🌱 'Welcome Every Baby' Ends + Traffic Diverter + Harbor Snack Shack

Hello again, friends! Today’s National Onion Rings Day; did you know that while a recipe mentioned them in 1802, it was the A&W restaurant that made them popular fast food in the 1960s? It's Thursday in Santa Barbara, and I'm back to get you caught up on things happening locally, including news on:

• 🎨 Artist Danny Meza.
• 🏗️ The Vera Cruz Village.
• 🛑 Changes to Gillespie and Valerio streets.

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🌤️ Now, today's weather: Partly sunny. High: 71 Low: 53.

From our sponsor:

Today’s Santa Barbara Patch newsletter is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99 percent of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Santa Barbara Patch newsletter possible.

⛽ Three of the Cheapest Gas Stations Around Santa Barbara

• Valero at 5661 Calle Real, $4.49
• Fuel Depot at 101 W. Carrillo St., $4.53
• Conserv Fuel at 150 S. La Cumbre Road, $4.53

🏖️ Vacation Poll!
Are you traveling this summer? What is your favorite type of vacation? So far:

• 29.6 percent plan a staycation
• 14.8 percent each want to go on a road trip or cruise
• 11.1 percent choose a camping trip
• 7.4 percent intend to head out for an island vacation
• 3.7 percent each opt for a local outing, a national park trip, a Jeep trip, a solo trip to Europe, or a group tour abroad

📰 Here are the top stories in Santa Barbara today:

1. The Welcome Every Baby Program will end on June 30. After operating for 22 years, a lack of funds will end the practice of having part-time nurses make home visits to new parents. In the past, donations, grants, and other organizational support funded the program, which cost $350,000 to operate. Local reproductive health care providers have no replacement at this time. (Santa Barbara Independent)
2. If you typically drive around Gillespie and Valerio streets, look out for some construction that’ll start Monday. To make the area more pedestrian and bike-friendly, crews will put in “a landscaped traffic diverter.” For motorists on Gillespie, this means turning at Valerio rather than going through. If you’re driving on Valerio, you won’t be able to turn onto Gillespie. (edhat)
3. Volunteers from the Father Virgil Cordano Center are helping hopeful applicants fill out the forms for moving into the Vera Cruz Village. Construction is pretty much done, and there are 28 apartments earmarked for “those at risk of homelessness, including seniors” needing affordable housing. (KEYT)
4. Artist Danny Meza once again fixed the unity mural at Haley and De La Vina streets. Since it was a bit of a drive from San Diego, City Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez met the artist and thanked them in person. A shoutout to neighbor Beebe Longstreet, who made a donation for supplies. (KEYT)
5. Did you know that the Harbor Snack Shack is reportedly a hot insider tip for celebs? The fare consists of hot dogs and drinks. The price tag doesn’t go much beyond $5 unless you order a beer or plastic cup of wine. Sitting outside builds camaraderie, which is a big piece of this small venue’s appeal. After all, President Barack Obama stopped by and had a hot dog. (SF Gate)

📆 Today in Santa Barbara:

Thursday, June 22

• Bingo at the Mental Wellness Center — Fellowship Level (10:30 AM)
• Santa Barbara County Courthouse Docent Tour (2 PM)
• Crafternoons: Upcycled Buttons and Pins at Art From Scrap (3:30 PM)
• Autism Safari Night at the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens (5:30 PM)
• Author Shannon Pufahl speaks at the Mar Monte Santa Barbara Writers Conference (8 PM)

🖊️ From my notebook:

• "The Fire & Police Commission meets on the fourth Thursday of every month. The Mission Strategies Report from the SB Police noted over 11k calls for service & highlighted a 27.5 percent decrease in property crime." (City of Santa Barbara)
• "Bids open on Tuesday, July 18, for the Highway 166/Black Road Traffic Signal Improvement Project. Contract documents, including this Notice to Bidders, Special Provisions and Plans, among other documents, are available at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/sbcag" (SBCAG)
• "Summer Solstice parade will take place on Saturday, June 24, on Santa Barbara Street, between East Cota Street and East Micheltorena Street. Expect traffic delays in this area during the event." (SB Police Department)
• "Cell phone users w/Verizon Wireless dialing 9-1-1 within the City of Santa Maria intermittently unable to reach the SM Police Department. Calls being routed to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office and may cause a delay in emergency services. Verizon working to resolve it." (City of Santa Maria)
• "The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office is expanding the Neighborhood Restorative Justice Program to all cities county-wide in July and is looking for volunteers who want to be part of a change in their community." (Santa Barbara County)

That's it for today! I'll see you back in your inbox Saturday with a new 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