Tag archives: Debris flow

Renew the Lease for Little Alex’s
By Montecito Journal   |   October 19, 2021

Dear Mr. Rosenfield, I’m writing to ask you to please reconsider renewing the lease for Little Alex’s. Your website says the “Montecito Country Mart is a place for the entire family and the best way to experience Montecito — as a local would.” So please let’s keep a very local and beloved place open for […]

Montecito Association Meets
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 21, 2021

At this month’s Montecito Association Board Meeting, the board heard from Jon Frye of Santa Barbara County Flood Control, who gave a photographic update on the Randall Road Debris Basin, which began construction in May.  Following the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow in 2018, the debris basin project was proposed along Randall Road in […]

This Should Be Fire: One805 Returns
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 7, 2021

After a long 18 months of attempting to execute a follow-up event to its widely successful Kick Ash Bash following the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow, local nonprofit One805 has announced a smaller scale donor appreciation event, slated for September 18. The special event, which is limited to 350 people, will be held at […]

End of Summer Surprise with One805
By Montecito Journal   |   September 2, 2021

Ready to rock ‘n’ roll for a good cause? Join The Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance and One805, the local nonprofit that brought us the 2018 Kick Ash Bash, for a donor appreciation event to support our First Responders currently on the frontlines of California’s wildfires. Special guests include Robby Krieger of The Doors and top […]

La Casa de Maria Making Progress
By Lynda Millner   |   August 5, 2021

It was so inspiring to see La Casa de Maria and the property coming to life because it was one of the most damaged from the 2018 debris flow. It borders San Ysidro Ranch and there were nine buildings destroyed — all the dorms and retreat center facilities. They were servicing 12,000 folks a year […]

‘Jack Brought Us All Together’: After 42 Months, Community Finds Its Lost Son
By Nick Masuda   |   August 5, 2021

For roughly 1,225 days, Kim Cantin didn’t have answers. A mother searching for her first born. Her 17-year-old Eagle Scout was missing amid the catastrophic Montecito Debris Flow of January 9, 2018. Other deceased were found. But not Jack, not her kind-hearted, gentle soul of a young man. But in late May of this year, […]

A New Danger on the Roads
By Montecito Journal   |   July 29, 2021

Am I the only one noticing the dangerous speeds that e-bikes and riders who push them to their limits pose to drivers and themselves in and around Montecito? They seem to zip around as fast as motorcycles, yet no special license is required. It’s great that more people are getting outdoors and traveling farther afield […]

Pay It Forward
By Richard Mineards   |   July 23, 2021

It was a case of kids helping kids when youngsters from Mountain View Elementary School donated $1,600 – 20 percent of their tickets sales from their annual school fundraiser – to Cold Spring School, which lost two pupils in the January mudslides and is currently trying to raise $485,000 after property tax revenues were impacted […]

Changing Course: United Way Alters Path to Help Serve More
By Steven Libowitz   |   July 15, 2021

For a relatively large and well-established nonprofit organization in our community, United Way of Santa Barbara County over the last few years has demonstrated the ability to respond quickly to current circumstances — not so much as an about face or even a course correction, but more of an adapting to changing needs to meet […]

‘La Casa de Maria is Coming Back’
By Nick Masuda   |   July 8, 2021

With just three full-time employees left, Cindy Faith Swain couldn’t help but have a little bounce in her step as some three dozen community members entered the gates at La Casa de Maria on June 24. The facility’s director bounced from group to group as guests grabbed a name badge and talked about yesteryear at […]

‘His Legacy Lives On’: Camp Rancho Alegre Renames Road in Honor of Dave Cantin
By Nick Masuda   |   July 8, 2021

Kim Cantin remembers a time when her hard-working husband, Dave, would jet back from an international trip to make sure he didn’t miss a Troop 33 meeting — not only to join his son, Jack, but also because he understood that showing up was a needed lesson for impressionable youngsters. “He refused to miss it, […]

Reflect. Restore. And Revival is Coming.
By Nick Masuda   |   July 1, 2021

La Casa de Maria has stayed dormant since the Montecito Debris Flow. The organization has chosen to learn more about the land before redeveloping. More than three years later, it has a plan and a potential reopening date. Cindy Faith Swain peeks through a chain-linked fence that was once completely unnecessary, as separation from San Ysidro […]

Randall Road Debris Basin Groundbreaking
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 13, 2021

On Monday, government officials, staff, contractors, and community partners broke ground at the future site of the Randall Road Debris Basin; a project outlined at length two weeks ago in the Montecito Journal.  “It’s amazing we’ve gotten to this point,” said County Public Works Deputy Director Tom Fayram. “A project like this can often take […]

Big Problems Call for Big Solutions
By Sharon Byrne   |   May 13, 2021

High fire season in Santa Barbara County started on May 3, with California coming off a record-setting year. According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council (SBCFSC), a total of 9,639 fires burned some 4.4 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in the state’s modern history. The 2021 fire […]

‘We Pulled off a Miracle with Randall Road’: $18 Million Debris Basin Project Set to Begin
By Melinda Burns   |   April 29, 2021

Excavation of a new debris basin along Randall Road and San Ysidro Creek in Montecito will begin in early May, officials said this week, more than three years after a river of mud and boulders jumped the banks on January 9, 2018, destroying six out of seven homes in the 600 block of Randall Road […]

A Beneficial Debris Basin but No Silver Bullet
By Gwyn Lurie   |   April 29, 2021

I’m sure anyone who lived here in 2018 feels a wave of relief as they drive by the soon-to-be active construction site at East Valley Road and Randall Road – where a (once) tranquil neighborhood is about to be transformed into a debris basin. It’s also bittersweet because many of us knew Randall Road residents […]

Read ‘N Post To Close
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 8, 2021

Late last week customers at Read ‘N Post were surprised to learn that the Montecito retail landmark, located in Montecito Country Mart, shared plans to close at the end of April. In business in Montecito for nearly 40 years, Read ‘N Post is a favorite among locals who go to peruse the extensive collection of […]

One805 Four Years Later, Nonprofit Continues to Kick Ash
By Steven Libowitz   |   April 1, 2021

Everybody in town likely knows about One805. Sure, they’re the organization who three years ago created the “Kick Ash Bash,” mounting the massive benefit concert as a way of thanking both the firefighters whose brave stand against the Thomas Fire in December 2017 saved untold homes in Montecito, as well as honoring the already weary […]

Roadmap for Rebuilding
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 22, 2021

As we approach the most significant storm in our area since the debris flow of January 9, the Board of Supervisors last week reviewed and approved a plan to help homeowners rebuild their properties. Public Works reps outlined two significant efforts that are currently underway by both Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA and the County, […]

Concern Over Hot Springs Trail Project
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 11, 2021

A newly built pedestrian pathway along Hot Springs Road has sparked some neighborhood controversy, which was discussed at the Montecito’s Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting this past Tuesday.  Bucket Brigade founder Abe Powell, who was an integral part of the County-led road enhancement project, explained to the Committee that the impetus for the trail […]