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A ‘ZOOper’ reopening No more ‘lion’ around, the zoo is open again
Council also reviews rate increases for solid waste services
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
By CHRISTIAN WHITTLE
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Ralph, Felicia and Twiga are ready to make new friends. As the Santa Barbara Zoo’s long-awaited reopening finally arrives, the general public can now meet the two new lions and baby giraffe. Visitors saw the new animals when the zoo reopened to everyone Tuesday. Residents and tourists alike were quick to hop on ticket sales online, resulting in a sold-out first day back. Facing many guidelines that required big adjustments, the zoo has been working on its plan to reopen since March. Needless to say, smiles were present under the masks. “ ‘Excited’ is an understatement,” said Rich Block, the zoo’s president and CEO. “We are thrilled. It’s a big deal and we’re up to it.” One of the largest changes the zoo made was requiring online reservations for both paid guests and zoo members, closing off the site to walk-in guests. In addition, guests have a 90-minute limit to spend admiring the animals, a measure enforced to limit foot traffic. Now, guests are only permitted to walk a one-way path through the zoo, with white arrows indicating where to go. The zoo also provides a number at the door where guests text “WELCOME,” and they receive a text including visiting information, a map of the zoo with the updated path, the link for train tickets and the membership application. Signs all around the park remind guests to use their “Meerkat Manners,” including wearing masks, staying 6 feet away from other “flocks” and sanitizing. After a soft opening for members only the past few days, the CEO said this allowed staff to identify areas that needed tightening up to prepare them for this day. “Staff that was a little apprehensive about having more people at the site are actually reengaged and really excited they see guests again,” said Mr. Block. “As I look around and see guests come through, they’re not only respectful of the zoo and this opportunity, but they’re following the guidelines. I see masks everywhere, which is really what we want.” Misty Gray, the zoo’s director of husbandry and welfare, said some animals have also expressed their excitement at the humans’ return, Felicia specifically enjoying the new attention. “Her first time seeing guests here, she did not want to come in,” Ms. Gray said about the lion. “She wanted to stay with the guests.” Please see ZOO on A7
ONLINE The gibbons have a lot to say these days at the Santa Barbara Zoo. See the video at newspress.com.
City of SB OKs reduced budget NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Santa Barbara City Council adopted the operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2021 Tuesday, forgoing a salary increase to mitigate the significant deficit the city faces due to COVID-19’s impacts. In a “uniquely challenging year” for city budget staff, the budget unanimously approved by the council reflects efforts to mitigate the citywide revenue losses for FY2021 of $24 million. “This represented about $6.5 million in department reductions to the general fund as well as some labor concessions, some reductions to capital and then use of some reserves as well,” said Interim Finance Director Jennifer Tomaszewski. Finance Committee amendments include general fund revenue assumptions, proposed general fund and enterprise fund fee changes. The approved changes also include the budget reduction plans; staff adjustments, including $35,000 for the Juneteenth celebration; $1.15 million in Measure C funding for the library plaza and a reduction in the pavement project by the matching amount; $25,000 for the Chamber of Commerce; and $50,000 for the Point in Time Count, according to Ms. Tomaszeski. “In addition to the monetary items approved with the budget, there were also several items approved as directives for staff going into next year. There were six items council gave direction to bring back quarterly status updates through the RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The penguins at the Santa Barbara Zoo are eager to see visitors again on the official reopening day.
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
A laser-cutter brings student designs to life on wood at Coastland, a Carpinteria retail shop.
Above, at the zoo’s entrance, guests are welcomed back in at a safe social distance, with paw prints marking where each family or group should stand. Below left, the white-handed gibbons swung around and squealed in excitement at the returning attention from visitors again. Below right, a woman and her little one admire the flamingos while wearing masks.
Retail space reopens for students’ creations By PAUL GONZALEZ NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Coastland is filled with soaps, laser-cut woodwork and other unique handmade trinkets that would look at home in a boutique gift shop or on a social media influencer’s Instagram feed. Tourists and local customers might be surprised to find that the Linden Avenue retail shop’s eclectic inventory is made by Carpinteria High School students. Coastland, which is a quick walk from Carpinteria State Beach at 768 Linden Ave., is a Pro Deo Foundation project that provides an after-school entrepreneurship and business training program for high school
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Finance Committee,” said Ms. Tomaszeski. One of the directives was for outside evaluation of plans for the new $80 million police station and how resources are being spent. Council also approved moving parking enforcement from the police department to public works, directed staff to identify funding options for a minimum of four positions related to social work, mental health and/or code enforcement, and directed staff to work with the county on a co-response program. Council also directed staff to reevaluate the special events permitting process managed by the police department and to work with Santa Barbara’s black community on a community center. While the City Council cannot volunteer for pay cuts due to language in the city charter, each member of the council agreed to forego an escalation in pay for FY2021 that is tied to each district’s median income and pledged to reinvest the funds into the city. Also on Tuesday, the council held a public hearing regarding proposed solid waste rate increase of 6.9% for FY2021. “Our Solid Waste Fund reserves have been greatly depleted by covering a rate increase in the Fiscal Year 2018. With the onset of the pandemic, our commercial service reduction has been dramatic and the associated revenues (have been greatly cut). Right now we’re seeing anywhere from a 15% to 20% reduction in those revenues,” said Environmental Please see council on A7
students called Pathways. The Pro Deo Foundation is a nonprofit that works to create pathways for children and youth to flourish. Foundation Executive Director David Roberts said Coastland opened on Nov. 15, 2019, to great success, but had to close in early March because of COVID-19 guidelines. “We moved to Carpinteria with the idea of doing this program with the store. In the process we connected with the high school who had lost their after-school program grant funding. They asked us to take over the afterschool program,” Mr. Roberts said. Coastland reopened on May Please see COASTLAND on A7
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Comics................. A6 Local................. A 2-8 Obituaries............. A8
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