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Our 165th Year
Mate Gallery
A noteworthy celebration
Montecito shop has New England vibe - B1
Clark Bushnell celebrates 101st birthday - B4
75¢
MON DAY, M AY 3, 2 021
Low inventory, high demand Car dealerships affected by semiconductor chip shortage
Supes to hear cannabis appeal By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The County Board of Supervisors will hear from parties involved in an appeal of a cannabis conditional use permit during its regular meeting Tuesday. The proposed project is a request for a conditional use permit to allow a 29-acre cannabis cultivation operation on a 68acre parcel of land. The proposed project, if approved, would grow cannabis on about 29 acres, with about 22 acres under 12-foot tall hoop structures, according to a board letter from the planning and development department. All processing of cannabis grown at the site would take place Please see BOARD on A2
SB Council to tackle streamlining housing projects By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Toyota of Santa Barbara, located at 5611 Hollister Ave. in Goleta, has bare spots on its lot — the result of a semiconductor chip shortage and growing demand for vehicles.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara is not exempt from the international car shortage, a problem caused by the lack of semiconductor chips that are integral in today’s automobiles. New vehicle inventory was down 36% in March 2021, according to Edmunds, an online automotive resource based in Santa Monica. Doug Connor, owner of Santa Barbara Nissan, describes the situation as this: “The demand is there, but the cars are not.” Because the dealership has plenty of traffic, he has been able to sell cars close to or at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price with minimal negotiation. He likes to keep his lot full of
around 150 cars, a mix of used and new. But, now, he has less than half of his usual stock. He sees the same problem in other dealerships he drives past. Local dealers, encouraged by an increase in demand, don’t talk about the situation in dire terms. It puts a stress on business, but dealerships are selling more vehicles than they did last spring. Nearly 18.4 million vehicles were sold in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That volume of sales was last seen in August 2015 — the peak of a rising car market after the 2008 recession. The number of sales has been increasing since a low in April 2020, when just 9 million vehicles were sold. Prior to the pandemic, monthly sales volume averaged Please see cars on a3
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Members of the Santa Barbara City Council will discuss Senate Bill 35 on Tuesday in the regular City Council meeting. SB 35 provides a streamlined, ministerial approval process for eligible multi-unit housing projects by using “objective design standards” — standards that don’t allow personal or subjective judgment by a public official. Staff chose using Spanish Colonial Revival style for the template for these standards, because: “state law allows use of a specific architectural style as long as the elements are clearly defined; it is a well-known and loved style in the city, and is one of the three required styles within the EPV Landmark District; it uses simple, climateappropriate, weather-protecting, Please see COUNCIL on A2
LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
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A row of Nissan Rogues are angled in front of Santa Barbara Nissan, at 425 S Kellogg Ave. in Goleta. SUVs such as the Rogue are particularly popular right now.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-6-13-22-31 Mega: 13
Sunday’s DAILY 4: 8-8-1-6
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 8-19-26-48-49 Mega: 5
Sunday’s FANTASY 5: 3-4-30-33-39
Sunday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-02-04 Time: 1:40.68
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 35-36-47-61-63 Meganumber: 3
Sunday’s DAILY 3: 7-0-0 / Midday 8-6-9
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