Issuu

Give a Hoot 13 – 20 Aug 2020 Vol 26 Issue 33

SERVING MONTECITO AND SUMMERLAND

RED FEATHER BALL

Wildlife Care Network gives owls a second chance, p. 36

Native Sons

Montecito’s own Grant Nestor grew up surfing Hammond’s Beach. Hammies, his line of retro short shorts, pays homage, p.18

Cancelling Cancelling

Cancel culture sharks sink their teeth in their latest prey: local resident Ellen DeGeneres, p. 5

HELD AT THE CORAL CASINO THE PAST 24 YEARS, UNITED WAY OF SANTA BARBARA’S BIGGEST FUNDRAISER WILL BE A VIRTUAL AUCTION THIS YEAR, WITH MONEY GOING TOWARD ITS FUN IN THE SUN AND UNITED FOR LITERACY PROGRAMS, WHICH OFFER EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR AT-RISK AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS (STORY BEGINS ON P. 30)

New Neighbors

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decide to settle down in Montecito to raise son, Archie, p. 32

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

13 – 20 August 2020

M O N T E C I T O E S TAT E S. C O M

RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE

M O N T E C I T O E S TAT E S. C O M

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805 565/2208 13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Inside This Issue 5

Guest Editorial

On the Record

Les says Ellen has always had Montecito’s back. Now it’s our turn to stand behind her. Nick Schou checks in with SB’s new Board of Education Superintendent Hilda Maldonado; Friendship Center delivers Fiesta totes to seniors

10 Dear Montecito

Montecito Union and Cornell alum Meredith Urschel is now a concrete enthusiast managing the construction of the new Air Force One Hangar

11 Letters to the Editor

A collection of communications from readers Danute Handy, Leslie Westbrook, and Doug McGinnis

12 Village Beat

Upcoming local election updates; Sorrell Design closes; Biltmore employees march in frustration; Laguna Blanca student raises funds

14 On Entertainment

Ageless wonders Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Rubicon’s Retro show; TEDxSantaBarbara in “Uncharted” waters; Surf ‘n’ Suds, pandemic edition

18 Native Sons

Hammies Shorts, a Montecito-bred apparel company, is at the forefront of an unabashedly retro revival: short shorts

20 Library Mojo

Montecito Library’s back porch check-out service; virtual classes at Santa Barbara Public Library; this month’s book selection

22 Our Town

PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM BARTSCH

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Singer-songwriter Jade Hendrix lends her voice, privilege, and pocketbook in troubled times

23 Brilliant Thoughts

So why do we have stamps anyway? Ashleigh Brilliant plunges into the arcana of the stamp world and its devoted collectors.

In Passing

Remembering Sylvia Brickley Weller, real estate maven, writer, and world traveler who was active in several community organizations

26 Perspectives by Rinaldo S Brutoco

Criminal justice reform is compassionately wise, yields better economics, and produces a lower crime rate

The Optimist Daily

Community fridges, the cool new trend in the age of COVID; a town in Washington that launched its own currency

28 Body Wise

Having trouble staying grounded in these uncertain times? A panel of health gurus put their foot down.

30 501(c)3 Weekly

The Red Feather Ball may not be at Coral Casino this year, but you can still bid on goodies via virtual auction

32 Montecito Miscellany

Meet your new neighbors, Prince Harry and wife Meghan, who just bought an estate in Montecito

34 Nosh Town

Freshly opened Little Dom’s Seafood serves seafood freshly caught by local fishers; Tasting Notes with Wyatt Davidson of SB Wine Collective

36 Owl Stories

Rescued owls of all breeds and sizes are being given a second chance: in the lofty treetops of Montecito

38 Robert’s Big Questions

The killing of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter have reanimated the debate of property vs. humanity, writes Robert Bernstein

39 Jerry Meandering

Reopening the American economy will expose the public to health risks, but we cannot ignore another risk: third-party liability claims For 45 years, Montecito Bank & Trust has been making a difference in our local communities, and we’ve gotten to know the Central Coast like no one else. Thank you for helping us make 45 years possible!

40 A Memorial Day Swim

A tribute to Montecito’s Renegade swimmers

43 August MMMM Solution 46 Classified Advertising

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

47 Local Business Directory montecito.bank

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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

“It’s all about money, not freedom, y’all, okay?” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

Guest Editorial by Les Firestein

Ellen DeGeneres, a Stand-Up Person

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Who will be cancel culture’s next meal? (image: Finding Nemo produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures)

n recent weeks, sharks have been circling the waters off the coast of Santa Barbara. It is a scientific fact that certain species of shark must always move forward, constantly feeding, or else they will die. This is true of Mako sharks. It’s true of hammerheads. It is true of Great Whites. My big question is: as the shark that is cancel culture smells blood in the water off Padaro, will it devour its most recent wounded victim? And should we let it? I made the mistake of clicking on some piece of Ellen gossip the other day, and as a result I’ve become virtually trapped inside an inescapable infinity algorithm that sends me “news” about her every time someone sneezes and Ellen doesn’t scream “gesundheit!” Unlike Google alerts which can be opted out of, once you’re snared inside a news algorithm it’s like Blair Witch with no way out. As the possessed little girl said in The Exorcist, “Mother, make it stop!” For anyone who’s been out of the country and missed the news, and that’s pretty much no one, in recent months our local treasure and global brand Ellen stands accused of essentially three different charges, which frequently get conflated. (1) She is accused of presiding over a toxic work environment at her titular show. (2) She is accused of disloyalty to gays for showing kindness or at least civility to, alternatively, George W. Bush and Kevin Hart. And (3) in a much more general sense, Ellen stands accused of not being nice enough… or not being always nice. Unfortunately for Ellen, cancel culture has no due process, so when it comes to accusations of “not nice enough,” I thought I’d weigh in with my own personal experiences with Ellen. And add my voice to the conversation both as a comedy writer who has known Ellen in show business and, more recently, as someone who knows her simply as another person who lives in their track suit in Montecito. My history with Ellen goes back 30 years. She started out as my landlord. Ellen and my ex-girlfriend shared a manager, so that’s how we found out Ellen had a place we could rent. While Ellen was doing her sitcom on ABC I was executive producing The Drew Carey Show on the same network so we’d bump into each other from time to time though we never worked together. We’d have some competitive banter as comedy people do but that was about it. In my mind I usually “won.” At a certain point we talked about me coming over to help on the Ellen show, but in this particular case the deal was too complex so I just stayed put. I will say, however, that Ellen stuck her neck out for me with the studio, which is rare for a star. I thought maybe she was interested in me romantically, but I’ve since reconsidered.

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EDITORIAL Page 424 13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

ON THE RECORD

by Nicholas Schou

Nicholas Schou is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including Orange Sunshine and Kill the Messenger. If you have tips or stories about Montecito, please email him at newseditor@montecitojournal.net

Checking in with Santa Barbara County’s New Educator-in-Chief

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Now more than ever, personalized advice matters Congratulations to Steve Hepp for being named to the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” 2020 list. We can provide customized, comprehensive advice and guidance to help you stay on track to pursue your goals. When the world changes, we’re here to help. Let’s work through this together. The JJD Group Steve Hepp, CIMA® Senior Vice President Wealth Management Advisor Portfolio Manager 805.963.6362 • stephen_hepp@ml.com Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 1424 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.963.6322 • fa.ml.com/jjdgroup Source: The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list, January 16, 2020. Data provided by SHOOK™ Research, LLC. Data as of June 30, 2019. The Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Rankings and recognition from Forbes are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results, and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. Forbes is a trademark of Forbes Media LLC. All rights reserved. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp. Investment products: Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value The Bull Symbol is a registered trademark of Bank of America Corporation. CIMA® is a registered service mark of the Investment Management Consultants Association dba Investments & Wealth Institute. © 2020 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. | MAP3047724 | AD-07-20-0706.A | 472538PM-0420 | 08/2020

MONTECITO JOURNAL

n May 26, the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Hilda Maldonado as Superintendent in charge of the education of the county’s more than 14,000 elementary, junior and high school students. Maldonado’s prior job: Associate Superintendent of Leadership and Partnerships for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the largest school district in California and the second largest school district in the United States. Santa Barbara Unified Board President Laura Capps, who helped make the selection after vetting 50 Hilda Maldonado highly qualified applications from across the country, announced the hire. “This pandemic is ushering in a new era of education while shining a spotlight on the inequities of the old education system,” said Capps. “We need a tested leader who has the expertise to harness new opportunities, engage the community, and propel our schools forward for the future. Hilda Maldonado is the leader for this transformational time.” With her years of experience as a bilingual teacher and coordinator, assistant principal and then principal at two schools, Maldonado came with high praise from L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner. “The Santa Barbara Unified School District will be well served by Hilda’s commitment to equity and excellence for all students,” said Beutner. “She has served students and families in L.A. Unified for more than 30 years as an open and innovative bilingual teacher, administrator, and senior leader. We thank her for her tireless advocacy and leadership and wish her the best in her new role.” With classes set to begin as early as next week for Santa Barbara’s students, the Montecito Journal asked Maldonado to take a few minutes away from her hectic schedule to field a few questions about herself and how she’s gearing up for this year’s uniquely challenging fall semester. Q. Congratulations on your new job! Can you tell us a little bit about your background, where you grew up and how you ended up at L.A. Unified? What were some of the biggest challenges and accomplishments you can point to from your career as an educator and particularly as assistant superintendent? A. Thank you! I was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. with my parents and five siblings at the age of 11. I grew up in an area north of L.A. called Montecito Heights. After college graduation, I worked a couple of years in Spanish TV and became a bilingual teacher after learning about it through a show we did to cover this new approach to teaching. Having been a student who only spoke Spanish, I felt a strong desire to give back to my community and help students like myself. As a teacher, and later as a school administrator, my biggest challenge was championing the assets that students like me bring to school. It was common for people to have a desire to help students and create perceptions that the students were less intelligent because they didn’t speak the “language of school.” This resulted in students getting assigned to lower level classes or being classified as students with disabilities and placed in special education. My most proud accomplishment was increasing the number of dual-language program offerings and increasing the number of students who receive a Seal of Biliteracy in their diplomas along with restructuring classes in middle and high schools for English learners. As an assistant superintendent I am most proud of the work with building partnerships, some of which resulted in creating food-delivery grab ‘n’ go’s that many of our neediest families could count on!

“I need my sleep. I need about eight hours a day, and about ten at night.” – Bill Hicks

ON THE RECORD Page 414

13 – 20 August 2020

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13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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It goes without saying that the last few months have been a tumultuous time for everyone, and the global pandemic and associated social distancing and quarantines have had far reaching consequences for nearly every type of trade or commerce. The local real estate market in Santa Barbara and Montecito is no exception, and we as agents are keeping tabs on the rapidly changing situation. While several listings have been withdrawn from the market, there are still buyers seeking to find their new home, thanks in part to record low interest rates. Working within the new mandates from the California Association of Realtors, we are still actively working for our clients, helping them reach their real estate goals.

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13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

Dear Montecito by Stella Pierce

Montecito Alumni Write Letters from Life’s Front

t’s not every day you open your email to find that the young woman who used to sell your family Girl Scout Cookies is now a grown adult in charge of building the new Air Force One Hangar. Enter Meredith Urschel, daughter of Carissa Smith and Ted Urschel, a Cornell alum and concrete enthusiast. Before I read Meredith’s letter, you would have been hard pressed to catch my interest in a conversation about civil engineering, let alone concrete. But I found myself strangely charmed by Meredith’s story. She paints the picture of a fascination that started with increasingly intricate Lego structures and grew into a love for material science and civil engineering. And you know what? Even to someone whose own scientific career is relegated to the organic, this interest began to make sense. I think that, like me, you’ll be able to appreciate the incredible work Ms Urschel is doing in her field but also the keyhole of understanding she shares with us from the world of concrete.

Dear Montecito,

It’s been a while. I’m living in D.C. now, managing the construction of the new Air Force One Hangar at a Clark Construction subsidiary, Clark Concrete. I miss the sunny West Coast, but the East Coast is treating me well. A little about my background… My family moved to Montecito from the San Francisco area just in time for me to start kindergarten at Montecito Union School in 2002. I attended junior high at Santa Barbara Junior High School and then high school at Dos Pueblos. When I moved across

Montecito Union and Cornell alumna Meredith Urschel is now a concrete enthusiast managing the construction of the new Air Force One Hangar

the country five years ago to attend Cornell University, I had no idea whether or when I’d be back living in California, but I was prepared to start that adventure and excited to see what the world had in store for me. Buildings have always inspired me. Growing up in Montecito, I had a fascination with the Spanish style home. How could I not? Santa Barbara architecture is a gem. I’ve always been intrigued by skyscrapers, too. Driving through L.A. and San Francisco, seeing the tall buildings on the horizon was mesmerizing. But this passion didn’t start with skyscrapers, it started with Legos. I’d play with my Duplex Legos for hours. Eventually, I graduated to building more complicated sets and would expand on my inventions or, sometimes, connect several sets together. This, combined with playing the cello from third grade onwards, marked creativity in

my childhood. Music helped to get the creative juices flowing, taught me persistence, and required my brain to think critically and mathematically. I didn’t necessarily connect that to a hard sciences line of thinking, though, until high school when I joined the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy. The program exposed me to my creative potential. I learned how to program, design using computer software, and use machines to build the objects I’d designed. While programming didn’t really stick, design interested me a lot. I started at Cornell in the engineering college, but I was unsure about my specific path. Early on in freshman year, I applied to a civil engineering bridge building project team and, through its collaborative, handson student design and machining process, I quickly realized that I loved to create and build structures. I also learned formulae and software that I wouldn’t utilize until later on in my studies. This project team, along with a very interesting introductory course I was taking called Modern Structures, helped inform my choice to become a civil engineering major. I became very involved within the “CivE” community, specifically within the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE. I was the social chair one year, then the president the next. My junior year, I took a leap of faith and decided to take concrete design, which is the most intense design course offered within civil engineering. Long story short, I fell in love with concrete. My professor was so inspirational and passionate about concrete that it was honestly difficult not to develop a liking of the material. I ended up taking advanced concrete design that next semester, then TA’d both courses the following year and took a concrete materials class senior spring. I had a few internships that helped to confirm that I wanted to work in the civil engineering sphere. My freshman summer, I worked for a

commercial construction company in San Francisco. We built a large biotech campus, but I worked mostly on the campus’ concrete parking garage. My sophomore summer, I worked for a residential construction company that builds homes in Atherton and Menlo Park. My junior summer, I switched it up and interned for a structural design firm in New York City. Because of this broad set of experiences, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do after graduation. I was still ASCE’s president when we planned the Clark Construction Company career event during their fall Career Fair weekend. That event led to interviews with Clark, and I was eventually hired! I found out shortly after graduation that I had been placed in Clark’s self-perform concrete division, Clark Concrete. Now, I’m building the new Air Force One Hangar on Joint Base Andrews, and I absolutely love what I do. I’ve learned so much in the past year. Being an integral part of such an amazing, historical, lasting project has been really special, especially because I’ve seen our site transition from dirt to a semi-finished product. Interviewers used to ask me why I chose to be a civil engineer. The short answer is this – I think I’ve always had an idea, even if I didn’t know what that line of work was called. I’ve always liked to design and build things. Now I have the chance to see a finished product and say: “hey… I did that!” I even used to tell my dad that I would build an entire community underwater to fix our environmental problems. While that may have been a tad ambitious, this attitude has very much influenced my budding career. Yours, Meredith P.S. Feel free to reach out to me at meredith.urschel@clarkconcretellc. com if you’d like to chat about Cornell, Clark, or the civil engineering world. •MJ

Montecito Tide Guide

10 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Day

Low

Hgt High

Hgt Low

Hgt High

Hgt Low

Thurs, August 13

1:03 AM 1.2

7:58 AM

3.1

11:21 AM

06:06 PM

Fri, August 14

1:48 AM 0.6

8:40 AM

3.4

12:32 PM

2.9

06:56 PM

5.4

Sat, August 15

2:26 AM 0.1

9:10 AM

3.6

01:25 PM

2.8

07:41 PM

5.8

Sun, August 16

3:01 AM -0.3 9:38 AM

3.9

02:10 PM

2.5

08:24 PM

6.2

Mon, August 17

3:35 AM -0.7 10:06 AM 4.1

02:53 PM

2.2

09:06 PM

6.5

Tues, August 18

4:09 AM -0.9 10:35 AM 4.4

03:35 PM

1.9

09:48 PM

6.7

Wed, August 19

4:44 AM -0.9 11:07 AM 4.6

04:20 PM

1.6

010:31 PM

6.5

Thurs, August 20

5:19 AM -0.8 11:41 AM 4.8

05:08 PM

1.4

011:16 PM

6.2

Fri, August 21

5:54 AM -0.4 12:18 PM 5

06:01 PM

1.2

“I left in love, in laughter, and in truth and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit.” – Bill Hicks

Hgt

13 – 20 August 2020

Letters to the Editor People of

If you have something you think Montecito should know about, or wish to respond to something you read in the Journal, we want to hear from you. Please send all such correspondence to: Montecito Journal, Letters to the Editor, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA. 93108. You can also FAX such mail to: (805) 969-6654, or E-mail to letters@montecitojournal.net

Dear James

uring one interview with Howard Stern, Donald Trump opined that avoiding STDs was his own personal Vietnam. At that time Donald Trump claimed he dated (you do not need a definition of “dating” here) a lot of beautiful women. Remember what he said about Carly Fiorina, Megyn Kelly, or his comment about Miss Universe contestants? Not exactly admiration of women. The democratic party is not based on identity politics, but one giant umbrella. The diversity of the party is all embracing based on common values. The party is not of Bull Connors but of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, John Lewis, Hillary Clinton, AOC, Joe Biden, FDR. To compare Donald Trump’s party to Abraham Lincoln is a great stretch. The republican party is truly the Identity Party – old white men and some young and some white women. The lack of diversity is overwhelming. I am still waiting for some true republican to give me a good explanation why Ronald Regan started his 1980 presidential campaign in Philadelphia. What happened to the republican war cry: DEFICIT! I grant you; Donald Trump gave massive tax cuts to the very rich and corporations. The corporations used most of the cash for stock buyback. USA has self-sufficiency in energy because of a big glut of natural gas. The trade war with China, Canada and TikToks is not really working

that well. Pres. Trump broke all kinds of agreements without replacing any of them. So, who is paying for the wall? Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. I am an old woman. To me women’s health and reproductive rights were never negotiable. I pray for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I am scared what another conservative judge will do to women’s rights. Danute Handy

Taking a Stand in the Sand

Bravo to Parker Matthews for sharing his story and standing up and “doing the right thing” at the Miramar. What a smart, exemplary young man. You’ve done John Lewis proud. Leslie Westbrook

Carpinteria Cannabis Blight

Montecito

by Megan Waldrep

Tell Us About Your Time at Bellosguardo

am one of the last people alive to have known Anna E. Clark and her youngest daughter, Huguette (of the Clark estate, Bellosguardo). My father worked for the Clarks and we lived on the property in a home they built for our family. The Clarks were from New York City, and when they were in town, they used to call and ask, “Can Barbie come over for tea?” People always says Huguette was reclusive and childlike, but they didn’t know her. I always say, the Clarks weren’t reclusive, they were exclusive. They had their own circle of friends, they had soirées, plays at an outdoor theatre, and tennis parties. Huguette was extremely kind. She always brought me beautiful dolls and wonderful French books. When I Barbara Doran would go over for tea, I would take the French books and we would read together. I still have them. Huguette inherited the estate. And when she died at 104 years old (in 2011), she left it to the City of Santa Barbara, which her mother wanted as well, with the provision it would be something open to the public and turned into something for the arts. If that will happen is something we just don’t know. Barbara Doran Contributing writer for Montecito and Santa Barbara, Volume III •MJ

I just wanted to give a shout out and thanks to the Montecito Journal and Nick Schou for the coverage of the Carpinteria Cannabis blight. This is the first time I have ever written to a newspaper/journal and want to show my support for his efforts. I am one of the unlucky that live close to the greenhouses. Keep up the good work. Doug McGinnis •MJ

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13 – 20 August 2020

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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.

Candidates Throw Their Hats in the Ring

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ast week was the candidate filing period deadline for many local elections, including the Montecito Fire Protection District and Montecito Water District boards of directors. This week marks the deadline period for both public schools in Montecito (Cold Spring School and Montecito Union), as well as for the Montecito Sanitary District board. At Montecito Fire Protection District, four seats are up for grabs in November, including three 4-year terms and one 2-year term. The seats of board president Sylvia Easton, vice president Michael Lee, secretary Judy Ishkanian, and board member Abe Powell are all up for reelection; board member Peter van Duinwyk’s term of office is until 2022. Incumbents Easton, Lee, and Powell, as well as new candidate and current Montecito Association board member Robert Kemp are vying for the three seats for 4-year terms. Incumbent Ishkanian, as well as current Montecito Planning Commissioner Susan Keller, are vying for the 2-year seat. At Montecito Water District, incumbents Tobe Plough and Floyd Wicks did not face any challengers; both will be reelected to the Board of Directors. As of press time, candidates for the Montecito Union School Board include Jacqueline Duran, Jessica Smith, and Christina Singhass, who are vying for the two seats left by outgoing board members Kate Murphy and Marilyn Bachman. At Cold Spring School, the seats held by Leslie Leifer Kneafsey and Greggory Peterson are up for grabs; Gabrielle Haas, Jordan Quivey, and Trevor Pattison are running for election. At Montecito Sanitary District, four candidates have filed to run for three available seats: Don Eversoll, Edwin Martin Jr., Dorinne Lee Johnson, and Gary Fuller. The three seats are being vacated by Tom Bollay, Jeff Kerns, and Thomas Kern, none of whom have filed to run again, as of press time. We’ll have much more on all the candidates as the November 3 election approaches.

Sorrell Design Closes after 40 Years

Jon and Mary Lou Sorrell said goodbye to their Coast Village Road office, as well as their design business, last month, after over four decades of designing hundreds of homes and

“We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free.” – Bill Hicks

Mary Lou and Jon Sorrell have closed their long-standing architecture and design firm on Coast Village Road in order to enjoy retirement with their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids

gardens in Montecito and beyond. With 27 years at their design firm on Coast Village Road, the Sorrells employed a number of different talented architects, landscape architects, and designers, many of whom have gone on to establish their own successful practices. These include Robert Senn, the firm’s senior architect for many years and now the principal of his own firm, Santa Barbara Architecture, Inc.; Tom Smith, the firm’s longest employee and associate who will continue with his own practice; Brian Miller, who has opened Brian Miller Design; Rosa Andrade, the firm’s in-house landscape designer and office manager, who now has her own practice in Santa Ynez; and Monica Senn, the firm’s office interior design coordinator, who is now employed by another local firm. Mary Lou tells us the atmosphere at the firm was familial, and in 2004, the couple took their entire staff to Tuscany for two weeks, to “absorb” the essence of Italian Villa architecture. “We were ‘incubators’ of design professionals, and we took that seriously!” she said. Over the years Jon and Mary Lou designed numerous new residences and remodels in the greater Santa Barbara area and beyond, including renovation of four George Washington Smith homes, an historic Inn, the Lincoln Green Inn in Carmel, homes in Pebble Beach, an estate in Napa, and many homes in the Los Angeles area. The couple, who have since

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13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

On Entertainment American Son

by Steven Libowitz

James Joyce III, founder of Coffee With A Black Guy, will co-moderate a free virtual book club discussion of the play American Son on August 17

merican Son, a play by Christopher Demos-Brown, already had a power-packed premise before recent events. On the night a teenage boy goes missing, his parents end up at the police station trying to figure out what happened while dealing with officers who aren’t the most forthcoming with information and assistance. While old wounds concerning their rocky marriage are reopened in the process, the action is steeped in themes of racism, police brutality, and community.

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American Son ran on Broadway for nearly three months in 2018-19 followed by a film adaptation that premiered a year later on Netflix. Ensemble Theatre Company was supposed to have staged the West Coast debut in April before COVID-19 closed down such gatherings. The May 25 death of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis during an arrest on May 25, and the ensuing and ongoing protests, the work has even more resonance. While ETC has no clear date yet for when they will stage American Son, the company and the Santa Barbara Public Library have teamed up to present a free virtual book club discussion of the play at 5:30 pm on Monday, August 17. The event will be moderated by ETC’s artistic director Jonathan Fox and James Joyce III, the founder of Coffee With A Black Guy, a program that holds frequent community conversations about race. Copies of the play are available from the central library or can be purchased at www.concordtheatricals.com/p/65467/ american-son. Registration for the event, which is required, online at https:// santabarbaraca.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?eventid=32369.

Rolling On: Ventura Band Works its Voodoo Magic

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has had perhaps the most unlikely career of any local band in history. Formed in the early 1990s just to play swing music and jump blues pioneered by Louis Prima and Cab Calloway, the Daddys showed up just in time to take advantage of the swing revival. Or rather in many ways launch it. The group turned heads with their pivotal part in the 1996 indie movie Swingers, then went on to play at the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, sharing the stage with Stevie Wonder, among others. But BBVD was no flash in the pan. While songs such as “Go Daddy-O” and “You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)” and their outlandish zoot suit costumes launched their career, lead singer-songwriter-guitarist Scotty Morris and the rest of the septet kept churning out great music, long outlasting other swing revivalists such as Royal Crown Revue and The Atomic Fireballs. From its home base in Ventura, BBVD have logged platinum albums, played soldout venues from the Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center – and logged their 3,000th performance at Sony Hall in New York just last January – and appeared live performing for dancers on Dancing with the Stars. But Ventura has always

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ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 14)

had a calling for the band, and when Jimmy Messina had to cancel his August 17-19 dates for the concerts-in-your-cars Rubicon Goes Retro series – where fans watch the music performed on an extra-high stage augmented by digital screens with sound via FM radio from the comfort of their cars – due to travel issues, BBVD quickly stepped in. Morris talked about the band’s history – including appearances at the Santa Barbara Independent’s Christmas party – and evolution as well as coping with the new coronavirus and the upcoming shows over the phone from his Ventura home earlier this week. (Get tickets and more online at www.rubicontheatre. org/rubicon-goes-retro.) Q. You guys are from Ventura. There’s almost no live music anywhere. How excited are you to be doing the Rubicon’s Retro show, even though you’re performing in front of cars? A. It’s great on two ends. It will break the longest streak of not playing live for me in just about 40 years, because I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. I was either in an orchestra or school jazz bands or a rock band, so this is the longest stretch for me without a gig ever, and for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, it’s the longest in our 27-year stretch by four months. So I feel really good about playing music live under whatever circumstances, but it’s also great that it’s a benefit for the Rubicon, an organization I really am happy to support. OK, no in-person shows since March, but have you guys been doing any Facebook Live or Zoom concerts? Oh yeah. We did a two-month series on Mondays and that first was a month of performances of songs that we’ve never played live, and we did really interesting variations of those album tracks. That was really good times. On one of them we did a song from our 1999 record that was a full 17-piece big band on the album, but we did it with just the seven of us by overdubbing all the parts. The guys did ‘em on their iPhones and then I mixed it in ProTools and it sounds unbelievable. That was such a killer event for us to do. The other month we did behind the scenes of all of our videos, which was a blast because I could go on and just explain how everything was done and bring to life some of the old videos that used to run on MTV, which a lot of our younger fans had probably never seen. It was kind of cool to go through and

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has stepped in last minute to perform Rubicon’s Retro show August 17-19 (photo credit: Andy Rowley)

re-examine and look at pictures and tell stories and have fun. Anyway, I’ve been super busy because I’m not a sit-on-my-hands-and-worryabout-the-world-ending kind of guy. I’m more, let’s get on with it. If this is a new reality, then I’m in. So I have written a bunch of music too, but the problem is of course that we can’t get together because we have had to isolate. We have to take it seriously, because most of us have elderly parents who we have to be around to take care of. So we can’t be taking any chances. Have you written any new songs, maybe something in response to the pandemic? Oh, yeah. I wrote a lot of music in this downtime. I mean at first I was just cramming it all in, because if we’re off for even nine days, that’s a long time for me and I always use it to get in some studio time and do some business. Then I realized, wow, I have all this free time. So the flood gates opened at first, but then after a month or so – which was more time than I’d had off the road in 20 years – it started to really dawn on me that this is a whole different existence. I wrote a song called “Oh, No!” that’s 100 percent a pandemic song. It just came to me as one of those old black and white animation cartoons from the ‘twenties and ‘thirties. I could just see the whole song in my head. I sat down with my guitar and piano and my banjo and I constructed it that way. But it’s funny because the music is really super lighthearted, funny and bouncy, but the lyrics are by far the darkest words I’ve ever written. It’s completely literal, a pure pandemic song. It’s about the virus as the boogeyman. I was really feeling the isolation. But because I wrote it as a cartoon animation in my head it sounds cute and fun. I can’t wait to get together with the guys and get it arranged and get it out there. So we’re not going to hear it next week? No. I’ve given the guys the demo of it and it’s pretty close to done, but it’s one of those songs that takes time. We have to play something a bunch of times for it to start to get right. We’re not going to have a chance to do that. We only have one rehearsal. That brings up the idea of how it’s going to work with you guys having not played together since March, and that you still can’t really get too close together. How are you approaching the show itself? When we agreed to do the show last week, everybody self-isolated. We all took a (COVID-19) test and everybody’s checking their temperature every day, doing the protocols. In that one rehearsal we have a huge room where everybody can social distance and use our monitors so we don’t have to be right on top of each other. Then we just have to trust that all of us are taking our commitment to this seriously. We’ve been together for so long and I trust them. So I’m hoping that this thing goes off without a hitch. Having seen BBVD at least a dozen times and witnessing the kind of energy you normally put out on stage, I’m imagining you must be like a caged animal suddenly being set free. What’s going through your head as you anticipate the concerts? It’s really exciting. When you play music together as much as we have for as

16 MONTECITO JOURNAL

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13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Native Sons The Big Short

by Nicholas Schou

The Hammies Crew rocking the short shorts

nyone old enough to remember being at the beach or a nearby boardwalk in the 1970s and early ‘80s will recall the sartorial zeitgeist: Tie-dyed or surfer tees (or no shirt at all) and Ocean Pacific-style board shorts. In those days, they were known simply as “swimsuits” anywhere outside California or the Hawaiian Islands or California. Those ever-present knee-high striped athletic socks adorned bronze legs. And as for shorts, as in short shorts, the shorter the better. The short style of shorts were actually popularized by surfer champions like Jeff Hakman and skateboarding legends the Zephyr Crew, not to mention tennis players like Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, and Bjorn Borg and matinee idols Chevy Chase and Tom Selleck. In the 1990s, perhaps influenced by hip-hop style, beach fashion took an unfortunate detour into baggy clothing and backwards baseball caps, but now short shorts are back with a vengeance. Hammies Shorts, a Montecito-bred apparel company, is at the forefront of this unabashedly retro revival. “I probably had the subconscious recollection of these type of shorts seeing movies of my dad or the time period,” says Hammies founder Grant Nestor, who grew up surfing in Montecito on Hammond’s Beach, the namesake for his clothing company. “Then I started seeing the shorts at thrift shops and I started wearing them in my early twenties. It was not the norm, but I was always really into that look.” Nestor had been making his own surf clothes ever since he was a kid, printing logos on T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats, so it was no surprise that he found himself in the clothing business after college. But after a brief stint making clothes while still in school, he dropped out of the fashion world in favor of computers and software, which he pursued as a career for the next 15 years. “I was doing this one brand in college, but during my sophomore year, I gave up on it,”

Grant Nestor and wife Sarah are the founders of Hammies Shorts, a Montecito-bred apparel company at the forefront of the short shorts retro revival

“After we got connected to the roller skating community, each order has doubled since then,” says Nestor

Nestor recalls. “I didn’t want to be in the fashion industry.” But the fashion bug wouldn’t go away, and after a friend offered to invest in a business venture making short shorts, Nestor figured he’d give it go. “I guess I couldn’t help myself,” he says, laughing. After approaching different suppliers in downtown L.A.’s garment district, he produced his first line of Hammies, all 150 of them, about four years ago. “The first one hundred fifty were the most difficult to sell,” he recalls, “but for the most part, people were stoked on it, and the next batch was seven hundred fifty shorts. After we got connected to the roller skating community, each order has doubled since then. It has really blown up.” As designed by Nestor, the Hammies short is a throwback to the classic corduroy short style that was popular before he was born. Nestor now works for the company full time with his wife, Sarah, having moved the inventory from their small house in Santa Monica to a fulfillment center in San Bernardino. What started as a tiny label now sells shorts wholesale to retailers across the United States. “Our loftiest hope with Hammies is to spread the good vibes that we associate with the ‘seventies and ‘eighties,” says Nestor. “We can’t define what those vibes are exactly, but they were the result of some concrete historical events: the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, African American influence on popular music, the introduction of LSD and psychedelics to American youth, the list goes on.” The influence of those massive historical changes on society had a profound effect on culture and style that seems to be finally coming full circle with young people today. “These events set into motion the counterculture/hippie movement, rock and roll, and surf/skate culture,” Nestor adds, “and what these had in common was a rejection of the old and a yearning for something new, rooted less in competition and violence and more in cooperation and love. We could use more of this today.” To check out Hammies’ latest creations, visit www.hammiesshorts.com. •MJ

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©2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. CalDRE 00968247. Rankings courtesy of realtrends.com. *Virtually Enhanced Interior.

13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Library Mojo

by Kim Crail

Kim is the Branch Lead of the Montecito Library. Questions or comments? Contact her: kcrail@santabarbaraca.gov

Sidewalk Success

throughout the week. Please reach out if you would like us to pick out a stack of books for your family or if you need help accessing library resources. You can use the Libby or Hoopla apps for digital materials or search our catalog at sbplibrary.org/catalog to request items to pick up during sidewalk service.

OG Readers Literacy Tutors

Montecito Library is checking out books from its back porch, where it also displays a variety of titles

ince starting on July 7, the Montecito Library has fulfilled more than 250 pickup requests via phone, email, or text. In addition to checking out materials from the back porch, we’re also displaying new books. Our new nonfiction and cookbooks are flying off our shelves and into your homes. One of our delightful and wise patrons shared that in her 90-plus years, this quarantine has been the most difficult time of her life, including World War II. She remarked that she feels very lonely, but that services such as the library (and Zoom Pilates!) are really helping. Sidewalk services take place on Tuesdays 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm and Thursdays 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.

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School at Home As kids, teachers, school staff, and parents gear up for a start to the 2020 school year, it brings up some mixed feelings (to put it mildly) about online learning and heartache of all children and grownups involved in our local education system. If you have young ones at home, the Santa Barbara Public Library offers virtual Music and Movement classes on Fridays at 10:30 am. Starting in September, the library will also resume virtual Baby and Me, Wiggly Storytime, and Preschool Storytime

For school-aged children in first through fourth grade who are having difficulty learning to read, Santa Barbara Public Library offers virtual weekly tutoring sessions with volunteers who have been trained in OrtonGillingham methods. Students will be matched with a tutor for one hour a week to practice reading, writing, and spelling. The OG Reader approach was developed for readers with dyslexia, but are great strategies for all struggling readers, including English language learners. Tutors are trained volunteers who have completed background checks. To learn more or get your child on the list for a tutor, please email YouthServices@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

Book Drop Open!

No more having to remember specific hours. You can return your items anytime. The Chain In a departure from more respectable titles, I recommend The Chain, by Adrian McKinty. This thriller is about a criminal organization engaged in kidnapping and extortion, relying on parental love to drive the juicy plot.

The heroes are a fierce mother and uncle duo dealing with cancer, money trouble, and heroin addiction. It’s gritty in the best way. Having burned through McKinty’s Sean Duffy series set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, I checked out this stand-alone thriller and inhaled it. If you are in the mood for a fast-paced read that is a major guilty pleasure, I heartily recommend this one. Please send in your “quarantine mood”-specific picks and I can share them next month!

Connect with the Library

Please don’t hesitate to call or email with questions, to seek support or to see about getting a library card. See you (someday) at the library! We miss you. •MJ

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©2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. CalDRE 00968247. Rankings courtesy of realtrends.com.

13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Our Town

by Joanne A. Calitri

Joanne is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

The Arts, “Lockdown Series” Part 2: The Formidable Jade Hendrix

rom performing as a solo artist on the Ojai-Ventura music scene, to opening for Ronnie Spector in Los Angeles and the English Beat in Ojai, to gigs with her band on the main stage at the NAMM show and L.A., one thing sings out clearly: Jade Hendrix is a phenomenal female artist. The thirty-something singer-songwriter constantly gives back to local communities, including fundraisers for the 2018 Thomas Fire and mudslides with her mom Sharon Hendrix, a world-renowned backup singer for Tom Jones, Natalie Cole and Barry Manilow, and her godmother, Carol Dennis, the legendary backup singer for Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Before the lockdown, Jade lent her talents and time to the Women’s History Month celebra- Jade Hendrix recorded her first LP Carry Me Away tions at the Ventura County Museum. at the encouragement of her mother Sharon Hendrix and producer Dan Voss Jade’s deep roots in music blend clearly with her own unique soulful sound and storytelling lyrics. Telling that story is even more important now given the current situations. In a recent quarantine virtual performance for the famous Los Angeles club Monday Monday at the Hotel Cafe Second Stage, with her hit songs including “Change” and “Wrong Color,” she said, “My roots are from my grandfather who grew up in Monroe, Louisiana. As a queer woman of color I come to these conversations with a lot of privilege compared to my family and friends with a lot more melanin in their skin and live in a different America as a result. While I still believe that those of us that have that privilege should make space for and amplify the voice of our far more marginalized brothers and sisters, we still have a lot more work to do – taking action, putting our money where our mouths are and lifting up our voices in the face of oppression.” Jade had a lot more to say. Here is our interview: Q. Can you share about growing up and getting into music?

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A. I grew up in Ojai, California and attended Happy Valley Performing Arts School writing and performing songs. I majored in cultural studies at Columbia College in Chicago and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. My mother, Sharon Hendrix, has been a world-touring back-up singer since I was a teenager, so I was blessed enough to experience some incredible music halls, theaters and arenas as a kid when she would take me and my siblings on tour with her. We listened to Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Judy Garland and Donny Hathaway. I’m a self-taught guitarist and pianist, but I get my voice from my mom, through and through. I made my first LP titled Carry Me Away at the encouragement of my mom and producer Dan Voss, and have been working as a musician, songwriter and recording artist since 2009. The lyrics come first, and the story is what matters most; the message is vital. During lockdown, is music a plus or minus, and will it/how does it influence change in the human condition? Like all good things, I think it’s a bit of both. On the one hand, any outlet we can tap into for self-expression is a lifeline. Especially when it allows us to lend our voices to the growing calls for change in this country and the world at large. But some days, the weight of it all can be a little bit too much and it feels downright debilitating to pick up my guitar. So I believe it’s important to listen to that muse when she shows up, but to also allow ourselves the grace and compassion necessary to shut it down when we need to. Is that different for music and art? I don’t think so. I believe there’s a thread that runs through all forms of artistic expression. And that, even when it speaks directly to a personal experience, it inevitably speaks to the times we live in and what it means to live in this world as it is today. Any anthropological-social-economic-political issues influencing your experience as a musician right now? I think it’s challenging not to be influenced by the seismic changes happening around us. My greatest ambition is to lend my voice, my privilege, and my pocketbook to the many causes that are pushing for real, equitable change in this country. Are you creating new music based on that influence? I’m someone who feels a lot. And so I write about it. I’ve written a handful of songs that speak to the times we’re in and I continue to play them in front of as many audiences as I can. Are you seeking new ways to create and why? I’m playing with the idea of writing a musical. I’m not sure what it looks like, or sounds like, or even what it’s about yet! But I’ve long been a lover of musical theatre and how it’s a coalescence of so many art forms. What’s next for you? I’m not sure what’s next, at this point. I feel like we’re all experiencing this day by day. Sometimes minute by minute. But I’m as inspired as I’ve ever been to write and to get involved in the great shift that’s happening right now. And I’m donating to the charities that speak to me. Black Lives Matter is at the top of list. So is the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Advice for musicians going forward? My advice would be to do it because you love it. It’s a tough business, but if your passion and love of the craft is your foundation, you’ll find your way. I believe it is the artist’s responsibility to speak truth to power. If you’re disturbed by what’s happening around you, write about it. Engage with it. If you’re inspired by the light that gets through the darkness, write about it. Amplify it. And be the light. •MJ

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13 – 20 August 2020

In Passing

Brilliant Thoughts

Sylvia Brickley Weller (1925 – 2020)

by Ashleigh Brilliant Born London, 1933. Mother Canadian. Father a British civil servant. World War II childhood spent mostly in Toronto and Washington, D.C. Berkeley PhD. in American History, 1964. Living in Santa Barbara since 1973. No children. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots”, now a series of 10,000. Email ashleigh@west.net or visit www.ashleighbrilliant.com

Licked by a Stamp

have never been much of a hobbyist – but for a few years in my teens, I was very keen on postage stamps. This fizzled at about the same time I got interested in girls – but to this day, whenever I receive a letter with a stamp I haven’t seen before, I tear it off and automatically put it away. Why do we have stamps at all? Mail systems existed long before postage stamps were introduced. But the big difference was in the method of payment. Somebody had to pay for the service – and for many centuries, it was the recipient. But what if the recipient didn’t want it, and refused to pay for it? The big change came first in Britain in the 1840s. An energetic reformer named Rowland Hill persuaded Parliament to initiate a system of pre-payment, and to charge a basic rate of only one penny. So, you bought a penny stamp (they were originally black, and had a profile of the young Queen Victoria) and you stuck it on your letter using your own glue. Adhesives requiring moisture came later – and self-adhesives were still a century away. Stamps also had to be cut with scissors from a sheet, because perforations too were a later development. It wasn’t until recently that the letter bore proof that its transportation and delivery had already been paid for. When other countries took up this idea, they put their own monarch’s head, or some other national symbol, on the stamp – until it was realized that there were virtually no limitations on the subject matter, color, or design which a stamp could carry, so long as its price was clearly indicated. There is also usually an identification of the issuing country. The one major exception was Britain, since at first it was the only player in the game. And it became traditional that British stamps were still the only ones stating no country of origin. With all the different stamps soon in circulation, collecting them became a serious hobby. There was a time when an avid collector might claim to have a complete collection of all the world’s stamps. But those early days have long since yielded to ever-more-finely subdivided categories of specialization, by country, subject, era, and even such 13 – 20 August 2020

abstruse distinctions as perforations and watermarks. Another early development, as with anything considered “collectible,” was the concept of value, and the rise of commerce. Shops appeared, catering to the hobby now called “Philately.” Catalogs were published, with columns of prices for stamps in used and unused condition. Rarity was of course a major qualifying factor – and it was every collector’s dream to discover in his collection a rare stamp of high value. I myself, when still a schoolboy in England, was bitten by this bug, and once – just once – I actually bought a stamp on speculation. I didn’t usually buy stamps at all. But I did occasionally go into stamp shops – and on one occasion the dealer showed me a stamp which, although very reasonably priced then – I think just a dollar or two – he said was sure to soar in value. The stamp, in “mint” condition, whose face value was just one penny, was issued in 1945 by the east African country of Nyasaland, then a British colony, now Malawi. It depicted, not very flatteringly, a native member of a force called the “King’s African Rifles.” The dealer told me it had proven so unpopular when first issued that it had been withdrawn, and replaced with another design. So, I bought it, and put it away in my album. I hardly ever looked at that album over the next sixty years, but I always enjoyed thinking that, among its nearly 3,000 stamps, I had one which might be a true treasure. What finally triggered me to find out was a news item about a comic book (the first appearance of Superman), which had sold for $1 million. I went down to our local public library, and was pleased to find the latest 7-volume edition of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue (which itself sells for $560). And sure enough, there was my Nyasaland stamp. And what was it now worth? Twenty cents, the very least value that Scott gives to any stamp! Unless that dealer was being totally dishonest, my theory was that the stamp may indeed have been withdrawn, but, instead of being destroyed, the thousands of unsold copies were simply unloaded upon gullible collectors, like me. Caveat emptor! •MJ

Sylvia Brickley Weller

ong-time Santa Barbara resident and mother of Mark Paul Brickley, Elizabeth (Betsy) Read Brickley-Adams, mother-in-law of Patrick T. Adams, and grandmother of Jackson Adams and Sturdy Adams, has died of natural causes. Sylvia’s paternal grandparents were Elsa Meyer, a concert pianist, and Heinrich Volkmann, a transportation chief for the German rail system, honored by Kaiser Wilhelm, the last king of Germany, for his achievements. Her maternal grandparents, Frederick Nash Read of Virginia and Louise Ludlow Bryant of Ludlow, Kentucky, were descended from early families of this country. Her parents were Dorothy Read and Erich Volkmann. Her father graduated from the University of Heidelberg and emigrated before the two World Wars. Sylvia attended Katherine Gibbs College in Boston and held positions at Brown University, The Ringling Hotel in Sarasota, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and J. Walter Thompson in New York City. She married Paul Brickley of Minnesota, and their children were born in Rochester, where Dr. Brickley was a staff member at the Mayo Clinic. In 1954 the family moved to Santa Barbara, and Dr. Brickley practiced ophthalmology at the Sansum Clinic. Following her husband’s death, Sylvia attended City College and UCSB, graduating with honors in English in 1971. She joined Arthur Bromfield’s real estate office in Montecito (Sears) and combined real estate sales, travel and writing, and had a great life, by her own admission. In 1990 she married LeRoy Weller and lived on the beach in Carpinteria until his death in 2000. Together they cruised the globe. She was active in several community organizations including the Junior League and the Lobero Theatre and three local private clubs. She enjoyed bridge and three reading clubs, and the rich variety of arts this community offers. With a Pat McClure-led group at All Saints-by-the-Sea Church, she explored evolving trends in Christian theology as it responded to advances in neurology and physics. If she were writing this herself she would say that among the many gifts of this life, her loving children Elizabeth (Betsy) and Mark, grandsons Jackson and Sturdy, son-in-law Patrick, and those friends who helped her laugh and who nurtured her spirit top the list. So long, all dear ones, “I wait at the Gate.” She was interested in a book fund for single mothers at City College, which the Foundation for SBCC’s CARE program supports. A celebration of Sylvia’s life will be held when family and friends are able to gather. •MJ

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

VILLAGE BEAT (Cont. from p. 12) moved to Santa Ynez Valley, will continue to work with existing clients. Their Solvang home will become their permanent new residence, and the couple says they look forward to spending more time with their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, as well as an assemblage of rescue animals. “It’s starting to become a zoo up here already,” Mary Lou told us recently. “We will miss Montecito and our clients immensely, but look forward to this new chapter.” Jon intends to continue work on his book, Montecito Renaissance, which will feature the best of the Sorrell homes.

Biltmore Employees Protest

Last Thursday, August 6, over 250 employees from the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore took to the streets of Montecito to protest unanswered questions about their employment status at the resort, as the Biltmore, Coral Casino, and The Montecito Club have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve given nearly fifteen years of service to this place,” one employee, who would not share her name, told us during the protest. “And now to not have any answers about what is going on, it’s just not right,” she said. The group of employees, joined by some neighbors from the Danielson neighborhood and members of

Over 250 Biltmore employees protested last Thursday morning, in a show of frustration about miscommunication regarding reopening of the 5-star resort

the Coral Casino – who were also demanding answers – walked past Biltmore owner Ty Warner’s house on their way to Cabrillo Boulevard, under the freeway, and down Coast Village Road, chanting “shame on the Biltmore, shame on Ty.” Many of them held signs or banners boasting how many years of service they have given to the 5-star resort, only to be furloughed indefinitely without benefits or severance pay. Many donned “Biltmore Strong” shirts that were made following the

A banner at the entrance to Coast Village Road demanding answers regarding the closure of the Four Seasons Biltmore

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1/9 Debris Flow in January 2018; but the “St” was covered up with a “W,” so they read: “Biltmore Wrong.” Banners were placed on the Highway 101 overpass at Olive Mill Road, as well as at the entrance to Coast Village Road. Warner, in an exclusive interview with Journal News Editor Nick Schou last week, said he has no plans to sell any of his properties in California, and says the closures are due to an abundance of caution so as not to spread coronavirus. Employees maintain that there has been a lack of communication from both ownership and management about the situation, and said they hoped the protest would prompt Warner to inform them whether they will be laid off, or whether they will be able to go back to work soon in order to access benefits, which were cut on June 30. Late Tuesday evening, the Four Seasons regional manager in Las Vegas held a Zoom call with Biltmore employees to read a message that the resort will be closed for at least six months and reopen in 2021. As a result, furloughed employees will be offered one week extra of vacation time, which would have accrued during the six month period. Management reports they “are committed to bringing everyone back and maintaining their tenure.” The specific plans for renovation were not disclosed, but the Four Seasons rep said “the owner is investing in the resort to make it the best resort in California.” Warner’s other Montecito property, San Ysidro Ranch, is up-and-running

Montecito Association Meets

At this month’s Montecito Association board meeting, Montecito Union School and Cold Spring School superintendents reported that school will begin next week, on a virtual platform. Dr. Anthony Ranii from

“I don’t mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that’s how it comes out.” – Bill Hicks

MUS reported that enrollment is up to 376 students, and the school is in process of distributing computers to each student. Administrators are also preparing for in-person learning later this school year, when it is deemed safe for kids and teachers to be back on campus. All teachers at MUS are meeting with their students individually over the next few weeks, so the families and kids can meet their new teachers face-to-face. School starts Thursday, August 20. Cold Spring School starts two days earlier, on Tuesday, August 18. Teachers are busy setting up their classrooms to welcome students as well, so they can meet before virtual learning begins. Dr. Amy Alzina reported that five kindergarten students have been pulled out of Cold Spring, in order to go back to preschool where they are allowed to meet in-person. Like MUS, all students at Cold Spring School will get MacBooks, and the curriculum will be a mix of virtual learning and hands-on activities. “I’m really excited about our blended model of handson learning opportunities,” she said. “Students will not be on their devices all day long.” Both schools are able to apply for a waiver to allow in-person learning once the number of infections of COVID-19 decreases significantly in the county. Dr. Alzina said a recent poll of parents showed 72% would like to send their children back to campus. “My job as the superintendent is to protect the health and safety of our students. If we can’t do that, I won’t seek a waiver. When it’s safe to re-enter, we’ll re-enter,” she said. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on recent crime in Montecito, including trespassing and swimming on Edgecliff Lane, trespassing at Music Academy of the West, a burglary on Fairway Road, an unlocked vehicle burglary on San Ysidro Road, trespassing at the cemetery, and embezzlement on Pomar Lane. He also noted a case in which a part-time resident found out that people had been living in her vacant home for eight months, undetected. Montecito Fire Battalion Chief Alan Widling reported that we are in currently in high fire season, and he expects the fire season to be active through mid-November. The Association is currently monitoring several land use issues, including the Randall Road Debris Basin, updates to the State’s ADU laws that the County is now working within, upcoming housing bills at the State level that could affect Montecito, the Olive Mill Roundabout, an increase in short-term rentals, and much more. To stay involved, visit www.monte citoassociation.org.

VILLAGE BEAT Page 454 13 – 20 August 2020

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MONTECITO & SANTA BARBARA BROKERAGES | SOTHEBYSREALTY.COM © Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark. This material is based upon information which we consider reliable but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice. If your property is listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity. DRE License Numbers for All Featured Agents:Dusty Baker: 1908615 | Jason Siemens: 1886104 | Gregory Tice: 462018 | Elias Benson: 2019815 | Sandy Stahl: 1040095 | Jake Longstreth: 2090236 | Maureen McDermut: 1175027 | Wes St. Clair: 1173714 | Julie Greener: 1250774 | Frank Abatemarco: 1320375 | Vivienne Leebosh: 01229350 | Caroline Santandrea: 01349311

13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Perspectives

by Rinaldo S. Brutoco

Rinaldo S. Brutoco is the Founding President and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital. He’s a serial entrepreneur, executive, author, radio host, and futurist who’s published on the role of business in relation to pressing moral, environmental, and social concerns for over 35 years

Cool New Trend: Community Fridges

Arc of the Moral Universe

When it comes to criminal justice reform, the compassionate path is also the wisest.

resident Obama had one quote woven into the carpet of the Oval Office. It read: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” That Martin Luther King, Jr. quote has resonated with us down through history since it was originally uttered in a slightly different form by abolitionist preacher, Theodore Parker, in 1853. Today, we know that the arc is bending towards racial justice, and also includes a “justice system” unencumbered by corruption. We’re talking about the criminal justice, or what passes for “justice,” system that creates the largest incarceration rates in the world. You see, “institutionalized racism” and the criminal justice system are the twin faces of Janus. More than 2.3 million people are currently incarcerated in the United States and more than 4 million more are in some form of direct criminal justice. We incarcerate 700 people per 100,000 population and Britain, the next highest country, only incarcerates 139 people per 100,000 population. We have an incarceration rate 20 times greater than an advanced democracy like Germany. With only 5 percent of the global population, we hold 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. Why? And what can we do about it? First, let’s understand how we got here. Institutional racism in the 1970s caused a flurry of laws passed to lock up ever greater proportions of the Black community using drug laws that were designed to adversely affect minorities (e.g. the sentence for crack cocaine, favored by the poor, being many times longer than for the same amount of drugs in the powdered form favored by the wealthier white classes). This was how the drug laws were originally brought into play that have, for over 50 years, resulted in disproportionate arrests, convictions, and sentencing for Black and Brown Americans. Unbelievably, 70 percent of all the people in our jails are there for non-violent offenses, mostly drug related. Although Black and Hispanic Americans represent only 32 percent of the US population, they represent 56 percent of the folks in jail. That’s no accident. If it were, this appalling injustice would have been cured 40 years ago when the statistic first became obvious. That’s what structural racism looks like when it is institu-

26 MONTECITO JOURNAL

tionalized. Second, our incarceration numbers bear no relationship to crime statistics. A study by the MacArthur Foundation showed that from 1983 to 2000 all crime decreased but our total incarcerations went from 6 million to 11.7 million. At the same time, as mental hospitals were being closed in California and elsewhere in the country, the number of seriously mentally ill prisoners increased by as much as 600 percent. We have been warehousing our mentally ill in prisons where they are often brutalized and confined to a life of abject misery merely for the “crime” of being mentally unstable. What on earth are we doing in the face of this moral outrage? Third, it is a national tragedy that our prisons end up being the “end point” on a dysfunctional social “ladder” that sees certain areas of the country and certain people of color unable to receive enough effective education to secure a good job. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that 70 percent of inmates entering state prisons have not graduated from high school, 19 percent are completely illiterate, and 40 percent are functionally illiterate. How do we reduce crime if the inputs are badly damaged individuals who lack basic education and life skills? Fourth, we need to aggressively advance the cause of “criminal justice reform,” which is the movement aimed at making fundamental changes in the entire criminal justice system by: 1) decreasing the number of non-violent or victimless “crimes” in order to have fewer reasons to prosecute (e.g. the recent decriminalization of marijuana); 2) actively decreasing the prison population with early release programs (California has the lowest prison population in 30 years because of the releases of non-violent prisoners due to COVID-19); 3) reducing sentences that are perceived to be too long or too severe (e.g. phasing out of “three strikes” laws); 4) beginning to treat all drug “offenses” as a public health issue (in Portugal this has eliminated jail time for all drug crimes with no increase in crime and massive tax savings); 5) decreasing recidivism by addressing the underlying causes of crime (e.g. lack of good education, grinding poverty, unequal job opportunities, etc.); 6) juvenile justice reform (e.g. no more putting juveniles in adult

n June, we published a story on our website about the emergence of community refrigerators around New York City. The premise is simple: community members store food in a publicly accessible fridge, and anyone can come and take what they want and leave what they don’t. The people who came up with this grassroots idea in Brooklyn said they’ve only had positive interactions with the community fridges, which probably explains why more of these fridges have been popping up across the US and Canada. Julian Bentivegna, a chef and owner of Ten Restaurant on Toronto’s College Street, started a community fridge this year after getting the green light from his landlord. “It’s been great to see just how much people care,” Bentivegna said. “When we first got started, I was worried we were going to have too many donations and not enough people taking from the fridges, but it’s been a really nice balance of the two. We don’t police the fridges at all. We just let people take what they need and leave what they don’t.” The world’s far from perfect, and there have been hard curveballs thrown in 2020 so far, but it’s good to know that communities are still rallying to help in the small ways they can. You can look for a community fridge in your own city by searching on freedge.org, Googling it, or searching the hashtag “community fridge” on social media – then make a donation.

Printing Their Own Money

During the darkest days of the Great Depression, the logging city of Tenino, Washington, created a complimentary wooden currency to help locals survive the economic crisis. Now, almost 90 years later, the town is once again “printing money” on postcard-sized sheets of maple to help locals suffering from financial hardship. Pegged at the rate of real US dollars, the currency can be spent everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations and childcare centers, whose owners can later exchange them. “It worked perfectly,” says Tenino’s mayor Wayne Fournier, whose new scheme offers residents who demonstrate they are experiencing economic difficulties caused by the pandemic a stipend of up to $300 a month in wooden dollars. “We have no idea what is going to happen next in 2020,” adds Fournier. “But cities like ours need to come up with niche ways to be sustainable without relying on the larger world.” •MJ prisons); 7) reforming policing to minimize racial bias; 8) making it illegal for prison guard unions to lobby for increased sentencing, increased creation of criminal statutes, and all other ways that financially benefit those guards; 9) cash bail reform; and 10) eliminating private prisons. Retired Superior Court Judge George Eskin says the elimination of cash bail itself will empty out as much as 60-70 percent of the inmates at our county jails – those are folks awaiting trial who haven’t been convicted of any crime, but are unable to make cash bail due to personal financial limitations. We all know that a system designed to provide an instant “get out of jail free” card if you can afford to buy it, but leave you languishing behind bars if you are poor, is inherently wrong. Point 10 also cannot be overlooked. Publicly traded companies Geo Group and CoreCivic know their market capitalization (not to mention executive compensation) is ghoulishly set by the “sales” of prison beds to states

“Oh sorry, I was taking life seriously.” – Bill Hicks

which makes for a powerful incentive to keep as many prisoners in jail for as long as possible, and to have them come back repeatedly. Regrettably, private prisons literally monetize each prisoner by making each prisoner a unit of revenue and profit for the corporation. The prisoner creates wealth for them by literally being captured in a system of legalized slavery. The California Legislative Counsel’s office reports it takes more than $81,000 per year to incarcerate a single prisoner! That doesn’t include the cost of apprehension, trial, and ultimately parole or probation. On a national scale, the 2019 cost was $80 billion. California is now demonstrating that a 50 percent cutback of inmates is achievable without any increase in violent crime. Criminal justice reform is compassionately wise, yields better economics, and produces a lower crime rate. Hence, it would be “criminal” of us to fail to reform our criminal justice system. •MJ 13 – 20 August 2020

“You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!” – Oliver Cromwell, 1653 AD

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• The Voice of the Village •

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Body Wise by Ann Brode Ann Todhunter Brode has been an Aston Patterning practitioner and body-oriented therapist in Santa Barbara for over forty years. A recognized master in her field, Brode writes down-to-earth, compassionate articles on the challenges & rewards of living consciously in the body. visit www.bodywisdomforlife.com for more information.

Staying Grounded, When Everything is Up in the Air

bit of uncertainty can be exciting. A script with a surprise ending has intrigue. Embracing the unknown is part of the artistic process. But when the reliable routines of everyday life have been scrambled, it’s a whole different story. Negotiating the new normal of social distancing, working at home, and Zoom classrooms has challenged our equilibrium. Just putting gas in the car feels like an awkward new learning curve. Plans don’t get made because they’ll just get cancelled. When everything is up in the air, it’s helpful to remember something reliably constant. Like gravity. Being aware of your relationship with gravity not only connects you with the ground but helps you get grounded. Following the structural wisdom that support comes from below and stability comes from above; your body’s alignment influences whether or not you feel confident and centered. As unlikely as it may seem, staying grounded in uncertain times may have everything to do with how you’re standing. To experience how this works, simply follow these steps: 1. Stand up and feel the impression of weight in your feet. 2. Shift around so that the pressure is evenly distributed, front to back, side to side, foot to foot. Even it all out. 3. Stack the rest of your structure over this base, like building blocks. 4. Imagine that you’re looking into the future and notice how you feel, physically and emotionally. 5. Tilt your weight slightly to the heels and note the effect on your sense of balance and outlook. Now tilt to the toes and see what happens. Did your body’s relationship with gravity change your state of mind? Research has shown that our sense of being grounded effects the way we think and feel. Knowing how to get centered and balanced on your feet establishes a comforting reference point when things get unhinged. When you consciously move from the base, even mundane activities such as meal prep, folding laundry, or brushing your teeth have a calming potential. When you tune in beforehand, your regular exercise, meditation, yoga, Tai chi, or walk on the beach will be enhanced. Establishing a routine of staying grounded is a good way to approach these unsettling times, literally and figuratively. Doing Tai chi each morning helps me stay grounded all day long. Akin to moving meditation, my intention is to be present throughout the set. When worries crowd in, I lose my balance. When my mind wanders off, I lose the thread. The key is to be in the moment as one position flows to next. Moving from Single Whip to Cloud Hands with fluid grace can be a metaphor for being ready and steady as life shifts and turns. When I get hung up and need to move

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on, I’m reminded to forgive imperfection, stay the course, and trust the future. This reframe helps me get on board to ride the COVID-driven wave wherever it goes. I recently asked several respected colleagues what was helping them stay grounded in these novel times. Here are their responses: “In my experience, there is nothing quite so healing as being in nature and in Santa Barbara, we are blessed with easy access. Walk one of our beaches at low tide. Hike a trail (masked when near others), sit under a tree, feed the birds, ride bikes, play catch in the front yard. Try to get off the screens and enjoy just being outside alone or with loved ones.” Debra Manchester, psychotherapist and director of the Family Therapy Institute.

Debra Manchester

“I walk on the beach with my dog Kobe as much as I can. I treasure my friendships more than ever. I hope for the best.” Astrid De Wild, Pilates instructor. Astrid De Wild

“I have always done better for my own grounding and equanimity with a body-oriented spiritual practice. I try to at least hike (alone so I can tune inward) or do yoga to help me get through the day in balance.” David Cumes MD, surgeon, shaman, and author. “When we literally loosen up the way we think about the movements we make, the body listens and responds accordingly and vice versa. At the moment, my motto is: when in doubt, wiggle it out.” Alexis Pittmon, Pilates instructor. “Sense the contact under your feet. The earth is our guide.” Luis Sanchez, Feldenkrais practitioner, Qi Gong instructor. “In these interesting, unusual, and challenging times, I find the following activities help me stay calm, optimistic and balanced: being still with a light and positive attitude, breathing deeply, meditating, focusing on gratitude for all the wonderful things and people in my life, connecting with nature, walking outside in fresh air – and then on some days, just turning on fun music and dancing!” Pamala Oslie, author and intuitive. Pamala Oslie

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“I find in these challenging times, I often watch the morning sunrise. The return of light each day reminds me that even in the darkest of times, light returns. After watching the sun rise I sit and meditate, visualizing the light emanating from within my heart and shining light out to all who are suffering. To see the light, feel the light in my heart, and focus on sharing light with those who may be experiencing darkness in their life, helps me to stay grounded.” Cheri Clampett, yoga therapist, teacher, and author. •MJ

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28 MONTECITO JOURNAL

“I can’t watch TV longer than five minutes without praying for nuclear holocaust.” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

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DANA ZERTUCHE & LORI BOWLES 805.565.8198 info@MONTECITO.associates www.MONTECITO.associates CalRE#01465425 CalRE#01961570 The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2020 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.

13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

The 501c3 Weekly

Rendez-Vous, by Mara Abboud, one of the art pieces featured in the virtual auction

by Zach Rosen

United Way of Santa Barbara The Red Feather Ball will be held as a virtual auction this year

ith so many schools having to turn to online classes, students in need are having an even tougher time getting the educational resources they need. One organization, United Way of Santa Barbara, has been helping at-risk and low-income students and members of the community since 1923. Of their many community programs, two of their educational programs have become part of their core offerings. The nationally awarded Fun in the Sun (FITS) program has been operating for more than 24 years. Over time it has evolved from providing a safe space for children to an educational summer program with over 80 partnerships. Hundreds of at-risk and low-income students get to spend their summer each year having academic fun through field trips, STEAM kits, and art activities, as well as learning life lessons in such things as financial literacy and nutrition,

among others. With the addition of a site in Guadalupe, they plan to have six in-person FITS sites spread around the county by 2021. The second program, United for Literacy, focuses on improving literacy, success in school, and graduation rates by providing age-appropriate literature and individualized online reading programs to students and children in need. Whether it is parents finding educational entertainment at home for their children or schools looking to provide online coursework, both of these programs have become even more important during these times. Since COVID-19 both programs have faced their own challenges. Fun in the Sun has had to run virtually for its first time. United Way and their partners were able to provide virtual courses and even hands-on STEAM kits for more than 350 students. In a normal year, United for Literacy reaches as many as 12,000

Closings your escrows with care in Montecito since 1995

A weekend of wine at Montgomery Vineyards in Napa is one of the star items featured in United Way’s virtual auction

students, but with schools moving to online platforms during quarantine, this number has increased to almost 40,000 students. They have had to respond to the quadruple increase in program size by giving it additional staff attention and further developing their partnerships with school districts. While it remains uncertain for how long this volume will continue, this experience has shown the value of these online tools and they do expect to see ongoing growth for the

program. In addition, United Way has raised $4.5 million for COVID19 response in partnership with the Hutton Parker Foundation and Santa Barbara Foundation, with $1.6 million going to more than 100 organizations and $1.5 million being used to help 1,900 individual households. United Way is partnering with the City of Santa Barbara to establish a rental assistance program and provided 1,600 school supplies to students. As CEO Steve Ortiz said, they are

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In other years, the Red Feather Ball has helped support core programming for United Way of Santa Barbara

“I smoke to fill the potholes in my soul.” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

The online auction even features art pieces like Cowgirl with Braids, by Pedro De La Cruz

Racquet Club. Also on offer, an 18-carat diamond pendant from Bryant & Sons, and Rendez Vous, a silk screen painting by artist Mara Abboud. Cowgirl with Braids, by Pedro de la Cruz, a local artist who moved to the area from Mexico, is a bright painting of a cowgirl with the presence of Dora Maar. For some self-care options there are auction items like an Aveda spa package and orchid arrangement, or a haircut from the Patricia Noel Salon. The online auction ends on September 18. Visit unitedwaysb.org/unitedto gether for more information on their Red Feather Ball and a link to the auction site. •MJ

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The Red Feather Ball has been held at the Coral Casino the past 24 years

trying to ensure that “those most vulnerable have the support they need to get through this pandemic as best as possible.” Of course, COVID-19 has had a large effect on normal fundraising activities, having to cancel all in-person events for 2020. The annual Red Feather Ball is one of the main fundraisers for these two core programs. In place of this gala event that has been taking place at the Coral Casino for the past 24 years, United Way has set up a virtual auction. The online auction has 26 items on offer, from gift baskets to a cake from Jeannine’s; there are plenty of food and wine options available, including a case of Peter Paul Wines Bacigalupi Chardonnay. One of the star items is a two-night stay at Montgomery Vineyards at their Napa Valley property. This popular offering has been previously donated by Bob and Val Montgomery and has become a crowd favorite. The Santa Barbara Inn Getaway features a week’s stay at the hotel and a gift card to Finney’s Restaurant. There are also smaller day experiences like a zoo package or an hour of kayak or paddle boarding. “Jump on the School Bus” is offering a six-hour bus tour to anywhere in the area and there’s also the Azure Seas Sunset Cruise and a ten-person cabana experience at the Santa Barbara Polo & 13 – 20 August 2020

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Monte ito Miscellany by Richard Mineards photos by Priscilla

Richard covered the Royal Family for Britain’s Daily Mirror and Daily Mail, and was an editor on New York Magazine. He was also a national anchor on CBS, a commentator on ABC Network News, gossip on The Joan Rivers Show and Geraldo Rivera, host on E! TV, a correspondent on the syndicated show Extra, a commentator on the KTLA Morning News and Entertainment Tonight. He moved to Montecito 13 years ago.

Royal Santa Barbara

Welcome to the neighborhood Prince Harry and wife Meghan, who have just dropped between $8 and $10 million for a Montecito estate (photo by Mark Jones)

he news that Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have bought a home in our rarefied enclave comes as no surprise whatsoever. I have been predicting for some time we would be seeing the tony twosome in our Eden by the Beach given the setting of the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, where HRH’s good friend Ralph Lauren Polo model Nacho Figueras and wife Delfina are members, and which Prince William and wife Kate visited a decade ago. As Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and the former actress are good friends of TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey and fellow host Ellen DeGeneres, who visited them at their Frogmore Cottage, Windsor, home last year, they obviously know our locale well. Reports have Harry splashing out between $8 and $10 million for their Montecito estate, which given the median house price is around $4.5 million, should give them the privacy they so deeply desire and obviously weren’t getting with their oneyear-old son, Archie, at TV producer Tyler Perry’s 12-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills. Prince Charles, Harry’s father, has undoubtedly helped out with the purchase given the $30 million he earns in income annually from the Duchy of Cornwall, 130,000 acres of land he owns in central London and the southwest of England, which dates back to 1337 when it was set up by King Edward III for his son, The Black Prince. It is to be hoped people will respect

32 MONTECITO JOURNAL

the privacy of the couple as they settle into their new home, which they purchased quietly last month. Other than that, welcome to the ‘hood...

Beverley Jackson

everley Jackson, who died of natural causes last week just short of her 92nd birthday, was one helluva gal! The society doyenne, who moved to our rarefied enclave in 1963 after a privileged upbringing in Beverly Hills and Pasadena, was a fellow student at Westlake School for Girls with Shirley Temple. For 22 years Beverley penned the By The Way column for the Santa Barbara News-Press, which covered the coming and goings of high society and celebrities in our Eden by Beach, becoming friends with many of them, including TV chef Julia Child, who ended her days residing at Casa Dorinda. But it was a trip to China in 1975 with TV host Steve Allen and his wife Jayne Meadows that changed her already eclectic and adventurous life. She became an avowed Sinophile, making frequent visits and amassing one of the major collections of Chinese clothing in the U.S. including rare imperial robes, which she donated to the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, where she was curator of Asian art for 20 years. I first met Beverley in 2007 over lunch at the Bella Vista at Ty Warner’s Biltmore when I moved here from Hancock Park to become a columnist for the News-Press. I found her a fas-

(from Left) Priscilla, Cat Pollon, Richard Mineards, Gretchen Lieff, and Beverley Jackson celebrate Richard’s 66th birthday at the Coral Casino

cinating character and we had, we learned, many friends in common. She had been a good friend of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who headed the French wine dynasty that produced such legendary vintages as Château Lafite and Mouton Rothschild, which retails for around $600 a bottle depending on the vintage. They would meet frequently in her beloved Paris, a throbbing metropolis that fitted her perfectly given her tastes in art, fashion and gourmet dining. The highlight of any week was to be invited to her Montecito Shores home to dine on Chinese cuisine, naturally, in an ornate opium bed that was used as a small dining room. It was rumored to have come from a brothel in Shanghai! I always found it quite amusing watching the look on people’s faces when I revealed I had spent the night “in bed” with Beverley Jackson. We would also lunch frequently at the Coral Casino where she was a lifetime member. Beverley would always encourage me to bring my Vilebrequin suit so I could take advantage of the magnificent swimming pool. On the occasion of a full moon she would host delightful soirées at the China Palace on Coast Village Road and was a frequent guest at the Montecito home of the late film legend Kirk Douglas and his wife, Anne. I fondly remember one I attended with her to celebrate the tony twosome’s new patio sitting with actress Bo Derek and her actor

“It’s just a ride.” – Bill Hicks

beau John Corbett. Another highlight was her annual firefighters bash to raise money and gifts for Toys for Tots. The hallway outside her apartment would be festooned with Chinese lanterns and used as a makeshift bar as Beverley, ever the perfect host, would wear yet another dazzling Chinese silk costume with some decidedly eccentric fashion touches, including her silver sequinned sneakers and Sonia Rykiel Elton John-style glasses. 13 – 20 August 2020

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Beverley was also a prolific author, writing seven non-fiction works, starting with Ladder to the Clouds in 1999 and Shanghai Girl Gets All Dressed Up, and Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of Ancient China two years later. She followed these up with other fascinating tomes, including Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of An Erotic Tradition, about the ancient tradition of foot binding, and The Beautiful Lady Was a Palace Eunuch. The intricately crafted shoes, along with many examples of her costumes from the Qing dynasty, were displayed in the spacious living room of her condominium. Beverley’s final book, The Dolls of Spain, was published in 2017 and accompanied her newfound interest in a variety of art projects, including pine needle baskets, art works using leather book covers, and impressive jewelry incorporating seashells, belt buckles and innumerable other eclectic ingredients. Although she was at a very low ebb three or four years back when was suffering from shingles, Beverley bounced back with a vengeance. She hosted a bash for the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, where she gave 600 photographs reflecting her glittering lifestyle for a socially-gridlocked exhibition. She was a regular spectator at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. She also started writing regularly for The Voice. She was particularly proud when she was photographed with Argentinian Ralph Lauren Polo model Nacho Figueras, a good friend of Prince Harry. “He’s so adorable,” she cooed. To mark her 80th birthday Beverley 13 – 20 August 2020

took over the historic Val Verde estate for a 1920s themed bash. In 1983 Beverley was with an elite group that welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip to Santa Barbara when she visited President Ronald Reagan at his ranch when the royal yacht Britannia had been delayed by storms in San Diego. “Her Majesty was particularly impressed by the architecture of the Courthouse,” Beverley told me. “As well traveled as she was, she said it was one of the most beautiful buildings she’d seen.” One of the great loves of Beverley’s life was her extremely mischievous dachshund Rennie who replaced her beloved pet of the same breed, Natalie. I vividly remember attending pedigree puppy classes with her in Goleta, but, sadly, it was a lost cause! In her latter years Beverley, fortunately, had a rapprochement with her New York-based only daughter, Tracey, 62, and it was good to see her and her husband at various parties, along with Keith and Mary Hudson, the parents of Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry. Sadly, given the pandemic lockdown, I was unable to visit Beverley, but we kept in touch by telephone and email, and she would often send me newspaper and magazine clips she thought might be useful for my Montecito Miscellany column. Unfortunately her official sendoff will not be the fabulous farewell she so richly deserves. But when we hopefully get back to normal or near normal, a more befitting event will be planned. •MJ

Walk through a beautiful garden while nearly 1,000 live butterflies flutter freely around you. The exhibit features a dazzling variety of butterflies, from local favorites to exotic tropical varieties. Learn about the life cycle and behavior of these spectacular invertebrates while observing them up close.

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

NOSH TOWN

Little Dom’s Seafood, the brainchild of Los Angeles restaurateurs Warner Ebbink (left) and Executive Chef Brandon Boudet, has a deli-style takeaway counter, raw bar, and expansive dining room with bar seating

by Claudia Schou

LITTLE DOM’S OPENS NEW SEAFOOD CONCEPT IN CARPINTERIA Little Dom’s Seafood mirrors its L.A. location’s old school charm but with an emphasis on local seafood, pizza fired in a wood-burning oven, organic produce, and wines of the Central Coast

tep inside Little Dom’s Seafood’s newly opened Carpinteria location and be transported back to a time in the mid-20th century when red faux leather booths were en vogue and portraits of famous Italian patrons were displayed on walls like badges of honor. Back then, neighborhood restaurants serving traditional Italian American fare were indies, not part of any kitschy chains. This seaside gem, by Los Angeles restaurateurs Warner Ebbink and Executive Chef Brandon Boudet, has a deli-style takeaway counter, raw bar, and expansive dining room with bar seating and outdoor tables set along bustling Linden Avenue. In 2008 Ebbink and Boudet opened Little Dom’s in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood, offering wood-oven pizzas, pastas, and other classic dishes. The restaurant quickly established itself as a hip eatery with an understated sophistication. “Not that I have anything against it, but it’s never been a goal of mine to be lumped into a commercialized dining experience,” Ebbink said. “Brandon and I have been inspired by East Coast diners, but our real inspiration comes from the design aesthetic and culinary offerings of Cal Italian restaurants in San Francisco’s North Beach.” Little Dom’s Seafood mirrors the L.A. location’s old school charm but with an emphasis on local seafood, pizza fired in a wood-burning oven, organic produce, and wines of the Central Coast. Its proprietors work with local purveyors including Frecker Farms and Beylik Farms for fresh-picked fruits and veggies and Sea Stephanie Fish for stellar seafood. There was a strategy about adding “seafood” to the name. “We wanted to feature some aspect of the local culture and flavor on our menu,” Ebbink said. “There are so many resources around here it’s incredible. We don’t want to be the seafood restaurant that buys their seafood out of state or out of country. Our concept is all about supporting local fishermen.” The menu features pastas, wood-fired seafood and pizzas, salads, crudos and a chilled Warner Ebbink says the “real inspiration” for Little Dom’s “comes from the design aesthetic and culinary offerings of Cal Italian restaurants in San Francisco’s North Beach”

34 MONTECITO JOURNAL

seafood selection with prices ranging from $15 to $28. Fresh raw oysters, live uni, and smoked fish rillettes are just a few of the tempting delicacies offered. Prices range from $3 per oyster to $21 for live uni. Boudet showcases local catch in updated classics such as squid ink mafaldine ($21), a northern Italian inspired pasta dish served with uni butter. Equally superb is the chef’s new take on the classic meatball sandwich: a meatball burger, with a cast-iron-smashed meatball patty, aged provolone, pickled tomato and Calabrese chili aioli on toasted brioche ($19). The eatery offers a Monday Supper Special three-course meal for $25 per person. Add a bottle of Little Dom’s house blend wine for $20. Pastry Chef Ann Kirk bakes an impressive lineup of house-made desserts including Choux Choux, with local strawberries and mascarpone, and a made-to-order flourless chocolate olive oil cake, topped with her signature olive oil gelato, toasted pine nuts and sea salt. To complete the dining experience, sommelier Jeremy Allen curates a selection of coastal craft beers as well as bottlings from boutique wineries in Italy and along California’s Central Coast, such as Palmina, Holus Bolus and Habit Wine Company. His libations menu features classic Italian cocktails with a twist, such as That Amaretto Sour, a mixture of rye, amaretto, egg white, nutmeg and bitters ($14). Little Dom’s Seafood is open for takeout and outdoor dining, allowing up to 40 guests, and available by reservation only, through Resy or by phone. Find Little Dom’s Seafood at 686 Linden Avenue, Carpinteria. Dinner service from 4:30 pm to 10 pm Wednesday through Sunday.

TASTING NOTES WITH SB WINE COLLECTIVE WINE MANAGER WYATT DAVIDSON

raham Tatomer is winning wine lovers over with his Austrianinspired Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The Santa Barbara native began his career in the industry at sixteen at the Santa Barbara Winery. After four years and broad exposure to winemaking he became infatuated with everything viticulture. Graham traveled to Austria and trained under the illustrious Weingut Knoll for three harvests. From hand-sorting grapes at midnight to learning ancient Roman terracing methods, Graham absorbed invaluable Old World knowledge that would serve him well. It was there that he gained his passion and developed a vision for what grew into the Tatomer label. The challenge has been in adapting what he learned in Europe to California, and he has succeeded in spades. Tatomer is known for the greatest expression of bone-dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner in Santa Barbara County. The Kick-on Ranch 2018 Riesling ($38) is what I consider the crown jewel in the lineup. Graham gives this wine what he calls the full “Austrian SB Wine Collective’s Wyatt Davidson recommends Treatment,” which entails longer skin Tatomer’s Kick-on Ranch for summer sips contact and aging in neutral oak, which gives it high ageing power. This winemaking style lends itself to a floral and mineral nose. On the palate, you will find sweet citrus rounded out with salted honey and a long, drawn-out finish. I would recommend pairing it alongside baked brie or with a fresh farmer’s market pappardelle pasta topped with thin-sliced zucchini, multi-colored cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, light olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, and shaved Parmesan. Recommended film pairing: My Man Godfrey, 1936. •MJ

“Life is only a dream and we are the imagination of ourselves.” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Owl Stories

by Gretchen Lieff

photos by Priscilla

Gretchen is founder and president of the Lutah Maria Riggs Society and Davey’s Voice, both Santa Barbara 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Gretchen sits on the board of the California Water Impact Network and is vice president of the board of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.

Giving a Hoot

This great horned owl was struck on Highway 101 and brought to the Wildlife Care Center. Sadly, he didn’t make it.

(From left) Emil Garcia, John Pearcy, Miles Hartfeld, Gretchen Lieff, Claire Garvais, with (sitting) Avery Berkowitz and Conny Pearcy, at Lotusland before the owl’s release to its natural habitat

Wildlife Care Network is on its way to designing the perfect custom owl box

Avery Berkowitz, the Director of Animal Care at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, explains the anatomy of the owl eye

wls have long lived in my most favorite category. Their stoic demeanor. Their wisdom. The intensity of the screech owl’s screech, the trills and lonely melodic resonance of the great horned owl’s “hoot hoots,” and the barn owl’s hissing rasp. Twice this week the California Highway Patrol rescued owls hit by a car along Highway 101 in Santa Barbara. An unfortunate statistic. I’m told that the owls spot dead animals along the shoulder and dive down to examine the situation, surprising an unassuming motorist. One particular adult barn owl was spotted by a driver along the center divider at Turnpike Road. The CHP officers brought him directly to the Wildlife Care Center in Goleta. “A passing motorist called into dispatch. We stopped traffic,” a CHP dispatch officer said. “[CHP Officer] Jim [Mann] took a towel and picked him up and we got a box from the gas station and covered him so he wouldn’t be scared. Glad this place is here to take him in.” Have you guys ever rescued an owl?

36 MONTECITO JOURNAL

“No, but it always feels good to help an animal, it’s the same as helping a person. It’s our job.” Three days later it happened again. “This is the California Highway Patrol,” said a CHP dispatch officer. “We have an injured owl recovered along highway 101 at Patterson.” Again the CHP stopped traffic. This time a magnificent great horned owl was dragged along the pavement, battered and bruised with possible brain trauma. He was rushed to the center. He didn’t make it. It was early twilight in Montecito and we found ourselves ambling through the Lotusland Fern Garden. Our mission: to release an adorable young western screech owl into the lofty treetops of this magical place. Connie and John Pearcy were playing hosts as Lotusland’s Bob Craig guided us to the release spot. The release was officiated by our rock star wildlife vet Avery Berkowitz, the Director of Animal Care, who commandeered the optimum owl release position. “We don’t want to impact his flight from the box,” Avery said. “We don’t want to get in his way.”

Our ever-enthusiastic photobug Priscilla, standing in the bushes, was nearly forcibly ejected from the flight path, as we readied for the big moment. And then bingo: Priscilla captured the perfect shot as the little grey owl with a big voice burst up into the treetops to freedom. Priscilla later told me that of all Montecito high-profilers she’s shot, this photo of a renewed chance at life for this little bird brought her more personal joy than nearly any celebrity exclusive. This newly released screech owl was just one of thousands of animals brought to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network as a traumatized orphan. They are given a second chance, stabilized and rehabilitated and then returned to the wild – ideally to the same spot they were found. The most unsettling wildlife image I ever saw was of this great horned owl pulled recently from a Ventura oil pit. This majestic creature was quietly dying; his eternal gaze of sadness was agonizing. He stared out at us with a quiet and noble fortitude. “As fast as possible trained SBWCN staff washed him with warm water and Dawn soap,” said Claire Garvais, Director of Communications at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care

“Not all drugs are good.. some of them are great.” – Bill Hicks

Network. “Oil washing is one of the most stressful things for a wild animal. We washed him as much as we could then let him sit to rest. After an hour, he began to stand up straight in his heated enclosure. The next morning he was transferred to International Bird Rescue in San Pedro where it was discovered he had significant amounts of oil in his lungs.” If the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network had had its new Wildlife Hospital up and running this owl might not have died. The hospital will break ground in September. One early Sunday morning recently, Avery sent a thrilling email: “I just wanted to let you know we hung the owl box you left for me inside a small raptor enclosure. The juvenile barn owl we just released there appears to have spent the night in the box! While they may not really use them except for breeding in the wild, they do appear to like to use the box to hide in when stressed in care.” How great that the box helped the owl! It’s a team effort always at the Wildlife Center, as we find ourselves now on our way to designing the perfect custom owl box. As the memory of the oiled owl fades from recollection, there is renewed hope that soon Santa Barbara and Montecito will be populated by these beautiful owl boxes, to help and support our local owl friends through the challenges of our shared world. •MJ 13 – 20 August 2020

13 – 20 August 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

Robert’s Big Questions

by Robert Bernstein

Degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UC Santa Barbara. Career in designing atomic-resolution microscopes. Childhood spent in Europe and the East of the US. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life and the universe. Duty to be a good citizen of the planet.

Property vs. Humanity?

George Floyd was killed by police officers over a claim that he had a fake $20 bill. How much power should be given to property versus to humanity?

roperty vs humanity is in the forefront of my mind now. Imagine that someone has lived in a home for over 30 years. But in a matter of weeks someone can buy that home and evict that person if property rights are all that matter. That is what has just happened to my wife and me. It is a microcosm of injustice that in some ways is uniquely American. In Europe, where I lived as a child, most people are renters. Laws there recognize the rights of people to stay in their rightful home as superseding the “property rights” of a new owner. Economists explain why society benefits from workers renting rather than owning their homes. In an economic downturn in a place like Detroit, people lost their jobs in manufacturing. At the very same time the homes they owned became impossible to sell. They were trapped from being able to move to a new place of economic opportunity. In the end, many of those homes were foreclosed on and the people were kicked out anyway. The homes fell into disrepair and eventually had to be torn down at great public expense. Can you think of a bigger lose-lose? The US is one of the few countries in the world that preferentially subsidizes home ownership through tax subsidies. These total $77 billion per year as of 2016. Yet it gives no such assistance to renters. With millions of homeless Americans, is that the best use of $77 billion? Some have said that I built no “equity” by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent and that is why we have no rights. Why is that? That is a policy decision that could be changed any time. And what is meant by “equity”? Weren’t my neighbor and me renters with jobs who paid the equity for the building? Not to mention all of the repairs I did and appliances I bought at my own expense? What about the goodwill that is built among neighbors helping each other? What about the investment that a person puts into making their community more desirable? A good friend of mine is an artist for the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice who is going through the same trauma as we are. How much has he increased

38 MONTECITO JOURNAL

property values in our area by making our community more desirable to live in with his Solstice art? And yet he is punished for that. Does anyone think that our laws are based on the best public policy? Or are our laws based on who can raise the most money to fund the election campaigns of those who make policy? As a UCSB graduate student I worked on the campaign to elect Jack O’Connell to the California State Assembly. After he was elected I suggested that after a certain number of years of rent payments a landlord should be forced to return the deposit. This would prevent landlords from cheating renters out of their deposits. O’Connell told me that the real estate lobby was the most powerful lobby and it was impossible to make any such change. The entire legal system is set up to protect “property rights.” Renters pay for that legal system that is not their friend. What would you call it if someone disrupted every aspect of your life and cost you large sums of money? Assault is a crime unless it involves property rights, which supersedes human rights. There is a libertarian myth that markets optimize resources. But there are many non-market forces at work, including tax subsidies and a legal system that favors property rights over humans. The Black Lives Matter movement has made people aware that there is a point where “reform” is not enough.

J ARROTT

CO.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS

SPECIALIZING IN 1031 TAX-DEFERRED EXCHANGES

Why are the thousands of dollars that renters have paid not considered equity? That is a question worthy asking. (Courtesy Photo from the Santa Barbara Tenants Council)

Decades of tweaking with “reforms” has made little difference in terms of fundamental human rights. Millions of Americans still have no access to healthcare. Millions have no proper housing. Millions have no means to make a living. And millions are threatened with serious harm or even death to protect property “rights” over human rights. What about the most extreme

case of property vs humanity? The Supreme Court ruled in 1857 that the African American Dred Scott was property and not human. It took the most destructive war in US history, the Civil War, to remedy this injustice. At what point do we recognize that radical change is needed? That we have to ask the fundamental question of where we put our priorities as a society: Property or humanity? •MJ

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“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Aquatic Jewels, 1470 East Valley Road, Suite K, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Dorothy L Allen, 1470 East Valley Road, Suite K, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 15, 2020. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20200001717. Published August 12, 19, 26, September 2, 2020. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Bob’s Vacuum, 5276 Hollister Ave, 403, Goleta, CA 93111. Gilbert J Short, 520 Pine Ave Spc 29, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 15, 2020. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2020-0001714. Published August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020.

Jerry Meandering

ORDINANCE NO. 5954 AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA

BARBARA

AMENDING

SANTA

BARBARA

MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 30.150 TO FACILITATE CONSTRUCTION OF MORE HOUSING UNITS WITHIN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT The above captioned ordinance was adopted at a regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council held on August 4, 2020. The publication of this ordinance is made pursuant to the provisions of Section 512 of the Santa Barbara City Charter as amended, and the original ordinance in its entirety may be obtained at the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, Santa Barbara, California. (Seal) /s/ Sarah Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager ORDINANCE NO. 5954 ) ) COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA ) ss. ) CITY OF SANTA BARBARA ) I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced on July 28, 2020 and adopted by the Council of the City of Santa Barbara at a meeting held on August 4, 2020, by the following roll call vote: AYES:

Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Alejandra Gutierrez, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Mike Jordan; Mayor Cathy Murillo

NOES:

Councilmember Kristen W. Sneddon

ABSENT:

None

ABSTENTIONS:

None

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Bright Hand Painted Interiors, 644 Windsor Ave, Goleta, CA 93117. Caroline Hambright, 644 Windsor Ave, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July

13 – 20 August 2020

on August 5, 2020.

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager I HEREBY APPROVE the foregoing ordinance on August 5, 2020.

/s/ Cathy Murillo Mayor Published August 12, 2020 Montecito Journal

22, 2020. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2020-0001801. Published July 29, August 5, 12, 19, 2020. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Lightscapes by Spark Creative Group, 75

A Partner with Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, Jerold Oshinsky has more than 35 years of experience litigating insurance cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. Chambers USA consistently has designated him as the only lawyer to be accorded “Star” ranking in its national insurance category. Jerry has been a resident of Montecito for 14 years.

What’s a Business to Do?

COVID-19 and the New Frontier of Third-Party Liability Claims s many states are ramping up their reopening plans and consumers are back to at least some of their regular activities, business owners are likely considering what they can do to protect against the potential risks of resuming operations. This has huge implications for protecting employees and customers and also protecting themselves from liability. This article focuses on the latter subject, specifically how businesses can protect themselves against the potential risk associated with third-party liability from customers, vendors, and others coming onsite as communities continue to reopen.

Waiving Liability

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Santa Barbara

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Lena’s Nail Studio, 1482 East Valley Road Suite 4, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Lena Truong, 101 La Calera Way, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 23, 2020. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2020-0001817. Published July 29, August 5, 12, 19, 2020.

by Jerold Oshinski & Jan Larson Rockenbach

Robin Hill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117. LBPS Events INC., 75 Robin Hill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 15, 2020. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2020-0001721. Published July 22, 29, August 5, 12, 2020.

Historically, liability waivers have been widely used and accepted between businesses and third parties. However, no court has analyzed a waiver in the context of third-party liability for COVID-19 exposure or transmission and it is unclear whether such waivers will be enforceable. The resulting analysis will be guided by basic principles of state law. Are liability waivers enforceable in California? In general, California courts enforce waivers as an express assumption of the risk that operates to relieve the defendant of a legal duty to the plaintiff as to the risks outlined in the waiver agreement. This can include a release as to liability for ordinary negligence. California does not, however, recognize waivers intended to release liability for intentional or grossly negligent conduct or waivers that are contrary to public policy. Lines between ordinary and gross negligence may not be that clear. California law also has a twist that requires release of future liability to be expressly and mutually agreed upon. Notably, one factor that California courts examine in determining whether a waiver is contrary to public policy, is the importance of the services provided and whether a waiver would create an impermissible contract of adhesion against the backdrop of those services. In the context of the current pandemic, it is possible that California courts would find a waiver for a business providing essential services to the public – like a grocery store – to be against public policy because its services are so important that a customer would not have a meaningful choice but to sign the waiver in order to receive the services.

Drafting Considerations

Although this is a point for the attorneys, it is also useful for their clients to know how this works. I once had a case where an attorney, now a federal judge in Texas, had drafted a release that our side wanted to view as ambiguous and not enforceable. When I deposed this judge in Texas and asked him whether he thought the release was ambiguous, he answered: “I didn’t think so at the time, but it must have been, otherwise you all would not be asking me about it.” In any event, California requires waivers to be clear, explicit, and comprehensible to allow the third-party to understand the risks and the rights they will waive. In the current climate, the waiver language should expressly include exposure to the novel coronavirus and the attendant risk of contracting COVID-19.

Immunity Legislation

Independent of individual liability waivers as a potential protective measure for businesses, there is recent discussion at the federal level about legislation that would shield businesses from third-party liability claims amid the ongoing pandemic. Earlier this week, hundreds of trade groups representing numerous commercial sectors sent a letter to Congress requesting the proposal of new legislation that would offer protection from “meritless” third-party liability claims for businesses that made reasonable, good faith efforts to keep their doors open in a way that was safe for their communities. At the state level, many states passing new legislation against the backdrop of the current pandemic have included some kind of third-party

MEANDERING Page 434

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

A Memorial Day Swim by Irene Russo

The Ocean Renegades at the Miramar Things Fall Apart; the center cannot hold Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity.

– WB Yeats

iramar oh Miramar, you are an icon of beauty, a tribute to Montecito’s historic charm and elegance. I live in your timeless, expensive shanties. They belie the quiet wealth and charm of bygone days. Your beach is warm and inviting. Your sea calls out “come, come I want you to play in me.” Your beach cries out from mud stained rocks. “Heal us!” The Ocean Renegades, a motley crew of aquatic cheetahs answered the call. But the Renegades also suffered a loss – they could no longer swim in pools. When the COVID-19 pandemic closed down all local pools, competitive swimming closed with them. We were forced to the sea. And the Renegades have become ocean addicts since. The most competitive and fastest buoy swimmers in the world are led by a charismatic leader, Mark Stori, an assistant swim coach at UCSB and a Montecito resident. Now they meet every day at Leadbetter, East Beach, Butterfly and, yes, Miramar. Hail Miramar, filled with grace, hallowed be your sea. •MJ

40 MONTECITO JOURNAL

“When two or more people agree on an issue, I form on the other side.” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

ON THE RECORD (Continued from page 6)

How did you find out about the opening here in Santa Barbara? How much time have you spent up here and who do you know in the local education community? How do you think your experience at LAUSD will inform your work in Santa Barbara? What do you think makes SB different from L.A. when it comes to the specific challenges faced by educators here, and what aspects are similar or universal that you can point to? I was approached by a recruiter about the Santa Barbara position. I am an alumni of the Courage to Lead program led by the amazing Ken Saxon and was coming here for leadership retreats since 2018 on a regular basis and before that just as a visitor. I am just now meeting educators in the local community and Dr. Patricia Madrigal and Michelle Robertson from First 5 L.A. were both colleagues in Courage to Lead. In education, all of your experiences build on each other as you become a seasoned educator. LAUSD invests well in their employees and I was given many opportunities to attend leadership development programs like Harvard’s Professional Leadership Development and Public Education Leadership Program to name a few. These valuable lessons inform the work in Santa Barbara. The difference I have observed so far between the two is the relationships amongst people in Santa Barbara. The size of this community makes it easy to accomplish tasks and communicate in ways that L.A. is challenged with. I believe both systems have similar challenges when it comes to educating Latino, African American, English Learners and students who participate in Free and Reduced Lunch programs. This is, of course, a national and state issue that I’m proud to say SB is seeking to remedy and improve upon. I have been very inspired to now work in an environment filled with people who have a strong social-justice vision.

Friendship Center and Bucket Brigade volunteers celebrate a job well done

Kim Larsen, Abe Powell, and Hazel

You are coming into this new position at a uniquely challenging time because of COVID. Can you provide some insight into these specific challenges and what kinds of solutions you envision? The challenges of leading in a COVID environment are unique to education because our work is done in community. We are uniquely positioned to build relationships with our families, students and each other because of our daily contacts in classrooms and through school events. The feelings of isolation that result from social distancing are felt strongly in educators whose job is to teach and counsel students and watch them grow and learn. The most challenging problem to solve is the incredible disparities that exist for children whose parents’ jobs or work hours require them to leave their children alone and fend for themselves. The only solution I can envision at this time is that teachers and school leaders will be rethinking how teaching and learning happen given the use of technology, while emphasizing relationship building with students and families.

Montecito’s Friendship Center and the Bucket Brigade Deliver Fiesta Themed Totes to Santa Barbara Seniors This week, both sides of State Street would typically be lined with crowds watching men and women wearing traditional Mexican costumes parading on horseback or dancing in formation from one end of town to the other. But thanks to COVID-19, the annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta has been called off for the first time since World War II, when the event was postponed from 1942 until 1946. The event has a particular resonance with area seniors, who have watched it evolve over the years while also lending it a sense of continuity. And while this year’s Fiesta has been called off, all is not lost. Ever since the pandemic began, Montecito’s Friendship Center Adult Day Services and the Bucket Brigade have been providing monthly deliveries of canned food, drinks, healthy snacks, and fun activities to area seniors who have now been isolated at their homes for nearly half a year. Although the first donation drive took place at the Friendship Center in March, both center staff and Bucket Brigade members have been using the parking lot behind the Montecito Library on East Valley Road every Wednesday morning since April to organize the deliveries. On August 4, to mark what would have been this year’s Fiesta parade, about a dozen volunteers set up in the parking lot to fill tote bags with Fiestathemed supplies that went out to 125 seniors that afternoon. Other groups involved in the volunteer effort include the Santa Barbara Food Bank and the city’s Community Action Commission, which runs a free lunch program. For this month’s delivery effort, the Rosewood Miramar Beach also provided free, boxed lunches to volunteers. Beneath a portable shade canopy in one corner of the lot, Bucket Brigade staffer Ana Fagen was busy dividing masks that had been sewn for seniors by the group’s network of volunteer tailors into various sizes by stretching them 13 – 20 August 2020

along a specialized ruler. “Once we wash them and package them, we send them out to people who request them,” Fagen said, adding that the masks are delivered to Friendship Center clients along with the food each month. “Their clients enjoy getting these care packages,” she explained. “It brightens up their day.” A few meters away from Fagen, under the watchful eye of Bucket Brigade’s co-founder and executive director Abe Powell, and his friendly pooch, Hazel, dozens of bags lined several tables in the parking lot as volunteers stuffed each one with various care package items. “We’ve been doing this since March,” said Kim Larsen, the Friendship Center’s family services manager. “We didn’t do it last month, because we decided we were going to do it the first week of August to take in the Fiesta Days and do a Fiesta-themed bag.” The bags and the items inside, she added, were donated by the local parlor of the Native Daughters of the Golden West, of which she happens to be vice president. According to Larsen, the care-package deliveries originally numbered around 60 or so per month but have steadily grown as more caregivers found out about the program and requested that their patients be added to the list. The Bucket Brigade was on hand that afternoon to deliver the lion’s share of the totes, 115 or so, with the Friendship Center delivering the rest. “This is simply because in my case, seven of the people on the list are my neighbors,” Larsen explained. “I thought it would be easier to deliver them myself.” Inside each bag were drinks such as Ensure and Capri Sun, as well as coffee and tea packets and healthy snack bars. “But the main thing they like are activity packets, similar to a lot of the stuff we do at the center,” said program manager Kathryn Cherkas. “We have coloring sheets, trivia, and word games, a Santa Barbara-themed crossword. It’s not the content that’s in each bag but the sentiment, and the wonderful Bucket Brigade volunteers dropping by and saying hi to 130 people. It really makes our members feel good. We also have gift cards in this delivery so it will probably be our most popular one ever.” •MJ

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

EDITORIAL (Continued from page 5)

I would call myself a friend of Ellen’s but not a close one. She’s a Hollywood friend. We don’t tell each other secrets. Even though her show looks like a well-financed slumber party, I never get invited to any actual slumber parties which I assume are populated by Jen Anniston, Sean Hayes, Portia of course, and Michelle Obama. And probably Katy Perry when she’s in town. Over the years Ellen and I have bumped into each other around town but nothing of note. That is, until 2018 – the year of our debris flow. When our town got devastated, I reached out to Ellen to ask if she would get behind our fundraising effort to install debris nets to protect Montecito. Within about an hour, Ellen was texting me saying I’d be on her show the following Tuesday along with Santa Barbara’s former Fire Chief and she would present us with a big check. Ellen’s support for Montecito was swift and unequivocal. Ellen is from Louisiana, but she treats this place like her home, supports numerous local causes, and puts her money where her mouth is. She also frequently shakes down her friends for money for our community and I appreciate that. Based on the recent harsh news about Ellen I wondered if maybe myself and a handful of her vocal celebrity friends were the exceptions to her normal cruelty, so I reached out to my fellow Montecitan, Augie Johnson, to see how he was treated by Ellen and her show. You remember Augie as the guy who nabbed (and saved) a two-year-old toddler from the mud in our debris flow. You also remember him as the only person you’ve ever met named “Augie.” Augie told me that Ellen had been critical in raising funds for all sorts of 805 causes after the debris flow, helping many people publicly but probably helping even more people privately. Then Augie told me that months later, after having Augie on her show, Ellen called him up out of the blue simply to see how he was doing. Billy Baldwin told us about the time his son was at home watching the Ellen show when someone rang at their gate. His son paused the show and opened the gate to find real live Ellen standing there holding the Baldwins’ dog that had gotten loose. Locally, I know of so many everyday Ellen kindnesses that go unreported – where Ellen in real life aligns with the Ellen from her show.

Still, Should We Pull The Lever And Dunk The Clown Princess Of Kindness?

Of course, her many acts of kindness do not mean that her show did not foster a “toxic work environment.” But even highly toxic workplaces can be mitigated and I’m certain this clean-up is of dire importance to the Ellen I know. Certainly she needs to take unqualified responsibility for what happened on the show that bears her name. And I expect she will. But heck, even culturally rotten Uber was detoxified and rehabilitated. The next charge against Ellen is showing disloyalty to her constituents by offering a chance at redemption to the comedian Kevin Hart, a person who has made homophobic comments. And socializing with W, the ex-president, who, while in office, was certainly no friend to gays. Personally, I have no problem with Ellen opening a dialog with someone outside of her echo chamber. It’s something we encourage here at the bipartisan Journal and I think it’s actually the path to détente. Remember in 2014 when President Obama was roundly criticized for saying he’d negotiate with the Taliban? Cut to 2018 it was actually Trump and Pompeo who sent our first ambassador there, Zalmay Khalilzad. [BTW Ambassador Khalilzad seems to be doing a great job, mostly by talking to our most extreme adversaries; see the NYTimes story from March 1 of this year.] The final criticism of Ellen is that Ellen in real life is not the “nice” Ellen of her show. Well let me tell you something. No celebrity is the person you think they are. Sometimes they’re somewhat who they appear to be but they are also holographic projections of a brand and amalgamations of our fantasies and hopes. Mixed in with the prestidigitation of publicists. This is true of every major performer I’ve ever worked with, bar none. With the exception of the President of the United States, whom I have actually worked with in show business, I don’t know of any other person who could withstand being the exact same person publicly and privately – it would be too much to handle, with no private/public separation, nowhere to hide, and no plausible deniability. It would be like living in a Truman Show you could never escape. As for the blood in the water off Padaro, an interesting scientific fact about sharks is that in addition to snacking on humans, they also have a nasty cannibalistic streak. (Remember when scientific fact was a thing?) Shark pups start eating their own even inside the womb. I say if the sharks of cancel culture really want some fresh meat from Santa Barbara, I’d like to see them devour each other. Because Ellen deserves the same shot we all deserve when we get caught being human. The same shot to redeem herself that she gave Kevin Hart, and I’ll bet she does a better job with it, too. •MJ

Laughing Matters Someone asked Yogi Berra: “What time is it?” Yogi Berra: “You mean now?” Smart Devices • Apple TV • Everything Digital

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42 MONTECITO JOURNAL

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tos Get Phoized n a Org

“Listen, the next revolution is gonna be a revolution of ideas.” – Bill Hicks

d New iPaoo! t p u set

13 – 20 August 2020

MEANDERING (Continued from page 39)

liability shield for businesses serving the public. These states include Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, North Carolina, Utah, Georgia, Iowa, and Wyoming. Some of these states offer immunity to all businesses for civil actions stemming from third-party liability claims, while other states provide immunity only to essential businesses like grocery stores and restaurants. Similar immunity legislation is being considered in other states like Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois, but has floundered in states like Tennessee. Notwithstanding much discussion on these topics, California has yet to put forth immunity legislation that would extend to businesses. Only a liability protection bill for public K-12 schools has thus far made its way for consideration by the California Assembly.

August MMMM Solution

he August MMMM challenged solvers to find a Bruce Springsteen hit that completes the puzzle’s playlist. The grid contains six obvious theme entries, all songs clued with a single lyric, as follows:

ROADS UNTRAVELED

– Linkin Park song with the lyric “Weep not for paths left alone”

STATUE OF A FOOL

– Ricky Van Shelton song with the lyric “To honor the million tears he’s cried”

In the context of liability claims related to the novel coronavirus and/or COVID-19, insurers may attempt to raise communicable disease exclusions, fungi or bacteria exclusions, and pollution exclusions as defenses to coverage

WHEN WE DANCE

– Sting song with the lyric “Angels will run and hide their wings”

IT HURT SO BAD

– Susan Tedeschi song with the lyric “You were the best man I ever had”

BAD GIRLFRIEND

– Theory of a Deadman song with the lyric “She’s naughty to the end”

THE LADY IS A TRAMP

Liability Insurance Does liability insurance provide any insurance coverage for these claims? Insurance coverage may also provide an alternative safety net for businesses. Most businesses carry commercial general liability (CGL) insurance, which typically covers third-party claims for bodily injury and property damage caused by an occurrence, including accidents. Reasonably within the scope of such coverage may be allegations that a business caused harm to a third-party on its premises by failing to exercise reasonable care in connection with the risk of potential exposure to the novel coronavirus and/or the risk of contracting COVID-19. A central part of that analysis will be whether the business’ actions to prevent exposure and infection qualifies as an unforeseen or unexpected occurrence. If, for example, the exposure occurred before the stay-at-home orders went into effect at a time during which the insured business had little information about the virus’ infectiousness, such factors may present a stronger argument that there has been an occurrence within the meaning of the policy. But one can envision other circumstances in which it may be more difficult to argue that the insured business could not foresee or expect that third parties might be exposed to the virus, particularly if the insured business, for example, failed to adopt adequate safety measures. Other factors like the uncertainty of exactly how, when, and where the virus could have been transmitted in a particular case add additional layers of complexity to the analysis that a business might leverage to establish that an injured plaintiff’s exposure was neither foreseen nor expected by the insured business. Another definition to pay particular attention to in this context is the definition of bodily injury. An important variant of this definition across CGL policies is whether it includes allegations of mental or emotional distress. Certain definitions will expressly include or exclude mental or emotional distress as additional components of a bodily injury, whereas other definitions will include mental or emotional distress only where they manifest as, or result in, an otherwise physical bodily injury. Businesses should also identify and examine any potentially applicable exclusions within its CGL policy. In the context of liability claims related to the novel coronavirus and/or COVID-19, insurers may attempt to raise communicable disease exclusions, fungi or bacteria exclusions, and pollution exclusions as defenses to coverage. The application of any such exclusion, however, would depend on its precise language and general principles of policy interpretation, such as the reasonable expectations of the insured and the narrow construction applied to exclusions with ambiguities construed in favor of the insured. Insurers will also need to contend with the fact that the duty to defend is broadly interpreted in support of a defense of the insured’s claims where there is any reasonable potential for coverage under the relevant policy. All of this recognizes that day-to-day activities like going to the grocery store or taking public transportation pose an increased risk for the general public but it also exposes businesses to the risk of third-party liability claims. •MJ 13 – 20 August 2020

– Frank Sinatra song with the lyric “Won’t go to Harlem in ermine and pearls”

he trick to getting the meta is realizing that each song title contains a three-letter abbreviation of a day of the week, in order, as shown in the graphic below. The only day missing is Monday, which means we are looking for a Bruce Springsteen hit with the consecutive letters M-O-N. The meta answer is one my favorite songs from the Boss, “I’m On Fire.” I also accepted “Pay Me My Money Down” for full credit. I didn’t accept “Easy Money” or “Part Man,” “Part Monkey,” since they weren’t in any way hits. It wasn’t easy coming up with six songs that fit nicely in a grid, and as a result I was forced to choose some songs that might be unknown to some solvers. Cluing them with a lyric had two benefits: Making it slightly easier to figure out the song titles, and providing a bit of misdirection (cue sinister laugh). Check out http://pmxwords.com/aug20solution to see more and hear an original song in the theme from this month’s answer by Pete and his band… •MJ

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 16)

long as we have, there’s a real comfort in knowing that you’re going to get on that stage again. That’s where I feel like I’m in control, that’s a domain that I have honed over the years to where I felt like I’m the master of the situation. But that being said, once a year we always do a month-long Christmas tour where with holiday songs that we only play for a month, which can be nervewracking to get on that stage and do a completely ground-up different show. So I’m thinking the Ventura shows are going to be a little bit like that because my brain has shifted out of performer mode into where I’m at now – living in my house with my family and doing my family things. I think I won’t know until soundcheck how I really feel. It’s really quite astounding to think about how long the core of BBVD has been together, more than a quarter-century. That’s longer than most marriages last. What’s your secret? We always have great communication. But the main thing is that all the success, the international and national exposure, was a bonus for what we were doing, it wasn’t the goal. There wasn’t anybody in our band that was trying to be famous. Not from the get-go. Especially me. I wanted to do pretty much anything I could to not be. But what I did want was to be one of those bands that every time you go see them, you think to yourself, man, that was really, really good. That was so worth the money I just spent. That came from all those great shows I would see in L.A., and that’s what I strive for. So everything else was based on that motif. So when all things like the Super Bowl or anything big would happen, I’d constantly tell the guys, don’t buy big houses on the hill or get a fancy new car. Don’t think that this is going to last because it’s just a blip in time. We play swing music and we’re a really good band. The world discovered us for a moment. But it’s what we do afterward that will sustain us and be our legacy. If I remember this is bigger than my ego, I can have what pretty much only one percent of the planet will ever get to experience. The guys are all open to adventure and thankfully as we’ve grown old together, we know how to maneuver the relationship. That’s the reason why to this day we get to play amazing theaters all across the country to a diverse audience with ages spanning four generations. What about musically? What is it about swing music that comes from more than 70 years ago that so attracts you, keeps you curious, keeps you excited, after 27 years? It’s simple: There’s something about when that music is played that it goes straight to me. It makes me feel the best I can. I have listened to every kind of music over the years and I love a lot of it. But when I hear or play (swing) music like this, it makes me happy. It keeps me motivated and uplifted. I’m a positive person. I don’t like looking at the darker side of things. I’m not a big fan of “Woe is me.” There’s something about the way this music is presented and played that I’m always looking for the perfect song to keep me motivated and to then share with people to hopefully keep them motivated, too. Or cars. Which is all you’ll be able to see at the Fairgrounds. That’s cool. We’ve played over 3,000 shows together. And on those tours where we’re playing large theaters or even bigger venues, I’ve gone months without even seeing the audience because I’ve got a giant spotlight in my face the whole time. I just have to rely on my experience and what I’m putting out there that, hopefully, the audience is feeling the same thing. That should work in cars, too.

Concerts in Your Car Continues

The series that shares the stage in the Ventura County Fairgrounds parking lot with Rubicon Goes Retro has a rather august lineup for the penultimate month of summer. Switchfoot, the San Diego alt.rock band that took its name from a surfing term, first gained a foothold (sorry) in the contemporary Christian music world before crossing over with 2003’s The Beautiful Letdown, introducing secular songs alongside its more familiar religious rock. The result was sales exceeding 2 million copies, spurring the band to add elements of synth rock, post-grunge and power pop to its sound in the 2000s, leading to the chart-topping albums Nothing Is Sound (2005) and Hello Hurricane (2009), the latter of which also won a Grammy for Best Rock Gospel Album. The band has now logged 11 full length albums, the most recent, Native Tongue, arrived in January 2019, and still successfully straddles between alternative and Christian rock, as well as solo projects, soundtracks and more. The quintet climbs into their cars for a jog up the 405 and 101 for the show you also get to enjoy from the comfort of your own automobile on Saturday, August 15. Still to come in the Concerts in Your Car series: country star Tracy Lawrence on August 21, a heckle-free comedy double-bill with David Spade and Rob

44 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Schneider on August 28, and Fitz and the Tantrums on August 29. Info and required tickets in advance available online at www.concertsinyourcar.com.

TED Goes Uncharted

TED began as a conference converging “ideas worth spreading” in the fields of technology, entertainment, and design. So after 35 years, there was no way it would let a little thing like a global pandemic prevent its big annual gathering from taking place, even if all of the talk and energy exchanges had to happen online. Similarly, TEDxSantaBarbara, which hosts its own big one-day conference but also curates selections from the national event, has jumped right on the bandwagon to present the best of the fest that took place from May to July. The locals have culled three hours of the cream of the crop of TED2020, Dr. Sangwon Suh, professor at the Bren School of which carried the theme “Uncharted,” Environmental Science and Management, gives TEDxSantaBarbara virtual talk on August 19 offering excerpts and talks that cover a wide range of topics plus inspired musical interludes. “As a result of everything being presented virtually,” producer Mark Sylvester wrote in an email, “these intimate, direct-to-camera presentations feel deeply personal and compelling.” Among those whose presentation will run during the three-hour stream starting at 11 am on Saturday, August 15, are the late civil rights leader and longtime US congressman John Lewis in conversation with lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson; Amanda Gorman, the inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the United States; actor-writer-director Ethan Hawke; singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Lucius; AI specialist Ali Kashiani; Oscar-nominated actress/ singer-songwriter Cynthia Erivo, and many others. Find more info at tedxsant abarbara.com, or visit https://Facebook.com/TEDxSantaBarbara to watch the live stream. Meanwhile, every Wednesday at 4 pm, TEDxSantaBarbara is producing a series of virtual talks covering ideas that exert influence locally and globally, short conversations that are not news-focused but instead offer discussions of hope and optimism while showcasing actionable solutions. Next up: Dr. Sangwon Suh, professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, whose research focuses on the question of metrics and measurement in sustainability science, from environmental performance to greenhouse gas emissions and plastics entering into land and ocean. He’ll draw a parallel between environmental problems and the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of rapid testing, tracing, and isolation in his August 19 talk. Visit https://tedxsantabarbara.com.

Surf ‘n’ Suds, Pandemic Edition

The folks who run these one-time beachside events are getting pretty good at doing them online considering the first three have sold out. Maybe that’s because while the meet and greet and see-who-you-can-pick-up action can only happen virtually, the beer is real, as the organizers send samples to your home in advance. And while it’s not all-you-can-drink, the variety packs feature 14-pack cans, either 12 oz. or 16 oz., from as many different craft breweries from all over California, plus a few out of state beers and a hard cider. That’s enough for you to share among two or more household members, if you wait til the actual event on Saturday, August 22, to rack open the case-plus. The festivities take place 12 pm to 3 pm live and direct from Barrelhouse 101 in downtown Ventura. Even though you can’t be there in person, you can still enjoy a walk through of the selections that come from Big Stump Brew Co. (Sacramento), Crooked Lane Brewing Co. (Auburn), Hard Frescos (San Francisco), High Water Brewing (Lodi), Kona Brewing (Kona, HI) and locals Hollister Brewing (Goleta) and Leashless Brewing (Ventura), among others. There will be music by The Hubcap Stealers, Reece Galido from The Kicks and Santa Barbara’s DJ Hecktik, and in an attempt to make the online experience feel more like an on-site Surf ‘n’ Suds, there are even prizes for best in-house setup, so get your domicile dialed in and yourself dolled up for the sudsy stuff. The 14-pack will be mailed to your house by Friday, August 21, where someone at least 21 must be there to receive it (so don’t try this on your own, kids, without the folks involved). The $75 ticket includes shipping cost, brewery swag, and a souvenir glass. Visit https://nightout.com/events/surf-n-sudshome-fest-august-22nd for details. •MJ

“I don’t know what you all believe, and I don’t really care… but you have to admit that beliefs are odd.” – Bill Hicks

13 – 20 August 2020

VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 24)

Laguna Blanca Student Raises Funds for Foodbank Sydney Hlavaty, class of 2020, was honored with Laguna Blanca’s 2020 Senior Project Award at Laguna Blanca’s 86th Commencement Ceremony, which was held virtually

on July 31. Sydney’s heartfelt project was especially personal, as she chose to honor her classmates through her artistic talent. She tirelessly devoted sixty-one hours over the course of three weeks and dove head-first into her artwork, resulting in 48 beauti-

Sydney Hlavaty, class of 2020, was honored with Laguna Blanca’s 2020 Senior Project Award for her portrait sketches of all 48 of her classmates

13 – 20 August 2020

fully detailed, hand-drawn portraits of each member of Laguna Blanca’s Class of 2020. “’Class of 2020 – Immortalized’ was an opportunity for me to strengthen my artistic skills as a realism sketcher, and also to give the kids who have shaped the last four years of my life something to cherish for years to come,” says Sydney. “My hopes for this project are to honor the Class of 2020 and immortalize the faces of a generation taking the next step in their life amidst chaos.” Sydney’s goal to give back is twofold. By asking senior parents to make a donation of their choosing to the Santa Barbara Food Bank, she also raised over $4,500 to help local families in need during this global pandemic. Every May, Laguna Blanca seniors depart from the conventional school day to broaden their learning experiences outside the classroom. Each student embarks on a two-week, off-campus project to explore a professional field of interest. The circumstances of 2020 forced many students to get creative this year. From engaging podcasts on a range of topics and multi-cultural cooking shows to condensing the hardest chapter of AP Calculus BC into a

• The Voice of the Village •

video, this class’ innovation and dedication in the face of uncertainty resulted in dozens of inspirational projects. The coveted Senior Project Award represents high honors for a collective body of work, and outstanding participation in all senior project requirements. The top award is given to the student who demonstrates activity that goes significantly beyond expectations. “Sydney chose to explore her artistic side after years focused on academics and extracurricular activities,” says Senior Project Program Faculty Advisor Trish McHale. “The ultimate goal of her project was to give her classmates something to remember their time at Laguna. She also wanted her project efforts to benefit those in the community affected by COVID19, and she succeeded in both.” “When I set down my pencil after finishing the last drawing, I was exhausted but proud,” she reflects in her senior essay. “I am stunned by the final product and achingly grateful to have had the chance to meet and grow with so many amazing young adults.” •MJ For more information about the school, visit www.lagunablanca.org. MONTECITO JOURNAL

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• The Voice of the Village •

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