Tag archives: social distancing

‘Skunky Odors’ Need Immediate Attention
By Montecito Journal   |   April 1, 2021

We are the residents of Linden Meadow in Carpinteria, a community of 40 homes immediately adjacent to the greenhouses located at 4801 Foothill and 1495 Sterling Road in Carpinteria. For the last few years, we have been regularly subjected to the heavy, skunky odors of cannabis growing in the greenhouses surrounding our area. The smell […]

Have Vaccine Passport, Will…
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   March 25, 2021

At the very least, travelling will be lot easier and safer with your “soon to be issued” vaccine passport. Crystal Cruises has already announced it will not accommodate any future passengers who cannot provide proof of vaccination at the time of departure. And, even then you also have to provide a current negative COVID-19 test […]

Just a Few Miles from Home
By Gwyn Lurie   |   December 17, 2020

Just hours into what is hopefully our final lockdown order, it’s deja vu all over again. I’m worried about my mother in Los Angeles and my in-laws cooped up in assisted living at Maravilla. As we head into the holidays, I’m missing my family and friends, I’m feeling bad for my kids, and I’m concerned […]

Simple Birthdays? Nay, we say.
By Ernie Witham   |   September 24, 2020

Our family spends more time planning birthdays than some people spend reading presidential briefs… it’s been said… by many, many, fine folks. We’ve had choreographed dance-offs, whereas we all stand in a large circle and someone does a dance move. The next person has to duplicate it or get eliminated. Out of pity they let […]

No Wasted Crises
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   August 27, 2020

The triple threat we face could make our country stronger than ever You’ve heard the old saying “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” No question, we are ensnared in a crisis, within a crisis, within a crisis. We have the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic with 180,000 dead in the United States as […]

Salons & Barber Shops Pivot
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 6, 2020

Two popular salons on Coast Village Road are yet again doing the “pandemic pivot,” and are now offering their services outside, in alignment with guidelines from the State of California that went into effect in late July. Salon owner Xavier Scordo, who took ownership of the salon known as Belle de Jour in Olive Mill […]

San Ysidro Ranch Opens Three Outdoor Restaurants to Public
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 6, 2020

Warner said he had kept the San Ysidro Ranch open throughout the pandemic because the 41-cottage property is well suited for social distancing. The only time the hotel has been closed since Warner purchased it in 2000, was in the aftermath of the January 8, 2018 mudslides, which destroyed half the property. Unlike his other […]

Why Are We Here?
By Rinaldo Brutoco   |   July 30, 2020

My wife and I have significant comorbidity issues that would be extremely dangerous were we to contract COVID-19. Many of us have been self-quarantined since mid-February with no end in sight. Why are we here? California started way behind New York in experiencing large pandemic infections, only to pass it. Why are we here? Santa […]

SB Event Co.: Setting the Stage for Custom Dining
By Claudia Schou   |   July 30, 2020

Uneasy about dining outdoors in public? Bring the chef to your home for an intimate social distance gathering with loved ones On a recent sunny afternoon, Chas Escalante, SB Event Co.’s co-founder and chef, takes a tape measure in hand to assess spacing for a backyard barbecue at a home perched atop the Riviera. Just […]

Masker-Aid
By Gwyn Lurie   |   July 16, 2020

There’s an old saying, “If you don’t plan on doing it right, you’d better plan on doing it again.” As I write, Governor Newsom has just stepped way out ahead of the federal government and ordered sweeping rollbacks of businesses in 30 counties across California, including our own. In Santa Barbara, not so long ago […]

Parklets on Coast Village Road
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 9, 2020

In response to the staggering loss of local business related to the coronavirus pandemic, the City of Santa Barbara, in late May, authorized the use of “parklets” as an innovative way for restaurant owners to add physically distanced gathering spaces to public streets. The parklets are intended to be located in the parking lane adjacent […]

More Buzz…
By Leslie Westbrook   |   July 9, 2020

Longtime fixture Summerland Oriental Rugs has moved their showroom across the street to the former home of Clive Markey’s Pine Trader. Longtime treasure-filled Summerland Antiques Collective re-opened a few weeks ago and has been buzzing with activity adding to the retail mix… Carpinteria’sPorchis moving from Santa Claus Lane to Lillie Avenue (into the space formerly […]

Montecito’s Village 4th Parade
By Joanne A Calitri   |   July 9, 2020

Our town’s Annual Village 4th Parade was a great success! The Montecito Association went to great efforts to have a car parade whose route included all the Montecito area schools and where most of the students lived, as well as Channel Drive. The parade was well attended all along the parade route, lined with happy […]

Cottage Hospital Update
By Nick Schou   |   July 2, 2020

It’s been more than three months since the scary reality of the coronavirus threat began to sink in with public officials in California, and unfortunately, the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, recent reports suggest the virus is not only spreading thanks to lackluster social-distancing efforts by sun-worshipping millennials, but is possibly […]

Cat Cora, Restaurateur and Chef
By Claudia Schou   |   July 2, 2020

Summer is officially underway, so what better way to celebrate the season than to embrace the summer tradition of backyard grilling with family and friends? A cookout is the perfect way to practice social distancing with loved ones while satiating your gustatory appetites.  Whether you’re in the mood for burgers, marinated meats, grilled tofu and […]

Socially Distant Ecstatic Dancing
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 21, 2020

Also taking to the great outdoors this week is the Santa Barbara Ecstatic Dance Co-op, which features music programmed by members of the community who are encouraged to express themselves through their choices of songs, rhythms, and beats. Its last dance took place at Divinitree Yoga studio the first Friday in March before bowing to […]

Qigong Gets Back to the Garden
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 21, 2020

Carpinteria Qigong/tai chi teacher Jessica Kolbe was one of the last to shut down in personal classes, only giving up her gatherings that were fighting the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing on Carpinteria State Beach when the statewide stay-at-home orders became official in mid-March. She’s been offering online classes ever since, with the more […]

Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Lompoc Federal Prison Inmates
By Nick Schou   |   May 21, 2020

Although it houses just 1,162 people behind bars – not to mention a healthy supply of razor wire – Lompoc Federal Prison already has no less than 900 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19. That’s not only well more than 70 percent of the prison’s population, it’s also roughly half the number of people […]

Unsolitary Confinement and Other Considerations in the Age of Coronavirus
By Les Firestein   |   May 14, 2020

You’ve gotta give it up for humans. With the exception of the Dark Ages, we’re always trying to figure out better ways to nest and adapt those nests to what life throws at us. But how we shelter has never had to absorb so much change… or so much stuff… so quickly as now. Our […]

How to Buy a Montecito Mansion During a Global Pandemic
By Nick Schou   |   May 7, 2020

Last Friday, I took a guided tour of a charming abode hidden at the end of a long and curving driveway on East Mountain Road. Located just a block away from the San Ysidro Trailhead, the property included an historical guest cottage (believed to have once belonged to Priscilla Presley), and a home office above […]