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CARPINTERIA NOW
LOCAL NEWS UPDATES
May 12: The current outbreak of domoic acid poisoning has already resulted in hundreds of dead or dying sea lions along the south coast, and now the state has banned catches of sardines for sale. There have been reports of thousands of Pacific sardines dying off at some beaches, and the ban is in effect from Point Conception to the Mexican border. KCLU reports the small fish can still be caught for the time being, but can only be used as bait.

May 12: Carpinteria has a new librarian. Eric Castro has been chosen to succeed the retiring Jody Thomas, after serving as community engagement librarian the past few years. His experience includes running libraries in Peru, San Francisco and Santa Barbara. He is credited with spearheading the Know Your Rights program for local immigrants and maintaining outreach with local schools. Castro takes over as head of the community library on June 3.

May 9: Locals will soon have a chance to speak out about the proposed Surfliner Inn project, which involves the construction of a hotel in the parking lot next to the railroad tracks. The next step in the process is to conduct an environmental impact study, and developers are asking for public comment before it starts. The tentative dates for input are between May 29th and June 27th, with a public scoping meeting being set up for June 16th at City Hall. The controversial proposal has divided Carpinterians, with social media posts and past public hearings suggesting significant opposition among locals.
May 8: The city Planning Commission has approved the massive project to decommission and remove the old oil processing facility off Dump Road. Chevron now owns the property, having acquired it when Venoco filed for bankruptcy following the 2015 Refugio oil spill disaster. Much of the preparation work on the project has been done, but it’s unclear how long the remaining work will take. Coastal View News has published a detailed aerial view of the plant, marking which areas will be the main focus. The offshore oil platforms that were serving the facility are not part of the decommissioning effort.


May 7: Linden Square will have its grand opening May 22. The much-anticipated project is in the finishing stages, with shops and restaurants stocking shelves and making last-minute preparations. The 30,000 square foot complex has been years in the making, with construction having started two years ago.
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