Athletes honored
Mental Wellness Month
Carp’s Rinaldi, SM’s Gill honored as Athletes of the Week - A3
Experts say you can return to a normal life at your own pace - B1
Our 165th Year
75¢
t u e s day, m ay 11, 2 0 21
Montecito’s Renaissance Dining increases at Coast Village Road restaurants
Newsom announces stimulus payments By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an additional round of $600 stimulus payments as part of his economic recovery plan during a news conference Monday morning. The funds are coming from higherthan-expected tax revenues, which Gov. Newsom lauded as a $75.7 billion surplus. Households with $75,000 in gross income are eligible for the payments, and families with children receive an additional $500. Gov. Newsom estimated 78-80% of tax filers will be eligible, a much larger percentage than the first round of the Golden State Stimulus program. (The first payments, signed into law late February, only reached those making less than $30,000 per year.) “While that (first payment) was Please see STIMULUS on A2
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Guests enjoy an evening dinner at Lucky’s, a Montecito restaurant that is seeing large number of of customers. Owner Gene Montesano said, “I think Coast Village Road is on fire.”
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Restaurants on Coast Village Road are back to business, and customers are back to dining in person. After more than a year of constant changes and pivots, eateries such as Tre Lune, Lucky’s and Ca’Dario are again seeing crowded weekends and bustling weekdays. Gene Montesano is the owner of a myriad of businesses in Montecito and Santa Barbara including Tre Lune Restaurant, Lucky’s Steakhouse, Joe’s Cafe, Lucky Brand Jeans, D’Angelo Bakery, Bucatini Restaurant and more. He told the NewsPress that people are loving the closure of State Street to vehicular traffic as well as the outdoor dining adaptations. And, Mr. Montesano said, the numbers prove it. “It’s like a Renaissance, which I predicted would happen,” he said. He described both Tre Lune and Lucky’s as “on fire” with the numbers of customers showing up, and Tre Lune is back to pre-COVID numbers and even exceeding them on some nights. “I think a lot of it has to do with outside dining that we’ve been able to do with the parklets,” Mr. Montesano said. “I hope that we can keep them because if we can, I don’t see why business would slow down, Please see MONTECITO on A4
City approves parks and recreation budget Community concerned about decreased staffing By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Owner Gene Montesano said Tre Lune on Coast Village Road is seeing a lot of customers.
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The Santa Barbara City Council accepted the Parks and Recreation Department’s proposed budget for the 2022 fiscal year. The department addressed tight city funds by leaving positions vacant. The parks division budget is nearly $8.5 million, and recreation requires $7.8 million. Operating the parks is the largest expense, at $6.3 million, followed by aquatics, at $1.8 million. The department raises $1.5 million in parks revenue and $4.1 million from recreation, gathered through various fees and events. The largest objection to the budget was not an expense but a lack thereof. Public comments and council members questioned the reduction in staffing. Kathy McGill, vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, voiced concerns that youth are “being left out Please see BUDGET on A2
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NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
Gov. Gavin Newsom is releasing his $100 billion-plus budget this week over a series of press conferences.
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 10-12-21-22-28 Mega: 12
Monday’s DAILY 4: 5-9-3-8
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 5-10-19-21-50 Mega: 10
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 2-4-7-8-18
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 01-06-07 Time: 1:44.75
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 12-17-20-21-26 Meganumber: 8
Monday’s DAILY 3: 5-9-3 / Midday 1-9-9