12 Aug 2025
Olé Presidentes
La Recepción del Presidente, which officially launched Fiesta, attracted quite the crowd with current Presidente Fritz Olenberger with the Spirit of Fiesta Natalia Treviño and Junior Spirit Victoria Plascencia. The oldest Presidente present was Mike Danley (1997) with photographer Fritz being the most recent. Flamenco, Fiesta, and Fun Financial dynamo George Leis and his wife […]
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Lawyers’ Fees Begin
Maroon 5 star Adam Levine, a longtime resident of our rarefied enclave, is facing a federal lawsuit over a post he shared in 2019 raising support for Hurricane Dorian victims. According to court documents, the Billboard frontman, 46, allegedly used copyrighted video footage of storm damage in the Bahamas without permission from the owner. The […]
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Direct Relief Amy Weaver New CEO
Direct Relief has a new President and CEO, Amy Weaver having taken the reins from retiring Thomas Tighe, who over his 24 years of stewardship shepherded the health nonprofit to exponential growth. The world-renowned humanitarian organization, founded in Montecito back in 1948, today delivers more than $2 billion annually in medical aid to people in […]
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7 Aug 2025
Montecito Garden Takes Top Honors in WaterWise Contest
Santa Barbara County has crowned its grand prize winner in the 2025 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest: Teri and Pat Guillies of Montecito. Their vibrant, eco-conscious garden, dubbed a “pollinators’ dream,” captured top honors for its dazzling display of over 65% California native plants, including sagebrush, blue-eyed grass, island buckwheat, and more. Designed and maintained by […]
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5 Aug 2025
The United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County
The United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County’s mission is to enable all young people – especially those most in need – to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The clubs, now five strong stretching from Carpinteria to Santa Ynez – including locations on Santa Barbara’s west side and […]
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Handle with Care
One of the most popular words in the lexicon of modern society is “care.” People in general don’t like to be handled roughly. Of course, there are exceptions, such as arranged fights or episodes of sexual passion. But we are delicate creatures, in comparison with the hard surfaces of our natural and man-made environment. When […]
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Transcending the Creative Block
AWS, my artist friend in Montecito, has experienced the phenomena we call “artist block,” and has taught a class to a local Arts Association about ways to overcome “creative block.” He called last week to report the results of teaching that class and asked that I share his findings with my readers who, as he […]
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Going Beyond the Baller
Beyond the Baller – the women’s soccer brand with a mission to create opportunities for young female players to develop their skills, confidence, and leadership both on and off the field – is hosting its first-ever youth camp held in collaboration with Nike Soccer Camps at UCSB Rec Center Field from August 4-8. The organization […]
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Designer Peter Dunham at Hudson Grace Montecito
I attended the Hudson Grace Montecito’s opening launch of their new collaboration with Los Angeles based interior designer Peter Dunham. Congratulations to Monelle Totah, co-owner of Hudson Grace, and Dunham; it is just brilliant! Both Totah and Dunham were holding court at the launch, as interior designers, architects, fans and loyal customers flocked to have […]
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The Tea Family: Special Weekend with Guests from Afar
Santa Barbara is a city with spectacular events, exciting adventures, and a ton of surprises in between! The highlight of the season is Old Spanish Days with its confetti-ladened Fiesta celebrations, although the summer months are packed with fun stuff everywhere! One of my favorites is the Hawaiian Cruise aboard the Condor Express. The whale […]
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Lodi Uncorked: California’s Best-Kept Secret for Luxury Wine Lovers
When one mentions California wine country, names like Napa and Sonoma often take center stage. But for the sophisticated traveler seeking authenticity, heritage, and a slower, more personal pace, Lodi offers a compelling and often overlooked alternative. During my recent stay, I discovered a region where old vines meet new vision, and where luxury lies […]
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Summertime Page Turners
‘Doll Parts’ Penny Zang makes a spectacular debut with Doll Parts. Zang’s story is infused with her own personal loss and grief in this compelling psychological thriller about two college friends navigating sad girl obsessions during the 1990s. Sadie and Nikki are buddies attending an all-girls school. On campus is an eerie obsessed Sylvia Plath […]
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AI’s Impact on Higher Ed
Higher education must enhance student experiences and foster meaningful relationships if it’s to meet the challenge of rapidly advancing AI. That was the message at Westmont’s Impact Conference, which brought higher education technology leaders to campus from July 24-25. They stressed that technology should serve, not supplant, the social networks and values at the heart […]
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Environmental Studies Major Takes Root
Beginning this fall, Westmont offers a new environmental studies major to engage pressing climate-related issues, explore environmental stewardship through the lens of Christian theology and ethics, and examine the links between social and environmental justice. Since adding an environmental studies minor in 2019, Westmont has hosted several national climate workshops, including Faith. Climate. Action., and […]
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‘Building a Collection’ Open Through Aug. 2
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art is keeping the celebration alive. While the party to honor Judy L. Larson – who retired after 17 years of directing the museum – has concluded, the sizable exhibition, Building A Collection: 2008-2025, continues through Saturday, August 2. Interim Director Chris Rupp has scoured through the 2,500 art objects […]
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Refusing to Waste Life’s Meaning
Eight years ago, Elaine Gale was the center of adoration in the wake of her provocative and daringly self-revealing one-woman autobiographical play One Good Egg. The moving and riotous meditation on fertility and frustrating relationships had enjoyed a sold-out run at Center Stage Theatre. The show drew the attention of a producer in Los Angeles, […]
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‘Rotten’ Returns: Shakin’ up the Bard and Other Theater Things
Something Rotten! imagine the birth of the musical as brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom’s bid to foil William Shakespeare’s reign as the Renaissance rockstar playwright. The idea arrives via a local soothsayer determined to assuage Nick Bottom’s agony of defeat, foretelling thus that the future of theater will simultaneously stitch together acting, singing, and dancing. […]
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Woman in Car Explains All
It’s not an uncommon occurrence. For his own reasons, a nefarious jackass unleashes a quantum mechanical nuisance, which quickly goes haywire and wreaks the usual havoc at scale. The destruction is apocalyptic. Skyscrapers topple and plow into each other, the townsfolk scatter and shout amid boxcar-sized hunks of plunging masonry, the film score hollers with […]
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Crime in the Cito: Sheriff’s Blotter 93108
Suspect Text Messages / Toro Canyon Road — Monday, July 14, at 20:56 hours Responded to a report of suspicious text messages received by two different residents from the same number. The messages were ambiguous but suggestive and mentioned death, placing the two recipients and other residents in fear. The messages did not meet the […]
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