The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts has appointed Caren Rager as the new Chrisman executive director and president at the venerable Granada as of July 1, I can exclusively reveal. Caren replaces Craig Springer, who is retiring after eight years of excellent service at the helm and returning to Orange County. “During his […]
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Los Angeles entrepreneur Michael Rosenfeld, owner of the Hotel Californian, has donated part of the tony hostelry’s extensive grounds fronting State and Mason streets, to the popular charity, the Dream Foundation. The area, to be known as the Dream Plaza, will feature 1,140 stones, measuring 3×2 to 1×1 in size, which can be engraved with […]
Lea másDianne Gayoski Duva is the latest member of the Music Academy of the West’s board. Duva is a founding partner of the Santa Barbara wealth management firm Arlington Financial Advisors and co-hosts the weekly radio show Money Talk on AM1290. She currently serves as a member of the board for the SB Public Library Foundation, […]
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The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, which since its founding in 1962 has awarded a handsome $108 million to more than 50,000 county students, marked its annual gift-giving with a dinner for 245 guests at the SB Museum of History. This year, $8.3 million was awarded to 2,620 students in ceremonies in Santa Maria and […]
Lea másThe Montecito Heat Index illustrates demand for Montecito single-family homes in five price sectors. By identifying buyer demand, (signed contracts) rather than sales (closed escrows), we create a forward-looking indicator of market strength rather than sold data often more than a month old. And since real estate activity fluctuates seasonally, today’s Heat Score is compared […]
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After nearly five months of closure following the January 9 debris flow, the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore is slated to reopen its doors this Friday, June 1. “We are so looking forward to welcoming back our guests, as well as our local community who have been so supportive of us during this time,” said […]
Lea másThree former UCSB students have become pedal peddlers! The tony triumvirate of Mark Gustafson, Jason Lam and Matt Soares have launched electric bicycle brand Story Bikes, selling them to avid cyclists and also donating to the charity World Bike Relief. “It all started two years ago when we were in Santa Monica and rented electric […]
Lea másIn case you missed last week’s Coming & Going, in which we made our upcoming primary election endorsements, preferences, and suggestions, what follows is an edited version of same, with the addition of races and positions not previously covered: Governor of California: John Cox Lieutenant Governor: Cole Harris Secretary of State: Raul Rodriguez, Jr. Controller: […]
Lea másIn 1991, the residents of Montecito engaged in a heated debate, turning down a vote for cityhood by fewer than 100 votes. Every 10 years or so, the debate over home rule rises again. Advocates believe that local knowledge of local needs allows communities that are self-governing to better plan their own future, to control […]
Lea másProbably one of the most famous of all motivational slogans was first thought up in 1911 by Thomas J. Watson, the man who became head of IBM: His brain-wave was the single word: “Think.” But now that we have machines so “smart” that their ability to think is a matter for philosophical debate, we also […]
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It started out just like any other day that I lead a kayak tour on Santa Cruz Island; get folks dialed in with their paddling gear and a kayak briefing before launching them off the beach at Scorpion Anchorage. Spring time on the islands is a dual-edged sword; rolling green marine terraces, island wildflowers, and […]
Lea másThe wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a major impact on Janet Adderley’s Santa Barbara Youth Ensemble Theatre’s production of Les Misérables at the Lobero last week. Max Corden, 7, was due to play the pivotal role of Gavroche, the young street urchin shot on the barricades, but at the last minute his […]
Lea másWestmont has named alumnus Scott Lisea ’88 as the new campus pastor and assistant to the president for church and community relations. He has served as head of school for Providence Christian School in Santa Barbara since 2015. Lisea begins July 1, and replaces Ben Patterson, who has retired after more than 17 years of […]
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Montecito mudslide survivors Kim Cantin and her 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, were guests on fellow resident Ellen DeGeneres‘s TV talk show and presented with a check for $20,000, courtesy of Walmart, to help rebuild their lives. Both were rescued after their home was demolished by the devastating slides in January, and Lauren’s rescue was seen around […]
Lea másAs I entered the parking area on the Laguna Blanca Lower School campus, everything looked as I remembered it at the end of the 2016-17 school year. Children were happily playing, staff were all present and accounted for, spring flowers could be seen placed artistically in the carefully pruned landscaping that surrounds the perimeter of […]
Lea másEver since I have been doing these columns about interesting people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, friends have been saying, “You have to meet Natalie Myerson.” A mutual friend finally set us up for a lunch at Louie’s at the Upham Hotel in Santa Barbara, and Natalie was there waiting for us when we […]
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Peace Sticks seems like a super-simple concept – participants toss a pair of sticks back and forth with a partner. And that’s exactly how it started with Shane and Evan Rilling, the Ojai-based brothers who created the practice. “It came to us on a hike more than a decade ago, when we picked up some […]
Lea másA recent incident in Los Angeles caught my attention and has really troubled me. A high school teacher was fired for his reaction and rant to a student wearing a shirt that had the word Marines on it. His diatribe on the status of anyone in the military as being the “lowest of the low” […]
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Montecito master designer John Saladino, made a rare appearance in downtown Santa Barbara on May 18, for the public unveiling of a never-before-shown collection of his paintings. The private exhibition was part of the grand opening of Colette Cosentino’s eponymous Atelier + Gallery located at 11 West Anapamu Street. Themed “Patrimony”, the body of work […]
Lea másAt a hearing earlier this month, the California Coastal Commission denied the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’s ordinance amendments pertaining to the prohibition of Short-Term Rentals (STRs). The ban on STRs was approved by the Board of Supervisors in October of last year, after more than two years of multiple hearings as well as […]
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