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Casey to step down as city administrator Official plans to take a ‘mini-sabbatical’ while he plans his next move By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
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“After seven years as the city administrator, it’s time to hand the baton to the next person,” said Santa Barbara City Administrator Paul Casey, who’s stepping down, effective Sept. 10.
Paul Casey announced Friday that he’s stepping down as the Santa Barbara city administrator, effective Sept. 10. The decision comes after an era during which Mr. Casey dealt with everything from droughts to a debris flow to a pandemic. Despite the challenges, Mr. Casey has enjoyed the job, but said he felt now was the time to move on. “It’s a great job. I love this job,”
Mr. Casey told the News-Press Friday. But he added, “It’s a hard job. It’s an all-encompassing job. It’s a stressful job. “After seven years as the city administrator, it’s time to hand the baton to the next person,” said Mr. Casey, who plans to stay in Santa Barbara and take a “minisabbatical” while he figures out his next move. The Santa Barbara City Council is slated to determine the process to choose the next city administrator and plans to appoint an interim city
administrator by Sept. 10. “Most likely, that (the interim city administrator) will be his deputy city administrator, Rebecca Bjork,” Mayor Cathy Murillo told the News-Press Friday. “Then we would launch a nationwide search.” Mayor Murillo noted she asked Mr. Casey to reconsider. But Mr. Casey stood by the decision. “I did not want him to go,” Mayor Murillo said. “He’s doing a great job. He works hard. He’s so good at managing people.
“We work in a stressful environment, but he’s never ruffled. He treats everyone with respect,” she said. Mayor Murillo said Mr. Casey’s decision left an impact on the city staff. “It’s been an emotional day at City Hall. Some of the staff on the second floor were teary eyed today. That’s how much Paul means to us.” In announcing his decision, Mr. Casey said he felt it was an honor and privilege to serve Santa Barbara and that he was proud of accomplishments during his
New ReSource facility opens The facility will expand recycling capabilities and reduce greenhouse gas
tenure. In Friday’s announcement, the city listed Mr. Casey’s accomplishments as including: — Passage of Measure C to address infrastructure problems such as street and road repairs, design of a new police station and rehabilitation of key city facilities such as the Cabrillo Pavilion. — Managing the city’s water resources during a historic drought, which included restarting the city’s desalination plant. Please see CASEY on A6
Mama Luma secures international deal By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Mama Luma, a local clothing brand founded by two UCSB students, secured a multi-million dollar deal this week with Italian distributor Baby Dream S.R.L., an international company that distributes clothing for some of the world’s top luxury brands. The $3.8 million distribution deal will bring Mama Luma’s line of designer kids clothing to customers in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Italy. The local brand is joining Baby Dream S.R.L.’s luxury line up, which includes brands like Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Simonetta, for the next three years. Kevin Mahany, the brand’s co-founder, told the News-Press that he and his business partner, Ata Sari, are looking forward to seeing their brand grow internationally as a result of the deal. “One of the biggest parts of this (deal) is brand awareness,” Mr. Mahany told the News-Press. “We’re very centered on how we use this 21st century landscape and ecosystem to create a brand that’s relevant, and we’ve done much of that through Instagram influencer marketing and Facebook advertising,” Mr. Mahany said. “Those have been prime avenues and this (deal), in our minds, is alleviating reliance on that. So here’s an opportunity to be in the top stores and physically in countries all throughout the world.” The business partners, Mr. Mahany and Mr. Sari, created the Mama Luma a few years after meeting one another during their freshman year at UCSB. The pair, both of whom are 26, decided to go into business together in 2017, launching a Please see MAMA LUMA on A6 KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The ribbon is cut Friday for the Santa Barbara County ReSource Center at the Tajiguas Landfill.
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Dozens of government officials, county staff and contractors gathered at the site of the Tajiguas Landfill on Friday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the new Santa Barbara County ReSource Center. The new center, located between Goleta and Gaviota, will divert an additional 60% of waste from the landfill, bringing the region to a diversion rate of 85%. In addition, the facility will create enough energy to power 2,000 homes and champion the largest greenhouse gas reduction effort the county has ever seen. “This is a great day for Santa Barbara County,” Leslie Wells, the deputy director of the county’s Public Works Department, said during Friday’s ceremony. “This will serve as a model for other communities and minimize
the impact of our waste on our own environment – an excellent example. It’s an action that communities across the country are going to have to take in order to better use and protect our resources into the future.” The new $130 million facility has two components — a new Materials Recovery Facility and an anaerobic digester. The two components of the new facility will work in tandem. The recovery facility will remove organic trash, including food waste, wet paper and wet cardboard. After the trash is sorted, a truck will take the waste to the anaerobic digester, where the trash will be mixed with water and cow manure and heated to produce biomethane. That biomethane can then be combusted in an engine and converted into two megawatts of renewable energy, according to John Dewey, the owner of Please see RESOURCE on A4
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Work is done inside the Santa Barbara County Resource Center’s Materials Recovery Facility.
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Mama Luma, a local brand that sells luxury children’s clothes, has secured a deal with Italian distributor Baby Dream S.R.L.
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Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-15-28-38-39 Mega: 18
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