On the Record

The Heart of Dankness Nicholas Schou is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including Orange Sunshine and Kill the Messenger, his writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Atlantic, and other fine publications. If you have tips or stories about Montecito, please email him at newseditor@montecitojournal.net.

A long--simmering conflict over cannabis odor and pesticide use continues in Carpinteria

On a recent afternoon, Hans Brand steers his electric golf cart-type vehicle from the main office of his Carpinteria cannabis farm to a sprawling greenhouse that seems big enough to fit a football field inside it. Inside the structure, at any given moment, Brand’s farm, Autumn Brands – the moniker is a mashup of his family’s name as well as co-owner Autumn Shelton’s – is growing thousands of marijuana plants in various steps of development. Because of the gentle climate and some basic technological innovations, Brand is able to churn out six cannabis harvests per year whereas most outdoor grows are limited to one or two annual growing cycles.

Autumn Brands is easily one of the largest marijuana farms in California, and yet it isn’t until we step inside the greenhouse that I notice the infamous scent – many Carpinteria residents would call it an odiferous stench – of

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flowering cannabis. Brand proudly points to a large airduct that surrounds the greenhouse like a curtain; it is pumping air mixed with essential oils that counteract the smell of the cannabis terpenes inside. “With that system, you can’t smell a thing outside,” he tells me.

Inside the greenhouse are row after row of tiny plants called clones; once the clones begin to take root, the farm must tag and track each plant as it processes through different growing stages using a state-mandated track and trace system called METRC. The farm must account for any plants that fail to grow or are damaged before reaching the flowering phase, when they are removed from non-stop light and subjected to light-deprivation, which mimics the change from summer to autumn and tricks the plants into flowering.

“Every plant gets a tag and as it moves through the greenhouse we can always track where it’s been all the way back to the mother plant,” Brand says. “When the plant is four or five months old, we move it to the greenhouse to flower with 18 hours of light. Only plants that reach this flowering phase will eventually be reported to and taxed by the state. We move the 500 plants onto the manifest, and within three days we must have an individual blue METRC tag on each plant. The tag stays with the plant for its whole life,” Brand continues, “so if a plant dies in the greenhouse we have to take that number and tell the state this plant died. We take it out of rotation to destroy it, but we have to hold it for a week so if they want, the state can come and look at it.”

Autumn Brands is an industry leader when it comes to not just mitigating odor and responsibly tracking

A football field full of cannabis at Autumn Brands

Autumn Brand’s odor mitigation system

its plants, but also in terms of basic crop-growing efficiency. A nearly invisible watering system brings just enough moisture to the soil of each plant; there are no sprayers, so the greenhouse is the opposite of humid. And although there are several fans placed around the greenhouse, none of them are turned on. “Some growers insist that cannabis plants need to have all this wind to grow, but that’s not true,” Brand insists. “These plants are really remarkably easy to grow.”

Inside a nearby warehouse, recently harvested plants are set aside to dry, a process that removes most of the plants’ actual weight. Once separated from their stalks, the trim-ready buds

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are dumped into large plastic bins, then weighed and distributed to one of 18 surgical mask and glove wearing Latina wowen who busily trim the flowers with identical pink scissors. Music is blasting and the women snip away at a rapid clip; large, well-manicured buds are packaged as individual eighths of an ounce, the smaller buds are set aside to be rolled into pre-rolled joints that are also produced onsite.

Every last speck of weight must be accounted for, so there are security cameras in the trimming room and a full-time employee who keeps measure with a scale. “Everything starts with him and comes back to him,” Brand explains. “It has to be the same weight or else you have a problem.” Each trimmer has a two-week goal; if they exceed it, they receive a twoweek raise. Everyone can do it fast, but we also care about quality.”

Brand tells me that the remaining marijuana trim is sold to a third party which then produces it into vaping extracts. Thanks to the ongoing controversy over vaping-related respiratory illness caused by additives used by unscrupulous manufacturers to dilute the extract, vape cartridges are just a small fraction of the farm’s

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Peter Churchill, Teen Star finalist Madeleine Thomas, Joe Lambert, and Harvey Banick at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club (photo by Priscilla)

Banner, and runner up Madeleine Thomas warbled God Bless America. Twenty boats took part in the Parade of the Fleet and 29 commodores and local dignitaries from San Diego to San Francisco were welcomed by new commodore Garry Pawlitski. Among the tidal wave of maritime mavens watching the Casper’s Trophy race, which wrapped up the wonderful day, were Jack and Karen Byers, Bud and Sigrid Toye, Bill and Shari Guilfoyle, John and Teresa Koontz, France Lufkin, Tony and Sabrina Papa, Roger and Sarah Chrisman, Peter and Sherry Churchill, Stan and Kathy Darrow, Pat and Ursula Nesbitt, and Patrick and Beverly Toole.

CAMA Centennial One hundred years to the very

Fell, Robert and Christine Emmons, Mahri Kerley, Barbara Burger, Peter and Linda Beuret, Chad Smith, Thomas Beckman, Jerry Eberhardt and Kathleen Kane, Susan Erburu Reardon, Robert Weinman, Larry Feinberg, Starr Siegele, Jamie and Marcia Constance, Maurice Singer, Alex Nourse and Hyon Chough.

Judith Hopkinson and Christine Emmons enjoying the CAMA concert (photo by Monie Photography)

day the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel performed in a special CAMA – Community Arts Music Association – sold-out concert at the Granada.

Both CAMA and the orchestra are

John Perry and Kum Su Kim at the Granada (photo by Monie Photography)

celebrating centenaries this year, with the Big Orange musicians having made its Santa Barbara debut at the Potter Theatre–destroyed in the 1925 earthquake–under conductor Walter Henry Rothwell in front of more than 1,000 people in 1920.

The historic program at the weekend featured Dvorak’s Symphony No.9 in E minor from The New World, and Charles Ives’s Symphony No. 2, an American classic.

The celebration to mark the magnificent musical moment kicked off with a champagne reception in the McCune Founders Room and the theater lobbies followed by a post-concert fête at the Museum of Art for 300 guests, just a tiara’s toss down State Street.

Among the tony torrent of musical mavens were sponsors CAMA board members Marta Babson and Bitsy Bacon, Darryl Zupancic, CAMA president Bob Montgomery and wife Val, Peter and Deborah Bertling, Nancy Belle Coe and Bill Burke, Arthur Gaudi, Anne Towbes, Sara Miller McCune, Robert and Robin Brilliant Bill American British-based writer Bill Bryson, 68, was in fine humorous form at the Granada, when he spoke about his extensive work as part of the UCSB Arts & Lectures program.

Bryson, who first visited the U.K. in 1973 as part of a European tour, decided to stay after landing a job at a psychiatric hospital and now lives in Hampshire in southern England.

From 2005 to 2011 he served as chancellor of historic Durham University, succeeding actor Sir Peter Ustinov, having come to prominence a decade earlier with A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was nearly 500 pages long. It followed Notes from a Small Island eight years earlier, an exploration of Britain with an accompanying TV series.

Five years ago he wrote one of my favorites The Road To Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island, nine years after receiving an OBE – Order of the British Empire – for his contribution to literature. He has also been honored as a member of the Royal Society, the first non-Brit to receive the honor.

At a pre-talk reception in the McCune Founders Room, guests acting terribly tribal toe tapping elbow

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The Creek would be slightly re-aligned as part of the debris basin construction but would remain equivalent in channel length. Channel width is proposed to be widened in some parts where steep banks would be re-graded to a lower slope, effectively widening the jurisdictional portion of the creek, according to the permit application. The County also seeks to provide trail access, parking, and add native plantings, as part of the project. Property acquisition for the project continues, and an EIR is expected late this spring, with Board of Supervisors approval in July or August. The project is expected to begin construction summer of 2021. The County is planning on expanding Cold Spring Basin this summer, with two other basins expanded in the next two years. “We don’t want to do excavations of all of these basins in the same year. We don’t want to overload the community with trucks,” Fayram said.

The full board of the Montecito Association meets next Tuesday, March 17. TCBF’s California Clam Bake

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation’s (TBCF) California Clam Bake will be held on Saturday, April 4 at 6 pm at the Montecito Club. The event will feature local KEYT news anchors Beth Farnsworth and CJ Ward, who will share Masters of Ceremony duties throughout the evening. “It’s going to be a beautiful event that will raise awareness and funds for this vital organization,” said co-chair Sheela Hunt. “Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is the only local organization to provide financial, educational, and emotional support to families battling pediatric cancer in the tri-counties. We provide a variety of support programs to families of youth up to age 21,” said Eryn Shugart, Interim Executive Director of the organization. “Only through the generosity of our incredible community can we continue to support the growing needs of the families we serve.”

The event begins with wine and hors d’oeuvres while guests overlook the Central Coast at sunset and enjoy the sounds of acoustic guitarist Joshua Jenkins. The cocktail party will be followed by a traditional East Coast clambake with California flair. Farnsworth and Ward will help to relay the message that events such as these, while whimsical and entertaining, serve the greater purpose of raising critical funding for the services provided by Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation; namely, direct financial aid, emotional support and educational advocacy. The event will feature a robust raffle with packages that include a private cruise for 46 people aboard the Azure Seas yacht; a Sonos speaker package featuring two Move speakers and a Beam soundbar; a $1,600 Burberry handbag combined with jewelry and a champagne shopping experience at Giuliana Montecito; a Santa Barbara “Playcation” package of Santa Barbara destinations; and, a “Staycation” package for a romantic overnight excursion. Additional funds will be raised with a “Giving Tree” and an interactive dessert auction featuring cakes and desserts from local bakeries.

All proceeds from the California Clam Bake will support local families facing the financial and emotional burden of a pediatric cancer diagnosis. In 2019, TBCF served a record 851 individuals through their three core programs: Financial Stability, Emotional Support, and Educational Advocacy. Through their Financial Stability program, TBCF granted direct financial aid to 48 families in order to help them stay financially afloat during this difficult time. As TBCF continues to grow in scope and reach, so does their need to expand their support base. “Every year some of our local children are told they have cancer, and every year Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation steps in to help during the excruciating initial months after diagnosis, during treatment, and after recovery,” Shugart said.

The 2020 California Clam Bake is led by co-chairs Hunt, Maria Wilson, and Adriana Mezic, along with their hard-working committee members including Carolyn Shepard Baham, Nina Johnson, Terre Lapman, Gary Lapman, Maria Long, Mandana Mir, and Tara Zanecki. “You never know how important the impact of Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is until you meet some of the families, hear their stories, and see the appreciation in their faces. The money we are raising from this event will allow these parents to focus on their child in need, so they can be there for that child,” Wilson said.

The event is generously supported by an anonymous Visionary Sponsor; Advocate Sponsor M. Barry Semler & Family, Santa Barbara Investment Company; and Healer Sponsors Mark & Sheela Hunt/Village Properties, Terre & Gary Lapman, AIMdyn, Inc.; Adriana & Igor Mezic, Nathan Rogers of Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell, LLP, Peter Trent of Paragon Mortgage Group, Monte & Maria Wilson, Julia Delgado, MD, J. Paul Gignac, and Jim Crook/Milpas Motors, and another anonymous donor.

To purchase tickets or for sponsorship inquiries, please contact Kirsten Stuart at Kirsten@ TeddyBearCancerFoundation.org, or online at https://www.teddy bearcancerfoundation.org/califor nia-clam-bake. VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 12) TBCF’s 2020 California Clam Bake Committee is busy planning the event, which takes place at Montecito Club on Saturday, April 4

Manny, a senior dog, is available for adoption and will be available to meet at George Pet Shop in Montecito Country Mart, this Saturday, March 14 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm (photo courtesy Wendy Domanski)

This Saturday, March 14, George Pet Shop in Montecito Country Mart will host a special adoption event to showcase Manny, a senior dog who is looking for his new home.

“I would love to help him find his forever home so he does not continue to spend years in a shelter,” said Shelley Greenbaum, a volunteer who is organizing the event on behalf of Manny. Manny was brought to DAWG when his family moved and could not take him. DAWG (Dog Adoption & Welfare Group), has since merged with the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society, and Manny was transferred to that facility. “He is a senior dog who is super sweet, gentle, good with kids and with other dogs,” Greenbaum said.

The event is from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm at George. The pet shop is offering a special incentive to Manny’s adopters: a discount on a collar and leash set. For more information about Manny call (805) 698-2962.

Several more dog adoption events are planned this spring in Montecito, specifically at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort. The Resort’s new “Yappy Hour” will welcome fourlegged friends from the community in celebration of National Puppy Day (March 22), National Pet Week (May 3), National Dog Day (August 26), and National Pet Awareness Month (November 1). The Miramar Beach Bar will serve specialty cocktails crafted for the canine occasion including a “Salty Dog” a “Bulldog Smash,” and “Dodge’s Collar.” In partnership with the Santa Barbara Humane Society, guests will be invited to meet and play with some adorable furry friends in search of their forever adoption home. The events are complimentary to attend, with food and drink available for purchase at Miramar Beach Bar.

For more information, visit www. rosewoodhotels.com/en/mira mar-beach-montecito, and click on Events Calendar. •MJ