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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.
- 231articles · 30d
- 13+ hour agolatest article
- Aug 16, 2026earliest in window
- 90%with images
- 302avg words
- Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Media 55
- Politics 41
- Human Interest 37
- News 36
- Arts & Entertainment 35
- Sensitive Subjects 35
- Social Life 29
- Entertainment 24
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News
Newsom Signed 13 New Laws to Protect Kids from Technology. Will They Work?
13+ hour, 45+ min ago (790+ words) Even a decade ago, the horror stories behind some of the 13 children’s online protection bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Thursday seemed the stuff of fiction. An AI chatbot coaching a teenager to isolate himself from friends and family…...
California Has One-Quarter Of All The Nation’s Death Sentences. Will Newsom Commute Them All?
1+ day, 7+ hour 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…...
California Sues over Trump Administration’s Attempt to Weaken Endangered Species Act
1+ day, 7+ hour ago (335+ words) Rule Change — Which Takes Effect on September 14 — Could Impact Santa Barbara County’s Endangered Species, Environmentalists Warn After the Trump administration introduced a new rule to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit to…...
Patriarchy Has a History
1+ day, 9+ hour ago (9+ words) I appreciated Hannah-Beth Jackson’s moving remembrance of Gloria Steinem....
Santa Barbara County’s Emergency Management Chief Abruptly Resigns
4+ day, 7+ hour ago (477+ words) Kelly Hubbard Steps Down After County Officials Rejected Grand Jury Recommendations to Increase Department’s Authority and Staffing Kelly Hubbard, director of Santa Barbara County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), abruptly resigned this week after the Board of Supervisors rejected a…...
A Labor Day Question: Is Elon Musk Really Worse than Jay Gould?
4+ 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
4+ day, 13+ 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 City Election: A Three-Way Race to Win District 5
5+ day, 2+ hour ago (968+ words) City Council Candidates Ian Baucke, James Zurlinden, and Cevin Cathell Battle for Eric Friedman’s Soon-to-Be-Vacant Seat With current Santa Barbara City Council District 5 representative Eric Friedman making a run for mayor, three candidates have joined the race to fill his…...
Santa Barbara Mayoral Race Heats Up with Endorsements, Candidate Forum
1+ week, 2+ day ago (1327+ words) Who’s Supporting the Candidates, and What Issues Will Come to the Forefront this Election? With less than two months left until Election Day, the race to become the next mayor of Santa Barbara is ramping up, with the frontrunning candidates…...
A Dangerous Career Deserves a Safe Retirement
1+ week, 1+ day ago (488+ words) Retirement Reform Would Keep the Workforce Healthy, Prepared, and Supported The threats facing the fire service today are almost unrecognizable compared to even a decade ago. Each day our call volume is increasing, and our exposure to hazardous toxins is…...