Tag archives: covid 19

CASA
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 3, 2023

When a child is removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, they are faced with something no youngster should ever have to go through: navigating a confusing world of court proceedings amid competing interests with their future hanging in the balance.  The children are provided a lawyer, but their attorney likely has hundreds […]

Back to Normal?
By Robert Bernstein   |   September 26, 2023

Three and a half years ago (April 2020), I wrote an article “What is Normal?” It was the start of the COVID pandemic and people were asking for a return to “normal.” I asked: “Is that what we really want?” Is it “normal” that tens of millions of Americans have no access to health care? […]

Long Covid in Santa Barbara: A Medical and Financial Time Bomb
By Michael Bowker   |   June 20, 2023

When Debbie Goodwin caught a strange disease that smashed into her life like a freight train, she felt she was alone in the world. With its devastating rhythm of painful and fatiguing symptoms, no one seemed to know what she had. It was terrifying. Today, two years later, she still struggles, but she knows she […]

Chronic Vagrancy vs. Homelessness And The Millions of Dollars Being Spent
By Lang Martinez   |   February 28, 2023

As a person who has experienced homelessness as a former addict living on the streets of Ventura County, I have come to understand how chronic vagrancy gives homelessness a bad name. For the last four years I have made the choice to wake up clean and sober so I can advocate for others like me […]

Reflection and Gratitude: An Open Letter to Our Community, and Sansum Clinic and Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Teams
By Marjorie Newman   |   February 14, 2023

January 20th marked three years since the first laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19 was detected in the United States, followed a few short months later with the World Health Organization and CDC’s declaration of a global pandemic. At the time, none of us could have imagined how much our lives would be upended, or for […]

We Should All Care
By Sara Miller McCune   |   March 1, 2022

Two years ago, COVID-19 was simply an outlier, something that seemed to be impacting “others” and not destined to alter life as we all know it. Some 23 months ago, life did change. For business owners. For politicians. For children. And it put our teachers to the test. But this wasn’t one they could study […]

Congressman Carbajal Talks Policy, Democracy, and Coming of Age in the People’s House
By Gwyn Lurie   |   February 8, 2022

The last time I sat face-to-face with Congressman Salud Carbajal was in September of 2020, when we were all optimistic that the pandemic’s end was in sight. That was three years into his stint in Congress. And as honored as he was to be representing this district in the People’s House, he nonetheless seemed burdened […]

COVID-19 Tests Available in Montecito
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 4, 2022

Montecito Water District has announced that this Friday, February 4, they will host a pop-up distribution center for at-home COVID-19 test kits. It will be a drive-through site, where those needing test kits can drive up and will be given one kit per person in their household.  The distribution is from 10 am to noon, […]

Santa Barbara Unified in Need of Substitute Teachers
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 1, 2022

The Santa Barbara Unified School District is making a public effort to attract and recruit more substitute teachers as COVID-19 continues to deplete staff across most places of employment throughout Santa Barbara. The district has raised its pay for substitutes, including $190 per day for daily subs, $210 per day for designated site subs, and […]

By Hilda or High Water
By Gwyn Lurie   |   January 25, 2022

Santa Barbara Schools Superintendent Super Intends to Get the Job Done Some jobs are just plain hard. Hard because no matter what choices you make, some people are bound to be disappointed. I sometimes felt that way when I served on the Montecito Union School District Board, because everyone wants what’s best for their children, […]

For County Schools, the New Year Brings a Sense of Gratitude — and New Challenges
By Montecito Journal   |   January 18, 2022

As schools across Santa Barbara County reopen following the winter break and prepare for a successful return, I wanted to take a moment to reconnect with our community. We are welcoming our students back at a time when surging COVID-19 case rates have created new layers of uncertainty and concern for our schools. From interpreting […]

Santa Barbara Unified Mandates COVID Testing
By Nick Masuda   |   January 18, 2022

With COVID-19 numbers skyrocketing all over Santa Barbara County, mostly due to the Omicron variant, the Santa Barbara Unified School District installed mandatory testing for students and staff on January 10. While the county deals with an overall shortage of tests, SBUSD indicated that it had plenty on hand to test every student (roughly 13,000) […]

Montecito Association’s Annual Meeting
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 18, 2022

The Montecito Association (MA) Board of Directors held its annual meeting this week, appointing new board members and saying goodbye to several retiring board members, as well as reviewing the Association’s activities in 2021.  Association president Megan Orloff and executive director Sharon Byrne reported on Association activities for the past year, which included extensive pandemic […]

SBUSD Puts Sports on Pause
By Nick Masuda   |   January 11, 2022

Instruction returned to campuses throughout Santa Barbara Unified School District on January 3, with a flurry of communications helping both staff and students navigate an expected rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the area. Superintendent Hilda Maldonado delivered a message to the district on January 3 that provided clarification on health protocols, as well as some […]

Feting the Unsung Superheroes New Fund Focuses on Celebrating Educators During Unprecedented Times
By Nick Masuda   |   November 30, 2021

The past 20 months for educators have been ones of great angst and innovation — with the need for patience and a willingness to embrace the unknown paramount to serving thousands of students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. It has also been thankless. Educators have not only had to teach students through computer […]

Genuine Love in the Time of COVID
By William Peters   |   November 30, 2021

The last six months of my father’s life were spent in isolation from our family and his friends, but not, as I was to learn, from a new, adhoc family that embraced him. Like millions across the U.S., the COVID lockdowns kept me, my mother, and my siblings completely apart from my 80-year-old father. But, […]

A Letter of Appreciation for Our Schools
By Sigrid Toye   |   November 9, 2021

It’s autumn in Santa Barbara and the landscape is painted with a golden glow as falling sycamore leaves carpet the ground. Halloween is just around the corner. And, at long last our kids are settled back in school and ready to celebrate the season. During these uncertain times, “back in school” has become an event […]

Money Talks? UCSB Dorm Project Scrutinized
By Montecito Journal   |   November 9, 2021

Dennis McFadden, a respected architect and member of UCSB’s Design Review Committee, has resigned from the Committee in protest over the university’s proposed Munger Hall dormitory project.  As a long-time Santa Barbara architect, community resident, and fan of UCSB, I am writing to add my objections to the Munger Hall “Mega Dorm” currently proposed for […]

Beautification Day, COVID Style
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 9, 2021

In an effort to remain as COVID-safe as possible, Montecito Association is hosting a smaller-than-normal Beautification Day this Saturday, November 7, beginning at 9 am. This year’s event will be based at a new location: the upper green on the corner of East Valley Road and San Ysidro Road, in front of Pierre Lafond. After […]

The Show Must Go On
By Richard Mineards   |   September 28, 2021

COVID-19 reared its ugly head when Natasha Bedingfield, considered one of the top 100 vocalists of all time, who was scheduled to be one of two principal performers at the One805 fundraiser at the charming Montecito estate of Alastair and Ann Winn, and Travis and Amanda Twining, cancelled just 48 hours before the sell-out boffo […]