Tag archives: letters to the editor

Santa Barbara County is a place where we value inclusivity, compassion, and support for all residents, regardless of gender, faith, ethnicity or political affiliation. There is still more that unites us; we are stronger together.  Beginning today, we will be even more vigilant to ensure the safety of all people, especially the most vulnerable. Immigrants […]

Befuddled. I rarely use this word, but found it the most appropriate to describe what I witnessed at the MPC meeting regarding the Miramar project. Talk about Amateur Hour(s).  There are a lot a great people in Montecito, who earned their place, with pure intent, and who want nothing more than to preserve the beauty […]

I give my strongest possible endorsement to Guy Walker for County Board of Education, for the Trustee Area including most of the Santa Ynez Valley, Vandenberg Village, Los Alamos, and Guadalupe. Guy has worked hard for many years as a volunteer in the field of education and understands the challenges and opportunities our students face. […]

Having lived and grown up in Santa Barbara over the last 70 plus years, my wife and I came to appreciate how important SBCC is to the health and welfare of our community. We attended local public schools and took advantage of SBCC upon graduating from high school. She was in one of the first […]

I was dismayed to see the Journal’s front-page headline stating that the Miramar “short circuits local process and heads to county,” accompanied by a fabricated image of the project. The Miramar has done nothing except recognize, along with the County, that the law leaves the jurisdiction of this matter with the County rather than with […]

I’m writing to express my deep concern regarding the sudden and dramatic change in the appearance of our neighborhood, which seems to have unfolded in the last few weeks on your watch. As I’m sure you have noticed, there are now copious amounts of enormous fiber optic wires, apparently installed by someone with an enthusiasm […]

Historian Hattie Beresford’s most recent The Way It Was column, about Andrew Carnegie’s 1910 visit to Santa Barbara and the civic good works of his associates, Charles Lewis Taylor and Henry Smith Pritchett, was a winner. Ms. Beresford’s work is consistently educational and enjoyable — a reliable, welcome gem among the din of real estate […]

Gwyn Lurie makes statements about anti-war protesters yet leaves out valuable information in her claims. She states that protesting outside of a synagogue is antisemitic while leaving out the very important substance of the protests. This is incredibly misleading. No one inside the synagogue was practicing their religion; there was an illegal sale of Palestinian […]

I feel compelled to recognize the Miramar for hosting a terrific community barbecue this past weekend. I know many of us in the neighborhood appreciated the warm hospitality, the live music on the beach and delicious food and drinks. It made for one of the best afternoons this summer. Beyond this event, I’m glad to […]

Dear Montecito Journal,  Thank you. Woof woof! My dog friends saw me in the paper and now they all want to be Top Dogs too! Blessings The Need for Affordable Housing Montecito needs affordable housing. The Miramar is doing it the right way. Hard-working employees deserve the chance to live near their jobs. That basic […]

Having moved to Montecito in 1973, I well remember the many memorable activities at the Miramar. To me, the Miramar was the “Gateway” to Montecito/Santa Barbara coming in from the 101 Highway. It was then, as it is today, a magical location for both locals as well as the guests to spend rewarding time with […]

I was one of many people who spoke in favor of the Miramar project at a recent Montecito Association Board Meeting. There were a significant number of residents who joined me, reflecting what I believe to be the consensus among many in the broader Montecito community; this is a great plan that will improve the […]

I am pleased that the Miramar is proposing adding affordable workforce housing for their employees alongside apartments and shops. Workforce housing helps local residents build a stronger foundation in the neighborhood: it helps both community and business. As the retired Director of the All Saints by the Sea Parish School next door, I was continually […]

I thought you might be interested to know there has recently been more land loss on Butterfly Beach. Also, I have been reporting for years to various bodies about how undermined the pedestrian/bike path is. Well over a month ago they put out signs to warn people. It has been reported in local news that […]

My family home is within walking distance of the Miramar. I am a seventh generation Santa Barbarian. My family and I, along with many neighbors both nearby and across Montecito, firmly support the plan to add affordable housing for the workers of the Miramar, which in part is funded by the addition of retail shops […]

In these troubling times both domestically and abroad, it’s great to see, in the just-certified election of Carpinteria’s Roy Lee as the new Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor, a heartening example that our system of one-person, one-vote does actually on occasion work as it was intended, and to be reminded of the essential role […]

Money in politics has been something we have seen for too long, and the results have been devastating. The 1st District Supervisor race pits incumbent Das Williams against challenger Roy Lee. Williams, with substantial campaign funds, has continued to accept financial contributions from the cannabis industry, despite the ethical concerns highlighted by the 2020 Santa […]

Your recent editorial describing Das Williams as ‘commitment to self rather than to public service’ surprised me. That is a term I have never associated with him. I have personally worked with Das over these last 20 years on issues that touched on his passion for improving our Environment – bike and pedestrian safety improvements, […]

Dear Editor [Gwyn Lurie], You wrote, “And I say, what do we have to lose by giving him [Roy Lee] a chance to prove it? Seems not much.” (Montecito Journal, Feb. 1-8, 2024) It’s not a chance of losing anything. It’s a chance to gain a lot by electing Roy Lee 1st District County Supervisor! […]

When you wrote the article about Caltrans tearing down the iconic trees in the Montecito median in order to expand the freeway, one of their excuses was that it would allow them to limit tearing up the landscape on the edges of the freeway. I wrote a letter questioning many of the positions Caltrans was […]