SB City Council reduces dining parklet fees Groundbreaking day for dispatch

Fire chiefs, elected officials lift ceremonial shovels for county’s new Regional Fire Communications Center

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Never mind if a fire engine is red, green or white.

What matters is that the closest fire department responds when there’s an emergency — regardless of jurisdiction or boundaries, fire chiefs and elected officials stressed during a groundbreaking ceremony jurisdiction is, we’ll get the person who can get to them the fastest.”

Tuesday for Santa Barbara County’s new Regional Fire Communications Center.

Construction began recently for the new dispatch center and expansion of the Emergency Operations Center on Cathedral Oaks Road in Santa Barbara.

The project will also include a Joint Information Center and Call Center to support communication needs of Santa Barbara County residents during emergencies.

The $17.6 million center will provide dispatch services for all emergency medical services and the seven fire departments in the county. Those departments are the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, the Montecito Fire Protection District, the Lompoc Fire Department, the Guadalupe Fire Protection District and the Santa Maria Fire Department.

The center is expected to open by spring 2024.

“We want to create a system that goes from five dispatches to one, that goes from four different radio systems to one,” Das Williams, 1st District supervisor and chair of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, told officials, staff and media.

Second District Laura Capps noted that the new center fits the mission of Santa Barbara County government. “The county keeps us safe. Today’s action and investment will keep us even safer.”

Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Chris Mailes said the fire chiefs past and present and future,” said Chief Mailes, who’s president of the Santa Barbara County Fire Chiefs Association.

“What we’re doing is truly groundbreaking for the community,” Chief Mailes said, standing in front of an architectural drawing of the center and a Montecito Fire Department engine. The time, which can mean everything in responding to fire or medical emergencies.

Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, who was among the speakers, told the News-Press that he has seen the current dispatch process take several minutes in locating the

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DAVE MASON /NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO

Effective May 1, restaurants will be charged $2 per square foot, regardless of construction, for parklets on lower State Street’s Downtown Promenade.

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Santa Barbara City Council voted Tuesday to reduce the fees for outdoor dining parklets on State Street’s Downtown Promenade to $2 per square foot regardless of construction.

The 5-2 vote came over strong objections by Mayor Randy Rowse, who said it would be unfair to businesses in other areas of the city to continue to subsidize private business owners who use the public right of way. He voted no.

Councilmember Eric Friedman abstained, voicing serious concern at how reducing the amount of revenue generated by parklet fees would impact chronically underfunded city departments.

“It’s the libraries, police officers, the fire department,” he said. “We have to look at structural challenges of the budgets coming forward. It’s frustrating.”

The council debate followed a series of public comment speakers, mostly restaurateurs and bar owners, who said the fees in the variable rate structure proposed by staff — and previously approved by the council — were too high, and could cause several businesses to remove their parklets. They urged the council to lower the rates, and to make up the shortfall by imposing fees on parklets operating elsewhere in the city.

The previously approved rate structure, approved by the council in January, would have set the fees collected from parklets on lower State Street based on their size – $5 per square foot up to 100% of business frontage, $7.50 per

Santa Barbara Fair and Expo begins today Expect ‘Barrels of Fun’

By CALEB BEEGHLY NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

Earl Warren Showgrounds’ biggest event of the year, the Santa Barbara Fair and Expo, opens today.

Like past years, the fair will have a variety of events for all ages, such as carnival rides, live music and even extreme freestyle motocross.

The event runs through Sunday at the showgrounds, located at 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara.

According to Ben Sprague, the Earl Warren Showgrounds’ CEO, this year’s theme, “Barrels of Fun,” is “a throwback to the fairs of yesteryear and a nod to Santa Barbara surfing culture.”

Along with the theme’s connotations like “barrels of monkeys,” Mr. Sprague explained that Earl Warren Showgrounds wanted everyone to be able to connect to the theme. And it hints at what is in store at the fair.

One event that is sure to generate lots of excitement is Alaskan Pig Racing — which is exactly what it sounds like: piglets racing each other. It is an all-day event and takes place in the Children’s Area.

During the News-Press’ interview with Mr. Sprague, he revealed some of the events that he is most excited about. His favorite rides are Turbo Speed and the Ferris wheel, the second of which he said, “has a killer view at the top.” His kids, on the other hand, love Starship 3000, which for the adults is basically a new version of the Gravitron.

For the live music (which is free with general admission), Mr. Sprague is especially excited about Primarosa and exPorter, who both play on Saturday.

And his favorite snack is the carnival classic funnel cake. He describes them as “phenomenal” and even recommends starting with funnel cake because the line can get very long.

But Mr. Sprague said he is probably most excited about the freestyle extreme motocross event. Free with general admission, the event takes place on Saturday and Sunday and features X-Games Gold medalist,

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