Lauren Bray

The Sierra Club and three Santa Barbara-area companies—MarBorg Industries, Lash Construction and Kenney Construction—announced a set of Clean Water Act settlements intended to improve stormwater controls and protect water quality near East Beach, a heavily used shoreline and nearshore habitat on the city’s East Side. The agreements follow more than a year of negotiations stemming from water sampling conducted by the Sierra Club, according to the environmental group.

11 hours ago Public resistance to data centers is spreading across the political spectrum — and has already disrupted billions of dollars of investments. The trend poses a tricky problem for both Republican and Democratic politicians trying to balance a potential cash cow with data centers’ impacts on local …

Gaviota rest area (courtesy) Drivers cruising Highway 101 through the Gaviota Pass might want to plan their next pit stop around their bladders. Caltrans announced that both the northbound and southbound Gaviota Rest Areas on Highway 101 will close starting Wednesday, July 1, citing a familiar culprit: water availability. In a social media alert, Caltrans told motorists: “Heads up, drivers: Both northbound and southbound Gaviota Rest Areas on US‑101 will close July 1 due to water availability.