Blog

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Were Involved in a Massive Property Swap

They gave up their big spread on Padaro Lane and bought back the $32 million flip from earlier this year.

Refugio State Beach Is Closed Indefinitely

Other recent news: Professional soccer team to play at UCSB stadium; Santa Barbara Unified School District teachers’ strike tentatively averted; county supervisors wrestle with the cannabis tax mess; Highway 101 construction above Ventura is done; seed money to try and buy Carpinteria Bluffs land slated for development; Santa Cruz Market sold; new hat shop in Carpinteria.

Vanity, Thy Name Is… (Part 2)

No disrespect to MESADAD or SBHS 88, but the best vanity license plates are the ones that are a little surprising….

San Marcos Preserve House Sells Off-Market for $10 Million

Last week’s sales also include Hedgerow turnkey for $9.3 million; vacant lot off San Ysidro Road; Hope Ranch fixer; Toro Canyon six-bedroom; and more.

Santa Claus Lane Is Getting a Year-Round Christmas Shop

Plus: James Perse’s shop at the Montecito Country Mart has closed; “What the Constitution Means to Me” is coming to town; volunteer for the Summer Solstice Celebration; Eric Idle and Aimee Mann at the Lobero Theatre; the Music Academy of the West changed its name back; Soul Care Studio + Sauna is open on Anacapa Street.

Where in Santa Barbara…?

Know where this was shot? Prove it in the comments. (Update: We have a winner!)

A Supersized Spec Reno for $52 Million

Noteworthy new listings also include a 20,000-square-foot estate outside Santa Ynez; pair of houses on Pepper Hill; equestrian compound once owned by Jimmy Stewart and Dean Martin; 1950s Arts and Crafts in Cielito; change of heart just above the Westside; 212-acre compound made to look like an Old West town; and more.

Dart Coffee Co. Is Opening in Carpinteria

More food news: Derf’s Café is going to be open for a couple more weeks; Validation Ale’s second location will be larger than initially reported (and have golf simulators); Pizza Mizza update; more on the plan for the restaurant in The Palms building; confirmation that an L.A. chain is opening in Ojai; profiles of Yetz’s Bagels, Dang Burger, and Get Hooked Seafood.