Coastal View News • December 15, 2022

Coastal View News

Santa pops by Westerlay Orchids

Deck the Halls

From left, Mark, Julian, Santiago, Lucca and Olivia Uribe Mutal, program manager for the city of Carpinteria, stop by the Christmas Tree.

Anthony Dabello, who opened Anthony’s Christmas Trees in 1954 in Santa Barbara, shows off decorations.

Westerlay Orchids employee Manuela Candela hangs up decorations.

Santa popped by Westerlay Orchids last week, making the rounds before Christ mas at Westerlay’s Christmas open house. Families took photos with Santa Claus, grabbed some tasty bites and entered the raffle at the Westerlay Showroom, located

PHOTOS BY ROBIN KARLSSON

Al Clark is Carpinteria’s new mayor

Christmas Cheer at Westerlay Orchids

KARLSSON

From left, Payton Miller, Mika Mullikin and Halleh Gahan marched in the Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 10, along with other members from the CSD school of performing arts. Other groups that walked Linden Avenue for the parade include the Carpinteria Boys and Girls Club, the Los Padres Outfitters and Howard School. See more Holiday Parade coverage on pages 14 and 15.

You're Invited to join us in celebrating the Reason for the Season

at Carpinteria Community Church

Sunday, Dec 18: 5:30pm

An evening of joyful music and worship. Surrounded by candlelight, the Christmas story will be told through personal heartfelt messages of faith, love, and hope. A warm reception will follow the service. Childcare will be provided.

Saturday, Dec 24: 4:30pm

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Connect with others in the joy and wonder of Christ’s birth. Sing with us the Christmas carols of your youth. Come be part of something truly special!

Carpinteria Community Church 1111 Vallecito Road (behind Rusty's Pizza)

We welcome children to all services, all year around online. community. news.

BRIEFLY

COMPILED BY EVELYN SPENCE

Man, 60, falls off cliffs while biking

A 60-year-old man fell of the Carpinteria cliffs between Bates Beach and the Carpinteria Pier on Sunday, according to the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District. District firefighters and an AMR ambulance were called to the area around 5 p.m. Sunday. The man was conscious and complaining of back pain, Battalion Chief Robert Kovach said.

“The patient had fallen from the railroad track area above after striking a rock while riding a bike. The patient tumbled approximately 70-80’ to the beach below. The patient landed in a sandy spot between large rocks on the beach,” Kovach said in a press release.

The man had been lying on the beach for one hour before he was spotted by a passerby. He was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and was diagnosed with a fractured back.

Carpinteria Cemetery to lay wreaths on veterans’ graves

The Carpinteria Cemetery will participate in the Wreaths Across America program on Saturday, Dec. 17, laying more than 450 wreaths on the graves of local veterans. The wreaths will be laid starting at 9 a.m.

“We are the first and only cemetery in the Tri-County area to have accomplished this goat of every veteran having a memorial wreath,” said Mike Damron, general manager of the Carpinteria Public Cemetery District.

Damron said the wreaths are courtesy of the Carpinteria Lions Club and the McDermott-Crockett Mortuary. The Carpinteria Cemetery is located at 1501 Cravens Ln.

County reports increase in Covid-19 cases

Covid-19 cases are rising in Santa Barbara County, although the community levels remain in the “low” category, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. There is an underreporting of cases due to the rise in at-home testing.

Between Dec. 2 and Dec. 8, the weekly average of reported cases increased by 43.4%, the department said. There were four new deaths due to Covid-19 reported during that same time period; Covid-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions remain low.

This holiday season, you can put your mind at ease knowing you made the decision to provide the best community for your loved one. At GranVida Senior Living, we offer Assisted Living and Memory Care services personalized for your loved one.

While this joyful season comes only once a year, our doors are open year-round. We cannot think of a better holiday gift than finding a loving and supportive home for your loved one.

Taylor’s Salad

Second round of rainbow trout released into Lake Cachuma

Thousands of rainbow trout were released into Cachuma Lake this week, the second of four scheduled releases for the 2022-2023 season. According to a press release sent out by the county, the fish range in size from a half-pound to eight pounds.

“Cachuma Lake is one of the very few lakes that continues to have large trout plants. As soon as the fish hit the water, they immediately disperse to areas all over the lake in search of colder, deeper water. That doesn’t happen at all of the lakes. At Cachuma Lake, you can fish from the shore or troll, and accidentally catch a trout while fishing for another species. These trout are double and triple the size of storebought trout,” Rich Tauber, local angler and professional Southern California fishing guide, said in a press release.

The trout come from Mt. Lassen Trout Farms in Paynes Creek, California. Learn more about the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area at sbparks.org.

New Public Health Director: Mouhanad Hammami

Mouhanad Hammami is the county’s new public health director, replacing interim director Daniel Nielson, the county announced Tuesday. Nielson had been appointed in July 2022 after Dr. Van Do-Reynoso left the position.

Dr. Hammami has worked in public government administration and healthcare for more than 20 years and worked as the Chief Health Strategist for Wayne County, Michigan, during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has a medical degree from the University of Aleppo, Syria, and a certificate of public health and a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Michigan.

“Dr. Hammami is just what our County needs as we move forward from the pandemic. He is going to

be a great asset to the County leading the strategy to improve health for all individuals and improve the underlying social determinantsof health in our communities,” Board

District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said in a press release.

Hammami said he is excited to start the position in Santa

“This is such an important time for public health as we are recovering from a pandemic that reaffirmed the importance of public health,” he said. “It is a great honor and a privilege to serve residents of Santa Barbara County in ensuring that all their health and wellbeing needs are met as we advance towards a, 'One Healthy, Santa Barbara County.'”

Learn more about the health department at countyofsb.org/phd.

Mouhanad Hammami

Chair and Third

Barbara County.

Exit, entrance closures continue along Highway 101

Closures along the north and southbound sides of Highway 101 continue as construction crews progress on the multipurpose bike path project.

On the northbound side, one lane between Santa Claus Lane and Sheffield Drive will be closed Mondays through Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., as well as Sundays from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The off-ramp at Evans and Lillie Avenue will remain closed until Jan. 26, 2023, and the on-ramp at Ortega Hill Road until Feb. 14, 2023.

Heading southbound, one lane be -

tween Sheffield Drive and Carpinteria Avenue will be closed Monday through Thursday, from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., as well as Sundays from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The southern on-ramp at Santa Claus Lane will be closed until Jan. 29, 2023, and the off-ramp at North Padaro Lane will be closed until Feb. 28, 2023.

Also on the southbound side, the on and off-ramps at Sheffield Drive, Evans Avenue and Wallace Avenue will have rotating three-hour closures at night; consecutive ramps going in the same direction will not be closed at the same

time, unless otherwise noted.

The SBRoads project to construct the Santa Claus Lane bike path has also received more than $7 million from Senate Bill 1 (SB1), or the Road Repair and Accountability Act, which passed in 2017.

SB1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually, split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB1.

The $12.5 million construction project

has also been funded by state and local resources including Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) funds, and the Measure A transportation sales tax revenue, implemented by the Santa Barbara Association of Governments (SBCAG).

––Jun Starkey

Coastal

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Obituary

dation, the Dream Foundation and the Rehabilitation Institute of Santa Barbara.

Last month (CVN Vol. 29, No. 9) I shared about ambiguous loss, as well as disenfranchised loss. The grief with both is usually not openly acknowledged or mourned, and sometimes not socially accepted. As with all grief, we need to look to reestablish an emotional equilibrium. This is done through accepting the reality of the loss, allowing ourselves to feel all the feelings without prejudice and finding a way to adjust to the new environment without the person or situation.

What is grief exactly? James and Friedman in “The Grief Recovery Handbook, ” define grief as a “conflicting group of human emotions caused by an end to or change in a familiar pattern of behavior.” This can apply to changes in relationships to people, places or events.

What is “normal grief?” There’s not one right way to grieve; however, there are ways to recognize natural and expected responses to the deep sorrow and pain after losing something or someone we love. With normal grief, many of the signs are similar to the symptoms of major depression. With grief, the symptoms become less intense over time, and we don’t have feelings of worthlessness or self-loathing. Usually, these symptoms will come and go in waves and eventually happen less often. The grief might not ever stop completely, but we’ll be able to experience happiness and enjoyment again.

Fatigue, feeling empty, sleep disturbances, guilt, shock/numbness, difficulty concentrating and appetite loss are also common symptoms of grief. Bessel Van der Kolk has also done a great deal of research that shows that past trauma (and grief) affects our bodies; he discusses how trauma literally affects both the body and brain. Grief affects our body, brain and heart.

With ambiguous loss, the grieving is different from “regular” mourning in that we aren’t able to gain what is often called “closure” in the typical ways. Note that the word closure isn’t the best word to use in discussing the grief process. Closure means finality, closing that door on something that happened. We aren’t closing a business deal! We have an attachment to someone or something, and we can’t just close the door on that. Closure implies there is an absolute ending. Trying to seek closure drains us of our energy and distracts us from looking at other coping options that may help us with more emotional growth and resilience. Using these coping mechanisms, rather than seeking closure, allows us to increase our tolerance with ambiguity, which helps us be more resilient for future loss experiences. Rather than looking for closure, we must look for recovery. Recovery can involve finding new meaning for living without fear of being hurt again, enjoying fond memories of the person/situation without regret coming up, knowing that it is okay to feel sad from time to time and to talk about those feelings regardless of how others might react. Recovery is dealing with the loss directly and not through isolation and avoidance.

Resiliency will help us with our personal adaptability to whatever comes next. Resiliency is being flexible in the face of pressure without breaking down; I liken it to the image of a tree that may bend and move in a storm but remains rooted.

Resiliency can help us with problems that have no immediate solution such as ambiguous losses, especially the longterm ambiguous losses. Supportive and nurturing families help build resilience; your family can be biologically related or not, or even be friends, pets, and ancestors. There’s a sense of chosen kinship with these people. A connection to community will also help strengthen resiliency. Knowing that others care about us, and we aren’t alone in a crisis, helps provide the strength needed to stay the course. For many of us, our community support groups may also feel like family. This can include neighbors, religious congregations, community service organizations, etcetera.

Here are a few myths we tell ourselves and others (and need to stop doing) and phrases to avoid:

Don’t feel bad: Don’t cry. It’ll be okay.

Replace: You can get a new dog. There’s other fish in the sea.

Time: Just give it time. Time heals all wounds.

Strength: You must be strong for your kids. You must keep moving forward. Keep busy: Distraction helps. Find a hobby to keep your mind off it.

I know how you feel: Even if you have had a similar/parallel loss, you don’t know how they feel. All relationships are unique. An example is if we both lost a father; your relationship could have been warm and fuzzy, and mine could have been painful and stormy.

The intellectual comments: You’ll find someone else. Everything happens for a reason. Be grateful you had them in your life. It just wasn’t meant to be. You’ll find something better.

Normalize and validate the losses. Don’t dismiss feelings. Acknowledge them. Find what the meaning is with the loss. Grief is a condition of the heart and so we can’t just “think” our way out of it. Talk to someone, whether a friend or professional or both; don’t mourn and grieve alone. Find a personal ritual to honor the loss. Therapy can be a very safe space to find what the ritual(s) may be. When a loss is ambiguous, we must change how we see the loss. Although the loss will not change, in adjusting our view, we can start the journey towards healing.

Vickie Gonzalez has been licensed for almost 20 years as an LMFT and currently provides counseling, coaching and consulting services. Her private practice is currently online only. She specializes in private practice, including grief loss, addiction/codependency and anxiety disorders. She works with people around themes of identity and purpose as well, primarily with individuals and couples. Coaching services focus on collaborating with clients on setting and reaching their wellness goals, whether those goals are career, relational, financial or personal in nature. On a personal note, she has lived in Carpinteria all her life and became a therapist to give back to the community.

Margaret Ann Baker

12/07/1947 – 11/02/2022

Margaret Ann Baker passed away peacefully on Nov. 2, 2022 from complications associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She was born on Dec. 7, 1947 in Long Beach, CA, to parents Willis Daniel Baker and Mary (O’Rourke) Baker. Margaret graduated summa cum laude from Western High School Anaheim, CA, in 1965 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from California Western University in Point Loma in 1969, where she met her future husband, Bradford Baker.

Margaret and Brad moved to Carpinteria after college, when Brad began working for the business started by his father, Aluminum Filter Company (ALFCO). They lived near the factory on Cedar Lane until they built their dream house off Padaro Lane, where they could be next to the ocean, a central part of their lives.

Margaret obtained her teaching credentials and a master’s in special education from UC Santa Barbara, as well as a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University in Santa Barbara. She worked as a certified mediator serving the Superior Court of Santa Barbara.

Margaret had an unbroken record of service in education. She began her career teaching elementary school for the Carpinteria Unified School District and later moved to curriculum and program development for grades K-9. She served on the Board of Trustees of Crane School and Laguna Blanca School. In addition, she served as a counselor for St. Vincent’s School and a therapist for both Cottage Care Center and Project Recovery, rehabilitation programs focused on treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse.

Margaret served on the board of directors for Cottage Health System, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District, the Serena Cove Owner’s Association, the Padaro Lane Association, It’s for the Kids Foun-

Margaret always gave top priority to her children, grandchildren and her friends. She was known for being able to strike up a conversation with anyone about anything. Margaret was unwaveringly generous with her time and energy in support of causes that benefited the community and those who were in need or underrepresented. She worked tirelessly to support the things that gave her fire in her life: Cottage Hospital, the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Laguna Blanca School, Crane School and many others. Working to solve problems and make improvements in important systems gave her purpose and energy. She cared deeply about the community and everyone in it.

Margaret always said exactly what she thought; her lack of a filter made her many great friends and some enemies, which didn’t bother her at all. Most important, she treated everyone equally: your social status or title meant nothing to her. She was going to learn all about your life, your hobbies and your interests, and she always genuinely cared.

She had a diverse group of friends because she always wanted to be challenged, learn peoples’ perspectives and backgrounds, and she truly cared about making peoples’ lives better – or at least more fun. Among her many loves were her dogs and cats, fast cars, the beach, baking pies, cooking, entertaining, traveling, eating at great restaurants, bringing people together, being generous and sparking engaging conversations. When she wasn’t at a board meeting you could often find her walking with her dogs, friends and family at the beach.

She is survived by her three children: Anne Marie Baker (Siegel) of Napa, married to Rudy Siegel; Brian Bradford Baker of Los Angeles, married to Greg Oehler; and Elizabeth Serena Baker of Ojai, married to Nathan Rellergert; and four grandchildren: Bradford Louis Siegel, Sydney Serena Siegel, Jameson Louis Rellergert and Declan Theodore Rellergert. She has a brother, Willis (Bill) Daniel Baker, and sisters Barbara Joan Baker and Mary Ann Phillips (deceased). She was predeceased by her husband, Bradford Louis Baker, in 1990.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to foundations that meant so much to her: the ALS Association, the Cottage Health System and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. A celebration of life will be held in the Spring 2023.

Previously published obituaries may be read online at coastalview.com

Editor ’s note: Part 1 and other installments of My Wellness Now may be read online at coastalview.com.

Charles Albert Noll

October 5, 1927 – November 25, 2022

Charles Albert Noll was born to Albert and Hazel Noll as the youngest of three children. Older sister Pauline Noll (deceased) and older brother Bob Noll now 99 years of age. He is survived by his wife, Mildred, two of his children, Ann and David, nine grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. He was loved by all his family from the oldest to the youngest.

His hobbies were cars, restoring a model T in his teen age years, and also airplanes. He took on a job with friend, Sid, riveting the body of Douglas C-47 planes as an after school project. This served him well when he joined the Navy and was trained as airplane mechanic serving in both WWII and the Korean war.

Once out of the Navy he worked for LA county as a body and fender man. He used his skills to straighten out crashed police vehicles and fire trucks. He installed the very first red flashing gumball on the LA police cars.

His independent nature inspired him to buy a Schwinn Bicycle Shop in Anaheim Ca. where he landed a contract to work on all the Disney trick

unicycles and tandems that were used in the Main Street parades. He bought one of the first hamburgers from Carl Karcher, the founder of Carls Jr., when all Carl had was a cart on the corner just steps away from the bike shop.

When the building was sold, he moved the Schwinn Shop to Simi Valley and considered retiring there. Then the 1970’s bike boom hit and Simi Valley’s population quadrupled. Sales went from a few bikes a year to 3,000 with long waiting list of 3-6 months.

He sold that store in early in the 1980’s and decided to retire once again, but not for long. The Schwinn Company asked him to start a shop in Carpinteria. A little bored with retirement, he said yes! A few years later he sold the shop to his youngest son Paul, now deceased.

In 1985, his oldest son, David, returned from New Zealand and started an importing business in a small warehouse with a small office area in front on 9th Street in Carpinteria. This small office space became the birthing place for Pacific Health Foods, which Charles and his wife, Mildred, still not ready to retire, managed . After a few years and a warm welcome buy Carpinterians the store was moved to its current location at 944 Linden. Most of the Noll grandchildren took turns working there with Grandpa and Grandma. Ultimately, the store was purchased by Nathan Noll and wife, Whitney, who own it today.

Charles was a man of faith that loved and served his country, loved his family and loved Carpinteria. He will be missed but not forgotten!

Service will be held at Carpenters Chapel in Carpinteria at 2 p.m. on the 21st of December 2022.

District increases students’ book access through library partnership

CVN DIANA RIGBY CUSD SUPERINTENDENT

SUPERINTENDENT’S DESK

The Carpinteria Unified School District is partnering with the Carpinteria Community Library to provide filtered access to the children’s library collection, while eliminating the need to have a library card. The Carpinteria Community Library app, SORA, will be available on the district assigned Chromebooks and tablets, and students will be able to log in using their school google account authentication.

Appreciation

We are so grateful for the office coordinators at our schools who ensure that all students, staff and families are supported and well served: Leti Garcia, Canalino/Family School; Liz Uribe, Aliso Elementary School; Terri Hall, Summerland School; Cruz Martinez and Sonia Rodriguez, Carpinteria Middle School; Beatrice Sibjia, Carpinteria High School and Jeannene Gutierrez and Monica Botello at Pupil Services.

California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS)

The California Healthy Kids Survey is a modular, anonymous online assessment for students, parents and staff in grades seven, nine and 11, and for parents/staff of grade five students.

It is focused on the five most important areas for guiding school and student improvement: student connectedness, learning engagement/motivation and attendance; school climate, culture and conditions; school safety, including violence perpetration and victimization/bullying; physical and mental well-being and social-emotional learning and student supports, including resilience-promoting developmental factors.

The 2022-23 Healthy Kids Survey is currently available until Dec. 16, and we

encourage all grades seven, nine and 11, students, staff and parents and grade five staff and parents to complete the online survey. Survey links have been distributed by school site administrators.

School Mental Health Services

The district provides a tiered system of student mental health support with school-based mental health teams at every school site, social-emotional learning curriculum, school psychologists, school counselors and school-based mental health therapists from Family Service Agency (FSA), Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) and Hospice.

The district’s Mental Health team, facilitated by Special Education Director Rob Sheerger, meets on a monthly basis to discuss the mental health challenges faced by our students and how we provide mental health support in our schools. Additionally, this year we have Family Social Workers from FSA at both Canalino/Carpinteria Family School and Aliso Elementary School.

Measure U

Summerland School is on track to open when students return from winter break on Jan. 5. The last large hurdle was having SoCal Edison turn the power on for the site and we’re happy to say we have power!

Classroom, office and library furniture is installed and ready. All site concrete work has been completed, with the parking lot area the last to be done over break. Trees and landscaping are in.

All materials from Main School classrooms will be moved on Dec. 19. All final detail work will be completed by the end of December. The Summerland tennis court project will resume in January.

The Canalino modernization and the Carpinteria High School administration building are closing out with a few items waiting from manufacturing delays. Architect Robert Robles is actively working on the design and details of the Canalino Learning Center as well as the Aliso School TK-K classroom project. He will also be reviewing the tentative FEMA flood map, which could impact the direction of the project.

Diana Rigby is the current superintendent of Carpinteria Unified School District. For more information about CUSD, log on to cusd.net, or contact Diana at drigby@cusd.net or (805) 684-4511x222.

Dueling surveys show different perspectives on CMS discipline practices

BY JUN STARKEY

Two Carpinteria Middle School employee surveys have been conducted in the last few weeks regarding disciplinary expectations at the middle school, showing conflicts between school administrators and the district’s union.

In November, the Carpinteria Association of United School Employees (CAUSE) sent out the “CMS Disciplinary Expectations, Enforcement and Culture” survey to Carpinteria Middle School (CMS) Employees. The survey involved 16 questions about disciplinary actions, and how CMS has responded to certain complaints.

Of the about 40 total employees at the middle school, including faculty and office staff, between 20-21 employees responded to the survey.

About half of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that “low disciplinary expectations are holding back our students.” Sixteen employees either disagreed or strongly disagreed that the “current CMS disciplinary environment” made them comfortable. When asked if sixth and seventh grade students are “negatively influenced by the permissive disciplinary culture,” 18 employees either agreed or strongly agreed.

The results of the survey were discussed at a Parents for CMS meeting on Nov. 17, where CMS Principal Lisa O’Shea argued against the survey’s wording. She said that while CMS does take discipline seriously, the school is also working to incorporate restorative practices.

“We look at each situation and each student very carefully, with the intent, first of all, to educate the student on what they’re doing,” O’Shea said.

O’Shea sent out her own survey about CMS discipline following the Parents for CMS meeting, fi nding issue with the suggestive wording of the union’s survey. “I think this poisonous, false narrative, that’s anti-CMS, and anti-CMS administration… is not representative of the staff,” she said during the meeting.

In the survey sent out by O’Shea, be-

tween 22-23 staff members responded. O’Shea noted that her survey required a CUSD email, and only accepted one response.

When asked if “pain-based punishments” such as suspension or detention were most effective in changing student behavior, about 21% of respondents strongly disagreed, and 17% of respondents strongly agreed. About 30% of respondents were neutral to the question. When asked if discipline should be restorative and educational in nature, more than half strongly agreed.

More than 70% of respondents, or about 16 employees, either agreed or strongly agreed with the question: “When I experience a discipline issue in my classroom and ask for support from administration, I am satisfied with the resolution and consequences assigned.”

O’Shea also cited the recent California Healthy Kids Survey, administered to all seventh grade students, which found: students feeling they had “caring adults in school” had increased 28%; reports of feeling “academic motivation” increased by 17%; and students reporting experiencing “harassment or bullying” decreased by 8%.

“Students trust us to be the respectful, dependable, and caring adults on campus,” O’Shea told CVN. “It is everyone’s job to support students, help them learn positive behavior, while also keeping the CMS staff and students safe.”

“I think this poisonous, false narrative, that’s anti-CMS, and anti-CMS administration… is not representative of the staff.”

– CMS Principal Lisa O’Shea

BY

Measure T fails; new councilmembers sworn in

The council unanimously voted to certify the November 2022 election results on Monday; incumbent councilmembers Al Clark and Roy Lee were also sworn into their seats for districts five and three respectively, alongside the newly elected Councilmember Mónica Solórzano for district one.

Lee thanked his family and the community for their support. “I see my kids in the crowd. I love you guys and I’m proud of you,” he said. Addressing the Carpinteria community directly, he added, “any differences we may have, let’s put those aside and work together.”

Clark and Solórzano also thanked their campaign staff and their families.

“I’ll work hard, listen carefully and ask decisively for you,” Solórzano said, thanking her daughters for their steadfast

help in campaigning. “Those girls went door to door with me.”

“I sit with my wife every morning and watch the sun come up (in Carpinteria),” Clark said. “I had my supporters and contributors from all over Carpinteria, and I think that’s a good sign.”

Clark also thanked longtime councilmember Gregg Carty – who Clark beat out for the district five seat – for his work on the council. “I want to thank Gregg Carty for his lifetime of service to our community… Gregg sincerely loves Carpinteria. I know he will keep loving Carpinteria.”

With the certification, Measure T has also officially failed. The final count showed 2,573 people (50.82%) voted no on Measure T, while 2,490 (49.18%) voted yes. Sixty-four percent of Carpinteria residents voted on the measure.

Clark takes the mayorship in 4-1 vote

Al Clark is now Carpinteria’s mayor, following a 4-1 vote by his fellow councilmembers at Monday night’s council meeting. He replaces Wade Nomura, Carpinteria’s mayor of four years.

Per Carpinteria city protocols, the council itself chooses its mayor and vice mayor among itself, not the voters.

Lee – who nominated Nomura for mayor – voted no on Clark. The four other councilmembers,

including Nomura himself and the newly elected Mónica Solórzano, voted for Clark’s mayorship.

In his speech, Clark thanked Nomura for his service as mayor. “I think Wade has truly been one of the greatest mayors we’ve ever had… He’s really been a terrific mayor and a great advocate for us.”

Alarcon was unanimously voted in as the city’s new vice mayor, replacing Clark.

Council creates housing element committee, in response to housing element uproar

The city council approved the creation of two new ad-hoc committees Monday, including an Ad Hoc Housing Element Committee.

Carty signs off after 16 years of council service

Councilmember Gregg A. Carty stepped down from his longtime seat on the council Monday night, meeting thunderous applause and a standing ovation from both his fellow councilmembers and those in the audience.

Carty, who lost the district five seat to fellow councilmember and now mayor Al Clark in November’s election, has been a longtime city government servant. He served on the city’s Architectural Review Board from 1991–2001 and 2005-2006, and on the council from 2006–2022.

He was awarded with a city resolution, citing his contributions and work to better Carpinteria, including protecting city housing, acquiring the Rincon Bluffs preserve, supporting local businesses, working on the Ad Hoc Senior Services Committee, advocating for Measure X

and beyond.

“During his 16 years on the City Council, Mr. Carty was a member of the City Council that accomplished important work including the acquisition and improvement of public parks and open space, improving the small-town character of the City (…) and many more important accomplishments,” the resolution read.

Carty, turning his microphone around so he could speak directly to the audience, said he is proud of what he and his fellow councilmembers had accomplished.

“I’ve always tried to be a good steward for our lovely community of Carpinteria. I’m happy and proud of what we’ve accomplished looking together. It’s been a privilege and honor to serve,” he added.

Three contracts involving capital projects approved

The council approved three new contracts involving major capital projects on Monday.

The city approved $38,951 for consulting design services for the Carpinteria Library improvements project, which includes new ramps and the relocation of the main entrance. The council also approved $39,750 in consulting designs services for the City Hall Campus Improvements project.

The council also awarded a construction contract to Taft Election Company for Carpinteria Avenue and Palm Avenue intersection improvements.

City staff, citing high construction costs, told the council this was the second time the project had been put out to bid; while the company’s estimate for project cost is $623,800, the city engineer’s estimate was less than half that.

The council approved $394,000 from the Measure X fund for the project, and $49,458 for Flowers & Associates, Inc., for provide management and inspection services.

“This is something we’ve been working a long time for,” Nomura said Monday. “We’re very fortunate not to have more disasters at that intersection.”

The county’s release of its proposed Housing Element – meant to help the county meet state housing requirements – caused an uproar in Carpinteria. The county’s housing element map proposes rezoning non-housing areas just outside of city limits to meet housing standards; this could impact the city’s ability to meet local needs, and place an undue burden on Carpinteria, opponents argued.

The committee – with two councilmembers on board – will assist city staff in their work on the housing element and participate in the county’s Housing Element Review process.

“The committee is able to meet very quickly and get as much information as they can,” Community Development Director Steve Goggia said.

The city also created a new Ad Hoc Civic/Youth Engagement Committee, with Lee and Nomura on board. Work on such a committee has been a longtime coming; the committee will look at ways to engage Carpinteria youth.

New playground equipment coming to Monte Vista Park

The council approved $343,048.02 in new playground for Monte Vista Park. “The old playground is very old,” Parks and Recreation Director Matt Roberts told the council Monday. “Over the years, certain elements have been removed.”

The old playground equipment will be demolished, and a new play structure will be put in. The new structure can handle between 70 and 85 users, focused on children ages two through five and five through 12.

Monte

The city handles five playgrounds in city parks, as well as the Tomol Interpretative Play Area at the beach. The Memorial Park Playground was replaced in 2017 and the Health Ranch Playground in 2022; El Carro Park playground was refurbished in 2002, and is scheduled for replacement in 2023-2024.

In other city council news…

New library sign has arrived

City Librarian Jody Thomas confirmed the library’s new wooden sign has arrived, and plans are in place to replace the old one.

The library is still short one librarian technician. The position is part-time; all applicants must speak Spanish and English, Thomas said.

Annual work plan scheduled Jan. 28

The city’s governmental bodies, including the council, will meet on Jan. 28 at city hall for the city’s annual work plan. The four-hour meeting, which starts at 8 a.m., pins down the city’s major project goals for that year. The meeting is open to the public.

Al Clark is Carpinteria’s new mayor, after a council vote Monday night.

Gregg Carty, center, stepped down from his council seat Monday after 16 years of service. Pictured, from left, is councilmembers Roy Lee, Al Clark, Natalia Alarcon, Wade Nomura and Mónica Solórzano.

Vista Park will see new playground equipment, partly shown above.

LIBRARY NOTES

COMPILED BY JUN STARKEY

Carpinteria Community Library seeks adult English tutors

The Carpinteria Community Library is seeking tutors for adult English learners, with a training scheduled for January 2023. Those interested can visit or call the library to sign up for the training; the library is located at 5141 Carpinteria Ave., and can be reached at (805) 684-4314. Once training is complete, tutors will be matched with a student.

Library to open Mondays

Starting Jan. 9, 2023, the Carpinteria Community Library will be open on Mondays, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Preschool Storytime will also now take place at 10:30 a.m. Mondays. The library’s Saturday hours will also shift in January, with the new hours 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Carpinteria library offers teen internet workshop

The Carpinteria Community Library will host a teen workshop – in partnership with the city of Carpinteria’s Community Service Grant program – on how to go viral online.

The free workshop, funded by the city, was created to help teens utilize techniques and tools to tell stories through social media posts, storytelling or even through writing a book. Students can bring their own devices, but the library will provide a computer and all other necessary tools. Lunch will be provided.

The workshop will be held at the library on Saturday, Jan 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., and is open to all Carpinteria teens between the ages of 13 and 18. Participants must register by Wednesday, Jan. 18. Participants may sign up by calling the library or logging onto the website at CarpinteriaLibrary.org.

John and Louise Godkin of Carpinteria will celebrate 50 years of marriage later this month. Louise, a nurse, and John, a contractor, were married on Dec. 16, 1972, at All Saints by the Sea Church in Montecito.

The pair will celebrate with a weekend getaway, alongside their children and grandchildren.

John and Louise Godkin

Supervisors extend Ceres Cannabis Cultivation Farm’s deadline to implement carbon scrubbers Supervisors discuss limits of current county cannabis odor ordinances

BY ATMIKA IYER

Ceres Cannabis Cultivation Farm successfully appealed the county planning commission’s greenhouse carbon scrubbers provision on Tuesday, following a unanimous Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors vote. The project’s applicants had asked the Board of Supervisors to extend the carbon scrubbers implementation deadline to 24 months, rather than the 12-month turnaround required by the Planning Commission.

The provision requires Ceres Cannabis Cultivation Farm to fully transition to carbon scrubbers without the vapor phase system, and although the Ceres applicant is willing to abide by the provision, previous applicants – such as Valley Crest – have appealed these measures.

Under current county guidelines, carbon scrubbers are not required on cannabis cultivation sites unless existing odor abatement measures are deemed insufficient; then, the county would escalate the odor abatement tier to include carbon scrubbers. Ceres Cannabis Cultivation Farm’s odor abatement plan – prior to the planning commission’s required provision – still met county standards through a vapor-phase system, in addition to carbon scrubbers.

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission heard an appeal of the Ceres Cannabis Cultivation Farm’s approval on Aug. 31, and denied the appeal on the condition that the cultivation group incorporate carbon scrubbers as a part of their odor abatement plan on their site within a year of approval. The three original appellants’ – Mimi Mauracher, the Cate School and the Rose Story Farm – complaints were largely related to cannabis odor. The planning commission’s decision was contentious in a close 3-2 vote, with the two dissenting votes citing their discontent with the elective carbon scrubbers provision.

During Tuesday’s meeting, north county planner Ben Singer said the applicant’s only issue for the appeal was the requested extension for the inclusion of carbon scrubbers. County staff affirmed that the existing odor abatement plan is certified and consistent with all required policies and added that the extension would not violate any existing policies or requirements.

Tuesday’s appeal was unique; most cannabis cultivation sites are required to have their odor abatement measures in place prior to operation. The 24-month grace period to incorporate the carbon scrubbers would require a transition between two different odor abatement procedures while Ceres Farms Cannabis Cultivation is in operation.

Eric Edwards, representing Ceres Farms Cannabis Cultivation, provided the board with a presentation detailing their request. According to Edwards, the reason for the requested extension was that the process of submitting a modified odor abatement plan, acquiring the necessary approvals and permits from the county and incorporating carbon scrubbers, was ultimately not feasible in the given time frame.

“My fear is, I’ve been doing this for a number of years now, and things end

up taking longer than anticipated I think through no fault of everyone,” Edwards said. “We’re just asking for flexibility. We find it very difficult to agree to a condition that we know is unlikely to be met from the get-go, which would unfortunately, potentially jeopardize our business.”

Following public comment, supervisors discussed the feasibility of implementing and employing the carbon scrubbers in a 12-month turnaround period. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino asked county staff whether the extension was a reasonable request; staff said they could not provide an answer.

Second District Supervisor Laura Capps – who has publicly issued several complaints against the cannabis industry – followed Lavagnino’s line of comment.

“We’re trying to get some clarity on time frames here because I think it’s extremely important,” Capps said. “The question is, the length of time, do we have any benchmarking?”

Capps returned the conversation to a conundrum the board faced with Valley Crest: is it appropriate for the board to heavily enforce carbon scrubbers when county ordinances currently do not mandate them?

“Well, I’m interested in tightening up the ordinance because it just seems as though we owe it to our community to be employing the best technology to take care of or at least 86% take care of the aggrievance that is plaguing the lives of people,” Capps said.

Williams said that an ordinance amendment would take longer than two years, and that cannabis growers voluntarily employing carbon scrubbers from the get-go would be the most ideal solution to addressing complaints of cannabis odor in the county.

“An ordinance change would take a lot longer than two years, plus it doesn’t address (the cannabis cultivation sites) that have already been approved unless they come back for a change in their permit. The best and fastest remedy to this is growers voluntarily adopting carbon scrubbers. There’s no way to do it faster than that,” Williams said.

Capps continued to push for any mea-

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sure that would expedite the process of implementing carbon scrubbers. Despite Capps’ initial pushback, Chair and Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, Williams, Lavagnino and Supervisor Bob Nelson believed the 24-month grace period to be appropriate for the required approvals and permits to install carbon scrubbers.

“I agree with (Williams) that it is very difficult for us to impose the 12-month. We need an offer from the applicant,”

Hartmann said. “They’ve committed publicly to phase this in and to do it as soon as they can, but there are situations outside their control, namely, Southern California Edison and our own planning department that has a lot of other things on their agenda as well.”

Ceres Farms Cannabis Cultivation committed to beginning its incremental phase-in of carbon scrubbers within the first year of approval, with the full amount phased-in by the end of the twoyear period. Edwards added that this effort will be done in an effort to address neighbors’ concerns of specific areas of odor concern as a part of phase one.

With confidence in Edwards’ promise, the board voted unanimously in favor of the appeal.

CITY OF CARPINTERIA 5775 CARPINTERIA AVENUE CARPINTERIA, CALIFORNIA 93013

NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON APPOINTED COMMISSION, BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

Notice is hereby given that the terms of all appointed commissioners, committee members and board members expire on January 31, 2023 pursuant to Section 2.24.010 of the Carpinteria Municipal Code as follows:

Appointed Advisory Body Vacancies Planning Commission 5

Architectural Review Board 5

Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Board 5

Carpinteria Open Space Management Advisory Board 7

Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee 5 Tree Advisory Board 5

Downtown “T” Business Advisory Board 10

Environmental Review Committee 2

Community Development Block Grant Committee 3 Library Advisory Commission 5

The City Council invites any interested person who wishes to serve on any of the above advisory bodies, for a two-year term beginning February 1, 2023 and ending January 31, 2025, to complete an application. The application and any supplementary information should be filed with the City Clerk no later than Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Except in special circumstances, appointees must be City residents. Other qualifications are as determined by the Mayor and City Council.

It is anticipated that the Mayor and City Council will consider all appointments at their regular meeting on January 23, 2023. At that time they may re-appoint current members or appoint new members or any combination thereof as determined by the Mayor and City Council.

An application may be obtained on the City’s website at http://www. carpinteriaca.gov by navigating to the City Clerk’s page then scrolling to the section Boards Commissions and Committee or by contacting the City Clerk’s office during normal business hours between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, (805) 755-4403. Applications may be returned to brianb@carpinteriaca.gov or by US Postal Service to the address on the application.

Brian C. Barrett, CMC, CPMC, City Clerk

The Ceres Cannabis Cultivation Farm, located at 6030 Casitas Pass Rd., currently has three greenhouses and a processing building. The farm appealed to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, asking the board to extend its deadline to implement carbon scrubbers.

“The best and fastest remedy (odor problems) is growers voluntarily adopting carbon scrubbers.

There’s no way to do it faster than that.”

–Supervisor Das Williams

Carpinteria pot wars: a Dutch clean-air technology gives residents some hope (Part 1 of 2)

BY MELINDA BURNS

Editor’s Note: Part 2 of this article, “Carpinteria pot wars: A Dutch clean-air technology gives residents some hope,” will run in CVN Vol. 29, No. 14.

Paul Ekstrom, a retired firefighter in Carpinteria, says he and his wife, Linda, have been living a happier life for the past few months, largely free from the pungent smell of pot that drove them indoors with the windows shut every day.

That’s because earlier this year, Ed Van Wingerden, owner of the 11-acre Ever-Bloom cannabis greenhouse operation at 4701 Foothill Rd., just 65 feet from the Ekstroms’ home on Manzanita Street, installed more than 100 carbon filters from the Netherlands to clean up the smell of pot.

A study released this month by SCS Engineers, a Santa Maria consulting firm, shows that on average, the filters or “scrubbers” developed by the Envinity Group, a Dutch firm, can eliminate 84 percent of the “skunky” smell of cannabis before it escapes through the greenhouse roof vents.

“When those carbon scrubbers went in, the odor dropped dramatically,” Paul Ekstrom said. “Before, it could be six days a week with a strong smell in the morning and a strong smell in the evening – and it’s not happening. It’s been like a 90–95% improvement.”

Also gone, Ekstrom said, is the annoying “laundromat” smell of an earlier technology – the curtain of mist that was emitted from perforated pipes around the outside perimeter of the greenhouses. This misting, called a “vapor-phase” system, was designed to neutralize the stench of cannabis in the outside air, but some of Ever-Bloom’s neighbors said the mist itself was causing them breathing problems. Van Wingerden shut down the system 10 months ago.

In 2020, Ekstrom and the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis – a citizens’ group advocating for tighter regulation of the industry – and Gregory and Marllus Gandrud, then-residents of Chaparral Drive, filed a public nuisance lawsuit against Van Wingerden and other members of his family, alleging that the “ever-present noxious odor” from the Foothill greenhouses was ruining their quality of life and making them sick. Ever-Bloom became a flashpoint in the

local pot wars.

But now the parties are in negotiation and a settlement is expected soon. The Dutch scrubbers represent “the latest and best technology,” Van Wingerden said this week, adding, “It’s only fair that everyone puts them in.”

“Our commitment”

The SCS study was performed over 48 hours last August at Roadside Blooms, a four-acre cannabis greenhouse operation equipped with Envinity scrubbers at 3684 Via Real. The operators, Van Wingerden and his partners – Phil Greene, Mike and Adam Palmer and Amir-Hamsa Eskandari – said they paid between $750,000 and $900,000 for the study, which compared the smell of pot at harvest time in and around a greenhouse with scrubbers to that of a greenhouse without scrubbers.

“We view it as part of our investment and our commitment to fix the odor in the community,” Greene said. By the end of 2023, he said he hopes “the majority of people who need scrubbers will have them.”

Noting that the SCS study was “site-specific,” county officials said this week that they had not yet determined whether Envinity scrubbers represent the best available odor control technology for the greenhouse industry.

But last Wednesday, the county Planning Commission unanimously required scrubbers for one of the largest proposed cannabis greenhouse operations in the valley: 13 acres at Vista Verde Farms, 3450 Via Real. Cannabis is not yet under cultivation there; it’s the site of a Gallup & Stribling orchid operation owned by Case Van Wingerden and his son, Alex – a different branch of the large Carpinteria farming family.

The Vista Verde operators – Alex Van Wingerden and Tristan Strauss, the owner of Headwaters, a California-based cannabis supply chain – had initially

proposed to use solely a vapor-phase system to control odor, and the county planning director approved that plan. After Concerned Carpinterians, a citizens’ group, appealed the project to the County Planning Commission, Strauss and Van Wingerden revised their application and agreed to install only scrubbers.

At the same time, Strauss has suggested that the cost would be prohibitive if scrubbers were required industry-wide, especially in today’s bad market. At $20,000 each and a recommended ratio of up to 10 per acre, it’s expensive to adopt the new technology. The cost at Ever-Bloom alone was about $2 million; installing scrubbers valley-wide, as the coalition and Van Wingerden have called for, might represent a cost of nearly $40 million.

“The cannabis market is in a place of peril right now,” Strauss told the County Planning Commission last July, during a hearing on Valley Crest, a nine-acre cannabis greenhouse operation that he runs at 4385 Foothill Rd. The price of cannabis has dropped 80% since 2018, to about $300 per pound, Strauss said.

Valley Crest, he noted, is surrounded by farmland and the project is not at the top of the county’s long list of residential odor complaints in the Carpinteria Valley. Strauss said the vapor-phase system for odor control was working fine and there was no need for scrubbers.

“Politicians in Santa Barbara County have to decide if they want us to stay here,” he said.

“Financial suicide”

But administrators at the Cate School, an exclusive boarding high school half a mile away and uphill from Valley Crest on Cate Mesa Road, told county planners that the smell of pot wafts into the cam-

pus daily from cannabis operations in the valley below; no one knows which greenhouses are to blame.

In addition, several of Valley Crest’s neighbors on Casitas Pass Road, including the owners of an avocado orchard and a large outdoor rose operation, said the smell of pot from the project and its vapor-phase system were intolerable.

In a 3-2 vote, the commission required the growers to install scrubbers at Valley Crest within 12 months as a condition of their zoning permit.

“There is a solution out there, but you said it would be financial suicide to install scrubbers,” commission Chair Mike Cooney, who represents the Carpinteria Valley, told Strauss. “We can’t use that threat as the standard. We need to see if as much has been done as can be done.”

Case Van Wingerden appealed the commission’s ruling to the County Board of Supervisors, and in October, the board tossed out the requirement for scrubbers, noting that the project was not near any residentially zoned property.

The Valley Crest operation, which is owned by Case and Alex Van Wingerden, will be allowed to continue operating with solely a vapor-phase system for odor control.

In the wake of the new study on the Envinity scrubbers, the real test of county policy came on Tuesday, when the board heard an identical appeal by Case Van Wingerden. The project on the table this time was Ceres Farm, a nine-acre cannabis greenhouse operation run by Strauss at 6030 Casitas Pass Road, next to Valley Crest. Cate School administrators and the greenhouse neighbors again urged the board to uphold a commission ruling and require the growers to install scrubbers within 12 months.

The board ultimately voted to uphold the carbon scrubbers requirement, but allowed the project applicants 24 months to install carbon scrubbers, rather than in the originally required 12-month period.

“We continue to smell the odor at Cate School, and it’s impossible for us to discern where it’s coming from,” Charlotte Brownlee, assistant head of the school, last week. “We want to get to a situation where the enforcement is not complaint-based. We’re very much interested in seeing that scrubbers be adopted because they work.”

Melinda Burns is an investigative journalist with 40 years of experience covering immigration, water, science and the environment. As a community service, she offers her report to multiple publications in Santa Barbara County, at the same time, for free.

Expensive carbon filters can “scrub” the stink of greenhouse cannabis, but how many growers will install them?

The Ever-Bloom cannabis operation at 4701 Foothill Rd. installed more than 100 carbon scrubbers to help with the cannabis smell.

County Planning rejects Concerned Carpinterians’ appeal against Vista Verde Farms

The proposed 3450 Via Real cannabis project would be one of the largest in the area

BY JUN STARKEY

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission denied Concerned Carpinterians’ appeal of the 3450 Via Real cannabis cultivation project approval last week, granting de novo approval for the project.

The commission granted approval after owners of the cultivation updated their odor abatement plan to include carbon scrubbers in all of the farm’s greenhouses, and packing house. Vista Verde Farms would take over 3450 Via Real, the current site of the Gallup & Stribling orchid nursery.

The project would be one of the largest cannabis cultivations in the area, with nine greenhouses and a packinghouse resting on more than 13 acres of land. The majority of the property – about 33% according to Gelare Macon, a land use consultant working with the project operators Alex Van Wingerden and Tristan Strauss – will be used for nursery and cultivation, with three of its nine greenhouses serving as nurseries. The project would require between 80-100 employees for its operation.

One of the issues raised by Concerned Carpinterians – a local air quality and citizen’s group – involved the project’s Odor Abatement Plan (OAP); the group claimed it was inadequate to control odor and did not include on-site measures. Appellants further requested the OAP be improved to protect the nearby Arroyo Paredon watershed. Vista Verde Farms would also be the seventh cannabis cultivation in the area, which appellants said was an “overconcentration” of cannabis operations in the area.

During the appellant presentation, Mark Brickley with Concerned Carpinterians also raised issues over the size of the project, potential congestion with vehicles attempting to enter the parking lot and the potential negative impacts on neighboring businesses.

“The issue is that those who are not doing the farming and earning the profits from that farming, are living with the reality of that odor,” Commissioner Vincent Martinez said during the meeting.

In response to the concerns, Vista Verde elected to replace its vapor phase technology with carbon scrubbers, using this as the sole form of odor abatement. Macon cited the recent SCS Engineers study which showed that, on average, carbon scrubbers could eliminate more than 80% of the stench created by cannabis before it escapes the greenhouse.

“The reason why we’re just doing carbon scrubbing is because of these locations,” said Macon. “We’re very mindful of it, we want to be sensitive.”

Commissioner Martinez questioned if it would be possible to update the odor abatement technology if carbon scrubbers prove to be insufficient. “If there’s something better that comes out, are we going to be stuck with it?”

Staff responded that the OAP is required to prevent odor from spreading in residential zones. If a project was not meeting this requirement, then the owners would have to consult a certified industrial hygienist or engineer to evaluate the best control technology to prevent the odor.

Regarding the overabundance of cannabis projects, the project applicants added there is no limit for cannabis operations in certain areas and cited a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) which found that the “potential concentration of cannabis activities in the carp area would not create new significant environmental effects.”

Parke questioned the project’s security measures, given the cannabis cultivation would neighbor non-cannabis operations. Macon said Vista Verde has received suggestions from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, such as placing internal fencing within the greenhouses, which are now included in the project plan.

“This is the best available control

technology,” said Commissioner Parke. “There’s an expectation that everyone… is going to have to update their technology and that’s just an important piece to

understand.”

The County Planning Commission unanimously denied the appeal and approved the project.

Commissioner and Vice Chair John

The County Planning Commission heard an appeal against a cannabis project at 3450 Via Real last week, ultimately rejecting the appeal and approving the project.

The proposed cannabis project at 3450 Via Real is 13.29 acres, one of the

largest in the area.

The proposed project involves nine greenhouses, three of which would serve as nurseries.

“This is the best available control technology (…) There’s an expectation that everyone… is going to have to update their technology and that’s just an important piece to understand.”

– Commissioner John Parke.

or r I in Sh ine

PHOTOS BY ROBIN KARLSSON

Despite a rainy afternoon, Carpinterians showed up in good spirits for Saturday’s annual holiday parade, umbrellas and raincoats in hand. Marching down Linden Avenue, parade participants danced, waved and honked their horns, bringing the holiday spirit alive in downtown Carpinteria.

From left: Parade Grand Marshal John Wullbrandt and parade organizer Mike Lazaro

Carpinteria firefighter engineer Brian Lombardi drives engine #1 with Max Klett and Santa on board.

From left, Danielle de la Mont, Laura Lopez and Heather Giacone walk Buddy and Louie along the parade route.

Representing the Carpinteria Boys & Girls Club, from left, are Jose Luis Esquivel and Jazmin Martinez.

Kids from the Howard School march along the route.

Los Padres Outfitters brought the “country” to town with their horses.

The Carpinteria Boys & Girls Club marched along Linden, umbrellas and awards in hand.

From left, 2021 Carpinteria of the Year Clyde Freeman and 2020 Carpinteria of the Year Beth Cox wave at paradegoers.

Onlookers observe the parade, protected from the drizzle, under umbrellas in front of the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center.

From left to right: librarians Terra Furuta, Jena Jenkins, Maria Gonzalez, Jody Thomas and Eric Castro

The Carpinteria High School Dance team holds their candy canes up high.

From left, Carpinteria Beautiful members Marlene Hazen, John Wullbrandt, Donna Jordan and club president Brian Mootz show off their clean-up gear.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT…

(the Holidays

BY JUN STARKEY

Now halfway through December, many of us are scrambling to find those perfect gifts for our loved ones, looking for the perfect combination of unique, personal and inexpensive.

For those of you who have prioritized shopping locally, CVN has compiled a list of Carpinteria businesses that might be good shopping spots for the plant lover, pottery enthusiast and low-impact lifestyle loved ones.

We encourage our readers to look for gifts locally, and if possible, reuse your wrapping paper, to ensure we continue taking care of our planet throughout the holidays.

Heritage Goods and Supply, 5100 Carpinteria Ave.

For those with a sustainable/ low-impact lifestyle, swaps for everyday disposable items – like plastic wrap, for reusable products like beeswax wrap – are a great step in reducing the overall waste in your household. Shops like Heritage Goods and Supply provide a wide range of sustainable swaps, from the kitchen and home, to bathroom and beauty supplies.

Holiday hours: Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sundays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

DID YOU KNOW

(Sustainable Alternatives (Health Foods

THAT SANTA KNOWS KARATE?

…He has a black belt!

Pacific Health Foods, 944 Linden Ave.

A Linden Avenue staple, Pacific Health Food boasts an abundance of options for vegans, gluten free, lactose free and plant-based diets. The shop also sells an assortment of vitamins and supplements, and is well-known for its smoothie bar. For your loved ones who are health food nuts, or who prefer to shop for themselves, gift them with free grocery trip for the holidays, on you.

Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Gift Shop)

Tidepools

619 Linden Ave.

For your out-of-town relatives who crave reminders of the beach, or for the everyday ocean lover in your life, Tidepools is an eclectic gift shop nestled just a few blocks from Carpinteria Beach. The shop offers sea glass, shells, stars, shark teeth, boat sculptures, jewelry and other nautical decorations, which look like they could’ve been plucked straight from the sand. Some products are made by local vendors, feel free to ask which designs were made locally!

Hours: Sunday – Monday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The cast from the Alcazar theater play.

- Andria Bridges

Holley Hines ROBIN

REA Y?!

"Jingle Bells" was the first song played in space! On the 16 December 1965, the song "Jingle Bells" made history by becoming the first song to be played in space during NASA’s Gemini 6A space flight.

Miri Mara Ceramics, 5292 Carpinteria Ave. #B

Botanicals 500

#1 For your loved ones blessed with a green thumb, Dirt Botanicals is a

Maple Ave

orist/retail studio that sells an assortment of flowers, bouquets and garlands as well as standard house plants, decor and pots. The shop offers

for floral arrangements and holds frequent in-person and virtual workshops centered around plant care and floral design.

up a houseplant, bouquet or planter for the plant lover in your life, or shop the selection of books and tools.

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Miri Mara boasts quality, handmade ceramics, including bowls, cups, lamps, pendants and vases. The shop’s namesake is owner Miri Mara, who moved to Carpinteria from Italy to take up ceramics after spending years in the fashion industry. The store is open by appointment only, and anyone interested in making a purchase or scheduling an appointment can contact info@mirimara.com. Photos of the shop’s ceramics can also be viewed at mirimara.com.

Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.;

favorite thing about our holiday parade?

CVN

SNAP SHOTS

(Fake) snow on the rise

A winter morning

Light up a Life at the Seal Fountain

KARLSSON

CVN photographer Robin Karlsson caught an early morning snow settling over the mountains on Monday, as temperatures dropped into the 40s in Carpinteria.

The Hospice of Santa Barbara hosted its 39th annual Light Up a Life remembrance ceremony at the Seal Fountain on Saturday, lighting up the tree in memory of lost loved ones.

KARLSSON

DEMOULPIED

COURTESY PHOTO

Procore set up fake snow and hay bales at its Carpinteria campus last Wednesday for a Christmas snow slide, as snapped by CVN contributing photographer David deMoulpied.

Santa pops by Westerlay Orchids

From left, Mark, Julian, Santiago, Lucca and Olivia Uribe Mutal, program manager for the city of Carpinteria, stop by the Christmas Tree.

Gerri French and Summer visit Santa.

Anthony Dabello, who opened Anthony’s Christmas Trees in 1954 in Santa Barbara, shows off decorations.

From left: Alexandra and Arianny Uribe

Westerlay Orchids employee Manuela Candela hangs up decorations.

Santa popped by Westerlay Orchids last week, making the rounds before Christmas at Westerlay’s Christmas open house. Families took photos with Santa Claus, grabbed some tasty bites and entered the raffle at the Westerlay Showroom, located at 3504 Via Real in Carpinteria.

PHOTOS BY ROBIN KARLSSON

CLUB SCENE

COMPILED BY JUN STARKEY

Noon Rotary to hold food and toy drive

The Carpinteria Noon Rotary Club is sponsoring a toy and food drive for the hoilday season; drop off sites include Island Brewing Company and the barrel outside of Jack’s Bistro.

Toys and any nonperishable food will be accepted, and the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center will also be accepting donations on Dec. 16 and 17.

Lions Club thanks CHS Warriors football program with BBQ

The Lions Club thanked several members of the Carpinteria High School Warrior football program with a BBQ Saturday, for volunteering their time working at the club’s booth during the California Avocado Festival.

Girls Inc. hosts Operation Holiday Cheer

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria hosted its third annual Operation Holiday Cheer, a holiday giving program presented by Cox Communications, on Saturday, Dec. 10. Free gifts and meals were given to families, who visited with Santa Claus.

The program was launched in 2020, to provide gifts to local girls and their families who are recovering from financial hardships brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The program served over 125 families, and distributed more than 500 gifts.

Rotary Club of Carpinteria to provide music scholarships

In the coming months, the Rotary Club of Carpinteria will open up scholarships for Carpinteria Unified School district students who want to attend private music programs in the 2023 school year. Lessons will be paid for up to three months at a time. Parents of CUSD students should look out for a form that will be sent out from the club in the beginning of 2023. The club will advertise when the form is available. Learn more with Barry Enticknap from the Rotary Club at barrycarprotary@gmail.com.

Carpinteria kid publishes fantasy book

A former Canalino Elementary School student has gone on to publish the first book in what he hopes will be a trilogy. The story follows a young boy, who learns about the perils of friendship and dragon ownership.

Cornelius Patterson is currently an eighth grade student attending Heartland Charter School; he formerly attended and graduated from Canalino Elementary School. In 2018, when Cornelius was eight years old, he won an honorable mention in the Glenna Luschei Poetry Contest at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center for his bilingual poem entitled “Glimmering Carpinteria.”

His first book, “The Dragon Tree” is a 93-page fantasy novel, which Cornelius plans to expand into a trilogy. His mother, Leanne, said he was inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and provided a brief synopsis: “In this adventure, you will discover that nothing can be accomplished without a friend, and a dragon one. Joshua and Greg must learn this the hard way as they fight, together, in the ever-present battle between good and evil.”

–– Jun Starkey

‘Tis the season to spread holiday cheer in Carpinteria

tree at our church: a family of four, two daughters aged two and six. However, my home was rich in love, culture and family. Our traditions stay with me today, and I celebrate them with my children.

The holiday season is here, and I’ve already enjoyed countless peppermint mochas, tamales and pozole – and we’re only halfway through the month. Houses are lit with Christmas lights, parents are shopping for gifts and trying to find clever places to hide them and the Elf on the Shelf is moving around houses, causing mischief (thank you, mom and dad).

As a parent, I now realize how much it falls on us to make this time magical for children. I recently thanked my mom for everything she did in our home to make it feel special this time of year. Growing up, we didn’t have much and were at times a paper star or heart on a Christmas

It warms my heart to see that the community of Carpinteria supports families during this time so that they can bring some of the holiday magic to their children. Girls Inc. had its event this past Saturday; the Carpinteria Woman’s Club collected gifts for families they are supporting last week. At the Carpinteria Children’s Project (CCP), we have again partnered with Canalino for the Giving Tree. Families will receive their presents this week and next. CCP also brought the richness of culture to the Arts Center this past Sunday to celebrate a community posada. We’re so grateful for all who helped make that happen.

Although this is a joyous season, I want to be mindful that it may not feel that way for some. Parents feel a lot of pressure to make things perfect for their children; I know I do. I worry about not having my Christmas tree up yet or not making Christmas cookies that are Pinterest-worthy, so I’m here to tell you and remind myself that you are doing the best you can and that it is enough! Children may find joy in something we don’t even realize is joyful. Some families

may experience some heaviness during the holidays because of a broken family relationship or because of struggles occurring in the home, alcohol abuse and mental health. We want to tell you that you are not alone. CCP staff is available to help you find some support. Our staff will be on site until Dec. 16 and back on Jan. 3. Make an appointment before we go on a much-needed holiday break. We have some spare gifts, food and connections to various resources in the area.

As I write this and reflect, I notice all of the beauty of this holiday season and the anxiety and pain, and I find space to hold both and enjoy what I can. I hope you do too. We are blessed to live in such a giving community. We hope to share a little holiday cheer this time of year!

Teresa Alvarez is the Executive Director of the Carpinteria Children’s Project. She has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit field and a passion for helping children and families. Teresa was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. with her parents at age two. Growing up as an undocumented student, she learned the importance of having mentors, a strong work ethic, and the value of education. Teresa holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UCSB and a master’s degree in Psychology from Antioch Santa Barbara. She currently serves on the Future Leaders of America board and is a founding member of the Santa Barbara Latino Giving Circle. Teresa loves to travel, read and chase after her two boys.

TERESA ALVAREZ

COFFEE, CAREER AND KIDDOS

CVN

“As a parent, I now realize how much it falls on us to make this time magical for children. I recently thanked my mom for everything she did in our home to make it feel special this time of year.”

From left: Lions Club members David Conway, Gene Shore, Ray Lane, Tim Buffalo, Mike Dawson, Lucas Seehof and Rolando Mia.

Cornelius Patterson, a middle school student at Heartland Charter School, recently published his first book “The Dragon Tree,” the first of a trilogy.

ON THE ROAD

CVN climbs to Chiapas, Mexico

Amanda McIntyre holds her copy of CVN outside a church near San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico.

A major reason for her visit, McIntyre told CVN, was to explore the Olmec and Mayan ruins that have been carefully preserved and maintained.

“The native plants growing under and around the massive stones made the climb somewhat uneven at times,” she said. “It was a very special visit to a part of Mexico that is a bit hard to get to, but worth every moment.”

Going on the road?

Sunday, Dec. 4

0951 hrs / Warrant / Via Real and Carpinteria

Creek

A man was contacted during a premise check of Carpinteria Creek, just north of Via Real. A record’s check showed he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. He was arrested and booked.

1611 hrs / Narcotics Violations / Lookout Park Road

A reporting party said a man was seen near the entrance of the property, possibly having a “mental breakdown.” Upon arrival, deputies found the man was in possession of methamphetamine pipe and jar containing a usable amount of methamphetamine. He was arrested and booked.

Monday, Dec. 5

1319 hrs / Narcotics Violation / 1000 block Concha Loma Drive

A man was contacted in his vehicle parked in the rear parking lot of the apartment complex. During the investigation, a record’s check showed revealed he was on probation with full search terms. During a search of the vehicle, he was found in a possession of methamphetamine. He was cited and released.

1442 hrs / Warrant / Carpinteria Avenue and Vallecito Road

A man was contacted and found to have an outstanding warrant out of Ventura County. He was cited and released, with a future court date as requested by Ventura County.

Tuesday, Dec. 6

0909 hrs / False Registration / Palm Avenue and Eighth

Street

A traffic enforcement stop was conducted after a record’s check showed the vehicle registration was expired but displaying current tabs. During the stop the driver admitted placing false tabs on his vehicle. He was cited and released.

2134 hrs / Vandalism / 5900 block Birch Street

Deputies responded to a vandalism investigation. The victim advised someone had broken a window to their residence and fled. Deputies were advised by

neighbors that a group of four juveniles were seen running from the location after the vandalism. Deputies checked the area but were unable to locate.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

1552 hrs / Incident / 5500 block Carpinteria Avenue

Deputies responded to a report of a theft in progress. Dispatch advised a male subject was stealing bikes which were parked in the rear of the property. A male was contacted while he was holding a bike tire. The man stated the bikes were his, however he could not show he owned any. Hotel staff stated they did not want the man on the property, so he was verbally given a trespass admonishment.

Thursday, Dec. 8

0910 hrs / Trespassing / 1000 block Concha Loma Drive

A man was arrested after being found sleeping on someone’s porch. He refused to leave the property. The reporting party signed a citizen arrest form, and he was arrested. Due to jail incidents, he was cited and released in Santa Barbara.

1417 hrs / Incident / 2200 block Ortega Hill Road

Deputies responded to a report of a male subject defecating in front of a local store in Summerland. The subject was identified and was found walking nearby. He was cited and released.

Friday, Dec. 9

1808 hrs / Traffic Collision / Camino Trillado and Shemara Street

A vehicle was driving southbound on Camino Trillado when it was hit by a man riding a bicycle in the middle of the street without a bike light. The male riding

the bicycle was believed to be under the influence. The man suffered a broken leg during the collision and was transported to the hospital.

2334 hrs / Theft / Santa Monica Road

The reporting party returned home and found that an unknown suspect entered his home through an unlocked door and stole $1,200 in cash. It appeared the suspect(s) bypassed laptops and other valuable items and only stole the cash from the kitchen drawer. It is unknown if the suspect had knowledge of where the reporting party kept his cash.

Saturday, Dec. 10

RENTALS-UNFURNISHED

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1034

hrs / Vehicle Theft / Hickory Street

A parked truck was stolen between Dec. 9, at 2240 hrs, and Dec. 10 at 1000 hrs.

murphykingrealestate.com

CArPiNtEriA VALLEy MusEuM of History When Ms. Carrie J. Martin turned 90 in 1966, the Carpinteria High School football team “brought the cake and stayed for the party,” according to the notes on the back of the photograph.

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OF THE BOARD PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 20200 THROUGH 20207 OF THE WATER CODE

WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code section 13857 authorizes the Board of Directors to adopt an ordinance pursuant to Water Code sections 20200 et seq. increasing the compensation paid to each member thereof in an amount in excess of the amount currently established in Section 13857; and

WHEREAS, the duties and responsibilities of the Board and each of its Directors requires and will continue to require an increase in the amount of time to be spent by each Director in carrying out the business of the District; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of this District has, by the adoption of this ordinance, elected to fix the compensation of its Directors pursuant to Sections 20200 through 20207 of the Water Code of the State of California; and

WHEREAS, Notice of a Public Hearing as a part of the District’s regular meeting held on December 7, 2022, was published pursuant to Government Code section 6066 and Water Code section 20203; and

WHEREAS, Proof of Publication of said Notice in the Coastal View Newspaper on November 17, 2022, and November 24, 2022, has been filed with the records of the regular meeting held on December 7, 2022; and

WHEREAS, the public hearing on the adoption of this Ordinance was held on December 7, 2022, prior to the adoption of this ordinance as required by Water Code section 20203.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Governing Board of CarpinteriaSummerland Fire Protection District as follows:

1. Pursuant to Water Code Section 20201, effective March 1, 2023, the compensation of each of the Directors of the Governing Board shall be the sum of $200 per meeting for each special or regular of the Board of Directors or for each day’s service rendered as a member of the Board by request of the Board. The compensation fixed by this ordinance shall be for no more than a total of four regular or special meetings or day’s service in any calendar month.

2. For each following and subsequent calendar years after the calendar year 2023, the Directors’ compensation may be increased by the Board of Directors upon the adoption of a resolution by the Board of Directors authorizing an increase in the compensation paid to each Director in an amount not to exceed the sum of $10.00 per each special or regular meeting or day’s service rendered as a member of the Board by request of the Board.

3. Effective March 1, 2023, this ordinance repeals any prior action of this Board providing for compensation of members of the Board.

4. This ordinance shall be published one time within fifteen days following its adoption.

5. If any section of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining sections of this ordinance. The Board of Directors hereby declare that it would have adopted this ordinance, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections be declared invalid or unconstitutional.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Governing Board of CarpinteriaSummerland Fire Protection District on this 7th day of December, 2022, by the following vote, to wit:

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 include 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 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 JANUARY 9, 2023 at 10:00 am, Dept: 5, Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, P.O. Box 21107 Santa Barbara, CA 93121-1107. A copy of this order to Show Cause shall be published in the Carpinteria-Summerland Coastal View a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for the hearing on the petition. Dated 12/01/2022 by Colleen K. Sterne, Judge of the Superior Court.

FILED BY the Superior Court of California County of Santa Barbara on 12/01/2022.

Darrel E. Parker, Executive Officer by Chavez, Terri, Deputy Clerk.

Publish: December 8, 15, 22, 29, 2022

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Reader Advisory: The National Trade Association we belong to has purchased the above classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather sup-ply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients es-tablish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card num-bers. Also beware of ads that claim to guarantee loans regardless of credit and note that if a credit repair company does business only over the phone it is illegal to request any money before delivering its service. All funds are based in US dollars. Toll free numbers may or may not reach Canada.

Table manners and New Year’s resolutions

CVN

THE SEAWITCH SAYS

AMY OROZCO

Dear Amy O, How do I let all my good intentioned friends know that my New Year’s resolution is to not make New Year’s resolutions, and has been for quite some time?

Signed, I’m Just Fine, Thank You

Dear I’m Just Fine, Thank You, For starters, you can show them the Coastal View News turned to this page with a big red circle around your question – circle made by you. You also can send them the online link. Be sure to tell them you submitted a much cleverer sign-off name that was deemed unacceptable for a family friendly paper.

Albeit, carrying around and sharing a well-used piece of newsprint would be far more annoying for you than for your good-intentioned friend. Allow me to rethink this.

Have you let these good-intentioned friends know about your stance on New Year’s resolutions? Or have you been gritting your teeth, with the steam of self-righteous indignation coming out of your ears? Either way, why not use the perfectly crafted answer you have in your question to me: “My New Year’s resolution is to not make New Year’s resolutions and has been for quite some time.”

I am not sure why setting oneself up for failure to start the New Year is our custom: hauling my ass out of bed every morning to be miserable and potentially harm my body at the gym before work, not enjoy favored and delicious foods and conquering 20+ years of disorganization in garage. We can assume it’s rooted in the culture of America’s puritanical white settlers and the Spanish Conquistadors’ penchant for penance and other sacraments. January seems to be dedicated to atonement instead of to new beginnings, doesn’t it?

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Right after graduating from college, I had the great fortune of living and working overseas for my first career job. Not only does living in a different culture allow for understanding and realizing what good food tastes like (Hey, I’m as patriotic as any American, but on the world stage, we don’t rate in the cuisine department. At all. Just saying.) but you get to learn gobs about yourself (not always fun) and the impact of society’s hand in shaping said you (also not always fun).

For example, when I was living in Japan, it was the nearing the end of the year. My boss, a male Japanese national, and I were discussing the concept of New Year’s resolutions. The conversation was in English as his command of my mother tongue was far, far, far superior to my

command of Japanese. We decided to make some resolutions. My list had the usual garbage. Berate my appetite into submission; stop smoking, which I did about seven years later and save more money, or something equally misery inducing.

My boss? He didn’t have a list. He had one resolution: drink more with various people. Those were his exact words. I thought he was not clear on the concept. How could a New Year’s resolution be something one looks forward to? His resolution was to widen his circle of drinking buddies with different personalities? Come on, where was the ol’ time Judeo-Christian bad feels in that!

Thank goodness I did see the light and didn’t try to convert him. Rather, my approach to resolutions took a turn toward bucket list items. Travel destinations, look at colors to paint the bedroom, get a pet, give ziplining a whirl.

I think telling your good-intentioned friends that your resolution is no resolutions is fine. I also think that rethinking the approach to resolutions would do a lot of us a lot of good. You may want to try it.

Lastly, do you, unknowingly, solicit these unwanted resolution requests? Are you one of those whose conversations hinges on self-deprecation? Or are you always yearning, “Geez, I can get organized, just can’t stay organized, no

matter how many times I watch ‘The Home Edit.’” We’re often unaware of our behavior and speech. Maybe we all can resolve to think about that.

Dear Amy O, A friend cleared all the hurdles to the job of her dreams and can’t understand why after a lunch meeting/interview with the big brass, she wasn’t offered the position. Do I tell her it’s because of her atrocious table manners?

Signed, What Would Emily Post Do

Dear What Would Emily Post Do, I’m assuming because you chew with your mouth closed you think it may be best to keep your mouth closed in this instance, too. Understandable.

If your friend’s table manners are indeed atrocious, then, yeah, it’s a safe bet that was her downfall. You need to do what a friend would do, and that is tell her, in a kind and gentle way. Ask for details about the lunch and the table manners of the big brass. Ask about her manners. Does she know about napkin on the lap and elbows off the table?

There are resources available. Watch some YouTube videos together. Role play (often used to practice for the Q&A portion of the interview, why not for lunch meetings). Get a book from the library.

This is a case of what she doesn’t know will hurt her. Be the kind of friend you would like to have and help her.

Former CVN editor Amy Marie Orozco loves living in Carpinteria, including all the sometime socially sticky situations happening in our seaside setting. Along with giving advice (only when asked), Amy O also edits Cannabis by the Sea Magazine. Have a question for her? Email it to news@coastalview.com.

January seems to be dedicated to atonement instead of to new beginnings, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be this way.

Carpinteria soccer drops league battle to Channel Islands

BY RYAN P. CRUZ • PHOTOS BY DAVID DEMOULPIED

After winning back-to-back games in the first week of December over Dos Pueblos (1-0) and Nordhoff (1-0), Carpinteria boys soccer prepared for its second league matchup of the year, hosting the undefeated Channel Islands Raiders at home.

Carpinteria jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, thanks to great teamwork from Raul Reyes, Ricardo Rodriguez and Ulises Segura. Reyes and Rodriguez set up the chance and Segura finished the job with the game’s first goal in the eighth minute.

The Warriors held on to that lead for much of the first half, but Channel Islands was able to respond by converting a penalty kick to score the equalizing goal and head into halftime tied 1-1.

In the second half, Carpinteria was able to create some scoring chances but could not find a way to find the back of the net, while the Raiders were able to score twice to take a 3-1 lead.

“In the second half we had many opportunities to score but unfortunately we couldn’t finish,” said Carpinteria firstyear coach Gerry Rodriguez.

With 20 minutes left in the match, Reyes was fouled in the box for a penalty kick, and Segura converted the kick for his second goal of the game to bring the Warriors within one score.

Carpinteria continued to fight for an equalizing goal, but Channel Islands was able to lock down on defense for the 3-2 victory.

“We kept pushing and created more opportunities, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” coach Rodriguez said. “The boys played well even though we were missing some key starters, but they played hard to the end.”

With the win, Channel Islands advances to 4-0-2 on the season. Carpinteria is now even at 2-2 overall this season, and the Warriors will be back in action next week at Hueneme.

ABOVE, Gerardo Lopez (9) looks for an open teammate on a free kick.

Carpinteria’s Raul Reyes (7) battles

Warriors teammates process a 2-3 loss against Channel Islands.

SHORT STOPS

BY RYAN P. CRUZ

“GET T IN N THE E GA ME

CarpinteriaValleyLittleLeagueRegistration

Early

Warriors girls soccer wins two out of three

Carpinteria’s girls soccer team found success during a busy week with two wins out of three games played from Dec. 6-9.

The Warriors got started with a non-league match against La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks.

Both teams were scoreless at halftime, but Carpinteria took the lead in the second half when sophomore Kelly Hernandez – who was recently called up to replace injured junior Isela Zamora – set up freshman Evelyn Lara for the game’s first goal in the 58th minute.

Lara, who has already had a great start to her first year on varsity, later set up senior forward Ashley Verduzco to seal the game 2-0 in the 82nd minute. Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Gonzalez held on for what was Carpinteria’s second shutout of the year.

The next day, Carpinteria headed to Ojai to face Nordhoff High School for a league match, with the Warriors setting the tone early again with two goals in the first ten minutes.

Senior midfielder Sophie Mora opened the scoring with a well-placed free kick from 25 yards out in the sixth minute, and Hernandez added another three minutes later.

In the second half, Hernandez set up Lara for another goal in the 52nd minute, and Mora put another free kick in the back of the net in the 76th minute for a final score of 4-0.

Coach Freddy Martinez credited juniors Emma Miller and Lela Roberts for anchoring the defense side and giving the Warriors another shutout victory.

“The girls played great tonight and got some awesome performances from all the members of the team regardless if they were starters or were subbed in,” Martinez said. “Our roster depth is going to be one of the key factors to our success this year.”

Two days later, the Warriors finished their road trip with one last match against the league’s newest addition Channel Islands in Oxnard.

The Warriors were much slower to start against the Raiders, and some sloppy passing allowed the Raiders to score in the 11th minute to take a 1-0 lead.

Although Carpinteria created some opportunities, Channel Islands’ defense held the Warriors scoreless for a 1-0 win.

With the loss, Carpinteria is now 3-3-1 overall, and 1-1 in league play heading into a non-league match Friday at Santa Clara.

Carpinteria girls water polo splits two games

The Warriors faced a tough Buena Bulldogs team, and battled the elements in a low scoring match against Nordhoff, to end the week with one win and one loss.

Against Buena, the Warriors jumped to a 3-1 lead in the first quarter, but the Bulldogs roared back with 11 straight goals to take a 12-3 lead. Carpinteria would score one more, but Buena held on for the win, 12-4.

Carpinteria senior Ainslee Alexander led the Warriors with 3 goals; Giulia Piccoletti scored one; and goalie Erin Otsuki recorded 14 blocks and 2 steals in the loss. Against Nordhoff, both teams were forced into an unusually low-scoring affair when bad weather, freezing water temperatures and a current that coach Jon Otsuki said was so strong you could “visibly see the ball moving” combined to make the game sloppy and defensive.

After both teams were tied at 2-2 at halftime, Warriors’ senior Kate Isaac sent a shot skipping across the water to break the tie, and Erin Otsuki set up Alexander for a fast break goal with a few seconds to go in the third quarter to take a 4-2 lead.

Alexander finished with four goals, Otsuki snagged 11 blocks and three steals, and the Warriors held on to a 5-3 win.

Carpinteria is now 6-2 heading into finals week, and will get back in the pool Friday at Thousand Oaks.

Roundup: Local high school hoops

It’s been a busy week for local hoopers, as Carpinteria and Cate’s boys and girls squads found varying levels of success over a combined seven games from Dec. 6-12.

At Carpinteria High School, coach Jackson Hall and the Warriors boys basketball squad had their hands full in their first league match of the year at Channel Islands. Despite senior Kainoa Glasgow’s 23 points, senior Rodolfo Jimenez’s 11 points, and sophomore Carlo Suarez scoring eight points and leading the team in rebounds,

search the sports archives

Carpinteria couldn’t stop the Raiders from running away with a 59-48 win.

Carpinteria is now 1-8 overall, and 0-1 in the Citrus Coast League, heading into next week where the Warriors will host the 10-team Jim Bashore Classic, with games from noon to 6 p.m. each day from Dec. 19-21. Carpinteria will open the tournament against Foothill Tech at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Carpinteria girls basketball split its two games this week, recovering from a league loss at Nordhoff (63-51) with their first league win at Channel Islands two days later.

At Nordhoff, the Warriors fought to stay in the game, led by Lizbeth Alpizar (12 points, eight rebounds), Amarisse Camargo (17 points, 11 rebounds), Jamaica Cook (eight points, 11 rebounds) and Charlotte Cooney (12 points). But Carpinteria couldn’t overcome a bad night at the free throw line where the team missed 18 out of 32 on the night.

“We had our chances but let them slip away,” said Carpinteria coach Henry Gonzales.

Carpinteria recovered against Channel Islands, where coach Gonzales said the team had its “best defensive game of the season so far.”

The Warriors held Channel Islands scoreless in the first quarter, and took a 26-10 lead into halftime. Camargo led the team with 27, while Cook contributed eight.

Across town, the Cate Rams boys and girls teams both split two games each.

After starting out 4-0, Cate’s boys basketball team dropped two in a row, most recently with a “gut check” loss against Buena, 85-31.

Coach Andrew Gil said that he thinks the loss will benefit the team in a long run.

“Playing against a large strong program like Buena will prepare us for league and playoffs,” Gil said. “Scheduling this non-league game was intentional and done to make us better.”

In the loss, Cate was without its top star, Babacar Pouye, who suffered an ankle sprain during the team’s previous loss against Camarillo.

Against Santa Clara, Cate got back in the driver’s seat with a 71-66 win to start Tri-Valley League play at 1-0.

Without Pouye, the rest of the Rams’ roster stepped up, knocking down 10 three pointers led by Tyler Martinez, who sank six three pointers on his way to 27 points on the night.

“I want to credit Jacob Gabbay and Peter Lehman for being the floor generals and directing the offense,” Gil said. “Peter took two huge charges in the paint at critical moments in the third and fourth quarter. Jacob Gabbay was fantastic in the second half, finishing with 10 points and two huge threes.”

Cate is now 5-2, and will play this week against Santa Ynez and Laguna Blanca.

After recovering from a grueling four games in four days the previous week, Cate girls basketball was back in action this week and picked up a win over Thacher (2621) before dropping a home game against Santa Paula (36-25).

In the win at Thacher, the Rams overcame a tough defensive effort by the Toads to roar back in the fourth quarter, led by senior Mary Foster with six clutch rebounds and sophomore Lilli Whelan, who hit two key free throws to give Cate its second win of the year.

Cate girls basketball is now 2-5, and will host Santa Ynez for a non-league matchup this week.

Ashley Verduzco (10) scored one of the Warriors’ two goals in a 2-0 win over La Reina.

OCT. 6 -12

DEC 15 - 21

IN CARPINTERIA THIS WEEK

THURSDAY, DEC 15

CARPINTERIA COMMUNITY CHURCH: CHOIR CONCERT

Carpinteria Community Church will host a free choir concert featuring the Carpe Diem Choir and the Carpinteria Community Church Chancel Choir & Handbell Choir. 1111 Vallecito Rd. Thursday, Dec. 15. 4:30 p.m. FREE

ZOOM: CARPINTERIA SEAL WATCH ORIENTATION

The Carpinteria Seal Watch group will host a volunteer seal watch orientation over Zoom on Thursday Dec. 15, at tinyurl. com/bdd37z7m. Thursday, Dec. 15. 6 p.m. ONLINE.

THE ALCAZAR THEATRE:“MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET”

The Alcazar Theatre will host a production of the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” beginning Thursday, Dec. 15, and will feature a cast of local actors from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. 4916 Carpinteria Ave. Dec. 15–17, 7 p.m.; Dec. 17–18, 3 p.m. Tickets $20 general admission, $15 for students and seniors.

FRIDAY, DEC 16

CULTURE SKATE FACTORY: PUSH PROJECT OPEN HOUSE

The Carpinteria Skate Foundation’s Push Project will have an open house on Friday, Dec. 16, to showcase student’s original designs for clothing and skateboards. 1041 Casitas Pass Rd. 5–8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16.

THE

GOOD

11 a.m. Cookie contest winners will be announced at 2:30 p.m., and the winners for the Lions Club Festival of Trees raffle will be announced at 3:30 p.m. 865 Linden Ave. Saturday, Dec. 17. 11 a.m. FREE

PLOW: RICK & JENNY

The Good Plow will take a trip back to the 60s on Friday, with Rick and Jenny’s Flower Power Songs starting at 5:30 p.m. 5205 Carpinteria Ave. Dec. 16. 5:30–7:30 p.m. FREE

CARPINTERIA-SUMMERLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT: SANTA RUN

The Carpinteria Summerland Fire Department will hold the second annual Santa Run Parade on Friday, Dec. 16. Santa will ride through town accepting donations and presents, which will go to local children in need. The route will begin in Summerland at 5 p.m., and in Carpinteria at 7 p.m. 911 Walnut Ave. Friday, Dec. 16

SATURDAY DEC 17

CARPINTERIA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

The annual Carpinteria Christmas Bird Count will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17, in conjunction with the Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. The deadline to sign up was Dec. 3, and the group will contact participants for their assignments. For more information visit: carpbirdwatchers.org. Saturday, Dec. 17.

LYNDA FAIRLY CARPINTERIA ARTS CENTER: HOLIDAY FESTIVAL

The Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center will hold its 2022 Holiday Festival on Saturday, Dec. 17. The festival will open at 11 a.m.; drop off for the cookie baking contest and Santa photos also begin at

CARPINTERIA

COMMUNITY LIBRARY: ACP ENROLLMENT

The Carpinteria Community Library will hold an ACP enrollment event Saturday as part of Get Connected Carpinteria, which offers free high-speed home internet for qualifying households. To enroll on site, please bring proof of identity documentation, an eligibility letter and a valid email address. 5141 Carpinteria Ave. Saturday, Dec. 17. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m

THE GOOD PLOW: HOLIDAY MAKERS MARKET

The Good Plow and Dirt Botanicals will host the Holiday Makers Market on Saturday, Dec. 17. 5205 Carpinteria Ave. 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

ONGOING EVENTS

MONDAYS

Mah Jongg Madness Silver Sands Mobile Home Park, 349 Ash Ave. Contact Roz at (805) 729-1310 for more details. Mondays, 1–4 p.m.

TUESDAYS

Carpinteria Improv The Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave. $10 at the door. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m.

Carpinteria Writers’ Group Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. carpinterialibrary.org. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. – noon

WEDNESDAYS

Preschool Story Time Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave., carpinterialibrary.org. Wednesdays, 10–10:30 a.m.

Knitting Group. Veterans’ Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. Call (805) 8864382 for more information. Wednesdays, 1–3 p.m.

Mind Games Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. carpinterialibrary.org. Wednesdays, 2:30–3:30 p.m.

Good News Club Meeting Canalino Elementary School Library, 1480 Linden Ave. Permission slips available at cefsantabarbara.org/locations/. Wednesdays, 1–2:30 p.m.

THURSDAYS

Carpinteria Community Library chess club For school-aged players and beginners. carpinterialibrary.org. Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. Thursdays, 3–4 p.m.

FRIDAYS

Friday Fun Day Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. Fridays, 10 a.m. – noon.

SATURDAYS

Docent Tours of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park. Meet on the corner of Sandyland and Ash avenues. Call (805) 886-4382 for more information. Saturdays, 10 a.m.

The Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” will be put on at The Alcazar Theatre from Dec. 15 to 18, featuring a multi-talented cast of more than 30 Santa Barbara and Ventura County residents ranging in ages from six to 70.

In this story, an old man going by the name of Kris Kringle fills in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. Kringle proves to be so popular, he is soon appearing regularly at the chain’s main store in midtown Manhattan. When Kringle surprises customers and employees alike by claiming that he is Santa Claus, it leads to a court case to determine his mental health, and his authenticity.

“The opportunity to once again bring this heartwarming production to our community, performed by actors from all tri-counties, is exhilarating and a work of love for all involved,” the play’s director Asa Olsson said in a press release. “The actors, young and old, have had a blast, as have I and my co-director Cami Helmuth.”

Kindergarten and first grade students from Howard School also contributed to this year’s production, writing and delivering letters to Santa to be used for the stage production.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for seniors and students. The show will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There will also be Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Learn more at thealcazar.org.

–– Jun Starkey

From left, Faith Gray, playing the part of Susan, and Jim Sirianni, playing the role of Kris Kringle, will perform in the Alcazar Theatre’s upcoming “Miracle on 34th Street.”

RENTAL

One bed one bath unfurnished loft townhouse just one block to the beach at Ash Ave, across the street from the Salt Marsh Nature Park. Beautifully upgraded and maintained. Available now. No pets.

ONE YEAR LEASE $2,750/MO + DEPOSIT. Email: Seascape.Mgmt@gmail.com for more information or visit our website.

OFFERED AT $1,150,000

Please

BEAUTIFULLY UPDATED, UPGRADED, AND WELL MAINTAINED HOME… Located in a quiet, cul-de-sac, in Rancho Granada, a wonderful senior community.Two bedrooms, two bathrooms plus a large enclosed sun-room which adds versatile living space. Beautiful mountain views from the spacious living room. Great laminate flooring and carpeting throughout. There is lots of exterior storage and a private patio area to enjoy the outdoors. The covered carport has convenient side-by-side parking. Hiking trails, Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve, and downtown Carpinteria are nearby.

OFFERRED AT $525,000 Please call Shirley Kimberlin at 805-886-0228

SALE PENDING

cozy fireplace and

Three bedrooms, two and onehalf baths. Living room

patio. New laminate

downstairs and

upstairs. Living room features a cozy fireplace and an attached private patio. The primary bedroom has vaulted ceilings, large walk-in closet and a small balcony. There is a wonderful on-site pool. Fantastic view of the Salt Marsh Nature Preserve from the guest bedrooms. An attached one car garage with laundry area. Assigned exterior parking and direct beach access across the salt marsh. A short stroll will take you to charming downtown Carpinteria with unique shops, restaurants and more.

OFFERRED AT $1,249,000

Please call Shirley Kimberlin at 805-886-0228

LOVELY TWO BEDROOM, TWO BATH HOME LOCATED IN SANDPIPER VILLAGE... A beautifully maintained family community. The entry deck opens to the spacious open floor plan with living room, dining area, kitchen, and breakfast area. All extensively updated. Beautiful laminate flooring throughout. There is a garden area on one side and fenced yard with an open patio in back. Park amenities include: Pool, tennis courts, dog park, playground, clubhouse, gym, and more. Home is located on Sunset Drive which is the last street on the north side of the park.

OFFERED AT $475,000

Please call Shirley Kimberlin at 805-886-0228

RENTAL CONDO AT CARPINTERIA BEACH!

ENJOY THE BEACH LIFESTYLE... Delightful condo located just steps across the street from the “WORLD’S SAFEST BEACH” and NATURE PARK PRESERVE. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, private deck with estuary and mountain views. Amenities include two swimming pools, spa, laundry room and gated parking. A perfect unit to enjoy full-time, or as a vacation retreat that can be rented weekly or monthly. Great on-site management.

call Shirley Kimberlin at 805-886-0228

BEAUTIFUL CAPE COD STYLE BEACH GROVE CONDOMINIUM...

with

private

flooring

carpet