Coastal View News • August 24, 2023

Another year!

Volleyball opens with busy week

Eureka! students tour White House

Scout project puts chess tables on campuses

Fire district has new patch

Zuri Haroz, center, happily skips across the wet pavement on her way to her first day of school at Canalino Elementary School, framed by her parents, Elissa Margolin and David Haroz. Zuri, ready to take on the new school year with a bright smile, was one of thousands of students who went back to school this week in Carpinteria. Check out photos of this year’s first days of school at Aliso and Canalino Elementary schools on pages 12–13.

KARLSSON

Sunday, Aug.

Tropical Storm Hilary leaves Carpinteria largely unscathed

While Tropical Storm Hilary caused significant flooding and heavy rainfall across Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Santa Barbara County and Carpinteria experienced no major impacts during the two-day storm.

Carpinteria received about 0.33 inches

City received 0.33 inches of rain

of rain, according to the National Weather Service and the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District.

The county also experienced a moderate, 5.1 magnitude earthquake Sunday afternoon just after 2:40 p.m., with several aftershocks. The earthquake originated near

Ojai; no significant damages were reported. Sunday marked the first time in 84 years that California had faced a tropical storm; the storm, originally classified as a Category 4 hurricane, traveled up the coast of Mexico before hitting Southern California. The National Weather Service – Los Ange-

les said Monday that “virtually all rainfall daily records” for the Los Angeles area were broken during the storm. No deaths were reported in California due to the storm; one person was killed in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

––Evelyn Spence

COURTESY GRAPHIC

Between

20 and Monday, Aug. 21, California saw historic amounts of rain from Tropical Storm Hilary, as outlined by the National Weather Service – Los Angeles.

KARLSSON

The day after Tropical Storm Hilary swept through Santa Barbara County, Carpinteria was left with puddles on its streets. The storm left Carpinteria largely unscathed.

BRIEFLY

COMPILED BY EVELYN SPENCE

Avoid beaches following rain, county says

Residents should avoid beaches countywide for at least three days following Monday’s rain, due to potential health risks from storm water runoff, according to the Santa Barbara County Health Department. Encountering storm water can potentially cause rashes, fever, chills, ear infections, diarrhea and vomiting. Residents should also avoid areas near drainpipes and creeks that enter the ocean; storm water runoff can carry high levels of bacteria and pollutants.

One805 donates to Maui relief efforts

One805, a local nonprofit organization that supports first responders throughout Santa Barbara County, recently donated $5,000 to the Waiākea Water: Maui Fire Relief Fund, One805 co-founder Richard Weston-Smith told CVN.

On the morning of Aug. 8, a brush fire driven by significant winds ignited near Lāhainā, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. As of Tuesday, Aug. 22, 114 people were confirmed dead, with 850 still missing. More than 2,200 buildings were destroyed and 11,000 people displaced. It was the largest death toll for a wildfire in the United States since 1918.

After months of construction, the Carpinteria skatepark will officially open on Saturday, Aug. 26.

color is CMYK 0-91-100-23. ed here.

It’s official: Carpinteria skatepark opens Saturday

Beautifully Renovated 2BD Home in Sandpiper Village 3950 Via Real #145 - $525,000!

After more than a dozen years of city and Carpinteria Skate Foundation planning, it’s official: the long-awaited Carpinteria skatepark will open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 26 at noon. The $2.6 million skatepark was funded through donations – $1.1 million – and city funds; according to the city of Carpinteria, the facility has 19,500 square feet of skating area, 23 parking spaces, 7,690 square feet of plaza/picnic area, 10,970 square feet of landscaping and a restroom.

have a veteran buried at Carpinteria Cemetery to honor him or her with a flag on give us a call or send an email on or before May 28 will place a flag for you. include the person’s full name.

The skatepark is located at 5781 Carpinteria Ave., next to Carpinteria City Hall. It will be open 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset.

Carpinteria Museum Marketplace scheduled for Saturday

Carpinteria’s monthly Museum Marketplace – run by the Carpinteria Valley Historical Society and History Museum –is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 956 Maple Ave. The outdoor marketplace, which serves as a fundraiser for the museum, offers specialty foods, toys, furniture, jewelry, musical instruments and more.

This month’s featured vendor is Cheryl Herman, founder and owner of For the Soul Creations; she will sell handcrafted jewelry on Saturday. Her pieces have a delicate, minimalistic style, according to a press release sent out by the museum.

“Jewelry making has been my cherished hobby for a long time, and this year, I’m thrilled to share my creations,” Herman said in a press release. “Having my first show in this meaningful town is both exciting and a blessing. I look forward to sharing the beauty of art and the magic of Carpinteria through my heartfelt jewelry pieces.”

Admission is free. Snacks, hot dogs and beverages will be on site for purchase. Mavis Hansen and The Ukulele Jammers will provide entertainment.

For more information, visit carpinteriahistoricalmuseum.org, call (805) 684-3112 or email info@carpinteriahistoricalmuseum.org.

HopeNet of Carpinteria vigil: Sept. 10

Local suicide prevention organization HopeNet of Carpinteria will host its annual candlelight vigil, remembering those who have died by suicide and those affected by suicide, on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center. Speakers, candles, wallet-sized cards listing suicide warning signs, bilingual therapists and Spanish translations will be available.

The organization will also host a Mental Health and Wellness Faire that same day, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., with nine local organizations. Those organizations – AHA!, Carpinteria Children’s Project, HopeNet of Carpinteria, Hospice of Santa Barbara /Carpinteria Compassionate Care, Noah’s Anchorage, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Wellness, Santa Barbara County Public Health, Santa Barbara Response Network and YouthWell – will discuss their services and share resources.

The Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center is located at 865 Linden Ave. See more online at hopenetofcarp.org.

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Weston-Smith said what happened in Lāhainā was awful, and that One805 wanted to help. “We made a quick donation through a fund that had been set up through Waiākea Water,” Weston-Smith said. “Waiākea Water is a longtime sponsor of 805.”

One805 plans to make another donation in the coming weeks, details pending, according to Weston-Smith.

“If you think about what happened in Lāhainā, that same thing could happen anything to Carpinteria, to Summerland, to Montecito, to Hope Ranch, to Goleta,” WestonSmith said, recalling the 2017 Thomas Fire. “We’re all, in our all of our communities, we’re incredibly vulnerable… (on Sunday) we had a hurricane and an earthquake.” Resources for those affected by the Maui Wildfires can be found at health.hawaii. gov/mauiwildfires.

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BRIEFLY continued on page 11

DAVID DEMOUPLIED FILE PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO

Cheryl Herman will sell handcrafted jewelry at the upcoming Carpinteria Museum Marketplace, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26.

Barge arrives to aide in well “re-abandonment” process off Summerland coast

On Monday, Aug. 14, the Curtin Maritime Barge arrived in Summerland from Long Beach, beginning the process of “re-abandoning” two wells located off the coast; the wells had previously been abandoned, but never properly capped.

The “re-abandonment” process has begun on Treadwell oil wells #1 and #5, which are currently managed by 2H Offshore, an offshore engineering contractor. The work should take five to six days per well, according to a press release from Beacon West Energy Group, a contract operator group working with the California State Lands Commission to clean the oil seeping up off the coast of Summerland. The full process for capping the wells should take between 10 to 12 days.

Capping these wells involves driving a pipe pile over the well to encapsulate it, the press release stated. Residents near the beach on Wallace Avenue in Summerland are advised that drilling should last no more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time. A portion of Lookout Park in Summerland is being used for emergency response equipment, and a marine mammal monitor is on site to ensure no marine mammals are in the area where the pile driving takes place.

––Jun Starkey

San Ysidro Overcrossing, Roundabout to open Saturday

The San Ysidro Overcrossing and Roundabout will open on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m. Once opened, the roundabout circle will be functional but still under construction; stop signs will be posted at each leg, and flaggers will direct traffic as needed.

In Summerland, residents are advised of some noise from pavement grinding at night on the freeway, and ongoing work at the Evans Avenue Undercrossing. The areas near the Evans Avenue Undercrossing will be closed from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. as the work takes place.

The new northbound on-ramp at South Padaro and Santa Claus lanes is now open. For regular closures along the highway, on the northbound side, one lane from Santa Monica Road to Sheffield Drive will be closed Monday through Thursday, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and Sunday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The northbound off-ramp at South Padaro Lane will close on Aug. 27. Several other ramps on the northbound side will also be closed, including the on-ramp at North Padaro Lane, which will close on Aug. 27 until late October; the on-ramp at San Ysidro Road will be closed until early 2025; and the off-ramp at San Ysidro Road will be closed until January 2024.

On the southbound side of the highway, one lane from Sheffield Drive to Bailard Avenue will be closed Monday through Thursday, from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., and Sunday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. At the South Padaro and Santa Claus Lane Undercrossing, bridge work will be done on Aug. 27, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

––Jun Starkey

COURTESY PHOTO

Two oil wells off the coast of Summerland – Treadwell #1 and Treadwell #5 – will be “re-abandoned” after not being properly capped; the process should take between 10 to 12 days.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Crews focus on the superstructure for the new bridge deck on the South Padaro Lane Undercrossing.

Caltrans construction crews work on the San Ysidro Roundabout.

Construction crews sandblast the slope paving and sidewalks to create design details on the Evans Avenue Undercrossing.

Capturing a community: new fire patch highlights Carpinteria, Summerland coast

BY EVELYN SPENCE

When Jeremy Harper was deciding what to immortalize on a new firefighters’ patch for the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, he wanted to create something that would capture both Carpinteria and Summerland.

Harper, a longtime county resident, settled on capturing the view from above Ortega Ridge, that looked down onto both Carpinteria and Summerland.

He came back to the fire district’s board with an oil painting of that view, for their review. “They said, ‘we love that image,’” he recalled, sharing the story with CVN. “But we need something more simplified, of that same view.” Harper came back with a modified picture – something drawn with a pencil and pen, that would look good in embroidered form – which was later unanimously voted in by the board.

Harper praised the embroiderer for translating his work into the stitched form. “I’ve seen a lot of patches over the years. Embroidery is really tricky to make it look good… hats off to the embroidery artist. It’s neat to see it in person.”

“When the firefighter moves left and right, the water glistens (on the patch),” Harper said.

He also told CVN he waived payment for his work, in honor of local fire responders and the work they do. “The whole community is forever in debt to all the good will they’ve spread throughout the community,” he told CVN. “They’re our local heroes.”

Harper was honored for his design

during a community luncheon held at the fire station earlier this month; his son, Theo, joined him for the event.

“It’s a humbling honor to have been chosen, and (it’s) also amazing to think that this could be something that the firefighters in Summerland and Carp wear proudly for many years,” he said.

Some of Harper’s additional works are currently on display at the Palm Loft Gallery in Carpinteria, located at 410 Palm Ave. The group show will be on display through September; the gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., and by appointment.

KARLSSON PHOTOS

Jeremy Harper, center, and his son Theo were invited to the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District earlier this month to celebrate the new patch.

Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District firefighters are now sporting a new patch, designed by county local Jeremy Harper.

“It’s a humbling honor to have been chosen, and (it’s) also amazing to think that this could be something that the firefighters in Summerland and Carp wear proudly for many years.”

– artist Jeremy Harper

Obituary

attending the University of Virginia. They married on June 9, 1952, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and started a family. She earned a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Virginia in 1954.

Thelma Lorraine (Ficker) Schmidhauser

01/14/1926 – 06/24/2023

Long-time Carpinteria resident Thelma Lorraine (Ficker) Schmidhauser passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 24, 2023, at age 97 in Santa Barbara, California.

She was born on Jan. 14, 1926, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Lawrence and Alma Ficker. She grew up in Minnesota, living through hard times during the Great Depression. She graduated from Cathedral High School in 1943. She lost her mother when she was a teenager. She helped with the war effort, as a Rosie the Riveter in an aircraft factory.

She earned a B.S. in biology from St. Cloud State Teachers College in 1949. She was accepted to the Botany Ph.D. Program at Blandy Farms, a research institute which is part of the University of Virginia. During graduate school, she met John Schmidhauser, who was also

Their early years of marriage were spent in Iowa City, Iowa, before they moved to California in 1973. She raised a family of seven children. She was an elementary school librarian. In the early 1980s, they moved to Carpinteria. During her time in Carpinteria, Thelma served as a substitute teacher. She did volunteer work for the Canalino Elementary School library, the Carpinteria Library and the HELP of Carpinteria office. She was an avid gardener, played piano, sang in choirs, wrote poetry and short stories and participated in book and poetry clubs.

She is survived by her seven children, Steven (Tieyan Han), Paul (Cindy Hughes), Thomas, John (Marilyn Schneider), Martha, Sara and Susan and by her grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and husband John. A Celebration of Life for Thelma will be held in Carpinteria on Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Carpinteria Woman’s Club clubhouse.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the Friends of the Carpinteria Library bookstore. For additional information about the celebration or to RSVP, please contact thelmaschmidhausermemorial@ gmail.com.

What impact will CAPP have on taxpayers?

Missing from the articles I’ve read on the Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project (CAPP) are any projections or estimates of what this project will cost the ratepayers. Will it be financed by bonds or loans and what impact will it have on future rate increases?

Many years back our water district went all in and signed up for a State Water entitlement well in excess to our realistic actual needs. Bonds were sold to finance the project and district ratepayers were saddled with paying them off, and repaying State Water Project debt became a large part of one’s water bill.

The water and sanitary districts owe their ratepayers an accounting of how CAPP will be financed and what effect it will have on rates. And I’d like to see it sooner, rather than later.

Bob Jordan Carpinteria

City should do more to protect seal sanctuary

We are in danger of losing our precious seal colony. These seals need a place to come ashore daily (haul out) to regulate their body temperature, restore oxygen supplies and rest. They need this location for this 24/7, 365 days a year. This is where they give birth and raise their young, and these have dwindled to only two publically accessible rookeries along the Southern California coast.

What has destroyed them is habitat loss, and humans (and their dogs) intruding on their coves where they can rest.

Carpinteria had fortunately enacted a six-month beach closure across their little cove during the pupping season. The Seal

Watch folks have watched over them and counted the pups. But volunteers are limited during Seal Watch time, which only runs January through May. When not watched, people come through, pups and moms are separated and pups often cannot survive. June through December there are no watchers looking out for them, the colony is disbanded daily and their refuge is lost.

Four mornings a week on my walks I look for them. Mostly I see no seals, just human footprints or bicycle treads. The seals have been driven out to sea. Harbor Seal counts have declined by more than half in the past few years. As of the CVN fi nal report covering January through May 2023 (CVN Vol. 29, No. 36) – the highest weekly adult count was 161 with an average count of 65.

The Carpinteria City Council must act to take protective measures. Better signage, a video camera and protection by rangers and volunteers are needed.

If we act soon these gentle creatures may survive and Carpinteria may be proud to be their home, for a living colony, not just a statue, for future generations to admire.

Valerie Bentz Carpinteria

A fire safety reminder

Take note, citizens of Carpinteria. Do you remember the terrible fires in the past that threatened Carpinteria and the adjoining areas? Are you watching the terrible, out-of-control fi res spreading in Hawaii? It is time for all of us to get informed and prepared for fire safety. Check your house and its surroundings. Plan an escape route if needed. If necessary, have the fire department evaluate your place for fire safety. It is the responsibility of each of us to be informed and prepared. God bless our firemen.

Diana Thorn Carpinteria

creatures may

Valerie Bentz

Still alive in the hearts of all who knew him

Chess tables coming to all CUSD schools

Eljiah Sheaffer’s Eagle Scout Project brings two tables, stools to each campus

BY JUN STARKEY

All Carpinteria Unified School District school sites will soon have chess tables available for students, thanks to the efforts of local student Elijah Sheaffer, 16, and several of his friends and peers over the summer.

Elijah, a longtime chess player, chose this task to be his Eagle Scout Service Project. An Eagle Scout Service Project is an opportunity for Boy Scouts to demonstrate their leadership skills and skills they’ve learned while scouting, while providing a service to their community and earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

“I chose this as my Eagle Scout Service Project because growing up, I always loved to play chess with my grandpa,” Elijah told CVN. “He taught me how to play and it turned into something I loved.”

School board member Andy Sheaffer, Elijah’s father, said he was proud of his son when he came to him with the idea, and said Elijah told him the tables would benefit children who didn’t have the opportunity to learn chess as he did. “He’s pretty focused on things that make you smarter,” Andy said.

Elijah told CVN the idea for chess tables came to him while driving past Canalino Elementary School. “One day I was driving by Canalino and I saw a chess club or tournament going on and I thought it would be cool if they had (permanent) tables to play chess on.”

Elijah’s plan includes creating concrete chess tables and stools, and installing two tables and sets of stools for each school site, according to his June presentation to the CUSD Board of Trustees. After all the chess tables are complete, Elijah plans to spend time at several schools to teach students how to play chess.

“He wanted to do something that had a long-lasting benefit for Carpinteria,” Andy said.

Putting together chess tables includes creating metal frames to pour the concrete over for the stools and table, smoothing them after drying and adding the top of the table to the surface of the table. The table top portion is made out of marble

and terrazzo.

Since he began the project, Elijah has received some help from his fellow scouts in Carpinteria Troop 50, his siblings – including older brother Augie, who recently became an Eagle Scout – and his teammates from his water polo team. The groups worked together during the sweltering summer months, either at a local school, or at Sheaffer’s house or farm.

Elijah began his senior year at Carpin-

teria High School this year, and his father said he’s proud of the initiative and compassion behind Elijah’s project.

Elijah said he is excited to teach others how to play chess, and hopefully will pass on his love of the game. “Playing chess has made me better at analyzing all aspects of life,” he said. “I taught my younger cousin how to play chess, and I’m excited to get all the scouts out to help teach the young students how to play.”

From left, Augie Sheaffer and Elijah Sheaffer pour concrete into the mold for a chess table stool; the mold and metal frame inside were also constructed by Elijah.

KARLSSON PHOTOS

From left, Augie Sheaffer and Elijah Sheaffer watch as JJ Frias smooths out the concrete on a stool for a chess table set at Canalino Elementary School.

“I chose this as my Eagle Scout Service Project because growing up, I always loved to play chess with my grandpa… He taught me how to play and it turned into something I loved.”

– Elijah Sheaffer

Each Carpinteria Unified School District campus will have two chess tables on site, courtesy of Elijah Sheaffer’s Eagle Scout Project.

Griffin Yamaoka, Asher Smith, Cody Schwasnick and Elijah Sheaffer finish off the final steps for a chess table at Carpinteria High School.

CUSD welcomes 1,948 students during first day of school

OPEN SUNDAY 2-4

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SUPERINTENDENT’S DESK

DIANA RIGBY CUSD SUPERINTENDENT

I would like to recognize the operational staff: human resources, custodians, maintenance, grounds, food service, transportation, business office and office coordinators for hiring staff and preparing school sites for the Aug. 21 school opening. We were ready to greet 1,948 students and 320 staff for a terrific 202324 school year!

We also appreciate the Measure U team and McGillivray Construction for completing the Canalino plumbing, the Summerland field and the Main School roofing/painting projects on time for the first day of school.

Class size

Elementary class sizes range from 10 to 24, with an average of 18 students; Carpinteria Middle School (CMS) and Carpinteria High School (CHS) average 21 students in their classes (excluding small special education classes).

New CUSD certificated staff

We have hired the following new teachers: Marissa Chavez, at Aliso Elementary School; Makenna Pugh, Crystal Wang, Christina Ota and Sarah Strong at Canalino Elementary and Carpinteria Family School; Anya Simonovich at Summerland Elementary; Elizabeth Owens, Regan Held, Diana Alvarez, Ellecia Bittner, Sherrie Paul and Elizabeth Poulin at CMS; Karen Vanderburg, Kurt Miller, Reyna Lopez, Jonathan Ramirez and Emily Garcia at CHS; and preschool special education teachers Rebecca Weber and Shannon Thompson. At the district level, we have hired school psychologist Ashley Somics and district nurse Yesenia Marquez.

Congratulations

Forty CHS Future Farmers of America (FFA) students and FFA teachers

Mr. Lopez and Ms. Garcia successfully participated in the Ventura County Fair this summer. The CHS FFA booth placed second, winning prize money, and the following FFA students were winners: Ashlee Mora, FFA champion novice hog showman; Taylor Trembly, two-time champion advanced goat showman; David Badillo, championship novice goat showmanship; Cecilia Lemus, champion novice steer showman; and Mathew Munoz, reserve champion and fairs county bred and fed champion.

Free internet application

Cox Communications offers free Internet to qualifying families through the combination of two programs: Connect2Compete ($9.95 per month internet for qualifying families of kindergarten to 12th grade students) and the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (monthly subsidy of up to $30 per month for those who qualify). It is very easy to apply. Visit the link to get started: cox.com/ACP.

The Carpinteria Unified School District welcomed 1,948 students this week, for the 2023-24 school year. Enrollment is down 57 students from last year.

California Universal Meals program

Students at public schools across California can continue to receive at least two free meals a day at school this academic year, thanks to a state initiative launched during the pandemic. Under California’s Universal Meals Program, all public school students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12, regardless of their parents’ income, are eligible for free breakfast and lunch.

Professional development

On Aug. 16, we greeted teachers for the 2023-24 school year with a Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) presentation on how we can make a bigger impact on student learning by improving our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) process. During early release for transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, and late start Mondays for CHS every week, teachers work in grade level and/or department PLCs to “improve the skills and knowledge about how we teach and what we teach through collaboration among colleagues, and to improve the learning outcomes for students.”

This year, CUSD teachers will engage in professional development throughout the year with SBCEO Consultants to learn a new framework for effective PLCs and to increase the impact of existing PLCs.

Measure U

Push bar hardware on gates and security cameras were installed at all sites. Canalino Elementary’s plumbing project, the painting and roofing for Main School and the installation of the Summerland Elementary field and playground monkey bars were completed this summer. Acoustical tiles were installed in CHS administration building and the CHS parking lots were slurried. Plans for the Canalino Learning Center have been submitted to DSA and approval is expected in fall.

Summerland tennis courts

During the summer, sidewalks and drains were installed and the court slab was poured. A completion date is expected in mid-October.

Diana F. Rigby is the superintendent of the Carpinteria Unified School District. She can be reached at drigby@cusd.net.

CoastalView

Carpinteria Beautiful updates planters at middle school

Carpinteria Beautiful coordinated the beautification of several planters at Carpinteria Middle School (CMS) recently; this school year, Carpinteria Beautiful will have an afterschool club at CMS – led by Jen Medica – where students will care for the plants as they learn about them, Principal Lisa O’Shea told CVN.

Jim Pettit and Adam Camardella, from the Carpinteria Unified School District maintenance department, set up the irrigation system. Jason and Marilyn Minteer of Carpinteria Valley Lumber also gave Carpinteria Beautiful a good deal on the plants and soil, according to O’Shea.

Jen Medica, who will lead the Carpinteria Beautiful club afterschool program at Carpinteria Middle School, stands in front of the new planters placed by Carpinteria Beautiful.

COMPILED BY JUN STARKEY | COURTESY PHOTO

Local to host open mic comedy night in Santa Barbara

Local Ben Ferguson will host a comedy open mic night at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Pura Vida Coffee Society in Santa Barbara; the show will be taped and broadcast live on TVSB channel 17.

Those interested in participating will have a few minutes to put on their best show. The doors to the venue will open at 6 p.m., and the show will begin at 7 p.m. Pura Vida Coffee Society is located at 651 Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara.

Alcazar to screen film, hold book signing for National Dog Day

The Alcazar Theatre and the Carpinteria Dog Owners Group (C-DOG) will celebrate National Dog Day on Saturday, Aug. 26, with a screening of “Best in Show” for the 2 p.m. matinee. The movie is a comedy/mockumentary about the competitive world of dog shows.

Before the screening begins, guests can mingle with C-DOG representatives and local authors Hal Price and Leana Orsua, who each authored chapters in the “The UltiMUTT Book for Dog Lovers.” Guests can also meet CVN photographer Robin Karlsson, who will be signing up local dogs to include in the next edition of her “Dogs of Carpinteria” book. All the authors will be selling and signing copies of their books; a portion of the proceeds will benefit C-DOG.

Doors open at 1 p.m.; the screening for “Best in Show” will begin at 2 p.m. Admission is $10. The Alcazar Theatre is located at 4916 Carpinteria Ave.

continued

from page 3

The Carpinteria Beach Store, located at 101 Linden Ave., will be open every day, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., through Labor Day.

City marks down Beach Store merchandise

Starting Thursday, select merchandise and rentals at the city of Carpinteria’s Beach Store will be marked down for the store’s end of season sale. The store – located at 101 Linden Ave. – is open every day, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., through Labor Day.

According to Carpinteria Aquatics Superintendent Amber Workman, the store recently received a delivery of new t-shirts for women and men, as well as sunscreen, beach toys and beach rentals.

County, local charities team up for Clear the Shelter campaign

Santa Barbara County and other pet charities – Greater Good Charities, Hill’s Pet Nutrition and The Animal Rescue Site – have teamed up for a Clear the Shelter campaign.

Between Friday, Aug. 25 and Sunday, Aug. 27, noon and 4 p.m., residents can visit the county’s three animal shelters in Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Barbara to grab bites from local food trucks and check out animals available for adoption. Adoption fees will be waived.

The food trucks include MYM Hot Dogs at 548 W. Foster Road in Santa Maria, with Vinyl DJ Gary Slavin; Antojitos Oaxaquenos Rosita at 1501 W. Central Ave. in Lompoc; and Nimita’s Cuisine at 5473 Overpass Road in Santa Barbara.

Visitors are also encouraged to donate while visiting the centers, even if they don’t plan on adopting an animal, according to Sarah Aguilar, director of animal services.

“Donations enable us to provide the extra things that the pets in our care deserve, like toys and treats, and specialized medical and behavioral support. We couldn’t save as many lives as we do without this integral support,” Aguilar said. See more online at ClearTheShelters.com and DesocuparLosAlbergues.com. For more information about the Santa Barbara County Animal Services, visit countyofsb. org/415/Animal-Services.

RYAN P. CRUZ FILE PHOTO

HELLO 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR!

Katarina Thierjung, left, and her mom kindergarten teacher Mrs. White.

Joseph Jimenez gets ready for first grade.

Carpinteria Family School’s Ms. Lorilee prepares

Aliso Elementary School students, from left, Sienna Naughton, Callum McMeeken and Manuel Ortiz Cardona began the dual language kindergarten program this year.

Mrs. Piccoletti’s third grade class starts the school day.

Das Williams bikes to school with his daughters, second grader Ya’Ash.

Monday marked the first day of school for the Carpinteria Unified School District, and across Carpinteria, kids piled out of their guardians’ cars and hopped off bikes, entering their respective classrooms ready to take on the 2023-24 school year.

PHOTOS BY ROBIN KARLSSON

mom Alexandra meet transitional

Ashley Sanchez, left, and Gabriella Ortiz hang up their backpacks.

prepares her fourth and fifth grade class for the beginning of the school year.

Fourth grader Bo Rochlitzer rode his bike to school.

From left, Alexia Calderon, Eileen Sanchez, Vanessa Pulido, Kimberly Calderon and Jade Martinez wait for the doors to open.

daughters, kindergartner Khaya and

ON THE ROAD

CVN camps out in Yosemite National Park

Members of Friendship Force Santa Barbara – including, from left, Carol Nichols, Diana Hamilton, Terry Behrens, Terry Scrivner and Suzy Pelovsky – enjoyed “cabin camping” in Wawona, located in Yosemite National Park in California. Scrivner told CVN that the group spent a week “hiking, swimming, cooking, eating, and telling stories.”

DUNCAN’S REEL DEAL

MATT DUNCAN

In 1938, German scientists split the atom. It was all very academic. A lot of people thought it was impossible, but it wasn’t, and a lot of nerds were excited about it. Again, all very academic.

Academics tend to move at a glacial pace. Forget the run-up to a breakthrough – which itself can take, well, millennia –even after the cat is out of the bag, there’s testing and re-testing, confirmation and controls, discussion and debate, further trials and theorizing, approvals and so on. When scientists talk about a breakthrough, don’t hold your breath, because you’ll probably pass out before anything practical happens.

But not this time! Not with nuclear fission. After the Germans did it in 1938, when it was all academic, maybe with one eye on a new energy source, but definitely no eyes on a new weapon, after that it was – and this is crazy – only seven years until the world was home to a fully functioning, city-destroying atomic bomb.

CVN scouts in New Mexico

And even that belies the speed of development. The Manhattan Project – which was dedicated to making the bomb – didn’t even start until 1942. The U.S. dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in mid-1945. That’s three years! It took three years to understand, synthesize and develop the science, design and engineer a way of weaponizing it – effectively turning the U.S. into one big uranium and plutonium enriching factory – build the “gadget” capable of bringing instant death to an entire city of people and then deploy it. Twice. From the tiniest of atomic reactions to the biggest boom humans had ever made (by a long shot) in three years. When humans are motivated, they can get stuff done fast.

CVN summers at an Alaskan seminar

Local high school student Daisy Gemberling brought her copy of CVN along on her summer trip to Sitka, Alaska, where she participated in the summer seminar offered by an alternative college, Outer Coast.

“Highlights of my month in Alaska include bonding with a diverse group of students and serving the Sitka community through trailing, building and cemetery restoration,” Gemberling told CVN. “Additionally, I took college courses in Indigenous Studies and Negative Capability, which is an art history/philosophy curriculum.”

Gemberling is pictured on the final night of her trip, standing on the beach where students and faculty said a final farewell. “I won’t soon forget my time and experiences in Sitka,” she said.

Going on the road?

The human at the center of this one, and the subject of this eponymous movie, is J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), a nuclear physicist at the University of California, Berkeley. And the motivation – which, alas, is all-too-often the one that gets humans moving fast – was fear. It was fear that the Germans, who, of course, by the late-1930s were blitzkrieg-ing all over Europe, would get the bomb first. Then we’d be screwed. (As it turns out, Nazi Germany never made a serious effort to develop an atomic bomb.)

With that desperate thought in mind, the U.S. and its allies sprang into action. As the story, and movie, goes, General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) appoints the brilliant but also arrogant and stubborn (but, again, brilliant!) young Oppenheimer to run the whole thing. This selection surprised many, because Oppenheimer had a checkered past of dealing with communist sympathizers. But Groves and others thought, Germany can’t get the bomb first, it just can’t, so who cares it’s got to be all hands on deck.

So the brilliant – and also arrogant and stubborn, but, yes, brilliant – Oppenheimer gets to work alongside his scientist buddies. There are several Manhattan Project sites around the country, but Oppenheimer sets up shop in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Some of his fellow bomb developers are hesitant. Some have moral qualms.

Some are worried that once the U.S. government has what they want from them, they’ll be cast aside. Oppenheimer dismisses these (and other) worries. He’s part salesman at this point, after all: he needs to recruit the best minds to work with him.

Yet these are some of the very worries that end up plaguing Oppenheimer later on. He is so laser focused on the seemingly impossible task at hand, he doesn’t have time to second guess himself. It’s only after the dust has settled – literally – that he starts to grasp the significance what he’d done, for good or ill, in becoming the “father of the atomic bomb.” And as the years and decades go on, others, including his own government, begin to second guess him too. Being an American hero isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

As we’ve come to expect with Christopher Nolan films, “Oppenheimer” totally 100% nails it in certain ways. It is beautifully shot and composed. The pace is relentless, which, together with the pounding score, makes you feel the urgency deep in your rattling bones, the rush to get the bomb. It’s an action movie set in a laboratory.

And Cillian Murphy equals Oppenheimer’s brilliance with his acting. I haven’t been so impressed, so mesmerized by a performance in a long time. It’s one of those cases where you feel like the actor just is the character – Murphy is Oppenheimer. He so thoroughly occupies the role with the voice, the look, the posture, the penetrating eyes. It’s completely engrossing.

As with other Nolan movies, I wish he’d left some things out. This movie is three hours long, and it didn’t need to be and it shouldn’t have been. I’m game for a long movie, but too much time is spent, especially toward the end, on Capitol Hill politicking. Some of it is interesting enough, but Oppenheimer as political victim is not nearly as inherently compelling as Oppenheimer as bringer of death.

Still, even so, Nolan has created an iconic near-masterpiece that’s rich in style and, at points, totally enrapturing. He got help from Murphy, too, who, you know… just give him the Oscar now. That’s more than enough to make “Oppenheimer” live up to the hype.

“Oppenheimer” is rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language.

Matt Duncan, a former Coastal View News editor, has taken physical but not emotional leave from Carpinteria to be a philosophy professor at Rhode Island College. In his free time from philosophizing, Duncan enjoys chasing his kids around, watching movies and updating his movie review blog, duncansreeldeal.blogspot.com.

Praxedes Manriquez, right, a member of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 Santa Barbara, and Natlee Hapeman, left, snapped a photo with their copy of CVN at the Philmont Training Center Headquarters in Cimarron, New Mexico. Leaders of the Boy Scouts of Santa Barbara Troop met up to attend conferences and network with others. Manriquez attended the Scouting in the Catholic Church training conference; Hapeman is a staff member at the Philmont Scout Ranch.

Cold Lentil Salad

CVN

CHEF RANDY

RANDY GRAHAM

I like this recipe because it is different, it is flavorful and it is nutritious. It’s a wonderful addition to my spring and summer picnic fare. The combination of lightly seasoned lentils, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives and a fresh vinaigrette dressing can’t be beaten.

Lentil Ingredients:

2½ cups cooked lentils (I use Trader Joe’s steamed lentils)

1 cup diced English or Persian cucumbers (no need to peel)

1 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered)

¼ cup red onion (chopped fine)

¼ cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)

¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives (chopped)

¼ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives (chopped)

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 teaspoon dried oregano (crushed between the palms of your hands)

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Place all of the lentil ingredients (lentils through cheese) in a large bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Place all of the vinaigrette ingredients (oil through pepper) in a medium bowl and whisk until well mixed. Pour over the lentil mixture and gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I like to serve this on a bed of chopped crisp lettuce and bring a loaf of crusty

French bread to the table (or to the picnic blanket).

Tip for vegans: use vegan feta, and this is a completely vegan recipe!

Randy Graham is a noted chef and writer and has been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for over 38 years. Chef Randy has written and published a series of seven cookbooks with original recipes developed over the period 1975 through 2020. He writes for the Ojai Quarterly, the Ojai Discover Monthly, and the California 101 Travelers Guide. His vegetarian recipes are published in newspapers throughout Central California under the header, Chef Randy. He and his wife, Robin, live in Ojai, California, with their dog Cooper. Robin and Cooper are not vegetarians.

SUN:

FRI:

MUSIC…

SAT:

SUN:

WeddingGuide)

5

Sunday, August 13

1809 hrs / Incident / Summerland

A man was reportedly stumbling while carrying a beer near the fence line of a park in Summerland near the train tracks. He was located drinking near the tracks and arrested.

Coastal

CoastalView.com

Coastal

St. Jude

Oh Holy St. Jude, apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in Miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful special patron in time of need, to you do I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to whom God has given such great powers, to come to my assistance. Help me in my present urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. Pray for us all who invoke your aid. Amen

Say three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys, three Glorias. This Novena must be said for 9 consecutive days. This Novena has never been known to fail.

0133 hrs / Incident / 5300 block el Carro Lane

A man called the Santa Barbara Police Department dispatch wanting to file a report, saying he was at a local park. The dispatchers noted the man sounded like he had been drinking. He was located in the park and found to be extremely intoxicated. He was arrested and booked into jail.

Monday, August 14

0833 hrs / Theft / Jacaranda Way

Unknown suspect(s) broke into a work truck and took multiple power tools valued at over $635.

Tuesday, August 15

1038 hrs / Incident / Seventh Street

Reporting party reported an unknown suspect entered her bedroom window

17

18

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and stole over $3,000 from her dresser. The reporting party found a footprint near her window, and her window screen was broken.

0220 hrs / Narcotics / 5500 block

Carpinteria Avenue

a.m., Carpinteria library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave., 684-4314

Rotary Club of Carpinteria meeting, 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m., lions Park Community Building, 6197 Casitas Pass road, non-members rSVP to 566-1906

Bingo, 1 p.m., Veterans Building, 941 Walnut Ave.

Farmers Market and Arts & Crafts Fair, 3-6:30 p.m., linden Ave. downtown, Craft fair: 684-2770

area and initially walked away from deputies after being given commands to stop. Once detained, the man initially provided a false name, and also displayed signs and symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol. An infield showing confirmed the man was the subject who stole a six pack of beer. He was arrested, and while attempting to escort the man to jail, he struck a deputy in the shins multiple times using his heel. The man was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail for the mentioned violations.

Free Stress Relief Veteran’s Acupuncture Clinic, 6-7 p.m. drop in, 4690 Carpinteria Ave. Ste. A, 684-5012

Karaoke, 8 p.m., Carpinteria & linden Pub, 4954 Carpinteria linden Ave.

1307 hrs / Incident / Bailard Avenue and Carpinteria Avenue

Dusty Jugz Country Night, 9 p.m., the Palms, 701 linden Ave., 684-3811

Friday, March 15

CVCC Lunch & Learn, noon-1 p.m., Curious Cup, 929 linden Ave., 684-5479 x10.

The Peace Vigil, 5-6 p.m., corner of linden & Carpinteria Ave.

A deputy contacted two subjects in a parked vehicle. One was found to be on CDC parole. During a search of the subject, a used meth pipe was located on him. During a search of the vehicle, a small amount of meth was located out in the open of the middle console area, two used meth pipes were located underneath the other passenger’s seat, and in the front pocket of the subject’s blue duffle bag was a large amount of meth. Deputies also located several prepaid cards with a notebook with what appeared to be credit card numbers written down. Both subjects were placed under arrest and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail.

Back Track, 9 p.m., the Palms, 701 linden Ave., 684-3811

A traffic enforcement stop was conducted on a truck for expired registration over six months. Due to the expired registration, the vehicle was towed. While taking inventory of the vehicle, a usable amount of fentanyl and suboxone strips were located in a bag. The owner of the bag was cited and released at the scene.

Music in our Schools Month Concert, 7:30 p.m., CHS cafeteria, 4810 foothill road, 684-4701

Friday, August 18

Saturday, March 16

0031 hrs / Narcotics / 1100 block

Casitas Pass Road

2103 hrs / Incident / 5000 block Carpinteria Avenue

Carpinteria Salt Marsh docent led tours, 10 a.m., free walks start from the park sign, 684-8077

Magicarp Pokemon League, 11 a.m., Curious Cup, 929 linden Ave., (619) 972-3467

Energy Balancing, 2-4 p.m., Curious Cup, 929 linden Ave., free

“The Quiet Man,” 8 p.m., Plaza Playhouse theater, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., $5

The Groovie Line, 9 p.m., the Palms, 701 linden Ave., 684-3811

Monday, March 18

An employee called to report a customer drove off with the pump still in their vehicle. Employee reported he told the driver the employee needed the driver’s license and insurance information, and the driver said he would retrieve it from the car, and then fled. Video surveillance captured the incident.

Women of Inspiration, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Girls inc. of Carpinteria, 5315 foothill road, $70, 684-6364

An overdose on an unknown opioid in a local grocery store parking lot was called in to 911. Deputies found an unresponsive man with labored breathing. Deputies administered four milligrams of Naloxone. AMR and Fire arrived shortly after and administered another two milligrams of Naloxone and assisted his breathing. The man was transported to the hospital.

Basic Bridge, 1 p.m., Sandpiper Mobile Village clubhouse, 3950 Via real, 684-5921

Mah Jongg, 1 p.m., Sandpiper Mobile Village clubhouse, 3950 Via real, 729-1310

Bingo, 1 p.m., Veterans Building, 941 Walnut Ave.

Saturday, August 19

0551 hrs / Incident / 4400 block Via

Celebrate Recovery (Hurts, Hangups, Addictions), 6 p.m., first Baptist Church, 5026 foothill rd., 684-3353

Real

CVCC’s Cuba Trip Meeting, 6-8 p.m., Carpinteria library Multi-Purpose room, 5141 Carpinteria Ave., 684-5479 x10

A Community Toolbox: How to Serve the Depressed Person with Understanding, 7-8:30 p.m., Carpinteria Woman’s Club, 1059 Vallecito road, 684-2509

Deputies responded to a local convenience store for a report of a male subject, currently on active probation, stealing beer. The man was seen on foot in the

Tuesday, March 19

Coffee with Cops, 9-11 a.m., Crushcakes, 4945 Carpinteria Ave., 684-5405 x437

Carpinteria Writers’ Group, 10 a.m.-noon, Carpinteria library multipurpose room, 5141 Carpinteria Ave., 684-7838

Sandpiper Duplicate Bridge Club, 1 p.m., Sandpiper Mobile Village Clubhouse, 3950 Via real, 684-5522

Battle of the Books club, 3:30 p.m., Curious Cup, 929 linden Ave., 220-6608

Beginner Meditation Workshop, 6:30 p.m., Curious Cup back meeting room, 929 linden Ave., 705-4703

Al-Anon Meeting, 7-8 p.m., faith lutheran Church, 1335 Vallecito Place, 331-4817

ESL Class, 7 p.m., first Baptist Church, 5026 foothill road, free, 684-3353

Wednesday, March 20

Morning Rotary meeting with Cyndi Macias, The Gym Next Door, 7-8 a.m., Woman’s Club, 1059 Vallecito rd., $10 Meditation, 10:30-noon, Carpinteria Woman’s club, 1059 Vallecito rd., 847-208-6520

Knitting Group, 1-4 p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 941 Walnut Ave., free, 684-8077

Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.

Fighting Back Parent Program, 5:30-7 p.m., Canalino School, 1480 Carpinteria Ave., 963-1433 x125 or x132

Kiwanis Club Meeting, 6 p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 941 Walnut Ave., 368-5644

Coastal View Book Club meeting, 7:30 p.m., Carpinteria Branch library, 684-4428

8 Ball Tournament, 7:30 p.m., Carpinteria & linden Pub, 4954 Carpinteria linden Ave.

ONGOING

Lani Garfield photography show, island Brewing Co., 5049 6th St., 745-8272

Michael Fisher Fish art show, Corktree Cellars, 910 linden Ave., 684-1400

Liz Brady art show, Porch, 3823 Santa Claus lane, 684-0300

Arturo Tello art show, friends of the library used Bookstore, 5103 Carpinteria Ave., 566-0033

“SPACE” exhibit, 855 At the Arts Gallery, 855 linden Ave., 684-7789

Carpinteria Plein Air Painters art show, lucky llama, 5100 Carpinteria

UNPREDICTABLE WILDERNESS

CHUCK GRAHAM

Its chirp was weak, laboring and few and far between. It could barely keep its fuzzy head up out of the freezing waters of Cachuma Lake. Low-hanging, wispy fog hung over the tarn like a wet blanket. However, my attention was drawn toward that frigid western grebe chick. While it floated in the water, I immediately noticed its downy feathers were sodden, and it was alone. Western grebes’ nest in the reeds along some of the shoreline of the lake. This chick appeared to be too young and not strong enough to be on its own. Western grebes dive for their food, so I waited to see if one of its parents showed up. The chicks nestle on the backs of their parents right out of the egg, tucking themselves in the warmth of their parent’s feathers. As the adult grebes travel across the lake searching for food, the chicks enjoy the ride across the chilly waters.

This chick had lost its parents. I sat there for 30 minutes waiting for one of them to pop up and claim its offspring, but they never showed up. I thought the chick was going to die without its parents, so I grabbed it and set it on my lap. It was almost lifeless, barely moving or making a sound. I continued paddling along the periphery of the manmade lake, seeing what I could see.

Cachuma Lake was brimming. It hadn’t been this swollen since the California drought buster storm of February 2017. Western grebes were swimming on the surface and diving in the shallows, reveling in the rich bounty of available food. Swirling plumes of fog drifted across the lake shrouding many of the grebes. Sturdy oak trees jutted from the shallows, and creamy yellow blooms of the lord’s candle yucca hovered in the chaparral above the steep slopes surrounding Cachuma.

As I paddled and photographed western grebes, the orphaned chick buried itself in my lap, tucking its seemingly over-sized webbed feet beneath its frail, downy body. Then two hours later, while paddling beneath a stout oak tree, the chick stirred as the morning sun warmed it on my lap. Suddenly, the grebe found its voice and chirped nonstop, as it squirmed and flopped around in my lap. It was back from the dead, and its energy was apparent.

I was about an hour’s paddle away from the marina to the west, with a pesky headwind to contend with. However, I wanted to give the chick a chance, so I took it to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care

Grabbing a grebe

Network. Still resting in my lap, I placed my dry bag over it to fend off the chilly spray from the headwind. It continued to chirp, and that let me know it was still alive.

Once out on Highway 154, heading toward Santa Barbara, it was clear the grebe chick was enjoying the warmth of the sun in the passenger seat of my van. Still, I wasn’t entirely sure how it was doing, so I was relieved when I dropped it off at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.

As soon as I stopped and handed off the little grebe, several volunteers jumped into action. I was told the network had a specialized “seabird bay” for seabirds in distress, but eventually it would be transported to a facility in San Pedro. Still, when I filled out a small form, one of the questions asked was where the grebe was found. The goal was after the grebe was strong enough to be on its own, then it would be returned to Cachuma Lake.

During the short time I was there at the network, good news traveled back to me. The grebe chick was enjoying the seabird bay and was gobbling down bait fish. It was on the road to recovery.

Adventure and travel writer Chuck Graham lives in Carpinteria and contributes his writing and photography to publications far and wide. For more wildlife photos, visit chuckgrahamphoto.com or follow Graham on Instagram at @chuckgrahamphoto.

CHUCK GRAHAM PHOTOS

A western grebe chick rests on the author’s dry bag.

The chick comes back to life as it warms up.

This chick had lost its parents. I sat there for 30 minutes waiting for one of them to pop up and claim its offspring, but they never showed up. I thought the chick was going to die without its parents, so I grabbed it and set it on my lap.

The chick was delivered successfully to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. A western grebe travels with growing chicks on Cachuma.

Western grebes swim through the lifting fog on Cachuma.

THROWBACK

Nine years later…

In August 2014, three kids – from left, Emma Whittenton, Ben Terry and Hazel Dugré – of then-Coastal View News staffers Kris Whittenton, Dan Terry and Peter Dugré headed off to their Carpinteria kindergarten classrooms. Fun photos of the three ran in the Aug. 14, 2014, Back-to-School issue of CVN, highlighting the start of their academic careers.

Now, nine years later, those same kids, pictured above, started high school this week: Emma at Camarillo High School, Ben at Providence School and Hazel at Carpinteria High School. The three, along with thousands of their classmates in the area, are ready to take on the year ahead, with full schedules of classes, sports and friends on the horizon. Happy freshman year, class of 2027!

Back to school

In honor of Carpinteria Unified School District students returning to campuses, this week’s “Throwback Thursday” depicts the first class to attend Carpinteria Union School in 1913. The elegant two-story building stood on the corner of Palm Avenue and the Coast Highway (now Carpinteria Avenue), where the Community Pool sits today. After the 1925 earthquake devastated Santa Barbara, seismic concerns peaked throughout the area. The Union School, which had withstood the quake, was demolished in fear of future tremors, and its students were moved into a tent school while Main School was constructed down the street.

CARPINTERIA VALLEY MUSEUM OF HISTORY

KARLSSON

Warriors volleyball opens with

busy week

Carpinteria splits four matches, including a five-set win over Pacifica in home opener

Carpinteria girls volleyball was the first Warriors athletics program to play in regular season action, starting the first week with a busy slate of four matches in five days, offering a chance for new head coach Marc Denitz to test his team early.

The Warriors started the season with a road trip to Ventura to face Foothill Tech. It may have been a case of first-game jitters, or Carpinteria’s limited experienced and thinner roster in 2023, but the Foothill Tech Dragons were in the driver’s seat for three straight sets to sweep the match, 3-0.

In the first set, Foothill Tech took the lead 25-14. The Dragons held Carpinteria to just eight points in the second set and cruised through the third set 25-14.

Despite the loss, Carpinteria did get some positive output from junior Averi Alexander, who finished the game with seven kills and five digs, and Alexiana Jaimes, who finished with 11 assists.

There wasn’t much time to recover, as the Warriors prepared to host Pacifica the very next day for Carpinteria’s home opener in front of friends and family in a packed house.

The home court advantage paid off, as the Warriors jumped out to an early lead with a 25-17 win in the first set. In the second, Carpinteria extended its lead to 2-0 with a 25-19 set win.

Pacifica would not give up without a fight, however, as the visiting Tritons claimed the third set, 25-14, then tied the match at 2-2 with a 20-25 win in the fourth.

In the final set to take the match, Carpinteria fed off the hometown energy to pull through 15-12 and take its first win of the year. “With a full house and improved play, Carpinteria came away with an exciting 3-2 win,” said coach Denitz.

Senior Liz Alpizar was all over the

BY RYAN P. CRUZ

court for the Warriors with eight kills and eight digs. Libero Ashlee Mora had a team high 15 digs in the win, while Camila Martinez finished with four blocks and five kills and Jenny Valencia recorded 15 assists.

After a day off, the Warriors were right back in action on Thursday with a trip to Oxnard to face Rio Mesa.

The Spartans took an early lead over Carpinteria with a 25-13 win in the first set, but the Warriors evened the score in the second set with a close 25-23 win to bring the match to 1-1.

But Rio Mesa would prove too much in the third set, taking a 2-1 match lead with a 25-22 set win. In the fourth, the Spartans sealed the deal with a 25-16 win to take the match, 3-1.

In the loss, Valencia finished with six kills and a team high 15 assists. Alpizar tallied eight kills and seven digs, and Mora finished with a total of 12 digs.

To finish their busy opening week, the Warriors hit the road one more time to Oxnard for a Friday night matchup against Santa Clara – their fourth match in five days.

The Warriors jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a win in the first set, 25-16. But Santa Clara responded with a win in the second set, 19-25, to even up the match at 1-1.

Then Carpinteria took control, claiming the third (25-17) and fourth (25-13) sets to take the win, 3-1.

Alpizar led the way with 10 kills and eight digs, while Sawyer Taff contributed three blocks and three kills and senior Amarisse Camargo finished with nine kills and eight digs.

The Warriors head into the second week of action with a non-league record of 2-2.

Ashlee Mora holds down the back line.

Senior Alexiana Jaimes lays up the serve against Pacifica.

Camila Martinez drops it with some finesse for a point.

SHORT STOPS

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY RYAN P. CRUZ

earned another penalty shot, which he converted easily for his fourth goal of the game to bring the Warriors within two, 8-6.

But that would be the end of the Warriors’ late-game comeback, as Dos Pueblos began to eat the clock giving Carpinteria few chances to score. In the last minute, Smith missed the goal on two close shots as the defenders closed in around him.

Dos Pueblos took the win with a final score of 8-6, but Carpinteria’s fourth quarter scoring run was a good sign as the Warriors prepare for a tournament in Thousand Oaks this weekend.

Asher Smith led the team with four goals; Micah Smith scored one; and Ehlers scored one. Campuzano finished with 12 saves.

Carpinteria water polo comes up short against Dos Pueblos

Carpinteria boys water polo had a tall task opening the season, facing a traditional powerhouse Dos Pueblos on the road in Goleta at the Elings Aquatic Center.

The Warriors have a lot of talent this year, and a brand-new coach in Karl Fredrickson, a former high school standout and assistant water polo coach at Santa Ynez High School.

Dos Pueblos jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before the Warriors got on the board with two minutes left in the first quarter off an impressive back-hand goal from senior star Asher Smith, who drew the attention of the Dos Pueblos defense during the entire match.

Despite the defenders focusing on stopping Smith, he would score again just 90 seconds later to bring the Warriors within one point, 3-2, with 30 seconds left in the quarter.

But after that early surge, Dos Pueblos held Carpinteria scoreless until the fourth quarter as the Chargers continued to build their lead.

In the second quarter, Dos Pueblos added two goals to take a 5-2 lead into the half. Right at the beginning of the third, the Chargers struck again to extend their lead to 6-2. By the fourth quarter, with just over five minutes left to play, Dos Pueblos had taken an 8-2 lead.

For the entire game, despite the goals scored, Carpinteria’s junior goalie Sebastian

Campuzano kept collecting big blocks that kept Carpinteria within striking distance. At one point he stuffed back-toback Dos Pueblos shots to force a change of possession and keep the Warriors alive.

With just under five minutes left in the game, Carpinteria’s hard work on the defensive side finally paid off on the other end, and the Warriors mounted an improbable fourth quarter comeback.

Micah Smith got the scoring started again for Carpinteria with a goal to bring the score to 8-3. After another big block by Campuzano, Asher Smith fought through a double team and earned a penalty shot which he sent to the back of the net to bring the score to 8-4.

Another Campuzano block led to a fast break score by Jake Ehlers with 2:28 left on the clock. Twenty seconds later, Smith

Carpinteria AYSO donates new goals to high school

Volunteers from Carpinteria AYSO helped move brand new, donated goals over to Carpinteria High School in preparation for the new school year. The youth soccer program donated the goals this summer to support the high school in the same way they have received community support over the years.

“AYSO has been supported by so many in our community and is grateful to have the opportunity to give back in a new way,” said regional AYSO commissioner Dan Runhaar. “A big thanks goes out to S&S Seeds for storing our goals and the city of Carpinteria for supporting our youth soccer programs, which serve about 500 kids every fall. We all look forward to seeing them in use by our kids at CHS!”

In response, Athletic Director Pat Cooney said, “The Warriors are very grateful to AYSO for the donation of the goals, for providing a positive youth program for future CHS players and for growing soccer in the Carpinteria valley!”

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ON DECK

Thursday, August 24

*Carpinteria Girls Tennis vs Viewpoint, 3:30 p.m.

Carpinteria Girls Volleyball at Laguna Blanca, 5 p.m.

Friday, August 25

*Carpinteria Girls Tennis vs Laguna Blanca, 3:30 p.m.

Carpinteria Girls Volleyball at Thacher, 4 p.m.

Carpinteria Boys Water Polo at Thousand Oaks Tournament

Carpinteria Football at Cabrillo (Long Beach), 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 26

Carpinteria Boys Water Polo at Thousand Oaks Tournament

*Denotes Home Game

Goalie Sebastian Campuzano grabs one of his 12 blocks against Dos Pueblos.

Carpinteria’s new head coach Karl Fredrickson draws up a scoring play.

ABOVE, Sky Korling deflects a shot deep in his own territory.

RIGHT, Senior Asher Smith led all scorers with four goals in the Warriors’ season opener.

From left, AYSO volunteers Jeff Shaw, Brett Labistour, Dan Runhaar, Jon-Ryan Schlobohm and Moses Schlobohm help move goals donated to CHS this summer.

Thursday, Aug. 24

Senior Center Activities: Puzzles and Games Carpinteria Community Library, Arts & Lecture Hall, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 9:45–11 a.m.

Dementia Caregivers Support Group Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 10:30 a.m.–noon. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Senior Center Activities: Chair Yoga Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 11 a.m.–noon

Bilingual Postpartum Support Group El Carro Park, 5300 El Carro Lane. 1 p.m. rmaldonado@carpchildren.org, (805) 566-1613

One-on-One Tech Help Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 1:30–3:30 p.m. Appointments required. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Carpinteria Creative Arts Eighth St. and Linden Ave. 2:30–6 p.m. Handmade pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry and sewn articles. (805) 698-4536

Carpinteria Farmers Market 800 block of Linden Ave. Thursdays, 3–6:30 p.m.

World’s Safest Bingo Carpinteria Main Beach, at the end of Linden Ave. 6–7 p.m. Free. worldssafestbingo@ gmail.com

Friday, Aug. 25

Live Music: The Youngsters Island Brewing Company, 5049 Sixth St. 6–9 p.m. islandbrewingcompany.com, (805) 745-8272

Saturday, Aug. 26

Salt Marsh Nature Park Docent Tours Meet at the entrance across from the corner of Sandyland and Ash Avenue. 10 a.m.–noon. Free. (805) 886-4382

Film: “Best in Show” The Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave. Doors open 1 p.m.; show starts 2 p.m. Tickets: $10. thealcazar.org, (805) 684-6380

Corktree Cellars Celebration: One Year of Operations Corktree Cellars,

910 Linden Ave. 5–9 p.m. corktreecellars.com, (805) 684-1400

Live Music: Green Flag Island Brewing Company, 5049 Sixth St. 6–9 p.m. islandbrewingcompany.com, (805) 745-8272

Sunday, Aug. 27

Live Music: Mike “Guitar” Witt Island Brewing Company, 5049 Sixth St. 2–5 p.m. islandbrewingcompany.com, (805) 745-8272

Monday, Aug. 28

Preschool Story Time Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 10–10:30 a.m. For preschool aged children. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Monday Mahjong All levels of play. 1 p.m. (805) 729-1310

Senior Center Activities: Socials Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave. noon–2 p.m.

Senior Center Activities: Mindful Mediation Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave. 12:30 p.m.

Mind Games for Adults Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 2–3 p.m. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Club de Lectura Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 4–5 p.m. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Tuesday, Aug. 29

Senior Center Activities: Book Club or Games Carpinteria Community Library, Arts & Lecture Hall, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 9:45–11 a.m.

Senior Center Activities: Balance and Neuroplasticity Exercise Class Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Wal-

The decision of the Director of the Planning and Development Department to approve, conditionally approve, or deny this Coastal Development Permit 23CDH 00001 may be appealed to the County Planning Commission by the applicant or an aggrieved person. The written appeal must be filed within the 10 calendar days following the date that the Director takes action on this Coastal Development Permit. To qualify as an “aggrieved person” the appellant must have, in person or through a representative, informed the Planning and Development Department by appropriate means prior to the decision on the Coastal Development Permit of the nature of their concerns, or, for good cause, was unable to do so.

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

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

For additional information regarding the appeal process, contact Soren Kringel. The application required to file an appeal may be viewed at or downloaded from : https://content.civicplus.com/api/ assets/a332eebc b6b5 4a1e 9dde

4b99ae964af9?cache=1800

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Information about this project review process may also be viewed at: https://ca santabarbaracounty.civicplus. pro/1499/Planning Permit Process Flow Chart Board of Architectural Review agendas may be viewed online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/160/Planning Development

Publish: August 24, 2023

nut Ave. 11 a.m.–noon

GranVida Blood Drive GranVida Senior Living, 5464 Carpinteria Ave. noon–4 p.m. Appointments requested. vitalant.org, (877) 258-4825

Improv Classes The Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave. 7–9 p.m. $10 at the door. thealcazar.org, (805) 684-6380

Senior Center Activities: Dance Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 7:30–9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 30

Baby & Me Meet Up Carpinteria Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. 9–9:45 a.m. Children under two. carpinterialibrary.org, (805) 684-4314

Senior Center Activities: Socials Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave. 9:30–11:30 a.m.

Senior Center Activities: Arts and Crafts Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave. 10 a.m.

Senior Center Activities: Walking Group Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave. 10:30 a.m. Knitting and Needle Crafts Group Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 1–3 p.m. Free. (805) 886-4382

Senior Center Activities: Line Dancing Veterans Memorial Building, 941 Walnut Ave. 3–4 p.m.

If you or anyone you know is feeling alone, desperate or in need of emotional support, please know that there is FREE help available! The numbers below provide 24/7

FRAN DAVIS

You don’t often get to witness a store’s slow death. We knew Bed Bath and Beyond was in trouble for a couple of years – stock prices falling, store closures announced. But the one in Fairview Center, near where I live, kept the lights on during the pandemic, even carrying some food items.

Gradually, however, the store began to take on a skeletal look, sparse merchandise on towering white racks. Still, we

Watching a store die

thought it might survive even as its sister stores gave up the ghost. I’d always liked that store, which seemed to stock every household thing I would ever need. I loved browsing the kitchen area for unique storage units and unusual gadgets.

Then the death knell sounded: bankruptcy. Big closing signs went up. But miraculously, the store itself swelled, became gorged with inventory. Signs announced new arrivals every day, clear evidence that other BB&B stores were being bled dry, offloading their stuff to the Goleta location.

It was encouraging to see the store reborn, shelves stacked high, whole new products available. Prices fell to 50% and below as the days rolled by. Happy shoppers rolled out with shopping carts piled high. I bought things just because they were on sale, new sheets, a brass lamp to replace an unfortunate pole lamp, decorative pillows, a rug, even some socks.

Every few days I’d check the store’s glass doors to see if they still slid open. Finally, the 90% off signs went up, so out of

curiosity, I returned. Whole sections were closed off by yellow tape. I wandered the depleted racks while sales clerks rolled canvas bins through, tossing in the leftovers. A flock of children raced up and down the disheveled the aisles playing hide and seek.

Not much was left and what remained was strange – a long row of Mandalorian baby Yoda toys, some poolside Margaritaville games, sheets in odd colors, quite a few fleece throws. Pushing back some of those in a hanging rack, I found a little girl hiding. She jumped up with a shriek and ran off to join the others.

Children playing in the ruins. It was oddly unsettling. The whole thing felt wrong, like a siege, like the sacking of a village in a war zone. A once vibrant

commercial enterprise reduced to shambling wreck.

Commerce, I thought, it comes and goes, folds and unfolds, dies or is absorbed. Bed Bath and Beyond has been purchased – I prefer the verb consumed— by Overstock, which has also taken over the BB&B name for their online presence. So maybe the Mandalorian Baby Yoda is still available in case anyone missed the final sale.

Fran Davis has been writing for CVN for over 25 years. Now wielding her pen from Goleta, she shares her thoughts on the vagaries of life and the times we live in. An award-winning writer and freelance editor, she has published work in magazines, print and online journals, anthologies and travel books.

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Not much was left and what remained was strange – a long row of Mandalorian baby Yoda toys, some poolside Margaritaville games, sheets in odd colors, quite a few fleece throws.