If you’re reading this, congratulations! You made it through 2020. Happy new year!
With — literally — 2020 hindsight, there are so many things we wish could have been different about last year.
In spite of the challenges, though, there were innumerable blessings and accomplishments.
On a personal level, my son, Will, married the love of his life, Colleen, and the Los Angeles Dodgers finally won the World Series.
From a community standpoint, a large team of us pulled off the merger of the Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria Valley chambers of commerce, creating the new Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce to be a unified and more assertive voice for business.
You’ll be hearing a lot more from the South Coast and Santa Maria Valley chambers of commerce next week as we step up our joint advocacy for a safe and swift pathway for business to get back to business — and for the entirety of the coronavirus crisis to be treated with urgency, not just the public health threat.
But I’m most grateful for Noozhawk readers who, time and time again, provided crucial and enthusiastic support for our mission and vision. That was demonstrated just yesterday, on Dec. 31, when you pushed us well past our year-end fundraising goal of $50,000.
Thank you for your commitment to us. We are just as committed to you, and next week I’ll be sharing some of Team Noozhawk’s exciting — and typically ambitious — plans for 2021.
You regularly tell us that our reporting truly makes a difference in this community and in your life. That was even more true last year when reliable and trustworthy local news took on heightened importance and relevance.
Over the last 13 years, we’ve proven that our model works. And you’re proving that Santa Barbara County will step up to support what we’re doing. It’s a terrific partnership, and we’re just scratching the surface of the impact we can have.
If you have the means, I invite you to please become a member of our Hawks Club and help us carry our 2020 momentum into this new year. Your contribution, at any amount, makes a huge difference for the local news you need.
According to our Google Analytics, Noozhawk closed out the year with 108,236 readers this past week. What follows is a recap of — and my own take on — the Top 5 most-read stories during that period.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column as Noozhawk’s publisher. It is not a news story.
1. Bill Macfadyen: Santa Barbara Homeowner Gets Cut Down to Size after Street Trees Fiasco
My Best of Bill columns are nearly always in our Top 10 most-read stories of the week, and they occasionally make the Top 5. The rubbish I write rarely finishes first, but don’t underestimate how protective our community is when it comes to trees.
Last week’s column easily outdistanced very strong competition for this week’s top spot, however.
Our Google Analytics also indicated it was responsible for the continued robust readership of our Josh Molina’s two stories on the Santa Barbara Riviera tree butchery incident, especially his report on criminal charges being filed against the homeowner and a member of the tree-cutting crew.
2. Authorities Release Name of Woman Found Dead in Vehicle on Mesa in Santa Barbara
The woman found dead in a car parked near the top of Santa Barbara’s Thousand Steps was identified as Mary Madison “Mei Mei” Randolph. She was 2 months shy of her 21st birthday.
Authorities believe Randolph took her own life, but Raquel Zick, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau, told our Tom Bolton that toxicology test results are still pending.
Emergency crews were dispatched just after 7 a.m. Dec. 12 to the end of Santa Cruz Boulevard, above Thousand Steps Beach on the Mesa, where they found the woman unresponsive in the car.
A hazmat team was summoned because she apparently had used a chemical concoction, reportedly hydrogen sulfide, to kill herself.
According to Randolph’s obituary, she grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and Macon, Georgia, before moving to Santa Barbara last year to attend college.
Her family described her as a vivacious daughter and sister who “loved fiercely and brought joy to the lives of everyone around her.”
A funeral service was held Dec. 21 at Christ Episcopal Church in Macon.
Randolph’s family asked that memorial donations be made to Good Heart Recovery, 205 W. Mission St. in Santa Barbara.
Click here for suicide prevention information and resources that are available 24/7.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 800.273.8255, and the Santa Barbara County 24-hour, toll-free hotline is 800.400.1572.
3. First Storm of Season Drenches Santa Barbara County
Just as forecast, the season’s first significant storm barreled into Santa Barbara County the night of Dec. 27. It stuck around longer than anticipated the next day and delivered a lot more rain than expected, but my landscaping isn’t complaining.
Not only did almost a day of downpours dump more than 3½ inches of rain on San Marcos Pass above Santa Barbara, it dusted 3,997-foot La Cumbre Peak with snow and dropped hail all over the place.
While the mountains got the most rainfall, our Brooke Holland reported that county Public Works Department rain gauges recorded respectable totals that included 2.42 inches in Summerland, 2.11 inches in downtown Santa Barbara, 1.93 inches in Montecito, 1.78 inches in Goleta, 1.59 inches in Carpinteria, 1.38 inches in Santa Maria, 1.35 inches in Solvang, 1.29 inches in Lompoc, and 1.11 inches in Guadalupe.
Lake Cachuma collected 1.66 inches of rain, which brought the county’s main water source to more than 64 percent full, according to the county Flood Control District.
Fortunately, aside from some flooded roads, there were no significant weather-related incidents reported.
The night of Dec. 29, however, a mud and rock slide blocked both directions of Highway 154 north of San Antonio Creek Road, about 1½ miles north of Foothill Road.
The California Highway Patrol said the slide was reported around 9:20 p.m., and Caltrans crews had the roadway reopened by 11 p.m. The rest of the mess was cleaned up the next morning.
There were no injuries in the slide.
Thank you to Noozhawk readers Mike Eliason, Cody Westheimer, Dianne White and Alex Ziegler, who shared their storm pictures with us. Future photos can be emailed to news@noozhawk.com.
4. Santa Barbara Considering New Law to Combat ‘Nuisance Behaviors’ Around Liquor Stores
After years of not doing something about drinking, loitering and other, shall we say, “civic engagement activities” outside liquor stores and mini-markets, the City of Santa Barbara has decided it’s now time to not do that anymore.
As our Josh Molina reported Dec. 29, the Police Department is pursuing a “deemed approved” ordinance aimed at reducing “nuisance behaviors” such as public drunkenness and urination, noise and the frequent harassment of passersby.
Under the proposal outlined by police spokesman Anthony Wagner, the ordinance would require alcohol retailers to keep the outsides of their businesses free of litter, loitering, graffiti and public consumption of alcohol — or risk fines and/or tighter regulation of their booze sales.
In addition to doing their own policing, a fee would be required to fund a dedicated enforcement officer to … also do their policing.
Businesses selling alcohol must go through a conditional-use permit process, which gives the city the opportunity to deny an application or impose conditions, including restrictions on the types of products sold.
The problem has been that older establishments — many of them on North Milpas Street on the Lower Eastside — have been grandfathered into the system, which means the city has less control over them than newer businesses.
The city wants to level that playing field by requiring businesses that were established under more lenient conditions to comply with what are now more stringent deemed approved standards, which should help control the sale of single-serve alcoholic beverages, including mini bottles.
City Councilwoman Alejandra Gutierrez, who represents the Milpas neighborhood, wants the city and business owners to collaborate on alcohol regulation.
“The city and liquor store owners need to come together and talk about all the issues surrounding the Milpas area, and what issues the liquor stores play a part in,” she said.
“What I never understood was why the city allowed so many liquor licenses on Milpas, where it seems that there is a liquor store on nearly every corner. You don’t see that in other neighborhoods.”
That’s a fair question, but Wagner disagreed.
“I don’t necessarily believe we have an oversaturation problem,” he said. “We have a divergence of following the rules because there was never a compliance mechanism to make sure they are following the rules.”
That’s not the only disconnect. Josh stopped by a few of the Milpas liquor stores but none of the proprietors had even been informed of the city’s efforts.
5. One Person Injured in Christmas Morning Fire at Goleta Home
A spectacular fire at a Goleta residence early Christmas morning sent one person to the hospital, but the blaze could have been so much worse.
Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli told our Tom Bolton that a structure fire was reported around 3 a.m. in the 7500 block of Durham Place, off Brandon Drive in El Encanto Heights.
He said crews arrived to find an auxiliary unit at the single-family home engulfed in flames, along with nearby trees and vegetation.
Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from causing significant damage to the main house while they put out the blaze.
Bertucelli said one person was treated at the scene for moderate injuries, then transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. No further information was available.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Stormy Christmas Night Prompts Flood, Wind Advisories — and a Brief Tornado Warning?
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Let’s close the book on 2020 with some teenage action heroes: Teen Boys Form Human Chain to Save Kids Who Crashed into Icy Pond While Sledding.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
I finished my #mailboxesofmontecito2020 route in my Instagram feed this past week. Now, it’s on to #mailboxesofmontecito2021, the fourth season.
• • •
Watch It
I know I’m too late for Christmas, but Natalie Tran, my favorite YouTube comedienne, is back after a four-year hiatus — or, in her words, “more than four days. And, you know, a presidential term, and a global pandemic and stuff.” It’s a Christmas miracle!
(communitychannel video)
• • •
How You Can Help Noozhawk
Noozhawk is proud to be the go-to source of news for locals like yourself. You trust and rely on us to provide timely, relevant and thorough coverage of the issues that shape Santa Barbara County.
And we get up early — and stay up late — excited to report what’s going on in our community so we can keep you informed and engaged.
While most of Noozhawk’s revenue comes from advertising and sponsorships, we believe that reader contributions are a vital source of support — financially and fundamentally. We believe that if we ask our readers to contribute what you think we’re worth, we can build a sustainable business model for local news.
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today! Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Your loyalty membership helps us continue to provide you with unmatched local news and in-depth reporting on the issues that you care about.
Please note that personal contributions to Noozhawk are not deductible as charitable donations.
Thank you for your support.
— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Instagram: @bill.macfadyen, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
