Heavy on high tech and entrepreneurship, the South Coast Business & Technology Awards are among the most prestigious business honors in Santa Barbara County.
Noozhawk may no longer be a startup but, as an entirely online local news company, these are our peers and our people.
So we are beyond excited to have earned the 2024 Excellence in Service Award from the august organization, which raises money — a lot of money — for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbaraa.
You can click here to read our Ann Pieramici’s report on the June 11 awards ceremony, which also recognized Executive of the Year Jackie Carrera, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation; Entrepreneurs of the Year Andrew Firestone and Jess Parker, principals of StonePark Capital; Company of the Year Tecolote Research; Pioneer Award honoree Zohar Ziv; and Rising Stars Rabbit and Pearly.
What follows are excerpts of my remarks at the gala:
When I started Noozhawk 17 years ago, our only goal was to provide Santa Barbara and Goleta with the professional, trustworthy and unbiased local news reporting that our community needed and deserved.
We had no map in the uncharted territory we were venturing into. As pioneers, we made our share of stumbles, but we never lost focus on the community we serve.
This community is a special place, built on the shoulders and vision of centuries of remarkable people whose names you see on street signs, buildings and parks all over town.
We strive to live up to their example and that heritage every day, and are proud to play a small but vital role in making Santa Barbara County a better place — certainly better informed and more knowledgeable about what’s going on here.
My partners — business development vice president Kim Clark and editor in chief Tom Bolton — and I have lived here most of our lives. We’ve raised our families here, and now our children are embarking on their own journeys locally.
Well, Kim’s twins just graduated from college and are starting their careers in Navy aviation so they’ll have to wait a few years …
There are so, so many people who played a role in Noozhawk’s development, evolution and success: Our advertisers, our sponsors, our 23,000 daily readers, and the several thousand Hawks Club members who voluntarily support us financially.
From my publishing role model, Steve Ainsley; to the late Jim Haslem, a key startup adviser and one of my closest friends; to my biggest champion, the late Larry Crandell, “Mr. Santa Barbara” and the founding member of our Hawks Club; to Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Goleta and now Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce; to Renee Grubb and Ed Edick at Village Properties Realtors, whose advertising back in October 2007 provided the seed money to get Noozhawk started; to all of my cronies at the Santa Barbara Club who have never stopped telling me what I ought to do. I’m grateful.
And on behalf of Kim and Tom, we want to thank our extraordinary staff who embody the ideals of quality journalism, fairness and integrity that are at the center of our community reputation.
Finally, we wish to thank our spouses, no doubt long-suffering and at times somewhat dubious: my wife, Missy; Kim’s husband, Woodie; and Tom’s wife, Joan. We could do some of this on our own, but none of it would be possible without their support.
Thank you again for this honor.
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Noozhawk drew an audience of 145,829 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading. This is an opinion column, not a news story, and I write it in my civic role as Noozhawk’s publisher.
1. Highway 101 Construction Project Set to Begin in Santa Barbara This Summer
The interminable Highway 101 widening project is creeping toward Santa Barbara, with the fourth of five construction phases expected to start in August or September on the northbound side of the freeway through Montecito.
As our Daniel Green reported, officials with Caltrans and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments outlined their plans at a lightly attended June 6 forum at Montecito Union School.
According to spokeswoman Kirsten Ayars, the northbound lanes will be split in two through about a mile of the construction zone, with one of the lanes shifted onto the southbound side between Hixon and Olive Mill roads.
This $700 million phase will include new entrance and exit ramps at San Ysidro, Olive Mill and Hermosillo roads; the addition of a carpool lane in each direction; and new safety barriers and sound walls.
No two ramps will be closed at the same time, and once that work is complete, it will be repeated on the southbound side.
“People should expect that there will be changes where they’re normally driving,” Caltrans project manager Joe Erwin said.
“There’s going to be a lot of lane shifts as we construct the different parts.”
Due to space constraints through the area, this phase is the most challenging of the $1 billion, 11-mile widening project between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara.
The entire project is expected to be complete in 2028.
2. BizHawk: Derf’s Café in Santa Barbara Closing After Nearly 50 Years of Service
Derf’s Café, a beloved, low-key Santa Barbara eatery for 47 years, is closing its doors at the intersection of De la Vina and West Mission streets.
Longtime owner Kent Storey told our Josh Molina that he must vacate as he couldn’t negotiate a lease renewal with his landlord.
“I’m heartbroken,” he said.
Storey, who bought Derf’s in 1994 after moving from Michigan, hopes to reopen elsewhere while keeping the name and liquor license.
Known for its funky, rounded patio, American fare and full bar, Derf’s has been a community staple among locals.
We used to go there when we lived in San Roque because the patio was sun-bathed and kid-friendly, but my friend, Sarah Webb, summed it up best:
“My friends and I would go almost every weekend to drink a John Daly, eat a BLTCA and watch for wrong way drivers on De la Vina,” the former Noozhawk intern said.
3. Buellton Hazmat Incident Prompts Shelter-in-Place Order, Road Closure
A leaking carbon dioxide tank in Buellton on June 9 prompted a hazmat incident, including brief shelter-in-place orders and road closures.
As our Janene Scully reported, Santa Barbara County firefighters responded around 11 a.m. to Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. — at 45 Industrial Way, a few hundred yards south of Highway 246 — after a large exterior CO2 tank leak.
Five employees evacuated safely and no injuries were reported.
Nearby businesses sheltered-in-place as crews in hazmat suits isolated the 10,000-gallon tank.
Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said that after monitoring showed normal air readings, the shelter-in-place order was lifted. Industrial Way was reopened after roughly 45 minutes.
4. What Exactly Does Affordable Housing Mean in Santa Barbara?
In advance of Noozhawk’s upcoming Housing Hits Home series, we asked our Rebecca Caraway to explain just what it means when officials and policy makers talk about “affordable housing.”
After defining the “extremely low income,” “very low income,” “low income” and “moderate income” terms, she provided critical context for their use.
Rebecca also outlined the actual numbers of each level in Santa Barbara County as well as the State of California’s mandates for how we’re expected to meet their needs.
5. Vandenberg Space Force Base Sees Third Launch of Week with SpaceX Rocket’s Liftoff
SpaceX launched another 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base early on June 8, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities.
As our Janene Scully reported, our June Gloom marine layer obscured views from around Santa Barbara County as the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:58 a.m.
Soon after launch, the first-stage booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship several hundred miles out in the Pacific Ocean.
Less than an hour later, the Starlink satellites were deployed.
Vandenberg has been busy the last week. In addition to the SpaceX activity, the military test-launched a pair of missiles from underground silos on North Base.
SpaceX is seeking to increase its number of Vandenberg launches to as many as 36 a year.
Although the California Coastal Commission was supposed to discuss the proposal at its June 12 meeting in Morro Bay, the hearing was delayed for a couple of months.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories you should read:
» County Supervisors Frustrated Over Cannabis Dispensary Delays — Santa Barbara County’s financial windfall from cannabis is proving as elusive as a wisp of marijuana smoke. Who could have predicted that? Executive editor Giana Magnoli has an update on yet another underwhelming aspect of our misplaced weed dreams.
» Santa Barbara’s Tunnel Trail Closing for Months for More SCE Restoration Work — Contributing writer Isabella Genovese has some discouraging news for Tunnel Trail hikers.
» Santa Barbara Council Votes to Put Sales Tax Measure on Ballot, OKs Overall Budget — Oblivious to the inflation tax plaguing constituents, the Santa Barbara City Council decides to ask them to approve a sales tax hike, too. South County editor Josh Molina has the details.
» Santa Barbara Triathlete Susan Cochran, 71, Is In It to — Finish — Copy editor Marcia Heller catches up with 71-year-old triathlete Susan Cochran … and, boy, is she winded. Bada-bing!
» Mark Patton: Baseball Regional Gives Bob Brontsema a Victory Lap to Cap 43 Years at UCSB — Sports columnist Mark Patton has been on a hot streak, and his latest column, on the retirement of UC Santa Barbara baseball and athletics legend Bob Brontsema, is another home run.
» Erin Graffy: Carly Kieding Sails Ahead in Santa Barbara Boat Battle Bragging Rights — Talk of the Town columnist Erin Graffy takes to the seas with her lead item, on sailing phenom Carly Kieding.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Driver Arrested After Hit-Run Collision That Seriously Injured Pedestrian in Santa Barbara.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
So we’re going to destroy the environment in order to save it? Cool: Solar Project Planned for Mojave Desert Will Destroy Thousands of Joshua Trees and Endangered Tortoise Habitat.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
I was kind of busy this past week, but my Instagram feed made time for @sadiethealaskanmalamute, Lasagna 2.0 at @theoriginalpetrinis, an appearance at the Rotary Club of Santa Maria, Breakfast, and my newest friends at Mountain View School in Goleta.
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