Montecito Prepares for Winter: Agencies and Residents Come Together
With winter approaching and a strong El Niño developing, Montecito residents packed Montecito Union School on September 14th for a community-wide conversation about creek conditions, flood protection, and storm preparedness. The meeting, organized in coordination with First District Supervisor Roy Lee, the Montecito Association, and local agencies, grew out of concerns raised by residents about […]
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22 Sep 2026
Two Nights to Rock Around the Cause
The annual One805LIVE! benefit concert coming up this month could adopt a version of the old Doublemint Gum jingle as its tagline: Double your pleasure, double your fun. That’s because instead of just a single big event, there are actually two concerts slated to take place at Kevin Costner’s oceanside “Field of Dreams” estate in […]
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Constructive Conversation: TradeTalk Reframes Contractor Culture
“The Built Environment” is broadly defined as the vast space containing our human-made structures. Someday the term may include habitable starscrapers adrift in the vacuum between here and Jupiter, but for now it refers to everything we build here on the ground. Commercial properties, residential, mixed-use towers a half mile high (Burj Khalifa, Dubai’s monument […]
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Courting Charity
“Four years ago, Kenny said to me, ‘I want to have a pickleball tournament.’ I was like, ‘Oh my! What is that?’” That was Unity Shoppe Executive Director Angela Miller Bevan’s introduction to pickleball, courtesy of longtime supporter Kenny Loggins, who promptly taught her how to play. Now in its second year, “Pickleball in the […]
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Garden Gratitude
“Let the garden speak to you. Then write from your heart.” At Lotusland’s Members Appreciation Day, that invitation became the spirit of the afternoon as nearly 200 members, supporters, trustees and neighbors gathered across the Garden’s 37 acres. Presenting Sponsor Leslie S. Thomas was also celebrating her birthday. A cake appeared, the crowd sang “Happy […]
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Coast Village Cruising
Saturday went to the dogs; Sunday belonged to the cars. Coast Village Road turned an ordinary September weekend into a two-day neighborhood promenade during Coast Village Week, pairing four-legged charm with four-wheeled glamour. Saturday’s Dog Days Photo Booth brought families, children and camera-ready canines to the village. Dogs posed with nautical props, oversized sunglasses and […]
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Winter Preparation
With winter approaching and forecasters now under an El Niño advisory for the season ahead, the Montecito Association, with First District Supervisor Roy Lee, is bringing residents, public agencies and elected officials together for a community-wide discussion about the condition of Montecito’s creeks, flood-control infrastructure and preparations for the months ahead. The Montecito Creek & […]
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Soiled: The Vegetable as Nemesis
“Mother Earth provides and we are blessed to receive her bounty as nourishment. But watch out! That which grows from soil tastes like soil.” – Starfire Dickinson The above quote is wholly invented, but Starfire Dickinson is a real person. In other words Starfire Dickinson is also completely made up. But you’ll agree the opening […]
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15 Sep 2026
The Hornstrandir Experience
As we paddled across the frigid but silky-smooth fjord of Höfðaströnd in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, the far northwest fringe of Iceland, our Icelandic guide, Oli, said with a wry smile, “I think the woman in the red cabin would like for us to stop for a visit over a cup of coffee.” Oli said […]
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GLBA Annual Scholarship Awards
The long-established Gay and Lesbian Business Association (GLBA) presented its annual scholarship award at the Pacific Pride Foundation’s 51st anniversary event for the second year in a row, Saturday, August 22, at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara. The GLBA scholarship chair is John Chufar, a third-generation Realtor and a past president of the Santa […]
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Narrative Art
The term “Narrative Art” has been very much on my mind with the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The museum’s mission is “to explore how narrative art shapes our world, expresses beliefs, communicates values, expands imagination, and invites conversation.” The galleries are organized around themes such as Comics, Children’s […]
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Randolph “Randy” Barnard: February 6, 1943 – July 27, 2026
Randolph “Randy” Barnard died peacefully on Monday, July 27, 2026, at his home in Summerland at the age of 83. He was born to his parents, Jack and Conchita Barnard, on February 6, 1943, in Santa Monica. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Margaret “Muffy” Barnard; his daughter, Mary Whitney; his son, […]
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Geonine Scott-Moriarty: August 17, 2026
Geonine Scott-Moriarty died on August 17, 2026, at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica due to complications from surgery. She was born in Hollywood to her parents, George and Nellie Mooney. She had two siblings, both of whom died before her. She attended Hollywood High School. She leaves behind her daughter, Nadine Bartlett, […]
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Gala Fever
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation and Rally4Kids Put Local Children and Families at the Center of Two Fall Traditions At the unlikely intersection of cuddly toys and deafening internal combustion, two of Santa Barbara’s most established philanthropic high points come back into focus this September and October. One invokes the silent, grounding comfort of a teddy bear, […]
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Little Miracle
“There are only two ways to live your life: one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle,” goes the line attributed to Albert Einstein. At the Santa Barbara Zoo, one tiny gibbon baby is making a convincing case for the latter. The pairing of white-handed gibbons […]
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Crises and Modern Monetary Theory
Crises have become partisan, notably the debt and the climate crisis. The US national debt just hit $40 trillion. Does that mean we are bankrupt? No. But it means something is wrong and needs fixing. Republicans ring debt alarm bells when Democrats are in control. But now they are silent. See my 2023 article “Two […]
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La Casa Emerges from the Rubble
La Casa de Maria, the long-beloved retreat center on El Bosque Road in Montecito near San Ysidro Ranch, has been basically shuttered since the property was severely damaged by the January 2018 Debris Flow. But now comes word that La Casa is reopening to a limited number of events while continuing to undergo renovations. Among […]
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Music and Meditation to Move the Audience
Classical and jazz pianist Antonio Artese had a straightforward reason for creating the Music & Meditation Santa Barbara series last December. The Italian-born musician is looking for a better breed of audience. “We need to develop a more mindful listening approach to music,” he said. “It’s been on my mind for many, many years, seeing […]
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‘Beethoven’s Tango’ and ‘Stranger’ things
Last year, the Santa Barbara dance organizations Selah Dance Collective and Nomad Tango collaborated on a program called Malena: Between Two Worlds, which brought together champion Boston-based Argentine tango dancers Fernanda Ghi and Silvio Grand with Selah’s contemporary dancers. This weekend, they return to the Lobero with an even more ambitious double bill dubbed Beethoven’s […]
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Sold Out Show of the Week: Roger That! And More Entertainment Matters
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn is the folk-rock pioneer with the Byrds (and the lesser-known successor McGuinn, Clark & Hillman). McGuinn has enjoyed a lengthy solo career, and is the latest pop music legend to grace the downtown theater with a career-spanning retrospective that goes beyond the music. Just a couple of […]
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