The warning covers the county's southwestern and southeastern coasts, including Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito and Gaviota, along with the Cuyama Valley, the Santa Ynez Mountains and Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands. The Weather Service describes dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 85 degrees at the coast and 100 in the mountains and the Cuyama Valley.

Thomas Camargo, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The agency's forecast for the city of Santa Barbara calls for a high of 86 on Friday, 90 on Saturday, 90 on Sunday and 88 on Monday, with overnight lows near 70.

Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events, the Weather Service says. Its precautionary guidance is to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

The agency adds that very hot temperatures are likely to continue into the second week of October, possibly requiring an extension of the warning.

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The Santa Barbara warning is part of a multi-day heat wave blanketing much of Southern and Central California. The Desert Sun reports that the counties under the warning include Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside, and that August ranked as the warmest on record in some California counties, including Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Forecasters are also flagging elevated fire weather conditions across California at the start of October, according to theweather.com, which describes a long-duration heat event driven by a high-pressure ridge.

The mission, known as Transporter-18, is the latest in SpaceX's rideshare program, which bundles small satellites from many customers onto a single Falcon 9 to share the cost of the ride to orbit. This flight carries 130 payloads, including small satellites and orbital vehicles bound for a sun-synchronous orbit, where they match the Earth's rotation around the sun. The previous mission in the series, Transporter-17, launched at the beginning of July carrying 81 payloads, the Star reported.

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Clayton Wear, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Astronomy magazine reported that the manifest includes a prototype AI computing satellite from Google, part of the company's Project Suncatcher, and a technology demonstration from the startup Star Catcher, which plans to attempt wireless power transmission between two free-flying spacecraft. The magazine noted that SpaceX has now launched more than 1,800 payloads through its Transporter program.

The Falcon 9 booster flying the mission is making its 25th flight, according to the Star. After stage separation it is expected to return to the base and land at Landing Zone 4, the on-base landing pad a short distance from the launch complex. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory listed a backup opportunity on Oct. 2 in case Thursday's attempt scrubs.

The rocket will fly a southern trajectory. The Star reported that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties are the most likely to hear sonic booms, which can occur up to 10 minutes after liftoff when a booster returns to Vandenberg rather than landing on a drone ship offshore. The base also warns that areas near the base will hear the low rumble of liftoff itself.

U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jim Araos, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The National Weather Service forecast called for a cloudy morning gradually clearing during the launch window, the Star reported. SpaceX plans to stream the launch on its website beginning about 15 minutes before liftoff.

SpaceX, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

On Monday night, the four candidates vying for the District 4 council seat, Jason Dominguez, Genevieve Taft-Vazquez, Devon Wardlow and Monte Wilson, discussed their qualifications at a forum also hosted by the Independent, the News-Press reported.

Sergei Gussev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Ballots will go out Oct. 5, the News-Press reported.

The forums follow a week of campaign finance news. A Sept. 30 News-Press breakdown of where the candidates' money is coming from found Friedman leading funding in the mayor's race, and Devon Wardlow, Ian Baucke and Gabe Escobedo leading in the District 4, District 5 and District 6 council races respectively. A Sept. 28 Wisevoter report likewise found Friedman outpacing Sneddon in campaign donations ahead of the election.

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SCE spokesman David Eisenhauer said the shutoff was ordered because of heightened wildfire risk in the area, citing high winds, humidity and dry vegetation, according to the News-Press.

BeenAroundAWhile, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A public safety power shutoff is an advance public safety measure the utility uses to mitigate the risk of wildfires and other extreme weather conditions, according to Southern California Edison.

By shortly after midnight Wednesday, live outage tracking showed no remaining SCE outages in Santa Barbara County, with zero SCE outages recorded as of 12:31 a.m.

NASA Earth Observatory (Jesse Allen), via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The local gathering, one of a series held along the California coast that day, ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Beach, 401 Shoreline Drive. Participants included members of the Fearless Grandmothers, the Surfrider Foundation, Sea League and Women's March, according to the Post.

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The demonstration marked the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act, the 1976 state law that governs development and public access along the California coast.

Hands Across the Sand began in 2009, founded by Surfrider member Dave Rauschkolb as a grassroots protest in Florida. It has since grown into a nationwide demonstration held on beaches and waterways.

The weekend demonstration came days after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 1 to oppose a provision in the House-passed 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would give the federal government new authority over land along the Santa Ynez Pipeline System, with the county sending a letter stating its opposition to Senate leadership.

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Tribal leader Toni Cordero, a member of the Environmental Defense Center's board, addressed the crowd, the Santa Barbara Independent reported, as cited by the Post: "I ask you please to reflect on the fact that you are standing on unceded ancestral homelands of the Chumash peoples... Please think about what that means to us and what it means to you. And please think about what you can do to move beyond mere land acknowledgement."

Ethan Maday, a 16-year-old activist at the gathering, told the Independent, as cited by the Post: "We don't need to build more infrastructure for a dying industry." He added that it "sucks" that "we still need oil today."

Thomas Camargo, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Boston's Copley Square Farmers Market took the top spot. The Charleston Farmers Market finished third, Seattle's Pike Place Market fourth, and the Downtown San Luis Obispo Farmers Market tenth, according to the report.

Américo Toledano, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Readers praised the Solvang market's broad selection of organic produce and its easy-to-navigate setup, while the surrounding Danish-style village and Santa Ynez Valley wine country helped turn a routine grocery run into a tourist attraction, Reviewed found.

The certified farmers market takes over First Street in the heart of downtown Solvang every Wednesday afternoon, year-round, bringing together regional growers, ranchers and food purveyors selling seasonal produce and locally grown goods.

Solvang, about 35 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, is home to roughly 6,000 people and known for its windmills, Danish pastries and European-style streets.

Américo Toledano, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Grendelkhan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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The first thing to learn is that the city is really a collection of small places. Downtown has the commercial core and the promenade on lower State Street. The Funk Zone holds the old warehouses by the waterfront. The Eastside runs along the Milpas corridor, the Westside toward the Mesa, the Riviera climbs the hill above downtown, and the waterfront runs along the city's ocean edge on a walking path. Our neighborhoods guide maps them all, with the caveat that locals draw their own boundaries.

Thomas Camargo, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Getting around starts with the bus. The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District runs bus service across the South Coast, serving Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Isla Vista and the eastern Goleta Valley, according to the California Energy Commission. Its routes, schedules and system map are posted at sbmtd.gov. Downtown itself is a walking town, and the waterfront path runs the length of the city along the ocean.

Civic life is easy to find once you know where to look. The City Council posts its meetings and agendas on the city's website, and the county Board of Supervisors posts county agendas and minutes in one place. Council and board meetings are public, and the agendas are the fastest way to learn what the city is arguing about.

Utilities are straightforward. The city's Public Works Water Resources Division runs the water service for residents inside the city limits, and the city's water page is the starting point for billing and quality reports. Trash and recycling are handled by MarBorg Industries, the city's contracted hauler. If you are new to California water politics, our guide to how water works here explains where every tap is fed from.

Robert Ashworth, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Schools follow the same pattern of knowing which government is which. The Santa Barbara Unified School District serves the city's public schools and posts board materials through its public document portal. Santa Barbara City College sits on a bluff on the Mesa overlooking the harbor and the Pacific. The University of California, Santa Barbara is just west of the city, its campus adjacent to the unincorporated community of Isla Vista and not part of the city at all.

The rest is orientation by habit. State Street is the main commercial thoroughfare. The harbor is the working waterfront. The courthouse tower's El Mirador observation deck is open to the public with no admission fee. Give it a month and the map will feel obvious, which is exactly how locals like it.

Thomas Camargo, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The Funk Zone spent most of the 20th century as working Santa Barbara: grain mills, fishing operations, manufacturing and even Lockheed facilities, housed in warehouses between the Amtrak rail line and Highway 101. Over time, artists moved into the empty industrial space, and the nickname stuck. Today the roughly dozen blocks are filled with tasting rooms, breweries, galleries and restaurants, but the warehouse bones are still visible in the corrugated siding and the loading docks.

Warren LeMay, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

State Street is the city's main commercial thoroughfare and the older of the two stories. In May 2020 the city closed lower State Street to vehicles during the pandemic, and the closure stuck: on June 30, 2026, the city council voted 5 to 2 to keep the pedestrian configuration while work on a permanent plan for the corridor continues. The corridor north of the promenade keeps its retail spine and much of its Spanish Colonial Revival character.

The architecture is the thing both districts share. The Balboa Building at State Street and De La Guerra was completed in 1924 and survived the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake. It was built in the Classical Revival style and later altered with Spanish Colonial Revival elements. The look continues in the detailing of the street corners and in the street landscaping.

The practical way to read the center is geographic. Start at the County Courthouse for the view over downtown. Walk down State Street to the water. Turn east or west along the waterfront path. And let the Funk Zone, between the rail line and the water, be the reward at the end of the walk.

Warren LeMay, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Warren LeMay, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The best-known piece is Lake Cachuma, on the Santa Ynez River along Highway 154, held back by Bradbury Dam, which the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built in 1953. The Cachuma Project delivers water to the South Coast, and the lake is the reason the words water and politics are rarely far apart in Santa Barbara County. One quirk worth knowing: there is no swimming in Lake Cachuma. Body contact with the reservoir has been restricted since the 1950s, when a county ordinance barred any boat use that would cause contact with the water.

Jester7777, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The other local surface pieces are Gibraltar Reservoir, the Mission Tunnel that carries water across the mountains, and Devil's Canyon Creek, along with 300 acre-feet a year of Jameson Reservoir yield the city receives under an agreement dating to the 1930 construction of Juncal Dam, which the Montecito Water District built on city-owned land. Gibraltar's story is a local lesson in siltation: reservoirs behind dams slowly fill with sediment, which is part of why the city cannot rely on its oldest reservoir alone.

Below the surface, the portfolio draws on the Foothill and Santa Barbara groundwater basins. Beyond the local watershed, it draws on recycled water for non-drinking uses, water imported through the State Water Project, and conservation, which the city counts as a supply in its own right in its annual water supply management report.

The newest piece of the portfolio is also the oldest idea. The Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant was built in 1991 during a drought, ran briefly, and was then placed in long-term standby when the drought broke. On July 21, 2015, the City Council voted unanimously to reactivate it, and desalinated water has been flowing into the system since May 2017. The plant normally produces 3,125 acre-feet per year, and its permits allow up to 10,000 acre-feet per year.

Sergei Gussev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

At the tap, the city's drinking water met or exceeded state and federal standards in the city's 2022 water quality report. The Public Works Water Resources Division runs the system, and SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Water is the starting point for billing and quality reports. The mix of sources changes year to year with rainfall, but the structure of the portfolio does not, which is the point of building one.

Antandrus, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Downtown is the State Street corridor, from the County Courthouse down to the promenade on lower State Street. It is the commercial heart of town, and the starting point for everything else.

Thomas Camargo, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The Funk Zone is the old warehouse district between the Amtrak rail line and the waterfront, just east of lower State Street. Grain mills, fishing operations and manufacturing gave way to artists, and the artists gave way to tasting rooms, galleries and restaurants, all of it still wearing the warehouse bones.

The Waterfront is Cabrillo Boulevard, Stearns Wharf and the harbor. The flat path along the water ties the whole east-west run of the city together, and it is easy to find.

The Eastside is east of State Street, the Milpas Street corridor running up toward the Riviera. The Santa Barbara Bowl, the city's 4,562-seat amphitheater at 1122 North Milpas Street, sits above it on the hillside, managed by the nonprofit Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.

Thomas Camargo, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The Westside is the residential blocks west of State Street, running toward the Mesa and the coast. Santa Barbara City College's campus sits on the Mesa bluff above the harbor, overlooking the water the Westside looks out on.

The Riviera is the hillside above downtown, the slope locals mean when they say up the hill. It holds the views and the Bowl just above the Eastside.

Mission Canyon is the unincorporated canyon community just north of the city, gathered around the Old Mission and running into the foothills. San Roque is the hillside neighborhood inside the city limits just south of it. The streets start to climb.

Hope Ranch is the coastal enclave west of the city limits, and Montecito is the community southeast of the city, on the same coastal strip. Goleta and Isla Vista are to the west, home to the University of California, Santa Barbara, whose campus is adjacent to Isla Vista and is not part of the city at all.

The boundaries shift depending on who is talking. This map is a starting point. Ask three locals where the Eastside ends and you will get four answers, and that is part of how the city works.

Sergei Gussev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Texas Republican, to the $1.15 trillion spending bill the House approved July 22, would allow the U.S. secretary of defense to acquire easements along the pipeline route through purchase, donation, exchange or condemnation. The Senate's version of the bill does not currently include the provision.

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Rep. Salud Carbajal, a Santa Barbara Democrat, addressed the board before the vote. He said the amendment would set a precedent for federal seizure of California public lands through eminent domain and accused Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. of enlisting congressional allies to tilt the process in its favor.

Supervisors Laura Capps and Steve Lavagnino framed their votes around local authority rather than oil production. Lavagnino, who said he usually avoids national issues, argued the measure directly affects the county and warned that heavy-handed federal action could cut either way as administrations change.

Supervisor Joan Hartmann recused herself because her property adjoins the pipeline. Board Chair Bob Nelson cast the lone dissenting vote, saying opponents of Sable, including the state, the California Coastal Commission, environmental groups and the county, have not acted in good faith and have relied on litigation to halt operations, leaving the company to pursue what he called a lawful congressional remedy.

Sergei Gussev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

On the same day as the vote, the Environmental Defense Center filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on behalf of itself and Get Oil Out!, the Santa Barbara County Action Network, the Sierra Club and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. The suit challenges the second special permit issued by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for the pipeline system. The filing groups say the permit waives federal pipeline safety rules and was issued without adequate environmental review.

Sable told county officials on Sept. 8 that it had identified seven potential anomalies requiring excavation and possible repair. According to the county, the company completed inland digs between Sept. 7 and Sept. 15 and planned to begin work along the Gaviota Coast. The line carries up to 50,000 barrels of crude per day.

Sable resumed production from the Santa Barbara Channel in March after Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed the restart on national security grounds. The pipeline system was shut down after a 2015 rupture spilled 142,000 gallons of oil at Refugio State Beach, with 21,000 gallons reaching the Pacific Ocean.

The draft ordinance would add Chapter 26.90, covering rent stabilization, and Chapter 26.100, covering the residential rental registry. Staff asked for $500,000 from the Measure I Flexible Housing and Homelessness Fund to cover startup costs including software, consultant extensions and initial staffing.

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Under the proposal, the annual rent adjustment would be set at the lesser of 60 percent of the change in the Consumer Price Index or 3 percent. Registration would be phased: covered rent-stabilized units would register by April 1, 2027, other rental units by Oct. 1, 2027, with enforcement beginning Jan. 1, 2028.

Staff estimated a long-term operating budget of $2 million to $2.4 million with seven to nine full-time positions at steady state. Two policy choices remain open: whether to exempt deed-restricted affordable housing, and whether the rent stabilization board should have five or seven members. Staff recommended seven.

The presentation also outlined a capital improvement pre-approval process for landlords seeking to pass renovation costs through to tenants, and fair-return petition procedures for landlords seeking relief above the annual cap. Staff said fair-return petitions average roughly 120 days and about $27,000 in staff, hearing officer and legal support per petition.

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Council members pressed staff on petition timelines and costs, how registry fees would be calculated, and how the city would handle privacy and enforcement. The council is proceeding with a cost-of-service fee study with results targeted for Dec. 15, alongside public outreach and implementation materials.

The ordinance passed its first reading on Sept. 22 in a 4-3 vote, and the council approved the $500,000 startup appropriation from the Measure I-supported housing and homelessness fund, according to The Cooldown, citing the Santa Barbara Independent. In a separate 4-3 vote, the council approved Housing Authority-backed exemptions for some deed-restricted affordable housing. A final adoption vote is still ahead, with the city targeting a Jan. 1, 2027 launch.

The proposed rules would add new chapters to the inland and coastal zoning ordinances, creating a licensing process and operating standards for two categories of rentals. Short-term rentals are defined as rentals of a non-hosted whole residential unit. Homeshares are rentals of a portion of a residence with the owner or primary tenant present.

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According to the city, the new laws are intended to favor long-term housing over short-term use, as directed by the council and laid out in Program HE-19 of the city's 2023-2031 Housing Element. The city has weighed vacation rental regulations for more than a decade, including hearings before the council, the Planning Commission and the Ordinance Committee since August 2025.

The standards are meant to give property owners, residents and visitors a clear picture of where vacation rentals are legally allowed and how they can be operated, the notice says.

The city has posted early drafts of the ordinances and an interactive map of the proposed license area at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/STROD, where residents can also sign up for status updates. Questions can be sent to STROD@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

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The October hearing lands as coastal cities across California continue to wrestle with the same tension: how to treat vacation rentals that bring visitor spending against the pressure they place on housing stock and neighborhoods.

Planning staff presented the measure as the first step in a two-phase program. Phase 1 focuses on the zoning changes; Phase 2, an amortization study and an environmental impact report, will address the eventual phaseout of existing operations and the broader economic and legal questions around it.

Jester7777, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Staff told the board the inland zoning changes would take effect 30 days after adoption. CalGEM records cited in the staff report showed roughly 1,039 active onshore wells and 1,221 idle wells in the county as of September 2025.

Fifty-three speakers signed up for public comment at the Santa Maria hearing. Environmental advocates and researchers pointed to health and climate costs tied to local production; a UCSB estimate cited during the process put toxic chemical health costs from oil production at between $54 million and $81 million for the county. Industry representatives and mineral owners warned of takings claims, job losses and harm to royalty income.

Supervisor Bob Nelson, whose district contains most of the county's oil activity, opposed the measure. Supervisor Joan Hartmann supported it as part of a broader effort to wind down the industry.

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New onshore drilling had already been dormant in the county for years. No new drilling proposal has been approved since 2014, and current onshore production is concentrated in North County.

The vote follows Assembly Bill 3233, which clarified local governments' authority to regulate oil and gas operations. County supervisors were told Phase 2 work, including the amortization study, would take years to complete.

The coastal zoning amendments will also require review by the California Coastal Commission before they take effect in the coastal zone.

Demartini told the committee the general fund faces a structural imbalance: ongoing revenue growth has not kept pace with expenditure growth. He said contingency reserves have been largely drawn down and actual reserves remain below the council's 25 percent reserve policy target. Reserves projected for fiscal year 2027 total about 15 percent, he said, underscoring the gap to the goal.

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Staff also plan to separate Measure C reporting from the operating general fund. Measure C is the general-purpose sales tax that funds capital projects; breaking out its reporting is meant to give clearer year-to-year comparisons of the operating budget.

Committee members commended staff for revenue collections and expense control but pressed for sustainable, ongoing solutions rather than one-time fixes and vacancy-driven savings. Council member Harmon cautioned that many of the payroll savings come from frozen vacancies and added workload for remaining employees.

The committee voted unanimously to accept the interim financial statements and staff recommendations, forwarding the fourth-quarter report and associated budget adjustments.

Carol M. Highsmith, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The shortfall sets the backdrop for the council's fall budget decisions, including the proposed $500,000 startup request for the rent stabilization program and the October hearing on short-term rental ordinances.

Friedman has raised $185,916 in 2026 and held $163,934 in cash on hand as of Sept. 19. Sneddon has raised $95,305 with $70,652 in cash on hand. A third mayoral candidate, Wendy Sims-Moten, did not yet have a report on the city's website for the period.

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Santa Barbara Newsmakers noted that Friedman's financial edge could help offset Sneddon's organizational advantage from the Democratic endorsement, which brings volunteer canvassers, a mailed slate card and targeted voter data, among other benefits. In a city where 59 percent of voters are registered Democrats, according to the registrar's office, the party endorsement is an important signifier for voters who may not follow City Hall issues closely.

The reports also show the shape of the council races. In District 4, covering the Riviera, Mission Canyon and Eucalyptus Hill, Devon Wardlow and Monte Wilson have each raised about $85,000 overall, with Wardlow holding the cash-on-hand advantage. In District 5, Ian Baucke has raised more than $18,000 to Cevin Cathell's $8,800 and James Zurlinden's $850. In District 6, Gabe Escobedo has raised nearly $20,000 to Alexander Stoeber's nearly $15,000.

Notable donors in the mayoral race include commercial real estate figures and downtown landlords on Friedman's side, and attorneys, a Friends of State Street president and philanthropist Sara Miller McCune among Sneddon's contributors, according to the reports.

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The election is Nov. 3. Campaign finance reports are filed with the city and available through its public portal.

The package, adopted after a months-long public process, creates a tiered system for ground-mounted arrays and battery storage. Under the framework, agricultural solar installations of up to 15 acres can move through an expedited build pathway, while larger tier-2 and tier-3 commercial facilities fall under the countywide acreage cap.

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The 16,000-acre figure matches the Planning Commission's recommendation.

The framework is the product of a years-long county effort. The county began the amendments process in 2019 and brought in environmental consultancy ESA in 2023 to prepare the environmental review. The board certified the program environmental impact report as part of the 2026 adoption package.

Where the amendments touch the coastal zone, the changes will also require review by the California Coastal Commission before they take effect there.

Warren LeMay, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The framework is meant to balance two county priorities: supporting agricultural resilience and enabling more local renewable energy, while protecting visual, habitat and community resources.

The potential buyer is Solstra Communities California LLC, and the water would serve the planned Solomon Hills development of up to 4,000 homes in northern Santa Barbara County. If the board approves the letter of intent, next steps would include preparing a purchase agreement, a process anticipated to take about six months. Even with an agreement in place, the sale would not be finalized until the development receives all final approvals, which could take several years.

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If completed, the transaction would divest the district of about 40 percent of its interest in California's State Water Project, according to the announcement carried by the Association of California Water Agencies. The district has participated in State Water since 1997 and pays annually for an allocation and use of the conveyance infrastructure regardless of availability. Over the past decade, the district says, State Water costs have risen while reliability has fallen. The proposed sale would provide an upfront payment for the portion permanently transferred and reduce future operating and capital costs tied to State Water, while the district would retain more than half of its original entitlement. The district says there are no projected impacts to the reliability of its supplies.

The Sept. 29 meeting is a consideration, not a final decision. No sale terms are final, and the development itself still faces years of approvals.

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Revenues for the year came in at about $36.9 million, also a record, Abad told the commission, though insurance reimbursements have lagged behind expectations.

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The record year caps a sustained recovery and growth run for the airport, which serves the South Coast and draws travelers from across Santa Barbara County and beyond. Passenger counts have climbed as airlines added and restored service in the years since the pandemic downturn.

Airport finances matter to the city's broader budget picture. The airport operates as an enterprise fund, separate from the general fund, but its performance feeds into the city's overall economic health and its ability to fund capital projects without drawing on taxpayer dollars.

The figures remain preliminary until the city's books close on the fiscal year. Final audited numbers will confirm whether the records hold.

Glenn Beltz, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Glenn Beltz, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

The expansion comes as the campus extended its housing guarantee for freshmen and transfer students to two years, a commitment that raises the stakes for delivering new beds on schedule.

fozi999, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

San Benito is part of a broader capital program at UCSB that the University of California tracks in its consolidated capital report. The campus, which sits on the oceanfront site of a converted World War II-era Marine Corps air station, has added housing in phases as enrollment has grown.

Student housing is one of the most visible pressure points in the region's housing market. Isla Vista, the unincorporated student community next to campus, is known for its dense concentration of rental housing, and campus-built beds are the university's main lever for easing that pressure.

The university's construction updates describe San Benito as progressing toward its anticipated fall 2027 opening. As with any large project, the date remains a target until the campus confirms completion.

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The application targets the state's Transformative Climate Communities program, which funds place-based projects in disadvantaged communities. The Cuyama proposal bundles housing with infrastructure meant to make the remote valley more resilient to drought and economic shocks.

NASA Earth Observatory (Jesse Allen), via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The Cuyama Valley sits in the northeastern corner of Santa Barbara County, far from the South Coast's jobs and services. Its economy has long rested on agriculture, and its small communities have faced persistent challenges with water supply, housing and jobs.

An application is not an award. The county's backing puts the proposal into the state's competitive process, where it will be weighed against applications from across California. If funded, the projects would roll out over several years.

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The proposal calls for a roughly 10,000-square-foot addition at the rear of the historic theatre, with a height exception requested to accommodate the design. The landmarks commission's support moves the project to the Planning Commission for the next stage of review.

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The Lobero is among Santa Barbara's oldest continuously operating theatres and a cornerstone of the city's performing arts scene. Any change to the building draws close scrutiny, which is why the landmarks review came first.

The Planning Commission will now take up the project, including the height exception and any environmental and design review required for the addition.

A final decision is still ahead. But with landmarks backing secured, the expansion has cleared its first major public hurdle.

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The festival, put on by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, offered free admission and free parking, with a classic car show on Saturday and booth and food vendors across both days. The chamber billed the weekend as a gathering of local businesses, artists and families for food, fun and festivities.

Antandrus, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The Lemon Festival is one of the Goleta Valley's signature community events, built around the region's citrus-growing heritage. Goleta's lemon groves were once a defining feature of the valley's agricultural landscape, and the festival keeps that history in the public eye even as the groves have given way to development.

This year's edition followed the familiar formula: local vendors, live entertainment, family activities and the lemon-themed treats that give the event its name. The chamber encouraged attendees to stop by the city of Goleta and Goleta Valley Library booths.

With the weekend now past, the two-day festival at Girsh Park closed out on schedule with free admission and free parking, another year for one of the Goleta Valley's signature community events.

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The shuttle, operated by Santa Barbara MTD in partnership with the city of Santa Barbara, ran Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a circulator with 20-minute headways. It connected the Harbor and Waterfront, the Santa Barbara Zoo, the train depot, the County Courthouse, hotels and downtown shopping and dining.

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The service marked the return of the electric shuttle after an absence, with the city allocating operating funding for this year's run. MTD framed it as accessible, zero-emission access to the city's key downtown and waterfront destinations.

Fares were kept deliberately low: 50 cents for a standard one-way ride, 25 cents for seniors 65 and older and riders with disabilities, and a $1 day pass good for unlimited rides. Riders showing a valid Zoo ticket or membership rode free, as did Amtrak ticket holders showing that day's train ticket. Contactless Tap2Ride payment was available on board.

The Zoo partnership was a notable feature of the season. MTD and the Santa Barbara Zoo teamed up to push visitors toward transit, with the Zoo effectively covering free shuttle rides for its ticket holders and members.

Sergei Gussev, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Whether the shuttle returns for another summer will be a decision for MTD and the city in the months ahead. This year's season, with city funding behind it, gives both agencies a full summer of operations to evaluate.