Hope is widening

The Giving List 9-16 SEPTEMBER 2021 VOL 27 ISSUE 37

SERVING MONTECITO AND SUMMERLAND

Just Communities has found itself pivoting over the past year, finding new partners to fight discrimination and prejudice, page 32

Hope is Widening Multiple facets of the 101 Widening Project are set to be reviewed later this month; meanwhile, nearly 20 generators are being installed. (Story starts on page 6)

Awesome, August

Just when the Montecito housing market looked to be stagnating, a bountiful month sees 33 homes sold, including a handful over $10 million, page 14

Water Wars

Just how can California guarantee a wet future? In the first of five parts, Bob Hazard dives into the issues facing our state and its water supply, page 8

It’s For the Dogs

Looking to take a short road trip but want to bring your pooch? There is plenty for those looking to dip their toes back in travel in Cambria, page 12

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Inside This Issue

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5 In the Know The County of Santa Barbara will not move a meeting scheduled for Yom Kippur, despite a recommendation from Das Williams 6 Village Beat An update on the never-ending project that is the 101, plus celebrating a special anniversary 8 On Water In the first of a five-part series, Bob Hazard explores what assuring a wet future for California looks like 10 Letters to the Editor The County holding a meeting on Yom Kippur has one UCSB professor questioning whether we respect “the meanings of time for others” 11 Community Voices Andrew Velikanje is a success story for Hands Across Montecito, in more ways than one 12 Been There, Dunn That Looking for a weekend trip and want to take the pooch? Venture up to Cambria.

14 Montecito Best Buys It was quite the month for local real estate, especially in the $10-million-plus market 16 Spirituality Matters A sit down with Elizabeth Gilbert, who talks about her personal experience with hospice care 18 Montecito Miscellany From CADA fundraising to pet adoption, the town was abuzz with helping hands 20 Stories Matter Want to cozy up with a good read?

Leslie Zemeckis has a few ideas . . .

22 In Memoriam Peter Clark never stopped doing good, particularly for those up-andcoming local musicians in search of some guidance The Optimist Daily Four ways teachers can combat back-to-school anxieties 23 Brilliant Thoughts It’s time to go bananas, says Ashleigh Brilliant

Guest Opinion If you are angered by recent political happenings in Texas, you must vote no on California’s recall 24 Seen Around Town From Mara Abboud’s paintings to the Breast Cancer Resource Center, a trip around town 27 Ernie’s World Enjoying the summertime, even when the living is freezing Robert’s Big Questions Admitting mistakes might be the best way we all move forward 28 Farr Out Just how old is that rock? Tom Farr explains . . .

30 Our Town From fires to a lack of budget, new Los Padres National Forest ranger and Los Padres Forest Association executive director dish on current state of things 32 The Giving List Just Communities has found itself pivoting over the past year, finding new partners to fight discrimination and prejudice 33 On Entertainment Dean Torrence dishes on why surf music continues to resonate 34 Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles 35 Monthly Music Meta Crossword Puzzle 36 Calendar of Events From mariachi at the Bowl to time with T.C. Boyle, a look at the week ahead . . .

38 Legal Advertisements 39 Far Flung Travel Harbor seals feel right at home in Southern California 44 Santa Barbara by the Glass What can you expect at the California Wine Festival in Santa Barbara? We investigate.

46 Classified Advertising 47 Local Business Directory Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

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9 – 16 September 2021

In the Know

by Nick Masuda

Despite Objection, County Will Not Move Cannabis Meeting from Yom Kippur

D

ays after an editorial from local lawyer Jana Zimmer ran in the September 2 edition of the Montecito Journal that challenged the timing of a meeting over a potential Santa Claus Lane cannabis dispensary slated for Yom Kippur (September 16), the County of Santa Barbara has indicated it will not reschedule the meeting, despite a recommendation to do so by First District Supervisor Das Williams.

Lisa Plowman, the county’s director of planning and development, told the Montecito Journal that an alternative date was considered, but not acted upon.

“Based on the request from Ms. Zimmer and Supervisor Williams, we explored an alternative date for the meeting, but the applicants had a conflict and could not attend the October date,” Plowman said. “It is important to hold these meetings as soon as possible after the application is submitted so applicants have all of the information they need to complete their applications.”

Williams says there is little the Board of Supervisors can do to mandate the change.

“This is where the separation of executive and legislative comes in,” Williams told the Montecito Journal.

At the heart of the issue for both sides is the nature of the application review and the ability to provide comment. In this instance, the county has indicated that this is purchased time by the applicant with county staff.

While open to the public, Plowman says that it is rare for any member of the public to participate in these meetings.

Plowman also explained that this meeting falls under the Subdivision Development Review Committee, which is intended for “county departments to provide applicants with information needed to complete their application and advise them of issues or conditions that could be applied to the project.”

“To my knowledge, we’ve only had one member of the public request to attend in the last three years. If we receive a request, we allow the public to attend and make public comments to the chair (three-minute maximum),” Plowman explained. “The public is welcome to provide written comments which can be shared with the committee members and the meetings are taped and can be watched at a later date.”

The SDRC is not a Brown Act committee, the latter mandating public input during hearings. No decisions will be made as part of this SDRC meeting, according to the county.

In addition, none of the Board of Supervisors will be present during this meeting.

Although he would not be involved and hoped the meeting could be moved, Williams did indicate that public involvement in the SDRC meeting is akin to a neighbor holding up building on your home by asking for a private meeting to be moved because they couldn’t make it.

“We are told all the time that we move too slowly at the county,” Williams said. “If people want this type of change, they need to tell me. If they want to be able to be involved with every meeting, I need to know. That would be a big change.”

Meanwhile, Zimmer is representing Dr. Steve Kent and Dr. Nancy Rikalo,

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5

Village Beat

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

SO LONG, FROM

H AC I E N DA

Gas-Powered Generators Being Installed; 101 Widening to be Reviewed

BY BONITA LIFESTYLE

With a fulfilled heart and dream, we bid a fond farewell.

We are most grateful to our talented and creative staff, devoted clientele and followers, our family, friends and the business community who made our last 11 years in business an amazing journey.

We can’t thank you enough for your support and admiration for every location we set our roots in.

We hope you will come by during our final month in Summerland to say good bye! We’d love to see you!

Our whopping big closing sale begins Thursday September 9th with 40% OFF OUR ENTIRE SHOP. We’d also like to announce and warmly welcome our friend HEIDI MERRICK as she gracefully moves her headquarters into our home at 2272 Lillie Ave. Follow us for new updated hours and announcements!

HACIENDA XO HEIDI MERRICK @BONITA_LIFESTLYE_ @HMERRICK

The old northbound bridge at Sheffield has been removed; drivers and residents can expect noise during daytime pile driving for the underground supports of the new bridge

A

t this month’s Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting, the group heard from Carla Leal of Cox Communications, who reported on new gas-powered generators being installed in Montecito.

The project, which aims to install 49 generators throughout the Montecito area, stemmed from a decision issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier this year, which requires California’s facilities-based wireline providers, such as Cox, to develop comprehensive resiliency strategies to prepare for catastrophic disasters and power outages, including Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).

The wireline providers are ordered to implement 72-hour backup power requirements in high fire threat districts

by August 2022.

Leal explained the project is to ensure that customers will still have access to communication networks in order to call 911 and 211, receive emergency alerts and information, and have access to critical information, in the event of a large-scale power outage, earthquake, or fire. As it stands now, communication

networks are dependent upon commercial power, with a backup battery in place to provide several hours of runtime in the event of a normal duration commercial power outage. Outages are occurring more frequently, necessitating longer-term solutions, Leal said.

There were more than 25,000 outage events in California in 2019, which was a 23% increase from the previous year.

The option to utilize natural gas-powered generators has the smallest physical footprint possible, and so long as natural gas supply lasts, the generators will not require electricity.

“The natural gas will shut off automatically if the generator is damaged or sheared off in an event such as a debris flow,” Leal said.

Installation of the generators will require a new above-ground cabinet adjacent to an existing power supply cabinet. The cabinet is slated to be 44 inches high, 26 inches wide, and 24 inches deep, and will be located in the public right-of-way. There will be 19 generators installed this year and next in “critical” locations, with 30 more

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7

On Water

Assuring a Wet Future for California

by Bob Hazard

Changing climate patterns, rising temperatures and increased urbanization could lead to more than one-third of the world’s aquifers being in distress.

Fortunately, there are solutions that could bring the supply and demand of water into balance.

Drought… and More Drought

Unless your name is Rip Van Winkle, Snow White or Sleeping Beauty, and you have been asleep for the last two decades, you are well aware that the current water outlook for the State of California, and a good part of the Western United States, is grim — rising temperatures; lack of snow and rainfall; historic lows in key reservoirs; scorched earth; wells going dry; water rationing; construction moratoriums; depleted aquifers; thirsty farmers; and endangered wildlife habitats.

There is little doubt that California has a serious water shortage problem.

Since 1900, California has experienced 10 major droughts: 1917-21, 1922-26, 1928-37, 1943-51, 1959-62, 1976-77, 1987-92, 2007-09, 2011-17 and now 2020-21.

Does anyone believe drought won’t happen again?

Water Use and Cost in California

L

Some 50 of 58 California counties are subject to an emergency drought declaration

ack of potable water is a more serious problem than COVID-19. Without water the average person dies within three days. A horse can go five days without water; a camel 10 days; plants can survive two to three weeks.

Without water, all life perishes.

Water makes up more than 70% of the Earth’s surface; the problem is that only 2.5% of it is fresh water, and less than 1% of that is fit for human consumption. More than half of the world’s population now experiences some form of water scarcity in any given year.

By 2030, the world could face a 40% shortfall in potable water supply.

California uses an estimated 42 million acre-feet (AF) of water per year. An AF of water (326,000 gallons) is the amount of water it would take to cover a one-acre football field to a depth of 12 inches. One AF of water is roughly the amount of water a family of four in Montecito uses in a year.

Water is purchased by California’s 537 water districts and more than 500 cities in acre feet (AF) at prices ranging from $450 per AF to $3,200 per AF. Water is then sold to customers in units of Hundred Cubic Feet (HCF). One HCF of water is equivalent to 748 gallons. Water sold by the Montecito Water District (MWD) to its residential users in Montecito and Summerland costs $6.75 per HCF for the first nine HCF used; $11.46 per AF for the next 10 to 35 HCF used, and $12.66 for each HCFused over 36.

The average U.S. family of four used 16.3 HCF of water per month and spent $72.93 in 2019, equating to $4.50 per HCF. Water in Montecito, like gasoline, is

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9

Letters to the Editor

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

It’s about time…

I

t’s about time that we understand that living in a culturally diverse world means that we are also living in and with multiple calendars and structures of time. Philosophers in the 20th century came to understand that time was the most essential dimension of human life.

It would not be inaccurate to say that time was the central philosophical question of the last century and remains so for us. One of these philosophers, a Viennese Jew by the name of Alfred Schutz (1899-1959) fled Austria in 1939 shortly after the Nazi annexation and came to America where he taught for many years at the New School for Social Research in New York City. In one of his most important contributions to the discussion of social time, he argued that we live in no less than 26 different realms of time.

Subsequent research has discovered more. Some of these times are about the past, others about the future, but bulk of them are intensely about the present. There is time that is linear that moves toward a goal. There is cyclical time where the end is the beginning. There is spiral time that seems a synthesis of the linear and cyclical. Many of these forms of time are also about memory in which the past, future and present are experienced simultaneously. The genius of the human is that we can manage and negotiate most of these multiple time structures.

But often we find ourselves in temporal conflicts and some of these can be very serious. That is precisely what will happen when the Santa Barbara County Subdivision/ Development Review Committee scheduled a meeting on September 16, Yom Kippur, despite the fact that

a significant number of interested parties would not be able to attend because sacred time, one of those 26 times, we manage most of the time, could not be violated without doing fundamental damage or harm.

This is precisely the center of Jana Zimmer’s essay published last week in the Montecito Journal. She cannot be at that meeting and thus her client’s position could be harmed.

It’s really about time and we cannot escape our responsibilities to understand the meanings of time for others.

It’s really about time and we cannot escape our responsibilities to understand the meanings of time for others. The very first thing a person in a position of public life needs to ask before scheduling a public meeting should be, “Does this meeting provide a significant conflict for someone or a specific group?” As a person in public service or trust you need to know as much as you can before making a decision.

Over the course of my career at UCSB, I sought to provide some form of accommodation for students whose religious time conflicted with my class time, university time. For example, when an exam period for finals or mid-terms fell during the month-long fast of Ramadan, I offered students an alternative exam time, after the fast was broken at sundown, to complete their work

so that they had every opportunity to do their best work alongside of non-Muslim students who were not fasting.

What is at stake is what I would call “temporal equity.” That Jewish time, Yom Kippur in this case, is every bit as significant as other religious and non-religious times. It really is about time. Understanding the different temporal structures we all exist in, and acting in accord with them to minimize conflict will only strengthen our community.

Richard D. Hecht Richard Hecht has recently become Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at UCSB where he taught for 47 years.

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Hgt Low 5.4 06:01 PM 4.9 6:03 AM 4.2 6:36 AM 3.5 7:14 AM 3.2 8:10 AM 3.4 10:01 AM 3.8 11:54 AM 4.2 01:06 PM 4.5 01:59 PM

Time for New Voice

Twice now, the citizens have taken matters in their own hands and started a recall for Democrat governors, Gray Davis and now Gavin Newsom.

Each has done great damage to the

Letters Page 374

Not-So-Smooth Operating

I’ve been trying to reach Supervisor Das Williams about this matter, with no response. And now it is way too late as road resurfacing is beginning on 192 from Cold Spring Road to Camino Viejo.

The problem is: this is a heavily used road for motorists, yes, but also for pedestrians and bicycle riders, from unknowing tourists with e-bike rentals to hardy road riding athletes. Every day we are risking our lives to ride from our homes down to the bike lanes in town and back up to our gorgeous mountains.

What is needed is for the utilities to be buried, pedestrian paths put in and safe shoulder space for cyclists.

With a smoother surface car will travel faster. Cyclists need a smooth surface for safe riding, bike lanes are the answer.

I’m sure everyone living along 192 would agree.

What is it going to take to bring the road up to 21st century standards??

Emily Sommermann

Time to Shift Mindset

Ok… So Mr. Mineards doesn’t like free thought and emancipation from the confines of ridiculous establishments such as monarchy. But it’s time he stops slamming Harry and Meghan passive aggressively — (and not so passively) for doing so. It’s idi-

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“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE Day Low Hgt High Thurs, Sept. 9 5:32 AM 0.4 11:51 AM Fri, Sept. 10 12:05 AM Sat, Sept. 11 1:03 AM Sun, Sept. 12 2:21 AM Mon, Sept. 13 4:25 AM Tues, Sept. 14 6:37 AM Weds, Sept. 15 12:32 AM 0.1 7:41 AM Thurs, Sept. 16 1:29 AM -0.3 8:20 AM Fri, Sept. 17 2:15 AM -0.5 8:52 AM

otic to say the least… but it’s cruel at its deepest level. Any learned person should know that status, money and fame does not fulfill the soul. So, it’s time he grows up… even at his age, and stops mentioning the cost of their home, as if it’s an excuse for his reprehensible thought process.

Samuel G.

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How to reach us: Editorial: (805) 565-1860; Sue Brooks: ext. 4; Christine Merrick: ext.

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9 – 16 September 2021

Community Voices A Success Story:

by Heal the Ocean

First Person Helped by Hands Across Montecito Leads Cleanup Andrew Velikanje clearing a camp at Hammond’s Meadow, a Hands Across Montecito project

T

he “Holy Grail” of abandoned homeless sites was tackled on August 30 in a cleanup being done by a team of homeless workers who have been enlisted by Earthcomb, the brainchild, and business of Andrew Velikanje.

The site, located at the end of South Kellogg Avenue in Goleta, is the second in Heal the Ocean’s list of more than 20 abandoned camps identified in a survey done by HTO Field Advisor Harry Rabin. The first site, in the South Fairview area of Goleta, HTO paid Earthcomb to tackle, and Andrew cleaned it up himself, with the pile of bags picked up by MarBorg Industries the next day.

Inspecting the sites listed on Rabin’s survey, Andrew came to site “Number 6,” next to the Schwan Brothers Excavating Contractors yard on South Kellogg, and called Hillary Hauser, executive director of Heal the Ocean, and said, “This is the Holy Grail!”

It was mammoth and it was bad. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Ben Sandu was brought in to inspect and OK the cleanout, while Brian Borgatello of MarBorg Industries came in to size up the need for roll-offs/trash bins, and more manual labor.

The Schwan Brothers were so glad to see the cleanup coming, they have offered their own roll-off/trash bin, and even to pay for the hauling and dumping (thank you, Jason, this represents considerable savings to HTO!). The Earthcomb workers cleared it out, with MarBorg gathering up the rest.

“No wonder Andrew called it the Holy Grail — it is giant, and is right smack on San Jose Creek,” Hauser said.

Hauser says the work of Earthcomb might be the most significant work that could be done to remove ocean pollution sources from storm drains, creeks, or runoff to the ocean.

Earthcomb has cleaned up nearly nine tons of trash from the Rincon underpass, Rincon Bluffs, Carpinteria Bluffs, East Beach, Painted Cave, Highway 154, Lake Cachuma, and many other sites. You can see his “Vroom Vroom” videos that record this work on his Earthcomb website, where the motto is, “We’re cleaning up what you’re putting down.”

Andrew created the Earthcomb website – and did the work on earthcomb.org – singlehandedly while living in his car for six months. He is an illustration of one of the successful methods of “functional zero,” which is to get to know the homeless person by name and get to know his/her experience.

Sharon Byrne, executive director of Hands Across Montecito, has formed a successful group that visits encampments with this in mind — and it is this group that pulled Andrew indoors. Andrew now does outreach to other homeless people. Sandu does the same and has successfully found shelter for several people who had been living outdoors.

As for Andrew, he now has a home, with an office where he has set up a system to keep track of his work and his workers, for the benefit of us all.

Anyone interested in contributing snacks, water, etc. for the workers, please call the Heal the Ocean office for site location and/or to drop off items at the site or office. Call Alison at (805) 965-7570 for information or directions. •MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

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11

Been There, Dunn That

By Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr.

A New Leash on Life in Cambria

Elephant seals are commonplace in Cambria

The beauty that is Moonstone Beach

L

ike many of us as the Year of Plague subsides, my wife, Merry, and I were dying to take a trip somewhere . . . anywhere. But even vaccinated, we weren’t quite ready to board a 5,000-passenger cruise ship in Europe. A trip near home sounded pretty good, though. Baby steps.

What’s more, like 23 million other Americans in 2020, we’d adopted a pet. Our new dog, Davie, quickly earned an affectionate nickname: “The World’s Laziest Border Collie.” On a walk, if we pause for 20 seconds, he’s lying down. Forty seconds, and he’s out like a light. He joined the family unit alongside our loveable black micro-poodle, Diggity Dog. We wanted to take them along.

Merry and I pondered: Is there is a close-to-home travel destination that’s also dog friendly? Then we remem-

12 MONTECITO JOURNAL

bered an old favorite up the coast, Cambria, about two hours north of Montecito. This village of only 6,000 people has a dual aspect, with forest behind and a pristine, rugged shoreline in front.

We stayed at a dog-friendly inn, met locals at the dog park, took long doggie walks by the ocean, and ate in a restaurant garden with the dogs snoozing at our feet.

A Wind-Swept Arrival

The afternoon we arrived at our lodgings on Moonstone Beach, the wind was blowing hard. In fact, as Merry and I and the canine crew crossed the road to stroll on the bluff above the ocean, a stiff gust whirled my hair into a fright wig. For a moment it looked as if Diggity might get blown

into the sky like Toto leaving Kansas.

But before us lay a rare sight, an endless seascape painted in deep marine blue with scudding whitecaps and wheeling gulls. We scanned the kelp beds, hoping to spot some Cambria locals: playful sea otters.

They like to rest on the kelp as they crack shellfish on their bellies or sleep.

(Fun furry fact: Otters usually sleep in kelp strands to keep from drifting apart, but sometimes they hold hands instead. Aww.) The beach below us was named for the semiprecious moonstones that visitors search for, although what they discover here is actually chalcedony.

(Real moonstones are feldspar.) Sea glass, eccentrically shaped driftwood, water-polished agate and tide-tumbled jasper — all these can be found in the sand. Other finds wait in the tidepools that dot the rocky shore. It was high tide, though, so we’d have to wait to look for crabs, urchins, and sea stars.

Instead, I popped into town — well, it’s two towns. Cambria is split into an older eastern section, which has buildings from the 19th century, and a newer, slicker western part. That’s where I picked up a pizza to go, with

“Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

salads and bread pudding, to eat in our room. It was all good, except for the food. (Merry congratulated me on finding the worst restaurant in Cambria.) Oh well, we did have a classic sunset view through our glass doors facing the ocean.

I erected Davie’s folding nylon crate (Amazon Basics), and Diggity plopped on the bed on his favorite red blanket. (Tip: Bring along familiar things from home, so your dogs feel comfortable.)

All of us fell asleep to the soft music of waves hitting the shore.

A Trip to Burton Drive

Before breakfast I walked Davie on the bluff, taking the boardwalk that runs for about a mile and a half.

Pouring over the hills behind us, low morning sunshine struck lines of breaking waves, transforming white foam into pure light, radiant against a green sea.

Merry and I had pre-ordered breakfast for delivery to our quarters, and it arrived right on time, complete with utensils: a bagel with smoked salm-

Been There, Dunn That Page 424

9 – 16 September 2021

“…more than 18 years selling local real estate, and it’s just the beginning.”

To my Montecito and Santa Barbara neighbors, In 1987, my parents and I fled communist Russia for a better life and were fortunate to land ourselves in Santa Barbara. Shortly thereafter, we purchased our first home here in this special community. My family’s journey and the epic pursuit of finding “our home” inspires me daily to help others on the same quest.

After more than 18 years representing local real estate, there is no denying my passion for people and architecture. The excitement of matching clients to their dream homes has driven and inspired my entire career. And it’s just the beginning. As we’ve all learned recently, our homes have never been of more importance. I truly believe that when you love where you live, you can feel confident going out into the world, knowing that you have a sanctuary to return to at home.

Sincerely,

MARSHA KOTLYAR ESTATE GROUP | MontecitoFineEstates.com | Home@MKGroupMontecito.com | 805.565.4014 | Lic. # 01426886 © 2021 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

13

Montecito Best Buys

by Mark Ashton Hunt

So Much for a Real Estate Slowdown . . .

W

hat a difference a month (of big sales) can make.

In my last article reviewing Montecito’s Real Estate activity for June and most of July, I focused on the lack of sales of more than $10 million. In that writing, I also noted an overall sales volume decline that put sales numbers closer to normal summer months and not like the 40+ homes we saw selling per month during the past year or so. I even opined that a real estate slowdown might be on the way...

Well, time told the story, and I was speaking too soon in retrospect, when within a week or two of that article, four homes closed escrow for more than $10 million, with a few more to follow in August. So, the more than $10-million market is still very much alive.

Additionally, August sales overall were up from June and July, as 33 homes closed escrow in Montecito, in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) during August.

Of these 33 homes, four sold for more than $10 million — the high being 699 San Ysidro Road which closed off market for a staggering $28 million. Additionally, six sales were “off market” (meaning the home was not for sale, but a buyer found a seller and they did a deal). That is a huge percentage of sales in the off-market category, and most of those that closed off-market were more than $8 million.

As of this writing on September 3, there are only 41 homes and condos on the market in the MLS to choose from in all of Montecito and the greater 93108 area code. Another shocking fact is that there is nothing for sale under $2.5 million at all in the MLS. I’ve never seen this before in my 10 years of writing this article. Furthermore, most of our listings in Montecito are priced at more than $5 million, with approximately 35% of all homes on the market being offered at more than $10 million.

Montecito is quickly becoming a place where only the very wealthy can afford to buy and build, where in years past that was just the perception of Montecito but is now in the moment a fact. That said, if you are looking for a home in Montecito under $5 million (with only 11 homes and condos to choose from under $5 million), here are a few of the very few to choose from.

1274 Eleven Oaks Lane – $3,095,000

This home is located on a private lane in a convenient location, near Butterfly Beach, the shops and restaurants on Coast Village Road, and just a few blocks further to the Rosewood Miramar Hotel. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home features air conditioning, a fireplace, and sunny outdoor areas that are perfect for indoor/outdoor living complete with a fire pit and a patio offering ocean views.

Resting on a .32-acre lot on a street that rarely sees a home for sale, this is a rare offering within the Montecito Union School District.

1903 Coyote Circle – $3,499,000

In west Montecito, near the intersection of Coyote Road and Sycamore Canyon Road, find this single-level Mediterranean style home. Perched on a private hill and offering mountain and some ocean views, this home is one of a

MARK ASHTON HUNT Representing Buyers and Sellers in Montecito Specializing in property valuation

If you would like me to make an appointment for you to view any home for sale in Montecito, or for a current market analysis of your home, please contact me directly.

Call/Text Mark @ 805-698-2174 Mark@Villagesite.com www.MontecitoBestBuys.com DRE#01460852

14 MONTECITO JOURNAL

small group of homes that share a community pool on a small cul-de-sac style street. The home is tucked away behind gates up a long driveway of alluring gardens on a .81-acre lot. The home features three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms with views of the setting, mountains or ocean from every room.

Much attention to detail was given in the remodel, which includes Iron fixtures designed for the home by Steve Handelman. Additional features of the home include high beamed ceilings throughout, skylights, Venetian plastered walls, cut stone and European plank floors, an orchard of various fruit trees, and extra parking for four or more cars.

2350 Bella Vista Drive – $4,250,000

Enjoy panoramic ocean views in a secluded Montecito location just minutes from the Upper Village and surrounded by many significant and more expensive estates.

More than three acres with its own deep water well on top of the hills of Montecito and within the Montecito Union School District, this two-story California ranch home with walls of windows, private porches, lounge terraces, and rustic arbors seamlessly connects to the sunny native landscape.

Additional spaces on the property provide opportunities for a pool and additional structures.

Enjoy the updated kitchen and bathrooms with classic quartz, marble, porcelain & stainless finishes as well as the all-new HVAC, plumbing, electric & appliances. A large ocean view accessory building presents endless possibilities as a yoga studio, exclusive guest accommodations, garage or the ultimate home office.

2815 East Valley Road – $4,425,000

This Montecito hideaway blends the beauty of nature with everyday living. Tucked down a gated driveway near the corner of Ladera Lane in east Montecito and framed by mature oaks and stone accents, you are welcomed to the nearly one acre of lush grounds. Evoking a sense of calm and privacy, the four-bedroom, four-and-a-halfbathroom main house was custom built with rich Brazilian wood, beamed ceilings and walls of glass, encouraging a seamless communication between the interior and exterior.

The property also boasts a two-bedroom guest house with a living room and kitchen. The residences evolved from the surroundings, drawing you outdoors and embracing the natural beauty of the site and providing a compound for extended family living or room to pursue hobbies and welcome guests.

•MJ

9 – 16 September 2021

TA S T E O F T H E V I N E

On behalf of our committee, staff, and board of trustees, thank you to our sponsors, ticket holders, and donors for helping SDRI raise over $200,000 to further our mission to improving the lives of people with diabetes through research, education, and clinical care.

TASTE OF THE VINE SPONSORS 2021 ESTATE

MAGNUM

CHAMPAGNE

The Redman Family Trust Brian and Kate Groat

Norman Kurland and Deborah David Montecito Bank and Trust Tandem Diabetes Care

Insulet Corporation

ROSÉ

CHARDONNAY

PATRON

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Cherry The David Himelberg Foundation Mechanics Bank The Mosher Foundation Pacific Western Bank The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

Doug and Linda Boyd Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Tim and Louise Casey The Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation Thomas and Nancy Crawford Michael and Carolyn Karmelich The Kim and Andrew Busch Family Foundation Carol MacCorkle Bob and Siri Marshall Charlie and Marilyn Radaz, In Memory of Jay Radaz David Reichert and Diane Dodds Dr. Kenneth and Mrs. Shirley Waxman

Alliance Wealth Strategies Anchor Point IT Solutions Joan Arnold Brian and Marisa Bolton George Burtness William Burtness Tommy and Teri Creath Nollie Lei Dawson Dr. Alex and Mrs. Laura DePaoli Joan Estes-Lindskog Ellen M. Goodstein Lois Kroc Mary Maxwell Beverly Mester Dylan and Caroline Minor The Paskin Group Matthew and Natalie Rowe Santa Barbara Actuaries Inc. Santa Maria Properties, Inc. Jim and Amy Sloan Middleton and Carol Squier Dr. Gerald Svedlow and Catherine Breen Dr. Angelina L. Trujillo Brad and Katherine Webb Pierre Wiltzius, Ph.D.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

IN-KIND SPONSORS

Peter and Rebecca Adams Bruce and Judy Anticouni BC Pump Sales and Service Elena Engel and Andrew Konigsberg Donna Eyman Ken and Peggy Faulk Deborah Gibson Jeannine Glockler Christopher and Pamela Haskell Jeff and Kara Hornbuckle Lowell and Shirley McLellan Robert Nagy and Julie Taguchi David Ristig and Eileen Vopelak Melville and Irene Sahyun Sandra Tillisch Svoboda John and Stacy Trimble Joel Wallace

101 Wine Tours Longoria Wines Alma Rosa Winery Melville Winery Au Bon Climat Christian Menard Babcock Winery Miller Family Wine Beckmen Vineyards Company Bien Nacido Vineyard Paul Lato Buttonwood Winery Pence Vineyards Casa Dumetz Wines Riverbench Vineyard and Deovlet Wines Winery Fess Parker Winery and Rockets Red Wines Vineyard Rusack Vineyards Fiddlehead Cellars Serenity Farms Wines Foley Estates Winery Skyenna Wines GoGi Wines Jim and Amy Sloan Grassini Family Vineyards Storm Wines Grimm’s Bluff Talley Farms Hospice du Rhone Talley Vineyards Jaffurs Wines Visit Santa Maria Valley Kenneth Volk Vineyards Wes Hagen Ledson Hotel Windrun Wine Co. Ledson Winery Wine Stone Inn Lindquist Family Wines

Est. 1944 | 2219 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 | sansum.org | (805) 682-7638 9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

15

Spirituality Matters

by Steven Libowitz

Honoring the Heroes of Hospice: For Elizabeth Gilbert, It’s Personal

H

ospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) could hardly have found a more appropriate keynote speaker for its 9th Annual Heroes of Hospice than Elizabeth Gilbert. The author best known for her memoir Eat Pray Love about her year-long globe-travelling journey to heal from a devastating divorce more recently penned Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, revealing her own process for fostering creativity. Both books serve as personal primers on transformation and resilience — timely themes for HSB, the nonprofit that provides care to those experiencing the impact of a serious illness or grieving the death of a loved one, but has also taken on the role of virtual community program presenter during the pandemic.

At the event, which has transitioned from hybrid to fully virtual with the surging COVID-19 caseload due to the delta variant, HSB will also honor Mi Vida, Mi Voz with the Partnership Award, the Beloved Bear Program with the Volunteer Award, Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso with the Medical award, and Home Improvement Center owner/philanthropist Gary Simpson with the Legacy Award.

Gilbert shared snippets of her own hospice experiences and insights from her work as an interviewer and writer over the phone from her home in New Jersey.

Q. I’ll just start off by saying I’m aware of being a bit intimidated to talk to you because you’ve been giving life advice to millions of people ever since Eat, Pray, Love, and you interview authors yourself. So, I’m wondering, what do you wish journalists would ask you? How do you like to be interviewed?

A. Let’s try to get over that (intimidation) speed bump as fast as we can.

I do love the question. I get intimidated before every single one of those interviews that I do for my book club because they’re people whose work I respect and admire. I have my own bouts of imposter syndrome … What right do I have to be asking these questions? What I’ve learned is that writers really want to talk about their work, their craft as artisans, and not so much about their personal lives. So, I make sure that I’ve read the hell out of their work. Writer to writer, that’s what ends up being really fun for me too. That said, though, I will answer any question anybody asks.

16 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Elizabeth Gilbert is the keynote speaker at the 9th Annual Heroes of Hospice virtual event on September 22

What made you decide to accept this invitation to speak at the benefit for Hospice of Santa Barbara?

Everybody who has anything to do with hospice is a hero to me. And that was true even before our experience with hospice when my partner, Rayya Elias, was dying of pancreatic and liver cancer. They brought a sense of security in a time of deep insecurity, and I was moved by the professionalism, the compassion, and the prioritizing of what the patient wants. For Rayya the priority was not a longer life, but as good a life as possible for as long as possible. An enormous amount of pain and suffering was not something that she was willing to sign up for. We really appreciated that they understood that.

Also, my mom was a private duty geriatric nurse for most of my adolescence and she worked really closely with hospice and held them in the highest regard. I inherited that from her too. With HSB I feel like I owe them because I was given so much, so it was an easy yes.

Did HSB ask you to talk about those experiences?

No. It was a very open invitation. I’ll probably talk about creativity, because it’s a universal human experience, yet not experienced by enough humans, universally. I want to democratize creativity and invite people to think about the ways that they can have more in their lives at every stage. I’ve got video footage of Rayya recording one of her last songs about five days before she died. It was important to her right up until the end to be a musician and to keep creating. I believe that we can all do that. It’s a good intersection with the work that hospice does.

Almost four years later, what stands out about that time, whether in terms of hospice or otherwise?

It was brutal and grueling for me.

If I knew then what I know now, just about life in general, I might have been able to make it slightly less brutal and grueling simply by not trying to control so much. I work hard at life. I researched my books heavily because I want to be in control of the material, so they are a lot of work.

The sense of being at least somewhat in control, and prepared for interviews, makes me feel less like there’s no ground beneath my feet, which is a feeling that I hate… Let’s just go ahead and name it: I brought extreme control freakishness to my partner’s death. I thought it would help keep the terror at bay. But I wish I hadn’t tried so hard. It’s not like I could have escaped the grief or even the trauma of it, but it was a good instruction for me in general about how to suffer less is to try less to control and accept more. I’m working on it.

“We fear what we don’t trust, and we try to control what we fear. So, the more fear-based you are, the more you try to control, which is how I ended up such a controlling person.”

— Elizabeth Gilbert I know you wrote about creative living beyond fear in Big Magic, and in my world fear and control are closely related.

So, as a fear-based person, how do you control less and accept more?

We fear what we don’t trust, and we try to control what we fear. So, the more fear-based you are, the more you try to control, which is how I ended up such a controlling person… It’s about retraining the neural pathways from fear to trust, and that’s a spiritual lifetime work. In my case, it goes far beyond psychology. With the trauma of what happened or didn’t happen to me in childhood, the only way I can actually relax into the ground of being is spiritual, because the fear that I walk around with is beyond human help. (Laughs.)

I have to turn the spiritual power grid on, and that’s a lifetime process of figuring out what that means and finding my own way of working with that mystery. It takes tremendous compassion to learn how to befriend fear, or at least have the sense of the one (in me) who is afraid and reach across the void in a loving way to be kind to the one who is suffering.

Well, since we’ve been spending time in

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

the personal realm, let me return to what you said authors like talking about and ask you about your writing process. What do you do to deal with fear and feel safe enough to be effective on the page?

It is scary. I’m working on my 10th book right now and it’s no less frightening than it was 30 years ago. The day I start writing is scary, the day a book is published is scary, and the editing process in between is scary. The creative process demands so much vulnerability from us and I think it actually creates a schism in the brain, because with any kind of self-expression you’re entering into a realm where we cannot know at the beginning how it will look at the end. And the only job of the fear part of the brain is to not let you do anything where we don’t know what the outcome is. So, it wants to shut you down, because it doesn’t understand the impulse to create — which is why it can feel like life or death. It takes a lot of compassion and conflict resolution and negotiation skills for me to be in the internal self that navigates between those two parts and have them gently explain rather than being at war.

I think you might have just eased some of my own terror with writing. But I’m also surprised because you are one of the most quoted writers out there with lots of readers and people looking to you for guidance on how to lead a brave, authentic creative life. What’s that like? Awesome?

A burden? Something else?

I have to admit that I love telling people what to do, even a bit of a character defect of mine. It’s just so tempting, so delicious, so seductive to look at other people’s lives and tell them what they should do. I know it’s partly because it makes me not have to focus on the parts of myself that I need to. I’m still trying to figure out how to show up in the world without abandoning myself. At least I’ve learned not to give unsolicited advice, except in the area of creativity, because I’ve given a lot of thought to it, and I produced a lot of stuff in my life.

One of the other themes of the HSB event is about coping with and emerging from the pandemic. How have you been dealing with it?

I definitely love being with myself in a quiet room, which is a good thing for a writer. So, I didn’t suffer a lot of social separation and angst that other people did. It’s been more trouble coming out of it. Now I’ve got to navigate humanity again.

For Your Information

The 9th Annual Heroes of Hospice event takes place online at 6 pm on September 22. For tickets or more information visit www.hospiceofsb. org/heroes or contact Cheryll Puyot at cpuyot@hospiceofsb.org or (805) 770-5291.

•MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

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9 – 16 September 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.

A Rockin’ Good Time Justine Roddick, Mishka Westell, Jesse Ebaugh, Luke Ebbin, Tina Schlieske, and Tracy and Michael Bollag (Photo by Lisa Field)

Alan and Lisa Parsons with Leslie Lembo at the CADA fundraiser (Photo by Lisa Field)

S

ocial gridlock reigned at the Montecito home of Justine Roddick and Tina Schlieske when the dynamic duo hosted a Coney Island-themed, sold-out bash for 120 guests, raising nearly $200,000 for CADA (Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse).

The fun fest, entirely underwritten by local real estate magnate Earl Minnis, featured singer-songwriter Patti Smith, 74, dubbed “the punk poet laureate” given her music fuses rock and poetry.

Local party planner Merryl Brown pulled out all the stops with balloon artists, jugglers, and henna tattoo artists showing off their talents as the colorful crowd noshed on Nathan’s chili and cheese hot dogs, fresh clam soup, and a cornucopia of candy treats.

Among the supporters enjoying the sunset soirée were Alan and Lisa Parsons, Catherine Remak, Jackie Furlatti, David Edelman, Anne Towbes, Michael Smith, Doug and Marni Margerum, Gina Tolleson, John Palminteri, Paul Orfalea, Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, and Fred Brander.

New Man in Charge

Valerie Kresge with Earl and Caroline Minnis (Photo by Lisa Field)

18 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Uber vintner Bill Foley, who owns a beach house on Padaro Lane near Star Wars producer George Lucas and Oscar winner Kevin Costner, has splashed out a reported $130 million to acquire the 121-room Hotel Californian, a tiara’s toss from Stearns Wharf, from Los Angeles developer Michael Rosenfeld.

Foley, who bought his home from Lynda Weinman and husband Bruce Heavin who purchased it from political pundit Dennis Miller, owns myriad vineyards in the U.S. and New Zealand.

The tony hostelry will have a dedicated space in due course for the Foley Food & Wine Society tasting bar.

Managing director Warren Nocon, who joined the operation in 2013, will continue to run the hotel and its sig-

Tony Shanahan, Patti Smith, and Jackson Smith (Photo by Lisa Field)

nature 88-seat restaurant, Blackbird, with executive chef Travis Watson.

Wheeling & Dealing

Montecito TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, 63, has paid $8.5 million for a mid-century contemporary home in Beverly Hills.

The new property in the Hidden Valley Estates enclave is 4,614 square feet with five bedrooms and four and half bathrooms on a 0.42-acre lot. The house was built in 1961 by famed architect Robert Skinner and has been completely restored.

It was formerly owned by talent agent Gregory Cavic and his wife, Jessica, whose parents founded Soap Opera Digest, who purchased it for $3.5 million.

It is near singer Adele’s new $9.5 million home, which belonged to Nicole Richie. Katy Perry unloaded a $7.47 million house at the end of the street.

Over the last 17 years Ellen and her wife actress Portia de Rossi have bought and sold $450 million in homes, according to the New York Post.

Quite the Sea-n

It was quite a sight in Santa Barbara harbor when billionaire Lorenzo Fertitta, former CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, sailed in

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

with his 285-foot super yacht, the Lonian, and its 216-foot companion ship, the Hodor.

The smaller vessel carries an Aladdin’s cave of fun equipment including nine jet skis, Yamaha quad bikes and ATVs, two Laser dinghies, and one Hobie Cat. It also carries a helicopter and even has room for a submersible.

The Lonian was purchased for $160 million three years ago and accommodates 12 guests and 27 crew, including the captain.

Fertitta, who lives in Las Vegas, is worth around $2.7 billion.

Making a Push

Prince Harry launched a new assault on the media when he made a speech from his Riven Rock estate beamed to the GQ Awards in London.

The Duke of Sussex used the moment to blame “those people who peddle in lies and fear” in the “news media and social media” for vaccine hesitancy.

Queen Elizabeth’s grandson urged governments to do more to vaccinate poorer countries, warning “until every community has access to the vaccine and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are still at risk.”

Miscellany Page 404 9 – 16 September 2021

9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

19

Stories Matter

September’s Scintillating Reads

by Leslie Zemeckis

N

adia Denham runs a curio shop in a “rundown Santa Barbara mall.” Mickie Lambert works for a company that creates “digital scrapbooks” for those wishing to preserve their precious trinkets.

When Nadia dies, Mickie sets out to fulfill her last wish to curate twelve mementos that cause a dormant serial killer to surface. Mickie receives threatening messages to stay out of Nadia’s past. These Toxic Things is written by award-winning writer Rachel Howzell Hall, who knows her stuff when it comes to creating tension and suspense, with interesting multi-dimensional characters.

Toxic is a thrilling ride.

A

dark tale of vengeance the psychological thriller Dark Things I Adore by Katie Lattari will have you flipping pages all the way to the unexpected end. 1988, an artist camp in the woods of Maine, brings together a group of young people brimming with ambition, but mental illness and a dead body will ensue a coverup that will change everything.

Flash forward to 2018 and art professor Max Durant accepts his protégé Audra’s invitation to a remote home in the very same woods. Things turn

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or a hilarious read, pick up Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be, a memoir by Nichole Perkins that is achingly honest and personal. Perkins delves into the influence of pop culture on an independent, anxious, audacious Southern Black woman and its effects on her relationships. Perkins peels the layers of her needs and sexuality to reveal universal truths to claim – or reclaim – her power.

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her complicated characters and their struggles with racism, fetishization, and tokenism in the largely white society where they strive to be seen.

The author claiming “diversity and inclusion is also about breaking stereotypes” goes far to paint the individual struggles of each character.

F

or historical fiction fans comes Stephanie Marie Thornton’s A Most Clever Girl about real-life communist Elizabeth Bentley. Fictional character Cat Gray shows up at Bentley’s apartment with a gun and vows to kill the Cold War double agent unless she exposes the secrets of Cat’s birthmother. Bentley begins her story, starting in 1933. It is a story about love, idealism, betrayal, and loneliness that motivated Bentley’s every wrong move. It would be Bentley’s testimony that sends Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair.

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dark as Audra seeks vengeance for events that happened thirty years prior. As Audra and Max each stalk the other the story grows darker as Lattari tightly weaves both timelines together, finding the guilty who have thus far gone unpunished.

L

olá Ákínmádé Åkerström’s slow burn of a delicious novel In Every Mirror She’s Black is a reflection of what others see – which is mostly color. The story involves three women, a marketing executive, a flight attendant and a refugee, whose lives become entwined with a successful white Swede on the spectrum. Åkerström deftly fleshes out

“It is not the length of life, but the depth.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

S

o, grab one of these as we head back into school pickups and orthodontist appointments or just during a quiet moment with a coffee at Jeannine’s or Renaud’s.

•MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

Sara Miller McCune along with

The Granada Theatre, The Santa Barbara Symphony and

State Street Ballet Presents

The Night of a Lifetime October 23, 2021 • 2:30 & 7:30pm October 24, 2021 • 2:30pm The Granada Theatre 1214 State St. • Santa Barbara, CA

For Tickets, Visit Ticketing.GranadaSB.org

9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

21

In Memoriam Peter Clark:

by Denice Spangler Adams

A Man That Always Chose to Give Back

P

eter Clark always chose good, and “quietly” did good, never publicly sharing his many good deeds for others. The Montecito Journal’s society tribute to Peter was excellent, however I feel compelled as his decades’ long “jazz mom friend” to add to this exceptional man’s legacy from observations and what he shared over coffee near his studio or tea at his home.

Peter’s passion for American jazz was unparalleled, America his chosen country, and for mentoring youth to ensure that they knew the importance of discipline, practice perfection, manners, and gratitude. He’d tell instrumental music students to always appreciate and engage your audience; during breaks he would talk with those coming out to support what’s unique to America — jazz! He’d tell them to send written thank you notes to those who help or appreciate you; those who pay to enjoy your talent. Money is essential for musician survival — your employer is audience dependent.

Post-performances, he’d be waiting to give the student musicians feedback — always firm, direct, and beneficial. He helped students grow because he’d say what teachers aren’t allowed to communicate now that mediocrity — or less — has become the accepted norm. The kids respected him because he lived what he expected of them. He asked improvisational and performance questions to get them thinking about choices and decisions.

Peter spent hours in Santa Barbara school band rooms observing, teaching, identifying, and mentoring talent. He contacted top jazz clubs to give serious students exposure and performance experience in the real world. He discussed the movie Whiplash, produced locally, during one chat.

These exceptional jazz students became his kids — his sons if you will — and remain a band of brothers. Peter ’s death hit them hard as word quickly spread across the country.

Montecito society likely doesn’t know Peter and Dallas paid college and grad school tuitions for some local jazz students to America’s top music schools — because Peter quietly chose good. Few know how many he gifted the recording studio experience to prepare them for their futures. Few know how many doors he opened for local students.

22 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Four Ways Teachers Can Combat Back-to-School Anxieties

B

Bassist Victor Murillo and tenor sax Andrew Adams toast Peter Clark in Manhattan

Alto saxophonist Lito Hernandez was the first jazz (versus classical) musician to ever win the esteemed Southern California Spotlight Award at the packed Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, before his selection as Presidential Scholar at Berklee College of Music — home to more than 250 Grammy winners. It pleased Peter when our country’s best-known saxophonists would announce they never heard a high school student play at Lito’s high level of talent, passion, and showmanship.

Peter chose good, and without ever seeking or getting public recognition Peter did good.

He lives on in the lives he impacted for American jazz.

Stand-up bassist Victor Murillo was soloist New Year’s Eve at the Boston Pops internationally televised show, viewed by millions. His fingers fly and the accolades are unending. He’s the best in the business.

Tenor saxophonist Jared Yee pops up on my TV when I watch PBS. The list is long of America’s new generation of jazz musicians who Peter mentored.

On a personal note, Peter mentored my two who are not professional, but are solid musicians.

Following Peter’s tour of Russia, he

ack-to-school season was a stressful time for teachers, even before the pandemic. Facing another COVID-19 surge, teachers are tasked with stocking classrooms, imparting knowledge, and keeping children healthy.

Identify your stressors — Acknowledge situations that amplify your back-to-school stress. Rather than ignoring these feelings, write them down in your journal or even just acknowledge them to yourself verbally.

Divide and conquer — Make a list of tangible actions you can take to address your stressors, like investing in high-quality masks and asking your school district to invest in air filters for each classroom.

Set boundaries — Set aside daily personal time just for yourself and if the gossip of the teacher’s lounge is exhausting, opt for lunch outside instead.

Recognize the good — It takes five positive thoughts to counteract one negative one, so remember to focus on the good and be grateful for what is going right. This can look like celebrating small victories, like when a student finally masters a difficult concept or when the school goes a whole week without a COVID-19 infection.

Why You Should Consider Setting Your Resolutions in the Fall Research shows that only 19% of people stick to their New Years’ resolutions, but perhaps that’s because we’re resetting our habits at the wrong time of year. If you’re looking for a season to commit to new goals, fall might be better than January.

Fall is a natural reset — Throughout childhood, we were programmed to think of fall as the start of the year, and for many parents, this is still the case.

This natural sense of reset makes it a better time for our brain to grasp new routines and focus on new challenges.

We’re well-rested — Unlike January, fall comes after a summer of rest and relaxation, making it a perfect time to hit the ground running on new healthy habits.

You’ve got more time — After a busy summer and back-to-school season, many people’s calendars tend to calm down a bit, making room for new goals and aspirations.

It fits into the “nine-week rule” — Contemporary studies suggest that it takes our brain 66 days, or roughly nine weeks, to form a long-lasting habit.

If you start this week, you will have roughly nine weeks until Halloween, giving you the perfect time frame to solidify those resolutions.

•MJ

invited my 17-year-old to perform with him as a trio with a famed baritone vocalist. To ensure my son was prepared to go off to MIT — with his band brothers across the river at Berklee — Peter randomly went through various jazz standards to see if Andrew could instantaneously improvise in the right key. Peter was secretly recording this performance on both flute and tenor sax.

Unbeknownst until later, disclosure of Peter’s note and CD to admissions read: “Listen; here’s another reason to admit Andrew beyond math.”

Music is math explaining the high academic achievement of Santa Barbara’s instrumentalists.

As for my Irish-dancing, violin-playing daughter who spent seven years watching Peter generously mentor the guys, he wrote a major part for her to play in a composition album for Erin Graffy and the Santa Barbara delegation to gift to

“Make the most of yourself... for that is all there is of you.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dingle, Ireland. Peter worked days with Alyse prior to recording with a full symphony orchestra: quite different from her Youth Symphony experience. Later, when the Oscarnominated movie Brooklyn premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and the Dingle delegation came here, Peter’s original compositions resulted in a forever memory of Dingle’s Irish singing and dancing nonstop far into the night. Sister cities bonded with super glue on this side of the pond thanks to Peter.

Peter chose good, and without ever seeking or getting public recognition Peter did good. He lives on in the lives he impacted for American jazz.

Now I hope others in our enclave will follow Peter ’s lead: identify serious students, mentor, share what you know, and guide them. Hire our exceptionally talented pros for events and parties. Jazz is American; its depth much more than a tune. •MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

Guest Opinion

Brilliant Thoughts

by Ashleigh Brilliant

by Jenna Tosh

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

Time to go Bananas

W

hen I was six years old, I received a consolation prize of 25 cents for not knowing the answer on a Toronto radio station kids’ program called “Snappy Answers.”

But only twice in my life since then have I ever won anything substantial – and the first time was pure luck. In the early days of my postcard business in San Francisco (about 1968) I’d bought a Rex-Rotary machine, with which I could print my own cards. But it required “stencils” of the designs, which had to be made on another machine, a much more expensive stencil-cutter, which I couldn’t afford. The alternative was to take my art downtown to the Rex-Rotary office and pay to have the stencils made on their machine, then bring them home to run off the cards.

Once, at the company office, I noticed a box in which customers could put their names for a “drawing.” The prize was a new stencil-cutter, which normally cost about $1,200. With the usual “why not?” sort of feeling, I filled in a slip, dropped it in the box, and forgot all about it. Then, a few weeks later, came the amazing news that I had won! This was a life-changing event, enabling me and my wife to operate a small self-contained business out of our San Francisco apartment, before moving lock, stock, and stencil-maker, to a house in Santa Barbara.

But — despite often receiving, in the mail, envelopes emblazoned with the enticing messages like “YOU MAY ALREADY BE A WINNER!” — only once again could I ever actually beam a true winner’s smile. And this time, it wasn’t a matter of luck, but of pure talent. One of my few exceptional abilities is to write new lyrics to well-known melodies. When teaching on a “Floating University,” sailing around the world, I had written songs commemorating the various places we visited. For example, to the tune of “Arrivederci Roma” I wrote a ballad entitled “Your River’s Dirty, Roma.” And, while in San Francisco during the Haight-Ashbury “Summer of Love,” I did a whole series of “hippie” songs, e.g., one to the tune of “My Grandfather’s Clock,” called “My Grandfather’s Pot.” Not till 1986 did my last great opportunity to be a winner occur, in the form of a pad I discovered in a supermarket. It proclaimed a contest sponsored by the Chiquita Company to write new words to their “Chiquita Banana Song,” which had been so widely broadcast for so long that I’d known it since childhood.

The prize was a luxury weekend in Los Angeles, valued at $2,000. But for me, the real prize would, I presumed, be a chance to hear my new lyrics sung on the media, replacing that old song with its erroneous message that, “Bananas like the climate of the very very tropical Equator, So, you should never put bananas in your refrigerator.”

(I’ve always disregarded this injunction, with only good results.) There was apparently no limit to the number of entries you could submit. So, working hard for several weeks, I took no chances, and sent in an even dozen completely different banana songs.

Yes, I won — and Dorothy and I enjoyed a chauffeured limousine ride to a top-class hotel (the Westwood Marquis), plus some elegant restaurants, and entertainment at the Comedy Club. But I was disappointed never to be asked anywhere to sing my winning song, and we were treated everywhere just like ordinary guests.

Only afterwards did I realize that promotional contests like these are run by organizations having little or no connection with the firms whose products they’re hired to promote. To my knowledge, no use was ever made of my winning entry, and I never had any direct communication from the Chiquita Company — not even a word of thanks.

But at least I can share with you here that masterpiece, of my 12 efforts, which won for me this empty glory (if you know the tune, feel free to sing along): I’m Chiquita Banana, and I’ve come to say: At home or work or school, or even on your way, Bananas bring the best to you, for health and fun – Good taste and good nutrition, from the tropical sun.

Life, no matter what your plan is, can be better with bananas; In the morning or the nighttime for bananas is the right time.

But it’s dangerous and unsightly to be careless with peel of a banana, So, my proposal is disposal, in an appropriate manner.

Go-go-go-go Ba-na-nas!

•MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

Mad about Texas?

Vote NO in the Recall

E

lections matter. The Supreme Court matters. There is no more heartbreaking evidence of these truths than Texas, where, this week, abortion is effectively banned for the first time since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

The Texas legislature’s SB-8 went into effect in the state at midnight on September 1, after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals canceled a hearing on the law and the Supreme Court stayed silent despite requests to block the Texas law. This extreme law bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, before most people even know they’re pregnant. Unlike similar abortion bans in other states, which are designed to be enforced by state officials, this law gives the general public unprecedented authority to enforce the ban. SB-8 gives politicians, neighbors, and even strangers the right to sue those who provide — or just help patients get — abortion care. As further testament to its ruthless cruelty, SB 8 does not include an exception for rape, incest, or fetal diagnoses. As a result of SB 8, there are currently no health centers in Texas providing abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

The inaction by the Supreme Court on this blatantly unconstitutional ban has taken away a crucial right from millions of people in Texas. Additionally, we know that Black, Latino, Indigenous and people of color, those with low incomes, and people in rural areas will face the greatest barriers to accessing abortion care. And it won’t stop with Texas — legislatures in other states that are hostile to abortion rights will see this as the green light

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• The Voice of the Village •

to enact their own bans on abortion.

How did we get here? Tragically, SB-8 is the result of a decades-long nationwide effort to restrict abortion rights. Close to 600 abortion restrictions were introduced in state legislatures this year alone — 90 of which have been enacted. At the federal level, the Supreme Court is set to hear a case from Mississippi that is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.

With a 6-3 conservative majority now in place, there is no reason to believe that SCOTUS isn’t gearing up to overturn Roe v. Wade entirely.

California has long been a leader in the fight for reproductive freedom. But California’s safeguards against these assaults on our constitutional right to control our bodies are also at risk. The Gubernatorial recall risks California ending up with a Governor who is an ardent opponent of abortion rights, unless a majority of Californians vote “no” on Question 1.

The Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund will never stop fighting to ensure that all people have access to reproductive health care and the ability to make decisions about their own bodies, their lives, and their futures. Today, we must fight where we are — by opening the ballots in our mailboxes and overwhelmingly rejecting this partisan attempt to install an anti-reproductive rights governor in our state.

•MJ Jenna is the CEO of the Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund, which works to advance access to sexual health care and defend reproductive rights

Real Estate Appraiser Greg Brashears California Certified General Appraiser Serving Santa Barbara County and beyond for 30 years V 805-650-9340 EM gb@gregbrashears.com MONTECITO JOURNAL

23

Seen Around Town Art in the Grass

by Lynda Millner

M Club Director Maria McCall, Lois Moore, Linda Rosso, and Art Foundation Trustee John Doordan

Tony Gump, Art Foundation President Keith Moore, and artist Mara Abboud

I

met local artist Mara Abboud many moons ago and have always been envious of her talent. What better way to spend a day than enjoying her outdoor art display and eating a three-course lunch at the Santa Barbara Club.

Mara’s paintings have received the attention of the art world because of her unique technique. Her work can be compared to stained glass, the colors are so brilliant. She has been exhibited in over 25 one-woman shows and appeared in 26 publications such as Architectural Digest, Art in America, and Art News. It takes her about three months to finish one painting because of her many layered techniques. You can see an example of her work in the Upper Village on

a wall near the shops behind the San Ysidro Pharmacy — it’s a wall of sunflowers.

Mara’s been drawing since she was five years old. When her mother kept buying her coloring books, she rejected them saying, “No!” When mom found Mara drawing with her crayons on the shopping bag instead she got the idea. Mara says, “She bought me white butcher paper instead,” and she’s never stopped. One of the many locals who collects her work is George Leis, president and COO of Montecito Bank & Trust.

The bank is also one of the sponsors for the show along with the Art Foundation of Santa Barbara and lead sponsor Lois Moore. M Club director Maria McCall from the

bank organized much of the event with the help of president of the Art Foundation Keith Moore. The M Club is a group of bank clients who meet for a Lunch & Learn once a month. The Art Foundation is a nonprofit whose purpose is to educate the public in the work of artists with special focus on Santa Barbara County and the Central and South Coasts of California.

Mara was a graduate of the New England School of Design in Boston and the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. She studied art in Florence, Italy, but doubted she could make a living on fine art.

So instead, she became a gift, accessories and textile designer in New York City. She painted on the side and soon became a full-time artist and still is.

One thing that always intrigued me was that Mara’s cousin was Kahlil

Gibran, who wrote my favorite poetry book, The Prophet. Her brother Joseph is a world-famous men’s wear designer. Her sister Jeanette is a music composer, and her late sister Nancy was a sculptor. Obviously, it’s in the genes and I didn’t get any in mine.

Once a year the Santa Barbara Club becomes an art gallery for two weeks when members and guests share works from their private collections.

There’s a cocktail party and a featured speaker and the public can buy tickets. For information check out www.artfoundationofsb.org.

A Family Legacy

Keith Moore could probably write a family saga, but instead he gave a celebration soirée in honor of his

Seen Page 434

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“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

9 – 16 September 2021

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9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

25

On Water (Continued from page 8)

80% more expensive than the U.S. average. The same use of 16.3 HCF of water purchased in Montecito would cost $8.65 per HCF, almost double the average cost in the U.S., but competitive with neighboring districts.

If our wells run dry, MWD users would be lining up at Costco to buy Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring water at $0.98 per gallon. An HCF of water purchased at Costco would cost MWD buyers $733 per HCF, which makes MWD water a bargain.

50% of California Water Use is for Environmental: 21 million AFY

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, water use in California is shared across three main sectors. Some 50% of California’s water is devoted to environmental uses, mainly “wild and scenic” rivers along the Northern California coast; recreational stream recharge; maintenance of the SacramentoSan Joaquin River Delta; wetland management; wildlife preserves; and urban environmental programs.

40% of California Water is for Agricultural Use: 16.8 million AFY California water irrigates some nine million acres of farmland that produce 99% of all U.S. almonds, walnuts, and pistachios; nearly 95% of all broccoli and strawberries; 90% of all grapes and tomatoes; and 74% of all lettuce. Farms and dairies rely largely on groundwater wells.

For the over-drafted aquifers in the Central Valley/San Joaquin Valley, the requirement to manage groundwater sustainably has heightened interest in expanding water supplies and underground storage. Aquifers are still being over-pumped, and land is sinking.

Agriculture products in California generated some $50 billion in sales in 2018.

Obviously, securing a reliable water supply, independent of rainfall for agriculture is a high priority.

10% of California Water is for Urban Use: 4.2 million AFY

Urban water use includes household use (drinking, toilets, showers, dishwashers, laundry) and outside use for landscaping, car washing, businesses and industrial processes. Some 50% of urban water use in California is used for landscaping. It is worth noting that only 5% of total California water use of 42 million AFY is for landscaping, and yet landscaping has become the ultimate water villain for the governor, the mainstream media, and the environmental community.

The good news is that urban water use has been falling even as the urban population grows. Per capita urban water use has declined significantly from 231 gallons per day in 1990 to 180 gallons per day in 2010, reflecting greater environmental consciousness, mandatory installation of water-saving technologies like low-flow toilets and shower heads, drip irrigation, less grass (but more cannibals), and other water conservation techniques.

In 2015, per capita California urban water use fell again to 146 gallons per day in response to drought-related conservation mandates. Per capita use has since rebounded slightly, but a new state law will require further long-term reductions.

The State Water Project: SWP

SWP was designed to deliver nearly 4.2 million AF of water per year to California farms, homes, and industry with some 30% of SWP water used for irrigation, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley, and about 70% used for residential, municipal, and industrial use.

SWP stretches 705 miles southward from Lake Shasta, the largest reservoir in California, and Lake Oroville, the second largest reservoir in California, to transport rain and melted snowpack from the High Sierras to Northern, Central, and Southern California. The SWP system includes 29 dams, 18 pump-

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ing plants, five hydroelectric power plants and 600 miles of canals and pipelines. Designed and constructed when California had 20 million residents, the SWP is now expected to serve some 40 million residents. The predictable result is a system that is chronically over-promised and under-delivered.

Most of its reservoirs, pumps, and pipelines were constructed 60 years ago and are aging badly. Major problems include reservoirs filling with excessive silt; undersized and aging pipes; inefficient pumps; required releases for endangered fish; and massive losses of water due to surface evaporation and leaks.

SWP is also the No. 1 user of electrical energy in all of California.

SWP has 29 long-term water supply contractors, dominated by the huge Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million people through a consortium of 26 cities and water districts in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties.

Metropolitan contracts for about 2 million AFY from SWP and 1.35 million AFY from the Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA), but actual delivery amounts depend upon rainfall and regulatory conditions.

On August 18, 2021, the Metropolitan Water District, for the first time in seven years, issued an official supply alert, noting the “perfect storm” of both a drought in the High Sierras and a drought in the Colorado River basin.

The Montecito Water District (MWD) has an SWP allotment of 3,300 AFY (compared to Metropolitan’s 2 million AFY). Last year, the MWD allotment of SWP water was reduced to 5% or 165 AFY, a dribble in a drought. The SWP allotment in 2021-2022 for Montecito is anticipated to be zero.

Historic Drought on the Colorado River

The 1,450-mile Colorado River is a lifeline for drinking water for 40 million people in eight states; irrigating 5.5 million acres of farmland; and supporting 16 million jobs.

On August 17, the federal government declared the first-ever shortage of water in the Colorado River system. The water level at Lake Mead, the Colorado River’s biggest reservoir, now stands at 35% of capacity, its lowest level since 1937. The second biggest reservoir, Lake Powell, stands at just 33% of capacity, its lowest level on record since it was first filled more than 50 years ago.

Arizona will see an 18% cut in 2022 deliveries of promised Colorado River water. Nevada will see its allocations decreased by 7%. Mexico will receive 5% less water. California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming have senior rights, and for now, will not see substantial cuts.

California’s Response to Water Warnings

On July 8, 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked all Californians to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. He also, added five more counties, including Santa Barbara County, to his list of 50 out of 58 counties subject to an emergency drought proclamation. On July 13, the Board of Supervisors for Santa Barbara County proclaimed a local water emergency.

In mid-August the City of Glendale in Southern California imposed mandatory conservation requirements for its residents because of shrinking reservoirs, limiting landscaping water to three days a week for no more than 10 minutes per day. A drought surcharge of $0.30 per HCF has been added to every customer bill.

On August 13, Mendocino, a foggy coastal hamlet in northern California without a municipal water system, had its wells run dry. Underground aquifers were depleted from overextraction. In a community where redwoods meet the sea, businesses closed, tourists and residents were directed to portable toilets and tankers began hauling in water from 40 miles away.

Moving Forward . . .

Business as usual is not an option. In a world where change is measured in nanoseconds, it is unacceptable for our elected leaders to delay development of bold and imaginative plans for conservation and for increasing the supply of reliable water that is not dependent of rainfall.

There is a cost to taking bold actions, but there is a far greater cost for 20 years of wishful thinking, where leaders “pray for rain.”

Technological solutions are staring us right in the face.

About This Series

This is a five-part series, with next week featuring “Part II: Will Montecito Run Out of Water?”

•MJ Editor’s Note: This series on water will run for the next five weeks, with topics such as whether Montecito will run out of water, desalination, committing to green living, and water independence

26 MONTECITO JOURNALLuxury Real Estate Specialist “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

9 – 16 September 2021

Ernie’s World

Robert’s Big Questions

by Ernie Witham

Ernie has been writing humor for more than 25 years.

He is the author of three humor books and is the humor workshop leader at the prestigious Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

Summertime and the Living is Freezing

“H

oly ice cubes, Batman,” I said, as a breeze wafted its way up my shorts.

“Fifty-seven degrees?” my wife said. “It was in the 70s when we left Oakland Hills.”

“Guess it’s like Mark Twain said: ‘The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.’”

“Experts claim that Mark Twain never actually said that,” Pat said.

“Yeah? Well, I’m betting those experts were studying at the ‘University of Saint Balmy,’ when they made their declaration.”

We were staying at a house in Oakland for a few days. The owners were staying at our house in Santa Barbara. One of our first home exchanges in almost two years. Being July, naturally we had packed summery stuff like shorts and sandals.

“How long does it take for frostbite to set in?” I asked, looking at my exposed toes.

“Not sure,” Pat mumbled as she rummaged through the car looking for ski jackets.

Today we had decided to venture to Golden Gate Park to visit the California Academy of Sciences.

Good old reliable Siri led us right to it. “Turn here,” she said.

“Loading Dock, No Entrance” the sign read. So, we shut Siri off and looked for parking. About two miles away, we found a spot. “How lucky.

It’s in the shade.”

We looked skyward. The rolling fog was the color of tarnished pewter. And the branches of the trees riffled poetically in the frigid ocean air.

Fortunately, we had purchased logo sweatshirts in Yosemite recently. I gnawed off the price tags and zipped mine up to my chin. We began walking. I imagined myself leaving base camp on Mount Everest, only instead of walking past snow leopards, we were walking past mustangs, rabbits, and beetles.

There are a few things that drive me crazy. “A few?” One of them is when a car pulls out of a spot much closer to where you want to be than where you are parked. The New Englander in me wants me to run back and move my car. The Californian in me says walking is good for the heart.

“There is absolutely no way I’m standing in that parking spot to save it until you get back.” Ah, the deciding vote.

Another thing that irks me is high 9 – 16 September 2021

metabolism. “Seriously! That guy in the sleeveless Raiders t-shirt is fanning himself,” I said just as we entered the Academy and walked past the full-size T-Rex, appropriately adorned in a giant face mask.

“He just left the Osher Rainforest,” a museum guide told me. “It’s warm in there.”

“Where is there?” Pat and I quickly asked in unison.

Turns out the Osher Rainforest, in the middle of the Academy of Sciences was 80-85 degrees. It offered a spiraling walkway with lush tropical plants in the middle, as well as macaws, butterflies, hairy spiders, toxic frogs, colorless lizards and a couple hundred sweaty tourists. “Would you hold my sweatshirt dear?”

“Sorry, but all the Sherpas are still back on Everest.”

Another really interesting thing about the rainforest is that it sits right above a tunnel-shaped aquarium, so you can look down and see people looking up at huge, terrifying fish. And you.

“Please stop waving like a maniac.”

“I’m trying to get that guy’s attention. He looks kinda like a trout.”

Moments later, we were the ones looking up through the fish to the spiraling walkway of rainforest people. “Again, please stop waving like a maniac.”

Two other great features of the California Academy of Sciences are the Planetarium and the Living Roof.

We tried a number of times to get tickets for the planetarium at the do-it-yourself kiosk, but it kept saying try back later.

So, we went out on the roof. “Wow, must be almost 58 degrees out now.”

The roof has seven hills covered with more than a million plants. It also has round skylights that illuminate the museum. Must be really beautiful in summer.

We hurried to the line for non-ticket holders to get into the planetarium. We were not alone. “We tried the kiosk five times.” “We tried it six.”

“Eight, over here.”

Finally, after watching what seemed like a thousand people walk by, they let us standbys in.

“Nice,” I said. “It’s air-conditioned.”

“I’ll hold your sweatshirt for you now, dear.”

Riggghhhttt.

•MJ

by Robert Bernstein

Degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UC Santa Barbara. Career in designing atomic-resolution microscopes. Childhood spent in Europe and the East of the US. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life and the universe. Duty to be a good citizen of the planet.

I Never Thought of That

S

ome things really are taboo, and I want to write more about that in the future. I recently posted a cartoon on Facebook that showed a guy saying, “Having a dog has convinced me that animals have souls. And that is why I became a vegetarian.” The other person says, “Yet you feed your dog meat.”

When I made the post, I noted that some of my friends may never talk to me again for making this post. Sure enough, I received many responses. Ranging from confused to angry to indignant to surprisingly supportive. Here were some responses: “What does diet have to do with the benefits of owning a pet?”

“Would you have me kill my dog to show my love of animals?”

“Humans are the sole cause of the 6th mass extinction. Should I kill everyone I know to try to stop it?”

“Life is suffering. Are their [sic] contradictions in what I say? Yes, but they don’t keep me up at night.”

“Life is a paradox.”

“I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. Couldn’t resist, but I also think it’s true.”

“If my cat could understand, I would try to convince him to not eat other animals.”

“Living up here in Montana, I know that the best way to eat meat is to shoot it yourself, gut, clean, butcher, and consume. Zero carbon footprint.”

“The amount we spend feeding, pampering, and providing medical care for ‘pets’ could keep millions of starving people alive and well.”

“I tried posting about the carbon impacts of owning a dog. Some pretty angry responses came in. Mainly ‘whataboutery.’ In all seriousness though, if we’re going to tackle climate change, we need to look at all of it.”

But then came this response: “I never thought about this.”

Of all the responses I received, I appreciated this one the most. I privately replied to her to thank her. I did not comment on any other reply, which is unusual for me.

How often do we say, “I never thought about this”? Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Knowledge is when you learn something new every day.” Often shortened to, “Learn something new every day.” If so, shouldn’t we be saying “I never thought about this” at least once a day?

Instead, our hairless ape brains instinctively respond. Usually, with a defensive response to justify why we should continue to believe whatever we already wanted to believe. But sometimes there is no quick and easy answer.

Sometimes, the best thing is to take in the new information and not act on it right away. It may be that it will take days, months, or years to assimilate the information in a way that allows appropriate action. This is especially true for new information that would change something that affects our core beliefs and core habits.

This was part of the message of Al Gore’s 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth.

Sometimes we learn something new that requires a rethinking of how we live our lives. It is as if a dear friend has died. We go through stages of grief: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

At first, we just don’t want to believe it is true. We become angry. Perhaps angry at the messenger. We try to bargain for something less disruptive than the reality we are facing. When that fails, we become depressed about what we are losing. Finally, we are forced to accept a new reality. Perhaps we can start a new life that is better at least in some ways.

A related expression to “I never thought about this” is “I don’t know.” Why is it so difficult for people to say this? Instead, we are very quick to fill that vacuum of knowledge with pretty much anything. I took a graduate level philosophy class with Charles Chihara at Berkeley who offered a related insight.

Suppose someone tells you that Zeus created the Universe. You reply that you think that is wrong. They reply, “Do you have a better explanation?” Chihara pointed out that you are not obligated to have a better explanation in order to reject one that is wrong. You can always say, “I don’t know. But I do know that your explanation is wrong.”

There is one phrase that seems even harder for our species to say: “I was wrong.” Perhaps if we could become more comfortable with ambiguity, uncertainty, and admitting mistakes we could better learn to move forward?

•MJ

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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Farr Out How Old is That Rock?

by Tom G. Farr

NASA’s Mars Perseverance is taking photos of rocks while on its mission (Photo courtesy of NASA) NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its onboard Left Navigation Camera (Photo courtesy of NASA)

O

n my first geological field trip as a new geology major at Caltech, I was amazed as we drove out into the Mojave Desert on Interstate 15 when my professor, who was driving, would point through the window at a distant rock outcropping and say: “There’s a Miocene (five to 20 million years of age) sandstone.”

How could he determine the age of a rock while driving (fast) along the freeway? Later, I found out that others had done the work and published the results in maps and reports. A good series for armchair geologists is the Roadside Geology books which give detailed road logs along popular routes like I-15, Highway 395 up Owens Valley, or the 101.

One of the key things that geologists do is to try to reconstruct, like a detective, what happened and when it happened. We’re aided by the fact that most geological phenomena produce layers of rock, starting with the oldest at the bottom and getting younger as we go up. We can sometimes also see how one geological unit overlaps another and get an idea which is younger. Those are ways to determine the relative ages of geological units.

Other ways include looking at how well developed the soil is on a unit, whether the rocks on a glacial moraine are fresh looking or heavily weathered, and even if there’s a lot of lichen growing on the exposed rocks. It’s better than nothing, but what we really want is the actual age of the rocks.

Early on, as geology was developing as a science, people noticed that certain layers of rock cropped out over large areas. Were these isolated outcrops all related? At the same

28 MONTECITO JOURNAL

time, paleontologists were finding fossils in various rock layers that seemed to tell a story of slow evolution of organisms. It seemed that certain assemblages of fossils defined eras of Earth’s history and so the various names of those eras and epochs were invented to systematize that knowledge. Thus, the Cambrian Period (now known to be about 485540 million years ago) is marked by

sandstones laid down by rivers after the continents shifted and the seas departed.

Fossils were all well and good, but it was desired to have a numerical age for the rock layers being mapped. How much time was represented by those siltstones? Finally, at the turn of the 20th century, radioactive decay was discovered, leading Ernest Rutherford to propose in 1905 that the age of the Earth could be determined.

Most people have heard of carbon

With the capabilities of modern analytical labs, we can measure the ratios to astonishing accuracies; we can now push Carbon dating up to about 60,000 years, or 10 times its half-life

crab-like trilobites and the Miocene Epoch is characterized by land animals like today’s species.

Using the growing amount of fossil knowledge to correlate widely spaced rock outcrops allowed geologists to make maps showing how far-apart outcrops were related both in space and time. Maps were made that allowed a better understanding of how a region evolved over time: layers of siltstone and clays represented an ocean with the appropriate fossils, but the younger layers maybe were

dating, or the use of carbon isotopes to date a material belongs to a family of dating techniques called radiometric dating. What we’re doing is counting how much of a radioactive isotope of an element contained in the sample has decayed into its so-called “daughter” isotopes or elements. It turns out there’s a lot of radioactive isotopes out there, not just uranium and such.

The key to dating is to pick an element and its radioactive isotope that decays at a rate that matches your age range of interest.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The decay rate is specified as the ‘half-life’ which is just the amount of time for half a sample to decay. For example, the radioactive isotope of carbon is Carbon-14 which means it has two extra neutrons than regular Carbon-12. Carbon-14’s half-life is 5,700 years, which means if you seal off 1 gram of Carbon-14 and come back 5,700 years later, you’ll only find half a gram left, the rest changing to Nitrogen. Since we know the original ratio of Carbon-14 to Carbon-12 in the atmosphere and therefore the sample, we can figure out how much Carbon-14 has decayed by checking the current ratio, yielding the age since the carbon was sealed off from the atmosphere (i.e., the plant died).

Other radioactive isotopes are used for other age ranges. Uranium-238’s half-life is about 4.5 billion years while U-235’s is about 700 million years.

Thorium is about 14 billion years, while Potassium-40’s is only about 1.3 million years. So, the geologist has a wide range of isotopes from which to choose.

Another consideration for radiometric dating is that there must be enough of the isotope to be measured. With the capabilities of modern analytical labs, we can measure the ratios to astonishing accuracies; we can now push Carbon dating up to about 60,000 years, or 10 times its half-life.

But that’s assuming there’s a decent amount of carbon to start with.

Geologists often spend an inordinate amount of time searching for charcoal or other organic material buried with rocks of interest, but in arid regions, they often come up short. But about 20 years ago, some geologists got so desperate they came up with a

Farr Out Page 344 9 – 16 September 2021

What began as the Kick Ash Bash has now grown into

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ROBBY KRIEGER of THE DOORS

2021’s hottest ticket!

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September 18th, 5:30 -10pm Go to One805.org for more information today.

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Friends & Ambassadors: Ellen DeGeneres; Martin Gore; Olivia Newton John; Peter Noone; Rob Lowe; Alan Parsons; Billy Zane

9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

29

Our Town

by Joanne A. Calitri

Joanne is a professional international photographer and journalist.

Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

From Fires to Budgets, New LPNF Ranger & LPF Director Dish on Current Obstacles LPNF Santa Barbara District Ranger Daryl Hodges working at the Los Prietos Ranger Station (Photo by Joanne A Calitri)

A

month into his position as the Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) Santa Barbara District Ranger, Daryl Hodges is now dealing with the statewide Los Padres National Forest closure due to fire prevention and mitigation, with support directed to the Caldor Fire.

That, along with decreased staffing and his entire budget focused on fire prevention, have not dampened his enthusiasm for being the new ranger.

Hodges, with a 27-year career in forest service, comes to the area from the Angeles National Forest in Southern California, where he worked as the Forest Fisheries biologist.

Bryan Conant, executive director of Los Padres Forest Association, is usually found mapping the area’s remote backcountry. He has 300-plus volunteers annually that restore, maintain, and suggest projects to Hodges, and collabs with REI for gear donations.

Both Hodges and Conant sat down for a Q&A session with the Montecito Journal: Q: Let’s talk about the fire closures . . .

Hodges: All our focus is on fire because we have to maintain the posture for initial attack and hopefully catching any before they get big.

The cost of fire operations has risen dramatically, yet our budgets haven’t reflected that, so all our money is moving to fire at the expense of other staff areas. Hence the closure of the forest statewide because we don’t have the capacity to get on a fire start from the very beginning, so we are trying to mitigate that with a forest closure. There are 5,000 firefighters assigned to the Caldor Fire right now

30 MONTECITO JOURNAL

with support teams from the LPNF. Because many trails and roads start on the front country and lead into the forest, I contacted our partners, and they are willing to post signage regarding the forest closure on those trails.

Conant: Know that the Sheriff’s Department will issue hefty fines for anyone violating this order. We are sweeping the forest roads to make certain no one is out there, locking the gates, and posting closure signs. There is a community of trails organizations that is patrolling the area to replace closure signs because people tear them down and take away our A-frame signs.

We’d all like the fire agencies to have plenty of resources to go around, plenty of time to safely manage any fires, and the certainty that all forest-users would safely and responsibly enjoy their time in the forests.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case right now and the closure order should help reduce potential new ignitions. Our thoughts are with all the families and community members who’ve been impacted by the wildfires through California and beyond. We thank all the first responders and firefighters who are working tirelessly to protect our communities and keep everyone safe. No one is happy about this closure, and we realize the inconvenience this causes, especially for A-Zone hunters, but everyone please do your part and stay off the forest.

Where can people hike and recreate?

Conant: Beaches and California State Parks remain open.

— Trails open in Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria: Ennisbrook Trail, Toro Canyon

Ridge Trail, Coffin Family Trail, and Carpinteria Bluffs Trail; — Santa Barbara and Goleta: Parma Park, Toro Canyon Park, More Mesa, Ellwood Mesa Coastal Trail, Douglas Family Preserve, Elings Park, Tucker’s Grove and San Antonio Canyon, San Marcos Foothills Preserve, Arroyo Burro-Douglas Preserve Loop, and Arroyo Hondo Preserve; — Gaviota and Santa Ynez Valley: Gaviota Wind Caves, Nojoqui Falls Trail, and Cachuma Lake; — And there are many trails in Ventura and San Luis Obispo.

What are other important closures?

Conant: Effective July 31 – March 2022, Sunset Valley Road, the Catway OHV (Old Catway), Nira and Davy Brown Campgrounds are closed to all traffic and pedestrians due to bridge construction and repaving. All trails in the Figueroa Mt. Recreation Area except the Catway OHV Trail are to remain open and accessible through alternate points. With regards to hunting season, this closure is an inconvenience for hunters who would normally head out there and hunt out of NIRA and off of Sunset Valley Road. This also pushes more users into less geographic terrain as the hunters who would normally use NIRA/Sunset Valley are now forced to go elsewhere. This closure will similarly impact backpackers during backpacking season.

During the closure, can you do internal projects?

Hodges and Conant: No. The closure has nothing to do with our capacity to do more work on the forest. We are limiting our employees’ ability to do any projects right now, including those with contractors; all of it is stopping. Our closure is designed to mitigate any new fire starts, and we recognize not only can the public do that, but our employees can too while they are out working.

What about the illegal marijuana grow and the dangers it poses to our forest and local communities?

Conant: The pot growers are out there setting up next to our yearround water sources. If you go off trail generally you will find an active or past grow. They use camouflage netting, propane tanks, rifles, tools, MiracleGro, and leave tons of trash.

The impact of what they are doing to the water, canyons, and animals is major concern, especially the fire hazard it poses, both the La Brea and Dolan Fires were started by a pot grow. We call it into dispatch.

Hodges: Federal law enforcement officers work with local state and county law enforcement agencies to identify illegal grow sites and eradicate them. The chemicals and trash are then cleaned up to remove the toxic materials from the national forest.

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bryan Conant is the executive director of the LPNF Association in Montecito (Photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Talk about the LPNF protecting watershed areas…

Hodges: The forests were set up as forest preserves, and the national forests in California have a watershed value to their neighboring communities. Our higher elevation areas act as a sponge for rainfall, and we are responsible for providing fresh, clean water to the public. To do this, we maintain the forest habitat, we don’t develop these areas, we have fire protection so we don’t denude these landscapes so that they can hold the water and release it over time. The Santa Barbara District has 20 unique different watersheds.

For example, the Montecito Water District has special permits to manage and impound water on the forest for irrigation and drinking.

What is your focus as Santa Barbara District Ranger?

Hodges: My focus is recreation, restoration, and mitigating wildfires.

Recreation activities include visiting sites, hiking, camping, hunting, RV use, dirt bikes, and the hot springs. Our restoration is from an ecological standpoint, and we maintain the forest habitat, especially for threatened and endangered species such as the California red-legged frog, the Arroyo toad, and the California condor, and restore areas with native plants that have been invaded by other plant species.

Due to past budget cuts and the cost of living in Santa Barbara, we currently are down to four employees from 15, and we don’t have what we need to meet the demands. One of my goals is to increase partnerships with the local schools and universities via our Ecosystems staff. A lot of things were put on hold due to COVID, but we are picking that up again. We welcome everyone to follow us on social media and join.

•MJ 411 on Instagram: @lospadres_lpfa @lpforestwatch @montecitotrailsfoundation 9 – 16 September 2021

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Feb 26 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

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Apr 13 & 14 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

(805) 893-3535 | ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu 9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

Feb 4 Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

@artsandlectures MONTECITO JOURNAL

31

The Giving List

by Steven Libowitz

Justified Pivot:

Organization Doesn’t Stop Fight Against Discrimination

Just Communities is continuing its work by partnering with other organizations focused on eliminating discrimination

Just Communities has worked with Santa Barbara Unified for years, but has recently had to put that on hold due to a legal appeal by another organization

J

ust Communities (JC), the nonprofit whose mission includes “dismantling all forms of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression,” works towards its vision of an equitable and inclusive Central Coast by offering cultural competency training to organizational leaders, education seminars for the general public, leadership training for students and teachers, and customized consultation to local agencies for diversity and organizational change initiatives.

Until 16 months ago, that multipronged approach also included a series of quarter-million-dollar contracts with the Santa Barbara Unified School District to provide implicit bias training. But that was before the pandemic and a protracted lawsuit

by Fair Education against SBUSD, and one against Just Communities itself alleging that the curriculum is racist, radical, discriminatory, and illegal, caused an abrupt halt in the relationship. But that was no surprise to Melissa Rodezno-Patrino, Just Communities’ executive director and chief operating officer since spring 2018.

“SBUSD was our biggest contract and essentially we don’t have that anymore because of this appeal, which means they’re really hampering the work that we’ve been doing with students and educators and parents for the past 10 years,” she said. “That loss has definitely affected us financially — we’re a

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much smaller staff than we were two years ago. But it seems that whenever organizations move the needle of social justice forward, there’s always going to be other ones that want to quell that work.”

When the search for racial equality is the mission, however, such a setback only serves to spur on efforts to engage in other avenues. Such is the case with Just Communities.

“We’ve pivoted by working directly with communities,” RodeznoPatrino said. “We’re still doing the same work, but now we’re doing it with other programs and with other nonprofits and private entities who are preparing youth who reach out to us.”

Youth for Justice (Y4J), for example, is a 15-hour program taking place September 23 through October 14, where youth discuss and address issues of racial equity and systems of oppression in their own communities, and learn about Social Justice Education, civic engagement, and community organizing. A more accessible version of JC’s “Talking in Class” program for SBUSD, Y4J’s goal is to teach students in grades 7-12 to be inclusive of all people and cultures and to develop capacity to check assumptions and to understand the value-laden choices that await them as leaders, decision makers and arbiters of ethical choices at home, at school, and in their communities.

Just Communities’ Anti-Racist

Educators Collaborative Group, which meets monthly on Zoom, gives teachers, aides, and administrators “a space to really talk about issues that happen in schools, and how to support each other with tools to address racism in the classrooms in a productive way,” RodeznoPatrino said.

There’s some irony in the fact that Just Communities had to pivot and retrench even as the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter protests dramatically raised awareness of implicit bias the nonprofit has been addressing for a couple of decades.

“We’ve been doing this work on the Central Coast for the past 20 years and it’s been like swimming upstream to get people to talk about the issue,” Rodezno-Patrino said.

“George Floyd’s death and the murder of Breonna Taylor woke a lot of people up who normally are not involved in the work. It has made what we do a lot easier because more of the community recognizes that this is a big issue, and people are realizing it is happening right in front of you.”

The executive director said that the heightened awareness has bumped up the nonprofit’s consulting work.

“It’s becoming more holistic in that we’re talking to organizations to understand that you can’t just do a one-time training and then suddenly you’re not racist anymore.

Really talking about what it means for an organization to participate in an anti-racist workshop is more of a year-long commitment and a fiveyear plan for lasting change.”

“Going beyond the solidarity statement” part of the point of last January’s First Annual Social Equity Summit with a goal of helping organizations that might have expressed empathy about Floyd’s death to

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

come up with action pieces to put into place in order to combat racism within,” Rodezno-Patrino said.

To that end, Gabrielle Felder, JC’s director of research and consulting who was hired on last spring, is spearheading the nonprofit’s move in expanding consulting and helping to define the work.

“We’re looking internally at what a pro-Black institution looks like. And how do we ensure that we’re having that conversation in the Central Coast?” Rodezno-Patrino said.

Among the institutions signing on is MPA Collaborative Network, the organization working to empower coastal communities and encourage ocean stewardship — a recognition that the climate changes more heavily impact people of color, she said.

What ties all these avenues and challenges together is that the work itself “embodies a lot of pain of what people go through every day,” she said. “There are ripples of change happening throughout the community, but change doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a lot of push and pull. Being able to continue working with allies and accomplices to move the needle forward, that’s what gives me hope every day.”

Financial help, of course, as well as volunteers who can facilitate programs are always needed, RodeznoPatrino said. But so are individuals simply doing their own work within their own community, taking a close look at the systems that are around them and engaging in the conversation.

“When people are willing to wonder about their own role in racism and implicit bias, that’s what is truly heartening for me.”

Just Communities’ Executive Director Melissa Rodezno-Patrino can be reached at (805) 966-2063.

Visit www.just-communities.org. •MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

On Entertainment

distance from Dead Man’s Curve in Beverly Hills, falling into a coma for more than two months and never fully recovering even though the duo once again toured about 10 years later, with Berry still suffering from partial paralysis and aphasia until his death in 2004.

by Steven Libowitz

Surf’s Up! Dean Torrence Still Going Strong 60 years later

“Truthfully, a lot of us are still grateful that people care about our music and show up for the concert.”

— Dean Torrence

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Dean Torrence will play at the Lobero Theatre on September 10

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is the only one that has a custom piece of art on the walls, so that’s pretty cool.”

The song was co-written by Jan Dean, Torrence’s friend from high school long before the duo, along with Brian Wilson, the creative genius behind the Beach Boys. That partnership produced the most productive era for Jan & Dean. The duo scored 16 Top 40 hits on the Billboard and Cash Box magazine charts in a very short period of time. “Surf City” still gets lots of airplay on oldies and ‘60s rock stations, as does “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” and “Dead Man’s Curve,” which both came out in 1964.

The latter song, though, proved eerily prescient when less than two years later Jan Berry (the other half of Jan & Dean) crashed his Corvette just a short

’S TT’ S CC

lthough surf rock pioneers Jan & Dean first rode their surfboards and sang their tunes more than 60 years ago barely 90 miles south of Santa Barbara, Dean Torrence, the surviving member of the duo, can only recall playing in town twice before. Both times were at the Santa Barbara Bowl with the Beach Boys, longtime friends who had much more sustained success with the California-style harmonies than the duo; the band not only still frequently performs in Santa Barbara, a couple of the original members also made their home here.

Torrence, on the other hand, has been happily hanging around at his own home for the last several decades in Huntington Beach, the oceanside town he was instrumental in getting to officially adopt the nickname of “Surf City” in 1991. That, of course, is also the title of Jan and Dean’s famous 1963 hit, which was the first surf song ever to top Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.

“It was only after a journalist asked if I thought it was ironic that I was living in a town that was calling itself Surf City that the idea of helping them market it came about,” said Torrence over the phone from Connecticut over Labor Day Weekend, where the Surf City All-Stars with Jan & Dean were to perform a private party on the beach.

“Now it’s part of the name of about 200 businesses and events. I was in Trader Joe’s the other day, and they have a big mural that says, ‘Welcome to Surf City,’ and our In-N-Out Burger

That’s when Torrence began touring occasionally with the Surf City AllStars, as well as creating Jan & Dean’s Beach Party in which Torrence fronts a band comprised of former and current members of the Beach Boys and the Brian Wilson Band. It’s under the latter moniker that Torrence, now 81, will sing hits by Jan & Dean, the Beach Boys, and other surf songs and more at the Lobero on September 10.

The reason for surf music’s continuing popularity eludes one of its early progenitors.

“I have no idea,” Torrence said. “I think that a lot of it is because the music is attached to an era that’s long past. I don’t think we’re ever going back to the simple life and the naïveté of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The songs are interesting and obviously people liked them, but I think it’s also the period of time when our music is part of the soundtrack of your life.”

Either way, Torrence is glad he gets to play the old hits up to 40 times a year, and only when he wants to get out and do shows.

“You know, truthfully, a lot of us are still grateful that people care about our music and show up for the concert,” Torrence said. “It’s actually pretty amazing. Here we flew across

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the United States to play for a guy’s birthday and it’s a dream come true for him. It’s great to think that you can make somebody really happy and entertain his family and his friends.

That’s pretty special.”

Grand Unveil

UCSB Arts & Lectures unveiled its 2021-22 season at a gala reception late last month, and while the schedule is surely truncated from the usual crowded calendar produced by the most prolific arts organization in town, the slate of just shy of 60 events (so far) is still quite remarkable both for its ambition and its breadth. Dubbed “Creating Hope,” the season gets underway on October 10 with a lecture by Julián Castro that launches the Justice for All series, a sequel to last season’s virtual-only Race to Justice series that includes several more lectures as well as appearances by Emmy and Tony Award winner John Leguizamo and violinist Jennifer Koh with singer Davóne Tines.

That first week also boasts freewheeling folkies The Wood Brothers and fellow returnees the Danish String Quartet, as well as Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

November brings UCSB A&L favorites violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Yuja Wang teaming up for a concert, while acoustic music lovers will thrill to December’s appearance by new Americana Supergroup My Bluegrass Heart, featuring Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Bryan Sutton, as well as January’s return of The Punch Brothers. That’s the same month that dance makes its season debut with Ballet Hispanico.

Single tickets went on sale September 8. Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb. edu for all the details.

•MJ

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• The Voice of the Village •

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

MONTECITO JOURNAL

33

Farr Out (Continued from page 28)

brilliant idea: how about turning the tables and look for a build-up of radioactive isotopes in rocks that had been exposed at the surface of the Earth for a long time? The idea was cosmic rays, which are constantly bombarding the planet, can convert elements within rock minerals from ordinary to radioactive isotopes in large enough amounts to be measured.

Sure enough, amounts of radioactive Beryllium, Aluminum, Helium, Chlorine and others have been detected and measured, leading to a new area of study called rock exposure dating, or more technically, cosmogenic radionuclide dating. It’s revolutionized our understanding of landscapes — how long they’ve existed, and how quickly they change and erode. Unfortunately, you typically

need a lot of rocks to get a good enough exposure age. On a recent expedition to western China, my team and I had to collect many pounds of rocks from the surfaces of alluvial fans we wanted to date. Then we had to go to the local bazaar in Kashgar and have boxes made to ship them back to the U.S. for analysis. But we got some good numbers that we could relate to past ice ages and earthquake fault slip rates in the area.

Another recent innovation that has allowed us to estimate how long a soil deposit has been sitting undisturbed, is an even more arcane technique called optically stimulated luminance (OSL) dating. The idea here is like rock exposure dating, except the source of the signal is radioactive elements buried with the soil. Over a long period of

Mini Meta

PUZZLE #1 2

tion, and acceleration are difficult to accomplish well in a small package which is why we still can’t date rocks accurately on other planets. A trial was conducted with a mass spectrometer designed for another purpose on the Mars rover Curiosity, but the sensitivity was a little low for accurate rock dating. So, it’s still necessary to bring samples back to Earth for analysis in our big machines. Lunar samples brought back by the Apollo astronauts were successfully dated and the Mars rover Perseverance is currently collecting samples to cache them for a future Mars Sample Return mission which will bring them back.

So next time you’re planning a road trip, consult a roadside Geology book so you can wow your passengers by calling out the ages of the rock formations you pass.

•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.

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burial, the radioactive decay causes defects in the mineral crystals surrounding the radioactive particle. The defects build up, but if exposed to sunlight, the sun’s rays erase the defects, resetting the clock. Thus, the soil samples must be collected at night and sealed until they’re brought to the lab and exposed to a special lamp while a photometer records the small amount of light given off by the sample as the crystal defects are healed. It works and has led to insights into how soils and landforms develop and persist.

The isotopic ratios we use for dating are measured with a mass spectrometer, which takes a vaporized sample, ionizes it, and then fires the ionized gas through a strong magnetic field which bends the ionized beam proportionally to the isotopic mass.

All that sample preparation, ioniza-

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6 "Hungry, hungry" animal 7 Company that creates Core processors 8 Set of tunnels under Paris 9 Western Hemisphere gp. founded in 1948

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Down 1 Thin strip of wood 2 Cannes subject 3 Decide that you will 4 What an intermezzo might interrupt 5 Western ties

9 – 16 September 2021

In the Know (Continued from page 5)

concerned neighboring business owners on Santa Claus Lane. Since late August, Zimmer has been in contact with Plowman about the conflict with Yom Kippur, indicating she would not be able to attend due to the Jewish holiday.

Zimmer is tasked with relaying the concerns of Kent and Rikalo over the proposed Roots-Radis dispensary, with a September 7 letter addressed to the South Board of Architectural Review and Chair Chris Gilliland and SBAR Members in part stating: “We are property owners on Santa Claus Lane. Our property is located directly next to the proposed location for a cannabis store. We, and many others most impacted by this decision, have submitted several written and oral comments over the past 18 months opposing the designation of Santa Claus Lane as the site of a proposed dispensary. Hundreds of our neighbors and other business owners along and near Santa Claus Lane, Sand Point Road, Padaro Lane, and Sandyland also have and will continue to oppose any consideration of this location. A high volume, fast in and out business of a cannabis store would overwhelm the parking capacity and create a nightmare as far as traffic flow and traffic congestion.”

In emails obtained by the Montecito Journal, Zimmer was told by Plowman that she could send an “associate” to speak on behalf of her clients due to the conflict with Yom Kippur.

Zimmer took exception to this solution.

“First, this response is extremely unsatisfactory. I think you know that I am a sole practitioner and cannot send an ‘associate’ to the 9/16 meeting to adequately represent my client,” Zimmer wrote. “For your additional information, my client will be out of town and unavailable to comment in person that day.

“Second, the fact that you summarily rejected my request based on a vague allusion to the applicant’s availability, reflects an embarrassing lack of awareness or sensitivity to the importance of Yom Kippur. This is very, very disappointing for me as a 50-year First District resident, not to mention as a former county employee in an era where multiculturalism was given more than lip service.”

The county observes 12 federal holidays each year — Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, MLK Jr. Birthday, Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Friday — but none of them are associated with the Jewish faith.

While public hearings are not scheduled on widely recognized holidays, both Williams and Second District Supervisor Gregg Hart both indicated that a deeper look at the holiday calendar is likely in order.

Plowman simply referred to the county’s current holiday schedule in response to what might change in the future.

“We definitely need to look at that,” Hart told the Montecito Journal. “We have to make sure that all of our constituents feel represented.”

•MJ

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

September 2021 Odd Men Out by Pete Muller

ACROSS 1 Birthplace for Arnel Pineda, the lead singer of Journey 7 Overly obsessed with details 11 Flower source 14 Loves to death 15 "It's Too ___" (Carole King classic) 16 Where to find Lod: Abbr.

17 Sesame seed spread 18 Partnered (with) 20 Desert surfers (4) 22 Word with sports or training 25 Seizes 26 Flour sources 27 "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen ___" (Kathy Mattea hit) 30 Blood-typing letters 31 Like some temperaments 32 Fight from behind (2) 35 Creatures of comparable intelligence to chimps 36 Em, for one 40 Mule-like quality (3) 44 Half of catorce 47 Rafter's aid 48 They can be spliced 49 2012 Phillip Phillips hit 50 Hires competition 52 Jazz saxophonist and producer Macero 53 Sonic backdrop (1) 57 When hands are at the very top of a clock 58 Jackson not in the Jackson 5 62 Gold standards: Abbr.

63 ASPCA part: Abbr.

64 Famous Disney mouse

44 Some cuts of beef 45 Colorful insect 46 Make an impression on 50 Video genre 51 Betty's buddy, in cartoons DOWN 54 Abbr. for those left out 1 "Haven't ___ You Yet" 55 "All the Things She ___" (Michael Bublé hit) (t.A.T.u. song) 2 Small cell 56 Make an impression 3 High degree 59 Peachy-keen, once 4 Egyptian moon goddess 60 Possessive for "Ya-Ya's" 5 Roman moon goddess in a Rolling Stones live 6 Mimicry album title 7 Asian Amazon 61 OK on a sub competitor 8 Futuristic tiny medical device 9 Noted literary shrugger 10 Look lecherously 11 Tuna type 12 Bad actor in the Bible 13 Formal 19 Feminist poet Rich 21 Uninteresting 22 TV series connected to "Sistas" 23 Like most muscles 24 ESPY Courage award eponym 28 Brainiac 29 Progressive online magazine 31 Tossed 33 Sch. with the mascot "Mike the Tiger" 34 Roofer's aid 37 Outdoor festival shelter 38 "How interesting!"

39 Gas brand that sounds like two letters 41 People for whom right is "starboard" 42 Some streamers 43 Latin word on a dollar 65 Inits. for grades 9-12 66 Attachment to the bottom of a microscope's body tube 67 Stick

WHAT IS A META?

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

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©2021 Pete Muller

9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

35

CALENDAR OF Note to readers: This entertainment calendar is a subjective sampling of arts and other events taking place in the Santa Barbara area for the next week. It is by no means comprehensive. Be sure to read feature stories in each issue that complement the calendar. In order to be considered for inclusion in this calendar, information must be submitted no later than noon on the Wednesday eight days prior to publication date. Please send all news releases and digital artwork to slibowitz@yahoo.com)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Laughing Out Loud Comedy Series — The Alcazar Theatre jumps back into live theatrical productions with something on the lighter side — actually eight different short plays that aim to raise our spirits with a little humor about humanity. Produced by special arrangement with Heuer Publishing LLC of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Off the Wall Plays, the production features four double-doses of belly laughs via the octet of works that run less than 10 minutes each. In Two Guys and a Bench, Frank (played by Philip Moreno), a sometime actor and full-time coffee shop manager, is spending his lunch hour in the park, memorizing his lines for his upcoming role in Henry V when Harry (Van Riker) arrives and not only upsets Frank’s afternoon but his entire life as he methodically takes Frank’s identity. In Ditzies, Trixy (Cecilia Geston) takes Roxy (Drew Gonzales) out driving to prepare for her road test. After a near-accident, the two IQ-challenged ladies are left stranded in the woods to face a series of hilarious mishaps. Also on the bill: Death of A Snowman, Chelsea and Me, Family Separation, Alexa, Boxed In, and 1-800.

The production launches the Alcazar’s new annual Summer Comedy Series.

WHEN: 7 pm tonight through Saturday,

2 pm Sunday WHERE: Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria COST: $20 general, $15 students & seniors INFO: (805) 684-6380 or www.thealcazar.org/calendar SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Mucho Mariachi in the Mountains — The annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival traditionally takes place during Santa Barbara Old Spanish Days Fiesta on the first Saturday of August. But this, as everyone knows, is a very strange year. So why can’t the mariachi specialists march on up into the foothills in mid-September instead, especially since the Santa Barbara Bowl just reopened a couple of weeks ago? Titled ¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva el Mariachi!, the festival stars several big names in the biz, including Mariachi Sol de México, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, and Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000. Even if you caught some of the strolling mariachis on State Street during the truncated Fiesta last month, rest assured these groups are the real thing, playing at a level that raises the musicianship to new heights. Plus, you can also think of the show as a sneak preview of Opera Santa Barbara’s return to the Lobero stage on October

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Chow Down on ‘Ghosts’ — Kat Chow, a former reporter at NPR where she was a founding member of the Code Switch team whose written work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and on RadioLab, has penned her first book, a memoir described as an intimate and haunting portrait of grief and the search for meaning. Seeing Ghosts is told through the prism of three generations of her Chinese-American family from a writer who has by her own admission always been unusually fixated on death. Chow worried constantly about her parents dying as her mother made a morbid joke that would haunt her for years to come: that when she died, she’d like to be stuffed and displayed in Chow’s future apartment in order to always watch over her. When her mother died unexpectedly from cancer, Chow and her family were plunged into a debilitating grief, the fallout of which followed her extended family as they emigrated from China and Hong Kong to Cuba and America. With a distinct voice that is wry and heartfelt, Chow asks what it means to reclaim and tell your family’s story: Is writing an exorcism or is it its own form of preservation? As part of Chaucer’s Books’ virtual series, Chow chats about Seeing Ghosts with fellow writer Larissa Pham, the author of the novelle Fantasian, whose essays and criticism have appeared in The Nation, The Paris Review Daily, Guernica, Bookforum, and elsewhere.

WHEN: 7 pm WHERE: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82003002106 COST: Free INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com/event

36 MONTECITO JOURNAL

EVENTS

by Steven Libowitz

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Straight ‘Talk’ with T.C. — Montecito’s own bestselling author T.C. Boyle, who has lived in the first California house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for decades, will read from his latest book, the lively and thought-provoking novel Talk To Me, in an event celebrating the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s grand reopening. As with virtually all his writing, Boyle’s book blends humor, imagination, and profundity as Boyle explores a world where people can really talk to animals, evoking thoughts and inquiries about what it means to be human, and whether we can ever fully communicate with or know another being. Pondering such questions with Boyle, fellow award-winning author Susan Straight, a professor of creative writing at UC Riverside, will moderate a virtual conversation and Q&A session.

WHEN: 2:30 pm WHERE: Zoom COST: $10 general, $5 museum members INFO: sbma.net/events 1 & 3 with Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, which features Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles-based ensemble Mariachi Los Camperos providing the musical backbone.

WHEN: 5:30 pm WHERE: 1122 N. Milpas St. COST: $39-$89 INFO: (805) 962-4711 or www.sbbowl.com Texas Troubadour Arrives — Austin-based, Berklee College of Music-trained singer-songwriter-guitarist Jackie Venson has been called one of the more intriguing voices on the ever-burgeoning music scene in the Texas capital. Venson, who has released three studio albums [The Light In Me (2014), Joy (2019), and Vintage Machine (2020)] and three live albums [Live at Strange Brew (2016), Live in Texas (2020), and Jackie Venson Live at Austin City Limits (2021)] in less than seven years, has received a ton of praise both in her hometown and elsewhere. The Austin American-Statesman described her as “a Gary Clark Jr.-level talent who speaks boldly through her guitar while entrancing with her gorgeous, smoky voice,” while The Austin Chronicle lauded Venson’s “willingness to stand naked lyrically and vocally” and the Chicago Sun-Times noted that Venson’s “formidable instrumental chops and a musical message of positivity” are met with a “singing voice that radiates warmth and spirit.” With influences that include an unlikely trio of Buddy Guy, Sade, and Alicia Keys, Venson — who will play the just-reopened SOhO as a duo with her

“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

drummer — would appear to be wellworth checking out.

WHEN: 9 pm WHERE: 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $15 INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 & WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 SOhO Sounds: Brothers & Brother — The band Venice is composed of two sets of brothers, Mark and Michael Lennon, and their cousins, Kipp and Pat Lennon, all of whom are related to the ‘50s girl group The Lennon Sisters.

Familiar harmonies and familiarity bred over more than four decades of performing together characterize the pop quartet, which counts among its biggest fans — and occasional collaborators — two famed singer-songwriters in David Crosby and Jackson Browne.

Venice treks up to town for its first gig at SOhO in nearly two years… Brother, the indie alternative synth/dream pop band, on the other hand aren’t related, unless you count connecting over dreamy sounds of such singles as “Without It,” “Don’t Worry,” and “Oxidate.” The Provo, Utah-based band arrived at SOhO on tour for its new record, simply titled Vol. 3. Goldenboy opens.

WHEN: Venice 8:30 pm Sunday; Brother 8 pm Wednesday WHERE: 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court COST: Venice: $28 & $64; Brother: $12 INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com •MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

Letters (Continued from page 10) once great State of California.

Citizens have organized to recall Gov. Newsom because of his detrimental policies on commerce, finance, taxes, and the COVID lockdown, etc.

The huge effort to get the onemillion-plus signatures was accomplished by a cross-section of voters of all political stripes. This recall is for “all” of the voters not one party. All the voters are fed up.

Now that we have done it, we must vote Gov. Newsom out of office overwhelmingly so we will have a mandate to change California for the better. Newsom does not care about the voters; his driving support is the civil service and teachers’ unions who you will see are supporting him. He is their cash cow as was Gray Davis.

But once we have voted Newsom out, we must select a qualified candidate to replace him who will lead the state strongly and in the right direction. There are now 46 candidates running for this job. Only two have any government experience.

A strong businessman is also running who came close to beating Gov. Newsom in the last election. The last thing we need is another Arnold Schwarzenegger who talked a good job but never knew which way was up. Right now, a lookalike is Larry Elder, a radio announcer. He talks

for change but has no experience. It is easy to sit in a radio studio closet and blab over a microphone but have no notion how to run things outside or develop a winning budget. Elder is an Arnold lookalike and should not be encouraged to run. He is just a lot of words on a microphone that can be heard primarily in the Los Angeles area.

The most prominent candidate with all of the qualifications to hit the street running with a short learning curve is Kevin Kiley, assemblyman for the Sacramento, El Dorado, and Placer counties. He is a graduate of Harvard and Yale law schools. As an assemblyman, he has been in the forefront of the recall effort. He has led the fight to reopen our schools.

He is a conservative who knows the political system in the state and can be the most effective influence to make changes for us. A second good candidate is Kevin Faulconer, the ex-mayor of San Diego, third largest city in California. He also knows the government organization and can be almost as effective. A well-qualified businessman is John Cox, of San Diego, and past governor candidate.

So please do not vote for the loudest mouth in the lineup again, vote for Kevin Kiley, et. al.

Thank you.

Justin M. Ruhge •MJ

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ELECTION 2021

THE GREAT DEBATES!

Join the Montecito Journal for a series of political debates on September 29-30, focused on key races that impact Coast Village Road, downtown Santa Barbara and the South Coast at large.

• MAYORAL

With invitations extended to all six mayoral candidates, this 90-minute debate will feature deep dives into issues that Santa Barbara is currently facing, as well as those ahead.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 | 7 P.M. | ZOOM

• DISTRICT 6

Hosted by Gwyn Lurie and Nick Masuda, this debate will focus on the four candidates’ vision for downtown Santa Barbara, a key corridor for tourism and growth alike.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | 6 P.M. | ZOOM

• DISTRICT 4

With just two candidates in this race that means so much to Coast Village Road, incumbent Kristen Sneddon and challenger Barrett Reed will discuss their REGISTER TODAY AT: campaign platforms.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | 7 P.M. | ZOOM 9 – 16 September 2021

MONTECITOJOURNAL.NET/DEBATES/

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

37

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Casa Royale, 110 Calle Palo Colorado, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Mark S. Cronin, 110 Calle Palo Colorado, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 13, 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. 2021-0002361.

Published September 1, 8, 15, 22, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Medicine Women Health Consulting, LLC, 139 Potrero Ln, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Medicine Women Health Consulting, LLC, 133 E. De La Guerra St. #166, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 23, 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. 2021-0002445.

Published September 1, 8, 15, 22, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Extreme Grout Clean, 834 W Sola St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Manuel V Barajas, 834 W Sola St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Deborah D Barajas, 834 W Sola St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 6, 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. 2021-0002285. Published August 18, 25, September 1, 8, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 21CV03216. To all interested parties: Petitioner Hilary Suzanne Molina filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Hilary Suzanne Lyn. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed August 19, 2021 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: October 15, 2021 at 10 am in Dept.

4, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published 8/25, 9/1, 9/8, 9/15

38 MONTECITO JOURNAL

NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND PENDING ACTION BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO: WAIVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON A COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT THAT MAY BE APPEALED TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION AND APPROVE, CONDITIONALLY APPROVE, OR DENY THE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT This may affect your property. Please read Notice is hereby given that an application for the project described below has been submitted to the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department. This project requires the approval and issuance of a Coastal Development Permit by the Planning and Development Department.

The development requested by this application is subject to appeal to the California Coastal Commission following final action by Santa Barbara County and therefore a public hearing on the application is normally required prior to any action to approve, conditionally approve or deny the application. However, in compliance with California Coastal Act Section 30624.9, the Director has determined that this project qualifies as minor development and therefore intends to waive the public hearing requirement unless a written request for such hearing is submitted by an interested party to the Planning and Development Department within the 15 working days following the Date of Notice listed below. All requests for a hearing must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Request for Hearing Expiration Date listed below, to Katie Nall at Planning and Development, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2058, by email at nallk@co.santa-barbara.ca.us, or by fax at (805) 568-2030. If a public hearing is requested, notice of such a hearing will be provided.

WARNING: Failure by a person to request a public hearing may result in the loss of the person’s ability to appeal any action taken by Santa Barbara County on this Coastal Development Permit to the Montecito Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors and ultimately the California Coastal Commission.

If a request for public hearing is not received by 5:00 p.m. on the Request for Hearing Expiration Date listed below, then the Planning and Development Department will act to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the request for a Coastal Development Permit. At this time it is not known when this action may occur; however, this may be the only notice you receive for this project. To receive additional information regarding this project, including the date the Coastal Development Permit is approved, and/or to view the application and plans, or to provide comments on the project, please contact Katie Nall at Planning and Development, 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara 93101-2058, or by email at nallk@co.santa-barbara.ca.us, or by phone at (805) 884-8050.

PROPOSAL: NEWMAN FAMILY TRUST - REMODEL PROJECT ADDRESS: 1631 POSILIPO LN, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93108 1st SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED IN THE COASTAL ZONE DATE OF NOTICE: 9/8/2021 REQUEST FOR HEARING EXPIRATION DATE: 9/29/2021 PERMIT NUMBER: 21CDH-00000-00013

APPLICATION FILED: 3/18/2021

007-372-008 ZONING: 1-E-1 PROJECT AREA: 0.51 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Applicant: Gary Or Jeanne Newman Proposed Project: Allow for the interior remodel of the existing 4,255 square foot two story single family dwelling including removing the second residence unit, replacing and updating of the doors and windows, exterior siding, guard rails, decking, roof, and lighting. No new square footage will be added to either the legally non-conforming residence or the legally non-conforming detached garage. Exterior changes to the garage include window, door, and siding updates. The project proposes updated landscaping including replacement of hardscape paths, driveway and associated gates and fences. Three new electrical vehicle charging stations a new trash enclosure will be installed. Grading will include 15 cubic yards of cut and fill. A total of two non-protected trees are proposed for removal.

APPEALS: The decision of the Director of the Planning and Development Department to approve, conditionally approve, or deny this Coastal Development Permit 21CDH-00000-00013 may be appealed to the Montecito Planning Commission by the applicant or an aggrieved person. The written appeal must be filed within the 10 calendar days following the date that the Director takes action on this Coastal Development Permit. To qualify as an "aggrieved person" the appellant must have, in person or through a representative, informed the Planning and Development Department by appropriate means prior to the decision on the Coastal Development Permit of the nature of their concerns, or, for good cause, was unable to do so.

Written appeals must be filed with the Planning and Development Department at either 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, 93101, or 624 West Foster Road, Suite C, Santa Maria, 93455, by 5:00 p.m. within the timeframe identified above. In the event that the last day for filing an appeal falls on a non-business day of the County, the appeal may be timely filed on the next business day.

This Coastal Development Permit may be appealed to the California Coastal Commission after an appellant has exhausted all local appeals, therefore a fee is not required to file an appeal.

For additional information regarding the appeal process, contact Katie Nall. The application required to file an appeal may be viewed at or downloaded from: http://www.countyofsb.org/uploadedFiles/plndev/Content/Permitting/AppealSubReqAPP.pdf ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Information about this project review process may also be viewed at: http://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/permitting/planningprocess.sbc Board of Architectural Review agendas may be viewed online at: http://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/home.sbc Published September 8, 2021 Montecito Journal

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

9 – 16 September 2021

Far Flung Travel

Nearly 5,000 harbor seals call Southern California home, most of which are located near the Channel Islands

by Chuck Graham

Staying Close to Home

A

Harbor seals have a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years

s my leg dangled off my kayak and into the ocean, I waited to see how curious this adult harbor seal really was. It had been circling the flotilla of kayaks, displaying curiosity mostly seen from their pups.

Suddenly, the adult approached. It decided to use my heel for a scratch post. Back and forth it went, rubbing its muzzle against my well-calloused heel. After several rubs, it swam off but remained inside the gaping sea cave we were all sitting inside of on Santa Cruz Island, the largest isle off the California Coast.

A few minutes passed, and then the adult returned to rub the other side of its muzzle. Everyone in their kayaks were stunned, amazed, and enjoyed the attention we were receiving from a very docile harbor seal.

Homers

Harbor seals don’t get out much, meaning they are loyal to their favorite beaches, rocky outcroppings, and sea caves, which means they don’t venture too far away from home. They stay with the same resting, haul-out, and birthing sites. Thus, they will spend their entire lives along the same stretch of coastline. Their average lifespan is 20 to 25 years.

There are approximately 20,000 harbor seals along the California Coast — about 5,000 of which are in Southern California, most of these residing on California’s eight Channel Islands.

They enjoy sandy beaches and cobbled shores, sometimes performing what appears to be a yoga pose or a plank on barnacle-encrusted rocks.

Harbor seals must “haul-out” (come out of the water) on land between 9 – 16 September 2021

seven to 12 hours each day. It’s necessary for harbor seals to maintain their body temperature (thermal regulation) as they wallow in the sun.

They’ll dry one side and then kind of hop and roll to dry their other side.

Harbor seals come in an array of colors, varying from white or silver-gray to black or chocolate brown. Just about every animal possesses spots on their fur. Colors and spots are unique to the individual and can be used to identify individual seals. They blend in well with their environment. Sometimes, if they don’t move, they appear like another rock.

Within their home range, harbor seals have the amazing ability to dive deep for their food. They can reach depths of 1,500 feet and can stay under water for up to 40 minutes as they hunt for fish, cephalopods, and invertebrates. Harbor seals don’t drink water. Instead, they metabolize water from their food. The average dive of a harbor seal lasts between three and seven minutes. Their lungs collapse when they dive, their heart rate slows dramatically, and blood flow to some organs is restricted. In this way their bodies conserve oxygen.

Although they haul-out together, harbor seals do not like to touch each other. Two of their cousins — California sea lions and northern elephant seals commonly pile on top of each other on sandy beaches. Young sea lions even haul-out on the broad backs of tolerant elephant seals. Harbor seals communicate with each other using a throng of body postures as they are the least vocal of all pinniped species. They have a little bit of a yelp as a pup, but are virtually silent as adults, except for the occasional growl.

In the water though, harbor seals can become very rambunctious with one another. On a recent trip paddling Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing in Monterey Bay, several pairs of harbor seals jostled and wrestled with each other in the shallows, some surfacing with eel grass draped across their faces as they came within a few feet of my kayak.

Bonding

A few years ago, while leading a kayak tour at Santa Cruz Island, one particular grotto had what appeared to be a plastic grocery bag just inside its entrance. I left everyone outside while I paddled to retrieve the plastic bag. When I picked it up, I realized that it was the placenta left by a mother harbor seal.

• The Voice of the Village •

Still, I brought the placenta outside the cave to show everyone and then I took it back. It’s very nutritious and the birds, fish, and even the harbor seals would eat it. When I returned it, I noticed the mom and pup were off to the right side of the cave, nuzzling in the shadows. The pup was about the size of a football, and it still had the umbilical cord attached.

After the pups are born following a nine-month gestation period, the mothers will nurse their young for four to six weeks. At birth, the pups weigh about 20 to 25 pounds, and although most pups are born on land, the one described above was born in the water. Adult females typically give birth to one pup each year. The pups are well-developed out of the womb and are capable of swimming and diving within hours.

•MJ

Some harbor seals are friendly and quite curious of visitors

MONTECITO JOURNAL

39

Miscellany (Continued from page 18) Russel Steiner, Bridget Yin, Lynda Weinman, and Bruce Heavin at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum (Photo by Isaac Hernandez)

Christina Burns with Frieda and Baby; Alexandra Grimaldi and Lex Burns with Pippy and Buddy; Katie Hamdy with Sophie Gucci Chardonnay; Shari Fellows with Cookie; Greyson Hamady with Fluffy; and Lisa Schomer with Kipper (Photo by Priscilla)

and there were special canine cocktails made with watermelon, coconut water, and veggie stock.

The event led to a flood of applications for adoptions, with four dogs finding loving homes on the same day.

Paws for thought indeed...

Bowl Us Over . . .

Nick Collins with Paddington, his 74.5-pound Bernedoodle, and Lauren Schubert (Photo by Priscilla)

Harry, 36, dressed in a tuxedo presented the Heroes of the Year award to the team behind the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Dogs are Heading Out

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso’s Rosewood Miramar resort has gone to the dogs!

The tony Montecito hostelry hosted its first annual dog adoption event to coincide with National Dog Day, partnering with a number of local shelters, including Apollo’s ARC, Spark Rescue Santa Barbara, and the Aussie Rescue Networking Group on the Great Lawn.

Pampered pooches were given complimentary massages by hotel spa staff

Hermès, best known for ornately designed scarves worn by Queen Elizabeth, has now come out with the ultimate dog bowl, a snip at $1,100.

The Paris fashion house has combined lightly finished oak with stainless steel to improve the presentation of your cosseted canine’s black label Alpo.

The bowl, measuring 10.8 inches in length and 3.3 inches in height, has the brand’s name burned into one side, with the bowl seen from above resembling the Hermès Chaine d’Ancre emblem, with the two halves connected by magnets.

The perfect accompaniment to Fido’s Burberry raincoat and Goyard collar and leash.

Enjoying the ‘New Stages’

An old friend Rona Barrett, gossip queen turned advocate for vulnerable seniors, has launched Gray Matters: The Podcast sharing personal stories and observations about “the adventure of aging.”

Rona’s debut podcast is a weekVolunteers from Spark Rescue included Dana Costello with puppy Eric; Anna Markmann with Elvis; Rick Fidel with his Abby; Tracy Mangold with Sparky; and Jennifer Villareal with a three-month-old yorkie (Photo by Priscilla)

40 MONTECITO JOURNAL

ly dose of thought-provoking, funny, and useful insights on issues that matter to senior loved ones and those who care for them.

“I hear from so many friends and fans struggling with the realities of caring for senior family members or their own senior years,” says Rona, founder of the nonprofit Rona Barrett Foundation. “There are too many unspoken mysteries around growing up and growing older.

“I hope my podcast will bring people of all ages together to share freely about the experience of phasing into new stages of life.”

Brava!

What a ‘Cry Baby’

Montecito actress Natalie Portman, just back in the U.S. after filming commitments in Australia, is starring in a new TV commercial for Miss Dior perfume, which she has been the face of for 10 years.

The Oscar winning actress, 40, is seen soaking up the sun as she is being romanced by a silver fox while Janis Joplin’s hit song “Cry Baby” plays in the background.

“Excited to finally reveal the new Miss Dior Eau de Parfum film!” the Black Swan star writes on Instagram.

In real life Portman has been married to French ballet star Benjamin Millepied for the past nine years.

They have a daughter, Amalia, 4, and son, Aleph, 10.

‘The Wait is Over!’

After 20 months of forced inactivity because of the pandemic, UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program is back with a bang!

“The wait is over!” declared Miller McCune executive director Celesta Billeci at a Creating Hope launch bash at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum for 170 guests.

“This is a big step for us. The last 20 months have been very hard on our team. it is the first time back in our office and a great morale booster. It felt like a million years!”

Ashley Wheater, artistic director of Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, which is doing two performances at the Granada in May, said the compa-

“The earth laughs in flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dori and Chris Carter celebrate the return of UCSB’s Arts & Lectures program (Photo by Isaac Hernandez)

ny had raised more than $12 million during the health crisis to keep his talented dancers under contract. He said the shows in our Eden by the Beach would also debut six or seven new works.

Talented local photographer and filmmaker Isaac Hernandez also featured a two-minute film featuring performers from the new season which will include Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre, pianist Yuja Wang, jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, Tony Award winning actor John Leguizamo, violinist Joshua Bell, the Danish String Quartet, and British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who shot to global fame playing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, three years ago.

Among the supporters rejoicing in the occasion were Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, George and Laurie Leis, former mayor Helene Schneider, Geoff Green, Catherine Remak, Mark Whitehurst, Kerry Methner, John Palminteri, Cathy Murillo, and Dacia Harwood.

Sightings

Warbler Katy Perry, accompanied by her parents Keith and Mary Hudson, celebrating the first birthday with her daughter, Daisy Dove, at the Natural History Museum... Oprah Winfrey’s beau Stedman Graham picking up his Financial Times at Pierre Lafond.

Pip! Pip! Be safe – wear a mask when needed and get vaccinated. •MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

Village Beat (Continued from page 6) sites to follow. There are 130 sites total in the Santa Barbara area. Cox is currently working through the permitting process with the county, and some of the sites require permits from the Coastal Commission.

Also discussed at Land Use: Kirsten Ayars with the 101 Widening Project reported that the project will be seen

by Montecito Board of Architectural Review on September 23 for conceptual review. The project currently has three segments – and seven miles – in construction through Carpinteria, Padaro Lane, and Summerland, adding peak period carpool lanes and improve freeway operations and safety.

The MBAR review will discuss intersections and bridge updates as part of the “4D” segment of the project, which includes a new peak-period carpool lane in each direction from the Romero Creek Bridge north to Olive Mill Road.

The project includes new bridges over Romero, San Ysidro, and Oak creeks, in addition to four proposed sound walls.

“We anticipate multiple conceptual review hearings,” Ayars said, adding that timing related to the roundabouts at Olive Mill/Coast Village roads and San Ysidro/North Jameson is still being decided.

The current construction is on schedule, with Ayars reporting positive progress due to lighter traffic last year

because of the pandemic and a lack of rain. In Carpinteria, in addition to the new carpool lanes, there are new bridges being built as well as freeway onand off-ramps, six new sound walls, and intersection improvements at Santa Monica and Via Real, Reynolds, and Carpinteria avenues, and Bailard and Hwy 101. At the Padaro segment, the project will add new peak-period carpool lanes, new bridges at Toro and Arroyo Parida creeks, a new south Padaro Lane/Santa Claus Lane undercrossing, new bridge and on- and offramps, three new sound walls, and a new separated bikeway that will connect Santa Claus Lane and Carpinteria Avenue near the salt marsh.

The Summerland portion of the project includes new peak-period carpool lanes, new bridges at Sheffield Drive and Evans, on- and off-ramps replaced at Evans, Ortega Hill, and Wallace Avenue, two new sound walls, and undercrossing improvements at Evans including new lighting, sidewalks, bike lanes, design elements, and landscaping.

For more information about the current and future highway widening projects, visit www.sbroads.com.

Next week is the Montecito Association’s monthly board meeting, Tuesday, September 14 at 4 pm. For more information visit www.monteci toassociation.org.

Montecito Deli owner Jeff Rypysc and his team are celebrating 20 years in business this Saturday

Montecito Deli Celebrates 20 Years

This Saturday, September 11, marks the 20th anniversary of Montecito Deli on Coast Village Road. Owner Jeff Rypysc closed escrow on the purchase of the business on the fateful day of September 11, 2001, and since then has been feeding Montecito locals and tourists at the casual deli.

Rypysc has always attributed his success to two things: his loyal team, which includes longtime manager Rey Vazquez, and his loyal customer base, some of whom dine at the deli multiple times a week. The deli is open at 7:30 am Monday through Friday, and offers a variety of made-to-order breakfast items including bagel sandwiches,

burritos, scrambles, omelets, and more; modifications and original creations are highly encouraged.

In addition to breakfast, the deli is known for lunch and its famous Piadina, as well as salads, sandwiches, deli items, soups, and cookies, all of which are scratch made every day. Rypysc roasts and barbecues all of his own meats, and keeps the deli case stocked for his customers to grab quick lunches. Jeff says he’s one of the longest-running restaurants on Coast Village Road, and wishes to thank the community for its continued support throughout the pandemic.

For more information, visit www. montecitodeli.us, or call (805) 969-3717.

Montecito Deli is located at 1150 Coast Village Road.

•MJ

GATEWAY TO THE CITY SOLD Austin Herlihy & Chris Parker proudly announce the sale of Santa Barbara’s landmark Hotel Californian. The duo represented the seller of the 121-room luxury waterfront property which opened in 2017 upon completion of the La Entrada development project.

Austin Herlihy 805.879.9633 aherlihy@radiusgroup.com

Contact The Herlihy-Parker Team today for expert representation in your commercial real estate ventures on the South Coast.

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9 – 16 September 2021

Chris Parker 805.879.9642 cparker@radiusgroup.com DRE #01887788

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

41

Been There, Dunn That (Continued from page 12)

The Squibb House

Scallops are a must at Robin’s

on for her, and scrambled eggs and potatoes for me, all good. (Davie and Diggity ate from bowls on the floor like animals.)

The pooches seemed ready for a romp, so we piled in the car and headed to town. From past visits, Merry’s and my favorite street in the old part of town is Burton Drive, just off Main. Cambria’s mild climate, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s year-round, makes for beautiful, soft gardens. Along Burton Drive, sea lavender cascades over weathered picket fences and wild roses climb into old trees.

We admired the Squibb House, an 1877 Victorian built by a Civil War veteran who became principal of Cambria’s original school. (The Squibbs were known for their sense of civic duty, and today “squibbing” is a local term for picking up trash to beautify the town.) The house, painted creamy yellow with green trim, now operates as a bed-and-breakfast inn.

The shop next door (called, for some reason, The Shop Next Door) sells handmade Amish furniture and vintage decorative pieces. On the outside, lettering in faded paint says, “Grain Bought and Sol.” Proprietor Bruce Black explained that the missing letter “d” was lopped off years ago when a previous owner widened the door to

use the building as a repair garage for Model A Fords.

The town dates to the 1860s, when mercury mining boomed. For building houses, a sawmill turned out rough-hewn boards with slabs of bark still intact. The settlement was duly dubbed Slabtown — and later renamed (for obvious reasons) with the more distinguished title Cambria, the Latin word for Wales. (A Welsh carpenter lobbied for the name.)

It was lunchtime, so we walked to Robin’s, a longtime favorite. Guiding our leashed companions, we took a table in the garden. Bowers of flowers — pink rose trees and trumpet vines — surrounded us. We tucked into fish tacos (me) and a spring salad (Merry), and a bowl of water was thoughtfully provided for the two diners on the floor.

On the street after lunch, we saw plenty of strollers with dogs, and our goodwill ambassadors struck up several furry friendships. This inspired us to go for our first-ever visit to a dog park.

Driving to the end of Rodeo Grounds Road, we found a fenced, one-acre park set in a broad green vale edged with forest. The facilities were divided into two sections, apparently for big and small dogs, but everyone and their four-legged pals had headed for the larger area. It had water for

pooches, a bit of shade for people, and a basket of tennis balls in case you forgot to bring one.

Davie couldn’t care less about chasing a ball, and Diggity can’t get his mouth around one, so we watched a young guy who’d brought a sort of jai alai sling made of plastic and was flinging balls 50 feet out for his Pitbull-Lab mix named Draco. (An hour later, the strapping Draco hadn’t slowed down.)

A jovial man introduced his Australian Shepherd, nicknamed Blockade because at home he always stands in front of you and blocks the way. “He’s only aware of where his head is,” the man explained, “the rest of his body, not so much.” The dog’s other nickname: “Bob Barker.”

Sitting on plastic chairs, we chatted and laughed while our dogs played.

Locals filled us in on the perennial fight to keep Cambria small and unspoiled. We all told shaggy dog stories, and as the afternoon light faded, they left us with an invitation. “See you again!”

Traveling with dogs is a pleasure for many reasons, especially this one: Dogs are friendship ambassadors who often lead you into the heart of local life.

Thanks, Davie and Diggity. Good boys! Have some treats!

REMEMBER TO VOTE TODAY! In Person

Dropbox

Mail

Questions? 805-568-2200 • sbcvote.com Joseph E. Holland

Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters

42 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Diggity doesn’t want to leave the comfortable hotel room pillow

“A great man is always willing to be little.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Davie takes a break on a walk in Cambria

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Cambria is 130 miles north of Montecito, a 2.5-hour drive via U.S. 101 and CA 1.

VISITOR INFORMATION: visit cambriaca.com or 805-927-3624; the visitor center is at 767 Main Street.

DOG FRIENDLY: visitcambriaca. com/2018/02/09/welcome-fourlegged-friends for links to pet-friendly inns, restaurants, services.

MOONSTONE BEACH LODGINGS: Pacifica Hotels (www. pacificahotels.com/hotels) has five inns that are pet friendly (with varying extra fees): the Pelican Inn (where we stayed), Cambria Landing, El Colibri, Fogcatcher, and Oceanpoint Ranch. Meanwhile, White Water (whitewatercambria.com) is a designer inn with Scandinavian and Californian beach house touches; $100 fee per dog.

WHERE TO EAT: See the link under “Dog Friendly,” above. Also, Robin’s (www.robinsrestaurant.com, 4095 Burton Dr., 805-927-5007) occupies an old adobe; specialties include salmon bisque, wok-flashed pasta with farmers market vegetables, and Thai chicken, as well as a dog-friendly garden.

WHAT TO DO: Keep Rover in the car for these activities, including Elephant Seal Viewpoint (13 miles north of Cambria on Hwy. 1; www. elephantseal.org). These huge sea mammals haul out on the beach to give birth and breed (DecemberMarch) and molt (April-August).

Males weigh up to 5,000 pounds; we watched them grunt, spar, and flip sand. Docents in blue jackets answer questions. Also nearby is Hearst Castle (9 miles north of Cambria, hearstcastle.org), but it remains closed due to the pandemic; on reopening, reservations will be required.

•MJ 9 – 16 September 2021

Seen (Continued from page 24 24)) Bill and Nancy Kimsey with host Keith Moore

Dana White and Derek Westen at the Ensemble event

long lineage in California since 1840.

The Santa Barbara Club was all decked out in Fiesta fashion when about 50 of his close friends gathered for margaritas and dinner on the lawn.

It all began with General Robert Bines Moore who was born in 1790 in Newcastle, Delaware, and died in 1866 in California. The general was an elected official in Ohio and received orders to go to California in 1840 with volunteer regiments and other brigades to participate in the War with Mexico. He was charged with maintaining law and order in the Northern District and later brought settlers and his own family to the region. He purchased 17,000 acres of the Fernandez Grant in Butte County and more in Santa Barbara County in 1840. Because of his expertise, he was elected among the first Supervisors of Butte County in 1846.

Fast forward to Keith’s grandparents, Bill and Vivian Whiting Moore, who participated in the first Fiesta celebration in 1924. They came down from their ranch in Lompoc and stayed in a hotel for two weeks.

Before it burned in 1921, they always stayed in the Potter Hotel. The SB

Maritime Museum now holds one of their souvenir plates in the permanent collection.

We salute you, Keith, for being a sixth generation Santa Barbaran and a vetted Life Member of the Society of California Pioneers.

Breast Cancer Resource Center

The University Club was the venue for a recent summer reception for Breast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC). The club’s lovely terrace was perfect for this outdoor event and Santa Barbara’s perfect weather topped it off.

BCRC was honoring their board president Frank Tabar and plastic surgeon Sara Yegiyants, MD, FACS. There was wine and bites and a welcoming from Executive Director Silvana Kelly. She and the director of donations Armando Martinez want everyone to remember that Pink Week (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) is in October, and they are having a dinner at the Belmond El Encanto to raise funds.

BCRC provides free vital services for women struggling with breast cancer. You can call 805-569-9693 or

email bcrcsb.org. They are located at 55 Hitchcock Way, Suite 101.

Curtain (Back) Up!

Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) director Jonathan Fox spoke to the audience at the Santa Barbara Club, saying, “I dreamt over and over while we were building the new theater, ‘If we build it, will they come?’”

No problem they came but will they come back? The answer is yes. The new season has been announced. The grand opening of the New Vic was in 2013. As Jonathan said, “There is no substitute for live theater.”

This evening we were all gathered to honor four folks with ETC’s Extraordinary Award, who were instrumental in making that happen: Debby and Peter Stalker (who had to be absent), Derek Westen, and Dana White. The four not only gave dollars, but many hours of time and talent. Derek as their attorney gave hundreds, if not thousands, of hours.

Now ETC owns their theater free and clear due to a legacy from the late Lee Luria and raising millions including from the board.

Dana had a cute actor’s story to tell. When he was in the fourth grade, he didn’t get the main part

Sandy Schoolfield and Jon Kechejian, sponsors for ETC

and had to play the corpse instead because he had a broken leg.

Act 1 tonight was cocktails in the garden, Act 2 was a prime filet mignon dinner and auction, and Encore was a one-night performance by Bob Koenig and Friends.

The three ladies who made this fun fête happen were Paula Bruice, Susan Case, and Sybil Rosen. Call 805-965-5400 to get in on all the culture in our own town or check out etcsb.org.

•MJ

BCRC executive director Silvana Kelly with guests of honor Frank Tabar and Sara Yegiyants MD, FACS

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9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

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43

Santa Barbara by the Glass

by Gabe Saglie Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more than 15 years through columns, TV and radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips and trends. Gabe and wife Renee have 3 children and one Golden Retriever named Milo

Wine Parties Are Back:

California Wine Festival Signals Post-Pandemic Return

The California Wine Festival launched in 2004 in Santa Barbara, with the intent to highlight its beachfront location.

Today, it also produces two-day festivals in Carlsbad, Huntington Beach, and Dana Point.

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44 MONTECITO JOURNAL

W

hen Travelzoo surveyed its 16 million U.S. member base early this summer, gauging comfort levels around events and activities, 34% said they were ready to attend a wine festival. And as the summer’s rolled on, and as vaccinations have increased, that number, even while tempered by the emergence of COVID-19 variants, has grown. That’s a boon for September, a.k.a. California Wine Month, and the various wine fêtes it’s inspiring, beginning with the California Wine Festival that comes to Santa Barbara later this month.

(Full disclosure: I’m a senior editor for the global travel media company, Travelzoo, and I participated in the execution of the aforementioned survey.)

The California Wine Festival touts itself as the only waterfront wine fest in the state. It launched in 2004 in Santa Barbara and has added venues

over the years to build on its aim to “bring attention to the beautiful wines, foods and landscapes of California,” says the festival’s founder and executive director, Emily Kaufmann. These days, the festival goes on a SoCal summer road trip of sorts, producing two-day, beachside wine-fuelled events in Santa Barbara, Carlsbad, Huntington Beach, and Dana Point.

“In each location,” adds Kaufmann, “we focus on the local chefs and culinary offerings while highlighting all the major wine regions throughout California.”

The pandemic made 2020 a bust for this and any wine festival, of course.

As it makes a comeback during an improving yet ongoing battle against COVID-19, new rules and protocols rank high. Both days in Santa Barbara – September 24 and 25 – will feature tastings done complete-

‘ LUCKY S STEAKS - CHOPS - SEAFOOD - COCKTAILS 1279 COAST VILLAGE ROAD (805) 565-7540

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

9 – 16 September 2021

The signature beachside tasting on Saturday afternoon, September 25, features hundreds of wines from various California regions After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chase Palm Park will feature prominently when the California Wine Festival returns to Santa Barbara September 24 and 25. A tasting of rare and reserve wines on Friday night is followed by an open-air festival on Saturday afternoon.

ly outdoors. Masks aren’t required, although they’re recommended in especially crowded areas. Following CDC and California Department of Public Health standards, anyone with COVID exposure in the previous 14 days, or with flu-like symptoms within the previous 48 hours, is expected to stay home. And in its ticket disclaimer, the “California Wine Festival recommends attending group events only when fully vaccinated.”

When Travelzoo surveyed its 16 million U.S. member base early this summer, gauging comfort levels around events and activities, 34% said they were ready to attend a wine festival.

Festival” event takes place Saturday (Noon-4 pm) along Chase Palm Park. Wines from myriad California regions are featured — Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Temecula and, of course, Santa Barbara. Guests will vote for their favorite tri-tip — a contest for the title of “Best Tri-Tip in the 805” — and have access to the Gloria Ferrer Bubble Lounge, a

bubbly and gourmet popcorn experience sponsored by Carneros’ first sparkling winery. Several breweries will also be pouring. Tickets are $75 ($85 at the gate).

Top local labels to look for throughout the weekend: BrewerClifton, Grassini, Tensley, Foxen, and Spear. For more information on the California Wine Festival, visit califor niawinefestival.com.

Want more? California Wine Month features several noteworthy wine events across the state, like the 10th

Annual Barbera Festival in the town of Plymouth, about 40 miles east of Sacramento, and the Lodi Grape Festival on September 16. Locally, two of my favorites are in the horizon for 2022: the 38th annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival takes place on May 17 (sbvintnersweekend.com) and the 2022 Santa Barbara Wine + Food Festival, with a beautiful setting at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, is slated for June 25 (sbnature.org).

See you there!

•MJ

Excellence Always Trisha Kenney Senior Certified Escrow Officer

Now the fun stuff.

The Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting happens Friday night (6:30 pm-9 pm) in front of the Carousel Building at Chase Palm Park. From Napa cabernets to Santa Barbara pinot noirs, winemakers feature special bottlings, including many wines that are soldout, super tough to find or no longer in distribution. Heavy appetizers from local chefs and live music, as well as a silent auction of oversize bottles and wine trips to benefit the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, enhance the night. Limited to 500 guests, tickets are $99 ($140 at the gate).

The signature “Beachside Wine 9 – 16 September 2021

trisha.kenney@ctt.com

&

Anna Oritiz-Wines Senior Escrow Officer

winesa@ctt.com

805.565.6900

Amber Woodruff

1 2 2 5 - E

Darina Masopust

C o a s t

Anna Ortiz-Wines

V i l l a g e

Trisha Kenney

Malinda Hardin

R o a d

chicagotitlesb.com

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (805) 565-1860 ESTATE/SENIOR SERVICES MOVING MISS DAISY

Full Service SAFE Senior Relocation and Estate Liquidation Services Including: Packing and Unpacking, Estate Sales, Online Auctions and our own Consignment Shop! We are Licensed, Bonded, Liability Insured, Workers Comped, Certified by The National Assoc Of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and The American Society of Estate Liquidators (ASEL).

Glenn Novack, Owner. 805-770-7715 info@movingmissdaisy.com MovingMissDaisy.com Consignments@MovingMissDaisy.hibid.com

THE CLEARING HOUSE, LLC

Recognized as the area’s Premier Estate Liquidators - Experts in the Santa Barbara Market! We are Skilled Professionals with Years of Experience in Downsizing and Estate Sales.

Personalized service. Insured. Call for a complimentary consultation.

Elaine (805)708-6113 Christa (805)450-8382 Email: theclearinghouseSB@cox.net Website: www.theclearinghouseSB.com WHO DO YOU TRUST WHEN SELLING YOUR VALUABLES? CARES, Compassionate & Reliable Estate Solutions is an INDEPENDENT LUXURY SELLING SERVICE providing smart strategic selling options for your valuables in today’s most lucrative markets, helping you retain the profits from your jewelry, fine watches, fine art, silver, sculpture, wine, coins, memorabilia, and rare classic cars and motorcycles. Dana is a Graduate Gemologist with over 30 years of experience buying and selling luxury property.

CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULTATION (310) 736-5896 or email Dana@EstateCaresLA.com

ITEMS FOR SALE TRESOR

We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation.

1470 East Valley Rd suite V. 805 969-0888

POSITION WANTED Albert Armand Toledo 619-779-8730. Professional Personal assistant, House and Property Caretaker. Strong background as personal assistant and companion for someone who wants to remain independent and in their home. Great personal as well as professional references... including FBI record. Seniors have been most of my clients. Open to full salary, or accommodations and smaller salary.

Regards, Armand Toledo Amazing Nanny STEP/SEL certified. 10+ years teaching experience. SB based, Masters degree, Ages 1 month to 12 years for a successful busy family. tag12drie@gmail.com SENIOR COMPANION

PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY Fit for Life

REMOTE TRAINING AVAILABLE Customized workouts and nutritional guidance for any lifestyle. Individual/group sessions. Specialized in corrective exercise – injury prevention and post surgery. House calls available. Victoria Frost- CPT & CES 805895-9227

Personal Training for 60+ Balance-Strength-Fitness In-person, fully customized programs help you maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. If you’re recovering from surgery or an injury, my simple strategies help you regain and maintain your physical fitness.

STILLWELL FITNESS – John Stillwell – CPT,BA PHYS ED- 805-705-2014 HOUSE CALLS for personalized exercise sessions for those with PARKINSON’s and SENIORS. Call Josette Fast, Physical Therapist-Owner (fit’ nis) Physical Therapy, LLC 805-722-8035.

$8 minimum

Compassionate, experienced, trusted, vaccinated local providing your loved one with social stimulation, heartwarming company, lovely excursions, transportation to appointments and much more.

Susan Stewart (603) 867-3162

We buy Classic Cars Running or not.

Porsche/Mercedes/Chevy/Ford/etc.

We are local to Santa Barbara 1(805) 220-9270 AUTOMOBILE FOR SALE 1965 Ford F Series Truck for sale by El Toro Holdings, LLC located at 2509 N. Ventura Ave. Ventura, Ca 93001 on account of Darrin Blevins. Blind Auction will be held Thursday, September 16 at 12:00pm.

Best Property Protection The owner of Professional Security Company with impeccable local references is looking for a place in the Montecito/Santa Barbara area in exchange for security/management services.

PPO License #120310 Phone 805-895-2183 Property care, elder care, childcare, animal care all avail. in exchange for housing.

One well-behaved dog and one well-behaved complete this bargain. Sterling References avail.

Please call Rachael @ 802-296-1558.

HELP NEEDED Retired engineer needs experienced LVN 3 to 4 days/week.

Very nice Montecito location.

805 969-6687.

Cell 805 698-6299.

SPECIAL SERVICES ORDAINED MINISTER All Types of Ceremonies.

“I Do” your way. Short notice, weekends or holidays. Sandra Williams 805.636.3089 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Organize receipts for taxes, pay bills, write checks, reservations, scheduling. Confidential. Semi-retired professional. Excellent references.

Sandra (805) 636-3089.

WANTED TO BUY Rough & Tumble Fixer Local Pvt. Pty. Seeks 2 bed or + Lease @ option or Seller Finan. Can do lots of improv. 805-538-1119 JBG PO Box 3963 SB Cal 93130 Vintage and Better quality costume jewelry.

Victorian to Now including silver and ethnic/ tribal jewelry and beads.

Call Julia (805) 563-7373

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD

“To be great is to be misunderstood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

AUTOMOBILES WANTED

RENTAL WANTED

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

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

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

Deadline for inclusion is Friday before 2 pm.

We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex

46 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Asian antiques including porcelain, jade, snuff bottles, jewelry, silver, textiles, bronzes, etc.

Call Julia (805) 563-7373

CONTRACTOR SERVICES

Finish carpenter contractor available for home repair or minor remodel projects in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas. Long time local resident with good references. Doors/windows, built-ins, small ADU’s, interior finish work, Contact me at 805 280 5718 Paul Gale Carpentry Lic # 512497 PERSONAL AD Senior Male Seeking Female Companion I am a financially successful 65-year-old, attractive, athletic Caucasian. Please send photo to georgeslogin2017@gmail.com.

Over 25 Years in Montecito

Over25 25Years YearsininMontecito Montecito Over

MONTECITO MONTECITO MONTECITO ELECTRIC ELECTRIC ELECTRIC

EXCELLENTREFERENCES R EFERENCES EXCELLENT EXCELLENT REFERENCES • Repair Wiring •• Repair Wiring Repair Wiring •• Electrical Inspection Remodel Wiring • Remodel Wiring •• New New Wiring • Wiring New Wiring •• Landscape LandscapeLighting Lighting • Landscape Lighting •• Interior InteriorLighting Lighting • Interior Lighting

(805) 969-1575

(805)969-1575 969-1575 (805) STATE LICENSE STATE LICENSENo. No.485353 485353

STATE LICENSE No. 485353 MAXWELLL. HAILSTONE MAXWELLL. HAILSTONE MAXWELL L. HAILSTONE East Valley Road, Suit 147 1482 East Valley Road, Suit 147 1482 East Valley Road, Suite 147 Montecito, California 93108 Montecito, California 93108 Montecito, California 93108

www.montecitoelectric.com www.montecitoelectric.com 9 – 16 September 2021

ADVERTISE IN THE LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY (805) 565-1860 WE BUY BOOKS Historical Paintings Vintage Posters Original Prints

805-962-4606

info@losthorizonbooks.com

LOST HORIZON BOOKSTORE now in Montecito, 539 San Ysidro Road

Just Good Doggies

JACQUES

Loving Pet Care in Our Home

www.frenchvintages.net

French Antique Furniture & Art

$50 a night Carole (805)452-7400 carolebennett@mail.com Free Pick-up & Drop-off with a week’s stay or more Come play and romp in the Santa Ynez Valley

661-644-0839 FREE DELIVERY

STEVEN BROOKS JEWELERS Appraisals for Estates and Insurance Graduate Gemologist ~ Established 1974 Sales of Custom Designed and Estate Jewelry Purchasing Estates sbjewelers@gmail.com or 805-455-1070

Luxury Consignment

Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, etc Local Consignment in Montecito Call for Consignment Appointment: 805.245.3360 TheRealReal.com

CA$H ON THE SPOT CLASSIC CARS RV’S • CARS SUV • TRUCKS ! u o y o t e MOTORHOMES We com 702-210-7725 9 – 16 September 2021

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

47

TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR TODAY

© 2021 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

at bhhscalifornia.com

848 HOT SPRINGS RD, MONTECITO 4BD/5BA • $24,850,000 Nancy Kogevinas, 805.450.6233 LIC# 01209514

1086 CHANNEL DR, MONTECITO LOWER 3BD/2½BA • $23,500,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

813 ROMERO CANYON RD, MONTECITO 5BD/5½BA • $20,250,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

2285 BELLA VISTA DR, MONTECITO UPPER 4BD/6BA • $14,950,000 Team Scarborough, 805.331.1465 LIC# 01182792

1123 GLENVIEW RD, MONTECITO 4BD/3BA • $5,995,000 Marsha Kotlyar Estate Group, 805.565.4014 LIC# 01426886

920 CAMINO VIEJO, MONTECITO 4BD/4½BA • $5,950,000 Daniel Encell, 805.565.4896 LIC# 00976141

400 HOT SPRINGS RD, MONTECITO 4BD/6BA • $5,795,000 Cristal Clarke, 805.886.9378 LIC# 00968247

513 CROCKER SPERRY DR, MONTECITO UPPER 4BD/5BA • $5,795,000 Nancy Kogevinas, 805.450.6233 LIC# 01209514

1371 DANIELSON RD, MONTECITO 4BD/3BA • $5,495,000 Mary Whitney, 805.689.0915 LIC# 01144746

2815 E VALLEY RD, MONTECITO 6BD/6½BA • $4,425,000 P. Serrani / N. Kogevinas, 805.637.5112 / 805.450.6233 LIC# 01764713 / 01209514

2350 BELLA VISTA DR, MONTECITO 3BD/2½BA; 3.15±acs • $4,250,000 Douglas & Associates, 805.318.0900 LIC# 02024147

564 SANTA ANGELA LN, MONTECITO 6BD/4½BA • $3,595,000 Marsha Kotlyar Estate Group, 805.565.4014 LIC# 01426886

@BHHSCALIFORNIA