Tag archives: Das Williams

For the first 11 years my family owned our home in Montecito this town was represented on the Board of Supervisors by then Supervisor, now Congressman, Salud Carbajal. Carbajal was and is a politician with the soul of a civil servant who prioritizes constituent services. Which is one of the reasons the MJ supported his […]

Public safety is a top priority of the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District. Since 1955, the District’s work has helped protect life and property through channel maintenance and capital improvements throughout the county, including work in cities. Flood Control builds major infrastructure and conducts maintenance from the Santa Maria River on the county’s northern […]

This has been an illuminating few months as it relates to the dark underbelly of County politics and disaster-related funding. Allow me to explain: In November, our six ring nets were ripped from the canyons by the Project for Resilient Communities who privately funded their $6M installation. Now, I don’t pretend to know what behind-the-scenes […]

The Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County political organization on Sunday presented its Woman of the Year award to Montecito Journal editor Gwyn Lurie, whose acceptance speech included a stinging rebuke of feminist groups for their muted response to the Oct. 7 Hamas strike on Israel. “Dem Women” is the most – perhaps the only […]

At a quiet, in-person Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting earlier this week, the Board heard from community leaders on various happenings in Montecito. Nick Turner with Montecito Water District reported on the ongoing potential of a recycled water project, which recently received $1M in grant funding from the State. The funds will be received […]

Have we no memory? Have we no leadership? Who in our local government is representing the interests of Montecito residents? Are we considered too privileged to merit concern?  When the debris nets on the mountains above Montecito were taken down on November 1, I was beside myself. As photos came in of helicopters lifting the […]

In last week’s edition we briefly reported on the proposed plans by the Rosewood Miramar Resort to expand its offerings. Reps of the property, owned by Rick Caruso, were due to be in front of the Montecito Association Board of Directors earlier this week, but had to cancel due to illness.  A brief conversation was […]

At a Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting earlier this week, Executive Director Sharon Byrne and First District Supervisor representative Darcel Elliott gave an update on plans for a Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance for the Coastal Zone in Montecito. As it stands now, the only ordinance pertaining to STRs in Montecito is […]

In November 2020 2nd District County Supervisor Laura Capps, then School Board Member Capps, took a run for the 1st District County Supervisor seat challenging Supervisor Das Williams. Despite this paper’s strong endorsement of Capps for her refreshing perspective on campaign reform, the need for more transparency in the government (on issues like cannabis and […]

Re: “Picking A President in 2024” (Diana Thorn, Thursday, March 30) Inflation is a world-wide problem. (In the U.S., it is currently 6.4 percent.) More can and should be done to find a solution, and President Biden will rightfully take the heat if it isn’t – but President Biden did not cause the problem. The […]

At a SB County Board of Supervisors hearing this past Tuesday, the board was briefed on second-quarter revenues for Fiscal Year 2022-23 related to cannabis tax revenue, which continues to trend lower than budgeted with a projected $10.5M negative variance.  With an adopted budget of $16.3M, cannabis cultivation and retail storefront tax is currently projecting […]

I feel I must reply to the Journal’s article (“The MPC Shuffle”) of Jan. 26 regarding my removal from the Montecito Planning Commission, as it contained several errors. Additionally, there were important issues that I raised at the hearing before the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors to which they did not respond, and which the Journal […]

In the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors meeting that occurred on January 24, 2023, First District Supervisor and Chair Das Williams asked the board to approve the removal of Susan Keller from the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC). According to Williams, this request comes after two MPC members stated to him that they would […]

On Monday, the County held a press conference to thank the California Army National Guard, which has been deployed here since January 12 to clear the Randall Road Debris Basin. Darcel Elliott from Supervisor Das Williams’ office had let us know they were coming, and asked us if the Guard could use our office and […]

It’s been a wet and wild week in Montecito and much of Santa Barbara County, as unrelenting rainstorms came through the region, prompting two mandatory evacuations since January 4. The storm earlier this week, coming on the heels of over 20 inches of rain in the last 30 days, caused significant flooding and mudflow, but […]

We’ve got a lot on our plate here at the Montecito Association, and we’re happy to tackle it. Two weeks ago, the County had a huge public meeting on the updated Housing Element required by the state of California’s Housing and Community Development. You’ve read in these pages of how we realized the threat of […]

An impromptu press conference with U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Region IX Administrator Jason Pu was held on October 26, at the Santa Barbara Housing Authority Offices on Laguna Street. Rounding out the HUD support were state and local politicians Congressman Salud Carbajal, City of Goleta Councilmember James Kyriaco MPA, and First […]

I am proud to support and endorse Dr. Charlotte Gullap-Moore for Santa Barbara City College Board Trustee TA#1. I have known Charlotte for more than four years, and in that time, I have found her to be an earnest community advocate, an honest person, and always stands up for the disenfranchised in the community. We could […]

It was a morning nearly five years in the making: on Monday, October 24, government officials, staff, contractors, and community partners celebrated the completion of the Randall Road Debris Basin in Montecito. This project dates back to the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow when community members expressed support for a new debris basin. The […]

I will not be able to attend the Santa Claus cannabis retail store appeal hearing on November 1, 2022, however I would like to convey my opposition to its approval and impending existence in this message.  Three things you should know about me before I address my reasons for concern: My family has lived, worked, […]