🌱 Santa Barbara Renoviction Emergency Meeting + New Youth Campaign

Hey, neighbors! It's me, Rose Mendez, your host of the Santa Barbara Patch newsletter. Let's get this Friday started off right, with a quick guide to the most important things happening in town these days.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Areas of fog, then sun. High: 64 Low: 49.
• Saturday: Partly sunny and cool. High: 64 Low: 52.

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Here are the top three stories today in Santa Barbara:

1. After the "renoviction" of about 1,000 tenants living at CBC & the Sweeps in Isla Vista, Santa Barbara County held an emergency meeting on Apr. 6 to discuss new just cause eviction ordinance language. The Chicago-based developer Core Spaces, the company that bought CBC & the Sweeps, is allegedly taking advantage of a loophole in California’s 2019 Tenant Protection Act which allows evictions if renovations were “substantial” enough to require permits. Jennifer Smith, who leads the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County, said, "Even when there is a pending lawsuit, courts may apply new laws to a pending action, depending on the circumstances." (Santa Barbara Independent)
2. Santa Barbara County has launched a new campaign titled, "It's OK not to be OK," which aims to "create a space for youth to open up about their struggles with mental health, substance misuse, anxiety, stress, and to find resources and healthy ways to cope," according to Melissa Wilkins, Branch Chief of Alcohol and Drug Programs with Behavioral Wellness. The Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness said, "This issue is as prevalent as ever as we continue to see the effect the pandemic has had on youth mental health." To learn more about the campaign, see the official website here. (Keyt)
3. On Apr. 4, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Fund for Santa Barbara's Racial Equity Fund recommendations. As a result, C4 Lompoc Collective Cultures Creating Change's Self Healing Communities, Madi’s Treasure Box's World Changer Initiative, the Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP Racial Equity Projects, and The Regents of the University of California, Santa Barbara's The Healing Space will receive funding. The Fund for Santa Barbara released a statement that said, "We applaud the County of Santa Barbara for taking concrete steps to address racial inequity in our region, and hope that this partnership initiates a more concerted effort by the County to invest in the most vulnerable and historically marginalized communities in Santa Barbara County." (Keyt)

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Today and tomorrow in Santa Barbara:

Friday, April 7

• Montecito Certified Farmers' Market At 1100-1200 Blocks Of Coast Village Road (8:30 AM)
• Thank God It's Funky (TGIF) With Area 51 + DJ Darla Bea At "We Want the Funk" Restaurant And Bar (6:00 PM)

Saturday, April 8

• Easter Egg Hunt At Santa Barbara Golf Club (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• On Mar. 27, Concerned Carpinterians, a cannabis watchdog group, sent a letter to the California State Auditor requesting that Santa Barbara County be placed “at the top of the list” for investigations of potential corruption in local cannabis regulation and licensing. The group wants to "rein in the greenhouse cannabis grows" and is focusing on Santa Barbara County because the county is number one in California for active cannabis cultivation licenses, according to state records. (Coastal View News)
• The grand opening for the new Center for Aging and Longevity Studies (CALS) at UC Santa Barbara was held on Apr. 6. According to the university, scientists will explore the possibility of reversing aspects of the aging process in the new center. (KEYT)
• On Saturday, Apr. 1, members of the Boy Scouts of Carpinteria Troop 50 attended the ceremony to induct the USS Santa Barbara LCS-32 into the U.S. Navy! The Santa Barbara naval ship was inducted at Port Hueneme in Ventura County. View the link to see a picture of the troop and the ship. (Coastal View News)

As a heads up, the Patch staff will be taking some time off for the Easter holiday. You won’t be receiving a newsletter this Monday, but I’ll be back soon with your next update. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

— Rose Mendez

About me: Rose Mendez is a freelance writer. She is studying English Literature at Hunter College. She loves reading, walking around the city, and coffee!