I’m not sure I can believe it, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are the National League’s Best in the West again for the 12th time in 13 years.
To the fury and frustration of Dodger Nation, they tried mightily to give it away over the last 3½ months.
And if I’m being honest, they probably only clinched on Sept. 25 when the offense ran up the score so high in Arizona that even Major League Baseball’s spectacularly worst blowpen couldn’t, well, blow it. Again.
Now the defending World Champions really have their work cut out for them, being forced to fight their way back to the World Series via the wild card route.
It’s a humbling position to be in, what with superstars throughout the lineup, the league’s highest payroll, a record-setting attendance of 4 million, and all the other expectations they — and we fans — have.
But maybe this will put a chip on their shoulder and sharpen their focus. Let’s run it back.
Noozhawk fans certainly ran it back this week, with an audience of 149,886 readers, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top Five most-read stories, as tracked by our Google Analytics over that period.
This is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Music Venue, Restaurant, New Market Headed to Downtown Santa Barbara
The long-closed Casa Blanca restaurant at State and East Gutierrez streets in downtown Santa Barbara could become home to a music venue, restaurant, piano lounge and urban park under plans that have earned initial support from the Historic Landmarks Commission.
As our Josh Molina reported, the site at 330 State St. — a prominent corner that has been fenced off and largely vacant for the last five years — would see dramatic changes under the proposal by new owners Jeffrey Wilkins and 9 Muses Management LLC.
Project plans include a restaurant and market, outdoor dining area and façade improvements while preserving the 13,791-square-foot building’s 1937 Moorish tower designed by architects Carleton Winslow and R.H. Pitman.
A total of 18 parking spaces along Gutierrez Street would be replaced with landscaping to create a park-like atmosphere.
“We have opened this corner entirely to invite people in off the street,” said Graham Goldich, a landscape designer and project manager with Bosky Landscape Architecture.
“We really want to bring people in.”
Commissioners expressed enthusiasm despite minor concerns about materials and colors.
“I am pretty excited about this project,” Commissioner Cass Ensberg said. “I think it’s really, really nice, and I really like the approach and the thinking.”
But I think commissioner Michael Drury spoke for the public, especially those of us who have reached a point of exasperation with downtown’s deterioration.
“Anything would be better than what is there now,” he said.
2. Railroad Crossing for Santa Claus Lane to Cost Extra $750,000 for ‘Licensing Fee’
Santa Barbara County officials have approved an additional $750,000 “licensing fee” to create a formal railroad crossing as part of Santa Claus Lane improvements that are nearing a total of $8.5 million.
As our Josh Molina reported, the unexpected fee from Union Pacific — which owns the railroad tracks separating the short strip of commerce from the shoreline west of Carpinteria — is calculated at roughly $225 per square foot based on beachfront property values.
Union Pacific wants to eliminate the current scattered, unofficial crossings where people dart across tracks to reach the beach.
“Union Pacific holds all the cards in this process,” county Public Works Department director Chris Sneddon told the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments on Sept. 18.
“They don’t want people crossing at 30 different locations. It is going to have a single crossing point.”
Historically, train deaths on South Coast railroad tracks have exceeded rates in nearby counties, according to a 2019 county Civil Grand Jury report.
In fact, transportation agencies have launched a public awareness campaign in communities along the busy Amtrak Pacific Surfliner corridor, as our Nick Forselles was first to report.
The Santa Claus Lane Beach Access and Streetscape Improvements Project includes new soundwalls, parking spaces, pedestrian and bicycle paths, lighting and landscaping.
The undertaking, which is not to exceed $8.4 million, includes $1.33 million from Measure A, a 2008 voter-approved local sales tax earmarked for transportation projects.
First District Supervisor Roy Lee supports the additional expenditure, saying it will give locals better beach access.
3. BizHawk: What’s in Store for Longtime Vacant Commercial Spaces in Goleta?
Longtime readers of these Best of Bill columns know how popular our weekly BizHawk feature is.
We asked our Josh Molina to take a break from writing about specific comings and goings and instead drive around Goleta to find out what’s happening with vacant buildings and spaces that don’t appear to be going anywhere.
It turns out that several major development opportunities are taking shape in some of them.
The most significant is City Ventures’ proposal for up to 59 housing units at the former Santa Barbara Motorsports location at 5955 Calle Real, just east of North Fairview Avenue.
The company has six months to submit formal permits under its preliminary state Senate Bill 330 application.
At Camino Real Marketplace, three vacant spaces are generating interest, including the recently vacated Mesa Burger store and the long-empty restaurant space next to Jane at the Marketplace.
Property manager Mark Ingalls reports active negotiations for all three sites, aiming to bring new businesses that don’t duplicate existing offerings.
Meanwhile, as our Rebecca Caraway reported previously, the former Bed Bath & Beyond at Fairview Plaza may become a pickleball facility, although details remain preliminary.
4. 1 Person Hospitalized After Crash on Montecito Street in Santa Barbara
A three-vehicle crash on Santa Barbara’s Lower Westside put one person in the hospital and ignited a brief engine fire on Sept. 19.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Cory Cloud said the collision happened just after 11 a.m. at the intersection of Cliff Drive and West Montecito Street, just west of Rancheria Street.
Cloud said a westbound compact SUV rear-ended a pickup truck, setting the SUV’s engine compartment ablaze. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire.
One individual was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. No identity or medical details were released, however.
A third vehicle had minor damage.
Santa Barbara police are investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
5. Rare Lightning, Showers Illuminate Santa Barbara Sky
A rare rare lightning storm lit up Santa Barbara County skies late on the night of Sept. 23 and into the early morning hours the next day, with more than 50 strikes an hour recorded over several hours.
As our Pricila Flores reported, National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittell said a slow-moving thunderstorm delivered 54 lighting strikes between 10 and 11 p.m. Sept. 23, followed by roughly 50 strikes an hour well into Sept. 24.
As you can see from the nearby graphic, most of the storm activity was out in the Santa Barbara Channel. There were no reports of any significant damage onshore.
Santa Barbara County received only modest rainfall from the storm, with Buellton recording the most at 0.63 inches. Santa Barbara logged 0.26 inches, while just 0.07 inches fell on Carpinteria.
The thunderstorm was a result of a low-pressure system lingering over the Central Coast.
Click here for the latest weather service forecast.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort to Expand Despite Union Opposition — South County editor Josh Molina checks in on expansion plans for the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.
» Collaboration to Bring GED Testing Center to Santa Maria — Staff writer Pricila Flores explores a new initiative aimed at helping more local residents earn their high school diplomas.
» Goleta Valley Now Home to The Pad Climbing Gym — Contributing writer Katherine Ball reports on a new climbing gym getting more than a toehold in the Magnolia Shopping Center in Noleta.
» Cal Poly Student Wins Lego Design Contest With Seaside Italian Village — Brick by brick, San Luis Obispo Tribune reporter Sadie Dittenber builds a unique toy story about a Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo student’s Lego masterpiece.
» Rob Raede: Aegean’s Mediterranean Cuisine Already Changing Santa Barbara Food Scene — Let’s Go Eat columnist Rob Raede raves about Aegean, chef Efe Onoglu’s new “flag-less” Mediterranean restaurant. He’s not alone as I’ve heard equally enthusiastic reviews from friends of mine who took Rob’s advice and tried it out.
» SBART Luncheon: Santa Barbara Football’s Griffin Arnold Named Gary Blades Big Game MVP — Sports editor Diego Sandoval huddles up with Santa Barbara High quarterback Griffin Arnold, the biggest star in the Dons’ biggest win in The Big Game.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Wrong-Way DUI Driver in Fatal Highway 101 Santa Maria Crash Faces Murder Charge.
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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. 6 — Thanks to my uncle, Don Macfadyen, I’ll be sharing Noozhawk’s North County expansion plans with the Santa Ynez Valley Men’s Forum. It pays to have connections.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Not my usual fare and not that convenient to get to, but this offbeat story is not a bridge too far: In Appreciation of Echo Bridge, the Coolest Music Venue in Texas.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed is almost an all-weather report this past week.
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Watch It
I really don’t know what I’m watching, or why, but it’s oddly mesmerizing.
