BIG CHANGES
Proposed 66-room hotel entails demolishing the Press Room: two years ago, SIMA began the process for a large apartment building fronting State and Ortega—and then pulled the plug when the city council agitated for more affordable housing. The solution? Make it a hotel.
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HOT PROPERTY
While the real estate market has pretty much ground to a halt since Thanksgiving, there have still been a few notable sales, including a Padaro Lane mansion for $30 million, a Summerland three-bedroom with lots of views; houses from 1890 and 1930 on the same San Roque street; and a funky fixer/teardown on Mission Canyon Road. See what sold—and for how much.
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CHAPTER TWO
Longtime favorite Toma is under new ownership: After 20 years, Tom and Vicki Dolan are retiring, handing over the reins to a new pair of owner-operators who have no plans to mess with the tuna cones.
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FAVORITE THINGS
Next up in the Shop Local Gift Guide: Montecito Mercantile and Diani Living—and of course both stores have far more than whatever happened to catch my eye. So get out there and browse!
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Recent Comments
I live near a couple of the segments of streets mentioned for improvement and they absolutely need assessment. There are crashes every few months. It’s… — BW
Local attorney Luis Esparza in on the ballot with Judge Adams — Esparza for Judge 2026
El Smurfo. As Ben Kenobi said, "That's a name I have not heard in a long time." Gosh, what was my handle on the orange… — Dan O. Seibert
Taking criticism from losers is price of not being one — Duds
One of the best travel articles I’ve ever read. The narrative and the pics made me feel that I was there. Thanks ever so much — Jeff
Missed that reddit post, but I would say on the whole pretty positive. Obviously Montecito real estate postings are not going to be super popular… — el_smurfo
If you liked Angkor, then you need to visit Borobudur. And there’s even an Aman! AmanJiwo. One of our best trips. — Tom F
Shop keepers closes two stores. Why are all you experts not analyzing this? Could it be that the greed of landlord's has now reached the… — Jose Luis Riviera
Perfect summary of Angkor. You captured it well. My first visit was over 30 years ago before the disney-esque entrance. On the back of a… — KGS
Ummmmm....CVR is definitely thriving!!! Ask the retailers. There are more tourists willing to spend money (there are many affordable shopping options). Locals have been stopping… — Dave