Long before ballots were mailed for the Nov. 3 election, Team Noozhawk was hard at work planning and previewing who and what you’ll be voting on.
Between our Election Section, which is updated nearly every day, and our weekly Election Report newsletter, you can read our staff interviews with candidates running for mayor and council seats in all eight cities in Santa Barbara County, coverage of candidate forums, and Q&As with some school board and special district hopefuls.
We also have information on how and where to cast your ballot on time to be counted. Spoiler alert: It’s a really long ballot so you’d better get started now.
We’re also trying to reschedule last week’s illness-derailed VotingMatters forum with CalMatters.
Meanwhile, we had a terrific Spotlight Santa Barbara conversation on Oct. 8 between Spotlight co-founder Brian Goebel and First Amendment warrior Greg Lukianoff, CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
The two discussed free speech, censorship and the importance of open debate, and included a much crisper audience Q&A than the one I moderated earlier this year with CalMatters columnist Dan Walters. Eh, live and learn.
Look for our Pricila Flores’ report on the forum on Oct. 9.
Noozhawk reached an audience of 125,444 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over that period, as tracked by our Google Analytics.
As you should know, this is my weekly opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. 1 Dead, 1 Injured After Parking Garage Crash in Downtown Santa Barbara
A car slammed into a wall inside a downtown Santa Barbara parking structure on Oct. 6, killing the passenger and injuring the driver.
As our Tom Bolton and Daniel Green reported, the single-vehicle crash occurred just before 5 p.m. at municipal Lot 10, at the corner of Anacapa and East Ortega streets.
Authorities said a Tesla sedan entered the garage from Ortega Street without slowing down and ended up with major front-end damage when it hit the wall on the other side at the midblock exit off Anacapa Street.
Santa Barbara police Lt. Ryan Dejohn said officers began lifesaving efforts before Santa Barbara firefighters and paramedics arrived.
The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
As of Oct. 9, no identities have been released by authorities. The survivor’s condition also has not been disclosed.
The circumstances of the wreck remain under SBPD investigation.
2. Santa Barbara Council Votes to Ban Short-Term Rentals in Most Neighborhoods
Santa Barbara is cracking down on short-term vacation rentals, with the City Council on Oct. 6 unanimously approving restrictions on properties listed through Airbnb, Vrbo and similar platforms.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, the new ordinance prohibits vacation rentals in inland residential neighborhoods and areas at high risk of wildfires while imposing significant limitations in coastal zones.
“I really think that we have found a balance that speaks to our obligation to provide visitor-serving accommodation, to provide access, and to also maintain the quality of life that makes our coast so remarkable in the world,” Councilwoman Meagan Harmon said.
The inland regulations take effect Jan. 11, while coastal restrictions require California Coastal Commission approval. A commission review is expected sometime next year.
Residents complained about noisy parties, fire hazards and neighborhood disruptions, while rental operators warned of financial hardships and fewer affordable accommodations for visitors.
The ordinance allows owner-occupied homeshares and requires a two-night minimum stay.
Santa Barbara officials estimate the coastal restrictions will slash tax-paying vacation rentals to just 65 from 265, costing the already cash-strapped city $2.3 million to $3 million a year in lower transient-occupancy taxes.
Council members may consider additional flexibility for West Beach properties.
3. Family Remembers Santa Barbara Homicide Victim as Hardworking, Quiet Man
Now two weeks after 18-year-old Pablo Fabian Hernandez was discovered fatally wounded in a Santa Barbara park, police have provided no new information in a case investigators are calling “a homicide.”
In last week’s Best of Bill column, I wrapped up our Pricila Flores’ interview with Hernandez’s heartbroken family, including his dad, José Pablo Hernandez Carballo, and uncle Macario Hernandez Sanchez.
Hernandez was found unresponsive just before 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Chase Palm Park, at 323 E Cabrillo Blvd. along the waterfront.
Authorities said responding police officers rendered aid before Hernandez was rushed by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he died from his wounds.
Police said he suffered “multiple injuries to his upper body” during an assault. No suspects have been identified publicly.
4. BizHawk: Clementine’s Steak House in Carpinteria Prepares to Say Goodbye
For more than a half-century, the sweet smell of homemade pies drifted from Clementine’s Steak House, welcoming generations of diners to the familiar blue building at 4631 Carpinteria Ave.
On Oct. 4, the family-owned restaurant served its last meals.
As our Pricila Flores reported, Clementine’s closed after more than 50 years, prompting an outpouring of memories — and more requests for reservations than owner Lloyd McLenithan could accommodate.
“People have such great memories here,” he told Pricila.
Those memories were everywhere, from family photographs covering a kitchen refrigerator to McLenithan’s decidedly old-school reservation system: names and times handwritten on a yellow legal pad.
The restaurant was started by his mother, Irene “Clementine” McLenithan, and remained a family affair.
And then there were the pies.
Last weekend, longtime customers returned for one last steak — and another slice of Clementine’s beloved homemade pie — before a Carpinteria tradition disappeared.
McLenithan said the restaurant’s fate was set after the property was sold to new owners, who allowed Clementine’s to continue operating for two years — time he said he was grateful to have, with no hard feelings about the transition.
5. Inmate From Orcutt Accused of Sexual Assault of Girls Dies at Nursing Facility
A 79-year-old Orcutt man accused of sexually abusing four young girls at an in-home daycare over several years has died while receiving medical treatment at a Santa Maria care facility.
As our Janene Scully reported, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said Ernest Lattimer died Oct. 5 at Villa Maria Post Acute, a skilled nursing facility at 425 E. Barcellus Ave.
Lattimer had been in custody at the Northern Branch Jail since January, facing 17 felony counts involving alleged sexual abuse between 1998 and 2010.
He had pleaded not guilty in Superior Court and was awaiting an Oct. 20 preliminary hearing.
Investigators began examining the allegations in 2019 after a then-19-year-old woman reported she had been raped from ages 7 to 12 at an Orcutt daycare.
Detectives later identified three other alleged victims.
Lattimer was hospitalized July 30 and subsequently transferred to Villa Maria because of extensive medical problems.
Because he remained in custody, the sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the circumstances as an in-custody death.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories, too:
» Montecito Firefighters Help Stuck Fox in Unusual Rescue — South County editor Evelyn Spence has a happy fox tale to tell.
» County Sees Fewer Illegal Street Vendors After Enforcement Effort — Staff writer Daniel Green serves up some good news in the fight against the ubiquitous illegal street vendors selling suspect food all over the place, often in front of legitimate, permitted, health code-compliant, taxpaying restaurants.
» Land Trust Plans to Buy and Preserve Naples Gaviota Coast Property — Executive editor Giana Magnoli reports on a major development on the Gaviota coast that could lead to no development.
» Planning Commission Approves Carpinteria Surfliner Inn on 3-1 Vote — Evelyn is on hand for the latest stop in the Surfliner Inn saga in Carpinteria.
» Ray Ford: Remembering Those Who Died Fighting the Romero Fire — Outdoors writer Ray Ford continues his account of the tragic 1971 Romero Fire.
» Dos Pueblos Flag Football Battles to Season Sweep of San Marcos with 14-6 Rivalry Win — Sports editor Diego Sandoval catches the big game between Dos Pueblos and San Marcos high schools.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Santa Barbara Man Convicted of Murder, Assault in Toddler’s Death.
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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. 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
I feel like we’ve heard this kind of B.S. before from a deceitful, paranoid, autocratic regime: Russian Agency Overseeing Infectious Disease Lab Says Worker’s Death Not Caused By Accident.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Our annual Hawks Club cruise on the Condor Express and @sadiethealaskanmalamute sail through my Instagram feed this past week.
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Watch It
Note to self: Order a sunset show like this for next year’s Hawks Club cruise. HT to Best of Bill reader Kate Sands for a killer whale of a sight in Monterey Bay.
