Here's your local news at a glance for Tuesday, the 9th of December.
Good morning, Santa Barbara.
🏘️ Community
The Santa Barbara CHP is hosting its annual CHiPs for Kids toy drive and invites residents to donate new, unwrapped toys at select locations between Dec.
1 and Dec. 19 to help local families during the holiday season, according to *Public Information Officer Jonathan Gutierrez*.
💼 Business
Bodega Flower Girl has soft-opened near the corner of State and Gutierrez Streets offering a chef-curated market menu, groceries, and a six-seater dining area.
Former Satellite executive chef Emma West Roldan (who supports organic, regenerative, family-owned farmers) leads the new bodega.
SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 from Vandenberg on Dec.
7, sending 28 Starlink satellites into orbit and producing sonic booms heard by locals. The company will launch two more missions on Dec. 10 and Dec. 12 (Dec. 13 window for the second mission).
Powell Garage, an 87-year-old auto repair shop in Santa Barbara, will close on Dec.
19 as its property is sold. Founded in 1938 and operating on De La Vina St. since 1948, the business has served local drivers for nearly 90 years.
🎭 Culture
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet will celebrate its 50th production of The Nutcracker at the Arlington Theatre on Dec.
13 and 14. The performance, featuring renowned guest artists and a full symphony orchestra, offers showtimes on Dec. 13 (2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and Dec. 14 (2:30 p.m.).
International artist Louis Carreon presents his Ballerina Series in a pop-up gallery at Paseo Nuevo from December 12-21 to offer an immersive look at the artistic journey behind performance art (VIP preview on December 18).
Carreon will appear on select days to interact with visitors.
🎓 Education
A press release from the Department of Education stated that nursing is excluded from the list of degrees, limiting federal loan caps and forcing SBCC students pursuing advanced degrees to seek private funding.
Public comment on the proposal is open as the rule takes effect July 1.
🌲 Environment
Scientists at Ellwood Mesa are using new solar-powered radio tags+weighing as little as three grains of rice to track monarch butterflies in declining numbers.
They aim to use the data to guide conservation efforts and study migration patterns along the Central Coast.
🏛️ Government
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments invites local bikers and pedestrians to join its 12 Days of Mapping campaign by adding traffic-calming features to OpenStreetMap to help train an AI Bike Map project.
This project, partnered with UC Santa Barbara and Simon Fraser University, is funded by a Caltrans grant.
🏥 Health
One805 launched its $10 million Mental Wellness Endowment Fund on December 4 to secure lasting mental health and emergency support for first responders in Santa Barbara.
The announcement followed an Evening of Appreciation and retiring Fire Chief Mark Hartwig joined the board — strengthening the community’s support network.
Local doctors warn that insurers are limiting remote monitoring for pregnant patients, which may delay detecting high blood pressure.
They advise patients to review health plans + verify coverage for this important telehealth service.
Sansum Diabetes Research Institute opened a free walk-in screening clinic to assess type 1 diabetes risk every Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5425 Hollister (Ste.
230), where visitors can get a blood test and Spanish-language assistance.
🏈 Sports
The SBART luncheon held Monday at Harry’s Plaza Cafe featured Bishop Diego as it honored Jaymi Coronado as Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the CIF-SS Div.
8 champion girls tennis team, while local high school winter sports teams began league play this week.
🎉 Santa Barbara Events
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Christmas Mariachi Festival
7-10 p.m. — Lobero Theatre — Pre-sale available — Experience a festive evening with El Mariachi Estrella de Mexico and the largest mariachi in the world.
Sounds and Stories of Greek Christmas
The program includes traditional Christmas music, rarely performed Byzantine hymns, and Greek holiday carols. Performing will be Opera Santa Barbara director Kostis Protopapas; Santa Barbara-born mezzo-soprano Xeni Tziouvaras who returns home from Florence, Italy for this festive holiday concert and acclaimed soprano Anastasia Malliaras who recently performed at the Granada Theater with the Santa Barbara Philharmonic.
8th Annual Winter Music Showcase
6:00-7:30 p.m. — The Granada Theatre — Tickets available — Celebrate the winter season with an evening of live musical performances.
Introduction to Spring 6, Spring Boot 3, and Spring REST Class
December 15th - 19th — GSA Training, Santa Barbara, CA — Call for pricing — Enhance your programming skills with comprehensive training on Spring technologies.
3rd Friday’s Lunch Hang
12-1:30 p.m. — The Cruisery, 501 State St, Santa Barbara, CA — Free entry — Meet locals in your 20s and 30s for lunch and great conversation while making new friends.
Christmas Day Buffet
12-7 p.m. — Finch & Fork — Reservations recommended — Celebrate the season with a lavish buffet featuring seafood, carving stations, and delectable desserts.
The Gift of Christmas Concert
8-9:30 p.m. — Lobero Theatre — Ticket pricing varies — Experience an unforgettable evening with Jim Brickman featuring holiday classics and heartwarming stories.
New Year's Eve Celebration in Santa Barbara 2025-2026
3:15-5:15 p.m. — Celebration Cruises — $110 admission — Enjoy a Champagne Cruise with breathtaking views as you toast to the New Year.
🏠 Santa Barbara Real Estate
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