Unless you’re a dog, most of us never think about fire hydrants until you need one. Such was the case when Robin Donaldson, an architect for a residential renovation project on Padaro Lane in Carpinteria, applied for a routine building permit with the county. His plans had already been approved by the California Coastal Commission […]
For the past year, Leslie Person Ryan has been leasing a six-acre plot of land in Summerland from the Carpinteria Unified School District (CUSD). At her nascent farm located on a grassy hilltop with stunning mountain and ocean views, Ryan, the owner of Sweet Wheel Farm & Flowers, who owns additional agricultural acreage in Orcutt, […]
Readers are by now well aware of the ongoing saga involving former MJ writer Mitchell Kriegman’s explosive exposé on city hall cannabis-related corruption that ran on March 12 of this year in the Los Angeles Magazine. The star of Kriegman’s story: Anthony Wagner, spokesperson for the Santa Barbara Police Department, who also played a role […]
It’s now been two months since Los Angeles Magazine published a bombshell exposé by former Montecito Journal reporter Mitchell Kriegman claiming marijuana-related corruption inside Santa Barbara’s City Hall. At the center of Kriegman’s sprawling, roughly 4,000-word story, which the Journal declined to publish last year before Kriegman departed from the paper, was the contention that […]
The most recent meeting of the Cold Spring School District’s Governing Board took place at the school campus at 6 pm on May 10 and, despite lingering COVID-19 concerns, drew a standing-room only crowd. Participants included all five board members, school officials including Superintendent and Principal Amy Alzina, Chief Operating Officer Yuri Calderon, and about […]
On May 5, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Santa Barbara City Councilmember Meagan Harmon to the California Coastal Commission, one of the state’s most powerful institutions, which serves to preserve and protect the coastline from commercial and development interests. A New York University trained lawyer and Harvard graduate from Lompoc, who is a relative newcomer […]
Previous articles in the Montecito Journal have described what by now has become a no-holds-barred legal conflict between the Cold Spring School and Amanda Rowan, a parent of a child who was suspended from the classroom last year, and who was subsequently named in a restraining order filed on behalf of three employees of the […]
The campaign to purchase the West Mesa of the San Marcos Foothills is nearing the finish line but Foothills Forever, which has been raising cash for the conservation effort, is still looking for last-minute angel investors. This week, the group announced a partnership with Allemall Foundation, which recently helped the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy complete […]
From April 21 to June 27, 2021, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will welcome Canada-born artist Libby Holland as its first-ever Artist in Residence. For eight weeks, Holland will immerse herself in the garden’s native plantings for an exploration of “blooming where you’re planted and allowing yourself to be free” with her collection “Grow Wild.” […]
Last week, the Montecito Journal reported on the latest involving the ongoing conflict between the Cold Spring School District and Amanda Rowan, the parent of a child who was subjected to a one-hour school suspension for posing during a Zoom session as the school’s principal, Dr. Amy Alzina, while using a photograph of Rowan’s dog. […]
With Santa Barbara’s long-awaited springtime flower blooming season already strongly underway, Santa Barbara’s Beekeepers Guild is hoping to encourage local residents and homeowners to help our county’s bee population thriving. You don’t have to be a beekeeper to do this, the guild says. In fact, planting flowers that bees like may actually be more important […]
Northbound Highway 101 Sunday nights, 9 pm – 5 am, 1 lane: Bailard Avenue to Santa Claus Lane and N Padaro Lane to Sheffield Drive, on- and off-ramps at Bailard Avenue, Casitas Pass Road, Linden Avenue, and Santa Monica Road • Monday-Thursday nights, 8 pm – 5 am, 1 lane: Bailard Avenue to Santa Claus […]
Two weeks ago, the Montecito Journal reported that Cold Spring School (CSS) had attempted to file a restraining order against Amanda Rowan, a parent of a child at the school, on behalf of three employees of the school district. Santa Barbara Superior Court Commissioner Stephen Foley refused to immediately grant the request; however, attorneys for […]
Readers of this column may have noticed that the Montecito Journal has in the past few months published a series of stories highlighting three candidates running for the office of Mayor of Santa Barbara: James Joyce, Deborah Schwartz, and last week, Randy Rowse. Noticeably absent on that list is the mayor herself, Cathy Murillo, who […]
In the already dramatic annals of parental engagement, one particular case threatens to break the mold. To most outside observers, the drama began on March 10, 2021, when Greg Rolen, a lawyer for Montecito’s Cold Spring School District, filed a restraining order on behalf of three employees purportedly in physical danger from a parent at […]
ARA 24K Collection is part of a family tradition that goes all the way back to ancient Turkey La Hoya If it wasn’t for a simple spelling misunderstanding, Cuneyt (pronounced “June eight”) Akdolu, owner of ARA 24K Collection on Coast Village Road, might never have arrived in Montecito. It was early 2004, and Akdolu, who at […]
As a 66-year-old downtown businessman Randy Rowse is no stranger to Santa Barbara city politics. In 1983, Rowse opened the Paradise Café across the street from the Santa Barbara News-Press; last year he sold the joint, which has now been re-christened La Paloma Café. A longtime Democrat, Rowse dropped his party affiliation in the 1990s, […]
On Monday, March 16, Santa Barbara Interim Police Chief Barney Melekian issued a statement responding to a March 12 Los Angeles Magazine article that raised allegations of corruption and undue influence involving Anthony Wagner, the department’s public information officer, who previously helped run the city’s cannabis dispensary licensing process. Melekian’s announcement stated that he was […]
Wayne Siemens and his wife, Sharol, have been customers of Montecito’s iconic San Ysidro Pharmacy for the past 35 years. When he was younger, Siemens and as many as eight of his tennis pals, known as the “Pharmacy Boys,” would drop by, dripping wet, after their morning games to eat at the adjacent Montecito Coffee […]
At 2:07 pm, Montecito resident Abe Powell was driving north on San Ysidro Road when he noticed a pair of paragliders swinging in the sky. “They were just too low,” Powell said. “I knew they weren’t going to make it to the beach, because they were coming low and towards the powerlines that come across […]
It’s sometimes said that Santa Barbara, with its powerful full-time city administrator overseeing more than 1,000 city employees in ten different agencies, tends to leave the mayor as a figurehead, not much more than a glorified seventh city councilmember who happens to represent all constituents rather than those in one district. But don’t tell that […]
On February 19, the Montecito Journal hosted a mid-morning Zoom meeting during which several local politicians and health officials answered questions and addressed the challenges that have affected Santa Barbara County’s ongoing efforts to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to residents. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Gwyn Lurie and Chief Operating Officer Tim Buckley, the meeting’s guests included U.S. […]
The Montecito Journal on February 19 hosted a COVID-19 Town Hall meeting on Zoom, during which Editor-in-Chief Gwyn Lurie read questions from the audience. These questions were answered by U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal, First District Supervisor Das Williams, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso, and others. Because the meeting was limited to an hour, not all of our readers’ pre-submitted questions could be […]
Closures on Northbound Highway 101 Monday night, Mar. 1, 8:00 pm – 5:00 am, 1 lane: N. Padaro Ln. to Sheffield Dr., on- and off-ramps at Evans Ave, Ortega Hill Rd, Sheffield Dr. Mon. – Wed. daytime, Feb. 22 – 24, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, on-ramp at Linden Ave. Southbound Highway 101 Mon. night, […]
Earlier this month, Barney Melekian, Santa Barbara County’s former assistant executive officer for public safety, left his County job to become interim police chief for the City of Santa Barbara, replacing retiring Chief Lori Luhnow. One of Melekian’s key roles for the county was overseeing enforcement of the county’s legal cannabis industry. Replacing Melekian in […]
In this, the Journal’s third profile of the people who work behind the scenes in the biggest infrastructure project to hit Montecito in recent memory, we meet Sarah Sandstrom, Caltrans’ aquatic resource manager. According to Tim Gubbins, Caltrans District 5 Director, Sandstrom is a key player in the agency’s effort to protect the environment as […]
At 6 pm on February 17, Montecito’s beloved YMCA officially launched its annual fundraising campaign in an effort to help ensure that everyone in southern Santa Barbara County has access to community programs and resources that support youth development, healthy living, social responsibility, and struggling families. This year, the YMCA hopes to raise $120,000 to […]
A week ago, the former manager of the Montecito Inn’s Café, Arielle Chang, manager of the marketplace, gave notice to the Journal about the fate of Barbara Dutra, a manager of the restaurant who has fallen on hard times with stage four colon cancer. “Barbara has worked with us for fifteen years,” said Chang. “She […]
On February 8, Carpinteria Mayor Wade Nomura sent a letter to State Senator Monique Limón asking for her support for a proposal to provide economic relief to local businesses based on economic losses per square footage. “Although some businesses in the city have been allowed to gradually reopen with protections in place, business activities within […]
Sometimes it takes a global pandemic to highlight the crucial role that community banks play in rescuing local businesses from the economic nightmare that comes with a year-long statewide shutdown. For American Riviera Bank (ARB), which opened in 2006 thanks to about 400 local shareholders who put up roughly $25 million in start-up cash, the […]
Four years ago, James Joyce III began an ambitious project called “Coffee With a Black Guy.” The idea was simple: Using a combination of wit, humor, and blunt honesty, Joyce sought to help Santa Barbara residents engage in a frank dialogue about issues relating to race and politics, both in our community and nationwide. The […]
Last time inthis ongoing series of profiles of the people leading the 101 Freeway widening project currently taking place in Carpinteria, Summerland, and Montecito, we introduced you to the project’s head honcho, Fred Luna, director of project delivery and construction for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. This month, we introduce readers to another […]
Three years after a January 9, 2018 debris flow half-buried Paul Madsen’s home, the Montecito resident who lives on Posilipo Lane adjacent to the Rosewood Miramar Beach has finally dug himself out of the mud. Excavation work that has been underway for the past few weeks is scheduled to wrap up later this week. According […]
Just a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the end of a months-long, statewide stay-at-home order, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department officially allowed outdoor dining to take effect at exactly 8 am on Tuesday, January 26. According to First District Supervisor Das Williams, he first heard word of the coming news over […]
Readers of this column are already aware of the bizarre situation unfolding on Montecito’s Middle Road, where the Montecito Water District (MWD) recently informed resident homeowner Trev Broudy of abnormally high copper levels in his drinking water. Subsequent tests showed that a stray electrical current was likely responsible for causing the copper to leach into […]
Three years after Montecito’s devastating debris flows, some memories just won’t fade away Although the mud is gone, and most of the rocks have been either carted away or stacked in piles nearby, the intersection of Hot Springs Road and Olive Mill Road still bears witness to the work that remains to be done before […]
December 29, 2020 started out as just another regular day for the cat-rescue volunteers at Santa Barbara’s Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP), a private nonprofit group that helps the county’s animal control agency find homes for abandoned cats. “We were operating on a very limited scale because of COVID,” said Becky Morrill, ASAP’s shelter operations […]
Trevor Broudy could be forgiven for thinking he might just be the unluckiest person in Montecito. The Middle Road homeowner’s troubles began early last year, when Bacall, his beloved golden retriever, began to rapidly and inexplicably lose weight. Aside from taking his pet to various veterinarians, Broudy stopped giving Bacall tap water to drink and […]
On December 31, the Montecito Trails Foundation (MTF) held its inaugural New Year’s Eve trash pickup event on local trails, with dozens of members fanning out along some 90 miles of trails in the front country above town as well as community trails within Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria. Because of COVID-19 concerns, the group encouraged […]
Montecito’s Unique Stalker of Celebrity Stalkers Catch and Release The Montecito Journal’s investigation into the shadowy world of the stalkers who stalk celebrity stalkers began, in more ways than one, with a simple cup of coffee. On a weekday afternoon in mid-October, a Journal editor was about to leave a local coffee shop when he […]