Santa Barbara County is blessed with a diversity of vital nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health, well-being, growth, civic leadership and compassion of our community.
Charitable giving and philanthropy are part of our identity, which is why Noozhawk is proud to support the nonprofit community through sponsoring local community organizations and events.
To showcase our support of the event, California’s Problems, Santa Barbara’s Choices, Noozhawk spoke with Brian Goebel, Managing Member, of J&B Events, LLC to learn more about their event.
Spotlight Santa Barbara
Question: What is the name and date of your event?
Answer: California’s Problems, Santa Barbara’s Choices, July 23, 2026, at the Lobero Theatre. Cocktails on the esplanade at 6 pm. Program starts at 7 pm.
Q: What is the mission, goal, and/or theme of this occasion?
A: This is the second Event in the Spotlight Santa Barbara 2026 Speaker Series. It is a sequel to our first Event in February 2026, when we hosted Dan Walters, the leading political journalist in California. In his remarks at the Lobero Theatre, Dan identified the biggest problems facing California.
For our July 23rd Event, we have assembled an expert and entertaining panel to discuss the solutions to those problems at the state and local levels. The Event is intended to strengthen civic engagement in our community and provide voters with information and insights on critical issues during this election year.
Q: Have you held this event before?
A: Yes. We produced a similar Event before at the Lobero Theatre. In February 2026, Dan Walters spoke to large and enthusiastic audience at the Lobero Theatre with lively gatherings on the esplanade before and after the show. The video recording of that Event can be found on our Youtube channel here.
Q: Tell us some more details about your celebration?
A: The evening will start at 6 pm with pre-show cocktails on the esplanade at the Lobero Theatre.
The program will start at 7 pm.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Bill Macfadyen, the Publisher of Noozhawk.
Our panelists will be:
- Pete Peterson, Dean of the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy.
- Lee Ohanian, Distinguished Professor of Economics, UCLA
- Ashley Swearengin, former two-term Mayor of Fresno
- Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce
The evening will conclude with cocktails on the esplanade and informal discussions with our panelists.
Questions for the panel can be submitted in advance via our website: www.spotlightsb.com.
Q: How do people get involved with your event? (volunteer, attend, etc.) – If your event includes ticket sales, please note the price and include a link to purchase tickets.
A: Tickets to the Event can be purchased from the Lobero Box Office here.
Q: Who is sponsoring your event, and why is their support important?
A: We are grateful to have Noozhawk, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy, the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, and Pence Vineyards sponsoring this Event. We are also grateful to American Riviera Bank and Nicholson & Schwartz for sponsoring our first Event.
These types of events are critical for the civic health of our community, and we could not produce them without financial support from our sponsors.
Q: Does your organization have any other upcoming events this year?
A: Yes, we have two exciting Events scheduled for October 8th and November 17th, both at the Lobero Theatre.
On October 8th, we will be hosting best-selling author (The Coddling of the American Mind) and 1st Amendment champion, Greg Lukianoff. Greg will discuss a variety of topics related to the importance of the 1st Amendment and the technological, cultural, and political challenges to free speech in the United States today. Tickets are on sale now: https://www.lobero.org/events/greg-lukianoff-spotlight-sb/.
On November 17th, we will be hosting a nationally-recognized political affairs correspondent to discuss the midterm elections and their impact on the U.S. and California for the next two years. We will be announcing more our November speaker at the conclusion of our July 23rd Event.
Q: What are you planning as a post-event follow up?
A: As we did after our February Event with Dan Walters, we will solicit feedback from our audience members as well as suggestions for future programming beyond our October and November Events. This type of audience engagement is critical for our Series.
We are producing the July 23rd Event in large part because our February audience asked for more discussion regarding the potential solutions to the state and local problems Dan Walters identified in his remarks.
To learn more about California’s Problems, Santa Barbara’s Choices event click here.
If you would like to apply for Noozhawk’s 50/50 Match Sponsorship Program for your upcoming nonprofit event please click HERE to view our sponsorship application. The deadline for consideration is 30-45 days prior to the event. You can also contact our sales team at sales@noozhawk.com.