From sweet to sour, bitter to umami & beyond… Mission Creek Beer Festival guides taste buds on a journey that fuels local science at the SB Museum of Natural History (Story starts on page 5)
Zero Hour
Will five feet of bare ground save homes—or just scorch science? Zone Zero fuels a fiery statewide debate, page 14
Join us for an unforgettable night at Sandpiper Golf Club. Hop in a golf cart, drive onto the range, and watch a complimentary movie with hot dogs, popcorn and sweet treats
Gramophon e and Musical America Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov, piano
Tue, Sep 30 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Program includes Taneyev, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky and Schumann
“[Daniil Trifonov] is a star whose playing can be compared with Rachmaninoff’s own.” – Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
Arrive early to raise a glass to the new season, pick up a commemorative season poster and enjoy festive mocktails and light bites.
Five-time Grammy-winning Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy
Thu, Oct 2 / 7:30 PM
Granada Theatre
“A classic jazz singer from a new generation.” NPR
Bluegrass with a Punch Noam Pikelny and Friends
Sat, Oct 18 / 7:30 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
“One of the best banjo players in the world.” – Steve Martin
Winner of the 2025 Grammy Award for Classical Instrumental Solo Víkingur Ólafsson, piano Opus 109
Wed, Oct 22 / 7 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
Program includes J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Schubert
“A breathtakingly brilliant pianist.” Gramophone
another fine property represented by
•Graduate of UCLA School of Law and former attorney (with training in Real Estate law, contracts, estate planning, and tax law)
•D edicated and highly trained full-time support staff •An expert in the luxury home market
Remember, It Costs No More to Work with The Best (But It Can Cost You Plenty If You Don’t)
1071 E MOUNTAIN DRIVE • MONTECITO
1.33 acres of privacy in the heart of Montecito, where coastal California lifestyle meets country character. A gated drive opens to manicured gardens and a stunning and fully remodeled main home. A separate tree-lined drive leads to a stylish mid-century guest cottage which enjoys it’s own private grounds. The main home is a chic single-level masterpiece featuring three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a designer kitchen boasting premium appliances and stone countertops. The primary suite includes dual walk-in closets, while hardwood floors, Venetian plaster walls, and curated lighting add consistency and craft. OFFERED AT $8,950,000
412 E. Haley St. #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.965.9555 | frontdesk@beckercon.com| www.beckerstudiosinc.com @beckerstudios
Jerrad
Jeanine J. Burford Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 805-695-7109 jeanine.burford@ morganstanleypwm.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Beer Guy The Nature of Taste: A Beer Adventure at the Museum of Natural History
by Zach Rosen
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is about to turn its oak-dappled woodland into a living, breathing canvas of taste with the return of the Mission Creek Beer Festival. On Saturday, October 18, 2025, this unique celebration of hops, food, and curiosity will transform the grounds into a flavor expedition unlike anything else on the Central Coast. This year, I’m delighted to help organize the event, collaborating on its playful new theme: The Flavor Field Guide.
Imagine wandering from Bitter to Sweet, from Sour & Salty to Umami & Beyond, each path marked not by signposts but by the clink of glasses, the shimmer of foam, and the aroma of roasted, salted, and caramelized delights. It’s a journey where beer is not just a drink but a compass, guiding you through a field guide of flavor designed to tease, surprise, and inspire. With every sip and nibble, you’re not only savoring local creativity – you’re fueling science, helping ignite wonder in thousands of curious young minds. Here, at the intersection of hops and habitat, malt and mission, flavor and fun, you’ll find that a beer festival can be more than a party. It can be a story.
But first, a statement on taste… as I type, wearing plaid and polka dots…
Some Flavorful Facts
You’ve probably seen one of those tongue maps showing where on your tongue you taste at – yeah, that thing’s wrong. Nature
is rarely mapped out so cleanly. Did you know you have taste receptor cells in your lungs? In your intestines?
Those tongue maps show where we have higher concentrations of particular taste receptor cells, but these seemingly distinct tongue regions are by no means the only place where these cells are located. Without going into a full science lesson here (not to mention the fact that scientists are still working out the details on how this all works) – we taste with our tongue and we smell with our nose. To broadly oversimplify here: Taste is a form of chemical communication for liquid and solid substances entering our body, while aroma helps communicate the chemistry of gases surrounding us.
There are five basic tastes: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and savory (umami). There are actually other sensations (think spicy foods or metallic notes) and proposed tastes (carbon dioxide), but these are the main ones and each serves as identifying a primary function of whatever it is you’re eating. Sweet relates to sugar (energy source); sour communicates acidity (spoiled foods); salty is about ion and water balance (cellular functioning); and umami/savory relates roughly to the amino acid L-glutamate (protein, muscles, and brain function).
Bitter is the kind of weird one. It’s basically a catchall system to communicate that the substance does not provide an elemental function – and may even be poisonous. (This is actually why not everyone likes bitter foods or drinks.) If you were to go out in the forest and start putting random stuff in your mouth (please, please do not
Beer Guy Page 294
sip swing in The Speakeasy
Sip your way through each tasting zone (photo by Baron Spafford)
This one-of-a-kind tasting experience transforms our forested campus into a living field guide to your palate with 100% of the net proceeds going towards our science and nature education programs.
Beings and Doings Jungle Cat Prowls the Village
by Jeff Wing
There are eight million stories in the naked city, but only 8,600 or so in our own sun-soaked jungle, baby. How do I know this? Because I’m your town crier, baby; your chronicler, your truth-teller and tour guide to the dark underbelly of this coiled serpent we call Montecito. Me? You never saw me, you never heard me – you don’t know me and you never will. I’m unknowable, see? But I know all. I’m the eyes scanning the darkness as you delicately spoon swirl your Tre Lune cappuccino. I’m that fleeting reflection in the window you can’t react quickly enough to catch as you revel in your 34oz Wagyu Tomahawk Steak at Lucky’s. Yes, baby. I slink like a sinuous jungle cat under watchful starlight, leaping silently from shadow to shadow in this benighted Byzantium. I’m a suggestion, a tingling sensation at the nape of your neck, an ill-defined presence you feel but will never apprehend with the senses. I lurk just there – at the periphery of your vision. You whip your head around to see me and – *POOF!* – like quicksilver I plow into a metal garbage can, sprawling and yelling in a high-pitched squeal, waving my arms and making a real racket, baby. I’m soaked with garbage juice, baby! You happy? Oh, you just had to see me, didn’t you, baby? Well you can’t! – *POOF!* – I’ve melted back into the shadows! Ow!! OWW! Oh, I’ve bumped my head, baby! Stop trying to see me, baby! [gathers himself] Okay. I’m concealed once again in the cloak of darkness, safe in the arms of my one true love, Mother Night. Yesssss. But you will always sense when I’m near – on account of all the garbage juice I got on me. [poof]. What’s that? Who am I? (tilts heads back to laugh with the street-informed wisdom of the ages and his little hat falls off and is squashed by passing Tesla). Don’t you know? (heh heh heh, and so on) I am…...
JEFF [quickly whips around into a martial-arts-like crouch, a box of Chiclets® flying off his person and into the street] WING! [whips around again, now facing away from us].
This city never sleeps, and I have questions. Are they rhetorical? You decide.
Baby. [peels off dime store trench coat and erstwhile Richard Widmark persona. The jungle cat is a paunchy middle-aged man with a lazy eye and hair like the runaway mold that forms on neglected birthday cakes.] This place is a puzzler. Let’s talk!
1. When did previously cozy restaurants start using those jet engines for atmosphere? You know the ones I’m talking about. They have them outside all the restaurants in the evenings, diners nonchalantly eating and gabbing and gesturing next to what looks like the ass-end of an F-16. Remember candlelight, people?
2. Why the sudden profusion of pampering podiatry? Did I miss something?
Beings & Doings Page 304
Your waiter will be right with you
Montecito Miscellany
by Maria McCall
Editor’s Note: As many Montecitans have heard, the MJ’s longtime columnist Richard Mineards experienced some health issues last week. We are told he is in good spirits and the MJ staff is wishing him a speedy recovery. In the meantime, his trusty shutterbug Priscilla and friends, including Maria McCall, will be helping keep his column active. – ZR
Music fans – many donning cowboy hats, boots, and plenty of bling – descended upon Kevin Costner’s stunning seaside estate for the One805LIVE! benefit concert in support of our local first responders.
Prince Harry, joined by firefighter Sam Dudley and his rescue dog Rhonda, spoke about ending the stigma around mental health. Rob Lowe received the Heart of the Community Award for his ongoing advocacy, and retiring Fire Chief Mark Hartwig was honored for his leadership.
One805 COO Richard Weston Smith revealed the creation of a $10 million endowment for mental health support, with an impressive $1 million secured by the end of the night.
A star-studded lineup – including Trisha Yearwood , Good Charlotte, The Fray, Thelma Houston , Alan Parsons , Donavon Frankenreiter , Plastic Harpoons, DJ Bad Ash, Elliot Easton of The Cars, and John Kay of Steppenwolf – lit up the stage. Kay’s emotional final performance of “Born to Be Wild” brought the crowd to its feet.
Celebrity guests included Kevin Costner, Oprah, Maria Shriver, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, making it a night to remember – for a cause that truly matters.
Opera on the Ocean: A Night to Remember
Condor Express owner Hiroko Benko hosted a romantic evening cruise along the Santa Barbara coastline, delighting
lovers with a
live
Guests enjoyed powerful numbers by American Idol contestant and soprano Micaela McCall, baritone Brian Hotchkin, and pianist Renée Hamaty, who performed opera favorites during the two-hour sunset cruise.
Hotchkin sang an Italian operatic version of “Happy Birthday” for Santa
opera
stunning
performance at sea.
Just some of the many happy familiar faces enjoying the show at One805LIVE! (photo by Priscilla)
One805LIVE! Co-founder John Thyne III and SB Fire Chief Chris Mailes (photo by Priscilla)
Jeep and Nancy Holden with Julie and Adam Ross (photo by Priscilla)
Baritone Brian Hotchkin, soprano Micaela McCall, and pianist Renée Hamaty (photo by Priscilla)
Singing to the birthday boy, Luke Swetland (photo by Priscilla)
We’re Goodwin & Thyne Properties
At Goodwin & Thyne Properties we follow a simple, yet powerful principle when representing real estate buyers and sellers- always do what is best for you, our client. We are an integrated team of clientcentered, comprehensive, connected, collaborative, and committed Realtors®, Brokers, and Attorneys servicing Santa Barbara, Ventura, Ojai, the Central Coast, LA and beyond.
We take pride in hearing our clients say we treat them like family, because – we do. It’s at the core of what makes us different.
Operating from that place means there’s nothing we won’t, and can’t, do to get you the property, deal, and overall outcome you’re looking for. No matter how big or small, complex or simple, we’ve seen and done it all. We look forward to working with you.
Goodwin & Thyne Properties
Re altors ® / Broker s / Attorney s
CRIME IN THE ‘CITO Sheriff’s Blotter 93108 . . . .
Burglary / 1700 block Fernald Point Lane
Monday, September 1, at 16:40 hours
Unknown suspect(s) gained access to the house’s crawl space, cut an air duct, and accessed the inside of the residence through the air duct opening that led to the living room. Some of the breakers were switched off by the suspect(s). Nothing of value was noted as stolen at this time. The suspect(s) left behind a headlamp, which was collected as evidence. Additionally, the vent cover was also collected as evidence, and a possible blood sample.
Burglary / 3700 block Santa Claus Lane
Saturday, September 6, at 10:15 hours
Reporting Party/Victim parked his vehicle and placed his wallet underneath the front seat. He walked down to the water to fish for approximately two hours. When he returned to his vehicle, he discovered his wallet had been stolen. RP/Victim thought he had locked his car but believed he might have forgotten and left it unlocked.
Harassment / Knapp Drive
Saturday, September 6, at 18:45 hours
The victim and suspect met online in 2017. They went on about five dates. The dating/ relationship ended quickly. Over the last seven years, the suspect has shown up at the victims home uninvited and has called her several times. This year, he called from 10 different phone numbers (all of which she blocked) and left her over 30 voicemails. In the voicemails, he acknowledged he’s been contacting her for over 6-7 years, and she has not responded. The suspect intentionally made repeated phone calls to victim despite being blocked multiple times both through the telephone and through electronic communication, showing his obvious intent to harass the victim, a violation of 653m(b) PC- Annoying/Harassing Phone Calls. Case submitted to DA for complaint/review.
Theft/ 400 block Santa Rosa Lane
Sunday, September 7, at 16:58 hours
RP called to report her ex-boyfriend borrowed her iPhone on the 3rd and did not return it.
Vehicle Registration False Tag / 2500 block Whitney Ave
Monday, September 8, at 08:14 hours
Subject was displaying a false 2025 registration tab on his vehicle. Subject claimed to have gotten the tab from someone who lived on his street. Released with a citation.
Forced Entry / 1700 block Glen Oaks Drive
Saturday, September 13, at 21:59 hours
Deputies responded for an alarm call. Deputies met with the property manager and then conducted a perimeter check and found forced entry into the living room door of the guest house. Deputies found no signs of disturbance or rummaging.
News Bytes Surf’s Up, Pups!
by MJ Staff
Join the Dog Days of Summer Photo Contest! This year’s theme is all about the beach. Dress your pampered pup in their best seaside style and dive into our end-of-summer pup party. Every photo snapped will be entered for a chance to win! Winners to be announced in the Montecito Journal !
The #1 Top Dog’s Pick (Editor’s Choice) will receive a luxurious dinner for two at Caruso’s with wine pairings. And #2 Crowd’s Best in Show (Fan Favorite) will win a custom sketch of their pooch by Peter Horjus Don’t miss out on this furry fun opportunity to celebrate the summer with your canine companions!
411: Visit www.coastvillageroad.com/events/ dog-days-of-summer-photo-contestseptember-2025 to submit a photo!
Debut Novel Intersections Launches in Montecito
Author Karen F. Uhlmann will celebrate the launch of her debut novel, Intersections , with a reading and reception at Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito on September 27 at 3 pm. Uhlmann, an MFA graduate from Bennington and award-winning short story writer, brings readers a gripping tale of secrets, guilt, and moral conflict. Intersections follows Charlotte Oakes – whose seemingly perfect life unravels after a hit-and-run possibly involving her troubled daughter – and Officer Ed Kelly, a cop weighed down by his own grief. Their bond forces difficult choices between love, loyalty, and justice.
Montecito Tide Guide
Teacher’s Fund Drive Raises $140K for Local Classrooms
Santa Barbara’s Teacher’s Fund Supplies Drive scored an “A+” this year, raising over $140,000 to equip local classrooms with essential materials. Powered by Village Properties Realtors, community members, and local businesses, the annual fundraiser supports teachers across Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and the Santa Ynez Valley. “This fundraiser is about giving our teachers the tools they need to help students thrive,” said Brianna Johnson, realtor and committee co-chair. Since
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing
Gossip | Richard Mineards
History | Hattie Beresford
Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri
Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli
Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook
Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
Published by:
Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC
Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.
How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast
tim@montecitojournal.net
Last year’s fan favorite, Tabitha Tigglesworth
Our Town SCAPE Artists Exhibit at MAW
by Joanne A Calitri
The SCAPE artist group, aka Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment, held its annual juried exhibit in Lehman Hall at the Music Academy of the West Montecito (MAW) on Friday, September 12 - Saturday, September 13. The artists participating in the show render original works depicting the Central Coast of California, local landscapes created in oils, pastels, acrylics and more on canvas and various surfaces. Most works are framed. The exhibit this year titled, Nature’s Palette, showed the works of SCAPE artists Jodi Brandt, Ron Ehmsen, Libby Smith, Kellie Stoelting, the Board President of SCAPE Kathryn McGill and the following winners:
Juror’s Choice:
Monterey Pine by Nina Warner
People’s Choice:
Sacred Ground by Gabriel Islas
Beneficiary Award: Sunshine, Memories, and More by Filiberto Lomeli
First Place: Storm over the Foothils by Rick Drake
Second Place:
Rock World by Larry Iwerks
Third Place:
Low Tide Magic by Jodi Brandt
Honorable Mentions: Matt Lancaster, Karen Glancy, and Kelly Hildner
- 7:30PM
Join us for an exclusive event to learn about private offers , new itineraries, and the debut of Seven Seas Prestige—plus the unparalleled luxury that defines the Regent experience. For location details, please RSVP with Heather HTinker@sbtravel.com 805-969-7746
*Restrictions apply. For more information call Santa Barbara Travel.
The show was juried by OAK Group artist Michael Drury. Winners were announced at a casual reception on the MAW back patio on Friday evening. Purchases of the artworks contributed towards a percentage of the total proceeds SCAPE donated to Explore Ecology’s environmental educational programs. The final amount of the donation is still being estimated at the time of this report.
SCAPE’s mission statement includes having exhibits to sell the art of its members and to donate a portion of their sales to a selected environmental organization.
When I asked McGill how SCAPE selected Explore Ecology as a funding recipient, she explained, “Explore Ecology’s focus on both environmental protection and youth education dovetails particularly well with SCAPE’s mission and values. And Explore Ecology’s many arts and crafts programs show how a passion for the natural world can be a launching pad for artistic creation for all ages. SCAPE is proud to do what we can to support Explore Ecology as they nurture and grow love for both art and nature in our community!”
In response to the generous annual donation from SCAPE, Lindsay
Our Town Page 334
SEVEN
SCAPE Board President Kathryn McGill and Explore Ecology Board President Susan Tompkins (courtesy photo)
Susan Tompkins, Morgan Coffey, Lindsay Johnson, and Jill Cloutier (courtesy photo)
Lindsay Johnson presents Explore Ecology’s Beneficiary Choice Award to artist Filiberto Lomeli (courtesy photo)
“Our
Zone Zero
The Regulations Being Defined Right Now
by Asher Radziner
Within California’s high fire hazard areas, Zone Zero is defined as the first zero-to-five feet extending away from any structure. In the coming months, the California Board of Forestry will decide what you are allowed to have in this space nearest your home. If you live in Montecito or Santa Barbara between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the sea, odds are this will affect you directly.
In 2020, California passed legislation to create an “ember-resistant” zone in this zero-to-five feet range. Its purpose is to decrease the risk of structure ignition due to wind-driven embers landing nearby. Until now, however, this legislation has not been put into effect.
Following January’s Palisades and Eaton fires, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order mandating the Board of Forestry define these rules for Zone Zero by December 31,
2025. Aspects of the Zone Zero plan are, for all intents and purposes, unanimously agreed upon: the removal of outbuildings as well as wooden gates and fences, and the importance of clearing leaf litter. However, the most recent draft of Zone Zero from August 18 calls for removal of all “grass, ornamental or native plants, shrubs, fallen leaves and tree needles, weeds…” Trees are only allowed if they stand five feet taller than your house and have their branches maintained five feet away from it. Effectively, the only plants you will be allowed to have within five feet of your home are potted plants less than 18 inches tall – and even this allowance is provided you do not place them in front of your windows, and you do bring them inside during a fire event. If the rules are implemented in their current form, it would mean the clearing of thousands of trees, shrubs, and other plants from our communities. And yet, there is ambiguous scientific evidence at best to suggest that this would actually reduce the risk of a home’s ignition
during a fire event. In fact, it is possible that the plants closest to your home may stop embers and flames from reaching it. What we know for sure is that home hardening reduces the chances that your home catches on fire. In the cases of the wind-driven fires California has experienced in recent years, homes are ignited primarily in two ways: from structure to structure and from flying embers. Wind carries embers sometimes miles from a blaze to beneath wooden decks or into debris-filled roof gutters or directly into homes through vents. Installing fine mesh screens over vents and double-pane windows greatly reduce the chances a structure will be ignited by embers.
We also know that consistently maintaining one’s yard by removing leaf litter and clearing dead vegetation as well as having defensible space near your home for firefighters to maneuver are both cor-
related with decreased risk of home loss. There are parts of Zone Zero that should absolutely go into effect. However, to mandate from what we know at this time essentially five feet of empty space around homes seems like a stretch.
What Do the Studies, Experts, and Meetings Say
A recent study using simulation found that home hardening alone could increase the chances of home survival to 25% (without firefighter intervention). Home hardening combined with a clear Zone Zero would jump that up to a 40%. Yet, as it stands, California will be mandating Zone Zero regulations and not home hardening. The study does not consider the effects of a clear zero-to-five
Hot Topics Tune Into Emergency Preparedness
by Christina Atchison
This month, Santa Barbara County public safety officials are joining together to highlight National Preparedness Month with a countywide theme of “Preparedness Starts with You.”
Owned & Operated Est. 1967
Lady Ridley Tree Estate
County of Santa Barbara Montecito Planning Commission
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Ordinance Streamlining and Housing Accommodation Amendments
On October 15, 2025, the Montecito Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider the Ordinance Streamlining and Housing Accommodation amendments to the Montecito Land Use and Development Code and the Coastal Zoning Ordinance. The Montecito Planning Commission will consider making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the following:
Amendments to the Coastal Zoning Ordinance (Case No. 25ORD‐00007) and the Montecito Land Use and Development Code (Case No. 25ORD‐00008) to:
o Simplify the permit review process;
o Standardize language and procedures;
o Remove redundancies in the ordinances;
o Revise development standards to enable residential development to the allowed densities; and
o Modernize the multi‐family residential and commercial zone districts to allow more multi‐family and mixed‐use residential development.
Finding these amendments exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3), 15168(C), and 15265.
For additional information, please view the project webpage https://www.countyofsb.org/3449/Zoning‐Ordinance‐Amendment‐Project or contact Ben Singer at bsinger@countyofsb.org or (805) 568‐2025.
The hearing will take place at 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at: Planning Commission Hearing Room County Engineering Building 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
For current methods of public participation for the hearing please see https://www.countyofsb.org/1647/Montecito‐Planning‐Commission or the posted agenda. The posted agenda will provide a more specific time for this item. However, the order of the agenda may be rearranged, or the item may be continued.
Staff reports and the posted agenda will be available on the Friday prior to the hearing at the Commission’s website above or contact the Planning Commission Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org or (805) 568‐2058 for alternative options.
Attendance and participation by the public is invited and encouraged. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, American Sign Language interpreters, sound enhancement equipment, and/or another request for disability accommodation may be arranged by contacting the Hearing Support Staff at (805) 568‐2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.
If you challenge the project in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Montecito Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing
Community members are encouraged to take simple proactive steps to protect themselves, their families, pets, and neighborhoods before the next emergency incident occurs here.
“Our community knows firsthand how suddenly disasters can turn our lives upside down,” said Montecito Fire Chief David Neels. “Coming together as families and neighbors to prepare well ahead of time will make a significant difference when it matters most.”
Step 1: Make Your Disaster Plan
Preparedness starts with creating or updating your disaster plan. Ensure you and your loved ones know what to do in an emergency by creating a disaster plan tailored to your family’s needs. Think carefully about what you need for pets, large animals and anyone with mobility or medical needs.
In the fire service, we often say “Train like your life depends on it, because it does.”
That same philosophy applies to every individual’s emergency preparedness, too.
Talking through these plans and practicing them with your loved ones will lay a strong foundation for confident, calm and careful reaction to any future emergency.
Find helpful resources to develop your family’s plan at readysbc.org.
Step 2: Build Your Go-Bag
An evacuation “go-bag” contains basic essentials to sustain you through the initial period of being away from your home during a wildfire, storm, or other emergency event.
Discuss your family’s unique needs if you had to evacuate or shelter in place for multiple days. The items within your go-bag should be protected from the elements in airtight, water-resistant bags.
Consider what is truly essential to avoid overloading your go-bag. We suggest storing your essentials in easy-tocarry bins or small duffel bags.
Step 3: Stay Informed
Turn up the dial on your situational awareness by staying connected to official, emergency information.
Set a button on your car radio to AM 1610, Montecito Fire Department’s information station. This seemingly old-fashioned communication method is a resilient and reliable way to access
up-to-date information when phone, internet, and power outages are ongoing. AM 1610 has been owned and operated by Montecito Fire Department since 2008. Under the supervision of Montecito Fire’s Public Information Officer, Christina Atchison, the station has undergone significant upgrades over the past two years to bolster its effectiveness.
Your ability to hear AM 1610 will vary based on your location due to the station’s low-power transmitter and antenna. Your vehicle’s AM radio is often the best receiver to use since the low-power transmitters were designed for commuter traffic.
Consider keeping an emergency crank radio in your go-bag. There are many affordable options that can be charged by hand-crank, solar or mini-USB port. Look for one that receives NOAA emergency weather alerts, plus AM and FM radio signals.
You can also stream Montecito Fire’s AM 1610 broadcast online at montecitofire.com. Another way to receive information is through the County of Santa Barbara’s ReadySBC Alerts system. It’s essential that residents are registered to receive these alerts. At readysbc.org, you may sign up to be notified of emergency incidents at up to five locations in Santa Barbara County. For example, your five locations could include your home, your workplace, a spouse’s workplace, a child’s school and a relative’s residence.
You will be prompted to choose whether you want to be notified via text message, phone call, email or a combination of those communication methods. If you are already signed up, please verify your information for spelling and accuracy. Abbreviations such as E. Mtn. Dr. for East Mountain Drive, may prevent the alert from reaching you.
Register for the first time or check your registration at readysbc.org
Step 4: Take the Next Step
Connect with your neighbors to build a support network. Get to know the people who live nearby.
We recommend starting a group text chat for sharing emergency information and seeing who may need help. A group text serves as a modern neighborhood phone tree. Please exchange contact information with neighbors and check in on each other. In Montecito, we know that a connected and compassionate community is the best antidote to any disaster.
Montecito Fire Department is here to help you prepare. Questions? Email us at info@montecitofire.com.
Montecito Fire AM 1610 Radio Broadcasts Emergency Updates
Hermès 35 Birkin Handbag
Cartier Tank Cintrée 46mm 18k Watch
Carat Diamond GIA Cushion Cut Ring
Canario”
Carat Canary Yellow
Engagement Ring Van Cleef & Arpels Lapis
Motif Alhambra Necklace
Brilliant Thoughts
Believe It or Else
by Ashleigh Brilliant
Many people believe in many different things – yet (speaking personally), I find it hard to believe in anything at all. Of course, the primary “belief” hurdle is whatever people think of as “God.” And there is nothing new about this. There is a whole field of study concerning belief without proof, called “Theology.” But other fields of study also require unsubstantiated belief. One is called “Ethics,” which has to do with matters of behavior, in terms of “Right” and “Wrong.” Another is “Aesthetics,” which is concerned with how things appeal to the senses. You can trace such teachings back at least as far as the thinkers of Ancient Greece. But they always start with something we have to call a belief.
Philosophy – which means the Love of Wisdom – can’t help us with this problem.
The famous dictum of Descartes that “I think, therefore I am,” applies only to the human individual. We don’t know what animals think or believe.
One thing we do know is that leadership depends largely on belief. Whoever we follow is likely to have qualities which make us believe in him or her. Unfortunately this doesn’t necessarily make them someone we ought to follow. The classic example is Adolf Hitler, who was so gifted as a speaker that people who heard him were almost hypnotized into making him their leader, even when it meant being led into a war in which, ultimately, their whole country was destroyed. The key was in telling people what they really wanted to hear.
Hitler told the German people that they had been wrongly mistreated in the Versailles peace settlement that followed their surrender after World War I. That Conference had imposed heavy “Reparations” on the losing side, and even deprived Germany of all her colonies. As a result, barely 20 years later, a rearmed, energized, vigorous, and believing Nation was ready to follow the leadership of Hitler and his minions – now known as Nazis – into what was for them a truly disastrous Second World War.
But others considered by History to have been great leaders also inspired belief in themselves and in what they were seen to represent. One modern example was Abraham Lincoln, who was believed in (whether or not he really wanted to be) as symbolizing the cause of ending slavery. Another was Winston Churchill, who was believed in by the British people at a time when it seemed they had little else to believe in.
But Religion in general is, of course, founded on believing in what would otherwise be unbelievable – also known as “Faith.” Often it starts with some actual person like Jesus or Buddha or Mohammed. What still surprises me as a student of History, is how believers, instead of being drawn together, tend to divide into groups, sects, or factions which are bitterly opposed to each other. The most vivid demonstration of this phenomenon was the religious wars of only a few centuries ago in Europe. Various peoples who all called themselves Christians were so bitterly opposed to each other that one major conflict is still known to History as the Thirty Years War. And even into our own time, a geographical entity called Ireland can be riven with conflict between followers of that same religious leader named Jesus, who lived two thousand years ago.
And my own homeland of England still has what is called an “Established Church.” In this case, it is known as the Church of England, and only its followers can enjoy certain privileges, such as being married in its churches by its ministers. There are also political benefits which, until recently, affected a community’s representation in Parliament.
And even the organization of religions has been an important factor in their influence. For centuries, the Pope in Rome was recognized by all believers as their leading Authority in all religious matters. Not till about 500 years ago, with a movement which became known as the Reformation, did that leadership begin to be challenged. Remarkably, despite the lapse of time, there is still a Pope in Rome, who is recognized – by Christians called Catholics all over the world – as their religious leader.
To end on a lighter note, the story is told of W.C. Fields, who was a notorious imbiber. He was once somehow persuaded to be baptized – which required being dunked in a river several times. Each time he surfaced, he cried out “I Believe!” until the last time, when it became “I believe I’ll have another drink!”
Ben Carlson, whose teaching includes the popular course Physics for Future Presidents, explores energy and climate change through basic science. He examines the energy density of fuels, opportunities for energy transition, and the interplay of infrastructure, climate and the economy.
Thursday, Oct. 9 | 5:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop (CAW) 631 Garden Street
Conversations About Things That Matter
Sporting Life Surfin’ the Code with Shaun Tomson
by Steven Libowitz
The Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival marks its fifth year of cinematic celebration of the area’s rich surf history and surf culture, as well as supporting ocean conservation, in a packed weekend of screenings and other events September 26-27 at the Lobero Theatre. The 2025 festival specifically focuses on showcasing films about iconic surfboard shapers and some of our local surf stars, including presenting the festival’s Legendary Award to Carpinteria shaper Matt Moore, whose more than half a century of watercraft shaping are an integral part of Santa Barbara’s surfing history. His Rincon Design boards have been ridden by surf icons around the world, as well as by Santa Barbara’s own Chris Brown and Tom Curren
The Shape of Things: The Dick Brewer Story, chronicles surfing’s “Da Vinci of design,” while Shaping the Future chronicles the life of renowned surfboard shaper Lance Collins, and his brand Wave Tools, covering how his design innovations impacted a generation of surfers.
Among the short films screening over the weekend are Making Waves: The Lakey Peterson Story, about the Santa Barbara native who won the Open Women’s National Title in 2009
and 2010, landed the first-ever aerial maneuver in women’s NSSA competition at age 14, and qualified for the ASP Women’s World Championship Tour at 16. Local filmmaker Hunter Martinez’s 17@20 documents an extremely rare and sizeable west swell that hit Ventura, while The Big White House, which had its world premiere in Hollywood at the Dances With Films LA festival in June, is a very personal documentary 20 years in the making that chronicles director Chris Riel’s open family home in a 100-year-old Victorian Montecito house, where swarms of youth found sanctuary and made surfing among their adrenaline-inducing pastimes.
Also on the lineup: A special multimedia presentation from South African surf legend Shaun Tomson. 1977’s World Surfing Champion, Tomson’s aggressive technique for riding inside the tube was a radical innovation, and made Tomson part of the movement that became the foundation of modern professional surfing – an historical moment chronicled in the film Bustin’ Down the Door (which had its own world premiere at the 2008 Santa Barbara International Film Festival).
But Tomson’s presentation on Saturday afternoon is much more than a series of awe-inspiring surf clips, as Surfer’s Code:
Sporting Life Page 324
1977 World Surfing Champion Shaun Tomson (photo by Tynan Daniels)
On Entertainment Camerata’s Season of Sonatas
by Steven Libowitz
Camerata Pacifica, the Santa Barbara-based chamber music collective, has an international reputation for both exceptional artistry and laudable century-spanning repertoire. Camerata Pacifica continues to grow apace and now launches its 36th season with eight programs performed at four different venues across Southern California. It’s a fascinating season as it includes the launch of “Beethoven 32,” a monumental three-year project that features Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel performing all 32 of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas in a combination of solo recitals and integrative chamber programs.
There’s also a world premiere of another Camerata-commissioned piece, plus five musicians making their ensemble debut and a half-dozen returning guest artists joining the existing seven stellar musicians.
The Santa Barbara segment of the 2025-26 season gets underway this Friday, September 26, at Camerata’s longtime home of Hahn Hall at Music Academy of the West. We caught up with Adrian Spence, the ambitious, still young at heart, astonishingly forward-thinking founding artistic director. Here are his insights.
Q. There are quite a few guest musicians on the schedule for this season. How do you make decisions about who to bring in? Is it directly related to programming, or the other way around?
A. There’s been a large turnover of musicians twice in our history. Back in 2000 when we moved to bringing musicians in from all over around the world. And then COVID had a big impact on us. We lost eight musicians for one reason or another. So I’m auditioning players as guest artists and gradually rebuilding the roster. But it’s been great, because the musicians are pretty amazing, with great ranges of expression.
This is the first season of the ambitious three-year “Beethoven 32” project with Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel performing all 32 of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas in a combination
THE GRANADA
and EARL MINNIS p resent
of solo recitals and as part of chamber programs. I want to ask you about the opening concert, which is all strings. How do these works fit together?
It relates to the previous question in that I want to add a second cellist to Ani Aznavoorian, our principal cellist for 20 years. Santiago Cañón-Valencia was a guest last year, and now the idea was to program him with Ani. So the program is built around Brahms’ “String Sextet in G Major,” and we’re opening with Anton Arensky’s “String Quartet in A Minor,” which is scored for violin, viola and two cellos. It starts with a musical quote from the Russian Orthodox liturgy, a beautiful chant, which sets a tone for the concert. But what defines the program is the “Castillo Interior” for violin and cello by Pēteris Vasks. It has episodes of frenetic activity but it’s mostly a quiet little 12-minute piece that beautifully melds to the Brahms – to where I think emotionally as an audience member, you’re going to receive the Brahms in quite a different manner than you would in another concert program. It’s a program for the time that we’re in, one that will allow us to reflect on the beauty, the positivity, and the love that we all have in our lives, despite what is happening outside of the concert hall.
Are Camerata concerts generally meant to be their own journey over a single program? Or is it also about tying everything together over the course of a season?
I program the whole season, so strictly speaking, if we put all the concerts end to end, there would be a connective sense, a rewarding journey as a whole.
Nir Kabaretti, Music and Artistic Director
Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel performs all 32 of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas this season (courtesy photo)
Heartfelt gratitude to each and every one who made Legends at The Granada truly legendary
PLATINUM
Susan and Riley Bechtel
Meg and Dan Burnham
Sarah and Roger Chrisman
Audrey and Tim Fisher
The Ann Jackson Family Foundation
GOLD
Leslie E. and Harrison Bains
Melody Ellison
Kate and Brooks Firestone
John C. Mithun Foundation
Mercedes Millington and Susan M. Torrey
Joan Rutkowski
SILVER
Deirdre and William Arntz
Rodney Baker and Robert Ooley, AKA R & R
Linda Stafford Burrows
Laura Abrignani
Deirdre Hade Arntz
THE GRANADA LEGENDS SPONSORS
Zora and Les Charles
Susan and Gary Gulbransen
William K. Jones
Jamie Maguire Foundation
Maria and Mark Schmidt
SEI
Anne Towbes
Zegar Family Fund
BRONZE
Roxana Anson
Deborah and Peter Bertling
Ruth Ann Bowe
Louise and Tim Casey
Community Arts Music Association (CAMA)
Cottage Health
Bella Domani
Nancy and Frederic Golden
Roberta Griffin and Michael Annese
2O25 LEGENDS GALA COMMITTEE
Deborah Bertling
Meg Burnham
Melody Ellison
Brooks Firestone
Susan Gulbransen
Gretchen Lieff
Gerhart Hoffmeister
Rachel Kaganoff and Tessa Kaganoff
Lynn P. Kirst
Ruth Matuszeski
Hilary and Bayard Maybank
Yakko and Richard Meyers
Mrs. John McCann
Mosher Foundation
Stephanie and Dewey Nicks
Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey
Jenna Jobst-Reichental and Avi Reichental
Christine and Stefan Riesenfeld
Sybil Rosen
Santa Barbara Foundation
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Mary Jane Steele
Carol Vernon and Robert Turbin
Kathleen Weber
Karen and Ross Williams
Stephanie Nicks
Jenna Jobst-Reichental
Joan Rutkowski
Thank you to Pence Vineyards and La Lieff Wines for the incredible wines!
Anne Smith Towbes
Merryl Snow Zegar
Honorees
The John C. Mithun Foundation
Mercedes Millington and Susan M. Torrey
The Lobero Theatre and Nir Kabaretti
Susan Jackson and Maria Schmidt, Co-Chairs
Your Westmont Engineering Program Earns Accreditation
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
Westmont’s engineering program has earned full ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation following an extensive three-year process that involved reviewing facilities, faculty, students, and funding. Only two other Christian colleges in California have received this accreditation, retroactive to October 2022. The significant designation boosts engineering alums.
“I recently talked to a hiring manager at the Northrop location in Goleta, and he said this opens up all kinds of opportunities,” says Dan Jensen, who directs Westmont’s engineering program. “Raytheon is the same. I’ve got contacts at Raytheon who are excited to hire some of our students as well.”
The accreditation team, which examined seven specific student outcomes to ensure they’re factored into all the courses, praised Westmont’s program, noting no deficiencies, weaknesses or even concerns, and highlighting support from the external advisory board and Westmont’s leadership.
Jensen, who has been involved in a dozen such four-year college accreditations, says it’s the first perfect review he’s seen. “They said what Westmont engineering is doing is so good, we don’t have any concerns – it’s a completely clean slate.”
as an adjunct professor here. Others are working at Northrop, Lockheed, the Department of Energy and for small engineering companies as well.”
The engineering department will host a public celebration with a short program during Homecoming on Friday, Oct. 17, from 4-5 pm at the Fletcher Jones Foundation Center for Engineering.
Pit Perfect Avo Fest Artwork
A separate category, program educational objectives, examines outcomes of the college’s graduates to see how alums perform three to five years after graduation. “I was with some of our grads last night who came over to my house,” Jensen says, “and they’re working for wonderful companies, doing great stuff. We’ve got alums going to prestigious graduate schools, including one who graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has returned
A Westmont art professor has the toast-worthy talent the California Avocado Festival judges wanted. They unveiled Scott Anderson’s playful illustration – an avocado sunbathing on the beach – at the Carpinteria Farmers Market. Available now, limited-edition posters and T-shirts featuring his design will also be sold at the 39th annual celebration, “Peace, Love & Guacamole,” October 3-5.
An accomplished local illustrator and graphic designer who began teaching at Westmont in 1999, Anderson has deep roots in Carpinteria. He and his wife lived in Franciscan Village from 2002 to 2007 and often attended the festival on warm fall afternoons. “It captures the small-town spirit of Carp so well,” he says. “Being a former resident made it special to become the poster artist.”
His design draws on childhood memories of visiting his grandfather on Ash Avenue and spending long, sunny days at Carpinteria State Beach. “For me, Carp is synonymous with the beach,” Anderson says. “So, it seemed the logical solution for the poster – let’s depict an avocado soaking up the sun on the beach.”
His poster also appears in Lines of Inquiry: Westmont Art Faculty Exhibition Fall 2025, on display at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art through November 1. The exhibit highlights Anderson’s creative process
Westmont Page 314
SCAN ME!
Engineering Director Dan Jensen
Scott Anderson at unveiling in Carp
Bestselling Author of Eat, Pray, Love
Sat, Oct 11 / 7:30 PM
Arlington Theatre
Ticket purchase includes a pre-signed copy of Gilbert’s new memoir, All the Way to the River (pick up at event)
Columnist, CNN Host and Author
Yorker Staff Writer and PEN Award Winner
Thu, Oct 16 / 7:30 PM
Arlington Theatre
“Fareed Zakaria has been consistently brilliant in his analysis of world affairs but also something far more rare; he has turned out to be right.”
– Walter Isaacson
Tue, Oct 14 / 7:30 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
“Okeowo... sheds light on the divided face of our nation and lovingly charts the push and pull of the places we call home.”
– Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, author of My Monticello
Rights Lawyer and Former President of the
Reimagining a New American Democracy
Thu, Nov 6 / 7:30 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
“Sherrilyn Ifill is a dazzling intellectual with an uncommon ability to analyze and frame the urgent civil rights issues facing our nation.”
– Bryan Stevenson
This season has a major thread of the Beethoven sonatas. How has that informed the programming all year long?
I have to react to the preponderance of Beethoven by creating balance. But it’s not that complicated because Beethoven was an iconoclast, an innovator. The idea that we’d only listen to 19th century Viennese repertoire would’ve had him wondering if something was wrong with you. So while I bounce off that and certainly look at other repertoire of his period, I also go in the other direction. We open our Beethoven series (in October) with the “Hammerklavier,” his most complex piano sonata statement, which we play with Chopin and a Mozart wind serenade. Then at the end of the season in May, when Gilles plays one of Beethoven’s earliest sonatas, we’re programming it with a piece for three percussionists by Thierry de Mey, Kenji Bunch’s “Transcontinental for Violin and Percussion Quartet” which was commissioned by our violinist Paul Huang, and an arrangement of a Shostakovich symphony for percussion and piano trio. That’s ideal company for Beethoven.
Individually, some of the pieces might seem a bit crazy. But in terms of the broad brush strokes, it should be cohesive, like a painting that you can see develop through the season.
These 19th century classics have become so iconic, almost covered with varnish, such that listener familiarity may have dulled the impact the pieces had when they were new. Hopefully because of how we present these programs, we help renovate those pieces.
Music Academy did something similar last summer where Jeremy Denk played several piano sonatas paired with a wide-range other works over the course of three evenings. Devil’s advocate style: Why would someone want to hear Camerata’s similarly conceived effort in the very same hall?
People get defensive or territorial if they don’t have confidence in their own product, which I do. Indeed, I see great value in having heard Jeremy’s interpretation and comparing to Gilles. There would be something sad for doing the same program four nights in a row with four different piano players… Gilles has complete intellectual command of the repertoire that he engages with. He knows where a piece stands in relation to the collective output over centuries, and I can hear that in his music. And of course, he’s a flawless musician.
If I forced you to pick a single concert from the season for non-subscribers or other newcomers to attend, what would you say best exhibits Camerata Pacifica?
My advice: If you want to sample Camerata, just go to the next concert. You are going to have such a good time that you’re going to want to come to more after that.
Classical Corner: All Hands on Deck with SBMC
Another longstanding Santa Barbara-based chamber music program also launches its new season this weekend, as the Santa Barbara Music Club opens its 56th series of concerts featuring purely pianists. The “Six Hands at One Piano: Romantic and Modern Perspectives” program, slated for 3 pm on Saturday, September 27, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (4575 Auhay Drive), will be performed by three celebrated keyboardists in Sergio Gallo, Björn Månsson, and Zeynep Üçbaşaran. Steinway artist Gallo has released CDs through Eroica and Naxos that have received raves from critics at BBC and Gramophone magazine, Månsson earned several degrees at University of Music in Gothenburg in the 1980s, and Üçbaşaran obtained her Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from USC before launching a long performance and teaching career. The three will play works for “piano six hands” (a term connoting three pianists at one piano) by Charles
Gounod, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Georges Bizet, and others in a program that will also be performed at 7 pm on Friday, September 26, at Westmont College’s Deane Chapel. Admission to both concerts is free. Visit www.SBMusicClub.org or www.westmont.edu/music/concerts
More Piano Power
Grammy Award-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov returns to Campbell Hall on Tuesday, September 30, for a solo recital that not only kicks off UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 2025-26 season but also inaugurates the new Keyboard Virtuosos series. Trifonov’s appearance follows an extraordinary season of high-profile performances that included a highly regarded two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl – where he played Rachmaninoff’s Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic with such staggering technical command and poetic sensitivity that Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times compared his playing with the composer’s own. At Campbell Hall, the pianist will perform a program that features Taneyev’s “Prelude and Fugue,” Prokofiev’s “Visions fugitivesl,” and sonatas by Myaskovsky and Schumann. Ticketholders are invited to come early for an elegant pre-concert Season Kickoff Reception featuring music, mocktails, a selection of hors d’oeuvres, a free commemorative poster and a few festive surprises on the plaza in front of the theater on campus.
Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.
What the H: Duo Debuts in Benefit
Veteran but very vital Music Academy of the West teaching artists Richie Hawley (clarinet) and Conor Hanick (piano) team up for a fall fundraiser for the Montecito institute, featuring an intimate dinner followed by performance from the world-class duo that will find the artists sharing personal insights and stories behind the music, transforming Lehmann Hall into a sophisticated, intimate lounge on Saturday, September 27. Only 100 seats are being sold and general admission tickets go for $500 to the first installment in MAW’s new Up Close and Unforgettable series. Half the personnel and the same instrumentation will be back on campus on November 9 for the second concert in MAW’s Mariposa series at Hahn Hall. This time Hanick will partner with clarinetist Gerbrich Meijer, a 2020-22 MAW fellow and winner of the Academy’s 2025 Alumni Performance Award. The thoughtfully curated, wide-ranging program features the world premiere of a Music Academy commission by composer Derek Bermel, with tickets starting at $55. Visit www.MusicAcademy.org.
Focus on Film
Longtime Santa Barbara resident Andy Davis, director of such classic films as The Fugitive and Under Siege, will be on hand for a free screening of his well-received 2003 dramedy Holes (first feature film of mercurial actor Shia LaBeouf) on Sunday morning, September 28, at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre. A conversation with Davis about the movie and more will be followed by a reception with light bites, where the affable director is sure to be willing to talk more. Visit www. sbiff.org.
UCSB’s Carsey-Wolf Center’s new season gets underway on Thursday, October 2, with a free CWC Global screening of the 2024 Cuban film Chronicles of the Absurd (Crónicas del absurdo). The documentary details how up-and-coming actress Lynn Cruz became the subject of a systematic campaign of social annihilation, trials, police raids, state security interrogations, and intimidations after she was cast by independent filmmaker Miguel Coyula in his dystopian film Corazón Azul. Chronicles recounts the story through secret audio recordings, visualized through stop motion animation, still photographs, and paintings by Cuban expressionist artist Antonia Eiriz. Coyula joins moderator Cristina Venegas (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion.
Director Andy Davis talks Holes at the Riviera this Sunday (courtesy photo)
Elizabeth’s Appraisals
What’s Trending in the Art World
by Elizabeth Stewart
2019:
what a year that was. The art and design world CHANGED. More of us want to forget 2019 than want to remember it, but it marked a watershed moment in the art world, especially at the end of 2019 as we learned of the impending lockdown of our world. The dust has still not settled on the trends that were begun during the pandemic; namely, that most of the buying public for fine art and great design turned to online sales.
High end collectors, spending more money than you and me, learned to use the big auction house platforms online. If they didn’t purchase online themselves, collectors of great art and great furniture hired handlers and experts to do the transacting in their stead. The fabulous galleries that continued to serve collectors (like our wonderful and resilient Sullivan Goss) demonstrated their strength and resilience by keeping their clients during this highly turbulent period.
Five plus years later, in mid-2025, things have changed. The forced, insular nature of the “lockdown” was a harsh teacher, the power and shear number of online sales –handily transacted from home offices and dining room tables – creating a new asset class. During this period, art and high-end design pointedly emerged as investment vehicles over and above their traditional value as objects acquired for pure aesthetic enjoyment in a home.
A recent report by Artnet News predicts that the art market may be returning to more traditional art and more traditional values (and those values are today becoming more and more non-financial). In summary, art as an “industry” is not the primary focus of the art world mid-2025. Predictive financial appreciation is not the primary determinant of the value of a work of art.
Leading indicators are those facts, fig-
suggest that museums might begin to share their entire collections “like some of us share Ubers” – as was quoted in Artnet News, September 2025. Art-wise, the world is becoming more conservative and is welcoming less speculation.
Joseph Mallord
William Turner’s wistful Ehrenbreitstein is considered a Romantic-era masterpiece
ures, and trends sourced from Christie’s, Sothebys, and Bonhams-Skinner, as well as from smaller auction houses, galleries, dealers, and tastemakers in the art world. Here are some of the fascinating trends we see mid-year 2025, which may be described as the year 2019’s pandemic-fueled buying trends entered a period of reversal.
- Fine art sales at auction are down approximately 10% compared to this time last year. Collectors, likewise, are paying ~ 10% LESS for a work of art.
- Next Gen buyers as well as seasoned collectors have hit the pause button on purchases of hot new fashionable art, and are focusing on those works which have a solid track record of both market value and cultural gravity, such as modern masters (those names we all know – Matisse, Pollock, Miró, et al).
- Believe it or not, the fastest growing trend is the purchase of “Old Master” works of art – those big, textbook names of the 17th through the 19th centuries in painting, drawing, and sculpture. Sales of “Classic” works have risen 25% over last year’s figures. Christie’s NY in November will sell the collection of luxury resort tycoon Elaine Wynn. The collection is expected to fetch over $75M. The earliest painting in the collection is also one of its highest-estimated lots. J.M.W. Turner’s Ehrenbreitstein, or The Bright Stone of Honour and the Tomb of Marceau, from Byron’s Childe Harold (1835), is estimated at up to $18 million.
- The ultra contemporary market, which includes works by young and fashionable “art stars” is down 30%, as collectors want comparatively reliable, bedrock cultural value, and are making fewer “trophy” purchases.
- Art, once nearly commodified as a purchase on which one might be expected to spend millions, is now more often seen as an arena for ALL collectors. For example great thought leaders of the art world, such as the retired head of the Guggenheim, Dr. Mariët Westermann,
Here are some auctions happening on the platform Artnet. The titles of the auctions reflect this trend of more conservative directions:
- 20th Century Art Live Now – This auction showcases the evolution of art throughout the 20th century, highlighting the ways in which artists reacted to, and were inspired by, their predecessors and the world around them.
- GEMS: Collecting Post-War Abstraction – A marquee auction showcasing Post-War Abstraction and Color field painting, this auction offers vibrant paintings and works on paper – a nod to the founding movement of Modern Art in America.
- Museum Grade: Photographs and Prints – September photographs auction highlights the achievements of artists who are currently exhibited in the world’s most prestigious public institutions. And finally …
Premier Prints & Multiples – This largest print sale of the season showcases works by some of the most popular artists on the market, from striking Pop pieces to bold street art.
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
Santa Barbara by the Glass Turning Wine Lovers into Happy Campers:
Here’s What’s New to Santa Barbara Vintners Festival 2025
by Gabe Saglie
Santa Barbara County’s wine festival of record is reinventing itself. It’ll be same in all the right ways: consumers mingling with winemakers and chefs, and plenty of samples of some of the best wines California has to offer. But Wine Camp is new for 2025, promising immersive moments meant to both enlighten and delight.
The 41st Santa Barbara Vintners Festival, hosted by Santa Barbara Vintners, returns October 18 from 1 to 4 pm, at Vega Vineyard. The historic spot, set in Buellton, was once known as Rancho la Vega, and its 1853 adobe still stands – it’s available as a shortterm rental, actually. Jimmy and Karen Loizides bought the 200-acre property in 2022; the 21 acres of grapes, mainly Italian varietals, are turned into wine by the famous Steve Clifton. The Vintners Festival features dozens of winemakers and chefs spread across the vineyard grounds, set at individual booths and tables where they can pour and mingle with the thousands of wine fans who’ve come to savor a lovely, sunny, breezy Santa Ynez Valley afternoon. The festival takes place smack in the middle of harvest season – winemakers are at their busiest, and many haven’t seen each other in months – so the buzz that comes from connection and camaraderie is palpable.
The 80-plus wineries that’ll be there – up from the 68 features last year – include standouts like Bien Nacido Estate, the Brander Vineyard (celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), Foxen Vineyard and Winery, The Hilt Estate, and Whitcraft Winery. The 2025 Rio Vista Chevrolet Bubble Lounge will feature bubbles from more than 15 Santa Barbara sparkling wine producers including Flying Goat Cellars, Hitching Post Wines, and Dreamcôte Wine Co.
This is a true culinary event, so the 20-plus chefs who join are a big part of this festival. This year, the lineup features The Gathering Table, Lucky Penny, Pico Los Alamos, The Tavern at Zaca Mesa, and Jessica Foster Confections. And there’s always great live music, too. What’s totally new this year that is likely to impress even festival loyalists is Wine Camp, an immersive space inspired by everything that we used to love about summer camp. The games and experiences are all educational, meant to enhance wine understanding and appreciation, but super imaginative and interactive.
“You’ve got to meet them at the level that they’re at,” says Lamar Engel, whose creative consulting firm Wine Militia, a company he runs with his wife, Sonja Rei Strand, is producing this year’s Vintners Festival. The dynamic duo puts on hundreds of corporate-level and ticketed events a year, and they’re seeing today’s wine drinking demographic “is skewing younger, but no less discerning, with a pervasive curiosity and an authentic approach,” all of which demands that wine events cater to attendees in their entirety, from the newbie to the oenophile.
Wine Camp, to be held in the Vega Vineyard game lawn, set next to the vines and across the farm animal petting area, aims to do just that.
The Grape Games will be hands-on wine learning, with activities like pinot noir clone tastings, Rhône white wine analysis, and educational displays. The Sensory Aroma Challenge will test guests’ noses, defying them to identify grape varietal aromas in black glasses, without peeking. And the Blind Tasting Challenge will have players taste and identify a selection of red and white wines, guess the varietals and AVAs they came from, and compete for prizes. There are rumors of wine bottle sabering demos, too.
SB by the Glass Page 314
The 41st Santa Barbara Vintners Festival returns to Vega Vineyard in Buellton next month (courtesy photo)
do this)… a lot of it would taste bitter since a good portion of it would poison you. This is why you have bitter taste receptor cells in your lungs – inhale a bunch of particulates, it’ll probably be “bitter.” Those cells are not wired to your brain (you can’t taste in your lungs) but rather the surrounding muscles. It’s an emergency system that will open up your pathways and flood the lungs with air in an effort to remove the particulate. Isn’t nature cool?
On Roses, Noses, and Jellybeans
But really, what is the difference between taste and aroma? Or flavor for that matter?
Once again, taste: tongue; aroma: nose. When you are eating something there is a blending that goes on though. The classic putting your nose up to the roses and smelling is actually called orthonasal
aroma. When you are chewing, aroma particles go up a back passageway in your throat and enter the nose (actually the nasal conchae where you smell from). This is called retronasal aroma.
So when you eat, there is a mixture of taste and aroma, the result of which is called flavor. An apple will have a ratio of sweet and acidic tastes – but really it is the aromatic compound’s complex chemistry that gives the apple its flavor. Cicerones and Sommeliers will spend years learning how to balance and blend ortho- and retronasal smelling through their breath (I’ve personally identified about two dozen breathing patterns one could use).
I’ve always personally described the aroma-taste-flavor relationship as looking at an illustration. Taste is the linework, giving structure to the object. Aroma is the color and shading, bringing life to it. And flavor is the overall picture, blending the two together for that image
in your mind. There’s actually a fun jellybean test to teach people how to differentiate between these three elements and you better believe we’ll have a table at the event for people to try it out.
A Taste of What’s to Come
If flavor is like a picture comprised of taste and aroma, then let’s have you be the artist. The different flavors zones at Mission Creek Beer Fest will be mapped to the main beer taste, and the foods served around them will be curated to play with all of the beers in that zone. Rather than a linear pairing where one beer and one food go together – each guest will get to explore how beer and food pair with different elemental tastes. Part of the goal is to help remove judgements and preconceptions each drinker has about beer flavor. Think you don’t like sweet beers? Maybe try the Island Jubilee Ale with a charcuterie cup from A La Carte Santa Barbara. This Scotch-style ale brings together notes
of plum, black cherry and a touch of toast that will meld and soothe the spicy salami and crystallized salts of the nutty, aged gouda in the charcuterie bite. Many of the brewers will be pouring two beers that play off the flavor zone that they inhabit. Island Brewing Co. will also be tapping a fresh batch of their Avo Honey Ale. Do you know that honey is basically 100% fermentable sugar? This means that it actually leaves the beer dry and crisp, with an aromatic hint of the wildflowers, orange blossom, or whichever type of honey is used.
Elemental Pairings
There are two main approaches for pairing: compare or contrast. Put a like with a like (compare) or use a positive and negative attribute together (contrast). For example, the Italian espresso-based dessert, affogato, from Beacon Coffee Co. is a natural fit with the S’more Stout that
Explore your own Flavor Field Guide at the SB Museum of Natural History (photo by Baron Spafford)
Cheers to Mission Creek Beer Festival (photo by Baron Spafford)
& Doings (Continued from 6)
Did all that pogo dancing at PCDC in the eighties wreak such havoc that an entire generation of regret-hobbled New Wavers need dozens of foot parlors to service their battered Duran Durans? How else to explain it? “You know it’s funny. I’m suddenly taken with the wildest impulse to have a gaggle of kneeling, fleet-fingered strangers surround my marmadukes and touch touch TOUCH THEM!” This is what brought down Rome, approximately.
3. Why do cars roar down the deceptively named Coast Village Circle like they are fleeing mortar fire? I understand that it provides a handy alternative to the sometimes sluggish (or therapeutically pacific) stop-and-go canter of CVR proper. But
maybe you needn’t break the sound barrier to make good on your cackling desire to beat the Main Street traffic. Some of your supersonic rides have a dusting of gypsum clinging to the grillwork. If you are plowing through actual homes to beat the CVR traffic crawl… do I really need to finish that thought? Heading to my car after work one day I saw a maroon Maserati streak past me with a panicked sous-chef clinging to the hood in absolute terror, clutching his Le Creuset Pepper Mill and screaming through his Edvard Munch face. Breathe, people.
4. When the sun goes down, why does the Santa Barbara Courthouse lighting so effectively evoke the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland? As justice is meted
out, do we really need to heap on the cruel and unusual suggestion that the perp is about to be incarcerated with 10,000 singing dolls? Surely this inference has resulted in many desperate plea deals.
5. Why are you dear villagers so intensely shampooing your dogs? Yes, these are domesticated and not wild animals. Yes, some of these huggable, unconditionally loving family members are rare breeds, literally. But should any animal look like a fabulously blowdried and comb-teased Connie Stevens? Remember that however put together your sweet canine companion, you will still be obliged to carry its feces around in a translucent little baggie. Perspective. There are eight million stories in the naked city. [shrugs into his cheap knockoff trench coat and re-assumes Raymond Chandler murmur] And in our crazy
outpost of hipster madness? Five for now, baby. And counting. You heard it from me! JEFF! [twirls dramatically, loses balance, totters into street and is hurled onto the hood of a speeding Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain E 450 4MATIC, which bears the pipsqueak away].
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
Architects’ Aid Sought to Solve Housing Needs
Santa Barbara’s housing shortage remained the top subject for discussion today as plans went ahead for local architects to submit ideas on a $6000 to $7000 house to be built in this area. At the first meeting yesterday of the Chamber of Commerce housing committee, at which most Santa Barbara lending institutions were represented, it was decided to put the problem directly up to the architects. John Lindberry, president of the Real Estate Association, will head a subcommittee to encourage architects to cooperate. “We must alleviate the present desperate shortage of housing.” Chairman O. V. Wilson of the housing committee said. “We must find a way to give veterans and other young people a chance to buy a home.” The committee also reviewed the plans to build a sub-division at Mission Street and Modoc Road. Proposed are 45 homes at $7500 apiece, including lot, at a small down payment.
From the Santa Barbara Daily News Press, September 1, 1924
Mirahuana-Moonshine
Mirahuana-moonshine
Maddening Concoction
6:00PM
THE COMMUNITY ARTS WORKSHOP: 631 GARDEN ST., SANTA BARBARA
Celebrate and support Friendship Center’s fang-tastic adult day care programs, serving seniors and their caregivers since 1976! To purchase tickets, sponsor the event, or learn more please visit fcsb.org/disco
is a new and terrible concoction which threatens to fill the county jail. In the jail today for disturbing the peace are two men and a woman whose trouble was caused by the powerful mixture of stimulants. So far most of the mirahuana-moonshine is being used as knockouts by bootleggers and others who seek to rob men seeking liquor and a spree. Two drops of the concoction is said to be enough to set the ordinary man crazy…
“Your Honor, 10,000 yelling dolls from a variety of nations have reached their verdict...”
From the Santa Barbara News Press, November 19, 1948
for posters designed for Westmont’s music and theater departments, showing an array of sketches, preliminary drawings, and framed prints of the digitally painted finals.
Anderson’s clients include the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, and MAD Magazine, among others. This December, the annual 100 Grand exhibition at Sullivan Goss will feature one of his paintings.
Alumna Leads
ICP with Heart
Alumna Kailie Grinder (‘16), who earned a doctorate in intercultural studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, has returned to campus as Westmont’s intercultural programs (ICP) interim director.
A student leader in ICP during her college years, she created spaces where all students, including students of color and those from international backgrounds, could feel they belonged. “God used my journey of learning to
advocate for others to deepen my passion to empower and encourage those who stood in the margins,” she says. “This calling, grounded in my own story of being multiracial, multiethnic and multicultural, led to a variety of vocations in education, ministry and the marketplace.”
After graduating from Westmont, she served as an inner-city elementary school teacher, executive pastor, researcher and emissary with two organizations that equipped missionary families for deployment around the globe.
For her doctorate, she looked at third-culture kids (TCKs), those who grow up in cultures outside of their parents’ home country, to understand the mix of cultures that shape them and how people who mentor or guide them can help them feel confident living between different worlds.
“I took on the ambitious task of not only bridging the gaps I saw in previous TCK studies, but also communicating a vital message of hope that TCKs can enjoy amazing gifts from a life lived in between cultures,” she says. “It was an honor to witness TCKs from around the world courageously sharing their stories and affirming this message of hope amidst the crucibles they navigated. I’m incredibly thankful that my dissertation went beyond the realm of theory; it led to tangible applications that allowed me to help strengthen the care of TCKs within families and institutions.”
Grinder appreciates the quality education she received and the lifelong friendships she made at Westmont, but admits she struggled to be accepted by her Christian peers. “God has impressed upon me the importance of building people up to be ALL of who they are so they can confidently walk into whatever calling He has placed on their lives,” she says. “I intend to mentor students with this goal in mind, starting with my student leaders in ICP.”
Her student-leader team developed a vision statement for the semester: “We boldly empower our communities in such a way that we are known for our compassionate and resilient pursuit of unity in diversity.” The organization is open to all students.
The Fireside Chats will engage guests in 15- to 20-minute sessions – casual conversation where vintners will share insider stories, wine knowledge, and regional insights.
Winemaker Larry Schaffer will rep the Rhône Rangers, the Central Coast group championing Rhône grapes like syrah and grenache, which he currently heads. His own wine label, featuring mainly Rhône wines, is Tercero. “People don’t tend to think Santa Barbara County when they think Rhônes,” he says, “and the problem with the Rhône term is that many people don’t know the varieties – and that there are 22 of them, from light whites to heavier reds that cover the whole spectrum!”
His short Fireside Chat will include tastes of white and red Rhône wines, and Schaffer plans on threading them across other wines that guests might find more familiar. Says Schaffer: “You want a crisp white? Try Picpoul! Want something more Beaujolais-esque? Drink Counoise or Cinsault! Want a cab replacement? syrah!”
Gainey Vineyards estate director Stephen Janes will focus his Fireside Chat on Sta. Rita Hills chardonnay. The SRH region, set across a pair of mountain ranges – the Purisima and the Santa Rosa – that run east-west between Buellton and Lompoc, is internationally regarded for the cool-climate wine grapes it produces, mainly chardonnay, pinot noir, and syrah.
When it comes to chardonnay from the SRH, “we are and we should be considered the best,” says Janes. Convinced that these chards can beat out Sonoma and stand
head-to-head with Burgundy, Janes will taste guests on three different chardonnays to showcase their commonality – “There’s a natural vibrancy and energy and acidity in our wines,” he says – as well as the ways winemaker decisions make them unique. Using oak barrels that are new, or that are older and more neutral; using barrels from certain regions; deciding how long wine will stay in barrel; using oak barrels at all –decisions made in the cellar that can result in a wide range of chardonnay styles.
“Every producer here is making incredible chardonnay right now,” says Janes, “and I want to tell that story.”
Wine Camp is part of general admission to the Santa Barbara Vintners Festival. Tickets are $125, and early entry, which opens the doors an hour earlier, at noon, is priced at $175. The first Santa Barbara County residents who buy pay $95. Non-drinking designated drivers, and kids aged six through 20, pay $25. Kids six and under go for free.
For an elevated experience, VIP private cabanas are priced at $2,500 – that includes eight early entry tickets, two on-site parking spots, two bottles of wine to enjoy onsite, and a charcuterie plate prepared by Vega Vineyard & Farm. VIP ticket holders will also receive a six-pack of assorted Santa Barbara County wines to take home.
Beyond the signature Vintners Festival extravaganza on October 18, wineries throughout the area will be hosting open houses and special tasting events too, including a “Breakfast, Brunch, Bubbles & Wine All Day” event at Future Perfect in downtown Los Olivos on Friday the 17th and a library tasting with the winemaker at Ken Brown Wines in Buellton on Sunday the 19th. Make a weekend of it! This is an event not to be missed – buy tickets at sbvintnersweekend.com.
than
columns, TV, and radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips, and trends.
Hitching Post winemakers Frank Ostini (right) and Gray Hartley (center) mingle with guests (courtesy photo)
The MJ’s Gabe Saglie with CrossHatch Winery owner and winemaker Michelle Vautier (courtesy photo)
Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more
15 years through
Holy Guacamole! Anderson’s artwork chosen for festival
Kailie Grinder
Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College
Stories of Courage and Commitment combines visuals, personal stories, and, most importantly, interactive participation to take the audience on a journey of transformation. The event is based on the surfer-turned-author and globally renowned motivational speaker’s “The Code,” a simple yet profound set of 12 commitments that empower individuals to make better choices, build resilience and navigate life’s challenges with hope and purpose.
The book began as a shorthand presentation for students at Rincon Beach more than 20 years ago when the world-famous surf spot was facing an environmental crisis where septic tanks overflowed into the river and then the ocean, sickening surfers and ocean goers. Surfrider Foundation, surfing’s biggest surfing environmental group – and one of three ocean-centric nonprofits along with Heal the Ocean and Surf Happens Foundation that will benefit from a portion of festival proceeds. Tomson became Surfrider’s first pro surfer member and ambassador back in 1984, and the leader of the local chapter asked him to share some thoughts with the youth to make them aware of environmental issues.
“What I came up with was 12 lines each of which began with ‘I
will…’,” Tomson recalled. “I wrote it in 15 minutes, called it Surfer’s Code, printed the statements on a little card. They were metaphors from surfing –‘I will always paddle back out,’ about perseverance and resilience, and ‘I’ll never turn my back on the ocean’ about passion and committing to an environmental path.”
The card proved popular, burgeoning interest inspired Tomson to write the book, and over the years, turned it all into a presentation that enables people to come up with their own 12 lines.
The loss of his 15-year-old son whose accidental death happened while playing the “Choking Game” almost 20 years ago led Tomson to channel The Code toward young people to “empower them to make positive choices in their lives,” he said. “It’s about how you find the commitment to make the right choices when that time comes.”
But Tomson has also delivered the interactive ‘Writing Your Code’ presentation around the world in an array of settings – everywhere from prisons to executive meetings to top-ranked universities.
“It’s a very transformational process,” he said. “It’s about the values that surfing can teach you about life, and
Montecito Natural Health
healing our broken and divided world. It’s simple, it doesn’t cost anything. And anybody can do it in 15 minutes.”
The process makes a huge impact, Tomson said.
“The goal is to create this positive wave of hope and purpose across the globe. It might seem like a kumbaya, airy-fairy process, but it’s incredibly powerful. When people write the code, they look inside themselves and they find the best version of themselves and they publicly commit to it. And they also commit to help others be better, and come up with lines like ‘I’ll be the light in the darkness. I’ll volunteer. I’ll be a mentor.’ They read their lines aloud and inspire each other.”
The interactive film presentation features footage of massive wipeouts in Hawaii and other exciting surfing clips, but in the context of surfing as a metaphor rather than an incredible sensory experience, he said.
“I’m looking at surfing as more of a kind of spiritual experience and what it can teach you about life,” he said.
While Tomson has worked the process with hundreds of thousands of people over the years, the one audience he hasn’t
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STRONG & FUELED, 3790 San Remo Drive, 41, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. CHRISTOPHER M JORDAN, 3790 San Remo Drive 41, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 28, 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. 2025-0002045. Published September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOURFEND SECURITY GROUP, INC., 863 Sand Point Road, Carpinteria, CA 93013. FOURFEND SECURITY GROUP, INC., 1072 Casitas Pass Road PMB 321, Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 13, 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. 2025-0001926. Published September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUMIO, 1187 Coast Village Rd, 1-172, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. STUDIO LUMINOUS, LLC, 500 Maple Ave STE 4, Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 11, 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. 2025-0002131. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SALON MAXINE, 130 S. Hope Avenue, Suite 126, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. KELLY HEWLETT, 424 E. Sola Street Unit B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 & REBECCA DILKS, 802 Jimeno Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 20, 2025. This statement expires five
experienced is one full of surfers at a surf film festival.
“Normally, 99 percent of my audience knows nothing about surfing. Absolutely zero,” he said. “But for the festival, I’ve added more expert surf content.”
Still, Saturday’s event will be a first for Tomson, who moved to Montecito 30 years ago after first surfing Rincon and related areas in the late 1970s.
“I honestly don’t know how the surf community is going to respond. I have no idea,” he said. “It’s uncharted territory for me. I’m excited and I’m a little bit nervous – like I’m paddling out at a brand-new surf break for the first time.”
Steven
a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0001990. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOUGIE BARKERY SB, 919 Roble Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. KARLA A PARKER, 919 Roble Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 2, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0002070. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUMINA NOSTRI, 6580 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Barbara, CALIFO 93105. Sarah ER Ahlers, PO BOX 1083, Goleta, CA 93116. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 29, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0002064. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOVUS BUILDING SYSTEM, 4661 9TH ST, Carpinteria, CA 93013. QUANTUM CONSTRUCTION SB INC, 4661 9TH ST., Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 04, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0001840. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAMAR, 808 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Christine V Quach, 808 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA
93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 27, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0002036. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV05018. To all interested parties: Petitioner Thomas Nicholas Petosa filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Thomas Petra 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 September 5, 2025 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: October 27, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 5, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV03247. To all interested parties: Petitioner Mira Yang filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Mira Lee. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed August 22, 2025 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: October 22, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published September
Shaun doing what he does best – inspiring others (photo by Steve Wilkings)
Libowitz has covered
Johnson , executive director of Explore Ecology said, “We are incredibly grateful to SCAPE and to all of the artists who contributed to this event. Proceeds from the show will support students across Santa Barbara County who are the next generation of environmental stewards. Thanks to SCAPE artists, children will enjoy field trips, outdoor learning in school gardens, and creative reuse art workshops. We can’t wait to collaborate with SCAPE on future events!”
It’s that time of year when we reach out in Montecito to join the thousands of volunteers along the California coast and along the shoreline world-wide to participate in the 41st Annual Coastal Clean-Up Day.
This year saw a huge increase to approximately 100 volunteers to our shores, with 35 volunteers at Butterfly Beach and 63 volunteers at Hammond’s-Miramar-Fernald Point Beach! I couldn’t help but wonder … was nature smiling on our efforts while the autumn overcast dewy morning gave way to sunshine by noon?
There were 18 Westmont College students at Butterfly Beach which heralded a new participation level for the school in the 10 years I have reported on this important effort. Laguna Blanca School has sponsored / manned the Hammond’s-Miramar-Fernald Point for over ten years, with volunteers including teachers, students, and parents. I scheduled to meet with both area’s captains between the usual 11:15-12:30 zone when the calculation of collected trash by weight is done, as well as the recording of trash collected by type. I arrived at Butterfly Beach to find only a few trash bags left to be picked up by the famous tree near the steps to the beach! Snapping a photo of the trash, I texted the site captains who said they left early due to the incredible number of volunteers cleaning the area and were kind enough to send over a few photos for our readers!
The Butterfly Beach shore at Channel Drive, across the street from the Biltmore Hotel, is successfully managed by Site Captains 17-year-old Pyp Pratt and his father Paul Pratt, organized by Midland School where Pyp is a student. Pyp has been in charge of collecting trash at this location for six years plus. His team collected over 70 pounds of trash. The most common trash found on Butterfly Beach shores were cigarette butts, THC products and pet poop bags. The Site Captains
have it noted that very little styrofoam was found this year; YAY Montecito on that.
I then drove over to the Laguna Blanca School team at beaches of Hammond’s, Miramar, and Fernald Point area, setting up base at the top of the stairs to the beach off of Eucalyptus Lane. I met with the Site Captains for the tenth year in a row. They are Laguna Blanca School science teachers with backgrounds in marine science, Allison Armstrong, and Katie Pointer. Science teacher Kevin Valdez also worked as a Site Captain but had already left when I arrived. The team wanted me to give a nod to All Saints-By-the-Sea parishioners who join off and on over the years and provided a photo they took that included Valdez for our readers.
We talked about their part in the clean-up project, and any interesting trash pulled up today. They shared, “Sadly there were a lot of broken spiked nets, lobster traps, ocean recreation toys, wood, a lot of abandoned bagged dog poop, and boxed drinking water containers. One of our volunteers was a gentleman who said he and his wife walk this beach three times a week for the purpose of cleaning up the trash! Another woman said to us what if each person picked up one piece of trash per day, it would make a huge difference. It takes all of us doing tiny steps on a daily basis which will help one realize that change is possible and globally, if we are all willing to participate.”
The Laguna Blanca School team had 63 volunteers, including 26 students and 34 Laguna Blanca School community members, Laguna Blanca kindergarten teacher Mieke Delwiche, Head of School Ron Cino and his wife, Nathalie, Lower School teachers Lisa Vance and Alyssa Barker. Seems pet owners who walk our Montecito beaches need a reminder on taking the pet poop bags to a trash bin!
411: Santa Barbara County Coastal Cleanup Day is coordinated by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, with support from the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Solvang. Special thanks to the many nonprofits, businesses, and generous individuals who make this event possible. The California Coastal Commission organizes the statewide event and the international event is organized by the Ocean Conservancy.
Joanne A Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com
Kevin Valdez, Katie Pointer, and Allison Armstrong (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Volunteers with Pyp at Butterfly Beach for Coastal Clean-Up Day (courtesy photo)
More help at Butterfly Beach (courtesy photo)
Hard workers keeping our beaches clean (courtesy photo)
Teacher’s Fund
Supplies Drive
Committee
Members (courtesy photo)
community. “This Peace Pole is more than just a symbol,” said Roland Rotz , peacebuilder director for the Rotary Club of Carpinteria. “It’s a call to action for our community to live out Rotary’s mission of goodwill, service, and peaceful conflict resolution.” The dedication ceremony is open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend.
Reminder: Condor Trail Fundraiser
its founding in 2002 by Village Properties Owner Renee Grubb, the Teacher’s Fund has donated more than $2.3 million to educators, funding supplies often beyond school budgets.
Carp Rotary Club & Girls Inc. Unveil New Peace Pole
The Rotary Club of Carpinteria is proud to announce the installation and dedication of a Peace Pole at Girls Inc. of Carpinteria, 5315 Foothill Road on Thursday, September 25, at 4:30 pm. The Peace Pole, which bears the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in nine languages including Braille, represents Rotary and Girls Inc.’s commitment to promoting peace, unity, and cross-cultural understanding. This collaborative project was developed jointly by members of the Rotary Club of Carpinteria and Girls Inc. of Carpinteria, who selected the languages together to reflect the diversity and values of the Carpinteria
Curator’s Choice
September 21–27 is Sea Otter Awareness Week. Were you aware that a California Sea Otter’s teeth can turn purple from eating urchins? This skull clearly shows how the animal provided a helpful service to the kelp forest. When there are too many urchins, the urchins can eat all the available kelp, which can negatively affect a lot of species (including humans, who rely on kelp forests to produce a variety of seafood). Otters keep urchin populations in check, thus reducing what are called urchin barrens or urchin deserts. A California Sea Otter has to eat 25% of its body weight in a day, so that can add up to a lot of urchins! This skull is among the 44,000+ specimens curated by the Museum’s Department of Vertebrate Zoology, overseen by Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Krista Fahy, PhD.
Did you know that every Sunday through the fall at the Sea Center on Stearn’s Wharf, from 11:30–11:45 am we will be offering a Shark Sunday interpretive talk by a local naturalist while an aquarist feeds the sharks.
The Los Padres Forest Association is holding a fundraiser event for their Condor Trail on Thursday, September 25, at the Balboa Building, 735 State St. The event keynote is a presentation by Addison Jerlow , who set record time in March hiking the 400-mile trail with a vertical gain of 69,000 feet. He did it in 21d 5h 31m 0s. Jerlow is sharing his experience with a talk and slide show, suggestions on how to navigate the trail, gear needed and logistics. Brian Sarvis will also be speaking. He has through-hiked the Condor Trail once in each direction, as well as completed numerous section hikes for research. Sarvis wrote a book on his arduous hiking adventure, The Condor Trail Guide . The event includes a happy hour and raffle for only $10.
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/LPForest-Fundraiser
Girls Inc. Mixer Fundraiser Announced
Girls Inc. of Carpinteria is having a public mixer on Thursday, September 25, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The evening includes a guided tour of their campus and a happy hour to connect with supporters and learn more about the organization.
RSVP to Madeline@girlsinc-carp.org
Reminder: Happy 60th Birthday to the City of Carp
The City of Carpinteria invites all locals to celebrate its 60th Anniversary September 24, 1-4 pm: Carpinteria Valley Museum of History September 25, 1 pm: Veterans Hall and 6pm Carp Beach Clean Up September 26, 4 pm: Lynda Fairly Carp Arts Center community painting September 27, 11 am-1 pm: Carp Library arts performances and costume contest September 29, 5:30 pm: Veterans Hall State of the City Address
Montecito Trails Foundation’s Annual Fall BBQ Fundraiser
Montecito Trails Foundation Annual Fall BBQ fundraiser is on Saturday, September 27, at the Carriage Museum (129 Castillo Street in Santa Barbara). The event honors board member Jane Murray. Proceeds are slated to help fund restoration of the remaining 5 miles of Old Romero Road, a project scheduled to commence spring 2026.
411: www.montecitotrailsfoundation.info/about-4
Assemblymember Hart’s Congressional Bills Update
Assemblymember Gregg Hart has published the bills he is sending to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newson as follows:
- SB 237 – Protect the Coast: Improves oil facility and pipeline standards and oversight to safeguard coastal resources. Clarifies the California Coastal Commission’s authority to require coastal development permits for the reactivation of old oil facilities and pipelines.
- AB 14 – Blue Whales, Blue Skies: Creates the California Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program to reduce ship strikes on endangered whales and cut air emissions by incentivizing slower vessel speeds along the California coast.
- AB 1108 – FACTS Act: Requires independent medical examinations into deaths of individuals in law enforcement custody (including federal immigration enforcement), ensuring sheriff-coroners refer in-custody death investigations to independent physicians.
- AB 1466 – Sustainable Groundwater Management: Strengthens California’s groundwater sustainability efforts by protecting small farmers and disadvantaged communities from costly and prolonged legal challenges.
- AB 632 – Local Housing and Safety Compliance: Expands enforcement tools for local governments to uphold state housing laws, fire safety regulations, and restrictions on unlicensed cannabis activities by strengthening penalty collection against serious violators.
- AB 471 – Equitable Air District Board Compensation: Expands participation on local air district boards by providing fair compensation, cost-of-living adjustments, and transparency requirements to ensure diverse and effective leadership
Skull of a California Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris nereis)
Barbara Museum of Natural History President & CEO Luke Swetland, adding a celebratory note to the evening.
Cruise-goers included Stacey Byers , Greg Gorga , Colleen Graffy , Bob and Mary Gates , Dirk Brandts , Jill Nida , and Gary Simpson – all treated to an unforgettable night of music and coastal beauty.
Harvest Brunch Celebrates Santa Barbara’s Heritage
Santa Barbara locals gathered at Casa de la Guerra for the first annual Harvest Brunch, a joyful celebration of community and history.
Guests enjoyed a brunch buffet, mimosa bar, silent auction, and live flamenco guitar by Chris Fossek – all in support of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP).
Proceeds from the event support SBTHP’s mission to preserve historic sites, offer educational programs, and inspire community-wide preservation efforts.
Attendees also toured the Casa’s latest exhibit, Santa Barbara 1925-2025: A Portrait in Maps, with Dennis Doordan, curator and architectural historian. The exhibit is part of the EQ25 commemoration of the 1925 earthquake and showcases Santa Barbara’s transformation over the past century through historical and contemporary maps.
Set in the heart of downtown, Casa de la Guerra remains a living monument to the city’s layered past – still bringing people together, just as it did two centuries ago.
Notable attendees included Shelley Bookspan, Michael Neal Arnold, Patricia Chidlaw, Bob Sponsel, Scott Estby, Olivia Brown, and Dirk Brandts.
The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Celebrates
25th Anniversary
Santa Barbara’s Ritz-Carlton Bacara marked its 25th anniversary this year with a resort-wide transformation led by award-winning design firm Meyer Davis. The project included redesigned guestrooms and suites, new restaurant and bar concepts, updated lobby and public spaces, and refreshed pool and cabana offerings.
On September 16, the resort hosted a 25 Years of Bacara celebration which brought together Visit Santa Barbara, local community members and the resort’s Ladies & Gentlemen for an evening featuring culinary experiences, live music, and more.
During the event, General Manager Bradley Cance shared remarks and introduced the Bacara Bell Ritual, a new tradition that was inaugurated by 10 of the resort’s legacy Ladies & Gentlemen, who have been with the property since its opening.
Drawing inspiration from the historic bells of Santa Barbara’s Mission and
Presidio, the tradition will see the Bacara Bell ring daily at 5 pm, symbolizing gratitude, connection, wonder, intention, and peace.
The event also featured food and beverage stations showcasing signature items from Marisella, Lulio, ‘O’ Bar & Terrace, Mission Market and SunBar.
In a statement to Montecito Journal, Cance shared, “As we celebrate 25 years of creating memorable moments for our guests and local community alike, the renovation represents a blend of tradition and transformation at our beloved resort.” He added, “Whether visiting for a coastal getaway, enjoying a restorative spa day or dining at our restaurants that showcase the best of the region, we invite both new and familiar guests to indulge in the natural beauty, warm hospitality and relaxed elegance that define Bacara.”
Sightings
Richard Mineards recovering nicely in the hospital…
Pip! Pip!
For event coverage, contact Priscilla at 805city@gmail.com
Anne Petersen, Terease Chin, Sally Foxen, Yvonne Leal, Jordan Hitchens, and Theresa McNulty with guitarist Chris Fossek (photo by Maria McCall)
Some of the resort’s legacy Ladies & Gentlemen, who have been with the property since its opening (photo by Priscilla)
Happy 25th to the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara! (photo by Priscilla)
Dennis Doordan (right), architectural historian and curator of Santa Barbara 1925-2025: A Portrait in Maps (photo by Maria McCall)
feet range alone (without home hardening). Furthermore, this is one study and the first of its kind. There is nearly zero scientific literature on the subject of a clear versus planted Zone Zero.
Another preliminary study yielded an opposite result: homes with high moisture content trees within 30 feet and at least 20% of the bare ground covered within Zone Zero were more likely to survive.
“From the plant flammability side of things, removing all the vegetation isn’t well founded in science,” said University of California Santa Barbara Professor Max Moritz. He explained that while plants like juniper, Italian cypress, and palm trees have been noted to ignite quickly, potentially assisting in the spread of fire, others – like high-moisture, drought resistant natives – may have a protective effect. Very few studies have considered the role of vegetation on ignition. “Home hardening is by far the
Zmost effective way to reduce home loss,” Moritz said.
In the last week, the Board of Forestry hosted one town hall in Ventura and another in Pasadena, both open to public comment, listening to questions at the latter for nearly five and a half hours.
In Ventura, concerns were raised over the increases in urban heat and energy costs that would follow mass tree removal. Greg Rubin of Native Landscape Design, Inc. explained how some native plants can hold onto moisture for long periods of time and are needed to interrupt ember flows.
The Pasadena meeting opened with a presentation of one man’s successful defense of his and his neighbor’s homes during the January fire in Altadena. He described the flaming crown of a palm tree acting as a source of embers dispersed to ignite multiple homes both near and far. Penny Sylvester, the Mayor of Agoura Hills, called for the Board of
ZONE 0
one 0 (0-5 feet) reduces the likelihood of structure ignition by reducing the potential for direct ignition of the structure from flame contact, by embers that accumulate at the base of a wall, and/or indirect ignitions when embers ignite vegetation, vegetative debris ,or other combustible materials located close to the structure that result in either a radiant heat and/or a direct flame contact exposure to the structure.
Zone 0 is the horizontal area within the first five feet around the structure and any outbuildings, attached decks, and stairs. The zone also includes the area under attached decks and stair landings. Zone 0 should incorporate a 6-inch vertical area between the ground and the start of the building’s exterior siding to be most effective.
Zone 0 is a critical component of structure defense and, when coupled with Zone 1 and Zone 2, is essential to providing effective defensible space.
Zone 1
Zone 1 extends from Zone 0 (first 5 feet around a structure) to 30 feet around a structure and deck or to the property line if less than 30 feet. Zone 1 is designed to reduce wildfire risk by minimizing flammable materials and maintaining vegetation in a way that slows fire spread.
Requirements:
– Remove dead leaves, pine needles, and debris from your yard, roof, and gutters.
– Trim overhanging branches to at least 10 feet away from chimneys.
– Keep trees pruned to maintain spacing.
– Clear flammable vegetation and items from under decks, balconies, and stairs.
– Maintain space between trees and shrubs.
– Ensure outbuildings and propane tanks have 10 feet of clearance with no flammable vegetation nearby.
Forestry to give local officials the power to determine for their regions which vegetation is a threat, and which is not. She expressed concerns over the question of enforcement.
At both meetings, the Board of Forestry showed a slide with the logos and names of their partners in forming their Zone Zero rules. In Pasadena, Dave Lefkowith, vice-president of the Mandeville Canyon Association, pointed out that the list consisted solely of fire departments and insurance companies: until now, it seems few if any scientists or academic institutions have been brought to the table in a meaningful way.
The presence of insurance companies is concerning, to say the least. If the rules are implemented in their current form, firefighters will be responsible for walking homeowners’ properties and providing information on how they can comply with the regulations. Homeowners will be responsible for modifying their landscaping. It will be almost impossible for everyone to keep the outer edges of
their ever-expanding shrubs back exactly five feet. At the same time, insurance companies could fly drones over large swaths of homes at a time and judge five feet from aerial photography. Zone Zero presents a case where it is much easier to judge compliance than to comply. Imagine the worst-case scenario where a homeowner is trying to follow the rules but misses a tree branch by a couple inches and is then denied coverage by their insurance when their house burns down (possibly for a completely different collection of reasons).
Summing Up Zone Zero
The Zone Zero rules are not built with the goal of decreasing home loss in wildland-urban conflagrations. If the goal was fire prevention and suppression, wouldn’t the science of firefighting be among the largest influences on how the rules are written?
Creating and maintaining defensible space is crucial for wildfire safety, helping protect homes and firefighters.
Zone 2
Zone 2 extends 30 to 100 feet around a structure or to the property line if less than 100 feet. Zone 2 is designed to slow the spread of wildfire by reducing the amount of vegetation that could fuel flames.
Requirements:
– Mow grass to a maximum height of 4 inches.
– Create horizontal spacing between shrubs and trees.
– Remove dead vegetation and fallen leaves.
– Prune lower branches of trees.
– Ensure outbuildings and propane tanks have 10 feet of clearance with no flammable vegetation nearby.
This zone helps create a buffer that reduces fire intensity before it reaches a structure.
(Source: bof.fire.ca.gov)
Know Your Zones
Night Lizard Brewing will be bringing –that’s a like with a like that will be hard not to like. But as a contrast, have you ever had a pistachio gelato with a Gose?
The tart, salty wheat beer style brewed with coriander that originated from using the brackish water of the Gose River blends perfectly with the sweet nutty dessert.
Barrelworks – the specialty barrel-aging arm of Firestone Walker – will be bringing two versions of their fruited sour ale, Primal Elements, for the Sour & Salty zone. A tropical one using mango, pineapple, nectarine, and tangerine, and a berry-themed one that is aged on whole Washington blueberries and marionberries. The State Street family-owned Cuso’s Creamery will be whipping up something fun to play off this cornucopia of flavor.
Sweet and bitter are pretty standard tastes in beer, but what about umami?
Longtime friend and close collaborator Dan Reyes of CARP Homebrewers will be helping us fill this section. Inspired by the Umami Monster brewed by Garage Project out of New Zealand, Dan and I will be brewing a Belgian-style dubbel with harvested kelp, dried fermented bonito flakes, and oak-smoked mushrooms. The beer, naturally, will be called Dub’Ami. How will it taste? You’ll just have to attend to have a sip. Maybe alongside some barbecued ribs from Convivo or a sesame-mushroom dirty rice from Finch & Fork…
Science, But Make It Delicious
Yes, there will be hops and malts. Yes, there will be food so good you’ll want to high-five a chef. But at its core, the festival is also about science – with 100% of the net proceeds going directly to the museum’s science and nature education programs. Every pint poured is basically a tax-deductible act of goodwill for local kids, school field trips, and the kind of hands-on science learning that may inspire the next gen-
eration of inventors and ecologists.
As the Museum’s Marketing Director Jonah Haas puts it, Mission Creek Beer Festival is like the cool younger sibling of the institution’s long-running Santa Barbara Wine Festival®. It’s a little wilder, a lot fizzier, and entirely devoted to making science fun, delicious, and approachable.
What’s a festival without a cherry –or in this case, a hop – on top? This year’s raffle grand prize is a private beer cruise hosted by yours truly for 50 on the Condor Express. I will even help curate the selection of beers to the winner’s taste. Imagine you and your closest friends afloat on the Pacific, raising glasses while dolphins surf the bow. And best of all, someone else does the cleanup. But before you can get there, you’ll first have to trek your way through a Flavor Field Guide at the museum.
California must get more serious about addressing its wildfire problem. Let’s not worry about nitpicking the growth of our vegetation. Priorities should be based on what we know for sure, not on an arbitrary space limitation without significant scientific basis.
Here is what the state should be prioritizing based on the science: demands for home hardening, building new homes and developments more responsibly (with respect to very high fire risk zones), removing specific highly flammable vegetation, and emphasizing the importance of yard maintenance. This means clearing dead and dying branches from trees and consistently removing accumulated leaf litter, which is dry and highly flammable. “If you keep [your yard] open enough and well-maintained enough [vegetation-wise] the plants there won’t ignite and burn your own house down,” Max Moritz said.
California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Draft Zone 0 Rules, 18 Aug. 2025, Board of Forestry website, https://bof.fire.ca.gov/projects-and-programs/defensible-space-zones-0-1-and-2
California. Executive Order N-18-25: Urban Conflagration. By Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, 6 Feb. 2025. State of California – Executive Department, https://www.gov.ca.gov/ wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-2-6. Urban-Conflagration-EO-ATTESTED.pdf
Escobedo, Francisco J., Kamini Yadav, Onofrio Cappelluti, and Nels Johnson. “Exploring Urban Vegetation Type and Defensible Space’s Role in Building Loss during Wildfire-Driven Events in California.” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 262, 2025, article 105421. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105421
“Hardening Your Home.” Prepare for Wildfire: Hardening Your Home, CAL FIRE, 2025, https:// www.fire.ca.gov/home-hardening
An important note is that maintenance is an ongoing practice and not so easy. A recent study explored how in most cases people do not keep up with their yard maintenance. Zone Zero seems like the ultimate reaction: if homeowners aren’t good at maintaining their vegetation, just mandate they remove it. This is an overstep in control, but there is something to be learned. The study’s authors suggest we “mitigate the need to mitigate.” It is time we renovate with fire-resistant materials and landscape with plants that are fire and drought-resistant and that require less maintenance. Montecito is particularly vulnerable to wildland-urban fires. The Local Responsibility Area for Very High Fire Hazard ranges from East Valley/ Sycamore Canyon south to Coast Village. Everything north into the Santa Ynez Mountains is contained by the State Responsibility Area for Very High Fire Hazard. Zone Zero will affect both areas. If you live in Montecito, whatever is decided in the next three months will affect you, whether you like it or not. The Board of Forestry heard additional comments from the public on September 22 in Sacramento. Zone Zero rules will be revised through October with the formal rule-making process beginning in November. Whatever is decided will affect new construction immediately and existing homes within one-to-three years.
Sources
California Assembly Bill No. 3074, Chapter 259, Statutes of 2020. “Fire prevention: wildfire risk: defensible space: ember-resistant zones.” Bill Text: CA AB3074, 2019-20 Regular Session, LegiScan, 29 Sept. 2020, https://legiscan.com/ CA/text/AB3074/id/2210565
Keeley, Jon E., and Alexandra D. Syphard. “Twenty-First Century California, USA, Wildfires: Fuel-Dominated vs. Wind-Dominated Fires.” Fire Ecology, vol. 15, no. 24, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-019-0041-0
Knapp, Eric E., Yana S. Valachovic, Stephen L. Quarles, et al. “Housing Arrangement and Vegetation Factors Associated with Single-Family Home Survival in the 2018 Camp Fire, California.” Fire Ecology, vol. 17, no. 25, 2021. https:// doi.org/10.1186/s42408-021-00117-0
Longcore, Travis. Re: Defensible Space Zone 0 and Vegetation/Trees. Email to Zone Zero Regulatory Advisory Committee, California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, 26 Apr. 2025.
Marantos, Jeanette. “Proposed ‘Zone Zero’ Rules Would Remove All Plants Within Five Feet of Homes in Fire Areas.” Los Angeles Times, 15 Sept. 2025, https://www.latimes. com/lifestyle/story/2025-09-15/proposedzone-zero-rules-would-remove-all-plantswithin-five-feet-homes-fire-areas
Moritz, Max. Interview. Conducted by Asher Radziner, 19 Sept. 2025, via Zoom.
Zamanialaei, M., San Martin, D., Theodori, M. et al. Fire risk to structures in California’s Wildland-Urban Interface. Nat Commun 16, 8041 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467025-63386-2
Asher Radziner is a journalist and environmental writer from California. He currently studies Environmental Science at Brown University.
Scan here for tickets to the Mission Creek Beer Festival
Zach Rosen is the Managing Editor of the Montecito Journal. He also enjoys working with beer, art, and life.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Calendar of Events
by Steven Libowitz
ENDING THIS WEEK
Sunset Sessions at the Band Shell – This inaugural series at the newly refurbished space in Pershing Park across from West Beach was supposed to wind up four weeks of free community performances (spanning a variety of genres) with a 90-minute set of stand-up comedy by Don’t Tell Comedy on May 25. But then late summer rain washed out the poetry and short story readings by the local authors in the Gunpowder Poetry Group on Sept. 18, and now that event shifts to October 2. And the comedy show has inexplicably morphed into more music, with the local progressive bluegrass band Salty Strings doing their plucking, strumming and singing thing after an opening set from Molly O’Connell & Miles Carter. What hasn’t changed is this: attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and feel free to picnic (but leave the alcohol at home).
Food will also be available for purchase.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Pershing Park, 100 Castillo St.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 564-5573
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Paul Is Live! – At an age when most folks are happy to settle into full retirement, rock legend Paul McCartney is going back on the road for another segment of his Got Back tour that began back in 2022. At 83, the former Fab Four heartthrob (yeah, that was 55 or so years ago), is planning a full set of hits from his Beatles, Wings and solo catalog, likely including such favorites as “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Blackbird,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” “Junior’s Farm,” “Lady Madonna,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Let ‘Em In” and many more. What makes this so exciting is that Sir Paul has decided to add a kickoff date to the already announced arena and stadium tour right here at our Santa Barbara Bowl, a concert that will apparently also be his actual Santa Barbara debut (‘bout time!). Our charming little amphitheater will of course be the smallest venue on the schedule, but of course tickets, which started at several hundred dollars, are already sold out. But you can still see McCartney at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on October 4, where available seats start at just $128, a bargain even when adding in airfare.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St. INFO: (805) 962-4711 or www.sbbowl.com
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25-FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
‘Pageants Are a Drag!’ – Prepare to be dazzled at a celebration filled with fierce drag performances, unforgettable drama, and show-stopping divas. Center Stage Theater partners with Michelle Chakra , Mx. Ventura County Pride 2021, for what is being billed as the ultimate Diva vs. Diva Showdown Extravaganza. All types of pageants, cheerleading competitions, homecoming queen races, drag pageants, toddlers with tiaras, and much more will be represented at this tongue-in-cheek extravaganza. Expect glamorous costumes, jaw-dropping performances, and all the glitter you can handle as top drag queens battle it out for the crown with a night full of both laughter and heart.
WHEN: 7:30 pm Thursday & Friday
WHERE: Center Stage Theatre, 751 Paseo Nuevo, second floor COST: $30-$75
INFO: (805) 963-0408 or https://centerstagetheater.org
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
When Life Gives You Lemons… – Make a festival! Goleta gets all zesty once again to kick off autumn with its 32nd annual Lemon Festival, a two-day extravaganza that pays tribute to the Good Land’s heritage as a once-thriving haven for lemon groves. The citric-centric weekend has become one of the South Coast’s most a-peeling traditions, drawing over 40,000 residents and visitors, as well as representatives of nonprofits, and community leaders to Goleta’s largest community event of the year. More than 80 booths run the gamut from local arts and crafts for sale, lemon-adjacent food and drink, commercial enterprises, and a bevy of nonprofits offering information and swag, helping to squeeze the most out of the expansive space at Girsh Park. The Lemon Fest also boasts an impressive lineup of local bands delivering virtually nonstop tunes both days, spanning rock, country, blues, funk and more, including Saturday afternoon’s headliner in the ever-popular dance band Area 51. A separate Community Stage brings local flavor with performances by local groups, clubs and schools. The festival also features the largest interactive display of Fire, Police and Emergency Services vehicles in the county at “Safety Street” where visitors can meet the people who help keep us safe and get an up-close look at their state-of-the-art vehicles and technologies, including the Sheriff’s Mounted Enforcement Unit. On Saturday only, the 18th annual Goleta Fall Classic Car Show lets visitors view an impressive lineup of Corvettes, Camaros, vintage trucks, motorcycles, and more. The Lemon Fest is also truly a family-friendly festival, with games and activities that range from mini golf to inflatable bubbles to archery tag in the Kids Zone – not to mention a daily pie eating contest – with an optional all-inclusive activity wristband providing endless fun for the wee folk.
WHEN: 10 am-6 pm Saturday & Sunday
WHERE: Girsh Park, 7050 Phelps Road, Goleta
COST: free
INFO: 1-805-967-2500 or https://lemonfestival.com
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Catch a Wave – The wait is over: the Granada hosts a huge star-studded tribute to the late Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson with a night of songs from early California surf rock songs to touching solo material, with the L.A.-based band The Tribe serving as the house band and more for a oncein-a-lifetime gathering of musicians drawn from friends, family and guests. Among the lineup are the full pop trio Wilson Phillips featuring Brian’s daughters as well as The Honeys, his ex-wife’s band, and five of Wilson’s musical grandchildren. The Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara, which just kicked off its season last weekend, will collaborate for special orchestral versions of several of the songs, while Kenny Loggins is among the special guests. Proceeds benefit the Santa Barbara chapter of The Surfrider Foundation and Adam’s Angels.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street
COST: $45-$310
INFO: (805) 899-2222/www.granadasb.org
Blues Bash – The last time blues great Curtis Salgado performed in town for the Santa Barbara Blues Society, it was hot on the heels of winning the coveted Blues Music Award for Song of the Year for “Walk a Mile in My Blues” from his album The Beautiful Lowdown . The singer-songwriter-harmonica player, who NPR once praised as an icon with a huge voice, puts his all into every show, powerhouse performances full of grit and soul. The
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
A Stark Road Story – David Starkey might be best-known in Santa Barbara for his service as the city’s third Poet Laureate in 2009-2011 who has published 11 full-length collections of poetry. He’s also the Founding Director of the Creative Writing Program at SBCC, co-editor of the California Review of Books, and the publisher and co-editor of local imprint Gunpowder Press . And he’s a novelist! His latest fiction offering, The Fairley Brothers in Japan , might feel familiar to any aging pop musician whose glory days are in the rearview mirror. This tale of two (vastly different) brothers is a warmly amusing page-turner. The sibs enjoyed moderate success as a folk-rock duo before splitting up 40 years ago, and suddenly have the opportunity to revive their fame and friendship when their hit song is unexpectedly chosen for a Japanese car commercial. The book is a gently comic exploration of what happens on their tour across the country. Starkey comes to Chaucer’s Books for a book talk that baby boomers should certainly enjoy.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: Chaucer’s, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center
COST: free
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com
Portland, Oregon-based 11-time BMA award-winner – including the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year – has seasoned the genre with a bit of whimsy, with songs such as “I Want My Dog to Live Longer,” “At Least I Didn’t Do That,” and “You Love Me and I Don’t Blame You.” Salgado has a terrirfic new album out called Fine By Me . Ventura-based Katie Skene roots rock/Americana singer-songwriter-guitarist, whose music melds her Southern roots with a decade spent on the West Coast, opens the show.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Carrillo Recreation Center, 100 E. Carrillo St. COST: $35 general, $45 VIP seating, $10 students INFO: (805) 668-6884 or www.sbblues.org
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19
Pianos on State – An impromptu performance of Chopin’s “Nocturne Opus 9 in E Flat Major” erupts gently into the evening light. Following her show at SOhO, Pop-fiddler Lindsey Stirling wanders out to late night State Street where commandeers a keyboard and jams with her band at the Victoria Street corner. A pair of teens give an insistent, index finger-fuled performance of “Chopsticks – over and over again. A toddler reaches up to delightedly tickle the ivories at random. Stuff like this happens every year during the annual Pianos on State experience which takes place every October in downtown Santa Barbara. Each upright piano – a baker’s dozen this year, and each phantasmagorically painted by local artists – holds down a public space for a few weeks, allowing passerby to spontaneously play, or listen, or just enjoy the fact of truly public art. The project gently puts music and art into people’s everyday lives as they shop, stroll or otherwise go about their business. No qualifications necessary to try your hand(s). They’re there for everyone.
WHEN: Through October 19
WHERE: 13 locations on State or nearby from Arlington to Yanonali Streets, plus one at Santa Barbara Airport COST: free
INFO: www.pianosonstate.com
A Gripping Debut About Grief, Secrets, and the Search for Justice
When a grieving cop and a stylish witness bond over shared tragedy, one secret threatens to destroy them both.
Please come for refreshments and a short reading to celebrate the debut of the novel,
September 27th at 3 pm.
Tecolote Books, Montecito Village Shopping Center, 1470 E Valley Rd., #52, Montecito, CA, 93108
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (805) 565-1860
Your Trusted Choice For Estate Sales, Liquidation & Downsizing
Moving Miss Daisy’s providing comprehensive services through Moving Miss Daisy since 2015. Expert packing, unpacking, relocating to ensure your new home is beautifully set up and ready to enjoy. Miss Daisy’s is the largest consignment store in the Tri-Counties - nearly 20K sq.ft.- always offering an unmatched selection of items. We also host online Auctions.
Glenn Novack, Owner
805-770-7715
www.missdaisy.org info@movingmissdaisy.com
THE CLEARING HOUSE
Recognized as the area’s Premier Estate Liquidators - Experts in the Santa Barbara Market! We are Skilled Professionals with Years of Experience in Downsizing and Estate Sales. Personalized service. Insured. Call for a complimentary consultation. Elaine (805)708-6113
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
ELECTRICIAN
Montecito Electric Repairs and Inspections
Licensed C10485353
805-969-1575
TILE SETTING
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY
Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency
John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com
GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? WE CAN HELP
At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session! Call Now (805) 453-6086
SENIOR MOVE SOLUTIONS
For 10 years your trusted experts in Downsizing, Relocation & Estate Transitions. Experienced & detail-oriented, we handle every step with patience and precision. CuratedTransitions.com 805.669.6303
Tell Your Story
How did you get to be where you are today? What were your challenges? What is your Love Story? I can help you tell your story in an unforgettable way – with a book that will live on for many generations. The books I write are as thorough and entertaining as acclaimed biographies you’ve read. I also assist with books you write – planning, editing and publishing.
David Wilk Great references. (805) 455-5980 www.BiographyDavidWilk.com
LANDSCAPE
Casa L. M.
Landscape hedges installed. Ficus to flowering. Disease resistant. Great privacy.
WATERLILIES and LOTUS since 1992 WATERGARDEN CARE SBWGC
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
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304 Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
$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)
or grandpa need assistance w transport, outings, shopping, or companionship? Retired 62 y/old male can help. Verifiably spotless driving and personal history.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
K-9 PALS need volunteers to be foster parents for our dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes. For more information info@k-9pals.org or 805-570-0415
