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The Optimist Daily Brilliant Thoughts
• The Voice of the Village • 9 – 16 April 2020 MONTECITO JOURNAL 23 C o u n t y o f S a n t a B a r b a r a
Planning and Development NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MONTECITO PLANNING COMMISSION CASE NUMBERS: 19DVP-00000-00030 & 19CDP-00000-00098 DATE: April 22, 2020 HEARING BEGINS: 9:00 A.M. PLACE: View hearing online via CSBTV or YouTube at: https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/hearings/mpc.sbc SUBJECT: San Ysidro Roundabout Hearing on the request of County Public Works to consider the following: Case No. 19DVP-00000-00030 [application filed on July 11, 2019] for approval of a
Development Plan in compliance with Section 35-174 of Article II, the Coastal Zoning Ordinance, on land zoned TC (Transportation Corridor), to reconfigure the intersection at San Ysidro Road, North Jameson Lane, and the northbound Highway 101 on- and offramps from two stop-controlled intersections to a roundabout. The project would include new sidewalks, roadway pavement, curb and gutter, median islands, landscaping, stormwater improvements/bioretention areas, lighting, signage, and fencing. One retaining wall of 110 feet long and 3.8 to 20.9 feet high is proposed. Grading would include approximately 650 cubic yards of cut and 1,400 cubic yards of fill. The project would require the removal of 38 trees, including 8 coast live oak trees. A total of 114 replacement trees are proposed; Case No. 19CDP-00000-00098 [application filed on July 11, 2019] for a Coastal
Development Permit in compliance with Section 35-169 of Article II, the Coastal Zoning Ordinance on land zoned TC, for improvements described under 19DVP-00000-00030, above; and; Accept the Addendum (dated March 2020) to the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the Caltrans Highway 101 HOV project (including the EIR dated August 26, 2014, revised EIR dated October 27, 2017, and EIR Addendum dated June 1, 2018) (the EIR) pursuant to the State Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as there are no new significant environmental impacts as a result of this project. The EIR found potentially significant and unmitigable (Class I) effects on the environment for project-specific and cumulative Visual Resource impacts and Transportation/Circulation impacts. The EIR found potentially significant but mitigable (Class II) effects on the environment in the following categories: Biological Resources,
Cultural Resources, Noise, Paleontology, and Water Quality. This project site is located at the intersection of San Ysidro Road, North Jameson Lane, and the northbound Highway 101 on- and off-ramps in the MontecitoCommunity Plan Area, First Supervisorial District. All documents associated with this project may be reviewed online at www.sbcountyplanning.org. To receive additional information regarding this project and/or to review the application and plans, please contact Nicole Lieu by email at nlieu@countyofsb.org or by phone at (805) 884-8068. This project site is located at the intersection of San Ysidro Road, North Jameson Lane, and the northbound Highway 101 on- and off-ramps in the MontecitoCommunity Plan Area, First Supervisorial District. The Montecito Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Montecito Planning Commission. If you wish to make a written comment on a specific agenda item, please submit your comment via email by 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the commission meeting. Please submit your comment to the Montecito Planning Commission Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting. If you wish to make verbal comments on a specific agenda item, please submit your telephone number via email by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the hearing. During the public comment portion of every item, staff will call you using the contact information provided, and you will be able to make your verbal comments via telephone (speaker phone). Please submit your contact information to the Montecito Planning Commission Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. If you are watching the live stream of the Montecito Planning Commission meeting and wish to make a general public comment or comment on a specific agenda item as it is being heard, please submit your comment, limited to 250 words or less, to the Montecito Planning Commission Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Every effort will be made to read your comment into the record, but some comments may not be read due to time limitations. Comments received after an agenda item will be made part of the record if received prior to the end of the meeting. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this hearing, please contact the Hearing Support Staff at (805) 568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements. COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA MONTECITO PLANNING COMMISSION 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 Brilliant Thoughts by Ashleigh Brilliant What is it Worth? H ow do we determine the value of things? Is it only the question of what people will pay? Some American railroad tycoon of the “Robber Baron” era spoke in terms of exacting “all the traffic will bear” – meaning that he charged not what seemed fair or reasonable, but simply as much as he could get.
Going by that standard, life would appear to be an auction, and the best things go to the highest bidder.
But of course, not only money is involved. Not many people would literally give their right arm for what they most desire. But many parents sacrifice a great deal for the betterment of their children. On a personal note – when meat was still rationed in England, I remember my parents sometimes letting me and my sister eat their portion, as well as our own. And it shames me now to acknowledge that I felt no appreciation, but just took this as the normal course of events. Isn’t there anything that has the same value everywhere to everyone?
Still, money is the generally recognized standard of value. One of the great achievements of civilization has been the evolution of money. Isn’t it amazing that, from a simple system of barter, in which you exchanged things of supposedly equal worth, we have evolved through currencies of metal and paper, which merely symbolized values, to the point where transactions are now conducted through almost imaginary electronic channels?
But how do we decide the value of things? One complication is that different people put different values on the same things. A young healthy person may highly value a bicycle, which is useless to someone who’s bedridden. But do usefulness and value mean the same thing? Maybe they should, in which case a screwdriver would in most cases be far more valuable than a diamond ring. Another complexity is that the same item may have varying value in different situations. A warm blanket means more on a chilly winter night than in a hot summer.
Isn’t there anything that has the same value everywhere to everyone? What about the air we breathe? But it’s too hard to package and quantify. If the government could control it, there would soon be a tax on air.
But what about the so-called precious metals, like gold and silver and platinum? Traditionally gold has been a standard of value, even though, except for a few specialized uses such as in dentistry, any sensible person would much rather have a tool-kit than a bar of gold. In any case, if gold were the standard, it would always have the same value. But we know that, like other commodities, it varies from day to day.
I know I am only tiptoeing lightly here, over a very complicated subject. But the fact remains that, whatever name you give it – price, worth, cost, value – what we are talking about is how much something matters to someone, in comparison with something else. And, ever since numbers were invented, I suppose these qualities have been expressed in numerical terms. In the 1950s there was a very popular song which asked, “How much is that doggie in the window?” – but we never found out the answer. Of course, if you are writing a love song, you can get away with sentiments like these (at least, if you are Irving Berlin): How much do I love you? I’ll tell you no lie –How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky? How many times a day do I think of you? How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
In practical terms, however, we need to have a basic standard of value. Until comparatively recent times, that standard was gold. Hard as it may be to believe, you could take a paper dollar into a bank and change it for a gold dollar. That was called being on the gold standard.
But that doesn’t work anymore. Your paper dollar, which used to be a promise, is now just a piece of paper. Its value is based on whatever faith you have in your government.
Establishing a stable international standard of value may prove to be as difficult as it has been with weights and measures. Considering the success which the pharmaceutical industry has had in turning little tablets and capsules into huge profits, I would suggest that the currency of the future be based on PILLS. With proper accreditation and validation, a certified pill could be the remedy for all our financial ills. •MJ
MISCELLANY (Continued from page 6) due to the pandemic and the subsequent public health measures taken in response to it causing high performing mortgage loans to decrease in value.
Barrack, 72, a longtime friend of President Donald Trump, warns that if banks and non-bank lenders are not given the flexibility to undertake loan restructuring efforts, loan repayment demands will likely escalate systematically.
“A market collapse of this magnitude would have a catastrophic follow-on effect across the American economy.”
Rick Spitzer, Eric Alen, Miles Hartfeld, and Gretchen Lieff (photo by Priscilla)
Showing Gratitude
It was the perfect blend when global medical device manufacturer Karl Storz Imaging president Miles Hartfeld expressed his gratitude to employees when they left work the other day at the Goleta offices.
The company makes critically needed endoscopic medical equipment, including bronchoscopes used on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19.
Although Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay at home order does not apply to critical business sectors, including the manufacturers of medical equipment, the company arranged for 300 of its 400 employees to work from their homes, leaving only those absolutely necessary to be present in the building.
“Of the dozens of measures implemented to help protect employees, work at home has provided the greatest benefit to members of the Karl Storz family,” says Miles.
As a surprise thank you to the 100- plus employees who stayed in the required six-foot spacing, before picking up their bottles from the table and heading home.
“We are balancing social responsibility to our employees with our social responsibility to society,” adds Miles.
I’ll drink to that...
Karl Storz employees receive a “Thank You” bottle of Lieff Wines (photo by Priscilla)
offices, he and his Montecito winemaking fiancée Gretchen Lieff personally gave each one a bottle of wine for their continued commitment.
Workers lined up outside the building’s entrance, carefully separated by blue tape lines to maintain the
Two Years Sober
Montecito actor Rob Lowe’s youngest son, John Owen, 25, is making his sobriety journey public, following in his famous father’s footsteps.
Stanford graduate John has taken to Instagram to recognize a significant trail marker in his evolution, uploading an image from his Twelve Steps program showing he has been sober for two years, or 17,555 hours.
The post comes as Rob, 56, marks his own significant milestone this year – 30 years of sobriety.
After his son’s post, the former Parks and Recreation star commented: “I have never been more proud. Your hard work is an inspiration. Keep Coming Back.”
All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church (805) 969-4771 www.allsaintsbythesea.org
Montecito Covenant Church (805) 969-0373 www.mcchurch.org
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church (805) 969-6868 www.mtcarmelsb.com
The Community of Montecito Churches God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Watch out Martha Stewart!
Santa Barbara-based ShelterBox USA president Kerri Murray has launched a new Facebook channel Cooking Through Corona, in which she and guest culinary wizards, including award-winning writer and actress Leslie Zemeckis, and Johnnie Lee and Mazzy Lee Gore, daughters of Depeche Mode rocker Martin and Kerrie Gore.
Leslie is sharing her secret recipes for Pandemic Pie and Shelter-at-Home Scones, while the girls are making their dad’s favorite recipe for Beans on Toast.
Other delights include The Quarantini, Contagion Cupcakes, Solitude Soup, Shelter At Home sushi rolls, and the Pandemic Playlist, created to chase away the blues.
Food for thought in troubled times...
Beautiful Abode
Oscar winning set designers David Wasco and his wife, Sandy, have had the restoration of their 1956 Santa Barbara home featured in Elle Decor.
The dynamic duo, who won the Academy Award for La La Land, moved to our Eden by the Beach eight years ago after living in the L.A. suburb of Silver Lake.
“The view overlooking the ocean and Santa Cruz Island is a living artwork,” says Sandy. “We are so high we can see above the level of the clouds.”
The 2,000 sq.ft. property, Winter House, near Franceschi Park, was designed by Yale and Cornell trained Robert Ingle Hoyt.
The twosome are currently preparing for a 2022 exhibition at UCSB’s Art, Design and Architecture Museum, a retrospective of their four decades in film design.
Decisions, Decisions
Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry, who has just revealed she is expecting a daughter with British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom, has thought about hiring her American Idol co-star judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to perform at her wedding.
The 35-year-year-old former Dos Pueblos High student had previously dismissed the idea of having the pair at her nuptials because she joked they’re “too expensive.”
Ellen at Home
which will enable his many fans to enjoy his hit musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, free of charge from 7 pm on the day of release for 48 hours, with further shows in the pipeline.
Music to our ears...
Ellen DeGeneres is back (photo by Glenn Francis of www.Pacific ProDigital.com)
Remembering Stuart
Celebrity snapper Priscilla
CalRE# 01061042 | CalRE# 01875690
Montecito’s Ellen DeGeneres is set to bring back her hit eponymous TV talk show remotely after suspending production at her Warner Bros. Burbank studio because of the coronavirus.
Ellen, 62, reveals she has been filming throughout her entire quarantine, conducting a series of A-list interviews for her at-home edition, including John Legend, JenniferLopez, and Chrissy Teigen, which launched on Monday.
Oprah Does Good
Formed TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey, 66, has donated $10 million to support people and cities across the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic.
Montecito’s most famous resident says she’s also committing $1 million to America’s Food Bank, whose goal is to make sure everyone has access to food.
In the meantime, I hear her longtime beau Stedman Graham, 69, is now out of self isolation in Oprah’s guesthouse and the tony twosome are now reunited, a moment she recorded on Instagram.
John on the ‘Gram
Former Montecito funnyman John Cleese, 80, after the boredom of coronavirus quarantine, has joined Instagram.
The former Fawlty Towers star posted a video introducing himself and announcing his membership: “So that you can come and visit me and see thousands of the most private and intimate things from my phone.
“Very sorry this wasn’t better, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”
Before long John had 6,000 followers, and more to come no doubt...
Music of the Night Bored stiff with self isolation?
Composer and theater impresario Andrew Lloyd-Webber has come to the rescue.
Andrew, 72, has set up a channel on YouTube The Show Must Go On,
My trusty shutterbug Priscilla recalls meeting the late cowboy actor Stuart Whitman, who died in at his Montecito home last month aged 92.
It was in the early ‘70s when she was an extra in Laurence Harvey’s last movie Welcome to Arrow Beach, which was filmed at the vacant Casa Dorinda, then known as the Bliss Estate, with a cast including Joanna Pettet, Meg Foster, and John Ireland.
“Stuart was gracious and interesting,” recounts Priscilla. “After the film wrapped there was a celebration party at the Lemon Warehouse in Carpinteria.”
Harvey died in 1975 and is buried in Santa Barbara Cemetery.
River Runs Through It
Queen Elizabeth has won a battle with environmentalists to build a hydroelectric turbine on her 50,000- acre Balmoral estate in Scotland.
The plan for the two megawatt generator on the River Muick will generate up to $804,000 of power a year, which will power the historic estate, built by Queen Victoria, and surplus electricity which could be sold on to the U.K.’s National Grid.
Environmentalists opposed the plans, claiming it would be too noisy for woodland creatures living nearby.
But now the Cairngorms National Park Authority, after further scrutiny, has approved the plans for the picturesque river.
Sightings have been suspended during the coronavirus, given the social distancing edict from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
They will return when restrictions have been lifted.
Stunning Birnam Wood EStatE
A once in lifetime opportunity to acquire one of Montecito’s finest properties!
Nestled on 2+ acres in the exclusive enclave of Birnam Wood, this beautifully proportioned single-level home with its lush gardens evokes languid days in Provence.
Enjoy a private location with exceptional mountain and garden vistas in Montecito’s premier gated neighborhood.
A spacious entry hall that flows to a dramatic living room with vaulted ceilings and on-point herringbone walnut floors. The captivating dining room and inviting kitchen and family room complete the main living areas. There are four bedrooms and a library, and 3 fireplaces. French doors throughout open to the sprawling terraces and gardens with loggia, soothing fountains, a long swimmers pool, and ample spaces in which to unwind. This strikingly comfortable home was remodeled by Don Nulty, AIA and Giffen and Crane construction. www.457Eastgate.com // Offered at $7,995,000
Pip! Pip! – and be safe
Readers with tips, sightings and amusing items for Richard’s column
MAURIE McGUIRE | SCOTT WESTLOTORN 805-403-8816 | 805-403-4313 CalRE# 01061042 | CalRE# 01875690
