Tag archives: locals

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

These K-Rails on the 101 are extreme causes of fear. Who pays for the cleanup after accidents, including the semi on fire in Summerland backing up traffic for hours? Does the City have recourse for cleaning up after the fire and accidents? This superhighway they are building will have big effects on the community. I […]

Have you ever wondered why you can’t find a parking space on Coast Village Road? Coast Village Road is not downtown Santa Barbara. Unlike downtown, Coast Village Road does not have public parking structures and has suffered from a parking shortage well before the pandemic. So, it should come as no surprise that removing 23% […]

In a tribute to Ted Tedesco on his 90th birthday, his son David said, “Show me a man who does not like Ted Tedesco because I don’t believe it.” A tribute from a friend said he learned three things from Ted: “It’s important to carry on no matter what life throws at you, remember to […]

Writers and friends gathered at Tecolote recently to celebrate Steven Gilbar’s latest tome, having published over 20 books. This one is titled The Little Book of Montecito Writers and includes over 50 names. This doesn’t count journalists or memoirists.  No garrets or starving poets here, with the median home costing about $5 million. Gilbar thinks […]

After soaring into the heavens last week aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket from a spaceport in Van Horn, Texas, the former CEO of California Closets and Party America reached an altitude of 350,000 feet, or about 66 miles, above our planet, flying above the Kármán line, which is defined as the boundary between Earth’s […]

In his upcoming exhibit, Far and Near, at the Santa Barbara Fine Art Gallery, Michael Drury explores the illustrious landscapes of California, Nevada, and Ireland, immersing the viewer in these locations with his distinctive style of plein air painting. While this exhibit captures vistas far and near, Drury got his start in painting more near […]

A 2007 study from the Community College Journal of Research and Practice noted that 87% of students surveyed were experiencing moderate to high levels of stress. To cope, students reported enjoying exercise and talking to friends, but cited that they would often use alcohol, cigarettes, and hard drugs to self-medicate. Given our understanding of the […]

I’ve been reading some excellent opinions in the Journal. Writers are challenging the Montecito Creek Water Company’s claim to the wonderful life-giving Montecito Hot Springs. These writers are right, we need to unite for the Earth, everywhere we can. I figure, if we’re taking on one water user, we’re taking on all water users. For […]

On Thursday morning (March 10, 2022) the reservoir on upper Hot Springs Road was empty so no water was going to the estates below. This was because the main pipe had been disconnected for days on end, and the hot springs water that normally flowed into the reservoir poured onto Hot Springs Trail.  Will the […]

The air smells like printer ink and young people around the country are biting their nails. It’s that time of the year again: Admissions Season. If there’s one thing I have learned from studying abroad, it’s that Americans truly have some cultural quirks. One of those cute little oddities is the way we handle college […]