Tag archives: Leslie Westbrook

Local Film in the Fest
By Richard Mineards   |   January 31, 2023

Santa Barbara-based filmmaker Brent Winebrenner and local duo Suzanne Requejo and Montecito Journal scribe Leslie Westbrook are excited to have their 15-minute documentary, Voces de Old Town Carpinteria, have its premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival next month. It features five older Carpinteria residents, including 103-year-old Josephine Villegas and narrator historian Dr. Jim […]

Mining Memories in Nevada City
By Leslie Westbrook   |   June 7, 2022

It’s an eight-hour trek by car from our parts to Nevada City, but if you love history, historic hotels with a hip edge, and mountain scenery, it’s worth the miles. Located approximately 60 miles northeast of Sacramento, Nevada City was once a booming mining town – and they play off their past. A recently restored […]

Painting the Past, Present, and Future of Carpinteria
By Carly Williams   |   May 31, 2022

Lying just south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria is known as a beloved beach town with its Latinx culture and agricultural roots: food farmers, avocado and lemon orchards, flower growers, and the cannabis industry where the majority of these workers are Latinx. Flourishing local farms are an essential element to the Carpinteria Valley and to the […]

Families in Paradise: “Are we there yet?”
By Leslie Westbrook   |   May 3, 2022

How can you — or your kids — not be happy when the GPS navigational voice instructs: “Make a left on Vacation Road.” Especially after that relentless, age-old question: “Are we there yet?” Even a high school friend of mine’s face lit up when I told him I was heading to San Diego’s Paradise Point. […]

A Vintage Jim Buckley Non-Apology Apology
By Montecito Journal   |   June 10, 2021

In last week’s issue, Gwyn Lurie’s “Editor’s Letter” decries what she calls “incendiary language” in my recent column, calling it a “mistake” to have even printed it in the first place. I re-read it and though found it somewhat provocative, I believe that at no time does it reach the incendiary stage (450 degrees Fahrenheit, […]

Journalist Trifecta
By Montecito Journal   |   February 4, 2021

It takes a good interviewer and writer and selection of a worthy subject to produce a meaningful and touching article.  Leslie A. Westbrook achieved all three for her piece, “At Home with Lou” (August 21-28, 2021). She focused on interviews with the prize-winning, former senior White House Correspondent for The Washington Post, Lou Cannon, and […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   January 14, 2021

Comic Relief For the funniest line ever to appear in the Journal, the Oscar goes to:  “As of press time, Jesus Christ was unavailable for comment due to commitments elsewhere.” LOL, LOL, LOL! Thanks Nick, I needed that. LeeAnn MorganMontecito Identifying Dangerous Mask Deniers How will public health officials, ambulance drivers, and the TSA distinguish […]