Change Is in the Air – The County Board establishes new cannabis odor regulation with Supervisors Capps and Nelson leading the way, P.11
Light in the Sky – A meditative gathering, a piercing ray of light – Montecito remembers the Debris Flow on the tragedy’s 7th anniversary, P.12
Storyteller’s pathfinding preschool, page 16
More Biltmore – The Land Use Committee meets to weigh in on the Biltmore renovations as opening day nears, P.33
At the intersection of rock n roll and emergency response, a singular nonprofit is ringing like a power chord and boosting our First Responders. Tune your axe, page 6
The horrific L.A. fires continue to grip our attention and affect our neighbors to the south… Local schools and organizations have come together to collect donations and support evacuees that have landed here (Gwyn Lurie shares her thoughts on page 5; Story starts on page 14)
Lucky’s feeds First Responders in Malibu, Richie’s is collecting donations – locals are embracing the southland in every way possible, page 43
•Graduate of UCLA School of Law and former attorney (with training in Real Estate law, contracts, estate planning, and tax law)
•D edicated and highly trained full-time support staff •An expert in the luxury home market
Remember, It Costs No More to Work with The Best (But It Can Cost You Plenty If You Don’t)
Reminiscent of Hollywood’s ‘’Golden Era,’’ this magnificent 1920’s Montecito estate boasts breathtaking ocean/ island views and embodies a rare blend of stunning architecture and unmatched quality. Originally constructed for C.K.G. Billings and designed by the renowned architect Carleton Winslow, this palatial property overlooks the Montecito Club and Bird Refuge, seamlessly uniting seclusion with close proximity to world-class restaurants, upscale boutiques, and pristine beaches.
Jeanine
& Doings – One805 leverages the spirit of rock and roll (as it’s known) to turbocharge our First Responders. This power chord saves lives.
Montecito Miscellany – A Casa Dorinda art show, remembering Donald McInnes at MAW, the upcoming Fest Forums, and more miscellany
16 The Giving List – For Storyteller, the tale evolves as they continue to help children and families facing adversity rewrite their script
Spirituality Matters – Hear that? The Earth is calling and it’s time to do some Land Listening with Alexis Slutzky 18 On Entertainment – If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it… and there’s plenty of the classical tunes to go around this week
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Elizabeth’s Appraisals – Prepare to dine on the story of tablecloths and their evolution in culture and on our tables
30 In Passing – Remembering the life and impact of Howell Douglas Wood
Your Westmont – Condoleezza Rice returns, students restore oak woodlands, and WILDLAND exhibition draws a crowd
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Meeting at MA – The Biltmore is getting closer to opening, and a report on Montecito Sanitary’s work on the area’s creek beds Petite Wine Traveler – Planning travels for 2025? Like wine? Here are the top 10 emerging wine destinations to seek out… get your passports and palates ready!
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and Nelson introduce new regulations on cannabis odor abatement at the latest board meeting
and
24 Brilliant Thoughts – Save your appetite to indulge in Ashleigh’s musings on the concept of “saving”
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Montecito Health Coach – We got by with a little help from our friends… here’s why that is
28 Robert’s Big Questions – Has poverty won in the United States? What programs have been enacted to fight poverty, and what can ultimately fix it?
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Dear Montecito – Beatrice Tolan experiences déjà vu as she gathers her belongings and flees the Eaton Fire
Montecito Aids L.A. – The local organization helping support evacuees and you can help too
Calendar of Events – Political Panic!, MLK all day, Stomp on stage, and more this week
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads
Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles
Local Business Directory
by Gwyn Lurie
DThe neighbors and community members helping others dig their homes out of the mud later became The Bucket Brigade (courtesy photo)
ear L.A. neighbors, friends, and loved ones, If you’re up here during this tragic and traumatic moment for our beloved Los Angeles, welcome. If you’re reading this from afar, I hope you’re somewhere safe with the support of friends and loved ones. If your home has been destroyed, or you’ve suffered any other meaningful loss, I think I speak for this entire community when I say our hearts go out to you. We know all too well your pain. It was just seven short years ago that the Thomas Fire ravaged the mountains above our town and left a burn scar that led to the devastating 1/9 debris flow. This wildland-urban interface disaster traumatized this community, destroyed 10% of our homes and took 23 precious lives. It shook this community to its core and left us feeling and fearing that Montecito would never be the same. At the time it was hard to believe that Montecito would ever be a place where people would choose to buy a home again, let alone escape to.
It’s true we will forever be changed by that calamity. That we’ll never forget the trauma and tragedy of that moment. More so for those who, in an instant, lost loved ones, pets, and their homes. For those of us who called Montecito home on 1/9/2018, we will likely never reclaim the blissful ignorance that comes from not understanding that Mother Nature does not discriminate; and that she always bats last.
On the other hand, our 2018 tragedy also had some silver linings that left us wiser, more resilient, deeply appreciative of community, and conscious of the tradeoffs one makes for living on a strip of paradise sandwiched between the sparkling Pacific and the majestic Santa Ynez Mountains.
On January 9, 2018, Montecito was torn asunder. It was almost unfathomable there was so much carnage in such a small place. Montecito looked like it had been attacked, which in a sense it had, by the forces of gravity and Nature’s trident of downward rotational force meets mass meets velocity. Our town was unrecognizable and, in some cases, washed out to sea.
In the weeks that followed, we came to understand the profound value of knowing our neighbors. We’ll never forget the acts of heroism that took place in harrowing, character-defining moments: a baby pulled from the mud, a teenager rescued from deep beneath the earth. The amazing people of Santa Barbara, some friends, some strangers, who did our laundry, clothed us, housed us, fed us, taught our children in makeshift classrooms, wept with us. No more was Montecito just a “rich” enclave to the south. We were all in this together. As scary as that moment was, it’s the warm feeling of community, with daily acts of humanity, that I
Editorial Page 184
Gwyn Lurie is CEO and Executive Editor of the Montecito Journal Media Group
by Jeff Wing
Richard Weston-Smith is a Co-Founder & COO of One805. This nearly indescribable outfit can rightly be called First Responder to our First Responders. Like many nouns in the English language, though, First Responder wildly underwhelms as a signifier. On that front, Weston-Smith recalls an early episode of revelation.
“During the Thomas Fire I was filling up with gas on Coast Village Road and one of the hotshot trucks pulled in next to me to fill up. The whole of the side of their truck was just completely baked, blistered and burnt. And I thought, sh*t – these guys are driving around surrounded by these flames and the heat is unimaginable!” WestonSmith pauses. “We truly can’t grasp how close these people come to losing their lives every minute of every day when they’re fighting these fires, which can turn on a dime.”
At this writing, the explosive firestorms in L.A. County have been exhaustively televised, analyzed, and reported on. The crazed immediacy of the news coverage gives us a sense we are experiencing
some version or degree of what the First Responders down there are going through. It’s a well-meant but unhelpful illusion.
“The greatest dangers are not always physical,” Weston-Smith says. “They come from the emotional violence of the job. Joseph Wambaugh describes it as being like a constant drip of acid on the human soul.”
One805 has long since transfigured these First Responder empathies into jaw-dropping action items featuring stacked amps and Stratocasters. One805’s genius has been to wrangle our huge-hearted and madly implausible creative community into happily mounting a stage and putting on a little show – not exactly the sort a teenaged Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland used to enthusiastically cobble together in the Hardy family’s barn.
“We’ve done three now,” Weston-Smith says of the stupefying dream shows One805 has been mounting with increasing success. “When our CEO Kirsten Cavendish took over, she just sort of turbocharged the whole
thing and pulled together the talent to do a big show. We can’t make promises to our first responders and then not deliver. So we made a promise to ourselves that we would always have at least three years of funding for the program ahead.”
One805LIVE – the performative fundraising arm of the org – gathers Maroon 5, Alan Parsons, Joe Bonamassa, P!NK, Katy Perry, The Duke of Sussex (etc!) onto their hometown stage in Kevin Costner’s back yard (don’t ask), the fever dream concert a potent disseminator of information, and fundraiser for all the things Santa Barbara County First Responder. “Because
of the extraordinary mix of talent we have been lucky enough to pull together, it’s always unique,” says Kirsten. “We describe it as a show you have never seen before, and a show you will never see again.”
Why do our First Responders need the equivalent of a superstar bake sale to get the stuff they need? Weston-Smith explains.
“People often say, well, look – they’re really well funded. First Responders are funded by the state. They’re federally funded, they’ve got all this shiny equipment. What’s the problem here? But the budgets
Beings & Doings Page 404
INTERNATIONAL SERIES AT THE GRANADA THEATRE
SEASON SPONSOR: SAGE PUBLISHING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2025, 7:30PM
Sir Antonio Pappano, Chief Conductor Janine Jansen, violin
Community Arts Music Association and the Music Academy of the West co-present the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Antonio Pappano in his first concert in the United States as Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.
The legendary London Symphony Orchestra, led by esteemed Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano, returns to Santa Barbara for a special concert. Internationally celebrated violinist Janine Jansen joins them as soloist, performing on the 1715 Shumsky-Rode Stradivarius.
PROGRAM: BERNSTEIN: Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium MAHLER: Symphony No.1, “Titan”
We graciously acknowledge Linda and Michael Keston as the Lead Sponsors for this concert.
CAMA further acknowledges these generous concert sponsors:
Principal Sponsor: The Herbert & Elaine Kendall Foundation
Sponsors: Anonymous • Bob Boghosian & Mary E. Gates Warren • Alison & Jan Bowlus • Judith L. Hopkinson
Sara Miller McCune • Ellen & Peter Johnson • Ellen & Thomas Orlando
Co-Sponsors: Alice & Todd Amspoker • Elizabeth & Andrew Butcher • Meg & Dan Burnham
Dennis & Frederika Emory • Zegar Family Foundation
by Richard Mineards
Guy, Meghan Markle’s rescue beagle, has died.
The Duchess of Sussex shared the sad news of her “sweet” pooch, who is appearing in her new Netflix homemaking show With Love, Meghan which was due to debut this week, but has now been postponed to March 4 given the conflagration in Los Angeles which has now burned an area bigger than the area of Manhattan.
Admitting she had cried “too many tears to count,” the mother of two, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, thanked her pet for years of “unconditional love.”
Photos show Guy cuddling up with Meghan in bed and enjoying cuddles with Harry
“In Memory of Guy” she penned in the clip, which includes a montage of photos and video of the dog set to melancholy music, and the voices of her children.
Meghan adopted the dog in 2015 from a rescue organization in Canada. “He was the best guy any girl could have asked for,” she fondly remembered.
Both Meghan and Harry were at the Pasadena Convention Center and the Rose Bowl at the weekend meeting victims of the wildfires – which continue to blaze, being fed by fierce Santa Ana winds – burning more than 29,000 acres and destroying more than 10,000 homes, causing more than $57 billion-worth of damage.
Montecito actor Jeff Bridges lost his iconic Malibu home to the flames.
The 75-year-old Oscar winner has now joined a growing list of Hollywood celebrities whose homes have been destroyed, causing more than 130,000 evacuations.
The four-bedroom house once owned by Jeff’s parents – Hollywood actors Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges – was a cherished family legacy.
However, it was not used as a primary property and was being rented out for $18,000 a month, according to Los Angeles Times
Montecito actress Julia LouisDreyfus, 63, and director husband Brad Hall, 66, also lost their home in the Pacific Palisades fire.
The two Saturday Night Live alumnae bought the $15 million five bedroom, five bath Mediterranean-style home with a terra cotta roof in the early 1990s.
The property next door to the duo’s somehow survived the flames, as well as houses across the street.
Prince Harry and Meghan opened the doors of their Riven Rock estate to friends and loved ones forced to evacuate.
The tony twosome also urged other L.A. residents to do the same in a state-
ment on their website Sussex.com
“If a friend, loved one or a pet has to evacuate and you are able to offer them a safe haven in your home, please do so. And do be sure to check out any disabled or elderly neighbors to see if they need evacuating,” the couple urged.
“Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys and clothing, and other essentials,” they added, noting the American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.
Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow says she is in “deep grief” over the fire disaster.
“So many of my friends have lost everything,” says the Oscar winner. “Thank you for those inquiring. We are currently safe.
“When the fires are out, there will be more to say and everything to do. The City of Angels will need angels of all kinds. Please everyone, stay safe and vigilant.”
The former five bedroom, 5.5 bath Manhattan penthouse of my late colleague Joan Rivers, whose eponymous TV show I appeared on as gossip reporter for five years, is back on the market after her daughter Melissa’s home in Pacific Palisades was burned to the ground last week.
The 4,661 square foot Upper Eastside property, a tiara’s toss from the Pierre Hotel and Central Park, has hit the market for $28 million.
The palatial pad initially was on the market for $38 million in 2021. Two years later the price had dropped to $34.5 million when it was removed from the market last year.
Prince Mohammed bin Fuad spent $28 million for the property in 2015.
Joan, who died in 2014 aged 81 after suffering brain damage from a minor
Miscellany Page 394
Elegant and modern Tudor-style estate in Montecito’s Pepper Hill offers breathtaking ocean views, refined interiors, and seamless indoor-outdoor living.
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by Jeff Giordano
At last week’s Board meeting, there was an Honor Guard, the La Colina HS Jazz Band. and even a bit of soaring keynote rhetoric from Montecito’s own Gwyn Lurie. It was as Supervisor Steve Lavagnino described - a “celebration of democracy” – where Roy Lee took his place on the dais and Supervisor Laura Capps was voted Chairperson, while Supervisor Bob Nelson assumed the role of Vice Chairman. More interesting than the pageantry, however, was a fresh voice of leadership. A dual voice, really, that was echoed by two very different Supervisors. Allow me to explain:
I was once a management theory junkie who spent my time reading the likes of Kurt Lewin, who understood the importance of group dynamics and how, in small groups, leadership plays an outsized role. And while our past Board was often overpowered by performative personalities and folks who could see all the angles (but rarely played any), what it lacked was a vision. It meandered, becoming a place to preachify, not a place to “do.”
On Tuesday what I heard were two Supervisors who spoke about their “north stars,” who praised staff but not in the way that overindulgent parents praise their children. They understood that change only happens if you make it happen, if you question the status quo and if you challenge staff to do better. Now, I’m not nearly drinking the County Kool-Aid – but what I saw gave me hope, and as Ms. Lurie said, hope is an important part of leadership.
On Cannabis – an issue that, between the twisted tax scheme (it costs $10M to collect $6M in tax revenue) and superior/existing odor abatement technologies,
should have been fixed long ago – Capps stated: “It is time to flip the script.” She promised that together with Nelson they would no longer rely on the 443,767 residents who neither profit from nor grow Cannabis to cure the Public Nuisance that the County’s ordinance had created.
Supervisor Nelson spoke about our $27M, 114-person, cannabis-reliant Planning and Development (P&D) Department. He stated that permits cost too much ($253 per hour for a $60 PH employee) and take too long. Agreed! Do you know how many permits we issue or their average processing time? Of course not, because unlike other counties who broadcast these and other metrics, we do not. It must be liberating (some might even say “emboldening”) not to be measured.
Capps also zeroed in on P&D pointing-out the irony that Dignity Moves, our most visible homeless success story, wouldn’t have happened without “hacking” the permitting process and building temporary housing units. Like she said, when government falls short they defend the rules, not the results. OPEN SECRET: P&D has created a ham-handed and adversarial culture that unnecessarily splashes itself on the front pages of our newspapers, very rudely (I have seen the emails) pushes back on community groups and embroils the county in unnecessary litigation. All this begs the question: Does P&D work for the Supes or do the Supes work for P&D?
In the end, I was hopeful that our new Board might just give us a little less noise and a little more light. After all, doesn’t one serve to make worthwhile change rather than to simply ride the status quo? Positive thoughts to our friends in the Palisades and a heartfelt “good luck” to our newly constituted Board, who I hope will DO great things in 2025!
Ipicked up the MJ this morning and read your [ Gwyn Lurie ] editorial, the transcript from last week’s BOS meeting. I loved it. It captures what I hold as the essence of the expectation – the hope, to borrow from you – of good governance.
I also delighted in the eclectic choices of sources and quotes. Let’s see, off the top of my head: Mao via McCain via Jerry; Alfred E. Newman; Bette Davis, and a linguist, too!
But the stand-out for me was when you wrote that inexperience was what appealed to you about Roy Lee . Yes!
That’s what the Founders intended. We (at the time, white, male property owners) step up and at personal sacrifice, give the republic a few years of our life, and then return home. I’ve at times reflected that we could do away with elections and just hold a lottery. It would be an interesting experiment.
Actually, that’s what we do with the civil grand jury. Springtime, community members submit their names. On June 30, the superior court judge takes names out of a hat – one to 19 with alternates –and voila! A County Civil Grand Jury for one year.
I served as a juror for 1992-93. We did some good work, too. But we were randomly chosen. As such, any agenda we may have brought to the jury room ended when the door closed and we were forced to work with 18 others. I was the liberal. Frank Leck from Santa Maria, the conservative. Poor Wendy Henderson, the UCSB undergrad, forced to sit between us.
But we got past that. Our foreper-
Jan 24
son, Shirley Hopkins, was herself randomly selected to lead us. After selection, the judge chose the first person picked, Shirley, to start us off that first day. When it came time to vote for foreperson, to a person we stayed with Shirley. It was interesting how leaders can be formed simply by tossing them into the role.
Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net
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by Tiana Molony
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Cannabis Odor Abatement and Proposed Amendments Plan at their meeting on Tuesday, September 14th. Chair Laura Capps and Vice Chair Bob Nelson spearheaded the initiative to amend Chapter 50 of the county’s Code of Ordinances to address ongoing odor concerns related to cannabis cultivation.
The changes apply to new and existing operations and aim to address the ongoing concerns of residents who have experienced significant disruptions due to strong cannabis odors emanating from cultivation sites. They also hope that the changes save time and money spent on litigation and appeals due to the odor issue and shift the burden away from the neighbors. According to a press release, over 3,700 neighbors have filed complaints regarding the odor from cannabis facilities since 2018.
The proposal requires mixed-light cannabis operators to implement MultiTechnology Carbon Filtration (MTCF), which includes carbon filters or equivalent technology, in their facilities. MTCF is a powerful and advanced odor control system that goes beyond basic carbon filters to ensure the most effective removal of odors from cannabis cultivation facilities.
The proposal also states that cannabis operators must adopt these changes within 12 months of the approved revisions. Supervisor Nelson noted that the 12-month period does not start today and that the project still has to be returned to the board for final approval after being heard by the County Planning Commission and the Coastal Commission. The revisions also state that the BOS will oversee exemptions, which they will consider case-by-case.
Lisa Plowman, Director of Planning & Development, said operators who fail to implement these changes will be “out of compliance with our code” and that the board will consider revoking or suspending their licenses.
In a letter to the BOS, the City of Carpinteria supported the proposed changes, saying, “The city appreciates the county’s efforts to improve the current cannabis permitting process and welcomes the opportunity to continue to collaborate with the county on this important matter.” However, the city asked that the Board establish an odor
threshold wherein the cannabis odor cannot cross the bounds of a facility and that the board includes regular odor monitoring and inspections of facilities.
Supervisor Joan Hartmann requested that the revisions encompass not only carbon scrubbers and equivalent technologies but also implement any future, more advanced odor control methods.
“We want something not just equivalent but better than,” she said. Before carbon scrubbers, vapor phase technology was the widespread odor abatement method used by operators.
Hartman also highlighted how these revisions apply to indoor facilities, not outdoor ones, saying that the smell of outdoor facilities must also be addressed.
“But Chair Capps,” she said, “I think we’re not done with this issue. Because it is a really important matter in my neck of the woods, and we have not fully resolved that.” Capps later agreed that the odor caused by outdoor cannabis is a separate issue that still needs to be addressed.
One Carpinteria resident said that she and her husband have suffered from allergies and other health problems from the cannabis smell. “I am just so, so relieved that the supervisors are finally moving forward on some mitigation,” she said.
Collin Dvorak, owner of Pacific Grown Organics, a cannabis greenhouse in Carpinteria, noted that carbon scrubbers are effective. “We’ve seen operations where that really is effective, and it does work, especially in those tight quarters in the center of Carpinteria.” However, he asked the supervisors to “keep an open mind” about the technologies available and how their effectiveness varies from farm to farm.
David Van Wingerden, co-owner of cannabis farm Farmlane in Carpinteria, asked the supervisors to consider changing the mandate of multi-technology scrubbers. Van Wingerden shared that Farmlane supports using “carbon scrubbers” and that their single-technology scrubbers have worked for them just fine. “And since we installed them, like I said, almost four years ago, neither we nor the county have received any odor complaints at our farm.”
He said it would be a “financial burden” to make farms replace their simple scrubbers with multi-technology ones. “We are a prime example that simple carbon scrubbers are effective,” he said. He acknowledged that multi-technology scrubbers may be necessary in some areas but that
Canna-BOS Page 354
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serene one-acre estate nestled in Montecito, just moments from the upper village. This private sanctuary seamlessly blends sophistication & comfort in an enviable location.
by Joanne A Calitri
For the 7th year, the lives of the 23 Montecito residents who lost their lives in the 2018 mudslides were honored in a solemn ceremony, Raising Our Light, on Thursday, January 9, outside in the Montecito Union School parking lot.
There, with the Montecito Fire Department Engine as backdrop, was the podium for the speakers and a long table that would hold a candle for each person who passed away.
The program started with opening remarks about grief and loss from Rev. Channing Smith and Suzanne Grimmesey from SBC Behavioral Wellness.
Next, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown provided his remembrance and words of hope for the attendees. He said, “Today we unite and reflect, affirming our resilience and commitment to ensure such devastation will never be repeated in a similar way. We also recognize the efforts of a number of groups of people, first responders, firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs and paramedics, Search and Rescue teams, and volunteers who worked tirelessly in the face of unimaginable devastation. Their bravery, compassion, and determination saved lives that day, and brought together hope during out darkest hour. It continues to inspire us all. We have seen incredible progress as people rebuilt their lives, and with infrastructure improvements like debris basins and water channels, that will protect us in the future, to collaborate and innovate in the face of adversity […] and countless acts of kindness and generosity that bind us together […] to protect this privileged place we call home.”
Brown was followed by Montecito Fire Chief David Neels, who talked about the focus of the evening being our remembrance of those lost here and our thoughts
for the people in the Los Angeles fires who are going through similar experiences Montecito did. He led the candle ceremony reciting the names of each person who passed away in the mudslide, with a bell ring for each name as a firefighter placed a candle on the table.
Neels next called for the search light to be lit as the Beacon of Light in the night sky with 23 bells sounding from the local schools and churches, along with a period of silence. Once the beam was seen, many attendees had their photo taken by a friend with the Beacon of Light in the background, some with hands folded in prayer and some hugging each other.
Neels, “When we raise our light to the sky tonight, the people in Los Angeles will see our light and hope. Please remember the grace and compassion then and even tonight as we stand side by side. The desire of the people who put this ceremony together is for you to heal mentally and spiritually, and is never ending.”
Town Page 364
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by Joanne A Calitri
From Sunday, January 12, through Wednesday, January 15 – Crane Country Day School and All Saints-by-the-Sea Parish Montecito held a donation and pick up drive for the L.A. Fire evacuees staying in the area. Donations were received at All Saints-by-the-Sea Parish Hall and outside grassy areas, and a private area was provided where L.A. Fire evacuees could select needed items.
I arrived on Sunday, January 12, to talk with the team and find out more. There I met Alexa Hughes, Upper School Math Teacher and Eighth Grade Dean at Crane Country Day School. She toured the donation areas with me and explained how it all came together. The drive was spearheaded by Crane Country Day School’s (CCS) new Development Director Emma Balina with CCS parents, many of whom are parishioners of All Saints-by-the-Sea. Leading the donation operations with them were psychologist Lena Harris Dicken, founder/owner/curator of Kismet Lindsay Eckardt, All Saints Rector Rev. Channing Smith, and All Saints School Director Jennifer Tucker. There were over 20 volunteers including local school students. Eckardt stating, “The humanitarian effort I have witnessed today is just amazing – the donations, the volunteers, and a $5,000 donation check to go out and buy supplies for these families!”
I next talked with Rev. Channing Smith about the drive at All Saints and accommodating children at their preschool, he shared, “For us we are humbled to be able to serve in this capacity in this moment. The energy that has brought everyone together truly has been God led, and the ease in which it all happened, people just giving hours and
M ARSHA KOTLYA R
by Steven Libowitz
Thirty-seven years after its founding in the parking lot at Transition House – where the goal was simply to create safe play spaces for children experiencing homelessness – the nonprofit now known as Storyteller has gone through some transitions of its own in the last year. All of that is represented in the organization’s name, as the nonprofit recently shortened its moniker from Storyteller Children’s Center. The last word was lopped off to reflect the nonprofit’s multiple locations, including, in a full circle moment, adding classrooms onsite at Transition House in 2023.
But dropping the middle name from its moniker is the more telling change, meant to represent Storyteller’s understanding of what it takes to more effectively help its young clients.
“We didn’t just change our name – we changed our mission and our vision,” explained Dr. Gabriella Garcia, Storyteller’s Executive Director. “It’s a rebrand to reflect the concept that what we do is help children and families rewrite
their stories, and recognize that as a social change organization, we are helping families break cycles. That’s how we continue to grow as a shaper of stories, with the idea that every child deserves a happy beginning and the support necessary to nurture a better future story.”
The therapeutic preschool has long provided high quality education and caregiving for children – from as young as just a few months old to age five – who are facing economic adversity and other challenges. The aim is to make sure that those in their care have early healthy experiences that build a solid foundation to help them thrive and prosper in life.
That hasn’t changed.
“We continue to be a safe place for children who are facing adversity, and our curriculum is still very much based on child-led learning and play,” Garcia said. “But it’s evolved so much now over the years. We became one of the first organizations in Santa Barbara to offer trauma-informed care to children, even before Santa Barbara Unified adopted the model. We have onsite mental and behavioral health
Giving List Page 204
by Steven Libowitz
In the wake of the devastating L.A. fires, it seems an especially poignant moment to pause and take time to reflect on our relationship with the land. For Alexis Slutzky , MA, MFT, a longtime local who works as a mentor, facilitator and educator in a wide variety of depth-oriented practices with a focus on cultivating a wise, wild, and compassionate inner landscape, just about every day is the right time to commune with the earth for the benefit of both the people and land.
Recently, though, Slutzky has started leading a “Land Listening & Earth Circle” gathering on the third Saturday of each month, a practice for participants to offer their attunement to the land and receive the gift that comes with listening, opening to guidance and shifting our orientation away from human supremacy towards all the beings in creation.
“Given how easy it is for us to create stories and hear what we
want to hear, it’s important to take time to listen to the land, which is our ancestral inheritance,” she said. “Indigenous people all over know
remember the most and will remember forever.
Another silver lining came in the form of some important lessons I’d like to share with you, because they might be helpful:
In the immediate aftermath of 1/9, we were under the illusion that the powers that be would swoop in and make it all okay. That government would help us get through the moment, and work diligently to make us safer and more resilient going forward. We very quickly figured out that there was no cavalry coming. That was terrifying...at first.
“Montecito looked like it’d been attacked, which in a sense it had, by the forces of gravity and Nature’s trident of downward rotational force meets mass meets velocity. As the Palisades and Altadena are today, so, too, was our town unrecognizable.”
Government is a lot of things, but nimble is not one of them. The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, and while it might speed up somewhat in dire emergencies, I believe that government is not well suited for these moments. Which is separate from first responders and other emergency services which were built precisely to respond quickly and efficiently and heroically to our immediate needs.
Within a week of the debris flow, it became painfully clear that government was not prepared to provide the answers we were looking for. What happened next was a beautiful thing, and forever impacted my belief in the strength and importance of community.
Editorial Page 414
FEBRUARY 6-23
by Steven Libowitz
Although the Baroque ensemble Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) was founded in 1986, it’s taken nearly four decades for the London-based ensemble – which employs period instruments to offer historically accurate performances of the much-beloved repertoire – to make it to Santa Barbara. OAE’s local debut is set for January 21 at the Lobero Theatre via UCSB Arts & Lectures, and has a special bonus: the return of the versatile Grammy-winning American soprano Julia Bullock, who will perform several pieces in her stateside debut of singing Baroque music.
Bullock’s career has careened between operas on major stages and carefully curated recital programs, including her History’s Persistent Voice project, which combines the songs of enslaved people with new music by Black American women. Bullock’s 2022 solo album debut, Walking in the Dark , won a Grammy while her recordings of West Side Story and Doctor Atomic also received acclaim. More recently and locally, Bullock enraptured the audience with her and the American Modern Opera Company’s setting of Messiaen’s HARAWI at Campbell Hall last fall. On Friday night, she will perform a varied Baroque program (see below) interspersed with the OAE ensemble offering instrumental works by Vivaldi, Bach, Pachelbel and others.
Bullock responded to email questions about the pairing last weekend.
Q. This is the first time you are singing a Baroque program stateside. What prompted you to want to do this with OAE?
A. OAE reached out to me – funnily, I never asked why! Maybe it’s because the ethos of the orchestra is similar to my own: we don’t make assumptions about audience members and what they do or don’t “know” about this particular art form; we try to cultivate an inviting environment, just love what we do, and want to share the surprises and delights in the music with as many people as possible.
What is it about Baroque music in general that appeals to you?
It’s music that has flexibility and leaves lots of room for improvisation, and therefore ignites all synapses and the imagination of every performer who chooses to embody the material. It’s music that’s timeless, because the melodies stay with you and the dance aspects of the pieces erupt in the body… And when it comes to the poetry, a lot of it is just extraordinary… and unpredictable.
Can you take me through the “Blockbuster Baroque” program? Why these composers and pieces? How do they speak to you?
BY William Shakespeare
Handel’s arias are from some of his most famous opera/oratorios. The “Verdi prati” is the first piece of Handel’s I ever studied while still in college, and it’s about the inevitable fading and changing of the external and internal self. It’s delicate and sort of devastating. The “Da tempesta…” aria is sung by Cleopatra at the end of Guilio Cesare, and acknowledges the challenges of the past, but shedding the pain. It comes at the end of the opera after lots of war and plotting and imprisonment – and here, she’s finally free! In the program, it comes right after another piece that was connected to wartime that features two oboes, and the musical relationships between the two pieces are direct – Handel essentially quotes himself – and is sung by Cleopatra at the end of Guilio Cesare. (I love that later this year I’ll sing another iteration of Cleopatra that focuses on the later part of her life, written by John Adams.)
“Let the Bright Seraphim,” from Sampson, is just a bold and brilliant beckoning celebration of the celestial. There is something rigid about it, but it has great rigor. It’s the first vocal piece of Handel’s I ever heard at 17. It was sung by a friend in the
Entertainment Page 384
The Honorary Board of Santa Barbara County’s Leading First Responder Non-Profit, is now accepting 2025 memberships.
Our First Responders are the heart of our community. They come when we call, often putting themselves in harms way on our behalf. As a community, we share a collective responsibility to care for those who dedicate their lives to protecting us. At some point, each of us—or someone we love—will face a moment of crisis, calling 911 for help. Let’s ensure that when that call comes, our First Responders are as well equipped and resilient as they can be.
One805 is committed to making our community safer, healthier, and better prepared by providing essential equipment and mental wellness programs for First Responders. By supporting them, we strengthen the very foundation of our community.
This is why we do what we do—and why we need your support. As a One805 Honorary Board member, you’ll receive an invitation to our annual cocktail reception at the Montecito Club, advance event ticket sales, ticket discounts, opportunities to meet our local Chiefs, invitations to exclusive events, and much more. We have a lot planned for this year!
Scan the QR code below to visit our donation page and learn how you can help. Together, we can make a lasting di erence. Thank you!
www.one805.org/donate email: info@one805.org
support, and provide two nutritious meals every day because a lot of our families don’t have kitchens where they can cook. We arrange for medical and dental screenings, speech therapy, whatever a child may need. We offer a great atmosphere for restorative sleep, which is so important – but may be hard to have because they live in crowded housing or shelters or even in their cars. We’re a one-stop shop, which makes a big difference. So we really want our new brand and messaging to reflect that we are pioneers in this space, and continue to be the go-to place for children who are the most vulnerable in our communities, as well as their families.”
In recent times, Storyteller has expanded its work from focusing solely on children to serving entire families, providing resources and comprehensive services for parents and guardians, including resources for housing insecurity and nutritional meals throughout the day for the children to relieve the family’s burden.
“Success comes from acknowledging, addressing and breaking cycles of generational trauma and poverty for the entire family,” Garcia said. “Our families often come from trauma backgrounds or they themselves faced adversity as children. Parents, of course, are their children’s first teachers, and they may not realize how the cycles are perpetuated. Partnering with the families is really at the core of what we do so that they can break cycles for themselves.”
The main focus remains on the young children in Storyteller’s care, of course.
“Our curriculum is still very much based on child-led learning and play,” Garcia said. “Studies have shown that healing comes from being outdoors, so that’s where we conduct a lot of our lessons, especially because so many of our children live in crowded housing or are experiencing homelessness, living in cars or hotels. It’s a big part of who we are.”
The therapeutic offerings are also meant to equip the students and their families with the means to achieve future success – not only through providing a safe space and two square meals a day, but also by giving young children the
working tools to succeed, in elementary school and throughout their lives.
“It’s so important because by third grade, there are studies and signs that say children will either thrive or perhaps go down a wrong path,” Garcia said. “It’s so young, which is why early intervention – or rather helping the children and their families early – is what we focus on. One hundred percent of our families live under the poverty line. In a place like Santa Barbara where there are so many resources, we want to make sure that the gap isn’t widening for the children who are facing adversity when they’re starting school. Having them start on par with their peers is one of our biggest goals.”
The payoff for the community and the greater society is exponential, Garcia said.
“The return on our investment is huge, anywhere from $7 to $16 dollars per one dollar spent on early childhood education and intervention,” she said.
“When we look at the mental health crisis that so many people face in our society, it’s hard not to wonder; what might be different if we were to have given these people tools when they were children? That’s why we’re here.”
by Elizabeth Stewart
My daughter-in-law Meredith asked for the gift of an early 20th century white Damask banqueting tablecloth that had been owned by my great-aunt. Perhaps your family set tables this past season using the “canvas” of a fine tablecloth for the “artwork” – the meal prepared at home. The history of the tablecloth involves art history, the Industrial Revolution, the Southern Plantation, the invention of the sewing machine, the discovery of artificial dyes, and social status in Europe. Seeing the tablecloth back to 103AD, the Roman poet Martial mentioned its use in the early Roman dining hall, laid upon long reclining benches. These long measures of linen were called Mantele. Each Roman carried his own Mappa (napkin). That is, unless a Spartan was being entertained: he would carry a piece of dough (apogmadalie) to clean his face and hands. Later this became the tradition of sopping up spills with sliced bread.
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Art history helps to locate a date in which most households in Europe used linen for dining. Consider DaVinci’s The Last Supper, painted in the late 15th century, where Christ and the Apostles dine on Umbrian linen, as fabric historians tell us. Although we cannot surmise the use of linen tablecloths in Christ’s era, we can assume general use by the late 15th century. Europeans used tablecloths of white linen or damask. (Interestingly, the origins of Italian linens occurred in dressings for the altar; no accident, as DaVinci would have known.)
Napkins are seen in late 15th century art as large pieces of cloth, each square devoted to one diner, until the adaptation of the fork, which was NOT widely used until the 17th century. The neater eating experience rendered by the fork meant that napkins became smaller. Etiquette of the 19th century specified a napkin’s size at 35x45” for formal occasions.
The linens pictured here are of French origin: Belgian and French linens have traditionally been top quality. In 15th century France, fabric historians note the use of table linen in the devotional book Très Riches Heures, in which the Duc de Berry is feted upon a white linen banqueting cloth.
From the 15th to the 16th century white Damask was de rigueur in all royal courts and great family houses in Europe. Flanders was the center for production of Damask (loomed by hand). Buckingham Palace’s banquet table is equipped with seven Damask white tablecloths each 223 feet long, woven in Flanders. Fine tablecloths were displayed at all the World’s Fairs and Expositions throughout Europe.
By the 19th century, most upper to middle class households used white linen tablecloths, which, by the etiquette of the day, had a six inch drop around all sides for casual dining and up to a 15-inch drop for formal dining. The art of the 18th and 19th century shows us domestic and courtly scenes using white linen tablecloths, a status symbol: if a household could afford to use white
linen tablecloths, they were wealthy enough for a laundress. Historians often question the reason for the English tradition of longer (sometimes to the floor) tablecloths; was this to shield the eyes from the ‘sexually explicit’ uncovered LEGS of the table, or was it to protect the expensive furniture?
The American South supplied Victorian England with the raw materials to make such tablecloths, which were part of every bride’s list and included in bride’s dowries and passed down (as my tablecloth was to me). The English textile industry was enhanced in the mid-19th century upon the invention of chemically produced synthetic dyes. Adding to this was the mass production of tablecloths allowed by the invention of the sewing machine. America rose to prominence in the textile industry through the 19th century after the first textile mill was opened in Rhode Island in 1790. The U.S. Government encouraged the boost in textile production by imposing tariffs on imported textiles. The American labor movement was birthed in the textile mills of the East Coast.
Thus, European and American tables enjoyed at least four centuries of white linen, until the mid-19th century English Arts and Crafts movement, which popularized the philosophy of handwork. Tablecloths are hand embroidered or made of lace, and NOT white. The subsequent era (Art Nouveau period) celebrated color in textiles, especially the softer pastels, and ushered in an artistic respect for design of household objects.
Meredith set a breakfast table on Aunt Frances’ white Damask tablecloth, using my grandmother’s porcelain and her best friend’s silver flatware. I wonder if that tradition is returning.
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
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by Ashleigh Brilliant
Sometimes, when asked if I have any goal in life, I answer that I want to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. That may seem a less lofty aim, now that Bob Dylan has won it. But so far, the closest I myself have come – and in fact the only time I ever wrote anything that won any prize – occurred when I was still at school in England. At that time, not long after World War II, Britain was in sore financial straits, and people were being urged to invest in their country by buying National Savings Certificates – equivalent to the Government “Bonds” which were heavily promoted in the U.S. during that War. One part of the campaign was a “Poetry Competition” which offered a small cash prize, and a chance for the winner to recite their winning piece at a gathering attended by a host of local dignitaries.
The main rule of the competition was that every entry must be entitled “Raising the Savings Flag.” Yes, I did win the First Prize. My entry was rather unusual, since it was in a form I more or less invented. It had seven stanzas, and each stanza had three rhyming lines. Here is a sample:
To save some for tomorrow is an act without regret, For today’s quick-spent abundance may become tomorrow’s debt, And the future seems a long way off, and easy to forget.
Forgive me for indulging in the luxury of sharing all this with you – since it is my first such opportunity in 80 years. But my most enduring recollection of that episode in my literary career concerned finding myself in a situation in which someone in authority was telling me exactly how certain words in my own poem should be spoken. And what I most clearly remember was my own feeling of indignation at having some unqualified person – not my English teacher but my Art teacher – being given power over me in a matter of literary creativity. Obviously, it was not enough for her that I had won the Competition, nor for the Headmaster who had appointed her (an unforgettably imposing figure named Mr. E.W. Maynard Potts). In their minds, I would be representing the School (then called Hendon County School, but which still exists, after various incarnations, and is now known simply as Hendon School). So, by standards then prevailing, the School must have a hand in rehearsing and auditioning my performance. Happily, all went right on The Night, and my poem was later published in our school magazine, and in those of several other schools in the District.
Of course, “Saving” has, in our culture, had significance far more broadly than just concerning money. Since the advent of Christianity, an idea has
prevailed that believing in the right things, and abstaining from bad behavior (also known as “Sin”) is the most direct method of saving oneself from an undesirable afterlife (also known as “Hell”). The accepted noun for attaining this status is “Salvation.” Jesus is referred to as the one who saves, or “Savior.” Many hymns are based on this idea. One of the best known is called “Amazing Grace,” and was written by a man, John Newton, who had much to be saved from, particularly his extended involvement in the slave trade. Like “Salvation,” “Grace” is another word which connotes being spared a sinner’s otherwise-deserved punishment.
Hispanic culture and language are much more direct in using religious terms than those of the Anglo-Saxons. The name of a town in Texas – Corpus Christi – means literally “Body of Christ.” The word “Salvador” means “Savior.” And there are towns, and even one whole country in Central America, which have incorporated that word into their name. North American culture has tended to be more flippant with such concepts – at least permitting such ribaldry as “Jesus Saves, at Bank of America.”
But the word “Salvation” took on a new meaning with the founding in London – in 1881 by a Methodist Minister named William Booth – of a group of evangelical volunteers who adopted a military configuration, and became known as the Salvation Army. They were usually seen to be preaching in the streets, braving the harassment of hecklers and even of stone-throwers. Gradually they gained some degree of acceptance, partly by taking wellknown popular songs, and giving them new “holier” words. When he was criticized for using this tactic, “General” Booth is said to have responded, “Why should the Devil have all the best tunes?”
Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.
An Evening with Tommy Orange
Wed, Jan 29 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
FREE copies of Orange’s new book, Wandering Stars , will be available while supplies last (pick up at event, one per household)
Justice for All Lead Sponsors: Marcy Carsey, Connie Frank & Evan Thompson, Eva & Yoel Haller, Dick Wolf, and Zegar Family Foundation
Award-winning Historian Sir Niall Ferguson
Why We Study History: Standing at the Crossroads of Past, Present and Future
Sat, Feb 8 / 4 PM (note special time) / Granada Theatre
Major Sponsors: Susan McCaw and Laura & Kevin O’Connor
Just added!
Award-winning Palestinian-American Poet An Evening with Naomi Shihab Nye
Tue, Feb 4 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Justice for All Lead Sponsors: Marcy Carsey, Connie Frank & Evan Thompson, Eva & Yoel Haller, Dick Wolf, and Zegar Family Foundation
Just added!
The Most Prolific Private Conservationist in History Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
Rewilding on a Continental Scale
Wed, Feb 12 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
by Deann Zampelli
Ican always tell when my husband is texting with his main group of friends (aka, The Core), his smirk and the mischief in his eyes give him away every time. They shamelessly partake in a level of silliness normally reserved for the enviable obliviousness of 10-year-olds.
Their level of creativity, wit, and friendship toward one another is legendary. And the best part? They met as adults, most within the last few years. To have friends like this at any age is such a gift-but to meet as fully formed, mature (relatively speaking) adults is unicorn-sighting rare. Why is that?
Before I took a dive into the deep end to find out, I thought it was important to first talk about friendship itself. In the many sources I consulted, there was a common set of characteristics that seem to define what a friendship really is – a bond of trust, affection, and support were the big winners. Those are banner headlines to place over someone’s name. THIS IS MY PERSON; they tell the world. AND I AM THEIRS. Like a middle-school crush without the awkward first kiss.
The importance of friendship has become a topic more frequently studied and discussed by sociologists worldwide as they are recognizing the value it has on aging itself. There are even emerging terms for older adults who don’t have a partner or close friends; “elder orphans,” or “solo agers.” For many years, the focus in this area of study was on romantic partners. People who had them tend to get sick less and live longer.
According to the Mayo Clinic, friendship has the power to not only reduce depression but to mitigate it altogether
In the 2024 book, The Other Significant Others, author Rhaina Cohen explores the lives and effects of people who choose to place non-romantic partners at the center of their lives. You know, friends. She questions why we emphasize the value of romantic partnerships over all others. “Based on years of original reporting and striking social science research, we undermine romantic relationships by expecting too much of them, while we diminish friendships by expecting too little of them.” So maybe the sociologists got it wrong; it wasn’t the romantic element that was aiding in longevity, it was the companionship.
Last week I was down at the beach with my dogs and ran into two women I often see walking together. In my mind, they were a couple. Their natural ease and humor with one another spoke of a love long lived. On that point alone, my assumption was correct. When they stopped to pet Winston and Daisy, we started talking. They are both
81, and while they have known one another since high school, it wasn’t until both of their spouses died a few years ago that they reconnected on a deeper level. They started meeting a few times a week to walk and talk, and the benefits were staggering. Toni, the elder friend by three months, lost 50 pounds and normalized all her lab markers. And Margi recently went off her antidepressants that she had been on since she lost her husband. Toni found that she looked forward to seeing her friend so much that they started walking more, and she felt so good from walking, she started eating better. Margi felt so good from the friendship, fresh air, and exercise that she worked with her doctor to reduce and then eliminate her antidepressants. Obviously, this is an extreme example, and one that may not be as realistic for some as for others, but it isn’t far off.
According to the Mayo Clinic, friendship has the power to not only reduce depression but to mitigate it altogether, noting “…Adults with strong social connections have a lower risk of many health problems. That includes depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy weight.”
Having friends as we get older is highly beneficial. But what about those who don’t have many (or any) friends as they get older?
We get it. Having friends as we get older is highly beneficial. But what about those who don’t have many (or any) friends as they get older? The idea of forging close ties when we are in the second half of life can seem awkward or even daunting. People can be set in their ways and not often open to the prospect of discovering a BFF at this time in their life. It is like finding love when you thought that chapter of your life might be closed. My Aunt is about to turn 80 and has a boyfriend she started dating a year ago after being friends for 30 years. “Who knew this was possible at our age?” she said to me the other day.
Since I started writing this article, I have spoken to many people about making friends over 50; single, divorced, widows/widowers, and empty nesters. The suggestions on how to make friends was fun, quirky and ingenious. Before I sign off, I thought I would leave you with a few of them, just in case.
- Try a dance class or Zumba (“You all feel silly and wonderful together and it becomes a little family you look forward to seeing each week.”)
- Take a class at the city college (“Learning makes you feel like a kid again – and you are all in it together.”)
- Volunteer (“Helping the dogs at the shelter has given me a new purpose in life, and my fellow volunteers and I go to dinner after our shift every week.”)
The secret seems to be finding a common thread to build on. Isolation is a big concern for our elders if they are not active or surrounded by family. We have a “loneliness epidemic” in this country that can be traced back to numerous factors including an increased divorce rate, more children moving away from home, increased rate of working remotely, the collapse of retail and the ability to get anything delivered. We just aren’t interacting with each other enough.
So, to the “Core Group” – thank you for being there for my husband. We love every one of you.
You know who you are.
Health and humor in the MJ National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach trained at Duke Integrative Medicine, Deann Zampelli owns Montecito Coaching & Nutrition. She also has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and has been a resident of Montecito since 2006.
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by Robert Bernstein
“The Federal Government declared war on poverty, and poverty won.” My least favorite president in history, Reagan, made this “joke” in his 1988 State of the Union speech. In 1992 candidate Bill Clinton promised “a plan to end welfare as we know it.”
Has poverty won? Is “welfare” a failure? First off, there is no government program called “welfare.” There are many government public assistance programs. Starting with Social Security, created by Franklin Roosevelt (FDR).
Lyndon Johnson (LBJ) is the one who declared a “War on Poverty” in a speech to Congress on March 16, 1964. LBJ expanded FDR’s New Deal into the Great Society.
Johnson noted that winning the War on Poverty would be a win-win. His words: “Our history has proved that each time we broaden the base of abundance, giving more people the chance to produce and consume, we create new industry, higher production, increased earnings and better income for all. Giving new opportunity to those who have little will enrich the lives of all the rest.”
He noted the U.S. Constitution opens promising to “promote the general Welfare.” LBJ created the “Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.” Which created such programs as Job Corps, Head Start, VISTA, and local Community Action Programs. The modern Food Stamp (now SNAP) program and Medicare were also created.
The result? Poverty rates plummeted from 19% in 1964 to 11% in 1972. The rate rose under Reagan to 15% and it has pretty much stayed there ever since. The fact is that the programs worked until being killed off or cut for political gain by the Republicans.
The U.S. currently has an 18% poverty rate. Compared to single digit rates in most of Europe. Why the difference?
Some years ago, I was hit by a car and was medically directed to live on disability insurance during my rehabilitation. I received about half of my working salary during the months I was not working. But then something interesting happened. My medical team had me slowly add work hours.
As soon as I worked even a few hours per week, all assistance ended. I asked my injury lawyer how most people avoid bankruptcy during this period. He said they don’t. Most people in my
situation would go bankrupt. I was fortunate to have savings. It took a year to receive a settlement check for my injuries.
Most people in my situation would fail to pay rent. They might be evicted and get a bad credit score that could prevent future employment and housing.
A key difference between the U.S. and civilized countries? Assistance is never removed while getting back on one’s feet (literally in my case). The U.S. is unique this way. 60 Minutes did a story about a working parent who had to quit her job so that her child could get medical care. Does this make sense?
As I have described before, civilized countries base policies on outcomes. The U.S. bases policies on ancient religious beliefs about “moral failure.”
I recently wrote about Salman Khan and his goal of educational mastery for all. Instead of sorting people into those who are smart and stupid, the idea is for everyone to achieve mastery.
LBJ’s ideals and goals were exactly correct. If not for his failed war in Vietnam, he would have been reelected and he would have continued the Great Society to completion. Medicare would have been expanded to include all Americans. Full employment would have been guaranteed.
We know what works here and in civilized countries: Universal healthcare. Universal education. Guaranteed work and housing.
Some programs take years to pay off. Someone who is currently a homeless drug addict costs everyone a lot and presents a difficult challenge. In the U.S. it is easy to fall into a downward spiral. Health problems can lead to loss of work then housing. There are many ways to end up addicted to drugs through no moral failure.
Guaranteed healthcare, housing, education and work can prevent these problems in the first place. Seems too simple? Sometimes the simplest answer really is the correct answer. Other countries have done it. So can we.
Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. His passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook. com/questionbig
It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Howell Douglas Wood, known to all as Doug, on December 28, 2024, in Santa Barbara, California. Doug was born on March 31, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, to Lillian and Henry Wood. His life was marked by a passion for learning, creativity, celebration and connection. He grew up in Lynwood and Compton, California, attending Compton Junior College before being drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. Stationed in Okinawa, he served honorably in the Military Police Corps. Upon his return home, Doug attended Long Beach State University on the G.I. Bill. While at Long Beach, he became a member of first mainland outrigger canoe team to paddle in the Moloka’i Hoe race from Moloka’i to Oahu.
Upon graduating, he began his career as an English and drama teacher at Laguna Beach High School. Doug later took his teaching talents overseas to Bitburg Air Base in Germany where he continued to share his enthusiasm
for language and literature with his high school students. While there, he founded a theater group and a TV production company called, “Youth Speaks,” showcasing not only his love for the arts but also his remarkable ability to bring people together through shared creative endeavors.
In Passing Page 324
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. Secretary of State, returns to speak at the 20th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on Friday, February 28, from 7-9 am at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. Tickets cost $175 per person and go on sale Friday, January 31, at 9 am at westmont.edu/ breakfast. Seating is limited, and tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rice, the Tad and Dianne Taube director of the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow on public policy, was the second woman and first black woman to become Secretary of State. She also served as President George W. Bush’s National Security Adviser, the first woman to hold the position. She is a founding partner of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm.
Rice served on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council staff, first as director, then as senior director of Soviet and East European affairs and also as special assistant to the president for National Security. In 1986, while an international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Rice was a special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
She has written and co-authored numerous books, including To Build a Better World: Choices to End the Cold War and Create a Global Commonwealth (2019); Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom (2017); No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington (2011); and Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family (2010).
As Stanford’s provost from 1993-1999, she served as the institution’s chief budget and academic officer, and has taught as a professor of political science since 1981.
In 1999, she spoke at Westmont’s Commencement. In her talk, “The Responsibility of the Educated Christian,” Rice praised Westmont for educating the whole person and focusing on personal and spiritual growth as well as intellectual development.
President’s Breakfast to promote discussion of significant issues. BMO is the Lead Sponsor this year. Special thanks to U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management. Gold Sponsors include Baker Hill, Bon Appétit Management Company, Canterbury Consulting, Central Coast Home Health and Hospice, Channel Wealth, Davies, The Eiler Family, David and Anna Grotenhuis, In Memory of Jim Haslem, HUB International, La Arcada Plaza, MATT Construction, Nick and Drew Parisi, Providence School Santa Barbara, Reicker Pfau, Sunset + Magnolia Interior Design and George and Beth Wood Foundation. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Steve Baker, Westmont associate vice president for advancement, at (805) 565-7156.
A Westmont biology class is celebrating the growing success of an oak woodland restoration project in the barranca along the westside of Westmont’s campus. Nearly all of the 60 coast live oaks that were planted along the dry Westmont Creek in November 2023 are surviving and many have grown more than three feet tall.
Students in the Plant Classification and Biodiversity Class conducted a thorough tree monitoring session, measuring tree height, crown diameter and overall health.
She discussed freedom, democracy and education at the President’s Breakfast in 2011. Other past President’s Breakfast speakers include the late Gen. Colin Powell, the late David McCullough, the late Daniel Kahneman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Brooks, Walter Isaacson, Thomas Friedman, Robert Gates, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Gen. Michael Hayden, Peggy Noonan, Nancy Koehn, Michael Lewis, and Richard Haass
The Westmont Foundation, local businesses, and individuals sponsor the
“As we continue our work, we’re planning to plant even more coast live oaks across the creek this semester, expanding our canopy of native trees,” says Laura Drake Schultheis, assistant professor of biology. “These majestic trees are not only beautiful additions to our landscape, but also act as vital fire buffers, helping protect our campus and community.”
Schultheis and Janell Balmaceda, sustainability coordinator and garden
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Julia Bullock, soprano
Tue, Jan 21 / 7 PM
Lobero Theatre
Great Performances Suite Sponsors:
Fri, Jan 31 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Program includes Mozart, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, O’Carolan and contemporary arrangements of Nordic folk tunes
Event Sponsor: Anonymous
Great Performances Suite Sponsors:
G.A. Fowler Family Foundation and The Shanbrom Family Foundation
Double Grammy Nominee in 2024 Lakecia Benjamin and Phoenix
Fri, Feb 7 / 8 PM UCSB Campbell Hall
Saxophonist and composer Lakecia Benjamin fuses soul and hip-hop with a strong foundation in the canon of modern jazz. Fans of John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and Ornette Coleman, listen up – there’s a new horn in town, and she’s ready to roar. An Epic Quintet Collaboration Imani Winds and Boston Brass
Sun, Feb 2 / 4 PM / Hahn Hall
Hear & Now Series Sponsors: Linda Stafford Burrows and Dr. Bob Weinman
Jazz Series Lead Sponsor: Manitou Fund
Upon returning to the United States, Doug continued to pursue his passion for the theater starring as Littlechap in Anthony Newley’s Stop the World: I Want to Get Off at the Laguna Beach Playhouse and the Pasadena Playhouse.
Doug’s talent for communication and performance extended beyond the stage and into the business world when he took a job as a stockbroker with Goodbody & Co. He would eventually become a wholesaler for Commonwealth Funds and later the National Sales Manager for Drexel & Company in New York in 1972. During this period, he developed a motivational presentation entitled, “The Four Bones,” a precursor to a modern-day TED Talk, which he shared all over the world.
In 1974, he became the National Sales Manager for Massachusetts Financial Services of Boston before returning to New York in 1982 to start Integrated Capital Services, a subsidiary of Integrated Resources. In 1986, Doug created his career-defining role, when he and A. Scott Logan co-founded Wood Logan Associates, a mutual fund and variable annuity distribution company that became the bellwether of the industry. The company was acquired by Manulife of Toronto, Canada in 1999. Doug remained on as Chairman until his retirement in December 2011.
He will be remembered most not for his success on the financial services stage, rather for the care and guidance he provided for his colleagues and employees. He knew the names and life stories of everyone from the mailroom to the boardroom. His office door was always open.
In addition to his success in business, Doug derived great joy from his philanthropic activities, especially his roles as president of the Lobero Theatre Foundation in Santa Barbara and as a director and chairman of the
Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County chapter.
A man of diverse interests and refined taste, Doug had an appreciation for craftsmanship and beauty. His passion for collecting cars, art and wine brought him immense joy and allowed him to connect with others who shared his enthusiasm.
In 2003, 2004, and 2007 Doug drove his Zagato-designed 1956 Alfa Romeo 1900 SS Coupe in the historic Mille Miglia open road race in Italy.
Above all else, Doug cherished his family. He was preceded in death by his son, Dennis. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his children; Debbi (Miles), Dara, Gary (Brad), Erin, Blake and Colby (Carolina); his grandchildren; Chad (Valerie), Michelle (Todd), Brynn, Gus and Delfina; and his great grandchildren: Riley and Campbell. He is also survived by his brother Don (Debbie) and sisters-in-law Deborah (Tom) and Cheryl; his nieces, Alison (James), Paige and Meagan (Javier) and nephews Eric, and Tommy (Janette); grandnieces Rebecca (Arnie), Chloe, Emery, and Rosalie, and grandnephews Kurtis (Alicia), Lance (Kaitilyn) and Cameron; and great-grandnieces, Adelaide, and Maisie
Doug’s life was defined by the bonds he built through mentorship and inspiration. Family members, friends, colleagues and countless others were positively affected by his warmth, joy, humor and generosity of spirit. Throughout his life, people too numerous to mention became lifelong friends and his chosen family.
May Doug’s memory bring comfort to those who loved him and inspire them to carry forward the values he held dear.
In lieu of flowers please contribute to Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County (sbhabitat.org) or The Lobero Theatre Foundation (Lobero.org).
that it’s a primary way of orienting ourselves in the embedded field of relationships and receiving guidance. With just the state of the world –politically, socially and technologically – it makes that simple gesture of offering our attention and respect a way to access the deeper wisdom beyond our human minds.”
Slutzky said she has often gravitated towards nature more than humans for long periods of her life, even more so after an experience at the beach on her birthday several years ago.
“I went out to speak to the ocean and give my thanks and praises, and a whale emerged close in front of me and looked at me. The impact of that kind of exchange, a mutual reverent encounter of speaking in a language that’s older than words, still gives me the sense of being connected to something much bigger than our human communities, which of course is so essential.”
Participants in the January 18 “Land Listening & Earth Circle” will have the opportunity to both open to the natural world and share connection with other people in the three-hour experience, which starts with a circle to ground, set context, and orient with an embodiment process and song. Then people can wander out on their own “To meet a non-human being and listen to the land” – a fly, a rock, a plant or the elements, for example –for an hour or more before returning to the gathering space for a council circle where each participant will have the opportunity to share a story or whatever arises from the experience.
utes from downtown Santa Barbara and Montecito. People will receive the location and instructions after registering online at www.alexisslutzky.com/ land-listening-earth-circle, where you can also learn more about Slutzky’s workshops and upcoming grief circles.
Veteran meditation teachers Dr. Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine , who presented a riveting workshop based on Roche’s transcendent book The Radiance Sutras at Yoga Soup in the pre-pandemic days, are participating in the eighth annual “The Power of Meditation” online summit. The free 10-day event, which begins January 21, addresses “How to Heal Anxieties and Cultivate Enduring Peace Through Dharma, Somatics, and Psychotherapy.” Teachers representing a wide swath of wisdom traditions will be included in the emailed summit that features 40 expert interviews, 20 embodiment practices and 10 guided meditations. Visit https:// powerofmeditationsummit.com.
“We just began in November, so my hope and intention is that over time we function as an organism with the folks who come,” Slutzky said. “The opening is really just an informal ritual flow, checking in and letting ourselves be known who’s here, but trying not to spend too much time with our own stories and our chattering minds. Then we move off into our own space to be with the wonder of the natural world, which is such a balm for these times.”
Slutzky said that the anxiety and grief over the L.A. fires are likely to emerge this Saturday, as is the whole topic of climate related disasters.
“All of this stems from our relationships and lack of regard for other than human beings and the elements,” she said. “But it’s in our capacity and our DNA to know how to make beauty and how to actually steward and tend the land.”
There is no fee for the gathering (although donations are accepted) held in the Santa Barbara foothills, in historic Chumash territory 10 min -
New York City-native Sharon Salzberg is once again offering her 15th annual “Real Happiness” challenge, a 28-day exploration of meditation based on her 2010 New York Times bestselling book of the same name. The February 1-28 program covers a full spectrum of meditation techniques to empower participants with a robust tool kit for a happier life. The seven to 10 minute long lessons are organized into four one-week themes covering Concentration, Mindfulness of the Body, Mindfulness of Thoughts & Emotions, and Lovingkindness, with each lesson including a teaching, guided meditation via pre-recorded video plus a transcript, meditation tip of the day, inspirational artwork and FAQ. Participants have full access through May 31. The Challenge is offered on a sliding scale basis, with a suggested contribution of a dollara-day ($28) with full scholarships available for those who cannot contribute financially. Visit www. sharonsalzberg.com/real-happinesschallenge-2025.
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
by Joanne A Calitri
The Montecito Association Land Use Committee (LUC) January meeting was held Tuesday, January 7, in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was called to order by its Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the Land Use Committee members, MA Executive Director Houghton Hyatt , MA President Doug Black, land surveyor consultant Mark Lloyd and attorney Chip Wullbrandt representing the Four Seasons Biltmore, and Montecito Sanitation District (MSD) General Manager John Weigold attending for an added agenda item.
First up was the presentation by Lloyd and Wullbrandt for the Four Seasons Biltmore. They thanked the LUC for their support of their project with the Montecito Planning Commission, which ultimately approved the project plans. They presented where the project currently stands, and what is being further proposed, saying, “The cottages have been moved temporarily to Hill Road; we are getting our grading permits and will dig the pool soon. We would love your support of the parking plan for Hill Road which runs along the north side of the Biltmore property. It used to have entries into the cottages and that has gone away. Hill Road has become less welcoming and parking on the southside of the road is not available due to the sidewalks. We are asking Santa Barbara County to allow
by Jamie Knee
Tus to make improvements on Hill Road, to re-add parking spaces immediately adjacent to the Biltmore cottages, and to make a path on the southside down Hill Road to the beach. We presented this to SBC Public Works who appeared to accept it. We are hoping SBC will not make us go through hoops, and we can move this plan along with the rest of the project. We presented it at the SBC Board of Supervisors meeting today, and to First District Supervisor Roy Lee, and they were happy with it. We appreciate the opportunity to talk with you for your support.”
The Biltmore team’s slide presentation showed the approved project. Lloyd’s additional remarks were, “We are remodeling the existing buildings, and redoing the pools. We agreed to a 5% reduction in water area for both pools and ended up with a 12% reduction. We are moving along with the project and well on our way to a Summer 2025 opening.”
Q&A from the LUC addressed details on the islands, emergency access and parking on Hill Road. Lloyd and Wullbrandt replied, “There are two access bridges to the island. The use of the islands is for guests at the Biltmore. We reduced the number of rooms to 138, so 270-280 people can be at the resort. This area is not a waterpark, this is a tranquil place. This is an exemplary private time area for our guests. The main pool is 500 feet from end to end. The family pool is 200 feet, catering to families with small children. The
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hink Napa and Tuscany have the wine world cornered? Think again! Imagine yourself savoring a crisp white in Switzerland’s jaw-dropping terraced vineyards or sipping bold, handcrafted reds high in Japan’s tranquil mountain wineries. As a Santa Barbarabased wine specialist, I’ve spent my life immersed in the art of wine, and while I’ll always sing the praises of the rolling hills of the Santa Ynez Valley and the fog-kissed vines of Sta. Rita Hills (which should be your first stop in 2025), there’s a whole world of under-the-radar wine regions waiting to be discovered. If you’re looking for destinations where unforgettable wines meet exquisite food and fewer crowds, this list is for you. Let’s count down the top 10 emerging wine destinations that will have you bragging long before they hit the mainstream. Adventure, luxury, and exceptional wine await!
Famous for its stunning mountains and Zen temples, Nagano is also an emerging wine region. With cool-climate varietals like chardonnay and merlot, it’s quickly becoming a hotspot for wine lovers. The meticulous craftsmanship of Japanese winemakers shines here, and you can pair your tastings with local delicacies like soba noodles and wasabi dishes. Add in serene ryokans and hot springs, and Nagano becomes a unique luxury wine destination.
Hungary’s Tokaj region is famous for its sweet aszú wines, but there’s more to discover there. Boutique chateaux, historic cellars, and emerging dry wines make Tokaj a hidden treasure. The region’s charm lies in its timeless beauty
and intimate atmosphere – a perfect escape for the luxury wine traveler.
Dubbed the “Bordeaux of China,” Yinchuan in the Ningxia region is one of the most exciting wine destinations in Asia. The cool desert climate and Helan Mountain foothills provide the perfect conditions for bold Bordeauxstyle reds. Cutting-edge wineries are transforming the region into a hub of innovation and luxury, where visitors can enjoy sophisticated tastings and upscale accommodations while taking in the dramatic landscape.
With its pristine lakes and dramatic landscapes, British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is a feast for the senses. The region produces world-class ice wines and coolclimate varietals like riesling. Stay in ecoluxury accommodations, dine on farmto-table cuisine, and sip wine under
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starry skies. It’s a perfect combination of nature and sophistication.
Lavaux’s terraced vineyards overlooking Lake Geneva are nothing short of magical. This UNESCO World Heritage Site produces exceptional Chasselas wines, ideal for pairing with Swiss cheese and chocolate. Add wine-tasting cruises, Michelin-starred restaurants, and luxurious lakeside hotels, and you have a wine getaway like no other.
Known for its bold reds like pinotage, and crisp whites, Stellenbosch combines stunning Cape Dutch architecture with cutting-edge winemaking. Indulge in gourmet pairings, explore grand estates, and relax in boutique hotels surrounded by mountains. It’s a quintessential luxury wine experience with a South African twist.
The Basque Country is a culinary and wine lover’s paradise. Crisp, effervescent Txakoli wines pair beautifully with the region’s world-famous cuisine, including Michelin-starred dining in San Sebastián. Coastal vineyards, cultural landmarks like the Guggenheim Museum, and luxurious boutique stays make this an unforgettable destination.
Paso Robles may not have Napa’s fame, but it’s quickly becoming a top spot for wine travelers. Paso Robles, often referred to simply as “Paso,” is located in San Luis Obispo County on California’s Central Coast, roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Its Rhône-style blends and zinfandels are gaining acclaim,
and the region offers chic tasting rooms, farm-to-table dining, and stylish accommodations. For a luxurious yet authentic California wine experience, Paso is unbeatable.
The Douro Valley is a masterpiece of natural and human artistry, with terraced vineyards cascading down to the Douro River. Famous for its fortified port wines, the region is also gaining recognition for its dry reds and crisp whites. Visitors can enjoy luxurious river cruises, intimate tastings at boutique wineries, and gourmet dining experiences that reflect the heart of Portuguese culture. Whether you’re exploring hillside vineyards or savoring local cuisine, Douro offers a perfect balance of rustic charm and refined luxury.
This Baja California gem is Mexico’s answer to Napa Valley. Boutique wineries produce bold, innovative wines, like tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, while luxury eco-lodges blend seamlessly into the rugged landscape. Pair your wine with Baja Med cuisine –a fusion of Mediterranean and Mexican flavors – and soak in the region’s relaxed yet refined vibe.
Each of these destinations offers something unique with stunning landscapes, exceptional wines, and luxurious experiences. Whether you’re an adventurer or a connoisseur, 2025 is the perfect year to explore these regions before they become the next big thing. I invite you to reach out and share which region excites you most or where you’d like to see me dive deeper. For personalized recommendations, or wine pairings, feel free to contact me at: JamieKnee@petitewinetraveler.com. Cheers to discovering your next favorite wine destination!
it’s not true for every farm. “If what we have is working, why would we need better technology? It’s like if you have a car that works, why are you gonna buy a new one if you don’t need one.”
Ahead of his vote, Supervisor Nelson said that he would be “open” to hearing more about Farmlane’s success with simple carbon scrubbers. “It wouldn’t be my intention, if it is working, for them to have to replace those,” he said. But he acknowledged that this may require an additional investigation.
Chair Capps hopes that these revisions can put the cannabis odor problem to rest, noting that it’s a common longstanding issue at county meetings. “The whole intention is to make people have a better quality of life who live next to operations,” said Capps. “And to, again, decrease the acrimony,
decrease the litigation, decrease the complaints, the divisiveness within a community and to move forward.”
The proposed regulations then passed in a 5-0 vote with the Supervisors. The County Planning Commission will discuss the changes on January 29th and on February 19th.
Coincidentally, compromise and civility formed the gist of Mike Jordan ’s remarks at last week’s city council meeting, upon being sworn into office.
Celeste Barber
Supervisors Laura Capps and Bob Nelson should be commended for their forthright intention to move quickly on reform of Santa Barbara County cannabis policy. Notwithstanding the effort that went into the current policy, it has not turned out as planned. At one point, it was thought cannabis revenues would be a significant net financial surplus to the County. Now, they are a net financial deficit.
black-market component. Odor is a problem at most sites.
Stronger odor-control regulations are the first order of business for the Board of Supervisors. Communities and neighborhoods should not be affected by cultivation of cannabis in their vicinity. The most promising approach is to require all growers to install carbon filtration technology, known as “scrubbers,” in order to reduce odor.
Over time, additional changes in the County cannabis ordinance should be considered, including to reduce the acreage that may be cultivated – particularly in the Carpinteria valley – and to increase the distance that cultivation must be from schools and other public institutions. For now, though, the focus should be to reduce odor from existing cultivation sites at the earliest possible time.
Santa Barbara County should not subsidize the cannabis industry. For too long, the industry has not policed itself and there remains a large
Lanny Ebenstein
Santa Barbara
Sincerely, Milena Hernandez
Montecito Fire Chief Neels speech at Raising Our Light 2025 (photo by
Along with Montecito Fire Chief David Neels and his team of fire fighters, SB County Sheriff Bill Brown and his law enforcement officers, the family and friends of the 23 Montecito residents who passed in the mudslide, other attendees at the memorial event included Aida Thau from the City of Carp, 1st District SBC Supervisor Roy Lee, Montecito Association Board President Doug Black, MA Executive Director Houghton Hyatt, and MA chairs Dorrine Lee Johnson, Mindy Denson, and Trish Davis; Zach Rosen, Managing Editor, representing the Montecito Journal Media Group LLC; and representatives from the Community Wellness Team for those needing counseling and connection. The event concluded with a reception and refreshments donated by the Rosewood Miramar Beach. For more on Sheriff Brown and Chief Neels speeches, scan the QR code. Raising Our Light is a collaborative effort by the Montecito Community Partnership Team including: the Montecito Association, Montecito Union School District, Cold Spring School District, Montecito Fire Department, Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness, and the Montecito Journal Media Group LLC.
hours because they care so much either from a personal experience or just wanting to do something is just incredible. It’s a sign of the health and kindness of the Montecito community. My vision is that All Saints is a living room for the community, and this is just another way we can express that. Jennifer Tucker is making sure we know how many preschool spaces we have available for incoming students, so we know immediately how to respond to incoming calls from evacuated parents for their children.”
We also discussed two species of loss in this fire catastrophe – which are all the people who lost their homes, and all the workers, teachers, healthcare providers and many others who worked in the fire-devastated areas and are now without a job. He acknowledged that this is a problem and showed me the U.S. Disaster Program’s Emotional Life Cycle of a Disaster. It points out quite plainly what Montecitans have experienced with disasters here; namely, that there is the heroic-honeymoon period when aid comes in very high and people are being helped, and then emotions drop into the lows of working through grief to get to a “new normal.” The answer is that efforts need to remain open and continued.
The donation drive provided adult clothing, baby items, personal care, blankets, toys, and more for free. Currently the donations are serving approximately 70 to 109 families who sought refuge in Montecito. People who picked up donations at All Saints were given suitcases and other carry totes to pack the items that they needed, and on their way out were presented with fresh flowers as a sign of love.
Any items not picked up were carefully itemized and packaged to be delivered to selected Los Angeles organizations via volunteers with trucks. As for where the donations will be headed in Los Angeles, Balina and Eckardt told me that at this time they are being advised to make drop-offs at Pasadena City College, areas in Altadena, and at the Los Angeles Foster Youth Center, and are keeping an eye on the changing nature of events in fire areas.
Cold Spring School, Montecito Union School and the Montecito YMCA preschool at the time of this report have initiated their educational response for the L.A. fire evacuee children who are staying with Montecito friends and families, at Montecito hotels, and temporarily renting Montecito housing.
Over the weekend through Monday, I started an email thread with CSS Superintendent/ Principal Amy Alzina, MUS Superintendent Anthony Ranii, and Montecito YMCA Executive Director Ryan Power on school updates for these children.
Leading the path to educational classes, wellness, and trauma care for children
islands and pool are restricted to guests only, who have to show their guest ID. The island/pool hours are dawn to dusk. There is emergency access 24/7 for first responders to the property and the islands. We really tightened this project up.
“The south side of Hill Road was never intended for parking as part of the Montecito Plan. We found out that guests check in and valet park, and then end up parking on the road near their cottage. So, we are going to take one room out of the cottages and make that into a parking space. Our new design allows for increased parking to 22 spaces that is safer for the public, and a new public trail for public use. We are not asking for a new use, as parking is part of the approved plan. Ultimately the SBC Public Works will dictate the type of path on Hill Road. Ours will be five feet wide and friendly to all the public.”
Of keen interest to everyone are the Butterfly Beach stairways along Channel Drive which are dangerous with broken off parts. Lloyd said, “Mr. Warner will be able to fix the public stairways as part of the project. We approached SBC BOS prior about fixing these and did not hear back. So today we approached First District SBC Supervisor Roy Lee at the BOS meeting, and he agreed to help us get it fixed asap.”
Wullbrandt added, “Ty Warner looks at Butterfly Beach and the Biltmore as his backyard and he tells me that he wants it to look the best. For its upcoming 100th anniversary, Ty has made the classiest swim rafts in the shape of butterflies with respect to Butterfly Beach, and we are looking to have the swim rafts off Butterfly Beach, like they were there years ago. Similar to the Rosewood Miramar Beach rafts. We are proposing that our rafts will be out there early April.”
Lee concluded the discussion and welcomed the Biltmore team back at any time for their updates.
Next up was MSD GM John Weigold, who reviewed their work on the creek beds in Montecito that were damaged from the winter storms since 2023. He emphasized that Montecito Sanitation had to go to multiple agencies to get the permits to work in the creek beds, namely SBC Flood Control, Regional/State Water Control Board, California Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Services, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The project cost totaled $2.3 million (see photo). He gave a PowerPoint presentation which showed the before and after photographs of the creeks remedial work.
Weigold stated, “We looked at different options to make the repair work a permanent solution and decided on rip-rap/boulder protection. FEMA wanted it restored to the way it was before, which does not make sense because the creeks will get damaged again. We needed to repair and protect the creek areas at Ennisbrook, San Ysidro, Riven Rock, and two other Montecito creeks. We are still waiting for FEMA to approve the project which we sent to them in 2023. FEMA pays 85%, and the district will pay the rest – $180,000. In the future my hope is that we can do the work right away as an emergency response without going through all these agencies.”
The meeting adjourned after Weigold’s presentation.
411: www.montecitoassociation.org
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manager, manage the project, which received a substantial grant from the Regional Wildfire Mitigation Program (RWMP) Landscape Domain.
The project began in summer 2023 when the Montecito Fire Protection District removed many dead and dying eucalyptus trees in the region, providing an opportunity to improve the ecosystem while increasing wildfire resilience in the interface between wildland and urban areas.
In the 2008 Tea Fire, the eucalyptus canopies burned up like kindling, exploding and throwing embers to move along the creek corridor and enter the Las Barrancas community, destroying 14 homes.
“Anytime you can plant one of the oaks, it represents another potential stop to the spreading fire,” Schultheis says. “Additionally, adult oak trees will start dropping acorns, and we can get more oaks sprouting up and filling in the gaps. It helps create microhabitats, shady areas where more biodiversity can come in and inhabit the area and start returning it toward a native oak woodland.
“When you bring in plant communities, the insects come, the pollinators come, the herbivores come, and the study of ecology enables us to explore these connections.”
A large crowd of about 175 people gathered to appreciate the multifacet-
ed exhibition of WILDLAND: Ethan Turpin’s Collaborations on Fire and Water on January 9 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The exhibition, which explores the complex relationships between fire, water and ourselves, is open through March 22.
The exhibit includes hands-on stereographs that imagine the early origins of climate change with current symptoms; and Future Mountain, an interactive fire, water and climate model that depicts a watershed in the Central California Sierra. Several forest thinning illustrations and graphs explore water storage and the total amount of water used by plants.
“I have brought together diverse content in the exhibition from projects I have pursued over the last 11 years,” Turpin says. “The more I learn about burn cycles and recovery the more I have focused on climate change, realizing it is at the center of so many of my projects.”
By far the most popular part of the exhibition is Turpin’s fire and regrowth time-lapse footage, TimeSpace Fire, taken from Santa Barbara County locations, including the Sedgwick Reserve and Arroyo Hondo Preserve. Following the Alisal Fire in October 2021, Turpin began installing cameras to take photos every 15 minutes along the Arroyo Hondo trails. Each month he would return to change the batteries – and experienced the rapid changes in returning plants.
“First were the wild cucumber vines spreading in all directions like tangled green spider legs,” he says. “Then the native morning glory vines climbed the burnt chaparral stalks to produce chains of remarkable white flowers. Meanwhile, the sprouts of chamise and manzanita emerged from black burls undeterred. These waves of native fire followers had their debut moment in the sun. Every week, I was met with unexpected and strangely beautiful imagery.”
high school artists-in-training program at Opera Theater of St. Louis, Marie McManama. She left a deep impression on me years ago and she is also why I applied to study at Eastman School of Music. I only hope I live up to my memory of how magnificently she sang it.
Barbara Strozzi is a composer I didn’t know before being asked to contribute repertoire ideas for this program… Her “Che si può fare?” asks in a totally vulnerable way, when life can be filled with torment that seems inescapable: “What is there to be done? What is there to say? What?” It’s stunning.
Purcell’s “If love’s a Sweet Passion” is a bittersweet, poignant song about love that is inevitably accompanied with pain and passion that’s sometimes left unsaid. The lyrics are extraordinary, but maybe that’s no surprise, since they were written by Shakespeare.
The encore is by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, another great early music composer who wrote several chamber operas. The piece says to rid yourself of enslavement and even let rage and fury come forward. It’s a short shout for me, but the orchestra is more ferocious and furious.
How did the first couple of dates in Europe go?
We only just had our first performance two nights ago, but I’ve just had a blast! … We’re doing this without a conductor, and everyone is especially committed and invested in delivering their part of the material… I also enjoy that the range of material in this program allows me to connect with different players in the ensemble – more intimately with the continuo team (lutist, cellist, harpsichordist, and drummer even!) and of course having a chance to sing with one of the great baroque trumpet players in the world, David Blackadder, whose sound is golden…. But I do still feel a bit nervous, because even though this program includes the “hits” of the baroque era, it’s all new for me!
You’ve said some of these pieces move you to tears. How do you balance the emotional content of the libretto with creating the most beautiful musical sounds? What do you do to harness or tame your emotions?
You just sing it over and over, and eventually the emotional muscles get used to being activated. It’s interesting, because the diaphragm is a muscle directly connected with singing AND with emotion… it gets massaged and activated as one’s breathing is engaged… So it’s no surprise that there’s sometimes a strong release of emotion while singing… To quote a teacher of mine: “have a cool head and a warm heart when you sing,” which to me means remain conscious in my directions and intentions, while remaining open to all that may flood in.
Baroque lovers have an earlier chance to hear even more surprising music from the era as Camerata Pacifica launches its third mini-series of Baroque concerts with Friday’s concert at Hahn Hall featuring series music director-curator and flutist Emi Ferguson, a 2023 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and jazz/Baroque keyboard specialist Dan Tepfer, who has enjoyed Billboard chart-topping success. The program is anchored by Bach’s iconic Two-Part Inventions, with Tepfer performing the well-known work on amplified clavichord – the acoustic version said to be the composer’s favorite instrument – creating a fascinating dialogue between Baroque traditions and his own contemporary improvisation; his own inventions on the keys that Bach omitted. The work was recorded on Tepfer’s 2023 solo album J.S. Bach / Dan Tepfer, Inventions / Reinventions. Ferguson will also offer her own take of Bach in “Partita Recomposed,” performing on traverso “Partita Recomposed,” her re-imagining of Bach’s “Partita for solo flute.” To open the concert, the two team up to showcase music by Francesco Antonio Bonporti, a composer whose “inventions” influenced Bach himself, so much so that his duo Inventions were misattributed to Bach for centuries. Visit www.cameratapacifica.org for details and tickets to the January 17 concert.
The Santa Barbara Symphony kicks off the new year with a weekend pair of performances January 18-19 boasting entirely different programs each concert. The
beloved and prolific composer Mozart is the focus for the concerts that boast a total of four concertos featuring different instrumental soloists drawn from the ensemble’s impressive principal players, encompassing flute, harp, oboe and piano, plus two symphonies (No. 35 “Haffner” and No. 38), the Overture to The Impresario, and the beloved “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.” Visit https://thesymphony.org for details and tickets.
The Austin-based Miró Quartet, long considered one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, marks its 30th anniversary with a return to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s laudable chamber music series on January 19. The Miró, which in 2005 became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant, continually finds inventive ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music, including the recent Emmy Award-winning multimedia project Transcendence. The quartet that frequently concertizes on the most prestigious stages heads to the Mary Craig Auditorium at the art museum – a most appropriate venue as the ensemble took its name and its inspiration from the Spanish surrealist artist Joan Miró. Sunday afternoon’s program features Haydn’s “Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1”; George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings”; Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow”; and Beethoven’s “Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2.” Visit www.sbma.net.
Closing out a crowded week in classical music, Garrick Ohlsson returns to CAMA Masterseries at the Lobero in a full-circle concert. The highly praised pianist, whose early triumph at the 1970 Chopin Piano Competition launched his career, will play an all-Chopin program on January 23. Ohlsson, whose half-century-plus of performing has put him at the forefront of American piano masters, one who commands a vast repertoire – he was last here in 2019 with an all-Brahms recital – has made a series of comprehensive recordings of Chopin that have received international acclaim, cementing his reputation as one of the composer’s greatest living interpreters. The seven pieces on his current concert will encompass everything from “Nocturnes” to the “Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58.” Info at www.lobero.org.
Meredith Ventura’s Selah Dance Collective is performing the world premiere of Palermo! (Sure Shot Comedy! Bang Up Fun!) over three shows at Center Stage Theater January 17-18. The piece continues Ventura’s choreographic exploration of early 20th-century performance, building on her acclaimed research project Sound and Smoke, which examines the aesthetics and social undercurrents of 1920s German cabaret. This new work takes its inspiration from the Futurist cabarets of Italy in the 1920s and 1930s, diving into the complex relationship between art, politics and identity during the interwar period. The piece draws parallels between the experimental acts crafted in these cabaret spaces and the turbulent socio-political landscapes in which they existed. As with much of Ventura’s choreography, Palermo! illustrates how the human body both rejects and resists political forces – in both historical and current contexts – over questions of power and agency in what is sure to be another provocative piece. Visit https://centerstagetheater.org for tickets and details.
in-surgery medical procedure, resided there for 28 years after acquiring the home in 1988.
I vividly remember her telling me at a dinner party: “This is what Marie Antoinette would have bought if she had money!”
Cadillac margaritas topped with Grand Marnier and burritos added to the decided Mexican theme when award-winning food writer and author Betty Fussell, 97, recipient of three James Beard Awards, welcomed her Mazatlán-based daughter Rosalind “Tucky” to Casa Dorinda for a joint exhibition of their artwork.
Betty, who moved to our Eden by the Beach from New York in 2012, has written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, and the Los Angeles Times. A woman of great flair and style, her works included portraits and drawings of
friends and family, while Tucky’s paintings exuded color and the Mexican lifestyle.
Among residents turning out for the opening bash were Missy DeYoung, Victoria Hines, Penny Arntz, Mary Heebner, Paul Blake, Michelle Joanou, Karine McCall, and Macduff Everton.
Mean Girls The Musical certainly hit the right note when presented by the American Theatre Guild at the Granada.
The hilarious hit musical from 30 Rock actress Tina Fey and her husband, threetime Emmy winner Jeff Richmond, Legally Blonde lyricist Nell Benjamin, and Book of Mormon choreographer Casey Nicholaw, is the story of a naive newbie who falls prey to a trip of lionized frenemies.
The highly entertaining two-hour, 15-minute production – based on the 2014 Lindsay Lohan film – exuded energy, a wicked sense of humor, and an absolute cascade of inside jokes.
It was nominated for 12 Tony awards in 2018.
It follows Cady, played by Natalie Shaw, who grew up on the African savanna, encountering even more wild animals at a new high school in suburban Illinois, where she is torn between nerdy new friends or joining the Plastics, the top rung of the school’s social ladder.
UCSB Athletics has received a visionary $15 million gift to support facilities construction and revitalization, including upgrades at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium,
the home of university baseball.
The anonymous gift is the largest to date for athletics on the campus and comes at a crucial moment for UCSB baseball, a NCAA Division 1 team that has ascended in the ranks over the past decade.
“This gift reflects a shared commitment to excellence at UCSB and will provide lasting benefits to our entire community,” says retiring chancellor Henry Yang
The life of Donald McInnes , Camerata Pacifica’s first principal violist, was celebrated at the Music Academy of the West’s Lehmann Hall.
McInnes, who studied at the academy from 1954 to 1956 and was a member of the faculty from 1982 to 2012, died in October at his home in Rancho Mirage aged 85.
The UCSB graduate was the first recipient of Camerata’s Lifetime Achievement Award and appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and L’Orchestre National de France during his glittering career.
He was also associated with many of the world’s top musicians, including Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin, and Yo-Yo Ma
McInnes also had a long association with the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles.
MAW President Shauna Quill and Dean Tiffany DeVries welcomed guests including Dr. Robert Weinman, Joan Rutkowski, and Teresa McWilliams, while the Rev. Mark Asman, former rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, gave the benediction.
A recording of Schubert’s “A Litany for All Souls Day” played by McInnes and “A Cello Sonata” by Rachmaninoff, Schubert’s “Andante,” transcribed for viola, was played by McInnes’ student Richard
O’Neill – formerly with Camerata Pacifica and now with the Takács Quartet – and pianist Margaret McDonald. Ana Papakhian, president of Camerata Pacifica, joined McInnes’ friends Alita Rhodes, Tom Tatton, and Dennis Naiman in lauding the musician.
The moving service concluded with Mahler’s “Symphony No.5, ‘Adagietto’” played by the Vienna Philharmonic and conducted by Bernstein.
Fest Forums, the signature three-day event for festival producers in the U.S., takes place at the Mar Monte Hotel next month from Feb. 12 to the 14th.
The popular event, celebrating its 9th year, will host an impressive lineup of industry leaders, innovators, and creatives from across the festival landscape, with industry topics including sustainability, diversity, ticketing, technology, and sponsorships while offering networking opportunities and vibrant evening celebrations.
Featured speakers include actor Matthew Modine, musician Sophie B. Hawkins, and Isle of Wight festival promoter John Giddings.
Actress Cameron Diaz noshing at RH... Katy Perry and British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom with their daughter Daisy Dove at CVS on CVR… Actor Josh Brolin at Pierre Lafond.
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
are incredibly slow and cumbersome. If you need a new fire truck it can take several years to get that approved. Not to mention the fact that the cost of a fire truck has doubled since 2019…”
And it is worth noting here that in certain circles the word “budget” is rarely seen in public without its sidekick “cut.” In government, “fiduciary responsibility” comes down to striking line items, these decisions based on a complex gumbo of publicly opaque incentives. All this can seem like painless belt-tightening till the mountains catch fire.
“So many competing needs are given priority that most of the time public safety budgets are inadequate, especially for capital and replacement costs,” Weston-Smith says, and ticks off several recent One805 grants from a fusillade of giving – from a new Jaws of Life for extricating car wreck victims, to 700 pairs of woolen socks for the folks who are on their feet 20 hours at a time, running all over the place to save our bacon.
“One805 provided a jet ski to county
fire for open water rescues, and we provided two high-tech drones, one for open water rescue and one for backcountry rescue, equipped with infrared. So it’s not just equipment for our first responders. It’s equipment that saves lives of the citizens of our county.”
Your First Responder can have all the life-saving tech and woolen socks money can buy and still come up short. “The fire departments, the chiefs within our county are all very, very proactive on mental wellness. Our fire chief Mark Hartwig said, ‘…what use is a fire engine to me if I don’t have anyone to drive it? People are my most important asset.’” Thankfully, our stressed and embattled First Responder is a more enlightened centurion than was once the case, as Weston-Smith points out.
“There used to be a sort of attitude in the ranks of ‘suck it up buttercup.’ It was
MONTECITO SANITARY DISTRICT PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the Montecito Sanitary District shall conduct a public hearing at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2025 at its Board Room located at 1042 Monte Cristo Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 as well as via Zoom Meetings; meeting ID 861 1897 5917, to consider the adoption of an ordinance of the governing board of the Montecito Sanitary District increasing the compensation of Directors of the Board pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 6489.
The public may attend and comment by calling 1-669-900-6833 and entering Meeting ID 861 1897 5917 or by visiting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86118975917
Copies of the text of the proposed ordinance are on file with the clerk of the District Board and are available for public inspection at the Districts’ offices. See https://www.montsan.org/
Publication dates: January 15, 2025 and January 22, 2025 Montecito Journal
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Dr. Greenthumb’s Orcutt, 1604 E Clark Avenue, Suite 101, Orcutt, CA 93455. Citrus Real Property, LLC, 4675 MacArthur Ct FL 15, Newport Beach, CA 92660. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 3, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0000091. Published January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Secret Garden Inn and Cottages, 1908 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. Inn Paradise Inc, 2821 Ben Lomond Drive, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 3, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0000029. Published January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Reillie Beauty, 4004 Modoc Rd, B, Santa Barbara, CA, 931101807. Idolina Guinto, PO Box 22736, Santa Barbara, CA, 93121-2736. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 2, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2025-0000012. Published January 9, 16, 23, 30, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 24CV05504. To all interested parties: Petitioner Marla Witcher filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name of minor from Ruby Grace Gomez Witcher to Ruby Grace Witcher. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hear-
a thing you just didn’t talk about. But over the years that has changed. And now they’re starting to address the issues of mental wellness in the Fire Academy itself so that the new cadets and their families are aware of the stresses and the strains that are put on them mentally.” A robust peer support system has grown over time in the First Responder ecosystem, and feeds – where needed – into crucial wellness programming funded by One805.
“They can refer them to one of the TCTI counselors that we fund,” says WestonSmith. “TCTI is The Counseling Team International, and it’s a nationwide counseling organization for First Responders; for the government, for the FBI, for law enforcement – all over the country.” While we’re talking about it, who in the One805 org makes the decisions about where to spend the raised funds?
ing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed January 8, 2025 by Preston Frye. Hearing date: February 19, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 2025.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 24CV07309. To all interested parties: Petitioner Carly Elizabeth Richardson filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Carly Elizabeth Hughes. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed January 10, 2025 by Preston Frye. Hearing date: February 26, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 2025.
“We have all of the chiefs in Santa Barbara County and the Sheriff on our Advisory Council, which is unique. To our knowledge no one else has ever done that. As our Advisory Council, they tell us where to spend the money. We just say, okay, where do you need it? We’re guided by them.”
When Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Elliot Easton of The Cars, or Danny Seraphine of Chicago first got into their
respective bands – or when Alan freaking Parsons was getting comfy around the mixing desk at the Beatles’ Let it Be sessions, or was watching the lads’ last performance on the roof of Apple Records (yeah, Parsons was up there in a black suit, orange shirt and skinny tie), none of these artistes likely foresaw themselves on Kevin Costner’s back porch in the far-flung 2020s raising dough for First Responders. Life’s funny that way, to understate it. There is mayhem, yeah. Together we rise to confront it. Period. We’ve all seen the dandelion having burst through the filthy sidewalk. The nodding little flower is surrounded by crumbs of cement, its raggedy bloom and outstretched leaves seeming to say, “What’re you lookin at?” It is a lovely, lovely thing.
“The police, the firefighters, the sheriff,” Weston-Smith says. “When the sh*t hits the fan, they just come together and work as one kickass, beautiful team.” Two beats. “For us. That’s why we do what we do.”
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
In any incident, Fire and law Enforcement work as a seamless team (photo by Mike Eliason)
by Beatrice Tolan
When I challenge myself to start a donation pile, I lament over how many items I can’t imagine parting with; but really, it takes me five minutes to separate out my true valuables. My olive-green electric guitar, a bank box of 20 journals dating back to 2012, and enough clothes to stave me over for a few days. These items keep me company as I remain evacuated from the Eaton fire.
I live in Pasadena, California, a five-minute drive from the start of the Eaton fire, which began at 6:30 pm on Tuesday night, January 7th. My mother and I were on the phone with my aunt over on the East Coast, Jane, relaying how massive the Palisades fire must be for ash to be falling on our doorstep. She softly told us that wasn’t the likely scenario.
I finally accepted what I’d been ignoring for the last hour: the cacophony of emergency vehicle sirens all heading towards the mountains. CalFire’s website helped us determine the worst. Without a word, I got up from my computer and began the task of gathering my aforementioned belongings.
I’d have felt panic if déjà vu hadn’t gotten to me first. Immediately I was transported to the winter of 2017, to my mother gently waking me up in the orange morning light, saying, “It’s time to go, honey.” Pushing boxes of photographs into my mom’s convertible and chasing my brother’s cat from the neighbor’s yard into his carrier, as police officers ushered us out of Montecito.
The subsequent mudslides on the night of January 8th, 2018, changed our community forever. Now, on its 7th year anniversary, I’m nervously updating my news feed just as I had been when I read the headline “Mudslide Kills Eight in Montecito,” and couldn’t get ahold of my brother for a day.
As I’m writing this, on the afternoon of January 13th, the Eaton fire has eaten nearly 15,000 acres. The Palisades continue to burn, and more fires crop up around the San Fernando valley. While my house survives, the number of people I know whose homes simply don’t exist anymore grows daily.
When devastation has the potential to strike at any moment, as Californian’s have accepted with our flammable state, the fragility of life shows a little clearer under the surface of our daily lives. When that fragility threatens my peace, I return to a quote by Ajahn Chah, a Thai meditation master who told one of his pupils the following:
This glass is already broken
“You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it. I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over, or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”
The idea that everything is a cup waiting to be broken once paralyzed me. But as the inevitable events of life unfolded – fire and death – I grew to respect the ephemeral, to catch the “beautiful patterns” of the passing moments and let the pieces break as they may.
To combat existential fear, I have a tattoo on my arm that reads: “Nothing is mine to keep,” a lyric written by Emily Sprague, the singer of the band Florist. It reminds me that even the moments of uncertainty and devastation cannot last forever. That there are still so many unbroken cups – my community, my family, my passions – that keep my hands warm and heart full.
Immediately, a group of Montecito residents acted by literally picking up shovels and began digging out people’s mud-filled homes. This group evolved into the Bucket Brigade, whose primary work is deploying volunteers in response to natural disasters and community. In times when they’re not dealing with natural events and disasters, they are a powerful engine behind other community projects like building walking paths around Montecito to make our town safer and more walkable.
The other notable group that formed was called The Project for Resilient Communities, which got to work researching global resilience strategies, and applied for emergency permits to install debris nets on the mountains above our homes, and with the help of the community raised six million dollars to purchase and install them. The time it takes to apply for and receive an emergency permit is far shorter than for a regular permit. As a public private partnership, we were able to work at a pace that government would not be able to.
“Post disaster, hope is like electrolytes for the soul. And that’s something no cavalry was ever going to bring, or even could bring, on slow horses with small saddle bags.”
And then there were the geology professors from UCSB who volunteered hundreds of hours of expertise to help us find a path forward out of the devastation. These and many other community efforts empowered us to participate in our own survival and allowed us to feel like we had at least some agency over our own destinies. They gave us an alternative to feeling helpless. They provided a way for us to connect with one another in a way that created bonds I suspect will never be broken. Bonds that got us all through a time that, in retrospect, it’s hard to believe ever happened.
Many efforts like these are already popping up around Los Angeles and even here in Santa Barbara.
As Winston Churchill once said, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” In the meantime, be good to yourselves. Be good to each other. Don’t waste time looking to assign blame, there will be plenty of time for blue ribbon commissions when the smoke clears.
“Build Back Better” was a catch phrase and ultimately a failed stimulus bill that never made it through Congress. But what I’d like to share with our displaced friends in Altadena and the Palisades is that more than a slogan, common citizens can actually build back better. Or at least they can start the process by putting one foot in front of the other. They can stick a shovel in the ground or clear a roadway, and, in the process, gain not just a sense of community, but of agency. Post disaster, hope is like electrolytes for the soul. And that’s something no cavalry was ever going to bring, or even could bring, on slow horses with small saddle bags.
was Alzina, who set up a “Cold Spring School Fire Evacuees Kids Camp” on Friday, January 10, for 35 students, and on Monday, January 13, and Tuesday January 14, for 70 kids, with 50 on a waitlist.
I went to the camp on Monday, January 13. There I met with Alzina, General Manager of the San Ysidro Ranch Ian Williams, MOXI education leaders Kristen Denton, Jasmine Thompson, and Leah Forester; Director of Advocacy at the Cook Center for Human Connection Amy Yamamoto Callahan, owner of Kismet Montecito Lindsay Eckardt – who organized the funding and distribution of tote bags with pjs, water bottles and more for the kids – with CSS parent volunteers Monique Otero and Allison Lipps, and Village Coffee van owner Katie Osumi – a CSS parent giving free coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries.
Alzina explained how the camp started: “The Cold Spring School District is grateful to have the opportunity to provide a safe, engaging, supportive, and fun place for evacuated children. The idea came when the General Manager at the San Ysidro Ranch and Cold Spring parent, Ian Williams, reached out to me last Wednesday for mental health support for kids that were staying at his hotel. I immediately called Suzanne Grimmesey from SB County Behavioral Wellness [SBBW]. That’s where we brainstormed the idea of a camp for kids. Knowing I would have a large number, I enlisted help from the Small School Districts Association where I serve as a Board member and where my former CBO, Yuri Calderon, is the Executive Director. Yuri and his staff flew in from Sacramento to lend a helping hand with my specialist teachers serving as teachers. The MOXI Museum also brought over staff. I created a flier and sent it out to the General Managers at the Montecito Inn, the Rosewood Miramar Beach, and the San Ysidro Ranch. Suzanne worked with Kelly Huber and created a press release that went out on the radio and news outlets. We are also working with Project Camp L.A. and the Cook Center for Human Connection. And yes, many CSS families took in friends from Los Angeles.”
I asked Ian Williams for his thoughts, and he shared, “Please know that we are far from spearheading this community effort. We are here to support our communities to the South and our local community. Dr. Alzina and Yuri Calderon – and everyone she has assembled to work with the unfortunate families affected by this tragedy –have been nothing short of miraculous. We are fortunate to have an amazing and engaging team at Cold Spring School that created the type of environment where parents can feel free to communicate and bounce around both concerns and ideas that benefit the children of our community. As soon as I witnessed my first interaction with a child exposed to the message that their home was lost it became very apparent that we needed to create a safe and nurturing environment for children. It was devastating to see children exposed to their parents’ grief and inability to control an environment they had created for their children. I quickly called Dr. Alzina and asked for guidance on how we could reduce the exposure to the children and allow parents the free time to gather themselves and determine a path forward amongst all the chaos. We are honored to work with our local schools, local support organizations, and the community to help foster a safe environment for these families to start the healing and recovery process.”
The entrance gate to the school was secured for parents with their children to check in at the welcome desk manned by the SBBW team and volunteers. Children were given a name tag, CSS t-shirt, and the tote bag. Children were divided into two groups, the Dolphins and the Sharks. They attended STEAM, physical ed, lunch, and Hearts Equestrian Therapy provided a mini therapy pony. The San Ysidro Ranch provided lunch for camp staff. Children were gifted with a choice of a free basketball, soccer ball or stuffed animal, in addition to a book.
From CSS, I went to MUS to meet with Superintendent of Montecito Union School Anthony Ranii at his office. He shared, “First and foremost what we are doing is enrolling kids. We had a family start today, one tomorrow and potentially seven additional families that are joining us. These are families that are residing in the Montecito Union School District’s boundaries. Even if they are only here for a few weeks, as long as they are residing in the district’s boundaries, we are taking them. Secondarily, we are working with the MUS Foundation to send out “Cozy Kits” with stuffed animals, $20 gift cards to Amazon and Target, crayons, coloring books, water bottles, sweatshirts, and socks. We’re trying to provide from one school district to another school district’s kids a cozy touch. Thirdly, we have a lot of MUS families taking other families in, and that is what is creating the co-residency here, giving of their time, resources, and materials. We have enrolled these kids, some for the long term, or simply as a way station as they figure out their new permanent home. And we’re working with Suzanne Grimmesey from SBC Behavioral Wellness and Project Camp do determine if the children want more camp time.”
Next, I met with Executive Director of the Montecito YMCA Ryan Power, who lived and worked in Malibu as the GM at Malibu’s La Costa Beach & Tennis Club, and with the City of Malibu. Power has been busy communicating with L.A. fire evacuee families, as well as receiving countless incoming requests for housing and schools. He opened up the Montecito Y preschool for emergency placements which started Monday, January 13. His statement to the community is: “In the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles County, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has stepped up to support those affected. Your generosity and compassion are a powerful reminder of the strength of our community. We are committed to being flexible and responsive as the needs of our community continue to change. We’d like to share an update on how we’re working to help those displaced into our area:
- Free Preschool Services: We are now offering free preschool services to families impacted by the fires. Our first group of preschoolers has already joined us, and we still have 12 spots available in Montecito for children aged 2.5 to 5 years old. These spots are being offered on scholarship for an initial two-week period, and we will reassess the need for extended care as the situation evolves.
- After-School Program for Elementary-Aged Children: To support young learners, we are providing an enriching and safe after-school program at Montecito Union School. This program is open to students from any local school and runs Monday to Friday from 2 pm for Kindergarten, 2:30 pm for First Grade, and 3:00 pm for Second to Sixth Grade until 6 pm.
- YMCA Guest Passes: For individuals impacted by the fires, we are offering two-week guest passes to the Montecito Family YMCA. Our facilities include gym equipment, group fitness classes, personal training, swimming, and swim lessons, providing a space to find solace and recharge during this difficult time.
If you or someone you know has been affected by the fires, please don’t hesitate to reach out: mo.info@ciymca.org.
The Head of the Laguna Blanca School Brooke Green shared, “Our student-led Community Service Club is organizing a donation drive to support victims of the L.A. fires. Donation boxes have been placed on both the Montecito and Hope Ranch campuses, where students, parents, and teachers can contribute items. These donations will be forwarded to the larger “L.A. Fire Donation Drive,” which coordinates aid for families in need throughout the L.A. area. In addition, for families who have relocated to our community, we are offering immediate enrollment opportunities for students in grades 5 to 12 at our Hope Ranch campus. We warmly welcome applications and are here to support new members as they settle into the area.”
by MJ Staff
As Santa Barbara and Montecito export aid and comfort to the firestorm-stricken areas around L.A., we’re reminded once again that people are people (to quote a beloved local), and the impulse to jump in and help is as reflexively human as it gets.
Richie shares, “We are proud to partner with Adam’s Angels to support those in need during this challenging time. Together, we’re stepping up to provide emergency aid for individuals and families displaced by recent events, as well as the firefighters bravely battling to keep Los Angeles communities safe. Let’s come together as a community and make a difference!”
We’re accepting donations of: Bottled water, Gatorade, Red Bull, Nuts, Dried Fruits, Disposable razors, Chapstick, Eye Drops, Protein Bars, Blankets, Beef Jerky. 411: Drop off at Richie’s Barbershop, 1187 Coast Village Road. #6
Lucky’s on Coast Village Road went to the Critical Command center for firefighters at Malibu’s Zuma Beach – the main camp for firefighters from all over the state and country – and worked their Lucky’s magic. “We cooked for over 600 firefighters,” says Larry Nobles, Director of Operations at Lucky’s. “It was myself and Lucky’s Malibu Executive Chef Marco Bello, Lucky’s Montecito Executive Chef Rene Gonzalez, and three other guys. We are hoping to be able to cook again this week for the community and for the firefighters in front of Lucky’s Malibu, and to be a place where the community can gather.” Okay … how?!
“It was an idea that Gene Montesano had late Wednesday night that we turned into action Wednesday morning,” Nobles says. “We cleared out the food at our closed Malibu location and brought it to the camp. Tons of logistics, health inspections on our food – and then we got in. No news team, no media, just us and firefighters.”
On Friday, January 17, from 6-7 pm, the Montecito YMCA will be hosting a free sound bath for fire evacuees to relax and recharge. Let soothing sounds help reduce stress and promote healing during this challenging time. Sign in at 5:45 pm. For more info: (805) 969-4871; mo.info@ciymca.org
This week Kim and Andy Busch, owners of Folded Hills on CVR, organized a drop-off for donations of the most needed items to the Dream Center Los Angeles and pet supplies to the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society.
Isabelle Gullö, Co-Founder and Executive Director of C.A.R.E.4Paws announced they are partnering with Cold Noses Warm Hearts, Meade Canine Rescue, ASAP Cats, and Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society to urgently assist in animal rescue efforts during the Los Angeles fires. Together, these organizations are working to transfer cats and dogs from three Los Angeles shelters, with the potential to expand their efforts even further.
Pets will be transported using C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile vet clinics, the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society’s van, and Diaz Paws Transportation. The rescued animals will be adopted out through the collaborating organizations, ensuring they find loving homes. Currently, 15 cats from Baldwin Park Shelter are being transported to ASAP Cats in Santa Barbara. C.A.R.E.4Paws is deeply grateful for the outpouring of community support and the foster applications we are receiving. Together, we can make a difference for these animals in need.
411: https://care4paws.org
Local dog whisperer Jaclyn Sicilia (who will be featured next week in the MJ) is offering at least one bonding and connecting session to each family or person who fosters or adopts a dog from any of the animal shelters in L.A. that have taken in dogs during the fires. Understandably, fostered or adopted dogs may be shaken up from the events and struggling to connect with their new surroundings. She adds, “These sessions help people understand their pooches better and how they can better meet their needs, which, by meeting the needs of our pooches, helps us to better connect with them and strengthens our bonds with them.” Each session lasts between an hour-and-a-half and three hours with the first session 100% discounted and any subsequent sessions at a discounted rate. 411: Instagram: @palmtrees_n_pooches; Email: jcsicilia923@gmail.com
Denise Sanders, Senior Director of Communications & Search Team Operations, confirms the Search Dog Foundation’s immaculately trained teams are working the ravaged neighborhoods down south. “We currently have five SDF-trained canine search teams deployed for the Los Angeles fires,” Sanders says. These human-canine teams are doing extremely difficult work in the immediate wake of a heartbreaking human cataclysm.
SDF-trained human remains detection (HRD) team Jon Munguia & Clifford of Los Angeles County Fire Department – and live-find SDF-trained teams Josh Davis & Bosco and Garreth Miller & Reva of California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3), and Patrick Easton & Linus and Eric Lieuwen & Ridge of California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7) – have deployed to the Los Angeles fires along with their SDF teammates to assist in the aftermath of the blazes that have devastated the region in recent days.
Montecito Journal ’s Renaissance Woman, Office Manager, and Front Desk Polymath – the unflappable Kassidy Craner – informs us that her father, Battalion Chief Richard Ames of Santa Barbara City Station #1, has been doing battle down south since the ferocious conflagration roared to life. He and 22 brave crew members gathered from around the state are firefighting in truly hellish conditions – with no real end in sight at this writing. “The job is open-ended until further notice,” Kassidy says. “…but I will keep you updated…”
by Steven Libowitz
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
Political Panic! at the Pollock – In 1949, the FBI accused the CBS TV network of “selling socialism” and subverting American values by broadcasting to the nation programs sympathetic to communism. The agency pressured CBS into cooperating with its widespread anti-communist campaign through a coordinated strategy of threats and retaliation. A special event in The Carsey-Wolf Center’s series Panic! features a screening of a 1951 episode of The Goldbergs called “Mother-In-Law,” which highlights a young Anne Bancroft, whose co-star was fired after he was blacklisted. This is followed by a 1943 Peabody award-winning CBS radio broadcast of William Robson’s “Open Letter on Race Hatred,” aired in the aftermath of the 1943 Detroit riots. Following the event, Carol Stabile , professor and author of “The Broadcast 41,” will join CWC director Patrice Petro for a discussion of blacklisting and television.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Pollock Theater, UCSB campus
COST: free (reservations recommended) INFO: (805) 893-5903 or www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18
AD&A’s Winter Wonders – The Art, Design & Architecture Museum at UCSB boasts two exhibitions opening this afternoon, pairing what would seem somewhat disparate shows. Public Texts: A Californian Visual Language brings together more than 20 artists from around the state who together employ unique and surprising ways to utilize text in their creative practices. Curated by Alex Lukas, Associate Professor of Print and Publication, the show plays with the boundary between language and image as a central component in works spanning painting, drawing, printmaking and more. The exhibition includes newly commissioned works by Rose D’Amato, Christine Sun Kim, and Kate Laster, among others. Curated by AD&A Museum Director Gabriel Ritter
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18
Pop Pick of the Week – Of all the Santa Barbara bands to have made a national impact, Nerf Herder would have seemed the least likely. Formed more than 30 years ago and named for the insult Princess Leia hurls at Han Solo in the second Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back, Nerf Herder is a self-professed geek-rock band whose simple songs rely as much on juvenile jokes and pop culture references as they do on hook-filled power pop. They rose out of nowhere to score a significant hit with the 1997 single “Van Halen,” drawn from an album full of similarly silly songs that are also endlessly entertaining earworms. (It didn’t hurt to have all those local references, such as “Haley Street” either.) A year later, Nerf Herder also composed and performed the theme music to the TV’s hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nowadays, the band is even more sporadic than it was in the mid-2000s, as co-founder/songwriter/guitarist/singer Parry Gripp has big responsibilities as co-owner of Santa Barbara Orchid Estates. And it’s been almost a decade since the last album, 2016’s Rockingham. All of which makes a local show with the boys – now in their 50s – a rocking reunion and a raging party, especially with fellow Santa Barbara-connected ‘90s band Ridel High opening.
WHEN: 9 pm
WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street
COST: $18
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
MONDAY, JANUARY 20
Marking MLK Day – The Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Santa Barbara’s 18th Annual Holiday Celebration gets going in the morning with a Chumash prayer and addresses this year’s theme of “Everyone has the power for greatness—not for fame, because greatness is determined by service,” including Kathy Hughes, a real estate agent with half a century of local experience, who will share how her career has given her the time to serve her community. A performance by World Dance for Humanity closes the program. Participants in the ensuing annual Unity March up State Street to the Arlington Theatre will be greeted by a jazz band performing outside in the plaza, while the 90-minute program inside the Arlington includes a talk from Keynote Speaker Dr. Lisa Sideris, readings of top award-winning poems and essays from more students, and several vocal performances. Today’s program is the culmination of five days of events that include a ceremony at UCSB’s Eternal Flame, and an event honoring the students whose protest led to the development of the Center for Black Studies Research and the hiring of more African American faculty. Events also included services at local houses of worship, and a screening of the documentary Raging Waters, followed by a discussion on Santa Barbara’s flood concerns at the Community Environmental Council’s Hub. WHEN: 9 am-3 pm
WHERE: Plaza De La Guerra, 8 E. De La Guerra St. & Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 729-1143 or www.MLKSB.org
with Curatorial Research Fellow Hayate Murayama, Tomiyama Taeko: A Tale of Sea Wanderers draws on how the artist addressed issues around gender, imperialism, war responsibility, and environmental destruction through an unflinching feminist and activist lens in the course of her long career. This exhibition presents the series, Hiruko and the Puppeteers: A Tale of Sea Wanderers, consisting of oil paintings and collages produced in 2008 that depict a troupe of wandering minstrels, puppeteers and musicians who traveled from the South Pacific to the waters of East Asia and beyond. Light refreshments will be served at tonight’s opening reception, with music from ubiquitous Santa Barbara DJ Darla Bea
WHEN: Opening reception 5:30-7:30 tonight; exhibits close April 27
WHERE: UCSB campus, across from the lagoon
COST: free
INFO: (805) 893-2951 or www.museum.ucsb.edu
Purple Power – Bettis Richardson has had a long career in entertainment, ranging from an early appearance on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars to showing up on TV’s The Muppets and dancing on Broadway in Bring It On: The Musical. More recently, the South Florida-raised musician, singer, and dancer has a new niche: impersonating the late pop star Prince in Prince Again, a tribute to The Purple One. The set is said to run the gamut of the Minneapolis pop sensation’s career, not only delivering the majority of the hits and other fan favorites – “Little Red Corvette,” “1999,” “Kiss,” “Cream,” “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” “Raspberry Beret,” and “Purple Rain” – but also touching on some deeper cuts. Backed by a tight band, Richardson aims to capture as much of the purple sensation’s smooth vocals and steps in a show bursting with dance moves, stagecraft and lighting effects.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $58.50
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19
Graham Cracks the Guitar – Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Calum Graham, whose repertoire includes songs written for the acoustic, baritone, and harp
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21
‘Stomp’ Beats It to the Granada –Todd Rundgren the Drum All Day”, with the signature chorus “I don’t want to work – I just wanna bang on the drum all day.” Substitute anything and everything capable of producing percussion beyond typical instruments, and you may just stumble onto what might be the theme song for Stomp. The London and Broadway sensation features an eight-member troupe that uses everything from matchboxes, wooden poles and brooms to garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps and their own bodies to fill the stage with rhythm and movement. The explosive show garnered armfuls of awards and rave reviews when it opened in 1991 and has gone on to a long life as a touring show. But you might want to consider earplugs when the pulse-pounding production returns to Santa Barbara in a one-off add-on to the Broadway in Santa Barbara series.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street
COST: $73-$103
INFO: (805) 899-2222/www.granadasb.org
guitar, has been a success since his teenage years. Claiming first place at the 2010 Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competition when he was 17, he performed at both the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and the 2012 summer games in London. Acoustic Guitar Magazine
Guitarists under 30. Since then, Graham has composed for nature docs, released a series of well-received albums – including his fifth studio effort Tabula Rasa, which introduced his soulful vocals alongside his instrumental prowess – while his 2023 record offers innovative, reimagined arrangements of earlier fan-favorite tracks. Guitarists as diverse as Toto’s Steve Lukather are among Graham’s growing legion of admirers. The composer-guitarist-vocalist plays SOhO tonight in the first concert of the winter season from SB Acoustic.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court
COST: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22
Hey, Hay, Colin’s OK – Singer-songwriter Colin Hay made his bones as the lead singer and principal songwriter for the multi-platinum selling, Grammy-winning Aussie band Men at Work, whose hits on their 1981 debut include “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under.” It took a while for the record to reach its peak, but in January 1983, the Men were the first Australian artists to have a simultaneous No. 1 album and No. 1 single on the United States Billboard charts (“Business as Usual” and “Down Under”), equaling the earlier feat on the Australian, New Zealand and U.K. charts. But over the course of 15 solo albums, Hay has spent more than a quarter-century in a return to his roots as a more intimate singer-songwriter who is nowadays prized for his confessional live shows. Hay’s latest solo album, Now and the Evermore –recorded during the pandemic and released in 2022 – is a defiantly joyful celebration of life and love, one that insists on finding silver linings and reasons to smile. Also a frequent member of Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, Hay returns to the Lobero for another solo show that will touch on all aspects of his career.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $60 & $70 ($122 VIP tickets includes premier seating and a pre-show reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres)
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
Santa Barbara’s Trusted Choice for Estate Liquidation and Downsizing
As the largest estate liquidators in the Tri-County area, we provide comprehensive services through Moving Miss Daisy, including expert packing, unpacking, relocating, and ensuring your new home is beautifully set up and ready to enjoy. We also host estate sales and online auctions at our own huge consignment shop—the largest in the area, offering an unmatched selection of items. Licensed, bonded, and insured with workers’ compensation coverage, we are certified by the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and the American Society of Estate Liquidators (ASEL). Proudly holding an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
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Recognized as the area’s Premier Estate Liquidators - Experts in the Santa Barbara Market! We are Skilled Professionals with Years of Experience in Downsizing and Estate Sales. Personalized service. Insured. Call for a complimentary consultation. Elaine (805)708-6113
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AUTOMOBILES WANTED
We buy Classic Cars Running or not. Foreign/Domestic Chevy/Ford/Porsche/Mercedes/Etc. We come to you. Call Steven - 805-699-0684 Website - Avantiauto.group
Trusted, Experienced Caregiver, CA State registered and background checked. Vaccinated. Loving and caring provides transportation, medications, etc. Lina 805-940-6888
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
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Do you need to get away for a weekend, week or more? I will house sit and take care of your pets, plants & mail. I have refs if needed. Call me or text me. Christine (805) 452-2385
Longtime Santa Barbara resident, retired, active woman. experienced with house sitting and dog sitting prefer small dogs or cats. Trustworthy, tidy, kind pet lover. Excellent local References upon request. (805) 451-3415
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Framed floral paintings, approximately 1985 or earlier.
Peonies 24’’ by 20”
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Hydrangeas 27” by 31.25”
Call Allen Braithwaite (805) 745-5533
It’s simple. Charge is $3 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $10 per issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email Classified Ad to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860. All ads must be finalized by Friday at 2pm the week prior to printing. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex (3% surcharge)
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304
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Ocean view plot off of Bluff Ave. Island Edition-C #83 $25,000 For info (805) 455-0731
EDC Mobile Sharpening is locally owned and operated in Santa Barbara. We specialize in (No-Entry) House Calls, Businesses, and Special Events. Call (805) 696-0525 to schedule an appointment.
In-home/outdoors guided fitness All ages/levels, on your time Pick a trainer, pick a place Book TODAY: www.raresolfit.com Or email: contact@raresolfit.com
Private Chef Eliza Restaurant quality meals in the comfort of your home small gatherings & special occasions drop off & meal-prep 805.705.3618 www.chefeliza.com
Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary Menagerie 2430 Lillie Avenue Summerland, CA 93067 (805) 969-1944
Donate to the Parrot Pantry! At SB Bird Sanctuary, backyard farmer’s bounty is our birds’ best bowl of food! The flock goes bananas for your apples, oranges & other homegrown fruits & veggies.
Volunteers
Do you have a special talent or skill? Do you need community service hours? The flock at SB Bird Sanctuary could always use some extra love and socialization. Call us and let’s talk about how you can help. (805) 969-1944
ByPeteMuller&FrankLongo
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tortillas, melted cheese, avocado and
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