11 May 2026
Cowboys for a Cause
By Lisa Duncan Solvang positively swooned this week as the storied Rancho Visitadores rode once more into town – the group comprising over 700 sun-kissed, spur-clad horsemen in what may be the most strapping stampede to grace the Santa Ynez Valley – a handsome homage to heritage, horsemanship, and heart. Among those watching with delight […]
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Diplomats & Decanters
By Lisa Duncan One half expected passports at the door as the Channel City Club toasted its 80th anniversary with an afternoon of international intrigue and impeccable hospitality at the University Club of Santa Barbara. Held in the University Club’s stately quarters, the anniversary fête paired festive elegance with intellectual gravitas in splendid style. The […]
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Albert Acuña: May 8, 1923 – April 18, 2026
Albert Acuña, born May 8th, 1923, in Canoga Park, California, passed away peacefully on Sunday April 18th, at the age of 102. Albert was a WWII Veteran who was honorably discharged following an injury while in service. He earned numerous medals during his time serving his country, including a Purple Heart, WWII Victory Medal, American […]
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4 May 2026
Another Season in Polo Paradise
Polo has long been known as the “Sport of Kings,” and while it’s true that Prince William played at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (SBPRC) in 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary, and then new-Montecito resident Prince Harry played real matches at the club, you don’t have to be royalty, a mover and […]
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Skating Stars Hit the Ice in Orange County
The Winter Olympics in Italy that transfixed sports fans in February is but a distant memory with basketball, hockey, baseball currently in action, football just completing its annual draft, and the World Cup heading to North America in just two months. But those still wishing to see some of the stunning ice skaters in exhibition […]
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Meet Gastroenterologist Vincent DeRosa, MD
What drives someone to spend a life in medicine? In this new Q&A series, a group of leading local physicians share the moments that set them on their path, the breakthroughs shaping their fields, and the realities behind the work. Their answers are candid, occasionally surprising, and grounded in experience. Together, they offer a clear-eyed […]
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Mental Health Awareness: The Diagnosis
In a bright, spacious room, an oncologist told us my husband’s cancer couldn’t be cured. I felt a shock run through me. With everything else going on, I knew I couldn’t handle it alone. As soon as we left his office, I took out my phone and called Dennis. He was not only a good […]
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SB Lit Fest Picks and More Stories
‘Ghalen’ The Santa Barbara Literary Festival is loaded with talented bestselling authors descending on Santa Barbara May 2-3. Many of them have new books published this month. For example, one of our keynote speakers, Walter Mosley, has his love story, Ghalen: A Romance in Black. A coming-of-age take on Ghalen, a brilliant young Black man, […]
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Between the First Sentence and the Last
The first thing Ace Atkins and I discuss is that writing used to be slower. Not the thinking, not the storytelling, but the act itself. Notes taken by hand, facts checked line by line, interviews reconstructed from memory and scribble. Now there are recorders, transcripts, digital trails that can be followed and revisited. The work […]
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SBMA Ambassadors’ 75th Anniversary Celebration
Hello Loves! It’s been a Society minute with many newsworthy notables coming your way. This weekend I had the utmost honor to attend the SB Museum of Art’s celebration for the 75th Anniversary Year of its “Ambassadors” (formerly known as the SBMA Women’s Board) on Saturday, April 15 at the SB Cabrillo Pavilion. The celebration […]
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The New Old State Street
The purpose of commercial streets is to facilitate commerce. That is why commercial streets are lined with commercial buildings rented to commercial enterprises. State Street is a commercial street with commercial buildings. Now it is viewed as a playground, an open space that everyone can use for recreation. That is a commerce killer. I have […]
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Naval Success on the Shores of Tripoli
Our reader’s painting, 20th century, 31.5” x 28”, sent by a former servicemember – U.S. Marine, DF – brought a tear to my eye. This is a painting of a tall ship by an amateur. It is signed in Arabic, rendered in a talented copyist style, and depicts the USS Philadelphia, a warship built between […]
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The Collectors: A Life in Lepidoptera
This elegant hand-colored engraving is now on display in The Collectors: A Life in Lepidoptera at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. It’s one of many antique natural history prints that collectively depict how the science of entomology has been furthered by the passion of collectors and the skill of artists. The butterflies pictured here […]
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The Road from Prada Marfa to Montecito
What is the long road from Prada Marfa to Montecito? It’s the road that runs along the US-Mexico border which the Riv decided to look at because, well, timing is everything. Our border, of course, is a highly complex issue, with as many opinions as there are people and bots. Not to mention that Mexico […]
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Will AI Put Us in the Dark?
How artificial intelligence is driving a surge in electricity demand — and what it means for the rest of us. For years, we’ve talked about “the cloud” as something invisible and weightless. But the cloud has a physical footprint. It lives in massive data centers filled with servers and cooling equipment that run day and […]
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Casa del Herrero Renovations Update
As 80% of the earmarked renovations for the preservation of Casa del Herrero (CDH) are completed, CDH Executive Director and Head of Curation Natalie Sanderson and Board of Trustees Chair Elizabeth Esrey invited the sponsors and donors who provided the key funding to a reception on Thursday, April 23 for a viewing. The $750,000 “Save […]
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Breadth from Above
Life is a continuum. From birdsong to bombardiers, from Charlie Bucket to Veruca Salt, from manna to inopportune picnic lightning – our time on the Earth’s surface is a bewildering maelstrom, a crapshoot. When I was but a child (your weekly clenched sigh here, reader) I saw that the world was aswirl with this strangeness. […]
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37th District Women of the Year Awardees
On Friday, April 24, 37th Assembly District CA Assemblymember Gregg Hart honored the 2026 California Woman of the Year, Primitiva Hernandez, at the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara, along with two others recognized as 37th CA Assembly District’s 2026 Women of the Year: Mona Miyasato and Claudia Cáceres. Hernandez’s Woman of the Year 2026 […]
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The Entrepreneurial DJ Duo: Grill and Groove
What started as cooking hot dogs for rent money has become Santa Barbara’s favorite food entertainment combination: Grill and Groove. Where there’s Grill and Groove, there’s a grill offering delectable burgers and hot dogs with a DJ busting it down on the deck, operated and managed by Katie Cioth and Emma Edmonson, the lesbian DJ […]
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Celebrating Student Research
More than 40 students presented posters and explained their fascinating research projects at the 30th annual student research symposium April 16 in Winter Hall. One of the hallmarks of Westmont’s academic program is the opportunity for undergraduate students to work directly with faculty on research and scholarly projects. “Research matters because people matter,” said Provost […]
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