George Meets the Pope!

SERVING

MONTECITO AND SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA

The

Illustrious Illuminate

Deepak Chopra keynoting, the 20th anniversary of What the Bleep Do We Know!? Illuminate Film Festival will light up the town,

GEORGE MEETS THE POPE!

Normally a visit to the YMCA would get you a little exercise, some fresh air, and maybe a new friend or two… For YMCA USA Board Chair George Leis and President/ CEO Suzanne McCormick, it’s getting them an audience with Pope Francis. Read more on the global impact of the organization and how it’s sending them to the Vatican (Story starts on page 6)

Centennial Celebration

The Granada is turning 100! Take a look back at its century-long transformation into the world-class concert hall it is today, page 22

san ysidro ranch

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– “YMCA” and “Pope” are a couple of nouns one wouldn’t

to see linking arms. MBT’s George Leis says, “Guess again.”

Miscellany – Cinderella on stage, Mineards on TV, Revels at the Creekside, and more miscellany

In Passing – The lives of Toni V. Fox and David A Morley are remembered by their families and loved ones Tide Guide

Letters to the Editor – Thoughts on the Lee v. Williams race, sewage spills, Tom Snow, and most importantly – a message from Carlos, The Bear

12 Our Town – Short film on Summerland oil wells is heading to Washington, a book author event, Environmental Stewards deadline, and upcoming Easter festivities

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On Entertainment – The illustrious Illuminate Film Fest, ASMF’s Marriner 100 sails to town, and other events

The Giving List – The Granada’s centennial celebration is also honoring their history of giving back to the community

Brilliant Thoughts – Being in the middle can oftentimes bring comfort, sometimes bring spice, and always tops the bell

20 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A floor lamp found at the flea market brings light to the Art Nouveau style; and an unexpected turn towards umbrella manufacturing

22 The Way It Was – The history of the Granada, tracing its changes over the years and what is coming for its 100th anniversary

24 Hot Topics – Montecito Fire is here to discuss their community impact in 2023 and here to respond when you need them

28 Women of the Harbor – New Santa Barbara Maritime Museum exhibit celebrates the local women in the harbor

30 Your Westmont – Big hat bash celebrates Ridley-Tree, art graduates offer Between Moments, grant to train students in AI, talk examines racism and greed

34 Robert’s Big Questions – What is the hierarchy of sciences? And how does engineering and the building of models fit into it all?

48 Calendar of Events – Funk Zone Live, poets at The Good Lion, The Moth at the Lobero, and more happenings

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

51 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

Editorial It Starts with the Dishes

by Gwyn Lurie

Jimmy Stewart played a version of this character in the well-known classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The difference is, our newly elected soon to be 1st District County Supervisor is for real. Or is he? Time will certainly tell. But for now, Roy Lee is on his way to the county to do what he calls “serving this community with humility.” We may all have forgotten what that looks like by now, but it may well look like a 40 something Taiwanese immigrant who, as young child, came to Santa Barbara with his family in 1986. His parents worked hard running small businesses, experiences Lee credits with instilling within him a strong work ethic. He attended local schools before graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2006. He’s served for eight years on the Carpinteria City Council while working at his family’s restaurant in Carp, called Uncle Chen’s. And Lee credits this connection with his local community for keeping him “grounded and focused on what’s important.”

Come December, Lee will no longer be waiting tables and mopping floors at Uncle Chen’s. He will instead be at the County, working to mop up the messes he believes were, at least in part, created by his predecessor. Time will tell whether this charming and remarkably un-jaded man will be able to hold on to the idealism, humility, and strong connection he built to his local community while waiting on their tables; whether he can stay “grounded and focused on what’s important.” Certainly, the voters who elected him as a breath of fresh air are counting on it. But at the very least, it’s an inspiring Oscar-worthy story I like to call: Mr. Lee Goes to Santa Barbara County. This is a conversation I had with Roy Lee last week (edited for length):

Gwyn Lurie. How are you feeling now that the election is over?

Roy Lee. I feel very grateful, and very happy to be given this opportunity to serve.

Was there any part of you that went, “Oh, no, now I have to actually do this?”

No. I’m very excited to go out there and just listen and learn and prepare for the role that I’m about to take.

What does preparation look like for you?

Learning as much as I can. I’ve been talking to Houghton Hyatt from the Montecito Association, learning about the important issues in Montecito, like the ring nets, the Hot Springs Trail, and the expansion of the Rosewood Miramar and the conflicts with the neighborhood. Those are the top three issues that I have learned by also talking to the neighborhoods.

I spoke with Marshall Miller on the planning commission, and Cori Hayman (Director, Montecito Water District). Marshall has a great idea called the Geological Hazard Abatement District, a government agency that provides communities with the ability to become more resilient on sloping communities such as Montecito. And Cori Hayman has an idea for how to pay for that. So I’m going to meet with her to hear her ideas and just put all the pieces together to make Montecito more resilient in the future.

I assume Cori’s not just going to write a check? What was her idea?

No, I wish. She said there’s a government agency in Santa Maria that can provide the funding necessary. I want to learn as much as I can. There are so many amazing people in Montecito that know so much, and I want to listen and learn and bring their skills and experience to the supervisor role.

Why do you think you won? That was a significant victory considering you were up against a seasoned, long time Santa Barbara politician.

It was a lot of compounding factors. It was the timing. It was the mistakes that Das [Williams] kept making time and time again, and it was just hard work on my part, getting the word out,

Gwyn Lurie is CEO and Executive Editor of the Montecito Journal Media Group can t always get what want a a a but you c n get a lde icious a ste k diane flambeed tableside wi a th o lass g f crown point cabernet ... At... you you

Beings & Doings

More to the “Y” than Meets the Eye

George Leis, Suzanne McCormick, the YMCA, and the Pope

By Jeff Wing

George Leis is Montecito Bank & Trust’s President & Chief Operating Officer, a familiar presence in the Village – and a famously nice guy. Once described in these pages as “…so upbeat, ordinary bankers shrink from his presence like goblins nearing sunlight,” Leis is a dedicated and indefatigable volunteer for the community he loves. In both his banking career and volunteer work, he has demonstrated a genuine, lifelong heart for service. Okay. But an audience with the Pope?!

“This came together during George’s first week on the job,” says Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) and orchestrator of the papal convocation. She and Leis will be meeting with Pope Francis in April. McCormick was at pains to give the newly-arrived Leis a little context. “I

The first week on the job to which McCormick refers is Leis’ election this past February to Chair of Y-USA’s board. In George Leis’ lifetime of intentional service, this may be fairly described as a zenith. In September of 2021, Suzanne McCormick became the organization’s 15th President, and is the first woman to lead the YMCA in the association’s 180-year history.

toes for decades – is as central to the warm American zeitgeist as e plubibus unum. The YMCA is a cherished hometown emblem of community and acceptance.

“Le të shkojmë në Y”

told him,” she says in perfect deadpan, ‘George, I don’t know if you should expect an invitation like this every week.’”

In the U.S., the YMCA brand is as familiar and embraceable as your favorite weighted blankie – a cozy and welcoming nexus of youth sports, afterschool programs, summer camps, feverishly polished basketball and racquetball courts, and workout facilities that welcome you and your un-ironed, voluminous gym shorts. The well-worn phrase “I gotta get back to the Y” – guiltily uttered by popcorn-quaffing couch pota-

The Y also happens to be a global steamroller of healing and uplift. “There are Ys in 120 countries,” McCormick says. “I just recently had the opportunity to visit the YMCA in Kosovo, and there it’s doing a lot of bridge-building and peacebuilding between young Kosovars and Serbian youth.” Yes, there is a YMCA in Kosovo – a word once synonymous with bloody strife and a ruinous internecine war with

Superheroes share a green screen moment… Y-USA president/CEO Suzanne McCormick and Board Chair George Leis (courtesy photo)

Lifesaving class at the Constantinople (Istanbul) Turkey YMCA ca.19101930 (courtesy photo)

Montecito Miscellany

Cinderella on Pointe

by Richard Mineards

There was a great deal of sole searching going on at the Lobero when State Street Ballet performed a highly entertaining version of Cinderella, choreographed by the company’s founder Rodney Gustafson. State Street Ballet’s Cinderella at the Lobero was celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The production, with its stirring music by Sergei Prokofiev, was written in 1940, but not finished until 1945 while he wrote the opera War and Peace Cinderella had its debut with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow.

The fairytale show featured Amara Galloway, a member of the company since 2017 in the title role, with Ethan Ahuero, who joined State Street in 2023, as the handsome prince.

As well as the colorful sets and glorious costumes by Christina Giannini, how could one forget the Ugly Sisters played with high camp by Sergei Domrachev – always a joy as Mother Ginger in the Nutcracker – and Nathaniel Tyson, with Marina Fliagina as the Wicked Stepmother and Arianna Hartanov as the Fairy Godmother.

A truly enchanting evening, glass slipper and all...

Royal Well Wishes

The phone at Maison Mineards Montecito was red hot after Kate, the Princess of Wales, posted her candid video revealing she was being treated for cancer after visiting the London Clinic for major gastro-intestinal surgery.

Miscellany Page 384

Executive Director Cecily MacDougall, Sergei Domrachev (Stepsister 1), Amara Galloway (Cinderella), Ethan Ahuero (Prince), and Artistic Director Megan Philipp (photo by Priscilla)

Artistic Director Megan Philipp, Ethan Ahuero, Amara Galloway, Arianna Hartanov, and Executive Director Cecily MacDougall (photo by Priscilla)

Cinderella’s cast receiving a standing ovation from a totally delighted and appreciative audience (photo by Priscilla)

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IN PASSING

Toni V. Fox: 9/25/1947 – 8/20/2023

Our beloved Toni passed away on August 20, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with melanoma. She is fondly remembered by family and friends for her warmth, contagious smile, and vivacious personality.

Toni V. Fox was born in Los Angeles to Vance and Carole Basler and was one of three children with an older sister, Jo, and younger brother, Terry. She attended high school at South High in Torrance and graduated from Inglewood High School, where she was an excellent student, cheerleader, and honored by her classmates at many high school events. It was at a high school friend’s party that Toni, age 16, met her future husband, Dave.

Toni attended the University of California Irvine and Colorado State University as an art major. She graduated with a BS in Education from University of Southern California in 1970.

Toni taught fourth grade in the Torrance Unified School District for four years.

Toni dearly loved her home, children, grandchildren, interior design, travel to Europe, and watching her granddaughters play sports

Toni and Dave married at The Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes in August 1969. They soon became apartment managers and bought their first home in Rolling Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

A few years later, they moved to Santa Barbara, where Dave developed his business as a State Farm agent, and Toni pursued her career in interior design. She created Innovative Designs West, which quickly flourished through word of mouth. Toni is remembered by clients for her amazing vision, and she quickly gained the respect of contractors for her attention to detail and the ability to get a job done.

Before long, Dave and Toni purchased a home in Montecito and began their family of three wonderful sons Blair, Brandon, and Brent. Toni was involved in the PTA and loved watching her boys participate in water polo, football, tennis, and other sports.

After 30 years of living in Montecito, Dave and Toni moved in 2004 to a ranch in Santa Ynez where Toni was elated to look out on their vineyard, a dream come true. And, of course, Toni once again worked her magic completely refurbishing the ranch house into the beautiful home it is today.

She dearly loved her home, children, grandchildren, interior design, travel to Europe (especially Italy), and watching her granddaughters participate in soccer and water polo. Her passions also included gardening and reading spy stories, mysteries, and the Bible. Toni is survived by her loving husband Dave, sons Blair (Sarah), Brandon, and Brent, granddaughters Rylee and Haylee, and her beloved Hungarian Puli “Vincy.”

David A Morley: 12/31/1939 – 2/3/2024

The dates above are merely the frame of Dave’s life on earth. It is what he invested in that small dash in-between that has had a lasting impact on the lives of those of us who knew him, and what we will remember about him. This brief recount of his life serves only as a mere outline of his influence, so if you would like to join us to fill in the gaps with stories and memories, we are having a ‘Celebration of Life’ service in Dave’s honor at First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara (21 E. Constance Ave) on Sunday, May 26th at 3 pm. There will also be a time afterwards for conversation and coffee (two of Dave’s favorite things).

Dave’s days began when he was born to William and Mary Morley on December 31st, 1939. His sister, Gail, completed their family in 1945. The Morleys lived in Sacramento, California until 1956 when they moved to Tacoma, Washington, where Dave finished his last year in high school. Playing on the high school basketball team sparked a love of the game that lasted his whole life long. After graduating from Clover Park High School, Dave moved to Spokane, Washington where he attended Whitworth College, graduating in 1961. He and Mary Stoddard met during his junior year and married just after he graduated. In the year after graduation, Dave worked as an assistant pro at a local golf course during the summer and as Whitworth’s assistant basketball coach during the winter. His connection with Whitworth continued as he worked

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

Dave will be remembered by his friends, colleagues, students, family, and a host of others who call Dave “Dad”

as the Director of Student Activities, then an admissions counselor and finally

In Passing Page 334

JOURNAL newspaper

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net

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Managing Editor | Zach Rosen, zach@montecitojournal.net

MoJo Contributing Editor | Christopher Matteo Connor

Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

Administration | Jessikah Fechner

Administrative Assistant | Kassidy Craner VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net

Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott

Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick

Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin

Proofreading | Helen Buckley

Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Jamie Knee, Elizabeth Stewart, Amélie Dieux, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing

Gossip | Richard Mineards

History | Hattie Beresford

Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri

Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook

Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie

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Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.

How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

Letters to the Editor

Shock, Awe, and Support

In these troubling times both domestically and abroad, it’s great to see, in the just-certified election of Carpinteria’s Roy Lee as the new Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor, a heartening example that our system of one-person, one-vote does actually on occasion work as it was intended, and to be reminded of the essential role of a free local press in informing citizens so that we can connect, contribute, and work together to improve our society.

Many remember the ugliness of the 2020 Das Williams v. Laura Capps supervisorial race. Williams was weakened by media exposure of his role – detrimental both fiscally and environmentally – in crafting regulations for the nascent pot-growing industry while accepting contributions from those connected to it. Capps, with her admirable platform of campaign finance reform, transparency, and affordable housing, and with her solid reputation on the Santa Barbara school board, appeared to be headed toward victory.

But locals didn’t count on Williams going low with a “dirty tricks” campaign of negative radio ads and mailings, some calling Capps an “extreme progressive” and attacking her mother, former U.S. Congresswoman Lois Capps , as well as our beloved former Supervisor Susan Rose .

This election season, as I had been traveling extensively and figured Williams was headed for another reelection, I was suddenly shocked to learn via our very own MJ , that the supervisors hadn’t followed through on hopes/plans for the county to take over the ring nets project. And where was Williams, who should have been the strongest voice on this? Next, I was further jarred awake by Gwyn Lurie ’s excellent editorial about the need for change in the supes seat and endorsement of the dark horse candidate from Carpinteria. We used to own a beach house at Sandyland, and my now-adult children fondly remember Uncle Chen’s, but Lee

Letters Page 324

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Our Town Rabin’s Summerland Oil Short Film Heads to Washington, D.C.

by Joanne A Calitri

On the Wave Productions’ 22-minute documentary short film titled, Greetings from Summerland, Birthplace of Offshore Oil, is headed to Washington, D.C.’s bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. The film was produced and directed by filmmakers Harry Rabin and Joey Szalkiewicz. It premiered at the SBIFF and is scheduled for the Marjorie Luke Theatre for Earth Day.

Its undeniable success is succinctly outlining the issues that oil development, both on and offshore at Summerland, presents to our environment globally. The film highlights cogent, science-backed points that methane gas is the most urgent environmental contributor to global warming. The film provides the history of unregulated oil drilling, well abandonment, and Rabin’s work with scientist Dr. Ira Leifer as the project leaders in Heal the Ocean’s current Summerland Oil Mitigation Study (SOMS).

Liefer’s straightforward candor about oil drilling, methane gas, and predictive remediation results are a welcome invitation to globally connect on the issue. To him, this is science fact, not science fiction, politics, or religion. To quote Dr. Leifer, “This is a planetary issue and we humans as a planetary species need to address the issues of methane now or the ants will thank us.”

One unique note from the film is Bob Ratcliffe’s 8mm camera footage (1968) of him sealing wellheads in Summerland – under CA State Lands Commission’s (CSLC) direction, he was instructed to use cement and explosives to effectively seal these wellheads at $500 each.

The film’s impact transcends the film festival. Rabin, in our interview, explained, “I called Congressman Salud Carbajal to attend the premiere of our film at the SBIFF.

He was in Washington and couldn’t make it but wanted to see it. I arranged a private viewing for him at our production studio. After viewing it Carbajal said, ‘Ok we need to bring this film to Washington, D.C. to show to the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, [Carbajal is a member], and maybe they’ll get it.’ We are waiting to hear on the date from Salud.”

The caucus is led by co-chairs Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-2nd) and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6th). Their site describes the team as “working together to combat climate change while protecting the economic prosperity of the United States,” and goes on to explain “The group is dedicated to building a constructive dialogue about climate change, economics, energy, and conservation among Members of Congress, global leaders, environmental organizations, and business leaders.” (https://climatesolutionscaucus-garbarino.house.gov)

The U.S. Congress’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (January 2023) directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish programs to inventory and properly close

Our Town Page 354

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Harry Rabin in his production studio with clip of Ira Liefer on the monitor from the film, Greetings from Summerland, Birthplace of Offshore Oil (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

On Entertainment

Illuminate Film Fest Will Light up the Town

by Steven Libowitz

Santa Barbara certainly has no dearth of film festivals, but until now there hasn’t been a festival that directly addresses the region’s rare confluence of people who are both cinema-savvy and socially conscious. If Illuminate hadn’t come along, perhaps someone would have had to invent one to interact at that intersection.

Fortunately, the Illuminate Film Festival spent its first nine years germinating in Sedona, AZ, allowing it to grow organically in a much smaller environment than our seaside city just 90 miles from Hollywood. When the founder decided to step away, she sought out the co-directors of the Shift Your World Film Festival, which ran online through the Shift Network during the pandemic: Téana David and Kit Thomas, who have lived here for five years. The couple are their own mini-version of cinema-savvy and socially conscious. David, who curated and produced over 75 events a year with leading spiritual teachers, environmental leaders, visionaries, holistic doctors, and others as director of Deepak Chopra’s Home Base, shares a similar vision with Thomas, an Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and music producer.

On April 4, Chopra will deliver the keynote address to kick off Illuminate 2024, a long weekend that encompasses 11 film screenings and a wide variety of ancillary events that separate the festival – which is “Dedicated to spreading enlightened ideas and pushing humanity forward” – from anything similar.

“Illuminate is an evolutionary film festival with the mission to leverage the power of cinema to help us become better versions of ourselves, both individually and as a questing humanity,” said David, the festival’s executive director (Thomas serves as director of programming and industry relations). “What differentiates Illuminate from some activist and environmental film festivals is that we believe that true and lasting change begins within.” Thus the festival’s movies don’t just raise awareness about issues but also instigate moving beyond simply being solution-oriented to actually inspiring a shift in con-

sciousness, David said. “Once that happens, all of our actions are coming from a more awakened perspective, and then change happens organically.”

Opening Night film Love Over Money chronicles John Robbins, the BaskinRobbins heir who left a life of luxury to forge his own path, including writing the bestseller Diet for a New America. A remastered edition of Fantastic Fungi, the nature doc focusing on the healing power of mushrooms, will be followed by a panel discussion about the role of psilocybin and other psychedelics in personal and planetary healing with director Louie Schwartzberg and Jacob Tell, founder of District 216, Santa Barbara’s psychedelic social club.

Many of the other films have local connections: Jacob the Baker is about the fictional sage created by author Noah benShea, who will be interviewed after the screening, while a 20th anniversary celebration of the genre-bending, mind-altering journey into the cellular, molecular and quantum worlds What the Bleep Do We Know!? finishes with a Q&A session with co-director Will Arntz. Environmental activist, philanthropist and Holocaust survivor Eva Haller will be presented with Illuminate’s Local Luminary Award after a screening of Eva Haller: A Work in Progress. Dr. Joe Dispenza will conduct an in-person presentation after the screening of Source, which unveils a scientific study to examine what happens when we meditate, using a Dispenza retreat as testing grounds. Uncharitable, which introduces a radical new way of giving, will be followed by a panel with Community Environmental Council CEO Sigrid Wright and CalNonprofits CEO Geoff Green, among others.

“There’s a thirst for films that carry messages of hope and solutions, and an awareness of humans’ role in healing our planet,” David said. “But the work doesn’t stop

On Entertainment Page 414

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The Giving List Granada Theatre

by Steven Libowitz

Are you wondering why there’s a whole lot of hoopla about the Granada Theatre 100th birthday beyond merely marking a major milestone? First, perhaps, pivot over to Hattie Beresford’s comprehensive column The Way It Was (page 22) in this issue. That piece traces the history of the grand old theater – from its vaudeville days to its current position as a center of performing arts in downtown Santa Barbara. But may we also suggest heading downtown to the Granada this Wednesday, April 3, when a new commissioned documentary short, The Granada: Celebrating 100 Years of the Arts in Santa Barbara, has its world premiere.

The film is a jam-packed half-hour directed by April Wright, the filmmaker behind such celebrated feature docs as Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie (2011) and Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story (2020). The film uses a different media to

delve into the rich history of the Granada from its origins as a silent movie palace to its place as a premier Warner Bros movie theater and now, once again, a hub for the arts. The doc is packed with archival photographs, dozens of interviews and shots of the grand and glorious Granada as it stands today. After the film finishes being projected on the hi-definition screen above the stage, Wright will join film historian Ross Melnick and special guests in a Q&A as part of the free event.

One person who won’t need such an education update is Palmer Jackson, Jr., the Granada’s Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, whose family’s time in town and as patrons of the theater date back to its earliest days.

“My great grandfather, who owned what is now Lotusland and passed away in 1930 sat in the Granada to watch vaudeville shows and movies,” Jackson said. “My grandfather attended a lot more events at the Granada than his dad, and, of course, my parents have been going to the Granada since they’ve lived here since the 1960s. That’s four gener-

ations of Jacksons that have gone to the Granada since it opened. My kids, too, so that makes it five.”

So, Jackson said, when Michael Towbes asked him to join the Granada’s board of directors about a decade ago, saying yes was a no-brainer for the musician who at the time had sat on the Lobero’s board. And he’s proud as could be to be the chairman for such a jewel in the crown of the arts in Santa Barbara.

“The Granada is state-of-the-art with the right size stage, fantastic dressing rooms, the upgraded lighting and new sound system and all of the facilities,

which are just awesome,” Jackson said. “As I have often said, Santa Barbara has outsized cultural assets for its size – more culture than it should for a town this small. We have our own opera company, our own symphony and ballet – all of which reside at the Granada.”

Indeed, there are five other local performing arts organizations that are resident companies at the Granada, which sets the theater apart from others in town and in most communities. Plus, the theater partners with American Theatre

State Street Ballet, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Symphony are just some of the organizations that call the Granada “home” (courtesy photo)

Brilliant Thoughts The Merry Middle

by Ashleigh Brilliant

At a certain point between “Some Of” and “Too Much Of,” there comes a magic amount called “Just Enough.” You may remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If any part of it has stayed in your mind, it’s probably where Goldilocks tastes the Bears’ porridge and finds the Papa Bear’s “too hot” and the Mama Bear’s “too cold,” but the little Baby Bear’s portion is “Just Right.”

This must have been an important matter in the days when porridge was a staple ingredient of many people’s lives.

(In the famous Dictionary of Dr. Samuel Johnson, who looked down on Scottish people – although his great biographer, James Boswell, was a Scot – “Oats” was defined as “A grain which in England is fed to horses, but in Scotland supports the bulk of the population.”)

And then there’s that other classic, the nursery rhyme about Porridge, which tells us that:

Some like it hot, some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, nine days old.

In the days before most people had a home refrigerator, or at least an icebox, food that couldn’t be eaten right away was generally kept in a “pantry.” In my family’s small house, in a suburb of London, the pantry was a sort of large closet adjoining the kitchen. It had a window which was usually kept open, since the outside air was almost always cooler than inside. I can’t remember if the window had a screen, but, at least in our neighborhood, insect pests were never much of a problem.

But just how long various foods could be stored in the pantry before becoming inedible was I suppose mainly a matter of housekeeping knowledge – although there were, and are, many books on cookery and related topics, such as the famous one by Isabella Beeton called Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, which first appeared in 1861 and is still in print.

Incidentally, Some Like It Hot is the name of one of my favorite movies – probably one of the best comedies ever made, although much of the humor is based on that old plot device of men pretending to be women. In this case, it’s two male musicians – Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis –attempting to escape The Mob by disguising themselves as members of an all-girl band. Just to add zest to the mixture, one member of that band is Marylin Monroe.

But getting back to food preservation, this was historically one of the major concerns of our ancestors, and it at least partly explains the importance of spices in trade, colonization, and even in war. Certain spices were known to make food more edible, and to help preserve it during the long winter months, when there was a shortage of fresh food, especially in Western Europe. And certain parts of the world, such as the “Spice Islands” of the East Indies, were particularly desirable as trading destinations. This was after the sailing route around the bottom of Africa had been discovered. Previously, spices had to come overland by caravans from the Far East.

(Incidentally, if you want to stump your friends with a quiz question, try asking “What is the Southernmost point of Africa?” Many will probably say “The Cape of Good Hope.” But actually, Cape Agulhas is about 140 miles farther south.)

While we’re considering the swings of Fortune, mention must be made of that ubiquitous swinger, the Pendulum. As a child I’d believed the pendulum was a phe-

nomenon limited to grandfather clocks –until at school, in Physics class, I learned of its scientific relationship to time and measurement and gravity; not to mention all the different types of pendula and swings.

Then there’s the “bell curve of normal distribution” which on a graph, no matter what you’re measuring, has a bell shape –with a mid-point from which your data will go steeply down and then flatten out.

And we must give credit to Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose essay on Compensation attempts to encompass the balanced duality of Nature in all its forms. It’s not easy to find optimists like Emerson today; those who believe that, even in this world, there’s a right for every wrong, and that we need not wait for an afterlife to find divine justice at work.

Finally, let’s not forget that porridge we left in the pot nine days ago. Some brave person should experiment to see how safe it is to eat. Shall we try? You go first.

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

XJOIN US FOR DINNER

Join us at Caruso's for a James Beard Foundation dinner honoring Earth Day, where Chef Partner Massimo Falsini, Chef de Cuisine Shibani Mone and Chef Rachel Haggstrom of Justin Restaurant will collaborate on a hyper-local five-course menu.

This special evening will feature a communal patio table overlooking the ocean, showcasing seasonal ingredients from local purveyors. Each course will be presented by Chef Massimo and some of our partnering purveyors including Sea Stephanie Fish, Ojai Roots and Solymar Seafood. Guests will enjoy a night of gourmet excellence intertwined with a commitment to sustainability and environmental advocacy

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Elizabeth’s Appraisals

Art Nouveau Lamp

by Elizabeth Stewart

JJhas a wonderful goose-neck floor lamp, found at the Earl Warren flea market. The base is a naturalistic bronze – a round figure of a lily pad featuring a little crawfish with tiny minnows. The base is stamped R B and Co., with what appears to be two sets of numbers which likely indicate model.

First question: Was JJ’s find a Tiffany?

The lily pad design was a favorite of Louis Comfort Tiffany and his storied Tiffany and Company. If made by Tiffany – the premier designer of lighting in the Art Nouveau style – it would mean this lamp would be valued in the five figures; and that JJ scored. However, no similarly designed bases were found to have been produced by Tiffany.

Tiffany lamps were signed (with a stamp, usually). Apart from that missing identifier, these naturalistic elements of

the fish and crawdad on JJ’s lamp are too cute, meaning that the lamp was designed for a less “aesthetically discerning” market than that of the Tiffany buyer of 1900. Tiffany lamps are works of fine art sculpture and have a restraint and dignity to their designs.

Second question: Who was R B and Co.? R B and Co. was the Rose Brothers Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Brothers manufactured collapsible umbrellas, and for a short time, they were the world leaders in umbrellas. Lancaster, PA, may seem an odd place to have been the center of the umbrella world. Lancaster began in 1729 as a colonial town, and grew to an industrial powerhouse in the late 19th c. The Rose Brothers Company was founded in 1886 by James and David Rose. When they merged in 1890 with Follmer, Clogg, and Co., another umbrella manufacturer, the Rose Brothers built a respectable red brick factory in the Colonial Revival style and began to innovate.

One of the innovations was a 1910 bronze-based lamp that featured a shade that could open and close just like an umbrella. The bases on these ‘umbrella shades’ were produced in the two dominant styles of the day; Art Nouveau and French Classical Revival. If in the Art Nouveau style, the lamp was “themed’’ in such motifs as the lily pad. A Rose Brothers base in the French Classical style would feature a Corinthian column design. The real star of the show, however, was the novelty of the umbrella shade.

The shades, innovative as they were, caused problems. When “folded”, the umbrella-like mechanism would enclose the radiant light bulb in a way that gave the lamps something of a reputation as a safety hazard. JJ’s floor lamp has no trace of its former shade, but the base is interesting and clever; an affordably American Art Nouveau creation for the lower brow collector.

Two technological events occurred between 1890 and 1910 which made Art Nouveau the language of lighting. Firstly, great glass and furniture designers took notice that interior lighting could be a completely new field for design. The first incandescent lamp was not produced till the early 20th c. Designers working in glass took special notice, because the brightness of the bulb meant that a colorful and glowing glass shade could be a room’s focal point.

Designers in Europe, where Art Nouveau was born, were responsible for the revolution in Art Nouveau lighting

– alongside one notable luxury design house in America. French artist Louis Majorelle, known for furniture and architectural details, created wonderful sculptural bronze bases, and Emile Galle – an exceptional glass artist in the first quarter of the 20th c. – made wonderful shades. Louis Comfort Tiffany, though, was the major force in fine decorative lighting in the U.S.

Compare the base on JJ’s lamp to a description of lamps which have recently sold in the genuine “high style” of Art Nouveau lamps. First, we have an early 20th c. American floor lamp whose bronze stand takes the sculptured form of river cattails and scrolling vines, which continue up the lamp to the terminal of bronze flowers. This is a good example of how nature inspired lamp designers of the day, as they realized the aesthetic opportunities made possible by the new electric light bulb. This American lamp sold for $1,500.

Second sale – Emile Galle’s 1909 floor lamp comprised a bronze rendition of a rose and thorn tree, replete with blossoms and branches, and painted with enameled colors. Galle designed this vine stem floor lamp with true-to-nature roots as the base. Two of these lamps sold recently for $20,000 for the pair at auction, but other sets can be seen in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the MMA in NYC.

The value of JJ’s floor lamp is $500.

Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com

“With the coming of spring, I am calm again.” – Gustav Mahler

A closeup of the bronze base and its naturalistic design

This lamp was found at the Earl Warren Flea Market

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The Way It Was The Granada Theatre Celebrates 100 Years

by Hattie Beresford

In December 1922, Edward A. Johnson, president of the California Theater Company that owned most of the movie houses in Santa Barbara, announced plans to build a theater and eight-story office building on State Street. Despite touches of Spanish design, many felt the tall rectangular structure did not suit Santa Barbara’s emerging Mediterranean style. Nevertheless, “Santa Barbara’s only skyscraper” opened its doors with great fanfare on April 9, 1924, just a few months before the Lobero Theatre was completed.

The new theater featured an enormous Wurlitzer organ that would accompany the action and scenes in silent movies with appropriate sound effects. For the comfort of patrons, luxurious retiring rooms were furnished with over-stuffed furniture, a small nursery, and several smoking compartments. There were five stories of

In March, 1925, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra played its third concert of the season at the Granada Theatre under the auspices of the Civic Music Committee, a forerunner of CAMA. The British musical phenom, Arthur Bliss, was guest conductor (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

dressing rooms and the latest in theater lighting and stage systems. Spanish features throughout included a 40-foot dome from which hung an enormous chandelier

The Wurlitzer company boasted that the Granada’s organ was “literally a magnificent orchestra, including every known orchestral instrument and many never heard in any orchestra.”

(photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

shaped like a Moorish disk, handwrought light fixtures, and a curtain painted with a scene of Granada, Spain.

the

included

THE LEHMAN TRILOGY

BY Stefano Massini

The appointments and décor of the interior emulated the Spanish motif. The foyer, which resembled a baronial entry hall, had a richly decorated beam ceiling of Mudéjar design. Above a large fireplace, a saint-like statue stood in a niche, an intricate wrought iron fixture hung from somber walls highlighted with gold and silver, and a fountain bubbled with colored water. Richly carpeted grand stairways and large Spanish mirrors completed the castillo-like effect.

Johnson chose his opening program to include the wide variety of acts that could be shown at the Granada. The “Great Sarli” (Antonio P. Sarli) conducted the new Granada Grand

Chris Butler as Emanuel Lehman

Troy Blendell as Henry Lehman

Leo Marks as Mayer Lehman

In February 1926, the feature film at the new Granada was Just Suppose, and the local Frank Greenough Orchestra provided the stage show (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Spanish features throughout

theater

a forty-foot dome from which hung an enormous chandelier shaped like a Moorish disk (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

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Hot Topics

by Christina Atchison

Before we close out the first quarter of 2024, Montecito Fire Protection District is pleased to share our 2023 Annual Report to reflect on our successes, challenges, and oppor-

tunities to further provide the Montecito community with exceptional service.

“This report serves as a comprehensive overview of our department’s achievements and ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our community,” Montecito Fire Chief David Neels said.

In 2023, Montecito Fire Department responded to 1,738 calls for service. This was an increase of more than 200 calls from the year prior.

Montecito Fire Department houses the South Coast Dispatch center which receives and tracks calls for both our department and Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District. In 2023, our personnel effectively dispatched and tracked resources for a total of 4,067 incidents for both agencies.

“Our personnel pride themselves on delivering high-quality 911 response to emergencies and other calls for service. This is accomplished through a multifaceted approach of effective dispatch, a robust and skilled response force, paramedics who offer a high level of care to patients, and a well-maintained fleet of apparatus and support vehicles,” said Chief Neels.

Operations Report Recap

2023 began with a series of significant storms in January and March that caused extreme saturation of our mountains and foothills, creating serious risk for flooding and the movement of sediment and rock from our hillsides. The significant weather required the evacuation of multiple areas on the South Coast and portions of our community near creeks and water conveyance systems were asked to leave. Our firefighters responded to issues throughout the district including many downed trees and electrical lines, roadway flooding, and minor slides.

Ahead of the 2023/2024 rain season, we transitioned from providing plastic bags to burlap bags at our sandbag filling station at Lower Manning Park. This environmentally conscious change was made possible through a partnership

between the fire department and local nonprofit organization Heal the Ocean.

Firefighters responded to many emergency incidents along the Highway 101 corridor in 2023 including a fatal traffic collision near the Olive Mill offramp on August 13 and a tour bus fire on September 16 near the Sheffield Drive exit. We are thankful for the strong partnerships and collaboration we share with Carpinteria-Summerland Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire, AMR, CHP, and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office when responding to incidents on Highway 101. The ongoing Highway 101 construction led to a change in Montecito Fire’s service last summer. We placed a Type 6 engine into service on the southern end of our jurisdiction from mid-June to mid-August while the San Ysidro overcrossing was closed, and ancillary construction projects posed delays to our emergency response capabilities. Engine 691, as well as a temporary housing unit for the two firefighters staffing the engine, were stationed on Hill Road near the Biltmore property. We are greatly appreciative of Ty Warner for facilitating the opportunity to station this engine in an area of our community that was a challenge to access due to ongoing construction. Engine 691 responded to more than 50 calls for service during its period of service ensuring timely response to our community even during times of roadway impacts.

Fire Prevention Wrap-Up

Our Prevention Bureau made exceptional strides in reducing our wildfire risk and ensuring firesafe building development throughout our community in 2023. A total of 215 properties participated in our

A fireman during a school visit

Montecito Fire rescuing a dog during the recent storms

Apr 7

Malian Singer-songwriter

Fatoumata Diawara

Sun, Apr 7 (note new date and time) / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

Tickets start at $30 / $15 UCSB students

“The Malian artist’s music [is] luminous... she amplifies African rhythms and Wassoulou traditions of storytelling with her deep, commanding voice and unrelenting electric guitars, which rip through her songs like beautiful streaks of lightning.” The New Yorker

Apr 10

U.S. Premiere of Thomas Adès Commission

Danish String Quartet

The Doppelgänger Project, Part IV

Wed, Apr 10 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

Tickets start at $25 / $15 UCSB students

“There are simply two kinds of string quartets: the Danish, and the others.” Boston Classical Review In the eagerly-anticipated capstone to their international Doppelgänger Project, the Danish pairs Schubert’s String Quintet, frequently cited among the greatest of all works of chamber music, with a new piece by renowned British composer Thomas Adès

Apr 23

2023 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Music

Rhiannon Giddens

You’re the One, with special guest Charly Lowry

Tue, Apr 23 / 8 PM / Arlington Theatre (note new venue)

Tickets start at $40 / $19 UCSB students

MacArthur fellow and Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens’ iconic brand of folk music spotlights people whose contributions to American musical history have been overlooked and advocates for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art.

Event Sponsors: Jody & John Arnhold, Kath Lavidge & Ed McKinley, and Laura & Geof Wyatt

“One of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet.” American Songwriter

Apr 9

Lauren Groff

in Conversation with Pico Iyer

Tue, Apr 9 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

Tickets start at $20 / $10 UCSB students

“A gifted writer capable of deft pyrotechnics and well up to the challenges she sets herself.” New York Times Book Review

Speaking with Pico Series Sponsors: Martha Gabbert, Siri & Bob Marshall, and Laura & Kevin O’Connor

Apr 18

Pop Culture Icon

RuPaul

The House of Hidden Meanings

Thu, Apr 18 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre

Tickets start at $50 / $20 UCSB students

Includes a copy of RuPaul’s new book, The House of Hidden Meanings (pick up at event)

International drag superstar RuPaul offers a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.

“RuPaul is almost like a prophet. He’s constantly flying a little higher than everybody else.”

– Isaac Mizrahi

Apr 21

Sun, Apr 21 / 4:30 PM (note special time) / Arlington Theatre

Tickets start at $20 / $10 all students (with valid ID) $50 ticket includes a Chef José Andrés cookbook (pick up at event; one per household)

“A tireless advocate for humanity.” Time magazine

“Build longer tables, not higher walls.”

– José Andrés

Premier

Women of the Harbor

New Exhibit Celebrates the Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor

by Sigrid Toye

In keeping with the celebration of March 2024 as Women’s History Month (spoiler alert!) this column is going to contain some seriously shameless bragging! At the close of this month I’d like to send the memo that, both in a professional capacity and as volunteers, every month of any year Santa Barbara women make huge contributions to the smooth functioning of the Santa Barbara community – in this particular case, the harbor and waterfront.

On Friday, March 1st, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) was the first to showcase an exhibit celebrating a few of the women whose skills and expertise have impacted the harbor and waterfront communities. This exhibition, Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor, contains a selection of 13 women who have broken new ground in the areas of commercial and sport fishing, marine ecology, education, ocean conservation, fundraising and harbor operations. These enterprising trailblazers include Hiroko Benko, Jaime Diamond, Jessica Gray, Christine Healy, Kaia Kababik, Holly Lohuis, Francie Lufkin, Stephanie Mutz, Stella Nicodemus, Jeanette Prusinski, Lieutenant Christina Sandstedt , Kimberly Selkoe, and Victoria Voss.

On the first day of March, I stopped by the Maritime Museum for the opening ceremony. Lining the hallways of the Museum’s historic building were images of the honorees, accompanied by short biographies. Museum Curator Emily Falke and her team formally welcomed us to the brief ceremony and introduced

the women who shared their stories. As diverse as their presentations may have seemed, somehow their occupations and interests were closely interconnected: Business owners were also volunteers and ecologists, commercial fisheries included sustainable ocean and land-based businesses, educators were volunteers, environmentalists and marine biologists. The ships’ captains and harbor officials were also educators with medical, marine science and navigational expertise.

Honoree Lieutenant Christina Sandstedt served as the commanding officer of the US Coastguard Cutter Blackfin whose duties included search and rescue, smuggling prevention and the safety of both commercial and recreational vessels… in other words, a variety of skill sets. She shared that the best part was the teamwork involved. “There is a deep trust that forms at sea between crew members. We rely on each other to complete the mission and keep one another safe ...” As Captain of the tall ship, Mystic Whaler, Christine Healy has a long history of ocean sailing with a crew but also oversees the Tall Ship Program under the auspices of the Maritime Museum, teaching young people the art of sailing a schooner of the 1800s without the benefit of modern technology.

Jeanette Prusinski, Harbor Operations Manager affirmed, “In my work I find

Women of the Harbor Page 44

“The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day.” – Robert Frost

Owner of the Condor Express, Hiroko Benko, in front of her display

Francie Lufkin, the first female commodore at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club, was honored as well

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The thoroughly and tastefully remodeled main home features an open main living area and 3 gracious en-suite bedrooms as well as a quaint den. Light and bright, with high ceilings throughout, the spacious main living area consists of a beautiful and functional kitchen, large open dining area, and generous living room complete with a fireplace. A large tri-fold glass door allows for a seamless transition between the main living area and the inviting yard. Perfect for hosting guests, the flexible floorplan allows for the downstairs bedroom and den to be utilized as a stand-alone suite.

Down a quaint, brick-lined path past the main house is a fully detached 1920’s Creekside cottage. While exuding all the charm typical of the era, the fundamentals of the cottage have been modernized. Here again, high ceilings and an open floorplan give the main living area a wonderful sense of volume. Both the kitchen and bathroom have been delightfully remodeled. Bordered on one side by a private yard featuring a majestic Oak tree, and the other side by the sights and sounds of Montecito Creek, the setting is absolutely idyllic.

With approximately six sales on Humphrey Road in the last decade, opportunities to purchase properties in this neighborhood are exceedingly rare. Don’t miss the opportunity to be the next owner of this exceptional property and location.

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Your Westmont

Hats Off to Lady Ridley-Tree

by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott

Agroup donning Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree’s elegant hats visited the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art to honor their late friend on March 21. Hiroko Benko, Brenda Blalock, Chris Frisina, Mary Gates, Erin Graffy, Bobbie Kinnear, Nan Marr, Joyce Shaar, and Grace Yoon toured Ridley-Tree’s entire collection of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot that she gave to the museum.

Ridley-Tree’s friends hold a hat-tastic party

Judy L. Larson, Askew professor of art history and museum director, offered the group a personal tour of the exhibition that paid tribute to the memory of Leslie, who died in October 2022 at 98. The women shared stories about Ridley-Tree and posed near Bo Bartlett’s large portrait of Leslie and her husband, Lord Paul Ridley-Tree.

Art Majors Revealed ‘In Between Moments’

Six aspiring Westmont art graduates will exhibit their capstone projects at

Between Moments from April 4-May 4 in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. A free, public opening reception will celebrate the graduating senior art majors on Thursday, April 4, from 4-6 pm.

The students include Danielle Anderson of Palm Desert; Clare Carey of Bonsall; Jordan Cuskey of Havertown, Pennsylvania; Blair Hopper of Little Rock, Arkansas; Logan Miller of Ladera Ranch, and Hailey Otto of San Diego.

The exhibition offers diverse themes focused on identity, relationships, and place. “The title, Between Moments, explores the beauty and wonder that

each of these students have discovered in the unacknowledged spaces within our daily lives,” says Nathan Huff, associate professor of art.

The art projects range in media from charcoal drawings, oil paintings on panel, painted bedspreads and tables, sculpture, assemblage on mirrors, and projected videos over painted structures.

“The students have been engaged with personal narratives focused on the passage of time, the distance felt in relationship, the engagement with a stranger, a collision of

Your Westmont Page 404

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Director Judy Larson offered a personal tour of the museum

Clare Carey’s Glance, an oil on panel

Danielle Anderson’s Sanctuary, a charcoal and pen on paper

clearly had little political experience. However, on the strength of Lurie’s strong and logical arguments, I went online and made a contribution to Lee – large enough for him to phone and thank this stranger personally. I knew I’d done the right thing after Williams suddenly cancelled a scheduled interview with Jerry Roberts with an arrogant sneer: “.... you do not appear to be able to be objective when it comes to my work in office, and you have made it clear to your audience that you disdain everything about me.” Sic transit gloria mundi

Huge thanks are due from our community to Lurie, Roberts, Josh Molina , Nick Welsh , and all the other print and media professionals who continually strive to fill in for the absence of a local daily newspaper that would and should be on top of all of our county’s – and country’s – issues. Our Fourth Estate, grateful that we have your voices and leadership.

Eileen White Read

A Bear’s Dream

Carlos, The Bear, was rolling around in his bed feeling restless. He had a bad dream earlier, or at least he thought he had been dreaming. His fur was sweaty and his breathing sharp. It had to have been a dream, he thought, because everything he saw was just too bizarre for it to be reality.

He had been asleep since November, having watched the news prior to bedding down for his hibernation and

everything looked pretty good. He had felt good as he put his head to rest on his new, ergonomic pillow, he was warm tucked in under his down comforter and had drifted off to rest the Winter away.

But wait, there’s more!

Come early February, he dreamt he saw the Orange One, ranting as usual, this time at a judge, not so unusual, and a lady, who was suing him for a lot of money, not unheard of, but this was different, she won! Then, he saw a weather map that showed an atmospheric river, stretching all the way past Hawaii headed towards California with more moisture than ever before.

Then came the news about a glacier melting and the gulf stream slowing down.

The talking heads of news were spouting pundits, rallying the Orange One, saying he’s the one for office, while our senior citizen commander was staring into oblivion, seemingly in a different world.

It didn’t seem fair, waking from a long, deep sleep to find the new reality before him. This clearly wasn’t a dream; it was an election year, and he knew the circus had just begun. So, he tuned in to KBEAR and danced to clear his head.

Same as it ever was…..

Carlos, The Bear

Big Talent, Big Heart

Thank you for the lovely article about Tom Snow.

My husband and I were neighbors

of Tom and Mary Belle in the early aughts. I was, in those days, a volunteer at the Goleta dog shelter. I had been in advertising before retiring to Santa Barbara and was full of ideas to promote the homeless dogs at the shelter. One idea was to air a compilation of photographs of the dogs that had been taken by a renowned professional photographer. (The shoot was secured thanks to the resourcefulness of another volunteer, Lynnie Shaw .) I had an idea for a song to use for the soundtrack and called my advertising contacts in New York about getting the legal clearances for use of the song. Um, no way you can use that song!

Tom offered me a demo he had written and recorded. He also secured all of the legal clearances I would need, from publisher to artist. The song was beautiful and perfect for the project. I will be forever grateful for his thoughtfulness and generosity. Yes, a big talent and a big heart!

Kimberly Lowell

Wake Up and Smell the Sewage Spill

When reading your article “Miramar Beach Closed Near Montecito Due to Sewage Spill,” I was disturbed at how vulnerable our oceans are to humancaused disturbances. Our oceans are heavily at risk, and we need to protect them, both to ensure our own future, and to keep our planet beautiful for generations to come.

As a young person, it pains me to see a continually degraded ocean. The idea that one day extinct sharks will be described with the same air of fantasy as unicorns is a thought that scares me. It’s a symptom of the larger issue that humans have failed to respect our planet. We are reaching a turning point. If we don’t begin to push back against the rapid destruction of our oceans, there won’t even be future generations to apologize to.

But there is hope in existing solutions for ocean protection. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) function similarly to a “National Park for the Sea,” giving partial or full protection to areas of the coast. Research has shown that they are extremely effective, and in areas that are designated as MPAs, there have been significant rebounds in biodiversity and habitat.

As the state of California, we have the unique ability to contribute to expanding those MPAs. I hope that elected officials and the California Fish and Game Commission will hear the pleas of young people across our state, and the world, and increase protections for our oceans at this crucial time in human development.

Thank you,

Sierra Ferrante, UCSB Student and Chapter Chair of CALPIRG Students at UCSB

Form an MPA

As I read your recent article “Miramar Beach Closed Near Montecito Due to Sewage Spill” I realized how truly delicate our oceans are to human impact and how desperately we need to protect them.

As a kid, I was constantly at the beach, its vast ecosystems inspiring me to pursue a career in a STEM field. To this day I chase the wonder I felt looking at the mini ecosystems of tide pools, fascinated by the diverse life my two sisters and I found within them.

To ensure that future generations can experience this same wonder, we need to push for the expansion and continued protection of our Marine Protected Areas, where pieces of our coastline are protected in order to preserve biodiversity. This has been proven to be one of the most effective tools in protecting our coastline and will guarantee that we are not just waiting for its inevitable collapse.

Hudson Truchard

“Spring is the fountain of love for thirsty winter.” – Munia Khan

Director of Admissions. Their daughters, Laurel and Lynnette, were born while Dave continued to engage with college students at Whitworth. Involvement with college-aged young people became the theme of his working life.

In 1976, Dave, Mary and their (now) three daughters – Jennifer had joined them a couple of years earlier – moved south to Sacramento when Dave took a job as the Director of Outreach and Retention at CSU Sacramento. During their years in Sacramento, Dave’s life was filled with the fun and escapades of family life: school sports, dances, neighborhood Fourth of July firework parties, Young Life, golfing with friends, tennis with the family, and vacations. It was also a season when Gail, his sister, and her family lived nearby, which added to the richness of family life.

As Lynnette finished up high school in 1982, Laurel settled in at Stanford, and Jennifer was in elementary school, Dave was asked to come and work in Santa Barbara as Westmont College’s Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, later as Dean and as a member of the President’s Staff. His time at Westmont was marked by his ‘personal touch’: thousands of students received handwritten postcards, birthday cards, phone calls, and were welcome any time to his office in Kerrwood Hall. It was during his years there that he became active in the North American Coalition of Christian Admissions Professionals. Dave served for a time as the president of NACCAP and was instrumental in launching a national Christian college fairs circuit that is still thriving today; he was also voted NACCAP Admissions Officer of the Year in 1989. More than anything, Dave’s involvement at the national level was centered on helping to develop the next generation of admissions professionals; many of whom saw him as their mentor, and all considered him a friend.

Throughout these ‘Westmont’ years of Dave’s life, he and Mary opened their home to countless people: friends of their daughters (many of whom became “daughters” themselves), friends from church groups, an abundance of overseas visitors, people known well, and people who became well-known. Their door and their hearts were always open – this is a legacy that their children treasure.

In 1999, Dave resigned his position at Westmont, and embarked on a new adventure as an academic counselor in the Extended Opportunity Program Services (EOPS) department at Santa Barbara City College. Dave’s deep love for people shone here as he met with and guided students, helping them to navigate not only academic situations,

but a variety of life circumstances, in order to help them build a stronger, better future for themselves. His love for the program and the students reached far beyond his office walls: He was mentor, role-model and father-figure to countless EOPS students. His weekends were often filled with celebrating milestone events in the lives of current and former students: birthday parties and weddings, university graduations, and moving days.

In 2011, he and Karen Hess were married and enjoyed a shared life of gracious hospitality, friendship and loving the people in their lives – near and far. Their dinner table was often encircled by friends and family alike. Their marriage expanded Dave’s family to include Karen’s children: Trevor, Landon, and Kiersten.

Once he retired from full-time work at SBCC in 2010 he continued on as a part-time counselor until 2018. And since for Dave, work was service, and service was work – he continued to serve the Santa Barbara community in a number of ways, including through being a Board Member for the Channel Islands YMCA Youth & Family Services from 2008 to 2020. He served in many key positions such as Board Chair and an inaugural member of the Reaching for Stars fundraising committee. Dave was very committed to the St. George Youth Center in Isla Vista volunteering many hours, including being part of the opening of the permanent location. Dave’s support and guidance on the board helped launch many new initiatives and programs during his board tenure, including the starting of My Home, a housing program for homeless young adults.

While the final few years of Dave’s life were shadowed by Karen’s courageous battle against cancer and his own health challenges, he is remembered by all for his infectious laugh, practical jokes, generous spirit and huge heart. These qualities are deeply appreciated by his friends, colleagues, students – and his family – 6 children and their spouses, 13 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren – and a host of others who call Dave “Dad.” He was simply that kind of man.

In Dave’s honor, and to continue to support the dreams and ambitions of young people whom Dad believed in and spent so many years serving, Santa Barbara City College has established a scholarship fund for EOPS students: the Dave Morley Memorial EOPS Scholarship. If you would like to make a contribution in remembrance of Dave, please send an email to davemorleyscholarship@gmail.com and we will provide further information.

Guild to bring touring Broadway shows to town with far more facilities for staging and far more comfort for the crowd than at, say, the Arlington.

As part of the 100th anniversary, this year’s major fundraising event, The Granada Legends, has actually chosen itself as the cultural organization honoree, Jackson said.

“We’re going to honor two of our founding board members, Joan Rutkowski and Susan Gulbransen, who did so much in making the Granada what it is today.”

The gala is a black-tie event where the audience is seated on stage, but Jackson took pains to emphasize that almost every other event at the theater is far more casual – something that’s necessary to point out because people take one look at the gorgeous venue with its well-appointed features and might feel intimated.

“It seems so fancy and ornate that people might think they’re out of place here,” Jackson said, “But everybody and anybody in Santa Barbara belongs at the Granada.”

Jackson’s family hasn’t only been attendees and staff members – they’ve also been significant philanthropists of the arts, having donated upwards of $1 million to the Granada over the years through the family foundation, he said.

The chairman and his family are among many who treasure the downtown center, however.

“Because of our generous donors and our board and the community, we’re on really solid financial footing. probably the best financial position we’ve been in our history,” Jackson said. “But the need to raise money never stops, and that helps us support our resident companies and bring more great programming to the Granada.”

Photo courtesy of Olio Bottega and Santi Visalli

Through 100 years of community donations and generous support, the Granada has become the stateof-the-art facility that stands today (courtesy photo)

Robert’s Big Questions

Hierarchy of the Sciences?

by Robert Bernstein

Jerry Lettvin was one of several treasured mentors in my life. He was an MD and an electrical engineer, holding positions in biology and electrical engineering at MIT.

I was a student in a most unique program he ran at MIT called “Concourse.” We did the usual classes, but we were in a smaller group, and we had additional seminars with some of the great minds of the time in the 1970s.

One day Jerry (he invited us to call him Jerry) gave us a perspective on the “hierarchy of the sciences.” Apparently, this was written formally by French mathematician and philosopher of science Auguste Comte in the 1800s.

Comte arranged a hierarchy of the sciences with Mathematics at the base. The hierarchy ascended in order: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Sociology. Underneath all of this was Logic.

Comte argued that the lower sciences in the hierarchy are more simple and more general. They are also more likely to achieve “positive results,” meaning accurate predictions. Comte believed that, over time, the higher-level sciences would develop and grow to become better at making predictions.

He also argued that progress in higher sciences in the hierarchy depends on progress in the levels below.

Jerry presented this as fact and we went on to other topics. But toward the end of the year he revisited this topic in a new talk. He included Engineering in the higher reaches of the hierarchy, dependent on Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.

But then he turned this upside down. He argued that Engineering gives us models of the world that actually become the basis of new ideas in all of the other sciences. He therefore declared that Engineering is actually the most fundamental of all sciences.

I told this to some of the other Concourse professors and they insisted I must have misunderstood. They said that would go against everything that Jerry believes.

I followed up with Jerry and he just smiled and assured me that I had understood perfectly. Even though he had said just the opposite in his earlier lecture? He smiled and said yes.

I was majoring in Physics, which included a degree in Mathematics. So I was appalled at the idea that the lowly field of Engineering could be considered more fundamental. But I realized that in an important way he was correct. And

that seemingly contradictory concepts can both be true.

Jerry gave some examples. One was how the engineering of a camera gave biologists the understanding of some aspects of how the eye works. In ancient times, Plato believed that the eye emitted rays. Aristotle believed light came into the eye, but had no theory beyond that.

Second century physician Galen learned eye anatomy from Rufus of Ephesus, who actually dissected eyes. But most theories thought vision happened in the lens. It wasn’t until 1604 that the astronomer and mathematician Kepler correctly compared the eye to a “camera obscura.” With the retina being the screen that received the image.

Physics Nobel laureate Richard Feynman said, “What I cannot create, I do not understand.” Feynman worked in the highest levels of theoretical quantum physics. But he never lost his curiosity about building actual devices. He proposed building devices at the atomic scale, which helped inspire the world of nanotechnology; my own career for many years.

And he also suggested the possibility of building a quantum computer – today a multi-billion-dollar quest to harness the counterintuitive physics of the quantum world to build a computer that tries many solutions all at once.

I do believe that Jerry was correct. We think we understand the world from the bottom up. But, in fact, we only really understand the world when we build models. Models that may come from the top down in the form of engineering design.

Another example: Theoretical thermodynamics gave us more efficient engines. But this started with an engineering model of an idealized engine called the Carnot cycle.

I will add that engineering has another symbiotic relationship to the sciences: Engineering develops new tools and instruments to expand science. Everything from the Large Hadron Collider to the James Webb Telescope!

14th annual Neighborhood Chipping Program, resulting in 136 tons of excess vegetation being cut down, chipped and hauled away. An additional 89 residences will be added to the project area this year.

We partnered with the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council to organize grazing of 30 acres with sheep within the open spaces of Ennisbrook, San Ysidro, and East Mountain Drive. This was a collaborative project with the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County, Montecito Trails Foundation, UCSB, and the Santa Barbara Regional Wildfire Mitigation Program. We have an additional 100 acres planned for grazing in 2024.

Our Fire Family

2023 was a significant year for the Montecito Fire Family. Chief Kevin Taylor retired on March 31 after 35 years dedicated to the fire service, the last eight of which were with Montecito Fire Department. David Neels, formerly Montecito Fire Division Chief of Operations, was appointed Fire Chief on April 1, bringing more than 25 years of local firefighting experience to the position.

We also celebrated the promotions and appointments of six of our members. At a promotional ceremony in April, we recognized three newly appointed engineers, a captain, a battalion chief, and our Division Chief of Operations. We also honored the exceptional actions of Fire Mechanic Jess Moran who repaired critical emergency generator infrastructure following the damaging January storms.

for first responders, yet still had several years of service life yet, we looked for a way to repurpose them for the community’s benefit. The result was the launch of our Public Access Automatic External Defibrillator Program. We engaged with local businesses, fitness centers, schools and community gathering places to identify locations that could benefit from having these AEDs. Having AEDs reliably located throughout our community vastly increases our chances of being able to save a life.

“As we move into 2024, our focus remains on continuous improvement and service delivery to our community,” Chief Neels said. “We will explore innovative technologies in the response to fire and emergency medical services, enhance community partnerships in emergency preparedness, and reinforce our commitment to professional development. Moreover, we will actively seek feedback from the community to better understand their evolving needs and expectations. It is through collaboration and shared responsibility that we can create a safer, more resilient Montecito.”

To learn more about your fire department, we encourage you to review our 2023 Annual Report by scanning the QR code or visiting montecitofire.com.

Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. His passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook. com/questionbig

Culminating in Community

The year was enriched by many opportunities to engage with our community, from hosting a Wildfire Preparedness Community Meeting to visiting schools for Fire Prevention Week and welcoming people into Station 91 for our Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast.

When our existing AEDs needed to be replaced to meet new requirements

“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

A firetruck responding to the tour bus fire in September

Christina Atchison is the Montecito Fire Public Information Officer

the endorsements, knocking on the doors. Everything just came right for me and wrong for him.

And there are other things. For example, my sister-in-law, my brother’s wife, is the general manager at Gelson’s. For the past six months, she’s been campaigning for me at Gelson’s in the San Roque area. She told hundreds of the people throughout all those months to vote for me, and they did. So, when I went to Gelson’s, people knew me and they were rooting for me. And I have a lot of local friends in Santa Barbara who have relatives, local business owners, and they just want to see someone, a regular person, a hardworking person, win. The underdog, right? It’s kind of a Rocky story. People like to see that.

Oftentimes the people who vote are not heard. My family’s restaurant in Carpinteria was actually a great campaign point because people would come for the food, and I’d get the opportunity to talk to them. For six, seven months, I was meeting a hundred people per day. And the word got out.

The most amazing thing happened to me the other day. An eight-year-old young man came into our restaurant, and he said, “I believe in you. I supported you, and I’m so happy you won.” And to me that meant so much to see someone so young believe in me. And that will always remind me to do better and do what’s best for the community. And so that was a big epiphany for me at that moment, just like, wow, I cannot let this kid or my community down. It gives me this energy to just go out there and do my best.

I always have a simple policy; I never will impose on you something I would never impose on myself.

You’ve begun talking about the importance of affordable housing. What are your thoughts on this? You were elected by a broad political spectrum, and people tend to have strong ideas on this. How are you planning to thread this needle?

My goal is to focus on affordable workforce housing for our community. I know a lot of developers want to come in and just build, build, build this 80/20% ratio, right? 80% market and 20% affordable. We have to push back. We have to say, “no, this does not work.” It is not solving any issues. All it will do is turn our community into this Orange County type of feel, which I’m against. I want to preserve what we have here, because we live in such an amazing, beautiful place. I want to make sure that it stays that way. Montecito is one of the most exclusive areas in the whole world as well as Santa Barbara, and Summerland and Cuyama – and it’s a fine balance. We don’t want to go too far right or too far left. And we have to make sure that we work with developers and the housing authority to move forward with this housing RYNA mandate. It’s so frustrating because the state gives us 120 days to come up with a housing element draft. Usually, rezoning and planning takes years and a lot of money, to make it effective. So we’re kind of rushing through this, and it’s going to turn out bad.

So, what’s the solution?

We have to work with our local government agencies. For example, in Carpinteria, any rezoning that we have to do, they have to be on board with. One example is the Red Tail Hawk Project. The county and the developer is pushing for this five story, 183 unit housing. The city, including myself and the City Council, are against it because it will negatively impact our city, our communities, and in the long term it’s going to set precedents that will ruin the charm and character of Carpinteria. So that’s one example.

As a supervisor, I want to work with the housing authority, the city of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, to make sure whatever we propose, they will support too.

Are you saying you want to create enough housing but not impact the character of the communities?

Yes. And it’s possible because in Carpinteria, we propose that they build within our guidelines, 30 feet max, the density, not so high, and then we find a compromise. But the county and the developers just want to build as high and as densely as they want. So there’s compromise to be made, and we have to find that medium. We have to all

Editorial Page 454

orphaned wells nationwide. Funding is $4.7 billion for orphan well plugging, remediation and surface area restoration activities on federal, Tribal, state, and private lands. It works to support the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan.

Multiple companies are sprouting nationally with bids to do the job, like the Well Done Organization [WDO]. They won the bid for Santa Barbara County and will start screening and plugging wells in Santa Maria and Orcutt, date TBA.

Rabin’s short film is the driving force for On the Wave Production’s full-length feature documentary currently in production titled, Chasing Oil. He said the Redford Center has accepted the film for fiscal sponsorship and as funds begin to come in, they are moving forward with production. The film presents both climate change issues and the innovations globally that unite us to avert the crisis.

After a private screening of the short with Rabin, we talked. Here’s our interview:

Q. How long did it take to make Greetings from Summerland, Birthplace of Offshore Oil ?

A. From concept to completion it took about six months and 21 days, at over seven locations. I’ve been working on this issue with Hillary Hauser of Heal the Ocean since Hannah-Beth Jackson secured funding, SB44, that enabled CSLC to begin abandonment, planning, and operations that started with Summerland’s Becker Well in 2017. My responsibility began with field work to locate on and offshore leaking wellheads and provide initial documentation and regular monitoring of the area. So, working hand in hand with CSLC and their contractors became the norm with each subsequent well that would get on the schedule for abandonment, which to date has been seven wells.

Why do the films now?

Now is the time to do these documentaries focused on methane, which is the largest contributor to global warming. It traps warm air in our atmosphere 28 times more powerfully than CO2. Researchers have documented in some cases that methane is being released from abandoned well fields at a higher percentage than active ones. The point of the films is to make the public and our government aware of the problem and how to fix it.

And the feature film, Chasing Oil?

The feature film’s goal is to awaken humanity – through thought-provoking and visually captivating content – of the real threat that anthropogenically-caused methane emissions pose to all life on our planet, and most important will demonstrate that we can fix this and that the positive work has already begun. We are exploring areas across the U.S. with the same or similar issues as Summerland. The U.S. has over two million orphaned wells in need of proper abandonment and the world has over 29 million.

Off-shore wells began in Santa Barbara, and the first significant oil spill was here in 1969, bringing global awareness to this issue. Earth Day was born in SB and is now celebrated worldwide. SB has been ground zero on the negative – and now hopefully on the positive – issues addressing fossil fuels.

Methane, from cows to oil wells…

The methane from cows is indeed a huge issue. But as Dr. Leifer said, we are in a planetary shift caused by methane. Methane is a breakdown or decay of organic material above and within the earth. Yes, it is natural, but the destructive amounts come from the anthropogenic emissions; in other words, human-influenced sources. What many don’t realize is that fracking exacerbates the problem. It creates more pathways, cracks and fractures that allow methane to escape into the atmosphere, and into ground water reservoirs and oceans. It’s all connected!

Gas and oil wells are easy to go after and fix. We sealed seven wells in Summerland in the past year. It sets a precedent, effective solutions are here now. Our SOMS study is providing data to improve the abandonment process. We are already seeing ways to accomplish abandonments in shorter time windows and for less money. It has always been trial and error and a learning process but with today’s technologies we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

How would you describe your mission?

Scan

Our Town (Continued from 35)

We, the human race, must assume the role of custodians of the Earth now. As a species that can now influence our planet’s future, even its weather, we need to take better care of it, for us and future generations. We were not put here to be creating extinction events. As documentary filmmakers it is our responsibility through this brilliant media of film to portray a situation that in turn will create awareness and positive impact.

To support the documentary, Chasing Oil, see the 411 and QR code!

411: www.onthewaveproductions.com/projects-2

First Book Author Event at Carpinteria Arts Center

The Carpinteria Writers Group presented its first book and author event titled, Carpinteria Festival of Books, on Saturday, March 23rd, at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center. Suzanne Ahn from the Carpinteria Writers Group has been the volunteer lead on the event, working with the Carp Arts Center to put it on, along with Lantern Tree Books. The authors participating were required to become members of Carp Arts Center.

The event showcased 31 local authors including Bee Bloeser, Victor Borda, Jana Brody , Vince Burns , Caryn Chavez, Gary Delanoeye, Leah EvertBurks, Brad Fleener, Van Fleisher, Michael Fryd, Chuck Graham, Betsy J. Green, Elisabeth Haggblade, Phoenix Hocking, Connard Hogan, Brecia KralovicLogan, Deborah Larkin, Annette Matrisciano, Carrie Miles, Debbie Murphy, Steve Nicolaides, Sue Perry, David Powdrell, Leanne Roth, Rick Shaw, Monica Sherlock, Madison Snider, Eric von Schrader, Louis Torres, Clifford Wiggins, and Holly Woolson.

Meeting up with the Carp Arts Center Executive Director Kristina Calkins, Board Member and Founder Lynda Fairly, and Suzanne Ahn, we talked about the event. Calkins explained, “We are delighted to hold the 1st Annual Carpinteria Arts Book Festival, which was inspired and led by the Carpinteria Writers Group and volunteer Suzanne Ahn. The book fair is a nice lead to National Poetry Month, and we have our poetry contest submissions going on now.”

Ahn added, “In our writers group we have some authors who have published and are always looking for a way to get known to the public. We had a lot of people in the local area from Carp to Goleta interested to get publicity. We are really happy to provide them with the chance to do that and let the community know about the writers here.”

The event saw many book sales, photo ops with the authors, and book signings. Everyone who attended spent time at each author table in conversation. As I wandered through the fair, some authors’ books seemed to jump off the pages in uniqueness.

The wife and husband duo of Calla Gold and Jeremy Gold, both authors separately, were a mutually supportive team. Calla, a jewelry designer, wrote a book with photographs of her jewelry creations titled, Design Your Dream Wedding Rings: From Engagement to Eternity. Jeremy wrote a satirical novel based on his son’s journey through

Suzanne Ahn, Lynda Fairly, and Kristina Calkins at the Carpinteria Arts Center’s first book author event (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Wife and husband authors Calla and Jeremy Gold (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Author Brad Fleener (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Carpinteria High School, titled Death at Carp High: Driftwood Wasn’t All the Tide Brought In. I couldn’t help but wonder – as Calla said, “I love journalists, please have a signed copy of my book on me” –that it is a sign from the universe at long last my life partner is due to arrive soon.

Catching the sunlight was a gold-plated Chinese dragon perched on top of a pile of books titled Dragons of Aeronoth by fantasy fiction writer Victor Borda. He shared that he loves dragons and wrote the book while traveling on trains between Italy, France, and England. It is the first in a trilogy. Borda also writes ambient music as Avahara. His inspiration is from shamanic traditions.

Author and award-winning high school swim coach Brad Fleener had his book The Letter for sale. He was named the California State Coach of the Year in 1998, and was one of 18 National Finalists honored by the Positive Coaching Alliance in 2007. The book is a collection of letters he wrote to his athletes upon graduation, which became their inspiration, reflection, motivation and direction.

A cool book titled Wandering Ojai, by Holly Woolson, is her first collection of Japanese tanka poetry and photographs she created while walking around Ojai. She is an art educator, artist and writer living in Ojai since 1996, working for Art Trek Inc. as the academic coordinator.

Check the author list and let’s get literary local together.

411: The Carpinteria Writers Group supports the efforts of local authors with discussion and feedback sessions, readings, and other events. Meetings are weekly, 10 am to noon, in the Carpinteria Library Community Room. New members are always welcome.

The Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center is a community arts and events center in the heart of downtown Carpinteria, CA. As a mission-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, they serve the community by providing a venue for creative arts education, exhibition, and appreciation as well as providing a city-center location for the community to gather. https://carpinteriaartscenter.org

Open Call for Environmental Stewards Due April 1

Heralding its fifth year for Open Call Environmental Hero Nominees, Explore Ecology is inviting everyone to submit their nominations for 2024 by April 1 via the online form.

I reached out to Explore Ecology’s PR Director Jill Cloutier, about this year’s awards and the importance of it for the organization. She explained, “We are thrilled to launch the nominations for this year’s Explore Ecology Awards. Our annual awards recognize environmental heroes who make a difference in Santa Barbara County. We invite community members to get their nominations in by the deadline to ensure that these local environmental champions are honored! Their dedication and passion serve as inspiration for all of us to do our part in protecting our beautiful planet.”

Feel free to submit as many nominees as you wish, and yes you can include yourself! Nominees are students and teachers who are dedicated environmental stewards, who speak for the plants and animals, and have made a difference in a school, a classroom, or in our community.

You will need your nominee’s name, grade, school, contact phone number and email. The form asks you to describe your nominee in three words, why you feel your nominee is a dedicated Environmental Steward, and how they benefit the environment and/or our community. Categories are:

Teacher or School Staff Award: Recognizing educators and staff who inspire environmental awareness and action. One award for grades K to 6, and one award for grades 7 to 12.

Class or Club Award: One award honoring a class or school club in grades K through 12 that makes a positive impact on the environment.

Student Award: For students who have committed their time to care for the environment in a significant way. One award for grades K to 6, and one award for grades 7 to 12.

Winners will be announced and honored at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival on April 28th.

The 2023 winners were Student Award – Theo Horne, who is a school gardener at La Colina School 8th grade; Teacher Award – Melissa Wilder who teaches Science, and Environmental Electives to 6th to 8th graders at the Riviera Ridge School; Class and Club

Award – The Green Team at Coastline Christian Academy started by 8th grade student Isaac Yishak and staffed by teacher Annie Villa with an Environmental Advocacy Class; and School Support Staff Award – Maureen Granger, gardening at La Colina School.

411: https://exploreecology.org/environmental-stewardship-awards/

Easter and Passover Family Events

With Easter arriving this weekend on March 31, we have the lineup of local area Easter events for children of all ages listed below.

For Passover April 22-30, Rabbi Chaim Loschak and the Chabad of Montecito community will hold a Pesach Seder service on Monday, April 22 at 6:30 pm. There is a kosher food service and a retelling of the Passover Story. Reservations are required online by April 17.

https://www.jewishmontecito.org/

The Rosewood Miramar Beach is having its annual Easter Egg Hunt this Sunday, March 31, on the Great Lawn area with the Easter Bunny present. Times are sectioned by age and limited to 45 minutes. Start time for ages 6 and under is 11 am and 2 pm; 11:45 am and 2:45 pm are for ages 7 and older. Free – and reservations are required.

www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/miramar-beach-montecito/experiences/easter-at-miramar

Sacred Space Summerland is having a Crystal Egg Hunt, Saturday, March 30, from 12 pm – 3 pm. The Sacred Space will hide crystal eggs in the garden and each person, no matter how young or how old, can search for one magic egg, of approximately 100 eggs hidden, that is their gift to you! Additional eggs will be available for purchase if desired.

www.thesacredspace.com/event-details-registration/crystal-egg-hunt

The Montecito Country Mart on Coast Village Road will have the Easter Bunny visit on Saturday, March 30, from 1 pm to 4 pm. There is no photographer, selfies are allowed. The usual jellybean jar contest will take place. Three peeps who guess the closest to the number of beans in the jar wins. Prizes are a Poppy Marché Easter Basket, a Montecito Country Mart Easter basket, or Orlebar Brown swim trunks.

The Great Egg Hunt at Elings Park is on Saturday, March 30, from 9 am to 12:30 pm, on the softball field. Ages and times are Baby Bunnies (ages 0-3) at 10 am to 10:30 am; Daring Ducks (ages 4 to 6) at 10:45 am to 11:15 am; and Jack Rabbits (ages 7-10) at 11:30 am to noon.

Bring your own basket. The Easter Bunny, face painters, and a bounce house will be there. Free.

https://elingspark.org/events/the-great-egg-hunt-3

Santa Barbara Trapeze Co. Second Annual Egg Hunt, is hosting two egg hunts Sunday, March 31, at Plaza Vera Cruz (110 E. Cota Street). The first egg hunt kicks off at 12:15 pm, followed by another at 3:15 pm. Get ready for some friendly competition with two spoon races, happening from 12:45 pm to 1 pm and from 3:45 pm to 4 pm. The Easter Bunny will be there. Open to all ages. Free.

Santa Barbara Golf Club’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt is on Saturday, March 30, from 2 pm to 4 pm. Reservations by child’s age is required. Ages 2 years and younger at 2:30 pm, ages 3 to 5 at 3 pm, and ages 6 to 12 at 3:30 pm. Activities include the Santa Barbara Police Command Center, a bounce house, face painting, music and Snag Golf. Free.

https://www.playsantabarbara.com/events/event-registration

Buellton & Solvang Departments of Recreation’s 33rd Annual Easter Eggstravaganza is on Saturday, March 30, from 10 am to 12 pm, at River View Park, 151 Sycamore Drive in Buellton. It’s the Valley’s biggest hunt followed by activities, games, Easter crafts and more! Hunt starts promptly at 10 am. Free.

Let us also note the religious holidays for the Muslim holy day Laylat al-Qadr on April 6, the Islamic holy day Eid al-Fitr from April 9 -10, and Ridván –a twelve-day festival in the Bahá’í Faith starting on April 21.

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

Author Holly Woolson (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

It finally put to rest the scurrilous rumors circulating fueling endless speculation about her long absence from royal

duties which Buckingham Palace should have clearly been a great deal more candid and upfront about.

With King Charles also revealing he is being treated for cancer and Fergie, the Duchess of York, suffering from breast cancer and then skin cancer, it has clearly not been a good time for the Royal Family with Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales stepping more into the breach, along with Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and the monarch’s sister, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, already considered one of the hardest working members of the clan.

But, hopefully, whatever the cancers, they have been caught early and can be dealt with.

Among my appearances were the Martha MacCallum Show on the Fox News Channel and our local ABC affiliate KEYT-TV, when I was interviewed in my front garden for the evening news shows.

Kate, who I last met in 2011 when she visited the Santa Barbara Polo Club soon after her marriage to William, is an extraordinarily popular figure in the U.K., particularly with children George, Charlotte and Louis

The event, which I covered for NBC, showed her to be beautiful, charming and poised in her new role as she presented the Tiffany Trophy to her husband, who scored five goals in the round robin match.

I join, with the rest of the world, in wishing King Charles and Kate all the best in their upcoming medical treatments.

Birthday Boy Rob

The stars were out in abundance in our Eden by the Beach when perpetually youthful actor Rob Lowe celebrated his 60th birthday with a host of Hollywood stars who traveled up the 101 to help the 9-1-1: Lone Star star celebrate until the early hours with a live band.

“I love the milestone birthdays because they really are an opportunity to reflect and to think where you want to go,” says

Rob, whose Hollywood stardom reaches back four decades.

Recent Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr., Cameron Diaz, fellow Montecito residents Gwyneth Paltrow and her TV producer husband Brad Falchuk, warbler Katy Perry and British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom, former TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and wife actress Portia de Rossi, and former TV anchor Maria Shriver, actor Chris Pratt and wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, Amy Poehler, instrumentalist Kenny G, and Netflix boss Ted Sarandos were among the celebrity firmament.

Clearly Rob, dressed impeccably in a black pinstripe suit, is still putting the sex into sexagenarian…

Bravo to Lieff

Montecito winemaker Gretchen Lieff was awarded Woman Business Owner of the Year at the 10th annual BRAVO Awards

lunch at Goleta’s Hilton Garden Inn.

Gretchen, owner of the La Lieff winery in the Funk Zone and an avid animal activist, exclaimed: “A great surprise! But a nice honor.”

The event, with the theme Rising Together, was emceed by Anne Pazier, owner of Santa Barbara Gift Baskets, who was Madame of Ceremonies, while Kirsten Miller, president and CEO of Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, was keynote speaker.

Other recipients included Julie Phillips , Julie Schneiderman , Jen Gamble, Linda Krop, Kellie Pearson, and Charlotte Choi, a student at Dos Pueblos High School.

Kim Clark, a partner in the popular website Noozhawk, appropriately enough won the first Kim Clark Leadership

the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood

Richard speaking about the Royals on KEYT (courtesy of KEYT)

Rob Lowe celebrates this sixth decade in star-studded style (photo by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons)

Nicole Cline, honoree Jen Gamble, Amy Love, Sherry Villanueva, and Ivy Moliver (photo by Priscilla)

Honoree Gretchen Lieff, Janet Garufis, Lauren Bragg, Beth Sullivan, and Kathy Odell (photo by Priscilla)

The awards for 2024 were presented to eight accomplished women (photo by Priscilla)

Award named in her honor.

Others at the National Association of Women Business Owners bash were Janet Garufis, Sherry Villanueva, Lauren Bragg, Lisa Osborn, Kara Pearson, Judy Foreman, Hannah-Beth Jackson, and Bill MacFadyen.

St. Pat’s Revelry

Santa Barbara Revels’ 16th annual Pub Sing on St. Patrick’s Day was really up the creek!

More than 60 warblers, including founder Susan Keller, joined in the merry mayhem at the Creekside Restaurant & Bar in Goleta singing a selection of Irish

tunes, sea shanties, familiar folk songs, traditional favorites, and novelty ditties with Andrew Manos on keyboard and Revels music director Mica Basilica leading the vocal activities.

As well as celebrating the upcoming Vernal Equinox, the group hosts its annual May Day celebration in due course and in September marks the Fall Equinox with a special musical presentation. And, later, its ever-popular Harbor Sing.

production The Ghosts of Haddon Hall, which I last saw performed 11 years ago.

The Magic of MAW

12 and Aug. 3, new academy president and CEO Shauna Quill outlined the many programs available along with new artistic officer Nate Bachhuber , who worked with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Composer and pianist Timo Andres, who will be conducting a masterclass during the festival, gave a taste of what was to come when he took to the stage on a Steinway grand.

Among the guests were John and Ellen Pillsbury , Robert Weinman , Peter and Linda Beuret, Mashey Bernstein, NancyBell Coe, Beno Budgor, Tom Parker, Leila Drake, Maurice Singer, Judy Weisman , Mary Blackwood Collier, and Mark Foreman

On Display at Casa Dorinda

The year culminates with the Revels Christmas show marking the Winter Solstice at the Lobero, a decidedly English Miscellany

Social gridlock reigned at the Music Academy of the West’s Hahn Hall when VIP donors got a sneak peek at this year’s 77th annual summer festival “The Magic of Music.”

Featuring 150 performances with more than 137 fellows between June

Just four months after moving into Casa Dorinda, artist Victoria Furst Hines has lost no time in making her mark. Victoria, who with her late husband Carter ran a popular Montecito drapery business, has displayed 36 of her colorful works in oil, acrylic and watercolor, just a

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Pianist Andrew Manos and music director Mica Basilica lead the singing of Irish folk songs (photo by Priscilla)

A true Irish Reveler (photo by Priscilla)

Well-known musician/vocalist Luis Moreno joins Revels Founder and Artistic Director Susan Keller, and Myron Shapero (photo by Priscilla)

CEO Shauna Quill and Chief Artistic Officer Nate Bachhuber on stage discussing the upcoming summer festival (photo by Mimi Do)

Composer and pianist Timo Andres was at the event to give a preview performance (courtesy photo)

Missy DeYoung, Sharol and Wayne Siemens, and Victoria Furst Hines (photo by Priscilla)

sacred spaces and interior domestic spaces, a personal exploration of warring factions inside of self, and 200 small paintings of friends and family that create a bedroom tableau full of nostalgia,” Huff says.

Ken and Francie Jewesson sponsor the exhibition.

Grant Launches

Student Training in AI

The Fletcher Jones Foundation has awarded Westmont College $500,000 to provide students with education, training, and industry readiness for the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (AI). The funds will expand the scope of the Center for Applied Technology Lab (CATLab) to include AI, adding stateof-the-art hardware and software infrastructure to facilitate students’ hands-on learning and experimentation.

“This is a critical time to have our Westmont students, armed with a Christian, liberal arts education, working on AI to ensure that it serves society instead of harming it,” says Reed Sheard, CIO and vice president for advancement.

The grant is enabling Westmont’s CATLab, which is part of the Center for Technology, Creativity and Moral Imagination, to recruit and hire up to five full-time Fletcher Jones Foundation Fellows this summer. The fellows will be guided by a manager with AI expertise and will work to create new AI services.

The first student AI project will create an interactive chatbot powered by AI to assist Westmont students, including first-generation and transfer students, in finding information and answers for how to navigate all aspects of attending college. The chatbot will replace static FAQ pages which are limited and often don’t provide enough useful information for students, especially those new to a college academic environment.

Students involved in CATLab combine their liberal arts education with relevant internships and hands-on experience that yields exceptional job-readiness. CATLab students supercharge their experience and connections by hosting industry leaders for an annual Impact conference in Santa Barbara. This year’s conference, July 22-24, will feature both Salesforce and AI.

CATLab stands out among liberal arts institutions for engaging undergraduate students from a range of majors to develop solutions that support the college’s business operations. Now in its sixth year, the CATLab hires approximately 28 students each summer to work both in the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) incubator and at area businesses as interns. CATLab provides students with an opportunity to learn programming, business process redesign, marketing, data analytics and decision science.

Beginning this summer, the new dedicated team of Fletcher Jones Foundation Fellows will develop as AI innovators

within CATLab. Students will access AI development tools, datasets and cloud computing resources to pursue practical application development.

The generous grant also provides for a future collaborative workspace at the Westmont Downtown | Keith Center at 29 W. Anapamu St., and enables the college to recruit and launch an AI advisory board. The board will convene the industry leaders twice a year and provide crucial input for a program in a dynamic, rapidly changing field.

Westmont has been a grateful recipient of past funding from the Fletcher Jones Foundation. Most recently, in 2020 the Foundation made possible construction and equipment for The Fletcher Jones Foundation Center for Engineering.

Westmont seeks to equip students for a range of vocations and a capacity to step into jobs that do not yet exist, including those at the forefront of AI technology, by a thorough grounding in a Christian liberal arts education. With this combination Westmont graduates will offer not just technical prowess, but a capacity for moral discernment and to articulate ethical considerations that industry leaders are urging upon the rapidly emerging field of AI.

Talk Explores Racism, Anti-Greed Gospel

Malcolm Foley, special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement at Baylor University, argues that race and racism are fundamentally not issues of pride but of greed in a lecture Wednesday, April 3, from 3:30-5 pm in the Global Leadership Center.

The talk, “Child of Mammon or Child of God?: The Anti-Greed Gospel,” is free and open to the public. The sociology and anthropology department, history department, Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts and the Provost’s Office sponsor the lecture.

“What’s so bad about racism?” asks Foley, pastor at Mosaic Waco and religious historian at Baylor, where he directs Black Church Studies at Truett Seminary. “Is it about hate and ignorance? Is the solution education and diverse relationships? Or are the problem and solution deeper?

“The solution is not that we merely think about one another differently, but that we treat one another differently. The only truly antiracist Christian communities are the anti-greed ones.”

Foley graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in religious studies and finance. He earned a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School and a doctorate in religion from Baylor.

“Dr. Foley electrified the campus community last year in his public lecture and chapel message, and we are having him back by popular demand,” says Blake Victor Kent, associate professor of sociology. “In an age rife with uncertainty about how to talk about race, Dr. Foley is a tremendous communicator, one who points a way forward outside the typical talking points. As a pastor and scholar, Dr. Foley is an ideal leader to address Westmont’s campus community and wider constituency, and I am personally looking forward to learning from him once again.”

“Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?” – Neltje Blanchan

Reed Sheard, CIO and vice president for advancement

Malcolm Foley (courtesy photo)

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

when the movie ends.”

With connection and collaboration a big part of the method, Illuminate also features a few social events, including happy hour gatherings, a dance party at SOhO, and a closing celebration at CEC’s new Hub.

“We’re marrying entertainment with enlightenment,” David said. “Bringing people together around meaningful and entertaining events accelerates our collective growth. We believe that to change the world, you also have to throw a better party.”

Illuminate Film Festival takes place April 4-7. Visit https://2024.illuminatefilmfestival.com.

Scoring the Marriner 100

It would be hard to overstate the popularity of The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, whose reputation and name recognition soared following its recording of all the music for the soundtrack of the 1984 film Amadeus, which occurred about halfway through the 50-year leadership of founding artistic director Sir Neville Marriner. The album was just one of 500 recordings released by ASMF under Marriner’s baton, and the London-based chamber orchestra also amped up its world tours, appearing in all the greatest concert halls of the world.

The great American violinist and composer Joshua Bell took over as music director of ASMF when Marriner retired in 2011, just five years before his death at 92. Bell and the orchestra will mark Marriner’s centennial later this month with a series of events in London called “Marriner 100,” with a centerpiece of a new commission by multiple Grammy-winning composer Vince Mendoza. But first the new work – which features Marriner’s grandson Douglas, a jazz-based drummer, as soloist – gets its world premiere right here in town when CAMA brings ASMF back to the Granada on April 2. Mendoza twice surprised drummer Douglas Marriner (whose father Andrew was the former longtime principal clarinetist of the London Symphony) when creating Flight of Moving Days. First by agreeing to the commission – “I thought it was a longshot, just a dream, but he emailed ASMF’s CEO to say yes in 15 minutes,” Marriner said – and then secondly when he finished the work. “The score showed up in my inbox on Christmas Eve, with a message from Vince that said, ‘I was going to buy you a pair of socks for Christmas, but instead I wrote you a piece.’”

Q. With your family history, was there any way you weren’t going to be a musician?

A. They didn’t have to convince me, because I actually grew up in the apartment below my grandfather, so I was always surrounded by incredible music and wonderful musicians, which was more than enough reason. I might be practicing the piano down in my part of the house, and upstairs I might hear Alfred Brendel or some other incredible pianist visiting Neville. I managed to absorb an awful lot of very good music when I was young. Having grown up as the band baby on the tour bus and in the recording studios, this is a very full circle moment to be rejoining what really is the family orchestra.

How did you turn towards drums and percussion?

I was impressed by how my grandfather could pull invisible puppet strings of the orchestra and have influence over the sound. An improvising jazz drummer was the perfect amalgamation of both a conductor and a composer, because when we improvise, we compose in real time… I also wanted to broaden the reach (of) and translate those musical values I’d absorbed, applying my classical sensibility to help with the architectural decisions in terms of sculpting balance and dynamics.

Did you ever work professionally with Neville?

No, but he did conduct my school choir once when I was 10. It was amazing to have him facing me whilst he worked, seeing how he communicated with people my age. It was fun but he always kept you on your toes. There was always a very witty remark to make sure that everybody gave their absolute best. I also got to play with my dad for my mother’s 50th birthday, when I transcribed Benny Goodman’s solo from “After You’ve Gone” from the Carnegie Hall recording for him… Now it feels so full circle to be playing with ASMF for Marriner 100.

What can you share about Flight of Moving Days?

It’s been a very collaborative process, and Vince has some very specifically orchestrated sections and others that are rather more improvisational, straddling the worlds of classical and jazz. It feels like the musical embodiment of a journey, representing both my granddad’s legacy and the changing nature of the ensemble and how music moves with time. The narrative is that I’m like a party guest who at first is an intruder and eventually becomes the life and soul of it. Musically, there are moments that are full and luscious, others that are more exposed and conversational, with playful ele-

ments between the violin and the drums, all part of Vince’s extraordinary harmonic palette, but with some new angles.

Book ‘em: Dream on

Considered one of America’s foremost experts on jobs and the economy, Robert B. Reich was part of the administrations of three presidents – Ford and Carter and Secretary of Labor for Bill Clinton’s first term – and is also a bestselling author, award-winning documentarian, and a respected commentator. Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at Berkeley for almost two decades following stints at Harvard and Brandeis, Reich is renowned for his ability to present complex issues with both urgency and warmth. In the face of growing economic insecurity, a widening wealth gap, and technologies eliminating jobs and fomenting increasing labor disputes, many believe society’s major institutions no longer function in ways that benefit most people. In an April 3 lecture at UCSB’s Campbell Hall titled “What Really Happened to the American Dream? (And How Can it be Restored?),” Reich – the former board chair for Common Cause – examines widening inequalities of income, wealth and political power, and shows how restoring equal opportunity is critical for all Americans. Info at https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

Hanging Around Town: Artwork to CAW About

Self-taught eco-artist Jami Joelle Nielsen asked 11 other local artists to create new works using recycled materials and centered on an environmental issue of their choice –including climate change, threatened species, fast fashion, problems facing pollinators, wildfires, tech and landfill waste, ocean plastics pollution, deforestation, and others. The result is The Recycled Show: No Waste Earth, which has its opening reception at the Community Arts Workshop on March 29. Each of the 12 artists – Mary Balda, Adrienne De Guevara, Kimberly Hahn, Sue Van Horsen, Dan Levin, Michael Long, Heidi Parker, Mary Price, Vanae Mary Rivera, Dug Uyesaka, Frank Whipple, and Nielsen herself – also composes an accompanying narrative regarding the significance of their chosen environmental concern. The reception will also feature a live interactive plastic “mandala” art assemblage, poetry reading, live music, a “Make a Fish Wish” for the planet activity, a showing of the environmental art film Wasteland, and tables manned by such local environmental organizations as SB Channelkeeper and Heal the Ocean. Light snacks and beverages will also be provided. All of the artwork at The Recycled Show: No Waste Earth is for sale, with a portion of sales supporting CAW. The exhibit runs March 28-April 2, with limited open viewings and by appointment.

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

Also at CAW this week: Go Figure: Figurative Drawing Salon Exhibit, a free casual salon that includes figurative drawings and paintings from a large group of local artists in such mediums as watercolor, ink, charcoal, pastel and mixed media, displayed in multiple creative ways. The show is representative of the vibrant figure drawing group in Santa Barbara, who join in the timeless tradition of capturing the essence of life through their sketches, paintings and charcoal studies depicting the human figure. The stage will be set for volunteer models, with drawing materials provided for all to participate, at the salon set for 11 am to 4 pm on March 30 & 31. Visit www.sbcaw.org/upcoming.

Douglas Marriner will play with the ASMF for the Marriner 100, the centennial celebration of his grandfather, the legendary Sir Neville Marriner (photo by Meirion Harries)

Orchestra in a mixed program of classical, popular, and syncopated jazz music. One of the first three-dimensional movies, Plastigrams , had the audience donning blue and red colored lenses as giant turtles flew toward them from the screen. Several cartoons and novelty reels were followed by the world premiere of Mae Murray (“the Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips”) in Mademoiselle Midnight , and the ballet company of motion picture star and director Theodore Kosloff danced “A Legend of Old Spain,” which he had created especially for the occasion.

Becoming a Movie Theater

Johnson didn’t hold on to his theater for very long, however, selling it to Warner Brothers in 1931 shortly after the opening of the Arlington Theatre and the beginning of the Depression.

In 1955, the Granada was sold again, this time to Metropolitan Theaters, so concerts like the CAMA-sponsored New York Philharmonic Orchestra and two shows by the Society of American Magicians vied with the latest releases of The Desperate Hours starring Humphrey

Bogart and Fredric March, and the adults-only The Bad Seed

Over the years, the Community Arts Music Association and other local performance organizations vacillated between booking their seasons at the Granada and the Arlington. Finances, availability, lighting, acoustics, comfort, and number of seats were the major factors in those decisions. In 1976, CAMA and other local performing arts groups placed their hopes on an enlarged and renovated Arlington. Not completely satisfied with the acoustics of the Arlington, they discovered that the possibility of returning to the Granada was no longer an option

because the balcony section had been converted into two mini theaters in 1981, and the Granada became mainly a movie house.

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts

In 1997, former mayor and civic promoter Hal Conklin, president of

The Granada Theatre in 1929 featured Pauline Frederick, a former silent movie star, in the talkie Evidence, and George Bancroft in The Mighty. His costar was Warner Oland, a Swedishborn actor who later became famous in the role of Charlie Chan. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

the Santa Barbara Renaissance Fund, revealed extensive and elaborate plans to create a performing arts cultural center on the 1300 Block of State Street, the entire block across from the Granada. The plan included major interior changes for the Arlington as well as eventual renovation of the Granada Theatre. When it became clear that the Arlington would not be available because Metropolitan Theaters wasn’t guaranteed nine replacement screens in compensation for losing the Arlington as a movie house, plans to renovate the Granada jumped to the forefront.

In 2003, the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. launched a capital campaign and announced that they had obtained an option to purchase the Granada at a below-market price. They planned to renovate the theater so that local and visiting musical groups would have a truly great venue. The cost, they estimated, would be between 15-18 million dollars.

When Joan Rutkowski and Susan Gulbransen approached philanthropist Michael Towbes about the need for a world-class performing arts venue to serve as home to Santa Barbara’s outstanding arts companies, he quickly signed onto the project… and wrote them a check. Then cultural supporters Sara Miller McCune, co-founder of Sage Publishing, and Sarah and Roger Chrisman joined the cause, their combined donations allowing the Center to close escrow on the Granada Theatre. “The project really struck home to me,” said McCune in a February 20, 2003, Los Angeles Times article, “the community stands to benefit enormously.”

Initial plans were modest. As time passed, however, the planners added

“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” – Lilly Pulitzer

The Granada curtain was painted with a scene of Granada, Spain (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

The opening show on April 9, 1924, attempted to highlight all the different genres of performances suitable for the Granada (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

A parade on State Street passes the Granada Theatre in 1935, now owned by Warner Brothers. Notice that in this post Prohibition photo, the restaurant and soda fountain of 1929 is now a bar advertising Liquor and Beer. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Santa Barbara Performing Arts Center, Inc. developed an extensive plan to ensure Santa Barbara had a downtown cultural center. A large group of early supporters is pictured here in front of the Granada. Back row (from left): Carol Wilburn, Betty Stephens, Peter Frisch, Joan Rutkowski, Marla Phillips.

Front row: Morrie Jurkowitz, Irma Jurkowitz, Anne Smith Towbes, Michael Towbes, and Léni Fé Bland. (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts and CAMA)

elements as they sought to accommodate local performing arts groups. By July 2003 the estimated cost was 20.5 million dollars; by October 2004, it was $32 million; by August 2005, it was $40 million as continuing upgrades over the original plan grew to include an acoustical shell and other elements.

Finally, near the end of 2005, ground was broken and the Granada went dark. Peter Frisch was executive director of the project; Roger Morgan was chief theater consultant; and David Conant of McKay Conant Hoover, Inc. was brought on as acoustician.

With construction costs escalating, complications of a required earthquake retrofit, and specific requests from potential tenants – a list including the Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, State Street Ballet, Community Arts Music Association (CAMA), and Music Academy of the West – the price tag for the project soared as well. In the end, the project cost a whopping $60 million dollars, but Santa Barbara had a spacious, first rate, beautifully renovated, technologically updated new performing arts center. Best of all for CAMA and other musical organizations, the enlarged stage and the intricate acoustical system designed by Dave Conant would assure that orchestral performances would truly resonate.

On March 6, 2008, the Granada threw open its doors for a Spanish themed patron’s gala. Santa Barbara Independent reviewer Charles Donelan reported that from the red carpet outside to the grand staircases that flanked the lobby, the space was packed with

well-heeled supporters sipping wine and greeting one another enthusiastically. The opening night performances of the Santa Barbara Choral Society and Santa Barbara Symphony, as well as that of renowned pianist Warren Jones, who arrived on stage together with the Granada’s brand new Steinway via the giant open elevator of the orchestra pit, left the audience enthralled. “With the opening of this Granada, a star theater has been born,” wrote Donelan.

The Granada Today

On April 9, that star theater will reach its 100th year. In a recent interview, Jill Seltzer, the Granada’s Vice President of Advancement, and Caren Rager, Chrisman Executive Director and President, reflected on the challenges and successes of the Granada’s role as Santa Barbara’s Performing Arts Center. Today, eight local performing arts groups make the Granada their home,

and the theater attracts over 100,000 people each year to the downtown area. Broadway musicals play once again on the Granada stage, and other local nonprofit organizations and touring companies book performance dates at the theater, as well. “For a town our size, we are blessed to have such a high caliber of performing arts organizations,” says Selzer.

“Endowments, sponsorships, and

contributions make it possible to maintain this world class venue,” says Rager. The major portion of Granada funding comes from the local community, including philanthropists, individuals and organizations.

With the exciting success of the performance by the Santa Barbara Symphony and the Doublewide Kings rock-and-roll band playing Van Morrison’s music, the Granada found an additional, exciting new direction. As they move into their second century, they will be cultivating more cross-genre programing and collaboration of local organizations.

The centennial celebration officially begins with a free screening of a one-halfhour documentary that chronicles The Granada’s story on Wednesday, April 3, at 7:00 pm.

Tickets can be secured for reserved seating at https://ticketing.granadasb.org/19135

“The Granada’s Centennial Festival Weekend, April 12-14, celebrates its history through a screening of Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., a silent film presented in 1924. The second feature, Star Wars: A New Hope, screened for 15 weeks at the Granada when it premiered in 1977.

Saturday night celebrates the present with a performance by Pacific Jazz Orchestra during its inaugural season. Lastly, Sunday celebrates the future with solo performances by young Santa Barbara artists and production numbers from each of the three high schools’ musicals that open later in April.

For more information and tickets go to GranadaSB.org or call 805-899-2222

After the opening gala of March 6, 2008, Charles Donelan wrote, “With the opening of this Granada, a star theater has been born.” (program courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

The Granada was closed for 16 months during Covid, but they met the challenge together with the Santa Barbara Symphony. They brought the music and more through intimate podcasts. (photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Symphony and the Granada Theatre)

CAMA brought the Montreal Symphony, aka Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal to the Granada stage in 2016. (photo courtesy of CAMA)

Future plans include cultivating more cross-genre programing and collaboration of local organizations, like “Moondance,” the concert given by the Santa Barbara Symphony and the rock-and-rolling Doublewide Kings. (photo courtesy of Granada Theatre)

“Moondance” was a collaboration of classical musicians and Americana rockers using the music of the multi-genre artist, Van Morrison. (photo courtesy of Granada Theatre)

Hattie Beresford has been writing a local history column for the Montecito Journal for more than a decade and is the author of several books on Santa Barbara’s historic past

tremendous joy in the blend of teamwork, problem solving and policy application ...” Two Harbor Patrol officers, Jessica Gray and Stella Nicodemus have as their duty enforcement of laws for safety on both water and land, educating the public in boating skills, and providing emergency medical response when needed. “Having such a variety of duties and tasks,” stated Nicodemus, “allows for each day to be completely unique.

Santa Barbara harbor business owners include five of the honorees also with multiple skill levels: Jaime Diamond, CEO of the Santa Barbara Landing and manager of two charter sport fishing vessels; Kaia Kababik, owner of Paddle Sports Center and Channel Islands Expeditions, which includes marine education programs; Stephanie Mutz, owner of Sea Stephanie Fish and a commercial urchin diver advocating sustainability; Kimberly Selkoe, CEO of Get Hooked Seafood, Executive Director of Commercial Fisherman of Santa Barbara, and marine scientist at UCSB partnering with Victoria Voss, co-owner of Get Hooked Seafood and daughter of a commercial fisherman who advocated sustainable fishing. “I love the relationships we have built!” exclaimed Voss. “Whether it’s with our Get Hooked team, our fisherman, our members or other local food producers in the region, the relationships really make the work worth it.”

The importance of relationships and teamwork is indeed the abiding theme. Owner of the Condor Express, Hiroko Benko, depends on a well-managed team to maintain her whale watching boat and business, but her personal passion is for the whales themselves. Together with other members of the harbor community Benko joined forces with Holly Lohuis, a fellow honoree and marine biologist with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, to form a team including JeanMichel Cousteau, to designate the Santa Barbara Channel as a Whale Heritage Area. Their mission is to increase awareness of the variety of whales that traverse

our waters, their ecological significance and the need to insure their health and safety. Thanks to the efforts of the team, the Santa Barbara Channel is now designated as the ninth Whale Heritage Area on the planet!

Continuing to carve a huge profile in the harbor community as a volunteer (and accountant!) is Francie Lufkin. As the first female commodore at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club in 142 years, she set the standard and opened the door for others to follow. She has chaired and co-chaired the Yacht Club’s huge annual Charity Regatta benefitting VNA Heath that’s raised several million dollars for the nonprofit during her stewardship. Last, but not least, she’s served as a Maritime Museum board member donating her accounting skills as Treasurer.

Regardless of the job, mission, or enterprise – all these talented women share a love of the ocean and the creatures that call it home. Sustainability and respect are their common watchwords. Some have followed in the footsteps of the previous generation, others have chosen the challenging path of entrepreneur and business owner.

“Women’s roles in the seafaring community have gone back generations, yet with little record or reference,” said Executive Director Greg Gorga. “From navigators to sailors, there is a rich history of women’s participation in the maritime realm. It is an honor to share the stories of women who continue to make history in our community.”

Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor will be on view in the public hall of the Waterfront Center Building and the Maritime Museum through May 29, 2024.

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

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Montecito Sanitary District (“District”) is a sanitary district duly organized and existing pursuant to the Sanitary District Act of 1923 codified in Health and Safety Code section 6400 et seq;

WHEREAS, under Health and Safety Code section 6514, the District may acquire “such real and personal property and rights of way, either within or without the limits of the district, as in the judgment of the board are necessary or proper to the exercise of its powers, and particularly for the purpose of permitting ingress to and egress from such real or personal property, … ”;

WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code sections 6521 and 6491.3 authorize the Board of the District to make and enforce all necessary and proper regulations and ordinances for all other sanitary purposes not in conflict with the laws of the state of California;

WHEREAS, on July 13, 2023, the Board adopted Ordinance No. 22, establishing policies and standards for District easements and regulating easement encroachments; and

WHEREAS, the Board desires to rescind and replace Ordinance No. 22 with this Ordinance to establish a refined set of policies and standards.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of Directors of the Montecito Sanitary District does ordain as follows

An official copy of Ordinance No. 23 in its entirety can be found at the District’s office located at 1042 Monte Cristo Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 or can be requested by emailing Stephen Williams, District Administrator at swilliams@montsan.org.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 20th day of March, 2024

AYES: Directors Hogan, Johnson, Martin, Ohlmann, and Barrett

NAYS: None

ABSENT: None

Published March 27, 2024 Montecito Journal

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Luminous Holiday Lighting, 1512 North B Ct, Lompoc, CA 93436. Alexis Garcia, 1512 North B Ct, Lompoc, CA 93436. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 20, 2024. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2024-0000722. Published March 27, April 3, April 17, 24, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Rose Residential Care, 129 E Mill St. Santa Maria, CA 93454. WCMA Care LLC, 2680 S Clara, Fresno, CA 93706. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 7, 2024. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2024-0000594. Published March 27, April 3, April 17, 24, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Downhome Mystic; Guilded Muse; Gilded Muse, 1661 Las Canoas Rd Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Jennifer Erin Bower, 1661 Las Canoas Rd Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 15, 2024. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2024-0000677. Published March 20, 27, April 3, April 17, 2024.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s)

is/are doing business as: I Do Consulting CO, 631 E Sola St. #A, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Samantha Siteman, 836 Anacapa St. #1561, Santa Barbara, CA 93102. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 28, 2024. This statement

expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2024-0000513. Published March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s)

is/are doing business as: Pooch Parlor, 1194 Mustang Drive, Santa Ynez, CA 93460. Natalie Taylor, PO Box 978, Santa Ynez, CA 93460. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 27, 2024. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20240000503. Published March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Casa Dorinda, 300 Hot Springs Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Montecito Retirement Association, 300 Hot Springs Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 23, 2024. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20240000469. Published March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2024

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME: CASE No. 24CV01144. To all interested parties: Petitioner Beverly Elaine Ray filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Beverly Elaine Dickinson. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed

March 15, 2024 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: May 10, 2024 at 10 am in Dept. 4, 1100

Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Published March 20, 27, April 3, April 17, 2024.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ES-

TATE OF: Donald Wilson Hoffler. Case No. 24PR00118. To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Donald Wilson Hoffler aka Donald W. Hoffler aka Donald Hoffler aka Don Hoffler a Petition for Probate has been filed by Wendy A. Mangone in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara.

The Petition for Probate requests that Wendy A. Mangone be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: April 25, 2024, at 9 am in Dept. 5, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file your written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court with the later date of either four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, or 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice. Other California statues and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. Attorney for petitioner: Stefanie M. Herrington, ESQ., 559 San Ysidro Road, Suite J, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 (805)293-6363. Filed March 5, 2024, by Nicolette Barnard, Deputy. Published March 20, 27, April 3, April 17, 2024.

John Muir

Women of the Santa Barbara Harbor will be on display until May 29, 2024

work together, because we have eight years to make this happen. We do not want to rush it and just make a mess of everything. That’s what I’m concerned about.

How about the Miramar project? There are many people, particularly longtime residents, who don’t necessarily want more fancy stores and high-rise condos. Part of that project is more affordable apartments for employees. What is your feeling about the overall plan being proposed?

I’m holding a special meeting at All Saints on April 6th. I invited the whole neighborhood to come out and I’m going to listen and learn. I always have a simple policy; I never will impose on you something I would never impose on myself. For me, no, I wouldn’t want more traffic, more density across the street from my home. Imagine kids going out to play. What if there’s more traffic? You don’t put people in danger. But I think there’s a compromise. I have some ideas. For example, let this project go through, but get the revenue from those stores and earmark it for the neighborhood for things like underground power lines, road maintenance, etc. If the community is open to that, then I think it could work. Because who doesn’t want underground power lines? It’d be great for property values. It’d be great for providing consistent power, but how do we pay for that? Could the Miramar expansion be part of the solution? And how about the Biltmore? They want to do more. Well, let’s create 10% of the revenue that they get to the underground power lines in Montecito community.

I take it you have not yet had that conversation with Ty Warner?

No, I haven’t met him yet. I assume eventually I will. But I just think if he loves Montecito, then he will want what’s best for it, too.

Let’s talk about the cannabis situation because that was obviously a big impetus behind your community’s support for you. What is your plan to unscramble the mess that’s been created, not just from a permitting and policy perspective, but also from a disgruntled resident perspective?

It has to be done in steps. Getting rid of the smell is the first step. I will support the ordinance of implementing carbon scrubbers in the whole county, not just Carpinteria. Then you look at the taxation, and it is very confusing. I was watching the supervisors talking about it. If they don’t understand it, how can a voter under stand what they’re proposing? So taxation, smell, and look at the proximity to where it is being grown. It should not be grown next to homes and schools. I think we must look at other areas with better placement for this industry.

Are you saying the system of taxation should be changed to be more like what’s being done in Humboldt County or other counties – where growers are taxed per square area versus the revenue collected from sales?

Yes. It allows for more consistent enforcement, and you can predict the revenue that’s coming from each of the farms. We have to take this negative and turn it into a positive. We have so much acreage devoted to this industry, and yet we get so little. Something’s wrong and I’ll find out and make this work for us.

A big part of a supervisor’s job involves budgets. And budgets are moral documents. They’re a reflection of your values as a leader and the board’s values. But you can’t make everyone happy. How are you going to feel about that?

It’s a good thing to have experience on the city council. When people vote for you, they put their trust in you. It’s a basic rule of government to focus on roads, infrastructure and provide a better-quality life for everyone and not just specific groups. So, I will focus on road improvements and simple things that can have so much impact on daily lives of everybody. And there will be some controversial issues coming up. But I always remind myself that as long as you do what’s best for the community, you can never go wrong. And at the end of the day, I have to live with my decisions and live and sleep on those issues. Over the past six years on the city council, I believe my decisions were made with sound reason and common sense. And that’s what I want to bring. I don’t want to have somebody tell me how to vote because they see it this way. I always vote, like you said, with my heart in place with the community.

Is there anything else that you want this community to know about you or your intentions?

I just want to say, I am going to spend the next eight months, before I take office, reaching out to the whole first district and having meetings with many people and learning; and just really listening about their needs and wants, and then prioritizing that in my first hundred days as supervisor. And setting goals for myself to accomplish

things that you may not necessarily see but you will experience in your daily life. Small things such as street repairs, improvements to roundabouts; things that will help people just appreciate what we are able to do as a government. And big issues down the road with what’s happening in Montecito, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara.

What about building relationships on the board? How’s that going?

It’s amazing. I’ve spoken with not just the current supervisors, but former ones such as Joe Marshall, Janet Wolf, and Peter Adams. Peter is coming here next week to have lunch with me and just talk. That’s great. I want to build strong relationships and just learn from former supervisors about how I can do better. How can I be a better supervisor for the first district and the whole community?

How does your family feel?

They’re proud. My wife, my kids, my mom and dad. To come to this country with so little and having so many people tell us that we’ll never succeed in life. But we worked so hard to achieve not just the business and our personal lives, but to be here before you today and saying, “I’m the next supervisor.” It is the American dream. It shows you the value of work hard, be honest, have integrity. You can make it. You can be successful. You can do it the right way. And we have. We have always given back to the community. We have always served, given our time and energy, and we’re proud. It wasn’t easy. I say this campaign started off when I was 14 years old washing my first dish here at the restaurant. That’s when I started my path to where I am today. I have a strong work ethic. I have a strong family value, and just listening and learning and just building trust. It took me a while to get where I am, but I’m incredibly grateful for everything.

So, the moral of the story is, our kids should do the dishes?

Everybody should start with the dishes because it teaches you about humility, being humble, and no matter who you are, I’m here to serve you. That’s why I’m still here every day at the restaurant. I’m mopping the floors, I’m vacuuming. You have to do everything. You can’t just always be the boss collecting money and writing the checks. You have to know the whole, from the bottom to the top. You appreciate your life more and I remind myself who I am, and that I’m here to serve.

Saturday, April 6, 2024 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Elks Lodge - 150 N. Kellogg Ave. Santa Barbara, CA 93111

Register Early: Space is limited - $35 per person, $40 after March 24

Register at mypasb.org or scan the QR code Scholarships are available

mypasb@gmail.com

805-683-1326

tiara’s toss from the home’s capacious dining room near the lobby, which will be shown through May 10.

Her works showing shells, flowers and other nature subjects are also on show at the Coral Casino and Cottage Hospital, and sell for between $500 and $10,000.

Among the guests turning out for the opening of the show, curated by Penny Arntz, were Stewart Hudnut , John and Steven Buster, Wayne and Sharol Siemens , Judy Murphy , Gary and Susan Gulbransen , Missy DeYoung, Brian and Joanne Rapp, and Steve and Connie Halstead

A Fixer Upper

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has taken out a hefty $22 million mortgage to update her Montecito mansion.

The Oscar winner, 51, and TV producer husband Brad Falchuk, 53, bought the estate for only $4.9 million, according to London’s Sun.

The duo, who married in 2018 bought the property in 2016, demolishing the

O Has a Good Eye

Oprah Winfrey played a pivotal role in ensuring her longtime friend CBS anchor Gayle King’s son, William Bumpus Jr.’s proposal to his girlfriend Elise Smith went smoothly.

In a video, taken before the 36-yearold got down on one knee and popped the question, King could be heard asking the Montecito resident where the engagement photographer should stand to record the big moment.

Oprah gave advice to the shutterbug on where to hide while taking shots of the happy couple agreeing to spend the rest of their lives together.

King shared photos and videos from the big day on her Instagram account with more than one million followers.

Speaking from Beyond the Grail

Former Montecito funnyman John Cleese, 84, claims he still communicates with his Monty Python co-star Graham Chapman – 35 years after his death.

Chapman played roles in both The Holy Grail and Life of Brian films before dying of tonsil cancer in 1989.

And now Cleese has revealed he hired a psychic to “explore his consciousness,” but received a message from Chapman.

He told the Club Random podcast with Bill Maher: “She said, ‘Who’s Graham?’ I said, “Is he Graham Chapman?’ She says, ‘He’s going on about a pipe.’ I said, ‘He always smoked a pipe.’”

Abram has spent most of her career as a leader in nonprofit and higher education fundraising and administration, and has served as executive director of the Pasadena City College Foundation since 2012.

“This is an exciting time to be joining the foundation, with its 50th anniversary on the horizon and the groundbreaking SBCC Promise serving over 1,600 students this semester.”

four-bedroom house on the 2.36 acres of land, constructing the current mansion with two guest houses and double garages.

It was completed last year after seven years of construction.

The mortgage was obtained from City National Bank in November, 2021, according to The Sun.

Top Honors to Taupin

Former Santa Ynez Valley resident Bernie Taupin and his piano playing partner Sir Elton John have been awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, America’s highest honor for achievement in popular music.

The tony twosome received the honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Taupin has written memorable lyrics for Sir Elton for 56 years.

The award was established in 2007 and named after composers George and Ira Gershwin.

The all-star tribute concert will air on PBS on April 8.

Making a reference to the group’s famous parrot sketch, the psychic told Cleese he’s rolling up his trouser leg. “And I said, ‘That’s a sketch we made about the Freemasons.’ I know she didn’t see it. It was only broadcast once or twice.

“She said, ‘He’s waving a parrot at you.’”

Fascinating stuff...

Biopic Partners

Carol Burnett wants to see Angelina Jolie portray her in a potential biopic.

The legendary Montecito comedienne, 90, whose eponymous CBS variety show garnered 25 Emmys from 1967 to 1978, envisions a film about her illustrious life story starring the one and only Oscar-winning beauty.

Carol, a longtime resident of our rarefied enclave, enthusiastically affirmed the 48-year-old ex-wife of Brad Pitt for the role on ET, exclaiming: “I think she’s perfect!”

SBCC Foundation’s New CEO

Bobbi Abram is Santa Barbara City College Foundation’s new chief executive officer, starting May 1.

At the start of her career in higher education advancement, Abram served as executive director of the foundation at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law, and later as manager of alumni relations and development for Johnson County Community College. She also served as President of the California Network of Community College Foundation’s board of directors and has been active in the network for more than a decade.

Welcome to the ‘hood...

Sightings

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection SoFi event in L.A... Michael Douglas and actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones lunching at Tre Lune... Humorist and actor Mo Rocca noshing at Opal.

Pip! Pip!

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than 15 years

Penny Arntz, Susan Schumer, Jerry Parent, Steven and Blair Buster, artist Victoria Furst Hines, and John Buster (photo by Priscilla)

A few of the Casa Dorinda residents attending the gallery show (photo by Priscilla)

Bobbi Abram joins City College Foundation as Chief Executive Officer (courtesy photo)

Serbia. “In other countries,” McCormick says, “All these YMCAs are focused on the social needs of their respective countries and communities.”

There is joy and awe in this idea – a complex, bruised, and many-gabled world connected by its network of YMCAs, of all things. “Let’s head over to the Y” is a phrase spoken in a mad variety of languages, and from Anaheim to Zimbabwe. Yeah, the YMCA is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit social services organization. But don’t let that glamorous designation bedazzle. The Y is the sum of its hearts, to our common benefit – a complex enterprise whose innumerable gears turn with one consolidating, empathetic purpose. George and Suzanne exemplify the mission, and their confluence at Y-USA’s home office is auspicious.

Leis – a banker – is bringing his ‘A game’ to the national board. “I’m uniquely placed to help those Ys that aren’t thriving by reaching out to both the volunteers and the CEO, because I can see the financials. I can offer ideas on how you might change up some things and be financially successful. Because if you’re financially successful, you can continue to serve your community, which is what we’re all about.” McCormick remarks on the timeliness of Leis’ arrival. “We need to overlay that higher level of business acumen George provides with the way our Ys are operating. That’s what I’m excited about over the next couple years – how George and I are going to partner to continue to not only grow the movement but make it work better.”

Deer Park and Thailand

At 6 or 7 years old, Leis learned to swim at the YMCA in Deer Park, Long Island; a childhood baptism in the org to whose board he was recently elected

national chair. As full circles go, this one is so sweet even the achingly sentimental might find the sugar content alarming. Leis, though, is firing on all pistons. “This is a bucket list opportunity for me. All of our YMCAs across the United States are led by volunteers, and as Chair, I really want the signature theme of my role to be a real connection with those volunteers.”

Suzanne McCormick comes to her high office with Y-USA from outside the YMCA organization. “Two of my predecessors have spent their whole careers in the YMCA. I am an anomaly in that. I never worked for the YMCA until this job. I do think the organization was ready for more outside perspective.”

Graduating from Duke University with a degree in Political Science, McCormick dove straight into the Peace Corps, which dovetailed with the young firebrand’s righteous determination to right wrongs.

“My major was more a study in social justice. This is prior to apartheid ending, and I wrote my senior thesis on the African National Congress’ resistance movement.” Imagining herself assigned by the corps to S. Africa, they posted her to Thailand instead. Her two years there were transformative. “That experience solidified for me the inescapable fact that service was my path.”

A nonprofit executive for some 30 years, much of that time spent with the United Way, McCormick’s positive momentum recently drew the inevitable attention of Forbes, as happens to those whose actionable passions change the weather. Forbes named McCormick to its 50 Over 50 List in the Impact category in 2023. In 2021, 2022 and 2023 The NonProfit Times recognized Suzanne in its annual celebration of the nonprofit sector’s top executives and strategists.

Papal for the People

In April, George Leis and Suzanne McCormick will have a 30-minute audience with the Pope. Yes, that Pope. The Y is famously a place to meet your neighbors. Did they bump into His Holiness in the weight room? “We’ve worked a lot to develop the YMCA in Brazil,” McCormick says, “which is doing phenomenal work for young kids in poor communities. The Pope is from Brazil, and officers of the country’s Y made this request of the Pope.” Leis will arrive bearing a message. “I’m quite close with the friars at the mission, and of course they’re super excited. They’re putting together a handwritten book from the mission as a gift from Santa Barbara to the Pope that I’m going to deliver. I feel very, very honored.”

“George and I are joining the board chair and the leader of the Porto Alegre YMCA,” McCormick says. “They invited George and I to come and represent the United States and – really, the rest of the world.” No pressure.

Bottom line? The YMCA is the beating heart of any community that hosts it; not the metaphorical beating heart, the other one; the hard-working pump that assures all the precincts of the body are oxygenated. Yeah, the Y will always be a place to make broken, gasping conversation with your neighbor as you try to avoid being hurled off your treadmill. But the Y has always been, and remains, something else again.

“The fact that we’re all members of the Y,” Leis says, “that connection cuts through politics, it cuts through religion, it stands for something. No matter where the YMCA is in the world, you can count on it serving the community in a way that the community absolutely needs.” McCormick concurs. The YMCA does turn up in unexpected places.

“There is a beautiful Y called the Jerusalem International YMCA,” McCormick says. “It’s right outside the holy city of Jerusalem, across the street from the King David Hotel. There are scriptures from the Bible, the Quran, and the Torah on the building, and there is a child development center there where they have children of all faiths...” Suzanne McCormick pauses. Some wonders defy articulation. It’s an extraordinary thing.”

ON THE SIDE

Courts to NAR: “Realtors, Get Real..”

TJeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal.net

he National Association of Realtors (NAR) is a ginormous professional organization in America, a heretofore unstoppable lobby for the real estate industry, and until recently the heavy-handed arbiters of how much commission is paid to the buying and selling agent in a real estate transaction. A Missouri court pursuing an anti-trust complaint has found NAR guilty of keeping commissions artificially high – not through commission-fixing , but through a dissuasive mechanism that obliges realtors to toe the NAR line if said realtors want unencumbered access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and other indispensable perquisites of NAR membership. A jury found the industry had – through a system of various incentives and disincentives – effectively restricted price competition; to the extent that a 5%-6% commission, split between buyer and seller’s agent, had become a sort of immoveable default in the industry. Raging appeals to the verdict are already being launched, but industry analysts are predicting that this genie will likely not be stuffed back into its fancy bottle. One way or another (they predict) a change to the residential brokerage industry’s commission structure is on the way – through elimination of the buyer-broker commission rule, and several other practices found not to be consumer-friendly. The handwriting was arguably on the wall as far back as 1964 when Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the gorgeous tune “A House is Not a Home.” But I guess some people have to have this stuff spelled out by the courts.

McCormick cornering the Youth Governors Conference, Washington, D.C. (courtesy photo)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, MARCH 28

The Joke Machine – Greek American Demetri Martin has nearly three decades of experience as a comic performer, writer, cartoonist, and actor. Among the highlights: an early award at the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, three albums and eight hour-long specials including Demetri Deconstructed, which premieres on Netflix on April 2, plus writing for The Daily Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, not to mention The New Yorker, Esquire and elsewhere. He’s penned New York Times bestsellers and directed a feature film, Dean, that won the Founder’s Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. But perhaps the most astounding thing about Martin – who often uses his own illustrations and music in performing his comedy – is that he has a B.A in History from Yale University, where he also wrote a 224word palindromic poem as a project for an elective course in fractal geometry (!), and later left law school at NYU to pursue making people laugh. I don’t think Jerry Seinfeld or Lewis Black can claim either of those things. “The Joke Machine,” Martin’s latest comedy constructs, comes to the Arlington Theatre tonight, and we’re guessing it’s going to be a hilariously heady evening.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St.

COST: $53 & up ($153 VIP tickets include premium seating and a post-show Meet & Greet and photo op with Martin)

INFO: (805) 963-9589 or www.arlingtontheatresb.com/upcoming-events

Jazz at Center Stage – The black box theater upstairs in Paseo Nuevo launches a periodic jazz performance project featuring the locally-based Santino Tafarella Quartet. The foursome headed by bassist Tafarella will anchor the series as resident house band, with vocalist Miriam Dance serving as guest singer for the mostly monthly performance. Each show will also feature a special guest artist joining the

FRIDAY, MARCH 29

Funk Zone Live – The Funk Zone capped off the gentrification of the several square blocks near Stearns Wharf in the late 2010s with a series of adventures, including a monthly Funk Zone Art Walk that was something of a little sister to State Street’s 1st Thursday. But that was before the pandemic, and before The Arts Fund departed Yanonali Street for downtown and later La Cumbre Plaza, where the organization spearheaded a burgeoning arts scene at the midtown locale. Now, the Funk Zone is attempting to get things going again on a more regular basis, stepping into the sponsored space again with Funk Zone Live, which is planned as a bi-monthly self-guided social gathering similar to the Downtown Santa Barbara events. Participating galleries, bistros, shops and more that call the Funk Zone home – 19 local businesses are on board for the first event – will open their doors from 5-8 pm on the last Friday of every other month from May to November (with December filling in due to the Thanksgiving weekend.) The Funk Zone is already known to locals and visitors alike for its wine tasting rooms and after-hour bars and beer pubs – but the Zone’s art offerings are a large part of what gives the space such a diverse and vibrant atmosphere. Each registered venue is expected to have an art element included, with the non-galleries featuring a local artist, band, poet, or other entertainment.

WHEN: 5-8 pm

WHERE: Various locations from Cabrillo Boulevard to Montecito Street between State and Garden streets

COST: free

INFO: www.facebook.com/events/427951519632249

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

Flippin’ for Felipe – Mexican born American stand-up comedian Felipe Esparza had already been performing for 15 years before he got his big break and began building a flurry of fans when he won NBC’s Last Comic Standing back in 2010, a big deal back in the days before streaming was ubiquitous. In the ensuing year, Esparza has only broadened his base and found the hard-won longevity that has included three successful stand-up specials on Netflix and HBO, his “What’s Up Fool? Podcast” that has been one of the chart-toppers for almost a decade, and a series of tour dates all over the country. Esparza has also entered the world of TV and film, appearing as a recurring favorite on Superstore, The Eric Andre Show, Gentefied and others, and showing up in such movies as Guest House, 7th & Union, Daddy Daughter Trip and You People. But touring the country with his brand of irreverent, self-deprecating humor remains his bread and butter.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

COST: $64.50 & $74.50 (add $35 for VIP package that includes a post-show meet and greet/photo with Felipe Esparza, plus a souvenir tour laminate/lanyard)

INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

group. Tonight’s inaugural concert boasts Tamir Hendelman, a pianist, composer and arranger who leads his own trio – and also served as a long-time member of both the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Hendelman, known for his dynamic and sensitive touch, has also toured and recorded with Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, and frequent Santa Barbara visitor Tierney Sutton. Dance will also be back at Center Stage next Friday, as the local singer and educator is also the titular star of Out of the Box Theatre Company’s Jesus Christ Superstar, an all-female and nonbinary production of the classic rock opera that revolutionized musical theater, running April 5-14. Future Jazz at Center Stage performances are slated for April, May, June, August, September and December.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: Center Stage Theatre, 751 Paseo Nuevo, second floor

COST: $30 general admission, $50 cabaret table seating (includes one drink); $20 students & military

INFO: (805) 963-0408 or https://centerstagetheater.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 29

Tom Tom Club – It was nearly 11 years ago that L.A. band brothers singer Erich Schneider and lead guitarist Cary Park did a cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” at a show by request, which sparked Park to tell his singer he sounded just like the classic rocker. Although their hero died five years later, the resultant tribute band, Make it Last All Night, named for a lyric from that early hit by Petty and the Heartbreakers, is still going strong, running down a dream as one of the hottest Tom Petty tribute acts in Southern California and the Southwest. Apparently, they got lucky (babe) and, ahem, won’t back down, instead free fallin’ into Santa Barbara for a date at SOhO tonight.

WHEN: 8:30 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street

COST: $25

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

MONDAY, APRIL 1

Spirits in the Air – No fooling, the locally popular poetry reading known as “Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry” has reached its 10th anniversary (although two of the events were held via Zoom during the Covid pandemic), and once again a number of writers of verse, including three former Santa Barbara Poet Laureates, will gather at the Good Lion next door to the Granada to share lines about liquor. After a poetic happy hour, the official reading begins with the invit-

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” – William Shakespeare

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

Art Talk – Santa Barbara artist Maria Rendón – a popular painter who employs vivid colors, biomorphic forms, and other visual cues to capture the sensations associated with the mountains, the ocean, the cliffs and other natural scapes in town – puts down her brushes and other tools to engage in conversation at the high-end gallery Sullivan Goss. Rendón will discuss her life, her process, and her new body of work with art historian and curator Bruce Robertson, Professor Emeritus; History of Art & Architecture, and Director Emeritus of the Art Design & Architecture Museum at UCSB. The discussion will include Rendón’s current Sullivan Goss exhibition Holy Water. Wine and refreshments will be served both before and after the talk.

WHEN: 3 pm

WHERE: Sullivan Goss, 11 E. Anapamu St.

COST: free

INFO: (805) 730-1460 or www.sullivangoss.com

ed poets reading their work and that of other writers on the subject of libations of all sorts. George Yatchisin, “Drinkable Landscape” columnist for Edible Santa Barbara, food writer for the Santa Barbara Independent, and author of poetry volumes Feast Days and The First Night We Thought the World Would End, serves as host with featured readers including Mary Brown, Christopher Buckley, Rebecca Horrigan, David Starkey, Emma Trelles, and Chryss Yost. The mixologists at the Good Lion will also feature special poet-themed cocktails for the event. “This event will attest to the multi-faceted ways poets have found inspiration, solace and, yes, sometimes sickness in the bottle,” Yatchisin says. “Especially as the event turns 10, this reading makes clear just how fun poetry can be. “Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry” also serves to kick off 2024 Santa Barbara Poetry Month in conjunction with National Poetry Month.

WHEN: 4:30-6:30 pm

WHERE: The Good Lion, 1212 State St.

COST: free

INFO: www.facebook.com/groups/sbpoetrymonth

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

Moth Flutters Back – The storytelling phenomenon known as The Moth returns to the Lobero Theatre with a celebration of inspiring, harrowing, and courageous live stories told by their authors. Five hand-picked Moth Mainstage all-stars will tie together the brilliant and the absurd for a spellbinding evening that once again reminds us of the power of the spoken word to create community – to unite rather than polarize.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

COST: $86 & $106

INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

WHEN: 7 pm

Panda-monium at the Alcazar – The Panda Corp. movie is a mockumentary directed by Jesse Langille, a Carpinteria-based independent filmmaker whose new film pokes fun at reality TV shows. The improv-based comedy sports what is billed as a unique, surreal aesthetic, which Jesse hopes you will (pardon) be able to not only bear but enjoy. The film has its premiere at Langille’s hometown theatrical hangout in an event that also features a post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker plus a set by DJ Roshay who created the movie’s soundtrack.

WHERE: Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria

COST: $12 general

INFO: (805) 684-6380 or www.thealcazar.org/calendar

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PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY

Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance, Motivation, and Consistency

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KNIFE SHARPENING SERVICE

EDC Mobile Sharpening is a locally owned and operated in Santa Barbara. We specialize in (No-Entry) House Calls, Businesses and Special Events. Call 805-696-0525 to schedule an appointment

AUTOMOBILES WANTED

We buy Classic Cars Running or not. Foreign/Domestic

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TILE SETTING

Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.

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DONATIONS NEEDED

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Donate to the Parrot Pantry!

At SB Bird Sanctuary, backyard farmer’s bounty is our birds best bowl of food! The flock goes bananas for your apples, oranges & other homegrown fruits & veggies.

Volunteers

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

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1781 GLEN OAKS DR, MONTECITO 6BD/4½BA • $16,000,000

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843 PARK HILL LN, MONTECITO 4BD/4½+½BA • $14,990,000

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1530 MIRAMAR LN, MONTECITO 3BD/3BA • $6,750,000

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1946 E VALLEY RD, MONTECITO 5BD/8½+½BA • $11,950,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

501 HODGES LN, MONTECITO 3BD/4BA • $6,750,000

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4613 VIA RUBI, SANTA BARBARA 4BD/4BA • $3,595,000

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1385 OAK CREEK CANYON RD, MONT ±6.27 acres • $4,650,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

2025 CREEKSIDE RD, SANTA BARBARA ±2.49 acres • $3,450,000

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1212 E DE LA GUERRA ST, STA BARBARA 5BD/3BA • $3,295,000

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3117 FOOTHILL RD, SANTA BARBARA

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5028 CALLE SONIA, SANTA BARBARA 3BD/2BA • $1,350,000

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HOPE RANCH ESTATE, SANTA BARBARA 5BD/4½+½BA • $40,000,000

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