Santa Barbara Independent

We provide up-to-date online news, as well as coverage of arts and entertainment, around the clock.

Local

English, Spanish

Newspaper

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#124850

United States

#27916

News and Media

#1289

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Review: L.A. Phil Shines, as Expected, in Home and Away Games

23 hours ago | independent.com | Josef Woodard

It may be fair to say the most reliable and renewable pleasure, in terms of live orchestral culture in Santa Barbara over the past 100+ years, has come courtesy of the increasingly important Los Angeles Philharmonic. ( I’ve only been privy to the past 35 or so concert years, but am making an educated guess with this assertion.) The orchestra shares with the hosting organization CAMA a birth year of 1919, and has performed under CAMA’s auspices at least once a year in our fair town.
Embracing the “Viva,” with Access for All

1 day ago | independent.com | Josef Woodard

Embracing the Viva, with Access for AllAs the Idealistic ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Latin Music Series Nears the 20-Year Mark, an Endowment Project Signals the Final Goal of Retiring Arts & Lectures Director Celesta BilleciBy Josef Woodard | May 15, 2025Las Guaracheras performs at the Marjorie Luke Theatre.
Theater Review | ‘Ironbound’

2 days ago | independent.com | Maggie Yates

Theater Review | ‘Ironbound’ First Production in Ojai’s New Space Explores the Emotional Survival Tactics of a Woman Without Many Options By Maggie Yates Wed May 14, 2025 | 8:53am Add to Favorites Rehearsal for the Ojai Theater production of 'Ironbound' | Photo: Isidora Goreshter The first production in Downtown Ojai’s newly refurbished Chaparral Auditorium black box playing space is Martyna Majok’s Ironbound, directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos and starring Marin Ireland, Shiloh Fernandez,...
Historic Santa Barbara County Vote to Phase Out New Oil Drilling

2 days ago | independent.com | Nick Welsh

“Okay,” said County Supervisor Laura Capps just before turning off the mic for the day, “that was a big one.” That might have been Santa Barbara’s political understatement of the year. Had Capps said “historic” instead, she would have been in the right zip code. The county supervisors had just voted — by a 3-1 margin with supervisor Steve Lavagnino being absent due to family matters — to begin the process of phasing out onshore oil and gas operations in Santa Barbara County.
Demolition Work Complete on New Westside Clinic

2 days ago | independent.com | Nick Welsh

Demolition Work Complete on New Westside Clinic Construction on Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ New Clinic Scheduled to Last Until September 2026 Add to Favorites A rendering of Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ new Westside clinic | Credit: Courtesy Anyone driving by the intersection of San Andres and Micheltorena streets — the epicenter of the city’s Westside commercial corridor — will notice the startlingly sudden emergence of a vacant lot where a nondescript two-story office...
Sable Offshore Sues County Supes Over Blocked Transfer Permit

3 days ago | independent.com | Nick Welsh

In baseball, ties famously go to the baserunner, but in county government it’s forced a legal fight in the courts. The oil company Sable Offshore is insisting that when the county board of supervisors voted 2-2 on whether or not to allow another oil company, Exxon, to transfer its permits to Sable, the tie goes to the Sable. Accordingly, Sable — much in the limelight recently — just filed a lawsuit against the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in federal court to make that point.
Family Shares Update on Condition of Young Woman Critically Injured in Alleged DUI Crash on Hwy. 154

3 days ago | independent.com | Jackson Friedman

Family Shares Update on Condition of Young Woman Critically Injured in Alleged DUI Crash on Hwy. 154 Family of Carly Grace Howard, 24, Starts GoFundMe to Help Cover Medical Costs of ‘Life-Altering Event’ Carly Grace Howard remains on life support after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a head-on collision on Highway 154 on May 1.
The Home Page | If You Give Your Mama a Llama

4 days ago | independent.com | Sarah Sinclair

The Home Page | If You Give Your Mama a Llama By Sarah Sinclair Mon May 12, 2025 | 12:00pm Add to Favorites Credit: Laura Gransberry This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on May 11, 2025. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletter Credit: Library of Congress You’re familiar with the “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” effect? Where one road leads to another, to another, and then they connect again?...
Finding Joy in Color

4 days ago | independent.com | Tiana Molony

Patrice Karst | Photo: Mariana SchulzeWhen Patrice Karst’s son Elijah was in kindergarten, he struggled with severe separation anxiety. School drop-offs were hard — Elijah would cry, begging his mom not to leave, often bringing her to tears as well. Amid the heartbreak of daily goodbyes, Karst searched for a way to ease her son’s pain.
It’s Time to Phase Out Oil in Our County

4 days ago | independent.com | Leah Stokes |Paasha Mahdavi

On Tuesday, May 13, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will be taking on a big issue. At the meeting in Santa Maria, the supervisors will consider proposals to phase out our county’s onshore oil production. It’s a discussion that is long overdue. Because the evidence is clear — pumping oil harms our environment, damages our health, warms the planet, and does little to boost our economy. To protect our community, the board should take bold steps now to phase out existing oil wells.