Sound Wall Considerations
By Montecito Journal   |   April 18, 2023

I would like to add something to the comments on the recent Board of Supervisors’ decision regarding sound walls along the 101 corridor in Montecito, which meeting I attended. My concern is that in this conversation we are perhaps disregarding the “elephant in the room,” which would be the status of our creeks and their […]

The Three Bridges
By Jude Bijou   |   March 21, 2023

Bridge over troubled waters. A bridge too far. Golden Gate Bridge. Bridge over River Kwai. London Bridge. Building bridges. Burning your bridges. Water under the bridge. We’ll cross that bridge later. Bridge-to-nowhere.  There are many kinds of bridges. A bridge offers you safe passage over an obstacle. I usually discuss the three bridges as they […]

 

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What Happened to Our Sound Wall (Like Other Communities Have)?
By Montecito Journal   |   March 21, 2023

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 […]

Cameras at the Hot Springs: On Whose Authority?
By Montecito Journal   |   March 14, 2023

On Feb. 16, 2023, a camera was placed facing a newly restored pool at the Montecito Hot Springs. The camera bore a tag that had printed on it “County of Santa Barbara, Public Works, Trail and Creek Monitoring in Progress, Do Not Tamper or Remove, Enforced by County Sheriff.”  The Dept. of Public Works wasn’t […]

Chronic Vagrancy vs. Homelessness And The Millions of Dollars Being Spent
By Lang Martinez   |   February 28, 2023

As a person who has experienced homelessness as a former addict living on the streets of Ventura County, I have come to understand how chronic vagrancy gives homelessness a bad name. For the last four years I have made the choice to wake up clean and sober so I can advocate for others like me […]

Picking the President in 2024
By Bob Hazard   |   February 28, 2023

Political pundits still predict a polarizing presidential prizefight in 2024 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. It seems inconceivable that voters of either party want a rematch between two tired octogenarians. Trump would be 79, Biden 82. John F. Kennedy was 43 when elected to the Oval Office. How does one choose between the divisiveness […]

Regarding Susan Keller letter, “In Response to the MPC Removal” (Montecito Journal, Feb. 9-16, 2023)
By Montecito Journal   |   February 28, 2023

I must add my protest to Susan’s arbitrary removal from the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC).  As a 20-year resident of Montecito, who recently had an issue important to us and our neighborhood before the MPC, Susan Keller was one of two commissioners who took the time to listen to us, actually visit the site, and […]

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  • Dear Mr. Cox and Cox Communications
    By Montecito Journal   |   February 21, 2023

    We feel so lucky to live in Montecito, a beautiful community with great neighbors and friendly dogs. And you owe me $30,000. This is what I was forced to spend on legal and engineering fees trying to stop your company from ripping out our landscaping and killing our trees in order to put a large, […]

    A Seat at the Table
    By Gwyn Lurie   |   February 7, 2023

    Anita Hill never wanted to testify before the Senate Judiciary committee. In fact, despite a stellar academic record, you probably would not know the name Anita Hill if not for veteran NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg. The same way you wouldn’t know the Watergate Hotel, if not for Woodward and Bernstein. How it came […]

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    Emergency Management Matters
    By Montecito Journal   |   February 7, 2023

    I read with great interest Gwyn Lurie’s recent editorial Q&A with Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor. As a retired Certified Emergency Manager, with 23 years of experience in County Emergency Management, I find these topics very interesting from both a personal and professional perspective. I’ll preface my comments by saying that I have an enormous […]

    Holocaust Memorial Day
    By Montecito Journal   |   January 31, 2023

    Continued education and understanding of cultural groups are needed across our community. Last month, anti-Semitic flyers were dispersed across the Mesa on the first day of Hanukkah. This was a coordinated effort that occurred in the Second District that Laura Capps represents and is compounded by the horrific displays of anti-Semitism across the country. Like […]

    The Wrong Solution to the Wrong Problem at the Wrong Time
    By Bob Hazard   |   January 31, 2023

    In November, Montecito residents watched in dismay as carpenters and electricians dismantled two-thirds of the popular outdoor dining parklets at Lucky’s Steakhouse and one half of the parklets serving Tre Lune Ristorante to restore four new parking spaces on Coast Village Road (CVR).  Nearby, the city parklet guillotine fell on Jeannine’s Restaurant & Bakery, which […]

    To Evacuate or Not to Evacuate?
    By Gwyn Lurie   |   January 24, 2023

    I’m sure I’m not alone in being relieved that our community did not have to be evacuated during the storm this past weekend. Still, I was on pins and needles wondering whether that scary alarm would suddenly come blaring from my phone, informing me it was time to pile my family, my dogs, and a […]

    Janu-Scary
    By Gwyn Lurie   |   January 17, 2023

    In my end-of-year letter, I wrote about my habitual January dread. Or as I sometimes like to call it, Janu-scary. And then January 9th reared its ugly head. Again. The coincidence of Mother Nature’s repeat performance was, to say the least, eerie. Let’s just say this is one time I didn’t enjoy being prescient. As […]

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