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According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 139,851 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading during that period.
This is my opinion column, and I write it in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher. This is not a news story, and I am not a reporter.
1. Pickup Truck Passenger Dies in Collision with Forklift in Santa Maria
A 39-year-old Orcutt woman was killed and her father injured when their pickup truck collided with a heavy-duty forklift near the Santa Maria Airport on May 2.
As our Janene Scully reported, Charles Peterson was driving a Dodge pickup in the 3000 block of Skyway Drive when the vehicle struck the prongs of a telescoping forklift driven by 81-year-old David Baskett.
Santa Maria police Sgt. Jason Zickuhr said Tiffany Ann Peterson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her father was taken by an American Medical Response ambulance to Marian Regional Medical Center with moderate injuries. He was released the next day.
According to Zickuhr, Baskett said he was returning the forklift to its rental company when the collision occurred.
While such forklifts can be driven on public streets, the California Highway Patrol noted that operators must follow traffic laws and safety rules.
Zickuhr said police are investigating the circumstances of the collision, but declined to comment on the position of the forklift’s prongs at the time of the wreck.
That’s just one of numerous questions surrounding the highly unusual incident.
Funeral services are pending for Tiffany Peterson, who is survived by her parents, Pam and Charles Peterson.
A GoFundMe account established to assist her family with funeral expenses had raised nearly $17,000 as of May 10.
“Tiffany was a young, sweet and loving person who adored her family and her cats,” according to the site. “She just recently adopted a kitten from Animal Services after having just lost their longtime family cat.
“She was teaching her new kitten tricks daily, and now she’s gone — a tragedy no parent should ever have to endure.”
Click here to make an online donation.
Baskett is an elected board member of the Santa Maria Public Airport District as well as an elected trustee of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
2. Officials on Track to Bring Metrolink Train Service from Ventura County to Santa Barbara, Goleta
After decades of trying, Metrolink apparently is catching the train to Santa Barbara County.
As our Josh Molina reported, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is looking at a $4.4 million, one-year pilot project that could start as early as this fall.
Officials say Metrolink would provide a morning northbound train from Moorpark, stopping at multiple locations on the way, and then returning not long afterward.
In the afternoon, Amtrak would provide a southbound train all the way to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
“There is renewed enthusiasm on the Central Coast coupled with the state’s fresh vision for a multimodal transportation network, turning this long-standing dream into a tangible possibility,” said Lauren Bianchi Klemann, SBCAG’s public information and government affairs manager.
I don’t know what any of that means but describing something as a “fresh vision for a multimodal transportation network” doesn’t exactly broaden the mass-market appeal.
Nor does California have much credibility when it comes to trains — like the $100 billion bullet-train boondoggle that has managed to build not even 1,600 feet of track bed over the last decade.
Our Alissa Orozco reported that an SBCAG committee met May 8 to discuss details, including a proposed transportation schedule, funding and potential next steps.
The project would require a four-party agreement between SBCAG, Metrolink, the Ventura County Transportation Commission and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency.
Funding could come from SBCAG and Ventura County Transportation Commission revenues, as well as passenger fares.
3. BizHawk: Little Alex’s Mexican Grill Cooks Up New Hot Spot in Santa Barbara Shopping Center
Some 2½ years after Little Alex’s Mexican Grill broke the hearts of South Coast soup fans when it closed up shop in Montecito, the family-owned restaurant is back in business.
As our Josh Molina reported, Little Alex’s has reopened at 3987 State St. at the former home of Fresco Café in Santa Barbara’s Five Points Shopping Center.
After 30 years in a tiny corner of Montecito Country Mart, Little Alex’s closed in late 2021.
But that was then. Now, it’s in a spacious new location, complete with an outdoor patio and a bar area. And it’s conveniently located between Montecito and Goleta.
In spite of all the new changes, Josh Briner, whose parents own the restaurant, says the enduringly popular menu is largely the same — right down to its famed chicken, rice and vegetable soup.
“Not many places have soup like we do,” he said. “Everyone talks about our soup.”
They also talk about the nachos, tacos rajas, chimichangas, breakfast burritos, arroz con pollo and New Mexico enchiladas. Or maybe that’s just me.
Let’s face it, the whole menu — especially the soup — is a #bestofbillrecommendation, and I’m really glad it’s back. Even if I have to leave Montecito to get there.
Little Alex’s is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
4. Santa Barbara School Board Approves Layoffs to Save District Nearly $2 Million
Santa Barbara Unified School District trustees voted unanimously on May 7 to eliminate the equivalent of 12 teacher and counselor positions along with 11 classified employees.
The move — taken on National Teacher Appreciation Day, of all days — would save the suddenly parsimonious district nearly $2 million.
As our Josh Molina reported, four teachers will be laid off entirely, while eight teachers and counselors will be offered lesser-paying jobs.
School board member Gabe Escobedo acknowledged the difficulty of the 5-0 vote.
“This is a really hard position to even be in, or consider,” he said. “These are not decisions that anyone has taken lightly.”
The vote comes amid intense contract negotiations between the district and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association, with a potential strike looming if no agreement is reached by the end of the school year.
The cuts were separate from those negotiations.
The eliminated positions include program facilitators, special education specialists, counselors and early childhood education teachers.
Classified layoffs affected youth outreach workers, human resources specialists, campus safety personnel and family engagement liaisons.
Art teacher Devon Espejo urged the district not to lay off classified employees.
“Teachers lost their trust and faith in this district a long time ago,” he said, criticizing the cuts to jobs and livelihoods.
Espejo highlighted the reliance on classified employees and their subpar living wages in Santa Barbara.
Teachers, students and their supporters packed the board room and an adjacent “spillover” room for the deliberations. Outside, they held a “wake.”
The district has been facing fierce public criticism, with widespread community support for teachers displayed on yard signs throughout the South Coast.
Teachers are demanding cost reductions in the district cabinet, highlighting a $221,000-a-year chief operating officer position created two years ago by Superintendent Hilda Maldonado, as well as the $2 million combined annual payroll and benefits for her executives.
Josh has more details in his always entertaining Santa Barbara Talks podcast.
5. County Supervisors OK Recommendations for Housing Rezoning on South Coast
In a significant move to address housing needs, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved rezoning 17 sites and nine county-owned properties on the South Coast for residential development.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, the decision could clear the way for the construction of more than 5,000 housing units.
The proposed sites were recommended by the county Planning Commission, while the Bailard Avenue site in Carpinteria, which was not part of the initial recommendations, was also approved for 50 lower-income and 132 above-moderate-income units.
The county-owned sites have the potential to accommodate 119 lower-income, 159 moderate-income and 42 above-moderate-income units.
Second District Supervisor Laura Capps expressed concerns about the allocation configuration, making a pitch for more lower-income units for county employees.
“It just seems like an incredible opportunity to take care of our own staff, a third of whom don’t live in the county, presumably because they can’t afford to,” she said.
Lisa Plowman, director of the Planning & Development Department, explained that market-rate units were necessary to fund construction on county-owned sites — just as they are everywhere else.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Santa Barbara Might Part Ways with Metropolitan Theatres at Fiesta 5; In Talks with Film Festival — South County editor Josh Molina directs the spotlight to Santa Barbara’s Fiesta 5 theater and some potentially double-billing news.
» County Supervisors Approve Another Extension of Jail Health Care Contract — Executive editor Giana Magnoli reports on a reprieve for the embattled health care provider at the Santa Barbara County Jail.
» Laurie Jervis: Goleta-Based Puzzle Designer Crafts Photos, Artwork into Clever Games — Columnist Laurie Jervis puts the pieces — and clues — together for a fascinating feature on a creative local entrepreneur.
» Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade — Contributing writer Alissa Orozco catches up with Santa Barbara’s Summer Solstice Celebration as it parades its way to a historic milestone.
» Santa Barbara County Courthouse Celebrates 50 Years of Docent Tours — Speaking of 50th anniversaries, staff writer Rebecca Caraway is your tour guide for a story on those telling the stories of one of Santa Barbara’s most famous and beloved landmarks.
» Mark Patton: UCSB Baseball Coach Rides Out Emotional Roller Coaster of Many Wins, One Huge Loss — Like many UC Santa Barbara baseball fans, sports columnist Mark Patton is intently following the Gauchos as they experience the worst of times and, now, the best.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? BizHawk: Calle Real Center in Goleta to Get Massive Makeover with Open Spaces, Entertainment Areas.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
All is not lost: University Students in Hawai‘i Use Cutting-Edge Technology to Digitally Restore Historic Buildings Damaged by Maui Wildfires.
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Here’s What I’m Up To
- June 6 — I’m not a morning person but the Rotary Club of Santa Maria Breakfast mentioned the possibility of pancakes. I’ll be there early to share Noozhawk’s story and North County expansion plans.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
A rare full family photo, the Minerva Club of Santa Maria, and @sadiethealaskanmalamute and her new buddy, @quartersthebasset, are all in my Instagram feed. Also, a #bestofbillrecommendation for Chef Rick’s in Orcutt.
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Watch It
South Africa traffic jam. HT to Best of Bill reader Anne Randall.
