Earlier this year, Noozhawk teamed up with Spotlight Santa Barbara to launch a speaker series designed to foster the kind of thoughtful civic conversation that has been missing from our public square.
California — our once-Golden State — faces a daunting list of challenges: affordability, housing, homelessness, healthcare, education, infrastructure and persistent poverty, to name just a few.
Here in Santa Barbara County, we face many of the same issues. Our reporters cover them every day.
What we need now are practical, achievable ideas from people who have successfully tackled similar challenges elsewhere.
That’s the focus of California’s Problems, Santa Barbara’s Choices, coming to the Lobero Theatre on July 23.
I’ll be moderating a discussion featuring Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce; UCLA economics professor Lee Ohanian; Pete Peterson, dean of Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy; and former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin.
These panelists bring decades of experience turning ideas into action. Rather than simply describing what’s wrong, they’ll discuss what has worked in other communities, what might realistically work here, and what residents and civic leaders can do to help move Santa Barbara forward.
No one is pretending these problems have easy answers. But meaningful progress begins with honest conversations, proven ideas and a willingness to challenge the failing status quo.
I hope you’ll join us.
Click here for to purchase tickets online.
According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk drew an audience of 126,517 readers this past week.
What follows is my recap of the Top 5 stories you were reading over that seven-day span, according to our Google analytics.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column, not a news story.
1. Pioneer Valley High School Student Dies in River Drowning
A Santa Maria Valley high school community already mourning the loss of five teenagers in a horrific crash earlier this month is now grieving another heartbreaking death.
As our Janene Scully reported, 17-year-old Andrea Díaz Mondragón died June 19 after losing her footing and slipping into the water near Three Rivers, outside Sequoia National Park.
News reports said her older brother and a friend immediately jumped into the river to save her, but the strong current overwhelmed them before they could reach her.
Authorities say she was pulled under the surface and drowned.
Díaz Mondragón had just completed her junior year at Pioneer Valley High School and was preparing to begin her senior year in August.
According to a GoFundMe campaign assisting her family with funeral expenses, the teenager dreamed of becoming a nurse and was known for her caring personality, love of dancing, and devotion to family and friends.
“Her beautiful spirit touched countless lives,” organizers posted on the site.
Díaz Mondragón is survived by her parents, two older brothers and a younger sister. Funeral arrangements are pending.
As of June 26, the campaign had raised nearly $10,000. Click here to make an online donation.
The death comes as the Santa Maria community continues to mourn five young people killed June 7 when the car in which they were riding crashed into a traffic signal pole on South Broadway/Highway 135 at South Miller Street.
A sixth occupant was severely injured in the wreck, which split the obliterated vehicle in two.
That crash remains under investigation and — nearly three weeks later — authorities have released no further information.
2. Santa Barbara Street Transforms Into Ocean Paradise for 52nd Summer Solstice Parade
Santa Barbara erupted in color, creativity and pure joy as mermaids, clowns, sea creatures and glitter-covered performers took over a downtown side street for the 52nd annual Summer Solstice Parade.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, hundreds of spectators settled into chairs and blankets on June 20 to watch one of the city’s most beloved traditions mosey its way up Santa Barbara Street to Alameda Park.
This year’s theme, “Wave,” inspired an imaginative array of human-powered floats and costumes, from sharks, jellyfish and mermaids to coastal cowgirls, hula dancers and even a giant gramophone representing sound waves.
Before the parade began, festival-goers transformed the closed street into a community playground for chalk art, bicycling and skating.
Participants of all ages danced, waved and interacted with the crowd, creating the festive, anything-goes atmosphere that has defined Solstice for more than five decades — even after the parade was pushed to a utilitarian transit artery with little natural pedestrian traffic two blocks off State Street.
Speaking of State Street, the City Council may finally be coming to its senses after intentionally sucking the life out of downtown with its eight-block closure dating back to the COVID-19 disaster — more than five years ago.
Rebecca reported that the the council on June 23 unanimously voted to direct city staff to work with the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association to restore the Downtown Holiday Parade — on State Street — in December.
“It is important to have the holiday parade back this year for what it will do for downtown, just bring the energy back downtown,” Councilman Eric Friedman said.
“The last one was 2019, so it’s time we have it.”
Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon also asked staff to explore moving the Solstice Parade back where it belongs.
“I can’t really see any reason why we don’t have the Solstice (parade) on State Street,” she said.
Am I dreaming? Is this an election year or something?
3. 1 Injured After Truck Hits Santa Barbara Eastside Building
An early morning crash sent a work truck careening into a North Milpas Street shop in Santa Barbara on June 20, putting the driver in the hospital and causing significant damage to the building.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, with an assist from Peter Hartmann, emergency crews responded just after 6:30 a.m. to the intersection of Milpas and East Haley streets for a reported two-vehicle collision.
Authorities said one of the vehicles, a full-sized utility pickup, had jumped the curb and slammed into Alexa’s Dulces Fiestas, a party supply store at 502 N. Milpas St.
Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Jon Turner said the driver was transported by an American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with moderate injuries.
The driver of the second vehicle was not hurt.
No identities were disclosed.
Santa Barbara police are investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
4. New Anthem Chapel Project Fails at Goleta Planning Commission
After months of vehement neighborhood opposition, Anthem Chapel’s proposal to build a permanent church campus in Goleta was shot down by the Planning Commission.
As our Pricila Flores reported, the decision can be appealed to the City Council — and likely will be.
Citing traffic, neighborhood compatibility, noise and reducing a monarch butterfly habitat buffer, the commissioners on June 22 voted against a conditional use permit for the project at 6595 Covington Way, just north of Rancho La Patera & Stow House, Santa Barbara County Fire Station 14 and the South Coast Railroad Museum.
The proposal called for a 500-seat sanctuary, a two-story preschool and day-care building, recreation areas and 117 parking spaces on a subdivided parcel shared with Christ Lutheran Church.
In the end, commissioners Anne Miller and Rita Serotkin voted against the church while commissioner Katie Maynard voted in favor.
Commissioner Cary Penniman abstained and commissioner Jennifer Fullerton was absent.
Miller seemed to indicate that the project was bigger than Goleta.
“The neighborhood gets disrupted, the neighbors get upset, we have enough divisiveness and whatnot in this world right now,” she said. “I don’t want to create more.”
Church leaders had sought to make the case that the project would provide a long-sought permanent home after years of wandering the wilderness as weekend transient occupants of Goleta Valley Junior High School.
They also acknowledged concerns stemming from outdoor services the church held on its property during the COVID-19 pandemic — back in 2020.
Opponents weren’t buying it.
“My wife and I were impressed with the drawings and the plans for a beautiful building,” neighborhood resident Carter Morgan said.
“Just not in this location,” he added.
The development team said it intends to appeal, noting the project previously received unanimous approval from the city’s Design Review Board.
City staff will return in August with formal findings supporting the commission’s denial.
5. Developers Sue Frontier Over Carpinteria Property for 18-Story Housing Project
The controversial Carpinteria proposal for what would become the tallest structure in Santa Barbara County has become the focus of a second lawsuit.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, the developers of the proposed EIGHTEEN-STORY, 130-unit skyscraper at 5155 Ogan Road have sued Frontier California Inc., alleging the subsidiary of Frontier Communications deliberately failed to complete the sale of property needed for the project.
If built, the 218-foot tower would surpass every existing structure in the county, including rocket service towers at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Heck, it would be one floor shy of Ventura County’s tallest building, the 19-story Oxnard Tower.
Fullerton-based Carpinteria Group LLC claims Frontier delayed obtaining approval for a required lot split, then attempted to terminate the purchase agreement while facing public pressure over the proposed development.
The City of Carpinteria also is named as a defendant. City officials called the allegations “wholly without merit” and have filed a demurrer seeking dismissal of the claims.
The lawsuit follows an earlier case in which the developers accused the city of unlawfully blocking the builder’s remedy project.
Not for nothing, Carpinteria Group LLC manager Ben Eilenberg is also connected to the equally controversial EIGHT-STORY, 270-unit housing project that would loom over the Santa Barbara Mission.
Representatives for Carpinteria Group LLC and Frontier Communications did not respond to Evelyn’s requests for comment.
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Good Reads
These six stories are also worth your time:
» County Elections Office Rejects 2,300 Ballots with Late Postmarks — In her latest update on the June 2 election, executive editor Giana Magnoli learns that a shockingly high number of voters were unaware that Election Day is a deadline, not a guideline.
» Santa Barbara to Explore Bringing Vacancy Tax Measure to Voters — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway is following another tax hike scheme the Santa Barbara City Council is exploring as a fix for its spending addiction.
» County’s Emergency Management Office Is ‘Understaffed and Underfunded,’ Grand Jury Finds — Staff writer Daniel Green confirms what some of us have long suspected, given the community’s frequent experience with emergencies.
» Lompoc Valley Flower Festival Blooms with Patriotic Theme — North County editor Janene Scully does some advance gardening for the 73rd annual Lompoc Valley Flower Festival, which runs through June 28 at Ryon Memorial Park. And you won’t want to miss the colorful parade beginning at 10 a.m. June 27. The procession starts on H Street, turns west on Ocean Avenue and ends in the 100 block of O Street.
» Mark Patton: Minor League Baseball Was a Major Deal in Santa Barbara 8 Decades Ago — Sports columnist Mark Patton takes another “patton-ed” trip down memory lane, this time fueling fond memories among many old-timers about the Santa Barbara Saints of yesteryear. Fun fact: I still have my Saints jersey from when All Saints By-the-Sea Episcopal Church did a re-creation of a game for our Old Spanish Days Historical Parade float during our centennial year in 1998. That was back before Santa Barbara took the fun out of Fiesta parades by banning them from State Street.
» Dos Pueblos’ Streatfeild Sisters Win Flag Football Tournament in Rome — Sports editor Diego Sandoval gets up early to report on Sterling and Ruby Streatfeild leading their Conquer Los Angeles Chargers Flag Football Club to a world title — in real football — on the other side of the globe. Ruby also earned MVP honors in the tournament.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Dario Pini’s Plan to Convert Goleta Home to 7 Bedrooms Concerns Neighbors.
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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.
July 23 — In the second event of a series Noozhawk is hosting with Spotlight Santa Barbara, I’ll be moderating a discussion we’re calling “California’s Problems, Santa Barbara’s Choices.”
Our panelists are Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce; UCLA economics professor Lee Ohanian; Pete Peterson, dean of Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy; and former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin.
We’ll be at the Lobero Theatre again so save the date.
Oct. 29 — I don’t recognize who Scouting America — Los Padres Council is describing, but I’m being recognized with the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award at the annual Salute to Scouting celebration at the Santa Barbara Club, #myhomeawayfromhome.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
This is next-level recycling: French Artist Eva Jospin Crafts Entire Worlds from Cardboard, One Cut at a Time.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
The Noozhawk-sponsored Old Santa Ynez Days Rodeo wasn’t my first rodeo, but it was for my grandsons. I’ve got the dirt in my Instagram feed, including their photo op with my friend, junior barrelman extraordinaire Waylon Estes.
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Watch It
This scene stealer has the stage presence to turn a theatrical masterpiece into a dramedy. You’re welcome. HT to Best of Bill reader Shannon McPhee.
