Playing around with reality
Paul Collins is a true nature lover Santa Ynez resident retires after long career at natural history museum - B1
Our 165th Year
Painting represents era where artists had some fun - B2
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Council to mull business improvement districts assessments
Movie theaters begin reopening
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Santa Barbara City Council will consider appropriate protests to the renewal of the downtown and old town business improvement districts assessments for 2021. The improvement districts have provided marketing and promotional services for downtown businesses for several decades, and merchants in both pay for the services through an assessment based on their business license fee, location and type of business. The downtown and old town business improvement district revenues are projected to generate approximately $170,000 in business assessments to fund marketing and promotional activities for downtown businesses, according to the staff report. On June 30, 2020, the City Council approved an annual agreement with Downtown Santa Barbara to provide $310,000 for marketing, promotion and event services. Combined with other revenue sources, Downtown Santa Barbara has an estimated total budget of $579,130. Under state law, the council is required to Please see council on A2
Carpinteria City Council to consider safe parking program KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The marquee at the Metropolitan Camino Real Cinemas, located at 7040 Market Place Dr. in Goleta, displays its first showtimes in months.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Film titles are beginning to fill marquees, a promising sign for cinephiles and Santa Barbara County’s local theaters. But with the emergence of online streaming services, theaters are struggling to fill seats. Metropolitan Theatres, which runs seven cinemas in the county, is opening two of its locations. Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta welcomes moviegoers Friday, and Fiesta 5 Theatres in Santa Barbara will open its doors March 31. Cinemark’s two movie theaters in Ventura and Oxnard opened over the weekend. In central Santa Barbara County, family-owned Cal-Gran Theaters is keeping its indoor locations in Lompoc and Buellton closed. “Once we go into the next tier, we’ll start evaluating and seeing what’s out there,” one of the Cal-Gran family members (who declined to publish first and last names) said. “We’re not going to open until we can hit 50% capacity and there is enough content to have people come.” In addition to its four indoor theaters, Cal-Gran also owns two drive-in theaters, one in Santa Maria and the other in Madera. Business at the drive-in theaters has been “hit or miss” with cooler weather. “We’re not getting a lot of new Please see movies on A3
A new contactless ticket system is one of many precautions outlined by CinemaSafe, the National Association of Theatre Owners’s reopening guidelines.
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NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Today, the Carpinteria City Council will receive a presentation on the New Beginnings Safe Parking Program and report on options for responding to issues raised concerning overnight parking and restroom services for people experiencing homelessness. The city occasionally receives complaints and requests for service related to people that are homeless sleeping in vehicles in local parking lots or going to the bathroom on private and public property, according to the staff report. The New Beginnings Safe Parking Program provides a safe place to sleep at night for people that are homeless and living out of their vehicle, and can provide 24-hour restroom service via portable bathrooms. Renting the restrooms is estimated to cost $4,100 annually. In other business, the council will receive the proposed timeline and points of negotiation for disposition and development agreement for the Surfliner Inn Project. The purpose of the item is to describe the lnn Project, describe key terms of negotiation, and propose a DDA negotiation timeline. ln addition, the item will outline the aspects of the DDA negotiation that the City Council will have in closed session in order to preserve the city’s position in negotiations. Also on the agenda for the council is to consider authorizing a notice inviting bids for the 2021 Pavement Maintenance Project. With that, members will be asked to approve a budget appropriation of $685,000 from the Measure X Fund to Capital Improvement Projects Fund Expenses Account. “The general scope of work consists of crack treatment, asphalt concrete pavement replacements and the application of microsurfacing,” the staff report says. “Based on the city’s pavement management system, these Please see carp on A2
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By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
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