Every once in a while, something happens that reminds you how extraordinary are the people who call Montecito home. On Friday afternoon, July 3, I brought my beloved two-year-old blue merle Mini Australian Shepherd, Daisy, to our CalPrivate Bank office in Montecito, as I often do on Fridays. Because many of our clients had the […]
I was homeless before I knew what that meant. The place I remember most is Lake Tulloch – doing my homework by flashlight, shivering, my shoulders searing from sunburn so deep we packed them in mustard to draw the heat out. The smell of mustard is still the smell of those nights. I would lie […]
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Jeffrey Harding’s spirited defense of capitalism (Montecito Journal,May 14-21, 2026) by way of castigating “liberals-progressive-socialists” whom he alleges despise and wish to destroy billionaires, presents a familiar argument – capitalism good, socialism bad. Maybe an independent mind would consider capitalism and socialism as tools in a toolbox of ideas and approaches that can be used […]
About a month ago I enjoyed the surprise of having my photo on the cover of the Montecito Journal (May 14-21, 2026). The feature article highlighted an important, but perhaps little-known nonprofit in our community called Veggie Rescue. I had no business being the face of the article. In case you didn’t read the article, […]
Recently a new word just popped up courtesy of the NY Times: “microlooting.” Microlooting is a word that justifies petty theft (shoplifting) as a political statement. The idea is that as long as you are stealing from “big corporations” it is a protest. NYT reporter Nadja Spiegelman interviewed The New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino and […]
“Most of what passes for ‘investment advice’ is nothing more than speculation about an unknowable future.” – Joe Calhoun III, Alhambra Investments. “Economics is an entire scientific discipline of not knowing what you’re talking about.” – P. J. O’Rourke. “What passes as sensible economic commentary by politicians, pundits, and preachers is but a torrent of […]
Most people don’t know how important the office of Clerk-Recorder-Assessor is. We vote for that person because they oversee our records, property taxes, and perhaps most importantly, our elections. That’s why we need someone who shows up and knows the work. That person is Melinda Greene. Melinda has been the Chief Deputy Clerk-Recorder-Assessor for 12 […]
On April 15 in a smugly gleeful video staged in front of investment CEO Ken Griffin’s $238 million Manhattan penthouse, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposed an annual tax on pied-à-terre (second) homes, especially those owned by billionaires like Griffin. Mamdani thinks billionaires are what’s wrong with America and he’s going after them. Alexandra Ocasio Cortes […]
The mind of your Independent Mind columnist has been adrift this week. Too much going on to take it all in. So, I am going to report on two things I can’t get out of my head. Rent Control The City of Santa Barbara ignored my generous offer of help on the issue of rent […]
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I have a pair of nesting kestrels in my yard. Because the kestrels need lots of mice and voles to feed their young, I realize how easily they can be harmed if my neighbors put out rodent poison. On my walk yesterday a woman asked me if I had seen the sick coyote which is […]
We are sad to learn that the wonderful Miss B’s in Summerland is unable to open. I have been walking by the location at the corner of Lilly and Olive, and chatting with the owner, Sara, for over a year. She explained her vision for a young child’s club and art venue, and I’ve watched […]
On the day this article reaches the newsstands it will be the 19th day of the WAR in Iran. Things are still uncertain and moving fast. My Part I article on the war yielded a lot of comments, good and bad. I’m accused by critics of a lot of things – mainly that I ignored […]
Outdoor lighting is something most of us rarely think about, yet it has a powerful impact on birds. White outdoor lighting attracts insects at night and many of those insects die from these bulbs – from exhaustion, predation or from hot bulbs. This matters far beyond insects because birds rely heavily on caterpillars and other […]
Oh, my dear Jeff!I’ll be the first to confessYour acerbic finesseSinges my skin like a spark to a dress. But your piece on Ms. Flagg–Well, on that I will brag!I laughed out loud–truly cackled, by gag!Every phrase, every turn,Had a bright comic burn;What a picture you painted–what language! What swag! So bravo, good Wing–Let the […]
