MJ WRITING CONTEST
16 - 23 April 2020 Vol 26 Issue 16
#3
SERVING MONTECITO AND SUMMERLAND
Quarantine getting you down? Enter our short story contest and win prizes, details p. 44
WHAT WILL IT TAKE?
MORE THAN EVER, SANTA BARBARA NEEDS A STRONGER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ITS CITY LEADERS AND ITS LOCAL BUSINESSES. WILL THE CITY RISE TO THE OCCASION?
(STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 11)
(photo by Tobias Smietana)
On the Record
The Mill’s Third Window Brewing Co. brings beer and bread to the rescue, p. 37
Music as Medicine
Mick and Tess Pulver of “Breakthrough” fame offer songs (via Zoom) to cure the soul, p.40
House of the Week
An update of real estate activity since COVID-19, as well as one of Montecito’s best buys, p. 30
Free Home Delivery kindly brought to you by Cristal Clarke
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MONTECITO JOURNAL
16 – 23 April 2020
f i n e p ro p e rt i e s r e p r e s e n t e d b y
D aniel e ncell
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16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 5 Editorial
As California finally begins to contemplate whatever post-coronavirus normalcy means, it’s more important than ever to hold our local officials – and ourselves – accountable
6 Montecito Miscellany
Rosewood Miramar owner Rick Caruso makes the Forbes most wealthy list; Rodney Gustafson’s State Street Ballet honored by Entertainment Weekly; Santa Barbara fashion designer Catherine Gee donates material for masks; and more
8 Village Beat
Montecito Association Board of Directors meets virtually to discuss Montecito Sanitary District Essential Services building and more, and Kelly Mahan Herrick provides a market update
10 Letters
In this challenging time, we wish safety and good health to all, and applaud the health care professionals and first responders who are answering the call.
Readers bemoan the proliferation of telephone poles and all their attendant cargo, disagree with the merits of Vote by Mail, fret about the future of democracy, and love the Montecito Journal
11 Feature Story
Mitchell Kriegman investigates Santa Barbara’s “pre-existing economic conditions” leading into the coronavirus pandemic
14 On the Record
Santa Barbara’s Appleton Partners has turned its 3D printers over to mask manufacturing while Kristopher and Michellene Parker at Third Window Brewing offer free deliveries of beer and sourdough bread
18 Village People
Meet Pam Peterson of Hair Lounge of Montecito
Kristine Sperling of Makes 3 Organics and Sacred Shea Skincare
20 Montecito Moms
22 On Entertainment
Camerata Pacifica produces concerts at home during the pandemic, plus a chat with Kenny Loggins
People of Montecito
Meet Elizabeth Colling of Merci Montecito
Laughing Matters 23 Jerry Meandering
HayesCommercial.com | 222 E. Carrillo St, Suite 101, Santa Barbara, California
Our resident legal expert Jerold Oshinksy demystifies the U.S. Supreme Court
Focus on Finance
Just how free is Medicare? Christopher Gallo has the surprising answers.
24 Generation Z
Victoria Chow, a recent graduate of Montecito Union School, reports on Zoomers helping Boomers with volunteer food deliveries
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26 Perspectives
The first in a four-part series arguing the need of a new Federalism in American politics
The Optimist Daily 27 Brilliant Thoughts
Reasonable people are always welcome, those who profess to know what reason means, less so
Ernie’s World
Who would guess that weeks of self-quarantining could make weeding a competitive sport?
28 The Quarantine Economy
A follow-up conversation with Santa Barbara’s Julie McMurry, who authored the manifesto that became flattenthecurve.com
29 Library Mojo
Although our public library remains closed, it offers remote services, plus a book recommendation
31 Locals at Home
How four Montecito residents are keeping their small business afloat by working remotely
Catching up with artist Richard Aber and designer Larry Vigon
34 Summerland Buzz
40 Spirituality Matters
Virtual song-healing sessions, multiple meditation offerings, Yoga Soup provides self-care, free yoga from Divinitree, and Mankind Project and Sacred Women’s Circles
46 Classified Advertising
Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
47 Local Business Directory
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MONTECITO JOURNAL
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“The world is but a canvas for our imagination.” – Henry David Thoreau
16 – 23 April 2020
Editorial by Gwyn Lurie
The Importance of Building Bridges
T
hank you to Montecito realtor, Cristal Clarke, for sponsoring this week’s MJ home delivery. Bringing the MJ to your doorstep (or at least your driveway) is one way we are working to meet the challenges of this moment. Thanks to Cristal Clarke’s support, we are once again able to deliver. I’d also like to give a shout out to the Montecito Association and its leadership, including Executive Director Sharon Byrne, whose reporting on the County’s handling of this pandemic has been stellar. On behalf of the MA and its members, Byrne has attended every County press conference and aggregated all available information during this crisis in order to disseminate the information to all MA members. Sharon’s daily missives have been extremely informative and we are grateful that the MA leadership has agreed to allow us to share these communiqués with the greater community via our main page: www.montecitojournal.net. The Montecito Association has long been a major ingredient of the glue that holds together this amazing community. I urge every Montecito resident to learn more about the Montecito Association and what they do for our community: montecitoas sociation.org. Or better yet, join. 3,000 PROJECTS • 600 CLIENTS • 30 YEARS • ONE BUILDER
Time to Put on a Bathing Suit
There’s a lot we don’t know about COVID-19 and a lot we do. Among the things we do know is that countries that got out ahead of the pandemic are having the best outcomes. We also know that there are going to be profound economic reverberations. Let’s not squander another chance to get out ahead of this crisis. Here’s my understanding of the situation: Prior to March 2020 Santa Barbara had some serious relationship issues, which included a rickety, if not downright impassable, bridge between its city leaders and its struggling business community. In his March 5th MJ cover story “The Long Now,” writer Mitchell Kriegman explored the vision void at the center of State Street’s struggle for survival and how the lack of a productive partnership between local businesses and city leaders has created a psychic rift with real world implications. That was before COVID-19. Suddenly the new crisis and increased need for cooperative relationships revealed a wide chasm of distrust and poor communication between city government and businesses that could impede if not significantly delay Santa Barbara’s economic recovery. Why should Montecito be so concerned about the big moving parts of
Building Peace of Mind. BUILD WITH US | (805) 966 - 6401 | GIFFINANDCR ANE .COM LICENSE 611341
EDITORIAL Page 444
Thank you to the many Trojan front line essential workers throughout Santa Barbara County. Fight On! USC Alumni Club of Santa Barbara Find us on Facebook #SBTrojans or SantaBarbara@alumni.usc.edu
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
5
“Shuddering awe is mankind’s noblest part”
Monte ito Miscellany by Richard Mineards
- Oswald Spengler
Juan de Arellano Basket of Flowers (ca. 1664); Museo del Prado, Madrid
Marcia A. Christoff
European Old Masters-Spain, Italy, Northern Renaissance Advisory - Curation - Scholarship www.marciachristoff.com - marcia@marciachristoff.com Hancock Park, Los Angeles - Washington D.C. - 213.500.8400
HHaavveeaaplp lan before a crisis an before a crisis Next time, be prepared Next time, be prepared
Richard covered the Royal Family for Britain’s Daily Mirror and Daily Mail, and was an editor on New York Magazine. He was also a national anchor on CBS, a commentator on ABC Network News, gossip on The Joan Rivers Show and Geraldo Rivera, host on E! TV, a correspondent on the syndicated show Extra, a commentator on the KTLA Morning News and Entertainment Tonight. He moved to Montecito 13 years ago.
Bezos Back on Top
A
mazon founder Jeff Bezos is once again the world’s richest man, despite his divorce last year which cost him a quarter of his stake in the shopping giant. Bezos, 56, is worth $113 billion, only a $18 billion drop from his $131 billion in 2019, despite giving $36 billion of stock to ex Mackenzie. He managed to stay in the top spot despite the coronavirus pandemic cutting the number of people on Forbes’ 34th annual Richest Billionaires List, bringing the total down 56 people from 2019 to only 2,095 in 2020. Collectively they’re worth $8 trillion, which is down $700 billion from last year’s billionaires. Microsoft magnate Bill Gates, 64, is
MISCELLANY Page 324
Rick Caruso on latest Forbes billionaires list
Thank you to Sarah Rudd, Chef David and all their staff at The University Club of Santa Barbara for their continued dedication to the community and Higher Education.
Given the uncertainties ahead, making decisions based on your goals can help you weather enatrhkeeutncw erittah intc ieo sn ahfied ade,nmcaek.ing decisions based on your goals can help you weather anG yivm any market with confidence.
I can give you thoughtful, timely advice and can translate your goals into a clear, actionable I can give you thoughtful, timely advice and can translate your goals into a clear, actionable finfiannanccia ou enre yo iall pplala n.nT.hT athwaaty,w yoauy’l,l aylw ay’sllknaolw wa wyhserekn yoouw staw ndh .A dw heure sytoaun ’redg. oA inn g.d where you’re going. Tog weecacnafinndfianndanasw nera. nswer. Toegteh theerr w ® allo, ®CFP®, CIMA® isetroT.pGhae ChriC sth oprh llor, T C.FPG , CIMA CPWC AP ®WA® ViceVPriecseidePnrte-sW ltht M nae geam ideean - aW ltehntManagement PortfPoo liortM r anager foanliaogeM 805-870 305-3-7 42350-3425 chrisctohprhisetr.o t.gpah lloe@ s.caolm r.utb.g lo@ubs.com
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With love from Priya Rana Kapoor www.CollegeHelp4Parents.com
As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers both investment advisory services and brokerage services. Investment advisory services and brokerage services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate arrangements. It is important that clients understand the ways in which we conduct As abfiusrim netnstsearnvdicdeisscltoo ialabSoeurtvtihceepsroIdnucc.tsoofrfseervsicb th nesp s aro ndvitd hain t tg hew y ceaa relftuhllym reaadnta hg ee agm ree em surcelsiethnattsw, eUpB roSvidFeintoatnhcem esow e investment advisory services and obfrfeor.kFeoramgoere sinefrovrm icaetiso.n,Inpv sbas.ncodmb/w rookrkeirnagg lee assetm reveienwt ta hedPvDisFodroycusmeernvticae tu weithsuesr.vCicee rtisfieadre Finsaenp ciaal rPalatnenearnBd oad rdisotfinct, differ in material ways and ® ™ tifia edrrFainnag nceiam l Pelanntnse.r Itanisd ifm edepro alrlyta ren gitstteh rea dtCcFPlie (wnitths fluam ee derssitga nn ) id n the ways in which we conduct tavne darrnde sd Incb . oywdnisftfheere cenrttifilcaaw tiosn a mn ardkssCeFp P a, rCaetre are gSo nd theesUs.Sa.,nwdhitch h aittaw rdys tcoain difvu idlulyalsre wahd o stuh cceesa sfg ulrlyee com me pln ettesCaFPnB ngaotinw ge cerptirfio cavtio ntsa . bout the products or services we bus i n thae re doadrdis’sclinoitsiaul raensd toh dneretqouitrehmeem ® i s a r e g i s t e r e d c e r t i fi c a t i o n m a r k o f t h e I n v e s t m e n t M a n a g e m e n t C o n s u l t a n t s A s s o c i a t i o n , I n c . i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s o f C I M A offer. For more information, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwithus. Certified Financial Planner Board of ricsa Ianncd.woow rldn wsidteh .© ts a rersk ersveC d.FUPB®S, FC ine anrctiiafil e SedrviFciens a Inn c.ciisaal sPulbasn idn iareyro™f U Meermablelyr registered CFP (with flame design) in StanA dm aerd eUcBeSr2t0ifi20c.aAtliloringhm aBnSdAG fe. d FIN IPh C.icDh-UiBtSa -6w D7aCr5d1s2A th e U .SR.A, /Sw to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
6
CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. in the United States of America an d worldwide. ©UB S 2020. All rights reserved. UBS Financial“Not Seruntil vicewe s In is do a swe ubbegin sidia y of UBSourselves.” AG. Me berDavid Thoreau MONTECITO JOURNAL arec.lost torunderstand –m Henry
16 – 23 April 2020
Heal the Ocean wishes everyone a Good Earth Day We encourage you to celebrate Earth at home this year: build a birdhouse, plant wildflowers, compost your table scraps
please don’t forget to:
pick up after your dog when you go on nature walks keep recycling
and above all: Stay Home
Please stay healthy and safe, help others when and where you can. All of this shows your respect for Mother Earth! HEAL THE OCEAN • 1430 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 • (805) 969-7570 16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
7
Village Beat by Kelly Mahan Herrick
Kelly has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond. She is also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and is a member of Montecito and Santa Barbara’s top real estate team, Calcagno & Hamilton.
Montecito Association Virtually Meets
At Calcagno & Hamilton, we love our community and we love real estate. Our mission is to help our neighbors with buying and selling their homes by offering our knowledge, experience, and expertise in an approachable and reliable manner. From connecting you to others in the community to supporting you in selling or buying your next home, our core values of honesty, integrity, teamwork, and impeccable customer service drive everything we do.
Stop by and meet the team! 1255 Coast Village Road, Suite 102B #1 in the Santa Barbara MLS for Transactions Top /1 2 Percent of BHHS Agents Worldwide
(805) 565-4000 Homesinsantabarbara.com @homesinsb
Teachers at Montecito Union School (pictured), and Cold Spring School, have been having success at remote learning with their students
T
he plans for the Montecito Sanitary District Essential Services building and associated project components were discussed by the Montecito Association Board of Directors on Tuesday, as the project will be in front of the Montecito Board of Architectural Review this Thursday, April 16. The County of Santa Barbara has denied the issuance of an emergency permit, which the MSD sought given the COVID19 pandemic. The District applied for the emergency permit earlier this month to build a 2,000-sq-ft portion of the proposed 5,000-sq ft Essential Services building, in order to build emergency sanitary facilities for staff. “We need to have them shower!” said
DRE 01499736/01129919
VILLAGE BEAT Page 164
Marriage + Relationship Repair and Recovery
©2019 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC.
WENDY ALLEN Ph.D, MFT
MONTECITO JOURNAL
COUPLES & MARRIAGE
Over $1 Billion in Sales
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Montecito Sanitary District general manager Diane Gabriel. “They cannot go and dig through raw wastewater to fish out disinfectant wipes, and not have a place to shower before they eat their lunch,” she said, adding that the District is now looking into building temporary shower facilities to offer greater sanitation facilities for the immediate future. The MA Board of Directors did not take a position on the project, which is being designed in a Spanish style by architect Brian Cearnal. Instead, the MA Board decided to rely on the previous comments of the Land Use Committee, which voted last week to
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16 – 23 April 2020
THE MEANING OF
HOME To our friends, neighbors, and clients: Home has never been as valuable as it is right now, both financially and emotionally. All of a sudden, almost overnight, being comfortable in your home has a whole new meaning. We never imagined that our home also meant our work, our school, our leisure, our gym, our theater, our playground, our restaurant, our everything!! This crisis has caused so many of us to reconsider the place we call home, and if you’re one of them, we promise you are not alone. This isn’t the first time we’ve been knocked down. But what we’ve learned is that when we fall, we stand up stronger. And while this fall may hurt a lot, we will still manage to come together. Being able to help now holds a whole new meaning for us. Thank you for trusting us the past 17 years and for continuing to trust us with your most valued asset, home.
Visit MontecitoFineEstates.com for the latest market conditions, exclusive and off-market listings, and buyer needs.
M K R E A L ESTATE GRO UP MARSHA KOTLYAR | PATRICE SERRANI | ALLIE BAXTER
M O N T E C I TO FINEESTATES .CO M
805.565.4014 | associates@marshakotlyar.com | Lic. # 01426886
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
9
LETTERS
Simpatico
TO THE EDITOR
I am glad Mr. Brooks has chosen to skip reading the Montecito Journal. That way I will not have to read his “ignorant, vicious ranting.” What are these American values he is so proud of? It certainly is not standing with his fellow Americans in a time of crisis and great hardship. Strange that he would use the work vicious. That is how I would describe his attack on a point of view not his own. And why would that be? Does he think that is the American way? That those are values we hold dear as Americans? No, it is a favor he has done the rest of the readers of the Journal. Carolyn Quackenbush
If you have something you think Montecito should know about, or wish to respond to something you read in the Journal, we want to hear from you. Please send all such correspondence to: Montecito Journal, Letters to the Editor, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA. 93108. You can also FAX such mail to: (805) 969-6654, or E-mail to letters@montecitojournal.net
The Uglification of Montecito
E
ver since the Telecommunications
Act of 1996 – passed “to promote competition and reduce regulation in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services for telecommunications consumers and encourage the rapid deployment of new telecommunications technologies” – effectively usurped the rights of local communities to police the crap someone or some company wanted to throw up on a pole or wire in order to make a few quick bucks, Montecito’s roadways have become eyesores, littered with junk put up by AT&T, Verizon, Cox Cable, Crown Castle, Fiber Tel, and who knows how many more inconsiderate and/or voracious entities. And, because of the Telecommunications Act, every elected and/or unelected official can throw his or her hands up and claim there is nothing to be done. That their “hands are tied.” As a 35-year resident and founder
S
U
M
(but no longer owner/publisher) of Montecito Journal, I am appalled that we (and in retrospect, I) have simply sat by as these hordes of telecommunications companies devour the byways of our-once simple village. Wherever there are utility poles, along with them are a proliferation of cables and wires that get larger, more intrusive, bulkier, and, naturally, uglier. Utility poles have been transformed from indistinct wooden crosses into fat 40-foot-high metal and heavily laden behemoths. Our thoroughfares featuring myriad wires and cables running helter-skelter across and along them, resemble those scrambled roads one sees in documentaries of Third-World countries, rather than those of an upscale First-World “semi-rural” community. At some point there will be so many wires hanging from pole to pole we’ll be able to hold a community limbo contest. On Middle Road, I count
M
E
R
SALE
We miss all of you… To our customers, our neighbors, people walking by our windows, to the community at large
stay healthy! J U LY 2 2 N D We are excited to announce that we are THRU building our website and it should be up and running soon. If you A Uwould G 8 Tlike H to be notified of its’ launching, please call 805-695-0220 ( leave a voice message ) or email us at info@imagineartfulthings.com
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1 4 7 0 E A S T V A L L E Y R O A D MONTECITO, CA • (805) 695-0220
10 MONTECITO JOURNAL
seven heavy cables strung along, all with various large and odious fittings, “snowshoes,” and connectors either propped up or embracing the already thick cables. Hot Springs Road, East Valley Road, School House Road, Sycamore Canyon, and... well, virtually every byway, big and small, in Montecito, is corrupted by these impediments. If you haven’t taken a walk lately along East Valley Road between Hot Springs and Sycamore Canyon for example, where a number of our valued residents lost their lives in the recent debris flow and where a great deal of work is still required to remedy the roadway, even more cables and wires have been attached to existing and newer poles. Shouldn’t we – or the Montecito Association, or our First District Supervisor, or even our U.S. Representative – have insisted upon the undergrounding of utility and telecommunications equipment as a requirement of renewed service there and elsewhere? Paid for, of course, by the companies that expect to profit from these connections and not Montecito taxpayers. I do believe residents still have the ability to protest if these intrusions can be shown to mar the “aesthetics” of a community. At this point, those poles, cables, wires, and devices have practically devoured the aesthetics of much of Montecito. Maybe I’m wrong, but if so, isn’t it about time we either abolish the Planning Commissions that look the other way, the Architectural Review Boards that can “advise” homeowners what to plant in their front yards but have no thoughts about the aesthetic degradation taking place on our roadways? I do believe also that, if the Montecito Association continues to look away from this ongoing assault, it too should close up shop. Sincerely fed up, James Buckley Montecito
“Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.” – Henry David Thoreau
Deterioration of Democracy
At last, the MJ speaks for the core values of our democracy, not just for the great concentration camp of wealthy people in Montecito. I consider myself one of them. As an immigrant from war-torn Europe, I have been “privileged” from the moment I was admitted to UCLA at $75.00 a semester 1959-1961. Such a “free” education made it possible for me to embark on a well-paid career leading to marriages to men who were equally “privileged” at public Universities. Both husband #1, a banker, and #2, a lawyer, have had great success surpassing that of their own parents. This was during the ‘60s and the ‘70s while still paying high income taxes and leading comfortable life-styles. Mine was a typical hard-working immigrant family that barely scraped by, but agreed to allow me to attend the higher education I so cherished. It changed all of our lives, not only materially, but spiritually and emotionally. My parents received their citizenship in 1952, exactly five years after our arrival. One of my best memories was to accompany them to the polls so that they could cast their votes for Dwight Eisenhower, who, like Churchill, was revered for “saving” Europe from the Nazis. I had to come along because my English at 14 was better than theirs. I had helped them register and accompanied them to the voting place just down the street in South Gate, California, at a modest little neighborhood church. My mother, the more religious German Jew, balked at entering a church. Papa and I just laughed – we knew she couldn’t not vote for her hero, General Dwight Eisenhower. Like millions in the post-War era, they “liked Ike.” (I had wanted Adlai Stevenson.) This voting habit has been a part of my family ever since. I not
LETTERS Page 384 16 – 23 April 2020
Santa Barbara’s Dire Pre-Existing Conditions and COVID-19
“P
by Mitchell Kriegman
ut it this way, the glass is more than half empty. Let’s just throw the glass out the window. Let’s forget it. There’s distrust. There’s disdain. That kind of baggage,” Jason Harris admitted. He’s Santa Barbara’s newly hired, first ever, Economic Development Manager (EDM). He’s moving his family from Santa Monica to Thousand Oaks, not quite within Santa Barbara city limits, but at least within the 805. He was offering a frank assessment of the relationship between the City Administration and city-wide businesses. Mr. Harris is defining the state of Santa Barbara’s “pre-existing economic conditions” leading into the coronavirus pandemic; the city’s chronic vulnerability, its broken government relationship with what are commonly called “stakeholders,” that’s all of us who work for, or own a business. With shelter in place mandated and the wholesale closing of businesses and services that is the massive social distancing response to the pandemic, the coronavirus threatens to replicate itself into an economic disaster that could amplify the functional deficits of our citywide economy and plunge Santa Barbara into a hotspot of economic pain. Tourism, one of Santa Barbara’s biggest assets, is also its biggest weakness in the time of pandemic. Innovations and problem solving will be required to reopen Santa Barbara tourism. It won’t be easy or quick. Projections from FEMA to McKinsey and Company predict we may lose 40% to 50% of our businesses here – restaurants, cafes, stores, hotels, not just on State Street but in all of Santa Barbara, where so many businesses were already struggling. A widely cited FEMA statistic forecasts 40% of small businesses never come back after closing during a natural disaster and only 29% that reopen are still operating two years later. Those businesses represent jobs, people we know, ourselves. We may see parts of Santa Barbara we love disappear, but we certainly want to do everything we can to help our neighbors and our community safely to the other side. The EDM was hired to redevelop and enrich the Downtown State Street retail environment that this newspaper wrote about extensively four weeks ago. Now he has to try to
16 – 23 April 2020
Santa Barbara’s newly appointed Economic Development Manager Jason Harris
Specializing in Fine Homes • Concept to Completion
understand how to save it. He will have to move quickly to repair the City relationship with business. “I’ve got a wall in front of me of frustrated, disgruntled property owners and questioning businesses,” Harris confesses, “In this crisis we have to change the status quo.” Not the normal admission from a city official who was hired by and reports directly to the man who runs Santa Barbara, the longtime City Administrator Paul Casey. How will the impasse between the city and local businesses be bridged?
• Exceptional Home Design • Board of Architectural Reviews • All Phases of Construction Entitlement
The Pandemic Exposes Leadership Flaws Sound bad? It gets worse. More than four weeks deep into quarantine with COVID infections and death tallies being issued daily by Cottage Hospital, what is the City’s plan for dealing with the disaster economically? And will they be in lock step with the medical efforts and the business community? “The economic recovery has to be wholly dependent on the medical recovery,” State Senator Bill Monning said recently in a cross-county REACH Webinar. “We have to be very cautious not to expedite economic recovery that is not consistent with public health.” We’ve all heard that testing is important for hospitals to determine which incoming patients are most in need. It can’t be emphasized enough that testing is even more essential to economic recovery. Without the data that results from testing we cannot know who may be asymptomatic, but infectious. Testing for the coronavirus antibodies allows health and government officials to track who has had the virus and who has recovered. Rampant testing, the public health term for mass testing, is the only safe
• Custom quality Construction “Santa Barbara Design and Build was fabulous. Don and his crew were the BEST from day one. He was honest, timely, flexible, artistic, patient and skilled. They understood my vision and built my dream home”. -Santa Barbara Resident
Don Gragg
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FREE CONSULTATION Ca Lic # 887955
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS Page 354 • The Voice of the Village •
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enjoy a montecito MOMENT
team@ RiskinPartners.com
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805.565.8600
16 – 23 April 2020
975 LILAC DRIVE MONTECITO | $16,900,000
705 RIVEN ROCK ROAD MONTECITO | $12,900,000
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Village Properties Realtors 16 – 23 April 2020
license #01954177 • The Voice of the Village •
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STAY STRONG SANTA BARBARA. WE’RE HERE FOR YOU.
ON THE RECORD
Nicholas Schou
Nicholas Schou is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including Orange Sunshine and Kill the Messenger. If you have tips or stories about Montecito, please email him at newseditor@montecitojournal.net
Appleton Partners Turns 3D Printers into Mask Makers
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Ken Mineau outside Appleton Partners offices
uring normal times, Appleton Partners, the architecture firm founded by Marc Appleton and based in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, uses 3D printers to build models of custom houses as well as individual design features. But in mid-March, as news began to build of the health dangers posed by the looming coronavirus pandemic, the firm turned its equipment to a more pressing use: manufacturing facemasks and protective shields for healthcare workers battling COVID-19. “For the most part if we needed
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a big model, we send it out to a print house in Colorado,” explains Appleton’s Ken Mineau. “But we use our printers to build detail components like the corner of a door that shows a raised panel or a hand rail section, hardware doorknobs, custom things that we used to get the woodshop to make for us. Now we can make a bunch of printings for our clients and have options.” Each of Appleton Partners’ handful of Netherlands-built Ultimaker print-
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ON THE RECORD Page 364
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14 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Just Start. Started in 2007
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805/252-4970
16 – 23 April 2020
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A Conversation with Cristal... As we all work through the changing world we live in, I am consistently reminded that life is a journey: a series of firsts, if you will. Our first step, our first word, our first day at school, our first date, our first car, our first job and our first house. All of these firsts collectively shape our world: who we become and, ultimately, where we choose to call home. Collectively, as we all work through life’s latest challenge, more and more of us are feeling that home is where there is a strong sense of community. This is where we gravitate to, and, in these times, there is no stronger sense of place than right here in our local communities. If you are about to take that first step, or the latest step, in life’s journey, or simply have questions about what is happening in the local real estate market, I am here to answer questions and offer assistance. When you are ready to have a conversation, I am here to listen When you are ready to take the next step, I am here to help.
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805-886-9378 Cristal@Montecito-Estate.com www.Montecito-Estate.com DRE #00968247
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in Santa Barbara MLS*
©2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. CalDRE 00968247. * Individual Agent By Sales Volume in 2019 for Santa Barbara MLS.
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 8)
support the architecture of the project with the acknowledgment that more details and information are needed before the Committee can endorse the project in its entirety. MBAR will provide conceptual review of the new building project, which also includes a new 17-space parking lot, solar canopies, and a new recycled water treatment system, including a retaining wall to create a pad, a 60,000 gallon feed water tank, a 1,500-sq-ft water treatment enclosure, a 130,000 gallon recycled water storage tank, and a 200-sq-ft pump station. The project proposes demolition of existing solar canopies and demolition of the existing 1,930-sq-ft main office building and adjacent 8-space parking lot. The main office building would be demolished after construction of the new Essential Services Building is complete. The new building will be built on a different portion of the 5-acre campus, in order to abandon the access on Monte Cristo Lane and allow access on Channel Drive. The project will be in front of the Montecito Planning Commission at a later date. During Community Reports, Cold Spring School superintendent Dr. Amy Alzina and Montecito Union School superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii reported that remote learning is going well at both campuses. “I can’t
tell you how proud I am of our students and teachers,” Dr. Alzina said. Dr. Ranii said administrators are looking into options for a graduation ceremony for the sixth graders, whether it be via Zoom or in person, later in the summer when shelter-at-home orders have been lightened. Diane Gabriel reported that the COVID-19 virus is present in human waste, and that the staff of the Montecito Sanitary District, despite being on the frontlines, are all currently healthy. She reminded the Montecito Association that disinfectant wipes are not to be flushed down the toilet. Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor reported that his team is focusing on social distancing and maintaining critical functions only, which includes critical response as well as fire prevention activities. Chief Taylor reported that the Fire District remains fully staffed and are completely engaged in social distancing. There has been no shortage of personal protective equipment at the District. Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported that on January 20, crews thwarted a burglary at San Ysidro Pharmacy, after getting word that a pharmacy was burglarized in the Thousand Oaks area. Three suspects were apprehended, and since then, crime in the area has decreased. Lieutenant Arnoldi also reported an increase in mail theft
in the Montecito area. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” he said. The next Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.
COVID-19 Updates
At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, April 13, Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso reported that the current shelter-at-home order in Santa Barbara County is working, causing a “flattening of the curve” to prevent overwhelming our local hospital system. “We can’t be less restrictive,” Dr. Do-Reynoso said. “Staying at home and physical distancing will allow our hospital system to remain intact and provide services to all who need that level of care.” As of press time, public health officials had yet to comment on a plan to re-populate the community following Governor Gavin Newsom’s shelter-at-home order on March 19. On Tuesday, Newsom outlined several targets that should be met before lifting the order. These included a statewide ability to continue to monitor and track COVID-19 cases, prevent infection of high-risk demographics, ensure hospitals are prepared to handle future surges, ensure businesses and schools are able to support social distancing measures, and develop
clear guidelines to be used for future stay-at-home orders, if they become necessary. Newsom did not speculate on a date to lift the mandate, but did say that local jurisdictions would be making their own decisions based on the State’s guidance. In South Santa Barbara County, COVID-19 cases rose to 313 by Tuesday afternoon, including 18 in the unincorporated areas of the county which include Montecito, Summerland, and the City of Carpinteria. 67 of the cases are inmates at the Federal Prison in Lompoc. In Montecito, businesses continue to pivot to in order to appeal to their customer base. The Hair Lounge of Montecito, located in the Las Aves complex near the Bird Refuge, has started offering at-home coloring kits using the exact formulas that clients are using at the salon. Owner Pam Peterson carefully mixes the personalized color specifications in a unique delivery kit that customers pick up and apply at home. For more information, call (805) 695-0100. See Village People on page 18 to learn more about Pam. Montecito business owners are invited to join a Zoom call this Friday, April 17, at 11 am. The team from Montecito Journal, Congressman Salud
VILLAGE BEAT Page 304
With COVID-19 at our doorstep, Montecito’s community resilience matters. Check merrag.org/calendar before coming to any of our scheduled trainings. Check merrag.org/covid for a host of useful sources. MERRAG provides readiness awareness and training, neighborhood The MERRAG team. radio communications, Building a resilient and and timely, accurate information self-reliant community. official as a reliable community ally. 16 MONTECITO JOURNAL
16 – 23 April 2020
L O C A L LY O W N E D . G L O B A L LY C O N N E C T E D .
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VIRTUAL TOUR AVAILABLE
1147 Hill Rd | Santa Barbara | 4BD/5BA DRE 01236143/01410304 | Offered at $11,500,000 Grubb Campbell Group 805.895.6226
4558 Via Esperanza | Santa Barbara | 5BD/6BA DRE 01005773 | Offered at $9,975,000 Gregg Leach 805.886.9000
1398 Oak Creek Canyon Rd | Montecito | 6BD/7BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $9,950,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600
1845 E Mountain Dr | Montecito | 6BD/7BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $6,850,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600
808 San Ysidro Ln | Montecito | 6BD/7BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $5,950,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600
640 El Bosque Rd | Montecito | 4BD/4BA DRE 01497110 | Offered at $5,250,000 Amy J Baird 805.478.9318
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811 Camino Viejo Rd | Santa Barbara | 5BD/7BA DRE 00914713/01335689 | Offered at $7,495,000 Walsh/Clyne 805.259.8808
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796 Park Lane West | Montecito | 4BD/5BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $4,995,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600
618 Hot Springs Rd | Montecito | 5BD/8BA DRE 01010817 | Offered at $4,750,000 Crawford Speier Group 805.683.7335
VIRTUAL TOUR AVAILABLE
4002 Cuervo Ave | Santa Barbara | 5BD/4BA DRE 00852118 | Offered at $4,650,000 Jeff Oien 805.895.2944
734 Sea Ranch Dr | Santa Barbara | 3BD/3BA DRE 01005773 | Offered at $4,550,000 Gregg Leach 805.886.9000
843 Knapp Dr | Montecito | 3BD/3BA DRE 00978392 | Offered at $2,900,000 John A Sener 805.331.7402
62 Canon View Rd | Montecito | 4BD/4BA DRE 01468842 | Offered at $1,975,000 James Krautmann 805.451.4527
VIRTUAL TOUR AVAILABLE
1389 Plaza Pacifica | Montecito | 2BD/3BA DRE 01790838 | Offered at $3,795,000 Michelle Bischoff 805.570.4361
947 Arcady Rd | Montecito | 5BD/4BA DRE 00835438 | Offered at $2,995,000 Jackie Walters 805.570.0558
Now more than ever, our team will be available to provide any assistance you may need. Please give us a call if you have any questions. We thank you for your continued trust and understanding and we look forward to assisting you! LEARN MORE AT VILLAGESITE.COM All information provided is deemed reliable, but has not been verified and we do not guarantee it. We recommend that buyers make their own inquiries.
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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Village People by Nicholas Schou
Pam Peterson of Hair Lounge of Montecito
Pam Peterson of Hair Lounge of Montecito
I
t was mid-March when Pam Peterson, owner of the Hair Lounge of Montecito, realized she was going to have to close her popular salon. It was a more delicate decision than for many local employers, because all eight stylists who work at the shop are independent contractors,
and on top of that, although California didn’t specifically list hair salons as essential businesses, it didn’t expressly order them to shut down either. “I couldn’t just shut the doors on them because they have to make money,” Peterson, who first opened her salon on Cabrillo Boulevard near
Invest in Future FUN Adventures! While we socially distance, the only way to get through this is TOGETHER as a community. It’s really important to support your favorite local businesses. We rely on you! We all need to do our part to keep our community going strong and make sure that your favorites stores CAN open back up. If you call or email - Joey or myself will respond to you! info@mountainairsports.com | (805) 962-0049
the Andree Clark Bird Refuge eight years ago, says of her stylists. “But after we weren’t declared an essential business, I was the first person to say, ‘I am not coming back to work on Monday and I suggest you don’t come to work.’” After temporarily closing shop, Peterson immediately realized that, while her clients might be able to wait several weeks before coming back in for a haircut, many of them were going to still want to do something about all that gray hair that would be growing in during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I knew that our clients would want to have their gray hair covered so they can look and feel better when they look at themselves in the mirror during this unprecedented time in this world,” Peterson explains. “Typically, clients color their gray hair every four to six weeks and I knew the salon might not be opened in time for them, so I started to think of ways to help them color their own hair at home without going to the drugstore and using a color out of a box, which is a nightmare to fix when we see our
clients in the future.” Fortunately, Peterson, a certified master color expert and veteran of Vidal Sassoon, had a friend in New York City who had been written up in USA Today because of his do-it-yourself hair-coloring kits. “In order to color gray hair,” she explains, “you need color creme or liquid and a creme or liquid developer. When the two products are mixed together and then applied to the hair the coloring process begins and needs to be on the hair for ten to forty-five minutes depending on the type of color used.” In order to work at home, the kits have two reservoirs in them that keep the liquids separate until they are ready to be mixed into the correct color for the client, Peterson says. “The kits hold a small amount of hair color in one side and developer in the other side. It has a nozzle that the client attaches, then squeezes the product of the two reservoirs out and onto their roots and around their hairline.” Having been closed for weeks following the 1/9 debris flow, Peterson says she knows how much it means for her clients to feel good and look good during times of crisis, so she is glad to be able to offer this service until she’s able to reopen. Each kit she sells includes a handy glove so her clients can blend the color onto their hair with their fingers. “After the processing time has passed, they simply wash their hair,” she says, “being careful to not get the color into their eyes but washing their hair clean of all hair color product. Voila! Their gray hair is now colored!” Hair Lounge of Montecito is located at 1807 East Cabrillo, Suite A. Peterson’s hair coloring kits sell for $45. Text Peterson at 805-220-8669 for any questions or to schedule a pickup. •MJ
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16 – 23 April 2020
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Live Your Vision of the Santa Barbara Lifestyle
Exquisite Mediterranean Villa W I T H B R E AT H TA K I N G R I V I E R A V I E W S
1308 Dover Hill Rd. | List Price: $3,495,000 Perched on the Upper Riviera with awe-inspiring 180-degree ocean, island, city and harbor views, this pride-of-ownership property
Approx. 4,100 Sq.Ft.
Formal Dining Room
was impeccably engineered, remodeled and crafted to Montecito custom quality standards. With a top of the world view and the
3 En-suite bedrooms
2 Fireplaces
ambience of a peaceful retreat, grand living spaces, three en-suite bedrooms, an office and formal dining room are all blessed with
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Thermador Appliances
south-facing French doors opening to magnificent ocean/city views. With the added features of a custom home theater, gourmet
Media Room
kitchen, workshop & craft room, this impressive Mediterranean villa offers a perfect palette for the quintessential casual elegance of
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California living and entertaining. To learn more, please visit: www.1308DoverHill.com
Woodland Retreat
W I T H S W E E P I N G M O U N TA I N & L A K E V I E W S
4162 Cresta Ave. | List Price: $2,495,000 Comfortable, bright and welcoming, this Mid-Century modern farmhouse, situated in a magical 2.2 acre park-like setting of oak
Approx. 3,200 Sq.Ft.
2 Acres
woodlands, is equally graced with exceptional retreat-like privacy and wide open, expansive views. At the end of a private lane, it is
4 bedrooms
2-Car Garage
nestled into a sylvan hillside with the front entrance embraced by two ancient guardian oaks . Breathtaking mountain and lake views
3 Full Bathrooms
New roof
dramatically unfurl from the first step into the entrance and extend into every living area and bedroom in the home. A large side patio
Family Room
Hardwood floors
off the family room and kitchen offers a picturesque space for al-fresco dining and entertaining under a canopy of oaks while enjoying
Formal Dining Room
2 Fireplaces
the awe-inspiring view. To learn more, please visit: www.4162Cresta.com
MONICA LENCHES, SRES Coast and Valley Properties BRE: 01081461
Tele#: 805.689.1300 Email: monica@monicalenches.net Web: www.liveyourvisionsb.com All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
19
Montecito Moms fo T h Lo r Su ank ca pp Yo l B or u us tin in g es s
Bring the Comfort of Harry’s to the Comfort of Your Home
by Dalina Michaels
Dalina Michaels worked as an award-winning television news producer for KEYT NewsChannel 3. She also served as a reporter for several years with “Inside Santa Barbara,” the city newsmagazine show. She now freelances for various websites and journalistic outlets. She is a native of Montecito and is grateful to be raising her own children here. If you are a Mama-Cito mama (or know someone!) who would like to be featured, please email: tim@montecitojournal.com
Makes 3 Organics: Kristine Sperling Dan, Kristine, and Alice Sperling
12pm to 9pm Mon - Thurs • 11am to 9pm Fri, Sat & Sun
Wine & Beer by the bottle • s l i a t k c o C z o 6 Meals • 1 up and Home Delivery k c i P e d i s b r u C , t Takeou
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harrysplazacafe.com Must be 21 years of age or older to purchase alcohol. Alcoholic beverages that are packaged by this establishment are open containers and may not be transported in a motor vehicle except in the vehicle’s trunk; or, if there is no trunk, the container may be kept in some other area of the vehicle that is not normally occupied by the driver or passengers (which does not include a utility compartment or glove compartment (Vehicle Code Section 23225)). Further, such beverages may not be consumed in public or in any other area where open containers are prohibited by law.
805-687-2800 • 3313-B State Street • Santa Barbara
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s we all sit in our homes, we still have local moms who are creating and running businesses. So we celebrate their stories – and if you have one, please pass it along! When Kristine Sperling’s daughter, Alice, was young, she developed asthma, allergies, and eczema. Her physician at the time recommended they detox her diet and their household and go natural. Explains Sperling, “This led us to search for non-toxic personal care products for her and ourselves. When we couldn’t find what we were looking for, we decided to make it ourselves and ultimately to share what we were making with family and friends and then to create our company and our brand, Makes 3 Organics® and subsequently our complementary brand, Sacred Shea Skincare®.” It’s a far cry from her career as an attorney. She had been working for a big firm in finance practice and was looking for something that would allow for more time with her daughter. Says Sperling, “I also need something to engage with that lights up my passions with purpose. My husband wanted to become an independent business owner and use his MBA to build something for our family. Makes 3 Organics® fulfilled all of those desires. We are mission driven and are determined to help people reduce their chemical body burden by creating the healthiest, highest quality and most accessible organic personal care and household products on the market.” All of their products are all made in the USA, with many of them
“Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you.” – Henry David Thoreau
created right here in Santa Barbara. They feel and perform differently than petroleum-derived personal care products and are 100% plant based. They use pure and simple ingredients with time-tested manufacturing processes. Sperling shares, “What shocked us as consumers is how much misinformation and marketing there is in the ‘natural’ marketplace. So our products are true to their claims of being truly natural and truly organic and we back up those claims with USDA NOP organic certification and EWG VERIFIED™ non-toxic verification.” The family of three moved to Montecito five years ago and plan to stay forever. Her perfect day begins with a hike with her family starting at Hot Springs trailhead, brunch at Jeannine’s, and then a backyard dinner with friends. The business is all within the family; her husband, Dan, works on product development and production, along with all the logistics and distribution, and daughter Alice has outgrown most of her allergies and home schools (along with everyone these days!). Sperling says that things of late are making her reflect on her own life. “The call to action with COVID-19 is a call to in-action. The message that is coming to my mind to share is really that we are stronger than we think we are and we can survive more than we think we can. In Montecito, in 2018, we lost family, friends, homes, and livelihoods. Whatever comes to pass with COVID-19, we can survive it together. Even when together looks like we’re apart.” •MJ www.Makes3Organics.com. 16 – 23 April 2020
For 45 years, Montecito Bank & Trust has been serving our local communities and we will continue to stand by you as we face another challenge together. Stay healthy friends and please take care of yourself, your loved ones and your community.
Help protect our community by:
6ft
Staying home
Washing your hands for 20 seconds
Keeping a responsible distance from others
For the safety of our staff & community, all of our branch lobbies are closed. We are providing service through Walk-Up or Drive-Through ONLY. For availability of all branches, visit montecito.bank/alerts
Additional Services Available: 24/7 Online & Mobile Banking*: montecito.bank 24/7 Telephone Banking: (800) 608-1995 Service Center (Monday–Friday • 8am–5pm): (805) 963-7511 *Must have a registered account.
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
21
On Entertainment by Steven Libowitz
Camerata Pacifica Curates Concerts for Pandemic
C
Camerata Pacifica has been producing “Concerts At Home” during the COVID-19 pandemic
amerata Pacifica was ready when the coronavirus pandemic became a crisis forcing cancellations and resulting in sheltering-in-place orders. The chamber music ensemble had already been compiling videos of its performance for more than a decade. “We definitely had a head start,” said Adrian Spence, the organization’s founding executive and artistic director. “When I see others scrambling to get stuff online, I realize we’re fortunate to have all that content, almost all of it highly produced.” As soon as the shutdown was announced in mid-March, Camerata sent a message to its vast email list of subscribers and others highlighting hotlinks to all of its concert videos that people could click on, several dozen in total covering a wide array of composers, repertoire and personnel. The response was overwhelming, Spence said. “People weren’t aware of the scope of the library. So we got a lot of attention right away, which was great.” But simply supplying a static stable of shows was something less than satisfying for both Camerata Pacifica and its fans, he said. “We wanted to have a live stream where people could be in the same place at same time, even if we’re actually in our own home.” So Spence has been curating “Concerts At Home,” Camerata’s weekly live streaming events that are slated to continue as long as people are confined to their homes for the coronavirus crisis. He’s not only culling from the catalogue to create new shows, but also providing a (as
22 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Steven Libowitz has reported on the arts and entertainment for more than 30 years; he has contributed to the Montecito Journal for more than 10 years.
People of Montecito
Elizabeth Colling
H
ow are you making it work through this difficult time? I am struggling. Mostly with my decision to temporarily close Merci. It was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make but at the end of the day, the health and safety of my family (my husband, Stephane, and our two girls, Celeste, 9, and Paloma, 5) always comes first. If I can stay positive and confident that we will be able to reopen Merci in the near future then I can truly enjoy these days of not having to set an alarm for five in the morning, taking leisurely beach walks at low tide, catching up on Curb your Enthusiasm, and really just spending quality time with my family. This is really forcing us to slow down for a minute and just enjoy the simple things in life. I know it won’t be forever. What’s one special memory of living in Montecito? I love living here and have so many fond memories, but I have to say the opening/opening party we had almost a year ago for Merci has been my favorite. From my first pop up to little Merci To Go, and then the two years of work building
of now) newly-recorded Zoom interview with one of the principals who performed at the original concert. The events stream live three times across the two platforms every Sunday.
out and creating Merci Montecito and having it all culminate in a night (followed by an amazing opening week) of celebration and support from family, wonderful friends, and local customers was something I will never forget. From that day forward, what has touched me the most is the continued support of my amazing friends and the relationships I have created with so many of our local customers. It makes me so happy and proud to be a part of this beyond special community. •MJ
93108
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16 – 23 April 2020
Focus on Finance
Jerry Meandering
by Christopher Gallo
by Jerold Oshinsky A Partner with Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, Jerold Oshinsky has more than 35 years of experience litigating insurance cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. Chambers USA consistently has designated him as the only lawyer to be accorded “Star” ranking in its national insurance category. Jerry has been a resident of Montecito for 14 years.
Since graduating from UCSB in 1992, Christopher has worked with local individuals and families as a financial planner. He is a Vice President with UBS Financial and holds the CFP, CIMA, and CPWA credentials. He can be reached at christopher.t.gallo@ubs.com or 805-730-3425.
Demystifying the Superior Court
T
his latest article in my series of legal columns is written to demystify our local Superior Court, which is where our significant Santa Barbara lawsuits will be filed.
Judicial Disqualifications
Q: Can you disqualify the judge that was assigned to your case for any reason or no reason? A. The surprising answer in California is yes. Each party to a lawsuit has the right to disqualify the judge assigned to the case with or without cause. That really is not much of an issue here in Santa Barbara where we have excellent Superior Court judges who hear civil cases and we usually have no reason to recommend to clients that they exercise this option. But, if for any reason a party wishes to have its case heard by a different judge, they have the absolute right to make that request. That can be a problem here in Santa Barbara if there are more parties to a case than available judges, and each party exercises its disqualification privilege. In that case, a judge would have to be brought in from another courthouse to hear the case. That is much less of a problem in Los Angeles with its vast number of Superior Court judges.
“Tentative Opinions”
Are Tentative opinions really tentative? My experience is no. Many years ago, when I was an attorney in New York City, one of my partners had flown to California to argue a case in a California court and, much to his chagrin, was handed a copy of the court’s opinion prior to the argument that he flew to California to present. That, though, is the normal practice in California when we file a motion with the court seeking rulings on procedural or substantive issues. We typically receive the Court’s opinion a day or two prior to the hearing scheduled to rule on the issues presented to the court for decision. We then have the choice to accept the opinion or request an opportunity to challenge the result in court. While the pre-argument opinion is referred to as “Tentative,” I can recall very few instances when the Tentative opinion did not become the final opinion in every respect. That practice puts a high premium on making sure that the written legal briefs are clear, precise and persua16 – 23 April 2020
sive because they will almost always provide the only opportunity that we have to argue motions presented to the court for decision. These might include motions to dismiss, motion to compel discovery, motions for summary judgment, or motions to limit trial testimony (motions in limine).
Unpublished Opinions
Does unpublished have the same meaning in 2020 as it did in 1820? Apparently in California the answer is yes. An important issue is whether we can cite unpublished judicial opinions to establish the principles of law that we intend to rely upon in subsequent cases. Unless the opinion would be binding on the subsequent case, it cannot be cited if it is not published in a book with a hard cover. I recall arguing a case and citing to a well-known weekly soft covered journal containing up to date judicial decisions, but the judge said that he could only consider decisions published in a hard-covered book. That requirement frankly makes no sense especially when we receive by email the Tentative opinions that I referred to in the prior section of this article. Similarly, Law360, a legal research and reporting tool, presents us daily with important new decisions and a helpful summary of the issues decided in the opinion. I receive Law360 reports in every area of law which I practice. There are other helpful online services as well. The local Santa Barbara court has issued many thoughtful decisions in my firm’s cases in the 17 years that we have lived in Santa Barbara. Those decisions cover the gamut from insurance coverage issues for antitrust cases, or for cyber liability, directors and officers insurance, the interplay between federal and state courts, the scope of the attorney client privilege and many other issues. Yet, most if not all of the decisions are not published in books with hard covers in the traditional sense. Thus, their value as legal precedent is lost if they cannot be cited.
Blackstone’s Commentaries
Does anyone in the modern era still rely upon Blackstone’s Commentaries? I know one judge who did so. I was arguing a case in Nashville, Tennessee and had properly cited in my legal brief many published opinions in books with
Medicare Explained
M
ost people think of Medicare as the health insurance nirvana: get to age 65 and there’s a free healthcare plan waiting to take you through retirement. With political debate centering around expanding the program, it’s important to understand what it will provide and what it won’t. First, who qualifies? With more than 50 million people currently using Medicare, one might think that everyone does. In fact, there are some specific rules. Namely you must be a US citizen, have reached age 65 and must have been a permanent resident of the US for five continuous years prior to applying. Moreover, in order to receive free benefits, you must have paid into social security for at least 10 years (40 quarters). Next, core Medicare comes in three different plans, each with its own costs and coverage.
Part A: Hospital Insurance
This is the no-premium portion of Medicare for most people. It covers hospital visits and some rehabilitation related to an acute – not ongoing – medical need. Each health incident comes with a new 2020 deductible of $1,408 that the patient must pay before Medicare kicks in.
Part B: Medical Insurance
This portion covers services by doctors and healthcare providers for doctor visits, lab work, surgeries, and more. Part B is paid for by monthly premiums and by cost sharing by the patient of 20% of covered costs. The premium for 2020 is $144.60 per month but is subject to increases if your income is above certain thresholds. Many high income payers will face premiums of nearly $500 per person in 2020, per month for this coverage.
Part D: Prescription Drugs
A prescription drug plan that is offered by private insurers which has both a monthly premium and a co-pay. The average plan costs $50 per month per person but again comes with a high income surcharge that can bring the monthly payment to $136. . What income affects Medicare premiums? Medicare considers the income from your prior year tax return (income from two years ago) in pricing the next year’s premiums. It includes income from any taxable source along with capital gains and it also includes income from tax-exempt municipal bonds. Those are the three core plans. There is also private “Medigap” insurance available to cover some of the limits and costs of Parts A and B although costs can be high. A private plan alternative (often referred to as Part C) exists which is offered by many private insurers, which can be more comprehensive and in some cases less expensive. Another note is to sign up just before or near your 65th birthday. Both Part B and Part D raise the costs significantly for delayed enrollment. hard covers. Nevertheless, my local Nashville counsel informed me that our trial judge only relied upon Blackstone’s Commentaries, a multi-volume legal treatise named after Judge Blackstone who initially prepared this treatise in the 18th century around the time of the American Revolution. Sure enough, we were invited into the judge’s chambers for a conference and on his shelf behind his desk were Blackstone’s Commentaries and no other legal books. Prior to the next hearing, I studied up on Blackstone’s Commentaries
• The Voice of the Village •
and became an expert for a day in English Jurisprudence in the 18th Century! The moral of this story is “When in Rome (or Tennessee), do as the Romans do.”
Conclusion
Judicial disqualification, Tentative opinions and unpublished opinions are just a few of the many issues that attorneys confront every day in order to properly represent their clients in California state courts. •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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Generation Z by Victoria Chow Victoria Chow is an 8th grade student at La Colina Junior High. She graduated from Montecito Union School and grew up playing tennis at Knowlwood Tennis Club. She also writes for the Hope Ranch Living Magazine. She has an older brother and two dogs.
Zoomers Helping Boomers
I
Daniel Goldberg, Alex Wilson, Lily Bienstock, and Taylor Wilson picking up groceries on a delivery
n the midst of a global crisis, the pandemic and forced quarantine for Americans is causing strife among everyone. The ones that are getting hit the hardest? The elderly and immunocompromised. To stop the curve of the virus, people are encouraged to self-isolate. However, this serves as a major problem, as many people still have to venture out of their houses to buy groceries. To combat both the spread of the
virus and to help the elderly who are at a higher level of risk, Daniel Goldberg, a 17-year-old junior at San Marcos High School, created an organization called Zoomerstoboomers. After schools got shut down and a national state of emergency was declared, students and parents alike were forced into quarantine. All of a sudden, sports and all after school extracurricular activities were cancelled. Danny’s dad, an ER doctor at
Lily Bienstock, a Zoomer, loading orders into the back of the car
Taylor Wilson, a Zoomer, carries groceries for a delivery
Cottage Hospital, was rushing out to help people every day. “He’s putting himself out on the front lines saving people while my siblings and I were sitting on the couch doing nothing,” said Danny. People over 60 and people with pre-existing medical conditions that would make them more predisposed to the virus should not be leaving their house because of how dangerous the virus is. “So that’s when I realized, I’m seventeen, I’m at a level of risk as well but it’s nowhere near comparable to the elderly and immunocompromised.” Danny began developing a website with the idea to create a service that brings groceries to people in need at no extra cost so that things can be as normal as possible. Danny first started advertising through a post on Nextdoor. Nextdoor, at its simplest form, is an app for neighbors to communicate and report on what is going on in the
community. Just from that one post, Danny instantly got a few orders. His service started to grow once the media caught on, and since then, orders have grown exponentially. He made calls to people he knew and created a set of safety procedures (which can be found on his website) to keep everyone involved from incurring extra risk and to protect them from getting sick. One of their procedures includes wearing gloves at all times no matter what they are doing and not touching their face. They wear masks at all times and minimize contact as best as possible. Originally, when the service was newly launched, almost every order went to Danny, which created a backlog. To solve this problem, Danny created a large group chat with his team. He created Google Sheets with all the orders and had volunteers fill out their names next to orders they were going to take. He found someone to work as head staff and to delegate deliveries. Right after he started the service, he received an email from Gladden and Sons, which is a produce store located on Hollister. Gladden and Sons helped to streamline the process by dropping off boxes right outside the store, which eliminated the shopping portion of their jobs and made it more efficient. One of the main problems Danny encountered was the ratio of drivers to orders. Between the first two days they were getting around 10-20 orders and then it started to grow from 30 to 60, and then the orders took off exponentially. As of right now, Zoomerstoboomers.com delivers in many locations including Santa Barbara, Denver, Miami, Greenwich, Honolulu, Salt Lake City, Morris County, Cambridge, Los Angeles, and Malibu, with more to come. Interested customers can place orders once a week through their website at Zoomerstoboomers.com. Our community is so grateful and appreciative of the efforts from all the volunteers at Zoomerstoboomers. com •MJ
All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church
El Montecito Presbyterian Church
Montecito Covenant Church
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The Community of Montecito Churches God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 During this time of social distancing, God is with you. And we’re here for you by phone or online.
24 MONTECITO JOURNAL
“What is once well done is done forever.” – Henry David Thoreau
16 – 23 April 2020
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MONTECITO & SANTA BARBARA BROKERAGES | SIR.COM © Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark. This material is based upon information which we consider reliable but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice. If your property is listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity. DRE License Numbers for All Featured Agents: Kristi Curtis: 2012866 | Maureen McDermut: 1175027 | Sandy Stahl: 1040095 | Jason Siemens: 1886104 | Wes St. Clair: 1173714 | Julie Greener: 1250774 | Frank Abatemarco: 1320375 | Marie Larkin: 523795 | Linda Borkowski: 1970135 | Fred Bradley: 522262 | Kathleen St James: 01408798 | Joe McCorkell: 2051326
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
25
Perspectives by Rinaldo S. Brutoco Rinaldo S. Brutoco is the Founding President and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital. He’s a serial entrepreneur, executive, author, radio host, and futurist who’s published on the role of business in relation to pressing moral, environmental, and social concerns for over 35 years
A New Federalism Awaits Us in a Post-COVID-19 America
F
irst of a four-part series: Up until January, the main concern being touted by political pundits was a fear of executive overreach from the White House. Resulting from several decades of an expanding role in the Executive Branch, an ever more powerful executive has arisen at the expense of Congress’ appropriate role. These fears have been particularly acute for a president who flouts long held political customs and often acts in an authoritarian manner. Then the novel coronavirus hit, and despite a hunger from the public for clear and effective executive action, all we got was silence, deflection, unreasonable optimism, and lots of excuses about why it’s “not my job” to lead the national public health response. In response to growing requests
ment in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units – in this case, the respective states. It is based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the governing power is shared between national and state governments, creating a federation. The United States of America formally became a federation in 1781, when the Articles of Confederation first drafted in 1777, was finally ratified by the states. Despite the long gestation period, it soon became clear to the Founding Fathers (in part motivated by the impotency of the Federal Government to put down Shay’s Rebellion) that they needed to meet and create a new governing document: the Constitution, ratified in 1789, 22 years
Over the last 200 years… we’ve gotten increasingly used to thinking of ourselves as a single country, and we’ve forgotten what “Federalism” means. from numerous governors for help in procuring critical protective gear and lifesaving medical equipment from the national stockpile, President Trump pushed back, saying, “Governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work.” He finished the thought with this dismissal: “The Federal Government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping. You know, we’re not a shipping clerk.” And with that statement, President Trump broke yet another long held political norm, and unleashed an era that will redefine the relationship between the Federal Government and the states: a New Federalism. Federalism is a system of govern-
after the start of the Revolutionary War. The Articles of Confederation had to be abandoned because the Federal Government had almost no power, as all serious power (banking, tolls, raising a militia, trade, etc.) was held by the states. It was totally unworkable to create one Nation, or as the Great Seal reads, “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of Many, One”). Hence, from the origin of our nation, the relationship between the powers exercised by the Federal Government and the states has been dynamic. In certain times, states held onto more control, and since World War I, the Federal Government has dominated. Federalism changed in the wake of the Civil War, which the Union won
93108 26 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Silver Linings of Staying Inside
A
Critically endangered turtles hatch undisturbed on people-free beaches. t the start of each April, people on the northeastern shorelines of Brazil can witness the critically-endangered hawksbill sea turtles emerge from their eggs and make their first steps into the waters of the Atlantic. But as people have been advised to stay indoors to slow the spread of the coronavirus, this year the amazing reptiles enjoyed a tranquil, stress-free hatching season on the empty beaches of the area. Nearly 100 hawksbill sea turtles, or tartarugas-de-pente as they are known in Brazil, hatched last Sunday in Paulista, a town in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. Photographs were taken by government workers, the only people to witness the event, showed the tiny creatures making their way down the beach and into the Atlantic waves. According to Brazil’s Tamar conservation project which protects sea turtles, hawksbills lay their eggs along the country’s northeastern coast and are considered a critically endangered species. And while measuring as little as three inches as hatchlings, they can grow up to 110 centimeters in length and weigh 85 kilograms when in adulthood. Paulista’s environmental secretary, Roberto Couto, said the town was home to four of the five types of turtle found along Brazil’s coastline: the hawksbill, the green sea turtle, the olive ridley turtle, and the loggerhead turtle. More than 300 turtles have hatched there this year. Residents of Punjab see tops of Himalayas for the first time in 30 years. After 21 days in lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19, residents in Jalandhar, Punjab were rewarded with a view not seen in 30 years: the tops of the Himalayan mountain range. Reduced smog and pollution due to national shutdowns have revealed the tops of the mountains, which residents say haven’t been visible to the naked eye for 30 years. Many cities throughout India and the world have reported significantly reduced air pollution levels. The view of the glowing white peaks of the mountain is a testament to the pollution-free skies. Residents in Cagliari, Italy have reported dolphin sightings, wild turkeys roam the streets of Northern California, and orcas are venturing further up into Vancouver’s Burrell Inlet. Amidst the uncertainty and grief of COVID19, cleaner air and the resurgence of animal populations are offering an incredible silver lining to these strange times. •MJ
in large part due to centralized control of supply chains and wartime production of material. When it became clear that “States’ Rights” could be used to disenfranchise black voters, passage of the 13th and 14th amendments in 1865, as further enhanced by the 1968 Civil Rights Act, spelled the beginning of the end of that era in Federalism. The Federal Government became the ultimate arbiter over individual civil rights until last year when that monumental piece of legislation was “gutted” by the Roberts Supreme Court, empowering 22 states to enact voter suppression measures to reduce black, brown, and student voting. Over the last 200 years, and especially since the New Deal in the 1930s, we’ve gotten increasingly used to thinking of ourselves as a single country, and we’ve forgotten what “Federalism” means. As the powers embraced by the Federal Government have expanded, and as the powers invested in the Executive Branch of the government grew, the states have ceased operating as independent nations in a coordinated relationship. People have large-
“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” – Henry David Thoreau
ly stopped thinking of themselves as “state citizens,” instead identifying as “American” – until now! Many would argue that was a good thing – especially in light of the civil rights era, and in expanding protections for women and minorities, protecting national health and safety through environmental regulations, ensuring the safety of our food supply, and managing our national economy out of grave distress – but we are now past that. The Federal Government is not interested in leading us through the COVID-19 crisis. We are likely entering into a new era characterized by a New Federalism that will rise, like the phoenix, from the ashes of this pandemic. If you think Governor Newsom has done a good job protecting Californians from the worst ravages of the coronavirus, or if you gained great comfort from Governor Cuomo‘s daily report to the nation on his battle to minimize death and the potential destruction to New York’s healthcare system, you’ll want to watch this column for the next installment of The New Federalism. •MJ 16 – 23 April 2020
Brilliant Thoughts
Ernie’s World
by Ashleigh Brilliant
Born London, 1933. Mother Canadian. Father a British civil servant. World War II childhood spent mostly in Toronto and Washington, D.C. Berkeley PhD. in American History, 1964. Living in Santa Barbara since 1973. No children. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots”, now a series of 10,000. Email ashleigh@west.net or visit www.ashleighbrilliant.com
Reason?
I
n a popularity-survey of some of my recent “Thoughts and Ideas,” the winning line said, “One advantage of living alone is that you never have to be reasonable.” Although these words expressed my own feeling, I was surprised how many others also apparently feel the same way. I suppose it means that living with other people inevitably means accepting compromises, sacrificing one’s own preferred ways of doing things. Being reasonable, in other words, means not always insisting on being right. That is how families are run – so are companies, and practically any other human grouping with a common purpose – even universities, and other institutions supposedly based on free thought. Only within the individual mind need reason not prevail. Indeed, where only one person is concerned, reason has, so to speak, no reason to assert itself at all. But what do we mean by “reason,” anyway? It has something to do with another equally elusive concept: logic. Believe it or not, logicians actually recognize certain “Laws of Thought.” For example, there is what’s called “the Law of the Excluded Middle,” which simply says that nothing can be, and not be, at the same time. I would question that, right off the bat. Take joy and sadness. But that gets us into emotions, which are notoriously unreasonable and illogical. Bing Crosby, singing the lyrics of Johnny Mercer, said the same thing in a different way, when he advised us to: Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative Latch on to the Affirmative – Don’t mess with Mister In-Between. George Bernard Shaw was no friend of Reason – at least, not in his famous statement that “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” It may have been the French revolutionaries of several centuries ago who first gave Reason a bad name by declaring theirs to be the “Age of Reason” while at the same time they were cutting off people’s heads. And many of the “rational” changes 16 – 23 April 2020
by Ernie Witham
Read more exciting adventures in Ernie’s World the Book and A Year in the Life of a “Working” Writer. Both available at amazon.com or erniesworld.com.
The Game of Life... Currently
they did bring in, such as reforming the calendar, didn’t last very long anyway. Thomas Paine, who had already stirred up the American Revolution with his “Common Sense,” and “The American Crisis,” made the exaltation of Reason even less unanimous with his own 1794 tract, “The Age of Reason,” which was about as anti-religious as you can get without being an out-and-out atheist. The term for such wafflers was “Deists,” and many of our Founding Fathers were seduced by this empty creed, which says, in effect, “OK, there may be a God, but He, She, or It, has nothing to do with us, in any way which would require our worship or devotion.” It remained for the philosophers, like Kant, with his “Critique of Pure Reason,” and Bertrand Russell, with his castigation of what he called the “Unreason,” of movements like Fascism – to put Reason back on its pedestal. But I cannot leave this subject without telling you of one of the few occasions in my life when I felt I acted heroically. It occurred in Los Angeles, when for a brief period, I was employed by the City as a substitute teacher. One of the hazards of such work was never knowing in advance, from day to day, just what sort of challenge would be awaiting you. Usually I was sent to a high school or a junior high, where the biggest problem was simply keeping order. But just once, I was sent, for one day, to teach a class in a Junior College – and, to my surprise, it turned out to be a class in LOGIC. I had never studied Logic, and would have been perfectly justified in letting the students devote the hour to “private study.” But something in me said “this is your chance to learn!” So, I asked, “Where are we in the textbook?” and, when shown the place, I proceeded to read aloud the next paragraph, teaching it to myself as I did so. Then I explained it to the class. And I went on that way, paragraph by paragraph, as far as time allowed. When the bell rang, I had learned a little about Logic – and I don’t think one of those students even suspected that they didn’t have a fully qualified teacher. Thus did I give conclusive proof that I was capable of teaching a subject I knew nothing about. And what could be more logical than that? •MJ
“M
y bucket is definitely fuller than yours.” Pat looked in my bucket. “Guess you’re right.” Yes! I thought. “Of course, I’ve emptied my bucket twice so far.” “No way!” “Check the green waste container.” I checked. Sure enough. “Yeah, well, I, ah, have emptied my bucket three times.” “Then how come all the stuff in the green waste bucket is mine?” “Because…” I took off my cap. My head expanded back to normal size. “Because I’ve been throwing my bucket contents over the patio wall. I’m making a compost pile for the good of all humankind. I’ll probably win some kind of award. Nobel or something.” I smiled the smile of a winner. Pat stood, as if to go check my compost pile story, but instead headed for the green waste container. “While you were sitting there thinking I filled my bucket again.” Rats! I was losing the weeding game! We had a plethora of weeds. Due partially to my brilliant idea to teach three-year-old Jack how to water my bonsai so that he could someday become a bonsai master... “Why doesn’t the water work anymore?” Jack asked me as he kept squeezing the trigger. “Because the utility company shut off the water,” I explained, while wiping down the patio doors, the barbecue and the dog. “Why?” “Because they think we have been wasting water,” I said, as I used a push broom to spread out the puddles. “Why?” “Because Cachuma Lake is going dry,” I said, wringing out my sweatshirt. “Why?” “Because… I said so.” After Jack and his parents went home it took me days to dry out my little trees. Then the March rains came and they got soaked again. But when the sun finally came out they started sending out new growth every day. Unfortunately so did the weeds. Game on. See, after reading every written word in our entire library during this extended quarantine, binge-watching every DVD comedy ever produced, and erasing and redoing all the news-
• The Voice of the Village •
paper puzzles accumulating in the recycle bin, we were running out of things to do. That’s when we decided it might be fun to engage in a little friendly competition by playing a few games. We started with cribbage. “Well that ties us up 63 games to 63 games,” Pat said. “By my count I have 63 but you only have 62. That makes me the winner of the best of 129 games. Ta-da!” “What? Did they even teach you math in New Hampshire?” That was when the cribbage board went into the trash. “Uno?” Turns out Pat is an Uno whiz. So, it was less than a day before the Uno cards followed the path of the cribbage board. Then we tried Star Wars Trivial Pursuit, which Jon had left during their last trip up from L.A. After playing for an hour and realizing we knew nothing, we watched all nine episodes on Disney+. Didn’t really help. Too many planets and characters. Then I had a brainstorm. I answered every card with “Jabba the Hut” until Pat had to finally begrudgingly say: “Correct.” Then Trivial Pursuit made its exit. We decided against Monopoly. Last time we played that the neighbors complained about all the yelling. And we gave up on rock-paper-scissors after an argument about how paper could possibly beat a rock. So we tried poker. “You now owe me four million one hundred and eighty-three thousand dollars,” said Pat. “When may I expect payment?” “As soon as my stimulus money comes in.” Do you know that playing cards smell a little like pizza when they burn? That’s when Pat suggested a new course of action. “Weeding? Seriously?” “Well, it would be nice to be able to get to the back gate without having to use a machete.” I could see her point. The backyard was starting to look like an RV storage lot. Plus, we had been getting quite pale from all the time at the dining room table. “Okay,” I said. “Prepare to be outweeded.” “Not a chance.” And now here we were in a weeding battle. I grabbed my weed puller tool with one hand and a spade with the other, did a couple of neckrolls and conjured up my best Edward Scissorhands image. I could smell victory… •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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The Quarantine Economy
You see it as a step towards opening up, not just as finding an economy within the Quarantine? Both of those are true. The only things that can be done right now are goods and services that are produced either virtually or through local home scale production or are related to food. It’s one thing in your own home to make a piece of art, or a mask, that you sell to someone. That’s something we should support. But some services are going to be really hit hard without testing. Like your regular dental visit. Nobody’s going to get their teeth cleaned for a long time.
by Mitchell Kriegman
J
Novelist Being Audrey Hepburn, Things I Can’t Explain. Creator Clarissa Explains it All and more. Writer for The New Yorker, LARB, National Lampoon, and Saturday Night Live
ulie McMurry lives in Santa Barbara and is a specialist in public health with a degree from the University of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is currently an assistant professor, senior researcher, at Oregon State University in the College of Public Health. She wrote the manifesto which became flattenthecurb.com which has been translated into multiple languages and has more than 130 volunteers working on it. It’s routinely monitored and reviewed by a host of doctors and experts. The site is not political and has become the go-to site for the most up-to-date science-based advice on current best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Montecito Journal published a far-reaching interview with Ms McMurry two weeks ago. Two weeks is a long time these days. This is her update. Q: What is a message that you want to share with the community as we continue in quarantine? A: Part of the message definitely
needs to be for those who can, to need to find ways of supporting the local economy. The most obvious for right now is to buy take out. Foods that reheat without any problems. We need to navigate the Quarantine Economy. So, you think this is going to go on for a while. Are we in a Quarantine Economy? People are beginning to ask that. In order to really inform the next step, we need testing to be done. We need serological testing to determine who has been infected previously and accurate wide-scale testing as soon as possible. Is the Federal Government likely to implement wide-scale testing? Whether the national government does or not, I think is irrelevant. California certainly should and probably will. But the Federal Government isn’t coming to help anybody. Period. They’re sitting back and they’re pretty much eating popcorn, watching
Let’s discuss your real estate needs.
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28 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Julie McMurry
the governors do Celebrity Death Match. What is the essence of the Quarantine Economy? People who have the ability should find ways to support people who have not. That can be different things for different people. If there is somebody who’s out of work who can sell masks that they make at home, fantastic. If there is someone who is out of work who could safely walk someone’s dog in trusted situations, that’s good. There are things that can be done in the open that we should make possible for people to make ends meet. Giving to the local food bank is very important. What about people who can’t make it to the food bank, people who fall through the cracks? If you know someone personally who is in need, the thing that needs to be done is to not ask questions, but to give them money. Money is the most empowering thing that you can do for someone because, it could be that someone needs twenty-five pounds of rice. That may cost only eight or ten dollars. They need to keep the electricity on. Sometimes cash is the better thing. It doesn’t have to be a lot. How can we expand and grow the Quarantine Economy on the State and National level? Certain sectors of the economy need to be protecting themselves, but other sectors could open up much sooner. The first thing that comes to mind as a really good investment that the state and Federal Government could be making is infrastructure projects, building and repairing bridges, public transit systems that need to be overhauled. This is the perfect time for those projects because we’re not out there using these services, but ultimately they need to be working. Anything that can be done outdoors, especially if it can be done with masks worn by all parties. That’s the first wave of things that can open up.
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” – Henry David Thoreau
We’ve had some mildly good news about the curve being somewhat flattened in California. Yet the danger is that people will be relaxed and not hold fast or be persistent. How do we explain to people to hang in there? Part of it is a warning. You know, places like Singapore and China, they have very strong central government that is able to enforce draconian measures. We don’t have that. I saw a great meme that said, “Our grandfathers were called to lay their lives down, for the cause of justice, and to protect this nation. You’re being called to sit on the couch. You got this right?” The fact is that none of us want to be in this situation and we shouldn’t pretend it’s a gift. At the same time, we need to look beyond ourselves and realize that we will get through it. Eventually, it does end. I’ve heard an analogy with cancer treatment. Just because you get chemotherapy and your tests come back better, you don’t stop getting chemo. That’s right. it’s very important that we find sustainable routines through this. That includes getting out into the sunlight. Vitamin D is a vitamin that your body makes in response to sunlight and it’s extremely important for your immune system. Also being outside is really important for people’s mental health. We cannot have people going stir crazy beating on each other. How else can we innovate and survive in the Quarantine Economy? I think food trucks would be a great idea. There could be other kinds of services in trucks. Library Bookmobiles could come back. Necessities could be sold like a roll of toilet paper. They ought to lift restrictions on food trucks. [The City of Santa Barbara drastically cut back on food trucks in 2018.] There are people who have money for groceries to be delivered but cannot find a service. There are plenty of people who are out of work who would gladly do that. What I’m saying is that the community and the City of Santa Barbara need to acknowledge where we are now and step up and coordinate. Make innovation possible. •MJ 16 – 23 April 2020
Library Mojo
selves and each other. We will get through this and value our Montecito community even more when we can be together again. See you soon – safe, healthy and reunited at the library!
by Kim Crail
Kim is the Branch Lead of the Montecito Library. Questions or comments? Contact her: kcrail@santabarbaraca.gov
Public Library Services Available Remotely
The Books Miss You!
I
n the absence of open hours and programs, our branch activity has come to a standstill. The Montecito Library has been closed to the public since March 13. That said, you can still access important library services including help with job search, applying for unemployment, answers to your reference questions, book delivery, digital services, and resources for youth. You can find this information at the end of the column.
Connection and Introspection
As precaution and concern intensified with Governor Newsom’s Stay At Home Order, we had to immediately suspend all in-person contact with the public. If you have spent any time at our library, you know how much camaraderie exists between the staff and our patrons. What has surprised me during this physical distancing is how much the
apartness is affecting my mood. Frankly, I spend a lot of time enjoying the escape of working at the library where I feel a kinship with folks who walk through the door. Similarly, I miss the everyday social networks like dropping my kids off at school or the distractions of appointments on the calendar. We’re missing that sense of connection and closeness right now, but I hope that you have some good reading to get you through.
The Book Woman Recommends…
While we won’t meet for Book Club, I have a sentimental pick for you. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is the unusual story of a blue-skinned WPA packhorse librarian in 1930s Kentucky named Cussy Mary. As you might have guessed, the librarian is the hero in this novel. Her delivery route is her life’s passion, bringing culture, education and news to her remote and
Need something to read?
We have a new pilot program called SBPL Delivers which will send you books in the mail. Shipping is being sponsored by the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation. (805) 962-7653
isolated patrons. The book is available to you through Hoopla, delivered through the magic of the internet.
Our Commitment to Each Other
As you might know, City employees can be assigned different duties during disasters. Currently, I am helping out the County Public Health Department in epidemiology. There are a lot of hardworking, talented professionals working on this locally. I have hope and confidence that we will continue to flatten the curve, protecting our-
Together We Grow
Our SBPL Works! staff can offer free help with Employment Development Department (EDD) resources, computer training and job search assistance. (805) 564-5633 Any requests or account questions can be directed to the Central Library. Their current hours for virtual services are Monday through Thursday 10 am-6 pm and Friday 10 am-5:30 pm. (805) 962-7653 Our Youth Services Department has put together a list of Learning at Home resources that are accessible on our website. •MJ SBPLibrary.org
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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 16)
Carbajal, and First District Supervisor Das Williams will be answering questions and brainstorming on how best businesses can be supported during this time. For a link to the call, email Kelly@montecitojournal.net.
Montecito Market Update
Here’s an update on the state of the real estate market, as our community continues to adhere to the statewide shelter-at-home order. Like most other industries, the real estate industry has slowed significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of press time, there are currently 109 properties on the market in Montecito, with nine of those in escrow. Since March 1, we’ve seen the cancellation or withdrawal of 34 properties in Montecito, presumably due to the crisis. In South Santa Barbara County has a whole, there are currently 397 homes on the market, which is very low; we typically hover in the mid-500 range. There have been 102 home listings canceled or withdrawn since March 1, ranging in price from $439K to $42.5M. This has created an even tighter inventory for those buyers who are still actively looking to get into a home. Also since March 1, there have been
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30 new listings in Montecito, ranging in price from a $715K condo at Villa de Montecito, to a nearly $11M home on Oak Creek Canyon. None of these new listings have been reduced in price, and none of them have gone pending, either; seven of them have subsequently canceled or withdrawn. There is certainly some volatility in the inventory; sellers may be testing the market for a few weeks, and instead of reducing the list price, are choosing to cancel or withdraw the listing, to put back on the market at a later date. There have been 183 new listings that have come on the market in the South County since March 1, 80% of which are under $3M. Eleven of those new listings have been reduced in price, 24 have been canceled or withdrawn, and three have sold. There have been 97 properties that have gone into escrow since March 1. While over 80% of these were listed under $2M, we have seen a handful of higher-end properties go into escrow in Montecito, including a $3.6M Bonnymede condo, a $5.1M property on Bella Vista Drive, a $6.7M Ennisbrook estate, and a nearly $12M estate on Cold Spring Road. There have also been at least eight off-market Montecito sales that were never listed in the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Looking at Q1 numbers
Newly remodeled in a contemporary farmhouse style, 796 Park Lane West features a large master suite and three additional guest bedrooms
An ocean-view estate on Park Lane West is our featured Home of the Week
in Montecito: we’ve seen 53 sales yearto-date. This is compared to 33 in 2019 by the end of March, 32 in 2018, and 44 in 2017. We will likely see the most significant drop in numbers due to the pandemic in the second quarter sales numbers. According to data compiled from Redfin, nationwide the number of new listings are slipping: there was a 44% reduction in the number of new listings the week ending April 3, a substantial increase from the 33% decline we saw the previous week. Redfin also noted that new homes being listed were listed for slightly less than previous weeks, but only 3% of sellers who already had their home on the market before the pandemic reduced the price, which is the normal level from previous years. At this point we are not seeing a loss of overall value in our local marketplace. One of the biggest issues currently affecting the housing market is the lack of availability of jumbo loans, due to liquidity issues and investors who are no longer willing to take on the risk of securitizing these loans. Before the pandemic, mortgage brokers and banks had their pick from over 30 loan options; now that has dwindled significantly to less than five. As a result, underwriting guidelines have been overhauled; underwriters are scrutinizing every area of the loan more closely. Employment verification will be checked and rechecked, with unemployment on the rise due to the crisis. Down payment requirements are increasing, as well as interest rates on jumbo loans. And with the volatility in the stock market, buyers who are using retirement or 401K funds to qualify may find themselves unable to qualify for the loan they were pre-approved for earlier this year. Agents are relying heavily on virtual tours and technology to showcase their listings; the California Association of
“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” – Henry David Thoreau
Realtors has mandated that there be no traditional open houses or broker’s open houses. All showings must be done with fewer than two buyers present, and social distancing and proper disinfecting practices must be adhered to. All parties involved in a showing – sellers, buyers, and agents – must sign a disclosure acknowledging the risks. Appraisals are also being done differently: most appraisers are conducing what’s called “desktop” appraisals or “exterior only” appraisals, where they are not entering the interior of a home. Listing agents should be helping appraisers by providing them with a site plan, photos and videos of the interior, lists of improvements and renovations, and details about the transaction, so the appraiser can get a detailed picture of the value of the property, without seeing it in person. With the slowing of the real estate market, we want to help highlight some best buys in the Montecito market. This week our Home of the Week is 796 Park Lane West, presented by Riskin Partners Estate Group of Village Properties. Recently reduced in price from $5,450,000 to $4,995,000, this 1.5-acre ocean view property features a newly remodeled, single-level contemporary farmhouse in the heart of Montecito. Riskin Partners’ Sarah Hanacek describes the home as casually elegant in its design, with a beautiful terrace and covered patio area perfect for year-round entertaining. A large master suite features gorgeous ocean views, while three additional bedrooms offer spacious guest accommodations. The property has ample room for a pool, ADU, and more, and includes a second detached garage or media/bonus room. “It is an incredible opportunity for someone who wants to be close to hiking trails and the San Ysidro Ranch,” Hanacek said. For more information, visit www.riskin partners.com. •MJ 16 – 23 April 2020
Locals at Home The Home Front
by Claudia Schou
With California’s statewide stay-at-home order in effect, businesses are closing and people are hunkering down at home, but still working, courtesy of Zoom and FaceTime. We spoke with four Montecito residents about how they’re managing to keep their businesses going during the coronavirus crisis:
Vera Kong, Piano Instructor
I
Vera Kong
spend most of my day connecting with my students by means of virtual technology and continue to make progress in their piano study. It is important to make that human connection. It’s the beginning of spring and most of my students are selecting a new repertoire. We’re engaged in foundational work such as learning notes and rhythm. Bach inventions and sinfonias, Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata, Haydn’s piano concertos, Kabalevsky’s Thirty Children’s Pieces are just a few selections we’re studying. I am actually enjoying my social distancing and shelter in place time. I feel as though pianists have been practicing for this moment their entire lives. Besides teaching virtually, my daily schedule consists of morning and afternoon meditation, a hike, studying, and catching up with the news. I never binge on a TV series, and I feel this is really the wrong time to do that. I think this is a great time to reinvent oneself!
Jonny Sapp, Real Estate Agent and Tennis Instructor Aside from constantly washing my hands and sanitizing them, I’ll try to keep a similar daily routine before the pandemic. I’ll wake up at 6 am, eat a little breakfast and then get ready for a virtual workout. With real estate right now I’m following social distancing practices laid out by the CDC. I’m using Zoom for company and client meetings. It’s a great tool to stay on top of current events and having virtual face-to-face interactions. I’ve spent this time learning to use new resources for digital marketing and offering my knowledge and support to everyone who needs it. Tennis is a great sport for social distancing but best played with someone who is co-isolating with you. The new rules of the game are use hand sanitizer and wipes afterward and don’t touch your face. Use a clean towel to wipe the sweat off your face. I’ve been spending my evenings making dinner with my roommates and try 16 – 23 April 2020
Jonny Sapp
to keep everything optimistic for them because one of them watches the news 24/7, so I’ll try and throw some jokes around to keep the mood light. Then I’ll end my night with either more work, reading, or some sort of tv or gaming. Right now my favorite book is Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye – it’s a great mindset book. Settlers of Catan is great game to play with people you’re quarantining with.
Lucy Kohansamad, Wealth Management Advisor
I’ve been working from home Monday through Friday, in financial services. With the stock market being so volatile in the last few weeks I’ve been extremely busy as you can imagine! I’ve been reading and taking long walks on Park Lane and Butterfly Beach on the weekends. I’m reading Erik Larson‘s latest, The Splendid and the Vile, about Winston Churchill during the battle of Britain and the Blitz. Great read! Like all of Erik Larson‘s books. I’m also trying new recipes, including chocolate chip cookies with almond flour, Persian cucumbers and Lucy Kohansamad yogurt (thank you Trader Joe’s!). I’m also watching some old classic movies with my family such as Witness, Gallipoli, Godfather, Room with a View, Alfred Hitchcock. It’s been a great time to bond with my family over films and food!
Sarah Ettman, Marketing and Public Relations Consultant
I’m sticking to my regular work schedule as much as I can. My cat Melanie, who is quite lively at 17 ½ year old, acts as a feline rooster and wakes me up early. I read the news, check emails, get dressed, feed my four-legged friend and make that all important cup of java. Then I commute from “La Cocina de Montecito” to ‘La Oficina” 30 steps away. I check in regularly with colleagues and clients; when possible use FaceTime or other video chat platforms. Being able to see each other enhances our human connection; you get an opportunity to see their faces, read their emotions. Since I live by myself, this helps me feel connected to people and overcome feelings of isolation, Sarah Ettman loneliness. I’m learning new software apps, specifically Zoom (hoping it doesn’t crash with so many new users!) and Microsoft Teams. I recently purchased a new camera with two lenses, so I’m taking online courses to improve my photography techniques, which in turn will help me do a better job of content production. And, I’m trading my PR services with my neighbor, who is a landscape designer. I’m excited to redo my tiny garden – a creative endeavor that will be a permanent positive reminder of how I weathered the pandemic. I think the global pandemic provides us with a chance to evolve to reach a higher level of our best selves. As a marine ecologist by education and training, I’m encouraged by signs that our curtailed lifestyle is forcing us to take a good look at our habits and find ways to live more gently on the planet and with each other. I’ve noticed an amazing reduction in 101 noise pollution in my neighborhood. We aren’t doing much driving right now; air pollution has decreased in Southern California. I hope that we are learning new ways to live and work sustainably, reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, materialism, corporate greed and return to focus on what’s really important in life: health, education, happiness loving relationships, and the highest regard for our natural world. •MJ
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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MISCELLANY (Continued from page 6)
at number two with $98 billion, followed by Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, 89, at $67.5 billion and local resident, Oracle tycoon Larry Ellison, 75, at number five with $59 billion. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 35, is number seven with $54.7 billion. Google honcho Eric Schmidt, 64, who lives on Ellen DeGeneres’s former estate near Lotusland, is ranked at 84 with $13.2 billion. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, 77, who is a frequent visitor when his NFL team is in summer training in Oxnard, is at 169 with $8 billion, while Stars Wars producer George Lucas, 75, who has a beach house near Oscar winner Kevin Costner on Padaro Lane, is at 375 with $4.6 billion. Rosewood Miramar owner and Los Angeles real estate developer Rick Caruso, 61, is ranked 565 with $3.4 billion, while Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner, 75, owner of the Biltmore and San Ysidro Ranch, is at 804 with $2.6 billion. Former TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, 66, is at 836 with $2.5 billion, the same ranking as Montecito mall magnate Herb Simon, 85. Losing the Loins of Longleat Alexander Thynn, the 7th Marquess of Bath, owner of the Elizabethan stately pile, Longleat House, who has died at the age of 87 after contracting
COVID-19, was one of Britain’s most colorful and eccentric aristocrats. At an imposing 6’5”, with flowing shoulder length hair and straggly beard, and colorful outfits more befitting Woodstock, the Old Etonian and ex Life Guards officer, was chatelain of an impressive 9,000-acre estate, which was one of the first to feature lions in 1966 when his father, the sixth marquess – a keen collector of Nazi memorabilia – introduced them to the sprawling Wiltshire property. Given his libidinous lifestyle, the media dubbed him the Loins of Longleat, and he housed his many girlfriends, who he called “wifelets,” in houses dotted around the estate. The news of his passing particularly impacted on State Street Ballet board member Arlyn Goldsby, who knew Alexander and his mother Anna, after meeting many years ago at a London fashion event. “She was absolutely divine,” recounts Arlyn, who used to own the store Objects on Coast Village Road. “We were invited to lunch at Longleat and Alex was reclined on a chaise with his long-haired dachshunds. “I remember vividly sitting at a huge table for lunch when the butler appeared and said, ‘My Lord, the London Times is on the phone. It was like a scene out of a Julian Fellowes movie.” Arlyn and her late husband, Marlowe, made a point of visiting the
Longleat House, the Elizabethan stately pile home of Alexander Thynn (photo by Saffron Blaze)
Arlyn Goldsby and Marquess of Bath
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aristocratic family each year they were in England. “Over the years we met many of Alex’s female friends on the train on our trips down there. He was an utterly fascinating and charming individual.” Pandemic Pliés
Rodney Gustafson’s State Street Ballet ranked in Entertainment Weekly
Rodney Gustafson’s State Street Ballet, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, is featured in Entertainment Weekly’s list of “must be watched” videos for dance lovers. The performance, Cinderella, choreographed by Rodney and ballet master Marina Fliagina, airs on WNET’s All Arts program, and shares the accolade with Kansas City Ballet’s The Road to Oz, Alexander Ekman’s A Swan Lake, and the Mariinsky Theatre’s production of George Balanchine’s Jewels. At least some light in the darkness... Lending a Hand TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and actress wife Portia de Rossi were spotted delivering boxes of coronavirus supplies to the Montecito Fire Department, a tiara’s toss or two from their East Valley Road home. The actress’s art company, General Public, has been making face masks for medical workers. Both wore masks and disposable gloves while hauling the extra large Home Depot boxes. Portia’s company can make tens of thousands of masks a day, she says. Brava! Flower Power The Dream Foundation has suspended its popular Flower Empower program delivering blooms to the elderly and ill. However local orchid growers Gallup and Stribling has donated 220 bouquets and Westerlay Orchids has given 840 plants, with the charity’s floral coordinator Valerie Banks setting up a drive-through at the
“All good things are wild and free.” – Henry David Thoreau
foundation’s office with instructions for “ding dong delivery” for volunteers. The flowers were delivered to community center centers and Heritage House, Serenity House, and Sarah House, local fire stations and Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks. The charity’s 10th annual Flower Empower lunch is scheduled for June 25 at the Rockwood Woman’s Club. A blooming good idea... Thank you, Ty Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner’s magnanimous offer to provide free $1,000-plus a night rooms at his fivestar Four Season Hotel in New York for frontline and medical workers during the coronavirus pandemic has, not surprisingly, been well oversubscribed. The ritzy 52-story 682-ft. high hostelry was told it was only safe to use 225 of its 360 rooms, and only 25 guests a day should be checked in. Everyone registering into the East 57th Street hotel is screened, with staff taking each person’s temperature and asking questions about their health. After guests check out, their rooms are left empty for three days, then deep cleaned and disinfected. Ty, 75, is footing the bill for the entire operation. “I’m gratified everyone associated with the hotel was able to pull together and do something that’s never been done before, especially under such challenging circumstances,” he says. Pearl of Wisdom Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry plans to name her daughter with British actor Orlando Bloom after her late grandmother. The 35-year-old singer’s paternal grandmother, Ann Pearl Hudson, died last month shortly after the former Dos Pueblos High student announced her pregnancy. “It was Katy’s grandmother who made Katy the woman and fighter she is today,” says friend. “Her granny survived the Great Depression making G strings for showgirls in Vegas. Katy believes that it is no coincidence that as her granny’s soul leaves the earth another soul arrives.” Protecting the Community Santa Barbara fashion designer Catherine Gee is doing her part in helping with the coronavirus pandemic. Her company has partnered with Grant House Sewing and donated hundreds of yards of cotton linen for face masks, which will be given to doctors, nurses, and the local community. Additionally, the companies have donated stock fabrics to LAProtects. org, which is working with local man16 – 23 April 2020
much to talk about the second part. But, unfortunately, at the moment everything is cancelled.”
From fashion to frontline for Catherine Gee
ufacturers to produce five million non-medical masks. “A majority of our collection is manufactured in downtown Los Angeles, and we wanted to make sure we did our part to support our community in L.A.,” says Catherine. “There is still much that can be done, and we hope our contribution helps add to the larger community effort that we’ve been seeing over the last few weeks. “It’s a vital role to be able to do this for our frontline workers and community members.” Rob “Exotic” Six-time Golden Globe nominee Rob Lowe is re-teaming with his 911: Lone Star creator Ryan Murphy to develop a project inspired by Netflix’s hit docu-series Tiger King. Longtime Montecito resident Rob, 56, has revealed they will be developing “our version of this insane story” to his 3.2 million social media followers. Rob is clearly vying for the role of former GW Exotic Animal Park owner Joe “Exotic” MaldonadoPassage, who’s serving a 22-year prison sentence for a murder-for-hire plot, among other crimes.
Armie’s Back Montecito art and car collector Michael Hammer’s actor son, Armie, 33, is reprising his role in the sequel to the hit film Call Me By Your Name with Oscar nominated Timothee Chalamet, 24. Director Luca Guadagnino, 48, who helmed the original 2017 drama, says both lead actors are keen to reprise their roles in the love story, which would take place 15 years later than the original. Guadagnino tells the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica: “I am going to America to meet a writer I love very
Good Genes Montecito arborist Gene Tyburn is one proud dad. His documentary maker son Matt Tyrnauer’s latest project Where’s My Roy Cohn?, the Svengali behind Joseph McCarthy and President Donald Trump, is currently airing on the Starz TV channel. Matt has made a number of notable documentaries while writing for Vanity Fair magazine, including 2009’s Valentino: The Last Emperor, shortlisted for an Oscar for best documentary feature, and 2018’s Studio 54, about the legendary Manhattan discotheque, where I was regular in the ‘70s when I was gossip columnist on Rupert Murdoch’s Star magazine. Tyrnauer’s latest project, which is co-produced by a former New York Magazine colleague, Marie Brenner, focuses on Manhattan lawyer and top political fixer Roy Cohn, who died of AIDS in 1986 at the age of 59. I would often see him at parties in the Big Apple, as well as frequent lunches at the Eurofluff watering hole Cafe Reginette, and in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Cohn was also the prosecutor in the 1951 espionage trial of Julia and Ethel Rosenberg, and their subsequent controversial execution. Tyrnauer’s next documentary is Once Upon a Time in Beverly Hills, based on a Vanity Fair story he penned in 2011. “I couldn’t’ be prouder,” says Gene. “And he has done it all on his own.” Gwyneth’s First Gig Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow got fired from her first job at a Manhattan toy store, she’s revealed.
Matt Tyrnauer’s latest project
The 47-year-old Oscar winner landed the job on Madison Avenue aged just 12, but was dismissed after failing to turn up for work while on school holidays. “I got fired because I went on spring break, but I didn’t tell my boss,” she tells Town & Country. “I just didn’t show up for duty. “I thought the world stops when you go on spring break. I was devastated, but it was a good lesson.” Sightings have been suspended during the coronavirus, given the social distancing edict from California Governor Gavin Newsom. They will return when restrictions have been lifted. Pip! Pip! – and be safe. Readers with tips, sightings and amusing items for Richard’s column should e-mail him at richardmin eards@verizon.net or send invitations or other correspondence to the Journal. To reach Priscilla, e-mail her at pris cilla@santabarbaraseen.com or call 805-969-3301. •MJ
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Michael Hammer’s son, Armie, to reprise role in hit film (photo by Maximilian Bühn)
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Summerland Buzz by Leslie A. Westbrook A third-generation Californian, Leslie, currently resides in Carpinteria but called Summerland home for 30 years. The award-winning writer assists clients sell fine art, antiques and collectibles at auction houses around the globe. She can be reached at LeslieAWestbrook@gmail.com or www.auctionliaison.com
A Chat with Summerland Artist Richard Aber
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ontemporary artist/sculptor and thinker Richard Aber and his wife, Carol, have lived on bucolic Greenwell Road in Summerland, where he has created art diligently in his home studio on their property, for the past 41 years. His contemplative pieces have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in several exhibitions in Italy, where the coronavirus has hit particularly hard. Aber posted a recently complete piece on his Facebook page with these sage and kind remarks: “Just completed Wall Work-73-20, 86”x150”. Keep working in your studio and make work as if it is your last. Be well and love to all.” I wanted to speak with him about art in the time of corona. He replied thoughtfully and provocatively. Q. What are you working on now? A. In my studio practice, I have been working on a series since 1976 titled “Wall Works.” An object that is mounted on the wall is neither a painting or a sculpture, but a combination of the two. I have attempted over the years to convey feelings in these works that relate to a state of being or how I perceive my conscience. In the latest works, along with that, is a fascination with gravity and how to allude to anti-gravitational forces. The question, does gravity have a moral component? If it does, how do we structure society around that implication? Are we indeed bound by materialism? This is the defining question of our time. How is sheltering in place and working in the studio in the time of coronavirus any different for you? I am doing fine. I am a reclusive person anyway, so not having to go into town is even better for me. I am working on many projects and am trying to get them wrapped up, so if I get struck by this thing (COVID-19), at least things will be left in some sense of order. Will we learn to change the way we operate in the world or will we wage a battle so fierce, even beyond what we are going through today, to maintain the current status quo. In some ways, this may not be new for you, is that correct? Last year. I decided to limit my practice and eliminate all that I could to reduce my carbon footprint. This,
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Artist Richard Aber
Wall Work-68-19, 2019, acrylic on canvas
as it turns out, is almost catastrophic for anyone who is in manufacturing. Aside from being dropped back into the Stone Age, you realize the true predicament we are in. Then COVID19 hit and the whole world hits the brakes. So many feelings rush in at this moment and one becomes very conflicted. How so? Have we overstayed our welcome on this planet? It’s clear that we are pushing the boundaries of sustainability. How will we change the way we go forward? Is it going to be back to the old normal or do we learn something from this experience? The whole nature of society will have to come to terms with this. We are witnessing the cleansing of the environment in just two weeks. Imagine what could be possible if we were able to change the technological paradigm towards one of doing no harm. The powers that be clearly don’t see the need to change the world in this way, so it does give me pause and deep concern. However, things could change if it gets bad enough.
You mentioned the Club of Rome, founded in 1968 in Rome by world leaders, scientists, politicians, and the like. The organization published its prescient findings back in 1972 titled The Limits to Growth. Using computer simulations, the report suggested that economic growth could not continue indefinitely because of resource depletion. Published as a book, it sold over 30 million copies and became the best-selling book on environmentalism in history. (If you feel like looking at growth charts of something other than the COVID virus, check out the manifesto.) We all knew about the ramifications of our materialism since the Club of Rome published its findings. We seem to be a species that is slow to learn, and fast to forget. We have been taught to live in the “moment” as a way to tame the burdens of the past and the demons of the future. But we have failed to learn that we are not the pinnacle of creation. By saying that, it does not diminish what we have achieved. We just need to apply the deep understanding that we are capable of. Over the past decade, I know you have had exhibitions in Italy. How are your friends doing since Italy has been suffering so terribly with this global pandemic? My wife Carol and I have made many wonderful friends there and are so concerned about their well-being. We continue to keep in touch and none of them have been affected. We also have friends who were curating shows in Los Angeles and could not return home to Naples. So far, they are doing well here in California. The Italians are so warm and loving they almost always greet you with a kiss. I hope that returns to the culture in the future. This is true, I am half-Sicilian, and we love our hugs and kisses. I especially miss holding babies, but I’m cooking like a full bloodied Italian! You sound rather fatalistic – do you think we are doomed? And what is the importance of art in all this? Hopefully we are not doomed. It’s wonderful to think of us as an outgrowth of cosmological conscientiousness, which we are. But what we lack as a global society is a unified world view. We need to develop a way to educate and bring differing ideologies to a point of mutual understanding about the nature of nature. The cold reality of our situation is that the Universe doesn’t take sides on who survives. It’s up for grabs. But as humans we have the ability to bring many wonderful creatures along with us rather than destroy them. All of the arts have a critical role in awakening the mind to universal truths. In fact, I view myself as a student/educator/artist. This I would hope for everyone.
“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” – Henry David Thoreau
Laughter in the Time of Corona
We all need some comic relief in the time of corona, and there’s plenty of distractions around to tickle our funny bones. While watching CBS This Morning news last week, I caught a segment that featured a re-envisioned Fleetwood Mac cover which was originally created by Santa Barbara designer Larry Vigon. Someone had manipulated the famous image and put “social distance” between Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks. I asked Larry, who was inducted into the Album Covers Hall of Fame this past February, what he thought about the “new” Rumours cover? “I’ve seen a lot of manipulations over the years – which doesn’t bother me at all,” he said. “People having fun with it is fine… as long as they don’t take credit for the original cover!” Vigon has designed and art directed dozens of familiar record album covers over the years for LPs by Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Oingo Boingo, and Chicago, among others and he is still designing with a passion.
One of his proudest achievements is The New York Times bestselling Carl Jung manifesto The Red Book, which is the Holy Grail for Jungians. I wonder if it’s because the art director’s wife Sandra is a Jungian psychologist? Perhaps. Maybe I will find out in my dreams. •MJ 16 – 23 April 2020
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS (Continued from page 11)
avenue toward a staged reopening of the economy. L.A. County began dispensing the antibody test on a mass scale in six sites last week and expects to ramp up. Despite whatever we may have heard on the contentious national stage, testing is an absolutely essential and critical component of recovery. It will certainly be so in the State of California regardless how the Federal Government behaves. Most counties in California are making aggressive plans to acquire and roll out mass testing. Where is Santa Barbara in this important, urgent, lifesaving, and economy enabling effort? In nearby San Luis Obispo County, Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein has led an aggressive program of testing throughout the county. “I have pushed very hard for us to do as much testing as possible,” Dr. Borenstein recounts. “We have pretty good geographic spread of testing across our community and we offered ourselves in Public Health to hear from any constituent who feels they have the disease and are getting roadblocks getting tested.” What is the plan in Santa Barbara on the city level, for mapping the pandemic to move toward reopening? Mayor Cathy Murillo has walked the streets of Santa Barbara to connect with people and businesses within the confines of social distancing. She’s a “heart on her sleeve” people person and many folks need and appreciate that. Yet pressed on a pandemic plan, she offers virtually no specifics. “Pandemic is the purview of the County,” the Mayor responded, “specifically County Public Health, the County is the agency with medical doctors and behavioral health professionals.” Considering that the mayor came into office on the Montecito debris flow, and that the Montecito and Santa Barbara area seems to be on a disastera-year schedule with drought, fires, and mudslides, one would think that the mayor and strategic minds in City Hall would have such a plan. With three once-in-200-years life-threatening calamities under their belts it would be reasonable to expect they might have protocols and task forces ready to spring into action. Who ever said the fourth time’s a charm? No one. Assistant to the City Administrator Nina Johnson has always been the point person for emergencies. She is preternaturally calm, poised, and good humored. Unlike the rest of the City Administration, she has excellent relations with locally owned businesses. “She’s just an extremely positive person,” remarked John DeWilde, owner of the Santa Barbara Valet and recently opened Haley Hotel. “Nina 16 – 23 April 2020
City Administrator Nina Johnson
is well connected with the business community and well liked. She has a tremendous grasp of local issues.” That said, the stakes this time are higher. A pandemic isn’t your garden variety city crisis. It’s all encompassing and in many ways her situation as spokesperson is impossible. When asked about the City Administration’s current emergency plans, she responded in the narrowest of terms. “We are currently looking at how we move forward with our budget for the upcoming year. We have reserves that can be used, but that can only provide for city operations through a few months.” It’s no secret that City budgets are not immune to COVID-19. Some residents probably wish they had enough to get through a few months. But aren’t there even greater stakes than the city budget to be considered? When asked how the city would deal with business and health issues, potential testing and reopening, Ms. Johnson also deferred to the County. “The City specifically did not plan for a pandemic. We have not planned for long-term social distancing requirements. The County is our operational area to help us with emergency planning.” Five weeks into the crisis that seems like a weak response at best. And is there a war room or task force we can rely on? “Within the executive management team, there is a policy group. So, it’s the city administrator, the public
works director, the HR manager, and the city attorney, about twelve people.” And the mayor? “The mayor is not part of the staff team.” Note as well, there are no doctors, health experts, no businesspeople and no nonprofits on the team. Put Santa Barbara’s situation in perspective with how San Luis Obispo is handling the crisis. Working with REACH, a service organization that covers the Central Coast region (including Santa Barbara), the city administrators of San Luis Obispo join state legislators, county health leaders, business interest groups, medical leaders, university representatives, and over 100 participants from all quadrants of SLO County for weekly emergency webinars to coordinate action and share information. When the Montecito Journal inquired, the REACH representative acknowledged that her organization would welcome working with Santa Barbara but has not been approached. Santa Barbara does not appear to be part of any similar cross disciplinary, cross county group. Santa Barbara’s present city administrator has been in office over four years; it’s not his first rodeo. But if leadership action is being taken in the halls of City Hall, it is not being communicated.
Press releases do not leadership make. CYA (covering your a**) occurs in city leadership every bit as much as in the private sector. The public likely checks its Facebook pages more often than the pages of santabarbaraca.gov. When leadership is elective the voters have a chance to evaluate and rethink where we are in the world and what we need in a leader. In bureaucracies that opportunity does not exist. When a city is run as a business, the city can lose sight of who they serve and why. This administration seems to view itself as just another business entity looking for rescue, rather than a leader for all of us. In a crisis of pandemic proportions, transparency and self-sacrifice are absolutely required. The ability to take collaborative action and communicate those actions is crucial. Lives, businesses, and economic survival depend it. Will the lack of collaboration and transparency put us behind other cities in California?
The Quarantine Economy
Whether we like it or not, at the moment we’re in a Quarantine Economy. The 500 city workers let go last week included parking attendants, librarians, and graffiti removal
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS Page 414
Thank you to all caregivers, essential workers and non-profit organizations. Those of you who work the front lines are our heroes and we are deeply grateful for the sacrifices you make for our community. Michael Erickson & Thomas Rollerson
No Residual Poison Safe for pets and non-targeted Lic # 1036122
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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ON THE RECORD (Continued from page 14)
One of Appleton’s 3D printers at work
Appleton’s Steve Aldana checks a printing in progress
ers is one cubic foot in size and supports two types of filaments which combine to make whatever plastic model has been specified for the printing job. “On March 19, Governor Newsom gave his stay at home order and we were looking at some videos that talked about these masks and we started researching if we could help,” Mineau recalls. In researching how to help build protective gear, the firm’s Steve Aldana ran across a face shield prototype that also happened to be designed in the Netherlands. “It is very thin and looks like sunglasses with a sheet of acetate,” Mineau says. “It is simple, fits right on your face and prints in one hour, whereas it usually takes a day or two days to print a little model. And you can usually fit two or three on the print bed at one time.” After Aldana perfected the design for the firm’s printers, Mineau shared the specifications with his sister, who had a printer at her house. “Her kids started printing them at home,” he says, adding that because his wife, Normah Halim, is a weaver, she began working on a plan to make cloth masks that could fit over the protective shields. “She enlisted some folks in our office to start cutting,” Mineau says. “So far, she and the cutters have made over one hundred masks for the front-liners. Of course when you
are using old scraps of fabric, they are really nice, more and more people wanted their own masks, but the initial effort was to get the masks to the medical community.” According to Mineau, it took a week for the doctors and nurses from Cottage Hospital to approve a design for the gear that they would accept; their specs required a longer printing job. “Meanwhile we printed forty or fifty of the one-hour ones and sent them out to underserved health clinics, including one in Cudahy,” he recalls. “Ventura Memorial Hospital wanted some, and then we started printing the ones that Cottage Hospital came up with, which take six hours to make and require four times the material and also they require elastic bands to hold on your head.” When Cottage finally received a large shipment of N-95 masks from China, Appleton Partners moved on to printing masks for Valle Verde, the senior assisted living facility in Santa Barbara, as well as grocery store baggers and other frontline, so-called essential workers. “We are going back to the one-size-fits-all masks,” Mineau says. “They are much simpler and less clunky than the ones the doctors wanted at Cottage Hospital.” Thanks to help from the Santa Barbara Foundation and Montecito’s Bucket Brigade, Appleton Partners is
now receiving donations of material to supply their 3D printing work. “Basically, they said they are going to purchase the masks, and told us that if we have a printer, they will give us the material and then come and pick up the gear.” Given that, like just about everything else in Santa Barbara, the homebuilding industry is taking a hiatus, Mineau says he’s delighted that
Appleton Partners has found a way to use its equipment to help the community recover from COVID-19. “It’s been fun but a lot of work,” he says. “Every day Steve is in the office loading up the machine. The masks finish every hour so it takes five minutes to reset the machine and put the new tape in, but if you do it in between your other tasks you can get it done.” The firm is happy to accept dona-
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A batch of Normah Halim’s hand-sewn masks
“Dreams are the touchstones of our character.” – Henry David Thoreau
16 – 23 April 2020
Third Window Brewing’s Kris and Michellene Parker
Sanitizing a face shield before sending to the frontlines
tions of 3D printing materials to help keep the project going, Mineau says, but mostly is looking for information on where they can send their finished products. At the moment, the firm has three printers operating and is busy assembling two more. “Right now, we have just about everything we need,” Mineau says. “We just want to get the word out on places to send them to.”
Beer and Bread to the Rescue
For a man who brews beer, Montecito resident Kristopher Parker, the grandson of Fess Parker, the famed winemaker and 1950s television actor of Davy Crockett fame, has a somewhat surprising family background. “I grew up in the wine business,” Parker confirms. “My dad is a winemaker, but winemakers drink beer, and he also did home beer brewing and growing up, I got to watch the process.” In the mid-1990s, when Parker was in his late teens, Santa Barbara County’s craft brewing industry began to take off. “Firestone was making beer in Area 51, about a mile from where I grew up in Los Olivos,” he says. “After college I started reading beer books. My wife and dad bought me a beer culture.” Parker’s first homemade brew totaled five gallons, which he produced squatter-style in an empty building. When Parker attended University of Southern California for business school, he focused on his new passion. “At USC, for a lot of the business cases you work on, you have the opportunity to choose, and I would generally 16 – 23 April 2020
do beer stuff.” Parker’s goal was to steer clear of industrialized brewing at all costs. “My angle on it,” he says, “is that growing up in a vineyard I can’t separate terroir from my perception of beverages. Beer is so prone to become industrialized. So much can be about the mechanics, and the industry rewards people for replicating styles that originated in terroir.” Instead, while Parker was working as an executive in his family’s wine and hotel business, Parker simultaneously developed a business plan that would treat beer the same way Californian vintners treat wine. Contacts in the beer world who heard of what he was doing offered to put up half the cash he needed to start. In 2014, Parker received a telephone call from his friend Patrick Rue, founder of Orange County’s The Bruery, who is now working in Napa Valley’s wine industry. Rue told Parker that he was getting a new brewhouse and offered to turn his old one over to him if he would start a new brewing company in Santa Barbara. Parker called his new company Third Window Brewing Company after the legend of Saint Barbara, whose father, as the legend goes, imprisoned her, Rapunzel-style, in a tower for 18 years, worried that she would become a Christian behind his back. Sure enough, upon turning 18, she leaves the tower and installs a third window in one of her father’s building to celebrate her conversion, thus becoming a martyr. “It took two years to get through the city planning process and we opened in 2016,” Parker recalls.
Although Third Window Brewing Co. generally offers around a dozen rotating styles of beer, Parker’s true passion is Belgian-style Trappist ale, which for centuries has been brewed by monks to support their monasteries. “I love Trappist breweries,” Parker says. “It’s interesting to me because you have these people with motivations other than principally profit, who have been making beer for hundreds of years to sustain themselves.” Located inside a restored barn and feed mill originally constructed in 1904 called The Mill on East Haley Street, Third Window Brewing Co. features a tap room (temporarily closed due to COVID-19 concerns) with roll-up doors, fresh ocean breezes, and dining tables where families and dogs are always welcome. Behind the bar are eight 30-barrel fermenters. “For the way we make beer we have to have a lot of capacity,” Parker says. “We don’t filter. So time and gravity is all we use, and we get a more flavorful product. With the exception of IPAs, which must be served fresh, Third Window allows its beer to ferment for three months instead of the typical three weeks. Parker also collaborates with local, small-scale agricultural producers to make specialty beers, including a ricebased beer, as well as a yearly collaboration with the Bruery. “We make beer we want to drink and we feel like is expressive of terroir, and we make coffee beer because we have to,” he jokes. “We are a bunch of friends who make beer and focus on continuous improvement.” Third Window Brewing also features a kitchen that, before the pandemic, made pizza and other small bites each afternoon, as well as freshly baked sourdough loaves courtesy of Parker’s wife, Michellene Parker, which is baked every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and usually available by noon. Along with Growlers (62 ounce jugs) and Crowlers (32 ounce oilcans sealed onsite) as well as pint-sized cans and bottles of beer, the bread is available for onsite pickup as well as delivery from Goleta to Carpinteria. Because many home bakers have been hoard-
• The Voice of the Village •
Beer and bread to go
ing yeast, making it hard to find on local store shelves, Michellene’s sourdough, which sells for $9 per loaf, uses oats from the Santa Ynez Valley, has been in high demand of late. “We have actually doubled our baking,” he adds. “There was a shortage; bread was pretty scarce a couple of weeks ago.” Because of the fact that the brewery depends on selling kegs of its beer to hotels and restaurants, the company’s revenues have plummeted by 70 percent in recent weeks. “Most of our restaurant staff and tasting room staff has been furloughed,” Parker says, “Fifty percent of our production staff is gone too. We are down to just our key people. The question I have too is what is the world going to look like when we come out of this? It won’t be the same, but we are uniquely suited to come out of this.” Parker believes that once the health scare is over, nothing will be the same. “Delivery will be bigger than it was before, and people are going to be more aware of social distancing,” he predicts. “But that works for us, because fundamentally we are a barn with big doors. One of the things we have is space and clean air and in the long term, it is going to work out.” Third Window Brewing Co. is located at 406 East Haley Street, Suite 3, Santa Barbara. Beer and bread is available for pickup from 11:30 am - 6 pm. For free deliveries with no minimum purchase, call (805) 979-5090. •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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LETTERS (Continued from page 10)
only took my little son with me in Hancock Park to vote at yet another nearby church, but also his young friends. As a parent/Educator, the example of going to vote was a matter of necessity and honor. Seventy years later I am horrified to learn that the people of Wisconsin were confined to five polling places in all of Madison and even fewer in rural areas. AND that they were forced to literally risk their lives with COVID19 by standing in long frigid lines and crowded polling places in order to vote. I would not have allowed my own aging parents to take such risks. I’m almost glad they are no longer alive to see the current deterioration of democracy in their “America the Beautiful.” They saw that once before in Germany in the ‘30s and barely escaped. As our wise editor writes, “There are few things more central to our republic than our right to vote.” We must expand the means whether by more mail-in ballots, or online voting. After all, if the astronauts during the ‘50s and ‘60s were allowed to vote from far out in space, we can surely make it possible to vote from our homes at our desk, or at the mailbox. We may have to fight for that right, and so we will. Josie Levy Martin
The Problem with Mail-In Voting
I take issue with your recent Editorial Comment (“Voting to the Moon and Back”) where you state that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision curtailed vote-by-mail in Wisconsin and infer that if the pandemic continues, voters will have to choose between voting and getting infected with the coronavirus. In the Supreme Court case, the narrow issue addressed was whether a lone federal court judge could, on the eve of the election, mandate that the State allow voters to vote by mail a full week after election day. Wisconsin is a no-excuse absentee voting state meaning that anyone for any reason can vote by mail. Mail-in ballots are easily obtainable. The only legal requirement for mail-in voting is that the ballots must be received on or before the day of the election. Addressing the coronavirus outbreak and the social distancing guidelines, Wisconsin officials and politicians urged voters in early March to request mail-in ballots for the April 7 election, and over one million did. The Democrat Governor, Tony Evers, steadfastly insisted before and after his stay at home order that the election not be postponed. Until he didn’t. Four days before the election he convened a special Saturday meeting of the legislature to ask for a postponement. The legislature could
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have postponed or delayed the election, but they decided to go forward with the April 7 date. The Democratic National Committee went to Court on April 2 and got a District Court judge to order that despite the legislature’s decision not to postpone the election, mail-in voters could have until April 13 to send in or deliver their ballots and that election officials could not release any election results until that date. He essentially ordered what the legislature refused to do, postpone the election. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed and, relying on established precedent, ruled that a District Court judge could not usurp legislative powers and interfere with an election at the last minute. What is the relevance of this recent decision to other elections? Absolutely nothing. Indeed, the opinion states: “The Court’s decision on the narrow question before the Court should not be viewed as expressing an opinion on the broader question of whether to hold an election, or whether other reforms or modifications in election procedures in light of COVID-19 are appropriate. That point cannot be stressed enough.” (emphasis added) Your editorial further advocates for an evolution from voting by mail to online voting. I strongly disagree and believe we should limit vote by mail to absentee or disability voters only. Voting by mail invites abuse. In 2005, after a six-month study, a bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and James Baker concluded: “Absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.” Suspected voting fraud due to unregistered, dead, non-resident or other unqualified voters is nothing compared to the potential for abuse that voting by mail does. Ballots are routinely delivered to the wrong addresses. Ballots get intercepted when delivered to multi-occupied residences. Most problematic, however, people can be pressured or intimidated (whether overtly or subtly) by parents, peers, teachers, custodians, caregivers, managers, or others. And some votes can simply be purchased with anything from cash to a package of cigarettes. Online voting would present the same problems, plus security, privacy, and computer illiteracy issues. Abuse of the system is almost guaranteed. One more point about voting fairness and accuracy in California. In our state, the potential for fraud with mail-in voting is compounded by the totally illogical and insidious practice of “Ballot Harvesting.” This is a practice which is banned in most states and should be banned in all. In California, it is not only not forbidden, it is specifically authorized by a law passed by our democrat-controlled legisla-
ture and signed by Governor Brown in 2016. Ballot harvesting allows anyone, including paid political operatives, to collect mail-in ballots from anyone and deliver those ballots to polling officials right up until the closing of the polls on Election Day. The potential for abuse is mind-boggling. Think about retirement homes, college campuses, homeless shelters, or low-income workplaces… anywhere politicians think voters can be pressured or manipulated. Don’t think it doesn’t happen. In Orange County in the 2016 election, 250,000 mail-in ballots were dropped off on election day, resulting in not only a lengthy delay in finalizing voter tallies, but a massive change from the election day vote count resulting in the Democrat candidate winning every legislative seat in this historically conservative area. As long as ballot harvesting is legal, expect both parties to try to use it to their advantage, jabbing their thumb on the scales of justice and down the electorate’s throat. Lawrence W. Dam Montecito
The End Game… When?
While I’m certainly enjoying my new Finnish detective addiction, cabin fever is getting more than a bit tiring. More alarming, however, is the fact that Martial law is engendering Marinetti-inspired ideas of anarchy and rebellion. Claustrophobia and an Italian heritage is a dangerous combination. COVID-19 is serious and not something that I would ever minimize. With that said, we need to be hyper-vigilant when we’re told to relinquish our constitutional freedoms. As Dylan Thomas famously wrote, we should never go “gently into that good night.” While he was speaking about death – and this is not hyperbole – each day under house arrest a small bit of our humanness and freedom, die as well. My fear is that our fear will keep us from asking the hard questions, especially in a county known for obfuscation. Because, without an open discussion compliance will disappear. This is not a dystopian prediction, it’s a reality that even Dr. Birx, America’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator, spoke about at her April 9 briefing, i.e. only with transparency can you expect compliance. The Federal Reserve recently predicted a 32% national unemployment rate – 47M! out of work. This is well beyond the 24% rate we saw during the Great Depression. Early predictions had US mortality rates (I hate writing this!) in excess of 1M and now the IHME has the number at 60,400. California originally expected to need 50,000 hospital beds and today we’re
“When it comes time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived.” – Henry David Thoreau
looking at closer to 4,000. These numbers are devastating, but let’s remember that during the 2017-2018 flu season we lost 80k people to influenza. Of course, data will do whatever you want it to do. Last Friday, for example, SB Sheriff Brown (complete with insulting/SNL-worthy distancing charts) was talking about enforcement and the fact that we “haven’t yet reached the peak.” Just days before, however, our own data-geek Brian Goebel, published his analysis showing that the curve had flattened between 3/30 – 4/3 and that it was now bent (confirmed on Saturday 4/11). Individually, we need to focus on our health while collectively shining a light our friends who own barbershops, salons, wineries, boutiques, hotels, and local restaurants (Los Agaves just laid off 300 workers). Because, without these folks, SB will be SB no more. Data is important but hope requires that we have a DISCUSSION about what the “end game” might look like and when. We paid our taxes, funded 80% of our 4,200 hardworking County employees – we are minimally owed at least a dialog. Frankly, the problem is having our lobby-centric pols defining an “essential” business because, for me, all business is essential. Is Cannabis or Costco more essential than Pane Vino, Cos Bar, Whistle Club, Shopkeepers, Summerland Antiques, Nugget, etc., all of whom can monitor occupancy rates/distancing? With democracy comes the responsibility of vigilance, just ask Hungary. We should never get comfortable with authoritarianism so, yes, we do need to make some noise and push our Political Monarchy (i.e. Board of Supervisors) and City Officials to begin discussing “when.” Stay healthy, get involved, write an email, and together let’s help each other during these unprecedented times! Jeff Giordano SB County Resident
Dawn of A New Day
The Moon Will Be More Vivid The Sun And Stars In Bright Display When This Virus Is Behind Us We’ll Greet The Dawn Of A New Day et On Your Horses All My People G We Have A Lot Of Energy To Display Plow The Earths Rich Resources As We Greet The Dawn Of A New Day What Misery In Our Stay At Home Fighting And Pushing The Devil Away We Look And We Strive For Tomorrow Awaiting The Dawn Of A New Day Frank Mcginity
•MJ
16 – 23 April 2020
CITY OF SANTA BARBARA NOTICE FOR PROPOSALS
PUBLIC NOTICE City of Santa Barbara Fiscal Year 2021 Recommended Operating and Capital Budget NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Santa Barbara has scheduled Public Hearings to consider the Recommended Operating and Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2021. The Council will review departmental budgets, as well as proposed adjustments to fees and charges. All hearings will be held in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. The dates and times are as follows: • • • • • • • • •
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 1:00 p.m. - Budget consideration of City Administrator’s Office and Mayor & Council; Information Technology, Human Resources, Sustainability & Resilience Departments, and General Fund / Measure C Capital; Monday, May 11, 2020, 2:00 p.m. – Budget consideration of Parks & Recreation Department (including Creeks and Golf Funds); Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 1:00 p.m. - Budget consideration of Finance Department, General Government, City Attorney’s Office; and Waterfront Department; Monday, May 18, 2020, 2:00 p.m. - Budget consideration of Library Department, Airport Department, and Community Development Department* and Successor Agency; Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 2:30 p.m. - Budget consideration of Fire and Police Departments; Wednesday, May 27, 2020, 9:00 a.m. - Budget consideration of Public Works Department*; Monday, June 8, 2020, 6:00 p.m. - City Council deliberations; Tuesday June, 9, 2020, 2:00 p.m. - Public hearing on proposed increases to any Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste rates (see separate mailed notice and instructions for filing protests); and Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 2:00 p.m. - Budget adoption.
Additional hearings may be added as needed. All public hearing dates and times are subject to change. Any changes will be posted on the City of Santa Barbara webpage located at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov. Members of the public are invited to attend, and interested persons desiring to be heard shall be given an opportunity to address the City Council during the public hearings at the above-referenced dates and times. Written comments are welcome and should be addressed to the City Council via the City Clerk’s Office, P.O. Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990. All hearings will be held in conjunction with special meetings of the City Council dedicated to the public review of the budget. A schedule of public hearing meeting topics, which is subject to change on short notice, will be available beginning on April 21, 2020, on the City’s website at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov. The City Council is scheduled to adopt the Recommended Operating and Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2021, on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, during the 2:00 p.m. regular City Council session. Copies of the Recommended Budget will be available for public review on April 21, 2020, at the reference desks of the Central and Eastside Libraries, in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, and on the City’s website at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov. For more information, contact the Finance Department at 564-5334. Copies of fee resolutions with proposed changes will be available for public review on April 21, 2020, in the Finance Department at City Hall and at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Budget. Click on Proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Mid-Cycle Budget. *At least ten (10) days prior to the meeting, and again five days later, but no later than April 21, 2020, data, which was relied upon to support the changes to the fees and charges proposed in the fee resolution for the departments marked by an asterisk above, will be available to the public at the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA. Agendas and Staff Reports for City Council meetings are available 72 hours prior to the meeting in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall and at the Central Library. These documents are also accessible online at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CAP. Meetings of the Council are broadcast live and rebroadcast on City TV Channel 18 (broadcast schedule is available at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTV. These meetings can also be viewed over the Internet at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Council/Videos. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to gain access to, comment at, or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator's Office at 564-5305 or inquire at the City Clerk's Office on the day of the meeting. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements in most cases. (SEAL)
/s/ Paul Casey City Clerk April 2, 2020 Published April 8 & April 15, 2020 Montecito Journal
16 – 23 April 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that proposals will be received: RFQ NO. 4006 DUE DATE & TIME: May 15, 2020 UNTIL 3:00 P.M. Santa Barbara Softball Scope of Work to include operation and management of year-round adult softball leagues. The City of Santa Barbara Park and Recreation Department (City) seeks Independent Contractor (Contractor) to operate and manage year-round adult softball leagues. The City is requesting Statements of Qualifications from individuals or organizations demonstrating their capacity and experience in operating and managing adult softball leagues. The City seeks a Contractor with experience planning, organizing, promoting, facilitating and managing adult softball leagues in its entirety. Upon receiving final approval from the City, the Contractor will work closely with City staff to schedule spring, summer and fall leagues. Planning for the leagues will commence immediately and should reflect how the Contractor plans to operate the leagues, and should include topics such as; 1. Scheduling three (3) 8-week seasons in spring, summer and fall. 2. League promotion and marketing. 3. Umpire recruitment and training. 4. Infield preparation and equipment at your disposal to provide infield maintenance. 5. Dugout cleaning and maintenance plan. 6. Plan for storage of infield and dugout maintenance equipment. Proposals must be submitted on forms supplied by the City of Santa Barbara and in accordance with the specifications, terms and conditions contained therein. RFQ’s containing all forms, specifications, terms and conditions may be obtained by contacting Jeff Smith, Recreation Supervisor @ jesmith@santabarbaraca.gov. Proposers are hereby notified that any contract issued as a result of this RFQ may be subject to the provisions and regulations of the City of Santa Barbara Ordinance No. 5384, Santa Barbara Municipal Code, Chapter 9.128 and its impending regulations relating to the payment of Living Wages. The City of Santa Barbara affirmatively assures that minority and disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age (over 40), ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, sex, gender identity and expression, marital status, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics), national origin, race, religious belief, or sexual orientation in consideration of award.
____________________ Jeff Smith Recreation Supervisor
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Kirk’s Plumbing, 2718 Verde Vista Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Kirk Peters, 2718 Verde Vista Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 5, 2020. 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), filed by John Beck. FBN No. 2020-0000723. Published April 1, 8, 15, 22, 2020.
Published: April 15, 2020 Montecito Journal
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Stretchlab Montecito, 1046 Coast Village Road, Suite E, Montecito, CA 93108. Next Gen Wellness, LLC, 3913 La Colina Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 27, 2020. 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), filed by Maria F. Sanchez. FBN No. 2020-0000645. Published March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 2020.
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Spirituality Matters by Steven Libowitz “Spirituality Matters” highlights two or three Santa Barbara area spiritual gatherings. Unusual themes and events with that something extra, especially newer ones looking for a boost in attendance, receive special attention. For consideration for inclusion in this column, email slibowitz@yahoo.com.
Music as Medicine in Troubling Times
I
f the coronavirus hadn’t turned so quickly into a pandemic, Mick and Tess Pulver would likely have been back in Santa Barbara earlier this month to conduct a “Song of the Soul” workshop, a two-day exploration to find “the song inside you that’s just waiting to break out.” The weekend event is a truncated version of the Pulvers’ signature offering known as Breakthrough, an eight-week journey aimed at using the voice to open up unexpected pathways to the deepest resources of the soul as a transformational doorway, accessing the authentic singing voice as “tools for transformation” that can create shifts on a cellular level. The couple conducted the two-month sojourn several times back when they lived in town in the 2010s, always closing out the journey of self-discovery through song with a Breakthrough Concert, where each participant appeared on stage at SOhO to perform with a live professional band. Instead, as it is, the Pulvers barely made it back to their current home in Florida before the nation shut down, and have been sheltering in place ever since. But the song in their hearts – namely to use music and song to help heal others – hasn’t been silenced by the virus. Indeed, the couple, who have a quarter-century of experience using music and songs as transformational medicine and vibrational healing, felt called to offer even shorter sessions over Zoom to combat potential coronavirus pandemic anxiety, using music as medicine. After originally asking for $50 per event, the Pulvers are now offering the sessions on a donation basis, wanting to support those in need with “nothing in the way.” The 60- to 90-minute sessions feature a deep check-in to unveil the source and nature of seemingly all-encompassing fear before the couple employs empowering coaching and voice-body-sound healing exercises to release it. The Pulvers then prescribe a personal empowering song for participants to embody, express, feel and sing, continuing the journey on their own. “We’ve found that when people connect deeply on an emotional level with a song or lyric it becomes very real, like a lived experience, that can make real changes,” Mick said over Zoom earlier this week. “It can be about calmly coming into power – when you feel it deeply you can open up the energy of dropping deeper into
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your own power. What bubbles up are the things that are in the way – shame, trauma, etc. – and we then give them voice – literally, a line or just a sound – and find ways to release the energies. That’s where the healing comes in. The voice is one of the simplest and most profound ways to release the unwanted energies, fears, and old belief systems in our body.” The work is particularly valuable in this era of self-isolation and elevated anxiety, he said. “The anxiety is energy trapped in our body that’s been ignited because of the current situation. It usually represents held energies that haven’t been expressed. So we see if we can get them to bring up that feeling and give it a voice. Then we turn it into a song or a chant, and leave you with an existing song to practice on your own. You both learn it, and also be with it, experience it, feel it, embody it.” But how do the Pulvers determine an individual’s needs and tailor the program over only the Internet from 3,000 miles away? “Doing it virtually is a new ballgame from being in the same space, when we can energetically connect,” Mick admitted. “But we can feel the energy. Both Tess and I are intuitive and also skilled from our experience and we can usually start to get down to the core issue.” Tess, sitting next to her husband in the couple’s Florida home, added her perspective. “We craft it for each person, picking up a lot when they share and then tailor the tools. The idea is to get to something to help move through whatever you are facing. It’s kinetic emotional body-oriented, all revolved around music and song.” The Pulvers had already conducted three such sessions for clients by the time we talked over Zoom, with the last one walking away owning the Pat Benatar self-proclaiming song “All Fired Up” to embody power over fear. I was a bit of a tougher sell in the brief session that followed our talk, with Mick and Tess working through my issues of resistance that create a complicated context for penetrating the fear itself – although in my case it’s more general than specific to the pandemic. After some backand-forth, we ended up with Mick shaping my own words into a songchant, strumming the guitar along to the lyric “I am with my fear… thank you. I release my fear… thank you” as all three of us sang together. What
seemed silly at first eventually entered my system and I could feel something shifting, if only slightly. “The louder you get, the more embodied, the more you are able to connect with the energy where the charge lives,” Mick explained. “And the singing can really move it through,” Tess added. Then they offered a pop song to sing along to on my own: “Have a Little Faith in Me,” the John Hiatt classic that has been a moving reminder at other points in life, particularly when the veteran singer-songwriter sang it for Sings Like Hell at the Lobero years ago. “I wanted to find a song that had a lot of feeling,” Mick explained. “There’s a vulnerability in asking yourself to have a little faith. But there’s also a lot of power, as well as a timely message.” “Just use it as a little bit of healing energy,” Tess said. Done. (To set up a Zoom song-healing session by donation, or to find out when the Pulvers are returning to town post-pandemic, call (805) 4501736, email info@bigembrace.com, or visit www.bigembrace.com.)
Multiple Meditations
Sarah McLean, the co-founder and lead meditation teacher at Montecito Meditation, which opened its doors just last summer, is embodying her McLean Meditation Institute’s motto of “sowing the seeds of peace” by offering free meditation over Zoom four times a day. “(It’s important to) take care of your nervous system and find more calmness during this difficult time.” That’s why McLean – who first learned about meditation while training in the U.S. Army as a Behavioral Specialist learning to help soldiers address PTSD and later studied mindbody health with Dr. Deepak Chopra, eventually becoming the Program Director for the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, and then going on to found her own institute – is leading the free 30-minute sessions at 7 am, 9 am, 12 noon, and 4 pm daily designed to help participants find sanity, balance, and wellbeing in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic. The virtual gatherings, which began back on March 25, are accessible via Zoom at https://zoom. us/j/9282040067 (password: peace) or by phone by dialing (408) 638-0968 or (646) 876-9923 and using the Meeting ID 9282040067. Visit www.facebook. com/events/153241605936080 for updates. Summerland-based Energy Reader Vickie Luna is leading free weekly energy healing meditation/sound healing sessions streaming live on her Facebook page and YouTube chan-
“Be yourself, not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.” – Henry David Thoreau
nel every Sunday afternoon. “Energy is contagious, and the more people we have sending love and light into the world the faster we can make a miracle happen,” reads the invite on Facebook. “As more of us stay centered and focus on love the better off the whole world will be.” To that end, any and all are invited to find a quiet, comfortable place where they can be relaxed and ready to spread love into the world at 4 pm each Friday for the one-hour sessions. She’s also hosting an April New Moon Ceremony to set new intentions for the month ahead from 4-5:30 pm on Wednesday, April 22 ($50), and a four-week “Expand Your Intuition” course, to learn how to read energy by “unlocking your magic and opening your third eye, learning to read energy, practicing psychometry, learning how to use tools, and playing fun energy games.” Participants will be able to give mini-readings by the end of the course, which runs Thursdays, April 23-May 14, and costs $375, the invite suggests. Visit www.facebook.com/ EnergyReader. Sudama Mark Kennedy has been invited by the Healing Collective/ Wellnet organization to offer weekly healing journey meditations, slated for every Tuesday at 4:30-5:30 pm. The format is a guided intuitive meditation journey – which Santa Barbarabased Sudama calls “a magic carpet ride” – followed by individual and group healing transmissions. The meditations will be slightly different each week, he said, but will go really deep every time and are perfect for self-nurturing and immune system boosting. Each week a batch of free tickets are made available, and when those are gone, admission costs $4.44 for early birds or $7.77 closer to the event. Visit www.universe.com. The Inner Engineering Meetup from the Isha Foundation is inviting everyone aged 12 and older to invoke a measure of calming reassurance into their lives by beginning a daily meditation practice that takes just 12-15 minutes. In a one-hour session at 6 pm Wednesday, April 22, participants will learn Isha Kriya, a simple 12- to 18-minute practice to help you to become meditative effortlessly. Designed by Sadhguru, a realized yogi and a foremost authority in the field of yoga, Isha Kriya does not require any previous experience with meditation and can be done sitting in a chair. The sessions will be conducted by a trained instructor and online support will also be available at the end. Isha Foundation is also offering a number of powerful Yoga and Meditation tools that can be accessed at any time online for free at www.innerengineering.com/ free-yoga-and-meditation. RSVP at www.innerengineering.com/webinar/meditation-for-beginners. •MJ 16 – 23 April 2020
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS (Continued from page 35)
staff. All of them were notified that when we emerge from this mess they would have to reapply. “We cannot wait for things to get back to normal,” said Mayor Murillo, justifying the move. “In the meantime, we need to keep our wastewater treatment plant running, our law enforcement strong, people are relying on the stoplights to work and the streets to be functional.” More city employees are likely to be let go before shelter in place is over. When asked whether top tier managerial pay cuts were being considered, Ms. Johnson acknowledged that “she had not heard that discussion.” In what is a perennial point of contention and several widely circulated petitions, Santa Barbara’s City Administrator Paul Casey is paid $379,428.52 in annual pay and benefits, almost double what California Governor Newsom makes. Other administration directors are paid roughly $200,000 to $300,000 or more. Even Anna Wintour of Vogue has taken a pay cut during this crisis. Seems like pay cuts will be impossible to avoid. Highly paid executives should sacrifice at least some percentage before poorly paid workers suffer 100%.
Innovation and Change
In the silver lining playbook of the Quarantine Economy, there has been considerable innovation taking place. Community Development Director George Buell has made a fast start of moving his department forward. Within the last three weeks they have converted over a thousand plans to PDFs online and moved inspections to Google Duo and Facetime for safety. Turnaround times will be reduced, and these benefits will be retained when the quarantine is over. As applications have dropped as much as 30%, the department will hopefully catch up with their much complained about backlog. Building is a category that could return before other sectors of the economy. Not only are inexpensive loans available for construction but many building practices can be performed safely with social distancing. Schools and many other businesses have moved online at an unbelievable pace. Big Brand Tire on Milpas is another example. They’ve introduced “Touchless” repair. In six easy steps they’ll service and sanitize your car. It’s an example of another business not waiting for the quarantine to be lifted. Other problem-solving innovations entail simply a return to old school. The library, for instance, could reinstitute Book Mobiles. Food trucks that the city had basically shut down two years ago could be reconstituted, giving restaurants and other food ser16 – 23 April 2020
vices new ways to reach their former customers. Eventually as more restrictions are lifted through testing, outdoor dining options could be extended. Street closures could help move the restaurant business toward a new normal – allowing for more vibrant street-life including outdoor dining. The sooner the city focuses on collaborating with businesses to discover possibilities for new paradigms, the sooner city revenues will return.
Keith Higbee (seen here with his family) is the managing partner of SGV Global, a brand strategy and innovation consultancy
The City and Business Need a Couples’ Counselor
Creative ideas don’t matter if the city administration doesn’t listen to business. Apparently, even in a time of crisis, the disconnect continues. It’s important to realize that two usually mentioned “business organizations” that normally liaison with the city are largely defunct. The Chamber of Commerce has had a succession of leaders resign. Downtown Santa Barbara, the organization in charge of the now nostalgic “First Thursdays,” lost its latest executive director who resigned after only 15 months. With no viable business organization to work through, Amy Cooper, owner of Plum Goods and a tireless advocate for Santa Barbara business, and Keith Higbee, managing partner of SGV Global, a brand strategy and innovation consultancy firm, partnered to contact the city at the very inception of the crisis. On March 13, Ms Cooper contacted the mayor and offered to put together a group of bankers, hotel owners, and small businesses to come up with an economic task force strategy for the COVID crisis. Though it was not widely reported, the following Friday, March 20, a team of public and private stakeholders convened a 2.5-hour virtual meeting to discuss Santa Barbara’s response to the impact of COVID-19 on the local economy with the mayor and the peripatetic Nina Johnson. Attending the meeting was an all-star business lineup that included Sherry Villanueva of Acme Hospitality, Clare Briglio of the Economic Development Collaboration, Women’s Economic Ventures CEO Kathy Odell, Geoff Green of the SBCC Foundation, Bob Tuler of Radius Group, and others. They discussed a broad-based agreement to establish a joint public-private economic task force, a clear recognition that the economic impact from Covid will be severe. It was discussed that issues including unemployment and underemployment of working-age residents will put the city to the test. It was agreed the task force would meet bi-weekly. The
Guess who’s missing from the task force – businesspeople, health advisors, elected officials... the mayor?
meeting was led by Mr. Higbee whose company specializes in these initiatives. The focus was on relief, return, and revitalization. City Administrator Paul Casey walked through the meeting at the very end. The mayor endorsed the proposal and it was dubbed “The Mayor’s COVID Economic Task Force Plan.” It was even presented to City Council by Nina Johnson the following Tuesday, March 20. The entire project had the moderate price tag of $15,000 to provide an honorarium for participants to ensure attendance when, naturally, each of these owners have other urgent obligations. Mr. Higbee was included to allow his firm to support the effort. Guiding documents were made and submitted, yet by March 24 their calls were unanswered. When the Montecito Journal inquired with the Mayor and Ms Johnson about the plan, the mayor
didn’t seem to recall, and Ms Johnson said the plan was dropped because it was too expensive. Given the salaries of City executives, it seems like a few strategic paycheck cuts would more than fund the initiative and go a long way toward building bridges with the business community. Which brings us back to the newly arrived EDM Jason Harris. He remarked to the Journal, “There’s great frustration that there hasn’t been an internal advocate for property owners and businesses in the city organization.” Does he consider himself that advocate? “Most definitely,” he replied. Perhaps he should start by reaching out to the stellar task force that was gathered on March 20 in the mayor’s office and ask them what to do next. •MJ
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ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 22)
“I think arts organizations have a leadership obligation during times like these,” he explained. “We’re doing this every week. We’re going to be there. You can count on us the way we’ve counted on you for thirty years. You know where you can find us every week. That constancy is important, it’s a reassurance and a connection that really matters now, providing the comfort of friendship that we’ll be there every Sunday for you.” The programming idea behind creating the new virtual shows is the same as Camerata Pacifica’s ongoing intent, he said. “The concerts are not confined to a style or a period but are reflective of our approach as a whole. We’re still fulfilling our mission, doing the same things with the videos that we want to do with our live concerts, namely affecting how people experience classical music. Except now I can program both a string quartet and a massive wind ensemble for the same show because I’m not limited by the number of musicians I can afford to engage for one concert.” The bonus is that those watching on the organization’s YouTube channel and Facebook page can actually connect with each other in real time. “They have chat functions and people are just loving talking with each other,” Spence said. “The musicians are there, too, and it’s really nice. You can’t do that in a concert hall!” The “Concerts At Home” series has drawn between 60-180 viewers – or, rather, distinct devices, likely representing far more people – over the first three weeks of the programs, and thousands more for the archived videos. “It’s been fantastic to stay in touch with the Camerata constituency and hear how they appreciate it, both in chats and emails,” Spence said. “But we’re also reaching lots of new people from both Santa Barbara and around the world – last Sunday we had people from Poland, Austria, Turkey, and Russia – who didn’t know about us before. Who knew the key to success was not presenting concerts?!” He was kidding, of course. Even through the extra layer of connection and conversation through chat that continues all through the streaming concerts, nothing comes close to the live experience, he said. “But we can learn from this and life can be better on the other side. That’s what I will be choosing – more friendship, interaction, and expression. Those moments that we share will be so much more appreciated 8-12-15 months from now.” Creating and figuring out how to stream the curated concerts has already brought his already sheltering-in-place family closer together.
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Spence’s 19-year-old son Keirnan has become the streaming tech for CamPac because he knows a lot more about the technology than his dad. “He built his own gaming computer. The whole thing streams from his bedroom.” As for whether Camerata – which plays its Santa Barbara concerts at Hahn Hall on the campus of Music Academy of the West in Montecito – plans to eventually curate concerts that speak to the crisis by drawing from existing music, or perhaps commissioning something new that addresses what’s happening, Spence demurred. “Artists are often too quick to pull the trigger and try to memorialize or document while something is still happening. Things are changing so fast. So it seems way too soon to even consider this. We need distance and time to not only recover but also digest. When you’re still hurting, it might not be the right time to be responding. If a piece of music is going to speak to more than its time you need time for recovery and reflection.”
Classical Corner: Opera Opportunities
Opera Santa Barbara’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, which ran at the Lobero Theatre in March, 2019, became much more poignant when Maestro Valéry Ryvkin passed away in February. OSB’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor from 1999-2008 wielded the baton for a final time for the Tchaikovsky work, and this Tuesday, April 21, audiences can relive the production when OSB streams a recording which was directed by Ensemble Theatre’s Jonathan Fox on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/operasantabarbara). The stream will be available through 3 pm April 28, while last Tuesday’s virtual revisit of OSB’s The Crucible, Robert Ward’s eerily topical opera based on Arthur Miller’s play centered on the Salem witch trials, can be viewed until 3 pm on April 21 at www.face book.com/operasantabarbara/vid eos/431202051051328.
4Qs with Kenny Loggins
Montecito’s singer-songwriter hero is logging his time during the pandemic. Kenny Loggins is staying at home during the shelter-in-place era as the COVID-19 pandemic stopped everything in its tracks. Actually, make that homes. The 72-year-old singer-songwriter, who began scoring hits back in the early 1970s in a duo with Jim Messina, found fertile ground with fans as a solo artist and then enjoyed even bigger success as a soundtrack
specialist in the 1980s and 1990s, is shuttling between his Montecito retreat that he was forced to evacuate in the 2018 mudslide and debris flow when the access bridge was washed away, his rental home on the Mesa and his girlfriend’s place in Goleta. All while maintaining a “closed loop” of his extended family to keep everyone safe. We caught up with him recently on a sojourn from one place to another – “I’m staying at homes, plural,” he told us – to see what’s new and whether the coronavirus crisis is conjuring up his creative juices. Q. How are you coping with what’s being called “the new reality”? Are you feeling forced into slowing down? A. Man, I am not good at slowing down. But there’s plenty of projects that need to keep moving forward. I’ve been dealing with a terrestrial radio station about a syndicated show that I would host. And I also started working on my memoirs a couple of months ago. This is a good time for that. It’s tricky going. My plan is to interview a lot of people – the working title is In Search of My Memories because there are so many things that I don’t remember. But I’m hoping that by interviewing my friends who were there – the players and the crew, guys and other people from the past, everyone from (fellow former Montecito resident and 1970s super-duo partner Jimmy) Messina on through, I’ll end up with some great memories and stories and also catch up with old friends I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m also mixing music I was recording with Jake Shimabukuro (the famed ukulele wizard), which started just before the pandemic. Jake is doing an album with other artists; Michael McDonald was doing a cut and you know wherever Michael goes I go. I did a song I co-wrote with Gary (Burr) and Georgia (Middleman) from (his country trio) Blue Sky Riders “Why Not.” I continued on at first with Dom Camardella at Sound Design, but when things got harrier I began doing a rough mix with an engineer over the internet. So I guess I’m not really slowing down. Can you say more about the radio show? That seems like it would be fun. I was approached to do something like the show Alice Cooper has been doing for 10 years. They contacted me to do one of my own, so I created a mockup, which they’ve been shopping around and we’re getting really strong responses. Finishing up signing up the syndicated stations and we’ll start putting it together. The format is basically whatever I want it to be. I’m going to throw in some interviews to maybe map out my book at the same time and we’ll see where it goes from there. Every station has their own for-
“Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself. So live the life you imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
Kenny Loggins works on his memoirs during the COVID-19 pandemic (photo by Joanne Calitri)
mat, so I can do some generic intros, songs that I know. Basically it’s an ‘80s show, because that’s my audience they’re after. I’ll play music, and every now and then talk about the songs. It shouldn’t be too tough. How are you practicing your art in quarantine? Have any songs come from the technological issues, or are you contemplating any live shows? We just started talking about a multiple pay-per-view broadcast, more of an acoustic living room thing. Corporations are signing up for that, live performances over Zoom as we all have to go to Plan B. The next thing I want to do is reach out to a couple of songwriters with whom I have collaborated before and see if we can’t get together over Skype. I’ve written over the phone, so why not? In the right state of mind, it’s not insurmountable. Any new songs emerging from sheltering in place? It’s new territory for me as it is for everyone. I’m looking to find the emotional center of it. There’s that place where we’re all vibrating really fast on a survival level, and the one underneath that has to do with connection and support for each other. I think that’s where the song is hiding.
Focus on Film: Riviera Reaches Out
Film is a medium that lends itself perfectly to streaming and other methods of home delivery, perhaps a perfectly-placed panacea during the pandemic, entertainment-wise at least. No one needs an introduction to Netflix, Amazon Prime and the like, but perhaps some prodding is in order to visit our local cinematic specialists. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has had to close its Riviera Theatre, of course, but our movie mavens have come up with two methods for coping during COVID. The Fest has secured agreements with 16 – 23 April 2020
distributors of seven of the films that were set to debut at the Riviera to instead be available via streaming, with a portion of the rental fees going to support the theater during these difficult times. Among the offerings are Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music. The film, which features rare archival footage, photography, iconic songs and interviews with Robertson’s friends and collaborators including Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and others, has received a number of rave reviews. Also The Etruscan Smile, based on the bestselling novel by José Luis Sampedro and starring Brian Cox (of HBO’s Succession) as Rory MacNeil, a rugged Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment and finds his life transformed after he moves in with his estranged son. The title of Wild Goose Lake, the latest from the director of Black Coal and Thin Ice, refers to the hideout where a small-time mob leader heads after accidentally killing a cop to escape a dead-or-alive bounty, where he becomes entangled with a beautiful, enigmatic woman, who has mysterious intentions of her own. Also available is The Whistlers, which The New York Times liked to what might result if the Coen Brothers were Romanian, the Brazilian/French collaboration Bacurau, Vitalina Varela, which nonprofessional actor Vitalina Varela in an extraordinary performance based on her own life, and Slay the Dragon. What makes the offerings carry an even more local flavor, the distribution companies are suggesting that people only rent the films – which generally cost $12 for a three-day viewing period – through links provided by their community cinemas, e.g. the Riviera here on the American Riviera, so that the share of revenue supports our own art house. SBIFF executive director Roger Durling is also sending out frequent emails containing movie recommendations that are available on regular streaming sites, along with lots of insights á la what one might hear in his SBCC class. “We have an amazing variety of films for you to enjoy from home. Be well, stay home, and we’ll be watching with you.” Visit www. sbiff.org for details.
Pollock’s Pandemic Response
The theater that serves as the gem in the Carsey-Wolf Center at UCSB is currently closed due to COVID, of 16 – 23 April 2020
course, but you can still watch videos of the venue’s post-screening conversations with scholars, filmmakers and TV writer-producers from previous presentations. Each week, the Pollock highlights one of its event series, providing links to steam the actual film as well as a link to the Pollock produced interview. Included so far are a couple programs with Montecito resident interviewees: Law and Order: Special Victims Unit with a career-spanning conversation between executive producer-writer Dick Wolf and Carsey-Wolf Center director Patrice Petro, and Meet John Doe, the Frank Capra treatise about the relationship between corporate moguls and the media, featuring a post-screening discussion with author Victoria Riskin, the Montecito resident who is the film’s screenwriter Robert Riskin’s daughter. Also available are The Wizard of Oz, with a post-screening discussion with Jocelyn SzczepaniakGillece (English and Film Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Hitchcock’s 57-year-old The Birds boasting a post-screening discussion with the starring actress Tippi Hedren. Visit https://www.carsey wolf.ucsb.edu/pollock.
Jazz Society Joins the Jump to Streaming
The Santa Barbara Jazz Society doesn’t have much in its own archives to air during our shelter-in-place era, but the folks who run it are offering some links to fill in the gaps until the nonprofit can stage its next monthly concert at SOhO after the all clear order. If live is king, you’ll want to start with the Emmet Cohen Trio, which visited town a while back, who are performing together every Monday afternoon at 4:30 pm PDT. The tight-knit group features Russell Hall on bass and Kyle Poole on drums and have been quarantining together since their return from tour on March 16. The shows livestream from Emmet’s Place in New York City on Facebook at www.facebook. com/heyemmet. Also, SwingHouse, three European jazz musicians who live and play together in a couple of projects, have had just transformed their living room into a rehearsal and recording room before the pandemic forced an adjustment, resulting in their decision to start broadcasting their “daily shenanigans” at 11 am PDT. Check out the downbeats at www.facebook.com/ SwingHouseOfficial. Also alto saxophonist and flutist Alexa Tarantino and pianist Steven Feifke are offering a weekly series at 5 pm on Sundays, with the April 19 event focusing on John Coltrane music, followed by Ella Fitzgerald favorites on April 26, and the cool jazz of Gerry Mulligan on
May 3. Info at https://www.crowd cast.io/stevenandalexa. Meanwhile, Sammy Miller and The Congregation – who played at UCSB just a month before the shutdown – are also doing a daily dose of jazz and more, at 1 pm daily at www.youtube. com/user/smcongregation.
Castle in 2019. “He cleaned my clock, blew my mind and made me rethink reality,” Urban said (www.youtube. com/watch?v=f_1TUvTsgb8); and Hojin Yu, who brought Urban to tears with his World Championship Performance (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ytRDyRvN6gk).
Magic Moves Online
Book It
Gene Urban, the veteran magician who specialized in close-up tricks – the ones performed within inches of your eyes – has had to take a siesta from his weekly appearances at Satellite Wine Bar and the Magic Castle Cabaret. So he’s upped the ante online in terms of not only offering updated videos of his own feats on his website (somehow he shanghaied the generic domain name of https://santabarbaramagic.com) but also presenting particular performances by some of his favorite fellow fingers-are-faster-than-theeye set. It seems you might have to be on his email list (sign up on his website) to get the right links, but we’ll clue you in on a couple of them, including Wayne Dobson’s Royal Variety Show (www.youtube. com/watch?v=qAWi15MAOmo); Dani DaOrtiz, who Urban said is the answer to whether he still gets fooled, who stumped Urban at The Magic
Suzanne Cuddy has temporarily turned her Little Free Library – one of the charming stand-alone cabinets where people can take or leave books for personal use that have popped up all over town in recent years – into a Little Free Pantry. Folks stopping by location at 2124 Bath Street, close to Pueblo Street and near Oak Park, are asked to “take what you need and share what you don’t.” The picture that ran with the post on the NextDoor app showed the “Pantry” stocked with canned goods and jars of food – not sure if there was any toilet paper or hand sanitizer – while the children’s library below the main was stuffed with surprises for the littles, with new gifts being planned for every week. Cuddy noted she is disinfecting the doors frequently, and the doors are plastered with reminders to disinfect items when taking them home and then washing your hands. •MJ
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“When there is hope in your dreams then there is courage to make those dreams come true”
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
43
EDITORIAL (Continued from page 5)
Santa Barbara when technically most of Montecito, save Coast Village Road, is not part of “the city”? The answer is Montecito and Santa Barbara are inextricably linked though commerce, nonprofits, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and shared resources. The health and well-being of Santa Barbara’s businesses are vitally important to all of us, even if we don’t have a say in choosing Santa Barbara’s city officials. The fact is, Santa Barbara relies on the vitality of Montecito the same way Montecito relies on the vitality of Santa Barbara. Since my family moved here full time in 2009, this is the fourth major disaster Santa Barbara has experienced. The Great Recession. The Thomas Fire. A catastrophic debris flow. And now this pandemic. That is a lot of interruption, if not downright devastation, for any business community to endure. But to do so in the absence of a cooperative relationship with its own city’s government or at least a legitimate process in place to work through challenges, seems like a gratuitous stacking of the deck against our entire local economy getting out of this alive. In one of this week’s featured stories, which can in some way be seen as part two of “The Long Now,” Mitchell Kriegman looks into the apparent absence of a legitimate partnership between Santa Barbara’s city leadership and its business community. As of this paper’s printing, a once proposed “Mayor’s Economic Council,” consisting of business leaders, city leadership, and other important stakeholders, has not materialized. Nor has emerged, to the best of our knowledge, any much-needed trust building efforts between business leaders and Santa Barbara’s City Manager – the other important prong in the city’s bifurcated power structure. Included in Kriegman’s look inside the City’s struggle to rise to the occasion is a conversation with Jason Harris, Santa Barbara’s newly hired Economic Development Manager (known for his EDM work on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade), brought in (pre-pandemic) to tackle Santa Barbara’s already monumental business challenges. Let us hope that this new kid on State Street has brought with him not only a fresh perspective, but the badly needed tools and skill set to help rebuild our badly needed bridges of trust. Bottom line: our local businesses need partners, in all of us. But mostly they need a willing and open partner in local government to find ways to eventually re-open, to survive and thrive. Businesses need help navigating the SBA PPP process; the permitting processes need to be streamlined to help get
MONTECITO JOURNAL’S THOM STEINBECK
CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST #3
W
e find writing to be the world’s best salve. For our next contest let’s try a limerick about Santa Barbara, isolation, corona, or all three. For those who are not familiar with this form of writing, a limerick is a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet. Send your story by Sunday, April 26 to: letters@montecitojournal.net. We will publish the winning story and award the winning writer with a $125 gift certificate to a local restaurant of our choice for take-out food.
44 MONTECITO JOURNAL
businesses up and running faster and easier; businesses need help mitigating the complicated issues that arise out of the city’s handling of our homeless population. The list is long. I’m not suggesting that the onus is solely on government to find solutions to these complex problems. But it is certainly in all of our best interest for our city government to meaningfully partner with our business community in a way that allows for flexible, out of the box thinking. Because, at the end of day, if people don’t want to go downtown, we all lose. As we begin to navigate (or at least contemplate) the end of sheltering in place and (God willing) the end of the worst of this pandemic (in a way that doesn’t cause a second wave), the onus is on our local government to create an atmosphere where businesses can flourish while keeping citizens safe; which will certainly include the need for thorough, widespread COVID testing. Some cities will do that well. Others will not. And I suspect the consequences for both will be profound. I also suspect that cities that come out of this in the strongest position are the ones that understand there is no replacement for transparency and creative collaborations amongst stakeholders. Which brings us back to need for building bridges. It’s a beautiful day outside. But still, around our country, people continue to suffer silently from the ongoing pandemic. No one denies that many lives have been lost because the U.S. did not act fast enough. That does not have to be the case with our local economy. Warren Buffett famously said: “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” Time is now to put on a bathing suit and act.
Results From Last Week’s Writing Contest:
We are overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of short stories we received these past two weeks for the writing prompt: “I could not believe those words came out of my mouth.” Thank you to every writer who participated.
Congratulations to Contest #2 Winners: 1st Place: Christine Wilson for “Untitled” $125 gift certificate from Tre Lune Ristorante
2nd Place: Raven Wylde for “Limits of Honesty” $100 gift certificate from Tre Lune Ristorante 3rd Place: Juliana Aviani for “Missing School” $75 gift certificate from Pierre Lafond’s Montecito Market 4th Place: Nate Streeper for “Untitled” $50 gift certificate from Pacific Health Foods 5th Place: Steve Pollock for “Untitled” $40 gift certificate from Pacific Health Foods 6th Place: Kaye Walters-Edwards for “Dead Teeth” $30 gift certificate from Pacific Health Foods
And Now for Something Completely Different
For our next contest let’s try a limerick about Santa Barbara, isolation, corona, or all three. For those who are not familiar with this form of writing, a limerick is a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet. You may have once heard a famous tale of a man from Nantucket. As a child, trying to find an excuse to play with foul language, that was one of my favorites. Here is an example of one written by British poet Edward Lear: There was an Old Man with a beard Who said, “It is just as I feared! Two Owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!” Good luck! Stay safe! And happy writing!
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” – Henry David Thoreau
•MJ
16 – 23 April 2020
THOM STEINBECK WRITING CONTEST WINNERS 1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
4th Place
Untitled
Limits of Honesty
Missing School
Untitled
Christine Wilson
Raven Wylde
E
asy for You to Say. I could not believe those words came out of my mouth. It took a second for them to reach my ears, the meaning to reach my brain. My facial muscles drooped, more than normal, and tears formed in my eyes. The worst part was seeing the look on her face. It went from smiling encouragement to resignation. A tiny sigh escaped, and her shoulders sagged just a little. In an instant, she pressed a tissue into my hand, and I used it to dab my eyes. “We’ll try again tomorrow,” she said resurrecting her smile. Gathering the items she’d brought, she stood to leave. I reached out and touched her hand, my mouth opening to speak. Bending slightly, her warm eyes reached mine as she waited patiently for me to try again. This time, there was nothing. My chin bobbed up and down before I gave up and withdrew my arm. Thirty minutes of work. All for nothing, I thought. “Don’t give up,” she said before turning to the door. I stared out the window toward the courtyard and a few of the residents seated there. This used to be so simple, I thought. Closing my eyes, I visualized the sentence in my head. Spelled each word silently, willing the sounds of the letters to make their way to my lips. I want some water. Simple. Direct. Taking a breath, I tried again. And uttered a string of expletives I’d never used before this stroke. •MJ
Fifth Place by Steve Pollock
Untitled
I
could not believe those words came out of my mouth... or would have had we been allowed to meet face to face. Current circumstances, however, necessitated our sharing these intimacies through the decidedly less romantic digital medium. Our wildly divergent time zones only added to my desperation; maybe this blend of hopeless desire compounded by physical distance is where we developed the notion of “longing.” 16 – 23 April 2020
I
could not believe those words came out of my mouth. Although others who know me well might not have been surprised at all. After all, when a Facebook friend posted “I wish all of my friends and family to stay safe and healthy during this stressful time.” I commented, “Right. Let’s hope that only people we don’t know get sick and die.” Tact is not my middle name, as my momma might tell you. “You dare everyone to accept you just as you are. No filter, dear. Telling your dad you had tried marijuana and LSD might have been too much information.” And co- workers from any previous workplace. “There goes, Janelle, making friends again,” was a familiar refrain from friends who liked me anyway. “I don’t care how much camaraderie you are feeling at four a.m. Graveyard sucks.” Sometimes my blunt blurting ways were seen as an asset. “One thing about Janelle. What you see is what you get.” How true. I strive for honesty combined with a tinge of social white lies. “What an interesting choice of outfit.” On reflection, I’m not sure what else I could have possibly said when he asked me, “How old do you think I look? Be honest.” Really glad we bought that comfortable convertible sofa for the living room on sale last year. •MJ I wanted her to know how my chest hurt as my thumbs fumbled on the ephemeral keyboard, trying to express the inexpressible. The dim glow of my tiny screen against the surrounding darkness failed to illuminate anything beyond my anguish. Though I wasn’t alone, my sense of isolation couldn’t have been more acute, and knowing that she, too, was not alone in her home half-way around the globe was no salve to my misery. Still, it wasn’t my pain that I wanted her to feel. My soul-searing passion was all about unbridled joy; at least that was what I tried to convey as I typed, “Hey, u up? •MJ
Juliana Aviani
I
could not believe those words came out of my mouth. . . It was Day 15 of lockdown when I said the impossible. It all started one fateful day, when I was lounging on the couch, binge watching the infamous show, The Office. “What have you done today?” my mom asked me, “subtly” hinting that I should be more productive. As I scrambled to find a viable excuse to explain why I had wasted the majority of my day, I realized that I truly didn’t do anything other than get a bowl of ice cream from the kitchen. And that’s when I said the unspeakable. ...“Oh. My. God. I want to go back to school.” An alarm sounded in my head, and my eyes widened. A middle schooler actually wanting to go back to school?! This is bad. I was on an extra long break, and I couldn’t leave the house, in short, it was an adolescent paradise, and yet, I missed spending seven hours sitting in class. A few minutes went by until my existential crisis passed, and I started to ponder why I, a 7th grader, missed school. After thinking long and hard, I definitively decided there were three major reasons – 1: I missed my friends, 2: I missed my teachers and 3: I feel better being productive. I realized that, as much as everyone loves sleeping in and having extra downtime, being useful is the best therapy in these confusing times. •MJ
Sixth Place
by Kaye Walters-Edwards
Dead Teeth
M
y strict lawyer father raised me believing that cursing and swearing were cardinal sins. My mother drove it home, when she washed my mouth out with Dial soap after I repeated a 4-letter word I picked up from a 3rd grade classmate. Hence, cuss words don’t come naturally to me when I’m angry. Not that my wonderful soulmate of 22 years, Brian, makes me angry that often. In fact, we get along better than any other couple we know. However, there are those moments when Brian goes from being a sweetheart to a snarky snot who makes my blood boil. One such time, about 10 years ago, he made me so mad I blurt-
• The Voice of the Village •
Nate Streeper
I
could not believe those words came out of my mouth. They were not the words I had planned. For weeks, I’d imagined this moment. Since learning his condition was critical. Vulnerable. I sat next to his bed, on the side without the IV rack, the oxygen pump, the monitor. The beep was steady, but slow. The beep of a dying man. I’d crossed eight states to tell him to go to hell. Dad was always hard on Brooke and me. Tenth grade, my B+ in Biology, the shame he buried me under. I’d refused to turn in a bug collection. I’d refused to kill any bugs. Later that year, he killed Mom. One drink apiece, their Anniversary Dinner at Aldo’s. The oncoming truck, the weary driver, the heavy rain. Dad wasn’t legally intoxicated, but if he hadn’t had a single drink, if he lived by the same standards he set for us, I couldn’t help but think… Brooke doubled-down. 4.0 on that end, on to college, on to law school. I slipped off the honor roll, barely finished high school. Coping mechanisms. He gave up on me. I didn’t care, anymore. I knew he was a fraud. At eighteen, I left home and never looked back. These were not the words I had planned. “It wasn’t your fault, Dad.” I held his hand. A ladybug landed near his knuckles, its bright red wings in stark contrast to bleached white blankets. He looked at it and whispered: “Let her live.” •MJ ed out, “You’re just a curmudgeon with dead teeth!” What? I could not believe those words came out of my mouth. We both paused, and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. You see, at that time, I had much whiter teeth than Brian, and I must have thought it was something I could really sock him with. The next day, Brian started a whole new regimen consisting of gargling daily with hydrogen peroxide, brushing with whitening toothpaste, and regular teeth cleanings at the dentist. Gradually, his teeth became as white as mine. Since then, I have barked out other slurs like, “You’re acting like a Snow Boarder!” (a cardinal sin for a lifelong skier), “You’re just a Dumb Surfer!”, and “Old Scraggles!” But the one we still laugh about most remains… A Curmudgeon with Dead Teeth! •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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• The Voice of the Village •
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Giant Shrimp Cocktail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Fried Calamari, with Two Sauces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 •
Warm Appetizers •
French Onion Soup, Gratinée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Matzo Ball Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Roasted Tomato Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Gianni’s Escargots in garlic butter, half dozen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Macaroni and Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Lucky Chili with Cheddar, Onions and Cornbread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Grilled Artichoke (also available steamed or chilled). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 •
Steaks and Chops •
Aged USDA PRIME Served Exclusively
Filet Mignon
•
Salads •
Lucky’s Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 with Romaine, Shrimp, Bacon, Green Beans, Avocado and Roquefort
Chopped Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 with Arugula, Radicchio, Shrimp, Prosciutto, Cannellini Beans and Onions
Wilted Spinach Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 with Bacon, Mushrooms and Chopped Egg
Warm Goat Cheese Salad, with Hazelnuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Caesar Salad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Mixed Farm Greens with Diced Tomato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Jimmy the Greek Salad with Feta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Wedge of Iceberg with Roquefort or Thousand Island . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Arugula, Radicchio & Belgian Endive Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Reggiano Parmesan, Balsamic Vinaigrette
•
Sandwiches & Other Dishes •
Sliced Filet Mignon Open Faced Sandwich, 6 oz.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Mushroom Sauce, French Fries
10 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 12 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Petit Filet Mignon, 7 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Bone-in New York, 16 oz., Delmonico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
New York Strip Steak
14 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 10 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Porterhouse, 28 oz., SLICED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Bone-in Rib Chop, 20 oz., SLICED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Double Cut Colorado Lamb Chops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 BBQ Pork Baby Back Ribs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 •
Special Steaks •
New York Pepper Steak, 14 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Filet Mignon Pepper Steak, 10 oz.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 New York Strip Steak, 14 oz., with Roquefort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Gene’s Filet Mignon, 12 oz., Red Wine Horseradish Sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Romanian Steak, 10oz, marinated in garlic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Bone in Filet, 14oz, spicy garlic butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Lucky Burger, 8 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Choice of Cheese, French Fries, Soft Bun or Kaiser Roll
Vegetarian Burger, 5 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Choice of Cheese, French Fries, Soft Bun or Kaiser Roll (burger patty is vegan)
Sliced Steak Salad, 6 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 with Arugula, Radicchio and Sauteed Onion
•
Chicken, Vegetables, Seafood •
Roast Chicken, half, thyme au jus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Chicken Parmesan, San Marzano Sauce, broccolini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sauteed Tofu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Japanese Vinaigrette, Green Onions, Shiitake Mushrooms, Spinach
King Salmon, Grilled, Steamed, or Blackened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Dover Sole, Meuniére . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Sauteed Sand Dabs, Meuniére . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Red Wine with Shallots • Ragoût of Mushrooms • Maître d’ Butter • Tomato & Herbs •Tartar Sauce • Brown Butter w/ Caper •
Potatoes •
Hashed Brown Potatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Hashed Brown Potatoes with Gruyére Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Baked Idaho Russet Potato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Lucky’s French Fried Potatoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mashed Potatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Herbie’s Potato Skins with Sour Cream and Chives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sweet Potato Fries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 •
•
Side Orders •
Skinny Onion Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Creamed Spinach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sautéed Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Fresh Creamed Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Broccolini with Garlic and Chilis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sugar Snap Peas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Desserts •
Apple Crisp à la mode ................................................................................ 12 Molten Chocolate Cake à la mode ....................................................... 12 Cheesecake with berry compote............................................................ 12
Thank you for your support!
