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Santa Barbara News-Press: April 10, 2023

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Our 167th Year

Easter Mass

A new name

Photos of the outdoor Easter Mass at the Santa Barbara Mission - A4

Former Santa Ynez Inn reopened as The Genevieve - B1

75¢

MON DAY, A PR I L 10 , 2 023

Commission Where the tacos are the stars Planning members voice Taqueria La Unica is the latest restaurant to open on State Street

‘real concerns’ with proposed hotel By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

A proposal to build a 250-room hotel at 101 Garden St. ran into a serious roadblock when several Planning Commission members voiced concern that the hotel might have an adverse impact on the city’s housing stock. Commission members also questioned the developers’ decision not to provide affordable housing for the 60 employees envisioned to operate the Garden Street Hotel, instead of making them commute from Ventura, Oxnard and Lompoc. “The Funk Zone doesn’t need another hotel,” Commission member Lucille Boss said at the Thursday meeting. “We need affordable housing. We do have a need for 8,000 housing units. Why a hotel?” She and other commission members suggested that if the developers fail to build adequate housing for their workers, that they be required to pay linkage fees to go into the city’s new HOPE affordable housing trust. Commission member Lesley Wiscomb suggested that New Mexican restaurant Taqueria La Unica recently opened on State Street in Santa Barbara.

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Carp City Council to honor 2022 Carpinterians of the Year

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

A new Mexican restaurant, Taqueria La Unica, has opened on State Street. The Santa Barbara restaurant, which opened April 3, is co-owned by brothers Carlos and Christian Luna. “So far business has been amazing! We’ve had a line out the door since the first day, and we are so grateful for this community’s support,” Carlos Luna told the News-Press. Taqueria La Unica is located at 3771 State St., and as its name suggests, it showcases the art of traditional Mexican street food, including tacos, alongside other popular taqueria mainstays. “At Taqueria La Unica, you’ll find Please see RESTAURANT on A4

By NEIL HARTSTEIN The 19-year-old Santa Maria man who was shot and killed last month by an off-duty police officer outside an Orcutt market had just brandished a “ghost gun” and fired at a group of people during a physical altercation with him and another group, the county Sheriff’s Office said. The Sheriff’s Office released additional information Friday regarding the shooting that occurred at Melody Market on March 25. Just before 8 p.m. on that Saturday, two vehicles, with four occupants in each vehicle, arrived separately at Melody Market, the Sheriff’s Office said. One of the occupants of the vehicles was 19year-old Manuel Reyes Rios of Santa Maria. Moments later, an off-duty Santa Maria Police Officer arrived in his personal vehicle with his family. A fourth vehicle, with a woman and her two children, also arrived at the market. “While the off-duty officer and the woman

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were inside the store, the two groups from the other vehicles engaged in a physical altercation in the parking lot,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “The off-duty officer had returned to his vehicle at the same time that Mr. Rios brandished a firearm and shot at the other group, striking one of them. Rios paused in his shooting, running past the off-duty officer who had drawn his firearm and police badge.” The off-duty officer verbally identified himself as an officer and ordered Rios to stop shooting and surrender. “Mr. Rios did not comply with the off-duty police officer’s command, raising his firearm and shooting again at the other group and towards an occupied restaurant,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “This resulted in injury to one of the patrons from flying debris caused by Mr. Rios’ shooting. In that moment, the off-duty police officer fired at Rios until he dropped to the ground.” The off-duty officer called emergency services on his cell phone, ushered the uninvolved bystanders into the market and

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sheltered them inside until deputies arrived. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene with a ghost gun in his possession. The remainder of the subjects who were involved in the altercation, including the person shot by Rios, fled the scene prior to deputies’ arrival. The Coroner’s investigation has preliminarily determined that Mr. Rios died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The final cause and manner of death is pending toxicology. The Sheriff’s Office released a short video clip from the Melody Market security cameras that shows Mr. Rios, who is wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, during his first round of shooting. These are the seconds just before the off-duty officer intervened in the incident. This video has been shortened from its entire length to give the public a brief idea of the scene without compromising additional parts of the investigation that remains ongoing. email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com

event’s history that the chamber has named a couple as the recipients of this honor instead of an individual. They and others were honored for their contributions to the Carpinteria community. The council resolution cites the Cartys’ support of the California Avocado Festival, the Alcazar Theater, The Lynda Fairly Arts Center, the Carpinteria Woman’s Club, the Carpinteria Bluffs, the Carpinteria Education Foundation, Girls Incorporated of Carpinteria, Carp Cares for Kids, the Orchard to Ocean run, the Carpinteria Skate Park, Compassionate Care of Carpinteria, local elementary schools, Mentor Match, “and many more.” It notes that Mr. Carty was elected and served on the council for four terms, from December 2006 to December 2022, and was nominated and

voted by his peers to serve as the city’s mayor from 2008 to 2010 and 2014 to 2016. “As a small business owner, Gregg has put much of his construction expertise into various volunteer projects, including the California Avocado Festival and Carpinteria Arts Center, at no cost,” the resolution states. Ms. Carty, meanwhile, “has provided exceptional care as a private nurse and has played a crucial role in maintaining the Alcazar Theater’s legacy as a cultural hub for the community.” “Geri Ann has extensive involvement in the Carpinteria Woman’s Club, Girls Inc. of Carpinteria, Carpinteria Education Foundation and Mentor Match, where Geri Ann helped many young people overcome obstacles and succeed in both their personal and Please see CARP on A2

LOTTERY

i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4

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It’s only the The Carpinteria City Council fourth time in the today will adopt a resolution commending and congratulating event’s history former Councilmember Gregg Carty and his wife, Geri Ann that the chamber Carty, both long-time community volunteers, upon their being named Carpinterians of the year has named a for 2022. The council resolution follows couple as the the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce’s recipients of this awarding the Cartys the prestigious designation at honor instead of the 64th Annual Carpinteria Community Awards Gala held April 1 at Rincon Beach Club. an individual. It’s only the fourth time in the By NEIL HARTSTEIN

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Sheriff’s Office: Man shot by off-duty officer had fired a ‘ghost gun’ at a group of people NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

“we could as a commission encourage or recommend to council that a certain percentage of transient occupancy taxes from this project be put into the HOPE fund.” Sean Gilbert, representing the project’s development team, said building large-scale affordable housing at the site, instead of the hotel, which has been in the works for years, would simply “not be financially viable at that scale. “It won’t pencil out.” A previous proposal by the owners, the Wright family, called for building 91 residential condominiums on the site, with 20 of them slated as “affordable,” but they later withdrew the project claiming it would not be profitable. A conceptual plan for the new hotel project was considered by the Planning Commission in 2019, and a majority found it to be acceptable, according to Kathleen Kennedy, the city’s case planner, for the project. The proposed 174,812-squarefoot hotel and subterranean parking garage would be built on Please see HOTEL on A2

Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... A3 Weather................ A4

Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-4-16-37-39 Mega: 18

Sunday’s DAILY 4: 5-8-1-1

Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 12-32-49-51-66 Mega: 21

Sunday’s FANTASY 5: 14-16-20-25-39

Sunday’s DAILY DERBY: 10-09-11 Time: 1:44.82

Saturday’s POWERBALL: 11-22-24-51-60 Meganumber: 18

Sunday’s DAILY 3: 6-7-7 / Midday 4-4-6


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