The Way it Was

Historian Hattie Beresford’s most recent The Way It Was column, about Andrew Carnegie’s 1910 visit to Santa Barbara and the civic good works of his associates, Charles Lewis Taylor and Henry Smith Pritchett, was a winner. Ms. Beresford’s work is consistently educational and enjoyable — a reliable, welcome gem among the din of real estate hyperbole and frothy, pro-monarchist social chatter about our “rarified enclave” and its proximity (a “tiara’s toss”) to the doings of the great and near-great often sighted in Montecito.

I congratulate executive editor Gwyn Lurie and her predecessor, Jim Buckley, for their long, consistent support of Ms. Beresford’s work. She and her historian-colleagues (the Graffy siblings, Betsy Green, John Woodward, Mary Louise Days, Michael Redmond, Willard Thompson and the miracle workers at Montecito’s public library and historical institutions) perform well the colorful but sometimes gritty task of telling us from where we came so that we might have a better focus on where we should be heading.

Bill MacKinnon
Independent Historian

Welcome Retail Elegance

I am excited by the Miramar proposal to add some shops and green spaces to the already elegant buildings. I think it will be a great addition for locals to enjoy some high-end shopping as well as for the hotel residents. I am sure the project will be very elegant as Caruso always achieves. 

Sheila Herman and Dr Richard Sibthorpe

Miramarvelous

The Miramar Hotel has made a positive impact on Montecito. As with his other properties, Caruso has consistently shown a commitment to quality and community, and their latest plans are no exception. We recently attended a community meeting where Caruso presented the plans for the upcoming additions. They have taken great care to present these plans, get feedback, and include the neighbors in the planning. This commitment to community involvement is much appreciated. Adding 26 affordable housing units for employees, alongside 8 market-rate units, is a thoughtful response to our housing needs, especially given the state’s requirements. This housing means three-quarters of the total apartments proposed will be affordable. That’s pretty unheard-of from a private developer. The inclusion of green spaces and boutique shops will make The Miramar even more vibrant. With the Caruso team’s track record and reputation for quality, we believe this will be a welcome addition to this wonderful property.

Andrea and Ron Hein

Lester

Relax, relax with the girl of your dreams
When you kiss her cheek,
it’s more than it seems
How slow and perfect that setting sun
Does anyone play “Stardust”
like Lester Young?
Two people together walk the world as one
The way it had always been planned
Those double-helix living strands
Bind us together,
the fated sticky web ready spun
Some days you’re the hammer
And other days the nail
What difference could it possibly make
When it is your voice that greets me –
Little Ice Cream Cake
Reminding me that love is so strong
And trouble so frail

Henry J Ohrtman Trumping the Elites

My reasons for choosing our next president hinge on the candidate’s policies regarding these issues:

1) preserving free speech,

2) ending limitless wars, and 

3) securing our borders.

For me, the choice is clear: Donald Trump.

Harris was selected by her party’s elites.

Trump won his party’s selection. The difference is stark: one party’s philosophy is authoritarian, the other’s is democratic.

Trump managed a very healthy economy before COVID-19. Harris / Biden have sponsored inflation, border chaos and an unbridled fentanyl crossing.

Trump secured the landmark Abraham Accords while Harris/Biden have emboldened Iran by removing the financial straightjacket imposed by Trump.

The RFK, Jr. choice to leave the Democrat Party speaks volumes; it was his home and his family’s legacy. Trump and Kennedy have melded two important issues that Harris refused to discuss and engage.

All other issues matter little to me. We have an ineffectual Congress. A blind Justice Department.

We now have had more abortions subsequent to the SC reversal of Roe v. Wade. (Why does the Democrat Party continue to choose to abort more Black babies in the name of a woman’s choice? Seems like the ghost of Sanger’s eugenics to me.)

Our Constitution needs to be defended: Trump again!  

Marc Green