The Indy

An April 18 you can eat delicious brunch food and support the journalism fellowship that made Welcome to Isla Vista possible! Gather at the historic Rancho La Patera and Stow House in Goleta from 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM on April 18. Don't forget to buy your tickets online on the Indy's website.

Introducing Breaking Tunes. The Bad Neighbors visited the Independent's news room for a live concert - check out the recording from that concert! The Bad Neighbors are featured in Episode 6 of Welcome to Isla Vista. The Set List: Seasons (0:00) King of Nothing (4:33) Landlord (9:25) Overdose (12:37)

Development has started again in I.V., as new housing laws make it easier to build. At the same time, property owners are cutting back parts of homes on Del Playa as the cliff erodes and parking is even more tightly impacted. Where is I.V. headed? And what are some ways we can make it a better place to live?

This episode takes us into the quiet community garden, as well as the homes of long-term homeowners. How has Isla Vista changed from the eyes of people who see crops of students graduate each year? What was the impact of a major renovation that displaced dozens of long-term families? How can we look at I.V. from an artist’s perspective? And what’s with that uniquely shaped dome house?

One night in 1970, a fire broke out at the Bank of America. No one yet knows who set it. But it brought both police brutality and political engagement to Isla Vista. Why does I.V. have such a vast network of parks? Why isn’t I.V. a city? And decades later how did tragedy bolster support for the Community Services District, according to its founders? Note: This episode contains discussion of a bomb...

Post-COVID, Isla Vista grew even more expensive, all while housing stayed pretty much the same. What is like living in I.V. now? There’s good, bad, and ugly here. Note, there is discussion of sexual assault, harassment and rape from 17:50 to 18:55. If you do not want to hear this discussion, please skip this part.

 In 1954, Santa Barbara College students traded “the campus with a view” for the “campus in the slough.” Developers built more than 4,000 structures in 10 years, receiving variances and helping pass zoning codes to increase density. What was it like to live there? Student stories start in 1954 and finish in 2016, as that housing stock ages.

From the Santa Barbara Independent, a podcast that delves into the history and development of Isla Vista, CA. Written, voiced and produced by Mickey Flacks Fellow Christina McDermott.

Ep. 93 - INSIDE AI: How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping our Lives In this episode, The Indy host, Rebecca Fairweather, sits down with Assistant Professor of Computer Science and head of the Artificial Intelligence Integration Lab at UC Santa Barbara, Misha Sra. The two discuss the significance of AI and how it will impact our everyday lives. Chat GPT has taken the world by storm with the site h...

In this episode, The Indy host, Rebecca Fairweather, sits down with Assemblymember Gregg Hart to discuss concerns over the environment and the ongoing housing crisis. The Assemblymember has recently restarted ‘Sidewalk Office Hours’ that is available in twelve communities across the central coast including; Orcutt, Guadalupe, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Vandenberg Village, Lompoc, Solvang, Montecito, S...

EP. 91 - ‘Creatures of the Night’ Takeover Santa Barbara In this episode, The Indy host, Rebecca Fairweather, sits down with the Creatures of the Night Production Company to talk about their fall performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Story. On October 28th, the company took over UC Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall, performing in front of a sold-out crowd of hundreds. Rocky Horror Picture Show first...

In this episode, The Indy host, Rebecca Fairweather, talks with Santa Barbara residents about the newest symphony flowing through the blocks of State Street. Coming back for National Arts and Humanities Month, ‘Pianos on State’ is celebrating its thirteenth year, featuring 14 uniquely painted pianos scattered among the Santa Barbara Area. Local artists in the area painted each piano in vibrant col...

EP. 89: Dahlia’s Roots - How Santa Barbara Blossomed the Black Dahlia In this episode, The Indy host, Rebecca Fairweather, discusses the infamous case of the 1947 murder mystery, the Black Dahlia, and her connection to Santa Barbara. As a former resident of the American Riviera, Elizabeth Short’s brief residence led to her notorious mugshot image that cemented her fame and aided in identifying her...

Ep. 88: Renovictions – The New Reality of Santa Barbara On this episode, The Indy host, Rebecca Fairweather, speaks with Santa Barbara Tenants Union volunteer Stanley Tzankov to discuss the ongoing housing crisis impacting the southern coast. On September 1, the Koto Group took possession of the “West Beach College Commons”, previously known as Casa Pequena, buying the 52-unit apartment building f...

On this episode, The Indy host Alexandra Goldberg talks with Chumash community members about their effort in revitalizing the first language of Santa Barbara spoken by the Barbareno band called ‘alapkaswa.’ Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto, illustrator of the children’s book “The Sugar Bear Story,” narrates a Chumash tale of being a good host. Working together with her late mother and the last native spe...

The Old Spanish Days Fiesta is an annual, five day celebration all about honoring the culture and traditions of Santa Barbara’s indigenous, Spanish, Mexican and early American settlers. The Indy host Alexandra Goldberg sat down with Fiesta’s 2023 Saint Barbara, Lisa Osborn, to talk about the roots of Fiesta and the responsibility of portraying Saint Barbara. Every year, the Daughters of the Golden...

On this episode, The Indy host Alexandra Goldberg sought out some of Santa Barbara’s best parenting advice. With the release of the Santa Barbara Independent’s online Parenting Guide, Alexandra Goldberg sat down with Indy editors Tyler Hayden and Leslie Dinaberg about some of the topics they covered for the web: how to make friends with other parents, toddler-friendly parks and playgrounds, and ea...

Authors Matt Dorff and Suzanne Dunn had a unique vision for their newly released novel: “The podcast that’s an audiobook. The audiobook that’s a podcast.” Dorff and Dunn, under the pseudonym L.R. Dorn, wrote a novel and an audiobook in the form of a true crime podcast. One of the main characters, Ryanna Raine, is a podcast host who sleuths out a murder case of a husband and wife in Santa Barbara....

Craig Martin Smith and Stephanie Smith are said to be the first developers with a housing project using the “Builder’s Remedy.”The Los Angeles-based duo has plans to build a 30-unit apartment complex with six low-income affordable units in the Lower Riviera. Under the “Builder’s Remedy,” the developers are able to sidestep local review processes because the City of Santa Barbara failed to submit h...

The work of bees can be traced back to one third of the human diet because of their pollination efforts. The Indy reporter Chiloé Spelius interviewed local Santana Barbara ranch manager and beekeeper, Jose Luis, on the art and impact that beekeeping has on the Central Coast. Then, the 49th annual Santa Barbara Summer Solstice parade is coming down the block on June 24 at noon. The Indy reporter Ra...

In 1972, ornithologist George Hunt and anthropologist Molly Warner discovered homosexuality in the natural world— a turning point for the science and queer community. The scientists found female-female nesting pairs in a seagull colony on Santa Barbara Island, 38 miles off of our coast. Joining us on the show this week is Lulu Miller, co-host of WNYC Studios Radiolab, to talk about the ripple effe...

The third annual Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival is taking place at the Lobero Theatre on June 9 and 10, showcasing films that celebrate Central Coast surf culture. The Indy host Alexandra Goldberg sat down with Heidi van den Oever to talk about how surf, film and environmentalism is making for an inspiring exhibition this weekend and what attendees can expect at the festival. Then, June marks LG...

What is the future of the State Street promenade? The Santa Barbara City Council settled on a $2 per square foot rate for outdoor dining parklets in April. But, discussions about the rates have been a hot topic in the City Council since January, where the original resolution charged businesses between $3-12 per square foot. While the fees are said to pay for the high maintenance costs of State Str...

The Taste of Santa Barbara is in full swing, and The Indy host Alexandra Goldberg got a glimpse at the week-long food and drink celebration. Joining us on the show this week is Todd Schulkin, Executive Director of the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, who talked about how Julia Child inspired the culinary world to know where your food comes from. Julia Child is a culinar...

The Indy host Alexandra Goldberg spoke with Salud Carbajal, the U.S. representative for California's 24th congressional district, about the 2023 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a multiyear, nationwide legislative package that governs food assistance programs and agriculture in the United States. It’s broken down into 12 sections, or titles, that are said to impact every family in our community . Carba...