Shakespeare au Naturel – Naked Shakes brings The Tempest to Elings Park, stripping away spectacle for raw language, movement, and imagination, P.16
Reservoir Resilience – Reservoir upgrades backed by federal funding strengthen Montecito’s water system against earthquakes and future natural disasters, P.22
The Beer Guy is Back – After several years on hiatus, Zach
returns as “The Beer
and even argued with the editor for a cover spot this week, page 24
Post
Up
Eight months in and with fashion, food, florals, and fitness, The Post may be proving itself Montecito’s stylish new community hub, P.5
Gaze into El Roblar
Shell-ebrating Ojai style... El Roblar offers jazz by the fire, turtle encounters, and heavenly sheets in one unforgettable stay, page 33 (Story starts on p.6)
Rosen
Guy”…
Martin Sheen and NAPF are clear on feelings around nuclear armaments, page 16
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
5
Stay Posted – Updates on new shops and what’s to come to the new retail space, The Post in Montecito
Beings and Doings – They’ve toured with postpunk greats, headlined the Troubadour, and rocked a marionette theater. What is Superet? You tell me. 8 Montecito Miscellany – Polo’s Pacific Coast Open, 70 years of Gil Rosas jamming, and more miscellany
News Bytes – 101 construction updates, Tails of Hope, Carp’s Culinary Crawl, and other happenings
Letters to the Editor – A message from Battistone Foundation CEO Cindy Hill Tide Guide
Our Town – The Santa Barbara Zoo roars forward with its Strategic Plan, and news of the MTF and Summerland Citizens’ Greenwell Preserve restoration
Your Westmont – A look at the new faculty joining the Westmont community and their backgrounds
Exchange/SI PC 412 E. Haley St. #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.965.9555 | frontdesk@beckercon.com| www.beckerstudiosinc.com @beckerstudios
16
On Entertainment – Shakespeare au naturel, Social Insecurity on stage, the new RubensteinChan gallery, and more
The Giving List – The real actions of Martin Sheen protesting nuclear armaments could be a role model for West Wing ’s President Bartlet
18 Community Voices – Part 2 of Jeff Giordano’s look at the local housing situation
20
Brilliant Thoughts – No one has accused Ashleigh of not having all his marbles, but here’s how he got everyone else’s marbles
22 The Water Column – The MWD is set to begin this fall in the first of a series of reservoir retrofits to address seismic resilience
24 The Beer Guy – After a few year hiatus, Zach Rosen is once again ready to talk too much about beer
26 Montecito Health Coach – It’s Back to School season which only means one thing… time for parents to get out the tears and tissues
28
Sporting Life – Steven waxes poetic on how he developed his love for high school football as The Big Game looms
31 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A plaster relief tells of animal iconography and the trust it imbues in our banking systems
33
Travel Buzz – Ojai has a newly reimagined resting ground and watering hole in its quaint and charming Hotel El Roblar
34 Stories Matter – From Hollywood history to missing crime writers, these books will keep your summer going
35
Robert’s Big Questions – Where do you get your news? Just because it’s called a “news feed,” is it really news?
37 Foraging Thyme – This isn’t your grandmother’s broccoli – it’s gai lan, or Chinese broccoli – and tastes great in this quick dish
42
44
Curator’s Choice – An argonaut preserved in the Invertebrate Zoology Collections
Calendar of Events – An abundance of books for Planned Parenthood, sea glass at the Elks Lodge, The Cost of Silence at Marjorie Luke, and more
46
47
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads
Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles Local Business Directory
Stay Posted What’s New at The Post in Montecito
by Tiana Molony
It’s been eight months since David Fishbein and Joseph Miller , co-founders of Los Angeles-based real estate collective The Runyon Group, opened The Post in Montecito.
“It has been lovely to see how embraced The Post has been in its early days,” said Fishbein in an email to the Montecito Journal. “I am constantly overhearing people discussing how much they love the space, shop, and restaurant mix and design.”
Part boutique retail center, part community gathering place, The Post is quickly becoming a hub; not just for Montecitans, but also for Santa Barbarians, out-of-town visitors, and everyone in between. Since its opening, many long-awaited restaurants, shops, and studios have joined the mix, adding new life to Montecito’s already vibrant shopping scene.
One of the first arrivals was Teller, a womenswear store owned by Jaime Fishbein, wife of David Fishbein. This marks the second location for Teller, following its debut in Los Angeles at Platform LA, a retail space also owned by Fishbein and Miller.
Inside Teller, shoppers will find a carefully curated selection of clothing from across 60 different brands. The space is clean and polished, but also has a warm, welcoming vibe. Two large chairs arranged in the store’s center provide comfy repose for your partner while you browse the store.
Just a stone’s throw away is Shoppe Amber Interiors, a home and design store by interior designer Amber Lewis With locations in Culver City, Calabasas, Newport Beach, Marin County, and now Montecito, Lewis pairs laid-back style and a bracing freshness radiant with character – think Nancy Meyers aesthetic meets Restoration Hardware.
Other new retail openings include Velvet, Maygel Coronel, Save Khaki United, Merlette, RLT, Jamie Haller, The Optimist, Brochu Walker, Marisa Mason, and, of course, Janessa Leoné.
While most of the shops are retail focused, The Post’s mix extends beyond fashion and home design. Organic Oren offers 100% organic à la carte meals for pickup each week, partnering with Central Coast farmers to source the freshest possible ingredients. Scenery Florals, founded by Santa Barbara–based floral artist Tedde Minogue, brightens your home with unique arrangements and customizable floral designs.
Health and wellness are also part of the picture. As Pilates’ popularity continues to soar, Homebody Studios has arrived in Montecito at just the right moment.
Founded by friends Sophie Axelson and Anna Rinke, Homebody launched in Austin, Texas, and now offers residents a range of Pilates classes that focus on balance and strength.
Need a pick-me-up in between shopping stops? Little King Coffee, facing the bird refuge, is the perfect spot for that much-needed afternoon jolt of caffeine. This is their second location, the first being up north in Buellton.
Perhaps one of the most anticipated openings, Ospi, an Italian concept imagined by restaurateurs Chef Jackson Kalb and Melissa Kalb, offers mouth-watering Southern Italianinspired dishes. “Ospi has been a hit,” reflected Fishbein. “And it has been incredible to hear from very discerning locals on how much they have loved the food, service and ambiance.”
Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Ospi has quickly become a regular spot for locals and visitors alike. The restaurant space itself is just as eye-catching as the food – a stunning emerald green horseshoe-shaped bar greets you at the entrance. I’m convinced the Kale and Kampachi salad can convert all kale haters out there, and Chef Jackson’s vodka rigatoni is a must.
Ospi is the perfect spot for a casual afternoon lunch or a more formal sitdown dinner. “While our concept is elegant enough for a birthday or anniversary, we want to be welcoming enough for guests joining us after a leisurely bike ride or a day at the beach,” says Chef Jackson in an email to the Montecito Journal. And there’s more to come. Bogavante – which will take over the former Stella Mare’s location, just a few doors down Los Patos Way. Bogavante will focus on fresh, locally sourced seafood and meats, highlighting flavors from Northern Mexico alongside Santa Barbara’s coastal cuisine.
For now, it’s clear that The Post is thriving. With its blend of style, dining, fitness, and design, it is quickly carving out a place as Montecito’s newest gathering spot.
Tiana Molony is a journalist who writes for the Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC. She has also written for Backpacker Magazine, Mountain Gazette, and the Santa Barbara Independent.
Beings and Doings
Superet: The World on a String
by Jeff Wing
Songwriter, rocker, former Montecitan, and SBHS Don (go)
– Matt Blitzer is casing the joint, as they used to say. His band, Superet, is on the cusp of releasing a new album, and for some time Matt’s been in search of the perfect venue for the launch. The place should be a sensory analogue to the new album’s song cycle – a melody-drunk chamber suite as vivid and unclassifiable as a deep space gamma-blossom observed at infrared wavelengths. Not to pigeonhole.
“I saw this video of Dionne Warwick,” Blitzer says. “She’s performing in Germany in the early sixties, and she’s walking around the club. I was trying to think of where I could do a show that would visually represent some of the places that inspired me.”
He thinks this place just might fit the bill. He’s strolling around the empty club’s environs, peering into the corners, taking the temperature, checking out the stage, the backstage, the seating. Will the vibe of the place suit the music? Will it
suit his audience? He’s out in the darkened house and takes a seat, looks back at the spotlit proscenium. He turns to the show’s promoter.
“How much instruction can I give the marionettes?”
Which Bin
Blitzer has been in the trenches for a while. “My first time playing for an audience was at Montecito Union’s 4th grade talent show. I played the Stevie Ray Vaughan version of ‘Little Wing.’” By 10 he was busking in front of the Pierre Lafond fountain, his dad’s fedora the tip jar.
Today the guy is a mad songwriter and a nimble stage presence. He has both the subtle physical fluency required to put his sung narratives across, and that troubadour litheness that allowed the early Jim Morrison to squeeze into those Hollywood Bowl leathers. We’re speaking in a cacophonous coffee shop, piped-in loudmouth music like an interrogation tool. Blitzer summarizes a period of creative abundance.
“We had a record deal at Capital. We’d just finished the debut full length album. We were on tour with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It was going really well.”
Sounds like a summit.
“But I didn’t have my own project at that point, and that was ultimately what I really wanted. I was writing,” Blitzer says, “and I was doing a lot of co-writing and arranging. I learned a lot being in that band. But at a certain point I was like, okay, I really need do my own thing now.”
Re: Matt Blitzer’s “own thing.” There is a particular species of unclassifiable songwriter. “Wow! This is great! … what…what is this?” Harry Nilsson,
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Mike Viola, Ron Mael, Laura Nyro, Sean O’Hagan , Randy Newman , Jimmy Webb, Scott Walker – each is a writer with full frontal melodic gifts and an ineffable creative template whose only service is to the song. Blitzer is in this company; composers often lazily referred to as “idiosyncratic” because the record store manager doesn’t know how to bin them. Blitzer talks like the songs themselves have volition.
“The songs are making all kinds of different stylistic choices,” he says. “I’ll always be doing that.”
& Doings Page 404
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Beings
Superet at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom (courtesy photo)
Montecito Miscellany Sea Breeze & Chukkers
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by Richard Mineards
Social gridlock reigned, equestrian style, when 4,000 spectators descended on the Santa Barbara Polo Club to watch the U.S. Polo Association’s Pacific Coast Open, the biggest tournament on the Left Coast, with the winners lifting a five-foot gold and silver trophy.
The six chukker match was hard fought to the final chukker when La Karina, captained by Brian Boyd, vanquished Carbenella, skippered by Ben Soleimani, 12-10.
Among the many spectators were Madison Richardson, Wes and Victoria Ru, Curtis Skene, Jeep Holden, Pat and Ursula Nesbitt, Kimi Matar, Xorin Balbes, Mike Uretz, Nigel Gallimore, and Robert Fell
Not Slowing Down
Kevin Costner has revealed whether he plans to retire after a decades long career in Hollywood.
The Yellowstone star, 77, made his screen debut in the early ‘80s garnering two Oscars and three Golden Globes.
But the Carpinteria-based actor says he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
“I don’t even think about retiring because I’ll just move on to the next thing that captures my imagination.”
Online Store 404
Meghan Markle has seemingly closed her online store where she “handpicked”
a collection of clothes for cash. It appears the Duchess of Sussex has quietly shut down her ShopMy website which sold everything from $26 grey T-shirts to $2,000 silk gowns.
Miscellany Page 434
La Karina wins the Pacific Coast Open (photo by Priscilla)
Enjoying the show with a spritz (photo by Priscilla)
Standing: Megyn Price, Kimi Matar, Melody Ellison, and Cat Smith; Seated: Sally Morgan, Allison Paolino (photo by Priscilla)
Tucked into one of Montecito's most tranquil enclaves, this elegant Mediterranean residence offers 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms on nearly an acre of lavishly landscaped grounds framed by mature oaks and sycamores. The peaceful setting and grand scale of the estate offer quintessential California living just minutes from world-class beaches, dining, shopping, and nature trails. A thoughtfully designed floor plan connects generous interior spaces to a sprawling backyard made for effortless al fresco living. French doors throughout invite natural light and create seamless indoor-outdoor flow. Vaulted ceilings, multiple fireplaces, formal and casual living areas, and an expansive outdoor space perfect for entertaining — this is a great opportunity that blends privacy, design, and location.
Kevin Goodwin, Jim Vaughan, Nanette Vaughan, and Bill Vaughan
News Bytes San Ysidro Off-Ramp Reopens, Olive Mill Ramp to Close
by Joanne A Calitri
Highway 101 construction in Montecito is reaching an important milestone this month. The southbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road will reopen on September 19, following the completion of critical work connecting it to a new auxiliary lane. While the full auxiliary lane is not yet finished, enough progress has been made to safely restore access to the off-ramp. Once completed, the new lane will improve merging for drivers entering at Olive Mill Road and exiting at San Ysidro Road, similar to the northbound auxiliary lane already in use.
On the same night, however, motorists will lose access to the southbound offramp at Spring/Olive Mill Road, which will remain closed until spring 2026. Crews will use that time to install upgraded drainage systems, construct a modernized off-ramp, and build a new sound wall designed to reduce neighborhood traffic noise.
Additional work continues along the corridor, including retaining wall construction, sound wall installation, and landscaping improvements. Drivers should expect ongoing lane and ramp closures, as well as a reduced speed limit of 55 mph in construction areas. Officials urge motorists to plan ahead and “Slow for the Cone Zone” for safety.
Don’t Forget Coast Village Week!
Coast Village Road comes alive this week with shopping, dining, art, and community fun! Each day offers something special: kick things off Thursday, Sept. 11, with the Art Walk, showcasing local creativity; enjoy Jazz & Mocktails on Friday while shopping boutique deals. Saturday brings the family-friendly Dog Days Photo Booth with ice cream. Make sure to get a snap of your furry friend for the upcoming “Dog Days of Summer” photo competition (more details soon!). Sunday wraps up with Vintage Cars & Surfboards lining the avenue. All week long, restaurants, shops, and galleries will feature exclusive promotions, tastings, and in-store events. Don’t miss this vibrant celebration of Coast Village Road –come sip, shop, stroll, and experience the best of CVR! Visit coastvillageroad.com and check out @coast.village.road on Instagram
21st Annual
Santa Barbara Yacht Club Charity Regatta!
You heard right. On Saturday, September 13, 2025, the Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) will be hosting the 21st Annual Charity Regatta in a
News Bytes Page 424
Letters to the Editor A Message from Battistone CEO
There was recently a “Letter to the Editor” published about the sale of the Battistone properties that could be misunderstood. After reading it, I thought I should reach out to provide important information about the potential sale.
For over 50 years, the Battistone Foundation has been dedicated to its charitable purpose of providing lowcost housing for economically disadvantaged senior citizens in Santa Barbara. This commitment remains the same moving forward.
The Battistone Foundation’s assets are currently tied up in high value real estate. The Foundation is looking to sell the properties to an organization that will continue to operate the properties as low-cost housing, then use the sale proceeds to establish a rent subsidy program to provide grants to qualifying senior citizens in Santa Barbara.
This shift from an operating foundation to a grant making foundation will allow the Battistone Foundation to help even more senior citizens than it does now. We envision being able to help twice as many seniors in need, and that provided the motivation to make the change. The plan is the same as when we started – to help more people, whether they live at the current properties or elsewhere in the community.
At the beginning of August, the Foundation’s marketing team released a “Call for Offers.” This “Call” was sent to a list of qualified potential buyers –from local prospects to those across the nation. Offers will be due in mid-September and will be reviewed and evaluated by the Battistone Foundation board and professional experts.
We know that change can be uncer-
Montecito Tide Guide
tain, but please rest assured that we are keeping our tenants informed every step of the way with consistent communication, and my door is always open to each of our tenants who may have questions or concerns.
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley
Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing 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
Published by: Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC
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
Our Town
SB Zoo Strategic Plan “Roars Ahead”
by Joanne A Calitri
On Friday, September 5, the Santa Barbara Zoo held a press conference in their Discovery Pavilion to present their Strategic Plan and a new collaboration with California State University Channel Islands, to increase their initiatives of conservation, education, and community outreach.
Attending the conference were the SB Zoo’s President & CEO Charles Hopper, California State University at Channel Islands Executive Director of Regional Partnerships Jennifer Perry PhD, SB County First District Supervisor Roy Lee, SB Mayor Randy Rowse, SBC District 2 Supervisor Laura Capps, SB City Council Members Oscar Gutierrez, Mike Jordan, Kristen Sneddon, and Mayor Pro Tempore Eric Friedman; Chair of the SB Zoo Board of Directors Jim Jackson; SB Zoo Board Members Crystal Wyatt, Jennifer Perry, and Sarah Berkus Gower; District Representative for Senator Monique Limón, Conner Plaice; Erica Reyes, representative for Congressman Carjabal , and Ethan Bertrand for Assemblymember Hart
During the reception, I spoke at length with SB Zoo Director of Education JJ McLeod. She explained the various avenues of educational opportunity they offer: “We work with local school districts [SB and Montecito], conduct zoo
camps, have 4th and 5th grade overnights at the zoo partnering students with zoo staff for learning about animal care and California history; and we partner with UCSB Autism Center. One of our board members, Sarah Gower, is a Cold Spring School parent and PTA member, we [the zoo] want to be a part of their October event. Any school that reaches out to us we try to make a presence on site.” McLeod introduced me to Gower who added, “We are excited for the zoo’s upcoming participation in Cold Spring School’s Annual Fall Festival where we will have an interactive education table in a STEAM focus (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).”
The program commenced with a welcome from Gower. She introduced Hopper who provided his thanks for everyone’s
interest in the SB Zoo’s ongoing strategic plan. He mentioned the zoo’s community response to H.R.3538 (2025-2026): Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025 – a response which went beyond SBC to Los Angeles. The SB Zoo was contacted to help rehabilitate illegally trafficked box turtles discovered in Los Angeles. The zoo received ten of the turtles and were able to save three of them. Hopper, “This is your zoo! For over 60 years we have provided a place where all ages can learn about animals and our natural world. We are a leader in conservation, a place of impact, excellence in a place to work, and place for learning opportunities for everyone. With our zoo camps and subsidized educational opportunities, all children can learn at the
Faster installation and technical support services.
Reduced instances of false alarms with real-time threat verification.
Shorter response times to alarm activations and emergencies.
Our Town Page 364
SB Zoo Director of Education JJ McLeod with SB Zoo Board Member and Cold Spring School parent Council Member Sarah Berkus Gower (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Crystal Wyatt, Jennifer Perry, Conner Plaice, Jim Jackson, Laura Capps, Charles Hopper, Roy Lee, and Sarah Berkus Gower (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Your Westmont
Called
to Teach
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
Westmont welcomes eight new tenure-track professors this fall: James Davidson (sociology), David Emanuel (religious studies), Kyle Hansen ‘19 (mathematics), Sally Hawkins (education), Raymond Kim (economics), Smaranda Lawrie (psychology), Nicole Marsh ‘17 (biology), and Claudia Molina (Spanish).
Davidson has served as an assistant professor at Westmont since 2023, and he frequently collaborates with Westmont professor Blake Victor Kent, whom he has known for more than a decade. Davidson’s research examines discrimination and health among racial and ethnic minority groups as well as strategies in religious organizations for recruitment and retention. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma before earning a master’s and doctorate at Baylor
University. He previously taught at CSU Northridge. “There’s something happening here at Westmont that’s happening in few other places,” he says. Emanuel, who taught for 13 years at Alliance University and Theological Seminary, has served as an academic tour guide in the Middle East and Europe for the Center for Holy Lands Studies since 2012. A native of England, he earned master’s degrees from the University of London and Hebrew University of Jerusalem before completing a doctorate at Hebrew University. His most recent book explores intertextuality in the Psalms — seeing how psalmists use other biblical texts. “I’m looking forward to conversations with students and the
religious studies faculty, who are quite academically engaged,” he says. Hansen ‘19 has taught discrete mathematics at Westmont as an adjunct instructor since 2021. He earned a master’s degree and doctorate from UC Santa Barbara and will continue his research on quantitative topology and aperiodic tilings. “It’s a beautiful, fascinating blend of chaos and order that’s accessible and easily engaging,” he says. Just as his Westmont professors mentored him during his college years, he’s excited about engaging with his students. “That’s a gift,” he says. “I’m looking forward to seeing academic and
Westmont Page 374
James Davidson (sociology)
David Emanuel (religious studies) Kyle Hansen ‘19 (mathematics)
Sally Hawkins (education)
Image by Angela Perko Bloom,
Featuring: Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Rob Bonfiglio, The Honeys, Don Randi, Lola Bonfiglio, Leo Knutson, Nelson Bragg, Randell Kirsch, Carly Smithson, Alisan Porter, Hunter Hawkins, Rosemary Butler, Ken Stacey +special appearance by Wilson Phillips
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•Graduate of UCLA School of Law and former attorney (with training in Real Estate law, contracts, estate planning, and tax law)
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Remember, It Costs No More to Work with The Best (But It Can Cost You Plenty If You Don’t)
Elevated above the coastline in Montecito, this 3-bedroom, 2-bath residence showcases panoramic views stretching from the ocean and harbor to the sparkling city lights and wooded valleys beyond. Bathed in natural light, the home offers an inviting floor plan designed to capture its stunning surroundings at every turn. The spacious living room features soaring windows that frame sweeping ocean vistas, creating a seamless connection between indoors and out. Multiple terraces extend the living space, offering the perfect setting for gatherings, al fresco dining, or quiet moments overlooking the coastline.
On Entertainment Shakespeare in the Elements
by Steven Libowitz
Naked Shakes isn’t just a clever name; it is, in fact, completely representative of the concept. The annual program at UCSB presents Shakespeare plays cast with a mix of advanced BFA theater majors and strangers to the stage as young as incoming freshmen. The program was created by Irwin Appel two decades ago to focus on the vulnerability of the actor.
“The whole idea is to have actors in a bare space with a great text, music, choreography – and the imagination of the audience – and create magic,” Irwin said. “I call it ‘actor-generated theatricality,’ because we don’t have big sets, or a lot of special effects or even lights outdoors. It’s about the power of the actors who reel you into the story, making you feel like you could close your eyes in one moment and just listen and get the story perfectly. And then, when you open your eyes, you’re
Entertainment Page 304
The Giving List
NAPF’s Annual Gala Gets a New Sheen
by Steven Libowitz
President Bartlet is coming to the Santa Barbara beachfront!
The actor and activist Martin Sheen, who won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of the fictional head of state on Aaron Sorkin’s much beloved (and some would say better than reality) TV series The West Wing, will receive the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Daniel Ellsberg Lifetime Achievement Award at the Santa Barbara-based organization’s 38th Evening for Peace on Friday, September 26, at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.
Sheen, whose film credits include major roles in Apocalypse Now, Badlands, and The Way, among many others, has also had a long history of activism, exhibiting a commitment to peace, justice, and human dignity. Over his six-decade career, he has used his platform to bring attention to critical global issues including nuclear disarmament among many other causes. He participated in protests locally at Vandenberg Air Force Base as well as the Nevada Test Site, Los
Alamos National Laboratory, and other nuclear weapons facilities, often engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience. He has been arrested more than 60 times in connection with peace demonstrations.
In addition to his disarmament advocacy, Sheen has supported labor rights, immigration reform, abolishing the death penalty, and action on climate change – including narrating or appearing in numerous documentaries on peace and social justice.
Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes, president of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, speaking at the UN
The character of powerful spirit Ariel is played by “a chorus” of seven actors in the Naked Shakes production of The Tempest (photo by Jeff Liang)
Community Voices
Part II: SB Housing: A Crisis of Our Own Making?
by Jeff Giordano
Everyone has a perspective and Peter Lewis, who completed our newest 82-unit complex, Soltara Apartments, is no exception. That said, Peter has lived here for 47 years and understands the complexity of creating new SB housing. So we chatted a bit and this is what I learned.
In 2024, the state approved our Housing Element Plan which required us to build 8,001 units by 2031. To accomplish this, the city vowed to “remove unnecessary city constraints that impede housing development.” City Manager Kelly McAdoo likely appreciates the aggressive targets because she was recently quoted, saying: “Most cities have about 20% of their downtown as residential. In SB, we only have about 5% as residential.”
According to global citizen and UCSB Economist Peter Rupert, between 1980 and 1990, 2,301 new units were built in the city. Over the next 30 years, we stuck our finger in what is now a bursting dike, building just 25% (1,983 units) of what our eight-year Plan now requires.
In a study conducted by NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab across 502 small cities, vacancy rates averaged 8% (“healthy”) while here in SB we are at a very unhealthy low of 1.7%. Note: Austin TX has shown that the “Supply Effect” is real, because their increased inventory resulted in competition (Obviously!), resulting – in 2025 – in a 21% rent decrease in certain categories.
First adopted in 2013 to encourage new construction, our Average Unit-Size Density Program (AUD) is based on our 2011 General Plan. While it allowed more density it provided a 63 unit per acre cap which, according to Mr. Lewis is far too thin – especially given the added 10% (affordable) inclusionary rule – to be broadly energizing or feasible. Indeed, many scaled projects are building at much greater densities than the AUD purports to allow. As Peter pointed out, “when the exception becomes the rule, it’s time to change the rule.”
Soltara, for example, sits on three contiguous/merged lots which made the project financeable by allowing greater density based on the combined lot size—a full 82 units, twice what the AUD allows, built on just 2/3 of an acre leaving Reid’s Appliances untouched.
Similarly, the new and thankfully approved 233-unit Paseo Nuevo project will be built on approximately 1.5 acres (only Macy’s will be razed) across
the total 10-acre mall. It was this density, 240% more than the AUD allows, together with a $35M land grant and healthy tax incentives that made this transformative project business viable.
The recently approved 90-unit Milpas Project, which sits on just under an acre, boasts 90-units; 50% more than the AUD allows, based on the State’s Housing Crisis Act/ Bonus Density program. Whether you like the project or not, it does include six more affordable units than is required and is state law mandated as a “matter of right,” because in passing the Act (By 90% in the Assembly) the state understood the words “housing crisis.” Perhaps the three Councilmembers who voted “NO” (Kristen Sneddon, Oscar Gutierrez, and Wendy Santamaria) don’t grasp the severity of the crisis nor understand state law, because had this project been denied, our self-insured, financially strapped city would have been on the losing end (Take my word!) of a lawsuit with up to $50k in per unit penalties ($4.5M!) and prevailing party fees. So, to those who risked an embarrassing public beatdown to build LESS housing I must ask: Was your vote performative? Or, was it just irresponsible? Councilwoman Meagan Harmon said it best: “I think the message we would be sending (with a “no”) is essentially to tell the legislature that they were right not to trust us to enforce our own housing rules.” Counselor, I agree.
In order to grow supply, we must increase density and encourage smaller SB-compatible projects – perhaps through “Floor Area Ratio” – just like our city staff recommended in February of 2022. In Part III we’ll explore certain innovative steps the city and others are taking regarding affordable housing. Yes, there will be some well-deserved positivity!
Jeff Giordano, SB County Resident
The Montecito Journal thrives on community input… Have thoughts on a local issue? Comments on one of our articles? Contact us at letters@montecitojournal.net
Brilliant Thoughts
Marbles
by Ashleigh Brilliant
The little glass balls we call “marbles” today were once probably made of real marble – but they were no doubt being played with by children thousands of years ago. Just when “having all one’s marbles” became a semi-humorous metaphor for being sane is probably much more recent in origin. And not having all of them of course came to indicate the opposite. There are other less kind but more medically approved terms, such as “dementia” – but the whole field of Mental Health is relatively new. In past times, insane people were just “crazy” or “lunatics” – a term derived from the supposed influence of the Moon.
I myself, at various times in my life, have been a patron of that industry in its modern guise. Fortunately, the most serious episode occurred in England, at a time when the entire costs were covered by the National Health Service. Since coming to America, where psychiatrists get rich, I have never been able to afford any serious mental trouble.
Ironically, one factor in improved recognition and treatment of mental problems has been modern warfare. It was in World War I that aberrant behavior on the Front Lines came to be called “Shellshock.”
Incidentally, the game of Marbles has had other effects on our language. No doubt, you’re familiar with the expression “This time, it’s for keeps,” meaning “This time, it’s really serious.” In the game, there were two options. The players could agree in advance that whoever won would return his winnings to his opponent at the end of the game – OR that the winner could retain all the marbles he had won. That was called “Playing for keeps.” I remember that being said in World War II, when Americans recalled that as recently as two decades earlier, in World War I, our boys were being sent “over there” to fight the same enemy, Germany. So it was only natural to think and intend that this time, it would really be for keeps, and the outcome would be permanent.
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Adapted by JOE LANDRY
In the two schools in Washington, D.C., which I attended as a child – Whittier Elementary, and Paul Junior High, marbles may have been played, but I don’t remember it as having been a particularly widespread activity. But my family was only living in Washington because of World War II, and when it was over, we returned to our home country of England. On the way, however we made an extended visit to my mother’s hometown of Toronto, Canada. I was still only 12 years old, and, although I didn’t like the idea, I was enrolled in a local school, on Brock Avenue. At that school, however, I made a surprising discovery.
All the kids there seemed to be crazy about Marbles. At recess and lunch time, the entire playground area seemed to be covered either with kids playing marbles, or with other kids standing around watching them. And these were no ordinary marbles games, in a circle drawn on the ground. Some kids had made elaborate cardboard structures with little numbered loopholes towards which marbles could be rolled, aiming to score the most points.
The next part of this story may sound like something I made up – but it really happened. I had no interest in the marbles games and just stood around. But I was obviously a stranger, and other kids were curious about me. They began asking me questions about who I was, and where I was from. I was probably better-read than most kids my age and began supplying other information with my answers. This apparently made me something of a curiosity, and people would come to me just to see how I would answer their questions. I soon had the idea of charging for this service, and began asking for a marble for each answer. Soon my pockets were bulging with marbles.
I wish I could remember some specific questions and answers. But I wasn’t smart enough to write anything down. All I know is that, by the time I had to leave, I had several large jars full of marbles. Sadly, I left them all behind when we finally sailed for England.
But before that, word had got around about what was going on. And my best evidence of this was that the teacher of my English class, in illustrating a grammatical point, wrote on the blackboard (without ever saying anything about it directly to me):
“The foolish children give marbles to the boy in the playground.”
Redwoods of the Sea:
in the Channel Islands Kelp Forest
Photographs by Ralph Clevenger
The Water Column
Improving Reliability and Resilience with Reservoir Retrofits and Replacements
by Laura Camp
Set to begin this fall is the first in a series of reservoir retrofits to address seismic resilience. This important project has been years in the making and will benefit from exclusive federal grant funding that provides 30% principal forgiveness and zero interest loans. The Montecito Water District (MWD) is excited about this opportunity to pursue needed capital improvements as affordably as possible, as it strengthens the ability to provide for the community’s future water needs.
The MWD’s Strategic Plan identifies Infrastructure dependability as a top goal because a reliable supply of water depends on ongoing and proactive maintenance, repair and replacement of the MWD’s extensive facilities, including treatment plants, pipelines, pump stations and reservoirs. The MWD’s Asset Management Plan prioritizes projects based on risk and consequence of failure and recommends modernizing existing water storage reservoirs, some of which were built nearly 100 years ago. These project costs, subsidized by federal funding, are already incorporated into the annual budget, five-year rate study, and 10-year Capital Improvement Program.
“These large-scale capital improvements require long-term planning, consistency, and considerable expenditures to be seen through completion,” said General Manager Nick Turner. “Finding favorable funding opportunities that align with the MWD’s functional needs is a win-win for the community, it’s how we keep water service both reliable and affordable for our customers.”
In 2015, an independent technical study by Tetra Tech investigated the structural integrity of nine MWD water storage reservoirs. The study concluded that retrofits and/or replacements are needed to meet current seismic requirements. In 2020, District management identified “ASADRA” (Additional Supplemental
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act) – an exclusive, favorable funding opportunity available only to public agencies impacted by the 2017 Thomas Fire. In addition to severely burning portions of the MWD service area and Jameson Lake watershed, the Thomas Fire led to the January 2018 Debris Flow which had devastating and long-lasting impacts on the community. ASADRA funding, made available by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency to be administered by the California State Water Board, supports improving infrastructure resiliency and is uniquely appropriate for the District’s Reservoir Seismic Retrofit and Replacement Project which will reduce vulnerability to potential future disasters such as earthquakes.
District reservoirs are distributed throughout the service area and are constantly monitored to provide operational flexibility and storage redundancy. Plans are complete for all reservoirs, yet construction will be underway on only one or two reservoirs at any given time to ensure adequate water storage at all times. The total project will take approximately six years, with each reservoir requiring 12-18 months to complete. A specialized construction management firm is on contract to ensure that all work is executed in the most efficient and timely manner and to provide detailed oversight on compliance with grant funding requirements.
With construction on the first reservoir starting soon, the MWD would like to reassure the public that every effort will be made to minimize any potential inconvenience. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation, and we hope that you will share in our excitement as the MWD proceeds with this much-needed project for the community.
The District secured favorable funding for the Reservoir Seismic Retrofit and Replacement Project which will upgrade water storage facilities, some of which are nearly 100 years old
Scheduled reservoir improvements include roof replacements. Robust daily production capacity and well-situated reservoirs ensure operational flexibility and sufficient water supply throughout the MWD.
Laura Camp is the Public Information Officer for the Montecito Water District
The Beer Guy
The Beer Guy Is Back
by Zach Rosen
Where was I…? Oh yeah, last time I was here clacking on a keyboard at a brewery bar (currently, Validation Ale) as the woots, cackles, and calls rang out around me – the world had just started opening up again. The pandemic was lessening but the Santa Barbara Sentinel was closing. For those unfamiliar, “The Beer Guy” column ran in “ The Sentinel” from the beginning of 2013 to the end of ’21.
When I learned the paper was closing, I texted Tim Buckley that I wanted to talk. He responded, “Funny, I want to talk to you.” I had worked my way from suds scribbler to Features Editor for The Sentinel I got on the call, ready to fight for the paper and even take on running it. Before I could begin my well-constructed argument (or get my poster board presentation setup – that I had spent all weekend working on too…), he prefaced, “No. We need you for the Journal .”
It’s time for a beer…
Since stepping in as the Managing Editor for the MJ, it has been, well… busy. But now with over three years under the metaphorical (and never-expanding) belt, it feels right to bring back
Vintage Designer Jewelry & Handbags
Cleef & Arpels
The Beer Guy column (or maybe I just need a drink).
So that’s where I was – but where was Santa Barbara beer?
Darwin and a Brewer Walk into a Pub
The pandemic was no joke… affecting everyone in infinite ways. In the beer world, it was interesting to watch the natural selection that took place: How each brewery survived, possibly thrived, or even took an unfortunate dive.
Darwinism is not about “The Strong” surviving – it is the most adaptable, and sometimes… just the darn lucky ones best suited for the unexpected challenges that Nature throws our way. This is what we saw in beer during the pandemic. It wasn’t the top breweries that weathered the storm with the most ease. Sure, it helped to have good beer, but what helped more is how a brewery had invested in its revenue streams (and of course, its looming overhead). Even the randomness of its architecture and location became a factor of how well the brand adapted to the frothing, tumultuous market during that time.
bars, restaurants, liquor stores, bodegas, or the occasional malt monger.
(I know this is technically not how the industry uses the on/off premise terms so don’t write a Letter to the Editor… or do… letters@montecitojournal.net)
As the pandemic first hit, brewpubs and breweries (or retailers they sold to) were able to use their space to distribute packaged beer. Buy a 6-pack, support local beer. As things opened up, they could use existing outdoor spaces or build parklets to sell on-site, and really just provide the public with a much-needed drink.
This is where the Darwin’s randomness came into play. Does that beer spot have an established outdoor space? What is its square footage? (That will dictate throughput of patrons – at a six-foot spacing of course.) Okay, you don’t have an outside area… well, let’s go parklet. What street? What is the ability to establish a parklet? Oh yeah, what does that construction cost? Wait, how much do we have in the bank? What’s rent again…? One other angle to measure, among many more … how many tasting rooms do you have? What do each of those cost!?
The main revenue streams for breweries are on-or-off-premise sales. For a brewpub (think Montecito Street’s The Brewhouse), the beer is generally not distributed elsewhere and only sold onsite. A brewery, though, (think Goleta’s M.Special) will often have a tasting room within the space – and now more commonly they have satellite tasting rooms (think M.Special’s State Street location) that act as separate distribution points. This allows them to sell direct to the public in multiple locations. This is in addition to the kegs, bottles, cans, growlers, crowlers, and any other form of packaging that the brewery can sell to
Look, is any of this fair? Or equal?… ask Nature for an answer.
Opened, Closed, Yet Beer Still Flows
To answer the previous question: Who knows? But here is what happened here … Local beer legend and co-owner of The Brewhouse, Pete Johnson, retired in 2022 with the popular Montecito Street spot changing ownership but keeping the menu, local charm, and longtime brewer Casey Smith shackled to the
Vintage Hermès Sz. 28
Handbag GIA
Antique English 16k Gold & Sapphire Studded Bangle
Cleef & Arpels Lapis
Motif Alhambra Necklace
GIA 6.52 Carat Colombian Emerald Diamond & Onyx Ring
Victorian Sapphire Dragonfly Brooch
Gramophon e and Musical America Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov, piano
Tue, Sep 30 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall Program includes Taneyev, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky and Schumann
“[Daniil Trifonov] is a star whose playing can be compared with Rachmaninoff’s own.” – Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
Join us before the concert to raise a glass to the new season, pick up a commemorative season poster and enjoy a few festive surprises.
Five-time Grammy-winning Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy
Thu, Oct 2 / 7:30 PM Granada Theatre
“A classic jazz singer from a new generation.” NPR
Bluegrass with a Punch Noam Pikelny and Friends
Sat, Oct 18 / 7:30 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
“One of the best banjo players in the world.” – Steve Martin
Winner of the 2025 Grammy Award for Classical Instrumental Solo Víkingur Ólafsson, piano Opus 109
Wed, Oct 22 / 7 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
Program includes
J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Schubert
“A breathtakingly brilliant pianist.” Gramophone
Montecito Health Coach
Filling the Void
After the Kids Leave Home:
Who Are We When We Aren’t Being Parents?
by Deann Zampelli
Last week, a dear friend of mine drove her eldest child off to college. It is every parent’s dream –your child is healthy and strong enough to leave the nest, to embark on their own adventures, to experience independence and to become whoever it is they are supposed to be. It is a testament to their emotional resilience, as well as to our guidance as their parents.
As I was comforting this friend when she got back, I said, “It is what we want most for them, right? And then they leave, and we are shattered.” To which she replied, “Yes, and now our resilience in their absence is a testament to us as mothers, and as women.” Her words stayed with me for days. As so many are experiencing this right now, I found myself repeatedly sharing her wisdom to all who would listen.
While this is affecting just as many fathers as mothers, for this piece I am focusing on Moms and the space this role holds for us for so long; and what happens to that space when it is no longer filled in the same way.
Many of us who are now in our 50s have been the primary caregivers for our children. Not to diminish our partners’ roles in any way. My husband could not have been more supportive, loving, or present in any way, and still is – but my role was much more that of a traditional primary caregiver; choosing to sell my business when I got pregnant with our son and focusing on raising him, changing every diaper, the sleepless nights and feeding every meal.
As the years moved on, however, I felt the shift in how I was needed. Both at home with the kids and in the ways I participated at their schools. “What do you mean there isn’t a place for parent volunteers?” I asked when my kids got to high school. I am embarrassed to say that was not a fictional anecdote. Someone should have taken me by the shoulders, shaken me and said, “Dude, your son has facial hair. He doesn’t want you selling tickets to Homecoming at drop off.” In my head, this person called me Dude.
On more and more weekend nights, our teens are now off with friends, and I find myself wondering what it will be like when they are both off at college. Our son is a Senior in high school, so we won’t have to wonder for much longer as he will be gone before we know it. Just writing that made my eyes well up.
They are taller than me now, not only because my husband gave them the height gene but also because I am getting older, I might be shrinking. I found this to be an interesting metaphor as to how our roles are shifting. As they get older, they get bigger, and as I get older, I am getting smaller. Not in reality or in my own mind, just in my role as their mother. And yet, intellectually, I know they need me now more than ever. To serve as a bumper in case they veer off track, or a sounding board if they need to mull something over; and occasionally to shed light on a bad decision.
When my son was an infant, I called my older sister one day crying. “I will never, ever be able to leave him at school with strangers!” I exclaimed,
already worried about leaving him at kindergarten… in five years. Being a mother of five, she very wisely told me that none of this happens before we are ready. Meaning, as an infant, of course the idea of leaving him at school for six hours would terrify me, but when he is five, it might be a bit more palatable. Uh, on the first day of school I might have been that parent that cried at the door for a while. But even now, her words still ring true as my kids approach 16 and 18. When I look at them, I see people, not babies. But am I “ready” for them to leave? Hell no.
What are we when we are not being “Moms.”
That answer is different for each of us.
Some years ago, I knew this time was drawing near and that perhaps it was time to fortify my intellectual and emotional reserves. So, I went to grad school, then to Duke to become a certified health coach, took my National Boards and stalked this publication until they let me become their health columnist. I was laying the groundwork for a life beyond being Mom . I had to. For my own sanity and for my family’s. I was clinging too much. Worrying too much. Needing too much. It wasn’t healthy. I have been talking with many friends about this over the last few years and it seems to be a common theme. What are we when we are not being “Moms.” That answer is different for each of us. I have friends who have always worked while parenting, some who have worked part-time, and some who are very engaged in the community without “working” – and everything in between. But for us all, the question
remains the same; “How will we fill the void once they leave?”
Each of us has different life circumstances, so that answer will vary greatly. Some will be experiencing the empty nest on their own, while others will still be with their partners. The essence of the issue, however, remains the same. What is your purpose each morning and every night now that it doesn’t involve the machinations of child-rearing? I believe the key is to find purpose, whatever that means to you. For me it is a combination of giving back as a volunteer, creativity through my writing, building my business, refocusing on my 28-year marriage and being a couple again. Not just parents out without the kids. But a couple . It is interesting how much meaning that alone can take on once you start thinking about it.
I would suggest planning in advance for this rather than waiting for the mic drop. And to slowly start laying the groundwork now. Otherwise, it will be you, the empty U-Haul, a box of Kleenex and the long road home. All you need is some country song playing and it will officially be the mascara-running-clichéd-video montage.
I wish you luck, wisdom, inspiration, good friends, a weighted stuffed animal (just get one, trust me) – and might I suggest putting away the photo albums for a while?
And when you figure it all out, please let me know, as I am still taking baby steps.
Montecito Natural Health
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IT’S OK TO BRING YOUR LIFE.
Sporting Life Don’ing Pigskins
by Steven Libowitz
I& Present
Concert Celebrating Seven Decades of the Music of
Rosas
Pianist/Entertainer
Great American Songbook, Porter, Berlin, Gershwin, and Classical Favorites With Surprise Guests
honestly can’t recall if I ever attended a high school football game back when I was actually in high school. I mean, I must have – even though my first three years were spent in Lexington, Mass., at that time home of a number of college professors and Raytheon employees whose offspring, at least the ones I knew, didn’t much care about quarterbacks and wide receivers. But I don’t have any memories at all of ever showing up at the football stadium. To be fair, it was a number of years ago.
I do still have a very vivid memory of my first year at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It’s the smallest school by far in the Big 10, which in those days actually was comprised of 10 universities; all huge public institutions save for Northwestern, which was only twice as big as Lexington High. (I had no idea about fraternities back then either, but that’s a whole different story.)
I remember Northwestern because –understandably given the competition –we were by far the worst football team in the conference, if not quite the country. We played Ohio State, Michigan and (I believe) Notre Dame that fall when each was ranked No. 1. Somehow we scored the first points of a game against one of them (not sure which) on an interception returned for a touchdown; what’s commonly known as a Pick-six nowadays. The entire student section stood as one with fists in the air and started chanting, facetiously, “Rose Bowl! Rose Bowl!”
Of course, Northwestern never scored again that game and lost by 60 points or more. It was a blast.
The point of all this is that until I moved to Santa Barbara’s Eastside a couple of years ago after decades on the other side of town, I never gave high school football much thought. But one
late August night I kept hearing the roar of a crowd early on a Friday evening, and when I looked out my bay window, I saw all the lights on at the high school stadium less than two blocks away. Naturally, I eventually sauntered over, partly because it was too loud to do anything else. What I saw stunned me.
The stadium was packed, at least on the home side of the field at the recently refurbished stadium, completed thanks in part to donations of famous alumni that included, among many others, Charles Schwab. But not just with students, but rather a whole lot of townsfolk of multiple generations.
That’s the part that shocked me. I had no idea that the old movie and TV series Friday Night Lights (or, for that matter, The Last Picture Show, or at least that movie’s football element) could have been about Santa Barbara rather than Texas. I had no concept that people who’d attended SBHS and played on the football team more than half a century ago still faithfully showed up every home game to support the Dons – decades after their own glory days. I had not a clue that they cared so much about Santa Barbara High, such that when I asked a SBHS merch-sporting octogenarian couple why they come to the games, they said because all of their kids and grandkids are also alumni or current students. When I made the mistake of wondering aloud what would happen if one of them decided to attend San Marcos or Dos Pueblos instead, the couple shot me a look that almost had me freeze in my tracks. “Never!” they snapped.
Over the several games I’ve attended since then, I became – much to my surprise – a true fan. Though in fairness, anyone who saw Kai Mault adapt from wide receiver to emergency quarterback halfway through the 2024 season couldn’t fail to be impressed.
Sporting Life Page 304
Rod Lathim
These Dons mean business, oh wait… this might be the Akron Pros (Public Domain via Wikimedia)
Bestselling Author of Eat, Pray, Love
Way to the River Sat, Oct 11 / 7:30 PM Arlington Theatre
Ticket purchase includes a pre-signed copy of Gilbert’s new memoir, All the Way to the River (pick up at event)
Columnist, CNN Host and Author
New Yorker Staff Writer and PEN Award Winner
An Evening with
Tue, Oct 14 / 7:30 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
“Okeowo... sheds light on the divided face of our nation and lovingly charts the push and pull of the places we call home.” – Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, author of My Monticello
Political Commentator and New York Times Columnist
Takes Thu, Oct 16 / 7:30 PM Arlington Theatre
“Fareed Zakaria has been consistently brilliant in his analysis of world affairs but also something far more rare; he has turned out to be right.”
– Walter Isaacson
Tue, Nov 4 / 7:30 PM
Arlington Theatre
I find myself joining in chants of “De-Fense!” and more when the cheerleaders urge us on. I heartily tap my feet to the band – usually seated in a brassy troupe right below where I watch from the top of the entrance off Olive Street. I feel lifted up by the enthusiasm of the Donettes dance team, bop my head to the snippets of funk played by the DJ located on the track, and secretly smile at the boys and girls flirting – one of the few times they’re not buried in their phones – all around me.
As I’ve become a more regular attendee, I’ve started to recognize some of the faces, young and old, including those who just graduated, friends of the families, relatives and others. I honestly don’t know if there are many others in the crowded stands who meet my description – those who have no connection to Santa Barbara High School whatsoever, have never played football in any organized league (and definitely never tackle), don’t have kids, and pretty much haven’t even seen a football game on TV outside of the Super Bowl in years. That is, people who
– like me – were previous strangers to the warm ritual of the high school football game. But I find that not only is it cool to be thought of as part of the family now, it’s also a great deal of fun.
The Big Game, as it’s known around these parts, is on September 19, when SBHS hosts the annual game against archrival San Marcos. I’m not sure I’ll be moseying over there, but if I’m home, I’ll surely know it’s happening. And don’t try to visit me that night. There won’t be any street parking for many blocks.
Go Dons! (With apologies to fans of the other local high schools.)
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
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watching a visual feast of what can be done with movement, sound, and imagination.”
Put another way, Irwin said, Naked Shakes’ intentional austerity recognizes that “what the language can evoke can be more powerful than what we try to create to represent that language.” On the other hand, though, “It’s maybe the most visual and physical Shakespeare play many people have ever seen,” he said.
That’s partially due to Appel’s longtime collaboration with company choreographer Christina McCarthy, who uses movement and physical relationships to create the landscapes, and composer-musician Jim Connolly, who fashions soundscapes and evocative musical settings that support the action on stage, he said.
The stripped-down format isn’t about recreating shows à la the Globe Theatre in Elizabethan England, but rather “rediscovering the original impulse and excitement and freshness of when these plays were given to the audience for the very first time.”
All those factors come together again in spades this weekend when Irwin and the company bring the current production of The Tempest to Godric Grove in Elings Park, returning to the natural amphitheater in the huge privately funded public park on the Mesa for a second consecutive summer. It’s the first time Naked Shakes has produced the late-career work by Shakespeare since 2007, which was its second year. The enchanted story – laced with romance, intrigue, and themes of power, forgiveness, and freedom that begins with a shipwreck on the exiled Prospera’s island – also includes the phrase “rough magic,” which Appel said was the alternative name for the company if he’d not gone with Naked Shakes.
Appel considered how The Tempest reflected Shakespeare’s life and realization that it would be his last major play.
“When he has Prospero say, ‘I will break my staff … and drown my book’, he’s talking about his own career,” Appel said. “That’s why my adaptation turns the huge pageant into a montage of Shakespeare scenes from other plays. It actually becomes like a fever dream or a nightmare or a hallucination that overtakes him and then drives the whole rest of the play.”
Lest that sound a bit too heady for those already fearful of the Bard’s words, Appel said not to worry.
“We pride ourselves on making Shakespeare accessible, energetic, and alive, so much so that even those who were reticent or intimidated leave [the performance] having been completely absorbed and almost forgetting that it’s Shakespeare. This has been my mission for everyone involved, from the actors to all the technical people to the audience – to have ownership in this material and know it’s for them.”
(Naked Shakes presents three performances of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Elings Park September 11-12, and at UCSB Commencement Green on October 3-5. Visit www.elingspark.org or www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu/events
Feelin’ Groovy: ‘Social Insecurity’ Premieres
Carpinteria’s Alcazar Theatre channels the radical era of the 1960s for the world premiere of Mark J Heller’s Social Insecurity, about an aging couple that long to experience the counterculture movement they just missed in their youth. Bea and Pete Lewis get a second chance at a retro-themed retirement community, where they encounter a free-spirited hippie, a staunch activist, a Vietnam veteran and a former rock idol. They organize the residents in a protest after management imposes new rules, leading to Bea’s arrest, which gets the couple’s son, a high-powered attorney, caught in the middle. The event turns out to be a calculated move by management, serving as a ruse to plunge Bea into the ‘60s and ‘70s scene she missed the first time
Entertainment Page 384
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By local filmmaker Mark Manning
SCAN ME!
Elizabeth’s Appraisals
Finding Relief in History
by Elizabeth Stewart
KCsends me a “relief” image of an eagle (a relief is a three-dimensional image), a work created out of plaster; a plaque boxed in the image on three sides, at 17”x28”. KC writes that this was found in the basement of an antique dealer years ago.
Instead of the typical spread-wing eagle associated with American iconography, KC’s eagle has its wings pointing straight up, similar to those used in Roman Classical design. Instead of the typical American symbols of the olive branch in the right (dexter) talon, and arrows in the left (sinister) talon, this eagle has the olive branch in the sinister and an oak branch in the dexter talon. [Dexter and sinister are heraldic terms describing the exact location(s) of various features in a coat of arms.] American bald eagles on coins, on the Great Seal (designed in 1782), on architecture, and on Federal furniture feature a (stars and stripes) shield over the eagle’s breast.
KC’s eagle IS DIFFERENT. What is the origin of this eagle? Where was it used? When was it created?
The key to KC’s eagle is the symbol of the eagle itself, representing kings, power, and the status quo, which goes back to Greek mythology in the eagle of Zeus. In the later Roman Imperial period, the symbol of Jupiter, the King of the Gods, was his eagle – which also rep-
resented Jupiter’s messenger, or incarnation. Charles Thomson, American Secretary of the Continental Congress in 1782, modified this Classical eagle iconography to feature the Bald Eagle, a true American native species, for the Great Seal.
The history of animal images used as symbols of greatness and strength are found in many mythologies: I have mentioned the eagles of Zeus and Jupiter; there’s the Ibis of Thoth in Egyptian culture, and in Hinduism there’s the divine king of the birds, Garuda, and Ganesha, the God with the elephant head.
Animals symbolize certain attributes, and the eagle has been understood for millennia to represent kingship, dominion, strength, power, wealth and majesty. In the 17th and 18th century, the Eagle represented the power of money, and the symbol was incorporated into money/currency, symbolizing financial power and used in a family crest (heraldry). In Europe and America, eagle images were incorporated into architecture that represented national wealth, family wealth, and banking.
KC’s eagle, with its oak and olive branches, most resembles eagles associated with banking and financial institutions (and imprinted into currency). The symbol of the oak tree represents strength and solidity. The olive branch symbolizes peace. When associated with money, the images mean wealth and stability.
The American dime of the late 19th century features both the olive and the oak branch – although these two symbols
are not paired with an eagle, but with a torch on our 10-cent coin; the olive branch is seen on the left of the torch.
I found a similar eagle – featuring an olive and oak branch and upright wings in the Roman style – on French and American architecture and objects associated with banking of the 19th century. For example, the American dime designed in 1874 features both the oak and the olive branches, and French banks of the period bore emblems of both the oak and the olive branches, with or without an eagle symbol.
The eagle of French monetary symbolism and the eagle of American monetary symbolism are close cousins. When our young country was debating the U.S. National Bank as an institution to be established (1789-1801) by Congress during the Federal Period, French and American finances were closely associated – for good and bad, for profit and debt. The U.S. had borrowed greatly from France during the American Revolution. When France demanded that debt repaid, the debate over banking and national debt raged between American French supporters and isolationists.
It was only in 1795 that the U.S. settled its French debt, and though the U.S. National Bank had been established in 1791, the U.S./French debt settlement was privatized by an American financier and did not involve the National Bank.
The fact that KC’s eagle was designed in relief on plaster means that this plaque was part of a wall or a building and thus likely incorporated into architecture, perhaps as an emblem on a bank. I would surmise that it was not created for an American bank. Plaster was used for exterior decorative elements throughout the 19th century, and I would assume this to have been created in the mid to late 19th century with a European origin.
KC, I can’t give you a value on this plaque, but I postulate $500-ish. We have uncovered these details – it is most likely French, it is associated with banking, it was part of a structure as a decorative object, and it symbolized solidity and power and stability.
The front of the plaque with the eagle holding both olive and oak branches
The back side shows the plaster construction
WENDY GRAGG
brewery equipment. Validation Ale opened in July of the same year and have since been serving up a wide range of styles – I even hear they throw a pretty good block party…
In case you haven’t heard, Third Window Brewing Company now sells smash burgers!? What began as a means of getting through the pandemic has put Third Window on the national smash map (I think that’s a thing) with throngs of people lining up for a bite of burger and some Belgian fries. So more specifically, did you know that Third Window serves some really good beer to go with their smash burgers!?
Naturally, there was some closure of breweries around town. Many of the local beerdos still lament the sale of Telegraph Brewing to Epic in 2017, which began a downward spiral of the company – Epic officially shuttering
the iconic spot in 2020 as things were starting to open back up. On a positive note though, Ian Cutler moved into the historic WWII-era Quonset hut at 418 N. Salsipuedes St. and has opened a truly stunning Distillery & Public House that brings solace to the old Telegraph space.
Nearby, Pure Order Brewing Company quietly drifted off as well. There was no official announcement – just the charming outside tasting garden slowly being filled with construction equipment and work trucks. The San Diegobased Modern Times closed down its Academy of Recreational Sciences tap room next to Shaker Mill. Fortunately, Oxnard’s Casa Agria Specialty Ales filled the void with its fruited sours and hazyhopped brews.
Satellite tap houses seem to be the trend for established breweries both in- and out of town. Draughtsmen Aleworks, M.Special, and Rincon Brewery all have their downtown Santa Barbara tasting rooms now. The Upper State Street area gained a few more spots with Brass Bear Brewing Co. and Validation Ale opening up tasting annexes near Los Positas. In addition, the popular Lama Dog partnered with the just-as-admired Sama Sama for the fun, hybrid spot – Lama Sama. Did I get everything? Honestly, probably not. But that’s what the next column is for. (Editor’s Note: This sentence ends in a preposition… whose runnin’ ‘dis ship anyways?)
(Photo for the algorithm)
Zach Rosen is the Managing Editor of the Montecito Journal. He also enjoys working with beer, art, and life.
Travel Buzz
Rocking and Lounging at Ojai’s Sweet El Roblar Hotel
by Leslie Andrea Westbrook
Iam an early bird.
It’s 5 am and I am lounging in the very spacious patio of my sweet room #24 at Ojai’s newly opened and fantastically reimagined El Roblar Hotel so as not to awaken my beloved goddaughter Alpha who is snoozing away in her bed. A half-moon hangs in the Valley of the Moon sky overhead and a few cars at this dark hour buzz past on Ojai Avenue.
I take my laptop and tiptoe to the lobby, where cool Miles Davis streams, and I settle into a leather couch next to the stone fireplace. I am thrilled to have the place to myself with the roar of the cracking fireplace warming me on a typically chilly Ojai morn. Coffee is set out in the bar before a guest moseys by, taking his dog Rosy for a walk.
I collected Alpha the day before from the Carpinteria Amtrak train stop for our “slumber party” in Ojai. It was just the ticket (after her living in Sicily, Poland, and New Mexico the past few years) for us to catch up, while savoring the new hotel.
When we checked in the previous day, we admired the tiled bathroom and soaking tub, as well as the custom-designed woven carpet (the prettiest I’ve seen in a hotel) by Christopher Farr . We immediately hit the lounge chairs at the perfection of a pool where we met another guest, chatty and friendly Ross , a music composer who attended Cate School. Although Ross lives in Ojai, he had basically moved into the hotel, and we soon learned
why (besides the interesting guests). While Ojai may be a spiritual vortex, El Roblar seems to be a magnet.
Set on two-acres in the heart of downtown Ojai, the Spanish Revival property (established in 1919) is landscaped with huge exotic plants that look straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, including Dragon trees and soaring palms.
How is the lodging? In one word: Fabulous. I mean who wouldn’t want to move in here?
The nod to Southwest décor reminds me of a cross between the delightful La Posada Hotel (a Fred Harvey hotel) in Winslow, Arizona, and Mattei’s Inn and Tavern (an Auberge property), as well as some of our national park hotels. Just about every touch is pitch perfect. Lively, 78 rpm General Manager Meredith Morgan, who hails from NYC’s The Bowery and The NoMad hotels, runs a tight ship. Staff is all top notch – from the valets to our poolside server Issac (a local 20-year-old) who kept our glasses topped with chilled water.
The music is pitch perfect: jazz and/or mellow Latin tunes, the lobby’s comfy leather couches and vintage tile tables, complement the found art (from local dealers). A charming hallway photo gallery of notables honors Ojai legends Krishnamurti, ceramicists Otto and Vivika Heino, the one and only Beato (Beatrice Wood), author Aldous Huxley, medium/psychic Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891) – a 19th century “influencer”/medium who founded the Theosophical Society but never actually visited Ojai – and even octogenarian
Travel Buzz Page 394
A variety of participating restaurants will offer TASTES, TAPAS and TIPPING (your glass) to Carpinteria Crawlers as friends enjoy the walk from the Casitas Pass Shopping Center to downtown Carpinteria, stopping along the way at many food and beverage locations.
Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 5-9 PM
The lobby at El Roblar (photo by Gregory Goode)
Just because it’s back-to-school that doesn’t mean the summer reading ends.
‘Ready for my Close Up’
Are you ready for Norma Desmond’s closeup? David M. Lubin explores the dark side of Hollywood and the making of Sunset Boulevard in Ready for My Close Up. This is a terrific behind-thescenes peek at Billy Wilder’s comeback vehicle for silent star Gloria Swanson and last chance for William Holden. Loaded with juicy details and ruminations on Hollywood’s cavalier treatment of its stars, it is insightful and will delight fans of movies, Hollywood, and history.
‘House of the Monstrous Women’
D
aphne Fama wraps us in an oppressive maze-like house in the Philippines in her House of Monstrous Women. This gothic horror is set in 1986 when the country was rebelling against the iron rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. It took me a minute to engage, but once I did, I found it truly atmospheric and unique. Josephine travels to her childhood friend’s home, set amongst shapeshifting trees and silent servants. Unbeknownst to her, she has been summoned to engage in a life-ordeath game with her estranged brother
Stories Matter Back to School Books
by Leslie Zemeckis
and his girlfriend. The winner will have everything she, or he, desires, but first someone must die. I loved the climax on this one which is brutal and chaotic.
‘Night Watcher’
It must be in her blood. Daphne Woolsoncroft’s Night Watcher is an eerie thriller set in Portland, Oregon. If the name is familiar, it is because she is a descendant of “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley, whose own mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, an author and early feminist icon. As a popular true crime podcaster, in her debut novel Woolsoncroft deftly writes about a serial killer called the Hiding Man that has haunted Nola Strafe. Nola witnessed her babysitter killed by the masked man, only to have him haunt her decades later. This one is spine tingling.
‘The Frequency of Living Things’
TGoogins ’ The Frequency of Living Things , the follow-up to his powerful The Great Transition . Josephine and her twin sisters are in a band. The band hasn’t had a hit in years, and Josephine has been keeping them afloat financially and emotionally. The twins return to the stage (Josephine is the offstage silent partner) but they are falling apart as one of the sisters struggles with drugs. Googins brings us an epic yet intimate story, filled with warmth, about family and addiction and resilience.
‘We Are All Guilty Here’
Karin Slaughter ’s 25 th book in 25 years is the terrific We Are All Guilty Here . In Clifton County, Georgia, two disgruntled teens go missing. Deputy Emmy Lou Clifton (her forefathers founded the area) and her sheriff dad race against the clock to find out what happened. Flash forward a dozen years and the town is reeling when another teen goes missing. Slaughter is expert at what she does, drawing us into the drama, making her characters flawed and deeply empathetic. Don’t miss this one.
‘High Season’
In the character driven mystery High Season by Katie Bishop, Nina is struggling with her sister’s murder. When she was a young girl she was the only witness to the killing. Now, years later Nina returns to the scene of the crime where someone is investigating the long-ago murder, causing Nina to doubt what she saw and what she told others she saw. Bishop seesaws between two timelines and several POV’s to
solve the riddle of what really happened so long ago in “paradise.”
‘The Mysterious Case of the
Missing Crime Writer’
International bestselling mystery writer Ragnar Jónasson is back with his best yet. The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer is another Agatha Christie-worthy mystery. When a popular Icelandic author goes missing it is up to a young detective Helgi Reykdal to solve the crime. Reykdal is a super fan and under pressure to return his idol to safety. Along the way he uncovers her secrets and learns of those who might have wished her gone. Jónasson always produces a page-turner with interesting characters set in his beloved Reykjavik.
Leslie Zemeckis is an awardwinning documentarian, best-selling author, and actor. The creator of “Stories Matter,” professional female authors mentoring the next generation of female storytellers, co-sponsored by SBIFF.
hree sisters and their activist mother are at the heart of Nick Fuller
Robert’s Big Questions
Where Do You Get Your News?
by Robert Bernstein
Our condominium complex recently had a “meet your neighbors” pool party. One woman “Barb” realized I was on the Board of the homeowner’s association (HOA) and she expressed concern that the HOA fees were rising too much.
I explained that our HOA insurance rate had doubled in the past few years due to the Climate Crisis. That this is becoming the largest part of our fees. And that we were lucky to get insurance at all now. She told me that “many scientists” disagree that there is a Climate Crisis. I said you don’t need to listen to the scientists. The insurance companies base their prices on real risk.
She persisted. I noted that the tariffs will start causing inflation in the coming months. The effect is delayed but real. She said that Trump knows what he is doing. “He isn’t stupid.” I chose not to point out that most of the people who have worked closest to Trump have said, in colorful language, that in fact Trump is very stupid.
But I did point out that deporting groundskeepers, pool cleaners, and handymen will also drive up our expenses. She disputed every point claiming that she had better sources than I had. I finally asked her: “Where do you get your news?”
“Various places” was all she could offer. She could not name a single source. She then said that I obviously had a very narrow view.
I have a Facebook friend, “Don,” who I knew as an activist in the 1980s. He is now a full blown Trumper. He sent me a link to a “report” that Zelenskyy had kidnapped 2,451 Russian children “for sex trafficking and adrenochrome harvesting.” I thanked him for showing me a Facebook page I never would have seen. By “Cheryl Manning Hudson” with “Save Our Children” on its banner.
This exactly inverts the reality that Russia has kidnapped thousands of Ukrainian children. Where do I get my news? In this case the Yale School of Medicine.
This Save Our Children page looks laughably absurd to anyone with credible news sources. But for people like Barb and Don, it is a portal to a world of hidden information that “They” don’t want you to see.
For much of my life I was one
who was trying to disseminate truly hidden news. Actual atrocities being committed by the CIA around the world. Real journalists risked their lives to get these stories. Actual members of the CIA quit in disgust and went public with the information. Congress was forced to conduct investigations.
Two years ago, I wrote “Conspiracy Theories Not What They Used to Be?” These new “theories” aren’t even theories. Just made-up nonsense. Real conspiracy theories once revealed manipulation by powerful bad actors. But now powerful bad actors are putting out disinformation. Many have been identified as Russian bots. Then ordinary people repeat the nonsense virally. That is the real conspiracy.
I posted the Save Our Children link on my own Facebook page, explaining that this explains how millions of fellow Americans can support Trump. This is where they get their “news.” Amazingly, Don “Liked” my post! For him, it didn’t matter that I was using it as an example of disinformation. I was helping to spread it.
Walter Cronkite was “the news” when I was growing up. He was literally the most trusted man in America. Now “news” usually means a “news feed” on social media. No journalist curates or fact checks a news feed. It is just a torrent of posts. If you Like a post, you get more like it.
Reagan pioneered the practice of lying every time he spoke. Trump goes one further: He calls fact checked news “Fake News.” This could easily be stopped. I had to bike four miles round trip to the library as a kid if I wanted to fact check something. Now, a simple Google search is sufficient.
At the end of my conversation with Barb, I let her know that she better budget for rising HOA fees. No matter where you get your news, reality has the last word.
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
SCAN ME!
zoo. We are halfway through our strategic plan which is based on three pillars: People, Place – because the SB Zoo is one of the best places to work, and Purpose –to lead in conservation, provide state of the art habitats for animals here, and to work with other communities on animal welfare and conservation. The SB Zoo focuses on the “Big Six” of native California animals – California condors, monarch butterflies, island foxes, red-legged frogs, sea otters, and western snowy plovers. Thank you for supporting us as we roar ahead!”
Hopper introduced Perry who presented on the importance of the collaboration between CSU Channel Islands and the SB Zoo for learning, community outreach, and conservation to ensure healthy ecosystems. The collaboration will start with an onsite office at the SB Zoo and evolve into the construction of a Conservation Center at the campus, approximately 1.4 acres leased by the zoo. The Conservation Center will house an animal care and recovery center, have a learning lab for students, serve as the headquarters and a satellite campus for the SB Zoo’s field operations, and additional areas to be considered. A fundraiser is being planned for the Conservation Center.
Following Perry, Mayor Rowse added the City of SB’s endorsement to the SBZ strategic plan by way of talking about key outdoor projects and wildlife habitats the city is involved with and supports, such as our 35 miles of trails, beaches, and open areas of nature. For more info: https://www.sbzoo.org/ conservation-center-at-csuci
Montecito Trails Foundation & Greenwell
Preserve Restoration
The Montecito Trails Foundation is collaborating with the Summerland Citizens Association, along with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, to restore the Greenwell Preserve to its natural habitat. The Greenwell Preserve is located at Greenwell Road and Asegra Road, Summerland. The property is owned and man -
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SALON MAXINE, 130 S. Hope Avenue, Suite 126, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. KELLY HEWLETT, 424 E. Sola Street Unit B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 & REBECCA DILKS, 802 Jimeno Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 20, 2025. 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. 2025-0001990. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOUGIE
aged by the State Coastal Conservancy who is responsible for the Greenwell Preserve and any adjacent projects to keep the habitat up to speed.
According to the Southern California Wetlands Project, the site has had numerous restoration efforts dating back 25 years, funded by various government agencies directly, and manned by grassroots organizations.
In April 2025, I reported in the Montecito Journal that the SCA in 2023 formally requested a 50-year lease on the property, and in 2024 requested an extension on the lease through 2074. (https://tinyurl.com/MJ-MTF-SCA)
The Channel Islands Restoration organization, aka CIR, occupied the Greenwell Preserve from 2018 until recently, when they outgrew the space and pulled out to larger pastures. This created – of the former CIR occupied-and-managed area – a new restoration project. Lessee of the Greenwell Preserve – The Summerland Citizens Association – is holding a community volunteer clean-up and restoration project on October 25 on the site,
this in conjunction with The Montecito Trails Foundation.
The Montecito Trails Foundation has been a partner on the Greenwell Preserve, as the Foundation uses the area as one of their key community hiking trails, with its excellent views and interesting biodiversity. They just led a four-mile hike on July 21, called the Greenwell Loop, which started at the Greenwell Preserve, and hiked towards Montecito and the Valley Club on East Valley Road.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden recently conducted a full-on consultation-evaluation on the habitat currently there and opportunities going
BARKERY SB, 919 Roble Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. KARLA A PARKER, 919 Roble Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 2, 2025. 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. 2025-0002070. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUMINA NOSTRI, 6580 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Barbara, CALIFO 93105. Sarah ER Ahlers, PO BOX 1083, Goleta, CA 93116. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa
Barbara County on August 29, 2025. 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. 2025-0002064. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOVUS BUILDING SYSTEM, 4661 9TH ST, Carpinteria, CA 93013. QUANTUM CONSTRUCTION
SB INC, 4661 9TH ST., Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 04, 2025. 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. 2025-0001840. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAMAR, 808 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Christine V Quach, 808 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 27, 2025. 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. 2025-0002036. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
forward. Their findings are published in a 19-page report. Highlighted recommendations are:
Trail – consult an arborist to assess the health of the trees on the trail, eliminate fuel ladders (flammable vegetation that creates a fire path from the ground level into tree canopies), prune excessive invasive species, and add plants in the fall Entrance – add native plants
Riparian Area near the Entrance –add woodland plants to encourage bird populations
Roadside Swale – adding a dry creek bed or bioswale to the roadside swale that is a wet spot during the rainy season. This swale will slow down water movement and encourage ground water replenishing
Native Plant Nursery – use sheet mulch and add a rain garden
The approximate two-acre Greenwell Preserve is located in CA State Assembly District 37 – Assembly Member Gregg Hart, Congressional District 24 – Salud Carbajal and Senate District 21 –Monique Limón
A
is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: La Fleur Living; La Fleur Living Co, 1187 Coast Village Rd, 1-113, Montecito, CA 93108. La Fleur Weddings & Events, 1187 Coast Village Rd, 1-113, Montecito, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 21, 2025. 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. 2025-0002000. Published August 28, September 4, 11, 18, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV03247. To all interested parties: Petitioner Mira Yang filed
a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Mira Lee. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed August 22, 2025 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: October 22, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
The Greenwell Preserve Nursery (courtesy photo)
The familiar entrance to the Summerland Greenwell Preserve (courtesy photo)
Joanne
Calitri
Foraging Thyme Gai Lan / Chinese Broccoli
by Melissa Petitto
Gai lan or Chinese broccoli belongs to the same family as broccoli and kale – the Brassica family. Gai lan originates in China, and is in season right now in all its gorgeousness at Chavez Family Farms. In traditional Chinese medicine, gai lan is thought to be a detoxification vegetable, aiding and supporting the fire organs (heart and small intestine). This antioxidant rich vegetable contains vitamin C and beta-carotene and helps protect the body against oxidative damage and helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Being a part of the cruciferous family, this vegetable has been associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, improved digestion, and better blood sugar control. Gai lan is also a great source of vitamin K which helps us maintain strong bones and prevents osteoporosis. This beautiful vegetable is so versatile and easy to cook, let’s take it in the kitchen and make something simple and delicious.
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Yield: 4 Servings
1 pound gai lan
8 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Wash and dry gai lan. Cut the large stems of gai lan into uniformed thickness.
2. Bring a large wok of water to a boil. Add sesame oil and salt to the water.
3. Add gai lan to the water, cover, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until bright green and tender.
4. Drain the gai lan and transfer to a plate or platter. Drizzle with the toasted sesame oil, oyster sauce, and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
spiritual growth and development in the students and in myself.”
Hawkins earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California, where she taught literacy courses and developed teacher residency programs to remove barriers for prospective credential candidates and grow the teacher education program. She hopes to expand Westmont’s education department and attract new students. Her research focuses on how literacy instruction and teacher preparation affect student well-being. “My faith is the lens through which I see the future of teacher education,” she says.
Kim, who earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at UC Merced, conducts research exploring the lasting impact of historic hubs of civilization on the modern distribution of people and political power. He co-authored a book chapter, “Economic Penalties based on Neighborhood, and Wealth Building” in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance. “I look forward to integrating my faith into the classroom, the small classes and connecting with students to help them be their best,” he says.
Lawrie, a cultural and positive psychologist, studies well-being across socioeconomic status and national cultures. She graduated from Yale and earned three master’s degrees, as well as a doctorate in psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara. Lawrie served as an adjunct pro-
fessor at Westmont for several years before moving to Rhode Island in 2021 to teach at Providence College. “My faith is everything — it informs my research and how I teach,” she says. “The students here are special, and I’m excited to work with them.”
Marsh ‘17, who earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Washington’s Department of Pharmacology, blends two unconnected graduate school theses to explore the ways mitochondria communicate with the rest of the cell. She has been teaching at Westmont since last year and enjoys integrating ideas of science and faith. “We also dive into what that looks like in a professional context,” she says. “We’re reading books such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and debating modern bioethics and how faith influences people’s perception of science.”
Molina discovered a passion for Spanish, her Mexican culture ,and teaching while an undergraduate at UT Arlington. She earned a master’s degree and doctorate at UCLA researching animals in contemporary Mexican women’s fiction. “I look forward to mentoring students, integrating faith into my teaching, connecting with minority and first-generation students and serving the Hispanic community here at Westmont,” she says. She is actively involved at Restauración Los Ángeles (RLA) Church, where her husband directs young adults.
Melissa Petitto, R.D., is an executive chef and co-founder at Thymeless My Chef SB, was a celebrity personal chef for 16 years, just finished her 10th cookbook, and is an expert on nutrition and wellness.
Raymond Kim (economics)
Nicole Marsh ‘17 (biology)
Smaranda Lawrie (psychology)
Claudia Molina (Spanish)
The always tasty and versatile gai lan, or Chinese broccoli (photo by Nthaci via Wikimedia Commons)
around. The nostalgic nod to the era comes from Heller, a 35-year veteran of the entertainment industry who has worked for Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Television and others. Co-directed by Åsa Olsson and Leslie V. AnnRenee, with a cast that includes E. Bonnie Lewis and Meredith McMinn, Social Insecurity plays September 12-14 and 19-21. Visit www.thealcazar.org.
Arming Teens to Speak up About Guns
ETC and UCSB are teaming up to participate in Enough!, a nationwide reading of six new 10-minute plays by teen writers that confront gun violence, with the aim of allowing youth voices to be heard, sparking conversation, and inspiring action against one of the most pressing issues of our time. The plays, which were selected by a committee of nationally renowned playwrights, will be presented locally at UCSB’s Hatlen Theatre on Monday, October 6, with 100% of the proceeds donated to local initiatives dedicated to ending gun violence. Titles include Holding Space; Oh Look, Another School Shooting!; Nobody Cares About Death; The Perfect Victim; We Didn’t Have to Meet Here; and Under Wraps. ETC is accepting video auditions from actors with a deadline of September 20. Visit https://etcsb.org/enough-plays-to-end-gun-violence for details about the plays and their authors, and for ticket information.
Kickin’ Off with ‘Kinky’
At the other end of the professional spectrum, single (non-series) tickets go on sale this Friday, September 12, for Kinky Boots, the official Broadway touring version of the Tony-winning musical that opens the 2025-26 Broadway in Santa Barbara series at the Granada Theatre December 9-10. Visit www.BroadwaySantaBarbara.com or www.GranadaSB.org.
Piano Parade: Rosas Revisits it All, from Roller Rink to Rousing House Parties
Not many pianists are still performing professionally when their age is more than the number of keys on a piano. But at age 89, Gil Rosas has arranged to play what he says will be his final large public concert this September 13, at the Marjorie Luke Theatre, in what is, appropriately, a benefit for the Center for Successful Aging. But then it turns out that Rosas actually played on a Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano for private parties at Lord and Lady RidleyTree’s Montecito home, so the goalposts have moved.
Shouldn’t be a problem for Rosas, a longtime Santa Barbara institution who officially “retired” in the early 1990s after having performed for decades at a number of (now vanished) well-loved venues of yesteryear. Talking it over is like a trip down memory lane for locals, as Rosas tickled the ivories as a solo pianist night after night at such shuttered places as the Santa Barbara Rollercade (on the Hammond B-3 organ), the Fiesta Bowl, and the Somerset and Olive Mill Bistro in Montecito. He played two floor shows every Saturday night with a small combo at the El Paseo, which still exists but long since moved on from such endeavors; and Rosas even served as the first music director at KEYT-TV when it opened in the early 1950s.
“Fiesta Bowl was a 32-lane bowling alley that had a beautiful lounge called the Mural Room, where I basically made my debut as a solo piano bar artist,” he recalled. “At the TV station, I was on different shows, accompanying singers and dancers, or if somebody didn’t show up, I would play four or five solos. I also played background music for a cartoon show. I played at a lot of places all over town, and private parties, weddings, funerals, you name it. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a lot of them.”
Rosas’ formative years as a Santa Barbara native melded music from his parents’ home country with what was popular at the time.
“My mother loved to sing, and she always had the radio on, always with Mexican songs, ballads, rumbas and boleros. I absorbed all of that,” he said.
But it was also the Swing Era, and all those Great American Songbook tunes and musicals that also shaped his sound.
“Our pastime was going to the movies, and I loved all of the music,” he said. “I think some of my most important training came from MGM, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Brothers.”
Rosas estimates that over the course of his career, he developed a repertoire of more than 1,000 songs, with material getting added until when the Top 10 Hit Parade morphed into the Top 40 in the rock ‘n’ roll era. “That’s when contemporary music was not of interest to me anymore,” he said.
Entertainment Page 404
“It’s hard to think of anybody who deserves this recognition more than Martin Sheen,” said Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes, president of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF). “While still maintaining his acting career, he has been a lifelong activist for a better world, for peace, and specifically for nuclear disarmament. He really is an inspiration. More than 60 arrests! It’s incredible that a person of his stature, fame and celebrity has put himself, body and soul, on the line over and over again, not just as a stunt a couple of times.”
Hughes said that celebrities speaking out on nuclear disarmament decades ago was a large part of eventually turning the corner on the nuclear arms race, though the current political climate has curtailed such efforts.
“But Martin Sheen is unafraid in this time of cancel culture when many people are watching what they say and don’t want to take up important causes, which makes him extraordinary. He literally has more arrests than movies!”
NAPF’s annual gala event will also posthumously recognize Pope Francis with the Distinguished Peace Leader Award for his moral leadership on nuclear abolition just five months after his passing. A vocal advocate for environmental stewardship, migration justice, and interfaith dialogue, Pope Francis was also a consistent and outspoken proponent of peace and nuclear disarmament who strongly supported the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) – one of NAPF’s ongoing efforts at the United Nations – calling its vision “courageous” and “ever more timely.” Under his leadership, the Holy See became one of the earliest and most active state parties to the Treaty, reflecting the pontiff’s broader moral vision for a world free of nuclear weapons.
“He sent such a message of love and kindness and peace into the world, and absolutely believed in the importance of nuclear abolition,” Hughes said. “The pope changed the conversation in 2017 when he said that the mere possession of these weapons that could destroy life on the planet is immoral. That was a big change in the church’s position that accepted nuclear deterrence as helping to secure world peace… Whatever your religion, there’s something really beautiful in honoring this kind of legacy that the Pope himself personally left.”
NAPF’s annual Evening for Peace is an essential fundraising gala that supports the international organization’s efforts to rid the world of the threat of nuclear weapons. The funds go to support advocacy work that includes TPNW and other UN general assembly resolutions – proposals that advance the cause of disarmament, as well as nuclear justice, which aims to compensate communities
that have been impacted by nuclear weapons (primarily by the nuclear weapons testing programs). The evening also supports NAPF’s internship program, its Women Waging Peace series, and its travel to international conferences, which Hughes said is an integral aspect of the nonprofit’s work. Its work also endeavors to bring the climate change and anti-nuclear weapons communities together, bridging the gap to other issues while keeping nuclear discernment as the center of its focus.
“We also go a couple of times a year to Washington to go door-to-door on Capitol Hill to speak with the members of Congress and their staff, to both educate them but also advocate for specific resolutions,” she said. “What we do is a combination of advocacy and education, including a lot of work with young people.”
Importantly, Hughes said, achieving nuclear disarmament isn’t just a pipe dream given the current level of proliferation and possibility of a burgeoning arms race. The plan involves all nine of those states with nuclear arsenals, “using both carrots and sticks, and how to actually address some of the underlying issues for why some of these countries have nuclear weapons. There’s a timeline, but when exactly that timeline begins, that’s what’s up in the air – and depends on both top leadership and the general public, so that the issue bubbles up to elected leaders who want their grandchildren to live, and who realize the insanity of nuclear weapons that can destroy the planet in 72 minutes.”
Thinking that the issue isn’t important just because it hasn’t happened yet is foolish, Hughes said.
“We’ve just been really, really lucky. And that luck is going to run out eventually. It’s nuclear roulette. If you keep playing a game when there’s one out of however many bad outcomes, that outcome is going to happen. It’s just a matter of time. And roulette isn’t an accurate metaphor – because it’s not just you, your family, or even your nation, but the entire planet, for all of humanity. It’s preposterous.”
Hughes said that NAPF doesn’t receive government grants, so events like the annual Evening for Peace are of great importance.
“We essentially depend almost entirely on the generosity of donors. And I’m grateful that we do. It’s very hard to imagine an organization like this existing just about anywhere else but Santa Barbara because there is a culture of support for nonprofit work here. There’s a kind of communal spirit that has been so special to experience.”
Reserve tickets or sponsorship for NAPF’s Evening for Peace by September 17. Visit www.wagingpeace.org
“To
mover and shaker, Joan Kemper. Even the tickled and interesting guests are super friendly, El Roblar’s atmosphere felt much like a country house weekend party. Talkative 88-year-old Marsha (mother of eight) and her daughter at the table next to our at dinner told us she was working on her memoir; Lanier and her husband Randy from New York were taking a quick overnight break from their “littles” (one and four years old); even co-owner/turtle preservationist Eric Goode could be overheard pontificating to a friend about the New York art scene in the breakfast room.
Drinking and dining venues are also admirable. The lobby living room fills with guests around cocktail hour and The Snug (a tiny bar tucked off the lobby) is a gem: The “Best Friend” cocktail (a pretty pink mezcal concoction) is a winner.
We consumed some delicious items at dinner, thanks to Little Dom’s/ Dominick’s/Bar Lou and now El Roblar’s Mexican-forward Condor Bar Chef Brandon Boudet – who miraculously travels between all four restaurants.
I’d return to Condor Bar for the light and fluffy Santa Barbara Sea Urchin tamal ($28, sounds weird but it’s divine!), smoked swordfish dip ($21) and a dessert concocted from my two favorite “single girl eats dinner alone and doesn’t feel like cooking” food groups: ice cream (in this case a soft serve sweet corn flavor) and popcorn (with a totomoxtle dusting). I liked the freshness of the celery salad ($18, a nod to tortoise food!) – and there are tacos, tostadas and entrees including pork ribs al pastor, and “make ‘em yourself” tacos with homemade tortillas ($36).
A tasty European-style buffet breakfast (included) is laid out in the hotel’s cheerful La Cocina (open for breakfast and lunch from 7 am – 4 pm to guests and the public) with addictive “ conchas ” (their version is more like a cream-filled donut) and other amazing
house made pastries, but DO order the huge blue corn pancake (pricey at $21) to share.
We were able to see a few of the 11, truly dreamy, bungalows. The most secluded one (#11), with a koi pond was occupied, so we didn’t get to peek in, but we did meet the two resident female tortoises out back, Abra and Cadabra, who rise up on their sturdy legs in appreciation when their backs are scratched. The following morning, we went on the totally worthwhile onehour Turtle Conservancy tour for more turtle and tortoise back scratching and feeding of celery to Galapagos Giant Tortoises that exhibited a variety of eating habits. The Conservancy is a mere 10-minute drive away in Ojai’s lovely east end.
The attractive Mariposa Room, a meeting room/event space, can be booked for everything from intimate private dinners for 14 or more, to gatherings of up to 200. And hip, hip,
hooray for evening turn-down service that includes yummy chocolate chip cookies… heavenly bedsheets and soft pillows ensuring sweet dreams.
From the lobby mural by Stefano Castronovo depicting Ojai’s natural and historic beauty, to the cool jazz and Latin music on the sound system, it seems no stone – including a fine collection of metate mortars and pestles (three are Chumash) by the fireplace, sourced at nearby California Auctioneers – has been left unturned.
The stylish four partners, all Ojai residents, who envisioned this magical hostelry and conjured it into existence— Jeremy McBride (documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur, known
for his work on Tiger King and Chimp Crazy ), Eric Goode (founder of The Turtle Conservancy, producer of Tiger King fame); Warner Ebbink (restaurateur par excellence), and Ramin Shamshiri (phenomenal Persian art director/interior designer)— are a dynamic quartet who have knocked it out of the ballpark.
I only have one question: What next to amaze and dazzle us?
Hotel El Roblar 122 E Ojai Ave Ojai, CA 93023 www.theroblar.com
Phone: (805) 322-0525
Rates start at $455/night
Step into the charm of Ojai’s El Roblar (photo by Gregory Goode)
Santa Barbara Sea Urchin tamal (photo by Leslie A Westbrook)
Take a seat at the bar for a sip of the mezcal-driven “Best Friend” cocktail (photo by Gregory Goode)
Featuring: Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Rob Bonfiglio, The Honeys, Don Randi, Lola Bonfiglio, Leo Knutson, Nelson Bragg, Randell Kirsch, Carly Smithson, Alisan Porter, Hunter Hawkins, Rosemary Butler, Ken Stacey
appearance by Wilson Phillips
Astoundingly, he played his own instrumental versions of the songs, as well as excerpts of classical music –from memory.
“I never used sheet music in my performances ever,” he said.
In all those decades, though, Rosas never wrote a single song.
“I’ve never been tempted to write,” he said. “But I improvise a great deal. When I was at the TV station, my nickname became Gil Fill because I always had to fill time.”
As to why he proved so popular to have worked steadily in piano bars for decades, Rosas said his answer was a little “selfish.”
“I have to admit that in all the years that I have performed popular music and the music that’s in my brain, I have loved every moment of it. It comes from my soul and my heart and that’s never changed. I absolutely love it.”
That joy is sure to come through at Saturday’s Marjorie Luke show, where he plays what amounts to a retrospective of music from his career, along with a special guest or two, and video clips. But as it turns out, it may not be his last public performance.
“I think I am anxious to get my feet wet again.”
Art Abounds:
Assemblage, Landscapes, New Gallery and More
Chaos meets curation at CAW, as the exhibition Little Shop of Hoarders opens this weekend. The show brings together 10 local assemblage artists whose work will be on view from opening night on September 12 through the 21st. But the first Saturday morning (September 13) is what gives the show its extra oomph, as CAW turns into a swap meet for artists and anyone else looking to reuse/recycle all sorts of stuff. It’s an opportunity to clear out the storage unit, the garage, your secret stash of postage stamps, your strange collection of doll heads and other ephemera, treasures or junk. Which also means it’s an opportunity to augment your collection, or amass more stuff for assemblage art. Visit www.sbcaw.org/upcoming.
SCAPE’s (Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment) annual juried autumn art show returns to Lehmann Hall at the Music Academy of the West September 12-13. Dubbed Nature’s Palette and juried by OAK Group member Michael Drury, the exhibition immerses viewers in the beauty of the Central Coast from scores of artists, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Explore Ecology’s environmental education programs. Visit www.s-c-a-p-e.org.
Rubenstein-Chan Contemporary Art gallery opens September 13 at the Palm Lofts, the live/work complex space reimagined century-old lima bean factory in Carpinteria. The new gallery comes from Irene Chan , a photographer who has a background in fashion, and Bonnie Rubenstein , who ran Silo118 gallery in the Santa Barbara Funk Zone for six years. The opening exhibition, Unfold , features L.A. artists Sijia Chen , Chiho Harazaki, and Kaoru Mansour whose work explores themes of identity, belonging, and human connection. Patricia Houghton Clarke will also open her photography studio at Palm Lofts featuring a special presentation from the Environmental Defense Center. Visit www. RubensteinChan.com.
UCSB’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum opens three exhibitions for the fall 2025 season on September 13, headlined by Beyond the Object: Selections from the Permanent Collection that features painting, sculpture, photography, and works on paper highlighting recent acquisitions and gifts – primarily from the past five years and spotlighting Joan Mitchell as part of the centennial celebration of her birth. Mexican Prints: The Garcia-Correa Collection features 61 Mexican prints, including lithographs, etchings and linocuts from the 1920s-’80s gifted from local collectors Gil Garcia and Marti Correa de Garcia . Environmental Communications: Big Bang Beat L.A. focuses on the Venice-based collective of architects, artists and sociologists who championed an expanded understanding of architecture that considers the totality of the built environment. The opening reception is at 5:30 pm for all three shows, which remain on view through December 7. Visit www.museum.ucsb.edu.
The new Superet album, Loving Lies (a triple entendre, if you will – and available everywhere by stream, vinyl, and cd), is a warm sonic patchwork of French film music, rib-tuning tropicana, stirring, tremulous balladry, and bliss-free Bacharach. Jacques Brel pokes his head in the door a couple times for a lil’ looksee. You’ve never heard anything like it. A streak of dark humor backgrounds the set, a scarcely visible Milky Way of unapologetic skepticism. The tunes are so gorgeous and surprising you start to wonder if Blitzer is a nom de plume. One of the tracks, a shimmering paean to loss, is called “The Stars Don’t Give a Shit.”
As honesty in song goes, try and top that.
“The album is about a relationship processing through a rock-bottom moment. It starts off with betrayal, with infidelity – and it ends in optimism. But, yeah, it starts with just total chaos.” The album’s opening “chaotic” tracks make the point but are far from sonically cluttered. Superet songs don’t make expressionist gestures; they are finely written, arranged and executed, designed to sink in and detonate: controlled explosions of light.
Blitzer is a songwriter with greatness in him. He knows the human “sorrow-to-ecstacy” continuum lives in the quotidian deets – a pair of discarded trousers, for instance. He gets electrified discussing this stuff.
“This album was lyrics first. I mean, it wasn’t always lyric first, but it was always concept first. ‘Okay, I want to write a song called Cargo Pants about a guy discovering a stranger’s pair of pants in his partner’s bag, and the helpless feeling of throwing them away, but realizing that they were going to have to figure out how they were going to approach this situation regardless of whether or not they throw out the pants.’” He pauses to breathe and blinks. “Things like that.”
Superet
Blitzer studied jazz guitar at CalArts and assembled Superet in 2016. “I had just left a different band called Harriet that I had been in for about four years. I was playing guitar in that band.” Harriet is the band that Capitol Records signed at the top of
BBMT – an album release to remember (photo by Eric Garcia)
Blitzer in a still from Superet’s Was I On Your Mind (courtesy photo)
The one-and-only Gil Rosas (courtesy photo)
this story. As can happen, the members began to move apart and seek their own artistic avenues and – as mentioned earlier – Blitzer was jonesing for his own outlet. “I had a few songs, and I brought back together a band I’d played with in college, which were all my roommates at CalArts.” This gang would become Superet. “I’d learned so much about the industry from Harriet, I’d made a lot of new connections. The timing was right.”
Anyone who has ever been in a band knows that choosing a band name is both a trifle and – in a strange way– the band’s first critical growth hormone. Um, Superet?
“One day I was driving down Third or Fourth Street. Right across the street from St. Vincent Hospital on your way to downtown Los Angeles there was this weird church with a big neon Jesus and a big spinning neon heart sign that says Superet Church of Life. I drove by it every day to get to rehearsal. I texted the group chat and was like, what do you guys think about Superet? I looked it up and it’s a Latin word that means May He Overflow.”
The project came together, Blitzer’s songs were given voice. The octane started to get to him. “I was having what I’ll call a nervous breakthrough. I was really excited. I was also just a little bit up my own a*s, trying to get this thing to be huge and exciting.” Arched, knowing eyebrows and a deeply self-deprecating grin. “So I tattooed it on my arm on Valentine’s Day, the heart with the date.” His songwriting began truly to effervesce. “We had a show booked within weeks of the tattoo and we started playing around L.A. a lot.”
Superet’s keyboard player was also in the band Spoon and knew the near-legendary producer/founding Mercury Rev bassist Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, Neil Finn, Mogwai). Fridmann would produce Superet’s variously frenetic and mesmeric How to Work a Room album.
At Superet’s arguable zenith they headlined L.A.’s storied Troubadour, opened for Canadian supergroup/art collective Broken Social Scene, played with (the indescribably fantastical) Sparks at the Palace Theater. Ninth grade physics class tells us energy’s dark twin is entropy, the cosmos’ mischievous and necessary destroyer. Things fall apart.
“In 2020 after we had done a solid amount of touring and been promoting the record that we had made. The band essentially disbanded. The keyboard player Alex was really busy with Spoon,
doing both at the same time, but sometimes we would be right off one tour and then jump on ours and he’d be sick. The back of the van was awful, and we hadn’t been making any money. Everyone was kind of like, ‘I’m not sure I can commit to this in the same way that I have over the last few years.’” Blitzer would carry on as Superet, now a Matt Blitzer project. The inaugurating impulse of this second phase would be that of liberated freefall.
Deep Dark Blue
Judie and I are in the second row of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, a hot pink delirium of garish lighting and a puppet-augmented song cycle. Blitzer had chosen this venue in a striking moment of clarity while enjoying an earlier performance here with his fiveand-seven-year-old nephews. There were the usual considerations to mull. “Like, where am I going to put my tap-dancing board?” Blitzer offers a rueful grin. “Yeah, classic rock problems.”
Opener Cat Matthews’ utterly lovely set has primed the audience, and when Matt steps out onto the large stage apron there are muted Beatle screams from parts of the audience. Near the end of the set, Superet’s chiming, vibratory meditation “Deep Dark Blue” has Blitzer strolling thoughtfully around and singing, holding the hand of a four-foot woman dangling from strings. The hushed moment brings inexplicable
tears to the eyes. Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s hothouse atmosphere combines this evening with Blitzer’s dazzling songs to produce a near fugue-state of transcendence. Hard to explain.
Blitzer’s writing has captured the roaming attentions of an outfit called the National Broadcasting Corporation, known informally as NBC. “I wrote the theme song for the new NBC comedy series St. Denis Medical, and I’m currently in the middle of scoring season 2, which rolls out in the fall.” He is of course hunkering down to work on the next album. He is aloft and mapping his own landscape. You wouldn’t mistake it for anyone else’s. I ask him how he felt the show went at Bob Baker’s. His perspective is inimitably Superet’s.
“It was a little chaotic,” Blitzer says with an air of analysis. “I didn’t really foresee how distracting it would actually be. You know, you’re mid song and these puppets come marching out of the wings...”
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
Strings Attached: Blitzer sings Deep Dark Blue at BBNT – a weirdly stirring moment (photo by Eric Garcia)
Surface Tension: Hydrogen, Oxygen, Blitzer, and Superet… the world awaits (photo by Alex Blair)
benefit for VNA Health. For over two decades now, SBYC has raised over $2.6 million to support VNA Health and the invaluable healthcare services they provide our community. VNA’s plainly-stated mission (statement) of mercy says it all: “Caring for our community with compassion and integrity.” Jeff Berkus , SBYC Commodore, will be joined by SBYC Charity Regatta Co-Chairs Sarah Berkus Gower and Robyn Parker . The 2025 Charity Regatta Committee includes but is not limited to Francie Lufkin , Lailan McGrath , and the estimable Trish Davis . VNA Health Foundation is solely dependent on support from the community, whereby patients’ dignity, comfort, and quality of life –regardless of adequate insurance or resources – are foremost. Please come down to the Santa Barbara Harbor and revel in sea spray and sun while supporting truly invaluable VNA Health. For more info please contact Lailan McGrath at 805-690-6218 or lailan.mcgrath@vna.health.
Culinary Crawl Returns to Carpinteria
Carpinteria’s beloved Culinary Crawl is back on Thursday, Sept. 18 from 5-9 pm, after a six-year pause. Revived by the Carpinteria Community Association, the event will feature local restaurants along Carpinteria and Linden avenues serving tapas and tastings. Tickets are $45 and include a keepsake apron and a chance at door prizes. The crawl begins near Zookers Restaurant and ends at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center with desserts and prize drawings. Proceeds benefit the Jr. Carpinteria Scholarship Fund, supporting local students. “It’s a great way to bring the community together,” said CCA President Karen Graf.
Curator’s Choice
Behold: an octopus with a shell! Known as an argonaut, this octopus lives in the open ocean rather than on the sea floor. Females build paper-thin shells to protect their eggs. They live in warmer waters to the south. Summertime currents sometimes bring surface-dwelling warm-water species like this up into the transition zone of the Central Coast, says Howard/ Berry Chair of Malacology Henry Chaney PhD. This argonaut was found washed up on a local beach in late August. She didn’t survive long after being beached, but her memory will live on, preserved in the Invertebrate Zoology Collections as an embodied record of her journey to our shore.
at the Sea Center (photo courtesy of Santa
Tails of Hope Fundraiser at Elings Park
Santa Barbara County Animal Services will host Tails of Hope on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 2-5 pm at Elings Park. The county-wide fundraiser supports the rescue and care of thousands of animals each year, from dogs and cats to rabbits, horses, and more. Celebrity hosts John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Bo Derek (10) will emcee the afternoon, featuring wine from La Lieff Winery, beer from Draughtsmen Aleworks, food by Pure Joy Catering and Alessia Patisserie, live music, silent auctions, and plenty of adoptable pets. Proceeds benefit the Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation. Visit www.sbcanimalcare.org/tailsofhope
Montecito Fire Department 911 Remembrance Ceremony
Montecito Fire Chief Neels and his team invite the community to a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on September 11 at both Montecito fire stations. The ceremony will take place from 6:55-7:05 am. It starts with ringing the bells at 6:59 am to coincide with the time the South Tower collapsed, followed by a moment of silence, and lowering of the flag to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001. Coffee and refreshments will be provided.
Station 91: 595 San Ysidro Road
Station 92: 2300 Sycamore Canyon Road
Montecito Fire Family Friday
Chief Neels’s Fire Family Friday on September 5 celebrated Montecito Firefighter Paramedic Braden Macy. Neels, “In 2020, Braden completed the fire academy, and he joined AMR as an EMT in 2021, later earning his paramedic license. In April 2024, he joined our Montecito Fire Family. Congratulations to Braden for completing his probation earlier this summer! We appreciate the energy, dedication, and expertise you bring to Montecito Fire.”
Braden was raised in Santa Ynez, and graduated from Cal Poly in 2012 with a degree in Forestry. He started his fire service career with three seasons on the Los Padres National Forest’s Crew 7 in San Luis Obispo, followed by three years with the Shasta Lake Hotshots. In 2018, he returned to Los Padres NF to staff an engine on the San Marcos Pass. A year later, he left wildland firefighting and nearly took over an electric fencing business.
Braden adds, “I had the opportunity to work with Montecito Fire numerous times while I was with AMR, and I was always impressed by the exceptional care they provided to patients. Now that I’m with the department, I’m just amazed by the support we receive from the community.” Braden lives in Goleta with his wife, Maddy , and their two children, Luna and Sam . In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking in the front country and exploring the local farmers markets with his family.
Chabad Montecito Rosh Hashanah
September 22 through September 24 is the High Holiday of Rosh Hashanah. The Chabad of Montecito invites everyone to experience the holiday with them, no matter one’s religious affiliation. There is a program with instruction, background on the services, and opportunities to connect. Registration is required. Reminder: Montecito Jewish Men’s Social Summer BBQ event on Sept. 14.
Info at www.jewishmontecito.org
LPNF Roadless Area Conservation Rule Public Comment
The Los Padres National Forest is asking for your support to keep the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule in effect. There is a public comment open period now through September 19.
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a museum educator, we are hosting a Volunteer Educator Open House on September 16th at the Museum from 10–11:30 am. Come learn how you can make a community impact inspiring curiosity and the joy of discovery among our younger generations.
According to the Federal Register Website, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is initiating an environmental impact statement (EIS) and rulemaking concerning management of inventoried roadless areas on approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands, including in Alaska. The proposed rule would rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001 Roadless Rule) (66 FR 3244, 36 CFR Subpart B (2001), which prohibits road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas, with limited exceptions.”
Info at https://tinyurl.com/LPNF-Roadless-Comment
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Argonaut
Barbara Museum of Natural History)
ShopMy is a platform for ‘top creators’ to earn affiliate cash from recommending products.
Meghan joined the online shop in March recommending button-down shirts, various neutral pieces, a range of accessories, and number of designer pieces.
The caption of her profile reads: “A handpicked and curated collection of things I love – I hope you enjoy them!”
However, the profile page is now completely blank, stating “this curator has not yet debuted any new collections.”
A Successful Tour
Katy Perry’s current Lifetimes tour has grossed more than $80 million from ticket sales in the U.S., Canada and Australia, selling 1.1 million tickets as of August with the global trek still to come to China, Europe, and Latin America.
Her Las Vegas residency which ended in November 2023 – I flew in for the first night’s show – was highly successful and her Prismatic World Tour in 2014-2015 grossed more than $124 million, making it the second most successful rock tour to date, according to Billboard figures.
Backyard Matrimony
Singer Selena Gomez and music director fiancé Benny Blanco are tying the knot
later this month in our rarefied enclave.
The 33-year-old “Hands to Myself” warbler and the 37-year-old musician are reportedly saying “I do” at a rented private estate instead of a hotel like the Rosewood Miramar or San Ysidro Ranch.
The tony twosome got engaged in December.
Gil’d the Rosas
In a rare and radiant homecoming, Santa Barbara’s own musical treasure Gil Rosas is poised to dazzle audiences once again on Saturday at the Marjorie Luke Theatre at the age of nearly 90.
The venue will host Seven Decades of the Music of Gil Rosas, a retrospective of Rosas’ extraordinary career produced by longtime friend and collaborator Rod Lathim, and promises a melodic tour through the Great American Songbook with tunes by Porter, Gershwin, and Berlin alongside classical favorites and a few delightful surprises.
Special guest performers will join Rosas on stage echoing the elegant nightlife of a bygone era 50 years ago when he was tickling the ivories and charming locals in candlelit lounges throughout Montecito and Ventura.
At just 17 years old, Rosas became the nation’s youngest musical director when he joined the founding staff of KEYT-TV in 1953. He also joined Santa Barbara Symphony and the City College
orchestras as a soloist, and has also played with great aplomb at a number of my birthday celebrations.
Flowers on Board
Michael Flowers, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and pharmaceutical executive with Celltrion USA, has joined the Dream Foundation’s board of directors
Earlier this year Flowers joined the Dreams for Veterans Advisory Council where he raised much needed awareness about veterans’ needs, concerns, and dreams as they face the end of life.
A resident of Ojai, Flowers was in the marines for 24 years before retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He has served on numerous boards including the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Epilepsy Centers of Excellence National Advisory Board, and the American Lung Association of the Southeast.
Sightings
Rob Lowe and Larry David with friends at Dom’s Taverna... Archie, son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, at soccer training camp in L.A… Actor Chris Pratt at Pierre Lafond.
Pip! Pip!
From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than 18 years
Gil Rosas performs seven decades of his music (courtesy photo)
Michael Flowers joins Dream Foundation board (courtesy photo)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Calendar of Events
by Steven Libowitz
ONGOING
Sunset Sessions at The Band Shell – This new four-week series at the newly refurbished space in Pershing Park across from West Beach brings free community performances to the west side of Cabrillo Blvd. with a variety of genres. This week it’s Boxtales Theatre Company’s Wisdom of the Elders on Sept. 11 with poetry and short story readings by Gunpowder Poetry Group slated for Sept. 18. Lawn chairs and blankets encouraged as well as picnicking (but no alcohol). Food will also be available for purchase.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Pershing Park, 100 Castillo St. COST: free INFO: (805) 564-5573
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Book Sales Beckons – Amazon may have long ago put a huge dent in the booksellers’ market, but you’d never know it by the continued growth and popularity of the annual used book sale that takes over Exhibition Hall at Earl Warren Showgrounds for the next 10 days. The 51st annual Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Book Sale boasts more than 200,000 “pre-loved books, carefully curated and displayed in over 50 categories, including many esoteric ones, plus thousands of DVDs, CDs, records, puzzles and games. Admission and parking are free save for opening night, most items are priced at $1-$4, and new items are added all during the sale’s duration so repeat visits are rewarding. On the last Sunday, everything is half price, and free to teachers and nonprofits after 4 pm. Proceeds support Planned Parenthood’s critical
ONGOING
Ventura LIVE – There’s lots to see among this week’s offerings in Rubicon Theatre’s month of non-stop entertainment, which features more than 30 shows in 30 days. Highlights include Country is Dead, featuring local stars Phil Salazar (Bob Weir’s longtime fiddler with RatDog), Ed McCabe (banjo/ pedal steel), Mark Masson (guitar), and members of Shaky Feelin’ playing country-flecked Grateful Dead favorites (Sept. 12). Double Standards: An Intimate Evening with Davis Gaines, featuring the Broadway star (More than 2,000 performances of the title role in The Phantom of the Opera) returning to RTC to create pairings from the Great American Songbook and the Great White Way (Sept. 13). Santa Barbara playwright Barbara Gural’s latest comedy with heart, Franny, the story of a humanoid robot created by an AI software engineer to be a companion for elderly people – like his Jewish mother – gets a Plays-in-Progress staged reading directed by former Ensemble Theatre chief Jonathan Fox, who previously teamed with Gural for Shpilkes at the Music Academy in spring 2024. A talkback on stage and reception follow the show (Sept. 15). Thank You, Tom Lehrer is the timely tribute to the late sardonic songwriter known for his musical satires about politics and more, who passed away in July at 97. Bobby Underwood delivers Lehrer’s sharp and clever lyrics while pianist Zalmen Mlotek provides musical accompaniment (Sept. 16). Jay Johnson’s Tony-winning The Two and Only! features the comic storytelling ventriloquist Jay Johnson, who starred on TV’s Soap, in his hilarious and moving tribute to an underappreciated artform (Sept. 17).
WHEN: All shows at 7 pm (series end September 20)
WHERE: Rubincon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura COST: $23-$59.50
INFO: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Sounds of ‘Silence’ – The penultimate screening in the Marjorie Luke Theatre’s 2025 Green Film Series examining our environment from a community solutions-based approach. The Cost of Silence comes to us from local filmmaker Mark Manning – whose previous films include The Road to Fallujah (2008) and The Consequence of Oil (2012). Secretly filmed over a decade, the 2020 doc premiered at Sundance and features an oil industry insider exposing the devastating consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill – the public health disaster and the coordination between government and industry to silence the victims. A community tabling event takes place in the lobby before the showing. Following the screening, Manning will introduce EngageStream; an innovative, interactive platform designed to empower viewers with pathways to organize, advocate and participate in real solutions inspired by the film’s stories. An audience Q&A follows.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: Marjorie Luke Theatre, Santa Barbara Junior High, 721 East Cota St. COST: $10 ($70 VIP tickets include post-event meet & greet reception)
INFO: (805) 884-4087 or https://luketheatre.org/events
mission of providing our community with vital education and family health care services, including cancer screenings, wellness, and reproductive care –needed now more than ever as Washington recently slashed the organization’s funding nationwide.
WHEN: Today-September 21
WHERE: Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real
COST: Free
INFO: (805) 687-0766 /https://earlwarren.com or https://booksale. ppcentralcoast.org
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
EDC tgif! – Have fun while firming up our future for clean air and waterways with the Environmental Defense Center’s popular tgif! gathering. As always, the event combines live music (Art of Funk), drinks (Captain Fatty’s Brewery, Side Street Wines, The Ojai Vineyard), food (Pancho’s Tacos foodtruck), raffle prizes/swag (Patagonia, EDC, McConnell’s Ice Cream) and lots of good company of likeminded people. The event also has a short program that features brief speeches from four of EDC’s nonprofit partners – this month California Trout, CEC, U.S. Green Building Council and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper – all taking place in EDC’s charming, tree-lined downtown courtyard.
WHEN: 5:30-7:30 pm
WHERE: Environmental Defense Center, 906 Garden St.
COST: $20 (includes two free drinks); kids under 10 free (sliding scale tickets available)
INFO: (805) 963-1622 or www.environmentaldefensecenter.org/tgif
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Sea Glass and Ocean Arts Festival – A decade since its founding in Carpinteria, the Santa Barbara Sea Glass & Ocean Arts Festival brings together sea glass artists, collectors, and enthusiasts of the ocean-shaped creations to its current home in Goleta. The only one of its kind in Southern California, the local fest features handmade, ocean-themed art and authentic sea glass jewelry created by dozens of talented artists from across the country, open to shoppers, collectors or simply those who admire what nature and artists can create together. Speakers, workshops and other presentations round out the weekend’s activities.
Chaucer’s Choices – Octogenarian Santa Barbaran Hendrika de Vries is a retired family therapist, a teacher, and a writer. Her life experiences – with oppression and resistance in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, migration, competitive swimming, misogyny in 1950s Australia, and feminism in the U.S. – infuse her writing with historical depth and personal perspective on challenges facing women and anyone deemed other. De Vries’ 2019 memoir, When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew, told the story of her harrowing childhood in WWII Amsterdam. Her new book maybe described as a sequel. Open Turns: From Dutch Girl to New Australian covers her years as a teenage immigrant swimmer in 1950s Australia whose search to belong lead her to the swimming pool and championship victories, where she surmounted her fears and dashed hopes to find her path ahead…. Fellow local author David Obst is a former journalist, publisher, screenwriter and film producer who once worked as a literary agent for Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
Saving Ourselves from Big Car dives into how the interwoven automobile, oil, insurance, media, and concrete industries comprise a monolith bent on promoting and entrenching car dependence, pursuing profit at the expense of the common good. Chaucer’s Books holds signing events.
WHEN: 3 pm Sunday, 6 pm Thursday
WHERE: 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center
COST: free
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Jazz, Django Style – A dozen years deep, Santa Barbara-based The Idiomatiques are still plugging away as a modern gypsy jazz quartet that explores music in the spirit of the famous Hot Club of France with rare emphasis on original compositions. Indeed, the band has the distinction of battling it out with the smooth jazz bands by breaking into the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Top 30 with their tune “C’est La Vie” charting for nearly three months back in 2015. The Idiomatiques’ current fiddle-less lineup consists of founder Craig Sharmat and Ray Bergstrom on guitar, Kim Collins on bass, and Frank Petrilli on accordion, whose gig today comes under the auspices of the Santa Barbara Jazz Society.
WHEN: 1-4 pm
WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court
COST: $10-$15
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Fun with Fred – Multi-hyphenate comedy veteran Fred Armisen’s credits include 11 seasons as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, co-writing and co-starring on the Emmy-nominated series Portlandia, voice roles in Super Mario Bros, Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. He currently appears as Uncle Fester in Netflix series Wednesday and on HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive produced. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now and has appeared in Amazon’s series Forever and in the cast of the current Broadway play All In, not to mention serving as the leader of the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers from 2014-2024. Many of those talents come together in his live show called Comedy for Musicians (But Everyone is Welcome), the latest version of his ever-changing touring show that hits the Lobero tonight.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $40 & $60 ($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
Saturday, 7:30 PM
TICKETS: www.granadasb.org with family & friends September 27th
Rockestration
BENEFITING:
SPONSORS:
Featuring: Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Rob Bonfiglio, The Honeys, Don Randi, Lola Bonfiglio, Leo Knutson, Nelson Bragg, Randell Kirsch, Carly Smithson, Alisan Porter, Hunter Hawkins, Rosemary Butler, Ken Stacey +special appearance by Wilson Phillips
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (805) 565-1860
Your Trusted Choice For Estate Sales, Liquidation & Downsizing
Moving Miss Daisy’s providing comprehensive services through Moving Miss Daisy since 2015. Expert packing, unpacking, relocating to ensure your new home is beautifully set up and ready to enjoy. Miss Daisy’s is the largest consignment store in the Tri-Counties - nearly 20K sq.ft.- always offering an unmatched selection of items. We also host online Auctions.
Recognized as the area’s Premier Estate Liquidators - Experts in the Santa Barbara Market! We are Skilled Professionals with Years of Experience in Downsizing and Estate Sales. Personalized service. Insured. Call for a complimentary consultation. Elaine (805)708-6113
Our 3rd Pop-up Sale is happening September 12, 13, 14 from 10am - 4pm (or by appointment)
3823 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria Come shop NEW merchandise: Furniture, Decor Lighting, Rugs, Great Art and the Clothes Closet. Previous items offered at sale prices. Don’t miss this sale - so, so much!
TRESOR
We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation. 1470 East Valley Rd Suite V. 805-969-0888
PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY
Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency
John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com
GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? WE CAN HELP
At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session! Call Now (805) 453-6086
CURATED TRANSITIONS
Santa Barbara’s Premier Downsizing, Relocation & Estate Transition expert. Experienced. Discreet. Professional. Curated.
Guiding your transitions with care & patience.
CuratedTransitions.com 805.669.6303
ELECTRICIAN
Montecito Electric Repairs and Inspections
Licensed C10485353 805-969-1575
TILE SETTING
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs.
Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
PERSONAL SERVICES
Tell Your Story
How did you get to be where you are today? What were your challenges? What is your Love Story? I can help you tell your story in an unforgettable way – with a book that will live on for many generations. The books I write are as thorough and entertaining as acclaimed biographies you’ve read. I also assist with books you write – planning, editing and publishing.
David Wilk Great references. (805) 455-5980 www.BiographyDavidWilk.com
LANDSCAPE
Casa L. M.
Landscape hedges installed. Ficus to flowering. Disease resistant. Great privacy.
Do you need to get away for a weekend, week or more? I will house sit and take care of your pets, plants & mail. I have refs if needed.
Call me or text me.
Christine (805) 452-2385
$10 MINIMUM TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD
It’s simple. Charge is $3 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $10 per issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email Classified Ad to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860. All ads must be finalized by Friday at 2pm the week prior to printing. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex (3% surcharge)
CARPET CLEANING
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304
Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
PIANO LESSONS
Openings now available for Children and Adults.
Piano Lessons in our Studio or your Home. Call or Text Kary Kramer (805) 453-3481
CONSTRUCTION
General Building Design & Construction Contractor William J. Dalziel Lic. B311003 – 1 (805) 698-4318 billjdalziel@gmail.com
MIRAMAR BEACH CONDO FOR LONG-TERM LEASE
Two bedroom / two bath, furnished beach condo available September 1. Gated entry, two dedicated parking spaces. $ 10,500 / month. No pets. Call owner at (817) 307-8989
CHARMING RENTAL IN HEART OF MONTECITO
Newly Built 2bd/2ba Home in MUS school district. Vaulted Ceilings, Yard, Patio, utilities included $6,900/mo. Great weekend getaway too Call/text 805-453-2240 LULU BELLE CA BY CHEF LISA ROBINSON
Private Chef Lisa Robinson Seasonal custom menus Private dining, post-surgery recovery meals, & new parent support. 310-614-1230 www.lulubelleca.com
& PEACE FOR RENT
1 bed / 1 bath on West Camino Cielo on 5 acres
10 min from State St. - NS, NP $2000/month Call (805) 964-1891 LOANS SOUGHT
Bridge Loan of $15,000 sought for business purposes.
75 – day term. Interest / Points / Fees to Lender of $5,000. Call (805) 682-9815
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
K-9 PALS need volunteers to be foster parents for our dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes. For more information info@k-9pals.org or 805-570-0415
