During the recent severe drought, water restrictions coupled with financial penalties were adopted to encourage water conservation. For single family residence (SFR) the penalties affected consumption of water above 25 hundred cubic feet (hcf) per month. Since the average Montecito SFR uses 5 hcf/month for interior use and 17 hcf/month for exterior use the financial […]
Cover Story Correction I have to respond to the cover story of January 2, 2020, “LUTAH WHO?” Better fact-checking would have revealed that I purchased Los Suenos in 2003 and I continue to own Los Suenos with my wife, Susan, and we live there with our Border Collies Alamo, Creek, and Ranch. I found out […]
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Enough is Enough Conversation following Mt. Carmel’s school Christmas program, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Carpinteria, should have been about the adorable children and plans for the holidays. Instead, it instantly moved to concern about the near contact-high adults and children alike were experiencing that night in the Church. The odor of cannabis in […]
The second week of January has always been important to me because by this time I have broken all my New Year’s resolutions so I can get back to the serious business of enjoying pasta. Someone needs to support Montecito’s myriad of northern Italian restaurants, so I nominate myself. Typically, the third week of January […]
California has been reliably blue for most of the last 20 years and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. At the state level, Democrats control the Governorship (Gavin Newsom), the Lieutenant Governor (Eleni Kounalakis), the Attorney General (Xavier Becerra), and the Secretary of State (Alex Padilla). They have attained a super majority […]
The Board of the Montecito Water District appears ready to enter into a 50-year, $1/4 billion contract with the City to acquire 1,409 acre feet of desal water a year. They are waiting for the new rate consultants they just hired in December for $82,221 to finish a new rate study. The Board terminated its […]
Our Banana Republic County Last month another article appeared in the WSJ about our Cannabis County. Unfortunately, every national story, and there have been many, is like a drip that slowly corrodes our historic brand. This story contained familiar themes: the odor, values, and the reality that cannabis tax revenues continue to underwhelm. What was […]
As 2019 comes to an end, I’m choosing to focus on what’s right in front of my nose and how grateful I am that Montecito is my home. Today, seated at Merci near Vons in my favorite corner booth (for which I really should be paying rent – thank you Elizabeth and Stephane), before I […]
For all of us who live or work in Montecito, the rainy season brings up a still fresh mix of emotions. We’re grateful for the hydration of our mountains as they continue to recover and revegetate. We’re thankful to no longer be in an active drought. But still we struggle with the residual trauma from […]
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An Incumbent Issue Why have so many of us suddenly and recently received political campaign solicitations from Das Williams? And why are people who didn’t sign up to get official county updates from him now suddenly receiving them? Is he co-mingling his official taxpayer funded work with his campaign? It appears so. When one signs […]
For Your Consideration Bravo on taking the helm at our community’s news hub. I’m excited to see how you balance old and new, and already am encouraged by your first editorial in which you present just one change – no longer publishing anonymous letters. This must be top priority for you to lead with it! […]
History and our culture are rife with seemingly odd pairings that, perhaps counterintuitively, turned out to be productive and beneficial. Previously in these pages I’ve mentioned the counterbalance provided by founding fathers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. But there was also an odd friendship between George Wallace and Shirley Chisholm. House Speaker Tip O’Neill and […]
(If you have something you think Montecito should know about, or wish to respond to something you read in the Journal, we want to hear from you. Please send all such correspondence to: Montecito Journal, Letters to the Editor, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Montecito, CA 93108, FAX it to us at 805-969-6654 or via e-mail […]
The Montecito Journal officially changed hands while I was in Paris soaking up the constant rain and persistent chill of a typical late November in the French capital. My son, Tim, did all the heavy lifting and sent me everything I needed to know and had to sign via Internet. And, since writing and editing […]
