Tag archives: covid

Unsolitary Confinement and Other Considerations in the Age of Coronavirus
By Les Firestein   |   May 14, 2020

You’ve gotta give it up for humans. With the exception of the Dark Ages, we’re always trying to figure out better ways to nest and adapt those nests to what life throws at us. But how we shelter has never had to absorb so much change… or so much stuff… so quickly as now. Our […]

Drive-by Birthday Bash
By Richard Mineards   |   May 14, 2020

Hungarian-American philanthropist Eva Haller celebrated her 90th birthday at Casa Dorinda at the weekend with a “drive by” party. Eva, a trustee of UCSB, co-founder and president of the Campaign Communications Institute of America, Visiting Professor of Glasgow Caledonian University, and the 2014 Magnusson Fellow, who escaped the Nazis during World War II, was accompanied […]

Rick Caruso on Trump & Newsom Economic Recovery Committees
By Joanne A Calitri   |   May 14, 2020

Rick Caruso, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Caruso, owner/developer of Montecito’s luxury resort The Rosewood Miramar Beach, and philanthropist, was appointed on April 14 to U.S. President Donald Trump‘s Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups Task Force Committee, a task force created to combat the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Days later, […]

New Federalism in a Post-COVID World – Part IV
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   May 14, 2020

We began by examining the growing power of the Federal government, and particularly the executive Branch (the President). We traced the rise of Federal power, for better or worse, from the Articles of Confederation, through the U.S. Constitution, and through World War I up until today with the respective actions of states and the Federal […]

Making the Good Lion Roar Again
By Mitchell Kriegman   |   May 14, 2020

When Brandon Ristaino and his partner and wife Misty Orman started The Good Lion bar on State Street, no one believed there was a market in Santa Barbara for a stand-alone drinkery featuring the fine art of mixology. Five years later with three local establishments, including Test Pilot in the Funk Zone and Shaker Mill on […]

Spring Sing Performs Online
By Scott Craig   |   May 7, 2020

More than 500 people watched Emerson Hall win the 59th annual Spring Sing, “In Your Dreams,” live online April 25 for the first time in the event’s history.  “Although it was challenging to come up with a format allowing students to participate while complying with social distancing guidelines, this Spring Sing showcased the creativity and […]

Wickham, Lecrae Perform for Graduating Seniors
By Scott Craig   |   May 7, 2020

Westmont College had to postpone its Commencement ceremony which was scheduled for May 2, but it celebrated its graduating seniors with a virtual concert featuring two popular Christian recording artists, Phil Wickham and Grammy award-winner Lecrae. The virtual event honored the class of 2020, while also marking the end of a very challenging semester for […]

Taking Quarantine Treats to the Street
By Scott Craig   |   May 7, 2020

Many Americans have taken to baking while sheltering at home. Mary Pat Whitney, Director of Public and Advancement Events at Westmont, has raised the bar, baking brownie bars and a whopping 12,000 cookies for the Westmont and Santa Barbara communities. This effort started as a way to show gratitude to local first responders and essential […]

Donating Food for Toilet Paper
By Scott Craig   |   May 7, 2020

Montecito community members are joining with Westmont to serve the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, which has distributed 2.25 million pounds of food during the COVID-19 response. Residents can drop off food at the rear parking lot of Montecito Bank & Trust on Coast Village Road on Saturday, May 9, between 9 am and noon […]

Lady Windermere to the Rescue
By Susie Kayst   |   May 7, 2020

I opened my eyes and for the first time in probably 16 days and realized I was sleeping on my side. A luxury. I could see the bottle of Tylenol, thermometer, and oximeter through the clear half drunken bottle of Glacier Freeze Gatorade on my bed stand. Was it Lady Windermere who had paid me […]

Lower Risk Retailers to Reopen
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 7, 2020

On Monday, May 4, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state would be moving into “Stage 2” of its reopening plan following over six weeks of stringent stay-at-home orders. On Tuesday, local public health officials including Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso were in front of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, outlining how […]

Gerri French: Clinical Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Educator
By Leslie Westbrook   |   May 7, 2020

Q. What special memories do you have of Summerland? My fondest memories of the Summerland community come from when I first became a mother. Summerland is a wonderful family town and Summerland Elementary was (and still is) a wonderful school. Families would get together at The Nugget and at the beach. Cafe Luna was a hub, but […]

Kara Richard: Summerland Salon & Spa
By Leslie Westbrook   |   May 7, 2020

Q. With COVID-19 changing the way we interact as a community, how are you making it work through this difficult time and do you have any tips to share? A. Here at the Summerland Salon & Spa, we’ve worked together as a team to think of innovative ways to stay in touch with our clients. […]

Calm Conversations in the COVID Era
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 7, 2020

Gail Brenner, the longtime Santa Barbara-based clinical psychologist who held regular weekly Meetups for meditation and more, left town for an extended journey around the world shortly after publishing her book Suffering is Optional: A Spiritual Guide to Freedom from Self-Judgment and Feelings of Inadequacy in November 2018. Now back in the U.S. after a […]

Meetups in Cyberspace
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 7, 2020

Elissa Amina’s Sufi Yoga classes are continuing through May as an opportunity to explore breathwork, yoga, and meditation while invoking the divine qualities to open the heart to expansive states, and bring healing on a cellular level. Amina teaches a combination of yogas including Kundalini, Yin, Naam and Hatha, plus Pure Heart, Pure Body, and […]

The AHA! Moment: Coping with the Coronavirus’ Psychological Fallout
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 7, 2020

AHA! has long received kudos in town for its success in equipping teenagers, parents, and educators with social and emotional intelligence and strategies to serve as an antidote to everything from apathy to despair. In addition, AHA! has had great success interrupting hate-based behaviors such as bullying. The organization’s programs have become touchpoints for transforming […]

Montecito Sanitary District Teams with UCSB to Test Feces for COVID-19
By Nick Schou   |   May 7, 2020

Just how many Montecito residents have the dreaded coronavirus, aka COVID-19? Or to put it another way: Just how much COVID-19 is in Montecito’s collective supply of excreta? Thanks to an ongoing COVID-19 tracing project by Dr. Patricia Holden, a professor of environmental microbiology at UC Santa Barbara, and the Montecito Sanitary District (MSD), we […]

How to Buy a Montecito Mansion During a Global Pandemic
By Nick Schou   |   May 7, 2020

Last Friday, I took a guided tour of a charming abode hidden at the end of a long and curving driveway on East Mountain Road. Located just a block away from the San Ysidro Trailhead, the property included an historical guest cottage (believed to have once belonged to Priscilla Presley), and a home office above […]

‘Odyssey’ at the Opera
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 7, 2020

With its special streaming presentations of main stage operas on pandemic pause, Opera Santa Barbara takes a youthful turn, offering an online reprise of the culmination of last summer’s Santa Barbara Youth Opera two-week camp: a production that brings Homer’s epic tale to life via Ben Moore and Kelly Rourke‘s Odyssey. The livestream of the […]

Virtual Visual Arts, Plus Chances to Actually Visit
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 7, 2020

This issue arrives on May 7, which, in normal times, would have been a time for art lovers to gather downtown on lower State Street and nearby blocks to partake in the gallery, museum, and boutique self-guided tour known as 1st Thursday. That would’ve meant huge crowds jamming the two big open spaces at Sullivan […]