Bird nests stop Montecito tree removal – for now
MONTECITO, Calif. - Upset passersby and some rethinking by a tree trimming company have changed the timeline for the removal of a tall eucalyptus tree on Channel Drive in Montecito.
Earlier this week, the project was underway with the Montecito Tree Care company crews carving off branches on the tree when concerned residents said nesting birds were frantic.
Many phone calls were made to wildlife experts and eventually the project was stopped.
The Montecito Tree Care company said it will wait until the nesting season is over. It is unknown if the nests are active. Company officials said they had been in touch with the department of Fish and Wildlife.
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“The goal is to cover everybody,” Anticouni told the
Santa Barbara Independent. “If people want to bring their own action, Four Seasons might be confronted with another 150-plus employees who each have their own types of claims. It would be a logistics nightmare for Four Seasons.”
Anticouni plans to go to mediation with the Four Seasons at the end of April to retrieve the money if the hotel agrees to treat the case as a class-action lawsuit.
Typically, a court would determine the demanded fees for roughly a third of what the attorney obtains for a client, but due to the size of the case, Anticouni would accept half the amount, he said.
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KEYT Photo
The Biltmore property, pictured here in November 2020, has been closed since last spring.
MONTECITO, Calif. - After shutting down last March when the coronavirus pandemic began, the Four Seasons Biltmore resort in Montecito will remain closed through at least 2022.
It s unclear when the beachside retreat will reopen, even as other Santa Barbara-area hotels prepare for a travel industry rebound this summer.
About 450 Biltmore employees remain furloughed after last March s closure. More than 250 of them are taking legal action against the hotel through local attorney Bruce Anticouni. While a lawsuit has not been filed, Anticouni says that Four Seasons has agreed to mediation on April 30 to attempt to resolve the legal dispute.