Housing & Development · Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County staff presented proposed amendments to the county's project review process at a County Planning Commission meeting Wednesday, aiming to create a faster, checklist-based path for smaller residential and commercial developments. The changes would exempt certain single-story, single-family projects from Design Review boards and expand the list of small structures—such as accessory buildings up to 250 square feet, some pools, and generators—that no longer require planning permits. The commission pushed its vote back to Oct. 28 at 9 a.m., with the Board of Supervisors expected to consider the recommendations by December. Some community members raised concerns about reduced neighbor input, while staff noted fewer than 10 single-family appeals were heard over five years.
Community News · Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara Rep. Salud Carbajal met Wednesday with Cottage Health CEO Scott Wester at Cottage Hospital to discuss impacts of HR 1 on local healthcare. The legislation, effective January 1, is projected to leave nearly 40,000 Central Coast residents without coverage and raise premiums for another 37,000, with an estimated $40 million initial cost to Cottage. About 25 percent of Cottage's patients are currently insured by Medicaid, and roughly 256,000 Central Coast residents rely on Medi-Cal. Cottage is hiring community health workers to help patients navigate new requalification requirements and is coordinating with the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Family Service Agency, and CenCal. CEO Wester confirmed no patient will be turned away regardless of ability to pay, noting a charity care policy available to families of four earning up to $165,000.
Community News · Santa Barbara, CA
The UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team begins its 2026-2027 season with a home opener against UC Santa Cruz on November 3 at 6 p.m. Coach Renee Jimenez has recruited eight new players, including four transfers and four freshmen, to address depth issues that affected the previous season. Key returners include senior Zoe Borter and point guard Maddie Naro, who are expected to lead the squad alongside new additions like Nicole Steiner and Olivia Anderson.
Social Events · Santa Barbara, CA
The Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara hosted its third annual Día de los Muertos Calenda procession on Sunday in downtown Santa Barbara. The event, which had been paused last year due to concerns over federal immigration enforcement, featured traditional dancers and performers from Oaxaca and Guerrero moving from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to De La Guerra Plaza. Organizers described the return as a deliberate act of cultural resistance amidst ongoing local discussions about immigration activity.
Community brief · Santa Barbara, CA
The Santa Barbara County Archaeological Society presents a free screening of the documentary "Chasing Voices: The Story of John Peabody Harrington" on Monday, Nov. 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. James Yee, past chairman of the Barbareño Band of Chumash Indians and a UCSB linguistics Ph.D. candidate, will offer remarks in "alapkaswa," the Indigenous language of the Santa Barbara region. Producer Daniel…
Community brief · Santa Barbara, CA
Four early-career female faculty members at UC Santa Barbara received a $1 million National Science Foundation grant to develop mathematical foundations for AI systems that can discover higher-order scientific laws. The researchers—Nina Miolane, Haewon Jeong, Sanjukta Krishnagopal, and Yao Qin—will work across engineering and physical sciences departments under the university's Real AI initiative. Their goal is to create AI models that account…
