The Montecito Pivot

The Montecito Pivot side,” and the French crinkly striped cotton wide-legged pants, which cliMalia Mills by Megan Waldrep ents pair with full-piece swimwear to act as bodysuits. Pop online to shop for bathing suits for lounging social“W e are so damn lucky to have a store in the little bit of paradise ly distanced on Butterfly Beach this summer and enjoy the free gift with purchase – it’s Good Chi. that is Santa Barbara and Montecito,” designer Malia Mills said. She comMalia Mills pares her store’s intimate, welcoming 1026 Coast Village Rd, Suite C, feel to the vibe of SB and Montecito. Montecito Country Mart “Plus, we’ve got one of a kind piec(805) 845-2137 es that are hard to find anywhere www.maliamills.com else, like the ocean-meets-mountains beauty that surrounds the Montecito Country Mart.” She launched her first William Laman collection in 1993, and her classic cuts Furniture. Garden. Treat your laundry pile to a Bali handwoven have withstood the time. For example, the mini-corset cut in shimmery mica Antiques. hamper with lid and natural cotton liner found at William Laman tones has been a fan favorite since they first launched decades ago. What designers, Hollywood celebs, and stands out about Malia Mills is her Bathing suit shopping that is all-inclusive: Malia Mills specializes in swimwear and separates that celebrate all ages and body shapes. clever locals and visitors to peruse, and their online shop is no exception. Click on an Eighteenth Century French Louis XVI Gilt Wood Mirror drive to meet the need of every shape, to a large tule stool handwoven from age, and size. Her website features natural palm fiber made in Mexico. models that are – gasp! – full-figured Or, gifts like a Mother of Pearl footto boy-like body shapes and sexy siled shell to use as a soap tray or ver vixens in between. Basically, if to display favorite novelties, and a Malia sat at the popular lunch table in glass tube flower holder encased in high school, she’d invite everyone to a bamboo frame. The New Englandsit. Currently based out of NYC, she’s esque building is the setting for a presently hunkering down with the layout which rotates furnishings and rest of the city while staying hopeful accessories, “as they would be used for bright days ahead. “Christine, our in one’s own home and garden.” fit specialist, has been helping our Though we’re in a time where gromavens online. We call her our ‘bikini whisperer,’ Malia said. “She is so incredibly knowledgeable and exudes Permission to indulge: William Laman knows this 18th Century French Louis XVI gilt wood mirror is not what you need but what you want cery essentials are flying off shelves, home indulgences seem to be a close second. As the shop’s tagline states, good Chi.” A nonjudgmental personal You may not know this, or maybe “What you will find here is not what shopper is just what every woman you do, but we have a Hall of Fame you need, but what you want.” Which, Browse the Malia Mills online shop for separates or link up with the e-store’s personal shopper to needs when searching for a suit post-winter, post-quarantine. Current interior designer in our midst. Internationally renowned designer after an over-two-months-long stayat-home order, could be considered help find your perfect fit hot items include the limited edition Bruce Gregga and partner William the same thing. Dionne Maillot cut from Liberty of Laman teamed up in 1995 to open London cotton, “made extra special William Laman Furniture, Garden + WIlliam Laman Furniture. Garden. thanks to the smocking on the backAntiques, combining their talents for Antiques infusing antiques with modern and 1496 East Valley Road, Upper Village handmade decor. Their unique mix (805) 969-2840 Coastal Hideaways Inc. of curated merchandise from around the world has enticed top interior info@williamlaman.com www.williamlaman.com •MJ 805 969-1995 Smart Devices • Apple TV • Everything Digital Luxury Vacation Rentals

Short or Long Term

Interior Design Services Harold Adams - Computer Consulting

All Things MacAll Things Mac All Things Mac also available iPhones • iPads • Photos • Music • Movies Hire the best in the industry to New Computer Setup • Troubleshooting manage your income property. Serving Montecito & Santa Barbara for over 20 years Training Beginners to Advanced Please stop in and visit us Reasonable Rates • Quality Service

25 years serving the

Santa Barbara community (8 5) 692-2005 • harold@sblife.com (8 5) 692-2005 • harold@sblife.com

Melissa M. Pierson, Owner 1211 Coast Village Road #4 Montecito, CA 93108 Vacations@coastalhideaways.com www.coastalhideaways.com

Get Photos Organized New iPad setup too! 30 MONTECITO JOURNAL “Ignorance is stubborn and prejudice is hard.” – Adlai E. Stevenson 4 – 11 June 2020

VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 6) area that was heavily impacted during the 1/9 debris flow. The basin would be approximately eight acres on eight parcels, seven of which are owned by private property owners; the County has already acquired one of the parcels. The County also seeks to provide trail access, parking, and add native plantings as part of the project.

The $21 million dollar project is heavily reliant on FEMA funding, which Flood Control manager Tom Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners has partnered with the Fayram said is putting a fast track on approvals. Land Use Committee members brought up concerns includBucket Brigade to wash and sort all donated masks; the Bucket Brigade volunteers have sewn over 16,000 masks since April ing hazardous materials, air quality the Sheffield Drive interchange project during construction, removal of fill and the roundabouts slated for Olive and associated truck trips, and cloMill Road and San Ysidro Road. “They sures on East Valley Road/Highway are all hitting the queue at once,” said 192. With 87,000 cubic yards of mateMA Executive Director Sharon Byrne, rial being removed from the site, it while clarifying that actual construcwill take more than 6,000 truck trips to tion will likely be at different times. haul material away, which could have Fayram said preliminary site preparasignificant impacts on local traffic. The tion on the Randall Road debris basin project site will be screened on the East site could take place as early as this Valley Road side, and the project is fall, with actual construction starting expected to take eight months to comin April 2021. The roundabouts are plete, with working hours of 7 am to slated for 2023-2027, with the Sheffield 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The Drive interchange taking place in a Land Use Committee will draft a letter similar timeframe. with their concerns to be presented to “These are six meaty, important the full Montecito Association Board projects that will affect Montecito of Directors next Tuesday, June 9. infrastructure for years to come,”

Representatives from the Montecito Byrne said. For more information, Sanitary District were also on the visit www.montecitoassociation.org. call to answer questions about the Mitigated Negative Declaration for their project, which includes a new essential services building and associBucket Brigade Updates ated improvements, a recycled water On Tuesday, June 2, fourth graders facility, and solar panels to power the at Laguna Blanca Lower School held facility. In April, the District applied their Citizenship Event via Zoom. for an emergency permit to build a Usually held as a special breakfast on portion of the essential services buildcampus, the event is a culmination ing in response to the COVID-19 crisis, of curriculum taught in the fourth to provide better sanitation facilities grade, focusing on good citizenship for their essential workers; that permit and leadership. was denied and now the District is Each year, students choose memgoing through the approval process bers of the community who exhibit for the entire project. the Six Pillars of Character, which

General Manager Diane Gabriel include responsibility, respect, caring, reported that the Mitigated Negative fairness, trustworthiness, and citizenDeclaration will be voted on by the ship. They then research the comMSD Board next week, with hopes the munity member through interviews, project will be in front of the Montecito and write a speech about them. On Planning Commission in the coming Tuesday, a special video was shown months. The new building will be built with the fourth graders talking about on a different portion of the five-acre their chosen Citizens, which included campus, in order to abandon the access Nick Riley, wildland firefighter; Dr. on Monte Cristo Lane and allow access Brian Baumgartner, ENT specialist; on Channel Drive, and two water storLynn Ahlberg, nurse; Lori Luhnow, age tanks will need to be built on Santa Barbara’s Chief of Police; Emma land belonging to the Santa Barbara Gotwald-Wright, nurse; Tim Tunget, Cemetery, near the train tracks. manager at Costco; and Dr. Jason

These two projects, in addition to Prystowsky, ER doctor. upcoming County Road repairs – 28 Keynote speaker at the heartwarmlane miles of road and the construction ing event was Abe Powell, founder of a temporary bridge at Cold Spring of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade. Trailhead is beginning next week, paid Powell gave a brief presentation to the for by settlement funds from California fourth graders on the Bucket Brigade, Edison in response to the Thomas Fire and how it came to be in 2018, foland debris flow – join other major lowing the 1/9 Debris Flow. “Our projects slated for Montecito in the goal was to dig out one house. Just coming months and years, including one. But then over one hundred more

neighbors started asking for help,” Powell said. “So then our goal was to help as long as we could,” he added. The organization, which is funded in part by private donation, continued its community involvement and work beyond the mudslide, in alignment with its mission statement. “We decided to keep helping, because the Bucket Brigade was created to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and community crises through volunteer training, coordination, and deployment,” he said, adding that the group of volunteers has grown to hundreds of people.

During the pandemic, the Bucket Brigade has assembled a team of over 400 people who have sewed over 16,000 face masks; the Bucket Brigade’s goal is 30,000. Just last week, 15 volunteers showed up at 10 am at the Montecito Library parking lot to fill more than 100 big gift totes with food and personal-care items for the Friendship Center Adult Day Services. At noon, another dozen volunteers showed up in their vehicles to pick up the totes and deliver them to seniors who have been sheltering in place throughout the pandemic. The volunteer day was a partnership event between the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade and the Friendship Center.

After his address to the students, Powell answered several questions about the Bucket Brigade, and encouraged the fourth graders to become involved in volunteerism in their community. To learn more about the Bucket Brigade, visit www.sbbuck etbrigade.org. For more information about Laguna Blanca, visit www.lagu nablanca.org.

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation Cancels Luncheon

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is the only nonprofit organization in our community that provides financial, educational, and emotional support to local families who have a child with cancer. The organization also has a reputation for its signature events, as a way to raise much-needed funding. Their flagship event, the Gold Ribbon Luncheon held at Four Seasons, the Biltmore Resort Santa Barbara, historically gathers over 400 individuals to raise critical funds for families in the tri-counties battling pediatric cancer, and the event raises almost a third of their annual operating expenses. This year, however, TBCF had decided to forego the event entirely.

“Our families are in dire situations right now, and we’ve made the decision to focus on serving them to our best ability right now,” said Eryn Shugart, Interim Executive Director. “Some of our families have lost their entire income, and many are in danger of going hungry… all while they’re caring for a very ill child. We just really need to focus on them right now, and not on planning our luncheon. Also, out of concern for the health of our supporters, we don’t believe that holding a large luncheon event would be appropriate, even if the orders are lifted.” This decision will inevitably result in an enormous budget shortfall, and TBCF is relying on support from their donor base now more than ever before.

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation will, however, continue their annual Gold Ribbon Campaign through the month of September in recognition of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. Gold is the official ribbon color for pediatric cancer and TBCF will be distributing gold ribbons in September to help spread awareness for their campaign. Fundraising for the campaign will focus on a USPS direct mail appeal, sponsorships, a raffle, and an online silent auction. Campaign sponsorships offer robust benefits including upgraded marketing and promotional opportunities ideal for businesses, and smaller sponsorship levels and gifts to encourage more participation from individuals and youth. Every sponsorship level will include a gift certificate to a local small business or restaurant as TBCF’s attempt to support the small businesses that have supported them over their 18-year history. “I feel really good about offering local restaurant gift cards to our campaign sponsors. We are also providing our sponsors with the option to donate the gift card directly to a TBCF family, should they prefer,” said Kirsten Stuart, Development & Communications Director. “TBCF is stable today because of the past participation of our small business community and it feels wonderful to be able to give back to them after so many years of support, especially now.”

The campaign co-chairs are Eileen Dill and Brigitte Welty, who have previously served as luncheon co-chairs. Eileen and Brigitte will help oversee an online silent auction, raffle, and marketing of the campaign, and help to spread TBCF’s mission and message of hope.

Last year, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation provided critical financial aid to 55 local families and served a total of 851 individuals through their three core programs. Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation’s mission advocates for families living in the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties who have a child battling cancer by providing financial, emotional, and educational support. TBCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and has been serving the tri-counties since 2002.

For information about TBCF’s mission or for sponsorship information, please contact Eryn Shugart at Eryn@ TeddyBearCancerFoundation.org. •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL 31