Summer may be winding down, but there’s still almost a week of August left. What’s remarkable about that is that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the division title is already at 19.

Nineteen!

On Aug. 26, with 38 games to go.

The Dodgers are insanely good — the best team in baseball by the numbers — but the only number that counts is where they finish. As the great Ricky Bobby says, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

While we’re on the subject of numbers, Noozhawk had an audience of 117,988 readers this past week, according to our Google Analytics.

What follows is my recap of the Top 5 stories you were reading over the last seven days. But first things first: This is my opinion column, not a news story.

Batter up!

1. Future of Downtown Santa Barbara’s Paseo Nuevo in Question

In a Noozhawk exclusive, our Josh Molina broke the story that Pacific Capital Retail LLC — owner of Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa Barbara and the hulking, abandoned Macy’s building — has skirted foreclosure on the mall by surrendering its leases to its lenders.

After confirming a tip with Santa Barbara County public records, Josh talked to assistant city attorney Sarah Knecht, who told him that the Anaheim-based company had fallen far behind on its loan payments.

Rather than going the repossession route, the property transfer was made earlier this month.

I guess, in some circles, a loan is still a legally enforceable document with an expectation that the borrower will honor the commitment to repay it or face the consequences, and not have the obligation be foisted on others who had nothing to do with the transaction. How quaint.

Representatives from Pacific Capital Retail and Paseo Nuevo did not respond to Josh’s requests for comment.

Regardless, there is a building buzz in the community about what this moment in time means for the 32-year-old open-air relic of a bygone era — and for the future of the City of Santa Barbara itself.

Something is going to happen to the two-block property in the heart of a long-struggling downtown, but the multimillion-dollar question is what?

“This site is positioned to change,” Jason Harris, the city’s economic development manager, told Josh. “It has the possibility to be a mixed-use site, maintaining some retail and some housing.”

Of course the devil’s in the details and, boy, are there details.

For starters, the mall’s lease with the city runs through 2064 and there are multiple owners of the land to contend with. Two years ago, the now-former mall owner sought a development agreement with the city but was rebuffed. In the short term, the bank no doubt will seek another mall operator to run the place.

But I’m told there are major-league national development companies interested in the property, evidently seeing the same opportunities that a lot of locals are as well. It could be transformative — if the city can muster the imagination to think big. Including starting over.

“This could be a huge benefit to Santa Barbara that this is happening,” said Austin Herlihy, vice president of Radius Commercial Real Estate.

“It’s now finally going to be in a position where one group can buy Macy’s, and the mall, and all of it. That’s the only way to get real change. We need one person in charge of the whole thing.”

Noozhawk will have more to report on the developments next month.

2. Sheriff’s Department to Install License Plate Readers Throughout Santa Barbara County

Watch out: The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department may have its eye on you. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown is taking public surveillance to a new level with the installation of two dozen license plate readers to capture the location, date and time of passing vehicles around the county.

As our Giana Magnoli first reported, Brown asked for — and received — unanimous authorization from the Board of Supervisors to sign an agreement with Atlanta-based Flock Safety for a year-long tryout of the recording system.

The trial is part of an automated license plate reader evaluation by the National Policing Institute. Flock Safety is covering the cost of installing and monitoring the 25 cameras during the tryout period.

According to Chief Deputy Craig Bonner, the equipment can be used to issue real-time alerts for a specific vehicle and license plate as well as general surveillance, helping investigators track down stolen vehicles, missing persons and people with active warrants.

Violent crime, high-value property crime and rural crime will be the main focus, he said.

The cameras do not employ facial recognition and Bonner assured the board that the Sheriff’s Department would not use them for traffic enforcement.

The location of the equipment will not be disclosed, so smile while you’re driving.

3. Hope Ranch Vehicle Rollover Crash Sends 4 People to Santa Barbara Hospital

Sleepy Hope Ranch was a scene of chaos after a middle-of-the-night rollover wreck on Las Palmas Drive. (Ryan Cullom / Noozhawk photo)

A rollover crash in Hope Ranch in the wee hours of Aug. 21 sheered off a fire hydrant and sent four people to the hospital after they were extricated from the wreckage.

As our Giana Magnoli reported, authorities said the driver of a BMW sedan lost control of the car around 2 a.m. on Las Palmas Drive near Paloma Drive and Laguna Blanca School’s athletic fields.

The car collided with a wooden fence and hit a fire hydrant, setting off a sky-high geyser of water.

Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said the four occupants had to be extricated from the upside-down vehicle. He added that two suffered critical injuries, one moderate injuries and the fourth minor injuries.

All four were transported by American Medical Response ambulances to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Identities and medical conditions were not available.

The Sheriff’s Department is investigating the circumstances of the wreck.

4. Multivehicle Injury Crash Snarls Commuter Traffic on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara

Fortunately, this Highway 101 collision ended up looking worse than it was. (Santa Barbara Fire Department photo)

Five vehicles were involved in a collision on southbound Highway 101 near the Santa Barbara Zoo just before the afternoon commute started Aug. 19. Only minor injuries were reported but the wreck backed up Friday afternoon traffic for a couple of hours.

As our Tom Bolton was first to report, Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Robert Mercado said the crash was called in around 4:55 p.m.

Four vehicles — two sedans, an SUV and a pickup truck — smashed together, blocking the left and center lanes. A fifth vehicle, a pickup truck, ended up down the freeway on the right shoulder with two flat tires.

Mercado said two people suffered minor injuries, one of whom had to be extricated from the mangled car in the middle. Both victims were transported by American Medical Response ambulances to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Identities and medical conditions were not available.

I rolled through the debris-strewn scene not long after the collision. A sheriff’s deputy and a couple of other people were trying to assist the trapped driver, but the cavalry of first responders had not yet arrived.

When I went back the other direction about an hour later, firefighters were still there and the wreckage had not yet been cleared. Traffic was backed up for several miles.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the crash.

5. Milpas Street Housing, Hotel Project Hammered by Santa Barbara Architectural Review Board

418 N. Milpas St. in Santa Barbara as you’ve never seen it before, and probably won’t in the future. (Hochhauser Blatter Associates rendering)

A big development has been proposed for an L-shaped parcel at 418 N. Milpas St. in Santa Barbara, between East Gutierrez and East Haley streets. The four-story, 90-unit residential and hotel complex is the largest project pitched for the Milpas corridor in nearly a decade.

Our Josh Molina has a thorough roundup of the project’s Aug. 22 appearance before the Architectural Board of Review, where it was widely derided by board members and neighborhood residents.

I’m not going to jump on the panned wagon except to say this: There is no way the final project will look anything like the depiction in the nearby architectural rendering. I know it, you know it, the Architectural Board of Review knows it, even the project architects and applicant know it.

So why do we continue to waste everyone’s time and money with this charade? How is this solving our chronic housing challenges?

We know our need, we know our General Plan housing element objectives, and we know the dictates and expectations from our overlords in Sacramento.

But we also know the general community sentiment. Why aren’t there more realistic and achievable parameters in place so we can skip ahead a few steps?

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Good Reads

Here are seven more stories you should read:

» Construction on Montecito, Santa Barbara Roundabouts Set to Start in Next 6 Months — The long-running Highway 101 widening project is inching closer to Montecito. We sent staff writer Grace Kitayama into the traffic jam that’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

» Coroner Keeps Missing Person Case Open for Montecito Debris Flow Victim Jack Cantin — Among the most heartbreaking and enduring legacies of the deadly 2018 Montecito flash flooding are 17-year-old Jack Cantin and 2-year-old Lydia Sutthithepa, whose bodies were never found. Kim Cantin and her 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, somehow survived the monstrous debris flow that killed her son, husband Dave and the family dog. Last year, she thought she had some measure of closure after a former UC Santa Barbara anthropologist declared that Jack’s remains had been recovered. As managing editor Giana Magnoli reports, however, that may not be the case.

» State of the City Is Bright as Solvang Leaders Recount Record-High Revenue — The City of Solvang has made a remarkable recovery from the last couple of years. North County editor Janene Scully writes about the state of the city.

» Laurie Jervis: The Baker’s Table Relocates to Former Santa Cota Market in Santa Ynez — Columnist Laurie Jervis has the baked goods on the short move The Baker’s Table made to its new location in Santa Ynez. She must have forgotten to bring me a loaf of its renowned pain au levain, though.

» Mark Patton: Celebrating The Great Zampese in Year of Mourning for Santa Barbara High School — Santa Barbara High has had its share of gridiron greats, and one of the biggest is 5-foot-8 Ernie Zampese. Sports writer Mark Patton puts the spotlight on the former Dons star and legendary NFL assistant coach.

» Santa Barbara’s Zane Booth Captures Gold Medal, 2 Bronze at National Lifeguard Championships — One of the top lifeguards in the country is Santa Barbara’s own Zane Booth, and sports editor Barry Punzal says he has the hardware to prove it.

» ParentNooz After-School Activities Guide — Our annual section features dozens of programs and classes for your children to do this fall. And some tips and advice for you, too.

•        •        •

Last Year on Noozhawk

What was our most-read story this time last year? 4 People Killed in Vehicle Crashes Along Highway 101 West of Goleta Early Wednesday.

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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week

No kidding: Dance Like No One’s Watching — and Six More Ways to Recapture Childhood Fun.

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Best of Bill’s Instagram

I’ve got #monarchbutterfly business and #alaskanmalamute snoring in my Instagram feed this past week.

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Americans Held Hostage: Day 363

It’s been 363 days since the U.S. government abandoned thousands of Americans and green-card holders in Afghanistan.

As appalling as that is, one year ago today 13 U.S. service members were killed in an attack on the Kabul airport during President Joe Biden’s FUBAR stampede to surrender to the Taliban. Disgraceful.

U.S. Marines

» Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas

» Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, of Sacramento

» Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City

» Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio

» Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming

» Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga

» Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco

» Cpl. Daegan Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska

» Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts

» Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana

» Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri

U.S. Army

» Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee

U.S. Navy

» Corpsman Max Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio

Rest in peace.

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Watch It

A curious blue whale gave these whale watchers a fluke of a lifetime off Newport Beach. HT to Best of Bill reader Chris Mortensen.

(Newport Whales video)

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— 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.

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