Brazen Burglars Hit Montecito
By Montecito Journal   |   February 6, 2024

Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas were rocked last week by a series of four burglaries, including one targeting an estate in our tight-knit community. The break-ins all occurred over the course of a single evening, Wednesday, Jan. 24, according to a statement from Raquel Zick of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.  The modus […]

Oil Platforms’ Removal?: Reefing the Superior Environmental Option
By Asher Radziner   |   January 9, 2024

Reaching the end of their economic oil producing lifetimes, many of California’s and specifically Santa Barbara’s offshore platforms are in the process of being decommissioned. They can either be fully removed and taken to scrap yards on land, or they can be turned into state-managed artificial reefs through California’s Marine Resources Legacy Act. Why wouldn’t […]

 

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Montecito’s Top 10 Stories of 2023
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 2, 2024

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 […]

Teeccino: The Premier Coffee Alternative
By Ann Brode   |   December 26, 2023

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, I find myself seeking out a cup of something warm and tasty. This is the perfect way to shift from busy to quiet; from out in the world to indoor cozy. Whether tucking in with a good book or sharing a warm hearth with friends […]

Hands Across Montecito: The Updates and Challenges Facing Homelessness Relief
By Eileen Read   |   December 19, 2023

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 […]

Deck the Hills with Vows of Dali Another Not-at-all-Surreal Gift-Giving Compass
By Jeff Wing   |   December 19, 2023

Here at the MJ we’ve taken great pains (not literally – this is a self-congratulating figure of speech) to throw light on your seasonal gift-giving panic; to add a spark to this season of beneficence. Gifting anything to a loved one – be it an original Van Gogh or a silken beach stone made lovely […]

Totally Local: The Indefatigable Mollie Ahlstrand
By James Buckley   |   December 12, 2023

After nearly 30 years, the mudslide of 2018 put an end to her elegant Trattoria Mollie on Coast Village Road. She opened a new Mollie’s next to the Granada on State Street, but COVID-19 crushed that endeavor too. Armed conflict broke out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia in 2020 and the country is now […]

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  • A Holiday State of Affairs
    By Jeff Wing   |   December 12, 2023

    Changes to Santa Barbara’s State Street – recently reborn as a cozy, sun-soaked pedestrian promenade – have transformed the palm-lined commercial-and-arts district into an almost park-like destination for calming and convivial holiday shopping, the salt-scented, sparkling beach mere blocks away. Seriously. How do we love State Street over the holidays? Let us count the ways… […]

    Poster Artist Rick Sharp: Ambassador of ‘70s-era Santa Barbara
    By Jeff Wing   |   November 21, 2023

    There are people who so inhabit and illuminate their respective epochs, their lives can seem almost foreordained. Add to that list a starry-eyed surfer from Houston named Rick Sharp, whose canon of poster art so deeply captures the ‘70s ambiance it can truly be said to have helped define it. Sharp will be discussing and […]

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    Iconic Cypress Tree Comes Down
    By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 14, 2023

    Earlier this week, an iconic cypress tree in the Highway 101 median just south of the San Ysidro Road exit was removed, in preparation for the expansion of the freeway in both directions. The removal has spurred many comments in online and social media forums, with commenters lamenting the loss of the tree, which many […]

    Message to the Community from Pat McElroy and TPRC
    By Pat McElroy   |   November 7, 2023

    It is with great disappointment to inform you that when the five-year emergency permits expire, the Project for Resilient Communities will need to remove the six Debris Flow “Swiss Nets” in the canyons above Montecito by December 1. Without strong local government support and budget for the six Nets that may have to be cleaned […]

    Birthday on the Backcourt
    By Richard Mineards   |   November 2, 2023

    Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry celebrated turning 39 in grand style – showing off her pickleball skills against British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom at the inaugural Light Up the Court event for her Firework Foundation, which she founded in 2019 with her sister, Angela Lerche. Racketeers galore turned out at the Montecito Club for the […]

    Ghost Village Road
    By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 31, 2023

    Coast Village Road’s popular trick-or-treating event, Ghost Village Road, is happening next week, from 3 pm to 6 pm on Tuesday, October 31. The event attracts  roughly 2,000 costumed kids and their parents each year. Many of the Lower Village’s business owners report they will take part in the festivities, passing out candy and other […]

    Citizen of the Year Announced
    By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 24, 2023

    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 […]

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