Solvang Theaterfest has plans to update seating, lighting, and sound at the Solvang Festival Theater in time for a shorter 2022 season. The restoration includes new lighting poles, a remodeled ticket booth, a sound/lighting booth, new stairways and ADA access, and a higher sound wall. According to a staff report presented at the Feb. 1 […]
KAREN GARCIA
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Solvang discusses regional housing needs
During the Feb. 8 Solvang City Council meeting, the council questioned whether the city has enough development space to meet the state’s next set of recommended housing need allocations. In this cycle, Solvang is tentatively projected to need 225 more housing units, 63 of which must be allocated to “very low-income housing,” 45 for “low-income […]
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Solvang approves an immediate grant to Bethania Church for community food distribution
The Solvang City Council unanimously approved a one-time grant of $10,000 to Bethania Lutheran Church at its Jan. 25 meeting, after the church’s reverend sought the city’s help in feeding families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. Chris Brown of Bethania Church and about 70 volunteers work in shifts every Tuesday evening to provide Santa […]
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Carbajal reintroduces bill on legal status of parents of veterans
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) reintroduced a bill on Jan. 26 that would help parents of veterans become lawful permanent residents without needing to leave the country. The Flores family from Goleta inspired the bill after their mother, Juana Flores, was deported in April 2019 to Jesús Maria, Aguascalientes, in Mexico. Juana is a […]
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Carbajal’s office can help residents with stimulus check questions
On Jan. 14 the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced guidance for individuals who qualified for a stimulus check and didn’t receive one, and U.S. Rep Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) office can lend a hand to those trying to navigate through the process with the federal agency. According to a statement, the IRS said more than […]
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District attorney won’t file charges related to December gathering in Solvang
During the Jan. 11 Solvang City Council meeting, a resident called on the city to condemn one of two large gatherings that took place over the Dec. 19 weekend at Solvang Park. The city said the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office was made aware of the event via a report by the Santa Barabara […]
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Large gatherings can’t be stopped in Solvang but safety is encouraged
Despite the pandemic, Solvang—similar to many other communities—has had several unpermitted, politically oriented gatherings in 2020. Two such gatherings occurred over the Dec. 19 weekend at Solvang Park, prompting many residents to alert the city about their concerns over the crowds. City Manager Xenia Bradford told the Sun that she learned one was an annual […]
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Solvang city attorney resigns before council could dismiss him
Former Solvang City Attorney Chip Wullbrandt resigned on Dec. 18, days prior to a special meeting on Dec. 21 that agendized his potential dismissal from the city. The City Council unanimously accepted Wullbrandt’s resignation and welcomed a familiar face as the city’s interim attorney. Mayor Charlie Uhrig told the Sun that his 2020 campaign and […]
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Boys and Girls Club gets OK to use the Solvang’s Vets Memorial Hall
The United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County received the city’s permission to use the Veterans Memorial Hall to provide after-school programming to students of the Solvang School District after it lost its space at the Solvang Elementary School campus. Solvang City Manager Xenia Bradford said during the Dec. 14 City Council meeting […]
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New Solvang council disagrees with nonenforcement of state COVID-19 restrictions
Solvang’s newest City Council members don’t agree with the former council’s stance on the state’s increased COVID-19 restrictions, stating on Dec. 14 that they did not support the former City Council’s emergency decision on Dec. 7 to defy such orders. During the Dec. 14 Solvang City Council meeting, the former council accepted the results of […]
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Santa Barbara and SLO counties await further state and federal guidance on COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans
While health care workers in California received the state’s first doses of the recently approved COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 14, nine pharmaceutical companies are continuing human clinical trials for their vaccines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emergency use of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 11. The decision came just a […]
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Solvang urgently responds to new state restrictions
The Solvang City Council created an emergency agenda item at its Dec. 7 meeting to respond to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent stay-at-home order and its impacts on the community, ultimately stating that the city wouldn’t be enforcing it. During public comment, residents asked the council to go against the state’s current stay-at-home restrictions, which are […]