Tag archives: James Joyce III

Reparations 101: A Path Through Our Division
By James Joyce III   |   February 22, 2022

It was towards the end of Black History Month in 2019. Coffee with a Black Guy (CWABG) was hosting our first community conversation in a yearlong collaboration with the Lois and Walter Capps Project (now the Common Table Foundation). More people were gathered for this event than any of the previously convened conversations since launching […]

Grateful, and Now We Move Forward
By James Joyce III   |   November 30, 2021

As a community, we sit days away from the certification of our recent mayoral and city council election and I wanted to take a few minutes to address my city: It was an honor and a privilege to serve as a catalyst for change and to truly hold to my campaign motto: “A New Day. […]

While Unofficial, Rowse Likely Next Mayor; Council Incumbents Well Ahead
By Nick Masuda   |   November 5, 2021

A familiar face will likely be returning to City Hall, as former Santa Barbara City Council member Randy Rowse has unofficially won the six-candidate mayoral race, with final and confirmed results expected late Thursday. Rowse would be the city’s first male mayor in almost 30 years, while also taking office as a no-party candidate, moving […]

Is the Local Democratic Party Pushing an Undemocratic Process?
By Gwyn Lurie   |   November 1, 2021

“Let the Chips Fall Where They May Say” More and more I hear people say: “I hate politics.” But is it really politics we hate, or is what we hate the subversion of democracy by small groups of people who work hard to amass and hold on to power so they can determine who we […]

They Say He Can’t Win. “We” Think “They” Are Wrong.
By Gwyn Lurie   |   October 10, 2021

It’s become a useful axiom in national politics to ask voters: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Applied to the City of Santa Barbara, I don’t know anyone who would answer that question in the affirmative.  I don’t even believe the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party (known to insiders as the […]

Deborah Schwartz: Challenger, Mayor, Santa Barbara
By Nick Masuda   |   October 5, 2021

With more than a decade served on Santa Barbara’s Planning Commission, Deborah Schwartz has navigated plenty of tough decisions, aiding in projects such as affordable housing and local economy relief. It’s all been good practice for her latest venture: running for mayor. It’s here that she will be faced with not only affordable housing and […]

Mark Whitehurst: Challenger, Mayor, Santa Barbara
By Nick Masuda   |   October 5, 2021

A native of Iowa, Mark Whitehurst has made his impact on the Santa Barbara community through the use of his VOICE – the newspaper publication, that is. Whitehurst is a man of the world, having taught in Australia, while also working in Oregon at his brother’s newspaper before relocating to Santa Barbara some 27 years […]

Randy Rowse: Challenger, Mayor, Santa Barbara
By Nick Masuda   |   October 5, 2021

Randy Rowse admits he had left it all behind – the politics, the late nights watching City Council meetings, the rigors of owning a business. The former Santa Barbara City Council representative was retired, and his wife loved it. But, over the past 18 months or so, monitoring City Council meetings became commonplace. He questioned […]

Cathy Murillo: Incumbent, Mayor, Santa Barbara
By Nick Masuda   |   October 5, 2021

With numerous issues facing the city, the race for Santa Barbara’s mayor seat features a plethora of different backgrounds, with five challengers taking on incumbent Cathy Murillo. Murillo will take on James Joyce, Matt Kilrain, Randy Rowse, Deborah Schwartz, and Mark Whitehurst in an election that begins in early October as mail-in ballots arrive. For […]

James Joyce: Challenger, Mayor, Santa Barbara
By Nick Masuda   |   October 5, 2021

James Joyce has been the ultimate guy behind the scenes, working with a California State Senator on a daily basis, guiding Hannah Beth Jackson’s attention toward what was needed. A key contributor to a beloved senator. And now it’s his time to step out front, although many in the community already know him from Coffee […]

Matt Kilrain: Challenger, Mayor, Santa Barbara
By Nick Masuda   |   October 5, 2021

If you’ve driven around town over the past six weeks, it’s been hard to miss the posters calling to elect “Boat Rat Matt” as Santa Barbara’s next mayor. It’s a moniker that Matt Kilrain embraces, and one that will take him to the November 2 ballot as he takes on incumbent Cathy Murillo, as well […]

Debate This: We’ll Ask the Tough Questions — LIVE
By Nick Masuda   |   September 9, 2021

Four races. Thirteen candidates. We’ll go ahead and shave that to 12, as Eric Friedman is running for Santa Barbara City Council’s District 5 spot unopposed. But that leaves District 4 (Coast Village Road), District 6 (Santa Barbara’s downtown), and mayor (the whole enchilada). These are critical races, responsible for major tourism corridors and the […]

EYC 2.0: Endowment for Youth Committee Looks Beyond Money to Provide Long-Term Opportunity
By Steven Libowitz   |   June 17, 2021

The Endowment for Youth Committee is one of the oldest nonprofits serving the needs of African American students and the greater Black community on the Central Coast, with a history that dates back 35 years. But before Guy R. Walker stepped in as executive director in 2015, the EYC had struggled to continue as a […]

New Dunn School Leader Reinvisions Santa Barbara County as Inclusion Lab
By Nick Masuda   |   June 3, 2021

Kalyan Balaven isn’t slated to start his job as Head of School at Dunn until July 1 — but it feels like he has been around for months. That’s because he has. He’s not only utilizing this time to acclimate his wife and two children to the area, but also establish a rapport with the […]

A Hero’s Journey?
By Gwyn Lurie   |   April 22, 2021

In November, Santa Barbara residents will vote to elect their next mayor. Over the past weeks MJ writer Nick Schou has profiled in these pages the four candidates who have thrown their hats into the mayoral ring to lead Santa Barbara into its next chapter: Incumbent Mayor Cathy Murillo; James Joyce III, founder of Coffee […]

Tale of Two Cities
By Jeff Wing   |   March 11, 2021

The intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis is in the midst of a “makeover,” a new idiom for the city’s beleaguered traffic engineers. The assignment? Design an urban experience that creates space for mourning, reflection, and unimpeded vehicular flow. Not your typical work order. The intersection’s unusual commemorative mission is borne […]

‘Coffee With a Black Guy’ Creator James Joyce Announces Santa Barbara Mayoral Bid
By Nick Schou   |   February 11, 2021

Four years ago, James Joyce III began an ambitious project called “Coffee With a Black Guy.” The idea was simple: Using a combination of wit, humor, and blunt honesty, Joyce sought to help Santa Barbara residents engage in a frank dialogue about issues relating to race and politics, both in our community and nationwide. The […]

Santa Barbara’s Next Mayor?
By Gwyn Lurie   |   November 25, 2020

The 2020 political season is over. Mostly. But like California’s fire season, once reserved to only certain months of the year, election cycles now seem to be with us 24/7-52-365. I guess there’s no rest for the weary. So let me be the first to welcome you to the early days of the next important […]

First Steps to Race in Justice
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 21, 2020

Two MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellows, a Pulitzer Prize winner, an innovative winner of a Grammy for traditional folk music, and a world-famous nun who was the inspiration for an Academy Award-winning movie are all coming to town as part of an ambitious new series from UCSB Arts & Lectures called Race to Justice that launches […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   September 24, 2020

Transmission Lines Need to Go An article by Rinaldo S. Brutoco in the 10-17 September issue of the paper addresses an alternative to P.G.&E’s destructive high voltage transmission lines. His solution is called an “interconnected microgrid network” and it does not need the dangerous transmission lines to operate. There is no question that these lines […]