YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 29)
Lilibeth Caplinger, owner of Lilibeth Salon Hair and Makeup in the upper village
Jean von Wittenburg and Cindy Feinberg stepped down from the Montecito Association in January
paintings and sculptures. The gallery currently represents jewelers such as Alex & Lee, Munsteiner, Ingerid Ekeland, Karen Arthur, Goph Albitz, and carries pieces designed by Espig himself. Another new addition to the upper village: an electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot near Montecito Wine Bistro. Business owner Pierre Lafond, with the help of his team, privately funded the project after realizing the growing need from his customers. The charger, which was installed by an electrician, can charge two vehicles at a time and is accompanied by green parking spaces.
giving input on many issues and hosting several public events. In March, the MA’s land use committee hosted Victoria Hornbaker, a senior agricultural biologist from the State of California, and Cathy Fisher, Santa Barbara County’s agricultural commissioner, along with members of their staff, who gave an informational lecture regarding the impending treatment of citrus trees in the County, including in Montecito. They explained that in 2015, the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), an exotic pest that can potentially infect citrus trees with a bacterial disease called Huanglongbing (HLB for short), were found in Santa Barbara County. Once a citrus tree is infected with HLB, it proves fatal, as the tree will only produce bitter, non-ripened fruit, and will eventually die. At that time, the HLB disease has been found twice in California, and has the potential to spread rapidly once it reappears. To prevent it, the California Department of Food and Agriculture manages the infestation of the ACP pest through ground applications of pesticides and made its way through Santa Barbara County and Montecito in October. Also on the monthly agendas at MA: further discussion about a crosswalk across East Valley Road and a pathway along Channel Drive, and revisions to the Montecito Architectural Guidelines and Development Standards. The board weighed in on the proposed upgrades to the Montecito Union School campus, a proposed residential demolition and rebuilding project on Channel Drive, the proposed long-term lease between the YMCA and Manning Park, and took a position to support the banning of short-term vacation rentals. The MA also hosted candidate forums for First District Supervisor candidates in May and Montecito Water District board of directors candidates in October. July marked another successful Village Fourth celebration, with Dana Newquist, who organized the Village Fourth parade since the inception of the Village Fourth festivities two decades ago, chosen as the event’s grand marshal. In November, Mindy Denson and her crew pulled off
Montecito Milestones
From Montecito Association meetings, a continuing water shortage, a major power surge, the uproar over short-term vacation rentals, and more: 2016 brought us lots of news stories, many of which you could only find in the pages of the Journal. Montecito Association Happenings At its 68th annual meeting in January, the Montecito Association Board of Directors marked the retirement of outgoing president Cindy Feinberg, longtime member Jean von Wittenburg, and board member P. Gerhardt Zacher. There were six vacancies left on the board; three of those were filled by incumbents Frank Abatemarco, Michele Saltoun, and Barbara Mathews. New board members were appointed including Cori Hayman, who served on the Land Use Committee and was appointed as Land Use chair, and Harry Kolb, who served on the board 2003-05, and Frank Blue, a Montecito resident. New board officers were also chosen, with Aaron Budgor taking the role as president, Cliff Ghersen remaining as vice president, Charlene Nagel serving as second vice president, Tom Schleck remaining as treasurer, and Trish Davis continuing her role as secretary. In April, Jane Eagleton was appointed to the board, and in November, Peter van Duinwyk returned to the MA board. The Association had a busy year,
30 MONTECITO JOURNAL
The Montecito Fire Protection honored Skylar Peak and Jim Marsh in October
2016’s Village Fourth grand marshal Dana Newquist
Beautification Day’s 2016 Citizens of the Year, Mindy Denson and Nina Terzian
another Beautification Day. The theme this year was “Save Our Monarch Butterflies,” and Denson and Nina Terzian were honored as Citizens of the Year. Fire District Happenings In February, MFPD rolled out a new and better emergency alert system, called Aware & Prepare. The initiative, which had been in the works for several months, is now being used to communicate with citizens and businesses during emergencies and other critical events, via quick and reliable emergency notifications and public service announcements. The new notification system alerts residents about a variety of events, ranging from severe weather, fires, floods, and other emergencies, to more routine announcements, such as road closures and water utility maintenance. Messages can be sent to residents on their preferred contact path, including cell phone, SMS, home phone, email, fax, pager, and more to ensure real-time access to potentially life-saving information. “It’s a more efficient infrastructure, which allows us to more rapidly reach community members, said MFPD’s Division chief of operations Kevin Taylor. In June, the same month as a test of the emergency alert systems was conducted, MFPD reps reported to us that the drought had taken its toll on trees in Montecito and warned residents to look for the signs of dead or distressed
• The Voice of the Village •
trees on their properties. In July, the MFPD board of directors elected Mike Lee to fill the vacancy left by retiring director Gene Sinser. Lee, a contractor who plans to retire in the next two years, has lived in Montecito much of his life, and he told the board he has concerns with the potential for wildfires in our community, natural disasters, and emergency preparedness. Lee joined directors John Venable, Peter van Duinwyk, Sylvia Easton, and Abe Powell. In October, three individuals were given Recognition of Valor Awards by fire chief Chip Hickman. The men, Skylar Peak, Jeff King, and Jim Marsh were recognized for their efforts in preventing a brush fire from spreading before fire personnel arrived, a move Hickman called “’preventing a tragedy in our community.” The event happened back in September, when a predicted sundowner wind event occurred, bringing 30 mph, hot and dry winds to our area. The three men were attending a birthday party on the 2700 block of Bella Vista Drive, and one of them went outside to retrieve something from his vehicle. He noticed a small brush fire had ignited due to arching electrical wires hitting nearby trees. The men quickly engaged the blaze and held it at bay until firefighters arrived. Montecito firefighters were kept busy in 2016 and responded to multiple incidents including a fire at Westmont, a structure blaze in Summerland, seven structure fire reports after the April power surge, a hazardous materials spill at the Four Seasons Biltmore, and countless other emergencies. Power Surge One of the most significant events of the year in Montecito occurred in April, when high winds caused a tree branch to blow into Edison lines, causing a major power surge that cost Montecito residents hundreds of thousands of dollars. We heard from dozens of our readers, lamenting that their appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, televisions, washing machines, dryers, and others were no longer functional after the 29 December – 5 January 2016