Ernie and Emily Vallorano were having coffee on Coast Village Road one afternoon this summer when something across the street stopped them: a for-lease sign. The timing felt uncanny. They had just been talking about opening a brick-and-mortar shop for their decade-old clothing brand, 27 Miles Malibu. On impulse, they crossed the street, called the […]
There’s a tree known for its towering height—sometimes reaching more than 160 feet. Its bark, thin and peeling, shifts in color from white and gray to reddish-brown. You might recognize it by its cool, minty aroma, familiar from candles, essential oils, and balms. But perhaps its most striking trait is its volatility: highly flammable, and […]
Oren Giladi, owner of organic meal service Organic Oren, never set out to be a chef. Yet the path revealed itself almost effortlessly, as though he’d been destined for it from the beginning. His original plan was to become an artist. In college, he studied art as an undergraduate in New York. While he cooked […]
More than 100 years ago, two medical clinics in Santa Barbara were taking shape, both grounded in the ethos that group practice with a variety of specialties was the best way to provide high quality healthcare accessible to all. Some 80 years later after decades of growth, the two groups joined forces and adopted the […]
Seventeen-year-old Santa Barbara High School senior Hannah Hedrick was volunteering at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church following the Palisades Fire when she had an epiphany. Sorting through donated clothes and books for victims of the fire that burned down an entire community, including her cousins’ and aunts’ houses, she had a sense that she could make […]
In a September 10th report by Climate Rights International (CRI), authored by researcher Trevor Stankiewicz, the organization urged Governor Gavin Newsom and California regulators to halt Sable Offshore Corp.’s plans to restart the Las Flores oil pipeline system in Santa Barbara County. In the report, the group called for a full environmental review, public hearings, […]
On Tuesday, September 16, UCSB men’s basketball coach Joe Pasternack and two of his players, Luke Zuffelato of Santa Barbara and Koat Keat Tong of South Sudan, visited Crane Country Day School for an all-school assembly to share life lessons and encourage students to dream big. The main theme of their talk was “attitude” and […]
It’s been eight months since David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Los Angeles-based real estate collective The Runyon Group, opened The Post in Montecito. “It has been lovely to see how embraced The Post has been in its early days,” said Fishbein in an email to the Montecito Journal. “I am constantly overhearing people […]
It was in January of this year that Cindy Hill, CEO of the Battistone Foundation, informed residents of its intention to sell the Battistone properties, which house 190 low-income seniors. The news was a heavy blow to residents who had hoped to spend their “golden years” there. “It will be displacing all of us,” said […]
If you live in Santa Barbara or the surrounding area, you’re likely no stranger to the thunderous boom that follows late-night rocket launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base. While the noise can be jarring, watching those rockets streak into the night sky is undeniably thrilling. If you’re like me, those launches have probably sparked your […]
Tension hung thick in the air at the Franklin Community Center on Tuesday evening, July 15, as residents packed the room – and spilled out into the parking lot – to demand answers about recent ICE activity in Santa Barbara. Some even brought blankets and picnic dinners, watching the proceedings from an outdoor screen when […]
If you’ve ever visited the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Butterflies Alive! exhibit at the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion, it won’t come as a surprise that USA Today ranked it among the top three butterfly exhibits in the nation. Walking through the display feels like stepping into a dreamlike realm, surrounded by creatures so stunning […]
Known for its commitment to quality over quantity, it’s no surprise that women’s luxury clothing brand Brochu Walker should take the same thoughtful approach to its retail presence. With just four locations – Carmel-by-the-Sea, California; Westport, Connecticut; Southampton, New York; and Atlanta, Georgia – the brand’s minimalist footprint is entirely by design. When approached with […]
It was three against one at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 13, as the board weighed the future of oil and gas in the county. In a 3-1 vote, the supervisors passed a motion to prohibit new oil and gas drilling and phase out existing operations in the county. […]
On Tuesday, May 6, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted a report from the Sheriff’s Office outlining its interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the TRUTH Act, short for the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act. The TRUTH Act is a California law aimed at safeguarding the rights […]
“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth,” said Neil Armstrong shortly after the Apollo 11 Mission on July 20, 1969. “I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.” […]
“We weren’t expecting that,” said Alex Katz, Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Center, to the Montecito Journal shortly after the California Coastal Commission fined Sable Offshore Corp. $18 million for unapproved work on the Las Flores pipeline. Katz and other environmental activists were quite surprised, yet pleased, when the commission raised the fine by […]
In a unanimous vote on Thursday, April 10, the California Coastal Commission (CCC) rejected appeals – from Unite Here Local 11 and Heal the Ocean – to the Rosewood Miramar housing project. The project includes 26 affordable housing units for employees, eight market-rate units, and about 12 new shops. It already received unanimous approval from […]
Over seven years and more than 4,000 complaints later, the pungent smell of pot in Carpinteria might finally be under control, thanks to the Santa Barbara County Supervisors who, on March 18th, unanimously voted to adopt amendments to the county’s cannabis ordinance. “Unanimously, the Board of Supervisors ushered in a new chapter of cannabis in […]
On March 13th, activists and community members clad in red gathered at the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), holding signs that read “Don’t Enable Sable” and “Oil Spills Kill.” They were there for a press conference, which preceded an anticipated town hall meeting hosted by District 37 State Assemblymember Gregg Hart and District 21 State Senator […]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, county officials say Montecito’s hot springs have seen a surge in popularity. They attribute the increased foot traffic, in part, to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where posts have promoted the pools as a must-visit destination. There were also reports of tour buses dropping off large groups at the […]
Hundreds gathered outside the Santa Barbara County Administration Building on the morning of Tuesday, February 25th. The focus of the day was the Board of Supervisors meeting, where they were to consider the appeals to the County Planning Commission’s (CPC) approval of Sable Offshore Corporation’s application for a change in owner, operator, and guarantor for […]
On February 19th, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved the proposed changes to the county’s cannabis ordinance in a 5-0 vote. The changes require cannabis operators to install multi-technology carbon filtration or equivalent technology in their greenhouses to effectively mitigate cannabis odor. The commissioners also established an odor threshold, to be measured using a […]
“Take a conscious breath,” instructed Rhonda V. Magee, a professor emeritus at the University of San Francisco, during her February 13th lecture at UCSB. “And as you do so, put your feet on the floor,” she continued. Magee gestured her arms around the room as the audience breathed in and out. Magee is a mindfulness […]
A surgeon enters the operating room and sits on a stool in the corner. They lean in and rest their forehead on a cushioned viewfinder before placing their fingers in the appropriate loops. The surgeon begins the operation while the patient is just feet away. They’re using the Intuitive da Vinci 5, an advanced robotic […]
It all started in 1967 in New Jersey on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. That’s where Joe Schweke’s parents, Rose and Sam Schweke, opened Belrose Galleries, selling a variety of objets d’art, fine jewelry, and antiques. “I grew up in and amongst opulent and rare and beautiful objects at a young age,” Joe shared, speaking […]
Following the legalization of recreational cannabis in California in 2016 and the subsequent implementation of licensing regulations in 2018, the Carpinteria Valley witnessed a surge in cannabis cultivation operations. With this growth came an onslaught of resident complaints regarding the pungent odor emanating from these facilities. Since 2019, 3,900 complaints have been filed about the […]
Upon sliding into one of the booths at Clark’s Oyster Bar, I disclosed to co-owner and chef Larry McGuire that I’d never had oysters before. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to try them; I’ve just never gotten around to it. This also seemed like the perfect time to admit to him that I don’t […]
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Cannabis Odor Abatement and Proposed Amendments Plan at their meeting on Tuesday, September 14th. Chair Laura Capps and Vice Chair Bob Nelson spearheaded the initiative to amend Chapter 50 of the county’s Code of Ordinances to address ongoing odor concerns related to cannabis cultivation. The […]
For the small but mighty team at Riskin Partners Estate Group, a luxury sector of Village Properties, success depends not on sales but on their clients’ happiness. If a home isn’t the right fit, the Riskin Partners team prioritizes finding the perfect match rather than pushing the sale. “It’s funny because it’s called a salesperson […]
Restaurateur Warner Ebbink and Chef Brandon Boudet didn’t plan on opening another restaurant. As it happened, the pair was focused on a hotel project in Ojai when the opportunity presented itself. But when the coveted building on the corner of Coast Village and Middle Road became available, they knew they had to have it. Even […]
Over one year ago, the Rosewood Miramar went before the Montecito Association Land Use Committee to share its expansion plans. From one county meeting to the next, Miramar owner Rick Caruso and his team presented numerous iterations of the plan, each time receiving feedback from county officials, neighbors, and other community members who voiced opinions, […]
Twin brothers Mike and Alex Faherty, who had long dreamed of launching their own fashion brand, realized their vision in 2013 when they founded Faherty Brand. Now, over a decade later, they’ve opened their 76th store in Montecito – on Coast Village Road, no less. Since the grand opening on Friday, December 6th, store leader […]
Growing up in a household where sweets were off-limits, Margaret (Marley) Van Sicklen, owner of Marley Confections in Montecito, developed somewhat of a sweet tooth. “All my allowance went to candy,” she recalled. Chocolate was her favorite. One bite of Swiss chocolate was all it took for 10-year-old Van Sicklen to fall in love with […]
While attending a men’s fashion fair in Florence, Italy, David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Los Angeles-based real estate collective The Runyon Group, received a call. A property in Montecito was quietly hitting the market, “and no one really knows what to do with it,” said the man on the other end. “It’s kind […]
At a lengthy meeting on November 5th, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0-1 to deny the appeal of the Montecito Planning Commission’s approval of the Music Academy of the West’s Revised Conditional Use Permit (CUP). District 1 Supervisor Das Williams moved the vote under the condition that staff recommend no more than […]
On November 1st, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission unanimously approved Rosewood Miramar’s mixed-used housing development plan. Initially a vocal opponent of the plan, All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church ultimately reached a compromise with the Miramar, which involved reducing the scope of the project. “I stand before you today to say that All Saints withdraws any […]
The October 18th Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) meeting, scheduled for the purposes of discussing the Rosewood Miramar’s proposed expansion for mixed-use housing, abruptly ended when Commissioner Sandy Stahl recused herself halfway through, causing the commission to lose its required quorum. The mixed-use housing development plan being considered, in advance of next week’s scheduled County Planning […]
On Wednesday, October 16th, the Four Seasons Biltmore received preliminary approval from the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) for its updated development plan. The plan includes adding private hot tubs for the bungalows, renovating the guest houses, building a new pool, and renovating the outdoor dining deck. Ahead of the vote, the MPC requested that the […]
On October 9, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission (CPC) heard the Rosewood Miramar’s Mixed-Use Housing Development plan, which includes affordable housing for Miramar staff, new retail shops, a cafe, and luxury housing split between the existing East and West parking lots. The hearing emerged after Caruso’s team sent a letter to the CPC citing […]