Unity in Community

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5 - 12 MAY 2022 VOLUME 28 ISSUE 18

Birds and Bees – Planned Parenthood hosts their spring soirée and other events Seen Around Town, P.14 April Estates – The sales are still pouring in for this month’s real estate assessment with one-of-a-kind finds currently on the market, P.28

Girl Power – Kara Welker is bringing her

own experience from the entertainment industry to help women in the field, P.38 Buzzed Honey – Enjoy a drink of the lemon-honey themed Bee’s Knees in the garden, P. 41

SERVING MONTECITO AND SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA www.montecitojournal.net

On the Field

Prince Harry joins for a round at the Polo Club, page 8

UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY

FOR 55 YEARS, COMMUNIFY AND HEAD START HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND SENIORS IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY. AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR IMPACT ON THE PAST, A LOOK AT THE ASPIRATIONS AND CHALLENGES FACING THEM IN THE FUTURE (STORY STARTS ON PAGE 5)

Crushing It

Design studio Home Crush is bringing ease, class, and ocean vibes to their new Summerland spot, page 16

Time to Rally

Ride along with Rally 4 Kids for a fun time, cool cars, and a good cause, page 18

Fire on Display

Wildfire Preparedness Expo, featuring interactive art that puts the viewer into the conversation surrounding wildfire, page 20

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 5

he Giving List – CommUnify and Head Start are T turning 55 this year. A look at their impact, upcoming celebrations, and what else can be done.

8

Montecito Miscellany – Prince Harry plays polo, a ballet bash, media mavens are honored, and more

10

Local News – The country is in varying levels of drought and water reduction is being called for on the state and local level

Tide Guide – A good guide for when not to get swept off to sea

24

erspectives by Rinaldo S. Brutoco – Guns and Butter: P Stagflation or Taxes The Optimist Daily – From e-scooters to noise pollution, Tel Aviv and Paris are cutting down their traffic and pollution

25

Brilliant Thoughts – Explore the ideas of when and how we have asked for help Robert’s Big Questions – More thoughts on the good and evil nature of mankind in Part 2 of this contemplation

27

Guest Editorial – A look at Ukraine and the U.N. policies, precedents, and actions that can be taken Real Estate – The April showers may have been light, but the real estate sales are still pouring in

11

etters to the Editor – Community members weigh L in on everything from the hot springs to Superintendent Salcido

28

13

Village Beat – Updates from the Land Use Committee’s recent Zoom meeting

30

14

een Around Town – Planned Parenthood celebrates the S birds and the bees, mystery at the museum, and Fiesta is in the works

16

Home Crush – Style, design, and tech are on display at Home Crush’s newest location in Summerland

18

Rally, Not a Race – Exotic cars and fun times are full throttle (but not racing) at this year’s Rally 4 Kids

20

Wildfire Expo – The Wildfire Preparedness Expo is this week and promises to be filled with fun, art, and useful information

4

Montecito JOURNAL

Library Mojo – From watershed classes to CALM workshops, there is a plethora o f events coming to the library this May Community Voices – Fire Chief Kevin Taylor discusses wildland training, hot spring parking, and the upcoming evacuation analysis report

31

Your Westmont – Commencement honors 267 members of the class of 2022 on May 7, professor and wife write Soul Pilgrimage, and debate finalists impress

33

Community Voices – Robert Taylor writes in on the climate crisis and the possible economic policies that can help fix it Our Town – The Block Party is back and bringing the whole neighborhood together for food and fun

34

Far Flung Travel – Kayak through the morning commute along the coast and what sites to see on the way

38

Montecito Moms – GRLBND founder and local mom, Kara Welker, is helping empower female managers in the entertainment industry

41

ixing It Up – It is springtime – the garden is blossomM ing, bugs buzzing, and this cocktail is the Bee’s Knees

42

alendar of Events – 1st Thursday events, Cinco de C Mayo celebrations, getting sardonic with Sedaris, and more on the agenda

44

Local People – The eclectic life of Dr. Deborah S. Foster and her path towards helping others with Cultivating Emotional Balance Body Wise – Learn to leave a good impression with these simple tips on how to carry and present yourself

45

Mind-Body Matters – From Reishi to Lion’s Mane, learn about the benefits of adaptogenic mushrooms

50

On Entertainment – The pace of Paula Poundstone, Joffrey Ballet dances through the ages, and YETI Fest arrives

54

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

55

Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles Local Business Directory

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” – Martin Luther

5 – 12 May 2022

The Giving List

CommUnify and Head Start at 55 CommUnify (originally the Community Action Commission) and Head Start turn 55 this year

by Steven Libowitz

H

ead Start, the federal early childhood education program, was established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty with a goal of promoting school readiness to young children from low-income families through providing health, educational, nutritional, and social services. Two years later, Community Action Commission, or CAC, incorporated as a nonprofit to administer Head Start in Santa Barbara County and connect the county’s most vulnerable residents to other life-changing resources.

This week, CAC – under its new name of CommUnify – is marking the milestone with a special event to launch its yearlong festivities to celebrate its 55 years of serving the community. Over the years the agency has grown to 300 staff members who oversee 17 programs that serve over 8,000 children, families, youth, and seniors in Santa Barbara County each year. As Head Start is still the backbone of CommUnify, the event on May 5 will take place at the very site where it all began more than half a century ago – the Los Niños campus located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, which was the first Head Start location in Santa Barbara County. Local leaders, dignitaries, and CommUnify’s staff past and present have been invited to join in commemorating the vital impact Head Start has had in the community, having served an estimated 50,000 children in its 24 centers across the county as part of CommUnify’s programs that start with prenatal care and extend through the senior years.

“Every year we have hundreds of children who go off to kindergarten and we know that they are as best prepared as they can be because of Head Start,” said Lorraine Neenan, Director of Children’s Services, who has been part of CommUnify’s Head Start program on and off for 27 years. “They’ve seen doctors, they’re getting dental exams, they’re eating nutritious meals, they’ve learned about healthy foods, so they’re going to be able to sit in their chairs in kindergarten and learn. They’ve learned how to ask questions, communicate their needs, and follow directions. They’re ready.”

It would be hard to overestimate that total impact, as CommUnify has been instrumental in elevating disadvantaged families in ways that positively affect future generations. In fact, many of those who were either Head Start students or parents have gone on to very successful careers, including one who is now a financial services expert in Montecito, said Patricia Keelean, the nonprofit’s Chief Executive Officer.

“Through getting her boys in Head Start, she was able to return to school and get her degree and that was the springboard for her launching into her new career,” she said.

“Her boys are now grown and very successful, too. That’s the kind of success story that we create through helping foster sustainable independence and self-sufficiency.”

In fact, over the 55 years, former Head Start parents have also gone on to become staffers at the program itself. Meanwhile, CommUnify hasn’t just helped families but also spawned several independent nonprofits that began as programs under the organization’s umbrella, including Easy Lift Transportation, Friendship Center, and Storyteller Children’s Center.

“We’re proud that programs that we recognized were needed have been able to go off and operate independently,” Keelean said. “We are considered an incubator, able to develop and support programs, get the right people in place and make sure the financial pieces are handled so they can continue to grow with their own specific mission.”

Meanwhile, the Head Start program itself can count a number of notable commu-

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Montecito Miscellany

debut on Sunday scoring two goals, enabling his team to win 17-10.

Success at the Polo Club

A Ballet Bash Prince Harry helped score two goals during the match on Sunday (photo by Priscilla) Prince Harry will be playing regularly on the Los Padres Team (photo by Priscilla)

by Richard Mineards

S

anta Barbara Polo Club is now by royal appointment! Prince Harry is going to be playing regularly on the Los Padres team with his good friend, Argentinian Ralph Lauren Polo model Nacho Figueras, in the 12-goal tournament at the lush Carpinteria equestrian facility.

“Prince Harry is an avid polo enthusiast

and player, and has played polo all his life,” Nacho, an old friend, told the NPR station KCLU. “My polo team has a platform where we use the sport and the platform to raise awareness for charities. Harry’s going to be part of the team. He and I wanted to be very local and pay tribute to Southern California because of his moving here and paying tribute to his new home. It’s going to be a platform for a lot of good things so I’m very excited, proud, and honored to be doing this with him.”

Meghan Markle, Harry’s former actress wife, has already been seen watching Harry on the hallowed Holden Field.

Harry’s older brother Prince William played on the same field in 2011, the highlight of the club’s centennial celebrations, when his then new wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, presented him with the Tiffany trophy after a highly competitive round robin tournament, which I covered for NBC. At a socially gridlocked charity lunch, William said his brother and father, Prince Charles, would be “as green as grass” that he was riding at the club, just a tiara’s toss or two from the glistening Pacific. No longer, at least for Harry, who made his club match

It was all tu-tu much when social gridlock reigned at the venerable Lobero when the State Street Ballet closed its season with a gala performance featuring highlights from the company’s repertoire from the past 27 years. The glittering event also paid tribute to philanthropic patrons Sara Miller McCune, Carrie Towbes, Margo Cohen-Feinberg, and Tim Mikel, while also honoring the great legacies of the late Leni Fe Bland and Michael Towbes, founder of Montecito Bank & Trust.

After a champagne fueled reception on the Lovelace Esplanade with musical accompaniment by classical guitarist Chris Fossek, the entertaining show featured New York choreographer William Soleau’s “Appalachian Spring,” the pas de deux from founder Rodney Gustafson’s Romeo and Juliet, the intricate movements and athletics of (con)version by Kassandra Taylor-Newberry, the upbeat music of the late bandleader Lawrence Welk in Laurie Eisenhower’s vivacious Bubbles, and the classical elegance of the pas de deux from Don Quixote, which I last saw performed by the Royal Ballet at London’s Covent Garden.

Miscellany Page 404 404

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Rodney Gustafson, Nicole Thompson, Amber Hirschfield, and Tim Tremblay (photo by Priscilla)

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Nathaniel Tyson, Marika Kobayashi, Chris Fossek, Leila Drake, and Cecily MacDougall at the State Street Ballet event (photo by Priscilla)

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Living in Unprecedented Times: Water in Montecito

by Sharon Byrne

L

ast week, the Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles ordered outdoor water usage to be restricted to one day per week, starting June 1. This order affects six million people in Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando, San Bernardino, and southern Ventura County. All outdoor watering in these areas could be banned by September 1, if the situation doesn’t improve.

Right now, we are heading into our summer season, which seldom sees precipitation.

A crippling drought is gripping the entire Southwestern U.S., including Arizona and New Mexico, and there just isn’t enough supply from Northern California, which feeds the State Water Project. This year, agencies including Montecito and Santa Barbara can expect 5% of their normal water deliveries from the State Water Project.

For Southern California, the other major water resource is the Colorado River, running at low levels too.

Scientists, who’ve examined tree rings dating back to 800 A.D., say this past 22 years is the driest since the last major drought in the middle 1400s, when

Constantinople fell, and Machu Picchu was in construction. There were some serious mega droughts before that time in the middle 1300s, and one that lasted 200 years, back in the Middle Ages.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor website, 96% of the Western U.S. is now abnormally dry or worse, and 88% of the region is in drought.

Per this map, Santa Barbara County is in “severe drought.”

Governor Newsom called for a 15% reduction in water usage last July. As of today, the state has averaged 6.4% in cumulative water savings. In March, he issued a call-to-action for water agencies to plan to use 20% less water, possibly to be increased to 30%.

What About Montecito?

While the overall water situation for the Western United States is rather dire, the Central Coast isn’t feeling the same impacts…yet. But we are in “severe drought,” and the tools to combat it remain the same: Better management: groundwater resources, increased conservation, and reduced use.

Alternate sources of supply: Desal.

Recycled water.

Our Montecito Water and Sanitary districts have been partnering to produce recycled water. It could provide water for landscaping, and end ocean discharge. Orange County is already producing 1,000,000 gallons per day.

Achieving recycled water will likely require regional collaboration, something Supervisor Williams has suggested. The districts are also exploring possible consolidation in an effort to leave no stone unturned to best provide water supply in the most efficient way possible, now and for the future. But there’s rather a lot more going on than just that.

Governor Newsom called for a 15% reduction in water usage last July. As of today, the state has averaged 6.4% in cumulative water savings. In March, he issued a call-to-action for water agencies to plan to use 20% less water, possibly to be increased to 30%.

winter rains fail to materialize, but this level of use is not sustainable.”

The Montecito Water District has also been active in pursuing groundwater management, via the Groundwater Sustainability Agency. Meetings are open to the public, and participation is highly encouraged as groundwater is a key supply, at 10-15% annually, for Montecito.

The Montecito Association is delighted to host a community conversation over Zoom with the Montecito Water and Sanitary Districts on May 9 at 4 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Water is an important topic to this community!

Please see montecitoassociation.org or email info@montecitoassociation.org for

more information.

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association

JOURNAL

Local News

Executive Editor/CEO | G wyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Nadel Office Manager | Jessikah Moran

The Montecito Water District has just released its Five-Year Strategic Plan and will be presenting key elements of it to the Montecito Association Board next week. Desal water from the City of Santa Barbara to Montecito started as of January 1 of this year. The Montecito Water District has called for conservation since the beginning of this year. As reported in the Montecito Association’s April board meeting, Montecito water users were 87% over the area’s water budget in March. “It was literally the driest two consecutive months ever,” said Nick Turner, General Manager for the Montecito Water District. “You expect to see water use increase go up when the

Graphic Design/Layout | Esperanza Carmona Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford Humor | Ernie Witham Our Town | Joanne A. Calitri Society | Lynda Millner Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Gabe Saglie

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE Day Low Hgt High Hgt Low Hgt High Hgt Low Thurs, May 5 7:40 AM 0.2 Fri, May 6 12:22 AM 4.9 8:46 AM 0.4 Sat, May 7 1:13 AM 4.6 10:00 AM 0.5 Sun, May 8 2:36 AM 4.2 11:06 AM 0.5 7:01 PM 3.8 11:26 PM Mon, May 9 4:19 AM 4.1 11:57 AM 0.4 7:12 PM 4.2 Tues, May 10 12:31 AM 2.5 5:40 AM 4.1 2:24 AM 0.4 7:27 PM 4.5 Weds, May 11 1:15 AM 1.9 6:43 AM 4.3 1:11 PM 0.4 7:45 PM 5.0 Thurs, May 12 1:55 AM 1.2 7:38 AM 4.4 1:42 PM 0.6 8:07 PM 5.4 Fri, May 13 2:34 AM 0.4 8:28 AM 4.5 2:13 PM 0.7 8:32 PM 5.9

10 Montecito JOURNAL

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5 – 12 May 2022

Letters to the Editor Finding a Solution

R

egarding the May 3rd, 2022 Montecito Association meeting topic of trailhead parking at Montecito Hot Springs. Many years ago, at the launch for the “Campaign for Hot Springs Canyon” both Kellam De Forest (Pearl Chase Society) and I were in attendance at the little green park on the corner of East Valley and San Ysidro roads.

Afterwards we conversed and I discovered that both of us were opposed to these historic springs being conveyed to the Forest Service. One of our shared concerns was that the Forest Service was too constrained in budget, staff, and priority to properly manage the springs.

From then on Kellam and I attended every public meeting regarding these springs. Sadly, my good friend and mentor Kellam De Forest is not here to attend this Montecito Association meeting, but I can hear his voice like yesterday.

Kellam and I knew that these springs were the last of the many mineral waters that placed Santa Barbara on the map when California became a state. The springs deserved recognition, including access for the historically significant springs and the long linage of human interaction.

Kellam and I came very close to incorporating as a nonprofit for the long-term caretaking of Montecito Hot Springs, but we simply could not obtain an audience with Land Trust for Santa Barbara County and the donors to consider alternatives.

Imagine if Hot Springs Canyon were a nonprofit that was managed in such a way that allowed recreational and educational opportunities while resolving capacity, sanitation, waste management, and danger from fire. Had that path been taken we would not have the need to meet and discuss trailhead parking.

There still remains opportunities to interact with these springs that honor and protect while resolving concerns by impacted neighbors. With Santa Barbara County and NGO’s partnering with the Forest Service, these springs can be managed as a conditional use permit without development of the area with roads and hard structures.

As I understand it, the Santa Barbara County Master Recreation Plan has not been released to the public yet. There is still time to find a holistic solution for the

Letters Page 324 324

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Why is Groundwater Important for Our Community?

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Web: www.montecitogsa.com Email: staff@montecitogsa.com Phone: 805.324.4207 583 San Ysidro Road Santa Barbara, CA 93108

12

Montecito JOURNAL

We’ll be discussing Sustainable Management Criteria such as Minimum Thresholds for Groundwater levels and Groundwater contaminants

5 – 12 May 2022

Village Beat

Land Use Committee Meets

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

O

n Tuesday, May 3, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee met via Zoom to further discuss the parking issues at the Hot Springs Trailhead, which we’ve covered extensively over the last several weeks.

On the call were 30 members of the community, including members of the Land Use Committee, as well as representatives from the California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Department, and Montecito Fire District.

Parking woes at the trailhead have come to a head, as four members of the community took legal action against the County last month in response to a proposed parking project near the trailhead. The parking project could add up to 62 parking spots in the public right-of-way in the area, which has become increasingly popular due to the active hot springs and increased exposure on social media sites. There are roughly eight parking spots currently at the trailhead, with dozens of additional cars parking illegally at most times of the day.

The County’s plan includes notifying homeowners in the area to remove anything that may be impeding parking in the right-of-way, such as boulders, landscaping, and even homemade “No Parking” signs. Homeowners contend that the hundreds of cars that frequent the area on any given day are blocking driveways, blocking emergency vehicle access, and are being parked in such a way that causes safety issues for pedestrians and other vehicles. In addition, neighbors say that they’ve seen people go up the trail with firewood and camping stoves, and stay on the trail overnight, which is prohibited and could create a fire hazard.

California Highway Patrol Lieutenant Michael Logie reported that his agency has issued over 400 citations and towed 30 cars so far this year. “While I can’t get into the politics of it, I can tell you that our function is to make sure the community is safe,” he said, adding that one of his concerns includes the lack of signage in the area. “In my opinion, adding more parking spots may exacerbate the issue,” he said. Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported that deputies are actively walking the trail and monitoring the hot springs, but can only do so when staffing availability allows. He added that his deputies are also actively writing citations for cars parked after dark.

Former Land Use Committee Chair and current Montecito Water District 5 – 12 May 2022

Director Cori Hayman, speaking as a private citizen, said that in the past several months there have been many more cars, people, campers, and even reports of nude bathers in the pools at the break of dawn. Hayman, who lives nearby, made the point that many of her neighbors, herself included, are “woefully underinsured for fire.” “The fire danger is a real risk to our neighborhood,” she said. Hayman cited the Montecito Community Plan and the Montecito Land Use and

the lawsuit against the County is scheduled for this Friday.

Also at the meeting, reps from the 101 widening project reported that the application to the County is ready to move forward, and the project will be heard for conceptual review by the Montecito Planning Commission on May 18.

A discussion was held regarding the removal of the sound walls from the project, which was announced in February after County Flood Control required project reps to analyze if the sound walls would create a rise in flood waters, based on Recovery Mapping; it was determined that the proposed sound walls would create a rise in flood waters. Since then, there have

Also at the meeting, reps from the 101 widening project reported that the application to the County is ready to move forward, and the project will be heard for conceptual review by the Montecito Planning Commission on May 18.

Development Code as guides on how to develop Montecito with respect to its semi-rural nature. “The whole notion that the County needs the right-of-way for parking is not based on our community plan,” she said, encouraging the Land Use Committee to advocate that the County not add the additional parking spaces.

Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor weighed in, voicing concern about the very real threat of fire and the District’s ability to evacuate areas above Highway 192 during a fire. The District has undertaken an $85,000 study to look at evacuations in Montecito during a wind-driven fire; the study is expected to be presented to the MFPD Board of Directors in June. “The purpose of the study isn’t to evaluate the fire risk, it’s to evaluate our ability to move community members out of the area during a down canyon wind-driven fire,” he said. In addition, a Community Forum will be held on July 7 at Westmont College, in case there are substantial changes to the current evacuation plans that need to be presented to the community.

No one on the Zoom call was in favor of adding additional parking at the trailhead; chair Chad Chase said the meeting was a time for people on both sides of the issue to come forward for a discussion. Suggestions to the ongoing problem were discussed, including adding parking signage, hiring a dedicated deputy to monitor the parking and give citations to people parked illegally, advocating for a management plan of the hot springs, and waiting on the MFPD study before weighing in on a solution. A preliminary injunction on

been differing opinions on the sound walls, with some residents happy they are gone for aesthetic reasons, and some unhappy that the sound mitigation the walls would have provided is now gone. “We also studied staggered walls, and walls with floodgates, and it is proving to be infeasible to have walls without creating a rise in flood water,” Ayars said.

The sound walls were not required as a sound mitigation measure as part of the project’s Environmental Impact Report. Noise in the area is expected to increase up to three decibels, with an average dishwasher creating 80 decibels, according to Ayars. Other sound

attenuating measures were built into the project, including a continually reinforced concrete pavement surface, which has a longer lifespan than typical asphalt, offering a reduction in noise over the length of its lifespan.

The pavement is jointed differently, under the lane lines rather than horizontally, which helps mitigate sound as tires make contact with the pavement.

Sound walls in other areas of the highway widening have also been removed, including in Summerland, where they were removed due to visual impact.

A discussion ensued regarding the visual blithe of the coated chain link fence that will act as a barrier between the freeway and the surface streets.

Ayars said a number of plantings will be included in the project, and there is a plant establishment period that will call for the replacement of plants if they die off right away. A more decorative fencing option is prohibited, as certain objects cannot be used on the freeway because they can become objects that can impale a vehicle during a collision. “We’ll keep talking about decorative options, but there are some pretty significant limitations,” she said.

“Any decorative fencing would have to have the same water flow capacity of the chain link fence.”

The project will be in front of the Montecito Planning Commission later

this month.

Kelly Mahan Herrick, also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond.

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pax+amare

Seen Around Town Planned Parenthood Birds and Bees Bash

Planned Parenthood co-chairs Monica Kunz, Kristen Klingbeil-Weis, and Mary Blair atop the Rotunda in the wind

Duruflé’s Requiem and

Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs Conducted by Jo Anne Wasserman Valdis Jansons, baritone soloist with Orchestra First Presbyterian Church 21 East Constance Avenue Santa Barbara, CA

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Montecito JOURNAL

by Lynda Millner

T

he Rotunda at the Hilton Beachfront Resort was rocking when Planned Parenthood held its Birds and Bees Bash beginning with cocktails on the third level. The blowing wind led to some interesting photos.

Then down to ground level for a sumptuous dinner at the tables. The three co-chairs who organized this fête were Mary Blair, Monica Kunz, and Kristen Klingbeil-Weis.

CEO of the Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Foundation Geoff Green emceed the evening. With his sense of humor, he makes you feel good about donating to various causes! Board chair Ayesha Shaikh gave an update on Planned Parenthood affairs followed by the giving of the Community Partner Award by Jenna Tosh, president and CEO. This went to MICOP (Mixteco Indigena Community Organization Project). MICOP’s mission is to support, organize, and empower the indigenous immigrant communities in California’s Central Coast. They have been invaluable to Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC) as a community partner. They have supported PPCCC in many capacities, partnering with them in advocacy efforts including environmental and reproductive health, COVID safety outreach and vaccine information, and our health centers to provide interpretation for indigenous patients, and much more.

There was a client testimonial by Julie Wallach and the future of abortion access told by Jenna Tosh. We’re not through yet! There was after hours dancing with Tina Schlieske and the Graceland Exiles with Sister Laura.

For more about MICOP visit mix teco.org. For questions about Planned Parenthood, call (805) 722-1517.

“My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.” – Abram L. Urban

The Sleuths Return

After several years, Mystery in Masterpieces returned to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA). The event sold out in two days. President of the SBMA Women’s Board Julie Blair said this: “Excitement is in the air as Mystery in Masterpieces returns, bringing us together to celebrate a stunning exhibit of art from the Museum’s own collection and the special exhibition Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources in our beautifully renovated SBMA. We are looking forward to a fabulous evening working together to outwit each other and our clever Clue Master while hunting for clues among the masterpieces.”

The black-tie optional evening began on the steps of the Museum on State Street with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Opera Santa Barbara’s Matthew Peterson entertained with an Italian song from La Traviata and “Vincent van Gogh” walked through the crowd. Well, it looked like him! Larry J. Feinberg, Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director and CEO, greeted everyone in Ludington Court introducing the mystery hunt.

Julie and SBMA Women’s Board Vice President of Development Isabel Wendt had been working on the event for a year and led a toast to the soirée. The key to all the clue business was Clue Master Jamie Fleming returning for his 11th hunt here at SBMA. He spent most of his career with Disney, Universal Studios, and Universal Studios Florida.

He devotes time to various museums including Los Angeles Museum of Art, the Huntington Library, and many more.

Fleming and his former Disney collaborator Gary Krueger have teamed up since 1989 to create engaging mystery hunts for art enthusiasts, raising millions

Seen Page 264 264

5 – 12 May 2022

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Montecito JOURNAL

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Home Crush

Feeling Your Own Home

Home Crush’s new space in Summerland is an Interactive Design Experience Center and Smart Home Interior Design Studio (Photo credit: Kelle Ramsey)

Home Crush offers unique furniture and home items to “Design your life” (Photo credit: Kelle Ramsey)

by Zach Rosen

W

e are always curating our environment to fit our feelings and lifestyle. Just as we put on music to match a mood, we select the colors, materials, and objects of our home to pair with how we want to feel there. Or as Aimee Miller of Home Crush puts it, “Design your life.”

Home Crush is described as an “Interactive Design Experience Center and Smart Home Interior Design Studio.” Since opening in 2013, Miller and her team have helped bring a fusion of coastal styling and a dash of tech to give their clients’ homes an organic movement between interior and exterior space. Miller feels that yard and outside spaces should make the person feel just

as at home as the inside. “That’s why you come to Santa Barbara. You just want this outdoor lifestyle,” she says.

To this point, they have been operating out of a 1931 bungalow in downtown Santa Barbara. Miller purposefully chose the older building to show what one can do to spruce up a place with just an eye for detail and the right design.

However, their new showroom location in Summerland allows guests to fully experience what Home Crush has to offer. They celebrated May Day with a soft opening and are now open for guests to come in and experience what they have to offer.

I recently visited as they got ready for their opening. Walking up to the corner of Lillie Avenue and Olive Street in Summerland, I hear Miller calling out to the moving crew, waving her hands

with the direction and deft touch of a conductor. As we meet, we walk up the path of stone steps, passing by the perfume of angel’s trumpets and other delicate flowers as we head towards the building in back. Inside, Andrea Brown, a senior designer and team collaborator, sits at a counter, her eyes darting across the screen with the graceful focus of a musician site-reading the sheet. A school of jellyfish lamps hang down from the ceiling, floating above a table of simple, elegant items for the home.

And while the Summerland property is an opportunity to show off their curated wares and clean style – having designed everything on site from the landscaping to the sprinklers and lighting – the idea

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Their Summerland site lets guests come and experience the furniture, homewares, and tech for themselves (Photo credit: Kelle Ramsey)

Visitors to the showroom can sit down and get a sense of how the furniture would feel in their life (Photo credit: Kelle Ramsey)

is not to have a “store” but rather a space where people can come in and fully experience the items. “We’re just trying to make little moments,” says Miller. Later adding, “We love the setting because you can feel it out.”

Chairs and tables are nestled around the property to create different environments and let guests sit down, touch the materials, and get a sense of how it would feel in their life – that is the experiential style of Home Crush. The space comes across less like a showroom and more like an outdoor lounge where you can listen to some tunes and take home a table if it speaks to you.

A large, weatherproof TV sits in one corner of the yard, beach images vividly flashing across its screen, even in full daylight. Miller turns on the outdoor speakers, subtly spread throughout the space. Music fills the air with concert-level quality sound that still allows conversation-level volumes. We walk through the space as Miller points out unique teak and Canadian-made fire pits. Many of the items found onsite are hand-selected and often not available in California, or even the Western U.S. Miller emphasizes that making your home work for you doesn’t necessarily require a full redesign (although they can assist with that too if need be). Bringing a new accent to your life can be as simple as changing a lightbulb or painting a wall. In fact, Miller once counted 60 burned-out bulbs in one client’s house. It can be hard to keep up on the maintenance and minutiae of owning a home during the hustle and bustle of life. Part of the focus at

Crush Page 404 404

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5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

17

Rally, Not a Race Drivers and Navigators Rally for a Cause

Robert and Mary Gates take a pause from the rally in their 1998 Porsche 993 (photo by Priscilla)

Michael Baker waves on each pack of 10 cars as they head out (photo by Priscilla)

by Zach Rosen

“A

nd remember… It’s a Rally – not a Race.” The statement was met with general merriment from the crowd of drivers and navigators meeting in Hope Ranch the night before the Rally 4 Kids was to be held. As the meeting continued, Michael Baker, CEO of the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County (UBGC), helped remind the audience of why they were doing this.

Now in its 7th run, the Rally 4 Kids has become one of the most celebrated fundraisers for the UBGC. The organization is a “youth development agency and serves children ages 5-18 years old, from 10 locations across Santa Barbara County.” Over the years, the Rally funds have helped UBGC expand their services and impact on the children of the area, including a Solvang facility in 2018 and even four brand new vans in 2019 (with

the help of Michael and Misty Hammer and the Armand Hammer Foundation).

That next year, those vans became a critical part of being able to help through the pandemic as they assisted with moving food from the Food Bank to their clubs to help feed those in need.

The crowd is anxious to get started on this rally – not a race (photo by Priscilla) The morning following the Driver’s Meeting, participants gathered early at acter to each car. As the rally started, enjoy themselves. The rally was more Procore in Carpinteria. The crowd took cars left in groups of 10 – the morning about the route they were taking and the in coffees, donuts, and directions for the sun accenting their curves as they rolled sites along the way.

111-mile journey as they waited for the through the checkered balloon arch.

The path led from Procore to the first rally to start. Each car had one driver and In the Rally guidebook, a Rules of checkpoint at La Cumbre Peak. The one navigator to help guide them along the Road section begins the first rule route followed back roads past the peak the selected path. A rally guidebook gave with, “First and foremost, this is NOT A and led to the second checkpoint at details on the entered cars, route, various RACE…” That being said, the planners Sunstone Winery. Since the path took the checkpoints, and just in case – emergency still found a way for those who have a scenic route, MJ photographer Priscilla numbers for assistance, an auto mechan- competitive edge to have a little healthy and I left Procore and cut up Hwy 154 ic, and a tow company. (and safe) bout with others. An accom- to get there ahead of the line so we could The Procore parking lot was filled with panying trivia sheet and checkpoint chal- photograph the cars as they drove past. an impressive range of European exot- lenges formed the basis for the scoring We found a good photo-op spot next to a ics, classic cars, and good ole fashioned system, so that the competition was less ranch with an olive grove and waited for American muscle – the space sparkling a measure a speed, and more of their the wheeled steeds to roll through. Soon, with cherry red, solar yellow, and the knowledge of the rally, cars, and maybe we saw flashes of color pulling off the 101 myriad other hues that brought char- even a test of their hula hoop skills. The and heard the rumble coming towards us. rules gave direction to obey speed limits The cars came through, sometimes in and keep an eye out for cyclists, among packs, other times by themselves. other safety notes, but also reminded drivers to take in the experience and Rally Page 504 504

The Montecito Group "You're Trusted Real Estate Team"

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themontecitogroup@gmail.com • phone: (805)451-4801 • dre: 01962161

Montecito JOURNAL

Yasutomi and Nicole Fujiwara rolling through in their 2019 Supercharged Lamborghini Performante (photo by Priscilla)

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Montecito JOURNAL

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Wildfire Expo Whales Are Superheroes!

Getting Wise Around Fire

Permanent Exhibit — Opening April 14, 2022 Sponsored by Chevron, Dreier Family, Emmett Foundation, Nancy and Frederic Golden, George H. and Olive J. Griffiths Charitable Foundation, Hank and Mari Mitchel, June G. Outhwaite Foundation, Alice Tweed Tuohy Foundation, Donna Weinstein, and Wood-Claeyssens Foundation

“A Whale of a Tale” Museum Experience April 14 - May 15, 2022 Sponsored by Chevron, Dreier Family, Emmett Foundation, Hank and Mari Mitchel, and Jack Mithun and Mercedes Millington

The Wonder of Whales: Two Artists’ Perspectives

by John Baran and Kelly Clause

Art Exhibit — April 14 – July 31, 2022 Sponsored by Chevron, Dreier Family, Emmett Foundation, Mimi Michaelis, Hank and Mari Mitchel, June G. Outhwaite Foundation, and Wood-Claeyssens Foundation

Whales Are Superheroes: Saving the Planet One CO2 Molecule at a Time Student Art Exhibit April 14 – July 31, 2022 Sponsored by Brown Family Foundation, Chevron, Dreier Family, Emmett Foundation, Hank and Mari Mitchel, Jack Mithun and Mercedes Millington, June G. Outhwaite Foundation, and WoodClaeyssens Foundation

113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 • sbmm.org • 805 962 8404

20 Montecito JOURNAL

Firemen taking in the Burn Cycle Project

by Jeff Wing

F

rankenstein’s monster perhaps said it best: “Fire bad.” This is a capable summation but lacks actionable detail — and here in the celebrated Wildfire State, actionable detail is what it’s all about. Fortunately, the good people of Santa Barbara County’s Firesafe Council are hosting a three-day event that promises not just to fill the gaps in our understanding of wildfire, but to engagingly school us in preparedness.

The council’s 2022 Wildfire Preparedness Exposition takes place May 6-8 at the Direct Relief property in Goleta — 6100 Wallace Becknell Road.

The expo’s opening reception takes place on Friday, May 6 from 5-8:30 pm.

On Saturday and Sunday (May 7 and 8), the expo will be in full swing from 11am to 6 pm. This attention-getting event aims to entrance, educate, and elevate. Civic gatherings that bring us together around critically important topics can be well-intentioned but uninspiring. The 2022 Wildfire Preparedness Exposition is aiming for something different. Nic Elmquist — FireSafe Council Member, Wildland Fire Specialist for the Montecito Fire Department, and former Arroyo Grande Hotshot — explains all.

“This Preparedness Expo is essentially community outreach to garner interest — and educate the community in — the regional wildfire mitigation plan,” Elmquist says. “It’s also to inform them about Firewise, and opportunities to work with the FireSafe Council.” Pause.

“Look, we know that asking people to come together over ‘principles of wildfire preparedness’ may not sound that exciting, so this expo is designed to really enliven and bring the subject home.”

Solemn lectures rarely draw enthusiastic crowds. Elmquist and his colleagues on the FireSafe Council have pointedly avoided the solemn lecture model in favor of one that piques public curiosity and delivers life-saving information

“Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.” – Ralph Ransom

with panache. For instance, the three-day agenda includes an immersive experience that puts you in the middle of a raging wildfire — virtually, of course. The 2022 Wildfire Preparedness Exposition is designed to capture the imagination. The degree to which we “civilians” are a part of the solution can’t be overstated.

Elmquist explains that in pre-European settlement Northern California, lightning strikes reliably set natural ecosystem-benefitting fires “…every three to ten years, at the outside. So, there was a natural fuel reduction. Here in the south of the state there would be the very occasional rogue lighting strike, but not often enough to remedy the buildup of fuels. Pre-settlement, the burning in this part of the state mostly happened at the hands of the Native Americans, who used controlled burns to clear brush away from their settlements, both for the safety of the community, and so they could better spot approaching enemies. There are historical documents that show they would have oak fires twice a year in order to harvest acorns.”

Pre-modern cultures are often found to have successfully invented a wheel we modernists struggle to replicate. Fire control is no exception. Informationbedazzled 2022 comes with its own challenges, namely capturing the public’s attention. Elmquist and the Fire Council understand the need to engage a contemporary audience for whom these massive fires can seem abstract concerns. Until the next one shows up.

“The majority of our local residents understand the threat of wildfires, of course. But oftentimes the FireSafe Council and Firewise — these various regional plans and programs for wildfire mitigation — these aren’t really known.

So this is a good opportunity for the community to come out and see what resources exist for them. We’re moving towards a climate that’s going to sustain more wildfires rather than fewer. So it’s in

Wildfire Page 494 494

5 – 12 May 2022

621 COWLES ROAD | SANTA BARBARA

For private showings call Deborah Samuel 805.570.6680 | Offered at $5,325,000 Welcome to the lifestyle of your dreams! This Spanish Santa Barbara Classic is located just adjacent to Montecito’s grandest historic estate and the majestic Lotusland. You’ll be enchanted by the incredible mountain views, the gorgeous architecture, and all the special touches this property has to offer. This home was custom built in 1989 and boasts ±3100 square feet of living space, 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 2 offices. It’s stately enough for entertaining guests but cozy enough for quiet family time. It’s located in the coveted Cold Springs School District, making it perfect for families with children, as well as those who simply love being close to nature. The 4th bedroom has a 1/2 bath and private entry. Bonus room - yoga studio with heat located off the garage. New paint and many updated fixtures. ±1 acre. All inspections ready for your review. This ambient home has so much to offer! Natural light streams in through the skylights and large French doors, giving the living room and dining room a warm glow. Enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine on the covered cantilevered deck; you’ll be mesmerized by the beautiful mountain views. Light a fire in the wood-burning fireplace (with insert), and take in the gorgeous, vaulted wood ceilings with exposed beams. The kitchen is perfect for entertaining with a large island and lots of cabinets. Visit www.621CowlesRoad.com for more.

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© 2022 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. 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. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

21

2022 SEASON

CommUnify (Continued from 5)

103rd CONCERT SEASON Presenting the world’s finest classical artists since 1919

MASTERSERIES AT THE LOBERO THEATRE SEASON SPONSOR:

In Carpinteria, CommUnify is looking for two replacement classroom spaces to continue its work there

ESPERIA FOUNDATION

TUES., MAY 24, 2022, 7:30PM

JAMES EHNES, violin ORION WEISS, piano PROGRAM: MOZART: SCHUBERT: KORNGOLD: SAINT-SAËNS:

Violin Sonata No.17 in C Major, K.296 Fantasy in C Major, D.934 Much Ado About Nothing, Suite Op.11 Violin Sonata No.1 in D Minor, Op.75

Canadian James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage, a favorite of many of the world’s most respected conductors and orchestras, acclaimed as “a violinist in a class of his own” (The Times). He made his SB debut in July 2019 at the Granada with the London Symphony Orchestra, presented by the Music Academy of the West, playing his 1715 “Marsick” Stradivarius. Ehnes is joined by gifted pianist Orion Weiss who last appeared in CAMA’s Masterseries with violinist Augustin Hadelich.

Tickets at the Lobero Theatre Box Office (805) 963-0761 ⫽ lobero.org COMMUNITY ARTS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF SANTA BARBARA

camasb.org

COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

NOTICE OF COMPLETE APPLICATION FOR A DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT Project Name: Highway 101 Widening-Segments 4D Project Location: Santa Barbara County Project Case Nos: 21DVP-00000-00022, 21CDP-00000-00076 Project Applicant: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Notice is hereby given that an application for the project described below has been submitted to the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department. This project requires the approval of a Development Plan by the County Planning Commission (PC). To receive additional information regarding this project, and/or to view the application and plans, please contact Christopher Schmuckal at 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 93101, by email at cschmuckal@co.santabarbara.ca.us, or by phone at (805) 568-3510.

Proposed Project: Improvements to Highway 101 between post mile 9.2 and post mile 10.6 including the addition of a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane northbound and southbound, new creek crossings, bridges, overcrossings, new medians, landscaping, etc. The property is zoned TC (Transportation Corridor) and is located at the Caltrans right-of-way in the County jurisdiction between the Sheffield Drive Interchange and the Olive Mill Road Interchange. The project is in the Montecito Community Plan areas, First Supervisorial District.

Review Authority: This project is under the jurisdiction of the County PC who will either approve, approve with conditions, or deny the project. An additional notice of a public hearing or pending action by the County PC regarding this project will be mailed a minimum of 10 days prior to the public hearing or pending action.

Additional Information: Information about this project review process may also be viewed at: https://ca-santabarbaracounty.civicplus.pro/1499/Planning-Permit-Process-FlowChart

22 Montecito JOURNAL

nity leaders who were once on staff at CommUnify earlier in their careers, including Goleta Mayor Paula Perrotte, Congressman Salud Carbajal and his wife, Special Olympics Regional Director Gina Carbajal, and retiring longtime Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley.

They’re all familiar first-hand with how the investment in children is justified by evidence that Head Start and its associated programs dramatically change outcomes for children. Especially Dudley, who once ran CommUnify’s Head Start program nearly 40 years ago. At that time the future DA already had a master’s degree in early childhood education and was working on another in administration, with Head Start a perfect intersection of the two.

“I loved the whole concept of giving a child that pre-kindergarten academic experience and beyond that, meeting the child where they were,” she said. “Whether they had medical issues, psychological issues, sociological issues within the community – Head Start embraced all of it. When kids have everything that they need to begin a successful academic and emotional career in school, they’re more likely to survive and prosper.”

Dudley only left what she called her “dream job” to study law so she could more directly combat child abuse when she saw that the criminal justice system “wasn’t following up on investigations (Head Start) reported by childcare center directors the way I thought they should be.” But Dudley has no illusions about where she was more effective in changing lives.

“I know I did more to prevent crime in the time I put in at Head Start than the 32 years I did as prosecutor,” she said. “Setting people up early for success really makes a difference in their lives.”

Time to Celebrate Next up in the yearlong celebration is CommUnify’s 55th Anniversary Champions Dinner, slated for Thursday evening, June 9, on the patio of The River Grill at Alisal Ranch in Solvang. The fundraising celebration features dinner, drinks, music, dancing, and a live auction, as well as honoring its 2022 Champions – The Santa Barbara Foundation, former CenCal Health CEO Robert Freeman, and Santa Barbara Airbus founders Eric and Kelly Onnen – for their dedicated work on behalf of Santa Barbara County. Past recipients of the Champions award, including 2020 honorees The Towbes Group, Jim Glines, and Rona Barrett, will also be recognized. Proceeds from the event help fund CommUnify’s Family & Youth Services program.

But this week, CommUnify is pausing only briefly from its work to celebrate the 55-year milestone, as the May 5 kickoff event is slated to last just one hour. “We’ll have some appetizers and refreshments, there will be a small program with people who will say a few words, and that’ll be that,” Keelean said. “It’s still one of our children’s centers, and the kids have to go take their nap.”

Then it’s back to work on its mission for CommUnify, which is just beginning the process of its triennial needs assessment to guide its planning going forward. “We’re always evaluating with an eye towards what new or expanded services are needed to better support the most vulnerable in our community,” Keelean said. “That’s why we’re here.”

And a new need has arrived. CommUnify has been in Carpinteria for many years, more than ten, during their 50-year tenure. In the past they have had four classrooms on the main school campus of Carpinteria Unified School District that serve 66 students with 14 staff. Their lease was not renewed this year and they are currently having to find new facilities. So far, CommUnify has worked hard to search for replacement classrooms and they have fortunately found two at the Boys and Girls Club in Carpinteria. But this will only serve half of their students in that area, and they are still looking for two more classroom spaces to continue helping local families and children. Neenan added, “Most of our kids come in as Spanish speakers and they leave bilingual so it’s a super important part of their early child hood development.”

“Everyone ought to plant a tree in their lifetime.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

5 – 12 May 2022

5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

23

IDEAS CORNER:

On Money, Politics and other Trivial Matters

Perspectives Guns and Butter Stagflation or Taxes

Cutting Traffic and Pollution in Tel Aviv and Paris

by Rinaldo S. Brutoco

A

Tel Aviv becomes the e-scooter capital

macroeconomic argument circulating during World War II stated that the nation couldn’t afford both “guns and butter,” pitting the costs of waging war against luxuries like silk stockings and abundant food choices like creamy milkfat. In fact, this saying originated decades earlier, with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916 as the U.S. ramped up to enter World War I. As originally articulated, it was about the choice between using nitrates for gun powder or the same nitrates for fertilizer. Hence, the dichotomy of using nitrates for wartime gunpowder (the ‘guns’ in this case) or for fertilizers to create more food (the ‘butter’).

Over the years this expression has become a shorthand way of asking if we should allocate more of the government’s spending on military purchases or put that money towards all the various domestic priorities. Given the incredible militarization that has occurred in the U.S. since WWII, this argument has become a “Hobson’s Choice.”

To a casual observer, it would appear our politicians easily agree on how much they want to increase the military budget every year, and then haggle endlessly on what we can “afford” for the domestic priorities. Or, as the joke which circulated during the Vietnam War reflected, “It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need, and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.” As a nation, we seem to constantly increase military spending even in periods of relative peace (e.g. did we ever obtain a “peace dividend” after the Cold War ended?), and it’s been guns or nothing.

I really liked Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of only five U.S. presidents who had not previously held elective office. Many feel he wasn’t a strong civilian leader, but I disagree.

The way he led in peacetime was different than the way he led in war, but equally effective. He launched an interstate highway system that, regrettably, remains the backbone of our national transportation system. He had Alaska and Hawaii admitted into the Union, appointed five Justices to the Supreme Court including the legendary Earl Warren as Chief Justice. He also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and sent Army troops to enforce federal court orders which integrated schools in Little Rock. He achieved an armistice agreement with China to terminate the Korean Conflict and was a strong supporter of NATO. On the domestic front he also launched the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare making it a Cabinet level department. He built on Roosevelt’s New Deal agencies and expanded Social Security.

To my way of thinking Eisenhower did a great deal to balance his desire to produce both guns and butter. And, due to his experience as a Five Star General who led the invasions of Northern Africa, Sicily, and Normandy, he was uniquely qualified to articulate of the horrors of uncontrolled military spending.

In his 1953 “Change for Peace” speech, Eisenhower specifically referred to the ‘guns and butter’ trade off by giving actual examples: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.

“The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities.

It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people…

“This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. ... Is there no other way the world may live?”

Was Eisenhower wrong and can we in fact have both guns (military spending for Ukraine) and butter (increased spending on priority domestic issues like student debt forgiveness)? How did he pay for all those competing interests, while balancing the budget three times in his eight-year presidency, while also supporting the rebuilding of Europe?

Turns out, the way Eisenhower pulled that off would still work today.

Eisenhower supported and benefited from progressive tax rates that went up to 91 percent in the top bracket! President Biden hasn’t even suggested anything above 37 percent, and yet he is being vigorously opposed by that portion of the wealthy electorate that hires battalions of lawyers and lobbyists to protect their interests. The Trump tax cuts, which

24 Montecito JOURNAL

T

el Aviv, Israel aims to lower its carbon emissions by lessening its heavy traffic with e-scooters. Tel Aviv is the 16th most traffic-congested city in the world.

Mayor Ron Huldai wants to rid the metropolis of cars and pollution by changing the main mode of transportation, in what’s become known as micromobility. E-scooters have taken off in Tel Aviv, and the city is accommodating their popularity by expanding bike paths to cover 350 kilometers by 2025.

Bird Global Inc. was the first e-scooter rental company in Israel, starting with 2,500 rental e-scooters in Tel Aviv in 2018. Since then, its influx of startups and tech professionals has brought in many who prefer e-scooters to cars. E-scooter manufacturer Inokim said that sales in Tel Aviv have increased seven-fold in the last five years to 7,000 e-scooters. According to Bird, the increasing number of e-scooter riders — of many ages and backgrounds — has cut Tel Aviv’s emissions by an estimated 1,283 tons, which is around the same amount of carbon dioxide sequestered every year by 55,000 trees.

Paris silences noise pollution

City noise pollution affects people’s health, and it’s a problem that Paris is working particularly hard to solve. The cacophony across French cities is a public health concern. The WHO says excessive noise, over 55 decibels, contributes to cardiovascular disorders and high blood pressure. Excessive noise costs France up to 147 billion euros yearly, not just in lost productivity from lost sleep, but in public health costs. Twenty-five million French people say that noise impacted their lives and 432,000 said they took tranquilizers to cope. Paris’ first Noise Plan from 2015 to 2020 installed sound barriers along half the length of a highway surrounding Paris, increased roadside noise checks, tested innovative low-noise asphalt, and ruled that new housing must have at least one façade unexposed to external noise.

Noise radar is another measure that Paris uses to catch noise polluters. Devices called “medusas” can target sources of excessive noise and even photograph license plates. Starting in 2023, a driver whose vehicle violates the set noise levels will be fined 135 euros. This supplements Paris’ green ambitions of reducing traffic and pollution. The first Noise Plan reduced noise in Paris by two decibels, and this second phase aims to reduce it a further 37 percent between 2021 and 2026. primarily benefited the top 10 percent of our nation, are not even seriously being considered for adjustment. It turns out that the wealthiest amongst us are the most ardent about preventing any reasonable tax rate, as a way to ‘starve’ the Federal Government so it can’t begin to solve serious domestic priorities.

Last week, President Biden pointed out that we would have to “sacrifice” to support Ukraine in its heroic fight against genocide and tyranny with the next $33 billion of military hardware. “The cost of this fight” he observed “is not cheap.”

So far, that sacrifice has been what we’ve been paying at the pump for gasoline, or what we pay at the grocery store with the seven percent inflation rate we’re encountering.

Worse yet, those inflationary expenditures may very well end up creating the resumption of “stagflation,” the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1970s. (Is it a coincidence the rich have gotten richer and the middle class poorer in the same time frame? Not likely.)

The reality is that we must increase taxes at the top to a reasonable level to pay for our guns and our butter. A failure to do so will trigger the stagflation that we appropriately dread or will leave us without any ‘butter’ at all.

It turns out that there is no ‘free lunch’ nor is it ‘free’ to stop genocide when it is occurring in our midst. We must pay more at the top of the economic pyramid. We must all pay our fair share or the price to society, and ultimately to ourselves, will be far greater than the taxes we would pay for a stable economy capable of affording both guns and butter.

Rinaldo S. Brutoco, an entrepreneur, is the founding president and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital

“I’m really quite simple. I plant flowers and watch them grow... I stay at home and watch the river flow.” – George Harrison

5 – 12 May 2022

Brilliant Thoughts

Robert’s Big Questions

by Ashleigh Brilliant

by Robert Bernstein

Help

M

ost of us need help of some kind, at least occasionally, and there are, of course, many different ways of seeking it. In an emergency, we immediately think of sending out an “S.O.S.” Contrary to popular belief, those letters do not stand for “Save Our Ship” or “Save Our Souls” – nor, for that matter, do they stand for anything else. They were chosen simply because they make a very easy message to remember and transmit in Morse Code: three dots, then three dashes, followed by three more dots.

One thing that makes me proud to be a member of civilized humanity is that, more than most other species, we help each other.

In fact, civilization may be said to be based on the idea of mutual assistance.

Then there is the voice message “Mayday Mayday Mayday.” This has nothing to do with the holiday celebrating the first day of the month of May. It is in fact an Anglicized version of the French “M’aider!” – “Help Me!” There are many other instances of this type of distorted linguistic adaptation, especially between French and English. One of my favorites, “San Fairy Ann,” dates back to World War I, and was a British soldiers’ mishearing of the French expression, “ça ne fait rien,” meaning “it doesn’t matter.”

One thing that makes me proud to be a member of civilized humanity is that, more than most other species, we help each other. In fact, civilization may be said to be based on the idea of mutual assistance.

No doubt this started with small groups, at first of families, then tribes, villages, cities, and states. But what’s essential about being human is that we are also, ideally, humane.

If we see a person in serious trouble – although it might be a stranger from a different community – our impulse is to help, if we can. Hence the enduring popularity of the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan.

A traveler, presumably an Israelite, is the victim of an assault on a road known to be dangerous. Several other travelers see him and pass him by. Then along comes a man from Samaria, whose people are at odds with the Israelites. But he gives the suffering man elaborate help, even taking him to an inn and paying to have him cared for.

That is just a “parable,” but it’s a historical fact that, even in the pre-Roman ancient 5 – 12 May 2022

world, which had cities (mostly Greek) dotted around the Mediterranean, when one city was in trouble, such as from a natural disaster, the others would send aid.

One of my most treasured books is a slim volume published in London by Victor Gollancz in early 1945, while World War II was still raging. Its title is Above All Nations, which was derived from a quotation apparently originated by a nineteenth century Professor of History at Cornell named Goldwin Smith, who had it inscribed on a stone bench which he presented to the University (it is still to be seen there).

The full expression reads “ABOVE ALL NATIONS IS HUMANITY.” I bought a copy of that book in 1952, when I was 18 years old, and living in England. At that time, I was deeply involved in what was called the Peace Movement. My own motivation stemmed from the fact that conscription (of males) for military service was then still the law in the U.K. (as it was in the U.S.) and I was just at draft age.

Under a special provision, I registered as a “Conscientious Objector,” whose consequences (which could have included prison) I managed to avoid by emigrating. The book is a collection of items telling of humane acts between enemies in the war (a war I saw as an essentially inhuman activity, on an incredibly large scale). It includes incidents of kindness to Prisoners of War, caring for enemy wounded (sometimes at the risk of one’s own life), even of pilots helping rescue the crews of enemy aircraft they had shot down over the English Channel. It seems remarkable that such a book could have been legally published at a time when the country was still fighting a “total war.”

And yet, there is something in us, particularly in people of certain politically rightwing persuasions, who believe that, as a general rule, we shouldn’t ask for help, and shouldn’t accept it when offered. This form of “rugged independence” is considered a laudable facet of the American character.

Of course, there are many proverbs associated with this idea. One of them used to be quoted by my joke-loving English grandfather. “God helps those who help themselves,” he would say – but would then add, “But God help anyone

who helps himself at my table!”

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016.

Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

Are People Basically Good or Evil? Pt.2

I

want to continue my review of the book Humankind, which I started in my previous article. Author Rutger Bregman showed that many of the best and worst aspects of human behavior stem from a common desire to be “helpful.” Just as wolves domesticated themselves to be able to live among humans, humans domesticated themselves to live closely among other humans. Bregman calls us “Homo puppy”: The same “helpful” behavior that makes dogs loyal can also make them exceptionally vicious.

Bergman went on to show what happens when you assume the best. Norway’s Halden Prison is a maximum-security prison for the most violent offenders.

Inmates have private rooms. They prepare food in kitchens with knives. The guards are not armed. All inmates eventually return to society. The Norwegian system costs twice as much to run as the U.S. system. But it saves far more money and lives in the long run as inmates are prepared to integrate back into society.

The U.S. almost had this system. But the infamous Zimbardo Stanford Prison (fraudulent, see Part 1) Experiment claimed to show that prisons are inherently brutal. Zimbardo created the opposite of what he intended: His “research” didn’t end prisons. It ended the idea of rehabilitation in US prisons. Because he expected the worst instead of the best.

Bregman told the story of FAVI car parts in France. New CEO Jean-François Zobrist created mini factory teams of 25-35 employees and let them choose their own team leader. Each team set their wages, work hours, and hiring. Sound like a recipe for goofing off and disaster?

In fact, productivity increased. The company grew fivefold. Market share grew.

While their competitors moved production to low-wage countries, FAVI stayed in Europe. Zobrist wrote a book whose subtitle translates to “The company that believes people are good.”

Humans also naturally love to play.

This has been taken away from kids in recent years. Kids’ lives are over scheduled.

Walking and biking to school used to be a chance for exploring and autonomy.

Now kids are driven everywhere. “Prison inmates spend more time outdoors than most kids.” He noted one of my pet peeves: LEGO sets are now kits to build specific structures instead of open-ended building blocks for creative imagination.

Nomadic and hunter-gatherer children don’t go to school. They learn by playing. Sometimes with scary things like knives. Anthropologist David F. Lancy documented in Playing With Knives: The Socialization of Self-Initiated Learners young children watching adults

use knives and copying through play.

Danish Landscape architect Carl Theodor Sørensen noted that kids actually prefer playing at junkyards and construction sites to formal playgrounds. So, he designed a playground in 1943 with junked cars, tires, and firewood. Kids were given hammers, chisels, and screwdrivers. The kids loved it and they were better behaved there, too!

Bregman told the story of Agora School in the Netherlands where the kids run it. No classrooms, homework, or grades. “Coaches” replace teachers.

Kids pursue their own interests. It works.

Bergman told the story of “Participatory Budgeting” now used to varying degrees in 1,500 cities. Citizens directly decide where to spend public money. People learn quickly when they are self-motivated. Community discussion switches from mindless sports talk to public policy.

Vital infrastructure gets built. Education improves. Citizens are happy to pay taxes when they have such direct control.

The late UCSB professor Garrett Hardin famously wrote of the “Tragedy of the Commons,” claiming that shared resources are selfishly exploited to the point of disaster. But Elinor Ostrom’s research showed that in real life, communities naturally create rules that allow resources to be shared sustainably.

Hardin saw humans as brute animals.

But humans naturally communicate and plan. She won the Economics Nobel Prize for her work.

Bergman ends Humankind with Ten Rules to Live By. Here are a few: 1. When in doubt, assume the best.

If you decide not to trust someone, then you never find out if you are wrong. If you have never been conned, maybe you are missing opportunities.

5. Try to understand the Other, even if you don’t get where they are coming from. Cherish those who raise unpleasant subjects. They are the key to progress.

9. B e public with your giving. You will inspire others to be more giving.

10. Redefine what it means to be “realistic.” It is the cynic who is out of touch. Be courageous. Offer trust.

Help create a New Realism.

Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet.

Montecito JOURNAL

25

Seen (Continued from 14 14))

Julie Blair with “Van Gogh” aka Kirk Martin and Isabel Wendt

of dollars for museums while supporting cultural awareness of the area. Gary is a world-renowned photographer whose work is represented in galleries and museum collections across the country.

To play the mystery game, you could have a team of two or a team of four.

The first prize for great detective work for a team of two went to Gretchen and Marshall Milligan, who received an original oil painting by Thomas Van Stein and a Chef-Coco LaForgeprepared dinner for two, delivered to their home. A second prize was an original oil painting by Ralph Waterhouse and tickets for two to La Traviata won

by Melanie and James Brewer. Third

place was won by Denise El-Effendi and Diane Adam, who received a watercolor by Ray Hunter and two bottles of wine. For teams of four, winners for first place were Nick Camblin, Doug Major, and Catherine and David Major with dinner for all four at Caruso’s Rosewood Miramar Beach.

Second place was Kathy and Peter Hartz and Jan and Andy Goldman with four tickets to Lotusland and lunch at Alessia Patisserie + Café. All funds raised go to various needs of our Art Museum.

“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.” – René Magritte. Have a look!

The Fiesta folks for 2022 (photo by Fritz Olenberger)

Full Fiesta in 2022 Old Spanish Days (OSD) is in its 98th year, and this year after the pandemic OSD is back in all its glory – flamenco, flowers, mercados, horses, and a parade with a new route. It will run the length of Cabrillo Boulevard from the traditional parade start at Castillo Street to the Hilton Hotel. Participants will then return to the Carriage Museum once again along Cabrillo Boulevard. Because of parklets it can’t go down State Street.

“After what we have gone through these past two years, we are so excited at OSD to be able to bring a full Fiesta to our community and visitors,” said La Presidente Maria Cabrera. The first Fiesta was held in 1924 and tied in with

the grand opening of the Lobero Theatre.

The festivities officially begin on Wednesday, August 3 with the opening of both Mercado De La Guerra and Mercado del Norte at MacKenzie Park.

That evening, Fiesta Pequeña once again takes place on the steps of the Old Mission Santa Barbara. For information, call (805) 962-8101 or visit sbfiesta.org.

VIVA LA FIESTA!

A community staple for decades, Lynda Millner has helped the Journal, since 1995, keep its connection to the hundreds of events going on throughout the year

Jeanne Fulkerson with Kostis Protopapas at Mystery in Masterpieces

La Presidente Maria Cabrera and husband, Francisco

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“If a tree dies, plant another in its place.” – Carolus Linnaeus

5 – 12 May 2022

Guest Editorial

How to Stop the Killing in Ukraine?

by Bob Hazard

T

he Russian military strategy for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has been to unleash a campaign of genocide, defined as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation (or ethnic group) with the aim of destroying that nation (or group).”

A deliberate attempt to maximize civilian casualties using targeted cruise missiles, cluster bombs, and unopposed airstrikes directed at civilian populations huddled in their apartments, hospitals, theaters, schools, shopping malls, and shelters has shocked the civilized world. Some five million Ukrainian women and children have fled their homes as refugees to escape the unprecedented murder of civilians for territorial gain.

Realities on the Ground This is an Immoral War: The images of human rights abuses are horrifying to anyone with a conscience. Continuation of the war is morally unacceptable and politically indefensible. Putin’s territorial aspirations don’t end in Ukraine. If not stopped here, what countries are next?

International Outcome: Russian President Vladimir Putin needs some sort of victory. At minimum, he will insist on annexing eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas region, which contains 30% of Ukraine’s coal and manufacturing exports. He also will not surrender his occupied southern land bridge that serves as a gateway to his unrecognized military annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Global Hostility: The most frightening danger to current world peace is the possible creation of a permanent, on-going, “Axis of Autocracy” linking Russia, China, and North Korea against a competing world bloc consisting of the United States, Western Europe, and Japan. China’s Xi Jinping, chairman and president of the Communist party, general secretary and commander-in-chief of the military of China, has been keeping one eye on Ukraine, while the other eye is focused on his own possible military invasion of Taiwan, claiming it as part of the Chinese mainland. If not stopped now, the war in Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear, biological, or chemical Armageddon for all mankind.

Economic Sanctions: Pressure has been applied to the Russian economy with limited global sanctions full of loopholes and exceptions. Neither the U.S. nor its NATO allies will commit to cutting off all economic trade ties with Russia, from the lowliest vodka sales to agreements to stop purchasing all Russian energy. Energy-poor European countries are understandably unwilling to cripple their own economies by cutting off all energy purchases now.

Military Assistance: NATO countries have sent Javelin anti-tank missiles; drones that can be programed into flying bombs; surface-to-air Stinger missiles; and other handheld weapons to the Ukraine military to bolster its defenses. Now Ukraine needs more potent weaponry – 155mm howitzers, Mi-17 helicopters, modern jet fighters, and Switchblade drones — to keep Ukraine in the fight as the War shifts to an eastern front. Continued delivery of better and larger numbers of heavy weapons does little to stop the killing.

Stalemate or Prolonged Conflict: Prolonging the conflict works in Putin’s favor to occupy and annex as much of the Ukraine as possible before negotiating a peace.

Grabbing significant portions of eastern Ukraine, with its natural resources and manufacturing, and the access to the Black Sea ports, would leave a greatly weakened Ukraine, ripe for a later plucking or regime change.

Where is the United Nations When Needed Most?

Since its founding in 1945, the United Nations (U.N.) remains the one place on Earth where the world’s nations gather peaceably, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. The U.N.’s offices and agencies are tasked with everything from preventing wars of aggression to outer space cooperation, protection of human rights, better healthcare, and nuclear nonproliferation.

The fundamental purpose of the U.N. is to maintain international peace and security, and to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of illegal aggression or other breaches of the peace. The (U.N.) was founded in 1945 “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind… to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”

5 – 12 May 2022

Precedent for U.N. Military Action in Ukraine?

Most certainly. Some 97,000 “blue helmet” U.N. peacekeepers from 120 countries, who are members of their own national armies, work under the command and control of the U.N. Department of Police Operations to assist in implementing peace agreements.

Such assistance can include peacekeeping troops, observers, police officers, and civilian engineering and rebuilding personnel. Previous U.N. peacekeeping actions include: Korea: On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea by crossing over the 38th parallel. The United States immediately pressed for the United Nations to act. On June 25 and June 27, the United Nations passed directives urging a ceasefire and for all member nations to provide assistance to the South Koreans. The U.N. Security Council was able to pass these measures because the Soviet Union had recently boycotted the Security Council and chose not to participate. President Harry S. Truman did not press for a Congressional declaration of war. Instead, he classified the Korean conflict as a U.N.-led “police action,” operating under the authority of the Security Council.

Kuwait and Iraq: In 1990, the United Nations was confronted with yet another armed clash, this time between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and its neighbor Kuwait, in what later became known as the Gulf War. The United Nations responded quickly as it adopted resolution 660, condemning Iraq for aggression. On November 29, 1990, faced with Iraq’s territorial grab of Kuwait, the U.N. Security Council authorized the use of “all necessary means” of force against Iraq if it did not withdraw from Kuwait by the following January 15.

Functioning under the mandate of a United Nations resolution that approved the use of force in Kuwait, Operation Desert Shield saw the build-up of coalition forces in the Gulf region. The U.N. played a medical, communications, logistical, and security support role in the Gulf War to oust Saddam Hussein.

Serbian ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. In July 1995, a Srebrenica massacre resulted in the death of over 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys by Serbian separatists. Bosnian Serbs declared independence from Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to unite with Serbia.

On December 21, 1995, fearing the continued slaughter of Muslims, the Security Council established the United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF) as the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars.

United Nations Funding by the U.S. For the last 75 years, the U.S. has paid the largest share of U.N. funding. In 2020, the most recent fiscal year with full data available, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. contributed about $11.6 billion for the collective U.N. budget, which includes its mandatory assessment for regular U.N. business, plus peacekeeping expenses, the Atomic Energy Agency and the World Health Organization (WHO).

U.N. entities funded by voluntary national contributions include such agencies as the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and some 15 other U.N. agencies.

If the U.N. can no longer ban wars of illegal aggression, or prohibit the use of military force as a viable approach to gaining permanent territory, why should the U.S. continue to fund roughly 22% of the U.N. budget?

U.N. General Assembly Actions on Ukraine Less than two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, on March 2, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly in an emergency session, voted overwhelmingly — 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions — to “demand that Russia immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.” The resolution was sponsored by 94 countries and needed a two-thirds majority in the Assembly to pass.

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27

Real Estate

800 Hot Springs Road – $8,950,000

April Showers… A Few at Least

by Mark Ashton Hunt

T

he warmer than winter weather and the longer days of sunshine make April an especially lovely time of year in Montecito. Falling after the colder and shorter winter months and coming usually before the May Gray or dreaded June Gloom (fog), April is often a mix of all the seasons in one month. Freezing nights early on yielding to a 90-degree day here or there mixed with winds, beautiful clouds, and longer sunny days, April usually brings a dousing or two of rain, but this year not so much fell from the sky.

There was a day or two however, after the rains, that I felt the spring I know, that Santa Barbara and Montecito Spring smell… a warm day, the overwhelmingly pleasant and medicinal wafts of rain-soaked eucalyptus, mixed with a dash of orange blossoms, jasmine, and roses, topped off with the scent of ocean spray from a late season swell hitting Hammond’s Reef and Butterfly Beach. By the way, have any other long-term residents noticed the more than usual number of windy days and nights recently? More mornings this spring than usual, I wake up to find our patio cushions scattered on the lawn, or discover another tree that has lost a branch, due to these gusty winds. But enough of the weather report…

As for the rousing housing market in Montecito, it’s still full steam ahead for those looking to buy a home here and for sellers who have been waiting to sell in an up market… well it can’t get much more UP than this… can it? April was an interesting month for Real Estate sales in Montecito, in that it was down about 20% in sales volume from March, but sported an astounding five reported sales over $10,000,000 with a whopping $52,000,000 paid for the former Rob Lowe estate on Picacho Lane. In addition to these high-end sales, inventory is up (from 22 homes on the market in the Multiple Listing Service at the end of March, to 30 homes on the market today as I type, April 30).

Focusing on the entry level for Montecito, if you are looking for something under $2,500,000, sorry but there’s nothing, not one home or condo for sale under $2,500,000… other than a 1/8th interest in an estate on East Valley Road. The two condos or townhomes that were on the market under $2 mil sold this past week, both at 20+/-% over asking. With just a handful of properties available under $8,000,000 and many moving too fast to write about, today I’m focusing on the new Montecito hot spot… the over $8 million market. From a sizable beach area home to a historic 12-acre property in the foothills, here are a handful of options for you buyers to consider.

1475 Bonnymede Drive – $8,750,000 Secluded within the majestic and sought-after gated Sea Meadow enclave at Miramar Beach, this beautifully appointed haven with lightfilled rooms offers privacy, luxury, and coastal living at its best. Newly updated with high-end details, the interior boasts hardwood floors, a stately living room with vaulted ceiling and fireplace, a formal dining room, chef’s kitchen, and main-level bedroom suite.

The primary suite features a sitting room, fireplace, and a spacious spa bathroom.

French doors offer access to lush outdoor spaces, mature gardens, and an entertainment patio. In addition to resort-style amenities, the property offers private shared beach access, club house and tennis courts, nearby access to the Miramar Hotel, Hammond’s Beach, Coast Village Road shops and other nearby conveniences, all within the Montecito Union School District.

MARK ASHTON HUNT Representing Buyers and Sellers in Montecito Specializing in property valuation

If you would like me to make an appointment for you to view any home for sale in Montecito, or for a current market analysis of your home, please contact me directly.

Call/Text Mark @ 805-698-2174 Mark@Villagesite.com www.MontecitoBestBuys.com DRE#01460852

28 Montecito JOURNAL

A fresh take on contemporary glamour yields a timeless Montecito home.

Recently remodeled, this single-level modern residence radiates unpretentious sophistication and creates a feeling of light and airy comfort. Privately sited on 1+/- acre, the property offers views of the ocean and mountains from several vantage points and includes meandering pathways, patios, and gardens to enjoy.

Inspired by sleek architecture with clean lines and classic colors, the flow of the house includes a spacious living room, dining room, and kitchen that all cultivate a relationship to the natural beauty outside with walls and doors of glass, embracing the temperate climate year-round. Additionally, this home is located within the Montecito Union School District and is surrounded by similarly priced and many more expensive homes and estates on Hot Springs Road near the corner of East Mountain Drive.

465 Hot Springs Road – $15,995,000 Welcome to Monte Arroyo Estate, located near both the Upper and Lower village in the heart of Montecito.

This incredible property boasts 6.72 +/sprawling acres of land, mostly level and situated on five parcels, four of which are contiguous (a buyer is suggested to do their own due diligence regarding lot split potential). The sweeping curves and meandering lines as you walk amongst the landscape and towering native trees lead one on adventures in your own yard. You may happen upon the tennis court, pool, spa, or guest home as you wander the lush and mature landscape.

It is nearly impossible to find this much land together, this close to the beach, and in such a central location. If you require privacy and 14,000+ square feet of living space within the Montecito Union School District, and don’t want to be in the foothills, then this just might be the home for you.

The main house was built in 1910 and added onto in 1978, and features a stucco façade with elegant columns, recurrent arches, and several fountains, reminiscent of classic Mediterranean architecture. This expansive estate features five bedrooms, six full baths, two half baths, seven fireplaces, a magnificent library, formal banquet room, and a large kitchen, making this a great home for entertaining.

805 Ayala Lane – $23,500,000 This opportunity, 100 years in the making, combines a classic 1920s Montecito estate, with a unique 21st century building site, historic gardens, and epic ocean and mountain views. Nestled on 12 acres (9 in feet and 3 acres of exclusive landscape easement) with private water, ancient specimen trees, and gardens that rival neighboring Lotusland, this incredible parcel, replete with a fabled history, is poised to match and host your wildest dreams.

Originally part of El Mirador, and surrounded by other impressive estates, this beautiful site is home to the origiMark and his wife, Sheela nal farmhouse, now renovated and preHunt, are real estate agents. pared to anchor and accompany a future His family goes back nearly legacy estate. Japanese gardens mingle 100 years in Santa Barbara. with original stone walls and bridges to Mark’s grandparents – Bill create an unrivaled organic playground. and Elsie Hunt – were Sweeping views and vistas showcase the Santa Barbara real best of Montecito’s epic beauty, all withestate brokers for in the Cold Spring School District and 25 years. in the lower foothills of Montecito.

“We know we cannot plant seeds with closed fists. To sow, we must open our hands.” – Adolfo Perez Esquivel

5 – 12 May 2022

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5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

29

Community Voices

Library Mojo

Fire Department Updates

An Eventful May

While you may be familiar with Mr. Hinton’s story from Bryan Stevenson’s book, Just Mercy, or the movie adaptation starring Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan, hearing Hinton’s life story, much of it spent on death row, provides an incredible perspective on the importance of family, friendship, and resilience during his unthinkably challenging experience.

Free copies of the book, purchased from our friends at Tecolote Book Shop, are available at Montecito Library. We invite you to read the book and join us for a discussion on Tuesday, May 24 at noon.

Mariana Harms, Manager of Clinical Training at CALM, will host a workshop, Toxic Stress During COVID-19: Strategies for Promoting Resilience

by Kim Crail

W

e’re having an eventful May at the Montecito Library. Check our calendar at SBPLibrary.org or come by to see what’s happening!

Watershed Classes for K-6 with Explore Ecology Have you ever wondered where the water goes when it rains? In this lesson series, students will learn how water moves across the land and what can happen to our water and oceans if we pollute our land. Students will discuss solutions to help prevent marine debris and keep our land and water clean, finishing the lesson up with a litter cleanup.

Join Explore Ecology for a Watershed Wonders lesson series for grades K-3.

Kids can attend either lesson, but are recommended to attend both May 17 and 18, meeting outside at 3:30 pm, in front of Montecito Library.

Older students in grades 4-6 are invited to learn what a watershed is, discover how much fresh water we have access to, and make their own watershed model to find out what happens to pollution on land when it rains. An Explore Ecology environmental educator will be teaching this Coastal Kids Water Lesson on Friday, May 20 at 3:30 pm. All library programs are free and open to the public!

Life Lessons from Death Row Montecito Library got a grant from the American Library Association to engage our community in a discussion around the book The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice by Anthony Ray Hinton. This is the moving first-person account of a Black man who spent almost 30 years on Alabama’s death row for a crime he did not commit, before finally winning his freedom.

30 Montecito JOURNAL

Resilience Parenting Workshop with CALM Inspired by Mr. Hinton’s story of resilience, as well as the challenges that local families have faced throughout the pandemic, Montecito Library is offering a parenting workshop, Toxic Stress During COVID-19: Strategies for Promoting Resilience, with Mariana Harms, who is the Manager of Clinical Training at CALM. Learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the impacts of toxic stress. Strategies for promoting resilience to mitigate the effects of toxic stress will also be taught.

Caregivers and parents are invited to attend this workshop on Thursday, May 12 at 4 pm. While this workshop is geared toward adults, we will have some coloring activities available during the workshop if little ones tag along.

May Events Library Van at Cold Spring School – Thurs, 5/5, 3:30-5:30 pm Toxic Stress During COVID-19: Strategies for Promoting Resilience w/ CALM – Thurs, 5/12, 4-5 pm Watershed Wonders Lesson Series w/ Explore Ecology (Grades K-3) – Tues, 5/17 and Wed, 5/18, 3:30-4:30 pm Coastal Kids Water Lesson w/Explore Ecology (Grades 4-6) – Friday, 5/20, 3:30-4:30 pm Poetry Club: Edna St. Vincent Millay – Thurs, 5/19, 2-3:30 pm Montecito Book Club: The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton – Tues, 5/24, 12-1 pm Stay and Play (Ages 0-5) – Tuesdays – drop in, 9-10:30 am Knit ‘n’ Needle – Fridays, 1-2:30 pm We are so thrilled to be able to offer in-person programs again, particularly with the 2022 Summer Reading Program on the horizon. See you at the library!

Kim is the Branch Lead of the Montecito Library.

Questions or comments? Contact her: kcrail@sant abarbaraca.gov

by Kevin Taylor

As your fire department, however, we ask that our community strive to find the balance between trailhead parking and the ability of our community to evacuate safely during the next inevitable wildfire.

Your firefighters have been working on this balance for over 18 months. I have been meeting since November 2020, regularly, with neighborhood groups, the Montecito Association, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee, 1st District Supervisor Williams and his staff, CHP, the Sheriff ’s Office, Los Padres National Forest, Congressman Carbajal, and Santa Barbara County Public Works.

After our initial meetings, the Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County created a Public Safety Task Force. This task force developed solutions to three South Coast life safety issues: parking that impacts community member evacuation and emergency vehicle ingress, dispersed camping, and homeless encampment fires.

As for parking, the Task Force recommended implementing restrictions that maintain community evacuation and emergency vehicle access at all times.

The Task Force also recommended additional parking restrictions in the highest-risk areas of Montecito during Red Flag conditions for the same purposes.

A

s high fire season approaches, your Montecito firefighters train for the inevitable: weeks of grueling work fighting wildfires across California and, potentially, here at home. Your firefighters are put through a wildland firefighting refresher course each spring in preparation.

Wildland Training Due to the physical demands of wildland firefighting, the refresher course includes a timed, arduous test of physical fitness. In Montecito, your firefighters have the unique advantage of completing this test by hiking one of the physically demanding trails in our community.

During a wildland fire, we often use these trails as control lines.

On April 20, two Montecito fire engines were parked on East Mountain Drive while the firefighters completed their training hike up Cold Spring Trail.

At the summit, the firefighters practiced deploying their fire shelters in a life-threatening scenario as if they were in the direct line of advancing wildfire with no viable escape routes. This training realistically prepares them for life-or-death events that have unfortunately become increasingly common due to the intensity of today’s wildfires. We appreciate the community’s support of this critical training and respect for our firefighters as they train for a rigorous and challenging fire season.

All Montecito firefighters will complete the training over the coming weeks. Our engines will again park on East Mountain Drive. Our firefighters diligently place traffic cones around the engines to alert drivers of the engines’ presence on the narrow roadway. It’s often necessary for emergency response vehicles to partially or entirely block the right-of-way during an emergency. Additionally, it’s necessary for our engines to partially impact the rightof-way on East Mountain Drive for a few hours while firefighters train.

If there is an emergency call during our training, rest assured that other firefighters cover our fire stations. At no time will all your on-duty Montecito firefighters be engaged in wildland fire training on the trails.

Evacuation Study Recent reporting on the legal matter between four Montecito residents and the County of Santa Barbara mentions Montecito Fire’s pending evacuation analysis report.The trailhead parking issue was not the driving reason behind our evacuation analysis. Instead, it was one of many compelling reasons we presented to our Board of Directors in our request to analyze and potentially improve our evacuation processes. We are grateful that we will soon have scientific data to help determine what alternatives we can implement in the event of an evacuation in our community. We understand Montecito residents’ request for a public process to examine the adverse impacts of increased fire risk and environmental damage from the County creating new parking spaces at the Hot Springs trailhead. We also understand the County’s position of wanting to construct the parking in the right-of-way.

We are all looking for a solution to this issue – as your fire department, however, our primary consideration is always life safety. I am always available to the community at Fire Station 91, 595 San Ysidro Road, or via email at ktaylor@montecito fire.com.

Hot Springs Parking As engaged members of the Montecito community, we are also very aware of the ongoing challenges with parking at the Hot Springs trailhead. We recognize the importance of community access to our world-class hiking trails. It is not our intent to limit access to this valuable community resource.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb

Kevin Taylor, Fire Chief, Montecito Fire Department

5 – 12 May 2022

Your Westmont

Grierson Wins the Great Debate

Retiring Shasberger to Address Grads

Debate finalists Eden Lawson, Jasper Litton, Hannah Grierson, and Jack Gilley (photo by Brad Elliott)

The diligent and adaptable class of 2022 will walk on Thorrington Field (photo by Brad Elliott)

by Scott Craig

M

ichael Shasberger, who retires as the inaugural Adams professor of music and worship, delivers the address at Commencement Saturday, May 7, at 9 am on Westmont’s Thorrington Field. Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe presents Westmont Medals to Steven A. and Denice D. Fellows for their tireless service and dedicated leadership in improving the delivery of healthcare. The ceremony, which is closed to the general public, will be livestreamed at westmont.edu/commencement.

About 267 graduates will participate in Commencement, and 119 will graduate with honors. Also, 117 Golden Warriors who graduated in 1970, 1971, or 1972 will march in the procession to celebrate their 50th reunions. Graduates Michael Kong and Taylor Mache will offer reflections.

Acting Provost Rick Ifland will give Faculty Scholarship Awards to graduating seniors attaining the highest cumulative grade-point average during their four years at Westmont: Talia Bjelland, Hannah Grierson, Maggie Hine, Kong, and Joshua Phillips all earned perfect 4.0 GPAs. John Corbett graduates with a triple major in biology, chemistry, and religious studies.

“Our graduating students not only endured but have triumphed,” Ifland said of the class of 2022 at the Academic Awards Convocation April 25. “You are impressive, every one of you. Thank you for your patience, for your diligence, and for your ability to adapt to changing circumstances. What an unusual college experience you’ve had. We appreciate your fantastic attitude toward each other and all that you’ve done to enrich campus life and to further the work of Westmont.

You’ve been such a positive influence on campus during a very trying time. So, congratulations to all of you on your great accomplishments both in and out of the classroom.”

Shasberger, who will speak about “Profiles in Learning,” arrived at Westmont in 2005, bringing a whirl5 – 12 May 2022

wind of energy, enthusiasm, and excellent music. That year, he staged the first of 17 extraordinary Christmas Festivals. During his time at Westmont, Shasberger has recruited outstanding student musicians, added significant scholarships, grown the orchestra, strengthened vocal programs, and taken the Christmas event to new heights. He retires this month after taking the orchestra overseas for 10 days, performing in Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague and participating in the American Celebration of Music in Austria.

The Fellows have faithfully supported Westmont and countless other nonprofit organizations and boards throughout our community. Steven worked for more than 40 years in healthcare leadership and retired recently after 16 years as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Cottage Health in Santa Barbara. He previously served in various leadership roles at hospitals in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Denice served as the volunteer coordinator for Sutter Health and as a scout executive for the Boy Scouts of America. She has served on the Westmont Foundation Board, including two years as president.

for a long time,” James says. “Doing so requires engaging in various spiritual practices. Will you accept my invitation?

Will you join my wife, Jennifer, and me on this soul pilgrimage?”

James, professor of philosophy at Westmont, and Jennifer, a longtime director of internships at the college and an amateur writer since 2019, collaborate to integrate themes of apologetics, theology, and biblical studies with Jennifer’s journaling and James’ transformational reflections.

James, a 1978 Westmont alumnus, has written Introducing Apologetics: Cultivating Christian Commitment (2006) and Learning for Wisdom: Christian Education and the Good Life (2017). Jennifer graduated from UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara.

Graduating political science major and Westmont College Student Association President Hannah Grierson argued her way to the top of the Westmont Debate Tournament and earned $500 on April 23 in the Global Leadership Center. She argued against the topic of the United States implementing a universal basic income.

Sophomore Eden Lawson, who recently won the David K. Winter Servant Leadership Award, came in second place, taking home $250.

Sophomore Jack Gilley won the debate against sophomore Jasper Litton, claiming third place and $100 for arguing against California public schools requiring school uniforms. Debate club president and WCSA vice president Hans Khoe resurrected the

debate club after a lengthy hiatus.

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

Montecito Family YMCA 13th Annual Golf Tournament May 23, 2022 • Montecito Country Club

Taylors Guide Readers on Soul Pilgrimage

James E. Taylor and Jennifer Moe Taylor, husband and wife, have teamed up to co-author a new book, Soul Pilgrimage: Knowing God in Everyday Life (Cascade Books). The volume takes readers on a sacred pilgrimage to deepen their relationship with God. In fall 2018, the Taylors traveled to Northern Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, where they solidified the idea to write the book. While a literal religious pilgrimage involves going to a place, such as Jerusalem, Rome, or Santiago de Compostela, the Taylors invite their readers to go on a pilgrimage that seeks to bring the soul closer to God. “On a soul pilgrimage, you have to keep your soul directed toward God

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Montecito JOURNAL

31

Letters (Continued from 11 11)) hot springs through that plan. Adding or deleting parking spaces is not an enduring solution when it is the springs itself that need a management plan and path towards implementation.

Woody Jackson

Hot Springs Social Justice

As a hike leader for the Sierra Club, I have been finding that parking at trailheads has become the most challenging part of leading hikes. Hot Springs was one of the few trailheads that did not have a problem. Until local property owners decided they had a unilateral entitled right to keep people out of their neighborhood.

They did this by illegally placing boulders, plantings and other structures in the public right of way that had been used for parking for at least the 40 years that I have lived here.

It was galling to read the “news” article by Kelly Mahan Herrick about the property owners suing the County for enforcing the public’s right to park in the public right of way. It was an utter inversion of reality for the property owners to claim that their rights are being infringed for illegally occupying the public right of way.

Thousands of dollars of tickets were issued for parking in places that had been legal for decades. Yet law enforcement did nothing to ticket the property owners for their illegal behavior. I applaud our County officials for finally applying justice. It is an outrage for these wealthy people to suddenly care about CEQA and the environment. When did they apply for CEQA approval for their illegal encroachments on the public right of way?

Where else in the County would people even think of placing boulders along the road to keep people from parking in their neighborhood? Only these moneyed individuals think they are above the law.

Back in February, I published an article “Justice for the Little People?” about this sort of injustice.

Hiking is one of the few activities in our community that is low impact and low cost. The issue is not about environmental protection. The issue is pure social justice. The historically available parking in the public right of way must be restored. The public must prevail over the interests of the moneyed minority and their sense of special entitlement.

Robert Bernstein (Editor’s Note: This is in reference to the “Village Beat” column in the 28 April – 5 May 2022 issue of Montecito Journal

by Kelly Mahan Herrick with the title “Neighbors Sue County Over Trail Parking”)

Please Assign a Journalist to Cover Montecito Water Journalist Melinda Burns produces fact-based professional coverage of Montecito issues, including an

32 Montecito JOURNAL

award-winning, 22-minute 2019 documentary on the debris flow, called Montecito/January 9, 2018, and an MJ cover piece, “We Pulled Off a Miracle on Randall Road: $18 Million Debris Basin Project Set to Begin,” my favorite MJ article from last year. Thus, I shouldn’t have been surprised to read an attack on Ms. Burns’ work by Bob Hazard. This individual embarrassed the MJ when he served as the most visible participant in Montecito’s “water wars” – an alleged $256,000 attempt to stack the boards of, merge, and then privatize two local nonprofit water utilities. Ms. Burns wrote several articles between 2016 and 2020 exposing Mr. Hazard playing dual, ethically-conflicting roles, first as a volunteer writer-editor at the MJ “covering” our water and sanitary boards, second and simultaneously, as an underwriter, fundraiser, and organizer of the political campaigns for individuals seeking directorships on the same boards. This despite complaints to the MJ editors, such as that on December 20, 2018, from then-Montecito Water District President Dick Shaikewitz, a local attorney: “The ethical considerations for news stories are to ‘avoid outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.’” I remember thinking that the MJ was fortunate that Columbia Journalism Review stopped handing out its famous Darts and Laurels; the scandal would have embarrassed our village. In the aftermath, a group of citizens under Gwyn Lurie and Les Firestein purchased the MJ, imposed professional journalism standards, brought in well-respected writers to cover topics like antisemitism and racial and sexual issues in the schools, and expanded coverage of the arts, culture, and nonprofits.

There appeared to be a rare slip in editorial quality control regarding Mr. Hazard’s recent harangue under the heading “Local News.” It was pure opinion, aimed at Ms. Burns’ recent investigative series on the Montecito Water Board and the Montecito Sanitary Board – now 90% controlled by the politically homogeneous, self-described “water security team” that Mr. Hazard’s dual roles helped elect. Ms. Burns reported on: a $5-million wastewater recycling project involving the Santa Barbara Cemetery inexplicably cancelled; low morale and huge staff turnover; a rush toward unionization by worried rank and file employees; public funds spent on a law firm hired for public relations related to the merger; the sudden resignation of Gary Fuller, the sole independent Montecito Sanitary District board member, with more than two years left on his term.

The manager of Carpinteria’s water agency notes that shipping Montecito’s wastewater to Carpinteria for storage and treatment prior to recycling – the pet project still pushed by Mr. Hazard and his friends – is dead in the water, so to speak. And – perhaps the most

illuminatingly – her reporting suggests that if the boards go ahead and attempt to merge, they can do so without a vote

by Montecito ratepayers.

Speaking as a Montecito ratepayer of 12 years, and as a retired Wall Street Journal reporter who reveres the MJ, I entreat Ms. Lurie Firestein to bring us facts on these issues, and from an unbiased professional reporter. Please devote to our village’s water and sanitary boards, and to our new groundwater management agency, the journalistic scrutiny the paper gives to the Montecito Association, zoning, local schools, political elections, COVID, and hiking trail conflicts. Clearly there are lots of facts about Montecito water issues worthy of being flushed out.

Eileen White Read

Support for Salcido Those of us who live in Santa Barbara County should be extremely proud to call Dr. Susan Salcido our County Superintendent of Schools. Susan is without a doubt the finest educator I’ve ever known, and I do not say this lightly. Prior to my retirement, I was an Assistant Superintendent at the Santa Barbara County Education Office and worked closely with Susan for over 10 years. My experience with her was extraordinary.

Susan is extremely intelligent and considered in her approach, an exceptional problem solver, an excellent communicator, and most importantly, a leader whose decisions are keenly focused on improving the lives of the children and families she serves. She is the type of leader who works in partnership with others – she rolls up her sleeves and does the hard work. Susan is humble to the core, and performs her responsibilities with grace, kindness, and compassion.

The position of County Superintendent of Schools is enormous, and Susan’s highly successful district and county office leadership experience have uniquely prepared her for the rigors of the position. It is for good reason that Susan has earned the deep and abiding respect of educators across Santa Barbara County and throughout California.

Occasionally we are fortunate enough to meet a person who possesses so many strong attributes that others marvel at their diverse abilities and strong character, and Susan falls squarely into this exclusive group. I have tremendous respect and admiration for Susan, and I wholeheartedly support her candidacy for re-election in June.

Kathy Hollis

Way Too Many Letters to the Editor Enough with all the letters from Bryan Rosen. If you’re going to publish something from him every week (and always on the same topic), please consider a

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” – William Shakespeare

column instead, and let him rotate with other concerned citizens; this would avoid the endless back-and-forth angry arguments about the Hot Springs Trail and its attendant parking issues. I can’t think of another periodical that gives over so much column-space repeatedly to a single letter writer. This seems like poor journalism policy, or none at all. If Mr. Rosen would ever write in a positive vein, I might rein in my criticism, but so far it’s been all critical, negative, accusatory vitriol.

Diane Graham

Superintendent Salcido Earns an F

When it comes time to vote for County Superintendent, I will NOT be voting for Susan Salcido. Salcido is well aware that there have been a number of questions and concerns about what happened to Cold Spring School District Measure C Bond money. Many of us have written to her, begging her to do her job and order a full forensic accounting of the monies.

Instead of requesting a free independent state run FCMAT forensic audit to get to the truth and end the conflict, Salcido refuses, claiming “there is no evidence of fraud.”

Apparently, she is fine with millions of dollars of bond money being spent ILLEGALLY without a required Independent Oversight Committee. She’s also fine with the fact that Superintendent Amy Alzina claimed falsely that a committee existed when it didn’t (see Montecito Journal November 5, 2020).

I myself requested all documents related to the spending of Measure C money and what the District turned over was dismal and lacks the original contractor bids and invoices standard in these situations. Moreover, $80K was spent on architect plans for an administration building that was not on the bond measure. Are you ok with that Salcido? Sadly, I already know your answer… you are.

But the icing on the cake is that Susan Salcido was honored by Superintendent Alzina and the Cold Spring School District (the first time in District history that such recognition was given!) in April 2021 around the time that many residents were requesting the independent FCMAT forensic audit.

I see how this adds up: Salcido holds off on requesting a forensic audit and the very people who are being scrutinized honor her for it. Residents aren’t stupid.

There is no reason for Salcido NOT to order one except that she got persuaded by the very professionals in question.

I have a simple question for Salcido, if the district was innocent, why would they oppose a forensic audit? If I hadn’t done anything wrong, I would welcome independent verification. Susan Salcido doesn’t deserve to serve her community with another term, because she has failed to serve us in this term.

Don Miller

5 – 12 May 2022

Community Voices

Economic Failures Created the Climate Crisis, but Economic Policy Can Fix It

by Robert Taylor

A

s a new resident of Montecito, I’m learning about issues and concerns in our community through reading the weekly Montecito Journal. Since the climate crisis is my major concern, I particularly appreciate articles by columnists Rinaldo Brutoco, Tom Farr, and Robert Bernstein, as well as frequent reports of news and opinions from local environmental groups. In the spirit of Earth Day and out of my distress that slow walking the transition to a clean energy will end in catastrophe, I’d like to comment on the big picture of global warming and suggest some specific policy solutions.

There’s no question that cheap abundant fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) powered the industrial revolution and improved the livelihoods of people around the world. At first, exuberance for these convenient fuels obscured awareness of their dark side. Then, as the industry gained enormous wealth and political influence, it has done all it can to deny, obfuscate, and delay dealing with the life-destroying impacts of its products. The pollution alone from burning these fuels contributes to respiratory diseases that kill millions every year (today more than eight million deaths worldwide). Even worse, heat-trapping emissions from burning these fuels now warms our planet at an unprecedented rate, setting in motion intolerable heat waves, rising sea levels, chronic droughts, destructive wildfires, and other extreme weather events.

Tragically, market economies have failed to include in the prices of fossil fuel products their true costs to society of the disease, death, and now planetary disruption they cause. Economists call these costs “externalities.” The effect is to make coal, oil, and gas appear cheap, and thus disincentivize investments in clean energy. According to former World Bank chief economist, Sir Nicholas Stern, “The problem of climate change involves a fundamental failure of markets.” If the price of these dirty fuels reflected their true costs to society, clean energy alternatives would have driven them out of the market years ago.

While the failure of economic markets is largely responsible for the climate crisis, economists today, in near unanimity, advocate correcting this market deficiency by legislating a comprehensive climate policy that includes a carbon fee, a cash-back dividend, and a border carbon adjustment.

Under these policies as the price of fossil fuels go up, their demand diminishes; the 5 – 12 May 2022

playing field for renewable energy sources is leveled; other nations are incentivized to adopt similar policies; and tax revenue collected from the polluting industry and rebated to American households would off-set increased energy costs for consumers. These market-based policies are revenue-neutral, do not grow government, protect low-and-middle-income communities, and enjoy bi-partisan support, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the American Petroleum Institute.

These market-based policies are revenue-neutral, do not grow government, protect low-andmiddle-income communities, and enjoy bi-partisan support, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the American Petroleum Institute.

The idea of a carbon fee is not unique to the U.S. Forty other countries and jurisdictions have already proposed or enacted legislation that prices carbon.

Indeed, in the last two years more than a dozen carbon pricing bills have been introduced in Congress.

Phasing-out fossil fuels will require action on many fronts, such as eliminating subsidies and restricting future extractions. But economists assert that “a carbon tax offers the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed that is necessary.” The tax percolates through the entire economy, providing an incentive for all decision makers (governments, businesses, and consumers) to find ways to reduce emissions. As demand for fossil fuels declines, the industry’s political and financial power will also diminish.

If these policies were included in Build Back Better legislation, the goal of reducing emissions in half by 2030 could be achieved and America could lead the world’s transi tion to a clean energy future.

Robert Taylor is a resident of Montecito and a volunteer with the Santa Barbara Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates for carbon pricing legislation in the U.S. and around the world

Our Town

Block Party Revival

Santa Rosa Lane neighborhood block party returns, headed by Mindy Denson, far left (photo courtesy of Mindy Denson, digital corrections Joanne A Calitri)

by Joanne A Calitri

S

pring has sprung, bringing with it the revival of our town’s neighborhood block parties. Recent Montecito town gatherings were the Holiday Tree decorating on San Ysidro Lane in December, and the last block party in April 2019 before the lockdowns. Both events were spawned by members from the Montecito Association, whose love of our town shines brightly.

On April 24 this year, people in the Santa Rosa Lane area came together for a revival of their annual fête, created by co-chairs Mindy Denson and Nancy Lee. Invitations were left in mailboxes on Santa Rosa Lane, Lemon Grove Lane, Seaview Road, Miramonte Lane, Mimosa Lane, and Court Place, and yes, Oprah was invited as always!

Via a brief phone interview last week, Denson mentioned that she just wanted to get the spirit going again now that the gathering restrictions have lifted, saying, “It feels good to be with neighbors and reconfirming friendships. I contacted a few people, and it came together quickly with lots of interest. This is an all-ages family event, and we encourage other blocks in the Montecito area to have these get-togethers; we are family in Montecito.”

Lee and Denson set up a big white

tent on the road, with tables and chairs, an area for street ping pong, and a kids raffle for items donated by families coming to the event such as costume jewelry, games, and art. Food was supplied by Big Joe’s Taco Truck and attendees brought their favorite desserts and side dishes to share.

Over 50 adults and 17 kids came together, including Chris Denson, Mike Lee, Abe and Jessica Powell of the Bucket Brigade, Christine and Rob LoMonaco, and Tennessee and Dodie McBroom.

Mindy shared that the next neighborhood outing is called “The Gathering Table” with wine and charcuterie trays scheduled for late June.

Indeed, Montecito residents have come to rely on their neighbors over the recent five years from the Thomas Fire, mudslides, and lockdowns. Celebrating

that connection is worth doing.

411: Mindy can be reached at (805) 969-9671 or mindy.denson@sbcglobal.net

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

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Montecito JOURNAL

33

Far Flung Travel The Commute

Sea lions on their morning commute

A kayak commute through the local waters

by Chuck Graham

I

can look at all the local weather reports, scour all the weather apps, but when I’m standing on the shoreline and gazing across the channel with my binoculars, I trust my judgement more than anything to complete a successful channel crossing across the unpredictable Santa Barbara Channel.

On March 8, 2022, sea conditions looked manageable. From 5 am to 11 am there was a six-hour window, favorable with very light north and then south winds, five knots or less.

That was according to the Windy app.

After 11 am, it was supposed to turn northwest at 10 to 15 knots. No problem I thought, by then those menacing shipping lanes would be well off in my rearview mirror.

From my tent I could see lights in Santa Barbara. The fog hadn’t moved in. That was good. Hearing happy,

yelping, bellowing sea lions was also uplifting. At dawn the ocean was oily glass, not a ripple to be seen as I made an easy launch. Harbor seals bobbed in the shallows, and that raucous band of rafting sea lions postured, splashed, and strained to see what was paddling the sleek, blue kayak, stroking past them into open water, the shimmering channel beckoning.

I kept Diablo Peak off my right shoulder, the highest summit across the entire Northern Chain at 2,450 feet. From my kayak I kept White Ledge, that triangular knife ridge in the Los Padres National Forest, at my 2 pm. It descends angularly to the west toward my home base in Carpinteria.

Other than that, I paddled a good, steady pace six miles to the southbound shipping lane, then the neutral lane, and finally the northbound lane, nary a ship in sight throughout the entire half day. No gauntlet of ships to navigate through, no big fish, no mega marine

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34 Montecito JOURNAL

Some seabirds waiting for the local transit

mammals to hope for. It was as boring as it gets for a crossing, my ninth, as “Where the Streets Have No Name”

by U2 occupied my thoughts in what I consider to be the most challenging location in the channel.

A long wall of wispy fog loomed on the southeast horizon, blotting out Sandstone Peak and the rest of the Santa Monica Mountains. The unknown only enhanced my already steady pace, fog potentially being the biggest adversary while crossing the channel. No fun at all paddling across the shipping lanes with low-lying clouds creating a shroud over the channel.

The only thing that slowed my pace were the seabirds reveling in the glassy paddling conditions. Several encounters with pairs of Scripp’s murrelets diverted my attention in the shipping lanes.

These tiny, secretive seabirds utilize the Channel Islands for breeding and nesting habitat, but most of their lives are spent on the water.

Also spotted resting low on the water were several northern fulmars, some appearing bedraggled, possibly due to the high northwest winds that steamed through the Channel in recent days.

Nevertheless, these are hardy seabirds that weather the worst of what the channel can throw at them.

Well beyond the shipping lanes, I kayaked northeast with the first of several oil platforms on the horizon. Peering through my binoculars I saw oil platform Habitat towering lonely on my immediate horizon with more platforms three miles further.

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

A flotilla of lazy sea lions rafted near the still-operating Habitat, seemingly great white shark fodder dawdling on the mirror-like surface. From Habitat to the next row of three oil platforms was three miles. Connecting the dots, I timed my pace. Forty minutes further and I was in line with those last three oil platforms.

The spindly, craggy ridge of the Santa Ynez Mountains running east to west dominated my attention, that coastal sage scrub pulling me home.

It always feels good to come home to Carpinteria. It’s been that way since 1975. My girlfriend Holly, cat Avalon the Feral, dog Owen, and baby hummingbirds fending off any mental fatigue as the sandy coast drew closer with each extended stroke of my blades.

Touching down on a beach I’ve lived and lifeguarded on for more than 30 years, there’s a grand appreciation for a life led in a pelagic and chaparral existence. I momentarily stand on the crest of each biome knowing I live just a stone’s throw from each, the next ven ture overlapping the other.

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands National Park

5 – 12 May 2022

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5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

35

F ROM OU R VI LLAG E TO YOU RS, WI S H I NG YOU A

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY “A mother’s love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.”

- Marion C. Garretty

H O M E I S O U R FAVO R I T E D E S T I N AT I O N | L E A R N M O R E AT V I L L AG E S I T E .C O M M O N T EC I TO 8 0 5 . 9 6 9 . 8 9 0 0 | S A N TA BA R BA R A + M E S A 8 0 5 . 6 8 1 . 8 8 0 0 | S A N TA Y N E Z 8 0 5 . 6 8 8 . 1 6 2 0 | D R E 0 1 2 0 6 7 3 4

36 Montecito JOURNAL

“Gardens and chocolate both have mystical qualities.” – Edward Flaherty

5 – 12 May 2022

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5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

37

Montecito Moms

Kara Welker and her family moved to Montecito in the middle of starting a business and the pandemic

Kara Welker: Girl Power

Montecito mom and GRLBND founder, Kara Welker

who would go on to be comedy legends including Drew Carey, Tim Allen, and Janeane Garofalo to name a few.

“I have been in the entertainment industry for a couple decades now and there still was a serious lack of women-led management companies, and good representation getting behind those who have been traditionally underrepresented. I realized I could create my own company

by Dalina Michaels each other, to use their voice, and to ask to meet that need, and I’m thrilled to be questions.” part of a team that celebrates diversity Kara has been at the top of her game and puts women at the top.” hen you think of the words in talent representation for over 25 years, “girl band,” the first thing that paying her dues and being a relentless comes to mind might be the advocate for her clients as she pursued “My goal is to help nostalgic groups of the ‘90s: Spice Girls, her goals. However, the start of her career Dixie Chicks, The Cranberries. But what never could have prepared her for her and empower women to makes a girl band is its truest defini- auspicious future in the entertainment tion: a group of women who harmonize business. be the next generation of female together.

“I went to UC Irvine and The Improv Enter Montecito mom and GRLBND Comedy Club was nearby, so I got a job managers; to work together and founder, Kara Welker. Kara is a talent selling tickets and working in the office. not compete against each other, manager, producer, and the creator of That was my first exposure to the comedy GRLBND, a female-founded, owned, scene, and I caught the bug.” to use their voice and to and operated collective of managers and Comedy was a whole new world and producers who are committed to elevat- Kara was hooked. For her, the assignment ask questions.” ing diverse voices across all genres and was clear – learn every single thing about platforms. the comedy scene: from how things work “There weren’t many female mentors behind-the-scenes and protocols, to how when I was a young manager,” Kara says, the sets flowed throughout the night.

Kara’s decision to create GRLBND “and I was thrown to the wolves. My goal She got to know the comedians who correlated with her family’s big move to is to help and empower women to be the were passing through and began mak- Montecito at a time when everything next generation of female managers; to ing connections. Eventually, that led to felt uncertain: the second year of the work together and not compete against working with up-and-coming comedians COVID-19 pandemic. “We couldn’t take another second on ‘Zoom school.’ We had good friends who had moved here and over spring break last year, we made the migration. It has been a wonderful CIMME EORDANIDIS and refreshing change!”

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38 Montecito JOURNAL

middle of starting a new business made it a little tricky to continue in-person meetings in Los Angeles, but Kara has found a way to make it work – and her business and family are thriving.

“Forget driving to L.A., does anyone else take the Surfliner? That thing is amazing! You hop on the train in Santa Barbara and it drops me off in Burbank. I can get a full day of work in without worrying about traffic; it’s brilliant!” Welker adds, “and then when I get home, I can be fully present for my family.”

Of course, there are some drawbacks.

Kara is pragmatic about this new workfrom-home era that we’ve all experienced.

In addition to managing GRLBND, Kara stays busy as a producer through her first look deal with Imagine Entertainment, the production company founded by Hollywood royalty, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

“Not being in an office is hard and you can only do so much over the phone or Zoom. Collaboration is faster and more organic when you’re in person, so it’s been an adjustment.”

With the many hats she wears and this new way of balancing work and family life, Welker, her husband Tim Fornara, and their two kids, Franklin and Sorcha, have found the Montecito life to be just their cup of joe. From Rori’s ice cream shop to Butterfly Beach or taking a midday lunch break at the Honor Bar, they’ve found their favorite haunts and go-to places in town.

“You can’t beat it up here. We love taking the dogs for walks, going to the beach, and exploring different neighbor hoods. It’s paradise.”

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5 – 12 May 2022

Women United

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LUNCHEON Wednesday, May 18, 2022 Plaza Del Sol Hilton | 11:30 AM -1:30 PM 633 E Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

Beate is the Growth Architect and founder of The Women’s Code, a strategic business and balanced leadership development company. Beate is “One of 100 Top Global Thought Leaders in 2021” by PeopleHum and “One of 50 Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs by HuffPost. She is the author of the #1 International Award Winning Amazon Bestseller “Happy Woman Happy World – How to Go from Overwhelmed to Awesome”–a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.”

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5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

39

Crush (Continued from 16 16))

Miscellany (Continued from 8)

Danish String Quartet shows off its talent (photo

by Caroline Bittencourt)

After the show, which was co-chaired by Leila Drake and Cecily MacDougall, the company hosted a 170-guest reception behind the theater with guests including Dan and Meg Burnham, Bob and Alex Nourse, Kathryn Martin, Marylove Thralls, Barbara Burger, symphony maestro Nir Kabaretti, George Konstantinow, and Stefan and Christine Resenfeld.

Doppel Danish To UCSB’s Campbell Hall to see the talented Danish String Quartet perform part two of its four-year-old Doppelgänger Project, supported by the college’s Arts & Lectures program, as well as New York’s Carnegie Hall.

The project pairs world premieres from four renowned composers with chamber music masterpieces by Schubert, including “Death and the Maiden” and the Rosamunde quartet. In each program the Fab Four from Copenhagen perform a premiere with its doppelgänger – the Schubert quartet or quartet that inspired it. I was fortunate to see part one last October at the Rockwood Woman’s Club. Three and four in due course...

Media Mavens Honored Six communication amazons were honored at the newly renovated

Cabrillo Pavilion when the local chapter of The Association for Women in Communications held its 14th annual Santa Barbara event emceed by former KEYT-TV anchor and 2012 award recipient Paula Lopez Ochoa.

The resilient and courageous sextet of communicators, who played key roles in getting critical communications out to the community through the COVID pandemic, as well as during the Thomas Fire and the devastating mudslides in Montecito, were Communications Manager Gina DePinto, Director of Public Health Van Do-Reynoso, Chief Quality Officer Suzanne Grimmesey, Assistant County Executive Officer Terri Maus-Nisich, County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato, and Public Information Officer Jackie Ruiz.

“This is especially significant to me personally as it honors women communicators who have been critical in relaying lifesaving information during some of the most challenging times we have ever faced as a community,” said Paula. “The honorees have epitomized strength and resiliency and have been an instrumental part of our continued recovery.”

Previous award recipients have included KEYT-TV anchor Beth Farnsworth, State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, Congresswoman Lois Capps, former

Miscellany Page 484 484

Local and sustainable wares can be found in each corner of the store (Photo credit: Kelle Ramsey)

Home Crush is to help simplify these tasks and design the home around the person’s lifestyle. Which leads to the Smart Home aspect of what Home Crush does.

Many homes are now equipped with Alexa, Ring, and the myriad of other smart devices designed to bring ease to your living spaces. However, many of them run off their own control systems and don’t interact with one another.

Having smart devices in a home should make one’s life easier, not more stressful, as you shout at the room with an armful of controllers and commands. “What we try to do is make them all talk together,” says Miller. The team also puts a strong focus on hiding any wires to keep a clean look in the home, rather than having wires strewn through the room as if it’s a teenager’s first attempt at a sound system.

Vito Adamo of California Smart Homes is their tech maestro, integrating the electronic and programming devices so they all sing the same tune. “Really the whole point with a control system is to keep all the wires hidden and make everything automated,” he states.

In Summerland, we peek into a side closet where a small bundle of wires snakes their way down from their secluded path and into a stack of devices, chirping with LEDs as they send out signals. The magic of programming is that these systems

The Home Crush Opening Gala event will be held on Thursday, May 12, from 4 to 7 pm (Photo credit: Kelle Ramsey)

are fully customizable with a central command unit that can be set up for the exact lifestyle that one lives. A single master button can help shut down a home before leaving – locking doors, setting an alarm, and turning off any necessary electronics as you head out the door. The controls can be programmed to adjust everything from the fan speed to turning on the fireplace. Their goal is to create an integrated system that operates with ease and effectiveness that will leave you relaxed and calling out “Alexa – Wine Time!” – the lights dimming as you sink into an evening mood and glass of vino from the comfort of your couch.

Come see for yourself during their Opening Gala event on Thursday, May 12, from 4 to 7 pm with Lucca catering and Artiste Wines. This will be the first of many as Miller plans to host a plethora of nonprofit events and evening soirées there. The idea is that the space is for guests to visit, experience the items and designs available, and see how it would make them feel in their own

home and life.

Home Crush (2500 Lillie Ave, Summerland) is open 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and on Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Visit home-crush.com for more information.

One-of-a-kind items and outdoor furnishings fill the space at Home Crush

Dani Anderson, Christina Favuzzi, Paula Lopez Ochoa, Jackie Ruiz, Gina DePinto, Terri Nisich, Van Do-Reynoso, Jacqueline Alexander, and Suzanne Grimmesey-Kirk (photo by Priscilla)

40 Montecito JOURNAL

“Trees and plants always look like the people they live with, somehow.” – Zora Neale Hurston

5 – 12 May 2022

Mixing It Up

Have You Heard the Buzz?

The Bee’s Knees lives up to its name

flavors available. The delicate floral notes in the honey are accentuated with the use of lemon. I recommend using local, high-quality honey if possible and experimenting with the template and style of gin from there.

Of note, you might think you could easily swap out the lemon juice, but if we were to use lime juice, for example, that flavor would overwhelm the delicate honey flavors with its tart astringency. Sometimes there are easy substitutions, but sometimes they just don’t work the same way. If you’re looking for a classic cocktail using gin and lime, try a gimlet that pairs gin, lime juice, and a standard simple syrup in the same sour template.

The Cocktail Inspiration

by Ian Wickman

T

he temperature is starting to rise, beautiful garden gatherings are ramping up, and humming bees collecting pollen can be heard any time you step outside. It is music to my ears for so many reasons, and it instantly brings to mind one of my favorite spring cocktails: The Bee’s Knees. Let’s take a look at this garden delight.

The History Even though the precise origin is unclear, the Bee’s Knees is a classic cocktail that has been enjoyed for nearly a century.

It is thought to have originated during prohibition when the mix of lemon juice and honey was used to mask the unsavory flavors in bathtub gin. At the same time, the meaning of the phrase, the bee’s knees, changed from its original definition, something insignificant, to meaning something outstanding. The combination of ingredients, catchy name, and prohibition cocktail verve has stood the test of time. It is a perfect cocktail to enjoy outside in the garden with your friends while the spring blooms are bursting forth and the bees are dancing from one flower to another.

The Details For its part, the Bee’s Knees is a derivation of the broader category of sour cocktails. A sour is a style of cocktail that

contains a base spirit, citrus, and sugar. It encompasses all manner of cocktails from a daiquiri to a whiskey sour. With such a broad range of examples, there are endless variations to try.

A classic ratio for a sour is 2 ounces of spirit to 3/4-ounce citrus juice and 3/4ounce sweetener. This ratio is intended to let you taste the spirit while maintaining a good balance of sweet and sour. That being said, this is highly dependent upon the ingredients you are working with. Citrus juice can vary in its tartness, each different sweetener has different levels of sugars, and of course, each spirit has unique characteristics that make it play differently with different ingredients. I highly encourage you to experiment with this template and explore the wide world of sours.

An additional note for sours, sometimes egg white or other foaming agents are included to create that unique foam and texture but are not required. This is another style of sour that is worth sampling, the silky-smooth mouthfeel from the egg white makes a sultry sip!

Back to the Bee’s Knees: today we no longer need to cover up any unsavory flavors from bad gin; it’s quite the opposite.

There are so many fantastic gins on the market. Whether you prefer the classic London dry style, or more modern styles, there are endless expressions to try.

With gin at its core, the combination of honey and lemon is a classic sweet/ sour pair seen in numerous drinks. There are so many different varieties of honey to try, and it is a delight to taste the range of

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not sure what it is but spring always brings me back to gin drinks, such lovely botanicals that pair with the fresh herbs coming out of my garden. The classic Bee’s Knees is no exception. It is citrus-forward, has a solid gin backbone, and layers of herbal notes. I wanted to double down on the garden botanicals in season and add a lovely floral note woven throughout. The result is something outstanding to sip this season and I think it’s high time we turned the 2020s into a modern Roaring ‘20s, one cocktail at a time!

Lavender Rosemary Bee’s Knees 2 oz gin 1 oz fresh lemon juice 3/4 oz honey rosemary simple syrup (recipe below) 1 dash lavender bitters (Scrappy’s Bitters) 1 sprig Rosemary Garnish: Dehydrated lemon wheel or a sprig of fresh rosemary

Directions Add all ingredients to a shaking tin and muddle thoroughly. Add ice, shake for about 15 seconds, and double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel or some fresh rosemary.

Simple Syrup Directions: In a small pan combine one part honey with one part water. Over medium-low heat stir until honey is dissolved and the liquid is almost to a boil. Remove from heat and add 3 to 4 sprigs of rosemary that you have gently bruised in your hand. Stir and let steep for about one hour or until flavored to your taste. Strain into a clean mason jar, close the

lid, and refrigerate for up to a week.

Ian Wickman creates exceptional craft cocktails honed to the seasons. Recipes, photography, and writing for brands, media, restaurants, events, and individuals. idealistfoods.com; Email: ian@idealistfoods.com; Instagram: @idealistfoods

Ca' Dario Mother's Day Hours Santa Barbara

37 E. Victoria Street

11:30am to 9pm

Montecito

1187 Coast Village Road

11:30am to 9pm

Goleta

250 Storke Road

11:30am to 9pm

Reservations available through our website: cadariorestaurants.com or call 805-884-9419

We are grateful for the support of our wonderful community.

5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Calendar of Events

FRIDAY, MAY 6

by Steven Libowitz THURSDAY, MAY 5 1st Thursday Fine Art – Lomakatsi Body Wellness (903 State St., Suite #211) is the newest addition to the decade-plus-old downtown art and wine self-guided tour that kicks off the first weekend of the month. On exhibit is Santa Barbara native Marty Poole’s “Birds,” mostly in the medium of acrylics with Poole’s painting influenced by a combination of impressionism and design. Lomakatsi’s inaugural 1st Thursday event is also an opportunity to learn about the wellness studio’s services…. Also new is Faitell Attractions (619 State St.), a consignment showroom featuring an array of furniture, art, lighting, jewelry, clothing, and home accessories, both vintage and gently-worn. The local artisans will be on hand with live music adding to the ambiance…. Florida artist Justin Lyons’ Truth or Friction is on display at the newish Maune Contemporary (1309 State St.), where the artwork in the solo show covering the mediums of wood, acrylic, house paint, spray paint, oil stick, epoxy resin, and pencil aims to capture the thoughts and feelings of the human condition…. 1st Thursday staple Santa Barbara Fine Art (1321 State St.) boasts the new exhibit “Far and Near” featuring recent paintings by Michael Drury whose half a century of work as an artist includes many years painting alongside longtime friend Ray Strong, one of the founders of the famous Oak Group. Wine and champagne will be served at the opening…. Formalize, the new show at stalwart Sullivan Goss (11 E. Anapamu St.), features a bevy of abstract art dating from the mid-century to today and covering Modernism, Postmodernism, and more from such creators as Ken Bortolazzo, Julika Lackner, John McCracken, and Phillip K. Smith III. WHEN: 5-8 pm WHERE: Lower State Street and side streets COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday Cinco de Mayo on State Street – Most of 1st Thursday’s galleries and merchants aren’t taking advantage of the fact that May’s event falls on May 5, a major Mexican holiday, but Chase Restaurant and Lounge (1012 State St.) is promising festive Cinco de Mayo music surrounding its outdoor patio and Nosotros tequila tasting to celebrate the holiday. The restaurant’s mural artist Kellie Krueger will also be adding live additions to the deep sea work… Meanwhile, the local Latin jazz band Mezcal Martini will be performing on the same State Street block, with the nine-member group delivering styles and rhythms from Cuba, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the U. S. with improvisation dancing around the grooves… On the other end of the genre spectrum, the a cappella vocal ensemble Quire of Voyces returns to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1130 State St.) for the first time in a while to preview and tease its pair of weekend performances at St. Anthony’s Chapel at the end of the month… Wylde Works (609 State St.) kicks off its entertainment offerings with master storyteller Michael Katz sharing tales for the family at 5 pm, followed by live rock and roll from Pocket Fox, a Lucidity favor-

THURSDAY, MAY 5 Precious Gem of a Singer – Amythyst Kiah is not only an integral member of Our Native Daughters (with Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell) who penned the group’s Grammy-nominated song “Black Myself,” but she’s also a heralded solo singer-songwriter whose newly released acoustic rendition of the song, that combines political commentary with personal revelation, was featured in the Amazon documentary For Love & Country. Wary + Strange, Kiah’s latest solo effort, blends her early success in alt-rock with the roots music leanings as heard on her recent EP, with three different versions of her single “Wild Turkey” showcasing different aspects of her resilient voice.

WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Campbell Hall, UCSB campus COST: $30-$45 INFO: (805) 893-3535 or ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

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Sardonic Stories with Sedaris – The witty master of satire, David Sedaris, is an essayist and best-selling author whose books frequently populate The New York Times best sellers as they are great reads at any hour.

Sedaris also writes and narrates radio shows for the Ira Glass-hosted This American Life on NPR, addressing the human condition with seriously funny observations about himself and the world around him. But seeing the diminutive and self-deprecating humorist share his stories aloud live and in person is the whole ice cream sundae with whipped cream and cherry on top. So, the fact that Sedaris is set to once again grace a downtown stage in the month of May through UCSB Arts & Lectures, resuming a years-long annual tradition interrupted only by the pandemic, is the surest sign yet of a return to a semblance of normalcy in this crazy world.

WHEN: 7:30 pm WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street COST: $41-$56 INFO: (805) 899-2222/ granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535/ ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

ite, with Late for the Train also performing… AIREDANSE Fitness & Arts studio shows off its aerial artists above Storke Placita (700 State St.) boasting dancers on state-of-the-art aerial hammocks that allow stunning wraps, climbs, spins, and flips…. The great acoustic guitarist Bruce Goldish, who we hear jammed with none other than Jackson Browne in front of the Arlington a few weeks back, hunkers down at the Historical Museum (136 East De La Guerra St.) to provide a soundscape for the latest installations, Huguette Marcelle Clark: A Portrait of the Artist and Lockwood de Forest: Lighting the Way… Finally, SBIFF’S Santa Barbara Filmmaker Screening Series (1330 State St.) shows Isaac Hernández de Lipa’s short film Building a Movement: 50 Years of Environmental Studies at UCSB, which debuted at this year’s festival back in early March.

WHEN: 5-8 pm WHERE: Lower State Street and side streets COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday Feed Me, San Marcos – Little Shop of Horrors, the high school’s spring musical, pays homage to taking horticulture to harrowing extremes in a comical rock ‘n’ roll fantasy that has seen life in two films and an off-Broadway hit. San Marcos sophomore Tristan Fleming plays Seymour Krelborn, a timid shrinking violet of a floral assistant who longs to be noticed by his co-worker, an off-beat also down on her luck Audrey (senior Harriet Chilton). Seymour discovers a mysterious plant that resembles an overgrown venus flytrap, which he brings to his run-down flower shop and names Audrey II. The plant brings recognition and fame, but of course it comes as a price, as Audrey II (senior Josh Diaz) thrives on blood, not water.

The plot – and Audrey II’s girth – thickens from there, with murder, mayhem, and romance all budding like a rose in the sunshine, with memorable songs from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (whose other credits include The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin) to move the plot along. San Marcos’ Shop is directed by Shannon Saleh, with choreography by Christina McCarthy.

WHEN: 7 pm May 5-7 & 12-14, plus 2 pm May 8 WHERE: Marquis Performing Arts Auditorium, 4750 Hollister Ave. COST: $14 general, $10 seniors, $8 students INFO: smhstheaterdept.com SUNDAY, MAY 8 Springtime Sounds at SOhO – Cuban-born flamenco guitarist Andres Vadin wowed locals when he led his trio as the headliner for the 2019 Flamenco Arts Festival. Tonight, as the festival returns as a virtual event, the trio performs at SOhO under the auspices of the Santa Barbara Acoustic series, highlighting the flamenco guitar as a universal instrument with no boundaries in a program weaving traditional and contemporary interpretations, often infused with Cuban, Arabic, and jazz influences…. The club also hosts an afternoon appetizer as Santa Barbara singer Nicole Lvoff plays a Mother’s Day brunch time show in the

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson

5 – 12 May 2022

A &E RTS

NTERTAINMENT

SATURDAY, MAY 7 ‘Cinderella’ on Screen – Famed Music Academy of the West mezzo-soprano alumnus Isabel Leonard stars as the fairy tale princess in Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Massenet’s classic, presented with an all-new English translation in an abridged 90-minute adaptation. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume conducts a cast that also includes mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as Prince Charming, soprano Jessica Pratt as the Fairy Godmother, and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and bass-baritone Laurent Naouri as the rags-to-riches princess’ feuding guardians. The encore presentation of Live at the Met’s production screens at Hahn Hall.

WHEN: 2 pm WHERE: 1070 Fairway Road COST: $28 general, children free INFO: (805) 969-8787 or musicacademy.org

lounge, performing jazz classics, Bossas, and Ballads accompanied by pianist Woody DeMarco, bassist Hank Allen, and drummer Rene Martinez.

WHEN: Lvoff 12:30-2:30 pm; Vadin 7:30-9:30 pm WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court COST: Lvoff $10; Vadin $22 & $64 INFO: (805) 962-7776 or sohosb.com TUESDAY, MAY 10 Attuned to Makana – Matthew Swalinkavich, better known by his adopted name of “Makana,” meaning “gift,” has been featured on three Grammy-nominated albums, including the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film The Descendants. He was awarded a Na Hoku Ki Ho’alu (Slack Key) Legacy Award by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts. The slack-key superstar who is also a composer, singer, philosopher, and activist – he once flashed an “Occupy with Aloha” t-shirt at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation dinner attended by President Obama – has also made strides to bring slack-key into other popular genres. His current show, “Makana: The Gift of Slack Key Guitar,” is a tribute to the rich history and traditions of Hawaiian music, an appreciation of his mentors, the early masters of slack key guitar, including the legendary Sonny Chillingworth, shared through stories and songs.

WHEN: 7:30 pm WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $15

INFO: (805) 962-7776 or sohosb.com

TUESDAY, MAY 10 Bee There and Be Square – Seventeen years later, it still seems astonishing that some clever folks were able to turn something as mundane as a local spelling bee into such a winning musical comedy that craftily incorporates both members of the audience and a bit of improv. The Tony-winning Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is now one of the most-produced musicals on school campuses.

Now, the UCSB team of director Julie Fishell, musical director John Douglas, and choreographer Brandon Whited helm a college production as its Spring musical. We hope it’s, ahem, as spellbinding as the original.

WHEN: May 11-28 WHERE: UCSB Ballet Studio COST: $17 general, $13 children & seniors in advance, $2 more day of show INFO: (805) 893-2064 or theaterdance.ucsb.edu 5 – 12 May 2022

Exhibit open through September 5 Experience a beautiful new exhibit about the exotic hummingbird family featuring original 19th century hand-colored lithographs

by British ornithologist John Gould.

John and Peggy Maximus Gallery

2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 805-682-4711 • sbnature.org Open Wed–Mon 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

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WEALTH OF WELLNESS Local People

Body Wise

by Sigrid Toye

by Ann Brode

Dr. Deborah S. Foster

O

n a recent Santa Barbara spring morning, with early clouds and a chill in the air, Dr. Deborah Smilovitz Foster and I sat down together at Pierre Lafond in Montecito. The red umbrellas were up in anticipation of the sun’s appearance as we sipped our tea and chatted. It soon became apparent that I was seated next to someone with a basket full of interests. From her Santa Barbara psychology practice stressing the importance of mindfulness for mental and physical health, to her advocacy for our planet, environmental awareness, and an anti-war stance, Dr. Foster embodies an all-embracing humanitarian perspective.

No surprise there, after learning how she acquired the ideals she champions.

The daughter of a medical doctor specializing in infectious diseases and a fashion designer originally from New York, Dr. Foster grew up in San Luis Obispo… in other words, a local gal! “Yep, I was a regular cowgirl,” she laughed, “Loved animals and grew up on a ranchette with a horse named Peaches, a bunch of bunnies, and Fluffy the sheep. I did the 4H thing too... It was really a great way to grow up.” Her humanitarian interests came primarily from her father, who emphasized that caring for people was the path to caring for the world. “My dad awoke something in my heart which has sustained me ever since. Now that I think about it,” she added, “my first and most important ‘degree’ came from my father!”

Dr. Foster attended schools in San Luis Obispo and graduated from UCSB in Sociology with a minor in Global Peace and Security. Her first job was as a teacher at both a preschool and at Roosevelt Elementary School. “In between I did some graphic design work and explored diverse interests of my own.” Dr. Foster had also competed in a variety of sports as a student, especially competitive tennis, and the idea of investigating the importance of psychology in competitive sports seemed to resonate. “During that exploratory period, I came to the realization that psychology was in itself a fascinating subject, so I decided to pursue a master’s degree in clinical psychology.” During her master’s studies, Dr. Foster interned at Santa Barbara County Mental Health where she functioned as a certified member of the crisis team, working with gang members, domestic violence, anger management, and community clinics working with children and their families.

The experience at County Mental

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Making a Good Impression

Health further deepened Dr. Foster’s interest in the field, which eventually led to Pacifica Graduate Institute, where she earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology and emphasis in Depth Psychology. While at Pacifica she began an eight-year internship with Dr. Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD., whose practice of complementary medicine integrates both the Western and Eastern approaches to health and wellbeing. As an intern, Dr. Foster learned the Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) teaching program that integrates the wisdom and traditions of modern psychology, current medical research, and body-mind integration through contemplative practices, such as mindfulness meditation.

During this time, Dr. Foster began a practice of her own, based on CEB principles. Her work as a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist focuses on a deeper understanding of neuropsychological functions and how they relate within the family unit. These tools serve to create a more compassionate, loving relationship that generalizes into the global realm.

Dr. Foster’s continuing theme of connectivity between individual wellness and global health gave rise to a serendipitous meeting with the French-born humanitarian filmmaker Emmanuel Itier, formerly on the Santa Barbara International Film Festival board. Itier, presently a documentary producer/director, has interviewed peace activists such as Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Nobel Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire, and actor Sharon Stone for inclusion in his films. Dr. Foster, having complementary beliefs with the filmmaker that peace in the world begins with peace in oneself, was interviewed for Itier’s last anti-war documentary Guns, Bombs & War: A Love Story. The documentary poses the question: Why do we kill each other? In her filmed response, Dr. Foster suggests that global unrest today is primarily fear based – targeting “the other” as an existential threat to ourselves. Indeed, an unfortunate human tendency, one to be acknowledged and directly addressed.

When asked what thoughts she’d like to share, Foster states emphatically, “We all have something to offer to the world. Selflove is important and the ability to know oneself… be honest with yourself. To know yourself will bring an inner peace that will influence the entire world!”

Sigrid Toye is an Educational and Behavior Therapist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology, a freelance writer, and a storyteller. She loves all things creative, including her two (adult) artist children.

R

esearch shows that it takes less than a minute to form an impression about character. Without saying a word, just walking in the room sets the stage. Although this happens at a subliminal level, there are ways to influence the results. All you have to do is ask your aware body to participate.

The majority of face-to-face communication is nonverbal. It has more to do with being present than making a presentation. Facial expression, tone of voice, body language, and how you occupy personal space convey information about who you are and what you can do. Knowing the importance of this, leadership coaches use video feedback and meditation techniques to enhance presentation skills. Making a good impression is something you can learn and practice. In other words, preparing for an important interview, speaking in public, or meeting someone tomorrow begins with cultivating positive presence today.

Because your body sends such a powerful nonverbal message, cultivating positive presence is integral to making a good impression. To show up for success, your body needs to be on board. This means being actively present and developing nonverbal communication skills. Before you begin, it might be interesting to check in and see what your body’s saying right now. What message might your posture, tension, and facial expression convey to a casual observer?

Like most people, you probably spend more time in your thinking head than your feeling body. Even blatantly physical activity like walking on the beach or exercising at the gym gets co-opted by ear buds. Unless you’re a meditator, spending time in body space can feel odd and uncomfortable.

Trusting the intelligence of the body seems a stretch too far. If you take some time to cultivate positive presence, it will change this relationship and set your body up to make a good impression. To get started, let’s explore two key aspects of nonverbal communication: posture and demeanor. Or, as I like to say, standing tall and looking good.

Standing Tall Standing tall is more than your alignment.

It’s about how you occupy physical space.

Several times a day, check in with your body and make sure there’s enough room for your whole being. Standing at the sink or waiting in line, notice if your body is compressing or slumping. Then, as you gently expand your internal dimension to reclaim full height, let everything soften and straighten. This

“Gardening and laughing are two of the best things you can do to promote good health and a sense of well being.” – David Hobson

easy adjustment automatically corrects the slump and aligns your body. It also brings you into present time and changes your perspective. Eye contact and paying attention seem easier. You have the stature to see the big picture and your place in it. No wonder, standing tall sends a message of leadership, confidence, and competence.

Looking Good Looking good is more than what you put on in front of a mirror. It’s about letting go and opening up so your light can shine.

Unfortunately, unconscious and habitual tension can get in the way. This undermines your good intentions. Monitoring the tension in your face and body periodically throughout the day will help you identify dominant holding patterns. If you find your brow pinched or lips pursed, get under the tension and open it up. If you tend to tuck your tummy or clench your hands, let them go. Along the way, if you encounter stuck negative emotions/ beliefs/ attitudes, let your breath clear the way. Acquaint yourself with how being open feels and bring it with you wherever you go. Freeing up the tension and negativity not only makes you look good, it opens the way for inspiring words and ideas.

As an added benefit, when you let go and open up, your audience will feel seen, heard, and considered. In any situation, this sends a message that you’re a team player, considerate of others, and open to new ideas.

Standing tall and looking good aren’t about pulling your shoulders back, planting a smile on your face, and holding on. This is way too effortful and hardly authentic. To be sustainable and believable, good posture and a pleasant demeanor need to be natural resting places rather than something performed. Cultivating positive presence takes practice and happens over time. This isn’t about thinking it’s a good idea, it’s about getting it in your body. Returning to the simplicity of standing tall and looking good in the most mundane circumstances – waiting for takeout, watching a sunset, or even brushing your teeth – personalizes your experience. The more you use it, the more you make it your own. Then, your aware body can show up to support your best self anytime, all the time. True for in-person encounters as well as Zoom, FaceTime, or even a message you leave online, you can count on your positive, nonverbal message

to leave a lasting impression.

Ann Todhunter Brode writes about living consciously in the body. She is the author of the book, A Guide to Body Wisdom. Visit bodywisdomforlife.com for more information.

5 – 12 May 2022

WEALTH OF WELLNESS Mind-Body Matters Adaptogenic Mushrooms

Unlock the adaptogenic power of mushrooms

by Rebecca Capps

A

daptogens are a trendy topic in the wellness space — but what are they, and why should we care? For thousands of years, ancient wisdom traditions, such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), have considered adaptogenic mushrooms as being both foods to establish optimal health and as potent elixirs to treat sickness. Known to be rich in antioxidants, enhance immune function, support brain health, manage blood sugar levels, and improve energy and stamina, adaptogenic mushrooms can serve as powerful plant allies to help reduce any stressors on the body.

We could all benefit from expanding the knowledge of alternative medicine, including the many healing uses of adaptogenic mushrooms. The wisdom of ancient, holistic traditions offers a broader perspective of wellness, focusing less on synthetically extracted psychopharmacology in exchange for bringing mental, physical, and spiritual health into balance. As current scientific research reveals, the known compounds found in medicinal mushrooms include the following healing functions: Antibiotic, Anti-parasitic, Antitumor, Immunomodulating, Antioxidant, Cardiovascular, Antiviral, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Detoxification, Antidiabetic.

Based on the many benefits of adaptogenic mushrooms, people are now beginning to recognize the importance of incorporating holistic practices into their everyday lives. There is so much to know about when it comes to the world of adaptogens; however, this article focuses on a few main adaptogenic mushrooms to help get you started.

5 – 12 May 2022

Lion’s Mane: Lion’s Mane is one adaptogenic mushroom that may support neurological and cognitive function. Also recognized as “The Smart Mushroom,” Lion’s Mane is for anyone who seeks added mental focus and clarity; many Buddhist monks use it in tea to enhance their concentration during meditation. Lion’s Mane might also help

reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Thus, it serves as an alternative or complement to more traditional mental health treatments (often with fewer side effects). With that said, always use proper judgment in deciding what treatment protocol is suitable for you — including when to consult with a physician.

Chaga: Often referred to as “Third Eye Activator,” chaga is another miraculous adaptogenic mushroom. Studies reveal its potential to slow the growth of cancer cells — with one study reporting that the use of Chaga “resulted in a 60% reduction in tumor size.” Chaga is also rich in antioxidants, which points to how it could help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Cordyceps: Cordyceps are full of amino acids, which are essential building blocks of protein that can aid in digestion, repair body tissue, make hormones (like neurotransmitters), and build immunity. Although most people would likely benefit from incorporating Cordyceps into their daily wellness, it is especially beneficial for those who wish to improve their athletic performance or looking to decrease their levels of oxidative stress. As someone who works in the mental health field, my love for Cordyceps began when I first read studies on how they might help reduce anxiety (which makes sense – given that anxiety is also linked to greater inflammation levels in the body).

Reishi: Often referred to as either “The King of Mushrooms” or “The Mushroom of Immortality,” Reishi is a superstar adaptogen. Many use it for its powerful immune-boosting and antiviral effects, and clinical trials have even shown that it may significantly reduce symptoms of depression. Given the promising research, those who desire a more holistic way to prevent and treat mood disorders may benefit from Reishi (and thus want to consult with their physician regarding this possibility).

Try the Virtual Y From yoga to youth sports, our exclusive collection of on-demand and livestream classes are free during the month of May.

www.ciymca.org/YMCA360 MONTECITO FAMILY YMCA 591 Santa Rosa Lane, Montecito 805.969.3288 • ciymca.org/montecito

Wellness is your birthright and communing with nature helps connect you to this truth. Adaptogenic mushrooms are one of nature’s greatest gifts – one that allows you to soothe the senses just enough to slow down and acknowledge your innate power to create a new reality.

Until you can effectively liberate yourself from the chronic patterns of response that keep you stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of stress and dis-ease, you may continue to experience the thread of dramas that ensnare you. The key to all you wish to cultivate in this life — whether in your health journey or otherwise — hinges upon your conscious awareness of any deep-seated emotional patterns that no longer serve you.

Ultimately, to expand and enhance your reality and build a solid foundation of wellness, it can be helpful to work with a licensed practitioner where you get a roadmap that includes holistic healing methods. Learning to live more in tune with nature is a powerful way to enhance wellness; it allows you to manifest your highest, most radiant self. And, as the many health benefits of adaptogenic mushrooms reveal — just one tiny shift can create massive benefits over time, so

the time to begin is now.

Rebecca Capps, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Wellness Coach who specializes in the treatment of Eating Disorders and Addictions. mindbodythrive. com; rebecca@mind bodythrive.com

Coastal Hideaways

Inc.

805 969-1995 Luxury Vacation Rentals Short or Long Term

Interior Design Services also available Hire the best in the industry to manage your income property.

Please stop in and visit us 26 years serving the Santa Barbara community

Melissa M. Pierson, Owner 1211 Coast Village Road #4 Montecito, CA 93108 Vacations@coastalhideaways.com www.coastalhideaways.com

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Notice Inviting Bids HSIP CYCLE 9 PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT HSIPL-5007 (090) Bid No. 3999

1.

Bid Submission. The City of Santa Barbara (“City”) will accept electronic bids for its HSIP Cycle 9 Pedestrian Safety Improvements Project (“Project”), by or before May 18, 2022, at 3:00 pm., through its PlanetBids portal.

Bidders must be registered on the City of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids portal in order to submit a Bid proposal and to receive addendum notifications. Each bidder is responsible for making certain that its Bid Proposal is actually submitted/uploaded with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. Large files may take more time to be submitted/uploaded to PlanetBids, so plan accordingly. The receiving time on the PlanetBids server will be the governing time for acceptability of bids. Telegraphic, telephonic, hardcopy, and facsimile bids will not be accepted. Bidders are encouraged to upload bids by 2:30 pm to Planet Bids.

If any Addendum issued by the City is not acknowledged online by the Bidder, the PlanetBids System will prevent the Bidder from submitting a Bid Proposal. Bidders are responsible for obtaining all addenda from the City’s PlanetBids portal.

Bid results and awards will be available on PlanetBids.

Bids will be called out on Zoom at 4:00 pm on May 18, 2022 Join Zoom Meeting: Link: https://santabarbaracagov.zoom.us/j/82325292293?pwd=eUNYT3Zla21Sc2JxYnZaZUduaVpRZz09 Meeting ID: 823 2529 2293 Passcode: HSIP500790 2.

Project Information.

2.1 Location and Description. The Project is located at four intersections within the City of Santa Barbara; Bath Street at Sola Street, Bath Street at Victoria Street, Canon Perdido Street at Nopal Street, and Salinas Street at Old Coast Highway and is described as follows: Lighting and pedestrian crossing enhancements including construction of 16 ADA compliant access ramps, construction of a pedestrian refuge island, construction of concrete curb extensions, signing and striping, lighting infrastructure (including but not limited to poles, foundations, 623 feet of conduit, meter installation, pull boxes), complete and in place.

2.2 Time for Final Completion. The Project must be fully completed within 100 working days from the start date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. City anticipates that the Work will begin on or about July/August 2022, but the anticipated start date is provided solely for convenience and is neither certain nor binding.

2.3 Estimated Cost. The estimated construction cost is $1,011,000 3.

License and Registration Requirements.

3.1 License. This Project requires a valid California contractor’s license for the following classification(s): Class A. 3.2 DIR Registration. City may not accept a Bid Proposal from or enter into the Contract with a bidder, without proof that the bidder is registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5, subject to limited legal exceptions.

4.

Contract Documents. The plans, specifications, bid forms and contract documents for the Project, and any addenda thereto (“Contract Documents”) may be downloaded from City’s website at: http://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=29959 A printed copy of the Contract Documents may be obtained from CyberCopy Shop, located at 504 N. Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, at (805) 884-6155.

5.

Bid Security. The Bid Proposal must be accompanied by bid security of ten percent of the maximum bid amount, in the form of a cashier’s or certified check made payable to City, or a bid bond executed by a surety licensed to do business in the State of California on the Bid Bond form included with the Contract Documents. The bid security must guarantee that within ten days after City issues the Notice of Award, the successful bidder will execute the Contract and submit the payment and performance bonds, insurance certificates and endorsements, and any other submittals required by the Contract Documents and as specified in the Notice of Award.

6.

Prevailing Wage Requirements.

6.1 General. Pursuant to California Labor Code § 1720 et seq., this Project is subject to the prevailing wage requirements applicable to the locality in which the Work is to be performed for each craft, classification or type of worker needed to perform the Work, including employer payments for health and welfare, pension, vacation, apprenticeship and similar purposes.

6.2 Rates. These prevailing rates are on file with the City and are available online at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR. Each Contractor and Subcontractor must pay no less than the specified rates to all workers employed to work on the Project. The schedule of per diem wages is based upon a working day of eight hours. The rate for holiday and overtime work must be at least time and one-half.

6.3 Compliance. The Contract will be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the DIR, under Labor Code § 1771.4.

7.

Performance and Payment Bonds. The successful bidder will be required to provide performance and payment bonds, each for 100% of the Contract Price, as further specified in the Contract Documents.

8.

Substitution of Securities. Substitution of appropriate securities in lieu of retention amounts from progress payments is permitted under Public Contract Code § 22300.

9.

Subcontractor List. Each Subcontractor must be registered with the DIR to perform work on public projects. Each bidder must submit a completed Subcontractor List form with its Bid Proposal, including the name, location of the place of business, California contractor license number, DIR registration number, and percentage of the Work to be performed (based on the base bid price) for each Subcontractor that will perform Work or service or fabricate or install Work for the prime contractor in excess of one-half of 1% of the bid price, using the Subcontractor List form included with the Contract Documents.

10.

Caltrans Administered Project. This Project is funded in whole or in part by federal funds administered under Caltrans’ Local Assistance Procedures Manual (“LAPM”).

10.1 Federal Bidding Requirements. LAPM bidding requirements and forms are provided in Attachment A - Federal Bidding Requirements. Each bidder must comply with the requirements set forth in Attachment A, including completion and submission of required federal forms with its Bid Proposal, as further specified in Attachment A. 10.2 Title VI Non-Discrimination Assurances. The City, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.) and applicable regulations, including 49 CFR Part 21, 28 CFR § 50.3, and any other applicable statutory or regulatory authorities identified in the Standard Title VI/Non-Discrimination Assurances, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. Any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement will be subject to Appendix E of the Title VI Assurances, a copy of which is included in Attachment B - Federal Contract Requirements

11. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise: Bidders are advised that, as required by federal law, the State has established a statewide overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal. This Agency federal-aid contract is considered to be part of the statewide overall DBE goal. The Agency is required to report to Caltrans on DBE participation for all federal aid contracts each year so that attainment efforts may be evaluated. This agency federal aid contract has a goal of 14% DBE participation.

12. Instructions to Bidders. All bidders should carefully review the Instructions to Bidders for more detailed information before submitting a Bid Proposal. The definitions provided in Article 1 of the General Conditions apply to all of the Contract Documents, as defined therein, including this Notice Inviting Bids.

13. Bidders are advised that this project is a Federal-Aid Construction project and the Contractor shall agree to all requirements, conditions, and provisions set forth in the specification book issued for bidding purposes entitled “Proposal and Contract.” Attention is directed to Appendix B of the “Proposal and Contract” specification book for federal requirements and conditions, as well as documents required to be submitted with this proposal request. This project is subject to the “Buy America” provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 as amended by Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. Bidders are hereby notified that pursuant to provisions of Section 1770, et seq., of the Labor Code of the State of California, the Contractor shall pay its employees the general prevailing rate of wages as determined by the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations. In addition, the Contractor shall be responsible for compliance with the requirements of Section 1777.5 of the California Labor Code relating to apprentice public works contracts.

Pursuant to Section 1773 of the Labor Code, the general prevailing wage rates in the county in which the work is to be done have been determined by the director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. These wages are set forth in the General Prevailing Wage Rates for this Project, available at the City of Santa Barbara, General Service Manager, Purchase Office, 310 E. Ortega Street, Santa Barbara, California and available from the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Internet website at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR/PWD. The Federal minimum wage rates for this project as predetermined by the United States Secretary of Labor are set forth in the specifications and in copies of these specifications that may be examined at the offices described above where project plans, special provisions, and bid forms may be seen. Addenda to modify the Federal minimum wage rates, if necessary, will be issued to holder of these specifications. Future effective general prevailing wage rates, which have been predetermined and are on file with the California Department of Industrial Relations are referenced but not printed in the general prevailing wage rates. Attention is directed to the Federal minimum wage requirements in the specification book entitled "Proposal and Contract." Addenda to modify the Federal minimum wage rates, if necessary, will be issued to holders of the "Proposal and Contract" specification books. Future effective general prevailing wage rates, which have been predetermined and are on file with the California Department of Industrial Relations are referenced but not printed in the general prevailing wage rates.

If there is a difference between the minimum wage rates predetermined by the Secretary of Labor and the general prevailing wage rates determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations for similar classifications of labor, the Contractor and Subcontractors shall pay not less than the higher wage rate. The City of Santa Barbara will not accept lower State wage rates not specifically included in the Federal minimum wage determinations. This includes "helper" (or other classifications based on hours of experience) or any other classification not appearing in the Federal wage determinations. Where Federal wage determinations do not contain the State wage determination otherwise available for use by the Contractor and Subcontractors, the Contractor and Subcontractors shall pay not less than the Federal Minimum wage rate, which most closely approximates the duties of the employees in question.

By: ___________________________________

Date: ________________

Gregory M. Corral, Purchasing Supervisor Publication Dates: 1) April 27, 2022 2) May 4, 2022 END OF NOTICE INVITING BIDS

46 Montecito JOURNAL

“If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.” – Robert Brault

5 – 12 May 2022

NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND PENDING ACTION BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

CITY OF SANTA BARBARA – GENERAL SERVICES DIVISION PO BOX 1990, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93102-1990

WAIVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON A COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT THAT MAY BE APPEALED TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION AND APPROVE, CONDITIONALLY APPROVE, OR DENY THE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT

INVITATION FOR BIDS

This may affect your property. Please read.

Notice is hereby given that an application for the project described below has been submitted to the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department. This project requires the approval and issuance of a Coastal Development Permit by the Planning and Development Department.

The development requested by this application is subject to appeal to the California Coastal Commission following final action by Santa Barbara County and therefore a public hearing on the application is normally required prior to any action to approve, conditionally approve or deny the application. However, in compliance with California Coastal Act Section 30624.9, the Director has determined that this project qualifies as minor development and therefore intends to waive the public hearing requirement unless a written request for such hearing is submitted by an interested party to the Planning and Development Department within the 15 working days following the Date of Notice listed below. All requests for a hearing must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Request for Hearing Expiration Date listed below, to Alejandro Jimenez at Planning and Development, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2058, by email at ajimenez@co.santa-barbara.ca.us, or by fax at (805) 568-2030. If a public hearing is requested, notice of such a hearing will be provided.

WARNING: Failure by a person to request a public hearing may result in the loss of the person’s ability to appeal any action taken by Santa Barbara County on this Coastal Development Permit to the Montecito Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors and ultimately the California Coastal Commission.

If a request for public hearing is not received by 5:00 p.m. on the Request for Hearing Expiration Date listed below, then the Planning and Development Department will act to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the request for a Coastal Development Permit. At this time it is not known when this action may occur; however, this may be the only notice you receive for this project. To receive additional information regarding this project, including the date the Coastal Development Permit is approved, and/or to view the application and plans, or to provide comments on the project, please contact Alejandro Jimenez at Planning and Development, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2058, or by email at ajimenez@co.santa-barbara.ca.us, or by phone at (805) 568-3559.

PROPOSAL: QUERENCIA TRUST POOL PROJECT ADDRESS: 1577 RAMONA LN, SANTA BARBARA, CA 931082633 1st SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED IN THE COASTAL ZONE DATE OF NOTICE: 5/8/2019 REQUEST FOR HEARING EXPIRATION DATE: 5/30/2019 PERMIT NUMBER: 18CDH-00000-00032 007-312-003 ZONING: 20-R-1 PROJECT AREA: 0.80

APPEALS: The decision of the Director of the Planning and Development Department to approve, conditionally approve, or deny this Coastal Development Permit 18CDH-00000-00032 may be appealed to the Montecito Planning Commission by the applicant or an aggrieved person. The written appeal must be filed within the 10 calendar days following the date that the Director takes action on this Coastal Development Permit. To qualify as an "aggrieved person" the appellant must have, in person or through a representative, informed the Planning and Development Department by appropriate means prior to the decision on the Coastal Development Permit of the nature of their concerns, or, for good cause, was unable to do so.

Written appeals must be filed with the Planning and Development Department at either 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 93101, or 624 West Foster Road, Suite C, Santa Maria, 93455, by 5:00 p.m. within the timeframe identified above. In the event that the last day for filing an appeal falls on a non-business day of the County, the appeal may be timely filed on the next business day.

This Coastal Development Permit may be appealed to the California Coastal Commission after an appellant has exhausted all local appeals, therefore a fee is not required to file an appeal.

For additional information regarding the appeal process, contact Alejandro Jimenez. The application required to file an appeal may be viewed at or downloaded from: http://www.sbcountyplanning.org/forms/PermitAppHndt/AppsForms.cfm ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Information about this project review process may also be viewed at: http://www.sbcountyplanning.org/permitting/ Board of Architectural Review agendas may be viewed online at: http://www.sbcountyplanning.org/boards/rbar/ Published May 4, 2022 Montecito Journal

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Trends Salon, 338 East Betteravia Road, Suite H, Santa Maria, CA, 93454. Bruce E. Cleveland, 1735 Vigard Drive, Solvang, CA, 93463. This statement

5 – 12 May 2022

BID NO. 5954 DUE DATE & TIME: MAY 19, 2022 UNTIL 3:00 P.M. HYDRATED LIME FOR CHARLES E. MEYER DESALINATION PLANT Bidders must be registered on the city of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids portal in order to receive addendum notifications and to submit a bid. Go to PlanetBids for bid results and awards. It is the responsibility of the bidder to submit their bid with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. The receiving deadline is absolute. Allow time for technical difficulties, uploading, and unexpected delays. Late or incomplete Bid will not be accepted.

If further information is needed, contact Jennifer Disney Dixon, Buyer II at (805) 564-5356 or email: jdisney@santabarbaraca.gov The City of Santa Barbara is now conducting bid and proposal solicitations online through the PlanetBids System™. Vendors can register for the commodities that they are interested in bidding on using NIGP commodity codes at

http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/business/bids/purchasing.asp.

APPLICATION FILED: 12/12/2018

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Applicant: Brian Banks Proposed Project: Construction of a new 47'- 4'' by 25' swimming pool. Grading would include 267 cubic yards of cut and 267 cubic yards of export. No vegetation or tree removal is being proposed as part of this project.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Cali Painting, 613 North 5th St., Lompoc, CA, 93436. Leonardo Sepulveda Salazar, 613 North 5th St., Lompoc, CA, 93436. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 19, 2022. 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. 2022-0001010. Published May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2022

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received via electronic transmission on the City of Santa Barbara PlanetBids portal site until the date and time indicated below at which time they will be publicly opened and posted for:

was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 19, 2022. 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. 20220001024. Published May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2022 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Haven – Los Alamos; Haven Cannabis Dispensary – Los Alamos, 520 Bell St., Los Alamos, CA, 93440. Haven X LLC, 18012 Cowan #200, Irvine, CA 92614. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 6, 2022. 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. 20220000905. Published May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2022

The initial bidders’ list for all solicitations will be developed from registered vendors.

Bids must be submitted on forms supplied by the City of Santa Barbara and in accordance with the specifications, terms and conditions contained therein. Bid packages containing all forms, specifications, terms and conditions may be obtained electronically via PlanetBids.

The City of Santa Barbara affirmatively assures that minority and disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age (over 40), ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, sex, gender identity and expression, marital status, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics), national origin, race, religious belief, or sexual orientation in consideration of award. _______________________________ William Hornung, C.P.M. General Services Manager

is/are doing business as: The Branding Crew, 1475 Sterling Ave, Carpinteria, CA, 93103. Erika Pruett, 1475 Sterling Ave, Carpinteria, CA, 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 8, 2022. 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. 2022-0000940.

Published April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Sofias Flowers, 1325 Tomol Dr., Carpinteria, CA, 93103. Omar C. Martinez, 1325 Tomol Dr., Carpinteria, CA, 93103.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 25, 2022. 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. 20220001103. Published April 27, May 4, 11, 18, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Poe, 27 West Anapamu St. #465, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. Brittany Harris, 27 West Anapamu St. #465, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 12, 2022. 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. 2022-0000972.

Published April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following per-

Published 5/4/2022 Montecito Journal

son(s) is/are doing business as: Reed’s Restaurant Equipment Service, 524 W. Pedregosa Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. Simon Trisler, 524 W. Pedregosa Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. Mary Trisler, 524 W. Pedregosa Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 22, 2022.

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. 2022-0000750.

Published April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 2022 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Paradise Gardening, 460 Evonshire Ave, Santa Barbara, CA, 93111. Fernando Jimenez, 460 Evonshire Ave, Santa Barbara, CA, 93111.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 6, 2022. 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. 2022-0000912.

Published April 13, 20, 27, May 4, 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

47

Miscellany (Continued from 40 40))

Kristi Newton, Rick Oshay, Judith Smith-Meyer, Joan Tapper, Teresa Kuskey Nowak, and Starshine Roshell.

An Evening of Dance

Lenai Wilkerson of Ballet Hispánico impresses (photo by Rachel Neville)

Mayor Helene Schneider, Independent founder Marianne Partridge, Lynda Weinman, Catherine Remak, and Sara Miller McCune.

Among the supporters were President Lisa Osborn, Lauren Bianchi Klemann, poet laureate emerita Perie Longo, Darla Bea, Kathryn Martin, Sheriff Bill Brown, Geoff Green, Gregg Hart, Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfeld,

An energized and frenetic program provided a thoroughly entertaining evening when New York-based Ballet Hispánico performed Noche de Oro: A Celebration of 50 Years at the Granada, as part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures program. The tony troupe, under artistic director Eduardo Vilaro, performed three very differing works with Arabesque from 1984, an elegant suite of dances set to the music of Spanish composer Enrique Granados, launching the show, with the 2019 work Tiburones, a frenzied piece addressing discrimination and stereotypes choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, closing the first half. A 2012 piece 18+1 celebrating Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s 19 years as a choreographer looking at his past, present, and future concluded the boffo performance.

Honoring Hope Munificence reigned supreme when the Santa Barbara Education Foundation held its annual Hope Awards at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum honoring Montecito uber philanthropist Sara Miller McCune and Frank Stevens, who

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has been involved with the organization for its entire 37-year history.

Tributes were paid to the dynamic duo

by Barbara Keyani, former executive director of the organization, and Laura Capps, a Santa Barbara Unified School board member. It had been hoped the sunset soirée would raise around $40,000, but with the expert help of Los Angeles auctioneer Chuck Dukas more than $66,000 was raised from the 200 guests who noshed on food from Ca’Dario, La Paloma Cafe, Los Arroyos, Nimita’s Cuisine, Jersey Mike’s, and the culinary arts programs of Dos Pueblos, San Marcos, and Santa Barbara high schools.

The Santa Barbara Junior High jazz band under director Brett Larsen entertained while San Marcos students Devin Ross and Isabella Valentine, both members of the school’s Mock Trial team, welcomed supporters, including executive director Margie Yahyavi, Lois Capps, Marilyn Gilbert, Harry and Judi Weisbart, Ellen Goodstein, Judith Hopkinson, David Selberg, Anne Towbes, Geoff Green, and Riley and Dacia Harwood.

made by Archewell Audio, one of the couple’s web of companies established by the Sussexi and based in the opaque tax haven of Delaware.

A Fox Doc

The Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation had some of the most impressive candidates in its history according to Board President Deborah Bertling when it held its annual competition for music scholarships at Lehmann Hall at the Music Academy of the West. Outstanding performers, ranging from 16 to 29, competed for scholarships amounting to more than $27,000 with judges including Paul Berkowitz, Armen Guzelimian and Emily Sommermann. Winners included pianists Buyun Li, Zeyn Schweyk, Rhyan Schweyk, and Nathanael Nimms, flutists Sarah Bortz and Dillon Halpin, soprano Naomi Merer, violinist Zephan Bornfreund, and cellist Aidan Woodruff. Music to everyone’s ears...

A full-length documentary about Montecito actor Michael J. Fox is being produced by Apple Original Films. The 60-year-old Canadian rose to fame in the 1980s NBC sitcom Family Ties and also starred in the Back to the Future film trilogy. The project will be directed

by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It is already in production with shooting in New York, Vancouver, and Los Angeles.

Fox was just 29 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease...

Lone Star Stars Rob Lowe, 58, is being joined by his brother Chad, 54, playing his sibling in an episode of the Fox TV show 9-1-1: Lone Star. It is not the first time they have worked together. Chad first appeared opposite Rob in the 1988 movie Oxford Blues. He played a computer hacker with Rob in the starring role as an American student in the rowing crew at the world famous British university. And Chad also took a part in Rob’s TV series Brothers & Sisters in 2006. He also directed Rob on The Grinder.

Soon on Spotify

SINGLE ITEMS TO WHOLE ESTATES OR CONSIGN FOR A CAUSE

PROCEEDS CAN GO TO YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL CHARITY.

3845 State St, La Cumbre Plaza, (former Sears) Open 11-5 · Closed Tue. · 805.770.7715 ConsignmentsbyMMD.com · Info@MovingMissDaisy.com

48 Montecito JOURNAL

Ellen Says Farewell Montecito TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has just recorded the last episode of her 19-year-old eponymous Burbank-based show. Ellen, 62, took to Twitter after filming wrapped, sharing a photo of her looking pensive on the show’s Warner Bros. stage. The program will air May 26. “When we started in 2003 iPhones didn’t exist, social media didn’t exist. Gay marriages weren’t legal.

We watched the world change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.”

During its time, with 3,200 episodes and an impressive 64 daytime Emmy Awards, the show had 4,000 guests with 3,000 hours on air, 1.5 million audience members and a hefty $450 million given away. An extraordinary run by any standards...

A-MAW-Zing Performers

Sightings Prince Harry honing his equestrian skills at the Santa Barbara Polo Club...

Comedy legend Carol Burnett celebrating her birthday with husband Brian Miller at the Rosewood Miramar... Actress Joanna Kerns checking out Local…

Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask when

required, and get vaccinated.

Former actress Meghan Markle is trying to trademark the historic word “archetypes” after announcing her first series of podcasts for streaming giant Spotify, which will be called Archetypes.

The Duchess of Sussex has made the application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the use of archetypes, a word which derives from Ancient Greek and first entered English usage around the 1540s. The application was

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” – Frances Hodgson Burnett

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than a decade

5 – 12 May 2022

Wildfire (Continued from 20 20))

The Burn Cycle Project is an immersive art installation that places you at the center of the discussion around wildfire

Learn about Wildfire Preparedness at this week’s expo

everybody’s best interest to be educated, to see where they fit in to the solution.”

Interestingly, the so-called Wildland Urban Interface (or “WUI” as fire insiders call it) is where a wildfire’s destructive force can be brought to its knees.

“When these fires move out of the wildland areas into the urban interface, there isn’t that woodland vegetation,” Elmquist says. “So essentially, if the structures are hardened (fire resistant) — especially at that interface between the wildland vegetation and the community, there’s very little for the fire to burn once you take the structures out of the mix.

Then you’re not going to have this very high-intensity fire front moving through the community, because you’re limiting the amount of fuel available. When you harden your structure you’re protecting your home — but also protecting your community by taking your house out of the fuel category.”

When all this starts to seem like an exercise, helping people to feel a little “fire empathy” can go a long way.

“One of the Expo’s biggest features will be an installation by local filmmaker Ethan Turpin, who has this really cool experience called Walk into Wildfire.

Using burn box cameras developed by the U.S. Forest Service, he catches footage of a fire front as it passes through the landscape.”

Not to appear journalistically indisciplined, but “burn box cameras”?

Let’s pivot briefly. Filmmaker, Sensory Phenomena artist, and Hybrid Media experimenter Ethan Turpin has the red-

hot details. “I’ve never melted a camera — knock on wood — but the forest service filmmaker who trained me in this, and some of whose work appears in these collaborations, he’s shown me pictures of melted cameras.”

A photo of Turpin standing next to a couple of these unfortunate burn boxes — roasted-looking metal containers whose fire-resistant windows look like mouths crying out in alarm — speaks volumes.

Imagining the hellfire that has bathed these objects is an unwanted exercise in anthropomorphism. “The previous burn box versions were basically ammo boxes,” says Turpin, whose press and fire line credentials put him near enough to the action to yield moving images. “The upgrade is a heavy-duty steel box with kiln insulation, and then there’s two panes of oven glass providing the window for the camera to see through.” How does a guy get into frontline fire photography?

“My dad was a firefighter. He worked for Santa Barbara County Fire. I grew up in that culture a bit so I had a certain comfort level.” Turpin’s ad hoc filming of 2008’s destructive Tea Fire — whose sundowner wind-fueled flames consumed 210 homes in the area — spurred in him a desire to bring his filmmaking skills to a new purpose. “It was impulsive and spur of the moment, but I immediately felt a connection with wanting to observe and share and contemplate.” He has since worked with UCSB’s Bren School, the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP), and others on projects to do with the study of a wildfire’s inner workings.

Ethan Turpin and his impenetrable burn box cameras

5 – 12 May 2022

“The FireSafe Council is very much focused on helping local communities to understand and confront real-world fire risk,” Turpin says, “and encouraging certain neighborhoods that have been identified as high risk to get involved with the Firewise USA program.” What exactly is the FireSafe Council? Nic Elmquist again.

“Two years ago, there was a grant received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to implement a regional wildfire mitigation plan,” he says.

“This was an idea originated by UCSB Professor Max Moritz at the Bren School, who’s also on the FireSafe Council board.”

The mitigation plan is a way to regionally compartmentalize and evaluate the characteristics of three inter-related “domains”: the built environment, the landscape, and the community environment. “The FireSafe Council is responsible for the community domain portion,” Elmquist explains, “and our community domain lead is Anna Marie Parkinson.

Her main role is to use the NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association) FireWise Community certification to help communities get organized, and certified.”

Certified? Are these nice fire people trying to trick us into going back to school? No. Well, sort of.

The National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise USA® is an evolving program for organizing and empowering neighbors in defined geographic areas. Organize over what? Fire wisdom.

Firewise USA is the ongoing localized effort to “increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community, and to reduce wildfire risks at the local level,” as their website says. If there is a more heartache-mitigating phrase than “ignition resistance,” let me know. At this writing there are 1,000 Firewise communities in 40 states.

As a community actively bolsters its own knowledge of wildfire preparedness and mitigation — absorbing and then holistically adopting prescribed mitigation measures in their neighborhoods — they are recognized as “Firewise.”

Hence this weekend’s 2022 Wildfire Preparedness Exposition, a terrific example of what they used to call “people power” — the enormous positive effect

of simply disseminating knowledge to a population eager to enact it. When said dissemination can be done in a sun-drenched setting alive with happy community hubbub — all the better. So is this Expo thing art or science or education? Yes. Nic Elmquist is excited.

“Another local artist, Michael Long, makes these beautiful scale models of homes, and we asked him to make a model for the Expo. It’s a home broken up into two different sides. One is a fire-hardened home and one is a non-hardened home. It’s really neat, and a great demonstration of how to increase the defensibility of your home. It’s been shown that the five feet directly adjacent to a structure is often decisive as to whether or not that structure burns.”

So, yeah — fire bad, as Frankenstein reminds us. Ethan Turpin adds another perspective, one that may explain his interactive invitation to Walk into Wildfire — and more intimately acquaint oneself with the phenomenon.

“The process of a wildfire is dramatic and can be tragic. But then there’s also the way that it naturally influences and nurtures the landscape. I want people to understand that this is not just meant to be a scary shock-and-awe experience.

Fire is also the story of regeneration.” So, maybe, fire bad – and good – at times.

Perhaps Frankenstein’s monster just needed to attend the Wildfire Preparedness Exposition. Fortunately, you can – bring the villagers but leave the torches – they

are not considered FireSafe.

2022 Wildfire Preparedness Exposition May 6, 5 – 8:30 pm; May 7 and 8; 11 am – 6 pm Direct Relief (6100 Wallace Becknell Road), Goleta sbfiresafecouncil.org SLO County FireSafe Council will be hosting their own community workshop on Saturday, May 7 from 10 am – 1 PM at Veterans Hall (1000 Main Street) in Cambria. Visit FSCSlo.org to learn more.

Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. A long-time resident of SB, he takes great delight in chronicling the lesser known facets of this gaudy jewel by the sea. Jeff can be reached at jeffwingg@gmail.com.

Montecito JOURNAL

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A &E

Rally (Continued from 18 18))

RTS

NTERTAINMENT

On Entertainment

Pressing Pause with Paula Poundstone

by Steven Libowitz

I Scott Rouleau and CJ Ward wave from their 1956 Porsche Speedster (photo by Priscilla)

Laurie Leis presenting at the evening Gala (photo by Zach)

After getting photos of several dozen cars of the 70 or so entries (the most of any year), we packed up our gear and headed towards Sunstone Winery for the second checkpoint and a little lunch.

The rally-ers grouped around tables and shade as everyone ate tacos and enjoyed one another’s company. After the meal, it was back off to the rally with the path leading from the winery down the 101 to the third checkpoint at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium before wrapping up the ride at the UBGC downtown Santa Barbara club.

Real Estate Appraiser Greg Brashears California Certified General Appraiser Serving Santa Barbara County and beyond for 30 years V 805-650-9340 EM gb@gregbrashears.com

50 Montecito JOURNAL

After the rally, everyone parked themselves at Bella Vista Ranch (photo by Zach)

After the cars finished the route, there was a brief afternoon break before everyone reconvened that evening at the Bella Vista Ranch in Summerland for a Black and White Gala celebrating the Golden Era of Hollywood. The cars from the rally were parked out front for all to relish in. The evening began with appetizers, laughter, and chatter about the day’s event as guests perused the cars. A dinner and dessert followed, and the night wrapped up with an auction and awards ceremony for the seated guests. As the auction continued, a strong gust came whipping through, sweeping the evening away with it. Was it the wind or the swift passing of a car? After all, this is a

Rally – not a Race.

Zach Rosen is the Managing Editor of the Montecito Journal. He also enjoys working with beer, art, and life.

nterviewing Paula Poundstone is a little like binge watching a comedy series on Netflix: you hit the start button once and autoplay keeps the episodes rolling, and everything is interesting enough that you don’t really want to hit pause.

Poundstone’s tendency toward stream-of-consciousness rants and musings is a big part of her appeal, of course, as the comedian’s stock in trade is pretty much just being herself on stage or at a microphone, regaling whoever is listening with tales from everyday life, the perils of politics and family foibles, including her feline offspring.

“How about this f-ing mask thing on the airplanes?” she says incredulously barely moments after answering the phone. “Can you believe it’s just one person, not a medical expert and not even qualified as a judge? One person!

I guess Europe had already done this (ended the mask mandate). And now they’re canceling flights because the pilots are sick. I understand our system. But I hope that Ben Franklin and James Madison are rolling over in their graves.”

So it sounds like Poundstone is still as obsessed with the day’s news as she was the last time she came to the Lobero back in 2019 (where she’ll perform again on May 7), when she admitted she’s so addicted to watching MSNBC that when it’s time to leave her hotel room to do a show, she turns off the lights before she turns off the TV. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “I am still completely addicted. I have no question in my mind that it’s unhealthy. And I don’t know why I watch, because the news never changes. If this were a crime show on TV, I would have stopped watching a long time ago because you know the other side is never going to win. But I tell myself that because I’m paying attention, I’m somehow in the ready position to rescue democracy.”

Of course, having a finger on the political pulse fuels her quick-witted responses during her frequent appearances on the NPR news-quiz show Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me. But Poundstone has also had her feet in the starting blocks waiting for pandemic protocols to ease so she could get back on stage in front of a live audience again, after 18-plus months of mostly twiddling her thumbs in her living room, waiting for COVID to clear out.

“If there’s one thing I can say about my garden, it can always surprise me.” – David Hobson

Hang with Paula Poundstone on May 7 at the Lobero (photo by Shannon Greer)

“I was just doing some videos as an effort to put up stuff that would get people through because I thought we were only going to be out for a few weeks at first,” she explained. “But it kept going and then one day, it dawned on me that I had absolutely no income.

So I did all the crap that every comic was doing – like Cameo (the service where fans pay celebrities for recorded personalized greetings). But then I heard that Rudy Giuliani and Don Jr. were on their roster, and I couldn’t do it anymore.”

That’s when Poundstone started creating dozens of one-woman skits for her website, including a game show (Nobody Asked You!), cooking show (The Rhonda Series), and workout videos (Paula’s Workout Series), all very tonguein-cheek.

“It was really goofy stuff, and I didn’t make ends meet, but I stemmed the tide of losses a little bit. I was lucky, because I didn’t lose my house or business, but I ate a lot of beans and rice.

But they taste good, so that wasn’t a big challenge. Mostly I took care of my pets, the 10 cats and two big dogs. It’s not a full-time job taking care of them, but damn near. I mean someone takes care of them when I’m out of town. But I wasn’t out of town!”

Pause Page 534 534

5 – 12 May 2022

Ted Chiang Tue, May 10 / 7:30 PM UCSB Campbell Hall / FREE / “Exhalation by Ted Chiang is a collection of short stories that will make you think, grapple with big questions, and feel more human. The best kind of science fiction.”

– Barack Obama

Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer’s Presented as part of UCSB Reads, sponsored by the UCSB Library and the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor with additional support from UCSB Arts & Lectures and a variety of campus and community partners

Two Nights! Two Programs!

The Joffrey Ballet Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director Wed, May 11 & Thu, May 12 8 PM / Granada Theatre / “The Joffrey dancers, costumed and lit and shockingly talented, are like a rock concert for the eyes.” Huffington Post Dance Series Sponsors: Sarah & Roger Chrisman, Margo Cohen-Feinberg & Bob Feinberg, Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald Supporting Sponsor: Pam & Russ Strobel Presented in association with the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance

Bestselling Author and Pulitzer Prize Winner

Elizabeth Strout in Conversation with Pico Iyer Fri, May 13 / 7:30 PM UCSB Campbell Hall / In her bestselling books including Olive Kitteridge and My Name Is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout captivates with her incisive prose and ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Speaking with Pico Series Sponsors: Dori Pierson Carter & Chris Carter, Siri & Bob Marshall, and Laura & Kevin O’Connor

Health & Safety protocols apply. See the A&L website for details. Events with

include an at-home viewing option.

(805) 893-3535 | www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu Granada event tickets can also be purchased at: (805) 899-2222 | www.GranadaSB.org 5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

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Guest (Continued from 27 27)) Four states sided with Russia in voting against the U.N. General Assembly resolution for “unconditional withdrawal” and peace. The five naysayers represented a pantheon of international pariahs: Kim Jong-un’s Supreme Leader of North Korea; the Syrian Arab Republic, a Russian satellite; the dictatorship of Eritrea (known as the North Korea of Africa) bordering on the Red Sea’s “Horn of Africa;” and Russia’s stooge, Belarus. More significantly, the 35 countries who abstained from voting included China, India, Pakistan, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Bolivia, South Africa, and Vietnam.

The General Assembly resolution is not legally binding, but it is an expression of the views of the U.N. member nations. The day after the General Assembly resolution vote, Russia was the sole vote against a similar resolution in the Security Council, where it is one of five nations to hold a veto. Therefore, the resolution was not upheld, so Ukraine’s allies referred the resolution back to the General Assembly where there is no veto power.

A Possible U.N. Path for Peace in Ukraine Here is the good news! The General Assembly resolution showed that the U.N. “deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.” It was the first time in 40 years that the Security Council referred a crisis back to the General Assembly and only the 11th time an emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly has been called since 1950.

General Assembly resolution 377(V) is known as the “Uniting for Peace” resolution.

Adopted in 1950, the resolution resolves that “if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility to act as required to maintain international peace and security, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately with the view to making recommendations to UN members to restore international peace and security. If not in session, the General Assembly may meet using the mechanism of the emergency special session.”

Has the U.N. Officially Defined Illegal “Aggression” by a Member State?

General Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX) was adopted on December 14, 1974, after Security Council requested the General Assembly to reach a U.N. “Definition of Aggression.” An “act of aggression” is defined as the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of another

State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the U.N. Charter. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine clearly falls into this category. Specifically, the General Assembly defined illegal “Aggression” as follows: Article I. Aggression is the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of another State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations, as set out in this Definition.

Article 2. The first use of armed force by a State in contravention of the Charter shall constitute prima facie evidence of an act of aggression although the Security Council may, in conformity with the Charter, conclude that a determination an act of aggression has been committed would not be justified in the light of other relevant circumstances, including the fact that the acts concerned, or their consequences, are not of sufficient gravity.

Article 3. Any of the following acts, regardless of a declaration of war, shall, subject to, and in accordance with the provisions of Article 2, qualify as an act of aggression: (a) The invasion or attack by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State, or any military occupation, however temporary, resulting from such invasion or attack, or any annexation by the use of force of the territory of another State or part thereof. (b) Bombardment by the armed forces of a State against the territory of another State or the use of any weapons by a State against the territory of another State. (c) The blockade of the ports or coasts of a State by the armed forces of another State. (d) An attack by the armed forces of a State on the land, sea or air forces, or marine and air fleets of another State. (e) The use of armed forces of one State which are within the territory of another State with the agreement of the receiving State, in contravention of the conditions provided for in the agreement or any extension of their presence in such territory beyond the termination of the agreement. (f ) The action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State. (g) The sending by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against another State of such gravity as to amount to the acts listed above, or its substantial involvement therein.

Article 4. The acts enumerated above are not exhaustive and the Security Council may determine that other acts constitute aggression under the provisions of the Charter.

Article 5 (1) No consideration of whatever nature, whether political, economic, military, or otherwise, may serve as a justification for aggression. (2) A war of aggression is a crime against international peace. Aggression gives rise to international responsibility. (3) No territorial acquisition or special advantage resulting from aggression is or shall be recognized as lawful.

What Role Could the U.N. Play in Ukraine?

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Despite a Russian veto in the Security Council of the General Assembly resolution of March 2, 2022, there is a rationale that the U.N. General Assembly could and should take appropriate action to immediately promote a ceasefire, a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, and the pursuit of a diplomatic solution.

Ukraine is a charter member of the U.N. when it was formed in 1945. It officially declared its independence from the USSR on August 24, 1991; it has remained an independent nation for the last 31 years. The unprovoked Russian effort to annex the territory of its neighbor by a military invasion is an illegal assault on the U.N. Charter, under the General Assembly “Uniting for Peace” resolution and its “Definition of Aggression.”

We All Know What Needs To Be Done. Where Is Our Global Resolve and Leadership to End This War of Illegal Aggression?

The General Assembly of the U.N. needs to call another emergency session to vote on a new resolution to immediately demand a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine’s territory and the pursuit of a diplomatic solution.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres put it this way: “The fundamental promise of the United Nations Charter is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. The U.N. was created to deliver peace, not war which brings death, human suffering, and unimaginable destruction at a time when we cannot afford to add an unprovoked war to the major global challenges we face.”

Guterres went on to suggest that the world is staring into a nuclear abyss. Millions of innocent refugees, mostly women and children, are fleeing across borders. The most fundamental tenets of international law are being trampled. The U.N. General Assembly must rise to its enormous historical responsibility of coming together for peace and security. Make no mistake. Solutions are essential and urgent. The U.N. General Assembly must make the difficult decisions that will enable us to move for ward without an escalating arms race in Ukraine.

Bob Hazard has a strong belief that if you put committed, intelligent people together in a room and lock the door, some creative solution will emerge that is potentially different and better to benefit the entire community.

“If you build up the soil with organic material, the plants will do just fine.” – John Harrison

5 – 12 May 2022

Pause (Continued from 50 50)) But in truth, it turns out the skits satisfied a longtime urge for Poundstone, who said she idolized sketch comedy superstars Carol Burnett, Lily Tomlin, and Gilda Radner. “I wanted to be like them, but I missed by a country mile. I wasn’t really familiar with standup comedy as a kid because that was late-night entertainment. And my parents didn’t really enjoy my company enough to have me stay up watching The Tonight Show with them. But then I started as a standup when I was 19 and never pursued doing characters.

So it has been fun to experiment. I do silly voices and things I would never have the courage to do on stage. I make it, and then disassociate myself with it very soon after I post it.”

The break also helped her forge a better relationship with Wednesday, her anti-social cat (yes, named after the daughter in the Addams Family) who lives in her bathroom, the better to avoid interacting with humans, Poundstone said.

“I’ve had her for years, but if I were to pick her up, that’s an offense that’ll take months for her to get over. She’s not friendly. She’s like someone that can’t access their own joy, and she won’t let anyone touch her, but she loves to be pet.

And when she lets you, you can almost feel the house quake with the sound of the purring.”

Surprisingly, Poundstone – who any Wait, Wait listener can attest to, casts a suspicious eye toward unusual scientific studies – conducted an experiment of her own at home. It seems another kitten she adopted from the same litter could not be more social. “I can’t get her off my lap,” Poundstone said. “It just goes to show you that nature beats the f--- out of nurture!”

On the other hand, Poundstone said her own mental health might also have been affected by the long layoff. “I think that we are all suffering from a lot of anxiety. So when I go on stage now and talk about what I did during the pandemic, I tell them the first thing I learned is that I am not essential.” Poundstone’s fans might disagree.

Madigan is Back Again Poundstone isn’t the only female funster pounding the stand-up comedy circuit since the pandemic receded, allowing postponed performances to proceed. Kathleen Madigan has been even more of a road warrior, logging 250 nights a year as well as making multiple appearances on late night talk shows.

Madigan has also made more than a handful of comedy specials that aired on Netflix, Comedy Central, and HBO and even joined Jerry Seinfeld on his Netflix show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. She also launched a podcast during the pandemic, but is happy to be back in front of people, including, like Poundstone, locals at the Lobero, in her case on May 5.

5 – 12 May 2022

Amanda Assucena and Alberto Velazquez dance Under the Trees (photo by Todd Rosenberg)

Joffrey Juxtaposes Past, Present, and Future of Dance

Choreographer Gerald Arpino, the co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet who succeeded Robert Joffrey as its artistic director from 1988 to 2007 and composed nearly 50 ballets for the company, would have turned 100 next January. So, it’s fitting that Arpino’s 1986 work Birthday Variations forms the centerpiece of the Joffrey’s two-day, eight-work pair of performances at the Granada May 11-12.

But as historic as the company might be – Joffrey Ballet was the first dance company to perform at the White House, and the first to appear on American television, the first to use multimedia, the first to create a ballet set to rock music, and the first to have had a major motion picture based on it, Robert Altman’s The Company – looking backward, other than the revive major works, isn’t really its oeuvre.

Especially since former dancer and non-choreographer Ashley Wheater took over artistic duties from Arpino in 2007 after its 50th anniversary celebration. Rather than mark his own milestone, Wheater has had the classically trained company forge forward with both commissioning and creating new cutting-edge works to pair with its repertory pieces. Such is the case in Santa Barbara, where the new works include two by company dancer Yoshihisa Arai. Élégie Pas and Bolero, the latter a 15-dancer epic that premiered virtually as part of Joffrey’s Studio Series. Also on the program is Swing Low from Joffrey’s 2020 Winning Works choreographer Chanel DaSilva, whose pandemic-inspired piece evinces a deep connection to the transformative power of the arts and the indelible joy of movement. Likewise, Under the Trees’ Voices, from Joffrey Rehearsal Director Nicolas Blanc, examines the concept of community in the age of social distancing.

“I’m really proud that during the pandemic when we had no outside guests coming into the building, we were still able to be really creative,” Wheater said. “A lot of the works are created by young, up-and-coming or mid-career artists who are the expression of where we are today for this generation in the dance world. You see the breadth of dance from classicism and neoclassicism to quite contemporary dance in all manner of form. All of the pieces are very compelling. It’s a beautiful program, very expressive in its structure and in the way the company performs.”

Wheater reiterated that the Joffrey is still guided by its founder’s vision to be a quintessential American company that would take the risks to explore the borders of dance. “We’re not trying to be a 19th century classical European company,” he said. “As Robert said, classical ballet is the core of where we are, but it is not the circumference of where we can go.”

Focus on Film: YETI Fest, ‘Mincemeat’ The 2022 YETI Film Tour, comprising seven new short films focusing on the wild outdoors, kicks off its 12-stop coast-to-coast trek at the Lobero Theatre on Friday, May 6. Sponsored by the premium outdoor brand, the fest covers such subjects as fly fishing in Bhutan, Gordon Eastman’s grandson tracing the rugged mountain life of that made his grandfather an outdoors filming/big game hunter pioneer, a 270-mile riverways race through Texas, storm chasing and tornado watching, and more. The one-night-only event also boasts guest appearances, raffles for YETI gear, and a gift of a free piece of customized YETI Drinkware fueled by TINCUP Whiskey.

SBIFF’s Cinema Society preview screenings are back in action at the Riviera Theatre, with a sneak peek of Operation Mincemeat on Sunday, May 8,

three days before the true story of two British intelligence officers hatching an outlandish scheme to trick the Nazis and alter the course of World War II starts streaming on Netflix. The film stars Colin Firth and was directed by John Madden; writer Michelle Ashford will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A.

Book ‘em: Chiang Link Acclaimed science fiction and fantasy short story writer Ted Chiang has won four Hugo, four Nebula, and four Locus awards. His debut collection, Stories of Your Life and Others, is a bestseller that has been translated into 21 languages, and the 2016 film Arrival was adapted from the compilation’s title story about communicating with tentacular alien visitors whose language changes one’s experience of time. Chiang will discuss his latest story collection, Exhalation, which was named one of the best books of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, NPR, and The Guardian, among others, at Campbell Hall on Tuesday, May 10, moderated by UCSB’s Melody Jue. In an ancillary event on May 5, Pollock Theatre will screen Arrival followed by a discussion between English professors Jennifer Rhee of Virginia Commonwealth University and UCSB’s Jue.

Chaucer’s Choices May 5 is also when Julia Morse, an assistant professor of political science at UCSB who previously worked at the U.S. State Department and at the FBI, talks about her new book The Banker’s Blacklist.

Morse’s book demonstrates how the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has enlisted global banks in the effort to keep criminal and terrorist money out of the financial system, in the process drastically altering the domestic policy landscape and transforming banking worldwide.

Also at Chaucer’s this week: Local author Connard Hogan talks about Once Upon a Kentucky Farm, his memoir about the trauma of his early exposure to the harshness of alcoholism and spousal abuse and the healing effect of summers spent on his grandparents’ farm (May 9)....

Former longtime Independent writer/editor D.J. Palladino, who co-owns The Mesa Bookstore, checks into Chaucer’s to sign and share his second novel, Werewolf, Texas, his gripping and vividly dark story of a blood-thirsty dynasty set on preserv ing their power (May 11).

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

Montecito JOURNAL

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STATE LICENSE STATE LICENSENo. No.485353 485353

STATE LICENSE No. 485353 MAXWELLL. HAILSTONE MAXWELLL. HAILSTONE MAXWELL L. HAILSTONE East Valley Road, Suit 147 1482 East Valley Road, Suit 147 1482 East Valley Road, Suite 147 Montecito, California 93108 Montecito, California 93108 Montecito, California 93108

www.montecitoelectric.com www.montecitoelectric.com

5 – 12 May 2022

Mini Meta

Last Week’s Solution:

By Pete Muller & Andrew White For each of the first five mini crosswords, one of the entries also serves as part of a five-word meta clue. The answer to the meta is a word or phrase (five letters or longer) hidden within the sixth mini crossword. The hidden meta answer starts in one of the squares and snakes through the grid vertically and horizontally from there (no diagonals!) without revisiting any squares.

PUZZLE #1 1

2

3

A I D C H Y O C

C L A S P

K E D S E H I A

ICY

A N G S T

S O U T H

S T I P A V A R E W E

SOUTH

P O L E O P A L D E B I N O T R E

POLE

S T E P

L A N D

J U L I O

1

2

1

4

6

6

7

7

7

8

Down 1 Potpourri scent 2 Potpourri emanation 3 Electrical usage displayer 4 Reason for some classroom accommodations, for short 5 Often-torn knee parts, for short

5

4

2

2

1 5

6 7 8

Across 1 Ottoman-era felt hat 4 Coke, at times 6 Shady money 7 "The Jetsons" dog 8 ___ PreCheck

Down 1 With 4-Across, secretary of education who advocated for school choice 2 It vibrates when you pronounce a French "r" 3 Internet hookup 4 "Agnus ___" 5 Division of a match box score

Down 1 Word before lady or gentleman, in D.C. 2 They're indicated in an airplane safety briefing 3 Relative of the wild ass 4 Exec's degree 5 Speed Wagon initials

2

B E Z O S

T R E X

M E G A

E X E C

G R A N T

A C C R A

B I T E S

ANTARCTICA

3

4

5

Across 1 Set to go off, as an alarm 4 Leader on-board?

7 It's often measured in beats per minute 8 "Let's go!," to Luisa 9 Targets of a browser blocker

PUZZLE #5

3

G R A B S

6

9

Across 1 Hitch, as a ride 4 See 1-Down 6 Piano practice piece 7 Key chain element?

8 Orange tuber

PUZZLE #4 1

L O R N A

MASS

8

Across 1 Dalai ___ 5 Played on the radio, say 6 Follower of "cheese" and "table" 7 Hebrew letter linked to the Greek lambda 8 Disney villain voiced by Jeremy Irons and Chiwetel Ejiofor

S C U M

PUZZLE #3

3

5

8

Z Z I E N E E

LAND

PUZZLE #2 4

A C I N G

3

4

Down 1 When Cleopatra dies in "Antony and Cleopatra" 2 Flightless bird of the pampas 3 "___ Mia!" 5 Heart beat listening device?

6 Dress for Less retailer

META PUZZLE 5

1

6

2

3

4

7

5

8

6

9

7

Across 1 Out of the ordinary 6 Home of a famous lion with razor-sharp claws 7 Like many championship chess matches 8 Cheered (on) 9 Poppy products

Down 1 Habitat for the spectacled bear 2 Data combination function 3 Simulacrum 4 Gave a darn?

5 Smooths

Across 1 Garbage collector?

4 Improvise 5 Aboveboard 6 He played opposite Barbra in "Funny Girl" 7 Isr. neighbor

Down 1 Puffed item 2 A ways away 3 Where the Saints go marching down the field?

4 "Ratatouille" rat 5 ___ Cabos (Mexican vacation destination)

LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY SHARON BREESE INTERIOR DESIGN

DOWNSIZING • STAGING • DECLUTTERING

805.320.8688

breesedesign@yahoo.com Licensed & Insured

(805) 910-9247 Sales@ParadisePaintingSoCal.co ParadisePaintingSoCal.com

Commercial/Residential Exterior/Interior

Licensed (CSLB 1084319) Fully Insured (Commercial GL & WC Policy)

STEVEN BROOKS JEWELERS Appraisals for Estates and Insurance Graduate Gemologist ~ Established 1974 Sales of Custom Designed and Estate Jewelry Purchasing Estates sbjewelers@gmail.com or 805-455-1070

5 – 12 May 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

55

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© 2022 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. 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. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

at bhhscalifornia.com

3568 TORO CANYON PARK RD, CARPINTERIA 4BD/6½BA; ±42 acres • $27,000,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

39250 ORTEGA HWY, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO 4BD/3BA; ±1225 acres • $22,950,000 Jody Neal, 805.252.9267 LIC# 01995725

2692 SYCAMORE CANYON RD, MONTECITO 7BD/8½BA • $16,850,000 Nancy Kogevinas, 805.450.6233 LIC# 01209514

871 SAND POINT RD, CARPINTERIA 4BD/3½BA • $14,750,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

350 GREENWELL AVE, SUMMERLAND 2BD/2½BA; ±11.75 acres • $10,500,000 Bartron Real Estate Group, 805.563.4054 LIC# 01005021

800 HOT SPRINGS RD, MONTECITO 4BD/4BA • $8,950,000 Nancy Kogevinas, 805.450.6233 LIC# 01209514

500 MEADOW WOOD LN, MONTECITO 4BD/3BA + 2 offices • $6,650,000 Daniel Encell, 805.565.4896 LIC# 00976141

400 HOT SPRINGS RD, MONTECITO 4BD/6BA • $5,475,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

621 COWLES RD, MONTECITO 4BD/5BA; ±1 acre • $5,325,000 Deborah Samuel, 805.570.6680 LIC# 02119798

840 TORO CANYON RD, MONTECITO 4BD/3½BA; ±10.01 acres • $4,795,000 Cristal Clarke / J.J. Gobbell, 805.403.5785 LIC# 00968247 / 02063124

17 CAMINO VERDE, SANTA BARBARA 3BD/3½BA • $3,850,000 Daniel Encell, 805.565.4896 LIC# 00976141

124 W YANONALI ST, SANTA BARBARA 3BD/3BA; ±.02 acres • $3,550,000 Marsha Kotlyar Estate Group, 805.565.4014 LIC# 01426886

1903 COYOTE CIR, MONTECITO 3BD/3BA • $3,499,000 Jo Ann Mermis, 805.895.5650 LIC# 00891742

1705 GLEN OAKS DR, MONTECITO ±.87 acres • $1,825,000 Marsha Kotlyar Estate Group, 805.565.4014 LIC# 01426886

@BHHSCALIFORNIA