An Icy Presence – Last week’s ICE raid of Glass House Farms shocked the community with cities beginning to organize, P.6
Get Informed – Miss the Wildfire Preparedness Meeting? Here are the must-know highlights and where to watch the whole thing, P.10
Romance in the ascendant and a sea of exaltation… Renowned psychological astrologer and bestselling nonfiction author Dr. Jennifer Freed discusses her long-awaited first novel prior to the upcoming Godmothers event on July 20th (Story starts on page 5)
They say good art is timeless, each generation finding its own connection. So…how does Mozart’s Don Giovanni connect to early Hollywood? page 16
Local vintners and small bites… a guitarist and performers from the Music Academy… CVA’s Art Walk goes Beyond the Canvas, page 37
Giving List – New A&L Executive Director Meghan Bush talks about the role, where she’s going, and what excites her for the upcoming season
22 Sporting Life – Bereaved UCSB star pitcher is snapped up as # 2 pick by the L.A. Angels, and a stirring paean to the Santa Barbara Foresters
Brilliant Thoughts – From foreign aid to second chances, here are the many ways that we have shown mercy to one another
Elizabeth’s Appraisals – One reader’s dining table set tells of the movement towards modernism in “Furniture City”
In Passing – Remembering the life and impact of Edward George Maschke
On Entertainment – Tales from the Tavern, along with Ventura Music Hall happenings, Lucinda Lane, and Play It Forward
Petite Wine Traveler – Take a tour of Napa’s neighbor, Sonoma County, and get a taste of these cool climate varietals
Community Voices – Jeff Giordano writes in on Glass House following last week’s ICE raids News Bytes – Veronica Beard coming to CVR, events at Montecito Country Mart, and other local happenings
CVA Art Walk – Get ready for a day of art, music, and more along CVR
of Events – The outdoor summer series events continue, a Deep Dive into words, plus Viva La Boheme! and more
– Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads
by Stacy Pulice
Astrologer Jennifer Freed was the clinical director at my psychology graduate program when we first met 34 years ago, but soon we became the best of friends, sharing our lives, loves, and soul healing along the way. Recently we sat down for lunch at the Coral Casino to talk about her new Montecito-based astrological romance novel, Beyond Aquarius, and how it may contribute to a more optimistic view of life and love.
Stacy Pulice [SP]. Hi Jennifer! This book is such a fun, juicy, and intense ride with so many twists and turns, but I also learned a lot. I can’t wait to talk about it.
Jennifer Freed [JF]. Well, I’m thrilled we’re doing this together. I’m so happy that you are a reader of this book
by Zach Rosen
Over the past few weeks, a palpable tension has gripped communities in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as unmarked vehicles, masked agents, and unannounced detentions have marked a dramatic rise in immigration enforcement. At the center of this escalation stands last week’s explosive ICE raid on Glass House Farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo — a moment that has galvanized local leaders, rattled immigrant families, and set off a groundswell of community action.
At approximately 10 am on July 10, dozens of military-style vehicles rolled into Glass House Farms. Farmworkers were handcuffed and detained on the spot. Community members, public offi-
cials, and legal observers quickly mobilized in protest, forming a human barrier along Casitas Pass Road in Carpinteria.
Videos from the scene depict a chaotic confrontation: smoke grenades launched into the crowd, protestors pushed to the ground, and multiple people — including a child — reportedly injured. The unrest escalated further when U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal attempted to conduct a lawful inspection of the scene, only to be turned away by federal agents.
“As a member of Congress and representative of the Central Coast, I have the right to conduct oversight,” Carbajal said. “I was denied entry and not allowed to pass. This was completely unacceptable.”
He added that the actions taken were “a gross misuse of limited resources and a betrayal of the values that define us as Americans.”
The raids weren’t isolated. In the days leading up to July 10, ICE and Homeland Security agents conducted unannounced detentions in Santa
Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria, Ventura, Oxnard, and Fillmore. Individuals were often apprehended in public spaces or while en route to work, frequently without being presented with arrest warrants.
For many, the human cost has been devastating. Juan Martinez, a 15-yearold from Carpinteria, watched his life unravel in real time. His mother, an undocumented farmworker with no criminal record, was taken into custody during the Glass House raid. She was later deported to Tijuana.
“I just want to know where she is and if she’s okay,” Martinez said shortly before learning of her removal. With his mother gone, he is now the de facto guardian of his two younger brothers, ages 8 and 9.
In another case, a pregnant woman detained at the same facility was taken to the hospital after reporting exposure to a chemical substance during her arrest. Though she was later released, she now lives in fear of being targeted again.
A 57-year-old died when he climbed atop a greenhouse during the Glass House raid and accidentally fell 30 feet, suffering catastrophic injury. He was hospitalized in critical care and later succumbed to his injuries.
These stories underscore what legal advocates argue is a new era of aggressive immi-
gration enforcement – one that disregards humanitarian considerations, due process, and the safety of vulnerable families.
In the days following the raids, condemnation echoed from city halls to the district attorney’s office.
“I want to acknowledge the fear and uncertainty caused to many of our residents,” said Santa Barbara City Administrator Kelly McAdoo. “Our local government does not participate in immigration enforcement. We are committed to providing services to all residents, regardless of immigration status.”
District Attorney John Savrnoch was equally pointed in his criticism.
“These raids were not a response to a direct threat to public safety,” he said. “They can rightfully be viewed as an attempt to fulfill some xenophobic quota, at the expense of disrupting the lives of hard-working immigrants.”
Savrnoch emphasized the chilling effect these actions could have on crime reporting and victim support: “Supporting victims is one of the primary functions of the DA’s Office. I do not want anyone to fail to report victimization due to fear of immigration enforcement.”
by Richard Mineards
It was an evening of high note when the Music Academy of the West hosted its annual gala for a record 410 guests on the Upper Lawn of the Montecito Club, raising $750,000 to support life-changing programming and the 78th summer festival with 150 fellows, out of 2,000 applicants from 19 countries worldwide.
“It helps inspire the next generation of musicians and music lovers,” says Shauna Quill, president and CEO. “Every moment tonight fuels this vision.”
The bounteous bash, co-chaired by Mally Chakola and Casey Kallenbach, was the first time the gala was held at a location other than the Miraflores campus, allowing increased numbers to attend.
Guests were shuttled to Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner’s club from the music academy for cocktails and canapés before the Academy Gala Orchestra under conductor Daniela Candillari and Grammy-winning mandolinist, singer and songwriter Chris Thile per-
formed Bach’s “Allegro” from “Concerto of Two Violins” with Angeles Hoyos, a Music Academy violin fellow from Tivoli, Columbia.
The academy’s Sing! Children’s Chorus joined in the fun in the Punch Brothers’ “My Oh My” before dinner and dessert and coffee in the clubhouse.
Among the throng of music lovers were Anne Towbes, Robert Adams,
Miscellany Page 434
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by Christina Atchison
The Montecito Fire Department held a Wildfire Preparedness Community Meeting at Montecito Union School on June 26, less than a week before California’s largest fire of 2025 broke out in Santa Barbara County. Montecito Fire sent an engine and several specially trained personnel to assist with managing the Madre Fire near Cuyama. Evacuations spanned rural areas of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern counties.
Anyone who has been asked to leave in the face of an approaching wildfire understands the internal turmoil that comes with these high-stress situations. Many Montecito residents have experienced more evacuations than they can count.
The Palisades and Eaton fires in January underscored the importance of preparedness and early evacuation. Multiple attendees of our June 26 community meeting were impacted by those fires and are now living in Montecito.
We welcome these new neighbors and are listening closely to their first-hand experiences so we can all learn, adapt, and prepare for our next incident.
Montecito Wildland Fire Specialist Nic Elmquist monitors moisture levels of our local vegetation and Montecito’s unique microclimates. This data dictates our overall fire risk and informs firefighting tactics during a wildfire.
Santa Barbara County averages about 16 inches of rain annually, but Elmquist reports we are currently at just 50 percent of normal, leaving vegetation critically dry.
“For Montecito, fire season peaks beginning in August and persists into November when we may see our first rain events,” Elmquist said during the June 26 meeting.
One way you can monitor fire risk is by checking the four Fire Danger Rating signs in Montecito. Those are updated as conditions change.
During Red Flag conditions, Montecito Fire Department also posts special signage to increase awareness, upstaffs additional personnel, and increases fire apparatus in the community.
In response to the crisis, the Central Coast has seen an extraordinary mobilization of resources, compassion, and civic engagement. Community-based organizations like the 805 Immigrant Coalition and 805UndocuFund have launched legal defense funds, hotlines, and direct aid programs. Donations and volunteer support continue to pour in.
Public spaces, too, have transformed into forums for healing and resistance. On the night of the raids, the Carpinteria City Council held an emergency meeting that drew hundreds. Attendees shared stories, expressed outrage, and demanded accountability from ICE and Homeland Security.
This past Tuesday, July 15, Santa Barbara will host a similar meeting at City Hall. Advocates, residents, and elected officials are expected to convene once again, this time to address the broader implications of federal immigration policy and chart a path forward for local response.
Despite the trauma and confusion, a thread of resilience runs through every statement, every gathering, every donation.
“The First Amendment allows people to peacefully assemble and let their views be known,” DA Savrnoch reminded the public. “By supporting those who are currently living in fear… we will be able to muster the hope and resolve to get through these turbulent times together.”
Congressman Carbajal, too, vowed to continue fighting for accountability and transparency, stating plainly, “I won’t stop asking questions on behalf of my constituents.”
And in homes across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, families are holding on – to each other, to their rights,
and to the belief that they are not alone. As the community gathers again this week in Santa Barbara, the MJ will continue to follow this story and provide updates in next week’s issue. Until then, the message from city leaders and neighbors alike is clear: this region stands united in the face of fear.
Follow @805ImmigrantCoalition and @805undocufund for up-to-date information, meetings, and how you can help. Donation links can be found at https://linktr.ee/805immigrant and https://tinyurl.com/805UndocuFundSupport
Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net
President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net
Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net
MoJo Contributing Editor | Christopher Matteo Connor
Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe
Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña
Administrative Assistant | Kassidy Craner
VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net
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
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by MJ Staff
The saying, “It’s complicated” (or should we say “it’s complex”) suits the ongoing debate. What debate?
The debate around Craig and Stephanie Smith of Mission LLC, and their determination to construct an eight story, two building, 270-unit housing complex at –wait for it – 505 East Los Olivos Street, Santa Barbara. If you are a Santa Barbara local, you may be more familiar with this address as the private residential property sandwiched between the historic Santa Barbara Mission and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Zillow has estimated the 4.93 acre lot and single family building at $8,695,900.
While the City of Santa Barbara is suing Mission LLC for back property taxes, the group is countersuing the City, saying they lease the property to a religious group and are exempt. Although prior years may show religious organizations at that site, it was sold in 2021 to the Smiths and has been vacant since. As matter of due diligence, news research shows Stephanie (aka Stephanie Darcy), has been dodging lawsuits from Beverly Hills to San Bernadino, regarding both a 2017 unpermitted large-scale cannabis grow in Pacific Palisades, and performing liposuction without a medical license in 2008. (https://www.cbsnews.com/ losangeles/news/mom-pot-grow-operation-saysall-legal/)
Mission LLC is seeking to leverage the current “Builder’s Remedy” climate to move forward with their proposed new housing units behind the Santa Barbara Mission. The raft of relevant laws that pertain to the proposed project are: AB 1893: Builder’s Remedy (designed to make it easier for developers to build affordable housing projects); SB 79 (allows more homes to be built near major public transportation stops and on land owned by transit agencies); CEQA: the California Environmental Quality Act; and AB 130 and SB 131 which mitigate CEQA effective June 30, 2025 (i.e. streamlining the desperate Palisades fire rebuild..)
AB 1893 is set up by the State of California as “…an intended consequence of local governments’ failure to adopt legally sufficient housing plans. Starting January 1, 2025, new Builder’s Remedy projects must comply with site restrictions, density limits, certain objective local standards, and other mandated requirements. Existing Builder’s Remedy projects that meet certain requirements may be protected automatically, and or may convert to AB 1893 by redesigning the project without losing the project’s entitlement to the Builder’s Remedy. AB 1893 allows applicants to add any density bonus afforded by “State Density Bonus Law,” which can increase density by up to 100 percent for qualifying projects.” (ref: https://www.hklaw.com)
Note that the City of Santa Barbara received State approval of its housing plan:
“On February 13, 2024, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) informed the City of Santa Barbara that the City’s adopted Housing Element is in substantial compliance with state law. The City submitted the 2023-2031 Housing Element for state approval on December 21, 2023, following its adoption by City Council on December 12, 2023. The Housing Element is a state-mandated part of the City’s General Plan and identifies how the city will accommodate its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 8,001 units at different levels of affordability and affirmatively further fair housing across the community. The City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element analysis shows that the City has the capacity to accommodate its share of the RHNA without the need to rezone parcels for higher density. With this finding from HCD, the City will no longer be accepting project applications under the Builder’s Remedy provisions in the Housing Accountability Act.”
(ref: https://santabarbaraca.gov/pressreleases/state-certifies-citys-adopted-20232031-housing-element)
Local News Page 364
by Christopher Matteo Connor
The first time I got a Tarot reading, it was a quick disaster. My amateur fortune teller friend pulled a card from the deck, and immediately mumbled: “Better not show him this one.” Surely it was illustrating imminent death and endless suffering. Which was all I needed to know that Tarot was not my cup of tea leaf reading.
However, the night I met Lauren Schneider, MA, MFT, was not like any other night.
I met Lauren in line outside SBIFF’s Downtown Film Center. She was with her husband, Sascha Schneider, and through our conversation I learned she was a psychotherapist with a background in film semiotics, and had a therapy practice that specialized in using Tarot cards. Tarotpy, she cleverly coined it (think “therapy” without the h”...). On another evening at any other time in my
life, I would have engaged in polite conversation and gone on my way, chalking up anything to do with Tarot to be too woo-woo for my taste.
But a confluence of events led me to be uniquely primed for this meeting. Suffice to say, I was in “looking for answers mode” contemplating existential questions about life and death, digesting doctor visits, dabbling with meditation, and mourning the late David Lynch. You know, your typical Thursday night things.
I learned that Lauren’s husband, Sascha, was a producer for the groundbreaking cop series Hill Street Blues, a show that coincidentally Mark Frost worked on prior to creating Twin Peaks with David Lynch. Synchronicity in action! My curiosity was piqued. Or was I just another dupe of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, easy prey for the frequency illusion? Did it matter? I was intrigued and amused by these coincidences. I let Lauren in on what I was thinking, and she too found it compelling. So, just like that, we scheduled a Tarotpy session.
“We may become aware of synchronicities that respond to our quest for direction. A stranger may hand us a clue or a map to the new path we seek.”
Lauren’s background is infinitely interesting. She studied film semiotics in France in the ‘70s, surrounded by incredibly influential film and cultural theorists. After working in film, she
pivoted and got an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy and started dabbling in the mystical.
“I started in ‘83, and I felt it was important because it inspired me, but also because I knew soul was missing from psychotherapy. Something is in the process of dying or changing in our culture right now and there’s a huge transformation.”
Lauren is also the author of Tarotpy: It’s All in the Cards, a book where she explains the practice of using Tarot to
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by Steven Libowitz
Opera director Mo Zhou made her Music Academy of the West debut two summers ago with a reimagining of La bohème – from 1830s Paris to Brooklyn in 2011. This weekend, Zhou and the talented MAW vocal and instrumental fellows take on Mozart’s Don Giovanni, with the director moving the time and place from Spain in the 17th century to 1930s Hollywood, where the titular character, loosely based on the legend of the fictional libertine Don Juan, is now inspired by Harry Cohn; the infamous head of Columbia Pictures who created the Hollywood studio system and the casting couch culture.
“It’s a perfect setting for the story, because while Hollywood’s most famous sexual predator is Harvey Weinstein, such a prominent scandal means that there’s been generations of collective enabling behind it,” Zhou said. “If you trace all the way back, the toxicity and unspoken rules of the movie culture were established with Harry Cohn.”
The parallels work because the story of Don Giovanni is not just about one man but the system that allows the power to go unchecked, a cadre of people who choose silence over accountability, the director said. Using real historical figures to reframe the opera as a reflection on power, complicity and resistance in 1930s Hollywood provides an anchor for the Lehrer Vocal Institute fellows.
To that end, Giovanni’s right-hand man Leporello is inspired by Sidney Buchman, an early screenwriter and producer who at first worked within the system but later challenged it – at a cost.
The Commendatore, who represents reckoning and justice in Don Giovanni, harkens to William C. deMille, the silent movie director whose values opposed the Hollywood machine, while his protégée Dorothy Arzner, among the first generation of female filmmakers, informs the opera’s Donna Anna. Similarly, Donna Elvira is Joan Crawford, Giovanni’s victim Zerlina represents Rita Hayworth, and Zerlina’s fiancé Masetto can be considered a young Orson Welles.
Surprisingly, Zhou’s imagining Giovanni characters as real 1930s
Hollywood players isn’t so far-fetched for the Chinese born director.
“My mom is a big fan of Golden Age Hollywood movies, and I grew up watching all of those 1930s and early ‘40s movies,” she said. “That’s partly how I learned English.”
Scenes in MAW’s Giovanni take place on a studio lot that could actually have been in Santa Barbara, where many of the early movies were filmed. There are very clearly on and off camera moments, and a lot of meta moments in the opera, Zhou said.
“You see the dark, gloomy and dangerous haunting dark alleys of the film studio, but also the glitzy side,” she
said. “Young starlets’ obsession with the camera and fame and what’s even bigger and deeper behind it enabled how Harry Cohn or Harvey Weinstein had so much power, and why everyone succumbed to them. It’s very relevant in the early career of a young woman to associate the approval and validation of men in power with one’s own worthiness. It’s what still happens in a lot of industries.”
The solution, as it is in the original opera, is to have a similar collective rise up to bring down the libertine or other abusers of power, Zhou said.
Week at MAW Page 324
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by Steven Libowitz
After a nationwide search, UCSB ended up turning to its own backyard to find the new Miller McCune Executive Director of UCSB Arts & Lectures, tapping Meghan Bush, its Associate Director, to step into the role held for 25 years by Celesta Billeci, under whose stewardship A&L became one of the country’s most prominent programs.
Bush, who called Billeci her mentor, has been at UCSB A&L for two decades herself, first joining the organization in 2004 as a production assistant, and moving through roles including Senior Writer/Publicist and Director of Marketing & Communications before assuming the Associate Director position. In that role, Bush co-curated more than 100 public events each year and fomented critical relationships with donors, artists, and community partners.
So don’t expect a sea change in what you see either on campus at Campbell Hall or in all the downtown venues that feature Arts & Lectures programs.
“We have an incredibly strong foundation, and my interest is in maintaining the level and the quality of what we’re presenting,” Bush said. “I completely swell with pride with what we’ve accomplished, so I’m not seeking to drastically change what is a really well-established, well-oiled machine and a very strong brand, one that I was fundamental in helping to build.”
The goal, Bush said, is largely to heighten and build upon A&L’s current lofty position, one that (as the saying goes) consistently punches above its weight, with programming in a small city that consistently rivals what one might expect in a major metropolis like New York, Chicago, or London.
“I’m coming in here to make sure that I can ensure that this program stays intact and stays strong in perpetuity,” Bush said. “I want to continue to seek out the most interesting and influential thought leaders and performing artists in the world and bring them to Santa Barbara, and in turn bring Santa Barbara to the world. It’s about keeping the momentum and maintaining quality.”
But Bush, of course, has something of a different focus than her predecessor, who made no bones about her predilection and love for dance over the years.
“Our dance programming has become acclaimed and internationally renowned, which we want to maintain,” she said. “But I am very much a theater person. I’d love to find ways to build in high-quality theatrical performances
that are economically feasible. But I’m not here to program for myself. It’s about what the Santa Barbara community wants and will be enriched by.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, Bush’s background isn’t dissimilar to Billeci’s. Both started out interested in performing – Billeci as a dancer, Bush in theater – before discovering arts administration as a way to be deeply involved without the struggles and vicissitudes of appearing on stage themselves.
“It took me a while to figure out what my role was,” said Bush, who grew up in northwest New Jersey before moving to Los Angeles fresh out of high school. A couple of years of dabbling in acting – “meaning mostly I was a bartender” –she eventually enrolled at UC Berkeley and graduated with a background in English and Performance Studies. Soon after, Bush moved with her husband – a kelp and abalone farmer – and landed at A&L.
“I always thought I’d be in a big city, but I figured I’d give it a shot and see how I liked it,” she recalled. “Then we just ended up staying because, uh, Santa Barbara. We live in a vacation destination.”
On the other hand, even though Bush is likely to stay at her new position for many years, don’t expect her to be Celesta Billeci: The Sequel. It’s not just a matter of taste, but also a difference in approach to programming decision-making, Bush said.
“Celeste is an incredibly bold personality, and that’s just not who I am. I’m very strong but I’m more quiet. Where
Giving List Page 404
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by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
Workers have begun constructing a new $7 million building on Westmont’s campus north of the Global Leadership Center to house the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture. Crews expect to complete the 3,700-square-foot complex and 1,500-square-foot deck in about 15 months, replacing the existing structure at 909 La Paz Road. Private donors are funding construction of the new center.
“The project will take full advantage of the mild Santa Barbara climate with a large, covered deck suitable for outdoor meetings, receptions and other gatherings,” says Doug Jones, vice president for finance. “An extensive number of windows, glass doors and glass walls will pull natural light into the entire building.”
The Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture and Dallas Willard Research Center seeks to help establish Christian spiritual formation as a field of publicly available knowledge, and to support emerging generations of leading thinkers in the area of Christian spiritual formation.
“The new building will help Christians and organizations understand, share, and follow practical, trustworthy ways to become more like Christ and serve the world,” says Steve Porter, Martin Institute senior research fellow and executive director. “It will provide an enduring reminder and resource for Westmont’s commitment to the Christian formation of its students, staff, faculty, and broader Christian community.”
For the past decade, the Martin Institute has conducted spiritual formation work with students, faculty and staff at various locations across campus. “This outstanding new facility will bring the team together into a building worthy of their good work,” Jones says.
Porter says he’s excited that the new space will support all Westmont professors pursuing scholarship and research connected to understanding and applying Christian spiritual formation. The facility will host small groups (Capex Dei), prayer retreats, visiting lecturers, the annual Christian Formation Workshop, the training of resident chaplains and the annual Dallas Willard Book Award lecture, to name a few.
“If any gathering would help people become more faithful followers of Jesus, we want to host it in the new building,” Porter says. “It will highlight the importance of engaging Christ’s presence and power in all that we do at Westmont.”
The fifth annual Impact Conference, Cultivating Community in the Age of AI, brings together senior technology leaders in higher education to explore ways to apply AI to strengthen – rather than replace – human connections on July 24-25 in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. Purchase tickets, which cost $129 per person for two full days with breakfast and lunch included, at westmont.edu/impact.
Westmont Page 414
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THURSDAY
by Steven Libowitz
UCSB pitcher Tyler Bremner impressed scouts, prospect prognosticators, and fans who came out to the ballgames to watch the fireballing right-hander. Bremner turned in a stunning sophomore season in 2024, resulting in his being rated pre-season this spring in the Top 10 for the 2025 draft. But his stock had slipped in the early weeks of the season due to sporadic ineffectiveness, the pitcher’s uneven performance giving rise to a consensus that he would likely be a late first-rounder. Happily, a strong finish brought him back up in the rankings, and he was ultimately rated the 16th best player available in the draft by (NYT sports journalism platform) The Athletic’s Keith Law
Instead, Bremner proved to be the shock of the 2025 baseball draft last weekend when the Angels selected him as the No. 2 pick. He becomes the highest-ever draft pick in UCSB baseball’s history, two spots higher than fellow right-handed hurler Dillon Tate, who went at No. 4 a decade ago, while other alumni such as recent Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber weren’t drafted until later rounds. There were at least three other college pitchers predicted to be taken before Bremner, including Kade Anderson, who propelled LSU to the national championship in June.
Bremner himself expresses surprise to be chosen so early, having heard from his advisors only an hour earlier that the Angels might choose him.
“I’m definitely just overwhelmed with shock and emotion,” the pitcher told a sports reporter. “I’m just full of excitement, and ready to get to the next step.”
But maybe the Angels are onto something, as it turns out there was a sound reason why Bremner struggled earlier in
the season: His mother’s five-year battle with breast cancer was turning into a lost cause. She died in June and her funeral was held just a week ago.
As the end neared, however, Bremner rediscovered his focus on the field, turning in his best two efforts in the final two games, employing both his 97-mph fastball and deeply deceptive change-up to give up just one earned run in more than 13 innings (0.69 ERA) and striking out 23 (1.78 K/9 innings).
“I feel like I did a good job of using that negative energy and channeling it into pitching,” Bremner said. “Pitching angry, pitching for her, pitching for something bigger than myself.”
All of which makes the Southern California native’s selection by the Angels almost unbelievably meaningful.
Indeed, the pitcher closed his Instagram post about his mother the day after her death by saying “Rest easy my angel.”
“I know she’s watching over me and she’s so proud of me,” Bremner said. “It’s weird how life works. It’s a special moment.”
All bets are that Bremner will sign quickly for seriously life-changing money – albeit likely less than the $10,252,700 the slot’s official “value” – salving somewhat, under his proud departed mother’s watchful eye, the pain of his loss.
It’s even possible we’ll see him at the Big A just down the freeway in Anaheim before the end of the MLB season, as the Angels are renowned for rushing their top picks to the majors. The halo on the players’ caps might never have more significance.
Meanwhile, UCSB baseball coach Andrew Checketts will have his work cut out for him replenishing his rotation and bullpen as two other Gaucho pitchers were drafted on Day 2 Monday.
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Combining a writer’s insight with a scholar’s mastery of the material, series host Pico Iyer returns with another inspiring roster of conversational partners. A perennial A&L audience favorite!
Creator and Host of This American Life Ira Glass
Sat, Oct 4 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Irish Literature for the 21st Century Colm Tóibín
Wed, Nov 19 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Writer, Naturalist and Activist Terry Tempest Williams
Wed, May 13 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Single tickets on sale August 19 at 10 AM
by Ashleigh Brilliant
In a famous passage from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, the character Portia, disguised as a lawyer, is defending Antonio from being required to pay Shylock, to whom he is indebted. By the laws of the time and place, the debt is legitimate – and only by being shown mercy can Antonio escape paying it.
Portia’s speech begins with these words: [The word “strain’d” means “forced.”]
The quality of mercy is not strain’d. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
To find out if Portia is successful, you will have to read the play.
But our use of the word “mercy” has been extended over time, and is now applied to various humanitarian efforts, such as medical aid supplied without payment to poor people in need, especially in countries stricken by natural disasters or by domestic troubles such as guerrilla activity or even civil war.
Then there is “mercy killing,” which has been legalized in many jurisdictions to permit the painless ending of human life when there is no hope of relief; no alternative but extended suffering. This is also known as “euthanasia.”
The idea of crimes committed by belligerents in wartime is also a relatively new concept, and only came to full realization as “War Crimes” during and immediately after World War II. There were separate trials for these offenses held by the victorious powers in Europe, and in Japan. The Nazi leaders (those who were still alive and had not evaded capture) were put on trial in the south German town of Nuremberg, which had sustained relatively little damage by air raids. Considering all the circumstances, these men got surprisingly fair treatment. They had defense
lawyers, who succeeded in having some of their clients avoid execution, and even got one or two of them acquitted.
Since then, thanks to the absence of a World War, the cases of alleged war crimes have been few and little publicized. An exception was the episode in the Vietnam War involving the American Lieutenant William Calley Jr. who in 1968 was held to be responsible for the killing of a large number of civilians in what came to be called the “My Lai Massacre.” (Place name pronounced like “Me Lie.”)
Calley was at first convicted of 22 counts of “pre-meditated murder” for which his original penalty was Life Imprisonment with Hard Labor. But this was progressively “commuted” to 20 years, and then to 10 years, and finally, by President Richard Nixon (under whose administration the war was still being waged) to three years of “house arrest.” Calley finally died in 2024, at the age of 80.
But the idea of being kind to wrong doers is essentially a religious concept, and is particularly associated with early Christianity. In his celebrated “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus is quoted as saying “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (This comes at the very beginning of the New Testament.)
In Buddhism, Mercy is regarded as a fundamental concept, and it refers to the act of showing compassion towards all sentient beings. A “sentient” being would be one with feelings – and who could tell if an ant has feelings, let alone all those further down the hierarchy of animal life?
The religious cult known as Jainism has most of its adherents in India, and some of them are so devout that they can be seen walking pavements on city streets, always carrying a little broom, so that they can sweep ahead of their own footsteps, to avoid stepping on ants, or any other visible creatures.
In the U.S. and many other countries, the idea of giving convicted criminals a “Second Chance” has taken firm hold in recent years. This action is taken not necessarily on any religious basis, but mainly because our whole prison system has been proven unworkable. Not only can this be seen in obvious overcrowding, but with prisons themselves encouraging criminality. This of course contributes to the high rate of recidivism; i.e. the tendency of people, after being released from punitive confinement, to relapse into criminal activity – and in consequence find themselves being once again incarcerated.
Part of the problem apparently lies in the inadequacy of the probationary system, which is supposed to provide a sort of half-way supervision and assistance to help released offenders. Let me conclude with my own comment on this situation:
Some people make their greatest contribution to society just by staying out of trouble.
by Elizabeth Stewart
When I was 20, I got a job as a dancer in Michigan with a touring company of Showboat. I loved the Grand Rapids area. On a particular day off, I toured the Widdicomb Furniture Company’s Museum of Historic American Furniture (this was in the late 1970s). Modern furniture was included in the display, as in their later years (they closed in 2002) Widdicomb was affiliated with two of the world’s greatest Modernist designers, George Nakashima (1905-1990) and T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905-1976). I remember studying the catalogue at the little museum that defined “modernism in furniture,” which was defined thusly:
A post WWII use of industrial materials for elements in design, the influence of Classical architecture, furniture no longer an “ornament” but “usable,” a focus on “functionality” in the manufacture in use and in total design aesthetic.
Modernism was – at that time – closer to a devotedly held elitist religion and philosophy than in any previous design epoch, although its philosophy centered around (non-elite) affordable machine-made furniture. As a testament to this new philosophy of design aspiring to Art, the Museum of Modern Art in the 1930s dedicated a department (Architecture and Design) to furniture and industrial design, as well as architecture. This MoMA effort was headed by
the great architect who designed in the geometric style, Philip Johnson (19062005) – for 75 years a force in the history of the built environment. Amongst his many achievements, Johnson designed the sparely beautiful Glass House, built between 1949 and 1995, a National Trust Historic Site today located in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Widdicomb was founded in 1858 by woodworker George Widdicomb. When George’s four sons enlisted in the Civil War, the little cabinetmaker’s shop dissolved. But one son, (a rare thing: he lived through the Civil war) upon returning from war, opened a furniture shop at a new location in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids quickly developed into a prominent furniture-making hub; surrounded by timber forests of pine, walnut and oak, and the Grand River was a prime source for hydroelectric power. Grand Rapids became the U.S. woodworking hub. Soon after the 1890s, the city’s nickname was “Furniture City,” thanks in part to Widdicomb furniture’s growing popularity, and in 1891 the
company shipped bed frames, chiffoniers, and bedroom furniture (mirrors, nightstands, dressers) to far off U.S. cities in various “Revival” styles (very far from their modernist look to come!). Revival designs at Widdicomb featured their very popular spindle beds – American colonial with ornately turned wood posts, when the style for bedroom furniture included two single beds. These are seen today at every garage sale.
America from the 1890-1920s-favored furniture that harkened back to previous historic periods, Widdicomb designed in the “Louis XV” French Revival style, the “American Colonial” style, the “English Georgian” style, and the “Italian Renaissance” style (think Hearst Castle). John Widdicomb was the main “Revivalist” designer well into the late 1930s. As happens with the swing of the design pendulum, this era that harkened back to the past changed on a dime to the modernism of the future.
Until the 1940s Widdicomb manufactured traditional styles. At a given moment the company hired one of the most sought-after modern designers of his day, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. Before he came to Widdicomb, Robsjohn-Gibbings designed houses and furniture for Elizabeth Arden, Neiman Marcus, billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke, publisher Alfred A. Knopf, and Hilda Boldt Weber, for whom he designed Casa Encantada in Bel Air (1934-38). From 1943-56 he worked as lead designer, bringing his signature (severe) Grecian Art Deco classicism to mix with Scandinavian design, emphasizing clean craftsmanship and austerity. Incompatible, you might think, but reader CM sends me a great example of J.H. RobsjohnGibbings’ work, a dining suite in walnut, which artfully blends Grecian lines with Scandinavian craftsmanship.
The set includes a China cabinet – the flat, unadorned wood surface featuring classical tapered feet and drop-brass hardware, more Grecian than Danish. The sideboard is similarly designed, as is the table with its classical tapered legs. The dining table includes six chairs, straight-backed, no decoration; the geometry of the furniture speaks for itself in Minimalist design.
CM asks about value. A walnut “X” base dining table from 1943-56, designed by Robsjohn-Gibbings, with similar chairs sold for $5,400 at Rago Auctions, as did a 1949 dining suite in walnut (with label) for $5,600. A pair of dressers from the 1950s, also in light walnut, sold for $2,900.
CM’s suite is in great condition, and lovers of late 40s/early-50s Modernism would likely pay $6,000 for the suite, as it has its original label crediting Robsjohn-Gibbings. CM may sell. If interested get in touch at elizabethappraisals@gmail.com.
Ed Maschke, longtime Santa Barbara County environmental activist, political consultant, labor organizer and elected official, passed away peacefully at his home in Lompoc. He is survived by daughters Gwenivere (1970), Jennifer (1973), and Aurora (1980), ten grandchildren, one great grandson, countless friends and the thriving California solar energy industry he was instrumental in creating.
Interest in people and their ideas was the hallmark of Ed’s skill as an organizer. He saw every conversation as an opportunity to expand his own network or bring others together to build a larger movement. Whether in time, money or advice, Ed was always very generous. For him, political organizing in defense of the natural world was a mythic struggle of light against darkness. If you were on his side, there was always a place to stay in his home, a shared meal, or an adventure.
He also had a commitment to confronting enemies that burned almost as brightly. For those who would plunder that which cannot be replaced, there would be no mercy. Ed took great joy in lifting up the worthy, but he got just as much pleasure from taking down rapacious land developers, unscrupulous politicians and oil industry PR flacks. Upon receiving word of his passing, the Santa Barbara Independent’s Nick Welsh perfectly captured this duality, describing Ed as “gleefully pugilistic.”
Born in and raised near Cleveland, Ohio, Ed was the second son of Edward J. and Ellen Manning Maschke. After high school, Ed joined the Navy and was posted to Central California to work on avionics for jets that were flying bombing missions in Vietnam. His views on the war changed when he saw footage of the bombs being dropped on straw huts in rural villages.
After the Navy, Ed attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia where he became a campus activist and met Jo Ann Pectol. They married in March of 1970 and moved to Isla Vista. Ed entered the UCSB Environmental Studies Program and again threw himself into political activism.
Ed became known for his analytical acumen and organizing skills. He helped elect environmental stalwart County Supervisor Bill Wallace four times from 1976 to 1992 and managed campaigns for slow-growth candidates to the Goleta Water Board. Ed then sat on the Water Board from 1977 to 1985.
Subsequently, Ed served as Third District Planning Commissioner for eight years.
On the day in 1976 when Ed accidentally burned Governor Jerry Brown’s hand during a demonstration of a primitive solar oven, solar and wind electrical generation was the real objective. That was the year the lobbying group SUNRAE (Solar Use Now for Resources and Employment) was created by Ed and fellow activist Alan Mirviss.
A year later, Gov. Brown signed AB 1558, carried by Assemblymember Gary Hart for SUNRAE and a small group that Brown called “solar guerrillas.” The law provided homeowners and businesses with a tax credit covering 55 percent of the cost of new solar installations. President Jimmy Carter later signed a federal version of the California tax credit and installed solar on the White House.
In the fall of 1993, Ed joined the California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG) as the statewide Executive Director where he led efforts to push the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations promoting electric vehicles, some dozen years before they became commonplace. In the late ‘90s, Ed worked with SEIU in organizing, advising in labor relations, training new staff, and mentoring them for the future.
Ed wasn’t all politics, causes and campaigning. His eclectic interests included rocks, astronomy, painting, coin collecting and U.S. history. He truly loved the outdoors. His activities included hiking, camping, wandering around the desert, running, cycling, and skiing. He was especially fond of water – swimming, kayaking, scuba and snorkeling. After a serious skiing injury in 1994 which left him a paraplegic, Ed didn’t slow down. He continued to travel making many trips to his beloved desert, to Mexico, and to the East Coast and the Central Valley to see family. Sometimes these were solo activities but often done with lovers and friends. Ed enjoyed cooking – a skill he learned from his mother when he was 13 – as well as barbecuing and tending to his fruit trees. His skill at playing poker and blackjack matched that of the campaign trail. One friend stated that “Ed was the kind of good friend who would laugh and snarl while emptying your wallet at the poker table.”
From his start managing the Isla Vista recycling center through a five-decade career in politics and lawmaking, Ed Maschke brought unmatched vision, tenacity and integrity to his fight for economic justice and a cleaner environment. In all his work, Ed’s core philosophy was to leave this earth in a little better condition than he found it. His many friends are better people, and the world is a better place because of him. There will be a Celebration of Ed’s life on Saturday, August 23. For details and to RSVP, please contact Jan at jkeller2002@msn.com
Single tickets on sale August 19 at 10 AM
Tue, Sep 30 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall Program includes Taneyev, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky and Schumann
Opus
Wed, Oct 22 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall Program includes J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Schubert
Thu, Feb 12 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall Program includes Ligeti, Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel, Albéniz and Liszt
by Steven Libowitz
Tales from the Tavern’s new six-concert season begins Wednesday night, July 23, with a doozy of a show pairing roots and country-inflected singer-songwriters Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore in an “almost acoustic” duo concert. But first there’s a special Audience Appreciation concert off-site, a mini music festival on Sunday, July 20, at a venue known as Frank’s Treehouse in Los Olivos. The event, dubbed AAFest! #1, features concert sets by Stephen Styles, a second-generation California country-rocker who writes and records out of his home studio in Santa Ynez, plus the outfit known as The Treehouse Band, and special guest Paul Thorn in a solo acoustic show.
The latter is a nationally renowned Southern singer-songwriter with almost 15 albums to his credit over a 30-year career which followed Thorn’s stint as a professional boxer. That career culminated in a nationally televised bout with former world champion Roberto Durán. Thorn has performed previously
on several TFTT series, as well as at SOhO and the Lobero early on in the late, lamented Sings Like Hell series. All proceeds from the outdoor musicdancing-food-and-drink event (slated for 3-7 pm, with possible adjustments to avoid overheating) go to the nonprofit
Where time disappears and enchantment is found.
A visit to The Winston invites an otherworldly experience, where extraordinary beauty and thoughtfully curated design is enhanced only by the idyllic backdrop of the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. From luxuries like a stocked honor bar, the privacy of our Invisible Service, and access to the most charming local boutique shops and dining, an invitation to enchantment awaits at The Winston.
Artist Advocacy Foundation, supporting musicians, events and programs in the area and connected to TFTT. Free munchies and drinks will be available, but guests are encouraged to bring their own food and beverages.
The Alvin-Gilmore show is already sold out, but tickets often become available on the day-of or at the door. The rest of the TFTT fall series brings the return of stalwarts Eliza Gilkyson with Nina Gerber (Aug. 20), Peter Mulvey (Sept. 10), Peter Case (Oct. 1), Gretchen Peters (Oct. 15) and Jeffrey Foucault (Nov. 5) to the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez. Visit https://talesfromthetavern.com/shows
The venerable Ventura Music Festival – once merely a classical-meets-jazz affair spread over two weeks at various venues around the town – has evolved into multigenre five-day bursts held more than once a year. The summer installment takes place July 24-28 at The Performing Arts Center at Ventura College, beginning with “Rising Stars from the Colburn School;” namely pianist and violinist Ray Ushikubo and pianist Chi-Jo Lee, followed by a sold-out show with swing-jump band and hometown heroes Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Multiple Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman and his all-star band play July 26, VMF’s Artistic Director Nuvi Mehta and pianist Greg Anderson offer a lunchtime exploration of the music, life, and times of George Gershwin on July 27, and the Beijing Guitar Duo wind up the series on July 28.
Down the road, the Fall series in mid-October boasts The Moanin’ Frogs saxophone sextet, Latin Grammywinning guitarist Twanguero , the Branford Marsalis Quartet, another Mehta/Anderson collaboration, and the boundary-pushing chamber ensemble Delirium Musicum.
Visit www.venturamusicfestival.org
Elsewhere, Allman Brothers scion Duane Betts, who has his own take on the Southern rock tradition with a similar soul-stirring blend of blues, passion and six-string mastery, fronts his four-piece, Hammond B-3-infused band Palmetto Motel at the Ventura Music Hall on July 18.
Details at www.venturamusichall.com
thewinstonsolvang.com | (805) 688-2965
Lucinda Lane, the self-described “IndieBossaJazzTwang” band that has singer Nicole Lvoff and songwriter-guitarist (and music journo) Joe Woodard as its core members, often appears as a duo at various venues around town. But their gig at SOhO on July 21 vastly expands the universe by adding the rhythm section of bassist Jim Connolly and drummer Austin Beede, along with
visiting trumpeter-singer Nate Birkey (who plays with his own band at SOhO on July 20), saxist John Schnackenberg, trumpeter Phil Rodriguez and accordionist Brett Larsen, all of whom sometimes guest play with Spencer the Gardener. Phew! Seems like a sure mid-summer winner. The band released its long-awaited debut album, Summer is Over, last January. Incidentally, Lucinda Lane’s name is drawn not – as one might reasonably deduce – from Lucinda Williams (who opens for Father John Misty at the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 24, and thanks for asking), but from the eponymous and now musically iconic two-block stretch of road off Alamar and above Foothill.
Play It Forward is the annual benefit for Ensemble Theatre’s Education and Outreach programs, uniting award-winning theater pros and Broadway performers with talented young actors and community artists. This year’s benefit performance features a new concert version of All of Me, the comedy-musical formerly known as Hello! My Baby, written by longtime Montecito resident Cheri Steinkellner. The reimagined work by the Tony nominee (Sister Act) and Emmy winner (Cheers), which in its former guise premiered at the Rubicon Theatre back in 2012, finds Tin Pan Alley’s teen King of the Song-Pluggers falling for a factory girl who’s a musical demon, creating a recipe for comic romance in a whirlwind of mistaken identities, gender performance, first love gone awry, debutantes and gangsters. It’s also a celebration of young voices too bold to be boxed in, and a score packed with Great American Songbook hits, which makes it perfect for the Play It Forward format – a tap-your-feet musical for all ages that invites everyone to sing along. Visit www.etcsb.org for details and tickets to the August 9 event.
“You can’t bring them down by yourself. That’s not possible. It takes a community to stand up, call out and fight against the system to overturn and fix the system.”
As a female director, Zhou said she feels called to make sure that the women in Don Giovanni have a “very clear arc of their progression and growth through this pursuit of justice. The world we’re creating parallels that.”
The women are “much deeper and more complex” than the typical male director might have portrayed them over the centuries. Having previously assistant directed six productions of the opera, Zhou had a passion to put her own stamp on the story with her first turn at the helm several years ago in Florida.
“I wanted to give those women a backbone, not have them just be reacting to what’s happening around them. It’s about making clear the camaraderie and the strength between them. So while the concept might change, my focus has never wavered.”
Of course, the words and the music don’t shift, which suits Zhou just fine.
“The drama and intention of the story are all there in the music,” she said. “Everything stems from the music. With Giovanni, it’s very easy to translate the setting and make everything justify all the musical gestures in the opera.”
Zhou said that it’s been easy to work with conductor Christian Reif for the first time on the MAW production because they share that same ethos.
“Everything for him is from the drama, the storytelling of the music, so it’s been very, very smooth and happy collaboration because we’re going for the same end result. It’s been a dream working with him.”
The cast has also been a joy, Zhou said, starting with Joshua James Klein as
Giovanni, who has performed in previous productions several times.
“He knows the show inside out, and he’s very organic, a natural actor,” she said. “His voice, his command of language, the comedic timing, everything’s fantastic.”
It’s all part of the formula for creating a moving and relevant Don Giovanni
“Doing an opera production is like making a ginormous lasagna,” Zhou said. “Everyone brings one layer of flavor to the process, something brilliant and unique into creating this dish. In the end, what the audience has is very rich and delicious, something you can experience in that very moment.”
Thursday, July 17: Get a head start on opera weekend with this sneak preview that actually serves as an opportunity for the eight Lehrer Vocal Institute (LVI) fellows who serve as understudies for the principal roles in Mozart’s Don Giovanni to run through the entire masterwork in front of an audience. It’s a far more intimate setting but no stage set or orchestra, and Robert W. Weinman offers a pre-concert talk on stage at 1 pm. (Hahn Hall; 2 pm; $10)… Tonight brings the final installment of faculty pianist (and McArthur “Genius” Award winner) Jeremy Denk ’s three-day immersion in Beethoven’s powerful piano sonatas, each blending performance and intriguing insights. “Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31, No. 1” and “Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110,” bookend Nina Simone’s “Just in Time” and two works by Wagner. (7:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $75-$80)
Friday, July 18: It’s a double bass debut as new faculty member Scott Pingel coaches the fellows in the instru-
A.P.R.
Also covering the following:
ment’s versatility (1 pm; Weinman Hall; $10) (See last week’s issue for my interview with Pingel.)
Saturday, July 19: MAW goes bilingual again this year in a double-barreled community outreach program that brings Prokofiev’s popular symphonic tale for children Peter & the Wolf (Pedro y el Lobo) to the Lobero Theatre for a family-friendly morning concert. Instruments portray the personalities and capers of the characters as Peter (strings) defies his grandfather (bassoon) to climb over the garden wall where he encounters a wolf (horn). His animal friends – a bird (flute), a duck (oboe) and a cat (clarinet) – help Peter to persevere. César Cañón is a pianist, vocal coach, educator and conductor, and a devotee of both instrumental chamber music and art song and operatic repertoire. He’ll be wielding the baton for the Academy Chamber Orchestra (the fellows not performing in this weekend’s opera production), with acting and narration in both English ( Michael Boudewyns from the vaudeville-inspired troop Really Inventive Stuff ) and Spanish ( Luis Moreno , a local actor, singer and musician well-known for multiple appearances in town) An Instrument Exploration Station on the Lobero patio at 10 am is when kids can get up close and personal
with the instruments of the orchestra through the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Music Van Program. The concert also includes Alberto Ginastera’s Estancia Suite , Opus 8a – four dances extracted from his ballet score as an orchestral suite. (11 am; Lobero Theatre; $25-$50)
Tuesday, July 22: Tonight’s Solo Piano Spotlight features the program’s five fellows featuring fiery displays of their prodigious power as well as subtler, softer sections of several sonatas, revealing why the keyboard remains music’s most versatile storytelling instrument. Part 2 is next Tuesday. (7:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $40-$45)
Wednesday, July 23: The nine singers who make up MAW’s 2025 Studio Artists get a chance to demonstrate their talents through performances of opera arias and art songs in an afternoon showcase (1:30 pm; Lehmann Hall; $40)… Tonight’s Salon Series concert has been titled “Bolcom and the Bestiary” after two of the program’s pieces, Poulenc’s “Le Bestiaire” and William Bolcom’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” Golijov’s “Last Round” and Clara Schumann’s “Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17,” round out the fare that will be spread among 18 different instrumental fellows, two LVI singers and faculty pianist Martin Katz (7:30 pm; Lehmann; $55)
by Jamie Knee
In Sonoma Wine Country, the morning sun filters through a veil of coastal fog, softening the contours of rolling vineyards that stretch toward the Pacific. A cool breeze carries the scent of wild herbs and sea air, while rows of chardonnay and pinot noir glisten with dew. This is a landscape shaped by nature’s contrasts, a rugged coastline, fertile valleys, and forested hills, a place where wine and land are deeply intertwined.
I recently had the privilege of visiting Sonoma on a wine writers tour, in partnership with the Sonoma County Winegrowers. Over several unforgettable days, I experienced firsthand what makes this region one of the world’s most inspiring and luxurious wine destinations, where sustainability, craftsmanship, and hospitality come together in every glass.
Just 45 minutes north of San Francisco, Sonoma offers the perfect alternative to Napa; less hurried, more soulful, and rich with authenticity. Spanning one million acres, Sonoma preserves its natural beauty with intention: only 6% of the land is planted to vines. The county’s 19 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) showcase extraordinary diversity, from the fog-shrouded cliffs of Fort RossSeaview to the warm, sunlit slopes of Knights Valley along the Napa border.
Sonoma’s wine story is one of stewardship and legacy. More than 1,800 winegrowers farm this land, 95% of them family-owned, many for generations. The region is a global leader in sustainability, an incredible 99% of
vineyard acreage is certified sustainable by third-party programs. This means water conservation, biodiversity, carbon reduction, and fair labor practices aren’t buzzwords – they’re a way of life.
Sonoma’s cool coastal influence and varied microclimates allow over 100 grape varieties to thrive. Its reds – pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and zinfandel – and whites – chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and pinot gris – form the heart of its wine identity.
At Fort Ross Vineyard, perched high above the Pacific, I tasted chardonnay shaped by the ocean itself: focused, mineral-laced, and full of coastal clarity. The steep, fog-wrapped slopes and hand-harvested fruit at dawn give these wines unmistakable character. With the only tasting room in the Fort Ross-Seaview Viticultural area, it’s a magical place of great natural beauty and grand vistas.
At Donum Estate in Carneros, art, wine, and land come together in a seamless, immersive experience. Monumental sculptures punctuate the rolling vineyards, creating a setting where every view feels curated, every moment intentional. As I explored their luminous chardonnays and polished, expressive pinot noirs, it was clear these wines reflect not only thoughtful farming but also the estate’s creative vision. Donum strikes a delicate balance, producing fine wine through sustainable practices, all while serving as an open-air gallery of world-renowned art. Their range of tasting experiences invites visitors to engage deeply with both the wine and the place that shapes it.
Sonoma’s sparkling wines were also a revelation. Iron Horse, J Vineyards, and Gloria Ferrer presented elegant, precise
flights… each bubble a celebration of Sonoma’s cool-climate brilliance.
For lovers of red wine, Ramey Wine Cellars offered a masterclass in age-worthy Sonoma, including a memorable 1993 Ravenswood Zinfandel that balanced rustic charm with graceful maturity. At Ridge Lytton Springs, zinfandel revealed its many expressions, from bright and vibrant to layered and structured.
Pinot noir, Sonoma’s signature varietal, dazzled in its diversity at Gary Farrell, Red Car, Kanzler, Lynmar Estate, and Littorai. An intimate tasting with Ted Lemon at Littorai brought deeper insight into site-driven wines, farming philosophy, and the delicate power of cool-climate pinot.
At DaVero Farms & Winery, I discovered a vibrant, authentic expression of Sonoma, one where wine, food, and farming are inseparable. This true farmstyle estate is a living tapestry of vineyards, olive groves, orchards, herbs, and native plants, all tended through biodynamic and regenerative practices that nourish both the land and the wines. Their Italian varietals – sangiovese, barbera, sagrantino, and the rare, newly rediscovered pallagrello bianco – offered a refreshing, soulful counterpoint to Sonoma’s coastal classics. Each was paired with garden-fresh bites in a farmto-table celebration of flavor and place.
To match Sonoma’s understated luxury, two accommodations stand out: Farmhouse Inn – A 25-room retreat in Forestville offering wood-burning fireplaces, curated wine fridges, and Michelin-starred dining. Its blend of rustic charm and refined service makes it a perfect base for exploration.
MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa – A historic estate near Sonoma Plaza featuring lush gardens, serene suites, a full-service spa, and exceptional dining. It’s the ideal
Jamie at Donum Estate spot for a luxurious, walkable stay in the heart of Sonoma town.
Sonoma Wine Country is a place where luxury means authenticity – where boutique wineries and family growers craft wines that reflect both heritage and innovation. In every glass, you taste the land’s contrasts: fog and sun, coast and valley, and the enduring commitment of those who farm it with care.
There are countless other wineries and hidden gems waiting to be discovered across Sonoma’s diverse landscapes – from windswept coastal vineyards to sunlit inland valleys. Whether you choose a scenic drive up the coast or a short flight, Sonoma invites you to experience its cool-climate brilliance, coastal grace, and genuine hospitality for yourself.
If you’re ready to plan a Sonoma wine country getaway, I can help you design an itinerary that captures the very best of this extraordinary region. Cheers to wine country adventures ahead.
by Jeff Giordano
Does your heart break for the children? Well, my heart breaks for ALL of them, including those who are exploited by a soulless industry that our county coddles, controls and licenses. America recently learned what those of us in the cannabis-know already knew: this industry preys on the most vulnerable, those who have no voice or political gravitas, for one very simple reason; the almighty buck!
The recently raided Glass House Brands (GH) is a public company that in 2024 posted record revenues of $200M and a 47% increase in gross profits which were posted at $97M. Interestingly, in a recent Investor Presentation they touted the idea that labor was “plentiful” – apparently, made more so if you employ children. Laughing All the Way To The Bank: 46 licensed growers pay our county $5M in annual taxes, i.e., $109K on average per grower.
What GH didn’t tout was the fact that they are part of CA’s highly regulated drug industry (NOT AG) that requires licenses from the state’s Department of Cannabis Control and SB County. Our annual licensing process requires a review by five (five!) departments, including the Sheriff who is designated as the “lead reviewer.” A license can be revoked for scores of reasons including a failure to “comply with county or state law” and/or “denying the county access for inspections.” And, yes, in cannabis facilities no one under 21 is even allowed to be on the premises nor are felons permitted employment. Questions: What level of diligence (suspicious, right) are our reviews? If it’s determined, over a single shift, that GH had 14 child laborers, or if it is confirmed that a convicted sex offender was employed, what will our county do? Will they protect the grower, or will they protect the children?
It has been reported that between 2023 and 2024 GH has faced multiple employee lawsuits (when workers sue, it’s called “courage.”) by Gerardo Melendez,
Anna Pederia, Lourdes Avalos, Beatriz Hernandez, and Miryam Vences
Variously, the allegations speak to appalling labor practices lacking in such standard workforce fare as meal breaks, rest periods, cool-down periods, itemized wage statements, overtime pay, and sick pay. The work also featured insanely high pick-quotas (perhaps smaller hands are more dexterous). One complaint alleged that the defendants had the financial ability to pay their workers but “intentionally failed to do so to increase the defendants’ profits.” Yes, worker and child exploitation can pay handsomely if, of course, our county allows it. Note: In May, the UCLA Labor Center published a scathing cannabis industry report re: working conditions that included the reality that 27% of women in the sector were sexually harassed.
Since 2018, SB has flailed at a new revenue stream becoming de facto partners with our cannabis growers – folks whose neighbor-be-damned attitude and slavish devotion to profits have resulted in resident-funded lawsuits, damage to our legacy businesses, a tarnished civic brand and, over the last five years, $15M in program losses. When the Supes naively asked for their help to develop a tax plan that wouldn’t result in $3-5M in annual losses, the cannabis lobby whined like infants and won the day. When asked to adhere to reasonable school setbacks they made campaign contributions and cut the proposed setbacks by 70%. Now school children are wrapped, like tightly rolled joints, in pot grows. When asked to voluntarily install better odor abatement systems the growers balked; too “expensive.”
For this industry – not just GH – it’s all about the dough because no one has ever said “ENOUGH.” If the county truly cares about children, about working conditions for those who are now living in the shadows and can’t, unfortunately, speak for themselves, then stop lamenting what you can’t do and act. You have the power!
Jeff Giordano, Santa Barbara County resident
by MJ Staff
The luxury women’s fashion brand, Veronica Beard, will be opening at 1269 Coast Village Road, the previous location of Allora by Laura. The store is set to open in October and the MJ will have more information in the months to come.
Montecito Fire Dept Video Recap for Wildfire Preparedness Now Online
Montecito Fire Dept. Chief Neels shares to the community, “On June 26, 2025, our partners from Montecito Water District, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, neighboring fire agencies, and local community organizations joined us to discuss how your public safety agencies collaborate before, during and after emergencies.” The meeting video and info tips are now available 24/7 online here: www.montecitofire.com/wildfire-preventionpreparedness
Events at Montecito Country Mart
- Poppy Marché every Wednesday from 3-5 pm in July, Crafts Camp for Kids
- National Ice Cream Day on July 20: Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with Rori’s Creamery. Buy a single scoop and they’ll make it a double scoop!
SB Museum of Natural History Launches “Our Cosmic Coast”
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History invites the public to journey beyond our atmosphere with the debut of Our Cosmic Coast, a brandnew, hands-on Space Sciences exhibit that opened July 12 and continues. The all-ages exhibit has experiential play stations demonstrating the sounds of space and a chance to view meteorites older than Earth’s oldest rocks. Scale models of the planets convey the striking contrast in size between the rocky planets closer to the Sun and the more distant giants of gas and ice. 411: www.sbnature.org/education/ astronomy-programs
Travel & Leisure’s 2025 No.1 California Resort
Just in from Los Olivos – The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, has been named the No. 1 Resort in California in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards. Honored not only as the top resort in the state, The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern also earned the No. 2 spot in the Continental U.S. and No. 12 Hotel in the World, making
it one of this year’s most celebrated properties. From its humble yet historical local beginnings in the 1800s as a stagecoach stop, the Inn now includes a wellness spa, Lavender Barn and exclusive partnerships with luxury brands such as Biologique Recherche and Oak Essentials, as well as stylish design collaborations with Nick Fouquet
Joern Schwaiger, General Manager of The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern shares, “It’s an honor to be recognized on Travel + Leisure’s prestigious World’s Best Awards list. This achievement reflects the heartfelt passion and dedication of our team, who go above and beyond to create meaningful, memorable experiences for every guest. We’re thankful to the readers who share our appreciation for thoughtful hospitality and the charming spirit of this extraordinary destination in Los Olivos.” 411: Instagram: @matteistavernauberge
Cops on the Local Beat at National Night
National Night Out is on Tuesday, August 5 from 5 to 7 pm at Linden Field, Carpinteria. This is a nationwide annual campaign to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the local communities to build partnerships and foster neighborhood spirit to help create safer, more connected communities. At the event, there are opportunities to interact with public agencies and organizations who work to keep our community healthy and safe, and hands-on activities and engaging demonstrations. It is family-friendly all-ages event. As Montecito usually has their event on the first Tuesday of August as well, we will update as we know more.
Cottage Health has announced a new Cottage Medical Group specialty care clinic. Cottage Surgical Clinics is located at 2320 Bath Street, Suite 101 in Santa Barbara, and provides general surgery, colorectal surgery and bariatric surgery, all with a focus on minimally invasive procedures. The surgical team includes Dr. Farida Bounoua, Dr. David Thoman and Dr. Lexine Yurcho – board-certified surgeons with advanced training in laparoscopic, robotic-assisted, and other minimally invasive techniques. Patients at the Cottage Surgical Clinics will receive surgical consultations, pre-operative evaluations, and post-operative follow-up care, all coordinated within the Cottage Health system.
411: www.cottagehealth.org/services/ surgical-clinics
Frank Camarillo was taken by the New York Mets at 403, while Reed Moring went to the Minnesota Twins at 449. Both are expected to sign.
Turning to a local baseball team still playing this summer, the Santa
Barbara Foresters are continuing their winning ways, closing out last weekend still in sole control of first place in the CCL South. The team, which has won an unprecedented 10 National Baseball Congress World Series titles, will be headed once again to the NBC tournament in Wichita after the regular season winds down on Sunday.
Bids open at 2:00 PM on Friday, August 1, 2025 for:
Part of the fun of the Foresters, a team largely comprised of not-yet draft eligible collegians from around the country, is that they play with wood bats as part of the only league eschewing aluminum and other metals for the natural stuff used in MLB and the minors. But there’s even more charm to be found in these leagues.
Among the attributes, most of the players are taken in by host families, a holdover tradition from the old
NORTH AND CENTRAL COUNTY PAVEMENT REHABILITATION IN THE 3RD AND 4TH SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICTS
COUNTY PROJECT No. n
General project work description: Road Rehabilitation
The Plans, Specifications, and Bid Book are available at https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874
The Contractor must have either a Class A license or any combination of the following Class C licenses which constitutes a majority of the work: A, C-12, C-31, AND C-32
Submit sealed bids to the web address below. Bids will be opened available at the web address below immediately following the submittal deadline.
PlanetBids
https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874
Complete the project work within 40 Workings Days
The estimated cost of the project is $ 5,840,000
This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR).
A contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of PCC Section 4104, or engage in the performance of any contract for public work, as defined in this chapter, unless currently registered and qualified to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code (LAB) Section 1725.5. It is not a violation of this section for an unregistered contractor to submit a bid that is authorized by Business and Professions Code (BPC) Section 7029.1 or by PCC Section 10164 or 20103.5 provided the contractor is registered to perform public work pursuant to LAB Section 1725.5 at the time the contract is awarded.
Prevailing wages are required on this Contract. The Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations determines the general prevailing wage rates. Obtain the wage rates at the DIR website https://www.dir.ca.gov/
Inquiries or questions based on alleged patent ambiguity of the plans, specifications, or estimate must be submitted as a bidder inquiry by 2:00PM on 07/25/2025 Submittals after this date will not be addressed. Questions pertaining to this Project prior to Award of the Contract must be submitted via PlanetBids Q&A tab.
Bidders (Plan Holders of Record) will be notified by electronic mail if addendums are issued. The addendums, if issued, will only be available on the County PlanetBids website, https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43874
By order of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara this project was authorized to be advertised on 06/04/2024
Christopher Sneddon, PE Director of Public Works
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Bronze Age Hardware, 2605 S. Miller Street, Suite 107, Santa Maria, CA 93455. Robert J Dickerson, 2605 S. Miller Street, Suite 107, Santa Maria, CA 93455. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on June 25, 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 state-
ment on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20250001517. Published July 10, 17, 24, 31, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Montecito Medium; The Montecito Medium, 1187 Coast Village Road, 703, Montecito, CA 93108. Regina D Tomlinson, LLC, 1187 Coast Village Road 703, Montecito, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County
Clerk of Santa Barbara County on June 25, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. 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. 20250001506. Published July 3, 10, 17, 24, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: King Frederik
lower minor leagues. Add to that the Foresters’ longtime fans and friends, such as sportswriter Jim Buckley (who wrote a recent book about the team), and SB-based actor Henry Brown , he of the numerous film and TV credits, including the first Ghostbusters movie. Hurlers who aren’t getting into the game sit behind the batting cage charting pitches and chatting, and sometimes even join in on leading the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch (giving the late Harry Caray a run for his off-key money).
Players’ families come from far away to watch. Last weekend, pitcher Tyler Phenow ’s family flew out from Minnesota to catch both a home and away game from the first-base stands, and a young man from Portland –who had neither skin nor family in the game – wanted to add seeing the Foresters to his collection of sports attendance memories.
Fans can keep foul balls they retrieve, although many land in the brush of a house neighboring Eddie Mathews Field at Santa Barbara, where the Foresters have played since 2024. You’ll often find intrepid, foliage-scanning kids in this category playing catch in the walkway that leads to the portable bathrooms. One can also exchange these captured foul balls for a free smoothie from Blenders in the Grass.
There’s a guy who almost always watches from Canon Perdido St., peering through the gaps in the banners lining the chain link fence and loudly cheering for the team with rhythmic, shouted schemes comprised of batters’ last names or jersey numbers.
Admission is just $7, free after about six innings, and everything at the snack bar is $2 or less, including Gatorade, which is cheaper than any grocery store when it’s not on sale.
And at the conclusion of the games the PA always plays Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” because of the Foresters’ nickname, (Take that Bronx Bombers and your lame “New York, New York!”).
All in all, a Foresters game is great fun even if you’re not watching the actual game and can’t tell the difference between a double and a double play.
Published July 17, 2025 Montecito Journal
Motel, LLC, 1617 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463. King Frederik Motel, LLC, 1617 Copenhagen Dr, Solvang, CA 93463. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on June 9, 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. 2025-0001380. Published June 26, July 3, 10, 17, 2025
There are still four games left in the season, all at Santa Barbara High, July 17-20, before the team heads off to Wichita. Visit https://sbforesters.org.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV01729. To all interested parties: Petitioner Rey John S. Lingco and Gelen D. Rosario filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name of their child from Jeremiah Gabriel Dantay Rosario to Jeremiah Gabriel Rosario Lingco. 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 June 20, 2025 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: August 6, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published July 3, 10, 17, 24, 2025
SB 79, authored by Senator Scott Wiener, was broached in a cautionary context by Montecito Association Board member Bill Babbitt in March 2025, and most recently by Cindy Chvatal of United Neighbors at the June 2025 Montecito Association meeting. Both Babbitt and Chvatal sounded the alarm on loss of local zoning and density control. These comments were published by the Montecito Journal in the MA meeting news reports.
To recap:
Chvatal, “United Neighbors want Montecito to be aware of SB 79 up now before State Assembly. It will end our zoning as we know it. This bill by Scott Weiner was first brought up in January 2025. SB79 is a land use bill that will allow 65-to-75-unit apartment buildings be located a quarter mile from a bus lane or rail lane. The state wants to take away local control of zoning. We want your support against this bill. It allows multi-unit complexes without affordable housing and if the complex has affordable housing the unit can be higher in elevation.”
Babbitt, “Sharon Byrne was part of United Neighbors and kept the MA informed. The new senate bill by Senator Scott Wiener, SB 79, increases the density of an area by allowing multi-family housing units on all parcels throughout the state, ‘SB 79 will make it faster and easier to build multi-family housing near transit stops, like train and rapid bus lines, by making it legal for more homes to be built in these areas and streamlining existing permit review processes.’ This would decimate west Los Angeles and all of Montecito, taking away zoning rights. SB9 is regarding lot splits and SB10 is 10 units on single family lots.”
As defined by Fish and Game, the CEQA, act serves to disclose to the public the significance of environmental effects of a proposed project and enhance public participation in the review process, and many other pertinent data points (see https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/ Environmental-Review/CEQA).
Swimming upstream, environmentalists may be stymied by the CEQA-mitigating
Conceptual representation by Concerned Architects of the proposed Mission LLC development at 505 E. Los Olivos Street (photo by Concerned Architects, and does not represent the actual proposed development)
details in AB 130 and SB 131 as signed by Gov. Newsom effective June 30, 2025. AB 130’s CEQA exemption applies to housing-rich development projects that meet specific criteria, as stated here: “The project is consistent with local zoning standards, applicable general plan standards and any applicable local coastal program, subject to deviations allowed by the State Density Bonus Law.” A caveat in SB 131 is that the project must not be located on natural and protected lands.
Now back to the importance of the outcome of the 505 East Los Olivos property zoning, and proposed construction. Are we listening Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria?
It would seem obvious proper reviews and reports – by the SB ABR, the SB County Planning Commission, the SB Zoning Admin, the Historic Landmarks Advisory Commission, along with an Environmental Impact Report, a Tribal Review of the area by Chumash Elders, fire and evacuation safety by the SB County Fire Department and First Responders, a review by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, SB Water Commission, SB Public Works, and related – be made public, and allow for public in-person and online comment at all meeting presentations.
The stakeholders pushing back on the development include the local residents, property owners, the WakeUp SB group founded by Evan Minogue The local blowback has been general and unambiguous. As Noozhawk reported on June 22, “More than 50 local architects, designers, and planners [including Mayor Randy Rowse] have united to take a stand against two large apartment projects proposed for the hills above Santa Barbara at 505 E. Los Olivos Street, and another at 1609-1615 Grand Avenue...” (https:// www.noozhawk.com/architects-plannersband-together-to-fight-two-housing-projectson-santa-barbara-riviera/)
My vote is to have SB District 4 City Councilperson Kristen Sneddon have as many stakeholder meetings as needed, while all permitting agencies openly investigate the backgrounds and intentions of those to whom they grant permits.
“I
enrich yourself, solve problems, and to connect with something bigger. Before diving into her book, I wanted to experience Tarotpy firsthand.
I was a bit wary prior to the session, afraid it’d fall into my clichéd idea of Tarot. I didn’t want to be told I was on a highway straight to Hades. But as we passed through her tranquil garden to her cozy office, a cup of freshly brewed loose leaf tea in hand, my fears dissipated. She instructed me to choose a few Tarot decks from her vast collection, then to blindly select a number of cards, arrange them in a pattern face down, and then freely assign words to them. After flipping them over, I’d examine the cards and see how they related to my chosen words and to see if the images related to the question I initially posed. What sets Lauren apart is that she is not interested in explaining what the cards mean in the traditional Tarot sense. In fact, Lauren’s collection includes not only Tarot cards, but oracle cards, dream cards, soul cards, and any symbolic imagery because, as Lauren puts it, “when people pick their decks, it becomes much more specific to them – and the synchronicities are astounding.”
It’s not like typical Tarot. In fact, she strongly suggests not looking up the cards’ meaning at all, nor will she explain what they mean to her, unless you ask. She believes that images speak directly to the subconscious. She simply guides you: how do you interpret these images? What meaning do you derive from them?
“Images are one of the ways that we practice waking life. They are the language of the unconscious. We visualize, and then come in to practice our life. Tarotpy is like dreaming with your eyes open. The images are a mirror of what’s going on for us.”
In this way, Lauren says that Tarotpy acts as fast-tracked therapy. We may already
have the answers to our questions, and by using images, we stimulate the imagination and quickly engage with the subconscious to find a creative solution spontaneously. As Lauren puts it, “we’re in a very deep conversation immediately. Tarot is not about doing parlor tricks or accurate predictions.” Rather, it’s a tool to help create order and peace in a chaotic world.
After our session, I read Lauren’s beautifully illustrated book, Tarotpy: It’s All in the Cards. In it, she recounts her own “Fool’s Journey,” as she puts it, from working in TV and film to being introduced to Tarot, and how she now incorporates this into her therapy practice. It’s an engaging, illuminating read, one that seeks to give counsel on how to bridge psychology and mysticism, how to bring soul back into our lives. It’s both practical and profound.
In the book, she also shares how you can use these enlivening techniques in your own life. This “interactive method of Tarotpy,” she writes, “accesses unconscious resources for insight and inspiration, unlocking creativity, problem-solving, and empowerment.” Full disclosure: I used Tarotpy to help with a bad case of writer’s block. Following the instructions laid out in Tarotpy, I went to my nearby metaphysical supply store, bought the Rider-Waite classic deck, and practiced her methods at home.
And it helped. Whether you believe in the divine power of Tarot or not, there is something to be said about challenging yourself to think outside the box and getting out of your comfort zone. I found that by engaging with these images in the way Lauren suggested sparked my creativity.
But there’s no denying that pulling a card that eerily speaks to a question you pose can be thrilling, if not mind boggling. As Lauren puts it, “It heightens something when we feel we are connected to something larger. Synchronicity is a nonrational experience that makes us feel connected to ourselves in a deeper way and connected to something larger.”
Though there is a clear secular aspect to how Lauren uses Tarot and her collection of decks, she does believe that there is indeed something divine that guides us, attempting to lead us to greater connection.
“I’m good at helping to reflect on these patterns that we’re noticing between the cards and ourselves. But the other aspect that I consider is that the universe is also an intelligent organized consciousness that is participating with us, and that Tarotpy Page 414
by Ella Catalfimo
Coast Village Road is home to artists, merchants, and creatives alike who strive to uphold the spirit of our community. Coast Village Association’s own Beth Sullivan is determined to capture this energy and use it as inspiration for the heartbeat of Coast Village Association’s events.
At the start of 2023, Beth was hired as a part-time contractor for the executive director position of the Coast Village Association. Throughout her time with the Association, Beth has developed a multi-layered marketing plan to enhance the identity of Coast Village Road by creating a “sense of place.” Part of that plan is curating an impressive assortment of events for the community, from the Association’s Coast Village Week to the Dog Days of Summer photo contest last August to her showstopping holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. Her mission is to provide the community with incredible events that capture the heart and soul of Coast Village Road.
“Taking on the role of executive director has truly been my dream job — a chance to collaborate with dedicated stakeholders to strengthen and celebrate the district we all love here on Coast Village Road. None of this would be possible without the trust and support of our Board, property owners, merchants, and community. Together, we bring the mission of the Coast Village Association to life.” – Beth Sullivan
Beth’s immense appreciation for the arts motivated her to introduce the annual Coast Village Art Walk. She takes inspiration from her roots in the arts when curating events that celebrate the creativity of the community. From playing the violin competitively and dancing in a ballet, jazz, and tap company, to studying piano and performing on stage, her early experiences gave her a profound appreciation for expression in all its forms. Beth’s career later expanded into the worlds of fashion, couture, and beauty, leading her across the globe where she embraced the richness of culture, design, and artistic craft.
Given last year’s Art Walk having been a roaring success and the numerous requests for a repeat, it is important to build upon this each year! The 2025 theme, ‘Beyond the Canvas,’ is a tribute to the idea that art lives everywhere: it is painting and photography, of course, but also performing arts, culinary creativity, fashion, jewelry designers, and healing arts. ‘Beyond the Canvas’ is no ordinary stroll; it’s a mosaic of talent, designed to reflect the vibrant and diverse passions of our community and celebrate the many mediums of art that transcend the bounds of the canvas.
Join us for our Annual Art Walk –‘Beyond
Thursday, July 17, 2025 | 4-7 pm
Beyond the Canvas is more than just an art walk; it is an extravaganza celebrating the many mediums of art. Art isn’t limited to the stroke of a brush or the frame of a canvas, and our event will showcase just that…
This unique evening celebrates not only fine artists and photographers but also performing artists, musicians, stylists, fashion and jewelry designers, and those creators whose work inspires and delights.
In addition, there will be special performances, mocktails, games & prizes, and a grand raffle item for all those who attend.
This is a curated evening where art transcends the boundaries of the canvas and captivates the creativity of our community. For more information and the lineup, visit CoastVillageRoad.com
SP. Why did you center this adventurous, romantic drama in Montecito and Santa Barbara?
JF. I’m glad this is in the Montecito Journal because I’m a huge fan of this publication, and the book highlights the incredible blessings of this community. And I wanted this novel to be an honoring of my extraordinary love, luck, and fortune that has been my life here. Showing the glorious grandeur of the place but focusing on the spiritual pursuit that’s always been the most important to me.
SP. You were a psychologist when I met you, but you’d been an astrologer since you were quite young. I remember when you decided to merge the two as a psychological astrologer. To me this book feels like the ultimate merging of astrology and psychology, because you show readers how planetary energies can manifest through romantic human drama rather than just “tell.”
JF. Very good perception that I hadn’t really thought of, but have been there all along, as my true loves in life are personal growth, and psychology, and then the mysticism and the spirituality of astrology. The whole book is a tribute to both disciplines, and I really did try to bring all of that together in an entertaining way.
SP. I noticed some familiar sounding people, places, and situations and I’m wondering: How much of this story was catharsis and how much was creation?
JF. Well, I can’t separate it out because this all took place under what I’d call the dark days of our country changing paradigms, let’s say. And I was writing this to keep my heart happy and to offer something more positive to the world. So just the act of creating something beautiful was my rebellion against the doom and despair that I was feeling. It was also such a good effort and discipline for the part of me that needs to keep learning and expanding my perspectives.
SP. Many authors have fictionalized their community and relationships. Has there been any blowback from writing about people in your life?
JF. Oh, that’s a great question, because this is a funny story. So as I’m writing the novel, every now and then I would share with my partner, Rendy, what I was thinking, and I would say to her, “I’m going to include people that have really taught me or influenced me, but I’m going to use their real names.” And she shouted at me, “You cannot do that!” And I said, “Why?” And she said, “That’s just a thing. You don’t do that.” So I said, “Well, I’m going to do it, and I’m going to ask the people for permission.” There was no blowback from anyone about being included as themselves. The only blowback was from my partner who tends to think that I do things unconventionally and sometimes that scares her.
so in it, I never really was objectively thinking about it. I didn’t let Rendy read it till the very end, but she felt very pleased with how her character viewed my character. She thought that was spotless.
SP. In the book you say that people often misunderstand and misuse astrology. What would you say to those of us who are still learning?
JF. Well, you are a perfect example of using it wisely, so you don’t need this advice. But now having done 40 years of reading people’s charts, many people are damaged very deeply by people reading the map of their soul by putting negative spells and limitations on them or predicting awful things. For me, astrology should only be used as a tool for understanding, compassion, acknowledgement, inspiration, and education. Astrology is at best a reminder of people’s divine possibilities instead of compressing people down into finite ideas.
SP. Right now I am thinking of an example of a horrible thing someone said to a person I care about.
JF. Because you’re in a vulnerable state when you see an astrologer and you petition somebody to see something about the map of your soul. That’s a very trusting thing. One of the worst things that was said to me when I was in my 20s was, “You’ll never have a committed relationship, and you won’t be able to go into higher education.” And that person was very serious and scholarly. But they were basing this on a very rudimentary and very inflexible interpretation of a chart. That is a misuse of astrology. The chart should be a portal to your strengths and even transcending the map of the chart, not remaining in any fixed state.
SP. But that difference is exactly what balances you two so well.
JF. Exactly. And one thing I want to say, because it’s been hilarious, that people keep coming to me saying, “Did you really go with that guy in Bali and did you really have this happen?” And I want to remind everyone, it is a love letter to Rendy, my partner, so that part is a true feeling in the book. Nothing is true, except that the teachers mentioned are the real teachers. But the actual story, well none of it’s true.
SP. The book made me appreciate the two of you and your relationship even more, although the way you got together in the book was much more drawn out than real life.
JF. That’s called a romance. You were part of our love story, which is a very private story. And this is a very fictionalized story that has the same amount of love in it. But I do include my favorite places we have traveled in the book.
SP. Throughout the book, your partner Rendy is describing your character, which reminded me of feminist author Gertrude Stein, whose Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, was truly innovative. Did that occur to you?
JF. No. But you’re a raving intuitive! You may or may not know that Gertrude Stein and I were born on the same day. I have always been fascinated by her and that relationship. Of course I read that book, but I didn’t at all think of that as I just was
SP. How much do you think about your own life astrologically on a day-to-day basis?
JF. I honestly think about the moon every day because the moon moves very quickly, so every two and a half days, the moon sign changes, and I think it’s a beautiful practice to just feel what the feeling of the moon is every day. I will always have my own chart in the back of my brain, and know the big transits I’m in. But I hardly ever think about it, unless something fabulous or terrible happens, then I’ll recheck the transits and say, what is this moment? But otherwise, I don’t actually dwell on this at all.
SP. Tell me about this quote from the book, “Love can make you brave.”
JF. I have done things for love that if somebody had asked me objectively, if I would ever be able to do, I would say no. So there’s something that can happen when love brings us beyond ourselves, when you care deeply for another. Real love in the heart can create extraordinary courage, from the French “coeur” which means heart. So I think it’s very important to remember to let love lead you, and let love take you beyond fear.
SP. Spoiler alert: I love how the blended family ends up melding together, yet everyone remains themselves. It’s sort of a unified melange of unique individuals.
JF. One can dream. That was definitely catharsis. So what you and the readers will see is what can happen when everyone does the work, and I’m passionate about anything that can be healed if people show up to be healed instead of to be right. That’s a big one to me. It’s like, we’ve all screwed up. And the Bible talks about this, too. Find me anyone that hasn’t done something that they regret. But in terms of divorces and blended families, everyone can do better. Everyone. So in this book, people do the work. And therefore, the resolution isn’t perfect, but people do feel close and connected. That has been one of the key hallmarks that I have appreciated about you for 30 plus years, is that you do the work. And that’s why you’re in my closest orb of besties because you do the work. I really want to be pretty much intentional about being around people, whatever their gender, who are committed to their own growth more than they’re committed to an ideology or a justification for bad behavior.
SP. Amen. If this was a movie, do you have any actors or directors in mind?
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JF. Yes actually, I would want Maya Hawke to play Jules, Cam would be a young Reese Witherspoon, and Montecito native Jason Reitman would direct.
SP. You have had such an illustrious career, written so many books, and helped a lot of people. What’s next for you?
JF. Well I’m shifting from nonfiction to fiction as a salve for my soul. Because reality for me right now is too hard. It just is. And so I need to create imaginative things that bring more love into the world. So literally what’s next is I’ve already started my next novel, and it’s called The Heartmender. It’s about a superhero who mends hearts instead of killing villains, but he starts off as a very wounded soul, a psychotherapist that can’t help a person. And I’m four chapters in, and it’s filling me with so much joy because it’s going to be another story about personal growth and evolution. It’s all about redemption, healing, and empathy, which are themes that I’ve always been committed to, but I feel are more necessary now than ever.
SP. What is powerful about that is you are imagining a world where love and healing are possible.
JF. I think it’s true, though I’m not at all grandiose in terms of my impact. What I’m really clear on is I need to keep my own energy positive, loving, and hopeful. I need to do things that contribute to a more optimistic picture of the world and that’s what romance novels are. My friend Jane Lynch gave me a great compliment when she said she liked my book because it’s so uncynical.
I want a world in which people can love each other and work through things, and it can be true, and I’ve experienced it as true. I have seen relationships in my life transform, worked through things, and in my former life as a therapist, I did meet heroes and heroines along the way who had the courage to do the deep work, and enhance their lives in doing so.
SP. What do you want people to know about the book before reading it?
JF. My biggest point is that we are not our body suits. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, and that if we focus much more on essence instead of image, we would all be a lot happier. Like, as an aging woman, I’m way more interested in my essence than my image, because the image isn’t always the one I like in the mirror.
I also want to thank Melissa Lowenstein, my copy editor, because I needed feedback to help me do something that I’ve never tried before. Writing a novel, I will now say, is a beast of a thing to do. And it was great for my mental acuity to try something new. I think that everyone has a story to tell, and it doesn’t matter if you have 10 readers or 200,000… Tell your story.
Please check out Jennifer’s workshop this Sunday, July 20, from 2-4 pm at Godmothers Books about living a fully expressed life through the astrological elements. Visit https://tinyurl.com/GodmothersJenniferFreed
Celeste is very gut oriented, she sees something and makes a move on it. I think about it, then think about it a little more, go consult the people I trust, and then come back to it before making a decision.”
That difference in style is a big part of why Billeci and Bush worked so well together, the new executive director said.
“We were very yin and yang. We balanced each other excellently. Frankly, I’m going to have to figure out how to backfill and replace myself.”
As far as what form the differences in the Bush administration might take and how they’ll show up in programming? Bush has a ready reply.
“People have been asking, what’s your vision? Right now my vision is to get fully staffed. And I don’t intend to change anything until we determine what is and what isn’t working, which means a listening tour.”
Indeed, time will tell just what those changes might look like (to the outside world anyway), not least because the already announced 202526 season, and even some dates into 2026-27, were booked while Billeci was still in charge.
There are a number of events Bush said she’s eagerly anticipating, naming at least one from each major category of A&L’s programming series.
In dance, that’s Compagnie Hervé KOUBI who will perform Sol Invictus at the Granada in January, a fusion of street dance and martial arts.
“It’s so gorgeous and exhilarating, and they do this cool thing where they spin on their heads, twisting into a
big piece of fabric,” she said. “It’s the most profound athleticism. It’s hard to explain, but you’re going to just leave with your jaw hanging open.”
In lectures, known at A&L as ‘Word of Mouth,’ Bush cautioned guests not to wait to secure tickets to Fareed Zakaria on October 16 or Ezra Klein on November 4.
“We live in a very weird and wild time politically, and Fareed and Ezra are two people who have their fingers on the pulse,” she said. “While they can’t solve our polarization, they can definitely ask the big questions and give us a chance to at least work through them in a collective way.”
Bush also pointed to author and performance artist Miranda July, who will be at Campbell in January, which has some personal resonance.
“As a woman of a certain age, her 2024 All Fours appeals to me because it’s about women in perimenopause and menopause, and thinking about … what does it mean to fit into a box and meet all the expectations and be the type of wife and mother that you’re supposed to be? And what if you don’t want to be that? I think it will really speak to women of all ages and very open-minded men.”
In music, jazz singer Samara Joy, who returns to the Granada in October, drew praise.
“She’s an absolutely captivating vocalist, the modern Sarah Vaughn,” Bush said. “It’s very entrancing. I can’t say enough positive things about how gorgeous her voice is.”
Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu to join in on the A&L fun
it’s somehow bringing up exactly what we need.”
What is this organized consciousness? Who’s to say? But as writer Joseph Campbell has said, “If you are on the right path, you will find that invisible hands are helping.” Lauren too believes that the universe conspires to help us.
This aspect of being connected to something larger than ourselves is very important to Lauren, especially when it comes to existential questions like climate change and the state of our world. It’s why she believes the practice of Tarotpy can be used for such things as eco-therapy and realigning ourselves with the natural world. If we feel we’re connected to everything, our actions will reflect that, benefiting the collective and the planet, not just the individual. Lauren shares her thoughts:
“We’re in a huge transition and people are very anxious. We’re dealing with climate change, socio-political upheaval, and a digital age that often makes us feel disconnected. That’s why people are so hungry to integrate these divination tools. Your whole generation, and the generation after you, are really hungry for divination. They’re bringing together divine and ordinary. They’re bringing together science and mysticism.”
She’s right. There’s been a growing interest in alternative practices and the unexplained phenomena that deviate from science and the rational, especially with younger people. TikTok has even influenced the rise of Tarot. And take, for example, podcasts like Otherworld, created and hosted by Jack Wagner. Starting in 2022, the podcast has exploded in popularity, with a listenership that now reaches hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners. It’s been featured in the LA Times and the Washington Post, the latter calling it the “This American Life” for Gen Z, due to its first-person narration of people retelling experiences that go beyond the explainable.
I reached out to Jack for why he thinks young people are gravitating to these sorts of things:
“I think in the last decade young people have grown up witnessing everything from the failure of our largest institutions, the shutdown of society during a pandemic, and several things that used to be ‘conspiracy theories’ being revealed to be true. Growing up and living through things like this make people more open minded… There might be more to our lives and the world than we currently understand.”
Internet culture writer Joshua Citarella also affirms Lauren’s thoughts, writing: “In the past, mankind would look to scientific tools to… know the world. Our relationship to these profoundly complex tools of knowledge… have become much more similar to divine consoltations with a medium or oracle. The process is unknowable and beyond our capacity for understanding.
Strangely, our trust in rationality has become an act of faith in itself. As official narratives disintegrate, our curiosity naturally flows toward the great unsolved questions of the human experience.”
That’s where someone like Lauren comes in, a professional who not only has an extensive background in psychotherapy, but who also has, for decades, been studying alternative practices that seek to enliven our consciousness. She hasn’t tapped into the zeitgeist, the zeitgeist has tapped into her. She’s become a conduit between both worlds, the scientific and the mystical, with a mission to bridge connection. And her hope is that, whether it’s through her book Tarotpy, or through personal consultations and sessions, she can help people who are searching for that connection and enrichment of the soul.
“Synchronicity is something that I think is incredibly healing because you’re in a moment where everything connects. It’s a glitch in the matrix that breaks through our illusion of separation in which dreaming and waking, ourselves and the world, psyche and matter, are one. In that moment we feel whole.”
Lauren shared a quote with me by the psychologist James Hillman: “True healing requires a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all things.” In such contentious, divided times like these, that quote rings truer than ever.
Thinking back on meeting Lauren, I can’t help but feel baffled and lucky that I randomly met this incredibly interesting, and highly accomplished woman while in line at the movies. It felt conspicuously on the nose. But some things just can’t be explained. Was the universe working in its mysterious way to help little insignificant me? It’s nice to think so.
Carl Sagan once wrote, “The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.” But, what if Sagan was wrong? What if it’s conspiring to help us? I don’t know. Just a thought.
Tarotpy: It’s All in the Cards can be purchased locally at Chaucer’s or online at Amazon. Learn more about Lauren Schneider and her practice at her website dreamsandtarotpy.com
“Top technology officers, students from programs like CATLab, and academic leaders will gather to discuss the role of technology in this new age of AI,” says Zak Landrum , director of customer relationship management and data services and the Center for Applied Technology Lab (CATLab), which hosts the event. “We’ll consider the ways AI can improve efficiency, sharing some examples of what we’ve been working on this summer, while contemplating the role of technology in student formation.”
The conference features a lineup of nationally recognized speakers, including Randy Bass, vice president for strategic education initiatives at Georgetown University and founding director of Red House; Julia Freeland Fisher, director of education research at the Clayton Christensen Institute; Lev Gonick, chief information officer of Arizona State University and leader of their strategic technology initiatives; and Matt DeJongh, Hope College computer science professor and amateur pianist.
Bass, a former English literature professor, has gained recognition for his work on innovation in higher education, particularly high-impact practices that enhance student learning beyond the classroom. Jeff Selingo’s Future U podcast has featured his forward-thinking initiatives.
Fisher will speak about the power of social capital and its transformative potential in education and career development. She’ll share the latest research describing how
social networks influence student success – especially in the evolving landscape of AI.
Gonick will discuss how ASU builds with AI and integrates it into the classroom as a core partner in learning. ASU’s pioneering approach includes becoming the first educational institution to sign a contract with OpenAI, underscoring its role at the forefront of AI in higher education.
DeJongh will demonstrate his AI software that can listen to a pianist and join in at just the right moment.
Several Hope College computer science students will join him and his colleagues, and they plan to connect with Westmont’s team for collaborative learning and discussion.
On both days, CATLab students will give presentations about their work this summer, illustrating amazing company partnerships.
Sponsors include FormAssembly, Tondro, Gerent, Education Trailblazers Association, ElevateActual, the Fletcher Jones Foundation and Westmont’s Center for Technology, Creativity and the Moral Imagination.
Fellow Montecito Wildland Fire Specialist Maeve Juarez calls Montecito a “fire-adapted community.”
“We have to just accept that [wildfires] are going to happen to us again in our community,” she said.
Together, Juarez and Elmquist visit about 100 properties annually to provide Defensible Space & Home Hardening inspections. They are on pace to exceed that number by the end of July, due to increased interest following the Los Angeles wildfires.
Despite being called an “inspection,” Juarez emphasizes that these property visits are not punitive and are meant to be helpful conversations.
After a site visit, property owners receive a comprehensive report pinpointing vulnerabilities and offering practical recommendations to remediate risks.
To schedule a visit, go to montecitofire. com or call 805-969-7762.
Montecito’s narrow, winding roads, combined with ongoing Highway 101 construction, pose challenges for evacuations.
Montecito Fire Division Chief of Operations Anthony Hudley urges residents to reevaluate evacuation routes regularly and always opt to leave early.
He says first responders proactively coordinate with Highway 101 project stakeholders and maintain a playbook of options to facilitate evacuations.
“When fire weather conditions are expected or occurring, we may modify or revise closures to ensure that we have efficient evacuations for our community,” Hudley said.
Montecito Fire has multiple 24/7 contacts for the Highway 101 project to facilitate modifications to construction closures in emergencies.
Montecito Water District General Manager Nick Turner says the short and long-term water supply is favorable, thanks to several wet winters.
Local district reservoirs hold 10 million gallons of water, ready to distribute at any time.
“When weather conditions include fire risk, these reservoir capacities are maximized,” Turner said.
MWD has access to additional water sources that effectively increase its capacity when needed. The Water District also maintains nearly 950 fire hydrants in Montecito.
When asked about water pressure during a wildfire, Turner said:
“Water and pressure will be available to support firefighting on a limited scale, so a structural fire,” he said.
“However, under certain conditions such as large-scale, fast-moving wildfire, demand can become overwhelmed and that can result in reduced pressure. It can eventually result in a loss of water, and this particularly could happen in the higher elevations of the district.”
Simultaneous water draws via hydrants, private sprinkler systems, garden hoses, and broken lines in burned structures all result in a depleted water system.
Turner recalled that during the 2008 Tea Fire, Montecito Fire escorted MWD crews to shut off broken lines at burned homes to help preserve water capacity.
MWD and Montecito Fire work together to model various emergency scenarios and make adjustments to ensure the water system is ready to respond.
Lt. Rich Brittingham of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office outlined the three protective actions used during emergencies: Shelter in Place, Evacuation Warning, and Evacuation Order.
Lt. Brittingham reminds residents that the Evacuation Warning period is the right time for people with mobility limitations, large animals, or other special circumstances to pack up and go.
Everyone else should use the warning phase to pack vehicles and prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.
“If at any time you feel unsafe, please leave,” Lt. Brittingham said. “Anytime you are feeling unsafe, even if it’s just a warning, please leave at that time. Don’t wait for the order.”
The County of Santa Barbara uses the ReadySBC Alerts system to inform residents of incidents and evacuations, along with other standardized backup notification methods.
Kelly Hubbard, Director of the Office of Emergency Management, says Montecito has one of the highest ReadySBC registration rates.
Still, she encourages residents to verify their contact information at readysbc.org for spelling and accuracy. Abbreviations such as E. Mtn. Dr. for East Mountain Drive, may prevent the alert from reaching you.
Montecito Fire Chief David Neels asks the community to take evacuation alerts seriously and leave early.
“Time is not on your side in a
Burglary / 2200 block Camino del Rosario
Monday, June 23, at 08:19 hours
An unknown subject was seen on security camera in the back of the residence. Deputies found where he entered the residence from the back French doors. The unknown suspect ripped off the alarm keypad once he was inside the house (probably thinking it would turn off the loud alarm). There was nothing that was obviously taken, and it did not appear that the suspect “tossed” the contents of the house. Deputies recovered some items for Forensics to process, and the neighborhood was searched, but the suspect was not located.
Encampment/Meth / UPRR tracks at Eucalyptus Lane
Wednesday, June 25, at 07:17 hours
Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) called to report a camp dangerously close to tracks. Subject was found sleeping within about five feet of the UPR tracks near Eucalyptus Lane. Subject was also found to be in possession of a dirty meth pipe and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Subject was arrested and booked in the South County Jail.
Public Intoxication / La Vuelta/N. Jameson Lane
Saturday, June 28, at 18:27 hours
Heavily intoxicated subject was stumbling down the roadway, and almost walked out into traffic multiple times. A County Parks ranger driving by witnessed and reported subject. Subject was also carrying two unopened cocktails. Subject was arrested and transported to SBJ.
Check Fraud / Coast Village Road
Monday, June 30, at 10:56 hours
The victim placed a check in the mailbox on Coast Village Road. An unknown suspect stole the victim’s check and cashed it. The value of the check cashed was about $10,580.
Domestic Disturbance/Warrants / 1100 block Camino Cielo
Friday, July 4, at 19:02 hours
Deputies responded to the report of a domestic disturbance in the 1100 block of Camino Cielo. Los Padres National Forest officers arrived on scene first and determined that a physical altercation had transpired between a male and female in a dating relationship. While the officers were speaking to the female victim, the male fled on foot up the side of the mountain. The female victim then fled the scene after stating to Los Padres National Forest officers that she needed to obtain help. Deputies arrived and apprehended the male suspect approximately a mile-and-a-half up the mountain from the initial call. Air support assisted with the apprehension by landing and physically assisting with the arrest of the suspect. An air and ground search of the area for the female was not successful, and at this writing there are several outstanding warrants for her arrest. The suspect was booked at SBCJ for 273.5 PC and 148 PC.
Meth / Padaro Lane at Santa Claus Lane
Saturday, July 5, at 02:28 hours
The vehicle was stopped due to a broken taillight. During the investigation, the driver admitted to being in possession of a meth pipe. The meth pipe was located, and the driver cited.
wind-driven fire,” said Neels. “Residents have often made the mistake of staying and trying to defend their properties ahead of an advancing fire. The wind velocity, heat front, and challenges of working in smoke and debris is nothing that you want to experience.”
Firefighters have protective equipment and training to operate in hazardous conditions and can recognize untenable conditions that require moving to safety.
“Please do not stay and require us to engage in your rescue. Evacuate when asked to do so.”
Watch the entire community meeting
on montecitofire.com. Please reach out to us anytime with your questions and requests for support preparing for wildfire.
Thomasine Richards, Judi Weisbart, Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey , Peter and Kathryn Martin, Robert Weinman, Dan and Meg Burnham, NancyBell Coe , and Bob and Val Montgomery
King Charles and Prince Harry’s senior aides held a secret peace summit in London at the weekend.
It’s the initial stage in an effort to restore the fractured relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family.
Harry is represented by Meredith Maines, his communications officer and head of his Montecito household, who flew in from Los Angeles.
She met with Tobyn Andreae, the King’s communications secretary, at the Royal Oversea League, a short distance from Clarence House, Charles’ London home on The Mall.
Also present was Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussex’s PR team in the U.K. Stay tuned…
Godmothers, the Summerland independent bookstore, and the Rosewood Miramar’s Manor Bar, have announced a new joint partnership in grounded shared values, thoughtful curation, meaningful connection, and love of the local community.
The collaboration brings together two local institutions deeply committed to storytelling and discovery.
Since opening in September 2024, Godmothers has become cultural
anchor in the region, offering dynamic programming from author talks to hands-on workshops.
The Manor Bar is known for its enfolding library setting and literary-themed menu, whose present iteration is Chronicles of Cocktails Volume IV: Literary Lands.
Together they introduce Godmothers Literary Society at the Manor Bar, a monthly speaker series designed to foster cultural exchange and connections. It is open to hotel guests and the larger community.
Old Spanish Days has chosen its latest Saint Barbara, a tradition dating back to 1926.
This year’s halo wearer is Julie Romero Hathaway, a three-year member of the Native Daughters of the Golden West Reina Del Mar Parlor No. 126, whose mother held the coveted title in 1946.
She is a graduate of Carpinteria High School.
She will be wearing a white gown, scarlet cape and golden crown carrying a palm frond and a golden chalice. She rides on a Fiesta parade float on her own.
The Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club holds its popular annual hat contest on the final Sunday of the month and for the 18th year I will be judging the torrent of tony tête toppers. Always a fun and creative occasion. See you there....
New Montecito resident Seinfeld creator Larry David and former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are teaming up for a new HBO TV show.
The unlikely team will be collaborating on a still-untitled sketch comedy for the network, which will explore American history.
The six-episode series will be written by David, 78, and his longtime Curb Your Enthusiasm partner Jeff Schaffer, who is set to direct.
“The President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion,” says David.
Hermès Birkin Bags are not the cheapest accessory for the wardrobe at $24,000 a pop.
But the late British actress Jane Birkin, after who the bag was named, would have been more than impressed when her personal Birkin went for $8.6 million at a Sotheby’s Paris, auction.
Birkin who died in 2023, was on an Air France flight with the designer for the fancy fashion chain in 1981 and between them they came up with the capacious bag.
Having confirmed to the New York Post’s Page Six they were separated, British actor Orlando Bloom and Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry were back together again on the multi-million-dollar mega yacht of Amazon tycoon Jeff
Bezos with their daughter Daisy Dove, sailing near Sardinia.
Katy, just back from an Australian concert tour, then flew to Paris to join Bezos’ wife, Lauren Sanchez, at the Balenciaga fashion show.
Cheers star Ted Danson on the other side of the bar at Lucky’s… Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Brad Falchuk with actor friend Edward Norton in Capri… New Montecito resident Jennifer Aniston in Mallorca with dashing beau Jim Curtis
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
by Steven Libowitz
Concerts in the Park – Like a seemingly promising romantic relationship that’s going great until you get ghosted, the annual concert series at Chase Palm Park is already coming to a close. Fortunately, there are still two shows in the perennially popular city-sponsored series, which brings pop and other genres to the lush setting of the Great Meadow – just across the street from the western end of glittering East Beach. The free, family-friendly summer tradition, now in its 25th year, is an efficient evening, with the headlining band performing a single 90-minute set that winds up before the sun goes down. July 17 brings The Academy, the professional cover band founded by Augustine and Jake DeTar of local DeTar Music Studios. The Academy plays a high energy set spanning a broad spectrum of rock styles. The series ends on July 24 with Soul Majestic, the veteran reggae-soul band that feels like sunshine on a cloudy day. As always, concertgoers are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and picnics (but no alcohol) to enjoy the evening of free music amid sea breezes under the late afternoon sun.
WHEN: 6-7:30 pm
WHERE: Chase Palm Park, 300 W. Cabrillo Blvd.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 564-5418 or www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/parksrec/ recreation/events/parkrec/concerts.asp
Songs at the Stow House – Summer evenings sound sweeter at the Music at the Ranch series at the Rancho La Patera & Stow House, smack in the heart of Goleta’s goodland. The community from surrounding ‘hoods and further on down the road gather every Tuesday evening (at least till the kids head back to school) to enjoy the acoustics and atmosphere in the grassy area beneath or adjacent to the shady trees. This week (July 22): Tony Ybarra, who had a scheduling conflict for last month’s Fiesta Ranchero, instead gets an even greater gig for his genre-spanning sets touched with a Latin flavor. Blankets, lawn chairs and picnics (responsible alcohol consumption allowed) are encouraged.
WHEN: 5:30-7:30 pm
WHERE: Rancho La Patera & Stow House, 304 N. Los Carneros Road, Goleta COST: free INFO: (805) 681-7216 or www.goletahistory.org/music-at-the-ranch/
Brad Betts Is Back – Locals in love with familiar al fresco locations captured on canvas can still catch Brad Betts’ Blue Skies, Shimmering Seas, a series of recent en plein air paintings featuring works encompassing a five-year retrospective of Santa Barbara paintings. The show traces the evolution of Betts’ style from early sundrenched harbor scenes to more expressive, light-filled interpretations of familiar landmarks such as Joe’s, the Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, and Butterfly Beach. Also on view are a dozen hand-pulled silkscreen posters by acclaimed artist Jake Early, each paired with a mini-documentary by filmmaker Isaac Hernández, narrated in both English and Spanish, that uncover the stories, architecture, and cultural heartbeat of these twelve iconic State Street locations.
WHEN: Ends July 20
WHERE: Art & Soul, 1323 State St.
COST: free
INFO: 805 724 2470 or https://artandsoulsb.com
Digital ‘Dog Days of Summer’ – UCSB Arts & Lectures’ annual series of free summer film screenings (outdoors and under the stars!) at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens this year features seven canine-centric movies – and in one of the more spectacular picnic-perfect venues in the heart of downtown. On tap for July 18: The Sandlot, the warmhearted comedy set in the early 1960s, in which the new kid in town strikes out with the neighborhood clique but becomes part of the crew of nine – they who confront the terrifying mystery beyond the left field fence. What ensues is a magical summer of first kisses, hilarious adventures, and encounters with the dreaded beast. Pre-screening specials include musical playlists curated by DJ Darla Bea and KCSB’s Ted Coe, connecting with Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society and Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (DAWG), and raffle prizes.
WHEN: 8:30 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens, 1100 Anacapa Street
COST: free
INFO: www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
JULY
California Wine Festival – The gargantuan two-day gathering to get into all things wine – the state’s largest annual wine fest that now serves four locations – has a new venue for the opening night’s more intimate Sunset & Rare Wine event. The romantic evening of sampling dozens of rarely poured and reserve wines begins with a champagne reception under the stars at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort’s Plaza del Sol, just two blocks east of its previous location in the carousel courtyard. The wines are matched with gourmet appetizers from top local chefs, artisan cheeses, fresh fruits, olive oils and more, while live music – from Adam Lasher, a 2016 American Idol finalist and Carlos Santana’s nephew – adds to the atmosphere and opportunity to dance under the stars. Tomorrow afternoon brings the main event – the Beachside Wine Festival at the oceanside grassy expanse just steps from the sand and two blocks from Stearns Wharf. CWF’s signature wine event takes place where the festival originated, drawing thousands of wine lovers to the sun-splashed location, where oenophiles mix with the merely epicurious to try literally hundreds of fine wines from scores of wineries – many of whom do not pour at any other local event. You can also expect regional craft brews, hard ciders, and more, along with a dizzying variety of foods, from olives, cheese and veggies to fully-prepared and tantalizing appetizers. The special BBQ contest features 10 local chef competitors tempting the tasters with their own take on tri-tip (if you’ll forgive the accidental alliteration). Upstream provides the soundtrack for the sampling, specializing in Caribbean music, including reggae, calypso, soca and steel drum, adding rhythm to your endeavor to enjoy to your heart’s (and stomach’s) content.
WHEN: 6:30-9 pm on Friday; 1-4 pm (VIPs 12-4 on Saturday)
WHERE: Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, 633 E Cabrillo Blvd. (Friday); Chase Palm Park Oceanside (Saturday)
COST: $95-$255
INFO: www.californiawinefestival.com/santa-barbara
SATURDAY, JULY 19
Viva La Boheme! – The annual pre-Fiesta fest is fast becoming one of the more popular and preferred parties in just its fifth year. Featuring and supporting the ever-present dance troupe who dress in glorious costumes suited to every occasion, the event boasts sizzling Big Joe’s tacos, paella cooked right before your eyes, melt-in-your-mouth churros made on the spot, and a full bar serving wine, beer and all sorts of mixed drinks. Entertainment comes not only from performances by La Boheme, but also Fiesta dancers, plus live music from Mezcal
THURSDAY, JULY 17
‘Deep Dive’ into the Dark – In the wake of Barbara Jansen Urbonas’ cancer diagnosis, she and best friend Jane Asher Reaney collaboratively wrote Deep Dive 365 Words as a sacred project. Reaney is a podcaster and former radio personality with Santa Barbara’s iconic rock station KTYD, Urbonas a retired speech and language pathologist. The idea was to commit to transforming pain into presence and fear into awareness by choosing – each day for a full year – a single word to guide their writing “like a lantern through darkness.” What emerged was not only a practice but a path to healing, a widening of consciousness, and an already strong bond deepened by the project. Reaney now lives in San Diego and Urbonas is still a local. Together they will talk about, share from, and sign copies of the work.
WHEN: 6 pm
WHERE: Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center COST: free
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com
Martini, DJ sets for endless beats, and a tribute to this year’s El Presidente, Fritz Olenberger, the beloved longtime local photographer who’s been documenting La Boheme’s dancers for more than a decade. It all happens outdoors under the skies and stars at the historic Santa Barbara Presidio, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit dance organization.
WHEN: 6-9:30 pm
WHERE: Presidio, 123 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $50
INFO: www.labohemedance.com/labohemeboutique/viva-la-boheme
Decades Dance Party – Let loose to music from the 1950s through today guided by Santa Barbara’s ubiquitous DJ Darla Bea on the well-protected floor of the downtown studio known as The Dance Hub. Guests are encouraged to don costumes from your favorite decade – or change up midstream if you have multiple loves – and enjoy fun contests and prizes, plus free wine, beer, light eats and sweets. To protect the dance floor, only socks, bare feet or jazz/ballet shoes are allowed in the studio. All proceeds benefit the Dance Hub, a not-for-profit program of American Dance and Music (AD&M).
WHEN: 7-9:30 pm
WHERE: The Dance Hub, 22 E. Victoria St. COST: $35 through July 16, $40 at the door INFO: (805) 450-7535 or https://adam-tdh.org
SUNDAY, JULY 20
Nate the Great Gets Back – Jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and composer Nate Birkey, the former longtime Santa Barbara resident who years ago moved to the jazz mecca of New York City, returns for his annual mid-summer visit to SOhO. He’ll be joined by his west coast quintet which features Santa Barbara stalwarts in saxophonist Tom Buckner and bassist Jim Connolly, along with L.A.-based pianist Jamieson Trotter and drummer Peter Buck Birkey, who was also a founding member of Spencer the Gardener, has released 10 albums for the Santa Barbara-based label Household Ink, which vary from originals to sensational covers of standards. Birkey has also written and recorded a lush score for a forthcoming film called For Every Lonely Soul
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: SOhO, 1221 State St.
COST: $15
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
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.
Glenn Novack, Owner 805-770-7715 www.missdaisy.org info@movingmissdaisy.com
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 Christa (805)450-8382 Email: theclearinghouseSB@cox.net Website: www.theclearinghouseSB.com
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
Montecito Electric Repairs and Inspections Licensed C10485353
805-969-1575
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
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AUTOMOBILES WANTED
We buy Classic Cars Running or not. Foreign/Domestic Chevy/Ford/Porsche/Mercedes/Etc. We come to you. Call Steven – 805-699-0684 Website – Avantiauto.group
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.
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
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
Casa L. M.
Landscape hedges installed. Ficus to flowering. Disease resistant. Great privacy. Certified rootstock assorted fruit trees. Licensed & insured. Call (805) 963-6909
WATERLILIES and LOTUS since 1992 WATERGARDEN CARE SBWGC
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304
Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
Openings now available for Children & Adults. Piano Lessons in our Studio or your Home. Call or Text Kary Kramer (805) 453-3481
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)
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Abalone (4pcs)
the Greek Salad with Feta
arugula, radicchio, belgian endive and sauteéd on
Sliced Steak Salad, 6 oz
arugula, radicchio, shrimp, prosciutto, cannellini beans,
romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, peppers, avocado, roquefort
shrimp, 2 oz. crab, avocado, egg, romaine, tomato, cucumber Charred Rare Tuna Nicoise
reggiano parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette
reservations
Mixed Vegetable
tortillas, melted cheese, avocado and warm
Huevos Rancheros, two eggs any
Corned Beef Hash & two
Petit Filet 7 �oz Steak, & two
with avocado
Home Made Spanish
Wild
toasted bialy or bagel, cream
Cambridge House Rope