1. The Santa Ana winds do not merely blow westerly. Their direction depends on where you are relative to the high desert area. Yes, if you are more coastal above the L.A. basin, they come mostly from east of there. But if you are out in the “Inland Empire” or even some places between there and the coast, the Santa Ana winds come down from the north through available mountain passes (like the huge Cajon Pass north of San Bernardino. (I know, I grew up there.)
2. O.K., Santa Barbara might not be a desert, but it is dry more of the year than Greece or Italy, both of which have annual average precip much greater than Santa Barbara, as is true for a good amount of the coast of SOUTHERN California; which I have always heard referred to as semi-arid in climate.
A desert is defined as having sandy or rocky soil with little or no vegetation. Water lost to evaporation and transpiration in a desert exceeds the amount of precipitation; most deserts average less than 9.75 inches of precipitation per year.
Los Angeles averages about 15 inches of rainfall per year. Lima, Peru averages .2, Madrid slightly more than LA at 17 inches, Palermo in Sicily about 24.
The Santa Ana winds are fast, hot, dry and persistent.
Way back when I was a pup, I used to hang out with the Civil Defense Officer for the Pomona Valley, he told me that if a fire started north of LA and a Santa Ana blew for a week (not uncommon), it would burn all the way to the Pacific, and there wouldn't be a dammed thing they could do about it.
>2. O.K., Santa Barbara might not be a desert, but it is dry more of the year than Greece or Italy, both of which have annual average precip much greater than Santa Barbara, as is true for a good amount of the coast of SOUTHERN California; which I have always heard referred to as semi-arid in climate.
The non-technical team is scrub country. Good for raising cattle and horses, but not for farming. Irrigation changed that.