C21 Vista Santa Barbara

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Vista de Santa Barbara

Vista voice

REGION 21

Vista de Santa Barbara 6180 Via Real, Carpinteria, CA 93013 (805) 684-2313 / (805) 566-9205 Fax Email: vistasantabarbara@bandcmhc.com Onsite Managers: Diane & Luciano Vannucci DIRECT ALL BILLING QUESTIONS TO THE ONSITE MANAGER

Property Management Company:

611 Anton Blvd., Suite 890, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Bessire & Casenhiser, Inc.

Phone: (949) 515-5100 / Fax: (949) 515-5101

430 South San Dimas Ave.

http://www.millenniumhousing.com

San Dimas, CA 91773

President: George Turk V.P. / Chief Operating Officer: Lori Carraway Director of Asset Services: Diana Welsh SPARC Regional Director: Devin Fernandez

Michael Milan (909) 594-0501 Michael@bessire-casenhiser.com 1

The Vista Voice January 2026

Millennium Memo 2025 was an interesting year—but then, aren’t they all.

Here are a few highlights…

January Dates to Remember New Year’s Day

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Full Moon

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Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day

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New Moon

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Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

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Did You Know?

The coldest day ever recorded in the U.S. was in January: –80°F in Prospect Creek, Alaska (1971).

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Devin Fernandez, VSB’s SPARC Rep, had little Malcom, returned from Maternity Leave, bringing some fun programs. I hope you enjoyed the Master Gardeners visit, Alzheimer Presentation, Warm Kits, the Holiday Party…

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10 homes sold in the last 12 months, the most since 2020. The average price: 473,600, but 3 homes sold for $600K+. Your home remains a very valuable asset!

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VSB has a new & improved Kitchen. Imagine how much better the food will taste at the next party.

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In an amazing show of service to the Park, several of you spent many hours crafting a new set of Rules. A thankless job, but someone has to do it. Kudos to the Committee for taking on this task.

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My personal highlight: we celebrated the birth of our 8th grandchild! That will probably be our last, however.

Of course, some residents drove too fast, abused Guest Parking and didn’t pick up after their dogs, but those folks will do better in 2026, won’t they? Thanks to all of you, for making Vista de Santa Barbara such a special place.

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Millennium Memo continued...

Christmas in VSB 36 of you joined SPARC for a very fun Holiday Party, featuring lunch (Mollie’s Italian!), a live musician, raffle prizes…

Some good stuff was raffled, including a blanket poncho, plug-in lights and two highly coveted items: SPARC notepads and a SPARC mug. Imagine the breathless anticipation when those tickets were called!

After lunch, attendees did some artistic wreath decorating. Thanks to Devin & the folks at SPARC for sponsoring this great start to the holiday season.

Next up for SPARC: “Waves & Watercolors,” in partnership with Paint the Town.

Good Advice Gyms get crowded after the New Year. Better to wait for it to die down, usually around Jan. 2. It will be less hectic then.

Have a great 2026!

George Turk

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M anager’s Corner HAPPY NEW YEAR! If you made a resolution. I wish you lots of luck in making it happen. Resolutions have never been one of my strong points, but I keep making them because as they say, “if at first you don’t succeed, keep on trying till you do succeed”.

Reading meters has become much more timeconsuming due to residents not keeping the area around their meters clear. The law says a 36-inch minimum of clear space is to be maintained around all meters. This is both for maintenance and safety. I should not have to move your belongings when I am reading meters. When I have to move things, walk over garden hoses climb through bushes and such it becomes time consuming and dangerous. Please clear around your meters and maintain a 36-inch clearance.

Please do not park in the street. Per State Law and Park Rules and Regulations, street parking is not allowed. All streets are considered Fire Lanes and must be kept clear to allow for emergency vehicles. In case of a lifesaving emergency every second counts.

Luciano and Diane Vannucci

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President’s Perspective After a couple of months and a couple of meetings, it seems like the new Board is starting to work together. This does not mean we are always in agreement, but we are able to move forward to serve the VSB community.

I mentioned in the December Vista Voice that I would talk about the importance of the Board for the residents and some of the early problems the original Board faced. It turns out to be a more lengthy subject than I anticipated. A separate article might be in order, after some more research into the Board’s issues with the original owners.

In my relatively short time living in VSB the Board has worked with Millenium on projects such as: HVAC for the pool, new lights (a project which unfortunately is needing more attention), new driveways, new street coating, clubhouse new flooring and inside painting, new kitchen, new ADA bathrooms, new patio furniture, new landscaping for the clubhouse, front entrance landscaping and lighting, and watering infrastructure repairs.

The Board has monthly meetings, a General Meeting with the managers and Millennium once a year, hosts events and dinners, notifies residents of pressing issues, passes out new Resident Directories, and serves as the bridge between resi-

dents, managers and Millennium. The Board is a very important part of Vista de Santa Barbara, and the Board needs residents to volunteer to serve. It is very satisfying to be a part of this, and I feel many of you should give it a try. New residents bring new energy and new ideas, which are needed. Another way to look at this is that as new residents, the sooner you get onto the Board, the more benefit you will gain from ideas and changes you bring to VSB. Even without being on the Board, all are welcome to come to meetings and share ideas with us.

Last, again I want to mention that the Board could really use your voluntary contributions. I have heard from several residents that they were not even aware

of this or how to get the contributions to the Board. They can be given to any Board member or dropped into the wooden box in the clubhouse right outside Diane’s door. The suggested contribution has been $60, only $5 a month, but any amount would be appreciated.

Thanking you in advance.

Dennis Engler, Space #45 Cell (708) 288-1241 / Email: rainbowbw@aol.com 5

Vista de Santa Barbara (VDSB) Association of Homeowners (HOA)

Board of Directors Meeting December 2, 2025 6:00 pm - Clubhouse Attended: Dennis Engler, Diana Gray, Rob Hudson, Linda Ide, Michael Smith, Shirley Strickler, Winston Sullivan Call to Order: The Meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Board President, Dennis Engler Minutes of November 4 meeting: Reviewed and approved as written by Secretary, Diana Gray Business - Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer, Linda Ide presented the November 2025 report. The November balance of $3,417.45 includes the General Fund of $807.53 and $2,609.92 from the Millenium Fund. The balance of $3,417.45 reflects a $502 increase over last month. The increase is a result of $130 donations received.

Business - President’s Report: President Dennis Engler started with the topic of improvements requested by residents, which, he emphasized, are best communicated directly to the Resident Manager, rather than through Board intervention. A recent example of this more effective line of communication is when a resident requested to Diane an upgrade to compostable doggie bags in the park dispensors. Diane has already found a new supplier. Other requests taken to Diane are being taken care of like supplying a water dispenser in the clubhouse and cleaning of the club room floors – which is now on a maintenance schedule. Dennis also reported that he spoke with certain resident’s directly about the voluntary contribution which funds Board Insurance, and other Board initiated activities for residents. It became clear we should continue to communicate this information via different channels including word of mouth and the Vista Voice so residents have every possible opportunity to be informed. Dennis reported that Property Manager, Michael Milan has scheduled a visit to the park on December 8th. It is unclear how much time he will spend here, but Dennis will learn more so that he can update the Board. Dennis brought up the ongoing subject of the park lighting. There was much discussion about the need to fully explore the fixability of the current system, which, according to an attending resident, requires more research. President, Dennis also reported that the Clubhouse is scheduled to be painted. On that subject, he also noted that the area at the bottom of the pool that looks like it needs to be cleaned is actually chipped paint, the repair of which will require draining the water. Another pool issue is the scaled tiles in the jacuzzi. Dennis mentioned the need for capital improvements and the importance of addressing these issues before the next budget cycle.

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Business – New house placement: The discussion continued on set-backs and accountability to insure rules can be successfully implemented in advance of new home installation, Board members discussed having a basic form as evidence of criteria met. Other suggestions included management providing something like spray -painted boundary lines and/or story poles, which would provide greater accountability to transparency for all.

Business – Landscaping : A Board member inquired about plans to trim trees.

This requires follow-up and will be placed on the January VSB Board agenda. Landscaping is being successfully handled by an outside company.

Business – Events: Vice President, Shirley Strickler suggested the need for resident engagement as it concerns events and the possibility of a committee to help plan and execute social events with the idea of making it more enjoyable and accessible for all residents. Shirley also responded to cost concerns in this area and suggested there are ways to reduce the expenses, for example a Charcuterie and appetizer approach rather than providing a full meal. Other event ideas included a white elephant gift exchange post-holiday and other fund events like bingo.

Resident input: A resident pointed out that all homes that were on the market as of November have sold and many of them are being replaced. More recently there is one home that unexpectedly came on the market.

Robin Brandt has again kindly volunteered to update the resident directory as there have been many changes over time and many new owners. She has offered to distribute in every mailbox, a resident directory permission form requesting new and/or updated information.

The subject of street parking came up again. One resident reported ongoing incidences of non-compliant street parking and road blockages and suggested that signage is needed to underscore what is already stated in the resident’s rules and regulations. The resident proposed adding No Parking signs to the lampposts currently in place. One board member responded that if adopted, we should find a more aesthetically pleasing way to post these signs. Vice President Shirley responded that this parking problem is an issue which should first be addressed with the residents who agreed to parking rules when they first moved in. Shirley will follow-up with how best to communicate this.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 pm Next meeting, January 6, 2026, 6:00 pm Respectfully submitted by Diana Gray

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The timeless beauty of black and white photography...

Photography by Dennis Engler 8

ANNOUNCEMENTS VDSB Emergency Contact Email List: Our onsite park managers have created an emergency contact email list to be used to notify park residents of immediate, unscheduled park emergencies such as shutting off the water or gas parkwide. This emergency action would be necessary to avoid damage or destruction to the park or resident owned property. If you would like your email address added to the notification list, please contact Diane, our onsite park manager. This list is not to be confused with the Resident Directory for park residents.

Advanced Health Care Directive Assistance: Anyone needing assistance in completing a My-Care Advance Healthcare Directive may call Shirley Strickler at 661-204-0657 and she will gladly help.

EVENTS VDSB Association of Homeowners Board Meeting: Tuesday, January 6th at 6:00PM at the Clubhouse.

Coming Soon! SPARC Event—Waves and Watercolor: Join SPARC in the club-

house Wednesday, February 12th from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm for what is sure to be a very fun watercolor painting activity. Please sign up by February 4th.

ACTIVITIES Water Aerobics for Beginners Group: Water Aerobics is available on warm days. Text or call Judy at 805-729-2056 for details.

Exercise Class: Weekly exercise classes are fun! The Gym Next Door will be providing the instructor.

Class will not be held on January 1. Classes will resume Jan. 8, 2026.

Where: VDSB Clubhouse When: Every Thursday from 10:00am to 11:00am Class Limit: Class is limited to 15 participants.

Card Games: Interested in joining some card game get-togethers? To learn new games and enjoy playing with VSB neighbors, contact Suzy Kelsey (#12) at suzykmamama8@gmail.com

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SPARC NEWS

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Annual Disaster Preparedness Issue Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.

Step 1: Put together a plan by discussing these 4 questions with your family, friends, or household to start your emergency plan.

1. How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?

2. What is my shelter plan?

3. What is my evacuation route?

4. What is my family/household communication plan?

Step 2: Consider specific needs in your household.

As you prepare your plan, tailor your plans and supplies to your specific daily living needs and responsibilities. Discuss your needs and responsibilities and how people in the network can assist each other with communication, care of children, business, pets, or specific needs like the operation of durable medical equipment. Create your own personal network for specific areas where you need assistance. Keep in mind some of these factors when developing your plan: •

Different ages of members • within your household

Medical needs including • prescriptions & equipment

Cultural & religious considerations

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Responsibilities for assisting others

Disabilities or access & functional needs including devices & equipment

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Pets or service animals

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Households with schoolaged children

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Locations frequented

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Dietary needs

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Languages spoken

Step 3: Fill out a Family Emergency Plan Download and fill out a family emergency plan or use them as a guide to create your own.

Plans can be found at www.ready.gov and www.fema.gov.

Step 4: Practice your plan with your family / household

Important Checklists, Tips, and Information can be found at: www.fema.gov and www.ready.gov 13

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Mashed Potato Soup Ingredients: •

24 oz refrigerated premade mashed potatoes or 3 cups home-made

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2 cups chicken broth

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1 can sweet corn, drained

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2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

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1/2 cup chopped onion

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2 tbsp butter

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3/4 cup whole milk

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5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

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1 tbsp reserved bacon grease

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2 tbsp chopped chives plus extra for topping

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Shredded cheese for topping

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Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:  In a large frying pan, cook bacon until crisp then add in the chopped chives and mix to combine.  Drain the bacon grease, reserving 1 tbsp for soup and place on a plate lined with a paper tow and set aside.  In a large pot over medium high heat, add butt and allow to melt. Add chopped onion and cook until just tender, about 33 minutes. Add in chicken broth, corn (drained), reserved bacon grease and chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.  Add in milk and mashed potatoes and stir until combined. Continue to simmer until heated through, season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with cooked bacon/ chive mixture and shredded cheese.  Serve and enjoy.

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Puzzles and Word Games you can use

Indian Food

Emotional Response Across 1. Gym set 5. Darling 8. “I, Claudius” role 9. Band member 11. Apple spray 12. Face-to-face exam 13. Buttonwood 15. In-flight info, for short 16. Close call 21. Halftime lead, e.g.

22. Wyle of “ER” 24. Horace volume 25. Coastal raptor 26. Balaam’s mount

ALOO GOBI

NAAN

BARFI

PAKORA

BIRIYANI

PARATHA

Down

CHAAT

RAS MALAI

1. Biochemistry abbr.

CHANA MASALA

ROGAN JOSH

2. Congers

DAL MAKHANI

SAMBAR

3. Beseech

DAL TADKA

SAMOSA

4. Witch

GULAB JAMUN

SHAHI PANEER

5. Food poisoning

IDLI

TANDOORI

6. 100 cents

KULFI

CHICKEN

LASSI

VADA PAV

MASALA DOSA

VINDALOO

27. Attends

7. Alpine transport

10. A pint, maybe 14. Store convenience, for short 16. “The Matrix” hero 17. Icelandic epic 18. Long, long time 19. Achy 20. All there 23. “For ___ a jolly ...”

The headline is a clue to the answer in the diagonal.

January Sudoku How to solve sudoku puzzles No math is required to solve a sudoku. You only need logic and patience.

Simply make sure that each 3x3 square region has only one instance of the numbers 1-9.

Similarly, each number can only

appear once in a column or row in the larger grid. The difficulty on this puzzle is medium.

TRIVIA TEASER

American history 1. Which U.S. President arranged the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803? a-John Quincy Adams, b-James Monroe, c-Thomas Jefferson, d-James Madison.

2. From what country did the United States purchase Alaska in 1867? a-Spain, b-Russia, c-Japan, d-Canada.

3. Which city served as the capital of the United States for ten years prior to the capital's move to Washington, D.C.? aNew York City, b-Nashville, c-Philadelphia, d-Boston.

4. The Star-Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key during which war? a-American Revolution, b-The War of 1812, c-French-Indian War, d-U.S. Civil War. 5. Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits the President to serving no more than two terms? a-18th, b-19th, c-20th, d-22nd.

6. The word "gerrymander," meaning to fiddle with electoral boundaries, takes its name from Elbridge Gerry, a former governor of which U.S. state? a-Massachusetts, b-Maine, c-Illinois, dNew Hampshire.

7. Which politician created the Share Our Wealth program in 1934, with the motto "Every Man a King," guaranteeing every family a basic household grant of $5,000? a-Herbert Hoover, b-Franklin D. Roosevelt, c-Andrew Mellon, d-Huey Long.

8. Which state capital was founded

by John Sutter in 1840? a-Providence, Rhode Island, b-Raleigh, North Carolina, c-Des Moines, Iowa, d-Sacramento, California.

9. Which U.S. President's image appeared on a dollar coin from 1971-78? a-Dwight Eisenhower, b-John F. Kennedy, c-George Washington, d-Jimmy Carter.

10. Who was the first president to appoint an African American to his Cabinet? a-Jimmy Carter, b-Theodore Roosevelt, c-Bill Clinton, d-Lyndon Johnson.

Quotes

The Lighter Side

There is no such thing as can't or won't.

If you're qualified, all it takes is a burning desire to accomplish, to make a change. Go forward, go backward.

Whatever it takes! You can't blame other people or society in general. It all comes from your mind. When we do the impossible, we realize we are special people.

Jan Ashford

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love. It is the prerogative of the brave.

Mohandas Gandhi

On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.

Aldous Huxley

If you pursue money and affluence to the exclusion of the values in life, you have lost, not won.

Jim Rohn

People who consider themselves victims of circumstances, will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives.

Stedman Graham.

Your three best doctors are time, faith and patience.

From a fortune cookie

This is the time when we must firmly choose the course we will follow, or the relentless drift of events will make the decision for us.

Herbert Prochnow

Here is a test to determine whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't.

Richard Bach

One of the greatest discoveries people make is to find they can do what they were afraid they couldn't do.

Henry Ford

Poor speller "Hello, 911? Please come right away. My wife was just attacked by a wart hog!"

"What is your address?"

"181 Eucalyptus Street."

"Could you spell that?" " ... I'll just drag her over to Oak Street."

Terrible phenomenon In one hospital's Intensive Care Unit, patients in one bed always died at about 11 a.m. on Sunday morning. A worldwide team of experts was assembled to investigate. On Sunday, they waited outside the ward to see what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some prayed or held holy objects to ward off the evil spirits.

As the clock struck 11 a.m., the part-time Sunday cleaner, entered the ward.

He unplugged the life support system so he could plug in the vacuum cleaner.

Grief and suffering A dietitian was addressing a large audience in Chicago: "The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed us. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks erode your stomach lining. Chinese food has MSG. And vegetables can be disastrous.

"But one thing is the most dangerous of all and we all have eaten it or will eat it. What food causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?"

A 75-year-old in the front row stood up and said, "Wedding cake."

Answers to 'American history' 1-c, Thomas Jefferson 2-b, Russia 3-c, Philadelphia 4-b, The War of 1812 5-d, 22nd 6-a, Massachusetts 7-d, Huey Long 8-d, Sacramento, California 9-a, Dwight Eisenhower 10-d, Lyndon Johnson