The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is has announced a new Community Resource Deputy for the City of Carpinteria: Senior Deputy James Carovano was selected to fill the position and has been on the job since July 1, 2019. Senior Deputy Carovano is a five-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and is currently assigned to […]
Matthew Kowallis has been named Rotarian of the Year for the Rotary Club of Montecito, as announced during the club’s step-down dinner last month. An active member of the club since 2017 and a Rotarian since 2010, part of his contributions to the club included planning the club’s six local service projects over the past year […]
Coast Village Road’s Liquor & Wine Grotto owners Jason Herrick and Brian Brunello will mark 10 years of ownership this Saturday, August 3. While the store has been in existence since 1976, Herrick and Brunello have spent the last ten years perfecting the shop, and forming connections with loyal clientele. “We appreciate them more than […]
Haven Salon in Montecito now carries Zenagen products for use to fight hair loss in men and women. Haven Salon co-owner, as well as master stylist and colorist, Cindy Brokaw has been doing hair for over 25 years and says she strives to carry only the best products in the salon. According to Brokaw, the […]
Caltrans is continuing work to rebuild the Montecito Creek Bridge, which was damaged in the Montecito debris flow in January of 2018. Most of the bridge construction has been completed with further road and creek restoration work ongoing. Barricades and locked gates will continue to secure the Montecito Creek location with detours available via local […]
Earlier this week drivers may have been caught in heavy traffic in lower Montecito, as Caltrans crews closed the Hot Springs exit at Highway 101 in order to clear out a long-term homeless encampment located under the freeway bridges. The massive encampment had not been cleared in over three years. The Coast Village Association, the […]
Longtime Montecito optometrist Cornelius Mietus has announced his relocation to San Roque after 38 years in business on Coast Village Road. “I signed my lease here in late 1980, and I can’t believe how quickly it’s flown by!” Dr. Mietus said during a recent visit to the small optometry shop. Dr. Mietus has been providing […]
It was another successful and patriotic parade and barbeque last Thursday in Montecito, marking the 24th Annual Village Fourth, sponsored by the Montecito Association. Thousands of residents came out to partake in the festivities, lining the parade route on San Ysidro Road. Co-chairs Mindy Denson, Kathi King, and Trish Davis were once again at the […]
After meeting on Tuesday, July 2, the joint committee of the Montecito Water and Sanitary Districts continues to move forward on several viable water reuse projects. Water reuse options being pursued involve different treatment levels and different end-uses, including landscape irrigation (purple pipe), which involves treating wastewater for use in irrigation for large-scale commercial and […]
On Sunday, June 23, over 100 members of the community gathered at the corner of San Ysidro Road and North Jameson Road for an official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the new pedestrian pathway that was recently completed after a quick six weeks of construction. The project was a County-led road enhancement project following the […]
Next Thursday, July 4, marks the 24th annual Village Fourth celebration in Montecito! Sponsored by the Montecito Association and the Montecito Community Foundation, the event is a patriotic day of old-fashioned fun. Co-chairs Mindy Denson, Kathi King, and Trish Davis, along with their committee Helen Buckley, Bill Davis, Chris Denson, Michael Edwards, Cindy Feinberg, Dana […]
At a board meeting on Monday, June 24, the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors appointed Division Chief of Operations Kevin Taylor as the next Fire Chief of the Montecito Fire Department. “I appreciate the faith and confidence the Board has placed in me to lead this fantastic organization,” Chief Taylor said to a […]
In the latest Montecito Journal Glossy Edition, which hit stands last week, one of our writers mistakenly mentioned the former owner of local olive oil and food purveyor Viva Oliva. Current owners Amanda and Sven Dybdahl have in fact owned the store since 2017, and in addition to a vast selection of specialty olive oils […]
Fitness clothing company lululemon is opening a seasonal pop-up shop in Coast Village Walk, marking the grand opening next week with a trio of fitness events. The pop-up, which will stay at least through the holiday season, is slated to open on Friday, June 28. The store will offer women’s and men’s athletic clothing and […]
Local State Farm insurance agent Paul Cashman has expanded his business to Montecito, taking over Buzz Faull’s State Farm office on Coast Village Road. “I’m really looking forward to this new phase of my career,” Cashman told us last week. “Helping the community of Montecito gives me great satisfaction,” he said, adding that Faull had […]
Leslie Person Ryan, the owner of Letter Perfect on Coast Village Road for 35 years, ventured into Summerland at the end of 2018, opening the Summerland Center for the Arts, a shop, gallery, and gathering space on Lillie Avenue. Last week she added a mobile produce shop to the Center, called Sweet Wheel Farm & […]
At an assembly last Wednesday, June 5, the entire student body at Crane Country Day School gathered to bid adieu to two longtime fixtures on campus: teacher Pat Bixler, who is retiring, and employee Anne Perkins, who is moving on to her next chapter. Crane staff and students spoke about both Bixler and Perkins, sharing […]
At last week’s Montecito Water District Board of Directors meeting, the Board adopted Ordinance 96, which eliminates the prohibition on issuance of new water meters and brings water use restrictions up-to-date and consistent with the declared Stage 1 water shortage emergency and current water supply conditions. The water meter moratorium had been in effect since […]
In late 2015, Montecito residents and Crane School parents Tim and Monica Babich founded the RUNX1 Research Program (RRP) to increase awareness of a rare, inherited blood disorder called RUNX1 Familial Platelet Disorder (RUNX1-FPD). The disorder affects generations in the Babich family, and predisposes patients to leukemia and lymphoma. “It’s an under-diagnosed, rare familial platelet disorder which leads to about a […]
Last month marked the opening of Caffe Luxxe, Montecito’s newest coffee shop located in Montecito Country Mart. Last week we had the opportunity to sit down with co-founder Mark Wain, who, along with his business partner Gary Chau, started the Los Angeles-based chain of artisan coffee shops in 2006. Wain and Chau met in business […]
As a prelude to Memorial Day and as a way to honor the first responders of the Thomas Fire and 1/9 debris flow, the businesses and merchants of 1187 Coast Village Road joined with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation (PCVF) last Wednesday to unveil and dedicate a large flag made from actual fire hose. Some 25 […]
It’s carnival time at MUS! This Saturday, June 1, hundreds of kids and their parents will descend on the Montecito Union School campus for the popular school tradition. The event is an old-fashioned day of fun with rides, games, raffles, food, entertainment, and more. The Carnival this year includes several mechanical rides including a 25-ft. […]
At a Montecito Fire Protection District board meeting last week, Montecito Fire Chief Chip Hickman announced his retirement in July. Before taking the role as Chief in 2012 as the successor of Fire Chief Kevin Wallace, Chief Hickman was a 21-year veteran of the MFPD, beginning his career in 1990 as one of the District’s […]
At approximately 2 pm on May 16, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team (SBCSAR) was deployed to Tangerine Falls in the Montecito area to a report of three lost hikers stuck on the side of a cliff. The three local women in their early twenties were attempting to hike to the top […]
John Lucchetti takes the helm as the new president of the Rotary Club of Montecito beginning July 1. Lucchetti, a Santa Barbara resident, works in the music industry as a marketing strategist, connector, and brand developer. His current venture, Green Room Strategy, focuses on marketing, artist management, and building strategic partnerships around the convergence of […]
Saturday, May 18 marked a grand opening celebration at Merci Montecito, the newest eatery at Montecito Country Mart, located in a portion of the space once home to Xanadu Bakery. Owner and chef Elizabeth Colling had a smaller iteration of the concept, a pop-up called Merci To Go, a few years back in the 168-ft […]
It’s a U.S. flag that measures seven feet by nine feet, was designed by retired firefighter John Carrillo, and is composed of fire hoses and couplings that were actually used fighting the Thomas Fire. A separate display case holds another smaller length of fire hose containing the signatures of every firefighter involved in fighting the […]
At approximately 4:25 am on May 7, 2019, the Oxnard Police Department notified the Sheriff’s Office of an attempted burglary being investigated at Kaiser Pharmacy in the City of Oxnard. In the event that the suspect(s) could be headed to Santa Barbara County, Sheriff’s Coastal Patrol Bureau deputies conducted a check of pharmacies in the […]
Last Friday, May 10, the Bucket Brigade, as well as reps from Montecito Community Foundation, Montecito Trails Foundation, Montecito Association, and First District Supervisor Das Williams, marked the groundbreaking on a new walking path on North Jameson Lane between Olive Mill Road and San Ysidro Road, with plans to add a longer path along the […]
Montecito Country Mart has welcomed several new stores and eateries recently, including Caffe Luxxe, an artisanal coffee roaster from Los Angeles. Located in a portion of the space formerly occupied by Xanadu Bakery, the roasting company features Northern Italian-style espresso drinks, coffee, and various pastries. Hosting a grand opening last Saturday, May 11, the location […]
It was a beautiful afternoon and evening on May 4th, as Montecito Union School held its annual fundraiser at Les Belles Fontaines. Three hundred parents, teachers, staff, and members of the community came together for a night under the stars. Special guests included members of the Montecito Fire Department, as well as First District Supervisor […]
Santa Barbara Running will soon open its doors in Montecito, moving their Funk Zone shop to Coast Village Walk, in the former home of Antoinette, which moved to a smaller space in the shopping center earlier this year. Santa Barbara Running has been locally owned and operated since 2003, at 110 Anacapa Street in the […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting, the committee heard from Flood Control Deputy Director Tom Fayram, who gave an update on the Randall Road debris basin project. The project, which includes the acquisition of seven parcels on Randall Road and one on East Valley Road, will offer improved debris catchment from San […]
On Saturday, May 4 at 3 pm, over 750 Rancheros Visitadores from 37 states and six countries will parade in pink on horseback and carriages along Alisal Road through downtown Solvang to Old Mission Santa Inés. For the eighth year in a row, the Rancheros have chosen to partner with Wrangler Jeans and the Tough […]
Last week, the newly installed planters on Coast Village Road were filled with small shrub landscaping, thanks to the generosity of several local business owners and donors. The planters were initially installed in March, at the entrance of two of the road’s parking aisles, in an effort to deter through traffic and speeding. The project […]
In an update from the Partnership for Resilient Communities, executive director Pat McElroy reports that work continues on the Swiss-made, steel ring nets being installed high up in San Ysidro, Buena Vista, and Cold Spring Canyons. After successful anchor tests, helicopters have been moving thousands of pounds of equipment and supplies from a staging area […]
This Saturday, April 27, five unique homes will be on display in Carpinteria, as Carpinteria Beautiful hosts its annual Home & Garden Tour. From a modern farmhouse on three acres in the foothills to the exquisite “Little Gem” by the Salt Marsh, there is something for everyone, according to committee chair Susan Everett. Visitors will […]
New Coast Village Road retailer Johnny Was held a successful grand opening on April 13, welcoming dozens of Montecito locals to check out the new store, enjoy wine from Margerum, and bites from The Monarch. Hosted by Chynna and Billy Baldwin, the event marked the opening of the 44th Johnny Was store, which is based […]
The Montecito Trails Foundation is hosting a special hike this Sunday, April 28, at 10 am, in honor of Julian Nott, who passed away March 26 after an accident following the landing of an experimental hot air balloon in Warner Springs, California. Nott was a world-renowned balloon designer, an experimental test pilot and scientist, and […]
At a special hearing last week, the Montecito Planning Commission voted to approve a project to restore Hammond’s Meadow, a plan that is eight years in the making. “This is a very significant site and area,” said Pat Saley, who has been heavily involved in the project plans. Hammond’s Meadow is a 2.25-acre portion of […]