Tag archives: Montecito Association

We had more than 100 volunteers come out to beautify Montecito. The Rosewood Miramar hosted a beautiful breakfast with coffee, teas, pastries, and breakfast burritos and had about 20 to 30 team members join us! Everyone got their safety vests, trash grabbers and trash bags and went out for a few hours to pick up […]

Last week while reporting on the upcoming Beautification Day event on November 4, we mistakenly omitted an important sponsor: Occhiali Fine Eyewear, which is providing cupcakes for the event from Violette Bakeshop. Owned by Samantha Eve, the bakery specializes in custom cupcakes for various celebrations. We regret the omission.  For more information about Beautification Day, […]

Save the date for Saturday, November 4, for the 38th annual Montecito Association Beautification Day. Themed “It Takes a Village,” this year’s event is shaping up to be a super successful event, after several years of COVID-induced, pared-down versions of the popular volunteer event. “We’re back! And we are thrilled that so many people and […]

In last week’s edition we briefly reported on the proposed plans by the Rosewood Miramar Resort to expand its offerings. Reps of the property, owned by Rick Caruso, were due to be in front of the Montecito Association Board of Directors earlier this week, but had to cancel due to illness.  A brief conversation was […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, President Megan Orloff announced the Association’s new Executive Director: Houghton Hyatt, who served on the MA Board of Directors for six years, and has helped with countless community events. We’ll have more with Hyatt and her ideas for the MA in a future edition.  During Community […]

Pat McElroy was at the Montecito Association Board of Directors on Tuesday, giving a report on the six steel debris flow nets that were placed in the canyons above Montecito in 2018. Recently, the citizen-led group that spearheaded the installation of the nets, The Project for Resilient Communities, filed an application with the County of […]

At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, the Board had a lively discussion regarding retail chains in Montecito’s Upper Village. Spurred by the impending opening of RH (i.e. Restoration Hardware) in the Old Firehouse, a discussion ensued as to whether the MA board should be at the forefront of a future ordinance regulating […]

In an announcement made last week, Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne will be stepping down from her position in order to assume leadership of the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF), a national feminist organization. “It’s long been a dream of mine to advance the cause of women’s rights in the United States, and globally. I’ve […]

Don’t miss Montecito’s fourth annual Motorcade Parade on July 4! The festive event, which was borne out of the social distancing measures put in place by the pandemic, will be rolling through Montecito beginning at 11:30 am on Tuesday, July 4. “We are encouraging everyone to come out and support the community and show their […]

At Tuesday’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, Montecito Fire Chief David Neels announced that a new temporary fire station south of the freeway is opening in Montecito this week, in response to the community-wide traffic congestion currently occurring.  “We are concerned about emergency access due to construction, and we are augmenting our emergency response […]

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office awarded its Exceptional Civilian Award to Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne, citing her “extraordinary dedication to others and her collaborative work” with the Sheriff’s deputies, primarily in creating and managing the Hands Across Montecito project to address homelessness. The award described Ms. Byrne as “an accomplished neighborhood advocate […]

At a Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting earlier this week, Executive Director Sharon Byrne and First District Supervisor representative Darcel Elliott gave an update on plans for a Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance for the Coastal Zone in Montecito. As it stands now, the only ordinance pertaining to STRs in Montecito is […]

At our board meeting on May 9th, we had two surprises: We did our first hybrid meeting at the Montecito Fire Station on San Ysidro Rd., and we sure appreciate their hosting us.  We welcomed Jack Lorenz from Dignity Moves as our guest speaker, and he wowed the crowd in person and online. The Hands […]

At a quiet Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting earlier this week, Montecito Water District general manager Nick Turner reported several happenings at MWD, including an upcoming town hall meeting next week to review and discuss a final draft of Montecito’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan.  Since the Montecito Groundwater Sustainability Agency was founded in 2018, data […]

At a rescheduled board meeting last Wednesday, April 22, the Montecito Association Board of Directors met to discuss the upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting in which the Board will consider two appeals of the widening of Highway 101 related to the removal of sound walls from the project.  The Montecito Association Board voted to send […]

Last year, our own Montecito Association did its diligent best to inform us of the final plan for Caltrans’ highway widening project. Many of us thought further study would be forthcoming, particularly updated FEMA maps (which are now in process). In December 2022, Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved the project as is. The final […]

As a neighborhood association, we receive lots of questions, and some can be difficult to sort, particularly if they cross multiple jurisdictional lines. We encounter this often with Hands Across Montecito, when we work the area around the Hot Springs exit. In just a few steps on the tracks, you’re moving back and forth between […]

Montecito Association’s Annual Meeting was postponed last week because of the storm and evacuation, instead meeting on Wednesday, January 11. The Board of Directors and attendees were briefed on evacuations and flood damage by Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Commander Brad Welch, and Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi.  Chief Taylor thanked the Board […]

Project Progress Highway 101 Widening Project  The long-awaited widening project from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara was discussed at length in 2022, with countless meetings to discuss design, construction, timing, and other details related to the addition of a third lane through Montecito.  The Montecito segment of the project (called 4D) includes widening 1.4 miles of […]

At the Montecito Association’s Land Use & Transportation Committee hearing earlier this week, the committee was briefed on upcoming plans to beautify the “triangle” in front of Casa Dorinda, where Olive Mill and Hot Springs roads meet.  The $200,000 project is being funded in part by Montecito Community Foundation, with help from Casa Dorinda and […]