Twenty-seven California restaurants were awarded Michelin stars earlier this week, and for the first time ever, three eateries on the Central Coast made the list, including Montecito’s Sushi Bar, located in the Montecito Inn on Coast Village Road. “This is all I’ve wanted for a very, very, very long time,” owner Phillip Frankland Lee said. […]
The Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission, which is comprised of 11 commissioners representing all five supervisorial districts in Santa Barbara County, is seeking input from the public regarding redrawing our district map, which will be in place for the next 10 years. “We’ve been working on this for over a year, and we are now at […]
Each month during the community reports segment of the Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi rattles off about a dozen crimes that happen each month in our area. These almost always include vehicle break-ins at trailheads; stolen mail or packages; maybe a residential burglary or two. Last week, […]
After 24 years of serving up elevated, authentic Mexican food on Coast Village Road, Cava Restaurant & Bar closed its doors on Wednesday, September 15. “It’s certainly sad to see this wonderful chapter close, but we are absolutely making the right call,” said owner Carlos Lopez-Hollis. “There is virtue in decisiveness with a difficult but […]
Each September, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) invites the community to join it in recognizing National Childhood Cancer Awareness month through its much-cherished Gold Ribbon Luncheon. After multiple cancellations last year, TBCF has announced a smaller luncheon event, to take place under a tent at the Hilton Santa Barbara’s Plaza Del Sol on Wednesday, October […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Board Meeting, the board heard from Jon Frye of Santa Barbara County Flood Control, who gave a photographic update on the Randall Road Debris Basin, which began construction in May. Following the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow in 2018, the debris basin project was proposed along Randall Road in […]
This Saturday, September 11, marks the 20th anniversary of Montecito Deli on Coast Village Road. Owner Jeff Rypysc closed escrow on the purchase of the business on the fateful day of September 11, 2001, and since then has been feeding Montecito locals and tourists at the casual deli. Rypysc has always attributed his success to […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting, the group heard from Carla Leal of Cox Communications, who reported on new gas-powered generators being installed in Montecito. The project, which aims to install 49 generators throughout the Montecito area, stemmed from a decision issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier […]
After a long 18 months of attempting to execute a follow-up event to its widely successful Kick Ash Bash following the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow, local nonprofit One805 has announced a smaller scale donor appreciation event, slated for September 18. The special event, which is limited to 350 people, will be held at […]
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this week on the newly completed Hot Springs Neighborhood Trail, which connects Olive Mill Road from Casa Dorinda to East Valley Road. Since the debris flow in January 2018, the Bucket Brigade, led by Abe Powell and a committed team, has worked to restore many areas of the community, and […]
Customers at Montecito’s quaint upper village grocery store may notice a new face behind the meat case: Don Fortin is the store’s new meat manager and butcher. “I have big shoes to fill,” he told us during a recent visit. Fortin was brought on the team to fill the position left by longtime butcher Tony […]
At a Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting earlier this week, Montecito Water District general manager Nick Turner reported that intensifying drought conditions and increased water usage by district customers has prompted a request from the district that all residents reduce their water usage. “Over the last five years the board has been dedicated to […]
Also at the MA meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on a plethora of crimes that occurred in the area this summer, including a theft from an unlocked vehicle on Butterfly Lane, vehicle broken into on San Leandro Lane, construction trailer broken into on Woodley Road, residential burglary on Cota Lane, vandalism […]
Last week, the Montecito Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend to the county’s Board of Supervisors to extend local ordinance provisions related to COVID-19. The provisions have been in place since last summer, when the Board of Supervisors approved the Temporary Development Standard Suspension Ordinance Amendments to implement regulations regarding the temporary suspension of compliance […]
In March, we reported on a plan to install electric bikes and docking stations on Coast Village Road by BCycle Santa Barbara, a private bike share company. Now, the company is seeking three additional docking stations in the area. “In order for us to be successful on Coast Village Road, we realized we needed more […]
Upper Village clothing and accessory boutique Juniper has moved to the Lower Village, next to Sakana in Coast Village Walk. Owner Marie Ferris, who originally hails from the East Coast, moved to Montecito in 2017 to open the store after operating a successful boutique in Del Mar for more than 16 years. Ferris’s well-known Del […]
The real estate market in Montecito continues to exceed any and all expectations, creating records in both prices and number of sales. The first six months of the year have been incredibly active, with 140 homes* closing since January 1. This is nearly double the amount we saw last year, when 79 homes traded hands […]
The 2021 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest recognizes beautiful, water-efficient residential gardens throughout Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara County Water Agency and participating local water providers encouraged residents to apply for the contest and enter into the running for an agency award and the countywide grand prize. A winner from each of the participating water […]
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating four recent burglaries at local businesses where the suspects forced entry overnight and stole items. The first incident was Friday, July 23, 2021 in the 5800-block of Hollister Avenue at Old Town Coffee. A suspect smashed a window to gain entry, stole various items from inside the business, […]
The Santa Barbara County real estate market continues to be a strong seller’s market, with 823 homes sold in the South County (which includes Carpinteria to Goleta, and includes Montecito and Hope Ranch) the first half of the year, which is a 54% increase over last year. In a pre-pandemic year, that number would hover […]
Back in April, we reported on the opening of Turner Medical Arts on Coast Village Road, located at 1250 Coast Village Road, upstairs from Village Properties, The Warner Group, and Synergy Lending. Now, Dr. Duncan Turner has brought on a new internal medical doctor, Dr. Alan Viglione, who launched his “practice within the practice,” Montecito […]
Montecito resident and medical journalist Michael Bowker has penned a new book, Beating Long Haulers Syndrome, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. “I really wanted to shed light on Long Haulers Syndrome, and convince people and politicians that it is striking millions of COVID survivors. We need to allocate far more funds […]
Last Thursday, after more than four hours of discussion, the Santa Barbara City Planning Commission voted unanimously to give Montecito Club owner Ty Warner and disgruntled neighbor Angelo Mozilo two months to cooperate enough to conduct a noise study at the Club’s “Sports Complex,” which was built on the property’s upper lawn without the benefit […]
After an extensive 2.5-year remodel project coupled with a complete shutdown due to the COVID pandemic, All Saints-by-the-Sea Church in Montecito reopened last weekend, welcoming dozens of parishioners eager to reconnect with one another. “It was a true homecoming,” said Reverend Aimee Eyer-Delevett. In 2012, engineering consultants advised leadership that the church’s iconic bell tower […]
One of Montecito’s longest running businesses, Glamour House, will close at the end of the month. Owner Ann Picciuto calls the closure of the intimate apparel store a “happy ending and a new beginning.” She and her husband, Rick Gehrke, sat down with us earlier this week. Picciuto took over the long-standing Upper Village fixture […]
Two months after the closure of Read N’ Post in the Montecito Country Mart, the shopping center’s newest store, Montecito Mercantile, has opened, a sister store to owner Carrie Schei’s beloved Salt House Mercantile on Bainbridge Island. The shop, which is managed and overseen by longtime retailer and merchandiser Kelly Finefrock, has been transformed to […]
After nearly 13 years in the making, plans for expanding and remodeling the Montecito YMCA are once again moving forward, with the YMCA’s project application expected to be submitted to Santa Barbara County by the end of the month. “We’re still here, and the project is still happening,” said YMCA executive director Mike Yamasaki, who […]
With climate change and potential severity of future droughts unknown, voluntary conservation continues to be an essential component for water supply planning locally and statewide. Historically, Montecito Water District customers have been able to reduce demands when necessary. In 2009, SBX7-7 set a requirement for urban water suppliers to reduce demands 20% by 2020. The […]
While being mindful of both the cautious emergence out of the pandemic as well as the community’s desire to gather and celebrate, the Montecito Association has decided to once again take their popular patriotic show on the road, instead of gathering for the traditional parade on San Ysidro Road. This Sunday, July 4, 30 vintage […]
At a hearing on Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council considered modifying aesthetic guidelines related to the outdoor dining in the public right-of-way on State Street, and on parklets in other areas of the city, including Coast Village Road. Many in the community were under the impression that the meeting was to consider removal of […]
A new aquarium store has opened in the Upper Village, in the space formerly occupied by Stationery Collection. Aquatic Jewels is owned by longtime aquarium enthusiast Dottie Allen and her business partner Mark Amescua, who opened the shop in late April. “We’ve always wanted to open a shop here in Montecito, and when this space […]
Earlier this week the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors appointed Marshall Miller to the Montecito Planning Commission. His appointment was for the vacancy left by Charles Newman, who stepped down from the Commission at the end of his second term in December 2020. Growing up in Montecito, Miller attended All Saints, Montecito Union School, […]
Facing the second year of not being able to offer their students a yearly springtime trip to Boston, Crane Country Day School fifth-grade teachers Carrie Althoff and Ryan Long set out to “bring Boston to Montecito,” allowing their students the opportunity to have unique learning experiences. The Boston trip has been a rite of passage […]
Last week, Public Works representatives were in front of the Historic Landmarks Commission to present conceptual options related to the initial Mission Canyon Bridge Studies effort. The complicated project will ultimately enhance safety along the sensitive corridor and Mission Canyon Bridge, which spans Mission Creek and is located to the north of Mission Santa Barbara […]
It was a meaty agenda at this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, which featured updates on the Highway 101 expansion through Montecito, the beginning of Smart Meter technology at Montecito Water District, and updates on proposed state housing bills that could have a significant effect on Montecito. Kirsten Ayars with the 101 widening […]
“When life gives you kids” is the catch phrase for a new store in Montecito called Lemondrop, located in the Upper Village. Owned by Montecito mom of four, Ana Rudnicki, the new shop caters to the pre-teen or “tween” set: kids between the ages of 8 and 14. “I know I am not the only […]
After more than a year helping many of their business constituents navigate through catastrophic blows to business, the Board of Directors of the Coast Village Association has one primary goal for 2021: To form a Community Benefit Improvement District, or CBID, in order to take control of the street’s aesthetics, safety, and marketing ventures. “We’re […]
Earlier this week, the Montecito Association Land Use and Transportation Committee heard from Caltrans reps regarding a new project that will bring the pedestrian freeway undercrossing at Butterfly Lane up to ADA compliance. The project will begin in late fall of this year, through late spring 2022, and it will cause the closure of the […]
At a kick-off celebration on May 24, community leaders and stakeholders gathered under the Santa Claus Lane underpass of Highway 101 to mark the next phase of the freeway widening, called the Padaro Project, which includes the construction of seven- and-a-half miles of congestion-relief work between Carpinteria and Summerland. The project cost is approximately $200 […]
Montecito alum Kate McHale Jensen has opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Santa Barbara to house her four-year-old sustainable clothing company, KMJ. It was nearly 12 years ago that Kate was on the cover of this newspaper after opening a Coast Village Circle studio and showroom to debut her first fashion foray, a line of fit […]