Assessing Improvements

Spreading Peace 4 – 11 March 2021 Vol 27 Issue 10

SERVING MONTECITO AND SUMMERLAND

No job is too hard for the Anti-Defamation League, page 14

From Planner to Mayor?

Veteran city planning commissioner and land-use consultant Deborah Schwartz discusses SB mayoral bid, page 6

Le Food Wizard

Basque country and Paris cafés inform the flair of El Encanto’s new chef, Bruno Lopez, page 44

Assessing Improvements

In a breakthrough, the Coast Village Association has a shot at modernizing its popular thoroughfare (story begins on page 12)

A Century Apart

Neither small-pox nor COVID-19 can stop CAMA from celebrating the symphony, page 11

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4 – 11 March 2021

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4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

3

Inside This Issue

Let’s discuss your real estate needs.

5 Editor’s Letter

After a year of remaining mostly indoors during our COVID lockdown, this woman found love and renewal on an e-bike

6 On the Record

MJ sits down with Deborah Schwartz to try to learn what she’d do differently if she’s elected mayor of Santa Barbara and what would be her priorities

10 Letters to the Editor

A collection of communications from readers Lee Juskalian, Dana Newquist, Jean Von Wittenburg, Justin M. Ruhge, Kathleen McCauley Laurain, Lynda Van Patter, and Col. Michael J. Maloco USAF

Tide Chart 11 Celebrating History

Toilet paper and hand sanitizer disappeared from store shelves a century after a small-pox pandemic and Prohibition-Era arrests rattled Santa Barbara, writes Hattie Beresford

12 Village Beat

City Council votes unanimously to approve ordinance related to forming Community Benefit District on Coast Village Road; Hot Springs Trail Project sparks controversy; Plaza Deli in La Cumbre Plaza collects food donations

14 The Giving List

Two months after the siege on the Capitol, the Anti-Defamation League is trying to educate locals about the importance of peace and understanding

The Morehart Group Paige Marshall Mitch Morehart Beverly Palmer Susan Pate

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Wow, says Mark Ashton Hunt. The media may be agog at $25 million home sales in Montecito, but there are lovely, sprawling properties on the market for a lot less

18 Santa Barbara by the Glass

Join the World of Pinot Noir all month long as winemakers and wine consumers toast Burgundy’s most famous red grape

20 Seen Around Town

The rich history of polo at Fleischmann Fields spans more than a century and an encyclopedia of legendary names

23 A Tale of Two Cities

What happens when you try to talk to your kids about the murders of people-ofcolor and wind up starting an institute of change?

24 Montecito Miscellany

Plaza Granada to transform parking lot behind theater; Marcus Boyle of Halo & Horns celebrates one year; battle over Harry and Meghan’s interview transpires; and more

26 PERSPECTIVES by Rinaldo S. Brutoco

Let My People Go – Part II: It’s Time to End Two-Party Politics

The Optimist Daily

Two solutions to reduce pollution

28 Dear Montecito

Stella Haffner gets a chill visiting a mausoleum full of beloved pets, many of whom probably dabbled in show business once upon a time

30 On Science

L-R: Sabrina and Debra

We are here for you.

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Uranus and Neptune, the twin Ice Giants of the Solar System, are so far out there that they’ve only been visited once

33 Brilliant Thoughts

Ashleigh Brilliant on crusades and causes and why he no longer picks them up

36 Our Town

The multi-faceted, bi-racial Ashley Woods Hollister is an arts champion and supporter of the local nonprofit community

41 Muller Monthly Music Meta Crossword Puzzle 42 Senior Portrait

From Beautification Day, to the Zoo and the Humane Society, Jean Von Wittenburg loves nothing more than volunteering with friends at her favorite organizations

43 On Entertainment

The next phase of the #MeToo movement? And, why do we avoid exercise?

44 Nosh Town Morgan Stanley recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. © 2021 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. FAS014 CRC 3406472 01/21 CS 9966182 01/21

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

The new chef at Belmond El Encanto marries his Basque heritage and Paris training to locally sourced produce, fish, and wines

46 Classified Advertising 47 Local Business Directory

“Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.” – Carl Sandburg

4 – 11 March 2021

Editor’s Letter

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

My New Love

L

ast week I walked into Mad Dogs & Englishmen, the new e-bike shop on Coast Village Road, and fell in love. There it was in the corner, its sleek lines and jewel-green shimmer beckoning me. I’ve long loved the idea of bikes and the concept of living in a bike-friendly town. I sent my daughter to Santa Barbara Middle School, famous for its biking adventures, and I’ve advocated for BCycle’s local bike-sharing program as an eco and cost friendly option for getting around. But I’d never actually ridden an e-bike.

I own a bike that stands in my driveway, rusting and deteriorating from lack of use. My husband, however, regularly rides his road bike up into the hills behind Montecito. It allows him to indulge in his habitual snacking on crackers and other gluten-filled favorites without looking like a quarantine cautionary tale. He says his daily rides up Park Lane, Bella Vista Drive, and Ladera Lane are his time to think. (Read: his time away from us.) He talks about the mountains, the ocean views, and regales us with stories about the critters he encounters – coyotes, snakes, even a mountain lion.

I’ve long wanted to accompany him on one of his rides but have never believed myself to be in good enough shape to make it up that mountain. That changed last week, when, for my birthday, my husband and my sister surprised me with the sparkling green beauty that had caught my eye in the shop.

As soon as I took the e-bike for a spin, I knew this was going to be a longterm relationship. I’m not one for hyperbole, but this bike has rocked my world.

Now I can ride on our hilly roads, no problem, expending as much or as little energy as I want.

I called Bob Ludwick, President of the Coast Village Association, to talk about my new love and to inquire as to his feelings about BCycle’s bike-sharing program expanding into Montecito so that almost everyone can experience our village and its terrain by bike – from the not-quite-fit to adventurous seniors who are still active. I know from a planning perspective that these things can be complicated – like Ludwick’s feelings about e-bikers.

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“As a long-time cyclist, I whisper under my breath when e-bikers pass me only because I’m putting out a lot of energy and, well…”

– Bob Ludwick “To be honest, as a long-time cyclist, I whisper under my breath when e-bikers pass me only because I’m putting out a lot of energy and, well…”

So, Bob doesn’t like to be passed by people expending less energy than he is.

But what does he think about bringing Santa Barbara’s new bike-share program to Montecito? “I don’t know where we would locate the hubs. But we’re about to undertake a long-term solution for some self-governance by upgrading the street. An e-bike station could be integral to how we design (the corridor). “The fact is,” Bob said, “we need charging stations, too. We need some not necessarily quaint infrastructure to support modern life. But we have to figure out how to integrate it, rather than tack it on.”

Next, I called Jesse Rosenberg, General Manager of BCycle, the subsidiary of Trek that’s responsible for Santa Barbara’s bike-share program, to find out where, if at all, Montecito fits into BCycle’s plans.

“Since moving back to Montecito and joining the BCycle team, I’ve been excited to see the system expand to different areas in Santa Barbara. There’s no better way to appreciate neighborhoods, including those in Montecito, than from the seat of an e-bike. An e-bike makes it possible to climb hills, get exercise, and experience the beauty we pass every day in our cars. I look forward to having BCycle stations on Coast Village Road,” she replied.

On my actual birthday, I finally got to accompany my husband on his ride up the mountain. Now I understand why he’s hooked. After a year of being stuck at home through such a hard time, looking out over our vast hills and ocean expanse announcing renewal and reset, I found myself breathing deeply for what felt like the first time in a long time. Then I rode on ahead, leaving my husband to his thoughts, and in the dust.

I plan to lend my e-bike to Bob Ludwick for a trial run. Then let’s hear what he utters under his breath.

•MJ 4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

5

On the Record

by Nicholas Schou

Nicholas Schou is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including Orange Sunshine and Kill the Messenger. If you have tips or stories about Montecito, please email him at newseditor@montecitojournal.net

Santa Barbara Mayoral Candidate Deborah Schwartz is Not Your Figurehead

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

t’s sometimes said that Santa Barbara, with its powerful fulltime city administrator overseeing more than 1,000 city employees in ten different agencies, tends to leave the mayor as a figurehead, not much more than a glorified seventh city councilmember who happens to represent all constituents rather than those in one district.

But don’t tell that to Deborah Schwartz, a veteran city planning commissioner and land-use consultant who announced her candidacy for mayor last December, nearly a year ahead of the November 2 election. Since then, Schwartz hasn’t been shy about sharing her view that Santa Barbara needs a stronger mayor than what we’ve grown accustomed to having. If elected, she said, she plans to make that political figurehead model a thing of the past.

“The mayor sets the agenda,” Schwartz told the Montecito Journal in a February 25 interview. “The mayor must forge collegial respectful productive relations with the other six district council members, because left to their own devices, the six members, with no leadership or no one helping them to build consensus across their districts, leaves a city faced with multiple crises.”

If this sounds like a direct criticism of incumbent Mayor Cathy Murillo, that’s no coincidence. “We have a number a number of crises in Santa Barbara,” said Schwartz.

“With no concrete plan either being promoted by the mayor herself or in collaboration with the council members and administrators other than short-term, interim, stop-gap measures, we have no way out of these crises.”

Among the three candidates that include Mayor Murillo and James Joyce (see my February 11 column, “Coffee With a Black Guy Creator James Joyce Announces Santa Barbara Mayoral Bid”), Schwartz is an experienced public official who’s served as a planning commissioner for 11 years, including three stints as its chair. She’s also a decades-long resident whose family has roots in the community.

“I’m a Santa Barbara local,”

“Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it.” – David Lee Roth

Schwartz said. “It’s my city, it’s my passion. I think that my deep care of, and commitment to, the community really sets me apart.”

Like Mother, like Daughter

After several years in the Midwest and then Boston, Schwartz and her family moved to Santa Barbara in 1967. That’s when her father, Arthur, became a professor at UC Santa Barbara, a position he held for 42 years. Her mother, Naomi, went into politics and became chief of staff for California State Senator Gary K. Hart before serving three terms on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. After graduating from UCSB with degrees in political science, English, and linguistics, Schwartz in 1984 left for San Francisco, where she started her private sector career as a land use consultant.

In 2005, Schwartz returned to Santa Barbara to help care for her parents.

Like her mother, she quickly caught the political bug. “I had always kept one toe in politics,” she explained, adding that she worked on behalf of her mom’s supervisor races. “That’s how I met Salud Carbajal,” she said, referring to the U.S. Congressman who spent 12 years as her mom’s chief of staff. “They were an amazing team. It was a very special relationship.”

Schwartz said that the teamwork she witnessed not only inspired her to go into public service, but will guide her as mayor. “I want to bring forward the value set that Salud has carried forward as a congressman, and that is constituent service,” she said. “That was the number one priority every day in that office. So the number one thing at the top of my priorities is open communication.

I am making a pledge that this is going to be a priority under my mayorship because I am hearing from many community members that that is missing under the current mayor.”

Of course, life has changed during COVID lockdowns, altering traditional city council meetings and other forums of communication.

On The Record Page 344 344 4 – 11 March 2021

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4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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4 – 11 March 2021

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4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

9

Letters to the Editor

If you have something you think Montecito should know about, or wish to respond to something you read in the Journal, we want to hear from you. Please send all such correspondence to: Montecito Journal, Letters to the Editor, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA. 93108. You can also FAX such mail to: (805) 969-6654, or E-mail to letters@montecitojournal.net

Dear Ms Read

R

egarding the letter by Eileen Read. I have never met her nor Bob Hazard. I don’t care if he’s a motel franchiser from Phoenix, or a right-wing political gadfly. I and my surf-rider friends, fishermen, ocean swimmers, and beachgoers ONLY care about the quality of effluent that enters the surf and that is only treated secondarily. Only tertiary treatment will do for us. So, if Ms. Read is correct in quoting him as favoring “recycling one hundred percent of wastewater,” then we won’t need water from the California aqueduct; we don’t care about his other politics. Barry Goldwater was a conservative senator from Arizona, but he supported conservation, family planning (i.e. planned parenthood) and restricting immigration. Teddy Roosevelt was a conservative, but he gave us the first national park. Richard Nixon was a conservative, but he created the Environmental Protection Agency, and appointed Bill Ruckelshaus as its first director.

We have no right to dump anything but potable water into our ocean, which just further contributes to sea level rise.

Leon “Lee” Juskalian

not just conjecture.

As for Ms. Read, I would hope the reader might question her credentials after having read two articles and attending one water board meeting.

Many items are being ignored.

1. The state of California will stop the discharge of treated effluent into the ocean.

2. Those 600,000 gallons of discharge need to be recycled for use by public entities.

3. Law states that only a water district can charge for water, any water!

These are only a few of the laws and regulations that our districts need to address.

I’m not here to endorse Mr. Hazard’s submissions to either water or sanitation Boards, but, having served on the Montecito Fire Protection District Board, I respect that Mr. Hazard has been engaged in Montecito and offers opinions on how “Pursuing Improvement” might be obtained.

Dana Newquist (Publisher’s Note: Hillary Hauser’s name was accidentally dropped during production of the Letters section. We had no intention of running it anonymously and apologize for our mistake. ~ TLB)

Letters are “All Wet”

You Made My Day

Our community should better understand the value of our life-giving water.

We have an immense responsibility to manage this resource and process effluent. But recent letters to this paper about the Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) contain more venom than fact.

Jeff Kerns began this series with intelligent questions. With his many years serving as a director of the MSD, Jeff has the knowledge and credentials to question.

Having served with him on the MSD board for two years, I know and respect his opinions. Jeff’s concluding statement; “Pursuing improvement is always a worthy goal, so why not pursue in the most logical manner?”

Yes, I agree!

Currently, we have a well-run water and sanitation districts.

The letters following Mr. Kerns’ “Pursuing Improvement,” including “What a Waste” as well as “Commingling Water and Sewer,” attempt to make Mr. Kerns’ “Pursuing Improvement” a foregone conclusion.

If, Ms. Heal the Ocean had indeed authored an anonymous letter entitled “What a Waste,” that organization needs to be informed in any “Pursuit,”

10 MONTECITO JOURNAL

for All bill. This once again shows the far-left agenda of the council.

These socialist liberals that propose “Medicare for All” do not know what Medicare is. All Americans are forced to contribute to Medicare when they start earning an income. Since it was thrust on the American public by liberal President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, your contribution is taken out of your paycheck along with payroll taxes to fund Social Security. You have no choice. It’s the law! It is NOT insurance until you have paid into it for 40 years and then, when you turn 65 (if you live that long) Medicare pays part of your medical expenses, and you keep on paying for it until you die. There is nothing free about Medicare and no one gets anything until they turn 65. In the meantime, while you work, you have to buy personal insurance. Medicare is the worst insurance ever invented by liberals; it’s even worse than Obamacare. It is going broke as we speak.

Government insurance is always going to have problems and cost us more. Our private health insurance is the solution that works best, just like all other private, non- government insurances that we buy every year.

Justin M. Ruhge

Calling Moya

It is time for Moya St Leger to go crawl under her rock (or bridge).

Yours sincerely, Kathleen McCauley Laurain

Cut the Fat

A zillion thanks to the man who returned my wallet today, Monday, and left in my cart at ‘our’ Vons today.

I’d love to thank him in person but hope he reads the ‘illustrious’ MJ, to quote Richard Mineards. You made my day and thanks to the wonderful, helpful staff at Vons for their interest and assistance.

Jean Von Wittenburg

I second Fran Davis’ suggestion to limit the length of letters. I would like to add my annoyance of having to constantly turn back and forth to finish articles in your publication. If anyone else shares my feeling, maybe you could let the MJ know.

I began reading the MJ during the debris disaster and continue today, even though I do not live in Montecito.

Lynda Van Patter

It is Medicare for All!

Dueling Letters from the U.K.

On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to submit a resolution to Congress in support of the Medicare

I would like to respond to the February 25 published letter entitled “The Brits Like Us!”

I was born in Scotland, came to the U.S. in 1966 when I was 14 and became a citizen of this country in 1972.

I take strong offense to the letter-writer calling Harry Meghan’s obedient lap dog. I would like to remind you that the then-Prince served his country. In 2006, he was sent to Iraq and the press followed him; Osama took a strong interest in either capturing or killing the Prince. It was decided that, for Harry’s safety as well as that of his fellow soldiers, he should be pulled out.

In 2008, Harry deployed to Helmand Province to fight the Taliban. In 2012, Harry completed his training to fly Apache Helicopters.

I would like to point out that the members of the Royal family are NOT required to serve in the armed force of Great Britain, but Harry served for over a decade. So please show this gentleman some respect.

As far as Meghan is concerned, may I remind you that this young woman does not come from a royal family.

She was not brought up with the dayto-day machinations of being a royal, and I must believe that anyone from the public would have trouble fitting into this situation.

Meghan, like some, has had a childhood that caused her to have family issues. Many people have had the same types of experiences. Again, she should not be judged for this as we do not know all the facts.

Unfortunately for her, she is a successful actress and part of the royals, which puts her in the spotlight. I, for one, would hate to be followed everywhere I went by the paparazzi, wouldn’t you?

I would like to welcome Meghan and Harry to Montecito. They came here to raise their children and have a somewhat normal life. The beautiful thing about living here in Montecito is that many of us don’t care about actors or royals. We are all just people.

As far as the $45 million spent on their wedding: Yep, that’s a lot of money. Remember that many Brits as well as Americans could not wait to see the event.

May I remind you that in this sanctuary state, we spend way more than $45 million every year on Illegals.

Welcome Meghan and Harry!

Col. Michael J. Maloco USAF •MJ

Montecito Tide Guide Day Low Hgt High Thurs, March 4 12:45 AM Fri, March 5 1:42 AM Sat, March 6 2:58 AM Sun, March 7 4:25 AM Mon, March 8 5:40 AM Tues, March 9 12:37 AM 2.3 6:40 AM Wed, March 10 1:26 AM 1.9 7:28 AM Thurs, March 11 2:06 AM 1.5 8:10 AM Fri, March 12 2:43 AM 1 8:47 AM

Hgt 5.1 5 4.9 5 5.2 5.4 5.6 5.6 5.5

“If life gives you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice.” – Conan O’Brien

Low 7:48 AM 9:24 AM 10:59 AM 12:10 PM 01:03 PM 01:46 PM 02:22 PM 02:54 PM 03:22 PM

Hgt 0.5 0.4 0 -0.4 -0.8 -1 -1 -0.9 -0.7

High 01:55 PM 04:11 PM 06:17 PM 07:15 PM 07:52 PM 08:23 PM 08:50 PM 09:15 PM 09:39 PM

Hgt Low Hgt 3 06:48 PM 1.9 2.7 07:50 PM 2.5 3 09:48 PM 2.8 3.4 011:31 PM 2.7 3.8 4 4.3 4.4 4.6 4 – 11 March 2021

Celebrating History

By Hattie Beresford

Red-Letter Days for CAMA

Specializing in Fine Homes • Concept to Completion

The Country Playhouse, off Middle Road in Montecito, was the site of a benefit for the Municipal Orchestra (Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

O

n March 6, 1920, the Morning Press reported that the petroleum industry was booming in Ventura, prohibition agents were arresting bootleggers and rumrunners, and fruit vendors were setting up stands along the highways so booze-deprived drivers could quench their thirst by sucking on oranges. (I kid you not, there was an article in the newspaper!) In addition, a small-pox epidemic had closed the schools and authorities were urging that children be vaccinated. The Parent Teacher Association, on the other hand, insisted that the schools should reopen regardless. What made March 6th a red-letter day, however, was that the fledgling Civic Music Committee was bringing the newly minted Los Angeles Philharmonic to the Potter Theatre that night.

One hundred years later, on March 6, 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported there were 220 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 18 of the U.S. states.

In California, there were 60 cases and two people had already died.

Throughout the nation, toilet paper and hand sanitizer were disappearing from the shelves, as were many other items. A significant number of people questioned what all the frenzy was about. The flu, officials said, had killed tens of thousands more than COVID. Still, it was another red-letter day for Santa Barbara because the Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) was bringing the L.A. Phil to the Granada Theatre to play a 100th anniversary concert.

And what a magnificent concert it was! Maestro Gustavo Dudamel led the L.A. Phil through an exciting program of Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 2 and Antonín Dvoráks’ Symphony No. 9 From the New World. Unfortunately, it would be the last celebratory day for CAMA that year. When schools closed and gatherings were forbidden, the season was cancelled. Nevertheless, CAMA continued to bring the best of the world’s classical music to Santa 4 – 11 March 2021

• Exceptional Home Design • Board of Architectural Reviews • All Phases of Construction Entitlement

Adele Herter, seen here with her daughter Lydia, was a founder of the Music Branch of the Community Arts Association (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Ms Beresford is a local historian who has written two Noticias for the Santa Barbara Historical Museum as well as authored two books. One, The Way It Was: Santa Barbara Comes of Age, is a collection of articles written for the Montecito Journal. The other, Celebrating CAMA’s Centennial, is the fascinating story of Santa Barbara’s Community Arts Music Association.

Barbara by quickly adapting to virtual formats in a variety of creative ways.

In 1921, a year after the L.A. Phil’s first performance in Santa Barbara, also on March 6, the new Music Branch of the new Community Arts Association celebrated its own scarlet-letter day; the first concert by a community orchestra made up of local musicians. Founded by artist Adele Herter and conductor Georges Clerbois, the organization was funded by Clara Hinton Gould in memory of her late husband. That Sunday afternoon found members of the new

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History Page 224 • The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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Village Beat

by Kelly Mahan Herrick Kelly has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond. She is also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and is a member of Montecito and Santa Barbara’s top real estate team, Calcagno & Hamilton.

Coast Village Association Seeks to Form Improvement District

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t a City Council hearing on Tuesday, March 2, the Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance related to forming a Community Benefit District on Coast Village Road, an initiative set forth by the Coast Village Association Board of Directors. “This is just the beginning, the first starting block,” said CVA Board President Bob Ludwick, who is leading the charge with CVA Vice President Rob Miller and Board Members Trey Pinner, Rick Lemmo, and Francois DeJohn. “This decision will allow us to begin a long process of studying and determining the particular details, including what this will cost for property owners along Coast Village,” Ludwick said.

In addition to the ordinance adoption, the City Council also agreed to authorize $40,000 in Measure C Business Corridor Funds to pay for

consultant services and legal fees to prepare formation documents for the Community Benefit District. $30K of the funds will be a loan of sorts, which would be paid back if the business district is formed; its formation is dependent on 30% approval of the roughly 60 property owners on the street. Coast Village Association, which has already raised $30K from its own sources, has been talking to property owners the last year, and says they have at least 50% in favor of a Community Benefit District. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Pinner to the City Council.

The cost to property owners – and potentially their tenants – is yet to be determined, as more engineering and budget studies need to be conducted, which will take place over the next several months. “The cost assessed to every property will be different,”

Ludwick explained. “The next many months are for the hard work, and when it comes time for the ballot to happen, all the details will be on the table,” he said.

If all goes as planned, and a Community Benefit District is approved for the street, which is technically in the City of Santa Barbara jurisdiction, the funds will be used for much needed beautification of the road, as well as promotional events to bring visitors and locals out to support the local businesses. The CVA is also talking about homeless outreach, holiday decorating and events, beautification of the medians, and potentially changes to parking, to better serve the local businesses. The area has been hit hard the last few years, with the Thomas Fire and Debris Flow closures, the pandemic closures, and the steep increase in vehicular traffic caused by the closure of the freeway entrance at Hot Springs. It’s not uncommon on summer afternoons for traffic to be backed up along the milelong street, coming to a stop in the roundabout at Cabrillo/Hot Springs and Old Coast Highway. “This takes a toll on local businesses,” Ludwick lamented. “It’s time we are in control of how money is spent here to make it more appealing.”

“Community benefit districts provide property owners the ability to

assess themselves and, with their own money, control the focus of the expenditures to focus on cleanliness, aesthetic additions, and traffic building promotions,” said Lemmo, Senior Vice President for Caruso, who has been advocating for the formation of the Benefit District for years. “These measures not only attract guests, but they provide specific benefit to all tenants, which actually improve their businesses and lift up the entire community.”

Lemmo, Pinner, DeJohn, and Ludwick spoke at Tuesday’s hearing, and Councilmembers voiced their appreciation in the groundwork laid by the CVA, in hopes that lessons learned may help business districts in other areas of the City. “I would like to see more outreach to the community, including the tenants of the buildings and the residents. I’m interested in seeing the range of assessments, the budget, and seeing exactly how the money will be spent,” said Mayor Cathy Murillo, who agreed with the Council’s Ordinance Committee that the enabling ordinance be amended to require agreement with 30% of property owners (down from the original State law which requires 50%) in order to establish the assessment process.

The ordinance also allows for a lower

Village Beat Page 324 324

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• The Voice of the Village •

ROBERT RISKIN

MONTECITO JOURNAL

13

The Giving List

by Steven Libowitz

Anti-Defamation League of SB

T

his past January 6, Americans watched in horror as an insurrection fueled by violent conspiracy theories and white supremacy extremism attacked the Capitol in Washington, D.C., the very seat of our democracy. The Anti-Defamation League might have been shocked, but they weren’t surprised by what they have called “a predictable act of political violence fueled by years of increasing extremism.”

To counter forces that continue to pose a threat to American security and democracy, ADL sprang into action, creating its PROTECT plan, an acronym that contains a seven-pronged government and society approach to countering and preventing such violence in the future while still protecting civil liberties. Still, everyday Americans might be left with feelings of helplessness, and wondering what we can do individually to help fix the problem.

That’s where the Tri-Counties office of the ADL comes into play.

“It’s natural for us all to have anxiety when we see what happened at

ADL Santa Barbara Director of Education Brianna Abrams

ADL Santa Barbara Regional Director Dan Meisel

the Capitol, or when we see some evidence of extremism and hatred in our own midst,” said Dan Meisel, ADL’s Santa Barbara-based regional director for Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. “It’s important for residents to know that there’s a

local organization that is responding to these kinds of incidents and trying to prevent them. The message I want to get across is that we’re not powerless. There is a lot we are doing locally to prevent normalization of hate and bias in our area. We can learn to be allies for each other and we can advocate for each other and in coalition. And the more broad and diverse the coalition that’s advocating against hate, the more effective we can be.”

To that end, the local ADL office offers everything from analysis of

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The Giving List Page 284

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4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

15

Real Estate

enced Realtor to guide you through the levels of commitment required when buying a home in a multiple-offer or non-contingent situation.

by Mark Ashton Hunt The Scarcity of $1 million Homes

Mark and his wife, Sheela Hunt, are real estate agents. His family goes back nearly 100 years in the Santa Barbara area. Mark’s grandparents – Bill and Elsie Hunt – were Santa Barbara real estate brokers for 25 years.

Needles in a Haystack

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onsidering there are fewer homes in the Multiple Listing Service (the MLS, which feeds Realtor.com, Zillow, and others) than at any other time in the past 20 years, I feel it’s an interesting time to pause and ask (as others often ask me), what’s next in our real estate market?

Will the buyers who find little available inventory from which to choose here in Montecito buy somewhere else or wait for their dream home to hit the market so they can compete with four other buyers? Or will they buy a fixer-up or tear down an existing home? What land parcels or homes are left to feed the demand of what we see every day now? What we see are multiple agents emailing multiple buyers’ needs in Montecito and there are few signs that the activity will slow down.

With many agents working with so many clients to find the few homes that are on the market, it’s a multiple-offer world, where in some cases not even an all-cash offer is enough to bring to the table. Some sellers are having pre-inspections performed with reputable, local-service providers so that buyers and their agents can review. Because all inspectors are quite busy, some buyers are experiencing contingency periods of a week or less on a sale. Sign-and-buy is a mode that is happening from time to time. You like it, you buy it, and figure out the rest later. Wow. When a property hits the market and has multiple offers, it often comes down to who can close the fastest and with the most certainty. Or course, it also is tied to who has offered the highest price. But the fewer questions that must be answered, the better for the seller. You as a buyer have cash. Are you okay with the reports that we, the seller, have provided and will you close in a week? Great! If you need a loan or are not feeling adventurous enough to navigate a seven-day escrow, my advice is don’t dive in without an experi-

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The past few months have seen the depletion of housing inventory priced in the range of $1,000,000 to $4,000,000. As of this writing on February 27, there are only five homes in the $4 million price category and only two homes at the $5 million level. The only segment of the Montecito market that I believe still has more than 10 homes is the one that’s priced at $10,000,000 or more. While we saw a solid number of sales last year for properties over $10 million, what caught the media’s attention were the $25,000,000 sales and, of course, the purchase of a local home by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. We will see highend sales continue into 2021.

January and February closed 44 escrows in Montecito, or about 22 in each month. Sales in the 93108 zip code are very strong and, historically, are above average for winter months. But we are not at the 30-plus closings per month that we saw in 2020. Is that a slowdown? I don’t know. It’s still January and February. Let’s see what spring activity tells us. I think we’d see a lot more sales if potential buyers had more homes from which to choose.

The biggest takeaway that I’d like to share is that normally we see about 50% of all sales in Montecito being under $3,000,000 in any given year, as was generally the case in 2020. So roughly 50% of sales landed above the $3,000,000 mark. However, the first 44 recorded sales in MLS so far in 2021 showed that a whopping 67% of all sales in January and February were over $3,000,000— and some were well over that figure.

This more for less means that there are often amenities and features, such as a pool or a stunning view, that elevates the market value of a home

What Boosts a Sales Price?

This simply means that it’s getting more expensive to buy a home here in Montecito. The lower-priced options simply don’t exist except for a handful of homes and condos listed for under $3,000,000. Normally, there’d be a dozen or more properties available at this level.

Two price points that have five or so offerings on the market are the $4 million and the $7 million ranges. Those are always strong sales performers in Montecito. Both offer what I call the “more for less” factor; a few in each of these price ranges are in escrow right now. This more for less means that there are often amenities and features, such as a pool or a stunning view, that elevates the market value of a home priced at $4 million or $7 million. A $4 million home with the right features might look like a $5 million home and, likewise, a $7 million property might look like a $10 million one. But a $3 million home usually looks like a $3 million one, give or take.

In the $4-million range right now, there are handful of available homes in the Birnam Wood neighborhood. They offer good value based on recent sales and have generous lot sizes. There are other, more expensive and quite lovely listings in Birnam Wood, but I’m focusing now on the $4 million range in Montecito because there are so few homes on the market at that price. Homes in Birnam Wood include a 24/7 guard, gated security and a life built around a private golf course, as well as the amenities such features provide. There are membership fees and homeowner association dues attached to owning a home at Birnam Wood. Homes within Birnam Wood are located in the Montecito Union School District.

Listed now at the $7 million level are two homes (described below) which have what one might expect from a Montecito estate: The potential to include a private gated drive, a substantial home in a good location, a pool, a guest house, and other special features, as well as privacy and historical significance. I hope you find something that works for you in the listings that follow.

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estled in the private, gated community of Birnam Wood Golf Club is this classic contemporary home with four bedrooms and five bathrooms in nearly 4,700 square feet of living space. Designed by James A. Morris, the mountain views form a backdrop for the spacious living room and back patio of the home. Right over the private hedge waits the golf course.

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280 Middle Rd | Santa Barbara | 3BD/4BA DRE 00445015 | Offered at $6,750,000 Bob Lamborn 805.689.6800

1583 S Jameson Ln | Montecito | 9BD/9BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $17,900,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

975 Lilac Dr | Santa Barbara | 5BD/8BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $14,900,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

545 Toro Canyon Rd | Montecito | 7BD/12BA DRE 01815307 | Offered at $14,900,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

1833 Fletcher Way | Santa Ynez | 5BD/6BA DRE 00753349 | Offered at $12,250,000 Carey Kendall 805.689.6262

2069 China Flat Rd | Santa Barbara | 5BD/6BA DRE 00837659 | Offered at $9,500,000 Patricia Griffin 805.705.5133

5200 Foxen Canyon Rd | Los Olivos | 8BD/8BA DRE 00753349 | Offered at $7,900,000 Carey Kendall 805.689.6262

2910 Hwy 154 | Los Olivos | 11BD/11BA DRE 00753349 | Offered at $5,500,000 Carey Kendall 805.689.6262

3981 Roblar Ave | Santa Ynez | 5BD/7BA DRE 00753349 | Offered at $5,250,000 Carey Kendall 805.689.6262

5651 W Camino Cielo | Santa Barbara | 4BD/3BA DRE 01813897 | Offered at $4,795,000 David M Kim 805.296.0662

2975 Calle Bonita | Santa Ynez | 6BD/5BA DRE 00753349 | Offered at $4,495,000 Carey Kendall 805.689.6262

3331 Baseline Ave | Santa Ynez | 4BD/5BA DRE 01351981 | Offered at $4,495,000 Darin Guglielmo 805.969.8900

516 Crocker Sperry Dr | Santa Barbara | 4BD/5BA DRE 01440591 | Offered at $4,488,000 Elizabeth Wagner 805.895.1467

1556 La Vista Rd | Santa Barbara | 4BD/6BA DRE 00520230 | Offered at $4,395,000 Ed Edick 805.689.1153

3060 Calle Bonita | Santa Ynez | 4BD/6BA DRE 01921235 | Offered at $3,250,000 Michelle Glaus 805.452.0446

830 Via Cielito | Ventura | 4BD/4BA DRE 00973317 | Offered at $1,845,000 Tobias Hildebrand 805.895.7355

5150 E Camino Cielo | Santa Barbara | 5BD/4BA DRE 00835438 | Offered at $1,795,000 Jackie Walters 805.570.0558

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4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

17

Santa Barbara by the Glass

by Gabe Saglie 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. Gabe and wife Renee have 3 children and one Golden Retriever named Milo

Pinot Noir All Month Long: Famous Annual Wine Event Goes Virtual

P

inot noir lovers normally have the first weekend in March highlighted on their calendars. After all, it’s a weekend usually dedicated to the World of Pinot Noir (WOPN), the annual gathering of winemakers and wine consumers who fete Burgundy’s most famous red grape. Launched in 2001, the event has been held at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta since 2014, drawing more than 3,000 thirsty oenophiles from all over the world.

This year, of course, COVID-19 had other plans for WOPN (pronounced “whoppin’” by those in the know).

There will be no mingling with winemakers, no hands-on tastings, no sitdown dinners. Creativity prevails, however, and technology delivers.

This year, WOPN is claiming the entire month of March, and it’s going virtual. “Attendees often say they’d love even more content and more

opportunities for intimate experiences with winemakers,” said Laura Booras, the CEO of Riverbench Vineyards in Santa Maria and president of the WOPN board. “This year, we actually have an opportunity to grow these opportunities.”

As WOPN goes from in-person to online, consumers will have several chances every week to get up close and personal with pinot noir – and all through live events broadcast across Zoom, Instagram, and Facebook. Wednesdays, for example, are dedicated to the WOPN Wine Case Experience, where guests buy a case of rare, hand-selected pinots then join a 30-minute Zoom chat at 5 pm for a guided tasting session and discussion.

The 12-bottle compilation ($600 with a retail value of $800) features toughto-get-your-hands-on finds from regions all over the globe. Some of the

Matthew Pifer, MD

California standouts include BrewerClifton’s 2016 Machado Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, a 93-point winner from Wine Spectator, and Eden Rift’s 2018 Landsdale Cienega Valley Pinot Noir, christened with 94 points

by Robert Parker. The series is hosted

by Master Sommelier David Glancy, founder of the San Francisco Wine School.

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This year, World of Pinot Noir is claiming the entire month of March, and it’s going entirely virtual

zones behind some of California’s best pinot noir wines, including the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley and vineyards of the Santa Lucia Highlands near Monterey.

The seminar on Thursday, March 18, spotlights Sonoma County’s diverse sub-regions, such as the Russian River Valley and the Petaluma Gap, through a winemaker panel conversation and a tasting of wines that guests pre-order for home delivery, including Banshee, La Crema, and EnRoute. Prices for

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the seminars range from $150 to $295, depending on the wine brands featured.

Free events include discussions and winemaker Happy Hours every Wednesday at noon via Facebook Live and every Friday at 5 pm via Instagram Live. There’s an online charity auction, too, which gives consumers access to a remarkable selection of hard-to-access bottles. The lots include bottles of prized pinots, including magnums, from labels like Paul Lato, Calera, Goldeneye, Kosta

Browne, and Ampelos. According to the WOPN website, part of the auction proceeds “will be donated to nonprofit institutions and/or scholarships that help further educate and enlighten the world about the storied pinot noir grape.”

To register as a bidder, and for more information on WOPN 2021, check out worldofpinotnoir.com.

WOPN is an international affair to be sure, tapping into the unique allure of pinot noir with its dependably eclectic aromatics, its complex flavor profile, and awesome ability to match most any meal. It makes sense that the event would be hosted

by Santa Barbara. The grape, native to Burgundy and whose cultivation dates back to the fourth century, is grown all over the world, most prominently in California, France, and Germany. But Santa Barbara County enjoys a distinctive ability to produce Pinots that stand out. The east-west traverse of the Santa Ynez Mountains, which funnel marine air and create enviably pronounced diurnal shifts in temperature, and our special soils are tapped by a talented pool of winemakers, who’ve been drawn to the area by its unique potential. May the stars align so that WOPN returns as an in-person experience in 2022.

Cheers!

•MJ

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4 – 11 March 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

19

Seen Around Town Polo and Ponies

by Lynda Millner

“Let people play at other things, the King of Games is still the Game of Kings.”

– Carved in stone in Northern Pakistan by a British diplomat.

The polo fields in Carpinteria Ms Millner is the author of The Magic Makeover, Tricks for Looking Thinner, Younger and More Confident – Instantly. If you have an event that belongs in this column, you are invited to call Lynda at 969-6164.

O

Polo at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club (Photo courtesy SBPR)

ne of the things that fascinated me when we first moved to Santa Barbara in the mid-‘70s was the polo field just south of town.

We soon became social members even though we lived in town and spent

many a Sunday watching and learning about polo and its ponies. Yes, they are called ponies. We eventually bought a condo and lived next to the field for 14 years.

Historically, an American visited

England and brought the game back to New York where the Westchester Polo Club was formed. From there, the game spread to the West Coast. Santa Barbara’s club was founded in 1911 and is now the third oldest United States Polo Association (U.S.P.A.) club still in existence. Polo is the “most ancient of games played with stick and ball, the fastest game both to play and to watch yet conceived,” according to The MacMillan Company.

Polo was the national game of Persia.

Predating Christianity, it was played during Alexander the Great’s time.

Polo’s name came from the Tibetan

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culture, a derivative of “pulu,” the Tibetan word for ball. Persians gave the game its structure and rules and it passed through India to England.

An exhibition polo match was first played in 1894 at Santa Barbara’s Agricultural Park for the Flower Festival. By 1902, a fledgling club boasted a 40-member roster. It went on to flourish at various fields around town, drawing more players. In 1911, Elmer “Long Legs” Boeseke, Jr. (a former 10-goal player, the best you can be) was able to gain admittance for the local club into the U.S.P.A. In 1916, a fire in Carpinteria burned a grove of eucalyptus and so paved the way for Fleischmann Field. The club passed through several hands after the fire and in 1929 was eventually sold to Major Fleischmann. Architect Robert Sturgeon designed the barns and office/clubhouse. The players loved running their ponies along the surf at Summerland Beach and trained

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on the sand. Also, Fleischmann liked having his yacht anchored nearby for the after-polo parties.

The Golden Era

The late 1920s and mid-1930s comprised the golden era at the Club.

Teams, horses, and players would arrive by train, unload the stock cars and walk through downtown Santa Barbara all the way to Fleischmann Field. Grooms were a bit nervous because automobiles had been known to accidentally hit the horses.

Sunday at the polo fields was a great social event. It still is, with a few variations. But back in the day, the fields employed servants to cook and serve the noon-day meal. Some diners had familiar names such as Averell Harriman, Cecil Smith, and members of the Elmer Boeseke Family. Yes, polo is glamorous, but it can also be dangerous. Our good friend Eric Friden, who owned the landmark El Encanto Hotel, died days after he was thrown from his saddle when his horse stumbled during a practice game. Friden’s memorial is in the hotel gardens. A club manager, Jim Colt, died in 1931 when his pony tripped over the horse in front, fell, and crushed Colt under him. The list goes on. One way that polo has been described: “Polo is kind of like golf, except you are trying to hit the ball at 40 miles per hour while someone is trying to bump you off your cart.”

During the Great Depression, Major Fleischmann divided his great polo complex into ten parcels and sold each one for $10. A small group bought the parcels with John de Blois Wack assuming presidency of the club and hiring a seven-goal player from England, Harry East, as manager.

Harry was one of the best No. 1 position players. With the club under his management, foreign team members came to play including the famed Robert Skene. He was a 10-goal player for an incredible 17 years. When I moved to the Polo Fields in 1988, I knew the late Mrs. Elizabeth Skene and her husband. In 1941, ownership was transferred to Ann G. Jackson.

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The Japanese Attack

In 1942, there was a surprise interruption in polo. The first enemy bombardment on American soil since the War of 1812 occurred in Goleta near the ranch of U.S. Senator Thomas M. Stroke. A Japanese submarine tried to knock out a large oil storage tank close to Ellwood Beach. Twenty-five shells were fired, but they were all bad shots. None hit their target. Through 1946, the polo fields were used to station and train soldiers and the fields became trampled and bare. There was

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History (Continued from page 11)

The Community Orchestra, seen here on the stage of the Recreation Center, started as a string orchestra. Adele Herter designed the members’ purple robes, and the brocaded Herter Blue backdrop was fabricated at Herter Looms. March 6, 2021 is the 100th anniversary of their initial performance. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

The Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles in 1919 boasted 89 men and one woman, a harpist. The photo shows conductor Walter Henry Rothwell standing with L.A. Phil founder, William Andrews Clark, Jr. Their first performance in Santa Barbara was on March 6, 1920. (Courtesy Los Angeles Philharmonic Archives)

orchestra in purple robes designed by Adele Herter, and playing an ambitious program of Schubert, SaintSaëns, Chopin, Lacombe, Liszt, and Grétry on the Recreation Center stage.

An Elevated Class of Music

From these two antecedents (the Civic Music Committee and the Community Arts Music Branch), CAMA was born. Of course, even antecedents have antecedents and the

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most immediate was an organization formed in June 1916 – the Municipal Orchestra Committee. This group was determined to devise a high-class orchestra made up of local musicians who would play an elevated class of music at Sunday concerts. Georges Clerbois was often its conductor.

The following year, the Municipal Orchestra Committee decided to bring Adolph Tandler’s Los Angeles Symphony to Santa Barbara for a series of concerts that served as fundraisers

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for the local group. Even the Montecito Country Playhouse participated with its own benefit for the cause. But the winds of war were blowing; on April 6, 1917, the United States entered the European conflict (WWI) by declaring war on Germany. On April 15, the municipal orchestra played its last concert and promptly folded.

The Civic Music Committee and the Music Branch, therefore, began as resurrections of this previous effort.

Eventually the Music Branch took

over the Committee’s work of bringing the L.A. Phil to Santa Barbara and blossomed into an exciting and vibrant organization that brought a variety of the best orchestras and performers of classical music to town, as well as developed the talents of local musicians.

The 101 years that have passed have not been without challenge. The richness of programming in the 1920s was diminished by a global depression followed by another world war. When the Community Arts Association folded, CAMA incorporated and carried on. Through economic recessions, wartime blackouts, changing musical tastes, political upheaval, and now, another life-altering pandemic, the dedicated board and generous donors of CAMA have diligently and creatively found ways to continue bringing the world’s finest classical music to Santa Barbara. Bravissimo!

(For more on the story of CAMA and the LA Phil, go to vimeo.com/camasb/ Beresford on March 6 for a link to the pre-concert slide show and lecture by yours truly on the one-year anniversary of that personal red-letter day.)

•MJ

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State Street Scribe

someone with a yen for avid verbal communication, which had been amply demonstrated during her eight years on the Montecito Union School Board. “He shared with me that Gwyn Lurie had pulled together a group to talk about this moment of racial reckoning in America.” Rogers’ brief but eye-opening episode of The Conversationally Slippery Montecito Moms drove her to pick up the phone and call Lurie. Their conversation immediately slipped into a warm, light-throwing cause centered on the village they loved. Rogers unburdened herself. “When Gwyn and I spoke, I shared my wish for Montecito. If we could fast-forward ten years, we’d see visible, tangible signs of Montecito having taken action toward anti-racism.”

by Jeff Wing

Jeff is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. A long-time resident of SB, he takes great delight in chronicling the lesser known facets of this gaudy jewel by the sea. Jeff can be reached at jeffwingg@gmail.com.

Tale of Two Cities

T

he intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis is in the midst of a “makeover,” a new idiom for the city’s beleaguered traffic engineers. The assignment? Design an urban experience that creates space for mourning, reflection, and unimpeded vehicular flow. Not your typical work order.

The intersection’s unusual commemorative mission is borne of the culture-twisting, broad daylight murder it will ask us all to remember in perpetuity.

The facts of George Floyd’s killing are widely known and won’t be re-examined here – except to say that when the two backup law enforcement officers arrived, one of them walked into the middle of the scrum with a visible sense of purpose. Officer Derek Chauvin – namesake of the Napoleonic soldier whose pitiable and unearned sense of superiority gave rise to the word chauvinism – dragged the cuffed and panicked Mr. Floyd out of the squad car and maneuvered him to the ground. With a surgically positioned left knee, and amid anguished cries of mercy from witnesses and the dying man himself, Chauvin casually crushed Floyd’s neck for the eight or so minutes it took to send the pleading man’s soul to the hereafter. Yes – another blow to the much-speechified Sanctity of Life.

Explaining the Inexplicable

Two thousand miles away, Casey Rogers just wanted a way to explain the inexplicable to her kids, whose unavoidable exposure to the shattering imagery would invite an irreparable worldview. “I began reaching out to my ‘mom friends’ in Montecito,” she said. A philanthropic advisor and director of the Ellen Fund, Rogers knows from networks, and sought that connectivity “just to ask how they were talking with their kids about the

murder, and about the Black Lives Matter protests happening around the country.” There were no takers.

Floyd’s killing was not unique in the checkered annals of race relations in the U.S. But even in that context, its casual brutality sent a shock wave across the country that set the conversation afire. Particularly galling was the killer’s facial expression of bored impunity; it was a longtime signifier of stacked decks and preordained outcomes. “The killing wasn’t a first Conversation as Anti-toxin What happens when you internalize by any means,” said Gwyn Lurie, Montecito Journal Media Group’s an instance of injustice so screwed, CEO and Editor-in-Chief. “But it was a it puts the bloodstream on a low tipping point.” The murder unleashed boil? The question is not rhetorical;

Floyd’s killing was not unique in the checkered annals of race relations in the U.S., but even in that context, its casual brutality sent a shock wave across the country that set the conversation afire.

a cyclone of rage that churned through and shattered commercial districts in cities across the country, torching cars, destroying businesses – and drawing the sort of chaste, boardroom reproof from a white establishment that blandly saw the conflagration as a strategic misstep. “People: Is this the best way to air your grievances?”

As if the explosive outpouring were a miscalculated action item cooked up in a conference room. There may not be a starker differentiator than that highlighted by the corporate counsel of supportive whites.

Casey Rogers’ own processing had to start with, and be shaped by, that of her kids. She was having a hard time cornering a conversation partner.

What’s there to talk about? “None of the moms I spoke with had spoken to their kids,” she said. “They weren’t quite sure what to say.” Montecito Union School District Superintendent Anthony Ranii pointed Rogers to

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it’s answered somewhat by culture and geography. Choices in these parts include throwing a love seat through the plate glass; repeatedly striking a tree stump with an old Davis Imperial tennis racket; or pulling together what could be called a nonpolitical reaction committee. “Casey had reached out to me in a particular context,” Lurie said.

“That of a white resident of Montecito beginning to feel frustrated at people who wanted to have the conversation and quickly move on.” The killing of George Floyd was at such a geographic, sociological and cultural remove from Montecito – many in the wooded enclave were unable to find traction in what it signaled. Aware of the gravity of the situation, they were averse to engaging in its particulars – understandably, it must be said. But that way lies unending chaos, injustice, and death. Not to be a downer.

“Casey said, ‘I think it’s important for our community to not stop having this conversation.’ And I told her, ‘Funny you should say that...’” Lurie had already begun to constructively use her anger by convening a diverse group of trusted pals whom she knew would be activated by discourse, and whose skills could lead to forward movement. Lurie and Rogers were on the same page. “I’m not sure exactly where this conversation is going,”

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• The Voice of the Village •

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23

moving in the right direction.”

Clearly a case of do or dye!...

Monte ito Miscellany

Battle Royal

by Richard Mineards

Richard covered the Royal Family for Britain’s Daily Mirror and Daily Mail, and was an editor on New York Magazine. He was also a national anchor on CBS, a commentator on ABC Network News, gossip on The Joan Rivers Show and Geraldo Rivera, host on E! TV, a correspondent on the syndicated show Extra, a commentator on the KTLA Morning News and Entertainment Tonight. He moved to Montecito 14 years ago.

Plaza Granada Breaks Ground

Jason Harris, Paul Casey, Palmer Jackson, Caren Rager, Cathy Murillo, Brian Cearnal, and Rogelio Solis breaking ground (photo by Priscilla)

A

new pathway to the historic arts district in downtown Santa Barbara, Plaza Granada, broke ground near the venerable theater.

The project, costing nearly $2 million raised from donors and theater board members, will totally transform the parking lot behind the Granada and the pedestrian walkway into a safer, more accessible, and aesthetically pleasing space for the public.

“As downtown Santa Barbara continues to evolve, and State Street continues to become more open to pedestrians, the timing of this project couldn’t be better,” says Palmer Jackson Jr., executive chairman of the theater.

“It will dramatically improve the experience of our patrons and all those who use the paseo from the garage to State Street. This transformation was a dream of the late Michael Towbes, and we’re honored to finally help realize his vision.”

The groundbreaking is the culmination of 13 years of dedication and planning between local business owners, city officials, patrons of the arts, and local residents, who collaborated to develop an attractive renovation designed by architects Brian Cearnal and Rogelio Solis of the Cearnal Collective.

The new plaza, which is expected to be completed by June, will also feature a 150-foot long, eight-foothigh performing arts-themed mural by local artists Tracy Lee Stum and Sayak Mitra, who were chosen after a competitive call for submissions.

Among those “digging in” were Mayor Cathy Murillo, city administrator Paul Casey, Chrisman executive director of the Granada Caren

24 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Rager, and Derek Hansen from the Towbes Group.

What a Year Marcus Boyle of Halo & Horns salon celebrates first anniversary after trying year

It has been quite a hair-raising year for Montecito crimper Marcus Boyle, owner of the Halo & Horns salon on Coast Village Road with his wife, Clara, just a curling tongs’ throw from Ca’Dario.

Marcus, 45, who trained at Vidal Sassoon in London, celebrates the first anniversary of his business this month having worked for eight years at Sequel with his uncle Kevin Charles, hairdresser at the Biltmore for many years before being replaced by celebrity Beverly Hills stylist José Eber, who used to tend the luscious locks of the late Elizabeth Taylor.

“It has certainly been quite a rollercoaster given the pandemic,” says Marcus, son-in-law of Montecito author and former Santa Barbara NewsPress columnist Robert Eringer, who coined the locale’s name.

“It has been like a windshield wiper opening and closing given the edicts throughout the last twelve months.

The worst time was Christmas when we had to shut down for two months.

“But I’m an optimist. With all the new vaccines on tap we’re clearly

A battle royal, appropriately enough, has been raging over the U.K. rights to broadcast former TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey’s two-hour no holds barred interview with Montecito tony twosome Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The incendiary interview, which took place over two days last month, is set to air in the U.S. this Sunday on CBS after the current affairs show 60 Minutes.

I understand that ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group, which is selling the program overseas, is keen for the interview to land on a free-toair broadcaster to ensure a significant profile in the U.K. According to Variety, Comcastowned Sky is out of the running while streaming giants Amazon Prime and Netflix – which has already signed a $150 million deal with the Sussexes – are thought not to be involved.

The BBC is also believed not to be in the running as it is instead airing Queen Elizabeth’s annual Commonwealth Day message in a pre-recorded speech at Windsor Castle, just 24 hours before Oprah’s interview here.

ITV, which employs Harry’s longtime friend Tom Brady, has emerged as the main contender, paying $1.5 million for the U.K. broadcasting rights.

The channel will be airing the interview on Monday, one day after CBS. Harry, 36, also appeared on old friend James Corden’s Late Late Show on CBS last week where he was shown rapping outside the mansion used in the NBC TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which starred Will Smith and ran from 1990 to 1996, which might have garnered boffo ratings, but was described by dismayed officials at Buckingham Palace as “unhelpful.”

An appearance by Meghan by iPhone, when the former actress revealed she affectionately called the Queen’s grandson Haz, also led to snarky members of the British media dubbing the sixth in line to the throne Prince Haz Been.

CBS morning anchor Gayle King, a longtime friend of Oprah, says the hotly anticipated interview this weekend is one of the best she has ever done.

We’ll see...

Oh, Baby!

Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is crying out for volunteers as they enter spring baby season, its busiest time of the year.

Last year the Goleta-based organization cared for more than 3,445 animals and expects more this year.

Jobs include washing syringes, preparing animal diets, and even man-

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” –Lucille Ball

ning the Helpline.

To learn more, email volunteer@ sbwcn.org

Pushing the Envelope Arlene Larsen getting stamp of approval

It’s all a matter of dimensions!

Milt and Arlene Larsen, owners of Montecito’s Magic Castle, fell foul of the Post Office when they were informed the popular cabaret club’s return address on their snail mail was “too low,” with the machines reading the return address rather than the member’s address.

“We are eliminating our return address on the front of the envelopes and stamping it on the back to avoid any further problems,” says Arlene.

“We are utilizing a recent order of 1,000 new envelopes that were printed incorrectly and decided not to waste the paper or money and use them with our stamped changes. We are not receiving returned mail now and hope our members understand our goofy envelopes.”

A sticky situation...

Remembering Mary

On a personal note, I mark the move to more heavenly pastures of Supremes singer Mary Wilson at her home in Las Vegas age 76.

I first met Mary in there ‘80s when I was an editor on New York Magazine’s Intelligencer column at a party in Manhattan’s Union Square with the late Bill Murray, who ran Celebrity Bulletin, a daily tip sheet on bold faced names in town and their contact information.

She was one of the tony Motown triumvirate with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard formed in 1961 when she was just 15 years old with the trio eventually disbanding in 1977.

Full of effervescence and energy, Mary was a star in her own right and even had an affair with the Welsh crooner Tom Jones.

She went on to publish three books about her time with the Supremes, among them her 1986 memoir Dreamgirls: My Life as a Supreme, a warts-and-all account of the fraught dynamic with the group.

A fun and lively lady who I was delighted to know.

Sightings will return in due course now Gov. Gavin Newsom has lifted the total lockdown.

Pip! Pip! - Be safe and wear a mask •MJ 4 – 11 March 2021

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

25

Perspectives

by Rinaldo S. Brutoco

Rinaldo S. Brutoco is the Founding President and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital.

He’s a serial entrepreneur, executive, author, radio host, and futurist who’s published on the role of business in relation to pressing moral, environmental, and social concerns for over 35 years

Let My People Go - Part II

T

he February 18 edition of this column carried an impassioned plea for the two political parties, which together represent less than 50 percent of the voters, to let our people go! To let us pass into real democracy from the shared monopoly in U.S. politics that the Democrats and Republicans jointly control to their advantage, and to the great detriment for the rest of us. Three things just happened that require me to re-visit this vital topic.

First, as reported in my earlier column, and in the press generally, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (currently the highest-ranking Republican officeholder) agreed with the House Impeachment Managers that former President Trump was “practically and morally responsible for [the Capitol Hill insurrection designed to overturn the election]... no question.” And yet, on Friday when asked publicly whether he, McConnell, would support Trump as the Republican nominee in 2024 without hesitation he responded, “Absolutely.” WHAT???

McConnell agrees that Trump tried, and nearly succeeded, in overthrowing the legitimately elected U.S. government. Why would he agree to give Trump another chance to destroy our American Constitutional system? Because his commitment to do so keeps him in a power-sharing agreement with the Democrats where the professional political class always wins and we, The People, lose. We, The People, get lost in the arcane “game” played by both Democrats and Republicans that keeps us enslaved to a political system that is neither democratic nor effective at problem solving. It only seeks to perpetuate the two-party system, even as fewer of us belong to either party, leaving us underrepresented in effect.

Second, last week The Economist’s “Intelligence Unit” published its 2020 Global Democracy Index entitled: “Global Democracy Has A Very Bad Year.” Indeed, it did.

In their words “The annual survey…rates the state of democracy across 167 countries based on five measures—electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture and civil liberties—(and) finds that just 8.4 percent of the world’s population live in a full democracy.”

The US is NOT counted in that 8.4 percent who enjoy “full democracy”! The “full democracy” countries do include Canada, Norway, Netherlands, Iceland, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, New Zeeland, our friends in Britain, Germany and Switzerland. They are all stand outs.

In commenting specifically on the US, The Economist labeled it a “flawed democracy” ranked at #25 down the list for all the reasons previously featured in Perspectives under the heading of “Minority Rule.” They observed that we have rules permitting a minority, even one that lost by more than 7,000,000 votes in our recent national election, to still retain a stranglehold on national governance even though the Republican party represents only about 17 percent of total registered voters.

As The Economist notes, one hallmark of a true democracy is that when a party loses an election it is unable to block the political agenda of the party that wins.

Not here in the US, where the Democrats are jumping through ridiculous hoops to come within the ambit of the “Byrd Rule,” This isn’t even a statute or a law. Like the abhorrent filibuster rule, it is a precedent that 51 percent of the Senate can change at any time. Yet they don’t. Why? Will the inability to pass a bill that 75 percent of the American people support, like the Covid Relief Bill, through a simple majority Senate vote be the final straw? Or, will the Democrats “play footsie” with the Republicans again at the expense of the voters?

Will the Democrats allow the Republicans to block the long overdue increase to the $7.25/hour Minimum Wage (which hasn’t increased in 12 years) when: 1) the business community overwhelmingly supports it; 2) a supermajority of Americans from all political corners support it; 3) the Trump appointed Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board (Jerome Powell) enthusiastically supports it along with the Democratically appointed Secretary of the Treasury (Janet Yellen) and 4) when virtually all credible mainstream economists believe it is very good to help over 20 million full time workers rise out of poverty? Sadly, my suspicion is that clinging to the anti-democratic two-party system will keep the Democrats from doing what they, and the public, clearly know is right in order to keep a two-party system in place.

Third, the Conservative Political Action Committee (“CPAC”) this week anointed Donald Trump, the insurrectionist leader of the rebellion who sought to overthrow our government, as the leader of the Republican Party. That’s how distorted and ridiculous the two-party system has become. It’s time for a better solution. The Republican Party has decided to keep QAnon supported Trump as their leader.

26 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Pollution Solutions

N

These changes could drastically reduce noise pollution in marine habitats oise from shipping operations and other human activities can be disruptive to marine animals, especially species which rely on calls through the water to communicate. The good news is there are a few simple solutions that would greatly reduce these auditory disruptions under the sea.

Researchers analyzed 500 noise pollution studies to find where noise could be reduced with simple strategies. First, creating quieter propellers and rerouting shipping vessels away from sensitive habitats could be very impactful. Eighty-five percent of shipping noise comes from propellors, especially those with cavitation, a propeller design issue. Retrofitting these propellors improves efficiency and reduces noise by 75 percent.

Another potential area for improvement is seismic surveying. Energy and gas companies have designed a marine version of seismic surveying technology which lowers overall sound pressure levels. These are expected to go into circulation in 2023 and these, in conjunction with reduced oil and gas exploration, could greatly benefit marine ecosystems.

Lastly, acoustic bubble curtains around offshore wind farms reduce noise by 95 percent for more environmentally-friendly renewable energy. Ultimately, the most appropriate noise reduction strategy depends on the area and marine life that lives there, but the availability of these solutions means all there is left to do is implement them.

A net zero America would boost GDP by $1 trillion Reaching net-zero emissions is critical for mitigating further damage from climate change on our planet, but a new report has detailed the immense economic benefits that would also accompany this transition.

A report released by the nonprofit Energy Innovation calculated that reaching net-zero emissions in the U.S. would add nearly $1 trillion to the GDP. One driving factor is the job growth potential in green energy sectors, but the drop in renewable energy technology cost is also influential. Solar panels are 90 percent cheaper than they were a decade ago and wind turbines are 70 percent cheaper.

Energy Innovation took public health into account as well. Improved air quality from reduced emissions would avoid an estimated two million asthma attacks a year by 2050, eliminating 6.5 million lost workdays and avoiding 65,000 premature deaths.

Reaching net-zero emissions is a necessity if we want to continue to thrive on this planet, but it also offers the opportunity to create a healthier economic system, one that supports human societies without jeopardizing the climate. •MJ Unfortunately, it will lead to their total annihilation as the major alternative to the Democratic party. Trapped between these two unacceptable choices, more and more of us are becoming Independents. We actually total well over 54 percent of all voters already and that number will surely rise.

Why? Because we’re tired of the current “Tweedledee” and “Tweedledum” combination.

There were no “parties” at the founding of our Republic. Many Founders didn’t want any. There were “factions” like the Federalists Alexander Hamilton formed as the first political party, which he saw as working for a strong central government and in opposition to the “Jacobins” (seen as the mob that took down the French Crown) and the “Democratic-Republicans” (perceived to be in favor of “mob rule”). Ultimately the Federalists petered out and loosely became the ancestor of the Whig party.

Meanwhile, the “Old Republican Party” was formed by anti-Federalists lead

by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1790s. And, in a curious twist of fate, the Old Republican party actually became the ancestor of what we now call the Democrats!

Along the way, other political parties like the Jacksonians and the National Republican Party (not to be confused with either the Old Republican Party or the Democratic-Republican Party), the Know-Nothings and the Whigs themselves all arose and fell into obscurity.

The point is, we’ve had plenty of political parties this country’s history. It is only in the last 100+ years we’ve been willing to enshrine the modern-day Democrats and Republicans with exclusive shared control of our government. Until we change that we’ll never be able to “Let My People Go.” Watch for the third and final installment of this series where we’ll explain the pros and cons of a multi-party system versus a two-party system; how we can get there; and how it will free us up to live, at last again, in a “full” rather than “flawed” democracy.

•MJ

“If one window closes, run to the next window. Or break down a door.” – Brooke Shields

4 – 11 March 2021

Two Cities (Continued from page 23) Lurie told her, “but it feels good to think of coming together in a group where we can have honest conversations about race.”

The Institute for Social Inquiry

“When I was doing some freelance editing for the Montecito Journal, Gwyn Lurie approached me to join in what I believe was a formative conversation,” said Joe Donnelly. He’s an award-winning journalist, writer, and editor of the “admirably tall and balding” variety – a typist with a pugilist’s aura. And nose. He’s also a Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Journalism at Whittier College, and editor of Red Canary Magazine.

“The core group has changed and evolved with a couple of exceptions,” he said. “But right now we have a lot of momentum and it’s showing up in ways large and small.”

Among its rank and file, the group came to be called the Institute for Social Inquiry. Inaugural members climbed aboard through an organic process of discovery and referral. Writer Megan Waldrep facilitated an early conversation between Lurie and Waldrep’s mentor, UCSB professor and PulitzerPrize-winning biographer Jeffrey Stewart, who in turn introduced the group to UCSB Religious Studies professor Richard Hecht. Over time, differences of approach and the press of other commitments winnowed the number of participants. Present membership is comprised of Joe Donnelly, Casey Rogers, (Santa Barbara mayoral candidate and Coffee with a Black Guy innovator) James Joyce III, Montecito resident and data scientist Jeff Moore and Dr. Charlotte Gallop Moore, and prize-winning novelist and short story writer Jervey Tervalon. The Institute’s putative founder, Gwyn Lurie, has taken a step back from operations.

“It’s a struggle for me to have enough time for my kids right now,” she told me. “I just sort of said, ‘This is rolling, you guys.’ I’m here – and I will promote whatever they do. I jump in and out when possible.”

The group is morphing from an energetic social justice salon to an engine for Doing. What are they working on? “Everything from programming around anti-racism and education, to spotlighting under-told stories and cultural history. We have grassroots initiatives in the works to reward the creativity of students addressing social justice issues.” Donnelly pauses to underline that the group is not a bauble. “One of the great things about this group is that it is results-oriented.

We focus on what we can do, where we can make an impact, and we pretty much get it done. We’ll continue to find ways to both model and push for a more equitable community.”

4 – 11 March 2021

Say What?

Is the Institute for Social Inquiry a think tank? A conversation? A list of evolving initiatives aimed at identifying and stripping out hard-wired injustice? A gaggle of skill sets thrown at an evolving series of action items?

A platform for brokering sea change in the region’s self-awareness? A love song to getting along?

Yes, and yes.

Jeff Moore sums up: “We’re a group of concerned Americans of various races and backgrounds who are deeply moved by the history of race-motivated events in our country. We’ve formed a group that meets weekly to discuss ways in which we can engage large segments of the community in dialogue, conversation, and action.”

Moore’s work as a data scientist adds some research to the group’s raison d’être. “I was introduced to the Institute for Social Inquiry after a chance meeting with James Joyce. He happened to be in Montecito last year and we had a chance to connect on a number of topics, including plans for Coffee with a Black Guy and this new group – the Institute. He thought Charlotte and I would be good additions to the team, and we felt the same.”

Perhaps it goes without saying that Joyce’s successful mayoral run would make him Santa Barbara’s first black mayor. Through the offices of his Coffee with a Black Guy platform (CWABG), he is also Fomenter-inChief of Uncomfortable but Ultimately Liberating White Self-Reflection in the Presence of a Talkative Black Man (not an actual title). Convulsed by the killings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota in 2016, the transplanted Santa Barbaran that year concocted a forum that pits one chatty black man against a roomful of inquisitive, lightly caffeinated whites – an Ask Me Anything for the racially pacific New Age. CWABG has been a ringing success, and its presence as a model for mediating difficult public conversations made it a perfect vehicle for the Institute of Inquiry’s outreach mission.

To that end, CWABG aligned with

UCSB A&L’s “Race to Justice” lecture series, augmenting four of those campus speaking events with complementary programming through CWABG. In other words, it engages lecture audiences deeper into an unstructured gabfest without guardrails.

“The Institute of Social Inquiry is working towards a more equitable future through truth and reconciliation,” James said. “En route to this lofty aim, our discussions have ranged from local housing policy, questioning what privilege looks like in our community, to the domestic and global implications of the 1951 document delivered to the United Nations entitled ‘We Charge Genocide: The Historic Petition to the United Nations for Relief from a Crime of The United States Government Against the Negro People.’”

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

When George Floyd was pinned to the street until he died, a pissedoff Lurie started collaring friends.

The result today is a human-powered mechanism for change. Activism may be in Lurie’s bones. “I came of age politically in college during the anti-apartheid movement,” she said. “I was student body president at UCLA and joined the movement, along with friends in what was then

called the Black Students Alliance.

We took over UCLA’s administration building and got the Regents to divest from corporations doing business in South Africa.”

Montecito – for all its forested estates, circular driveways, homies of Windsor, and flotilla of huge, white SUVs – is crawling with social justice mojo that knows no political or spiritual affiliation and simply draws a bright line between right and wrong.

Where civilized people gather, the mercy and compassion of the heart keeps the lamps lit. And if there is a more civilized place than Montecito, lemme know.

Jeff Moore, data scientist, has his own vision. You would not confuse it with an algorithm.

“While I’m black and live in Montecito, I wanted to bring more to the group than just ticking some random checkboxes: Black? Check. Live in Montecito? Check. Experienced some form of racism? Check. Well, I can tell you – this group has legs! I’m excited about the potential to change one mind, to get one more person to take action so that the world is a better place – so that the pain of centuries of systematic racism can be rooted out, once and for all.” Moore paused and broke into a grin. “What’s the old saying? Teamwork can make the dream work!”

•MJ

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Dear Montecito

The Giving List (Continued from page 14) the perpetrators. Our efforts and services could include advocacy on a victim’s behalf. It could mean mediating between parties. It could be forming or participating in coalitions to advocate on particular issues, or it could mean providing educational programming in response to either an incident or a pattern of incidents at a school or even in a workplace.”

Indeed, perhaps surprisingly to those who only hear about the ADL in response to a highly-publicized hate incident, the organization is even more involved in trying to prevent violence and hateful activities from occurring by getting deeper into the root of the problem.

“It’s hard to prevent this kind of behavior from people who are already infected with hatred, but we strongly believe that extremism can be prevented with effective educational programming about inclusivity, mutual respect, and the inaccuracies and harmful impact of stereotypes, hate speech, and hate symbols,” Meisel explained.

The ADL provides educational programming directly to students as well as professional development for teachers, and also offers foundational anti-bias workshops for the workplace, including Holocaust education and free online trainings and lesson plans for educators who teach about the Holocaust.

“Awareness of antisemitism and the hurt it has caused both in the present day and through the centuries can help to prevent extremist acts in the future,” Meisel said.

But even as the insurrection at the Capitol reverberates two months later, the ADL isn’t only concerned about extremist violence, as a much larger number of people are impacted by normalization of biased or hateful conduct, Meisel said. That’s why the larger day-to-day work of the nonprofit takes place at the grassroots level.

“That’s why I often speak about the importance of calling out and checking biased attitudes before they escalate into biased or hateful conduct,” he said.

Indeed, ADL encourages local schools to respond to a hateful incident by adopting programs and practices that help create sustainably

inclusive environments that prevent as well as counter such behavior.

“It used to be a school would call us to say there was a swastika on a desk, and ask us to come in and do an assembly. But that assembly may cause some students to feel punished for the bad acts of a few other students,” Meisel noted. “It is far better for the institution to consider, ‘What is our vision for an inclusive school?

Let’s devise a plan for creating that.’

Then students, teachers, and administrators experience the programming as part of collective efforts to realize and sustain a larger vision of their community.”

Ideally, Meisel said, when schools request a training, they have a strategic plan in place and ADL’s offering is part of it.

“That’s music to my ears,” Meisel said. “I am heartened by the dramatic increase I am seeing in recent months of both public and private institutions creating strategic plans to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their community or workplace. The best outcomes in promoting inclusivity tend to occur as a result of sustained and coordinated efforts with many opportunities for education, reflection, and examination of policies and practices.”

As a former First Amendment litigator and filmmaker with a focus on education equity, Meisel – a Santa Barbarian who moved back to town in 2010 to have his family be closer to his parents who still live in his boyhood home – is perhaps uniquely qualified to be running the ADL’s Santa Barbara, a position he assumed after 10 years as a volunteer.

“The thread in each of those jobs is communication about issues that I’m passionate about,” he said. “Initially I felt litigation might be a good way to go at them. Then I thought storytelling could be a more free way because I wouldn’t be confined by the unique specifics of disputes that happened to arise. Stepping into ADL is really a blend of both worlds. We have litigation, but we’re mostly doing a lot of communication and community education, presentations, and discussions about these issues. It’s all about effective communication and getting to the bottom of these issues and expanding people’s horizons. We need to stand

by Stella Haffner

The Twilight Zone

Dear Montecito,

D

id you know you’re not supposed to start a piece of writing with a rhetorical question?

Yea, something about it being a cliché. How many English teachers are rolling their eyes right now? It’s okay.

Trust me. I know what I’m doing. Or else, I’m a dedicated faker.

Let’s start again. How many of you know the show The Twilight Zone? You remember the presenter, Rod Serling?

That’s who I feel like when I write the introduction paragraphs for this column. The feeling is two-fold: One, it’s a rhythm thing. Chunks of writing that are 150 words or fewer have finite organizational possibilities. Two, it’s the ending. You people want to know where you’re going before you get there. I understand. That’s why I led with this bit about The Twilight Zone.

The events of today’s story are true and happened three weeks ago, to be

inside of the building cool. The mausoleum was small but splendid, with rows of beloved pets, many of whom probably dabbled in show business themselves. As is the temptation in places like this one, my mother and I perused the plaques, looking for the oldest of the bunch. We found our boy in the left artery of the mausoleum. Sammy, 1919-1935.

Stepping outside again was like sipping lime juice. We squinted in the sunlight and climbed down the grassy hill, past the rows of plastic flowers and back to our car. On our way out, we passed the property’s overseer who was standing on a raised veranda. In describing her, I foresee accusations concerning my candor. But at the risk of seeming hyperbolic, I’ll recount her as I remember.

The overseer was a grey-haired woman, with locks twirled back into a band and her skin a healthy glow.

Her cheek bones were sharp, her eyes

We landed in a bizarre corner of Southern California known as the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery, a place studded with marble tiles that displayed names like “Buster” precise. It was my mother’s birthday and, with limited pandemic-safe celebratory options, we found ourselves on a long drive towards Calabasas. I’ll spare you the deleted scenes – no one likes the director’s cut anyway – and simply say that we landed in a bizarre corner of Southern California known as the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery. It looked as you might imagine: rolling grass hills studded with polished marble tiles that displayed names like “Buster” and “Roxie.” At the crest of the estate stood a square, heavy looking building with the number 1921 written above the door.

Ask any graveyard aficionado and they will tell you that every A+ cemetery has at least one A+ mausoleum.

I just hadn’t expected to find one in a pet cemetery.

A two-foot wall of stone kept the

were ripe, and she was altogether quite striking.

“Hello, ladies,” she said. I stood there wondering who or what had placed that sudden chill under my shoulder blades. Yet, she was delightful and disarmingly frank about today’s new arrival. To be honest, it was not easy to decide what to feel. Perhaps a tear catches in the corner of my eye, but the whole experience had a bit whimsy to it. I can only imagine this is not an uncommon occurrence when one decides to visit the Twilight Zone.

Sincerely, Stella P.S. Parents of Montecito children, if you have recommendations on people to feature in “Dear Montecito” please contact me, stellajanepierce@ gmail.com •MJ

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28 MONTECITO JOURNAL

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4 – 11 March 2021

Seen (Continued from page 21 21)) so much work to be done that few players participated.

After World War II, Harry East remained the manager and the 1950s brought more prosperity along with the arrival of polo families such as the Gragers, the Linfoots, and the Walkers. With Robert Skene making Santa Barbara his home, he helped boost the club’s popularity. There were many different owners and lessors during the 1960s. Rudy Tongg of Hawaii for one was able to secure Santa Barbara for the U.S. Open tournament in 1963 and 1966.

More polo families arrived in the 1970s: the Holdens, the Ringers, and the Conants. Skene began holding constant meetings to procure the club.

Developers lurked nearby, seeking to turn the fields into a mobile home park and a miniature golf course. To hold them off, Skene subleased the club for $4,000 per month.

In 1974, the winds changed. The Santa Barbara Polo Club, Inc. bought the property and construction began on 139 deluxe condominium units, two swimming pools, a Jacuzzi, eight tennis courts, a tennis clubhouse, an exercise track for the horses, an arena, stables for 350 horses, and three turf fields. The original clubhouse is intact.

Developers’ dreams were dashed when the club was put into the trust-

The polo condos overlooking the fields

Circa 1960s with actress Jayne Mansfield between two polo teams

polo. For more information regarding games and hours, call 805-684-6683.

As General George Patton said, “No sport, save possibly steeple chasing and football, is so good a school as polo.”

Remembering Larry King eeship of Glen Holden, Norman Ringer, and Kenneth Walker, in perpetuity. The club is now under the management of its board of directors, President John Muse, and the name has been lengthened to the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club (SBPRC). The current general manager is David Sigman. Since then, the club has prospered.

SBPRC offers six months of polo a year at every skill level including a polo school with horses for beginners. There is a low-goal season that begins in mid-April; the twelve-goal season runs from May to June, followed by the high-goal one in July and August.

There are memberships available at every level from social to tennis to

When I think of Larry King, I do so with humor. Some years ago, we were with him at an event at Fess Parker’s Red Lion Inn. I asked King: “Who was the worst interview you ever had?”

He didn’t blink an eye and immediately said, “Robert Mitchum.” I had seen Mitchum a few weeks later at a private party. I sat down beside him and told him what Larry King had told me. Mitchum replied, “I don’t give a damn!” That memory always makes me smile.

•MJ

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• The Voice of the Village •

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On Science

A picture of Neptune taken 4.4 million miles away from Voyager 2

by Tom Farr

Tom Farr joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1975 and has helped develop the first geologic applications of imaging radar using aircraft, satellites, and the Space Shuttle. He has taught a class on planetary exploration at Santa Barbara City College for more than 10 years. He currently resides in Montecito.

Our Solar System: Uranus and Neptune

U

ranus and Neptune, the twin ice giants of the solar system, are so far out there that they’ve only been visited once by Voyager 2 in 1986 and 1989. They’re so far away that light from the Sun takes twoand-a half hours to reach Uranus and over four hours to touch Neptune.

For those reasons, not much is known about the planets. As with Jupiter and Saturn, their fellow gas giants, they’re made mostly of hydrogen and helium, with a splash of nitrogen and methane to give them their bluish colors.

Both Uranus and Neptune are about the same size, four times the size of Earth. Like the other gas giants, winds whip around the two planets with surprising speed. In fact, Neptune has the record for fastest winds, more than 1,000 mph! It has also sported a great dark spot, similar to Jupiter’s great red spot. This was spotted when Voyager 2 passed by the planet, but recent telescopic views of Neptune show that the spot is gone.

Uranus is an oddball of the solar system – it lies on its side, probably due to a massive collision early in the solar system’s history. It also has a thin-ring system and at least 27 moons, each one named after a character in Shakespeare’s plays. All of the moons are mixtures of ice and rock, and four of the largest moons—

Titania, Oberon, Miranda, and Ariel— show signs of some activity such as fracturing. Miranda may even have been blown apart then re-integrated sometime in the distant past.

Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope, as it was by William Herschel in 1781. Neptune took another 65 years to be found. It was discovered after a French astronomer, Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier, learned that perturbations in Uranus’ orbit could be explained by the presence of a ‘planet x’ beyond Uranus.

Using his calculations, he predicted where Neptune could be found in the night sky and his German colleague Johann Gottfried Galle found it.

Kurt Vonnegut on Neptune?

Triton held some surprises for analysts of Voyager’s images. Black, wispy plumes were discovered draped across the icy surface. The best explanation for these transient features is that the Sun’s fire may be enough to heat Triton’s frozen nitrogen crust and release pent-up gasses along with dust. It’s amazing that at -350° Fahrenheit there could be any activity at all!

Neptune also has a set of thin rings and at least eight moons. The largest, Triton, is about the size of our moon.

It was probably captured from the Kuiper Belt, a collection of objects that includes Pluto (more on them next time). While Triton’s surface is mainly frozen nitrogen, its interior appears to be mostly ice and it’s large enough to compress ice into different crystal configurations deep in its interior.

Those configurations have been given Roman numerals; it turns out that one of those is called ice IX. Readers of Kurt Vonnegut’s book Cat’s Cradle may recognize the name as a dangerous substance, but the real thing is not much different than regular ice.

After passing Neptune, Voyager 2 turned its camera back at Earth. A pale blue dot was captured, inspiring Carl Sagan to write: “That’s here.

That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.” Voyager 2 then joined its twin on the Voyager Interstellar Mission.

Traveling at about 35,000 mph, they are now over 10 billion miles away from Earth. In about 40,000 years, A composite image of the two hemispheres of Uranus obtained with Keck Telescope

30 MONTECITO JOURNAL

“A word to the wise ain’t necessary. It’s the stupid ones who need the advice.” – Bill Cosby

Voyager 2 will pass close to a star in the Andromeda constellation and in about 300,000 years, Voyager 1 will approach a star in the constellation of Cygnus.

Because the spacecraft will likely survive many thousands of years, NASA set up a committee chaired by Sagan to develop an artifact that could provide information about the society that created them. A ‘Golden Record’ was designed with information about the Earth’s location even though there was some debate about whether to let the finders know where we were.

Other information included pictures of humans and other life forms, sounds, and greetings in many languages. The contents can be explored at https:// voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record.

It’s interesting to consider what you may have included to tell an alien intelligence about us.

So Many Questions

Since Uranus and Neptune have been visited only once, many proposals have been floated to revisit them.

But because it takes over 10 years to reach them, it’s a tough sell. About every decade, NASA hosts a Decadal Survey of planetary science during which researchers try to prioritize the next mission. Trips to both Uranus and Neptune have been advanced with proposals consisting of orbiters and atmospheric probes. A Triton Hopper has also been proposed to investigate that unique satellite. Currently, the highest priority for the two ice giants is a Uranus Orbiter and Probe, but it has a long way to go as funding priorities tend to budget shorter missions to the inner planets such as Mars and Venus as well as a new focus on Ocean Worlds. Many questions about the two outermost planets are still open, such as details on the composition of their atmospheres and interior structures; dynamics of the rings and moons; if there is any tectonic or cryo-volcanic activity on the moons; or if any of the moons have a subsurface ocean similar to Jupiter’s Europa and Ganymede.

•MJ 4 – 11 March 2021

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31

Village Beat (Continued from page 12 12)) disestablishment threshold of 30% of the property owners if the assessment falls flat, and the City Council could also initiate disestablishment in the future. The establishment of the Benefit District will be for a fiveyear initial term, with up to a 20-year renewal.

“We want people to walk or drive on Coast Village and think: ‘Wow, someone really cares about this street,’” Ludwick told us. “With our own community benefit district, we’ll be able to make that happen.”

For more about the CVA, visit www. coastvillageroad.com.

Concern Over Hot Springs Trail Project

A newly built pedestrian pathway along Hot Springs Road has sparked some neighborhood controversy, which was discussed at the Montecito’s Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting this past Tuesday.

Bucket Brigade founder Abe Powell, who was an integral part of the County-led road enhancement project, explained to the Committee that the impetus for the trail was from a survey of the community following the 1/9 Debris Flow. In that survey, according to Powell, members of the community stated that bike and pedestrian access improvements were a top priority during the recovery process. “We’ve been working to connect the community since 2019, and have repaired multiple trails after the debris flow including the Ennisbrook Trail, Peter Bakewell, Sheffield, East Valley, and Cold Spring, just to restore what we had before,” Powell said. In 2019, a new trail was constructed on North Jameson Lane, which was extended on Olive Mill Lane. The decomposed granite pathway was well received

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A new pedestrian path on Hot Springs Road has sparked some controversy, with some community members feeling like there was not enough discussion or transparency on the project (photo credit Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade)

by the community, Powell said, especially from parents who felt it added much-needed safety for their kids. “In talking with the County, we saw an opportunity on Hot Springs as well,” he said.

Listed in the 1992 Montecito Community Plan as a top priority for Montecito, the idea of building walking paths to make Montecito a walkable community had been unrealized until the San Ysidro Road walking path was approved and built in 2011, after nearly three years of neighborhood discussion and a price tag of over $500,000. “In 32 years we have struggled mightily to achieve this goal,” Powell said.

On the Committee Zoom call were many members of the community, including MPC Commissioner Susan Keller, MBAR member Claire Gottsdanker, and heavily involved residents Jack Overall and Bob Short, among others. Many concerns were raised about the pathway, which is mostly made of decomposed granite, save for the portions that include curb cuts, as they were required to be concrete in order to be ADA compliant.

The pathway was built entirely in the public right-of-way; concerns were raised about its aesthetics and the lack of public participation.

“The next pathway that gets proposed, a plan needs to be created by an architect or a landscape architect, and presented to the Montecito Association. If we are going to have these pathways, then let’s figure out a way to do them so that the community knows about them and can put their input in. It’s all about talking to each other and communicating with one another. Let’s get together and figure out how we are going to create them,” said Gottsdanker.

“Respectfully, you are looking a gift horse in the mouth,” said Public Works rep Chris Sneddon, who explained that nearby property owners were notified of the work and changes were made to the project if neighbors had concerns. “We don’t have the resources to spend $500,000 and three years

of work to get half a mile of path,” Sneddon said. “It’s not good stewardship of public funds.”

MA Board President Megan Orloff and Executive Director Sharon Byrne said they had received many calls regarding the project, with questions as to why it was not discussed more openly and with community input. “I think there is some work to be done with communication,” said Byrne.

“People are asking us: ‘who is maintaining these?’ and ‘who is going to be trash collection? Are there going to be trashcans?’ There are things that we need more communication about.”

Sneddon maintained that neighbors were noticed about the work, and residents on upper Hot Springs are being noticed now for the expansion of the pathway. “We are willing to work with people within the parameters we have, and the community has been asking for this for years,” he said.

The Land Use Committee will form a subcommittee to further discuss upcoming pathway projects in Montecito. For more information, visit www.montecitoassociation.org.

Food Donations at La Cumbre Deli

For the last several months, Larry Balducci, the beloved owner of Plaza

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Deli in La Cumbre Plaza, has been offering his expansive and easily accessible patio as a drop off location for pet food donations. “After hearing all of these stories about how people can’t afford to feed their pets during the pandemic, I knew I had to do something,” he told us earlier this week, explaining that he’s partnered with C.A.R.E.4Paws since October of last year; the local nonprofit provides pet food distribution and veterinary services to those in need.

C.A.R.E4Paws has been making pick-up stops at the deli on a weekly basis, gathering the food and litter left by deli customers and others and distributing it to animal owners in need.

“It’s been really rewarding to see,” Balducci said.

The popularity of the program has soared, and in January, Balducci expanded the initiative, offering to be a drop-off location for the Food Bank of Santa Barbara as well.

“People think that because we live in Santa Barbara, that everyone is well off and doesn’t need help. That could not be further from the truth,” he said.

“I am meeting people every day who cannot feed their families, and I want to help.”

All residents are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for both animals and people to Plaza Deli, whether or not they are stopping for one of Balducci’s famous East Coaststyle deli sandwiches, salads, soups, or extensive soda assortment. “I have this huge patio, we have all this parking, it’s a no brainer as a safe, convenient spot to drop off food donations,” he said, adding that the location is close to the freeway and easily accessible.

“No child or pet goes hungry on my watch,” Balducci said. “I really mean that, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure our community gets the help it needs.”

Plaza Deli is open at 11 am every day, and closes at 4:30 on the weekdays and 3:30 pm or 4 pm on the weekends. The deli is located at 140 S Hope Avenue, in La Cumbre Plaza.

•MJ

Larry Balducci has opened his patio at Plaza Deli as a dropoff spot for food donations for pets and people

4 – 11 March 2021

Brilliant Thoughts

by Ashleigh Brilliant Born London, 1933. Mother Canadian. Father a British civil servant. World War II childhood spent mostly in Toronto and Washington, D.C. Berkeley PhD. in American History, 1964. Living in Santa Barbara since 1973. No children.

Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots”, now a series of 10,000.

Email ashleigh@west.net or visit www.ashleighbrilliant.com

Causes

O

ne way to make life seem worth living is to find a cause you truly believe in, and devote yourself to it. It might be political – getting someone elected – or social – getting something banned or permitted – or religious – spreading your own belief, or disputing someone else’s.

I myself have rarely found anything worth crusading for. But I have to acknowledge that many or most of the good things in life which I more or less take for granted today have been the result of other people’s crusades. The country I live in, the laws which make it relatively safe and orderly, the things I eat and wear and travel in, all came about from the efforts and trouble and sacrifice, often of large numbers of people, over long periods of time.

Speaking of crusades, however, we must also concede that some causes have been, and many still are, misconceived, futile, and just plain wrong.

The Crusades themselves, for example – that remarkable series of Eastward invasions for supposedly “holy”

purposes – can hardly be seen from today’s perspective as anything but a monstrous sequence of errors, misfortunes, and crimes. True, they resulted in some importations to the West of new products, methods, and ideas.

But against that, we have to count the hostility, towards westerners, of the invaded lands and peoples, going back almost a thousand years, but lasting even into our own time.

As a much more recent example, we have the cause of Prohibition, with its modern off shoots of various “Wars on Drugs.” How on earth, we might wonder, did people ever get it in their heads that you could deal with human addictions and susceptibilities simply by an act of legislation? To answer that, you have to realize what a terrible plague and social problem certain substances had become in recent centuries.

It may be that the intensifying pressures of modern life have rendered any kind of chemical escape a preferable alternative. The people who voted for Prohibition were not, for the most part,

wild-eyed reformers and fanatics, but ordinary citizens desperate to remedy an undeniable evil – which, unhappily, is still with us today.

But there are, or have been, other supposed evils in our midst which seemed to justify the most drastic forms of suppression. Certain groups, simply because they insisted on being different, have virtually invited persecution. Those calling themselves Jews have been the most outstanding example, giving rise to Jewhating causes long before the term “anti-Semitism” was invented. But, if no Jews were available, public outrage might be directed against people considered “witches,” or, in later times “Communists.” In our own day, the campaigns against supposed witches seem to have been so manifestly unjust that we use the term “witch hunt” to disparage any questionable victimization.

The campaign against Communists, which can be traced back at least as far as Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” of 1848, twice reached a crescendo in the United States – after both World Wars. The first time, it was called “The Great Red Scare,” and actually climaxed in the forced deportation of thousands of “radicals” of various stripes. The second wave of persecution became associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, who rode a wave of mass hysteria until his

own methods brought him into disrepute. He was actually censured by the Senate, and died not long afterwards.

I myself went in the opposite direction, trying to improve international relations, and during the height of the Cold War I actually visited the Soviet Union, and, wearing a sign saying in Russian “PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP,” gave a speech (in English) in Moscow’s Red Square.

Another cause dear to my heart (and lungs) was the campaign to suppress smoking, which has happily had much success.

But my sole experience of actually leading a cause involved the banning of gas-powered leaf-blowers in my own community of Santa Barbara.

My alleged victims were gardeners who used those obnoxious machines extensively in their work. When three months of gathering signatures, by myself and a group of devoted volunteers, finally resulted in the issue being placed on the ballot, it won by a substantial margin, and became law.

Nobody has ever shown that the livelihood of a single gardener was seriously affected by this outcome, especially since the new law still permitted the use of electric blowers.

But, although even now, decades later, people still thank me for my small part in improving our urban environment, I have no longing to find another cause.

•MJ

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On The Record (Continued from page 6) Schwartz didn’t say exactly how she’d communicate differently.

Both Sides of Planning Aisle

Schwartz was already serving on the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission when she received an invitation to join the city’s planning commission. “This led me into the private practice of being a planning policy and government affairs consultant, which is what I’ve done the last ten years,” Schwartz explained. “Most of my work is in the county but in the city as well, so I am familiar with how property owner clients have experienced the city. I have both the insider experience and the outside experience working for property owners seeking permits.”

Schwartz doesn’t mince words when it comes to describing the multiple crises that she said threaten Santa Barbara and its residents. “We have a public health crisis and an economic crisis,” she argued. “Prior to the pandemic, we were experiencing an economic slide, but we are now in economic free-fall. I know that is a dramatic term, but without a concrete plan to take us out of the pandemic, it’s been simply a disaster. And we have a homelessness crisis. I receive calls daily from community members about this and the encampments.”

Despite Santa Barbara’s reputation for mayoral figureheads, Schwartz pointed to Harriet Miller, who served as mayor from 1995 to 2001, as an example of a strong leader. “Whether or not the city charter specifies a greater level of authority for the mayor or the city administrator, it’s always about who is in the job,” she said.

“The city charter wasn’t any different back then, but Harriet was both a force of nature and a woman of deep conviction. She wasn’t going to let the words in the city charter prevent her from carrying out leadership. That’s what I intend to do, to carry forward much of the Harriet Miller values and approach.”

The fact that Schwartz chose to launch her campaign so early in the season is indication of just how determined she is to get down to the business of turning things around at city hall. “You can’t have an isolationist approach for the job of mayor,” she insisted. “The mayor must forge strong consensus-building relationships with each of the council members.

Otherwise, the council including the mayor will be disconnected and not be able to bring policies through that are of necessity to the city or lead us out of the pandemic in a timely way.”

Double Whammy for SB

Schwartz doesn’t hide her frustration with what she sees as the

34 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Deborah Schwartz

lack of progress on economic recovery under City Administrator Paul Casey or with the city’s relatively new Economic Development Director Jason Harris. “This is where we are,” she said. “The City hired a new economic development manager in March of last year and I like him personally. But one year out, we still don’t have the kind of plan that is needed and that the community is asking for. Local businesses are the lifeblood of our community.”

Schwartz pointed to the COVIDravaged, double-digit drop in hotel bed tax revenue as a sign that the city is overly dependent on tourism.

“We have to diversify our economy,” she said. Another major challenge: solving Santa Barbara’s legendary lack of affordable housing. “We haven’t talked enough with the private sector about the balance between location, the number of units, and amenities on the property,” she said.

“All these costs add up for renters.”

The fact that Schwartz chose to launch her campaign so early indicates just how determined she is to get down to the business of turning things around.

To Schwartz and others, the key challenge is finding a way to approve housing developments that help make Santa Barbara more livable for more people, the so-called “missing middle” of workers who

Paragliders performing emergency landing at MUS last week

should make up the bulk of residents. “We are very clear now that there is a big gap that has come into sharp focus,” she said.

“There’s a big housing supply gap for those who are in between the lower-income, rent-restricted nonprofit housing units, and the very wealthy.”

Part of the problem, Schwartz argued, is the fact that Santa Barbara’s housing authority oversees only about six percent of the rental units in the city. “That means that more than ninety percent of rental units are provided by and managed by the private housing sector,” she explained. “That’s a big news flash and it brings into sharp focus that we need to be more of a collaborative partner with the private sector to try to find policy and process common ground. The missing middle is the nut to crack.”

Again, Schwartz said, it all comes back to leadership at city hall. “I don’t believe the City nor the private sector housing developers can on their own provide a solution,” she concluded. “In this case, the public is the customer, and the city isn’t providing any customer service. This whole paradigm has to be turned around to have an outward focus on serving the public. We have an obligation to be of service to business owners and residents that has to be a key priority every day. And it starts and stops with the mayor’s office.”

Emergency Landing at Montecito Union School

At 2:07 pm, Montecito resident Abe Powell was driving north on San Ysidro Road when he noticed a pair of paragliders swinging in

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the sky. “They were just too low,” Powell said. “I knew they weren’t going to make it to the beach, because they were coming low and towards the powerlines that come across Montecito.”

Just as Powell reached Montecito Union School, he could see that there were three, not just two, gliders, all of whom were running out of time to find a landing zone. “I could tell they didn’t want to land at Manning Park, because there are too many trees, and Lower Manning is basically in a mini-valley,” he said. “So I figured for sure they were going to land at the school.”

Powell notified a crossing guard who was on his walkie-talkie; he had just contacted a teacher across the street. “Everyone got on the radio and managed to clear the field of kids just as three paragliders crash landed, and the kids got quite a show,” he said. “The school was all over it really quickly. It was funny and nobody got hurt.”

“It was quite the event,” confirmed Assistant Principal Rusty Ito. “We had three paragliders land on our track safely.” He added that a fourth paraglider landed at a separate location nearby, also without incident. “Our staff moved kids to a safe location to observe the landing. And we were able to escort the gliders to a gate in a remote area of the campus where they could get picked up.”

According to Ito, the paragliders were circling above the school long enough so that the school was able to safely relocate students. “They wanted to make sure it was safe,” he explained. “They were very respectful and apologetic and said it was the only place they could land.”

•MJ 4 – 11 March 2021

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

35

Our Town

by Joanne A. Calitri

Joanne is a professional international photographer and journalist.

Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

Arts in Lockdown #22:

Bi-Racial Arts Champion Entrepreneur & Mom Ashley Woods Hollister

Ashley Hollister (center) at Lotusland does a quick check-in with her exhibit co-curator Casey Turpin and new Lotusland executive director Rebecca Anderson

Joanne Calitri’s Zoom interview with Ashley Woods Hollister

T

he multi-faceted bi-racial Ashley Woods Hollister is an arts champion and curator, and supporter of the Santa Barbara nonprofit community. She’s served on the boards of Explore Ecology, on the Santa Barbara Mental Wellness Center since 2007, and just joined the board of the Foundation for Climate Change Action. She is the co-founder of T.W. Hollister & Co. with her husband, Kyle; is the co-curator of “Sanctuary,” Lotusland’s 2021 spring art exhibition; and is the mother of two young children who have been at home with her

since the pandemic hit.

In 2020, Ashley was a recipient of the prestigious Arts Champion 2020 Award from the Californians for the Arts Organization, which honored her innovative programming as the Executive Director of The Squire Foundation Santa Barbara for twelve years. She worked with founder Morris B. Squire to form the charity arts foundation as his legacy to promote entrepreneurship for the public good in education and the arts. The foundation does this through its four main programs: Artist in Residence;

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Community Artist; Public Outreach; and the Lending Library. Ashley was also on the curator team for “Visions in Light: Windows on the Wallis” in November 2020, which was a free COVID-safe drive-by public art exhibit in Beverly Hills.

She holds a Master of Fine Art degree from Sotheby’s Institute of Art 19th and 20th Century Fine and Avant Garde Art; a Bachelor of Art degree from Pitzer College; and is a graduate of Cate School Carpinteria. She received a J.P Getty Trust Foundation Research Librarian Grantee Award during her studies at Pitzer College.

Ashley was born in Westport, Connecticut and grew up in Malibu.

How does she do it? I followed Ashley for half a day, photo-documenting a typical morning in her life for this story, socially distanced and masked. I also conducted a Zoom interview with her as she transitioned from mom-time with her youngest child to taking calls from clients. Here we go: Q. Do the arts influence the human condition?

A. Art fosters understanding between communities. Being a bi-racial woman in 1980s Connecticut, I was surrounded by gender, racial, and economic inequalities that my family’s circumstances and position in society were fortunate enough to be able to shield me from at home and in our intimate circle. But in the world around me I saw how some people were considered ‘the help’ or being in a service position just because of their race. I saw how women were valued more for who they had a wet lunch with and what they were wearing rather than how they contributed to society. As we’ve grappled with inequalities over the

“You are the CEO of your life. Some people need to be hired and some need to be fired.” – Robert Downey Jr.

course of history, art has been used as a tool to create stronger communities and pathways of empathy and connection where there’s been division.

Art allows us to not just understand ourselves, but to understand each other on a deeper level.

We have about 30 fantastic artists who have been lucky enough to use the gardens at Lotusland to create while they’re in lockdown.

Is art a plus for you?

My mother was close friends with Lori and Ira Young when I was growing up in Malibu. The Youngs were business partners with Eli Broad on several projects and had a fantastic art collection as does he and his wife, Edythe. During the 1993 Malibu fires, I remember helping my parents drive artworks from the Young’s Malibu beach house to our hotel in Santa Monica, where we escaped the fire. We took the art pieces to help them avoid possible damage. That night, I slept in a bed surrounded

by Willem de Kooning works and Robert Rauschenberg paintings. The next week, as we waited news about our homes, I lost myself in the magical worlds to which the art transported me.

I learned then to rely on the arts to help me get through difficult times.

Art reminded me that I was not alone.

Through art, I began to feel a shared human experience. Through art then and now, I’ve found deep emotions that have led me to process experi4 – 11 March 2021

der, awe, and peace in our homes as we feel so viscerally at Lotusland.

Ashley with her children in their homeschool area

What is your dream career path?

I’m still manifesting that, but currently, I’m looking forward to doing an art residency review for a seasonal snapshot of Ojai called “The Vortex,” from my friend Julia Weissman, on the new program at Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve.

Ashley was named 2020 Californians for the Arts’ Art Champion Award winner

Ashley in a business meeting with husband Kyle, daughter Hannah, and Winchester, a oneyear-old Rhodesian Ridgeback

ences, find connections, and create positive impact in my life. My mom always tells her friends that I found my love of the art world in that experience of living intimately with the Young’s art pieces. But I think I simply found a universal language to embrace.

How do you stay creative and inspired?

Growing up, I was very close with both my grandmothers. My Granny would send me wonderful books that taught me the love of the English language and how it can translate the beauty that we see. My Grandma Gerry loved to take me to the Metropolitan Art Museum’s Costume Institute shows every spring, we would window shop for hours in New York City and in New Canaan, Connecticut. My passions for English and art were seeded by them; they taught me to view creativity and the beauty it inspires as essential to life as breathing.

Art signals how people should interact and behave within a space, a surrounding, even within a feeling.

Art can mimic or critique social cues that help us understand how we fit into space; it also makes statements about what a community values.

I thought it was interesting how creatively the insurrectionists adorned 4 – 11 March 2021

themselves during the January 6 siege in Washington, D.C. Public art can be used in a crisis to express ourselves and/or to benefit our general well-being, such as when artists create public work featuring masks that reflect our current experiences. In November 2020, I was honored to be a part of the curatorial advising committee for a COVID-friendly, nightly drive-by public video art project for the City of Beverly Hills, directed by Torie Zalben and Liana Weston of TZ Projects Los Angeles with the Wallis Annenberg Center. The overarching themes of the show were the power of humanity and the celebration of culture and diversity. I nominated Santa Barbara artists Manjari Sharma and Tom Pazderka, who were included in the exhibition.

How do you manage your schedule?

I vividly remember when my son was three and my daughter was just born how work was intensely busy. I was gearing up to work with disenfranchised art communities and the charity event circuit was at full speed.

It’s mind-boggling to think about the chaos of those days that seem so far away right now. The early morning wakeups, the feedings, the workouts, the rush to preschool, to meetings, to

home and dinner, then back out for an event packed an average week. I can’t think about being around that many different people every day, especially with no real public health measures in place. Today the support system is different; as a society we’re adjusting to a global pandemic. It’s tough to work and raise children, let alone to add the role of teacher on top of everything else.

It’s only by communication and with support that I’ve been able to manage and stay productive. I encourage everyone to start listening to those around them because we are in this together. That is the mindset that will get us through this period. I’ve enjoyed talking openly with women about what they do to get through, to be supported by them, and to support others, too. I have a walking circle, be it in my neighborhood, at the beaches or mountains, walking alone, distantly with friends, or with my children and my husband. These things have allowed me to get through, and to help others get through, the day.

What’s next for you?

Living in a pandemic, I plan about a season out, so this spring I am the curator of a multimedia art event at Lotusland titled “Sanctuary.” It features art that demonstrates the majesty of that botanical nirvana and the talent of California artists.

The Sanctuary Art Sale & Gallery Exhibition will showcase an exclusive group of talented artists selected and invited by myself and co-curator Casey Turpin to create work inspired by Lotusland. The works will be exhibited by the generous donation of gallerist Ruth Ellen Hoag at GRAYSPACE Gallery this year from April 22 to May 3 and will concurrently be featured in an online art sale. We have about 30 fantastic artists who have been lucky enough to use the gardens at Lotusland to create while they’re in lockdown. I couldn’t be more excited about how they translate the garden as gems for us to have to create a vortex of won-

• The Voice of the Village •

What are your views on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts?

I was fortunate to enter the art world via the Getty Museum’s program that aimed to encourage more diversity in professions related to museums and the visual arts. The Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship program in Los Angeles supports substantive, full-time summer work opportunities for college undergraduates who come from backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented. Since the program began in 1993, 161 local arts institutions, including the Getty, have hosted over 3,200 interns, exposing students to career possibilities in the arts. I’ve remained an active alumna supporter of the program that set me on the path of devotion to equity in the arts.

For your generation, what does the world look like now?

In a word, “unsettling.” I graduated from college in 2007 at the start of the worldwide financial crisis. Now, a little over 10 years later, we have a global pandemic. I believe that great opportunity comes with great change so this time is fantastic and scary all at once. The division between Main Street and Wall Street has never felt bigger. People are making massive wins in stock trades while others are feeling underpaid in their hourly work. I’m not sure how this will play out, but it’s definitely going to be a big issue for our generation.

What would you want to change?

I’d like to see equality for men and women. Equality for all races and genders.

Do you have advice for professional artists, museum workers, and curators?

The art world has shown what it’s capable of during the past year. In its response to COVID-19, it’s proven itself to be resourceful. I’d like to see art continue to innovate in the face of adversity, and (to tap) the immense creativity bursting from within it.

We’ve needed other platforms, modes of access and transparency. Hopefully, 2021 will build more portals – technological and otherwise – for all of us to see more art more truly.

411: https://twhollister.co

Instagram @twhollisterco MONTECITO JOURNAL

37

Notice Inviting Bids

ARROYO BURRO OPEN SPACE RESTORATION AND TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS LANDSCAPING PROJECT Bid No. 4025 1. Bid Submission. The City of Santa Barbara (“City”) will accept electronic bids for its Arroyo Burro Open Space Restoration and Trail Improvements Project (“Project”), by or before Thursday, March 18, 2021, at 3:00 p.m., through its PlanetBids portal.

Bidders must be registered on the City of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids portal in order to submit a Bid proposal and to receive addendum notifications. Each bidder is responsible for making certain that its Bid Proposal is actually submitted/uploaded with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. Large files may take more time to be uploaded to PlanetBids. PlanetBids technical support phone number is (818) 992-1771. The receiving time on the PlanetBids server will be the governing time for acceptability of bids. Telegraphic, telephonic, hardcopy, and facsimile bids will not be accepted.

The PlanetBids System will prevent Bidders from submitting a Bid Proposal if the Bidder has not acknowledged all addendums.

Bidders are responsible for obtaining all addenda from the City’s PlanetBids portal. Bid results and awards will be available on PlanetBids.

2. Project Information.

2.1 Location and Description. The Project is located at the Arroyo Burro Open Space Perserve, and provides a new upper loop pedestrian trail 2,500 feet in length and installs new pre-fabricated pedestrian bridge across Arroyo Burro Creek by others. The trail constructed by others will connect to the Las Positas multiuse path adjacent Las Positas Road. Revegetation and erosion control components will be conducted following the Project to provide ecological enhancements.

2.2 Time for Final Completion. The Project must be fully completed within 90 days (or an additional 24 months if awarded) from the start date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. City anticipates that the Work will begin on or about September 2021 but the anticipated start date is provided solely for convenience and is neither certain nor binding.

2.3 Estimated Cost. The estimated construction cost is $95,000.

3. License and Registration Requirements.

3.1 License. This Project requires a valid California landscaping contractor’s license, Class C-27.

3.2 DIR Registration. City may not accept a Bid Proposal from or enter into the Contract with a bidder, without proof that the bidder is registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5, subject to limited legal exceptions.

4. Contract Documents. The plans, specifications, bid forms and contract documents for the Project, and any addenda thereto (“Contract Documents”) may be downloaded from City’s website at: http://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=29959 A printed copy of the Contract Documents may be obtained from CyberCopy Shop, located at 504 N. Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, at (805) 884-6155.

5. Bid Security. The Bid Proposal must be accompanied by bid security of ten percent of the maximum bid amount, in the form of a cashier’s or certified check made payable to City, or a bid bond executed by a surety licensed to do business in the State of California on the Bid Bond form included with the Contract Documents. The bid security must guarantee that within ten days after City issues the Notice of Award, the successful bidder will execute the Contract and submit the payment and performance bonds, insurance certificates and endorsements, and any other submittals required by the Contract Documents and as specified in the Notice of Award.

6. Prevailing Wage Requirements.

6.1 General. Pursuant to California Labor Code § 1720 et seq., this Project is subject to the prevailing wage requirements applicable to the locality in which the Work is to be performed for each craft, classification or type of worker needed to perform the Work, including employer payments for health and welfare, pension, vacation, apprenticeship and similar purposes.

6.2 Rates. These prevailing rates are on file with the City and are available online at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR. Each Contractor and Subcontractor must pay no less than the specified rates to all workers employed to work on the Project. The schedule of per diem wages is based upon a working day of eight hours. The rate for holiday and overtime work must be at least time and onehalf.

6.3 Compliance. The Contract will be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the DIR, under Labor Code § 1771.4.

7. Performance and Payment Bonds. The successful bidder will be required to provide performance and payment bonds, each for 100% of the Contract Price, as further specified in the Contract Documents.

8. Substitution of Securities. Substitution of appropriate securities in lieu of retention amounts from progress payments is permitted under Public Contract Code § 22300.

9. Subcontractor List. Each Subcontractor must be registered with the DIR to perform work on public projects. Each bidder must submit a completed Subcontractor List form with its Bid Proposal, including the name, location of the place of business, California contractor license number, DIR registration number, and percentage of the Work to be performed (based on the base bid price) for each Subcontractor that will perform Work or service or fabricate or install Work for the prime contractor in excess of one-half of 1% of the bid price, using the Subcontractor List form included with the Contract Documents.

11. Instructions to Bidders. All bidders should carefully review the Instructions to Bidders for more detailed information before submitting a Bid Proposal. The definitions provided in Article 1 of the General Conditions apply to all of the Contract Documents, as defined therein, including this Notice Inviting Bids.

By: ___________________________________

Date: ________________

Bill Hornung, General Services Manager Publication Dates: 1) March 3, 2021

2) March 10, 2021 END OF NOTICE INVITING BIDS

38 MONTECITO JOURNAL

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: P.V.U. Holdings, 220 West Arrellaga St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Kalon Gronquist, 220 West Arrellaga St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 18, 2021. 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. 2021-0000442.

Published February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Focused Supervision, 209 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Suzie Schonauer, 2353 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura, CA 93001. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 18, 2021. 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. 2021-0000445.

Published February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JML Restorations, 336 A East Cota Street., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Joseph M Loge, 336 A East Cota Street., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 9, 2021. 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. 2021-0000387.

“Keep seeing the glass half-full and it will dawn upon you that it’s probably your turn to buy.” – Bill Murray

Published February 17, 24, March 3, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Wanderlust Luxury Rentals, 646 N. Hope Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93110.

DJJ Property Rental Group, INC, 646 N. Hope Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93110. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 8, 2021. 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. 2021-0000353.

Published February 17, 24, March 3, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Santa Barbara Real Estate; Santa Barbara Mansions; Carpinteria Mansions; Montecito Mansions, 1435 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Luis D Martinez, 5081 Alvarado Rd., Carpinteria, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 4, 2021. 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. 2021-0000329.

Published February 17, 24, March 3, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Loadstar Movers LLC, 1014 Via Regina, CA, 93111.

Loadstar Movers LLC, 1014 Via Regina, CA, 93111. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 8, 2021. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I 4 – 11 March 2021

Notice Inviting Bids

Request for Proposals: Qualified Contractors The Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Agency) is soliciting proposals from qualified contractors to provide construction services to perform groundwater well inspection and equipment installation services in the Montecito Groundwater Basin.

ARROYO BURRO OPEN SPACE RESTORATION AND TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT Bid No. 4024 1.

The Request For Proposals (RFP) is available on our web site: www.montecitogsa.com or at the Agency location shown below.

Questions regarding this RFP shall be addressed to: Nick Kunstek Groundwater Specialist Montecito GSA 583 San Ysidro Road Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2124

The PlanetBids System will prevent Bidders from submitting a Bid Proposal if the Bidder has not acknowledged all addendums. Bidders are responsible for obtaining all addenda from the City’s PlanetBids portal. Bid results and awards will be available on PlanetBids.

2.

2.2 Time for Final Completion. The Project must be fully completed within 80 working days from the start date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. City anticipates that the Work will begin on or about May 2021 but the anticipated start date is provided solely for convenience and is neither certain nor binding.

Questions can be submitted via U.S. mail, express carrier or electronic mail.

All proposals are due by 5:00 PM on Monday, March 29th, 2021 per the instructions in the RFP.

2.3 Estimated Cost. The estimated construction cost is $1,115,000.

3.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE 4 – 11 March 2021

License and Registration Requirements.

3.1 License. This Project requires a valid California contractor’s license, Class A.

Published March 3, 2021 Montecito Journal

F I C T I T I O U S B U S I N E S S NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Marley Confections; Sweet Dreams by Marley Confections, 803 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108.

Margaret Van Sicklen, 803 Alston Lane, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 21, 2021.

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. 2021-0000128.

Published February 10, 17, 24, March 3, 2021

Project Information.

2.1 Location and Description. The Project is located at the Arroyo Burro Open Space Perserve, and provides a new upper loop pedestrian trail 2,500 feet in length and installs new pre-fabricated pedestrian bridge across Arroyo Burro Creek. The trail will connect to the Las Positas multiuse path adjacent Las Positas Road. Revegetation and erosion control components will be conducted by others following the Project to provide ecological enhancements.

nkunstek@montecitogsa.com

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. 2021-0000366.

Published February 17, 24, March 3, 10, 2021

Bid Submission. The City of Santa Barbara (“City”) will accept electronic bids for its Arroyo Burro Open Space Restoration and Trail Improvements Project (“Project”), by or before Thursday, March 25, 2021, at 3:00 p.m., through its PlanetBids portal. Bidders must be registered on the City of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids portal in order to submit a Bid proposal and to receive addendum notifications. Each bidder is responsible for making certain that its Bid Proposal is actually submitted/uploaded with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. Large files may take more time to be uploaded to PlanetBids. PlanetBids technical support phone number is (818) 992-1771. The receiving time on the PlanetBids server will be the governing time for acceptability of bids. Telegraphic, telephonic, hardcopy, and facsimile bids will not be accepted.

3.2 DIR Registration. City may not accept a Bid Proposal from or enter into the Contract with a bidder, without proof that the bidder is registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5, subject to limited legal exceptions.

OF NAME: CASE No. 21CV00156. To all interested parties: Petitioner Vito Anthony Kait Summa filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Vito Anthony Summa IV. 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 February 3, 2021 by Elizabeth Spann. Hearing date: March 16, 2021 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3

4.

Contract Documents. The plans, specifications, bid forms and contract documents for the Project, and any addenda thereto (“Contract Documents”) may be downloaded from City’s website at: http://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=29959 A printed copy of the Contract Documents may be obtained from CyberCopy Shop, located at 504 N. Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, at (805) 884-6155.

5.

Bid Security. The Bid Proposal must be accompanied by bid security of ten percent of the maximum bid amount, in the form of a cashier’s or certified check made payable to City, or a bid bond executed by a surety licensed to do business in the State of California on the Bid Bond form included with the Contract Documents. The bid security must guarantee that within ten days after City issues the Notice of Award, the successful bidder will execute the Contract and submit the payment and performance bonds, insurance certificates and endorsements, and any other submittals required by the Contract Documents and as specified in the Notice of Award.

6.

Prevailing Wage Requirements.

6.1 General. Pursuant to California Labor Code § 1720 et seq., this Project is subject to the prevailing wage requirements applicable to the locality in which the Work is to be performed for each craft, classification or type of worker needed to perform the Work, including employer payments for health and welfare, pension, vacation, apprenticeship and similar purposes.

6.2 Rates. These prevailing rates are on file with the City and are available online at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR. Each Contractor and Subcontractor must pay no less than the specified rates to all workers employed to work on the Project.

The schedule of per diem wages is based upon a working day of eight hours. The rate for holiday and overtime work must be at least time and one-half.

6.3 Compliance. The Contract will be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the DIR, under Labor Code § 1771.4.

7.

Performance and Payment Bonds. The successful bidder will be required to provide performance and payment bonds, each for 100% of the Contract Price, as further specified in the Contract Documents.

8.

Substitution of Securities. Substitution of appropriate securities in lieu of retention amounts from progress payments is permitted under Public Contract Code § 22300.

9.

Subcontractor List. Each Subcontractor must be registered with the DIR to perform work on public projects. Each bidder must submit a completed Subcontractor List form with its Bid Proposal, including the name, location of the place of business, California contractor license number, DIR registration number, and percentage of the Work to be performed (based on the base bid price) for each Subcontractor that will perform Work or service or fabricate or install Work for the prime contractor in excess of one-half of 1% of the bid price, using the Subcontractor List form included with the Contract Documents.

11.

Instructions to Bidders. All bidders should carefully review the Instructions to Bidders for more detailed information before submitting a Bid Proposal. The definitions provided in Article 1 of the General Conditions apply to all of the Contract Documents, as defined therein, including this Notice Inviting Bids.

12.

Bidders’ Conference. A bidders’ conference will be held on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 10:00 a.m., at the 560 Allan Road, Santa Barbara, CA to acquaint all prospective bidders with the Contract Documents and the Worksite. The bidders’ conference is not mandatory.

By: ___________________________________

Date: ________________

Bill Hornung, General Services Manager Publication Dates: 1) March 3, 2021

2) March 10, 2021 END OF NOTICE INVITING BIDS

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

39

Real Estate (Continued from page 16)

either end of the house, with outdoor access and entry options. Each zone of the house has its own private outdoor space. The 71’ foyer, living room, and formal dining room have travertine floors and floor-to-ceiling windows, which allows for natural light and air to circulate.

The primary bedroom has two separate en-suite bathrooms, separate closets, and a centrally located gas fireplace. Enjoy the pool, separate spa, and private courtyard. A spacious and separate 20x21 poolside room lends itself as an office/exercise room, a cabana or guest quarters (with a half-bath). There’s also a two-car plus golf cart garage.

2109 Stratford Place - $4,595,000

echo of architectural archways. The chef’s kitchen features marble countertops, a spacious counter island, and a picturesque window that showcases a tranquil water feature. A den, library, guest bedroom, and laundry room are situated on the first floor.

The swirling staircase to the second floor finds two en-suite bedrooms each with their own balcony. The primary suite features a bird’s-eye view of the property and mountain views.

The property also includes a pool and spa purified by H202, ultraviolet lights, and ozone, which it hyper oxygen-aided disinfects. Enjoy the new landscaping and manicured lawns, the outdoor kitchen and the space to entertain. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom pool house features a kitchenette, a sauna, a steam shower, workout space, an outdoor teak hyper oxygen-aided soaking tub, a cold plunge, and outdoor shower. The property also has a detached auxiliary building perfect for an office or artist studio, and a threecar garage.

1098 Golf Road - $7,850,000

W

ith over 4,000 square feet of living space, this French Provincial-style Birnam Wood estate is intended to set the stage for making memories with friends and family, whether you lunch on the terrace, play music in the living room, or host dinner parties with conversation and laughter in the dining room.

The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom residence boasts soaring ceilings with unique round skylights and walls that are graced with large windows.

This allows natural light and views of the enchanting grounds and Santa Ynez Mountains. The home features an impressive marble entry, sleek, white-oak floors, a chef’s kitchen, and a luxurious primary suite with dual walk-in closets.

Two additional bedrooms each host en-suite baths. Outside, the grounds boast privacy and tranquility and include a vibrant rose garden, a reflecting pool, a dry rock pond and a spacious terrace. All of it is located convenient to Birnam Wood’s exclusive amenities.

2084 East Valley Road - $7,255,000

T

he gated entrance and circular motor court introduce you to this one-acre, Mediterranean Villa estate built in 2011. Upon entering the foyer, you’re greeted by ascending ceilings, Palladian windows, and doors that highlight the serene outdoor lush landscaping. The five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom, 6,027 +/- square foot home has a sprawling floor plan that has many design features and amenities, such as a solar hot water system, a water purification system, and smart-home technology.

The vaulted living room leads to the formal dining room, creating a beautiful

40 MONTECITO JOURNAL

O

wn a piece of history in this beach-adjacent, Lower Village location on a private street near the exclusive Montecito Club. Drive through the private, stone-walled gates and up the long drive to your own resort-like estate designed by George Washington Smith and set on 1.1 acres of usable property. A Spanish Colonial Revival architectural masterpiece, the home features 4,759+/- square feet of living space with five bedrooms, an office, four bathrooms, three fireplaces, a remodeled chef’s kitchen, spacious family room and a dining room that opens to terraces, wonderful balconies, gleaming hardwood floors, and updated systems.

Each room is flooded with natural light. They are gracious in size and scale, with voluminous ceilings and G.W. Smith’s enchanting Spanish architectural design details throughout. Outside, enjoy the mature landscaping that frames the sprawling lawns, pool, and pool area. A private street that includes other significant estates is just off the main road and only a mile or two from Santa Barbara.

•MJ

“If you can’t beat them, arrange to have them beaten.” – George Carlin

4 – 11 March 2021

Mini Meta 1

Example:

By Pete Muller & Andrew White For each of the first five mini crosswords, one of the entries also serves as part of a five-word meta clue. The answer to the meta is a word or phrase (five letters or longer) hidden within the sixth mini crossword (the Meta Puzzle). The hidden meta answer starts in one of the squares and snakes through the grid vertically and horizontally from there (no diagonals!) without revisiting any squares.

PUZZLE #1 1

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B L I N D

A I N G E

D E K E S

I P A D

A L L I N

M A L T Y

S T A K E

T H A T

P L U M

THAT

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C U R E S

I N D U S

1 6

CURES

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Across 1 Contraction in "Deck the Halls" 4 One may start an investigation 6 Boston airport 7 Throw out from a sports game 8 See 3-Down

Down 1 "___ King" (popular Netflix docuseries about personal zoos) 2 Apple on a desk 3 With 8-Across, summoned 4 Musical symbol 5 Stop sign shade, in Sevilla

1

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Down 1 Actress Foster of "The Silence of the Lambs" 2 Oak-to-be 3 Double agents 4 Low-quality singer?

5 Austin or Boston

S A K E

P F F T

M I L E R

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G I R L Y

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ELIXIR

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Down 1 Monopoly moneymaker 2 Word with soap or space 3 Thanksgiving boatful 4 Not all 5 [It can't be!]

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Across 1 Car whose batteries are made in a "Gigafactory" 6 Nobel Peace Prize winner Sadat 7 45's lesser-known half 8 They facilitate student transfers 9 Straightforward kind of question

Down 1 Garfield, for one 2 Happen consequently 3 Like francs and some banks 4 Burdened 5 Playground response to "Am not!"

Across 1 Tail movements 5 Religion for Akon and DJ Khaled 7 Get used (to) 8 "Gymnopédies" composer 9 Elbow accompanier, sometimes

Down 1 Nintendo gaming consoles 2 Easy as ABC 3 Overstuffs 4 Goa garments 6 Run into

Muller Monthly Music Meta http://www.pmxwords.com

March 2021 Moving Target by Pete Muller 52 How some questionable investments are made 54 Rose on a piano 55 Item in a cello case 56 In the interest (of) 58 Podia 61 Faux chocolate 62 Help bagpipe players stay afloat?

65 Test type 67 Feeling "meh" about 69 "Others," to Ovid 70 What may follow a sentence 72 Tuning out 74 Orchestration abbreviation 75 String of eight binary digits 76 Musician adept at distinguishing micro-intervals?

77 Eastern currency 78 NBA part: Abbr.

79 "Have You ___?" (#1 Brandy song) 80 WaPo or WSJ alternative DOWN 1 Cold mold that jiggles 2 Went to the pool bar, say 3 You're not quite yourself if you're off it 4 Some U.S. troops in WWI 5 One of 10 at your fingertips 6 Place to Netflix and chill, maybe 7 Recognizes biblically?

8 Paperwork, for short 9 Cuban "Come on!"

10 Fine imposed by restaurant management on slow servers?

11 Yardstick for Yellen, for short 12 Marks left on a knight's sword after slaying a dragon?

13 Public broadcasting station that anagrams to an animal 14 Baby ___ 16 Like some college campus buildings, architecturally speaking 21 "Great" one 24 Test type 27 R&B's Redding

29 32 33 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 45 47 49 50 51 53 55 57 58 59 60 63 64 65 66 68 71 73

Told, as a tale "Israel in Egypt" composer Amazes "___ Weapon" Seeing right through IHOP alternative, once Part of PABA Pile of rocks dedicated to "Masters of the Universe"? "___ Elise" Start of two Spice Girls' nicknames People from Pickering pretending to be from Pittsburgh?

Punnily named awards for animal actors Level or layer Like James Comey Nice wood?

Intro diamond game for preschoolers New Jersey city featured in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" Pulls the plug on End of an Obama healthcare address?

Type of harp in a Coleridge poem title Scroogelike "Africa ___" (Bob Marley song about solidarity) Original "America's Funniest Home Videos" host Bob Any one of three "Love Train" singers ___ Earth ("Get Ready" band) 1947 film about U.S. agents who break up a counterfeiting ring Not yet scheduled: Abbr.

Contraction sung by Jazmine Sullivan in her Super Bowl LV duet with Eric Church

WHAT IS A META?

The MMMM is a free award-winning monthly crossword, published at noon on the first Tuesday of each month. Its difficulty level is similar to a NY Times Wednesday or Thursday puzzle. To finish the puzzle, solvers need to figure out the meta, which is usually a song or band. Solvers have until Sunday at 11pm to submit their answer to the meta.

1

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15

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The meta for this puzzle is a musical supergroup.

©2021 Pete Muller

4 – 11 March 2021

E X I L E

→ ↑

META PUZZLE 5

5

Across 1 Part of a doorframe 5 Ski lodge beverage 6 Graven images 7 Ones hitting the road?

8 Hankerings

2

Across 1 Keeps for oneself, as blankets 5 Popular waterproof action camera 6 First-string athletes 7 Start court proceedings?

8 "___ ball!"

PUZZLE #5 4

D E N N Y

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A D O U T

ILLS

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PUZZLE #4

P O E T S

PUZZLE #3 3

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Down 1 Feed with wood, as a fire 2 Fire remnant 3 No-no 4 Prayer enders 6 One may be accompanied by a light bulb in cartoons

I L L S

ALL

8

1

1 "All I ___" (Adele song with the lyric "Give me a memory I can use") 4 "___ Marching" (Dave Matthews song) 8 ___ Music (genre for mandolinist David Grisman whose name sounds like it's hip-hop) 12 Rte. 66, say 15 Street sign next to the Three Little Pigs' house?

17 Algerian port that serves as the setting for Camus's "The Plague" 18 Concert ending?

19 Nabokov title derived from Shakespeare 20 Severely weakened 22 "___ Blame" (Kip Moore song) 23 Blows a gasket 25 "Something's Got a Hold on Me" singer James 26 Director's call for C-3PO and R2-D2?

28 They might be personal 30 For now, for short 31 Wrinkly pooches 34 Eastern leader?

35 Mike Trout's team, on a scoreboard 36 Call upon 38 Yuks 41 Physicist who wrote "Surely You're Joking, Mr. ___!"

43 Top ___ 44 Movie with the theme song "Ave Satani," with "The" 45 "I ___ a Spell on You" (Nina Simone classic) 46 Jazz sax player Gordon, for short 47 Front of house?

48 Croce or Morrison 49 Nickname for a North Carolinian 51 Singer concerned with the bottom line?

Z A P F E V E R A B A T E T R I A D A L L

7

Across 1 Cheese on a Greek salad 5 So-called "fifth taste" 7 Retreated, as a tide 8 Sierra ___ (African country) 9 Civil rights hero Parks

ACROSS

D E E P

PUZZLE #2

9

P

M O R A N

DRINK

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ete Muller has enjoyed solving crosswords since he was a teenager. He started creating them in 2005 and published his first NY Times puzzle in 2006. While Pete is known for his innovative and tricky puzzles, he places primary importance on creating a fun experience for the solver.

I N D R A

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

41

Senior Portrait

Jean Von Wittenburg has a love for animals and has been on the board at the Santa Barbara Zoo

by Zach Rosen

Jean Von Wittenburg

V

olunteering is a chance to give back to the community that supports you. Being active in the community allows one to help with local causes while meeting the people who make up your community. As Jean Von Wittenburg puts it: “Volunteering is fabulous. That’s all I can say.” During her thirty or so years in Montecito, Jean has served on the board at several institutions in the area and has loved every moment of it. Although Jean has become a familiar face in the volunteering community, she did not become very active until later in life.

Jean was born and raised in Los Angeles, which was a lot smaller at the time. She attended the Westlake School for Girls before it became a dual-gendered school. She left for Stanford University to study Hispanic American Studies before returning back to L.A. After college, she tutored at the Vine Street School before working at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce in the World Trade Department as a bilingual secretary.

She worked there for about seven years. But when her husband, Davis, who had been an attorney, was ready to retire, the couple set their sights on Montecito. L.A. had become too big for them. They had visited Montecito over the years on vacation and had always loved the area.

They’ve now been living in Montecito for some 30 years and, while Jean always had her eye on community involvement, it was her love for her community that inspired her to become more involved. Over the years, Jean has participated on several boards.

Jean Von Wittenburg has volunteered and served on the boards of many institutions for several decades

Supporting the Community

“Volunteering is a great way to make good friends who have common interests,” she says. Jean was a docent at the Santa Barbara Zoo as well as a board member. She was also active with The Braille Institute, the 100-plusyear-old establishment that she finds to be a “wonderful organization.” Jean was most involved with the Montecito Association, where she served several terms on the board. During her time at the MA, she helped run Beautification Day for years, and assisted with memberships or anything else she could.

During our collective quarantine, she has not been able to volunteer with organizations, but plans to get back to it as soon as she can. Jean likes to be out and constructive in the community.

Plus, it gives her the chance to see her friends again.

When Jean was not volunteering, she was often on the tennis courts.

She and her husband, Davis, have been avid tennis players for years.

They played often at the Los Angeles Tennis Club during their career days and continued playing on local courts when they settled in this area. Jean mentioned that she has probably played every tennis court in town and would have lived on the courts, if she could. The two have an interest in golf as well; they’ve played at many different courses over the years. But tennis is Jean’s preferred sport.

Thanks to her participation in the zoo for so many years, Jean has a real love for animals. Over the years, Jean and Davis have owned four collies who sprawled around their house on Mountain Drive; they wouldn’t move from their house until their last pet passed. Jean and Davis now live at Casa Dorinda, where they’ve been for

the past ten years. More recently, Jean has worked with the Humane Society to help organize a kitten visit for the residents of Casa Dorinda. The residents were only able to have two kitten visits before the lockdown began, but they loved having the cuddly, furry visitors and Jean hopes to continue the program, maybe with a dog or two, when it’s safe to do so. Jean had volunteered with the Humane Society previously but was about to become more involved when the quarantine hit. She said she hopes to jump back in with them once things open up again.

The quarantine has been tough on Jean, who loves being active in the community, volunteering, and meeting with her friends. Whether it’s helping clean up the area for Beautification Day or bringing furry visitors to the seniors of Casa Dorinda, Jean enjoys serving the community that she so dearly loves.

•MJ

In trying times, overcome fear and uncertainty with the peace and security of a solid meditation practice.

Radhule Weininger, PhD, MD, is a local in Montecito offering individualized, and customized meditation teaching, using mindfulness, compassion and advanced awareness practices to help you cultivate inner calm, awakeness and freedom as well as emotional balance.

Dr. Weininger uses her training as psychologist as well as her 40 years of intensive Meditation training to help you upgrade your life, your relationships and your sense of meaning.

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“Heartwork: The Path of Self-compassion” (Shambala Publications) Her forthcoming book: “Heartmedicine: How to Stop Painful Patterns and Find Freedom and Peace-At Last” (Shambala)

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heartwork The Path of SelfCompassion

9 Simple Practices for a Joyful, Wholehearted Life

Radhule WeiningeR, Foreword by Jack Kornfield

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42 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Now Accepting Consignments! www.ConsignmentsbyMMD.com Instagram: @louisofmontecito

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“Never follow someone else’s path; unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path.” – Ellen DeGeneres

4 – 11 March 2021

On Entertainment Savvy and Sassy

by Steven Libowitz

Sharp Advice from Marcus for Women Over 50

F

rom the very first paragraph in Bonnie Marcus’ Not Done Yet!, the Santa Barbara author leaves no doubts about the attitude readers can expect from her new self-help book subtitled “How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence & Claim Workplace Power.”

“Okay. Right from the get-go, I’m gonna be straight with you. I’m pissed,” Marcus writes in the introduction, titled “My Rant.” “I consider myself to be smart, savvy, and sassy. I know I have value. I can declare with confidence that I’ve evolved over the decades into a mature, level-headed woman with extensive experience and expertise … I’m pissed that society seems hellbent on pushing (women like me) to the sidelines and diminishing our contributions.”

But pissed doesn’t mean powerless. Marcus employs her years as a business executive and, later, as an award-winning executive leadership coach, to deliver clear advice to her readers on how to deal with discrimination, both internally and externally, which, despite advances made by women in the workplace, still results in pay inequity and underrepresentation in top positions, especially for “older” women.

The book is divided into three sections: “Assumptions, Fears, and All the Crap about Aging That Holds You Back;” “Stop Playing Small and Do What It Takes to Stay in the Game;” and “Be Your Badass Self.”

The author offers plenty of empathy along with suggestions that range from self-empowerment to suing for relief.

That level of directness and decisive action isn’t new for Marcus, who moved to Santa Barbara about three years ago. She fell in love with the area in mid-August while brunching at the Boathouse restaurant at Hendry’s Beach after she had delivered a speech at a conference at UC Santa Barbara. She had been considering relocating from the East Coast. After that brunch, she found an apartment in town by October.

This week, Marcus will share her passion to help other women own their talent and ambition and achieve their full potential through speaking engagements, workshops, blogging, and her popular podcast, Badass Women at Any Age. Specifically, she’ll discuss Not Done Yet! with Dr. Lois P. Frankel, who is also an executive coach and speaker 4 – 11 March 2021

and The New York Times bestselling author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. The conversation takes place over Zoom through Chaucer’s Books at 6 pm on Tuesday, March 9, the official release date of Not Done Yet! For more details, link at www. chaucersbooks.com.

Q. I wasn’t excited about taking on a book about helping older women navigate the workplace, especially from a leadership coach, which I expected would lead to some stilted prose. But Not Done Yet! is nothing like a typical self-help book.

Your writing is so sassy and funny and straightforward. And it seems like you reveal a lot about yourself as you give advice to others.

A. I wanted it to be punchy. That’s why the writing style is really direct, take no prisoners, and conversational. I wanted the women who were reading it to feel like I was having an intimate conversation with them, getting to the down-and-dirty, and letting them know that I get where they’re at, that I understand and have empathy. Now, here’s some of the things that you can do.

My first book contained career advice about how to navigate the workplace and position yourself for success. I didn’t reveal very much, barely anything, about myself and my feelings. This book is very different because it’s much more personal.

I’m certainly very vulnerable talking about how I felt about menopause, how I feel about aging, how I feel when somebody tells me, “Oh, you

look great for your age.” I say thanks before I realize, ‘Wow, that’s really ageist.’ That’s kind of what got me going.

Those things can be so insidious. Is that what inspired you to write the book?

Looking back on my career, I didn’t face overt ageism and terrible gender bias. I hadn’t faced some of the horrific experiences that some women I’ve interviewed for this book went through. Some women have been marginalized and pushed aside, and not invited to key meetings or being labeled as over-the-hill or called grandma. But at 50 I was running a national company and people were saying, ‘You should start to slow down.’ That was ridiculous because I was in the prime of my career. As a society, we put people in categories based on gender, on religion, education, and age. And we make assumptions about them, about what they can and can’t do. Those categories hold us back from really getting to know people as individuals.

For older women, it’s a double whammy. Many experience gender bias, and then ageism once they show signs of aging. We are at the time in life when we have so much to offer.

We have years and lessons that we can pass on. But some are pushed out because maybe they have some wrinkles. It’s just a tragedy. That can translate into the financial viability and security of women who are being downsized because they’re starting to show signs of aging. I’ve interviewed women who said they felt they needed to get Botox and (plastic) surgery, just to keep their jobs.

With the #MeToo movement, we’ve heard so much about sexual harassment or worse in the workplace. But this is like the other side of the coin.

When I was beginning to write this book, I wrote an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune about how age discrimination for women is the next phase of the #MeToo movement. I had been coaching a 58-year-old female attorney who worked in Silicon Valley.

She had a great track record and had been evaluated as a valued contributor. She wanted to move up in the legal department. But all of a sudden, some of her workload was being redistributed. She wasn’t being invited to meetings, people weren’t seeking her opinion and when she asked her manager about it, he said, “You’re going to be alright.” What does that even mean?

That’s when I realized that this is a bigger issue than most of us realize.

It’s under the radar. Before #MeToo, women were ashamed to bring up their experiences about sexual abuse or harassment; they felt that they might lose their jobs. I’m finding a similar element in that women feel

• The Voice of the Village •

a lot of shame around being treated a certain way based on their age, so women aren’t coming talking about that it publicly. They don’t feel empowered to respond to comments and behavior around age, either. I feel pretty passionate about helping to create awareness around gender ageism and the pressure that women feel to look useful and attractive just because they need to keep their jobs.

Your gift seems to be handling this serious subject from an integrated approach that includes sharing your thoughts and feelings and dispensing advice from a leader’s point of view in which you urge readers: “Don’t be a victim.” How do you strike a balance between those parts?

The coach in me always asks: How can I advise and help? One benefit is that professional women reach out to me to talk about their issues, and that becomes an opportunity for me to learn about myself. When a woman says she feels like a victim, I wonder: ‘Maybe you’re giving your power away because then nobody can take it from you.’ So I give them an exercise on work on that. Then I think: ‘How do I get my power back?’

I liked how you veered between naming obstacles that come from discrimination and telling readers to own their role in believing damaging messages. That seems to be a challenging balance.

A lot of this issue has to do with mindset. There are definitely obstacles in the workplace that women, and women over 50, face. But how you react determines your path forward. You can adopt a victim mentality, think “woe is me” and withdraw. Or you can take back control and that has everything to do with your attitude. How do you react to different behaviors and comments?

How do you give your power away?

There’s lots of advice for different ways that women can empower themselves and stand up for themselves. If attitude isn’t enough there are chapters about knowing your rights and how to respond to comments so that you don’t get fired, and how to negotiate a good package if you are let go.

You wrote the book for women over 50.

I’m being facetious here, but is there a problem if men or young people buy it?

We’re all going to age, right? You may be a millennial now, but at some point, you won’t be able to coast on that, so you need to be proactive. You can do some things, which I outline in the book, to maintain and advance your career for however long you want to work. It’s been said that women start to experience age discrimination at age 45, which is ridiculous. So maybe all women need to be aware that this is what is coming around the corner.

•MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL

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NOSH TOWN

by Claudia Schou

NEW CHEF BRINGS EASY GOING, YET SOPHISTICATED CUISINE TO EL ENCANTO

T

here’s a new chef and fresh burst of inspiration in Belmond El Encanto’s kitchen. The Old Hollywood glamour-style hotel, perched on the Riviera, gets its first major menu change in four years, thanks to Bruno Lopez. He’s the former executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage and Raffles L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills and is now ensconced as the executive chef.

Lopez recently updated the breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch menus with dishes that represent the hotel’s easy going, yet sophisticated vibe.

“I am humbled to join the team at such a timeless resort as it is undergoing an exciting evolution with creative menu ideation and an expanded al fresco culinary programming,” said Lopez. “In this role, I plan to continue to champion local vendors to share the region’s freshest ingredients, from seafood to produce, while weaving in new and creative approaches.”

Chef Bruno Lopez is a French Master Chef who is The menu suggests a familiarity tasked with creating stylish dishes for El Encanto’s with El Encanto diners’ preferences, sophisticated diners but Lopez said it actually reflects the seasons and his commitment to sourcing the best local purveyors.

“Our farmers, watermen, winemakers, and community are the true inspiration for this new direction,” said Lopez. He began his inspired culinary journey at the Ferrandi School in Paris and his apprenticeship at L’Espadon, a Michelinrated restaurant at Hotel Ritz in Paris. Then, he spent a decade at Ritz Carlton.

FROM BASQUE COUNTRY TO PARIS

I

n 2004, he was recognized by the French government as Officier de L’Ordre Du Mérite Agricole and he is part of an elite group of French Master Chefs in the U.S. known as Maître Cuisinier de France. If French culinary styles and techniques run deep in his veins, so does the Basque country. Chef Lopez was born 15 miles outside of Paris and his last name is Spanish because his grandfather was from a border town in northern Spain. “Back home, we don’t like to change names,” he said of his family’s journey from Spain to France.

Lopez has created a seasonal menu full of locally sourced foods and flavors that include touches of his heritage interspersed with perennial favorites such as skirt steak tacos, locally caught cod fish and chips, and an open-faced cheeseburger with bacon onion jam, saffron aioli, and homemade pickled vegetables. Diners can taste his braising, roasting, and searing techniques firsthand with dishes such as steak frites and mâche salad and smoked salmon melt on sourdough bread for lunch. For dinner, seared diver scallops with truffled cauliflower purée and braised baby leeks, maple duck with roasted figs, and prime Kobe beef tomahawk steak with black peppercorn bordelaise are just a few of the standouts.

There are also gourmet vegetarian and vegan choices such as a Thai-style glass noodle salad or a quinoa bowl topped with veggies, pistachios, and goat cheese with herb-lemon vinaigrette.

Thai-style glass noodles with farmers market vegetables

For wine lovers who are missing the experience of visiting their favorite wine destinations or exploring new ones, here are a few local wine programs worth exploring.

THE STONEHOUSE AT SAN YSIDRO RANCH

T

he Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch is offering diners a rare opportunity to view its world-class wine collection with a pre-dinner or post-dinner tour of its wine cellar with a reservation. The private tour includes Champagne and savory hors d’oeuvres, and an up-close look at The Stonehouse’s Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine collection. That features 12,000 bottles and represents more than 70 wine regions around the globe, including Bordeaux, Sancerre, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Rías Baixas, Rioja, and Madeira.

Sommelier Tristan Pitre will offer recommendations of wine pairings for the Chef’s menu. The hors d’oeuvres are individually plated and accompanied by a half-bottle of Champagne from France. For more information, please call (805) 565-1700.

ROSEWOOD MIRAMAR BEACH

T

he Rosewood Miramar offers memberships to a wine collective that will highlight a new wine region from around the globe as well as local Santa Barbara vintners every month. Curated by Wine Director Daniel Fish, the wine-tasting themes include Coastal Wines of California; A Tour of France; Exploring the Secret Wines of Italy; La Jota Vineyards in Napa Valley; BrewerClifton in Santa Barbara; Vietti in Piedmont, Italy; Kistler Vineyards in Sonoma; and Chateau Lassegue in Bordeaux, France. These are just a few selections on the tasting list so for more information, please visit rosewoodmiramarbeach. com.

BELMOND EL ENCANTO

B

elmond El Encanto is launching a Taste of El Encanto series with threeday culinary experiences highlighting Chandon in Napa Valley; Volcán De Mi Tierra Tequila from Jalisco, Mexico; Colgin Cellars in St. Helena; and Woodinville Winery in Washington. The Chandon Experience takes place April 18 through 20 with tastings of the award-winning California sparkling wines, Chandon-inspired spa treatments and a winemaker dinner. For more information, please call 805845-5800.

•MJ

TASTING NOTES

Y

ou can still experience the thrill of visiting a winery and taking part in its on-premise wine tasting with a handful of carefully curated wine programs offered locally. Since the onset of COVID-19, many wineries across the country have either suspended or limited in-person attendance at their tasting rooms.

To compensate, some of our local sommeliers have started to offer limited occupancy wine tastings, giving wine lovers access to an event that in the past would have required considerable time, travel, and expense.

44 MONTECITO JOURNAL

A guest snaps a photo of a bottle of Romanée-Conti from Burgundy, one of the rare and extraordinary wines found in San Ysidro Ranch’s wine cellar

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison

El Encanto will host a three-day Chandon experience

4 – 11 March 2021

DINE OUTSIDE |TAKE-OUT Montecito Journal wants to let readers know who’s offering a taste of winter with take-out and delivery service and outdoor dining.

We encourage you to support your local dining venues and wine boutiques!

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (805) 565-1860 ESTATE/SENIOR SERVICES THE CLEARING HOUSE, LLC

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46 MONTECITO JOURNAL

FOR SALE WORLD’S FINEST Porcelain Figurine Collection by the late Antonio Borsato from Italy’s known in Europe as the “modern-day Michelangelo” in figurine history! No one made figurines life-like in every detail as Borsato. So real looking, if one breathed air in them, they could come alive.

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Collection consists of 42 pieces. They are the very top of other figurines made over centuries. One must see in person to appreciate time, effort & talent. Being offered at 0ne-half their real value. Very limited amounts were made world-wide.

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House calls available. Victoria Frost- CPT & CES 805-895-9227 Shane Rockney Physical Therapy MPT Masters in Physical Therapy I have over thirty years experience as a physical therapist. I specialize in orthopedics including joint replacements, Parkinsons, Alzeheimers, stroke rehabilitation and Pediatrics. My work includes helping people achieve optimal health and fitness. To schedule an appointment contact Shane at (805) 699-1645 SPECIAL SERVICES THE KEY TO INNER PEACE IN THE PANDEMIC is seeing that you are NOT this ego “I” that worries, doubts, and suffers, and - above all that comes-and-goes, but rather the luminous awareness or presence that is always here. Private Skype/Zoom sessions with nondual awakening teacher Jim Dreaver, author of END YOUR STORY, BEGIN YOUR LIFE (available at Paradise Found Bookstore), and the new UNTRIGGERABLE. Guaranteed results, first session by donation. Call 310-916-4037, visit www.jimdreaver. com or email jdreaver@aol.com

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD

It’s Simple. Charge is $2 per line, each line with 31 characters.

Minimum is $8 per week/issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue.

Email text to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860 and we will respond with a cost.

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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