AltWeeklies Wire
Lobster Loot: Chinese New Year and Weather Contribute to Record Pricesnew
Even as the specter of new and improved Marine Protected Areas threatens to impact their way of life, Santa Barbara-based lobstermen are enjoying one of their most economically successful seasons in memory.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ethan Stewart |
02-08-2010 |
Business & Labor
Anti-'High Rise' Initiative Sparks Lawsuitnew
A Santa Barbara architect has filed a 95-page lawsuit challenging the use of the term "high-rise" by supporters of Measure B, a proposed Santa Barbara charter amendment that purports to save downtown Santa Barbara from "high-rise" development.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Nick Welsh |
08-03-2009 |
Housing & Development
Former Michael Jackson Producer Demands Investigation of DAnew
The Santa Barbara County district attorney and sheriff's department are being threatened with a lawsuit by Marc Schaffel, who claims that county officials leaked to the media confidential information they had obtained during the course of the pop star’s molestation trial in 2005.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Matt Kettmann |
08-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Santa Barbara Officials Mull Privatized Jail Mental Health Servicesnew
Santa Barbara County's jail mental health system officially is for sale. The prospective buyer -- a private Tennessee-based prison health company -- is already lined up with a July 1 move-in date.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Benjamin Gottlieb |
06-01-2009 |
Policy Issues
County Budget Bloodbathnew
A frightening look at what could happen if the County of Santa Barbara is forced to cut ten percent.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Chris Meagher |
03-16-2009 |
Economy
Tags: Santa Barbara, budget cuts
The Gender Jump: Understanding the Transsexual Communitynew

Jessa readily admits to the challenges of her transition. "Mentally, I have had a hard time making the transition," she said. "I am leaving behind an identity; it wasn't right, but it was still what I had been for 35 years."
Santa Barbara Independent |
Michael Seabaugh |
02-23-2009 |
Sex
Learning to Live with Fire in Santa Barbaranew

We love living right on the edge of one of the world's most scenic backdrops, but the privilege brings with it the potential for catastrophic disaster most any time the weather turns hot and the wind blows dry.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ray Ford |
09-30-2008 |
Disasters
Burned by the Gap: Not Everyone Escaped Goleta Blaze Unscathednew

Much of the community breathed a sigh of relief when the Gap Fire entered its final days, having only claimed a few outbuildings and some lemon and avocado orchards. Not everybody was fortunate, however, as residents of the county's wilderness-adjacent communities can attest.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ben Preston and Kathleen Zaratzian |
08-05-2008 |
Disasters
Chaos and Competition Cause Santa Barbara Cabbies to Fear for Their Futurenew

Despite the hard work of taxicab drivers to keep the city safe at night and moving during the day, they're complaining that they're being treated as second-class citizens by City Hall, which has approved unprecedented numbers of taxi companies and cabs in recent years yet done little to accommodate the growth.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Matt Kettmann |
07-28-2008 |
Transportation
Federal Homeless Official Tours Santa Barbara Housingnew
Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, is on a multi-city tour of the US touting permanent housing as the solution to homelessness that will relegate it to the dustbin of history.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Martha Sadler |
07-14-2008 |
Housing & Development
Grant Will Fund Education for Santa Barbara's Inmatesnew
A longtime supporter of Santa Barbara City College donated $278,000 to create a designated classroom at the County Jail so that City College adult education instructors can soon provide educational opportunities for inmates.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Nick Welsh |
06-10-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Santa Barbara County Ventures Towards Oil Taxnew

Looking to inject Santa Barbara's cash-strapped coffers with millions in oil-derived dollars, the county's supervisors voted unanimously this week to explore the possibility of a per-barrel tax on oil harvested from beneath county land.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Ethan Stewart |
05-20-2008 |
Policy Issues