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Monday, October 19, 2026
Housing & Development · Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria's State of the City event at Allan Hancock College drew about 150 residents, with city leaders outlining roughly 5,500 housing units in development, a pending Amazon last-mile facility on Stowell Road expected to create 800 jobs, and a Nov. 3 ballot measure raising local sales tax from 8.75% to 9.25%. Community Development Director Chenin Dow detailed projects including Blosser Ranch (1,500 units), Perlman Apartments (150 affordable units breaking ground within 60 days), and 100 loft apartments at the former Mervyns site by 2027. The updated General Plan through 2045 calls for 16,000 additional housing units, 58,000 more residents, and 24,000 jobs, with 985 acres east of Highway 101 slated for annexation.
Education · Santa Barbara, CA
Students, parents, and community advocates packed a Santa Barbara Unified School District board meeting Tuesday night to criticize the district's handling of a viral blackface photo taken by San Marcos High School female students in a History of Africans in America class. Speakers including Black Student Union president Nahsia Darcus, Healing Justice Santa Barbara co-executive director Leticia Forney Resch, and teacher Abel Gonzalez demanded stricter consequences and faster parent notification, noting it took two weeks for the principal to alert families. Superintendent Hilda Maldonado condemned the post before public comment but acknowledged deeper issues of racism in schools. The board is scheduled to revisit the matter at its Oct. 27 meeting.
Community News · Santa Barbara, CA
The Music Academy of the West held a Thursday groundbreaking for its new downtown Santa Barbara location, The Muse, at 901 State St., a $55 million redevelopment. The venue will house the Lehrer Vocal Institute and include a performance hall for up to 200 people convertible to a rehearsal space for a 90-person orchestra, plus recording studios, practice rooms, teaching studios, and a rooftop event space. A new tower facing Canon Perdido Street will be added while the existing building footprint largely remains unchanged. The Muse is set to open in 2028; the academy's Montecito campus at 1070 Fairway Road will continue operating.
Community News · Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County Elections officials report approximately 2,700 ballots received as of Monday, Oct. 12, ahead of the November midterm election, with more expected as mail delivery resumes. The county's voter registration deadline is Oct. 19, and officials encourage eligible residents to register or update their information before that date. Residents can check registration status and find ballot drop-off locations through the California Secretary of State's website or the Santa Barbara County Elections Office website.
Local Politics · Santa Barbara, CA
Jason Carlton, Gabe Escobedo, Anabella Lehne, and Alexander Stoeber are competing to replace term-limited Councilwoman Meagan Harmon in the Nov. 3 election for Santa Barbara City Council's District 6 seat, which covers most of downtown, Oak Park, and parts of the lower Westside. The candidates outlined positions on the State Street Master Plan, small-business permitting, ICE enforcement activity, and rent stabilization. Carlton, a 25-year resident and electrician running his second council campaign, emphasized fiscal caution regarding the plan's nearly $100 million cost. Escobedo, a Santa Barbara Unified School District board member, advocated for business revitalization paired with the master plan and stronger support for mixed-status immigrant families.
Public Safety · Santa Barbara County
The Santa Barbara County Sidewalk Vending Pilot Program, running April through October 2026 following a March 3 Board of Supervisors ordinance, yielded enforcement results in unincorporated areas including Santa Maria and the Santa Ynez Valley. Environmental Health Services, Public Works, and the Sheriff's Office removed 1,156 pounds of contaminated food, seized 13 cooking equipment sets, and issued 13 violation notices, while CHP issued 66 warnings and citations on Highways 154 and 246 in June and July. Since July, very few unpermitted roadside vendors have been observed. The county also launched a bilingual awareness campaign directing residents to verify vendor permits and providing reporting contacts for suspected illegal vending.
Read the full Monday, October 19, 2026 edition (+19 more stories) →
Past editions
- Sunday, October 18, 202614 stories
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- Friday, October 16, 202612 stories
- Thursday, October 15, 20268 stories
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- Tuesday, October 13, 20267 stories
About Your Local News in Santa Barbara County
Every night we go through the news sites and public notices that cover Santa Barbara County, CA. When several outlets report the same council vote, you read about it once.
The email goes out before 6am. Where the original article is free to read, we link to it.
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