Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Garden, 1100 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara
Celebrating 250 Years of American Independence
Celebrate with a free, family-friendly outdoor concert.
This year, the Prime Time Band presents “Sounds of America,” a musical retrospective featuring classic tunes from pop, rock, musicals, and movies. The performance features a special guest appearance by vocalist Anikka Abbott. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket to enjoy this traditional community celebration.
www.pcvf.org
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Set on approximately 1.4 nearly level acres in the prestigious Hope Ranch community, 4101 Mariposa Drive presents a rare opportunity to create an exceptional coastal estate. Enjoying ocean views and a peaceful setting, the property offers an ideal canvas for a custom residence in one of Santa Barbara’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
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Talent For All Ages Shines This Summer
By Daisy Scott / VOICE
EXCEPTIONAL ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING ARTISTS who are shaping the classical music world will share their talents with local audiences as the Music Academy of the West kicks off their Summer Music Festival this week.
Leading the charge on this summer’s anticipation are back-to-back, star-studded concerts featuring electric duo ARKAI, pianist Jeffrey Kahane, and maestro Miguel HarthBedoya conducting the debut of the Academy’s High School Intensive program, which has welcomed dozens of students from the Santa Barbara region and across the country. Together, these and future concerts will set the tone of the Academy’s season amidst the backdrop of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“What better way for us to celebrate the voices, the artists, and all of our stories as a part of our theme, American Mosaic?” remarked Academy President & CEO Shauna Quill at the season’s premiere event.
ARKAI
Academy, were instrumental to inspiring his own craft.
“Hopefully, if we do our job well, maybe we can be that spark of inspiration to think differently, to take musical risks, or to broaden one’s perspective, either for some of the fellows who are there or people in the community,” said Sheegog.
Jeffrey Kahane & Friends
Heightening the week’s exciting musical lineup, locals will be treated to an ensemble powerhouse concert featuring Mosher Guest Artist and critically-acclaimed pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane on Saturday, June 20th at 7:30pm. The evening will mark the Academy’s first Lobero Theatre concert of the season.
One of the most dynamic and visionary duos in the contemporary classical realm, the Grammy-winning ARKAI will shake up Hahn Hall with their genre-defying music on Friday, June 19th at 7:30pm. Self-described as an “electro-acoustic” string duo, ARKAI is the creative project of cellist and Music Academy alumnus Philip Sheegog and violinist Jonathan Miron. Together, they perform under the ancient Greek word for “leaders” to bring an improvisational and modern edge to cherished musical traditions.
“The impetus is the two of us, who we are as people, and the desire and the love for this kind of music that it is crossing borders and taking things that sometimes feel like they shouldn’t be able to coexist and putting them next to each other,” explained Philip Sheegog to VOICE. “Not to get too deep, but in many ways, the music is a metaphor for what we hope the world can be; that things that seem disparate or separate or unable to be reconciled are brought next to each other, and actually how the combination of the lessons of the past, tradition, can be brought together and married with innovation... Sometimes it is the blend of those two things that allows new ways of thinking to come about.”
This year has secured ARKAI as rising stars, with the duo winning the 2026 Grammy Award for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album” for the ethereal, uplifting sound of their album Brightside. Each song
exemplifies ARKAI’s unique energy as rhythmic and electronic beats punctuate delicate string melodies that speak to the duo’s classical training at The Juilliard School. Their tradition-meets-modernity mentality is even reflected in their instruments, with Jonathan Miron performing acoustic sets on a 1709 Italian violin and Sheegog using a 1914 French cello in addition to electric equipment.
On June 19th, the duo will perform original works from Brightside as well as reimagined covers of popular songs. This latter component of the program speaks to another facet of the duo’s fame, with their popular cover of The Sound of Silence having gained over 117,000 views on YouTube. As Sheegog puts it, Santa Barbara audiences should expect a concert that weaves elements of chamber and pop concerts.
“There’s something for everybody, whether you’re a high schooler who’s never stepped into a ‘classical’ concert in your life and you’re more comfortable at the club, or if you are a classical music lover who can name every movement of every Mahler symphony,” he added.
The Founding Artistic Director of the newly-launched orchestra Harmonium of Texas, Kahane has amazed audiences around the world for 50 years. Previously the Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for 20 years, Kahane has premiered concertos written for him by leading composers such as Kevin Puts and Andrew Norman, as well as Gabriel Kahane, his son, who composed the concerto Heirloom as an exploration of family and music.
In Santa Barbara, he will be joined onstage by three renowned string musicians — violinist Margaret Batjer, violist Yura Lee, and cellist Zlatomir Fung, who is also a Mosher Guest Artist — to present a concert that spans classical music’s evolution. From pieces by Joaquín Turina and Samuel Barber to works by Timo Andres, and culminating in Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 2, the program will benefit from its skilled musicians and the Lobero’s intimacy to create a rich chamber concert. A particular highlight will be Kahane’s improvisation on America the Beautiful
Celebrating the Academy’s High School Intensive
62 teenage artists will also take the spotlight for the first time during the Summer Music Festival’s opening weeks as the Academy premieres its new High School Intensive. Open to students ages 14 to 18, the program extends many of the same opportunities to high school students that the Academy’s traditional fellows enjoy, including masterclasses and recital performances. musicacademy.org
For Sheegog, who was a 2017 Academy fellow, this week’s concert will be a full-circle moment. He shared with VOICE that it was during this time that he first heard a performance by string quartet Brooklyn Rider. That concert, combined with his other musical explorations and instruction at the
Story continued on page 5
Electro-acoustic string duo ARKAI will perform at Hahn Hall on June 19th
Photo by Meredith Truax
Pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane and Friends will perform at the Lobero Theatre on June 20th
Photo by E.F. Marton Productions
Talent For All Ages
Continued from page 4
“This is a first enterprise, a first adventure, and there’s no second time for a first impression,” said Emmy award-winning and Grammy-nominated conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who will help lead the program. “I’ve always been challenged and excited about first time things because the level of creativity and vision is much stronger and more focused, because we haven’t had anything to base any experience like that before.”
This season marks a welcome return for Harth-Bedoya, who locals will remember from his stunning performance as a guest conductor for the Academy Festival Orchestra in 2025. Now the Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Harth-Bedoya has cultivated an international reputation for his guest conducting and time acting as Music Director for orchestras around the world, including Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand.
His expertise will help the five aspiring conductors who are a part of the Academy’s High School Intensive, which is the first program of its kind in the nation to mentor high schoolers in conducting.
Collectively, these works bridge Harth-Bedoya’s goals to curate a concert that will benefit the students’ ongoing music education and provide a beautiful listening experience for attendees.
“It’s extremely important to present the reality of what it is to become a conductor, because it’s a very long journey—I’m still on the journey!” said Harth-Bedoya. “It’s a very exciting profession, but it comes with patience and time, diligence, discipline... one percent is being in front of the podium.”
He will also conduct all students in the High School Intensive Orchestra Finale concert at 2pm on Thursday, June 25th in Hahn Hall. The performance will include three pivotal works of
Waterhouse Gallery
“It gives them a contrast of styles and levels of difficulty to compare and to benefit from each other,” explained Harth-Bedoya. “It’s always twofold, anything we program in any context, is a combination of what’s the benefit for the ensemble, and what’s the benefit for the listener.”
Harth-Bedoya will also once again conduct the Academy Festival Orchestra in its first concert of the summer, titled Gershwin & Brahms, on July 3rd at the Granada Theatre.
Additional High School Intensive performances, all of which will be free admission, will include a piano recital on June 20th, as well as a matinee and evening chamber music concert on June 24th. There will also be masterclasses open to the public, including one taught by Mosher Guest Artist and cellist Zlatomir Fung on June 19th.
For tickets and more information visit musicacademy.org
the classic music canon: Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Copland’s An Outdoor Overture, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8
High School Intensive students will give a final orchestra concert on June 25th at Hahn Hall
Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya will mentor the Music Academy’s inaugural High School Intensive class
Photo by Zach Mendez
Photo courtesy of Music Academy of the West
Blue Agave Moon by Rick Garcia
The Honor Bar by Wyllis Heaton
Santa Barbara City Council melts down over whether to freeze police officer positions at budget hearing
Santa Barbara City Councilmembers feud over police department funding; haggling delays budget decisions for at least one more week
By Joshua Molina, Santa Barbara News-Press, 6.17.26
THE SEQUEL is rarely as good as the original.
Except when it comes to Santa Barbara budget hearings.
A week after a public flare-up over burning through budget reserves, a new controversy emerged Tuesday at the Santa Barbara City Council meeting.
Councilmember Wendy Santamaria chastised, even politically threatened, her colleagues over their opposition to freezing three vacant Santa Barbara Police Department positions to save $576,000.
“Just know I am proud to be the only one doing this,” Santamaria said. “This is now something I have to carry with the community and I have to tell them ‘sorry, I didn’t have other colleagues who were willing to make those hard decisions.’ Keep that in mind if you are running for anything else.”
The explosive comments came about two hours into a tense, awkward, and politically charged budget meeting that featured some councilmembers pointing fingers, rolling their eyes, shaking their heads—even reading from press releases.
Nearly seven hours into the meeting, City Administrator Kelly McAdoo called a halt to the discussion because it was getting too late into the night to take a vote, setting the stage for another special meeting next week.
In addition to Santamaria’s outburst, councilmembers Kristen Sneddon and Eric Friedman—who are both running for Santa Barbara Mayor in November, took jabs at one another over their budget prowess, and who knew what and when, regarding the severity of the city’s budget crisis.
But it was a debate over funding for the police department that stole the show Tuesday night.
Santamaria proposed saving $576,000 by freezing the hiring of three police officer positions for a second year. The money, she said, could be placed into the general fund budget. She made a motion to shift the money and had support from Sneddon, who seconded her motion.
But after Police Chief Kelly Gordon said that the three positions were needed and that freezing them would set the department back several years when it comes to hiring, Sneddon changed her mind and sided with Gordon over Santamaria. The department, Gordon said, is in a position to fill those three positions.
“When those positions are frozen, we are not able
to recruit or hire for them,” Gordon said. “If we don’t continuously keep that pipeline going, all we do is fall further and further behind.”
She added that when she was hired the department had a 25 percent vacancy rate and now that number is down to 12 percent.
Sneddon retreated.
“Yes, we need the officers,” Sneddon said. “I am happy to have this filled. Of course we need to be fully staffed.”
The withdrawal of support for Santamaria’s motion opened the door for Santamaria’s comments.
“I am disappointed, honestly,” Santamaria said. “I thought I would have more colleagues that would be more willing to make those hard decisions.”
She then took aim at Mayor Randy Rowse and councilmembers Eric Friedman and Mike Jordan.
“What a coincidence that my three male colleagues who won’t support rent stabilization, who won’t support money into the Housing Trust Fund, who won’t support solving our housing crisis, are very happy to put additional funds to police,” Santamaria said. “Is that because you think the solution to the housing crisis is to just sweep the homeless?”
She added: “So if it doesn’t go forward, it’s fine that it doesn’t go forward, but everyone here, my colleagues, you all need to know that the community is watching.”
The City Council has been wrestling with its $257 million budget and a reckoning that the city has burned through its budget reserves— essentially its savings—and is about to spend its emergency disaster reserves, unless it takes swift action. So far, the seven members have not been able to agree, and the emotion and anguish has played out at public meetings.
Santamaria said that the police officers do a great job, but that the money from the positions could be shifted to help address the city’s financial challenges because there are “plenty of police officers” out there.
“As a representative of the Eastside I can tell you there are plenty of police officers on the Eastside,” Santamaria said.
The Milpas holiday parade is over-policed, she said.
“I can’t take anybody seriously when they say, ‘careful with our emergency reserves, we’re dipping into it,’ but then you are seeing money literally sitting there and you are saying ‘no, we’re not going to move it,’” Santamaria said.
Santamaria’s style and tone have increasingly rankled her colleagues in recent weeks. Elected in 2024, she brings a full-court press style to her governance, and while she has significant support from renters and tenant advocates, she has not displayed a finesse for building a coalition or rapport among a majority of her colleagues. The simmering frustrations boiled over Tuesday night.
“I’d love to live in a perfect world and be able to tell the [police] chief that you are doing a wonderful job, but ‘freeze, don’t do anything else and it will take care of itself,’” Jordan said, looking at Chief Gordon.
Sneddon a week ago complained that the budget numbers were not transparent and she expressed surprise that the city had spent its budget reserves. Friedman fired back and expressed disbelief that Sneddon did not understand the numbers.
Sneddon countered that she understands the numbers, but that staff was not presenting them in a clear way for the public to understand. Santa Barbara is supposed to maintain about 25 percent of its total $257 million budget in reserves, but is projected to only have about 12.1 percent left next fiscal year.
Jordan said the department “graciously and courageously,” lived without those positions. He said that every call for service only features one officer in a car and that they have to call for backup. More officers on the streets are needed, he said. Freezing the officer positions for another year, he said, was “unacceptable.”
Friedman went so far as to read a city press release from June 12th about a man who stole a car and allegedly tried to ram a police officer.
“Yes, every dollar counts, and the public is counting on us to keep us safe,” Friedman said.
Photo by Joshua Molina / Santa Barbara News-Press
Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon spoke at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. She defended the need for hiring more police officers.
Councilman Mike Jordan opposed freezing police officer positions.
Santa Barbara City Councilman Eric Friedman is running for mayor against Kristen Sneddon in the November election. He supports hiring more police officers.
Santa Barbara City Councilmember Wendy Santamaria said her colleagues running for office will have to answer to the community for their budget decisions.
Santa Barbara City Councilmember Kristen Sneddon withdrew her support for freezing police officer positions after hearing Police Chief Kelly Gordon explain she supports hiring for the positions.
The Goleta Valley Art Association
The Summer Show & Sale at the Marketplace
Finn Price Wins Santa Barbara E-Bikery Grand Prize
FOR 15 YEAR-OLD FINN PRICE, National Bike Month began with a bike safety lesson during a Physical Education class and a family outing to the first-ever CycleMAYnia event Bike to Buckhorn in New Cuyama, hosted by the Cuyama Joint Unified School District. It ended with an unexpected surprise: winning the grand-prize e-bike giveaway that capped a month-long celebration of bicycling.
“I was really surprised when they told me I won,” said Finn Price. “I’ve never won anything like this before. There’s a bike track right in front of my house, so I’m excited to ride the e-bike with my friends and spend more time outside this summer.”
Price received an AIMA Big Sur e-bike donated by E-Bikery in Santa Barbara during CycleMAYnia’s grand finale at Goleta Beach, where the prize was presented by E-Bikery Owner Fernando Tessari.
The Bike to Buckhorn event was one of 30 activities and a SmartRide.org Bike Challenge held throughout Santa Barbara County in May. Participants demonstrated CycleMAYnia’s impact across the county.
“CycleMAYnia gives people an opportunity to experience Santa Barbara County’s growing network of bike facilities and trails,” said Aaron Bonfilio, director of multimodal programs for SBCAG.
UC Santa Barbara once again claimed the SmartRide.org Bike Challenge Gold Trophy, while Cottage Health successfully defended its Platinum title. The City of Santa Barbara finished just behind Cottage this year, highlighting growing competition among the challenge’s topperforming teams. CycleMAYnia is made possible through public and private collaboration, leveraging Measure A Bicycle & Pedestrian funds to support local biking initiatives. Learn
Watercolor by Kelly Hildner
Photo
Riviera Music Strikes a New Chord for Local Music Scene
By Elizabeth Truong & Daisy Scott / VOICE
FUELED BY PROFESSIONAL
EXPERTISE AND LOCAL PASSION,
Riviera Music has opened its doors to serve the Santa Barbara community’s wide-ranging music needs. Located in El Mercado Shopping Center, the shop is a welcoming space for all musicians regardless of where they are on their musical journey, from students and retirees in search of lessons to seasoned musicians wanting to purchase new equipment or repair well-loved instruments.
author of the children’s book Eagle vs. Bear: Adventures of a Child Cub. He has worked with record labels from Los Angeles to Texas, and locals may best recognize Millar as the producer of the documentary More Than Just A Party Band about area music legend Spencer the Gardener.
“I want to build a place for the community to have not only a musician’s essentials, guitars, repairs, and all that—I want there to be people actually creating things,” explained owner Emile Millar. “We want to create an environment for people to feel comfortable making things, creating things, learning things, being better, or getting better.”
Millar is a true creative, having a career as a musician, producer, filmmaker, and
Having grown up in the Gaviota and Hollister Ranch region, Millar returned to Santa Barbara in 2014.
After teaching music education at Vieja Valley Elementary, he realized that he did not want to be on the other side of the glass as much when it came to creating music. As Millar’s at-home guitar collection surpassed three dozen, his wife, Scarlet Begonia owner Crista Fleming, became the key to starting Riviera Music, asking, “Why don’t you start a guitar shop?”
Amidst the closure of Jensen Guitar & Music Co., Santa Barbara’s musical mainstay for over 50 years, Riviera Music has stepped up to fill an essential gap in the community. While the shop has been around since last summer in a soft-open phase, it celebrated
its Grand Opening last month, inviting all to shop, take lessons, or record their own music in the shop’s production studios.
New and used/vintage guitars from Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Fender, Yamaha, and other brands, as well as Lanikai ukuleles, hang neatly on the walls. New and vintage amps, along with other equipment and accessories round out a comprehensive and well-curated inventory.
“All of the brands that we want to offer here are things that I love, know, and trust,” said Millar.
A repair station headed by local guitar technician and expert John Mooy, formerly of Jensen Music, truly makes the store a
one-stop-shop. A series of classrooms and studios provide well-equipped, spacious spaces for lessons in guitar, bass, keyboard, and ukulele. Private lessons and afterschool programs are taught by instructors such as local professional Zach Madden and Millar’s daughter, Scarlett Fooks.
“It’s not just young people learning. It’s a whole new community of people,” said Millar. “We’re offering experiences and paths of fulfillment for older generation folks, and our community members are a rewarding aspect for us. It’s about sharing things that we believe in.”
El Mercado Shopping Center, Building B, 2nd Floor • Open 11am-5pm Mon-Fri, 12-5pm Sat • rivieramusicsb.com
Photo by Elizabeth Truong
Courtesy
Owner Emile Millar
Eco-friendly design highlights transformation of Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta
The Sandpiper project also includes a makeover of the historic Barnsdall Rio Grande gas station building. This historic filling station was built in 1929, one year after oil was first struck in the Ellwood Oil Field
By Roman Trovato, Santa Barbara News-Press, 6.9.26
SANDPIPER GOLF CLUB is planning an ambitious renovation to its property, featuring an ecofriendly redesign of the course and greater public access to the property and its surroundings.
The 18-hole golf course, owned by Ty Warner, received unanimous approval at a Goleta City Council meeting on June 2nd, for a massive overhaul that has been four years in the making.
The course will feature four distinct public dining spots and a redesign of the course itself led by world-renowned golf
course architect Tom Doak.
The design includes public pathways to the property, new beach access, and trails. Crews plan to remove power lines along Hollister Avenue and place them underground. Changes are also coming to the course’s clubhouse, which will be overseen by Winick Architects.
Barry Winick, Winick Architects founder and CEO, told the News-Press that the clubhouse’s design had to be “subservient to the landscape and the golf.”
He describes it more as an “organic building,” one that will make it difficult to spot where it ends and the tee begins.
The new clubhouse’s public features will include a grab-and-go store on the first floor—catering to golfers to take small bites out onto the course—a second-floor restaurant and bar, as well as a sunset terrace overlooking the Channel Islands.
Winick told the News-Press that cost estimates and construction time are still waiting on the California Coastal Commission’s review of the project.
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John R. WhitehuRst Property Manager/Owner
Working alongside Winick is Tom Doak, an internationally recognized golf course architect, one that CNN called the “green gardner of eco-friendly courses.” Of the more than 40 courses he’s designed, five are recognized in the world’s top 100.
The idea behind Doak’s rendition of the course is for the design to blend with the topography, allowing the course to be nature-friendly, while still offering a fun experience for the golfer.
“None of the changes we’re proposing are really drastic,” said Doak, in a video on the Sandpiper Golf Club website. “The main goal is to do a better job of shaping greens and bunkers so they have more appeal to the golfer. And to make better use of the views that are out there so the golfer will really appreciate them.”
The Sandpiper project also includes a makeover of the historic Barnsdall Rio Grande gas station building. This historic filling station was built in 1929, one year after oil was first struck in the Ellwood Oil Field.
The rerouting of Highway 101 steered motorists away from the gas station, and the charming 97-yearold relic has stood collecting dust behind a barbed wire fence on Hollister Avenue since.
As part of the renovation, the existing building will be restored to accompany a nearby coffee shop. Winick said that the Barnsdall
building itself will not be changed, but retrofitted to its original state so as to “treat the building more as a jewel.”
Next to the coffee shop, there will be outdoor seating beneath a shaded terrace, a small parking lot, as well as signage and a bronze plaque that will display historical information of the building. The area will feature E-bike charging stations in the form of the original pumps, maintaining the station’s 50s roadside vibe.
Crews also plan to extend of the historic coastal De Anza trail along the property. The project also calls for improving the stability of the bluffs and rehabilitating and preserving the native plants.
Crews plan to preplace the irrigation system—reducing use from 125 to 62 acres—and install an on-site weather station to measure water distribution. About half of the irrigated areas will be replaced with native grasses and plants.
Printed with permission of the Santa Barbara News-Press
Image courtesy of Winick Architects
A rendering of the proposed clubhouse at the Sandpiper Golf Club
Photo by Winick Architects
A photo of the Barnsdall building when it was operational.
Museum of Natural History Welcomes New Trustees and Honors Longtime Leader
FOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN APPOINTED to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees, representing a range of perspectives unified by a shared commitment. Elisabeth Fowler has also been recognized as an honorary trustee. sbnature.org
KIRK GILBERT, M.D. brings decades of service in healthcare and the Santa Barbara community. After a 37-year career in family medicine, he has continued his commitment to education and outreach through volunteer work at the Museum since 2019, including serving as an educator and in the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion. He is also an active board member of Hillside House and supports numerous local nonprofits.
MICHAEL MONGOLD serves as Vice President of Information Security, Chief Information Security Officer, and Data Protection Officer at Deckers Brands. With more than 25 years of experience, he has led global cybersecurity and privacy programs across multiple industries. He is also a TEDx speaker and active in professional and community organizations. His most recent nonprofit engagement was nearly a decade of service on the board of TV Santa Barbara.
BETHANY HARKRIDER, PH.D. offers a multidisciplinary background spanning materials chemistry, the chemical industry, and scientific data services. Her career includes roles at BASF chemical company and Chemical Abstracts Services (CAS) supporting innovation and data-driven solutions. She earned her Ph.D. in Inorganic & Materials Chemistry from UC Santa Barbara. Currently, Harkrider is a mom, community volunteer, and active philanthropist.
BRETT PIERSMA is a Partner in the Estate Planning Group at Mullen & Henzell. He previously taught Advanced Placement history courses and coached Mock Trial at Santa Ynez High School before earning his law degree from the College of William & Mary, where he was active in Moot Court and legal publications.
ELISABETH FOWLER has been recognized as an honorary trustee following more than a decade of distinguished leadership. Since joining the SBMNH Board in 2008, she has served as Board Chair and helped guide major initiatives including the Centennial Campaign, which raised $18.4 million. She also chaired four galas that raised $1.3 million for education programs.
Doctors Without Walls Honors Adeline Medverd
SB Unified Celebrates the Class
of 2026
1,454 STUDENTS WALKED ACROSS STAGES TO POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE last week as the Santa Barbara Unified School District celebrated the graduation of the class of 2026. The celebrations kicked off on Wednesday, June 10th with a ceremony for La Cuesta Continuation and Alta Vista Alternative High Schools at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens, with ceremonies also held later that day at Santa Barbara, San Marcos, and Dos Pueblos High Schools. District-wide, 241 graduates earned their Seal of Bilteracy, 700 students earned a Golden State Seal Merit Diploma, and 736 were CTE Pathway Completers.
“The Class of 2026 has done far more than reach graduation; they have demonstrated what is possible when hard work, perseverance, and a caring community come together,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, Superintendent of Santa Barbara Unified School District. “Each diploma represents a unique journey, shaped by the support of families, educators, staff, and classmates. I am inspired by their resilience, proud of their accomplishments, and inspired to see how they will use their talents, voices, and experiences to make the world a better place.” sbunified.org
Santa Barbara Trust Company Welcomes New Trust Administrator Associate
RAEGAN ERDMAN, a local real estate expert, will serve as a new trust administrator associate for the Santa Barbara Trust Company. She has over 20 years of experience guiding clients in the Santa Barbara community through complex financial and real estate matters. She previously acted as the Director of Operations for a nationally recognized real estate team in Montecito, a Certified Senior Escrow Officer and Loan Officer, and a property management and leasing coordinator. In her new role, Erdman will bring her passion for serving the community. santabarbaratrustcompany.com
Project Connect Mitigation Efforts to Begin at Ellwood Mesa
ADELINE MEDVERD has been presented with the sixth annual Fr Jon-Stephen Hedges Humanitarian Award from the nonprofit Doctors Without Walls - Santa Barbara Street Medicine. The award honors volunteers who exemplify the values and compassionate service that Father Jon embodied, from caring for homeless people in Isla Vista to responding to national tragedies like 9/11. Originally from Seattle, Medverd earned her B.S. in Biology from UC Santa Barbara. She has served as Doctors Without Walls’ 2025-2026 Enhanced Care Management Coordinator, showing enormous commitment to helping people experiencing homelessness in Santa Barbara County. sbdww.org
WITH LOCATIONS SELECTED TO SUPPORT EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS and enhance connectivity between natural areas, mitigation work associated with the City of Goleta’s Project Connect has begun at Ellwood Mesa, with additional work scheduled to continue in other key open space areas including Lake Los Carneros, as well as along Fowler Road and near Old San Jose Creek.
The mitigation plan includes the installation of more than 3,600 native trees and plants across approximately four acres. The trees and a variety of shrubs, grasses, and flowering plants will support pollinators, improve soil health, and strengthen local ecosystems. Community members may notice crews in open space areas clearing designated planting zones and installing vegetation, irrigation systems, and temporary fencing. Newly planted areas may initially appear sparse but will fill in overtime as plants become established. Planting is anticipated to be completed by late fall 2026.
CityofGoleta.org/ProjectConnect
Kirk Gilbert
Michael Mongold
Adeline Medverd
Raegan Erdman
Bethany Harkrider
Brett Piersma
Elisabeth Fowler
Suspect Arrested Following Stolen Vehicle Incident
RESPONDING TO A REPORT OF A STOLEN VEHICLE, Santa Barbara police officers began an investigation in the 800 block of Cliff Drive about 5:30am on Friday, June 12th.
About 15 minutes later the car was located, shortly after a woman reported an attempted carjacking on Salinas Street and Gutierrez Street, then shortly after that a forced entry to a home was reported in the 900 Block of East Carrillo Street. Then the suspect attempted to force entry into a second residence in the 1000 block of East Canon Perdido Street, where officers quickly responded and made contact. Using communication and de-escalation efforts, officers were able to gain the suspect’s compliance, and he surrendered without incident. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident and no injuries were reported.
The suspect was identified as Samuel Ingram, 25, of Santa Barbara.
The SBPD is asking the community to share any information they may have related to these incidents.
Traffic Collision
FOLLOWING MULTIPLE 9-1-1 CALLS REGARDING A COLLISION, Santa Barbara police officers were dispatched to the 200 block of W. Cabrillo Blvd. on June 16th at about 9:18pm, where a passenger car and a motorcyclist had crashed. SBPD oficers and medical personnel attended to both motorists, who were taken to Cottage Hospital for further treatment. The 200 block of W. Cabrillo Blvd. was temporarily closed to allow Santa Barbara Police to conduct a traffic investigation. At this time, it is unknown whether either driver was impaired at the time of the accident. The investigation is on-going.
Accidente de tráfico
EL 16 DE JUNIO DE 2026, ALREDEDOR DE LAS 9:18 P.M., el Centro de Comunicaciones de la Policía de Santa Bárbara recibió múltiples llamadas al 9-1-1 sobre una colisión que involucró un vehículo de pasajeros y un motorista en la cuadra 200 de W. Cabrillo Blvd. Los oficiales de la Policía de Santa Bárbara llegaron junto con personal médico y atendieron a ambos conductores, quienes fueron trasladados al Hospital Cottage para recibir más tratamiento médico. La cuadra 200 de W. Cabrillo Blvd. fue cerrada temporalmente para permitir que la Policía de Santa Bárbara realizara una investigación de tráfico. Por ahora, se desconoce si alguno de los conductores estaba bajo la influencia de sustancias en el momento del accidente. La investigación continúa.
Grand Jury
Grand Jury Calls for Increased Support of Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY RANKS IN
THE TOP ONE PERCENT for overall disaster risk out of 3,144 counties nationwide. Since 2014, the County has experienced over 40 disasters resulting in emergency proclamations and Emergency Operation Center activations. Disasters can strike at any moment.
The professionals at the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (SBCOEM) stand at the forefront of disaster planning, preparedness, and response to protect life, property, and the environment.
The 2025-2026 Grand Jury finds that SBCOEM, a critically important agency with a countywide mission to protect the residents of the community, is currently understaffed and underfunded. Recent Board of Supervisors Budget Workshop hearings indicated likely future cuts in SBCOEM staffing.
Current staffing for SBCOEM consists of only seven capable and dedicated employees, yet their countywide program responsibilities are far-reaching and essential for protecting
the community.
The Grand Jury investigated several aspects of SBCOEM, including staffing levels, funding, and their organizational move from the County Executive Office to become a division of the County Fire Department. Each of these factors significantly hinder SBCOEM in their effort to meet their vital mission to protect the lives of the County’s residents.
The Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors recognize SBCOEM as the critical department that it is, increase staffing, and provide full and dedicated executive support to the Director of SBCOEM. The safety and protection of County residents depend on it.
The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury consists of 19 volunteers from across the County who serve for a one-year term.
The Grand Jury is a division of the Superior Court that keeps watch over numerous government agencies, cities and districts throughout Santa Barbara County. It encourages the public to share concerns at https://sbcgj.org
Kristen Just Handed Eric an Issue that Re-Shapes SB Mayor’s Race
As city finances suddenly dominate the agenda, the campaigns of moderate candidates for Santa Barbara city council seats may get an animating boost in challenging liberal rivals.
By Jerry Roberts, SB Newsmakers, 6/12/26
THE SHOCKING NEWS THIS WEEK that the city has burned through its budget reserve not only reshapes debate on major policy decisions in Santa Barbara, but also instantly transforms the race for mayor between council members Kristen Sneddon and Eric Friedman.
As a political matter, acrimony and finger-pointing over the startling disclosure that the city has blown through its contingency reserve — about 15 percent of the budget — suddenly places financial stability at the center of debate in the November 3rd election campaign for mayor and three soon-tobe-vacant council seats.
Sneddon, a liberal once seen as a formidable front-runner for mayor because of her enthusiastic embrace of rent control in a city where two-thirds of residents are tenants, for the first time finds herself in a defensive posture. The more moderate Friedman has suddenly found an opportunity to gain traction for his candidacy amid a political free-for-all over who is to blame for this week’s grim budget developments.
Not since Claude Rains expressed “shock — shock!” that gambling was going on in Rick’s casino in Casablanca has there been a less persuasive display of surprise than the one Sneddon evinced over this week’s disclosure that the city has exhausted its reserves — after she’s supported a raft of muchdebated new spending on housing, immigration services, and a costly new rent board, among other initiatives.
“What do you think we voted against the budget for?” Friedman fired back. “For this very reason…It was very clear to me that we were going to be spending into reserves. And if we didn’t address the problem, this is exactly where we would be — in emergency reserves right now.”
Until now, liberal-leaning issues like rent control and the sovereignty of bicycles on State Street have dominated debate in the nascent council campaigns. The budget has now pushed onto center stage, animating the candidacies of more moderate contenders.
On a new episode of Newsmakers TV, Josh Molina and Sofia Wallace join the genial host to break down a big week of City Hall stories — including the advance of long-stalled legislation to regulate vacation rentals in the city, and suspension of the once-sacrosanct 45-foot building height limit on behalf of a Music Academy project viewed as critical to revitalizing downtown. Check out our discussion of these and all the other big stories out of City Hall on this week’s episode, right here on Newsmakers TV (https://shorturl.at/IwWXP).
Watch (or listen to) Episode 572 via YouTub (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=qQcQ3pEGQLs) below or by clicking this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or Soundcloud. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
Santa Barbara ordinance will challenge short term rentals, prioritize neighborhoods
The ordinance will increase the regulation of short term rentals in Santa Barbara through a standardized permit process.
By Sofia Wallace, Santa Barbara News-Press, 6.10.26
AIMING TO MAKE THE SHORT TERM VACATION RENTAL PROCESS MORE DIFFICULT, the city of Santa Barbara is looking to create an ordinance that will increase regulation, and decrease the commercialization of local neighborhoods via a costly permit process.
Homeowners across the city have complained of loud visitors, excessive vehicle traffic, and other disruptions. For these locals, Airbnb-type rentals are dominating neighborhoods, leaving communities isolated in a sea of ever coming-and-going vacationers.
At the same time, the City of Santa Barbara has been trying to crack down on unpermitted vacation rentals to collect transient occupancy taxes. Within Santa Barbara’s housing crisis, many argue that any available units should be offered to local residents.
Against this backdrop, the three-member Ordinance Committee on Tuesday voted to increase regulation.
For those in favor of STR regulation, this is a long-sought milestone. The Tuesday meeting marked the third time the Committee saw the ordinance, and the fruition of over 14 years of deliberation over STRs in Santa Barbara.
This delay is the result of gridlock in some of Santa Barbara’s most polarizing debates: tourism economy vs. local community, visitors vs. neighbors, and vacation spaces vs. housing. Those arguing against the ordinance, which will create a standard permit process to rent out a property, are concerned about economic and fiscal loss to the city.
“Two million dollars is not a big enough number to be selling out our neighborhoods,” said committee member Kristen Sneddon, referring to the reported revenue gathered since January from both legal and illegal STRs.
The goal of the ordinance is to create a viable permit path for those who wish to rent out their homes.
With a permit set to cost $3,334 plus an annual renewal fee of $2,897, the process may de-incentivise STRs in residential areas. Other regulations include prohibiting licenses in hire-fire risk areas, revised parking and liability insurance requirements, and limiting the number of licenses per property owner.
Currently, the city regulates STRs as hotels. They are legal in zones where hotels are permitted, and in certain coastal zones. STRs are prohibited in single-unit and twounit residential zones, also called singlefamily zones, but have infiltrated residential neighborhoods with little regulation. The ordinance would apply to newly proposed areas.
Amid already grim housing-crisis conditions, proponents of the ordinance said they feel that the sense of community in their neighborhoods is being choked out by commercial interest.
“I think this (ordinance) will go a long way to stop the commercialization of the Mesa and neighborhoods from becoming outsized income streams for investors,” said long-time Mesa resident Patricia Stark during the public comment section of the meeting.
The Mesa neighborhood is facing the brunt of the vacation rental industry. According to data provided in the staff report, if every eligible site was converted to an STR or homeshare, the Mesa would see around 1,738 homeshares. Stark said her neighborhood doesn’t have the inventory to meet this intense demand.
Opponents of the ordinance said it represented poor, non-sufficiently researched policy-making, and will have negative fiscal impacts on businesses and locals themselves. One speaker said the 101 freeway construction is about to be complete, which will bring a flood of people into the city with nowhere for them to stay.
Another speaker against the ordinance noted that less than one percent of nuisance complaints are linked to STRs in Santa
Barbara. Noise pollution is a primary grievance that proponents of the ordinance attribute to STRs.
“Slow down, be transparent before you lock in a policy that risks harming residents on both compliance and fiscal grounds,” said Tom Widroe, who represented the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association at the meeting.
Commission members Sneddon and Jordan both voted to forward the ordinance to the city council. Commission Chair Oscar Gutierrez abstained.
In follow-up questions to the staff, Gutierrez shared an anecdote where he felt he was racially discriminated against in being continuously rejected for an Airbnb rental, while his friend with a white presenting last name was immediately accepted. When both met with the property owner, they were told they would have to pay double the listed rate.
Gutierrez contacted Airbnb, seeking discrimination data involving a host denying people of color, but was told that Airbnb had no means of keeping such information.
“What safeguards can we put into place so that people of color are not discriminated against when looking into short term rentals?” Gutierrez said to the ordinance staff, who similarly had no plan to record discrimination data.
He referenced a history of people of color being denied to stay at hotels because of their race. Because this issue could be quietly perpetuated through STRs, Gutierrez said that it is an important issue to him.
The staff hopes to see the ordinance adopted in September, with review from the California Coastal Commission in early 2027. In the meantime, they will begin outreach to existing STR operators.
Photo by Sofia Wallace / Santa Barbara News-Press
City of Santa Barbara
The Ordinance Committee voted 2-1 to forward the ordinance to City Council
On the Street with John Palminteri
Photos and Stories by John Palminteri, Special to VOICE
High Tides Inundate Coast
WHEN TIDES FORECASTED TO 7.4 FEET CAME UP ON SANTA BARBARA’S EAST BEACH TUESDAY NIGHt and combined with an elevated surf, the world famous volleyball court area was soaked. Several locations nearby had minor tidal overflow and waves were coming up well beyond the normal areas. No impacts into the parking lots were reported.
MONDAY NIGHT HIGH TIDES drenched some Santa Barbara and Montecito beaches. A coastal surge came up to the popular volleyball and recreational areas including at Leadbetter, East Beach, around Stearns Wharf and the harbor. Waves slapped the wall and stairs at Butterfly Beach.
Cruising Santa Barbara
OFFSHORE OF STEARNS WHARF IN SANTA BARBARA, the $200 million M/Y Zen is an 88.38-meter (290-foot) luxury superyacht built by the Dutch shipyard Feadship. Delivered in 2021, the Cayman Islands-flagged vessel features a lower-deck beach club, a private owner’s deck, and can accommodate up to 16 guests and a crew of 25.
Big Move-out Sale in Isla Vista this Friday
THOUSANDS OF ITEMS THAT CAN’T BE TAKEN AWAY are being sold, donated or recycled in Isla Vista this week. Furniture, appliances, clothing and many other items are being collected and sorted for a two day sale starting Friday.
Chumash Cultural Project at Ambassador Park
TONIGHT (6/17/26) YOU CAN GIVE YOUR INPUT on the proposed Chumash Cultural Project at Ambassador Park.
The City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department explains the project designed to celebrate and honor Chumash culture and history at Ambassador Park. The park site was selected due to its longstanding significance to the Chumash community, including its connection to the historic Chumash village of Syuxtun and its relationship to the surrounding coastal landscape that has supported Chumash life for thousands of years.
The preliminary design for the project was developed through six years of collaboration with Chumash community members and the California State Coastal Conservancy. The design features native
Attention:
and ethnobotanical landscaping, a walking path, interpretive elements, open natural turf, and gathering areas. The project aims to create a welcoming experience for all visitors while honoring the living traditions, stories, and knowledge of the Chumash people.
The open house will give community members an opportunity to learn about the project, view the preliminary design, provide feedback, and speak with staff about the next steps in the planning process.
Open House: Chumash Cultural Project at Ambassador Park: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Palm Park Beach House (236 East Cabrillo Boulevard.) For more information about the project, visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Ambassador
AN ALERT IS OUT ABOUT A MOSQUITO that could impact dogs.
The Mosquito & Vector Management District of Santa Barbara County (MVMD) detected non-native Aedes notoscriptus mosquitoes on June 10th in the Mesa neighborhood in the City of Santa Barbara. This species, commonly called the Australian backyard mosquito, was first discovered on March 13th on the West Side, and MVMD staff verified the new detection ½ mile from the original find. MVMD is working to evaluate the extent of the infestation and will aggressively target problem areas to prevent its spread.
Aedes notoscriptus is a small (about ¼ inch) black and white mosquito that bites aggressively during the day. Though it is native to Australia, it is a common mosquito in some urban areas of the southeastern United States and Arizona and has become established in several California counties. The species has not been implicated in local disease transmission in the United States, but in Australia, Aedes notoscriptus is the main vector of dog heartworm.
Residents experiencing mosquito bites during the day should report them immediately to the MVMD at 805-969-5050.
John Palminteri is a veteran news reporter and anchor for Newschannel 3-12 TV and both KJEE and KCLU radio in Santa Barbara/Santa Maria/Ventura. Off the air, he’s often bringing his smile and positive energy to the microphone at fundraisers and civic events. John’s social media presence has one of the largest followings in Santa Barbara, and this page has the weekly highlights. Twitter: @JohnPalminteri • Instagram: @JohnPalminteriNews www.facebook.com/john.palminteri.5
PARADE & FESTIVAL
June 19 - 21
PARADE Saturday, June 20 at NOON Begins at Santa Barbara & Ortega St.
FESTIVAL: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Artisan & Crafts Vendors Food, Beer & Wine!
REGGAE ROOTS SUNDAY 11AM-7 PM Sponsored by FARMACY & KJEE - Main Stage
FUNtopia ZONE! SAT-SUN 12-6 PM
Alameda Park East Interactive Arts, Culture & Community Zone for Kids of All Ages!
COMMUNITY STAGE Sat/Sun 12-6 PM
Entertainment from Roll & Rock 805 on the SB Bowl CommUnity Stage, featuring young performers, performers for youth, ethnic music and dance!
EXPERIENCE THE ART GARDEN!
Art Installations, Photo Ops & Interactive Fun!
FUNtopia Portal created by artist Luke Holden of Flying Shade sponsored by Santa Barbara Beautiful.
12:00-12:40 Rhythm Industrial Complex 1:00 - 2:10 Skadaddzy 2:30 - 3:40 The Upbeat 4:00 - 5:30 Cornerstone 5:50 - 7:00 Morie & the Heavy Hitters
2026 PARADE
The Parade begins at noon at Ortega and Santa Barbara Streets and ends in Alameda Park, where many of the floats and art pieces will be on display. Look for the Pali Art Garden of giant inflatables. Take your picture with the wild and wavey things from the Parade in the Park!
Sea Horse under construction!
FEED THE BEAT!
Designed by new Solstice Artist in Residence Hope Christofferson, Feed the Beat is the re-imagined “Pass the Hat” Ensemble, sponsored by the Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts through the Santa Barbara Foundation.
The ensemble features a group of “fantasea” themed dancers who dance merrily about a sea star float being pulled by a magnificent unicorn sea horse. As the music plays, the creatures from the depths of the fantasea entice donations from the crowd to help fund the fantastical fun of the summer solstice! The music is marvelously inspired to bring the energy and joy of the ocean into the land of man!
FESTIVAL IN THE PARK
There is non-stop entertainment on three stages: the Alameda Main Stage, the Santa Barbara Bowl CommUnity Stage in the FUNtopia Zone, and the DJ Stage. Friday is the Kick-off from 4-9 PM; Saturday Noon to 8 PM; and Sunday 11 to 7 PM is KJEE’s Solstice Sunday ROOTS Reggae on the Main Stage!
PARADE HIGHLIGHTS:
La Boheme Dance Troupe Teresa Kuskey Oshay - local dance celebrity, icon and force of nature - showcase more than 100 dancers. Joined by DJ Darla Bea and a 3-D rendition of the 2026 Solstice Poster design by Larry Vigon.
Grace Fisher Foundation For their 4th year in the Parade, bring a Hawaiian themed float featuring a reproduction of a wave, painted by Grace Fisher.
Wave Rave The Carey/Foreman family and friends have created an oversized gramophone, bringing the magic of sound waves to life with vibrant colors, movement, and music.
World Dance for Humanity Liz Ricard & Heather Williams lead a wave of 45 dancers celebrating radio waves of freedom, joy and love.
Clap Hands Diane Arnold and Mary Williams are waving to the crowd with their two 13-foot high hands.
Floatilla of Phenomenal Phish Paul Teft and Carlos Cuellar repurposed a boiler chimney out of a greenhouse to become a tubular surfing wave for a monkey.
Santa Barbara Bowl CommUnity Stage SUNDAY SUNDAY
Underground Soulstice DJ STAGE
SATURDAY
12:00 - 12:20 Isaias
12:25- 1:00 Makena Tate
1:05 - 1:35 K.R.L.
1:45 - 2:25 Perturbed
2:35 - 3:15 SB Revels
3:30- 4:10 Bliss
4:20-5:10 The Pit
5:20 - 6:00 The Bad Neighbors
Claudia Bratton’s “Neptune’s World” Inspired by the 1982 float “Queen Neptune” created by Scott Hogue, an underwater throne with synchronized swimmers with a large school of fish, featuring hand printed fish from Claudia’s own collograth plates.
Waving Clown Posse Artistic Director of Kerfuffle Theater, EJ Huerta brings a posse of clowns waving, a clown car, and a performance ensemble with floating waves of music.
Sharkey and the Rock Stars
Emily Allen and Jaimi Garcia bring their marine animals dancing around a rock in the ocean.
Mermayhems Created by Nicole Caldwell: “Strange tides have come to shore. Beware the Merfolk, they are out to hook and lure.”
Wave of Nature in collaboration with the SB Botanical Garden, artist Allison Claudio has created 4 carved Guardian Totems which will be in the Parade, displayed in the Park, and land in the Botanical Gardens.
12:40 -1:00 Ash Wertz 1:05 -1:30 K.R.L.
1:40 - 2:05 Skinripper
2:15 - 2:50 Lyndsey Marie- Bradberri
2:50 - 3:20 Rosale Ortega Flamenco
3:30 - 4:05 Harper Marley
4:10 - 4:45 Lorraine Noringer
SATURDAY
Bix King
Cody Christiaan
Jack Roy
Calvin & Hogg
Sans Nom Niko
Thee-O
Sandwich
THEME: WAVE
Prickly-Neko Youth Coordinator Irene Ramirez brings us a lucky, waving, cactuscat, wishing everyone good fortune all summer long! Surrounded by SK805 skaters.
Solstice Royalty Ensemble Solstice Royalty winners will be moving down the street surrounded by Santa Barbara local dignitaries from City Council, getting their hair done into hair a permanent wave.
Alberto Olivo Angel Last year Alberto created a large puppet/float of a pregnant woman. This year, see the babies: Watch for this hilarious illusion.
Mariano Silva brings a big wave of Brazilian sound and the spirit of Bahia. A large float surrounded by Capoeiristas and dancers.
Kiddy Pool Daniel Cacciatore and his daughter Gigi swim up Santa Barbara Street in a kiddy pool.
Buckle Up Traci Russsell and a bold wave of line dancers. High energy, boot stomping, kickin’ country swagger.
Blue.NINE
The Big Red Funk Dynamicz Ben1am S’akiibaum g.dubz
Musiphant: Pali X-Mano’s winning design from Solstice’s collaboration with the Elephant Parade®
Elevated Dreams Aerial Dance Studio Director Alison McCullah, kids, teens, and adults, mermaids, sea creatures, and pirates are free styling it down the street with ribbons, silk fans and bubbles.
Sundance of The Giant Water Dragon and His Creatures: 45-foot inflatable Dragon created by Artist in Residence Pali X-Mano is dedicated to the memory of Dragon Leigh. Sponsored by Santa Barbara Beautiful.
The Last Float Artist Gregory Beeman collaboration with Tech Director Jim Sun Bear bringing a percussionary wave of drums.
Unicorn
The “Pass the Hat” Sun gets a new look!
The Pizza King Beto Diaz brings a pizza performance to Santa Barbara Street with his pizza oven float.
Lee Heller: No to fire, yes to a coastal fire suppression district
The Sandpiper project also includes a makeover of the historic Barnsdall Rio Grande gas station building. This historic filling station was built in 1929, one year after oil was first struck in the Ellwood Oil Field
By Lee Heller • Special to the Santa Barbara News-Press , 6.5.26
REMEMBER WHEN
COASTAL PARTS OF
SANTA BARBARA were considered safely outside the high fire zone? Those days are gone, and that’s why I am voting in support of creating a Coastal Wildland Fire Suppression Assessment District.
It’s a long title for a simple concept: properties in a high risk area would pay an annual assessment (roughly $125 for a single home), and in exchange the City implements fire suppression at and near those properties. Because it qualifies as a ‘tax’ on the affected properties, it has to be approved by voters.
Up in the foothills, these Districts have been around forever. Homeowners in Mission Canyon and similar areas know the value of kicking in a small annual amount, so that experienced work crews overseen by the City’s wildland fire specialists come to their neighborhood, clear roadside vegetation (where a lot of fires start due to sparks from passing cars), manage vegetation to reduce fuel loads, and provide free advice about home
hardening and defensible space. This map (to the right) shows areas that see the need, and are getting support as a result.
When I moved to the Alta Mesa 5 ½ years ago, it didn’t occur to me that my new home was in a high risk area. I even bragged to friends from San Roque about how they were in a high risk area, and I was safely not. Ha! That brag was on May 20th, 2021, just hours before the Loma Fire burned below TV Hill and threatened the very heart of downtown.
We now know that: 1) fire season is now year-round; 2) fire can start in and burn through urban areas, not just up in the hills; 3) management and reduction are critical to reducing loss when a fire does happen. Coastal communities never used to need to think about this. Now, we do.
The City of Santa Barbara sent out ballots last month to properties in coastal areas that were rezoned as high fire that same year. We’ve been living at risk, but without the resources to reduce that risk. A new fire assessment district focused on coastal and coastal inland areas would directly address that.
If you live in the yellow or green areas below, you received a simple ballot in the mail about a month ago, asking you to vote on whether or not to establish a new district to protect your property and neighborhood. If you haven’t already voted, this is your chance to say YES, to generate the funds needed for the City Fire Department to do for coastal areas what it is already doing up in the foothills—
reducing fire risk, protecting homes and neighborhoods.
Ballots are due by June 30th. They can be mailed in or handed in at City Hall during a public hearing on the issue, which starts at 2pm on June 30th. Please
Film Screening of the new documentary film The Freelance BEAVER Detective: Tracking Urban Wildlife with Pamela Adams, of Beaver Insights, joined by Filmmaker Kay D. Ray
Pamela Adams is a Seattle-based urban wildlife researcher, educator, and self-appointed Freelance Beaver Detective, who is pioneering community-based beaver ecology—especially focused on urban beavers & the wildlife their watery homes support, sometimes with the use of non-invasive trail cameras she has taught many citizens & communities to use.
Encouraging citizens to participate, Pamela’s vision is to foster more “freelance beaver detectives” in every urban waterway in the west and beyond. A hopeful, science-grounded look at how cities and wildlife can thrive together. As Pamela Adams states, “When you follow beavers, you follow a whole ecosystem.”
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2026, 6-8PM
Location: SBCC West Campus, Fe Bland Auditorium, 721 Cliff Dr, Santa Barbara, CA Sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network & Santa Barbara Beaver Brigade www.sbpermaculture.org • 805 962-2571
Job Market Recovering
“Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in financial activities declined.” BLS
By Harlan Green, Special to VOICE, June 10, 2026
THE JOB MARKET IS FINALLY RECOVERING after almost no job growth last year. The recovery is brutal, per the head spinning FRED payroll graph above; -149,000 jobs were lost in October 2025 and -156,000 jobs were lost as recently as February 2026 before recovering in March (+214,000 jobs), April (+179,000 jobs), and now May (+172,000 jobs).
The sudden hiring surge is because manufacturing has rebounded; both from the
Biden administration’s $5 trillion raised in legislation to modernize U.S. infrastructure and the $1.5 to two trillion suddenly pouring into the A.I. construction of data centers.
ECONOMIC VOICE
By Harlan Green
Corporations are investing as much as possible of their record profits in A.I. that is being touted as the next industrial revolution able to produce more of everything, thus freeing us from the jobs that produce everything. Fed Governors are already talking about raising interest rates later this year, instead of lowering them to combat the
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inflation surge. Bond yields have been rising as markets are now expecting higher inflation ahead.
Consumers will be hit the hardest, as surveys now show that just 20 percent can continue to shop as they have been with the rest now living from paycheck-to-paycheck.
This is happening at the same time as retail (CPI) inflation has topped four percent, the first time in three years. Its energy index has now risen 23.5 percent in a year, thanks to the Strait of Hormuz closure.
So, 20 percent of consumers can travel, boosting the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 70,000 jobs in May, well above the average monthly gain of 14,000 over the prior 12 months. But food and gas are another matter for the 80 percent.
Manufacturing payrolls added 7,000 jobs, and construction added 17,000 jobs in May but most of the job growth was in the lower-wage service sector.
Employment in government also rose by 55,000, largely a gain in local government, and education (+44,000). Healthcare added 35,000 jobs, in line with the average monthly gain of 38,000 over the prior 12 months.
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has predicted what will happen with wealth now concentrated in the hands of so few:
“When so much of our economy is in relatively few hands, we will inevitably get to the point where consumers cannot buy all the goods and services the economy is capable of producing (with A.I.). This puts the entire economy at risk.”
In a sign of the times, sales of existing homes accelerated to their fastest pace of the year in May, led by sales of homes priced
Santa Barbara Mortgage Interest Rates
Contact your local loan agent or mortgage broker for current rates:
DRAPER & KRAMER MORTGAGE CORP.
Please call for current rates: Russell Story, 805-895-8831
PARAGON MORTGAGE GROUP
Please call for current rates: 805-899-1390
HOMEBRIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES
Please call for current rates: Erik Taiji, 805-895-8233, NMLS #322481
MONTECITO BANK & TRUST
Please call for current rates: 805-963-7511 • Coastal Housing Partnership Member
SB MORTGAGE GROUP
Simar Gulati, 805-403-9679
U.S. BANK
Please call for current rates: Teri Gauthier, 805-565-4571 • Coastal Housing Partnership Member
at over $1 million, according to research released by the National Association of REALTORS. The only categories where home sales declined last month were those homes that are most affordable priced below $250,000.
This second industrial revolution will create fewer high-wage jobs, in other words, because A.I. can already do much of the thinking, and problem-solving work as well. Who will take care of the fallout? It will be jobs that improve the human element, particularly in healthcare, which A.I can certainly be helpful in modernizing.
But what about protecting the environment? A.I.’s huge computers use lots of electricity, and water to cool the super computers. But so do ordinary Americans.
Follow Harlan Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarlanGreen
Barbara
County
Harlan Green has been the 18-year Editor-Publisher of PopularEconomics.com, a weekly syndicated financial wire service. He writes a Popular Economics Weekly Blog. He is an economic forecaster and teacher of real estate finance with 30-years experience as a banker and mortgage broker. To reach Harlan call 805-452-7696 or email editor@populareconomics.com.
VOICE Magazine • Community Market • LEGAL NOTICES
Alex Towing
Cars, trucks, trailers, all sizes and shapes
• Goleta to Oxnard
Alex Castillo: 805-403-0202
US PASSPORT SERVICES
(Same as US Post Office)
Appointment required 805-893-3552
https://recreation.ucsb.edu/facilities/passports
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Window cleaning, painting, roofing repairs, drywall, plumbing, concrete, and more.
Alex Castillo: 805-403-0202
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:
The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as AMERICAN RIVIERA CLEANING CO at 5708 Hollister Ave, Suite A PMB 1074, Goleta, CA 93117. AMERICAN RIVIERA CLEANING CO LLC at 5708 Hollister Ave, Suite A PMB 1074, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on May 22, 2026. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2026-0001366. Published May 29, June 5, 12, 19, 2026.
To have your news included in VOICE Magazine, please email information to Writer@VoiceSB.com
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
50
Drains - Waterproofing
• Site Drainage Systems
• Underpinnings - Caissons
• Structural Correction Work
• Concrete Driveways
• Virtual Building Inspections
805.698.4318
William J. Dalziel Lic#B311003 – Bonded & Insured
BillJDalziel@gmail.com WilliamDalziel.work
MOVING • HAULING
We know how to move you! Professionally Equipped Truck Santabarbarastudentmoviers.com 805-403-0202
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:
The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as COAST TO COUNTRY PARTNERS LLC at 1187 Coast Village Rd, Suite 1, Montecito, CA 93108. COAST TO COUNTRY PARTNERS LLC at 1187 Coast Village Rd, Suite 1, Montecito, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on May 12, 2026. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2026-0001255. Published June 5, 12, 19, 26, 2026.
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:
The following Corporation is doing business as A&J WASHER & DRYER REPAIR at 230 Matilda Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. FMX GLOBAL INC at 8151 N Paula Avenue, Fresno, CA 93720. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on June 2, 2026. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2026-0001436. Published June 12, 19, 26, July 3, 2026.
The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as CONFECTIONARIUM SB at 800 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3207. EVENT NETWORK, LLC at 9645 Granite Ridge Drive, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92123. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on June 5, 2026. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2026-0001479. Published June 12, 19, 26, July 3, 2026.
PUBLIC NOTICE City of Santa Barbara
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Santa Barbara will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, during the afternoon session of the meeting which begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, to consider the recommendation filed by the Downtown Parking Committee’s decision to recommend that City Council accept the Parking and Business Improvement Area Draft Annual Report and approve a status quo assessment for Fiscal Year 2027.
You are invited to attend this hearing and address your verbal comments to the City Council. Written comments are also welcome up to the time of the hearing, and should be addressed to the City Council via the City Clerk’s Office by sending them electronically to Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or by mail to P.O. Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 931021990.
On Thursday, June 25, 2026, an Agenda with all items to be heard on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, will be available at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, and at the Central Library. Agendas and Staff Reports are also accessible online at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CAP. The Agenda includes instructions for participation in the meeting. If you wish to participate in the public hearing, please follow the instructions on the posted Agenda.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need auxiliary aids or special assistance to gain access to, comment at, or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator’s Office at 805-564-5305. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements in most cases. Specialized services, such as sign language interpretation or documents in Braille, may require additional lead time to arrange.
(SEAL)
/s/ Sarah Gorman, MMC City Clerk Services Manager June 10, 2026
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Where to Learn About Local Government Meetings
The Santa Barbara City Council meets most Tuesdays at 2pm
• To learn more about the council and other City department meetings, visit www.santabarbaraca.gov
The Goleta City Council meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 5:30pm
• To learn more about the council and other City department meetings, visit www.cityofgoleta.org
The Carpinteria City Council meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 5:30pm • To learn more about other City departments visit www.carpinteriaca.gov
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meets most Tuesdays at 9am • To learn more about other County departments visit www.countyofsb.org
The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) generally meets on the third Thursday of the month at 10am · SBCAG is a regional board of 13 elected officials representing all eight cities and the County · visit www.sbcag.org
NOTICE OF PUBLICATIONS ON APPLICATIONS REGARDING PROVISIONS OF TITLE 28 AND/OR 30 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA (SBMC)
The Secretary of the Planning Commission has set a public hearing for Thursday, July 2, 2026 beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street.
On Thursday, June 25, 2026, an Agenda with all items to be heard on Thursday, July 2, 2026 will be posted on the outdoor bulletin board at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, and online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PC. Agendas, Minutes, and Staff Reports are also accessible online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PC.
TELEVISION COVERAGE: This meeting will be broadcast live on City TV-Channel 18 and online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTV. See SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTVProgramGuide for a rebroadcast schedule. An archived video of this meeting will be available at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PCVideos.
WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT: Public comments may be submitted via email to PCSecretary@SantaBarbaraCA.gov before the beginning of the Meeting. All public comments submitted via email will be provided to the Commission and will become part of the public record. You may also submit written correspondence via US Postal Service (USPS) addressed to PC Secretary, PO Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990. However, please be advised, correspondence sent via USPS may not be received in time to process prior to the meeting and email submissions are highly encouraged. Please note that the Commission may not have time to review written comments received after 4:30 p.m. the Tuesday before the meeting.
All public comment that is received before 4:30 p.m. the Tuesday before the meeting will be published on the City’s website at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PC. Comments provided via USPS or e-mail will be converted to a PDF before being posted on the City’s website. Note: comments will be published online the way they are received and without redaction of personal identifying information; including but not limited to phone number, home address, and email address. Only submit information that you wish to make available publicly.
APPEALS: Decisions of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council. For further information and guidelines on how to appeal a decision to City Council, please contact the City Clerk’s office at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov as soon as possible. Appeals may be filed in person at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall or in writing via email to Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov and by first class mail postage prepaid within 10 calendar days of the meeting at which the Commission took action or rendered its decision. Appeals and associated fee postmarked after the 10th calendar day will not be accepted.
NOTE TO INTERESTED PARTIES: Only those persons who participate through public comment either orally or in writing on an item on this Agenda have standing to appeal the decision. Grounds for appeal are limited to those issues raised either orally or in written correspondence delivered to the review body at, or prior to, the public hearing.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: If you need services or staff assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator’s Office at (805) 5645305. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will usually enable the City to make reasonable arrangements. Specialized services, such as sign language interpretation or documents in Braille, may require additional lead time to arrange.
Project Description: Removal of bluff top decks, provide uncovered parking and site work
This July
A
NEW DESTINATION FOR CAR ENTHUSIASTS is set to arrive this July with the launch of Santa Barbara Drivers Club, a members-only club designed to bring together driving, racing, and community. The new club will feature a carsharing program and a racing experience.
“We wanted to create the kind of place we always wished existed—a clubhouse where enthusiasts can drive, race, learn, and connect with others who share the same passion,” said cofounder Anthony Barbaria.
Santa Barbara Drivers Club was founded by twin brothers Anthony and Jason Barbaria,
Accessibility
Santa Barbara natives and lifelong automotive enthusiasts.
Members will be able to reserve and drive vehicles from a rotating fleet of enthusiast cars—vehicles selected not just for speed, but for the enjoyment they provide behind the wheel.
In addition to vehicle access, members can compete on professional-grade racing simulators that recreate the experience of driving on world-famous racetracks, participate in a seasonal sim racing league, and gather in a dedicated clubhouse designed for everything from morning espresso meetups to Formula 1 watch parties. For info, visit sbdrivers.com
and Mobility Accommodations for Solstice Parade and Festival Available
TO SUPPORT SOLSTICE ATTENDEES WITH MOBILITY
CHALLENGES during this weekend’s Summer Solstice Parade and Solstice Festival, Solstice organizers and the City of Santa Barbara have collaborated with community partners to arrange for accessibility accommodations.
During the parade on Saturday, June 20th, the City of Santa Barbara will designate an accessible viewing area for parade spectators with disabilities and their guests on the west side of Santa Barbara Street, between Canon Perdido Street and 827 Santa Barbara Street. Space is available first come, first served, and spectators are responsible for providing their own seating.
The parade starts at noon, and cars may drop off participants along the 100 block of Canon Perdido until 11am. Canon Perdido at Anacapa Street will close to vehicle access starting at 11am. Disabled placard parking for parade spectators will be available on a firstcome, first-served basis near the Anacapa St. and Canon Perdido St. intersection. ADA restrooms will be available at the corner of Canon Perdido and Santa Barbara Streets.
For maps, additional festival accessibility details, and the complete set of guidelines, visit: solsticeparade.com/accessibility
1992 Mazda Miata in Sunburst Yellow is popular among car enthusiasts. SB Drivers Club to Launch
Cinema
Andy’s VIP Backyard Bash
Celebrate the release of Toy Story
5! Tickets include a goodie bag, trivia participation, kid-focused activity options, and access to purchase specialty drinks. All ages are welcome. Trivia Themes: Toy Story & General Pixar • 3pm Friday, 6/19
CINEMA EVENTS
One Battle After Another • Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-winning action thriller • Alcazar Theatre • $7-10
• thealcazar.org • 7pm Fr, 6/19.
Pride • Gay activists in the U.K. help miners on strike in 1984 • Alcazar Theatre • $7-10 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sa, 6/20.
Andy’s VIP Backyard Bash •
Celebrate the release of Toy Story 5 with goodie bags, trivia, drinks, and kidfriendly activities
• Arlington Theatre
• $20 • arlingtontheatresb.com • 3pm Fr, 6/19.
The Secret Life of Pets • Animated comedy about pets in New York City • Camino Real Cinemas • $2
• metrotheatres.com • 10am We, 6/24.
Cars • The Pixar animated film following a racing car named Lightning McQueen • Alcazar Theatre • $5-7 • thealcazar.org • 3pm We, 6/24.
Green Film Series: Living Wine
• Film about natural winemakers in Northern California during wildfire season, post screening wine tasting at Arnoldi’s • Marjorie Luke Theatre • $1040 • luketheatre.org • 2pm Su, 6/28.
American Graffiti • A group of recent high school graduates in 1962 spend the last night of summer cruising their small central valley town • Alcazar Theatre • $7-10 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Fr, 6/26.
HONOR BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, ART, AND CULTURE as Santa Barbara celebrates Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th. Held in commemoration of the United States’ abolition of enslavement, the holiday remembers when Union soldiers ordered the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19th, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, ending slavery more than two years after the proclamation passed. Santa Barbara will join in communities nationwide in observing this holiday with cultural community events featuring music, art, and performances amplifying and by Black voices.
Love for The People • Juneteenth Celebration with live music, art, cultural performances, local food, community resources, and educational experiences • Plaza Del Mar Bandshell • Free • juneteenthsb.org • 11am6pm Fr, 6/19.
2026 Juneteenth Lompoc • Live performances, kids activities, speakers, and more • Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP & C4 Lompoc • Old Town Lompoc • Free • juneteenthsb.org • 11am-5pm Fr, 6/19.
Juneteenth With Jon Boogz 2026 • Performance and visual storytelling amplifying Black artists, followed by a reception • Center Stage Theater • $33 • centerstagetheater.org • 6pm Fr, 6/19.
Juneteenth Screening & Live Performance • View works by artist Toni Scott and film of poet Sojourner Kincaid Rolle reading her poem Free at Last; hosted by Rod Rolle. Live performance by Ring Shout to precede events • Elevate Gallery, La Cumbre Plaza during 3rd Friday Gallery Row Art Walk • Free • 5:15pm start, last screening 7pm, Fr, 6/19.
Friday 6/19
CHILDREN
Read with a Dog • Children practice reading to a furry friend • Central Library • Free • 3:30-4:30pm Fr.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Finish Up Friday • Complete a project or start a new one • EE Makerspace • $15 • exploreecology.org
• 10am-4pm Fr, 6/19.
Dinosaur Safari • Interactive talk and guided tour • Prehistoric Forest, SB Museum of Natural History • Included with admission • 1:30-2pm every Mon & Fri through 8/21.
THE MOST COLORFUL AND FUN EVENT SANTA BARBARA HAS TO OFFER, with an international reputation for being an artistic wonder, Summer Solstice Festival wraps a three day festival around an amazing parade on Saturday at noon on Santa Barbara Street. Join your neighbors and hit the WAVES this weekend, Friday through Sunday, June 19th to 21st. See pages 16 & 17 for details. SolsticeParade.com
Summer Solstice Workshop • Volunteer to ready floats, costumes, and more leading up to Summer Solstice • Community Arts Workshop • solsticeparade.com • Through 6/20.
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages, free w/admission • SBNature.org
• 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
COMEDY
The Good Good Show • Monthly comedy show • Night
Lizard Brewing Company • $10 • nightlizardbrewingcompany.com • 7:30-9:30pm Sa, 6/20.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Summer Solstice Yoga • Outdoor movement and meditation • Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Redwood Grove • $30-35 • sbbotanicgarden.org • 8:30-9:30am Sa, 6/20.
Specializing in injuries, Sports massage, Swedish, Lymphatic, Somatic massage & Life Coaching
Architectural Walking Tour • History of buildings in SB • City Hall steps at De la Guerra Plaza • $20 • afsb.org • 10am, Sat.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Solstice Parade • Welcome summer with festive floats • Santa Barbara St. from Ortega to Sola St. • 12pm Sa, 6/20.
Farmer and The Flea • Shop local artisans • El Presidio • Free • farmerandtheflea.co • 10am-3pm Sa, 6/20.
Sunday 6/21
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
CHILDREN
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages • Free w/ admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
Sundays at the Ranch • Fun for the family. Enjoy barn animals and tractor rides • Stow House, 304 N Los Carneros Rd • Free • goletahistory.org • 11am-2pm Sun.
COMEDY
Luis Moro • Fathers Day Special
Santa Barbara Sunday Comedy Show • SB Comedy Club Speakeasy Comedy Bar • $20 • sbcomedyclub.com • 7-9pm Su, 6/21.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Authors Walter Mosley & Shaka Senghor • Godmothers • $20-50 • godmothers.com • 6-7pm Su, 6/21.
Empathy Cafe • Practice listening skills and communication • Riviera Theatre, upstairs • Free • 11am-1pm Su.
MUSIC
Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan • Blues & rag music • Free • coldspringtavern.com • 1:30-4:30pm Su, 6/21.
OUTDOORS
Beach Cleanup • Meet behind Skater’s Point skate park • RSVP: sbnature.org • 10am-12pm Su, 6/21.
Sunday Architecture Tour • Meet at Public Library Plaza at 40 E Anapamu St • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.
Monday 6/22
CHILDREN
Baby & Me • Develop your baby’s preliteracy skills, 0-14 months • Central Library • Free • 11-11:30am Mo.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Hannah Turner • Reads and signs her poetry collection The Clarity of Chaos • Chaucer’s Books • Free • 6pm Mo, 6/22.
Stacey Lindsay • Discusses novel: Being 40: The Decade of Letting Go—and Embracing Who We Are • Godmothers Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Mo, 6/22.
Scrabble Club • Louise Lowry Davis Center • All levels/ English/ Spanish • Free • 1-4pm Mon.
Parliamo • Italian conversation, all levels • Natural Cafe, 361 Hitchcock Way • Free • parliamo.yolasite.com • 5-6:30pm Mon.
SB Bridge Club • Play bridge, meets daily • 2255 Las Positas Rd • Schedule and RSVP: bridgewebs.com/sbbc542
Dancing • Free lessons and social dancing • Night Lizard Brewing Company • 6-8pm every Wed in June.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Hot Off the Press • Fruit-shaped bag charm craft workshop • Central Library, Faulkner Gallery • Free, registration recommended • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 4pm We, 6/24.
Healing Through Connection
• Workshop exploring resilience and mindfulness • In person at Unity of Santa Barbara or on Zoom • Free • unitysb.org • 5-6:30pm We, 6/24.
Writers Conference To Return With New Programing
BEGINNING A NEW CHAPTER IN A 52 YEAR NARRATIVE, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference has announces their annual meeting will take place June 21st to 26th at 1111 Cabrillo Blvd., the Mar Monte Hotel, with workshops and panels designed to elevate the writing profession.
Some of the program highlights are: 20 writing workshops, eight seminars with 100 separate sessions; six keynote speakers and six panels; manuscript consultations; personalized feedback sessions with literary professionals; networking events to connect with fellow writers and industry experts; and two banquets, and a poolside reception during the week
The evening programs will include keynote speakers: Fannie Flagg, Monte Schulz, Kerri Schlottman, Jess Walter, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Adriana Trigiani. Evening programs open with poetry readings. All evening programs will be open to the public at no charge, as space allows. For more info: sbwriters.com/register
Kate Doerge • Discusses her novel Reimagining Grief • Godmothers Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm We, 6/24.
Kenneth Karmiole • Discusses Asian American socialist feminist poet Nellie Wong • Online • Free, registration required • library.ucsb.edu • 12:30pm We, 6/24.
Bishop Slawomir Szkredka • Discusses Nicholas de Lyra and the Vitality of the Biblical Text • Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library • $25-30 • sbmal.org • 6pm We, 6/24.
The District House with Lindsay Kent • Author/ filmmaker discusses The Powers of Narrative: Stories and The Psychedelic Renaissance • LoDo Studios • $25 • district216.com • 5-9pm We, 6/24. Knitting & Crochet Club • Louise Lowry Davis Ctr • All levels/English/ Spanish • Free • 9-11:30am Wed.
Le Cercle Français • Free French conversation, all levels • The Natural Cafe • https://tinyurl.com/5ejbd9ye • 5-6:30pm Wed.
Open Jam • At Revolver Pizza. Jam with musicians • 1429 San Andres St • Free • revolversb.com • 6-9pm Wed.
Thursday 6/25
COMEDY
Jeff Keller • Santa Barbara Comedy Night Show • SB Comedy Club Speakeasy Comedy Bar • $20 • sbcomedyclub.com • 7-9pm Th, 6/25.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Sewing and Mending • Repair something old or create something new • EE Makerspace • $15 • exploreecology.org • 1-3pm Th, 6/25. The Art of Science • Drop in community drawing session focusing on butterflies and moths • SBMNH • Included with Museum admission • 1:30pm Th, 6/18 - 8/20.
Santa Barbara Ghost Tours
Community Calendar
Theatre
Come From Away
IN THE WAKE OF TRAGEDY, kindness took flight. An uplifting, Tony-award-winning musical based on a real story, an average day in the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland becomes a defining moment when 38 planes are suddenly grounded in the small town on September 11, 2001. The population of the remote Gander doubles overnight. But instead of panic, something remarkable happens. The locals throw open their homes, their bars, and their hearts—proving that compassion can outshine crisis. At the Solvang Festival Theater through June 27th.
For tickets (starting at $25 ) visit pcpa.org
Every Brilliant Thing • To help his mother battle depression, a child makes a list of every brilliant thing • ETC • The New Vic • $25104 • etcsb.org • Through 6/21.
Company • Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy about a long-time bachelor contemplating marriage • Ojai Art Center • $30 • ojaiact.org • 7:30pm Fr, 6/12 through 7/12.
Come From Away • Musical about the Newfoundland town that took in strangers during 9/11 • PCPA, Solvang Festival Theater • pcpa.org • Through 6/27.
Luchadora! • The legend of Mulan reimagined in the world
Plastic-Free Expo • With family activities and eco-friendly prizes • CEC’s Environmental Hub • Free, registration recommended • cecsb.org • 6:30-8pm Th, 6/25.
Santa Barbara Writers Conference • League of Laureates reading before each evening’s keynote speaker • Mar Monte Hotel • 7pm Mo, 6/22 through Th, 6/25.
Knit ‘n’ Needle • Fiber arts club • Montecito Library • Free • 2pm Th.
theme is Wild Things • Santa Barbara Zoo, Discovery Pavilion • $50-85 • sbscchamber.com • 9am Th, 6/25.
Friday 6/26
CHILDREN
Summer Art Camp 2026 • Printmaking and textiles, ages 7-9 • SBMA, Art Learning Lab • $300-350 • sbma.net • 9am-3pm Mo, 6/22 through Friday, 6/26.
Summer Art Camp 2026 • Ceramics & ReMade: People & Animals, ages 7-9 • SBMA’s Art Studio @ The Downtown Club • $350-400 • sbma.net • 9am-3pm Mo, 6/22 through Friday, 6/26.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Creative Mornings • Gathering for creatives to talk, unify and grow
New York’s Wine & Opera Festival • live opera performances, wine tastings, education, and community involvement • La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts • $65 • wineandoperafestival.com • 5-8pm Fr, 6/26.
Saturday 6/27
Circus Vargas Unveils Live Action Masquerade
UNDER THE BIG TOP FILLED WITH WORLD CLASS ACROBATS, Circus Vargas has unveiled a new edition of their show called Masquerade! It’s a true circus celebration and it takes place at the Earl Warren Show Grounds through June 22nd.
Circus Vargas’ Masquerade transports guests to an alternate, other-worldly dimension, the minute they enter the Big Top! From vibrant costumes, sensational music, and lights, there is extraordinary talent presented in minute after magical minute of breathtaking stunts and performances.
of Mexican wrestling, written by Alvaro Saar Rios • Marian Theatre • $25-51 • pcpa.org • 7pm Th, 6/18 through Fr, 7/3.
The Lightning Thief • The Percy Jackson Musical presented by Young Actors Ensemble and Performance Company • Matilija Auditorium • $16-22 • oyespresents.org • 6pm Fr, 6/19 through Su, 6/28.
Finding Nemo Kids • Stage adaption of the Pixar film • Rubicon Theatre • $17-21 • rubicontheatre.org • 11am & 2pm Sa, 6/17 and 11am Su, 6/28.
MUSIC
Israel Vibration with Roots Radics & Benny Ranks • Reggae harmony group • SOhO • $41 • sohosb.com • 8:30pm Th, 6/25.
SPECIAL EVENTS
World Cup Watch Party • USA vs. Turkey • Central Library, Michael Towbes Upper Plaza • Free • 7-11pm Th, 6/25.
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages, free w/admission • SBNature.org
• 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
COMEDY
Steven Lolli
• Santa Barbara Saturday Night Live Comedy • SB Comedy Club Speakeasy Comedy Bar
• $20 • sbcomedyclub.com • 7-9pm Sa, 6/27.
South Coast Stand-Up Comedy
• Featuring Jay Lamont, Jamie Kaler, and Brandon Vestal • Alcazar Theatre
• $15-20 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sa, 6/27.
DANCE
Dance Me a Story • Westside Dance’s production featuring scenes from different storybooks • Marjorie Luke Theatre • Free • luketheatre.org • 4pm Sa, 6/27.
Series 7: Go for Broke! 2026
• The Dance Network’s junior show featuring tap, hip hop, jazz, ballroom, contemporary, and more • Center Stage Theater • $20-30 • centerstagetheater.org • 2:30pm Sa, 6/27.
In an age dominated by screens and digital entertainment, Circus Vargas is a vital, live-action escape. Every seat under the massive Big Top brings you close to the spectacle, fostering a shared sense of awe and excitement as you watch real people achieve extraordinary feats right before your eyes. It’s an immersive experience where parents and children alike can disconnect from devices and connect with each other over shared gasps and laughter.
Founded in California in 1969, Circus Vargas is one of the world’s biggest traveling circuses still operating under a traditional big top tent. It is now owned and operated by the seventh-generation circus performers Katya Arata Quiroga and Nelson Quiroga.
For tickets and more information visit: circusvargas.com/tickets
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Garden Dreaming Workshop
• Discuss garden goals and create vision boards • Central Library, Michael Towbes Lower Plaza • Free, registration required • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 2pm Sa, 6/27.
Fiesta Fashion Sale • Discover clothes and accessories to get Fiesta ready • Santa Barbara Carriage & Western Art Museum • 9am-2pm Sa, 6/27.
MUSIC
Cuyama Mama and the Hot Flashes • Desert dance music • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:304:30pm Sa, 6/27.
Which One’s Pink • Pink Floyd tribute band • SOhO • $27 • sohosb.com • 9pm Sa, 6/27.
Takács Quartet • Celebration of cellist András Fejér’s final performance with the quartet • presented by Music Academy of the West • Lobero Theatre • $65-125 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Sa, 6/27.
OUTDOORS
Architectural Walking Tour • History of buildings in SB • City Hall steps at De la Guerra Plaza • $20 • afsb.org • 10am, Sat.
SPECIAL EVENTS
2026 SYV Polo Classic • Benefiting Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People, featuring tented seating, polo matches, ranch style BBQ lunch and
Photo by Luis Escobar, courtesy of PCPA
Forbes Toasts the Speakeasy at San Ysidro Ranch
A WORLD WIDE TOUR OF EXCEPTIONAL BARS has resulted in Forbes Travel Guide awarding the Speakeasy at the San Ysidro Ranch as one of its 2026 Hotel Star Bars, this month, one of only five bars in the United States.
Forbes Travel Guide’s anonymous inspectors visited each venue as paying guests, evaluating cocktails, culinary offerings, service, and overall guest experience. Honorees represent the highest level of excellence in beverage programs, presentation, hospitality, and atmosphere.
Hidden behind an unmarked door at the legendary Montecito retreat, The Speakeasy treats guests to a moody, jazz-infused hideaway where vintage glamour meets modern indulgence. The intimate space pays homage to iconic speakeasies around the world through a thoughtfully curated cocktail program featuring inventive signatures, timeless classics, and rare spirits.
The San Ysidro Ranch, a Ty Warner property in the Montecito foothills, is a centuries-old hideaway within 550 acres of meticulously landscaped grounds and has played host to Winston Churchill, Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Santa Barbara Lavender Festival • Shopping, entertainment, food and a beer garden • SBCC West Campus • 11am-5pm Sa, 6/27.
Carpinteria Arts & Crafts
Faire • Local artists and vendors and live music • The Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, Koch Courtyard • Free • 10am-4pm Sa, 6/27.
SB Wine Festival • Museum fundraiser featuring wineries and food purveyors • SB Museum of Natural History • $135-180 • sbnature.org • 2-5pm Sa, 6/27.
Sunday 6/28
CHILDREN
Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages • Free w/ admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.
Sundays at the Ranch • Fun for the family. Enjoy barn animals and tractor rides • Stow House, 304 N Los Carneros Rd • Free • goletahistory.org • 11am-2pm Sun.
LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
OUTDOORS
Sunday Architecture Tour • Meet at Public Library Plaza at 40 E Anapamu St • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.
SPECIAL EVENTS
MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST’S
SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL & SCHOOL
WED, JUN 17, 7:30 PM HH
THU, JUN 18, 3:30 PM HH
THU, JUN 18, 7:30 PM HH
FRI, JUN 19, 3:30 PM LH
FRI, JUN 19, 7:30 PM HH SAT, JUN 20, 1:30 PM LH SAT, JUN 20, 7:30 PM LO
SHOWCASE SERIES: Teaching Artist Showcase | 2026 Festival Opening Night
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE: PIANO MC Jeffrey Kahane Mosher Guest Artist
CELEBRITY RECITAL SERIES: ZLATOMIR FUNG & JONATHAN FELDMAN
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE: CELLO MC Zlatomir Fung Mosher Guest Artist
CELEBRITY RECITAL SERIES: ARKAI
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE Piano Recital
LOBERO NIGHTS SERIES: Jeffrey Kahane & Friends
MON, JUN
TUE, JUN TUE, JUN
WED, JUN
WED, JUN
THU, JUN FRI, JUN SAT, JUN
Photo Walk Club • Take photos while exploring the city • Central Library, Michael Towbes Upper Plaza • Free, registration recommended • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 11am-12pm Su, 6/28.
WEEK 1 | WED, JUN 17 - SAT, JUN 20
SBCAN at 25 • Wine, appetizers and music to celebrate 25 years of Santa Barbara County Action Network work • Sunstone Winery • $100 • sbcan.org • 1-4pm Su, 6/28.
WED, JUN 17, 7:30 PM HH
Lisa See • Discusses her novel Daughters of the Sun and Moon • Godmothers Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Su, 6/28.
THU, JUN 18, 3:30 PM HH
SHOWCASE SERIES: Teaching Artist Showcase | 2026 Festival Opening Night
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE: PIANO MC Jeffrey Kahane Mosher Guest Artist
THU, JUN 18, 7:30 PM HH
FRI, JUN 19, 3:30 PM LH
The Sacred Circle • Diana Raab’s facilitated gathering for women over 60 with the theme: Finding Bliss as We Age • Godmothers Books • $39 • godmothers.com • 2pm Su, 6/28.
MUSIC
Xangie • Rock duo • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Su, 6/28.
CELEBRITY RECITAL SERIES: ZLATOMIR FUNG & JONATHAN FELDMAN
Sarah House Stories: A staged Reading • Local actors will read stories written by Paloma Espino • Trinity Episcopal Church • $25-40 • sarahhousesb.ticketsauce.com • 2pm Su, 6/28.
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE: CELLO MC Zlatomir Fung Mosher Guest Artist
ETC’s Curtain Up! Benefit Gala
CELEBRITY RECITAL SERIES: ARKAI
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE Piano Recital
LOBERO NIGHTS SERIES: Jeffrey Kahane & Friends
• Performance followed by cocktails, appetizers, and a gourmet threecourse dinner • Performance at The New Vic, gala at Santa Barbara Club • $400 • etcsb.org • 4pm Su, 6/28.
To have your events included in VOICE Magazine's calendar or arts listings, email information to Calendar@VoiceSB.com by noon the Monday before publication.
WEEK 5
WEEK 2 | MON, JUN 22 - SAT, JUN 27
MON, JUL 13, 3:30 PM HH
COLLABORATIVE PIANO MC
JUL
Natasha Kislenko
MON, JUL 13, 7:30 PM HH
SOLO PIANO SPOTLIGHT SERIES
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE CHAMBER MUSIC MC Jonathan Feldman CHAMBER MUSIC MC Takács Quartet
TUE, JUN
TUE, JUL 14, 1:15 PM WH
TUE, JUL 14, 1:15 PM LH
TUE, JUL 14, 3:30 PM HH
TUE, JUL 14, 7:30 PM HH
WED, JUL 15, 1:30 PM LH
TUE, JUN 23, 3:30 PM HH TUE, JUN 23, 7:30 PM HH WED, JUN 24, 3:30 PM LH WED, JUN 24, 7:30 PM HH
WED, JUL 15, 3:30 PM LH
THU, JUN 25, 2 PM HH
WED, JUL 15, 3:30 PM WH
WED, JUL 15, 7:30 PM LO
FRI, JUN 19, 7:30 PM HH SAT, JUN 20, 1:30 PM LH SAT, JUN 20, 7:30 PM LO MON, JUN 22, 3:30 PM LH
THU, JUL 16, 1:15 PM WH
FRI, JUN 26, 7:30 PM HH
THU, JUL 16, 1:15 PM LH
THU, JUL 16, 3:30 PM HH
SAT, JUN 27, 7:30 PM LO
THU, JUL 16, 7:30 PM HH
FRI, JUL 17, 1:15 PM LH
FRI, JUL 17, 1:15 PM WH
FRI, JUL 17, 3:30 PM HH
VIOLA MC Cynthia Phelps
SHOWCASE SERIES: Teaching Artist Showcase | Angels Speak
VIOLIN MC Martin Beaver
PERCUSSION MC Michael Werner
LVI SERIES: The Art of the Duet
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE Chamber Music Recital
COMPOSER CHAT: KEVIN PUTS
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE Chamber Music Recital
OBOE MC Eugene Izotov
TRUMPET MC Barbara Butler
CELEBRITY RECITAL SERIES: Jeremy Denk
HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE Orchestra Finale: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 Miguel Harth-Bedoya conductor
BASSOON MC Judith LeClair
SHOWCASE SERIES: String Quartet Showcase
VIOLIN MC Sibbi Bernhardsson
LVI MC John Churchwell
LOBERO NIGHTS SERIES: Takács Quartet: András Fejér Finale
x2 SERIES: Legions Will Rise
CLARINET MC Richie Hawley
DOUBLE BASS MC Rex Surany
SOLO PIANO MC Jeremy Denk
WED, JUL
THU, JUL
JUL TUE, JUL TUE,
THU, JUL
FRI, JUL FRI, JUL
Conductor and Pianist Jeffrey Kahane and Friends will play the Lobero Theatre on Saturday, June 20th at 7:30pm.
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Gallery Josephine Opens On Anapamu, With A Flourish!
By Isaac Hernández de Lipa / VOICE
JOSEPHINE TOURNIER INGRAM has been painting “since she could walk,” and has always wanted an art gallery. Her dream came true when she opened across from the lush Sunken Gardens of the Santa Barbara Court House, in a space previously held by Victor the Florist, at 133 E. Anapamu St.
“Preparing for this was like preparing for a wedding,” she said to VOICE last Saturday during the soft opening celebration for friends and family. “I’ve had this relationship with art, this love affair with art, my whole life, and here it’s in front of the courthouse, with weddings over there all day long. The energy here is just love all the time.”
Raised in the Colorado Rocky Mountains by French and German parents, many of her paintings are “based on nature, the stones, earth, and sky. Some of them, you can see what it is, and some are just pure abstraction. Some are just truly based on color. This is what inspires me. I’ll just put paint together until I find the color that I like.”
Tournier Ingram’s other work is inspired by France, films, and Kandinsky, like Palimpsest in Gold, one of three canvases painted on commission.
“I feel really blessed that I’ve had people asking me to make commissions,” she shared, pointing out four paintings. “I gave them five options since I don’t like being stuck to one. I’m lucky to keep the extras.”
Josephine is unafraid of bright colors but sometimes limits her palette to black and white, a remnant of her time as a full-time artist and graphic designer at Powell-Peralta Skateboards. This was her first job after graduating in 2000 with a BA in Art from Westmont College, where she’d attended with an art scholarship earned at 18.
“I’ve done hundreds of skateboard artworks, and it was edgy,” she added. “So I have this edgy side, and I have the soft side.”
She’s been working on many of the paintings in the opening exhibit for a decade; some of them for 20 or 25 years, painting on as many as six canvases at a time.
Her acrylic paintings on canvas, cardboard, and even on skateboards, along with Japanese watercolors with graphite on paper, have been exhibited in galleries and private collections worldwide.
“When I’m painting, I’ll use a palette on cardboard, just trying to keep things eco and recycling,” she explained, pointing at a pair of small abstract paintings. “And then suddenly I’d turn that into a painting and frame it.”
Josephine has served on the planning committee for the CALM at Heart gala for the last four years. “I think CALM is an incredible organization,” she added. She started volunteering first and then began donating commissioned paintings for the live auction. “I’ve had a history of childhood trauma, so I’m really drawn to that cause. This coming November, the auctioned painting will come with a gallery experience.”
Somehow, Tournier Ingram still has time to parent two children, aged 12 and 14, and serve on the Art Council at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum.
Children guided the first layer of one of her paintings, titled Bright Start, after the preschool her kids attended, where she taught art. Ten years later, she finished it, with their original textures and colors shining through.
Josephine’s dream for the gallery is to sell her paintings for a year while working on more commissions. She has two lined up. And, after everything’s sold, open the gallery to other artists.
“I love, love, love just being home alone and painting, but my commissions were getting too big, and started taking over the whole house and into our guest studio… and so finally I needed a bigger studio space,” she said of needing the gallery and signing the lease. It was “so nerve wracking! I waited a long time to pull the trigger. But now that I have it, I want to stay here forever.”
Beginning on June 22nd, the gallery will open to the public by appointment and as part of the 1st Thursday Art Walk.
Enchanté, Acrylic on canvas by Josephine Tournier Ingram
Palimpsest in Gold (Acrylic, metallic pigment and archival marker on canvas, by Josephine Tournier Ingram
Josephine Tournier Ingram
Three alternative commission paintings by Josephine Tournier Ingram
LA CUMBRE PLAZA ART WALK
3rd Friday! • 5 to 8pm, Friday, June 19th
Galleries Will Be Open Late
3rd Friday at La Cumbre Plaza!
GALLERY ROW WILL FLING OPEN ITS DOORS again this 3rd Friday for the La Cumbre Plaza Plaza Art Walk. There, visitors can enjoy an evening of art, creativity, and fun.
In the Galleries:
In the LCCCA galleries, Illuminations, Elevate, and Fine Line, meet artists and enjoy wine and snacks as you view their art.
At Voice Gallery to see the work of 43 Abstract Art Collective artists. Then get acquainted with the artists as you enjoy sips and treats.
Visit the newly envisioned Legacy Arts International for Glendessary Jam, a beloved Santa Barbara musical collective that has been sharing the rich traditions of American old-time fiddle and folk music with our community for nearly 30 years.
At 6:15pm a brief concert featuring soprano Crystallia Spileou and tenor Micheal Karl will take place. (Both artists will be singing at the Wine & Opera Festival coming to the La Cumbre Plaza on Friday, June 26th.) Refreshments will be available.
Grace Fisher’s Inclusive Arts Clubhouse will host DJ Chris leading a dance party. As they listen to the music, attendees of all abilities can create art at the tables and make a colorful garland to take home.
In the Plaza:
Don’t miss the special celebration of Juneteenth at Elevate Gallery. From 5:15–5:45pm, the Santa Barbara Ring Shout Project will perform outside the gallery. Inside the gallery there will be two screenings of a video created by Toni Scott and Rod Rolle at 6 and 7pm featuring rare footage of Sojourner Kincaid Rolle reading Free at Last, alongside installation footage from Toni Scott’s Bloodlines exhibit.
In Illuminations Gallery, it’s hard to miss the new painting hanging behind the desk - Sapphire Stellium - by Victoria Charters, a guest artist. It’s a remarkable work of art. And while you are there, spend some time looking at Jim Balsitis’ beautiful new body of work, Light, Shadow, and Solitude.
The Fine Line Gallery is showing a new group of John Behring’s photographs taken on a sunny day at Lotusland in Montecito. John used a special lens that captures the world just beyond the red end of the visible light spectrum. This produced a surreal black and white effect. Leaves and grass became bright white, the sky turned black, and water became much more highly reflective. And while you are there, Brugmansia will be playing his violin to add to the ambiance.
Stop by the table where Jen Griffith will be working with children. It’s open to all children at the art walk. The art they create is unique and fresh, and it’s fun to watch the process. Listen to Ruben Arriaga as he plays music near the Fine Line.
Don’t miss the Your SB Real Estate Team (located near Starbucks). In addition to a coffee table, Nancy and Rachel will be hosting a Teleportation Lounge in their office. Curious people are welcome to drop in and discover a world of experiences. No passports are required.
Juneteenth at Elevate Gallery
Glenessary Jam at Legacy Arts International
New Works: Featuring Rick Garcia and Wyllis Heaton at Waterhouse Gallery
By Mark Whitehurst / VOICE
THE CHALLENGE OF CAPTURING THE EPHEMERAL BEAUTY OF RAPIDLY CHANGING LANDSCAPES will be telegraphed to viewers of a new two-person exhibition at Waterhouse Gallery, featuring Rick Garcia and Wyllis Heaton. Opening Saturday, June 20th, with a reception from 3 to 6pm at Waterhouse Gallery in Montecito, the exhibition offers new works by these two local artists and resonates with their maturity as artists of the world of nature, shadow, and light.
This exhibition is filled with contrasts, especially between the explicit and graphic style of Garcia and the implicit, impressionistic, and bold colors used by Heaton.
“They are like apples and oranges, the opposite of each other — both beautiful and striking,” commented curator and gallery owner Diane Waterhouse.
Garcia focuses on local themes as well as the central coast landscape. “I like to paint a mixture of botanical ‘portraits’ with a blend of macro views of the landscapes that surround them,” stated Garcia to VOICE
Heaton, an award-winning landscape painter and licensed landscape designer, is based in Santa Barbara and was born and raised in Pasadena. While traveling extensively to paint landscapes, Santa Barbara has been his permanent home since 2007.
He is currently building his portfolio of original artworks, and also designing gardens and fountains. He enjoys working in the Plein Air setting.
Garcia is a well-known, award-winning Santa Barbarabased artist who works in oils on both canvas and board. He received formal training in biological illustration at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, Ca. After spending his early years soaking up the beauty of Northern California’s back country near his grandparents’ ranch in Sebastapol, he attended the University of California at Berkeley, 1973 to 1977, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Conservation of Natural Resources. He attended the California College of Arts and
Crafts from 1979 to 1981, majoring in design/ illustration. He is a member of the Oak Group.
Heaton shares a background in illustration with Garcia. He was influenced by William Stout, a famous illustrator who lived nearby and whose art studio he often visited. After graduating from high school, he studied at the University of California, in Santa Barbara. In 2002, he earned a degree in illustration from Pasadena’s Art Center. He went on to teach for six years at the California Art Academy.
Waterhouse Gallery in Montecito is located at 1187 Coast Village Road. WaterhouseGallery.com
Outstanding Young Artists Recognized In MTD Youth Art Poster Contest
YOUNG ARTISTS WERE HONORED FOR THEIR CREATIVITY and artistic interpretations of the theme “Ocean Buses” during Santa Barbara MTD’s 12th Annual Youth Art Poster Contest for local youths in grades one through six. A record-breaking 180 entries were received in total, and the selected winners will have their works of art featured inside MTD buses for the next year, beginning in early July.
MTD has also again teamed up with MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration & Innovation, which will display the winning works of art in a special summertime MOXI art exhibit along with 18
additional selected entries.
The MOXI exhibit is set to open at the end of June, with GraphicInk having sponsored the printing for the exhibit.
Entries came from the Goleta, Eastside, Central, Montecito, and Carpinteria Libraries, City of Santa Barbara RAP Program, the Carpinteria & Greater Santa Barbara Girls, Inc., the Downtown Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Westside, & Goleta Boys & Girls Clubs, Santa Barbara Community Academy, and MOXI.
1st to 3rd Grade Winners:
First Place: Minori Roca, 2nd Grade, El Camino Elementary
Second Place: Amelie C. Romero, 2nd Grade, Monte Vista Elementary
Third Place: Devin Schooler & Eddie Cortina, 1st Grade, El Camino Elementary
Honorable Mention: Amelia Silva, 2nd Grade, St. Raphael School
4th to 6th Grade Winners:
First Place: Noemi Espinoza Aguilar, 4th Grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
Second Place: Anahí Perez, 4th Grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
Third Place: Katie Luna Mendoza, 6th Grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
Honorable Mention: Sofia Ventura, 6th Grade, Santa Barbara Community Academy
Devin Schooler and Eddie Cortina
Anahi Perez
Last Light on Brightview by Wyllis Heaton
They Went Tat Way by Rick Garcia
Amelie C. Romero
Art Venues
Nurit Ruckenstein
LCCCA Elevate Gallery La Cumbre Plaza starnurit@cox.net
10 West Gallery • In the Pink: through June 21 • 10 W Anapamu • 11-5 We-Mo • 805-770-7711 • 10westgallery.com
Architectural Fdn Gallery •
Jacqueline Woods : How Forever Works, through Aug 15 • 229 E Victoria • 805-965-6307 • 1–4 some Sa & By Appt • afsb.org
Arrediamo Fine Art & Traditional Rugs Gallery • 911.5 State St • arrediamo.com
Art & Soul Gallery • Lucia De Miguel: Viridian Shores through July 19 • 1323 State St • artandsoulsb.com
Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB • Closed through Aug 26 • museum.ucsb.edu
Art From Scrap • Explore Ecology • exploreecology.org
ArtLabbé Gallery • Free art, music, & exercise classes to our individuals with special needs & family members • Tu, We, Th, Sun 12-5:30; Fr 12-5 • 111 Santa Barbara St, #H • artlabbe.org
Atkinson Gallery • Tu & We 10–2
• SBCC Humanities East Campus Rm 203 • atkinsongallerysbcc.com
Bella Rosa Galleries • 1103-A State St • 11-5 daily • 805-966-1707
The Carriage and Western Art Museum • Old Spanish Days Trophy Saddles; Victoria Stables Wagon • Ongoing • Free • 129 Castillo St • 805-962-2353 • 9-3 Mo-Fr • carriagemuseum.org
RUTH ELLEN HOAG www.ruthellenhoag.com @ruthellenhoag 805-689-0858 ~inquire for studio classes~
California Nature Art Museum
• Ocean Forests: Our Coastal Communities through July 20; Lulu Hyggelig: California’s First Thomas Dambo Troll • ongoing • 1511 B Mission Dr, Solvang • 11-4 Mo, Th, Fr; 11-5 Sa & Su • calnatureartmuseum.org
Casa de La Guerra • Fine Print, Hard Lines: Housing and Exclusion in Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara 1925 –2025: A Portrait in Maps; Once a Don, Always a Don • ongoing • $5/Free • 15 East De la Guerra St • 12-4 Th-Su • sbthp.org/casadelaguerra
Casa Dolores • Bandera Ware / traditional outfits ~ ongoing • 1023 Bath St • 12-4 Tu-Sa • 805-963-1032
Casa del Herrero • Gardens & House • by reservation • 1387 East Valley Rd • tours 10 & 2 We & Sa • 805-565-5653 • casadelherrero.com
Channing Peake Gallery • Scaling the Walls • 8-5 M-F • 105 E Anapamu St, 1st fl • 805-568-3994
Colette Cosentino Atelier + Gallery • 11 W Anapamu St • By Appt • colettecosentino.com
Community Arts Workshop • Solstice Workshop Open • 631 Garden St • 10-6pm Fri & By Appt • sbcaw.org
Corridan Gallery • Summer in the Garden: Elliott Ciampi June 24-Aug 15 • 125 N Milpas • 11-5 We-Sa • 805966-7939 • corridan-gallery.com
Cypress Gallery • Claudette Carlton: Watercolor Works • through June 28 • 119 E Cypress Av, Lompoc • 1-4 Sa & Su • 805-737-1129 • lompocart.org
El Presidio De Santa Bárbara • Nihonmachi Revisited; Memorias y Facturas - ongoing • 123 E Canon Perdido St • 10:30-4:30 Daily • sbthp.org
Elverhøj Museum • Roland Petersen Undiminished: A Centennial Celebration through Aug 11 • History & Danish culture • 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang • 805-686-1211 • 11-5
Th-Mo • elverhoj.org
Faulkner Gallery • Oak Group: Preserve & Cherish through June 29 • 40 E Anapamu St • 10-7 Mo-Th; 10-5 Fri, Sa; 12-5 Sun • 805-962-7653.
Fazzino 3-D Studio Gallery • 3-D original fine art • 1011 State St • 805730-9109 • Fazzino.com
Fuzion Gallery & Boutique • Hand blown glass, 100 + artists • 1115 State St • fuzionglass.com
Gallery 113 • Members of the SB Art Assn • 1114 State St, #8, La Arcada Ct • 805-965-6611 • 11-5 Mo-Sa; 1-4 Su • gallery113sb.com
Gallery Josephine • 133 E Anapamu St • Work by Josephine
Tournier Ingram • 1st Thu & By Appt
Gallery Los Olivos • Sheryl
Knight & Linda Mutti: Art from the Heart through June • Daily 10-4pm • 2920 Grand Av • 805-688-7517 • gallerylosolivos.com
Grace Fisher Fdn • Inclusive Arts Clubhouse • Paintings by Grace Fisher • 121 S Hope, La Cumbre Plaza • WeSu 11-5pm • gracefisherfoundation.org
Indah Gallery • Fri-Sun 12-5 • 2190 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez • maxgleason.com/indah-gallery
James Main Fine Art • 19th & 20th
Century Fine art & antiques • 27 E
De La Guerra St • 12-5 Tu-Sa • Appt Suggested • 805-962-8347
Jewish Federation of Greater SB • Portraits of Survival interactive ~ Ongoing • 9-4pm Mo-Fr • 524 Chapala St • 805-957-1115 ext. 114
Kathryne Designs • Local Artists • 1225 Coast Village Rd, A • 10-5 Mo-Sa; 11-5 Su • 805-565-4700 • kathrynedesigns.com
La Cumbre Center For Creative Arts • Fine Line Gallery; Elevate Gallery; Illuminations Gallery • Multi-Artist Studio/Gallery Spaces • La Cumbre Plaza • 12-5 Tu-Su • lcccasb.com
Linden Studio • Art & Artifacts • 963 Linden Ave, Carpinteria • 805570-9195.
Lompoc Library Grossman Gallery • 501 E North Av, Lompoc • 805-588-3459
Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center • 93013 through Aug 16 • 12-4 Th-Su • 865 Linden • 805-6847789 • carpinteriaartscenter.org
Maker House • 1351 Holiday Hill Rd • 805-565-CLAY • 10-4 Daily • makerhouse.org
Marcia Burtt Gallery • Peggy Gruen and At The Beach through June 21 • Landscape paintings, prints, & books • 517 Laguna St • 1-5 Th-Su • 805-962-5588 • artlacuna.com
Patricia Clarke Studio • An American Girl project; Primal Wild; Correspondences, Erasing Lines, and Facing Ourselves • 410 Palm Av, Carpinteria • By Appt • 805-452-7739 • patriciaclarkestudio.com
Peregrine Galleries • Early CA & American paintings; fine vintage jewelry • 1133 Coast Village Rd • 805252-9659 • @peregrinegalleries
Pippin • La Aracada’s newest art, antiques, and lifestyle boutique • 1114
State #24.
Portico Gallery • Jordan Pope & Gallery Artists • Open Daily • 1235 Coast Village Rd • 805-729-8454 • porticofinearts.com
REH Contemporary • 12 W Anapamu • Studio of Ruth Ellen Hoag and gallery for local artists • 805-6890858 • RuthEllenHoag.com
Santa Barbara Art Works • Arts Education for All • 28 E Victoria St • 805-260-6705 • M-F 8:30-4:30 • sbartworks.org
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden • 1212 Mission Canyon Rd • 10-5 daily • 805-682-4726 • sbbg.org
Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery • Scaling The Walls • featuring Arts Alliance members • 735 Anacapa St.
Santa Barbara Fine Art • Places from the Heart • Landscapes & sculptor Bud Bottoms • 1321 State St • 1-6 We-Sa & By Appt • 805-845-4270 • santabarbarafineart.com
Santa Barbara Historical Museum • The Gift; Ludmilla Pila Welch: Serene Santa Barbara through June; Edward Borein Gallery, and The Story of Santa Barbara ~ ongoing • 136 E De la Guerra • 12-5 We, Fri-Su; 12-7 Th • 805-966-1601 • sbhistorical.org
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum • Aquean through Jul 26 • The Chumash, Whaling, Commercial Diving, Surfing, Shipwrecks, First Order Fresnel Lens, and SB Lighthouse Women Keepers ~ Ongoing • 113 Harbor Wy, Ste 190 • 10-5 Daily • 805962-8404 • SBMM.org
Santa Barbara Museum Of Art • Remixed: Entwined Histories & New Forms, through Aug 30; RandomAccess Memory: Internet Art, through Sep 27; As if in a Dream: History, Fantasy, Future: through Jan 3 • 11-5 Tu-Su; 5-8 1st Th free; 2nd Sun free TriCo residents • 805-963-4364 • sbma.net
Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History • Butterflies Alive! through September; The Living Print through Nov 8; Chumash Basketry: Art & Life through Nov 30 • 2559 Puesta del Sol • 10-5 We-Mo • sbnature.org
Santa Barbara Sea Center • Dive In: Our Changing Channel ~ Ongoing • 211 Stearns Wharf • 10-5 Daily • 805-682-4711 • sbnature.org
Santa Barbara Tennis Club - 2nd Fridays Art • Splash, awards juried by Melinda Mettler through July 30 • 2375 Foothill Rd • 10-6 Daily • 805682-4722 • 2ndfridaysart.com
Santa Ynez Chumash Museum • Chumash Culture and Arts & Between the Three Worlds: Ceremony and Community in the Paintings of Christopher Evans • 3500 Numancia St, SY • Thu-Sun 10-5pm • sychumashmuseum.org
Corridan
Summer in the Garden
ISanta Ynez Valley Historical Museum
• 3596 Sagunto St • 12-4pm We-Su • santaynezmuseum.org
Sahyun Genealogical Library • Research family history • 316 Castillo St • Tue/Thu 10-4; Sun & 3rd Sat 1-4 • SBGen.org
Seimandi & Leprieur • Hunt Slonem: a leading figure of American Neo-Expressionism •
By Kerry Methner / VOICE
MAGINATIVE WORLDS WILL SWIRL PEACEFULLY ACROSS LARGE CANVASES when the work of Elliott Ciampi arrives for his third solo exhibition at Corridan Gallery, June 24th through August 15th. Building on their 20-year relationship, the gallery and Ciampi have prepared an exploration of many of his newer works representing water gardens, exotic plants, and koi ponds found in the estate gardens of Montecito and Santa Barbara.
This collection of approximately 20 paintings is called Summer in the Garden, a perfect theme for an artist who loves gardens.
Working for decades as a professional gardener, he has had permission to complete his Plein Air paintings in the remarkable grounds. He takes these studies and sketches and transforms them into larger works in his studio. Those larger works make up the majority of Summer in the Garden.
“My feeling when seeing the body of work together here [in the gallery] is joy, reminding me of the gardens. Seeing the work evolve into its current state is very gratifying. The viewer should have a peaceful feeling from seeing the beauty of the gardens expressed so,” Ciampi shared of the exhibit.
His keen and practiced eye picks up detail without sacrificing life and spirit.
“Ciampi’s paintings have developed from a lifetime of contemplative observation and love of nature,” stated Corridan Gallery Owner Bill Fedderson to VOICE. “I was
33 W Anapamu St. • Wed-Sat 11-6 • 805-6101203 • seimandileprieur.com
Stewart Fine Art • Early CA Plein Air Paintings + European Fine Art + Antiques • 539 San Ysidro Rd • 11-5:30 Mo-Sa • 805-845-0255
Sullivan Goss • Meredith Brooks Abbott: Capturing Our Time through Jun 22; The Art of Collecting, through Jul 27 • 11 E Anapamu St • 10-5:30 daily • 805-730-1460 • sullivangoss.com
Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum • 122 W Canon Perdido • 11-4 Fr-Sa; Su-Th by appt • quinlanmuseum.com • 805-687-4623
first interested in his pastel paintings of Koi in ponds with some lily pads. His subjects evolved towards studies of the water meadows and Lotus Flowers. His recent work includes these subjects, but adds many exotic florals and botanicals.”
Ciampi studied Fine Art and Art History at Cal Poly. He also recalls an inspirational tutorial with UCSB Professor William Ptzinski. Over the years, this knowledge has combined with his perception of the life and the energy of the gardens he loves, making his paintings more powerful and more vibrant while capturing the drama and peacefulness of nature.
The Corridan Gallery is located at 125 N Milpas St • Wed-Sat 11-5 • 805-966-7939 • Corridan-Gallery.com
SYV Historical Museum & Carriage House • Art of The Western Saddle • ongoing • 3596 Sagunto St, SY • 12-4 Sa, Su • 805-6887889 • santaynezmuseum.org
Tamsen Gallery • Before they were Legends June 20-Sep 17 • 1309 State St • 12-5 We-Su • 805-705-2208 • tamsengallery.com
UCSB Library Ocean Gallery • Creating Community Through Books: 20 Years of UCSB Reads through Jan 2027 • library.ucsb.edu
Voice Gallery • SummerDance through June • La Cumbre Plaza H-124 • 10-5:30 M-F; 1-5 SaSun • 805-965-6448
Waterhouse Gallery Montecito • Notable CA & National Artists • 1187 Coast Village Rd • 11-5
Art Events
La Cumbre Plaza 3rd Friday Gallery
Row Art Walk • Six galleries, music, art activities, & more! • 5-8pm Fri, 6/19 (See page 28 for details).
Opening Reception for New Works by Rick Garcia & Wyllis Heaton • Waterhouse Gallery Montecito • 3 to 6pm Sat, 6/20.
Kevin Mischler Art Opening Reception
• Graphite portraits of cultural icons •
Mo-Su • 805-962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com
Waterhouse Gallery SB • Notable CA & National Artists • La Arcada Ct, 1114 State St, #9 • 11-5 Mo-Sa • 805-962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum Of Art • Habitual Curiosity: Paintings by Chelsea Roberts (‘18) through Jun 20; Altered Realities through Jun 20 • Weekdays 10-4, Sat 11-5 • westmont.edu/museum
The Yes Store • Art by Local Artists • 1015 State St • M-F: 11am-6pm; Sa:10:30am-6pm; Su: 10:30am-5pm • theyesstore.com
Carpinteria Creative Arts Market • Pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry, sewn articles • 8th St & Linden Av • Free • 2:30pm-6pm Thu.
SB Arts & Crafts Show • Local artists & artisans • Free • 236 E Cabrillo Blvd • 10am5pm Sun.
Open Call For Artists • IHC Platform Gallery, under the theme: Bodies Politic • For complete series description visit ihc.ucsb. edu/platformgallery/ • Submissions may be emailed to ihcucsb@gmail.com by We, 8/17.
Koi #40 50x40 by Elliott Ciampi
Pastel Water Garden by Elliott Ciampi
White Orchids by Elliott Ciampi
June 27 | BOB BAKER MARIONETTES - 11am & 1pm
June 28 | COASTAL SOUNDS - 3pm
July 19 | LOS LAGERS - 2pm
August 2 | MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST - 12pm
August 30 | PRIME TIME BAND - 1pm
September 5 | SALTY STRINGS - 4pm
El Niño is here, what’s in store for Santa Barbara?
NOAA has officially issued an El Niño advisory, warning that it has the potential to be one of the strongest ever
By Aston Smith, Santa Barbara News-Press, 6.11.26
SANTA BARBARA IS LIKELY LOOKING AT A WARM AND RAINY WINTER THIS YEAR, as the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued an El Niño advisory—warning it could be one of the strongest ever.
Every two to seven years Santa Barbara County experiences what is known as an El Niño year, when hotter than normal sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific drive atmospheric changes that impact many areas of the world.
Here in Santa Barbara, we tend to experience increased rainfalls and warmer winters. While not always destructive, the increased rainfall can lead to dangerous flooding.
NOAA now reports that El Niño conditions have developed and are expected to strengthen between now and winter. Measures are indicating that it could be one of the strongest on record, leading it to be dubbed a potential Super El Niño.
Super El Niños have a history of sometimes disastrous and expensive impacts. The storms intensified by the 199798 El Niño caused over $1 billion in damages in California. From ecosystems to rainfall totals, El Niño can have widespread effects.
Dr. Samantha Stevenson at UC Santa Barbara focuses her research on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and how climate change is impacting the cycle.
Stevenson told the News-Press that a Super El Niño tends to be classified by sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific exceeding two degrees above what is normally expected.
“What it all comes down to is how much warmer is the equator than what we normally expect it to be for winter,” Stevenson said.
In California, especially in Santa Barbara County, most of our rain in the winter comes from extreme storms. During El Niño, more storms get pushed further south, meaning more rain falls on Santa Barbara.
Stevenson also said that people in Santa Barbara can expect a warmer than usual
winter.
The increased rainfall can also have positive impacts on agricultural growth. El Niño’s are sometimes referred to as “Drought Busters” Stevenson said. The concern lies more in the amount of rain, as excessive rainfall could lead to flooding.
by
With the potential for larger storms and flooding this winter, the News-Press talked with Lael Wageneck, spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department.
“We prepare for heavy rains every year regardless of the long-term forecast,” Wageneck said. Records from the department show that previous strong El Niño years have had well above average rainfall. The damaging 1998 El Niño saw rainfall total 30 inches above average in Santa Barbara County.
To mitigate flooding, the department focuses on making sure creeks can run smoothly and are clear of vegetation that could increase floods.
This year, the flood control department is focusing on 12 creeks in South County and 16 in North County. Maintenance occurs between August 1st and December 15th in order to avoid the migratory bird breeding season and minimize, or avoid, impacts to aquatic environments.
The public works department provided the News-Press with videos of past mitigation work.
Wageneck also said that disaster preparedness is a shared responsibility and that residents should visit the county’s ReadySBC web page to see how they can prepare for and mitigate flooding.
“While we build and maintain
infrastructure to reduce the risk of flooding, residents should also take steps to respond to potential flooding in their homes,” Wageneck said.
However, not every strong El Niño had above average rainfall. The same records, displayed below, show that the most recent Super El Niño, in 2015, saw rainfall averages about seven inches less than usual.
Santa Barbara City College geography professor Geordie Armstrong told the News-Press that 2015’s dry El Niño was due to above average ocean temperatures in the Indian Ocean.
“The Indian Ocean also had exceptionally warm temperatures. This caused convective lifting, drawing the warm and wet air further north,” Armstrong said.
The atmospheric circulation influenced by the Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures starts to compete with and impact the circulation influenced by the Pacific Ocean temperatures. The warm and wet air that would normally condense and produce rainfall in Southern California instead gets driven north.
“That year [2015] the Pacific Northwest got the rain Southern California would have gotten, so they had an extremely heavy year of rainfall while we had a lower than average year,” Armstrong told the NewsPress
This year, the temperatures in the Indian Ocean are currently in a neutral range with no indications of shifts into the above average or below average territory. Models predict that the temperatures will remain in the neutral range through mid-winter, reducing the likelihood of a dry El Niño in Southern California.
For surfers, an El Niño year can be cause for excitement.
Some of the most memorable swells to hit the coast of Santa Barbara and Ventura have been during El Niño years. Major storms, strengthened by the El Niño in the Equatorial Pacific, generate powerful South swells that travel north and hit Southern California.
While South swells aren’t the most ideal for point breaks in Santa Barbara, novelty breaks like Sandspit can turn on, transforming the typically calm Santa Barbara harbor mouth into one of the best barreling waves in California.
One of the major concerns of an El Niño year is not the year itself, but the one that follows. El Niños are most often followed by La Niña, which causes drier than usual conditions in Southern California, raising drought risks.
“If we have a Super El Niño, we could expect that to be followed by a dry winter,” said Stevenson.
Out of the last five strong El Niño events, three of them saw rainfall averages drop significantly in the following year as a result of a La Niña winter. A dry winter raises the risks of fire and drought in Santa Barbara.
A NOAA research publication found that a La Niña year is linked to a “greater than two-fold increase” in Southern California fire risk during the fall.
A growing question when looking at the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle is: what role does climate change play?
Stevenson told the News-Press that scientists aren’t quite sure yet. Researchers are investigating the role of climate change in the El Niño cycle. One of Stevenson’s publications found that the impacts of El Niño and La Niña’s are enhanced by a warming climate.
“Even if we had the same El Niño happen, in 50 years, it would be expected to have bigger impacts than the ones now,” Stevenson told the News-Press.
The development of this year’s El Niño is ongoing and the News-Press will continue covering the impacts on Santa Barbara County and the central coast.
Photo
Aston Smith/ Santa Barbara News-Press
A NOAA chart displays sea surface temperature anomalies as of June 8th, 2026. The marked area, Niño 3.4, is the region of the Pacific Ocean scientists monitor to determine if an El Niño is developing.
Photo courtesy of the SB County Public Works Department
County of Santa Barbara Approves Annual Budget
ADOPTING A FISCAL YEAR 2026-27 BUDGET, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors announced a $1.66 billion in operating expenditures and $122.6 million in capital investments and the theme Responsible Stewardship Today; Resilient, Sustainable Tomorrow.
“This adopted budget reflects some difficult fiscal realities, but it also demonstrates our continued commitment to being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. We worked hard to protect core services, invest in critical infrastructure, and maintain momentum on public safety, housing, homelessness response, and other community priorities,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors Bob Nelson. “I also want to thank our County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato for her dedicated leadership these past 12 years. Back in January, she announced her retirement, and we are grateful for her thoughtful leadership to see the County through this difficult budget cycle.”
The adopted budget implements a two-year balancing strategy that protects critical health and human services, preserves the County’s Strategic Reserve, and sustains investments in housing, homelessness response, public safety, infrastructure, climate resilience, and justice and diversion programs, according to the commissioners press release.
To address growing fiscal pressures and reductions in state and federal funding, the budget includes a 1.7% reduction from the prior year’s adopted operating budget and is the first operating budget decrease in more than a decade. Reductions were made in positions, contracts, and operating costs, while preserving funding for key community services. The adopted budget maintains $7.4 million in ongoing General Fund support to restore 143.5 positions in Social Services and County Health, leveraging an additional $11.1 million in state and federal funding.
To support transparency and accessibility, the County has released multiple public-facing resources:
Budget at a Glance – a simple summary of the Recommended Budget; Budget Priorities Video – a brief overview of this year’s budget priorities; OpenGov Digital Budget Book – an interactive online platform with searchable content, dynamic charts, and built-in translation and accessibility features
These resources, along with the documents from the Budget Hearing, are all available on the County’s website.
During final budget deliberations, the Board approved several adjustments to the Recommended Budget, including funding for a second Rural Crime Deputy, a Behavioral Science Unit Manager, a fourth Co-Response Team, a Warrant Officer, a Film Commissioner, and an attorney in County Counsel. The Board also set aside $250,000 for youth education programs, allocated $812,000 for the Sheriff’s Office to be appropriated later this year, and earmarked the remaining $600,000 in Shell Settlement funds for the Santa Maria Levee Trail.
“The Board’s action today reflects our commitment to financial stability while continuing to invest in community priorities,” said County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato. “This budget positions the County to respond to today’s fiscal constraints while maintaining progress on housing, public safety, climate resilience, and vital services.”
A recording of the June 16, 2026, Budget Hearing is available on the CSBTV YouTube page at: https://shorturl.at/3YUfR
Se aprueba el presupuesto del año fiscal 2026-27 del Condado de Santa Bárbara
LA JUNTA DE SUPERVISORES DEL CONDADO DE SANTA BÁRBARA ha aprobado el presupuesto para el año fiscal 2026-27, que incluye 1.66 mil millones de dólares en gastos operativos y 122.6 millones de dólares en inversiones de capital. Guiado por el lema Administración responsable hoy; un futuro resiliente y sostenible, el presupuesto aborda los retos fiscales actuales al tiempo que mantiene los servicios públicos esenciales e invierte en el futuro del condado.
El presupuesto aprobado implementa una estrategia de equilibrio de dos años que protege los servicios críticos de salud y de asistencia social, preserva la Reserva Estratégica del condado y mantiene las inversiones en vivienda, la respuesta a la falta de vivienda, la seguridad pública, la infraestructura, la resiliencia climática y los programas de justicia y desviación.
Para hacer frente a las crecientes presiones fiscales y a las reducciones en los fondos estatales y federales, el presupuesto incluye una reducción del 1,7 % con respecto al presupuesto operativo aprobado el año anterior, lo que supone la primera disminución del presupuesto operativo en más de una década. Se realizaron recortes en puestos de trabajo, contratos y gastos operativos, al tiempo que se mantuvo la financiación para los servicios comunitarios clave. El presupuesto aprobado mantiene 7.4 millones de dólares en apoyo continuo del Fondo General para restablecer 143.5 puestos en Servicios Sociales y Salud del condado, lo que permite movilizar 11.1 millones de dólares adicionales en financiamiento estatal y federal.
Para fomentar la transparencia y la accesibilidad, el condado ha publicado varios recursos dirigidos al público: Resumen del presupuesto – un resumen sencillo del presupuesto recomendado
• Video sobre las prioridades presupuestarias – una breve descripción general de las prioridades presupuestarias de este año; Libro digital del presupuesto de OpenGov – una plataforma interactiva en línea con contenido en el que se pueden realizar búsquedas, gráficos dinámicos y funciones integradas de traducción y accesibilidad Estos recursos, junto con los documentos de la audiencia presupuestaria, están disponibles en el sitio web del condado.
Durante las deliberaciones finales, la Junta aprobó varios ajustes al presupuesto recomendado, entre ellos fondos para un segundo agente encargado de delitos rurales, un gerente de la Unidad de Ciencias del Comportamiento, un cuarto equipo de respuesta conjunta, un oficial de órdenes judiciales, un comisionado de cine y un abogado del Consejo del Condado.
La Junta también destinó 250 000 dólares a programas educativos para jóvenes, asignó 812000 dólares a la Oficina del Sheriff para que se asignen más adelante este año y destinó los 600 000 dólares restantes de los fondos del Acuerdo Shell al Sendero del Dique de Santa María.
“La decisión tomada hoy por la Junta refleja nuestro compromiso con la estabilidad financiera, al tiempo que seguimos invirtiendo en las prioridades de la comunidad”, afirmó la directora ejecutiva del condado, Mona Miyasato. “Este presupuesto permite al condado hacer frente a las restricciones fiscales actuales sin dejar de avanzar en materia de vivienda, seguridad pública, resiliencia climática y servicios esenciales.”
“Este presupuesto aprobado refleja algunas realidades fiscales difíciles, pero también demuestra nuestro compromiso continuo de ser administradores responsables del dinero de los contribuyentes. Trabajamos arduamente para proteger los servicios esenciales, invertir en infraestructura crítica y mantener el impulso en materia de seguridad pública, vivienda, respuesta a la falta de vivienda y otras prioridades de la comunidad”, dijo el presidente de la Junta de Supervisores, Bob Nelson. “También quiero agradecer a nuestra directora ejecutiva del condado, Mona Miyasato, por su liderazgo dedicado durante estos últimos 12 años. En enero, anunció su retiro, y le estamos agradecidos por su gestión responsable, ya que ayudó a guiar al condado a través de este ciclo presupuestario tan difícil.”
La grabación de la audiencia presupuestaria del 16 de junio de 2026 está disponible en la página de YouTube de CSBTV: https://shorturl.at/3YUfR
Featured Artists – Sheryl Knight & Linda Mutti “Art From the Heart”
Both Artists Will Do A Painting Demo: Saturday, June 13 / 11 to 2
Fine Art Destination Since 1992
Fine Art Destination Since 1992
Exhibiting work by over 50 Regional Artists with a stunning selection of media, styles and subjects
Exhibiting work by over 50 Regional Artists with a stunning selection of media, styles and subjects
