Tag archives: Sharon Byrne

The year 2023 was busy for the small enclave of Montecito, with many important and exciting events, milestones, and progressions. We’ve narrowed down the top 10 stories in the pages of Montecito Journal this year, from weather impacts to business happenings, retirements and promotions, proposed projects, and more.  #10: Welcoming a New Fire Chief  In […]

Our group of 10 with morning bleary-eyed faces, meets at the Coast Village Chevron station and trudges down through the newly-rebuilt Butterfly Lane tunnel with its colorful murals. We emerge on the railroad tracks and begin searching from the Bird Refuge to Eucalyptus Lane. As usual, we find only a few people, but there are […]

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s an exciting time for many of us to be thinking about all the wonderful memories we’ll be making with our close friends and family members. This isn’t the case for everyone. Unfortunately, the holiday season can be extremely difficult and painful for those who feel an empty […]

We had more than 100 volunteers come out to beautify Montecito. The Rosewood Miramar hosted a beautiful breakfast with coffee, teas, pastries, and breakfast burritos and had about 20 to 30 team members join us! Everyone got their safety vests, trash grabbers and trash bags and went out for a few hours to pick up […]

Save the date for Saturday, November 4, for the 38th annual Montecito Association Beautification Day. Themed “It Takes a Village,” this year’s event is shaping up to be a super successful event, after several years of COVID-induced, pared-down versions of the popular volunteer event. “We’re back! And we are thrilled that so many people and […]

Pat McElroy was at the Montecito Association Board of Directors on Tuesday, giving a report on the six steel debris flow nets that were placed in the canyons above Montecito in 2018. Recently, the citizen-led group that spearheaded the installation of the nets, The Project for Resilient Communities, filed an application with the County of […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, the Board had a lively discussion regarding retail chains in Montecito’s Upper Village. Spurred by the impending opening of RH (i.e. Restoration Hardware) in the Old Firehouse, a discussion ensued as to whether the MA board should be at the forefront of a future ordinance regulating […]

In an announcement made last week, Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne will be stepping down from her position in order to assume leadership of the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF), a national feminist organization. “It’s long been a dream of mine to advance the cause of women’s rights in the United States, and globally. I’ve […]

Don’t miss Montecito’s fourth annual Motorcade Parade on July 4! The festive event, which was borne out of the social distancing measures put in place by the pandemic, will be rolling through Montecito beginning at 11:30 am on Tuesday, July 4. “We are encouraging everyone to come out and support the community and show their […]

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 […]

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office awarded its Exceptional Civilian Award to Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne, citing her “extraordinary dedication to others and her collaborative work” with the Sheriff’s deputies, primarily in creating and managing the Hands Across Montecito project to address homelessness. The award described Ms. Byrne as “an accomplished neighborhood advocate […]

At a quiet Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting earlier this week, Montecito Water District general manager Nick Turner reported several happenings at MWD, including an upcoming town hall meeting next week to review and discuss a final draft of Montecito’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan.  Since the Montecito Groundwater Sustainability Agency was founded in 2018, data […]

Two weeks ago, the Hands team was on a countywide conference call regarding the upcoming camp clearing by Union Pacific. Outreach teams should attempt to get everyone camping along the railroad tracks into shelter before the clearing. Shelter beds, of course, are scarce. PATH, the Rescue Mission, and the Salvation Army are the only providers, […]

At the Montecito Association’s Land Use & Transportation Committee hearing earlier this week, the committee was briefed on upcoming plans to beautify the “triangle” in front of Casa Dorinda, where Olive Mill and Hot Springs roads meet.  The $200,000 project is being funded in part by Montecito Community Foundation, with help from Casa Dorinda and […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board meeting earlier this week, Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on two storm related issues in Montecito: a washed-up sailboat at Channel Drive and a downed oak tree on East Mountain Drive. As of press time, the storm earlier this week produced three inches of rain in the foothills and one […]

Last Saturday, something amazing happened. The day was gorgeous and crisply cold. A deluge of caring Montecitans amassed in the Upper Village in front of Tecolote Book Shop. They chatted with neighbors, over coffee and pastries provided by Andrea Eltinge Newquist and Jacqueline Duran. They donned neon yellow safety vests, picked up green trash pick-up […]

Save the date for this Saturday, November 5, for Montecito Association’s annual Beautification Day! Sponsored in conjunction with the Montecito Community Foundation, the event will be back at the Village Green in front of Tecolote in the Upper Village. The event was canceled in 2020 and was much smaller scale last year in 2021. Hundreds […]

Entering the Santa Barbara Club this summer, I met with the newly elected Montecito Association member, Stan Roden – a former Santa Barbara County District Attorney now working as a climate ambassador and filmmaker. Having heard of his interest in guiding the community towards more sustainable and resilient practices, especially amidst the ever-growing environment turmoil, […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on the crime highlights in Montecito for the last month, which include a washed up panga boat on Butterfly Beach; $10,000 of vandalism by a well-known guest at the Rosewood Miramar Resort; assault at a juvenile party on Middle Road; […]

Whether you’re new to Montecito, or have been here for decades, you probably adore the bucolic scenery, laid-back vibe, and rural feel here.  Well, that didn’t just happen all by itself. A heck of a lot of people who cared deeply spent decades shaping the community we experience in Montecito today. The Montecito Association was, […]