Tag archives: community

The upcoming Fiesta celebrations will officially come to a close with the lively Fiesta Finale festivities, held at the historic El Paseo Restaurant. The event also acts as a fundraiser for the John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts. Profant himself was an active member in Fiesta celebrations and Santa Barbara’s artistic community as a […]

I am the CFO and co-owner of Autumn Brands, a sustainable and ethically grown cannabis farm in the Carpinteria Valley. We focus on growing high-quality cannabis that uses zero pesticides, which means not even organic pesticides. We re-use and recycle all our irrigation water and have all organic waste turned to compost. We are a […]

Hands Across Montecito co-founder Kathryn Washburn got a call from Dignity Moves a couple of weeks ago, asking if she’d support the new tiny homes in downtown Santa Barbara. As a strong member on the Hands Across Montecito team that has achieved great results in helping people leave homelessness, Kath wasn’t sure about this. She […]

In one of the funnier moments in the famous 1967 film The Graduate, a friend of Ben’s parents takes him aside to deliver some advice about his future: “I just have one word for you: Plastics.” Back then, of course, plastics was becoming a burgeoning field, as the material seemed to be an incredible scientific […]

In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Barbara native, realtor, and local volunteer Adam McKaig dedicated himself to building a team and creating solutions for the lack of support for the community of people experiencing homelessness. What started as a spontaneous movement of people wanting to make a positive impact during the pandemic has […]

The Santa Barbara Tennis Club’s art gallery, 2nd Fridays, will show Marianna Victoria Mashek’s exhibit In Pursuit of Beauty for the summer. 2nd Fridays features new local artists on the second Friday of every month, and showcases uplifting art and people to enrich and broaden the general and SBTC community. Mashek is a Santa Barbara […]

Clay Studio Founder and Executive Director Patrick Hall credits working with clay for a dramatic shift in his life from an ADHD-addled kid who couldn’t focus, to one who runs a studio that serves as an artistic home and more to many members of our community.  “I couldn’t concentrate to even read a paragraph or […]

When we connected last week, Santa Barbara RiteCare center director and speech-language pathologist Julie DeAngelis was particularly excited to talk about Camp Chit Chat, the nonprofit’s fun and socially interactive camp for preschool-age children with mild-moderate speech and language delays. The program helps children keep up with essential communication skills during the summer when regular […]

Women United is an integral part of United Way. Together they advocate, support, and expand the ongoing work of United Way of Santa Barbara County’s educational programs. The need for investment in literacy could not be more clear and guides Women United’s activities and projects each year. In Santa Barbara County, 78% of economically disadvantaged […]

Joyce Enright’s Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 25 at El Montecito Presbyterian Church from 2 to 4 pm. Donations in Joyce’s honor can be sent to the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and El Montecito Presbyterian Church. Please contact Lauren Enright at (805) 252-9031 with any questions. Citizens for the Restoration of […]

Freedom 4 Youth Development Director Dylan Griffith likes to toss out a quote his mentor once told him that sticks in his head: “Change occurs at the speed of relationships.” It’s a motto that defines and drives the barely 11-year-old nonprofit that empowers youth within and beyond the juvenile justice system to change their lives […]

It’s noon, about five hours later than Hands Across Montecito’s (HAM) usual monthly hike to locate and aid our village’s hidden population of unhoused individuals. We generally arrive just after dawn to find folks barely awake in their bivouacs around freeway entrances, in gullies near the railroad tracks and cemetery, along creek beds, and on […]

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis introduced the phrase “Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant,” in the early 20th century. He also penned the term in his book, “Other People’s Money.” The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) regulates campaign financing, conflicts of interest, lobbying, and government ethics. Form 700 – Statement of Economic Interest, is one […]

Relinquishing an exotic pet bird is rarely ideal, but an owner admitting they have run out of options to handle the full-time needs of a mature parrot is honest and very real. Most people are unprepared for the possessive commitment a parrot exhibits toward its owner or other beloved family member. When that commitment can’t […]

Less than three weeks after this issue of the MJ hits newsstands, Sansum Diabetes Research Institute will mark an incredible milestone: 100 years since its founder, Dr. William Sansum, administered the very first injection of insulin in Santa Barbara to Charles Cowan, the first U.S. patient to receive the lifesaving shot. Prior to the discovery […]

Imagine being elected to serve in local government, only to find yourself in a global health emergency. That’s exactly what happened to Gregg Hart, then Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. “I was hoping to use my chairmanship to highlight the need for emergency and disaster […]

Head Start, the federal early childhood education program, was established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty with a goal of promoting school readiness to young children from low-income families through providing health, educational, nutritional, and social services. Two years later, Community Action Commission, or CAC, incorporated as a nonprofit to […]

Spring has sprung, bringing with it the revival of our town’s neighborhood block parties. Recent Montecito town gatherings were the Holiday Tree decorating on San Ysidro Lane in December, and the last block party in April 2019 before the lockdowns. Both events were spawned by members from the Montecito Association, whose love of our town […]

We’re having an eventful May at the Montecito Library. Check our calendar at SBPLibrary.org or come by to see what’s happening! Watershed Classes for K-6 with Explore Ecology Have you ever wondered where the water goes when it rains? In this lesson series, students will learn how water moves across the land and what can […]

It’s not hard to get a clear picture of the breadth of the age range served by the Montecito Library. Take a look at the events tab on the Friends of the Montecito Library website and you’ll find Italian Conversation, Knit ‘n’ Needle, Poetry Club, Spanish Conversation, Pre-School Story Time, and a New Yorker Discussion […]