Maker House and Clay Studio’s 2025 New Board

Maker House – Clay Studio, founded by Lynda Weinman and Patrick Hall five years ago, is located in Goleta. Studio Director Erin Smith has announced its new Board for 2025 as follows: Yvonne DeGraw, President; Rachel Hammond, Vice President; Elizabeth Guffey, Secretary; and Melissa Cunningham, Treasurer.

DeGraw is a tech writer and small business owner. She is an Associate Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and has served as founding president of the STC’s Santa Barbara chapter. Hammond is the head of sales and customer success for InPractice, a CASA (court appointed special advocate) and small business consultant. Guffey has been a historian, theorist, and critic of art, craft and design for more than 30 years, with written work in The New York Times and The Nation.

Cunningham works for Cycling Without Age Santa Barbara. She was previously the executive director at COAST and director of Strategic Initiatives at MOVE SB County. Bailey, former Clay Studio Board Chair, will act as special advisor to the board. She is the founder and CEO Emerita of Women’s Economic Ventures.

In her press statement Weinman writes, “It has been an honor to help establish this great organization. The incoming board of directors will focus on making ceramic arts more broadly accessible and responsive to the interests and aspirations of the emerging and established artists who make up our creative community.”

Maker House, noted regionally and nationally for its exhibitions, lectures and visiting artist residencies, provides services for over 500 students in wheel throwing, hand-building and other clay arts. It has partnerships with UCSB students, local elementary schools and regional organizations using clay as part of team building programs.  

411: erin@makerhouse.org

County Adopts New Outdoor Lighting Ordinances

The County Board of Supervisors recently approved new outdoor lighting regulations to reduce light pollution, protect the nighttime sky, and enhance neighborhood safety. These ordinances set limits on outdoor lighting intensity, where a higher Kelvin value represents a cooler, more intense light color, and a lower Kelvin value indicates a warmer light color. 

Outdoor security lighting: Maximum of 4,000 Kelvin

All other outdoor lighting: Maximum of 2,700 Kelvin

Additionally, the County did not grant an exception for Montecito, meaning unshielded string lights will not be allowed, and new uplighting is prohibited to maintain consistency across the region.

These changes aim to balance energy efficiency, community aesthetics, and wildlife protection while ensuring well-lit and safe outdoor spaces.

Santa Barbara County Agencies Respond to Grand Jury Reports

In this report, the 2024-25 Grand Jury summarizes the agency responses to the previous 2023-24 Grand Jury’s reports. In the nine reports issued in the 2023-24 term, local agencies agreed with nearly two-thirds (64.8%) of all findings and said that they have implemented or will implement over half (58.4%) of the Jury’s recommendations. When agencies disagree with the Grand Jury findings and recommendations, they must explain why.

The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury states that, “It serves as a watchdog over local government. Its reports seek to ensure effective functioning and to improve government efficiency. When a report is written about any department or agency in the County, they are legally obligated to formally reply to the Jury’s findings and indicate if they will or will not implement the Jury’s recommendations.”

See the 411 to submit a request for investigation and read the complete list of local government responses.

411: www.sbcgj.org