I first met Brian Gregory 20 years ago when he was board chairman of the then-Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce. Clearly without checking my references, the chamber had invited me onto the board.
Brian was a successful serial entrepreneur in high tech and, for some reason, he took an interest in my own highmodest tech endeavors.
He was very gracious with his time, advice and perspective, and was tremendously encouraging — but realistic — when I was developing the Noozhawk concept before we launched in 2007.
I always appreciated his candor, cheerfulness and optimism, and his remarkable ability to maintain focus and priorities, no matter what.
Brian brought those same characteristics to the Goleta Valley board at a pivotal period for the chamber in the City of Goleta’s own formative years.
At the time, the brand-new city’s leadership was frustratingly indifferent to high tech’s importance to the community and its economy — which was confounding given Goleta’s deep roots in technology, defense and aerospace.
But Brian, chamber president and CEO Kristen Miller, fellow board member Jim Knight and the rest of our very valuable tech brain trust made a big difference.
With relentless discipline, they correctly positioned the chamber to be the logical community coordinator and voice for that industry’s causes and concerns.
Goleta has come a long way in the ensuing two decades, and the city now fully embraces its high-tech heritage, presence and future opportunities.
That municipal appreciation and the Goleta tech community’s enduring vitality are, in part, a result of the chamber’s vision and groundwork, and Brian Gregory was key to all of that.
I mostly lost touch with Brian after he and his family moved back to the Bay Area some years ago, and I was heartbroken to learn he had died earlier this year at the way-too-young age of 59.
Brian was an inspiration to me and to countless others in this community. Rest in peace, my friend, and thank you.
According to our Google Analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 84,434 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over the last seven days. I should warn you that this is my opinion column, not a news story, and I’ve got a few things to opine about this week.
Whether you agree or disagree, your own opinions are welcome in our letters to the editor.
1. Ahead of Council Meeting, Architect Sketches Alternative Plan to Avert Permanent State Street Closure
Like many of you, I’m pretty much done with State Street in downtown Santa Barbara. Although it may have functioned like the center of my family’s solar system at one time, these days it’s out there well beyond Pluto.
That’s messed up.
Three years after it was closed to motor vehicles in a desperate bid to keep restaurants in business during the worst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, it still has the feel — and the look — of a desperate bid to keep restaurants in business.
While most locals have taken their business elsewhere, architect Cass Ensberg hasn’t given up.
The partner in Ensberg Jacobs Design is also a gifted artist, and her creative streak led her to come up with a solution to the question Santa Barbara can’t seem to answer: What can be done to make State Street a bustling and thriving center … for the entire community?
Ensberg shared her ideas, reasoning and conceptual designs with our Josh Molina, and judging by the readership and the feedback, I’m not the only one in her corner.
By the way, did I mention that she did the work on her own dime and time? It cost the City of Santa Barbara nothing and her recommendations wouldn’t take years to implement.
They’re also too simple and commonsensical to capture the imagination of the City Council and city staff, but we’ll get to that in an item or two.
Josh has all the details, but Ensberg’s vision starts with the assets and distinctive style in the downtown El Pueblo Viejo District and goes from there.
She believes flexibility is the key to restoring balance and vibrancy, and that it is possible to accommodate bicycles, cars, people and outdoor dining.
“Aren’t we a community who cares about everyone?” Ensberg observed. “I want as many people as possible in this town to be successful. That’s what Santa Barbara is all about.”
To that end, she proposes to preserve street trees but remove obstacles like thick vegetation to increase usable sidewalk space and visibility. The reintroduction of trolleys can help with senior and disability access that is practically ignored in the current chaos.
Under her plan, the full street width is maintained so parades can return to their rightful routes. Mobility circulation — for bicycles and vehicles — is kept in the center of the street.
And outdoor dining is encouraged — but in open, café-style seating on the newly cleared sidewalks and not in enclosed boxes in the street.
“This to me has to get restored, tomorrow,” Ensberg said of the parklets. “Tomorrow.”
As you’ll read in a minute, the City Council doesn’t share that sentiment. But I’ll bet the community does.
2. Building Destroyed in Santa Barbara Storage Yard Structure Fire
A spectacular early morning structure fire at a Santa Barbara storage yard kept firefighters busy on June 23.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, and was illustrated by terrific photos and videos from our Peter Hartmann, a Santa Barbara police officer came across the fire around 3 a.m. while on patrol in the 700 block of Carpinteria Street.
The site is in a densely packed industrial neighborhood a couple of blocks west of South Milpas Street on the ocean side of Highway 101. Conveniently, it was around the corner from Santa Barbara fire station 2, at 819 Cacique St.
Battalion Chief Michael Hoose said three engine crews responded initially, followed quickly by two more.
He said firefighters took about 40 minutes to put out the flames with an “aggressive and safe fire attack” that also was aimed at protecting nearby businesses.
Fire investigator Ryan DiGuilio told Giana that the 40-foot-by-30-foot structure and yard appeared to be used for storage and car repairs, so there were a lot of flammable liquids, spare tires and other burnable things on hand.
“It’s kind of one of those worst-case scenarios where it’s not a huge building but the things inside are super flammable,” he said.
Montecito firefighters also responded, and Hoose said the collective effort largely kept the flames contained on the property.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
3. Santa Barbara Celebrates Its ‘Roots’ with Colorful Solstice Parade
As zany as ever, the 49th annual Santa Barbara Solstice Parade showed off it “Roots” theme on June 24 as its celebrants danced, marched, sashayed, twirled, floated and rolled up Santa Barbara Street.
Technically, of course, the parade’s roots are on State Street, two blocks away, but I think I’ve sufficiently beaten that dead horse enough for one column.
Our Serena Guentz was out and about for the parade, and her coverage was enhanced by additional photos from readers Susie Clothier, Mark Ashton Hunt, Jagger Nisbet and Fritz Olenberger.
4. Santa Barbara’s State Street Promenade to Remain Closed to Vehicles Through at Least 2026
To no one’s surprise, the Santa Barbara City Council has decreed that State Street will remain the paradise they’ve made it — at least through 2026. Good luck with that.
As our Josh Molina reported June 27, after a grueling five-hour meeting with scores of public comments, the council voted to keep nine downtown blocks of State Street closed to vehicles for three more years.
The vote was 5-2, with Council members Alejandra Gutierrez, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Mike Jordan and Kristen Sneddon voting for the status quo under the guise of “changing paradigms” or something.
“The biggest psychological impact a city can have is on creating spaces for people to be together,” Sneddon declared.
“To me, cars in individual lanes is not an opportunity to be together. We are in transition. This is a new era.”
I think Harmon agreed.
“(We need to change that) paradigm to one that permanently commits to and prioritizes robust communal life,” she said.
Mayor Randy Rowse and Councilman Eric Friedman dissented, pointing out that that “communal life” isn’t so inclusive and suggesting that State Street be reopened to vehicles except on the few blocks that have a heavy presence of outdoor dining.
“Something different’s got to happen than what’s out there because what’s out there looks like it did in June 2020,” Rowse said.
“This is our fourth summer of that. I don’t think it is responsible.”
The council made several other decisions:
- Voted 6-1 to direct the Ordinance Committee to create standards for parklets outside the State Street bicycle, er, pedestrian promenade. Rowse dissented.
- Voted 7-0 to require parklets on private property to get permit approval from the Community Development Department.
- Voted 6-1 to create yet another committee, this one a public State Street interim operations committee to replace an ad hoc committee. Rowse dissented.
5. Vehicle Veers Off Highway 154 at Cold Spring Bridge; Injured Woman Rescued
A woman was seriously injured the afternoon of June 24 when the car she was driving veered off Highway 154 at the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge and plunged down the mountainside.
As our Janene Scully reported, the crash was reported around 2 p.m. Authorities said the woman was ejected from the sedan as it tumbled over the side and she was located about 15o feet below the roadway.
The car continued down the steep slope, eventually landing on its wheels on Stagecoach Road, about 400 feet below the bridge.
The rescue effort included personnel from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Los Padres National Forest, the California Highway Patrol, the Sheriff’s Department, 10 members of the sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, and several good Samaritans who witnessed the wreck.
After a short deliberation about how best to get the woman to safety, rescuers determined that hoisting her up to a sheriff’s helicopter was the most prudent and quickest, rather than trying to use ground crews.
About 45 minutes after the crash, the helicopter was flying her to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The woman’s identity and medical condition were not disclosed. The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the crash.
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Good Reads
These six stories are must-reads, too:
» Toxic Algal Bloom Leads to Hundreds of Sick or Deceased Marine Mammals on Local Beaches — Staff writer Serena Guentz tracks an alarming trend of sick and dying marine mammals in local waters.
» Ray Ford: Who Owns the Front Country Trails? — Outdoors columnist Ray Ford embarks on a different kind of exploration of local trails, and reaches an interesting destination.
» Retired Executive Returning As County Hires ‘Uncommon’ Number of Extra Help Employees — Managing editor Giana Magnoli is starting to do some math on Santa Barbara County personnel decisions.
» Goleta Council Approves Use of Eminent Domain for San José Creek Multipurpose Path — Serena covers the last leg of the San José Creek Multipurpose Path project in Goleta.
» Arson Suspect Arrested in Lompoc Vegetation Fire — Giana has the details on an arrest in a suspicious brush fire in Lompoc.
» Fred Warrecker’s Impact Spurred Carpinteria’s Pat Cooney Into Career as Coach and Educator — Sports editor Barry Punzal hits a home run with Carpinteria High School baseball coach Pat Cooney’s tribute to the late Santa Barbara High baseball legend Fred Warrecker.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Santa Barbara County Strikes Back at Montecito Residents Over Right-of-Way Encroachments.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
From the history files: Kit Carson and the Conquest of California.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
An abandoned funeral home in Glendora haunts my Instagram feed this past week, but it only serves to bury the lead for the everlasting attraction: my grandson, Nico.
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Watch It
This is a hoot. HT to Best of Bill reader Rhian Knowles.
