Month: June 2025

Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Summer Solstice 2025 festival has officially kicked off on Friday.

This years theme is Wild World and final preps for the big parade were being done at the community arts workshop on Friday afternoon.

“It’s going to be fantastic, I’m so excited, it’s always fun to be a part of Summer Solstice, just to see everyone that comes out and get to celebrate,” said artist, Louis John. “It’s a really great thing that Santa Barbara and the festival does,”

One artist shared what viewers can expect for Saturdays parade.

“We’ve created something called House of Huerta like a fashion house and we have created clothing made with cat food cans and we’re making hats out of food containers, household recycling,” said parade prop maker and artist, Emma Jane Huerta. “But we’re going to have a very elegant fashion show, because we’re actually the clowns of solstice,”

Independent artist for the parade shared where his inspiration came from.

“If you see me without my head gear on I have long white hair and a beard and I look like a white lion,” said independent artist Richard O’steen. “I’m part Scottish, so the lion is a symbol of Scotland. My first parade that I was in was in 1987, I moved here in 1984 and then watched it for a couple of years and said ‘I got to get in there.'”

The festival includes a kid zone and will officially wrap up on Sunday.

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Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — Santa Barbara County’s once-high hopes for cannabis tax revenue are going up in smoke, with a new Grand Jury report warning the program may soon become a financial burden without major reforms.

Tax revenues peaked at $15.7 million in fiscal year 2020–21 but are projected to bring in just $5.4 million this year. At the same time, compliance, enforcement and administrative costs are climbing. The Grand Jury warns the program could run a $3.8 million deficit by fiscal year 2025–26 if changes aren’t made.

The drop in revenue is driven by an oversaturated market, declining wholesale cannabis prices, competition from illegal suppliers and high costs of doing business. The wholesale price of cannabis has fallen from about $1,200 per pound in 2020 to as low as $250 this year, the report said.

Rising costs have made it increasingly difficult for cannabis growers in Santa Barbara County to stay in business. Cultivators face steep financial barriers, including application fees as high as $10,450, annual renewal fees nearing $5,000, and compliance management costs exceeding $4,200. In addition to these regulatory expenses, growers must absorb high startup costs for infrastructure, security and maintenance. The report notes that many operators have been forced to shut down because they can no longer recoup their investments or turn a profit.

The county continues to face challenges in collecting accurate tax revenue due to its reliance on self-reported gross receipts from cannabis operators. Only three audits were completed last year, with six more planned for the coming year.

In June, the Board of Supervisors voted to disband the Sheriff’s Cannabis Enforcement Team, a five-member unit that had conducted dozens of raids since 2018. Most team members have been reassigned. One deputy will continue working on cannabis-related felony warrants, and the remaining funds will be redirected to audits and compliance monitoring.

During that meeting, Board Chair Laura Capps sharply questioned Sheriff Bill Brown about a $19,185 monthly lease for the cannabis enforcement team’s headquarters in Santa Maria—stressing that it amounted to more than $1.2 million since 2019.

“It’s an alarming, eye-popping number that shows me I’m not sure we’re using these funds efficiently,” Capps said during a tense exchange, asking whether anything could justify such high rent.

Brown responded that the lease also covers space for narcotics operations and had historically been used to store seized marijuana. He noted plans to relocate to a smaller facility within six months.

The board also approved funding for the Immigrant Legal Defense Center, including two therapists to support families affected by deportation.

The Board of Supervisors has 90 days to respond to the report. While some of the Grand Jury’s recommendations are already being implemented, such as reducing enforcement spending, the report warns that broader structural changes are needed to stabilize the program’s future.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The filmakers of tomorrow are coming home after spending a week in the Santa Ynez Valley at a special camp.

It’s in a collaboration with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) and the United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County.

The camp was held in the Santa Ynez Valley near Cachuma Lake at the rustic Camp Whittier.

The participants get the tools and the instruction to create mini films from their ideas.

David Guerrero-Jimenez is 14-year-old from Santa Barbara and came with an idea. “I wrote a script, before beforehand, and I brought it here, so we used some of it. “

The young filmmakers can make any type of movie they would like, but this setting seems to inspire most of them to go with one specific theme.

Claire Waterhouse, the SBIFF Education Director, says, “our campers are often inspired to make horror films mostly every summer. It’s a chance for them to test their creative skills, and there’s so much that goes into making a horror film with angles and lighting and music, so it’s a really fun challenge to see them they love watching horror movies.”

“We learned a lot on, camera angles and lighting and, line execution, which is all critical for making films because it can determine, like, the mood, the setting or the vibe of the film,” said Guerrero-Jimenez.

One student Jax Palumbo wanted to be an actor and be tougher than he is in real life. “I played like a bad guy, and I wanted to be, better looking, more menacing.”

Among the mentors was Producer Joe Medjuck, who worked on movies including Ghostbusters. “It’s amazing how good many of them are. They’re learning the artistic part of a very early.” He was very impressed. Watching them work, “we see kids this age making finished films that they can show to people right away.”

In addition to making movies, there’s also time for many summertime camping experiences here around the camp, including hiking, archery and campfires with smores.

Next month the finished films will be shown at a First Thursday screening session in downtown Santa Barbara.

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John Palminteri

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – The best deals of the year for some shoppers will come this weekend in Isla Vista.

The annual ‘GIVE’ sale takes place as a way to sell off all the leftover furniture and appliances from college students who recently moved out and could not take everything with them.

This also includes clothing, bedding, desks, chairs, mini-refrigerators, housewares, books and bikes.

Viviana Marsano is with the UC Santa Barbara Office of Civic and Community Engagement. She annually coordinates the sale with dozens of volunteers. This year she says the donations have been among the best.

“Kitchenware, you see the amount of kitchenware today. It’s amazing. We have $300 shoes that haven’t been worn. We have big brand names, clothing that are $300 with the tags on. And even if they are secondhand, they are in prime condition. Jackets – this year we have dozens of jackets, summer dresses, everything is super cute.”

All the electronics have been tested for quick sales, and all the items have been cleaned before they were set out.

A special boutique area is also set up for the top of the line items which will also be sold at a reduced price.

The event takes place in the Embarcadero Hall Parking lot from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

The proceeds from the sale will go to Isla Vista Charities in the next few weeks.

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