Editors note: Every now and then, a story comes along that refuses to stay put. It lingers on your nightstand. It sneaks into conversation. For us, Last Light in Paradise is one of those stories, and we’re delighted to let it loose, one chapter at a time, in the pages of the Montecito Journal. Well, […]
Lea másThere were 794 state laws signed into effect for 2026 by Gov. Newsom last year. The top categories were in healthcare, environment, immigration, animal protection, AI – and in housing, the not so locally popular SB79 to permit housing developments in residential areas near transit lines, presented in the Montecito Journal twice in 2025. If […]
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I love winter greens and escarole is looking incredible at The Garden Of. This pleasantly bitter green is often found in Italian cuisine, yet originates in the East Indies and is a member of the chicory family. Its botanical relatives are the curly endive, radicchio, and frisee. This high fiber green contains copper, folate, vitamin […]
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All it took was a crumbly shard of shale cascading down a steep cliff face forcing me to look upward into the blue skies above the rugged Sespe Wilderness, part of the Los Padres National Forest. It was a majestic desert bighorn ram nimbly traversing toward me. Suddenly, I forgot how exposed I was on […]
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In January 2025, Santa Barbara Public Library (SBPL) launched a pilot crafting series for adults titled, Hot Off the Press (HOTP). The purpose of the program was to offer library-goers trendy, elevated crafting workshops that would give adults the supplies and cutting-edge machines from the Library’s Maker Space to let their creativity flourish. Past workshops […]
Lea másJE has a vintage Vaughan claw hammer, a “California Framer,” circa 1940, and she has used it this January for a very specific reason. This Christmas, she was given a handmade wooden birdhouse from her husband, who has begun the New Year with another woman. The hammer was responsible for knocking down the birdhouse (no […]
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Meeting one’s hero can be perilous. On paper, anyway. “I wrote him a letter,” Fred Toye explains. Let’s call Fred’s outreach a Message in a Bottle. The earnest missive was written, after all, to Robert Wise – storied Hollywood director of The Sound of Music, West Side Story, The Sand Pebbles, The Day the Earth […]
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Just before the clock struck midnight, I was back in the studio at KEYT News Channel 3-12, glasses lined up and bubbles ready, sharing my favorite sparkling wines for the New Year. Now that the confetti has settled and the calendar has turned, one thing feels certain: there is still plenty of room for sparkle. […]
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World-renowned journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Bret Stephens will offer a morning of inspiration and stimulating insights at the 21st annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on Friday, February 27, from 7-9 am at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. Tickets, which cost $150 per person, go on sale Friday, January 30, at 9 […]
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Wendy Eley Jackson, assistant professor of English and film studies at Westmont, recently joined the board of directors for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Santa Barbara. She was instrumental in bringing Leah Weber King, the widow of Dexter Scott King, to serve as keynote speaker for MLKSB’s 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. […]
Lea másMontecito’s Ragan Thomson, who has for years led a mission-driven enterprise dedicated to global healing, conscious impact, and spiritual transformation, conducts regular spiritual teachings and events as well as one-on-one sessions to help individuals awaken to their true essence and align with their highest purpose. In addition to opportunities at her Montecito estate and online, […]
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If you haven’t heard or at least heard of the Doublewide Kings, you must be living under the proverbial rock, and not the kind that has fueled the Montecito/Santa Barbara-based classic rock ensemble for the last two decades or so. DWK has been DIY-ing it better than ever in the last few years, going from […]
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Trumpeter Miles Davis and saxophonist John Coltrane, two monumental musicians who turned out to revolutionize jazz and beyond, happened to both be born in 1926. A century later, as their influence continues to reverberate in ways even they couldn’t have imagined, two of today’s visionary giants in Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltrane come together for […]
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When the world seems to be turning upside down even faster than it’s rotating on its axis, throwing back your head to laugh out loud is a lot more fun than throwing up your hands in exasperation. (Of course, you can do both.) The Lobero has two top comics coming our way on successive nights […]
Lea másThe Takács Quartet has been in residency at the Music Academy of the West for many years, but their appearance on January 22 as part of the Up Close and Unforgettable series of benefits has taken on added poignancy as cellist András Fejér, the foursome’s sole remaining original member, has announced that he is retiring […]
Lea másWith the start of the 41st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival less than two weeks away as this issue hits newsstands, you’d think the folks over at SBIFF might be a little bit too busy to be booking special screenings. Nope. On January 29, a mere six days from opening night, the Riviera Theatre […]
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Master Rosarian Dan Bifano – Montecito’s internationally renowned rose expert – shared his sage knowledge about everything roses at Casa del Herrero (CDH) in conjunction with the Garden Club of Santa Barbara (GCSB), on Monday morning, January 19. The collaboration with Bifano, GCSB, and CDH was initiated by Mari McAlister, member of GCSB and prior […]
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As we go to press, Libby Patten, head ofthe Santa Barbara Christmas Bird Count (CBC) reports 178 species of birds were found in our National Audubon designated area, including rare species of Brant, Caspian Tern, and Black-legged Kittiwake. Volunteer birders were out over the course of seven days counting birds in extreme weather conditions, which […]
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The Montecito Association held its Annual Meeting and January Board Meeting on January 13, 2026, welcoming community members, announcing election results, and hearing updates from key agencies and partners on issues impacting Montecito. The meeting opened with the 2025 Montecito Association Annual Meeting, during which prior minutes were approved and board actions ratified. The president […]
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Written by Renee Cooper Over two remarkable days at the Granada Theatre, the Santa Barbara Symphony achieved something genuinely rare: a complete traversal of all five piano concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed with sustained intensity, clarity, and cohesion – and embraced by audiences with near-unanimous enthusiasm. The Beethoven Piano Concerto Marathon this past week […]
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