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BY LESLIE DINABERG
SOUTH COAST BEACON
The motto of Whole Foods Market — “whole foods, whole people,
whole planet” — will certainly be put to the test in Santa Barbara,
as the company saw at its first concept review meeting with the Planning
Commission last week. There will be a whole lot of community input in
its future if the organic food retail giant wants to successfully navigate
the city’s planning process.
The proposal, outlined primarily by architect Brian Cearnal, includes
the demolition of all existing structures in the current Circuit City
shopping center, 3761 State St., as well as the adjacent Taco Bell, which
Cearnal designed.
“I kind of like this little Taco Bell,” said Cearnal, feigning
horror at the prospect of its demolition.
Prompted in part by comments from the League of Women Voters, the Citizens
Planning Association, the Allied Neighborhood Association, the Coalition
for Sustainable Transportation and individuals, commissioners expressed
concerns about the city’s traffic estimates.
Senior transportation planner Rob Dayton explained that the city used
a formula for trip generation indexes based on square footage and type
of use, rather than actual traffic counts, as is common practice in California.
For example, the average daily number of trips estimated for Circuit City
currently is 635. The new Circuit City, which will be approximately 3,000-square-feet
smaller but contain the same inventory, has an estimate of 556 trips,
even though it will be located in a brand-new, presumably more vibrant
shopping center. According to the traffic estimate provided, the proposed
new project will result in 393 fewer average daily trips to the center.
“I intuitively have a problem with those results,” said commissioner
George Myers.
“We need to have a high confidence level in those numbers,”
said commissioner John Jostes.
The commission had positive things to say about the addition of a Whole
Foods Market to the community, particularly in light of Whole Foods regional
president Michael Besancon’s statement that company policy is to
donate at least 5 percent of its profits to local and regional charities.
However, the commission asked staff to take a closer look at the traffic
estimates and directed the applicant to take a look at adding some housing
to the project, as well as modifying the proposed parking scheme to make
the development more in keeping with their vision for an urban streetscape,
including developing more pedestrian walkways and possibly a small park.
9-1-1
CITIZENS CATCH A THIEF: Two employees of Ayu Clothing, 29 Anacapa St.,
were working in the store’s back room when they heard crashing glass.
The two searched the premises and found Jeffrey Alan Wojciechowski, 43,
hiding in a corner. He was arrested for commercial burglary and booked
at County Jail.
GUT REACTION: Santa Barbara police observed a bicyclist on the sidewalk
in the 900 block of State Street, and intended to cite him for a minor
traffic violation when he attempted to escape. They soon caught the suspect,
allegedly with possessions from several burglarized vehicles parked in
City Lot 10 on Ortega Street. Michael Bruce Davis, 32, was arrested and
booked on two counts of auto burglary, possession of burglary tools, resisting
arrest and probation violation.
CHILDREN EJECTED: Three children were ejected from a vehicle on Highway
101 just north of Refugio State Beach the evening of July 15. Saul Sanchez,
31, of Pomona, allegedly lost control of his Chevrolet Suburban with his
wife, Adrianna, 25, riding in the passenger seat and their four children
in a back seat. The vehicle rolled several times before landing on the
median, and three boys, ages 7, 5 and 2, were thrown onto the roadway.
The victims were taken to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital.
TEENAGE SUICIDE: County firefighters and sheriff’s deputies responded
to a vehicle fire near Cold Springs Bridge on Highway 154 early on July
15 and a deputy witnessed a man jump from the bridge. Andrew Popp, 18,
a former San Marcos High basketball star, was found dead near the bridge.
FRENCH TEACHER FOUND DEAD: The body of Sylvia Dominique Rebel, 48, was
found early July 15 at Arroyo Burro Beach. The Santa Barbara City College
French teacher was clad in a black wetsuit and had been known to go on
late-night ocean swims. A rental car issued to Rebel was found in the
parking lot. The exact cause and time of death has not been determined
and there was no trauma or signs of foul play.
4-1-1
VISION LOSS SEMINAR: The Braille Institute, 2031 De la Vina St., will
host a free seminar on vision loss from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 28. The
seminar will cover topics like macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts.
Ophthalmologist Robert Kolarczyk, M.D., will conduct a question-and-answer
session.
FIESTA OR BUSED: Old Spanish Days and the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit
District have announced a partnership to get Fiesta partygoers to ride
the bus and get around easier. For more information and planning aids,
visit www.sbmtd.gov or call 963.3364.
LEND-A-HAND
TASTE OF THE TOWN: An abundance of flavors awaits at the 24th Annual Taste
of the Town benefiting the Arthritis Foundation. More than 80 restaurants
and wineries will offer their wares at the event, from noon to 3 p.m.
Sept. 11 at Riviera Park & Gardens, 2020 Alameda Padre Serra. Tickets
are $75 in advance, $100 at the door. For information, call 892.5556.
GIVE A PINT, GET A PINT: During the summer months, the supply of blood
donations fluctuates wildly, according to Tri-Counties Blood Bank. The
organization says it needs an average of 150 pints per day to care for
patients along the Central Coast, and that it has fallen short of that
average. Albertsons and Häagen-Dazs have pledged their support, giving
a coupon for a free pint of ice cream to donors through Aug. 13. For more
information, call 965.7037.
RED CROSS GOES TO TEXAS: In anticipation of Hurricane Emily’s landfall,
the Santa Barbara County Chapter of the American Red Cross has sent Ken
Briggs of Lompoc to coordinate one-on-one aid for families, and Mike Shea
of Santa Barbara to work on logistics. To make a donation, call 687.1331.
— STAFF REPORTS
BY LESLIE DINABERG
SOUTH COAST BEACON
Supportive parents and staff are rallying behind embattled Harding School
principal Marlyn Nicolas, but her future is still up in the air. As of
now, she is still principal, and according to her husband, Frank, her
preference is to stay.
Nicolas’ future was apparently discussed in closed session at the
July 12 school board meeting but, according to board president Lynn Rodriguez,
the matter may not be on the agenda for the board’s July 26 meeting.
“We have potentially an item on the agenda next week but that’s
not certain yet,” said Rodriguez, who is also a Harding parent, a
situation she said has been uncomfortable given the current situation.
“I can unequivocally say that the principal at Harding is very well-liked.
… It’s an extremely hard situation,” she said. “I
think it is good for the public because I don’t think people really
understand a principal’s job duties, what they’re really supposed
to do and how they are evaluated.”
Harding teachers have speculated that the discussion of Nicolas’
removal was based on a performance evaluation they filled out last month
at the request of Robin Sawaske, assistant superintendent of elementary
education.
“We were under the impression that our comments would be used to
help her, not to remove her,” teacher Jeanette Pinedo told the board.
Sawaske is on vacation this week and unavailable for comment.
When asked about the district’s principal evaluation procedures,
Rodriguez said she thought evaluations had been done on a regular basis,
but with staff turnover (Sawaske is the fourth person to hold the assistant
superintendent position since 2002), “I think it’s been a little
spotty.” The assistant superintendent oversees the principals and
meets with them regularly, she said, “and good practice would say
that they get an evaluation every year.”
Principals have annual contracts and typically are informed in March
if their contract will not be renewed. That way the principals, many of
whom have teacher tenure, may reapply for classroom positions. Layoff
notices must legally be given to teachers by March 15, which would have
been the case if a principal with more seniority were to bump them, according
to Rodriguez.
Frank Nicolas said his wife has been in the district for 31 years and
at Harding for 27 years, first as a teacher and for the last seven years
as principal.
BY DANIEL OKAMURA
SOUTH COAST BEACON
Stormy weather’s probably not on its way, but it won’t be sunny
and fair all over the Goleta Valley, either, according to Bill Watkins,
executive director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project.
Much of Watkins’ July 14 presentation to the Goleta Valley Chamber
of Commerce echoed other recent economic forecasts along the South Coast:
Home prices will continue to climb and then slow down but not crash, baby
boomers will displace Generation X-ers, and the economy has been sluggish
compared to the state and the nation.
Goleta remains a key player in the county, bringing in 17 percent of
its total income, largely because of UCSB, tourism and the Santa Barbara
Airport. The only things that appear to be growing, however, seem to be
home prices and density.
“Higher density is going to happen whether you like it or not, so
just plan for it, deal with it,” Watkins said.
The most surprising news came from John Wiemann, vice chancellor of institutional
advancement at UCSB, who detailed the university’s economic impact
on the local economy.
Not only is UCSB the county’s largest employer, it supplies 5.2 percent
of its gross product. Commencement weekend is now the No. 2 tourism weekend
on the South Coast; the top spot is held by Old Spanish Days.
With thriving technological developments, more than 175 alumni and faculty
have founded companies locally. And, because most UCSB students live in
or near Goleta, the fact that many of them are employed and over half
— that’s 10,000 undergraduates — volunteer, means our local
nonprofit and for-profit ventures benefit from them.
This revelation sheds new light on the tenuous relationship between the
city of Goleta and Isla Vista. When the city incorporated in 2002, its
boundary lines excluded the UCSB bedroom community despite its location
and contribution within the Goleta Valley.
“I think we have a good relationship,” Wiemann said. “Any
time you have a close relationship, especially when it’s two big
entities, you’re going to have disagreements.”
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