Tag archives: community
Spring has sprung, bringing with it the revival of our town’s neighborhood block parties. Recent Montecito town gatherings were the Holiday Tree decorating on San Ysidro Lane in December, and the last block party in April 2019 before the lockdowns. Both events were spawned by members from the Montecito Association, whose love of our town […]
We’re having an eventful May at the Montecito Library. Check our calendar at SBPLibrary.org or come by to see what’s happening! Watershed Classes for K-6 with Explore Ecology Have you ever wondered where the water goes when it rains? In this lesson series, students will learn how water moves across the land and what can […]
It’s not hard to get a clear picture of the breadth of the age range served by the Montecito Library. Take a look at the events tab on the Friends of the Montecito Library website and you’ll find Italian Conversation, Knit ‘n’ Needle, Poetry Club, Spanish Conversation, Pre-School Story Time, and a New Yorker Discussion […]
It was certainly a hands-on performance when Berlin-based piano twosome Sivan Silver and Gil Garburg sharing the keyboard performed the world premiere of 62-year-old Austrian Richard Dunser’s composition derived from the work of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms with the Santa Barbara Symphony for Romance in a New Key at the Granada. Dunser dedicated his […]
I look forward to reading the studies that the Montecito Water and Montecito Sanitary districts have jointly commissioned, one by Carollo Engineers to evaluate recycling options and the other by Raftelis to explore the pros and cons of a business case for district consolidation. The need for recycled water supplies is rather self-evident. The self-evident case […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Back in 1955, Hillside House relocated to what was then a state-of-the-art facility capable of housing and caring for children with developmental disabilities, the gleaming new digs located in what was then a remote part of Santa Barbara with the descriptive name of Hidden Valley. A lot has changed in almost seven decades. Society no […]
Safety Tips From Your Montecito Association and Santa Barbara County Sheriffs We discuss Montecito crime statistics at every board meeting, the second Tuesday of every month at 4 pm. Lt. Arnoldi from the Sheriff’s Office watches trends and keeps us up to date. He also offers the latest tips for how to best protect your […]
I’ve been reading some excellent opinions in the Journal. Writers are challenging the Montecito Creek Water Company’s claim to the wonderful life-giving Montecito Hot Springs. These writers are right, we need to unite for the Earth, everywhere we can. I figure, if we’re taking on one water user, we’re taking on all water users. For […]
On April 10, the Santa Barbara National Charity League (NCL) will host its Senior Recognition Event at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The past two years have seen the event held in a modified form, but the celebration is back in-person and ready for “Springtime in Paris.” The 25 graduating seniors along with their […]
Virtually everyone knows someone who has had, or is being treated for, cancer. This disease has become a prevalent threat in our everyday lives. For those who have been around the treatment process, it can be a scary and challenging time for both the individual and their loved ones. At Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, the entire […]
You’d be hard-pressed to find nonprofits with an origin story more organic and homespun than NatureTrack. The organization was founded 11 years ago by Sue Eisaguirre, who, after raising her own kids with lots of outdoor time, returned to work heading up the docent and K-12 outreach programs for the UCSB Sedgwick Reserve. “It was […]
The events of the past five years have left an impression on the geography and flow of our community. They have also left an imprint on your personal life. This can show up as an undercurrent of anxiety, heightened sensitivity to criticism, and intolerance for the slightest inconvenience. Even right now, there may be unnecessary […]
Back in 2006, the year before horse slaughter in the U.S. ceased for good, the last three such stateside slaughterhouse facilities killed more than 100,000 horses for human consumption, shipping the meat overseas. Even with those facilities shuttered, approximately 75,000 American horses are still shipped to their deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year, although the […]
Recently, I had some L.A. friends move to town (don’t be alarmed, they really are “nice”). Mistakenly, they thought that I knew a bit about our County and asked: “So where does ‘our’ money go?” Mind you, these are philanthropic folks who care about culture so I had to be honest: “I can tell you […]
Every picture tells a story. On February 11, while researching a Black History Month story to report on, I had a phone meeting with the new Montecito Journal (MJ) Managing Editor Zach Rosen. That same day, Dr. Joseph Pineda DPM dropped off a photograph he had on his office wall to the MJ. Rosen said, […]
It’s a big honor for Explore Ecology to be receiving Santa Barbara Permaculture Network’s Local Food Hero Award at the 14th Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap this weekend. It’s also a well-earned recognition of the nonprofit’s School Gardens Program and its Garden Educators, who teach garden-based lesson plans in upwards of 30 local schools […]
In the spring of 2020, as the pandemic unfolded, Montecito neighbors started noticing a significant uptick in homeless individuals on Coast Village Road, traveling along the tracks, and encampments began mushrooming along the freeway. I contacted Luis Alvarado from Santa Barbara County’s Behavioral Wellness Homeless Outreach Team, and we started walking the tracks and outreaching. […]
