14 Apr 2022
Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley (FBSMV)
Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley (FBSMV) does some very important and impactful work. Since its founding in 2003 as a response to the methamphetamine epidemic in the Valley, the nonprofit has taken a proactive approach to the issues, creating programs that focus on protecting kids not only from drugs and other substance abuse but also […]
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War of the Currents From Transmission Lines to “Freedom Fuel”
Forest fires, cyber warfare, sabotage, and plain old utility company incompetence, greed, and malfeasance have brought us to the point where we must abandon the electrical grid. It isn’t safe. It does cause a significant percentage of forest fires here in California, it supports a utility (PG&E) that has been convicted of multiple felonies for […]
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Can We Trust Eyewitness Testimony?
“Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes?” Variations of this quote date back to Chico Marx in Duck Soup and earlier. Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus has testified in criminal trials that eyewitness testimony is not as trustworthy as it seems. Loftus has shown that it is easy to implant false memories of […]
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A Tale of Three Vlads
This is the story of three Vlads. Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Volodymyr Palahniuk, whom you knew by his stage name: Jack Palance. I did not know until recently that Jack Palance died here in Montecito at the home of his daughter Holly. Nor did I know until fairly recently how much Holly Palance has […]
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The Elephant on the 1200 Block of Coast Village Road
Have you ever wondered why you can’t find a parking space on Coast Village Road? Coast Village Road is not downtown Santa Barbara. Unlike downtown, Coast Village Road does not have public parking structures and has suffered from a parking shortage well before the pandemic. So, it should come as no surprise that removing 23% […]
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12 Apr 2022
Building a Greater Sense of Place
Not long ago, saying “I live in Summerland” would trigger a puzzled “where?” Then someone would mention the Big Yellow House. Had the restaurant then been empty and a shade of white as it is today, the landmark might have been the enormous LIQUOR sign looming over town. The next place to dog Summerland just […]
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Walk Montecito
The Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade is launching a new campaign this week, aimed at raising funds for Walk Montecito, a project that will ultimately create eight miles of roadside walking trails throughout Montecito. “The project reflects our commitment to long-term recovery from the Thomas Fire and Debris Flow, and our mission to build both community […]
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Cashy’s Playground Opens
A new pet boutique catering to dogs will softly open this weekend on Coast Village Road, next to Folded Hills Wine Tasting Room. The boutique is the brainchild of New York City transplant Caroline Martel-Miller, who landed in Santa Barbara with her husband about a year and a half ago. “I’ve always dreamed of having […]
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CBID Moves Forward for Coast Village Road
Last week, the Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously to endorse the Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District (CBID), an idea brought forth by the Coast Village Association (CVA) nearly two years ago. Earlier this year, 94 property owners on the road received a formal petition for the proposed CBID, the goal of which is […]
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Talking with GOP Chair Bobbi McGinnis
Bobbi McGinnis is the current Chair of the Santa Barbara County GOP committee, a position she has had since 2019, after being its secretary and committee member since 2013. She is a first-generation U.S. born citizen. Her parents moved to the U.S. from England in 1949, choosing Santa Barbara as their new home, with her […]
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Ted Tedesco
In a tribute to Ted Tedesco on his 90th birthday, his son David said, “Show me a man who does not like Ted Tedesco because I don’t believe it.” A tribute from a friend said he learned three things from Ted: “It’s important to carry on no matter what life throws at you, remember to […]
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Trial by Combat
One of the best tests of a civilization, is how disputes are settled. You can’t prevent them from arising. There are just too many different ways people can come into conflict with each other, particularly over territory, property, or sexual relations. Methods of settlement can range from pure force to peaceful adjudication. Of course, both […]
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March Was Madness
A whopping half of all homes for sale in Montecito’s 93108 zip code are priced over $10,000,000 While I don’t follow March Madness basketball, I do follow the Montecito Real Estate market, house by house, sale by sale, and March was indeed Madness. While an average March might bring 18+/- sales, March 2022 showed strong […]
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Arroyo Hondo Fire Followers
As the Mule smoothly powers up the West Ridge Trail of Arroyo Hondo Preserve, we pass a flock of sheep grazing on yellow-flowered mustard. The wooly beasts and their owners await an upcoming shearing day in the paddock at the base of the hill. In the meantime, the flock munches on the grasses and mustard […]
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Portrait of the Artist
The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) has been a busy place lately with not one but two exhibits. One is copper heiress Huguette Clark’s work, not shown for 80 years and the other is Lockwood de Forest. Huguette’s collection is on view in collaboration with the Bellosguardo Foundation. There’s even a recently discovered personal photo […]
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Ministry of Culture
Spain’s Ministry of Culture department paid a visit to Santa Barbara recently headed up by the Counsel General of Spain Juan Carlos Sanchez Alonso. They were here by the Mission steps along with our Fiesta Spirit Ysabella Yturralde and a tapas truck with loads of Spanish ham. Spirit Ysabella just returned from Jerez, Spain. The […]
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Ganna Walska Lotusland
Ganna Walska Lotusland held its annual meeting in a different place this year: Instead of being indoors, we were in the Theatre Garden enjoying the beauty and then unto the lawn for a picnic lunch. Board president Lesley Cunningham welcomed all. Thanks were given to departing Trustees Suzanne Mathews and Alexandra Morse and welcome to […]
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The Little Book
Writers and friends gathered at Tecolote recently to celebrate Steven Gilbar’s latest tome, having published over 20 books. This one is titled The Little Book of Montecito Writers and includes over 50 names. This doesn’t count journalists or memoirists. No garrets or starving poets here, with the median home costing about $5 million. Gilbar thinks […]
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Montecito Businessman Marty Allen is Down to Earth!
After soaring into the heavens last week aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket from a spaceport in Van Horn, Texas, the former CEO of California Closets and Party America reached an altitude of 350,000 feet, or about 66 miles, above our planet, flying above the Kármán line, which is defined as the boundary between Earth’s […]
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A Winn-ing Needlepoint Gallery
Montecito entrepreneur Ann Winn, who with her husband, Alastair, recently bought Santa Barbara’s Public Market with partners for $7.65 million, has opened Village Needlepoint in the former premises of bling king Bob Bryant, just a tiara’s toss from Tecolote. Her love for the art started in her early 20s and she started building her influential […]
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