We spent almost a week in Santa Barbara while some blustery weather blew through - a posh and pretty city, at least the area near the water. We had hoped to go and anchor at Santa Cruz Island, a totally undeveloped nature preserve about 25 nm to the south, but the relatively unprotected and swelly anchorages there, combined with unsettled weather, made us reluctantly decide admire it from afar instead.
So we took a route along the mainland coast instead, stopping in Channel Islands Harbour and Marina del Ray, both reasonable daylight trips during these short winter days, at about 45 nm apart.