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Southwest soaring to SB Airline announces intent to serve Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
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Solvang’s newly seated mayor and city council members reversed the previous council’s decision to not follow state stay-at-home orders, citing that the decision put the health and safety of the public at risk.
Solvang council reverses course
Newly seated Solvang mayor, City Council members stop revolt against stay-at-home order By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The newly seated Solvang Mayor and City Council members came out swinging immediately after being sworn in. The former council announced last week that Solvang would not actively enforce county and state stay-at-home orders, a unanimous decision by the council in addition to sending a letter requesting a new Central Coast region. However, new Mayor Charlie Uhrig had different plans, and after being sworn in alongside Council members Clau Orona and Mark Infanti, he told local businesses and residents to
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Wednesday morning, Southwest Airlines announced its intent to serve Santa Barbara Municipal Airport starting the second quarter of 2021.
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
At long last, residents and visitors of the Santa Barbara area will be able to fly Southwest. The airline announced Wednesday morning its intent to serve Santa Barbara Municipal Airport starting in the second quarter of 2021. After the first of the year, Southwest will announce the number of frequencies, destinations and fares, according to Airport Business Development Manager Deanna Zachrisson. So, as of right now, that information is yet to come. As one of the nation’s largest airlines, Southwest provides connecting service to more than 100 destinations in the continental U.S., Hawaii and beyond. “What typically happens in markets where Southwest goes in, they’re known for this Southwest effect,” Ms. Zachrisson told the News-Press. “They come in and tend to have lower fares and they tend to put pressure on prices, so there’s more competition and prices tend to come down. “So, there’s demand out there for air service, and we know that we are typically losing it a lot of the time to airports to the south of us.”
Members of the community, the city, the hospitality industry, local business and the education sector have been working for years to bring Southwest’s no-fuss, low-fare service to the region. “The pandemic has not been a good thing generally for all air travel, so we are really excited Southwest is coming next year, hopefully at a point in time when everyone can travel,” Ms. Zachrisson said. A recent forecast by UCSB estimated 1,200 new jobs and more than $300 million in annual economic benefit as a result of Southwest’s service. UCSB Economics Professor and Director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project Dr. Peter Rupert told the News-Press that he met some of the executives for Southwest, and “Santa Barbara has always been high on their list,” he said. “I think because of the pandemic, they saw some real opportunities,” Dr. Rupert added. “The best I could tell was that they realized business travel is not going to come back as fast as leisure travel. “When things open up and people are ready to go, they’re going to go… I think they (Southwest) view Santa Barbara Please see southwest on A8
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Two Santa Barbara City Council members voted not to send a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting the release of the Central Coast region from the regional stay-at-home order. With a 5-2 vote, the letter will still be sent and signed individually by the mayor and four council members. Mayor Pro Tempore Kristen Sneddon and Council member Oscar Gutierrez were the two dissenting votes. “This isn’t the time to celebrate and open our doors and invite a party downtown,” Ms. Sneddon said in the final regular meeting of the year on Tuesday. “I don’t believe it’s safe for the workers in restaurants to be pressured to be serving other members of the population at risk of their own health.” She said that she would rather send a letter to the governor asking for financial relief to
help those struggling with the closures. “We’re L.A.’s playground and backyard,” she added. “They’re putting stricter restrictions than the state is because they’re out of beds. “If we’re the only place open around and we think that we won’t have people highly exposed coming to visit. “It’s just not the time. We’re in the final, final stretch.” Mr. Gutierrez shared that he was recovering from COVID-19 himself. “I understand the situation that our business owners and residents are in, in regards to their employment and livelihoods,” he said. “I do not want you to lose your business but I sure as hell don’t want you to lose your health or your life. “The people who brought the virus to me, they weren’t from this county. They were from the SoCal counties,” he said. Please see council on A6
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SB Council split on forming Central Coast region By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
A recent forecast by UCSB estimated 1,200 new jobs and more than $300 million in annual economic benefit as a result of Southwest’s service at Santa Barbara Airport.
comply with state law. “Our newly seated council believed the decision to keep the ‘status quo,’ albeit with the best intentions, put the health and safety of the public at risk,” Mayor Uhrig told the NewsPress. “The old decision could also potentially put the city at risk of being held liable for possible damages from tourists or business’s staff who may have contracted COVID-19 in their outdoor dining areas, not to mention possibly losing state grants or emergency funds to assist the businesses during this pandemic.” He said in the meeting on Tuesday that he’s “not in favor
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