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4-11 January 2018 Vol 24 Issue 1

The Voice of the Village

S SINCE 1995 S

Wildfire meets its match in Bill Myers, firefighter and beloved friend of Lynn Kirst, p. 36

LETTERS TO EDITOR, P. 8 • ASHLEIGH BRILLIANT, P. 23 • CALENDAR OF EVENTS, P. 42

A YEAR IN REVIEW

photos by Kelly Mahan Herrick | fire photo by Jack Herschorn

STORY BEGINS ON P.5

Very Fortunate to Have Our Home and Family This New Year

As if we needed to be reminded of how fortunate we are to live in one of the most beautiful communities in the world, it is simply miraculous that the Thomas Fire was controlled by cooperating winds and a strike force of some of the most heroic firefighters from all over the country before it could do more damage. Our sympathy and support are extended to neighbors who may have lost their homes or suffered damage. We're so fortunate that the destruction didn't extend further than it did. I would like to add my heartfelt thank you to the Montecito Fire Department, CalFire and all the firefighters from across the country who worked so hard, and are still working, to save our community. The Aware and Prepare system worked wonderfully to help create a digital alert program with as much advance notice as possible and an orderly evacuation when it was necessary. To have the dedicated news from KEYT and their live broadcasts available on the web was especially welcome to those of us who left the area and wanted to follow the hourly developments. Now that this devastating threat is mostly behind us and we are beginning the rather benign cleanup effort, we all are reminded of what’s really important in this life and will celebrate our Holidays and New Year this season with a little more appreciation.

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• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 5

Village Beat

Letters to the Editor

From the Thomas Fire to roundabouts to local schools and CVR businesses, Kelly Mahan Herrick provides a comprehensive review of 2017’s biggest stories in Montecito and vicinity A new year means new correspondence from Journal readers including Karen Lehrer, Jane Walker Wood, Jé Goolsby, P.F. Froemming, Steve Close, Morten Wengler, Diane Graham, Kim and Kip Seefeld, Raul Hernandez, Lidia Zinchenko, Polly Frost, Eric Trautwein, Gene Tyburn, Dana Newquist, Ben Burned, and H.T. Bryan

10 This Week

Knit ‘N Needle; poetry; art reception; Spanish; songs in church; Cold Spring School; MA meeting; Podcast Club; Summerland yoga; MBAR meeting; MUS Board; STEAM program; photo exhibit; Sedgwick Reserve; SB music; art class; brain fitness; story time; and yoga Tide Guide Handy chart to assist readers in determining when to take that walk or run on the beach

14 Seen Around Town

Lynda Millner covers the BCRC for the annual Tea and Fashion show, the Casa Del Herrero Docent Party, and Lobero Theatre’s Holiday Tea

16 On Entertainment

Steven Libowitz talks with comedian Lewis Black; musician Kenneth Mosley; and Q&A with Justin Fox

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18 In Business

Jon Vreeland surveys the scene of the Thomas Fire aftermath, documenting blazes by the numbers and getting to know the company Sun Fire-Defense

23 Brilliant Thoughts

Ashleigh Brilliant tries to make progress – and heads or tails – about coins, technology, the metric system, and probably the kitchen sink

36 Trail Talk

Lynn Kirst pays tribute to firefighter Bill Myers, a longtime family friend who did his part to ensure the Thomas Fire met its match, as it were

38 Spirituality Matters

Steven Libowitz chronicles Dale Halaway’s Karmic Destiny; free yoga; Avraprana EmotoSpiritual Healing; and Dawa Tarchin Phillips

39 Legal Advertising 42 Calendar of Events

Happenings and artists downtown; jazz in church; Rubicon Theatre; Helene Schneider; SB Strings’s concert; art in Carp; Chris Thile; Diane Metivier-Hart; and Momentum Dance Company

46 Classified Advertising

Our very own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales

47 Local Business Directory

Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

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’s Year in Review 2017

s another year passes, we reflect on notable events in the Montecito community. From California’s largest wildfire, progress on development and new businesses, school happenings, retirements, and more, 2017 was a busy year in Montecito. While far from all-inclusive, here is a snapshot of our community’s happenings in 2017.

Thomas Fire

Without a doubt, the history-making Thomas Fire was the most significant thing to happen in Montecito in 2017. For multiple days, Montecito, in its entirety, was under evacuation order: most residents were required to leave, while the area below Highway 101 was under voluntary evacuation order. The Thomas fire began on December 4 far from Montecito, in Santa Paula. Nearly a week later, our town became suffocated in smoke and ash, followed

Montecito Fire chief Chip Hickman reviewing maps of the Thomas Fire

by more than a week of mandatory evacuations: first in the upper village and areas above 192, followed by lower Montecito. It wasn’t until Thursday, December 21, that all evacuation directives were lifted, and the thousands of residents still displaced were permitted to return home, just

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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 5) Fire trucks flank a Montecito road, keeping guard during the Thomas Fire

A burned home on Park Hill Lane is one of 10 residences lost during the largest wildfire in California history

days before Christmas. Here are key stats: the Thomas Fire scorched nearly 282,000 acres from Ventura to Santa Barbara, making it the largest wildfire in California history. Montecito lost ten homes in the blaze, with an additional 20 homes damaged. It was an incredible multi-agency response, with at one point 8,000 firefighters from across the country fighting the fire, with help from Caltrans, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff Department, Santa Barbara Police Department, Public Heath, and many more agencies charged with keeping residents safe. We published two editions of the Journal dedicated to the fire, both with exclusive access to burn zones and the properties on which homes were lost. Montecito Fire chief Chip Hickman told us that the blaze was so intense that it “nuked” our hillsides, and if it weren’t for the hundreds of engines and firefighters ready for battle in Montecito the morning of December 14, our community could have lost hundreds of homes. “The firefighters did an absolutely phenomenal job,” he told us. Moving forward, we’ll continue to cover the effects on homeowners trying to rebuild and cleanup, business owners trying to recoup lost revenue, and the new threat of flooding and landslides during the upcoming rainy season.

Project Progress

The Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito Construction on Rick Caruso’s Rosewood Miramar Beach Montecito resort began in the late summer of 2016, and continued throughout 2017, MONTECITO JOURNAL

• The Voice of the Village •

Rick Caruso and Rick Lemmo answer questions from 30 preschoolers about the Miramar project, which is expected to be completed by summer 2018

with the resort slated to open summer 2018. Rains in the early part of the year and complications from the Thomas Fire slightly delayed various portions of the construction, but Caruso maintains the property will be open at some point during the summer next year. The resort will be part of Rosewood Hotel & Resorts’s prestigious collection of luxurious destinations and includes 124 refined guest rooms and 37 luxury suites located within lanai cottages, garden bungalows, and a classic main house. The property will feature an oceanfront restaurant and bar with an outdoor terrace, a signature restaurant in the main house, two swimming pools, a fitness center, and a wedding/event space accommodating up to 400 guests. The Miramar Beach Club, an exclusive beachfront, private members-only beach club, will open in tandem with the resort and feature an indoor/outdoor lounge,

VILLAGE BEAT Page 124 4 – 11 January 2018

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LETTERS

TO THE EDITOR

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 jim@montecitojournal.net

Holiday Re-Do

have a couple ideas to help our local economy in regards to the recent tragic Thomas Fire. My suggestion is to have a Holiday Re-Do on February 25. This gives all the businesses, companies, nonprofits, clubs, and individuals an opportunity to re-do their parties and events that were canceled due to the Thomas Fire. This will help the local economy and bring some fun to the fairly quiet winter season. By having this in February, it gives everyone time to re-plan their events, send invitations, engage venues, and caterers, et cetera. Gifts can be part of the fun, even to donate to charity. Let’s get this idea spread! One more idea is for landlords of commercial space to forgive a month of rent for local businesses affected by loss of business due to the fire. If they can’t afford a full month of rent, how about a partial reduction? Spread the word. Karen Lehrer Montecito

(Editor’s note: Sounds like an excellent idea. However, the weather is often iffy in February and if we have a particularly cold or wet day, it could all be for naught. Our idea would be for a big weekend allday 20 percent (or more) off everything, to re-introduce the joys of shopping Coast Village Road! – J.B.)

Resolutely Local

I’ve been home for only two days and know of three local shops that are closing, citing the Thomas Fire. This fire has decimated our already struggling stores and farmers. Recently, at Montecito’s Farmers Market, there were less than seven stalls. This is a defining moment for our community. We can make a difference if we shop locally. So that’s my New Year’s resolution, which I started on December 20: I will not shop online for 60 days. Hopefully, by the end of February, I will have developed new spending habits, healthier for my community. If you want to join me, please for-

ward to a friend. Jane Walker Wood Montecito

Michael Douglas Too

I really enjoyed James Buckley’s lead piece in the new Montecito Journal glossy edition entitled “Conversations: Anne and Kirk.” It is an interesting biography with 22 nice photographs. However, the great local Douglas contribution, to help convert the Wilcox Property on the Mesa into the “Douglas Family Preserve,” was not mentioned in the article. It would be another very good subject to include in your local magazine about the Douglas family. So, I suggest creating another Montecito Journal article that focuses on Michael Douglas, living in the love generation, and the acquisition of the Wilcox Property. The acquisition took a few years to accomplish. Campaigns of people were making big contributions, trying to save the unique property from becoming a large, dense, residential development, which had been proposed by developers with building plans and projected ownership costs. I think it was Michael who told his parents, Anne and Kirk, about the negative consequences of the development, and they completed the proper property salvation. Wilcox was a land-

scaping supplier, a huge nursery. I imagine Michael’s life would be an interesting story. There are many stories in Montecito. Michael enrolled in UCSB when I graduated, during the love generation. He lived on Hot Springs Road, near where we “Mountain Drivers” used to sit in a couple of hot baths surrounded by wine before Michael’s time. The house with the hot spring baths that was above the chained end of the road burned down. Mine also burned down in the Coyote Fire, 1964. I never met Michael Douglas, but I do have a 20-foot-long photo of the Douglas Family Preserve. Jé Goolsby Santa Barbara (Editor’s note: There were so many things I had to leave out, including many of the things Michael helped with during his time here in Montecito, but thank you for the suggestion; we’ll try to follow up. – J.B.)

Firefighter Farewell

I am one of many who were in the path of this great fire, which will go down in history as the Thomas Wildfire of Southern California. At risk from this fire were my life, my home, and everything I own. Homes in the fire area were defended by

LETTERS Page 224

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• The Voice of the Village •

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This Week in and around Montecito

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 Interpretive Photography Exhibit CLICK 2 features five Santa Barbara-area photographers who have found unique styles and ways to express what they see through the lens. Artists: Sol Hill, Patricia Houghton Clarke, Jim McKinnis, Carol Paquet, Stephen Robeck, and Letitia Haynes. Curated by Jan Ziegler. Tonight is the opening reception. When: 5 to 8 pm, artists introduced at 6 pm Where: MichaelKate Interiors and Art Gallery, 132 Santa Barbara Street Info: 805-963-1411

(If you have a Montecito event, or an event that concerns Montecito, please e-mail kelly@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860) THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 Knit ‘N Needle Fiber art crafts (knitting, crochet, embroidery, and more) drop-in and meet-up for all ages at Montecito Library. When: 2 to 3 pm Where: 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 Poetry Club Each month, discuss the life and work of a different poet; poets selected by group consensus and interest. New members welcome. This month’s poet is Carl Sandburg. When: 3:30 to 5 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 Opening Reception 10 West Galley presents “Through Their Eyes”, an exhibit featuring nine Santa Barbara-based contemporary artists: Chad Avery, Sophie Cooper, Marlyn Daggett, Madeline Garrett, Marilyn Helsenrott Hochhauser, Laurie MacMillan, Stuart Ochiltree, Marlene Struss, and Mary Dee Thompson. Styles and media represented are abstracts, urban architecture, conceptual collage, multi-media sculpture, and figurative/ expressive abstracts. When: 5 to 8 pm Where: 10 W. Anapamu Street Info: 770-7711 FRIDAY, JANUARY 5 Spanish Conversation Group at the Montecito Library The Montecito Library hosts a Spanish Conversation Group for anyone interested in practicing and improving conversational skills in Spanish. Participants should be familiar with the

basics. When: 1:30 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7 The Most Beloved Songs of Christmas, and More It’s not too late to celebrate! Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church presents a festive, spirit filled concert of Christmas songs and music to welcome the New Year. Featuring soprano Carol Ann Manzi with classical guitarist Thomas Heck, flutist Ritchie Gonzales, and cantor Gary Smith. Reception and refreshments following. When: 4 pm Where: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 1300 East Valley Road at Hot Springs Cost: Free, Donations gratefully accepted MONDAY, JANUARY 8 Cold Spring School Board Meeting When: 6 pm Where: 2243 Sycamore Canyon Road Info: 969-2678 TUESDAY, JANUARY 9 Montecito Association Meeting The Montecito Association is committed to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the semi-rural residential character of Montecito. Today the board of directors holds both the annual meeting and the January board assembly. When: 4 pm Where: Montecito Hall, 1469 East Valley Road

Podcast Club Discussion Join to share about your favorite podcasts. Discover, geek out, and get hooked on new finds. When: 4 to 5 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 Summerland Evening Yoga A longtime Summerland tradition, taught by Bob Andre. Small Hatha 1 yoga class with brief meditation and breathing work. When: 5:30 pm Where: Summerland Church, 2400 Lillie Avenue Cost: donation THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 MBAR Meeting Montecito Board of Architectural Review seeks to ensure that new projects are harmonious with the unique physical characteristics and character of Montecito. On today’s agenda: a new garage on East Valley Road, new accessory structures on Parra Grande, new gate house on Santa Rosa Lane, and several new cell phone wireless facilities in Montecito, among other items. When: 1 pm Where: County Engineering Building, Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 E. Anapamu Knit ‘N Needle Fiber art crafts (knitting, crochet, embroidery, and more) drop-in and

10 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Hgt Low 6.4 05:42 PM 4.3 5:25 AM 4.3 6:33 AM 4.4 7:56 AM 4.6 9:31 AM 4.8 11:01 AM 5 12:10 PM 5.2 01:01 PM 5.3 01:42 PM

Hgt High Hgt Low -1.4 2.1 11:26 AM 5.8 06:30 PM 2.2 12:23 PM 5 07:21 PM 2.2 01:30 PM 4.2 08:14 PM 2 02:56 PM 3.5 09:11 PM 1.6 04:37 PM 3.1 010:11 PM 0.9 06:08 PM 3.1 011:08 PM 0.4 07:16 PM 3.2 011:58 PM 0 08:06 PM 3.4

• The Voice of the Village •

Special Montecito Union School Board Meeting When: 4 pm Where: 385 San Ysidro Road Info: 969-3249 FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 Walk & Roll Montecito Union School students, teachers, and parents walk or ride to school, rather than drive. When: 8 am Where: Via Vai, Ennisbrook, and Casa Dorinda trailhead Info: 969-3249 Spanish Conversation Group at the Montecito Library The Montecito Library hosts a Spanish Conversation Group for anyone interested in practicing and improving conversational skills in Spanish. Participants should be familiar with the basics. When: 1:30 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 After-School STEAM Program Build with Legos, do snap circuits, and drop-in craft activities at Montecito Library. Ages 5 and up. When: 3:30 to 4:30 pm Where: 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 Sedgwick Reserve Hike The rugged Santa Ynez Valley is the setting for a series of monthly interpretive hikes and nature activities open to the public on the 6,000-acre UCSB Sedgwick Reserve. Three hikes with varying themes such as geology, landforms, Sedgwick panoramas, plants, and animals or birds will be conducted, with hiking levels of Easy, Moderate, or Strenuous. These hikes are approximately two to three hours each and are followed by the opportunity to picnic with your own

M on t e c i to Tid e G u id e Day Low Hgt High Thurs, January 4 4:26 AM 1.9 10:35 AM Fri, January 5 12:23 AM Sat, January 6 1:19 AM Sun, January 7 2:18 AM Mon, January 8 3:18 AM Tues, January 9 4:16 AM Wed, January 10 5:07 AM Thurs, January 11 5:52 AM Fri, January 12 6:30 AM

meet-up for all ages at Montecito Library. When: 2 to 3 pm Where: 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063

Hgt -0.8 -0.2 0.4 1 1.6 1.9 2.1

4 – 11 January 2018

lunch. Additional activities are planned for those who don’t want to hike. Reservations required. In inclement weather, the hikes will be cancelled. When: 8:30 am Cost: suggested donation of $20 per hiker Info and RSVP: Sedgwick@lifesci.ucsb.edu Free Music The Santa Barbara Music Club will present another program in its popular series of concerts of beautiful music. A valued cultural resource in town since 1969, these concerts feature performances by instrumental and vocal soloists and chamber music ensembles, free to the public. When: 3 pm Where: Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 East Anapamu Street Cost: free ONGOING MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS Art Classes Beginning and advanced, all ages and by appointment – just call. Where: Portico Gallery, 1235 Coast Village Road Info: 695-8850

MONDAYS Connections Brain Fitness Program Challenging games, puzzles, and memory-enhancement exercises in a friendly environment. When: 10 am to 2 pm Where: Friendship Center, 89 Eucalyptus Lane Cost: $50, includes lunch Info: 969-0859 TUESDAYS Story Time at the Library A wonderful way to introduce children to the library, and for parents and caregivers to learn about early literacy skills; each week, children ages two to five enjoy stories, songs, puppets, and fun at Story Time. When: 10:30 to 11 am Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 WEDNESDAYS Yoga on Coast Village Yoga is back on Coast Village Road at Simpatico Pilates! Stretch, strengthen, breathe, and rejuvenate, with Vinyassa flow classes taught by Leanna Doyle. All levels are welcome. When: 8:30 am Where: Simpatico Pilates, 1235 Coast Village Road, Suite I Info/Reservations: 895-1368 •MJ

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 6)

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dining venues, beach access, and activities, and a private pool and cabanas. The final project entails 200,000 square feet of development. The project was in front of the Board of the Montecito Architectural Review at various points throughout the year, including in February for revisions to the family pool activity building, in May for approval of a sanitary lift station, and in August for the addition of a retail building to replace a previously approved theater building. Caruso rep Rick Lemmo was also at several of the Montecito Association board meetings in 2017, providing updates to the project. In February, Caruso visited All Saints-by-the-Sea Parish School to speak with schoolchildren about his hotel, which is being built next door. Caruso answered the kids’ questions about their new neighbor and explained the types of equipment that is being used to build the hotel. The 30 kids, ranging in age from three to five years old, also got a chance to look through a newly-built “observation window” in the sound barrier wall to view construction equipment and activities as the project moves along. Caruso also touched on the history of the resort and what it means to the Montecito community. Caruso and his team also hosted

several private tours of the construction zone throughout 2017 and more are scheduled for January 2018. YMCA In June, we reported that the Montecito YMCA had unveiled a new conceptual iteration of a Master Plan project, after nearly nine years of working on a plan to renovate, enhance, and expand the existing facilities on the 4.25-acre Santa Rosa Lane site. In front of the Montecito Association’s Land Use Committee in early summer, YMCA executive director Mike Yamasaki told the audience and the committee that the Montecito Y celebrated its 60th anniversary and has been at its current location since 1966. Brian Banks of Siemens Planning told the committee that the new project reflects the key concerns of the 2013 Master Plan submittal, including mass, bulk, and scale of the buildings, parking and traffic impacts, increased membership, and noise impact on neighbors. The main issue became the parking, with last year’s failure at the County Parks Commission, where reps could not come to a parking agreement with Manning Park for overflow parking. Now, the new project has 100 spaces parked on-site, with a reduction of

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Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA 93108. How to reach us: Editorial: (805) 565-1860; Sue Brooks: ext. 4; Christine Merrick: ext. 3; Classified: ext. 3; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Letters to Editor: Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA 93108; E-MAIL: news@montecitojournal.net

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• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

Montecito’s YMCA is in dire need of upgrading, according to reps; a new renovation plan was unveiled in June

building square footage by 33%. To achieve that reduction, the gymnasium slated to go where the current sports court is has been significantly reduced in size, and is now considered a “multipurpose room” to house exercise classes as well as sports. The smaller building has allowed for expansion of the parking lot located off San Ysidro Road; that zone will house 44 spaces. The new plan also calls for removal of the proposed preschool building, as well as the removal of the proposed indoor pool. The main structure, which has also been reduced in size to stay within its current footprint, will no longer have the 2nd-floor aerobics room and will continue to house the current preschool. The present pool will be expanded by two lanes. Membership will now

be capped at 1,950, a 20.5% reduction from the 2013 plans. Because of the decrease in square footage, the parking requirement is lessened, and in addition to the 44 spaces in the new parking lot, the current parking lot will continue to hold 56 spaces; no parking will be required off site. The Land Use Committee praised the YMCA for formulating a more neighbor-friendly project and will continue to work with the reps while the project continues in the design and review process. Roundabouts In July, we reported on not one, but two roundabout projects slated for Montecito. The one slated for the intersection at Olive Mill Road and Coast Village Road had received much publicity, but a second, located at the intersection of San Ysidro Road (SYR) and North Jameson, came as a surprise to many neighbors. In January 2014, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) directed staff to move forward on three local projects related to the Highway 101 expansion: a roundabout at Olive Mill and Coast Village Road, mitigation of the railroad bridge at the Cabrillo Boulevard underpass, and assessment of traffic solutions at the San Ysidro Road freeway interchanges. Based on that board direction, SBCAG has been

Francois deJohn and Steve Hayes wish to thank our clients for making 2017 one of our most successful years to date!

working closely with staff from both the City of Santa Barbara and County of Santa Barbara to continue progress on these endeavors over the last three years. The Olive Mill roundabout has been in the works since that time, but this new roundabout at San Ysidro Road has been less discussed. After meeting privately weeks earlier, Hedgerow neighbors packed a Montecito Association Transportation Committee meeting on July 25, when Public Works’s transportation deputy director Chris Sneddon told the crowd that the intersection at San Ysidro and North Jameson falls short on meeting the level of service required by the County. The current analysis, performed by Kittelson & Associates, outlined a number of alternatives for both sides of the San Ysidro Road bridge, including roundabouts at both intersections on San Ysidro (one near the Miramar and one at North Jameson), as well as alternatives showing various combinations of all-way stops, traffic lights, and roundabouts. “The preferred solution to keep traffic moving in that area is a roundabout on the north side, with stop controls at the south,” Sneddon explained. Sneddon further reported that the parallel projects have been discussed at 11 public meetings in the last three years, but members of the audience insisted they had not heard about the San Ysidro Road endeavor until recently.

In March, SBCAG approved $850,000 in funding to move both roundabout projects forward, which Sneddon said would pay for more environmental and scoping studies, with the intention of having an environmental document released in summer 2018. Sneddon was quick to point out that Caltrans, not the County, will be the final decision-maker on the projects, as there is a good possibility that they will be funded by Caltrans. The majority of the meeting attendees were not favorable to a roundabout at San Ysidro, saying it was out of character with Montecito’s bucolic community. One resident pointed out that the increase in traffic likely contributed to the closing of the southbound freeway entrance at Hot Springs and Cabrillo Boulevard, with people using Coast Village Road and North Jameson to get on the freeway. A roundabout at Olive Mill and Coast Village Road seemed less contentious, with many in agreement that there is little choice for the awkward five-way intersection. Sneddon added that more technical studies to determine if the SYR roundabout will fit within County and Caltrans right-of-way are necessary, and that aesthetics and design elements are even further down the line. He also said a roundabout at San

VILLAGE BEAT Page 204

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Seen Around Town

by Lynda Millner

Tea and Fashion Show Sponsor Dede Nonn from Arnoldi’s, BCRC executive director Silvana Kelly, board president Rose Hodge, and board member La Shon Kelley

reast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC) board president Rose Hodge and executive director Silvana Kelly welcomed everyone to the Four Seasons Biltmore Loggia Room. “This is our 10th annual tea and fashion show and our 20th anniversary.” Prior to lunch, the ladies had been busy shopping and choosing which pot to put their free raffle tickets in for the big drawing at the end of the day. There were also vendors including Cashew Cashew by Royanna Robertson, DC Blue Designs by Dawn

• The Voice of the Village •

Ms Millner is the author of The Magic Makeover, Tricks for Looking Thinner, Younger and More Confident – Instantly. If you have an event that belongs in this column, you are invited to call Lynda at 969-6164.

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4 â€“ 11 January 2018

MONTECITO JOURNAL

On Entertainment by Steven Libowitz

Black Thursday

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16 MONTECITO JOURNAL

rammy-winning standup comedian Lewis Black has been working more than 200 nights a year for nearly two decades, ever since his early appearances on The Daily Show led to comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime. His gigs have taken him across the world, with shows throughout Europe and North America, selling out such legendary spaces as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Main Stage at the Mirage in Las Vegas, and a Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. And it’s always pretty much the same show: pissed-off pronouncements on the stuff that annoys him, from political perfidy to relationship foibles, with queries and statements turning into rants that offer cathartic release for both him and his audience. Black is back in town for a show next Thursday, January 11, at the Lobero Theatre, a far smaller venue than his previous appointment at the Arlington. All of which means the upbeat upbraiding will hit even closer to home. He talked about current events and his career over the phone during the day on New Year’s Eve, the end of year one of President Trump. Q. I’ve got to start with asking if you if

• The Voice of the Village •

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.

you make New Year’s resolutions? A. No. That’s insane. Why don’t you start out the year with an immediate disappointment. Great. I’ve already blown it! Your new tour is called “The Jokes on US”. Clever but also already a criticism in the age of Trump. It really is on us. Comics have been rendered obsolete. It’s hard to satirize something that’s already satiric. Or comment on reality that’s so far-fetched. It’s already so beyond anyone’s imagination. I don’t like to say his name, but who could have believed this would happen? How do you even keep up with the news cycle when it goes so fast? Your material is out of date by the next morning’s news shows. Yeah, it creates an anxiety level, and I never had that before. I can only 4 – 11 January 2018

watch the news for a few minutes. And I need a research team to keep up with it all. Who can do that? What issues are particularly galling you right now? It’s the tax stuff. I still can’t get over the fact that they just decided that the most important thing was to get something done before Christmas, rather than getting something that helps. There’s a selfishness involved in that. It’s ludicrous! But the Democrats did it with health care, and now it’s the Republicans with taxes. All I can say is there’s something wrong with the plan because it helps me and I don’t need it. Get the facts out. Stop with the f---ing nonsense. Only a country that behaves like a 9-year-old thinks that you should be making a profit on health. I mean, think about it. Do something about it. Don’t get rich off of it! Okay, switching topics: You sounded like you had a lot of fun being the voice of “Anger” on Inside Out a couple of years ago. It was phenomenal, one of the great experiences of my career. And it’s a great movie. It says things to kids that I would have liked to have heard back then. Where... was this when I was 9?! My generation didn’t know about emotions until we were 32! There was hunger or I have to pee. That’s it! We didn’t have “What’s that I’m feeling?” We didn’t even have words for it! I mean, I had to wander into a shrink’s office at the age of 50. Are you s---ing me? But even so, with my mother, I’d still have been angry. No questions. There are things that just fan the flame. All I did was watch in my lifetime for us to go to a culture that once had a sense of redistribution of wealth and it wasn’t a filthy concept to what has become outand-out greed as a motivating factor. I don’t think I would have been terribly different anyway. You’ve made a career out of being angry at all the nonsense in politics and the world. With all that yelling, how’s your blood pressure? For some reason, it’s perfect. I get it checked all the time and it’s good. I think it’s because I’ve been allowed to yell and scream for the last 25 years. I don’t keep it in. I don’t sit on it. I get to let it out. I get to scream about all the basic stuff in life, and you keep listening. You’ll be 70 next August. Any thoughts on slowing down or even retiring? I’m not big on mortality. My parents are still alive – my father will be 100 in February. So, I don’t have to think about it yet. I mean, they’re finally starting to slip so you have to deal with it. But I like it here. It’s nice. I like

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ENTERTAINMENT Page 194 4 – 11 January 2018

MONTECITO JOURNAL

In Business

by Jon Vreeland

Jon Vreeland is a writer of prose, poetry, plays, and journalism. His memoir, The Taste of Cigarettes, will be published May 22, 2018, with Vine Leaves Press. Vreeland is married to artist Alycia Vreeland and is a father of two beautiful daughters who live in Huntington Beach, where he is from.

Sun Fire-Defense: Wildfire’s Worst Enemy

t was just before 6:30 pm, December 4 – which happens to be Feast Day for the beloved Saint Barbara, the Patroness of Fire and Lightning – when what turned out to be the largest wildfire in California’s recorded history started to burn. The Thomas Fire started just north of Santa Paula. That same night, the adversarial warmth of the sundowner winds (another foe of wildfires) quickly spread the raging flames and flying embers to the city of Ventura, where 500 residences were burnt and destroyed. But, as you probably already know, that was only the beginning of the year-end disaster: as of New Year’s Eve, more than 1,000 structures have been totally destroyed, nearly 300 damaged, and at least a quarter-million acres charred to a crispy rubble of dark-grey ash. Just in the last few years, California’s dealt with, not only the Thomas Fire but other burning disasters such as the Valley Fire of 2015, which scorched its way through Lake County, California, destroying nearly 2,000 structures and killing four people. In the interim, CEO of the thriving fire protectant company Sun Fire-Defense, James Moseley (also a Grammy-nominated trombone player, who other musicians call “the Bone Man”), had been finalizing a post-treatment, interior/exterior fire retardant and wood preservative product that can be sprayed, rolled, brushed, even immersed; and, according to Mr. Moseley, has the strength and chemical bond that will protect the thousands of struc-

18 MONTECITO JOURNAL

tures from the deadly flames, which California’s annual wildfires either threaten, or destroy, just about every year on the West Coast. “We just got everything approved this year. This stuff can be a real game-changer; plus, it has termite and rot repellent, so it’s for everyday use as well, not just fires,” said Mr. Moseley, who says his product “contains mold and mildew inhibitors, which are effective against black mold,” and “once cured for 48 hours, the treated material may be painted with most latex-based paints.” In addition, Mr. Moseley claims the silicon-ceramic fire retardant not only provides insulation, while protecting the structures paint and wood as well, but will defend up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit – two times hotter than a wildfire, which is 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Natural History Museum of Utah. He also recommends that the Sun FireDefense gel should only “be reapplied after five years,” a standard length of time for exterior upkeep on one’s home or business (according to Networx.com, which states “3 to 7 years” is average). Since February 2017, the Golden State has only received 10 inches of rain (CNN.com). We California natives know this occurs nearly every year: the humidity drops, the foliage dries out, and as soon as the Santa Ana winds pick up, the wildfires rip through the state without remorse, burning hazardous materials from people’s homes and businesses, which contain chemicals that disappear into the opaque, smoky air

During a Sun Fire-Defense demonstration – which company CEO James Moseley performed on a small home – a structure’s left side treated with Sun Fire-Defense gel-like product did not burn. The right side, which was the untreated, quickly burned to a crisp

before settling in a person’s lungs. But Mr. Moseley, who has played with Frank “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Sinatra and pianist Roger Williams, says his product that “develops a self-extinguishing reaction when the treated material comes in contact with an open flame” is also “nontoxic, noncombustible, and noncarcinogenic” and contains no PBDEs – which are chemicals that are known to be deleterious to the environment and its inundating population. Mr. Moseley concluded our conversation with a story of a house that caught fire – a blaze that nearly killed Thomas R. Richards, Sun Fire-Defense’s COO and retired Navy SEAL admiral, and his wife. The water heater had gone up in flames. The downstairs of their home was immediately engulfed, as well as the

• The Voice of the Village •

admiral’s wife, who leaped through the 2nd-story window and ended up with a pair of detached biceps, and, in the end, 70 to 80 percent of her body was badly burned. “If the area was treated, it never would have happened,” said Mr. Moseley, who also claims the Sun Fire-Defense gel-like fire retardant dries in one single day. Mr. Moseley and company are looking for contractors to help apply the silicon-ceramic “gel” on people’s homes before the burning wrath of the next wildfire returns. “We have a service where we come out and gel the house,” said the company CEO. “We already have an appointment January 3 in Montecito.” Sun Fire-Defense is located on 4300 Promenade Way, #116, in Marina del Rey, California. Their primary phone number is (818) 486-4662. •MJ 4 – 11 January 2018

ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 17)

being here. Anyway, I do think there’s somewhere we go. We don’t end up all in darkness. But even with that, I like it here too much. I’ve been lucky. This has been fun.

they were building all those towns and houses. There’s no water! It’s a desert! But places I love went up in smoke. There’s no humor in that. But maybe bring a gas mask to the show.

I’m almost afraid to ask, but you might be one of the few remaining well-known male comedians who hasn’t been accused of sexual harassment or worse. Has the whole thing had you wracking your brain for any incidents from your career that might be viewed differently? Does the issue shown up in your comedy? I know I never did anything at a show. But you don’t know if someone isn’t going to come out and say you did something that you never did. I’m at that age where my memory is like a broken vending machine. Sometimes I pull it and the candy comes out, other times I have to kick it for 10 minutes before anything happens.

(Lewis Black performs at 8 pm Thursday, January 11, at the Lobero Theatre. Tickets cost $78. Call 963-0763 or visit www. lobero.org.)

Let’s end on a local note: The Thomas Fire consumed our thoughts, if not our forest and some houses all month. Do you have any Santa Barbara connections? And do you take note of such major local stories when you come to a town? My Christmas gift for people in the area was to give money to the Thomas Fire fund. As for onstage, what I’ve always felt about Southern California is that a lot of it is a desert. It’s a desert! They didn’t think about that when

Preacher Man

When Kenneth Mosley preaches the gospel of love through the music of Motown in the Broadway show that makes its Santa Barbara debut at the Granada on Tuesday, January 9, and Wednesday, January 10, he’s not just going through the motions. The actor, who portrays Berry Gordy – founder of Motown, the record label that first brought to the world the music of Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Smokey Robinson, among others – is an actual minister. Mosley’s résumé has a large line item that makes sense for an entertainment industry hyphenate: TV producer and director, in his case for TD Jakes, the bishop of The Potter’s House, a nondenominational megachurch that was once the fastest-growing such ministry in the nation. It’s what happened next that stands out.

“I just became so motivated by the message of love that he shared that I became a minister myself,” Mosley explained over the phone a few days before Christmas. “I taught, ministered, and preached, and then wrote books, recorded albums. I was in hook, line, and sinker.” But eventually, he returned to his first love of appearing on stage as an actor. “I had to go back to that passion that motivated me as a kid in the performing arts, taking that same love and passion for people, for touching hearts, and using it in a different way – which is really what the Berry Gordy story is all about.” Indeed, Motown the Musical, which feature more than 50 classic songs from the label’s heyday in Detroit, turns both on the music and the motivations behind the company, Mosley said. “Motown has a catalog of music that may very well be unmatched with any other company. We cover a time span from 1959 to mid-’80s. and it’s just hit after hit after hit, R&B to Top 40. You get to relive the wonderful music and also see the story behind it. Mr. Gordy started out as a champion boxer, then turned that into his career in music. He was all about a passion for making people feel happy and loved through music.” It was through Montecito’s most famous resident that Mosley first made that connection himself, long

before getting cast as Berry. “I saw him on Oprah’s Master Class about five years ago, talking about his journey. I had one of those Oprah Winfrey moments, the ‘A-ha/lightbulb’ moment. Something in me said, ‘I’m Berry Gordy. It’s weird. He made drastic change in his life, turned the corner and followed his passion. I had gone from theater to journalism to ministry. So I just had a strong connection with his story. Nothing narcissistic, just something deeper than I can even verbalize. I just remember thinking ‘Oh, my God, that’s me.’” To research the role, former journalist Mosley did a rash of research into the early days of the record label – which played an instrumental role in the racial integration of popular music as the company’s roster of black artists cultivated a great deal of crossover success – devouring hours of interview footage and documentaries on all of the artists and personalities associated with Motown. He also read Berry’s autobiography, To Be Love. “There are so many insights into how he felt about the music, the people, and the events in the world going on at the time, the assassinations, the war. You get to peer into his emotional space.” An even deeper dive came when he got to meet Berry, who turned 88 in

ENTERTAINMENT Page 394

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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 13)

Ysidro would be both pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, similar in style to the newly built roundabout at Las Positas and Cliff Drive. The roundabout was further discussed by the Montecito Planning Commission in August; the commissioners voted to ask the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors if they may be granted jurisdiction over the San Ysidro Road roundabout, so that the project will be under local control. That decision has yet to be determined. Ted Simmons, former president of the Montecito Association and a Hedgerow resident for 18 years, called the San Ysidro Road roundabout a complete overkill at the MPC hearing and suggested that less-intrusive options, such as staggering school times, enlisting a police officer to control traffic during the peak afternoon times, or adding a traffic signal would be better options for the safety of pedestrians and residents. “This intersection is lower Montecito’s gateway to the beach, and as such is constantly crossed by people walking with dogs, strollers, kids on bikes, and the like. We’re expecting the public to safely traverse this eight-legged monstrosity where traffic doesn’t have to stop? I’m very concerned this is a safety disaster waiting to happen,” he said. Other neighbors from the Hedgerow agreed

and also lamented the roundabout project was not given appropriate input from the nearby residents. Coast Village Road Montecito’s lower village business district underwent many changes in 2017, including upgrades – and the unveiling of potential upgrades – to several buildings. 1187 Coast Village Road: Hank Hurst and Richard Rosin’s Coast Village Plaza underwent a major facelift during 2017, including a new roof, new paint, new walkways, updated decks, expanded patios, renovated stairs, replacement of the front sidewalk, new signage, new bike parking, and a remodeled parking lot off Coast Village Circle. Current tenants in the building include Richie the Barber, Giovanni’s, The Tennis Shop, Here’s the Scoop, the UPS Store, Riviera Smiles, Sequel Salon, Norvell Bass Cleaners, Montecito Clock Gallery, and several other office and business tenants. A ribbon-cutting ceremony in October was attended by mayor Helene Schneider, Congressman Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara City councilmember Gregg Hart, and representatives from the City planning department, as well as tenants, contractors, and designers. In April we reported the future opening of Juice Ranch in the for-

Renaud’s owner Renaud Gonthier and Empty Bowls founder Jerry Lee announced they will be opening eateries on Coast Village Road Erin Gomez and Scott Walker are bringing their popular juice bar, Juice Ranch, to Coast Village Road, as reported last April

mer home of Dani Boy, which closed in 2016. Owners Erin Gomez and Scott Walker told us they are looking forward to expanding their reach into Montecito, with what will eventually become an “anchor location” for the popular juice bar and natural food eatery; three other locations include Parker Way in Santa Barbara, Westlake Village, and Carpinteria. The 100% organic juice purveyor is known for its reusable glass bottles, its locally

THIS SEASON

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER Bring your children for an afternoon filled with New Years celebration!

January 8 • Adult Judo Begins Learn to use balance, strength and weight efficiently to your advantage.

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No contracts. Join fee applies but is waived on January 6.

Get more information and register at the front desk or ciymca.org/montecito Take advantage of lower rates and access more programs by becoming a member. Visit our facility or call us at 805.969.3288 to learn more.

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VILLAGE BEAT Page 244

and your first month dues are only $20.18!

YOUTH T-BALL AND BASEBALL Registration opens: JANUARY 13

20 MONTECITO JOURNAL

JOIN IN JANUARY

Mark Your Calendar • MONTECITO FAMILY YMCA January 5 • Child Watch New Year’s

sourced products, and its ever-evolving addition of carefully curated whole-food products including energy bars, sweets, smoothies, coffee, and avocado toast. The new location will expand on this idea, offering a well-rounded food, juice, and smoothie menu, as well as Kombucha on tap. The owners worked with the City of Santa Barbara over the past several months, making tenant improvements on the 587-sq-ft space. Although they had hoped to open before year’s end, mandatory evacuations due to the

4 – 11 January 2018

4 â€“ 11 January 2018

MONTECITO JOURNAL

LETTERS (Continued from page 8)

over 8,000 firefighters. On the eastern front of the fire, near the city of Fillmore, California, firefighter-engineer Cory Iverson laid down his life in my defense, and the defense of his homeland. I can say, as a veteran of the United States Army: “He fought a war for me.” Firefighter Cory Iverson had a high calling for his life. A calling that is expressed by this beautiful line of Scripture: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I believe that Firefighter Iverson answered to yet another high calling, and did so just as faithfully. It is a call that comes down to us from the great civilizations that preceded us, ancient people such as the Greeks and the Trojans, who believed in courage, and the defense of the homeland at all costs. Thomas Macaulay wrote down these lines, which they all believed: And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his gods... To firefighter Cory Iverson, the temples were the homes and lives of those who lived in the path of this fire. And the ashes were all of their memories. Everyone in this connected to this event needs healing right now.

Healing from grief, loss, and pain. P.F. Froemming Santa Barbara

A Brilliant Brilliant

Just wanted to say I enjoy reading Ashleigh Brilliant and Ray Winn, who rebuts global-warming letters to the editor. Count me a skeptic with a degree in science, no less, if zoology counts. [James] Buckley is spot-on too. Steve Close Santa Barbara

Backfires for Wildfires

The recent wildfires in Montecito and other places have exposed what many say is the lunacy of no longer conducting backfires, et cetera. California has lost about 10,000 companies that all have fled the state to Texas and Florida due to far too high taxes and regulation and the threat of environmental lawsuits. Today’s Democrat Party should consider instead going back to helping the poor with a hand up, not a hand out and to deregulate our state. The California public unions are underfunded by a staggering $1.3 trillion. The Republican Party is meanwhile nowhere to be seen; Americans are greatly suffering as a result.

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What President Trump is doing is giving the job creators a big tax break. The general left-wing idea of “central planning” has never worked in any country – flowery speeches notwithstanding – only free enterprise run by people who understand how to run business will help America. In my view, President Trump is alone trying to do that. Everyone realize please that China is on the move, and in 2025 they will launch no less than 100 warships being built right now. China is quietly grinding away the sovereignty of all our allies in Asia. Perhaps only when America has its back to the wall will we wake up and stop worrying about dumb issues and instead focus on our survival as a nation. Morten Wengler Montecito (Mr. Wengler is former ranch foreman for tennis champ Jimmy Connors.)

Mandatory or Not?

Around 8:30 am on the Saturday of the fire, we evacuated our home as directed by the Office of Emergency Management. This was a mandatory directive that included our street, which is four blocks up from Coast Village Road. The next night (Sunday) we called around to various businesses on Coast Village Road, not really expecting anyone to answer (and there were only two), as we understood that businesses and residences north of the 101 were also under the same mandatory evacuation order. We were surprised then to find Honor Bar and China Pavilion open for business. More surprise: on Monday’s KEYT Thomas Fire Update, Rob Lowe and his family were being lauded for opening up their home and feeding first responders. Last I knew (probably from your celebrity-entertainment columnist, Richard Mineards) the Lowes too were in the mandatory evacuation zone. What gives? It’s disruptive and costly to involuntarily leave your home on short notice. Did we in fact have a choice to ignore the official directive and stay put? My son, who also lives in Montecito, didn’t feel that the two officers who pounded on his door Saturday were extending an invitation to leave.

I hope that the number of Montecitans who stayed in place and did not evacuate as directed was tiny; a dangerous and selfish decision with serious implications for the very people who are dedicated to protecting our public safety. We are thankful for the excellent emergency mobile communications, outstanding local news coverage, and especially the brave men and women on the fire lines – our homes, our businesses, and our lives were in their capable hands. Diane Graham Montecito (Editor’s note: Well, this is the United States, and “mandatory” is a difficult status to enforce and/or maintain. In fact, if you really didn’t want to leave your home, you could have stayed. But, you couldn’t have driven your vehicle in the evacuation zone and your life would have been in jeopardy. We know people who did stay to protect their homes. But it was a lonely and dangerous life for the nearly 10 days of mandatory evacuation. Better to have left and allowed the firefighters to work unmolested by recalcitrant homeowners. – J.B.)

Beautiful Bacara

We cannot say enough good things about how fantastic the Ritz Carlton Bacara has been to the fire refugees, many of us from Montecito. They slashed their rates, welcomed all of us, and our dogs (lots of dogs)! To a person, their staff has been kind, helpful, and understanding of the trauma we experienced having to leave our homes in the midst of a firestorm. The Ritz Carlton just bought and began operating the Bacara in November. Mother Nature’s welcome of them to the neighborhood hasn’t been so great, but their welcome to us in the midst of this disaster will never be forgotten! Kim and Kip Seefeld Montecito (Editor’s note: My wife stayed at the Coast Village Inn for a couple days and they not only reduced their going rate, but also included a $10 chit at Jeannine’s. The Biltmore was closed, but otherwise, my guess is they too would have reduced their rates. The Bottle Shop at Middle Road stayed open throughout, serving firefight-

LETTERS Page 264

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Brilliant Thoughts 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 with wife Dorothy 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

Which Way is Straight Ahead?

t may be uplifting to think in terms of constant and inevitable progress – but it’s not very realistic. In many ways, our society seems to be stuck, or even sliding backward. As one example, consider this anachronism: in an era of streamlined electronic cyber-finance, we are still accepting as “legal tender” little round pieces of metal not substantially different from the coins which circulated two millennia ago. They are certainly not necessary – and neither are postage stamps – but we cling to them. Yet none of this should surprise us, when we are surrounded with other relics of bygone times that are still in use. We still have pens which we “operate” by hand – and pencils have changed even less. And we still write on wood-derived sheets of paper, hardly changed (except now of poorer quality) from those used centuries ago. And despite all the technological advances which have in fact been made, it is still human beings (at least in my part of the world) who come around from door to door, to deliver the newspapers and the mail, collect the garbage, and tend the shrubbery – to say nothing of those whom we still have to go out to in person, to have our hair cut, our nails trimmed, or our teeth cleaned. Our garments too are antiquated (look at all the men who are still wearing neckties!) and our dwelling systems, based on individual domestic units, each requiring its own temperature control, plumbing system, and food facilities, are incredibly redundant and wasteful. But I am not complaining. We should probably be glad that we still have so much of the past to hold on to, as we plunge into an uncertain future. I, for one, take comfort in what we have retained of old songs and stories, old buildings, and even old ideas about manners, loyalty, and love. Nevertheless (if I may return to yesterday), the persistence of metal coinage astonishes me. In our country, it has survived to a ridiculous extreme, as embodied in the so-called copper penny, which, since 1982, has contained only 2.5% copper. The other 97.5% is zinc. Yet, it still costs significantly more than one cent to make each of these coins. And, as everyone knows, there is virtually nothing you can buy with one of them anymore, anyway. 4 – 11 January 2018

But you can bet that when the time finally comes to do away with these vestigial oddities – (no doubt as the first step toward eliminating all “cash”) – there will be a great public outcry, mass demonstrations, and genuine emotional anguish at the loss of something which has, since time immemorial, been a part of all our lives. I suppose the action will be phased in gradually, to lessen the pain. But the penny is only one example of how our advanced society, always on the cutting edge of civilization, is in fact still sucking its thumb. An even more blatant case is America’s refusal so far to join the rest of the world and “go metric.” Are we hoping that they’ll all eventually see the light, and come over to our system?

The persistence of metal coinage astonishes me

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Don’t get me wrong. These issues aren’t always cut and dried. You might think that driving on the right, as we do, is, or by now should be, universal. But in fact, one-third of all the world’s peoples (including Japan and India) still keep to the left. For me personally, however, a particularly galling relic, which we all live with every day, is the ghastly blight of utility poles and wires that still deface most of our streets, as they have done for much of the past two centuries. It’s a matter of aesthetics versus economics. Most people would probably like to get rid of this grotesque eyesore by putting the whole system where it belongs – underground – but few are willing to pay the cost, especially when there are so many more pressing needs – such as for bombs and missiles. Anyway, where do we draw the line? There can, of course, never be a time when everything’s “up to date” – not even in Kansas City. For the foreseeable future (which is itself something of an oxymoron), the new and the old will continue wrestling with each other. Long after our time, issues pitting Belief against Disbelief, Marriage against Sexual Freedom, and Velcro versus Laces will be gallantly fighting it out on the battlefield of human prayers and preferences. •MJ

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You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything, or it could be nothing. – Tom Hiddleston

MONTECITO JOURNAL

VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 20)

Thomas Fire pushed the opening date into January. In October, we reported that two other popular restaurateurs are bringing their eateries to Coast Village Plaza: Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro and a new concept by Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar. “I’ve been looking to open a place in Montecito for many years, and I’m looking forward to this opportunity,” said Renaud Gonthier, owner of the restaurant and bakery that bears his name. The Coast Village Plaza location, which will open in 2018 following tenant improvements, will offer an expanded menu that includes dinner service. Empty Bowls founder Jerry Lee agrees, calling the location “a perfect spot” to open a Montecito restaurant. Lee has partnered with Emre Balli and Nui Pannak to open the Coast Village Plaza eatery, which will also serve beer and wine, and eventually an expanded cocktail menu. The eatery will offer popular menu items from Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar plus additional comfort specialty Thai food. 1298 Coast Village Road: Construction on developer John Price’s mixeduse building continued throughout 2017, but not without several stops to the City’s Architectural Board of Review (ABR), planning commission, and city council for various items. In

March, project reps asked the ABR for approval of revisions to the project, including the reconfiguration of the development which reduced the number of residential units from six to five; a 13-inch height increase for the 3-story building was also reviewed, along with the addition of a Jacuzzi on a second-floor patio. In August, the ABR denied the height increase; it was then appealed to the City Council in October. Architect Jeff Gorrell explained to council members that the height escalation was necessary to accommodate new seismic requirements, as regulations had changed since the project’s approval in 2009. The council unanimously agreed to the change; the addition of the Jacuzzi was then approved by the planning commission in December. The project consists of underground parking, approximately 4,800 square feet of commercial space on the first floor, and five residential condominium units on the second and third floors. It is expected that the commercial space will consist of real estate offices as well as an art gallery, and that the building will be finished in 2018. Coast Village Road Condos: In July, we told you about a new condo project coming to 1062 Coast Village Road. The development is to be located the property between Starbucks and

China Palace, and the current site of a 14-unit apartment complex. Property owner David Back plans to demolish the 10,000-sq.-ft. apartment building, carport, and hardscape, as well as remove 10 mature canary island pine trees on the site. The new project includes a 1,000-sq.-ft. stone façade commercial building facing Coast Village Road, as well as a subterranean garage with six commercial parking spaces and one commercial bicycle space. It also includes nine residential condominiums, including private subterranean 2-car garages that include private elevators into the units. The roughly 2,100-sq.-ft., 2-bedroom condos include living space on the ground floor, bedrooms on the 2nd floor, and rooftop decks. Architect Brian Cearnal, who also designed the Plaza Montecito building and two condos on the former property of Turk Hessellund Nursery, told the ABR in July, as well as the Montecito Association Land Use Committee in November, that he has had multiple meetings with neighbors whose concerns include losing privacy in their homes and yards, in addition to the height of the buildings. The project was in front of the Montecito Planning Committee for courtesy review in November; commissioners gave the developer and architect several suggestions to become more suitable for the neigh-

THOMAS FIRE CLEAN-UP

borhood and asked that the project be story-poled and reviewed by Montecito Board of Architectural Review. It is expected that the development will be in front of the Santa Barbara City Planning Commission early in 2018.

School Happenings

Both of Montecito’s public elementary schools welcomed new superintendents this year, and both are gearing up for changes on campus. All local schools canceled classes during the Thomas Fire, and each campus has undergone extensive ash cleanup prior to reopening in January. Montecito Union School In May, the Montecito Union School (MUS) board voted in new superintendent Anthony Ranii to fill the position left by Tammy Murphy, who moved to the United Arab Emirates following the close of the school year to take on a superintendent role at GEMS Dubai American Academy. Murphy was the school superintendent since 2010. The board chose Mr. Ranii for his broad and established instructional leadership roles across all grade levels, strength in collaboration, and focus on increasing student learning and achievement.

VILLAGE BEAT Page 304

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4 – 11 January 2018

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LETTERS (Continued from page 22)

ers with whatever they needed. No doubt there were other businesses that pitched in to help. We salute them all. – J.B.)

Statue Needed

Montecito and the City Santa Barbara and should erect a statue to commemorate and honor firefighter Cory Iverson and to show gratitude to the 8,000 firefighters and 911 first responders who risked their lives to save the lives and properties of others during California’s largest blaze ever. The world would know that Santa Barbara, along with people living in the area, are thankful for these courageous men and women. The statue could be build with private funds or with private and public money. I am not wealthy, but I would donate $100 for this project. Raul Hernandez Santa Barbara

Out of Control

Well, that was embarrassing! A state with one of the largest economies in the world was not able to stop a fire from spreading massive and devastating destruction in one of its wealthiest and supposedly most loyally politically connected counties. The costs are in hundreds of millions of dollars; the fire destroyed over a thousand buildings and damaged hundreds more. Over 8,000 firefighters were battling the flames around our homes for weeks. And, of course, all of that caused massive evacuation of many local areas including Montecito. What a disaster. But let’s look closer. Every big fire starts with a small one. Some idiot leaving tree stumps burning in the middle of a farm field, thinking (or not thinking altogether, considering the Santa Ana winds), “What’s the worst that can happen?” Kids experimenting with a magnifying lens in the sun, or a smoldering cigarette butt… And such fires should be never a surprise for California, as they happen with various degrees of ferocity

every year. But somehow, they always are a huge surprise and we seem to never ever be prepared, and suddenly California faces a huge crisis that it obviously cannot handle. No proper equipment (how about the closest water tank plane being in Colorado?), not enough firefighters so we have to call for help from the other states (Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington), and obvious lack of organizational skills and inter-agency coordination as our civil servants scramble to get things under control, always doing too little, too late. Firefighters die on the frontlines of the battle, houses burn down, lives get destroyed So, who is responsible for all these disasters? “Nature,” of course. It’s all about those damned winds. It really is easy to blame someone (or something) who (what) cannot be held accountable: the winds. Not the California government, which spends endless millions of dollars on supporting illegal immigrants and other interests, but not on their own taxpayers whose houses get reduced to piles of ashes. Not the California government that would rather save the world than its own residents. Where are the fleets of fire planes and helicopters on a standby ready to spring into action? Where are the satellite early-detection systems able to instantly dispatch the specially trained firefighters to the specific area where the fire originates? Where are the massive firebreaks around California’s most valuable farmlands and coveted coastal real estate? We had barely 30 helicopters available to fight off 270,000 acres of flames; do your math as to how many acres of raging inferno per helicopter. And every time a firefighting plane showed up, it was so unique it made a special TV report. That is utterly ridiculous. And what if the bad winds persisted for a couple of more days? Scary thought, right? Most fires are caused

by human error or misbehavior that is hard to prevent. California has no regular lightning or other critical weather condition that ignites a natural fire. The only natural problem we have experienced for more than seven years is a drought. However, even there our local authorities obviously prefer to complain about the problem rather than prevent it. Why? Because it’s generally easier to talk than to actually do something, and it also fills budget coffers with emergency money. I personally know a guy who created the artificial rain technology that helped turn Israel’s deserts into lush farmland. When the whole California drought story became a big deal, he called every possible government office here trying to sell his artificial rain technology to us, but guess what? Not even a single state or local bureaucrat called him back. Apparently, nobody in California government needed the rain. And quite obviously, nobody needs to invest in prevention of Thomas-like fire catastrophes. Why? Looks like the core priorities of our current government are elsewhere. California is a leader of world technology but prefers to focus the problems that the majority of its legal citizens do not consider vital. Is it really that important to go solar? As for me (after two weeks of evacuation), I just wanted to go home. And I do not want to ponder if my home is on fire because of some gusty winds. We spend billions of dollars on mostly unnecessary things, while our firefighters drive outdated trucks that cannot even park on the hillsides. There are many cutting-edge firefighting technologies waiting to be implemented: high-tech extinguishers, firefighting drones, piercing stream (that blasts liquid through solid structures), et cetera. Strangely, we do not see our state bureaucrats rushing to fund any of the above, even though that would immediately and directly benefit those they are supposed to serve. Curiously, some of these technologies

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• The Voice of the Village •

lately have been bought and are being adopted in… China. Our government, however, is still not interested in them because of the broken priorities and the easy escape from responsibility for the annual out-of-control fire disasters by blaming “nature.” Well, at least they’re not blaming Russians this time around. Lidia Zinchenko Montecito (Editor’s note: You make some excellent points, Ms Zinchenko, but in the end it was that army of more than 8,000 professional firefighters that prevented the total destruction of our community. The good news, by the way, is that because much of the brush that hadn’t burned for up to 65 years is now gone. Montecito needn’t worry about another fire for a least the coming decade. – J.B.)

Good Government

In the hyperbolic political times in which we live, it has become fashionable for some on the right to claim that private business is always better at delivering goods and services than the government, and that all taxation is theft. As we enjoy the holidays and look forward to 2018 in our beautiful, comfortable, nearly entirely intact neighborhoods, it’s worth it to take a moment to reflect that our homes and way of life were protected by a Herculean effort of thousands of highly trained, brave, courteous public servants paid for entirely by tax dollars. Yes, let’s debate the proper size and scope of government, but let’s never again be heard claiming that “the government has never done anything for us.” Eric Trautwein Montecito

I Told You So

I’m not pretending to be a Sybil, but I have been predicting this holocaust for the last three years, as most of my clients can attest. I was thinking people would die in Mission Canyon, because homeowners are not seeing the reality of their situation, which is a desperate need for more aggressive thinning and cleanup of their trees and shrubbery. Of course, the canyon is a beautiful-looking place, but when you live in a (dry) forest, one must realize just one cigarette or match can start what just happened. I have been offering this partial remedy to the situation for many years but have yet to see anyone act on my idea, so I’m going to spell it out now for the public to use or ignore. Here it is; I call it the Tyburn Safety Initiative: If you own a pool, it could be used to suppress any fire that could be approaching your home, without putting you in danger. Simply install a 4 – 11 January 2018

permission to plant the new tree in Manning Park. After a fundraiser, a blue aptos was secured from Northern California and planted December 1, 2011. A commemorative stone was placed under the tree, and the decoration continued with the help of the Beautification Committee of the Montecito Association and Montecito Union School. The tradition of the CommunityHathaway Memorial Tree lives on! Dana Newquist Montecito

Upper Village Security

Polly may want a cracker, but we know she didn’t really get that hat on this visiting scrub jay

Honda pump on your pool deck that will suck water out of your pool and send it to a few Rain Birds placed in areas that are most vulnerable near your house. All you do is start the pump and leave. For the first time, that pool – which most Santa Barbarians never use – will do you some good. And, yes, it just might save your house. Another thought: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the insurance companies that were saved a couple hundred million dollars in payouts gave a bonus to all the fantastic firefighters who saved this town? Gene Tyburn Santa Barbara

Buying Locally

Wishing everyone happy holidays! The suburban wildlife at 1355 Danielson Road in Montecito came through the fire and would like to express their gratitude to the fire department and firefighters. And they’d like to remind all Santa Barbarians that this is the time to buy locally as much as possible, whether it’s doing a winery tasting, eating at local independent restaurants, buying books from Chaucer’s, getting cheeses and charcuterie from C’est Cheese, shopping at the farmers market, or

maybe just picking up a bag of peanuts (much appreciated by the scrub jays and the only way I can get them to move off my iPad so I can use it). Polly Frost Montecito

Montecito’s Living Memorial

On the morning of December 24, Trish Davis and I organized a group of local residents and children to decorate the Community ChristmasHathaway Memorial Tree. With help from the Manning Park rangers, the Paterson family, Bob and Mary Gates, Susan Brown, Dolores Johnson, Bea Molina, and many “passersby,” the tree got dressed up for Christmas. Megan Abundis of KSBY-TV recorded the activity for her television audience on Christmas Eve. Rhonda Hathaway stopped by earlier to see the tree and give some background of the early days of decorating the tree when it was at San Ysidro and the 101 freeway. She remembered the tree first being decorated in the secrecy of night beginning in 1962. That tree became diseased and was cut down by Caltrans in 2011, the same day the Memorial for Don Hathaway occurred. Fast work was needed to secure a replacement tree and get

What ever happened with the upper village security guard who was threatening to make mass arrests of folks wanting to temporarily leave the parking lot outside Union Bank? I have a feeling lots would like to know. Ben Burned Montecito (Editor’s note: Although we haven’t been able to confirm it, our guess is that the unwanted publicity – thanks to alert readers such as you – has driven the guard to seek other employment. – J.B.)

Happy New Year!

The National Debt is now $20,612 trillion. We are the greatest debtor nation in history. A $650-billion increase, since President Obama left

office with a $19.962-trillion national debt, a $9.335-trillion (88%) increase from when he took office. We have $109.422 trillion in unfunded liabilities, which include Social Security and Medicare, both projected to go bankrupt, as well as unsustainable federal employee benefits and pensions. Our growing national debt and our unfunded mandates make us the greatest Ponzi scheme in history. Our debt problem has been imposed upon us, our children, grandchildren, and future generations by both Republican and Democrat members of the Senate and House of Representatives, who have the power and responsibility to control spending and to decrease the national debt. They have failed us and apparently are going to continue to do so: witness the new tax reduction law with no corresponding spending reductions. President Trump and Congress do not recognize their responsibility to end deficit spending. The debt is increasing with disastrous consequences to our survival as a nation and people. We will be unable to finance: debt interest and payoffs, defense, Social Security, Medicare, health care and human services, education, infrastructure, federal employee costs, et cetera. We will be a failed bankrupt nation and people. H.T. Bryan Santa Barbara •MJ

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to create a sisterhood that encourages one another to not just survive but thrive. Some of their services are daily peer counseling by survivors, support groups with licensed social workers, a buddy program, a mammogram screening assistance program, and essentials care package to help mastectomy patients. There are therapies such as reflexology, reiki, and lymphedema massage. All of the models couldn’t say enough good things about RCBC, and our support is needed. They are located at 55 Hitchcock Way, suite 101, and the phone is (805) 569-9693.

More models: Jackie Serebof, Rene Baird, Beverly Johnson Trial, Andrea Hutton, and Ophelia Sebastian

During lunch, there was a fashion show from Talbots presented by manager Kathleen Waltrip-Gardella and worn by BCRC clients, breast cancer survivors all. Silvana told each of their personal journeys through cancer before they strutted the catwalk. They were Bircan Arfaei, Rene Baird,

Every year, the Casa del Herrero staff gives a “thank you” Christmas cocktail party for its docents and volunteers. It follows a few days after the gala fundraiser so the house is decorated for that soirée and for the upcoming Christmas tours – a truly special time to visit the Casa. As they

The Biltmore’s amazing edible recreation of the 90-yearold facility

Penny Cocores, Andrea Hutton, Julie Koonce, Ophelia Sebastian, Jackie Serebof, and Beverly Johnson Trial. Some of the sponsors were Bonnie Bonfanti & Brooks London, Dede and Jim Nonn from Arnoldi’s Café, Joan Nordgren, Duncan Turner, M.D., Turner Medical Arts, and Sara Yegiyants, M.D., FACS, Plastic Surgery. BCRC helps women cope with the inevitable pain associated with a breast cancer diagnosis. They seek

say, “It’s the best time of the year!” Executive director Jessica Tade was pouring wine. Membership and volunteer coordinator Nichole Takeda was checking folks in, and development manager Anthony Miller was seeing about his house because of the Thomas Fire. The tables were laden with hot and cold treats, the favorite being the potpies. The fountain was sparkling with floating candles, and the trees were enchanted with red satin ribbons dangling.

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• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

Thad MacMillan with membership and volunteer coordinator Nichole Takeda and volunteer John Venable

Casa del Herrero executive director Jessica Tade with Steedman’s grandson and architect Albert Hinckley at the docent party

Some of the docents and others attending were: Larry Disharoon, Lore Dobler, Jane Dyruff, Sally Green, Thad MacMillan (finance committee), Michel Nellis, Diane Sassen, Christy and John (volunteer) Venable, Carolyn Williams, Bruce Emmens, Jane Metiu, Laura Wilson, and trustee Jane Defnet. In case you’ve never heard of Casa del Herrero (House of the Blacksmith), it is considered one of the finest examples of Spanish-Colonial Revival architecture in America. Board member, grandson, and architect Albert Hinckley says, “It is the finest.” It is not only on the National Register of Historic Places but has National Historic Landmark status given from Washington, D.C. That is primarily due to the Moorish gardens created by Ralph Stevens, Lockwood de Forest, and Francis T. Underhill. The Casa is an 11-acre estate on East Valley Road near the upper village, which Mr. Steedman had George Washington Smith build. It was finished on the day of the great earthquake in 1925 and withstood it unscathed. For Steedman’s wife Carrie’s 30th wedding anniversary in 1932, he had the late Smith’s partner

Docent Carolyn Williams with husband Bob at the Casa

Lutah Maria Riggs add an octagonal library. It makes one want to curl up with a good book. Carrie lived on the estate until her death in 1962, and then her daughter Medora Bass lived there until she died in 1987. George Bass, the Steedmans’ grandson, created the foundation that has operated the estate since 1993. Besides all the 15th- and 16th-century antiques you’ll see, the table is set and waiting for the owners to be seated with a staff similar to Downton Abbey to wait on them. Another time, another life, another century. Tours are by appointment only. Call (805) 565-5653.

Hat’s Off luncheon speaker for 2018 songwriter Jeff Barry and wife Nancy at the Lobero Auxiliary tea

Lobero Auxiliary tea co-chairs Sylvia Easton and Leslie Haight

toys, which will be delivered to CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation) for children who are without. The trusty co-chairs of this lovely event were Sylvia Easton and Leslie Haight. President Annie Williams greeted and welcomed. Lobero Theatre executive director David Asbell told the group, “The Lobero Theatre Associates have donated over $1 million since their founding in 1972.” Among the contributions were building the terrace outside and a grand piano. Director of development Brandon Mowrey proudly announced, “The guest speaker for the Hats Off MontJournal_January3rd'18:Layout 1 Luncheon on March 14, 2018, will be the famous songwriter Jeff Barry.” He

and wife Nancy live here. Among his many credits, Jeff has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and he created many of the biggest hits of the 1960s. If you are of a certain age, you may remember “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, “Then He Kissed Me”, “Be My Baby”, “Chapel of Love”, and more. A few of the members attending were Annie Williams, Mindy Denson, Rhea Hayes, Margaret Slater, Susan Tarlow, Joan Crossland, Janet McCann, Emily Dempster, and Hope Kelly. Santa Barbara is lucky to have these supporting groups helping out our 12/27/17 5:34 PM More Page coming 1 Theater District. in the New Year! •MJ

Holiday Tea

Deck the Halls! It was time for the Lobero Theatre Associates’s annual Holiday Tea at The Four Seasons Biltmore. I saw more sparkling wine than tea, but never mind. It’s the season to sparkle. And no one makes better tea sandwiches than the Biltmore, especially the lobster ones. Fredrik Rosvall was at the piano, as he usually is. Guests dressed in many shades of red and green brought arms full of Lobero director of development Brandon Mowrey, auxiliary president Annie Williams, and executive director David Asbell

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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 24) Montecito Union School principal Dr. Nick Bruski and Montecito resident and songwriter Kenny Loggins at an event in February

Anthony Ranii was hired as Montecito Union School’s new superintendent

Ranii began his new position July 17, leaving San Mateo County, where for the last eight years he had held the position of superintendent of Hillsborough City School District, an award-winning K-8 school district comprised of four schools. Prior to his role as superintendent, Ranii was the principal of one of the schools in the district, West Hillsborough School, for three years. He has been in education for nearly 18 years, beginning his career teaching kindergarten, third, fourth, and fifth grades. Mr. Ranii has also developed writing curriculum for the middle-school grades and has provided numerous trainings to teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators. He currently serves as the president of Schools for Sound Finance, an advocacy group for Basic Aid School Districts in California. Mr. Ranii, along with his wife and three kids, relocated to our area over the summer.

The MUS school board voted to move forward on several campus updates as part of the school’s Master Plan. The updates include renovation of existing school buildings and infrastructure, without the need for a bond measure in 2018. The scope of the work includes expanding the south parking lot from 20 to 80 spaces, expansion of on-campus student drop-off and pick-up areas in the south parking lot, restriping and widening of San Ysidro Road to include a left-turn lane for northbound traffic entering the south parking lot, interior renovations (including Americans with Disabilities Act compliance) of the kindergarten/first grade building and main building, conversion of the kindergarten parking lot to a play area, and securing of the campus, among other items. A draft environmental impact report is currently on the MUS website, at www.monteci tou.org; public comments on the DEIR will be accepted until January 9. Earlier in the year, MUS was named a federal nominee to compete in the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognition program, which honors schools that conserve resources while promoting health and environmental literacy. All the nominees were also named Green Achievers, the highest honor in the California Green Ribbon Schools recognition program. MUS had advanced in the program over the last several years; they earned Bronze Level in 2015 and Gold Level in 2016. MUS applied for the honor based on dozens of green initiatives throughout the campus, including waste diversion

via recycling and composting, removal of hazardous materials including pesticides and cleaning products, the removal of carpeting with noxious chemicals, daily UV index monitoring via the school’s Weather Station, less paper usage due to an increase in digital documents, organic gardening, the addition of a refillable water station, encouraging students and parents to walk to school, increased bike parking, and more. In February, kids were treated to a special guest, Montecito resident and singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins, who attended the Friday Flag ceremony. Loggins’s children attended the school decades ago, and he was asked at that time to write the school’s anthem by then principal Bronte Reynolds. The song, called “All Standing Together”, has been sung at Friday Flag assemblies ever since. Inspired by The Beach Boys’s hit “Be True to Your School”, Loggins said he decided to write a song that would help teach students to be true to themselves. Loggins and the students sang the song together, before Loggins was presented with a plaque thanking him for writing the song all those years ago. In April, droves of kids once again descended on the campus for the popular MUS Carnival, complete with rides, games, raffles, food, and entertainment. The proceeds from the event go toward funding a plethora of educational enrichment activities funded by the PTA. The PTA funds Art at Lunch, Organic Garden Club, a Poet-in-Residence, and the Green Team, and purchases instruments for the music program and library materials, among other things. In 2018, we can expect work to commence on the parking lot project on campus, following the end of the school year in June. Cold Spring School Cold Spring School also announced a new superintendent in May: Doctor Amy Alzina was voted in by the School Board to replace former superintendent/principal Dr. Tricia Price, who served six years at the helm. Dr. Alzina had been the principal at Adams Elementary in the Santa Barbara Unified School District for

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eight years and is credited for having a significant impact on that school’s increased test scores and parent involvement. “This is an incredible opportunity for me,” Alzina told parents in the audience during the May school board meeting. Beginning her career in 1999, Dr. Alzina taught P.E., kindergarten, first grade, and fifth grade at Santa Barbara Community Academy, an alternative year-round school on Santa Barbara’s Westside. She then went on to become the principal of that school for three years before transferring to Adams. She also held the title of interim assistant superintendent for SBUSD in 2014 and holds seats on several local educational boards and organizations. “Transferring to Cold Spring was an easy decision for me,” Alzina said, crediting the school’s “incredible students, collaborative school board, outstanding teachers and staff, and supportive and involved parents.” Plans for a new administrative building and classrooms are currently on hold, as the school board prepares to send a survey to District residents in the coming weeks. The survey will gauge residents’ opinions regarding a school bond measure in November and will help Dr. Alzina and the board determine the scope of a necessary project to replace the dilapidated portables on campus. “The portables have about two years of life left, at best,” Dr. Alzina said. It’s likely the project will be a scaleddown version of previous plans; Alzina says the priority is building a space for STEM and art classes. In August, former students from

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4 – 11 January 2018

Former Cold Spring School students gathered for a reunion on the campus in August

Crane Country Day School The first week of 2017, we reported on the opening of the Oak Tree Quad on the campus of Crane. The ceremony was the culmination of the largest building project in the school’s 88-year history. The project includes three buildings (roughly 6,100 sq. ft. of interior space), and an additional 3,500 sq. ft. of exterior decking. Two of the buildings house four new Upper School English and math classrooms (serving grades 6 through 8), administrative offices and bathrooms, and covered outdoor spaces outside of the classrooms. The third building is the 2,032-sq-ft Phil von Phul Design & Engineering Center, named in honor of Phil von Phul, a beloved science and geography teacher who passed away in 2015. A life-long tinkerer, von Phul started an engineering club, a precursor to the building that now bears his name. Von Phul lost his battle to pancreatic cancer at age 73. The new space incor4 – 11 January 2018

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Crane School student council members cut the ribbon to the campus’s new Oak Tree Quad in January 2017

Pete Shennum’s Sixth Grade Cold Spring School class and others gathered at the school gazebo for a mini reunion, which coincided with their Santa Barbara High School reunion. Pete and former student Patrick Maiani were the organizers of the potluck get-together, which included people from two to 82. The 16 attendees recounted stories and memories of school activities, and many pictures were taken; alumni came from as far as the Bay Area and Southern California. The group looked at old photos, exchanged emails, listened to music from the era and received roses and other mementos of the occasion.

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porates a fresh curriculum focused on engineering, design, and robotics, created in partnership with the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy. The center can be used as a workshop space or delineated into three separate classroom areas. The Oak Tree Quad, which is centered around a historic oak tree, is in alignment with the existing architecture of the 88-year-old school, including similar-styled Magnolia and Olive Quads, which are set farther back on the 11-acre parcel. The project, which includes an amphitheater space that can hold 250-plus students for daily assemblies, is part of a larger Master Plan update, which includes future demolition of two of the school’s older buildings to make way for an expanded Cate Hall. The Master Plan update also included a new kindergarten, which opened in 2011, and a new parking lot and entrance schematic, which were completed in 2014. The Oak Tree Quad construction broke ground on February 22, 2016, and work was completed in 10 months. We also reported on the school in May, when more than 240 parents, staff, teachers, and friends put on their country finest for Crane Country Day School’s annual Spring Gala and Auction. Themed “Crane Country Nights,” the festivities took full advantage of the school’s new Oak Tree Quad. Crane parents and gala co-chairs Hannah Gimbel Dal Pozzo and Sarah Muzzy set out to plan an elegant country event, transforming the Crane campus with hay-strewn pathways, serape-draped hay sofas,

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white linen and burlap-dressed round dinner tables, candles and iron lanterns, and roaming miniature horses. Guests enjoyed dinner, a live auction, and dancing. In October, Crane held another successful Country Fair: a day full of entertainment, amusement, and food, as well as the opportunity for the Crane community to teach the Santa Barbara community at large more about the school’s approach to learning and education.

Massage therapist Marlo Tell moved her business to the former Montecito Journal offices on Coast Village Circle; the Journal moved upstairs

Hellos & Goodbyes

Storefront shuffle: a look at who we welcomed and who we said goodbye to in our local business districts. Coast Village Road In January, MH Home, an interior design and home accessory store in Plaza Montecito, closed its doors after a year and a half in business. Owner Maureen Hemming, an interior designer, had used the space as a storefront to conduct her design work, as well as offer custom sofas, carpeting, and more, from a private label collection. Since then, the space has been leased to Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, for use by several of the company’s real estate agents. The new office is expected to open the first week of 2018. In March, Plaza Montecito also saw the opening of Teles Properties, a luxury residential real estate firm located on the second floor. Teles, which was once located farther up Coast Village Road, was one of 26 satellite locations across California, with select offices also located in Colorado and Cabo San Lucas. In August, Douglas Elliman, the nation’s fourth-largest residential real estate brokerage company, announced that it has entered into a contract of sale to acquire Teles Properties. The

John Nisbet of Compass opened a 4,000-sq-ft office at 1101 Coast Village Road Larry Martin, Teles Properties associate district manager for the new Montecito office; Teles was later acquired by Douglas Elliman

operations of Teles are now under the umbrella of Douglas Elliman, making Elliman the second-largest non-franchise brokerage firm in California. Another real estate brokerage, Compass, relocated on Coast Village Road in April. The office moved from its temporary location on Coast Village Circle to its new home in the space formerly occupied by Hayward’s Home. Managed by John Nisbet, who has 30-plus years of experience in local real estate markets and most recently managed the Coldwell Banker Montecito office, the Montecito Compass workplace is one of 30 such offices in 10 nationwide regions. The company, which was founded in October 2012, has more than 1,400 real estate agents nationwide, with 32 in the Santa Barbara area. A second Santa Barbara-area office on the corner of Anacapa and Carrillo opened several weeks later. Also in April: longtime Montecito massage therapist Marlo Tell moved her business to a new location on Coast Village Circle, in the offices formerly occupied by the Montecito Journal, which moved upstairs in the same building. The new, larger, space offers three treatment rooms, a reception area, and a break room; far more space than she’s had before. She was at her last location, 1126 and 1128 Coast Village Circle, for five years. Tell, a

graduate of the Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute, has been practicing massage since 1999 and has a dedicated following. The office is located at 1206 Coast Village Circle, suite D. A pop-up shop called Alice opened in Montecito Country Mart in the spring, offering customers quick, grab-and-go food from local purveyors. “We want to offer an easy alternative to eat healthily on the go,” said Beth Kuttner, who is running the shop. Kuttner and public relations guru Alice Ryan Miller started the shop, taking over the space formerly occupied by Merci-To-Go. “Alice” has partnered with local food purveyors as a location in which to sell product and ready-to-serve food; no food is actually prepared on site. Alice also carries a variety of food items, including vegan pesto, hummus, and “superfood bread” from Oat Bakery, coffee from Dart, and honey and dried beans from Butter Bean Studios. The pop-up will be open until further notice. In May, mother/daughter hairstylist team Cindy Brokaw and Jennifer Palocsay opened Haven Salon at 1150 Coast Village Road, suite F. The new salon, located in the former home of Shear Pleasure next to Bree’ Osh and Alice’s Nail Boutique, specializes in haircuts, styling, color, highlights, straightening and smoothing, up-dos and styling for weddings, balayage (a highlighting technique), hair extensions, permanent waves, color correc-

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Beth Kuttner and her pop-up shop, Alice, in Montecito Country Mart

tion, and eyebrow styling. Brokaw, who has been doing hair in Montecito for 30 years, is the former owner of Cygnet Le Salon & Spa, which was located on Coast Village Road for 15 years. She has also worked at the Four Seasons Biltmore, Salon del Mar, Shear Pleasure, and most recently, the Hair Lounge, near the Bird Refuge. Her daughter, Jennifer, has been doing hair for 18 years, and is also a master colorist and color educator; the Hair Lounge (near the Bird Refuge) was the first place they’ve worked side by side. In July, Bobbi Bennett joined The Gallery Montecito as its new director and curator. Bennett was approached by The Gallery owners, Marjorie Layden and Linda Evans, who sought her expertise in running the gallery, which opened two years ago. Each show at the venue is curated with a theme, and a portion of the proceeds is given to a nonprofit organization. Also in July: we introduced Michelle Kass, the owner of Montecito Brow Studio on Middle Road, who celebrated a year in business. A brow aficionado since she was a teen, Kass grew up in Montecito and attended Montecito Union School. She says she had an obsession with eyebrows while growing up and knew she wanted to learn from famous brow guru Anastasia Soare, who launched her beauty brand in 1997 after being endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. With

VILLAGE BEAT Page 344 4 – 11 January 2018

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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 32) Montecito Dental Group partners, doctors Scarcello, Benedetto, and Shepard celebrated the practice’s 20th anniversary in September

Cindy Brokaw and her daughter, Jennifer Palocsay, opened Haven Salon on Coast Village Road

Oliver’s on Coast Village Road opened in September

white walls, black trim, contemporary furniture, new lighting, and modern wood floors, the three-room salon is peaceful and classy. The salon offers brow waxing and additional waxing services, as well as sugaring. In September came the much-anticipated opening of Oliver’s after more than five years of improvements to the property, which was once home to Peabody’s. The restaurant, owned by Craig McCaw, was extensively remodeled with the help of general contractor Giffin & Crane. Designed with an aesthetic reminiscent of a contemporary residence, the space features a large bar with plush, highbacked bar stools, a communal dining table, multiple lounge areas, floorto-ceiling nano doors that lead to a large outdoor patio, and a dining room overlooking Coast Village Road. Interior designer firm SFA Design planned the polished, refined space, with open-beamed ceilings, comfortable furniture, and neutral tones. Art Luna designed the exterior space and landscaping, which includes hundreds of hanging tree lights over the heated patio. The eatery has 100 seats; more than half of those are on the outdoor patio. The plant-based menu includes a selection of small plates, salads, entrées, and vegetable side dishes. All sauces and dressings are made from scratch every day. Produce is sourced locally and is almost 100%

organic, with bread coming from local purveyors Our Daily Bread and Oat Bakery. At the bar, signature cocktails are crafted with organic cold-pressed juice from Juice Ranch. Oliver’s is located at 1198 Coast Village Road. Also in September, Montecito Dental Group, the largest and longest-running dental practice in the Santa Barbara area, celebrated 20 years in business. Located off Coast Village Road in Paseo Mariposa, the practice includes doctors Lynda Benedetto, Cris Shepard, and Gregory Scarcello, along with their team of 22 staff, hygienists, and assistants. Founded in 1997, Montecito Dental Group specializes in general and family dentistry, including aesthetic dentistry, invisalign, and children’s dentistry. In November, Silverhorn announced it would be closing its store at 1155 Coast Village Road after 31 years in business. Owned by Carole and Michael Ridding, the store has had tremendous success selling exclusive designs in fine jewelry, loose gemstones, carvings, and timepieces. The store has hosted an unprecedented sale throughout December, hoping to liquidate the remaining items. The couple will continue to operate their smaller location, located at the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore. In January, it’s expected that the first of three restaurant concepts, under the umbrella of Scratch Restaurants,

Scratch Restaurants will open their three restaurant concepts at Montecito Inn early 2018

which is owned by chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Lee, will open at Montecito Inn. The first, located in the former bar area to the left of the Inn’s driveway, is poised to be Frankland’s Crab & Co, a casual restaurant featuring an array of gourmet seafood items. Monarch, which will be located in the former home of Montecito Café, will soon follow, along with a gourmet ice cream shop featuring Chef Margarita Lee’s dessert creations. Upper Village In April, we told you about the opening of Juniper, a women’s clothing and accessory boutique in Montecito’s San Ysidro Village. The shop is located in the former home of élu, a handbag, shoe, and accessory store that closed earlier this year. Stylist, designer, and business owner Marie Ferris founded and operated a successful boutique in Del

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Mar for 16-plus years before moving up to Montecito to take on a house renovation project. Juniper offers oneof-a-kind jewelry, and designer handbags and belts, as well as an array of contemporary clothing including dresses, denim, leather jackets, woven silk blouses, luxury T’s, and cashmere sweaters. The store is located in one of developer Richard Gunner’s cottages, built to look like a residential home. Also in the upper village: in June, we announced the one-year anniversary of Lilibeth Salon Hair & Makeup, owned by Lilibeth Caplinger. The space has been operated as a salon for decades, most recently as Salon Du Mont. Lilibeth, who was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. in 2002, rented space from Salon du Mont for a year before she decided to purchase the salon with the help of her friends, the Escalera family. The salon is open seven days a week and offers full hair services, makeup,

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• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

Montecito Milestones

Montecito Association Happenings At the Montecito Association’s 69th annual meeting in January, the MA board thanked outgoing president Aaron Budgor for his service. Three longtime board members retired, including Brenda Blalock, Trish Davis, and Tom Schleck. Five vacancies were filled on the board, including the re-election of Cliff Gherson and Charlene Nagel. New members included Laura Bridley, Houghton Hyatt, and Dr. Jerome Kay. New offi-

Outgoing Cold Spring School superintendent Tricia Price and Montecito Union School superintendent Tammy Murphy were this year’s Village Fourth grand marshals

Victoria Greene announced her retirement from the MA in August

MA president Charlene Nagel, Citizen of the Year Jack Overall and wife Sherri, and 1st District supervisor Das Williams at Beautification Day in November

Juniper owner Marie Ferris at her San Ysidro Village shop, which opened in April

Sybil Rosen was appointed to the Montecito Association Board of Directors in October

Lilibeth Caplinger celebrated the one-year anniversary of her upper village salon in June

Allison Marcillac was appointed as executive director of the Montecito Association

Dadiana Salon owner Diane Meehan and new nail technician Katarina Adamovic

facials, wedding beauty packages, and nail services. In September, Dadiana Salon in the upper village welcomed Katarina Adamovic, a licensed nail technician who specializes in an array of nail art techniques. Katarina has been a nail technician for the last five years, and has a devoted following of clients from Montecito, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. Katarina offers spa manicures, pedicures, traditional hard gel nails, Shellac soft gel nails, acrylic nails, acrylic with gel overlay, and the latest trends of designer manicures. 4 – 11 January 2018

Tammy Murphy and Dr. Tricia Price as grand marshals. In October, nearly 200 Montecito residents attended the MA and Montecito Fire District’s Disaster Preparedness Forum at Montecito Union School, which was chock full of valuable information from a panel of experts on how to prepare for emergencies. Fire chief Chip Hickman, MFPD Operations chief Kevin Taylor, MERRAG president Sue Ziliotto, MFPD’s Wildland specialist Maeve Jaurez, MFPD’s Public Information officer Joyce Reed, and Santa Barbara County’s Office

cers were voted in, with Nagel taking the reins as president. Monica Babich was elected as vice president, Dan Eidelson as second vice president, Michele Saltoun as treasurer, and Dr. Barbara Mathews as secretary. In May, Eidelson stepped down from the MA to take a seat on the planning commission. The following month, Peter van Duinwyk was appointed as second vice president. In July, Penelope Bianchi and Megan Orloff were appointed to the board to fill two vacancies. In September, Dr. Kay passed away, leaving a vacancy that was filled by Sybil Rosen in October. The Association had another busy year, including hosting several successful events. July marked the organization’s 22nd Village Fourth parade and barbecue, once again organized by Mindy Denson. The MA honored outgoing school superintendents It’s good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end. – Ursula K. LeGuin

of Emergency Management director Robert Lewin discussed four major disasters that could affect Montecito, including earthquakes, flooding, tsunamis, and wildland fires. November marked the MA’s 32nd annual Beautification Day, which honored Jack Overall as Citizen of the Year. This year, the MA board and Land Use Committee weighed in on many important issues affecting Montecito, including Accessory Dwelling Units,

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

TRAIL TALK

Author Lynn Kirst is almost unrecognizable in her firefighter suit, in a last-second photo taken by Bill Myers as the Thomas Fire blew up

Story and photos by Lynn P. Kirst

A Tribute to Firefighter Bill from His Trusty Sidekick

The oncoming Thomas Fire the morning of December 16, when it was burning rim-to-rim above the Oak Creek Canyon drainage before quickly descending in a wind-and-fuel-driven firestorm

“Y

ou’ve got a big-ass fire headed straight your way,” was the salty salutation I heard when answering the phone. The caller was William J. Myers, a lifelong family friend and veteran retired firefighter known more familiarly as Bill. I was a bit perplexed, as the only fire I had heard about at the time was something called the Thomas Fire, and it was way over in Santa Paula or Fillmore or someplace far from Santa Barbara. But I sit up and pay attention when Bill says something like that. You can’t help but do so, as Bill is known for his colorful language, which ninety percent of the time is delivered in a booming voice that can be heard all the way from his home in Tujunga. Bill is familiar with Santa Barbara, as his late mother, Ethel, lived near Franceschi Park for many years. The Sycamore Canyon Fire, which destroyed more than 200 homes in July 1977, was the first WildlandUrban Interface (WUI) fire Bill fought in Santa Barbara. “I got real big pointers from that fire,” Bill once told me. “When I saw ice plant burn, I was impressed. Those sundowner winds are layered. The wind gets really strong down near the ground.” Bill’s near-prophetic accuracy in predicting the path of wildfires is uncanny, but not voodoo. Armed with a degree in fire science, Bill has 40-plus years of experience in fighting wildland fires, which he finds more interesting than structural fires. But he is also a licensed building contractor, so he has a complete grasp

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A museum and travel professional, community volunteer, and lifelong equestrienne, Lynn Kirst is a fourth-generation Californian who grew up in Montecito; she can often be found riding or hiking the local trails.

of edifice fire behavior as well as the outdoors. Bill’s résumé is as long as my arm and includes positions with the U.S. Forest Service, plus chief of the Mount Wilson Fire Department in Los Angeles County for several years. He left the institutional bureaucracy of firefighting many moons ago and became an independent fire consultant and contractor, as well as a volunteer firefighter, and an arson watch volunteer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. I’ve known Bill all my life, as he became friends with my older brother when they were both in elementary school. Over a 25-year-period, he performed a number of building-related jobs for my late father, Philip Kirst. The most important of those projects was the engineering of a complex fire suppression system at our family home in Montecito, which he installed after the Tea Fire burned through large swaths of our area in 2008, destroying 210 homes. Because Bill is completely devoted to my mother, Colleen Kirst, whom he considers his “second Mom,” he arrived – unasked but so welcome – on December 9. His truck, permanently outfitted with firefighting gear and a 160-gallon water tank, was packed

to the gills with excess firefighting equipment (all of which we used). Bill arrived with a clear mission: to protect Mom’s house, as he didn’t want to see her burned out at 93 years of age. He knew I would stay and help as best I could, so we immediately began preparing for the arrival of the Thomas Fire, starting by getting our house and barn saturated with water from the many Rain Bird type sprinklers that are one aspect of our fire suppression system. “We’re going to use the indirect method of fighting fire,” Bill told me many times over the course of the next week. A key component of that method was raising the humidity level on our property by keeping the now-saturated buildings wet with a twice daily “refresher” dose of water. When mandatory evacuation orders for our section of East Mountain Drive were set in place the next day, we sent my mother to stay with relatives in the Los Angeles area. I had sent my horses to Santa Ynez a couple of days before, thanks to Bill’s accurate prediction that the polo fields in Carpinteria would be evacuated long before anyone I knew thought of that possibility. We explained to a sheriff deputy who visited, as well as every fire chief who approached us, that we knew we were defying the mandatory evacuation order, but we intended to exercise our right to stay and fight the fire. We prepared in earnest, with no idea that we would be sequestered together on the property for nearly two weeks. It was a strange, reverse “evacuation,” as we knew if we left that we would not be able to get back onto the property. We could see the street below us crawling with police and fire crews, and knew the roadblocks were in place. Bill and I realized we were in a crucial spot, as our little 7-acre ranch sits immediately above the heart of Montecito as the crow flies. Even more ominously, it sits at the bottom of the Oak Creek Canyon drainage, where the sundowner winds can howl with a force not seen in other parts of Montecito. There has been many a

• The Voice of the Village •

time when I’ve arrived there to find hot, sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph blowing debris all over the place, when literally a few hundred yards down the road not a leaf is stirring. Over the course of the week, Bill told me the fire could go straight to the beach, just like it had in Ventura County, if we didn’t stop it there. While that seemed a dramatic prediction, I knew better than to doubt Bill given his proven accuracy on calculating fire behavior. But in an abstract way, stopping the blaze seemed blithely doable to me, the optimist with no experience at firefighting. After all, we had this gonzo fire suppression system, right? A system that we dutifully demonstrated to every crew who wanted to know what kind of resources we had on hand. In addition, I had removed nearly 100 eucalyptus trees over the last couple of years, to create what I was told many times by firemen was one of the most defensible spaces in Montecito. I also wanted our property to be used as a staging area by the fire crews, which indeed it was – all week. Dozens of vehicles were in and out of there all the time, and every night several engines and water tenders parked in the lower pasture. All this “firepower” only added to my feeling of confidence and security. Except for the growing number of moments when, with emerging alarm and an unsettling sense of dread, I would ask myself, “Just what the hell have I signed up for here?” Those moments included Bill’s serious explanations about fire behavior and his scenarios for Plans A, B, C, D, E, and then Plan F, which stands for “Flee.” Watching the television news reports, as the fire marched steadily closer. The ominous dark skies, so filled with smoke that helicopters and air tankers were often prevented from making water drops. When Bill taught me how to operate a fire hose, of which he had laid out hundreds of feet, snaking all around the property. Augmented by the red canisters of numerous fire extinguishers, 4 – 11 January 2018

Lynn Kirst with her lifelong family friend and heroic firefighter Bill Myers. This impromptu photograph was taken by a stranger in front of a store the day mandatory evacuation orders were lifted, and they were able to leave the ranch where they stayed for two weeks during the Thomas Fire.

placed in strategic locations in case the water gave out. Which we hoped was unlikely, since we also have a 5,000-gallon water tank hooked to a backflow refill mechanism, with a gas-powered engine to run it and solar-powered battery back-up. In addition to the large Rain Bird sprinklers such as those found on golf courses, we have a couple of “big guns,” the huge Rain Birds used in the logging camps of Oregon and Washington, calibrated to shoot 200 gallons of water per minute. We had 60 gallons of Class-A foam retardant to spray on the buildings, and we had flame-retardant fire shelters to crawl into for the worst-case scenario. But we also had the most important element of all: Bill Myers. A smart and fearless old grizzly bear who I characterize as a cross between Rooster Cogburn from True Grit and the infamous oil well firefighter Red Adair. Perhaps the most sobering moment of all was when Bill taught me a last-resort survival technique: how to go into a 3-point drop to the ground and obtain oxygen from the end of the fire hose by sticking my face into a wide-angle fog pattern and placing my nose at just the right angle from the spraying water at the nozzle discharge. This wasn’t easy to practice when wearing the bulky, mansized PPG he had brought me. That’s 4 – 11 January 2018

16. But that day, as well as the week before and the week after, was filled with numerous incidents that could have completely derailed our success. Some were funny and some were life-threatening. Several people have told me I should write a book about the whole experience, which I hope to do. Because this is really the story of one man’s strength and ingenuity, resilience and resourcefulness, proficiency and faith. It speaks to the American experience and our tradition of self-reliance. But long story short: the fire arrived with a vengeance that nobody could have predicted. It blew up, which means the temperature soared above 2,000 degrees and the color turned white. The noise, the smoke, the winds, and the heat are indescribable. Bill and I didn’t know until later that the firefighters camped in my pasture just a few minutes before had been ordered to retreat to a safer area, along with all the other firefighting crews in our vicinity. So, we fought the fire for nearly two hours by ourselves, until it was safe enough for the crews to be allowed back in. But Bill’s plan worked, and we were able to stop the center section of what was a three-part flanking fire from getting past us. It was stopped by the wall of humidity that he had created during the course of the preceding week, along with all his additional

strategies. As for me, I just followed orders, knowing my life was in Bill’s hands, but trusting that he would bring us both through. And by the grace of God, he did. Some of this story was made public by KEYT reporter Senerey de los Santos, who serendipitously did a television interview with Bill and me the night before the December 16 firefight, and again the day after. The follow-up story went national, and we jokingly called it “our 15 minutes of flame.” From the responses that both Bill and I have received from all over the country, we have slowly realized that ours was truly a unique and amazing experience. Bill’s dire prediction was confirmed when fire authorities were later quoted as saying they thought the wildfire was going to go all the way to the beach and were amazed when it didn’t. I tip my hat – my firefighting helmet hat – to Bill Myers, an inimitable character whom I am proud to call my brother. He was successful in making sure that our mother had a house to come back to when the evacuation orders were lifted. Because of his dedication to that mission, so did many other people in Montecito. Among the nearly 9,000 first responders who battled the massive Thomas Fire, he’s the hero I especially think of whenever I see the signs posted all over town: “Thank You, Firefighters.” •MJ

shorthand for “Personal Protective Gear,” i.e., a heavy firefighter suit. I silently blessed my Pilates teacher for strengthening my core muscles, as it’s nearly impossible to balance on both knees and one elbow while hanging onto the heavy hose with one hand. I got soaked in no time, but at least I didn’t drown myself. No, wait. The most sobering moment was when all of Montecito immediately below us was placed under mandatory evacuation. All the way to the beach. The heart of Montecito, from the Village to the Four Seasons Biltmore. I thought of all the landmarks within that path, such as Casa del Herrero and Casa Dorinda. The churches of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, El Montecito Presbyterian and All Saints Episcopal. Montecito Union School, the Montecito Inn, and the Coral Casino beach club. The homes of many friends and neighbors, and the house where I lived with my late husband. The business district of Coast Village Road, all emptied. I swallowed hard when I received that particular text alert, because it was then that I knew in my heart Bill would never implement Plan F. But I silently determined I was damned if I was going to leave him there alone. Lack of space prevents me from detailing what happened during our firefight on the morning of December When you stop living your life based on what others think of you, real life begins. – Shannon Alder

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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.

Dive into Karmic Destiny

agan and Alex Thomson met Dale Halaway more than a decade ago, when Alex signed up for a business coaching seminar and immediately felt a connection. Over the years, the Montecito power couple kept working with Halaway, a veteran transformational life coach, in a variety of public and eventually private seminars and coaching sessions – a practice they still maintain to this day. Along the way, they even asked Halaway to co-officiate at their wedding. About two years ago, the Thomsons, who are raising their three children in an estate high in the Montecito hills, have been inspired to bring Halaway’s offerings to their greater community. The couple has sponsored more than 10 workshops with Halaway over that span, covering two different series of five weekend seminars encompassing such topics as romantic relationships, money, the inner child, and more. Next weekend, Halaway returns to town with a new edition to the series, one that focuses on the yearnings of the soul. Karmic Destiny with Dale Halaway takes place January 12-14 at the Healing Hub, the community space the Thomsons opened in La Cumbre Plaza last fall. The seminar is open to all, including those who are new to his work, as long as the desire to make significant changes are palpable. “(The seminars are for) when it’s time for you to start making serious changes in your life, real changes, on a cellular level,” Halaway said. “Perhaps it’s been time for several years, but you don’t know how or are just downright afraid of going there. Which is normal, as across the board – business leaders, entrepreneurs, anyone – most people resist change, either consciously or unconsciously. And as long as you maintain a level of resistance, the only change that will happen is for the worse. It only increases at those times when we’re truly meant to be changing but resisting.” The problem, Halaway noted, is that even then we take the easy way out – though it only leads to deeper suffering. “Because we live in such a medicated culture, whenever we’re in pain, we go medicate. The culture has taught us so well that most people aren’t even aware when they’re medicating. Pharmaceutical drugs are the most obvious, but it’s also too many cigarettes, eating too much candy or otherwise stuffing with food, surfing the Internet, or doing too much yoga.” Which is why the initial sessions at any of Halaway’s seminars – regardless of the theme – are designed to “lift your awareness,” he said. “It’s crucial, because you have to see things as they really are in order to change them. We look at how and where you make your choices from. Are you going down a path of distraction and dis-empowerment? That’s what leads to feeling heavier and tired.” That sense of awareness always arrives early on in the seminars, Halaway said. “You see within the first hour of Day 1, everyone’s awareness starts to lift. I can tell the moment it’s happening, because the energy shifts in the room.” Then it’s time to “get elevated in your own consciousness. That’s what empowers you to make different choices and make changes,” Halaway said. “That’s where the magic starts to happen.” The centerpiece of most of his seminars is the Transcovery Process, one of Halaway’s creations that he said is “based on good quality self-inquiry. It takes you inside and helps you to make the connections of what is coming up for you in your life to what’s going on inside. It helps you understand yourself on a deeper or newer level that keeps expanding the more you use it.” For Halaway, that magic has been happening since early on in his life. “I was born to do this,” he said. “The signs were all over the place. I was meant to be helping people transform themselves.” Serious health challenges in his 30s forced Halaway to embrace his own concepts, when he survived the last of three near-death experiences, healing himself naturally and organically via his own techniques of ultimate awareness and action. “Anyone who knows me well will tell you my teachings are not things I heard out of a book,” he explained. “They come from a place of experience. That’s why they’re so powerful. Nobody gave this to me. I earned this. It was my dharma. I had to learn the hard way. The painful paths led me to discover more truths, more universal laws, and that’s where my teaching come from.” The upcoming Karmic Destiny seminar offers a specific focus on the soul’s code. “It’s about our greater purpose,” Halaway said. “How from a DNA level goes it gets released into the body and the core of our lives? It’s about getting in touch with why we’re really here and what life’s expression is truly about

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for each of us as individuals and collectively – experiencing, achieving, and ultimately embodying it in this life.” In order to make the changes, it’s necessary to investigate the patterns that often run our lives,” Halaway said. “It might be a karmic pattern from previous lifetimes, or a low-energy one that you created from your childhood. You make your own discovery. What I do is help people make that connection to what’s going on inside of you in ‘now’ time, and where it is that we can change it up. Then you can transform and heal so that we experience our lives in a newer, more refreshing and radiant way.” (Karmic Destiny with Dale Halaway takes place January 12-14 at the Healing Hub, 121 S. Hope Ave., D111B. For more information, or to register, call 4537281 or visit www.healinghubsantabarbara.com. A $200 discount is available through Saturday, January 6.)

OM-G! Free Yoga to Kick off 2018

Power of Your Om, the yoga studio located at 1221 State St., suite 201 (just across the corridor from SOhO), is offering four free yoga classes between 8 am and 1 pm this Saturday, January 6. All levels of yogis are invited to sample the studio’s sessions, including its popular “Yoga Shred”, a mashup of yoga and circuit training, which is nonheated because the workout alone raises the temperature. The studio is warmed for both “Power Basics”, which has an emphasis on the foundation postures, and “Playful Power”, which portends a fun approach to a traditional power vinyasa class. Bring a mat, towel, water bottle – and an open mind (mat and towel rentals are available). Visit www. powerofyourom.com. Wednesday, January 10, brings Community Appreciation Night at YASA YOGA, an evening of food, libations, and fun that follows three free mini-classes beginning at 5:30 pm, with half-hour sessions covering beginning yoga, meditation, and candlelight yoga. The meet-and-greet portion begins at 7 pm with introduction of the newest members of the YASA family: Dr. Jeffrey Edman, M.D. of Mission St. Medical Spa; Beth Wettstein of KaiaFit; and Thea Goepfert, Ph.D. of Sound Healing. Events include a sound healing session, Tonic Latte Tastings by Essential Medicina, Conscious Kombucha Tastings, and more. The studio, located at 22 W. Mission St., is also offering free yoga all month for firefighters. Call 845-4626 or visit www.yasayoga.com. Now that the wildfire has abated and air-quality advisories lifted, Rachael Quisel is back to hosting her free yoga classes, with the next session also slated for Wednesday, January 10. The 5:30 pm gathering takes place at Just Communities, 1528 Chapala St., suite 308. Call 966-2063 for more info.

Emotions in Motion

Stace and Brie Ehret Barron, the founders and developers of Avraprana EmotoSpiritual Healing, are offering an introduction to the hands-on energy healing work this month. Avraprana is “based in the primacy of emotivity as that which makes us most soulfully human,” an integrative approach to the relationship between “unconscious emotive congestion, pranic turbulence, chakral dissonance, physical disease, and intuitive-based access of all kinds to the subtle realms of being”. The workshop has a three-pronged target audience: current purveyors of energy healing, for whom the class may provide ways that can deepen and broaden skills sets; prospective healers, who may glean practical ways to assess their gift and provide a basis for further development; and anyone who desires more knowledge of what actually occurs in alternative energy/hands-on healing to be better informed and prepared when seeking such treatments. The timing for the course is still up in the air, thought it will encompass six weeks of two- to three-hour sessions, and accommodate a maximum of nine students. The fee is $35 per class or $195 pre-paid for the full six-week course. Email stace@avraprana.com or call Brie (541) 326-8093 by Wednesday, January 10, to indicate your interest and desired dates and times for the meetings.

Finding Freedom

Santa Barbara Bodhi Path Buddhist Center’s resident teacher Dawa Tarchin Phillips launches a new course for the new year that’s especially suited for newcomers. Finding Freedom, which takes place at 7 pm on three Thursdays, January 4, 11, and 25 – addresses how to avoid the three biggest mistakes that keep a spiritual practice from bearing fruit and connecting to the authentic teachings of Buddha in modern times. The class introduces the meaning and aim of the path of awakening while offering guidance on how to avoid the three biggest pitfalls of modern practitioners and take joyful first steps toward reducing your own and others’ suffering. Bodhi Path is located at 102 W. Mission St. Call 284-2704 or visit www.bodhipathsb.org. •MJ

• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 19)

November, during rehearsals, Mosley said. “I got to interview him, which is my background, so I loved it!” he recalled. “I got to ask him what he was thinking and feeling, his motivation during scenes I was portraying. As unnerving as it is to play someone who is living, who can come to show and say, ‘Hey that’s not me!’, it’s also so helpful to be able to hear and see first-hand how things affected him. You can see it in his eyes that he goes right back to the place, those moments in the ‘60s or ‘70s, and he’s able to recount all the details.” Mosley is loving his time on stage embodying the man who in many ways changed the face of pop music, the impresario of both song and social change who founded Motown on just $800 in family money. “People are familiar with the songs. Even if they weren’t born during the time. They all know them. But the musical also tells how everything came to be. You get to see how Mr. Gordy grew from a child into adulthood as a young man trying to come to grips with taking on his vision of Motown when African-Americans didn’t have an executive place in making music. You see how he fought his way through the political mire and found a label that became a flagship for music in general, not just black or white.” You can just groove on the oldies, iconic songs such as “My Girl”, “What’s Going On?”, and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that still resonate a half-century later. But it’s the greater message of love – the same one that inspired Mosley to become a preacher – that permeates even beyond the music, Mosley said. “We’re living in a time that is so divisive in many ways. Things just keep getting more aggressively tense in our society. Shows like this, where we come together, we find out that there is more that unifies us than divides us. That’s what they call the Motown legacy: that something so small as music can make you feel something as expansive as love. That’s the message we want to spread.” (Motown the Musical performs at 7:30 pm Tuesday and Wednesday January 9 and 10 at the Granada Theatre. Tickets cost $89 to $99. Call 899-2222 or visit www.granadasb.org.)

5Q’s with Justin Fox

Former Montecito resident Justin Fox left his own group Tripdavon to take over lead singing duties in Dishwalla from founder J.R. Richards when the Santa Barbara band – famous for the 1995 mega-hit “Counting Blue Cars” – resurfaced a decade ago. He was out hiking in the Thomas Fire burn 4 – 11 January 2018

areas in the hills above Carpinteria a few hours before we talked last weekend. But Fox is no ordinary looky-loo – he lives in Carpinteria and the band is playing the first show in the “Alcazar Rises Benefit” series to aid victims at the newly renamed theater (formerly the Plaza Playhouse) downtown in the seaside town on Saturday night, January 6. Q. Going back to 2006, it must have been daunting for you to step into J.R.’s role. A. Yeah, the very first time they asked me to play with them, it was because they had some shows lined up while he was taking a leave of absence to do some solo work. We jammed for a while, and then they asked if I could do the gigs. The first one turned out to be for 30,000 people at a festival with just three bands. I had two weeks to learn 90 minutes of music. So, I just did my homework and we did the gig. We kept playing and now 11 years have gone by. It took you almost a decade to finally make a new album together. Why? It was intentional to take a break, not just put one out with the new guy. We wanted to spend some time, become a band together, develop a sound that was all us. When we finally did record, it captured that energy we’ve got going on from the stage. You made the album in Joshua Tree at Eric Burdon’s place. How’d that happen? He’s a family friend. I toured with him for 10 years as an opening act, as his tour manager, in his band singing back-up and doing percussion. I told him we didn’t want to make the album in some sterile recording studio but rather like my old studio, which was in a house right next to Vons. We’d spent more time playing hackysack and passing a football in the backyard than in the studio. He’d just moved to Ojai, and he had a big open house in Joshua Tree he let us use. So, we packed up furniture, recording equipment, inflatable mattresses, and all the food and booze we needed and built the studio overnight. We lived there like the Biodome for two weeks. It was a beautiful experience. October is perfect time there, with a warm wind billowing into darkness with the doors and windows open. We were just jamming, experimenting in this funky place in the desert, creating art, getting weird with it. That’s why the record is really organic, a big, trashy rock record that we made in the room together. It’s imprecise and that’s exactly what we wanted. You had a home-based recording studio in Montecito for a decade. But now you’re rocking for recovery at your local joint next weekend. So, Carp must feel like

home now. Yeah, I feel very close to the community ever since I moved here right before my daughter was born. (Bassist) Rodney (Browning Cravens) lives on Linden and I call him the Mayor of Carp because he knows everybody. There’s always a connection no matter who I talk to. This place is amazing. It’s like our little secret, or it used to be. Once you get here, you don’t want anybody else to know about it. But now, walking down to the coffee shop, I see Conan O’Brien or Ashton Kutcher. Ellen DeGeneres just bought a place on the beach. But it still feels like you’ve been transported back to a 1950s beach community. We played a benefit at the Earl Warren Showgrounds when I first FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Santa Barbara Mobile Mechanic, 3901 Sheldon Drive, Apt. 31, Ventura, CA 93003. Marc Edward Sandor, 3901 Sheldon Drive, Apt. 31, Ventura, CA 93003. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 29, 2017. 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) by Tania Paredes-Sadler. FBN No. 2017-0003484. Published January 3, 10, 17, 24, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Loan Closet, 360 Olive Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of SB, 509 E. Montecito Street, Suite 200, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 7, 2017. 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) by Connie Tran. FBN No. 2017-0003318. Published January 3, 10, 17, 24, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT: The following person(s) has (have) abandoned the use of the Fictitious Business

If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable. – Seneca

joined the band for the Gap Fire. Let’s hope this is the last one for decades. The Alcazar is a local landmark, albeit a bit smaller than the Santa Barbara Bowl, where you guys got to open for Tears for Fears this fall. How was that? Whenever a local boy makes good gets to stand up at the Bowl and sing on a beautiful night, that’s the top. I don’t care how many shows we’ve done wherever, how big or important. When you’ve got your toes hanging off that stage, it’s the pinnacle of your career. It was just magical. (Dishwalla plays 8 pm Saturday, January 6, at the Alcazar Theatre. Tickets cost $40. Call 684-6380 or visit www.thealcazar.org.) •MJ

Name(s): Campovans; Campo Vanworks, 687 Circle Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Byron R. Beck, 687 Circle Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Robyn G. Beck, 687 Circle Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. This statement was originally filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 16, 2015. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by Connie Tran, filed November 22, 2017. Original FBN No. 2015-0002724. Published December 20, 2017; January 3, 10, 17, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Union Marine, 125 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. Santa Barbara Fuel Dock, INC, 22 N. Calle Cesar Chavez, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 12, 2017. 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) by Connie Tran. FBN No. 2017-0003363. Published December 20, 2017; January 3, 10, 17, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Tree Hugger Sporting Goods, 107 Nopalitos Way #4604, Santa Barbara, CA 93140. Michael Carey, 107 Nopalitos Way #4604,

Santa Barbara, CA 93140. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 7, 2017. 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) by Connie Tran. FBN No. 2017-0003327. Published December 13, 20, 2017; January 3, 10, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 17CV05797. To all interested parties: Petitioner Isabel Ibarra filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name of child from Aiden Alexander Alvarez to Aiden Alexander Ibarra. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed December 27, 2017 by Sarah Sisto, Deputy Clerk. Hearing date: February 7, 2018 at 9:30 am in Dept. 6, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published January 3, 10, 17, 24, 2018

MONTECITO JOURNAL

VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 35)

Short-term Rentals, pedestrian safety on East Valley Road and Channel Drive, two proposed roundabouts in Montecito, the YMCA, the drought, and many more. A major change for the MA came in August, when Victoria Greene, the Association’s executive director for the last decade, announced her retirement. Her successor, Allison Marcillac, was introduced to the board in November. Montecito Planning Commission In January, new First District supervisor Das Williams announced his new appointments to the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) and Montecito Board of Architectural Review (MBAR) to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Since 2003, MPC and MBAR have helped shape the “village feel” of Montecito, ensuring projects and builders adhere to the Montecito Community Plan. The establishment of MPC and MBAR ensured that Montecito projects are observed by two groups of Montecitominded people who understand and implement the Community Plan. Supervisor Williams appointed Charles Newman and Donna Senauer to the Montecito Planning Commission, and longtime commissioner Jack Overall was reappointed for his 10th year. They joined current commissioners Susan Keller and J’Amy Brown. Michael Phillips, who had been on the commission since its inception, retired after 14 years of service. Joe Cole also stepped down at that time. In February, the new commissioners were sworn in. The MPC had a full year of reviewing and discussing such projects as Casa Dorinda’s remodel, renovations at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, updates to the Montecito Architectural Guidelines and Development Standards, the Miramar, the 101 HOV lane, the Cannabis Land Use ordinance, Accessory Dwelling Units, Short-term Rentals, and several residential projects. In May, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors appointed Montecito Association board member Dan Eidelson to the Montecito Planning Commission, two-and-a-half years after he stepped down from his seat on the commission in November 2014. Eidelson took the seat of Overall, who resigned in April after 10 years of service on the commission, citing health concerns. In December, Williams announced upcoming changes to the MPC for 2018, including the reappointment of commissioners Brown and Keller, each for another two-year term. In January, Commissioner Eidelson will step down halfway through his term, with former Commissioner Cole rejoining the commission to take over

40 MONTECITO JOURNAL

the rest of Eidelson’s tenure. Senauer and Newman each have another year in their terms. Coast Village Association The newly formed (and renamed) Coast Village Association (CVA, formerly Coast Village Business Association) had a busy year swearing in a new board of directors, rebranding, and planning events throughout the year. In April, the CVA hosted a community meeting at the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore, in an effort to garner participation and enthusiasm for the resurgence of the longtime organization. Two-dozen people attended, including Coast Village Road merchants, property owners, nearby residents, and City and County representatives. President Bob Ludwick began the meeting by introducing some of the key players, including vice president Trey Pinner, secretary/treasurer Thorn Robertson, and executive director Sharon Byrne. Ludwick gave an overview of what he is trying to accomplish within the organization, which includes holding four community meetings per year, in addition to celebratory events along the road (Ghost Village Road, Montecito Motor Classic, a potential wine and art event series), and monthly board meetings. City transportation planner Rob Dayton gave a brief presentation, giving an overview of the planned freeway widening through Montecito and its potential effect on Coast Village Road. A roundabout at Olive Mill Road is in the works, as well as the reconfiguration of the Cabrillo/Hot Springs off-ramps. “Traffic is obviously a big concern along the street, and it greatly affects business,” he said, adding that the CVA meetings will be a platform in which to come up with solutions to the parking and traffic issues along the road. “Advocacy is a very big part of the Association moving forward,” Ludwick said. The group also discussed how to prevent Coast Village from becoming inundated with vacancies, such as lower State Street. Four committees were formed, including Traffic & Safety, Public Relations, Beautification, and Promotion/Marketing & Events. The CVA was back in the news in July and August, when the summer traffic was at its worst and the gridlock on Coast Village Road became front-page news. Pete Williams, a 10-year Montecito resident and a daily frequenter of Coast Village Road businesses, in a letter to the CVA, wrote about the incessant problem of commuters speeding around Coast Village Circle, or pulling into the side parking areas in attempt to speed past the other cars on Coast Village Road, cutting back in at the end near Honor Bar.

One issue we’d like to forget: this summer’s traffic congestion along Coast Village Road

Williams pointed out the maneuver of using the parking areas to circumvent traffic is not only dangerous but detrimental to local businesses. Ludwick reported that the CVA had been in talks with the City of Santa Barbara to address the issue, and surveyors were on the road in the following weeks to determine potential solutions. With the closing of the southbound Highway 101 entrance at Cabrillo Boulevard several years ago, Caltrans and SBCAG reps told Montecito residents that highly visible signage directing beachgoers to enter the freeway at both Garden and Milpas streets would help deter people from using Coast Village Road as a route to the freeway. But as evidenced this past summer, crowd-sourced traffic apps including Waze and Google Maps regularly diverted drivers onto Coast Village Road and into neighborhoods, in an effort to beat snarled traffic on the freeway. Using the parking lanes as a way to circumvent the bulk of the traffic became an increasingly dangerous issue, and several business owners reported that customers complain that cars drive fast through the parking lane, making it dangerous and tricky to pull out of a parking space. Williams suggests installing physical barriers between the adjacent parking zones to prevent people from using the side parking areas as a thru street, and to encourage actual customers to pull in and park. Another idea he mentioned to us: change the direction in the parking area, so it’s one-way south to north (diagonal parking the other way). Ludwick and his committee had other ideas, including more speed bumps in the parking zones, signage to deter using the zones as a thoroughfare, police presence to deter speeding, and creative ideas at the crosswalks along the road, which further snarl traffic. Along with the traffic, the barren medians and the increase in panhandlers only adds to the visual blithe of the road. Ludwick told us that beatifying the medians is also a priority of the CVA, and a committee comprising local architects and business owners have been meeting regularly to plan median beautification. In October, the Association “re-claimed” Ghost Village Road, attempting to make the trick-or-treat extravaganza safer and more orga-

• The Voice of the Village •

nized. The event, which welcomed an estimated 2,000 kids and their parents, was supported by local law enforcement who helped tame traffic and monitor crosswalks. The CVA partnered with Direct Relief International, and several “donation stations” were positioned on the road in an effort to garner donations for hurricane relief. In December, the CVA organized a Shop Local event to support local businesses; more than 30 retailers were set to participate by giving gifts with purchase, discounts, and raffle items. With the Thomas Fire dropping ash and smoke throughout Montecito, and thousands of local residents under evacuation, the event was not as well attended as hoped. Just two days later, Coast Village Road was also under mandatory evacuation, bringing an already paltry holiday shopping season to a halt. Ludwick and Byrne spent two days lobbying the City and local fire agencies to reopen the road once the immediate danger had passed; the rest of the evacuation zone in lower Montecito was free to return home two days later. In the new year, we can expect more business advocacy from the CVA, as well as another shopping event in January to help local businesses recover from Thomas Fire impacts. The group’s new website is set to launch in early 2018. MFPD & MERRAG In addition to helping to save hundreds of homes in our community during the Thomas Fire, MFPD was in the news multiple times in 2017. In February, Montecito Fire personnel were busy helping district residents fill sandbags at Fire Station 1. Araceli Gil, MFPD’s accountant, received the Outstanding Accounting Award for the Santa Barbara County Chapter of the California Special Districts Association (SBCCSDA). Gil was credited with implementing an automated cloud-based staffing program; completing a comprehensive financial analysis of the District and implementing a new long-term financial plan; transitioning the District to a new Workers Compensation carrier, saving the District as much as $250K per year in premiums; and implementing a Flexible Spending Account for employees. In April, MFPD acknowledged and thanked their dispatchers: Leslie 4 – 11 January 2018

Muller, Scott Edwards, and Jennifer Taylor, for their dedication, skill, and hard work. “They truly are our everyday heroes,” said Jackie Jenkins, communications coordinator for MFPD. Over the summer, the District marked its 100th anniversary with a special celebration at the Annual Pancake Breakfast on July 4th. “While most other fire departments are ‘sub-departments’ of a City or County government, Montecito Fire is a fully independent entity, governed by an independent Board of Directors whose sole focus is on the fire and emergency needs of Montecito without distraction or compromise,” PIO Joyce Reed explained. “As we mark our 100th anniversary, we are deeply grateful for the tremendous community support we receive and for the department’s outstanding team of men and women.” At a MFPD board meeting in November, Montecito Fire chief Chip Hickman presented a group of individuals each with a Life Saver Award for their contributions in saving the life of a Montecito resident who suffered sudden cardiac arrest in July. The resident was riding his bicycle along San Ysidro Road when he had the medical emergency and collapsed. Several civilians driving by came to his aid, which sent into motion a series of events that included CPR from a nearby sheriff’s deputy, the aid of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) from the nearby YMCA, and help from paramedics and fire personnel. The recipients of the Life Saver Award were recognized for their individual efforts, providing emergency medical care and assistance, using CPR and AED skills in a situation in which the patient would have died had he not received immediate intervention. The fully recovered patient attended the meeting and had the opportunity to meet the following recipients. Community members: Rosario Alfaro, Ramon Adams, Roberta Tracy, and Maude Boersema. Santa Barbara County Sheriff deputy Steven Gonzales, dispatchers Rachel Chester and Shannon McLeod, American Medical Response paramedic Brad Moore and Emergency Medical technician Sterling Marshall. Montecito Fire Department dispatcher Jennifer Taylor; Fire captain Richard Lauritson, engineer Loren Bass; firefighters Daniel Arnold, Keith Powell; and firefighter/paramedic Ryland McCracken. Also in November: a badge-pinning ceremony took place to honor three recently promoted fire personnel: engineer Rod Walkup, captain Ben Hauser, and Battalion chief Scott Chapman. MERRAG (Montecito Emergency Response and Recovery Action Group) kept busy in 2017, holding 4 – 11 January 2018

monthly trainings, taking part in the community Disaster Preparedness Forum, and distributing masks and information during the Thomas Fire. In January, new board officers were installed: new president Sue Ziliotto was joined by Carrie Haffner (first vice president), Gayle Tucker (second vice president), David Boyd (secretary), and Tom Schleck (treasurer). Other officers include past presidents Phyllis Marble and Cate Wilkins, and at-large board members Jane Dyruff, Vicky Harbison, Mike McCaleb, Warner Owens, and John Ziliotto. MERRAG is a network of trained volunteers who are prepared to respond to a community disaster during the critical first 72 hours following an event. The organization works hand in hand with Montecito Fire Protection District, as well as Montecito Water and Montecito Sanitary districts, to provide an extra layer of support during emergency events. MERRAG was founded by the leaders of the three local special districts, who all recognized their limited resources to cover the Montecito area and believed that training volunteers was a way to help the community recover more quickly during a disaster. In September, the group held a barbecue at Upper Manning Park to mark the organization’s 30th anniversary. Montecito Fire Protection District personnel, MERRAG board members and volunteers, and members of the community gathered to celebrate; the event also served as the announcement of the retirement of Jane Dyruff, who had volunteered with the nonprofit organization for more than 25 years. First District supervisor Das Williams attended the anniversary event, reading a formal declaration from Santa Barbara County. Others members of the Montecito community included Fire chief Chip Hickman, many Montecito firefighters, representatives from Montecito Water District, and local school and church leaders. Montecito Water & Montecito Sanitary Two special entities in our neighborhood, Montecito Sanitary District and Montecito Water District, announced the hiring of new employees early in the year: MSD welcomed new engineering manager Carrie Poytress, and MWD welcomed business manager Tom Sheil, engineering manager Adam Kanold, and Public Information coordinator Laura Camp. In January, we reported rain totals in Montecito were above average, and in February, the Montecito Water District Board met to strategize on the District’s supplemental water supplies and drought restrictions. Despite the continuance of above-average rainfall, the State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously to

extend the current water conservation rules through September. In alignment with that decision, Montecito Water District continued to operate as it has during the driest days of the sixyear drought, despite the wet weather. In March, the MWD voted to suspend Ordinance 94, which imposed penalties for water use in excess of monthly customer allocations. In August, the board further adopted Ordinance 95, which repealed drought ordinances 92 and 94. Ordinance 95 eliminated monthly customer water use allocations and penalties, but continued the Water Shortage Emergency and retained numerous water-use restrictions. Ordinance 95 calls for ongoing voluntary conservation in excess of 30% compared to 2013 usage to maintain compliance with State law: Senate Bill X7-7, which requires 20% reduction in urban water use by 2020. The new ordinance cited a number of circumstances that contributed to its adoption, including the powerful storm on February 17, which brought nearly eight inches of rainfall to our region over a 48-hour period. The District projected having adequate water supplies for the next three years, according to the Ordinance language. Ordinance 95 also continued the temporary prohibition on issuance of new water meters and increasing the size of current water meters, except under certain emergency circumstances, including the need to meet fire sprinkler flow requirements. In November, the MWD Board discussed pursuing an independent MWD desalination facility, with the first step including the solicitation of development proposals from public private partnerships. Staff findings, supported by MWD consultant Clean Energy Capital, indicated that an independent facility could be financially viable and provide more control and long-term certainty of supply than was available through negotiations with the City. The board voted unanimously to move forward with the plan, emphasizing that it could be “off-ramped” at any time if more favorable negotiations with the City resume. At Montecito Sanitary District, general manager Diane Gabriel was in front of the Montecito Association Board of Directors in October, reporting on a project that the District is pursuing, which includes building a new Essential Services Building on the five-acre campus across from the Santa Barbara Cemetery. The project is part of MSD’s 2004 master plan, which also included a new maintenance building and laboratory, which have already been built. This new structure will replace the existing Essential Services Building, which MSD board president Bob Williams reported is undersized and has mold, termites, asbestos, no

A goal is not always meant to be reached, but it often serves as something to aim at. – Bruce Lee

insulation, and a leaking roof. The new building, designed by architect Brian Cearnal, will be constructed on a different portion of the campus, in order to abandon the access on Monte Cristo Lane. The building will be Spanish Colonial Revival in style, with a terra cotta roof and white walls. Design details are expected to be hammered out at Montecito Board of Architectural Review in the coming months, but the project is not required to be reviewed by the Montecito Planning Commission. The venture is expected to be completed in two years and is completely funded by the MSD. Short Term Rentals One of Montecito’s most contentious issues over the last two years was put to bed this year: after dozens of hearings and community meetings, the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors, in October, approved an ordinance banning Short Term Rentals (STRs) in unincorporated Santa Barbara County, including Montecito. The board voted to prohibit STRs in residential zones, agricultural zones, and mixed-use zones, while allowing “Homestays” in residential and AG-1 zones, with restrictions. A homestay is a short-term tenancy in which an owner or long-term tenant of at least six months is on the property at the same time as the short-term tenants. The board voted that a homestay cannot exceed the rental of more than three bedrooms, and a homeowner can only apply for one homestay license. Homestays must also have a nuisance response plan in place. Those wanting to apply for a permit for a homestay may do so in early 2018. After discussing the draft ordinance language for multiple hours, as well as hearing from 45 members of the public, the board ultimately voted to allow STRs in commercial zones, as well as a new overlay (dubbed the Coastal Zone Historic Overlay Zone), located in Montecito. The overlay district spans from South Jameson Lane to the beach, between part of Danielson Road and Posilipo Lane. Roads including Edgecliff Lane, Miramar Beach, Humphrey Road, and Eucalyptus Lane are included in the overlay district. The Sea Meadow planned unit development is also included in the zone, despite the fact that STRs have been prohibited by the development’s CC&Rs since 1990. The overlay district does not include Padaro Lane, an area some say has historically been used for short-term rentals. The board of supervisors may include more areas to the overlay at a later date, and the current overlay must first be certified by the Coastal Commission before permits will be issued. Supervisors Janet Wolf, Das

VILLAGE BEAT Page 454 MONTECITO JOURNAL

C ALENDAR OF Note to readers: This entertainment calendar is a subjective sampling of arts and other events taking place in the Santa Barbara area for the next week. It is by no means comprehensive. Be sure to read feature stories in each issue that complement the calendar. In order to be considered for inclusion in this calendar, information must be submitted no later than noon on the Wednesday eight days prior to publication date. Please send all news releases and digital artwork to slibowitz@yahoo.com)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 Downtown Devotees – In case you haven’t heard, downtown underwent serious economic losses in the wake of the Thomas Fire, as shoppers stayed away due to smoke and ash even before the businesses were strongly urged to close for voluntary evacuations. So, this first 1st Thursday of the year is not only a chance to connect with your personal friends as well as the greater SB community but also to give the merchants a little post-Christmas love – especially since not that many venues are participating in the official art and culture walk tonight. Among those offering events are City Hall Gallery, which hosts a reception celebrating the exhibition Modes of Materiality: Works by the Santa Barbara Fiber Arts and Sculptors Guilds…. Faulkner Gallery, in the downtown public library – which stayed opened during the entire Thomas invasion, serving as a community hub and distribution point for free face masks – opens “HeART of Winter”. Creating art with the strength to stir the heart in the midst of colder, darker weather was the goal for sculptors and artists who submitted work for the juried exhibition hosted by the Santa Barbara Sculptors Guild, doing double-duty this month. Meet the artists and enjoy free refreshments…. Steve Bouchet is the Santa Barbara Art Association artist of the month at Gallery 113, where “The Eye of the

Beholder/Impressions of the Human Form” exhibit also features works by Colin Schildhauer, Barry Briggs, Virginia Kamhi, Michael Marzolla, Michael Mead and Yuliya Lennon…. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art always joins the fray for 1st Thursday, offering fun for the young and young-atheart at its Family Resource Center. This month, reimagine Chinese landscapes with local topography and landmarks in sumi ink on watercolor paper, inspired by works in the exhibition “Story-Telling: Narrative Painting in Asian Art”…. Sullivan Goss totes its Two-for-Thursday menu, first celebrating the opening of “System/Disruption”, a contemporary exhibition highlighting artists who make their own rules, if only to find creative ways to break them, at its An American Gallery on Anapamu Street, which also still shows “100 Grand”, featuring 100 works of art on sale for $1,000 or less (and we’d imagine more than usual remain due to the low traffic in December). Meanwhile, Sullivan Goss Satellite at Sotheby’s International Realty, about a block away on Victoria Street, hosts a reception for Robert Heckes, a New York City artist who is being introduced to a West Coast audience for the first time…. It’s a winter blast at SBCAST, as “Winter Whites” opens in both Studio C and E with renowned artists Nancy Gifford, Marilyn Hochhauser, and Joan Rosenberg-Dent, while UCSB’s MAT artists hold forth in F, Masha Keating

FRIDAY, JANUARY 5 Jazz on the Drive – We’re not sure if it’s because Cambridge Drive Community Church pastor/concert producer Roy Donkin made a New Year’s resolution to branch out, or just something of a whim. But the concert series that normally presents a national touring folk musician with a local acoustic opening act is taking a left turn with two jazz musicians from New York City who are touring together. Vocalist and composer Tammy Scheffer – who was born in Belgium, raised in Israel, and now lives in Brooklyn – composes and leads multiple projects, among them the rock trio Morning Bound, as well as her own contemporary jazz sextet. A veteran of appearances at Carnegie Hall and the San Sebastian Jazz Festival in Spain, Sheffer will be making her Santa Barbara debut. Performing a separate set is the New Hampshire-raised Katie Seiler, who began studying classical piano at age 8 and now has a Master of Music in Jazz Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory. A passionate voice educator and certified Alexander Technique teacher who brings her practice to her performance, Seiler sings her own music and original arrangements of standards and other songs, blending folk, jazz, and experimental vocal improvisation. WHEN: 7:30 pm WHERE: Cambridge Drive Community Church, 550 Cambridge Drive, Goleta COST: $15 with advance reservation and $18 at the door INFO: 964-0436 or www.cambridgedrivechurch.org

42 MONTECITO JOURNAL

EVENTS by Steven Libowitz

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 Strings and Things – More than 50 students from area elementary, junior high, high schools, and home schools ages 5 to 19 trained every Saturday since early September, readying Santa Barbara Strings’s ninth annual Winter Concert, only to have the program of beautiful music written or arranged for strings postponed due to the fire. Three weeks later, the show is finally slated to take place this evening at Hahn Hall on the Music Academy of the West campus, where three different string orchestras will perform a selection of baroque and classical works plus holiday favorites, ranging from traditional folk songs to works by Mozart, Holst, and Handel’s Concerto Grosso in F Major. All of the ensembles will also come together to share in playing a string arrangement of the holiday suite favorite “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. WHEN: 6 tonight WHERE: 1070 Fairway Road COST: $10 general, free for kids 17 and under INFO: 969-8787 or www.santabarbarastrings.org

is in C, and activities, food, and drinks are offered outside to celebrate the season (and the fresher air)…. Just one offering on the entertainment front: The Santa Barbara Trombone Society, comprising age-spanning trombone players from throughout Santa Barbara County, including music educators and their students, who horn in on the corner of State & Anapamu streets. WHEN: 5 to 8 pm WHERE: Lower State Street and environs COST: free INFO: 962-2098 or www. downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 Star-crossed Rubicon – The Thomas Fire struck downtown Ventura just as the Rubicon Theatre was preparing to launch its big anniversary season with its now annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol. The structure survived, but evacuation and smoke and ash damage caused lots of lost fees in ticket sales and cleanup crews. The good news? The place is fresher than ever after undergoing ash and smoke removal, and is ready to go with the latest installment in its enviable cabaret series. You and Me, But Mostly We unites Tony Awardwinner Faith Prince and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award honoree Jason Graae in a delightful evening of song. The pair, who are veterans of 13 Broadway shows between them, take to the concert stage singing their most requested and memorable Broadway numbers in a show that also features a heartfelt tribute to Broadway legend Jerry Herman, who has been a significant influence on each of the stars, both professionally and personally. The Sunday afternoon show features a talkback after the

• The Voice of the Village •

performance. WHEN: 8 pm today, 2 pm tomorrow WHERE: Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura COST: $35 to $55 INFO: 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org Helene’s Last Hurrah – Love her or hate her, it’s your last chance to toast Helene Schneider before her eight-year term as Santa Barbara mayor comes to a close, as Cathy Murillo gets set to take over the reins at City Hall. The mayor’s End-of-Term Party at Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop – home of Santa Barbara’s Summer Solstice Celebration – takes note of Schneider’s 14 years of public service (including six as a member of city council) and is also a gathering to express thanks and gratitude to Thomas Fire firstresponders, as well as help complete the Community Arts Workshop’s Summer Solstice Gate. The informal evening is meant as a fun and casual event with live music, food, drinks, and friends, with just a short tribute program at 5:45. WHEN: 3 to 7 pm WHERE: 631 Garden St. COST: $50+ (Free admission for Thomas Fire first responders) INFO: www.facebook. com/events/1888095641500667 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 Lucky 13? – We’re pretty sure the bookstore made its plans to host Diane Metivier-Hart before the Thomas Fire began roaring through Ventura and southern Santa Barbara County. But it couldn’t be timelier, as the devastation to the vegetation in the fire’s wake offers fears of massive landslides and floods such as we haven’t seen since the La Conchita disaster, once the much-needed ash4 – 11 January 2018

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 Terra Incognita – For a little while there, it seemed like there might not be a Patricia Clarke Studio for much longer during the height of the Thomas Fire. But the city and studio all survived – even with a charred landscape that resonates with the title of its new show – and now the latter is set to host the American premiere of a lush and evocative photographic series by English visual artist and lecturer Grant Simon Rogers. His highly individual style of photography references a mid-20th-century cinema technique known as “Day for Night”, while his other influences include Akira Kurosawa’s films and a blend of storytelling from William Blake to Philip Pullman. Rogers regularly contributes to the free lifelong learning program at the National Gallery and other museums and cultural institutions in London – and across continental Europe, where he lives and works. WHEN: Opening reception 6 tonight; artist talk 4 pm on Saturday, January 13 WHERE: 410 Palm Avenue, A 18, Carpinteria COST: free INFO: 381-1758 or www.patriciaclarkestudio.net

cleansing rains arrive. Metivier-Hart’s “A Silent Stillness – Buried Alive: One Woman’s Remarkable Story of Survival, Hope and Rescue; the Last Survivor of the La Conchita Landslide” is a memoir of the tragic La Conchita landslide that took place on this date in 2005, as virtually the entire mountain came down in just eight seconds, destroying 27 homes, killing 10 people, and injuring eight more. Among them was Metivier-Hart, then a 56-year-old plastic surgery nurse who suffered collapsed lungs and multiple broken bones as she was buried alive in her home, entombed 30 feet under the mountain, with only a two-by-twofoot airspace to stay alive. Rescuers finally uncovered her four and half hours later (the event was fictionalized several years ago in the short story ‘La Conchita” by Montecito author T.C. Boyle), and Metivier-Hart has used her true story to prove that having an attitude of faith, hope, and acceptance can aid in survival and recovery.

U P C O M I N G

P E R F O R M A N C E S THEATER LEAGUE

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL TUE JAN 9 7:30PM WED JAN 10 7:30PM KIDS HELPING KIDS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

23 Skidoo – Momentum Dance Company’s fourth annual Company Concert, postponed from midDecember, carries a message that has a bit more meaning in the wake of the fire: “Let Your Light Shine”. Momentum’s Competitive Company, 23 dancers ranging in age from 7 to 18 will perform solos, duets, and trios and in small and large ensembles covering a variety of dance including hip-hop and tap to contemporary dance. The program covers a total of 23 numbers, mostly choreographed by the director herself, plus some of today’s top industry choreographers. Feel free to stomp your feet and clap your hands in this belated holiday show, now a celebration of surviving the fire. WHEN: 7 tonight & tomorrow WHERE: Center Stage Theater, upstairs in the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center, at the intersection of Chapala and De la Guerra streets COST: $20 general, $30 VIP INFO: 963-0408 or www.centerstagetheater.org •MJ

ANDY GRAMMER FRI JAN 12 7PM KIDS HELPING KIDS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

NEEDTOBREATHE SAT JAN 13 7PM CINE EN DOMINGO

CAPULINA CHISME CALIENTE SUN JAN 14 3PM 4K DIGITAL CINEMA

CAMA

ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY

SUNDAY, JANUARY 7

TUE JAN 16 8PM

The Thile Thing – Lots of people already were familiar with the preternaturally gifted mandolinist/composer Chris Thile back when he was leading the modern bluegrass trio Nickel Creek, which he launched when his age was still in the single digits. That was before the Grammy Awards, the MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, the stunning collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Stuart Duncan, the genre-busting acoustic outfit Punch Brothers, and a slew of solo albums and appearances that deftly combine genres including serious forays into classical music. Add to that his recent position as Garrison Keillor’s hand-selected successor on A Prairie Home Companion, and the brandnew album Thanks for Listening, a collection of new studio recordings of 10 songs originally written as Songs of the Week for the radio show/podcast, with Thile manning almost all of the stringed instruments. No wonder there’s a large cadre of fans who will go to hear him play anything. This time through, the mandolin virtuoso is heading out to UCSB for a program featuring his arrangements of Bach sonatas and partitas – which he’s also recorded and previously played at the Lobero – as well as several of his own compositions, perhaps some from the new album. That would definitely “Thile” the deal. WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Campbell Hall, UCSB campus COST: $35 to $50 INFO: 893-3535 or www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu (photo by Brantley Gutierrez)

4 – 11 January 2018

805.899.2222

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If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll endMJ-18_0105.indd up someplace else.1– Yogi Berra

12/29/17 11:24 AM MONTECITO JOURNAL

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WHAT’S NEXT AFTER THE THOMAS FIRE? The Montecito Association invites you to attend an important community forum on Friday, January 12th at 5 PM at the auditorium of the Montecito Union School located at 385 San Ysidro Road in Montecito.

Topics to be discussed by our community’s first responders and officials are:

• Thomas Fire update and recovery • Flash flood alerts and warnings • Potential flooding and mud slides • Present condition of debris basins and debris flow concerns • Potential evacuations • Community water quality and supply • Property preparedness For further information, please contact Allison Marcillac, Executive Director of the Montecito Association. executivedirector@montecitoassociation.org (805) 969-2026

44 MONTECITO JOURNAL

• The Voice of the Village •

4 – 11 January 2018

VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 41)

Williams, and Joan Hartmann voted in favor of the ban, with supervisors Steve Lavagnino and Peter Adam voting against it. The grace period to operate STRs and transition to another allowed use lasts until September 30, 2018. Then enforcement actions will start taking place against those illegally operating STRs in the zones that the use is no longer allowed. At that time, the County will cease collecting Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on short-term rentals that are being run illegally. It is estimated that current STRs bring in roughly $1.5 to $2 million per year, and that if regulated rather than banned, could bring in upward of $3M. Public comment was a mix of those in favor of common-sense regulation of STRs, and those appreciative of the board’s decision to ban them, citing traffic and noise nuisances in residential neighborhoods, as well as a dire long-term rental market, which is currently at a .6% vacancy rate. Cori Hayman, speaking on behalf of the Montecito Association, reiterated the MA Board’s position that homestays should be strictly regulated, suggesting one bedroom shall be the maximum amount of space to be rented out, along with a restriction of one car. The MA also suggested that the County shall only issue a limited

number of homestay permits, not to exceed 3% of the total Montecito housing stock, and not have more than one homestay permit per 10 continuous parcels. None of those strict regulations was included in the approved ordinance language. Accessory Dwelling Units Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) were discussed at length this past year, beginning in February when we reported on two pieces of legislation that were adopted by the California State legislature and signed into law by governor Jerry Brown. Assembly Bill 2299 and Senate Bill 1069 reduced barriers, streamlined the approval process, and expanded the capacity to accommodate the development of ADUs to provide additional rental housing in residential areas. Santa Barbara County spent the year amending the local ordinances in order to comply with the new laws, which preempt the County’s existing standards. The new State requirements allow property owners to have permitted ADUs (a.k.a. “granny units”) on their residential property, with restrictions. Property owners would be required to provide additional parking for such units: one extra parking space for each sleeping room in the ADU, unless certain criteria are met (i.e., the ADU is

located within one-half mile of public transit, or other conditions.) There are also setback requirements, and the units may be subject to requirements set forth by special districts including the Montecito Water District and Montecito Sanitary District. At a special hearing in April, the Montecito Planning Commission spent nearly seven hours further discussing ordinance language pertaining to ADUs, in an effort to be able to make recommendations to both the Board of Supervisors and Santa Barbara County Planning Commission. Much of the content reviewed dealt with language nuance, including removing specific words and phrases that could be interpreted to be inconsistent with the State legislation language, therefore adding the potential for legal challenge. In September, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors were given a presentation by planning staff, outlining proposed amendments to the current land-use ordinances in order to implement recent State law regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The supervisors took issue with many of the proposed revisions and voiced their opinions that some restrictions did not coincide with the intent of the State laws. The presentation touched on such items as

floor area limits, parking restrictions, owner occupancy requirements, rental period requirements, and more. “I’d like to see staff go back, get some clarifications,” said 5th District supervisor Steve Lavagnino. “We are the poster child for why this was written, and it is to light a fire under us, and maybe allow us to cut through some of the bureaucracy. I’m not going to be able to vote to move the ordinance forward.” First District supervisor Das Williams agreed, adding that the proposed amendments needed more clarification, as well as review by the Department of Housing and Community Development. “If a lot of local jurisdictions pass ordinances that are contrary to the State law, the State will continue to take more local control away, and I think that’s not desirable,” Williams said. The supervisors did not adopt the ordinances and will take up the issue at a later date, after more clarification.

Thank You!

As always, we’d like to extend a big THANK YOU to our supporters, advertisers, contributors – and most importantly, our readers, without whom we would not be able to put this publication together week after week, for more than two decades. We’ll see you in 2018! •MJ

Preparing bright, confident, and caring young people MARYMOUNT OF SANTA BARBARA

OPEN HOUSE Sunday, January 7, 1:00-2:30 pm • Junior Kindergarten through 5th grade classroom visits and presentation • 6th through 8th grade - set program, please arrive promptly

Visit www.marymountsb.org for more information. Reservations are appreciated. Drop-ins are welcome. It’s an informative, family-friendly event, so bring a friend. JK-8 | INDEPENDENT | COEDUCATIONAL 4 – 11 January 2018

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46 MONTECITO JOURNAL

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• The Voice of the Village •

LONG/SHORT TERM RENTALS

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