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Founded in 1986, the Santa Barbara Independent is the leading source for news, arts & entertainment, and lifestyle coverage in the greater Santa Barbara area.
- 248articles · 30d
- 7+ hour agolatest article
- Aug 14, 2026earliest in window
- 90%with images
- 300avg words
- Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Media 62
- Arts & Entertainment 41
- Politics 40
- Human Interest 39
- Sensitive Subjects 39
- News 35
- Social Life 32
- Entertainment 28
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News
California Has One-Quarter Of All The Nation’s Death Sentences. Will Newsom Commute Them All?
7+ hour, 48+ min ago (776+ words) More Than 560 People Still Face Death Sentences in California, Despite a Longstanding Moratorium on Executions In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the state’s death penalty system a failure and issued an executive order halting executions. His order — and the sight…...
Patriarchy Has a History
8+ hour, 51+ min ago (9+ words) I appreciated Hannah-Beth Jackson’s moving remembrance of Gloria Steinem....
‘It’s Our Kids’: Solving Santa Barbara’s Sex Trafficking Problem
3+ day, 3+ hour ago (1726+ words) Local Organizations Work to Support Survivors and Protect Vulnerable Youth It is the early 2000s, and Alia Azariah is a runaway teen. Drawn to downtown Santa Barbara, Azariah gathers with other homeless youth among the shops and tourists. There, her friends…...
A Labor Day Question: Is Elon Musk Really Worse than Jay Gould?
3+ day, 10+ hour ago (429+ words) Today, the Top CEO Makes 281 Times More Than the Average Worker SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST: History, it turns out, does not repeat itself. It stutters. Mark Twain did not say that. I did. It’s stuttering right now. Over Labor Day. Every…...
Gloria Steinem 1934–2026
3+ day, 12+ hour ago (645+ words) The Santa Barbara Independent We lost two of America’s most iconic women during the past weeks. First, Dolly Parton, whose unique blend of femininity, business acumen, and generosity modeled female economic independence when women’s financial autonomy was virtually nonexistent in…...
Santa Barbara Housing Authority Head Rob Fredericks Retiring
4+ day, 7+ hour ago (815+ words) After 10 Years at Helm of City’s Housing Authority, Fredericks Announces He’s Stepping Down at End of 2027 This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make…...
Vaccine Refusal: Decisions Have Consequences You May Not Have Considered
1+ week, 2+ day ago (400+ words) Measles, Mumps, Whooping Cough Are Back with a Vengeance Measles, mumps, whooping cough — diseases nearly eradicated by the widespread use of vaccines are now back with a vengeance without them. It’s been more than 20 years since my young son’s case…...
Not Yet Gone with the Wind
1+ week, 3+ day ago (1074+ words) California Files Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Deal to Kill Offshore Wind on Central Coast California is pushing back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to kill offshore wind energy projects along the Central Coast. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of…...
Bye-Bye to Bibi Ji
1+ week, 3+ day ago (599+ words) Alejandro and Charlotte Medina Have Closed Their Modern Indian Restaurant on State Street “It’s been a good nine years, but the last 18 months is something I’ve never seen before,” said Alejandro of the slow business. “We never thought we’d be…...
State Street Master Plan Approved by Santa Barbara City Council
1+ week, 3+ day ago (1026+ words) Council Supports Vision for Downtown, Though Questions Remain over Funding, Interim Operations The State Street Master Plan, the guiding document for the future of downtown Santa Barbara, was approved by the City Council in a 6-1 vote — with Mayor Randy Rowse…...