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102-530: The weekly paper was founded in November 1986, the result of a merger between The Santa Barbara News & Review (established 1973), and The Santa Barbara Weekly (established 1984). It was founded by four people within a corporation — Randy Campbell, publisher, who grew up in Santa Barbara, and is the former owner of The Santa Barbara Weekly ; Marianne Partridge, who came to California from New York in

204-644: A California earthquake forecast, which models earthquake occurrence in California. This is a partial list of earthquakes in Southern California. For a full list, see List of earthquakes in California . Note: Earthquakes with epicenters in the Los Angeles Metro Area are marked with the (#) symbol. Other earthquakes mentioned indicates shaking was felt in the region. As of the 2020 United States Census , Southern California has

306-658: A M w   6.7 earthquake or greater, such as the San Andreas Fault , which can produce M w   8.0 or greater. The largest known earthquake in California was the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake that ruptured 200+ miles (320+ kilometers) of the San Andreas Fault from Parkfield to Wrightwood . With a recurrence interval of roughly 150 years, this part of the San Andreas fault is well within its window to produce another large earthquake. Along with

408-595: A higher population, with 23.76 million residents as of the 2020 census . The sparsely populated desert region of California occupies a significant portion (part of which has even been proposed to be split into a new county due to cultural, economic and geographic differences relative to the rest of the more urban region) of the area: the Colorado Desert , along with the Colorado River , is located on Southern California's eastern border with Arizona , and

510-476: A large economic impact in the northern portion of the county and continues to be the site of frequent satellite launches. Agriculture is a major industry. Strawberries are the county's top crop, with $ 413 million in production making up more than a third of all county agricultural production. Wine grapes are typically number two. In 2022, cauliflower was number two due to the weather and popularity of cauliflower rice . County farmers began growing hemp after it

612-406: A large military base, Vandenberg Space Force Base , and thus military interests are prominent. These influences have created a Republican-leaning northern half. The southern portion of Santa Barbara county has had an economy based on tourism, with a significant percentage of people with white-collar jobs, formerly in aerospace but more recently in software and other high-tech pursuits. Additionally,

714-570: A lifestyle section, and reviews of restaurants and culture. The Independent also does investigative reporting on a variety of issues, from the environment to local politics. After the beginning of the Santa Barbara News-Press controversy in 2006, the Independent implemented Web-based columns and news articles at independent.com . The internet edition is updated daily, and more frequently during some local events, such as

816-611: A population of 23,762,904. Despite a reputation for high growth rates, Southern California's population has grown slower than the state average since the 2000s. This is due to California's growth becoming concentrated in the northern part of the state as result of a stronger, tech-oriented economy in the Bay Area and an emerging Greater Sacramento region. Southern California consists of one Combined Statistical Area , eight Metropolitan Statistical Areas , one international metropolitan area , and multiple metropolitan divisions. The region

918-473: A population of approximately 4 million, Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States. South of Los Angeles and with a population of approximately 1.4 million is San Diego, the second most populous city in the state and the eighth most populous in the nation. The counties of Los Angeles , San Diego , Orange , Riverside , and San Bernardino are

1020-559: A referendum, this effort was defeated by a 3-1 margin. In 2006, northern county organizations initiated a similar secession proposal, to create a proposed "Mission County." Then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed a formation commission to research the viability of the proposed northern county, which reached the conclusion, stated in its final report released on March 28, 2005, that "the proposed County, upon formation in 2006, would not be economically viable at current levels of service." The proposed new Mission County would have included

1122-411: A spark for the modern environmental movement, coated the beaches and Santa Barbara Harbor with a thick crude in 1969. In recent years, major oil companies have left the area, turning over their oil leases to small independents, and decommissioning some leases areas that were no longer profitable. Concerns about the economy were foremost when, in 2014, Measure P was placed on the county ballot. If approve by

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1224-769: A whole enacted the Alquist Priolo Special Studies Zone Act in the wake of the 1971 San Fernando earthquake . The act prohibits new construction of residential buildings closer than 50 feet (15 m) from a surface rupturing active fault zone. In addition, the act improved safety by requiring new structures (both residential and commercial) to be seismically retrofitted. It also required existing infrastructure to comply. Since 1972, numerous large magnitude earthquakes have struck Southern California with little widespread damage in part due to act. However, exceptions can be noted for epicenters that lie directly on top of densely populated regions such as

1326-804: Is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California . It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area (the second most populous urban agglomeration in the United States ) as well as the Inland Empire (another large metropolitan area). The region generally contains ten of California's 58 counties: Los Angeles , San Diego , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , Kern , Ventura , Santa Barbara , San Luis Obispo , and Imperial counties. Although geographically smaller than Northern California in land area, Southern California has

1428-596: Is a rural coastline north of Goleta. This last undeveloped stretch of Southern California coastline consists of dramatic bluffs , isolated beaches and terraced grasslands . North of the Santa Ynez range in the Santa Ynez Valley are the towns of Solvang , Buellton , and Lompoc ; the unincorporated towns of Santa Ynez , Los Olivos and Ballard ; the unincorporated areas of Mission Hills and Vandenberg Village ; and Vandenberg Space Force Base , where

1530-502: Is also home to a large surf and skateboard culture. Companies such as Vans , Volcom , Quiksilver , No Fear , Stüssy , RVCA , and Body Glove are all headquartered there. Skateboarder Tony Hawk ; surfers Rob Machado , Timmy Curran , Bobby Martinez , Pat O'Connell , Dane Reynolds , and Chris Ward live in Southern California. Some of the most famous surf locations are in Southern California as well, including Trestles , Rincon , The Wedge , Huntington Beach , and Malibu . Some of

1632-513: Is also known for its mountain resort communities, such as Big Bear Lake , Lake Arrowhead , and Wrightwood , and their ski resorts, like Bear Mountain , Snow Summit , Snow Valley Mountain Resort , and Mountain High . The inland desert city of Palm Springs is also popular. Southern California is generally considered the area of California south of the latitude 35°45', approximately one-third of

1734-687: Is an important government, arts and entertainment, and retail district. Downtown San Diego is the CBD of San Diego, though the city is filled with business districts. These include Carmel Valley , Del Mar Heights , Mission Valley , Rancho Bernardo , Sorrento Mesa , and University City . Most of these districts are located in Northern San Diego and some within North County regions. Los Angeles Orange County Riverside & San Bernardino San Diego Southern California

1836-410: Is home to Los Angeles International Airport , the second-busiest airport in the United States by passenger volume (see World's busiest airports by passenger traffic ) and the third-busiest by international passenger volume (see Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic ); San Diego International Airport , the busiest single-runway airport in the world; Van Nuys Airport ,

1938-568: Is home to two extended metropolitan areas that exceed five million in population. These are the Greater Los Angeles Area at 17,786,419, and San Diego–Tijuana at 5,105,768. Of these metropolitan areas, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area , Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area , and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metropolitan area form Greater Los Angeles; while

2040-401: Is low to moderate depending on the area. Rain is infrequent, but is often heavy when it does occur, making flash floods an aspect of living in Southern California. This climatic pattern was alluded to in the hit song " It Never Rains (In Southern California) ". While snow is very rare in lower elevations, mountains above 5,000 feet (1,500 m) receive plentiful snowfall in the winter. Since

2142-652: Is now the city of Santa Barbara . The presidio and mission kept Vizcaino's denomination, as did the later city and county – a common practice which has preserved the names of many of the 21 California Missions . Other missions in Santa Barbara County are located in Santa Ynez and Lompoc. European contacts had devastating effects on the Chumash people, including a series of disease epidemics that drastically reduced Chumash population. The Chumash survived, however, and thousands of Chumash descendants still live in

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2244-485: Is on the southern coastal plain, referred to as the "south coast" – meaning the part of the county south of the Santa Ynez Mountains . This region includes the cities of Santa Barbara , Goleta , and Carpinteria , as well as the unincorporated areas of Hope Ranch , Summerland , Mission Canyon , Montecito , and Isla Vista , along with stretches of unincorporated area such as Noleta . The Gaviota Coast

2346-475: Is the current chief probation officer . The department was established in 1909 following the enactment of California's first probation laws. After 106 years in service, there are currently 241 probation officers and juvenile institutions officers keeping tabs on 6,600 adults and 1,350 juveniles as of 2015. The probation department has locations in Santa Maria , Santa Barbara , and Lompoc . For most of

2448-495: The California State Assembly , Santa Barbara is split between the 35th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Jasmeet Bains , and the 37th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Gregg Hart . The Santa Barbara County Sheriff provides court protection, jail management, and coroner service for the entire county. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of

2550-645: The Channel Islands – San Miguel Island , Santa Cruz Island , Santa Rosa Island and Santa Barbara Island – are in Santa Barbara County. They form the largest part of the Channel Islands National Park (which also includes Anacapa Island in Ventura County ). Santa Barbara County has a mountainous interior abutting several coastal plains on the west and south coasts of the county. The largest concentration of population

2652-605: The El Centro metropolitan area and San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metropolitan area form the Southern Border Region . North of Greater Los Angeles are the Santa Barbara , San Luis Obispo , and Bakersfield metropolitan areas. Los Angeles (with a population of approximately 3.9 million people) and San Diego (at nearly 1.4 million people) are the two largest cities in all of California, and are among

2754-522: The Independent the "Best Weekly Affiliated Website in the United States." In 2008 the Independent was named one of "10 That Do It Right." The newspaper has been described by editor-in-chief Marianne Partridge as "more often than not a tabloid primarily for entertainment purposes, and somewhat liberal." Campbell tried to sell his controlling shares in the Independent in 2009 to a Los Angeles newspaper company. Partridge sued Campbell in 2010 to force

2856-650: The Los Angeles metropolitan area ( Los Angeles and Orange counties, with 13.3 million people), the Inland Empire ( Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley cities, with 4.3 million people), and the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura metropolitan area (0.8 million people). In addition, Southern California contains the San Diego metropolitan area with 3.3 million people, Bakersfield metro area with 0.9 million, and

2958-717: The Mojave Desert shares a border with Nevada to the northeast. Southern California's southern border with Baja California is part of the Mexico–United States border . Southern California encompasses eight metropolitan areas (MSAs), three of which together form the Greater Los Angeles Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with over 18 million people, the second-biggest CSA after the New York CSA . These three MSAs are

3060-565: The Nature Conservancy . The four Channel Islands in Santa Barbara County are Santa Barbara Island , San Miguel Island , Santa Rosa Island , and the large Santa Cruz Island . All of them contain native and endemic wildlife, like the island oak and Torrey Pine. All four have the deer mouse living on them, the three latter, the island fox, and the two latter, the island spotted skunk. There used to be skunks on San Miguel Island, but due to predation from marine life, birds, and foxes,

3162-760: The Newport–Inglewood-Rose Canyon Fault (located adjacent to SoFi Stadium and responsible for Signal Hill ), the Elsinore Fault (created Lake Elsinore ), the Garlock Fault (which marks boundary between of the Sierra Nevada and the Mojave Desert ), and the Hollywood fault (which is within feet of Capitol Records and is roughly parallel to Hollywood Boulevard ). The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has released

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3264-559: The Orcutt , Lompoc , Santa Maria Valley, and Cat Canyon fields provided jobs and a steady supply of oil, gas, and asphalt since the first oil discovery in the Solomon Hills in 1901. Protests have marked periodic resistance to the impact of oil drilling over the years. A protest in 1929 in Santa Barbara expressed the frustration of the wealthy who came here to get away from it all. The largest spill in California waters , credited as

3366-779: The San Diego metropolitan area as they do with the Inland Empire . To the east, the United States Census Bureau considers the San Bernardino and Riverside County areas, Riverside-San Bernardino area as a separate metropolitan area from Los Angeles County. Newly developed exurbs formed in the Antelope Valley , north of Los Angeles, the Victor Valley , and the Coachella Valley with the Imperial Valley . Also, population growth

3468-492: The San Fernando Valley . The area of Santa Monica and Venice (and perhaps some of Culver City) is informally referred to as "Silicon Beach" because of the concentration of financial and marketing technology-centric firms located in the region. The San Bernardino-Riverside Area maintains the business districts of Downtown San Bernardino , Hospitality Business/Financial Centre , University District which are in

3570-480: The Santa Barbara , San Luis Obispo , and El Centro (Imperial County) metropolitan areas. The Southern California Megaregion (or megalopolis ) is larger still, extending northeast into Las Vegas , Nevada and south across the Mexican border into Tijuana . Within Southern California are two major cities, Los Angeles and San Diego , as well as three of the country's largest metropolitan areas . With

3672-563: The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area . Most of the county is part of the California Central Coast . Mainstays of the county's economy include engineering, resource extraction (particularly petroleum extraction and diatomaceous earth mining), winemaking, agriculture, and education. The software development and tourism industries are important employers in the southern part of

3774-526: The Transverse and Peninsular Ranges with their peaks, and into the large and small interior valleys, to the vast deserts of California . Note: Plate boundary faults are indicated with a (#) symbol. Each year, Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes. Nearly all of them are too small to be felt. Only several hundred have been greater than magnitude (M w  ) 3.0, and only about 15–20 have been greater than M w   4.0. California as

3876-468: The University of California, Santa Barbara contributes to a liberal populace. The southern portion of the county has a strong history of left-wing activism, with anti-war protests common in Santa Barbara. It is generally believed that the inspiration for Earth Day was the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill . Gaylord Nelson , the senator who proposed the idea, has never directly cited any direct cause for

3978-403: The entertainment industry . Other industries include software, automotive, aerospace, finance, biomedical, ports and regional logistics. The region was a leader in the housing bubble from 2001 to 2007, and has been heavily impacted by the housing crash. Since the 1920s, motion pictures, petroleum, and aircraft manufacturing have been major industries. In one of the richest agricultural regions in

4080-504: The 18th century. Since commercial viticulture rebounded in the 1960s, Santa Barbara County has become a prominent viticultural region. The 2004 Alexander Payne film, Sideways , set in the Santa Ynez Valley , brought additional attention to the county as a wine region, especially for its Pinot noir wines. The region, also noted for its Chardonnay wines, is gaining a reputation for Rhone varietals including Syrah and Viognier . The areas planted with wine grapes are mixed in with

4182-661: The 1980s and is the editor-in-chief; and two silent partners, Rick Grand-Jean and Richard Parker. Joe Cole became president in January, 2014. In 2017, Brandi Rivera was named publisher Partridge, Grand-Jean, and Parker are all former co-owners of The Santa Barbara News & Review which they purchased in 1984. In 2010 the Independent had a circulation of 40,000, the largest circulated newspaper in Santa Barbara County . The paper includes news stories, arts, music, book, and film coverage, an entertainment calendar,

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4284-460: The 2008 Gap and Tea brush fires and the Jesusita fire in 2009. A community-alert system called IndyAlert has also been developed to send out e-mail and cell-phone messages during disasters and community emergencies. The website, independent.com , was deemed the most-visited news website in Santa Barbara County. In 2008 and 2013, the newspaper industry magazine Editor & Publisher named

4386-461: The 20th century, Santa Barbara County was a Republican stronghold. From 1920 to 1988, it was only carried by two Democrats: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson . However, the county has leaned to the left in recent years. Overall, Santa Barbara now usually supports Democratic candidates in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county

4488-546: The Los Angeles Area are the major business districts of Downtown Pasadena , Downtown Burbank , Downtown Santa Monica , Downtown Glendale and Downtown Long Beach . Los Angeles proper has many business districts, such as Downtown LA and those lining Wilshire Boulevard , including Mid-Wilshire , the Miracle Mile , Downtown Beverly Hills , and Westwood ; others include Century City and Warner Center in

4590-399: The M w   6.7 1994 Northridge Earthquake and, to a lesser extent, the smaller M w   5.5 2008 Chino Hills earthquake . The Northridge earthquake occurred on a blind-thrust fault directly underneath the San Fernando Valley , which until the earthquake was previously undiscovered. Seismic retrofitting of existing and new construction is aimed to prevent damage and save lives in

4692-486: The San Miguel Island skunk has gone extinct. Santa Barbara County has a mild warm-summer Mediterranean climate . Along the coast, temperatures rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C) in the summer, but rarely dip below freezing in winter. In the interior, however, summertime temperatures can soar over 100 °F (38 °C). Above 2,000 feet (610 meters), temperatures can frequently fall below freezing during

4794-739: The San Rafaels. North of the mountains is the arid and sparsely populated Cuyama Valley , portions of which are in San Luis Obispo and Ventura Counties. Oil production, ranching, and agriculture dominate the land use in the privately owned parts of the Cuyama Valley; the Los Padres National Forest is adjacent to the south, and regions to the north and northeast are owned by the Bureau of Land Management and

4896-548: The Santa Barbara area or surrounding counties. A tribal homeland was established in 1901, the Santa Ynez Reservation . Following the Mexican secularization of the missions in the 1830s, the mission pasture lands were mostly broken up into large ranchos and granted mainly to prominent local citizens who already lived in the area. 604 of these land grants were later confirmed by the state of California, with 36 in Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara County

4998-588: The Santa Ynez River flows out to the sea. North of the Santa Ynez Valley are the cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe , and the unincorporated towns of Orcutt , Los Alamos , Casmalia , Garey , and Sisquoc . In the extreme northeastern portion of the county are the small cities of New Cuyama , Cuyama , and Ventucopa . As of January 1, 2006, Santa Maria has become the largest city in Santa Barbara County. The principal mountain ranges of

5100-456: The Southern California desert system. Because of the barrier formed by the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada ranges, cartographer George Wheeler observed in 1876 that Northern California was better connected to Oregon and Nevada than it was to Southern California. Following the acquisition of the territory of California by the United States, several pro-slavery politicians attempted to arrange

5202-493: The U.S., cattle and citrus were major industries until farmlands were turned into suburbs. Although military spending cutbacks have had an impact, aerospace continues to be a major factor. Southern California is home to many major business districts. Central business districts (CBD) include Downtown Los Angeles , Downtown Riverside , Downtown San Bernardino , downtown San Diego , and the South Coast Metro . Within

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5304-432: The aftermath of a major quake, but it cannot guarantee that buildings will be unscathed if the epicenter is relatively close by. The 1994 Northridge earthquake was particularly destructive, causing a substantial number of deaths, injuries, and structural collapses. The quake caused the most property damage of any earthquake in U.S. history at an estimated $ 20 billion. Many Southern California faults are able to produce

5406-405: The age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.33. In the county, 24.9% of the population was under

5508-460: The age of 18, 13.3% was from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 46,677, and the median income for a family was $ 54,042. Males had a median income of $ 37,997 versus $ 29,593 for females. The per capita income for

5610-622: The area's climate and meteorology influence how the pollution are diffused. The 2010 United States Census reported that Santa Barbara County had a population of 423,895. The ethnic makeup of Santa Barbara County was 295,124 (69.6%) White , 8,513 (2.0%) African American , 5,485 (1.3%) Native American , 20,665 (4.9%) Asian (1.6% Filipino, 1.0% Chinese, 0.5% Japanese, 0.5% Korean, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.4% Indian), 806 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 73,860 (17.4%) from other races , and 19,442 (4.6%) from two or more races. There were 181,687 residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (42.9%); 38.5% of

5712-564: The area. The Santa Barbara Channel received its name from Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno when he sailed along the California coast in 1602; his ships entered the channel on December 4, the day of the feast of Santa Barbara . Spanish ships associated with the Manila Galleon trade probably made emergency stops along the coast during the next 167 years, but no permanent settlements were established. The first land expedition to explore California, led by Gaspar de Portolà explored

5814-555: The centers of their respective metropolitan areas, composed of numerous smaller cities and communities. The urban area is also host to an international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan region, created by the urban area spilling over into Baja California . The main barrier to urbanization along the Interstate 5 corridor is Camp Pendleton . The cities and communities along Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 are so interrelated that Temecula and Murrieta have as much connection with

5916-612: The cities of San Bernardino and Riverside. In Orange County, has highly developed suburban business centers (also known as edge cities ) including the Anaheim–Santa Ana edge city along I-5; and another, the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city that stretches from the South Coast Metro to the Irvine Business Complex ; Newport Center ; and Irvine Spectrum . Downtown Santa Ana

6018-587: The cities of Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, Buellton, and Solvang, as well as the Cuyama Valley and Santa Ynez Valley, including Lake Cachuma . Most of the south coast of Santa Barbara County, along with the Channel Islands, would have remained with that county, with the exception of the stretch from Hollister Ranch to Point Conception . Most of the Los Padres National Forest also would have remained with Santa Barbara County. But in June 2006, voters rejected

6120-477: The coastal area in 1769, on its way to Monterey Bay . The party traveled the same route on the return to San Diego in January 1770. That same year, a second expedition to Monterey again passed through the area. The DeAnza expeditions of 1774-76 followed Portola's trail. The Presidio of Santa Barbara was established in 1782 (4th of 5 in California), followed by Mission Santa Barbara in 1786 – both in what

6222-546: The county and two cities by contract. Incorporated municipalities within the county that have their own municipal police departments are Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Santa Barbara City. Carpinteria and Goleta by contract with the Sheriff. The Santa Barbara County Probation Department provides services for those placed on probation or detained in Santa Maria Juvenile Hall or Los Prietos Boys Camp. Tanja Heitman

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6324-698: The county are the Santa Ynez Mountains in the south, and the San Rafael Mountains and Sierra Madre Mountains in the interior and northeast. Most of the mountainous area is within the Los Padres National Forest , and includes two wilderness areas: the San Rafael Wilderness and the Dick Smith Wilderness . The highest elevation in the county is 6,820 feet (2,080 m) at Big Pine Mountain in

6426-529: The county was $ 23,059. About 8.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over. The population of the area south of the Santa Ynez Mountain crest—the portion known as "South County"—was 201,161 according to the 2000 census; thus the population is almost exactly split between north and south. Recent years have shown slow or even negative growth for regions in

6528-471: The county was 72.7% White , 2.3% Black or African American , 1.2% Native American , 4.1% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 15.2% from other races , and 4.3% from two or more races. 34.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.1% were of German , 8.5% English and 6.5% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000 . 26.6% of the population reported speaking Spanish at home. There were 136,622 households, out of which 32.4% had children under

6630-478: The county was divided into two congressional districts, which reflected the north and south divide – the hallmark of the county's politics. Lois Capps represented the coastal areas, while Elton Gallegly , a Republican, represented the northern part of the county. In the California State Senate , Santa Barbara is in the 19th Senate District , represented by Democrat Monique Limón . In

6732-484: The county, as well as several cities within the county. The cities that the Sheriff's Office provides police services for include Buellton , Carpinteria , Goleta and Solvang . In total the 640 full-time employees of the Sheriff's Office are responsible for 2,745 square miles (7,110 km ) of the county. Founded in 1850, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office is the oldest law enforcement agency in

6834-469: The county, unlike much of southern California, is generally good because of the prevailing winds off of the Pacific Ocean. The county is in attainment of federal standards for ozone and particulate matter . In July 2020 the county was designated as attainment for the state ozone standard, but it still does not attain the state PM10 standard. the county's location plus the cities near it establishes

6936-442: The county. Southern Santa Barbara County is sometimes considered the cultural boundary of Southern California / Northern California . The Santa Barbara County area, including the Northern Channel Islands , was first settled by Native Americans at least 13,000 years ago. Evidence for a Paleoindian presence has been found in the form of a fluted Clovis -like point found in the 1980s along the western Santa Barbara Coast, as well as

7038-413: The division of Alta California at 36 degrees, 30 minutes, the line of the Missouri Compromise . Instead, the passing of the Compromise of 1850 enabled California to be admitted to the Union as a free state , preventing the southern half of California from becoming its own separate slave state . Subsequently, Californians (dissatisfied with inequitable taxes and land laws) and pro-slavery Southerners in

7140-408: The establishment of the holiday. On November 4, 2008, Santa Barbara County voted 53.5% against Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. It was the only county in Southern California to vote against the proposition. In 1978, some residents of the northern area initiated an effort to create a "Los Padres County" out of the northern area of the county; in

7242-429: The first decade of the 21st century, droughts and wildfires have increased in frequency as a result of climate change . Southern California consists of one of the more varied collections of geologic, topographic, and natural ecosystem landscapes in a diversity outnumbering other major regions in the state and country. The region spans from Pacific Ocean islands , shorelines , beaches, and coastal plains , through

7344-749: The five most populous in the state, and are among the top 15 most populous counties in the United States. The motion picture , television and music industry are centered in the Los Angeles area in Southern California. Hollywood , a district of Los Angeles, gives its name to the American motion picture industry, which is synonymous with the neighborhood name. Headquartered in Southern California are The Walt Disney Company (which owns ABC ), Sony Pictures , Universal Pictures , MGM , Paramount Pictures , and Warner Bros . Universal, Warner Bros., and Sony also run major record companies. Southern California

7446-427: The formation of the new county, with more than 80% voting no. 46.8% of Santa Barbara County voters state their political party preference is Democratic, compared to 24.9% who prefer Republicans, and 21.6% who have No Party Preference. As of 2021, each of the 8 cities have more Democrats than any other political party. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of

7548-582: The lightly populated "cow counties" of Southern California attempted three times in the 1850s to achieve a separate statehood or territorial status separate from Northern California . The last attempt, the Pico Act of 1859, was passed by the California State Legislature and signed by State Governor John B. Weller . It was approved overwhelmingly by nearly 75 percent of voters to form the proposed Territory of Colorado . This territory

7650-550: The more urban region) that have been left undeveloped. It is the third most populated megalopolis in the United States, after the Great Lakes megalopolis and the Northeast megalopolis . Much of Southern California is famous for its large, spread-out, suburban communities and use of automobiles and highways. The dominant areas are Los Angeles, Orange County , San Diego , and Riverside – San Bernardino , each of which are

7752-589: The pleasure of the Board, to operate the County governmental organization. The County government includes 4296 employees and a budget of $ 757 million. The County provides various services ranging from health services to law enforcement. All of Santa Barbara County is located within California's 24th congressional district , represented by Democrat Salud Carbajal . Prior to the 2012 redistricting in California,

7854-426: The population was of Mexican heritage, 0.4% Salvadoran, 0.4% Guatemalan, and 0.3% Puerto Rican descent. As of the census of 2000, there were 399,347 people, 136,622 households, and 89,487 families residing in the county. The population density was 146 people per square mile (56 people/km ). There were 142,901 housing units at an average density of 52 units per square mile (20 units/km ). The ethnic makeup of

7956-417: The recent established AVA in 2020. The Foxen Canyon Wine Trail features many wineries including Andrew Murray Vineyards , Fess Parker Winery and Firestone Vineyard . The Cambria Estate Winery , was featured in the 3rd episode of The Bachelor , an American reality television series, Season 15, on January 17, 2011. Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal )

8058-541: The remains of Arlington Springs Man found on Santa Rosa Island in the 1960s. For thousands of years, the area was home to the Chumash tribe of Native Americans, complex hunter-gatherers who lived along the coast and in interior valleys leaving rock art in many locations, including Painted Cave . Europeans first contacted the Chumash in AD 1542, when three Spanish ships under the command of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo explored

8160-659: The rolling hills, ancient oak trees, oil fields, cattle ranches, and natural areas in the central part of the county. The county has more than 115 wineries cultivating 16,000 acres (6,500 ha) with the vast majority of the vineyards in the Central Coast American Viticultural Areas : Santa Maria Valley AVA , Santa Ynez Valley AVA , Sta. Rita Hills AVA , Happy Canyon AVA , Los Olivos District AVA and Ballard Canyon AVA . The county continues to gain AVA recognition with Alisos Canyon AVA being

8262-406: The sale of shares, claiming that he had breached her right-of-first refusal. Campbell filed a cross action against financial supporter Joe Cole, former Santa Barbara News-Press publisher and former lawyer for The Independent and Campbell. Campbell's cross complaint was dismissed in 2013, and appealed later that year. A settlement was reached in early 2014. The dispute between Partridge and Campbell

8364-521: The sales price with interest. Santa Barbara County, California Santa Barbara County , officially the County of Santa Barbara ( Spanish : Condado de Santa Bárbara ), is a county located in Southern California . As of the 2020 census , the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara , and the largest city is Santa Maria . Santa Barbara County comprises

8466-471: The sole county to vote for the GOP, with Orange County having been Democrat since 2012. Southern California is one of the largest economies in the United States. It is dominated by, and heavily dependent upon, the abundance of petroleum, as opposed to other regions where automobiles are not nearly as dominant, due to the vast majority of transport that runs on this fuel. Southern California is famous for tourism and

8568-437: The south county, while areas in the north county have continued to grow at a faster rate. The county is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. The Board's three-vote majority has shifted over the years between the north and south. The Board now includes two members from South County, two members from North County, and one member from Mid-County. The Board of Supervisors appoints a County Executive Officer, who serves at

8670-584: The southern section of the San Andreas (in the Palm Springs region, which has not ruptured in ~400 years), the entire Southern California portion of the San Andreas Fault is ready to produce a powerful earthquake in the near future. Notable faults capable of large magnitude events include the San Jacinto Fault (a splay of the San Andreas that runs directly under the I-10 & I-215 interchange),

8772-470: The state, formed by the northern boundaries of San Luis Obispo , Kern , and San Bernardino counties, which are not exactly a straight line. Another definition for Southern California uses Point Conception and the Tehachapi Mountains as the northern geographical barriers, especially when defining California's bioregions . In this definition, Owens Valley and Death Valley are part of

8874-516: The state. In its early days, the department battled outlaws Salomon Pico and Jack Powers . Initially having a single Sheriff, aided only by a jailer and guard in charge of the chain gang, the department now has over 600 full-time employees. The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. Oil production began in 1886 with drilling in Summerland. Enormous oil fields such as

8976-417: The top eight largest cities in the United States. In Southern California, there are also 14 cities with more than 200,000 residents and 48 cities over 100,000 residents. Many of Southern California's most developed cities lie along or in close proximity to the coast, with the exception of San Bernardino and Riverside. Southern California has drifted left since 2004, and is solidly Democrat. Kern County remains

9078-432: The voters the measure would ban "high-intensity petroleum operations" in the county. The city of Santa Barbara and other coastal communities support a significant tourism economy. White-collar jobs, previously with an emphasis in aerospace but more recently in software and other high-tech pursuits are encouraged by proximity to the University of California, Santa Barbara . Vandenberg Space Force Base has traditionally had

9180-524: The winter months. The area experiences nearly all of its rainfall during the winter months, and rarely sees any rain at all during the summer months. The area's dry, warm summers often lead to high wildfire danger in the fall. An example of this is the massive Thomas Fire , which started in Ventura County and rapidly spread into southern Santa Barbara County in December 2017. At the time, the fire

9282-429: The world's busiest general aviation airport; major commercial airports at San Bernardino , Orange County , Bakersfield , Ontario , Burbank , and Long Beach ; and numerous smaller commercial and general aviation airports. Six of the seven lines of the commuter rail system, Metrolink , run out of Downtown Los Angeles, connecting Los Angeles, Ventura , San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego counties with

9384-435: The world's largest action sports events, including the X Games , Boost Mobile Pro , and the U.S. Open of Surfing , are held in Southern California. The region is also important to the world of yachting with premier events including the annual Transpacific Yacht Race , or Transpac , from Los Angeles to Hawaii. San Diego Yacht Club hosted the three America's Cup races from 1988 to 1995. The first modern-era triathlon

9486-462: Was George H. W. Bush in 1988 . There remains a distinction between the more conservative northern areas of the county, which continue to largely support Republicans, and the more liberal southern areas, which are strongly Democratic. Santa Barbara County has long been divided between competing political interests. North of the Santa Ynez Mountains , agricultural activities and oil development have long provided jobs. The northern portion also contains

9588-506: Was removed from a list of controlled substances along with other provisions of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 . These provisions were included in the 2018 Farm Bill which made hemp legal for agricultural uses. Cannabis and hemp plants have a similar look and smell making it hard to tell the difference. The first wine grapes in Santa Barbara county were planted by the missionaries associated with Mission Santa Barbara late in

9690-528: Was grouped with other counties of the San Joaquin Valley , California's central agricultural valley. Southern California consists of a heavily developed urban environment, home to some of the largest urban areas in the state, along with the Deserts of California (part of which was even proposed to become a new county due to cultural, economic and geographic differences relative to the rest of

9792-590: Was held in San Diego's Mission Bay in 1974. Since then, Southern California, and San Diego in particular, have become a mecca for triathlon and multi-sport racing, products, and culture. Southern California has multiple sports franchises and networks, such as Fox Sports Net . Many of these locals and tourists frequent the Southern California coast for its beaches. Some of Southern California's most popular beaches are Malibu , Laguna Beach , La Jolla , Manhattan Beach , and Hermosa Beach . Southern California

9894-546: Was high in the Bakersfield-Kern County , Santa Maria , and San Luis Obispo areas. Most of Southern California has a Mediterranean -like climate, with warm and dry summers, mild and wet winters, where cool weather and freezing temperatures are rare. Southern California contains other types of climates, including semi-arid , desert and mountain , with infrequent rain and many sunny days. Summers are hot or warm, and dry, while winters are mild, and rainfall

9996-399: Was one of the 27 original counties of California, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. The county's territory was later divided to create Ventura County in 1873. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 3,789 square miles (9,810 km ), of which 2,735 square miles (7,080 km ) is land and 1,054 square miles (2,730 km ) (27.8%) is water. Four of

10098-518: Was the largest wildfire ever to burn in California in terms of geographical size, but was topped only eight months later in the Mendocino Complex Fire in northern California. Heavy rainfall occurred the following January, causing massive mudslides and debris flows from the steep, fire-denuded hillsides. The community of Montecito was especially hard-hit. As of February 3, 2018, 21 are known dead and 2 are still missing. Air quality in

10200-698: Was the name of a proposed new state which failed to get on the 2018 California ballot. The ballot measure proposed splitting the existing state into three parts. In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , the state government led by Governor Gavin Newsom divided the state into five regions for the purpose of issuing stay-at-home orders. The Southern California region consisted of the following counties: Imperial , Inyo , Los Angeles , Mono , Orange , Riverside , San Bernardino , San Diego , San Luis Obispo , Santa Barbara , and Ventura . However, Kern County

10302-773: Was to include a portion of the much larger Tulare County and all of San Luis Obispo County . The proposal was sent to Washington, D.C. , with a strong advocate in Senator Milton Latham . However, the secession crisis following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the subsequent American Civil War led to the proposal never coming to a vote. In 1900, the Los Angeles Times defined Southern California as including "the seven counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, and Santa Barbara." This definition left out San Luis Obispo and Kern counties. Southern California

10404-628: Was tried in August, 2011. The court ruled in Partridge's favor that Campbell had breached and must sell his shares. Campbell appealed the trial court's decision. The appellate court returned the case to the trial court unchanged in April, 2013, but ordered a recalculation of the fine points of the sale price. The final judgment in 2013 confirmed Campbell's obligation to sell his shares to Partridge and ordered him to pay attorney's fees and costs, and increased

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