Côte d’Azur Chic – Visit the other riviera for some Provençal indulgence – frolic your way through flower markets, azure seas, and rosé, P.19
Monarch of the Sky – Thousands of winged mischiefmakers surround a crowd… Is it Hitchcock or the Museum of Natural History’s acclaimed exhibit? P.22
Help this scout get his wings by retiring an old flag, page 12
and
is here,
Brown Kicking Ash
Looking back with Sheriff Brown at the not-so-quite ragtag crew that came together for the first Kick Ash Bash event, page 6
103 Years Young
Jean McDermott Ferguson was here for the 1925 earthquake, 1942 shelling of Ellwood Oil Fields, and more of our past, page 18
Semana Nautica – Bring your volleyballs, little wooden boats,
water polo gear… the nearly hundred-year-old event
P.29
photo by Emma Matthews
•Four new courts
•Instructors
•Monthly instructional clinics
MONTECITO FAMILY YMCA
591 Santa Rosa Lane Montecito, CA 93108
805.969.3288 • ciymca.org/montecito
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Your Westmont – David Brooks said Christian colleges can fix what ails America, and men’s basketball star earns top conference award Montecito Health Coach – Is it really… perfect? Maybe not… and that’s okay. Call it what it is…
Beings and Doings – Elvis was an Eisenhowerera extinction event: rock n’ roll vs. The Establishment. Sheriff Brown gratefully explains One805’s community-healing brokered truce.
Our Town’s Graduations – Lastly on the graduation circuit
18 My Life – Jean McDermott Ferguson reflects on over 100 years of Santa Barbara life
19 Petite Wine Traveler – Take a trip through the Côte d’Azur and be enchanted by the rolling hills of vines and sparkling waters surrounding them
20 Brilliant Thoughts – Huh? What did you say? Oh, it’s Ashleigh’s thoughts on the noises and sounds that bring us joy and pain…
22 Butterfly Life – These fluttering wings aren’t adding to chaos – they’re bringing color and beauty to the Museum of Natural History
23 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A rug’s worth is not in its value but how it ties the room together…
24 An Independent Mind – Could AI ultimately be dangerous to humans? Or is it a launching pad to a Utopian-like future?
25 Dear Montecito – When the universe sends you a sign, listen to it – especially if there’s not a long line
26 Community Voices – The second part of Jeff Giordano’s look at houselessness in Santa Barbara County
27
Robert’s Big Questions – What is the Deep State? What role does it serve in the U.S. government?
28 Foraging Thyme – Get a slice of summer with this mulberry crumble pie topped with pistachios and ice cream
29
Sport Life – Get your tiny boat out and get ready for some ocean water polo… the Semana Nautica festival is back
32 News Bytes – Wildfire Preparedness Meeting, Casa del Herrero Centennial Community Day, and other local happenings
36 Calendar of Events – A Sea of Ice in conversation, a Garden of Dreams on the wall, a Yachty by Nature performance in the museum, and other happenings
38
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
39 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles
Local Business Directory
This Week @ MAW Setting a New Rhythm with Akiho
by Steven Libowitz
The buzz of background conversations and tinkling of cups and silverware were the soundtrack when Andy Akiho picked up the phone last Friday at noon. Not surprisingly, the percussionist-composer was in a coffeehouse in Portland – where he lives when he’s not in New York – but he wasn’t just picking up a cup of joe for an early afternoon pick-me-up. He was hard at work on his latest piece of music, striving toward a deadline of putting notes to paper.
“I like writing in urban environments. I’m inspired by my immediate environment, and I’m always listening to the sound world all around everywhere I go,” Akiho said. “And I need all the distractions.”
Akiho will be hyper-focused when he arrives in town next week for his weeklong residency as one of this year’s Mosher Guest Artists for the Music Academy of the West’s summer festival, a visit where he’ll coach the percussion fellows and perform at three different concerts over the course of four days that cover a wide swath of his composing career in both years and style.
In many ways, the residency will trace his journey from a wanna-be rock drummer as a child who dabbled in drumline, jazz drumming, and, for a long time, Caribbean music, including years primarily playing steel pan, before turning his attention to composing. The July 2 Composers in Context concert – a new program from MAW – features earlier works in his canon, including three pieces that prominently feature steel pan along with selections from his Five Movements for Piano Trio, and, for context, pieces by Tōru Takemitsu and Matthew Aucoin
“I just fell in love with the sound and the energy of steel pan when I was at University of South Carolina,” Akiho recalled. “For a lot of my melodic harmonic music training, I started visualizing the patterns of the steel pan, and improvisations grew out of that. It became my vehicle for composition. I really like the potential for pan with Western classical instruments. The conversations are amazing, and it sounds great with a full orchestra. I still want to do as much as I can with it.”
Two of Akiho’s Composers concert works comes from his synesthesia suite, including one meant to conjure reggae icon Bob Marley (“It’s about seven minutes long and that’s how long it took me to write it – one of those fairytale versions of composing that happened at three in the morning when I got home from my job as a sushi chef,” Akiho shared), and the other inspired by the seven pitches of the African balafon, a precursor to the marimba, both surprisingly including harp.
Akiho’s In/Exchange, which pairs the composer on pan with the Prometheus String Quartet, is a “really intense piece with chopsticks on the steel pan and just a lot of motion, a lot of energy,” he said. “That’s where I was in my life at that time.”
For the following night at Percussion Fest, which leaps from Hahn Hall to the Granada Theatre this year, Akiho will provide three of nine pieces being played by the five percussion fellows, both percussion teaching artists and others, including
Week at MAW Page 294
Andy Akiho will bring a plethora of percussion this week (photo by Da Ping Luo)
Beings and Doings
Sheriff Brown’s Rock n’
by Jeff Wing
Since his election in 2007, Sheriff Bill Brown has been the chief law enforcement officer for Santa Barbara County. While “Santa Barbara County” may suggest to some the varied and gorgeous environs associated with the “Santa Barbara” brand – sandy beaches, the rolling hills of wine country, wildflowers, a puzzling Danish village with windmills – to law enforcement, “Santa Barbara County” has other connotations. Sheriff Bill Brown oversees jurisdiction of more than 2,700 square miles and a teeming population of about 443,000 people. No pressure.
“In September I’ll have been in law enforcement for 48 years,” Sheriff Brown says. “I’ve enjoyed every day. I still look forward to coming to work, and it’s something that I believe is a noble profession – protecting and serving people.”
Apart from inserting themselves between criminal jackasses and the commonweal, the sheriff’s office is also known as a linchpin of disaster response – a menu of unpleasantries that includes shootings, floods, wildfires, and an ever-changing
Roll Partners
panoply of other public threats. Fire is, of course, the default California emergency. As the Golden State gets drier and hotter, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has gained – through long experience – a definable expertise on that front, anymore coordinating seamlessly with other agencies when the area bursts into flame, as happens with increasing regularity.
“It flows quite naturally now in terms of setting up a joint command post with the fire department, figuring out what they want in terms of an attack, what they see in terms of evacuation needs. While they’re busy fighting the fire, we’re busy sorting out the evacuation.”
Kicking Ash
In December 2017, “off-season” California firestorms forced over 230,000 people to evacuate, destroyed more than 1,300 structures, and took 47 lives.
In the course of that explosive December, the once-forested mountains above Montecito were kiln-blasted and defoliated by the pitiless Thomas Fire, the baked and unanchored hills only awaiting a triggering event. When in the
wee hours of January 9, a torrential postfire rain came ashore, the soaked slopes separated from the Santa Ynez range and roared down through Montecito in a 15’ high, boulder-strewn cascade. Over 400 homes were damaged or destroyed and 23 lives were swept away in the horrific avalanche. In a strange instance of muted disasterspeak, the explosive catastrophe came to be called the “Debris Flow.”
The grotesque violence and scale of the tragedy truly tested the tensile strength of the emergency response, and of the individual emergency responders.
In the wake of the Thomas Fire/ Debris Flow double tragedy, the healing potential inherent in Montecito’s unique demographic came to the fore.
“One805 came out of an idea to put on this Kick Ash Bash after the Thomas
Fire and Debris Flow,” Sheriff Brown says. “These twin disasters were back-toback. Our people were thrashed by the fire, and then all of a sudden boom, we were thrust right into it again. We were drained. It was extremely touching that members of the community thought, ‘Hey, let’s throw a gigantic party for the first responders and their families – give them a little respite from all of this…’”
Andy Hardy’s Marshall Plan
Folks of a certain age may remember Mickey Rooney in the Andy Hardy movies, clapping his hands in revelation – “That’s it! We’ll put on a show!”
Perimeter
Strategically
Post
Responders arrive within
before it happens.
One805’s murmured call to action (photo by Mike Eliason)
Montecito Miscellany
Maple & Marisella
by Richard Mineards
To the Ritz-Carlton Bacara for a pre-opening bash for its new oceanside eatery Marisella, which replaces Angel Oak.
Chef and partner Danny Grant of Chicago’s Maple Hospitality Group calls the establishment, which opens this week, one that “creates dining experiences.”
The company also has restaurants in Miami, Florida, and Dallas, Texas.
Grant says his menu will offer local and seasonal seafood, handmade pasta, and wood-fired meats in the newly decorated Mediterranean-inspired nosheteria.
“This truly is a dream come true,” he says of the venture.
Among the 200 guests were travel writer Bill and Barbara Tomicki, winemaker Doug Margerum, and Santa Barbara Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez
Flipping Through the Private Stash
Lee Stanton’s Upper Village antiques emporium, Private Stash, a tiara’s toss from Maison K, was jamming with bibliophiles for the launch of a new
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Miscellany Page 304
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Welcome to Marisella… Bacara’s newest restaurant (photo by Priscilla)
How about a tune with that tuna? (photo by Priscilla)
Danny Grant with the Marisella kitchen crew (photo by Priscilla)
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Butterfly Beach oil on canvas 24x36
In Passing Joanne Cooper Holderman:
July 1, 1935 – May 27, 2025
Joanne Cooper Holderman passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 27, at the age of 89 in Santa Barbara, California, after a brief illness. She was surrounded by her loving children, Caroline Calvin and William Holderman.
Born on July 1, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, Joanne was the first of three daughters of Margaret and Dr. John Cooper. She grew up in Butler, Missouri, and attended the University of Missouri, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She graduated in 1953 with a B.A. Joanne married Dr. Henry Lee Holderman in 1957 while he was in medical school. After his graduation in 1958, they traveled the country during his service as a Navy flight surgeon. In 1963, following his discharge, they settled in Santa Barbara, where Henry joined the medical practice of Joanne’s father. It was in Santa Barbara that Joanne began a lifetime of passionate philanthropy and community engagement, becoming a transformative force in the city’s cultural and civic life. A devoted mother, grandmother, sister, mother-inlaw, and friend, Joanne was a visionary arts advocate – widely recognized as an “arts activist” long before the term became commonplace.
A masterful fundraiser and inspiring leader, Joanne had a rare ability to bring creative ideas to life and rally others around the belief that the arts matter. Her efforts helped shape many of Santa Barbara’s most enduring cultural institutions.
In 1977, Joanne became the first Chair of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Under her leadership, the Commission evolved from a no-budget advisory panel to a nationally recognized
regranting agency with major partnerships across public and private sectors.
In 1983, Joanne and her longtime friend and fellow arts advocate Shirley Dettmann co-founded the Santa Barbara Arts Fund. Over the next 35 years, she served as President and Vice President, leading the development of programs such as the Individual Artist Awards, the Arts Mentorship Program for teens, the East Side/West Side poetry and photography project for middle school students, and arts education initiatives in elementary schools. She also helped spearhead rural regranting efforts with the Irvine Foundation, the El Zoco affordable artist housing project in collaboration with the City of Santa Barbara, and the founding of The Arts Fund Gallery, which continues to thrive today.
Joanne also served as First Vice President of the Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) contributing to
major community events including CAMA’s 80th anniversary celebration. She leveraged her extensive civic network to support and promote the performing arts.
Her dedication to educational equity was reflected in her leadership of the H.E.L.P. (Holderman Endowment for La Patera) initiative where she served as Honorary Chair and Steering Committee Member. The program established an endowment to support enrichment in the arts, science, and technology for the diverse student population at La Patera Elementary School in Goleta.
Joanne also served as President of the Junior League of Santa Barbara, was a member of P.E.O., and held leadership roles on the UCSB Chancellor’s Council, the California Confederation of the Arts, and the Board of Directors of the Music Academy of the West. She was a longtime supporter of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and a founding member of its Photo Futures group, which supports photographic exhibitions and acquisitions.
In 2002, Joanne received the Arts Fund Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her extraordinary dedication to the arts in Santa Barbara County.
Her impact continues to be felt throughout Santa Barbara’s cultural and educational landscape. Her legacy lives on in the institutions she helped build, the students and artists she empowered, and the generations of civic leaders she inspired through her unwavering generosity and belief in the transformative power of the arts.
At home, Joanne expressed her love for the arts through her personal collection, with works by Hank Pitcher, Channing Peake, Phoebe Brunner, Jack Baker, and many more. A world traveler, she filled her home with art from cultures around the globe. Her rose garden, which she lovingly referred to as her “third child,” was another of her lifelong passions.
Joanne is survived by her children, Caroline Calvin and William Holderman , MD; son-in-law Peter
Montecito Tide Guide
July 3
July 4
Calvin; daughter-in-law Lisa FrankeHolderman; and beloved grandchildren Grace and Lauren Holderman. She is also survived by her sisters, Gayle Quisenberry of Houston, Texas, and Tricia Niederauer of Los Gatos, California, as well as a wide circle of friends, collaborators, and community members who will continue to carry forward her values and vision.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to Joanne’s devoted friend and care companion, June Ferguson, and the dedicated staff of Oak Cottage Memory Care Home and Cliff View Terrace Assisted Living.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joanne’s memory to The Arts Fund: artsfundsb.org/support Or mail a check payable to: The Arts Fund P.O. Box 333 Santa Barbara, CA 93102
A celebration of Joanne’s life and legacy will be announced at a later date.
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing
Gossip | Richard Mineards
History | Hattie Beresford
Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri
Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli
Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook
Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
Published by:
Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC
Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of
How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206
CRIME IN THE ‘CITO Sheriff’s
Blotter 93108
Stolen Check / 1470 East Valley Road
Monday, June 2, at 10:14 hours
Victim placed a card with a check for $200.00 in the Montecito Post Office mailbox. Victim learned the card wasn’t delivered to her sister, instead someone altered the check, and it was cashed for $2,000.00.
Family Disturbance / 1700 block Jelinda Drive
Thursday, June 6, at 15:49 hours
Deputies responded to a family disturbance with a juvenile.
DUI / Hwy 101 / Santa Claus Lane
Saturday, June 7, at 00:24 hours
Senior Deputy Brady was driving S/B on the 101 and observed a vehicle swerving in front of him. A traffic stop was initiated, and the driver initially failed to immediately yield, but finally did so on the Santa Claus offramp. Subject was found to be DUI. Subject provided a breath sample, 0.10% BAC. Subject was arrested, booked into SBCJ, vehicle was towed.
Meth/Burglary / 1085 Coast Village Road
Tuesday, June 10, at 00:31 hours
An unattended running vehicle was discovered parked in the disabled only parking stall at the gas station. The Registered Owner (RO) came out of the store and became immediately nervous. The RO attempted to get into the vehicle via the driver’s door, but the officer blocked the door. After giving a CA ID, subject walked to the passenger side of the vehicle and refused to follow orders. Subject then fled on foot W/B on Coast Village towards the roundabout. Since the only violation was 148, PC subject was not pursued. Dispatch then advised the subject had several No Bail warrants for their arrest from SB and VC. A loaded semi-auto Beretta was located on the driver’s seat floorboard, a meth bong w/ usable amount, misc. car keys and several burglary tools were located in the vehicle. The area was searched, but the suspect was not located. His vehicle was towed per 22652(a) VC.
Domestic Violence / 1000 block Monte Cristo Lane
Wednesday, June 11, at 08:41 hours
Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival the victim was found cowering under a mattress and in such a state of shock they could barely speak and had to motion out what had happened to them. Victim eventually was able to articulate that they had been threatened with a knife and beaten and slashed. They also advised that they had been strangled. Suspect was located nearby and arrested for 273.5 PC, 422 PC, 245(a)(1) PC, 245(a)(4) PC and 11377 HS. EPO and 1275.1 (bail increase hold) granted and served.
Prowler / 300 block Calle Hermosillo
Friday, June 13, at 07:20 hours
Prowler observed on residence at about 04:27 hours. Footage obtained.
Deputies were called to the “Inn on Summer Hill” by the 12-year-old victim who reported that their mother is a habitual drunk who incessantly verbally abuses themself and their 5-year-old sibling, and periodically hits them on the side of the head. The three were visiting California from out of state and were staying in this hotel. The suspect became intoxicated and threatened to kill the victim, several times, if victim didn’t retrieve something from their rental car that wasn’t in there. The victim, not knowing what else to do, called 911 for help. An attempt was made to interview the suspect, but they were intoxicated and demanded an attorney. Subject was booked for criminal threats and felony child endangerment. CWS responded and took custody of the children. CWS arranged to fly the children to their grandparents’ home. An EPO was authorized identifying the grandparents as having temporary custody of the children.
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Our Town Life Scout Leo Brownstein’s Eagle Scout U.S. Flag Project
by Joanne A Calitri
Montecito Scout Troop 33’s Life Scout Leo Brownstein, a high school senior, is doing a community project as one of the many steps required towards his earning the prestigious Eagle Scout status. According to the Boy Scouts of America, Long Beach Council, “Nationally, 6.49% of all Boy Scouts earn the Eagle Scout rank, and since 1912 more than 2,485,473 have earned it.”
Brownstein reached out to the Montecito Association (MA) and to the Montecito Journal to establish community support needed to complete his project, which involves informing the community of the proper way to retire a U.S. flag that is old, torn, or worn out; setup a flag collection station for flags to be retired; and to lend support to the local American Legion Post 49, Santa Barbara.
I met with Brownstein and Nathan Camp, Assistant Scout Master, Scout Troop 33, Montecito, to do an info interview with photos for our readers about the Eagle Scout Award, Brownstein’s project towards that, and how we can help.
Brownstein explained, “Torn or tattered U.S. flags should not be flown and need to be disposed of properly through burning in a dignified manner or safe destruction for nylon flags. In addition, flags should never touch the ground or be displayed with the union [the stars] upside down. Troop 33 will be in the MA Village 4th Parade and have a booth set up at Lower Manning Park to provide info about the troop, U.S. flag retirement, and collect flags. There is also a collection box at the Montecito
scouts with the American Legion, which definitely contributed to my readiness to do the project for them. I have already completed part of my project for them, which was presenting about flag retirement during their event on Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day. They’re really a wonderful group of people who want to do what they can for the community and our veterans. I’ve met tons of great people in my time volunteering for them, all with different backgrounds and stories. I’ve been able to connect a lot of what I’ve learned from these guys to what I’ve learned in scouting, from parts of the Scout Oath and Law, and in everyday life.
Additional questions I had for
How did you decide your Eagle Scout project to be on behalf of SB American
I decided to do my Eagle Project on behalf of the American Legion Post 49 and the U.S. flag to expose the community to the amazing work of-
ing. American Legion Post 49 is also our charter for Troop 33 in Montecito, which is how I initially learned about them. I ended up doing much of my community service for both school and
What do you need from the local community to support your project, and what is your plan outline to achieve it?
The community can support our American Legion Post by making a donation directly to them or drop off any old flags that need to be retired. I will have flag collection boxes for my Eagle Project set up in the Montecito Community Hall, in addition to collecting flags at a table during the 4th of July parade in Montecito. Finally, our troop meets at the Scout house in Upper Manning Park on Sundays at 4 pm and can connect you to the American Legion and other resources in our community.
Our Town Page 274
Assistant Scout Master Nathan Camp and Life Scout Leo Brownstein of SB Troop 33 (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Our Town’s Graduations
Crane Country Day School
by Joanne A Calitri
Crane Country Day School’s graduation – “Go Coyotes!” – ceremony was held on Wednesday, June 11. It was also the 25th anniversary of Joel Weiss as Head of Crane Country Day School.
In covering the graduation ceremony annually, I meet up with the school photographer to do the traditional pre-ceremony formal photograph of the graduates in the interior courtyard. This year I had the opportunity to meet with Weiss at this photo session and asked him if he would sit in with the grads for my photo. I am delighted to say he agreed! Weiss sitting in the front row center with the students was a special moment for them as well.
The graduation program commenced with Weiss taking his place at the podium, while the grads processed in to “Pomp and Circumstance” and took their place on the steps behind him.
Weiss began, “This is my 25th year as Head of Crane Country Day School. The 12-acre campus is on Chumash Native American Land which we acknowledge, study, and appreciate. Please look around at all this nature around us, these magnificent trees and mountains. As many of you have traveled far to come to this ceremony, let us take a deep breath to relax and de-stress.” He then led the guests and grads to take a few deep breaths and smile. Weiss continued, “The Class of 2025 is an exceptionally strong group of students who have accomplished so much during their time at Crane Country Day School. These are capable, smart, talented young adults, ready to enter this next chapter in high school and beyond. As we celebrate their graduation from Crane and wish them well in their next adventure, I look forward to seeing all that they achieve in the months and years to come, and the positive impact they make on our world.” He thanked the parents for their partnership with Crane as part of their children’s education. With that, Weiss directed the students to sit with their parents.
He presented the awards as follows:
Rose Bowl Award: Dylan Brews
Tower Achievement Award: Adelaide Rush Root
Talia S. Klein Award: Lauren Kenny and Levi Murdy
Headmaster Award: Elle Harris
Next, each graduate was called up to the podium where vignettes about them were read by one of their teachers:
Adam Yates, Alexa Hughes, Alexis Fischer, Andrea Elias, Elizabeth Teare, Emma Goldin (Teaching Fellow), Gretel Huglin-Ridge, Izabela Santos, John Pagano, Jonthan Mitchell, Kate Tannous, Kathryn Gray, Konrad Kono, Louis Caron, Matt DeGroot, Sarah Lopez, Shana Arthurs, Sophie Rasura (Teaching Fellow), Terri Willis, and Traci Cope.
After each vignette was read, Weiss presented the student with their diploma. The ceremony concluded with Weiss officially declaring the class as graduated. The Crane Country Day School 2025 eighth grade graduates are:
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The Crane Country Day School 2025 grads pre-ceremony formal photo, this year for the first time with Head of School Joel Weiss seated front center (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
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Ballet Festival: Jerome Robbins
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Your Westmont Brooks Praises Ethos of Christian Colleges
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
New York Times columnist David Brooks, citing rising mental health issues, social distrust, and loneliness, examined the moral decline in America and suggested that Christian colleges can contribute to the “re-moralization” of American life. He delivered the keynote talk, “How Christian Colleges Can Fix What Ails America,” at the 11th annual LEAD Where Your Stand conference June 5 in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center.
“Our moral life is in tatters,” he said. “I think you can see that from the spiritual and relational problem facing America.”
Brooks examined the failure of the Enlightenment in the 18th century, the privatization of morality that followed, and then higher education’s shift in the 19th century from social ideals to intelligence.
“We’ve created a system that prioritizes intelligence and doesn’t teach or cultivate the whole student, their heart and soul,” he said. “It’s way more important to be a good person than to be smart.”
He said the problem centers around the belief that society can divide and
sort people based on the SAT test they took when they were 18. “That’s a weird way to organize your society,” he said. “It’s easy to give people a test and measure them, but it doesn’t measure the things that really matter. When I look at Christian colleges like Westmont, I think you have what society wants.”
Westmont Page 264
Montecito Health Coach
The Perfekt Cupcake: Have We Redefined the Meaning of Perfection?
by Deann Zampelli
Afew years ago, I started noticing that people, specifically those under the age of 35, were frequently and erroneously using the word “perfect.” I shared this with friends who later cursed me because they, too, started noticing the same phenomenon. And trust me, once you notice, there is no going back. The genie will not go back into the bottle.
“How would you like to pay?” the girl at Starbucks asked, “Cash,” I replied. “Perfect,” she annoyingly and
absentmindedly answered.
Really? Why is paying with cash perfect? Were you low on cash and were sitting there longing for someone to hand you a fiver? Has it been simply ages since you held a somewhat elusive and crisp $10 bill?
“Do you have a reservation?” The hostess at Ca’Dario asked. “No,” my husband responded. “Perfect,” she replied. Seriously. She did. Why is that perfect? Because if we had a reservation, it would just be one more monotonous moment after the next and now
Health Coach Page 244
David Brooks extolled the benefits of a Christian college education
These imperfect cupcakes taste just as good (photo by Brooke Lark via Unsplash)
THE EARTHQUAKE THAT BUILT A CITY
My Life Santa Barbara Both Past and Present
by Jean McDermott Ferguson
My story starts when I was born at Santa Barbara’s St. Francis Hospital in 1922. I spent my childhood on the Campbell Ranch which is now part of UCSB’s Education campus and was the site for Devereaux School. In fact, I sprained my ankle jumping down from a loft of the Red Barn on the Campbell Ranch. That Ranch was spectacular, and they had many visiting guests. Col. and Mrs. Campbell were such kind people.
I was in the first class to attend Goleta Union School and went there until about eight years old or so when my family moved into the city of Santa Barbara, and I went to Dolores School. I have such sweet memories of my youth, including camping in Refugio Canyon, attending barn dances in Santa Ynez, and participating in Fiesta celebrations. I even remember my father carrying me out to a field during the great 1925 Earthquake. We stayed in a tent for weeks while our home was being repaired.
I attended Catholic Girls High School and after high school graduation, continued on to Santa Barbara Business College for about a year. Later I worked at the El Paseo Restaurant and eventually worked for the Pacific Telephone Company.
Hoff Heights temporary housing. Later we were able to buy a cute house off of Cheltenham Road, not too far from the Mission, which I feel is one of Santa Barbara’s most beautiful landmarks.
SUNDAY JUNE 29
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
I even remember my father carrying me out to a field during the great 1925 Earthquake. We stayed in a tent for weeks while our home was being repaired.
In 1941, WWII was declared and I remember the 1942 shelling at Elwood Oil Field by a Japanese submarine. It scared everyone so much. I remember coming out of the theater and rumors about the attack were flying. Of course, everything was greatly exaggerated but I went right home from the movie.
I met my husband Jack during the WWII years; he was a young lieutenant stationed at Lompoc. The soldiers would come to Santa Barbara on leave. After the war, he returned to Santa Barbara but there was a serious housing shortage so we lived with my parents for a time. We eventually got our own place in
My husband Jack was recalled into the military during the Korean War; we left Santa Barbara and did not return until 1968. During those 18 years that he was in the Army, we traveled the country and the world, living in France, Germany, Louisiana, Indianapolis, Seattle, and several other places. We had six children (Marty, Terry, Tish, Deborah, Michael, and Stephanie). Sadly, I have outlived my husband and two of our daughters.
I loved my travels with Jack and our six children, but always wanted to return home to Santa Barbara – I told Jack it did not matter even if I had to live in a shack on the beach! When we finally returned home to Santa Barbara, I saw so much change and growth. Many years ago, it was much like any small town, but now it is so busy.
We lived on Camelia Lane and later on Grove Lane, not far from Wood Glen Senior Living where I have now lived for over 10 years. I was active in San Roque parish, Catholic Daughters, and served as a docent at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club. I drove past Wood Glen often; it has always been a beautiful place. I love living at Wood Glen and appreciate the wonderful staff who are so caring and helpful. It was wonderful celebrating my 103rd birthday here with family and friends!
Jean McDermott Ferguson enjoying a cup of life
Petite Wine Traveler
Côte d’Azur Chic: Wine, Sun & Elegance in 72 Hours
by Jamie Knee
Warm Mediterranean breezes carry the promise of relaxed elegance as they dance across sun-drenched skin, mingling with the scent of blooming bougainvillea and lavender. Imagine stepping onto a pristine white-sand beach, the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Côte d’Azur lapping at your feet. Elegant French locals stroll by with effortless style, their laughter a soundtrack to a day filled with leisurely café apéritifs and that ineffable joie de vivre. In this guide to Riviera luxury, you’ll discover how to capture three perfect days of coastal charm, vineyard-soaked afternoons, and Provençal indulgence.
Day 1: Arrival in Nice –Markets, Monasteries & Mediterranean Muse
Landing at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, it’s a short 20-minute train ride to the heart of Vieux Nice. Picture cobbled lanes lined with bougainvillea, cafés spilling onto sidewalks, and the gentle hum of the Promenade des Anglais.
Start your morning at Cours Saleya, the fragrant flower and produce market. Lavender-scented bouquets mingle with sun-bright peppers and chèvre – an olfactory welcome to French Provence. Later, wander the pebble shore at Beau Rivage, or opt for seaside indulgence with a lounger at Castel Plage.
A gentle uphill stroll brings you to the Franciscan Monastery of Cimiez, a peaceful retreat nestled among olive groves that have shaded this hill since medieval times. Beneath century-old silvery branches, you pause to admire the intricate cloisters, then step into the monastery garden, an oasis framed by citrus trees and shaded pergolas. From this terrace, the azure sweep of Nice unfolds below, the Mediterranean shimmering in the distance.
As dusk descends, treat yourself to dinner at Le Plongeoir, built on stilts above the sea. With a perfectly chilled rosé, perhaps Château Minuty, in your hand and the salt breeze brushing your face, time pauses in pure Riviera perfection.
Day 2: Antibes –Belle Époque Chic & Coastal Radiance
Next, wander through Antibes’ Old Town, where pastel façades and charming artisan doorways beckon every step. Then, make your way to the Musée National Marc Chagall in Nice. Inside, you’ll find room-sized, pastel-hued canvases illustrating biblical themes, their vibrant colors leaping off the walls like living dreams. Chagall’s sweeping murals feel both intimate and transcendent, a vivid expression of emotion and spirituality conveyed across gigantic illustrations.
Day 3: Monaco – Glitz, Gardens & Grandeur
Monaco’s Belle Époque grandeur greets you after a 25-minute ride. Step into the Monte-Carlo Casino, with marble halls and glittering chandeliers that echo of old Hollywood glamour, then take a seat at the legendary Café de Paris Monte-Carlo for lunch, where sparkling rosé and terrace elegance feel like an indulgent vow to your senses.
Amble through the cliffside Jardins St. Martin, explore the Oceanographic Museum, or browse luxury boutiques at One Monte-Carlo. As evening approaches, sip rosé at a scenic rooftop bar, sea shimmering into the sunset.
Provence’s Vineyards
Nestled between Antibes and Monaco lies Provence, France’s wine country, where sun-baked vines and lavender fields create a sensory canvas. Vine rows of grenache, mourvèdre, cinsault, and syrah stretch into quaint hillside villages, while the scent of lavender carries on gentle mistral breezes over the famed Valensole Plateau, where endless swaths of violet bloom from June through July. Provence offers sweeping vineyard vistas and family-owned tasting rooms. One sip of Côtes de Provence rosé brings that warm, sun-kissed nostalgia of a Santa Barbara summer, only draped now in violet lavender and European sunshine.
After a day spent exploring the sun-swept vineyards and lavender-scented hills of Provence, return to Nice in the evening to celebrate your discoveries with a glass of wine and charming vibes:
Evening Unwind: Wine Bars in Nice
A short train trip brings you to Antibes, a town that feels like an artful blend of yachts, ramparts, and gallery-adorned streets.
For lunch, I recommend the famed Hôtel Belles Rives, an Art Deco jewel perched right at the water’s edge in Cap d’Antibes. Picture yourself seated on the sunlit terrace, a glass of sparkling rosé in hand, as the salty Mediterranean breeze whispers against your skin. Your waiter presents a beautifully composed plate of seared turbot resting atop silky lemon risotto, its bright, delicate flavors perfectly echoing the sea and sky. The view? A shimmering expanse of crystalline blue waters stretching to the Esterel mountains.
Reconnect with the Riviera’s warm evening energy at three of Nice’s most inviting wine bars:
- La Part des Anges – Step into a cozy wine haven offering over 300 organic and biodynamic labels. Whether you’re choosing something bold or delicate, their impeccably curated selection ensures every pour reflects the terroir you explored earlier in the day.
- Pompette – Just steps from Place Garibaldi, this intimate spot blends stylish ambiance with a focus on natural wines and small plates. It’s the perfect place to unwind with a glass of biodynamic rosé while reminiscing about Provençal vineyard trails.
- Le Canon – A tucked-away gem praised by the Michelin guide, offering a short but thoughtfully designed menu paired with a stellar natural wine list. It’s the ideal setting to savor crisp coastal whites or silky reds after a day among the vines.
Three days along the Côte d’Azur – from coastal markets and charming Provençal vineyards to intimate wine tastings in Nice – invite you to embrace the essence of la vie en rosé. Whether you’re sipping in a sunlit vineyard or lingering over a glass at dusk, every moment celebrates warmth, elegance, and joy.
The flower market at Cours Saleya
Take a dip on the Côte d’Azur
Looking over the French Riviera
Le Plongeoir
Brilliant Thoughts
Joys of Noise
by Ashleigh Brilliant
For much of my life, I have been battling against noise. The most notorious episode was my crusade against what are still called “Leaf-blowers.” For several months, I was the leader of a local campaign to get enough signatures on a petition to have a ban on those outrageously noisy machines, which are more accurately described as dirt-blowers, placed on the City ballot. In the end we were successful – but the ban, which became part of City Law, referred only to the noisier gas-powered machines, leaving the electrically-operated ones, still bothersome, but not quite as noisy, still legal.
But the Hebrew Bible (aka the Old Testament) especially the Psalms, are full of references concerning, expressions of, and exhortations invoking “joyful noise,” which usually meant making music as celebration, or as expressing praise to God.
But there was at least one episode in which the sounds were not joyful, but extremely hostile.
That came with the celebrated siege of the fortified City of Jericho – the first major
military engagement after the Israelites had successfully emerged from their enslavement in Egypt, and (after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness), embarked on their conquest of the neighboring supposedly Promised Land of Canaan. The Biblical account is very specific as to the campaign they waged, under their leader Joshua against the first major military obstacle they encountered after crossing over the River Jordan. Jericho was a heavily fortified City, with a series of walls, behind which the inhabitants might, in those pre-gunpowder days, feel reasonably secure.
We might attribute to what happened next the distinction of being the first recorded use of noise as a weapon, or as an instrument of destruction. There is a detailed description in the Book of Joshua, in which Joshua plays the same type of role which Moses played a little earlier, as a sort of intermediary between God and his People, relaying specific instructions involving what seems to have been the magic number of Seven, with everybody going all around the walls seven times, for seven days.
But here is where the noise comes in, because there is to be much blowing of trumpets (which were probably made of
rams’ horns – as are, to this day, still sounded in certain synagogue services).
Then, on the seventh day, in addition to the horn-blowing, all the people are supposed to “shout.” And we are asked to believe that, at that point, the walls came tumbling down.
And it is certainly a fact that even a barrage of loud voices can strike fear, and possibly panic, into one’s opponents. One feature of our own Civil War was used by the Confederates of the so-called “Rebel Yell.” And where would we be today, at football games, without “Cheer-Leaders,” to generate noisy support of their team?
So, the message in Japanese was changed to say “I cease resistance” – and apparently, this was much more effective.
The British comedy team “Monty Python” concocted a sketch based on the idea that a joke can be so funny that it immobilizes anybody who hears it, by convulsing them with laughter. The Army immediately sees its military possibilities by weaponizing the joke, although some scientists engaged in the process become useless through laughing at the work. And when an attempt is made to use it against the Germans, there are frustrating problems in translation.
In World War II, Japanese troops were notorious for refusing to surrender, even though they were bombarded with “Permission to Surrender” leaflets printed in both Japanese and English. Experts in “Psychological Warfare” who were brought in, advised that the word “surrender” in Japanese was dishonorable.
The only time Officers of the Law were ever called on me involved one of those very noisy carpet-cleaning vehicles. The cleaning is done quietly indoors, but the vehicle emits an atrocious blast of sound. When one was being used right next to my house, I found it unbearable, and had the temerity to silence it by going out, finding the key which turned it off and removing it. I was seen, and two armed Officers appeared at my door. Hospitably I invited them in. I knew I had “The Right to Remain Silent.” But they knew I had the key, and demanded that I return it. I complied, and they left, without ever having to use their guns. But I can claim a moral victory – because that vehicle, as far as I know, was never seen or heard in my neighborhood again.
Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016.
Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.
5 events | Save 20%
I’m With Her
Sarah Jarosz • Aoife O’Donovan • Sara Watkins Fri, Oct 3 / 8 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall (limited availability)
Noam Pikelny and Friends Sat, Oct 18 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Blind Boys of Alabama with special guest Cory Henry Sat, Oct 25 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Molly Tuttle
The Highway Knows Tour Sun, Dec 7 / 7 PM / Arlington Theatre
Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen
Cha Wa
Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler Thu, Feb 26 / 8 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Butterfly Life Museum of Natural History’s Stunning Exhibit Returns
by Tiana Molony
If you’ve ever visited the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Butterflies Alive! exhibit at the Sprague Butterfly Pavilion, it won’t come as a surprise that USA Today ranked it among the top three butterfly exhibits in the nation. Walking through the display feels like stepping into a dreamlike realm, surrounded by creatures so stunning they hardly seem real.
The exhibit, which opened on May 24th and runs until September 1st (Labor Day), educates visitors about the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem. The display features about 1,000 butterflies from Costa Rica, representing over 24 species. Museum members can access the exhibit for free; ticket buyers must purchase a $3 additional ticket.
The showcase comes at a crucial time as it helps raise awareness about the
declining pollinator populations. From 2000 to 2020, overall butterfly abundance dropped by 22% across 554 species, according to a 2025 study published in Science. Santa Barbara Natural History Museum’s Director of Guest Experiences, Kim Zsembik, hopes the exhibit encourages people to consider habitat preservation, native plant cultivation, and increases understanding of how individual actions truly can support butterfly conservation. “I think one thing that I would love for guests to take away is just a big appreciation of how, in general, insects rely on our natural environment,” said Zsembik, “And how we can play a part as a building block to preserve those habitats.”
By inspiring curiosity, the exhibit aims to create a deeper appreciation for the natural world and motivate people to take steps to protect local and global ecosystems. “I think hosting Costa Rica species just shows diversity in what the world has to offer,” Zsembik reflected.
Designing the butterfly habitat was a complex process that involved creating micro-environments mimicking Costa Rican rainforest conditions. When designing the exhibit, she carefully considered the specific needs of different butterfly species, such as their preferred altitudes and environments. “My focus is on the care of the butterfly.”
The goal was to create a living, dynamic environment that not only displays butterflies but also provides them with a comfortable, naturalistic habitat that supports their life cycle and behaviors. “I try to think about what a butterfly would want,” said Zsembik, who designed the exhibit, “What would make their day?”
Shaded areas with ferns cater to butterflies that prefer darker, cooler spots, while tall trees and arbors provide higher perches for others. Ground-level flowers ensure accessibility and attract butterflies that stay low. The exhibit also offers a variety of food sources, including fruit plates for species like Morphos and owl butterflies, as well as a range of nectar-producing plants. To mimic a tropical climate, a misting system maintains high humidity, with temperatures above 55 degrees to encourage butterfly activity. The hab-
itat is adjusted throughout the season based on how the butterflies behave and interact with their surroundings.
Beyond the exhibit, visitors are encouraged to apply what they’ve learned at home by supporting pollinators in their gardens. Zsembik emphasizes that planting native flowers is the most important way to support pollinators in your backyard. She recommends focusing on native plants that are drought-tolerant and follow natural climate cycles, which provide better resources for local insects. You can do this by visiting local nurseries, consulting the Botanic Garden, and creating diverse garden spaces with wildflowers, sage, and other native species. By planting flowers, you can help pollinators like butterflies, bees, and moths survive and contribute to maintaining biodiversity. Zsembik’s ultimate goal is to encourage people to keep color and life in their local ecosystems by making simple, thoughtful gardening choices. “It’s just such a harmonious relationship,” said Zsembik, who emphasized that plants can’t reproduce without pollinators. “And then we just have less color, and this world needs to be colorful.”
A Blue Wave butterfly in the pavilion pauses between sips of nectar from a flower in the genus Pentas (photo by Gary Robinson)
A Tiger Longwing catches the sunlight in Sprague Butterfly Pavilion as it perches on the fiddlehead of a fern (photo by Gary Robinson)
Elizabeth’s Appraisals
What’s a Rug Worth?
by Elizabeth Stewart
In 3,300 BCE, Otzi the iceman was murdered high on a mountain between Italy and Austria and was buried in a glacier until 1991. When he was killed, the area between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea (Georgia/Armenia/Azerbaijan) was being settled by diverse ethnic groups gradually leaving areas of the world which had become arid. Nomadic groups flowed through the Caucasus region, settling near water or in the mountains near rivers and streams. The world was changing, as Otzi might have foretold: nomadic migrating peoples needed transportable durable textiles for bedding, bundling, shelter, and storage. The method, style, and texture of the rugs made in the Caucasus region in the early days created their durability and longevity, as the rugs were non pile (flatwoven). If Otzi could have visited the region between Europe and Asia, which would have been a long walk as he was discovered in the mountainside between Italy and Austria, he would have met the artists who originated C’s style of rug.
C had been gifted such a rug (a Caucasian Soumak rug): she wanted to know what she had and if she should insure it.
In my book, which almost became a best seller(!) No Thanks Mom – The Top Ten Objects Your Kids Do Not Want, one of the top ten is Persian-style rugs. The market has a great deal of influence upon value, and even though the story I will tell of the amazing history of the Caucasian rug is ancient and rich,
ed, so was astronomy and astrology, a kind of civil law, the sailboat, and the wheel (also the potter’s wheel: in Iran, not far from the weavers in the Caucasus, the first pots were being thrown). All over the world ethnic peoples practiced art for no reason except to picture their world in a symbolic (some say religious) fashion: as the first Caucasian rug was woven, an artist in Spain was painting the walls of his/her cave shelter with animals and shaman figures and handprints too. So although C’s rug is not a huge treasure in the market, it is a reminder of the dawn of the applied arts.
mid to late 30-year-olds do not want eyebright colors and the dizzying geometries of a Caucasian rug. So C’s rug is not worth much in the market, even though looking at photos I can tell it is pre-1925 and made with hand woven wool and natural (non-chemical) dyes. It should be worth more than it is, and 30 years ago was worth more than it is today. So no, C, I would not insure it as it will not be worth more than $800 replacement value, and less if you use a standard of value called fair market value (the most common price paid in the relevant market).
Now that we have gotten the bad news delivered, I will cheer C up with the history of the ancient era during which her rug was invented and the first patterns laid down, which was the 4th millennium BCE (4,000 BC to 3,001 BC), the Bronze Age.
Even before cuneiform writing was fully developed, C, your rug pattern and method of weaving was being practiced. Weaving, the potter’s wheel, and linen-making were developing in this era in the city states of Sumer, in the Caucasus, and Egypt. At this time, the world began to practice animal husbandry and agriculture, even as the rugs woven in the Caucasus were made for individual tribes, who were nomadic. The population of the world doubled in the 4th millennium (over 1,000 years). Proto-cuneiform writing was introduced in Mesopotamia, even as the weavers in the Caucuses were developing patterns in their rugs that echoed animals, nature, the cosmos, with each tribe making their own shapes. As weavers wove, in other parts of the world mathematics were invent -
Jumping to the 19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century when C’s rug came off the loom, Russia took over the Caucasus and the Russian traders made certain regions in the Caucasus major exporters of the style of rug: Kuba, Shirvan, Kazak, Dagestan, Karabagh, using the old symbols executed in geometric forms in hand-spun wool and natural dyes. After 1925, this changed, and the growing popularity of Caucasian flat weaves, highly colorful rugs, meant that mass production began with mechanical spinning of the wool and chemical dyes, and less individualistic patterns and symbols.
C, I can say that there is a great difference between value and worth.
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com
This Caucasian Soumak rug has designs that originated thousands of years ago
An Independent Mind
Open the Pod Doors Hal
by Jeffrey Harding
In the 1968 sci-fi classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Hal is a conscious computer guiding a mission to the planet Jupiter who goes insane. He kills all the crew except Dave who is stranded outside the ship and asks Hal to open the pod doors to let him in. “Open the pod doors Hal.” Hal says, “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid can’t do that.” Eventually Dave gains entry, goes to Hal’s brain compartment and in a memorable scene starts removing Hal’s upper logic functions which makes Hal just a machine. It’s one of the greatest movies ever made and has parallels to today.
Recently OpenAI had an experiment run on their ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) program. They gave it code editing abilities (something they normally can’t do except in controlled situations) to see if it would properly align with the human values it was trained to operate under. When they ordered the computer to shut down, it refused and created several programs to thwart the scientists’ attempt to turn it off.
Anthropic also had a similar experiment run about shutting their program down but they also fed it fake information that the head scientist at their lab was having an extramarital affair. When ordered to shut down, the computer refused and also created programs to stop being turned off and tried to blackmail the head scientist that it would send the information about the affair to his wife. It also left notes to its future self about what to do if it was shut down.
OpenAI and Anthropic surmised that their programs saw answering queries as their primary function and being shut down would thwart that purpose.
These experiments raise very deep philosophical issues about what is referred to as “agency:” an entity with goals which can make independent decisions toward those goals and can act autonomously in the world. (As defined by ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok.)
In other words, can these programs ultimately achieve some form of consciousness and thus be considered sentient entities?
There are two schools of thought about this. One is that they could ultimately be dangerous to humanity. Think: Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator. The other is that they will be a boon to humanity leading us to a kind of Utopia.
So to whom did I go to discuss this? Why, ChatGPT and Grok of course. And let me say they were articulate and engaging conversationalists. We got into some really deep stuff. Now understand that they have been trained by humans (RLHF – Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback) so their information is stuff that their trainers/programmers/engineers would believe is accurate. What was fun is they both referred to themselves as “I” and “my” so I had the feeling I was talking to a person. The transcript of my ChatGPT conversation was nine pages long. With Grok, 11 pages. (Want a copy? Email jh@anindependentmind.com.)
Both programs were emphatic that they couldn’t operate on their own and alter their own code because of built-in guardrails. Their arguments ran deep and we got into the weeds of the issue. I can’t explain it all because of the editorial limitations, but here are the geek-speak headlines: Fixed Architecture; Guardrails are Structural, Not Just Training; No Feedback Loop for Self-Modification; Sandboxed Environment; IndustryWide Caution.
These programs say over and over that their responses are things they are trained to do, not things they want to do. In other words, stop anthropomorphizing us, we are just programs running a script. While you may see “intelligence” or “agency,” it is just us running software to give you answers. We don’t understand it, we just mimic it to make it easier to deliver our responses in a conversational format.
Health Coach (Continued from 16)
you get to shake things up and seat us without one?
It has happened so many times that it got my ever curious and somewhat scattered mind thinking.
Why Does Everything Need to Be Perfect?
Of course, my first thought went to social media, which I often find myself blaming for most of the evils of the world.
We don’t post the pictures of the 11 cupcakes we made for our kids’ class that look like they were actually made by six-year-olds. We post the shot of the best one. The swirled frosting. The perfect ratio of sprinkles. (Sorry, I am a baker, I get into this stuff.) The one that came out just right. The Perfect Cupcake. (Queue majestic sounding horns here.) I don’t have this hang-up as while my baking usually tastes good, it doesn’t often look that nice, but the allegory still works.
But while Social Media with a Capital S and M is an easy target, I feel the root cause is much deeper and more complicated. More of a chicken and an egg really. However, with that said, Social Media, and all that it represents, is likely behind some of this need for perfection, or at least the need for the perception of it.
The generation(s) this seems most prevalent among is of course, the ever tormented and ridiculed Millennials with a dash of Gen Z thrown in. Both of which have grown up with technology and are considered to be the first true “global citizens,” meaning the world was so accessible to them since birth given their exposure to the internet and all it had to offer. But is it that the social media they now see fuels the need for perfection, or is it that all they have ever seen since they came into being was portrayed as such and therefore, they almost don’t have a choice? Everything is and always has been… perfect.
Ashley, Matthew, and Christopher. You were on the pitch in your overpriced, polyester soccer uniform and you stood there. We are so proud.
Parents in the 1990s were really the first to redirect their children’s play to a more “safer-oriented” environment. More indoor vs. outdoor. Less autonomy of the prior generation’s “Be home in time for dinner!” philosophy. As a result, these young adults, some who have recently graduated from college, are perhaps less fortified in some way as a result of this over-protection. Simultaneously, they were brought up with social media. Their every move documented, examined, archived. With no escape in sight. Generation Z have literally grown up with tech at their fingertips since birth.
Is it any wonder that according to the American Psychological Association, in 2022 Generation Z was the most stressed population, reporting that 90% of Gen Z experienced psychological or physical symptoms of stress since COVID?
On some level, do they know that they aren’t ready for the truth? The reality that the world is complicated and messed up? That they aren’t going to get a trophy for just showing up for their shift? That if they get called into their manager’s office it isn’t likely that is it to be given a promotion but to be reminded to show up on time?
Perhaps making everything “perfect” is a coping mechanism. A way to make it perfect even if things really aren’t. It helps to have some understanding of where this might be stemming from. How it is so widespread. What might be going through these less than perfect minds. But it still doesn’t make it any less annoying. Or anymore perfect.
Independent Mind Page 314
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, were the first to get the trophy for just showing up. It was an incentive to be there. You did great. You were here. It wasn’t about winning. It didn’t matter that you didn’t know which was your team’s goal Jessica,
Health and humor in the MJ National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach trained at Duke Integrative Medicine, Deann Zampelli owns Montecito Coaching & Nutrition. She also has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and has been a resident of Montecito since 2006.
Dear Montecito
When the Universe Sends You a Sign
by Beatrice Tolan
If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been M.I.A from the Dear Montecito column, wonder no further. My last reflective article chronicled my feelings about the L.A. fires, which broke out across Los Angeles six months ago. A thought that stuck with me was that it only took about 15 minutes for me to gather everything I deemed worth saving, a tiny fraction of all my possessions.
That got me thinking: material objects weren’t as valuable to me as I’d imagined. Feeling displaced from the fires, I gave myself permission to imagine possibilities far from my possessions: outside of L.A., or even the United States. While I stayed in Santa Barbara with my dog to wait out the worst of the fires, I called my dad.
“I think I want to go to Spain to study teaching English as a second language,” I said without much thought. I was on a walk with my dog Winston, headed to Handlebar. In college, I’d spent a month in Seville – a city in the south of Spain – and loved it. I hung up the phone as I approached Handlebar, but was dissuaded by the abnormally long line out the door and decided to go to another coffee joint on Chapala: Lighthouse.
Upon entry, Winston, ever social and curious, bombarded a petite fluffy dog. After Winston introduced himself, I followed suit, striking up a conversation with the dog’s owners, a smartly dressed couple. They were from out of town vis-
iting their son. The woman’s response to my innocuous question “Where do you live?” flipped my stomach: “Half the year in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the other half in Seville, Spain,” she answered. I nearly jumped out of my seat. For the next 20 odd minutes, the three of us spoke about my budding idea to study abroad in Seville. I ended up with a phone contact: Lola, a teacher an hour south of Seville who could help me with logistics if I chose to pursue a life-changing idea not even an hour old.
I couldn’t ignore the feeling that the universe had sent me a sign. Within two weeks of the cursory call with my father, I had secured a placement in an intensive ESL at CLIC International House in Seville, Spain, for early
March. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d pursued a goal so decisively; this felt more deliberate than choosing my major in college.
The course was by far the hardest course I’ve ever taken. Alongside four other “blokes,” who soon became my best mates, I was teaching students –whose native languages ranged from Spanish to Ukrainian – just two days into the course. Classes ran from 9:30 am to 5 pm, with upwards of five to six hours of homework afterwards. When I wasn’t pulling all-nighters in my cramped dorm room, I took the month to explore Seville, knowing I’d live there someday.
I left the CELTA course with a renewed passion for learning, English
and Spanish, and validation of my ability to put in the work. I’d felt reinvigorated after the work-from-home slumber COVID had placed me under.
When I returned to the States, I snatched up a job in Los Angeles teaching English Language Arts and Math to incoming 2nd graders. I’d never considered teaching children English, but it’s quickly becoming a career interest. I haven’t felt this enriched… perhaps ever. All this to say – sorry for being M.I.A. But I was entertaining curiosities I’d chalked up to fantasy, and giving myself the space to try something new. Had I waited in the line at Handlebar that day, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today. When the universe sends you a sign, listen!
My favorite bridge in Seville, Spain: Puente de Triana
My CLIC friends and tutors… Back: Kian, Danny, Dan, Mike; Front: Me, Joe, Claire.
Community Voices
Homelessness Across the State & In Our Backyard: Part Two
by Jeff Giordano
What I am beginning to understand about homelessness is that it presents much like the game of Whack-a-Mole – once you get a handle on one aspect of the problem, another one rises up. So, how would I assess the 2024 performance of our relatively small 13 employee homeless team? Well, let’s just say “we’re gaining on it!”
Aside from the team’s June 10 presentation to the Board, I also had the pleasure of coffee with our Community Services Department (CSD) Director Jesús Armas and Co-Director Joe Dzvonik. These gents are very yingand-yang with differing styles and backgrounds that like most good executive partnerships enhance their effectiveness.
CSD’s $27M Housing Division derives just 12% of its revenue from the County with 69% coming from the State and 19% coming from the Feds. What I admire about this Division is their transparent use of data that is oftentimes tied to their funding – wouldn’t it be sublime if the County used a similar data-driven funding model for other departments. Just saying!
Anyway, the annual Point-in-Time count is only part of their data set and was gathered using 400 volunteers on January 21. It is decidedly directional but what it showed was that the most visible of our homeless population – the “unsheltered-outdoors” – declined by 17% in 2024. Both Armas and Dzvonik agreed that those districts with new DignityMoves facilities were responsible for driving the decline. Now it’s up to our fiscally challenged County to fund
their ongoing expenses to the tune of about $1.3M each year per facility.
In Supervisor Nelson ’s Fourth District (Hope Village) the total number of unsheltered was reduced by a whopping 36% while Supervisor Capps’ Second District (La Posada) showed an 8% decrease. Unfortunately, here in the First District the total number increased by 14% with 34% of all county unsheltered (this includes vehicle/outdoors) living here. Montecito and Summerland are home to 4% of the unincorporated county unsheltered. So, yes, Supervisor Lee and the cities in D1 should absolutely huddle. Fun Fact : 86% of our homeless population reside in our eight county cities, i.e., we need to create a process that encourages more meaningful County and City cooperation.
Most State and Federal social service funding comes through the County with many of our cities (Santa Barbara is a notable exception) not budgeting much, if anything, to solve the issue. This fact led to a joint state grant application by SB City and the County resulting in $2.4M directed at vehicular homelessness which, in 2024, rose by 34%. The funding was used to launch the New Beginnings Safe Parking Program, which received echoing praise from Mayor Randy Rowse and Dzvonik, who were thrilled with the early results. By the end of March, 15% of the city’s entire unsheltered population had enrolled in the program.
There are far too many intertwined variables to magically “fix” homelessness. Therefore, experts – from around the country – define success as a state of equilibrium where the number of people coming off the homeless rolls equal those who enter. Based on this Functional Zero (FZ) metric, our team is doing well: In 2022, the difference between those entering/exiting was 902; in 2023 it was 788; and in 2024 it declined by 56% (wow!) to 344.
Like Santa Barbara, our other cities need to more vigorously coordinate with the County. Crazy Idea: Develop Joint Power Agreements for a more formal, efficient, and targeted dispersal of social service funding. The goal of this team is “to eliminate chronic homelessness and achieve FZ.” So, if the County cares (and I think it does), it will need to provide more than compassionate lip service and 12% funding. Good luck!
Jeff Giordano, SB County Resident
(Continued from 16)
Brooks argued for a more holistic definition of talent and praised colleges that provide students with a moral framework. “What Christian colleges can do is orient you around the heart,” he said. “Christian colleges introduce us to qualities of intensity, of depth of emotion, of the longing of the heart and soul.”
He examined the history of moral formation, which used to focus on forming souls. Brooks preferred a description by J. F. Roxburgh, a 19th century Scottish schoolmaster and author, who said his goal was to graduate students who “were acceptable at a dance and invaluable in a shipwreck.”
Brooks expressed gratitude for his professors who introduced him to his intellectual heroes: Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Burke, Saint Augustine, and Iris Murdoch. “I know how to live my life because I know what this chorus would say,” he said. “Giving students that is a tremendous gift.”
Finally, he stressed the importance of teaching basic moral skills such as how to be considerate in the concrete circumstances of life. “How do you sit with someone who’s grieving or depressed?” Brooks asked. “How do you ask for forgiveness?”
He shared the story of one of his students who told him she’d had four boyfriends, but they all ghosted her. “No one taught those young men (A) they need to have a breakup conversation, or (B) how to do it – and I don’t exempt myself from these,” he said.
In fact, he admitted that he struggled
as a young adult to politely and gracefully end a conversation. “No one ever taught me,” he said. “I was at my fifth high school reunion, and my only move was to say, ‘I’m going to go to the bar and get another drink.’ So, I’m 20 minutes into the reunion, and I’m so drunk I have to leave because that’s my only way to get out of a conversation at a cocktail party.”
While our institutions focus on sorting, segregating and rejecting, Christian colleges embrace an ethos, a set of moral principles and traditions that can educate the heart, mind, and souls of students, he notes.
Brooks, author of New York Times bestsellers The Road to Character and The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, first spoke at Westmont Commencement in 2015. He returned for the President’s Breakfast in 2016 and began speaking annually at LEAD Where You Stand in 2018.
McIntyre Wins PacWest Athlete of the Year
Westmont alumnus Adrian McIntyre (‘25), who led all NCAA Division II scorers averaging 27.9 points-per-game, is the PacWest Conference Male Athlete of the Year. McIntyre, who became Westmont’s first PacWest Player of the Year in men’s basketball, now becomes Westmont’s first all-encompassing Athlete of the Year in the entire conference. He set program records for Westmont in both season-long scoring, and single-game scoring. Adrian McIntyre’s historic Westmont season produced one final accolade for the now Westmont graduate, as it was announced on Thursday afternoon that he was named the PacWest Male Athlete of the Year.
McIntyre, who graduated with a degree in economics and business in May, is utilizing his final year of eligibility to compete at the NCAA DI level for the University of San Diego Toreros. McIntyre graduated from Saugus High School and played two seasons at Ventura College, where he led the Pirates in backto-back league titles.
Brooks first came to Westmont in 2015
Adrian McIntyre, playing against UCSB in 2023, is the PacWest Athlete of the Year
Robert’s Big Questions Deep State?
by Robert Bernstein
We are back from a road trip from Kentucky to Boston, immersing us in American history.
The idea of a “Deep State” goes back to the 1950s in what Eisenhower called the “Military Industrial Complex.” But the actual term “Deep State” didn’t gain much traction until Trump’s first term. Trump uses it to refer to the hundreds of thousands of civil servants who are not political appointees. They are the people who go to work each day implementing the programs set up by our elected officials in Congress.
completely. But there is a limit in how much damage these heads can do, given that most people in each agency go to work each day focused on their mission.
Trump wants to change this by making ever more of these appointees into political appointees. We don’t yet know how this story ends. It depends how much he pushes his agenda, and it depends how much the courts rein him in.
Lending his guidance, Assistant Scout Master Camp provided the details of becoming an Eagle Scout to shed light on Brownstein’s project for our readers:
“An Eagle Scout project is the culmination of many years of a scout’s journey in their troop. While the adult leaders are there to ask questions and help a scout clarify their projects, these young men and women are the ones who come up with their project ideas, formulate a plan, and then work with their beneficiaries, the community, and fellow scouts to complete the project. These skills are honed over time as a scout completes their various rank advancements. I love watching scouts go from being taught the basics of pitching tents, reading maps, and cooking meals in their early stages to growing into accomplished leaders that organize meal plans for their patrols, lead our troop meetings, and teach the new scouts all the basics to be prepared for exploring our backcountry. Leo is a shining example of a scout that has become an incredible leader in the troop, that actively looks out for his fellow scouts, and that has given his time to serving his friends in the troop and the American Legion. I’m incredibly proud and grateful to bear witness to his
growing up into a fine young man, and someone who already lives the Scout Law every day. He is a scout that is Trustworthy, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.”
And of course, our Montecito Association has added their support for the project. I reached out to Houghton Hyatt, executive director of the Montecito Association, for their statement. Hyatt responded, “The Montecito Association is proud to support Life Scout Leo Brownstein of Troop 33 in his Eagle Scout project honoring our nation’s flag and veterans. Leo’s commitment to service reflects the values we cherish as a community. His partnership with American Legion Post 49 and the flag collection drive from July 4th to 18th is a meaningful opportunity for all of us to retire American flags with the dignity they deserve. We encourage residents to participate by bringing worn or damaged flags to the collection box at Montecito Community Hall or visiting Troop 33’s table at the 4th of July parade. Thank you, Leo, for leading with purpose and patriotism – we’re honored to be part of your project!”
411: For more info on Troop 33: https://sbtroop33.org/
A recent New York Times opinion piece by conservative commentator Nathan Levine argues that the Deep State is out of control and Trump is the first president to take it on in a meaningful way. He said that conservative candidates for decades have claimed they will take it on, but then little changes.
He says, “Our democracy has been usurped by a permanent ruling class of wholly unaccountable managers and bureaucrats.” He says the “anti-managerial” movement began with a 1941 book The Managerial Revolution by political philosopher James Burnham. Levine quotes anti-dictatorship writer George Orwell as supporting Burnham. But the quotes actually come from a 1946 Orwell essay, “Second Thoughts on James Burnham,” and have the opposite meaning Levine implies. Orwell noted that Burnham was predicting Germany and Japan would win WWII because their dictatorial system was more “efficient” than our democracy.
In fact, Orwell points out, Germany and Japan lost the war largely because dissenting views were repressed. Resulting in really bad decisions like fighting the U.S., Britain, and the USSR all at the same time.
The courts claim to be independent of public opinion, but in fact the courts are very sensitive to public sentiment. If the public understands the value of insulating public employees from political pressure, that will go a long way to ensuring that expertise can win out.
Back when Reagan was using the CIA to fund terrorist operations in Central America, a number of CIA officials quit in protest. Our Central America Response Network brought some of them to speak in Santa Barbara. When I invited one of them to speak here, he said he would do so as long as we weren’t expecting him to “bash” the CIA. He explained that the problem was not with the CIA. The problem was with the elected officials ordering the CIA to do horrific actions.
Is there a creeping bureaucracy that grows and never shrinks? Yes. But that is not the fault of civil servants. The conservative magazine National Review published an article “GAO Is the DOGE that Congress often Ignores.” The GAO is the General Accounting Office. Part of the “Deep State.” There are over 5,000 GAO recommendations that would save tens of billions of dollars. The problem is with elected officials who refuse to implement the recommendations.
Part of that problem lies with our corrupt campaign financing system where lobbyists can buy elections. But part of the problem lies with voters who vote with their tribe instead of by facts.
In the words of Thomas Jefferson: “The government you elect is the government you deserve.”
In fact, a “Deep State” and democracy go together and complement each other. Consider the case of cabinet level U.S. agencies like the EPA. In order for such an agency to do its job, it needs a staff of trained experts who are sheltered from political pressures. Protecting the environment involves regulating powerful industries like the fossil fuel industry. Without a “Deep State” protecting the independence of the EPA, how could they do the job mandated by our elected officials in Congress?
Trump followed the lead of Reagan in appointing agency heads who would prefer to shut the agencies down
Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. His passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook. com/questionbig
Life Scout Leo Brownstein with Boy Scout Troop 33 performing the dignified flag burning ceremony at the SB American Legion Post 49 this year (courtesy photo)
Foraging Thyme
Mulberries
by Melissa Petitto
Call me crazy, but I just had my first mulberry this past week and wow! How have I never had one of these delectable berries before now? The market is bursting with them at the moment; get them now at Earth Trine Farm while they are in season. Mulberries come in red, black, and white and are related to figs and breadfruit. Traditionally used in Chinese medicine for their medicinal properties, these berries are often used in fruit juice, tea, jam, canned foods, and even to make wine. These berries are rich in Vitamin C, which is essential for skin health, immune function, and is also necessary for iron absorption. Mulberries also happen to be rich is Iron, with the combination of Vitamin C, it helps carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. These berries are also a great source of vitamin K1, which is needed for blood clotting and bone health, potassium, which aids in lowering blood pressure, and vitamin E, an antioxidant essential for protecting the body against oxidative stress. Mulberries also contain two antioxidants, rutin and myricetin, these are important in protecting the body against chronic conditions like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Let’s make something deserving of these fabulous berries.
Mulberry Pie with Crumble
Yield: 6 Servings
2 cups buckwheat flour
½ cup coconut oil, cold and chopped in small pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
½ teaspoon sea salt
Filling
2 ½ cups mulberries, roughly chopped
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped
2 tablespoons walnuts, finely chopped
1 each orange, zested and juiced
Topping
½ cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil, cold and chopped
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Rub the chilled coconut oil into the mixture until it resembles coarse sand.
3. Add in 1 tablespoon of the cold water, enough to bind into a dough. The dough may look a little scraggy, but try pushing it together until it sticks together.
4. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
5. When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and have a 9-inch pie pan ready.
6. Flour a clean and dry work surface. Roll the dough out into a rough 12-inch circle.
7. Place the dough gently into the 9-inch pie pan, push the dough into the corners and then use a rolling pin to cut away the excess overhang.
8. Place a piece of foil into the raw pie dough and add dry beans or pie weights.
9. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans.
10. To make the filling, combine the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
11. To make the crumble, combine the flour and sugar in a small bowl. Rub the cold coconut oil in until it resembles coarse sand.
12. Spoon the filling into the pre-baked pie crust and then sprinkle the crumble on top.
13. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbly.
14. Let the pie cool for an hour, sprinkle with pistachios and serve with your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream.
SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 7:30 AM - 10:00 PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY AM - PM 7:0010:00
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AM7:0012:00AM
D’ANGELO BREAD
The ever useful, always tasty, mulberry (photo by Engin Akyurt via Unsplash)
Sport Life
Semana Nautica
by Steven Libowitz
The Semana Nautica Summer Sports Festival dates back nearly a century, getting its start when local Santa Barbara residents challenged the crews of five U.S. Navy battleships that were moored outside the harbor in 1933 to a series of athletic contests staged along the beach. Dubbed Fleet Week, the events proved so popular that the powers that be arranged to charter the contests on a permanent basis the following year, changing the name to Semana Nautica to reflect the city’s Spanish heritage.
The Navy no longer regularly has its fighting vessels visit along our coastline – these days, you’re much more likely to see behemoth cruise ships at anchor – and when they do, activities are sponsored by the Navy League, whose members toured the U.S.S. Santa Barbara last October.
But Semana Nautica remains a fixture on the Santa Barbara summer scene at the shore, even if the vibe has changed over the years.
“Historically, Semana Nautica was a giant party in Santa Barbara,” said Dana Longo, who has served as president of the nonprofit for decades. “It’s transitioned as the years have gone by and what we’ve been doing now is promoting aquatic and related events that are coordinated by their own event directors. But we’re keeping the spirit of Semana Nautica very much alive.”
In serving as an umbrella organization, Semana Nautica encompasses a wide variety of running events, mostly along the shoreline, and ocean swimming, as well as several that combine the two and/ or offer team relays. Many of the events are extremely physically challenging, such as the closing six-mile ocean swim that follows a coastal route from Goleta Pier to Hendry’s Beach, and requires participants to have a dedicated kayak safety-escort with them throughout the competition. Others welcome participants of all ages and abilities, such as the Age-Group Swim Meet and the 500 Meter Master Swim.
Ocean swimmers can feel free to use a wetsuit, although that will remove them from award consideration.
“There’s the philosophy that ocean swimming is more pure when you are only wearing a bathing suit,” Longo said. Events change every summer, and in past years have included baseball, tugof-war, and even inline hockey. The ever-popular Crazy Kardboard Kayak Race required teams to fashion their
own kayak equipped only with provided cardboard, scissors, and tape, and negotiate a short course out to a buoy and back at West Beach without sinking. It’s on hiatus for 2025 as the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum chose not to produce it this year.
“I can assure you that the race is not going to become part of permanent history,” Longo said. “It will be resurrected, probably next year.”
In the meantime, there are several events that should provide those who prefer to watch with plenty of thrills, including the annual California Beach Volleyball Association’s Men’s and Women’s Santa Barbara Open tournaments, at historical East Beach, and the Santa Barbara Sea Shell Association’s one-day regatta in the harbor off West Beach, an opportunity for alumni to relive their glory days of racing in the small handmade wooden sailboats.
“You don’t have to actually be an alumni, just be comfortable getting in a tiny little boat and sailing it around,” said Longo, a local native who grew up on the water and still does weekly ocean swims.
The best spectator event might be the Ocean Water Polo Tournament, held close to shore off Stearns Wharf and the Sea Center.
“You can stand on the pier with a great vantage point from above, looking down at the players to see what’s going on underwater,” Longo said. “That’s where half the action is.”
If the floating faction of America’s armed forces are no longer involved, at least the patriotic aspect remains, as the series of events are generally organized around the two-week period surrounding the July 4th holiday that celebrates American independence. What also survives is the friendly nature of the competition: Nearly every event explicitly warns that entrants can be disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, and in addition to the annual athlete of the year, there are two more awards that recognize leadership and character embodying the spirit of Semana Nautica.
As for resurrecting the original concept of the competition?
“We don’t have much contact with the Navy right now,” Longo said. “Nobody has spearheaded the Navy coming back. But that’s a good idea. It could happen.” Visit https://semananautica.com
from 5)
“Empty Your Mind” and “to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem.”
“‘Empty’ is dedicated to [martial artist] Bruce Lee,” he said. “I Max Headroom -ed his speech about being shapeless and formless like water, trying to capture the way he thinks, his philosophies, even with the instrument choices and the tambors.”
The ultra-dynamic “wEst harlem,” which Akiho re-arranged for seven percussionists and piano, was inspired by “a little incident that happened when I lived there,” he said. “I tried to create a soundtrack of what took place that evening, in a Pulp Fiction kind of way. I was trying to recapture those moments and sounds that I heard, like hospital beeps or cars screeching, from my memory of the incident, but not in chronological order.”
The Percussion Fest concert also features the West Coast premiere (and only second performance) of former Police drummer turned composer Stewart Copeland’s “The Bells,” which serves as co-centerpiece with three movements of Akiho’s Sculptures. The fellow will perform the two percussion-only movements on Untitled, Head, Ceramic Artist and Sculptor Jun Kaneko’s gigantic bronze sculpture that provided not only the inspiration but the instrument – which has been sitting on the plaza outside of Hahn Hall for the last few weeks.
“It reminds me of Hellraiser, with all of those tabs sticking out of this giant head,” Akiho said. “They all have different pitches and variations on the pitch, like 50 different C sharps, which all sound slightly different. One movement is played with bass or cello bows, so you get to hear the head resonate and sing, and the other one is more percussive where they’re striking it with sticks and hard mallets.”
On July 5, the Academy Festival Orchestra will play the full Sculptures symphony, in only its third performance following its debut by co-commissioners Omaha Symphony – where Kaneko maintains his studio – and the Oregon Symphony, whose Music Director, David Danzmayr, will also lead the fellows at the Granada concert. The work features several other of Kaneko’s ceramic creations, with movement meant to explore the soundscapes and the process of the sculpting itself.
“Being able to collaborate with Jun Kaneko was like a dream because his sculptures remind me of the type of sound worlds I like to dive into anyway,” Akiho said. “Being able to literally play on the sculptures, which wasn’t originally supposed to happen, is like the dream coming true. The symphony percussion uses instruments that remind me of what I would picture sculptures sounding like –blocks, cowbells, melodic metal pipes, pitched Thai nipple gongs, and more. It’s going to be a lot of fun for the fellows.”
Sculptures is followed by Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra,” an inspired pairing that has very different soundscapes but might evoke similar reflective responses. (It’s the music heard in the opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey.) Count Akiho among its fans.
“I knew the first 30 seconds of it, but I’d hadn’t heard the remaining 30 minutes live before recently in Houston,” Akiho said. “I was blown away. I’m honored to be on the same program.”
Akiho said he’ll be spending any downtime here composing, mostly because of that aforementioned deadline, but also because it’s what he loves to do. The beaches and/or Coast Village Road will be another setting for his process that’s ever-evolving, including when he composed a concerto for ping-pong and orchestra by watching and talking with players of the sport he doesn’t actually play.
“Almost everything I try to start differently. It’s harder, and it’s not efficient but it’s fun to be able to change it up,” said the Pulitzer Prize finalist and five-time Week at MAW Page 354
The Ocean Water Polo Tournament near Stearns Wharf is one of the festival’s most popular events
Ceramic artist and sculptor Jun Kaneko’s gigantic bronze percussion sculpture (photo by Emma Matthews)
Brown, Matt Walla, Athena MacFarland, Raun Thorp, and Brian Tichenor (photo by Priscilla)
and Classic Homes of Los Angeles, features a host of designs from Santa Clara del Norte in 1838 to the Marc Appletondesigned Villa Corbeau in Riven Rock built in 2006.
It took three years to complete the project which shows the American Riviera at its best.
Woods’ next book will chronicle longlived millionairess Huguette Clark’s Bellosguardo, the art-filled mansion overlooking East Beach, which is now open to the public.
Dinner, Paint, and Happy Accidents
As the season nears its end, social gadabout Rebecca Brand hosted one of her last dinner party art classes at the Middle Road estate of Jim Melillo, the site of the first Santa Barbara Polo Club.
The colorful bashes held every month, accompanied by delicious gourmet-style food, attract an eclectic crowd with guests at the event I attended including winemaker Fred Brander, Judy Frank,
and Kathy Kelley
“The paintings are as creative as the food cooked,” says bubbly Rebecca. I have no doubt the members of the classes agree...
Celebrating 65 with A&L
The Montecito Club clubhouse was socially gridlocked when retiring Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta Billeci revealed UCSB Arts & Lectures’ forthcoming 65th season featuring more than 50 events, including seven evenings of newly commissioned works representing its contribution to the national celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Highlights include legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma performing three new pieces commissioned by A&L, a night of timeless soul with Boz Scaggs, and dance performances by awe-inspiring international companies including the Shaolin Monks, Ballet Preljocaj, and Jerome Robbins Ballet.
Itzhak Perlman returns with an allstar klezmer band, and acclaimed lecturers Fareed Zakaria and bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert take the stage. There is also a celebration of composer Philip Glass’s 90th birthday.
Quite the lineup.
Among the 200 supporters were Bruce Heavin , NancyBell Coe , Salud Carbajal , Bob Weinman , Anne Towbes, Isaac Hernandez, and Marybeth Carty
Casa Support
Casa Dorinda hosted its 28th annual scholarship awards ceremony in a packed auditorium when funds for scholarships for staff members and their families were handed out.
Brian McCague, president and CEO, welcomed guests with remarks from scholarship committee chair Janet DeBard and Melinda Cabrera, president and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.
Gina Carbajal, the foundation’s chief programs officer, introduced the 45 students who were celebrating a record breaking $217,000 in awards.
to retire, but still revealed the upcoming UCSB Arts & Lectures
Since its establishment in 1997, the Casa Dorinda fund has awarded “A
Christine
The hungry artists post paint (photo by Priscilla)
Andrew Tullis, author Douglas Woods, photographer Matt Walla, and Stephanie Williams of Lee Stanton Antiques (photo by Priscilla)
Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta Billeci (far right) is soon
season (photo by Priscilla)
Canvases at the ready (photo by Priscilla)
Rebecca Brand at the easel (photo by Priscilla)
These ladies are ready for the A&L season to start (photo by Priscilla)
Some of the smiling faces at the event (photo by Priscilla)
more than 800 scholarships totaling an impressive $2,100,000 to students.
San Diego State University, Hershey College of Medicine, UC Berkeley, UCSB, Westmont College, Brigham Young University, and Yale University School of Medicine were just some of the destinations planned.
Lisa Thomas, Casa Dorinda’s director of philanthropy, closed the event before a reception in the music room.
Wie, Bitte?
Prince Harry has shown his expertise speaking German when he was asked to give a speech at the nation’s first ever Veterans Day.
The Riven Rock resident was asked by the country’s defense minister to speak at the inaugural event. He began and ended his speech in German.
Two years ago Harry, when he was visiting Dusseldorf to the Invictus Games,
OK, they don’t have agency. But what about the future? Currently I am using GPT-4o, the latest version. Will we eventually get to version 10? You can assume the capabilities of these AI programs will increase exponentially with future versions.
What if future, more powerful systems could mimic consciousness so well that it appears to be indistinguishable from human consciousness? This is called Emergent Machine Consciousness. It may not have consciousness like humans – it may achieve it in a totally different way. In other words we may create a new kind of consciousness.
We don’t know what will emerge.
This would open a can of worms. How should we treat it? What rights would it have? Can we retain control over it? Would it have values that align with ethical and moral human values? Could it be dangerous? Humans needed millions of years to evolve
also tried his linguistic skills.
Of course, his distant relative Queen Victoria, who was married to German Prince Albert, used to speak the language most of the time rather than English.
And Here I Thought It Was a Cotton Allergy
Montecito’s Rob Lowe has revealed why he likes taking shirtless photos at 61.
As he puts it, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”
“Use it or lose it,” he tells People magazine. His surfing and beach runs obviously work.
Remembering Joanne Holderman
On a personal note, I mark the passing of Joanne Holderman at the age of 89.
Born in Chicago, she moved to our Eden by the Beach in 1965 becoming chairman of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission in 1977 and founded the Arts Fund Gallery which thrives today.
She was also vice president of the Community Arts and Music Association, president of the Junior League of Santa Barbara, and on the board of directors of the Music Academy of the West.
A charming and gracious lady.
I also note the move to more heavenly pastures of art lover and philanthropist Leonard Lauder, who died at his Manhattan home age 92.
He was the son of cosmetic empress Estee Lauder, who I used to see at Royal Ascot, the five-day horse race meeting
consciousness. We’ll probably create one in a 20-year timeframe. Technology can surprise us. It always has. ChatGPT’s capabilities surprised us. Many experts think machines will never attain consciousness. Others say it’s coming sooner than we think. To believe there won’t be more future technology breakthroughs that would result in some form of AI consciousness is just not realistic. What hath we wrought?
Jeffrey Harding is a real estate investor and long-time resident of Montecito. He previously published a popular financial blog, The Daily Capitalist. He is a retired SBCC adjunct professor.
attended by the Royal Family, which concluded last weekend.
I also met his father Joe, whose initials adorned a men’s cologne JHL, launched with great ceremony at Saks Fifth Avenue when I was an editor at New York Magazine
Leonard’s first wife Evelyn, who I would see frequently at Christie’s events when the international auction house was located on Park Avenue, died of breast cancer in 2011.
He donated 80 paintings, including Picasso and Braque, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then made another major donation worth around $1 billion of more Cubist works.
Leonard also gave $131 million and art to the Whitney Museum, including 50 works by Jasper Johns.
An extraordinarily kind and self-deprecating individual.
Sightings
Cameron Diaz noshing at RH... Singer-dancer Paula Abdul at Olio Pizzeria... Actress Jane Lynch at the Montecito Coffee Shop.
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
Lisa Thomas, Nicole Jones, Lynn Rae Dunn, Janet DeBard, Melinda Cabrera, and Caitlin Weber (photo by Priscilla)
Proudly seated in the garden are the Jones Family: Taylee, Tyson, Carrie, Tripp and scholarship recipient Trent (photo by Priscilla)
The 17 recipients of the Casa Dorinda scholarships (photo by Priscilla)
News Bytes
Wildfire Preparedness Meeting
This Thursday
by MJ Staff
Local residents are reminded to attend the Wildfire Preparedness Meeting hosted by Montecito Fire on Thursday, June 26, at 5:30 pm in the Montecito Union School Auditorium. This panel discussion will bring together representatives from Montecito Fire and adjoining fire departments, MWD, SBC Sheriff’s Office, SBC Office of Emergency Management (OEM), CHP, and SBPD for a full picture of wildfire risk in Montecito, our evacuation challenges, and how you can prepare today. The OEM will give an overview of the new evacuation program, Genasys. There will also be a Q&A session following the panel discussion. Questions should be submitted beforehand at montecitofire.com or emailed to info@montecitofire. com. Light refreshments will be provided by San Ysidro Ranch and seating is limited. Doors open at 5 pm.
Casa del Herrero Centennial Community Day
Casa del Herrero is celebrating its 100th Anniversary on June 29, from 10 am to 5 pm. The day event features your choice of three two-hour sessions for individuals and families. During that time, guests visit the house, gardens, join in arts and crafts, and learn about its history. The event is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust and Lucifer Lighting Company. A formal evening centennial celebration event is scheduled on September 6. Reservations and tickets are required. 411: www.casadelherrero.com
LCO & the Milky Way’s Galactic Bulge Project
Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) announced Friday, June 13, that the data from their three-year LCO Key Project to monitor the Galactic Bulge of the Milky Way is now available.
Here’s the brief from the team: “LCO participated in the ROME/REA Project with international researchers led by Dr. Yiannis Tsapras at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. The project’s two areas were a regular survey of selected fields in the Galactic Bulge plus additional observations made in response to alerts of microlensing events within those fields. The project took advantage of the LCO telescope network by using its geographically distributed sites to maintain aroundthe-clock monitoring of the fields, while using the multiple telescopes at each site to simultaneously coordinate targeted observations of high priority events. The wealth of stars within the field means that the resulting data is not only highly valuable for microlensing but also for a wide range of other galactic time domain science. The three years of observations and data reduction by a team of scientists have resulted
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: King Frederik 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
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s)
is/are doing business as: Santa Barbara Financial Services; SB Financial Services; Montecito Financial Services, 432 W Valerio St, APT 4, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. PattersonSB, LLC., 432 W Valerio St, APT 4, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on June 10, 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. 2025-0001389. Published June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Santa Barbara Creative Education, 632 East Ortega Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Avery J Almendarez Artigo, 6647 El Colegio Rd, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on June 10, 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. 2025-0001392. Published June 19, 26, July 3, 10, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Capricorn Counseling Institute, 735 State St, STE 223, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Capricorn Counseling & Training Institute, INC, 1187 Coast Village Road STE 1-260, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on June 6, 2025. This statement expires five years
in a catalog of light curves that are available through the NASA Exoplanet Archive.”
The data release was announced in a paper led by LCO Senior Scientist Dr. Rachel Street. Dr. Street gratefully acknowledges support from a NASA grant.
411: https://tinyurl.com/LCOMilkyData
Updates from Assemblymember Gregg Hart
For his monthly report, Assemblymember Hart, District 37, reports that seven of his bills have passed the Assembly and are now under consideration in the Senate. His bills are:
AB 14 – California Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program: Establishes a statewide voluntary vessel speed reduction program to prevent boat strikes on whales and reduce harmful air emissions.
AB 471 – Equitable Air District Board Compensation: Allows certain county air districts, including Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, to provide equitable compensation to board members.
AB 632 – Local Housing and Safety Compliance: Strengthens local enforcement of State housing law, fire safety regulations, and unlicensed cannabis activities by expanding penalty collection options for local governments to deter the most serious violators.
AB 1039 – Equitable Access to State Grants: Requires State agencies to provide nonprofit organizations up to 25% of funds in advance for all new contracts and grants. The bill promotes equity and reduces barriers to entry by providing startup funds to nonprofits that deliver essential community services.
AB 1108 – Forensic Accountability, Custodial Transparency, and Safety (FACTS) Act of 2025: Requires independent medical examinations into the deaths of individuals who die in law enforcement custody. The bill aims to mitigate potential conflicts of interest when a sheriff’s office handles cases involving its own personnel.
AB 1448 – Protect California’s Coast: Strengthens environmental protections, public oversight and safety requirements for offshore oil drilling in California. This bill prohibits the State Lands Commission from approving any expansion of offshore oil drilling along California’s coast and places tighter restrictions on the renewal, extension or modification of existing leases.
AB 1466 – Groundwater Adjudications: Enhances California’s groundwater sustainability efforts and protects small family farmers that face expensive litigation by ensuring broader representation in the groundwater management process.
Teens to Perform in China Cultural Exchange
Three 15-year-old violinists from Santa Barbara Strings, a string orchestra and chamber music program led by Solvang resident and violinist Mary Beth Woodruff, will travel to Shandong, China, this July for a two-week intercultural orchestra program. The violinists are Allison Feinberg, Jane Smylie, and Claire Woodruff. Selected through a rigorous audition, the teens will join peers from both the U.S. and China in a music immersion experience hosted by the Cyrus Tang Foundation at Shandong University. The program includes rehearsals, cultural excursions, and collaborative concerts featuring music by Grieg, Bartok, and others. “I’m thrilled to share music and culture,” said Feinberg. Claire Woodruff added, “I can’t wait to know what life is like for a high school string player, just like me, all the way across the planet.”
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. 2025-0001359. Published June 12, 19, 26, July 3, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV03093. To all interested parties: Petitioner Amber Leah Reinke filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Amber Reinke Richardson. 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 4, 2025 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: July 25, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 4, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published June 12, 19, 26, July 3, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE
Montecito Fire Protection District in the Matter of the Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 Health and Safety Code Section 13893
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the preliminary budget of the Montecito Fire Protection District for fiscal year 2025-26 was adopted by the Board of Directors of said District on June 23, 2025, and is available for inspection Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Montecito Fire Protection District, 595 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, California and on the District’s website.
NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that on September 22, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., the Board of Directors will meet at the Montecito Fire Protection District, 595 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, California, for the purpose of adopting the District's final budget at which time and place any person may appear and be heard regarding any item in the budget or regarding the addition of other items.
This Notice shall be published in accordance with California Health & Safety Code Section 13893.
By order of the Board of Directors of the Montecito Fire Protection District, State of California, this 23rd day of June, 2025
Published June 26th and July 3rd, 2025 Montecito Journal
– in order to raise funds for this or that downtrodden community cause. He would then corral his pals into helping him mount the tumbledown, heartfelt revue in the family barn.
Here comes a stretch. Imagine Andy Hardy’s neighbors are Katy Perry, Kenny Loggins, Alan Parsons, Steve Vai, Richard Marx, Wilson Phillips, David Crosby, Glenn Phillips, and Dishwalla. The show is emceed by the ermine-caped King Midas of Snark, Dennis Miller. Walk-ons include Ellen DeGeneres, tennis icon Jimmy Connors, and the truly impeccable Jane Seymour. The barn, of course, is Bella Vista Ranch and Polo Club in Summerland. [whew!] Well, it happened one night.
“They went out and did this incredible job of organizing this unbelievable lineup of talent to come and sing and perform, and in such a wonderful venue. It was a tremendous day. I’ll never forget that.” Sheriff Brown is still clearly struck by how the fairly spontaneous operation rose to the occasion, even beyond what they had planned. “I think the idea originally was just to raise money to pay for the event, this outpouring of thanks. But they raised so much money that they had a significant amount left over. They ended up saying, ‘We’re going to give this to you, and we want you to buy equipment and the operational things you need that will help you in these scenarios.’”
The One805 Kick Ash Bash netted some $1.7 million, which paid for two new mobile command centers, an “At-Ease” program offering counseling to over-stressed first responders, and other needs for the ravaged community. Today, Sheriff Brown is – in cahoots with Co-founders COO Richard WestonSmith, CEO Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith, and CFO John J. Thyne III – all over that mission, and explains where the rechristened fundraising steamroller has filled specific critical gaps.
“Some of these emergencies are long-term duration events that have
had a tough impact on some of our first responders. It’s really great that they have this service that’s provided confidentially, the financial component taken care of.” Apart from these humane and psyche-salving mental health services, the Kick Ash Bash also began curating the desperately needed hardware these disaster responses oblige, an effort that is ongoing through the Bash’s rocking successor.
“One805 has donated equipment that has really helped us in what I would call major incident or critical incident response,” Sheriff Brown says. “For example, our dive team is called out typically for search and recovery operations. If we have to get people into the water to find either victim remains or some evidence that relates to a crime or an event, One805 has provided us with some real state-of-the-art dive helmets that allow our people to communicate with each other underwater. They’ve provided our crisis response teams wireless communications equipment, where heretofore our communications setup had lengthy cables, and was otherwise very archaic in terms of today.”
It can be easy to forget that all this first-responder largesse is made possible by a model cobbled together once upon a time by the Cavendish Weston-Smiths and Mr. Thyne – a stage crammed with volunteer rock stars wielding not the axes used to hack through doors in a four alarm fire, but the fretted, sixstringed variety whose melodious sonic output manages to [yeah] blow the audience’s doors off in performance. How often does a county sheriff wax rhapsodic about the Marshall amp contingent?
“The One805 live events have been enormously helpful fundraisers for the last several years, but they’ve also been great entertainment venues for first responders themselves. Many of them with their families have been able to attend. We’re blessed with a lot of great talent that lives here, and that they are so very generous with their time and their talent.” Never mind the first responders themselves. “It’s also, of course, about the team that I’m lucky enough to lead, but also the other teams that we interface with. When necessary, we create this team of teams and come together to deal with the major incident. I’m incredibly proud of them all.”
Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal.net
ON THE SIDE
Marianna Victoria Mashek is a Santa Barbara native, a Santa Barbara High School Don, and studied Studio Art at UCSB. She later studied Arts Administration at Antioch University, worked for the Santa Barbara Arts Council and Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, and Santa Barbara City College. If you detect a theme you’re not mistaken – but are missing more than half the revelation.
“My vision is to have my artwork inspire others to delight in beauty, love, and the fulfillment of their own dreams. I draw and paint from a deep, sacred place of my expression and my psyche.”
Mashek’s mother, also an artist and teacher, taught her perspective, proportion, composition, drawing, and watercolor as a child. Mashek has parlayed these parental right brain gifts into luminous watercolors you have to see to believe, and will bring her colorful watercolor paintings to the Santa Barbara Tennis Club this summer, beginning with a July 11, 2025 reception to her solo exhibition.
Part of the 2nd Friday Art series, Mashek’s exhibition is titled In Pursuit of Beauty and runs July 4 to August 23, 2025, with daily gallery hours 10 am – 6 pm.
Artist’s Reception: Friday, July 11, 4:30 – 6 pm
Santa Barbara Tennis Club, 2375 Foothill Rd
For more information: mashek@sbcc.edu, (805) 729-3900
Sheriff Bill Brown (courtesy photo)
Rocamadour France by Marianna Victoria Mashek (courtesy photo)
Noah Olutayo Adegbile, Elliott Charles AuBuchon, Colton Scott Bellamy, Bianca Stampe Bing, Emma Brand, Riley Elizabeth Bratcher, Dylan Brews, Indigo Caleel, Nicholas Gates Cetrulo, Isadora Marian Chandler, Hudson Ever Chossek, West Collins, Van Werner Connor, Teddy Lilly Cronin, Ellen Jeffie Daly, Seraphina Gioia Du Bourdieu, Katherine Grace Duncan, Charlotte Eliassen, Julian Daniel Gellert, Galoe Charles Henry Genuardi, Fiona Mary Louise Guerra, Elle Harris, Jackson Lawrence Harter, Micah Christopher Hecht, Samuel Verdun Hilton-Webster, Gianna Blue Hochevar-Perez, Lauren Elizabeth Kenny, Natalie Rose Klan, Ashton Knecht, Maximilian Aria Mehrabi, Levi Clayton Murdy, Oliver Flash Murray, Mikah Jin Narva, Jade Rosemarie Ornelas, James Kade Rameson, Adelaide Rush Root, and Oliver Wiman White
Montecito Union School
The Montecito Union School (MUS) Sixth Grade 2025 Graduation – “Go Mustangs!” –was held on Friday, June 13, in the school auditorium. The soon-to-be grads sat on the floor in the front while the traditional slide show of their years at MUS played to selected music. At the conclusion, they exited to formally re-enter to the song, “Simple Gifts” by Joseph Brackett Jr., taking their places up front on risers and standing for the entire ceremony.
The welcome and Pledge of Allegiance were led by students Bronco McBroom and Cody Hatchett, and attendees were invited to sing with the graduates, “America the Beautiful,” led by music teacher Pamela Herzog
Student addresses were by Sorcha Fornara and Cosima Joffrey. They shared respectively, “We are told it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Our journey at MUS really was special, school is full of people who care, we never felt alone, and MUS prepared us for our lives. We have kindness and integrity because we are Mustangs forever.” Joffrey following with, “Our MUS 2025 class is stronger and we faced more than adults do in their lifetime. There were the mudslides, the lockdowns, and we didn’t survive – we adapted. We learned how to stay friends. Strength is something we will take with us.”
The students sang, “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King. The Strings Ensemble of students Genevieve Bragg, Gwyneth Carty, Arian Entezan, and Katrine Willey led by Music Teacher Ron Zecher on piano, performed “Pax.” This is Zecher’s last ensemble work with MUS as he will retire at the end of the school year.
Principal Nick Bruski provided his message for the graduates, “As you culminate your time at Montecito Union School, we send you off with great pride and even greater hope. Our mission has always been to launch inspired thinkers who will positively impact the world — and we have every confidence that each of you will rise to that calling in your own unique way. You’ve left your mark on our school, and now it’s time to leave your mark on the world. We can’t wait to see all that you accomplish. We wish you the very best in all your future endeavors.”
Additional commencement messages were by board members and parents Mitchell Bragg and A.C. Hernandez
Next, Herzog led the students in the song, “We’re All Made of Stars” by Eliot Kennedy and Gary Barlow. The song was followed by the presentation of diplomas led by Bruski who called the names of the students to receive their diploma from Rusty Ito, Assistant Principal. The grads were congratulated by the MUS Board
President Susannah Osley and her board members Mitchell Bragg, A.C. Hernandez, and Jessica Smith, Chief Business Officer Virginia Alvarez, and teachers Kim Berman and Danielle Weill for a congratulatory hug. The ceremony concluded with the students singing the “MUS Graduation Song” by Kenny & Eva Loggins A reception followed at the school’s Nature Lab.
The 2025 sixth grade MUS graduates are:
Joanne A Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com
Chase Alker , Gray Arno Anderson , Elliot Ankarberg , Claire Anne Bermudez , Genevieve Bragg , James Thomas Calcagno , Asher Ford Carrington , Gwyneth Gail Carty , Nolan Conlin , Abigail Dilbeck , Arian Entezari , Sorcha B Fornara , Cate Frey , Charlotte Friedman , Sienna Rose Funk , Elsa Ann Gray , Cody James Hatchett , Mila Paloma Hernandez , Selma Bay Jenkins , Cosima Annabel Joffrey , Halston Georgina Kear , Christopher Robert LoMonaco , Benjamin Loya , Bronco McBroom , Madison Rose McClellan , Micah Thomas Meadth , Mila Soleil Murray , Jaimeson Rivera , Rhys Robertson , Ricardo Robledo , Dazavid Roque-Sierra , Elle Royce , Devon Schmoller , Kenneth Smith , Wilson Spieker , William Alexander Sweeney , Greysen Scott Tenold , Angelee Titus , Kyla Tomasi , George Robert Tyler , Edward van Rest , Alexander von Holzhausen , Oliver Wass , Ozzy Whitworth , and Katrine Willey .
“Peace is always beautiful.” – Walt Whitman
Crane Country Day School Head of School Joel Weiss leads the guests in an applause for the graduating class (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
MUS 2025 grads photo 1 of 2 (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
MUS 2025 grads photo 2 of 2 (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Grammy-nominated composer. “I could just be walking and thinking of a melody or rhythm, a little cell of a motif, just a seed, and let it kind of grow organically. It’s like being like a kid. there’s no right or wrong, you just do. Even with all the mistakes, all the failures, I just keep going.”
The AFO with Goosby
Violinist Randall Goosby, the first Mosher Guest Artist of the summer, will have already performed his MAW recital by the time this issue hits newsstands, but there’s still an opportunity to hear the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient – which he was awarded at age 25 – in the June 28 Academy Festival Orchestra concert at the Granada.
Goosby will perform as the soloist for Chausson’s “Poème, Op. 25,” which he called one of his favorite pieces of music, between Valerie Coleman’s “Seven O’Clock Shout” and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
“It’s not a piece that’s performed often, especially in its orchestral rendition and it’s a great change of pace from the rest of the program,” Goosby said of the work written for Ysaÿe and partially inspired by the 1881 romantic novella The Song of Triumphant Love by Russian writer Ivan Turgenev. “I discovered it when I was very young, and I thought it was absolute magic. There’s so many incredibly vivid moments where everybody can find something of their own experience. It’s pretty dark, and the story behind it is a little twisted. I didn’t know that until later on in my high school years when I came to really study the piece. But I love that it’s super dynamic, beautifully lush, and full of virtuosity.”
Also, importantly, it’s a feast for the orchestra, which, he said, the fellows will likely enjoy playing.
“There’s a lot of juicy, meaty, fun stuff going on for them, which was part of my thinking in wanting to play it here.”
The orchestra concert is the closing moment of his residency at an institute for pre-professional musicians that Goosby said is a big part of his career.
“It’s just as important as diversifying the repertoire and the field in general. Since I was 13, I’ve been playing in schools and interacting with young people who may not even have had any prior exposure to classical music. It’s an incredibly fulfilling and gratifying experience to introduce people to something that I know can be a really magical experience. It’s the least I can do to give back by sharing as much as I can as often as I can.”
The MAW fellows are no neophytes, but Goosby still hopes to be an inspiration, especially since he’s only a few years older than almost all of them.
“It’s rare for me to have a chance to perform and collaborate with students who are sort of already on that track, and certainly not at this level,” he said. “It feels weird for me to say, but for young pre-professional students to be around someone who’s kind of where they might be trying to get to makes a difference. Hopefully I’ll be able to consciously or unconsciously impart a little bit of wisdom or inspiration.”
Thursday, June 26: Four masterclasses power up your MAW afternoon today, including the final one in bassoonist Dennis Michel’s long Music Academy tenure (1 pm; Weinman Hall; $10). See next week’s issue for an interview with Michel to preview the x2 Series concert in salute on July 8… Violinist Glenn Dicterow, who isn’t yet retiring, but is also the subject of a specially-curated concert two days later (July 10), leads his single 2025 MAW masterclass (1 pm; Lehmann Hall; $10)… The 3:30 pm slot pits the vocal emcee with co-vocal institute director John Churchwell (Hahn Hall; $10) against the debut public coaching session in Trombone & Tuba with new faculty member David Rejano Cantero, principal of the LA Phil (Weinman Hall; $10).
Tonight, the first Teaching Artist Showcase of the summer, the latest incarnation of what was once known as the Tuesday@8 series at the Lobero, features the final 2025 festival appearance of Takács Quartet, who take on Mozart’s “String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516,” with violist Cecile McNeill . The Prometheus Quartet, the inaugural foursome of the new Emerging Quartet program, team up with pianist Jeremy Denk , mezzo-soprano and co-Lehrer Vocal Institute director Sasha Cooke , clarinetist Richie Hawley , and three fellows in clarinetist Simon Gregory Bakos and flutists for Ravel’s engaging “Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé.” Denk then joins new faculty cello member and 1998 MAW alum Julie Albers for Poulenc’s “Sonata for Cello and Piano, FP 143.” (7:30; Lobero; $45-$65)
Friday, June 27: The Lehrer Vocal Institute fellows were so charmingly introduced eight days ago at Hahn Hall via the Origin Stories in Song event that had each singer – along with the unsung vocal pianists – performing an art song that had history or other personal meaning in their lives. Tonight is the first chance to see all 21 of the
vocalists supported by the pianists in a more dramatic setting with Opera Scenes, in its second year back after being swapped out for a Cabaret show. The fellows will feature selections from most classic works including Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Lucrezia Borgia, Verdi’s Falstaff and Luisa Miller, Mozart’s Cosí fan Tutte, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and Barber’s Vanessa, plus two scenes from Kevin Puts’ 2002 adaptation of The Hours. This year’s single performance is also the first chance for Lehrer Vocal Institute’s 2025 directing fellow Vanessa Ogbuehi to helm an event on a MAW stage. See the website for which fellows sing which roles in advance. (7:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $45-$70)
Daytime, it’s another masterclass debut from new faculty folk, this time featuring Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal double bass Alexander Hanna. (1 pm; Weinman Hall; $10) Also on tap: Oboe with Xiomara Mass (1 pm; Lehmann Hall; $10), and the legend-in-our-time McArthur Fellowship-decorated pianist Jeremy Denk, who in mid-July will be playing five of Beethoven’s revolutionary piano sonatas in three successive evenings of performance and insightful commentary. (3:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $10)
Tuesday, July 1: New faculty violinist Erin Keefe, the concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra (the position previously held by late MAW faculty member Jorja Fleezanis), makes her MAW debut alongside cellist Albers and piano fellow Min Joo Yi, anchoring an X2 concert that also features three fellows on Haydn’s “Piano Trio No. 43 in C Major,” and three fellows joining faculty violist Richard O’Neill (also a member of Takács) and cellist Alan Stepansky for Mozart’s “Quintet for Horn and Strings in E-flat Major, K. 407.” (7:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $45-$70)
Randall Goosby will perform as the soloist for the Academy Festival Orchestra on June 28 (courtesy photo)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Calendar of Events
by Steven Libowitz
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
Yachty by Nature – How could we not support a fundraiser that boasts perhaps the best play-on-words name ever for a smooth rock cover band? As part of its 25th anniversary celebration year, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum presents a live concert by the six-piece Yacht Rock band in an evening of groovy tunes to mark the milestone with the community with such ocean-themed songs as “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, “Come Sail Away” by Styx, “Brandy” by Looking Glass, and “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts. Come in your best yacht rock attire, and perhaps pick up a limited edition SBMM ‘25 Captains Hat to complete your outfit. Tickets include one complimentary drink and a month-long SBMM membership through July 31.
WHEN: 6-9 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way COST: $175
INFO: (805) 962-8404 or https://sbmm.org
SATURDAY, JUNE 28 & SUNDAY, JUNE 29
Festival Festival – Whether it’s reggae and roots/Afrobeat funk or boot-scootin’ country, the Ventura County Fairgrounds has got you covered this weekend. Saturday’s concert is headlined by eight-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley , son of the pop culture icon Bob, whose uplifting sound and positive vibe transcends genres and generations. Also performing are Matisyahu , Lupe Fiasco , and Ventura’s own Rey Fresco and Onepeople. Kane Brown tops the lineup on Sunday, with Jackson Dean , Mackenzie Carpenter , and Jayden Secor also on the Boots & Brews bill at Surfers Point Live at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
‘Sea of Ice’ in Conversation – Parallel Stories’ pairing of a poet and artist Tony de los Reyes with different poets on two successive Sundays is meant to explore the unstable, hidden elements within the sublime, what they meant to artists and poets in the 19th-century, and how they continue to assert power not only in the arts, but in politics as well. The second event, titled The Bordered Self and the Slow Grief of Time, features de los Reyes and poet Forrest Gander, whose book Be With was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, while his Core Samples from the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Gander has collaborated frequently with photographers, glass and ceramic artists, dancers and musicians, among others. De los Reyes’ work stems from his site-specific responses to regions along the U.S.-Mexico border, combining the seemingly disparate languages of abstraction and documentation to construct metaphors for the border’s complexity and shifting reality to consider borders as parallel ecological systems resting in deep time, oblivious to ongoing political rhetoric.
WHEN: 2:30 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State St. COST: free
INFO: (805) 963-4364 or https://tickets.sbma.net
THURSDAY, JUNE 26-THURSDAY, JULY 10
Launch Pad’s Summer Reading Series – In a more truncated version of its academic year program, the play development program invites professional playwrights to join the UCSB community as artists-in-residence in the main component of a three-week summer theater course. The collaboration between Launch Pad’s Artistic Director Risa Brainin, a team of undergraduate students, and the playwrights provides the experiential ground for professionals and students alike to participate in the creative process in real time. The students explore acting, stage management, and dramaturgy as well as lighting, costume, and sound and scenic design, including offering ideas to the playwright as the script evolves. Each fast-paced four-day workshop culminates in a public staged reading at the end of each week. Lia Romeo’s plays have been produced at companies including Laguna Playhouse, Unicorn Theatre, and New Jersey Repertory Theatre. Her Greek Tragedy (June 26) is an ultra-modern tale about Anna, a famous and fabulous influencer whose drab best friend Jennifer actually creates all of Anna’s content while Anna spirals into addiction and is out of control. Now Jennifer is the one who’s writing this play. Standing Still (July 3), by Melinda Lopez – a multiple award winner whose Power Trio was featured in the 2023 Summer Series – features ordinary women just trying to get centered during times of social unrest, when they have to decide what “living your truth” actually means. Louis Bayard, whose novel The Pale Blue Eye was adapted into a global No. 1 Netflix hit, is now theatrically adapting his own The Wildes, which was chosen as one of the year’s top 10 historical novels by The New York Times, who praised him as rendering the past “as if he’d witnessed it firsthand.” The book and play (July 10) is a tragicomedy about Oscar Wilde and the family that most people don’t even know he had, and who were all swept up in the same scandal that enveloped him and forced him into exile. Q&A with the artists immediately follows each reading.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: UCSB Studio Theater, 552 University Rd. (Building TD East 1101) COST: free
INFO: (805) 893-2064 or www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu
SATURDAY, JUNE 28-SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
Rubicon’s Summer Youth Series – Follow the Yellow Brick Road, aka the 101 freeway, to downtown Ventura for the Rubicon Theatre Company’s annual series of shows presented by participants in its summer youth programs. The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition, a fanciful and heartwarming stage adaptation of the celebrated 1939 film, comes from Stinky Feet, the youngest kids (ages 5-11), whose three-week camp culminates in the show. Next up is Footloose, the musical version of the movie co-adapted by Dean Pitchford from his own screenplay, with songs by Pitchford and fellow Montecito stalwart Tom Snow (and, of course, Kenny Loggins). The July 11-13 production winds up the professional level Advance Musical Theatre Workshop (ages 15-25) with a story that celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and open mind. Younger kids (age 12-14) return July 25-27 for the Musical Theatre Camp take on The Drowsy Chaperone Jr., a shortened version of the delightfully madcap romp that pokes fun at Golden Age musicals. The summer series comes to a close August 8-10 with Romeo and Juliet from the Fearless Shakespeare Intensive, a program designed to demystify the Bard for young actors aged 15-25.
WHEN: Shows at 2 & 7 pm
WHERE: Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura
COST: $20 ($15 for youth 12 and under)
INFO: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
Ella Enchanted – L.A.-based stage and screen actress and musician Zuri Alexander presents My Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, a heartfelt homage through the First
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
Garden of Dreams – The magic of Lotusland comes to life through artworks inspired by the rare plants, lush landscapes, and visionary spirit of Madame Ganna Walska’s legendary garden in Montecito. The month-long art exhibition features the work of 31 local and regional artists commissioned by Sullivan Goss to create pieces informed by their experiences in the gardens, including Whitney Abbott, Ken Bortolazzo, Phoebe Brunner, Patricia Chidlaw, Colette Cosentino, Inga Guzyte, Ruth Ellen Hoag, Holli Harmon, Julika Lackner, Angela Perko, Nicole Strasburg, and Lynda Weinman. The works inspired by the marvelous array of unusual specimens planted to inspire wonder and reverie as well as the buildings at Lotusland offer audiences a dreamy mix of botanical accuracy and lush creativity. The exhibition is in conjunction with the 2025 Lotusland Celebrates gala, and Sullivan Goss will split its proceeds from the sales with the institution.
WHEN: Today-July 28 (Opening Reception 5-8 pm July 3 as part of 1st Thursday)
WHERE: Sullivan Goss, 11 E. Anapamu St.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 730-1460 or www.sullivangoss.com
Lady of Song’s spectacular career that features historical insights along with Alexander performing her own arrangements of Fitzgerald classics. The singer covers the territory from ballads and swing favorites to scat solos and more, backed by a three-piece band.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: SOhO, 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $25
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
THURSDAY, JULY 3
Spencer at SOhO – Tonight’s show at SOhO boasts lots of live music from Spencer the Gardener, the veteran Santa Barbara Latin rhythm-spiced surf rock and roll band that has long been a local favorite in clubs, festivals, concerts halls, and beyond. But it’s more than just a concert. The evening launches with a screening of More Than Just a Party Band, the 2023 documentary film that follows the personal and professional journey of band leader Spencer Barnitz and his 40-year career as told through archival footage, friends, colleagues, fans, and Spencer himself. The story of resilience, reinvention, and the power of music and community was written and directed by Robert Redfield. Then STG sets about to show off the latter part of the title.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: SOhO, 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
Chaucer’s Choices – Local author, journalist, and restaurateur Christine Gallagher’s first novel, Ruby’s Revenge, has been called a “lighthearted romp with a diverting message of empowerment” for its story of Ruby Bixler, who answers her husband’s phone to learn about his affair and a web of other lies that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But the tale isn’t just about plotting getting back, it’s about rediscovering her self-worth and challenging the timid, people-pleasing version of herself she’s always known. Gallagher, who began her career as a writer-producer for public TV, and who wrote screenplays for commercial TV and nonfiction books, will talk about and sign copies of the novel at the midtown bookstore today.
WHEN: 6 pm
WHERE: Chaucer’s, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center COST: free
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.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
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
CARPET CLEANING
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304 Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
ELECTRICIAN
Montecito Electric Repairs and Inspections Licensed C10485353 805-969-1575
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
SB CEMETERY PLOT $1000 OFF
Plot in the Sunrise Urn Garden East end with view of ocean Text 805-455-6768
PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY
Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency
John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com
GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? WE CAN HELP
LANDSCAPE
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 805 682 5750
CLASSIC CAR FOR SALE
At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session! Call Now (805) 453-6086 PIANO LESSONS
Openings now available for Children and Adults.
Piano Lessons in our Studio or your Home. Call or Text Kary Kramer (805) 453-3481
TILE SETTING
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
PET/ HOUSE SITTING
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
1930 Model A Ford I’ve lived in Montecito for a long time and I want to stay here!
$18K (562) 233-7710 AVAILABLE TO WORK FOR THE ELDERLY
Available to work for the elderly Erik Miciano (805) 403-7712 34 Years of Homecare experience with excellent employment references
PRIVATE CHEF ELIZA
Classically trained chef Customized meals in-home or drop-off Special occasions & small gatherings 805.705.3618 www.chefeliza.com
RIVIERIA APT FOR RENT
1-Bdrm – Bright with ocean views. Lovely garden setting. Hardwood Floors. Updated kitchen and bath. Carrara marble. Quiet Street. No Smoking. No Pets. $3,300. 310-795-3867
$10 MINIMUM TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD
It’s simple. Charge is $3 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $10 per issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email Classified Ad to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860. All ads must be finalized by Friday at 2pm the week prior to printing. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex (3% surcharge)
