Owners of dining parklets appeal order for removal

City official says State Street businesses refuse to take them down

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The owners of eight Santa Barbara dining parklets are fighting back against the city’s order to remove them for failing to comply with ADA accessibility requirements.

City staffers who issued removal notices for the noncompliant outdoor business facilities gave them until Monday to take them down, but they refused to do so, according to Meghan Salas, the city’s parking programs supervisor.

“All businesses which were issued a removal notice for their outdoor business facility had to either remove them by the end of the day (Monday) or submit an appeal to the city council,” she told the News-Press.

“It is my understanding that many, if not all, plan to appeal. Businesses that appeal do not need to remove the facility during the appeal process. A tentative appeal hearing has been scheduled for the May 23 city council meeting.”

Two of the businesses are on the 400 block of State Street, she said. The remainder are spread throughout the city.

The Santa Barbara City Council could give the parklet owners more time to comply with ADA

Please see PARKLETS on A4

Decreases reported in violent crimes, property crimes

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The room was brightly filled with smiling faces and an array of purple for the sixth annual Inspire Luncheon that was held on Wednesday for the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter.

The event took place at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, where the keynote speaker was movie and TV star Jane Seymour.

This year’s theme was “Your Brain Matters,” referring to the brain’s importance in regards to women’s health. (Purple, by the way, is a color commonly used by the Alzheimer’s Association.)

According to Gerd Jordano, the Alzheimer’s Women’s Initiative founding member, the luncheon is put on to raise funds and awareness for global research as well as provide free care services to support local families.

Wednesday’s event had appearances from many important faces in the association, such as Anne Towbes, the other Alzheimer’s Women’s Initiative founding member, and Katina Zaninovich, the Alzheimer’s Women’s Initiative chair and a California Central Coast Chapter board member.

These two women alongside Ms. Jordano were honored at the event for their hard work in the Alzheimer’s Association. They have exemplified a clear dedication to the cause, inspiring many to join.

FYi

If you would like to learn more about the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast Chapter, visit www.alz.org/cacentralcoast.

During her keynote address, Ms. Seymour — a well-known actress, author and previous Montecito resident — shared her personal connection with the disease. She explained that many of her family members have experienced Alzheimers. Two of her uncles died from the disease.

Ms. Seymour has had multiple opportunities in her career that have intersected with the disease, adding more desire to help the cause. She starred as a character who had Alzheimer’s in the movie “Ruby’s Choice,” which screened last year at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Additionally, she was the executive producer of “I’ll Be Me” — a 2014 documentary about Glen Campbell, who was diagnosed in 2011 with Alzheimer’s and performed during his final tour in 2011 and 2012. Mr. Campbell died in 2017, but Ms. Seymour’s connection to the film has stayed strong.

Another speaker was Dr. Claire Sexton, the Alzheimer’s Association senior director of scientific programs and outreach.

She gave an educational talk on lifestyle changes that may reduce the risk of dementia. She additionally shared new treatments and medications that have gone through the process of research.

Many people, from all over California, attended the luncheon, where the highlights included fellowship, camaraderie and education. The event ended with the chapter’s request to help members in the community who may be experiencing Alzheimer’s or have family members with the disease. email: abahnsen@newspress.com

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has released the 2022 crime statistics for the communities it serves, showing significant decreases in violent crimes and property crimes.

Each year the Sheriff’s Office compiles statistics about crimes occurring within the communities it serves and submits this information to the state of California.

Reports are broken down into two major categories: Part 1 crimes, which are the most serious in nature, and Part 2 crimes, which includes a number of lesser criminal offenses and some juvenile status offenses.

Part 1 crimes are further broken down into two subcategories: violent crimes and property crimes. Part 1 violent crimes are offenses that involve force or a threat of force and include criminal homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Part 1 property crimes are theft-related offenses that do not involve threats or force against the victim, including burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.

After experiencing three years of increasing crime rates, the communities served by the Sheriff’s Office experienced a 12% decrease in overall Part 1 violent crime, which is 6% lower than the preceding 10-year average.

The most significant decreases in violent crime, as compared to last year, occurred in homicide (33% decrease), rape (16% decrease) and robbery (18% decrease).

Part 1 property crimes also decreased significantly from the previous year by 13%, which is also a 7% decrease against the 10-year average. Statistically, relevant decreases in Part 1 property crime, when compared to the previous year, were seen in burglary (23% decrease), theft (11% decrease), and motor vehicle theft (25% decrease).

Moving to Part 2 crimes, there was a 10% decrease overall when compared to the previous year (2021), with almost all categories declining or remaining statistically similar. The largest reductions were seen in the areas of weapons (11% decrease), drugs (14% decrease) and liquor laws (55% decrease).

“The Sheriff’s Office is pleased to see these overall decreases in the number of reported crimes throughout our county,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in a statement.

“This is a trend that we welcome and believe is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement and custody professionals, as well as our partnerships with the people we serve and protect.

“There is still work to be done to ensure that Santa Barbara County remains a safe place to live and work, but we are encouraged by the progress that has been made. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work diligently to maintain this positive trend.”

The Sheriff’s Office provides policing services for Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta and Solvang.

Here are the Part 1 crime rates for 2022, broken down by unincorporated area or contract city, and compared to the previous year: email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

• Unincorporated areas: 8% decrease in overall crime; 8% increase in violent crime (19 additional crimes); 10% decrease in property crime.

• Buellton: 35% decrease in overall crime; 40% decrease in violent crime (4 less crimes); 35% decrease in property crime.

• Carpinteria: 20% decrease in overall crime; 41% increase in violent crime (9 additional crimes); 26% decrease in property crime.

• Solvang: 11% decrease in overall crime; 33% increase in violent crime (3 additional crimes); 16% decrease in property crime.

• Goleta: 16% decrease in overall crime; 43% decrease in violent crime (37 less crimes); 12% increase in property crime.