Coastal View News • February 22, 2024

From left, Bill and Joan Harz peer over the footbridge on Ninth Street in Carpinteria on

Feb. 19, eyeing the rushing water below. At the time the two were there, Carpinteria Creek was flowing at a rate of 2100 cubic feet per second; that day, the creek topped out at 2550 cubic feet per second, according to data from Santa Barbara County. Carpinteria saw 4.52 inches of rain between

check out the February storm photos on pages 12–13 of this week’s print.

Obituary

Elfriede “Elfi” Bustillos 10/16/1939 – 01/28/2024

Elfriede “Elfi” Bustillos – wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother –passed away peacefully on Jan. 28, 2024, at the age of 84. She was surrounded and supported by her loving family and caregivers during the last days of her life.

Elfi is survived by her two children, Eva Stuber and Richard Stuber (Julie); her grandchildren, Courtney (Lucas), Tara, Cian (Amber), Hannah and Rory; her great-grandchildren, Abby, Remington, Kaiden and Ryker; and her brother Rudi, sister-in-law Imgard and niece Eva (Austria). Elfi was preceded in death by her parents in Austria, and loving husband George Bustillos.

We will miss her contagious smile, her heartwarming hugs and her witty ways. Du wirst immer in unseren Herzen sein (you will always be in our hearts).

We will have a service at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 199 N Hope Ave. Santa Barbara, on March 8, 2024, at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow at 3721 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara, Calif., 93105.

Previously published obituaries may be read online at coastalview.com

What gives your life meaning?

COMPILED BY

EVELYN SPENCE AND JUN STARKEY

Man found deceased in Toro Canyon area

The man who was found deceased on Toro Canyon Road on Wednesday, Feb. 14 was identified by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office as Shane Craig Bandy, 54, of Carpinteria.

The cause and manner of death are pending investigation, but spokesperson Raquel Zick said police believe the death is not “criminal in nature.” Anyone with information about the death can call detectives at (805) 681-4150, or anonymously at (805) 681-4171 or SBSheriff.org.

Lights working again at skate park

Lights for the city of Carpinteria’s Skate Park – located on the Carpinteria City Hall campus – are back on following an electrical programming issue, the city announced last week.

“Big shout out to our Parks & Rec and Public Works staff for diligently working to resolve an electrical programming issue that interfered with our ability to keep park lights on for night skating. The park has been open for several months now and is well used throughout the day and into the night by locals and visitors alike,” the city wrote on its Facebook page.

The park is open from 30 minutes before sunrise through 30 minutes after sunset; lights will be on until 9 p.m. each night. The skate park officially opened in August 2023 after more than a decade of fundraising efforts by the Carpinteria Skate Foundation and community members.

Pet vaccination clinic: Feb. 23

Santa Barbara County Animal Services will host a vaccination clinic for dogs and cats on Friday, Feb. 23 at its Santa Barbara Shelter, 5473 Overpass Road , noon – 3 p.m.

DHPP (Distempter/Arvo) vaccine, FVRCP (Feline Distemper) vaccine and microchipping are free; rabies shots are $10; Bordetella (kennel couch) shots are $14; flea treatments are $10 to $19, based on the animal’s weight; roundworm treatment is $9; and tapeworm treatment is $12 to $26, based on the animals’ weight.

The shelter is partnering with ASAP Cats for the event. Appointments are not required. Learn more on the SBCAS Instagram at @sbcanimalservies.

MOXI passes available for checkout at library

The Carpinteria Community Library currently has four passes for the MOXI Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation – located at 125 State St., Santa Barbara – available for checkout for Carpinteria Community Library card holders.

Passes are free to check out for a period of one week; two adults and up to five children are covered with each pass, according to librarian Jody Thomas. The library previously had two passes available, but recently acquired two more.

Library cards are free and allow access to all materials and items at the library. The Carpinteria Community Library is located at 5141 Carpinteria Ave.; learn more online at carpinterialibrary.org or by calling (805) 684-4314.

Spring break surf camps: March 25-29

Santa Barbara’s Surf Happens has opened registration for its spring break camps, the organization announced last week. This is the 25th year Surf Happens will host spring and summer camps at Santa Claus Lane, as well as advanced traveling camps.

Between March 25 and March 29, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., three camps are planned. The Mini Groms Spring Surf Camp, for children between four and six years old, is $750 a week or $250 a day; the Spring Surf Camp, for children between seven and 17 years old, is $550 a week or $175 a day.

Surf Happens will also host a Spring Travel Surf Camp, at $650 a week or $200 a day. See more online at surfhappens.com/registration.

BY EVELYN SPENCE

ELECTION 2024

Three Carpinterians on ballot for County Republican Committee Election: March 5, 2024

Three Carpinterians are on the March 5, 2024 ballot for Santa Barbara Republican County Committee, First Supervisor District: Delcie Feller, Doug Stolz and Darwin “Dar” Ringling. If elected, they will serve from 2025 through 2029.

All three are current members of the Republican County Committee’s First Supervisor District and 2020 incumbents; the committee’s job is to get people elected in Santa Barbara County. Feller is the appointed incumbent and the president of the Carpinteria Valley Republican Club, Ringling is the committee’s treasurer and Stolz is the assistant treasurer.

All are also members of Christ Church Carpinteria, according to Ringling.

Ringling told CVN that he wants to continue to serve in the treasury position, and that he hopes all three are reelected. Ringling, an accountant, served as the president of the Carpinteria Valley Republican Club before Feller.

He told CVN he has lived in Carpinteria for seven years, calling the area “a little slice of paradise.”

“I want to use my skills to serve and help the community be a better community,” he said. “The committee’s main responsibility is to help people get elected.”

He added that he is a Christian and that his faith is very important to him. “We are pro-life, pro-family, pro-safety, and I can’t speak for others, but I’m pro-immigration,” he said, stating that his grandparents immigrated to the United States. He told CVN he believes the current immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed, and that as a child of a single mom, he is pro-family. “My heart is with single parents.”

He is also anti-cannabis, he said. “I love the avocado festival (but) if we keep going the way we’re going, someday it’s going to be replaced by the cannabis festival,” he added.

Ringling is also a supporter of Carpinterian Roy Lee, who is running for the District 1 seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, challenging two-term incumbent Das Williams, also of Carpinteria.

“I like Das, I’ve met him a couple times personally. (But) when I think of him, I

think of cannabis. When I look at Roy Lee, I see family, I see Carpinteria – I see the heart and soul of Carpinteria,” he said.

Feller told CVN in an email that she has lived in Carpinteria for 12 years, and that her three children – and their families – live within walking distance.

“I am currently the Carpinteria Valley Republican (Club) president and was the CVRC treasurer for years,” she wrote. “I’ve held several positions in past clubs and groups throughout my adulthood.

I would rather try to make a difference than complain.”

In a separate email Feller sent to her colleagues at the Santa Barbara County Republican Central Committee – and shared with CVN – she said that she is a strong conservative who is committed to the Republican Party.

“My priorities are God, family and America,” she wrote. “I am a strong conservative and have raised and led my three children with God’s help, of course, when their dad passed away from cancer when they were ten, seven, five years old. Being a single mom has made me a strong active leader.”

“Currently Dar, Doug and I have a wonderful pastor that shares our political views and will work with us,” she added. “I’ve gained wisdom from God’s word and many precious mentors (…) I

have three grandchildren that I will do whatever possible to ensure they will have the same pleasures of living in a free country.”

Stolz told CVN he has lived in Carpinteria for about 20 years; before that, he lived in Goleta with his family. He has three daughters who now live in the Solvang and Santa Ynez area, and two adopted sons, he said.

“I’m a conservative and a Republican (…) I’d like to see a more sane energy policy put in place in our state… taxes are also out of line. And crime, although you don’t hear about it much in our

community, but crime is getting out of hand in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles,” he told CVN, adding that he has concerns about school curriculums and Critical Race Theory.

Other candidates on the ballot for the Republican County Committee First Supervisor District seats include Mary Hudson, Cheryl Trosky, Charles Cole, Nicholas Sebastian and Bobbi McGinnis; there are four seats open. All of the candidates besides Feller, Ringling and Stolz have mailing addresses out of Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara County Election Office.

From left, Carpinterians Delcie Feller, Darwin “Dar” Ringling and Doug Stolz are on the ballot for the Santa Barbara Republican County Committee, First Supervisor District. The three incumbents are running to hold onto their positions; eight candidates are vying for four open seats.

Q&A with District 1 Supervisor Das Williams

Williams, a Carpinteria resident, is running for his third term on the County Board of Supervisors

BY CVN STAFF

CVN sat down with Das Williams, incumbent and candidate for the District 1 seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, to discuss his campaign, the issues he believes are important to Carpinteria and his district and his goals if re-elected.

Williams – whose district covers over 90,000 residents in Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito and parts of Santa Barbara city and the Los Padres National Forest – lives in Carpinteria with his wife Jonnie and two daughters. He was first elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in June 2016 and took office in January 2017; he is running for his third term in office against challenger Roy Lee, a Carpinteria city councilmember.

The upcoming California primary election will take place on March 5, 2024.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for grammar, clarity and length. A question and answer about the Montecito nets, and an answer about Santa Barbara and Goleta tiny housing projects, were removed for space.

CVN: You’ve been in the public eye for several years now, but for our readers who may not have been closely following along, can you summarize your history in the area for us?

DAS WILLIAMS: Sure. I have lived in the Carpinteria area since 2013 (…) but I pretty much grew up living up and down the coast, between Isla Vista and Ojai. The Carpinteria area was always the place that we spent a lot of time as a family. (It was) the middle point between divorced parents.

(…) But when we had a chance to settle down here, my wife and I were planning on raising a family, and we managed to get just in in the nick of time. The only way we could afford a place here was that we found one that was still under construction. Literally, we were sleeping in a place that didn’t have any floors or driveways, and (we) had to convince the bank that we were actually living there, because otherwise they wouldn’t lend to us.

I have represented Carpinteria for several years as a county supervisor. Before that, (I spent) six years in the state legislature, where I led the charge on climate change law, being one of two authors for Senate Bill 250, which is the landmark climate change law of the state. (...) I was the author of the first red flag law in the county that allowed the public to ask the court to intervene to take away guns from someone who’s dangerous to themselves or others.

In higher education work on the board of supervisors, I have continued to try and advocate for environmental protection. We need to really, as the birthplace of environmentalism, help lead the movement. What I saw in the legislature is anytime moderate Dems or moderate Republicans saw hypocrisy from environmentalists, they were not willing to go along with progressive policies. But when they saw consistency – and the willingness to lead by example – then they were willing to embrace more progressive environmental policies. I think we have a special role … for me, it’s really important that we turn around the trend, and not fall short of doing our part as a community to reduce carbon emissions and save the county and the world from the worst effects of climate change.

Before I became supervisor, I never realized how acutely we would actu -

idents, especially when they’re at odds with each other?

(…) Cannabis is not the number one issue to people if you walk door to door. It wasn’t four years ago, and it’s not now. It’s the hype. There is a legitimate issue that is hyped and so there is (that) perception because out of town people think it’s Carpinteria’s biggest issue. But from a Carpinterian perspective, I can tell you, it’s a big issue to the last pockets of people who are inconvenienced by it. But that is not the majority of Carpinteria anymore.

Even four years ago, it wasn’t even in the top three issues that people wanted to talk about when I went door to door then (…) If cannabis was the biggest issue, would (I) have won Carpinteria by 14 points last time? I would say that cannabis is still a significant issue here in town, and it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. I don’t think anything as new as the legalization of marijuana is going to go perfectly after policymakers (who) have a lot more power than I do have tried to fix the cannabis problem for 100 years, unsuccessfully. There are, of course, challenges. But I’m going to keep working on those challenges.

ally feel that climate change ourselves. There’s really important research that indicates that we are experiencing more sundowner winds, more frequent storms. They come all at once, as opposed to staggered and spread out. We are very much feeling the effects of climate change with unprecedented number of natural disasters. In the seven years we’ve had a lot of challenges from emergency preparedness as well that are climate change related. We’ve gotten continuously better at dealing with those emergencies, with proactive work in the fire service.

We’re coming out with an integrated 911 system where you get the first available resource sent to you that integrates Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara, the county, Lompoc, Santa Maria. That goes live in a couple of months. We’re prepositioning resources like never before to be ready for more challenges.

I have two little girls that go to Canalino (Elementary School). Ya’Ash, who is eight, and Khaya, who’s five. My wife is a local psychologist at the American Indian Health and Service, which is the federal government’s MediCal and Native American clinic.

You’re running for your third term on the board of supervisors. What draws you to this particular governing body? Is there a reason you didn’t decide to shoot for a higher office this time around?

I’ve been elected many times when I’ve had supporters and people who were more suspicious of my intentions. The reason why I’m sticking with it for so long is because I really want to show people who are suspicious of the intentions that I want to see things through, that if there’s problems that aren’t completely ameliorated, that I will keep at them, and if there’s good policies that I helped create, I will implement them.

Reflect on your last two terms with the board. Your greatest achievements, any failures?

I think we’ve done some incredible things. I am most excited about our work (with) homelessness. And of course, climate change is my thing. But (…) I’ve never seen the level of political will that is around homelessness. We really wanted to strike while that is possible, while it’s possible to make a difference.

... ( The tiny homes projects) could be even more successful if we didn’t have (the) terrifying and community-threatening level of rents that we have. (This is) one of the things that I feel like we should have done a better job longer ago, but I want to do a good job of making sure that there is rental housing that’s accessible by people of our community. I’m aware that the lack of production of rental housing over the last 40 years has led to a level of rents that is threatening the diversity, the generational continuity and the environment of our community.

(…) Our biggest failing as a community environmentally is the fact that we have so many local people who have been forced out and are still commuting here.

And we’re investing heavily in childcare. There’s about twice as many people looking for infant care as there are slots. We have matched money with the Santa Barbara Foundation to help jumpstart childcare operations that want to move into infant care or want to expand the existing infant care.

Did you want to talk about a goal that you reached for but may not have hit?

One thing that I think has improved a lot in that there are (stronger) protections of anywhere else in the state is odor control. We have more stringent odor control requirements than any area that grows marijuana in mixed light or outdoor environment.

Do I think the job is done there? No. I think there are still some pockets and some places where odor can be improved. I’m working with the growers to adopt better technology and trying to make sure that we can move that way, faster. We’ve been moving there progressively. We have 174 carbon filtration units out there in the valley that are operational. But I’d like to get another 100 installed. Before I declare any kind of job finish, I’d like to get another 100 installed at least to address the last pockets of significant odor.

That (cannabis) odor is kind of a number one concern of (Carpinteria) residents, it comes up pretty consistently when it comes to cannabis grows in Carpinteria. (…) How do you marriage the concerns about the growth of the cannabis industry with the concerns of res-

I think the most significant of those is odor. I think a lot of people would prefer odor control that isn’t dependent on vapor phase systems. I think that transition is happening as we speak. I’d like it to happen faster, and I’m working to make sure it happens faster.

Is that something (you believe) can be done through ordinances?

I know there was some talk of requiring some of the grows to have a certain number of carbon scrubbers and not allowing any sort of vapor phase system. Is that something you think can be done through negotiations with the growers when they’re going through the application process?

The last time we did an ordinance, it took us three years. I would argue that it might not be the fastest thing to legislate a mandate. It’s also just a really foolish way to write a law. You don’t see environmental laws that mandate a specific technology. And that reason is because what’s the best technology right now is not going to be the best technology four years from now, eight years. 20 years.

Five years ago, we thought vapor phase was going to solve all the problems. And it didn’t. Just because right now we’re all hyped on carbon filtration units doesn’t mean that’s going to be the best technology forever. I definitely push folks that have odor issues on their sites to buy and install carbon filtration units. I do. But I don’t necessarily push the ones that don’t have (many) issues. I focus my energy on the ones that are thinking.

Santa Barbara County has a huge housing crisis, and California has asked cities to build more housing. (…) What do you consider to be a viable option for additional housing that wouldn’t take away with what residents see as the character of Carpinteria?

I have a quasi-judicial capacity for a supervisor. I’m supposed to take all evidence of a development site before I make a decision when it’s in the county, but I do see some real promise in the concept of rental and farm worker housing across the street from (Carpinteria) high school.

See DAS WILLIAMS

COURTESY PHOTO

Das Williams is running for his third term on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. He represents District 1, which covers Carpinteria, Montecito, Summerland and parts of Santa Barbara city and the Los Padres National Forest.

ELECTION 2024

Q&A with challenger

Roy Lee

Lee, a Carpinteria City Councilmember, is running for the District 1 seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors

BY CVN STAFF

CVN recently sat down with Roy Lee, current Carpinteria City Councilmember and a candidate in the race for the District 1 seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, taking on incumbent Das Williams.

Lee is a longtime Carpinteria resident who has served as a councilmember since 2018. He was reelected in the November 2022 elections to represent the city of Carpinteria’s newly formed District 3, and his current term will end in November 2026. He and his family – his wife, Tina, and their three kids, Taison, Madison and Ellie – own and run Uncle Chen Restaurant in Carpinteria.

The upcoming California primary election will take place on March 5, 2024. Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for grammar, clarity and length. A question and answer about Linden Hall and local businesses was removed for space.

CVN: For those who aren’t familiar with you already, please give a brief overview of your history in the area.

ROY LEE: My family and I immigrated from Taiwan to this area in 1986. We came from a farming background, both my parents were farmers, and we sought a better life, so we were sponsored to come to America. My family and I moved to Carpinteria in 1999. We had very little actual money, but we worked very hard and we saved, and in the early ‘90s we took over Uncle Chen Restaurant and bought it. We achieved the American dream as business owners and homeowners.

I’ve been married to my wife Tina for over 17 years, we have three amazing kids, my son Taison, 16, Madison, 14, and Ellie, 11.

I grew up in Goleta, from 1986 to 1999. My education included Dos Pueblos High School, Santa Barbara City College and UC Santa Barbara, graduating in 2006 and earning a degree in history. I started washing dishes in Uncle Chen Restaurant at the age of 14. I would go to school and go to work and that carried on throughout my life. Now as a business owner, I understand the hardships that we go through, it’s not easy running a business. I want to bring my experience as a business owner and as a city councilperson to the county.

Can you list the top three issues you believe are important to you and important to your constituents?

Cannabis is a big one, dealing with the smell and the negative impacts that we all hear, and that I hear a lot from our community. Public safety, for example what’s happening in Montecito about the ring nets, and the criminals coming from other areas and specifically targeting Montecito. And development, or overdevelopment. We need to focus more on workforce housing and affordable housing, and not rezoning agricultural zones.

How would you address the concerns of Carpinterians regarding cannabis, while keeping in mind that tax revenue from cannabis operations contributes to county operations?

So, when Das Williams said cannabis was going to bring in $20-25 million, it didn’t come true. It’s because of how

they’re doing the taxes. Currently they do a gross receipt; we have to look at other avenues such as by square foot, or even an excise tax, which is a 15% across the board type of tax.

The biggest concern here in Carpinteria is the smell. Our city has always advocated for carbon scrubbers for the past six years, but yet, nothing has happened. Has it gotten better? No. People have come to me at my restaurant, saying they’re having allergic reactions (...) So, for them to be impacted in such a negative way, it’s hard to see and I want to do something about it.

What solutions do you have for this problem?

Implementing carbon scrubbers is the first step to fixing what’s happening with the cannabis industry. I would support making it an ordinance that all growers have to install them. Some have, at Everbloom, Ed Van Wingerden has done it, he has been proactive. Hopefully others will follow him if he’s leading by example. He’s showing that carbon scrubbers can work and have worked.

Why did you decide to make the jump from Carpinteria City Council to District 1 representative on the Board of Supervisors?

It was compounding issues that led me to run. I was listening to a lot of our local constituents and residents complaining and feeling they are not being heard. They feel the leadership is not there, and they’re not being represented well. So over time, I felt like I could complain about it, or I could do something about it.

Not just here in Carpinteria either. In Summerland, they feel the roads are in such dire shape, and there’s so much debris that needs to be cleared from the beaches. Nothing has happened in the past eight years.

(…) Regarding the conflict with the Hot Springs Trail, the county went in, pounding heads and beating its chest against the neighborhood saying ‘you can’t do this’ and ‘you need to do that’ and ‘we want to build 72 parking spaces.’

I spent two days and I found a simple solution. All you have to do is remove a gate at the trail, which the county can allow, and it would open up to over 50 parking spaces right next to the trail.

So, things like these are easily solvable issues that I found solutions to myself.

In Santa Barbara, there’s concerns about overdevelopment in La Cumbre Plaza. In Mission Canyon, people are concerned about overhanging power lines, and they’re scared because those are high fire danger zones. The residents need supervisors that will listen and help them make the community safe.

Do you believe your time serving on the Carpinteria City Council has prepared you to serve at a countywide level?

Yes, you learn so much. And you learn about what’s important, and the values of the community. Here in Carpinteria, our priorities are about preservation of our open space, our agriculture, the character of our community and making sure that we do not over develop.

If you look at what happened at the recent Architectural Review Board meeting [Editor’s Note: CVN Vol. 30, No. 20] we saw hundreds of people show up, because that’s the kind of passion that we have. And as a councilmember and a Carpinterian, that’s what I learned. I want to bring that small town government to the county to show them how we do it and how we do it right.

Criticize your opponent. What makes you more qualified to serve in this position?

I’m a public servant. I’m a public servant that’s doing it to serve the community, and nothing more. Das is a career politician, being a politician is all he’s ever known (...) I believe that he serves special interests, specifically cannabis and out of town developers.

The way he approaches things is he’s always right and everybody’s wrong. That’s not how you govern.

Transparency, honesty and having integrity are important key values of a representative. The whole cannabis ordinance was done behind closed doors, in secret, without public input. There was no transparency. That’s not how the government works. We would never do that in Carpinteria. Everything that we do is held in open session with public input, because that’s how governing works, and unfortunately, he did not pursue that.

In your time representing Carpinteria on the council, what do you believe are your greatest accomplishments and greatest failures?

My greatest accomplishments are three things: the skate park, our Carpinteria Community Library and the senior programming. The skate park has been amazing. Seeing the community together, from grandparents to parents to kids, you see that passion and excitement, and that’s something that we don’t see often, but when we do, it encourages us to do more. For the library, we took back our library and made it independent and made it Carpinteria. I was on the ad hoc committee, we spent multiple years making that happen.

It’s more than a library, it’s a foundation and a pillar for the community. People can go there to apply for jobs, take classes and learn in a safe place. It’s kind of a community center for us.

Something we’re working on right now is a senior center program. During Covid-19, our seniors were kind of forced to be introverted, and that affected them so negatively. Now that we have this program, you see seniors becoming more social. That’s so important.

As for my failures, there’s always room for improvement for myself, I’m not perfect. But when I do make mistakes I learn from it.

Projects like the Surfliner Inn I wish could have been a lot more different. A big part of me wished that project never came before us, because all we did was divide friends, neighbors and the community. And as of right now the project doesn’t even have a complete application. And then we went through all that with Measure T for what? Nothing. So, I could have done things differently, but I learned from them and I moved on.

How can Carpinteria meet the demand for more housing, while maintaining the small-town charm of the city?

We definitely do need housing, but we cannot build our way outside of this housing crisis. We can build 10,000 new homes, but it will never be enough. We have to be smart about it.

With the Red Tail Housing Project, the city council and myself were against it, because it didn’t conform to our building standards. Bailard Avenue is the highest density area in our city, and to add over 169 units, I believe, is going to create not just parking and traffic issues. It’s too dense for such a big project.

As for viable housing options, we can infill. We streamlined the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) process, where a homeowner can come in, and within two weeks, they would be able to get their building permit, and save themselves over $50,000. A unit can then be added for the family to use or rent out for more income.

Adaptive reuse, or taking unused commercial space, and turning that to affordable, multi-family housing is also a viable option, instead of just build, build, build. I think we have to be smart and work with nonprofits such as People’s Self-Help Housing to accomplish these goals.

You’ve received endorsements from former District Attorney Joyce Dudley, former Santa Bar-

See ROY LEE

continued on page 6

COURTESY PHOTO

Carpinteria City Councilmember Roy Lee is challenging Supervisor Das Williams for the District 1 seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

LEE:

Continued from page 5

bara Police Chief Barney Melekian and retired Santa Barbara fire chief Pat McElroy. What has been your reaction to this support?

I’m grateful. I’m grateful and appreciative for the support I’ve been receiving. In addition to Joyce, Barney and Pat, I’ve also received support from Sheila Lodge, former mayor of Santa Barbara, Kate Ford, former Santa Barbara Unified School District board member, Santa Barbara City Councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez, and so many others.

But these people, we connected because they came into Uncle Chen before and years past, and I got to know them. You learn two things when campaigning: you learn that the people who you think will support you, won’t, and people you never met, will support you and become lifelong friends.

What are your next steps if you don’t win the election for District 1 supervisor?

I still have over two years on the city council, and I (will) plan to serve it completely, I’m not going anywhere. Ask me again in a couple of years, but I will continue to serve my community regardless.

What’s new at the harbor seal rookery?

This report covers Feb. 12 – 18, 2024 High Adult Count74

CVN’s Seal Watch weekly report, written by Seal Watch volunteers, covers activities at the Harbor Seal Rookery. The group can be reached at carpsealwatch@gmail. com or at (805) 364-3194. The rookery is located immediately east of Casitas Pier, between the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve and the Carpinteria State Beach.

Due to the early February storm, Seal Watch data for Sunday, Feb. 3 was not available.

NATURAL HISTORY NOTES

Harbor seals face tough survival problems. Their biology requires they rest on land about half the time, yet ashore they are relatively defenseless. Therefore, they are highly vigilant and reactive to potential threats.

Federal law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, prohibits “harassment” – actions that disrupt normal behavior patterns. The federal guidelines state that repeated interruptions can be harmful to the seals’ health or cause abandonment, and that people are too close if animals start to stare, fidget or flee.

In Carpinteria, the seals are somewhat acclimated to people on the pier and bluff above, but typically the seals react to people on the beach long before they are close. Please stay out of the beach sanctuary area all year; if you do not, you are contributing to loss of habitat and survival capacity for the seals.

VISITORS

The count at the overlook was 1,331. Volunteers spoke with people from Canada, China, Germany, Panama, Spain, India, Scotland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Illinois, Utah, Oregon, Wisconsin, Florida, Washington, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Maine, Texas and Michigan. A hiking group and people from the Arroyo Hondo Preserve requested a visit with docents.

DISTURBANCES

The SpaceX sonic booms have been highly disturbing to the seals, with most or all fleeing to the ocean again this week. An additional incident was caused by a beach walker.

Carpinteria Seal Watch has begun its annual volunteer schedule during the pupping season. Seal watchers do some monitoring of our local seals year-round; we would like to increase visitor services and data collection year-round, but more volunteers are always needed. Contact Seal Watch at carpsealwatch@gmail.com or at (805) 364-3194 if you’d like to help.

WILLIAMS:

Continued from page 4

[Editor’s Note: This is the VanWingerden 2 parcel at 4711 Foothill Road.] It’s a really intriguing site.

Rental housing is really what we need. Rental housing that is not attractive to super rich people from Los Angeles is what we need, housing that is accessible for people who live or work here. That is what I’m looking for… and projects that can reduce the kind of traffic that we face as a community. Right now, we’re having really bad traffic problems by building no housing. The folks that could be housed at this are now driving across all of town and further to get to the farms that are a quarter mile from the site. (…) If they’re living right next to the places where they work, then it could actually enhance our quality of life as a community.

(…) There’s a teacher who grew up in my neighborhood. She works in my neighborhood, at Canalino. It is a badge of shame that she cannot live anywhere in Carpinteria. That’s something we should be thinking about if we care about the future of our children and grandchildren, and community. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to approve (just) any development, because we need to focus the land that we have on the housing that meets the need of the people who live and work here. I’m not trying to accommodate every rich person from Southern California.

Do you see larger housing units like the Bailard Avenue Project –the Red Tail Housing Project – as a solution to the housing crisis that Carpinteria is facing?

If we care about preserving our ag land, we have to have density. We have to have dense housing in the places that we do develop.

The county must provide a certain number of units. The city must build, eight, 900 units? [Editor’s Note: According to the city of Carpinteria’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment, it must build 901 units to meet its housing needs.] (…) If they build it low density, they’re going to have to do more projects. It’s insane that any idea that we should do low density because that would mean we lost the ag land buffer. My way of preserving the ag land buffer and to make sure that it’s a livable, walkable community, is to make sure that there is efficiency to that use of land. That’s what’s also necessary for affordability. You cannot build affordable low-density housing – nobody is able to accomplish that anymore. Not with land values the way it is. If you really want to accommodate (the) people who live and work here, then it’s got to be multifamily housing.

Bailard will move forward whether I support it for not. It’s a builder’s remedy project. (…) I will not have the opportunity to say yes or no.

Criticize your opponent. What makes you more qualified than him to do this job?

I want to keep a positive campaign. I don’t like that campaigns have become projects of media assassination. I live here. I’m going to stay positive.

If reelected, what would be your top priorities?

I have been voted chair of our county energy provider, 3CE, that provides electricity to Carpinteria and the county of Santa Barbara and its residents. The biggest thing that I will work for in my next term is to secure the contracts necessary to provide power to our region, but decarbonized power – power that would be carbon free – by 2030 or nearabouts. Of course, that requires the storage capacity as well to accomplish that. Now that there’s a lot of renewable power on the grid, that’s the most important… is to be

able to get through the dirtiest time of the day, which is 4–9 p.m.

From a local perspective, I’d really like to help the senior programming of the community. It’s an identified need (…) They would like to centralize their operation into one place or (get) better at helping to transport people who need help getting to senior activities. That’s also a priority for the next term.

And the continued integration of our emergency services to react faster and identify places where we could improve response times is a big priority for the next term. I would (also) say that continuing to divert mentally ill people from standard incarceration in the jail is really important… That’s the only way we’re going to have money to do other things like proactive police work, which I think is more effective than just locking away homeless people.

And to sustain our effort (with homeless community members) which is going to be challenging. The state funding is diminishing somewhat because of the state budget deficit. We want to maintain this effort so we can really show the public what political will can accomplish in reducing homelessness and solving our communities’ problems.

You touched on this a bit earlier, but what do you believe – as someone who lives in Carpinteria and represents Carpinteria as part of the larger county – are the top issues facing residents?

(…) The survival of the middle class and working-class people is the greatest challenge. That is, really, our housing crisis. The protection of a community is not just protection of the buildings, it’s also the protection of the people that live in them.

That has to be a balance, right? You could destroy the ambiance of the community if you are only protecting the people. But if you only protect the buildings, you’re going to destroy the people that live in them. You may not destroy the older residents, but you will destroy the younger ones. That is the largest challenge of our community, both in Santa Barbara, which I also represent, and Carpinteria.

Throughout the south coast, it’s the largest challenge. I think it will be difficult. It will be a planning challenge, a land-use challenge, to balance how to protect both our community feel and the wellbeing of the people who live here. But I will do my best to protect both and balance both.

Is there anything else you wanted to add or talk about that we didn’t touch on in the interview?

Since I don’t think my opponent made the same response to your question about me, I just wanted to say that he has never, not once, asked me to do anything different than what I’m doing. Even though we meet, I believe quarterly, in a city/county committee, meant to work out city/county issues. If he expressed severe disagreements or criticisms about me, I’m curious why he has never talked about it in meetings, or ever approached me privately.

Roy Lee

Das Williams

“At least during the birthing season, I would think that Mr. Musk could move the landing platform further south, so that the sonic boom does not affect the seal populations in the Santa Barbara Channel.”

–– Kathy Runge

Williams dedicated to community

Reading the Feb. 15 Coastal View News (CVN Vol. 30, No. 22) I was struck by the tone of letters favoring Roy Lee. The hostility toward Das in those letters I found disappointing and unfair.

Das serving in Santa Barbara, Sacramento and now Santa Barbara County has proven to be hard working and deeply committed to his constituents. He gets things done. How about our city council?

Two examples in this CVN. The view describes the struggles of Linden Hall. Ten months and no permit to open a restaurant downtown. Frustrated owners are pulling out, wasting time and money pursuing their dream. Apparently we do not have a clear development vision for Carpinteria either, with the CPC voting one way on 4745 Carpinteria Ave. and city council another.

Roy Lee is on that city council. If this is proof of leadership, what will happen to District 1 with Roy at the helm? He is a respected businessman running a beloved restaurant in town. Running a business requires focus and commitment. A supervisor’s job requires the same, it’s not a hobby.

Das has the experience, focus and drive to do the job right. Vote Das for supervisor.

Peter Stuyt Carpinteria

Roy Lee a “community first” candidate

As the leading advocate for a Senior Center in Carpinteria, I have had the opportunity to interact with Roy Lee in his role as a second-term member of the Carpinteria City Council and on the AdHoc Committee for the Senior Community. With his unfailing support over the past several years, the city is sponsoring the Age Well Program and we will soon have a full-time recreation coordinator.

Roy’s commitment is “community first.” He is a local business owner and family man whose kids attend local

schools, and an active member of the city council. His passion for the values that Carpinterians hold dear is evident when you see him listen to the citizens at the council meetings. I believe that his combined experience in business and government, along with his deep ties to Carpinteria, make him the perfect choice for First District Supervisor.

Rosalyn Kohute Carpinteria

Protect seals from SpaceX noise

On Valentine’s Day Wednesday, I counted three new pups at the Seal Rookery. Yesterday afternoon, while on my bicycle I heard a sonic boom, and quickly rode over to the rookery to check on the seal population. The docents said that many scattered at the boom, yet I still saw four babies safely by their mothers’ side on the beach.

I understand that a SpaceX launch does not necessarily have to have a sonic boom that affects our immediate area where there are at least three seal colonies. As a powerless, yet concerned citizen and animal lover, I needed to tell you this information. Does anyone have the contacts at Vandenberg AFB or the political power to do anything about the timing of the booms? At least during the birthing season, I would think that Mr. Musk could move the landing platform further south, so that the sonic boom does not affect the seal populations in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Kathy Runge Carpinteria

For the record...

Coastal Land Use Plan, not Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

C o u n t y o f S a n t a B a r b a r a

Planning and Development

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ZONING ADMINISTRATOR

CASE NUMBER: 22VAR-00000-00002

DATE: March 4, 2024

HEARING BEGINS: 9:00 A.M.

PLACE: SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ENGINEERING BUILDING, ROOM 17 123 EAST ANAPAMU STREET, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101

SUBJECT: Summerland Fuel Depot

Hearing on the request of John Price to consider Case No. 22VAR-00000-00002 (application filed June 14, 2022) for a Variance from the front setback and pole sign height limit regulations in compliance with CZO Section 35-173 (Variances) on property zoned Limited Commercial (C-1) to allow the setback to be reduced to 10 feet from the front property line instead of 30 feet, and to allow the pole sign to exceed the five-foot height limit by 8 feet, 6 inches; and to determine the project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Sections 15301(g) and 15305(a) of the State Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act. The application involves a 0.28-acre parcel zoned C-1 and shown as Assessor Parcel No. 005-177-005, located at 2285 Lillie Avenue, in the Summerland Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.

https://cosantabarbara.box.com/s/gjsn8iitl68608mtli3i9a1akz29bwh9

To receive additional information regarding this project and/or to view the application and plans, please contact Steve Conner by email at conners@co.santabarbara.ca.us, or by phone at (805) 568-2081

The Zoning Administrator will accept written comments and interested persons may appear to support or oppose the proposal. Comments should be filed with or mailed to Planning and Development, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

If written comments are filed, three (3) copies should be provided. Continuances will not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances. This matter may be dropped from the agenda unless the applicant is present and ready to proceed on the date set herein.

Please be advised that the Zoning Administrator’s decision on this project may be appealed to the County Planning Commission by the applicant or any aggrieved person adversely affected by such decision. An appeal, which shall be in writing and accompanying fee, shall be filed with the Planning and Development Department Zoning and Permit Information Counter located at either 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA, or 624 West Foster Road, Suite C, Santa Maria, CA, within the 10 calendar days following the date of the action by the Zoning Administrator. A fee will not be charged if the development which is the subject of the appeal is defined as development that may be appealed to the California Coastal Commission in compliance with Public Resources Code Section 30603(a).

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this hearing, please contact the Hearing Support Staff at (805) 568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Zoning Administrator provides in-person participation as well as virtual participation until further notice. The following methods of participation are available to the public.

1. You may observe the live stream of the Zoning Administrator online at: YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_hPfWWxJ_kd_oF6fPAygBA

2. If you wish to make a general public comment or to comment on a specific agenda item, the following methods are available:

• Distribution to the Zoning Administrator - Submit your comment via email prior to the commencement of the Zoning Administrator meeting. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at martinj@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

• Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the ZA meeting in-person.

• Video and Teleconference Public Participation – A public member who wishes to participate via Zoom must follow the link listed above Any physical evidence (e.g. photographs, documents, etc.) the public wishes to share with the Board must be emailed to the recording secretary at martinj@countyofsb.org

Please indicate your desire to speak when the chair opens the public comments portion for the item you wish to speak on. The chat feature will be unavailable during the hearing. For technical assistance during the hearing, please contact (805) 568-2000 to be directed to our technical team.

Video and Teleconference Public Participation

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: March 4, 2024 9:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Zoning Administrator 3/4/2024 Register in advance for this webinar: https://countyofsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IFvhFslhR9uB-hfEhpHPlA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your

Cleaning up

Sweethearts Dance

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria held its second annual Sweethearts Dance on Friday, Feb. 9. More than 120 girls brought along their most important person to the dance, spokesperson Aubry Watkins said, for the disco-themed evening. The Valentine’s themed event included music and dancing, crafts, food, raffles and gifts, according to the Girls Inc. of Carpinteria Instagram.

The event was held in collaboration with Momentum Dance Company and Be Momentum. “This is what dance is all about! Bringing together family and friends and having the time of our lives together,” Momentum owner Betsy Woyach said in a press release. “At Momentum Dance Company, our goals align with what this event was all about: creating space for girls to be themselves, celebrate who they are and do what feels great… dance!”

COURTESY PHOTOS

From left, Aria and Paul LeilaniRainbolt attend the Sweethearts Dance at Girls Inc. of Carpinteria on Friday, Feb. 9.

Sweethearts Dance attendees make crafts, including from left, George and Ainsley Bradshaw, Mia and Rodolfo Carrillo and Marlowe Paluska.

From left, Pete Goldammer of brewLAB and Bryan Mootz of Carpinteria Beautiful cleaned the full length of Carpinteria’s newest bike path on the west end of Carpinteria Avenue on Feb. 14 as a Valentine’s Day gift to Carpinteria, Mootz told CVN.

KARLSSON Supervisor candidates speak at Moms Demand Action meeting

Roy Lee, at left, and Das Williams, at right, – candidates for the District 1 seat on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – speak to the Carpinteria chapter of Moms Demand Action on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The Carpinteria chapter, founded after the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, promotes gun safety in Carpinteria.

SCHOOL BOARD

School board members double-down on decision to remove teacher from CMS during heated meeting

Community members speak in Jay Hotchner’s defense during Feb. 13 school board meeting

BY JUN STARKEY

During a heated Tuesday, Feb. 13 board meeting, members of the Carpinteria Unified School District (CUSD) Board of Trustees doubled down on the decision to fight to keep instructor – and leader of the Carpinteria Association of United School Employees (CAUSE) – Jay Hotchner out of the classroom.

“I will stand up for kids who say that an adult in our district did this to them, treated them this way,” board president Jaime Diamond said last Tuesday. “I need our kids to know that when something happens to them, we take them seriously.”

Hotchner was employed with the district and at Carpinteria Middle School for over 20 years before his dismissal in 2022, after the district issued two notices of unprofessional conduct.

California Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) documents released last month detail several allegations against Hotchner based on student, parent and administrator witness statements; before his dismissal, Hotchner was accused of making inappropriate comments to students, being physically aggressive with students and being disrespectful toward colleagues and district employees.

Hotchner appealed his dismissal with the OAH. The OAH’s Commission on Professional Competence ruled last month that Hotchner had “engaged in inappropriate and/or unprofessional conduct and demonstrated lapses in judgment” and that he would benefit from sensitivity training and other courses.

The commission also found that while the district “did establish that (Hotchner) acted inappropriately on multiple occasions and crossed boundaries with students” and that “these incidents were a result of lapses of judgment,” Hotchner was not unfit to teach, and ordered that he be reinstated. Superintendent Diana Rigby told CVN last month that the district would challenge this decision.

Middle

Hotchner is a familiar face at school board meetings, routinely attending and commenting on nearly all agenda items, offering opinions and feedback on behalf of the teacher’s union. Since his termination in 2022, and the subsequent legal battle, Hotchner has continued to speak in his capacity as leader of CAUSE during the meetings and, at times, commenting on the subject of his dismissal.

During the warrants portion of the Feb. 13 meeting – when the board reviews and approves checks issued by the district – Hotchner criticized the district for paying $57,980 in legal fees to Fagen Friedman and Fulfrost LLP, the firm that represented the district in a recent lawsuit with Hotchner.

“That is taxpayer money paid to Superintendent Rigby’s select LA law firm,” Hotchner said during the Tuesday meeting. “A firm that has made a not-so-small fortune on the district’s attack of union employees and district employees.”

Hotchner has stated that the legal battle between himself and the district has cost the district more than $3.5 million.

Members of the community also spoke in Hotchner’s defense during the meeting. During the public comment for items not on the agenda, Lucy Carleton, a teacher at Carpinteria High School, questioned the board’s decision to challenge the latest ruling from the OAH, stating that Hotchner was being persecuted for his position as union leader.

“What I hear is the district is unwilling to stop what looks to me like unwarranted persecution of the union president,” she said. “End this vendetta. Let’s spend money on students and learning, not on lawyers.”

After making his comments, Hotchner continued to speak over his time limit, directing comments at Rigby. After several reminders from Diamond that his time was up, Diamond slammed her gavel on the sound block to bring the meeting back to order.

Carpinteria Association of Unified School Employees leader Jay Hotchner speaks about his dismissal as a teacher at the Feb. 13 Carpinteria Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting. Hotchner was dismissed by the district in 2022; in January 2024, the California Office of Administrative Hearings ordered he be reinstated, a decision the district has said it will fight.

Following the exchange, board members Diamond and Andy Sheaffer took a moment to respond to Hotchner and commenters’ concerns about the amount of money spent on the legal battle.

Diamond referenced the ruling from the OAH, and – while responding to concerns about the amount of money the district has spent on the battle – asked members of the public, “What is the dollar amount that is the cap for how you would fight for your son or your daughter if this had been done to them at school, where they’re supposed to be safe? Because for me, there is no dollar amount.”

Sheaffer said it was shocking that fellow CUSD teachers would defend

Hotchner’s behavior towards students, referring to earlier comments made by Carleton, who had left the meeting at that point.

“This has nothing to do with Mr. Hotchner’s union behavior,” Sheaffer said. “(The Commission on Professional Competence)... did find that he was unprofessional, they did find that he harassed students, they did find that he physically assaulted students, yet they found he was not unfit to teach, which is remarkable to me, and that is why we have decided to appeal this to an actual court of law.”

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27.

school dual language, AHA! programs check in with school board

Teachers and students from the Carpinteria Middle School (CMS) Dual Language Immersion (DLI) and the AHA!

Connect to Thrive programs spoke at the Feb. 13 board meeting, recapping their year so far and reviewing future lessons.

This is the first year of the language arts and history DLI program at the middle school, CMS Principal Lisa O’Shea told the board. Next year, the program will be available for sixth and seventh grade students.

CMS teachers Emmanuel Campuzano and Christina Peña-Eckert spoke about what their students have been learning in the classroom, including recent books they’ve read, subjects they’ve touched on and recent assignments. Some books the classes look at include “Frida, el misterio del anillo del pavo real y yo,” “Aire Encantado” and “Isla to Island.” Recent subjects in the CMS DLI courses that students explored included Cuba and its history, ancient history in Mesopotamia and Egypt and the five major world religions.

Several students from CMS spoke about their experience in the program and what they’ve enjoyed about this current school year. Student Sophia Martinez said she’s enjoyed learning about world reli-

gions, which has helped her become more interested in writing essays on the topics.

Another student, Orion Smith – who said he has been in the DLI program since kindergarten – said he’s enjoyed learning about early human history and working on writing exercises about Cuba’s history.

CMS art instructor Ryan Ethington spoke about the AHA! Connect to Thrive

program, which introduces students to topics like mindfulness, emotion management and communication skills, through interactive, group-based activities.

In Ethington’s class, students learn about social and emotional learning through art in a variety of ways, including through observing and painting their classmates or creating symbols for their

values through clay. Students in Ethington’s class recently had their work on display at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, in an exhibit done in partnership with AHA!

“I have the best job in the world, getting to connect students and encouraging them to be great community leaders, and create a beautiful place together,” Ethington said.

–– Jun Starkey

Board approves donations

The board unanimously approved two donations at its Feb. 13 meeting, both from the Carpinteria High School Booster Club: a donation of $6,727 to CHS, for G&B soccer parkas, windscreens for the stadium and Tee Time Driving Range fees; and a donation of $6,000 to the CHS Winter Sports General Athletic Fund.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Carpinteria Middle School student Sophia Martinez speaks about her time in the middle school’s DLI program during the Feb. 13 board meeting.

Carpinteria sees 4.52 inches of rain in latest storm

BY EVELYN SPENCE PHOTOS BY ROBIN KARLSSON

Carpinteria received 4.52 inches of rain during the midFebruary storm that hit the south coast between Saturday, Feb. 17 and Wednesday, Feb. 21, according to reports released by the National Weather Service (NWS). Summerland reported 5.71 inches of rain, while Montecito Hills saw 7.24 inches.

City of Carpinteria spokesperson Olivia Uribe-Mutal told CVN that there were no damages to report.

Several evacuation warnings were issued ahead of the storm for properties along waterways associated with the Thomas, Cave and Alisal burn areas; properties in the area of Sycamore Creek in Santa Barbara, from Stanwood Drive down to parts of Ninos Drive; and properties near Mission Creek in the city of Santa Barbara from Cota Street to Highway 101 and between Castillo and Chapala streets.

The storm forced the closure of the Santa Barbara Airport on Monday due to flooding on the airfield. The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department also closed Padaro Lane from Santa Claus Lane to the bridge Monday morning due to flooding. It was open by Tuesday afternoon.

Locally, the Freedom Warming Center opened for homeless community members between Saturday and Tuesday at Carpinteria’s Veterans Memorial Building. The centers open up countywide when the weather in the area dips below 35 degrees or there is more than a 50% chance of rain; in Carpinteria, the centers open up at either the Veterans Hall or the Carpinteria Community Church.

“The storm has finally moved on leaving a soggy ground and lots of mud and rock slides (while may continue for the next day or two),” the NWS said in a Wednesday update. “However, skies are rapidly clearing and expecting a dry day today and through the rest of the week.”

Thursday and Friday will be “partly to mostly cloudy,” according to the NWS, with a chance of rain on Monday and Tuesday.

From left, Becky and Kit Richardson walk along the boardwalk, looking at the debris-covered beach.

A roaring Carpinteria Creek empties in the ocean, flooding the campground, seen at right.

Linden Field flooded during the storm.

Wesley Hobson treks through the grass in rain gear.

Water filled the lower parts of the Carpinteria Skate Park

Willy Nunoz cleans up debris from the storm in front of the Carpinteria Starbucks.

SURF & TIDES

Anne Fraser and Tyson step out for a wet walk.

Arroyo Paradon Creek flows underneath the bridge on Padaro Lane.

Park during the recent storm.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ZONING ADMINISTRATOR

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

DATE OF HEARING: MARCH 4, 2024

HEARING BEGINS: 9:00 A.M.

PLACE: SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING ROOM

123 E. ANAPAMU STREET, RM. 17

SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The Zoning Administrator provides in-person participation as well as virtual participation until further notice.

The following methods of participation are available to the public.

1. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:

• Distribution to the Zoning Administrator - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the Zoning Administrator hearing. Please submit your comment to the Secretary at martinj@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

• Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the Zoning Administrator meeting in-person.

• Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the Zoning Administrator meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar

When: March 4, 2024 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Topic: Zoning Administrator 3/4/2024

753 0140 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 470 250

9358 or +1 646 518 9805 or +1 651 372 8299 or +1 786 635 1003 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1

267 831 0333 or +1 301 715 8592 or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0282 (Toll Free)

Webinar ID: 815 1118 1364

The Zoning Administrator will accept written comments and interested persons may appear to support or oppose the proposal. If written comments are filed, three (3) copies should be provided. Comments should be filed with or mailed to Planning and Development, Attn: Hearing Support, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Continuances will not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances. This matter may be dropped from the agenda unless the applicant is present and ready to proceed on the date set herein.

Please be advised that the Zoning Administrator’s decisions made under the authority of Chapter 35 & 21 of the Santa Barbara County Code may be appealed to the County Planning Commission by the applicant or any aggrieved person adversely affected by such decision. An appeal, which shall be in writing, and accompanying fee shall be filed with the Planning and Development Department Zoning and Permit Information Counter located at either 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA, or 624 West Foster Road, Suite C, Santa Maria, CA, within the 10 calendar days following the date of the action by the Zoning Administrator. There is a $669.06 fee for both non-applicants and owner/applicant appeals to the Planning Commission. A fee will not be charged if the development which is the subject of the appeal is defined as development that may be appealed to the California Coastal Commission in compliance with Public Resources Code Section 30603(a).

If you challenge the project 23AMD-00012, in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Zoning Administrator prior to the public hearing.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need a disability-related modification or accommodation or are exempt from applicable Health Officer Orders, including auxiliary aids or services such as sound enhancement equipment or an American Sign Language interpreter, to participate in this hearing, please contact Hearing Support Staff at 805568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements. If you have any questions or if you are participating in the hearing telephonically or electronically and need a disability-related modification or accommodation or have any issues attempting to access the hearing telephonically or electronically, please contact Hearing Support Staff at 805-568-2000.

23AMD-00012 Ocean Meadows LLC Setback Amendment Goleta

23CDP-00012 Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 Willow Brown, Planner (805) 568-2040

Hearing on the request of Ocean Meadows Investors LLC, property owner, to consider:

• Case No. 23AMD-00012, an Amendment to an approved Development Plan (Case No. 19DVP-00000-00002) to allow for reduced rear setbacks on Lots 24 and 25 of Lot 2 of the Ocean Meadows Tract, pursuant to Section 35-174.10 of Article II, on property zoned Planned Residential Development (PRD); and to

• Approve the Addendum to Negative Declaration (20NGD-00000-00007) pursuant to the State Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act. There are no new significant environmental impacts as a result of this modification request. The original ND identified significant but mitigable effects on the environment in the following categories: Aesthetics/Visual Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Geologic Processes, Hazardous Materials, Noise, Public Facilities, Transportation/ Circulation, and Water Resources/Flooding.

• The Addendum to the ND and all documents referenced therein may be reviewed at the Planning and Development Department, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara.

The application involves Assessor Parcel No. 073-090-072, in the Goleta Community Plan area, Second Supervisorial District.

“The Zone of Interest”

DUNCAN’S REEL DEAL

MATT DUNCAN

My last review was about Willy Wonka. The one before that was about a Disney cartoon – it featured magical wishes, power ballads, and a pet star.

This one is about Nazis. Tone change.

The Nazis in question are – or were – real Nazis. In other words, this is based on a true story. It’s about the Höss family.

And, in a way, the story is presented as one about a very normal, loving family who is finding their place in the world, enjoying their home and struggling for work-life balance. The movie opens with the family lounging by the water in an idyllic countryside, kids swimming and playing and having a good time. You hear a babbling stream, wind rustling through the leaves, birds chirping and what sounds like a woodpecker tapping on a tree.

But it’s not a woodpecker. It’s machine gun fire.

Later, after the Höss family gathers up their blankets and picnic baskets and ambles home to their charming cottage, they have supper together, the kids play in the yard, and the mother, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), tends the garden. Her garden is beautiful. It’s got flowers and vegetables. There’s even a greenhouse. It’s enclosed on all sides by a fence – one side taller than the others, making the garden feel like a private retreat.

“The Zone of Interest” is a brilliantly conceived movie – not just about a historic tragedy, but about the psychology of those who willingly took part in it. You wonder how they could do it. Well, here’s an answer: They just went about their lives.

They know what’s going on. Every now and then there’s a subtle acknowledgment of it, almost an aside, as if it’s somewhere between a minor nuisance and something to be proud of. It’s just like they live in a somewhat noisier part of a great neighborhood. You get used to it.

One side is taller than the others because it is also the wall to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The next day, the family’s father, Rudolf (Christian Friedel), gets ready for work. He looks important. He doesn’t have much of a commute – he saunters off his front porch, out the front gate, and takes a quick right turn into work.

We never see the insides of his “office,” but we know what it is: Rudolf is commandant of Auschwitz.

At the end of the day, Rudolf returns home to his family. Everything seems so perfectly normal. You can hear the toot of a locomotive in the distance and the crackling voices of people on the street. You see a plume of smoke from a nearby factory punctuating the brilliant sunset.

But the locomotive is carrying prisoners. The people on the street are murderous guards and their victims. The smoke isn’t coming from ironworks or some such; it’s coming from a crematorium. The Höss family’s servants, and delivery boys, and shoe shiners are Jews, held captive. Their garden is fertilized with human ashes.

Meanwhile the kids play dice, mom weeds, the boys wrestle and they all celebrate daddy’s birthday with presents and a cake. Their worries, when they have them, are about visiting in-laws, potential job transfers and what’s for lunch.

“The Zone of Interest” is all about background and foreground. In the foreground is a normal family. In the background is unspeakable horror. It’s a remarkable juxtaposition – to see barbed wire on a garden fence, billowing smoke against the otherwise vacant sky and armed guards walking serenely down the lane. Again, we never see the inside of the camp. But we know. Just like they knew.

Sight is one thing. Sound is another. And the sound – the editing, the score, the soundtrack – of “The Zone of Interest” is its masterstroke. The woodpecker that turns out to be machineguns, the bustling crowd that turns out to be screaming victims of genocide, the train that turns out to be a death transport and a factory whose fuel is human bodies – it’s all the background noise that the Höss family tunes out as if it were traffic or construction or the hum of an air conditioner. Yet it’s there. Pay attention and it’s unmistakable. Those are screams. That’s an oven.

“The Zone of Interest” is a brilliantly conceived movie – not just about a historic tragedy, but about the psychology of those who willingly took part in it. You wonder how they could do it. Well, here’s an answer: They just went about their lives. As long as it’s on the other side of the fence, not in their backyard, it’s none of their business. That’s how they did it. That’s no doubt how people have done it since and do it today.

“The Zone of Interest” is rated PG-13 for thematic material, some suggestive material and smoking.

Matt Duncan, a former Coastal View News editor, has taken physical but not emotional leave from Carpinteria to be a philosophy professor at Rhode Island College. In his free time from philosophizing, Duncan enjoys chasing his kids around, watching movies and updating his movie review blog, duncansreeldeal.blogspot.com.

CALENDAR

Thursday, Feb. 22

Senior Center Activities: Senior Lecture Series Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 9:30–10:45 a.m.

Dementia Caregivers Support Group Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 10:30 a.m.–noon carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Senior Center Activities: Chair Yoga Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 11 a.m.–noon.

Bilingual Postpartum Support Group El Carro Park, 5300 El Carro Lane. 1 p.m. rmaldonado@carpchildren.org, (805) 566-1613

One-on-One Tech Help Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 1:30–3:30 p.m. carpinterialibrary. org, (805) 684-4314

Senior Center Activities: Book Club Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 2–3:30 p.m.

Carpinteria Creative Arts Eighth St. and Linden Ave. 2:30–6 p.m. Handmade pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry and sewn articles. (805) 698-4536

Carpinteria Farmers Market 800 block of Linden Ave. Thursdays, 3–6:30 p.m.

Open Mic Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 7–9 p.m. CarpinteriaLibrary@CarpinteriaCA.gov

Friday, Feb. 23

Friday Fun Day Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 10–11:30 a.m. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Senior Center Activities: Bocce Ball GranVida Senior Living, 5464 Carpinteria Ave. 1:30–3:30 p.m.

Movie and Q&A with producer: “The Apology” The Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave. 7–9:15 p.m. Tickets: $12. thealcazar.org, (805) 684-6380

Live Music: Sea Lion Sound System Island Brewing Company, 5049 Sixth St. 5–9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 24

Salt Marsh Nature Park Docent Tours Meet at the entrance across from the corner of Sandyland and Ash Avenue. 10 a.m.–noon. Free. (805) 886-4382.

Cate School Winter Performing Arts Showcase The Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave. 7–8:45 p.m. Tickets: $15. Community welcome. thealcazar.org, (805) 684-6380

Sunday, Feb. 25

Rotary Club of Carpinteria 2024 Talent Show Auditions The Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave. 10 a.m.–noon Schedule additions with DocRotz@gmail.com. thealcazar.org, (805) 684-6380

Live Music: Mike “Guitar” Witt Island Brewing Company, 5049 Sixth St. 2–5 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 26

Preschool Story Time Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 10–10:30 a.m. For preschool-aged children. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Senior Center Activities: Music Mondays Sing Along Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 10:30 a.m.–noon

Monday Mahjong All levels of play. 1 p.m. (805) 729-1310

Mind Games Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 2–3 p.m. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Meeting: Carpinteria City Council Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria

Ave. 5:30 p.m. bit.ly/CarpinteriaCityMeetings

Tuesday, Feb. 27

Senior Center Activities: Arts and Crafts Carpinteria Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave. 9–11 a.m.

Carpinteria Writers Group Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 10 a.m.–noon. (202) 9970429

Senior Center Activities: Mind Body Balance Exercise Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 11 a.m.–noon

Spanish Conversation Group Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 1–2 p.m. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Tai Chi Practice Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 2–3 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 28

Meeting: Morning Rotary Carpinteria Woman’s Club, 1059 Vallecito Road. Doors open 6:45 a.m.; meeting 7–8 a.m.

Senior Center Activities: Walking Group Meet at Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 9 a.m.

Baby Meet Up Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 9–9:45 a.m. Children under two. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Knitting Group Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 1–3 p.m. Free. (805) 886-4382

Senior Center Activities: Mindfulness Meditation Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 2:30–3:30 p.m.

Senior Center Activities: Line Dancing Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 3:30–4:30 p.m.

ONGOING

Senior Nutrition Program Carpinteria Veterans Hall, 951 Walnut Ave. Monday–Friday, 12:15 p.m. Free for seniors ages 60+. (805) 925-9554, meals@centralcoastseniors.org

The Weekly Crossword

Sunday, Feb. 11

0927 hrs / DUI / Casitas Pass Road

A subject was pulled over for expired registration and it was determined he was driving under the influence. He was arrested and booked at Santa Barbara Main Jail.

1347 hrs / Warrant / 5400 block Carpinteria Avenue

A man was arrested for two outstanding warrants, and booked at Santa Barbara Main Jail.

Monday, Feb. 12

party, who stated the additional juvenile had run westbound on Carpinteria Avenue. Deputies searched the surrounding area and found the second juvenile on the Carpinteria Creek Bike Path. The reporting party didn’t desire prosecution. Both juveniles were transported to their residence.

Thursday, Feb. 15

1049 hrs / Incident / 3900 block Via Real

0943 hrs / Incident / Cravens Lane

He said, she said

A traffic enforcement stop was conducted on a vehicle for illegal window tint. A probation search of the driver revealed a switchblade. The driver was cited and released on scene. Probation will forward a complaint to the courts.

Moo goo gai barrel ––Anonymous

Deputies responded to a civil dispute between three neighbors. One man became verbally aggressive towards both neighbors, knocked down their trash cans and was extremely angry towards deputies upon contact. Neighbors were informed about obtaining a restraining order against him. A report was authored for documentation purposes.

History doesn’t have to be boring. readers sent in their funniest captions for the photo above, and we selected our favorites (in no particular order). Enjoy.

1514 hrs / Theft / Palmetto Way

“Vern told Bessy that bobbing for apples would be fun!” ––W.A. Rockwell

1451 hrs / Incident / 1000 block Casitas Pass Road

“I love playing hide and seek. They won’t be able to find me here.” ––Sally J. Mendoza

Trying to find her inner moo. ––Anonymous

The reporting party came into the station to report his rear license plate was stolen and another plate was left behind. The found plate belonged to a stolen vehicle out of Oxnard. The plates were entered into SVS.

1952 hrs / Incident / 400 block

the one in the herd they call “ol’ barrel face.” ––Anonymous

Linden Avenue

Everyone was sad when we found out that Bessie kicked the bucket. ––Anonymous

An intoxicated subject was sitting across the street from a local middle school drinking liquor and cursing racial slurs. The man was asked to stop cursing as children from the school were about to be released. The man refused and continued his racially charged tirade. The subject was obviously intoxicated, and was later arrested and booked into Santa Barbara Main Jail.

Wednesday, Feb. 14

Reporting party reported that she lost her prescription bottle at the Amtrak station. A Deputy searched the train station platform but was unable to find her medication.

“Marty, whatever you come up with can’t match the udder ridiculousness of this!”

––Ward Small

Marty and Ward warned her against ordering her Easter Bonnet for the parade online. Boo hoo moo! ––Jack Bevilockway

1056 hrs / Death / 400 block Toro Canyon Creek

Friday, Feb. 16

0908 hrs / Incident / 1100 block

“yeah, it’s just a barrel of laughs, isn’t it?” ––Robert Miller

Deputies responded to the Toro Canyon Creek for the report of a man face down in the creek. The individual was pronounced deceased by fire personnel. Based on the location and injuries, CIB was contacted and responded to the scene.

Mark Avenue

Practicing the ancient art of chai moo ––Anonymous not laughing now, is she? ––Anonymous

2130 hrs / Incident / Carpinteria Avenue

An employee found ten 9 mm rounds of ammunition scattered on the ground outside of the business. A security guard will attempt to gather video footage and locate the owner of the ammunition. Ammunition was collected and booked for safekeeping.

“Oh, and one more thing Mar … ty” ––Tony Bessie was quickly disqualified in the barrel rolling contest. ––S.M.

Deputies responded to a call regarding two female juveniles attempting to steal bikes. Upon arrival, one of the juveniles was being detained by the reporting

A cow in a barrel is no match for a Jack in the Box. ––M. Payback Ninety proof milk starts with a big hefty drink of mooonshine. ––Marty Warning: rabid cow ––Jan Beck

Read previously published Recaps online at coastalview.com

Bashful Betsy, livestock’s blue ribbon winner. ––Chas. Jerep

Car • PET • teria

Elsie, the Elmer’s cow, used too much glue. ––Anonymous

Cow version of a bucket list

“Poor old Bessy, she is always so willing to assist out in the field at plantin’ time but in the end she just plum ain’t that much help.”

Meet Jake Lewis

Jake Lewis, a Carpinterian golden retriever who turns six years old in April, studiously browses the latest issue of CVN. His owner Nancy Lewis told CVN he loves playing with his snowbird friends Walter, Annie, Carole, Breck, Maria and more during his walks to the beach.

Tell us about your pet and send us a picture, too. Favorite snacks, special tricks, nicknames, let all of Carpinteria know about your furry, feathered or scaly family member.

Email

Tell us about your pet and send us a picture, too. Favorite snacks, special tricks, nicknames, let all of Carpinteria know about your furry, feathered or scaly family member. Email news @coastalview.com

Carpinteria Mon.-Fri. 6:30am-2pm •Sat.-Sun. 6:30am-3pm Bagelnet.com for Restaurant menu

Avenue • 805.566.1558 ext. 1

Many think of winter as a quiet time in their garden, since it’s when many plants go dormant. While it’s not the time of year when your plants are looking their best, there is a lot you can do to get your garden prepped so when spring does roll around, your plants will be ready to bloom their brightest.

Here are some suggestions.

Trim and clean up plants and shrubs. Now is the time to trim out old or dead twigs and branches. You can take the opportunity to shape your plants for visual balance in preparation for the new emerging growth.

Carpinteria Mon.-Fri. 6:30am-2pm •Sat.-Sun. 6:30am-3pm Bagelnet.com for Restaurant menu

tables you would like for your kitchen as well as annual and perennial flowers you would like to add for seasonal color to your yard.

5050 Carpinteria Avenue • 805.566.1558 ext. 1

Start planning. Rather than waiting until spring is in action, start thinking about and getting ready for your garden additions now. This could be the vege-

Prepare your beds for spring planting. Get a head start by working on your soil for planting now. Build up your soil beds by weeding, mulching and fertilizing with a slow-release balanced fertilizer. I recommend chatting with staff at your

Carpinteria

5050 Carpinteria Avenue • 805.566.1558 ext. 1

in spring. Just as smaller shrubs need shaping and cleaning, trees also benefit from this kind of care. Depending on their size, it may be best to contact a local certified arborist or tree company to do this work.

Wade Nomura is an award-winning landscape designer and president of Nomura/ Yamasaki Landscapes Inc., where he brings to life unique gardens specifically designed for the individual client. Wade started in the industry 46 years ago after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in ornamental horticulture with honors.

friends Jeff Pollock, Bob Cochran, Garrett Powell and Tyler Guthrie brought their copy of CVN along with them to the 15th annual New England Pond Hockey Classic in Meredith, New Hampshire.

The event featured more than 250 teams playing across 26 rinks on the frozen Lake Waukewan, Pollock told CVN. This was the group’s seventh time attending the event, and their second time bringing a copy of CVN, Pollock said. “It was a long way from the Boys & Girls Club gym and Thunderbowl Roller Rink where Jeff and Garrett both learned the game,” he told CVN.

Plane shocking

Little old Carpinteria boasted the South Coast’s most popular airfield during the early days of flight. Before the construction of Santa Barbara Airport on Goleta slough and pasture lands in the 1930s, Carpinteria’s air strip was the hot spot for landings and takeoffs. Local air shows, like the one pictured above circa 1929, drew residents from up and down the coast. Many notables landed here, including Howard Hughes and Col. Charles Lindbergh. The airstrip was located on the Coast Highway — now Carpinteria Avenue — in the area where Carpinteria City Hall stands today.

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Spring is in the air in Carpinteria athletics

Warriors athletes get ready for spring sports season

BY RYAN P. CRUZ | PHOTOS BY ROSANA SWING

The winter sports season is in the books, and now student-athletes at Carpinteria High School (CHS) are hanging up their basketball shoes and soccer cleats and dusting off the baseball bats and tennis racquets – a new slate of spring sports is ready to start this week.

The Warriors spring sports schedule will be jam-packed with action in 2024, with Carpinteria’s baseball, softball, track and field, boys volleyball, boys tennis and swim programs looking to chase new goals and make their marks in the Citrus Coast League this season.

Baseball

Carpinteria’s baseball squad had a five-game win streak at the end of last season before the Warriors were eliminated in the second round of the CIF Division 6 playoffs by Norwalk, finishing the year with an overall record of 13-9 and a Citrus Coast League record of 10-8.

Coach Pat Cooney’s team is looking to capture that late-season success again this year, with the help of the team’s two top returning pitchers – senior Shane Goodmanson and sophomore Gabe Martinez –along with the active bats of seniors Judah Torres, Talon Trumble and Beto Martinez. Carpinteria baseball will also be one of the only teams in the region with a co-ed athlete, coach Cooney’s daughter sophomore Charlotte Cooney, who has been a star athlete in Warriors girls tennis and basketball in her first two seasons.

Softball

Warriors softball finished last year with a 7-16-1 overall record and a Citrus Coast League record of 6-11. Although Carpinteria didn’t make the postseason, there were plenty of bright spots on the team and the Warriors will look to make an impact with several returning players for the 2024 season.

Coach Matt Mora may have to get creative with the lineups with only 12 players on the roster this season, but he will have the help of star senior and daughter Ashlee Mora – the team’s ace pitcher – and returning athletes such as junior Caden Lemere and seniors Bella Velasquez and Alexiana Jaimes. The team will also be held down by catcher and senior captain Amarisse Camargo, who might be the most versatile athlete at CHS as a four-sport standout in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track and field.

Boys volleyball

Carpinteria boys volleyball had a tough road last season, starting out with a 1-15 record and finishing the year with only three wins out of 20 total matches and a league record of 3-9.

This season, coach Favian Muralles is looking to improve in his second year in charge of the boys volleyball program, and with only one senior who graduated from last year’s roster, the Warriors will have a lot more experience on the team in 2024. Carpinteria begins the year with two road games at Ventura on Feb. 22 and Rio Mesa on Feb. 27 before hosting the first home game of the season against Santa Ynez on Feb. 28.

Swimming

Carpinteria’s aquatic sports programs have been the pride of the school in recent years; the Warriors water polo and swim teams have found much success during the past few seasons. Last year, Carpinteria’s boys and girls swim teams finished first and second at the Citrus Coast League Championships, with several Warrior swimmers breaking school and personal records regularly throughout the season.

While the Warriors will be without a lot of standout seniors from last year – like star Jackson Melton, who broke his own school record in the 100 breaststroke six times last season – coach Jon Otsuki and Carpinteria will have plenty of talent in the pool in 2024, including water polo stars Asher Smith, Lilli Nemetz and Guilia Picoletti.

Boys tennis

Warriors boys tennis found success last season with a 10-8 overall record and a 7-4 run through the Citrus Coast League, which ended with a CIF Division 4 Wild Card win in the postseason before the team’s season was cut short by La Serna in the next round.

Coach Charles Bryant will have plenty to build off of going into 2024; the main piece of the roster is senior Max Stone, who was named the Citrus Coast League’s Singles Most Valuable Player last year. The Warriors will also have returning senior and First Team All-League doubles player Troy Zimmerman and three Citrus Coast League honorable mentions from last year with freshman Servando Campuzano and brothers Nolan and Lucas Martin.

SPRING PREVIEW continued on page 22

Warriors sophomore pitcher Gabe Martinez looks to continue the success from his freshman season.

Caden Lemere is looking to make an impact for Warriors softball as a junior this season.

Mario Mares, right, makes a block for Carpinteria boys volleyball.

Carpinteria’s swim team hopes to have another record-breaking season in 2024.

Nolan Martin will be one of Carpinteria’s returning players for boys tennis this year.

AYSO U14 team dominates youth soccer tournament

Carp

Warrior Athletics 1st DRIVE THRU BBQ

United takes first place at the AYSO Section

BY RYAN P. CRUZ

Carpinteria AYSO’s girls aged 14 and under youth soccer team Carp United continued its undefeated season with a first-place finish at the AYSO Section 10 League Championships on Sunday, Feb. 18, in Bakersfield. The team competed against some of the best from 60 regions representing more than 60,000 players across the state. Carp United coaches Jeff Spach and Brett Labistour helped lead the girls to five

10 League Championships

straight victories in the tournament, scoring a total of 18 goals and allowing only two in all five games.

With the League Championship win, the team is now one of four to receive an invitation to the prestigious AYSO Western States Championships, where they will represent California against Nevada, Oregon and Washington in Lake Forest on March 16.

Players for Carp United include Carson Weber, Aven Hardy, Alyn Avila Martinez, Josephine Patterson, Shaelee Glance, Lyra Moore, Luella Runhaar, Caroline Cooney, Amaya Kuryliw, Penny Rowe, Kenzi Gardner, Yoselyn Lara, Genesis Garcia, Callie Labistour, Evelyn Aviles and Amaya Mendoza.

Thursday, February 22

Carpinteria Boys Volleyball at Ventura, 6 p.m.

fULL meAL InCLUDeS: *

Friday, February 23

1 whole cooked Tri tip foil wrapped

*Carpinteria Baseball vs Santa Clara, 3 p.m.

Carpinteria Boys Tennis at Villanova, 3 p.m.

1 family size can of chili beans

Carpinteria Softball at Santa Barbara, 3 p.m.

1 Large loaf of grilled garlic bread

Saturday, February 24

4 Buttered corn-on-the-cob in foil

*Carpinteria Softball hosts Carp Invitational, 8 a.m.

*Limited # while supply lasts!

*Carpinteria Track & Field hosts Rincon Races, 10 a.m.

*Denotes

Game

SPORT SHORTS CVN

BY RYAN P. CRUZ

Cate Rams roundup

Tickets on sale from Warrior athletes or call 252-1435 for more info today!

SPRING PREVIEW continued from page 21

Track & Field

Last season Carpinteria’s girls track and field team finished at the top of the Citrus Coast League, with Coach Van Latham’s staff earning Coaching Staff of The Year and several athletes making First Team All-League.

This year, the Warriors will look to find some of that same success, with senior Wes Chung, who made Second Team All-League in boys hurdles, and senior Amarisse Camargo, who earned First Team for her record-setting performances in discus and shotput (Camargo also made First Team All-League in softball in spring 2024). Both Chung and Camargo competed for Carpinteria last year at the CIF Division 4 track and field finals.

Carpinteria track and field will open up the year by hosting the Rincon Races on Feb. 24.

Cate School opened up the spring sports schedule with a few early season tests for baseball, boys tennis and boys volleyball.

The Rams baseball squad started the season with a home-and-away series against the Thacher Toads. In the season opener at Cate on Feb. 15, the Toads took a 4-1 lead into the fifth inning and then sealed the deal with a rally to take the win 12-1. Cate sophomore Quinn Pullen got the start on the mound for the Rams, with fellow sophomores Chase Meyer and Josh Butler both getting some experience as relief pitchers in the loss.

Just two days later on Feb. 17, Cate and Thacher played for the second time in a row – this time in Ojai – with the Toads once again taking control and shutting out the Rams 8-0.

Left-handed junior Peter Lehman took the mound for Cate in the game, pitching four innings and allowing just one earned run along with seven strikeouts. Freshman Andrew Tanner then came in to pitch one scoreless inning before sophomore catcher Noah Casbarro ditched his catcher’s gear and took the mound to close it out for Cate.

The Rams are now 0-2 on the baseball diamond with three home games coming up over the next week.

Over on the tennis courts, Cate boys tennis opened the season at home against Newbury Park on Feb. 14 and then hit the road to play against Dos Pueblos in Goleta the next day on Feb. 15.

Against Newbury Park, Cate senior Ethan Bloom, junior Nate Newlove and freshman Kakeru Hirofuji all showed their talent in singles play, with all three finishing the day at 2-1. But the Rams couldn’t keep up in doubles play, and Newbury Park Swept all nine matches to take the team win 12-6.

The next day, Cate traveled to Goleta to take on Dos Pueblos, but once again it was a tough battle for the Rams, and the Chargers walked away with the 11-7 win. With the loss, Cate boys tennis is now 0-2 heading into its next road test at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 22.

Cate boys volleyball also had a tough wake-up call to start the season, suffering a 0-3 sweep to league rival Laguna Blanca on Feb. 20.

“With little practice time to iron out kinks, the team is still looking to find that comfortable lineup with players feeling confident in their roles on the court,” said Cate coach KC Collins. “The team did excel in mentally staying in the game despite the score and working together to figure out a way to get the ball back on their side.”

Cate senior Ben Richmond led the team with ten kills in the loss, while junior Mack Nieman and sophomore Lucien Tann followed up with six and four kills, respectively. Junior setter Zadin Stevens also tossed up three service aces, while junior libero Lucas Huiner scooped up five digs against Laguna Blanca.

Cate boys volleyball will be seeking its first win of the year with a home match against Foothill Tech on Feb. 22.

Senior Wes Chung shows style and speed in the 110-meter hurdles.

COURTESY PHOTO

The Carp United 14U team, from left: Carson Weber, Aven Hardy, Alyn Avila Martinez, Josephine Patterson, Shaelee Glance, Lyra Moore, Luella Runhaar, Caroline Cooney, Amaya Kuryliw, Penny Rowe, Kenzi Gardner, Yoselyn Lara, Genesis Garcia and Callie Labistour. Not pictured: Evelyn Aviles and Amaya Mendoza.

UNPREDICTABLE WILDERNESS

CHUCK GRAHAM

After a quick hike in the mud across a soddened marine terrace, I found myself on a deserted central coast beach, driftwood and tangled bull kelp strewn below eroding bluffs. Besides the surf crashing on the lonely strand and clusters of sanderlings working the ebb and flow of the incoming tide, the only other sounds were those of northern elephant seals bellowing and whining just over a mile up the beach.

Once there, I tucked into a craggy alcove and observed all the elephant seal dynamics unfolding before me. Gulls waited patiently on the edge of the rookery. After a mother gives birth, the gulls go into a feeding frenzy trying to snatch the nutrient-rich placentas and umbilical cords from the offspring. It doesn’t stop there, as northern elephant seal bulls in various stages of maturity eke out territories with the hopes of mating with as many females as possible.

It’s entertaining to say the least, and with a high mortality rate for newborn pups, there are always turkey vultures roosting nearby. Nothing goes to waste on those gritty, cobbled shorelines. Even smaller shorebirds like black turnstones sneak between all the moms and babies, gobbling up whatever is edible. However, it’s the 15-foot-long, 3,000-to-5,000-pound bulls that dominated my curiosity.

Sleeping with one eye open

Most times, when observing northern elephant seals, they appear lazy and sleepy, but nothing could be further from the truth, The biggest bulls can be snoozing the day away, but they always seem to know when an interloper tries to mate with one of its females, even if that female is at the other end of the colony.

Having said that, there was a challenger up to the task. It was a bloody, relentless bout that started on a grassy meadow and finished in frothy surf along this deserted beach.

The two northern elephant seal bulls traded one blow after the other for just over an hour, a sunrise slugfest that was all out on a windswept beach loaded with

The beachmaster

females and hungry newborn pups.

During that time, the two blubbery adversaries hammered away at each other. The challenger plowed toward the beachmaster through the throngs of females and pups still sleepy-eyed from the night before. This upstart bull was starting its day off with a bang, taking on the largest and baddest bull on a beach 150 yards wide.

The stage was set for these two ginormous seals, the second largest in the world, to square off over territory and mating rights at the second largest rookery in the world for this species of marine mammal.

They each reared upward, and then lunged toward each other like giant inch worms. As they came together, it initiated the longest and bloodiest battle I’ve ever seen between two bull northern elephant seals, and I’ve been photographing them since the mid-1990s.

Bloody fury

When both reared up to commence battle, they were each seven or eight feet tall. Both bulls were well-equipped with the customary raw and scarred necks, a brutal testimony to their ongoing maturity. However, one bull was a few feet longer, and weighed more than the challenger, but for the most part it didn’t seem to matter. During that time span, neither seal gave ground.

It didn’t take long for each bull to bloody the other. With their enormous upper bodies, they’d rear up and then

swing mightily at each other’s thick necks. On occasion, they’d swing at the lower body, hacking with their teeth. Both their floppy proboscises were also bloodied. Momentarily, they’d each get ahold of the other’s snout and tear it open. I was at least 75 yards to the south of them, but I could hear the dull thud every time one of the bulls connected with the other’s neck.

Change in venue

The fight that began on the grassy meadow near Highway 1, finished in the ocean in waist-to-chest-deep water. The

surf was chest-high, but there was never a wave that budged the two adversaries. And there was never a break in the action, as both animals were bloodied from the get-go.

Any other seals that were in their way either inch-wormed out of their path or were trampled, as the bulls moved down to the wet sand. Once on the hard mud pack, I could almost feel the reverberations beneath my feet, as they continued trading powerful blows.

Once they did reach the surf, the immediate water around them fluctuated between light pink and bright red. Waves continued crashing over them, and several times they briefly fought underwater. I’m not sure how the victor was determined, but over that period, the larger male made the challenger backpedal to the surf. However, the challenger delivered as much damage as the beachmaster. Eventually, the two separated. The younger, slightly smaller bull turned toward open water, and the beachmaster returned to its territory and harem.

Maybe next year, if they survive, those two colossal bulls could meet again on this same ragged beach and the outcome might be different. Still, for roughly 75 minutes, two pelagic marine mammals showed no signs of giving in.

Adventure and travel writer Chuck Graham lives in Carpinteria and contributes his writing and photography to publications far and wide. For more wildlife photos, visit chuckgrahamphoto.com or follow Graham on Instagram at @chuckgrahamphoto.

CHUCK GRAHAM PHOTOS

Proboscis to proboscis in the surf.

A northern elephant seal mom stays near her pup.

The females and pups battle.

Northbound Padaro lanes to open March 2; expect traffic shift

The new northbound lanes of the Padaro segment of Highway 101 will open on the night of Saturday, March 2, and local drivers are advised to be aware of new traffic patterns.

For regular closures along Highway 101, one northbound lane from Carpinteria Avenue to Hermosillo Road will be closed Mondays through Thursdays, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and Sunday nights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

On Saturday, March 2, the on- and off-ramps at North Padaro Lane and South Padaro and Santa Claus lanes will be closed from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. The northbound on-ramp at San Ysidro Road will remain closed until early 2025.

On the southbound side of the highway, one lane from Cabrillo Boulevard to Carpinteria Avenue, the on-ramp at Posilipo Road and the on- and off-ramps at North Padaro Lane will be closed Mondays through Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Sundays from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

On Sunday, Feb. 25, the off-ramp at Santa Claus Lane will be closed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The southbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road is expected to be closed until Summer 2024. –– Jun Starkey

Caltrans construction crews continue work on drainage improvements, rough grading and temporary shoring in the median along the Highway 101.

At the South Padaro Lane Undercrossing, Caltrans crews install safety barriers and retaining walls.