Our 165th Year
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T U E S DAY, J U N E 2 3 , 2 0 2 0
Farmers Market still on Cota Street Weekly event gets more time at current location By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Moby Dick, a restaurant on Stearns Wharf, opened June 15, and a waitress said the business has been quite busy.
Lively day at Stearns Wharf
SB pier buzzes with activity despite COVID-19 By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Not even cloudy skies, a chilly breeze or a global pandemic could keep avid fishermen, local seafood diners and visitors from near and far, from enjoying all Stearns Wharf has to offer. Even on a gloomy Monday afternoon, the pier was buzzing with activity and foot traffic. People were chatting on the patios of restaurants, taking photos, casting lines and simply taking in the ocean view. Some chose to wear masks and keep their distance, but the majority didn’t. Stearns Wharf was one of the only piers in Southern California, joined only by Goleta Pier, to remain open throughout the COVID-19 lockdown. Only a few of the restaurants served takeout. Now, restaurants and shops have slowly opened their doors back up, taking advantage of the outdoor seating many of them already featured. The majority of businesses said they’ve been swamped with customers. However, some said this reopening was easier said than done. Jonathan Fisher, one of the managers of Santa Barbara Shellfish Company located on the wharf, said the restaurant opened up their indoor dining area for a week, but had to close it “for our own safety.” “Definitely the hardest thing is having people following the rules,” he said. “(People) not wearing masks inside, not respecting each other’s personal space, not respecting our personal space, just the basic rules.” He said many noncustomers walk in to use the restroom intended only for customers.. “It’s just been kind of a free for all out here to be honest,” Mr. Fisher said. “Other than that, people have been really willing to support and have been patient, spending money and wanting to take care of us and support us during the hard times.” Taryn Phipps, a bartender at the Deep Sea Wine Tasting Room, said that while “people have been respectful with masks at the bar and sanitizing,” the business’ reopening has also come with
Stearns Wharf draws a lot of musicians who play live music. Here, Allan John Fiedtkou, aka “Jahdog,” plays his guitar and sings Bible music.
challenges. “People don’t listen about moving around,” she said. “We try to have people stay at their same table, and it’s almost impossible to control people.” She added, “People mostly seem really excited to be back. They’ve adapted to the changes.” A waitress from Moby Dick, a seafood restaurant on the wharf, had no complaints about COVID-19 precautions. Please see wharf on A7
Even Lil’ Toot is wearing a mask. The vessel is one of Celebration Cruises’ water taxis that gives customers rides from the wharf to the harbor. The business has put a limit on the number of passengers allowed, and enforces social distancing rules and a mask requirement.
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The Saturday Farmers Market will have to leave the Cota Street commuter lot whenever the Santa Barbara Police Department’s new station gets built there. But the market will have more time at its current location because of the Santa Barbara City Council’s decision to delay construction and remove $2 million for the station from the fiscal year 2021 budget. The budget cut comes after COVID-19 impacts and societal concern over policing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. In an interview with the NewsPress, Sam Edelman, the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market Association general manager, said the organization wants its Saturday Market to remain at the Cota lot for “as long as possible.” That said, the organization has already found a new location for the day that it’s time to move and is going through the process of getting the site approved. “We’re just kind of going to let the process play out, but we’d like to stay where we are as long as we can,” Mr. Edelman said. That new space is a site at the 00 block of East Carrillo Street and 00 block of West Carrillo Street between Anacapa and Chapala Streets, and the 900 and 1000 blocks of State Street located between Figueroa and Canon Perdido Streets. It’s referred to as the “Carrillo Site” in the location proposal. The SBCFMA sent Public Works a request for a conditional use permit for the new venue. The site is one of a dozen that were considered, reviewed and discussed with the city of Santa Barbara. According to the proposal, the Carrillo Site was chosen as the new location for the Saturday market because it met necessary criteria such as for size and configuration of space, close proximity to parking, customer walkability, shade, ambience and traffic flow. “We believe that the Carrillo
site has the greatest potential to provide a safe, family-friendly space that is well shaded, easily accessible by car, bicycle and public transportation, large enough to accommodate 95 farmers and their vehicles, easy to navigate within the market site, and surrounded by ample parking in the immediate area with the ability to accommodate the 5,000-plus attendees during peak season,” the proposal reads. On top of being big enough to hold the SBCFMA’s members, Mr. Edelman added that the Carrillo Site is also suitable because it is centrally located in downtown Santa Barbara, accessible from many areas around town and is close to HIghway 101. The SBCFMA is a statewide program, and around 85 percent of its members are farmers located within the Tri-Counties area. The SBCFMA is now wrapped up in processing paperwork with the Transportation Division as well as other divisions within Public Works. Though Mr. Edelman admitted that he and others involved with the SBCFMA were disappointed when they found out they’d have to leave their old location for a new space, they also recognize that the Santa Barbara Police Department does need a new base of operations. “We understand that the police need a new space for their new station because their current location is inadequate,” he said. email: jgrega@newspress.com
Solvang rally supports local law enforcement By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Beckett Smalldon, a 12-year-old Dunn School student, baits his fish hook. He said this was his fifth day fishing on the Wharf, but hasn’t had a bite.
Sam Edelman, the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market Association general manager, said the organization wants its Saturday Market to remain at the Cota lot for “as long as possible.”
Local demonstrators gathered Saturday on Mission Drive in Solvang to show support for law enforcement. The rally had a different tone than many protests that have called for defunding police departments across the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. According to KEYT-TV, the event was co-organized by Bill Giorgi and Peggy Kono, who had rally goers dressed in red, white, and blue waving American flags and repeating the slogan “All Lives Matter.” Referring to local law enforcement as “members of our community” and “our friends,” Mr. Giorgi expressed that police are a necessity. “We want to show them that we support them and need them,” he told KEYT. Reportedly, a few Black Lives Matter protesters held a counter demonstration across the street to oppose the rally. In an interview with the NewsPress, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s Lt. Jeff Greene,
who commands the department’s Solvang station, spoke highly of the rally supporting law enforcement. Though he didn’t witness it personally, he said his troopers greatly enjoyed seeing support for law enforcement at this difficult time for the profession as a whole. “It put some smiles on their faces when they got some thumbs up and cheers,” he said. He added, “We’re very proud of our community that they can come together and express their First Amendment rights.” On the subject of the intense scrutiny law enforcement officers have come under in recent days and the public calls for change in policing techniques, the lieutenant said that law enforcement work is “something that evolves through time.” He also noted the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is being “proactive in evolving.” Achieving this, he said, can only come about through constant training. “Ongoing training is essential in law enforcement,” Lt. Greene said. email: jgrega@newspress.com
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LOTTERY
Comics................. A6 Local................. A 2-8 Obituaries............. A8
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 7-13-15-25-30 Meganumber: 13
Monday’s DAILY 4: 3-7-2-8
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 11-34-36-52-66 Meganumber: 7
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 4-12-17-18-37
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 06-02-12 Time: 1:42.82
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 10-31-41-63-67 Meganumber: 5
Soduku................. A5 Weather................ A8
Monday’s DAILY 3: 4-3-7 / Midday 5-7-4