••• “The Bellosguardo Foundation has sued Santa Barbara County, asking a judge to find that the Santa Barbara Clark Estate is exempt from property taxes and return $1.1 million, plus interest, in already-paid property taxes for two recent years.” The reasoning is that “it operates the estate at 1407 E. Cabrillo Boulevard ‘exclusively’ as a public museum that is ‘open and accessible to all members of the public.'” It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out. On one hand, Bellosguardo is not entirely unlike a museum, although only open by tour and at a high admission price; on the other hand, it is clearly also a venue for private events, despite the “exclusively” mentioned in the lawsuit. —Noozhawk
••• “Future of Parades on Santa Barbara’s State Street Uncertain Under Master Plan [….] Police Chief Kelly Gordon says it will depend on the final design and configuration.” —Noozhawk
••• “The Board of Supervisors took the first step of what promises to be a protracted and historic pivot to pull the plug on all onshore oil development anywhere in Santa Barbara County.” —Independent
••• “A federal agent pepper-sprayed a local immigrant advocacy group volunteer in the lobby of the Santa Barbara County Main Jail Tuesday morning.” —Noozhawk
••• “Accessing emergency veterinary care in Santa Barbara on nights or weekends can be difficult, as burnout contributes to staff shortages—a nationwide problem. There are only two 24/7 emergency veterinary hospitals in Santa Barbara County: PETS Hospital in Orcutt and Advanced Veterinary Specialists in Santa Barbara. […] Fixing that problem isn’t quite as simple as opening another hospital [because] There is a shortage of qualified veterinary professionals nationwide.” —Noozhawk
••• “The Goleta City Council passed an urgency ordinance that temporarily pauses new firearms and ammunition retailers to give city staff time to research rules and regulations to set a buffer between gun shops and preschools.” I know I feel safer. —Independent
••• “The Goleta City Council rejected a proposal earlier this month to change the land use designation of the former Ellwood Onshore Facility, which would have paved the way for a glamping campsite. […] The current designation—open space-active recreation—allows noncommercial uses, including parks, playgrounds, trails, community centers and food-related concessions. […] The visitor services designation”—sought by the current owner—”allows RV parks and resort and hotel-style uses, visitor services and attractions, and retail stores, among others.” —Noozhawk
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What is the price of a tour at Bellosguardo? Google search says $100. That doesn’t sound very “Open and Accessible”. And rental fees for “Special Events”?
Sounds more like a Business masking as a non-profit.
The Foundation didn’t receive enough money from the Clark estate to maintain the building and grounds. It was a generous gift, but not one endowed with the resources for the upkeep and maintenance of the aging estate. Even at $100 per entry ticket, the property cannot generate enough income to offset these expenses. This is also why private events are held (to raise money and cultivate private donors), and why they are seeking a property tax refund. If the estate had been endowed adequately, it WOULD be operating as a public resource with a more affordable entry price.
Then the Board is not performing the Number One job of any non-profit Board. Raising money. For the Endowment or Operations.
Regrettably, Bellosguardo does not sound like a “Open and Accessible” facility.
If you look at admission prices for local museums, they range from $7 to $20 and some offer free admission throughout the month. It could be argued that Bellosquardo’s $100 admission fee means that it is not ‘open and accessible to all members of the public.’ I don’t know this for a fact, but I heard someone on the board lives there. Maybe if they dropped the admission price to no more than $20, exempting them could be considered.
My wife and I toured Bellosguardo and our guide lived on the property and was not the only resident. Told us they bring in the bulk of the money from private events. I would not consider Bellosguardo a museum,
for those who are interested in where the money comes from and where it goes, the most recent (2024) Form 990 is available at
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/471833911/202611349349306396/full
RE Bellosgurado, for context, it would be helpful to know what the SB Historical Museam and Carriage museums, etc pay for property taxes, as they both host weddings and private events.
SB Carriage Museum doesn’t pay property tax and claims the welfare-exemption. SB Historical Museum is different, the building is owned by the County so is tax-exempt, but it is leased to the SBHS who pay around $2.5k/year as a possessory interest tax.
And I would guess that Bellosgurado pays more in taxes than those two because its property is much more valuable.
In exchange for property tax exemption, I am offering docent-led tours of my home for only $100 per person (reservations required). Artwork on display includes multiple pictures of my children and a SB Bowl poster of Florence and the Machine from 2018.
If only there was a way to avoid being pepper sprayed by a federal agent…..oh wait.