Tag archives: Debris flow

At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, Pat McElroy from the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group funded another lidar radar flight over Montecito, which showed 71 sites in the foothills that would be appropriate for steel-wire ring nets to slow down or stop debris from falling. McElroy said they are […]

Next Thursday, September 20, the Montecito Community Foundation in collaboration with the Montecito Association will unveil a plaque dedicated to the victims of the Thomas Fire of December 2017 and the subsequent debris flows of January 9. Members of the community are encouraged to attend.  The 20-inch x 31-inch bronze plaque will list the names […]

Mysticism is made manifest via the spiritually inspired saxophone played by Charles Lloyd, the jazz artist whose career began in Memphis in the 1950s, found stardom in the 1960s (when his Forest Flower was the first-ever million-selling jazz album), became an inner-seeking Big Sur recluse in the ’70s and resurrected himself in the ’90s as […]

The tangible results of One805’s Kick Ash bash at Bella Vista in Summerland in February, starring Katy Perry, Kenny Loggins, Wilson Phillips, and David Foster, among others, were on show when the first of three $200,000 mobile command units was presented to the city fire department chief, Lee Waldron, in a ceremony at the C.L. […]

Montecito has always been an integral part of the Santa Barbara Studio Artists (SBSA) Open Studios tour. But not so much this year. The annual Labor Day weekend event when local artists who are members of the organization welcome guests into their working home studios or off-site locations has just one site for visitors to […]

Everywhere you look in California, there are larger, more explosive fires. Why? As the left once again blames climate change, could there be another reason why we are seeing so many huge fires? What role have environmental activists, eco lobbyists, green NGOs, lawyers, and politicians played? What about forest management? Forests need thinning to promote […]

Oh, dear. I see that the Journal has published more political emails. I really wish you wouldn’t. They’re mostly pretty stale, even the anti-Trump ones. Les Conrad reaches almost the same degree of derangement, if in less colorful prose. Right off, he suggests that our least Biblically inspired president (in itself, not a bad thing; […]

Montecito is blessed with an extraordinary collection of doers, believers, thinkers, and dreamers. While it takes contributions from all four types to craft a community recovery program, it is the local “doers” who earn my admiration because they seize the day to take ownership of problems rather than wait for others to act. Here is […]

With the devastating Thomas Fire over the New Year still fresh in many memories, a dynamic duo of writers, Elizabeth Rose and Deva Temple, have written From The Fire, a collection of photographs, art, poetry, and reflection of Ojai’s experience in the conflagration. “It is amazing what we have collected,” says Rose. ‘We have received […]

Last week, United Way of Santa Barbara County announced the distribution of the last of the funds donated to the organization following the Thomas Fire and debris flow. The second and last phase of funds are assisting households representing more than 1,200 Santa Barbara County individuals and families and 20 community organizations. The total amount […]

The County of Santa Barbara announced earlier this week that it will transition County services out of the Montecito Center on Coast Village Circle by Friday, August 31. The Center was opened in March as a central location for residents impacted by the Thomas Fire and debris flow to access support and services.  “The County […]

This has gone on too long. Every day, the pot holes and trenches get worse at the bottom off Olive Mill Road and Coast Village Road right in front of the construction of the new building on the corner. This intersection is a joke and needs to be repaired now. My husband and I drive […]

The Montecito community faces a difficult 2018-2019 winter season. If we get too little rain, we will return to drought worries; too much rain and Montecito residents face evacuation and the possibility of additional mud and rock flows. Of the two perils – severe drought versus debris flow – the more pressing danger is the […]

Caroline and Steve Thompson, who own Cabana Home at 111 Santa Barbara Street in the Funk Zone, gave one of their artists’ receptions with a new twist. A portion of the sales from artist Robyn Geddes’s works will be donated to refresh supplies and spirits of the Bucket Brigade. In case you haven’t heard of […]

On Monday morning, exactly half a year since the debris flow devastated Montecito and destroyed lives and lifestyles, La Casa de Maria posted an update to its website about the ongoing recovery efforts. The retreat center located just below the San Ysidro Ranch was hard hit by the January 9 mudslide, as nine of its […]

Last week, the SB County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted unanimously to adopt the FEMA Interim Flood Map in an effort to expedite and control the rebuilding process in Montecito. As chair of the BOS, supervisor Das Williams noted, “I can’t say I’m comfortable with the option of the Interim Flood Recovery map, but the […]

In the wake of the Montecito Mudslide, most property owners first turned to their insurance companies for funds, and most of the insurers have responded well. A few have not, and some others are still trying to figure out how to handle the claims. In some cases, insurance adjusters from other states have landed in […]

On Tuesday, June 19, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to adopt the use of the new FEMA Interim Recovery Map, which was released last week and was the basis of our cover story (MJ #24/24). “This map is not gospel, I don’t think it’s perfect,” said First District supervisor Das Williams. […]