News - The Santa Barbara Independent

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Trump’s Deportation Plan Brings Fear and Sadness at California’s Border

Trump’s Deportation Plan Brings Fear and Sadness at California’s Border

Immigration By Wendy Fry, CalMatters

The president-elect’s border policies could hit trade, privacy, and immigrant families living in California.

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second

Politics By Ana B. Ibarra and Nigel Duara, CalMatters

California sued the Trump administration more than 100 times in his first term and secured some major victories on the environment, immigration and health care.

Santa Barbara City Council’s Three Leading Candidates on Election Night

Santa Barbara City Council’s Three Leading Candidates on Election Night

Election 2024 By Ryan P. Cruz & Christina McDermott

District 1 candidate Wendy Santamaria is poised to be the city’s newest councilmember.

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Short, Brutish and Cruel: Five Takeaways from Tuesday’s Historic Election

Short, Brutish and Cruel: Five Takeaways from Tuesday’s Historic Election

News Commentary By Jerry Roberts

New Isla Vista Vending Machine Dispenses Free Health and Wellness Items

New Isla Vista Vending Machine Dispenses Free Health and Wellness Items

Health By Ellery Wakeman

EDC Files Appeal to Deny Transfer of Exxon’s Oil Pipeline Permits to Sable

EDC Files Appeal to Deny Transfer of Exxon’s Oil Pipeline Permits to Sable

Environment By Margaux Lovely

Cooling Down Santa Barbara’s Hot Schools

Cooling Down Santa Barbara’s Hot Schools

Education By Callie Fausey

Carpinteria Mainstay Robitaille’s Fine Candies to Close in December 2024

Carpinteria Mainstay Robitaille’s Fine Candies to Close in December 2024

Business By Ryan P. Cruz

Update: Forward Progress of Santa Lucia Fire near Lompoc Stopped, All Evacuation Warnings Lifted

Update: Forward Progress of Santa Lucia Fire near Lompoc Stopped, All Evacuation Warnings Lifted

Wildfire By Margaux Lovely & Jackson Friedman

Covered California’s 2025 Open Health-Insurance Enrollment Is Open to Most Everyone

Covered California’s 2025 Open Health-Insurance Enrollment Is Open to Most Everyone

Health By Hadeel Eljarrari

Ag Enterprise Ordinance for Santa Barbara County Gets a Reset

Ag Enterprise Ordinance for Santa Barbara County Gets a Reset

Business By Jean Yamamura

Drainage Improvements Planned for Santa Barbara’s Perennially Soggy Castillo Street Undercrossing

Drainage Improvements Planned for Santa Barbara’s Perennially Soggy Castillo Street Undercrossing

Infrastructure By Jean Yamamura

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Public Safety

Vigilancia de la calidad del aire para el condado de Santa Bárbara

Public Safety By Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District

Air Quality Watch for Santa Barbara County

Public Safety By Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District

Election Night Could See Unarmed Minuteman III Test Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base

Election Night Could See Unarmed Minuteman III Test Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base

Public Safety By Jean Yamamura

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Election 2024

Santa Barbara City Council’s Three Leading Candidates on Election Night

Santa Barbara City Council’s Three Leading Candidates on Election Night

Election 2024 By Ryan P. Cruz & Christina McDermott

Santa Barbara County Election Update

Santa Barbara County Election Update

Election 2024 By Nick Welsh

Rep. Salud Carbajal Stays Optimistic on Election Night Despite Presidential Results

Rep. Salud Carbajal Stays Optimistic on Election Night Despite Presidential Results

Election 2024 By Ryan P. Cruz

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Community

Music Academy Plans for More Students and Events Approved

Music Academy Plans for More Students and Events Approved

Community By Nick Welsh

Hope Ranch Homeowners Battle over Height Limits

Hope Ranch Homeowners Battle over Height Limits

Community By Christina McDermott

El Presidio Comes to Life for Día de los Muertos Market & Craft Day

El Presidio Comes to Life for Día de los Muertos Market & Craft Day

Community By Ryan P. Cruz

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Infrastructure

Drainage Improvements Planned for Santa Barbara’s Perennially Soggy Castillo Street Undercrossing

Drainage Improvements Planned for Santa Barbara’s Perennially Soggy Castillo Street Undercrossing

Infrastructure By Jean Yamamura

Santa Barbara County Shares Backup Plan to Keep Lights on During Disaster

Santa Barbara County Shares Backup Plan to Keep Lights on During Disaster

Infrastructure By Callie Fausey

A Grand Vision: The People Shaping Santa Barbara’s State Street

A Grand Vision: The People Shaping Santa Barbara’s State Street

Cover Story By Ryan P. Cruz and Margaux Lovely | Photos by Ingrid Bostrom

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Housing

Board of Supervisors Approve Emergency Moratorium to Save Senior Mobile Homes

Board of Supervisors Approve Emergency Moratorium to Save Senior Mobile Homes

Housing By Ryan P. Cruz

Goleta Seeks Granny Flat Concepts for Pre-Approval

Goleta Seeks Granny Flat Concepts for Pre-Approval

Housing By Jean Yamamura

Marriott’s Home-Sharing Raises Questions over Rental Enforcement

Marriott’s Home-Sharing Raises Questions over Rental Enforcement

Housing By Christina McDermott

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Environment

EDC Files Appeal to Deny Transfer of Exxon’s Oil Pipeline Permits to Sable

EDC Files Appeal to Deny Transfer of Exxon’s Oil Pipeline Permits to Sable

Environment By Margaux Lovely

Sable Oil Wins First Round in Santa Barbara County

Sable Oil Wins First Round in Santa Barbara County

Environment By Nick Welsh

Sharks and the Sea Around Us

Sharks and the Sea Around Us

Environment By Conner Smith

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Business

Carpinteria Mainstay Robitaille’s Fine Candies to Close in December 2024

Carpinteria Mainstay Robitaille’s Fine Candies to Close in December 2024

Business By Ryan P. Cruz

Ag Enterprise Ordinance for Santa Barbara County Gets a Reset

Ag Enterprise Ordinance for Santa Barbara County Gets a Reset

Business By Jean Yamamura

Santa Barbara’s Art Essentials Moving to 1200 Block of State Street

Santa Barbara’s Art Essentials Moving to 1200 Block of State Street

Business By Christina McDermott

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Science & Tech

Dr. Jennifer Doudna Talks Editing Genes and Shredding Cancer

Dr. Jennifer Doudna Talks Editing Genes and Shredding Cancer

Science & Tech By Callie Fausey

UCSB Partners with Santa Barbara City College to Expand Workforce Training in Micro/Nanotechnology and Semiconductor Manufacturing

UCSB Partners with Santa Barbara City College to Expand Workforce Training in Micro/Nanotechnology and Semiconductor Manufacturing

Science & Tech By Sonia Fernandez, UCSB's 'The Current'

UCSB to Lead $22M NSF-Funded Center on Exceptional Microbes

UCSB to Lead $22M NSF-Funded Center on Exceptional Microbes

Science & Tech By Andrew Masuda, UCSB's 'The Current'

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Courts & Crime

Santa Barbara County to Pay $2 Million to Sexually Assaulted Jail Inmate

Santa Barbara County to Pay $2 Million to Sexually Assaulted Jail Inmate

Courts & Crime By Margaux Lovely

Campaign Sign Thefts on the Eastside

Campaign Sign Thefts on the Eastside

Courts & Crime By Jean Yamamura

Zaca Preserve in Buellton Sues Sable over ‘Secretive Plans’ to Repair and Restart Oil Pipeline

Zaca Preserve in Buellton Sues Sable over ‘Secretive Plans’ to Repair and Restart Oil Pipeline

Courts & Crime By Margaux Lovely

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Energy

Energy Co-op’s Attempt to Downsize Board Gives Goleta a Jolt

Energy Co-op’s Attempt to Downsize Board Gives Goleta a Jolt

Energy By Jean Yamamura

Santa Barbara County Shares Backup Plan to Keep Lights on During Disaster

Santa Barbara County Shares Backup Plan to Keep Lights on During Disaster

Infrastructure By Callie Fausey

Mechanics Liens Lifted in Solar Power Company Bankruptcy

Mechanics Liens Lifted in Solar Power Company Bankruptcy

Energy By Jean Yamamura

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Health

New Isla Vista Vending Machine Dispenses Free Health and Wellness Items

New Isla Vista Vending Machine Dispenses Free Health and Wellness Items

Health By Ellery Wakeman

Covered California’s 2025 Open Health-Insurance Enrollment Is Open to Most Everyone

Covered California’s 2025 Open Health-Insurance Enrollment Is Open to Most Everyone

Health By Hadeel Eljarrari

Santa Barbara Supervisors Hear How Mental Health Grants Might Be Spent

Santa Barbara Supervisors Hear How Mental Health Grants Might Be Spent

Health By Jean Yamamura

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Education

Cooling Down Santa Barbara’s Hot Schools

Cooling Down Santa Barbara’s Hot Schools

Education By Callie Fausey

After Near-Strike and Historic Teachers’ Raise, Santa Barbara Unified Grapples with Teacher Turnover, a $10M Budget Shortfall, and ‘Residual Frustration’

After Near-Strike and Historic Teachers’ Raise, Santa Barbara Unified Grapples with Teacher Turnover, a $10M Budget Shortfall, and ‘Residual Frustration’

Education By Callie Fausey

SBCC Athletics on Probation Until 2026 Following Football Recruitment Violations

SBCC Athletics on Probation Until 2026 Following Football Recruitment Violations

Sports By Cebelli Pfeifer and Anika Brodnansky, SBCC's 'The Channels'

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Homeless

Santa Barbara County Struggles with Court Homeless Ruling

Santa Barbara County Struggles with Court Homeless Ruling

Homeless By Nick Welsh

Santa Barbara Homeless Stats Given to Council

Santa Barbara Homeless Stats Given to Council

Homeless By Nick Welsh

Santa Barbara’s Eastside Sees Uptick in Homeless-Related Calls for Service

Santa Barbara’s Eastside Sees Uptick in Homeless-Related Calls for Service

Homeless By Margaux Lovely

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Cannabis

Island Breeze Cannabis Project in Carpinteria Stumbles Again

Island Breeze Cannabis Project in Carpinteria Stumbles Again

Cannabis By Melinda Burns

Carpinteria Cannabis and the Lingering Smell of Pot

Carpinteria Cannabis and the Lingering Smell of Pot

Cannabis By Melinda Burns

Iration x Autumn Brands Launch Party

Iration x Autumn Brands Launch Party

Cannabis By Leslie Dinaberg

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Transportation

Peace Breaks Out Between Bike Lane and Palm Trees on Modoc Road

Peace Breaks Out Between Bike Lane and Palm Trees on Modoc Road

Transportation By Nick Welsh

In Nationwide First, California Plans to Rev Up Sales of Electric Motorcycles

In Nationwide First, California Plans to Rev Up Sales of Electric Motorcycles

Transportation By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, CalMatters

Getting a Handle on Biking Laws in Santa Barbara

Getting a Handle on Biking Laws in Santa Barbara

Transportation By Ryan P. Cruz

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Immigration

Trump’s Deportation Plan Brings Fear and Sadness at California’s Border

Trump’s Deportation Plan Brings Fear and Sadness at California’s Border

Immigration By Wendy Fry, CalMatters

Biden Grants Legal Protections to Dreamers and Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens

Biden Grants Legal Protections to Dreamers and Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens

Immigration By Jean Yamamura

Eight Months After Storms, California Disaster Relief Slowly Flows to Undocumented Workers Who Lost Homes, Income

Eight Months After Storms, California Disaster Relief Slowly Flows to Undocumented Workers Who Lost Homes, Income

News By Nicole Foy, CalMatters

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Politics

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second

Politics By Ana B. Ibarra and Nigel Duara, CalMatters

Newsom Declares Victory over Big Oil

Newsom Declares Victory over Big Oil

Politics By Alexei Koseff, CalMatters

Santa Barbara Congressmember Carbajal Issues Statement in Support of Israel Following Attack by Iran

Santa Barbara Congressmember Carbajal Issues Statement in Support of Israel Following Attack by Iran

Politics By Callie Fausey

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Wildfire

Update: Forward Progress of Santa Lucia Fire near Lompoc Stopped, All Evacuation Warnings Lifted

Update: Forward Progress of Santa Lucia Fire near Lompoc Stopped, All Evacuation Warnings Lifted

Wildfire By Margaux Lovely & Jackson Friedman

Firefighters Stop Vegetation Fire on Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve

Firefighters Stop Vegetation Fire on Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve

Wildfire By Margaux Lovely

UC Santa Barbara, Community Environmental Council to Hold Living with Fire Summit

UC Santa Barbara, Community Environmental Council to Hold Living with Fire Summit

Wildfire By Sonia Fernandez, UCSB's 'The Current'

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