Building a Body of Native American Literature
IBy Kerry Methner / VOICE
NTRODUCING A CHORUS OF URBAN NATIVE AMERICAN
VOICES in his two recent novels, Tommy Orange, a keen and articulate observer with a piercing intelligence, will take center stage at UCSB Campbell Hall on Wednesday, January 29th at 7:30pm in a UCSB Arts & Lectures presentation. His novels There There (2018) and Wandering Stars (2024), lay bare the multiple realities and complexity of contemporary indigenous people living in America.
In Wandering Stars, Orange conjures the ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in There There, asking what it means to be the children and grandchildren of massacre. His work shows us violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power, dislocation and communion, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. In An Evening with Tommy Orange he’ll speak frankly about his craft, the writing process, and Native American history and culture.
Orange graduated from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, and was a 2014 MacDowell Fellow and a 2016 Writing by Writers Fellow. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and was born and raised in Oakland, California. He now lives in Angels Camp, California, with his wife and son and teaches creative writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
“There’s a monolithic version of what a Native is supposed to be,” Orange noted in a Guardian interview with Hannah Beckerman. “Writing a polyphonic, multigenerational novel
is resisting this one idea of what being Native is supposed to look like. If we all have to be historical, with a headdress, looking off into the distance, that’s hopeless as far as building a proper, complex, human identity.”
Beckerman continued her interview, with, “The title is taken from a Gertrude Stein quote: ‘There is no there there.’ What’s the significance of that quote?”
Orange replied, “In Stein’s Everybody’s Autobiography, she talks about how someone was asking her what it’s like to come back to her childhood home in Oakland, where I also come from, and she says, ‘There is no there there.’ She was talking about how it had been developed over and was unrecognizable. I was using that as a parallel to Native experience and the ‘there there’ of the land before it was colonized, developed over and bordered.”
Orange’s novel, There There, was one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year in 2018 and won the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Pen/Hemingway Award. There There was also longlisted for the National Book Award and was a finalist for the
Pulitzer Prize.
Wandering Stars, published in February 2024, tells the story of epigenetic and generational trauma that traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family. This prequel/sequel to There There was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
“Orange’s ability to highlight the contradictory forces that coexist within friendships, familial relationships, and the characters themselves, who contend with holding private and public identities, makes Wandering Stars a towering achievement,” wrote Jonathan Escoffery of Wandering Stars in the New York Times.
while depicting the tragic cost of that silence.”
That newly emerging literature under Orange’s hand doesn’t flinch away from painful memories, despicable acts by individuals, or the government, such as the Sand Creek Massacre, or the numerous Indian Schools that ripped children from parents and their cultural homes. It looks carefully at the impact of history on individuals and our communities, and how it plays out on the stages of individual lives. His characters’ multilayered motivations that they employ to get through their days are on display and may or may not convince the reader of good in their intentions. But Orange’s stories keep coming, and in the end the momentum toward the future and an evolving setting offers hope.
As Anthony Cummins writes in the Guardian, “Ultimately the turns their stories take... are about healing, not catastrophe; the same might be said of Wandering Stars, unlikely though it seems in the most harrowing moments of a novel marrying eye-opening historical re-creation with gritty social realism.”
An Evening with Tommy Orange is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures in association with the following UCSB partners: American Indian and Indigenous Collective; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Department of American Indian and Indigenous Studies.
UCSB Arts & Lectures 2024-2025 Season Sponsor is Sara Miller McCune. The Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli are Community Partners supporting the 2024-2025 season.
Tommy Orange is building a body of literature that reshapes the Native American story in the United States. Book by book, he’s correcting the death of Indian stories even while depicting the tragic cost of that silence.”
– The Washington Post
Orange’s work as author and writing teacher is pivotal. As The Washington Post writes, he is “building a body of literature that reshapes the Native American story in the United States. Book by book, he’s correcting the death of Indian stories even
FREE copies of ‘Wandering Stars,’ will be available to pick up at event while supplies last (one per household).
Tommy Orange
Photo by Michael Lionstar
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Sara Miller McCune Arts Library opens for study, research and learning resources
By Keith Hamm / The UC Santa Barbara Current
THE NEWLY OPENED SARA MILLER
MCCUNE ARTS LIBRARY at UC Santa Barbara culminates a multiyear effort to unite library collections and services in a central, state-of-the-art space. It also represents the vision of its namesake, a longstanding donor to the university.
“Libraries are a place to learn, to explore, to read and they are often the doors to higher education,” Miller McCune said. “I am very proud to have made a contribution to this particular library and to be part of the future of scholarship at UCSB.”
“This gift to UC Santa Barbara Library is another demonstration of Sara Miller McCune’s commitment to philanthropy in Santa Barbara, as well as her support for the arts and higher education,” added Chancellor Henry Yang. “We are proud to recognize Sara’s contributions with this named arts library and celebrate her legacy of giving.”
The space, located on the first floor, mountain-side of the main UCSB Library, combines the existing Art & Architecture Collection with the Music Library Collection that was previously located in the Music Building. At the same time, it opens the area
with all-new study spaces — from booths and desks to couches and shared tables — and high-density compact shelving for print collections. By reservation, UCSB affiliates also have access to a multimedia studio for recording audio and video, a media lab for post production, listening and seminar rooms, and an upright piano. Unreserved rooms are also available on a drop-in basis.
“We are now able to better serve our students, faculty, and the scholarly community with a beautiful new space befitting a top-tier research institution,” said Interim University Librarian Alan Grosenheider.
Miller McCune founded global academic publisher Sage Publishing in 1965 to promote and preserve research and education, particularly in the social and behavioral sciences.
Over the past three decades, Miller McCune and her late-husband George D. McCune, often working in conjunction with the company, have made a deep philanthropic imprint at UCSB, including: SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind; SAGE Sara Miller McCune Dean of Social Sciences; Miller McCune Executive Director of Arts & Lectures; George D. McCune
Dissertation Fellowship in Communication; McCune Conference Room at the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center; and the Sara Miller McCune Endowed Internship and Public Service program at the Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life. Her philanthropy has also sponsored ongoing programing, such as the Imagining California speaker series and many Arts & Lectures events and series.
Her gift in 2015 established the Sara Miller McCune University Library Innovation Fund, which fueled the new arts library project.
Printed with permission of UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
Photos by Jeff Liang
Sara Miller McCune, November 2024
BY William Shakespeare DIRECTED BY Margaret
Ana Nicolle Chavez and Will Block
Photo: Zach Mendez
LA Fire Relief Planning Santa Barbara Reaches Out
IN RESPONSE TO THE LOS ANGELES FIRES, local organizations have joined forces with fire relief efforts, hoping to provide safety and support to those in need.
People interested in offering financial support should remember to look for established organizations actively involved in relief efforts.
A list of relief organizations, and links to their donation pages, includes:
Direct Relief CA Wildfire Response – directrelief.org/emergency/wildfire
American Red Cross LA County – redcross.org/local/california/los-angeles
California Community Foundation – calfund.org
Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) – coreresponse.org
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank – lafoodbank.org
Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control - animalcare.lacounty.gov
Pasadena Community Foundation – pasadenacf.org
Pasadena Humane – pasadenahumane.org
Salvation Army Southern California Division –socal.salvationarmy.org/southern-california/
United Way of Greater Los Angeles – unitedwayla.org
World Central Kitchen – worldcentralkitchen.org
The City of Santa Barbara is reminding everyone that staying informed is key, encouraging residents to sign up for local emergency alerts at ReadySBC.org to stay prepared.
For kids impacted by the Los Angeles fires, MOXI will have a free day camp Wednesday, January 15th through Friday, January 17th at the Santa Barbara Zoo for kids ages 6-16 years old. With these camps, MOXI hopes to support families affected by the fires and provide a safe, healing environment for their children in a normalized, fun, and structured setting.
To assist with individuals living with dementia, Friendship House will offer no-cost, short-term respite care for families who have temporarily relocated to the Central Coast due to the fires. If a family has been displaced and are caring for an older adult with dementia, Friendship House will offer a safe, supportive space where their loved one can feel comforted and engaged—while giving families time to focus
on recovery and next steps.
Additionally, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara expanded emergency insurance protections for Southern California homeowners, adding new ZIP Codes to those already under a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance nonrenewals and cancellations. The amended Commissioner’s Bulletin protects those within the perimeters or adjoining ZIP Codes of the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, Sunset, and Woodley fires in Los Angeles County for one year from the Governor’s January 7th emergency declaration, regardless of whether they suffered a loss. As firefighters battle wildfires across the region, Lara will issue a supplemental bulletin. Residents can go to the Department of Insurance website to see if their ZIP Code is included in the mandatory moratorium: https://tinyurl.com/5a5tw8uh
Local Foodbank Joins Fire Relief Efforts In LA
Sending support to those affected by the Los Angeles fires, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County sent out a shipment of 10 pallets of water from the South County Sharehouse. Delivered in partnership with Food Share of Ventura County, the shipment was added in a collaborative effort to assist the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank with responding to the impact of multiple fires in the region.
“This is the beginning of whatever additional support we can provide, just as we were supported by sister food banks during the Thomas Fire,” said Erik Talkin, Foodbank CEO.
The new South County facility enables Santa Barbara Foodbank to store up to 1.2 million pounds of disaster food, supporting Foodbank’s mission of disaster preparedness and helping provide immediate, life-saving resources to the community and to neighboring food banks. Through these coordinated initiatives and strategy, the Foodbank ensures that Santa Barbara County and their neighbors receive critical support in times of need. foodbanksbc.org
FEMA Relief
WHILE FEMA IS HELPING COVER FIREFIGHTING COSTS, the agency is also helping people cover the costs of immediate needs and recovery efforts due to the Palisades Fire, burning in and around the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, and the Eaton Fire, burning in Altadena and Pasadena.
FEMA opened two Disaster Recovery Centers on Tuesday to help people who experienced “damage to their primary home, personal property loss or have disastercaused emergency needs related to the wildfires.” FEMA said people will get help with applying for assistance, speak to representatives, get updates on their FEMA application and learn about the appeals process.
UCLA Research Park West: 10850 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064; hours of operation – Daily: 9am to 8pm
Pasadena City College Community Education Center: 3035 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106; hours of operation – Daily: 9am to 8pm
Officials said this is not a first come, first served type of assistance. There is enough help for everyone; they just need to apply. The centers are open to assist people get the help they are entitled to through federal and state programs.
Courtesy of Food Bank of Santa Barbara County
Police Blotter
Bank Robbery on Carpinteria Avenue
AN ARMED BANK ROBBERY TOOK PLACE, ON JANUARY 14, 2025, at 2:21 p.m., in the 900 block of Carpinteria Ave., it has been reported by the Santa Barbara Police. When officers arrived at the scene, the suspect had already fled the area. According to the police report, the suspect approached the teller while brandishing a black handgun. The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, and the suspect left on foot.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male adult, approximately 5’7” tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt with the hood pulled over a dark-colored baseball cap. He also wore a dark-colored cloth mask covering his face, blue jeans, and light-colored shoes. There were no reported injuries during this robbery.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Santa Barbara Police Department at (805)897-2376. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Found Body at Leadbetter Beach
A BODY WAS FOUND ON LEADBETTER BEACH on January 14, 2025, at approximately 7am, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department report.
A Combined Communication Center received a report of a found body in the surf line at Leadbetter Beach, adjacent to 800 Shoreline Drive. Santa Barbara Police and Harbor Patrol responded to the scene, where they were directed to the body by a witnesses.
Santa Barbara Police and Harbor Patrol Officers moved the body onto the sand, where it was determined the individual was deceased. The decedent is a male who appears to be in his 30s-40s. The cause of death is still under investigation. No signs of foul play were discovered, and the decedent was taken by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau for further investigation.
Community News
MTD Polling Public on Proposed Fare Change
SEEKING THE PUBLIC’S RESPONSE to proposed fare changes, Santa Barbara MTD is scheduling community meetings to gain input. Though MTD’s fares have been unchanged for the past 16 years, according to MTD, rising operational costs have necessitated an update to fares. To generate additional revenue of approximately $1.5 million to help cover the shortfall, MTD has presented two alternative scenarios: Alternative 1 consists of a $2.25 cash fare with moderately discounted passes, while Alternative 2 consists of a $2.50 cash fare with a greater discount on passes. Any fare change would go into effect with MTD’s annual service changes on August 18th, 2025.
In order to discuss the details of these changes and listen to additional community input, MTD will host several open house meetings, each with English-to-Spanish interpretation available. Meetings will be held the following dates: Wednesday, January 15th, from 6pm to 7:30pm at the Goleta Valley Community Center Thursday, January 23rd, from 5 to 6:30pm at the Eastside Library in the MLK Jr. Room Saturday, January 25th, from 2 to 3:30pm at the Central Library in the Faulkner Gallery
Wednesday, February 5th, from 6 to 7:30pm in the Carpinteria Library Community Room
The outreach and survey period will run through mid-February, and the public is invited to review the proposed alternatives and to complete a short survey. The survey is available in English and Spanish, and will also be available in paper form at the Transit Center and onboard MTD buses.
For more information or to complete the survey, visit https://sbmtd.gov/farechange/
City Seeking Public Input on Community Development Decisions
RESIDENTS CAN GIVE THEIR INPUT on local housing and community development needs by participating in three upcoming Community Development Workshops. By supporting need-driven, place-based decisions and informed public participation, these events offer an opportunity to guide funding decisions for the Five-year Consolidated Plan.
The Plan outlines a vision, goals, and strategies for allocating grants provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Focusing on the needs of low- and moderate-income individuals and households, as well as strategies to assist them, it addresses “special needs” identified by the federal government or locally, such as those of the elderly, persons with disabilities, homeless individuals, and others. Workshops will take place on the following dates:
Wednesday, January 22nd: 6 to 7pm at the Eastside Library, 1102 E. Montecito St, in the Martin Luther King Jr. Room
Thursday, January 23rd: 6:30 to 7:30pm at Westside United Boys & Girls Club, 602 West Anapamu St.
Friday, January 24th: 10am to 11am, in the David Gebhard Meeting Room 9 at 630 Garden St
Refreshments will be available for attendees.
Van Crash on Stearns Wharf Collides With 10 Vehicles and Two Pedestrians
FOLLOWING MULTIPLE 911 CALLS ABOUT A CAR CRASH ON STEARNS WHARF, on January 11, 2025 at 3:56pm, the Santa Barbara Police Department responded to reports a van had crashed into both vehicles and pedestrians.
Santa Barbara Police, Fire, and Harbor Patrol responded to the accident. The involved van was near the end of Stearns Wharf. The driver of the van was the sole occupant of the vehicle. The van lost control, colliding with ten vehicles, most of which were parked. The van also collided with two pedestrians. The pedestrians sustained moderate injuries. Both of the pedestrians was transported to Cottage Hospital for treatment. An additional hree people, all occupants of vehicles struck by the van, were transported to Cottage Hospital for complaints of pain.
The driver of the van was interviewed by law enforcement at the scene of the accident. He was taken to Cottage Hospital for treatment related to a preexisting medical condition. The cause of the collision is still under investigation. The collision did not appear to be an intentional act.
City of Goleta to Celebrate E-Bike Safety Awareness Week
E-BIKE SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK WILL RETURN TO THE CITY OF GOLETA to bring attention to the importance of e-bike safety, from January 21st to the 25th, for the third year in a row. E-bike related crashes, with serious injuries and even fatalities, continue to rise in California, by an increase of 80 incidents over the prior year, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Throughout the week, MOVE representatives and City staff will appear at several local schools to conduct E-Bike Safety Awareness outreach activities. Goleta Valley Junior High, Dos Pueblos High School, and San Marcos High School have partnered with the City of Goleta in this endeavor.
E-bike safety steps include checking your battery, brakes, chain, and tire pressure regularly, wearing a helmet and visible clothing, and avoiding texting, talking on the phone, or listening to loud music while riding, among others. cityofgoleta.org
santabarbaraca.gov
SB Maritime Museum Celebrates 25 Years
SAILING STRONG FOR TWO AND A HALF DECADES, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is celebrating 25 years of operation. Over the years, the museum has remained a steadfast presence in the Santa Barbara community, sharing maritime history and inspiring future generations.
Founded in 2000 by local fishermen, divers, and sailors, the museum was established in order to celebrate the region’s maritime heritage and highlight key environmental issues. In 2021, the museum earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, a distinction achieved by fewer than four percent of museums nationwide.
As a vibrant hub of education and community engagement, the museum features interactive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences that bring the area’s history and culture to life, including the Point Conception First-Order Fresnel Lens, the historic sport fishing yacht Ranger, and an extensive collection of Dwight Brooks’ fully-functional boat models.
SBMM’s educational initiatives, developed in partnership with local schools, include Science Nights, the Girls in Ocean Science Conference, and the Maritime on the Move program. By getting students on the water, exploring marine habitats, and engaging with local experts, SBMM fosters a deeper appreciation for the ocean while encouraging environmental stewardship and maritime careers. sbmm.org
Fearless Femme Summit Returns to Break Barriers Facing Femmes in STEM
DEALING WITH DISCRIMINATION, UNCONSCIOUS BIAS, AND A LACK OF ROLE MODELS AND SUPPORT IN THEIR FIELD, women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can strengthen their skills at the second annual Fearless Femme Summit, to be held from February 3rd to 6th. The free online sessions are designed to help women in STEM become empowered leaders.
“Women are a powerful and important segment of the STEM workforce, yet so many of the women I’ve coached have felt undervalued in their jobs and have struggled to get ahead,” said leadership coach and summit host, Mary Jean Vignone, Ph.D. “My goal with this summit is to support, empower, and inspire women in STEM so that they can lead with confidence, successfully navigate obstacles, and achieve their career dreams.”
A few of the 20 speakers include Professional Development Consultant Suman Kapur, productivity expert Sara Caputo, former Women’s Economic Ventures CEO Kathy Odell, leadership and career story coach Lisa Gates, and UC Santa Barbara immunologist and postdoctoral fellow Melina Messing. Each day’s sessions include a 30-minute question and answer period during which participants can ask questions of the experts. Topics will include cultivating charisma, self-advocacy, self-care techniques, balancing career and family challenges, negotiation skills, body language, emotional intelligence, and leading with confidence.
Registration is open to STEM professionals, students, and the public at no cost. Participants can also sign up for a paid group coaching program and individualized emotional intelligence assessments, which include free access to Fearless Femme Summit speaker videos.
For more information, or to register, visit fearlessfemmesummit.com
Mozart Marathon
THE SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY will present the genius of Mozart over one weekend: two different concerts, and eight masterworks, including Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Symphony No. 35, Haffner, at the Granada on January 18th and 19th.
In collaboration with Music & Artistic Director Nir Kabaretti, Jonathan Fox, former Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Company, will bring Mozart’s life and letters to the stage through captivating storytelling. Adding even more magic, acclaimed comedic actor Tim Bagley will serve as guest narrator, delivering these stories with his signature wit and charm.
Music & Artistic Director Nir Kabaretti shared his enthusiasm for the enhancements, “Having both programs dedicated to the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gives us a unique opportunity to dive into the sonority and style of the 18th century in central Europe. These new theatrical elements will add an engaging layer of storytelling, offering fun facts about Mozart as a child prodigy and prolific composer, as well as his lasting impact on the world of music.”
Saturday’s program at 7:30pm will include: Nir Kabaretti, conductor; Amy Tatum, flute; Michelle Temple, harp; and Jessica Guideri, violin performing: Mozart’s Overture to The Impresario; Mozart’s Concerto For Flute and Harp; Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D; and Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, “Haffner.”
Sunday’s program at 3pm will include: Nir Kabaretti, conductor; Lara Wickes, oboe; and Natasha Kislenko, piano performing: Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; Mozart’s Oboe Concerto; Mozart’s Symphony in D, K 196 / 121; and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K 488.
For tickets ($42-$205) visit granadasb.org
Santa Barbara Symphony Accepting Applications to Sing in New Chorus
THE SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY IS PLANNING TO LAUNCH a groundbreaking initiative: The Santa Barbara Symphony Chorus. The ensemble will debut in April 2025 and perform Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem with the Symphony. The Chorus will provide a high-caliber ensemble to perform alongside The Symphony’s professional musicians and a flexible option for singers who can’t commit to the rigors of a weekly rehearsal schedule typical of other local choral groups.
“Santa Barbara is blessed with several outstanding community and collegiate choral ensembles,” shared Santa Barbara Symphony Music & Artistic Director Nir Kabaretti. “The Symphony aims to unite singers across our vibrant choral community, creating new opportunities for those who may or may not belong to an existing chorus.
Approximately 120 voices will be selected. The chorus will complement other local choral activities by operating within a concentrated time frame to avoid conflicts with ongoing programs in the area.
For more information, or to submit an interest form, visit https://thesymphony.org/about/santa-barbara-symphony-chorus./ The deadline to apply is midnight, Sunday, January 19th. For applicantrelated queries, email chorusmanager@TheSymphony.org.
Courtesy of SBMM
Courtesy of Santa Barbara Symphony
Harpist Michelle Temple Pianist Natasha Kislenko
EQ25 Alliance Plans Centennial Celebration to Commemorate Santa Barbara’s Big Quake
LOCAL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS ARE SET TO SHAKE THINGS UP in Santa Barbara, as the EQ25 Alliance forms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Santa Barbara Earthquake and trace its impact on the community.
“The 100th anniversary of the June 29, 1925, Santa Barbara earthquake offers a unique opportunity for Santa Barbara to learn from our past, reflect on our present, and plan for our future,” said EQ25 Steering Committee member Steve Hausz.
Following the 1925 earthquake, which killed eleven people and destroyed most of downtown, the city gathered together to rebuild and recover as a community. EQ25 offers an opportunity to reflect on local history and recognize the resilience of Santa Barbara residents. Activities will begin in April with a kickoff event, exhibitions, and lectures, before “QuakeFest” arrives downtown on Saturday, June 28th. The event, taking place on State Street between Figueroa and Anapamu, will serve as a street fair for the community, featuring live entertainment, exhibits, workshops, and special surprises. Guests will dress in the style of the 1920s as they explore SB Earthquake related booths, ride the earthquake simulator, learn about the history of the quake, and enjoy jazz-age refreshments. music, and more. A dramatic, immersive, outdoor projection show of the earthquake itself will take place in the evening.
Businesses and organizations interested in participating with an exhibit or activity at QuakeFest can email the Alliance at EQ25org@gmail.com and an application will be provided. EQ25.org
Santa Ynez Valley to Receive 1.4 Million for Multi-Use Path
THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY WILL RECEIVE $1.4 MILLION from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, to advance plans for an 8.7 mile multi-use path that will connect the Santa Ynez Reservation with Buellton, Solvang, and other parts of the valley.
Congressman Salud Carbajal, who helped write and pass the landmark law as a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced the grant.
“Improving the connectivity of the Central Coast’s communities was one of my core missions when helping to craft the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I’m proud to announce this new grant from our landmark infrastructure to support that goal,” said Rep. Carbajal. “After more than $1 billion already awarded to our region, it is clear that this core achievement of my work with the Biden-Harris Administration is providing for a widespread revitalization of our infrastructure and an improved quality of life across our entire Central Coast.”
The grant, which was awarded to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, is part of a program created to support projects that provide safe means of transportation connectivity between communities. Since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, more than $1 billion in funding has gone to projects up and down the Central Coast of California
“Our tribe is thankful for receiving this grant and having the opportunity to create a network of bike and pedestrian trails for use by all Santa Ynez Valley residents and visitors,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, “with the aim of reducing traffic, establishing safe passageways and improving the environment.” carbajal.house.gov
Goleta Receives More than $11 Million Dollars for Path Project
THANKS TO THE RECONNECTING
COMMUNITIES PILOT Grant Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Goleta will move forward with the construction of the San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path Project, providing some significant connectivity throughout the city as a whole.
“We are overjoyed that the City of Goleta was awarded this significant grant which allows us to carry out the long-awaited vision of connecting the northern Goleta neighborhoods to Old Town and the beach,” said Mayor Paula Perotte. “Thank you to the Goleta staff who never gave up on this project, who took the initiative to apply and secure this grant, and to the U.S. Department of Transportation for seeing the value of this impactful project.”
The $11.16 million in federal dollars, in addition to the $15.29 million already received from the Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant, will lighten the burden on local funding.
This project will build a separate and dedicated multipurpose underpass through US 101, the Union Pacific railroad tracks, and State Route 217. The project will also create a new Class I bicycle path and pedestrian amenities, improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, and offer residents direct access to the grocery stores, health care services, green spaces, schools, employment, and recreational opportunities located in the north of the city. cityofgoleta.org
In Favor of Free Speech, Will Online Boycotts Work?
By Jesse Caverly / VOICE
STARTLING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORLD OF ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA have left several platforms in uncharted waters, as repercussions from the recent election bear out in real time. As a nationwide ban on TikTok, which has over 170 million users in the United States, looms near on January 19th, unexpected responses have surprised even the most astute watchdogs and pundits in the social media space.
The position of the United States Justice Department has been that the threat of China extracting data (and weaponizing it) about Americans from TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, is a national security concern and reason enough for the ban.
TikTok has radically changed American lives in two ways: allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive, pumping approximately $24.2 billion into the U.S. gross domestic product in the last year, and providing unfiltered access to citizen journalism and news outside of legacy media outlets.
This, millions of TikTok users believe, is the real reason behind the ban, not concerns about national security.
Under Mark Zuckerberg’s direction, perhaps the most controversial development has been Meta pivoting from using fact checkers in favor of community notes in its platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Threads), which is a much less rigorous set of standards around free speech and journalistic veracity. This will, many fear, allow for hate speech and propaganda to proliferate rapidly and undermine trust on these sites.
All of this has led to a week long boycott of all Meta platforms, to begin on January 19th, and the controversial action taken on Monday, January 13th, of over 700,000 Americans decamping their data from TikTok to join Red Note, (AKA Little Red Book) a Chinese app similar to TikTok, signaling users’ displeasure at the TikTok ban.
The TikTok ban is now being reconsidered by members of congress, with a new bill that will postpone the ban.
Courtesy of City of Goleta
Courtesy of EQ25 Alliance
Condoleezza Rice
66th U.S. Secretary of State
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2025
A retrospective of the creative path of Joyce Wilson. Nine decades from commercial portrait studies to figurative art, through abstraction and surrealism, from feminism and contemporary social issues to world events. An illustrated catalog of 95 images accompanies the exhibition.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS TO INVITE PUBLIC INPUT ON USES OF GRANT FUNDING FOR 5-YEAR CONSOLIDATED PLAN
The City of Santa Barbara is in the process of developing their 5-Year Consolidated Plan for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Santa Barbara City residents are invited to make their voices heard about local housing and community development needs at Community Meetings and by participating in a Community Development Workshop. This event is an opportunity to learn about Community Development Block Grant and HOME programs, share your input on local needs and priorities that will improve our neighborhoods.
Your participation and input is vital to this process.
A Dialogue Between Baroque & Contemporary Improvisation
By Jesse Caverly / VOICE
ARARE NIGHT OF FRESH INNOVATION AND CLASSICAL MUSIC will form the first of two programs curated by acclaimed flutist Emi Ferguson, the Baroque Music Director of Camerata Pacifica. She will be joined by Dan Tepfer, world-renowned jazz pianist and composer, at Hahn Hall this Friday, January 17th.
“This is a concert on a theme of reinvention,” said Dan Tepfer, via phone interview, “which is how to look at something old through the prism of the present, and it’s essentially what we’re doing all the time, is reinventing, right? We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants, making something new with it, with this vast previous experience of other people.”
The program, anchored by Bach’s iconic Two-Part Inventions, will focus on improvisation and musical innovation, and promises to explore and push new boundaries with both composers and their instruments. With Ferguson on traverso and Tepfer on amplified clavichord, the program will quickly dive beneath the surface of composers Bach and Francesco Antonio Bonporti.
Celebrated for his innovative performances with artists including Renee Fleming and Lee Konitz, with award-winning recordings and appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, Tepfer’s forte is improvisation. Informed by this background in jazz, he has found Bach to be a kindred spirit. For this performance, Tepfer is drawing from his acclaimed 2023 solo album J.S. Bach / Dan Tepfer, Inventions / Reinventions on
StorySound Records.
“Improvisation was really a kind of defining aspect of his character,” Tepfer states. “And you can imagine that if recording technology had existed in this time, he might have never composed at all, much like jazz musicians. He might have just improvised all the time and recorded it, and that would have been his output.”
Tepfer has marked his musical career with this approach to Bach’s repertoire with two LPs, Goldberg Variations/ Variations (2011) and Inventions/Reinventions (2025), parts of the latter of which will be in the Emergence program. Due in part to its size and moderate volume, the clavichord was an instrument better suited for practice, and came to be a popular choice for small intimate affairs of chamber music concerts—so, in this case, the clavichord will be amplified.
“Our sound engineer Toby has done a really beautiful job of finding a way to amplify it that sounds beautiful,” Tepfer said. “It’s pretty special, because, again, this is not an instrument that’s designed for performance at all, and you will get to see it as a performance instrument.”
Emi Ferguson also lives in the Venn overlap of classical music and contemporary ideas. A flutist, singer, and composer, Ferguson will combine singing and vocalizations with the baroque flute, merging the two sounds as harmony in Bach’s Partita Recomposed.
Ferguson has collaborated with the likes of the American
others. Born in Japan and raised in London and Boston, Ferguson draws from a worldly spectrum of influences, which are reflected in her creative choices.
“Emi is somebody who has tremendous ability and competence in her core field, you know,” Tepfer said. “But she’s also a really creative and original thinker, and so she comes up with these kind of out of the box ideas, like the one that we’re doing here. And I think that’s always really interesting. You know, when somebody has that core competence, that for most people would be plenty already, but then does really interesting things with it.”
For tickets ($35-$75), visit cameratapacifica.org
Sunday, January 26th
Sunday, January 29 11am – 4pm | FREE Rain or Shine
Domingo 26 de Enero
11am-4pm | Free | Gratis
SB Community Arts Workshop (SBCAW)
Local Food Hero Award for 2023: Larry Kandarian, Kandarian Organic Farms
Community Arts Workshop 631 Garden, Santa Barbara
Garden St. Santa Barbara A community event sponsored by SB Annual Community Seed Swap www.sbpermaculture.org
29 de Enero 11am-4pm
Community Arts Workshop 631 Garden, Santa Barbara Mesa Harmony Sunday January 29th 11am-4pm | Free Rain or Shine
Modern Opera Company, Ruckus, the New York New Music Ensemble, and the Manhattan Chamber Players, among
Photos courtesy of Camerata Pacifica
Emi Ferguson Dan Tepfer
Dining on the Sand Returns to Goleta Beach
By Destin Cavazos / VOICE
SUNSET ON THE WAVES, MUSIC ON THE SAND, AND SMOOTH DRINKS ON THE ROCKS will come to Goleta Beach, as the area’s newest oceanisde eatery, The Ellwood, begins serving January 20th.
“We wanted the new spot to be comfortable for Goleta locals,” shared owner Omar Khashen. “Santa Barbara has so many good bars, I thought it was about time we created something of a hangout spot out here.”
Located in the former location of Beachside Bar & Grill, which sat on the shores of Goleta Beach Park until the turn of 2021, The Ellwood will bring beachside drinks and bites back to the area. Named for Central Coast settler Ellwood Cooper, the new restaurant promises to embody the spirit of the Goleta community.
“I noticed everything out here had the name Hollister,” laughed Khashen, who included the Ellwood Queen, the rancher’s local lemon-scented gum tree, in the restaurant’s logo. “We had to give some love to the other guy for once!”
While some of the previous establishment’s charms will remain, Khashen and his team have been hard at work adding new features, including a new outdoor event space that can be rented for weddings, live music, and more. According to Khashen, they plan to book local bands, comedy shows, and other acts to keep the entertainment coming. The revitalized patio now boasts a bar to round out the indoor/outdoor vibes and a new marble shelf along the fireplace, offering some cozy seating on colder nights.
“The building itself was in really rough shape, almost 80 years old, which led to a large-scale remodel,” said Khashen. “New plumbing, new electrical, new structures. We kept the same footprint and just made everything new.”
The menu will offer local seafood, fresh pastas, wood fired pizzas, and craft cocktails, all inspired by the tastes of Santa Barbara and the sea. Lunch will see a selection of traditional entrees, while dinner looks to bring more family-style offerings to the table. Highlights will include tin-smoked mussels, a French onion dip, and a calamari parmesan smothered in marinara and melted cheese.
“Our menu is leaning pretty heavily on seafood. But with a little Italian,” explained Khashen. “A little bit of Asian flair too. Just a mix of everything, I guess.”
Cooking it up in the kitchen is rocker-turned-restauranteur Craig Riker, who’s brought his culinary flair to Santa Barbara restaurants like Oliver’s and Finch & Fork.
“Our cocktail program is built around farmer’s market produce, organic ingredients, and bright flavors,” added Khashen.
In addition to new menu items, The Ellwood hasn’t forgotten to include a few favorites for fans of the former eatery, such as a twist on Beachside’s popular popcorn bowls and Chinese chicken salad.
“We decided to bring back some of the items that people kept asking about, but with our own personal spin” shared Khashen. “Longtime locals will catch a few nods to the old space.”
After several years of setbacks, Khashen said he’s itching to get crowds coming out. At one point, the main dining room sat underwater, as two feet of sea and stormwater flooded the area. Now that things are looking dry, the spot is set to become a frequent favorite of the culinary crowd and locals alike.
“We’d love to see people ride their bikes out, have a nice day at the beach, and make a whole day out of it. We’ve done our best to build a landmark for this part of town,” said Khashen. “For me, it’s been in my head for three years, so I can’t wait to start getting the public out to enjoy it.”
The Ellwood is located at 5905 Sandpit Rd and will be open Monday through Friday 11am to 10pm, and Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 10pm. theellwood.com
Chef Craig Riker serves up seafood and more at The Ellwood Photos courtesy of T he Ellwood
Chef Craig Riker, General Manager Antonio Gerli, Owner Omar Khashen, Assistant General Manager Lauren Plumley, Bar Manager Michael Monteleone, and Director of Operations Chris Jow
Photo by VOICE
Community News
Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara Starts off 2025 with La Santa Cecilia
LA SANTA CECILIA, a band that bridges rock, Latin roots, and a wider diaspora of world music and genres will kick off the year for ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Taking their name from the patron saint of music, they draw from a bounty of sources: cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz, and klezmer music, among others.
Winner of the 2013 Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album, the Treinta Días LP (Universal Music) is perhaps their most known work, including a collaboration with Elvis Costello and an wild rendition of The Beatles Strawberry Fields Forever. With eight studio albums to their name since 2010, the band has become the voice of a new bicultural generation, immersed in modern music yet remaining close to their Latin American influences and Mexican heritage.
A quartet, La Santa Cecilia features and ‘La Marisoul’ on vocals, Jose ‘Pepe’ Carlos on accordion and requinto, Alex Bendaña on bass, and Miguel ‘Oso’ Ramirez on percussion. Their music, as Rolling Stone magazine put it, “captures the essence of the immigrant experience with authenticity and grace.”
La Santa Cecilia will be performing on Friday, January 24th at Isla Vista School, in Goleta; Saturday, January 25th at Guadalupe City Hall in Guadalupe, and on Sunday, January 26th, at the Marjorie Luke Theatre in Santa Barbara.
Viva, a program committed to highlighting Latin America’s rich cultural heritage, is a collaboration between The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, the Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association, and UCSB Arts & Lectures, serving more than 15,000 students and community members in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Guadalupe. https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/learn/viva-el-arte-de-santa-barbara/
Goleta Valley Library’s New Supervising Librarian
THE CITY OF GOLETA has hired a new Supervising Librarian, Kim Crail, to oversee staff, programs, daily operations, and patron services at Goleta Valley Library.
Crail brings more than a decade of experience in public librarianship to the position. She has served for nine years at the Montecito Branch Library, as a Library Assistant, Branch Lead Librarian, and more recently as a Collections and Programming Librarian at the Santa Barbara Central Library, where she managed the Adult Fiction Collection and offered engaging programming, including the treasured weekly Music & Movement classes at Shoreline Park.
Underwater Parks Day at the Sea Center
PLAY IN DYNAMIC INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS, LEARN ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVATION, and sit in on a few story times for free on Saturday, January 18th, at the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf. Celebrating Underwater Parks Day from 10am to 3pm, the center will highlight marine protected areas (MPAs), also known as “underwater parks,” and how they safeguard the biodiversity and richness of ocean life in this region’s coastal waters.
“The Sea Center is excited to once again celebrate MPAs, and connect people with the science behind protecting our unique and biodiverse waters,” said Sea Center Naturalist and Volunteer Program Manager Tessa Cafritz and School & Community Programs Specialist Kennedy Rivera. “The Santa Barbara Channel is home to over 1,000 marine species, and we hope that our celebration of the protected areas helps connect our community to the wonders of our waters.”
Festival partners such as Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area, and Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies will be on hand showcasing their conservation efforts in the Santa Barbara Channel and beyond. The Santa Barbara Channel and Channel Islands region are home to nutrient-rich waters that are teeming with marine life in kelp forests, tide pools, and rocky intertidal reefs. MPAs help conserve these diverse ecosystems by limiting fishing and overharvesting, and ensure thriving species populations and sustainable shorelines for future generations.
Underwater Parks Day is celebrated in partnership with aquariums and science centers across Southern California.
Reservations to the Sea Center are encouraged and can be made at sbnature.org/tickets
New Board Chair at Cottage Health
ERIC SEALE will serve as the new Chair of Cottage Health’s Board of Directors. A dedicated member of Cottage Health’s Board of Directors for two years, he succeeds Steven Zola, who served as Board Chair for a three-year term and will continue to serve as Immediate Past Chair. Prior to that, Seale served on the Board of Directors for the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation from 2016 to 2022. A managing partner at Accufy Analytics, a financial software firm specializing in renewable energy financing structures, he holds a master’s degree in finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University. cottagehealth.org
UCSB Chair Wins International Award
“We are thrilled to welcome Kim to the team,” said City Librarian Elizabeth Saucedo. “Her passion for library service, natural leadership and teambuilding, and creative and energetic approach to providing information and resources to our patrons will enrich the lives of area residents. We are excited to work together on all that is in store for Goleta Valley Library in the years to come.” cityofgoleta.org
IN HONOR OF COMPOSERS who have established professional careers, the Corwin Chair of Composition at UC Santa Barbara João Pedro Oliveira has been awarded First Prize in Category C at the 13th Biennial Acousmatic Composition Competition Métamorphoses.
A biannual competition held in Belgium, the Competition Métamorphoses is organized by Musiques & Recherches, and is a leading event in the field of acousmatic music, which showcases outstanding compositions in the genre. The distinguished jury for this year’s edition included Elizabeth Anderson, Julien Guillamat, Jonty Harrison, and Annette Vande Gorne. Oliveira is being honored for his composition N’vi’ah, which will be featured on an album of selected winning compositions.
Courtesy of Allpartsmove
Eric Seale
Kim Crail
João Pedro Oliveira
Guests exploring the beauty of local marine life in the Intertidal Wonders touch pools.
Courtesy of Sea Center
On the Street with John Palminteri
In Sports...
ON FRIDAY UC SANTA BARBARA MEN’S BASKETBALL got a Thunderdome win over Cal State Bakersfield 78-66. The UCSB women’s team won at Bakersfield 61-57.
First Responders
A ROLLOVER CRASH BLOCKED De la Vina St. near Mission St. at 6:22 Wednesday morning. The VW Westfalia was on its side when Santa Barbara City fire, police, and AMR arrived on the scene. The cause is under investigation. The windshield is in the lower right of the picture.
TWO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE after an hours-long standoff in Carpinteria last Wednesday. The suspects had a dispute with a neighbor that escalated. After the two suspects were in custody, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department found multiple weapons in the home at the Sandpiper Mobile home park.
John Palminteri is a veteran news reporter and anchor for Newschannel 3-12 TV and both KJEE and KCLU radio in Santa Barbara/Santa Maria/Ventura. Off the air, he’s often bringing his smile and positive energy to the microphone at fundraisers and civic events. John’s social media presence has one of the largest followings in Santa Barbara, and this page has the weekly highlights.
Twitter: @JohnPalminteri • Instagram: @JohnPalminteriNews • www.facebook.com/john.palminteri.5
LA Relief
L.A. FIRE RELIEF IS COMING by the truckload from Santa Barbara County with help from All Saints by the Sea and the Crane Country Day School drives. Ace Rivington is also answering personal emails to owner Beau Lawrence and sending out clothing at no charge.
Shelterbox
THE ACE RIVINGTON STORE in Santa Barbara has sent out pants and shirts to fire victims and with it a personal note. Over 200 orders went out Monday.
SHELTER BOX USA FROM SANTA BARBARA COUNTY sent volunteer Grant Dyruff with thermal blankets and solar lights in his truck to help fire victims in Alta Dena. Paul Vercammen coordinated the rapid response over the weekend.
AFTER NUMEROUS 911 CALLS, Santa Barbara Police, Fire, and Harbor Patrol found a van had crashed near the end of Stearns Wharf. It lost control, colliding with ten vehicles, and two pedestrians. The pedestrians sustained moderate injuries. The damage to areas of Stearns Wharf will require several repairs.
AMTRAK DROPS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRAIN FARES to $10 for those impacted by wildfires. Info at: pacificsurfliner.com to book travel and to see train schedules. Use code V505 to receive the discounted fare at checkout. There are 29 stations the Pacific Surfliner services between San Luis Obispo and San Diego. Tickets must be purchased by January 17th, for travel between January 13th and January 24th.
HAS ARRIVED. The first full moon of the year. Seen from Goleta Beach.
Metro Seeks Help
LOCALLY OWNED METRO ENTERTAINMENT in Santa Barbara started a Go Fund Me after burglars stole thousands of dollars in rare Pokémon cards.
Photos and Stories by John Palminteri Special to VOICE
THE WOLF MOON
Stearns Wharf Crash Bark at the Moon
Photo by @mattwierphoto
Photo by Matt Wallace
Photo by Paul Vercammen
Photo by Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Dept.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Sheng Wang Live
A featured stand-up on HBO’s 2 Dope Queens and a writer for Fresh Off the Boat, Sheng Wang brings his "Sweet and Juicy" comedy to the Arlington on Saturday, January 18th, at 7pm. For tickets ($102-$135), visit arlingtontheatresb.com
Friday
COMEDY
1/17
Friday Night Laughs • Prof comedians from Los Angeles • Java Station • $20 • santabarbaracomedyclub.com • 7pm, Fri.
DANCE
Palermo! • The Selah Dance Collective presents the latest work of founder Meredith Ventura • Center Stage Theater • $20-$50 • centerstagetheater.org • 7:30pm, Fri, 1/17, & 2pm & 7:30pm, Sat, 1/18.
LECTURES/WORKSHOPS
California Dreaming: Coming of Age in America’s Other Heartland • Opening event with Trevor Auldridge-Reveles, PhD, who will speak upon & lead a tour of the exhibition • UCSB LibraryInstruction & Training 1312 • free • library.ucsb.edu • 4pm, Fri, 1/17.
MUSIC
Emergence: Camerata Pacifica Baroque • Music Director and flutist Emi Ferguson & keyboardist and composer Dan Tepfer • Hahn Hall • $35-$75 • cameratapacifica.org • 7pm, Fri, 1/17.
The People's March
Los Angeles Canceled
Carillon Recital: Junrui Liu and Wesley Arai • Featuring solo works and duets from both classical and popular tunes • UCSB Storke Tower • free • music.ucsb.edu • 2pm, Fri, 1/17.
Westmont Music Department
Opera • Operatic mash-up of Purcells' Fairy Queen and John Blow's Venus and Adonis • Porter Theatre • $15-$20 • westmont.edu/ music/concerts • 7pm, Fri, 1/17, and Sun, 1/19.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Astronomy After Hours: Member Planetarium Shows • Gladwin Planetarium, SBMNH • Free for members • sbnature.org • 5pm, Fri, 1/17.
Saturday 1/18
COMEDY
Sheng Wang Live • Comedian, actor, and writer brings his “Sweet & Juicy” comedy to SB • Arlington Theatre • $102-$135 • arlingtontheatresb.com • 7pm, Sat, 1/18.
The Women’s March Foundation has decided to cancel The People’s March, originally scheduled for January 18th at 10am, due to the tragic devastation caused by the wildfires in the Los Angeles community. womensmarchfoundation.org
Wasted Potential Comedy Show
• With headliner Elyssa Phillips and local talent • Java Station • $10 • wastedpotentialcomedy.com • 7:30pm, Sat, 1/18.
LECTURES/WORKSHOPS
Writing in the Galleries • Director of Creative Writing at SBCC Joshua Escobar will lead • Free with Museum Admission • sbma.net • 2pm, Sat, 1/18.
MUSIC
Mozart Marathon • The Santa Barbara Symphony presents Mozart over one weekend, two different concerts • Granada Theatre • $31$156 • granadasb.org • 7pm, Sat, 1/18, and 3pm, Sun, 1/19.
Prince Again: A Tribute to Prince • An homage to the legend, in live music, dance moves, and stagecraft • Lobero Theatre • $45-$65 • lobero.org • 7:30pm, Sat, 1/18.
Nerf Herder, Ridel, & Very Special Guest (TBA) • SOhO • $18 • sohosb.com • 9pm, Sat, 1/18.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Underwater Parks Day • Free admission to the Sea Center’s interactive exhibits for all ages • Sea Center on Stearns Wharf • sbnature.org • 10am-5pm, Sat, 1/18.
Sunday 1/19
MUSIC
Miró Quartet • String Quartet Chamber Music Concert • Mary Craig Auditorium, SBMA • $20 Members/$25 Non-Members • sbma.net • 2pm, Sun, 1/19.
Calum Graham • Presented by SB Acoustic • SOhO • $20 • sohosb.com
• 7:30pm, Sun, 1/19.
OUTDOORS
Sea Center’s Beach Cleanup
• Be part of the solution to marine pollution • East Beach, near Skater’s Point • free • sbnature.org • 10am12pm, Sun, 1/19.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Author and Filmmaker Sky Bergman • PBS documentarian appears for a book talk and signing of Lives Well Lived — GENERATIONS • Chaucer’s Books • Free • chaucersbooks.com • 3pm, Sun, 1/19.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
“Everyone has the power for greatness— not for fame, because greatness is determined by service.” —Dr. King
THURSDAY, 1/16
Opening Ceremony • UCSB’s Eternal Flame on the Buchanan Hall lawn • Followed by a walk to North Hall to honor the Center for Black Studies Research •12 noon–1pm.
FRIDAY 1/17
B’nai B’rith Friday Night Service • With a Poetry Awardees student reading • Congregation B’nai B’rith, 1000 San Antonio Creek Road • 7pm.
SATURDAY 1/18
Raging Waters: The Devastating Power of Floods • Screening of Raging Waters, followed by a panel of experts featuring a discussion on
Monday 1/20
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observances - See above
Santa Barbara’s flood concerns • Community Environmental Council, the Hub • 3pm.
SUNDAY 1/19
Worship at the service of your choice • List of celebrations of Dr. King at mlksb.org/support/faithorganizations/
MONDAY 1/20
Ceremony and Unity March Up State Street • Enjoy a full program, with an opening prayer by Mia Lopez, speeches by elected officials Gregg Hart and Laura Capps, program speaker Kathy Hughes, more Poetry Awardees student readings, and Janet Reineck’s World Dance for Humanity • 9am to 3pm.
Tuesday 1/21 COMEDY
Carpinteria Improv Drop-In
Class • Learn improv with friends
Gabriela Radu, CMT
Therapeutic Massage
Specializing in injuries, Sports massage, Swedish, Lymphatic, Somatic massage & Life Coaching v.gabriela@yahoo.com 805-453-1139 www.comefromyourheart.com
THEATRE
Clue
The Laguna Blanca School’s Theatre Department will perform their take on Clue, the timeless murder mystery who-dunnit set at a dinner party serving murder, blackmail, comedy, and satire at the Spaulding Theatre, Laguna Blanca School. Three performances, at 7pm, Friday and Saturday, January 17th and 18th, and on Sunday the 19th at 2pm.
For tickets ($12-$15), visit lagunablanca.org/news
Two Trains Running • From August Wilson's celebrated Pittsburgh Cycle • Rubicon Theatre • $25-$65 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm, Wed, 1/15, to Sun, 2/2.
Newsies Jr. • Family-friendly production based on the true story of the 1899 New York City newsboys’ strike • OYES Theater • $15 • oyespresents.org • 1/17 to 2/9.
The Comedy of Errors • Shakespeare’s classic comedy about twins separated at birth • Rubicon • $20-$70 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm, Sun, 1/19, & Tue, 1/21, and 2pm, Tue, 1/28.
Clue • Laguna Blanca Theatre presents the classic murder
• Alcazar Theater • $10 at door • thealcazar.org • 7-9pm Tue.
LECTURES/WORKSHOPS
Discovery, Rediscovery, and the Birds That Audubon Missed • Presented in partnership with the Santa Barbara Audubon Society, with author Kenn Kaufman, who will sign books after • Fleischmann Auditorium, SBMNH • $5 • sbnature. org • 7pm, Tue, 1/21.
Humanities Decanted: Daina Sanchez • The author speaks with Omar Pimienta about her new book, The Children of Solaga • McCune Conference Room, UCSB • Free • ihc.ucsb.edu • 4pm, Tue, 1/21.
Theatre • $73-$103 • ticketing. granadasb.org • 7:30pm, Tue, 1/21. Diversity, Belonging, and Empowerment • MCC Community Forum to exchange ideas & explore community-driven solutions • MCC Lounge, UCSB • Free; registration required • mcc.sa.ucsb.edu • 5pm, Tue, 1/21.
Wednesday 1/22
DANCE
Country Line Dancing • Dust off your spurs for a boot-scootin’ good time • Soul Bites • $10 • soulbitesrestaurants.com • 6pm, Wed.
LECTURES/WORKSHOPS
Le Cercle Français • French conversation, all levels • The Natural Cafe, 361 Hitchcock Way • https:// tinyurl.com/5ejbd9ye • Free • 5-6:30pm Wed.
Crafternoon: Sustainable Stagecraft • Hands-on workshops using upcycled materials • EE Makerspace • $8 • exploreecology.org
• 2:30pm, Wed.
mystery, • Spaulding Theatre, Laguna Blanca School • $12-$15 • lagunablanca.org • 7pm, Fri, 1/17 & Sat, 1/18; 2pm, Sun, 1/19.
Agnes of God • Revisit the strange case of Sister Agnes, who has given birth in a convent, and the mysterious death of her newborn • Ojai Art Center Theater • $10-$20 • ojaiact.org • 7:30pm, Fri-Sat, 2pm Sun, 1/24–2/16.
Lit Moon World Theater Festival 2025 • Featuring King Lear, A Real Elephant, Prospero’s Black Box, and Uncle Vanya • $15$30/per show • Community Arts Workshop • sbcaw.org/upcoming • 1/22–1/25.
MUSIC
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Julia Bullock, soprano • Featuring showpieces by Vivaldi, Bach and Pachelbel, presented by UCSB’s Arts & Lectures • Lobero Theatre • $66$131 • lobero.org • 7pm, Tue, 1/21.
An Evening with Albert Cummings • American blues & soulful guitar • SOhO • $25 • sohosb.com • 8pm, Tue, 1/21.
SPECIAL EVENTS
STOMP • Award-winning combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy through dance and drum • Granada
Miró Quartet
Performing Haydn, Beethoven, George Walker’s Lyric for Strings, and Harold Arlen’s Over the Rainbow, one of America’s most celebrated string quartets brings Chamber Music through their unique lens to the Mary Craig Auditorium at SBMA this Sunday, January 18th, at 2pm. For tickets, ($20 Members/$25 Non-Members), visit sbma.net
Thursday 1/23
DANCE
Boogie for Our Bodies • A Western-themed disco with dancing, advocacy, a raffle, a costume contest, silent disco, and more • Wildcat Lounge • $25 • plannedparenthoodaction.org • 6:30pm, Thu, 1/23.
MTD Public Outreach • Open house style public meeting to discuss proposed fare structure change • Eastside Library – Martin Luther King Jr. Room • free • santabarbaraca.gov • 5pm, Wed, 1/22.
Community Development Workshop • Residents to share input on local housing and community development needs • Eastside Library – Martin Luther King Jr. Room • free • santabarbaraca.gov • 6pm, Wed, 1/22.
MUSIC
An Evening with Colin Hay • Frontman for Men at Work gone solo • Lobero Theatre • $60-$122 • lobero.org
• 7:30pm, Wed, 1/22.
OUTDOORS
Birds of Winter with Sophie Cameron • Join expert birder Sophie Cameron at some of the region’s best winter birding spots
• Eight-week field course, various locations • $100 Members, $135 nonmembers • pre-register: sbnature.org
• 8:30am, Wed.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Author Tsuyoshi Hasegawa
• Author of The Last Tsar for speaking and book signing • McCune Conference Room, UCSB • Free • chaucersbooks.com • 4pm, Wed, 1/22. Remembering President Carter
• Service of remembrance for President Carter • Trinity Episcopal Church • free • trinitysb.org • 11:30am, Wed, 1/22.
LECTURES/WORKSHOPS
The Art of Science: Drawing Big Cats & Wild Dogs • Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History • Free with admission/$14-$19 • sbnature.org • 3pm, Thu, 1/23.
Sunset Reception About Long Covid & IACC • With Dr. David Putrino (Mount Sinai) • The Harbor Restaurant • free • chesleyinitiative.org • 5:30pm, Thu, 1/23.
Tote Bag Workshop • Create a stylish tote bag using reclaimed fabrics with guest artist Emily Adams • EE Makerspace • $25 • exploreecology.org • 6pm, Thu, 1/23.
Community Development Workshop • Residents to share input on local housing and community development needs • Westside United Boys & Girls Club • free • santabarbaraca.gov • 6:30pm, Thu, 1/23.
MUSIC
Garrick Ohlsson, piano • The great American piano master plays all Chopin • Lobero Theatre • $58$68 • lobero.org • 7:30pm, Thu, 1/23.
Buddha Trixie Goes Tour Mode
• With Sports Coach and Big Hungry • SOhO • $20 • sohosb.com • 9pm, Thu, 1/23.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Local Author Cameron Walker
• Conversation & book signing of her short story collection, How to Capture Carbon • Chaucer's Books • Free • chaucersbooks.com • 6pm, Thu, 1/23.
Sip & Dip: Chocolate,Churros and Chess • Weekly specialty Hot Chocolate with games like chess, cards and Uno • Menchaca Chocolates • free • menchacachocolates.com • 5-8pm Thu.
Mission By Candlelight • Set your hopes for 2025 by serene candlelight, w/ cello music performed by Jennifer Kloetzel • Old Mission Santa Barbara • free • santabarbaramission.org • 6pm, Thu, 1/23.
Friday 1/24
COMEDY
Friday Night Laughs • Professional comedians from Los Angeles • Java Station • $20 • santabarbaracomedyclub.com • 7pm, Fri.
Paula Poundstone • Comedian and NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me panelist comes to Santa Barbara • Lobero Theatre • $68 • lobero.org • 7:30pm, Fri, 1/24.
It’s Your Library
STAY & PLAY • Share stories with kids • Montecito Library ~ 9-10:30am Tu.
MUSIC & MOVEMENT • Ages 2-5 • Central Library ~ 10:15-10:45am We. BABY AND ME • For babies 0-14 months • Courthouse Sunken Garden ~ 11-11:30am & 5-5:30pm We.
LIBRARY ON THE GO • Oak Park ~ 10am - 12pm, Fri, 1/17 • Samarkand ~ 10:30am - 11:30am, Tue, 1/21 • Grace Village ~ 12:15pm - 1:15pm, Tue, 1/21 • State St. near the Farmers Market ~ 4pm - 6:30pm, Tue, 1/21 • Harding School ~ 12:30pm - 2pm, Wed, 1/22 • Bohnett Park ~ 3:30pm - 5pm, Wed, 1/22 • Shoreline Park ~ 10am - 12pm, Thu, 1/23 • Oak Park ~ 10am - 12pm, Fri, 1/24
Courtesy of Laguna Blanca School
Photo courtesy of Miró Quartet
The Room Next Door: Pedro Almodóvar’s Thoughtful New Film
IReview by Robert F. Adams, Special to VOICE
N A RICH DRAMATIZATION ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH, Pedro Almodóvar, the internationally renowned Spanish filmmaker, explores the cultural aspects of embracing death in a fascinating close-up of two female friends in his newest film, The Room Next Door.
As a follow-up to his 2019 film Pain and Glory, Almodóvar’s first film in English, The Room Next Door explores a cascading dance of impending death in a dramatic exploration of the end of life’s journey. Based on a novel from Sigrid Nunez called What Are You Going Through, the story is set in the USA. Almodóvar wrote the script in Spanish, then had it translated. Filming locations were in Spain and included the gorgeous modern house seen in the last half of the film.
Martha, played by Tilda Swinton, is a dignified soul beset by an inoperable cancer who opens the door to euthanasia, as a means of avoiding a lingering and expensive death. She enlists a successful author and formerly estranged friend, Ingrid, played by Julianne Moore, who is reluctant to assist her in her quest. Julianne Moore's character struggles with her impending support role. The film feels very personal, and is reflective of the moral and philosophical ruminations of life, sort of a cinematic version of Hamlet’s "To Be or Not to Be" monologue.
On the global cinematic stage, Almodóvar is a filmmaker who personalizes his subject matter, something that Paollo Sorrentino has been doing for years in films like The Great Beauty. There are even echoes from the films of Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen, but this one directly faces end-of-life subject matter, in all it’s uneasiness. Almodóvar has embraced a fair bit of risk-taking and conjures one of this year’s most intimate movies.
Tilda Swinton becomes the brave protagonist and Julianne Moore, as our narrative witness, is the reluctant accomplice. Tilda Swinton will get attention and honors for her angular face and bracing emotions, but it should be noted that Moore is an effective
stand-in for the rest of us. Stage and screen actor John Turturro (The Big Lewbowski) brings a strong presence as the former flame to Moore’s author Ingrid. In supporting roles, the film features a memorable scene from Alessandro Nivola as the inquest detective providing a counterpoint to euthanasia. The costumes and sets reveal deep greens, brilliant yellows, and bold reds and burgundies, all hallmarks of an Almodóvar movie that give the grim proceedings visual zest. The tableaux of death is otherworldly vivid. The sensations from the visuals and the formal violin-laden soundtrack and score (one of the year’s finest) from Alberto Iglesias are as unsettling as the subject matter.
In an interview with Roger Durling after a Cinema Society screening, filmmaker Almodóvar mentioned, “Moore’s eyes tell the story; the movie spectator has to read her eyes. Julianne understood very well, 'you have to be great.'
Almodóvar continued, “There was immediate chemistry between the two actresses, who became very good friends. Moore really changes, at first frightened, but character changing, like the transference seen in Bergman’s Persona. I wanted to let musicality of the language in this script.... The actresses corrected some lines, their English is better than mine. For me when they get to the death house there is a kind of limbo, between dimensions, it is a glass house, living in the middle of a forest, making the idea of someone in the middle of life and death, a kind of ghost place.”
This movie is Almodóva's 23rd. He commented that he believes “the individual is the owner of both life and death, a human right... These two characters decide about terminal illness... I was thinking about mortality. I am much more austere, and next year I hope to shoot another movie about death. Personally, I can’t accept death or even understand it.”
The Room Next Door won the Golden Lion at last September’s Venice Film Festival and has been nominated for a host of other end of year cinema awards, including a Golden Globe nomination for Tilda Swinton as Best Actress. The film is being shown locally and will hopefully gather appreciative audiences. It is a deserving poem, glorified and enhanced by filmmaker Almodóvar that could emerge as one his late career highlights.
Robert F. Adams, Film Correspondent for VOICE, is a Santa Barbara landscape architect and a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theatre and Film, as well as Cal Poly. He has served on the film selection committees for the Aspen Film Fest and the SB International Film Festival. Email him at robert@earthknower.com
La Santa Cecilia • Grammywinning band from LA w/ fusion of Latin, rock, and world music • free • vivaelarte.org • The Isla Vista School, 7pm, Fri, 1/24; Guadalupe City Hall, 7pm, Sat, 1/25; the Marjorie Luke Theatre, 6pm, Sun, 1/26. Fishbone with Bite Me Bambi • Ska, punk, funk, rock, and soul • SOhO • $35 • sohosb.com • 9pm, Fri, 1/24.
Saturday 1/25
COMEDY
Trae Crowder • The Liberal Redneck takes his porch rants on the road • Lobero Theatre • $31-$51 • lobero.org • 7:30pm, Sat, 1/25.
DANCE
A Ballet Weekend with Jonette Swider • An inspiring weekend workshop with the master teacher • The Dance Hub • dancehubsb.org • $70-$125 • 11am, Sat-Sun, 1/25–1/26.
LECTURES/WORKSHOPS
Fran Lebowitz • Presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, an evening with one of America’s great raconteurs • Campbell Hall, UCSB • Ticketed event • chaucersbooks.com • 7:30pm, Sat, 1/25.
MATINEE PRICING MON-FRI 3PM & BE $9
Sunday
MUSIC
MANIA: The ABBA Tribute • With stunning costumes, energetic choreography, and impeccable musicianship • Lobero Theatre • $45$75 • lobero.org • 6pm, Sun, 1/26. Elixir Piano Trio • Presented by Chamber On The Mountain • Logan House, Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts • $40 • ChamberOnTheMountain.com • 3pm, Sun, 1/26.
Sandy Cummings & Jazz du Jour • Sunday afternoon jazz • SOhO • $10 • sohosb.com • 12:30pm, Sun, 1/26.
Dr. Wu–The Music of Steely Dan • SOhO • $28 • sohosb.com • 7:30pm, Sun, 1/26
SPECIAL EVENTS
Author Mary Tonetti Dorra • Reading & Signing of her new book, I Am a Portrait: Flash Fiction and Other Short Stories • Chaucer's Books • Free • chaucersbooks.com • 3pm, Sun, 1/26.
Courtesy Film Still
Tilda Swinton in The Room Next Door
Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in The Room Next Door
Raging Waters: The Devastating Power of Floods
The Community Environmental Council, in partnership with MLKSB and the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara Earth Advocates, will host a screening of this documentary at the Hub, on State Street at 3pm. To be followed by a panel of Santa Barbara experts about local flood concerns
envirohubsb.org
Raging Waters: The Devastating Power of Floods Documentary w/ panel afterwards • CEC Hub, on State Street • free • envirohubsb.org • 3pm, Sat, 1/18.
Santa Barbara Ghost Tours
Bidenomics Works – Part II
By Harlan Green / Special to VOICE
“A large fraction of voters do suffer from economic illiteracy. Indeed, it is fair to say that an ample majority do not understand the basics of how markets work. They are especially confused about labor and international markets. Voters also have severe misconceptions about how government spends their tax dollars, and are extraordinarily pessimistic about longrun economic conditions,” Professor Bryan Caplan of George Mason University, cited a recent Washington Post / Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation/ Harvard University Survey Project.
Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch wrote, “Job openings in the U.S. rose to a six-month high of 8.1 million in November from 7.8 million in the prior month, helped in part by a rebound in employment after two major hurricanes and the start of the holiday shopping season.”
Trump’s repeated assertions that our economy is in terrible shape.
“Our Country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World!” he declared on social media last week, per New York Times writer Peter Baker.
Yet we know that President Biden’s Bidenomics legislation has made us the fastest growing developed country in the world after the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been fully employed for more than two years, and inflation is back down to the two percent range.
Peter Baker added, “New data reported in the past few days indicate that murders are way down, illegal immigration at the southern border has fallen even below where it was when Mr. Trump left office, and roaring stock markets finished their best two years in a quartercentury.
believing we are in a recession.
There are plenty of horror stories to encourage such a view, such as our national debt has ballooned to 121 percent of GDP, and we may soon lose our last AAA bond rating.
Surveys such as the U.S. Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report as portrayed in the above right graph are saying that consumers’ jobs are still safe. Then why so much angst that things might get worse? Polls seem to be buffeted by the latest political winds, especially with
By Harlan Green
Polls have shown that this is because it’s easier to blame than understand what is happening to ordinary people’s financial circumstances. PEW Research has shown that although voters like their own situation, they believe the overall U.S. economy is in the dumps; some even
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But the latest economic facts are that both the service sector and manufacturing sectors of our economy are doing very well. Consumers are still powering travel, leisure activities, healthcare, and construction industries per the most recent Institute for Supply Management Service Sector survey. It’s headlines touted: Sharpest growth of output and new orders since March 2022
Employment increases for first time in five months
Business confidence at 18-month high
The ISM manufacturng survey showed similar but slower growth.
“The overall economy continued in expansion for the 56th month after one month of contraction in April 2020. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 42.5 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.)
Because Americans get most of their news from public media that doesn’t take much of an effort to differentiate facts from fiction, truth from lies, it requires some effort to ferret out the difference. Propagandists know this as well, hence their nonstop efforts to repeat the fiction.
Harlan Green © 2025 Follow Harlan Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarlanGreen Harlan Green has been the 18-year EditorPublisher of PopularEconomics.com, a weekly syndicated financial wire service. He writes a Popular Economics Weekly Blog. He is an economic forecaster and teacher of real estate finance with 30-years experience as a banker and mortgage broker. To reach Harlan call (805)4527696 or email editor@populareconomics.com.
Santa Barbara Mortgage Interest Rates
Contact your local loan agent or mortgage broker for current rates:
DRAPER & KRAMER MORTGAGE CORP.
Please call for current rates: Russell Story, 805-895-8831
PARAGON MORTGAGE GROUP
Please call for current rates: 805-899-1390
HOMEBRIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES
Please call for current rates: Erik Taiji, 805-895-8233, NMLS #322481
MONTECITO BANK & TRUST
Please call for current rates: 805-963-7511 • Coastal Housing Partnership Member
SB MORTGAGE GROUP
Simar Gulati, 805-403-9679
U.S. BANK
Please call for current rates: Teri Gauthier, 805-565-4571 • Coastal Housing Partnership Member
VOICE Magazine • Community Market • LEGAL
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER : 24CV05498
Petitioner: Sarah Baker and Alejandro Castanon filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Santino Brooks Castanon to PROPOSED NAME: Santino Brooks Baker. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 01/27/2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 5; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 12/19/2024 /s/: Colleen K. Sterne, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #24CV05498 Pub Dates: December 27, 2024, January 3, 10, 17, 2025.
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME
NAME CASE NUMBER: 24CV033393 . Petitioner: Kristy Sharp and Jorge Leon filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Conner Matthew Palomares to PROPOSED NAME: Conner Matthew Leon. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 1/22/2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 3; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 11/22/2024 /s/: Thomas P. Anderle, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #24CV03393 Pub Dates: December 27, 2024, January 3, 10, 17, 2025.
Where to Learn About Local Government Meetings
The Santa Barbara City Council meets most Tuesdays at 2pm • To learn more about the council and other City department meetings, visit www.santabarbaraca.gov
The Goleta City Council meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 5:30pm • To learn more about the council and other City department meetings, visit www.cityofgoleta.org
The Carpinteria City Council meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 5:30pm • To learn more about other City departments visit www.carpinteriaca.gov
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meets most Tuesdays at 9am • To learn more about other County departments visit www.countyofsb.org
STATEMENT: The following Corporation is doing business as ORKIN CENTRAL COAST at 2369 A Street, Santa Maria, CA 93455. A.E.T. SERVICES, INC at 2369 A Street, Santa Maria, CA 93455. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on January 3, 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. 2025-0000027. Published January 10, 17, 24, 31, 2025.
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME
STATEMENT: The following Unincorporated Assoc. Other Than a Partnership is doing business as SANTA BARBARA AERIE NO. 442 FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES at 923 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. HECTOR PALOMINO; DANIEL RODRIGUEZ at 923 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on December 5, 2024. 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. 2024-0002854. Published January 10, 17, 24, 31, 2025.
STEVE GOLIS
New Rebates with Fast & Free Permitting for Heat Pump Water Heaters
THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA’S SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE DEPARTMENT is excited to announce the launch of the Home Electrification Accelerator Program (HEAP). This initiative, provided through Santa Barbara Clean Energy (SBCE), is designed to help customers and contractors with incentives for switching out gas appliances with allelectric versions. On-demand permitting is offered with no permit fees, eliminating delays and costs to facilitate quicker and easier upgrades for homeowners.
“The Home Electrification Accelerator Program is a key step in the City’s journey toward an electrified, sustainable future,” said Jefferson Litten, the City of Santa Barbara’s Energy and Climate Program Manager. “By incentivizing the switch to energy efficient electric appliances, we are helping residents save on energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.”
Rebates available:
• Up to $3,500 for replacing gas water heaters with Heat Pump Water Heaters.
• Up to $4,000 for associated electrical work, including wiring and panel upgrades.
Heat pump water heaters are highly energy-efficient, using electricity to move heat rather than generating it. Because heat pump water heaters use less energy, they help reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional electric or gas water heaters.
Nuevos reembolsos con permisos rápidos y gratuitos para calentadores
de agua con bomba de calor
EL DEPARTAMENTO DE SOSTENIBILIDAD Y RESILIENCIA DE LA CIUDAD DE SANTA BÁRBARA se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento del Programa de Aceleración de Electrificación del Hogar (HEAP). Esta iniciativa, proporcionada a través de Santa Barbara Clean Energy (SBCE), está diseñada para ayudar a los clientes y contratistas con incentivos para cambiar los aparatos de gas por versiones totalmente eléctricas. Se ofrecen permisos bajo solicitud sin tarifas, lo que elimina retrasos y gastos para facilitar mejoras más rápidas y fáciles para los propietarios.
“El Programa de Aceleración de la Electrificación del Hogar es un paso clave en el camino de la Ciudad hacia un futuro electrificado y sostenible,” dijo Jefferson Litten, Gerente del Programa de Energía y Clima de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara. “Al incentivar el cambio a electrodomésticos energéticamente eficientes, estamos ayudando a los residentes a ahorrar en las facturas de energía y reducir las emisiones de carbono.”
Rebate applications will be accepted from January 15 through June 30, 2025, or until the program funds are expended. All electrical and water heater replacement work must be completed during this period to be eligible for rebates. The program is open to SBCE customers who own single family homes, duplexes, townhomes, or mobile homes.
For info, requirements and to apply visit https://tinyurl.com/yhz8mvm3
City of Santa Barbara Announces 2025 Summer Camp Offerings; Registration Opens February 3
THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT will open registration for all summer camps online at 9am on Monday, February 3rd. Families can choose from more than 15 camps for children ages 4 to 17, with topics including art, business, engineering, performing arts, sports, and water safety. Offerings include half-day and fullday camps and extended care options.
Some camps are anticipated to fill on registration day, and parents and guardians are advised to set up their accounts in advance for the best registration experience.
Parks and Recreation camps range from around $6.50 to $15 per hour, with most camps averaging between $10 and $12 per hour. Scholarships are available for eligible families to send children to camp at no cost. Scholarships are funded by donations to the PARC Foundation and distributed through SBPAL’s Campership Alliance program. Families interested in scholarship options can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply at sbpal.org/campership-alliance.html
In addition to scholarships, the Parks and Recreation Department will continue to offer the Summer Fun program to provide seven weeks of free childcare to eligible families unable to afford summer camp.
Camps and summer programs also provide important development opportunities for local teens and young adults. The free Junior Counselor program allows teens 13 to 17 to earn volunteer service hours and develop and strengthen their leadership skills while assisting camp counselors with daily activities. Older teens and young adults can pursue paid opportunities as camp counselors, inclusion specialists, swim instructors, and pool and beach lifeguards.
Families can learn more about camp offerings, scholarships, and registration at https://tinyurl.com/bdvfxz8v
Reembolsos disponibles:
• Hasta $3,500 por reemplazar calentadores de agua con gas por calentadores de agua con bomba de calor.
• Hasta $4,000 para trabajos eléctricos asociados, incluyendo mejoras de cables y paneles.
Los calentadores de agua con bomba de calor son altamente eficientes en el consumo de energía, ya que utilizan electricidad para mover el calor en lugar de generarlo. Como los calentadores de agua con bomba de calor consumen menos energía, ayudan a reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero en comparación con los calentadores de agua eléctricos o de gas tradicionales.
Se aceptarán solicitudes del 15 de enero al 30 de junio de 2025, o hasta que se agote los fondos. Todos los trabajos de sustitución eléctrica y de calentadores de agua deben completarse durante este plazo para ser elegibles para los reembolsos. El programa está disponible para los clientes de SBCE que sean propietarios de casas, dúplex, casas adosadas o casas móviles.
Para información, requisitos y los detalles de la solicitud visite https://tinyurl.com/yhz8mvm3
La Ciudad de Santa Bárbara presenta los campamentos de verano 2025; inscripciones abren el 3 de febrero
EL DEPARTAMENTO DE PARQUES Y RECREACIÓN DE LA CIUDAD DE SANTA BÁRBARA abrirá las inscripciones para todos los campamentos de verano en línea a partir de las 9:00 a. m. el lunes 3 de febrero. Las familias tendrán más de 15 opciones de campamentos para niños de 4 a 17 años, con temas como arte, negocios, ingeniería, artes escénicas, deportes y seguridad acuática. Se ofrecen campamentos de medio día, de día completo y opciones de cuidado extendido.
Se anticipa que algunos campamentos se llenen el mismo día de inscripción, por lo que se recomienda a los padres y tutores configurar sus cuentas con anticipación para una experiencia de registro más fluida.
Los campamentos de Parques y Recreación tienen un costo que varía entre $6.50 y $15 por hora, con un promedio de entre $10 y $12 por hora. Las familias elegibles pueden solicitar becas que permiten inscribir a los niños sin costo alguno. Estas becas son financiadas por donaciones a la Fundación PARC y distribuidas a través del programa Campership Alliance de SBPAL. Las familias interesadas en estas becas pueden obtener más información sobre los requisitos de elegibilidad y cómo aplicar en sbpal.org/campership-alliance.html
Además de las becas, el Departamento de Parques y Recreación continuará ofreciendo el programa Summer Fun, que brinda siete semanas de cuidado infantil gratuito para las familias elegibles que no pueden costear un campamento de verano.
Los campamentos y programas de verano también ofrecen importantes oportunidades de desarrollo para adolescentes y jóvenes adultos locales. El programa gratuito de Asistente de Consejero Junior permite a adolescentes de 13 a 17 años acumular horas de servicio voluntario y desarrollar habilidades de liderazgo mientras ayudan a los consejeros con las actividades diarias. Los jóvenes mayores también pueden postularse a oportunidades remuneradas como consejeros de campamento, especialistas en inclusión, instructores de natación y salvavidas en piscinas y playas.
Las familias pueden obtener más información sobre los campamentos, becas e inscripciones en https://tinyurl.com/bdvfxz8v
Celebrating the New Year with a bang...
u Visit LCCCA’s three galleries, Illuminations, Elevate, and Fine Line. Chat with the artists while you enjoy a glass of wine and simple snacks. Heads up - the Fine Line Gallery has moved and is now next to Illuminations.
u Don’t miss the latest VOICE Gallery show, Opus 90 - a retrospective of Joyce Wilson’s creative path in photography, nine decades in the making. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog of 95 art pieces.
u Make sure you drop by The Arts Fund Community Gallery to see the 41st Teen Arts Mentorship Exhibition, the annual show featuring work from emerging high school artists of Santa Barbara County. Following the Art Walk, the show will remain up through January 25th.
u Take a complementary tour of the Museum of Sensory and Movement Experiences.
u Stop by the Grace Fisher Foundation’s Inclusive Arts Clubhouse and participate in Club Diversity - a dance party open to all. Chris Benedict the DJ of Abilities, will set the vibe, spinning tunes to get everyone up on their feet and dancing.
u In the Plaza, help us create a new Community Painting. It’s lots of fun. All ages are welcome.
u And enjoy the musicians playing there - Mike Cregan, Romona Leon, and Rita Brind Amour.
GALLERIES OF THE
Gallery Row ART WALK
5 to 7pm, Friday, January 17th
ART VENUES
California Nature Art Museum
• A Deeper Love: New Paintings Inspired by Coral Reefs ~Feb 24 • 1511 B Mission Dr, Solvang • 11-4 Mo, Th, Fr; 11-5 Sa & Su • calnatureartmuseum.org
Casa de La Guerra • Haas Adobe Watercolors • $5/Free • 15 East De la Guerra St • 12-4 Th-Su • www.sbthp.org/casadelaguerra
Casa del Herrero • Gardens & House • by reservation • 1387 East Valley Rd • tours 10 & 2 We & Sa • 805565-5653 • casadelherrero.com
Casa Dolores • Bandera Ware / traditional outfits ~ ongoing • 1023 Bath St • 12-4 Tu-Sa • 805-963-1032 • casadolores.org
Channing Peake Gallery • 105 East Anapamu St, 1st fl • 805-568-3994
10 West Gallery • Envisionings ~ Jan 15 - Feb 16 • 10 W Anapamu • 11-5 We-Mo • 805-770-7711 •10westgallery.com
Architectural Fdn Gallery • Slingshot / Alpha Art Studio Artists ~
Mar 8 229 E Victoria • 805-965-6307 • 1–4 some Sa & By Appt • afsb.org
Art & Soul Gallery • Santa Barbara: The Art of Place ~ Jan 30 • 116 Santa Barbara St • artandsoulsb.com
Art & Soul Funk Zone • Winter Otherland ~ Feb 28 • 116 Santa Barbara St • artandsoulsb.com
Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB • (reopens Jan 18) Public Texts: A Californian Visual Language ~Jan 18-Apr 27; Tomiyama Taeko: A Tale of Sea Wanderers ~Jan 18-Apr 27 • 12-5 We-Sun • museum.ucsb.edu
Art From Scrap Gallery • Environmental Educ. & Artistic Expression • www.exploreecology.org
The Arts Fund • Mentorship Exhibition ~ Jan 25 • La Cumbre Plaza, 120 S Hope Ave #F119 • 11-5 We-Su • 805-233-3395 • www.artsfundsb.org
Atkinson Gallery, SBCC • gallery.sbcc.edu
Bella Rosa Galleries • 1103-A State St • 11-5 daily • 805-966-1707
The Carriage and Western Art Museum • SB History Makers Exhibit featuring Silsby Spalding, WW Hollister, Dixie; Saddle & Carriage Collections • Free • 129
Castillo St • 805-962-2353 • 9-3 Mo-Fr • carriagemuseum.org
Colette Cosentino Atelier + Gallery • 11 W Anapamu St • By Appt • colettecosentino.com
Community Arts Workshop • Joe Rohde: Inner Light • Opening Reception Sat. Jan. 18, 5-8pm
• Fridays Jan 24, 31, and Feb 7, 10a-6pm, by appt • 631 Garden St • 10-6pm Fri & By Appt. • sbcaw.org
Corridan Gallery • California Sojourns by Karen Fedderson • 125 N Milpas • 11-6 We-Sa • 805-966-7939 • www.corridan-gallery.com
CPC Gallery • Beauty of the Cosmos ~ Jan 26 • By appt • 36 E Victoria St • cpcgallery.com
Cypress Gallery • Blockprints by Angelina LaPointe ~ Jan 26 • 119 E Cypress Av, Lompoc • 1-4 Sa & Su • 805-737-1129 • www.lompocart.org
Elevate Gallery@ La Cumbre Center For Creative Arts • Gallery Artists • noon-5 Tu-Su • lcccasb.com
Elizabeth Gordon Gallery • Alberto Valdés: Mi Vida es Mi Arte & Emerging artists from around the country • 15 W Gutierrez • 805-9631157 • 11–5 Tu-Sa • elizabethgordongallery.com
El Presidio De Santa Bárbara • Nihonmachi Revisited; Memorias y Facturas • 123 E Canon Perdido St • 10:30-4:30 Daily • sbthp.org Elverhøj Museum • 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang • 805-686-1211 • 11-5 Th-Mo • www.elverhoj.org
Faulkner Gallery • 40 E Anapamu St • 10-7 Mo-Th; 10-5 Fri, Sa; 12-5 Sun • 805-962-7653.
Fazzino 3-D Studio Gallery • 3-D original fine art • 529 State St • 805-730-9109 • Fazzino.com
Fine Line Gallery @ La Cumbre Center For Creative Arts • Multi-Artist Space • noon-5 Tu-Su • lcccasb.com
Grace Fisher Fdn Inclusive Arts Clubhouse • Paintings by Grace Fisher • 121 S Hope, La Cumbre Plaza • We-Su 11-5pm • gracefisherfoundation.org
Illuminations Gallery @ La Cumbre Center For Creative Arts • Multi-Artist Space • noon-5 Tu-Su • lcccasb.com
James Main Fine Art • 19th & 20th Fine art & antiques • 27 E De La Guerra St • 12-5 Tu-Sa • Appt Suggested • 805-962-8347
Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara • Portraits of Survival interactive - Ongoing • 9-4pm Mo-Fr • 524 Chapala St • 805957-1115 ext. 114
Lunch & Learn with Joe Rohde
Opus 90! Artists reception with Joyce Wilson • VOICE Gallery, La Cumbre Plaza • 5-8pm Sat, Jan 18.
SB
&
Gallery 113 • SB Art Assn • 1114 State St, #8, La Arcada Ct • 805-9656611 • 11-5 Mo-Fr; 11-2 Sa; 1-5 Su • gallery113sb.com
Gallery Los Olivos • Winter Celebration ~ Jan 31 • Daily 10-4 pm • 2920 Grand Av • 805-688-7517 • gallerylosolivos.com
Ganna Walska Lotusland • Gardens • by reservation • 695 Ashley Rd • 805-969-9990 • lotusland.org
Goleta Valley Library • GVAA Artists Exhibit • 500 N Fairview Av • 10-7 Tu-Th; 10-5:30 Fr & Sa; 1-5 Su • TheGoletaValleyArtAssociation.org
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum • Man’s Inhumanity Towards Man ~ Apr 14 • 21-23 W Anapamu • 10-4 Tu-Su • 805-9625322 • https://karpeles.com
Kathryne Designs • Local Artists • 1225 Coast Village Rd, A • 10-5 Mo-Sa; 11-5 Su • 805-565-4700 • http://kathrynedesigns.com
Kelly Clause Art • Watercolors of Sea & Land • 28 Anacapa St, #B • Most weekdays 12-5 • kellyclause.com
Lompoc Library Grossman Gallery • 501 E North Av, Lompoc • 805-588-3459
Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center • Rincon- Queen of the Coast~ Mar 2 • 12-4 Th-Su • 865 Linden Av • 805-684-7789 • carpinteriaartscenter.org
Maker House • 1351 Holiday Hill Rd • 805-565-CLAY • 10-4 Daily • claystudiosb.org
Marcia Burtt Gallery • Holiday ~ Jan 26th • Contemporary landscape paintings, prints & books • 517 Laguna St • 1-5 Th-Su • 805-9625588 • artlacuna.com
MOXI, The Wolf Museum • Exploration + Innovation • 10-5 Daily • 125 State St • 805-770-5000 • moxi.org
YOUR BUILDING ? WOULD YOU LIKE
We need a wall in Santa Barbara for a mural. We will help with funding and local art group, The Abstract Art Collective, will create the mural. The wall can be any size or shape as long as it’s exterior and public-facing. Email, Info@SBbeautiful.org, if you have a wall for the project. Be sure to include the street address.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Santa Barbara • 653 Paseo Nuevo • mcasantabarbara.org
Museum of Sensory & Movement Experiences • La Cumbre Plaza, 120 S. Hope Av #F119 • seehearmove.com
Palm Loft Gallery • Beauty of the Wild ~ Mar 2 • 410 Palm Av, Loft A1, Carpinteria • 1-6 Fri-Sun & By Appt • 805-684-9700 • palmloft.com
Patricia Clarke Studio • 410 Palm Av, Carpinteria • By Appt • 805-4527739 • patriciaclarkestudio.com
Peregrine Galleries • Early California and American paintings; fine vintage jewelry • 1133 Coast Village Rd • 805-252-9659 • peregrine.shop
Peter Horjus Design • Studio • 11 W Figueroa St • peterhorjus.com
Portico Gallery • Jordan Pope & Gallery Artists • Open Daily • 1235 Coast Village Rd • 805-729-8454 • porticofinearts.com
Santa Barbara Art Works • Artists with disabilities programs, virtual exhibits • 805-260-6705 • sbartworks.org
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden • Seed: A Living Dream ~ Apr 6 •1212 Mission Canyon Rd • 10-5 daily • 805-682-4726 • sbbg.org
Santa Barbara Fine Art • SB landscapes & sculptor Bud Bottoms • 1321 State St • 12-6 Tu-Sa & By Appt • 805-845-4270 • santabarbarafineart.com
Santa Barbara Historical Museum • The Chair: Storied Seats
From Our Collection ~ Apr 20; J. Walter Collinge: Pictorial SB and the Beyond ~ May 11; Edward Borein Gallery and The Story of Santa Barbara ~ ongoing • 136 E De la Guerra • 12-5 We, Fri-Su; 12-7 Th • 805-966-1601 • sbhistorical.org
For Future Generations, Karpeles Documents Humanity’s Darker Moments
UNDERSTANDING HISTORY SO THAT IT MAY NOT BE REPEATED lays at the heart of the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum of Santa Barbara’s new exhibit, Man’s Inhumanity Towards Man.
Containing letters, documents, and manuscripts, some of the exhibit’s highlights are Susan B. Anthony’s letter discussing Gender Inequality during wartime, the Confederate AntiEmancipation Proclamation signed by Jefferson Davis, and exhibits on some of history’s most nefarious villains such as Charles Manson, Hitler, and Lenin.
The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum of Santa Barbara is one of six museums in the United States established to display and exhibit selections from the private manuscript collection of the late Dr. David Karpeles and his wife, Marsha Karpeles. The Santa Barbara branch is considered the Dean of this museum archipelago, and this new exhibit honors its mission to understanding history and foster a more compassionate and just world.
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
• Majestic California Piers ~Jan 19; The Chumash, Whaling, Commercial Diving, Surfing, Shipwrecks, First Order Fresnel Lens, and SB Lighthouse Women Keepers ~ Ongoing • 113 Harbor Wy, Ste 190 • 10-5 Daily • 805-962-8404 • SBMM.org
Santa Barbara Museum Of Art
• In the Making ~ Mar 9; Friends and Lovers ~ Mar 2; Accretion ~ Apr 13 • 1130 State St • 11-5 Tu-Su; 5-8 1st Th free; 2nd Sun free Tri-Co residents • 805-963-4364 • sbma.net
Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History • Big Cats & Wild Dogs ~ Mar 9 • 2559 Puesta del Sol • 10-5 We-Mo • sbnature.org
Santa Barbara Sea Center • Dive In: Our Changing Channel ~ Ongoing • 211 Stearns Wharf • 10-5 Daily (Fr & Sat 10-7 until 7/27). • 805-6824711 • sbnature.org
Santa Barbara Tennis Club2nd Fridays Art • Abstract Nine ~ Mar 5 • 2375 Foothill Rd • 10-6 Daily • 805-682-4722 • 2ndfridaysart.com
Slice of Light Gallery • Passage - Photography by JK Lovelace • 9 W Figueroa St • Mo-Fr 10-5 • 805-3545552 • sliceoflight.com
Man’s Inhumanity Towards Man runs through April 25th, at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, at 21 W. Anapamu St. karpeles.com
Stewart Fine Art • Early California Plein Air Paintings + European Fine Art + Antiques • 539 San Ysidro Rd • 11-5:30 Mo-Sa • 805-845-0255
Sullivan Goss • Offbeat ~ Jan 27; The Power of Photography ~ Jan 27; Winter Salon ~ Feb 24; • 11 E Anapamu St • 10-5:30 daily • 805730-1460 • sullivangoss.com
Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum • 122 W Canon Perdido • 11-4 Fr-Sa; Su-Th by appt • quinlanmuseum.com • 805-687-4623
SYV Historical Museum & Carriage House • Art of The Western Saddle • 3596 Sagunto St, Santa Ynez • 12-4 Sa, Su • 805-6887889 • santaynezmuseum.org
Tamsen Gallery • Work by Robert W. Firestone • 1309 State St • 12-5 We-Su • 805-705-2208 • tamsengallery.com
UCSB Library • Readymade Emanations: Trianon Press and the Art of Tearing Apa ~ Jun 25 • library.ucsb.edu
Voice Gallery • Opus 90: Joyce Wilson ~ Jan 31 • La Cumbre Plaza H-124 • 10-5:30 M-F; 1-5 Sa-Su • 805-965-6448 •voicesb.art
Waterhouse Gallery Montecito • Notable CA & National Artists • 1187 Coast Village Rd • 11-5 Mo-Su • 805-962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com
Waterhouse Gallery SB • Notable CA & National Artists • La Arcada Ct, 1114 State St, #9 • 11-5 Mo-Sa • 805-962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum Of Art • Wildland: Ethan Turpin’s Collaborations on Fire & Water ~ Mar 22 • westmont.edu/museum
Artists:
See your work here! Join Voice Magazine’s Print & Virtual Gallery! To find out more, email Publisher@VoiceSB.com
A. Michael Marzolla, Fine Artist
DAINA SANCHEZ
The Children of Solaga: Indigenous Belonging across the U.S.-Mexico Border
Tuesday, January, 21 | 4:00 pm McCune Conference Room, 6020 HSSB (Stanford University Press: 2024)
Join us for a dialogue between Daina Sanchez (Chicana and Chicano Studies) and Omar Pimienta (Spanish and Portuguese) about Sanchez’s new book, The Children of Solaga: Indigenous Belonging across the U.S.-Mexico Border. In The Children of Solaga, Sanchez examines how Indigenous Oaxacan youth form racial, ethnic, community, and national identities away from their ancestral homeland. Refreshments will be served.
Daina Sanchez is an Assistant Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UC Santa Barbara. Her research agenda focuses on race, migration, and Indigenous youth.
Cosponsored by the IHC’s Harry Girvetz Memorial Endowment
@ihcucsb
www.ihc.ucsb.edu
Seeing the future: Michael Beyeler’s work in neurotechnology earns him top faculty award
By Andrew Masuda / The UC Santa Barbara Current
MICHAEL BEYELER’S WORK SITS AT THE INTERSECTION OF neuroscience, computer science, engineering and psychology, where he is advancing sight-recovery technologies — including retinal and cortical implants often dubbed “bionic eyes.” As the leader of UC Santa Barbara’s Bionic Vision Lab, Beyeler and his team are not only enhancing artificial vision systems but also deepening the theoretical understanding of how the brain processes visual information. Their research holds promise for improving the quality of life for individuals with visual impairments, bridging the gap between science and transformative technology.
In recognition of his innovative contributions to research, teaching and service, Beyeler, an assistant professor of computer science and of psychological and brain sciences, has been named the recipient of the 2024-25 Harold J. Plous Memorial Award, one of UCSB’s highest faculty honors.
“Receiving the Plous Award is a tremendous honor that reinforces my commitment to UCSB’s values of innovation, collaboration and societal impact,” said Beyeler, who joined the faculty in 2019. “Personally, it’s humbling to be recognized by a community of peers whom I deeply respect. Professionally, it’s validation of the interdisciplinary work my team and I are doing at the frontier of vision science and neurotechnology, reminding me of the significance of our work.”
Among his group’s most notable contributions are computer models that predict how users of visual prostheses perceive their surroundings, helping to set realistic expectations and refine implant designs. Beyeler’s research, recently supported by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) New Innovator Award, has been pivotal in enhancing the spatial resolution of current retinal implants, providing critical insights into improving these technologies. His research group’s work with intracortical recordings from the visual cortex of a blind individual revealed that actual vision differed from textbook descriptions. They have also designed and enhanced a virtual-reality (VR) simulator to support various implants and computer-vision techniques, aiming to guide next-generation devices while closely collaborating with implant developers.
“By using VR simulations to replicate the embodied experience, including specific head and body movements required due to limited fields of view, we can improve these technologies before they reach patients,” said Beyeler. “Translating theoretical ideas from my
lab into real-world applications that enhance people’s lives is the most rewarding aspect of my work.”
Focusing on user experience, his group recently published a study highlighting a gap between what researchers expect and how often people actually use their devices. Beyeler and his team used their findings to advocate for better alignment of technology with user needs and outlined what the next generation of implants should address.
The award committee also lauded Beyeler for his innovative and adaptive teaching methods. In a memo announcing his selection, committee members wrote, “His ability to simplify complex concepts and his genuine concern for student success have earned him widespread praise from his students, who frequently highlight his effectiveness and flexibility in the classroom.”
“My teaching philosophy emphasizes continuously refining my courses to better serve a diverse student body, including students who are blind or hard of hearing, or face mental health challenges,” said Beyeler, who embraces iterative course design and has introduced dual-learning tracks in a class to cater to different learning needs. “I try to make thoughtful adjustments that significantly enhance the education experience. I believe that accessibility goes beyond accommodations; it’s about actively listening and adapting to empower every student to succeed.”
The committee also commended Beyeler for his extraordinary commitment to service at UCSB. He has served on a wide range of university committees and helped organize campus-wide workshops, including the highly successful UCSB Data Science Summit and the Mind & Machine Intelligence Summit. He also launched the Ph.D. Application Support Program to demystify the application process for underrepresented and first-generation students. The program has supported a total of nearly 100 applicants in its first two years.
Michael is a prime example of a scholar who is committed to making the greatest social impact by pursuing novel interdisciplinary research and creating pathways to make STEM disciplines accessible to as many people as possible.
— Umesh Mishra, Dean of Engineering
Michael Beyeler Assistant Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Michael Beyeler’s research focuses on the development of novel methods and algorithms to interface sight recovery technologies such as retinal implants (‘bionic eye’) with the human visual system, with the ultimate goal of restoring useful vision to the blind.
“These programs are important to me because I’ve seen how diversity enriches our research and learning experiences,” said Beyeler, who earned his Ph.D. in computer science from UC Irvine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington.
“Working with students from underrepresented backgrounds, first-generation students and those with disabilities brings in invaluable perspectives that enhance our work in meaningful ways. The impact of these efforts is reflected in the achievements of my mentees; they’ve presented
at national conferences, received prestigious awards and advanced to top graduate programs or successful careers. Seeing their growth reaffirms the value of fostering an environment where every student feels supported and empowered to contribute their unique insights.”
Leadership in the College of Engineering and in the Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences (MLPS) commended Beyeler on the well-deserved recognition from the campus community.
“We are extremely proud that a faculty member from the College of Engineering has received this prestigious award from his peers,” said Umesh Mishra, dean of engineering. “Michael is a prime example of a scholar who is committed to making the greatest social impact by pursuing novel interdisciplinary research and creating pathways to make STEM disciplines accessible to as many people as possible.”
“Dr. Beyeler’s groundbreaking research, commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, teaching and mentoring excellence and selfless service make him a perfect UCSB Plous Award winner,” noted Shelly Gable, interim dean of MLPS. “His research, service and training efforts that all coalesce around making a positive impact on society exemplify the spirit of excellence and innovation within the academic community that is captured by the Plous Award. MLPS is delighted to count him as one of our esteemed faculty members.”
The university will officially recognize Beyeler during a ceremony in the spring, during which he will give a plenary lecture, focusing on the user-experience aspect of sight restoration technologies and highlighting how implants are often developed based on sighted researchers’ expectations rather than the actual needs of blind users.
“It’s remarkable that there are hardly any blind researchers in this field! The only one we’re aware of is right here at UCSB: our Ph.D. student Lucas Nadolskis, which speaks to the disconnect between researchers and endusers that must be addressed,” said Beyeler. “My talk will emphasize this human side and connect it to the theoretical models we’ve developed and the behavioral studies we’ve conducted.”
Printed with permission of UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications.
Photo Credit: Matt Perko
Using virtual reality, an AI module for future vision prostheses, designed by Michael Beyeler’s Bionic Vision Lab, creates practical and useful artificial vision.
Research Focus Group Talk:
The Child Labor Issue as Depicted in the TV cartoon Meena Ki Kahani
bit.ly/GCM-IHC FRI 17 JAN
4:00–5:15 PM Zoom
In this talk, Dr. Jawa Jha focuses on child labor, particularly the issues faced by the girl child as depicted in the TV cartoon series Meena Ki Kahani (Stories of Meena), broadcast in India. This presentation is divided broadly into three main sections: a brief overview of India’s children literature, an examination of the child labor issues depicted in Meena Ki Kahani, and an attempt to comprehend the problems of child labor faced by a girl child in India’s socio-cultural context.
JAWA JHA
Dr. Jawa Jha is the first Indian to complete a Ph.D. in Korean Literature from Seoul National University, South Korea. She has taught as Guest faculty at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Bangalore City University, India, and she co-authored a book on Elementary Hindi for Korean learners.
Sponsored by the IHC’s Global Childhood Media Research Focus Group Image: still from Meena Ki Kahani, created by UNICEF in collaboration with Ram Mohan.
SELENA GOMEZ EMILIA PÉREZ
KARLA SOFÍA GASCÓN EMILIA PÉREZ
HARRIS DICKINSON BABYGIRL
ARIANA GRANDE WICKED
KIERAN CULKIN A REAL PAIN
ANGELINA JOLIE MARIA
RALPH FIENNES CONCLAVE
ZOE SALDAÑA EMILIA PÉREZ
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
COLMAN DOMINGO SING SING
CLARENCE MACLIN SING SING
MIKEY MADISON ANORA
JOHN MAGARO SEPTEMBER 5
ADRIEN BRODY THE BRUTALIST GUY PEARCE THE BRUTALIST