Good morning, Central Coast! The countdown to summer is on, check out this week's forecast to see if it will feel like it.
- Budget review underway: Today, the County of Santa Barbara will review its newly released budget for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The recommended plan includes $1.69 billion in operating expenses, with a focus on service stability and strategic investments, even amid economic uncertainty. Public comment is encouraged as officials work to finalize priorities for the year ahead.
- Daiso coming to Arroyo Grande: According to the company’s website, the new location is set to open this fall, marking the second Daiso store on the Central Coast. You may remember the long lines at the Santa Maria grand opening earlier this year. You can find more details about the new store on ksby.com.
- Power shutoff warning in Goleta: Heads-up for folks in the Goleta area, a Public Safety Power Shutoff warning is in effect through Wednesday at midnight. As many as 11,000 customers could be impacted. According to the city, Southern California Edison may need to de-energize power lines due to fire-prone weather conditions.
Starting July 1, Grover Beach residents will see their average monthly wastewater bill rise from $25.64 to $30.20, with annual increases of 17.8% expected through 2030, eventually reaching $58.16. City officials say the hike is necessary to fund long-overdue upgrades to the aging sewage system, some parts of which are over 50 years old. While some residents, like real estate broker Brenda Auer, argue the increase is excessive and say the protest process wasn’t well publicized, the city says it conducted outreach through mailers and public meetings. Despite some pushback, not enough formal protests were submitted to block the rate hike.
Just days after Santa Margarita residents Alex and Christopher Marino shared their concerns with KSBY about an overgrown field owned by Union Pacific Railroad, the area was finally mowed, reportedly for the first time in four years. The Marinos say they had reached out to the company multiple times without success, but after the story aired, roughly 15 feet of brush was cut down. Fire Chief Robert Murach confirmed the field had long been a fire hazard, and residents now hope regular maintenance will prevent the issue from recurring. Union Pacific said the brush cutting had been scheduled but did not confirm whether ongoing upkeep will follow.
The Rite Aid pharmacies in Morro Bay and Los Osos are set to close by the end of the month, joining hundreds of other locations shuttering nationwide after the company’s bankruptcy filing. Pharmacists say they’ll stop receiving new medications by the end of this week. Longtime customers like Wayne Walcoff, who’s used the Los Osos pharmacy for over 20 years, are now scrambling to transfer prescriptions, with many turning to local options like Rexall Drug and Gift. The family-owned pharmacy says they are struggling to keep up with demand, having already taken on hundreds of new patients and temporarily pausing additional transfers due to capacity limits. Rite Aid customers are being advised to contact their preferred pharmacy directly if they don’t want prescriptions automatically transferred.
