27 Sep 2018
Mental Capacity
Santa Barbara’s 71-year-old Mental Wellness Center, which normally throws its annual lunch at the Carrillo Recreation Center, moved to grander quarters in the Loggia Ballroom of the Biltmore for its 8th annual fundraiser with 175 guests, raising around $150,000. The organization, which has an annual budget of $3 million, started focusing on youth 10 years […]
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Forecast: Chili Today, Hot Tamale
I got a decidedly chili reception when I attended a fundraiser for the Santa Barbara Navy League at the Carriage and Western Art Museum. But that was only to be expected given I was asked to be a judge along with TV host Craig Case, culinary wizard Michael Hutchings, and Bill Pintard, manager of the […]
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Like a Boz
The last time I saw Grammy-winning singer Boz Scaggs was when I first moved here from Los Angeles in 2007 and I was invited by developer Pat Smith to attend a lavish 50th birthday bash for his then-wife, Susan, at actor Michael Douglas‘s former estate on Hot Springs Road, which he was leasing from the […]
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Paying Our Way
What is Steve King getting at (“Paying Your Way,” MJ #24/38)? No human pulls himself up by her own bootstraps. We start out as helpless infants. We die unless an older human feeds, shelters, and cleans us. To become a productive adult, one needs a certain degree of intelligence, creativity, physical and mental health, and […]
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In Passing: Fierce, Strong, and Driven
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has lost its first and only female K-9 to work for our agency. Retired K-9 Betti passed away September 14 at age 14 due to health complications from old age. Betti, whose full name is Betti Blue Van Haus Pe-ja, worked for the Sheriff’s Office for eight years before […]
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Matters of Taste
No doubt you have heard the wise old saw which pontificates that “There is no accounting for taste.” Yet any number of psychologists and other professional explorers of the human psyche, to say nothing of all the people engaged in advertising, marketing, and other activities involving the purveying of products, are constantly trying to account […]
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Short-Term Rental Ban Latest
In August, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors (BOS) received a briefing on Short-Term Vacation Rentals (STRs) in the Coastal Zone of the County and directed staff to return to the board with recommendations for how STRs should be allowed to operate in the Coastal Zone. In May, the California Coastal Commission denied the BOS’s […]
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Recycled Water Latest
Montecito Water District’s (MWD) Strategic Planning Committee met September 20 to review the highly anticipated draft Recycled Water Feasibility Study and discuss feasible projects. The issue of recycled water in Montecito has been in the news of late, due to the ongoing drought as well as an election in November wherein there are multiple seats […]
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The Montecito Heat Index
How hot is Today’s Montecito Real Estate market? The Heat Index measures buyer choices for single family homes in five price sectors. Rather than sales data, typically at least 30 days old, the Index measures signed contracts resulting in present demand and thus market strength and direction. Since home purchases fluctuate seasonally, indeed monthly, today’s […]
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Honorable Mentions
Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County hosted its Habitat Heroes celebration at Deckers rotunda when awards were handed out for sterling work involving Montecito’s catastrophic mudslides in January. The 2,454 volunteers spent 10,700 hours helping remove 42,000 tons of mud, recounted president Paul Wilson. The affiliate award went to Terra Taylor, while construction […]
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Pop Notes and Jazz Jottings
The calendar is crammed as the new arts season arrives in earnest, although the biggest place in the land is more of a warm-weather venue. That would be the Santa Barbara Bowl, where it’s actually, unironically, unlikely to rain when Alanis Morissette takes the stage on Friday, September 27, followed two days later by the […]
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Healing with the Hendricks
Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks ran their publishing and self-help operation out of Montecito for years before relocating to the mountains of Ojai more than a decade ago. Since then, their empire has only expanded, with regular workshops both locally and around the globe, a bunch more books, and an expansion into online offerings. All three […]
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Dream Weavers
A record 450 guests turned out for the Dream Foundation’s 4th annual Endless Summer Dream party at Bella Vista, the sprawling Summerland estate of polo-playing hotel magnate Pat Nesbitt and his wife, Ursula, raising around $300,000 for the popular charity that just celebrated its 30,000th dream. The fun fashion fete, co-chaired by Ursula and Arlene […]
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Helping Hands
ShelterBox, the Santa Barbara-based charity, has had its hand full of late with a whole slew of global disasters, most recently in the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. More than 250 guests turned out at the Summerland estate of John McGovern for its second annual fundraiser, which raised more than $250,000 for the 18-year-old nonprofit, […]
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Plaque Dedication at the Corner Green
On September 20, nearly 100 people gathered at the “corner green” at San Ysidro Road and East Valley Road, for a special dedication ceremony to mark the installation of a new plaque dedicated to the victims of the Thomas Fire and mudslides. “The plaque is here to note and remember the lives lost, as well […]
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Laguna Blanca Celebrates 85 Years
On Friday, September 21, 85 years to the day since opening its doors, Laguna’s faculty, staff, and students gathered to celebrate the school and its accomplishments over the years. The All-School 85th Birthday Bash kicked-off with a pep rally in Merovick Gymnasium and a drone shot of the entire school formed in a giant 85. […]
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New News is Good News
Santa Barbara’s New House, a 63-year-old nonprofit to help men suffering from alcohol and drug dependency, held its third annual lunch with a sold-out record 220 guests at the Hilton emceed by KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri, raising around $45,000. The charity’s three residences in our Eden by the Beach provide 98 beds for those needing […]
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Montecito under $2 Million
It often surprises people when I tell them they can purchase a single-family home, on a good-sized lot, with amenities and upside potential, for under (and often well under) $2,000,000 in Montecito. In this price range, one is not likely to find a home with big ocean views or a done home on a large […]
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Why I am Running for the Montecito Water District Board
I am running for the Board of Directors of the Montecito Water District because I believe that sound governance can deliver a more resilient and secure water future for our community. After years of inaction, we must shift to a more reliable, local, and sustainable water supply that will maintain our quality of life and […]
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A Walk on the Wild Side
The Wilderness Hiking Speaker Series hosted by the SB Public Library on September 20, was with renowned wilderness animal tracker, interpreter, and teacher James Lowery, along with his wife, Mary E. Brooks, to more than 45 attendees. The presentation titled “Animal Tracking Secrets” is part of an ongoing series to teach all range of wilderness […]
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