Tapping Into Brian Barnwell’s Brain

WRITTEN by Josh Molina

Brian Barnwell greeted me with a cup of coffee.

“Do you have any Stevia and cream? I asked. (Yes, I am a lightweight and I like my coffee sweet).

“We don’t have any Stevia,” he said.

“But would you like a scoop of ice cream in it?”

Oh yeah, now he was talking my language.

“You put ice cream in coffee,” I asked?

“Every morning,” Barnwell said confidently. “That’s what we do.”

Two cups and probably four scoops later, Barnwell and I had taken a ride down memory lane, talked old and contemporary politics, and gushed a little about each other. I guess time makes us all wiser.

In the context of journalist and elected official, Barnwell and I were total frenemies. It’s my job to hold elected officials accountable. It’s the elected official’s job to avoid me, or try to charm me, either ingratiate themselves or run away. I’ve seen it all. I am a pro; I can read their tactics like Patrick Mahomes reads defenses.

I covered Barnwell hard, for a variety of reasons. We got along most of the time. He had no problem telling me when I got something wrong. I was professional colleagues with his wife, Camilla Barnwell, so I had a side connection to him as well. But no matter what happened within the context of the dance that journalists and elected officials often partake in, one thing was always clear: I had great respect for his intellect.

I don’t like saying one person is “the smartest,” or “the best,” or anything like that because it just offends everyone else. But I will say this: Barnwell’s intellectual acumen is unmatched on land use, planning and civic government topics. He is well-read, possesses an unreal memory for big and small details, and is generally a fun and charming guy.

So after a few months of courting, Barnwell finally said yes to my request for a podcast. I ran into him at the recent screening of Citizen McCaw at the Marjorie Luke Theatre, put on by Newsmakers with Jerry Roberts. At 6 feet 2, Barnwell lumbered over to me and said: “You asked me about a podcast. I want to do it. Let’s make it happen.”

So here it is, Barnwell and I, from the comfort of his Westside bungalow home, talking for 90 minutes (sorry, I know many of you want shorter podcasts) about housing, or “housing-transportation,” as Barnwell describes it, district elections, high-speed rail, elections, and names such as former mayor Helene Schneider, and councilmember Iya Falcone.

Barnwell served on the City Council, Planning Commission and a variety of other commissions and volunteer boards. He still has a lot to offer, as is clear in this episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina

Check out this 90-minute conversation. I know you’ll learn a lot. And if you are interested in financially supporting my podcast efforts, please visit www.santabarbarapodcasts.com or www.santabarbaratalks.com.

—Josh Molina