🌱 Press Room Parklet + Parklet Inspections + Community Baby Shower

Hey, Santa Barbara! Today’s Free Comic Book Day; did you know that comic book retailer Joe Field founded it in 2001, and now there’s a ZIP code lookup to find participating stores near you? I'm here today to get you caught up on what's going on in town. Today you'll find news about:

• 🚚 The new Nanogrid Emergency Response Trailer.
• 🌊 Water safety programs for kids.
• 🔎 The upcoming parklet inspection.

💗 Please help us grow! Send a friend or neighbor this link, so they can be in the know, like you!

🌤️ But first, today's weather: Cool with periods of sun. High: 65 Low: 48.

Interested in reaching our local readers with targeted messaging that drives traffic to your business? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Around Santa Barbara

• Educated Car Wash at 3735 State St., $4.45
• Fuel Depot at 1929 Cliff Drive, $4.57
• 76 at 1800 State St., $4.59

🍷 Hobby Poll!
Everybody has hobbies. If time and money were no object this summer, which new hobby would you like to learn or take up? So far, 16.7 percent pick traveling, and 5.5 percent each select horseback riding, flying, ballroom dancing, crocheting, Mahjong, basket making, dog training and showing, and fly-fishing, surfing, and watercolor. New write-ins – at 5.6 percent each – are pickleball, piloting a small aircraft, line dancing, pottery, and wine collecting.

📰 Here are the top stories in Santa Barbara today:

1. Press Room parklet update: Late last month, a driver careened into the pub’s parklet, made a huge mess, and tried to escape. This week, we learned that the suspect was a 21-year-old woman who was in the vehicle with a 20-year-old. Alcohol was allegedly involved. (NoozHawk)
2. Parklet fee update: With the amount of the parklet fee nailed down, it’s time to prepare the bills. Reportedly, the city has 37 applicants. Inspectors will now go out, visit the businesses, and inspect the parklets for adherence to design guidelines. When everything’s in place, the business owner can sign a financial agreement. “The State Street businesses that have not met the design guidelines or who have not been approved by the end of the month will receive a notice to take their parklets down.” (KEYT)
3. The city is taking water safety seriously. The City Parks and Recreation Department has designed several programs for children aged six months to 17 years. Officials urge neighbors to enroll their children in “low-cost water safety programs for youth residents.” Classes address everything from basic swimming skills to ocean safety. Los Baños del Mar and Ortega Park Pool will be the locations for lessons. (edhat)
4. What is the Nanogrid Emergency Response Trailer? It arrived last week and had a $200,000 price tag. It features “a retractable solar array, a tailgate ramp, a pull-out table, power outlets, hydrogen storage tanks, and a television.” Officials intend to use the trailer “primarily to help people in the community who rely on electric medical devices be able to access a source of power during power outages.” (Independent)
5. If you’re pregnant or know someone who is, circle May 20 on your calendar. The Santa Barbara Public Library will host its annual Community Baby Shower from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The first 50 attendees get a swag bag. But everyone benefits from the organizations that stop by and offer informational material. (KSBY)

From our sponsor:

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📆 Today in Santa Barbara:

• Shop at the Downtown Farmers Market located at Santa Barbara St & E Cota St (8 AM)
• Come to the FREE Douglas Family Preserve Paint/Sculpt-Out (9 AM)
• Learn all about Sourdough Troubleshooting at the Apples to Zucchini Cooking School (10 AM)
• Santa Barbara City College hosts a Cinco de Mayo Festival (11 AM)
• Hear Jose Luis de la Paz perform at The New Vic (7:30 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "Don't miss the special lecture on "Living with Fire, Floods, & Debris Flows" May 11. Experts will explore risk reduction, forecasting strategies, & effective risk communication. Join us at UCSB & SBFSC. Register now: http://bit.ly/40Y07i1." (Scott Safechuck)
• "Check out our Parent/Caregiver Leaders and Staff participating in bilingual professional learning at CABE’s conference in Riverside! Participants attended a wide range of workshops on resources and tools to assist our multilingual learners in achieving success in school!" (Santa Barbara Unified School District)
• "Turn your watering system off until the soil near the root zone dries out, typically 7–10 days after rain. How do you check? Use your "digital technology" i.e., your finger digit to check the soil!" (City of Santa Barbara)
• "Looking for a ludicrously capacious bag to fill with books, a lunch pail, or maybe flat shoes for the subway? Make a trip to the Central Library to purchase this reusable tote bag in either the dog or cat pattern, available in blue and green. We also have SBPL stickers for sale that you can decorate your water bottle, laptop, or even your car. Support your local library with a purchase and you can represent SBPL wherever you go! 💚" (Santa Barbara Public Library)
• "Jack Harwood made history as the first man to be named the Spirit of Fiesta." (OSD Fiesta)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• "Get Out of Town" this spring! (May 11)
• "Get Out of Town" this spring! (May 11)
• Add your event

That's it for today! See you Tuesday for another update.

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing full-time since 2005. She loves dogs, cats, books, plays Bee Swarm Simulator (don't judge), embraces social justice, and tries to live out Micah 6:8.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Santa Barbara Patch newsletter? Contact me at santabarbara@patch.com