A Year of Montecito
Reflecting on a Year's Worth of Reporting the Montecito Life
This year-end wrap-up started out to be a look at the top stories of 2007, but trying to choose the most interesting entries was difficult, so I have left it for you to make up your own mind! Listed below are all the tidbits Montage brought to your attention this year. It’s like a map of Montecito – our joys, sorrows. trials, tribulations, and a few secrets to boot.
If a topic catches your attentions and you want to read the whole thread, just click on the date, and it will take you directly to the full report. Or just go here for the entire collection of Montecito Montages, and scroll through until you find the column you want.
Today, we are listing Montages from January through June. Next week, on January 1, we’ll list the Montages from July through December. Let me know your favorite stories by leaving a comment at the end of the column or by sending an email to jamy@independent.com to reach me privately.
Happy Holidays and Merry Montaging!
After six months in the making, MBAR rolls out a new checklist for MBAR applicants
Oprah goes to Africa to open her girls’ school, and some Montecitans tag along
Pricilla Presley buys a house in Montecito
Steve Strong and Denise Adams are elected Westmont Trustees
Montage Crystal Ball predicts Bob Bierig to be MPC Chair (correct), Miramar rising like a Phoenix (correct!); No Pres. Candidates will measure up to Gerald Ford in the kindness category (correct), and David Myrick will step down early form MA (wrong, but seven others departed, so erroneous prediction is neutralized)
Voices of Montecito stymies Carbajal’s MPC appointments
MA adjourns annual meeting without electing officers
“Sony” and “Meltzer” start Montage blog-a-thon
Leaders Depart: Montecito Water District announces death of board member Robert Puddicombe; Westmont’s Ron Cronk retires
Leaders Installed: Deirdre Cannata (MSD); Roy Jensen (MFD); Jan Able (MWD); Troy Harris (MERRAG) Michael Cooney (SB PC)
Coast Village Rd. landlord, the late Mary Jane Barton, leaves $2 million to Philly’s Curtis Institute
Montage leaks Tom Cruise and Sacha Baron Cohen will attend SBIFF and Thomas Friedman will be Westmont’s breakfast speaker
Mug Shots: Rob Lowe plays a Senator in new TV hit; Michael DeGruy, natural history film maker, plays with squids; DAWG offers playful pet portraits
Breaking News: Supes cave in; Carbajal says his MPC commissioners will be seated.
LA Bling Mall developer Rick Caruso to purchase Miramar
BoS officially approves MPC Comish Bob Bierig, Michael Phillips, and Sue Burrows
Film Festival 2007 gears up with “A Native’s Primer” lunch at the Biltmore
Insights on Ty Warner, Rick Caruso, and the future of the Miramar
Montecito’s Mike DeGruy to introduce Al Gore at SBIFF
Plow and Angel re-opens
MA’s Dick Shaikewitz ambles into Caruso’s media event
$200K Biltmore’s Birthday Bash held in conjunction with Film Fest
MPC’s Westmont’s decision faces BoS double appeal-from Westmont and neighbors
Balloonist Julian Nott speaks at Institute for Theoretical Physics
Breaking News: Bob Collector withdraws from MA prexy consideration (2/5)
Robert Collector drops out of Montecito Association leadership race
Bill Palladini nominated as MA’s new president
Supervisor Janet Wolf walks for heart health
Highlights of Film Fest 2007 (Photo-Montage)
BoS denies neighbors’ appeal to curtail Westmont’s expansion
Coral Casino gets go-ahead after Cynthia Ziegler’s appeal options run out
San Ysidro Ranch manager Duncan Graham departs after a two year stint
Caruso to holds a meet-and-greet at community hall
EXTRA: February 12, 2007
Jack Overall departs MA Board to fill Dick Thielscher’s vacant MPC seat
Interview with new MPC Comish Jack Overall
Carbajal appoints Michael Cooney to study Montecito planning process
Nearby Miramar neighbors send Valentines to Caruso
MA and Caruso plan private reception for select group at community hall
Richard Gunner previews ideas for the Tom’s Pharmacy corner
Montecito Water Dist. holds public meeting to discuss of higher water rates
Designer Bunny Williams speaks at Casa del Herrero event
National conservative stars Tom DeLay and David Horowitz to honor Andy Granatelli
Sarah House holds SBIFF black tie party
BoS grants Westmont’s appeal of MPC traffic restrictions and decal mandate
Gayle Beebe selected as new president of Westmont
Westmont offers pre-visit lecture on Tom Friedman’s work
Water District votes to increase residential water rates
MA / Caruso open previously private reception to the public and over 70 attend
Jim Wolfe, elected to MA 1/16/07, resigns; Gene Sinser takes his place
Q&A with MA’s new Prez, Bill Palladini
Garden Lane’s tastemaker Nancy Salvucci goes on line at Sbdigs.com
Caruso socializes with Miramar neighbors at Montecito Country Club, hopes to open Miramar in 18-24 months, and introdudes William Reich as Hotels VP.
Biltmore Spa Beautician Susan Ciminelli offers epidermis enlightens
LA-style vehicle and pedestrian traffic jams San Ysidro Road
Carbajal sets up 18-person fact-finding group to review safe routes to Montecito schools
Coral Casino members get construction update, and there’s speculation the initiation fee for the 85 open memberships could go for as high as $65K
Over 800 people hear Thomas Friedman at Westmont’s President’s Breakfast
MBAR votes to leave the community hall and move their meetings downtown
Montecito Union School receives transportation survey
Jody Thompson named the new supervisor of Montecito Branch Library
Music Academy gets revised MBAR approval for possible August start to its previously approved rehabilitation master building plan.
Locals complain about Plow and Angel’s packed house
Rudi Giuliani to visit Montecito on March 25
COAST to honor Barry Siegel
Montecito’s Grace Tynan gets national media attention for Girl Scout cookie efforts
Oprah’s steady, Stedman Graham, speaks at Planned Parenthood
David Horowitz Freedom Center honors Andy Granatelli and hosts conservative think tank at the Biltmore
Music Academy is accepting donations for May Madness Sale on May 5
Over 100 Montecito Supporters greet Rudy Giuliani
Assembly Member Pedro Nava honors Barry Siegel with commendation
Montecito San borrows $14.7 million for system rehabilitation
Heal the Ocean / Montecito San. Discuss pending ocean water study
Sandy Stahl talks to Montage about the local real estate market
Richard Dicker speaks to Human Right Watch at Montecito Country Club
MA names Victoria Greene Executive Director
Caruso will unveil Miramar Plans at April 10 Town Hall meeting
Hank Hurst gets MPC preliminary approval for dream home in hotly debated 3-2 vote
Tagger hits Santa Barbara Bank and Trust and gets snapped by security camera
Ted Tedesco named MA’s Land Use Chair
MERRAG opens membership drive
Concerned Citizens attorney Barry Cappello files lawsuit over Westmont expansion
Demographist Bella DePaulo speaks to Women’s Political Committee at Montecito CC
Montecito turns out at Chamber of Commerce State of City Mover and Shaker Breakfast
Carbajal announces engineering study to look at pedestrian options on San Ysidro Road
Tony Harbor appointed to MA Board to fill Jack Overall seat and Retired MPC Comish Bob Meghreblian joins MA Honorary Board
Both Maria Herold and Community Sheriff Isaiah Tchobanoff return to work after medical leaves
Allan Nishimura, Westmont chemistry professor, installed in Kathleen Smith Chair
MBAR holds their first meeting at downtown county hearing room
Heal the Ocean receives $300K grant to study Hammonds Beach
Westmont biologist Jeff Schloss to be Westmont Downtown speaker
Montage called to jury duty
EXTRA: April 11, 2007
Caruso unveils new Miramar plans to a packed town hall meeting
Montecito Sanitary District votes 3-2 to support collaboration with Heal the Ocean on their upcoming study of shallow-water sewer outfall near the end of MSD’s line
New high tech, high-powered telescope installed at Westmont, as culmination of $625K project
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Colleen Graffy speaks to Channel City Club
Music Academy gets ready for world-class rummage sale on May 5
Crane School holds annual “Green” Fund raiser on May 5
Former MPC Comish Dick Thielscher honored by BoS Commendation
Cold Spring School kids read essays at Montecito Association meeting
Cal Trans Head visits Cold Spring School to discuss pedestrian routes on Hwy. 192
“Chainsaw” Don Miller cuts roadside vegetation that prevented walking to Cold Spring School
Ralph Baxter, past MA president, takes early retirement from MA Board
J. W. Colin is appointed to MA Board to fill Baxter’s seat
Ralph Baxter and Dick Thielscher elected to MA’s Honorary Board
Paula Lopez does KEYT spot on Montecito
Westmont holds graduation 2007
Assembly Member Pedro Nava holds Cinco de Mayo Luncheon
On April 18, 2007 P&D rolled out some new tools for the Montecito area planning. The refreshed guidelines include a revised MBAR application, a conceptual review checklist, a neighborhood compatibility database, a Montecito square-footage overlay map and a common features area map.
Montecito Fire District urges wildfire preparedness during third driest year on record
MERRAG hosts responses and recovery training sessions on June 7
Montecito Journal Editor Guillaume Doane announces his departure
Landscape designer Pat Brodie tells how to create a Zen garden space.
Montecito Association’s Victoria Greene leads planning workshop with Citizen Planning Association and Environmental Defense Fund
County Public Works fixes rascal root on High Road
Chef Anne Cooper addresses Montecito Union School community breakfast.
Montecito residents Harold and Annette Simmons donate $1millon to Westmont
Vons is considering upgrade their Montecito supermarket
Victoria and Carter Hines host lithograph exhibit
Montecito Water District’s Mike Clark will teach a conservation gardening on May 26
With 500 businesses and $677K in annual sales tax, Coast Village Road draws attention
San Ysidro Ranch names Marco Perry Managing Director at posh ranch reception
LA Times reviews the Biltmore
Chainsaw Don Miller grows frustrated by slow response to installing safe route to school
Hacks and Flacks toast departing Journal Editor Guillaume Doane; Carbajal presents with a BoS commendation to Doane
Caruso delivers his Miramar Plan to P&D and Miramar locals dub plan “perfect!”
Music Academy gears up for final building fundraising spurt and gets OK on final traffic plan
Arts Funds hosts Teen Art Mentorship Show, showing works of several Montecito students
Artist Lily Sanders shows off Montecito watercolors at one-person show
Architect Jeff Sheldon produces whimsical renderings for a proposed Cold Spring Pedestrian footpath
Montage enter Team Bike Challenge on electric bike
Largura’s hillside development heads back to MBAR on June 18
The Montage Village Cheat Sheet answers 12 question only locals know how to answer
Montage attends a fundraiser for Jerry Roberts’ legal defense fund
Local author Stephen Murdoch has a new book: IQ: A Smart History of a Failed Idea
Ebb/Flow Gallery shows off surf art
Jana Zimmer mixed media art in new show, “Through the Eyes of Survivors and Children of Survivors” will soon to travel to the Prague Jewish Museum
Music Academy Master Classes are in full swing
Writers Conference is set for June 29
MA hosts semi-annual homeowners meeting where Chainsaw Don Miller seeks to get 144 opened on high fire danger days
Carbajal and Fire Chief Wallace promise community-wide evacuation drill in April 2008.
MERRAG distributes “Disaster Preparation Tips” via email
Architect Bob Easton promises Largura’s hillside home project, slated for MBAR on July 2 will be substantially reduced in square footage
Writers Conference gets under way with a slew of Montecito writers on hand
EXTRA: June 30, 2007
Fire in the backcountry burns 200 acres, gets people on edge.
