‘Lines of Inquiry’ – From posters to politics, waves to woodcuts, Westmont professors reveal how their art informs teaching and student growth, P.16
Taran-osaurus – Dinosaurs teach breathing, yoga, and big feelings as Taran Collis brings mindfulness to kids and their families, P.18
Golden Years Uncertain – The sale of Battistone’s senior housing puts 190 residents in jeopardy amid soaring rents and limited options, P.28 Voice
A tribute filled with harmony and heart… Wendy and Carnie Wilson share memories, music, and love ahead of concert honoring their father Brian Wilson and his timeless tunes. (Story starts on page 5)
Power-pole Positions
From farms to beaches, Dragon Q’s off-grid clean energy technology enters pilot phase in every corner of Santa Barbara County, page 12
Shop, Sip, Stroll
One week, endless experiences – Coast Village Road hosts art, music, shopping, and community fun for all ages (and breeds…), page 24
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5 On Entertainment – Carnie and Wendy Wilson talk about their dad and the Beach Boys-legend tribute concert, plus more tunes and a touch of dance around town
6 Beings and Doings – Alan Bergman left the room on July 17 this year, Marilyn in 2022. But their words inhabit hundreds of unforgettable melodies and those aren’t going anywhere.
8 Montecito Miscellany – Polo goes golfing, the housing market locally and afar, and more miscellany
10 Letters to the Editor – Thoughts on the value of socialism, and Carlos, The Bear, expresses enthusiasm for Tecolote Tide
Our Town – The possibly game-changing Dragon Q Energy PowerPole™ gets an eight location pilot program around Santa Barbara
The Society Edit – Veronica Beard opening, DART Coffee and art in Linden Square, opera at the museum, and art at MAW
16 Your Westmont – New exhibition highlights talented art faculty, men’s and women’s soccer seasons underway
18 Spirituality Matters – What dinosaurs can teach us about mindfulness and emotional regulation, plus Building Your Board of Directors for Life
20 Community Voices – Jeff Giordano starts a three-part look at housing in Santa Barbara
22 The Giving List – The Santa Barbara Symphony kicks off its upcoming season and Maestro Nir Kabaretti’s 20th year at the SBS podium
24 Coast Village Week – Here are specials and a full schedule of what’s to come for next week’s event along CVR
26 Brilliant Thoughts – In a just world, who dishes out justice? And is it at odds with “Liberty for all”?
28 The Battle of Battistone – With affordable housing properties being put up for sale, lowincome seniors worry about the future
30 An Independent Mind – Was it a good choice for the American government to invest in Intel? Does it set a bad precedent?
34 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A reader’s vintage Japanese necklace tells of the Seven Lucky Gods and the fortunes of your first dream of the year
38 News Bytes – Dogs looking for temporary homes, Labor Day at SYR, Chabad’s BBQ, and other tidbits
41 In Passing – Remembering the life and impact of Ralph Minc
44 Calendar of Events – 1st Thursday happenings, Brad Nack gets catty, Pints for the Park, and other events
46
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
47 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles
Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer
by Steven Libowitz
Although he spent his entire life in Southern California, Brian Wilson never performed at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara. But it’s hard not to imagine that the founder, chief songwriter and sonic architect behind The Beach Boys would be even more thrilled by the concert coming to the jewel of a theater on September 27.
That’s because the concert is a celebration of Wilson’s music performed by a huge swath of his extended family, everyone from his kids Carnie and Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips, their colleague in 1990s hitmakers Wilson Phillips, and their collective kids to his ex-wife and former members of his bands. Among those scheduled to perform are Rob Bonfiglio, Carnie’s husband, and Brian Wilson band guitarist; The Honeys (early 60s girl group comprised of Wilson’s first wife/Carnie & Wendy’s mother Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford and her cousin Ginger Blake); Carnie’s daughter Lola Bonfiglio, 20, who competed on American Idol earlier this year; Wendy’s son Leo Knutson; longtime Wilson percussionist Nelson Bragg; keyboardist Don Randi of The Wrecking Crew, the storied session band on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album.
The Tribe Band, the L.A.-based collective that plays concerts all around the region in support of nonprofits, serves as the house band, with the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara providing strings and other instrumental arrangements, and special guest appearances by Kenny Loggins, Ken Stacey singers Carly Smithson, Alisan Porter, Santa Barbararaised Hunter Hawkins, backup singer Rosemary Butler, and many others.
It’s the first such tribute concert to Wilson outside of the L.A. area since his passing at 82 on June 11. Proceeds will go to provide funds for two local organizations, Adam’s Angels and Surfrider Foundation of Santa Barbara, but the true beneficiaries might be those who see the concert and its once-in-a-lifetime roster coming together to celebrate the spirit, sound, and soul of Wilson’s musical legacy through the Beach Boys’ biggest songs and some deeper cuts, as well as surprises.
Carnie and Wendy Wilson – who will perform on their own and with family members, as well as with Chynna as part of Wilson Phillips – shared their thoughts on Brian, the Beach Boys, and this special concert in a conference call last week.
Q. I’m one of the multi-millions who consider Brian one of the all-time great composers and a true mastermind I marvel about every time I hear a Beach Boys song. I read a long-ago interview with Carnie where you said you heard Pet Sounds in your mother’s womb. I have to admit I’m envious. Were you as big a fan?
Entertainment Page 104
by Jeff Wing
The Oscars. The place is packed with Old and New Hollywood cognoscenti. Groucho Marx and Tatum O’Neal are breathing the same air, though likely from separate tables. Henry Mancini (Henry Mancini!!) is in the pit conducting the Academy Awards Orchestra.
Now Burt Bacharach and the amazing Ann-Margret are at the dais – Burt in his trademark tux and fluffy salt-npepper coif, Ann-Margret dressed this evening as Olga Mara; Singin’ in the Rain’s fleetingly glimpsed Black Widow Awkwardly chewing through the stilted patter that once characterized these telecasts, the two now solemnly name the hopefuls for Best Original Song. Hollywood is in the throes of something, the recently ductile nature of the Dream Factory evident in the odd mix of nominees, a gang that includes John Williams, the great Sammy Cahn, Paul McCartney, Mel Brooks, and a married couple from Brooklyn.
Bacharach opens the envelope, reads the card, and happily hands it to AnnMargret, whose live reading is nearly indecipherable, she is so excited. Bacharach reacts with a huge, genuine grin and single triumphant handclap.
Future Montecitans Alan and Marilyn Bergman and their songwriting partner, Marvin Hamlisch, rise from their seats near the back of the overstuffed Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, sidle past a danger-
ously overexcited Liza With a Z, and make their way to the dais. The orchestra strikes up a brassy rendition of “The Way We Were.” The couple’s individual acceptance speeches are brief and gracious – pure class and neatly expressed appreciation. Their co-writer Marvin Hamlisch, though, is a heart-torquing melodist – his emotionally stumbling acceptance speech as effulgent as his art.
It was a time.
Some 42 years later I’ve wrangled an interview with legendary songwriter, President of ASCAP, and (ironically) 1974 Best Song also-ran to the Bergmans – Paul Williams. That evening, Williams will be chatting up the legendary husband and wife songwriting duo on the Granada stage, where Alan and Marilyn Bergman will discuss their now classic Oscar-winning tune “The Way We Were,” the conversation to be followed by a showing of the film.
At the end of our interview Williams says, “Jeff, we’re having a little gathering here before the show tonight. Care to join?” The little black dots immediately swarm my periphery, suggestive of approaching hypoxia and a humiliating collapse right in front of the great Paul Williams.
“Oh yes… are you sure? That would be lovely,” I intone.
Judie and I show up at the McCune Founders Room and its crowd of impeccably dressed, thunderbolt-hurling Titans. I feel I’ve entered the room in the manner of Winnie the Pooh – pot-bellied and naked but for a bright red crop-top hiked up to my collarbones. Alan Bergman is standing in the corner, entertaining a small crowd and tossing his head back in congenial laughter. What are we doing here?
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by Richard Mineards
Polo players turned in their mallets for golf clubs and showed non-equestrian talents at the Glen Annie course for the 7th annual Polo Training Center fundraiser.
The event, which raised around $10,000, was partially sponsored by Farmers & Merchants Bank and organized by Rhys Williams
The Friedman family, led by Geoff Friedman, looking dashing in colorful harlequin plus-fours, won the award for best foursome, and Margarita Lande won the trophy for the longest female drive.
Others trying out their golfing skills included Chris Denson, Chuck Lande, Jesse Bray, Will Busch, Artemio Figueras, Piers and Bayne Bossom, Jake Klentner, Nolan Nicholson, and Jeff Scheraga
One of the original TV “bachelors” Andrew Firestone has called it quits with his wife Ivana after 17 years of marriage, I am saddened to report.
“After much reflection and many hours of counseling we have decided we can best serve the children and honor our commitment to family by moving forward as co-parents,” Andrew, a developer, wrote in an Instagram statement.
“While this was not an easy decision, we remain united in raising our children with the values we share.”
Andrew, 50, son of Brooks and Kate Firestone, and Ivana, 47, may no longer be a couple, but they are committed to being a family cheering from the sidelines for their children’s “happiness and success.”
The tony twosome have three children – Adam, 16, Anja, 14, and Shane, 11. I wish them well.
Prince Harry is returning to London this week to attend the WellChild Awards in his first visit to the U.K. since losing his court battle with the Home Office over his security detail.
The Duke of Sussex will celebrate the achievements and resilience with
Miscellany Page 324
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Carnie Wilson [CW]. We agree. We’ve always loved the music so much, and we feel very proud that we’ve carried on his legacy for the better part of 40 years. Even though we’ve had our own records and big hits, he’s always been the driving force. We wouldn’t have had anything without the love of harmony, and feeling so connected to our father in that way has always been very special to us.
I know you had a challenging childhood with what your dad was going through with addiction and other problems.
CW. He went through a very hard patch, but it was so great that we got to connect once again through music, to reunite as a family and reconnect with him in the ways that we really related to him. Thank God for these years we had together. There was a lot of healing. I’m very grateful for everything that we’ve been through, all the steps, all the healing and the moments that we have had over our lives, the special moments, some of which we got to spend with Dad, and it was beautiful. We’re holding on to those memories, the good stuff.
More than 20 years ago, you actually recorded your cover of “In My Room” with Wilson Phillips with your dad playing piano and singing the bridge on the Dedicated album. What was that like?
CW. We were laughing because when we were in the studio with Daddy recording it, he played the piano really super fast, very sped up. We were laughing because we knew that he was very emotional, and I think he was very blown away being in the studio with all of us. He really loved our music. So it must have been a trip for him to be there, like he wanted to get it over with faster because he was too emotional.
Wilson Phillips will be singing that as one of our songs in the celebration concert.
You’ll be with a huge extended family at the show at the Granada. What are you looking forward to?
CW. I’m really excited about it. It’s really great to have the family coming together and singing. The whole concert is just huge and fabulous. I’m excited about having the orchestra – I love when strings are a part of any Beach Boys Entertainment Page 404
Jeff Harding criticizes the college educated youth that are gravitating to Socialism with puerile augments such as “Capitalism has provided the greatest prosperity ever.” This is simply not true; it has provided the greatest wealth inequality in history and left our environment shattered. Science has progressed in the last 200 years, and this provided the basis for a current high standard of living, not a primitive arrangement between employer and employee modeled on the Lord over serf mindset (just like slavery).
The extreme Capitalist is the reason we are in so much trouble now with our debt and standard of living for the average American. Housing has simply become unreachable for an average income in the U.S., and young adults see a bleak future with no chance of advancement in their lives. Indeed, it says more about Mr. Harding than the young adults he chastises for looking for a better system. No doubt, in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, the prospect of “Socialism” is frightening to those who have either inherited their wealth or exploited those less fortunate in our society to obtain it.
China’s rapid growth simply flies in the face of Mr. Harding’s claim that Socialism never works. Their combination of a highly regulated private sector and government projects have simply lifted more people out of poverty, faster than any other system in history. They also don’t spend 40% of their GDP manipulating stock prices, so the rich can accumulate ever greater amounts of wealth. Everything I have just said can be backed up with actual facts, not invalidated by clichés of how great our system is. The youth of America are simply stating the obvious – that something is drastically wrong with our current economic system, and it needs to be examined carefully.
The New Deal was a result of the last time we had such a huge disparity of wealth
and income. It has been the most successful application of Socialism our country has ever seen. Now, Trump and his extreme neoliberal minions are trying to dismantle it as fast as possible. The result will be suffering we have never encountered in our lifetime if he is successful.
Christopher Keate MSEE
Jeff Wing ’s article on Tecolote Bookstore was fascinating; however, I’d like to add three points.
1.) Tecolote has a wide variety of books and book related items to keep one’s mind happy. Their New Yorker puzzles come to mind.
2.) Mary and her staff are all avid readers and are available to recommend a read or order one, if you like.
3.) It has air conditioning that makes it a good place to browse the stacks on a hot day.
Also, they have terrific book signing events that I find most interesting and enjoyable. Three cheers for Tecolote, the only bookstore in The Cito, conveniently located in the Upper Village!
-Carlos, The Bear, & Michael Edwards
Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net
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MoJo Contributing Editor | Christopher Matteo Connor
Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe
Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña
Administrative Assistant | Kassidy Craner VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net
Account Managers | Sue Brooks Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley
Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing
Gossip | Richard Mineards
History | Hattie Beresford
Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri
Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli
Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook
Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
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by Joanne A Calitri
Along known hard fact is that Santa Barbara County is at the end of the power grid line for electricity powered by Southern California Edison. No matter how you slice it, if there is a power shut down for any reason, SBC is out.
This was detailed in the Montecito Journal by Rinaldo Brutoco, on March 26, 2020:
“Sixty-six percent of our power is carried through a single pair of high voltage transmission lines owned by Southern California Edison (Edison). They sit in the back of the foothills that ring our county and bring the energy we use between Goleta and Ventura. Since they run on the same easement next to each other in the remote back country, if a tower goes down, we would be without power. As the World Business Academy discovered in 2012 in an obscure filing made by Edison at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Edison specifically warned the transmission lines would fail from erosion under the towers from rain or fire.”
His advice at that time was, “The Academy knows the solution to this precarious situation is simple: generate energy locally from renewable resources with a statewide “honeycomb” of interconnected microgrids to replace the existing grid one substation at a time. Microgrids can be built to rely solely upon renewable resources and economically store that energy in numerous ways. When the rest of the electrical grid goes down from transmission line failure, a microgrid could “island” itself and continue to function. It could also interconnect to other microgrids forming that honeycomb described above. The Academy several years ago provided a detailed map to the CPUC for replacing the entire transmission network with solar cells.”
[https://www.montecitojournal. net/2020/03/26/transmission-woes-oncentral-coast/]
Not waiting for state and local governments to take action or advice from scientists, enter the Dragon Q Energy (DQE) team of CEO & Founder Daniel Casey , mechanical engineer Quang Bui, and marketing director Liam Casey. Dan has done research on drones and helicopters for NASA
and the U.S. Army, and developed a large-format, pressurized grid battery while repairing hurricane-damaged transmission power lines in Florida in 2005. In 2022 he founded Dragon Q Energy with a mission that energy storage should be safe, resilient, and adaptable. Recent add to the company is Sean Casey as chief commercial officer. Sean is a decorated U.S. Army veteran, and founder of Rotorcorp, the world’s largest supplier of Robinson Helicopter parts.
My first report on their work was a year ago, in the Montecito Journal, July 24, 2024, where they were testing a PowerPole™ at the University of California Santa Barbara’s California NanoSystems Institute. They now have their hub on Patterson Ave, Goleta.
This week I am happy to report that Dragon Q Energy is piloting an eight location PowerPole™ installation across the county. They are working in collaboration with Megan Birney Rudert – president and CEO of Unite to Light – and the James S. Bower Foundation to bring renewable energy to our county. If these installations succeed, we are closer to our local renewable grid. The locations are:
- the UCSB Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve and Sedgwick Reserve, with two PowerPoles™ for research and educational opportunities in the field while increasing resilience to power outages.
Our Town Page 414
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by Joanne A Calitri
Hello Loves! Welcome to my new column, The Society Edit. This week it is filled with your c’est une must list on fashion, art, and the latest café opening.
It’s Labor Day Weekend as I write this; when I follow my NYC roots immersed in changing out my wardrobe for the new season, and lining up the looks for society events. Coveted issues of September British and French Vogue magazines be found!
Navigating fashion with ever-changing autumn weather takes talent, and you have it. As French women know, sophisticated, standout, and one-of-akind accessories are everything – a new designer belt, bag, shoes, and scarf can most definitively make you fabulous, adding the chic to your current wardrobe. And yes, jewelry!
Speaking of sophisticated layering, Montecito’s soon to open fashion retail store, Veronica Beard, wears the motto, “A dream wardrobe has to work for a multifaceted, layered life…we believe
that quality should never be compromised.” Scheduled to open on October 30, the Montecito store at 1269 Coast Village Road joins eight California VB stores, including the flagship store in Beverly Hills.
#IFKYK Veronica is the name of its two career-mom, co-founding women, who each married a Beard brother. They are Veronica Miele Beard (wife of Anson H. Beard ), and Veronica Swanson Beard (wife of Jamie Beard ). Miele Beard worked on Wall Street and was a partner/COO of the hedge fund, Coatue Management. Swanson Beard, an heiress to the Swanson frozen food empire, has a B.A. in Art History from Tulane and attended Parsons School of Design. Her father owns Swanson Vineyards, Napa Valley, and yes there is a store there! Veronica Beard opened in 2010, receiving backing from third generation garment industry entrepreneur Andrew Rosen
The brand rose to fame via local celebs Gwyneth Paltrow and Meghan , Duchess of Sussex, [then Markle], wearing the line. The hallmark item is “The Dicky,” (made of knit, hoodie,
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cashmere, or leather), zipped into the front of a blazer for a layered look, sans the bulk. From there, came an entire clothing line, complete with shoes and accessories.
Montecito shoppers can expect Veronica Beard signature in-store events, Gifting Services, Personal Styling, Delivery Service, and their VB Edit Consignment Box.
And loves, Veronica Beard’s “VB” logo is not to be confused with the lovely Victoria Beckham ® “VB” logo! Shopping hours are all week 10 am to 7 pm. Phone is (805) 322-0530. They are on a search for a Montecito store Sales Supervisor; apply online, and do let me know if you hear who landed it.
All the 501(c)3’s in the area, take note – the VB Gives Back program partners with a cause that supports women, children, and families.
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After changing your wardrobe for a new season, are you needing a bit of caffeine with a wellness shot of ocean breeze and a view of art? David Dart and Erika Marie Carter’s third Dart’s Coffee Shop is open in Linden Square Carpinteria up from the beach.
Don’t fret if you missed the opening two weeks ago, we all did. After reading mixed reviews online and a SB newspaper’s inaccuracies, I met with the manager Sera Quinteros to get the story
right for our readers and followers! I asked about the new kitchen, menu, art, hours of operation, and reviews of the coffee being thin. She explained, “It’s unfortunate to hear about a review that the coffee was thin. We have a new espresso machine and sometimes it gives us a hard time! We are using
by Scott Craig
Westmont’s talented art faculty, who inspire students to envision exciting, real-world possibilities for their own creative paths, offer an impressive range of works from their innovative careers in Lines of Inquiry: Westmont Art Faculty Exhibition Fall 2025 from Sept. 4-Nov. 1, in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art.
The museum hosts a free, public opening reception with the art professors on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 4-6 pm.
The Westmont art faculty represent a range of artistic careers such as graphic design, community activism, art history, museum studies, studio art, commercial photography and illustration, and of course, education.
“Each of these professors’ paths reflects a deep commitment to continuous learning, growth, and exploration,” says Chris Rupp, interim director of the museum and instructor of art at Westmont. “Lines of Inquiry beautifully captures the power of art to uncover and express meaningful
truths about our world. It encourages students to stay curious, keep creating, and pursue art that makes a lasting impact.”
Including Rupp, the featured artists are Scott Anderson, Brad Elliott, Ryan Ethington, Nathan Hayden, Nathan Huff, and Meagan Stirling
Anderson showcases his process of creating posters for Westmont’s music and theater departments through an expansive array of sketches, preliminary marker drawings, and framed prints of the digitally painted final posters.
“Every poster illustration starts with a sketch, and to illuminate that process, I’ve included those sketches next to their respective final pieces,” Anderson says. “This body of work collectively represents more than 15 years of posters created for Westmont, and the freedom given to explore new
techniques has been essential to keeping the work fresh and engaging.”
Elliott, who has worked at Westmont for 41 years, serves as the longtime campus photographer and adjunct art professor. He also oversees the audiovisual, sound and lighting for numerous college events, including Commencement, Midnight Madness, Spring Sing – held annually in the Santa Barbara Bowl –and chapel, held three times a week in Murchison Gym. A graduate of Brooks
Westmont Page 394
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by Steven Libowitz
Third-generation Montecito resident Taran Collis, a certified Yoga Therapist and Ayurveda Wellness Counselor, spent almost two decades teaching yoga and wellness to adults at La Casa de Maria and the Montecito YMCA before the debris flows from the Thomas Fire and later the pandemic interfered.
What also changed things was having a son. Within a few years, she realized that you can’t ever really start too early with mindfulness techniques.
Collis began volunteering at Cold Spring School over the last few years, teaching meditation and mindfulness every week with her son’s grade.
“Within the first year, it was apparent how quickly they were picking up these practices and how they were utilizing them in their daily life,” she said. “Adults don’t implement the practices as much because we’ve got so many things in our toolkits. So when we learn something new, we think, well, I might try that. But kids in elementary school are just learning these emotions for the first time. They’re starting to actually feel what anxiety is and what it’s like to understand being angry.”
Inspired by the kids, Collis created Mindful Adventures for the Family, a three-book series tailored not only for young readers, but also their parents and educators. The playful books serve as a guide for all ages through mindfulness techniques that instill calmness.
The mindfulness practices and self-affirmations are woven through adventure stories, with the techniques showing up
more organically to help children create pathways to emotional resilience, focus and inner peace.
“It’s not a tutorial because they’re sort of hidden in the story,” Collis said. “The goal is to have fun, go through an adventure and end up experiencing the techniques in the process.”
The protagonists in each of the books are dinosaurs. The reason is fairly obvious.
“So many kids just love dinosaurs at age four or five,” Collis said. “My son is no exception. And it’s set up so that the kids are the sound effects in the story –they roar for the dinosaurs or make the sounds of a storm. And getting up and moving is also encouraged, which is also good for our health and well-being.”
The last section of each book gives more information about each of the practices for the older kids and other family members.
“The goal is to ultimately allow everyone, from the little kids to grandparents or teachers, to be reading the stories together so that everybody’s learning the practices at the same time,” Collis said. “Even teachers or educators can take a moment to learn the self-regulation techniques. Parents are actually sometimes equally appreciative of learning the tools.”
Dinosaurs Have Big Feelings Too , the first book in Mindful Adventures for the Family, published earlier this year, embedded point holds to manage emotions. Book two, Dinosaurs Do Mindfulness Too, Mindful Techniques to
Spirituality Page 384
TICKETS: www.granadasb.org
Featuring: Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson, Chynna Phillips, Rob Bonfiglio, The Honeys, Don Randi, Lola Bonfiglio, Leo Knutson, Nelson Bragg, Randell Kirsch, Carly Smithson, Alisan Porter, Hunter Hawkins, Rosemary Butler, Ken Stacey +special appearance by Wilson Phillips
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by Jeff Giordano
Thurs day, September 11, 2025
6:55-7:05 a.m.
Montecito Fire Department invites the community to join our firefighters for 9/11 Remembrance Ceremonies at both Montecito Fire stations. Coffee and refreshments provided.
Station 91 - 595 San Ysidro Road
Station 92 - 2300 Sycamore Canyon Road
Those of us with even a modicum of “context” know that Santa Barbara is not unique. Prices continue to rise – as they do around the globe – and new housing stock, at least in SB-land, is as rare as shared martinis between Trump and Newsom . So, yes, I thought I would venture onto the third rail of Santa Barbara city politics and write a three-part series about our complicated housing scene and the general state of the city.
Santa Barbara city’s population decreased from 90,308 in 2010 to approximately 84,990 in 2025. Between 2008 and 2025 our retail vacancy has increased by more than 300% while rental rates declined by 34% from $4.25 to $3.18 per square foot (they exceeded $6 in 2000). The rates used are State Street favorable as they include Montecito where the rents are now $10 per s.f. (Wow).
Fact: During the same time that our population decreased by 6%, our city’s expenditures more than doubled, moving from $104M to $215M. Yes, we now run at a deficit.
our ordinance; Adaptive Reuse. You know, the very costly and difficult idea of converting retail and/or office to residential housing. These conversions were part of our 158-page state approved Housing Element plan, which requires us to build 8,001 new units before 2031. The city’s goal for reuse was clear, “provide incentives and promote flexibility for adaptive reuse projects.” Rather than providing incentives, however, the City Ordinance Committee, led by Kristen Sneddon and Oscar Gutierrez , recommended ( Mike Jordan disagreed) that any such project must include 10% below-market rate units. This “ inclusionary rule ,” which exists for other new projects, represents a 90-year deed restriction – i.e., another layer of risk for what are inherently risky/ leveraged projects.
Equally troubling is what Radius Group VP Justin Diem terms “ retail musical chairs .” Between 2017 and 2025, 50% of retailers on six core blocks either moved or closed. As Mr. Diem said, “ It’s hard to build destination loyalty when there is such high storefront fluidity. Tenants are nervous due to the uncertainty and landlords are signing short term leases, hoping for brighter days ahead. ” As are we all. But, as I tell my kids, a wish is not a plan.
Perhaps, the good news is that as rents plummet businesses that could never have afforded State Street (but still had a place in our town) – tattoo parlors, hostels, thrift stores, popups, and purveyors of the tomahawk throw – can find a home. When we moved here in 1998, I completely understood why our sister city was Nice. Now, the comparison is laughable. Fact: According to data provided by the SBPD between 2023-2024 Aggravated Assaults increased 14% while Intimidation increased 27%. Smoke fills the air as the fiddle plays. Part II will focus on housing but there is a consequential September 9 City Council vote on one aspect of
The current posterchild for Adaptive Reuse is the former Sur La Table location where Ben Romo of Romo & Associates helped Jason Yardi convert the building to 14 below market studio apartments. The ribbon cutting drew politicians from far and wide, many touting it as our future reuse “model.” Let’s get this straight; Mr. Yardi may deserve to have a statue built in tribute to his largesse – with the help of the Housing Authority this project was individually philanthropic (Bravo!) – but it is not a model for robust future for-profit projects – something that the city desperately needs.
In speaking to Mr. Romo, he said: “ The city’s inclusionary housing requirements should not apply to adaptive reuse projects in the Central Business District. Requiring affordable housing in the most expensive, complex, and riskiest place to do development will lead to no adaptive reuse projects at all .” This truth stands in stark contrast to what Sneddon reportedly called a “homerun” when recommending the mandate. For the few who read my rants, you know I’m not much for naysayers, or folks who point fingers in the air and orate. I’m more about doers, risk takers, visionaries and thinkers who look at the forest not the leaves because “yes” takes courage and “no” is nowhere. Sometimes being “for housing” requires, well, housing. It will be interesting to see how the council votes on September 9.
Jeff Giordano, Santa Barbara County resident
by Steven Libowitz
With the NFL football season launching earlier this month, the Santa Barbara Symphony is hosting a kickoff of their own, a free season preview event on Thursday, September 18, at the at the historic Lobero Theatre. The preview will be jamming with fun, music, and inside info to introduce a season that marks a milestone in the symphony’s 73-year-history: Maestro Nir Kabaretti’s 20th Anniversary as Music and Artistic Director.
The program begins on the theater’s raised promenade at 4:30 pm, where patrons and newbies alike can mix and mingle, try out musical instruments from the Symphony’s much-heralded Music Van program, and speak with staff about everything from ticket purchases to volunteer opportunities and donor relations and other ways to deepen their relationship with The Symphony.
Kabaretti comes to the stage at 5 pm inside the stunning theater to share the behind-the-scenes stories and creative vision that inspired The Symphony’s upcoming season 2025-26 October to May season, one that boasts a wide scope of concerts including rarely featured instruments, extraordinary guest artists, and innovative programming that stretches across genres and centuries.
“This season is deeply personal to me,” said Kabaretti in a press release. “It reflects the evolution of our orchestra, our community, and my journey over the past 20 years in Santa Barbara. We’re offering bold, fresh experiences designated specifically for our 805 community, and I can’t wait to share what’s ahead.”
What’s directly ahead at the September 18 event is a musical treat for the audience as the ensemble’s Principal Trombonist Dillon MacIntyre, a featured artist at the Mozart Requiem
concert in November, joins Maestro Kabaretti onstage alongside internationally acclaimed Harpist Cristina Montes Mateo to perform stirring duos.
The event is meant as a casual teaser and preview. It will be an opportunity for longtime patrons and possible newcomers to not just read about the coming season’s programming, but to hear it come alive through the impassioned narratives of the 20-year Symphony Maestro who programmed it.
“The audience will get to know us and hear and feel connected – and maybe as excited – as we are about what’s coming up,” said President & CEO Kathryn R. Martin. “You will feel Nir’s passion as he goes over each of the programs, concert by concert, the highlights, and why he programmed all of the pieces.”
The new season spotlights an extraordinary lineup of guest artists and bold programming, featuring some of the most promising stars of the future.
January’s two-day Beethoven Piano Concerto Marathon showcases five rising piano virtuosos – each an international competition winner– including a laureate from Santa Barbara’s own Music Academy of the West who won the Solo Piano Competition this past summer. Rarely featured instruments are also celebrated as in November, acclaimed trombonist Christian Lindberg joins MacIntyre for a Symphony co-commissioned “Double Trombone Concerto” – leading up to Mozart’s “Requiem” – while accordionist Hanzhi Wang dazzles in Red Ferrari in March. Genre-busting violinist Alexi Kenney brings his artistry to Barber’s “Violín Concerto” in April, while the newly formed, community-based Santa Barbara Symphony Chorus performs in Mozart’s “Requiem” and brings emotional closure to the season finale in Mahler’s “Resurrection”.
Giving List Page 424
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by Beth Sullivan
See all CVR has to offer September 8th-14th!
Join us for Coast Village Week, celebrating our vibrant community with a variety of events and experiences that capture the heart of Coast Village Road for residents, visitors, and merchants alike!
Dive into Coast Village by shopping, sipping, and perusing! Don’t forget to check out the incredible events hosted by the Coast Village Association and Rosewood Miramar.
Art Walk | Thursday, Sept. 11, 4-7 pm: After a roaring success at July’s ‘Beyond the Canvas’ Art Walk, the CVA is excited to announce a special Art Walk that will kick off the Coast Village Week events. Come for a lively showcase of creativity in its various mediums, from visual art and photography to culinary and healing arts! Enjoy live music, small bites, and refreshments as your inner art enthusiast comes alive!
Jazz & Mocktails | Friday, Sept. 12, 4-7 pm: After a day of perusing Coast Village Road’s unique boutiques and stores (and shopping their incredible limited-time deals!), indulge in mocktails and live jazz in front of Renaud’s on Friday from 4 to 7 pm!
Dog Days Photo Booth | Saturday, Sept. 13, 12-3 pm: On Saturday, bring your kiddos and doggies down for Coast Village Week’s Dog Days photo booth for the Montecito Journal “top dog” prize and enjoy ice cream compliments of Rosewood Miramar. Join in the fun for the whole family!
Vintage Cars & Surfboards | Sunday, Sept. 14, 10 am - 3 pm: Coast Village Week wraps up on Sunday with vintage cars and surfboards spanning Coast Village Road. Check out boards courtesy of Ryan Lovelace and a wide variety of vintage cars, from a variety of collectors, including a Ferrari Lusso.
Enjoy a moment of eats, drinks, and sights at one of Coast Village Road’s restaurants!
The Lion’s Tale: Celebrate Coast Village Week in style at The Lion’s Tale Bar! Enjoy our Bubbles & Oysters Special all week long, with extra fun on Monday for all-night happy hour and live jazz on Wednesday. Come for the bites, stay for the vibes!
Los Arroyos: Stop by Los Arroyos Montecito during Coast Village Week to take advantage of exclusive discounted gift card pricing: Buy a $50 gift card & receive a $10 bonus gift card. Buy a $100 gift card & receive a $20 bonus gift card. No dining required to purchase – just stop in and ask! Offer valid only at the Montecito location during Coast Village Week!
Lilac: Celebrate Village Coast Week at Lilac Montecito and enjoy 50% off mimosas with any breakfast entrée and 20% off a bottle of wine with your dinner purchase. Available September 8–14. Reserve your table today!
Throughout the week, Coast Village’s specialty boutiques, lively restaurants, fine art galleries, wellness hotspots, and jewelers will offer experiences and promotions, featuring limited-time discounts, exclusive merchandise, specials, and happy hours!
Belrose: Spend $5,000 or more during Coast Village Week and receive a gorgeous Hermès Silk Scarf – availability limited to the first five clients. While visiting our boutique, try your luck at guessing the total carat weight of an exquisite diamond tennis necklace. The guess closest to the actual caret weight will win a 14k Yellow Gold Vintage Bar Necklace!
Dani Stone Trunk Show | Sunday, Sept. 14: Meet Dani Stone and check out her rockin’ fashion on display.
Faherty: Shop at Faherty and receive a gift with every purchase while supplies last!
J. McLaughlin: Celebrate Coast Village Week at J. McLaughlin during Art Walk! We will host a special Fall Preview Sip & Shop on Thursday, September 11th. Discover our latest collection while enjoying the work of featured local artist, Kelly Clause . It’s the perfect blend of style and creativity – don’t miss it!
Kathryne Designs: Enjoy 10% off all books all week long. Observe artist Amy Logsdon paint dogs on Thursday evening during the Art Walk!
K. Frank: NN07 Trunk Show, Saturday Sept. 13, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Lily: Shop with 10% off all purchases all week long, and be sure to stop by to see Cassandria Blackmore during the Art Walk!
Mischief: Celebrate Coast Village Week with Mischief! All week, customers will receive 5% of their purchase, as a store credit to use on a future shopping trip. It’s the perfect time to treat yourself – and treat yourself again later!
Montecito Collective: Enjoy exclusive gifts with your purchase all week long: Spend $500 and receive a custom Montecito Collective tote. Spend $1,000 and receive a custom Montecito Collective Beach Towel. Available all week long – while supplies last! In store event: Join us Saturday the 13th & Sunday the 14th for Cans & Canapés – a summer afternoon of chilled sips, light bites, and explore our newest collections in-store.
Montecito Fitness: During Coast Village Week, we are offering Buy 2 Sessions, Get 2 FREE. This is a fantastic way to experience world-class training while making real progress for half the price! Yoga Offering for Coast Village Week: We’ll be hosting a series of yoga classes designed to help you reset, recharge, and move with ease. Monday, Thursday, and Sunday at 9 am.
Montecito Med Spa: 20% off all products and 15% of all services during Coast Village Week. Services must be booked and used between September 8–14. Reserve today!
Whistle Club: Spend $500 and receive a $100 gift certificate for use in October.
Certificates will be issued digitally on October 1st and available exclusively for the month.
The Tennis Shop: With any $100 purchase, receive a sleeve of Tennis or Pickle Balls.
True Love Always: Visit True Love Always to view their framed vintage scarf collection, featuring designers and brands from Chanel and Louis Vuitton to Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. To celebrate Coast Village Week, shop all framed vintage scarves at a 15% discount!
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable week of exciting events! Celebrate “Coast Village Week” with us and indulge in the best that Coast Village has to offer. We can’t wait to see you there!
For more information, visit coastvillageroad. com and check out @coast.village.road on Instagram.
Discover the unparalleled allure of Coast Village, the ultimate destination for shopping sipping, strolling and living in style. Every corner reveals hidden treasures and unforgettable experiences.
by Ashleigh Brilliant
There’s not much that has stuck with me from a course in Political Theory I once had to take (it was a requirement for getting my B.A. in History at the University of London). But one thing I remember was that it began with Plato and his book The Republic , which was all about an attempt to define Justice.
And the main conclusion Plato came to was that, in an ideal society, everybody would get what they deserved. From our point of view, a couple of millennia later, that may seem, after all those pages and dialogues, to have been rather obvious, and one is tempted to say to Plato, “Is that all?”
But the big question remains; Who is to decide what is Deserved, and by Whom? That, of course, is why we still have to deal with laws and lawyers and courts and judges – and sometimes even juries – just as Plato did.
I have never had the privilege of being on a jury – although I tried my best to get on one. The trouble is that deciding who gets on the jury is not made by any impartial judge, but by the opposing lawyers, each of whom gets to interview and approve or veto each jury candidate. I think they may be limited to how many rejections they may make. Still, with twelve people to select, this process can, and often does, take days.
Nevertheless, once the jury is chosen, and they have sat through the entire case, (which they are not supposed to discuss with any outsider) they are isolated in a special “Jury Room” to make what should be a unanimous decision. Anyone who has seen the movie Twelve Angry Men will have a little insight into the problems which can arise from clashes of personalities in such a situation. But, going back to the Middle Ages, this is how hundreds of legal cases have been settled over the centuries, at least in England, whose legal system was long considered a model for other countries.
Indeed, it was that system which was transplanted into the American Colonies, and became cornerstone of the jurisprudence which today governs the United States. And where does Justice come into all this? The word is certainly there, both in the Declaration of Independence and in the U.S. Constitution. And we can find it many times throughout the Biblical Old and New Testaments. The trouble is that it has meant many different things to different people at different times.
If English has a better word for it, it may be “RIGHT” – which may be one way of drawing a distinction between the way things are, and the way they should be. Unfortunately, “Right” has its own can of worms, since it entangles us in concepts of entitlement.
But there is also a U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, which children are taught in school to recite. It not only promises loyalty, but attempts to describe the essential characteristics of the country to which loyalty is being pledged. One oath-stopper is the phrase “One nation, indivisible.” I’m not sure just when this Pledge was written, or became in any way mandatory – but I will bet you that it was some time after the American Civil War, which, of course, was mainly fought over that very issue – i.e. whether what had been recognized internationally as a single nation could divide itself and become two separate nations. Of course, the issue of Slavery entered into it, but was not essential to the indivisibility. Other countries, even the “Mother Nation” of England, have had their own civil wars. In the English Civil War, the big issue was the Rights of the King.
But our American Pledge, after specifying indivisibility, goes on to promise “Liberty and Justice for All.” That is a pretty big mouthful, requiring three large swallows.
Aren’t Liberty and Justice in some ways contradictory concepts? If everybody got Justice, how could we guarantee universal Liberty? Surely some people deserve to be locked up, for the just protection of others.
It’s that “for all” which seems to me to be the big stumbling block. Surely even Plato, in his very small Athenian state, would recognize the big differences between people, making it necessary for different people to be handled in different ways.
Some relevant Thoughts:
“By the time justice is done, injustice has often done everything it wanted to do.”
“If more people received justice in this world, there’d be less need to believe in another one.”
by Tiana Molony
It was in January of this year that Cindy Hill, CEO of the Battistone Foundation, informed residents of its intention to sell the Battistone properties, which house 190 low-income seniors.
The news was a heavy blow to residents who had hoped to spend their “golden years” there. “It will be displacing all of us,” said Karine Anderson, a resident of the Edgerly complex. (The Palm Tree Apartments is the other building up for auction.)
Anderson, a former elementary school teacher of 35 years, has lived at The Edgerly on West Sola Street for seven years. In retirement, she’s built a steady routine – volunteering, going to the Y, and taking art classes. Living at the complex is one of the only ways she can afford to stay in Santa Barbara. But with the future of her housing uncertain, she doesn’t know how much longer that will be the case.
Established in Santa Barbara in 1968,
the Battistone Foundation was the vision of Sam Battistone Sr., a businessman who started with little, and was determined to support the community’s aging population with affordable housing.
“He saw older people in Santa Barbara… and his wish was to have a place where hard-working low-income seniors could retire and live out their golden years,” mused Anderson.
Hill, granddaughter of Sam Battistone, has assured residents she hopes to find a buyer who will preserve affordable housing.
In an August letter, she described the sale as a “call for offers,” open to both local and national buyers, with bids due by mid-September. Hill said the proceeds from the sale will fund a rent subsidy program offering grants to seniors in Santa Barbara.
“Our plan is the same as when we started – to help more people, whether they live at our properties or elsewhere in the community,” she wrote in the letter.
Even with Hill’s intention to sell to a buyer committed to maintaining affordable housing, residents remain worried.
By local filmmaker Mark Manning
They speak positively of their relationship with Hill, and feel that she and the Battistone family have been wonderful to them, have cared for the residents, and have maintained the properties well.
“I want to state very strongly here that Cindy Hill… has always been extremely helpful and gone the extra mile… she really cares about us,” said resident Shyama Osborne. “It’s painful to me to see that things are happening the way they are.”
If the property is sold, a city amendment would provide limited protections: a one-year pause during which a new owner cannot force residents out or renovate, plus an additional 60 days for permitting. That totals about 14 months of security, after which residents fear they could be displaced.
Some residents have begun to think of backup plans, but those don’t involve staying in Santa Barbara. Affordable housing waitlists are closed or extremely long (with thousands already waiting), rental prices are very high, and there are not enough new affordable units being built.
The rent for a typical Santa Barbara one-bedroom is between $2,300 and $3,000 a month, according to a 2025 city survey, requiring incomes of $83,000 to more than $100,000 to qualify. Whereas a one-bedroom at Battistone typically goes for $1,200-$1,500, excluding residents on Section 8 housing.
Anderson may be concerned about her own housing, but she’s even more worried about her neighbors, many of whom are older, retired, and have nowhere else to turn. While some seniors have children or grandchildren in Santa Barbara, most don’t have the option of moving in with them. Residents estimate that roughly a third of Battistone tenants have no place to go.
“I figured I’d move to Arizona, Nevada, Utah; somewhere where it’s cheaper, where I could afford it,” said resident David Diaz, who’s been living at the complex for seven years. A sale
would mean having to move away from his kids, who don’t want him to leave.
For many, the buildings have provided more than just shelter. They offer independence and community, two things that can often be fragile in later years. Residents walk together, look out for one another, and celebrate birthdays. “It’s very hard for seniors to make friends,” reflected Osborne, “we don’t have the avenue to do that like younger people do.”
Osborne, 89, has been living at the complex for a little over eight years. Her son and daughter-in-law live in town but have no room to accommodate her. She would have to go to Oregon, where her daughter lives, but doesn’t think it would be good for her to do so. She doesn’t want to leave her friends and the community she’s built here.
Residents aren’t only concerned for themselves; they’re thinking ahead at what this sale could mean for the future of affordable senior housing in Santa Barbara.
Osborne asked: “It’s not only our homes that are threatened… It’s about all the other people in town who are getting older. Where are they gonna go?”
As the mid-September deadline for offers approaches, residents are hoping for a miracle – an “angel philanthropist” who will not only take on the property but also protect their affordable housing.
“I am very hopeful,” said Anderson. “I live with great hope. And I do know that there are angels out there.”
Tiana Molony is a journalist who writes for the Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC. She has also written for Backpacker Magazine, Mountain Gazette, and the Santa Barbara Independent.
485Monarch.com
by Jeffrey Harding
President Trump, casting himself as the nation’s top investment guru and seeing opportunity in Intel, announced the government’s $8.9 billion investment in Intel for a ten percent stake in the company. The money comes from Biden’s Chips Act, the purpose of which was to create more onshore chip manufacturing. Intel had already received $2.2 billion from the first tranche of Chips funding.
Was it a great deal for America? If Intel was such a good investment why didn’t U.S. venture capitalists rush in and invest in Intel instead of leaving it to the government? What did they know that Trump didn’t?
Here’s the answer. Intel, once the dynamo of computer chip technology and manufacturing, has fallen far behind semiconductor chip makers like Nvidia, TSMC, and AMD whose chips are driving the AI explosion. In 2024 Intel lost $18.8 billion. They lost $3.2 billion in the latest quarter while Nvidia’s sales were up 56%. One
could say Intel is a failing company. It’s a sad comedown for a wonderful pioneering company.
The lone private investor was Japanese investment group Softbank’s proposed $2 billion investment in Intel. Would they have made this investment for reasons other than to curry favor with Trump? Maybe. Maybe not. They do have significant investments in other projects in the U.S. Also, Intel’s latest CEO, the one whom Trump demanded be fired, sits on Softbank’s board.
I think Deal-Maker-in-Chief Trump will make more investments like Intel. He was already crowing about Intel’s stock rising after the Trump deal.
What we are talking about here is called “industrial policy” or “when governments deliberately guide economic development by backing selected industries, instead of leaving outcomes entirely to free markets.”
As Council of Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden put it:
“It’s about the government putting a thumb on the scale, rather than just assuming that market outcomes are going to produce the maximum benefit.”
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Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders thinks industrial policy is a great idea. Despite what Bernie thinks, market outcomes always produce the maximum benefits. When they don’t, companies go bankrupt.
The one thing free market capitalism is good at is weeding out the unprofitable. This is what Austrian theory economist Joseph Schumpeter called “creative destruction.” When a failing company goes broke, the destruction of valuable capital stops and remaining resources can be redirected to successful businesses; you know, the ones that create jobs, that invest in productive means and make us all richer.
History shows that governments have been notoriously bad investors in private companies. Government decisions are mostly political decisions, and their investment outcomes have been exemplars of failure and waste despite keeping them artificially alive.
While proponents of industrial policy claim they won’t interfere with company operations, the reality has been otherwise. They tend to force companies to conform to political goals, like better worker benefits, preventing layoffs and closing facilities, and shaping the direction of company outcomes toward “social benefits” rather than profits.
Intel may fail. Even with the government’s investments, it still may fail. Their failure to keep up with the evolution of the chip business has dug them a very deep hole, and, according to analysts, their chips are not what the market wants.
A failed Intel is not something Trump wants to happen on his watch. He’ll do anything to keep it going. If they continue to lose money and are on the brink of insolvency he’ll prop it up with more “investments” and subsidies. The
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government will get control of their board of directors. He’ll fire existing management and put in his cronies to run it. He’ll direct the military and other federal departments to buy Intel chips. He’ll coerce other companies like Apple to invest in Intel or buy their chips. He’ll strongarm Nvidia and AMD to “share” their technology with Intel. Perhaps he’ll have the government nationalize Intel in the name of “national security.”
I can already hear the chorus of those claiming we must protect U.S. companies like Intel for reasons of national security. Must we? Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Nvidia have heard the chorus and have already announced huge projects in the U.S. TSMC – who makes chips for many companies including Nvidia – is building huge manufacturing facilities in Arizona. Nvidia will invest up to $500M over the next four years in AI facilities. So by onshoring the chip business the national security issue is moot.
The Intel deal is a bad precedent. Politicians and bureaucrats are the last ones who should be making investment decisions with our money. It opens the door for politicians to support crony companies they favor. Companies come and go, and the result when the government doesn’t interfere is progress.
Jeffrey Harding is a real estate investor and long-time resident of Montecito. He previously published a popular financial blog, The Daily Capitalist. He is a retired SBCC adjunct professor.
WEDNESDAY
SEPT. 10TH
5:00-7:00PM
EPIC Impact Society Conversation with Dr. Steve Ralph and Dennis Baker at The Well Montecito 1505 East Valley Road
SCAPE EXHIBIT & SALE
Benefiting Explore Ecology’s Environmental Education Programs
SEPTEMBER 12TH & 13TH
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Friday, September 12, 2pm - 7pm, Reception 5pm - 6:00pm Saturday, September 13, 10:30am - 4:30pm
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4 BEDS | 4 BATHS | OFFERED AT $4,995,000
Rarely available, this 10 +/- Coastal ranch is located within the gated community of El Capitan Ranch. The Mediterranean style home has just completed an extensive renovation and offers unobstructed panoramic ocean views from most rooms. The Property features a Luxurious Primary Suite compete with a spa style bathroom, an additional primary suite, 2 other bedrooms and a bath. The Gourmet Kitchen with adjacent family room are the hub of the home. All main rooms open to a sundrenched south facing terrace complete with pool and spa. More than enough room to expand the existing avocado orchard. Private beach access to a picture-perfect cove and beach. This ideal ranch is minutes to Sandpiper Golf Course and the adjacent Bacara Ritz Carlton as well as shopping and top ranked schools.
TIM WALSH
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Miscellany (Continued from 8)
youngsters and their families on Sept. 8, which is also the anniversary of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Harry will be at the ceremony for the 15th time as the charity’s patron, a position he has held for 17 years.
The visit will no doubt revive speculation as to whether Harry will also meet with his father King Charles and elder brother the Prince of Wales.
Hollywood veteran Christopher Lloyd, 86, has put his six-acre Montecito estate on the market for $6,385,000.
The Back to the Future star is parting with the 2,880 square foot, three-bedroom, four-bathroom home after purchasing it eight years ago.
Lloyd and his wife Lisa Loiacono, 55, whom he wed in 2016, remodeled the sprawling space after their purchase.
The estate also has a one-bedroom guest suite.
Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry is not just asking for substantial cash damages in her lawsuit over her $15 million Montecito estate, she wants justice, she told a Los Angeles court.
When asked if she stood to make money, the singer said she wanted ‘justice.’ “I stand to lose money if this does not work in my favor.”
The 40-year-old, testifying via video in L.A. Superior Court, is claiming millions in damages from 85-year-old Carl Westcott for back rent and damages to the home she bought from him five years ago.
During 55 minutes of testimony Perry told the court she already owned three other homes in the Santa Barbara area when she agreed to pay $15 million for the property to Westcott in July 2020.
Just days after signing the contract Westcott, who is suffering an incurable brain disorder, tried to back out of the deal claiming he was under the influence of painkillers when he signed.
Perry and then fiancé Orlando Bloom said they wanted to keep the 9,000 square foot home to raise their daughter Daisy Dove, who just turned five.
Since then, Costner has been living the single life with the rumored likes of Jewel, Sharon Stone, and Jennifer Lopez
Now he’s cozying up with Kelly Noonan Gores, the director and author ex-wife of billionaire Alec Gores Stay tuned...
Prince Harry’s polo playing pal Nacho Figueras (who is also Ralph Lauren’s Polo model) and his son Hilario have splashed out $3.1 million on a three bedroom, 3.5-bath apartment in Miami, Florida, at the Jean Georges Residency. Nacho and his wife Delfina live mainly in Palm Beach to the north, and in Argentina.
At 2,951 square feet the sprawling pad has a private elevator and an extensive 968 square foot terrace.
Carpinteria’s Florabundance flowers are featured in the new season of Netflix’s With Love, Meghan
In the first episode Markle highlights the joy of floral arranging and refers to the Flower Mart – a nod to Florabudance, where many of the flowers showcased in the episode were sourced.
Many of these flowers are American grown, supplied by small to medium sized farms across the West Coast and Midwest, connecting Santa Barbara County’s flower tradition to households around the world.
The moment builds on episode five in the first season when Netflix films right inside Florabundance’s cooler, Markle selecting flowers with the help of longtime wholesale floral consultant José Rabelo, giving viewers a glimpse of the local operation that has been supplying specialty flowers for more than 30 years.
Writer T. C. Boyle at Lucky’s... Oscar winner Kevin Costner at The Nugget in Summerland... Former newswoman Maria Shriver at Pierre Lafond.
Pip! Pip!
Kevin Costner is back on the dating scene just 18 months after his bitter divorce was finalized.
The Oscar winner, 70, split from Christine Baumgartner in May 2023 after 18 years of marriage, officially closing the book on their acrimonious split in February.
The courtroom battle was brutal with the Carpinteria resident ordered to pay $63,209 a month in child support – far less than the hefty $248,000 she’d demanded.
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 18 years
C h e f B r i a n L i m o g e s
E n c l o s , S a n o m a
C h e f M a s s i m o F a l s i n i
C a r u s o ’ s , M o n t e c i t o
C h e f F e l i p e R i c c i o M A R C H , H o u s t o n
a n d F e l i p e R i c c i o f o r a s p e c i a l o n e - n i g h t d i n n e r e v e n t a t C a r u s o ’ s r e s t a u r a n t . S e t a g a i n s t t h e
b a c k d r o p o f t h e P a c i f i c O c e a n , t h i s r e m a r k a b l e e v e n i n g w i l l c e l e b r a t e r e g i o n a l e x p r e s s i o n , s u s t a i n a b l e p r a c t i c e s , a n d w o r l d - c l a s s c u l i n a r y t a l e n t .
Tuesday, September 16th
$295 Per Person
by Elizabeth Stewart
has a wonderful 1900s vintage Japanese necklace composed of faces of benevolent gods. The links are porcelain on sterling.
Firstly, the faces (and the gods they belong to) are important to Japanese mythology; they are the Seven Gods of Fortune. They are pictured on kimono toggles called netsuke , and in woodcuts since the 1600s. Although this necklace pictures them individually, they are often grouped together on a ship at sea, a lovely ship of treasures. The tradition says that those treasures are longevity, prosperity, popularity, integrity, dignity, kindness, and magnanimity. These blessings are bestowed by the gods that personify each virtue. Although the Seven Lucky Gods are immortal, the gifts they bestow upon a good person was “discovered” in 1500s by the Buddhist priest of the powerful Shogun Mikawa. The Seven Gods, called the ‘ Shichifukujin ’ have been recognized in art – and it seems, in dreams – for over 500 years. Let us meet the Gods and what they embody; then we will meet them in dreams. (Before I get too far, the value of the necklace is $500.)
In order of the necklace, here are the Seven Gods:
1. Ebisu, a god of Japanese origin, who reigns over fishermen, farmers, merchants and stands for integrity. Ebisu is pictured on Sapporo Beer cans! Ebisu is celebrated at his
shrine in Osaka each year in a race in which the fastest runners compete. Those who win are the “lucky men” and are blessed with a year of good fortune.
2. Daikokuten is the god of wealth, prosperity and agriculture, akin to the Hindu Shiva, who can destroy and create.
3. Benzaiten is kindness, and this is a goddess, the only female, and rules over wisdom and music.
4. Bishamonten is dignity, a warrior god.
5. Fukurokuju is popularity and good luck for and with children.
6. Jurōjin is longevity and, pictured with a deer, he cures illnesses.
7. Hotei is magnanimity, and he carries a sack to give to the poor; he grants wishes.
The necklace featuring these lucky gods was made in the 1 st or 2 nd quarter of the 20 th century by the Toshikane Company, in the rich porcelain-making town called Arita. Toshikane Company designed sculptural objects prior to World War II, and their chief designer/ co-founder was Kenzo Minami.
After the war, in 1947, Japanese companies were allowed to resume private export. It was then these necklaces (and buttons made in faces of the gods) were sold as souvenirs through military base exchanges in Japan and Guam to Western servicemen stationed in postwar Japan. Surprisingly,
the Toshikane Company continued to make “Gods of Fortune” buttons, in the style of Japanese Noh Masks, till 1975. The necklace is stamped “made in “occupied Japan”. The Seven Gods necklace is circa 1940s, happy porcelain faces set upon silver, linked with a silver chain.
These masks on jewelry are prized, as the gods are powerful and immortal. They have been celebrated for centuries in Edo (now Tokyo), where pilgrimages to visit the shrines of each of the Seven Lucky Gods are undertaken in the new year. Wear this necklace to undertake the walking “Yahaka” pilgrimage to each of the seven shrines. If you cannot visit the seven shrines, the traditional practice is to invite these gods into your home. This is done as a custom; one must sketch or draw each god in their pleasure ship on paper, and on New Year’s Eve place that sketch under your pillow. This encourages the lucky “first dream” of the New Year.
The tradition of “hatsuyume” (first dream) indicates that the vision you see as you doze at the start of the year will predict the next 12 months. Hatsuyume originated in the 1660s with the first Edo shogun. One of Japan’s most powerful rulers, he lived in the shadow of Mt. Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain, and had the fastest hawks for his hunt, and had the earliest seasonal purple eggplants to eat.
Every New Year, hawkers in the streets sell sketches of the Seven Lucky Gods in their ship. This is because not everyone can draw, and to have such a work of art – called a ‘takarabune’ picture – under your pillow increases the chances of a great dream of:
a. Mount Fuji b. Hawks c. Eggplants
The Seven Gods increase the chance that you will have dreams of these three, and if you want added protection, ask for a sketch of the Kanji Monster who eats bad dreams.
The value of the lucky gods necklace is $500, but if JE has a set with hair ornaments and earrings and a bracelet, the value is $1,000.
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com
Gramophon e and Musical America Artist of the Year Daniil Trifonov, piano
Tue, Sep 30 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Program includes Taneyev, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky and Schumann
Join us before the concert to raise a glass to the new season, pick up a commemorative season poster and enjoy a few festive surprises.
Five-time Grammy-winning Jazz Vocalist Samara Joy
Thu, Oct 2 / 7:30 PM Granada Theatre
Columnist, CNN Host and Author
Fareed Zakaria
What It Takes
Thu, Oct 16 / 7:30 PM Arlington Theatre
Timeless Soul Boz Scaggs Rhythm Review 2025
Tue, Oct 21 / 7:30 PM Arlington Theatre
Bestselling Author of Eat, Pray, Love
Elizabeth
Gilbert
All the Way to the River
Sat, Oct 11 / 7:30 PM
Arlington Theatre
Ticket purchase includes a pre-signed copy of Gilbert’s new memoir, All the Way to the River (pick up at event)
Bluegrass with a Punch Noam Pikelny and Friends
Sat, Oct 18 / 7:30 PM UCSB Cambell Hall
Winner of the 2025 Grammy Award for Classical Instrumental Solo Víkingur Ólafsson, piano Opus 109
Wed, Oct 22 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Program includes J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Schubert
DATE OF HEARING: SEPTEMBER 17, 2025
PLACE: PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING ROOM
123 E. ANAPAMU STREET, RM. 17
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
The following methods of participation are available to the public.
1. You may observe the live stream of the Montecito Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV -Livestream; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20
2. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:
• Distribution to the Montecito Planning Commission - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment t o the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.
• Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting in -person.
• Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the Montecito Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a conf irmation email containing important information about joining the webinar.
When: September 17, 2025 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Topic: Montecito Planning Commission 09/17/2025
Register in advance for this webinar: https://santabarbaracounty.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_VsXk8DjWQRuirDj8glal -Q OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
Webinar ID:
The Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of t he participation methods listed above.
The Montecito Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Montecito Planning Commission. Anyone interested in this matter is invited to speak in support or in opposition to the project s. Written comments are also welcome. All letters should be addressed to the Montecito Planning Commission, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, California, 93101. Letters, with nine copies, and computer materials, e.g. PowerPoint presentations, should be filed with the secretary of the Planning Commission no later than 12:00 P.M. on the Friday before the Montecito Planning Commission hearing. The decision to accept late materials will be at the discretion of the Montecito Planning Commission.
Maps and/or staff analysis of the proposals may be reviewed at https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/hearings/mpc.sbc or by appointment by calling (805) 568 -2000.
If you challenge the project(s) 25LLA-00001 or 23CDH-00027 in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspond ence to the Montecito Planning Commission prior to the public hearing.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this hearing, please contact the Hearing Support Staff (805) 568 -2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.
680 Buena Vista
25LLA-00001 Ave LLC Lot Line Adjustment
Buena Vista Ave. and Tollis Ave.
Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15305 Shannon Reese, Supervising Planner (805) 934 -6261 Soren Kringel, Planner (805) 568 -2046 Hearing on the request of Xorin Balbes, property owner, to consider the following:
• Case No. 25LLA-00001 for approval of a Lot Line Adjustment (LLA) to adjust lines between two lots of 2.167 acres (gross) and 1.041 acres (gross), into two lots of 2.000 acre s and 1.208 acres respectively, on property located in the One -Family Residential (2 -E-1) Zone District in compliance with Section 21-90 of County Code Chapter 21 and Section 35.43.110 of the Montecito Land Use and Development Code (MLUDC); and
• Determine the project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15305, as outlined in the Notice of Exemp tion.
• The application involves Assessor Parcel Nos. (APNs) 007 -130-011, 007-130-012, and 007-130-014, zoned 2 -E-1, located at 680 Buena Vista Avenue and 1905 Tollis Avenue in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.
23CDH-00027 Promise Land LLC – As Built Wall 1690 San Leandro
Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15302
Hearing on the request of Robert Greene to consider the following:
• Case No. 23CDH-00027 for the validation of an “as -built” wall pursuant to Section 35 -169.2 of Article II of the Coastal Zoning Ordinance; and
• Determine the project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15302 [Replacement or Reconstruction].
The application involves Assessor Parcel No. 007 -280-012, located at 1690 San Leandro Lane, in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.
MONTECITO COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION RECORDING SECRETARY (568 -2000)
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOVUS BUILDING SYSTEM, 4661 9TH ST, Carpinteria, CA 93013. QUANTUM CONSTRUCTION SB INC, 4661 9TH ST., Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 04, 2025. 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. 2025-0001840. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAMAR, 808 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Christine V Quach, 808 Alston
Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 27, 2025. 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. 2025-0002036. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2025
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: La Fleur Living; La Fleur Living Co, 1187 Coast Village Rd, 1-113, Montecito, CA 93108. La Fleur Weddings & Events, 1187 Coast Village Rd, 1-113, Montecito, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 21, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in
Published September 4, 2025, Montecito Journal
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. 2025-0002000. Published August 28, September 4, 11, 18, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Montecito Research; Wyathe Brix, 1422 Lou Dillon LN #7, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Wyatt J Brooks, PO Box 50006, Santa Barbara, CA 93150. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 30, 2025. 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. 2025-0001809. Published August 14, 21, 28, September 4, 2025
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 Steve Conner at Planning and Development, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2058, by email at conners@countyofsb.org, 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 Steve Conner at Planning and Development, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2058, or by email at conners@countyofsb.org, or by phone at (805) 568-2081.
PROPOSAL: TRABUCA LLC ADDITION
PROJECT ADDRESS: 366 SHEFFIELD DR, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93108 1st SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT
THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED IN THE COASTAL ZONE
REQUEST FOR HEARING EXPIRATION DATE: 9 /25/2025
PERMIT NUMBER: 25CDH-00018
ASSESSOR’S PARCEL NO.: 005-550-002
ZONING: 1-E-1 PROJECT AREA: 1.07
• Applicant: Todd Rodgers
• Proposed Project:
APPLICATION FILED: 5/20/2025
The project is a request to allow for a new 790 gross square foot residential addition to an existing 2,502 gross square foot Single Family Dwelling, including a 2,000 square foot remodel of the dwelling, refurbishment of landscaping, driveway and gate reconfiguration, new HVAC and generator equipment, construction of a new detached 850 gross square foot garage and workshop, and demolition of porches/decks and a 180 square foot clubhouse. Approximately 5,300 square feet of turf will be removed for restoration of existing Environmentally Sensitive Habitat. The existing tennis court will be reduced in size to create a 20-foot by 50-foot sport court. Approval of 25CDH-00018 will re-instate approval of the Proposed Project that was previously issued under Case No. 18CDH-00000-00020. Approval of Case No. 18CDH-00000-00023 expired while the Applicant obtained an extension of the expiration period for the associated building permit (Case No. 19BDP-00000-00613) that was issued on April 14, 2022. The scope of work has not changed. The parcel will be served by the Montecito Water District, the Montecito Sanitary District, and the Montecito Fire Protection District. Access will be provided off Sheffield Drive. The property is a 1.17-acre parcel zoned 1-E-1 and shown as Assessor’s Parcel Number 005-550-002, located at 366 Sheffield Drive in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.
APPEALS:
The decision of the Director of the Planning and Development Department to approve, conditionally approve, or deny this Coastal Development Permit 25CDH-00018 may be appealed to the Montecito Planning Commission by the applicant or an aggrieved person. The 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.
Appeals must be filed with the Planning and Development Department online at https://aca-prod.accela.com/sbco/Default.aspx, 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 Steve Conner.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Information about this project review process may also be viewed at: https://ca-santabarbaracounty.civicplus.pro/1499/Planning-Permit-Process-Flow-Chart
Board of Architectural Review agendas may be viewed online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/160/Planning-Development
Published September 4, 2025
Montecito Journal
Help You Chill Out , as its title suggests, focuses on five mindfulness techniques, including a smiling meditation, cooling breath, diaphragmatic breathing, and others.
The book will be the focus of an afternoon story time event at Tecolote Books on September 13, where the story will be read aloud with lots of audience participation.
“We’ll meet under the oak trees right in front of their store, which is such a beautiful place,” Collis said. “There’s a fountain and it’s really peaceful, which is perfect. I hope to get multi-generations to come out.”
While all three books – which Collis wrote, illustrated and designed – are already available in electronic formats, the third installment, Dinosaurs Do Yoga Too: A Yoga Adventure to Manage Emotions and Build Self-Esteem, is still forthcoming in physical form.
Later in the fall, Collis, who currently offers Yoga Therapy – merging the ancient practice of yoga with modern scientific research practice – will return to leading practices for groups of adults back at La Casa de Maria with a full-day Wellness Retreat slated for November 8. Those sessions will mark Collis’ first time back in that space since the mud flows devastated the beloved retreat center.
EPIC Impact Society’s International Summit, which was held the last few years in Santa Barbara, went on hiatus this year. The Summit will return in 2026 in a new location of Rancho Tajiguas in the foothills above Goleta, once again gathering the collective community of international professionals from a cross-pollination of
industries who empower creative leaders and inspire social change. In the meantime, however, EPIC’s Dennis Baker , a Montecito resident, has penned a new book, Building Your Board of Directors for Life , due from an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book was written as a practical guide to cultivating a trusted group of mentors and advisors to support both professional and personal growth.
In an evening of inspiration, conversation, and community at The Well, 1505 East Valley Rd, in Montecito, Baker will engage in conversation with Dr. Steve Ralph , president of EPIC (Experiential Learning, Pause, Ingenuity, and Community Engagement), about the inspiration behind the book. They will discuss how the principles apply to leadership, mentorship, and living with purpose, and how curating a group of personal stakeholders in your life can help you become your best self. Light refreshments will be served, and signed copies of Building Your Board of Directors for Life will be available for purchase. The event takes place 5-7 pm on Wednesday, September 10.
Visit https://thewellbybdantiques.com or www. yourboard4life.com.
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
by MJ Staff
In an all-hands-on deck request, Sarah Aguilar, director for the Santa Barbara County Animal Welfare Services, is asking community members to temporarily or permanently adopt one of 50 dogs that are being displaced while the SB and Lompoc shelters undergo repairs and upgrades. The SB shelter received a grant from the ASPCA in partnership with the SBC Animal Care Foundation to upgrade its playground area for dogs to have fun and de-stress, while Lompoc is getting repainted. The adoption period is from now through September 30.
411: www.countyofsb.org/415/Animal-Services
On this last Sunday, August 31, San Ysidro Ranch wrapped up the summer in unforgettable style with a lavish, ranch-style Labor Day BBQ. Guests gathered in the property’s lush gardens for an afternoon of smoky gourmet flavors, refreshing Tuk Tuk cocktails, and lively music under the California sun. The chef’s elevated BBQ feast paired with expertly crafted beverages created an indulgent, celebratory vibe perfect for the season’s final long weekend.
nity and Jewish identity. The event is hosted by Joel Dovev Reservations are required – https://tinyurl. com/ChabadSummerBBQ
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians have donated three original works of art for display at the newly located Buellton Library. In her press release, Nakia Zavalla, cultural director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, explained, “Art is a way for our tribe to celebrate our culture and heritage. We are able to bring our traditional stories to life through our modern-day interpretation, connected to ancestral teachings.”
The three donated art works are distinct. Children of our Rainbow was a recent collaborative project created by tribal youth along with Chumash Community Member and Artist Bobby Duran during the tribe’s fourweek youth summer session Camp Kalawašaq’. Two additional works, both by Duran, are Sacred Vessels – two replicas of Chumash basketry – and a painting titled, Salmon and Coyote The 2024 art request came from Holly Sierra, current president of Friends of the Buellton Library.
D’Arcy Cornwall , President of Summerland Beautiful invites community to their annual potluck at Lookout Park on September 4, from 5:30-7:30 pm. The event is a chance to meet neighbors and talk with the Summerland Beautiful board about project ideas for Summerland. Bring your favorite dish, and enjoy games such as bocce, ping pong, and cornhole.
411: https://summerlandbeautiful.org
Calling community to join in Montecito Jewish Men’s Social Summer BBQ event, Sunday, September 14, 6pm. Time to connect, enjoy good company, and talk about life, commu-
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC) announced plans to adopt MyChart by Epic as part of its ongoing Capital Campaign, which also includes building a new Westside Clinic. The upgrade would give thousands of SBNC patients online access to appointments, records, prescriptions, and billing – available in English and Spanish – while syncing with Cottage Health, Sutter Health/Sansum, and UCLA systems. SBNC CEO Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian called the move “a critical and overdue improvement,” citing better efficiency and care. CenCal Health CEO Marina Owen praised the effort, noting improved outcomes through easier record sharing and patient connectivity.
Institute of Photography, Elliott has taken photos of thousands of local weddings, theater productions, sporting events, and family milestones.
Ethington, who offers acrylic paintings on canvas of stylized waves, takes inspiration from Vernon Courtlandt Johnson’s archaic skateboard designs and Japanese woodblock prints like The Great Wave off Kanagawa. “Waves are an impermanent force, yet they leave a lasting impression in my memory,” he says. “I painted these works with a flatness and stylization to create an icon-like impact, like the impact surfing waves has always had on me. These paintings remind us not only of the joy and beauty of waves but also of the immense challenges facing the ocean.”
Hayden presents a large installation of six sheets of paper decorated with geometric forms painted carefully by hand in ink. As a child, he began exploring drawing and woodcarving and developed an interest in the naturally occurring forms and patterns he encountered while playing in the woods. Influenced by these childhood experiences, he works with geometric shapes to paint large fields of pattern and build ceramic sculptures that play with perception.
Huff’s works in the show include watercolor and gouache on paper as well as mixed media sculptures. “I’m drawn to the spaces between lines of poetry or long pauses in stilted conversation,” he says. “They make me uncomfortable and also delight me. When I make art, I often imagine extending those types of disjointed pauses where silence lingers and possibilities unfold.”
Rupp uses multimedia elements, particularly clay, to ground his work locally and in his ceramics practice while provoking thought about current political events. He uses locally sourced clay in his piece Our Roots, a map of the United States coated with clay. “We’re living
within a culture that often demands silence or complicity,” he says. “My new body of work is an immediate, visceral reaction to the turbulence of our times, particularly to the shifting social and political landscape of the United States.”
Stirling’s artwork, My Body, My Flag, features a series of prints that incorporates the American flag and imprints of her own body to create abstract works that confront women’s historical erasure and the nation’s obsessive attachment to its flag. “Through the use of materials and imagery, I raise questions about how individuals confront this uncertainty and navigate environments shaped both by comfort and the illusion of safety.”
The museum is open weekdays from 10 am – 4 pm, and Saturdays from 11 am – 5 pm and closed on Sundays and college holidays.
Westmont men’s soccer jumped out to an early lead and then battled back from a three-goal deficit but came up just short in a 4-3 loss to the crosstown Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 30 at Harder Stadium. This exhibition game was the 63rd edition of the Community Shield between the NCAA Division II Warriors and DI Gauchos and the non-stop action energized the crowd of more than 1,200, including many Westmont students and alumni.
“Our guys have to be really proud of themselves,” said head coach Morgan Cathey. “For the alumni and everyone here supporting us, I think they’re happy and proud of our effort.”
Westmont opened the scoring in the fifth minute on a goal by Cooper Matthews, a freshman from Wichita, Kansas.
In the 75th minute, the Warriors scored their second goal to make the score 4-2. Freshman midfielder Geb Wilcox , a Dos Pueblos High School graduate, stole the ball from a Gaucho defender in the right corner and passed it to Leonel Olivo Ortiz , a San Marcos High School graduate, who fired in a goal from 14 yards out on the right side.
With the momentum clearly on the Warriors’ side, freshman Weston Ash of Vista headed a ball into the back of the net to make it 4-3 in the 80th minute.
The Warriors used 20 different players during the game, while the Gauchos sent 21 to the pitch. “At one point, we had five freshmen on the field, and we were in control of the game,” Cathey said.
The regular season kicks off with Warriors, picked No. 2 (tied) in the PacWest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, hosting the 16th annual Heritage Club Classic. Westmont battles Saint Martin’s (Wash.) on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 12:30 pm and Simon Fraser (B.C.) on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1:15 pm.
New women’s soccer head coach Lauren Matthias (’16) is no stranger to Westmont’s winning ways. The alumna, who has served on the coaching staff since 2017, has high hopes for her 20 returning players and 13 newcomers on the roster.
“There’s a lot of depth in our roster this year, and I expect every player to contribute and have an impact in some capacity,” Matthias said. Observers describe the team as electric, gritty, hardworking, and tenacious. “We want to play boldly and courageously,” she said.
The Warriors open the regular season at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday, Sept. 4, before returning the following Saturday at 4 pm to host CSU Los Angeles in the home opener. An early barometer for the Warriors comes Thursday, Sept. 11, when they play at Cal Poly Pomona, the defending DII National Champion.
music. I think it’s going to add a lot. The cool part about these shows is that there are a lot of moving parts with so many artists so you get to hear different renditions and vibes. We have some amazing singers. Alisan Porter was Wilson Phillips’ vocal coach for The Masked Singer and she’s tremendous. I’m going to take another crack at “Good Vibrations,” and I’m hoping that more people join me for it. My daughter’s going to be singing “The Warmth of the Sun,” one of the most beautiful songs ever written. She’s a stunning singer. I don’t think anyone does it better.
Anytime we do more than just the surf songs and the car songs, I’m just in absolute heaven. I think overall, though, that the thread, the theme, the honor is all this great music. It’s really a big family affair for us. It’s very special.
Wendy Wilson [WW]. I’m looking forward to hearing Carly singing her arrangement of “God Only Knows”.
CW. Oh my God. It’s really impactful. You’ve never heard a version like this before.
Do you each have a favorite Beach Boys song, both when you were growing and today, that means the most to you?
WW. “Don’t Worry Baby” was one of my favorites as a kid and it still is.
CW. “God Only Knows” because of Carl’s vocals, and “Good Vibrations,” which I’ve always been mesmerized by. It just blows my mind in the story behind it and all the work he put into it. I never get sick of hearing it. It’s like experiencing the brilliance for the first time every time I listen to it.
What would Brian have thought of this concert?
CW. I think it would definitely take him aback, but he would be so proud, especially of his grandchildren up there.
WW. I think he would just say, “This is far out.”
When he passed in June, the world lost the great Brian Wilson, but the two of you lost your dad. Is it challenging to be able to be with your grief while there’s been so much attention and tributes?
WW. I felt very comforted by the fact that there were so many people who were moved by him, and that he was able to be recognized in his time. That was amazing. I didn’t like the sensationalizing thing, which is why I turned down going on TV to talk about it. To me he isn’t a public figure. He was my father. But I’m grateful that we were not alone in that so many people felt something when he died.
CW. It’s been more of a challenge for me. I don’t know if it’s because I am too sensitive but it’s been weird. No pun intended, but there’s a vibrational feeling that I get, like I’ve been taking on a lot of grief, and I can’t explain it. I’ve never experienced grief like this, and it is incredibly hard. And I’ve been trying to process it and not numb out. I’m a sober woman and I am feeling my feelings and grief is weird. It comes in waves. Again, no pun intended. I’m trying to turn it into a positive. I knew his impact because you could see it with people over the years, and when you would go to a show, and people would be jumping up and down and singing along with all happiness. I get this feeling of love, spirituality, family music, one big tapestry that’s interwoven together. So while it’s so personal, my own love of music comes from him. So there’s an ache in my heart. It’s sad that he’s gone. But the only word I can think of now is honor.
Even now there’s not a day that goes by and I’m at the mall or the market, and a stranger comes up to me and doesn’t even say hi. They just go, “I’m so sorry about your dad.” It says how touched they were by him, and it makes my day. It warms my heart.
I have an out-of-left-field question: What was it like to see Love & Mercy, the fiction film about your dad?
WW. I got to see the premiere of that movie, and I sat next to my dad for that, and I was with my kids. I took them and they were young, and there were moments in the theater where you could hear a pin drop. Then I’m sobbing and it’s uncontrollable, and other people were sobbing, and it was a very emotional thing.
CW. Remember at one moment, though, he blurted out “That didn’t happen!” It was actually kind of comical, because he would say anything on his mind.
Rory Block got her first exposure to acoustic guitar as a pre-teen in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, fell in love with Mississippi Delta blues guitar before she turned 15, taught herself how to play the style by transcribing songs on old records, and then left home to find the masters in person. She released her first album in 1967 at age 17, took eight years off to start a family and then returned to both the studio and the road in the mid-1970s.
Block has released almost 40 albums under her own name since then, including the John Sebastian -produced High Heeled Blues during the period when she was a peripheral part of the legendary Woodstock Mountain Revue, and When a Woman Gets the Blues , her first of three records to be named Acoustic Blues Album of the Year. She’s also earned four additional Blues Music Awards, including “Acoustic Artist of the Year” as recently as 2019; well-deserved recognition of her prowess in both interpreting country blues classics and performing her own songs.
Now 75, Block doesn’t get out to the West Coast very often, and even then usually only the major cities. But after years of trying, the Santa Barbara Blues Society has landed the much-heralded singer-songwriter-guitarist for her first local gig in almost two decades, a special solo performance set for Sunday, September 7, at the Unitarian Society (1535 Santa Barbara St.) a night after the acoustic blues master performs at L.A.’s famed McCabe’s Guitar Shop.
Tommy Guerrero was a pioneer of street skating as an original member of the iconic Bones Brigade alongside Tony Hawk, then traded that legendary status to take up a career as a musician. At first working as a member of the skate rock band Free Beer and later Jet Black Crayon, in his solo efforts Guerrero draws on the DIY punk ethos and underground culture he gravitated to in his early days in San Francisco. Guerrero blends in elements of funk, jazz, Latin, soul – in much the same way his skating moves found their own genre-busting edge. Guerrero heads upstairs to SOhO for a Monday night gig on September 8.
Santa Ynez is wired for sound on Wednesday, September 10, when two musthear singer-songwriters appear about six miles apart. Nashville-based Mat Kearney – whose introspective folk/melodic pop mix has seen him land three albums in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 before he mined the roots genre and released his first self-titled album over the last few years – headlines the first post-PCPA theater season under the stars at the mini-amphitheater known as Solvang Theaterfest. Meanwhile, indie folk-rock singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey returns to the long-running Tales from the Tavern series at the Maverick Saloon in the heart of Santa Ynez.
Alejandra Folguera , founder of Nomad Tango, and Rodney Gustafson , founder of State Street Ballet and co-founder of Nomad Tango, knew they’d hit on something special when Tango Meets Classical, their production of separate pieces of tango and ballet, was a sensation at SOhO last year. This year, things have grown by leaps and bounds as Nomad Tango presents an integrated work that pairs East Coast tango choreographer Fernanda Ghi with Santa Barbara’s own contemporary dance creator Meredith Ventura for Melana , a dance-theatre evening in three acts that explores the frustration of feeling constrained by social constructs and the deep human need for connection and belonging.
Two different dancers portray the main character, with Ghi starring in the first act, while Rachyl Pines , of Ventura’s Selah Dance company, dances the more freestyle middle section full of rebellion and urge for agency. Ghi returns for the closing act that shows how salvation exists in a new kind of tango that allows both freedom and connection. Both Ghi’s and Ventura’s companies also perform in their respective acts.
The evening continues with a Q&A with the co-choreographers followed by a Milonga (social dance) and reception at the Lobero courtyard. Visit www.lobero.org or https:// nomadtango.org.
Ralph Minc , longtime Santa Barbara local, passionate athlete, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2025, at the age of 79.
Ralph was born in Tayport, Scotland, to Catherine Duncan Minc and Hendryk Minc, a Polish Jew who escaped the Nazis and eventually made his way to Scotland. In 1958, the family moved to British Columbia, then to Gainesville, Florida, and finally settled in Santa Barbara in 1963 when Ralph’s father joined the UCSB math department as a professor.
Ralph graduated from Santa Barbara High, where he was a standout basketball player, and later earned his degree from UCSB. He married Vicki Johnson in 1980, and they raised one son, Jeff.
Ralph was an exceptional athlete and loved sports of all kinds. Throughout his life and depending upon where he was living at the time, he played everything from soccer, baseball, football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and cricket. He also loved to surf and could often be found in the early morning hours before work at Hammond’s Beach, checking out the waves.
He started his tennis career as Assistant Tennis Pro at La Cumbre Country Club and later became the Head Pro at Montecito Country Club, where he worked for three decades before retiring. He also taught volleyball clinics at East Beach and played in countless tournaments, racking up trophies and friends along the way.
Ralph had a passion for travelling the world with family and friends – he especially looked forward to annual vacations in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. He had a wide circle of close friends, many of whom shared his love of sports, laughter, dogs and his sense of humor.
Ralph is survived by his wife, Vicki; his son, Jeff; daughter-in-law, Sarah; and grandchildren, Cameron and Madison. He was predeceased by his parents and his two brothers, Robert and Raymond.
A celebration of Ralph’s life will be held Sunday, September 7, at 2 pm on the upper lawn of the Montecito Club, where Ralph ran the Men’s National Grass Court Tournament for many years. Everyone is welcome.
Our Town (Continued from 12)
- Sweet Wheel Farms in Summerland will use a PowerPole™ to aid in water ionization for crops, as well as powering electric tools and bicycles for sustainable farming practices.
- Girls Inc. Carpinteria with one PowerPole™ to power their 24/7 food pantry and Resiliency Center to ensure access to resources during both everyday needs and emergencies.
- Goleta Beach and Jalama Beach with two PowerPoles™ installed by the County of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Management to power their Tsunami warning systems for critical communications without diesel generators.
- Blue Sky Center in Cuyama to use one PowerPole™ for the campsite’s internet, energy use and for running a flight monitor for their local airstrip.
- Safe Parking Site (unreleased address) to use one PowerPole™ for internet and charging stations for people living in their cars.
The partners in the project explained, “The next steps include finalizing battery
certification, scaling up manufacturing, and completing necessary permitting. The partners plan to have all eight PowerPoles™ installed and operational before the end of the year. This community demonstration project represents a significant milestone in validating Dragon Q Energy’s battery technology as the company prepares for its next capital raise in early September.”
Dragon Q Energy is currently in the conceptual stages of a large-format 0.27 MWh subterranean battery system where traditional above ground batteries put people at risk, e.g., data centers, dense urban areas and military bases.
411: www.dragonqenergy.com http://unitetolight.org www.jsbowerfoundation.org
Joanne A Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com
Directed by Irwin Appel
the same beans at all locations. At this time, our kitchen is not open while we are figuring it out. And yes, you’re right, the local news got it wrong! Carter Paul Hallman, the Dart’s son, who has experience in restaurants and wine will be in charge of the kitchen and menu once we get to that. His wife Sami Weiss is helping source organic foods and ingredients. The kitchen may be open in approximately three months, I don’t have a date. For food we have baked goods from Renaud’s Patisserie. Our hours are 7 am to 1 pm all week and holidays, and when we hire more people, we can expand on that. Our soft opening a few weeks ago was unannounced and we were only in service for three hours to get started.”
After we talked, I took a tour of the shop aka art gallery for Erika Marie displaying two acrylic on wood 3’x6’ paintings from her “Las Mujeres” series, an untitled large scale acrylic on raw edged canvas, and 50 art prints on paper hanging from the ceiling in the passageway to the outdoor courtyard. For sale are note cards of her artwork, and that of her fellow artists Theresa Carter and Donna Ayscough ; chocolates from Peru and Hawaii, and what appear to be handcrafted but unlabeled ceramic mugs. She designed the interior with hues of green on the walls, wood furniture, 15 mirrors, plants, and burnt orange velvet couches. Along the shop’s exterior corner (walk score of 100) are café wood tables and green chairs for customers. Have you stopped by yet? Let me know what you think!
Do I hear longings for a MET Gala in Montecito?! Listen to a free opera performance by Opera Santa Barbara’s Chrisman Studio Artists and visit the Santa Barbara Museum of Art galleries on Thursday, September 4, from 5 pm to 8 pm, attire optional. The opera is outside on the museum terrace. My marketing contact at the SBMA adds that the museum galleries will be free
And opposite Las Floras del Camino is untitled large raw canvas work and ceiling banners at DART coffee Carpinteria (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
only from 5-8 pm, check-in at the front desk is required, and no food or drink is permitted inside the museum. www.sbma.net
For a chance to be philanthropic, do explore the SCAPE (Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment) juried show, Nature’s Palette, at the lovely Montecito Music Academy of the West’s Lehmann Hall, opening soirée on Friday, September 12, 5 pm, no tickets required. The exhibition continues through Saturday, September 13, 10:30 am to 4:30 pm – a fan favorite of peeps looking to decorate with art renderings of the local area. SCAPE donates a percentage of the proceeds to Explore Ecology’s Education Programs. Juror this year is artist Michael Drury, who is a member of the OAK Group. Like your bestie advises, you’ll never know who you’ll meet at an art opening!
https://scape.wildapricot.org/
And that’s a wrap till next week! Do email me if you have society news or an experience we can do together! Xx JAC
“The prompt I gave Nir was an invitation to share with our audiences why he programmed the various pieces, and what he’s most looking forward to,” Martin said. “I want them to experience how he’s really thinking about Santa Barbara audiences and his musicians in how he programs. He’s excited because he knows that for this time and this community, these musicians are going to be excited to play the music. While some music directors program with their orchestras at home the same piece that they will do around the world out of logistics, Nir really doesn’t think that way. He lives here. He’s part of the community.”
What is becoming increasingly apparent, Martin said, is the strong foundation cemented during the pandemic. That was when the organization came to a historic milestone with Martin and Kabaretti joining Board Chair Janet Garufis in making a fiveyear commitment to serve in their leadership roles. That foundation is paying dividends now in the new season, as is the ever-increasing quality of the musicianship demonstrated by the musicians.
“This orchestra is playing really tightly right now as an ensemble,” Martin said. “We’ve got continuity, we have enthusiasm, we have collaborations and innovations. I think that’s allowed Nir to know he can program more challenging, complicated or out-of-the-box works that he maybe couldn’t years ago. There’s a playfulness and an innovative aspect, which I think comes out of our organizational confidence and curiosity.”
Clearly, it’s working.
Martin said that the organization now has more subscribers than at any time since COVID, a sign that the Symphony is hitting its marks.
“More than 1,000 people in this community are telling us I want to spend one weekend a month with my Santa Barbara Symphony. We like what
Nir is doing, we like the way we feel when we come to a concert.”
Additionally, in less than two years, the Symphony has also been hired to perform by other community organizations, paid events beyond collaborations. They’ve performed in rock-oriented shows twice with The Doublewide Kings and with Santa Barbara Records’ tribute to David Crosby at their home in the Granada, and off-site behind several stars at the 2024 One805LIVE! benefit. Two months ago, the Symphony performed patriotic songs and pop favorites in a July 4 concert for the Bellosguardo Foundation at the Clark Estate.
“We’re not the cheapest option around,” Martin said. “The people that hire us are saying it’s worth the investments, which is a different dynamic than it was years ago. Those events let us be heard by different audiences who now also know what we’re about. We want to do more, everything we can to connect the audience with composers, musicians, conductors.”
Not to mention the organization’s much-lauded music education program, the only one of its kind tied to a professional symphony orchestra in the region. The program serves more than 2,000 students annually throughout Santa Barbara County.
“That response from the community and our musicians and our donors lets me know that as an organization we’re really on to something and building momentum,” Martin said. “It feels like we’ve been invited to dream.”
Santa Barbara Symphony’s KickOff Celebration, takes place 4:306:15 pm on Thursday, September 18. The Celebration is free, but reservations are encouraged. All who do reserve a spot will be entered into a drawing for a pair of complimentary mini-season subscriptions comprising four concerts. Register at www.bit.ly/ SymphonySeasonKickoff or visit www. TheSymphony.org
Joanne A Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@ yahoo.com
“There he is!” I raggedly whisper. It is absolutely Alan Bergman. I’m in the room with him. I’m in the room with Alan Bergman. Long a rabid fan of songcraft (if not an outright freak), I’m having a double header of a day, having spoken with my idol Williams this afternoon, and now this Alan Bergman madness. I turn to Judie to say some inane thing and she’s gone. I see then that she’s now standing next to Alan Bergman and is talking to him. The guy co-wrote Sinatra’s innuendo-packed “Nice n’ Easy,” Brasil 66’s “Like a Lover,” Tony Bennett and Bill Evans’ “You Must Believe in Spring,” and dozens of other standards. There is no gilded composer Alan and Marilyn have not teamed with to produce gorgeous, undying songs. And now this.
I watch in horror as Judie gestures in my direction and Alan Bergman looks up, briefly scans the room, sees me and smiles. Bergman and my wife break off from his clutch of gifted show business pals and head my way. The black dots!
“This is my husband, Jeff,” Judie says, very pleased with herself. As she should be.
“Hello, Jeff,” Alan Bergman says with a huge smile and warmly extends his hand. I gather myself and swear the room can hear my sloshing blood pump.
“Hello, Mr. Bergman,” I murmur in an attempted lower register – because when I’m stressed my already reedy voice rises an octave to the insectoid. I’m conversing with the gentleman who, in partnership with his wife, Marilyn, has co-written a host of toweringly gorgeous 20th century standards that we’ll still be singing when the exhausted Voyager I shows up again a
billion years hence, limping into our solar system and clutching its sad little golden da Vinci record. {final communication: “…cosmos teeming with life. no turntables anywhere...”]
We speak for maybe five minutes and Bergman is delightful and exultant. He charmingly spools out the story of he and Marilyn first meeting Michel Legrand – with whom they will co-write “What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” the melodically bewitching “You Must Believe in Spring,” and many others. Bergman explains their being introduced to Legrand by Gene Kelly over a game of tennis at the home of director Richard Brooks. Gene Kelly! I take all this in with a frozen, open-mouthed smile and hoisted, congealing canapé. Bergman’s own expression while telling the tale is one of wonder at the crazy technicolor mise-en-scène he and Marilyn inhabit. Songwriting has been good to them, and vice versa. Never mind their long romance, only recently paused – a marriage made of music.
“I mean,” Bergman concludes quietly, shaking his head. “Playing tennis with Michel Legrand...”
Alan Bergman, a longtime Montecitan, passed on July 17th of this year at 99, and in the course of his near 100 years of life fittingly helped write the soundtrack to an American century of lasting and deeply felt popular art. His Marilyn passed back in 2022, and Alan was left to carry forward – alone – an artistic adventure they’d shared for some 60 years.
Born in the same Brooklyn hospital, Alan and Marilyn wouldn’t actually meet till they’d both emigrated to Los Angeles
in the late 50s. By the by, Alan – then pursuing a master’s in music at UCLA – would be informally mentored by none other than Johnny Mercer (“Moon River,” “Skylark,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Come Rain or Come Shine”…). Mercer would invite the awestruck Bergman – a college student – to his home. “Show me what you’ve got, Alan”.
In the fullness of time and courtship, the penniless Alan Bergman would propose to Marilyn Keith – not with flowers or a ring but with a scratch recording of a song he’d co-written, a song based around Alan’s loving, lyrical description of Marilyn’s face. Alan had managed to have his tune recorded by Marilyn’s favorite singer – a guy named Fred Astaire. It worked.
Songwriting can be powerful magic. I’ve always known it. In NYC’s Brill Building, teams used to lock themselves into little offices and craft songs around the piano, sonic carpenters of melody. Those old songwriting team photos? One boring-looking guy at the piano while another bore leans over his shoulder and smiles wanly at the sheet music? That to me is one of the most potent glyphs humankind has yet produced. The magic of a melody is indecipherable – a series of notes on the air that, when “heard,” move the heart. Why? How? A “song” is as ephemeral and inexplicable as the quantum wave function; and as arguably elemental.
So long, Alan and Marilyn, and thanks for throwing yourselves at the magic in the name of our common exaltation . You two are surely strolling around the constellations, probably clutching Lafond java. We’ll remember. So in a world of snow, of things that come and go, where what you think you know, you can’t be certain of…you must believe in spring. And love.
THE PRICE OF GAS
(From the Montecito Ledger, March 19, 1958)
Don’t be discouraged by what seems to be the high price of gas these days. Things could be worse; much worse. Over in Italy you’d have to pay 92 cents for a gallon of premium gasoline, 88 cents for a gallon of regular. In other European countries you’d have to pay anywhere from 53 to 91 cents per gallon. Add to this some import duties and taxes and the total is almost enough to make you get out and walk.
The Return of Mountain Drive –Tecolote Bookshop
On Saturday, September 20, Elias Chiacos will be presenting and signing a beautiful, newly published edition of his iconic local history Mountain Drive. The photojournalistic instant classic explores – and for some surprised readers introduces – the post-war bohemian community that formed one parcel at a time in the foothills above Montecito. The colony of free-thinking creatives and bohemians fomented a fondly remembered, intentionally visionary ecosystem of like-minded journeyers.
The event at Tecolote will also serve as an informal celebration of the bookshop’s 100th anniversary. Phone (805) 969-4977 for details. Tecolote Bookshop is at 1470 E. Valley Rd #52
Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal.net
by Steven Libowitz
Sunset Sessions at The Band Shell – Just when you thought the summer season of free weekly outdoor concerts was over, along comes a new series at the newly refurbished space in Pershing Park across from West Beach. This week it’s Carly Powers and Will Breman in an acoustic concert (Sept. 4), with Boxtales Theatre Company’s Wisdom of the Elders slated for Sept. 11. Lawn chairs and blankets encouraged as well as picnicking (but no alcohol). Food will also be available for purchase.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Pershing Park, 100 Castillo St. COST: free
INFO: (805) 564-5573
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Carp Film Fest – Carpinteria producing impresario Michael Lazaro (Avocado Festival, Alcazar Theatre, Earth Day, etc.) adds another attraction to the seaside city’s calendar and joins the ever-increasing ranks of cinematic events with the debut of a Central Coast-centric film festival. The goal is also to provide a platform for independent filmmakers to showcase their work – on the big screen – to a broader audience than might be afforded otherwise. Carp Film Fest opens each evening’s presentation with a series of shorts created and shot around Carpinteria and the coastal environs north and south, followed by a single feature-length film. The shorts cover genres including documentaries, action, family, horror, drama, science fiction, comedy and experimental, the 20 films’ runtimes ranging from two to 23 minutes. Surf docs Eternal Stoke – The Chris Brown Legacy, which had its sold-out world premiere at the Lobero in June, and This Surfing Life: Big Wave Guardians, are the feature on Friday and Saturday night, while A.J. Eaton’s 2019 David Crosby: Remember My Name, made more poignant by the local legend rock star’s passing in 2023, closes the fest on Sunday. Q&A sessions followed the final screenings, and musical guests between the shorts and features include Carp fave Burleigh Skidmore and Jackson Gillies
WHEN: 4-9 pm September 5-6; 3-8:30 pm September 7
WHERE: Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria
Ventura LIVE – Rubicon Theatre’s month of nonstop entertainment, which features more than 30 shows in 30 days, continues with a genre-spanning scope of performances. A triple-header kicks off the week on September 5: Mood Indigo delivers campy, 1930s jazz-influenced fun at 1 pm, RTC homegrown faves Trevor & Sylvie pay tribute to James Taylor and Joni Mitchell at 7 pm, and RubiComedy makes its debut at the new late-night series “Downstairs at Rubicon,” with host Artie Lopez and six comedians from around the country at 9:45 pm. On Sept. 6, Jason Robert Brown, multiple Tony-winning composer and lyricist of Parade, The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County, and Songs for a New World, does his own cabaret thing. Tributes round out the week, with Eddie Wakes honoring Nat King Cole (Sept. 7), Leslie McCurdy embodying Harriet Tubman, Frank Ferrante taking on Groucho Marx, and Kres Mersky’s one-woman show The Life and Times of A. Einstein.
WHEN: Through September 20
WHERE: Rubicon, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura
COST: varies
INFO: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
1st Thursday – Welcome another newbie to the monthly art-and-culture walk, although we may not see this one again for years: NCEAS, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (1021 Anacapa St., 3rd Floor), throws open its doors to celebrate 30 years of collaborative science with the public. Explore the organization’s programs and discover information you can taste with Beth Altringer Eagle, NCEAS’ 2025 Artist in Residence, a program that highlights the intersection between arts and sciences. Altringer Eagle’s flavor innovator is transforming how we experience data. Appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks provided. Domecíl (1223 State) enjoys its fourth anniversary with the vibrant work of contemporary painter Delmar León, whose bold and colorful palette, rich textures, and intuitive movement across the canvas reflect the energy of life, nature and the human soul. Leland Francis will also be popping up with candles and fragrances to mark the occasion. Entre Mundos opens at Art & Soul (1323 State) as Beatris Burgoin presents paintings of migration, memory and belonging as the artist employs expressive portraiture and evocative landscapes in an exhibition exploring the complexity of people who are living between worlds. Sullivan Goss (11 E. Anapamu) is home base for the opening reception for The Muralists, which brings together a diverse group of artists from the past and present who have played a major part in creating Santa Barbara’s public art legacy. Fresh off Fiesta, Santa Barbara Historical Museum (136 East De La Guerra) has its opening celebration for plein air painter Ludmilla Pilat Welch, whose body of work stands as an important historical record, as many of these remnants of Santa Barbara’s past slowly disappeared from the landscape. DJ Darla Bea spins tunes for a “Last Dance of the Summer” party in the museum courtyard.
WHEN: 5-8 pm
WHERE: Lower State Street and side streets
COST: free
INFO: (805) 962-2098 or www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday
COST: $25 reserved, $45 center rows C-E
INFO: (805) 684-6380 or www.thealcazar.org/www.carpfilmfest.com
Oh, Deer: Nack Gets all Cat-ty – Brad Nack, the veteran second-generation Santa Barbara painter whose annual herd of whimsical reindeer creations are eagerly anticipated at Christmastime, instead focuses on felines for his new show this weekend. The Cat Room and Other Decorative Splendours, his first show at this particular downtown venue (as Nack strays from familiar environs), is actually a double exhibition as suggested by its title. The Cat Room will feature cat-themed pieces in the Community Arts Workshop’s Olsen Gallery while The Shed Gallery across the courtyard will showcase an array of the artist’s decorative pieces, both old and new. The total of more than 100 original works of art make the exhibition Nack’s largest one-person show to date. Friday’s opening reception boasts a special guest set by DJ Espinaca (aka Spencer) from 8-9 pm in addition to the opportunity to be first to view the new pieces and chat with the loquacious artist.
WHEN: Opening opening 6-10 pm September 5, gallery open 12-6 pm September 6-7
WHERE: SBCAW, 631 Garden St.
COST: free
INFO: www.sbcaw.org/upcoming
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Pints for the Park – More than 20 local brewers, wineries and hard cider purveyors have been confirmed for the latest version of the original craft brew festival in town, but you can get such libations all around town. What’s different is being in the astounding environs of Elings Park and knowing that your tickets help to support the largest privately funded and admission-free park in America. Elings
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
60-plus? That’s Nothing to Tecolote – Montecito’s beloved Tecolote Books is turning 100, which makes it the perfect place for a night of poetry readings from Women in a Golden State: California Poets at 60 and Beyond, the anthology published by local imprint Gunpowder Press in May. Editors Chryss Yost, a former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, and longtime Montecito resident Diana Raab came up with the concept as they were contemplating their own milestone birthdays. The collection’s diverse array of voices and experiences highlight the rich and varied lives and perspectives of older women, proving that age is no barrier to achievement, creativity or relevance. A solid 13 of the local poets featured in the collection – that would be around a combined 800 years of experience – will read their work and sign copies at today’s event.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: Tecolote Books, 1470 E Valley Rd.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 969-4977 or www.TecoloteBooks.com
is celebrating its 40th anniversary as the community’s own 230-acre scenic space on the Santa Barbara Mesa, full of sweeping views and picturesque oak groves. Drink it all up!
WHEN: 4-8 pm (3 pm VIP)
WHERE: Elings Park, 1298 Las Positas Road
COST: $65 general, $85 VIP INFO: (805) 569-5611 or www.elingspark.org/beerfest
Meet the Hands that Feed You – More than 20 Santa Barbara County farms, ranches, and agricultural organizations – including seven new sites for 2025 – open their “doors” to invite the public to experience a day full of free agricultural activities and tours during the 7th annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day. Guests can enjoy a variety of activities that range from behind-the-scenes tours and tractor rides to produce tastings and giveaways, plus plenty of kid-friendly exhibits at the agricultural spreads that range from Santa Maria to Carpinteria. An online Trail Map is provided to pick which farms you want to visit, and guests can drive around to each at their own pace. However you choose to participate, Farm Day should help to foster meaningful connections between community members and the farmers.
WHEN: 10 am-3 pm
WHERE: various COST: free
INFO: www.seeag.org/farmday
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
‘Tubby’ and Other Tunes – Santa Barbara Chamber Players’ free children’s concert boasts a fun, interactive, and family-friendly program designed to inspire the next generation of musicians. Gene Pokorny, principal tuba of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and one of the most celebrated brass musicians in the world, delivers the humor and heart of Tubby the Tuba, a story of a tuba who dreams of playing the melody in an uplifting tale for children about believing in oneself and the joy of music. Also on the program are Rossini’s “William Tell Overture,” familiar for its thrilling gallop made famous by cartoons and pop culture, and selections from Star Wars, one of John Williams’ early cinematic scores. After the concert, children will be able to try different musical instruments.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: Trinity Lutheran Church, 909 N. La Cumbre Rd. COST: free INFO: www.santabarbarachamberplayers.org
SPONSORS:
Your Trusted Choice for Estate Sales, Liquidation & Downsizing
Moving Miss Daisy’s providing comprehensive services through Moving Miss Daisy since 2015. Expert packing, unpacking, relocating to ensure your new home is beautifully set up and ready to enjoy. Miss Daisy’s is the largest consignment store in the Tri-Counties - nearly 20K sq.ft.- always offering an unmatched selection of items. We also host online Auctions.
Glenn Novack, Owner 805-770-7715
www.missdaisy.org info@movingmissdaisy.com
We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation. 1470 East Valley Rd Suite V. 805-969-0888
Santa Barbara’s Premier Downsizing, Relocation & Estate Transition expert. Experienced. Discreet. Professional. Curated. Guiding your transitions with care & patience. CuratedTransitions.com 805.669.6303
Montecito Electric Repairs and Inspections Licensed C10485353 805-969-1575
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com
GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? WE CAN HELP
At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session! Call Now (805) 453-6086
We Buy Classic Cars Running or Not. Foreign/Domestic Chevy/Ford/Porsche/Mercedes/Etc. We come to you. Call Steven - 805-699-0684 Website - Avantiauto.group
Do you need to get away for a weekend, week or more? I will house sit and take care of your pets, plants & mail. I have refs if needed. Call me or text me. Christine (805) 452-2385
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304 Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
Casa L. M.
Landscape hedges installed. Ficus to flowering. Disease resistant. Great privacy. Certified rootstock assorted fruit trees. Licensed & insured. Call (805) 963-6909
WATERLILIES and LOTUS since 1992
WATERGARDEN CARE SBWGC
Openings now available for Children and Adults.
Piano Lessons in our Studio or your Home. Call or Text Kary Kramer (805) 453-3481
General Building Design & Construction Contractor William J. Dalziel Lic. B311003 – 1 (805) 698-4318 billjdalziel@gmail.com
MIRAMAR BEACH CONDO FOR LONG-TERM LEASE
Two bedroom / two bath, furnished beach condo available September 1. Gated entry, two dedicated parking spaces. $ 10,500 / month. No pets. Call owner at (817) 307-8989
CHARMING RENTAL IN HEART OF MONTECITO
Newly Built 2bd/2ba Home in MUS school district. Vaulted Ceilings, Yard, Patio, utilities included $6,900/mo. Great weekend getaway too Call/text 805-453-2240
CHARMING COTTAGE / STUNNING VIEWS / AVAILABLE NOW
One bdrm. Kitchenette. Laundry available. Off-street personal parking. Private patio. Pool. Unfurnished. Setting: Picturesque, serene SB Foothills. Gated Estate. $2,800.
Pet privilege. Ph: JJ at 805-796-6079
It’s simple. Charge is $3 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $10 per issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email Classified Ad to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860. All ads must be finalized by Friday at 2pm the week prior to printing. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex (3% surcharge)
ByPeteMuller&FrankLongo
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Pueblos Abalone (4pcs)
arugula, radicchio, belgian endive and sauteéd on ion Jimmy the Greek Salad with Feta
arugula, radicchio, shrimp, prosciutto, cannellini beans,
tortillas, melted cheese, avocado and warm
Huevos Rancheros, two eggs any
Corned Beef Hash & two
Petit Filet 7 �oz Steak, & two
with avocado
Home Made Spanish
Wild
romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, peppers, avocado, roquefort
shrimp, 2 oz. crab, avocado, egg, romaine, tomato, cucumber
reggiano parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette
Arugula, Radicchio & Belgian Endive
sauerkraut and gruyere on
choice of hash browns, fries,
toasted bialy or bagel, cream cheese, olives,
Cambridge House Rope Hung
Fried Calamari