Moving forward, it is essential that the Santa Barbara County supervisors protect us from becoming the horrendous monstrosity that is the Southern California Urban Sprawl Nightmare — a blight on the landscape and the possible devastation of our idyllic coastal community. It is essential that affordable workforce housing is our priority. “Market rate housing” is code for massive second homes for the wealthy, retirees seeking a refuge, and gigantic profits for developers who have zero vested interest in our community. Cottage Hospital and UC Santa Barbara have successfully created programs to pr ..read more

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. – Spring has arrived, marking the perfect time to celebrate the 15th annual “CycleMAYnia” in Santa Barbara County. Throughout May, the public is invited to join over 40 community events and local businesses participating in a Bike Challenge countywide for CycleMAYnia as part of National Bike Month. Details are available online at CycleMAYnia.org. The 2024 CycleMAYnia theme is “Spring is here. Bikes are in bloom.” “We’re excited to celebrate the 15th anniversary of CycleMAYnia. This event m ..read more

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. (Santa Barbara, CA, April 25, 2024) Two different flocks of fuzzy four-legged grazers can be seen in Elings Park in coming weeks, with 140 goats grazing in Godric Grove, and 350 sheep in the South Bluffs area. PLEASE NOTE: Auto access to the park and in-park parking is limited to Big Bounce America patrons only this weekend, Friday through Sunday, April 26 to 28. This is the first year for goats, provided by Ventura Grazing Goats, that arrived on Thursday, April 25 to work in an area adjacent to Godric Gro ..read more

This edition of ON the Beat was originally emailed to subscribers on April 25, 2024. To receive Josef Woodard’s music newsletter in your inbox each Thursday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters. Exploring Orchestral Klezmerica As an opening salvo for last weekend’s Santa Barbara Symphony (SBS) program at the Granada, the orchestra plunged gamely and crisply into the bright, brisk fare of Mozart’s Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio to shake us awake. It was a very fine place to start. Then came the meat of the matter, in an interesting thematic pr ..read more

As a parent raising a young family in Santa Barbara, I’m thrilled with the city’s commitment to becoming more bicycle friendly. We own a car and use bicycles, but since State Street became car-free, we now use our bikes for all errands around town. This simple change has improved our lives, deepened our connections to the community, and sparked our interest in local projects and city leadership. That’s why it was so disappointing to read Mayor Rowse’s article, which shows just how disconnected he is from the needs of families in Santa Barbara. We need a mayor and a city council with the imagin ..read more

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and Transportation Study for the Santa Barbara Foothill Communities. We are seeking input from community members, agencies, environmental groups, and other interested parties to help ensure the CWPP reflects the priorities of the community. Please take the community wildfire survey and register to attend a community workshop! Visit the project StoryMap to learn more about the project. Workshops Dates and Time: Tuesday May 14 ..read more

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. Pictured are elementary students Arrow M. of Ballard & Kevin M. of Fairlawn of team “Book Badges” which took first place at the Santa Maria-based Battle of the Books held on April 16, 2024. | Credit: Courtesy Pictured are elementary grade students from team “The One and Only Team 22” – winners of the Santa Barbara-based Battle of the Books held on April 25, 2024. The team included students Lily M. of Monte Vista; Margot B. of La Patera; Nico P. of Peabody; Keira D. of Foothill; Carlo V. of Adams; and Atalie M. of S ..read more

After a spectacular regular season that culminated in the program’s first outright Channel League title in a decade, the San Marcos High boys volleyball team made quick work of visiting El Segundo in the opening round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.  Senior Jack Wilson led the way for the Royals with 17 kills on an efficient .500 hitting percentage. Mason Rice added 17 kills and freshman Mateo Burdick chipped in three blocks. Because there are only 16 teams in division two this is like a second round match and so the reason why we kept the foot on the pedal is that we want to be in the ..read more

Los comunicados de prensa se publican en Independent.com as como un servicio comunitario gratuito. SANTA BARBARA, CA – 24 de abril de 2024 El Departamento de Parques y Actividades Recreativas de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara solicita la opinión del público para un futuro proyecto en el emplazamiento de la Casa Franceschi dentro del Parque Franceschi. Tras múltiples intentos de restaurar el edificio desde 1971, el Ayuntamiento votó por unanimidad en 2018 sustituir la Casa Franceschi por una estructura al aire libre que honrara el legado del edificio y de sus anteriores propietarios, el b ..read more

Santa Barbara man Andrew Raymond Burgher, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of 2nd degree murder for his role in a fatal DUI crash on Cathedral Oaks Road in 2021, according to an announcement by District Attorney John Savrnoch on Wednesday. The charges stem from the evening of October 26, 2021, when Burgher was driving his Toyota 4-Runner while under the influence, speeding in the direction of Santa Barbara on Cathedral Oaks between Fairview and Patterson, when he crashed into a 2002 Mustang sedan. The Mustang sedan spun from the collision, hitting two parked cars. The Mustang’s driver, 40 ..read more