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Panel: County Winning Covid Battle as Economy Still Lags -- Big Bike Brouhaha, CCC & Pot Licenses...
Rising star reporter Jade Martinez-Pogue joins the Newsmakers TV gang this week with a full update on how Santa Barbara County appears to...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 25, 2021


Pot Wars: Carp Couple Suing Giant Greenhouse Operation Sells Home, Driven Out by Stench
By Melinda Burns Greg and Marllus Gandrud, who are suing five cannabis greenhouse operations on Foothill Road in Carpinteria, have fled...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 25, 2021


Mike Jordan Backs Bid to Oust Kristen Sneddon from Council; Open to Change in Pot Law
Santa Barbara City Council member Mike Jordan disclosed on Wednesday that he is supporting commercial developer Barrett Reed's challenge...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 24, 2021


Panel: How a Blockbuster Story Trashing SB City Hall Wilted Under Scrutiny; Covid, Schools, More...
It was seven days ago when digital links to an explosive magazine story started landing in email boxes across Santa Barbara, igniting a...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 19, 2021


Nick Torpedoes 'Blockbuster': Key Figure Named in Pot Article Does Not Own Disputed SB License
SB Independent columnist Nick Welsh on Wednesday knocked down a critical assertion in the Los Angeles Magazine piece that has roiled City...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 17, 2021


Ed St. George: Give City Council More Power, Boost Salaries, Limit Outside Work
Ed St. George, Santa Barbara's most outspoken and high-profile developer, believes that City Council members should serve full-time with...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 17, 2021


SBPD Chief Puts Embattled Aide on Paid Leave, Orders Probe -- Wagner Defends "Honor...Integrity"
In a swift and politically savvy move, Interim Chief Barney Melekian on Monday ordered an independent investigation of allegations...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 15, 2021


Young Dems Host First (Virtual) SB Mayor Cattle Call -- Tonight (Monday) at 6 p.m.
Memo to hardcore political junkies: The three Democrats running for mayor, along with the three district city council members seeking...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 15, 2021


Press Clips: Deciphering the Bombshell L.A. Magazine Piece That Just Hit SB City Hall
The legendary press baron Joseph Pulitzer, when asked to define "news," famously said it was, "that which is apt to be talked about." By...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 14, 2021


Panel: One Year after Pandemic Hit, Finally There is Hope -- Plus Latest on Schools & Mayor's Race
One year after Covid-19 began its deadly passage through America, killing more than half-a-million, shutting down businesses and...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 12, 2021


Alejandra: How Ceasefire in Park Murals Fight Transpired; "Very Disrespected" by Cathy Remark
Eastside City Council member Alejandra Gutierrez pulled off a nice piece of legislative handiwork this week, brokering a compromise in...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 10, 2021


Randy Rowse's Entry into Campaign for Santa Barbara Mayor Changes Shape of the Race
Randy Rowse's decision to run for Mayor of Santa Barbara instantly reshapes the race, installing a widely-known candidate whose...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 9, 2021


SB Mayor Eyes Tax Hike for Homeless; Says Union Donations "Not Pay to Play"; Calls City "Well Run"
As she seeks a five-year second term, Mayor Cathy Murillo said in an interview that her decade of City Council experience merits her...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 7, 2021


1-on-1: The Angry Poodle Talks UCLA Shaking Up Sansum -- Plus: Homeless Tax, Remap, Eastside Murder
Nick Welsh, the Independent's executive editor and Santa Barbara's top columnist (you could look it up) drops by for an in-depth...

Newsmakers with JR
Mar 4, 2021


Panel: Why SB School Board Torpedoed New Charter School - Return to Class, State Street, DLG Plaza
In the Before Times, no education issue generated more controversy and conflict in California than the big-bucks effort by reformers to...

Newsmakers with JR
Feb 26, 2021


The Balance of Power on the Board of Supervisors is At Stake in New Redistricting Process
By Melinda Burns Santa Barbara County’s first-ever independent redistricting commission has begun its work with the kind of partisan...

Newsmakers with JR
Feb 25, 2021


Panel: Sudden Hope on Vaccines for Schools, Mixed Reviews on Cop Shop & 711 Milpas - Politics Gossip
Nick Welsh and Josh Molina join the host for a special Mansplaining Edition of Newsmakers TV, as the intrepid trio dissects some rare...

Newsmakers with JR
Feb 19, 2021


A Conversation with Hal Conklin: "I Have Nothing But Gratitude at This Point"
Last summer, former Mayor Hal Conklin endured emergency brain surgery after suddenly collapsing -- and didn't awaken from the ordeal for...

Newsmakers with JR
Feb 18, 2021


SB Teachers Plead for Vaccines as School Re-Opening Looms
Union leaders representing 1500 Santa Barbara Unified School District teachers and staff workers asked county public health officials...

Newsmakers with JR
Feb 17, 2021


SB Ed Board President Kate Ford: "High Level of Confidence" K-6 Kids Will Return Feb. 26
Kate Ford says the Santa Barbara Unified School District has "met every requirement to open" elementary schools - and is optimistic about...

Newsmakers with JR
Feb 14, 2021
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