biggest influences in my era, we were committed to covering our community with thoroughness, integrity and respect.
I’m proud to say those have been Noozhawk hallmarks since our start, and it’s intentional.
We’ve created a culture in which our professional journalists report the truth, not their biases. They know that, while our foundation may only date to 2007, they’re still responsible for building on it and moving us forward.
We know you recognize that; it’s one of the reasons Noozhawk is Santa Barbara County’s No. 1 source for local news and sports.
But it’s also nurtured through the leadership and examples of my fellow alumni on our team:
- Tom Bolton, Noozhawk’s executive editor and partner, was executive editor at the daily when he left in 2001.
- Kim Clark, Noozhawk’s business development vice president and partner, headed up internet sales in those early days when no one knew what they were doing online.
- Marcia Heller, Noozhawk copy editor, was associate editorial page editor and a copy editor.
- Laurie Jervis, Noozhawk wine columnist, was a copy editor, business reporter and assistant city editor.
- Josh Molina, Noozhawk staff writer, got his start as a reporter before moving up to the San José Mercury News.
- Mark Patton, Noozhawk sports columnist, was sports editor, following in the footsteps of his dad, legendary sports editor Phil Patton.
- Barry Punzal, Noozhawk’s sports editor, was assistant sports editor and led the sports copy desk.
- Len Wood, Noozhawk photographer, was photo editor.
I can’t begin to calculate the years of experience they add to my 40, but it’s a lot. It’s how we’re ready for this and why you rely on us to meet the challenges of reporting on Santa Barbara County — yesterday, today and tomorrow.
We could always do more, and I’m asking you to consider joining our Hawks Club with a financial commitment for our mission.
In addition to our advertisers and sponsors, we rely on the support of our readers to make our public service journalism possible.
All of us at Noozhawk are committed to providing you with local news and information you can trust. Will you help us continue to grow by becoming a Hawks Club member?
Thank you for your support, and your readership.
As you know, these Best of Bill columns are my recap of the Top 5 most-read stories over the previous seven days, as tracked by our Google Analytics. This last week, we drew an audience of 100,359 readers.
At this point, it shouldn’t need to be said but I must: This is an opinion column — my opinion as Noozhawk’s publisher. I am not a reporter and this is not a news story.
1. Santa Barbara News-Press Declares Bankruptcy, Staff Told All Jobs ‘Eliminated’
As noted, on July 23, our Josh Molina was the first to break the story of the Santa Barbara News-Press ceasing publishing after its parent company, Ampersand Publishing LLC, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy two days before.
As Josh reported, managing editor Dave Mason delivered the message to employees in a breezily informal email.
“I have some bad news,” he wrote. “Wendy (owner Wendy McCaw) filed for bankruptcy on Friday. All of our jobs are eliminated, and the News-Press has stopped publishing. They ran out of money to pay us. They will issue final paychecks to us when the bankruptcy is approved in court.”
As far as I know, neither McCaw, a Hope Ranch billionaire, nor anyone representing her has bothered to say anything publicly.
And that was that.
After 155 years of publishing, “the oldest daily newspaper in Southern California” — or, as the late copy editor, Bill Milton, was fond of saying, “the oddest daily newspaper in Southern California” — was done.
The newspaper that roared with the voice of a lion under the great T.M. Storke ended up as meek as a mouse.
In a community that reveres its history, how’s that for a legacy? The name Wendy McCaw will be remembered — but not at all like we remember the giants of our past like José de la Guerra, Pearl Chase, Dwight Murphy and Michael Towbes.
In hindsight, we shouldn’t have expected any other outcome for this epitome of Fossil Media. Since she bought the publication from The New York Times in 2000, McCaw has created one mess after another.
Far and away the messiest was the spectacular mid-2006 implosion that led to high-profile newsroom resignations, union formation, and legal battles resulting in significant debts owed to employees and the Teamsters union.
The debacle made international news and united the community … against her.
She never recovered.
And now her creditors are unlikely to recover what they’re owed either. According to the bankruptcy petition — filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, in a building I believe McCaw owns — there are anywhere from 200 to 999 of them.
The filing lists assets of less than $50,000 and liabilities estimated between $1 million and $10 million.
Not part of the bankruptcy proceedings are three properties: the historic Spanish Colonial-style newspaper headquarters at 715 Anacapa St. anchoring De la Guerra Plaza and the parking lot across Anacapa Street, and the printing plant at 725 S. Kellogg Ave. in Goleta.
According to public records reviewed by Josh and our Giana Magnoli, Ampersand sold all three in 2014 to newly created limited liability companies that McCaw had formed.
Santa Barbara County Assessor’s Office records show that the main building has a 2023 assessed value of $15.2 million, the parking lot is assessed at $3.17 million and the printing plant at $11.59 million.
It’s really anyone’s guess what happens next with those properties, but Josh and Giana do have a fair amount of informed speculation from sources in their July 25 follow-up story.
And, to answer the question I’ve been getting all week, no, Noozhawk will not be moving our nest there.
2. County DA’s Office Sends Warning Letters to Restaurants Charging Illegal Surcharges, Fees
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office has issued warning letters to several local restaurants for violating California’s False Advertising Law by charging undisclosed fees or surcharges.
As our Serena Guentz reported, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Dalbey said three restaurants — whose identities were not disclosed — have already received warning letters, with four more pending.
The law requires restaurants to plainly disclose any additional fees before customers place their orders to enable informed decisions.
Upon notification, restaurants have 30 days to change their charges. A maximum penalty of $2,500 per misdemeanor violation is possible.
Dalbey said there are no specific rules on what surcharges are allowed or how much of the fees must be shared with servers, only that the explanation be accurate and not misleading.
“They basically have to be true to their word,” he said.
3. Sonos to Move Its Headquarters From Santa Barbara to Goleta
Sonos, the homegrown wireless speaker and home audio pioneer, is unplugging from Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone and environs to consolidate its multisite operation under one roof in Goleta.
As our Josh Molina reported in his first exclusive scoop of the week, Sonos is making its move early next year to 301 Coromar Drive in the Decker’s Cabrillo Park off South Los Carneros Road.
The company is headquartered at 35 E. Mason St. but has offices on Chapala Street and has employees squirreled away in other locations in the neighborhood.
“Our goal was to consolidate much of the Sonos team under a single roof, occupying space that will bring us together and accelerate our continued growth and innovation as the world’s leading sound experience company,” Sonos spokeswoman Erin Pategas told Josh.
Austin Herlihy, executive vice president of Radius Commercial Real Estate, says the East Mason Street building will be back on the market soon.
“We plan to turn the ground floor into retail and lease the top two floors to either office or some other repositioning,” he said. “We are still exploring all of our options.”
4. UCSB Plans to Build Alternative to Munger Hall at Development Site in Shakeup of Student Housing Plans
After millions of dollars, years of covert planning and very public backlash, UC Santa Barbara appears to be denying admission for its controversial Munger Hall idea.
As contributing writer Mark Alfred reported in at least our third exclusive of the week, UCSB officials have announced plans to invest more than a half-a-billion dollars to build new student residences where the artificially enhanced dormitory had been proposed.
UCSB is in the process of identifying and hiring an executive architect for the new project, which would house 3,500 students — the same number as the previously proposed Munger dorm — but at roughly half its $1.4 billion cost.
The move signals an epic shift for UCSB, which had been working with Munger, a 99-year-old billionaire and part-time Montecito resident, on a nine-story edifice across the street and down the hill from Harder Stadium on the northwest side of campus.
The dorm had faced safety concerns and criticism over its unique, mostly windowless design, which included small bedrooms with artificial lighting that resembles sunlight and a range of communal facilities.
Munger had pledged $200 million toward his project so long as the school followed his design. The new student residences are estimated to cost between $600 million and $750 million.
5. Court Sides With County in Dispute Over Montecito Trailhead Parking, Road Encroachments
Rebuffed by a state appellate court in a case involving Montecito’s crowded Hot Springs trailhead, attorneys for four nearby homeowners say they likely will take their dispute with Santa Barbara County to the California Supreme Court.
As our Josh Molina reported, the state Second District Court of Appeal in Ventura ruled that the county is permitted to remove unpermitted encroachments in the public right of way along a stretch of East Mountain Drive between Hot Springs and Ashley roads
Last year, the county sent letters to three of the neighbors, ordering them to remove unpermitted “obstructions” in front of their properties or face fines for noncompliance.
The county claims residents have placed no-parking signs, landscaping, boulders and other obstructions — including a bank of mailboxes, of all things — in the public rights of way to thwart parking near the trailhead.
After county plans surfaced for a Hot Springs Trailhead Parking Design & Construction Project, four residents — Christopher Anderson, Ross Bagdasarian, Peter Barker and James Moreley — filed a petition to stop it, citing environmental and evacuation concerns with the increased traffic.
Two lower courts agreed with the homeowners’ contention that the county must comply with the California Environmental Quality Act and perform an environmental review for its project like everyone else.
But the state appeals court ruled July 19 that Scott McGolpin, the county’s Public Works Department director and road commissioner, has the legal right to proceed.
“We are thankful that the Court of Appeal recognized the legal authority of a California road commissioner to protect all the public who utilize the road rights-of-way within the County of Santa Barbara,” McGolpin said.
Not so fast, said David Cousineau, a partner with Cappello & Noël in Santa Barbara representing the neighbors.
“While two veteran trial judges found that the county cannot so easily ignore CEQA, the appeals court disagreed,” he told Josh. “We still believe the trial judges got it right. While the Court of Appeals is a higher court, they are not the last word.
“We intend to seek review in the California Supreme Court and ask them to get it right. The environmental laws are too important to carve out such a broad exception.”
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Odd Flying Object Hovered at Vandenberg in 2003, Congressional Witness Reports — North County editor Janene Scully, our Agent Scully, uncovers a local twist to the UFO mania mesmerizing much of the country.
» Santa Barbara Talks with Blogger Craig Smith on News-Press Demise: ‘It’s Certainly Not Good News’ — With the once-daily local newspaper now dead, staff writer Josh Molina has a lively conversation with blogger and law professor Craig Smith, whose independent observations on “The Implosion” and its McCawful aftermath were must reads back in the day.
» Santa Barbara County Fire Purchases 35 Ambulances While Contracts Are Still Undecided — Managing editor Giana Magnoli has been chasing ambulances again, this time the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s curious purchase of nearly three dozen ambulances to fulfill a contract it does not yet have.
» 99-Unit Housing Project Proposed for Tri-County Produce Site Undergoes Architectural Review — Josh has an update on the proposed housing development that would be built around Tri-County Produce on South Milpas Street in Santa Barbara.
» David Bolton: Dance Puts the Spirit in Old Spanish Days’ Fiesta and David Bolton: Fiesta Food and Fashion Are All Part of Old Spanish Days Fun — My friend, Old Spanish Days El Presidente David Bolton, is writing a series of articles on Fiesta’s rich history, heritage and traditions. Viva la Fiesta!
» Santa Barbara Lifeguards, Junior Guards Win State Championships — Sports editor Barry Punzal dives into the California Surf Lifesaving Association Championships in Newport Beach, where several local lifeguards made a splash.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Santa Barbara County Moves to ‘High’ COVID-19 Community Transmission Level in CDC Metric.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
After seeing my previous story of the week on Santa Barbara’s “Whale House,” our Judy Foreman thought this local houseboat deserved to keep the sea estate theme going: This Floating Home in the Santa Barbara Harbor Was Entirely Rebuilt by a Father and Son.
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Here’s What I’m Up To
- July 26 — Steve Chiotakis of KCRW in Santa Monica interviewed me about Santa Barbara’s current newspaper route for his “Greater LA” podcast. He’s a terrific host, and even made his mediocre guest sound good! Click here for the eight-minute interview.
- Aug. 31 — I’ll be speaking to Dan Lane’s “News, Politics & Democracy” class at UCSB. We’ll be discussing Noozhawk’s origins, evolution and future, as well as journalism’s overall role in our country and culture.
BTW for those parents and grandparents who have been asking, sadly, Noozhawk will not be sponsoring a mutton bustin’ rider at next week’s Fiesta Stock Horse Show & Rodeo.
Maybe next year we’ll be riding for the brand at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and the Old Santa Ynez Days Rodeo. If you’re with either of those rodeos, hit me up at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Of course I’m biased, but you have to admit my grandson, Nico, is adorable. See for yourself in my Instagram feed.
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Watch It
Here’s an old video of the fabled Fountain of Youth in the Sierra Nevada west of South Lake Tahoe. HT to Best of Bill reader Jerry Taylor, who says he’s skimmed the surface himself.