The S.B. Questionnaire: Pat Burns

This time of year, you will undoubtedly stumble upon a viewing of Frank Capra’s holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life, which tells the story of George Bailey, who loves his town and is willing to do everything for its residents.

Santa Barbara has its own version of George: Pat Burns, who is the commissioner for baseball’s California Collegiate League and a part-time manager of Louie’s California Bistro at the Upham Hotel. But what makes Pat wonderful is the work he considers his main purpose.

“The intentional part of my life is what I do at home,” he tells me, explaining that he runs a small urban farm and gives everything that he grows away. “What can a person do to help our community?” he asks me. “If everybody grew food at their home and distributed to our friends and neighbors, all of our problems would go away. Does that sound idealistic?”