And I would guess that Bellosgurado pays more in taxes than those two because its property is much more valuable.
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.
What's up with this annoying trend of affixing a question mark to the end of a declarative sentence?
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.
I won't be trying Little Mountain until they drop the pricing shenanigans. Adding a 5% surcharge at the end may not seem huge in the big scheme of things, but it's unfair to restaurants who price transparently.
I've not really heard great things about the food anyway, though Erik who runs this site seems to love them, and I usually respect his reviews.
131 De LA Guerra
On the north side Canon Perdido sidewalk across from Handlebar
Darn, that's really unfortunate. Consider giving them another shot—perhaps it was an off night? I've been a handful of times and have had nothing but excellent food.
Can you be more specific?
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
It's a pretty restaurant with an attentive and courteous staff, but we did have to send stuff back - not accustomed to doing that when out?
Hm, not sure about that. Every meal I've had at Little Mountain has been extraordinary, heads and tails above many others in SB. Personally I think their (NY Times) 3 stars is warranted.
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
Back in 1988-1989 my then wife (Loma) and I lived at the estate known as Edgecliff Manor. Mr. Berman loved the idea of us parking our 5 limousines out front of his estate and invited us to live there. We owned Heavens Door limousine Service......I was only 19 at the time my wife was 34 and those where the best days of my life. Sex,drugs and Rock n Roll.🤑
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.
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,
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.
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.
I'm not one to diss restaurants - having had one myself, I know it's pretty hard - but I must say that had it been up to me, Little Mountain would have gotten two fewer stars than it received?
I love Roy. His food is delicious. I worked with him at Oysters on Victoria back in the day. Happy for him but that’s a legend leaving town.
I have had the fortune of working at Ravenscroft. In my career I have seen many extraordinary homes around the world. This estate is my number one. It is stunning. The renovations are impeccable. It has secret passageways! I could go on.
I just emailed you about this—and I'm happy to help anyone who's having trouble with it. (Mailchimp is erratic.) Please email me at [email protected] if you could use assistance.
I have signed up to receive Siteline emails multiple times and have yet to receive one. Can anyone here assist?
I'll check it out: the comments have shown me otherwise, and seems they're building a good community over there.
Looking forward.
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.
