CCC, Sable, & Miramar, oh my – The Coastal Commission to meet over the contentious Sable Offshore permit, a Miramar expansion appeal, and more, P.5
On Fire & CUPs – New state fire laws on the horizon and Lotusland’s CUP are the hot topics at Montecito Association’s Land Use Committee, P.28
Helping first-generation college-bound students REACH their dreams, page 22
SB’s Hands Off – A photo collage of the thousands of protesters that gathered in downtown SB over the weekend for the nationwide Hands Off rally, P.38
Hop Over to Easter
Two fleeced appendages loom over a hedge as countless children hunt down hue-stained orbs filled with promise… it’s Easter once again! page 12
A Glass of Laughs
It’s corkscrews and screwy comics at this inaugural comedy festival taking place over three days along the Central Coast wine country, page 32
IN THE STONEHOUSE CELLAR...
Just ask about it next time you HAVE DINNER
fine properties represented by
•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)
Visit: www.DanEncell.com for market information & to search the entire MLS
Two
Stunning Properties
815 Hot Springs Road
Nestled on an extremely private parcel in one of Montecito’s most coveted locations, this exceptional property offers the perfect balance of privacy, serenity, and breathtaking ocean/ island and mountain views. Set on a 2+ acre, gently sloping usable lot, this estate provides an expansive canvas for outdoor living, surrounded by magnificent trees and mature landscaping, while maintaining complete tranquility.
$16,500,000
109 Rametto Road
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. Featuring grand public areas, bedrooms, libraries, and offices. With 10 fireplaces and 14 baths, every facet of this residence exudes regal splendor.
$15,750,000
Dan Encell “The Real Estate Guy” Phone: (805) 565-4896
Email: danencell@aol.com DRE #00976141
412 E. Haley St. #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.965.9555 | frontdesk@beckercon.com| www.beckerstudiosinc.com @beckerstudios
Jerrad Burford Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 805-695-7108 jerrad.burford@ morganstanleypwm com
Jeanine J. Burford Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 805-695-7109 jeanine.burford@ morganstanleypwm.com The Burford Group at Morgan Stanley
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
News Bytes – The Coastal Commission’s upcoming momentous meeting, Summit for Danny returns, SB Public Library feels budget cuts, and other bits 6
Beings and Doings – Brian O’Laughlin? Oh, he’s just the agronomist who keeps Birnam Wood Golf Club looking like a player’s fever dream. 8 Montecito Miscellany – Yo-Yo Ma reflects, Rachmaninoff and the Tsar on stage, and the Chineke! Orchestra finally arrives
18 Brilliant Thoughts – When it comes to the Royals, royalties, and the game of chess, Ashleigh has some powerful thoughts
20 The Curious Traveler – Throngs of lines… crowds and site timeslots… when it comes to traveling, there may be a way to do it better
22 The Giving List – This immersive 2.5-year program is giving first-generation college-bound students that chance to REACH their goals
Elizabeth’s Appraisals – Elizabeth faces her uncanny fears and appraises a reader’s collectible one-eyed doll
26 Robert’s Big Questions – What does balanced trade look like? And what are the effects of tariffs?
32
Santa Barbara by the Glass – The new Corkscrew Comedy Festival will have you giggling in your glass of grenache
34
Foraging Thyme – Get your spring popping with this spicy, savory – and a touch tangy –bok choy dish 36
Crime in the ‘Cito
38 Hands Off Rally – Thousands gathered to protest the administration’s policies… here are the photos to prove it
44 Calendar of Events – To be seen this week… poetry about parks, a White Buffalo on stage, and kites in the skies
Town
Here’s
Entertainment – Handel en español, Owls in Hahn Hall, Earth Day all week, and more happenings
28 Meeting at MA – New state fire laws are going into effect, and Lotusland discusses its CUP
30 The Optimist Daily – A homebuilding company constructs an entire wildfire-resilient neighborhood in Escondido Community Voices – Jeff Giordano has some questions on the budget for the new jail
46
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
47 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles
Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer
News Bytes California Coastal Commission Meeting
by MJ Staff
The California Coastal Commission will be meeting at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Hotel from Wednesday, April 9, to Friday, April 11. Among the packed agenda, several key local issues will be heard on Thursday, April 10, including a Cease & Desist Order, Restorative Order, and an Administrative Penalty to Sable Offshore Corp. regarding the Las Flores Pipelines CA-324 and CA-325 and its related offshore locations. There are also two new appeals to be heard, including one by Heal the Ocean and Unite Here Local 11 in regards to the County’s granted permit for the planned Miramar expansion of 26 affordable employee housing units, eight market-rate housing units, and 17,500 square feet of commercial space. The other appeal is by “Keep the Funk” and Steve Johnson for the City of SB’s granted permit for the sizeable development by the Wright Family at 101 Garden Street that would include construction of a new 250-room hotel with a 238-space underground parking structure, 29 parking spaces above ground, six affordable housing units, 208 square foot market, meeting rooms, fitness center, a swimming pool, two spas, a courtyard, and a roof deck. The CCC website has also included the following note:
There will be no Public Comment on Thursday due to an extremely full agenda. If you wish to speak during the public comment period, please submit a request to speak during public comment on Friday’s agenda.
411: www.coastal.ca.gov/meetings/agenda/#/2025/4
For all comments regarding the Sable hearing, email: Stephanie.Cook@coastal.ca.gov
Shelterbox Responds to Thailand Earthquake
Following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand, ShelterBox has sent a response team first to Bangkok to begin its assessment of what to deploy after the powerful earthquake that caused widespread destruction. ShelterBox USA President Kerri Murray says it’s anticipated the humanitarian needs will be high, especially for durable, moveable tents.
“ShelterBox is accustomed to responding to catastrophic earthquakes from Haiti and Turkey, to most recently Morocco,” said Murray. “In areas with strong aftershocks our tents tend to be very desirable. We saw this most recently in Morocco when after the earthquake, families were afraid to sleep in damaged buildings due to significant aftershocks. Our emergency shelter, tents, cookware sets, and other aid items were lifesaving to families who lost everything to the quake there.”
Thai authorities have declared a state of emergency for Bangkok where earthquakes are uncommon, and buildings aren’t built to withstand such shocks. A rare request has been made for international humanitarian aid by Myanmar’s authorities who have declared a state of emergency across six regions. In Myanmar, nearly 20 million people – more than a third of the population (mostly women and children) – are estimated to need humanitarian assistance. 411: www.shelterboxusa.org
Summit for Danny in New Zealand A Success as Climbers Return
The Summit for Danny is the most anticipated annual fundraiser for the Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Center, a key program at the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA). Each year the summit holds a local and an international event to raise funds for the center. The summits are designed and led by Bob and Patty Bryant. This year, the Summit for Danny International took place in New Zealand March 24 through April 1, with the Bryants leading a team of 20 volunteer climbers. Together they raised over $250,000 for the center.
Longtime philanthropist and board member across multi-organizations, Cynder Sinclair said, “I am so grateful for the opportunity to raise much-needed funds for the Daniel Bryant Center while hiking through the magnificent countryside of New Zealand. As I hiked along, I thought about the youth who are struggling with addiction and their families who are grateful for help from CADA. This has been a
News Bytes Page 104
GRAB THE GIRLS... AND DO AFTERNOON TEA AT THE RANCH
TEAS TREATS AND GARDEN VIEWS
THURSDAY-SUNDAY ,
DESIGN BY BARBARA SIEMON
Beings and Doings
Brian and Birnam: The Green Green Grass of Home
by Jeff Wing
Brian O’Laughlin was born to it – his awkward orientation at Washington State University notwithstanding. “Everybody shows up and all the other students are holding their major signs. You know, ‘What’s your major?’ And I was just walking around aimlessly looking for my group. I asked someone from admin, ‘Excuse me. Where’s Turf Management?’” The woman gave him a firmly puzzled look. “‘There’s no such thing as Turf Management,’” she told him. O’Laughlin looks at me wide-eyed. “I go, ‘Yeah there is. I’m enrolled in it!’”
O’Laughlin is today Director of Agronomy at Birnam Wood, the impeccably gorgeous, nationally celebrated golf club and community nexus. Yeah – agronomy. A golf course, you see, is a living thing. As you follow your disobedient Titleist through the paradisaical labyrinth of greenery, you may give little thought to the soil scientist whose knowledge base – and dedicated team –
keeps this pristine parkland breathing and thriving. At Birnam Wood, that wizard is a detail-haunted guy named Brian.
“Coming up early on, I used to see how straight a line I could mow. You turn around and look at a fairway and all your lines are just perfectly straight,
and it’s beautiful.” An eyebrow arches and O’Laughlin offers a sheepish grin. “I might be undiagnosed OCD.”
Lemonade from Lemons
Designed by storied course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., Birnam Wood’s links so thoroughly interweave the greater Birnam Wood community, the knockout homes can seem to exist at the pleasure of the fairways. “This is a truly beautiful place as you drive through it,” O’Laughlin says. “The intention is to keep it that way.” The guy isn’t making small talk; he is completely immersed in the mission.
The gated Birnam Wood community flirts with both the pleasantly folded foothills of the Santa Ynez range and the cornflower blue Pacific. Formerly a 220-acre lemon orchard dating to 1892,
the orchard’s onetime lemon-packing hangar is today’s palatial Birnam Wood clubhouse, if you can imagine. Birnam Wood was recently conferred the Distinguished Club Award of Excellence by Forbes and BoardRoom magazine – an honor bestowed on only 250 golf clubs nationwide. “It encompasses everything,” O’Laughlin says with a warm and settled expression – a guy describing home. “The food, the service, the golf course, the tennis – all of it put together.” Brian O’Laughlin is exactly where he wants to be. How did this happen? Thanks for asking.
High, Heavenly Ground
O’ Laughlin caught the bug early. “I grew up in Mount Vernon, Washington.
Beings & Doings Page 394
Brian O’Laughlin checks green speed with his trusty Stimpmeter (courtesy photo)
Birnam Wood’s hole 18 at sunset (courtesy photo)
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025, 7:30 PM
LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor Laureate Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, under the baton of their esteemed Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, return for an evening of grand musical exploration with celebrated pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard. The concert marks Maestro Salonen’s sixteenth appearance conducting for CAMA over the past three decades— twelve with the LA Phil and three with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra.
DEBUSSY: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)
BARTÓK: Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz. 119, BB 127 (1945)
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55, “Eroica”
Principal Sponsors: Bitsy & Denny Bacon and The Becton Family Foundation • Mosher Foundation Sponsors: Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts, a field of interest fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation
Co-Sponsors: Rosalind Amorteguy-Fendon & Ronald Fendon • Beth Gates Warren & Bob Boghosian
Christine & Robert Emmons • Sally & George Messerlian John & Ellen Pillsbury • Patricia & Nicolas Weber
Beth & George Wood • Nancy & Byron K. Wood
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Rachmaninoff
Montecito Miscellany Chatting Cellos & Life
by Richard Mineards
Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma reigned supreme when he performed to a soldout crowd at the Arlington, part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures series.
The Paris-born musician talked about his fascinating life dedicated to music, and played a number of his favorite pieces.
Yo-Yo’s career has been multifaceted and a testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding.
His music and words ask us to consider: What is music for? And how it can guide us on a path towards hope?
He can’t come back soon enough...
As Ever Sold Out
The verdict is in on Meghan Markle’s long awaited and rebranded As Ever raspberry spread.
“It might be time for her to ‘concentrate’ on a new formula,” is the withering opinion by Jane Herz in London’s Daily Mail, my former employer, who managed to get her hands on a $9 7.6-ounce jar ($14 for “keepsake packaging”).
It is not described as a “jam” which has to be equal parts sugar and fruit, according to the FDA. It is described as a “spread” with the website stating it “is crafted with a fluid texture so it can be drizzled, spread, poured and enjoyed for so much more than your morning toast.”
Meghan’s culinary concoction consists of raspberries, organic pure cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate and fruit pectin, a natural stabilizer.
“Several reviewers praised the simple, natural ingredient list.
“Reminiscent of a raspberry dessert sauce rather than jam or spread,” opines Herz. “We grimaced from the sweetness. It dribbled everywhere. It dripped under the pressure!”
The Daily Mail, one of the U.K.’s largest tabloids, gave the new product two stars out of five.
I also planned a taste test to see who would be “crowned” top jam maker at Pierre Lafond. Having received a jar of Harrods’ (the top London department store), and Highgrove, King Charles’s Cotswolds estate, both selling for less than $10 a jar, as well as one of Smucker’s, which sells for $4.99 for 18 oz.
But, sadly, were unable to get our hands on the Riven Rock resident’s long-awaited product. The entire As Ever product line sold out in under an hour after it went live.
Charity Commission
Prince Harry’s favorite charity is being officially investigated under “concerns raised” about alleged racism and bullying, a U.K. government department has announced.
Sentebale, a nonprofit set up by the Duke of Sussex in 2006, is being investigated by London’s Charity Commission over alarming allegations by Sentebale chairman Dr. Sophie Chandauka , which King Charles’ youngest son has claimed are “blatant lies.”
Miscellany Page 434
An engaging evening with the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma (photo by David Bazemore)
Yo-Yo Ma with chef/author Samin Nosrat on stage (photo by David Bazemore)
powerful experience on so many levels.”
Echoing her sentiments, Bryant said, “The Summit for Danny New Zealand climb adventure was stellar! The team was amazing. Fellowship, sharing, and the quality of our guides added to our total enjoyment. New friendships were abundant, and a repeat of these hikes is guaranteed!”
The Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Center provides life-changing outpatient treatment and critical services to youth in Santa Barbara County battling substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. The funds raised from this event will directly support these vital programs, ensuring that more teens can receive the help they need to turn their lives around.
411: https://cadasb.org/youth-youth-treatment
Executive Order Targets Libraries
On March 14th, the Senate passed a continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, providing funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through September 2025. On the evening of March 14th, President Trump then ordered that the IMLS – the singular federal agency dedicated to funding library services – “be eliminated to the maximum extent of the law.”
The President’s Executive Order U-turn has found the nation’s libraries in its crosshairs. The announcement also ordered the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to reject any budget requests from IMLS other than funds needed to shut down the agency.
April 6-12 is National Library Week 2025 – an opportune moment to describe the Executive Order’s effects and reverberations. Lauren Trujillo is Director at Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation.
“IMLS is the only federal agency that provides critical funding for libraries, museums, and cultural institutions nationwide. IMLS provides $15 million in support to California libraries alone. Our Santa Barbara Public Library is an essential public good and a cornerstone of our democratic society, working to improve our community, protect the right to education and literacy, and promote the free exchange of information and ideas. While SBPL is largely locally funded, IMLS grants support initiatives including:
- Lunch at the Library
- Adult Literacy programs like SBPL Works
- Community cultural events like Racies y Suenos celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Without this funding,” Trujillo adds, “essential Library services – including those that make our Library world-class – will be at risk.”
News Bytes Page 364
Sales Opportunity But the thing most important Is that you conform
by Henry J Ohrtman
The instructions were telling Just write what you think It’s about living not selling Use only blue ink.
Be yourself they counsel You’ll increase your chances First thought is best thought There are no wrong answers.
Tell us about a time you motivated a team To achieve a goal that others could only dream Describe what has been your biggest failure
Would you relocate for this position to Southern Australia?
Keep it smooth, don’t ever panic Just think of Bronson in The Mechanic Success and disappointment are joined at the hip –Describe a time you displayed leadership.
Do you prefer parties or reading alone
Can you think on your feet without grabbing your phone Would you go for team play or the way Salome dances Are your ideas high voltage There are no wrong answers.
When you close a deal in a far-out land Is it even more fun than kissing her hand? This career can be great though management’s the worst Proceed accordingly and always finish first. You can blow out your numbers And sell up a storm
Montecito Tide Guide
April 18
Conform and fit in
And drink up with the crowd
If you love history and reading Don’t say it too loud.
If you choose to ride out then And take your chances
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley
Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
Published by:
Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC
Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.
How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net
This year’s hikers at the Summit for Danny (courtesy photo)
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P.O. BOX 20183 SANTA BARBARA, CA 93120 805-451-3459 | BLYNCHCONSTRUCTION@GMAIL.COM WWW.LYNCHCONSTRUCTIONSB.COM | LICENSE #596612
Our Town Annual Easter & Passover Calendar
by Joanne A Calitri
It’s Spring and the time of year for Easter services, visits with the Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Hunts, and at Chabad Montecito, a Community Pesach Seder. Here is the quick guide for our readers!
Chabad of Montecito
Community Pesach Seder on Saturday, April 12. Event starts at 7 pm with Hors D’oeuvres; 7:30 pm, Seder Welcome; 8:07 pm, End of Shabbat; 10 pm, Shulchan Aruch (main course); 10:45 pm, End of Seder. Register by April 10.
411: www.jewishmontecito.org
All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church
Palm Sunday, April 13, 8 am & 10 am
Maundy, Thursday, April 17, 7 pm (with foot washing)
Good Friday, April 18, 12 pm & 7 pm (with chanted Passion) Easter Vigil, April 19, 7 pm (Choral Service)
Resurrection Sunday, April 20, 8 am & 10 am
Easter Egg Hunt for children will happen after the 10 am service 411: https://allsaintsbythesea.org
El Montecito Presbyterian Church
Palm Sunday, April 13, 10 am
Maundy Thursday, April 17, 5:30 pm
Good Friday, April 18, 12:30 pm
Easter Sunday, April 20, 10 am 411: https://elmopres.org
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
Palm Sunday, April 13, 10 am
Holy Thursday, April 17, 7:30 pm
Good Friday, April 18, 3 pm; Liturgy of the Word, 6 pm, followed by Stations of the Cross
Easter Vigil Mass, Holy Saturday, April 19, 7:30 pm
Easter Sunday, April 20, 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am and 12:30 pm 411: www.mtcarmelsb.com
Montecito
Covenant Church
April 20, Easter Sunday Service: 10 am open to the public 411: (805) 969-0373 office@mcchurch.org
San Ysidro Ranch Easter Brunch, Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Hunt and Pony Rides
Celebrate Easter Sunday with a decadent three-course brunch and dessert buffet served in the Stonehouse, Easter décor throughout the grounds, festive egg hunts (11 am & 1 pm), pony rides, a charming petting zoo, live music, and a special visit from the Easter Bunny. Reservations Required.
411: www.sanysidroranch.com
The Rosewood Miramar Beach
Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Bunny: Sunday, April 20, on the Great Lawn. 12 pm (ages 6 and under); 12:45 pm (ages 7 and older); 2 pm (ages 6 and under) and 2:45 pm (ages 7 and older)
Easter Brunch: April 20, 11 am – 3 pm, at both Caruso’s and The Revere Room. Reservations are required for all events and dining.
On April 19, from 12 pm to 3 pm every bunny is invited to the Mart for some Easter weekend magic, a meet and photo op with the Easter Bunny. Please bring your own camera or iPhone for the photo, no professional photographer on site!
411: www.instagram.com/ montecitocountrymart
The Easter Bunny at San Ysidro Ranch greeting guests last year will be back this Sunday, April 20 (photo by Joanne A Calitri)
Far Flung Travel Orange Crush
by Chuck Graham
Monarch butterflies don’t make any noise, but it was way too quiet in the dense eucalyptus grove at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, CA. It felt like there was no life at all in this damp riparian corridor along the wave-battered North Coast. Not seeing any orange flutters was deflating.
With our binoculars, we scoured the high reaches of the eucalyptus trees hoping for a flash of orange. There was a nice boardwalk that led to a platform where clusters of monarchs typically gather for warmth in the winter, but nothing stirred beneath the canopy.
Afterwards, naturalist Holly Lohuis and I walked over to the visitor center and got the whole story as to why there wasn’t a single monarch butterfly in what
has been in the past a reliable wintering locale for these milkweed butterflies also known as common tigers. The story wasn’t what we were expecting considering the plight of monarch butterflies.
My initial feeling was monarchs are in trouble. As tough and resilient as these insects are, they are very susceptible to climate change, pesticide use, habitat loss and fragmentation. Like so many other species, they are on the brink of extinction. Since 1980, 99% of the western populations have declined. In 2022, they were added to The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
A couple of simple remedies can help save monarch populations. Our reliance on pesticides needs to subside, and
planting native plants in our yards –particularly milkweed – would enhance their survival.
Backstory
“The big windstorm we had last November blew over one of the more prominent eucalyptus trees inside the grove,” said the naturalist working inside the visitor center. “It was a chain reaction of events that forced the monarchs to move on.”
We were relieved to learn that it was natural elements that made the monarchs find another place to roost. The tree that blew over was also home to a roosting
Far Flung Page 404
CELEBRATE EASTER BY THE SEA
With oceanfront views and fresh, locally-sourced cuisine, The Harbor invites you to enjoy a memorable Easter brunch or dinner along Santa Barbara’s iconic coastline. Join us for a dining experience where coastal elegance meets holiday celebration.
EASTER BRUNCH & DINNER Sunday, April 20th, 2025
2-Course Menu
$65 Adults & $23 Children
Where are all the monarchs?
Oh, there they are!
Protecting What Matters Most
Join us for an important and informative Community Safety Town Hall focused on practical steps homeowners can take to safeguard their homes and neighborhoods Our panel will share valuable insights on crime prevention, home security best practices, and community-based safety initiatives Whether you ' re a longtime resident or new to the area, this is a great opportunity to learn proactive measures to keep your property safe A Q&A session will follow the panel discussion our speakers
April 22, 2025 ~ 5:00 PM
All Saints by the Sea Fellowship Hall 83 Eucalyptus Lane
www montecitoassociation org
Please join us for the 66 th Annual
Carpinteria Community Awards Banquet
The Art of Community appreciating the art all around us
Saturday, April 26, 2025
5:30 pm Hors d’oeuvres | 7:00 pm Dinner & Program Girls Inc. of Carpinteria | 5315 Foothill Road, Carpinteria
Hosted Wine & Beer | Valet Parking | $120 per person
Seating is limited. Kindly respond by April 18, 2025.
Reserve your seat(s) by visiting carpca.org or scanning the QR code.
Please make checks payable to: CCA, PO Box 32, Carpinteria CA 93014
Cocktail attire encouraged.
On Entertainment
Choral Society ‘Resurrects’ Handel’s ‘Messiah’ for Easter, Adds Español
by Steven Libowitz
AWasserman at last December’s Hallelujah Project (photo by Maxx Hennard)
round these parts, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah generally gets performed only in December, in advance of Christmas, frequently as a sing-along or featuring just the famous “Hallelujah” chorus, and always as it was written in English. This weekend, the Santa Barbara Choral Society is rolling out the beloved oratorio. This most familiar of choral pieces tells the story of Jesus – from birth to death to Resurrection and beyond – with text taken directly and exclusively from scripture dating back to the pre-Easter period. There will be a performance on Palm Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church.
But that’s not the most interesting aspect of the April 12 & 13 concerts. The Choral Society’s innovative performance combines Handel’s words with portions of a Spanishlanguage libretto by Mario Montenegro that was commissioned and premiered by Bach Collegium in San Diego and Tijuana in 2020 under the title of El Mesías
“The bilingual aspect represents outreach into our Spanish-speaking community,” said JoAnne Wasserman, the Choral Society’s artistic director. “It’s such a great piece and we’re very excited to bring it alive in two languages. I think it might be the first time that it has been done bilingually at all. So we’re thrilled.”
Wasserman and her assistant selected the sections for the English-Spanish interweaving, adding a contemporary and culturally inclusive dimension to the classical masterpiece after receiving an endorsement from Bach Collegium, which has said that the work “belongs to the people” rather than being a “frozen artifact.” The Messiah / El Mesías concert will include all of Part I and selections from Part II and III of the famed piece.
“Some of the choruses will be sung in Spanish entirely and some of the arias and recitatives will be in Spanish while others are in English,” she said. “We both separately sat with the score and thought through which sections would sound interesting in a different language other than English. We actually picked pretty much all the same movements to do in Spanish.”
The Society’s singers will be joined in the creative artistic endeavor by four featured soloists – soprano Christina Bristow, tenor JJ Lopez, mezzo Christina Pezzarossi and bass Colin Ramsey (the latter two have starred with Opera Santa Barbara) – as well as a 21-piece orchestra.
The program for the concert will feature full translations of Montenegro’s Spanish libretto alongside the traditional English text. Visit www.sbchoral.org.
‘Rare Birds’ Roost at Hahn Hall
Given its members’ history and the quartet’s “inverted” composition, it’s no surprise that Owls has been called “a dream group” by The New York Times. Featuring a distinctive instrumentation variation of the traditional string quartet that trades the second violinist for an additional cellist, the individual Owls are also no strangers to our area. Cellist and composer Paul Wiancko and violist Ayane Kozasa are also part of the Kronos Quartet, cellist Gabriel Cabezas appeared with yMusic at Hahn Hall last month and as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a CAMA concert at the Granada a couple years earlier, and violinist Alexi Kenney was a featured soloist in the prestigious Ojai Music Festival last summer.
The Brooklyn-born (where else?) quartet makes its West Coast debut on April
Entertainment Page 414
Nathan Ponder LEED AP, CDT Nicole Landon, Director of Security Rob Post & Gina Post-Franco
JoAnne
Brilliant Thoughts Being Royal
by Ashleigh Brilliant
In case you’ve wondered, our word “royal” stems from “Roi,” the French word for “King.” I was born in 1933, and in my childhood, the British Royal Family consisted of a King and Queen and two little Princesses.
But there were, and are, many other things and people called Royal, including the Royal Air Force, usually just known as the RAF. In England, it would be a punishable offense for anyone or anything to call itself Royal without being thus officially designated.
Just how a certain very superior kind of hand in Poker came to be called a “Royal Flush” is to some extent debatable, but the term Royal carries its own ethos of elevated distinction. One of my favorite travel writers, Richard Halliburton, titled his first book The Royal Road to Romance
The term “royalty” as a specified form of taxation, being money owed to the King, has evolved into a type of payment in business which is contractually due to the author, creator, or owner of some particular piece of creative work – in exchange for permission to use the work commercially in some specified way. I myself have had much experience of this kind of business relationship, since my own written and illustrated products lend themselves, in many ways, to use and exploitation by a variety of manufacturers and middlemen. This can get complicated. If the person or company granting their permission doesn’t want to wait until after sales have been tabulated to be paid, they may stipulate that a certain “advance on royalties” be paid upon signing of the contract.
But Kings and Queens appear in our culture in many places. One is on a chessboard. In some ways, the King is the most important piece on the board, because capturing him is the whole object of the game. Once he’s caught, the game is over. But he has very little power or mobility. He can move in any direction – but only one square at a time. The Queen, however, is the most powerful piece on the
board. She too can go in any direction – and that includes diagonally – but with no limit as to how far.
One of our richest sources of information about royalty are the “Nursery Rhymes,” we probably remember from our childhood. There was “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” in which the King is “in his counting house, counting out his money,” while the Queen has even less to do, “in the parlor, eating bread and honey.” Then there was the Pussycat who went to London, just to look at the Queen.
This reminds me of the only time I ever saw the Queen – just after her Coronation in Westminster Abbey. I was part of the huge crowd trying to get a glimpse of her as she passed by in her golden coach drawn by six large horses, waving gracefully to the multitude. But what I remember most from that occasion was that a large number of people had brought devices to help them get a better view, which constituted, in itself, a forest of periscopes.
Shakespeare is full of Kings and Queens. He himself was born in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and lived on into that of her successor, King James I (to whom we owe the Authorized Version of the Bible).
Of course, what we call History is largely a record of the activities of various royal personages, who are necessarily accorded great dignity and respect. That is probably the main reason why a particular monarch in English history still lives vividly in popular legend. His name was Canute, and the story goes that he grew tired of all the adulation he was receiving from his courtiers, and even from the common people, just because he was a supposedly powerful King. He wanted to teach everybody a lesson on the limits of his power. He had himself and his throne carried down to the ocean shore at a time when the tide was due to start coming in. There, before a curious crowd, he stood and commanded the tidal waters to stay off-shore. In effect, he attempted to turn the tide.
Of course, the surging waters remained heedless. The tide continued to come in –and all the witnesses were presumably suitably impressed.
To which, as I see it in my Pot-Shot #3177, the only answer would be prayer:
“Let’s pray that the people in power are right, because, right or wrong, they have the power.”
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.
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The Curious Traveler The Anthropology of Tourism
by Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr.
The village headman padded over to greet us, his bare feet slapping the ground, his soles as furrowed as the African earth. The mud huts of the Maasai people stood behind him, corralled by a thorn fence to discourage lions. I expected the headman to make some tribal gesture of welcome, and he held up two fingers. It reminded me of Winston Churchill’s “Victory” sign. Could this be a universal signal of political leadership?
“Two dollars American,” said the chief. “Each person.”
Aha! It was the universal sign of tourism. Apparently, our small safari of Americans and Europeans were not the first foreigners to come upon the village. Inside, slender Maasai women lined up at elegant attention, each handsome face framed by beaded necklaces and earrings, each wrist adorned with bracelets – all for sale. Warriors held out their spears: “Good price!”
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A bit of bargaining ensued, with the Maasai and foreign women giggling because they couldn’t speak each other’s languages well enough to even set prices. It was all friendly, because happily enough the village hadn’t gone full commercial, like the tourist shops in Nairobi. Still, because we were far from Kenya’s tourist hubs, I was surprised to find this phenomenon of native people living their lives, yet charging admission.
As I strolled around the village, trying to put it all in perspective, I met another traveler in our group, a vacationing California anthropologist. It was pure serendipity that she specialized in studying the effects of tourists on the cultures they visit. Author of the classic book Hosts and Guests, Valene Smith told me her field was “the anthropology of tourism” – a phrase that would forever alter my way of seeing things.
Cardio Tennis at Elings Park
I realized that a traveler could benefit by adopting the approach of a field researcher, with eyes open and notebook in hand. I saw that in Kenya traditional people stood at the crucial crossroads where pastoral African life meets western commercialism. I started to view them, myself, and my fellow tourists in a fresh light. Why did we want to go home to Ohio or Brooklyn dressed up like Maasai warriors and carrying spears through airport customs? And why did the Maasai want American logo T-shirts?
The “anthropology of tourism” seemed like a helpful study tool. I let a circuit in my mind crackle over to a new channel, changing my perspective to that of an anthropologist looking at human society.
The Age of Overtourism
Not only must a traveler try to understand the people they visit, they must also be sensitive to their impact on those they visit and on the places where they live.
These days overtourism – a term for the spiraling numbers of visitors who take a toll on cities, landmarks, and landscapes – is discussed not just in newspaper travel sections but on the front page. Every day, Paris’s Louvre Museum, for example, sees 30,000 people make a beeline to view the Mona Lisa. Some queue up for hours to spend an allotted thirty seconds in front of the famous painting. In contrast, I wistfully remember being a student traveler decades ago, wandering into the Louvre and having the Mona Lisa virtually to myself.
In Athens the same was true at the Acropolis, where in my youth there’d been only a handful of other travelers. Today, for crowd control, Greek authorities have had to set a limit of 20,000 visitors per day, their time slots reserved online. (If you have a spare $5,500, you can book a private off-hours tour.)
Curious Traveler Page 354
What are the effects of tourists on the cultures they visit? (courtesy photo)
26,280,000 minutes
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50 years ago... ...we started our journey of creating meaningful, lasting impact with and across the Central Coast.
The Giving List REACH
by Steven Libowitz
REACH is a small local organization that provides comprehensive transformative support and development opportunities to first-generation college-bound students as they navigate the transition from high school to postsecondary education. The name is an acronym that stands for Resilience, Education, Adventure, Community and Health, but the word itself perfectly describes what the organization does, which is to reach way beyond the ordinary to augment traditional college prep workshops with a variety of extensive nature-based learning opportunities, and continued support through the first year of college to build a foundation not only for college success but a productive and impactful life.
The program begins junior year in high school, emphasizing college and career prep with some added personal development and outdoor experiences. During senior year, REACH focuses on college and financial application support and more extended outdoor training. The first year of college then switches priority to put emphasis on personal growth, including a rock-climbing trip, before the program ends with an immersive 18-day trip over the summer.
Over the course of their 2.5-year journey, the fellows, as REACH participants are known, get hands-on help with SAT prep, college and career readiness workshops, college tours, college and financial aid application assistance; overnight camping, backpacking, cultural immersions in local and remote locations; and training in leadership, financial literacy, college success strategies, nutrition and cooking classes, social-emotional learning, and problem-solving skills.
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“We focus on a number of different areas of the student’s life with a program that supports their holistic development,” said Executive Director Raúl Aguilera, who was a graduate of an earlier, more simplistic version of the program. “It’s important to be that immersive rather than just focus on getting them to college. We prepare them to be adults, and incorporate being outdoors because we know that connection to nature is paramount in a person’s mental well-being as well as their physical health. Combining those things with the leadership and mentorship that students need really helps them to thrive.”
REACH largely works with first generation students, those who will be the first in their families to attend college and who therefore generally don’t have access to the resources so-called legacy families might enjoy.
“Their parents never had the opportunity to do some of the things that they’re getting to do and probably don’t even have the needed knowledge to support them,” Aguilera explained. “School counselors are overworked with 300-500 students each. That’s where we come in to bridge the gaps, cover the need for knowledge and tools that will help them achieve their goals.”
The entire REACH program is provided at no cost to the participants, including everything from the extensive trips to the coaching, application fees, and even transportation to the local workshops when needed. That ability to offer its array of services for free is possible because REACH is funded through the generosity of the Audacious Foundation.
“We provide everything free so we can not only help with the barriers that already exist as first generation [college-bound students], but make sure financial issues don’t get in the way,” Aguilera said.
REACH is understandably proud of expanding its own, well, reach in recent years. Last month, the organization announced its largest cohort to date, one consisting of 60 fellows who will graduate high school in 2026. The milestone marks a significant growth of 33 percent from just two recruitment cycles ago in the fall of 2023, and reflects REACH’s continued commitment to provide its highly-effective programming to ever-larger numbers to meet the substantial need in the area.
As with previous classes, Cohort 2025 embodies REACH’s mission in that 87 percent will be the first in their families to attend college, with 82 percent of the fellows exhibiting documented
financial need by receiving state and/ or federal benefits. The new group of participants evenly represent areas across Santa Barbara County, with 31 from the North County region (Santa Maria and Lompoc areas) and 29 from South County cities of Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and Goleta. The students maintain an average high school GPA of 3.76. Through its three cohorts each year, REACH is currently serving 155 students, with the goal of 180 by this time next year.
But that’s still a drop in the bucket of the need countywide, Aguilera said.
“We’re limited by our resources,” he said. “Even though the organization only has four staff members, the expenses to run the program are significant because of the experiences we offer, including the immersive college tours, and three different trips over the course of the program.”
At this point, REACH is still singularly funded by Audacious Foundation, officially as a sponsored project of Wilderness Youth Project. While the organization is extremely grateful for the support, expanding its financial picture is one of the REACH’s major goals for the near future.
“We do want to grow, and to do that we need to diversify our funding which is necessary in order to become our own nonprofit,” Aguilera said.
Those who want to help REACH achieve its goals of helping its participants reach or exceed their own are invited to make a direct donation online. But dollars aren’t the only way to support the organization, as REACH always has a need for additional volunteers who can support in a number of ways, including during the workshops that range from applying to college to cooking and outdoor trips.
Visit www.reachfellowship.org
From camping trips to college tours, REACH helps first-generation college-bound students fully develop their life skills
Two Nights! Two Programs!
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Tue, Apr 15 & Wed, Apr 16
7:30 PM / Granada Theatre
“There’s something generous about Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It’s there in the dancing – full of skill, passion and a charismatic warmth.” The Guardian (U.K.)
“Every American owes it to him or herself to see the Ailey company perform Revelations. It is an American phenomenon.” – Oprah Winfrey
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder
Fri, Apr 25 / 8 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
“One of jazz piano’s most brazenly virtuosic players.” The New York Times
“Larkin Poe are your next favorite performers.” Forbes
Larkin
Poe with special guest Parker Millsap Sun, Apr 27 / 7 PM / Arlington Theatre
Steeped in both the classical and jazz traditions, Hiromi is a keyboard visionary whose influences range from Chick Corea to Frank Zappa and funk fusion. Check your expectations at the door for this night of wildly adventurous music from her eclectic electric quintet. (805) 893-3535 | www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
With serious slide guitar chops and Southern rock swagger, Georgia-bred multi-instrumentalist sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell imbue their songs with equal parts soulful sensitivity and thrilling ferocity.
Elizabeth’s Appraisals
Pediophobia or Collectibles?
by Elizabeth Stewart
onfession! I have a doll phobia, and there’s a name for that: “pediophobia,” an intense irrational fear of a humanoid form when appearing too realistic, seemingly too close to becoming one of US. In fact, the more realistic the doll, the more frightened I become. Thus, when JP sent me that shocking photo of a doll lacking an eye, I almost collapsed into my computer screen. First, I will explain why I had that reaction, and then I will answer my reader’s request to research and put a value on her damaged-eye doll. By the way, she wrote to me that the eye is still rolling about in the head!
My first negative experience with a doll was in San Diego, when my longtime colleague Shawn and I were working late in our second-hand shop. At 9 pm I saw a dresser we had recently purchased glow from the bottom drawer, emitting an eerie green light. “Oh Shawn! Come down from the office!” And we both witnessed an old porcelain-faced doll in that drawer, off-gassing with a uranium-colored light emission. Now wouldn’t you be scared of dolls from that moment on?
In 1970, Masahiro Mori, an early professor of robotics, coined the term “The Uncanny Valley” – the closer AI or robots are to lifelike humans, the creepier we find them. We may experience much more fear around imitations of “being human” in 2025 with current “artificial” technology’s peaks and valleys. Dr. Mori said that ambiguity is the seat of the unease: is it one of us or is it one of THEM? If a humanoid object does something out of human character – for instance, a mechanized clown doll bending backwards in a spine-breaking jackknife and, while upside down and crablike, creeps toward you on all fours –your stomach revolts.
Many horror movies feature dolls, meant to bring on panic attacks and terror: Puppet Master, Annabelle, and, of course, Chucky. Those of us who hate to see human form maligned hate those type of movies. Like all irrational fears, no one knows the origin, but the prescription for recovery is often said to be constant exposure to the frightening phenomenon. This “cure” is not welcomed in my case. But echoing Murphy’s law, I am often called upon to appraise a doll collection.
Now, to the doll I was sent via email. A California doll-maker made her in the 1980s, a lady named Maurita Earline Brohmer, she is sometimes also given as Earline Maples Brohmer. She was born in Missouri (1938-2012), relocated to Turlock, had a screen-printing business but taught doll-making classes. From 1983-2006, Doll Crafter magazine published articles authored by her about how to make a porcelain faced doll. In March of 1999, Earline presented a three-day workshop in Menlo Park at a shop named “Looking Glass Dolls & Bears,” where students could sculpt a head, hands and feet, with tools and supplies provided, for $300. Stranger than
any coincidence, the very day the reader sent me that photo of Earline’s doll, it was exactly 26 years from Earline’s class in doll making.
I wrote to the Vintage Toy Shoppe (est. 1975) in Richmond, VA – one of the rare surviving doll shops – and they DO buy antique dolls. Some of their vintage dolls are pricey. For instance, dolls by German artist Annette Himstedt are 18” tall and sell from $3-4K. Then there is a 1997 limited-edition model with porcelain face, German blown-glass eyes, hand-knotted mohair wig, and a Belgian lace frilly dress selling for $4,300 at this same Richmond, Virginia Vintage Toy Shoppe. I cannot imagine paying $4,000 to be endlessly haunted.
The type of doll the reader has is indeed a porcelain-faced doll, with porcelain hands and feet. Looks like she has her original outfit, which can make a difference to a collector. The body of some dolls might be vinyl, composition (a mix of wood shavings and gesso), or resin, and some have an armature of wire with which one can bend arms and legs, such as the series called “Barefoot Children” at the Vintage Toy Shoppe in Richmond. At this point, those Barefoot Children are looking too lifelike for me to stomach. The value of the reader’s doll – if it were sent to a doll hospital to be repaired – would be $75.00. I would ask the reader to give the Vintage Doll Shop a call and ask if they know of any doll repair locations and fix up that eye before the doll scares another poor soul!
A collectible or a nightmare? Depends on who you’re asking…
If you didn’t have pediophobia before, you may now…
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The left used to want tariffs on imports to protect American union jobs. Now it is the far right MAGA that wants tariffs. Why?
Trump had no economic policy until he asked Jared Kushner for one. Jared searched on Amazon for a cool book title Death by China. Co-author Peter Navarro cited expert Ron Vara who recommended tariffs. Ron Vara does not exist. It’s just an anagram of “Navarro”.
Trump hired Navarro and ran with tariffs. Trump loves unilaterally whipsawing the world economy and making people crawl and beg. Since tariffs can be applied selectively, they are perfect for corruption. Pay Trump off, no tariff.
Tariffs are a consumer goods tax. Working people pay a higher fraction of their income for goods than the wealthy. Trump loves that and wants tariffs to replace all income taxes. It is part of his desire to return to the 19th century.
Tariffs and protectionism clearly have a valid place. Some goods are matters of survival or national security. PBS NewsHour recently showed how tariffs in Haiti protected their agriculture. Until Bill Clinton forced them to drop them. Clinton later admitted that it damaged health and employment in Haiti.
Tariffs can protect an industry from going away. But it is almost impossible for a tariff to bring back an industry that is already gone. It would take massive investment, of the sort seen in Biden’s boost for domestic semiconductors with the CHIPS Act.
COVID was a window into the supply chains that we depend on. Our country can tolerate imported Chinese toys. But being overly dependent on semiconductor imports is a matter of national security and core economic survival.
What about “balance of trade”?
Economist Jason Furman explained this well in a recent New York Times article: “My local bookstore has been taking advantage of me for years. I have run a trade deficit, giving it money with nothing but books in return. At the same time I have been taking advantage of my employer, running a trade surplus with it as it gives me a salary with nothing but educational services in exchange.”
Bilateral trade deficits clearly can be just fine. Healthy trade flows in many directions through multiple parties. In the previous example, the bookstore may sell the New York Times, which ends up paying something back to Furman.
Why trade at all? Think of a personal example. Do you want to build your own house, grow your own food, or build your own car? Specialization has powered human advancement. Suppose a lawyer types faster than her secretary. Should she fire her secretary? Of course not. Because the lawyer gets paid far more doing lawyer work than typing.
Some countries have lower wages, more fertile land or cheaper energy. This is called “Comparative advantage.” We should be grateful that Vietnamese workers are willing to supply us with inexpensive clothing. We should try to find what is our unique comparative advantage.
Toyota has built factories in the U.S. But they have to hire college grads to get the same skills high school grads have in Japan. Instead of bashing Japan, maybe we should improve our education?
Germany is the third highest exporter in the world. They have universal healthcare and good wages. How? They export precision machinery, and their education system is geared for that. That is their comparative advantage.
Speaking of Germany, didn’t we have a couple of wars with them? Maybe all that trade has helped ensure decades of peace and prosperity for both our countries?
The term “banana republic” was a pejorative term. Not because growing bananas is bad. But the CIA (Dulles brothers) overthrew the government of Guatemala. Why? To enforce horrific working conditions to keep wages low for United Fruit. Isn’t that an unfair trade practice?
For fair trade to work, trade treaties must guarantee worker rights and human rights. Prisons must not be used as unfair labor sources. Not just in China. The U.S. does it, too.
If the U.S. isolates itself, the rest of the world will reorganize global trade without us. Trump can chant “America First” and try to return to the 19 th century. But that will actually put America last.
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
Meeting at MA State Fire Laws and Lotusland’s CUP at Land Use
by Joanne A Calitri
The Montecito Association Land Use Committee (LUC) April meeting was held at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom. The meeting was called to order by LUC Chair, Dorinne Lee Johnson. Attendees were the LUC members, Montecito Association Executive Director Houghton Hyatt, Montecito Fire Chief David Neels and Battalion Chief/Fire Marshall Aaron Briner, Lotusland Trustee and Consultant for its CUP Laura Bridley, and Lotusland Executive Director Rebecca Anderson and Chief Operations Officer Adam Flint Attendees also included neighbors of Lotusland and local residents.
Johnson introduced Neels and Briner to present a preview of the soon to be reviewed and enforced new fire codes for residents in the state of California. Briner stated that, “In January 2026, the Amended California Fire Code will be adopted. From now until then, Montecito Fire Department will be doing inspections of residential and commercial properties and advising the owners of remedial work to be done to comply with the incoming state laws. The Plan is titled Zone Zero. Defensible space is essential to improve the chance for homes and commercial buildings to survive a wildfire.”
He then used a slide presentation to make the following cogent points:
- In 1965, Zone 1 code defensible space is within 30’ of a structure.
- In 2006, Zone 2 code extended from 30’ to 100’.
- In 2020 and 2024, California legislature directed the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to create a third zone of defensible space via AB 3074 and SB504, called Zone 0, which applies to the first 5’ around a structure.
- End of 2025, Board of Forestry completes hearings and public comment.
- Once regulations and statutorily required guidance documents are finalized, they are applied immediately to all new structures. Existing structures have three years to comply.
- In Montecito, Zone 0 applies to all areas located within a Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) of State Responsibility and Local Responsibility areas.
- The current recommendations are to use hardscape (gravel, pavers, concrete) around the structure, remove all branches within 10’ of chimneys and stovepipe outlets, limit combustible items on top decks, relocate firewood to Zone 2, replace combustible fencing, gates and arbors attached to structures with non-combustibles, relocate garbage, recycling containers, boats, RVs, vehicles and related combustibles outside Zone 0.
to clarify their understanding. Briner and Neels repeated they and their teams are available to meet with Montecito homeowners, appointments are required.
Next, Johnson introduced Bridley, who introduced Anderson and Flint and acknowledged the Lotusland neighbors attending. Bridley started with a brief history of her background. She is currently the Chair of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, a consultant in land use, transportation, historic preservation and nonprofit administration, a nine year past President of the Montecito Association and first Executive Director of Casa del Herrero.
She then provided a brief historical context of the current CUP with exceptions made during COVID that Lotusland wishes to continue, such as the parking allowances. Lotusland received a Ministerial Permit detailing their new CUP allowances with copies sent to locals residing within 350 feet of Lotusland. She posited that the City of SB’s letter to the neighbors had, “…confusing information and presentation that caused the Lotusland neighbors to contact the Montecito Association to investigate the CUP allowances, and they also petitioned Lotusland. Lotusland held a meeting with its neighbors Friday, March 21, to discuss their concerns. Neighbors submitted their proposal to Lotusland on March 28. Review and resolution are pending the next meeting of the neighbors with Lotusland.”
- 200 Annual Defensible Space Surveys by Montecito Fire Protection District wildland specialists will be done with Montecito private property owners.
Briner’s final slide drove the points home. A Q&A from the LUC board ensued
Neighbors at this Land Use meeting shared, “We want Lotusland to be successful, but we don’t want it to have a negative impact on our residential area. We are concerned with the length of the operating hours, days of the week, and activities. We also appreciate Lotusland delaying their next meeting with the City Planning Commission.” Bridley corrected the neighbors saying, “The Lotusland CUP update is a Ministerial Permit and will go to the SB County staff for review, not the Montecito Planning Commission. We are working with you so it will not escalate to a public meeting.” Johnson ended further discussion due to the issue being resolved by Lotusland and its neighbors. Bridley concluded stating the Lotusland staff would like to attend future Land Use and Montecito Association meetings to be informed of local issues. Johnson welcomed the interest.
411: www.montecitoassociation.org
Example of the upcoming Zone 0 regulations for Montecito homeowners (pdf from Montecito Fire Dept)
Saturday, April 26
11:00 AM: E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea
Sunday, April 27
11:00 AM: Street Heroines
1:00 PM: Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray
3:30 PM: Anselm
5:30 PM: The House / This is Not a House FREE Double Feature
(Featured Guest: Filmmaker Morgan Neville)
1:00 PM: Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV
3:30 PM: Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure Feeling
5:30 PM: Schindler Space Architect
(Featured Guest: Filmmaker Valentina Ganeva)
Paseo Nuevo Cinemas, Theater #3
$50 festival pass (Individual film tickets also available)
“I’m not here to tell people how great I am. I’m here to share my story, to say, you’re no different than I am. I was able to do it, this is how I did it.” – José Hernández
José Hernández
Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farm Worker Turned Astronaut
Tue, Apr 29 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
Born into a family of migrant farmworkers, José Hernández didn’t speak English until he was 12. Yet through resilience and determination, he defied the odds – becoming an engineer, an astronaut and the first Mexican-American to travel to space.
Dr. Laurie Santos
Thriving Through Crisis: How to Foster Happiness
When the World Feels Overwhelming
Wed, May 7 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
A psychologist and an expert on human cognition, Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos discusses the tools that science provides for managing stress and building a life of happiness, even when crisis looms large.
(805) 893-3535 www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
California Builder Unveils First WildfireResilient Neighborhood in Escondido
In response to California’s escalating wildfire threat, homebuilder KB Home has launched what it calls the first “wildfire-resilient” housing development in the state. Located in Escondido, the new community is designed to meet stringent standards that reduce the risk of destruction from wildfires.
The 64-home development is the first of its kind to fully align with the wildfire resilience standards created by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a nonprofit backed by property insurers. These standards target the three main wildfire ignition threats: flying embers, radiant heat, and direct flame contact.
The homes feature a wide array of fire-resistant construction techniques, including covered gutters, enclosed eaves, and non-combustible sidings such as stucco and fiber cement. Tempered-glass windows, non-combustible roofing and patios, and fire-resistant doors further enhance safety.
Six-inch vertical clearances, achieved with a mix of concrete foundations, stucco, and stone, help keep flames from reaching combustible parts of the house. The landscaping strategy is equally deliberate: only low-combustible plants are used, and they are kept at least five feet from the home. Metal fencing throughout the neighborhood helps eliminate another source of fuel.
The spacing between homes has also been carefully planned. Each unit is at least 10 feet apart to reduce the risk of flames jumping from one structure to another.
Steve Ruffner, regional general manager of KB Home’s coastal division, said the idea for the community emerged after attending a fire-resistant home demonstration at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference last summer. Though construction had already begun on the Escondido site, the company shifted gears rapidly to incorporate the fire-resilient features.
Ruffner described the project as a kind of pilot: “We’re trying to get the cost to a reasonable place because we really specialize in first-time buyers and firsttime move-up buyers. So we want to make sure we can get this in a good place where it’s affordable to do it, and it’s also got a good payback to the customer in a form of safety.”
As climate change continues to drive more intense drought and wildfire conditions across the American West, fire-resilient construction is gaining urgency. During the Palisades Fire earlier this year, homes specifically built to fire-resistant standards survived even as the surrounding neighborhood burned.
With additional projects already in the works, KB Home’s approach may soon become the blueprint for future developments across fire-prone regions.
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Community Voices
SB’s Very Broken System: $200M Decisions Require More Than Two Hours!
by Jeff Giordano
On April 1st, our Supervisors made decisions relating to new jail construction (384 beds) and in-custody care that will cost us $200M. These decisions – ones that will affect our County for decades – were squeezed into a 45-item agenda that included such things as proclaiming the week of April 21 “International Dark Sky Week.” There is a better way!
In 1952, the SF Chronicle ran a series of articles entitled “Your Secret Government,” that spoke to the lack of governmental transparency. The series led California to pass the Public Meeting law, i.e., the Brown Act. In our county, the Act prohibits three or more Supes from meeting unless it’s in an open public forum. In theory, the Act works well – but for deeply complex multi-million-dollar decisions, compliance needs to be reimagined.
Our Agenda: Our county budget is $1.7B yet our Board meets just 38 Tuesdays each year. This leads to insane agendas, sometimes with 50 items, many that are Parks & Recs worthy fluff: Did we really need to have a resolution honoring the Dalai Lama on his 88th birthday? This agenda allotted “two hours” to a $200M decision and one hour for resolutions. Huh? Government guides advise “breaking down complex issues into a series, over time, of manageable items for more in-depth analysis.” Fun Fact: We spent 12 minutes presenting an employee commendation and 13 minutes discussing and then approving “Net Zero energy” adding (it’s unclear) $14M to $30M (financing) to the project. Doesn’t a $14M decision deserve a separate item?
Working Sessions: The Act allows working and/or study sessions with the entire Board as long as such sessions are broadcast/open to the public. The jail expansion item had experts, consultants, and stakeholders present, and deserved more than a cursory discussion and rapid-fire public comment (without Q&A, no one can make an intellectual dent in three minutes).
Better Process: At the meeting there was discussion about a decision that, in hindsight, is hugely perplexing. It was the STAR complex decision in 2015 where the Board decided to return $39M in state funding that would have built a $44M mental health treatment and re-entry facility to augment the approved North County jail project. Supervisor Lavagnino proved Nostradamus-like in his lone vote to support the STAR project: “For $1.9M we are going to get 228 beds so, there will be a day when we will say this is what we should have done!” That day is today. Reviewing the 2015 meeting doesn’t show a failure of leadership but it does show a failure of process! Another rushed and staccato-like session that, unbelievably, included the North Branch jail as well; last-minute report revisions and vague operating costs made the outcome less than obvious. Unfortunately, the county learned nothing from STAR because our decision-making paradigm is the same, as is a venue (this is not a courtroom!) that does not lend itself to fact finding depth. Supes and staff, please – begin to ideate, innovate and reimagine! Fun Fact: We actually have “Innovate SBC” – a process improvement and innovation training program for employees at every level of County of Santa Barbara government. Two Crazy Ideas: 1. Let’s add one day each month (no, not a Tuesday) to handle the fluff; and 2. For complex decisions let’s have a series of issue-focused workshops. I urge the Board and Chairperson Capps to read a bit about decision making optimization techniques and to please change something, anything, about how the county conducts its business.
Finally, let’s not forget why our county is now required to spend 24% of our discretionary budget, for decades, to house 800 in-custody residents: It is based on a lawsuit and agreed settlement; i.e., county planning, leadership and oversight failed and now we must all pay dearly to correct it.
Jeff Giordano, SB County resident
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WENDY
Santa Barbara by the Glass
Chardonnay Chuckles: First-Ever Comedy Fest Coming to Santa Barbara Wine Country
by Gabe Saglie
“Wine brings people together,” says winemaker Sunny Doench Stricker, “and so does laughter!”
The mastermind behind the whimsical Future Perfect wine brand is also the driving force behind the inaugural Corkscrew Comedy Festival, slated for this weekend. It’ll be three days of stand-up comedy across multiple venues in the Santa Ynez Valley. Barrels of wine – and laughs – guaranteed.
“I’ve always loved producing,” says Doench Stricker, who’s been involved in dozens of film and TV projects, both behind and in front of the camera, since the mid-nineties. Regular trips to Santa Barbara’s wine country inspired a permanent move a few years ago, and a wine venture. But she soon realized, “That’s what the valley is missing – some comedy!”
The actor-turned-vintner launched the Corkscrew Comedy Festival with four friends who, themselves, tout impressive entertainment and comedy chops: the wife-and-husband teams of Dianne and Dan Dominguez, and Anna Vocino and Loren Tarquinio. The latter duo will be taking the stage this weekend, too, along with 15 other jokers, a lineup that was chosen from dozens of video submissions. “It was like doing casting for acting, which is challenging,” says Doench Stricker. “Some were brilliant, others you could tell they were new, some were hard to watch! But comedy is difficult, so those who didn’t make the cut, we encouraged them to keep at it, and to apply again next year.”
Among the wisecrackers who did make the cut: Liz Greenwood, who’s taken the stage at the Laugh Factory and appeared on HBO’s Women in Comedy Fest; Mav Viola, who’s done improv at Second City and opened for performers like Margaret Cho and Whitney Cummings; and Matt Payton, a former editor for the Doonesbury, Cathy, and Ziggy comic strips who’s done standup at The Laugh Factory in L.A.
Proceeds from this weekend’s laugh fest are earmarked for the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society / DAWG (Dog Adoption & Welfare Group). The amusement will be presented across three special Santa Ynez Valley locations. Each night is $25.
Friday’s opening night laughs will take place at the legendary Maverick Saloon in the historic township of Santa Ynez. Six cutups will take the stage, starting at 6 pm, and guests will be able to order off the tavern’s lengthy list of wine, beer and
Sunny Doench Stricker is the actor-vintner behind the winery Future Perfect, as well as this weekend’s Corkscrew Comedy Festival (courtesy photo)
Sunny Doench Stricker is the actor-vintner behind the winery Future Perfect, as well as this weekend’s Corkscrew Comedy Festival (courtesy photo)
cocktails. The comedy audience can stay for the music set scheduled for 9:30 pm (country crooner Jimi Nelson is on the marquee), with the $10 cover charge for that waived. Saturday night brings the side-splitting experience to Brander Vineyard, the pioneer property in Los Olivos that, this year, is celebrating 50 years of winemaking greatness. Vintner Fred Brander will be popping corks on some of his Bordeauxinspired best; he’s also hand-selected the evening’s food purveyors, which include El Tequila Taco Bar and Tubby Cravings. The 6 pm event will feature five standup acts.
And Sunday’s uproarious finale takes on a brunch vibe at the lovely 27 Vines. The sprawling venue, terraced and embraced by grapevines, will welcome guests from 11 am to 2 pm. Five zanies will provide laughs while a pack of pups – dogs available for adoption through the weekend’s beneficiary – provide the oohs and aahs. The wines will be Doench Stricker’s own, from her Future Perfect label.
“I make wines I love to drink,” she tells me. “That was my business plan – in case no one showed up, I’d at least have wine I like! Then again, your vibe attracts your tribe!” So, she makes sparkling wines “with tiny bubbles and high velocity,” sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, grenache, and Provence-style rosé. “Mine are Old Worldstyle – bright, aromatic, well-balanced, sexy wines,” says the winemaker. “Lower in alcohol, too, so great food wine, great on their own!” Launched in 2019, Future Perfect, with an apropos sun-and-rainbow logo, launched in 2019 and produces just about 1,800 cases a year. Its Los Olivos tasting room is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. Find out more at futureperfectwine.com.
As for food at Sunday’s closing event: Eat Happy Kitchen, a culinary side hustle for one of the comedy festival’s founders, Anna Vocino, will provide gourmet box lunches. My favorite part of my recent chat with Sunny was her ruminating about the common thread between doing comedy and making wine. Both are art forms, I suggest, and performances in their own right, and success in both hinges on how
a consumer, a complete stranger to you, responds to something produced via one’s blood, sweat and tears.
“Making wine is like auditioning every vintage, hoping people will like it,” she tells me.
“It’s funny – my twin brother, who’s a filmmaker, once told me he found it fascinating that I spent an entire life in film and as a TV actor, then parlayed into winemaking, spend many months, even years, on a project, pour my heart and love into it – and then I put it out in front of people, and sit there, auditioning for them, wondering – will they like this?!
“But when you do something with all your heart and dreams and soul, I think it’s in there! I think you can taste it in the wine when it’s made with love and kindness and joy –and you can taste grumpy wine! Any praise I’ve ever received for what I’ve done on stage, it’s the same with my wine: I just hope people feel like I’m honestly giving it everything I have.”
And that’s no laughing matter.
Three days of comedy screams last-minute staycation in the Santa Ynez Valley. My friends at visitsyv.com have leads on last-minute stays.
You can’t go wrong with the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn in Los Olivos, The Genevieve Hotel in oldtown Santa Ynez and The Landsby in Solvang.
Dates for next year’s Corkscrew Comedy Festival are already set: April 17-19, 2026. Cheers to that!
For tickets, go to corkscrewcomedy.com
Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more than 15 years through columns, TV, and radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips, and trends.
Fest co-creator Anna Vocino will take the stage along with her Eat Happy Kitchen providing gourmet lunch boxes during Sunday’s brunch (courtesy photo)
Comedian Mav Viola’s audition won her a spot in this year’s Corkscrew Comedy (courtesy photo)
Foraging Thyme Baby Bok Choy
by Melissa Petitto
Walking through the farmers market this past week, the baby bok choy at Mt. Olive Organic Farm caught my eye. This crisp, super tender vegetable is so delicious steamed, added to a stir-fry, or even eaten raw. This cruciferous vegetable, which is native to China, has been eaten for more than 1,500 years and has been cultivated in America for the past 100 years. This cabbage is full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. The addition of cruciferous vegetables in our diet has been shown to prevent certain types of cancer. With vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, folate, and selenium, the body is able to prevent cell damage from free radicals. Selenium also helps slow the rate of tumor growth. Bok choy, like other dark leafy greens, contains quercetin, which is a flavonoid known for reducing inflammation in our body and lowering our risk for developing certain chronic health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The high levels of calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and vitamin K are all essential for our bone health. Bok Choy contains vitamin C, an antioxidant known for fighting free radicals and helps our body produce collagen, which fights signs of aging. Let’s take our bok choy into the kitchen!
Steamed Baby Bok Choy with Black Garlic and Sesame Oil and Chili Crisp
Yield: 4 Servings
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon water
½ tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon mirin
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
6 black garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons avocado oil
1 pound baby bok choy, halved and quartered
1 tablespoon chili crisp
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together the tamari, water, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and black garlic.
2. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the bok choy, cut side down, and sear until browned on each side, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove, add more oil to the pan, if necessary, and add the remaining bok choy and repeat.
3. Add all of the bok choy back to the pan along with the sauce. Toss, then cover and cook 1 to 2 more minutes, or until the bok choy is tender.
4. Transfer to a platter, and sprinkle with the chili crisp.
Petitto, R.D., is an executive chef and co-founder at Thymeless My Chef SB, was a celebrity personal chef for 16 years, just finished her 10th cookbook, and is an expert on nutrition and wellness.
Look at this wee bok choy (photo by spurekar via Wikimedia Commons)
Melissa
This surge in tourism has been driven by the end of pandemic travel restrictions, the boom in short-term rentals, and the rise of large cruise ships. The monstrous Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship at 1,197 feet, boasts 20 decks, six water slides, an ice-skating rink, an ersatz “Central Park” complete with trees, and more than 40 restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues. When the ship disgorges its 7,600 passengers at once, they swamp the towns the ship visits.
Moreover, tourists are often woefully ignorant about the cultures they’ve come to experience. That’s why visitors to Japan sometimes transgress local customs, running after geishas to take photographs or eating while walking, a taboo among the Japanese.
National Geographic points out how overtourism also saps the joy of travel. “It can ruin the experience of sightseeing for those trapped in long queues, unable to visit museums, galleries, and sites without advance booking, incurring escalating costs for basics like food, drink, and hotels, and faced with the inability to experience the wonder of a place in relative solitude.”
Can anything solve the problems of overtourism? You can choose less-visited spots to discover for yourself. It also helps to avoid viewing travel as consumption, like wine tasting; there’s more to the world than fine hotels, spas, and premium dining. And most particularly you can adopt the sensitivity of an anthropologist and tune in to other cultures. In this way you can make your visit a positive experience both for your hosts and for yourself as a guest.
Fences and Friends
Years ago I spent seven weeks with my wife, Merry, in Sri Lanka, a green paradise of mango trees and tea plantations, warm tropical seas and gentle Buddhist people. In the resort town of Hikkaduwa we stayed – cheaply, at off-season rates – at an oceanfront hotel. A low fence marked off the hotel’s portion of beach as private property.
Vendors walked along outside the fence, selling colorful clothing and handcrafts. But the hotel manager forbade them to come inside. The idea, I suppose, was to prevent souvenir peddlers from bothering guests, but the unfortunate effect was to seal off foreign travelers from contact with Sri Lankans. To us, the fence symbolized the barrier that often rises between hosts and guests.
Merry and I jumped this barrier simply by leaving the hotel grounds and strolling down the beach a few miles. As we walked, sea turtles swam in the jade Indian Ocean and coconut palms swayed as if they were auditioning for parts in Blue Lagoon. Children scooted over to giggle hellos.
We came to a river that emptied into the ocean. Two men were sitting in a small boat. Because nothing is more fascinating than the mouth of a river – through what hidden provinces has it come? – we asked if they’d ferry us upstream and arrived at a fair price.
Our fingers trailed in the warm water as we glided upriver under a sapphire sky. The boatmen pointed out passing birds and told us their melodious names in Sinhalese. After a while the river entered a lake that shimmered with the iridescent colors of peacock feathers.
But wait: What was that big lizard doing in the water near our boat? (“The breaststroke,” said Merry.) Our guides said it was a goanna, a four-foot-long monitor that’s common in Sri Lanka’s waters.
They pointed the canoe toward a wooded island at the center of the lake. We saw that someone had spread out laundry – all of it orange, for some reason – on bushes
to dry. People lived out here! Our boatmen explained that the island was populated by Buddhist monks, who all wear saffron robes.
I asked if we could go ashore and visit. That’s impossible, they said – couldn’t we see the sign? “NO FOREIGNERS.” A few months earlier, it seemed, young German travelers had also found their way to this hidden lake, and the heavenly water enticed them to strip-off their clothes and go skinny-dipping. The monks got an eye-popping view of naked European girls, and this apparently haunted their meditations for some time. After that, the head monk outlawed visits from foreigners.
For an old anthropologist like me it was, as they say, a teachable moment. The same way our hotel fenced out Sri Lankan locals to stop them from “bothering” foreign travelers, this remote island was declared off-limits to ensure that travelers didn’t disturb the Sri Lankans.
The situation might have been dismaying unless viewed through the focused lens of anthropology. I saw that the reverent Buddhist culture of Sri Lanka couldn’t encounter the freewheeling society of the West without some head-on collisions.
I felt lucky to be there to log the crash. And by assimilating what I learned here, maybe I could ease the negative impacts of my own travels.
Our boat floated back down the river to the ocean. As Merry and I started walking home along the beach, a little girl of about six scampered up to us and, smiling shyly, took Merry’s hand and gently tugged her toward a nearby house.
The house had no fence to keep strangers away. Her mother came outside, introducing herself as Amitha, and invited us to sit in her garden.
A tall palm tree grew there and she gestured to her eight-year-old boy, who climbed it easily with a machete in one hand. At the top he cut off the biggest fruit, known as the “king coconut.” Back down in the garden he hacked off the top and offered us a drink from nature’s own punchbowl. Our hosts thereby honored their guests.
Amitha’s house was painted in tropical pastels and decorated with photographs of her and her family standing alongside visitors from all over the world. We sat talking and laughing and becoming friends. At last we had to say goodbye, but not before taking pictures and trading addresses. We thanked Amitha and her children for the travelers’ treasure of their open door.
When we got home to California, Merry and Amitha wrote letters, their words winging through the air more than 9,000 miles to speak from one world to another.
As a fledgling anthropologist of tourism, I had learned the most important lesson in the whole curriculum: Friendship is a magic key for travelers. It doesn’t simply open doors; it opens hearts.
Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr. worked with the National Geographic Society for 35 years and is the author of 11 books and more than 600 magazine and newspaper articles.
Is it worth the wait? (courtesy photo)
Going past the fence on Hikkaduwa beach in Sri Lanka (courtesy photo)
Note that on Thursday, April 10 from 5:30-7:30 pm the Shalhoobs Funk Zone Patio at 220 Gray Avenue will be hosting “Celebrate National Library Week.” The evening will feature a Santa Barbara-inspired Lotería, books for all ages, and a team of typists ready and willing to take down your message on a Postcard to the President.
The Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation invites the community to advocate for and support the Santa Barbara Public Library. 411: www.sblibraryfoundation.org/advocacy
New Directors
Join Board of Summer Solstice Celebration
Local nonprofit Summer Solstice Celebration, now in its 51 st year, has announced the addition of three new Board of Director members, Kari Lane , Ron Glover , and Forrest Leichtberg , to their Solstice leadership team. Ron Glover, a native of Santa Barbara specializing in event management and serving in nonprofit leadership roles, brings a wealth of experience from the creative arts organizations of Lucidity and Fishbon. Kari Lane, a Solvang native with a background in communications and film production, has always been drawn to community activities that promote creativity. Forrest Leichtberg has a decade of experience in nonprofit management, leadership, and board operations at community-focused nonprofits, and is currently Executive Director of Freedom to Choose Project. Current Board President Justin Gunn says, “We are thrilled to welcome our three newest board members. Their diverse backgrounds and expertise in event production, media and communications, and nonprofit board governance will greatly contribute to our mission of uniting the Santa Barbara community through the arts throughout the year.”
MCRIME IN THE ‘CITO
Sheriff’s Blotter 93108 . . . .
Missing Person / 300 block Hot Springs Road
Sunday, March 23, at 01:35 hours
Deputies were called to Casa Dorinda for a missing person. The subject was reported missing because they had not returned, and phone calls to the missing subject went unanswered. Due to the missing subject’s medical condition, an emergency ping was initiated. Contact was ultimately made via telephone with the subject, who confirmed they were fine and with a friend.
Burglary / Hot Springs Road
Monday, March 24, at 12:40 hours
Reporting Party (RP), a construction site superintendent, called to report that the residence had been broken into on the previous day. Per the provided security camera footage, an adult male subject (whose face was obscured by a large hat and mask) could be seen walking onto the property at approximately 06:50 hours on 03/23/25 and leaving at approximately 07:30 hours. While on the property, the suspect stole approximately $3,000 worth of various construction tools belonging to the RP and his workers. The tools were in the house and the back door leading to the garage had been unlocked. No signs of forced entry or vandalism were observed.
Burglary / 300 block Foothill Road
Monday, March 24, at 18:00 hours
The victim called to report the residence was 459’ed (Burglary) on 03/09/25 by an unknown suspect(s). The victim gathered a list of stolen items, which included several highend pieces of jewelry.
Deputies responded to a reported family 415 (Disturbing the Peace). Deputies learned the victim’s 45-year-old son, who shared occupancy at the residence, became disruptive and pushed his mother multiple times. The Call Taker could hear the 415 during the 911 call. The Suspect fled the residence in a vehicle prior to Deputies’ arrival. The investigation revealed the Suspect was in violation of 368 PC (Elder Abuse) and 11350 H&S (Unlawful
Rancheros Visitadores Ride Again
As the spring hits its peak, the Rancheros Visitadores will continue their annual tradition of parading through the streets of Solvang to old Mission Santa Inés on Saturday, May 3, at 2:30 pm. Community members will gather to witness a blessing of the riders and presentation of a check to the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara. More than 750 Rancheros from 37 states and six countries typically gather for this annual event.
Since 2012, in conjunction with their annual ride and in partnership with Wrangler, the Rancheros Visitadores have raised funds for the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara. As the largest contributor to Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara funds a variety of research and supportive care programs at Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, both in Santa Barbara and Solvang, to help residents on their journey with, through, and beyond cancer.
Over the past twelve years, the Rancheros Visitadores have donated more than
Possession of a Controlled Substance; Fentanyl found in the residence). As the investigation proceeded, the suspect called his parents and threatened them with consequences if he was arrested. Deputies were advised that the suspect was 6’7”, prone to violence, and believed to be using controlled substances. Deputies left the residence in search of the suspect. At approximately 21:36 hours, the suspect returned to the residence & attempted to gain access. The Suspect quickly fled prior to Deputies arrival. Deputies searched the area but were UTL (Unable to Locate). At approximately 22:46 hours, K9-3 located the suspect driving in the city of Santa Barbara at East Beach. An enforcement stop was conducted, and he was taken into custody without incident. He was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl during the arrest. He was booked at SBCJ.
Harassment to Hikers / Hot Springs Trailhead
Tuesday, March 25, at 10:44 hours
Deputies were called to respond to a subject who was harassing hikers at the hot springs. The RP stated a male subject called nude bathers at the pools offensive obscenities and names. The RP took offense to the obscenities, so he told the subject to “F off.” The subject became argumentative, targeting and yelling obscenities at the RP and “aggressively” walking towards him, causing him to become scared for his safety. In addition, the RP stated the male subject began taking pictures of the nude bathers without their consent. After speaking with all involved parties, it was determined no crime had occurred. An incident report was authored for documentation purposes only.
Stolen Vehicle & Equipment / Lambert Road
Tuesday, March 25, at 17:33 hours
RP reported that a trailer containing a “Field Jeep” used to harvest avocado orchards and (20) 30 foot orchard ladders were stolen by the person who sold them the trailer and the Jeep. RP never received title and could not verify the trailer and Jeep belonged to them but stated they would take the matter to civil court and provide cancelled checks and text messages regarding the sale. The ladders, totaling approximate $5,000, were purchased outright by the RP and did not belong to the suspect/seller of equipment. Both parties live in San Luis Obispo County. Theft report taken for the theft of the ladders.
Trespassing / Middle Road
Tuesday, March 25, at 22:07 hours
Subject was contacted after being reported as trespassing. Subject was found to have a local outstanding warrant, non-extraditable SLO warrants, and was a missing person out of SLO. Subject was issued a citation for their local warrant and a “locate” was sent to SLO.
Kari Lane, Ron Glover, and Forrest Leichtberg (courtesy photos)
$1.73M to the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara. This year the Rancheros Visitadores raised more than $200K, breaking previous annual fundraising records on their way to surpassing $2M by May of 2027.
Messages from the Universe! Astro on Tap
Attention all space gurus and scientists, the Los Cumbres Observatory’s FREE monthly Astronomy on Tap program features Dr. Tousif Islam presenting “Ripples in Space-Time: Messages from the Universe.” There will also be the artfully opensource news updates from space by LCO’s head scientist, Dr. Andrew Howell, with Katie Kudla, PhD student from UCSB. Head over to State Street’s M. Special Brewing Company back area on Thursday, April 10, where the presentation starts at 7:30 pm. Wear something with a space element, get a free NASA Hubble poster. 411: https://lco.global/aot/april-10-2025/
Time for the annual Explore Ecology Environmental Winners Luncheon celebration, on Thursday, April 17, 12 pm, at the Cabrillo Pavilion. There will be an awards ceremony, speeches, and lunch. Reservations required by April 11. Funds support continuation of Explore Ecology programs. 411: https://exploreecology.org
30 Year Memorial of OKC Bombing Open Studio
On April 20th, William Dalziel is opening his studio (700 E. Mason St.) from 10 am to 4 pm for a public viewing of the Art Heals Project. One hundred and fifty sculptures were made by Oklahoma City and Santa Barbara teens in 1995 as a way to help the healing process of 169 lives lost in the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building there. After 30 years, Dalziel will be welcoming the public to view this body of work in honor of the event. 411: www.williamdalziel.work
New Art Learning Lab Opens at Museum of Art
The Art Learning Lab (ALL) is a drop-in space for art making that is free and accessible to all on weekends and 1st Thursdays. The Lab’s three studios serve as
classrooms for creative exploration and collaboration for visiting school and community groups, adult studio workshops, after-school classes, and camps. ALL includes a street-side gallery for family-friendly art installations by students participating in the Museum’s programs and our community partners.
411: www.sbma.net/learn/all
Courthouse Docent Council Welcomes New Members
The Docent Class of 2025 graduated on April 5th after completing a comprehensive 10-week training program led by Robert L. Ooley, FAIA, County Architect (retired) and Rodney Baker, Docent Council Projects Chair, at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. For over half a century, volunteer docents have served the community and guided visitors from all over the world on free daily tours of the museum-like Courthouse, considered to be one of the finest public examples of SpanishMediterranean design in the nation. Docents also staff the lobby information booth, provide educational tours for schools and other groups, and are involved in preservation work such as restoring the many historic lanterns that adorn the property. The Docent Council currently has 73 active members. Community members interested in becoming a docent are encouraged to apply early to next year’s training program. 411: www.sbcourthouse.org
Annual Carpinteria Community Awards Banquet
The 66th annual Carpinteria Community Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, April 26, at the Girls Inc. of Carpinteria facility in Carpinteria. The 1st such banquet was held in 1958 and was called the “Man of the Year” event, and after several name changes over time, it is now known as the Annual Carpinteria Community Awards Banquet. This annual event is hosted by the Carpinteria Community Association for the sole purpose of celebrating people and businesses of the Carpinteria Valley for their various efforts, deeds and accomplishments, particularly in the area of volunteerism. Education awards also play a major role in the evenings activities as two local teachers are chosen as Educator of the Year, one from the elementary schools and one from the secondary schools. After a rigorous application and interview process, three Junior Carpinterian of the Year Finalists are chosen. The purpose of this award is to honor local high school seniors for their leadership abilities and special contributions to their school, Carpinteria, and beyond. A lovely evening with dinner – courtesy of Events by Rincon – ends with the final highlight, which is the announcement of the Carpinterian of the Year for 2024.
411: Ticket information is available at carpca.org
Girls Inc. Carpinteria New Library Grand Opening
Executive Director of Girls Inc. Carpinteria, Jamie Collins, is inviting the community to attend the grand opening of the new library built in the past year on their campus, Thursday, April 24, 5:30 pm. The library supports the organization’s goal of increasing literacy in girls and women. The library is located in the campus silo and is named the John C. Mithun Foundation Library.
411: Reservations required. Send your email to information@girlsinc-carp.og
Join the Rancheros Visitadores on their next ride (courtesy photo)
See the range of sculptures made in 1995 by Oklahoma City and SB teens (courtesy photo)
Front: Brea McInnes, Linda Bentsen, Robert L. Ooley, Rodney Baker, Sally Buhr, Nancy Terman; Back: Lynn Edick, Robert Blackwell, Andrew Wilson, Michael Suess, Leslie Jones (courtesy photo)
Hands Off Rally Santa Barbara’s Rally Joins the Nation
by MJ Staff
On Saturday, April 5th, community members and local nonprofits including – Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee, 805 UndocuFund, La Casa de la Raza, and Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund, among others – joined the national “Hands Off” protest that took place in over 1,200 locations throughout all 50 states. Nationwide, the rallies appeared peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.
As protesters congregated on the grass at De la Guerra Plaza, the crowd quickly filled the entire green, spilling out onto the surrounding streets in a sea of sign waving in what is estimated to be more than several thousand attendees. The
range of impassioned signs expressed the expansive list of policies that have people concerned, including everything from Department of Education and Social Security/Medicare funding, the general DOGE cuts, tariffs, DEI actions, as well as migrant, women, and LGBTQ+ rights.
After several speakers spoke to the crowd at De la Guerra Plaza, rallying the energy of the audience, the stream of protesters continued to proceed down State Street with the Santa Barbara Police Department escorting them and helping direct traffic and intersections. Ultimately the crowd landed at West Beach where a large group spelled out “Hands Off” in the sand.
Photos by Hattie Beresford and Robert Bernstein. Drone shot done by Ann Shaw, a member of The Fearless Grandmothers of Santa Barbara.
My father was a golf pro and I used to hang out at the golf course when I was a kid. I started cleaning golf carts before I was even old enough to have a job – helping out, working for tips. Somebody leaves a dollar on the steering wheel. Wahoo!”
Soon enough the youngster took to swinging those irons and woods, trying like hell to slap a little ball of 1.6” diameter into a hole not much bigger and several hundred non-linear yards away. At this juncture, we can safely assume soil agronomy was not keeping the teen up at night.
“I played a lot of golf when I was a kid, was pretty successful in high school. I played a little college golf and realized I didn’t have the skills to go pro.” It happens. In his youth O’Laughlin had worked course maintenance for a couple of years before he was old enough to work in the shop. “Once I turned 18, I worked a couple summers in the pro shop,” he says. Tellingly, he does not embellish. By the time he needed to think about a career, he’d made up his mind. “I felt pretty sure I didn’t want to work in a pro shop,” he says measuredly. That left the other thing.
The Sahalee Country Club is a private golf course and country club located in Sammamish, Washington. In the language of the indigenous Chinook tribe, Sahalee means High Heavenly Ground. “I ended up getting offered a full-time job after school at Sahalee. Over four and a half years I worked my way up the ladder there to becoming the Assistant Superintendent.” From the Sahalee era O’Laughlin moved from strength to strength, as is said of those whose progress has a caste of inevitability.
Too Slow for Me
Seeking a faster track to more responsibility in the work he loved – “…my fellow assistants at Sahalee were already in their early mid-thirties and had been in their roles for 10 plus years; too slow for me...” – O’Laughlin saw a job board opening at Sherwood Country Club, in a California town with the boldly deciduous name Thousand Oaks. Sherwood flew O’Laughlin down for a chat.
“So I’m telling my fiancée Darcie about all this, and she’s panicking. I’m
like, babe, don’t worry. It’s interview practice.” In the event, O’Laughlin showed up at Sherwood hatless and in pressed shirt and necktie – braced for a day of conversation under cool office fluorescence. His Sherwood host, agronomist Neil Edwards, had another idea.
“We spent eight hours driving the golf course and looking at things,” O’Laughlin says. “My face and forehead got burnt to a crisp.” The job offer stunned he and his sweetheart, a golf pro. They’d considered the Sherwood role an outlandish longshot whose particulars would provide an opportunity to sharpen O’Laughlin’s employability.
“All of our friends, all of our family are in Seattle,” he says. “It was time for Darcie and I to make a decision.” O’Laughlin is unequivocal about the outcome. “The support of my wife and the doors that God has opened for me – that’s what got me here,” he says with something like reverence. “Darcie just jumped on board and we moved out here a few months later.”
The two had been planning to marry when Sherwood happily barged in, and they followed through before moving to California.
“A quick little civil ceremony,” O’Laughlin says. “Both of our families were there.”
Two beats. “My grandma was still alive,” he quietly adds, “and she got to see that.” Ten months later Brian and Darcie flew back up to Washington and did it proper. “We had had our big wedding with all of our friends and family. It was a lot of fun.”
Sherwood to Annandale to Birnam to Happy
A year and a half or so into his Sherwood job, Neil Edwards blithely suggested O’Laughlin apply for an opening at Pasadena’s Annandale “for the experience.” You’ll never guess what happened. Can we suppose Sherwood’s Neil Edwards regretted the recommendation?
Negative. In this realm, mentorship is the summit.
“All superintendents would say it’s a feather in your cap to mentor someone, have them move on and become a successful superintendent. That’s really all of our goals.” Five years into O’Laughlin’s career at Annandale, Birnam Wood’s beloved and recently appointed superintendent Ryan Bentley was tragically felled by a sudden heart attack at 46. Birnam found O’Laughlin.
“Ryan Bentley was a very close friend of mine,” O’Laughlin says softly. “Caught us all by surprise. It was devastating. And to this day I really don’t know how they knew of me or why they thought to call me.”
Brian O’Laughlin’s path through the woods has been neither traditional nor predictable. When he set foot on the Birnham Wood soil, he knew he was home. And he brought with him a yen for 21st century, link-healing tech.
“The technology has exploded,” he says. Birnam Wood uses two GPS sprayers which take (charming but wasteful) human fallibility out of the course care, saving water and fertilizer. “And that little black thing hanging there, that’s actually a mount for my drone” – a whispering little bot that drifts on scented breezes (we can imagine) some 300 feet above the course, measuring both moisture and photosynthetic efficiency. O’Laughlin next indicates what looks like the eye of a bionic cow nestled in a charging cradle. The Deacon GS3™ Ball collects thousands of data points – surface performance metrics like firmness, green speed, smoothness and trueness – and transmits them to the user’s phone. All you have to do is roll it. Brian of Birnam is on his game. But he is not alone.
“It’s hard to say that anyone is more important than anyone else because we’re such a team in an operation like this. Rodrigo and Alfredo – absolutely. I couldn’t do my job without their support. But also Ken, my mechanic – incredibly important. Juan, another manager; honestly, the entire crew. The management team at the club give us so much support. Even the support from the members and committees – it all matters!” Does he ever miss the simplicity of his earliest days caring for a course?
“Yeah, for sure. Because walk mowing a green, that’s the stuff we fall in love with. Mowing out fairways… when you’re out there doing that stuff, an eight-hour day goes by like that. So yeah, I do miss that, but I also really enjoy where I’m at. Having reached a goal of getting here and supporting my family and being around a great club, how can you not feel blessed?”
“You’re happy as a clam,” the interviewer affirms, using an arguably antiquated expression. O’Laughlin positively beams.
“I’m happy as a clam, man.”
Two items from the Montecito Ledger –Wednesday, April 9, 1958
Space Lecture
George Adamski, author of Inside the Spaceships and co-author of The Flying Saucers Have Landed, will give a talk at the Lobero Theatre Sunday, April 20, at 3pm, according to Mary Lauron, lecture chairman.
Adamski is the first man in our times to publicly claim actual physical contact with visitors from space to this country. His home has been a clearing house for thousands of letters from all over the world noting sightings of UFOs (unidentified flying objects).
Return from Vacation
Mrs. Kiki Jaeger of the Windmill Cottage Nursery and her daughter, Marta, 9, have just returned to Montecito from an extended vacation in Mexico. Marta and her mother enjoyed spending Christmas in Acapulco. They brought their own Christmas tree and trunk full of gifts from the States. They stayed with friends living in the foothills and went swimming every day. They particularly enjoyed a side trip to Cuernavaca and their time spent in a hacienda. Lighting was by candle and water was drawn from the spring. “Cuernavaca reminded us a great deal of Santa Barbara,” said Mrs. Jaeger as she described bougainvillea vines growing 30 and 40 feet tall. “Although we both got fat on tortillas, it was a wonderful vacation.”
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
Thermal drone aloft with glimpse of Birnam Wood; warmer and cooler turf areas indicate varying degrees of moisture. (courtesy photo)
Darcie, Brian, and future trophy hoisters tour the links (courtesy photo)
great-horned owl. Once the greathorned owl left, it opened the door to black-capped chickadees to move in. They are one of the few bird species that feed on monarch butterflies. The tree was also a natural windbreak, allowing the monarchs to roost comfortably. The combination of the fallen tree, no great-horned owl keeping the chickadees at bay, the grove all of a sudden transforming into a wind tunnel, and then the monarchs becoming a smorgasbord for the hungry chickadees – it all explained the obvious absence of the colorful monarchs.
“Head to the open space on Pelton Street,” she continued. “Several hundred monarchs have moved over there.”
Patches
When it comes to wildlife surviving in today’s world, sometimes certain species have only a patch of habitat to cling to. Pelton Street was only a couple miles south of Natural Bridges. There’s a small patch of open space behind a parking lot at Steamer Lane, a prominent surf spot. It was packed there after a recent stretch of good winter swell. On the other side of that open space was a cramped neighborhood, homes squeezed in like sardines.
Still, it was a good example of how wildlife adapts in dire circumstances whether it’s manmade or natural elements coming together. When Holly and I arrived, we had our doubts that we would find any butterflies. It was Christmas Eve, and there were lots of folks walking along the nearby bluffs to watch surfers at Steamer Lane, dodging the huge beams that had been part of the wharf, and that fell into the ocean after a huge day of recent surf and powerful downcoast currents.
It was crowded with cars, bike riders, and people strolling through the open space. But we saw a small group of people looking up into the canopy in what was mostly eucalyptus trees. However, the tightly clustered monarch butterflies were resting in a native Monterey cypress in the middle of the eucalyptus, even better. We guesstimated there being about 1,000 monarchs huddling together but out in the open for all to see.
When the sun broke through wispy wintry clouds, shafts of warm sun shone directly on the cluster of monarchs, their orange wings accentuated by the low-lit aura of the North Coast. As soon as the sun hit the cluster of monarchs, there was a flurry of activity within the cluster as butterflies flitted around the main grouping. Several monarchs readjusted, flying to different pockets in the congregation before settling down once again.
The sun didn’t last long though, as dark clouds moved in blotting out the sun. There was an instant chill in the air, but the monarchs knew just what to do. There was safety in numbers as they clambered on top of each other, that small patch of open space delivering just enough habitat to keep this group of monarchs secure.
Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands National Park
PUBLIC NOTICE
Invitation to Bid No. 2025-001
Relocation and Installation of Existing Generator Fire Station 91
The Montecito Fire Protection District hereby invites the submission of sealed bids for: ITB# 2025-001 – Relocation and Installation of Existing Generator
Bid Opening – Friday, May 19, 2025 at 11:00 a m in the conference room at Montecito Fire Station 91, 595 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara.
ITB documents may be viewed on the Montecito Fire Protection District (MFPD) website at www.montecitofire.com, or a copy may be secured from MFPD at 595 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara CA between the hours of 8:00 a m and 5:00 p m , Monday through Friday. Responses must be sealed, clearly marked “Station 91 Relocation and Installation of Existing Generator –General Contractor Bid” and returned to:
Montecito Fire Protection District
Attn: Ben Hauser Battalion Chief 595 San Ysidro Road Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Bids will be accepted until 10:30 a m May 19 2025. Bids received after this time will be returned unopened. Faxed bids will not be accepted.
Published April 10 and 17, 2025
Montecito Journal
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Peter’s Gardening Service, 1209 Quinientos St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Pedro Estrada, 1209 Quinientos St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 5, 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. 20250000600. Published April 10, 17, 24, May 1, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: Modisette Construction, 606 Santa Barbara St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Bomo Design, 606 Santa Barbara St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 10, 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. 2025-0000629. Published April 3, 10, 17, 24, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: The Closing Concierge, 329 W Yanonali Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Sara M Marracino, 329 W Yanonali Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 19, 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. 20250000753. Published March 27, April 3, 10, 17, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME:
CASE No. 25CV01066. To all interested parties: Petitioner Douglas John Stekkinger filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Brixton James Douglas. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed March 12, 2025 by Gabriel Moreno. Hearing date: May 2, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 4, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published March 27, April 3, 10, 17, 2025
The Pelton Street gang
A group of locals practicing their monarch flight
11 at Hahn Hall hot on the heels of releasing its debut album Rare Birds The decidedly wide ranging program – spanning Norwegian folk, minimalism, Baroque and new music – will include live performances of the entire six-track recording in Wiancko’s “Vox Petra” and “When the Night,” Franghiz Ali-Zadeh’s “R qs,” François Couperin’s “Les Barricades Mystérieuses,” Trollstilt’s “Ricercar” and Terry Riley’s “Good Medicine,” as well as Chick Corea’s “Children’s Song No. 12.” Visit www. ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
Corkscrew Comedy Festival Pulls Out the Stoppers
Anna Vocino and Loren Tarquinio have lived in the Santa Ynez Valley since just before the pandemic, when the formerly L.A.-based power comedy-writing-producing married couple turned their “getaway escape patch” into their full-time home. More than five years later the married partners are joining with two other couples with entertainment and/or winemaking backgrounds to produce the Corkscrew Comedy Festival, a three-day joke-filled weekend spread out over three different venues that they hope will turn into an annual event.
Vocino is a cookbook author and voiceover specialist who was the first woman to voice promos for a network with NBC in 2019. Tarquinio’s credits include writing for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and serving as writer-producer promoting the Super Bowl for Fox that won an Emmy. He performed comedy separately for more than 15 years before deciding to join Vocino seven years ago for a dual act about marriage.
“Whenever I’d hear a male comic talking about something like getting back on stage three days after having a baby, I’d be thinking, ‘Of course you did. But I would like to hear what your wife has to say about it,’” explained Vocino. “I thought, why not do that in real time?”
The twist on an old format of talking about your domestic partner proved a success.
“We both had a lot of jokes about each other, so it was about being more efficient to go on stage together and make it more of a dialogue thing,” Tarquinio said. “People really liked it.”
So did the comics, who discovered mining their own long-term relationship and gently skewering each other on stage beneficial for their marriage.
“We’re not afraid to make fun of ourselves,” Tarquinio said. “It’s mostly me who does dumb things, but we’re okay to poke fun at each other in a good way. It’s kind of therapeutic.”
Wine and other elixir therapies will go hand-in-hand with the stand-up routines at the three gigs that make up the initial Corkscrew Comedy Festival this weekend, including Friday night at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, Saturday evening at Brander Vineyard in Los Olivos, and Sunday afternoon at 27 Vines on Refugio Road in Santa Ynez. Sixteen comedians covering a wide swath of styles – drawn from among the couple’s colleagues and many others, mostly from the L.A. area – will perform over the three days, with Vocino and Tarquinio doing their mostly marriage thing as Saturday’s openers.
with offshore stops in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway and Portugal. The comic goes for the guffaws at the Granada on Saturday, April 12.
Valley Fever: Wasting Away in Lagerville
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.’s Buellton digs serve as basecamp for Lagerville 2025, perhaps the nation’s premier and largest craft lager festival, boasting more than 65 breweries from across the country pouring their best lagers – the bottom-fermented beer that’s brewed at a low temperature and aged to create a crisp, clean and refreshing quaff. In addition to unlimited tastings at the April 12 afternoon event, patrons can partake of live music with False Puppet, True Zion & DJ Peete, fulfilling food stuffs from local vendors, and mingling with the vibrant beer-loving community that still has an appetite for that once very popular style of beer. Visit figmtnbrew.com
‘Hard’ Times in Solvang
Elsewhere in the valley, A Hard Day’s Night – a Beatles tribute show that employs custom-tailored costumes (including three era-informed changes), vintage instruments, Liverpudlian dialect, scenes set by video backdrop and even the Feb Four’s familiar head bobs, toe taps and patter between songs – hunkers down at Solvang Festival Theater on Saturday, April 12. Visit https://solvangtheaterfest.org/show-details/hard-days-night
Pre-Earth Day Events
The Community Environmental Council’s Santa Barbara Earth Day festival – one of the longest-running such celebrations in the country – has become a massive two-day event full of exhibitors, speeches, music, workshops and more. The green extravaganza doesn’t arrive until the last weekend of the month, but given our history as the arguable birthplace of the environmental movement in the U.S. (Earth Day began in the wake of the devastating 1969 oil spill off our coast, as did profuse public awareness and landmark environmental legislation), there are other important Earth-centric events in town this month.
Comedy, Continued
Proceeds benefit the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society, who will also bring along almost two dozen adoptable animals for Sunday’s event.
Visit https://corkscrewcomedy.com for details, the lineup, comic bios and tickets
Stand-up Mark Normand, once praised by icon Jerry Seinfeld as the “best young up-and-coming comic,” has amassed a whole lot of impressive credits in his near 20-year career. On screen Normand has notched two Comedy Central specials, and one particularly popular one courtesy of Netflix. Add to those summits an unparalleled seven appearances on Conan, four on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and another on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show. He’s toured across the country and internationally,
Explore Ecology’s annual Environmental Stewardship Awards luncheon – slated for 12 pm on Thursday, April 17, at Cabrillo Pavilion by the beach – honors students, teachers and schools who promote environmental stewardship through education and action, and initiate positive change and/or inspire their peers and colleagues in Santa Barbara County. The local eco-heroes number a dozen for 2025, with awards spread among teachers, students, and classes & clubs. These include Kim Berman and Danielle Weill, Montecito Union School teachers whose Climate Change and Student Activism Unit empowers students to take meaningful environmental action.
The awards ceremony includes an environmentally-conscious mid-day meal provided by Quail Canyon Catering, and powerful stories from teachers, students and community leaders including Dr. Mary Kahn, Superintendent of the Goleta Union School District, who will share insights about the importance of environmental education. Visit https://exploreecology.org/event/environmental-stewardship-awards-luncheon
Also, the Marjorie Luke Theatre launches its Green Film Series for 2025 with a screening of Broke, Gail Osherenko’s documentary about the rupturing of the 2015 Plains AllAmerican’s onshore pipeline, which spilled 140,000 gallons on the Gaviota coastline. The one-hour 2018 film employs storytelling and investigative reporting to cover the incident’s causes, its devastating effects on marine life, local communities and the region’s ecosystem, and ongoing efforts to prevent future spills – a public conversation that is back in the news right now thanks to Sable Offshore’s efforts to revive offshore drilling and replace the pipeline.
The 4 pm screening on Sunday, April 13, will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts and community leaders, including Osherenko, Environmental Defense Center chief counsel Linda Krop and others. Visit https://luketheatre.org/events
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
Owls has their West Coast debut on April 11 at Hahn Hall (courtesy photo)
Husband-and-wife duo Anna Vocino and Loren Tarquinio talk their differences out on stage (photo by Joanna Degeneres)
The 4 pm screening on Sunday, April 13, of Broke will be followed by a panel discussion
It comes after the charity, which was set up to help AIDS patients in Africa –particularly the land-locked kingdom of Lesotho – became embroiled in a vicious dispute between Harry and other leading trustees and Chandauka, who became leader of the organization in 2023. Stay tuned...
Montecito’s New Friend
Friends actress Jennifer Aniston is putting the finishing touches to her new $15 million Mediterranean-style Montecito estate.
She spent $14.8 million for Oprah Winfrey’s old four bedroom, 3.5 bath pad in April, 2022.
Since 2012 Aniston’s primary home has been her $21 million home in Los Angeles, but she is now quitting Hollywood and joining the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and rocker Adam Levine in moving to our rarefied enclave.
Rockin’ Rachmaninoff
Writer, actor and pianist Hershey Felder excels with the Ensemble Theatre Company’s latest world premiere production Rachmaninoff and the Tsar at the New Vic.
Known internationally for his solo composer plays, for the first time he appears opposite another actor – BritishItalian Jonathan Silvestri – in the role of the doomed ruler of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II; father of the four grand duchesses and young tsarevich who were murdered, along with the Tsar’s wife Alexandra and four members of the royal staff, by Bolsheviks in a dingy cellar in Ekaterinburg in 1918, their bodies dumped in mineshafts and burned.
Rachmaninoff safely left Russia during the 1917 revolution making his home in the U.S. In 1942, and at the age of 68, he became an American citizen and bought a home in Beverly Hills, where the show is staged in the garden complete with Steinway grand piano.
In the latter chapter of his life the composer tried to help “Anastasia,” who was thought to be the surviving grand duchess who lived through the carnage, and was now calling herself Anna Anderson. After her death she was shown to be a fake.
Featuring Rachmaninoff’s most beautiful works, including the “Second Piano Concerto,’ the “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” preludes, symphonic selections and more, the Trevor Hay directed 100-minute production is an absolute musical feast.
Fortunately Felder, who was recently named artistic director of Florence’s Teatro della Signoria as well as the city’s Teatro Niccolini, lives a short distance from Rome-based Silvestri, making it easier to work on the new production, one of more than 6,000 live performances in his 28 years of continuous stage productions in the U.S. and abroad.
You’ll definitely be russian to see this....
Venetian Nuptials
Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos, 61, will tie the knot with longtime galpal Lauren Sanchez at a lavish wedding in Venice, Italy, in June.
As usual, members of our rarefied
enclave – including Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Lord of the Rings fiancé Orlando Bloom – are among the invited throng on Bezos’s $500 million, 417foot yacht Kofu, which will be moored in the Venetian Lagoon.
Clearly making a splash…
Bravo! Chineke!
It was clearly worth the wait when the London-based Chineke! Orchestra made its West Coast debut at the Granada, part of CAMA’s 106th season.
The talented company’s 2020 tour had been unfortunately cancelled in the wake of the COVID pandemic, just weeks before its scheduled concert.
A champion of diversity in classical music, Chineke’s vibrant ensemble performed works by black composers including Valerie Coleman’s “Seven O’Clock Shout,” and Samuel ColeridgeTaylor’s “Symphony No. 1 in A Minor,” alongside Haydn’s “Trumpet Concerto” with Nigerian-Scottish trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo accompanied by conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni
Space Plans
Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez, fiancée of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos, have sworn to “full glam” when their all-female flight NS-31 launches into space next week.
In an interview with Elle magazine, the four women set to make history on the 11-minute trip to space, sat down together for the first time.
The tony twosome join CBS anchor Gayle King and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bio astronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn on board the spacecraft.
“We are looking to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut,” joked Katy, fiancé of British actor Orlando Bloom.
The six trail blazers will launch from a site in West Texas on April 14.
Remembering Jesse Kornbluth
On a personal note, I remember former New York Magazine colleague
Jesse Kornbluth , the author of countless Vanity Fair cover stories with celebrities like Kevin Costner , Tom Cruise and Faye Dunaway , who has died at his Manhattan home aged 79.
He wrote seven books of nonfiction and two novels while covering the decades of cultural excess, celebrity, and author profiles in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Jesse enlivened the pages of a newsstand’s worth of magazines during the last golden age.
A vaunted journalist and great character.
Sightings
Kevin Costner shopping at Erewhon in Calabasas... Carol Burnett dining at Lucky’s... 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 18 years
Rachmaninoff and the Tsar talk it out in the garden (photo courtesy of Hershey Felder Presents)
Trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo played Haydn’s “Trumpet Concerto” (photo by Olivia Da Costa)
The play was a triumph (photo courtesy of Hershey Felder Presents)
Chineke! Orchestra was worth the wait (photo by Eduardus Lee)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Calendar of Events
by Steven Libowitz
ENDING THIS WEEK
Closing at the Karpeles – Man’s Inhumanity Towards Man, one of the more timely of the quarterly exhibits at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in downtown Santa Barbara, features a wide swath of documents reflecting injustices covering race, religion, gender, political affiliation, class, economic status and other areas. Among the many items on display from the vast collection are a screed by famed mass murderer Charles Manson that encourages racism and violence; a letter written by Mormon leader Joseph Smith to President John Tyler in 1884 suggesting his arrest augured the extermination of Mormons; an 1898 letter from suffragette Susan B. Anthony about gender inequality in the military, and a handwritten draft of a Counter-Emancipation Proclamation written by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in opposition to President Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech on the policy. There’s even a current Kennedy Center connection in a document signed by Adolph Hitler and Joseph Goebbels requiring that all musical performances in Germany be approved by the state. But cheer up, coming soon is a new exhibit: Stamp Act: Documents of the American Revolution WHEN: Through April 15
WHERE: Karpeles Museum, 21 W. Anapamu St.
COST: free
INFO: (805) 962-5322 or www.karpeles.com/visit/santa-barbara-california
FRIDAY, APRIL 11
Brothers Bound for the Bowl – Scott and Seth Avett are celebrating their 25th year since forming their folk-roots rock band back home in North Carolina. Their celebration takes the form of another cross-country tour where their local stop launches the new season at the Santa Barbara Bowl, a full month before the schedule resumes in earnest with a two-night stand from James Taylor . The Avett Brothers’ most recent album is also their first self-titled effort. West Virginia-bred folk-country singer-songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin opens.
THURSDAY, APRIL 10
‘GIGENIS’ Goes to Granada – Returning to his roots to curate and perform his first ensemble piece showcasing Indian classical dance, celebrated choreographer Akram Khan shares the stage with six renowned dancers and seven live musicians. GIGENIS, the generation of the Earth, inspired by the Mahabharata – an epic tale of power, greed, loss, joy, and fear, all brewing within one family – is meant to evoke our civilization’s collective memories. For Khan, the piece represents not just a performance but a profound statement and a testament to the enduring resonance of tradition in a rapidly changing world. His deeply moving style is simultaneously poetic, innovative and experiential, underpinned by intelligently crafted narrative structures representing a uniquely individual voice as protagonist of cross-cultural encounters. GIGENIS draws from Khan’s deep-seated connection to traditional practices and his ability to weave narratives through movement. UCSB Arts & Lectures joins the Grand Théâtre de Provence, Paris’ Theatre des ChampsElysées, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., The Joyce Theater in New York, and Sadler’s Wells in London in presenting this exclusive engagement.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street
COST: $48.50-$108.50
INFO: (805) 899-2222/www.granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535/https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
Cowboy up for Fiesta Spirits – Last week brought the surprise announcement that after 100 years, the annual Old Spanish Days celebration won’t include the traditional rodeo at the Earl Warren Showgrounds this summer. The Fiesta fun is picking up with better news for this weekend with the 2025 Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta Final Auditions. Two dozen young dancers who have been training for years will vie for the honor of being named Spirit for the older teens, and Junior Spirit for the younger set, in front of rabid rooting sections among the boisterous crowd at the Lobero Theatre this afternoon. The Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta will be ambassadors throughout the celebration that launches the second century of Old Spanish Days Fiesta, performing in events leading up to the festival as well as at the Mission, in the historic parades, and at Noches de Ronda, in addition to countless other appearances and dances. The Lobero show culminates with the announcement of the winners.
WHEN: 2 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $24
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St.
COST: $60.50-$165.50
INFO: (805) 962-4711 or www.sbbowl.com
Buffalo Back at Lobero – Singer-songwriter-guitarist Jake Smith has carved out a significant niche in rootsy music under his alias of The White Buffalo, building a powerful body of work that has seen him grow from gigs at clubs such as SOhO to headlining at the 600-seat Lobero Theatre. The California musician’s songs have been described as vividly detailed character studies that tap into the emotional lives of misfits, outsiders, and other troubled souls with both insight and compassion. The Buffalo embodies their stories via his rough-hewn baritone vocals and distinctive instrumental arrangements, which have been called simultaneously intimate and epic. Smith’s latest album, 2024’s A Freight Train Through the Night , compiles selections from his 20-year career in a live recording. Opener Rose’s Pawn Shop fuses bluegrass and folk-rock into a diverse yet all-Americana sound, a melting pot of modern-day roots music full of guitar, fiddle, percussion and stacked vocal harmonies.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $53 & $62
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
SATURDAY, APRIL 12
Poetry in Parks at Presidio – California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick joins Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Melinda Palacio and California State Parks in an afternoon of poetry, music and dance at the historic Alhecama Theatre, part of El Presidio de Santa Bárbara. Poets including former local laureate Perie Longo, Emma Trelles, Ruben Lee Dalton, Lori Anaya, Takunda Chickowero, and California State Parks’ Scott Green, along with performances by Mark Zolezzi and Rosal Ortega Flamenco. The poetry month event is one of the last before Palacio gives way to incoming 2023-25 local laureate George Yatchisin
WHEN: 1-4 pm
WHERE: Alhecama Theatre, 914 Santa Barbara St.
(behind Playa Azul restaurant)
COST: free
INFO: www.facebook.com/groups/50197560783
Sing it Out! – AHA! touts its annual concert at the Lobero as “the feel-good event of the year,” and after several iterations who can doubt “Sing It Out!”
SUNDAY, APRIL 13
Festival for Fliers – If the wild winds of early April are still around next weekend, the 39th annual Santa Barbara Kite Festival should be an even more ferocious family-friendly event than usual. Held every April in the Great Meadow lawn on SBCC’s west campus overlooking the ocean and Santa Barbara harbor, the festival this year has a theme of “Help One Another,” taking note of how the simple act of flying a kite together celebrates the love, sharing and togetherness of families and friends. Festival favorites include the “Children’s Tail Chase” and contests all day long covering such categories as “Most Beautiful” (handmade & commercial), “Highest Flying,” “Largest & Smallest Kites,” “Youngest & Oldest Kite Flyers,” “Most Unique or Unusual Kite,” “Funniest Kite,” and “Most Unflyable Kite.” Festival creator and official “Kite Master” Rakesh Bahadur, part of the family that opened the first commercial kite store in America in the 1970s, teams with Festival Director David Hefferman to present the festival to the community as a labor of love.
WHEN: 11 am-4 pm
WHERE: 973 Cliff Drive
COST: free
INFO: https://sbkitefest.net
The showcase features up to a dozen teen performers – this year the number is nine (joined by two staff members), who individually take to the stage to bust out a solo song backed by a live band. But it’s not about their musical prowess. Rather, the show is the culmination of a process of individual transformation for the nonprofit that teaches social-emotional learning (SEL) and other skills. Participants learn to overcome fears and individual challenges, and offer support to their fellow singers while accepting it from peers and trusted adult facilitators and coaches. Taking to the theater’s historic stage to stand tall and “sing their hearts open” in the face of fear is one of those catalyzing moments in the teenagers’ young lives, setting the table for a lifetime of success in personal, professional and community challenges. The community coming out to support them is the tasty icing on the cake. Visit https:// ahasb.org for more on the organization.
WHEN: 6 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $42, students $16 ($157 VIP tickets include premium seating and a pre-reception at 4 pm in the theater’s courtyard INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
TUESDAY, APRIL 15-WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16
Ailey at Arlington Again – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, an American cultural treasure for more than six decades, arrives at the Arlington for its almost annual residency at Santa Barbara’s largest indoor venue. Revelations is the choreographer’s breakthrough masterpiece for the company, an emotional homage to the rich cultural heritage of the African American community. This piece has been seen by more people around the world than any other modern dance work, and will as always anchor one of the programs. But the company will also perform Sacred Songs, a world premiere by Matthew Rushing that revives music from early drafts of Revelations, resurrecting and reimagining those spirituals as an offering to our present need for lamentation, faith and joy. Other highlights between the two different programs from the company revered for its virtuosic technique, athleticism and passionate performances – include former Ailey company member Hope Boykin’s Finding Free; and Many Angels, the first world premiere for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater by Lar Lubovitch
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St.
COST: $53.50-$133.50
INFO: (805) 963-9589/www.arlingtontheatresb.com/upcoming-events or (805) 893-3535/https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Frances Moore
Adriana Arriaga
Teresa Kuskey
Melinda Palacio
Joanne Wasserman
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
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THE CLEARING HOUSE
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
We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation. 1470 East Valley Rd Suite V. 805-969-0888
ELECTRICIAN
Montecito Electric Repairs and Inspections Licensed C10485353 805-969-1575
PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY
Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+ Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com
GOT
OSTEOPOROSIS? WE CAN HELP
At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session! Call Now (805) 453-6086
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
TILE SETTING
Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.
Tell Your Story
How did you get to be where you are today? What were your challenges? What is your Love Story? I can help you tell your story in an unforgettable way – with a book that will live on for many generations. The books I write are as thorough and entertaining as acclaimed biographies you’ve read. I also assist with books you write – planning, editing and publishing. David Wilk Great references. (805) 455-5980 www.BiographyDavidWilk.com
GIFT BASKET SERVICES
…get ‘em while they’re hop.
LANDSCAPE
Casa L. M. Landscape hedges installed. Ficus to flowering. Disease resistant. Great privacy. Licensed & insured. Call (805) 963-6909
WATERLILIES and LOTUS since 1992 WATERGARDEN CARE
SBWGC
PET/HOUSE SITTING
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
CARPET CLEANING
Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304
Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
PIANO LESSONS
Openings now available for Children and Adults.
Piano Lessons in our Studio or your Home. Call or Text Kary Kramer (805) 453-3481
FOR SALE
Montecito Urn Garden Grave For Sale
The cemetery currently sells these for $5500. I’m asking $4900. Please text to 805-637-5860.
MASSAGE THERAPIST
Massage by Laura at The Julia 924 Anacapa Street Suite 2M 805 670 7787
ldlholisticmassage@gmail.com
DOG SITTER
I’m a retired senior who loves taking care of small dogs. Best prices in Santa Barbara! Please call Teresa (760) 968-7101
FOR RENT
Sunny loft in Mission Canyon
Downstairs bath/storage/day rm For single w/day job No Dog Randall – 966-4030
$2000/mo
DONATIONS NEEDED
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
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
K-9 PALS need volunteers to be foster parents for our dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes. For more information info@k-9pals.org or 805-570-0415
