Tag archives: letters

A Message from Supervisor Capps
By Montecito Journal   |   November 19, 2024

Santa Barbara County is a place where we value inclusivity, compassion, and support for all residents, regardless of gender, faith, ethnicity or political affiliation. There is still more that unites us; we are stronger together.  Beginning today, we will be even more vigilant to ensure the safety of all people, especially the most vulnerable. Immigrants […]

MPC Befuddlement
By Montecito Journal   |   October 29, 2024

Befuddled. I rarely use this word, but found it the most appropriate to describe what I witnessed at the MPC meeting regarding the Miramar project. Talk about Amateur Hour(s).  There are a lot a great people in Montecito, who earned their place, with pure intent, and who want nothing more than to preserve the beauty […]

On Board with Guy Walker
By Montecito Journal   |   October 22, 2024

I give my strongest possible endorsement to Guy Walker for County Board of Education, for the Trustee Area including most of the Santa Ynez Valley, Vandenberg Village, Los Alamos, and Guadalupe. Guy has worked hard for many years as a volunteer in the field of education and understands the challenges and opportunities our students face. […]

Support for P
By Montecito Journal   |   October 15, 2024

Having lived and grown up in Santa Barbara over the last 70 plus years, my wife and I came to appreciate how important SBCC is to the health and welfare of our community. We attended local public schools and took advantage of SBCC upon graduating from high school. She was in one of the first […]

Caruso’s Commitment to Compliance
By Montecito Journal   |   October 8, 2024

I was dismayed to see the Journal’s front-page headline stating that the Miramar “short circuits local process and heads to county,” accompanied by a fabricated image of the project. The Miramar has done nothing except recognize, along with the County, that the law leaves the jurisdiction of this matter with the County rather than with […]

A Message to MBAR
By Montecito Journal   |   September 24, 2024

I’m writing to express my deep concern regarding the sudden and dramatic change in the appearance of our neighborhood, which seems to have unfolded in the last few weeks on your watch. As I’m sure you have noticed, there are now copious amounts of enormous fiber optic wires, apparently installed by someone with an enthusiasm […]

The Way it Was
By Montecito Journal   |   September 10, 2024

Historian Hattie Beresford’s most recent The Way It Was column, about Andrew Carnegie’s 1910 visit to Santa Barbara and the civic good works of his associates, Charles Lewis Taylor and Henry Smith Pritchett, was a winner. Ms. Beresford’s work is consistently educational and enjoyable — a reliable, welcome gem among the din of real estate […]

Not a Pogrom
By Montecito Journal   |   September 3, 2024

Gwyn Lurie makes statements about anti-war protesters yet leaves out valuable information in her claims. She states that protesting outside of a synagogue is antisemitic while leaving out the very important substance of the protests. This is incredibly misleading. No one inside the synagogue was practicing their religion; there was an illegal sale of Palestinian […]

Miramar Recognition
By Montecito Journal   |   August 13, 2024

I feel compelled to recognize the Miramar for hosting a terrific community barbecue this past weekend. I know many of us in the neighborhood appreciated the warm hospitality, the live music on the beach and delicious food and drinks. It made for one of the best afternoons this summer. Beyond this event, I’m glad to […]

Blessings from Blessings
By Montecito Journal   |   July 30, 2024

Dear Montecito Journal,  Thank you. Woof woof! My dog friends saw me in the paper and now they all want to be Top Dogs too! Blessings The Need for Affordable Housing Montecito needs affordable housing. The Miramar is doing it the right way. Hard-working employees deserve the chance to live near their jobs. That basic […]

Embracing Miramar’s Plan for Employee Housing
By Montecito Journal   |   July 16, 2024

Having moved to Montecito in 1973, I well remember the many memorable activities at the Miramar. To me, the Miramar was the “Gateway” to Montecito/Santa Barbara coming in from the 101 Highway. It was then, as it is today, a magical location for both locals as well as the guests to spend rewarding time with […]

Local Observations
By Montecito Journal   |   July 9, 2024

I support both Russel Ruiz and Cliff Gherson’s thoughtful and on-point letters to the editor in opposition to the glitz shopping center about to be dropped from the Trojan horse of “affordable housing.” I’ve known both of these good fellows for probably 50 years as a resident and small business owner here in this wonderful […]

Glad to See Miramar Proposal
By Tim Buckley   |   June 4, 2024

I was one of many people who spoke in favor of the Miramar project at a recent Montecito Association Board Meeting. There were a significant number of residents who joined me, reflecting what I believe to be the consensus among many in the broader Montecito community; this is a great plan that will improve the […]

Good Neighbors
By Montecito Journal   |   May 28, 2024

I am pleased that the Miramar is proposing adding affordable workforce housing for their employees alongside apartments and shops. Workforce housing helps local residents build a stronger foundation in the neighborhood: it helps both community and business. As the retired Director of the All Saints by the Sea Parish School next door, I was continually […]

More Land Loss
By Montecito Journal   |   May 14, 2024

I thought you might be interested to know there has recently been more land loss on Butterfly Beach. Also, I have been reporting for years to various bodies about how undermined the pedestrian/bike path is. Well over a month ago they put out signs to warn people. It has been reported in local news that […]

Support Your Neighbors
By Montecito Journal   |   May 7, 2024

My family home is within walking distance of the Miramar. I am a seventh generation Santa Barbarian. My family and I, along with many neighbors both nearby and across Montecito, firmly support the plan to add affordable housing for the workers of the Miramar, which in part is funded by the addition of retail shops […]

Shock, Awe, and Support
By Montecito Journal   |   April 2, 2024

In these troubling times both domestically and abroad, it’s great to see, in the just-certified election of Carpinteria’s Roy Lee as the new Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor, a heartening example that our system of one-person, one-vote does actually on occasion work as it was intended, and to be reminded of the essential role […]

Re: Das Williams
By Montecito Journal   |   February 20, 2024

Your recent editorial describing Das Williams as ‘commitment to self rather than to public service’ surprised me. That is a term I have never associated with him. I have personally worked with Das over these last 20 years on issues that touched on his passion for improving our Environment – bike and pedestrian safety improvements, […]

What is to be Gained
By Montecito Journal   |   February 13, 2024

Dear Editor [Gwyn Lurie], You wrote, “And I say, what do we have to lose by giving him [Roy Lee] a chance to prove it? Seems not much.” (Montecito Journal, Feb. 1-8, 2024) It’s not a chance of losing anything. It’s a chance to gain a lot by electing Roy Lee 1st District County Supervisor! […]

In Caltrans We (Don’t) Trust
By Montecito Journal   |   December 26, 2023

When you wrote the article about Caltrans tearing down the iconic trees in the Montecito median in order to expand the freeway, one of their excuses was that it would allow them to limit tearing up the landscape on the edges of the freeway. I wrote a letter questioning many of the positions Caltrans was […]