When local news coverage disappears, government doesn’t stop making decisions. It just makes them with fewer people watching.
That’s a growing concern throughout Santa Barbara County, where too many communities lack the independent journalism needed to hold public officials accountable.
From Santa Maria, Lompoc, Orcutt and Guadalupe to the Santa Ynez Valley, Gaviota coast, Noleta, Montecito and Summerland, decisions about schools, public safety, housing and development affect all of us.
And whether you live in Santa Barbara, Goleta or elsewhere, you have a stake in those decisions. We share a Board of Supervisors, Sheriff’s Department and county agencies whose policies and spending shape our collective future.
When any community goes without reliable reporting, we all lose some ability to hold government accountable.
That’s why Noozhawk is committed to expanding coverage throughout the county, especially where local journalism has disappeared or never existed.
Just this month, North County editor Janene Scully examined Santa Maria’s plans for housing and jobs amid financial challenges, while South County editor Evelyn Spence reported on Montecito residents’ concerns about proposed development review changes.
That’s professional journalism that informs people while there’s still time to make a difference.
As Noozhawk celebrates 19 years of independent local news reporting, our six-week, $50,000 Hawks Club campaign will help put more reporters on the ground, strengthen coverage of government, education and youth sports, and ensure fewer important stories go untold.
We’ll keep Noozhawk free to read because everyone deserves access to reliable news. But producing that journalism takes talented professionals and readers willing to support them.
For 19 years, Noozhawk has been watching out for Santa Barbara County. If you value that work, will you make a financial contribution to the Hawks Club today?
Thank you for making these 19 years possible — and for helping us build what comes next.
It’s not too late to register for our rescheduled VotingMatters forum with CalMatters, but you need to act fast. We have just a few spots left for our Oct. 25 forum at the Grace Fisher Foundation’s interactive arts clubhouse at La Cumbre Plaza.
Highlights will be the race for state insurance commissioner and the ballot measures on the Nov. 3 ballot, along with the most competitive local election cycle in Noozhawk’s history. Join our Hawks Club for access.
According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 128,734 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.
It should go without saying but always seems to need to be said: This is my weekly opinion column, not a news story.
1. Toddler Struck by Vehicle, Seriously Injured in Santa Barbara
For the second consecutive week, Noozhawk’s most-read story has been a horrific collision involving a pedestrian in a crosswalk. That’s not a good trend.
In the latest incident, a 3-year-old Santa Barbara girl was critically injured Oct. 18 when she was hit by a car in a State Street crosswalk.
The girl, whose identity has not been released, has been transferred from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital to a Los Angeles-area hospital, where her family faces mounting expenses to stay by her side.
According to Santa Barbara police, she remained in critical condition as of Oct. 19.
Our Janene Scully was first to report the collision, which occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on State Street at Calle Palo Colorado, where the girl was crossing in a marked crosswalk with her family.
Police said the car was traveling east on State Street when it struck her.
Santa Barbara firefighters and paramedics treated her at the scene before an American Medical Response ambulance rushed her to Cottage Hospital.
She was subsequently airlifted to a Los Angeles-area hospital for specialized care.
Police Cmdr. Nathan Beltran told Tom that the driver remained at the scene and was neither cited nor arrested. The driver’s identity has not been disclosed.
He said alcohol or drugs are not suspected as factors in the collision, but the investigation is ongoing.
The crosswalk, which crosses State Street between a Shell gas station and the MacKenzie Park dog park, has a flashing warning light system for pedestrians but it’s not known if it was activated.
The girl’s aunt, Julie Stephenson, established a GoFundMe account to help her brother and sister-in-law — both of whom are self-employed — cover expenses while staying near their daughter. The couple also has an 8-year-old son.
In an Oct. 21 update after visiting her niece, Stephenson expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support.
“In the middle of such difficult days, your kindness gives us moments of comfort,” she said.
“Knowing that family, friends, neighbors and people we’ve never met are holding our family in their hearts means more than we can put into words.”
As of Oct. 23, the fundraiser had collected more than $115,000. Click here to make an online donation.
2. Santa Barbara County Doused as First Storm of Season Lives Up to Expectations
An early season storm dumped several inches of rain throughout Santa Barbara County on Oct. 21 and 22, triggering lightning, thunder and several flood warnings but causing no major damage.
The National Weather Service said the storm largely met expectations, with East Camino Cielo recording a whopping 4.98 inches of rain, Upper Romero Canyon in Montecito 4.13 inches and 4.05 inches at San Marcos Pass.
Most county locations received between 1½ and 2.7 inches.
Santa Barbara recorded 2.64 inches, bringing its rainfall total to 412% of normal for this point in the water year.
“We thought there was a potential for very heavy rainfall to develop,” weather service meteorologist Todd Hall told our Tom Bolton. “It performed as we thought it would.”
After two days of often-heavy downpours, scattered showers tapered off the evening of Oct. 22, giving way to sunshine and warmer temperatures for the weekend.
Weekend high temperatures should reach the mid-70s, with no additional rain expected for at least a week.
3. Family Identifies Santa Barbara Woman Killed in Hit-Run Crash
Two weeks after Mercedes Perez was fatally injured when she was struck by a speeding hit-and-run driver in Santa Barbara, authorities have released no new information about the search for the suspect.
The California Highway Patrol will only say that its investigation is ongoing in the Oct. 9 collision, which occurred in the Mission Street crosswalk at the northbound Highway 101 entrance ramp.
Funeral services are pending but a GoFundMe appeal to assist her family with expenses has raised more than $47,000 as of Oct. 23.
Click here to make an online donation.
4. Animal Services Impounds 300 Birds, 21 Dogs in Santa Maria Hoarding Investigation
Santa Barbara County Animal Services has issued a call for foster homes to ease shelter crowding after a suspected animal-hoarding investigation in Santa Maria resulted in the seizure of 21 dogs and more than 300 birds.
As our Janene Scully reported, Animal Services officers and Santa Maria police served a search warrant on Oct. 14 following years of complaints involving the animals’ owner.
Animal Services director Sarah Aguilar said witnesses and neighbors provided evidence that helped investigators obtain the warrant.
No other information has been disclosed about the case, including whether criminal charges are pending.
The confiscated dogs, believed to be Australian shepherd mixes with a significant amount of suspected inbreeding, will undergo medical and behavioral evaluations before becoming available for adoption or fostering.
Meanwhile, the county is encouraging residents to foster other shelter animals, including dogs, pigeons, chickens, cockatiels and parakeets.
Organizationally, the department’s website is a rabbit hole to try to navigate, but you can visit the county shelters at 5473 Overpass Road in Goleta, 1501 W. Central Ave. in Lompoc and 548 W. Foster Road in Santa Maria.
The shelters are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
5. Montecito Commission Wants to Keep Design Review for All New, Remodeled Homes
Concerns about preserving Montecito’s semi-rural character have prompted the Montecito Planning Commission to recommend retaining key development safeguards as Santa Barbara County suddenly rushes to streamline its permitting process.
Our Evelyn Spence has endured three grueling meetings on the subject, and reported that commissioners voted Oct. 19 to require architectural review of all new or remodeled homes, regardless of size, and to preserve planning permits for swimming pools.
The county’s original proposal would have exempted some smaller projects from design review, public notification and appeals, shifting more decisions to county staff.
Montecito Association leaders — of which I am one as board president — have raised concerns that residents have not been adequately informed about the proposed changes or their potential long-term consequences for the community’s distinctive character.
Residents also warned that eliminating neighborhood oversight could allow incompatible development and undermine decades of community planning as set forth — clearly — in the Montecito Community Plan.
Commissioners agreed that streamlining permits has merit but recommended retaining protections intended to preserve neighborhood compatibility.
The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission is reviewing the recommendations itself before the Board of Supervisors makes a final decision, expected before year’s end.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories that our worth your read:
» Hilda Maldonado Retiring as Santa Barbara Unified Schools Superintendent in July — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway has the scoop on the retirement announcement from perennially embattled Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Hilda Maldonado.
» Candidates for Santa Barbara Mayor Discuss Top City Issues in Video Q&As — Rebecca and fellow staff writer Pricila Flores sit down individually with Santa Barbara’s three mayoral candidates, and they have them on tape. Well, on video anyway. Also, be sure to check out Noozhawk’s 2026 Voter Guide.
» Supervisors Approve Design for 384-Bed Northern Branch Jail Expansion — Staff writer Daniel Green unlocks a North County jail expansion story.
» San Marcos High Breaks Ground on New Health Careers Academy Facility — Rebecca is at San Marcos High School for the groundbreaking start of the exciting new Cottage Health Careers Academy.
» Rob Raede: Santa Barbara Forge Turns Metalworking Expertise into Sizzling Cookware Business — Let’s Go Eat columnist Rob Raede flips the script and takes a different approach to food.
» Santa Barbara Islanders Semi-Pro Ice Hockey Team to Open Inaugural Season this Weekend — Sports editor Diego Sandoval straps on some skates to catch up with a new semi-pro ice hockey team calling Goleta home.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Sheriff’s Deputies Fatally Shoot Suspect After Attack in Goleta Valley Grocery Store.
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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.
Oct. 29 — I don’t recognize who Scouting America — Los Padres Council is describing, but I’m being honored with the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award at the annual Salute to Scouting celebration at the Santa Barbara Club, #myhomeawayfromhome.
Nov. 4 — The Santa Barbara Women’s Club asked me to regale its members with stories about Noozhawk’s start, growth and future. I can do that.
Nov. 5 — The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury has requested my presence for a discussion with panel members about issues affecting the county and Noozhawk’s role. I’m happy to accept, no subpoena required.
Dec. 10 — Having not learned their lesson from last year, the Channel City Club has invited me back to emcee its Christmas brunch at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. I’m privileged to do this in honor of my close friend, the late Erin Graffy, the club’s longtime host.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
A bus stop in the right place and time: Quick-Thinking Minnesota Hero Jumps on Runaway School Bus to Rescue 18 Kids, Driver.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Not gonna lie: My Instagram feed was unacceptably light this week, but it does have @sadiethealaskanmalamute in it.
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Watch It
This video goes all 10 frames but it’s not a gutter ball. HT to my friend, Tony Papa, for rolling the strike.
