Tag archives: Hot Springs trail
The Montecito Association November meeting was held in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom, led by MA President Doug Black and Executive Director Houghton Hyatt. Rock Rockenbach updated on the path built by the Bucket Brigade near his house on Barker Pass, which had multiple issues. He said SBC Public Works […]
The Montecito Association Land Use September meeting was held in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was led by its Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the Land Use Committee members: Montecito Association Executive Director, Houghton Hyatt; Chief of Staff for Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Das Williams, […]
The Montecito Association (MA) held its monthly Board meeting February 13 in person at the Rosewood Miramar Beach. Executive Director Houghton Hyatt acknowledged the donation of the board room by the hotel to the MA. There was one public comment from a representative of the Neighborhood Group living next to the Rosewood Miramar Beach. His […]
An unsightly gate was recently installed at the trailhead to Hot Springs Canyon with the given reason that the trail should be closed on days of high fire danger for safety reasons. This is the same canyon that was closed several months ago after heavy rains and where the authorities imposed draconian penalties of possible […]
The tumultuous saga between four Montecito homeowners and the County of Santa Barbara’s Public Works Department continues, as the California 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the County at an appeal hearing in mid-July. The ruling stated that the County could legally remove unpermitted encroachments in the public right-of-way along East Mountain […]
I think it’s time to cede Bryan Rosen space as a columnist; there is no other way to describe his way-too-regular contributions on a single topic. Certainly, no one can doubt his passion for the Hot Springs Trail and its attendant issues, but his letters exceed the accepted word limit by hundreds; often they cannot […]
Montecito Journal, thank you for printing the letter I wrote on the surveillance cameras placed at the Montecito Hot Springs and nearby. Unfortunately, changes were made to what I submitted, greatly confusing the matter. First, the quote from Lieutenant Ugo “Butch” Arnoldi’s February 21 email was altered. It’s not proper to alter quotes from people […]
On Feb. 16, 2023, a camera was placed facing a newly restored pool at the Montecito Hot Springs. The camera bore a tag that had printed on it “County of Santa Barbara, Public Works, Trail and Creek Monitoring in Progress, Do Not Tamper or Remove, Enforced by County Sheriff.” The Dept. of Public Works wasn’t […]
Continued education and understanding of cultural groups are needed across our community. Last month, anti-Semitic flyers were dispersed across the Mesa on the first day of Hanukkah. This was a coordinated effort that occurred in the Second District that Laura Capps represents and is compounded by the horrific displays of anti-Semitism across the country. Like […]
Project Progress Highway 101 Widening Project The long-awaited widening project from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara was discussed at length in 2022, with countless meetings to discuss design, construction, timing, and other details related to the addition of a third lane through Montecito. The Montecito segment of the project (called 4D) includes widening 1.4 miles of […]
The Community Services Department is currently accepting applications to fill two Hot Springs Trail Assistant vacancies in Montecito at the Hot Springs Trail. “This position is important in promoting better relations between trail users and residents near the trail, and a part of the County’s responsibility protecting the public safety of both groups,” said First […]
Montecito – home to such luminaries as Oprah and Stedman, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and, of course, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex. The glitterati of the world. Every inhabitant a multi-zillionaire. Well… maybe… but not if your name is Hollis Crawford and you’ve just been fired from your third […]
In the July 14 issue of the Montecito Journal, Joe Armendariz’s letter to the editor titled “Radical Status,” contained multiple inaccurate assertions related to the application for the Radis/Roots Cannabis retail store proposed location on Santa Claus Lane, as well as misinformation concerning existing businesses there. Mr. Armendariz fails to mention that he is a […]
We work a lot with the county, from sheriffs to Public Works to Flood Control to Zoning. Normally, the relationship is pretty good. The county is usually responsive, and our community benefits from working closely with our government. But our county is doing something we don’t understand at all. Apparently, neither do the judges. You’ve […]
Last week, nearly a dozen homes on East Mountain Drive were given notice by the County of Santa Barbara to remove encroachments in the public right-of-way within a 10-day period, refueling an ongoing battle between homeowners, the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department, and users of the Hot Springs Trail. On Tuesday, Santa Barbara […]
Imagine being elected to serve in local government, only to find yourself in a global health emergency. That’s exactly what happened to Gregg Hart, then Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. “I was hoping to use my chairmanship to highlight the need for emergency and disaster […]
As high fire season approaches, your Montecito firefighters train for the inevitable: weeks of grueling work fighting wildfires across California and, potentially, here at home. Your firefighters are put through a wildland firefighting refresher course each spring in preparation. Wildland Training Due to the physical demands of wildland firefighting, the refresher course includes a timed, […]
On Tuesday, May 3, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee met via Zoom to further discuss the parking issues at the Hot Springs Trailhead, which we’ve covered extensively over the last several weeks. On the call were 30 members of the community, including members of the Land Use Committee, as well as representatives from the […]
Regarding the May 3rd, 2022 Montecito Association meeting topic of trailhead parking at Montecito Hot Springs. Many years ago, at the launch for the “Campaign for Hot Springs Canyon” both Kellam De Forest (Pearl Chase Society) and I were in attendance at the little green park on the corner of East Valley and San Ysidro […]
Earlier this month, we reported that there was pending litigation between several neighbors on East Mountain Drive and the County of Santa Barbara, regarding parking issues at the Hot Springs Trailhead. A preliminary hearing on the matter is scheduled next Friday, May 6. Petitioners Christopher Anderson, Ross Bagdasarian, Peter Barker, and James Morley, represented by […]
