🌱 Sharks Off The Coast + Mosquitoes + School District Teacher Raises

Good morning, hello! Today’s National Yo-Yo Day; did you know that the first depiction of a yo-yo dates back to Ancient Greece, but reportedly came to the United States with young Pedro Flores from the Philippines sometime in the 1920s? It's Sylvia, your host of the Santa Barbara Patch newsletter — here to explain what's happening locally. Including news about:

• 🤔 Transparency questions during budget discussions.
• 💡 State Street plans lack consensus.
• 🏊 Sharks are around more than you think.

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☁️ But first, today's weather:

A.M. mist; otherwise, cloudy. High: 64 Low: 56.

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• Fuel Depot at 101 W. Carrillo St., $4.45
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🦸 Superpower Poll Results!
A 2018 survey found that Americans would love to have the superpower of healing others. We asked: if we take this one off the table, which superpower would you love to have? You answered!

• 27.3 percent: The ability to fly
• 22.7 percent: The ability to time travel
• 18.2 percent: The ability to read minds
• 9.1 percent: The ability to become invisible
• 4.5 percent: Superhuman strength, teleport, healing, or win select lotteries and give money away

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📰 Here are the top stories in Santa Barbara today:

1. “If you have swum in the ocean off the coast of Santa Barbara … chances are you swam next to a young great white shark.” Reportedly, Cal State Long Beach studied juvenile shark behavior over two years and found that they are much more common in local waters than we thought. Shark lovers hope this information will change your perception of sharks and eradicate some of the fears stoked by “Jaws.” In the course of the two-year study, no shark bites were reported. (Los Angeles Times/paywall)
2. What is biting, however, is the mosquito population. The Vector Management District warns that non-native Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes will take advantage of the recent rains and proliferate. Experts believe that yellow fever mosquitoes, last seen in 2021, will be out again this year. The animals “carry viruses like Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.” (KCBX)
3. Santa Barbara historically planned to have State Street as a “pedestrianized downtown that encourages walking and biking and other aspects of mobility.” That said, consensus on what this should look like is lacking. Parklets don’t have a unified look. Aesthetics are a bit of a patchwork. Earlier, we discussed the criticism of having plans that are “too pro-bike.” However, other ideas include cars – although at much-reduced numbers. The city council intends to decide by the year's end. (SF Gate)
4. How transparent is the city’s budget process? According to councilwoman Kristen Sneddon, figures featured in the “online transparency tool, the budget book and the PowerPoint presentation all showed different budget numbers.” City Administrator Rebecca Bjork responded that the process is “difficult.” Finance Director Keith DeMartini then reveals that the “status quo budget is not public.” Sneddon now questions why this information is not shared. (NoozHawk)
5. Employees at the Santa Barbara Unified School District are getting raises. Salaried employees get a 4 percent raise as of June 2. All employees get a one-time bonus of $1,000. According to the Santa Barbara Teachers Association, the raises are “a start in the right direction to help ease the financial burdens of all of our staff.” (Santa Barbara Independent)

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📆 Today in Santa Barbara:

Tuesday, June 6

• Clean Up West Beach with the Land Trust for SB County and Heal the Ocean (9 AM)
• Personalizing Your Apple Watch at Apple State Street (11 AM)
• Zoom Kundalini-Light Yoga with the Center of the Heart (2 PM)
• Job & Volunteer Fair 4 HS Teens at the Santa Barbara Public Library (3 PM)
• "Marine Megatropolis" Exhibit at the Santa Barbara Airport (4:30 PM)

In partnership with T-Mobile:

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🖊️ From my notebook:

• "A small earthquake struck in the Santa Barbara Channel on Sunday morning. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a 3.1 magnitude, approximately 21 km off the coast. It happened at 8:41 a.m. with a depth of 3.5 miles." (edhat)
• "An emergency repair project on Highway 1, one-mile north of Jalama Road, will result in the full closure of the Highway 1/101 interchange at Las Cruces and at the Highway 1/246 interchange in Lompoc on Wednesday, June 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m." (News Channel 3-12)
• "The 2023 High Fire Season begins for all of Santa Barbara County. That's the highest period of fire risk and preparedness. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department and related area agencies are united in their message for the public to be prepared in every way. If they have brush or grass around their homes, clear it back." (KEYT)
• "20% chance for showers and thunderstorms over the LA, Ventura and Santa Barbara County mountains Monday through Wednesday. Plan accordingly.
  For more info visit: https://go511.com/StaticContent/Index/119." (Southern California 511)
• "Santa Barbara (SB) Humane, located at 5399 Overpass Road in Goleta, is requesting potential changes to its facilities on the 3.98-acre site. The Design Review Board (DRB) will conduct a Conceptual Design Review of the proposed project on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. to get feedback on building design and site changes. The DRB Agenda and staff report will be available on or before June 8th at www.cityofgoleta.org/meetings-agendas." (edhat)

Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early Thursday morning with another update.

— Sylvia Cochran

About me: Christ follower. Wife. Book dragon. Proud supporter of the Oxford comma.

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