Betty Stephens was larger than life, and much of that life played out on a Democratic stage. As she liked to tell it, when she arrived in Santa Barbara in 1969 from Beverly Hills, she felt as if she were in a political desert devoid of Democrats. But she had her feelers out, and it didn’t take too long for her to find friends, make things happen, and turn that desert into a progressive garden.
Betty and her husband, John Stephens, built their dream house on the top of a hill in Hope Ranch, and it soon became the hub of political events. Betty loved a party, and she loved to raise money for Democrats, Planned Parenthood, and Domestic Violence Solutions, among many other worthy causes. She hosted cocktail parties, dinners, and fashion shows. She was the consummate hostess; her beloved Southern roots and down-home, uncensored humor charmed her guests into happily opening their wallets.
One of her favorite stories was about serving dinner to the donors of a new group called the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County. Betty believed strongly in empowering women, and when she and her closest friend, Mary Jo Miles, along with elected officials, served donors a grand dinner, she was finally getting Santa Barbara women out of the kitchen. For the event, she and Mary Jo dressed up in waitress outfits, wearing sheer black stockings, miniskirts with mini aprons, and even waitress caps. Thanks to Betty, “Dinner with the Electeds” has become a staple of many a live auction, although no one has been able to pull off the costuming like Betty did!
