City

Santa Barbarans for Safe Streets is circulating a petition to block plans to reconfigure the intersection of State and De la Vina streets from a “Y” to a “T” with the addition of a right-hand turn lane onto De la Vina, objecting that the plan is largely unnecessary and would eliminate seven parking spaces. City traffic engineer Browning Allen said the proposed changes would slow traffic and make it safer for pedestrians and disputed that the spaces would be eliminated (click here for more).

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Santa Barbara developer Bill Levy made it onto the California State Franchise Board’s list of top 250 tax delinquents. According to the Franchise Board’s Web site, Levy and his wife, Laura, owe the state $882,000 in back taxes and penalties. Once a prominent Santa Barbara business figure, Bill Levy’s plans to build luxury condominiums on the lowest two blocks of State Street failed and he filed for bankruptcy two years ago. (click here for more)

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The Shoreline Park steps down to the beach were reopened on 4/25 after being closed since January following a landslide. The city, which recently installed step treads and treated the wood railings, has now determined that the walkway is safe.

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Even Das Williams and Dale Francisco, the two Santa Barbara city councilmembers most opposed to Cottage Hospital’s proposal to build 115 homes on the site of what used to be St. Francis Hospital, agreed that changes to the design since it was approved last November made it better, disappointing neighbors who had hoped to send Cottage back to the drawing board. Of the proposed new homes, 70 percent will be sold to Cottage employees cheaply. (click here for more)