Tag archives: Montecito

Cal Fire Launches Parolee Program
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 23, 2020

If you’ve been up in the foothills of Montecito the last few weeks, you may have seen crews of men clearing out brush from our local hillsides as part of the Montecito Fire Protection District’s vegetation management program. For the last several years, the crews used to perform the work have been inmate fire crews […]

Day of Reflection
By Steven Libowitz   |   January 23, 2020

Sarah McLean leads a meditation immersion/mini-retreat at Montecito Meditation from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, January 25, that serves as an opportunity to unplug from the bombardment of sound, take a respite from technology, put aside to-do lists and dive deeply into your interior. Offerings include silent meditations, a walking meditation, a guided […]

Cold Spring Trail Reopens
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 16, 2020

Last Sunday, January 12, Montecito’s Cold Spring Trail was officially reopened following a two-year long closure after the 1/9 debris flow. First District Supervisor Das Williams hosted the ribbon cutting and celebration at the Cold Spring Trailhead on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. Other key people included Ashlee Mayfield, President of Montecito Trails Foundation, and […]

Upper Village Store Closings
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 16, 2020

Two longstanding stores in Montecito’s Upper Village have announced their impending closures: jewelry shop and gallery, Oliver & Espig, and stationery store The Stationery Collection. Oliver & Espig was founded 46 years ago by owners Glenn Espig and Ingerid Ekeland, and was located in Santa Barbara’s La Arcada before moving to the Upper Village in […]

Montecito Association Annual Meeting
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 16, 2020

Tuesday, January 14, marked the Montecito Association’s 72nd Annual Meeting which was followed by the monthly Board Meeting. The annual meeting marked the retirement of several board members, including Charlene Nagel, Sandy Stahl, and Cliff Ghersen, who will continue his service with the MA on the Transportation Committee. The new year brought seven vacancies on […]

San Ysidro Roundabout at MBAR Pt. 2
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 16, 2020

Last Thursday, January 9, the Montecito Board of Architectural Review heard a presentation from Santa Barbara County’s Deputy Director of Transportation Chris Sneddon regarding the proposed roundabout slated for San Ysidro Road and North Jameson Lane. The hearing was for conceptual review of the project; it was the first time MBAR had formally seen the […]

Desal Water for Montecito
By Floyd Wicks   |   January 16, 2020

As the current Montecito Water District Board President, it is incumbent upon me to ensure that the public is provided the facts surrounding the long-term (50-year) draft agreement with the City of Santa Barbara in order to provide a complete “desal” picture to the residents of Montecito and Summerland. Historical Background In 2010 and 2015, […]

Amazing Gracie
By Steven Libowitz   |   January 9, 2020

Just over five years ago, Grace Fisher was a normal, healthy, happy, and extremely active high school teenager who was proficient at three musical instruments and eagerly anticipating attending the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston the following fall. Then, out of nowhere, tragedy struck at her 17th birthday party when she suddenly developed a severe […]

Montecito Moms: Birgit Klein
By Dalina Michaels   |   October 24, 2019

Birgit (Bee) Klein is an international woman of travel, style, and design. With a resume boasting clients all over the world, she is now poised to make her presence in Montecito more formal… with a new store! Ms Klein and her family came to Montecito four years ago, when her daughter was entering kindergarten and […]

The Joys of Owning Montecito Real Estate
By James Buckley   |   September 12, 2019

There isn’t or wasn’t enough room in the above sub-title to add Santa Barbara, Summerland, Hope Ranch, the Mesa, or virtually anywhere along this golden little coast of ours. But, all those areas are included in the virtuous and valuable Circle of Friendship known locally as “real estate.” Sitting around in the living room of […]

Montecito’s Winter Residents
By Hattie Beresford   |   September 12, 2019

In 1874, author Charles Nordhoff, at the behest of the Southern Pacific Railroad, published a second edition of his California for Health, Pleasure and Residence. In it, he languished praise on Santa Barbara as the loveliest spot in California and promoted its health benefits. Soon the small influx of Easterners escaping the harsh winter months […]

New Neighbors?
By Richard Mineards   |   January 16, 2019

After the unexpected announcement by Prince Harry and his former actress wife Meghan Markle that they are quitting public life to spend more time in North America, the big question is where? It will obviously include Canada where they just spent six weeks on an island near Vancouver, and the Duchess of Sussex lived in […]