Miramar Expansion Plan Goes to County!

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Editorial – The MJ’s Gwyn Lurie gives her thoughts on the MPC-County-Rosewood Miramar expansion debacle

6 Beings & Doings – Penny Bianchi – renowned decorator, epic Montecitan, and televised scenestealer – explains her acting debut on HBO’s White Lotus

8 Montecito Miscellany – Another successful One805LIVE! concert, the Rally4Kids rolls through, CEC’s Green Gala, and more miscellany 10 In Passing – Remembering the lives of David Lawrence Raber and Dr. Frederic Wells Baum Tide Guide

Our Town – A rare flower is rediscovered at the Channel Islands and some thoughts from Rabbi Chaim Loschak on the high holiday season 14 Society Invites – The Unite to Light Fundraiser will bring to light the work of this organization and the artistic use of photons

On Entertainment – African Queens in song, MOMIX dancer-illusionists haul us down the rabbit hole, and Snarky Puppy explains all

18 Dear Montecito – Beatrice Tolan dissects the influences of artist and writer Ariel Leira and how her time in New York City altered her art form

22 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – This smiling, joyous porcelain figure was once the craze of all Europe… today, it is more telling of past preferences

26 Brilliant Thoughts – Feel free to take in Ashleigh’s musings on fate, freedom, and what we choose to believe in

30 Body Wise – With the ceaseless flow of communications and day-to-day tasks, a retreat away from it all can help you set aside some time for yourself

31

Ernie’s World – The temp is heating up and so are Ernie and Pat’s weekend plans – will he survive them without melting?

32 The Miramar Plan – After disagreements at an MPC hearing and several letters, the Rosewood Miramar expansion plan is heading to the County

34 Far Flung Travel – ‘Tis puppin’ season on the islands and it’s time to see which pinniped produces the cutest pups

35 Community Voices – Jeff Giordano weighs in on what has happened between the Miramar, MPC, and the CPC

36 Women in Communications – Petite Wine Traveler Jamie Knee shares what happens when women come together to tell their stories and lift each other up

38 Your Westmont – Homecoming to honor alums, president joins global church in Korea, and a conference examines impact of faithbased colleges

39 Foraging Thyme – What’s long, green, and fruits all over (Africa and South Asia)? Okra, of course

44 Calendar of Events – The symphony kicks off, lemons throng to Goleta, Ceylon on screen, and other happenings

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

47 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here

Montecito Won’t Be Mira-Muzzled

by Gwyn Lurie

If you live in or near Montecito or you consider it a part of your life, you likely appreciate what makes it such a special place. And while the credit for much of Montecito’s beauty and otherwise special qualities goes to Mother Nature, some of what we all treasure about this community, what makes it intentionally very different from other coveted communities around the world, is the loving curation and vigilant protection it has received by its residential guardians, for generations. The Montecito Association, Montecito Board of Architectural Review (MBAR), and the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) have long been at the forefront of this guardianship.

SO IT WAS PARTICULARLY SHOCKING AND DISTURBING ABOUT

A WEEK AGO when all my electronic devices got flooded with outraged emails and texts decrying that, in an unprecedented maneuver, the Rosewood Miramar expansion had been yanked from the Montecito Planning Commission’s purview and would instead be decided upon by Santa Barbara County, unless, as I was initially told, individuals wanted to send written comments to the County Planning Commission (CPC), on which a lone Montecito resident serves, C. Michael Cooney

According to Supervisor Das Williams, they stumbled upon County Code Section 2-25.2 that gives the County full authority over the approval of any development linked to affordable housing – the guise under which Mr. Caruso has come within inches of expanding his current footprint by 54,000 square feet, which would include luxury housing, more retail space, more parking, and yes, 26 affordable housing units – all of which will go to his employees. No judgment there. Just the facts. Turns out Mr. Caruso and his team, or perhaps the County, after getting frustrated by a perceived inability to get the MPC to move quickly enough, managed to unearth a legal loophole that allowed them to bypass any formal Montecito oversight. That leaves Michael Cooney, a long-standing County Planning Commissioner, as the only Montecito resident to formally have an impact on the fate of this project.

I communicated with head of County Planning Lisa Plowman and the County CEO Mona Miyasato and expressed my concerns about approving such a consequential project without any formal input or recommendation by the Montecito community.

After some back and forth, and much of the same, I’m sure, with irate MPC members and other concerned Montecitans, and I assume many conversations within the County, I was informed on Monday, by Ms. Miyasato, that: “In short: we heard you, and we have been working over the last few days to figure out a better solution, one that gives the Montecito Planning Commission opportunities to hear the item, allows Montecito residents to voice their concern at the MPC, as well as County Planning Commission if they like, while still adhering to our Code, addressing the applicant’s request, and acknowledging state laws on streamlining affordable housing developments.

“The [County] Planning Commission will hear the item on October 9 as noticed, but not take action until a November 1 meeting, to allow the MPC to meet in between and make a recommendation on the proposal.”

Editorial Page 324

Gwyn Lurie is CEO and Executive Editor of the Montecito Journal Media Group

Beings & Doings

Penny Bianchi At Large – and in

by Jeff Wing

Legendary Decorator, beloved villager, and Charlie Munger muse Penny Bianchi is herself a striking figure – a living, breathing design element in her own right. The indescribable Bianchi casually radiates charm, wit, joy – and the fauvist Je ne sais quoi one experiences when falling into a painting by Chagall. To madly understate it, there is only one Penny Bianchi

So it was that the producers of the hit HBO series White Lotus included the inimitable Bianchi in a teeming froufrou party scene filmed at Sicily’s luxurious Villa Elena – renowned decorator Jacques Garcia’s lavishly resurrected 17th century Jesuit monastery. Garcia’s palatial hangout – itself built atop an architectural parfait that dates to the third century BCE – had so stunned White Lotus creator/director/writer Mike White, he is reported to have turned to his personal assistant with a hollered exclamation. Oh my God! Your grandmother has to see this!

“And so he invited me over to see this amazing palace,” says Penny Bianchi. “Yes, it’s a palace. It’s an Italian palace. And so we all went, my two grandchildren, my daughter, and me. And that’s when Michael put me in the scene. It was filmed in that palazzo.”

Was Bianchi – in sync with the rest of Planet Earth – an avid fan of White Lotus when she was chosen to appear in it? “I didn’t know anything about White Lotus,” she answers in a tone of mild wonder that acknowledges the global rarity of that position. “Michael’s been writing TV shows and movies for years, you know. I just remember when I watched the first season, I was so curious to see it because (my granddaughter) Poppy was involved; and I loved it! I just loved it!”

Mike White – the Michael in Bianchi’s telling, has been a family friend since… well, for quite a little while. “He’s been my daughter’s best friend since they were infants. They were in the crib room together at Sunday School. Once they could stand up, if they didn’t put them in the same crib, they would scream their heads off.”

Television and film lore is rife with stories of the endlessly repeated take. Surely Bianchi’s brief cameo in the champagne-quaffing soiree was a quick wrap? “15 takes,” Bianchi says with a grin, clearly untroubled by the schedule. “We were there until three o’clock in the morning!” Long an established supernova in the Interior Decorator universe, Bianchi’s appearance in this globe-circling entertainment has made the decorator… what’s the phrase? A crowd-stopping celebrity.

Beings & Doings Page 244

Penny at home with signature crown (photo by Kim Reierson)

Penny Bianchi lighting up the screen in season two, episode

6 of the HBO Production White Lotus (courtesy photo)

Montecito Miscellany

A Royal Fun Time at One805LIVE!

by Richard Mineards

For the second consecutive year the One805LIVE! fundraiser at Oscar winner Kevin Costner’s Carpinteria estate was by royal appointment with Montecito resident Prince Harry, who celebrated his 40th birthday last week, presenting an award to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office helicopter pilot Loren Courtney

The Duke of Sussex, a former chopper pilot himself in the British Army, joked: “I’m more at home behind the controls of a helicopter than on stage!”

King Charles III’s youngest son, sans former actress wife Meghan Markle, joined TV producer Tyler Perry for his 55th birthday celebrations at his six-bedroom Montecito mansion with near neighbor Oprah Winfrey and CBS morning news anchor Gayle King just 24 hours before his own milestone birthday which he celebrated with his family.

Montecito actor Rob Lowe, star of the Fox TV show 9-1-1: Lone Star, presented Heart of the Community Awards

to local rocker Kenny Loggins, who was performing, and KLITE radio host Catherine Remak

More than 3,000 guests descended on Costner’s oceanside home, arriving on shuttles for the mega bash which raised more than $1 million for all three First Responders groups – fire, police and the sheriff – purchasing much needed equipment, supporting public safety, and

taking care of those who take care of us.

Costner even performed with his rock band Modern West to kick off the night which included singer Pink and Dallas Green as the folk duo You & Me, Alan Parsons, Al Stewart, Richard Marx, Alyssa Bonagura, Jordan Asher Huffman – singing an anthem he composed honoring first responders – Joe Bonamassa, Plastic Harpoons, the Santa Barbara Symphony, and of course Kenny, who came out of retirement to add his talents to the ever popular event, launched by Richard Weston-Smith and his vivacious wife, Kirsten

Among the heaving horde of supporters were Eric and Nina Phillips, Rebecca Brand , John Palminteri , Allen and Anne Sides, Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey, Lisa Parsons, Peter

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Miscellany Page 204

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and Kathryn Martin, Fred Brander, sheriff Bill Brown, Oscar Gutierrez,

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In Passing David Lawrence Raber:

January 26, 1934 – September 18, 2024

Dave Raber died peacefully in his sleep on September 18, 2024, after living a full life and crossing the 90-year-old finish line. Dave never had to win an election to be proclaimed the Mayor of multiple jurisdictions – Starbucks in Montecito, Cody’s on Turnpike, and Harry’s Plaza Cafe. He will be remembered for his engaging personality, curiosity when meeting new people, quick wit, and good-natured banter with friends and colleagues. A friend who was a retired Catholic Priest once teased him by saying, “You’re as old as God – and he’s old!” Dave responded with, “Where did you get that shirt, Catholic Charities?”

Dave was born in Kansas City, MO, on January 26, 1934, to Guy and Sylvia Raber. The family soon moved to Scottsbluff, NE, where Dave spent his childhood. Dave excelled in sports at Scottsbluff High School, especially in track and basketball. He ran the quarter mile and was one of the favorites to win at the state meet finals. But two rivals purposely boxed him in during the race and he finished third.

Basketball ended on a happier note. Dave led Scottsbluff to the 1952 Nebraska State Championship in dramatic fashion, much like the movie Hoosiers. The team and hundreds of supporters set out for the 400-mile journey to Lincoln for the state tournament. The caravan got stranded for hours in a blizzard in Ogallala. The team was able to hop on a last-minute train for the final 300 miles of the trip. They arrived in Lincoln less than an hour before tip-off for their quarterfinal game. The road-weary team squeaked out a 49-48 win over Falls City. Scottsbluff dominated Creighton Prep in the semifinal

game, 46-29. During a first quarter timeout, Dave’s coach assigned him to guard sharpshooter Rich Halpine after Halpine scored 6 points in the first 2 minutes. Dave shut him down, holding him to 2 points for the rest of the game. Scottsbluff headed to the finals where defending champion Fremont was waiting with four returning starters, including two-time all-state player John Neff. Fremont never had a chance. Dave hit the opening bucket from the top of the key and Scottsbluff never looked back, pulling away for a 50-39 win.

Dave received athletic scholarship offers from Colorado and Nebraska. But his father would not let him go, insisting that he stay in Scottsbluff and work in the family business. Dave enrolled at Scottsbluff College, running track and playing basketball, and earning all-District honors in both sports. He married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Yungblut, in 1954.

Dave came to Santa Barbara in 1955 when the Raber family moved west. His daughter, Carol Crego, was born in 1955. His son, Steve Raber, was born a few years later in 1959. Dave quickly made Santa Barbara his home. He joined the Episcopal Church at All Saints-by-the-Sea where he served as a member of the Vestry, and as an usher for nearly 50 years. He worked with his father and brother (Dean) in the family business, Raber Electrical Supply, on Nopal Street. But Dave felt restrained in the family business. He bravely ventured out on his own to form David L. Raber Lighting, Inc. in 1967. Dave used his personality and creativity to build a successful business as a manufacturer’s representative for commercial lighting. His professional highlights included the lighting at La Cumbre Plaza and the Santa Barbara Auto Mall, and supplying all the fixtures for Motel 6 in California.

Dave’s favorite pastime was holding court at Starbucks, Cody’s, and Harry’s. As he put it, “I enjoy people. I find it interesting what people have done with their lives. Maybe I should have become a reporter.” According to his friend, John Maloney, “Dave never met a stranger.” Another friend observed that Dave “…always had a twinkle in his eye and a good story to tell.” And still another recalls: “Dave is friendly to everyone. He’s very kind and has no agenda.”

Whether posing for a selfie with Katy Perry, Oprah, or Peter Noone, or asking Blake Griffin and Brad Daugherty if they played basketball (and whether they had won a state high school championship), or asking a stranger what book they were reading, or asking a student about what they were doing in school, Dave was equally comfortable with and curious about everyone whom he encountered. He treated everyone with kindness and good humor. One of his favorite lines: “Everyone tells me I’m so effervescent. And I say, ‘I don’t know when I effervasn’t!’”

Dave maintained a positive outlook throughout his life. He attributed this to a lesson learned from his track coach: “To

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

Oct 3

this day, I can hear the coach yelling at me. He would say, ‘Don’t look back! When you do, you lose half a stride.’ I carry that through life. Why look back? Learn from your lessons, from what happened to you in the past, and carry it forward.”

Dave is survived by his children, Carol Crego (husband Robert) and Steve Raber (wife Blair); three grandchildren, Matthew Crego, Kate Raber, and Maggie Raber (husband Will Shilton); his sister, Doris Bennett; and his former wife, Barbara Rose. He was predeceased by his first wife and mother of his children, Nancy Failing, and his brother, Dean Raber.

Dave requested that there be no services because he wanted to be there for his own Celebration of Life. He wants everyone to know that this dream came true every day with everyone he met, and especially with family and friends at his 90th birthday party earlier this year. “Nothing could ever top that,” he said. We are grateful for the wonderful, compassionate care Dave received during the last several months of his life. Donations in memory of Dave can be made to Assisted Home Health & Hospice, 115 E. Micheltorena Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

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

President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net

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, Natasha Kucherenko

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, 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, Jamie Knee,

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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 JOURNAL newspaper

David Lawrence Raber

In Passing Ted Baum:

January 7, 1929 – September 9, 2024

Dr. Frederic Wells Baum (Ted) of Carpinteria, California passed away on September 9, 2024, at age 95. He died peacefully in his own home, surrounded by his family.

Ted was a loving and supportive father to five children and four grandchildren, an enthusiastic golfer, an aggressive doubles tennis player, a dedicated choir singer, and a general tinkerer/builder/fixer of things. As a voracious reader, writer, and literary raconteur, he was widely heralded as “The James Thurber” of his many writing groups. He loved to camp and took dozens of road trips throughout the western United States, always searching for the perfect hike, waterfall, or vista.

Ted’s story began on a chilly winter night on January 7, 1929. He grew up in Salem, Oregon with his devoted parents, William Wells Baum and Daphne Grace Conover, and two younger sisters, Frances and Marion. He left Salem in his early teens to attend Culver Military Academy in Indiana, graduating in the class of 1946. Spending four years away from home at this strictly regimented boarding school instilled a sense of confidence and self-sufficiency that never left him.

Ted studied psychology at Stanford University, then obtained a medical degree from the University of Oregon in 1955, specializing in pediatrics. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a General Medical Officer, with the rank of Captain. He was stationed in Korea for two years of active duty. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, Ted practiced medicine in Sacramento before realizing his true calling as a public health servant. He enrolled at U.C. Berkeley, where he obtained a master’s degree in Public Health in 1965. He was quickly snatched up by the State of Arizona, which installed him as Director of Maternal and Child Health at Arizona State Children’s Hospital in Tempe. Ted moved his family to Phoenix, where he and his first wife, Rita Ragozzino Baum, built a home in the Arcadia district, a lush suburban enclave carved out of the arid desert near Camelback Mountain.

Throughout his career, Ted worked diligently to improve the health of pregnant women and their babies. When he began his tenure, Arizona was ranked 35th out of 50 states for infant mortality, largely due to poor or nonexistent healthcare services on Arizona’s Native American Indian reservations. Thanks to Ted’s foresight

and ingenuity – embodied in extensive fundraising, visionary policy decisions, and a statewide medivac program that identified and treated women with highrisk pregnancies in the state’s rural areas, Arizona’s infant mortality rates steadily improved. When Ted retired from public service 23 years later, Arizona was ranked 2nd out of the 50 states. Ted was also a consultant for the Arizona Association of Midwives and volunteered significant time working with mothers and babies from the Navajo Nation.

Upon retirement, Ted lived in Durango, Colorado with his second wife, Darleen Benson Baum, before moving to Carpinteria in 1991. While both of his marriages ultimately ended in divorce, he maintained a warm, caring rapport with both wives and remained devoted to the five children that resulted from those unions.

As a single man in his 60s, 70s, and 80s, Ted’s quirky creativity was unleashed. He was a prolific writer of poetry, memoirs, and fantastical tales. His Carpinteria home became a monument to his widespread interests, with medical diplomas, professional awards, and cherished Tribal artifacts interspersed with dozens of family photos, golf trophies, tennis trophies, drawings from his grandchildren, and a

“Santa Barbara Design and Build was fabulous. Don and his crew were the BEST from day one. He was honest, timely, flexible, artistic, patient and skilled. They understood my vision and built my dream home”.

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Dr. Frederic Wells Baum

Our Town

[Re]-Discovery of the Rare Saints’ Daisy Flower on Santa Cruz Island

by Joanne A Calitri

The Nature Conservancy contacted me about a “re-discovery” of a rare and endangered lavender daisy on Santa Cruz Island, called Saints’ Daisy, last seen there 59 years ago.

The discovery was by Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s [SBBG] Rare Plant Field Program Manager Sean Carson , who, with his colleague John Knapp , Senior Island Scientist for The Nature Conservancy [TNC], were on a mission to do just that. Carson works to conserve California’s rare and endangered flora. Knapp works on developing and refining cost-effective conservation strategies and methodologies to better manage ecosystems and stop extinction.

In addition to finding the Saints’ Daisy, the team also found new populations of two rare and fragile Santa Cruz Island endemic and federally endangered plants, the Santa Cruz Island bush-mallow and the Island barberry. There are only six known and recorded individual bush-mallows and twelve individual Island barberry in the world. Carson, Knapp, and I met this week at the SB Botanic Garden’s botanist lab. We talked about the discovery, why it’s important, and to remind everyone, from scientists to kids, to safeguard these flowers for future generations. They pitched how important funding is so their work can continue in these efforts for generations to come.

MJ. What were you both doing when you came across the Saints’ Daisy?

John Knapp [JK]. We had a number of species we were targeted to look for. We had six on the team and fanned out to find it. Only Sean and Steve Junak had seen it before. Junak retired from SBBG and is their research associate and botanist

emeritus, and active researcher and expert on the flora of the islands of California and Baja California, Mexico. This was our 10th year at TNC looking for approximately 15 plus species we thought were extricated, locally extinct, from the island. This was the first one we found in a decade, some haven’t been seen since 1888, and the Saints’ Daisy since 1965.

Sean Carson [SC]. I had the mental image and its habitat in my head. It’s identified by a small basil rosette, maybe a few inches off the ground, with linear to spoon shaped leaves, and long wispy hairs on the edges of the leaves and stem. I crawled down on the ground to get a closer look to confirm it. The ones I spotted were not flowering yet but had shooting flower stocks. We saw the flower in a bud and knew it had to be an aster, it had a shooting peduncle, and saw some lavender colors. We saw old flowering stocks and old seeds on the ground. We called out to everyone – we found it, the crown jewel. Everyone came over and we took selfies with it!

MJ. Why is this discovery important?

SC. This find is important because it shows that the island is making a recovery. It highlights re-finding plants that haven’t been seen since 1965, and the collaboration of the SBBD and TNC combining our knowledge to find plants like it. Now we know it’s here, we survey it further to monitor it and really protect it in a world where

“It’s

John Knapp and Sean Carson with the originally discovered Saints’ Daisy from 1965 (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Society Invites Third Annual Unite to Light Weekend Gala & Art Exhibit

by Joanne A Calitri

The 3rd Annual Unite to Light Fundraiser Gala is October 18 - 19, at the Community Arts Workshop on Garden Street. There are two Galas, an art x science x tech exhibit by 45 artists, performances by the State Street Ballet and the Selan Dance Collective, light painting, craft cocktails, DJs, and an after-hours party at STUDIO Bar & Soundroom.

For the kids, there will be a free event with activities by Explore Ecology, the Children’s Creative Youth Projects, and the MOXI museum team.

I met with five of the UCSB Media Arts and Tech (MAT) Grad Students at SBCAST exhibiting at Unite to Light, and who just returned from the largest international tech expo – ARS Electronica 2024, held in Linz, Austria, where they exhibited their work. They are the project teams of Sabina Hyoju Ahn, PhD, and Ryan Millett, PhD, who are doing analog bio-synthesizer music plugged into an AI computer generative sound design program that will create a feedback interface with the real-time AI generated and projected visuals from the team of Nefeli Manoudaki, PhD,

and Iason Paterakis, PhD. Paterakis and Manoudaki are winners of the Mellichamp Mind and Machine Intelligence’s 2024 AI/ Human Visual Art Creativity Contest with their project, “Osmosis”_ XR urban fluctuations using Generative AI. Their colleague, Weihao Qiu, PhD, will be doing AI generated projections. Acknowledgements went to Millett and Ahn.

The MAT Chair Marcos Novak and scientist Alan Macy are presenting updates of the organoids project I covered in the June graduations in the MJ; and also exhibiting are MAT’s Diarmid Flatley, PhD; Stejara Iulia Dinulescu, PhD; Jazer Giles, PhD; and UCSB Graduate Student Researcher Tim Wood.

My interview with President & CEO of Unite to Light, Megan Birney Rudert, yielded her share on the event:

“This is a celebration of light. We wanted to create an event that would challenge people to see light, and our connection to light and power, in new ways. A dear friend, Kate Kubiak, came up with the idea of a multi-day, light-based interactive art festival with great music. The goals of the event

Society Page 244

Getting the Sparkle on is Megan Birney Rudert with her committee Kate Kubiak, Sarah Dildine, Diane C. Mackenzie, Laura Ragan, Dawn Mitcham, and Elizabeth Wagner (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Enjoy a crafted 4-course pre-fixed dinner featuring locally sourced ingredients thoughtfully crafted for the occasion

5:00 p m to 9:00 p m

Adults $135 ears $65

A prix-fixe menu featuring Chef Massimo’s take on holiday classics with a regional twist, that feature seasonal ingredients harvested by local farmers

3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Adults $265

Children 4 to 12 Years $75

Honor traditions with a memorable gathering on the coast featuring holiday classics accompanied by festive activities for children

Adults $195

Children 4 to 12 Years $65

On Entertainment Music Academy of the West: 7 African Queens Redefine the Recital

by Steven Libowitz

The Music Academy of the West is roaring back into action. Not two months after the summer festival came to a close, MAW is back with the third season of its Mariposa Concert Series – a collection of musical experiences staged at the intimate Hahn Hall with some connection to MAW alums. Mariposa makes its 2024-25 debut on Saturday, October 5, with an evening-length vocal recital of new art songs celebrating the history and legacy of seven African Queens; mostly those not well-known in the Western world. The program offers historical narrative through eight songs, each about a specific queen, written for soprano Karen Slack by different composers, including three recent Music Academy guests in Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson. The commissions are interwoven with highly curated existing material chosen to flesh out a full evening of song via theme, sound or both. Slack, who is joined in performance of the groundbreaking program by pianist Kevin Miller, spoke with me about the project in mid-September.

Q. What was the impetus for you to create the African Queens program?

A. It’s been in the making for over eight years, something I have always dreamed of that was born out of the frustration of not being able to choose the stories that you want to tell. In opera, women are siloed to playing mothers, wives, girlfriends – characters that are one dimensional – where you never get to hear the whole arc of who they are. I wanted to create a program that centered around powerful women who were transformative in their time.

How did that impulse finally manifest as queens from Africa?

The original project was going to be about warrior women, those who were leading revolts and battles. But when I started doing research on the continent of Africa, stories kept leading into another one that I hadn’t known about. Everyone writes about Cleopatra or Nefertiti, but there were so many other powerful and intriguing ones that I had to delve into some kind of evening – just to plant a seed that these stories get told in bigger forms.

How did you choose the composers and what was the basis for the collaborations?

Soprano Karen Slack channels 7 African Queens in MAW’s Mariposa kickoff this Saturday, October 5

PLACES TO LOVE.

Dear Montecito

The Versatility of Ariel Leira

by Beatrice Tolan

Ariel Leira is a multidisciplinary visual artist and writer who grew up amongst the trees of Montecito, documenting her TRAVELS through glowing, abstract photography and heartfelt poetry. She was a lifer at Crane Country Day School – where we met in fifth grade – and graduated from Santa Barbara High School.

Leira’s artistic proclivities began early in life at home. Her entire family is composed of artists: her mother a ceramicist and painter, her sister a musician, and her father a production designer for movies. The artistry gene even runs back to her grandmother. “When I look at the drawings I make versus my mother and grandmother’s paintings, it’s apparent how influential they are on my work.”

But Leira can point to a film pivotal to her artistic development. “When I was three years old, my dad showed me the 1950’s movie The Blob . It scared

“highly frustrating” guitar lessons. Inspired by the Young Adult fiction craze of the late aughts, Leira took to writing poetry and fiction everyday, taking inspiration from authors such as Neil Gaiman and Patti Smith .

Leira left Santa Barbara for her junior year of high school to pursue acting at Idyllwild Arts Academy. Naturally, Leira pursued an acting degree at The New School, trading Californian forests for the jungle of New York City. She quickly realized she “didn’t love crawling on the floor, acting like an animal” and switched to film studies, hopping at the opportunity to bolster her writing chops.

From composing songs, writing poetry daily, and completing a feature-length script for her thesis, Leira’s apparent knack for writing was undeniable. It became the focal point of her practice. “I’m the most proud of my thesis script. Writing feels like giving birth; it’s painful, but you’re proud of it.”

the shit out of me, but it permanently altered my brain chemistry. It made me love movies, camp, and over-the-top storytelling.”

The curious Leira was not beholden to one artistic discipline. Her adolescence was marked by taking after school acting and, by her account,

When she wasn’t in classes, Leira spent nights in the underground techno and punk scene. Her visual arts skills translated to “VJing:” creating digital visuals live on her laptop to cast behind the set of a traditional DJ. She’d snap photos with her phone or a film camera, heavily editing her subjects.

Here, Leira crafted her visual style: blurred, high-contrast portraits of longing characters in vibrant hues, reminiscent of shoegaze album covers from the 90s and early aughts. They evoke a raw, dark angst only found at the front lines of alternative culture.

Leira maintains her work is influenced by her immediate surroundings. Hence, after returning from New York City to

CANARY HOTEL ROOFTOP THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17 | 4:30—7:00 PM

Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible!

Dear Montecito Page 394

Lucy Branch and Ariel Leira recording their debut album

A snippet of an Ariel Liera visual DJ set

John Thyne III, Adam McKaig and Melissa Borders , Gretchen Lieff , Caroline Thompson, Penny Bianchi, Cameron Diaz, Alixe Mattingly, actor Jeff Bridges, and Janet Garufis

After a few hiccoughs at last year’s event with parking and endless lines, all seemed to go smoothly with food and drinks delivered in timely fashion.

And how nice of Costner to tell guests: “You’re welcome to my backyard any time!”

On a Roll with Rally4Kids

Michael Baker, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara County, definitely made a splash when he participated in the 9th annual Rally4Kids when 63 cars, ranging from Porsches to Ferraris, traveled a 142-mile route starting and ending at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, culminating in the Black and Gold Gala emceed by the ubiquitous Andrew Firestone on the grounds.

Michael was dunked into a tank of cold water 29 times en route during the

event, 20 times by children, but seemed to take it in his stride. “I did it for the kids!” he declared after drying out.

The rally, co-chaired by Monte and Maria Wilson, raised around $400,000 for the cause, following a drivers and navigators reception at the Montecito estate of Bruce Heavin and Lynda Weinman earlier in the week.

Among the supporters were Lord and Lady Robert Hope, Brenda Blalock and Alan Porter, Oscar Gutierrez, Terry and Kelley Pillow, Dana Newquist, David Edelman, Maitland Ward, the ubiquitous KEYT-TV commentator John Palminteri, and DJ Darla Bea.

Green Gala Gets Funk-y

How appropriate that a Funk Zone locale dubbed the Bakery Block raised a lot of dough when the Community Environmental Council hosted its annual Green Gala for 250 guests raising more than $100,000 to help its work in Miscellany Page 284

3 Full Days of PEACE, LOVE & GUACAMOLE

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Food, Wine & 50+ Vendors

SATURDAY, OCT. 5 10AM-10PM

SUNDAY, OCT. 6 10AM - 6PM

NEW: Youth Stage! 4 stages featuring 70+ local bands

Arts & Crafts Area, Youth Area & Youth Stage join the festival

Guacamole Contest at 12PM noon in the Mac Brown Grotto Tent

Avocado Strong Arm Contest 12PM at the Seal Fountain

FRIDAY, OCT. 4

1PM - 10PM

Opening Ceremonies at 5:30

Glowcado Groove Youth Dance Party presented by the Boys & Girls Club Saturday 5-7PM

Largest Avocado and Avocado Tree Auction supporting the local FFA during Guacamole Contest

Proudly sponsored by:

Event organizers Maria and Monte Wilson with Jim Crook and Linda Rosso between them (photo by Maria McCall)

UBGC CEO Michael Baker and Advisory Board Member Angel Martinez (photo by Maria McCall)

Pierre Coulibeuf, Julia Levy, Lord and Lady Robert Hope, and Courtney and Dave Williams (photo by Maria McCall)

Elizabeth’s Appraisals Earthquake Predictor as Status Symbol –

Nodding Porcelain Chinoiserie

by Elizabeth Stewart

plump grotesque porcelain figure in the Asian style – the head nods, the hands bob up and down, and the tongue lolls in the smiling mouth – this is a magot, which is a late 17th century term for such seated ‘oriental’ figures. Many of these figures were said to be modeled after the smiling Chinese god of happiness and abundance, Pu Tai. Two such figures gave the Parisian café its name, as this café has a pair of these figures displayed on a bracket

mounted on the wall: and that is the famed ‘Les Deux Magots.’

WG has a pair of these that represents the late 17th and early 18th century taste for the exotic, a great wave of a fad called chinoiserie that swept over all of Europe. Although WG’s “noddy” magots are a great example of this style, other examples include 18th and 19th century European crafted furniture whose lacquerware featured Asian-themed scenes and motifs. These nodding figures were works of artistic engineering as well as highly collectible art objects in the 18th century. The nodding head and neck were separate pieces of the figure, the head mounted to a lead-filled weight. The hands were similarly balanced as separate inserts hung with weights inside the cuffs. These crafted figures were status symbols displayed in aristocratic homes; the superstition was that they were good luck, as they could predict earthquakes!

The first nodding magot figures were exported by Chinese porcelain artists through trade with Venetian dealers in the late 17th century. Dutch ships to China could not keep up with the demand for these novelties, and European porcelain houses began imitating these strange figures. The most famous European-produced magots were the 18th century figures produced by Meissen, but other German porcelain houses in the towns of Dresden and Rudolstadt copied these as well. French porcelain houses caught on: magots were produced by Saint Claude, Samson, and Chantilly. Northern Italian porcelain houses picked up the design, and Piedmontese craftsman produced them in papier-mâché. It seems odd that figures so grotesque were in such demand, but they were!

So popular were these figures in the mid-18th century that the man of letters and philosopher Denis Diderot (17131784) said of this craze to collect these figures: “…these precious knick-knacks with which the country has become infatuated have banished more tasteful ornaments from our apartments. The reign of Louis XV is the reign of magots.” He also gave a section in his Encyclopédie to magot figures. His Encyclopédie was one of the principal works of the Age of Enlightenment.

Like WG’s magots, robes over fat bellies were decorated with floral motifs inspired by the imported Chinese and Japanese silks of the early 18th century, as well as by the ornately patterned Indian cotton fabrics arriving via the East India Companies. These figures, like WG’s noddy magots, were made of soft paste porcelain with

polychrome enamel decoration.

One of the most expensive magots sold recently was a noddy headed figure fashioned from precious stones by Carl Fabergé for Tzar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, in 1900. This was a seated nodding magot with moveable hands carved in precious bowenite, set with rubies, diamonds, pearls, and enamel. Fabergé visited Dresden, had also seen the Meissen porcelain magot, and fell in love with the idea of creating a carved precious stone magot set with diamonds and rubies. Fabergé’s magot even had a lolling movable tongue made of a carved ruby.

A pair of standing nodding magots, both female ladies of the Chinese court, were exported in the 18th century from China and classified as Chinese Export Porcelain wares – a historic category of Chinese porcelain manufacture largely destined for Europe and North America between the 16th and the 20th century. This pair is to be offered on October 8 as having formerly belonged to the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, Bonham’s Auctions in Los Angeles calling the event Legacy of a Stateswoman. This pair is stated to be sold at $4,000-$6,000.

WG asked that I write about her pair of magots, dear to her as having been descended from her father. Hers are late 18th century German porcelain pieces. Both have the elongated earlobes associated with luck and good fortune. Although these are not popular in the market today due to a change of taste and inevitable discernment of political correctness, 50 years ago they were worth $1,500 each. I would place the value today at $1,500 if the pair were in perfect condition. The pair are a great example of changes in what is considered ‘exotic’. Once 18th century status symbols only displayed in the best homes, they are a difficult sell today.

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

A nodding magot, once extremely popular, has limited appeal today

Heartfelt gratitude to each and every one who made Legends at The Granada truly legendary

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Thank you to Pence Vineyards for the delicious wine!

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“It was very fun to be in it. And it’s amazing, Jeff. We have breakfast every Sunday morning at Tre Lune and sit outside. People I have never seen before in my life stop and say, ‘I saw you in White Lotus!’”

More recently, The Riv’s Photographer Extraordinaire Kim Reierson was in Sicily and captured this glamor shot of the San Domenico Palace Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel – which stands in for the eponymous White Lotus hotel in the series’ second season. Included in the photo is The Riv’s inaugural issue and Reierson’s own bangle-crowded wrist. Reierson’s otherworldly photos in the magazine capture Penny in her Art is Life element – the Montecito Menagerie the famed decorator calls home. Do catch The Riv’s forthcoming Fall 2024 issue where you’ll find Penny on page 72 – Charlie Munger’s last interview on page 90 – and a magazine cover suitable for framing.

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

SANTA BARBARA BASED CITATION LATITUDE

LUXURIOUS 9 PASSENGER, WIFI AVAILABLE FOR CHARTER

are threefold: to use art to help us understand the importance of light as a basic necessity and a creative medium, to raise awareness about the almost billion people still living without electricity, and to raise funds to provide solar light and power to people living without electricity. For the artists exhibiting, Unite to Light solicited sponsorships for Art Grants from local donors to help support them. Our Event Committee selected 15 artists to receive over $11,000 in Art Grants this year. The artists retain 70% of all proceeds from sales. Unite to Light picks one local and one international project to support with event proceeds. This year, we are partnering with Santa Barbara Street Medicine/ Doctors without Walls to provide their team with our solar Chandler Chargers so that they have power for their phones and light at night as they are assisting our neighbors without housing. Some of these solar phone chargers may also go to their clients seeking medical care who

need follow-up appointments (so that the team is able to reach them by phone and locate them). And funds will also go to create light libraries in Zambia, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia. This project is in collaboration with schools supported by ChildFund and Books for Africa. Students in these schools will be able to check out one of our solar Luke Lights in addition to the books provided by Books for Africa.”

The Event Committee is Armando Ramos, Katya Armistead, Marco Pinter, Diane C. Mackenzie, Laura Ragan, Dawn Mitcham, Rachel Johnson, Jessica Willbanks, Ashely Jacobs, Michelle Weinman, Wendy Barels, Nathan Huff, Elizabeth Wagner, Scott Vincent, Ashley Woods Hollister, Julie Schneiderman, Tracy York, Megan Birney Rudert, Kate Kubiak, and Sarah Dildine.

411: www.unitetolight.org/lightthenight.html#/

San Domenico Palace Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel (season 2’s White Lotus Hotel stand-in), the inaugural Riv issue, and Kim Reierson’s forearm

MAT UCSB sci-tech-artists, seated: Sabina Hyoju Ahn and Nefeli Manoudaki; Standing: Weihao Qiu, Ryan Millett, and Iason Paterakis with Irish Setter, Leia (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Founder of Khan Academy Salman Khan

Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education

(and Why That’s a Good Thing)

Sat, Oct 5 / 4 PM / Arlington Theatre

A prescient and practical look at using AI to enhance human potential.

Financial Journalist and Author Josie Cox

Women Money Power: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality

Thu, Oct 17 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

FREE copies of the book Women Money Power will be available while supplies last (pick up at event; one per household)

Examining the challenges women face today and the culture and systems that hold them back.

Pulitzer Prize Finalist An Evening with Percival Everett

Fri, Oct 25 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

FREE copies of the book James will be available while supplies last (pick up at event; one per household)

The author of numerous books including James and Erasure looks at race, politics and family from a uniquely contemporary American perspective.

Bestselling Novelist and Essayist Anne Lamott

Somehow: Thoughts on Love

Wed, Nov 13 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre

Observations on finding love late in life, the changing ways we love our children and how love can keep us going in a painful world.

Includes Live Cooking Demo An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi

Mon, Oct 14 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre

Spend a delicious evening with the world-renowned chef as he shares stories, discusses his new book Comfort and prepares a dish live on stage.

Co-presented with

Dr. Jennifer Doudna

CRISPR Gene Editing and the Future of Human Health

Tue, Oct 22 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre

Explore CRISPR’s ethical implications and its applications in agriculture, environment and medical science.

No. 1 New York Times Bestselling Author and Poet Yung Pueblo in Conversation with Pico Iyer Tue, Oct 29 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

A writer and poet whose focus on self-knowledge and radical self-acceptance has made him a source of inspiration and wisdom to millions.

Time 100 Most Important People in Health 2024 Dr. Uché Blackstock Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons With Racism in Medicine

Wed, Nov 20 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

FREE copies of the book Legacy will be available while supplies last (pick up at event; one per household)

Reflecting on the deep inequities in the U.S. healthcare system and offering prescriptions for how to change them.

Brilliant Thoughts

It Had to Happen (Or Did It?)

by Ashleigh Brilliant

One of my favorite poems is by a woman named Susan Marr Spalding. It’s called “Fate,” and is in two parts, each of nine lines. It contrasts the different ways life could have turned out for two presumably imaginary couples.

In the first part, the man and woman lead lives which make it extremely unlikely that they would ever meet – and yet, somehow they do meet,

“And read life’s meaning in each other’s eyes.”

In the second part, the situation is just the opposite. Although these two people, who seem to us to be made for each other, live so close together in so many ways, each somehow never actually becomes aware of the other’s existence. And so they both die unfulfilled.

The poem’s last words are: “And this is Fate!”

Of course, there are whole religions and philosophies based on either accepting or rejecting this idea, in its extreme forms. If you accept it, you are a fatalist, and have no ultimate power to determine your destiny. Followers of Allah call it “Kismet.” If you don’t go along with this line of reasoning, then, at least to some extent, you believe in “Free Will.” Unfortunately, there seems to be no scientific method of determining the truth about all this by experiment.

Free Will, I suppose, is more popular among people who are generally attracted by the idea of Freedom. That would include the U.S.A. and its citizens, many of whom will tell you that the best thing about this country is that people are more free here than in other parts of the world. Our national anthem, which was written more than 200 years ago, calls this “the land of the free.” That tends to get more favorable publicity than our other musical designation as “the home of the brave.” You can be free

without anyone, or anything, else being involved. But to demonstrate bravery, you need some danger to face fearlessly, or at least without showing fear.

Traditionally, people have come to this country because, in their place of origin, their freedom was limited in various ways – sometimes, as in the pogroms of Czarist Russia, their very lives endangered. This idea is even inscribed on the huge welcoming statue which itself is called “Liberty”: “Give me ... your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Ironically, the writer of those lines, Emma Lazarus, a Jewish woman from New York who died while still in her thirties, did not live to see that statue erected, let alone to know that her words would be officially associated with it.

But even the children born here are educated to believe in freedom. One collection of poems for children that I was given when I was seven years old contains Henry van Dyke’s “America for Me.” Looking westward from Europe, he described this as:

“The land of youth and freedom, beyond the ocean bars, Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.”

I myself, as a writer of epigrams, have inevitably touched on this subject. But my favorite position has generally been sitting on the fence – as in this profundity:

In all likelihood, Whatever will be will be.

But it seems significant that another of my writings on this same subject, had a distinction which may surprise you. It’s the one that says,

One possible reason why I don’t believe in Fate Is that I wasn’t fated to.

When a careful survey was made of the relative popularity of my first 1,000 epigrams, that particular one (#693) came out at the very bottom of the list. Yes, it was the least popular of all.

For that reason, I suppose, it has always had a very special place in my heart. After all, having no children of my own, the nearest I can come to a sense of paternity is the feeling I have, as a writer, towards my own creations. Of course, I realize that they can’t all find equal favor with the Public. But to be at the absolute bottom is sort of heartbreaking to its creator – and I have to ask Why? My theory would be that in our culture, Fate is a foreign concept. You don’t find football coaches telling their team that Somebody Up There has already decided the outcome of the game. Any vocal believer in Kismet would probably be kicked off the team. So, once again, I can only take a non-committal position:

I could try resigning myself to fate – but what if fate refuses to accept my resignation?

Thank you for helping us help our local teachers! Together, we’ve raised over $2.1 million for our Santa Barbara area classrooms. If you’d like to contribute please visit: TFSuppliesDrive.com

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GOING SOMEWHERE?

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Locally owned and operated for over 42 years 14 State Street | 962-0049 | Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5

Book Discussions

at Montecito Covenant Church 671 Cold Spring Rd, Montecito, 93108

Led by: Jeff Baker

Location: Fellowship Hall

Sundays, Sept 29- Nov 2 @ 11:30-12:00

We will explore how we move from the “What” of politics — what our political beliefs "should" be, to the “How” of politics — how we can love both those we agree and disagree with. mountainairsports.com

Led by: Ph.D. Greg Spencer

Location: Fellowship Hall

Sundays, Sept 22-Oct 27 @ 9am

For 5 weeks or so, we'll walk through Brooks' powerful and practical treatise on learning how to "see" others in all their richness. What does it mean to be an Illuminator instead of a Diminisher?

protecting California’s Central Coast from the climate crisis.

The boffo bash, co-chaired by Carolyn Fitzgerald, Katy Powers, and Michelle Weinman, featured youngsters Dylan McLernon, Alaina Galbraith, Valentine Thomas, Lena Fackler, and Ethan Maday as activist and keynote speakers.

The live auction included a three-night Moorish-inspired weekend in Palm Springs, a tour and lunch for ten at the Jalama Canyon Ranch, a limited-edition artwork by Montecito photographer Michael Haber, and a four-hour coastal sailing trip with local naturalist Peter Schuyler

Among the supporters were Mindy Budgor , Laura Capps , Marybeth Carty , Robert and Chris DeVries , Emily Eckert, Lucy Firestone, Martin and Kerrilee Gore, Geoff and Carol Green , Belle Hahn , Gregg Hart , Karl and Nancy Hutterer, Hannah-

Beth Jackson, Victoria Riskin, Peter Schuyler, Xorin Balbes and Truman Davies, Randy and Roxanna Solakian, Jim and Sherry Villanueva, Chuck and Merryl Zegar, and Das Williams

Home Support

A third of U.K. residents support Prince Harry returning to the country on a permanent basis, a poll in the country’s Mail on Sunday has revealed.

This represents a significant increase over the past six months, and suggests the Duke of Sussex, 40, has managed to turn the tide of public opinion.

While more than 60 percent are still opposed to King Charles III’s youngest son, his backing grew from 25 percent in March to 34 percent in September, according to IPSOS.

It’s an increase of 36 percent, indicating the Riven Rock resident’s more conciliatory tone towards the Royal Family is beginning to pay dividends as he looks to strengthen ties back in Britain.

Local Nuptials

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, 32, tied the knot with his fiancée of a year, Brooke Sansone, at his family home in Montecito.

Attention singer Puth wore an all-back Bode suit with white lace for the big day, while publicist Sansone wore a white Danielle Frankel gown.

Talking to Vogue the tony twosome said our rarefied enclave provided the

Miscellany Page 424

2024 Green Gala Committee (photo by Maxx Hennard)

Nina Fuller, Elizabeth Riley, Xorin Balbes, Truman Davies, Carly Davis, Belle Hahn, Sima and Brett Morrison, and Andreana and Mark Jones (photo by Maxx Hennard)

Youth Climate Activists: Ethan Maday, Valentine Thomas, Lena Fackler, Alaina Galbraith, and Dylan McLernon (photo by Maxx Hennard)

Jazz, Funk and More from North Texas

Tue, Oct 1 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre

“A barnstorming, groove-centric instrumental act with a rabid fan base and a blithely unplaceable style.” The New York Times

Arrive early for a Jazz & Gelato Season Kickoff Party featuring a live set by KCRW’s Nassir Nassirzadeh, prizes, complimentary treats from local creameries and more!

Co-presented with

Olivier Messiaen’s HARAWI

An American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) Production

Fri, Oct 4 / 8 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

Zack Winokur, director Julia Bullock, soprano Conor Hanick, piano

Bobbi Jene Smith, dancer/choreographer Or Schraiber, dancer/choreographer

Experience Olivier Messiaen’s deeply-affecting song cycle for voice and piano in a newly physicalized and dramatized production from the “blindingly impressive” (NYT) artist collective AMOC*.

Arrive early for a pre-concert talk by arts writer Charles Donelan and stay after the performance for a conversation with Julia Bullock.

Mavis Staples

The War and Treaty

Tue, Oct 8 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre

Civil rights icon Mavis Staples is one of the most recognizable and beloved voices in American music. Grammy-nominated husband and wife Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter are a southern soul duo known as The War and Treaty. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of deep soul and heart-wrenching gospel passion.

Special Double Bill

Body Wise

On Retreat: Hearing Your Inner Truth Through Peace and Time Away

by Ann Brode

Sometimes, taking time away to be quiet and introspective is exactly what’s called for. This might be simply when you’ve been working hard and need a break. Or, in response to a significant event like a big birthday, a career change, or when the kids leave home. It might be precipitated by a health issue, the end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, a major disappointment or even a celebratory event. These landmark moments are opportunities to assess where you’ve been, what’s important, and where you’re going. Time away, on retreat, helps you do this.

I spent the summer as a guest at the Ocamora Retreat Center in the foothills of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Staying in an adobe cottage with long range views of prairie to the East and red-rocked cliffs to the West, I spent a lot of time in solitude. I was

also offering somatic massage to facilitate the summer program. Both on a retreat myself and part of the retreat experience for people from all over the country, it was an immersion course in the wisdom of taking time away. As I experienced deep calm take root in my core, I witnessed this happen over and over in specific ways for each of the retreat participants. Wanting to know more about the process, I sat down with Diane Haug – longtime retreat leader and executive director of the Ocamora program.

Q. Why is time away so important?

A. The pace, density, and immediacy of our postmodern, digitized lives doesn’t allow us the time or space to rest deeply and connect with our essential selves. Even when we get away on vacation, we’re still on schedule, sending texts, emails, and photos to friends, family, and work colleagues. Getting away, truly getting away to a place like Ocamora gives people the chance to step out of the

tyranny of time. And, when people feel supported in stepping away and slowing down, they begin to make the shift from busy to quiet, from external to internal.

How do you facilitate this shift from busy to quiet, external to internal?

Our weeklong programs are designed to encourage transformational insight and healing. Before people even arrive, we address expectations and set the tone with information about the facility, weather, travel, setting, and program. Although travel from home to Ocamora may only take a few hours, it can take more time to actually “land” here. Transit is part of the process and, once here, it continues as participants feel their way into the space, the quietude, the wildness of the landscape, and simplicity of the facilities. When people are asked to step away from their phones and familiar routines, it takes time to adjust.

I use two powerful practices to facilitate quiet introspection – sharing in council circle and sitting in contemplative silence. Being in circle encourages people to drop into a place of deep listening where they can access unconditional regard for the experience of each other –and themselves. Sitting – before and after activities – in breathing meditation helps the mind shift from the crowded space of endless thinking to the timeless space of just being in present time.

Could you say more about this phrase “timeless space?”

The quiet setting of Ocamora, immersed in the intimacy of the natural world, helps participants slow down enough to clear their lens of perception. Instead of images and agendas flooding the airwaves, they can open their senses to the vast range of plant life, chorus of birdsong, and sweet smell of sage. The expansive landscape and big weather – with clouds coming and going, light shifting and changing – capture our attention and invite us to be present. Here, connected to all life, in timeless space, we can access a timeless sense of self.

And have you witnessed retreats change people’s lives?

Many people come to a retreat at a pivotal moment, often asking: “Who am I?” Meeting them with the expertise, setting, and processes that encourage a deeper sense of self helps them answer this question. Throughout the retreat, listening to this deeper sense of self gives them specific guidance about what needs to be released and where healing needs happen. When people return home with a new sense of self and the tools to keep listening, it changes their lives. It’s an honor to witness the personal epiphanies and transformational healing that happens, over and over again.

Taking Time Back

Being on retreat with Diane and the other retreat facilitators at Ocamora has reminded me of the importance of taking time away to chill out and reset every once in a while. Away from the familiar routes and routines, I took time to listen to the wind in the trees and elk in the meadow. Away from the constant chatter of newsfeeds, my inner chatter quieted down. Away from traffic and parking lots, I could relax and linger in present time. Here it was easy to feel how time comes and goes just like the big old puffy clouds. As I get ready to come back home, I feel renewed, refreshed, and ready to do what comes next.

Over the past 50 years, retreat centers have been set up around the country to support mental, spiritual and physical well-being. Today, with schedules so jampacked and little time for reflection at a deep personal level, going on retreat might be the most sensible thing to do – for body, mind, and spirit. If this sounds appealing, why not set up time away for a personal retreat? There are lots of excellent choices depending on your needs and interests. Just ask a friend for a recommendation or go on the internet and make a reservation. Once it’s on the calendar, just knowing it’s scheduled feels like a gift to yourself.

Note: Pattie Cavalletto left Santa Barbara in 1980 to pursue a dream of creating a retreat center where people could come together to find peace and healing. With the help of longtime friend and partner, Michael Broome, she found the perfect setting in Northern New Mexico to build the Ocamora Retreat Center. Beautifully designed and simply constructed, the log and adobe buildings are surrounded by lush landscaping, tucked into the natural setting. Over time, Ocamora has been a place where people can be close to nature, close to spirit, in silent awareness. Forty years later, Pattie’s vision of people circling on a lawn in sacred ceremony has become a reality.

Take a moment to retreat into yourself at Ocamora

Ernie’s World

From Zero to a Hundred-Ten

by Ernie Witham

There are days when the most exciting things my wife and I do are Wordle... “Got it in four.” Ha! I got it in three.” Well, just wait until tomorrow.”

Dispense boxes of cereal into their new “ant-proof” plastic vaults... “Raisin Bran done.” “Check.” “Special K done.” “Check.” “Cheerios... ah, dang. Broom.” “Check.”

And maybe look at the temperature on the iPhone weather app... “Gonna hit 70 today. Chance of a cloud.” “A cloud. Wow!” “More tea?” “Hit me.”

And then... “Severe heat warning in Santa Barbara County for the next five days. Temps in the triple digits. Stay safe. Don’t overdo it.”

“Maybe we should take it easier,” I suggested. “We can take turns sitting in the recliner next to the fan.” I smiled proudly at my brilliant non-action plan.

“Ah,” Pat said. Not one of her most assuring utterances. “Bob and Sally are coming for a couple of days, remember?”

No, I thought. “Of course,” I said. “I’ll break out a jigsaw puzzle. One of a winter scene.”

“Actually,” Pat said. Another worrisome expression. “Tomorrow, we are all driving to Los Angeles.” I checked the weather app. L.A. showed a photo of people actually standing on the sun.

“Why in the world..?”

“We are going to the Hollywood Bowl. To see the L.A. Philharmonic with Dudamel, remember?”

Nope, I thought again. “Oh sure, Dude and the Phil.” I pictured them being fanned by roadies with large palm fronds.

“It’s at night,” Pat said. “Should be much cooler.” The app showed people floating just above the sun at 8 pm.

We (meaning “not me”) decided to go to Pasadena first to the Norton Simon Museum, to see if we could figure out the Picassos this time. It was 110 degrees according to the car thermometer. “We can get lunch here,” Sally said.

The café was outside of the air-conditioned museum. “I’ll have the tuna,” I said to the lady blowing a dripping fetlock from her forehead. “Heated?” “Sure.” She placed it on the counter for ten seconds then handed it to me.

The Hollywood Bowl concert was amazing, and it was now only in the 90s. As usual, Gustavo was bouncing up and down and side-to-side as he conducted – with fervor – music from the opera

Carmen. The folks in the first few rows collected his sweat in small containers to sell later on eBay.

Thankfully our hotel room was air-conditioned and had a great view of a wall three feet away that had been painted –some years ago – in a beach scene motif.

The palm trees were wilting.

“Home to lower triple digits tomorrow?” I asked Pat. “Exactly. Right after we go to the Getty Villa. Might as well enjoy as much of L.A. as we can!” I was pretty much enjoyed out by the time we looked at our one-thousandth Greek statue, but it was cooler on the drive home along the coast.

The next day, Bob and Sally headed home and we had the place all to ourselves. “About that...” Pat said” I was about to ask for an explanation when...

“We’re here!” The grandkids, Jack and Ollie, who had been in the car for an hour and a half, bounded in.

“What’s this for?” Asked four-year-old Ollie. “What’s this for... what’s this for, what’s this for?”

“Wanna go run on the lawn?” Eightyear-old Jack asked. “We can make stick weapons.”

“Where’s the box of toys? Does this need batteries? Can I water something with the hose?”

“I don’t know, yes, I don’t know, maybe.”

The pool was great. You could hear a sizzle as each person jumped in, like when a blacksmith drops a freshly shaped horseshoe into the cooling bucket. Later that night, we all watched a movie eating popcorn that had been naturally cooked on the patio stones outside.

Sunday, the family all headed out and the quiet was deafening. I grabbed a cold beer from the freezer. “I’m just going to sit here and veg,” I said.

This time Pat just smiled. “We have that big picnic at the park for 100 people. You’re helping with the setup, remember?” The weather app on my iPhone now showed a melted earth. I miss the Wordle days.

Ernie Witham has been writing humor for more than 25 years. He is the author of three humor books and is the humor workshop leader at the prestigious Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

Regina Fernandez and Adam Hagenbuch

Photo: Zach Mendez

SANTA BARBARA’S PROFESSIONAL THEATRE COMPANY

By Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen

Directed by Jamie Torcellini

Which I appreciate, even if I think that should have come from them, not as a result of much kicking and screaming from us.

Yes, the law is the law. And this would certainly not be the first time that a law had allowed for serious moral or ethical transgressions. The fact is, the County has the ability to do the right thing, which in this case, given the monumental and generational impact that the Miramar expansion will have on the Montecito community, is to give the MPC the opportunity to formally weigh in on this project,

It is my understanding that Caruso is entitled to five public hearings. The County has the power to allow the MPC to hold at least one of these five hearings, to examine and vote on the merits of this project with the lens of how it will impact Montecito. It can then advise the CPC on what they believe is the right choice based, at least in part, on the considerations of safety, health, and the wellbeing of Montecito residents and in the interest of protecting Montecito’s community plan. Just as the CPC took MPC’s recommendations on the 101 expansion project – which unlike the Miramar had impact far beyond just Montecito.

Further, after talking to many community members, some supportive of the expansion, some not, they all seem to agree on one thing: if the CPC should not approve this project, and it should get appealed to the County Board of Supervisors, Montecito deserves to have this come before the Board of Supervisors after the first of the year when Das Williams’ successor, soon-to-be First District Supervisor Roy Lee, has been seated. After all, it is Supervisor Lee who will be responsible for dealing with the fallout from this decision, one way or another, for years to come.

Mr. Caruso is clearly using the State’s mandate for more affordable housing as a mechanism to get the retail and luxury housing space he seeks to bring in more revenue – and who could blame him? Without this though, the expanded version of the Miramar would likely not have passed the first time around. So, this two-step dance is very clever. And understandably, people in this community have strong feelings about this project. And indeed, there are very fine people on both sides. And I think it’s important to say, for the record, I believe that if this community had to vote today on just the affordable housing piece of this plan, it would pass overwhelmingly.

They say the universe is constantly expanding. But should that hold true for the Miramar? Montecito must be given the opportunity to formally weigh in on the answer to this question.

The Miramar Plan

by Tiana Molony

Rosewood Expansion Plan Heads to County Commissioners

In October 2023, five years after re-opening under the ownership of Rick Caruso, the Rosewood Miramar officially declared its expansion plans, first presenting to the Montecito Association Land Use Committee and later the Montecito Board of Architectural Review.

The proposed plans include new affordable housing units for staff, luxury apartments for long-term rent, and additional storefronts. The developments would take over the East and West parking lots; eight luxury apartments and 12 shops are planned

for the Western parking lot, with the Eastern lot dedicated to 26 affordable employee housing units.

Community members opposed the plans, mainly the luxury storefronts, which, in a letter to the Montecito Journal, Russell Ruiz likened to the “major” retail malls that Caruso is known for. Others praised them, saying the Caruso team is “one of the most respected and admired real estate firms in the country,” according to a letter from Todd Putman to the MJ.

On October 2, the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) was supposed to review the current plans, but at the September 18 meeting, MPC members voted unanimously to cancel that meeting in hopes of rescheduling to a later date. MPC member Sandy Stahl cited a lack of information on the Miramar project as a reason to postpone.

The Rosewood Miramar expansion is one of four major projects slated for the area – in addition to the Biltmore and Coral Casino renovations, and the Music Academy’s proposed Conditional Use Permit changes, all of which are perceived to affect the area’s traffic patterns and the throughput of the community. In a later phone call, Stahl shared that she wants to see an updated study showing the simultaneous impact of these different projects on the area, citing traffic as one of her concerns. “I was saying that I just felt that we hadn’t been given sufficient information.”

Santa Barbara County Director of Planning and Development Lisa Plowman encouraged Stahl to attend the October 2nd meeting, saying, “If you still feel like you don’t have enough information, then we can continue the item. But perpetually postponing items, I don’t think, is the benefit of the application or the commission.” Stahl then rejected Plowman’s request, saying, “I just feel the information for the community is my priority over the applicant, so that’s why I would like to postpone.”

MPC members could not decide on a new hearing date as the County proposed only two dates in October, both of which representatives from the All Saints-by-theSea Episcopal Church could not make. The church is neighbors with the Miramar. Ultimately, they decided to schedule two dates in October for the 18th and 23rd. “Why are we only considering dates in October,” Stahl asked. In a separate letter, the church asked for a date in November. Commissioner Stahl felt that an All Saints representative should be present for the meeting and reschedule for a date when they are available. “I still don’t understand how we can consider dates in October when a very major part of the community has already stated to us that they are not available in October…I just feel like it’s slapping them in the face,” relayed Stahl concerning All Saints. Other MPC members echoed this concern.

Plowman felt that it was important to move the project forward so as to not further delay the Miramar. “My thinking is that applicants have due process, right? So when they’re ready to go to hearing, we don’t delay them unnecessarily,” said Plowman in a phone call. “It’s important to be able to schedule projects to move forward, particularly affordable housing projects.”

The affordable housing element of the project considers the SB330, or the Housing Crisis Act of 2019, which aims to address California’s housing shortage by streamlining development processes, protecting existing housing, and encouraging more housing construction.

Following the September 18 meeting, Caruso’s team sent a letter to Plowman citing county code section 2-25.2, which says that MPC is not within its jurisdiction to consider the project as it is a matter of affordable housing. They requested that the project be moved to the County Planning Commission. This would have meant that if the County does not direct jurisdiction back to the MPC, commission members could not share their thoughts on the proposed plans. As of now, the CPC will vote on October 9th.

In a phone call, Supervisor Plowman stated that she was unaware the Miramar project was designated as affordable housing. Had she known this before the September 18th meeting, she would not have presented the project to the Montecito Planning Commission “as if they were going to hear it.” “That is unfortunate,” she said. “You know, I wish that had happened in a different order, that I would have known that in advance.”

Some have questioned why the affordable housing plan is coupled with the luxury apartments and storefront plans, suggesting they be presented as separate entities. Plowman said this is impossible as the commercial and residential plans are “inextricably linked because they’re a state density bonus mixed-use project. One part of the project financially supports another part of the project, so you cannot separate.”

According to Plowman, “SB 330 requires that 2/3rds of the project square footage must be designated for residential uses to receive the protections under the law. The provision of affordable units allows the developer to avail themselves of the State Density Bonus law. They only need to provide 20% affordable units to qualify, but as you know the Miramar is providing significantly more affordable units – over 60%.”

The proposed residential and commercial development will be located in the existing northwest and northeast parking lots on site. Development in the northwest parking lot will consist of two new mixed-use buildings, Building A and Building B. Building A will be 16,597 square feet, with 8,573 square feet of residential square footage and 8,024 square feet of commercial square footage. Building A will have a maximum height of 33’-5”. Building B will be 20,786 square feet, with 11,310 square feet of residential square footage and 9,476 square feet of commercial square footage. Building B will have a maximum height of 30’-2”. There will be eight market-rate apartments (four on the second-floor of each building) comprised of one one-bedroom unit, four two-bedroom units, and three three-bedroom units. The first floor of the buildings will be commercial space including 15,000 square feet of resort shops and a 2,500-square-foot café. There will be up to 12 resort shops that will be resort/visitor-serving light commercial uses similar in nature to the existing resort shops on site, such as resort-oriented clothing shops, jewelry stores, and wellness/beauty shops. There will also be a subterranean parking lot with 79 parking spaces.

The Caruso’s team has claimed that the ability to add affordable housing to the Miramar property is contingent on these luxury shops. However, the resident workers will still have to pay rent – with a maximum income requirement of $80,000 a year. In a statement to the MJ, Bryce Ross, EVP of Caruso’s, stated:

“Montecito is one of the areas of Santa Barbara County with the largest housing affordability gaps. We are proud that more than 75 percent of the housing units in our plan will be affordable units for employees of The Miramar…Originally, we had anticipated that the plan would be heard by the Montecito Planning Commission. But last week, the commission canceled the meeting where our matter was scheduled to be heard.

The cancellation of a number of scheduled meetings earlier this year, and concerns about the ability to secure the legal minimum number of members needed to hold a hearing, led to uncertainty about scheduling a hearing for The Miramar plan. The delay started to look indefinite. This prompted a closer look at the County Code.

The Code is clear: Planning applications in Santa Barbara County involving affordable housing are the jurisdiction of the County Planning Commission, which also approved the County Housing Element that included The Miramar as a location for housing.

County Planning staff agreed with this finding, and County Counsel affirmed this conclusion. That’s what led to The Miramar matter being scheduled for October 9. The community will have the same opportunities to participate in the public hearing process.

We deeply appreciate the level of community engagement over the past two years. We listened to neighbors’ priorities and made significant changes to address what we heard. This includes eliminating a planned driveway from Eucalyptus Lane,

Editorial Page 354

treasure trove of arcana collected from thrift stores and garage sales. Ted’s backyard décor featured pink flamingoes in the flowerbeds and artwork salvaged from his many thrifting forays, along with a ramshackle, two-level deck that he constructed to take in the view of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Collectively, this unique outdoor domain was referred to as The Hamptons, a nod to his Great Gatsby persona and the Tall Tales that sprang from it, including a cast-off highheeled shoe on the edge of the garden, purportedly left behind by Daisy herself.

Ted was a bonafide DIY-er, who didn’t see the point of paying someone to fix something that he could figure out himself. He enjoyed the challenges of problem-solving and the satisfaction of finding solutions. Frugal to the point of earning the nickname The Mizer (aka “The Mize”), Ted was known for doing things his way, and he developed his own unique aesthetic: There were no rules of fashion he would not break or standards of home decorating he would not disregard.

For many years, Ted attended Faith Lutheran Church in Carpinteria, where he sang in the choir and served as an Elder. His Christian faith was import-

ant to him throughout his life, and a comfort to him in the months and weeks leading up to his death. Ted’s transition to the other side was gentle and peaceful. He spent his final days sharing his writing, serving up witty remarks, listening to classical music, singing along to his favorite Neil Diamond songs, cuddling with his cat, Victoria, and sharing his warmth with everybody within reach. He is lovingly remembered by his two wives – Rita Ragozzino Baum and Darleen Benson – and survived by his five children: Edward Baum, David Baum (Susie), Daphne Baum Small (Tim), Kimberly Baum, Kathryn Starr-Baum (Sam), and four grandchildren: Matthew Baum, Emily Baum, Julianna Small Nicolai (Chase), and Johnathan Small.

Ted’s family and friends will gather on Friday, October 4 at 1:30 PM at the Santa Barbara Cemetery Chapel (901 Channel Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93108), followed by a private family burial. A celebratory reception will be held immediately following the service; location details to be announced. Please RSVP to dwbaum@ mac.com if you would like to attend the service and reception.

Thank you to all of those that joined us to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary at Montecito Med Spa! And there is still time to take advantage of our September Specials until October 4th!

Far Flung Travel

by Chuck Graham

They behaved like rambunctious children – playful, and inquisitive. They’d also never seen a kayaker before. Three-month-old northern fur seal pups were almost knocking me out of my kayak while paddling around Point Bennett on San Miguel Island.

May and June are an exciting time to be on the Channel Islands National Park. There’s anticipation hovering in the air like a damp blanket of fog cloaking the northern chain of islands. Island fox pups are being born, but there are other mammals birthing as well.

Besides those Yoda-like fur seal pups, other pinnipeds such as California sea lions and spotted harbor seals are also being born on remote, wind-groomed beaches, and deep within toothy, wave-battered sea caves.

Hard to say what looks cuter. I’m on the fence on that one, with all three vying for the top spot on the cuteness barometer. Some of it is personality. Harbor seals are definitely the sweetest. Fur seals possess lots of attitude. Sea lions are curious to a point but generally keep their distance. I think I tend to lean towards harbor seals.

Harboring Good Will

I spend more time with harbor seals at the islands than any other seal or sea lion species, and their pug-like faces are precious. Sometimes they appear as if they’re smiling back at you.

The pups are only with their mums for two months, and then they are on their own. So, during those two months, they

are gorging on mom’s milk. From my kayak, they’ll swim up from underneath and jostle around the boat, and even rub their muzzles against the hull like a scratch post.

When I’m leading tours through the sea caves on the southeast end of Santa Cruz Island, sometimes harbor seals will follow us from cave to cave. I’ve even had them rub themselves on my heels, my callouses built up over 50 years of surfing cobbled shorelines and launching and landing kayaks in uncomfortable places.

I’m always amazed how relaxed and comfortable harbor seals look hauled out on rocky slabs. They look like they’re doing planks. And like we humans, they have their favorite places to hang out. I know one harbor seal, always spotted near a sea cave we call

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“Limbo.” It hauls out on the same rock when the tide permits.

Whatever it Takes

In all seriousness, I’ve guesstimated paddling through the sea caves surrounding Scorpion Anchorage several thousand times. Twenty-two years of guiding, plus my own personal trips, the islands on a whole have been a great office. It’s enabled me to interact with wildlife in a unique way from my kayak. I’ll say it until I can’t, but kayaking is the best way to experience these windswept isles and their unique inhabitants. While leading a trip during the early part of June, I noticed a female California sea lion in kind of an unusual place. During kayak tours, the first cave I paddle guests through is known as “Elephant’s Belly.” It’s the first cave just northwest of Scorpion Anchorage. It’s all cliff and cobbled shorelines until we get to the massive grotto. Just before reaching it, there’s a little nook of boulders, a combination of rockslides and the ocean continually rearranging the coastline. This was where I saw this concerned female sea lion. She was sitting upright and she was facing the ocean. Every few seconds she dipped her elongated snout into a small tide pool trapped behind the bigger cobble. At first, I couldn’t figure out what she was up to. Then she grabbed her newborn pup by the scruff of its neck

and began hoisting it upward away from the shoreline as the tide crept in. On one occasion, she grabbed it and flung it up into the rocks.

I reasoned that she had to give birth right then and there. She was doing what she had to. It wasn’t an ideal place but she had to give her teary-eyed pup a chance. After moving her pup far enough away from the incoming tide, an opportunistic raven flew in, and on the fly snatched the nutrient-rich placenta, taking it to the towering cliffs above to feed.

Then the female sea lion shielded her pup from the stiff northwest winds while nestling against a boulder. Her tiny pup awkwardly inched forward across the cobble and nursed. It was its first few moments of life on the island, born in a tidepool and nursing in wave-battered crags. Nature can sometimes be unforgiving.

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands National Park

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the cutest pup of them all? (photo by Chuck Graham)

Easy, I am. (photo by Chuck Graham)

Sometimes a mother’s touch includes throwing the pup up the rocks – tough love (photo by Chuck Graham)

eliminating a full floor from the plan at the corner of Eucalyptus and Jameson, reducing it to two floors, reducing the space dedicated to shops, and increasing the number of affordable units for Miramar employees.

We look forward to the next step in the process of bringing this important plan to fruition.”

MPC member Ron Pulice felt that the decision to remove MPC from reviewing the Miramar plans was “ludicrous.” The role of MPC is to provide insight into proposed projects that other County officials may not understand. “We have a community plan, and it’s our job to keep our community plan alive and well and not to stretch to the point where we now have a mall on the freeway,” said Pulice – who plans to propose a special meeting so MPC members can properly discuss the Miramar project. “That’s why we established the Montecito Planning Commission.”

After the County pushed the project through the Montecito Planning Commission, MPC members felt their voices had been ignored on a matter that would significantly impact the future of Montecito. “It is a bizarre twist of events to take this away from any public body that really has jurisdiction over Montecito,” said MPC member Bob Kupiec.

While speaking with Plowman, it was noted that there is a limit of five hearings that can be held under State law with Plowman emphasizing that the County Planning Commission has to follow the guidance given by SB330. “The discretion is very limited and that is the way the state has set it up – these projects can only be measured against objective standards.” Plowman gave the standards of a “5-foot set back height limit” or if water was unavailable as examples.

If a CPC decision is appealed, then the project would be turned over to the County’s Board of Supervisors in a ‘de novo hearing.’ An appeal would have to be filed within the five hearings and can only be filed after a decision has been made by the CPC with the appellant having up to 10 days to file following the decision. Plowman adding, “I’m fully expecting that an appeal will be filed by somebody.”

Community Voices Miramar Madness: More Lame Duck Gamesmanship

by Jeff Giordano

On the eve of Supervisor Elect Roy Lee’s term, it’s positively mind-blowing to see how fast our County apparatus and its various apparatchiks can push various and controversial First District projects forward. Allow me to explain: Rules and process matter because without them Special Interests can –with the help of favoring Supes and the staff they direct – “game” the system and prevail over legitimate community concerns. Last week, I wrote about the accelerated Cannabis Ordinance controversy, and this week I learned that similar gamesmanship was taking place with respect to the Miramar Project.

loves to shop, I have absolutely no dog in the Miramar hunt. But process, transparency, community involvement, and local control matter. It’s the reason why I raged against the idea that the community would have just five business days to respond to P&D’s industry-favoring Cannabis suggestions after they had 10 weeks to prepare them.

Accelerating the Miramar Project and Cannabis reform before Supervisor Williams leaves the Board is “pattern” not “coincidence.” With just five more 2024 Supervisor meetings remaining, I’m interested to see how our other Supervisors will react to these hot button issues taking priority just moments before our newly elected D1 Supervisor takes office.

I guess I’m a quaint traditionalist that believes “elections matter.” I sincerely hope that Mr. Lee makes his voice heard and that at least three other Supervisors agree.

In 1998, Montecito came within 100 votes of becoming its own city. One of the few shining beacons that ultimately flowed from the Home Rule battle – one that gave Montecito at least a modicum of local control – was our own Planning Commission (MPC).

Well, apparently, the MPC was not moving quickly enough for our newly efficient, need-for-speed district. Indeed, as the MPC tried to accommodate all interested parties, including All Saints that formally requested a November meeting date, the “powers that be” decided to PULL the project, placing it on the County’s Planning Commission agenda on October 9. Remember, this is a hugely complex and impactful development that the MPC has been earnestly vetting for years. Now the County will jump in just 18 days after Planning and Development’s (P&D) notification. Huh? The Supervisors can reverse this decision but that would likely require a motion by Supervisor Williams at their October 8 Board Meeting. Don’t hold your breath!

P&D’s justification was the unprecedented idea that because the project includes affordable housing it is more properly a County issue. This project has existed for two years, did P&D just learn about the units? I suppose if Costco proposes an Upper Village location with “below market rate” apartments, we’ll be looking for the County to make the decision. Silly and Montecito-dangerous!

Other than the fact that my wife

Women in Communication Turning Passion into Career

by Jamie Knee

As a Santa Barbara wine expert, I’ve learned that the finest vintages are best enjoyed with inspiring company—and that’s exactly what I found with the Association for Women in Communications, Santa Barbara. Serving on the board has been an absolute delight, immersing me in a vibrant community of brilliant women who are as passionate about their craft as they are about uplifting one another. From writers and teachers to filmmakers, radio and TV broadcasters, nonprofit leaders, PR mavens, and dynamic communicators of all kinds, these ladies are the real deal. Their dedication to communication in all its forms has not only enriched my life but also fueled my own journey as a storyteller and wine entrepreneur.

On September 11, I had the honor of kicking off AWC-SB’s fall season as the featured speaker. Let me tell you, sharing

AWC-SB Board of Directors: Jamie, Judith SmithMeyer, Tamesha Schumacher, Beverly Herrera, Leana Orsua, Brooke Holland, Ana Papakhian, Lisa Osborn, and Claudia Dunn

my story about turning a love affair with wine into a thriving career was absolutely exhilarating. My talk, aptly titled “Turning Your Passion into Your Career,” gave me a chance to reflect on how I’ve blended my love for wine, food, travel, storytelling, and communication into my business, Petite Wine Traveler, which has been evolving since 2017.

Of course, no evening would be complete without a toast – or two! We savored two exquisite wines generously donated by The Brander Vineyard: Le Cul de Refugio Los Olivos District 2021 and Cabernet Los Olivos District 2020.

As we explored the rich history and artistry behind each bottle, I shared why wine is so special to me. The process of winemaking is not just about fermentation; it’s about storytelling, tradition, and passion – all elements that resonate deeply with the art of communication. Just as every bottle tells a story of its origin and the hands that crafted it, every act of communication has the

power to connect us, inspire us, and propel us forward.

The evening was a swirl of inspiring conversations, exceptional wines, and a palpable sense of community that reminded me why I adore being part of this incredible organization. AWC-SB is more than just a professional network; it’s a sisterhood of dynamic women who communicate, create, and lead with gusto. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we all share a commitment to using communication as a powerful tool for change, education, and empowerment. It’s like finding the perfect blend in a wine – each grape contributes its unique flavor to create something truly special.

One of the highlights of our year is the annual Women of Achievement Awards. This isn’t just another ceremony; it’s a celebration of outstanding women leaders in communication who have made significant strides in their fields. These honorees are trailblazers – advocates for equity, justice, and innovation. They unite communities, bridge divides, and

spark progress. Watching them shine inspires us all to think bigger, reach higher, and continue advocating for the causes close to our hearts. Plus, the funds raised from this event help sustain AWC-SB’s mission, providing valuable professional development opportunities for our members throughout the year.

The fall season kickoff was a perfect snapshot of what makes AWC-SB so special. After my presentation, the room buzzed with energy as we broke into small groups to chat about our own passions and how to transform them into careers. The conversations were lively, thoughtful, and brimming with optimism. It’s clear that when women come together to share their stories and lift each other up, magic happens.

The fall season is a time of renewal – a chance to reflect on your journey and consider how AWC-SB can support you in reaching your goals. So let’s raise a glass to new adventures, lasting friendships, and the exciting path ahead. With monthly meetings featuring exciting guest speakers, you’re welcome to check out AWC-SB as a guest. I look forward to seeing you at our next event, where we can continue to share stories, inspire one another, and maybe even help you discover your passion!

Jamie Knee is a global wine communicator and travel writer, has hosted 100+ winemaker interviews, international wine judge, and holds multiple wine, sommelier, and educator certifications.

SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY AM - PM 7:0010:00 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AM7:0012:00AM SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 7:30 AM - 10:00 PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM

D’ANGELO BREAD

Petite Wine Traveler Jamie Knee speaking to the Association for Women in Communications, Santa Barbara

there are lots of dangers to it.

JK. The fact that we found another lost plant makes it so that the island is more resilient to disturbances like climate change. The TNC manages 76% of the island, 24% is the Park Service, and work jointly as a single ecological unit. We are trying to get an understanding of what we lost. There are 15-20 plants nobody has seen for over 60 years. We also look for our Federally Endangered and Threatened plants. We do this to figure out if they are not here, where they are and reintroduce them back to the islands.

MJ. What is your plant sampling rule?

SC. We have a 1 in 10 Rule, if there are ten plants, you can sample one or part of one. As botanists we need to do the research, to take samples to inform science, but we also think about the health of the plant’s population. We can do a lot with a small piece.

JK. In the last century, there was an issue of over collection, especially with wildlife. We work with the SBBG and share information, so I did not take any samples.

MJ. How can people identify if they found one?

JK. These are endangered species. Do not take a specimen, cut the flowers, or pull them out of the ground. We strongly recommend people take a photo and upload it to the phone app, iNaturalist, with the GPS. Botanists check the app and will let you know what it is.

411: https://sbbotanicgarden.org/team/sean-carson/ www.nature.org/en-us/ www.inaturalist.org/

Upcoming Holidays Hold Meaning for Us All

This is the time of year when the focus is on spiritual rituals, celebrations and reflections across all religions and beliefs. Starting in October with Rosh Hashana on October 2-4, we can look forward to Navratri on October 3, Yom Kippur on October 11-12, Sukkot on October 17-23, Samhain [All Hallows] on October 31, and Diwali on October 31 to November 4.

Next comes All Saints/Day of the Dead on November 1, Birth of Baha’u’llah on November 3, St. Andrew’s Day on November 30, Bodhi Day on December 8, Yule is December 21 to January 1, Christmas is December 25, and December 26 has both Kwanzaa for seven days and Hanukkah for eight days. Lest we forget, there is also Thanksgiving and Halloween.

Outside of the targeted commercialism and social media systems selling us store-branded values, how can we find solace and create a clear path for ourselves? A personal time to reflect, journey, set intentions, act, check in, and be accountable to the love and peace they are all meant to celebrate?

For Our Town, I reached out to Rabbi Chaim Loschak, Executive Director of Chabad of Montecito, to share with our readers his thoughts and inspiration about the upcoming High Holiday season. Since arriving here two years ago, he has invited the community – regardless of individual belief – to join in the Chabad’s celebrations, talks, men’s nights, and yes, even baking challah.

Q. What areas do you encourage people of the Jewish faith to celebrate and reflect on during the high holiday?

A. First, Rosh Hashana means the Head of the Year; it commemorates the birth of the world. We get to think about all the lines of birth, a fresh start. Say to yourself, now I can get a new start on something that’s been a struggle that I’ve had this year. The Shofar instrument sounded during Rosh Hashana serves as a single sound, with a message to each one of us, saying, you know what, I can do better this year.

Obviously, I like to talk about choosing to be good to someone, being kind. We all get caught up in [he puts his hands to his head] the world and our issues. Apologize to your neighbor, talk to your relative that you haven’t talked with in years, that kind of thing.

It’s important to have the one day to take inspiration from for the rest of the year.

Explain the atonement meaning of Yom Kippur?

The Hebrew word for atonement is ‘repentance,’ but the important thing is that it means ‘return.’ The Jewish New Year is not about the stereotype of Jewish guilt, say about a relationship issue you may have, but rather saying, wow this relationship could be so beautiful. Not coming from a place of, oh my God what did I do, but come from a place of this could be so beautiful and return back to that space.

How is this meaningful for everyone?

When I talked early about the Rosh Hashana as the beginning of creation, it is the beginning of creation of humans and of everything! The message of Rosh Hashana is for everyone, and everyone can tap into that.

The interesting thing is, it is called the Head of the Year. Just like our head affects our body and our consciousness, what we think, what we do, so does this time of year. It impacts the rest of the year for us. I can make a decision now that can impact my entire year for good

Do you have a suggestion on how people can stick to their personal goal?

All this stuff sounds good, but if it’s not put into action then it’s an issue. One needs to check in with oneself daily. I have a spiritual mentor to touch base with, to ask, “how am I doing?”

Rosh Hashana is asking, what is the one small thing I can change right now to become better in a particular area? The path itself has inherent value; the goal is actually the journey. Are we willing to put effort into the journey?

With the undercurrents in the world today, how can we move forward in peace without prejudice and polarity?

It’s important for us to realize that nothing is random, everything and everyone has a purpose. In the Torah it says everyone is created in the image of God, meaning there is purpose in it. When I see someone else, they have a purpose, I respect that. The Ten Commandments are on two tablets, with the first and sixth commandments right next to each other, they are about having a belief in God and not killing one another.

And for those people who are alone during the holidays?

Everyone needs to be looked out for and cared for, we have the chance to help, to think about how to help others and do it. 411: www.jewishmontecito.org

Joanne A Calitri is a

photographer and journalist. Contact her at:

yahoo.com

John Knapp and Sean Carson with Carson’s discovered Saints’ Daisy from 2024 (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Your Westmont Homecoming Honors Alumni

by Scott Craig

Westmont’s alums return to campus for Homecoming 2024 with an abundance of familyfriendly events from October 4-6. Please visit westmont.edu/homecoming for the full schedule, prices and ticket information. The college will honor stellar individuals at the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch on Saturday, October 5, from 9:4511:30 am at the Global Leadership Center.

Dr. Lauren Brown-Berchtold (‘09), program director of San Joaquin General Hospital Family Medicine Residency, is Alumna of the Year. Eric Knopf (‘04), co-founder and co-CEO of Webconnex, a leading software company that powers

honoring the 35th anniversary of the deadly Potter’s Clay car accident Friday, October 4, 11:45 am – 12:30 pm in the stone pine forest below the Dining Commons. Lisa Bebout, Alan Voorman, and Garth Weedman were killed March 27, 1989, while participating in the annual spring break service trip to Ensenada, Mexico. Patty Hallock Crosby (‘92) and Megan Harter Adams (’97) were critically injured in the accident. Adams, who has recently written a book, Hope in the Darkest Hour: A Memoir of Survival and Resilience, will speak at the gathering.

Beebe To Join Global Church in Korea

How Faith-Based Colleges Shape Students

Guests from the Lilly Network of more than 100 faith-based colleges and universities will examine the initial findings of a study about the intellectual-religious experience of undergraduates at the network’s national conference hosted by Westmont’s Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts on September 27-29.

events and fundraising for global brands, is the Alumnus of the Year.

Ben (‘01) and Alicia Eastvold (‘04) won the Global Service Award. Ben founded and is executive director of GLAD Technology, a nonprofit dedicated to workforce development for displaced and disadvantaged populations. Alicia is a nonprofit finance leader at Your Part-Time Controller, where she directs a technology service team that helps nonprofits leverage technology and data to make meaningful decisions.

John Bertram (’14), co-founder and CTO of OnePointOne, an automated indoor vertical farming technology company, won the Young Alum Award.

At a more solemn event, Campus Pastor Scott Lisea will lead a memorial service

Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe has been serving as a delegate at the Fourth Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization on Sept. 22-28 in Incheon, South Korea. He has served as a college president for more than 25 years (18 at Westmont) and received his invitation through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Beebe joins about 5,000 delegates from around the world, including thousands more attending virtually, making it the largest representation since the movement began in 1974.

“The gathering is important because it attempts to articulate the contours of our Christian faith, including the sources of authority and guidance for our rule of faith,” Beebe says.

Billy Graham convened the first gathering with John Stott as a global movement to mobilize Christian leaders to collaborate for world evangelization.

The Springtide Institute study, commissioned by the Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities, surveyed more than 10,000 students from 34 network schools. Lisa DeBoer , professor of art and one of the organizers for the Westmont conference, says she anticipates data that investigates the experiences of students who choose to attend a church-related or faith-based college.

“What happens for these students is different than for young people who do not attend college or choose to attend a public university,” she says. “Much of the sociological data on the faith experience of young adults is generic and simply based on age, not cross-referenced to their college experience. I’m looking forward to data that specifically tries to get at what is meaningful for students at Lilly Network schools, about their Christian formation and education.”

Springtide’s director, Tricia Bruce, will present findings from that study, Fuller Seminary’s Steve Argue will provide additional framing about young-adult development, and a panel of religious-life professionals drawn from Lilly campuses will give a snapshot of what they’ve seen with their students.

Dr. Lauren Brown-Berchtold (courtesy photo) Eric Knopf (courtesy photo)

Ben and Alicia Eastvold (courtesy photo) John Bertram (courtesy photo)

President Gayle D. Beebe (photo by Brad Elliott)

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

Santa Barbara, Leira’s first instinct was to capture her environment through song, poetry and photography.

On a quick visit to Slab City, an unincorporated town 45 miles from the border of Mexico in Sonoran Desert, Leira penned the following poem:

The Last Free Place in America

Neither of us had pants on in Niland When we went through the checkpoint

Your tits were out at Salvation Mountain

The old man cursed us under high pink GOD IS LOVE

We admired his paint job thinking, The sky is blue, Slab City sure has a lot of rules

Didn’t you say this place was lawless?

I hope my baseball cap is still out there Floating somewhere

On top of the Salton Sea Guarded by the cold cut Dog killer highway patrol Who tell little girls, Thank God for taking us Where the wild things come to die

Leira and longtime friend and collaborator Lucy Branch began writing an album in 2022, exploring musical storytelling and concept songs, including one from the perspective of a doll. Maxim Silvers is producing the album, and Stephen Dabby has joined the effort on the bass.

While the album is in production, Leira’s future plans involve creating a designated experimental space for the young DIY community of Santa Barbara. “There’s no freaks in this town anymore! We need a space to get a little freaky with it.” She’d also like to use her writing chops to write and direct a play.

If you’d like to help Ariel Leira make Santa Barbara a freakier place, you can email her at arielaeakin@gmail.com. To stay updated on her future album, her Instagram is @faceflesh.

Foraging Thyme Okra

by Melissa Petitto

Her Produce has some green and red okra at the farmers market right now and let me tell you, if you haven’t tried okra before go and grab some of this delicious fruit. That’s right – it’s technically a fruit as it is a flowering plant with edible seed pods. Grown mainly in warm climates, this native of Africa and South Asia is low in calories and packed full of nutrients. Okra is high in both Vitamin C, which makes it a great addition to support our immune systems, and Vitamin K1, which is a fat-soluble vitamin known for its role in blood clotting. This fruit that is utilized as a vegetable is also a good source of protein. Antioxidants known as polyphenols found in okra, including flavonoids and isoquercetin, are beneficial for brain health, fighting inflammation, and oxidative stress. These antioxidants help to protect our brains from symptoms of aging and can help improve cognitive function and memory. Okra also contains a protein known as lectin, which has been shown in studies to hinder the growth of cancer cells. This fruit has also been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defect in newborns, making it an excellent addition to a pregnant woman’s diet. Okra is amazing pickled, in stews, fried, grilled or charred, let’s get cooking!

Oven ‘Fried’ Okra

Yield: 4 Servings

1 1/2 pounds okra

¾ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, like oat or cashew

½ cup cornmeal

¼ cup brown rice flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cornmeal, brown rice flour, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, cayenne, and pepper.

4. Pull out the baking sheet carefully and line it with parchment paper.

5. Put a few pieces of okra into the batter and stir well to coat. Allow batter to drip off and arrange in a single layer on the hot baking sheet. Repeat with remaining okra, working quickly so baking sheet doesn’t cool off too much.

6. Place baking sheet back into the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and turn each okra over. Transfer back to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Beatrice Tolan is a fine artist, animator, and writer living in Los Angeles after residing in Montecito for 20 years. She is invested in building community through unique perspectives and stories. beatricetolan@gmail. com

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 each lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Wash the okra and trim off the stems. Cut okra in half into 1 ½ inch to 2-inch pieces.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven while the oven preheats.

Melissa Petitto, R.D., is an executive chef and co-founder at Thymeless My Chef SB, was a celebrity personal chef for 16 years, just finished her 10th cookbook, and is an expert on nutrition and wellness.

Okra provides an enigmatic, gooey bite packed with nutrients and flavor (photo by Prathyush Thomas via Wikimedia Commons)

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING*

DATE OF HEARING: OCTOBER 9, 2024

PLACE:

ENGINEERING BUILDING, ROOM 17

PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING ROOM

123 E. ANAPAMU STREET

SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The County Planning Commission provides in-person participation as well as virtual participation until further notice.

The following methods of participation are available to the public.

1. You may observe the live stream of the County Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV-Livestream; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20

2. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:

• Distribution to the County Planning Commission - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Monday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

• Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the County Planning Commission meeting in-person.

• Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the County Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar.

When: October 9, 2024 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Topic: County Planning Commission 10/09/2024 Register in advance for this webinar: https://countyofsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oraNM_t5R9W0cTtcaB8-rw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

4499 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0282 (Toll Free) Webinar ID: 886 7389 1272

(Toll

The Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of t he participation methods listed above.

The Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Planning Commission. Anyone interested in this matter is invited to appear and speak in support or in opposition to the projects. Written comments are also welcome. All let ters should be addressed to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, California, 93101. Letters should be filed with the secretary of the Planning Commission no later than 12:00 P.M. on the Monday before the Planning Commission hearing. The decision to accept late materials will be at the discretion of the Planning Commi ssion. Maps and/or staff analysis of the proposals may be reviewed at https://www.countyofsb.org/1625/County-Planning-Commission a week before the hearing or by appointment by calling (805) 568-2000.

If you challenge the project(s) 24RVP-00050, 24RVP-00051, 24AMD-00008, 24CDP-00077, 23CUP-00006, or 23APL-00014 in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Planning Commission prior to the public hearing. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need a disability-related modification or accommodation or are exempt from applicable Health Officer Orders, including auxiliary aids or services such as sound enhancement equipment or an American Sign Language interpreter, to participate in this hearing, please contact Hearing Support Staff at 805-568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements. If you have any questions or if you are participating in the hearing telephonically or electronically and need a disability-related modification or accommodation or have any issues attempting to access the hearing telephonically or electronically, please contact Hearing Support Staff at 805-568-2000

* This is a partial listing of the items to be heard at the County Planning Commission Hearing of October 9, 2024.

24RVP-00050

24RVP-00051

24AMD-00008

24CDP-00077

Miramar Acquisition Co. LLC

96 Eucalyptus Lane

Housing – Mixed Use Development 1759 S. Jameson Lane Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 21159.25

Joe Dargel, Deputy Director (805) 568-3573 Willow Brown, Planner (805) 568-2040

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Clutch Engineering, 3001 Vista Linda Lane, Santa Barbara, CA, CA 93108. Fearless Design, LLC, PO Box 5292, Santa Barbara, CA, CA 93150. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 17, 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. 2024-0002210. Published September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: The Club, 632 E. Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, CA, CA 93103. Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara, INC, 632 E. Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, CA, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 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. 2024-0001996. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Premier Essentials Lifestyle Coaching, 3521 Mercury Drive, 201, Santa Maria, CA 93455. Stylist Danielle Leshea, LLC, 3521 Mercury Drive, 201, Santa Maria, CA 93455. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 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. 2024-0002059. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Tiki Trader, 890 Linden Ave, Carpinteria, CA 93103. Andreas K Gutow, 3600 Harbor Blvd 348, Oxnard, CA 93035; Paul M Garcia , 6375 Lagunitas CT, Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 6, 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. 2024-0002139. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2024

Hearing on the request of Miramar Acquisition Co., LLC, property owner, to consider the following:

a) Case No. 24RVP-00050 for revisions to Development Plan 14RVP-00000-00063 to allow 56,485 square feet of development in the CV (Visitor Serving Commercial) Zone consisting of affordable employee and market-rate apartments and resort shops in compliance with Article II Section 35-174.10.

b) Case No. 24RVP-00051 for revisions to Minor Conditional Use Permit 07CUP-00000-00047 to allow residential uses consisting of 26 affordable employee apartments and eight market-rate apartments in compliance with Article II Section 35-172.11.

c) Case No. 24AMD-00008 to amend Major Conditional Use Permit 07CUP-00000-00045 for hotel improvements in the Transportation Corridor Zone District (within the Union Pacific railroad right-of-way) in compliance with Article II Section 35-172.11.

d) Case No. 24CDP-00077 for the development allowed by the revised Development Plan (Case No. 24RVP-00050) in compliance with Article II Section 35-174.9, the development and authorized use allowed by the revised Minor Conditional Use Permit (Case No. 24RVP -00051) in compliance with Article II Section 35-172.9, and the development and authorized use allowed by the amended Major Conditional Use Permit (Case No. 24AMD-00008) in compliance with Article II Section 35-172.9.

e) Determine the project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21159.25, as outlined in the Notice of Exemption.

The application involves Assessor Parcel Nos. 009-371-007, 009-333-013, and 009-010-004, zoned CV (Visitor Serving Commercial) and TC (Transportation Corridor), located at 1759 South Jameson Lane and 96 Eucalyptus Lane, in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.

SANTA

BARBARA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION RECORDING SECRETARY (568-2000)

Published September 25, 2024

Montecito Journal

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Albertsons #3171, 1500 N H Street, Lompoc, CA 93436. 1918 Winter Street ABS LLC, c/o Legal Department, 7 Corporate Drive, Keene, NH, 03431. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 5, 2024. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2024-0002120. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Arturo Rios Kickboxing, 120 W Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Arturo Rios, 60 Sycamore Ter Apt 202, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 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. 20240001936. Published September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2024

During the pandemic, I had a Facebook Live show where I invited seven of the hottest young African American composers to come on with me. My dear friend Terrence Blanchard moderated the panel, and I wanted to connect him to the next generation of composers. They became friends through that. After a couple weeks, Dave Raglan reached out to me and told me that they wanted to write a song for me as a thank you. Instead I came up with the idea that each of them would choose a queen from the continent of Africa and write a song about a part of her life. They were all an immediate yes. The majority of the composers chose their own librettists that they already currently worked with, and I had a colleague who’s a young countertenor and librettist, Jay St. Flono. He worked with me on the research of which queens to present to the composers as my creative collaborator. Some of his poetry is infused in the evening, and are the text for Carlos Simon’s and Jesse Montgomery’s pieces.

The main idea was to charge the composers with centering on the women, the extraordinary stories that you don’t see in opera, ones where we learn who the woman is and why she made the choices she made, the feeling of taking the moment to express whatever was happening with her at the time… I always say working with composers is like trying to wrangle cats. They just do what they want. But really these guys knocked it out of the park.

I just realized that the evening is about strong women, but it’s mostly male composers, as are some of the librettists.

It’s true. I think about that every time I produce pieces, particularly where the female story is centered. At least here most of them used female librettists and I appreciated that. There’s just not enough women writing music, or getting opportunities to write music. So I will definitely be cognizant of that the next time.

Can you share about the other pieces performed during the evening that are not new commissions, and how they weave together?

The idea was to fill out the program with connective tissue between the new pieces that fit the theme. So almost all of the other pieces are about women, or by African composers or African American, some that are very clearly rooted in African, the diaspora, the sound.

What was the most challenging part of the project?

Getting nine new works onto a single program. It’s much simpler and easier to come up with an evening of songs from well-known composers. When you are building from the ground up, thinking of the concept, commissioning the work, finding others that fit the theme – it’s a lot of work. Fortunately, presenters were immediately interested, and it was received extremely well.

The evening itself is a big heavy lift because of all the new pieces, and it’s new, unfamiliar works for the audience, too. I have to say I did not expect to be as tired after the first two performances as I was. It was exhausting! But I’m looking forward to doing it again and breathing new life into each piece. It’s very inspiring to sing.

You are collaborating with pianist Kevin Miller for the concerts. Why did you pick him? We’ve been friends for years, and I think he sounds amazing in recital. He’s someone that I trust, who I know has my back and cares about me. You have to have that in these spaces when you’re a team. You have to have people who love you, respect you, care about you, and will lift you up. That’s how you make magic together.

What is your goal for the audience? Do you want them to be inspired, entertained, impressed and/or curious about the composers and the queens? I know you created this for yourself, but what is your hope for their experience? If there’s one thing, it’s to go home and Google these women and find out more about these incredible stories. I also want these composers to get their music heard and to be hired again to write more new pieces. I want the audience to be moved by my presentation, by my voice, and by my artistry. I want to push the boundaries of what it means to do a recital, what it means to be in a concert hall and add these elements. I want other people to sing these pieces later on when they’re published. And I want opera companies and chamber musicians to support and create these stories and create operas that tell more diverse stories.

Visit https://musicacademy.org/mariposa for more information and tickets

‘Alice’ Finds MOMIX

Moseying Down the Rabbit Hole

There have been hundreds of adaptations of Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or works based in part on the story, whether on the stage, in movies, musicals,

other books, or even in video and board games. Locally, just within the past 10 months, Ensemble produced Alice, Formerly of Wonderland about the romantic adventures of the real-life inspiration for Alice, while Out of the Box staged the musical Alice by Heart Now, it’s Moses Pendleton’s turn.

The founder and artistic director of MOMIX, who is still active as his company’s choreographer at age 75, created Alice in 2022, and the piece makes its local debut as part of the Broadway in Santa Barbara series at the Granada on Tuesday, October 1. The book seems such a natural fit for a company of dancer-illusionists – whose inventive work over 40 years has seamlessly blended illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy at nearly every turn – that it’s a wonder it took so long for Pendleton to put his stamp on the piece.

“I’ve always enjoyed sampling Carroll’s mind, his sense of nonsense and his proclivity for photography and puns and the surreal,” Pendleton said over the phone from his home on a farm in rural Connecticut. “The bells would ring in my head when I’d read him, but I was also very inspired by not just the story, but other people’s impressions – Salvador Dali’s paintings, the illustrations in the initial printing, the visual mark it left on film directors, composers and others. Those strange iconic characters – the Mad Hatter, Alice, the white rabbit, mock turtle, caterpillar – lend themselves to be choreographed upon and put into the MOMIX alchemical retort and spin it in a more physical, visual way. But I hadn’t yet taken it down my rabbit hole. I just hadn’t let my mind flow in that direction.”

Once he was ready to tackle the project, Pendleton worked the way he always does. “I dig into and through the unconscious and grab something that’s flowing by, just free associate and float. It’s a form of madness to go in there and delve into the imaginary world.”

Pendleton said the choreography for Alice was forged with his usual method of working “collectively improvisationally” where he provides imagery to his “spirit dancers” and videotapes as they play in the studio. “I don’t want them to think too much, because we’re wanting to tap into the collective unconscious.”

Given the visual aspects of the tale throughout history, Pendleton also wanted Alice to go beyond MOMIX’s usual mix of dance, lighting, music, costumes and projections to more fantastical levels of reverie. Video clips show many flights of fancy, depictions of characters and situations, particularly where portraying Alice growing and shrinking using props and ropes and other dancers. The overall effect, delivered via a series of more than 20 vignettes, is visually stunning if not entirely linear.

“That’s the point,” he said. “One should go and sit back and enjoy being welcomed into a rabbit hole of fantasies and beauty and strangeness and a few dark edges, without trying to analyze it… The world is a heavy place and we try to paint a picture of how it might be in a fantasy rather than reality. If people walk away with a little less gravity in their step and have a bit more energy, then we’ve been a success.”

Puppy Power and a Party Premiere New A&L Season

For some reason, UCSB Arts & Lectures has decided to open its season on a mocking note dripping with sarcasm. Make that a lot of notes, as Snarky Puppy arrives at the On Entertainment Page 434

Alice makes its local debut as part of the Broadway in Santa Barbara series at the Granada on Tuesday, October 1

“perfect backdrop” for the nuptials in the driveway of the Puth residence in front of Sansone’s favorite olive tree.

The duo, who grew up near each other in New Jersey, walked down the aisle with a choir singing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith.

Giving Symbols a Voice

A crowd of 80 guests descended on The Voice Art Gallery for a celebratory book lunch of the A History of Psychology Through Symbols, a two-volume set of textbooks written by local psychologist Dr. James Broderick and illustrated by Montecito artist Dr. Danuta Bennett. The curious crowd included Peter and Kathryn Martin, Brendon Twigden, Keith Moore, Diane Brighton, Linda Rosso, Beverly Cavalier, Maria McCall and Dirk Brandts

State Street

Ballet En Pointe

Santa Barbara’s popular State Street Ballet kicked off its 30th anniversary year

with a reception at the Riviera Bar downtown for 40 guests, including Brooks and Kate Firestone, Dan and Meg Burnham, Barbara Burger, Deborah Bertling, Tigran Sargsyan, Leila Drake, Jennifer Whalen, Cecily MacDougall, Scott Reed, and Jonathan Bishop.

“It has been an extraordinary history,” says managing director Tim Mikel. “It hasn’t been the easiest of journeys, but I’m proud to say that financially we’ve never been in the red. And the best is yet to come.”

At the end of the month the tony troupe, founded by former American Ballet Theatre dancer Rodney Gustafson, will be hosting its gala at the Music Academy of the West with a curated performance in Hahn Hall.

The new season opens with a double bill – Scheherazade and The Firebird Suite at the Granada. The milestone season also sees unprecedented collaborations with local arts organizations, including the Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, the Granada and Lobero theatres, the San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra, the Music Academy

of the West, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

All tu-tu much....

Tunes to Remember

Four months ago, Rick Porter and his wife, former chanteuse Libby Aubrey-Porter , celebrated ten years of marriage with a bountiful bash at the Rosewood Miramar’s Manor Bar for 50 friends.

The fun fête at the same venue was repeated when Libby, accompanied by her 14-year-old prize-winning West Highland terrier, Blessings, sang the songs of Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and other Broadway composers accompanied by L.A. pianist Steve Rawlins and the Pink

Mozart Quartet, many of them UCSB graduates.

An afternoon of high note...

Foundational Support

The SBCC Foundation awarded approximately $1,042,475 in scholarships to more than 800 SBCC students for the 2024-2025 academic year.

“Scholarships through the SBCC Foundation play an important role in student success,” says Bobbi Abram, foundation CEO.

“We are grateful to the generous donors who are investing in Santa Barbara City College and its students.”

The President Scholarship and the Towbes/Luria STEM Achievement Scholarship were among those awarded. The two scholarships, each a $10,000 multi-year award, are the top prizes available through the foundation.

New Members on Board

Lucy Firestone, Gregory Fuss, and Greg Giloth have been appointed to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees for a threeyear term.

Firestone is a producer, transformation coach and co-founder of Firestone Sisters’ natural perfume line, with more than 20 years’ experience creating content that inspires healing and growth.

A Princeton graduate, she has worked at VH1, New Regency, Sony, and was vice president of Penn Station Entertainment for Fox.

Roger Thompson, Cecily MacDougall, Autumn Eckman, Nicole Callahan, and Tim Mikel (photo by Priscilla)

Author and illustrator of A History of Psychology Through Symbols: Doctors James Broderick and Danuta Bennett (photo by Priscilla)

The State Street Ballet staff and performers (photo by Priscilla)

The hosts enjoying their time with their guests (photo by Priscilla)

Rick Porter and Libby Aubrey-Porter with the Pink Mozart Quartet (photo by Priscilla)

Emily Katenkamp Roos, Libby Aubrey-Porter, and Christine Anderson (photo by Priscilla)

Fuss grew up in Goleta, attending Dos Pueblos High before earning an MBA from USC. He built a 35-yearold investment management career in Los Angeles managing equity portfolios. He also served on the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association for more than seven years.

Greg Giloth holds a BS in marketing and an MBA from Northern Illinois University, launching his career in the Bay Area.

Since retiring in 2013, he has focused on nonprofit work.

Sightings

Local warbler Katy Perry in Brazil for the Rock in Rio show... Rapper Snoop Dogg with Ursula Nesbitt at Bella Vista in Summerland... Montecito’s Jane Lynch sitting behind Meryl Streep at the Emmy awards in L.A.

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

Arlington Theatre on Tuesday, October 1, to kick off the 2024-25 slate of events. Not that the Texas-bred quasi-collective that boasts around 25 members in regular rotation – 10 will be on stage for the Arlington concert – are nasty folks. That’s just the name that bassist Michael League chose when the then-freshman studying jazz at the University of North Texas gathered a bunch of friends to form what has become an insanely versatile if hard to categorize jazz-funk-world-jam-fusion ensemble.

Even using those genres to define the band is somewhat limiting, even as Snarky Puppy has snagged Grammy Awards in three different categories (jazz, contemporary and R&B), clearly proving the group has plenty of bite to go with its bark. But suffice it to say that no matter the overall sound, the band always features ridiculously tasty solos soaring over a deep rolling groove throughout nearly every track.

“There was no real plan when we formed this thing, just a bunch of guys from the school who liked playing with each other,” said Bob Lanzetti, one of the original guitarists who still plays on most Puppy tours. “But we began to diversify and attracted members from the Black church community who played R&B, so we became more of a cross between the jazz school and rootsy gospel music.”

What the current members all share is not just a lot of technical skill, but also an artistic vision and temperament that can quickly adjust to a changing line-up.

“When somebody switches out, it’s exciting to have a new sound come in,” Lanzetti said. “We all play differently, but we respect the songs even as we put our own artistic spin on them. What’s great is that we’ve all been doing it long enough that we know how to settle into the basic vibe.”

In addition to League and Lanzetti, the lineup for A&L includes two keyboardists, two trumpeters, a saxophonist and a violinist as well as drums and percussion.

“No matter who is playing, it’s definitely very jazz based in the sense that there’s a lot of improvising and things are never really the same from night to night,” the guitarist said. “But it’s also very influenced by hip hop, gospel and even rock. There’s composition over world music grooves, Brazilian, African music, and very funky. We’re all big fans of DeAngelo, James Brown, and Sly and the Family Stone, and also Miles Davis, the Beatles and Radiohead. It’s a mix of a lot of stuff.”

Despite the fact that virtually everything Snarky plays are original compositions from several of its members, usually there are no charts for the members to follow, Lanzetti said.

“We don’t really write anything down. We just kind of make demos on Pro Tools and share them with each other and everybody learns their parts and adds their own thing,” he said.

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

In keeping with the Puppy’s heady yet groove-driven ethos, A&L has arranged for early arrivers (6 pm) to be greeted with a live set of offbeat tunes by KCRW’s Nassir Nassirzadeh as part of a “Jazz & Gelato” kickoff celebration. The party also features complimentary sweet treats from local creameries, math-based light installations by UCSB Alumni Tai Rodrig (‘14) and Udo Gyene (‘15), a handful of art galleries staying open late, raffle prizes and more fun.

Gregory Fuss (courtesy photo)

Greg Giloth (courtesy photo)

Lucy Firestone (courtesy photo)

Snarky Puppy arrives at the Arlington Theatre on Tuesday, October 1, to kick off the 2024-25 A&L slate of events (courtesy photo)

Steven

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Inside the Orchestra – Santa Barbara Symphony Music & Artistic Director Nir Kabaretti hosts an afternoon in anticipation of the ensemble’s upcoming 2024-25 season. The kick-off celebration starts with a welcome reception featuring complimentary champagne on the Lobero’s promenade then moves inside the theater for an insightful presentation about the orchestra’s programming and players. Nir will share about his inspiration for the lineup – which introduces a few new aspects to the Symphony’s usual pair of weekend concerts – and will conduct interviews with guest artists. A live musical performance by principal flutist Amy Tatum and principal pianist Natasha Kislenko features selections from January’s Mozart Marathon repertoire and other pieces as a sample of the season. Reserve a free ticket early and be entered into a drawing for a complimentary four-concert subscription.

WHEN: 4:30-6 pm

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

COST: free

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

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

See Ceylon in Cinema – After a week of free screenings of nearly 30 features, documentaries, shorts, and animated films from Sri Lanka, South Asia, and across the globe at Direct Relief Hatch Hall in Goleta, the 3rd Annual Ceylon International Film Festival closes with a grand finale celebration at the Lobero. Fostering cross-cultural connections to highlight the rich cultural tapestry of the South Asian region while celebrating the unique spirit of Santa Barbara, the evening features performances by local Spanish/Mexican artists (Mariachi group Mariachi Perla De Jalisco and the Ballet Folklorico group Alma de Mexico, plus Miguel Avila and Hanadisamar Jitani Trujillo) and Sri Lankan performers including movie playback singer and actress Nirasha Ekanayake, joined by singer-composer Sudesh Managodage, and dance from Melisha Mahakumara, Hasini Ruwanpathirana, Eresha Fernando, and others. The red-carpet evening also serves as the award show for the festival.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

Local Vibes Double Down – It’s year two for the Elings Park extravaganza that last year featured an electrifying evening – in more ways than one. Not only did the power go out at the tail end of bluegrass band Salty Strings’ set – necessitating the encore of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” being performed on the soccer field lawn sans mics – but a freak lightning storm brought an early end to the closing set by the Doublewide Kings. The mostly Montecito-based headliners return for this year’s edition, with former Teen Star turned guitar phenom Jackson Gillies once again enlisted for a long set of classic rock. Also on the bill of homegrown talent: solo sets by troubadour Johnny Irion, freshly off a divorce from Sara Lee Guthrie and boasting a new set of mountain-based, heart-centered songs called Sleeping Soldiers of Love (we’re told he’ll also sit in with the Kings for a song or two), and Arwen Lewis, the Santa Ynez-raised singer/ songwriter/multi-instrumentalist granddaughter of Oscar-winning actress Loretta Young and the daughter of Peter Lewis, a founding member of ‘60s psychedelic cult heroes Moby Grape. Scarlett & Amelia, a budding local teen duo who evince a remarkable vocal blend, will open the family-friendly festival-style concert.

WHEN: 5-10 pm

WHERE: Elings Park, 1298 Las Positas Road

COST: $29 general, free for all pre-teen youth

INFO: (805) 569-5611 or http://elingspark.org https://elingspark.org/events/kings

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

When Life Gives You Lemons… – Get your zest on at the fun and fully family-friendly 2024 Goleta Lemon Festival at Girsh Park with an even juicier slate of activities that promises to be extra a-peeling to everyone. Kids won’t need to pucker up to take advantage of a slew of stuff programmed for all ages, including archery tag, euro bungee, bounce houses, bubble fun, mini-golf course, a rock wall, and a new parkour course, plus a super-sticky and messy pie eating contest at noon both days. Both little ones and adults can saunter down Safety Street to explore fire trucks, police cars, rescue vehicles and the Sheriff’s Mounted Enforcement Unit and their trusty K-9 pals. Everyone can enjoy treats from the plentiful food and drinks vendors, while the main stage boasts nearly non-stop entertainment from a cornucopia of local bands and dancers. And don’t forget Saturday’s auto showcase Goleta Fall Classic, boasting a variety of cool classic vehicles ranging from Corvettes and Camaros to trucks, motorcycles and bicycles. New this year: complimentary shuttles from 6769 Hollister Ave. parking lot to Ice in Paradise across from the park. So grab your main squeeze and the little lemons and head on over.

WHEN: 10 am-6 pm today, 10 am-5 pm tomorrow

WHERE: Girsh Park, 7050 Phelps Road, Goleta

COST: free admission

INFO: (805) 967-2500 or https://lemonfestival.com

WHEN: 5 pm

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

COST: $25

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

Whole Story on ‘Holes’ – Catch Sigourney Weaver, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Henry Winkler and Dulé Hill starring in Holes, back on the big screen again as the next installment in the ongoing Granada Centennial film series, Santa Barbara Home Movies: Films by Artists and Performers Who Call Santa Barbara Home. Directed by longtime local Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Under Siege), the neo- Western comedy drama came out just five years after Louis Sachar’s 1998 novel of the same name, which won a Newbery Medal and a National Book Award. Both Davis and Sachar will participate in a conversation about the film, and Sachar will also be in the lobby post-screening to sign copies of the book, which is still a classic among children in the middle grades.

WHEN: 2 pm

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street

COST: $5

INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Joni, Bob and… Kate – Next up in SOhO’s 30th Anniversary celebration is an increasingly rare appearance from Kate Bennett. The Santa Barbara singer-songwriter was a nanny for Kenny Loggins’ kids before honing her own musical skills via workshops with Loggins’ former partner Jimmy Messina. Bennett and a passel of the ever-growing community of fellow local singer-songwriters – who used to periodically offer tributes at SOhO to such artists as Neil Young, the Beatles and Jackson Browne in the pre-pandemic days – are getting together again. This time they’ll share their interpretations of songs both famous and somewhat obscure written by Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, offering both sides now of two of the greatest American artists of the past 60 years. Proceeds benefit music in the schools through the Children’s Creative Project, so don’t think twice, it’s all right to just show up.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street

COST: $20

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

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1

Cat’s Got His Tongue – Looking for another opportunity to hear another singer-songwriter’s take on the great Bob Dylan? Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, is returning to the Lobero for a reprise of the show in which she delivers a song-for-song recreation of one of the most fabled and transformative live sets of all time. Dylan’s 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert (which actually took place at Manchester Free Trade Hall) was the one where he switched from acoustic to electric midway through the show, echoing what he’d done the year before at the Newport Folk Festival and once again drawing ire from an audience of folk purists and altering the course of rock and roll across the pond. Cat Power’s spellbinding performance both lovingly honors her hero’s imprint on history and brings a stunning new vitality to many of his most revered songs.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $85 ($131 VIP tickets includes premier seating and a pre-show reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres) INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1

Panic at the Movies – The Carsey-Wolf Center’s 2024-25 feature series, entitled “Panic!,” explores the complex relationship between media, an anxious public, and the turbulent currents of social, cultural and moral panic over the decades. The concept is an examination both of how such episodes of public distress have manifested on screen over the decades, and a consideration of how the screen itself – as technology, as gathering space, and as a site of fantasy and desire – becomes the object of reactionary backlash. The yearlong showcase of films, discourses and cultural practices that have tested the limits of public acceptability are meant to collectively elucidate the cycles of panic that perhaps also define our own political moment. Opening the series is Memoria, the most recent feature from Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, which follows a Scottish orchid farmer – played by Tilda Swinton – who is startled awake by a loud bang that only she is able to hear, then becomes afflicted with a mysterious sensory syndrome. Sound editor Javier Umpierrez will join a post-screening discussion. WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: Pollock Theater, UCSB campus

COST: free (reservations recommended)

INFO: (805) 893-5903 or www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2

Oak Group Open Space Benefit – The Oak Group’s 38th annual art show continues its tradition of calling attention to and supporting the preservation of open spaces in the natural world through their artwork, this year benefiting the UCSB North Campus Open Space. An extensive restoration of the upper arms of Devereux Slough, which represents a turning back of the clock for over 100 acres of historic wetlands and native habitats, the UCSB North Campus Open Space represents a full 10 percent increase in the total acreage of coastal wetlands along the Santa Barbara South Coast. A reception with the Oak Group member artists, all of whom are passionate about painting outdoors on location, takes place 5:30-7:30 pm during the 1st Thursday art walk on October 3 rd. The show will also be viewable online October 2-November 30 at www.oakgroup. org and www.ncos.ccber.ucsb.edu.

WHEN: Today-October 31

WHERE: Faulkner Gallery in the downtown Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St. COST: free INFO: www.oakgroup.org

THE MARJORIE LUKE THEATRE

SATURDAY, OCT. 12, 7:00 PM

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