Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina

Santa Barbara Unified School District Board Member Wendy Sims-Moten talks with podcast host Josh Molina about racial prejudice, violence and discrimination in Santa Barbara schools. Sims-Moten spoke out strongly at a recent board meeting, calling on District officials do better in addressing problems at schools. Sims-Moten talks about "anti-Blackness," the decision to end implicit bias and cultura...

Peter Lewis plans to build 80 units in downtown Santa Barbara, on the 400 block of State Street, a project that could set the trend for future development projects downtown. Lewis offers his visionary approach to housing, saying that change is inevitable, and that Santa Barbara is experiencing a revolution. Lewis, who also owns the Cost Plus World market on the 600 block of State Street, shares hi...

SBT 99: Joyce Dudley Talks Retirement, Sex Trafficking, Criminal Justice Reform, Diversity, Future Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley plans to retire after serving 12 years as the county's top prosecutor. In this pull-no-punches podcast conversation, Dudley explains why she is walking away and what's next for her. Dudley answers some hard-hitting questions about criminal justice r...

On Feb. 23, 2001, David Attias drove his Saab into a crowd of pedestrians on Sabado Tarde Road in Isla Vista. Josh Molina was a young reporter who got the call from the night editor that there were a major crash in Isla Vista. Molina rushed out to the scene and was later joined by Scott Hadly. The two reporters spent the next day reporting on the crash and trying to piece together the story of how...

Santa Barbara City Councilman Mike Jordan shares his views on housing density, State Street and a new mood at City Hall. Jordan, a longtime Santa Barbara City Planning Commissioner, was elected to the City Council in 2019, winning a seat in Santa Barbara's Mesa District. Jordan is blunt, honest and direct in his views on the biggest issues facing Santa Barbara. Jordan is an advocate for affordable...

Santa Barbara's Gregg Hart is headed for Sacramento, making a much-anticipated voyage into state politics. Hart is running for California State Assembly. One of Santa Barbara's most consummate elected officials, he has served over the course of four decades, from starting in the Santa Barbara City Council, then getting elected to the county board of supervisors. In this podcast, Hart talks housing...

Retired Santa Barbara Police Department Det. Roger Aceves talks an array of issues in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina. Aceves, who has spent 16 years on the Goleta City Council, talks 20 years of Goleta cityhood and how Goleta has changed the past 20 years. He shares his views on housing, parks, commercial and retail development and the relationship between the city of S...

UCSB's Acting Athletic Director Kelly Barsky shares her story of athletics, empowerment and leadership in this special edition of Santa Barbara Talks. Barsky shares her coaching and playing philosophy and her own stories as a star high school and college athlete. At UCSB, Barsky says she is focused on the success of the students in all aspects. "My mission is how do we serve our student athletes t...

Susan Salcido is Santa Barbara County's top education official, the superintendent of Santa Barbara County Schools. With a stellar reputation for communication and working well with others, she leads a countywide effort to make sure the 20 school districts in the county are running smoothly. That's never been easy, but her job is even more important in the age of the pandemic. In this exclusive po...

Austin Herlihy, executive vice president of Radius Commercial Real Estate, talks the sale of the Hotel Indigo and boom in the hotel industry in Santa Barbara and State Street. Herlihy talks about the attraction of the Funk Zone and how it is luring hotel investors and owners to help revitalize State Street. He also talks about the state of retail on State Street, commercial vacancies, and the chal...

Santa Barbara City Councilman Oscar Gutierrez talks the NEW City Council that will be sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 11, and gives his thoughts on former Cathy Murillo and the ways she influenced him. Gutierrez offers a view of his platform, including his efforts to help businesses in his District, including the 400 block of State Street, which recently saw the closure of J.J.s Diner. Gutierrez also share...

Noozhawk owner, founder and publisher Bill Macfadyen sits down with Josh Molina for the first SBT podcast of 2022 to dive deep about Noozhawk and the local media landscape. Macfadyen talks about whether Noozhawk is liberal, conservative, or something else. He explains the inner-workings of Noozhawk and pulls back the curtain on how the company gathers news. He also talks about his popular and some...

Retired UCSB sociology professor Dick Flacks dives into the debate over Santa Barbara's proposal to create a 2 percent cap on rent increases. Flacks offers counterpoints to residential property owners who say that maximizing rent increases would hurt tenants because they would not be able to make repairs or conduct regular maintenance. Flacks makes a case for tenants and talks about ways to increa...

Santa Barbara Police Chief Barney Melekian is one of the most respected people in law enforcement throughout the nation. He is currently serving as interim police chief, at a time of major transition and turmoil at City Hall. Melekian opens up about his thoughts on the Community Formation Commission and the eventual Civil Review System. Many members of the community pushed for a civilian review bo...

Economist Dr. Lanny Ebenstein explains all of the maps behind the new district maps for Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, California State Assembly and the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Ebenstein eloquently breaks down the pros and cons of each scenario and how it will impact voters. Essentially, 2nd District Santa Barbara County District Supervisor Gregg Hart may be in the rare...

One year ago Virginia Alvarez was elected to the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education. In this podcast she talks about the past year, including the recent controversial teachers survey that suggested low morale among teachers and counselors, and a lack of confidence in superintendent Hilda Maldonado. Alvarez lets loose with her opinions on the turnover among district officials...

Jonathan Abboud, Santa Barbara City College Trustee, and General Manager of the Isla Vista Community Services District, talks with Josh Molina about his Assembly run next year. Abboud, 29, is known for his creative ideas, work ethic and political ambition. Now he's looking to win a newly configured assembly seat. Listen to Jonathan talk about affordable housing, the state of Isla Vista, equity at...

In this video, Giana Magnoli pulls back the curtain on Noozhawk.com and how the organization gathers news. Among some of the highlights: 1:26: The role Noozhawk plays in the local media landscape 3:32: Why Giana chose Noozhawk over other options 5:05: Giana talks original team, Lara Cooper, Noozhawk's beginnings on Gutierrez Street 6:30: Early feelings on working for just-launched startup 9:05: Jo...

James Joyce III nearly shocked the world on Election Night in Santa Barbara when he placed second, winning 7,125 votes in his bid for mayor. He finished in second, far ahead of incumbent mayor Cathy Murillo. While Joyce did not win the top spot, he showed that there was a lot of buzz and excitement around his campaign. Joyce was outspent heavily by his opponent, yet only finished 3,000 votes behin...

Former Mayor Sheila Lodge has endorsed Randy Rowse in the 2021 Santa Barbara mayoral race, in somewhat of a political shocker. Lodge has thrown her credibility behind Kristen Sneddon in her re-election campaign. Lodge also talks about why she is not a fan of councilwoman Meagan Harmon, whom she calls "calculating." Lodge also pivots from politics to talk about local issues and her book, Santa Barb...

Goleta City Councilman James Kyriaco unleashes his wealth of knowledge on the Santa Barbara mayoral and city council election and the city of Goleta in this blockbuster 2-hour podcast! Kyriaco, a former political consultant breaks down the state of play in the mayoral election and warns people not to count out incumbent mayor Cathy Murillo, Kyriaco talks about the challenges Murillo faces as candi...

Santa Barbara County Chairperson Darcel Elliott talks about the mystery and intrigue surrounding the upcoming Santa Barbara Mayoral contest. There's some concern among Democrats that Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo won't win a second term because she faces spoiler candidates in Democrat James Joyce and Deborah Schwartz while going up against a right-leaning moderate in Randy Rowse. Elliott walks...

Please take a moment to visit Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina on You Tube and subscribe to see the video versions of the podcast. Dr. Daraka Larimore-Hall joins Josh Molina for nearly one-hour of political talk regarding the Santa Barbara Mayor's race and two City Council contests. Larimore-Hall defends Cathy Murillo's record and raises concerns and questions about those who are supporting th...

Kristen Sneddon talks with Josh Molina in this powerhouse podcast leading up to the Nov. 2 election. Sneddon is looking to win a second term and is taking on Barrett Reed, who is well-funded by developers. Sneddon charges in the podcast that a Reed contributor skirted campaign contribution rules by giving money under multiple LLCs to Reed. Sneddon also discusses her votes on the Project Labor Agre...

New Santa Barbara Assistant City Administrator Rene Eyerly talks with Josh Molina about all things City of Santa Barbara. Eyerly joined the city in 2017 from the city of San Jose and has been one of the city' s environmental leaders since. She's led efforts regarding recycling, sustainability and reducing climate change. Recently, she helped move 58 people from encampments in wildland areas into t...