Dan Walters has been my favorite California political journalist for decades now.
First with the Sacramento Bee and with CalMatters since 2017, his insightful, forthright columns are a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of the madness emanating from our state capital these days.
On Feb. 5, Dan is coming to the Lobero Theatre to kick off Noozhawk’s new Spotlight Santa Barbara speaker series.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, the series — a partnership of Noozhawk and Spotlight founders Jeff Giordano and Brian Goebel — is intended to cultivate serious, civil conversations about issues shaping our community, our state and the country.
It isn’t about advocacy or politics. It’s about creating space for independent thinking, context and respectful disagreement — the kind of conversation that too often gets lost right now.
And whether you’re on the left, right or anywhere in between, you know exactly what I mean.
I’m honored to be emceeing the event, and I’m thrilled to get to do it with Dan Walters as he takes an engaging, candid look at California’s past, present and future — and a rare chance for thoughtful, civil community conversation.
Click here to purchase tickets online, or email me at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com about a limited number of sponsorships available.
Our speaker negotiations are ongoing but we have additional events planned at the Lobero for April 16, May 21 and Oct. 8 or 9.
While we wait to reveal that all-star lineup, I’m also excited to welcome Kyle Tucker, the latest superstar to join the two-time defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
In addition to their quest for a three-peat, the Dodgers are continuing to save baseball by laying out for other fan bases the road map the billionaire owners of their favorite teams should be following for similar success. The New York Mets got the message.
Using our own map, Noozhawk drew an audience of 148,858 readers this past week, as tracked by our WordPress analytics.
What you’re about to read is my own take on your Top 5 stories over that period, according to our Google Analytics.
This is my weekly opinion column, which I write in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher. It is not a news story.
1. Defendant Makes Run for It After Jury Returns Guilty Verdicts in Sexual-Assault Case
A courtroom drama turned into a foot chase in downtown Santa Barbara on Jan. 16 after a jury convicted former UC Santa Barbara student Arian Eteghaei of multiple felony sex crimes.
Things really got out of hand — literally — not long after a judge ordered the 23-year-old East Bay resident into immediate custody after his salacious three-month trial.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, jurors found Eteghaei guilty of sexual penetration with a foreign object and domestic violence battery involving one woman, and forcible rape involving another.
Jurors also found true an allegation that there was more than one victim, but deadlocked on 14 additional counts tied to sexual assaults reported by six women.
A mistrial was declared on those charges.
Moments after the verdicts were read, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Von Deroian rejected a defense request to allow Eteghaei to remain free on electronic monitoring. She ordered sheriff’s bailiffs to take him into custody.
Eteghaei had been out on his own with such monitoring for several years, and his defense attorney, Encino-based Leonard Levine, argued that there was no indication his client was a flight or public safety risk.
“He’s now looking at 15 years to life,” Deputy District Attorney Lauren Franco countered, arguing that a lam-handed attempt was even greater now.
Her warning proved prescient while Levine ended up looking like a fool.
In the courtroom, bailiffs handcuffed Eteghaei — with his hands in front of him — and began to walk him from the Figueroa Division courthouse to a secure facility in the basement of the main courthouse to await transfer to County Jail.
As he and a bailiff crossed the street, however, Eteghaei suddenly bolted, sprinting west on East Figueroa Street before being tackled 1½ blocks away at the State Street intersection.
By sheer happenstance, our Pricila Flores was downtown on unrelated Noozhawk business and captured exclusive video of the dramatic arrest as two bailiffs struggled to wrestle Eteghaei to the ground with help from two bystanders and, a few moments later, by a third deputy.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick confirmed the escape attempt, telling Giana that Eteghaei was “quickly apprehended by deputies.”
“Quickly” is a relative term since the foiled, 229-yard freedom run was not a timed event.
Of course, the race conditions were not ideal. Mr. “No Flight Risk” was wearing what looked to be dress shoes and the aforementioned handcuffs while the first deputy to reach the State Street finish line was loaded down with typical law enforcement gear.
By comparison, in 2009, Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt covered roughly the same distance in 19.19 seconds, good for the world record in the 200-meter dash. Now THAT is “quickly.”
Whatever the speed, Superior Court officials and the Sheriff’s Department should revisit the circumstances of escorting defendants across public streets between courthouse buildings — a long-standing security concern.
Thanks to Pricila’s video, which also was posted on Instagram, the story quickly went viral, even getting picked up by the New York Post.
But while the conclusion of the day’s events came with a wild twist, we must not lose sight of the atrocities that preceded it.
Eteghaei’s convictions marked a partial but significant ending to a shocking case that has unfolded over more than three years and drew intense attention because of the number of alleged victims and the college campus setting.
Prosecutors accused Eteghaei, a UCSB freshman in 2020-2021, of sexually assaulting six women in separate incidents, including an ex-girlfriend identified in court as Jane Doe H.O.C.
The charges stemmed from reports made in 2021, when Eteghaei — who is from Dublin in Alameda County — was arrested and initially charged with sexual assaults involving three women.
As investigators continued their work, three more women came forward with similar allegations, authorities said.
During the lengthy trial, as reported comprehensively and primarily by our Rebecca Caraway, multiple Jane Does testified about vile encounters they described as nonconsensual and traumatic.
Jurors heard detailed accounts of the alleged sexual assaults, as well as testimony about text messages, relationships and brutal behavior patterns the prosecution argued showed a disturbing pattern of violence and control.
Eteghaei took the stand in his own defense, categorically denying all allegations of sexual misconduct and dismissing the encounters as consensual.
Prosecutors are still weighing whether to retry the unresolved counts. A status hearing on the case is set for Feb. 17, with sentencing tentatively scheduled for April 8.
2. 4 People Injured in Multivehicle Crash on Highway 154
A Jan. 18 multivehicle crash on Highway 154 near Lake Cachuma injured four people — one of them requiring extrication.
As our Janene Scully reported, Santa Barbara County firefighters, the California Highway Patrol and American Medical Response ambulances were dispatched just before 6 p.m. to a four- or five-vehicle collision near the entrance to Camp Whittier at 2400 Highway 154.
Emergency dispatch reports indicated that one occupant suffered critical injuries, two others suffered moderate injuries, and a fourth had minor injuries.
One person had to be extricated from the wreckage.
No identities were released and the CHP is investigating the circumstances of the crash.
3. Where Is the Most Affordable Coffee in Santa Barbara?
I’m not a coffee drinker myself but I know that the first sip of joe can be a small moment of joy. In Santa Barbara, your cups runneth over.
To help spark the conversation, our Rebecca Caraway and Pricila Flores brewed up an idea to survey local, coffee-focused shops (skipping national chains) to see where prices, food options and atmosphere stack up.
The results ranged from budget-friendly drip coffee to splurge-worthy lattes, with plenty of personality in between.
But their list is only a starting point. Coffee is personal, and everyone has a favorite cup, corner table or go-to order.
Rebecca and Pricila are inviting readers to check out their compilation, try somewhere new — and share their own favorite Santa Barbara coffee spots and why they love them. Tips — and complaints about omissions — can be emailed to news@noozhawk.com.
I’ll put in a plug for one they missed: Goodland Waffles & Melts, at 1131 State St. inside Mosaic Locale, across the street from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
My friend, Bobby Georges, is the owner and “chief waffle officer” at the place, which serves scratch-made waffles, grilled cheese sandwiches and other breakfast/brunch options, in addition to a dark espresso for $3.50 a cup.
I may not know beans about coffee, but waffles and grilled cheeses are my jam.
4. BizHawk: Drover’s Doughnuts Rolling Into Goleta
Drover’s Doughnuts has expanded to Goleta with the opening of a new location at 5745 Calle Real, near Trader Joe’s.
As our Daniel Green reported, customers can expect a variety of doughnut flavors, along with bagels, sandwiches and drinks.
Drover’s already operates two stores in the Santa Ynez Valley: at 252 E. Highway 246, Suite C, behind the Buellton Jack in the Box, and 484 First St. in Solvang.
Goleta store hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, and closed on Thursday and Friday.
5. Man Found Dead in Santa Barbara’s Alameda Park
A 66-year-old Santa Barbara man was found dead in Alameda Park on Jan. 16, and authorities say there are no initial indications of foul play.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, Santa Barbara police, firefighters and an American Medical Response ambulance responded around 10 a.m. to the two-block park at 1400 Santa Barbara St. after receiving a call about an unresponsive man lying near a bench.
The emergency contingent found the man with no pulse and, after unsuccessful lifesaving measures, pronounced him dead at the scene.
On Jan. 21, the Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau identified the man as David Wayne “Curly” Neal, describing him as a local transient.
Police said foul play is not suspected.
Funeral services are pending, but Neal’s daughters, Sierra and Callie Neal, established a GoFundMe account to raise money for his cremation.
Sierra Neal called her dad “a good friend to everyone he met and knew,” and added that he always did the best he could for her and her sister.
“The memories of camping at Pendola, enjoying life at the hot springs, and fishing on the Santa Barbara pier with his loving friends and family will live strong in our hearts,” she said.
As of Jan. 23, the account had raised $605. Click here to make an online donation.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» 2 Men Found Guilty of Gang Murders of 2 Santa Barbara High Students on Lower Eastside — Staff writer Daniel Green relays the verdicts in the 2021 gang-related murders of Santa Barbara High School students Angel Castillo and Omar Montiel-Hernández.
» SpaceX Conducts Vandenberg Space Force Base’s 1st Starlink Mission of Year — In case you didn’t hear it, North County editor Janene Scully has the details of a Jan. 22 late-night rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
» 5-Story Apartment Complex for De la Guerra Street Gets Final Approval — Daniel is following the plans for a five-story, 40-unit apartment complex in downtown Santa Barbara.
» County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato Retiring in July — Executive editor Giana Magnoli catches up with Santa Barbara County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato before her July retirement after 12 years on the job.
» Santa Maria Council Takes Steps to Close City’s $25 Million Budget Gap — Janene is on the finance beat for the Santa Maria City Council.
» Dan McCaslin: Moon Over Refugio Canyon Bridge — Outdoors columnist Dan McCaslin on a cool trail that’s hidden in plain sight.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Bidens Arrive for Another Santa Barbara County Visit.
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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.
Feb. 5 — Noozhawk is partnering with Spotlight Santa Barbara on a 2026 speaker series and I’ll be moderating a Q&A with Dan Walters, the legendary gold standard of California political writers. His topic at the Lobero Theatre? California politics — past, present and future. Click here to purchase tickets online.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Now that you mention it, what happened to our winter of summer? The Psychology Behind Why We Discuss the Weather as Small Talk.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
For many reasons, a Houston wedding was the highlight of my Instagram feed this past week.
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Watch It
This baby rhino is happy to be brushed off. HT to Best of Bill reader Aoife O’Brien.
