Conservative activist Thomas Cole sits down with Josh Molina to discuss a possible congressional run. Cole chimes in on schools, fentanyl, guns, and a variety of topical issues. He is the founder of 805analytics.com and Coalition4Liberty.com. Cole also shares details of his upbringing and what shaped his conservative values. Joshua Molina is journalist who currently writes for Noozhawk and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College and Cal State University, Northridge. He formerly covered ...
Apr 23, 2023•33 min
Santa Barbara TV Production Supervisor Tony Ruggieri discusses his amazing career at City Hall. Ruggieri led the city's effort to become a powerhouse of city content available on YouTube and on local cable. For Ruggieri, the job has always been about transparency and public service, and finding the best ways to serve the public. In this podcast, Josh and Tony talk about highlights from meetings over the years, like the time homeless advocate Bob Hansen showed up with only an American flag draped...
Apr 15, 2023•55 min
Architect Brian Cearnal explains the drama behind the 250-room hotel project proposed for Santa Barbara's waterfront. The Wright family has proposed merging six lots to build 250 hotel rooms, but the city planning commissioners expressed concern that this site would better serve the community if it were housing. Cearnal walks us through the history of the site, and why hotel is preferred over housing. He also shares what's going on with La Cumbre Plaza, and the proposed 695-unit site envisioned ...
Apr 10, 2023•48 min
Dr. Jarrell Jackman, former executive director of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation chats with Josh Molina about his new book: Santa Barbara's Royal Presidio, The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Spain's Last Adobe Fortress. Jackman reveals the stories of the presidio's creation, its original purpose, and then some of the political fights to restore the fortress, in the face of opposition from some community members. Anyone interested in Santa Barbara's history will enjoy this podcast....
Apr 03, 2023•41 min
Santa Barbara County 2nd District Supervisor Laura Capps talks with Josh Molina after her first 100 days in office about the housing crisis, the recent eviction notices in Isla Vista, the cannabis revenue shortfall and poverty in the county. Capps spent six years on the Santa Barbara Unified School Board is a big-time political player having worked in Washington, D.C., with the President Clinton and Sen. John Kerrey. Capps grew up in Santa Barbara, the daughter of UCSB professor and former U.S. ...
Apr 02, 2023•44 min
Dr. Jenn Kennedy talks about her new program "The Pleasure Project," where she coaches women on how to achieve sexual satisfaction. Kennedy is a licensed marriage and family therapist with expertise in women's sexuality, including lesbian relationships. In this podcast, Kennedy talks about healthy sexual relationships and how and why women should express their needs to their partner. Joshua Molina is journalist who currently writes for Noozhawk and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City Colleg...
Mar 12, 2023•47 min
Hayes Commercial Group Co-Founder Francois DeJohn breaks down the state of commercial real estate in this riveting podcast conversation. Topics include: Big tech companies sub-leasing office space The return to the office and why remote work will stay Why Paseo Nuevo is broken What needs to happen at La Cumbre Plaza The reasons why Coast Village Road is hot right now The success of the Goleta The popularity of Camino Real Market Place, the Calle Real Shopping Center and Old Town Goleta. DeJohn's...
Mar 05, 2023•55 min
Journalist Josh Molina talks about the importance of media literacy and defends the art and practice of journalism against those who seek to minimize journalists and journalism. Joshua Molina is a journalist and college instructor who interviews a wide variety of people on the issues of education, housing, politics, culture and business. Molina is a former reporter at the San Jose Mercury News and teaches at Cal State University, Northridge and Santa Barbara City College. Visit SantaBarbaraTalks...
Mar 04, 2023•15 min
Visit SantaBarbaraPodcasts.com to make a contribution. Dr. Mario Garcia, history professor at UCSB, sits down with Josh Molina for a riveting discussion about Mexican American contributions to the civil rights movement. "Latino history is U.S. history," Garcia says. Garcia explains how Mexican Americans have a decorated war and military history but are overlooked in the history books. He talks about the high rates that Mexican Americans were drafted and served in the Vietnam war because they did...
Feb 12, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Geordie Armstrong and Josh Molina talk about how songs from the 1970s shaped their childhood! This is the latest in a podcast series featuring geographer Geordie Armstrong and journalist Joshua Molina. The duo talks about music, movies, television, parenting and teaching. Armstrong and Molina are both Santa Barbara City College teachers. Check out SantaBarbaraPodcasts.com and SantaBarbaraTalks.com for more podcasts with Geordie and Josh and other great content.
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 10 min
One of the most popular members of the Santa Barbara City Council, affordable housing activist Kristen Sneddon, sits down with Josh Molina in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks. Sneddon opens up about her support for a specific plan in La Cumbre Plaza, her opposition to it being developed piece meal. She also deep dives on Paseo Nuevo, outdoor dining on State Street and Coast Village Road, as well as her thoughts on new mayor Randy Rowse and his cooperative leadership style. Sneddon also ...
Jan 30, 2023•51 min
Geordie Armstrong and Josh Molina talk about how songs from the 1970s shaped their childhood! This is the latest in a podcast series featuring geographer Geordie Armstrong and journalist Joshua Molina. The duo talks about music, movies, television, parenting and teaching. Armstrong and Molina are both Santa Barbara City College teachers. Check out SantaBarbaraPodcasts.com and SantaBarbaraTalks.com for more podcasts with Geordie and Josh and other great content.
Jan 23, 2023•40 min
The future of La Cumbre Plaza, the status of Paseo Nuevo and the housing crisis are just some of the topics discussed by journalist Josh Molina and Commercial Real Estate Broker Austin Herlihy, in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Joshua Molina. This podcast conversation kicks off with a discussion about La Cumbre Plaza and whether the site should become housing. Herlihy offers a narrative from the mind of a successful commercial real estate broker who is deeply knowledgeable of the...
Jan 09, 2023•41 min
Santa Barbara First District County Supervisor Das Williams talks about the La Cumbre Plaza meeting debacle, his decision to vote against a city-requested specific plan to fund a process for 2,000 housing units. Williams says city planners did not come to the meeting prepared and that he voted against funding $1.1 million in state money because he wasn't sure that the La Cumbre Plaza specific plan met the grant guidelines -- even though it was recommended by an SBCAG committee. Williams also exp...
Jan 04, 2023•57 min
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse sits down with Josh Molina to talk about his first year as mayor and all the drama that unfolded. Rowse weighs on the battle over State Street and outdoor dining and offers his view on returning cars and events to State Street. He also talks about First District Supervisor Das Williams' recent criticism of city and county planners, and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments' Board denial of a $1.1 million request from the city to fund the La Cumbre Pl...
Dec 26, 2022•46 min
In this podcast, Noozhawk's owner and founder Bill Macfadyen talks about Noozhawk's redesign and collaboration with Newspack. He also talks about the AM and PM reports, the success of BizHawk, and plans for more newsletters in 2022. Macfadyen also shares his views on some local issues, including the debacle over the La Cumbre Plaza Specific Plan, State Street and the city of Goleta. Macfadyen also shares his views on his own column, why it resonates and responds to questions about whether Noozha...
Dec 19, 2022•58 min
Peter Rupert, executive director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project, talks about why Ventura retail trends are up in Ventura County, but abysmal and their lowest in Santa Barbara since 1990. Rupert recently made a presentation at the State of Santa Barbara County event. In this podcast, Rupert talks Santa Barbara's struggles with retail. He also breaks down how planners made incorrect projections regarding cannabis tax revenues, the status of employee, the softening housing market and the upc...
Dec 04, 2022•50 min
Former Santa Barbara City Councilman Frank Hotchkiss shares his views on Santa Barbara's State Street, the performance of new mayor Randy Rowse, and former City Attorney Ariel Calonne. Hotchkiss, a conservative, spent eight years on the Santa Barbara City Council, and led efforts bring cruise ships to Santa Barbara, amid bringing a measured, moderate temperament and approach to issues at City Hall. A Realtor, Hotchkiss moved to Savannah, Georgia after his two terms on the City Council, and worke...
Nov 28, 2022•50 min
Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina welcomes Devon Wardlow. She is a member of the Santa Barbara City Planning Commission. In this podcast, Wardlow talks about Santa Barbara's housing crisis, the future of State Street, and Santa Barbara's problems with its parking requirements. Wardlow shares details of her personal story, her travels to the middle east, and her time working for the Obama Administration, Lyft and other tech companies. She now works in the cannabis industry where she interacts ...
Nov 19, 2022•44 min
Former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco breaks down the Santa Barbara Election with his smart views on all the contests. Francisco offers his expertise on the candidates and offers predictions on how he thinks some of the contests will turn out. Francisco dishes on Salud Carbajal, Gregg Hart, Mike Stoker, Chrisy Lozano, Brad Allen, Dan La Berge, Phebe Mansure, Gabe Escobedo and more. He also offers his views on Elon Musk's 44B purchase of Twitter and what that means for viewpoint div...
Nov 06, 2022•55 min
Journalist Jade Martinez-Pogue is leaving Santa Barbara for New York. In two years, the 24-year-old has enjoyed great success as a reporter for Noozhawk.com and assignment editor for KEYT3. In this podcast, Martinez-Pogue talks about her biggest stories, her influences and, with great passion, explains her love for journalism. The UCSB graduate also talks about her fandom for Taylor Swift and the release of the rocker's new album, midnights. Finally, Martinez-Pogue share details about her parent...
Oct 22, 2022•47 min
Architect Cass Ensberg breaks down the drama over the State Street promenade, in the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina. Ensberg is an architect with Ensberg Jacobs Design. She's a member of the Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Commission, which makes decisions about projects in the city's El Pueblo Viejo District. Cass and Josh talk about the recent joint Historic Landmarks Commission and Santa Barbara Planning Commission meeting where Ensberg explained her vision for State ...
Oct 17, 2022•54 min
She was the daughter of a journalist. She watched her father report local news and become a small-town celebrity. She was enthralled with his stories, and his knowledge of everything from politics to people. And when she was 10 years old, Deborah Holt watched her father, Bob Holt, snoop out one of the biggest stories of his career: the kidnapping and murder of Santa Barbara resident Olga Duncan. Deborah Holt, now Larkin, has just released a book, A Lovely Girl, a spectacular true crime story abo...
Oct 10, 2022•50 min
Land-use consultant and principal of Vanguard Planning Jarrett Gorin breaks down the debacle over vacation rentals in Santa Barbara at the recent City Council meeting. Gorin and Molina also talk about new housing, the future of Paseo Nuevo, the Funk Zone and Santa Barbara's controversial State Street promenade. Gorin is an expert on all things planning in Santa Barbara. and has more than 20 years of experience helping developers in Santa Barbara. Check out @Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina f...
Oct 03, 2022•52 min
Geography professor Geordie Armstrong and Journalism professor Josh Molina talk their teaching styles, and the importance of understanding all the different types of students who walk into the classroom. Armstrong shares stories of her best days, worst days and she extracted herself from a situation with a difficult student. She talks about the importance of working with students on assignments, and the difference between helping a student and coddling a student. Molina talks about where his pas...
Oct 02, 2022•1 hr 18 min
In the latest edition of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina, Luz Reyes-Martin joins the podcast to talk about her plans for the Goleta City Council. She is running for District in the Nov. 8 election, looking to unseat incumbent Roger Aceves. Reyes-Martin is currently a member of the Goleta School Board. She's also the Communications Director for the Planned Parenthood, and serves on a variety of nonprofit boards. Reyes-Martin talks about the importance of diversity in elected office, and how ...
Sep 05, 2022•56 min
Dan La Berge, is the executive director of Mothers' Helpers, a nonprofit that provides baby accessories to families in need. Now, he's running for the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Trustees. La Berge is a parent of three children and believes his experience as a father provides him with a lens to understand the important issues facing the Santa Barbara Unified School District. LaBerge in this podcast talks about why his decided to run for the seat. He also talks about Mothers He...
Aug 28, 2022•45 min
The Geordie & Josh podcast is back with an entertaining discussion about their favorite TV shows. The two college professors talk how shows influenced them in their childhood. They banter about Seinfeld, M*A*S*H, Good Times, Three's Company and much more. Geordie offers her intellectual insight into why the shows were relevant at the time, and the reasons they mattered to her. Molina shares the shows that were impactful to him. The professors talk about the characters played by Lisa Bonet, B...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr
Ethan Bertrand is the newest member of the Goleta School Board! In this great podcast, Bertrand shares his incredible story, growing up in New Jersey, finding Santa Barbara City College, which turned his life around, transferring to UCSB, and getting involved in activism and politics. Bertrand leads of the podcast talking about his plans for serving the K-6 district, which has about 3,000 students. Bertrand offers about his goals for the district and his intention to focus on inclusion and stude...
Aug 22, 2022•57 min
Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, joins Santa Barbara Talk with Josh Molina this week for a conversation about Carmen Ramirez, Exxon's lawsuit against Santa Barbara County and the controversy around wind energy in San Luis Obispo County. Ramirez died on Friday after she was reportedly hit by a truck in Oxnard. She was a champion of environmental justice and was known regionally for her work in the Latinx community. She also served on the Oxnard City Council. Krop sh...
Aug 15, 2022•21 min
