Jean Blois was truly one of my favorite people.
She was a sharp businesswoman, a brilliant political strategist, a humble public servant, and a tireless advocate for all things Goleta.
Jean had a lightning-fast sense of humor that flashed in just about every conversation I ever had with her, and she was curious about everything.
Years ago, she took an interest in me, and was one of Noozhawk’s earliest and most enthusiastic supporters. She asked insightful questions about our news coverage and offered astute observations about how we were going about our business.
Along with the late Larry Crandell, Jean was one of Noozhawk’s first Hawks Club members, providing crucial financial support from our readers. I think she saw it as her civic duty as “Mrs. Goleta” to balance out Larry’s renown as “Mr. Santa Barbara.”
Geographically, I figured, I couldn’t lose with those two behind us.
Jean and I last spoke in person at the 2022 Goleta’s Finest Community Awards Gala at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, where she was being honored by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.
When I congratulated her on the recognition, the then-95-year-old joked that the chamber was cutting it awfully close for a Lifetime Achievement Award but that it sure beat a posthumous one.
She also reminded me, for the umpteenth time, of her longstanding request for a red-tailed hawk scream to greet Noozhawk readers when they opened our website.
I never took care of that, but maybe I can get it done for her now … posthumously.
Jean, it was a privilege. Thank you for everything.
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According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 126,874 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over that period. As a reminder, this is my opinion column and not a news story.
1. BizHawk: Story Behind Shalhoob’s ‘Shooby’ Burger; Big Changes Coming to Santa Barbara Public Market
A series of big changes is in store for the Santa Barbara Public Market, the 15,000-square-foot downtown dining and entertainment destination on the corner of Chapala and West Victoria streets.
The market marks its 10th anniversary on April 14, and owner Travis Twining told our Josh Molina that there are a number of comings and goings underway.
For starters, Shalhoob’s is moving on, or at least going on hiatus.
Shalhoob’s owner John “L.J.” Shalhoob said he’ll be focusing his attention on Shalhoob’s Funk Zone Patio at 22 Gray Ave. as well as his newest location at the old Woody’s Bodacious Barbecue at 5112 Hollister Ave. in the Magnolia Shopping Center.
Meanwhile, mixologist Tim Cooney of Simply Cocktails will be moving in to the Public Market, serving up two new bar concepts.
One bar will be called Cooney’s Front at the front of the marketplace and the other called Cooney’s Back at the … wait for it … back of the venue.
Twining said Wexler’s Deli, an authentic Jewish deli, will be opening April 8 across the aisle from Rori’s Artisanal Creamery.
In addition, the Shalhoob’s vacancy will be filled by a new gourmet salad and sandwich spot featuring “a famous chef” whose identity Twining declined to disclose.
The Public Market has emerged as downtown’s most popular sports bar, with around 30 TVs — including, apparently, “the largest TV in Santa Barbara” — and a new menu on tap with “traditional buffalo wings with different levels of heat.”
With the crowds comes a lot of noise, and Twining said he’s working with a sound designer to reduce the volume as well as the echoing throughout the cavernous concrete digs.
2. Santa Barbara Set to Gain Another Hotel as Renovations Take Place at Local Church
Giving “sleeping in church” a new meaning, a former house of worship at the corner of Chapala and Mission streets in Santa Barbara is being transformed into a 37-unit hotel.
Arvand Sabetian, the owner of the property at 1915 Chapala St. and its developer, said the hotel will retain the building’s original architecture with a range of extended-stay rooms inside, including studios and one- and two-bedroom units, all with kitchenettes.
“There’s not a lot of lodging that’s recently been built that kind of caters to that,” he said.
As our Rebecca Caraway reported, the hotel expects to open in late 2025.
Although City of Santa Barbara officials — and many residents — are increasingly choosing housing over hotels, Sabetian argues that the site is better suited for the latter.
“There is a large parking lot,” he said. “You could build over it, but we’re talking about what to do with this historical structure and what can you do with it to better serve both the city and the neighborhood.
“Having an empty building there, that’s not beneficial to anybody.”
Speaking of the empty building, the former church’s congregation, Way Collective, has moved a couple of blocks away to First Congregational Church of Santa Barbara at 2101 State St.
This isn’t Sabetian’s only hotel project in Santa Barbara. He’s also developing a 30-room self check-in hotel at 812 Garden St.
3. Vehicle Ends Up in Dry Creek After Highway 154 Crash in Santa Ynez Valley
A Tesla driver apparently lost control of his car on Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley on March 24 and the sedan plunged some 150 feet into a dry creek bed.
As our Janene Scully reported, the crash was called in around 9:25 a.m. at Santa Agueda Creek, just north of Armour Ranch Road and about 3½ miles east of Santa Ynez.
Santa Barbara County firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers rushed to the scene and found that the Tesla had smashed through a guardrail on the northbound side of the highway and tumbled into the creekbed.
Authorities say the driver — identified by the CHP as 37-year-old Robert Moak of Santa Barbara — declined medical treatment but was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
A heavy-duty tow truck was called out to remove the mangled vehicle.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the wreck. No other vehicles were involved.
4. Carpinteria Amends Live Music Rules After Multiple Complaints Directed at Island Brewing Co.
Employees and patrons rallied behind Island Brewing Co. at the March 25 Carpinteria City Council meeting after the brewery received 21 noise complaints last year, most of them from the same household and mostly about the bar’s outdoor live music.
Island Brewing Co. owner Paul Wright says he feels threatened by the complaints, while the objectors — part-time residents Eileen and Stephen Marcussen — say the loud music disrupted their work, their mental health and the quiet enjoyment of their home.
Wright emphasized the importance of live music for local musicians rather than business impacts.
“These are people who play because they love the music,” he said. “It takes time for bands to build their repertoire.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carpinteria allowed indoor live music only. The council approved temporary outdoor live music in 2020, but that exception was due to expire June 30.
While many supported the brewery and outdoor music, the Marcussens stuck to their position on the noise.
“We believe that any amendment to the licensing conditions would amount to an ethical collapse that would essentially approve and allow businesses to deprive residents of their fundamental right, their right to quiet enjoyment in their private homes,” Eileen Marcussen said.
After reviewing the live music licensing regulations, the council unanimously approved permanent outdoor live music allowances, even removing revocation rules after three citations.
Volume and distance limits also were ditched as unenforceable.
5. Thieves Steal Rug from San Luis Obispo’s Iconic Madonna Inn 4 Years In a Row
In an audacious caper, rogue rugrats executed a brazen raid on the unsuspecting Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo — rolling up and carting off an embroidered welcome mat at Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House.
It was the fourth such theft in as many years.
As reported by Chloe Jones of our partner, the San Luis Obispo Tribune, witnesses described a pack of college-age men snatching the welcome mat the night of March 9 before high-tailing it to their getaway car.
The gang pushed bystanders out of the way as they ran out the door, and their car nearly collided with another vehicle during their escape from the parking lot.
Management is not amused by the shenanigans.
“It’s a serious problem,” restaurant manager Connie Pearce told Chloe. “It’s something that is getting out of hand, and I don’t want to see one of them hurt. I also don’t want to see them running over a small child.
“The way that they leave out of here is really dangerous, and somebody could get run over.”
San Luis Obispo police are investigating the theft, and have reported the incident to Cal Poly, with the suspicion that the perpetrators may be students.
The lengthy Tribune story included detailed descriptions of the suspects, their vehicle and even a partial license plate number, along with photos taken from security cameras.
What the newspaper did not include, however, was a picture of the stolen rug.
Noozhawk reader Stephen Bonser thought that odd so he tracked one down for me. Consider us both underwhelmed.
Don’t get me wrong. If caught, I hope the hotel can make a maximum example out of these hoodlums while calling them on the carpet.
But I was expecting something like a much larger area rug, perhaps with more of the bold, outlandishly whimsical designs the Madonna Inn is famed for.
Stealing a doormat is wrong, but it’s also pretty lame. Friends of the rug robbers should be ridiculing them while calling San Luis Obispo police at 805.594.8061 to rat them out.
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Good Reads
Don’t miss these six stories before you go:
» Mother’s Story of Loss Helps Shine Light on ‘Scourge of Fentanyl’ in Santa Barbara County — North County editor Janene Scully puts some faces to the fentanyl epidemic that is taking a deadly toll in Santa Barbara County.
» Judy Foreman: When Aging Gives You a Dressing Down, Win One from the Zipper — Fresh off her DMV misadventures, columnist Judy Foreman shares another chapter of her life lately. Once again, her predicament really resonates with her readers.
» Students’ Knitting Creations Weave Tight-Knit Sense of Community at Ellwood Elementary in Goleta — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway weaves a yarn about Ellwood School in Goleta that wool leave you smiling.
» Another Significant Storm Expected to Douse Santa Barbara County — Editor in chief Tom Bolton dampens my hopes for an end to the rainy season. As far as I’m concerned, winter can go now.
» News-Press Bankruptcy Trustee Wants Owner Wendy McCaw Found in Contempt for Limiting Building Access — Executive editor Giana Magnoli has the latest plot twist in the Wendy McCaw soap opera. Hollywood writers could not come up with a more execrable villain than the woman who ran the 155-year-old newspaper into the ground.
» Mark Patton: Oakley Family Revels in Its Rich Past, Present in National Pastime — Sports columnist Mark Pattons adds UC Santa Barbara baseball star Nick Oakley’s name to a local lineup card that is loaded with family.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Lake Los Carneros — Full Again — Is a Sight to Behold.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
The myth of the all-electric future is coming unplugged: ‘I Was Wrong About Renewables,’ Former Green Energy Executive Says.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
I run into an old friend in Los(t) Alamos(t) in my Instagram feed this past week. I also have rainbow pix and some semi-rural scenes.
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Watch It
There’s a miracle in the works. Have a blessed Easter.
