Meet Meagan Harmon

The Giving List 13-20 MAY 2021 VOL 27 ISSUE 20

SERVING MONTECITO AND SUMMERLAND

The SB Wildlife Care Network’s growth has it turning to new digs, with a little bit of help needed to get over the finish line, page 36

Costly Cannabis?

Das Williams had his eye on the Coastal Commission opening, but his track record with cannabis might have cost him, some say, page 8

Wish Upon a Montecito Star

What do you get when you cross a music legend with a Montecito Union School fundraiser?

You’ll just have to check it out, page 6

Meet Meagan Harmon

In 2019, Harmon was a relatively unknown politician, named to the Santa Barbara City Council. On May 4, she beat out tough competition to earn a coveted spot on the California Coastal Commission. (story begins on page 5)

Slim Pickings

The market? Thin on options because Montecito is outpacing its neighbors to the north and south in garnering attention, page 14

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13 – 20 May 2021

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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SATURDAY, MAY 15 • 7:00 p m { P R E -S H OW 6:30 P M } SUNDAY, M AY 16 • 3:00 p m { P R E -S H OW 2:30 P M } Join us for our season finale as we celebrate our historic 2020/21 season with a program honoring the strength, beauty, perseverance, hope, creativity, and community of Santa Barbara. Award-winning-piano virtuoso AWADAGIN PRATT joins the Symphony under the baton of Maestro Nir Kabaretti for an energizing and provocative performance. Audiences will also be the first to hear thirteen-year old guitarist Joseph Malvinni, one of our Youth Symphony Concerto Competition winners, performs with the orchestra!

Inside This Issue 5 In the Know For Meagan Harmon, the journey from small town Lompoc to a spot on the California Coastal Commission has been filled with wanderlust and ambition 6 Village Beat On May 22, you can wish upon a Montecito Star, a fundraiser for Montecito Union School supported by a music legend 8 On the Record In a somewhat stunning turn of events, relative newcomer Meagan Harmon beat out Das Williams for a spot on Coastal Commission. Cannabis cost him the gig, some say.

10 Community Voices Yes, there is a parking problem on Riven Rock Road, but being rude and discourteous isn’t the solution — it’s better to have a meeting of the minds 11 Letters to the Editor Carlos the Bear knows he needs help, and there is a meeting to make that happen; meanwhile, one letter writer says evidence shows we don’t live in a racist society 12 Making it Home Tour As homelessness has become more apparent in Santa Barbara County, PATH has done its part to the tune of aiding 3,500 members of the community in need 13 The Way it Was John Dwight Bridge might have made a cultural impact in Santa Barbara, but his personal existential crisis led him abroad to impact the world 14 Montecito Best Buys The real estate market is so hot in Montecito that the pickings are slim — but there are some standouts ready if your wallet is prepared 16 Dear Montecito Maiya Roddick wanted to return to her U.K. roots for her college experience, only to face a medical battle that was ultimately cured here in Santa Barbara 18 Montecito Miscellany It was a who’s-who at the University Club as Kostis Protopapas was feted with a 50th birthday party fitting for the general director of Opera Santa Barbara

20 Our Town A jaunt to La Cumbre Plaza can now turn into an immersive experience with the Museum of Sensory & Movement Experiences 22 On Entertainment

Buoyed by his decades-long relationship with the Dalai Lama, Pico Iyer talks about his upcoming UCSB keynote event with His Holiness 24 PERSPECTIVES

by Rinaldo S. Brutoco Let’s Have Another Party! Many voices make better democracies The Optimist Daily Solar Panels and California’s Water Canals: A Match Made in Heaven 25 Brilliant Thoughts Ashleigh Brilliant says that we are confronted with signs around every corner of life, some with more impact than others 28 Montecito on the Move The bear is baaaaack, and now it’s time for Montecito to get serious about either co-existence or euthanasia Puzzle Solutions 30 Local Legends

Ganna Walska’s local legacy is founding Lotusland, but her pre-Montecito life helped inspire one of the most iconic movies of all time 32 Library Mojo

Hattie Beresford will be joining the Montecito Library to talk about “Wintering in Montecito,” delving into the South Coast’s draw to tourists 36 The Giving List As Santa Barbara County has become more aware of its wildlife neighbors, the SB Wildlife Care Network has found itself outgrowing the area’s needs at every turn 38 Montecito Moms Aimee Kielborn, a Montecito Kombucha queen, provides some tips on how she and her family run their homebrew business 46 Legal Advertisements 50 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles 52 Nosh Town Look no further than your local farmers’ market to help make the perfect spring salad 54 Classified Advertising 54 Local Business Directory

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In the Know

by Nick Masuda

Her Star is Rising:

Built on Family and Wanderlust, Meagan Harmon Earns Coastal Commission Nod

O

n May 4 — a day already close to her heart as a self-proclaimed Star Wars “nerd”— Meagan Harmon did something that many local political pundits didn’t think was possible when she received a call that a handful of other veteran politicos were waiting for.

The call was from the governor’s office inviting Harmon to join the California Coastal Commission, a highly sought-after and prestigious position that eluded even First District Supervisor and Democratic mainstay Das Williams.

A definitive freshman on the Santa Barbara political scene, Harmon was appointed to the Santa Barbara City Council in 2019 and is facing her first re-election bid for that seat later this year.

Throughout her varied life experiences, the part-time real estate lawyer and full-time mom has proven herself through tenacity and personal Meagan Harmon and her husband, Nick, and daughter ambition — something she will never Maura apologize for.

And while, on the surface, her appointment to the Coastal Commission might have been a surprise, there is one longtime local political expert that believes it was a natural turn of events.

According to Dave Davis, the former Santa Barbara Community Development Director and executive director of the Community Environmental Council, in two short years Meagan has proven that she is willing to outwork anybody in any situation, all the while wearing her political heart on her sleeve.

For the Coastal Commission position, Harmon received endorsements from political figures and organizations from Ventura to San Luis Obispo counties, indicating that her interests extend well beyond the borders of Santa Barbara’s South Coast.

And according to Davis, she didn’t do this by making empty promises to the selection committee — “that’s not in her nature,” Davis said. Instead, he claims she always advocates for conversation, something she said she learned early on from tough debates she had at home with a family that didn’t always share her world view.

With no Commission meetings under her belt as of yet, Meagan says she will be laser focused on the important conversation of sea level rise and its inherent impact on private property, which is of particular interest in Montecito.

“Where does that line between preparedness and resilience and dealing with sea level rise intersect with private property rights?” Meagan said.

“What are the responsibilities, the rights, for property owners on the coast versus that of the state or municipality? I think that’s going to be the biggest thing, at least for Montecito, that folks should really be looking for in the next year or two years.”

So, why has Harmon, a relative political newcomer, been appointed to a position that some veteran Democratic officials have waited decades to land?

Sometimes, the past can be predictive of the future, even if you don’t see it at the time. So where did Meagan Harmon come from?

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After all, she was only in the first grade, her own thoughts a common playdate for the shy youngster.

13 – 20 May 2021

In the Know 44 444 4 • The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

5

Village Beat

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

The newly built A-frame low-lying treehouse at Montecito Union School’s Nature Lab; funds from Montecito Star, the MUS virtual gala on May 22, will go toward further improvements to the Nature Lab.

S

aturday, May 22 will be a very exciting evening for Montecito Union kids, parents, and the greater community, as Montecito Union School hosts a virtual gala featuring professionally produced musical performances from MUS students.

Dubbed “Montecito Star,” the event is in lieu of the Montecito Union School Foundation’s annual gala, which raises money for various causes on campus. This year’s proceeds are earmarked for the school’s Nature Lab, located on the 2.3-acre parcel of land located adjacent to the campus on San Ysidro Road.

Foundation president Tara Fergusson tells us that earlier this year, the Foundation board was brainstorming ideas for a virtual, COVIDfriendly event in lieu of an in-person gala. (Luckily, last year’s event was held just days before the pandemic shut down the majority of the country, at Montecito Club, and brought in much-needed funding that was utilized later in the year when kids returned to campus following months of virtual instruction.)

“We thought a virtual concert would be a good option and sent out an email to all the parents asking if anyone had connections to the music industry,” she said. “Within minutes, Simon Fuller reached out to us, offering to help produce a musical showcase of sorts,” Fergusson said.

Fuller, an MUS parent, is the creator of the “Idol” franchise of television shows, which includes the wildly popular American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. He is also a

“A man can smell a woman’s sadness.” – Jill Alexander Essbaum

well-known, international artist manager and television producer, and was recently recognized by Billboard magazine as the most successful British music manager of all time. Fuller and his family moved to Montecito last year, and he says he is pleased to help MUS as much as he can.

“It’s a wonderful school, and whatever we can do to help, we will,” he said, adding that his oldest daughter, an MUS student, is participating in the singing showcase; his younger twin girls will be in kindergarten next year.

Earlier this month, a call for submissions was put out to the MUS student body, and it was expected that two dozen or so kids might participate. “We asked them to send in videos of themselves singing, and were thrilled that we received over 90 submissions,” said superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii. Ten singers were chosen for solo performances, as well as six featured instrumentalists; an additional 80 kids are participating in the chorus.

This week, Fuller’s professional production team is on campus to record footage, coach the soloists with their chosen song, record the songs in a mobile recording studio, and film music videos for each of the performers, who will also be styled by Fuller’s team.

“Each of the performances will be shot in a different area of the campus, in a celebration of the amazing, gracious school we have here,” said Fuller, who says he’s a massive advo-

Village Beat Page 214 214 13 – 20 May 2021

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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On the Record

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All information provided is deemed reliable, but has not been verified and we do not guarantee it. We recommend that buyers make their own inquiries.

Did Cannabis Baggage Derail Das Williams’ Coastal Commission Bid?

O

n May 5, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Santa Barbara City Councilmember Meagan Harmon to the California Coastal Commission, one of the state’s most powerful institutions, which serves to preserve and protect the coastline from commercial and development interests. A New York University trained lawyer and Harvard graduate from Lompoc, who is a relative newcomer to the political stage, Harmon beat out both Oxnard City Councilmember Vianey Lopez and Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams to replace outgoing Pismo Beach councilmember Erik Howell, who can no longer serve on the commission because of a failed re-election bid.

You can read much more about Harmon, her roots, qualifications, and vision for the future in Nick Masuda’s interview of her on page 5 of this issue. However, at least as noteworthy as Harmon’s victory is, the fact that she somehow beat Williams, who of the three candidates for the job, seemed to boast by far the most political experience. Indeed, given both his environmental background and ties to Sacramento, Williams, the First District Supervisor who represents Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria — and who previously served in the California State Assembly — was widely viewed as a shoo-in for the seat.

That said, readers of the Montecito Journal may recall that in the weeks leading up to Newsom’s decision, a letter ran in the paper signed by hundreds of residents of Santa Barbara County, asking the governor not to appoint Williams to the position. An email obtained by the Journal shows that Newsom’s office acknowledged receipt of the letter on April 8.

“We are deeply dismayed to learn that Das Williams is seeking an appointment to the California Coastal Commission for the Central Coast,” the letter stated, describing Williams as a “controversial supervisor” responsible for spearheading a pro-marijuana county ordinance that effectively flooded the county with cannabis grows, thus turning certain areas, particularly Carpinteria, into skunk-smelling weed farming meccas, much to the chagrin of local residents, particularly homeowners who complained of the chronic stench of flowering ganja flowing from local greenhouses.

“Williams’ ordinance has led to unprecedented, industrial levels of marijuana production, causing skunk stench and terpene production to pollute the air from the mountains to the beaches,” the letter elaborated. “Cannabis operations and its associated effluent are threatening our Environmentally Sensitive Habitats in the Coastal Zone and our coastal streams . . . Regrettably, Das Williams has never had, nor merited, the respect of many of his First District constituents. He certainly does not belong on the California Coastal Commission.”

The Journal interviewed several local political figures and other prominent local residents who were involved in what they described as a back-channel campaign to derail the Williams bid. Few were willing to speak on the record, not wanting to antagonize Williams or alternatively, not wanting to obscure Harmon’s win on her own merits.

However, a few sources were willing to speak on the record, including Maureen Foley Claffey, a Carpinteria farmer, parent, and business owner.

“Mr. Williams has shown farming families like mine, through his disregard of our concerns around safety, avocado farming and cannabis-related air pollution, that he is far more interested in protecting and catering to the big cannabis bros than in helping protect historic farms, children, and farmers,” she said. “We wanted to send a strong message to the Coastal Commission that we need a safe neighborhood, protections for historic farms and clean air and we need it now and Mr. Williams is not up to the job.”

Montecito Journal Editor-At-Large A.L Bardach, a nationally recognized journalist and longtime Carp Valley resident, has been vocal in her opposition to Williams and his policy on cannabis.

“Like they say, all politics are local, and it was the ‘Anyone but Das’ campaign that cost him the seat,” Bardach said. “That’s not to take anything away from the impressive Meagan Harmon. But it never would have happened

On The Record Page 354 354

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• The Voice of the Village •

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Community Voices

Another sign

by Matthew O’Hanlon asks hikers to respect neighbors by being quiet

by Bryan Rosen

Loss of Parking for Hot Springs Trail — How to Remedy the Situation

T

he process for removing parking on Riven Rock Road was disrespectful because there were no public hearings or solicitation for hiker input. Notices could have been placed on the Hot Springs trailhead but weren’t.

Parking access for trails should not be limited in the future without notice given to hikers and the community, so all parties can come together and arrive at a solution. Notices can be put at trailheads, and public comments can be solicited. It really needs to get on an agenda, such as the Board of Supervisors.

Including all parties affected — neighbors and hikers — will prevent bad feelings, and a sense of exclusion.

Problems can be solved in a manner that isn’t mean-spirited.

So, if the neighbors by the San Ysidro trailhead, for example, want to reduce the number of cars by having white lines painted, there would be a public process.

Yes, a parking problem has existed for more than a year on Riven Rock Road, but in all that time, no good solution has been found — such as creating more shoulder parking spaces that would be out of the way of emergency vehicles.

The recent Noozhawk article dated April 18, 2021 by Joshua Molina mentions how resident Steve Buster created a parking space for guests and says it’s his private property. County accessor maps show a 50-foot public right-of-way for upper Riven Rock Road. It might be necessary to hire a surveyor to find the exact right-ofway. Maybe he’s mistaken in thinking it’s his property, and does he have documents to show that it’s his?

I live close by in Montecito, come

As Frankie the dog stops for a break, a sign created by Matthew O’Hanlon encourages bicycling and carpooling

by often, and have never seen vehicles in the parking space. A sign put up says that unauthorized vehicles will be ticketed or towed, with a phone number for the bonded garage given.

I called the number and it’s been disconnected.

There’s no bonded garage to be found in the phone book or on the internet. So, who’s going to do the towing? If hikers’ cars are towed away, how are they going to locate them?

What a great parking space it would be for hikers as it goes 12 feet to the side of the road. It would hold six to eight vehicles parked perpendicular to the road. They wouldn’t be blocking emergency vehicles. It would be the perfect parking area for Riven Rock Road. I wish Mr. Buster would be generous and donate the parking

spot for hikers. He would be doing the community a great service; he could block off the parking space with a cord or cones in the rare event he needs to use it. Or he could sell or lease the small piece of land to the county.

If Mr. Buster would give myself or other hikers permission to park there, we would be authorized. It doesn’t hurt to ask him. I reached out to him and left a message a few days ago.

It’s true there are too many cars in the area, and not all the cars have to be accommodated. It’s not fair that local residents should be subjected to so much traffic and parked cars, not when a reasonable amount of parking spaces can be provided. Parking spaces can be created on Riven Rock Road and surrounding roads to allow for the historical level of parking that was before the pandemic. Public right-ofway will have to be determined, and some parking spaces on the shoulder

of Mountain Drive can be created.

Eight seems like a fair number for upper Riven Rock. A new shoulder could be created there to get the cars out of the road.

Hikers can take bicycles to the trailhead to reduce traffic, and it’s easy to get there with an electric bicycle.

People need to get out of their cars, not just hikers, but residents.

Why not work with the county rideshare program to encourage electric bicycle use to get to the trailhead? The rideshare people at one time were at the Saturday Farmers’ Market giving out free tokens for a new bus line being promoted. Someone could be at the trailhead giving out free tokens for electric bicycles stationed around the area for rent. People are likely to try something if it’s free. The rideshare program may have some funding for this kind of thing; maybe some of the

Community Page 254

Montecito Tide Guide

10 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Day

Low

Hgt High

Hgt Low

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Thurs, May 13

5:32 AM -0.4 12:05 PM 3.3

04:27 PM

2.3

010:47 PM

5.4

Fri, May 14

6:10 AM -0.3 12:56 PM 3.1

04:49 PM

2.6

011:16 PM

5.3

Sat, May 15

6:54 AM -0.1 02:02 PM 2.9

05:11 PM

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011:50 PM

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Sun, May 16

7:46 AM 0

Hgt

Mon, May 17

12:30 AM 5.1

8:48 AM

0.2

Tues, May 18

1:30 AM

4.7

9:53 AM

0.2

05:59 PM

3.6

09:31 PM 3.2

Wed, May 19

2:55 AM

4.4

10:53 AM

0.3

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4.1

011:20 PM 2.7

Thurs, May 20

4:30 AM

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4.5

Fri, May 21

5:52 AM

4.3

12:27 PM

0.3

07:09 PM

5.1

12:28 AM 2.1

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13 – 20 May 2021

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

Care for Bear!

A

fter receiving his second shot of Pfizer COVID vaccine, Carlos the Bear was relaxing in his den reading the Montecito Association’s most current email blast. He was eating some tasty takeaway from Pane e Vino and saw that a Town Hall Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 19 at 5:30 pm, regarding his troublesome penchant for poultry and fast food.

Carlos took a deep breath and bowed his head. He knew this activity was becoming an addiction. He needed help but could not ask for it himself. He felt a sense of relief that this was going to happen. He was tired, hopeless and helpless against his raiding antics. An intervention means you are cared about. Doesn’t it?

So, he brightened up and decided to try and change his ways. He also hoped the meeting would be well attended, because he knew the Fish and Wildlife folks who were presenting the meeting and the Montecito Association would have some good

tips on how to help him curb his enthusiasm for easy pickings.

Carlos would like everyone who can to attend.

For more information, contact Sharon Byrne, the executive director of the Montecito Association at: exec director@montecitoassociation.org.

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

11

The Making it Home Tour

PATH offers a range of programs that support individuals and families facing homelessness with financial and employment assistance

by Zach Rosen

Helping the Homeless Community Find Their PATH

C

ommunity members that are experiencing homelessness could often use a path to help guide them from the street into a home. Since the early 1980s, People Assisting The Homeless (PATH) has been helping individuals, veterans, and families requiring assistance find their way to long-term housing solutions.

“We do that by really focusing on moving people off the streets, out of the shelter system, and into their own permanent home, but kind of providing the full continuum of services from streets to home,” said Tessa Madden Storms, PATH Santa Barbara Regional Director.

Today, PATH has become one of the largest organizations in the state to do so. With programs in about 150 cities spread throughout six main regions, PATH assists roughly 20% of the homeless population in California.

PATH has been supporting the Santa Barbara homeless population since

PATH helps members of the community find permanent housing solutions

July 2015 and offers a range of services in the area.

In town, PATH operates a 100-bed housing facility located on Cacique and Milpas, with guests usually staying between three to six months while working with PATH staff on their long-term housing goals.

“We also have a couple of different

community housing programs where we’re not necessarily just serving folks who are living with us onsite, but are serving individuals experiencing homelessness from throughout the Santa Barbara community,” Tessa said.

PATH provides short-term financial assistance and case management in its rapid rehousing program, while launching a Scatter Site Permanent Supportive Housing Program last fall that provides long-term financial and rental support for 24 of the county’s most vulnerable individuals.

“We have also been able to add some additional community-based programming in the city and the county which includes employment

“They Get to Know Your Business”

services that are funded through a County Human Services grant and so we’re able to provide employment training, location, and retention services for folks who are work ready,” Tessa adds.

Part of PATH’s success is the close partnerships they have formed with other organizations.

“We have a lot of community contracts and partnerships that really feed into all of our programs and services. One of the main ones is with Cottage Health,” Tessa said.

“They have a contract for 20 beds at PATH so we work with them very

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The Way It Was

by Hattie Beresford

This is the second in a two-part series about the life of John Dwight Bridge, an actor and artist that made a significant impact in Santa Barbara’s cultural scene

Tale of the Hobo Artist:

John Dwight Bridge Enters Existential Crisis That Leads Him Around the World

In this portrait of Caroline, Dwight reveals the influence of Albert Herter, whose romantic and expressive portraits were wildly popular (Courtesy of Caroline Bridge Armstrong)

Dwight, far right, received rave reviews for his role as Nicola, the Bulgarian servant in George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man. (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

I

n the early 1920s, the artist John Dwight Bridge was a popular and important force in the cultural renaissance fostered by the Community Arts Association. Having proven himself in earlier productions of the Community Arts Players, he may have reached his apex when he took on the role of Nicola, the Bulgarian manservant in George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man. It played at the Potter Theatre on March 11, 1922 and received glowing remarks from Morning Press reviewer Sarah Redington. About Dwight she wrote, “Well, if I were a matinee girl, I should say gushingly that he was just too lovely for anything in the world. He really was. That costume! That wig! The way he shambled across the stage! And it wasn’t just farcical, for, he made the audience feel that he was a real Bulgarian peasant grown of the soil, and with all the characteristics of his untamed people.”

But Dwight was primarily an artist, and 1922 saw his rise in that regard on the Santa Barbara scene. When the School of the Arts opened its gallery, Dwight’s painting, Portrait of the Lady, was considered “Sargentesque” in its perfect portrayal of character.

“Those who know Mrs. Bridge, whose portrait it is, declare it marvelous, while those who do not know her, will be arrested by the charm of its warm human quality,” wrote the reporter for the Morning Press.

A later article on Dwight said, “(He) is a young artist of extraordinary genius and ability. His work is mostly in the portrait line, but there are in his studio a number of still life pictures that show rare merit.

“The portrait of Everit Herter, the three-year-old son of Mrs. Bridge, is a

This portrait of Caroline clearly reveals a warm, human quality and lives up to the reviewer’s opinion of a perfect portrayal of character (Courtesy of Caroline Bridge Armstrong)

veritable delight. The blue eyes and golden hair, in connection with the radiant child face, combine to make a picture of rare beauty... One of Mr. Bridge’s best pieces of work, so his friends declare, is his portrait of Miss Lolita Armour, painted prior to her marriage, last June, to John J. Mitchell, Jr. “This artist has already done a large amount of work and has made an excellent start on his road to fame. Dearly in love with his art, and with the happy combination of youth allied with energy and boundless ambition, it seems only reasonable to prophesy for him a career of brilliant achievement.”

By 1922, Dwight had moved to the Meridian Studios on De la Guerra Street, and in October their second son, David, was born. The Bridges soon began to travel extensively to summer abodes elsewhere and visit family in St. Louis and East Hampton. In 1924, they spent a month or more in Europe.

The Departure of Troops from Gare de l’Est

In January 1925, the French government asked Albert Herter to create a monumental mural to commemorate the French sacrifice during WWI. It would also be a memorial to his son, Everit, who had died at Château-Thierry in 1918.

Albert was given Salle 1830 in the Palace of Versailles to paint the enormous 15-by-40-foot canvas, which was to hang at Gare de l’Est in Paris, the train station from which so many troops had departed for the front.

In May 1925, the entire Bridge family moved to Paris so Dwight could work as Albert’s principal assistant. It was exacting work made especially difficult when winter approached.

In En Souvenir, his chapter for Portraits of Remembrance: Painting, Memory, and

Way It Was Page 484 Herter used local people as models for the scene on the platform of the train departing for the battlefield.

He also used his family members. In this slice of the scene, Albert Herter is the man holding a bouquet and a hand clutching his heart.

He is looking at Caroline Herter Bridge, who is gazing at the face in the train window, an image of her late husband Everit Herter.

Her hand is on the shoulder of the man kneeling beside her, hugging the two little boys. The models were Dwight and their two sons.

Everit Herter Jr. is touching Albert’s sleeve, and the woman behind, also holding her heart, is a younger version of Adele. (Hattie Beresford photo)

Dwight had a studio in the new George Washington Smith/Carlton Monroe Winslow-designed Meridian studios on De la Guerra Street (Hattie Beresford photo)

13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

13

Montecito Best Buys

by Mark Ashton Hunt

T

Dwindling Inventory and High Demand

his is it, a run-up in the market the likes we have never seen. I’m not talking about Wall Street or the stock market, which is also up, so maybe that’s what is funding and fueling this buying craze here in Montecito, where we are seeing a phenomenon, of sorts.

I am talking again about the Montecito real estate market. A few weeks back I mentioned in my article that at this pace, we may run out of homes on the market. At that point, there were 47+/- homes and condos on the market in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in Montecito’s 93108 zip code.

As of May 9, there were only 33 homes and condos on the market to choose from in the MLS (down to 32 just an hour ago, as a home on Park Lane went into escrow). Priced from $899,000 for a one-bedroom condo just a block from Butterfly Beach, to a nearly 14,000-square-foot estate on 28 very private acres listed at $72,000,000, there really are just a few homes to choose from in each price range. With fewer homes coming on the market than are selling each week, we see fewer homes available for buyers to choose from.

This market goes well beyond the extreme. Homes are going 10% or more over asking price in some instances, when the asking price was already 20% over what it might have been just a year ago. If you bought a home in Montecito for $1.9 million three years ago you would have easily doubled your money by now. Hopefully, some of those buying now will live here and become part of the community.

That said, if I stood to earn a retirement worthy amount of money on a single home sale, I would certainly consider it. For others, we see people buying up in price or size, and others downsizing in price and size, so a lot of folks are staying in town. While Montecito sales are up about three times volume

Matthew Pifer, MD

over the past five-year average (for April), other areas around SB and Goleta, Carpinteria, Summerland, and the Santa Ynez Valley are all up a healthy amount, but nothing like what we are seeing in Montecito.

Add in the staggering number of home sales over $10 million in the past 12 months and it’s clear that the wealthiest Americans have finally figured out the value here in so many terms — land, privacy, views, amenities, location, climate, ease of living, the arts, the beach, etc…

For the first time in my 10-year history of writing this article, I have included every home on the market to be on my Best Buys picks list. Usually, I pull anywhere from 30% to 60% of the homes on the market and consider them as being well-priced and suited for a buyer. My picks make up about 90% of what sells in most markets over the past eight years or so that I have been tracking it, so I do know value. But in this market, with available inventory shrinking each week, demand essentially dictates that all homes for sale are good opportunities and good chances to share what everyone else just realized — that you got to have some Montecito if you can afford it.

Priced from $899,000 for a one-bedroom condo just a block from Butterfly Beach, to a nearly 14,000-square-foot estate on 28 very private acres listed at $72,000,000, there really are just a few homes to choose from in each price range

Why would you not buy here? What logical reason could one have to not buy a home here if one has the wallet for it?

The most astonishing statistic I found in my curiosities today: There have been 30 homes sold in the past 12 months over $10 million. That is four to five times the average number of sales per year in that price range. We are selling

Real Estate Page 41 414

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• The Voice of the Village •

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

15

Dear Montecito

by Stella Haffner

Montecito Alumni Write Letters from Life’s Front

S

ince starting this column, I’ve hoped to either feature a fellow student from my own university or another student of psychology.

Today, we’ve got two for the price of one.

I am happy to introduce Maiya Roddick: an alumna of the University of St. Andrews, a student of psychology, and a wonderfully thoughtful and accomplished person, who — as you will see from her letter — finds the time to pursue her multiple passions while attending the University of San Diego School of Law. I’m sure you will, like me, appreciate her story about college life and finding one’s path.

Dear Montecito,

I was born in London and moved to the U.S. when I was in the first grade. My entire family is British, and the majority of my family members remained in the U.K. after my mom, brother, and I moved to Santa Barbara.

I knew I wanted to leave California for college and was considering schools on the East Coast, in addition to the U.K., but I still felt very connected to my British roots and was intent on moving back to the U.K. after high school or college. I also wanted an opportunity to spend more time with my family in the U.K., particularly my grandfather who is Scottish.

It was actually my grandfather who dropped me off at St. Andrews for my first semester. I had fallen completely

in love with the town when I took a creative writing program there in the summer before my senior year, and it soon became the only school at which I could visualize myself. When the time for college applications had arrived, I applied for their early decision, and accepted my seat in the school of Psychology and Neuroscience by November.

My decision to study psychology was primarily fueled by personal interest; psychology was always a subject I was drawn to, and I took a neuroscience elective course during my senior year at Cate, which happened to be one of my favorites.

Envious of students at other high schools who were offered psychology courses within their curriculum, I spent a good deal of my free time watching every medical and psychological documentary produced under the sun. Additionally, I had known many people growing up who struggled with various mental health issues, including myself, (with anxiety) and felt compelled to learn more about these underlying explanations for human behavior.

My time in St. Andrews took an unexpected turn. I had a whirlwind of a first year: I made so many incredible friends, joined several clubs, and took full advantage of my newfound freedom. At St. Andrews, there are formal balls quite frequently for different occasions or social events, and I went to most of them, but around November of my second year, I had

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Maiya Roddick, currently at the University of San Diego School of Law, is a product of Cate School

started to feel off. I attributed it to seasonal depression and began to wonder if St. Andrews was no longer the right fit. I was constantly fatigued.

Having once been able to quickly write papers, I found myself struggling to formulate and type the words I was thinking in my brain. My shortterm memory was suffering, and I felt like my mental clarity had turned into a thick fog.

After crying to my mom while on vacation in Mexico and expressing to her that I had felt like something was wrong with me, I decided to take several diagnostic blood tests, which revealed that I had mono (an infection with the Epstein-Barr Virus). That was just the beginning of a very long, arduous health journey, and because I had a rare form of this virus, it seemed as though no one really knew anything about it — it was chronic-active, lasting for three and a half years.

My once active social life came to an abrupt halt. I tried to keep trudging through my second year, but by the end of the term, I had pretty much stopped attending any events.

It wasn’t uncommon for me to sleep between 18-21 hours at a time, and my roommate would occasionally come into my bedroom to check if I was still breathing. It was a very scary and dark time, because I had feared that I wouldn’t be able to complete my degree and was too scared to take any time off for my health, in case I never recovered.

I saw many doctors — all different types of specialists. Still, nothing worked. It wasn’t until I moved back to Santa Barbara, and started seeing Dr. Jonathan Birch at Purety Clinic, that anything really changed. For three months, I received intravenous ozone therapy treatments, and, by

“Smells are the fallen angels of the senses.” – Helen Keller

the end of the final treatment, I had my first negative blood test in three and a half years, revealing that my Epstein-Barr Virus was no longer active. I’m really thankful to Dr. Birch and to my family’s trainer of almost nine years, Shane Cervantes at Physical Focus, for all of their dedication and time they have spent helping me to heal.

Although I had spent the majority of my time at St. Andrews asleep, or in and out of the emergency room for infections that my immune system was too weak to fight off, I still have great memories of my time there: Particularly the long beach walks at West Sands, visiting my grandfather, and making some incredible friendships.

Currently, I am at the University of San Diego School of Law, pursuing a health law concentration while working for a medical malpractice defense firm, and serving as treasurer of the Health Law Society (HLS).

Next semester, I’ll even be taking a mental health law class. I am beyond thrilled to have found a path where I can marry three of my interests: law, medicine, and psychology.

My mom says that when I was five years old, I told her I wanted to become a lawyer, but I’ve never considered myself one of those people who had a one-track mind or focus towards being a lawyer. After graduating, I took four years off because I didn’t feel ready to commit to a specific life path and had so many interests I wanted to explore.

But during a four-month internship with the Innocence Project, I finally had my pivotal moment. After that, I knew exactly what my career would look like.

Best, Maiya •MJ 13 – 20 May 2021

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13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

17

Monte ito Miscellany

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.

Toasting a Visionary: Dozens Celebrate Kostis Protopapas’ 50th Birthday

Howard Jay Smith, Patricia Dixon, Suzanne Mellichamp, Meg Burnham, Gaia and Nir Kabaretti, and Dan Burnham (Photo by Priscilla)

Christina Omdahl celebrating with Kostis Protopapas backed with the Synthesi band members Gicorgi Deneff, Peter Deneff, and John Fotopeulos (Photo

by Priscilla)

I

t was all Greek to many when Kostis Protopapas, general director of Opera Santa Barbara, celebrated his half-century with a delightful evening of music and song at the University Club.

Kostis, who was born in Athens and moved to the U.S. in 1993 on an Onassis scholarship to study piano at The Boston Conservatory and conducting at Boston University, joined OSB in 2015 as artistic director — a job for which 150 people applied — and two years later added the title of general director to his impressive resumé.

In honor of the occasion, the historic club was festooned with blue and white flags and many of the 92 guests

Brian Hotchkin, event co-chair Karen Knight, Joan Rutkowski, Gretchen Lieff, Miles Hartfeld, and Palmer Jackson (Photo by Priscilla)

Roz Morgan giving Eric Small a birthday wish as well (Photo by Priscilla)

Craig Saling, Kimberly Schabram, birthday boy Kostis, and Jairo Mazoriegos (Photo by Priscilla)

18 MONTECITO JOURNAL

wore coordinating outfits for the fun bash co-chaired by Karen Knight and Joann Younger, as the trio of Synthesi entertained on a keyboard, violin, and balalaika.

Not wanting to miss his moment in the spotlight, Kostis had his Zorba the Greek dance at the ready, as local writer Erin Graffy sang a version of Puccini’s delightful aria “O mio babbino caro” in his honor.

“We’ve certainly gone through some tough times,” said Kostis, reflecting on the last year and restrictions of the pandemic. “But I’m stubborn!”

His optimism was mirrored with speeches from current chairwoman Joan Rutkowski, and former chairs Nancy Golden and Sandy Urquhart.

The ubiquitous Palmer Jackson, Jr., chairman of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, raised a champagne toast commending Kostis’ “vision and courage” as a three-tier, blue-and-white birthday cake was paraded before the diners, with Marilyn Gilbert, co-founder of the opera, making the closing remarks.

Among those clearly in the right aria were Dan and Meg Burnham, Eve Bernstein, Marylove Thralls, Nina Dunbar, Dan and Donna Hone, Dick and Marilyn Mazess, Jack Mithun and Mercedes Millington, Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp, Robert Weinman, Simon Williams, Mary Collier, Mary Dorra, Nir and

“Smell is the mute sense, the one without words.” – Diane Ackerman

Gaia Kabaretti, Kimi Matar, Miles Hartfeld and Gretchen Lieff, and Rick and Kathy Abbott.

Ready for Primetime

Prince Harry’s mental health documentary series with Oprah Winfrey will air late this month on Apple after “stalling” due to several delays, according to Oprah.

The Duke of Sussex, 36, announced he’d been working on the series for “several months” with the media mogul, 66, in April 2019.

The documentary was due to be released last autumn, but was delayed because of COVID restrictions, Harry’s exit from the British Royal Family, and his move to the U.S. with wife, Meghan Markle, 39.

The multi-part documentary series will focus on both mental illness and mental wellness, aiming to inspire viewers to have an honest conversation about the challenges they face.

Filming schedules were changed considerably by the pandemic upheaval.

What are Friends For

Now they’ve sold their Beverly Hills home for $47 million, Montecito TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres

Miscellany Page 344 13 – 20 May 2021

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13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

19

Our Town

by Joanne A. Calitri

Joanne is a professional international photographer and journalist.

Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

Arts in Lockdown #27: Museum of Sensory & Movement Experiences

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WEDNESDAY | MAY 19, 2021 4:00 - 5:00 PM PDT Join the Rotary Club of Montecito on May 19th, for a virtual fundraiser benefiting Santa Barbara City College student scholarships.

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20 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Artists exhibiting at the Museum of Sensory & Movement Experiences from left: Sean O’Brien, Garrett Staab, Alan Macy, Marco Pinter, Xindi Kang, and EthanTurpin

A

new media arts x science exhibition launched in March, 2020, and is nested in a retailshop-turned-museum at La Cumbre Plaza called The Museum of Sensory & Movement Experiences or MSME (“miss me”). This interactive all ages exhibition allows one to get “lost” in time, imagery, sound, and perception of what really can be transmuted one on one with art in a six-to-eight feet distance. I attempted to review this exhibition a number of times, but the on/off lockdown took me to this past weekend, where all was permitted, masked and distanced. While some works have been shown in other locations prior, such as MOXI and UCSB’s MFA show, they are still reigning strong on consistency of delivery for science-based methods making art happen.

I met, interviewed, and reviewed the works of MSME’s founder and Executive Director Marco Pinter, PhD, and the artists whose works are currently on exhibit. Here are the sparknotes: Pinter received his PhD in Media Arts from UCSB and is an inventor with over 70 patents in live video tech, robotics, interactivity, and telepresence. He is a contributing author to the McGraw Hill Multimedia Handbook and Ultimate Multimedia Handbook, the Director of Software Innovation for Teladoc Health, and exhibited from Tehran, Dubai, Hong Kong to NYC. At MSME, he has six works titled, “Unraveled,” “Fluid Connections,” “Celestial Inflections,” “Time

“A woman smells well when she smells of nothing.” – Titus Maccius Plautus

Dilation,” “Thermal Gestures,” and “Less Ephemeral,” all live interactive play with video.

On founding the museum, Pinter shared, “My ‘Fluid Connections’ piece, located just inside the museum entrance, exemplifies the mission. A projected silhouette of the visitor’s body extends into space through extensions that are long, fluid, and floating. When two strangers are each interacting with the piece, even six feet apart, and their fluid, projected limbs cross paths, they unexpectedly join together and become connected.

Energy visibly pulses between the bodies. Eight more interactive experiences lie deeper within the museum, working with voice, heartbeat, movement and body heat. We are excited to have a new piece coming soon, on long-term loan from the David Bermant Foundation. It is one of the obelisk-like sculptures of Clyde Lynds, and should be arriving in the next few weeks, and features moving constellations of dancing lights within a stone-like base.

“My work explores the underlying mechanisms of perception, creating situations of conflict between our higher-level consciousness and lower level perception. I typically use materials, which explore a fusion of physical movement with visualizations in the virtual world. I find inspiration in dance and sculpture, but also in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and mathematics. I pursue

Our Town Page 454 13 – 20 May 2021

Village Beat (Continued from page 6)

The Nature Lab has been utilized as the site of outdoor learning during the pandemic; the MUS Foundation has big plans to make the property a major focal point of the school and its STEAM curriculum

cate for the arts in school. “That’s really where my heart is coming from in doing this.”

Fergusson is co-chairing the event with the Foundation’s fundraising and events chair Cathy Bunnin, and with the technological help of Ben Hyatt. The event will be pre-recorded but streamed online on May 22; tickets are $50 per person, with the option of purchasing a delivered meal for four from DUO Catering for $150 additional. The event will feature opportunities for naming rights at several locations at the Nature Lab, including the MUS prep kitchen, the A-frame

low lying tree house, the tool shed, art shed, and others. Participants can also donate for the opportunity to win a campout or picnic at the Nature Lab. “It’s all for a really fantastic cause.

The Nature Lab is going to be transformative for our school,” Dr. Ranii said.

When fully realized, the Nature Lab will invite learners to imagine, build, and get messy in nature as they care for the planet and one another. The experiential outdoor ecosystem that is currently in progress includes a model of self-sustaining agriculture including gardens, produce, composting, and livestock and other animals;

nature-inspired making and tinkering, such as pottery, collage, wood and metalworking, weaving and textiles, painting, dye, and mixed media projects using the natural materials found onsite; a riparian zone created by a water feature; a natural playground made from the logs of massive eucalyptus; and much more.

The Nature Lab is already being used in its current form, allowing for large-scale engineering, small-scale agriculture, and plenty of opportunities for student activism.

“If we realize the full potential of Nature Lab, we will have created a lasting resource and a living experiential outdoor facility that will help to nurture, excite, and inspire generations of Mustangs,” Fergusson said.

An old house on the property has already been demolished, a footbridge was constructed linking “MUS proper” to the Nature Lab, a low treehouse has been fully constructed and is already been well-utilized by students, and the Nature Lab is already home to a few animals, including three chickens and one sulcata tortoise. Students are helping to design animal enclosures that better meet the needs of these animals, are more permanent, and better designed.

In addition, a large-scale solar structure has been designed which will generate 100% of the electricity

needs for the entire campus as well as provide shade for students using the northern section of the property. This structure will begin construction next month and should be completed by August. In addition, a full infrastructure plan has been designed (water, electricity, sewer, and gas) and this should also be completed by August.

By September, with the help of student designers and parent volunteers, the school hopes to create gardens, a farm stand, an outdoor kitchen, and more. The hope is that the virtual gala will bring in much-needed funds to accomplish this mission.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the MUS Foundation for putting this on,” Dr. Ranii said. “And grateful to Simon and his team for stepping forward to support the school and bring the community together. The skill and talent of our kids has been remarkable, and it’s going to be a great show.”

The event is May 22 at 6:30 pm. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit www.musfoundation. com/gala.

Montecito Association Meets

Earlier this week, the Montecito Association Board of Directors was shown preliminary renderings of the

Village Beat Page 274 274

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13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

21

On Entertainment

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Creating Hope with Pico Iyer and the Dalai Lama

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t’s no surprise that UCSB Arts & Lectures has turned to the XIV Dalai Lama for the keynote event in its yearlong 2021-2022 Creating Hope programming initiative. After all, not only has His Holiness, who is believed to be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, spent much of his life encouraging people to be happy despite any adversities, the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize recipient has enjoyed a long relationship with UCSB. Pico Iyer will host the Dalai Lama for a conversation as part of UCSB The Dalai Lama first visited Arts & Lectures’ “Creating Hope” programming initiative the seaside campus in 1984, returning in 1991, 1997 and 2009, while The XIVth Dalai Lama Chair in Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies at UCSB was created in his honor in 2001.

It’s also no surprise that the esteemed travel writer, book author, and essayist Pico Iyer will be engaging in conversation with His Holiness, as nobody in town comes close to his connection to the current Dalai Lama. Iyer has been a friend, observer, and student of the Dalai Lama for more than four decades, deepening the relationship over the dozen years since he penned The Open Road, in which the writer drew on their intimate conversations to draw an unprecedented portrait of the Dalai Lama, offering insights into his work and his ideas about politics, science, technology, and religion. Iyer, of course, has also been something of a local landmark himself, and currently hosts the “Speaking with Pico” series for A&L. In a near hour-long conversation to preview the May 18 event, Iyer discussed the Dalai Lama, the man and his work, as well as their relationship and his own thoughts on hope. Below are excerpts.

Q. You have a unique perspective on the Dalai Lama as both a writer and a friend who has spent a lot of time with His Holiness. How has your understanding and/or admiration of him and his place in the world changed over those dozen years since you wrote The Open Road?

A. Well, I have spent much more time with him in those 12 years than in the 34 years we worked together before that book came out. Since then, I’ve traveled with him eight times across Japan, by his side for eight hours a day every working day. Seeing him so close up has really intensified and deepened my appreciation because his patience and his humanity and his clarity never let up.

He’s in his 80s, and I’m 22 years younger than he is, but I’m exhausted at the end of just one of his days, and he does it day after day.

Most of the time I’ve been traveling with him from 8:30 in the morning when he comes out to his hotel room to 4:30 in the afternoon when he returns; he literally never spent a minute by himself. It’s a very punishing schedule. Yet he brings absolute clear attention to every four-year-old child he meets along the way as if that child were the Buddha. It’s a very humbling thing to witness.

So, part of me wishes I could write that book now because it would be a much fuller, richer book based on all that experience.

How do you think he is able to be so present for everybody and not need time for himself?

Good question. It took me a while to realize that every day on the road while I was enjoying my beauty sleep, he was waking up at 3:30 in the morning and spending his first four hours in meditation, literally gathering his strengths and focusing his mind and preparing himself… Another factor is his determination.

He’s been carrying this whole culture on his shoulders, alone, for 80 years, and certainly for the last 60. I think he feels a great responsibility to do what he can while he can. Even when his health hasn’t been perfect, this is his destiny, his duty on earth, and he’s determined to fulfill it.

I do think the meditation makes a big difference. I don’t meditate, but once I see the results in him, I think, if the busiest guy I know can spend four hours

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On Entertainment Page 334 334

13 – 20 May 2021

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13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

23

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’s Have Another Party!

Many voices make better democracies

Y

eah! Sounds like a great way to celebrate California achieving the status two weeks ago of the state with the lowest background infection rate of all 50 (still true as of this writing). How about a party to celebrate how much fun it is to meet friends and neighbors on Coast Village Road and State Street for dinner? Yeah, that’s a good idea too. That type of “party,” however, is not what this column is about.

Today, we return to the topic of how the U.S. would enjoy a superior political situation if we were a multi-party democracy instead of the corrupt, shared oligopoly the Democratic and Republican parties use to entrench and enrich themselves. This subject, multi-party democracy, is one we covered in separate columns on 2/18/21 and on 3/11/21.

Those two articles deal with this subject in the abstract — they argue the Constitution’s Framers feared the very existence of political parties at all, the history of political parties, and the strengths/weaknesses of two-party versus multi-party systems. Just last March we concluded in this very space that a “strong executive” (as has arisen in the U.S.) matched with a multiparty system would be the best way to ensure the strength of our democracy – a necessity when faced with the enormous challenges posed by climate change, the disintegration of international norms, the side-lining of international institutions, and the assault on democracy itself that occurred on January 6th — which assault continues to the present day.

Unlike those earlier reflections, today I want to address a glaringly concrete example of what is wrong with our current two-party system. Not surprisingly, the solution to this challenge lies within the glaring idiocy currently dominating Republican party politics.

Even a significant minority of those folks still in the Republican party (about 25 percent or more people are now “former Republicans” or leaning toward leaving since the chaotic Trump years) find the situation regarding Liz Cheney of Wyoming to be totally remarkable. At the outset, please note that my personal politics have almost nothing in common with Ms. Cheney and that I’ve personally been registered as an Independent for decades. Nothing which follows is intended to be partisan in any traditional sense. Rather, this analysis goes to the situation Ms. Cheney finds herself in as the third Ranking Republican in Congress (her title is Republican Caucus Chair) who will likely be dethroned by the time this column is distributed. She will likely be replaced by Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.

The first glaring thing about this replacement is that Rep. Cheney has a voting record substantially more conservative than Stefanik, who ran originally as a “moderate.” In fact, Cheney’s voting record in the last two Congressional sessions was far more supportive of Trump’s priorities than was Stefanik.

Yet, just last week Donald Trump came out and supported replacing Cheney with Stefanik along with the rest of the Republican hierarchy in the House.

Why? What was her “crime”? Apparently, there is only one reason Cheney is being thrown under the bus: she refuses to embrace or promulgate the Big Lie that Trump won the election against Joe Biden. This is absolutely shocking in the face of 60 separate courts finding the 2020 election was the largest and cleanest in our history; that three separate recounts in Georgia, and additional recounts that occurred in Michigan and Arizona, found no evidence of minor or widespread voter fraud of any type; Trump lost the last election by seven million votes; Trump lost both the House and Senate; and the fact that even the vast majority of elected Republicans know the Big Lie is precisely that – a complete fabrication. So, what gives? The answer lies in the distortions created by the two-party system.

The reason all those Republican officeholders are tying themselves to a shrinking political party led by a “loser” who acts more like a Mafia Don than a former president, is that they fear they will be primaried by Trump’s minions. In the two-party system, you have to survive the primary to be able to run in the general election. All those elected Republicans correctly believe that Trump can single-handedly sink their careers by having the 70 percent of the party who live in his cultish bubble vote for the candidate of Trump’s choice and defeat the more traditional Republican candidate who stands on principle against the Big Lie.

24 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Solar Panels and California’s Water Canals: A Match Made in Heaven

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bout 4,000 miles of canals transport water to some 35 million people and 5.7 million acres of farmland across California. As the state enters another year of severe drought, researchers from the University of California have come up with a proposition to cover these canals with solar panels to prevent evaporation and generate clean energy.

Most of the state’s precipitation falls in Northern California, while 80 percent of water use occurs in Southern California. This demand discrepancy is the reason for so many canals, yet experts estimate that one to two percent of all water they transport is lost to evaporation. Researchers have calculated that covering these canals with solar panels would save more than 65 billion gallons of water annually.

These water-saving panels would also generate 13 gigawatts of renewable energy, while the water flowing beneath the panels would cool the technology, boosting electricity production during the summer.

Lastly, using existing infrastructure to build solar arrays would save 80,000 acres of farmland and natural habitat from being converted for solar farms.

This protects not only the future of food but also the delicate ecosystems that make up California’s remaining undeveloped land.

Florida Waterways are Taking Developers to Court

Last November, Orange County in Florida passed a measure called the “rights of nature” that allows for entities such as waterways to bring people to court should someone infringe on their rights.

Two weeks ago, a network of streams, lakes, and marshes in Florida exercised this right by suing developer Beachline South Residential LLC. The plaintiffs — Boggy Branch, Wilde Cypress Branch, Lake Hart, Lake Mary Jane, and Crosby Island Marsh — claim that the developer’s plan for a 1,900acre residential development would completely wipe out more than 63 acres of wetlands and 33 acres of streams.

Chuck O’Neal, president of Speak up Wekiva, will represent the wetlands in court. The objective of the suit is to prevent Beachline South Residential from obtaining the two permits needed to start construction.

According to Thomas Linzey, senior legal counsel at the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, “the rampant development that’s occurred in Florida over the past 30 years, and the power struggle between the state government and local government (gives the court) multiple grounds… to hold that the development cannot proceed as proposed.” •MJ And, let’s face it, the Big Lie is based on the belief that our elections are unfair and can’t be trusted. Nothing could be more insidious an attack on the core, fundamental principle of our democracy: Elections decide who wins not the strong man, or Mafia Don, then in power.

What makes the Cheney case so interesting, however, is the very high likelihood that Cheney will lose in the primary to someone willing to carry Trump’s baggage even though it means they will have less of a chance of winning in the general election. In the 2020 Congressional election, Wyoming fielded a Republican nominee, a Democratic nominee, a Libertarian nominee, a “Constitutional” nominee (a very conservative party which basically adheres to Cheney’s political philosophy), and a smattering of write-in candidates.

What would happen if Cheney lost the Republican party nomination and joined up with one or more of those other entities that, together with the Democrat, garnered 32 percent of the total vote in a state where the Cheney family is literally the ruling dynasty? Do you think Dick Cheney, one of the ultimate “hardball” players in American politics for the last four decades, is going to walk away from power in his own state? I don’t think he’ll advise Liz to pick up her marbles and go back to the ranch. No, I think Liz will decide to show the Trumpistas that she and her father have more pull in Wyoming than Trump.

Personally, I think she is right. What would be the outcome? A legitimate three-way race that would conclusively demonstrate that the fear of being primaried is not as great as the fear of turning off the vast majority of voters, particularly the growing segment of Independents, who refuse to turn the country over to a man who would be king. Yes, it would be the beginning of a multiparty system in Wyoming. It could actually be the beginning of another party — at last!

•MJ

“The best smell in the world is that man that you love.” – Jennifer Aniston

13 – 20 May 2021

Brilliant Thoughts

Community (Continued from page 10 10)

by Ashleigh Brilliant

A slew of cars parked on Riven Rock near Mountain Drive

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

Vital Signs

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any of the signs we see throughout our lives are telling us not to do certain things (whether we might want to do them or not). One of the most common says, “NO TRESPASSING” – although this might confuse some people, especially children, who are taught (as I was in public school in Toronto) to pray to God to “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.” In other versions the “trespasses” become “debts,” or “sins” – so you can choose whether your misbehavior has to do with legality, economics, or morality.

(I have unfortunately been unable to trace the clever originator of the journalist’s version: “Forgive Us Our Press Passes.”)

Historically it was the – presumably more positive – sign of a cross, appearing in the sky, accompanied by words meaning “In This Sign, Conquer,” which are said to have inspired the Roman Emperor Constantine to convert to Christianity, and be victorious in battle.

In any case, whatever the misdeed, it seems ungracious to pray for forgiveness in advance – although that is exactly what certain Popes are supposed to have granted to soldiers setting out on “worthy” expeditions, e.g. Pope Pius xii, blessing Mussolini’s troops, setting out in 1935 to slaughter the Ethiopians.

Another very common prohibitory sign is “NO PARKING” – so it is nice to remember that on the traditional Monopoly board, one whole corner lot offers “FREE PARKING.” Signs saying “NO SMOKING” are now blessedly rare, because they’re hardly needed. But of course, they were once very common. A British variety artist named H. Vernon Watson, seeking a new stage-name, looked around and, saw that sign on the wall, and from then on became the very successful performer known as

Nosmo King.

Fortunately, some other noxious habits, which were at one time quite widespread in America, also no longer need to have signs forbidding them. You may have heard the story of the two ladies at a concert. One of them says “What is that piece they’re playing? The other looks around and sees a sign, and says, “Oh look, there, it tells us. It’s the “REFRAIN FROM SPITTING.” Of course we are used to being told, in zoos, not to feed the animals, in museums, not to touch the exhibits, in libraries to be quiet (usually one word does that job: “SILENCE”) and in parks, not to walk on the grass. And there are signs which almost make one wish to be an “authorized person,” or to have special permission to “loiter.”

But I do have a favorite sign – and only wish there were more of the same kind in other places: Santa Barbara has a paved path running for miles along the inland edge of its fine beach. The sign has a heading of “BEACH WAY,” beneath which there are shown, in silhouette, a bicycle, a skater, and a pedestrian. Then come the words “FOR BICYCLISTS AND OTHERS – USE WITH COURTESY AND CAUTION.” And indeed, you can go down there, and see all three kinds of uses being made of the same path at the same time, evidently quite safely. “Courtesy and Caution” could go a long way to make our world more livable – and, considering how many of our sidewalks receive very little pedestrian usage, it would make sense to extend the “Beach Way” concept to other appropriate locales. (There is nothing new about this idea. Some time ago, in Budapest, I walked across the Danube, on a bridge which was closed to motor traffic, but which was crowded with pedestrians, through whom, I was surprised to see, bicyclists were permitted to navigate at surprising

wealthier residents on Riven Rock would like to donate.

What’s not mentioned in the article is how Riven Rock Road narrows quite a bit about a quarter of a mile down, from 22 1/2 feet wide to 18 feet, posing more of a problem for emergency vehicles. Traditionally, before the pandemic, people parked on upper Riven Rock close to Mountain Drive and there wasn’t a problem in those days.

There are only five houses on Riven Rock before it narrows. When cars are parked on the narrower road, about 11 feet of clearance remains, down from 15 feet on upper Riven Rock. A fire engine is eight feet wide. There’s a real problem with lower Riven Rock, and I wonder why it took residents so long to come up with a solution. The amount of clearance is equivalent to the temporary one lane bridge over Cold Springs Creek.

It’s mean-spirited to put tickets on hikers’ cars or tow their cars away without warning them against parking — either by putting up signs or painting the curb red. Ticketing won’t stop cars from coming. Now that it’s been discovered, people are coming from all over to enjoy the beautiful trail and hot springs. Tourists are even coming from other countries. Parked cars with tickets on them still present a problem for emergency vehicles.

Why not solve the traffic problem on Riven Rock in a more painless way by making it clear that parking is not allowed?

It’s unfortunate that residents on surrounding roads are placing rocks right to the edge of the road and putting out signs stating it’s their private property. This includes where there’s an adequate shoulder for cars to get out of the way of emergency vehicles. It’s not legal to block off the public right-of-way and claim it’s yours. It’s also not polite or neighborly.

A sign is attached to a stop sign at the northwest corner of Mountain Drive and Hot Springs Road which says, “No Hot Springs Trail Access or Parking.”

Hot Springs Road is a public road, and people have the right to walk on it.

I’ve been taking my bicycle up the road for years to access the trail. A more courteous sign would say “Welcome to our neighborhood, this is a public road, but hikers, please stay on the trail.”

Residents would like hikers to be respectful of them, but they also need to be respectful of hikers.

•MJ speed, and with no special lanes, but quite successfully.)

But coping with the signs one encounters while travelling can be quite challenging. On my first visit to France, even though I’d been studying French at school, one sign which I came upon very frequently, usually inscribed on a wall, sometimes repeatedly on the same wall, had me puzzled. It said “DÉFENSE D’AFFICHER” – and I didn’t know the language well

enough to understand that it meant “Post No Bills.” When I did learn the meaning, it seemed to me ironical that these ubiquitous messages often seemed as much of a defacement as what they were trying to prevent.

But, in closing, let us celebrate one widespread sign whose message one is generally glad to see, even though – another irony – it is designed to be trampled on. I refer, of course, to our traditional “WELCOME” MAT. •MJ

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• The Voice of the Village •

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25

Keynote Event

Creating Hope with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama In Conversation with Pico Iyer Tue, May 18 / 8:30 PM Pacific* FREE Virtual Event In this keynote event of A&L’s 2021-2022 CREATING HOPE programming initiative, His Holiness is joined in conversation by Pico Iyer, a friend, observer and student of the Dalai Lama for more than 40 years.

Scan to watch video

How to Watch: No registration needed! Visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu or scan the QR code to view the live stream or watch the recording after. *Live events with His Holiness usually begin 15-20 minutes before the official start time. Arrive 20 minutes early.

Presented in association with the UCSB Department of Religious Studies, this year marking the 20th anniversary of the XIV Dalai Lama Chair in Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, held by José Cabezón

(805) 893-3535 www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu 26 MONTECITO JOURNAL

13 – 20 May 2021

Village Beat (Continued from page 21 21))

A preliminary rendering of the highway widening through Montecito, which includes removing trees and plantings in the median while adding landscaping and sound walls to the exterior of the freeway

design of the widening of the 101 Freeway, which will eventually widen the freeway to three lanes in each direction between Sycamore Creek in the city of Santa Barbara up to Romero Creek in Montecito.

Design engineer Zach Siviglia showed photos of the freeway as it is now, as well as renderings of the freeway widening project, which includes reconstruction of the freeway bridges over Cabrillo Boulevard and a new southbound on-ramp (replacing the left-hand ramp removed years ago).

Four new sound walls, ranging in height from 10 to 14 feet, are included in certain segments outside of the flood plain, and freeway bridges will be replaced at Montecito, San Ysidro, Oak, and Romero creeks. As reported last week, the design of the freeway includes natural materials including cobblestones, Santa Barbara sandstone, and native plantings, thanks to input from both the design review team and members of the community.

Through much of the corridor, the median area will get smaller and existing trees and landscaping will be removed, with additional landscaping being added to the outside barriers. “The decision was made to widen the freeway in the middle, so

we could add more landscaping to the outside and stay within the existing footprint of the freeway,” said project rep Kirsten Ayars. Droughttolerant landscaping has been chosen for much of the project; there is also a recycled water component to the project, according to Ayars. The freeway bridges will feature a muted façade, arches, and timber railing on the barriers, to add to the design aesthetics.

One of the most anticipated and highly debated portions of the project includes the reconstruction of the Hot Springs/Cabrillo Blvd interchange, which includes a roundabout and the replacement of the left side ramps with right side ramps. The interchange will also bring back the southbound onramp at Cabrillo Boulevard, which many residents and Coast Village Road business owners are eager to see. The southbound exit at Los Patos Way will be removed as part of the project. A nearby roundabout at Los Patos and Cabrillo is one of three local parallel projects being constructed in conjunction with the freeway widening.

The freeway project team will be back at the Montecito Association board meeting next month for further information. For more, visit www. sbroads.com.

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A new roundabout slated for the remodeled Hot Springs/Cabrillo Blvd interchange. The interchange will include the return of a southbound onramp at Cabrillo Blvd.

Also at the meeting, Montecito Water District manager Nick Turner reported that drought conditions are upon us, with Santa Barbara County currently in moderate to severe drought conditions, after only receiving 30% of average rainfall this past rainy season. Turner reported that MWD is considering purchasing additional supplemental water to add to the groundwater bank. He also said that customer water use has increased significantly, with an average of 25% increase in water usage.

“We are encouraging customers to continue to conserve as much as feasible,” he said, adding that customers can refer to their bill to see a consumption comparison from previous years. Montecito residents can consider drought-tolerant landscaping, removing grass, and employing storm water capture systems. “If customer

The Cold Spring Elementary School District is seeking community member volunteers to serve on a School Facilities Task Force. The District would like input from the Community regarding the need to add classrooms to accommodate recent growth in student enrollment.

Volunteers are expected to attend the following three one-hour meetings:

Monday, May 17, 2021 at 5:00 PM Wednesday May 26, 2021 at 5:00 PM Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 3:00 PM

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water use continues like it has been, it’s going to make water supply planning more challenging,” he said.

During community reports, Cold Spring School superintendent Dr. Amy Alzina refuted a recent letter published here in the Journal, which accused the school’s administration from hiding expenditures from Measure C funds. Dr. Alzina showed directions on how to find information on the $2.4M bond measure, which was spent in three different phases and included modernization of classrooms, the library, and restrooms, improvement of electrical and plumbing systems, roof replacement, playground and landscaping renovation, security system upgrades, and much more. “A lot of untruths have been spread,” Alzina said.

For more on Measure C, visit www. coldspringschool.net.

•MJ

If you are interested in participating in the Task Force, please email Coral Godlis

Subject to change without notice. Not all borrowers will qualify. Loan amounts up to $548,000. Loan to value up to 70%. Minimum FICO 740. California Bureau of Real Estate License #01818741.

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• The Voice of the Village •

cgodlis@coldspringschool.net.

MONTECITO JOURNAL

27

Montecito on the Move

by Sharon Byrne, Executive Director, Montecito Association

The Bear is Back.

Time for Montecito to Get Serious About Co-Existence — or Euthanasia.

when we first started encountering the bear around the Romero Canyon and East Valley area, we were told that relocating bears to other areas is no longer an option. The reason? Bears are very territorial, like hawks, owls, and mountain lions. They will claim a territory and hunt exclusively within it. Other animals of their kind attempting to invade the area will be attacked and driven out.

Unfortunately, none of these creatures provide us with convenient maps of their territory. So, a relocated bear dropped unwittingly into another bear’s territory immediately finds itself attacked and mauled. There is only so much food within a territory claimed by a bear, so invaders are promptly run out. Nature tends to be rather efficient.

Then the relocated bear will try to find its way back to its original territory.

On the way, it will likely be shot by hunters or run over.

Thus, relocation is a death sentence for a bear.

The only other option for a nuisance bear is euthanizing in the community.

We’ve heard a tremendous amount from Montecito neighbors who do not want to see that happen.

There are strategies to bear-proof your home. These include electrifying coops that keep live animals out, placing floodlights that come on when triggered by motion (bears don’t like bright lights), and sirens that are triggered by motion (bears don’t like loud, startling noises).

A bear has been roaming through multiple Montecito neighborhoods this spring

O

ur autumn bear has made a roaring spring appearance.

Sheriffs saw him on Romero Canyon Road at the end of April.

Neighbors reported the bear hit chicken coops in the Oak Grove area at the beginning of May, where he also dined on guinea pigs.

He hit our board member Penny Bianchi’s place at East Valley near the Ennisbrook Trail on May 7 and got eight of her chickens. He came back that night, but Penny had put the remaining chickens in the garage.

Then the bear (or another one) was seen in the Jameson Lane area near La Vereda Lane — in backyards and in broad daylight.

Clearly, it’s spring, the bears are coming out of hibernation, and they’re hungry. They’re like anything else: looking for the easy button. It turns out quite a few people in Montecito keep bees, bunnies, guinea pigs, and chickens — all of which are fast meals for hungry bears.

From our Town Hall with California Fish and Wildlife back in November,

There are strategies to bear-proof your home. These include electrifying coops that keep live animals out, placing floodlights that come on when triggered by motion (bears don’t like bright lights), and sirens that are triggered by motion (bears don’t like loud, startling noises). Pellet guns are also an option, as bears are not likely to revisit a place where they’ve been stung. Banging pans is an option, to create a startling noise.

When you camp in the Sierras, and I’ve done this extensively, there are always bear boxes for storing food. These are heavy, anchored boxes that have difficult-to-operate latches. There are also bear-proof trash cans. The Sierras host many bears, and these mechanisms work to limit human contact with them.

We either need to learn how to better bear-proof our homes to discourage the bear(s) visiting here or euthanize them. Bear-proofing is not expensive and leads to a more humane outcome.

Rebecca Barboza, the wildlife biologist, and Tim Daly, a public information officer, will be joining us for a Town Hall on more preventative bear strategies. You’re welcome to attend! It’s May 19 at 5:30 pm via Zoom, so there’s plenty of free parking. Email info@montecitoassociation.org for registration information.

•MJ

2021 Puzzle 5: “After Three” Solution This month’s MMMM challenged solvers to find a well-known singer-songwriter. The grid contains no obvious theme entries, but it is notable in one respect – there are only six threeletter words. Could that be important? Turns out it is! This observation, coupled with the puzzle’s title, “After Three,” provides the key insight to solving the meta. Each of the six threeletter words also appears inside another grid entry, as follows:

RIP LAT ASH RAN BAN SPA

TRIPOLI LATVIAN CASHEW SCRANTON BANJO SPAHN

Taking the letters that occur after the three-letter words gives OLI-VIAN-EW-TON-JO-HN, or Olivia Newton-John, the famous Australian singer-songwriter, and this month’s meta answer.

Pete always does a cover version of the meta answer (usually with his band, the Kindred Souls). You can watch the video and see this month’s full write-up here: http://pmxwords.com/may21solution

28 MONTECITO JOURNAL

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13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

29

Local Legends

an effort to drown the boos and the hisses and the contemptuous laughter. The lone rooter was Harold F. McCormick, master of International Harvester millions. He was in love.

by Pauline O’Connor

Citizen Ganna: How Lotusland’s founder helped inspire one of the greatest films of all time

R

eleased 80 years ago this September, director Orson Welles’s debut film Citizen Kane has been inspiring countless arguments, articles, books, documentaries, parodies, and homages ever since.

Playing a significant part in the film’s enduring mystique is the widespread belief that its two main characters, bombastic newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane and his much-younger mistress, alcoholic singer Susan Alexander, were based on two well-known real-life figures – publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies. This perception is heavily reinforced by the most recent addition to the Kane canon, Mank. Directed

by David Fincher and starring Gary Oldman as Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, Mank racked up 10 Academy Award nominations this year – one more than Kane received in 1941 – including a nod for Amanda Seyfried’s incandescent portrayal of Davies. But as with Citizen Kane’s fragmented narrative, the actual story is more complicated.

As Lara Gabrielle, a film historian and author of a forthcoming book on Davies explains, “The characters in Citizen Kane were composites of multiple people. Hearst and Davies were the most famous ones, so they’re the ones who got stuck with the association.”

Other men who served as models for the titular character include Samuel Insull, a railroad tycoon who built Chicago’s Civic Opera House, but died millions of dollars in debt; Robert R. McCormick, the editor/publisher of the Chicago Tribune; and Robert’s nephew, Harold Fowler McCormick, chairman of the International Harvester Company.

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30 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Amanda Seyfried plays Marion Davies in Mank

Ganna Walska owned a 37-acre estate in Montecito

As for Kane’s mistress, enough similarities existed between her character and Marion Davies – blonde hair, an affinity for crossword puzzles, career interference by a domineering partner, and a descent into alcoholism complete with a penchant for stashing liquor bottles in unusual places (toilet tanks for Marion; bookcases for Susan) – to incite Hearst’s dogged campaign to get the film shelved. But according to many film scholars, including Roger Ebert, another source of inspiration for Susan Alexander was Montecito’s own Ganna Walska.

Born in 1887 to a middle-class Polish couple, Ganna Walska (then known as Hanna Puacz) began pursuing a career onstage at the age of 19. In her memoir, Always Room at the Top, Walska confesses that her initial motivation to become an opera star was to impress a man she was infatuated with, after

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learning he had been appointed to a high position with the Imperial Opera House in St. Petersburg. It might have been a perfect plan were it not for one fatal flaw: Walska’s unreliable singing voice.

Though her scheme failed to ensnare its first target, Walska eventually managed to capture the heart of a different opera fan who happened to be in the audience when she delivered a performance in Havana, Cuba, in 1920.

Accounts of her reception vary; some describe her being pelted with a shower of rotten vegetables while others report a more civilized hissing and booing – either way, it’s safe to say the evening was far from a triumph except in the starry eyes of one besotted audience member.

A 1934 feature on Madame Walska in the Atlanta Constitution described the scene thusly: Ganna was dumbfounded. It was her first collision with a candor of reaction among her hearers she was to hear again and again later. She lifted a jeweled hand to her head, swayed dazedly, and ran, weeping blindly into the wings.

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Six years later, this vivid tableau would be faithfully rendered onscreen

by Welles in a Citizen Kane scene that has found new life as a popular gif.

Like Charles Foster Kane with his protégé Susan Alexander, McCormick threw himself wholeheartedly into the project of making the object of his affection an opera star, spending thousands of dollars on voice lessons for her and wielding his influence to get her cast as the lead in the Chicago Opera’s production of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Zazà in 1920.

But McCormick’s efforts, like Kane’s, would ultimately prove futile. In 1925, Walska made, as The New York Times put it, “another of her heartbreaking attempts to convince the world that she is a great singer,” undertaking the lead in the Nice Opera production of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Before the curtain went up, Walska told friends that if her performance didn’t go well, she would abandon her dream of operatic stardom and apply her talents toward more useful ends. Not long after she took the stage, the hissing and mass audience walkouts made it abundantly clear that things weren’t going well.

An Overdue Realization

Happily, in contrast to Kane’s pitiful Susan Alexander, the end of Walska’s opera career and the subsequent breakup of her marriage to McCormick did not set her off on the road to dissipation and ruin. In 1941, at the encouragement of her sixth husband, Buddhist scholar and yogi Theos Bernard, Walska purchased the 37-acre estate in Montecito known as Cuesta Linda. The original intention was to turn the property into a retreat for Tibetan monks; however, wartime travel restrictions and an acrimonious split from Bernard in 1946 put an end to these plans.

Walska spent the remaining four decades of her life turning the estate into her own version of Xanadu, with the lotus as her personal “rosebud.”

Open to the public since 1993, Ganna Walska’s Lotusland has given its creator a far more enduring legacy than opera ever could.

But what of her cinematic legacy?

Given that she employed a clipping service, it seems highly likely that the former diva was aware of her indirect contribution to the film regularly cited as the greatest of all time. “Ganna was a pretty extraordinary woman,” says biographer Lara Gabrielle. “I think she was like Marion in that she knew all about it but didn’t let it bother her.”

•MJ 13 – 20 May 2021

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We are dedicated to improving the lives of people impacted by diabetes through research, education, and care.

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

31

Library Mojo

by Kim Crail

Kim is the Branch Lead of the Montecito Library. Questions or comments? Contact her: kcrail@santabarbaraca.gov

Once Upon a Time in Montecito Santa Barbara has drawn winter visitors since the 1870s

Storywalk allows households together to enjoy a story together while social distancing

elephants in the circus parade, polo matches at Bartlett Field, and golf at the Santa Barbara Country Club.

Ride the trails, stroll the lanes, or just read a book in the gazebo on Channel Drive. Winter in Santa Barbara — it was divine.

This talk is offered in partnership with the Montecito Association History Committee. Registration is required.

Please go to the online calendar at SBPLibrary.org or call us at (805) 9695063 to receive an attendance link.

J

oin us on Thursday, May 20 at 5 pm for a virtual talk titled “Wintering in Montecito” with local historian and Montecito Journal columnist Hattie Beresford.

Santa Barbara has drawn winter visitors ever since the 1870s when travel writer Charles Nordhoff promoted Santa Barbara as a health resort.

The salubrious waters at Hot Springs Resort and the warmth of the winter sun may have brought them here, but Montecito and environs had plenty of activities and cultural and natural riches to keep visitors coming back.

Drawn mainly from family photo albums of winter visitors and those who succumbed to the area’s charms and built second homes, Hattie’s talk

Storywalk Continues

Hattie Beresford presents the virtual talk “Wintering in Montecito” on Thursday, May 20 at 5 pm

shows us the way it was, once upon a time, in Montecito. Don’t miss the The talk will feature pictures from family photo albums of visitors to the area

32 MONTECITO JOURNAL

We continue to offer the monthly Storywalk® program, which allows households to enjoy a story together while social distancing. This has been a wonderful way to encourage literacy and family time. Special shout out to the All Saints, Mount Carmel, and Montecito Union students and their grownups that came out, braving the mysterious helicopter situation to find us!

Our next Storywalk® will feature Finders Keepers by Keiko Kasza. Please join us on Wednesday, May 26 from 2-3:30 pm at Lower Manning Park.

Learn English with the Library

Since November, I’ve been facilitating a weekly Virtual English Conversation Group from my desk in Montecito. People from Argentina, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, and Turkey have attended.

The group has been supportive of each other practicing English, which can be quite intimidating and challenging. Attendees range from having moved here recently, lived in the United States for 40-plus years, or they log on from other countries.

We welcome new participants and here is more information to join: For all English language learners Want to improve your English conversation skills? Come practice with us in an informal setting every Wednesday

“Of the five senses, smell is the one with the best memory.” – Rebecca McClanahan

The next Storywalk at Lower Manning Park on Wednesday, May 26 will feature Finders Keepers by Keiko Kasza

from 4:30-5:30 pm. Please register at SBPLibrary.org to receive the virtual meeting code.

Para todos los que están aprendiendo Inglés - ¿Quisiera mejorar sus habilidades de conversación en Inglés?

Venga y practique con nosotros en un espacio informal en el Grupo Virtual de Conversación en Inglés de la Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara.

Todos los miércoles de 4:30 a 5:30 pm.

Por favor regístrese para recibir un código de acceso a la reunión virtual.

SBPLibrary.org.

Expansion of Hours

Since our last update, Montecito Library has added an additional afternoon for the public to come in. Masks are required and there is still a 15-minute time limit for indoor browsing.

We hope to expand hours again this summer when it is likely that public computers and restrooms will become available. We’re not there just yet.

Our current hours for curbside pickup and indoor browsing are: Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-5 pm Thursday, 10 am-1 pm See you at the library!

•MJ 13 – 20 May 2021

On Entertainment (Continued from page 22 22))

PATH (Continued from page 12) PATH provides support from street to home for those in need of housing solutions

PATH serves around 20% of the homeless population in the state

every day doing this I should probably be able to spend four minutes. It’s a powerful way to begin the day.

Your conversation is on the theme of hope, which the Dalai Lama has talked about many times. Why is he the right person to learn about hope from at this time? And what do you do to elicit his unique perspective — how do you bring your own thoughts into that conversation?

What he has to bring as much as anything is how much he suffered. Of all the people I’ve met in my life, he’s probably the one who’s been through the most: He has to rule six million people he hasn’t seen in 62 years, he’s seen many of his friends and teachers and relatives die, he’s opposed by the government of the largest nation on earth, and yet, as you know, he’s most famous for his robust confidence and his constant smile and infectious love.

Just the fact that somebody in so difficult and impactful a position can always be radiating confidence and love is one of the things that he passes on to the entire world.

Many people say that they get as much from his presence, his being, as from what he says. He’s one of those who is not just talking a good game but seems to embody it. You just look at him and you feel, here’s a really kind and humble yet confident person who’s never been beaten down by circumstance.

“Creating Hope with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama in Conversation with Pico Iyer” takes place at 8:30 pm on Tuesday, May 18. Admission to the livestream event is free and available on UCSB’s webpage, YouTube channel, and Facebook site (www. facebook.com/artsandlectures). Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu for details.

Local Leaders Align for ‘Creating Hope’ Community Talk

The “Creating Hope” series continues on May 19, with a free Community Connections event as part of UCSB A&L’s Thematic Learning Initiatives. More Hope, which takes place at 7 pm, features local spiritual teachers Spencer Sherman, Jonathan Schooler, and Dawa Tarchin Phillips discussing the science, art, and practice of mindfulness and meditation in a discussion that will reflect on the previous night’s public event with the Dalai Lama. Visit www. thematic-learning.org/2020-2021.html. closely to support those folks that are getting referred from various programs.”

Additionally, County Behavioral Wellness has a contract for 24 beds with PATH, while County Public Health operates a clinic on site for five days a week. With some creative bed placement and the support of partnering organizations, including Doctors Without Walls, PATH has been able to operate at about 85% of its normal capacity during the pandemic and are starting to accept new referrals from partners and relaunch programs as it is safe to do so.

Since 2015, PATH has served 3,500 members of the community in need, housed just under 500 individuals, and helped 600 people increase their income or gain paid employment.

In 2017, PATH was still a young organization in the area and wanted to introduce a signature event that would be unique while informing the community on their programs and mission. The incredible range of architecturally significant homes in the region seemed like an opportunity to celebrate the concept of home as it asked guests to look inward on what home means to them. The Making It Home Tour was launched that year and it quickly grew in popularity.

On the tour, attendees would ride a historic trolley to four architecturally-revered local homes while learning about the different PATH programs 13 – 20 May 2021

along the journey.

“You are kind of seeing the stark juxtaposition between some of the homes we’re visiting and facing the reality that there are still people experiencing homelessness on our streets,” Tessa explains, “but you’re also getting this unique look inside of these homes. It was an event that really got a lot of traction and I think that really did bring a lot of meaning, excitement, and support to the cause.”

Naturally the Making It Home Tour did not take place last year, however they wanted to bring the popular event back this year in a safe way. A virtual event through Zoom will be held on June 5 from 3 to 4 pm that will bring a familiar experience but in a new format that allows them to share the event with the other Californian communities that PATH serves.

This year’s Making It Home Tour will feature the majestic motifs of famed Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.’s Warwick Evans House, along with the more whimsical forms from esteemed architect Jeff Shelton. There will also be a notable home in Orange County and visits to three of the PATH projects including the tiny home community they helped build in partnership with the city of San Jose.

The Zoom event will last about an hour and attendees will also be given access to a special website that offers inside looks at the featured properties and projects in addition to various

Reflecting on Mira (Nair) with Pico

The 2020-21 “Speaking with Pico” series concludes with Iyer interviewing the decorated filmmaker-producer Mira Nair on May 26. Following four documentaries, the Harvard-educated native of India received an Oscar nomination for best foreign film for her first feature, 1988’s Salaam Bombay!, the first of several groundbreaking films that explore issues of displacement and cultural identity, including Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding (which won the Golden Lion, the highest prize at the Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA awards) and Queen of Katwe, and A Suitable Boy, Mair’s new six-part BBC television drama miniseries (available on Acorn TV in the U.S.). The latter was adapted by Andrew Davies from Vikram Seth’s 1993 novel set in post-independent India and follows four linked families in North India.

Iyer said his preparation for the upcoming conversation has been much more fun than usual.

“I have been watching videos of her interviews for (the TV series) released last fall. She deals with eight interviewers each with different agendas and every one of her answers has been mesmerizing and captivating and just full of brightness and light. Even given that movie directors by their nature have to be gregarious and charismatic and command a large crowd, she is unusually quick on her feet. I’ll admit I’ve been telling a lot of my friends that whether you know about her movies or not, I’m really confident that this will be a good event.”

What makes interviewing Nair even more appealing, Iyer said, is that the

workshops. Enjoy a floral arranging demonstration from A&J Floral Designs or try your hand at mixology with one of their guided cocktails courses by Loft & Bear Vodka or Shaun Belway, bar manager of the Bobcat Room.

The site allows attendees to enjoy the extra content on their own time and revisit the range of notable properties and meaningful projects. A general ticket ($50) comes with a little wine

• The Voice of the Village •

On Entertainment Page 474 474 and snacks that make for an enjoyable afternoon at home. A VIP ticket ($150) for two offers a full experience with an array of goodies from their supporters, both locally and abroad, including a full bottle of wine with glasses, charcuterie, and something sweet to round out the night.

More information on the different PATH programs and a link to Making It Home Tour tickets can be found at epath.org.

•MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL

33

Miscellany (Continued from page 18)

and her actress wife, Portia de Rossi, are staying with Friends actress Courtney Cox. Ellen, 63, a serial real estate flipper, had Cox, 63, on her Burbank-based show and joked she was her new “landlord.”

“I’m not having marital troubles,” she reassured viewers. “I’m not living with Courtney Cox because I’m kicked out of my house.”

The dynamic duo made a multi-million-dollar profit on the sale of the Beverly Hills mansion, but not nearly as much as they wanted.

The 10,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, nine-bathroom home was originally listed for $53 million after being purchased from Maroon Five rocker Adam Levine for $45 million.

Levine, 41, and his Namibian supermodel wife bought a nine-bedroom, 12,500-square-foot George Washington Smith estate, El Miraval, on 5.2 acres for $22.7 million in March, just a tiara’s toss from the sprawling new Montecito home of Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry and her British actor fiancé, Orlando Bloom.

All Hands on Deck

Once the world’s richest man, billionaire Bill Gates, 65, has hired the law firm started by fellow billionaire Montecito’s Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s right-hand man since 1978, to help head his $130 billion divorce from wife Melinda, 56.

Munger, Tolles & Olson is listed as one of three firms representing the Microsoft co-founder after Gates’s wife of 27 years filed for divorce, according to documents shared by TMZ. The law firm was founded in 1962

by Munger, 97, who had been on the board of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett’s investment company, until last year as vice chairman.

Munger, who developed the gated community of Sea meadow — a 22-acre site of 31 homes, some costing up to $17 million – dubbed Mungerville by neighbors, donated $65 million to UCSB, the largest donation in its history, in 2014, and four years later gave his 1,800-acre Las Varas Ranch on the Gaviota Coast, including two miles of shoreline, to the university.

Munger reportedly paid $70 million for the property.

on a 60-foot wide La Costa beach lot.

It was formerly owned by actor David Spade.

This is the second Malibu property Sarandos, 56, has sold. Three years ago, he disposed of an Italianate village on a bluff top above the beach for $21.3 million.

Getting High Notes

Kathryn Martin, Santa Barbara Symphony President/CEO, with philanthropist Palmer Jackson Jr. (Photo by Priscilla)

The light truly is at the end of the tunnel!

As an example, Santa Barbara Symphony, under longtime maestro Nir Kabaretti, invited 100 suitably vaccinated VIP supporters to the Granada, to watch the talented musicians perform Beethoven’s “Symphony No.7,” part of the season’s Triumph finale, which honors strength, perseverance, hope, creativity, and community.

All of this season’s seven concerts have been filmed with multiple cameras, state-of-the-art technology, and digitally broadcast live into living rooms, including behind-the-scenes interviews.

Saturday’s concert features guest pianist Awadagin Pratt performing Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 12,” Beethoven and Britten’s “Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury.”

The program also stars guitarist Joseph Malvinni, 13, winner of the 2021 SB Youth Symphony concerto competition, performing Italian

34 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Janet Garufis, chair of the board, with Maestro Nir Kabaretti, Santa Barbara Symphony artistic director (Photo by Priscilla)

composer Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “Concerto in D Major.”

Among those getting a taste of musical freedom, suitably masked and socially separated, were Dan and Meg Burnham, Janet Garufis, Joan Rutkowski, Robert Weinman, Barbara Burger, Dan Kepl, Eve Bernstein, Palmer Jackson, Jr., Mashey Bernstein, George Konstantinow, and Stefan and Christine Riesenfeld.

It was certainly an afternoon of high note.

Home Makeover, Montecito Edition

Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow, 48, and TV producer husband Brad Falchuk, 50, are completely overhauling their 14,000-square-foot mansion on Olive Mill Road.

When the dynamic duo bought their estate for nearly $5 million in 2016 it needed extensive work on the four-bedroom, four-bath property on more than two acres.

Now it has an Olympic-size swimming pool and an open-plan farmhouse with stunning ocean views.

The Oscar winner also owns homes in New York and London.

Standring Strong

Wheeling and Dealing

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who paid $34.2 million for his Montecito 17-acre Wallace Frost estate three years ago, put his remaining Malibu home up for sale for $14.9 million and sold it for $14.73 million just days after putting it on the market.

The house, with four bedrooms and four baths on 3,736 square feet, sits

Santa Barbara Symphony aficionados Dan Burnham, Dan Kepl, Robert Weinman, and Mashey Bernstein (Photo by Priscilla)

Eve Bernstein and Gillian Launie (Photo by Priscilla)

Real estate developer John Standring is the new president of the Coastal Housing Coalition.

Standring, president of Beachside Partners — which focuses on acquisitions, development, and disposition of commercial and residential real estate through the South Coast — was recently board vice president and served as co-chair of the organiza-

“Smell is the closest thing human beings have to a time machine.” – Caryl Rivers

tion’s annual Santa Barbara Housing Conference.

Prior to forming Beachside Partners in 2015, he began his real estate career in 2008 after graduating from UCSB. He is also serving as president of the Santa Barbara Young Professionals Club Foundation.

“It’s very exciting to be in this role during a time when housing is on the forefront of everyone’s mind,” says Standring, who lives in our Eden by the Beach with his wife and two children.

“I look forward to working with the public and private sector to continue the conversation on workforce housing and how we in the community can move forward in the correct way.”

He’s Maxed Out

TV talk show host Conan O’Brien, who has a beach house on Padaro Lane a tiara’s toss from Star Wars mogul George Lucas and Oscar winner Kevin Costner, has announced the impending final episode of his TBS show Conan.

The comedian and host, 58, says his new show will be on HBO Max in the near future, the fourth iteration of the program.

The Harvard graduate started his late-night career in 1993 when he hosted Late Night with Conan O’Brien on NBC. That show ran for almost 20 years.

Early in February 2009, he replaced Jay Leno on The Tonight Show and then in November 2010, his late-night TBS show that Conan launched.

His last show on TBS will be June 24 before this weekly show premieres on HBO Max.

Sightings

TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in her new $181,950 Porsche 950 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition driving on Coast Village Road... TV talk show host James Corden, resplendent in his $800 Gucci bathing suit, with his wife, Julia, and daughter, Carey, catching some rays on Miramar Beach... Actor Harrison Ford sashaying on Coast Village Road Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask, and get vaccinated.

•MJ 13 – 20 May 2021

On The Record (Continued from page 8) without the depth of animus against Das over the damage done by his cannabis ordinance. It’s a political earthquake.”

Bardach described a behind-the-scenes effort by mostly female political leaders in Santa Barbara who united to not only oppose Williams, but also boost the chances of Harmon to win Newsom’s nomination. Susan Jordan, executive director of the California Coastal Protection Network, confirmed that such an effort took place and likely played a role.

“In my 25 years of observing the Coastal Commission appointment process, this is the first time I have ever witnessed such strong, vocal, and sustained community opposition to an individual candidate,” said Jordan. “That was the unique element that stood out during the Commission selection process for the South-Central District seat.”

However, Williams downplayed any role that cannabis concerns derailed his bid.

“If you try to change anything in this world, especially anything that helps working people, you will make some enemies, but I don’t think they were the ones who made a difference in this case,” Williams said. “Meagan is a great candidate and I am confident she will do a good job. In a manner, because it takes a lot of time, it is even better for me to have a close ally on the Commission than to be there myself, so I’m pretty happy about it.”

Veteran Teacher Resigns During Tense Cold Spring School Board Meeting

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The most recent meeting of the Cold Spring School District’s Governing Board took place at the school campus at 6 pm on May 10 and, despite lingering COVID-19 concerns, drew a standing-room only crowd. Participants included all five board members, school officials including Superintendent and Principal Amy Alzina, Chief Operating Officer Yuri Calderon, and about 50 attendees, all of whom wore masks and did their best to socially distance during the meeting in the school’s auditorium, which ran for nearly two hours.

Although it wasn’t listed on the agenda, during the section of the hearing reserved for the superintendent’s report, teacher Mariko Callahan addressed the audience. Callahan, who was named as a complainant in a recent restraining order filed by Alzina against parent and administration critic Amanda Rowan, announced that she was resigning from her job.

“I have something to say,” Callahan told the crowd. “For the last four years, numerous threatening, defamatory, and incredibly hurtful lies have proliferated our community about me. I cannot begin to fully express the depth of the pain and heartache that these lies have caused me, my husband, my own two children, my family, my friends, and truthfully, my students.”

Callahan claimed she’d been subjected to both “frivolous personal attacks” and “a carefully orchestrated attack” against her, in part waged in the press.

“I am here to tell you today that enough is enough,” she declared, which led to a heartfelt round of applause from the crowd. “If I could stay for each of you, I would. And please know that I will forever be so grateful for your love and support for my time at Cold Spring.”

In an official statement released to the Journal, Alzina lamented Callahan’s departure.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, teachers, and staff, I want to thank Mari Callahan for her 11 years of service to the Cold Spring School District and our community,” Alzina stated. “During her tenure, Mrs. Callahan served as a 1-4th grade teacher, GATE Coordinator, Curriculum Coordinator, Librarian, and Student Council Lead teacher. She is an exceptional teacher and leader! She was instrumental in our effort to deliver a robust Remote Learning Program during the pandemic and our return to in-person learning in September 2020. Her new school community is fortunate to have such a talented educator. She will be deeply missed by our entire school community.”

Immediately following Callahan’s surprise announcement, former Cold Spring School trustee Kathy Davidson had the unfortunate timing of addressing the crowd on the next agenda item, which had to do with whether or not the district should spend money to pursue a so-called Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, or FCMAT, audit, which Rowan and other parents critical of Cold Spring School’s most recent bond measure efforts are demanding.

“What is at stake here is the integrity and the trustworthiness of the Cold Spring School District leadership as an entity,” Davidson began, amid audible booing by many audience members. “It has nothing to do with the personalities who sit on the Governing Board at any given time or who the current Superintendent/Principal is.

“So please stop being so defensive and stop taking this request for a FCMAT audit so personally. You know that this is not a personal attack, so stop charac13 – 20 May 2021

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terizing it as such. That behavior is unbecoming and unprofessional.”

According to Davidson, the school’s current board, which failed to win popular support for last November’s Measure L2020, which sought to raise $7.8 million for school construction, was out of touch with the broader community beyond the parents of current students, which she said represents 87 percent of residents being asked to pony up the cash. “As a leadership team, you cannot expect trust, assume trust, or demand trust – you have to earn it,” she argued. “You have disrespected us, and you have been disrespected, you have failed to include us, and failed to earn our trust. That’s why your bond measure failed.”

Following a presentation by legal counsel Greg Rolen, who appeared remotely via Zoom on a large screen, regarding the various options the board had regarding participating in a FCMAT audit, trustees ultimately voted to wait until next month’s meeting to decide whether or not to pay for the audit, which Rolen estimated would cost $20,000, or to continue to fight it.

Stay tuned!

• The Voice of the Village •

On The Record Page 554 554

MONTECITO JOURNAL

35

The Giving List

The SBWCN takes care of a plethora of animals, including the barn owl

by Steven Libowitz

‘We See a Lot of Hope Every Day’: SB Wildlife Care Network Growing as Need Expands The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network will have new digs with a state-of-the-art building

T

he pandemic might have produced a reduced need for services at many businesses and nonprofits. But that’s not the case at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. In fact, the coronavirus crises created a contrary result, even if only indirectly.

“We saw a dramatic increase in animals coming here in 2020, and we’re certainly on track for more of the same in 2021,” said Ariana Katovich, the executive director of Wildlife Care Network, whose mission it is to rescue, rehabilitate, and return to the wild animals that are sick, injured, or orphaned as well as birds and reptiles that have been similarly afflicted or coated with oil or tar.

Katovich noted that while perhaps part of the uptick is due to increased publicity and outreach efforts resulting in people becoming more aware of the organization, more is because of limitations during lockdown.

“People are spending a lot of time outside recreating, walking, or just being in nature, or doing projects in their backyards, and they’re noticing wildlife and seeing injured animals,” Katovich said.

Whatever the reason, the WCN has had to handle the influx of injured creatures with the same level of compassionate care despite having to follow pandemic protocols that resulted in many businesses letting employees work remotely.

“We haven’t been able to slow down, and we can’t work from home because everything happens here at the center,” Katovich said, gesturing to the organization’s Goleta grounds that formed the bucolic background for our Zoom conversation. “Our animal care staff has to be here on property, and we deal with members of the public every day because concerned

36 MONTECITO JOURNAL

citizens are constantly bringing us animals.”

But if COVID concerns provided a unique and unprecedented challenge — including a need for enhanced PPE because even wildlife medical procedures can require several trained staff working together — the executive director said the staff has also been “heartened by the fact that so many people, even in a pandemic, care about wildlife and go out of their way to bring animals who need help to us.”

The thing is that even before the pandemic, things were getting crowded at the WCN center.

When it started back in 1988, Wildlife Care Network consisted largely of volunteer “home rehabbers” helping animals in their kitchens and bathtubs. It was only in 2004 that its North Fairview property was purchased, with WCN moving into its permanent home in a single building in 2012. But its threadbare facilities consisting of barns and trailers added over the last decade has proven insufficient to meet the mounting needs, as the nonprofit whose service area ranges from Cuyama to the VenturaL.A. county line averages as many as 40 intakes a day year-round, helping to heal thousands of animals covering 240 different species — just about everything except domestic or exotic pets, adult deer, bear, mountain lions, coyotes, and wild boars.

And those numbers were growing even before COVID arrived.

“Every year it’s getting harder to be a wild animal, because of how we’re encroaching on nature and other factors such as poison and traps,” said Katovich, who first encountered WCN as an 18-year-old freshman at UCSB when she brought an injured bird to the center. “The need just keeps growing.”

Good thing, then, that construction on the Network’s much-needed Wildlife Hospital broke ground last year and is well underway. The professional building was always part of the founders’ original vision, Katovich said, but it wasn’t until she took over as ED in 2017 that the project got going.

“It’s been a dream of the organization for more than 30 years, and we really wanted to see if we could make it happen. So, we took the first steps to launch our capital campaign and then hire our permanent wildlife veterinarian, who really informed the final design of the hospital. It’s been an incredible journey with the community coming together to help out.”

The improvements are taking place even as construction takes place, Katovich said, noting that the vet arranged for the donation of a small X-Ray machine as well as tables, lights, and tools for diagnosing and treating wildlife.

“It’s opened our eyes to how incredible the hospital is going to be when it’s completed, and we have dedicated space for all of the different functions,” Katovich said. “We will be able to diagnose issues quicker and treat animals more accurately, in house, rather than stressing out these animals when we have to bring them somewhere else. We can provide better pain control, too.”

The new hospital, which is expected to open by the end of the year, will also allow WCN to truly treat oiled wildlife onsite, a major issue considering that Santa Barbara is home to large oil seeps off the shore. Instead of having to transfer the birds to a facility in Long Beach once a week, Wildlife Care Network’s new facility will have a dedicated oiled wildlife capability.

“We’ll have four oil sinks so we can do washing as well as a specialized drying room and a pelagic pool that will allow us to swim the birds before we release them back out into the wild,” Katovich said. “That really takes our capability to a whole new level and allows us to treat more of those animals here in Santa Barbara, as opposed to transferring them somewhere else.”

“Smells could bring a person back clearer than pictures even could.” – Anne Tyler

Less esoteric, but equally important, are the logistical improvements the hospital will bring, including temperature control, proper ventilation, solid walls for sound control, floors that can be quickly and easily hosed down with drains in the floors, and a dedicated kitchen to prepare animal diets.

“These are all things that really benefit a fragile being that is trying to heal,” Katovich said. “That’s really what it’s all about: always improving upon our mission to save wild animals.”

While the capital campaign has raised most of the $6 million goal, about $800,000 is needed to complete the fundraising, she said.

“We’re so grateful that we’re this far along and can’t wait until we are able to build the raptor aviary and the mammal enclosure,” she added, noting that she and her staff are happy to talk to anyone who would like to learn more about supporting WCN. But dollars aren’t the only way to get involved.

Volunteers are always in demand, even with many of the nonprofit’s workers who stayed home during the pandemic returning to helping out.

“Our staff is working so hard to take care of animals that every person that helps us answer the phone, transport animals, wash dishes outside, clean the crates and even help feed the baby birds really makes a difference,” Katovich said. “We have volunteers who knit nests that we can use for baby birds. People shop off of our wish list on Amazon. There are so many ways to help us and we’re always eager to work with people on discovering what they want to do and how to channel that here at the center.”

That assistance proves rewarding for all, especially during our still trying times, she said.

“We see people every day who are really upset that an animal got injured, and when they talk to us and see how we take care of the animals, they feel so relieved. We see a lot of hope every day and witness an amazing side of the human spirit.”

•MJ For more information, visit www.sbwcn.org.

13 – 20 May 2021

THE MONTECITO LIBRARY Where Books Are Just The Beginning

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For over one hundred years the Montecito Library has embodied the charm and spirit of Montecito, providing free and open access to a broad range of materials and services to all of our community.

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To donate go to: www.montecitolibraryfriends.org Friends of the Montecito Library, P.O. Box 5788A, Santa Barbara, CA 93150 Tax ID #95-3614638

13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

37

Montecito Moms

by Dalina Michaels

Aimee Kielborn: Kombucha Queen Montecito Mom Aimee shares how she and her family run a home-brew supply business

W

hen most people crack open a can of beer or sip a kombucha, they probably don’t think about the malts, grains, SCOBY, and fermenting that go in behind the scenes. Montecito Mom Aimee Kielborn not only thinks about it, she May 2018 grand opening of BYOB with business partners, the Hammels brings it light, or rather, to brew, with her company, BYOB! “Starting your own business can be a Kielborn and her husband, Mike, tricky and nerve-wracking endeavor, run Brew Your Own Beverage (BYOB), but it is worth it! People have been a shop in Santa Barbara on upper State grateful we brought this concept to Street. our town. We hear all the time from The Kielborn family moved to our customers how much they appreAimee in her store BYOB, with one of the 50 canisters of Montecito in the summer of 2019, grains they offer clients to choose from ciate us opening shop!” though they have lived in Santa COVID made things even hardBarbara the last 10 years: “We had their homebrew craft. They connect er. During the lockdown, they had heard amazing things about Montecito with other local brewers regularly to reduce storefront hours and were Union School, so we wanted to give and stay on top of the latest trends unable to do any in-person brewing our three kids (10-year-old twins, by watching videos and listening to classes. Says Kielborn: “We survived Drake and Alena, and six-year-old podcasts on the topic. As Kielborn with online ordering and storefront Lincoln) that opportunity to experi- shares, “They haven’t taken any offiorder pickups. Now, we really look ence all that MUS has to offer.” cial brewing classes, but they have forward to getting back to brew fesThey had a unique opportunity to had plenty of trial and error and tivals, teaching brewing, and helping start their own business: “My hus- hands-on learning!” with events.” band and our business partners (Trent The process itself is pretty In addition to teaching brewing, and Becky Hammel) have been pas- involved. There is a three-hour timethey can also offer the carbonation sionate about home brewing for 20 frame for brewing, and then two canisters for people who want to make years, and they were tired of not hav- weeks to ferment and an additional Aimee with the “Home Brew” Kit, which includes materitheir own sparkling waters and beverals that you can use to make your own brews ing a place to source fresh ingredients. one to 14 days to carbonate. ages. Kielborn explains: “So many They decided to open a shop which Explains Kielborn: “We offer over 50 that fresh is best when it comes to people like their bubbly and fizzy we call their ‘personal brewing pan- different types of grains at our store: yeast – so online shopping wasn’t a waters, if you refill the carbonation try.’ I am a kombucha maker myself, from Bestmalz Dark Munich Malt, good option. We decided to offer the canisters with us, it actually is a great and at BYOB we sell kombucha kits Baird Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt, to freshest and best supplies to the local money-saver!” and offer kombucha classes.”

Chocolate Wheat Malt. We use roasted brewing community.”

In between running the business Kielborn says her Business barley grains to provide the sugars Where it gets interesting is if you and running around with her kids, Economics degree and a teaching that yeast ferments. They are the pri- want to get creative. Kielborn says Kielborn is finding time to enjoy credential help both in front of and mary source of beer color and a major a lot of the fun of BYOB is that you her new Montecito community: “My behind the counter. “My business contributor to beer flavor, aroma, and get to decide what you want your kids love exploring and discovering degree has helped me to understand body. Proteins in the grains give struc- beer to taste like. “We offer a choice all the fun little creeks and paths all the financial statements for small ture to beer foam and minerals deliv- of more than 50 different grains so Montecito has to offer. Our perfect businesses, and my teaching back- er many of the nutrients essential to you can really modify the flavors, day is an early morning hike up ground allows me to be comfortable yeast growth.” colors and aromas of your brew. Cold Spring Trail, followed by a nice teaching kombucha-making classes to BYOB SB is the only home brew Then, you can accentuate different brunch with a girlfriend, then a leilive groups.” supplier in all of Santa Barbara, characters in the beers with over 60 surely walk down Miramar Beach, Over the years, Kielborn’s hus- Goleta, Montecito, and Carpinteria. different strains of yeast. You can some BBQ with my family, and a dip band and business partner Hammel Says Kielborn: “We are the only sup- also work with SCOBY (an acronym in the pool!” have been working on perfecting ply shop in the area and we found for “symbiotic culture of bacteria If reading about home-brewing is and yeast”) that is formed after the making you thirsty, then trying out a completion of fermenting bacteria brewing class is a great place to start. and yeast which creates the sour fla- Kielborn says as things reopen, BYOB vor in kombucha.” is a unique place to come for celebraAlong with supplies, the store offers tory events or small gatherings: “It is personalized brewing classes for any- a similar process to cooking, but it is one looking to learn the craft. And as less rushed. There is so much personthings slowly reopen, they are hop- alization that can be put into brewing. ing to offer more classes and “party The smells of brewing beer are intoxioptions” for people wanting to learn cating and I hope you won’t be afraid more about creating their own brews. to give it a try!”

Coming into the brewing busiTo learn more, check out their web1483 E. Valley Road, Suite M | 805.969.6090 ness was not easy. Kielborn shares: site: www.byobsb.com.

•MJ

Available to care for our neighbors and accepting new patients.

38 MONTECITO JOURNAL

“Smells are surer than sounds and sights to make the heartstrings crack.” – Rudyard Kipling

13 – 20 May 2021

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• The Voice of the Village •

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39

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“The sense of smell, like a faithful counsellor, foretells its character.” – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

PM 13 – 5/10/21 20 May5:312021

Real Estate (Continued from page 14 14) as many homes over $10 million per month recently as we do in a normal year.

So, if you are still looking for a home in Montecito, here is a snapshot featuring four homes, that makes up about 15% of all available homes at this time on the market in the MLS — truly!

1770 Jelinda Drive – $5,300,000

722 Knapp Drive – 3,395,000

A part of the Ennisbrook Community, the property at 1770 Jelinda Drive sits on 1.71 acres

With both mountain and ocean views, 722 Knapp Drive is in the Cold Spring School District

This listing is nestled away off a private road in the Arcady Estates and features a 1.1-acre parcel which is part of the original 70-acre estate purchased

by George Knapp in 1911. As advertised, there is great potential for an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit), as the lot spans between Knapp Drive and Arcady Road.

Enjoy mountain views from this 2,750-square-foot, single-level ranch style home that rests on a very private knoll top, with ocean views as well. A spacious family room features beamed ceilings and walls of glass. The primary suite bathroom features a jacuzzi tub and separate shower, four closets, and ocean and garden views. Two additional bedrooms are en-suite.

The property offers pathways on park-like grounds, while also located in the desirable Cold Spring School District.

This single-level Mediterranean home is nestled near the Hedgerows within the private and guard-gated Ennisbrook Community. Set on 1.71 acres, 100-year-old olive trees, mature oaks, and stone walls line the home’s approach. The living room features wood beams, which highlight the soaring ceilings.

The kitchen enjoys quartz countertops and a sunny breakfast area. The primary bedroom suite has a cozy fireplace, an opulent bathroom and an enviable walk-in closet. Three additional bedrooms open to a courtyard.

A commanding office, laundry room, and three-car garage complete the floor plan. Sunny patios, sprawling lawn, vegetable beds, and oaks grace the backyard which looks out to the Ennisbrook open space & trail. Amenities include a clubhouse, pool and spa, tennis, pickle ball and a community park.

1086 Channel Drive – $23,500,000

1100 Mesa Road – $4,995,000

This picturesque home at 1086 Channel Drive features nearly wraparound views

Part of Casita De Mariposa, this home at 1100 Mesa Road has three bedrooms and is close to the beach

Enchanting gardens and oak trees provide the backdrop for this classic Montecito hacienda. Designed with charm and style, Casita De Mariposa opens the door to the Montecito lifestyle in the highly desirable Middle Road and Lower Village area, where sales have been brisk and soaring to say the least.

Originally part of a much larger estate, this Spanish bungalow will ignite your imagination. The rooms flow from the interiors to the outdoor patios and grounds featuring mature landscaping, privacy and a resort-style pool.

Anchored by a dramatic living room with wood beams and arched windows, the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom residence is ready for a new beginning. The good-sized lot (.63 acres), and the proximity to the beaches and Lower Village are certainly top selling points for this listing.

13 – 20 May 2021

Nestled quietly beyond a gated entry above Montecito’s renowned Butterfly Beach, this breathtaking example of mid-century architecture awaits. Destined to impress, this one-of-a-kind home was influenced by the works of renowned modernist architect, Richard Neutra, who emphasized the flexibility and adaptability of space.

The three-bed, two-and-a-half-bath residence offers floor-to-ceiling windows with additional clerestory windows above that grace the majority of the home, capitalizing on the coastal views and making them not only visible from every room, but the focal point as well.

A spacious balcony wraps around the southern and eastern sides of the property. Designed with privacy in mind, the residence features tinted privacy glass windows and sliding glass doors, allowing one to see clearly from the inside out, but restricts one from seeing in from the outside. Tall hedges also flank the perimeter for additional privacy.

A rare find, this distinctive home is situated on approximately 0.49 acres, with low-maintenance grounds and commands a premier location, situated near the Four Seasons Biltmore, Coral Casino, and Coast Village Road.

•MJ

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

41

SAMMY NEEDS A HOME

Letters (Continued from page 11) parent in your district.

I don’t want and have no reason to address the particulars of this nasty dispute which seems, frankly, very much a first-world personal vendetta, directed at school administrators.

The figures we found online say that approximately 30% of public-school funding is paid from local property tax; the bulk of funding comes from every citizen paying state & federal taxes. Does Ms. Stahl suggest that only property owners have a say in anything regarding a public school district child’s education?

Susan Kelty

Simply Put: ‘We Do Not Live in a Racist Society’

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42 MONTECITO JOURNAL

The leftist Democrat tactic of silencing free speech by blocking speakers, the cancel culture in the workplace and social media banning is a detriment to our republic. Some cancellations stem from a fallacy of systemic racism. We do not live in a racist society.

Racism is defined as an institutionalized system where a race of people would regard themselves as superior, find other races inferior and implement policy to hold a group down based on that assumption. Where in our country is that present today? The Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts of the ‘60s made it illegal to discriminate based on race, gender, or religion.

For 60 years we have been supporting minorities in this country with more than 400 federal programs which they receive at a higher proportion than their population percentages.

We have diversity ratios on corporate boards, college admissions and academy award nominations as examples.

Would a racist nation do that?

If a guy from 1950s turned on a TV and was told this is a racist country he would die laughing. Yet our president will call election integrity laws in certain states worse than Jim Crow. Does he not know his history? Take a walk on any campus and ask the kids who they admire and overwhelmingly persons of color are mentioned. They are intertwined in our culture.

Thousands cheer on predominantly Black sports teams. We have the highest number of Black millionaires and billionaires in the history of the world. 90% of legal immigration comes

from Africa, Asia, Mexico and Central America. Almost 100% of illegal aliens are persons of color. Why would a racist nation allow that? Why would they come to a racist nation? Why would President Trump brag about recordlow Black unemployment? Why would there be a need for racial hoaxes like Jussie Smollett’s if there are so many examples of racism?

Biracial relationships are at the highest ratios in history as is approval of them. We have interaction in our free market economy of diverse people every day. If tyrants threatened our freedoms, we would see how no one cares of the hue of the guy in the foxhole next to him as long as he is an American. Democrats promote this narrative and control every institution in our country. The media, education, cinema, TV, journalism, sports and social media all run by Democrats.

Urban cities have numerous minority mayors, council members, police chiefs and education boards and have for decades. If this racism were true, how are they culpable?

Presently the communist BLM movement, politicians and the MSM has gotten the whole country to buy into this false narrative of racism using police enforcement. The FBI states in 2019 there were 10 million arrests in the country leading to 1004 fatalities. Out of those homicides, 12 unarmed blacks were killed by police and 26 unarmed whites. Hardly an epidemic. Our capitalistic CEOs are virtue signaling and contributing money to a contrary communist organization that would like to eradicate capitalism and our western civilization nuclear family unit as well as hasten their change via riots. The worst of all this may be the Marxist critical race theory that is curriculum in K-12 and our military teaching all we are an ugly country with an ugly history.

What makes those normally silent seek to be heard is that if repeated enough this becomes truth and the attack has brought accusations at people for the sin of being born of European ancestry with an unconscious bias. It has taken some struggles yet the promissory note from our founders Dr. King spoke of is here in the eyes of many. Our Democrat party, media and other organizations do not want to point that out.

Mike Hornbuckle •MJ

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13 – 20 May 2021

Save San Marcos Foothills Forever

FOOTHILLS FOREVER

Together, we are making this happen… but we have a lot more to do!

We have met the developer’s first two milestones with a combination of cash, pledges and loans. A big thank you to our supporters!

Act now!

More than 4,000 people have made contributions, but we still need to meet our June 1st milestone of $18,000,000 to acquire the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa. This will permanently preserve and protect the land for future generations. Our intent is to add it to the 200 acre San Marcos Foothills Preserve.

Please join us!

How to help: Make a tax-deductible contribution to the Foothills Forever Fund, a fiscal sponsorship fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation. Please make checks payable to: Santa Barbara Foundation, with Foothills Forever Fund in the memo line.

Mail to: 1111 Chapala St. #200 Santa Barbara, CA 93101

For more information and to donate online:

FoothillsForever.org

To donate gifts of stock or other assets, please contact info@foothillsforever.org

ACT NOW! DEADLINE: JUNE 1ST! Visit the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa at the end of Via Gaitero Road. Docent led tours of the property are offered every Sat. & Sun. at 10 am or by special arrangement. Email Julia Laraway at: a1fyr516@gmail.com

13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

43

In the Know (Continued from page 5)

“I’m gonna run for president someday,” she blurted out. “Will you vote for me?”

Her dad, Neil, glanced at her and deadpanned.

“It’s really going to depend on your platform.”

This was the type of household that Meagan grew up in —ideas and concepts were challenged and thought through.

Service was mandatory and a common ground without political divide — which has come in handy as Meagan has blossomed as a progressive, with her family quite conservative.

It gives her a chuckle that her dad wouldn’t give in, even at a young age — it taught her that walking was far more important than talking.

And Lompoc provided her a frontrow seat for that, growing up in a house her mom, Kathi, built just before Meagan was born. Her parents still live in that Skyview Drive home, with Meagan now appreciating the trek along Highway 1 that acts as a respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown Santa Barbara.

“It’s a good, working-class community and it taught me the value of hard work,” Meagan said. “There’s something really special about little Lompoc; we are kind of the unsung hero.”

In many ways, that’s the attitude that Meagan has adopted throughout her 34 years — to be relentless in pursuit, but in the name of service.

Her family was a military one, with cousins, uncles, and a grandfather all serving, while also growing up just a short jaunt from the Vandenberg Air Force Base.

“The idea that service and sacrifice is to be celebrated and that’s the value on which we should build our lives as a family, I can’t remember a time where my mom wasn’t really sort of pushing that,” Meagan said.

Meagan’s shy and quiet demeanor was challenged as soon as she set foot on the grounds of Cabrillo High School.

It was there that Kathi would hang up her stay-at-home mom duties and return to the classroom, with Meagan landing in her class.

And, as any child of a teacher will tell you, that was a blessing and a curse — there was no escaping that the education and the expectations were a bit higher.

“I think I got an A, but I worked my butt off for it. I think the hardest I worked in high school was for that A from my mother,” Meagan said.

Despite being shy, Meagan ultimately found her voice through theater, allowing her passion for musicals to outweigh her stage fright.

In her sophomore year, she landed the lead in a production of Crazy for You, based on the Ken Ludwig book,

44 MONTECITO JOURNAL

popularized by the music of George Gershwin.

Excited nervousness ensued, but wasn’t apparent to others, according to Will Conlin, a lifelong friend Harmon met on this production.

Conlin saw her come into her own in that lead role which Meagan still points to as a turning point for herself.

A couple of years later, Harmon and Conlin went on to co-directing City of Angels, which involved not only organizing the staff, but also taking on two acting roles each in the production.

It was the leadership that she showed that gave Conlin a front-row view of what was to come as Meagan began to create her path away from Lompoc.

“She was able to corral egos and find a middle ground for contradicting opinions,” said Conlin, now a TV and film director. “It was the first time where I saw the potential for politics.”

A Woman of Wellesley . . . and Harvard . . . and New York University

But politics weren’t yet Harmon’s aim as she set out to attend theater school. But none of her applications received the necessary bite.

After vacations in Martha’s Vineyard — her family was intrigued by the Kennedys— Meagan developed an interest in college life on the East Coast.

It was ultimately Rose Kennedy’s regret of not attending the all-female Wellesley College that landed Meagan in the Northeast.

“My mom, on a whim, said, ‘Why don’t you just apply there?’ You know, if it’s good enough for Rose Kennedy . . .”

Over the next four years she would discover that her talents didn’t lie in being an actress, thanks to a blunt teacher, and sees this as the moment she found her voice as a female, accepting that her own intellect was worthy of empowerment. Something she realized her mom had been teaching her that all along.

“I’m only limited by how hard I’m willing to work,” Meagan said.

Her time at Wellesley showed her that she belonged in academia and because the 2008 Great Recession limited job opportunities, Meagan remained on the East Coast, earning a Master of Arts in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard and a Doctor of Law from New York University.

A Woman of ‘Wanderlust’

According to Harmon, her mother wanted her family to travel, taking Meagan to not only the East Coast, but also Europe — with a lifetime of “wanderlust” ensuing.

“She always wanted me to know that the world is such a huge, huge, remarkable place. That was her priority for us growing up,” Meagan said.

It started in high school, where she led the fundraising efforts as a Cabrillo Madrigal to get her chorale unit to Ireland, where they toured and performed for two weeks.

At Wellesley, she was able to experience Israel and Morocco.

But it was after earning her degree at Harvard when she took the biggest leap of faith — a one-year position with a German emergency aid nonprofit, Welthungerhilfe, in Afghanistan.

While working at a hipster coffee shop in Brooklyn, Meagan sent out in excess of 300 job applications, focused on international aid. During a work shift, she received a call from Welthungerhilfe, indicating that her future boss had a two-hour layover in New York and wanted to meet Meagan in Bryant Park.

A few days later, Meagan was on a plane to Kabul.

She experienced the war-torn country, going from town to town, assessing needs, and rolling up her sleeves to help. She built toilets and connected roads, all while surrounded by bombings and kidnappings.

But it was in those simple acts where she had another epiphany — while her aspiration was to change the world on a grand scale, she realized that doing the small, everyday things at the community level is where true impact is made.

“That’s the bread and butter of what I’m doing on City Council,” Meagan said. “It wasn’t simple in Afghanistan by any means, but it’s comparatively simpler here, and it’s central to us building community.”

A Woman of Family

For Meagan, it was important to return to the South Coast, where she could apply her worldly lessons learned to a community that ultimately had her heart.

After finishing her law degree at NYU and meeting her husband, Nick, in New York, their journey led them back to California, where they both worked in Los Angeles, with Meagan a law associate with Morrison & Foerster LLP. But they had returned to the West Coast with the want of having family around as they started their own. So as soon as possible they made their way to Santa Barbara.

Maura, now four years old, became Meagan’s purpose, also shaping her vision for how she can truly aid in building a community suitable for her daughter — as well as all the city’s children.

“Maybe the most important service that a person can do, at least in this phase of life, is to take a look at her neighborhood,” Meagan said. “When I had my child, I realized the importance of serving the people right here at home.”

“Embrace good smells. No cost, no calories, no energy, no time - a quick hit of pleasure.” – Gretchen Rubin

A Woman of Politics

Running for City Council in 2019 was Meagan’s first brush with politics, other than her appreciation of The West Wing, but according to Dave Davis, she had a distinct advantage because knew how to navigate the law.

After initially supporting another candidate during the City Council race, Davis was intrigued by Harmon’s background. Beside his keen interest in Afghanistan, he liked her platform that dealt with affordable housing and the vitality of downtown, with District 6 responsible for the downtown corridor.

Davis met Meagan at Earth Day 2019, handing her a card and telling her she could reach out any time.

She did, and a mentorship was born.

“She understood the nuances of land use; you just don’t see that in rookies,” Davis said. “That gave her a huge leg up in making an impact much faster.”

The bulk of Meagan’s term on the Council has been during the COVID19 pandemic, with her district deeply impacted due to businesses that struggled with the ramifications of mandated statewide shutdowns.

But it was her commitment to walking around her neighborhood that aided in making sure business owners were heard, becoming a resource to help them navigate the complicated process of getting federal, statewide, and local help.

“She got out there and connected, even in a time when connecting was difficult,” said Cathy Murillo, Santa Barbara’s mayor.

During the pandemic, Harmon has been supportive of State Street being closed to traffic, allowing restaurants to set up outside in order to prioritize health and the economy. And she is in favor of keeping it that way, with some adjustments.

“It won’t be in this form because I think people get a little freaked out. Like there’s some places that don’t look very Santa Barbara,” said Meagan, who faces re-election for her Council spot in 2021. “And I think we’ll make that transition as a community. We just have to give each other some grace, but I’m excited about the possibilities.”

For Davis, it’s about the potential he sees in Meagan and her family.

“They reflect the future of Santa Barbara, the people that care,” Davis said.

That overarching affection has shown positively with downtown, and Meagan can now paint with a broader stroke with the Coastal Commission.

“Decisions are going to be made on who gets to live here and how they get to live here,” Meagan said.

“I want to be a part of that conversation.”

•MJ 13 – 20 May 2021

Our Town (Continued from page 20 20))

Sean O’Brien with his Pintograph art

Ethan Turpin demoing his art, “Video Organism,” at MSME

similar themes in both installation and performance. A cyclical process has emerged, wherein my observations of public participants with an installation, on the one hand, and my experience with dancers and audience, on the other, create a feedback loop of cross-influence in my ongoing exploration. I believe a community that moves – that dances – is a healthy community. Many of my interactive installations are designed to facilitate moving one’s body, and opening up to the body without going through the mind. Especially during the pandemic, I’m interested in inspiring the community to engage with their kinesthetic awareness and expand mindfulness through movement.”

Ethan Turpin’s “Video Organism” is a video feedback loop and human interplay with that video, visually correlating to sacred geometry models in art, you the human become one in the video playback loop and thus one with the geometry. And yes Jobs, it’s done without computers. While demoing his work for the photo for this article, he explained, “Feedback systems appear at many scales in our relationships with nature and each other.

As with a conversation between two people, the unpredictability of weather, the turbulence of fire or water, they can be confounding in their lack of linear causality and fascinating in what they produce. The ‘Video Organism’ is produced in the looping relationship between a camera and its projector, each pointed at the same blank wall.

The pixels of both begin lining up to continually grow patterns, using but not requiring physical interactions from the artist or the public. This emergent content can evoke both natural patterns, like bacteria and storms, or cultural patterns, like glyphs and mandalas. As an artist, I’ve learned to carefully arrange and tune the system, but it is never entirely in anyone’s control. The fact that such imagery arises from consumer electronics and 13 – 20 May 2021

without a computer is ever-startling.

Within the complexity, visual tensions between chaos and order, nature and culture, are revealed from within the tools of video. I’m interested in placing this phenomenology in a variety of art, science, and metaphysical contexts to see and share in what ideas also emerged.”

Sound Vibes

Stepping into the sound room to sing your vibrations into a standard microphone which translates your sound vibes into waveforms and audio, you are creating art with your own sounds, is the work of Xindi Kang and Rodney DuPlessis titled, “Oscilla.” The wave forms can borderline Fibonacci’s nautilus drawings on steroids and in color. While Xindi demoed the work, my thoughts went to “Lateralus” by American progressive metal band Tool. How did they do this? Rodney explains, “Oscilla engages the audience to explore acoustics and patterns with their voice in a machine-human duet. The audience brings Oscilla to life with their voice, and in return Oscilla provides auditory and visual feedback, opening a path for self-discovery. I am a composer, multimedia artist, and programmer.

My research and artistic practice in general intersects science, software, and music. I am interested in creating powerful sonic and multimedia experiences grounded in scientific models of physics, chemistry, biology, thermodynamics, and meta-science. The natural world is filled with processes and patterns that are intrinsically musical. Through my work, I aim to reveal this musicality and to evoke an aesthetic or internalized understanding of otherwise intangible ideas.”

Xindi is also is a researcher and artist working with interactive media, interfacing between human and technologies through voice and movements, human computer interaction and user

experience design. She designs experiences that inspire the users to see and hear themselves in different ways.

“HeartSpace” was created by the team of Alan Macy, Dave Zaboski, Alex Stahl, Dominique Reboul, and Garrett Staab. This work makes it a reality that we are connected, even at a distance of six to eight feet, by the energetic beating of our hearts, which creates a vibration through space. Yes you really did reach out even when masked and distanced, and this interactive work demonstrates it. While one person stands in front of a metal globe and places their hands on it, up to three other participants stand on e-connected platforms around it and create a visual color pattern on a screen mirror. Macy says, “The ‘HeartSpace’ project concept originated with Zaboski, and is an exploration of the bioenergetic systems that create a foundation for our conscious presence. Through the use of specialized technology, ‘HeartSpace’ reveals the expression of fundamental rhythmic processes that underlie life, and our connection to the world and to each other. Zaboski is a classically trained painter, illustrator, and former Senior Animator with Disney, Sony, and Warner Bros. (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Tarzan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Fantasia 2000). Reboul assisted on project appearance conceptualization and fabricated the installation exterior. Stahl developed the inner circuit workings and the rotating floating display. Staab assisted in all areas.

Macy designed the electrocardiogram biopotential measurement element.”

Sean O’Brien’s Pintograph drawing machine, where he sets the timing of four different rotating discs at variable speeds that work together to drive a single pen and thus produce geometric art over the course of 12 or more hours, uses chaos theory with different outcomes each time.

This is his fifth machine; the first was made with school kids and used a harmonograph with pendulums to

• The Voice of the Village •

move the pen. Watching the wheels go round led me to ponder the immutable reference the drawings being made are fractal science images and... would Maurits Cornelis Escher want to manipulate the timings of the discs, add more pens with varied tip points and loop them to a gravitational pulley?!

Pulling us into the “fabric” of her thought-provoking work on consumerism, Elisa Ortega Montilla’s “Soft Gravity,” showcased in the museum’s front window, is a direct opposition to the high-end shopping mall that sports MSME. While inside her work, “Guardarropa,” created with found objects in hosiery knotted into vertical shapes she says are feminine, and displayed hanging in a small room, the message is suggested and interpretively yours as you navigate around the objects. Her artist statement is: “My art addresses themes of memory, transformation, and identity through materials that have been discarded, deconstructed, and reconstructed, in a studio-based practice that revolves around experimentation while questioning our culture of consumption.

I mix the found and the made, the new and the old; tradition and experimentation, the mass-produced and the handmade; my Spanish values and American experience, the present and the past.”

Meditative works can be enjoyed by viewing David C. Roy’s “Deja Vu,” a wood carved kinetic sculpture displayed in the museum’s front window, in constant motion. And with Doug Lochner’s “Gravity 2.0” and “Trinity,” both from his series of soothing and healing sculptures exploring gravity and the principles of Zen. Trinity is made of glass and Gravity is made of steel. Each are free-hanging vertical rectangles, and wrapped around a forged iron hanger.

•MJ 411: https://seehearmove.com 120 South Hope Avenue, Suite F119, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 MONTECITO JOURNAL

45

Notice Inviting Bids

PUBLIC NOTICE City of Santa Barbara

FY21A Water Main Replacement Project

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Santa Barbara will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, during the afternoon session of the meeting, which begins at 2:00 p.m. The meeting will be conducted electronically. On Thursday, May, 20, 2021 an Agenda with all items to be heard on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 will be available online at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CAP. The Agenda includes instructions for participation in the meeting. If you wish to participate in the public hearing, please follow the instructions on the posted Agenda.

Bid No. 4023 1.

Bid Submission. The City of Santa Barbara (“City”) will accept electronic bids for its FY21A WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT (“Project”), by or before Wednesday June 16, 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 submitted/uploaded to PlanetBids, so plan accordingly. 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.

If any Addendum issued by the City is not acknowledged online by the Bidder, the PlanetBids System will prevent the Bidder from submitting a Bid Proposal. 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 various locations throughout the City of Santa Barbara and is described as follows: Replacement of various water mains throughout the City of Santa Barbara as follows: Location

From

To

La Colina Rd

Verano Dr.

La Cumbre Rd

S Ontare Rd

State St.

San Gabriel Lane

San Pedro Lane

S Ontare Rd

3523 San Pablo Lane

Santa Maria Lane

3647 Santa Maria Lane

3520 Santa Maria Lane

Broadmoor Plaza

State St.

48 Broadmoor Plaza

Richland Dr.

3453 Richland Dr.

3405 Richland Dr.

W. Calle Laureles

State St.

Del La Vina St.

De La Vina St.

W. Calle Laureles

Arden Rd

Treasure Dr.

Tallant Rd

Calle Real

W. Valerio St.

Calle Canyon

Calle Cerrito

Calle Canyon

1640 Calle Canyon

W. Valerio St.

La Marina

Cliff Dr.

Shoreline Dr.

Barranca Ave

Del Sol Ave

Luneta PLaza

Ocean Ave

Del Sol Ave

100 Ocean Ave

Castillo St.

W. Cota St.

W. Haley St.

W. Haley St.

Castillo St.

De La Vina St.

Palm Ave

Santa Barbara St.

Garden St.

2.2 Time for Final Completion. The Project must be fully completed within 240 working days from the start date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. City anticipates that the Work will begin on or about July 12, 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 $6,200,000.

3.

License and Registration Requirements.

3.1 License. This Project requires a valid California contractor’s license for the following classification(s): Class A – General Engineering Contractor.

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) 8846155.

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.

10.

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.

11.

Mandatory Bidders’ Conference. A bidders’ conference will be held online using Go To Meeting software on Wednesday May, 26, 2021 at 9:30 AM, accessed through the following link: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/854787853 to acquaint all prospective bidders with the Contract Documents and the Worksite. As an alternative, bidders may call (646)749-3112 and access the meeting using Access Code 854787-853. The bidders’ conference is mandatory. A bidder who fails to have a representative attend the mandatory bidders’ conference will be disqualified from bidding.

By: ___________________________________

Date: ________________

William Hornung, CPM, General Services Manager Publication Date: May 12, 2021 END OF NOTICE INVITING BIDS

46 MONTECITO JOURNAL

The hearing is to consider the adoption of the City of Santa Barbara 2020 Enhanced Urban Water Management Plan, addendum to the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan, and 2021 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, according to the requirements of California Water Code Division 6, Part 2.6, Chapter 3, commencing with § 10620. A copy of the proposed Enhanced Urban Water Management Plan is available for public review online at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/WaterVision. The preparation and adoption of the Enhanced Urban Water Management Plan is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under California Water Code § 10652.

You are invited to attend this public hearing and address your verbal comments to the City Council. Written comments are also welcome up to the time of the hearing, and should be addressed to the City Council via the City Clerk’s Office by sending them electronically to Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

In order to promote social distancing and prioritize the public’s health and well-being, the City Council currently holds all meetings electronically. As a public health and safety precaution, the council chambers will not be open to the general public. Councilmembers and the public may participate electronically.

(SEAL)

Sarah Gorman, MMC City Clerk Services Manager 5/12/2021 Published May 12 and May 19, 2021 Montecito Journal

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Teeny Bikini, 19 East Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Christina Menchaca, 515 West Valerio, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on May 5, 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. 2021-0001298.

Published May 12, 19, 26, June 2, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOTO DESIGN; MOTO TATOO; MOTO Design Studio, 4467 La Paloma, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Kimberly Mather Neill, 4467 La Paloma, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 26, 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. 2021-0001194.

Published May 12, 19, 26, June 2, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Bonilla Trucking, 4755 Garret St., Guadalupe, CA 93434. Victor Bonilla Cuellar, 4755 Garret St., Guadalupe, CA 93434. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on May 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

“If peace had a smell, it would be the smell of a library full of old, leather-bound books.” – Mark Pryor

Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2021-0001288.

Published May 12, 19, 26, June 2, 2021 STATEMENT OF WITHDRAWAL FROM PARTNERSHIP OPERATING UNDER A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME: Fictitious Business Name of the Partnership: Harmony Interior Design, 528 San Blas Place, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. Name of Person Withdrawing: Anneli Helena Clavering, 11 San Marcos Trout Club, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 7, 2021. Original FBN No. 2019-0000805, filed April 2, 2019.

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. 2021-0000995.

Published April 28, May 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Currently Welding, 318 South H St, Lompoc, CA, 93436. Dylan T Shelly, 20 Stanford Cir, Lompoc, CA, 93436. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on March 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. 2021-0000602.

Published April 28, May 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SBMIDMOD, 223 Anacapa Street #C, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. Tracey Strobel, 1311 West Valerio Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 16, 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

13 – 20 May 2021

On Entertainment (Continued from page 33 33)) CITY OF SANTA BARBARA - GENERAL SERVICES DIVISION PO BOX 1990, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93102-1990

INVITATION FOR BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received via electronic transmission on the City of Santa Barbara PlanetBids portal site until the date and time indicated below at which time they will be publicly opened and posted for: BID NO. 5900 DUE DATE & TIME: JUNE 3, 2021 UNTIL 3:00 P.M. ANNUAL LEAD ABATEMENT AND CLEAN UP AT SBPD INDOOR GUN RANGE Scope of Work: The City is seeking bids to contract with an experienced abatement/remediation contractor who is licensed to perform lead removal at the Police Department Indoor Gun Range.

Bidders must be registered on the city of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids portal in order to receive addendum notifications and to submit a bid. Go to PlanetBids for bid results and awards. It is the responsibility of the bidder to submit their bid with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. The receiving deadline is absolute. Allow time for technical difficulties, uploading, and unexpected delays. Late or incomplete Bid will not be accepted.

A pre-bid meeting will not be held. Site access will be provided upon applicant request via email to Nathaniel Brock at nbrock@sbpd.com All questions asked to City that are not already answered within this document shall be posed thru Planet Bids.

FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE ACT Contractor agrees in accordance with Section 1735 and 1777.6 of California Labor Code, and the California Fair Employment Practice Act (Sections 1410-1433) that in the hiring of common or skilled labor for the performance of any work under this contract or any subcontract hereunder, no contractor, material supplier or vendor shall, by reason of age (over 40), ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, sex, gender identity and expression, marital status, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics), national origin, race, religious belief, or sexual orientation, discriminate against any person who is qualified and available to perform the work to which such employment relates. The Contractor further agrees to be in compliance with the City of Santa Barbara’s Nondiscriminatory Employment Provisions as set forth in Chapter 9 of the Santa Barbara Municipal Code.

BONDING Bidders are hereby notified that a Payment Bond in the amount of 100% of the bid total will be required from the successful bidder for bids exceeding $25,000. The bond must be provided with ten (10) calendar days from notice of award and prior to the performance of any work. The bond must be signed by the bidder and a corporate surety, who is authorized to issue bonds in the State of California.

If the renewal options are exercised, new bonds shall be provided.

PREVAILING WAGE, APPRENTICES, PENALTIES, & CERTIFIED PAYROLL In accordance with the provisions of Labor Code § 1773.2, the Contractor is responsible for determining the correct prevailing wage rates. However, the City will provide wage information for projects subject to Federal Davis Bacon requirements. The Director of Industrial Relations has determined the general prevailing rates of wages and employer payments for health, welfare, vacation, pensions and similar purposes applicable, which is on file in the State of California Office of Industrial Relations. The contractor shall post a copy of these prevailing wage rates at the site of the project. It shall be mandatory upon the contractor to whom the contract is awarded and its subcontractors hired to pay not less than the said prevailing rates of wages to all workers employed by him in the execution of the contract (Labor Code § 1770 et seq.).

Prevailing wage rates are available at http://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/PWD/index.htm It is the duty of the contractor and subcontractors to employ registered apprentices and to comply with all aspects of Labor Code § 1777.5.

There are penalties required for contractor’s/subcontractor’s failure to pay prevailing wages and for failure to employ apprentices, including forfeitures and debarment under Labor Code §§ 1775, 1776, 1777.1, 1777.7 and 1813.

Under Labor Code § 1776, contractors and subcontractors are required to keep accurate payroll records. The prime contractor is responsible for submittal of their payrolls and those of their subcontractors as one package. Payroll records shall be certified and made available for inspection at all reasonable hours at the principal office of the contractor/subcontractor pursuant to Labor Code § 1776.

The contractor and all subcontractors under the direct contractor shall furnish certified payroll records directly to the Labor Compliance Unit and to the department named in the Purchase Order/Contract at least monthly, and within ten (10) days of any request from any request from the City or the Labor Commissioner in accordance with Section 16461 of the California Code of Regulations. Payroll records shall be furnished in a format prescribed by section 16401 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, with use of the current version of DIR's “Public Works Payroll Reporting Form” (A-1-131) and “Statement of Employer Payments” (DLSE Form PW26) constituting presumptive compliance with this requirement, provided the forms are filled out accurately and completely. In lieu of paper forms, the Compliance Monitoring Unit may provide for and require the electronic submission of certified payroll reports. The provisions of Article 2 and 3, Division 2, Chapter 1 of the Labor Code, State of California, are made by this reference a part of this quotation or bid.

A contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of Section 4104 of the Public Contract Code, or engage in the performance of any contract for public work, as defined in this chapter, unless currently licensed to perform the work and registered pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5 without limitation or exception. It is not a violation of this section for an unlicensed contractor to submit a bid that is authorized by Section 7029.1 of the Business and Professions Code or by Section 20103.5 of the Public Contract Code, provided the contractor is registered to perform public work pursuant to Section 1725.5 at the time the contract is awarded.

This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations.

CERTIFICATIONS In accordance with California Public Contracting Code § 3300, the City requires the Contractor to possess a valid California HAZ – Hazardous Substance Removal contractor’s license at time the bids are opened and to continue to hold during the term of the contract all licenses and certifications required to perform the work specified herein.

CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE Contractor must submit to the contracted department within ten (10) calendar days of an order, AND PRIOR TO START OF WORK, certificates of Insurance naming the City of Santa Barbara as Additional Insured in accordance with the attached Insurance Requirements. ________________________ William Hornung, C.P.M. General Services Manager

original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2021-0001072.

Published April 28, May 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Mission Scholars, 1330 State Street, Suite 201, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101.

Santa Barbara Education Foun-

13 – 20 May 2021

Published: May 12, 2021 Montecito Journal

dation, 1330 State Street, Suite 201, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 12, 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. 2021-0001026. Published April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Predictable Esthetics, 300 Garnet Way, Santa Maria, CA, 93454. Isaac Balderas, 300 Garnet Way, Santa Maria, CA, 93454. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of

Santa Barbara County on March 26, 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. 2021-0000876. Published April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

filmmaker’s “fascinating story” isn’t as well-known as most successful directors.

The 5 pm conversation on May 26 will be followed by a moderated Q&A with audience members submitted questions via chat.

Iyer is also August’s featured presenter in Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Illuminate Speaker Series. Iyer will talk about his own approach to resilience, gratitude, and hope in a one-hour talk at 6 pm on August 18. Register for the free event at www.hospiceofsb.org/hsbseries.

The Arlington Theatre Turns 90

The Arlington Theatre has hosted its share of movie magic projected on its big screen in front of 2,000 people ever since it was built in 1931 on the former site of the luxurious Arlington Hotel, which had been destroyed in the 1925 earthquake. The largest indoor venue in town was designed to be reminiscent of a colonial Spanish town boasting a fountain and villas, with often amusing results when the venue hosts rock concerts and comedians among dozens of live performances annually. Now, after a yearplus of closure due to COVID concerns, the grand dame run by Metropolitan Theatres is getting ready to reopen just in time to mark its 90th anniversary.

A three-day celebration is set to take place over the May 21-23 weekend with daily screenings of the classic escapist films E.T., Ghostbusters, and Blade Runner the Final Cut. Tickets, already on sale at www.MetroTheatres.com, cost $5 and include a free popcorn at the concession stand.

Saturday’s celebration will kick off with a free, live performance featuring the Santa Barbara Theatre Organ Society with special guest organist Adam Aceto, who will play the Arlington’s Great Theatre Pipe Organ, a 1928 RobertMorton Wonder Morton of which only five were ever made. Admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Metro Moves Closer to Normal

The Metro 4 Theatre at 618 State Street has joined Fiesta 5 Theatre at 916 State Street and Goleta’s Camino Real Cinemas on Marketplace Drive in hosting regular screenings of newly released movies, with two more of Metropolitan Theatres’ screens set to join them this month. The Fairview Theatre (255 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta) throws open its doors on May 14.

Focus on Film: Short on Science

The Tipping Point was created as part of the Carsey-Wolf Center’s GreenScreen Environmental Documentary production program. The 15-minute film explores the local Santa Barbara organizations and scientists who are fighting back against the defunding and the suppression of science in today’s changing political climate in an effort to safeguard both scientific methods and help heal our planet for generations to come. The short premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival back in 2018. Director Danielle Cohen chats with SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling over Zoom at 1 pm on May 13, in the next episode of SBIFF’s Film Talk.

Symphony’s ‘Triumph’ Over COVID

Using a word like “triumph” wantonly is a bit disingenuous, but surely the Santa Barbara Symphony’s success in becoming one of a handful of performing arts organizations in the country to create a way to continue both concert performances and music education programs qualifies. What has been arguably the most innovative and inspirational season in its six-decade history comes to a close with this weekend’s concert entitled Triumph featuring Maestro Nir Kabaretti and the full orchestra assembled together on stage at the Granada Theatre for the first time since the pandemic protocols shut everything down last spring.

On Entertainment Page 504 504 MONTECITO JOURNAL

47

Way It Was (Continued from page 26)

Program for the extravaganza production of The Gift of Eternal Life, which was written by Albert Herter and featured Ruth St. Denis, Albert Herter, and David Imboden in the lead roles (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Albert Herter stands before his monumental mural in Salle 1830 in the Palace of Versailles. Bridge was his principal assistant. (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

the First World War, historian Mark Levitch writes, “The light was poor and the room so cold and drafty that Herter, Bridge, and another assistant had to wear layers of clothes under heavy jackets and drink rum to keep warm.”

Rum notwithstanding, Albert created a deeply moving and illuminating scene entitled Le Départ des Poilus, Août 1914 (The Departure of Troops from Gare de l’Est). It was full of pathos and human emotion, and in one corner included images of the Herter family among the people on the platform saying goodbye to loved ones.

Bridge painted Bea Godsol with Sealyham Terriers in 1930. At the time, Godsol was considered the most gifted judge on the dog show circuit and played a key role in the sport. Her passion was breeding Newfoundlands, and she had a reputation for an unerring eye for quality in all breeds. Her portrait, a gift of Ronald H. Menaker, is exhibited at the Museum of the Dog in New York City. (Courtesy of American Kennel Club, Museum of the Dog)

48 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Vagabond on the Road

By the late 1920s, Dwight and Caroline’s marriage was unraveling, but they both worked behind the scenes for Albert Herter’s last theatrical gift to the people of Santa Barbara, The Gift of Eternal Life. The extravagant production, starring Herter, Ruth St. Denis and David Imboden, opened March 21, 1929, at the Lobero Theatre. Caroline played one of the winged Devas, which are divine celestial beings.

By 1930, however, Dwight was back in St. Louis hosting an exhibit of his work at the Coronado Hotel. He also spent several weeks in Dayton, Ohio, to paint portraits. The review of his painting of Joseph Dart, Jr., manager of West Virginia coal mines, was glowing.

“Mr. Bridge has caught the youthfulness of the eyes… A palatable looking drink half fills a glass in the right hand while a half-burned cigarette is in the other hand, and the naturalness of the pose is remarkable.”

Caroline, meanwhile, had become a partner in a gift store called Cosas del Hogar in Santa Barbara’s El Paseo complex. For all intents and purposes, the marriage was over.

In 1933, professing that he wanted no part of money he hadn’t earned, Dwight divorced Caroline and gave her the entirety of his inheritance. In that year, Caroline moved to Ojai.

Dwight had also begun to question the true value of his art. He believed the enormous prices he was getting were based more on the élan of his inherited wealth, his elegant New York apartment, and the expensive parties that he gave rather than on the merit of his art. He felt that inheriting great wealth was a great obstruction and stifled self-actualization.

“I’m going to give my fortune away

Caroline played a winged Deva in Act 3 (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

and prove that an ‘impractical artist,’ without one cent of money, can work his way around the world and live well besides,” he declared.

He wanted to see what prices his art would fetch if he were an unknown artist, so on March 10, 1933, he ended up on the rail platform in Salina where he disposed of the little money he had left and began his endeavor to test his mettle and work his way around the world.

After the first day spent walking and drawing portraits in exchange for food and lodging, he hitched a ride to Denver. Unable to get work there, he borrowed $10 from a friend to get to Colorado Springs where he found work painting doors and window sashes for $6. News of his unique adventure got out, and the local newshounds descended.

Publicity brought him a commission to paint a $200 portrait (the going rate in New York had been $2,000). He used the money to buy a plane ticket to California where he visited his sons and managed to get enough portrait work to pay his first-class passage to Honolulu. There

“The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us.” – Marcel Proust

Dwight became very popular as a portrait painter in Shanghai, but only one portrait was of a Chinese person

he stayed with fellow WWI camouflager William Twigg-Smith and his wife. The Hawaiians were less impressed with his story, however, and business was slim, so he only had enough money for a third-class ticket to Yokohama, Japan.

13 – 20 May 2021

behind him, though he continued to take on commissions to paint portraits.

In 1954, for instance, Carroll S. Alden, retired professor of the U.S. Naval Academy, wrote Dwight a laudatory letter for the portrait he had painted of him. Alden said that the whole family, “seem to find real life in the painting.”

“Of course, as the subject,” Alden wrote, “I am not a competent judge; if, however, you are interested in my own opinion, the portrait is unmistakably similar to what I have often seen in the mirror, though somewhat idealized… I am grateful to you for your careful work and I thank you for making the sittings, never prolonged or tedious, really delightful occasions.”

John Dwight Bridge, the hobo artist, died in Palm Beach in 1974.

Left to right, Lydia Herter (Albert and Adele’s daughter), Elaine Herter (Everit Jr.’s wife), Adele Herter, and Caroline Herter Bridge in 1940. Like Dwight, Caroline would enlist for service during WWII. (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum) John Dwight Bridge had a studio in Walpole, New Hampshire, at the family’s summer home. This arrangement of items from his friend’s tool shed was intended for a magazine illustration but also reflects the vagabond life he preferred. (Courtesy of Guyette & Deeter, Inc.)

“I’m going to give my fortune away and prove that an ‘impractical artist,’ without one cent of money, can work his way around the world and live well besides.”

— John Dwight Bridge One of 130 portraits that Dwight Bridge drew during his convalescence after WWII is of Captain M.L. Marquette, the director of the hospital in Palm Beach, Florida.

When he arrived, the Japanese authorities arrested him for having no money and deported him to Shanghai, which they considered “the port of all good tramps.” There he met a friend from St. Louis who arranged for Dwight to paint a portrait of Judge Purdy of the American Court in China. The painting was exhibited at the American Club there, and soon commissions for portraits flowed in.

With the exception of one portrait, however, that of Mrs. Luther Chang, sister-in-law of the Chinese minister in Shanghai, they were all of Americans living in China. He was able to raise his prices to $500 per painting and moved into a luxurious suite at the Metropole Hotel in Shanghai and hired a servant. He was also allowed back into Japan.

Hitchhiking Hobo

In December 1933, Dwight was able to buy a first-class ticket back to the United States. In an interview with a St. Louis newspaper, he expounded on his theories about money.

“To have more than $300 at a time just complicates life, and I detest complications,” he explained. “I’m what might be called a hobo artist, an itinerant painter, who paints where he goes.”

For the next several years, Dwight traveled by hitchhiking from town to town and sought work painting portraits. Before leaving a place, he would either spend all the money he made on commissions or give it away. His baggage consisted of only a toothbrush, razor, passport, diary, and corn-cob pipe.

He shaved every three days because a rough looking beard decreased his

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13 – 20 May 2021

chance of getting a lift. He slept in haystacks, trucks, Salvation Army quarters, jails, barns, and, when he was flush, luxurious hotels.

For meals, Dwight went to the nearest hamburger stand or restaurant and offered to clean up or wash dishes for a meal, always asking for less than he needed and doing more work than was actually expected of him. Family stories say that if he ever had to run out on a bill, he’d send the money later with the earnings from the next commission.

Dwight continued the vagabond life until WWII, when he rejoined the armed forces as a camouflager for the AAF. He was wounded and spent a great deal of time in hospitals in Palm Beach, Florida. While there, he drew more than 130 portraits of doctors, nurses, staff, and other patients.

His vagabond days seemed to be

Editor’s note: The following sources were used in this report: Ancestry.com resources; newspaper articles at Santa Barbara Historical Museum and newspapers.com; Community Arts Association drama programs; Massachusetts Historical Society – Herter Collection; Blog by Lynn Bridge; “Camoupedia” by Roy R. Behrens, blog; “Santa Barbara School of the Arts,” Noticias, Vol XL. Nos. 3,4, 1994; “En Souvenir” by Mark Levitch, 2020, Portraits of Remembrance: Painting, Memory, and the First World War; and M.A. DeWolfe’s Memoirs of the Harvard Dead in the War Against Germany; vol. 3, pp. 229-247. Many thanks to Caroline Bridge Armstrong; Mike Stevenson of Guyette & Deeter, Inc.; Alan Fausel, executive director of the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog; and Chris Ervin of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.

•MJ 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.

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.

Books:

“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)

“There is no healing without heartwork, intimately tending to the wounds we’ve been avoiding for so long. In this powerful and beautiful book, Radhule Weininger will help you find the courage, pathways, and clarity needed to embrace this life with love.”

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m d, P h d

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• The Voice of the Village •

Also see free daily meditations at: mindfulheartprograms.org mindfulheartprograms.org/elders radhuleweiningerphd.com radhule@gmail.com | 805-455-6205 MONTECITO JOURNAL

49

On Entertainment (Continued from page 47 47)) Award-winning pianist Awadagin Pratt, who has played at the White House and Carnegie Hall, on Sesame Street and with nearly every major orchestra in the U.S., serves as soloist for Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major” in the program that also features Benjamin Britten’s “Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92.” The local luminary featured for this show is Joseph Malvinni, a 13-year-old student who was one of the winners of the 2021 Santa Barbara Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. He will perform the first movement of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “Concerto for Guitar in D Major,” backed by the orchestra.

The recorded performance will be livestreamed at 7 pm on May 15, and 3 pm on May 16, serving as a segue to live audiences once again returning to the concert halls for the 2021-22 season. Visit https://thesymphony.org for details and tickets.

Dance Dimensions: CST Plans a Re-emerge Festival

Center Stage Theater earlier this month hosted its first live performance with an audience in nearly 14 months via a Westmont College concert, which has only whetted its appetite for more live stuff at the Paseo Nuevo venue. The plan is to create a hybrid festival featuring both digital submissions tapes at the theater and live performances in front of COVID-compliant audiences.

CST is partnering with Brandon Whited as artistic director/curator along with Meredith Cabaniss in coordinating events co-produced by The UCSB Initiative for New & Reimagined Work.

The plan is to create three or four different programs, based on submissions, that will be performed June 17-20 at Center Stage, with the audience size determined by what the state and county rules are at that time. There is no charge for any of the performers and rehearsal/shooting time is part of the package. The submission deadline is May 14; find forms and the complete details on the Center Stage Blog at https://centerstagetheatersbdotblog. wordpress.com.

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Mary Jane, the latest novel from The Wonder Bread Summer author Jessica Anya Blau, has been called Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones & The Six for its funny and wise story about a 14-year-old girl’s coming of age in early 1970s Baltimore, where she’s caught between her strait-laced family and the more progressive one she nannies for — the latter of which happens to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer. That mashup/comparison might sound a little self-righteous, but be aware that none other than belove High Fidelity and Fever Pitch author Nick Hornby raved: “I LOVED this novel... If you have ever sung along to a hit on the radio, in any decade, then you will devour Mary Jane at 45 rpm.” Blau — who co-wrote the script for the film Love on the Run, sometimes works as a ghost writer and has taught writing at Johns Hopkins University and The Fashion Institute of Technology — talks about Mary Jane with fellow writer Joanna Rakoff, author of the novel A Fortunate Age and the international bestselling memoir My Salinger Year, which was released as a feature film starring Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley last March. Tune in at 7 pm on May 17.

Santa Barbara author Kathleen Klawitter was a pioneering golf pro teaching the holistic approach in the early 1990s before sustaining a traumatic brain injury from an errant golf ball. Although the TBI left her faced with relearning how to read, write, and drive, she eventually discovered tools to awaken, deepen, and transform her life on every level. Looking at life with optimism, she found constant comfort in nature and spirit, and eventually became a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and earned the Advanced Toastmaster achievement for the motivational speeches. In her 2020 memoir, Direct Hit: A Golf Pro’s Remarkable Journey Back from Traumatic Brain Injury, Kathleen regales readers with how she reprogrammed her brain using innovative methods, offering her empowering tale to illustrate the immense capacity of the human spirit and serve as inspiration for people who want to optimize the quality of their own lives. Klawitter joins a Chaucer’s Books staffer for the bookstore’s next Virtual Author Discussions at 7 pm on May 18.

•MJ Last Week’s Solution:

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 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.

1

Chaucer’s Choices

3

4

5

1 6

R O B S

T A H O E

A D M I N

G I A N T

S O N G

RADIO

S A M E

A D A G E

S H O R T

S O R E S

C I T Y

CITY

M E S S

A S H E

M U S I C

E V E N T

H E X E S

MUSC

W A S H

K E S H A

6

7 9

3

4

Down 1 Air drops?

2 Play the role of 3 Japanese poem / that uses a specific / syllable structure 4 Word before demons or peace 6 Worker's pre-weekend whoop

PUZZLE #5 1

2

3

1 4

7

6

6

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9

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50 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Across 1 "Sit tight!"

5 Nada 6 Skateboarding jump 7 Forebodings 8 Skin problem for dogs

3

S A L T

R A C E R

E R O D E

P A R T Y

O H N O

ARTDECO

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Down 1 Division in a long poem, like Dante's "Inferno" 2 Speak 3 Wash really hard 4 Participates in Black Friday, say 5 Hip-hop artist with the 2008 hit "Paper Planes"

META PUZZLE 4

5

Down 1 Shows concern, in a way 2 Source of tequila 3 Herb used in pesto 4 Shrimpy or scanty 5 "___ of the d'Urbervilles"

2

Across 1 Be foul-mouthed 5 Potential flame on Tinder 6 Starter course?

7 Wolfed down 8 Crystal balls, e.g.

6

Across 1 Blue Ribbon brewer 6 Peak performance, informally 7 Houses, to José 8 Lesser of two ___ 9 Be a successful pitcher?

STYLE

H A N D S

8

Across 1 Hawaiian fish, informally 5 "All booked up, sorry" 7 Police setup ... or the lead singer of the Police 8 George who played Sulu on "Star Trek" 9 Browse, as the internet

5

S T Y L E

5

8

PUZZLE #4

A L G A E

PUZZLE #3

4

8

2

G A B O N

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3

6

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M O R K

PUZZLE #2

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Down 1 Sports team VIPs 2 Standard sans-serif font 3 Toy truck maker 4 Handbags often made of canvas 6 A lot, but not all

P Y R E

HALL

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Across 1 Actor Damon of "Ford v Ferrari" 5 Sound effect for a 3-Down 7 Bean variety in Mexican cuisine 8 "For goodness' ___!"

9 Place for trailers?

O D E L L

2

5

9

P E T A L

2

3 5

8

Down 1 "The Flintstones" mother 2 British singer Lily of "Smile" 3 Cake topper 4 "___ Boots Are Made for Walkin'" 5 Online video chat platform popularized in 2020

Across 1 Bit of finger-lickin' barbecue 4 Matisse who painted "Goldfish" 6 President of Palestine 7 Crack up 8 Map lines: Abbr.

“Smell is a long-distance sense, a way of stretching time and finding out in advance what lies ahead.” – Lyall Watson

Down 1 Concrete strengthener 2 Like trees that are about to bloom 3 Boasts 4 Evil computer in "2001" 5 Book end?

13 – 20 May 2021

T HA N K YO U! Thanks to you we raised over $71,000 at the Hope Awards! We can do so much more for Santa Barbara's students because of you! We are humbled by your generosity and excited for the future we are able to give our students.

Dennis Forster

It’s not too late! Visit our website at SantaBarbaraEducation.org to donate.

13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

51

NOSH TOWN FARMERS’ MARKET FINDS MAKE FOR SPRING SALAD PERFECTION

by Claudia Schou

W

hen it comes to preparing the perfect spring salad, there’s no better place to start than your local farmers’ market. There you’ll find an abundance of lettuces, spring peas, green beans, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, fennel, radishes, cherries, mangoes, rhubarb, strawberries, Swiss chard, and zucchini in season. Popular herbs include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, mint, rosemary, sage, tarragon, sweet marjoram and thyme. Here are a few recipes you can assemble with herbs and produce that you can enjoy hand-selecting from your favorite local growers.

GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH RADISHES AND PROSCIUTTO

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his recipe calls for aged sherry (instead of vinegar), which gives the dressing an added kick. The Italian meat and ricotta are available at supermarkets and specialty foods stores such as Tino’s Italian Grocery or Nona’s Italian Deli.

Yield: 6 servings Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed 8 radishes, sliced paper-thin 1 3-ounce package thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into thin strips 3 tablespoons aged Sherry 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 1 2-to 3-ounce wedge ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta cheese)

FROM THE KITCHEN BOOKSHELF

What’s For Dinner? by Curtis Stone, Penguin Random House, 2013 elbourne native Curtis Stone honed his skills in London at Café Royal, under legendary three-star Michelin chef Marco Pierre White. He also worked at Mirabelle and the revered Quo Vadis before authoring five cookbooks including Good Food, Good Life and Relaxed Cooking, and hosting Top Chef Masters on Bravo. His latest tome What’s for Dinner? is a creative approach to fresh and fuss-free dinners to share with family and friends any day of the week. Stone’s Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad (see the recipe in this Curtis Stone released What’s For Dinner column) is one of my favorites. in 2013

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SPRING CRUDO WITH FRESH HERBS

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Procedure: 1. Cook beans in a large pot of boiling This green bean salad recipe calls for aged sherry instead salted water until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. of vinegar, adding a new dimension to the dish Drain well; cool.

2. Toss beans, radishes and prosciutto in a large bowl.

3. Whisk sherry, mustard and chives in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.

Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Using vegetable peeler, shave ricotta salata in thin strips over salad.

BLOOD ORANGE, BEET, AND FENNEL SALAD

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ennel is at its peak from fall to early spring but is available year around. Once sliced, the bulb can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a faint flavor of licorice or anise adding a new dimension to your meal. The frond is edible and can be used to garnish your dish. Zesty and refreshing, this fresh take on the classic Moroccan salad pairs shaved fennel and red onion with assorted beets and oranges for color contrast.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients: 2 medium red beets, tops trimmed 2 medium golden beets, tops trimmed 3 blood oranges 1 medium navel orange (preferably Cara Cara) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced on a mandoline (about 1/3 cup) Good-quality extra-virgin olive, This blood orange, beet, and fennel salad is a fresh take on a Moroccan classic pumpkin seed, or walnut oil, for drizzling Coarse sea salt, such as Maldon sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro and/or chervil leaves

52 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Procedure: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash beets, leaving some water on skins. Wrap individually in foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

2. Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut peel and white pith from oranges, discard. Working over a medium bowl, cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into the bowl; squeeze juice from membranes into bowl and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and Cara Cara orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in a bowl with the segments. Add lemon juice and lime juice.

3. Peel cooled beets. Slice 2 beets crosswise into thin rounds. Cut the remaining 2 beets into wedges. Strain citrus juices; reserve. Layer beets and oranges on plates, dividing evenly.

Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper.

4. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

rudo is a popular item on chef’s menus for spring because of its fresh flavor and versatility. Crudo, the Italian word for “raw,” refers to a dish of uncooked stuff — usually fish, shellfish, or meat — dressed in a seasoning, such as olive oil, citrus juice, and/or a vinaigrette.

Top it with fresh herbs, citrus, avocado, and peppers. The possibilities and combinations are endless, and the end result is always delicious. Making it at home is a cinch. You can find some of the best fish and seafood selections on the California coast at Santa Barbara Fish Market, where I go for culinary inspiration. My weekend shopping list usually consists of anchovies (which I serve on crostini with olive oil, lemon, parsley, and a dash of red pepper flakes), thin sliced albacore tuna (for salads), mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops (for seafood pasta). On any given Saturday at 7:30 am you might overhear a customer (sometimes a local chef) discussing ingredients and preparation with one of the fishmongers and then suddenly you’ve been inspired to try something completely new in your kitchen. Knowledgeable and friendly, the staff is always ready to offer suggestions on how to prepare and serve the fish. We recently caught up with Santa Barbara Fish Market’s Travis Riggs to get some tips and crudo recipes from his kitchen.

“Crudo is all about super fresh ingredients,” Riggs said. “Tuna, halibut, salmon, you can make a crudo with almost any ingredient as long as you have great quality fresh fish, acid, and tasty oil.” Riggs experiments with different forms of acid (juice from lemon, lime, or vinegar) or oils (olive, truffle, or avocado...) to create a balanced crudo dish.

CALIFORNIA AHI CRUDO Ingredients: 1/2 pound fresh Big-eye Ahi Tuna 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced or chopped Pistachios, roughly chopped Cilantro, Basil, Chives finely chopped Olive Oil 1 lemon Flaky Salt SICILIAN ALBACORE CRUDO Ingredients: Albacore tuna crudo with mint and parsley, red pepper 1/2 pound fresh albacore tuna and pine nuts.

Sliced black olives Mint and parsley, thinly sliced or chopped Dried Calabrian chilies (or dried red pepper flakes) 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts Truffle oil 1 lemon Flaky salt

“The smell of rain is rich with life.” – Estela Portillo Trambley

13 – 20 May 2021

Procedure: 1. Thinly slice fish (or ask your fishmonger to slice it for you) and arrange it on a plate.

2. Sprinkle the fish with herbs, chilies, and nuts. Finish by sprinkling on some coarse, flaky salt; add lemon and drizzle with oil.

SPRING BAKING EDITOR’S PICK

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he pandemic has taken the decadence out of most of our favorite pleasures, but not this one. In this Ombré Mocha Bundt Cake, whipped coffee creates incredibly colorful and flavorful layers. The coffee helps enhance the chocolate flavor. Vanilla, Dalgona coffee and mocha cake layers come together to make the tastiest bundt, sweetened with a vanilla glaze, then topped with chocolate shavings and chocolate covered espresso beans.

Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 1 hour, 10 minutes Servings: 10-12 Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 1/2 cups sugar 5 eggs 1 cup sour cream 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 3/4 cups, plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided use 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons cocoa powder For the Dalgona coffee: 1/4 cup instant coffee 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup boiling water

CAFE SINCE 1928

For the glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt To garnish: Chocolate shavings Chocolate covered espresso beans Procedure: 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F and prepare bundt pan by spraying with baking spray and using a pastry brush to evenly coat the details of the pan. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Once smooth, mix in eggs one at a time, followed by sour cream and vanilla. Mix until completely smooth.

2. In a separate bowl, combine 3 3/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt, whisking until combined. Before combining wet and dry ingredients, pour your instant coffee, sugar and boiling water into a mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

3. Create a well in the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients, mixing until combined. Separate batter into three bowls (it should come out to about 2 1/2 cups per bowl).

4. Add half of the whipped coffee and remaining tablespoon of flour into one of the bowls of batter and mix until combined. To remaining whipped coffee, whisk in the cocoa until it’s a fudgy consistency. Add the cocoa-coffee mixture to one of the remaining bowls of batter and mix until combined. One of the bowls of batter will remain vanilla flavored.

5. Scoop vanilla batter into prepared Bundt pan and smooth it into one even layer with a spoon or offset spatula. Repeat with coffee mixture and then cocoa mixture.

6. Bake cake at 325° F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake for 10 minutes in the bundt pan and then invert onto a cooling rack, removing the pan once it’s cool to touch.

7. While cake cools, make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt until completely smooth. Pour glaze over the cooled cake and top with chocolate shavings and chocolate covered espresso beans.

•MJ

Still on a pandemic baking frenzy? Try this Ombré Mocha Bundt Cake, finished with chocolate shavings and chocolate-covered espresso beans

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13 – 20 May 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

53

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

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54 MONTECITO JOURNAL

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www.montecitoelectric.com www.montecitoelectric.com 13 – 20 May 2021

On The Record (Continued from page 35 35))

Student’s Suspension Lifted After Lawsuit Filed by Cold Spring School Parent

Less than a week after Cold Spring School parent Amanda Rowan filed a lawsuit claiming that the school’s filing of a restraining order against her was a violation of her free speech rights, the school unilaterally rescinded its one-hour suspension of Rowan’s daughter for posing as Alzina during a Zoom class while using a profile photograph of her pet dog, Mr. Peanut Butter.

According to a letter obtained by the Journal, Rowan’s attorney Tim Carey received a note from Greg Rolen, the district’s counsel, about how the school had decided to lift the suspension as a “good faith” gesture to try to resolve its ongoing and costly legal conflict with Rowan.

“Each attempt at reconciliation has been met instead with further escalation by you and your client,” Rolen wrote. “Initially, when Dr. Alzina informed your client of the one-hour Zoom suspension, Ms. Rowan verbally threatened

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her with litigation. She made good on her threat with multiple cease-anddesist demands, litigation hold letters, public records act requests, and a Uniform Complaint.”

Rolen’s letter to Carey details several back-and-forth discussions about the suspension and other matters relating to the restraining order against Rowan and her subsequent lawsuit against the school.

“As attorneys, we both understand scorched earth wars of attrition,” Rolen stated. “While, from a strategic viewpoint, we appreciate that Ms. Rowan’s deep pockets can be employed to bankrupt the Cold Spring School District (“District”), the collateral casualties are, and always have been, the Cold Spring students.

If Rowan’s child had been an adult when she posed as Alzina, Rolen argued, she could be charged with a misdemeanor crime. He characterized the lifting of the suspension as an “olive branch” aimed at de-escalating the conflict, thus placing the school in the position of being the “adult in the room.”

Despite this development, there is absolutely no indication that Rowan nor her attorneys are backing down.

“The District’s belated decision to withdraw my daughter’s improper suspension is long overdue,” said Rowan in a statement released to the Journal.

“Their misuse of an innocent nine-year-old girl as a pawn to try to leverage us and halt our quest for accountability for the use of public funds, from asking questions, and raising legitimate concerns, is as disturbing and immoral as it was ineffective.”

Rowan added that the concerns held by her and other parents about Cold Spring School go far beyond the suspension of her child.

“We are not stopping until we get the free FCMAT forensic audit parents first pushed for four years ago,” she stated. “What is the district hiding?

FCMAT is the objective ‘adult in the room’ we have been advocating for this entire time. All the district ever had to do is what it should have done anyway: Be honest, transparent, and accountable for its use of public funds.”

•MJ

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

55

“Good Food for Good People”

LUCKY’S steaks /chops /seafood /cocktails

Dinner & Cocktails Nightly, Lunch Monday-Friday, Brunch Saturday & Sunday Montecito’s neighborhood bar and restaurant. 1279 Coast Village Road Montecito CA 93108 (805)565-7540 www.luckys-steakhouse.com Photography by Alexandra DeFurio