Putin and Monaco
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Columnist Robert Eringer examines Russia’s relationship with the tiny European nation - A2
Fess Parker Winery unveils newly renovated tasting room - B1
Our 166th Year
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Winning Spirit Spirit of Fiesta, Junior Spirit announced on Saturday
Parking vs. parklets debate continues on Coast Village Road By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
It’s quite the kerfuffle on Coast Village Road. Should the parklets continue to provide a unique outdoor dining experience or are the supposedly momentary structures, which were meant to be an economic buffer from pandemic losses, making parking too untenable? Parklets — makeshift outdoor structures to accommodate outdoor dining and other businesses — sprouted up in many places during the COVID19 pandemic, including on State Street in Santa Barbara. The city’s Emergency Economic Recovery Ordinance, which was extended until December 2023, allowed for restaurants, wineries and breweries to establish temporary outdoor dining spaces next to their businesses, utilizing parking spots, sidewalks and other similar property. On State Street, that meant the roadway was shuttered to vehicle traffic in certain areas, allowing for pedestrians to traipse the corridor and frequent restaurants while eating outside. However, on Coast Village Road,
““There’s very little more precious on Coast Village Road than parking,” Mayor Randy Rowse said. “The biggest thing to me is: What do the people want to do?”
the proliferation of parklets meant the sacrifice of parking along the busy street, which is part of Please see PARKING on A3
FRITZ OLENBERGER / COURTESY OF OLD SPANISH DAYS
Tara Mata, 19, left, was named the 2022 Spirit of Fiesta. She is joined by newly minted Junior Spirit Layla Gocong, 9, right.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Tara Mata was announced as the 2022 Spirit of Fiesta on Saturday, joined by this years Junior Spirit, Layla Gocong. Ms. Mata, 19, is a student at Santa Barbara City College. “It truly means everything. I have been working towards this since I was five years old. This is truly the dream of a lifetime and I am just so excited. I just wanted to say a big thank you to the community. I am so excited to meet everyone and become the 2022 Spirit of Fiesta and represent Santa Barbara,” Ms.
Mata told the News-Press. Layla Gocong is a third grade student at Crane Country Day School. “It means a lot, it feels great and I just can’t wait to perform,” nine-year-old Layla told the News-Press when asked what it means to be named the Junior Spirit. “This is my second year and I think I have tried my hardest this year. Thank you to everyone that got to watch me and I felt amazing being named junior spirit,” said Layla. Prior to the announcement of the 2022 Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta, the outgoing Please see FIESTA on A3
Ms. Mata, left, and Layla show off their moves during the audition.
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Santa Barbara Kite Festival returns after two years By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Santa Barbara Kite Festival will be returning to the West Campus lawn of Santa Barbara City College today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be the 36th held in the city since its inception, and will occupy the Great Meadows next to the Garvin Theatre at 721 Cliff Drive. “Up” is the theme of this year’s festival, a selection intended as a positive statement of change in the community and the return of the festival after a two-year hiatus. Today’s forecast is for sunny skies, light winds and cooler temperatures. If these conditions hold, it will make for an excellent day of kite flying. The Children’s Kite Tail Chase features the master kite flying of Rakesh Bahadur. Mr. Bahadur is the founder of the kite festival, which he started in San Francisco in 1973. In 1980, he brought the festival to Santa Barbara along
with his kite shop, Come Fly a Kite. The shop closed about 5 years ago when he retired, but the festival remains. Mr. Bahadur was also named the “Master of Kite Flying” by the America Kite Flyers Association in 1981. His family was the first family to open a kite shop in America. Mr. Bahadur has been flying kites since he was three years old. In India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, kite fighting is enjoyed as a challenging sport, not a hobby, according to Mr. Bahadur. “It is the best thing you can do. It is an extension of yourself when you are flying, it’s almost like you are flying yourself when you are flying a kite. Men always want to fly,” Mr. Bahadur told the NewsPress. The festival will feature friendly competitions: “Best of Fest,” “Best Ground Display,” “Youngest & Oldest Kite Flyers,” “Most Unique/ Please see KITES on A7
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KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Coast Village Road is dealing with the question of parklets, which has benefited restaurants, vs. the loss of parking space on the busy street.
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