Tag archives: Thomas Fire

Montecito mudslide survivors Kim Cantin and her 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, were guests on fellow resident Ellen DeGeneres‘s TV talk show and presented with a check for $20,000, courtesy of Walmart, to help rebuild their lives. Both were rescued after their home was demolished by the devastating slides in January, and Lauren’s rescue was seen around […]

Montecito Family YMCA has partnered with more than a dozen local organizations and leaders to provide assistance to the Montecito community in response to the Thomas Fire and mudslides. In collaboration with these local organizations, the YMCA was able to assist in providing childcare, mud removal, youth activities, clothes, and toys for affected Montecito residents. […]

At the recent community information meeting hosted by the Montecito Trail Foundation (MTF), Santa Barbara/Ojai District ranger Pancho Smith noted that almost all of the hot spots within the Thomas Fire area had been extinguished. An official declaration that the fire is out is required before closed portions of Los Padres Forest can be reopened. […]

On Tuesday, May 15, the County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted on an amendment that modifies the current “Like for Like” (LFL) ordinance that allows people who want to rebuild their home the same way it was before, to get an exemption from the County Planning and Development (P&D) permitting process. The Thomas fire/debris flows […]

About 328 students received diplomas at Westmont Commencement on May 5, but none with more courage than Connor McManigal, who was seriously injured but survived the January 9 mudslide in Montecito.  “He was literally swept out of his home and swept more than a mile downstream and ended up on the 101,” president Gayle D. […]

The Thomas Wildfire and the January 9 debris flow have presented the county with the most complex disaster recovery and preparedness scenarios in California history. The confluence of events leading to the twin disasters was unprecedented, the threat of a repeat disaster is still imminent, acceptable mitigation solutions are still amorphous, and their costs uncertain. […]

After the Thomas Fire and flash floods that decimated our rarefied enclave, the World Business Academy and the Clean Coalition have combined to form the Montecito Community Microgrid Initiative. “Together we can create microgrids to ensure indefinite renewable-driven energy resilience for critical facilities, including the Montecito Fire Protection District headquarters and the Montecito Water District […]

On April 21, the California Highway Patrol’s chipmunk mascot, Chipper, helped to donate toys to families affected by the recent fires and mudslides at the Montecito YMCA.  Spin Master toy company donated 12.5 pallets of toys to the California Highway Patrol. Chipper passed out toys and greeted kids at the event, which is a national […]

When he awoke the morning of January 9, wine maker (2018 “Vintner of the Year”) and longtime Montecito resident Fred Brander found himself sharing space with nearly 900 tons of mud, rocks, and boulders that hadn’t been on his property the night before. His home is north of East Mountain Drive and none of the […]

Montecito firefighters were out in force at the San Ysidro Ranch, but there were no flames to extinguish or new mudslides to clear up. Just the opportunity for more than 100 blaze busters and other VIP guests to enjoy the bounteous hospitality of Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner, who hosted a dinner party in a […]

This town could use a little good news. It has been a little more than a year since we elected two new members to the Montecito Water District Board of Directors. Are we any closer to the goal of water security? Montecito Water District (MWD), its board, its management, and its employees have all been […]

AHA! Co-founders and directors Jennifer Freed and Rendy Freedman are pleased to announce “Rising Together”, a free community event for the South Coast area to find support and resources post the Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslide. The event is set for SB City College West Campus on Saturday, April 21, at 9 am. It was […]

The question being asked of real estate agents in Montecito is simply, “How is the Montecito real estate market doing?” This question comes, of course, in the wake of the recent deadly debris flow that shut down the 101 freeway for weeks, took the lives of 23 of our friends and neighbors, and damaged or […]

Going forward, Montecito home and business owners need to have continuing, affordable, comprehensive, insurance coverage. As a community, we need to speak with one voice in demanding that public officials ensure that such insurance remains in place.  Here are three of the issues that will have to be addressed by lawmakers, insurance regulators, and insurance […]

Last month, in response to a public request, Montecito Association (MA) Land Use Committee chair Cori Hayman identified the “Top 10 Issues” facing Montecito. The goal was to focus on making the village better than it was before the twin disasters of the Thomas wildfire and the January 9 debris flow.  The Land Use Committee’s […]

Earlier this week, California Insurance commissioner Dave Jones announced that insurers have received 2,000+ insurance claims totaling more than $421 million in losses from the Montecito mudslide.  “Over $421 million in insured losses represents more than property lost – behind these numbers are the tragic deaths of 21 people and thousands of residents traumatized by […]

The awesome mountains above us still precariously harbor massive boulders, reminding us daily of our lost friends, neighbors, and family. Some of the 12-foot high boulders that traveled all the way down the mountain, past East Valley Road, sit like monuments to the enduring power of nature. What does the law have to say about […]

As we roll into spring, most in Montecito feel a temporary sense of relief, anticipating that any rainstorm in April will not rise to the ½-inch-per-hour threshold needed to trigger another evacuation. Evidence is that the added protection from new wider, deeper, boulder-lined creek channels restored by the Army Corps of Engineers and County Flood […]

I have been in science my whole life, and as I age I realize it rarely has needed a Newton or Einstein; it has just needed information and common sense. As an example, I realized in recent weeks after witnessing the current hysteria over rain and flooding, there is a simpler explanation to our freak […]

Montecito‘s bike and walking paths are slipping into the ocean. Recent heavy rains are eroding the bike path’s retaining wall along Channel Drive. The path is now dramatically undermined; easily viewable from the beach. In various areas, huge sections of retaining cement walls, mounds of cliff-side mud and trees litter the sand. This week, a […]