We at the Montecito Journal wish everyone in our local and world community a New Year filled with good health, movement toward world peace, and a willingness to see the shared humanity in us all. We thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to what promises to be an interesting and eventful […]
Gwyn Lurie is my business partner and political opposite. The one thing we agree on is that we make each other better. Well, better and more tired. I was proud that Gwyn was honored this past Sunday as the Dem Women of Santa Barbara’s ‘Woman of the Year.’ Had the Dem Women checked with me […]
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Have we no memory? Have we no leadership? Who in our local government is representing the interests of Montecito residents? Are we considered too privileged to merit concern? When the debris nets on the mountains above Montecito were taken down on November 1, I was beside myself. As photos came in of helicopters lifting the […]
You’d think someone moving into a new neighborhood would want to maybe take a beat and see what the vibe is like, maybe see how things happen, maybe get a feel for the place. After all, who wants to start off on the wrong foot with the people who are going to be living next […]
“Put the hen in a Dutch Oven. Brown her in butter for 1 minute. If you have a piano in the kitchen, play ‘The Minute Waltz’ 12 times. Add a little water. Put on the lid and let simmer. When you have finished playing half ‘The Dance of the Hours,’ dragging it slightly, you’re ready […]
After a tour in Vietnam, I remained on active duty with an assignment to the Army Combat Development and Experimentation Command, which was tasked with testing new concepts and equipment at Fort Ord. I didn’t spend much time “back home.” Therefore, instead of being confronted by hostile civilians and old friends who did not serve […]
We have been getting several phone calls, emails, and questions regarding the decision to pull the six Ring Nets out of three canyons above Montecito. This week has been an extremely critical one for TPRC’s project. We are proud to be a part of a community that rose to the occasion to keep our community […]
More than a year ago, in “sleepy” Santa Barbara, long before Hamas ever slaughtered 1,400 innocents at a peace festival or Israel retaliated, a special group of Central Coast locals were incubating a project that could just very well help with this mess. Maybe a lot of messes. Ironically, we may owe a debt of […]
The Project for Resilient Communities (TPRC) and our contractors and permitting team have had a few very busy weeks. After a several months long process, we are within days of securing our final permit to begin clean out of the Debris Net filled in Upper San Ysidro Canyon. The Net was filled during the January […]
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Dear Supervisors, I am writing you today to share with you my strong appeal for the Board of Supervisors in Santa Barbara County to approve the request to extend the emergency permit to allow the Debris Flow Nets to stay installed until 2029 and to have Flood Control manage them. As you know, in the […]
I’m not a civil engineer so I admit to being somewhat confused about the need for roundabouts versus single lane stops due to the improvements to the HWY101. More lanes are not exiting onto San Ysidro or Coast Village at once are they? My concern is one of proper (and pleasing) scale and awkwardness. These […]
I recently enjoyed a Sunday evening Broadway Cruise onboard Hiroko Benko’s Condor Express whale-watching vessel here in Santa Barbara. The event featured two young singers – soprano Anikka Abbott and baritone Nicholas Ehlen – who sang classic numbers (accompanied by pianist Renée Hamaty) from a variety of Broadway musicals. The songs featured were such hits […]
Traffic circles sound so British, don’t they. I feel like folk in Downton Abbey period garb should be milling around, with an occasional ‘ahooga’ horn barreling into the Olive Mill. Thanks for your softly-wrapped skepticism/wariness about the new “fixes.” I was an outspoken critic when the idea first surfaced and maintained a wary and concerned […]
Pat McElroy is the executive director of The Project for Resilient Communities(TPRC), and his recent MJ article was both moving and telling. It spoke to what intellectual curiosity, determination, and private citizens can do when they engage. Now, I don’t know Pat, but I do know co-founder Brett Matthews from another, more eastern-centric life, which […]
