The Santa Barbara Independent’s
40th Annual Celebration of Community Heroes
By Indy Staff | Photos by Ingrid Bostrom
November 26, 2025
Every Thanksgiving holiday, the Santa Barbara Independent publishes a special Local Heroes section honoring some of the great people who make our county an exceptional place to live. It is a tradition that began 40 years ago, when the Independent first began publishing. Since then, we have honored close to 800 people and organizations.