For nearly a week, 1o young women from Pedal the Pacific have been in Santa Barbara County while on a 1,700-mile cycling trek to San Diego from Seattle.
The riders are raising awareness about sex trafficking and raising funds to help its survivors, mostly through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Now a full-fledged nonprofit organization, Pedal the Pacific was founded in 2017. I got involved quite by chance that same year when its three founders rolled into Santa Barbara on an initial ride that was leaving quite a lot up to chance.
They’ve come quite a long way since.
Most locals are unaware that sex trafficking is even in our community, much less that it is so pervasive.
I used to be one of them until Noozhawk started investigating the issue about a decade ago.
The community needs to know that this depraved abuse of children — as well as men and women — is happening all around us.
But locals also should be proud of the fact that Santa Barbara County has become a nationally recognized leader in the fight against sex and human trafficking through a surprisingly extensive collaboration of local agencies, nonprofit organizations and civic leadership.
The cyclists on the 2023 Pedal the Pacific team — Iggy Andrews-Zachry, Moriah Busch, Sara Garcia, Claire Kenyon, Caroline Murray, Rachel Newton, Jordan “J.P.” Pilcher, Katherine Thomas, Ally Tripure and Emma Warner — are helping do that, one mile at a time.
On July 15, they arrived in Lompoc, where Ann McCarty and the North County Rape Crisis & Child Protection Center, along with the Lompoc Rotary Club, the Lompoc-Vandenberg Chapter of the American Association of University Women and Vandenberg Space Force Base, hosted them at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Our Janene Scully has more on their Lompoc visit, which included a dinner with more than 100 community members. Among those in attendance was Assemblyman Gregg Hart, D-Santa Barbara, who has worked on the sex trafficking issue since his time on the Santa Barbara City Council.
During the dinner, the team presented McCarty with a $5,000 Pedal the Pacific grant to support the North County Rape Crisis Center’s work.
On July 18, they headed to Santa Barbara, stopping for lunch — and restrooms and air conditioning — hosted by ExxonMobil at its processing facility on the Gaviota coast.
The riders have been staying with several host families from All Saints By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Montecito, with support from Junior League of Santa Barbara, Kyle’s Kitchen, Lotusland, Noozhawk, Parker Clay, the Santa Barbara Club, Velo Pro Cyclery and art educator Sondra Weiss.
This weekend, our Rebecca Caraway will have a report on their main event in Santa Barbara: a July 20 roundtable discussion with the Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force led by District Attorney John Savrnoch and Megan Rheinschild, director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program.
As of July 21, this year’s Pedal the Pacific team is just $32,000 short of its $140,000 goal — a figure that would push the organization’s cumulative fundraising past the $1 million mark, a remarkable ride.
Click here to make an online donation.
In the meantime, Noozhawk’s journalists have been pedaling as fast as they can. According to our Google Analytics, we had an audience of 93,267 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading. As a reminder, this is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Good Fences May Make Good Neighbors, But Decorative Gate Opens Door to Conflict
Santa Barbara County planning commissioners have found themselves embroiled in a dispute between neighbors over a decorative ranch gate in Santa Ynez.
The entrance gate to Russ Allen’s cattle ranch — at 2710 Brinkerhoff Ave., a little more than a half-mile north of Roblar Avenue east of Highway 154 — stands 21 feet high with bright blue tile on a horizontal cap and a decorative wall, exceeding the usual height limit.
As our Janene Scully reported, neighboring ranch owners Susan and Rick Weber, who live across the road, expressed their concerns about the gate’s glazed ceramic tiles causing a severe reflection into their hilltop home.
According to the Webers, the wavy blue tile accumulates condensation and reflects sunlight. They maintain that the design of another gate on Allen’s ranch — one without the blue tile cap — should be replicated at the main entrance.
Allen’s representative, Elsa Reader, a project manager with CSA Architects in Santa Barbara, maintained that the blue tile serves as a branding feature for the ranch.
The gate’s height, she said, also was justified as practical for accommodating tall hay trucks, livestock trailers, ranch equipment and emergency vehicles, given the 55-acre property’s scope and the owner’s other 500 acres.
The planning commissioners, acknowledging the complexity of the issue, hoped for a resolution through dialogue between the parties involved.
“We’re kind of being put in the parental position here,” Fourth District commissioner Larry Ferini said of the dispute.
First District commissioner Michael Cooney was more direct.
“We’d love — all of us, I think — to see it resolved by the parties,” he said.
The commissioners appeared to be ready to grant the Webers’ appeal and deny the project, voting for staff to return Aug. 9 to present written findings of denial.
Parke warned that the commission’s action would require removal of the entire gate, not just the tile.
“Don’t stumble into a situation where you have to take the whole thing down,” he said.
2. Overdose Suspected After Body Found Near Santa Maria Restaurant
Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding a dead man found around midday July 15 outside a Santa Maria restaurant.
As our Janene Scully was first to report, the body was discovered about 12:45 p.m. on the sidewalk in front of the newly closed Arby’s at 2326 S Broadway.
According to Santa Maria police, the death was being treated as a suspected drug overdose. The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau is investigating.
The man’s identity was not disclosed, pending notification of family.
Arby’s closure earlier this month reportedly provided an opportunity for an impromptu homeless hangout. One good-natured transient was even seen telling would-be customers that the restaurant had shut down.
3. BizHawk: Santa Barbara Beach Hostel Opens Near Amtrak Train Station
The Santa Barbara Beach Hostel has rolled out its welcome mat near the waterfront, providing a new option for budget-minded travelers.
As our Josh Molina reported, the hostel at 134 Chapala St. — along Mission Creek across the railroad tracks from the Amtrak station — is the creation of International Travelers House.
Technically, it’s a re-creation as the long-vacant, single-story building was once home to the Santa Barbara Tourist Hostel.
The property was purchased and renovated by ITH CEO James Black and his partners, who converted it into spare, modern lodging with a beachy vibe.
Accommodations include combinations of dormitory and private rooms, shared bathrooms, showers, lockers and laundry. Rates for shared rooms start at around $60, with private rooms going for $200 to start.
4. Big Housing Project Proposed for High-Profile Site on Carrillo Street
Architect Brian Cearnal, founding partner of Santa Barbara’s Cearnal Collective, has unveiled plans for a new downtown housing development.
The proposed 37-unit complex — at 320 W. Carrillo St. just east of Castillo Street — will contain 19 one-bedroom apartments, 12 two-bedroom units and four studio apartments.
Two three-bedroom units will be configured inside the historic Bates House, a circa 1904 Queen Anne-style structure that will be restored and moved to the front of the less-than-half-acre property from the rear.
Seven of the units will be below-market rate for low- and very-low income residents.
In addition to the Bates House, the site currently is occupied by a 3,000-square-foot commercial building.
The four-story project, just under 48-feet tall, is proposed under California’s bonus density law. Controversially, no parking will be provided for residents, which is allowed under another state law since there are bus stops nearby.
“My approach to this is to create a very rational, traditional, urban apartment building,” Cearnal said.
As our Josh Molina reported, the project received mostly positive feedback during a conceptual review by the Historic Landmarks Commission and will now head to the Planning Commission.
The development aims to offer much-needed housing options for Santa Barbara’s workforce, whose lower-income employees are finding that most rental options are financially out of reach.
5. Bill Macfadyen: Bed Bath & Beyond Closing Gives Noozhawk Readers an Opening
I don’t know. Was it the headline item about Bed Bath & Beyond closing in Goleta or my second item, about the Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club, that drew readers like moths to a flame? Either way, I’m grateful.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce Launches Trolley for Downtown Visitors — The demise of the downtown trolley is one of the biggest complaints I hear about whatever it is the City of Santa Barbara is doing with its State Street “miracle.” Staff writer Rebecca Caraway jumps on the bandwagon of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce as it rides to the rescue.
» Dense Fog Spoils the View But Not the Launch of SpaceX Falcon Rocket with Starlink Satellites — North County editor Janene Scully follows the latest launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which actually provided quite a light show for much of Santa Barbara County. HT to Noozhawk readers Tracie Doordan, Nan Schooley, Matt Udkow and Matt Wallace for sharing their photos with us.
» Santa Barbara Talks: Peter Lewis Says City’s Housing Policies Hurt Affordable Housing Building Downtown — Developer Peter Lewis chats with staff writer Josh Molina on Josh’s Santa Barbara Talks podcast. His is a perspective we would be wise to heed.
» Drones, Satellites and AI: How California Fights Its Unpredictable Wildfires with Analytics — Julie Cart, a reporter with our partner CalMatters, smokes out a new era of wildfire behavior strategies.
» Community Helping Guadalupe Family After Mother’s Body Found in San Diego — Janene has an update on the heartbreaking story of Leyva Oregel, a Guadalupe mother of two who was murdered in a suspected domestic violence case.
» Mark Patton: Doug Little, The Kamikaze Kid from San Marcos High, Battled Valiantly to Life’s End — Sports columnist Mark Patton takes another of his patented walks down Memory Lane with a tribute to the late Doug Little, one of San Marcos High School’s all-time biggest BMOCs.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Santa Barbara County Moves to ‘High’ COVID-19 Community Transmission Level in CDC Metric.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
I’ve lived here most of my life and I’m just learning about this? Explore the Gaudí-Inspired Architecture of Santa Barbara’s “Whale House.”
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
After untangling a web of wires outside @thesantabarbaraclub, #myhomeawayfromhome, my Instagram feed is all @pedalthepacific this week. Ride on!
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Watch It
The slow and steady desert tortoise may not have changed much since the Pleistocene Epoch, and it’s probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of high-tech innovation, but there’s a developing connection that may help stave off its extinction. HT to Best of Bill reader Shannon McPhee for shelling me on this video.
