Have you ever wondered why you can’t find a parking space on Coast Village Road? Coast Village Road is not downtown Santa Barbara. Unlike downtown, Coast Village Road does not have public parking structures and has suffered from a parking shortage well before the pandemic. So, it should come as no surprise that removing 23% […]
A great many things about the Russian invasion of Ukraine bother us, as well they should: the genocide, the war crimes, the images of starving children intermingled with dead bodies and urban wreckage that hasn’t been seen in Europe since the bombing of Dresden. Through it all, we in the U.S. have imagined ourselves tucked […]
Recently Trending
More from Montecito
I’ve been reading some excellent opinions in the Journal. Writers are challenging the Montecito Creek Water Company’s claim to the wonderful life-giving Montecito Hot Springs. These writers are right, we need to unite for the Earth, everywhere we can. I figure, if we’re taking on one water user, we’re taking on all water users. For […]
As a longtime reader of the Montecito Journal, I am disappointed in your magazine under new ownership. I always looked forward to reading the Letters to the Editor. Not anymore. It appears you only publish letters about Montecito or ones that reflect the views of the left. Do you not understand that some of us […]
On Thursday morning (March 10, 2022) the reservoir on upper Hot Springs Road was empty so no water was going to the estates below. This was because the main pipe had been disconnected for days on end, and the hot springs water that normally flowed into the reservoir poured onto Hot Springs Trail. Will the […]
We must do more! What more can we do? These twin phrases have become a refrain throughout western civilization. We are profoundly aware that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine on a genocidal scale. We are tormented by a desire to do something “more” but uncertain what that could be. Or how “something more” […]
Remember the 2018 devastating debris flow that changed Montecito forever? Those of us who lived here at the time do. Like it happened yesterday, with all the pain and loss and destruction it brought. But for those who made Montecito their home post-debris flow (or PDF as I like to call it), the knowledge of […]
In my role at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), I passionately defend free speech. ADL recognizes that the First Amendment protects even hateful or offensive speech, and we believe the best response to hate speech is not censorship, but more speech. Not all hate speech is protected, however, and even hate speech that is protected “free […]
Again, Mr. Emanuel in his latest letter (February 24, 2022) puts words in my mouth that I never said. Regarding a shuttle, he says “…where is the pickup parking lot to be? Bryan has suggested Mt. Carmel…” I never suggested the Mt. Carmel Church for a shuttle. He goes on to say, “What we are […]
Read more...
The first battle of the Greco-Persian wars occurred in 490 B.C. in the town of Marathon, Greece. With Persians attacking cities all along the Greek mainland, and as Athenians braced for their own attack, Athenian General Miltiades took command of a civilian army and marched to Marathon to meet the Persian army. Using superior battle […]
When I arrived at the Montecito Journal in 2019, my partner, Tim Buckley, said to me: “This might surprise you, but everything that happens everywhere else, also happens in here.” Tim’s apocryphal and prescient message, however, made it no less shocking for me when I learned that on Wednesday, February 16, smack in the […]
Here they go again! It never ceases to amaze how far Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), a “public utility,” will go in harming the public interest. Their latest ploy is an attempt to surreptitiously resurrect the nearly 40-year-old Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which is scheduled to close by 2025. They want to bring it back […]
March is swiftly approaching and for most California counties that means a bit of spring cleaning. As Santa Barbara County insiders know, however, we are not “most” counties – especially as it relates to transparency and possible corruption. Allow me to explain: Once upon a time, our nation had a rich fourth estate and deep […]
Two years ago, COVID-19 was simply an outlier, something that seemed to be impacting “others” and not destined to alter life as we all know it. Some 23 months ago, life did change. For business owners. For politicians. For children. And it put our teachers to the test. But this wasn’t one they could study […]
