Diamond’s Parade – As movie crews flood Montecito, Creek studies the kingmaker behind the boom, and the silence surrounding a death in Ch. 7 of Last Light, P.5
Masked & Magnificent – Montessori Center School’s Masquerade Ball filled Rosewood Miramar Beach with elegance, dancing, and record-setting generosity, P.14
Being Friends of State Street, page 21
and
Montecito friends, extended family, and a touch of opera made Teresa and Rick’s Valentine’s Music Academy wedding unforgettable, page 8
A rental truck, relentless wind, and 1,500 miles of dirt roads fuel this darkly humorous Patagonia adventure… Read an excerpt from Dale Zurawski’s memoir before her Tecolote talk… And while you’re at Tecolote… don’t forget to buy your copy of Last Light in Paradise!
(Story starts on page 12)
Going on your own wild adventure soon? Check out these diseaseresistant tips from Director of Travel & Tropical Medicine Center, Dr. Scully
(Story starts on page 25)
Tatty Hennessy’s adaptation brings Orwell’s cautionary tale to UCSB, confronting power, propaganda, and personal responsibility, page 18
5
Discover a world of upscale exploration—where extraordinary African safaris, scenic luxury trains, and the beauty of immersive North American cruising come together to inspire you in one evening.
SANTA BARBARA TRAVEL
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 • 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
For location details, please RSVP by Feb 27, 2026 to HTinker@SBTravel.com or 805-969-7746
Montecito Reads – As Hollywood floods Santa Barbara with promise, Creek senses something darker beneath the spectacle
6 Beings and Doings – Nearing completion, Sanctuary Centers’ new downtown center will be a throbbing heart through which community flows and is reoxygenated; Mental Health Care as selfaffirming village.
8 Montecito Miscellany – The Music Academy filled with friends, family and love for a Valentine’s Day wedding between Teresa and Rick
10 News Bytes – One week left to submit Lucky’s pics, Black History Month events, Girls Inc. Carp fundraiser, and other tidbits
Letter to the Editor – Carlos the Bear’s new den and digs
Notes – Rough rides without
through southern Patagonia – an excerpt from
The Society Edit – A Montessori masquerade ball plus updates on Monte’s, the newest eatery to come to CVR
16 Hot Topics – ‘Tis the season to get chippin’… here are the details on Montecito Fire’s Neighborhood Chipping Program
18 Sporting Life – Skip the major league crowds… MLB-caliber talent is developing quietly on UCSB’s intimate diamond
On Entertainment – UCSB’s Animal Farm feels less historical than current, MORE theater, and there’s no short supply of screenings postSBIFF
20 SBIFF Notes – Reflections on the Women’s Panel and the wonderful talent that filled it
21 The Giving List – Amid debate over cars, Friends of State Street is connecting culture, commerce, and community on Santa Barbara’s main street
22 An Independent Mind – Why the belief system of Santa Barbara’s City Council falls under “magical thinking”
23 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – An old 400-pound butcher block tells of logging magnates, the Paris World’s Fair, and remnants of relationships
25 Travel Buzz – Taking a trip? An MClub talk by Dr. Mary-Louise Scully reveals all your travel disease needs
27 Your Westmont – A student screenwriter premieres her film at SBIFF, and the college hosts a Super Bowl for mathletes
28 Curator’s Choice – Dodos, a Rodrigues Solitaire, and other Extinct Birds Sheriff’s Blotter
30 Meeting at MA – Students fundraise for blood cancer research, board leadership advances accountability measures, and expanded opportunities for involvement
31 Robert’s Big Questions – When and why do we save others from oppression?
36
Calendar of Events – The Crescent City comes to town with some Mardi Gras magic, farewell to Pocket Fox, free museums and more this week
38
39
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads
Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles Local Business Directory
Every now and then, a story comes along that refuses to stay put. It lingers on your nightstand. It sneaks into conversation. For us, Last Light in Paradise is one of those stories, and we’re delighted to let it loose, one chapter at a time, in the pages of the Montecito Journal. Well, at least the first six chapters for the time being – then you can purchase the book at one of our local beloved bookstores (Chaucer’s, Tecolote, and Godmothers) or from the QR code below.
This book marks a first for us… Last Light in Paradise is the inaugural book published by MJ Media Group. Yes, we’re dipping a toe – perhaps a barefoot run – into the world of book publishing, guided entirely by our belief in a novel that is as cinematic as it is soulful, as local as it is timeless.
Set against the luminous backdrop of 1930s Santa Barbara, this is a tale of love and loss, mystery and reckoning, populated by unforgettable characters and infused with the kind of atmosphere that feels both dreamlike and deeply true. We invite you to settle in, turn the page, and join us at the edge of paradise… just as the light begins to change.
6
by Michael C. Armour
Chapter 7
They sat in the hot, leather-smelling, farm-smelling, machine-smelling Ford parked beside the station as Creek wrote in his notebook while Billy tried to look at everything in the cab of the old truck, wanting his someday truck to be just like it.
“Where we going?” the kid asked.
“Up-country.”
“The rez?”
Creek nodded.
“What are you writing?”
“Questions. Stuff that might have shown up on the autopsy.” He turned to Billy. “Where are the movie people?”
“That’s not the rez.”
“Not going to stir them up, Billy. Just want to see the players. Then we’ll go on up to the rez.” Creek wrote some more, then closed the book and laid it on the seat.
“They’re all at the Biltmore. You think it wasn’t an accident?”
“Think one way, feel another.” Creek let it ride; so did Billy.
“You gonna take your gun out again?” Billy asked.
“Not in front of people. Once ought to do it.”
Billy thought hard before speaking about his boss, Sheriff Wade.
“He’s just… old,” Billy said, “and set. Like a broke finger or a crooked foot. It’s his yard is all. And you’re new. He’s got a scratchy bedside manner, but he’s easy with us, and he has a good heart. Oughta see him at Christmastime.”
“Maybe I was a little fast with him,” Creek said and backed the truck up. The shift was long and solid and the gears protested coming back into first, but the truck drove away nicely. Billy was hoping to be seen in it before they left town.
“The Biltmore?” Billy asked.
Creek nodded and said, “Want to see this famous yacht. Biggest in the world. Cursed, I hear. Everyone ever owned her had bad luck.”
Traffic stalled at the crossing of El Camino Real, where a large crowd had gathered to watch the procession of movie traffic, up from L.A., heading north
Montecito Reads Page 344
Join us for AI in Surgery: Implications for the Future of Healthcare Systems. This free public presentation discusses how artificial intelligence, robots, neural networks and machine learning fit in with healthcare — specifically surgery.
Wolf Education & Training Center 529 West Junipero St., Santa Barbara Thursday, March 12, 2026 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Please RSVP to Danielle Cassidy at 805-681-7528 or Danielle.Cassidy@sutterhealth.org
Presented by
Ram Nirula, M.D., MPH, FACS D.Rees and Eleanor T. Jensen Presidential Chair in Surgery Chief, Division of General Surgery University of Utah Health
University of Utah Hospital
The Dr. Ronald G. Latimer Visiting Professor of Surgery Education Program
by Jeff Wing
Barry Schoer , president and longtime driving dynamo of Sanctuary Centers, is walking me around the half-completed structure on west Anapamu. This capstone project has been a long time coming. What does “long time” mean, exactly? The A-Team (remember Mr. T?) made its splashy TV debut the same year Barry Schoer’s ideas began coalescing – a marker historians refer to as “1983.” That year Schoer signed on as executive director with an outfit called Sanctuary House, whose then-President had inveighed upon the young firebrand to join the team.
Schoer moved out here from NYC in the mid-seventies, having worked post-grad at a number of places in NY, including the spirit-breaking Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital. As a kid some years before, Schoer had glimpsed Santa Barbara in the company of his cousin, to whose poppy-fueled California bakery the precocious 11-year-old runaway had made a cross-country pilgrimage. Schoer the kid had been in full flight from a home life destabilized by his mother’s tenuous mental health. Yeah, same Barry Schoer [see Part I]. To what degree any of this early Candide-stuff explains the driven adult Schoer – I’ll leave that to you, reader. Suffice it to say the guy’s passions were not pulled out of a top hat.
“The first floor is counseling, case management, and psychiatry,” Schoer explains as we approach the frightening cage that will hoist us to the building’s mid-section.
“The second and third floor are independent living, similar to our two other apartment buildings. The fourth and fifth floor…” he says, and reconnoiters.
“I first started scratching my head about 15 years ago. There’s a certain
number of clients who are never going to live fully independently. They live at home and their parents are in their 70s, they’re in their 80s. Their parents are aging out and when they’re gone, these people may wind up in horrific board and care homes, of which we have a fair number in Santa Barbara.” Schoer turns to look at me. “What happens to these people?”
That perennially vexing question is the To Be or Not to Be of this build. Sanctuary Centers, begun some 50 years ago as the pharma-free Sanctuary House, has taken many evolutionary forms over the years under Schoer’s direction, long since embodying residential treatment, co-located integrative care, and even Supportive Housing. The goal? Ushering the formerly hopeless into lives of nourishing independence.
This consolidating build now unifies and burnishes those elements and could be described as Sanctuary Centers’
&
Page 264
by Richard Mineards & Friends
Montecito was abuzz for the Valentine’s Day wedding of Teresa Kuskey and Rick Oshay at the sprawling Music Academy of the West. The well-manicured gardens and historic setting provided the perfect backdrop for a spectacular and memorable night of dance, celebration,
friends, family and love.
A throng of 175 community members enjoyed the fun and well-orchestrated festivities.
Guests joined groom Rick Oshay in elegant black tie or followed bride Teresa’s theme of red, pink and burgundy.
The families of the bride and groom were proudly in attendance. Rick’s three children – Kathryn, Rachel, and Samuel – and extended family members from
as far away as Israel and Europe joined Teresa’s five children – Ray, Mikey, Luke, Ben and Lucia – her mother, Mariana Kuskey, brother Eric Kuskey, and many cousins for a memorable evening.
Following a garden reception, guests were invited to witness the wedding nuptials and see the elegant and glamorous bride for the first time. In a very touching moment, the groom’s son Samuel played his guitar and sang “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran for Teresa’s much-anticipated bridal procession.
A special part of the wedding ceremony was the blending of religions as both Rabbi Daniel Brenner from Temple B’nai B’rith, and Father Larry Gosselin of Old Mission Santa Barbara presided.
Father Larry offered a message of ‘love and friendship, peace and pleasure.’ At one point saying, “May the voices of this celebration be raised up and heard throughout the streets of Santa Barbara, California, the world, and the hills of all countrysides.”
Indeed they were!
The night included a wedding feast, several eloquent toasts, ballet dancers and opera singers, and ended with the cutting of the cake by bride and groom. What a night!
To pull off Teresa and Rick’s wedding vision – regal, loving, holy, romantic, and formal – an excellent team came together including Islay Events, Simply Cocktails!, Seasons Catering, Hogue Flowers, Ventura Rentals, The Brides Side, A&J Limos, BlueStar Parking, DJ Darla Bea, and La Boheme Dancers.
“I was raised in the Arts, especially ballet, and wanted to showcase that influence in my life!” said the new Mrs. Oshay. “Rick and I wanted this to be a gift to our friends and family on Saint Valentine’s Day!”
And indeed it was. by David Bolton
by MJ Staff
From brioche French toast on lazy mornings to prime rib before the big show, Lucky’s has long been “Montecito’s Second Living Room.” For 25 years, this beloved steakhouse has been serving unforgettable meals – and creating cherished memories for our community.
Now it’s time to celebrate, and this is the last week to submit your photos and stories for Lucky’s 25th anniversary tribute.
Let’s all celebrate what makes Montecito feel Lucky’s!
The deadline to submit photos and stories is Sunday, February 22. Please send them to letters@montecitojournal.net
- Book Release Party: We Were Here, We Are Here: A Living History of Black Santa Barbara by Simone Akila Ruskamp and illustrated by Reyna Iman – Saturday, February 21, 4-6 pm at the SB Eastside Library
- Soulful Nights: A Jazz & Movie Celebration – Friday, February 27, 6-8 pm, at Carpinteria Community Library
- Stories in Motion: A Family Celebration – Saturday, February 28, 10:00 a.m. to noon, at SB Eastside Library
- Exhibit all of February: For the Love of Our People by Healing Justice SB (HJSB) – A Black Historical Timeline exhibition, on display daily at the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Central Branch. This living timeline
has been researched and cultivated over many years by Leticia Forney Resch, Krystle Farmer Sieghart, with support by HJSB staff and community partners. Written and designed by Simone Akila Ruskamp and Maile Diana Schoonover. “Our deep gratitude to UCSB Special Collections for archival support, and to our elder angel, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, whose legacy continues to guide this work.”
- All February: Dune Coffee’s blend “Black is Beautiful” proceeds support HJSB.
The annual Museums Free-for-All day of free museum admissions is on February 22. Participating are SB Museum of Natural History and the SBMA. Check all local museum listings for details, reservations, hours and tickets.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is holding their 6th Annual Give Kids a Smile free dental checkup event on February 25, free for all kids regardless of income and insurance. The event is at 90 Via Juana Lane on the Santa Ynez Reservation. The event provides children ages 12 and under with free dental work, including exams, cleanings and more. “Our dental clinic looks forward to this event every year as a chance to prioritize pediatric oral health and make a genuine, lasting impact on the well-being of our youngest patients,” said Dr. Mike Savidan, dental director
for the Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic. Appointments required. 411: https://sythc.org/
The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District welcomes a new leader as veteran fire service professional Dan Stefano officially begins his role as fire chief on Monday, according to a press release from the district. He replaces chief Robert Kovach who retired from the district on Jan. 23. Stefano brings more than 30 years of fire service experience to the district, having served in a wide range of operational and executive leadership positions across Southern California. He most recently served as fire chief for the city of Costa Mesa, where he oversaw major infrastructure and training investments, including the development of new fire stations and a Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center aimed at improving firefighter safety, preparedness, and regional collaboration.
Chabad of Montecito invites community to the Purim in Africa event, March 2. Program includes drum circle, Megillah reading, African Cuisine and Purim gameshow. Registration required. 411: www.jewishmontecito.org
Jamie Collings, executive director of Girls Inc. Carpinteria invites locals to their annual fundraiser, titled “Watch Her Rise,” March 7, 5-9 pm at the Girls Inc. Campus on Foothill Road. Event Sponsors are Linda Fairly and Raymond James Financial. The event honors Paul and Cheryl Wright, owners of Island Brewing Company. Event features dinner, signature cocktails and dancing with DJ Darla Bea
He was happy, dancing in his nearly empty kitchen. And then sad, because of all the memories he had in this den. Fragmented, emotionally and overwhelmed physically with moving; what’s a bear to do?
Dance!!
His clouds lifted, and he felt better with his radio on KTYD, playing the rock and roll that he grew up with, he wanted to let the good times roll while puttering about, throwing out this and that while deciding what to put in storage.
By miracle, with help of friends, he had a new den and would stay in The Cito.
Carlos was a Grateful Dancing Bear! - Michael Edwards, AKA Carlos the Bear
Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net
newspaper
President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net
Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net
MoJo Contributing Editor | Christopher Matteo Connor
Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe
Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña
Administrative Assistant | Jessica Shafran VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Joe DeMello
Features | Jeff Wing
Proofreading | Helen Buckley
Contributors | Scott Craig Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Houghton Hyatt
Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Gossip | Richard Mineards
History | Hattie Beresford
Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri
Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli
Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook
Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
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Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.
How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net
by Dale Zurawski
This article is an excerpt from the book The Travel Bitch: Bouncing Across the Globe on a Bipolar High. Copies are available online at DaleZurawski.com, and, of course, at Tecolote during the event. Complimentary wine and light snacks will be served.
Before we left for Southern Patagonia, our South American travel agent insisted, “The most important thing to remember is you must go with a driver and a guide. The roads are terrible, and each hotel is isolated. There are no gas stations between hotels, and no place to stay if you cannot reach the next hotel.”
“What about just a driver? Do we need a guide also?” I bargained.
“Yes, of course you need a guide. The drivers speak Spanish. They don’t speak English. The guide will be your interpreter. Plus, the hiking places are not easy to find, and you need so much information.”
Admitting defeat, I said, “Okay, don’t worry. We’ll use both a guide and a driver.”
To reach Patagonia, we would first fly to Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city. Chile, sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, is the longest and skinniest country in the world. Santiago sits about the midway point along the length. Changing planes in Santiago, we would then fly south 2,000 miles to Coyhaique. From the airport in Coyhaique, we would begin a threeweek road trip through Patagonia.
Patagonia is vast, extending over 400,000 square miles. With a population density of just five people per square mile, it is one of the most sparsely inhabited areas in the world. It encompasses fjords on the west coast, expansive grasslands with rolling hills to the east, and the snow-capped Andes Mountains separating the two.
On our journey from the north to the south, we would drive through both Chile and Argentina, covering three to four hours each day, mostly on dirt roads, with a three-day stay in almost all locations. Finally, we would drop off the rental car in Punta Arenas and continue to Antarctica.
That night, Geoff received a package from Amazon: The Lonely Planet Guide to Patagonia
“Hey, honey, look! The trip the travel agent planned is exactly the same as in this book. I thought it was uniquely designed for us. Wait, here are the hotels we are staying in. And there’s driving instruction. We don’t need a driver. We can drive there ourselves.”
A few minutes later, he told me: “We can rent a truck one way from Coyhaique to Punta Arenas. There is a manual four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi. They do not allow extra gas cans, but this truck was specifically designed for Patagonia. We can go 400 miles without refueling.”
Here is why I agreed to go against professional advice and drive, without a guide, a four-wheel-drive pick-up on dirt roads in one of the most remote areas in the world. On Geoff’s list of things he wanted to do before he died was drive from the southern tip of South America to the United States. I agreed to the Patagonia trip since we’d only be going a fraction of that distance. Besides, I was a travel writer and needed a good story.
A travel website (LandTravel.com), describes Chile’s 7,770 unpaved miles as a way to explore wild Patagonia. “Its current configuration is an incongruous jumble of driftable gravel, flour-fine dust, potholed tarmac, and perfect concrete. Road materials can change three times within a mile, demanding concentration.” I found this to be accurate, except for the perfect concrete.
The first road we took out of the airport was Ruta 7. It was brain-rattling and dusty, with a surprising number of cars and bicyclists. Each time a vehicle
Book Notes Page 294
by Joanne A Calitri
The Montessori Center School held its annual formal gala with a Masquerade Ball theme on Friday evening, February 7, at the Rosewood Miramar Beach.
The elegant event offered a champagne and cocktail reception with 80 Silent Auction items focused on experiences of health, travel, wine, and hobbies. There was a sit-down dinner and open bar, and masks were made available for the maskless. Guests were welcomed with a photo op area on check-in, and by 30 dance team members of the La Boheme Dance Group with their leader Teresa Kuskey DJ Gavin Roy Productions got the crowd moving with an afterparty featuring dancing, cocktails, and casino tables. Truly a great night out for the parents.
The gala was headed by Event Chair Kacy Cristofani, primary head teacher of the silver door class. Her Gala Planning Committee members were Ariana ArcenasUtley, Ingrid Vogelgesang, Jill Allstadt, Heather Van Buren, Kristin Khuri, Tara Penke, Catalina Grana, Bobby Georges, Vanessa Jackson, Lisa Lavora-De Beule, Kim Malloy, Jennifer Montague, Esther Jolalpa, and Kim Yeoman
The program commenced with welcomes and introductions by the auctioneer and emcee, former student’s parent Timothy Morton-Smith. He started the fundraising with the Heads/Tails game that garnished $20,000, and proceeded to the live auction items, which traditionally
Society Edit Page 244
Delighted attendees numbered over 235, and included parents and grandparents of students, as well as those who still support the school after their children have graduated. Also attending were Board of Trustees Amy MacLeod (president), Brandi Redman (vice president), Christina Jones (treasurer), Royce Borgeson (secretary), Caroline Fisher (trustee), Raine Hahn (trustee), Aniko Kim (trustee), Sachin Lad (trustee), Pam Powers (trustee), and Dasha Russ (trustee), plus Head of School Vanessa Jackson with approximately 45 “staffulty” and their significant others.
MASTERSERIES AT THE LOBERO THEATRE SEASON SPONSOR: ESPERIA FOUNDATION
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2026, 7:30 PM
Randall Goosby, violin
The self-conducted Sphinx Virtuosi—18 outstanding Black and Latinx string players—return with Visions of Peace. Joined by rising-star violinist Randall Goosby, the ensemble weaves a powerful narrative of resilience and shared humanity. The Washington Post hails their playing for its “immeasurable power, unwavering command, and soulful beauty.”
Works by JOSÉ WHITE LAFITTE, CLARICE ASSAD, JESSIE MONTGOMERY, WILLIAM GRANT STILL, QUENTO XAVIER BLACHE, SERGEI PROKOFIEV, and MANUEL PONCE
EXCLUSIVE CONCERT SPONSORS
Marta Holsman Babson and Bitsy Becton Bacon
Visions of Peace Free Educational Event | Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West
at The Lobero Theatre Box Office ⫽ (805) 963-0761 ⫽ lobero.org
ALEJANDRA SWITALA, violin | QUENTON XAVIER BLACHE, cello MARCH 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West
FREE OF CHARGE | RESERVATIONS REQUIRED CALL THE CAMA OFFICE (805) 966-4324
EDUCATIONAL EVENT SPONSOR The Henry E. and Lola Monroe Foundation Mr. F. Robert Miller III
COMMUNITY ARTS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF SANTA BARBARA • camasb.org
by Christina Atchison
There’s a new buzz in Montecito –foreshadowing warmer, drier days to come.
It’s the buzz of a chipping machine turning branches and brush into millions of tiny woodchips.
Montecito Fire Department’s Neighborhood Chipping Program is now 17 years running. This year’s program kicked off February 9. The 10-week program will run every other week through June 15.
The program is strategically timed to remove hundreds of tons of flammable vegetation from Montecito prior to the peak wildfire season in late summer and fall.
Residents are asked to focus their efforts within 100 feet of structures, driveways and roadways to meet state and local requirements for defensible space.
Cut vegetation should then be stacked along your curb to be chipped and hauled to a recycling center by Montecito Fire’s designated contractor, Frontcountry Tree Care Inc.
The Chipping Program is facilitated by Montecito Fire’s two Wildland Fire Specialists, Maeve Juarez and Nic Elmquist
“Every year, the Chipping Program gets bigger, and more community members ask us to bring the service to their neighborhood,” Juarez said.
In 2026, Juarez says the program expanded to several neighborhoods near Jameson Lane and Olive Mill Road.
“That ends up being over 100 more properties than the year before,” she said.
Nearly 600 homes have been added to the program over the last four years.
The Neighborhood Chipping Program is offered to 1,870 residents in Montecito’s Very High Fire Severity Zone. This zone has been identified to be at greatest risk of significant wildfire impacts and therefore has been prioritized for wildfire prevention work.
In 2025, about 350 tons of flammable vegetation were removed from Montecito during the Chipping Program.
A total of 300 properties participated in the program last year – a number Elmquist and Juarez hope to see increase substantially in 2026.
“The effectiveness of this program is exponential, and by that I mean for every property that participates, our overall resilience as a community increases,” Elmquist said. “There’s no cost to participate and we’ll help residents figure out what needs to be done on their property.”
Community members may request a property visit by Montecito Fire Department. They will provide guidance on optimal ways to trim back vegetation on a property, as well as along driveways and roadways to create safer evacuation routes for the community and clear access for first responders.
Over the coming weeks, roll-off containers will be stationed in 20 designated locations to collect materials that cannot be processed by the chipping machine. That includes vines, leaves, grass, succulents, palm fronds, firewood and small trimmings.
To view the roll-off locations, an interactive map for the program and additional details, visit montecitofire.com/neighborhoodchipping-program. To schedule a property visit, call (805) 969-7762 or email prevention@montecitofire.com.
by Steven Libowitz
Local baseball lovers who whooped it up as the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first back-to-back world series winners in a quarter century, were thrilled to see the team enhance its reputation as this era’s Evil Empire – once again signing the top-rated free agent Kyle Tucker to a massive contract in a bid to match the 1998-2000 Yankees in achieving a three-peat.
But you don’t have to brave traffic or pay the exorbitant parking and ticket prices to see topflight players do their thing on the diamond, at least in the “amateur” world. That’s because the UCSB Gauchos boast the No. 1 college pitching prospect in junior Jackson Flora for the second consecutive year, as Flora stands ready to succeed last year’s sensation Tyler Bremner in topping the list on just about every pre-season poll and mock draft out there.
Flora joins two more ex-Gauchos in a chance to enter the first round of the
2026 MLB draft in June, following in the footsteps of Dillon Tate, who was taken by the Texas Rangers with the No. 4 pick in 2015, and Michael McGreevy, who the St. Louis Cardinals nabbed at No. 18 in 2021. Bremner for his part set a new record last summer when the Los Angeles Angels selected the star hurler at No. 2, signing him to a contract worth more than $7.5 million. And that’s not even counting Shane Bieber, who was drafted at No. 122 in 2016, and won the Cy Young Award four years later.
What all those pitchers have in common is having been recruited and developed by Andrew Checketts, the UCSB coach who is just starting his 15th season at the helm.
“We have a bit of a model, a system for the things that we look for in recruiting,” Checketts said when asked how he’s had such a string of success with starters. “We look for athletic projectable strike throwers that have some feel
by Steven Libowitz
Eighty years after its publication, George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm resonates in our world, speaking as sharply to the abuses of authoritarianism across the globe today as it did in addressing Stalinist Russia and the dangers of communism in 1945.
The actor-director Andy Serkis –famed for his motion capture and voice-over roles for such characters such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the title role of King Kong, and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes – started working on Animal Farm as an animated feature in the early 2000s, right around the same time that playwright Tatty Hennessy wrote a new stage adaptation.
While Serkis’ Animal Farm hits theaters in May, UCSB Theatre’s student production of Hennessy’s version arrives in town this weekend, offering five performances over the February 20-22 weekend at the Hatlen Theatre on campus. Perhaps surprisingly, bringing Orwell to the stage came at the suggestion of the theater department students themselves.
“It was a great idea,” said Sara Rademacher, the UCSB lecturer who is directing the production. “We haven’t done anything this ambitious and epic that needs the big proscenium stage in quite a while.”
Even more exciting, she said, is the opportunity to bring the adaptation to campus, given its theatrical scope and the up-to-the-minute themes.
“It’s very contemporary,” Rademacher said. “It doesn’t shy away from anything, coming off as very connected to the politics and the revolutions and rebellions that are happening as we speak… I started reading the script months ago and the headlines are showing up every day that are relevant. Right now, we’re seeing this authoritarianism playing out by questioning what the laws of the land are and if they’re actually enforceable.”
To emphasize that aspect, the production will project images onto a screen that is part of the set – images that have populated the actors’ social media and been roundly discussed throughout the rehearsal process.
Page 324
Deported: The Price of Our Prosperity
Thu, Mar 5 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
FREE for UCSB students
“Democracy doesn’t work without a free and fair press, and we can’t trust institutions to give democracy to us.”
–Caitlin Dickerson
A staff writer at The Atlantic and formerly with The New York Times and NPR, Dickerson will illuminate how Immigration and Customs Enforcement carries out its mandate.
National Book Award Winner
Ibram X. Kendi
Tue, Apr 7 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
FREE for UCSB students
FREE copies of Kendi’s new book, Chain of Ideas , will be available while supplies last (pick up at event, one per household)
“The greatest service Kendi [provides] is the ruthless prosecution of American ideas about race for their tensions, contradiction and unintended consequences.” The Washington Post
Tue, Apr 14 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
FREE for UCSB students
“An indispensable voice of and for this moment.”
– Timothy Snyder (author of On Tyranny)
As contemporary autocrats promise a return to an imaginary, safer past, M. Gessen argues that the antidote to the politics of the past is an inspiring politics of the future. What might that future be, and can we see its early outlines if we look closely?
by Sigrid Toye
The 41st Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has completed yet another voyage around the sun. Under the capable baton of Executive Director Roger Durling and his talented team the festival remains dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema and attracting Oscar nominated talent worldwide. Over 100,000 attendees reveled in 200 plus films, tributes and symposiums. Along with the festival, considered one of the top ten in the United States, the SBIFF, a 501(c)(3) a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the education and support of young filmmakers and expanding Santa Barbara’s platforms and theater spaces. How’s that for a jewel in the crown of our city?
As a super movie geek, I’m thrilled that half the films screened were directed/ produced by women. Women filmmakers now represent a paradigm shift… or could it be that film as art has simply returned to its roots? During the indus-
try’s formative years women were the strongest presence behind the camera as directors, screenwriters, producers, as well as crew. When movies became commercially viable in the 1930s and ‘40s, women were ignored or pushed out. Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino come to mind as survivors.
Today’s cinema universe is increasingly populated by women... and in multiple capacities! As producer of the documentary film Gaslit, screened on February 5th at the Riviera Theatre, Jane Fonda blends her passion as a lifelong activist with her talents as an actor, producer, businesswoman and educator. Although born in New York City, the daughter of legendary actor Henry Fonda is very much a child of ‘Hollywood,’ the mythical land that extends across the globe. In the shadow of a difficult and distant father her childhood was complicated, body image and talent as painful themes. Being told by Lee Strasberg, the guru of Method Acting, that she had ‘real talent’ gave her courage and the self-confidence to launch an award-packed career as an actor, and to become the passionate political activist she is today.
emigrating to the United States on her own. Massachusetts and Mount Holyoke College was her next stop, minoring in film. Finally, she found her way to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where her first films were made. Today she is the second woman, first Asian female, to win a Best Director Oscar for Nomadland.
In the film Gaslit, Fonda, as both host and producer, joined a group of local activists showcasing the devastation in the Texas oil fields and the processing plants along the Gulf Coast that refine oil for liquified natural gas, and related products. How the oil industry continues to expand – forcing residents from their ancestral homes, destroying the land, pumping methane into the atmosphere causing a tidal wave of cancer deaths – is mind blowing. As environmental concerns are at issue globally, 99% of LNG and related products are exported overseas at the expense of America’s health and the global environment. Post film, with director Katie Camosy and protestor Diane Wilson, Fonda stated, “It’s almost unfathomable when you see the destruction that’s happened to the lives of the people who live in Texas and Louisiana. We need to fight back...!” Ever the activist, she proudly announced, “I spent my 82nd birthday in jail!”
Cradled in Hollywood’s Golden Age Fonda embraced the family business. Chloé Zhao, on the other hand, arrived by a circuitous route... perhaps serendipitously? Born in Beijing to a well-to-do family and self-described as curious but rebellious and lazy, interested only in American Westerns, music, writing and drawing manga cartoons. After her parents’ divorce and a UK boarding school, she graduated from Los Angeles High School after
On Tuesday, February 10th, along with three other 2026 Academy Award nominated male directors, Zhao was honored with SBIFF’s Outstanding Director of the Year award. The recognition is for Hamnet, based on a novel by Maggie O’Farrell – Zhao’s co-screenwriter. Hamnet is an imagined story about Agnes Hathaway and William Shakespeare’s relationship before and after the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. A tragic and grief-stricken journey separates them and informs the writing of Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet. Seated on the Arlington stage with Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, Zhao talked of her four-year hiatus between films. “I learned very humbly that there are four seasons to a person’s life, to a day, to a creative cycle, and I didn’t understand the importance of winter,” was her thoughtful response. “I made four films during my 30s, I did not have any time to winter… to let things die, to decompose and truly remake the soil.”
by Steven Libowitz
Lots of local Santa Barbara residents, long-timers and newbies alike, have strong opinions about whether the nine-block stretch of State Street in the downtown area should reopen to cars.
“It’s a no-brainer,” exclaims many a post on social media, while others just as vociferously scream “No way!”
Friends of State Street (FoSS) takes no position at all.
The civic organization that was founded during the American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara (AIASB) 2020 charrette, a large-scale envisioning of the future of State Street, immediately got its hands dirty during the pandemic.
Friends of State Street mobilized to help local businesses adapt, working with the city design guidelines for outdoor dining spaces. Their comprehensive approach included providing businesses with resources, architectural guidance, and much more, from stormwater management solutions to actually painting the outdoor dining structures – the better to align them with the El Pueblo Viejo district’s aesthetic character.
“We helped them be compliant as much as possible, including painting them in the colors that were required by the city,” explained Friends of State Street Founding Board President Sharon Rich. “We found the paint, got sponsors, and collaborated with other organizations, including Santa Barbara City College design technology and construction class, who measured what was needed, then got the community out there to paint 13 in one day at no charge.”
Despite having gone all in to help restaurants get their outdoor dining structures going, Friends of State Street is neutral on what happens next, Rich said.
“There are a lot of opinions out there, but the street was already changing before the pandemic hit,” she said. “We formed to help get the community involved in the process, to expand that participation from the 175 experts in the charrette to the whole community.”
A couple of years later, FoSS stepped into a larger role as a full 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting the effort with real-world pilot programs aligned with the city’s short-term action items. These aim to make improvements as the master plan works its way to fruition over an imagined 20-year period. The thrust is to make sure the community is engaged, involved, and having significant input
into what happens, fostering collaborations that support local businesses and organizations as the historic thoroughfare evolves now and into the future.
“Our whole job is to engage the community in the master plan process to say what it is that they want,” Rich said. “We’ve been doing that since day one. Friends of State Street are of course rooted in Santa Barbara as locals, but we’re not here to say what we want as an organization. State Street means different things to different people right now. Our job is to work hand-in-hand with the community. We operate at the intersection of community engagement and activation on State Street.”
Last year, Friends of State Street launched Activate State which focuses on a few areas of the short-term action plan: Sustainability, Shuttle Service & Assisted Mobility, and Economic Development. Among the most visible programs have been “Vacant to Vibrant” and the State Street Shuttle.
The former takes vacant spaces along State Street and makes them into vibrant places, Rich said. The test case was bringing Makers House in Goleta down for a pilot project.
“It was really important to see if we could activate that with a business that can thrive in there so that those property owners who are selling or renting their buildings and potential lease tenants can see things in a different light than looking at it through the window of a vacant space.”
The two-month residency was shockingly successful.
“It was off the charts,” Rich said. “We were very surprised by the final numbers. They had 4,700 people go by, and about 175 people stopping in every day they were open, which is great foot traffic. They made $15,000 in 38 days. We have two more like that in the queue.”
Friends of State Street also established the Impact Lab, which has continued to collect and collate information for the city to inform decisions from a databased place.
The State Street Shuttle, which has four large golf-car style electric vehicles cruising up and down the thoroughfare from Arlington to Stearns Wharf every day until 7 pm, has also been a big hit, one that’s already been extended for a second six-month stint.
“We did all the research to find the operator, we helped them secure insurance and to consider retrofitting their carts to be ADA compliant,” Rich said. “It took a while to put together, but the results are overwhelmingly positive.
People really like it and the numbers are off the charts. It’s been a real game changer downtown.”
The shuttle also demonstrates that people still love State Street and are excited to be able to ride up and down the stretch from the beach to the Arlington.
It’s all part of an effort for the nonprofit that operates on a “lean, mission-driven model,” Rich said.
“What we’re doing is helping to
shape the heart of our city into a place where what most people want – culture, connection and commerce – are thriving. We’re like a bridge between the city and the community. When the community gets engaged in a process of a master plan, they are very happy with their results. It’s our love letter to Santa Barbara.”
Visit https://friendsofstatestreet.org for more information
the
invites readers into the
a
BOOK SIGNING February 21st 3-6pm at Art & Soul Gallery
“Rod offers extraordinary and valuable guidance into how we can each connect with the divine child within to live more joyful and empowered lives. His stories are remarkable and transformative.” Pamala Oslie Best-selling Author
by Jeffrey Harding
Iwant our political leaders to succeed in making our lives better. That is their job. One wonders why they seem to fail at this task and just make things more complicated for us. After all, when our political leaders make mistakes, it is we citizens who bear the consequences. They rarely have skin in the game.
Our local political leaders tackle significant issues like escalating rents, homelessness, poverty, and the environment. Yet their solutions either fail to achieve their goals or they seem to perpetuate the problems. My thesis here is that they don’t have sufficient knowledge about these issues to make effective policy decisions.
I recently quoted a saying by Thomas Aquinas, the sainted Christian philosopher (1225-1274): “I fear the man of one book.” Forget for the moment what you think it means or what ancient scholars thought it meant. What it means to me is that dogmatists accept only the doctrine that they support and fail to consider other ideas that contradict their philosophy of how the world ought to work.
Recently the Council majority (Gutierrez, Harmon, Santamaria, and Sneddon) pushed through a temporary freeze on apartment rents and a plan for a rent control ordinance
This is where Aquinas’s quote comes
in. I label these councilmembers as Progressives which is a synonym for Democratic Socialists. You may think I am exaggerating about the socialist label. Perhaps. But I think this is what drives their ideas and resulting policies. I would guess that they don’t necessarily believe they are socialists, but they seem to align with solutions favored by Bernie Sanders, Alexandra OcasioCortez, and Zohran Mandami, each of whom members are of the Democratic Socialists of America.
I don’t think our Progressive councilmembers understand that their socialist-Progressive philosophy supports a system that has consistently failed to achieve the results they intended. This is not in dispute. History and many economic studies support this conclusion: socialism and top-down planning doesn’t work. In other words, they unquestioningly adhere to one philosophy and have not studied or considered facts, data, and logic of the overwhelming weight of evidence that shows what works and what doesn’t. This is why I say they do not have the expertise to pass these recent laws.
It’s not that they haven’t heard the arguments against programs like rent control. Time after time, experts and scholars have presented the facts at public hearings and in commentary. They laughingly ignore it and accuse those who would challenge their ideas as Oldthink (see Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 about the disassembly of language by government to control people). Mea culpa.
Liberals, Progressives, socialists, and MAGA Republicans believe they can just pass laws and their policy goals will be achieved. That is what is called “magical thinking.” You can’t just pass a law and expect it to work. This type of thinking is a “cognitive distortion where individuals believe their thoughts, actions, or rituals directly influence external events, despite a lack of logical or causal connection.”
Unfortunately, most politicians fall into magical thinking. Very few have not been captured by a single philosophy that amounts to dogma or political expediency. What passes for intellectual discussion among our council members is an outline of the problem as they see it and a statement of the ordinance they believe will solve it. They never venture into the arena and present facts as to why their solutions will work and why those opposing it are wrong.
Instead they vilify the opposition. Rent control opponents are called “greedy landlords.” It’s even worse if you are a “corporate landlord” because, as we all know, they are the worst of the worst. None of these people have skin in the game and they don’t know what they are talking about. Perhaps they should examine what causes high rents rather than demonizing apartment owners. Why don’t they do this?
The answer is relatively simple: it’s all about politics and getting re-elected. It’s a good, well-paying job; it’s a step up the political ladder to higher pay and more power; maybe Congress or the Senate, or even… it’s not about fixing the problems. It’s about power.
Here’s an offer. I know a lot about real estate. I taught real estate investment at Santa Barbara City College. I don’t own any residential rentals, so no conflicts of interest. I went to SBCC and UCSB and I’ve lived here for 50+ years. I was a real estate lawyer. If I am so commissioned by the Council, I and a panel of experts will offer to study and present workable nonpartisan solutions to rental housing issues. I’ll do it for free. You will then have information on which to make decisions based on facts not magical thinking.
Any takers?
Jeffrey Harding is a real estate investor and long-time resident of Montecito. He previously published a popular financial blog, The Daily Capitalist. He is a retired SBCC adjunct professor.
by Elizabeth Stewart
In my Lake Arrowhead shed on John Muir Street lurks a beast: a 400pound vintage butcher block table, originally 31x33x33”. However, now it is legless. During one of its many laborious moves, it lost 4 legs and now only the massive top remains at 16x30x30” (picture shows the legless block on its side in the shed). My contractor discovered it and suggested we make it “something” in my John Muir Street kitchen. Divine provenance: that butcher block table will think it has come home to John Muir Street. It owes part of its history to the naturalist Muir (1838-1914), the founder of the Sierra Club (1892), who fought against pillages of first growth virgin hardwood forests of the East Coast. Those old growth winter maple forests are the progenitors of my butcher block.
Between 1860-1900, Pennsylvania led the nation in lumber production, and widespread pilfering by lumber robber barons, notably the Pinchots of Milford, PA. Clear-cut first growth maples from the Pennsylvania hillsides were trundled down hillsides to the Susquehanna at Williamsport. My butcher block, when it was a tree, was chained and shunted through this river’s massive “log booms,” a huge flotilla of enormous logs stretching for miles, each log branded, taxed, and levied.
James – son of lumber baron Pinchot – was so dismayed by the source of his family’s millions, he endowed a new school at Yale. It would be the nation’s first graduate forestry program. James’ son Gifford (1865-1946) would in turn become the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, and the first head of the U.S. Forest Service.
At first meeting, (1896-7) John Muir and Pinchot were philosophically at odds in the matter of conservation versus preservation of resources. Pinchot was a materialist, Muir was a spiritualist, and they warred over Pinchot’s dam at Yosemite (Hecht Hetchy). Muir, by now
a friend of presidents, lobbied formation of the Nation Park Service (1917). The influential editor of The Century Magazine and fellow camper with Muir in Yosemite, Robert Underwood Johnson (1853-1937), championed Muir and his formation of the National Commission to Preserve Yosemite.
My butcher block knows all of this history because it has LIVED it. It came from an East Coast butchering family who relocated their business in 1920s to San Diego. I bought it from their son’s kitchen and had scraped from it the grease of years, when my piano mover brought it to a (bad) boyfriend’s household; he stole its legs to spite me when we broke up. In heartbreak, it moved to Santa Barbara and because it was legless, spent 15 years on Caesar Chavez in storage.
Thinking my son could make legs, I gave it to him, but forgot to consider that his wife might not like 400 pounds suspended on new legs above her two kids under 3 years old. So the butcher block came poetically back to John Muir (one more time since it last saw him in 1890s) on John Muir Street.
Known for its rugged durability, I cannot imagine a time in U.S. mercantile history when butcher shops and hog famers clamored to buy 400 pounds of maple, end-grain, stacked block upon block,
bolted together (as those four throughrods or bolts needed to be tension adjusted for the climate), and perched on legs. Pork production became nationalized after 1920, and the neighborhood butcher became obsolete. The boards were of 7/4 maple stock 16” lengths, width on average 2x2” with the ends stacked up as end grain, glued together edge to edge. The end grain was easy on knives and was remarkably self-healing when cut, as the wood fibers closed up. Some modern, paltry, 5” thick butcher block counter tops are edge grain: the cutting edge has high moisture resistance.
I must be in lifelong love with butcher blocks as I have three huge Boos Blocks, each Boos stamped with the year and month since its founding in Effingham, IL, in 1887; the year Conrad Boos developed an impact absorbing table for his blacksmith. Before a national linkage of railways, each little town had a woodsmith who would make butcher blocks. When trains dominated in the 1890s, John Boos realized he could purchase winter maple (freeze zones had minimal wood pests) and ship his blocks all over the country. Successful, he showed a Boos Block in 1900 at the Paris World’s Fair. By WWII, Boos was supplying U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines with butcher blocks and counter tops including those on massive aircraft carriers. Sadly, in the 1990s food safety guys said wood was a germ repository and recommended (now found to be dangerous to us and the environment) polyethylene plastic boards. I’ll keep my 400-pounder I think. Value? $800-1000.
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com
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are artworks by the students, vacations, two front of the school parking places, and this year a formal family portrait painted by artist Pedro de la Cruz Morton-Smith acknowledged Jen Slemp, a parent who donated $50,000 to the school last year. The live auction and a paddle raise provided an additional $228,450. The school was on its way to a most generous evening in support of the school’s many programs, this outing said to be their highest grossing gala at $350,000. Top sponsors were UltraAnalog® Corporation, and The Fisher Family.
411: https://mcssb.org/
Hello loves! Wonder no more my dears about the latest on new biz in Montecito. I am here with the first dining notes teaser on the soon-to-open Monte’s Restaurant, at 1198 Coast Village Road. Sipping my organic matcha tea as I write this, I can hear you sigh, “The location with the most storied restaurant history of any location on CVR.” Indeed, I myself
last week overheard two high end realtors’ musings [who will remain anonymous but seen at Pierre Lafond bakery], “…just give us back the old Peabody’s vibe and it will be a success there with the locals, and add live music…” Peabody’s opened in 1982 with its historic antique Hawaiian dancing girl tiffany lamp on the backbar. It closed and reopened with new owner in 2018 and closed in 2023. Next at the
location were Oliver’s and Bar Lou, both a short visit.
However, there is higher hope for Monte’s [and the Palms in Carpinteria] via their Executive Chef Daniel Kim and their produce supplier, the organic regenerative Rincon Farm Carpinteria managed by Aiden Ostrowski; with both restaurants backed by owner Ryan Sohn, CEO of the Endwell Hospitality Group NYC. Both Sohn and Kim have a Korean background and will bring their Korean touch to the menus, a new concept for our town.
Endwell’s biz is built on “farm to table,” which of course works at their first restaurant, One White Street in TriBeCa NYC supplied by Rigor Hill Farm. TriBeCa’s pre-gentrification history was one of crime, abandoned produce warehouses, and industry. As artists got pushed out of Soho they ventured to TriBeCa, and were later pushed out by the upandcoming peeps, followed by an influx of upscale condos, takeout, auto-sushi, and pasta-a-plenty restaurants – #IYKYK.
In California, we are definitively “spoiled” with our sophisticated restaurateurs and executive chefs having worked with fresh farm foods since at least the 1980s; think Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, and right here in Montecito (whom I reported on ages ago), longtime Four Season’s Biltmore Executive Chef Alessandro Cartumini, whose signature since 2010 is “farm to table” – working with local seafood and produce suppliers and even growing his own fresh herbs in the hotel’s garden (!). And of course we can’t go without mentioning our dearest dear, Chef Mollie Ahlstrand of Mollie’s CVR [early 1990s, and today in Carpinteria].
Endwell’s socials are doing a great PR in stating that employee prospects for Monte’s Restaurant are “gasping in their interviews” upon hearing the name of Executive Chef Daniel Kim as their boss. Kim’s impressive résumé includes the
MICHELIN 3 Green Star restaurant
Providence on Melrose Ave, Los Angeles; the Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA; a seasonal gig at MICHELIN Guide recognized Hibi in Koreatown L.A., and former MICHELIN star Le Cirque Restaurant, Las Vegas.
About Ostrowski, he shares on his socials, “I started farming back in October of 2018 using my abilities as a mechanic and carpenter to get a job with a local Carpinteria Family Ranch managing avocados. I spent the next six years learning the ins and outs of California soil, seasons, and weather before meeting the fledgling Rincon Hill Farm team and starting with them in January of 2024. My inspiration to farm comes from a love of nature that started when I was a child, spending as much time among the trees of New England as possible. In college, while reading The One-Straw Revolution, Masanobu Fukuoka planted a seed in my mind that farming is what I wanted to be doing. Along with John Steinbeck’s depictions of California agriculture and the writings of Wendell Berry I saw farming as a way to unify my moral/spiritual, philosophical, and physical beliefs into one practice, while also providing a space for me, my wife, and children to learn and grow in a unique way that living with a close connection to Nature’s cultivation allows. My favorite project on the farm has been growing potatoes. I enjoy the simplicity of the job and the hidden reward. There is nothing like reaching into the soil and pulling out handfuls of potatoes!”
Stay reading, loves, as I am attending a private meeting at the farm with all concerned next weekend and will have those most recent updates for Monte’s Restaurant and The Palms just for you.
Till next week, Xx, JAC
411: @montescalifornia and @rinconhillfarm
SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY
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SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 7:30 AM - 10:00 PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
by Leslie Andrea Westbrook
If you have ever traveled to sub-Sahara Africa or cruised the Peruvian Amazon River (as I have) or other parts South America, chances are you consulted – or should have consulted – Dr. Mary-Louise Scully at the clinic formerly known as Sansum (now part of Sutter Health).
I first met Dr. Scully prior to one of the BEST trips of my life – a river cruise with Aqua Expeditions along a Peruvian section of the Amazon River. At that time, I spent $500 before my feet even left town, for malaria medications and yellow fever, hepatitis A, typhoid and other needed vaccines, per the good doc. My trip was fantastic –and I never got sick. On a side note, I did take along the great NY Times best-selling book The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard about explorer/ adventurer/President Teddy Roosevelt’s Amazon expeditions in Brazil – and had I read it beforehand, I DOUBT I would have signed on for the voyage.
I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Scully speak at the Santa Barbara Club, thanks to Montecito Bank & Trust’s travel expert/tour leader extraordinaire Maria McCall (who has a host of travel stories to share) for one of the MClub’s “Lunch and Learn” events on January 20th. A full house of MB&T’s members enjoyed the informative talk followed by questions, cheerfully answered with the good doctor’s recommendations.
Dr. Scully, director of the Travel & Tropical Medicine Center, is a self-proclaimed “Yank,” raised in Connecticut. She received her BA from Smith College, her MD from Rush Medical College, Illinois, and completed her Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Disease fellowship at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital. For 11 years, she was a member of the Clinical Faculty at Yale New Haven Hospital and worked at the Yale International Health and Travel Clinic before, lucky for us, moving to Santa Barbara in 2002 and joining Sansum Clinic, now Sutter Health, in 2003.
Here’s a quick overview of what we learned. However, I heartily recommend you make an appointment with Dr. Scully anytime you are planning travel to exotic lands that may put your health at risk. Travel insurance was also discussed, along with what to pack in your carry-on to be ready on the “run,” including diarrhea medicine.
I am NOT a doctor, so please consult Dr. Scully or your own physician and check the latest reports on the CDC website’s Travel tab for recommendations. www.nc.cdc.gov/travel Beware and prepare when traveling to lands where you could contract Malaria, Yellow Fever, Dengue, Zika or Chikungunya
Dr. Scully began her lesson with an African proverb – not surprising since her global volunteer work has included two trips to Chad, Africa, with Chad Relief Foundation/ Fund for Refugee Initiatives. The proverb says, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
Rules of thumb change all the time: but at this writing, you don’t need a yellow fever vaccination (to avoid an Ebola-type death from the disease) for Tanzania, but you still do for Kenya and Uganda. Yellow fever killed 10% of Philadelphia’s population in the 1790s and was also prevalent during the building of the Panama Canal. It’s a “live attenuated” vaccine, with potential side effects in persons with a
weakened immune system or of older age, so Dr. Scully carefully weighs the risks versus the benefits when deciding with the patient what is best for them. In the past, the vaccine was “boosted” every ten years, but recommendations have been updated to reflect “lifetime protection” once vaccinated. Exceptions to the lifetime protection would be if traveling into an area with an active Yellow Fever outbreak, west African countries, and if working in the Peace Corps. When a traveler undergoing chemotherapy can’t get the vaccine, for example (or is experiencing another immune system deficit), Dr. Scully will provide an official medical contraindication letter, to allow that patient to travel into countries with Yellow Fever requirements.
There are five human varieties of malaria, the deadliest being Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria is still present in 85 countries, including parts of South America, India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and sub-Saharan Africa. That being said, Dr. Scully noted that if you are just “popping into Angor Wat and staying at Raffles hotel” in 2026, you do not need anti-malaria pills as many parts of southeast Asia have been successful at eliminating malaria. Most commonly used for malaria prevention is Malarone (Atovaquone / Proguanil) as it has few if any side effects. Another alternative is Doxycycline though some people can be more sensitive to sun exposure while on it. Many people may remember an old prophylactic medicine, Mefloquine or Larium, that did have neuropsychiatric side effects like insomnia and nightmares; but is rarely ever used these days. It is, though, the only FDA approved medication for pregnant women (!) and they are thus advised not to travel into areas of malaria risk.
These three viruses are present throughout much of the tropical world, transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, which is primarily a daytime biter. Dengue is a big problem globally and at present there is only a licensed Dengue vaccine in Europe, where such vaccination is typically prioritized for travelers, but not for people who live in endemic areas. Right now, Cuba is in the midst of a Chikungunya outbreak with an estimated 38,000 cases. The new Vimkunya vaccine for Chikungunya would be advised for travel right now to Cuba.
The best way to prevent all insect transmitted disease is either a 30% Deet or 20% Picardan repellant applied to exposed skin, and permethrin on clothing and gear. For evening biting mosquitoes (malaria, West Nile, Japanese encephalitis) sleeping under bed netting at night can be effective. As Dr. Scully likes to remind in rhyme: “If you don’t get bit, you don’t get sick.”
There’s a reason the all-time travelers favorite is called the runs, also clinically known as Traveler’s Diarrhea. The CDC jingle goes: “Boil it, Cook it, Peel it, or Skip it.”
penultimate expression. At completion, each of the building’s floors will play a differentiated, synergistic role in the lives of its residents – some of whom will be permanent residents.
We enter the cage, and Carmen – a cheery former acrophobe in full PPE regalia – pushes a button. Once an RN at St. Francis Hospital and later a hospice worker for 27 years, she’d applied for the jobsite’s lift operator gig to help conquer her fear of heights. It worked. When interviewed, her lifetime of nursing made her a shoo-in. “She’s bandaged up a dozen workers,” Schoer says. The cage rises and I fight the urge to grasp at empty air. Carmen’s warm smile seems to precede empathetic laughter.
I’d swaggeringly waved away Schoer’s attempt to demonstrate my hard hat’s adjustment gizmo. Now it’s slipping around my sorry head and I’m clutching it throughout the tour. Schoer’s dream materializes through his narration.
“This will be a commercial kitchen here, a dining room over here, dining area over here, TV watching area over here, and then a game table over here…”
The build’s ADA-compliant apartments and community-fomenting common areas will share square footage with a fully equipped clinic providing medical and dental health care. Residents will also have at their disposal comprehensive mental health care – individual and group therapy, psychiatry, and co-occurring disorder treatment.
What has been called an “integrated care model” puts residents and the truly comprehensive care they need in one
self-contained Sanctuary Centers neighborhood. Call it a “building,” a Salvation Parfait, an Ark: This single structure will effectively be a six-story village, a new approach to clinically managed Mental Health Care and – it is hoped – a template for consideration of other towns and cities. To be clear, though, the idea is not a hermetically sealed community in a box. Quite the opposite.
Some of the residents will be addressing mental health issues, some co-occurring disorders (a mental health disorder simultaneous with a substance use disorder). The healing these residents need will in part be intrinsic to community itself, as Schoer explains.
“We have a community kitchen, community dining room, community TV room, community game area, all of those things. In addition, up on the fourth and fifth floors we’re doing recreation and socialization. So every day we’re going to do outings – recreational outings, social outings, shopping outings, trips to the mountains, trips here and there. And everybody has to participate in at least a couple of them a week. And then we’re going to have dinners, and then every night there’s another outing.” Schoer looks me in the eye. “That was what we all agreed was the best thing we could
do; reward them for being stable and for being accomplished and getting to this point. And make sure we get the supports wrapped around them so that they don’t slip.”
All this largesse came with the usual sides – the permitting gauntlet, the volatile hearings, city council and planning commission approval. SB’s height limit restrictions at the time were the rock that wouldn’t roll. With exceptions.
“We were originally putting up a four-story building,” Schoer says. “We were halfway done with the permitting process and then Steve Amerikaner over at Brownstein – who was our land use attorney for 30, 40 years – he said the city just tweaked their ordinances. They said they’d allow building above 45 feet up to 60 feet if it’s a community benefit project.” Schoer and team had a tough decision to make, but there was really no question. He looks at me with attempted puppy eyes. “I thought I’d be retired by now,” he says with a poorly executed ‘downcast expression’ (the act needs work). “But we voted to pull the project, voted to go higher. We had to start over. We pulled the project and redesigned it.” That procedural blockage removed, adversaries began spreading rumors, some almost deliciously inept.
“These guys sent a lawyer who had the cojones to get up in front of the planning commission and say, ‘Sanctuary Centers is lying. As soon as they’re done with this, they’re going to convert it to condos, and this patio is going to become part of a disco.’” Schoer looks at me with a ‘cat that ate the canary expression. He’s all but shooting his cuffs. “So when we have our grand opening next fall, I’m going to invite members of that family to come over and dance under the mirror ball.”
We’re in the jobsite meeting room and joined by Sanctuary Centers CEO Stephanie Drake, PhD. At a glance, the two bearings are screenplay complementary. Schoer’s seated posture hints at a preincarnate sprawl, while Stephanie’s comportment exudes a more buttoned-down, ‘ready for anything’ vibe – that variety of energized cheer that suggests roaring internal combustion awaiting the turn of a key. “She’s a lot more coherent than I am,” Schoer says of his CEO at the outset. In more relatable terms – those of Olympic Curling – Schoer is the teammate who calmly launches the 40lb granite knob, Stephanie the motivated soul who follows it down the ice with furious anticipatory sweeping. This yin and yang describes Sanctuary Centers’ all-embracing brio. From admin to “client,” the place is wall-to-wall family. “The amazing staff are truly the backbone of this agency,” Schoer says.
Sanctuary Centers’ work and reputation in Santa Barbara are foundational to this much-anticipated new build’s DNA. Stephanie explains the Sanctuary Centers’ model as it’s been practiced since 1989 in their Sanctuary House, a twelve-bed residential program.
“People in the house prepare meals together. Some folks that are coming to the house have never lived independently and they don’t know how to do that,” she says. They don’t know how to take care of their own space. They don’t know how to plan a meal and how to execute that meal. So they’re gaining all those self-help skills while also being able to access treatment. They all have chores that they’re assigned to contribute to their living environment.”
Beyond Sanctuary House, Sanctuary Centers’ Supportive Housing program comprises two downtown apartment blocks and conditional residency based in part on a tenant’s willingness to integrate with the community for at least 20 hours a week.
The home-like environment and necessary assumption of those ordinary responsibilities of daily life are as essential to Sanctuary Centers’ heartfelt mission as the inpatient and outpatient clinical work. “Community” is paramount. The word itself has been reduced to a fridge
magnet through over-use, but the concept – anthropologically, functionally, emotionally – is central to everything Sanctuary Centers does.
“They come together once a month and they look out for each other and are able to bring their concerns to their community,” Stephanie says with increasing animation. “They meet with their individual therapist or psychiatrist, and they start working on things that either get them into a school environment or get them into work, or volunteering.
“And now this building gets to be the pillar,” she says. “Quite literally. This is now an integrated care campus. And Santa Barbara… I think 10 more of these buildings and we could wholly take care of the population that we need to.”
She looks over at Schoer, the former runaway whose shoulder-to-the-boulder effort has been singular for literal decades. And for what? What is the fruit of Sanctuary Centers’ long day of labor? Nothing particularly cinematic: people living their lives in peace and sunlight – buying groceries, doing laundry, chatting with a pal on the street corner amid ordinary birdsong; garden variety gold the rest of us enjoy at our leisure.
“I’ve heard so many stories,” Stephanie says, glancing again at Schoer, whose growing smile is just visible through that beard of his. “I’ve heard wonderful stories from Barry over the years. We’ll be going somewhere and he’ll say, ‘Oh, he was in our program, and that gentleman over there, he’s got three kids now.’ And it’s just… it’s just…”
Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal.net
Sanctuary Centers’ much-anticipated downtown center nears completion and a handful of naming opportunities remain. If you are interested in publicly associating your philanthropic legacy with this watershed monument to Mental Health Care – in perpetuity – please visit the page below to see what naming opportunities are yet available. Visit sanctuarycenters.org/namingopportunities
by Scott Craig
Westmont senior Ashley Clark, an English and theater arts double major from Henderson, Nevada, participated in the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s competitive five-month filmmaking program. During that time, she wrote a screenplay, Deus Ex Machina The festival paired her with UC Santa Barbara international student Can Basoglu, who directed the short film that premiered during the festival at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre.
Clark had heard about SBIFF’s 10-1010 screenwriting/filmmaking mentorship program and finally took the plunge this year despite a busy schedule of coursework and theater rehearsals.
“It’s a big leap to put yourself and your creative work out there to be perceived and judged,” she says. “Also, I didn’t feel prepared. Only after three years of working with my peers and professors and growing as an artist and writer was I finally able to look inward and think, ‘Okay, I’m ready to take this risk now.’”
In the film, a group of nuns realize one of their sisters in the convent has been hiding an orphaned, artificially intelligent humanoid child in their church, and they struggle to discern what to do about it.
“They wrestle with AI and its relationship to religion in a variety of ways – from debating whether discipline or forgiveness is more Christlike in their situation, to contemplating automaton theory and what it means to be alive,” Clark says.
Deus Ex Machina means “God in the Machine.” The phrase from Greek theater refers to a plot device that writes a character out of an otherwise impassable obstacle. Typically, it involved actors playing gods who descended onstage to grant the hero a miracle and solve the conflict.
“For me, the film’s title refers to the characters’ struggle with finding Christ and Christlike behavior in the unimaginable moral and political dilemma they’ve stumbled upon,” she says.
She credits the cast and Basoglu for their dedication and kindness during the challenging process of filmmaking. “Can is a superstar. I was nervous that my script about Catholicism and AI with an all-female cast would be daunting to a director unfamiliar with the themes,” she says. “Early on in the process, he was candid about never having set foot in a church. Despite that, he’s shown nothing but the utmost respect and enthusiasm for the script and the questions it asks. He was able to gather a solid cast
and crew who were committed to the work and treated the story with the same amount of sincerity.”
At Westmont, Clark serves as editor-in-chief of The Phoenix, a literary magazine. For the past two years, she worked on the Citadel, the college’s yearbook, as a copywriter. She continues to participate with the theater department’s Fringe Festival, even serving as production manager last year. She was the dramaturg for Antigonick in the fall and oversaw lighting for the show. She has also worked in hair and makeup and costume design for previous shows.
“I love being diversely involved in creative projects with my friends, and Westmont theater is a rare place that allows me to do all that without adhering to a strict concentration or discipline,” she says. “I’ve been trained to be a well-rounded artist, keenly aware of all the cogs in the machine that make up a grand project, and I hope it shows.”
Clark loves being a full-time student and hopes to pursue an MFA in playwriting or creative writing after graduating from Westmont. With a goal of being hired as a professional writer, she’ll continue to heed the advice she received on a fanfiction website. “An anonymous comment left on one of my short stories said, ‘I hope you never lose your spark in writing,’” she says. “That’s a hope of mine, too. Perhaps the most important one.”
More than 60 exceptional mathletes from seven Southern California high schools matched wits in the 37th annual Westmont
Westmont Page 284
Did you think this was a Dodo? You’re not a dodo for thinking so. The bird depicted in this chromolithograph is the famous Dodo’s closest relative, the Rodrigues Solitaire. Both species of flightless birds are now extinct. François Leguat was marooned on the island of Rodrigues in the 1690s and described the Rodrigues Solitaire in detail. This image appears in L. Walter Rothschild’s Extinct Birds, published in London in 1907. Extinct Birds is one of many rare volumes usually preserved in the rare book room behind the scenes at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Library. It is currently on display in the public reading room.
The Rodrigues Solitaire gracing the pages of Extinct Birds, one of the rare titles housed in the Museum’s Library
The Library is open to walk-ins from Monday to Saturday, 1-4 pm, and research by appointment. Learn more at sbnature.org/library.
Breaking & Entering / 900 block Park Lane West Friday, February 6, at 06:31 hours
Victim/Reporting Party stated caretaker went into a spare bedroom and found a male suspect sleeping in the bed. The suspect was wearing a robe that had been hanging in the closet, his clothes (and meth) were later found outside the residence near the driveway. Upon arrival, the suspect was taken into custody. Through the investigation, it was learned that the suspect accessed the property over a short retaining wall to the rear of the property. He went into the kitchen, drank milk, ate bread, then went upstairs where he went to bed. The suspect was arrested for violation of 459 PC. It should be noted, this is the same suspect from a recent incident on Toro Canyon Road, where he fled from Deputies and was believed to be armed with a handgun.
College Mathematics Field Day on Feb. 7 at the Montecito campus. The event included a variety of activities, including group problem-solving, individual math presentations, called “Chalk Talks,” handson construction of 3-D models, and the popular (and sometimes stressful) College Bowl with Jeopardy-like buzzers.
Dos Pueblos High School won the overall battle of the minds scoring victories in the 9th and 10th grade College Bowl finals, and in the 9th and 10th grade-written team problem-solving competition. Aaron Xie from Dos Pueblos also advanced to the Chalk Talk finals.
Oaks Christian defeated San Marcos in the 11th and 12th grade College Bowl finals, while Cate School took home top honors in the 11th and 12th grade-written team problem-solving category.
Anum Firoz of Western Center Academy in Hemet won the Chalk Talk competition and Philip Choi from Cate School earned runner-up honors. They all successfully described this year’s Chalk Talk topic, Almost Prime Numbers, which are integers with only a few prime factors.
Other questions ranged from quick calculations, such as finding the least common factor of 5,000 and 2,026, to longer word problems and even calculus integrals. In a refreshing nod to
traditional thinking and mental skills, students abstain from any form of technology, using only paper, pencil, their brains, and sometimes each other to solve problems that include tricky word problems.
This year’s participants included Cate School, Thacher School, Western Center Academy, as well as Dos Pueblos, Oaks Christian, Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools.
The day concluded with a celebratory awards banquet and an inspiring talk by guest speaker Judith Canner, professor of statistics at Cal State Monterey Bay, who explored the role of mathematics and statistics in today’s world. Despite the competitive nature of the event, participants displayed notable camaraderie and sportsmanship.
In San Miquel de Allende, my friends living there wash their produce in a special disinfectant solution. Sadly, Dr. Scully advises street food can carry higher risk. One of my most delicious and memorable meals I’ve had on my travels was curried goat and fried plantains served on a piece of paper for the princely sum of about one dollar, by a street vendor in Haiti. I have no memory of getting ill.
Eighty percent of traveler’s diarrhea is bacterial, so in addition to packing Imodium or chewable Pepto-Bismol for mild symptoms, Dr. Scully will prescribe an antibiotic Azithromycin for more serious diarrhea symptoms. She stressed how we now appreciate the degree to which our beneficial “gut microbiome” is decimated by antibiotics, so hoping the antibiotic won’t be needed. But when infected in a foreign land, the hit taken by the microbiome is likely better than ending up needing medical care for IV fluids in a foreign land. What’s perhaps new, Dr. Scully advises, is the antibiotic “less is more” approach (versus old school antibiotic carpet bombing). These days you can stop the antibiotic once you are feeling better.
For many who are sick at home (or on the road) with the current strain of Influenza A (H3N2) subclade K vaccine mismatch, it’s good to get a prescription for Tamiflu and bring test kits (COVID and flu are now in one swab) along on your trip and test early. Tamiflu works best for influenza if started within 24-48 hours of symptom onset.
In March I’m heading to Japan, which has had a really bad year of flu. I’ll be calling Dr. Scully or my equally wonderful primary physician, Dr. Beamer, both at Sutter, for a Tamiflu prescription.
Zofran works well for nausea and vomiting, such as that we get with Norovirus, the infamous cruise ship virus. Many patients find it works also extremely well for motion or sea sickness.
River cruises are GREAT if you suffer from seasickness – nice and smooth. I first saw Dr. Scully before my fantastic and memorable May of 2013 Aqua Expeditions cruise on the Peruvian Amazon (Aqua has expanded river cruising to Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as ocean-faring expeditions in Indonesia, the Seychelles and beyond). Dr. Scully showed me a map at the time and predicted the spread of yellow fever in Brazil. The map she projected on the screen over a decade later confirmed her predictions!
I am not a doctor and I am only conveying what I learned (which was a lot) at the MB&T Lunch and Learn, so please check for yourselves with your own physician, or especially Dr. Scully who, in addition to her clinical practice of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, is the past chair of the Professional Education committee of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM). She has completed a six-year term as a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Infectious Disease subspecialty exam committee. She also served over a decade as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Travel Medicine
1. Look for your yellow vaccination card that you should be keeping with your passport: you can get it updated to reflect your most recent immunizations.
2. How about N95 masks while traveling? Dr. Scully recommends at minimum wearing one at the beginning of your flight – before the HEPA filters are turned on in flight (we all know how hard it is to eat with a mask on!) and likewise when landing and then disembarking, as well as in any large crowds.
passed, a cloud of dust obscured the road, potentially causing a head-on collision. But it was the cyclists that worried me. They rode on the single-car track with the least gravel and bumps. They carried heavy loads of camping equipment up steep hills while facing a serious headwind. Because of the traffic, they were also breathing the dust of the passing cars. The wind was blowing so hard that we saw one bicyclist get nearly blown over when they stopped to take cover.
Periodically, when the driving was rough, I said, “At least we aren’t on a bicycle.”
The drive on Ruta 7 to our first stop, Puerto Rio Tranquilo, took an excruciatingly long four hours. We were indeed rewarded with tranquility when we found our small hostel, El Puesto. The atmosphere balanced rustic and chic.
After Puerto Rio Tranquilo, we stayed mainly at two Explora lodges: Valle Chacabuco and Torres del Paine. They are known for all-inclusive, guided exploration programs from remote national park locations. Walking along the path to our first room, we saw herds of guanaco, the Chilean version of llamas, casually grazing on the lawn, safe from the pumas, the local mountain lions.
The Explora lodge in Valle Chacabuco was once the original ranch of the American Douglas Tompkins. Tompkins was best known as the founder of North Face, the outdoor gear company. As the story goes, he visited Patagonia to rock climb in the early 1990s. He thought the place was so beautiful that he decided to protect it.
only sound was our pickup bouncing along rutty, jerky dirt roads.
The winds of Southern Patagonia were as legendary as its beauty. When we hiked, it was always with us, either helping or hampering. Sometimes a wind gust carried a cloud of dirt, with slivers of rock that hurt. When we pulled into one motel, a dust hurricane blew us through the front door. An apologetic receptionist greeted us. “This is not normal,” she said. I was not sure I believed her.
Despite the wind, dust, and potholes, the scenery was as beautiful as the photo books showed. We spent days gazing at mountain lakes, surrounded by endless forest and brilliant white glaciers. We were lucky to be part of the elite group that visited southern Patagonia.
Leslie A. Westbrook is a Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel writer and journalist who loves exploring the globe. A 3rd generation Californian., Leslie also assists clients sell fine art, antiques, and collectibles via auction. www.auctionliaison.com
We travelers are lucky to have Dr. Scully in our community. Thank you, Dr. Scully, for all you do to make sure our community stays safe when traveling! If you are not a member of Montecito Bank & Trust’s “MClub” you might want to join ($250K bank deposit balances required). You won’t want to miss upcoming “Lunch and Learn” events with a SB Zoo tour, a visit to the National Search Dog Foundation, and more. Travel tours are also on the docket, but you’ll need to ask a member of the club for more info or just join and be part of the fun.
He bought many ranches and gave them to the Chilean government, with the stipulation that they be either preserved or restored to their natural state. After lengthy negotiations, the government established the Patagonia National Park in 2018, which included Valle Chacabuco. The rangeland, which once was pasture for sheep, was now home to puma, guanaco, and fox. As a side note, Tompkins died in the freezing waters of Lake General Carrera when the wind blew his kayak over. It turned out that Patagonia was both beautiful and deadly.
Our travel agent was right: two people were needed to drive through Patagonia. One person steered the truck, and the other navigated through the minefields of potholes, cars passing on curves, and guanaco herds alongside the road. The potholes embedded in the endless ruts were deep, frequent, and capable of taking out a muffler. The person sitting shotgun shouted, “Guanaco herd to the left,” “Stay right going over this hill,” “Truck approaching.” Other times, the road was flat, the scenery blank, and the
In nine days of driving, we covered 1,500 miles. Two-thirds of that time was spent on bumpy dirt roads. Was the torment of the road trip worth it? Looking back, it was. Would I recommend it to my friends? Absolutely. Even though the misery index was too high for anyone over thirty.
The beauty of remote southern Patagonia taught me a monumental life lesson. I was sick of looking at scenery. I never wanted to see another snow-capped mountain, sparkling glacier, or clear, deep blue lake again. Of course, that didn’t stop me from heading to Antarctica for more scenery, only this time, the never-ending view would be of snow, ice, and penguins. The end.
On Saturday, February 21, from 3-4 pm, Tecolote Book Shop is hosting a book signing with Dale Zurawski, author of The Travel Bitch: Bouncing Across the Globe on a Bipolar High With equal parts humor and honesty, this bold and captivating travel memoir takes readers on an exhilarating journey around the world.
“ You will remember this novel–its hero and characters and scenes–for a long time. A big-hearted story of desperation and courage, crime and redemption, love and loss–it is as entertaining as it is moving.
by Houghton Hyatt
The Montecito Association Board of Directors convened February 10th, for its monthly meeting, following its annual board retreat in January, with discussions focusing on public safety and strengthening community engagement.
During public comment, there was a presentation from two high school students, Jack Hyatt and Sebastian Fabio, who are leading a seven-week fundraising campaign for Blood Cancer United, formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The longtime friends, who met as kindergartners at Montecito Union School, shared their ambitious goal of raising $200,000 to support blood cancer research. They told attendees that someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer every three minutes and spoke about their mentor’s personal battle with the disease. The pair invited community members to support their campaign through donations, sponsorships, and outreach.
To learn more, go to: https://tinyurl.com/HyattFabioSupport
Board President Bill Macfadyen reported that the MA is strengthening accountability by requiring committees to meet monthly and submit written reports, while continuing to rely on the Montecito Community Plan to guide priorities. He also noted the MA’s intent to participate in local celebrations connected to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
Executive Director Houghton Hyatt reported strong membership engagement, with 125 renewals in January, including two new members, and highlighted continued coordination with Hands Across Montecito, the MA’s outreach initiative assisting individuals experiencing homelessness.
Committee leadership for the year was finalized, with Chris Albertson and Cliff Ghersen serving as co-chairs of the Land Use Committee, which is preparing a community survey. Other committee chairs include Mindy Denson (Events), Leslie Lundgren (History), Laura Bode (Outreach), Jacqueline Duran (Safety
Response), and Dorene White (Hands Across Montecito). Initiatives underway include membership outreach, wildfire preparedness efforts, pedestrian safety improvements, and community programming.
Updates from local agencies underscored both safety priorities and community investment. Chief Neels of the Montecito Fire Protection District announced his retirement at the end of March after 33 years of service. He reported that vegetation management efforts, including the district’s chipping program, are expected to remove more than 300 tons of fire-prone material this season.
Lt. Rich Brittingham of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported recent incidents including vehicle thefts, trespassing, and vandalism, and encouraged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
Montecito Sanitary District General Manager John Weigold shared that the district recently acquired a new vacuum truck and is reviewing sewer rates for the first time since 2016, while also implementing a program to address fats, oils, and grease in commercial systems.
County Supervisor Roy Lee’s office, represented by Aida Thau, provided updates on a proposed gas-powered leaf blower ban, beach camping regulations, and a planned March 3 resolution recognizing Chief Neels for his service.
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Amy Alzina, superintendent and principal of Cold Spring School, reported strong participation in school programs, with summer session classes filling within minutes of registration opening. She also announced an upcoming AI Summit, July 7-9, that will bring together educators and community partners. Alzina, who chairs California’s AI task force for TK-12 education, also noted recent safety upgrades at the school, including improvements to its communications systems.
The meeting reflected the Association’s ongoing role in addressing community priorities, fostering civic engagement, and supporting the safety and character of Montecito.
A meaningful conversation can help ensure what you have built is protected and carried forward as intended.
John W. Ambrecht, JD, MBA — Founding Partner Leticia Martinez, JD — Managing Partner •1828 State Street • Santa Barbara, CA 93101 • www ambrechtmartinez com • (805) 574-7305
Want to take a more active role in shaping our community? Joining a committee is one of the best ways to make an impact. The Montecito Association welcomes members who are interested in contributing their time, ideas, and expertise to the issues that matter most –from public safety and wildfire preparedness to land use, trails, beautification, and neighborhood events.
Our committees are where the real work happens – and where neighbors connect, collaborate, and help protect the character and quality of life we all value in Montecito.
Whether you have an hour a month or want to dive deeper, there’s a place for you! Interested? Email us at info@ montecitoassociation.org to learn more or attend an upcoming meeting.
Together, we keep Montecito strong.
Zhao’s winter, as internal and creative dissonance, took several years just to ‘feel safe’ enough to examine what she called the Mother Wound, a sensitive and personal issue. She described the character of Agnes as “the Motherlode of mother,” therefore when approached with the script, she had reservations. “I came to realize that if I don’t work on that wounding it’s going to make the second half of my life unbearable.” In the course of the production Zhao realized that confronting the mother archetype on film was a part of her own healing journey. Speaking of her unusual style of directing, she referred to the sacred rites of the ancients. Zhao views performers as modern-day shamans who put themselves through profound physical and emotional states to channel a character; meditation and ceremony are used to create a safe space and act as a boundary between life on set and that of the outside world. “There is a proper opening and closing to that ceremony...” for the entire company to enter and exit together for a smooth transition into everyday life. Zhao’s exceptional sensibilities and methods translate to her films and apparently to her audience. Could another First be in Zhao’s future?
The Women’s Panel, held on Saturday morning, February 7th at the Arlington Theatre remains an event close to my heart. “When we started this panel with the great Madeline Hammond, who’s been hosting this for 23 years,” exclaimed Roger Durling, “…there were 4 people in the audience!” This year’s panel, greeted by a huge crowd, featured six Oscar nominated creatives, each with an individual story. Yvett Merino, a UCSB alum, produced Zootopia 2, which became the highest grossing film of all time, requiring five years to reach the screen. In complete agreement was producer
Ashley Schlaifer, as Train Dreams took roughly 10 years. Sparked by women’s protests in Iran, writer-director Natalie Musteata’s short film, Two People Exchanging Saliva, emphasized absurdity as a reflection of the international consumerist culture and political climates. Laia Casanovas, sound designer for Sirat, described a 17-minute real life rave with ear splitting music while capturing the sound of actors speaking their lines. Costume designer Miyako Bellizzi, recalled that Marty Supreme required over 9,000 costumes for just essential background actors. The Perfect Neighbor, produced by Alisa Payne, is an innovative documentary visualized through police body and surveillance cameras alone. No surprise then – the Women’s Panel showcases artistic collaboration in tandem as essential to the creative process… and through the female lens.
Collaboration... I like that word! It sums up my 2026 SBIFF adventure attending projects helmed by women. I felt like a kid in a candy store… and I was! Jane Fonda with her frequent use of the word ‘we’ in almost every sentence, even in her 80s, remains a collaborator as both artist and activist. Chloe Zhao notes that collaboration is the backbone of filmmaking and ideally takes both the ‘yin and the yang,’ one half being the female lens. Having an opportunity to view the Women’s Panel and their generous focus on one another, sharing both admiration and challenges was a real treat. Thank you to all the talented ladies and to the SBIFF for another awesome experience. See you next year!
by Robert Bernstein
You may know the following quote from German pastor Martin Niemöller. More about him below.
“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left who could protest.”
He was saying that we need to speak out when other groups are being oppressed so that they are there for us if we are oppressed. A step up from pure self-interest. But, isn’t this a rather transactional view of ethics?
Perhaps we should speak out when others are being oppressed just because it is the right thing to do?
Many people think that God is the source of ethics. Philosopher Bertrand Russell challenged this a century ago in his essay “Why I am not a Christian.”
Perhaps God arbitrarily chooses what is right and what is wrong? He could have made stealing and murder be right things. In that case, God’s version of what is “right” clearly has nothing to do with what is “good.”
The other possibility is that what is right and wrong exist independently of God. In which case we don’t need God to tell us what is right and wrong.
Trump’s ICE is terrorizing immigrants who have lived here for decades. Or who were brought here as children. Nothing to do with controlling borders. Yet millions of Americans justify this, saying that these people are here “illegally.” It was also illegal to be Jewish in Nazi Germany. Not because there was anything wrong with being Jewish, but because the laws were wrong.
Note: The Border Patrol was created 100 years ago “to preserve racial type as it exists here today.”
How do we know when a law is “wrong”? When it unjustly hurts people. “Border Czar” Tom Homan has justified extreme measures, including raiding schools, because he’s enforcing the law. He argues that if you don’t like the law, you should change it.
electoral and legal system was rigged to favor slave holders.
For decades, Democrats and some Republicans have tried to change immigration law by popular demand. Congress almost changed the law in 2024, but Trump had Republicans kill it. Clearly, our electoral and legal system is seriously flawed when a majority of Americans agree that a law is wrong, yet it remains. But, even if most Americans are accepting of a cruel law, it is still wrong.
Note: As I researched this article, The Nation magazine wrote about Martin Niemöller. He was an avid Nazi supporter. He was later indeed imprisoned by the Nazis. But, not for speaking out on behalf of oppressed groups. He got upset that the Nazis were trying to control what went on in his church. After being imprisoned for eight years, he still held Nazi ideals. Slow change came later. It is not clear he ever really got over hating Jews. What happened is far more complex and I suggest you Google “Nation Magazine Niemöller” and read that article.
In 1977 Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer did the “Copy Machine Study.” She had volunteers cut in line in a busy copy machine room, offering three different “explanations.”
1) Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?
2) Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?
3) Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?
It turned out the comparative nonsense of “explanation” #3 worked just as well as #2. (#1 did not work well!) Why? “Because” is a magic word. As long as a behavior can be made to seem justifiable (“I’m doing this because…”), we perform the behavior even if the reasoning doesn’t make sense. We thus shouldn’t look for a reason to reduce suffering and injustice. We should just do what is right because it is right!
Sigrid Toye is an Educational and Behavior Therapist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology, a freelance writer, and a storyteller. She loves all things creative, including her two (adult) artist children.
Yes, changing the law would be ideal. But, for hundreds of years, it was legal to enslave some Americans. And there was no way to change that law. The
Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. His passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook. com/questionbig
for pitch and room for growth within the recruiting world we’re in. We’re a mid-market major, so we have to turn over some rocks and find some guys that maybe don’t throw hard quite yet, but we think will get there. You can’t just take whoever you want at a showcase. You’re not the first pick. It’s about finding guys who are under the radar and giving them the coaching, and creating a competitive system to help them get better every day.”
It seems to be working for Flora.
Although UCSB dropped two out of three to the team ranked just ahead of the Gauchos in the national polls when the season opened last weekend at Southern Mississippi, the righty starter didn’t disappoint. Flora hurled six shutout innings in Hattiesburg, notching five strikeouts and giving up just three hits in handing the Golden Eagles their first loss on opening day in a dozen years.
Checketts wasn’t surprised.
“He’s just continually improved since he got here,” he said. “He’s super athletic, ultra competitive, and has continued to mature physically and improve through experience. He’s really a competitive, hardworking kid who’s been a lot of fun to coach.”
While it seems like the opportunity to sign for life-changing money less than four months down the road might produce a lot of pressure for the player, the coach said that’s just one aspect of life as a potential pro Gaucho athlete.
“They don’t have a lot of time to think about it,” he said. “UCSB is a challenging, competitive school so they put a lot of time in there as students. They have to have a ton of discipline here.”
More pressure lands on Checketts and his staff, he said.
“We want these high-profile prospects to stay healthy. We want them to reach their potential and achieve their goals. Injuries happen in athletics. The most stressful part from a coach’s perspective is trying to do everything we can to make sure that we don’t overuse them or put them in situations where the risk for injuries is great. You have to balance helping them continue to develop, but also stay healthy.”
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The Gauchos boast several other well-regarded prospects in this year’s well-rounded team, including two former local high school standouts in pitcher Chase Hoover, a 2022 graduate of San Marcos High School – who closed out Flora’s victory last Friday with two almost hitless innings – and Kellan Montgomery, the former Dos Pueblos High School star who returned to town after serving as Long Beach State’s No. 1 starter last season (although he got off to a seasonal rough start last Sunday). The team was picked to finish on top of the Big West Conference and potentially earn another trip to the College World Series, besting teams with bigger budgets. That also brings high expectations, but it’s a good problem, Checketts said.
“It is different for us. There’s more of a target on your chest. But it’s what you want as the program evolves, so we’ve seen those expectations get set higher externally. Just like with the players, you’ve got to block out the noise.”
The noise level will go up on Friday nights whenever the Gauchos play a game at home this season, beginning February 20 with the home opener against Portland, as that’s when Flora will be slated to start each week. The diehard fans that number around 200 get joined by others wanting to check out someone who might be playing in the major leagues in a few years, not to mention a slew of scouts checking out the highly regarded righty at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The venue recently received an upgraded playing surface and is debuting its first video scoreboard this season, but still lags far behind the kind of facility of national powerhouses. But that only makes it extra fun for the fans, as people can sit or stand right behind the batting cage – only 10-15 feet from the batter’s box – where they’ll see in closeup exactly what a hitter experiences trying to whack Flora’s blazing fastball or figure out an off-speed pitch.
“I wish we had more resources, but that intimacy is one of the cool things about our park,” Checketts said. Visit https://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/ baseball for tickets.
CASE No. 25CV06248. Notice to Defendant: DAVID R. GAMPERL, an individual, et al.: You are being sued by Plaintiff: ANDREW WOODWARD. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons is served on you to file a written response at the Superior Court of California, Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default. If you lose, the court can order that your wages, money, or property be taken to pay this claim. Bring witnesses, receipts, and any evidence you need to prove your case. Name and address of the court: Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-1107. Filed January 22, 2026 by Terri Chavez,
Even on its own, Hennessy’s theatrical adaptation puts the emphasis on treating the animals as not very physically different from the humans they’re rebelling against – the animals’ own culture designed to be more fair and kind.
“The very first stage direction is that the animals look like us, whereas the humans actually don’t,” Rademacher explained. “Orwell’s book is actually subtitled A Fairy Story, meaning it’s a fable, it’s an allegory, and it’s not pretending to be anything else. Putting those characters into animal forms gives us that necessary separation to let us look at the situation without feeling responsible right away. Hennessy takes that away. Our actors look like actors, not animals. We play around a lot with animal characteristics, physicality and movement, but we’re trying to not allow the audience to feel disconnected. That makes it look more like what is happening to us right now, rather than 80 years ago with the political figures of that time.”
The adaptation has fueled the discussions about how a charismatic leader exerts control, manipulating the masses to maintain order and becoming the very thing that the animals were resisting.
“We spent a lot of time looking at why they submit,” Rademacher said. “What’s the risk if they don’t follow this leader that they’ve chosen? It’s pretty clear that it’s life and death, which is connected to our current situation. It doesn’t feel like something old at all.”
As in the book, the animals attempt to create a society that follows seven pillars, not unlike, say, our Bill of Rights. Among the commandments is that all animals are equal. But by the end, it’s changed to some animals are more equal than others.
As The Guardian put it in a review of a London production, the corrupting nature of power, the slow erosion of commonly held values, the seductiveness of strong leadership in a time of crisis, and how we collude with toxic leaders by believing their lies are all a subtle part of the script and the stage play.
“I came in wanting us all to look at how we are all responsible,” Rademacher said. “Even if we don’t agree and haven’t voted that way. Guess what? I still have an Amazon Prime account. Those tiny little things are a slippery slope. We are able to justify our actions because we also want to just live our lives and not be in battle all the time.
“The animals in the play are justifying their actions too. We’re all very good at that in our everyday lives.”
Diving deep into discussions of that dynamic was a big part of the rehearsal process, Rademacher said.
“Especially in the very beginning, the first couple of weeks when we were digging into the text. These young actors are still just trying to figure out their worlds and life. There were tears, there were fears as they made connections to their heritages and what has historically happened. It is scary. But as a leader of that room, I committed to just being as frank and honest as I could, because as those things were happening in the world, I wanted to say, look, you know what? I am scared too. I don’t know how to fix this. I am not going to tell you everything is going to be okay. But what’s also been powerful is that the 16 actors in the room are laughing and they’re playing, and they are living their lives. That became a mantra: Our joy is resistance. They can’t take that away from us.”
Rademacher said she hopes the audience walks away pondering those questions and issues of personal responsibility. Of course, just enjoying the play as entertainment is fine, too.
“We’re posing that question to everyone: How are my actions participating in or resisting the degradation of our democracy right now? I know that whether or not the play makes a huge difference in the community, for those of us who have been working on it for a while, it has already made a big difference.”
The smash hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon has music, lyrics and book by the inspired pairing of South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with
Deputy Clerk. Published February 12, 19, 26, and March 5, 2026
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SUITE A, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 30, 2026. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2026-0000314. Published February 12, 19, 26, and March 5, 2026
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CASE No. 25CV06178. Notice to Defendant: John Coons: You are being sued by Plaintiff: Danielle Loveall. You and the plaintiff must go to court on February 23, 2026 at 9 am in Department 3 of the Superior Court of California, Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. If you do not go to court, you may lose the case. If you lose, the court can order that your wages, money, or property be taken to pay this claim. Bring witnesses, receipts, and any evidence you need to prove your case. Name and address of the court: Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-1107 Filed January 9, by Sarah Sisto, Deputy Clerk. Published January 29, February 5, 12, 19, 2026
Robert Lopez, who co-created the puppet musical Avenue Q before co-writing the more mainstream songs for Frozen, Frozen II and Coco. Not surprisingly, the show is highly irreverent, using vulgarity and more in its satirical mocking of religious Belief in this not wholly unsympathetic story of two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attempting to preach the faith to the inhabitants of a remote Ugandan village. Mormon not only earned nine Tony Awards and a Grammy, but also continues to break records in its ongoing run at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, a run that will reach 15 years in a few days. The latest official touring production is coming our way again, but unfortunately for dawdlers, it’s completely sold out all 3,000 seats over its two-day run February 24-25 as part of the Broadway in Santa Barbara series at the Granada.
At the other end of the theatrical spectrum, the barely two-year-old site-specific collective called MORE Theater/SB has three more shows in its world premiere of Chinwag, a new play by local literary luminary David Starkey. The title of the former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate’s collaboration with MORE’s founder-artistic director Meg Kruszewska is British slang for having a chat – appropriate, as the play is not only set in 1976 at a local public access TV station but is being performed at TVSB, which, of course, is our half-century old local public access TV station. (The concept was sparked when Kruszewska was actually interviewed on Starkey’s TVSB program, The Creative Community.)
The action begins when “second-wave feminist” Dorothy takes over the low-rating talk show hosted by the famously mustached host Russ O’Sullivan (hint, hint) as he preps to interview a slate of local guests in “Santa Teresa,” the same fictionalized stand-in for Santa Barbara that was famously employed by longtime Montecito author Sue Grafton in her alphabet series of detective novels. The wild, and wildly funny, dark comedy unfolds when the small-town revolution is televised.
Kruszewska – whose three decades of experience as a theater artist spans BAM, the Shubert Organization in New York, and regional theaters around the country – directs the cast that includes Meredith McMinn, Matt Tavianini, Alaina Dean, Heather Grosch, E. Bonnie Lewis, and Will Muse. Performances are 7 pm on February 20-21 and 2 pm on February 22 at TVSB, 329 S. Salinas Street, where the capacity is less than five percent of the Granada’s. Visit www.moretheatersb.com
Hollywood has hoofed it back down to L.A. Independent filmmakers from across the globe have moved on to their next festival. Documentary directors are diving into new projects. Yes, SBIFF 41 is in the rearview mirror. But fret not, plenty of foreign films, mini-budget movies, daring documentaries, arthouse wonders, and retrospectives are still around, not least through SBIFF itself, which now runs six screens in town, meaning – just as in the other arts – Santa Barbara is now an enviable haven for movies of the non-blockbuster variety, capable of all sorts of programming including classics, thematic screenings, and much more.
Indeed, SBIFF has promised to screen an independent film, a foreign film, a retrospective or restoration, a documentary, and a family film every day at the gleaming newly-refurbished McHurley Film Center, which was quickly put through its paces during SBIFF. Plus, the Riviera is also revved up for its variety of cinematic splendors. Check the website (www.sbiff.org) for full schedules and ticketing.
Meanwhile, some other presenters’ venues are able to grab the spotlight again, including UCSB’s Carsey-Wolf Center (CWC), where the multiple series of screenings continue this week with director Marcel Ophuls’ 1976 documentary The Memory of Justice. The movie posits the Nuremberg Trials as a truly singular event in its consequential reckoning with crimes against humanity, a statement made in the aftermath of atrocities committed in Algeria and Vietnam. Sadly, given today’s ongoing conflicts around the world – as well as within and just beyond our borders – that position comes off as even more current half a century later. The full 278-minute film, which was recently restored, screens at the Pollock Theatre on February 21 after an introduction by Ophuls’ grandson Andréas-Benjamin Seyfert, a member of UCSB’s Germanic and Slavic Studies department.
Next Thursday, February 26, CWC screens another film from the same year in Chulas Fronteras, newly restored in 4K for its 50th anniversary and presented alongside the 1979 short Del Mero Corazón. Chulas celebrates the famed Mexican American musicians of the borderlands, the migrant farming communities from which they come, the strong family bonds of Tejanos, and the social protest ethos inscribed in their music. A performance by corrido singer-songwriter Gallo Armado (Fernando Ríos) will precede the screening, which will be followed by a panel discussion.
On March 3, CWC veers into Oscar fever in advance of the Academy Awards show with a public discussion with SBIFF’s long-standing and nowadays most
prolific tribute interviewer Scott Feinberg The Hollywood Reporter’s executive editor of awards will share inside info on how Oscar races are conducted (and won), including breaking down what to expect at the March 15 ceremony, discussing favorites, rivalries and potential upsets with film prof and interim CWC director Ross Melnick Elsewhere in the Oscar Opportunities category, one of the only gaps in SBIFF’s incredibly comprehensive Academy Award coverage will start on February 20. That’s the solitary date across the U.S. and Canada when all 15 of the nominated short films covering documentary, live action and animation categories will be screened sequentially in three separate packages. Locally, the shorts will be shown – where else? – at SBIFF’s gleaming new McHurley Film Center with a rotating schedule from Feb. 20-26, on one of six screens SBIFF now operates.
UCSB Arts & Lectures once again presents the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, as always screening a significant swath of the outdoor-oriented
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to the movie lot. People cheered as if for a parade as every kind of rig passed by: flatbed, boom crane, cherry picker, costume van, prop van, classic car, horse trailer, blimp van, taco truck, bus, cable car, train car, and limousine. There were animals in vans, wranglers waving from windows, scantily dressed women standing on flatbeds. The mighty magic of Hollywood in an endless train of equipment and excitement moving up the coast to its new home by the sea and bringing with it hundreds and hundreds of new jobs in a time as bad as anybody had ever seen. It was a Hollywood migration, and the crowd was shouting as much for the festivity of it as for this first evidence of the coming boom.
As they waited, Creek began to notice what he had missed in the fog the prior night: how the town had painted and streamered itself into a noisy party for the movie. Billboards, posters, and life-size cutouts littered every block and storefront. People dressed up as movie stars, unabashed and playful, strutting cigar and umbrella props and laughing at each other on the sidewalk. Scruffy, barely shaved hobos wore A-frames advertising Big Red Sunset and its star Tom Horn, the man Creek had watched take a bullet to his billboard jaw. Everyone drank openly now on the streets, the men sporting pomaded hair slicked black and flat, their girls sporting platinum curls and ruby-red lips, the costumes making it easy to be bold, to be laughing even as their eyes scanned to see who was with the movies and who wasn’t. A town swimming in it, Creek thought, as if they’d all awakened this morning buoyant and chipper, believing the hard times were over, they were still young and picture-perfect, and even now their ship of gold was sliding into the harbor.
The tail of the procession passed, and the cars moved forward. Creek drove to the sea road and turned at the town stores, heading south. Again, the traffic slowed. He saw a line of people four blocks long leading away from the big the Starlight Skating Rink.
“What’s that about?” Creek asked. Billy looked at him to see if he was joking. “Casting. To be in the movie. He’s gonna use locals. And one female for the lead.”
“Who would ‘he’ be?”
“The big tycoon.”
“And he’s the boy running this game?”
“Mister Creek. You can’t be real. Where you been since the last century?”
Creek smiled at the kid. “They don’t let me in on much polite conversation.”
“Johnny Diamond.”
“Thought he was a developer.”
“He’s everything. There’s him and Howard Hughes and Darryl Zanuck and, lord, Creek – Johnny Diamond? Really? It’s his boat we’re headed for.”
They came to a stoplight. A woman looked over at them, broke from a line, and headed toward them. Billy saw her and blushed.
“Who’s that movie star waving at us?” Creek asked. “Your girl?”
“Someday maybe.”
The animated blonde was skipping across the sidewalk. She came up to the truck and jumped on the runner beside Billy.
“Mister Lawman!”
“Hi, Moony.”
“You sleuthing?”
He looked over at Creek and back at her, emboldened.
“Might be. Might be trying to find a murderer.”
Her face went mock shocked.
Billy said to Creek, “A natural born actress.”
“For real?” she said, husky and amazed.
He looked at Creek, Creek shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“Creek, this is Moony. Moony Sawyer, Creek. Creek’s the lead investigator in a case. You didn’t read about it?!”
“Would have, Mister Shakespeare, if they’d printed it. But they didn’t.”
“That’s odd. You memorize all your parts?” Billy asked.
“Gotta move forward,” Creek said as the traffic began to shift. It unsettled him that there had been no press about Pony.
Moony nodded but stayed on the runner as the Ford crept forward. Hamming it up, she said “Lawman, put the pedal to the metal. I’m packin’ lead in this holster and silver dollars in my boots, so let’s not be the last thing smokin’ outa’ this donkey hole of a cow town.”
They all busted up, and Billy was crimson and beaming.
“Donkey hole,” Billy said.
“Polizia! Sceriffo ready for my close-up!” Moony leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then flew down, and they watched as everybody saw her cross the street with a comic swagger to take her place in line. Billy felt like a million dollars.
As the truck went by, Creek honked the horn. She bowed, and they laughed again.
“Natural born,” Billy said. “Not just the ham stuff. You oughta see her do the serious acting. Nobody makes wisecracks when Moony is in a play.”
They crossed the tracks as the road curved beside the Piers Casino and came to the Biltmore. The Biltmore had its own bay, its own bluffs, its own claim to the spectacular in a spectacular town. Its grounds were packed with people. It had been a premier hotel for a nearly a decade, and its quiet Spanish cottages, the towering fig and palm trees, its big-timbered bar and patios, all facing a dreamy sea cove, were catnip to the romantic and the lascivious of Los Angeles. They came back for their affairs and their honeymoons year after year.
But now, the sprawl of the Biltmore and its large crowd diminished before the brilliant staging of Johnny Diamond. Anchored sideways, impossible not to see from any point, was a 134-foot, four-masted, six-cabined yacht called the Silver Screen. It was magnificent and had remained so through the alterations of five previous owners, all of whom contributed to its reputation as the most beautiful sailing ship ever built.
Dwarfed by the giant scale of booms and masts, a hundred guests moved along its decks with the serenity of royalty. A dozen launch boats shuttled people back and forth. The hotel and its bustling crowd, luminous as they seemed, were its landed captives.
“The swells,” Billy said.
Creek had only pretended not to know who Johnny Diamond was. In truth, he knew a lot about him. It’s why he was here. The chief was a nuisance, but Johnny Diamond was who he needed to see. He wanted to talk to the man who had engineered the largest land swindle in California history, hypnotizing everyone with the divine fascination of moving pictures. Including the Indians he wouldn’t let on the set.
Creek pulled his truck to the curb. Just below them, at the mouth of the pier, a blue Packard blocked access. It had all its doors open, and three young men in ill-fitting suits sat casually on the fenders. They were screening guests to the big yacht.
Creek stepped out, told Billy to keep the Ford running, and walked twenty feet to the seaside phone booth. He left the door open, jostled the phone receiver, and asked the operator to get him John Penbrook’s ranch over on Santa Rosa. She said it would take a minute or two.
He leaned against the beveled glass and studied the famous yacht. This was the kingmaker, Johnny Diamond. The man who got the land, teed up the movie, and told the Indians to stay away. Someone on the pier whistled, and the three goons slid off their perches and got into the car. They fired it up and idled in position as a group approached them. Creek knew the tall one with the big Stetson would be Diamond.
The phone rang. The operator gave him Penbrook.
“Creek?”
“Hello, John.”
“Well, I heard they had him cremated. Guess that’s normal.”
“Is in this town, apparently. I can bring you the urn.”
“Well, it’s only flesh. Spirit’s gone. Guess that would be nice. Put him in the ground by that big Moreton Bay, above the cove.”
“John, there were some marks, on bone, some bruises, and some rough tearing of skin. Fundamentally, the head came clean off.”
“The marks?”
“Yeah.”
“After he died? Like from hitting the boat?”
“Maybe. Maybe from before the fall.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
“You think that,” John said.
“His feet, too, John. Badly cut on the soles. Even a barefoot hobo doesn’t have that many cuts. The bruises were, well, like someone walloped him. Pretty sure the bruises came first, before he died. Might be like some big cat. Or shark. Or, Lord knows, somebody he maybe crossed.”
“God.”
“No boat yet and no head. And, weirdly, no newspaper account. Pretty sure we’ll find a boat, if that’s what happened.”
“Jesus, Creek. You’re really scratching around this thing.”
“Well, I’m just saying.”
“Saying what, Creek? Spell it out, for God’s sake.”
“It’s possible, John.”
“He was universally loved, that boy. I’m believing he purchased a boat someplace, set off for God knows where, and fucked up good. Pretty much end of story. Creek, it’s hard enough to bear that he’s gone. What you’re saying would put Sonora… well, it might just kill her. She’s already
taken to bed and won’t be up any time soon.”
The line was silent for a long while. Creek saw Billy waving across the street. He looked up and saw the procession of Chief Wade, Tim Horn, the town council, and taller and more vivid, the man he knew to be Johnny Diamond. He wore a ten-gallon and a sequined cowboy shirt. As they passed near Creek, Johnny Diamond noticed him. When one of the councilmen leaned in and whispered something, Diamond’s eyes did a quick scan of the area looking for something to explain Creek’s presence, then came back to rest on Creek. Diamond’s eyes were cold and cautious, but he made his face smile and nodded to Creek as he passed by. A few who had eyes on the kingmaker swung toward Creek to see who he might be. Finding nobody important or familiar, they turned back to the parade. Creek wondered if there was a formal noun for the business of being a sycophant. Penbrook’s voice broke through.
“Creek, he had no enemy. He was Indian born, but everyone who ever knew him really knew him and liked him. He walked a rut like a milk cow, same routine for more than thirty years. I don’t want anything smoking up his life.”
“Did the chief talk to you?”
“The chief is a porker. It’s me. I knew the boy. He put to sea, and he had no business doing it. Paid with his life. About all I want to know about it.”
Creek let this settle, thinking what little right he had to stir it up.
“You know I hate a bully,” Creek said. “Be nice to know it wasn’t that. Would you mind if I just look around a little? Until the boat shows up? Or are you… is this you saying you don’t want that?”
There was another long silence. Finally, Penbrook spoke.
“Listen, Creek. It’s more than just heartache. I believe I contributed to this. Pony came to me some time back and shocked the shit out of me by asking for his wages. Didn’t say why, and I didn’t ask. But I should have. I didn’t have the whole figure then, but I gave him a few bucks, and I believe he used it to buy a fucking boat. I believe he paid for that folly with his life. Maybe just bring him home, Creek. Let us just put our boy in the ground and move on. You come across when you can; we’ll bury him up by that big Fig. I’ll send the ferry for you when you wish.”
“Okay. All right. I will, John. I’ll bring him over tomorrow or the next day.”
“Boat will be there at two. Thank you for all of this, son.”
He hung up his end, and Creek held down the cradle. It rang back and the operator said it required fifteen cents. He put a nickel and a dime in the slots and hung up. He stood watching the ceremony. The crowd had moved on to the Biltmore, and Creek looked out to the great yacht.
Diamond’s people had come onto Creek’s place in a thinly veiled effort to take his land. He had sent them away with his sentiments whizzing just inches above their heads, the sound of bird-grain buckshot spattering the dry magnolia leaves quickening their retreat. They had come at him from a few more angles but had dropped the attack when they shifted gears, and Diamond decided to drop it.
His instincts hummed. Diamond bothered him. Ranny’s man bothered him. He had till the boat came to poke around; then he’d leave it alone.
He’d told the station he and Billy were headed for the reservation, so he’d go on up there and ask about the lawsuit, find out if anyone saw Pony in The Talking House, where they served mah-jongg and canasta and “light” poker to go with a few other things. The rest of the night hung on what you wanted to do with it. Less talk, the better. See if Pony went up there with a pile of money in his pockets and ever talked about buying a boat.
Tune in next week for Chapter Eight of Last Light in Paradise
Michael C. Armour is author and original artist of bestselling Smithsonian children’s books Orca Song and Puma Range, and has been an award-winning writer/director for CBS documentaries, and many print and TV commercials for Honda and other companies. He comes from three generations of ranching, has been a horseman and motorcyclist most of his life, and has worked for years with released inmates under the direction of the Santa Barbara Superior Court and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
Scan the QR code to purchase the full book online, or pick one up at your local bookstore: Tecolote in Montecito, Godmothers in Summerland, or Chaucer’s in Santa Barbara.
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shorts – ranging from 1-45 minutes in duration – over two successive nights boasting entirely different programs February 24-25. Although A&L Associate Director Emeritus Roman Baratiak is happily retired, he still serves as curator and host for the BANFF fest tour that shows top-flight mountain adventure films on subjects ranging from ice climbing and extreme alpining to mountain culture and the environment, pairing adrenaline-packed thrills with tales of human potential and the natural world. Each night’s screenings run more than two-and-a-half hours.
Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu for full descriptions and screeners
Down the road, the Illuminate Film Festival has a new umbrella organization, executive team and dates for its third presentation since relocating from Sedona to Santa Barbara in 2024. The spiritual/ecological fest has postponed the re-jiggered weekend of screenings sporting a refreshed format from May to October 2-4, 2026. Accordingly, the deadline to submit short films (no more than 90 seconds) to the 2026 Oneness of Humanity Micro-Short Film Contest has been pushed to April 1.
Visit https://illuminatefilmfestival.com
Captain Charles Moore discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch while returning from a Hawaii-to-California yacht race in 1997. The swirling expanse of floating plastic debris became the focus of his life’s work, and his landmark study on microplastics in the patch revealed that for every kilogram of plankton in the ocean, there are six kilograms of plastics. Capt. Moore is coming to Santa Barbara for an event that begins with a screening of a 2019 documentary by the Korean Broadcasting System exposing the alarming reality of the plastic patch followed by a Q&A with Moore, one of the world’s leading voices on plastic pollution. The February 20 event, sponsored by the Community Environmental Council (CEC) and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper at CEC’s Environmental Hub, is free.
Visit https://cecsb.org/events/captaincharles-moore-lecture
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
by Steven Libowitz
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Out of Pocket – Pocket Fox, the popular local folk and roll sextet – condensed from their original format as an eight-member ensemble – has performed a winning blend of folk, rock, funk, jazz and soul at clubs, brew pubs, cafes and festivals for several years. But now they’re set to slyly move on after what’s being billed as a final performance tonight. “The final Rumpus” will likely not only survey some of their favorite folk-influenced, high-energy music, but also feature several of their prominent friends about town, including Sio Tepper, Jackson Gillies, and at least half a dozen other local luminaries. Stop by for one last wild time and to wish them well in whatever the future brings. WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: SOhO, 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court
COST: $10 in advance, $15 at the door
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
Theatrical Ballroom Dancing – Dance lovers – and those merely moved by elegant evenings of a classic art form – are all welcome to Arthur Murray Santa Barbara’s Theater Show 2026. The single performance features both staff and students from Arthur Murray Santa Barbara and Arthur Murray Ventura studios dancing in
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Preserving New Orleans Jazz – Preservation Hall in New Orleans’ French Quarter has had national recognition for so long, it’s almost shocking to realize that music was only originally booked in the space to attract customers to what was then only an art gallery in the late 1950s. By the early ‘60s, however, Philly transplant Allan Jaffe and his wife Sandra took over running the place and booked even more of the local talent that made the Crescent City such a thriving place for the arts. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band started touring in 1963, and they’ve pretty much been on the road one way or another ever since, including 2005 when the hall itself temporarily closed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The personnel have changed repeatedly over the years, of course, but the family connection continues, as the Jaffe’s son Ben took over as artistic director in 1993. Still one of the great ambassadors of the sound and intertwining culture of New Orleans, the ensemble has mixed in elements of other styles within the context of jazz, upholding the music and the spirit as vibrant living history. PHJB isn’t trendy, but it’s still solid stuff.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $52 & $62 ($107 VIP tickets includes premier seating and a pre-show reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres)
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Genre-busting Bonanza – The Chicago-based quartet Third Coast Percussion is still hunkering down in the Windy City. Coming together as percussion students at Northwestern University in 2005, the quartet has received heaps of praise for recasting the classical musical experience through a surprisingly varied sonic palette, crafting music to “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners,” as NPR put it. In 2017, TCP became the first percussion ensemble to win a Grammy in a classical chamber music category – this for its album featuring music by Steve Reich in honor of the composer’s 80th birthday. Now the group is out on tour in a much more unlikely collaboration with Jlin, the groundbreaking electronic music composer and performer whose thrilling, emotional, and multidimensional creations have wowed critics and listeners alike. The quartet and Jlin’s bold collaboration, a decade in the making – including each performing Jlin’s composition on separate albums – combines Jlin’s polyrhythmic, footwork-inspired sound with the precision and creativity of Third Coast Percussion’s contemporary, classically-trained approach. The result defies categorization. The program features acoustic interpretations of Jlin’s work by Third Coast Percussion, a live electronic set by Jlin, and a new piece performed by all five musicians on stage.
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Campbell Hall, 574 Mesa Rd., UCSB campus
COST: $33-$48
INFO: (805) 893-3535 or https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
a variety of classic styles drawn from among the more than 20 that are taught at the studios. Expect fancy foxtrot footwork, sexy salsa and other Latin dances, and swinging juke joint jazz moves as the performers representing all levels take on individualized choreography with fun costumes, exciting music and energy to spare. You might get inspired enough to be one of the dancers on stage next year.
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Center Stage Theatre, 751 Paseo Nuevo, second floor
COST: $32
INFO: (805) 963-0408 or https://centerstagetheater.org
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Lunar New Year Family Festival – The Santa Barbara Chinese School co-hosts a vibrant community event to mark the annual celebration, where everyone can enjoy activities including fan painting, lantern making, paper cutting, calligraphy, dragon puppets, horse ornaments and children’s performances. The event also features a Dragon Dance photo booth, a selection of free Chinese books to take home, and vendors from our local Chinese community.
WHEN: 1-4 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 564-5641 or www.SBPLibrary.org
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Solo Superstar – Yo Yo Ma , easily and rightfully the world’s most famous living cellist, has performed so frequently in Santa Barbara over recent years, one could be forgiven for forgetting that he’s a spectacularly consummate cellist in the more traditional classical setting of a solo recital. Through his deep association with UCSB Arts & Lectures he has covered a variety of ambitious musical (and even spoken word) projects. This, though, is a rare opportunity to experience an entire evening of the man and his solo instrument as Yo Yo Ma will perform three new commissioned works. These include pieces by South African cellist Abel Selaocoe – rooted in African ideals and expressing the universality of the natural world – and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw ’s composition, which imagines a sound that has “never been heard before but has always existed.” The program culminates in a new piece, co-commissioned by UCSB A&L, that draws on music the cellist has encountered during his recent and ongoing exploration of the ways that culture can reinvigorate our connection to the natural world, with a particular focus on water. The evening is sure to be, as Stevie Wonder once put it, another “master class in love.”
WHEN: 4 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street
COST: $95-$175
INFO: (805) 899-2222/www.granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535/https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Community Song Circle – Santa Barbara-based community song leader Heather Stevenson – a six-year veteran of the warbling convocation – brings her weekly communal gathering from Yoga Soup to downtown and the Community Environmental Council’s headquarters. Why? For a special free evening of music, expression and, perhaps most importantly, connection. Part of the Embodied Arts Workshop series, the participatory choral forum is open for singers of all levels and experience to come together, share voices, and experience the power of music as a tool for connection, celebration and action. Stevenson will teach participants short, impactful songs that are simple to sing. In the process she’ll be weaving music and camaraderie into a memorable experience that reminds us of our shared humanity and leaves singers feeling uplifted, inspired and soothed through song. The evening is a part of CEC’s A Year of Active Hope, a series of free events hosted at CEC’s Hub to unite the community and create space for courage, connection and change.
WHEN: 6-8 pm
WHERE: CEC, 1219 State St.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 963-0583 or https://cecsb.org/events
Mo’ NOLO Magic – Given that it’s February – aka Mardi Gras time in New Orleans – the Lobero Theatre doesn’t have an exclusive on this week’s offerings from the Crescent City. UCSB Campbell Hall also welcomes a NOLO sensation in Grammy-winning pianist and bandleader Jon Cleary, the reigning king of New Orleans funk. Cleary fronts his powerhouse band The Absolute Monster Gentlemen in laying down deep grooves steeped in second-line swagger, channeling a musical lineage that stretches from Professor Longhair and the Meters to Dr. John and the Neville Brothers. Expect an immersive serving of good ol’ Big Easy magic – with a side of openers Cha Wa, the electrifying Mardi Gras Indian band carrying forward the carnival traditions of Monk Boudreaux and the Wild Magnolias. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Campbell Hall, 574 Mesa Rd., UCSB campus
COST: $38-$58
INFO: (805) 893-3535 or https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Museum Marathon – SoCal Museums’ annual Museums Free-For-All once again offers free admission to celebrate arts and culture across the Southern California region spanning from Santa Barbara to Orange County. With only two local institutions participating this time around, expect crowded conditions both outside and indoors. Note the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History [(805) 682-4711/www.sbnature.org] has some special offerings to make the wait worth the while, namely additional shows at the planetarium and partner organizations’ information tables. These include the Southern Steelhead Coalition, Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s Eyes in the Sky, and Climb Out. Santa Barbara Museum of Art [(805) 963-4364/https://sbma.net] also throws open its doors to all, and is opening Remixed: Entwined Histories and New Forms, which highlights artists who reinvent quilts, textiles and hybrid materials, demonstrating how combined elements carry memory even as they are transformed into new forms. Perhaps the bigger news is that the Museums Free-For-All rewards those intrepid folks willing to travel with free entry to famous institutions down south today, including the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (the folks who also put on the Oscars) [www.AcademyMuseum. org], the Autry Museum of the American West [www.theautry.org], The Broad [www.TheBroad.org], Columbia Space Center [www.ColumbiaSpacescience. org], The Getty Center & The Getty Villa [www.getty.edu] and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) [www.lacma.org]. Most require advance reservations. Visit their websites for more info.
This entertainment calendar is a subjective sampling of arts and entertainment events taking place in the Santa Barbara area for the next seven days or so. It is by no means comprehensive. Please also see my feature stories elsewhere in this issue for more events. In order to be considered for inclusion in this calendar, please submit information – including hi-res photos –by 12 noon Wednesday eight days prior to publication date. Email: slibowitz@yahoo.com.
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