Santa Barbara CA

Flying Goat Cellars, represented by the Goldwater Institute, is challenging Santa Barbara County's wine business improvement district, or BID, which requires wineries to pay a 1% assessment on certain direct-to-consumer sales and join the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association. The mandate was approved in February 2025 by the Santa Barbara...

Investigators in Santa Barbara County are asking for the public’s help in identifying three suspects connected to an arson nearly a year and a half ago. The Dec. 5, 2024, fire happened at 478 4th Place in Solvang, at the site of the former Sear Steakhouse, according to a news release from the Santa Barbara […]

In an effort to catch up on previous reports, the California Employment Development Department has released unemployment numbers for February. Announced April 17, the unemployment rate for the Central Coast saw a shift in February, dropping from a 5.03% unemployment rate in January to a 4.8% in the most rate in the most recent report.

Daniel Dunietz has been eating bagels his whole life. “I don’t remember my first bagel because I was eating it when I was such a little kid,” said Dunietz, who is now the owner of Yetz’s, which started in Isla Vista and recently expanded into Goleta.

ORCUTT, Calif. (KEYT) – Unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County can help California’s housing crisis by building more ADU’s, or Accessory Dwelling Units. The state is mandating a streamlining of the permit process. New, free, and pre-approved options are coming from the county’s planning department. “Prior to the state creating ADUs as a type of The post Santa Barbara County Pushes For More Housing...

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on April 17, 2026. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters. ON the Stage. Nerf Herder celebrates its 30th anniversary with a show at the Lobero on Saturday. These witty local...

The proposed Richard's Ranch development cannot move forward with annexation into Santa Maria after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted against a key tax-sharing agreement.

Storm clouds roll in and low pressure moves near the Central Coast Monday. This will cool temperatures off and produce gusty winds at times. No watches, warnings or advisories are on tap for today. Expect overcast skies and highs into the 60s for most microclimates. Small showers could begin tonight, but most modeling shows more meaningful rain Tuesday.

The proposed 32-bed project aims to keep patients in the county and reduce waitlists, though construction is not expected to be completed until 2029.

Every Halloween of Ryan Mori’s childhood, his father tricked out their house in Santa Barbara with a “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme, which boasted elaborate decorations like sails on the roof and a wooden ship’s bow. “Trick-or-treaters who dressed as pirates got an extra bag of themed toys,” Mori recalls. So when Mori, now 24 and a property manager, aspiring writer and...