Tag archives: community

International locally-based charity ShelterBox raised around $250,000 from 175 guests at a Tacos and Tequila party at the Summerland estate of John McGovern, who also received this year’s Community Partnership Award from president Kerri Murray. The sunset soirée, an immersive experience of the charity’s lifesaving work, included interactive demonstrations of shelters and equipment, used in […]

Regenerative agriculture has the potential to provide meaningful work and living wages to farmers while feeding millions of people, sequestering large amounts of atmospheric carbon into the soil, building our freshwater resources, and improving wildlife habitat. Despite launching its tiny, 12-acre farm as a proving ground and site for community demonstration, learning, and teaching about […]

Oscar winning actor Kevin Costner opened the gates of his Carpinteria oceanside estate for One805LIVE! which attracted 1,500 guests and raised around $1 million for all three First Responder groups – fire, police, and the sheriff – purchasing equipment, supporting public safety and taking care of those who take care of us. Cars were parked […]

Whether you’re new to Montecito, or have been here for decades, you probably adore the bucolic scenery, laid-back vibe, and rural feel here.  Well, that didn’t just happen all by itself. A heck of a lot of people who cared deeply spent decades shaping the community we experience in Montecito today. The Montecito Association was, […]

Mr. Bernstein asks a Christian minister who’d given the eulogy at his friend’s funeral if he’d ever read the Old Testament’s Ecclesiastes 9. He had not. Then Bernstein cites The New Testament’s John 16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…” and interprets that to mean “it doesn’t even matter […]

Not surprisingly, Special Olympics of Southern California (SOSC) took a little longer than most organizations to return to in-person activities, as it only ushered in Phase 3 of its sports and programs, a small single step shy of no restrictions, in June. That’s because individuals with intellectual disabilities – the population Special Olympics has served […]

Twenty years ago, in 2002, Nikki Katz (née Simon) recognized that families enduring a pediatric cancer battle needed so much more than thoughts and prayers; they need tangible, meaningful, year-round support. Thus a small idea sparked into a big dream, and the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) was born.  When Katz was a young professional […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on the crime highlights in Montecito for the last month, which include a washed up panga boat on Butterfly Beach; $10,000 of vandalism by a well-known guest at the Rosewood Miramar Resort; assault at a juvenile party on Middle Road; […]

Santa Barbara Beautiful plants trees. A lot of trees. Thirteen thousand of them in its 57-year history, so far. They even name a Tree of the Month, with a photo and profile of the individual palm, evergreen, jacaranda, or other species, a series that is quite popular with locals and visitors alike.  To be precise, […]

The Thomas Fire and debris flows that plagued Montecito and the area in over a month spanning 2017-18 was an unprecedented tragedy that caused great devastation to the community.  But out of the ashes and mud rose a brand-new nonprofit called One805, which has not only raised funds to support the First Responders who worked […]

It’s no accident that Rodney Gustafson landed in Santa Barbara to launch his State Street Ballet dance company almost three decades ago. The company’s executive and artistic director had targeted returning to town ever since he’d performed as a dancer with the famed American Ballet Theatre (ABT) at the Arlington Theatre many years before. “I […]

The Santa Barbara Library Foundation’s director Lauren Trujillo is in a celebratory mood.  The foundation’s $5.4 million capital campaign to revitalize the historic plaza at the Santa Barbara Library, a once bustling pedestrian thoroughfare that had fallen into disrepair, has been fully funded. The organization raised nearly 60 percent of the dollars from private contributions […]

Everything seems to move quickly these days, but the speed of growth and expansion of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) is fast enough to turn heads.  It was just six years ago that the Community Environmental Council and the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County created the Santa Barbara County Food Action Plan […]

I am no artist. In school, art class was offered until eighth grade, a curriculum that didn’t exactly develop my inner Frida Kahlo. I have always been interested in painting, but never really knew where to start. That is, however, until one morning, when I saw a sign advertising art classes in the window of […]

Exactly one month from this issue’s publication, the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) will be having a 45th anniversary celebration at its headquarters in downtown Santa Barbara, a special community gathering that marks the first public event in the space in three years.  Think of it as a one-shot revival of TGIF!, the environmental organization’s much-beloved […]

Resiliency is built over time, in small and large ways that collectively strengthen and prepare us for whatever challenges we might face.  “In Montecito, we know that wildfire will inevitably challenge us,” said Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor. “That’s why, our community has been building resiliency against wildfire threats on an ongoing basis for decades.”  […]

In its ever-expanding role to serve our town, St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara has promoted Dr. Regina Ruiz from her 2019 role as the Vice President of Development and Marketing, to Chief Development Officer this month, a new position for the organization that President/CEO Rosa Paredes said, “The time has come and Regina is the perfect […]

Montecito is a small town with a big presence, and it’s not just our famous residents… it’s this place. Just a mile or few from the ocean to the highest home on the hill. Nature all around. Creeks and hiking trails, small chic shops, and amazing restaurants, a reputation warranted and earned over the last […]

In the July 14 issue of the Montecito Journal, Joe Armendariz’s letter to the editor titled “Radical Status,” contained multiple inaccurate assertions related to the application for the Radis/Roots Cannabis retail store proposed location on Santa Claus Lane, as well as misinformation concerning existing businesses there. Mr. Armendariz fails to mention that he is a […]