Just like that we’re on the eve of March, with the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers’ opening day only four weeks away.
Team Noozhawk has been in midseason form all year, with an audience of 157,681 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 compiled by our Google Analytics.
This is not a news story. It’s my opinion column, which I write in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher.
And, boy, do I have some opinions this week.
1. Hot Springs Trail in Montecito Turns Into Tour Bus Destination
A Los Angeles County tour bus was spotted dropping off dozens of hikers at Montecito’s Hot Springs Trail on Feb. 15, intensifying frustration among local residents already concerned about the trail’s overwhelming popularity.
As our Josh Molina reported, a neighbor captured the incident on video, which shows a bus from Rowland Heights-based MKS Charter Bus Co. unloading visitors at the East Mountain Drive trailhead, a couple of hundred yards west of Hot Springs Road.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hot springs became an international destination, largely through social media exposure of unpermitted, illegally built and hygienically suspect pools located about 1½ miles up the mountain.
“This isn’t a family going up there,” retired Santa Barbara fire Chief Pat McElroy told Josh. “This isn’t individual hikers.
“This is a for-profit business.”
McElroy expressed concerns about wildfire risks and evacuation challenges with the dozens of hikers’ vehicles already parked along East Mountain Drive and upper Riven Rock Road — and now tour buses.
Montecito Association executive director Houghton Hyatt acknowledged neighborhood concerns but noted there are “no legal grounds to restrict bus entry or limit visitors to our public trails” under current regulations.
Besieged residents have long complained about illegal parking, blocked driveways, littering, vandalism, trespassing and unauthorized campfires from trail users.
Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Roy Lee said his office is working on solutions, including a pilot program to increase enforcement on high-wildfire risk days.
McElroy is among the locals who formed the Santa Barbara Wildfire Protection Group to advocate for more responsiveness from elected officials and agencies with jurisdiction over the Hot Springs Trail area.
So far, however, state and federal authorities — namely Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and state Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara — have talked a good game but state and federal oversight agencies need to start backing them up.
The charter bus company did not respond to requests for comment.
2. Authorities Release Name of Lompoc Homicide Victim
The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau has identified 39-year-old Eddie Bravo as the victim of a Feb. 16 fatal shooting in Lompoc.
As our Janene Scully reported, Lompoc police and firefighters responded to reports of gunfire late that night in the 800 block of North Seventh Street near East Pine Avenue, a residential neighborhood two blocks east of Fillmore Elementary School.
Emergency responders found Bravo bleeding from a gunshot wound and rushed him to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, where he later died.
As of Feb. 28, police have not announced any arrests or potential motives for the shooting, the city’s first homicide of 2025.
Bravo’s family has established a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses. Services are pending.
His sister, Jenny Bravo, described him as “a son, a father and a friend, and a light in so many people’s lives.”
As of Feb. 28, the account has raised more than $6,500. Click here to make an online donation.
Police initially described Bravo as 29, rather than 39. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact LPD’s Detective Bureau at 805.875.8120.
3. Santa Barbara County Supervisors Approve Own Pay Raises as Meeting Turns Personal
Santa Barbara County’s spending bender shows no signs of slowing down after the Board of Supervisors boldly voted to increase its annual salaries to $171,000 from $115,000 — a mere 48.7% raise — along with healthy but comparatively modest bumps for department heads.
As our Josh Molina reported, the supervisors worked one of their allegedly typical 9½-hour days on Feb. 25, listening to hours of public comment for and against their pay hike.
I have neither the energy nor the interest to recap all of Josh’s play by play of many of the remarks, including those of a couple of increasingly defensive supervisors, but you should read it for yourself. It’s worth your time.
The supervisors justified their increase by comparing themselves to other counties — like San Diego, California’s second largest county with a population of 3.2 million, where supervisors earn $219,540.
Lest we forget, Santa Barbara County’s population is 440,000. And declining.
In last week’s Best of Bill column, I said my piece on the pay raises and stand by what I wrote:
“I’m not disputing the supervisors’ dedication or whether they merit a raise, but the optics of 48.7% in this climate and economy are preposterous.
“And really quite insulting to the rest of us working stiffs, who would be laughed out the door if we asked our bosses for half as big a jump.”
My friend, former Supervisor Peter Adam, has a different take and wrote a commentary for Noozhawk in support of the, er, a raise.
With his trademark thoughtfulness, diligence and common sense, Adam proposed an alternative path that included ditching the convoluted methodology the county follows for compensation rates while reducing the ever-growing size of the county workforce when our population is trending down, not up.
That went nowhere, however, as Supervisors Laura Capps, Joan Hartmann and Steve Lavagnino voted for their self-determined compensation.
Supervisor Bob Nelson dissented, unsuccessfully calling for an independent commission to review and recommend pay rates. Supervisor Roy Lee — only six weeks into the job — abstained.
48.7%. Wow. Just wow.
4. Proposed New Creeks Ordinance in Santa Barbara is an ‘Extinction-Level Event,’ Homeowners Contend
Santa Barbara homeowners along the city’s creeks are rallying against a proposed ordinance that would prohibit new development within 50 feet of waterways, potentially affecting property values and renovation plans.
As our Josh Molina reported, the ordinance would restrict buildings, patios, non-native plantings and other structures within the buffer zone of Santa Barbara’s 16 creeks.
Existing structures could remain, but rebuilding or substantial redevelopment would require adherence to new “minimum required buffer regulations.”
“This is an extinction-level event for homeowners within the creek buffer,” said Schuyler Naphen, who has spent $30,000 on feasibility studies to improve his property along San Roque Creek.
His plans for a new garage and accessory dwelling unit would be blocked by what he calls the “misguided” ordinance.
“There are entire properties, entire homes, within the buffer,” said Naphen, who considers himself an “environmentalist.”
“If the Creeks Division just gets to just say no, literally, nothing will happen.”
Engineer Joan Fargas, who created a website opposing the measure, noted that “50% of my lot is gone, not usable for anything else other than to let the native plants grow.”
City officials maintain the ordinance would enhance water quality, preserve scenic beauty and reduce flooding.
Melissa Hetrick, the Creeks Division’s resilience program supervisor, said the goal is to “maximize protections of the creek, while avoiding takings of property.”
The ordinance also applies to “minor creeks,” which the city defines as “any creek that is not a major creek or a flood control project reach.”
An interesting twist is how the proposed requirement is reconciled with the city’s Housing Element and state housing laws prohibiting discretionary local review of ADUs.
Jarrett Gorin, a land-use planner with Vanguard Planning, thinks it’s a direct violation of both.
“This ordinance ignores our housing problems and a lot of other priorities that the city has,” he told Josh.
“It is focused on one single priority, and I can only hope that our elected officials have the common sense to understand that.”
The ordinance must be approved by the Planning Commission and City Council before implementation.
5. Federal Agents Reportedly Arrest Man in Raid on Santa Barbara’s Westside
Federal agents reportedly used a battering ram to break down an apartment door and arrest a man on Santa Barbara’s Westside the morning of Feb. 23.
As our Daniel Green reported, La Casa de la Raza spokeswoman Jennifer Sanchez said she was on the phone with the family in the apartment when multiple law enforcement officers arrived around 7 a.m.
She said that when the suspect’s brother, a U.S. citizen, asked to see a warrant and invoked his constitutional rights, the officers returned with a battering ram to force entry.
Sanchez, the donor coordinator at the nonprofit community service and immigrants rights organization, acknowledged the detained man had been taken off probation a few days before.
She would not identify him or provide other details, including the alleged crime for which he was convicted.
According to Sanchez, the officers identified themselves as being from the FBI, but she believes they were Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
ICE did not respond to requests for comment about the arrest.
Santa Barbara police Sgt. Antonio Montojo said the department was informed that ICE agents were in the city that morning but that SBPD officers were not involved.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Cottage Health Hires Scott Wester as New President & CEO — Executive editor Giana Magnoli introduces Cottage Health’s new president and CEO. Scott Wester has some big shoes to fill after Ron Werft but is excited about the opportunity to follow his footsteps and help the health care system “look at new opportunities that Cottage maybe hadn’t thought about.”
» Goleta Smacked in Court Over Refusal to Process Shelby Housing Application — South County editor Josh Molina delivers some crushing news for the City of Goleta, which doesn’t yet appear to have grasped the sweeping extent of its defeat.
» Santa Barbara Council Approves New Bike Rules for State Street — Josh has an update on the Santa Barbara City Council’s latest spin on the downtown chaos caused by kamikaze cyclists and electric motorcycles.
» Santa Barbara Sets Record with High Temperature of 82 Degrees — Editor in chief Tom Bolton forecasts a change in the weather, but the week’s record-setting high temperatures are my kind of winter.
» Montecito Welcomes Families Displaced by Los Angeles Wildfires with Family Barbecue — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway stops by Montecito Union School for a particularly poignant welcome “home” party.
» Long-Awaited Ellwood Restaurant Officially Opens at Goleta Beach — Rebecca provides a taste of The Ellwood restaurant, which is finally open at Goleta Beach Park.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Santa Barbara Makes Changes to Its Sidewalk Vendor Ordinance.
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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.
- March 31 — The Santa Barbara Yacht Club invited me to talk about the state of news media — and Noozhawk — at its Monday Forum.
- May 28 — My favorite topic, Noozhawk, is on the agenda for my appearance at the Rotary Club of the Santa Ynez Valley.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Did this really seem like a good idea at the time? The Disastrous North Pole Balloon Mission of 1897.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
I’m SLO-ly working my way through San Luis Obispo County in my Instagram feed.
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Watch It
You definitely don’t want to miss the guy shouldering his work load. As always, though, Ozzy Man comes with a language warning.
