Tag archives: locals

Jacqueline Hiske Rubinstein passed away September 6th at the young age of 64. Jacqueline was born July 25th, 1958, in Singapore to Hiske and Jack Forsyth. Jacqueline was a citizen of the world; speaking five languages and growing up in areas including Suriname, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, New York, Montecito, and Los Angeles. She was a […]

Water-efficient residential gardens are beautiful, and earlier this month, Montecito residents John and Teri Keating were awarded the grand prize winner for their native garden. The 2022 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest launched this spring to recognize beautiful, water-efficient residential gardens throughout Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara County Water Agency and participating local water providers […]

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions concerning “education accessibility” become central to our discussion about school. But as the team at Cal-SOAP Santa Barbara knows, barriers to education did not simply appear with the pandemic lockdowns. At California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), they ask: What is keeping students out of higher […]

For young writers, the advice is often “write what you know.” And so, the question becomes: What do I know? In many ways, this may be a question that young people seek to avoid. In painful periods of self-growth and in mundane life trials – your chemistry pop quizzes and the like – what you […]

John Joseph Macker, a longtime Montecito resident, beloved father, and Emmy and Peabody award-winning executive producer, passed away on July 26, 2022, at the age of 78. Before moving to Montecito in 1994, John lived a vibrant, Hollywood lifestyle working in television. He orchestrated television shows garnering 14 Emmys and served as the creator and […]

When I started this column, I knew essentially what I wanted to do.  For new endeavors, what you want to do is largely defined by what you can do. And for me, that meant speaking to, about, and for Montecito’s young alumni.  Along the way, I learned that good newspapers strike a balance between the […]

Carlos, The Bear, was grieving the loss of his sister, Carla Bear, as he lumbered up the animal trail that runs from East Valley Road to Summerland, when he ran into Connie, The Cougar.  “Hey there Bear, I haven’t seen you for quite a while, Carlos. You look sad. What’s up?” said Connie. Carlos gave […]

Helene Zalk Pollock was born on January 8, 1919, in Duluth, Minnesota. Her parents Estelle and Louis Zalk moved to Los Angeles in the early 1930s. Her father Louis found success in the early days of the steel industry and later as a business leader when he introduced theosophy to Southern California and co-founded the […]

If one thing is true about Santa Barbara, it’s that our young people have a world-class entrepreneurial spirit. Sisters Aaliyah and Bella Rubio are no exception.  Starting as a way to escape pandemic boredom, Aaliyah (14) and Bella (12) dreamt up the Youth Makers Market as a space for the young people of Santa Barbara […]

As longtime residents of Montecito, we are writing to share our experience and warn the community to watch out for Cox Communications. Sneaky, inept, and arrogant is an understatement. To date, their egregious mishandling of the proposed installation of a state-mandated gas generator on our property has cost us over $20,000 in both legal and […]

If health is wealth, why isn’t everyone rushing to work out? Or making time every day to meditate? Addi Zerrenner, Personal Trainer at Physical Focus and Olympic qualifier, addresses common barriers to getting healthy and talks through techniques you can use to boost your physical and mental wealth.  Q. When it comes to getting fit, […]

It was easy to get swept up in the liminal space of lockdown. Who can appreciate this more than the high school students who were asked to pivot from hour-to-hour classes to the vacuum of a stay-at-home education? With this country’s competitive college admissions space, our high school students are masters of the micro-scheduled and […]

Hot tea or golden toast topped with a drizzle of locally crafted honey in the morning is therapeutic… and delicious. Crafted locally in Ventura, each drop of the delicate, sweet molten gold of Blue Ridge Honey is 100% pure, raw, and unfiltered. Beginning as a family hobby in the late 1970s, Blue Ridge Honey has […]

Spring has sprung, bringing with it the revival of our town’s neighborhood block parties. Recent Montecito town gatherings were the Holiday Tree decorating on San Ysidro Lane in December, and the last block party in April 2019 before the lockdowns. Both events were spawned by members from the Montecito Association, whose love of our town […]

When you think of the words “girl band,” the first thing that comes to mind might be the nostalgic groups of the ‘90s: Spice Girls, Dixie Chicks, The Cranberries. But what makes a girl band is its truest definition: a group of women who harmonize together. Enter Montecito mom and GRLBND founder, Kara Welker. Kara […]

Pierre Lafond passed away this past Sunday at the age of 92, after 60 years in Santa Barbara enterprise overlapping a 25-year career in architecture. Pierre Lafond and his wife, Wendy Foster, developed a number of shops in Montecito and in greater Santa Barbara. And they were vintners and early adopters of Central Coast viticulture, […]

Montecito’s newest restaurant, Local, opens next week, located on the lower level of Coast Village Plaza (1187 Coast Village Road). The new, vibrant eatery is the brainchild of owner Michael Sheldon, who retired from his role as CEO of Goleta-based Curvature in 2017. “I’ve always loved food, cooking, wine, and the experience of eating in […]

Kirsten Marie Donnelly (née van Duinwyk) passed away at home on February 22, 2022 after an incredibly brave battle with cancer. She leaves behind her husband Tom, son Dembelo, parents Susanne and Peter van Duinwyk, sisters Anne-Marie Tucker (Clark) and Lisa Aviani (James), and nieces and nephew, Alison and Chris Tucker, and Clara and Juliana […]