Muller Monthly Music Meta Crossword p.26
August 2020 Playlist Omission by Pete Muller
6 – 13 Aug 2020 Vol 26 Issue 32
ACROSS 1 Hitting 6 Stan on the sax 10 Bon Jovi of Bon Jovi 13 Derek's backers, in early rock 15 ___ sting (try to 46-Down someone) 16 Linkin Park song wth the lyric "Weep not for paths left alone" 18 Touchdowns: Abbr. 19 Georgia and others, once, for short 20 Menzel of "Frozen 2" 21 Ricky Van Shelton song with the lyric "To honor the million tears he's cried" 24 "That's surprising!" 26 Big picture: Abbr. 27 "Who, me?" 28 Sting song with the lyric "Angels will run and hide their wings" 36 Mil. organization 38 Like many long shots 39 River of monsters? 40 Susan Tedeschi song with the lyric "You were the best man I ever had" 43 Percentage 44 "Lost" co-star Daniel ___ Kim 45 Senator moves designed to mislead? 47 Theory of a Deadman song with the lyric "She's naughty to the end" 54 A big spread 55 Cockeyed 56 "Uno, dos, ___, catorce!" (words shouted at the beginning of U2's "Vertigo") 59 Frank Sinatra song with the lyric "Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls" 62 Insignificant ones 63 Bike with poor suspension, slangily 64 Santa syllables 65 Marchers in a Dave Matthews song 66 Imitation
SERVING MONTECITO AND SUMMERLAND
Muller Monthly Music Meta http://www.pmxwords.com
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After warning from MJ reader, County admits using herbicide to clear local debris basins, promising it is used sparingly, p. 12
Who Rescued Who?
Ann Smith recalls how her dog Bandit made it from Jackson Hole to Montecito to become her best companion, p. 18
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The meta for this puzzle is the Bruce Springsteen hit that completes the puzzle's playlist.
5 Breaks in the action, briefly 6 Kitchen knife brand 7 Word before nous or vous 8 Unarmed figure? 9 Half of a famous Hungarian? 10 Schoolyard character in a Paul Simon song 11 Balanced bridge bid 12 Tennis great known for his powerful second serve 14 Requirement 15 Warning sign 17 Morsel 22 Expression upon encountering extreme cuteness 23 "___ cold, ..." 24 "Hocus Pocus" actor Katz 25 Riot 29 Troll, maybe 30 Hectic MD workplaces 31 Mil. designation 32 Place to find cookies
RUMORS HAVE SWIRLED ABOUT TY WARNER SELLING HIS MONTECITO PROPERTIES. “NOT IN MY LIFETIME,” HE INSISTS (P. 6)
Roundup Reality
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NOT FOR SALE DOWN 1 Mach3 precursor 2 Avenger from Asgard 3 Abides 4 Augments
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Seize the Clay
33 "Pink Moon" singer 34 This, for example 35 Grub 37 Weaponized sticks 41 Former first family forename 42 WWII general 46 See 15-Across 47 Cookie collection 48 Blessed sound? 49 Remnants 50 Apply, as paint or a guilt trip 51 Knife blade material for early man 52 "Bread and ___" (Judy Collins album) 53 Suicide Squeeze and Hopothermia, for short 57 30-Down part: Abbr. 58 Adjective for a 70-year-old polevaulter 60 AKA, for companies 61 Charlamagne ___ God
© 2020 Pete Muller
Foster your creative side, get a workout, and release your stress by attending a workshop at Clay Studio in Goleta, p. 35
2
MONTECITO JOURNAL
6 – 13 August 2020
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6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
3
Inside This Issue
5
Editor’s Letter
6
On the Record
After an encounter at a local institution, Gwyn Lurie asks, have we no shame?
Ty Warner clears up sale rumors; San Ysidro Ranch offers three restaurants with outdoor seating; Organic Soup Kitchen reveals new helpline
8
Letters to the Editor
A collection of communications from readers about kelp, ducks, cannabis, and more
10 Tide Guide 11 Community Voices
We could all learn from Parker Matthews’ story of a recent incident at the Miramar
12 Village Beat
Montecito Trails Foundation board president Ashlee Mayfield responds to a reader’s concern about Roundup use; salons and barbershops offer outdoor service; Lucky’s announces new location in Malibu; Suzani tapestries and textiles featured at Kathryne Designs
14 Dear Montecito
There’s nothing like a little isolation to remind us of life’s past adventures, as local Ally Hodosy reminisces on a memorable journey to Tanzania
15 Seen Around Town
Part III of the Santa Barbara Courthouse tour; merger between Boys and Girls Club and United Boys and Girls Clubs
16 On Entertainment
Wells Fargo Advisors is proud to announce... Joanne Gordon, Managing Director – Investments, a 2020 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisor, along with her team Sage Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors has joined the Santa Barbara, CA office. Joanne and her team are a welcomed new addition to one of the most successful branches in Southern California.
Cheryl L. West’s adaptation of Pygmalion, Caravan Fiesta Parade, and talking to Santa Barbara’s resident science chronicler
18 A Tree Falls
A Montecito resident suffers a traumatic episode during a recent storm, but friends and her dog help cushion the blow
22 Perspectives by Rinaldo S. Brutoco
Let’s learn the lessons of history, those of us with resources have a duty to share the riches of our society with everyone, writes Rinaldo S. Brutoco
23 Focus on Finance
If our local institutions are any indication, paying for college has gotten quite pricy, writes Chris Gallo in his guide to receiving financial aid
Joanne Gordon Managing Director – Investments
Bret Williams Financial Consultant
Joanne.Gordon@wfa.com 805-730-5022
Bret.Williams@wfa.com 805-730-5023
The Optimist Daily
Premature births decline during pandemic; Esselen tribe in Northern California returns to land near Big Sur
Brilliant Thoughts
We may think that life is unfair, but the concept of fairness has a long and durable history, writes Ashleigh Brilliant
24 Muller Monthly Music Meta 27 Bob Hazard
Bob Hazard shares his view on racially charged current events
33 Celebrating History
Fiesta del Museo might be cancelled, but Project Fiesta: A History of Old Spanish Days lives on
35 Fitness Front Wells Fargo Advisors 3660 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Nicole Garfias Client Associate Nicole.Garfias@wfa.com 805-730-5024
Turns out that pottery isn’t just a creative outlet; it also has numerous mental, physical, and spiritual health benefits
40 Far Flung Travel
Chuck Graham hunkers down at the Santa Clara River Estuary, the nesting ground of the California least terns
41 Summerland Buzz
Sonya Harris keeps Summerland clean and the gardens thriving; remembering John Lewis
Contact Joanne Gordon at Sage Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors today for a complimentary portfolio review.
42 Nosh Town
It’s that time of the year to feast on the bounty of seafood in our local waters. Lobsters and halibut and black cod. Oh my!
46 Classified Advertising 47 Local Business Directory
Investment and Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value The Forbes 2020 Top Women Wealth Advisors ranking algorithm is based on industry experience, interviews, compliance records, assets under management, revenue and other criteria by SHOOK Research, LLC, which does not receive compensation from the advisors or their firms in exchange for placement on a ranking. Investment performance is not a criterion. Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. CAR-0720-04218
4
MONTECITO JOURNAL
• Available to care for our neighbors, and accepting new patients. • Infection control protocol followed, with all areas sanitized including wait area and exam room. 1483 E. Valley Road, Suite M | 805.969.6090
“I always told everybody the perfect joke would be where the setup and punch line were identical.” – Norm MacDonald
6 – 13 August 2020
Editor’s Letter by Gwyn Lurie CEO and Executive Editor of the Montecito Journal Media Group
Have We No Shame?
T
hus far COVID has shown much more resilience than we have. As a result, tempers are running high and pretty much everyone I know is at the emotional ragged edge. To keep a level head, I remind myself of one of my favorite sayings which has been variously attributed to everyone from Plato to Robin Williams. So if you like it, just say you heard it here: “Every person is fighting a massive battle you know nothing about. So be kind.” My ability to live up to this credo was tested this past weekend. I took my daughter and her friend to brunch since our local restaurants have done such a wonderful job creating convivial outdoor dining. I dropped the girls off to get in line while I parked. When I joined my brood, I noticed that the woman in line behind us was standing just inches away – not just within six feet but also within our “personal space.” So, I turned to her and asked, “would you mind please backing up a few feet?” The masked woman looked at me like I had a lot of nerve. “I’m not even sure these girls are in line,” she said. In fairness, my daughter and her friend were angled a foot or so to the side of the line so they could read the menu posted at the restaurant’s entrance. “In that case,” I said, “why don’t you go ahead of us and we’ll back up six feet.” “No” the woman said, throwing down the gauntlet. I was stunned. In all the weirdness of the past five months I’ve yet to personally encounter someone so brashly insensitive and gratuitously belligerent. Admittedly, I’m not great in these moments because they bring out my deep-seeded umbrage at entitlement. So I’m sure by this point my attempt at civility was thinly veiled at best. I once again requested of my newfound adversary, “Please back up and give us some space.” It was what came next that shocked me the most.
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“More and more, scientific facts have somehow become just more noise in the loud, distorted boom box that is our national discourse.”
“We’re regular customers here,” she announced. “We know the owner.” Okay, I know the owner too, but I was not aware that knowing the owner gave one the right to ignore the 6-foot distance requirement that was clearly marked on the ground. Or did this woman assume I was an out-of-towner and that gave her some special privilege to endanger us?” Usually at this point when I’m standing up for something in public my kids are horrified and beg me (under their breath) to stop. But in this case even they were stunned as we began to feel like players in someone’s soon-to-be viral “Karen” video. Luckily the line moved and we were finally able to properly distance ourselves. But I’ve not stopped thinking about this exchange – turning it over in my mind, trying to understand her point, if she had one. Was she oppositional because she perceived that any concession to me would be a loss for her? Or was it just to pull rank on someone she assumed was not from here and therefore less worthy of what? Safety? Maybe my brunch adversary was just having a bad day, engaged in a struggle I know nothing about. We’ve all been there. But I think we can agree that our personal travails don’t give us the right to behave recklessly.
Laughing Matters
EDITORIAL Page 304
C’EST CHEESE!
D
id you hear about the cheese factory that exploded in France? There was nothing left but de brie.
6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
5
On the Record
Second Opinion Service Did you adjust for the post-COVID world?
Second Opinion Service
by Nicholas Schou
Nicholas Schou is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including Orange Sunshine and Kill the Messenger. If you have tips or stories about Montecito, please email him at newseditor@montecitojournal.net
‘No Impending Sale’:
Ty Warner Puts End to Rumors About Montecito Properties
Did you adjust for the post-COVID world?
The world has changed dramatically this year, likely accelerating changes that were already happening in our world. hew weora ldllhw asocrhka,ngeeadt,dg raamtahteicra,llay nthdis vyieeaw r, liskaeflyetaycch elaervaetinagll cb haenegnesindelibly HoTw e nalgreawdiyth hao ppth eneirngasinpoeucrtswo orfldo. ur lives. altethraetdwaelro How we all work, eat, gather, and view safety have all been indelibly
The question is: have your portfolio and your financial plan been adapted altered along with other aspects of our lives. for these dramatic changes? The question is: have your portfolio and your financial plan been adapted
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Lower garden area of the Stonehouse Restaurant
n an exclusive interview with the Montecito Journal, Ty Warner, Montecito resident, Beanie Baby creator, and billionaire owner of the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore, the Montecito Club, and the San Ysidro Ranch, said he had no plans to sell any of his local Christopher Gallo properties, all of which except the San Ysidro Ranch have remained closed due ChrU isB toSphFeirnG aanlcloial Services Inc. to COVID-19 concerns. UBS22 Fi2naEnacsiatl C Searrvriiclleos SIntcre . et Last week, the Journal reported that Montecito’s Board of Architectural 222 East Carrillo Street Review voted to approve Warner’s plans to make exterior improvements to Suite 106 Suite 106 the Coral Casino. The proposed project was being planned amid rumors that SanStaan BatrabaBraa,rb Ca Ar9a3, 1C0A 1-7913 46101-7146 Warner might sell the property. 8058-90653--9 376731-37 80701-2628-040 77-2 4 62-4774 Warner denied the rumors flatly. “There is no impending sale,” Warner said in a July 31 interview with the Journal. “There is no chance in my lifetime that any property I have in California is going to be sold – absolutely none.” Though Warner closed three of his properties for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, he said it was not evidence of any desire to unload the properAI®MA® lloll,oC,FC P®F,PC®IM ,C ChCrhisrtisotopphheerr TT.. GGaa ties, but rather that he was being cautious about reopening. A® Warner added: “The reason they are closed should not be a problem for anyCPCWPW A® V i c e P r e s i d e n t W e a l t h M a n a g e m e n t one to understand. I do not want to take the risk for them to open or to be sued Vice President - Wealth Management Portfolio Manager or have any liability were something to happen.” Portfolio Manager Meanwhile, Warner said he was using the property closures as an opportu805-730-3425 80c5h-r7is3to0p-h3e4r.t2.g5allo@ubs.com nity to reinvest in them, as evidenced by the proposed improvements being christopher.t.gallo@ubs.com planned for the Coral Casino. Warner has a well-known history of investing heavily in his Montecito properties. He purchased the Four Seasons in 2000 for $150 million and then promptly spent more than $240 million for massive upgrades. In 2005, Warner invested $65 million to vastly overhaul the dilapidated Coral Casino. Ten years later, he shut down the Montecito Club for a ubs.com/fs/christophertgallo three-year, $75 million remodel. “We would not be doing all these things if I was going to sell the properties. ubs.com/fs/christophertgallo There are no plans to sell the Montecito Club, the Coral Casino, or the Four As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers both Seasons Biltmore,” Warner explained, expressing irritation about the speculainvestment advisory services and brokerage services. Investment advisory services and brokerage services rerm sepp arraoteviadnin d gdisw tinecat,ltdhiffm erainna mgaetem riael nwtasyseravnidcearsetgoovcelirenn edtsb,yUdB iffSerFeinntalanwcsiaalnSdesrevpiacreasteInc. offertions. As aafi s both“I’m having breakfast and pick up the newspaper and I am like, ‘Where anegnetmaed ntvsi.sIo t risyim atdclb iernotske unradg erestasnedrvtihceew hicehnwt eacdovnidso ucrtybsuesrinveicsseasnadntd hab t rokerage services nvesatrrm seprovritcaents tahn s.aIyns vineswtm is this coming from?’” d the agreements and disclosures that we provide to them about the products or are stseheerpvyaiccreaasrtewefuealloynffrdeeard r ain ysthaenPdDaF rdeocguomveenrtnaet dubbsy.codm iff/ewroernktinlagw rate Warner is notorious for rarely speaking to the press, he insisted . Fisotrin mcotr,e diniffofe rm tiom n, aptleearsia e lrew via ew wisthaunsd. sepaAlthough arranCgeretim inarw t business and that fieednFtins.anItciiasl Pim lanpnoerrtBaonatrdth ofaSt tcanlideanrtdss u Inn c.doewrsntsatn hedctehrteificwataioyns m kshCicFh P®w aned cCoEnRd TIu FIcED he isn’t that hard to track down. “It’s not like nobody can find me,” he said. theyFIcNaArN efCuIAllLy PrLeAaNdNEthR™e ian gthreeeUm tsAa®nisdadreisgcisltoesreudrecesrttihficaattiw .S.eCnIM onemparro k voifdteheto InvtehstemmenatsbaonudtWth eaelthproducts or serviIcnestsituwtee, foofrm feerr.lyFIoMrCm dU oBcSu2m0e2n A,oinrethin e fUonrim tedaStito atne,s opfleAamseerircea vainedwwtohrle dwPiD deF. © 0.tAalltriu ghbtss .rceo sem rve/dw . orkingwithus. CertUifiBeSdFinFainnacinalcSiaerlvPicleasnInnce. risBaosaurbdsidoiafryStoaf nUdBSarAdGs. IM nce.mobw ifi-UcaBSti-o57nDm rkBs CFP® and C ERTIFIED er nFIsNtRhAe/SIcPeCr.tD F2aFD ON THE RECORD Page 444 FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S. CIMA® is a registered certification mark of the Investments and Wealth nstitute, MONTECITO formerly IMCA, inJOURNAL the United States of America and world“Iwthink ideclever . ©Upeople BS 2think 02that 0. A ll rpeople ightare s restupid.” serve– dNorm . MacDonald 6 – 13 August 2020 poor
6
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6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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Letters to the Editor
NEW! ELECTRIC BIKES for GROMS!
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
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MONTECITO JOURNAL
read with interest Mr. Zach Rosen’s article on Chris Goldblatt’s reef project. I am uncertain if Mr. Rosen was obtaining his information from Chris, but his initial statements are inaccurate under any circumstances. First, El Niño events are directly correlated with warm waters and heavy rainfall. Not, “droughts” as he represents. In fact, kelp forests thrive in the opposite climatic La Niña conditions, where cold waters dominate our Pacific coastal waters. The decline in kelp forests occurs regularly when warm waters associated with El Niño occur. These same kelp forests rejuvenate when cold waters return, as is the “normal” condition on the Central Coast. Secondly, every attempt to create artificial reef environments (other than decommissioning oil platforms), have failed to produce the desired effect. The ocean currents either obliterate these “reefs” with sand deposits, or wave action renders them ineffective. As a surfer, I wish I could support his hypothesis! While it is true that kelp require hard surfaces to attach their root systems in order to thrive, the more likely cause of the demise of the kelp forests is the emergence of sea urchins that destroy this same root system. The increase in urchin populations is directly associated with the reduced number of otters, resulting from a hundred years of sea otter hunting, and the opposition from commercial fishermen such as Mr. Goldblatt, to the re-introduction of otters to their native environs. Lastly, the assertion that downslope flow from regularly occurring environmental events such as our recent debris flows is absurd. We all can attest to the volume of debris, boulders, rocks, automobiles and every imaginable object that ended up in the ocean after our horrific event, despite the manmade barriers we have erected. All of the Central Coast is not defined as urbanized area...fortunately! Mark Mattingly
Nattering Away
MJ writer Rinaldo Brutoco has a perspective that is both emotional and sometimes illogical. He states every other Western-styled democracy has gotten COVID-19 under control while we have a failure of political leadership. Brutoco says California has many more recent daily virus deaths than New York. While true, total
“This would have been a great game to watch if we didn’t have any money on it.” – Norm MacDonald
California deaths are 9,500 compared to New York’s 32,500. And California has about twice the population of New York. What about that political leadership failure? Both New York and California have Democrats as governors and they make decisions about statewide health mandates. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo famously sent COVID-19 infected elderly to nursing homes where they died by the thousands. Brutoco says “in states with good political leadership, the virus is now under control. Governor Cuomo showed us how to do it. Governor Newsom chose to ignore his example.” Uhhh, logically it appears Newsom is outperforming Cuomo more than three to one. Federalism, which Brutoco often natters on about, means state control over local issues. Seems to me, in a large geographic area, such as the USA, regional mandates are superior, especially in a health crisis. Thankfully, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution is being respected. Trying to take any issue, and make it a political Issue is the stock and trade of the Left, which seeks to divide us at every turn. Let’s all stay safe and healthy and wash our hands of meaningless politics. Peter Hunt Longtime Santa Barbara and Montecito resident
Let’s Get Kids Moving
Why can’t schools provide PE outdoors, in-person? What is the rationale? Paul Orfalea
Duck Duck Go
I’d like to congratulate you on the wonderfully written, heart-touching article on the lost ducklings at Mount Carmel Church in the May 21-28 issue of the Montecito Journal (“The Great Montecito Duck Caper”). Of course, I read with delight that they had been found and all was well! During these daunting times and all our news sources filled with fearful news, it was such a joy to read this story. Hope to see many more uplifting articles about our local wildlife and how we are caring for them. Sincerely, Marianne Meeker
LETTERS Page 104 6 – 13 August 2020
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• The Voice of the Village •
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LETTERS (Continued from page 8)
Cannabis Capital
This message in support of Nick Schou whose articles on the cultivation of cannabis in Santa Barbara county and shedding some light on it’s behind the scene shenanigans couldn’t be more welcome. Personally I find it ironic having spent a great deal of my life in Latin America (Guatemala / Mexico) to finally settle in this part of the world and be surrounded by cannabis plantations and having to bear its pungent odor when the wind blows the wrong way. Santa Barbara is known the world over for its wonderful climate, elegant and sporty lifestyle, ocean views, well protected landscapes, polo, sailing, wineries and vineyards, lovely hillside properties and home to a community of local and cosmopolitan creative, entrepreneurial spirits who embody cultural diversity and live in graceful harmony. To imagine it now as the cannabis capital of the US is not only absurd but sounds like a bad joke. Mr Schou’s writings offer us a chance to unite and raise a red flag. This is not about vilifying Cannabis but a wake up call to consider growing it elsewhere and not jeopardizing a century old community whose image as a world-class destination was forged otherwise. The day will come when mainstream media and emblematic lifestyle magazines will highlight Santa Barbara county’s odd change of course favoring cannabis growth above most else, which will no doubt cause quite a giggle. In these darker days of Coronavirus best humor enlighten our spirits. Thank you, Nick Schou, thank you Montecito Journal, please carry on the good work! John Edward Heaton
Thanks, Joanne!
A couple of recent issues of the Montecito Journal have educated me
with interesting new information. I’ve been associated with Read ‘n Post for almost 19 years. But after reading Joanne Calitri’s entertaining photo feature about the Montecito Country Mart, I am now much more familiar with our business neighbors. She did an excellent job of summarizing the variety of shops in the Mart, plus showing that their owners and staffs are an engaging group of people – even when disguised as bank robbers! Despite being a lifelong Methodist, I learned a great deal from Hattie Beresford’s fascinating two-part series about St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. Finding out about the historic struggles and successes of this local African American congregation gave me a new appreciation for the AME branch of Methodism. Due to the contributions of St. Paul Church and its members, Santa Barbara is clearly a more spiritually diverse and compassionate city. Thank you for including those stories in the Journal. John Devereaux
This Stinks
Nick Schou is to be congratulated for his excellent series. As a Carpinteria City resident living within 100 feet of totally unregulated cannabis greenhouses under county jurisdiction it is refreshing to see some honest reporting on the subject. Schou’s work compliments the well-researched Grand Jury report. In California, where law has become optional one can see the natural outcome of failed governance here. Government officials wringing their hands over all manner of politically correct causes turn a blind eye to real corruption within their own ranks. Many living next to cannabis greenhouses are suffering health effects because of the off gassing of 24-hour factory farming next to their bedrooms. This problem is increased by an odor control system mandat-
ed by the county. The system adds essential oils to the air we breathe, and while partially masking the odor, only increases the air pollution. The much-ballyhooed environmental ethic of Santa Barbara County does not seem to apply to residents’ health if tax dollars are to be made. It seems odd. If a problem like this were being created by the oil industry our government officials and political activists would have a fit. But with cannabis a blind eye is turned. Greed is one thing, but corruption is another. The absolute breakdown of fair and accountable government in the First District Supervisor’s office, County Administrator’s Office and Planning Department causes one to think about racketeering and interstate commerce. One wonders where the District Attorney is and why the Sheriff allowed his union to back an obviously compromised Supervisor Das Williams. Both these Santa Barbara County law enforcement officials are highly regarded, including by me. Why are they not acting? It is understandable that people are appealing to the US Attorney. They say things are bad in Washington, D.C. but they are just as bad here in Santa Barbara County. John Culbertson
Not a Pin Cushion
A couple weeks ago (MJ # 26/30), Lanny Sherwin lamented that I have responded to personal attacks or criticisms that appear in the letters column with my own “Letter to the Editor.” While I appreciate that there are many on the left side of the political equation who would prefer, indeed even mandate, that there be but one opinion on any subject – and that would be their opinion – I don’t agree. I have sold the paper that I founded over 25 years ago, but remain an investor and have not given up my right to reply when criticized. If my letters “undermine the credibility of the paper and stifle people from expressing their thoughts
without concern for being ‘reprimanded,’” as Mr. Sherwin suggests, then don’t choose me as your subject. I am not a pincushion and will respond to unfair or unwarranted pinpricks. Last week (MJ # 26/31), Danute Handy took on my most recent letter that questioned her assessment of Donald Trump’s presidential announcement speech that he famously gave after descending the Trump Tower escalator in New York City. She pronounced confidently that “Yes, Donald Trump is a misogynist. For confirmation refer to the Access Hollywood tape!” For the record, the Oxford Dictionary defines misogynist as “a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women.” Now, say what you will about our president, but I suggest that he really does like women. At one time he was a young, handsome, and very wealthy bachelor in New York City who dated any number of beautiful women. Was he a “hound dog”? Most likely, but if anything, that would put him in the category of, say, former president Bill Clinton. But misogynist? Later in her letter, Danute goes on to state that “it is almost universally agreed that Donald Trump is racist” and that racism “is part of the DNA of the Republican Party.” I had to laugh. Is she referring to the Republican Party, whose first presidential candidate was Abraham Lincoln? Is she referring to the Republican Party that mobilized and fought a great war in order to outlaw slavery in the face of open rebellion by the Democrat Party that fought to maintain the evil institution? History will recall that it was the Democrat Party that wrote the Jim Crow segregation laws. Every southern state in the United States had its own version of those separation-by-race standards that repressed blacks from voting for 100 years after the Civil War.
LETTERS Page 384
Montecito Tide Guide
10 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Day
Low
Hgt High
Hgt Low
Hgt High
Hgt Low
Thurs, August 6
6:14 AM -0.1 12:42 PM 4.3
05:55 PM
2.2
5.2
Fri, August 7
6:44 AM 0.4
01:14 PM 4.3
06:40 PM
2.2
Sat, August 8
12:33 AM 4.6
7:12 AM
0.9
01:48 PM
4.3
07:33 PM 2.3
Sun, August 9
1:15 AM
4
7:41 AM
1.5
02:27 PM
4.3
08:44 PM 2.3
Mon, August 10
2:12 AM
3.4
8:11 AM
2
03:12 PM
4.4
010:19 PM 2.2
Tues, August 11
3:53 AM
2.9
8:50 AM
2.4
04:08 PM
4.5
011:57 PM 1.8
Wed, August 12
6:27 AM
2.8
9:53 AM
2.8
05:08 PM
4.7
Thurs, August 13
1:03 AM 1.2
7:58 AM
3.1
11:21 AM
3
06:06 PM
5
Fri, August 14
1:48 AM 0.6
8:40 AM
3.4
12:32 PM
2.9
06:56 PM
5.4
“Note to self: no matter how bad life gets, there’s always beer.” – Norm MacDonald
011:56 PM
Hgt
6 – 13 August 2020
Community Voices by Mimi deGruy
Taking a Stand in the Sand
Specializing in Fine Homes • Concept to Completion • Exceptional Home Design
In sharing my story, what I am hoping is to create some awareness and understanding that Montecito isn’t an exception to racism, says Parker Matthews
L
isten, listen, listen. Learn, Learn, Learn. During these past few tumultuous months, that has been my mantra. As a privileged white woman, I feel it is best to stay quiet and listen deeply. I have much to learn from the BLM and BIPOC movements. And yet there are times when darkness surfaces and it feels complicit to stay quiet. For 21 years I lived just off Miramar Beach, a stretch of earth I walked at least once a day. If I didn’t know everyone’s name, I at least recognized the faces I saw: people who shared a love for the ocean and the landscape of rocks and sand that, like life, could change radically overnight. We would wave as we walked quietly along, looking out over the waves. That beach was my kids’ sandbox. As always, the ocean served as a reminder there are forces larger than we are. There is a rhythm to the moons and tides, and the ocean is the engine fueling our existence. And yet, even here in paradise, on a stretch of beach we call home, there is sometimes a disturbing underbelly. By no means is Montecito the most ethnically or socio-economically diverse part of California – it is almost laughable to suggest such an idea – but I did believe our little beach community was more open-minded than most. Unfortunately, over the years there have been hints that it wasn’t as accepting as I’d thought. One Sunday morning about five years ago, a Black family friend who’d been visiting went out our front door to meet someone giving him a ride. Soon thereafter a neighbor rang my doorbell and asked if we were OK. When I assured her we were fine and asked why she’d asked, she said she’d seen 6 – 13 August 2020
a guy leaving the house and wanted to be sure all was well. It was unsaid but understood she had been worried because of the visitor’s skin color. That is how it starts and it is a cycle that has to end. There on my street, I was reminded that while we do indeed live in a beautiful bubble here in Montecito, suspicion and racism often lurk just beneath the surface. One of the most rewarding things about raising kids here is the sense of community in which we share each other’s joys, triumphs, heartbreaks, and sadness. So when our dear family friend, Parker Matthews, experienced racism on Miramar Beach, I needed to know more. Parker was featured not long ago in the Montecito Journal as someone our community has raised and can be proud of, and he talked about the benefits of living in Montecito. Parker is a vibrant, huge-hearted, smart, handsome young man whose skin is an enviable shade of brown. Parker is the guy out there rooting for the underdog, so when he was the target of racial profiling and name calling, I wanted to know more. I sat down to talk with him about what happened recently while walking by the Rosewood Miramar private club. Q. How do you identify? A. I am a person of color and am mixed race; if you want to be specific, my dad is white, and mom is Hispanic. I grew up in Montecito and have lived here for the last fourteen years.
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MONTECITO JOURNAL
11
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.
Roundup Update
I
n July, we received and published the following letter, from a concerned Montecito hiker: Recently, I believe Tuesday June 18th, my friends are I took a hike up San Ysidro Trail. About a half a mile up the trail, we saw workers in the middle of the creekbed spraying. The spraying wasn’t being done directly in the water but on islands surrounded by the creek I approached the workers and asked a man what they were doing. I was told that spraying was being done to stop plants from growing in the creekbed. I asked him if Monsanto’s Roundup was being used. He replied “no” and that the herbicide being used was completely safe. As I walked back, I stopped and looked in the cab of the truck that had the words “County of Santa Barbara” on it. There were quite a few containers which had labels clearly stating the contents were toxic to humans and animals. Dogs go to the creekbed quite a bit. Children may play down there. I saw no signs posted that pesticide spraying was going on. What if there were a heavy fog or light rain, and some herbicide was washed into the water? There are pools downstream that people go into. There’s also where San Ysidro Creek empties into the ocean, a place in which people wade barefoot across the creek. I understand the need to control growth in the creek to prevent debris flows and flooding. But there’s a better way to do it, like manually digging up the plants. The county could recruit volunteers to do this. How many other Montecito creeks is the county planning on spraying? Hikers, be careful that you, your children and your dogs don’t rub against the herbicide treated plants. – Bryan Rosen After speaking to Montecito Trails Foundation board president Ashlee Mayfield, who oversees the maintenance of the trails and assured us MTF does not use any herbicides, we reached out to Jon Frye, County Flood Control
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Engineering Manager. Frye confirmed that the crews on site were from the Flood Control District and the area was the San Ysidro Debris Basin, which is about a half mile up from the trailhead on San Ysidro Trail. The maintenance crews were indeed spraying an herbicide, called Roundup Custom, in order to keep the basin free of vegetation while the watershed recovers from the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow. “Once the watershed recovers, the basin floor will be allowed to recolonize with vegetation and a pilot channel will be maintained through the basin,” Frye explained. Flood Control District Operations and Environmental Manager Maureen Spencer tells us because the basins in Montecito were all below the Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flow, the watersheds are still recovering and maintenance within these basins is focused on keeping them clear so they can provide protection from debris. “Basins are maintained differently when there isn’t a burned watershed above them,” she explained. “If the watershed above a debris basin is not burned, the District maintains a fifteen-foot-wide pilot channel through the basin and the remaining area of the basin is allowed to become colonized with vegetation. We estimate that it will take three to five years for the burned watershed to recover.” Spencer went on to say that the crews using the herbicide are licensed and trained to keep all spray to the bare minimum and to avoid flowing water. She said that the spray binds with vegetation and soil particles, and very little spray is used. “It is approved for aquatic use, but that doesn’t mean we spray directly into water. We really try hard to avoid contact with water. If it happens to get into the water, it is in such a small amount that it would be in very small amounts and would be diluted very quickly,” she said. The site is checked monthly but not necessarily sprayed monthly. “The goal is to use as little herbicide as possible and the crew has found that if they spray very small occasional sprouts, they use markedly less herbicide than they would if they allowed the basin to grow for several months and become carpeted with larger plants that would require more herbicide to eliminate and would increase the chances of overspray,” Spencer said. When spraying the basin, crews are not within 50 feet of the trail, which is the requirement when posting notices, according to Frye. Roundup maker Bayer, who acquired the original producer of the weed killer, Monsanto, in 2018, settled a widely-publicized lawsuit back in June, agreeing to pay more than $10 billion to settle nearly 100,000 claims that the product’s key ingredient, glyphosate, causes cancer, and is being sold without appropriate warning labels. The company still faces claims from other tens of thousands of other claimants who chose not to join the settlement. Stay tuned for a future in-depth series regarding the County’s usage of chemicals in the debris basins.
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San Ysidro Debris Basin is sprayed periodically with Roundup herbicide, in order to keep the basin free from vegetation until the watershed can recover from the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow
All information provided is deemed reliable, but has not been verified and we do not guarantee it. We recommend that buyers make their own inquiries.
Two popular salons on Coast Village Road are yet again doing the “pandemic pivot,” and are now offering their services outside, in alignment with guidelines from the State of California that went into effect in late July. Salon owner Xavier Scordo, who took ownership of the salon known as Belle de Jour in Olive Mill Plaza in February, says he is lucky to be able to offer services outside of the salon, during a time when salons and other personal care services in Santa Barbara County and beyond are not permitted to provide services indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We made the decision to move everything outside in order to continue to serve our clients during this time,” he told us. With help from designer Lara Morabito, Scordo has created makeshift beauty
“They call gambling a disease, but it’s the only disease where you can win a bunch of money.” – Norm MacDonald
VILLAGE BEAT Page 454
6 – 13 August 2020
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Dear Montecito by Stella Pierce
Montecito Alumni Write Letters from Life’s Front
A
s schools around the country start to reopen and older students begin the migration back to college life, I worry about the safety of teachers and pupils alike. But a smaller, less socially conscious voice in the back of my head quietly cheers for the small freedom of leaving home. Some of us may have spent these summer months mourning lost vacation time, but others – myself included – hark back to the simpler times of ye olden days when we could walk around our hometown without fear of catching the plague. I feel as though I’ve been beaten over the head with the irony. Hindsight is 2020; yesteryear will always be a “simpler” time. This is all to say: it’s easy to find an excuse not to do something, whether it’s taking that jazzercise class or a trip to Palm Springs. Some of us even have the luxury to assume we’ll have the same opportunities in the future, so we put it off until next time. But as my mom likes to
14 MONTECITO JOURNAL
say: “Sometimes, next time never comes.” As an antidote to this, I offer you the spirit of adventure in the form of a letter from Ally Hodosy. Please enjoy this story from a charming and intrepid woman with a carpe diem attitude.
Dear Montecito,
Growing up, my family traveled all the time. We were always booking trips, packing suitcases, and gearing up for the next adventure. My parents felt this was a valuable time for us to bond, and that traveling together allowed us to learn about new cultures and grow. Now, more than ever, I’ve had time to think back on our trips and appreciate all I’ve gained through travel. There’s nothing like a little isolation to remind you what’s important. Like many of us, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my life and remember some of my fondest memories from traveling the world
Ally Hodosy works at Kate Farms, the plantbased formula company
with my family. Walking with elephants in the Serengeti. Exploring mosques in Dubai. Flying over the Tahitian islands next to my little sister and forever co-pilot. Even a pasta fight on a balcony in the Netherlands. There were all the things that revealed a deeper respect for wildlife, history, other cultures, and of course some good old-fashioned, messy fun. In reflection of all this, I wanted to share the story of my favorite destination. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and potentially the hardest thing I ever will do. I had just graduated high school when I traveled to Tanzania for the first time. It was my grandfather ’s greatest wish to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. My family couldn’t resist joining him on his journey to climb one of Africa’s greatest treasures. Mount Kilimanjaro, also known as Kili, is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single freestanding mountain in the world. It stands at 19,341 feet and is just as scary as its name suggests. For nine nights and ten days, we did nothing but climb. We started the trek in the middle of the dense African rainforest, my favorite terrain of the climb. Here, we were surrounded by wildlife; our base camp looked as if it had practically been taken from the movie Tarzan. By the end of our second day, the rainforest had completely vanished. All the green and lush flora faded away as we entered the second climate zone of the mountain: Heather and Moorland. In this zone, temperatures can spike
“You know, with Hitler, the more I learn about that guy, the more I don’t care for him.” – Norm MacDonald
to 95 degrees and drop to freezing at night. But climate zone three was the most challenging for me. In the alpine desert, we could have walked for miles on miles with no sense of how far we had gone. Surrounded by nothing but sand and rock, it looked like we were headed down the road to nowhere. Five days into the climb, the altitude started to slow us down. Because of the lack of oxygen, it became hard to even think. In order to keep moving, we had to only concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. I shared a tent with my 14-year-old cousin, Kieran, and by evening, he barely had enough energy to take his socks off. At the end of the sixth day, we started to enter the final climate zone of the mountain. It is called the Arctic Zone and is the home stretch to the summit. In this zone, temperatures dropped well below zero as we climbed through dense ice and snow, surrounded by glaciers on both sides of the trail. On the day of the summit, we started our ascent at 3 am. The only thing I saw for the first three hours of our climb were the stars as I blindly followed the voice of our guides. When I reached the summit, I felt a great sense of pride. My family had conquered a mountain together – I tried to soak in every second of that moment. The last two days on the way down were filled with endless celebrations. Our amazing guides and porters, who made my whole trip, taught us Tanzania’s greatest hits as we sang and danced until it was time to say our goodbyes and go our separate ways. By the end of the climb, I found it very hard to leave the friends I had made on this amazing journey. We became so close with our group and went through so much together that it was strange getting in our car and driving away at the end of the trail. Luckily for me, my family still had another week to explore Tanzania and get a taste of life off the mountain. We went on multiple safaris across the Ngorongoro Crater, explored the Tanzanian countryside, met many Maasai villagers and farmers, and viewed countless side street soccer matches. It was the trip of a lifetime and an experience I will never forget. Out of every place I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, Tanzania will always be my favorite. I love the language, the people, the wildlife, and the unbeatable African sunsets. I loved it so much that I went back the next summer. To all the other travel junkies out there, I hope you too get to experience all of the amazing things Tanzania has to offer and that you love it as much as I do. •MJ 6 – 13 August 2020
Seen Around Town
by Lynda Millner
Courthouse Docent Tour (Part III)
the
PETER COHEN TRUNK SHOW August 13th - 16th “The Spirit of the Ocean” fountain at the Santa Barbara Courthouse.
M
y docent tour of the Santa Barbara Courthouse began in the Mural Room and proceeded through the second floor and out the back by the old jail. We crossed the grounds to the Hall of Records and ended up in front of the courthouse. As we walk along the path you see three plaques. The first commemorates the 1924 visit of the Count of Monterey. He is a descendant of the 5th Count of Monterey, who was the Viceroy of Mexico. Under his orders Sebastian Vizcaino navigated and named the Santa Barbara Channel in 1602. The second plaque commemorates the visit of Albert and Elizabeth, King and Queen of the Belgians. They visited us in 1919 in thanks to the people of Santa Barbara for their relief to the people of Belgium during World War I. The third plaque is for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in March 1983. Some of you may remember the deluge of rain
Ms Millner is the author of The Magic Makeover, Tricks for Looking Thinner, Younger and More Confident – Instantly. If you have an event that belongs in this column, you are invited to call Lynda at 969-6164.
that wouldn’t stop during their whole visit. They also visited President Reagan at his ranch above the Circle Bar B plowing through rain swept creeks. Only the day before a woman and her car had been swept away. A truly memorable visit. Next we come to the fountain, “The Spirit of the Ocean,” designed and sculpted by Ettore Cadorin. Two locals, Maya Sexauer (a professional model) and her brother Wolfram posed for the figures. When they learned that Cadorin was being paid $5,000 for the project and they were being paid 25
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MONTECITO JOURNAL
15
On Entertainment Elocutia Does Pygmalion
C
heryl L. West’s plays have been performed on and off-Broadway and on stages in England as well as myriad regional theaters across the U.S. including Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Old Globe, The Goodman, Indiana Rep, Williamstown Festival, Cleveland Play House, South Coast Rep. Those venues have collectively produced some of her long list of titles that include Shout Sister, Shout!, Akeelah and the Bee, Pullman Porter
by Steven Libowitz
Blues, American Girl Story, and Jar the Floor, among others. West has also written TV and film projects for Disney, Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO and CBS and was nominated for a Webby for her scripts for the original web series Diary of a Single Mom. But she also has a special place in her heart for UCSB’s Launch Pad program. That’s where West’s adaptation of The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Playwright Cheryl L. West’s latest creation is Elocutia Does Pygmalion, an African-American adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion
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– 1963 was developed via Launch Pad’s summer reading series in 2018 and with a full preview production in January 2019 before making its professional debut at the Chicago Children’s Theatre later that year and playing to sold-out houses at Indiana Repertory Theatre last season. Last June, West also contributed three works to the program’s Alone, Together festival that featured dozens of short works written specifically to be performed during the pandemic-forced relocation of classes and performances on Zoom. Now West has returned once again through the wonders of cyberspace to bat clean-up for this summer’s Launch Pad reading series in which student actors, faculty and community members collaborate with authors to flesh out new works for just a week before offering a reading, this year, of course on Zoom. The play she’s workshopping, Elocutia Does Pygmalion, could barely be more timely, as it’s West’s AfricanAmerican adaptation of the famed George Bernard Shaw play that most folks know better for the 1950s musical conversion called My Fair Lady. Elocutia and professor Herbert Hughes are the sparring partners in the “Black riff” on Shaw’s Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins, replete with both comic twists and turns and themes addressing race, class and language-based identity. Launch Pad founder Risa Brainin directs the 4 pm reading of Act 1 on Saturday, August 8, that features Chuck Cooper, who won a Best Actor Tony for The Life in 1997, plus film and stage actor Shaunyce Omar and UCSB Theater Dept. chair Irwin Appel appearing alongside student thespians. Visit https://launchpad.theaterdance.ucsb. edu/reading-series/2020 for details and link.
Q. I’m thinking you must have gotten
ENTERTAINMENT Page 324 “I think women are more intelligent than men. Also, without women, there would be no cookies.” – Norm MacDonald
6 – 13 August 2020
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6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
17
A Tree Falls
by Gretchen Lieff
Gretchen is founder and president of the Lutah Maria Riggs Society and Davey’s Voice, both Santa Barbara 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Gretchen sits on the board of the California Water Impact Network and is vice president of the board of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.
Bandit, Ann, and Abe
When you’ve been quarantined for weeks and a tree falls on your house, at least you’ve got your friends, and your dog
F
erocious winds tore through Montecito that night, leaving a wake of damage and power outages. Forecasters blamed a strengthening ridge of high pressure and weak offshore gradients for producing the scary and destructive turbulence. The first heat wave of the season was dominating Southwestern California, gripping it with suffocating intensity. These winds were a result. The peak heat would happen Thursday, with the season’s first National Weather Service Heat Advisory. Excessive heat makes me wilt. I hate it. In fact, I prefer the opposite. There isn’t a marine layer temperature inversion I don’t take kindly to. Add gusty winds and I’m likely to develop “Tea Fire Syndrome.” And so it was that evening as we dined by candlelight with twilight approaching. Sounds charming, and it would have been, had the mercury not been hovering into the high 80s. And those damn winds, freight car gusts, threatening to take down our big oaks and towering eucalyptus as we held tightly to our dinner napkins on the outside deck. The lights flickered. Between the roaring gusts and
uncertain electricity, our dinner conversation wandered to a recent warning of something called “Hurricane Mentality,” a syndrome suffered by many residents of southern Gulf states. When a big hurricane is on its way there are two kinds of people. Those who remain calm and prepare for the hurricane by assuring the maximum safety of home and family. And then there are the “Hurricane Mentality” people who gather and party, rendering themselves totally drunk, hoping by the time they sober up the tempest will have abated and the whole unpleasantness will have been just a bad hangover. I’m hopeful. “How about a combination of the two?” My dinner companions chuckle and I head to the kitchen to refresh my lemon drop as the house lights flicker again and go out. The following morning’s evidence was apparent across Montecito. Gale force gusts had felled large trees and power lines, closing Olive Mill between Hot Springs and Coast Village roads, causing power outages across the East Valley Road, Picacho Lane and Eucalyptus Road neighborhoods. John Palminteri surveyed the
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Bandit was adopted from the PAWS Dog Rescue Center in Jackson Hole, thanks to a little help from Ann Smith’s friends
morning damage from the 1400 block of East Valley. “Here in Montecito we had a gust spike as high as eighty-two miles per hour,” he reported. Fortunately we were spared, except for large branches ripped from my beautiful cedar fir and more oak leaves across the decks and lawns than I’ve ever seen. Other Montecito properties and homes were not. My cellphone heralded a distraught Ann Smith. “Oh my God, my house,” she cried. “Last night, I heard a terrible crash and I rushed into the backyard. It was about nine o’clock. The winds were absolutely ferocious, terrifying. So I heard a horrible crash, a huge part of my gigantic two hundred-year-old oak tree hit the house.” Are you ok Ann? “Not really, it was one of the scariest, most traumatic things that’s ever happened,” she said. “Most of the tree fell onto my garage, part of it went down onto my office, the rest landed on the back of the house. The tree is still here. It’s a mess.” Is Bandit OK? “Thank goodness yes,” she replied. “I’m so grateful that he wasn’t injured. He was outside just moments before. His special area where he does his business is where the tree fell. Bandit senses the danger and won’t go near his favorite spot now.” Ann talks about the tree crew arriv-
“When you’re in love it’s the most glorious two and a half days of your life.” – Richard Lewis
ing shortly. Then she suddenly shifts away from the tree calamity and starts talking about the dog who has been her center for 13 years. Her voice calms as she shares her story. “I was walking on Butterfly Beach when I received a picture of this dog that needed a home, and it was Bandit,” she recalls. So I called the lady at my PAWS Dog Rescue Center in Jackson Hole and told her I wanted some friends to go and see him to help me make up my mind. Pet Adoption Day was the following Saturday and I emailed seven very good Jackson Hole friends, thinking that maybe one might be able to go visit with Bandit and meet him. And it turns out all seven turned up on Adoption Day. They called me here in Montecito and passed the phone around. “Oh Annie, he’s the cutest thing we’ve ever seen and he’s got your name on him,” she said. “After all these years I still call them his grandparents.” How did they find Bandit? “There are lots of ranching communities around Jackson Hole where there’s little regard for animals, unless they’re working ones,” Annie said. “It turns out the rancher who had Bandit and his seven brothers and sisters lined up the six-week old puppies
TREE Page 204 6 – 13 August 2020
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6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
19
TREE (Continued from page 18)
and started shooting them. A young cowboy saw what was happening and rushed over and grabbed the three remaining live puppies and took them to the rescue lady.”
My Hero Ann Smith
Ann is a selfless warrior working on behalf of animals. She founded the famed Jackson Hole PAWS Animal Rescue. She is a fierce protector of the wolf and grizzly bear and she’s been to East Africa more than 30 times to help save elephants. She is also on the Board of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Ann’s favorite thing in the world besides animals and (some) people is what she calls her beach car. She bought the convertible 1986 Mercedes 560 SL as a birthday present to herself when she turned 60. “Bandit loves going to the beach in it,” she said. “He wears a visor. He’s my co-pilot.” Back to the tree. “When the tree fell we didn’t know whether the car was OK because we couldn’t look inside the garage; the roof had caved in,” Ann said. “But Abe came over and he’s tall enough to look in, and he said that somehow, despite all the damage, my car was OK.” Abe Powell, founder of our dear-
Ann Smith bought this convertible 1986 Mercedes 560 SL as a birthday present and she takes Bandit along as her co-pilot
ly loved Bucket Brigade, had rushed over to help. “I wouldn’t have known what to do without Abe,” Ann said. “But he came right over. I was just so rattled, and he’s been such a help. “The silver lining is that now sunshine can reach my garden so I can grow roses. As Abe walked with me into the back to assess the damage I said, ‘Look Abe there’s sunshine for the first time. It’s always been shady.’” “Well Ann, that’s one way to make
lemonade out of lemons,” Abe said. “I love Abe and Santa Barbara is so lucky to have him,” Annie said. The conversation returns to Bandit. “I was going through a divorce at the time I met Bandit. I like to say that he rescued me and he’s been a wonderful companion, especially during these difficult times of being so isolated. “People often ask me if I miss having a man in my life,” Annie said.
Ann Smith is founder of the famed Jackson Hole PAWS Animal Rescue and is a fierce protector of the wolf and grizzly bear
“Well he’s black and white and he sleeps with me, and he doesn’t yell and he’s always thankful for what I give him to eat. He’s the perfect husband! And Abe is the perfect friend. And I’m just fine with that!” •MJ
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6 – 13 August 2020
COMMUNITY (Continued from page 11)
at the beach with friends, I walked between the Miramar Club and the Miramar Hotel to get back to my car parked near the freeway. I had two LaCroix cans, and made my way over to the recycle bin between the hotel and the Miramar Club. At that time, a couple was getting up from the beach chairs in front of the club. While I was recycling my cans, the couple began to walk up the ramp behind me. I was facing two Miramar employees, not noticeably of color, in their pressed white uniforms and blue masks, and I heard – behind me – a man say, with a laughing tone, “you look like a looter!” As I turned around, there was a Miramar employee – Hispanic, about my age, and in his full Miramar apparel – to which this man directed his comment. I registered that comment and thought it was bizarre and watched as the younger Miramar employee uncomfortably laughed it off. As I was processing this interaction, the club member then went on to tell me that I looked like a looter. When I didn’t respond, he repeated his statement a second time, telling me I looked like a looter, too. For a moment I thought I heard him incorrectly, but he said it twice. His tone noticeably shifted to ensure that I heard him correctly, and his second comment was directed at my back, but I kept walking. As I am walking, so many thoughts were going through my head. I’m thinking, did he really just say that? I’m wondering why he would say that. Was it a coincidence that he is only telling the young people of color on the beach that they look like looters and not the multiple white masked young people in the area? I was uncomfortable and offended, but I didn’t want to make a big deal of the situation, and I honestly just wanted to get out of there. But I kept thinking about the Miramar employee because he probably had to keep serving this person the next day, knowing that the man probably will not remember what he said. All I remember afterwards was my brain rapid-firing hypothetical responses, and yet nothing came out of my mouth in the moment. I ignored him, walked to my car, dusted the sand off my feet, but couldn’t leave behind those man’s words. Why didn’t you respond? That’s a tough question, and looking back on this experience, I wish I had said something. I’m pretty witty, as most of my friends and family would describe me, and I’ve thought of some creative responses to this man’s ‘joke.’ On my way home, I called a friend and shared what had happened, and he asked me why I hadn’t said anything. Honestly, I made up a lot of excuses as to why I didn’t respond: I 6 – 13 August 2020
didn’t want to start something, this man wasn’t worth my time and energy, and it wasn’t my responsibility to educate someone on why calling the only two visible people of color ‘looters’ is wrong. But while some of these justifications are true and others are probably excuses for not saying anything, deep down, I know that I didn’t respond because I was just scared. I wasn’t scared that this man was going to hurt me physically, but instead I feared what might happen next. We have all seen far too many videos of people of color doing everyday activities, only to be placed in dangerous, life-threatening situations simply because of their skin color. In that moment did I fear for my life? Probably not, but I knew what could happen. If I had verbally confronted him and came off too aggressive, our encounter could have become a dangerous situation. So what happened when you got home? I didn’t want to tell my parents because I wanted to leave this encounter behind, but they know me too well and recognized I wasn’t myself. My mom said something along the lines of, “all the light had left my eyes.” When I shared the incident with my parents, they seemed more upset than I was. My parents wanted to go back to the Miramar Hotel and confront this man themselves, and I wanted nothing to do with that. I didn’t want to relive that moment any more than I had to, but my parents encouraged me to go back to the Miramar because I have the privilege of not relying on the hotel for a paycheck. My parents reminded me that the Miramar employee was most likely afraid of losing his job so he probably wouldn’t feel like he could speak up. I should say at this point that I have lived in Montecito since I was six, and I grew up on Miramar Beach. We can all agree that Miramar Beach is a safe place, with friends- and family-filled memories, and my parents made it clear that they didn’t want this man to take that away from me. They also felt pretty strongly that even if this guy was “joking,” the joke wasn’t funny. I am definitely grateful I did go back because it gave me a resolve to steady my emotions. The two Miramar bystanders remembered the interaction exactly how I remembered it, which validated the experience. They helped us figure things out and my parents were very clear that the Miramar needed to get to the bottom of this. Do you want to talk about how they reached the guy and what happened? I have stayed out of the nitty-gritty of how the Miramar handled the
COMMUNITY Page 374 • The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
21
Perspectives
by Rinaldo S. Brutoco
Rinaldo S. Brutoco is the Founding President and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital. He’s a serial entrepreneur, executive, author, radio host, and futurist who’s published on the role of business in relation to pressing moral, environmental, and social concerns for over 35 years
Let Them Eat Cake Enriching society with humanity and compassion for others
Q
ueen Marie Antoinette famously quipped “Let them eat cake” when she and Louis XVI were confronted by the Women’s March on Versailles demanding bread for their hungry families in October 1789. Her remark, and the forced return to Paris by the royal couple, marked the beginning of the end of the French Monarchy, which continued to unravel until the king was executed on January 21, 1793. The women were complaining that they had no bread to feed their starving families. How callous could a devastatingly rich woman be to sneer at them that they should “eat cake” when they couldn’t even afford bread? What was that all about? Clearly, Marie Antoinette is the poster child for wealthy individuals who have no sense of obligation to their fellow humans. She was aristocratically blind to their hunger. She was so entranced by her own extraordinary wealth that she couldn’t begin to see the pain of those less fortunate than herself. And, we don’t need to be as rich as the Queen of France in the late 1700s to see all around us today a certain callous disregard for the plight of the less fortunate in our land. My friend Abby Disney has been vocal as the great niece of Walt himself. She is upset with the amount Disney corporation pays its executives while leaving many of their employees below a livable wage. In 2019 she famously asked CEO Bob Iger to distribute half of his $139 million-plus paycheck to the struggling employees of Disney’s theme parks who make pitifully low wages. Abby believes, as I do, that “pay equity” is top of the list for improving the way corporations meet their responsibilities to their employees, rather than solely enriching executives, shareowners, and investors. Abby, born a wealthy heiress, retained a deep concern for the less fortunate. No mere affectation, it is a core belief that those of us with resources have an absolute duty to share the riches of our society with everyone – particularly those struggling to afford their “daily bread.” Abby is the opposite of Marie Antoinette, and as such, is a model for us all. Yes, food insecurity is a major challenge in the USA today, and it’s getting worse. Watch what happens now that the $600 weekly Federal supplement for unemployment benefits has run out. According to Erik Talkin, who
22 MONTECITO JOURNAL
runs the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, we have already experienced food demand doubling in the past few months as a result of the pandemic. And, he believes it will go far higher in the weeks just ahead. Ok, that’s the problem. What’s the solution?
It Can Be Done, Again
Remarkably, it isn’t that hard to figure out and not much more difficult to implement. As noted previously in this column, the economy cannot be repaired or “re-opened” before getting the pandemic under control. From looking at every other major industrial country around the world, we know exactly what they did and we can copy it to bring the virus under control here. It starts with everyone wearing a mask everywhere outside the home – even the beach – as they do in Europe. Everyone wearing a mask, and observing social distancing guidelines together with observing good personal hygiene, will dramatically “flatten the curve.” Once the curve is flattened, we can contact trace and use testing to bring the pandemic firmly under control. Then we can begin to thoughtfully re-open. That doesn’t include bars, concerts, or other large gatherings. But it does include being able to get your hair cut or a pedicure if you’d like. It also means being able to go to work without fear of contracting a deadly disease. Yes, once we can go back to work we can rebuild our economy. And every day we delay means further structural damage is being done to the economy which will make it that much more challenging to climb out. We just sustained the largest one quarter decline of GDP ever – about 39 percent on an annualized basis. And, current unemployment statistics are dramatically worse than anything Roosevelt dealt with in the 1930s. We have a problem of significant food insecurity for more than 30 million Americans. Will we, like Marie Antoinette, mock the hungry with taunts of “let them eat cake” or will we, like Abby Disney, take it upon ourselves to argue for a more humane distribution of society’s wealth? Everyone had to all pull together to fight World War II. Not only the soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, but all the women like Rosie the Riveter who had to take up their place with sacrifices made here
Premature Births Plummeted During Coronavirus Lockdowns
D
octors in many countries, including Ireland, Denmark, and the US, are recording record low numbers of premature births, especially in the earliest and most high-risk categories. Dr. Roy Philip, a neonatologist at the University Maternity Hospital, Limerick, in Ireland, first observed the trend when he noticed that supplies of breast milk-based fortifier fed to preemies were not diminishing. When looking at birth weights, a primary indicator of premature births, Dr. Philip calculated that the hospital had recorded a quarter of the number of babies under 3.3 pounds, classified as very low birth weight, than they normally see. Hospitals around the world are reporting similar phenomena. Although there have been no official studies on the relationship between shutdowns and maternal health, many health experts are linking the higher rate of fullterm pregnancies to less stress from work and commuting, more sleep, avoided minor illnesses, and even a drop in air pollution. The causes of pre-term births have largely eluded researchers, but these unprecedented lockdowns could hold the key to healthier pregnancies. While many doctors expected the stress of the pandemic to induce more preemie births, it seems that shutdowns have caused the opposite. This new evidence could be instrumental in more effective maternal health strategies in the future. When the lockdowns are through, we look forward to seeing the research from doctors to help us explain this unexpected boost in fetal health.
Returning Home
In 1770, the people of the Esselen Tribe of northern California were forcibly removed from their lands and brought to Spanish missions. But now, after more than 250 years, the Esselen tribe is landless no more. Recently, the Esselen tribe finalized the purchase of a 1,200-acre ranch near Big Sur along California’s north-central coast as part of a $4.5 million acquisition that involved the state and an Oregon-based environmental group. The deal signifies a return to their ancestral homelands. It is also a big win for environmentalists as the tribe will conserve old-growth redwoods and endangered wildlife such as the California condor and red-legged frog, as well as protect the Little Sur River, an important spawning stream for the imperiled steelhead trout. “We’re the original stewards of the land. Now we’re returned,” Tom Little Bear Nason, chairman of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “We are going to conserve it and pass it on to our children and grandchildren and beyond.” •MJ at home. These were big sacrifices. We went without the convenience of being able to buy what we wanted when we wanted. There were huge restrictions on everything from butter to nylons, all for the war effort. Those sacrifices were far more difficult than having to wear a mask. We made common sacrifice in the spirit of working for the common good. Every citizen mattered. Everything we did really mattered as we battled the Nazi’s Third Reich. Well, we did it before. We can do it again? We have to. As we wage this twin battle against the pandemic and the economic collapse it has created, we cannot fail to care for our neighbors. We need to help them find bread. We need to help them stay in their homes even as eviction is threatening. This is not a time to be callous. This is a time to exhibit a renewed sense of commitment to our community and to each other. It is time to act. We can help out at the local foodbank, or volunteer at the local homeless shelter, or put a little extra change in the Sunday collection plate at our favorite church. The number of folks who need real help is too great. And, most of all,
“I quit therapy because my analyst was trying to help me behind my back.” – Richard Lewis
the opportunity to see ourselves as members of a community which takes care of its own has never been more real for our personal growth. Many of us are blessed with jobs where we can telecommute. Many of us have incomes still intact. We’re the 70 percent of our community that can afford to help the other 30 percent find the bread they need to survive, or help them make it. No one can do everything in a crisis this large. But everyone can do something. Let’s commit to leave no one behind. Let’s commit that there will no longer be food insecurity on our Central Coast. Let us see the plight of our neighbors as our challenge, not something “they” have to fix. The truth is that “they” can’t possibly fix what is broken in their lives without the active support of us who are fortunate enough to still have our health and our jobs. No, Marie Antoinette, we don’t want to arrogantly taunt those who hunger. We want to recall and live by those immortal words of the poet John Dunn: “No man is an island unto himself alone and complete… do not ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” •MJ 6 – 13 August 2020
Focus on Finance
Brilliant Thoughts
by Christopher Gallo
by Ashleigh Brilliant
Since graduating from UCSB in 1992, Christopher has worked with local individuals and families as a financial planner. He is a Vice President with UBS Financial and holds the CFP, CIMA, and CPWA credentials. He can be reached at christopher.t.gallo@ubs.com or 805-730-3425.
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
The College Calculator
In All Fairness
ne only has to look at our local higher education to get an indication of the very high expense of a college degree. All-in annual 2020/2021 costs range from the priciest at private schools like Westmont College ($66,200) to mid-level costs at UC public universities like UCSB ($36,900) to relatively less expensive Cal State schools such as Cal Poly ($28,900). Whichever direction your child or grandchild takes, planning for financial aid to maximize your dollars can be crucial. The first step is to understand that almost all help with college costs begins through the federal financial aid portal: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) found at www.studentaid.gov. The open window to file this application is October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. It is important to understand that federal aid is given on a first-come-first-served basis so the sooner you apply the better. Incoming college freshmen will end up filling out the FAFSA as high school seniors, generally before they know which schools have accepted them. Based on the FAFSA results, your student may receive federal grants, work study, or an option for loans, either subsidized or not. The FAFSA application also unlocks the State of California financial aid program, the CA Dream Act (CADAA), which closes on March 2, 2021. This is a needs-based grant for in-state public universities only: UCs, CA State schools, and community colleges. In some cases private colleges will also use the FAFSA information, though many major universities use another more in-depth application, the CSS Profile.
air Play,” as I understand it, means abiding by the rules. But what if the rules are unfair? That, in a sense, is the human predicament. No matter how honorable and decent you are, a tornado (which I like to think of as God’s air-raid) can wipe out everything you have, including your life – which is up for grabs anyway, when the unseen umpire blows his whistle. We are taught that “life is unfair,” as though it were a mantra. But we still punish cheaters and lawbreakers if they are inept enough, or unlucky enough, to get caught. So what is all this about “sportsmanship” and “playing the game”? Another questionable precept is that “all’s fair in love and war.” Is it really fair for lovers to cheat on each other? I never thought so, and was never even tempted – and, when I myself was cheated on, I took it very badly. As for war, people have been trying to make rules for it for a long time. As far back as 1625, a Dutchman named Hugo Grotius wrote three volumes on The Laws of War and Peace. Places like The Hague and Geneva have given their names to international conferences and agreements attempting to regulate the conduct of war. And even today we cling to the concept of “war crimes” as if war itself were not the greatest of crimes. There must be some unifying principle behind the ideas of fairness, justice, and rights – but these somehow shade into proper behavior and simple good manners. Plato wrote a whole book – The Republic – on the theme of justice, with the not very surprising conclusion that justice prevails when people get what they deserve. In quarrels between labor and management, the word that appears most commonly on picket signs is “unfair.” Even on the multitude of TV shows that now simulate courtrooms, with real and supposedly impartial judges deciding actual cases, the “post-mortem” interviews with winners and losers tend to center on the question of whether or not the judge’s decision was “fair.” Mark Twain’s story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” hinges on an act of atrocious cheating: The champion frog is forcibly fed buckshots until it cannot jump or even move. The author did not condemn this piece of skullduggery – and the public lapped it up. In fact, it made Mark Twain famous.
O
If you have a student about to go to college, there is little you can do to change taxes from two years ago. However, you can use this information for practical planning with at least a few years to go. So what FAFSA formula determines need-based aid for a student? The answer is a complex computation known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). At its heart, the EFC is simple: it is the amount that a family and student are expected to contribute to costs for college and it is subtracted from the cost of attendance to arrive at the amount of needs-based financial aid. Simply put, the higher the EFC, the lower the financial aid. The EFC is calculated using several pages of inputs and a worksheet is available online to help plan (ifap.ed.gov) but the major driver is household income, not assets. The parents’ available income is weighted at up to 47 percent and the students’ income is weighted at 50 percent over $6,840. Available income is the parent’s adjusted gross income from the last tax filing (often two years prior to current year) but you must add back non-taxable income such as alimony, retirement and HSA plan contributions. This number is then reduced by taxes paid and a standard adjustment for number of family members and those in college to arrive at the EFC. Assets fall into two categories in the EFC: The parents’ assets, which are weighted at 5.64 percent and include taxable accounts and 529 plans for the student, and the student’s assets weighted at 20 percent, including savings bonds, minors trusts and UTMAs. If you have a student about to go to college, there is little you can do to change taxes from two years ago. However, you can use this information for practical planning with at least a few years to go. First, if your student is very young consider funding a 529 to lessen the weighting on the EFC years from now. Note that qualified education distributions from a 529 do not count towards EFC income – a major advantage (this does not work however when grandparents own the 529 – the assets don’t count in the EFC at all but the income does, which is far worse). To the extent you can regulate income, obviously less is better and lastly reducing bank accounts by buying non-counted EFC assets such as real estate can help with the asset formula. •MJ 6 – 13 August 2020
“F
• The Voice of the Village •
The British enjoy a worldwide reputation for sportsmanship and for “playing the game.” This of course means more than respecting the rules. It means being a “good loser.” This idea stems partly from the game of cricket, to the point where simply saying “It’s not Cricket!” implies unacceptable conduct. But it also goes back to feudal times – to the days of knighthood and “chivalry.” A knight was supposed to be honorable in his behavior, even towards a defeated foe. In the American Civil War, those who supported the Southern Confederacy were supposed to have been inspired by this ideal. Before that war (in the romanticized “ante-bellum” era) they even used to stage mock tournaments, in imitation of their Medieval British ancestors. But something happened to warp those chivalrous dreams. The honorable side (which of course was the rebellion) was not supposed to lose – but they did. It was the first time in history that a sizeable group of Anglo-Saxons had to accept permanent defeat. The unfairness of this outcome rankles the minds of many Southerners to this day. Meanwhile, the game of cricket has spread to many countries that were once part of the British Empire, notably Pakistan and India, where success in cricket has provided an avenue to political office for accomplished players. (In other places, America included, it has been military success that has, a number of times, elevated commanders to the presidency.) One of my favorite English poems celebrates the ideal of “playing the game,” with the message that the same spirit must carry on from the cricket field at school to the wider world. It’s called “Vitae Lampada” (“The Torch of Life”), written by Henry Newbolt in 1892. I’ll leave you with just one stanza: The sand of the desert is sodden red, Red with the wreck of a square that broke – The Gatling’s jammed, and the Colonel dead, And the regiment blind with dust and smoke. The river of death has brimmed his banks, And England’s far, and Honor a name – But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks: “Play up! Play up! – and play the game!” •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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© Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. All rights reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark. This material is based upon information which we consider reliable but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. This offering is subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice. If your property is listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity. Harry Kolb DRE: 00714226, Leslie Hollis Lopez DRE: 588442
6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
25
Muller Monthly Music Meta – Aug 2020 We are pleased to announce the affiliation of
Our new monthly music-themed crossword puzzle is created and brought to you by Montecito resident Pete Muller and runs in the Washington Post and the Montecito Journal. Thank you, Pete, for playing with your home team!
What is a Meta Crossword Puzzle?
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26 MONTECITO JOURNAL
meta crossword puzzle provides the ultimate “aha” moment, challenging the solver to come up with a single answer somehow hidden in the puzzle. Hints to the answer can come from the title, the Muller has enjoyed solving theme entries, the clues, or the grid. If I’ve done my job as a constructor, once you get the meta, you’ll Pete crosswords since he was a teenager. He started creating them in 2005 know it. If you’re thinking, “Hmmm…maybe this is it,” you probably haven’t found the meta yet! published his first NY Times puzMetas are well-suited to contests, since it’s hard to cheat on a meta. An obscure crossword clue like and zle in 2006. While Pete is known for [Nickname for President Van Buren, from his birthplace] can be answered in a second using Google his innovative and tricky puzzles, he (“OLD KINDERHOOK”), but you can’t do the same for a meta. While googling is considered cheating places primary importance on creating a fun experience for the solver. (to some) in solving a crossword, googling is encouraged in solving metas. The meta answer will usually be reasonably well-known to most solvers. If it’s not, it will definitely be accessible via a web search. For more information or to submit an answer, please go to https://pmxwords.com. Those submitting correct solutions before the contest deadline (8pm PT, Sunday August 9) will be eligible to win a free MMMM mug.
August 2020 Playlist Omission by Pete Muller
Playlist Omissions
ACROSS 1 Hitting 6 Stan on the sax 10 Bon Jovi of Bon Jovi 13 Derek's backers, in early rock 15 ___ sting (try to 46-Down someone) 16 Linkin Park song wth the lyric "Weep not for paths left alone" 18 Touchdowns: Abbr. 19 Georgia and others, once, for short 20 Menzel of "Frozen 2" 21 Ricky Van Shelton song with the lyric "To honor the million tears he's cried" 24 "That's surprising!" 26 Big picture: Abbr. 27 "Who, me?" 28 Sting song with the lyric "Angels will run and hide their wings" 36 Mil. organization 38 Like many long shots 39 River of monsters? 40 Susan Tedeschi song with the lyric "You were the best man I ever had" 43 Percentage 44 "Lost" co-star Daniel ___ Kim 45 Senator moves designed to mislead? 47 Theory of a Deadman song with the lyric "She's naughty to the end" 54 A big spread 55 Cockeyed 56 "Uno, dos, ___, catorce!" (words shouted at the beginning of U2's "Vertigo") 59 Frank Sinatra song with the lyric "Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls" 62 Insignificant ones 63 Bike with poor suspension, slangily 64 Santa syllables 65 Marchers in a Dave Matthews song 66 Imitation DOWN 1 Mach3 precursor 2 Avenger from Asgard 3 Abides 4 Augments
Muller Monthly Music Meta http://www.pmxwords.com
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The meta for this puzzle is the Bruce Springsteen hit that completes the puzzle's playlist.
5 Breaks in the action, briefly 6 Kitchen knife brand 7 Word before nous or vous 8 Unarmed figure? 9 Half of a famous Hungarian? 10 Schoolyard character in a Paul Simon song 11 Balanced bridge bid 12 Tennis great known for his powerful second serve 14 Requirement 15 Warning sign 17 Morsel 22 Expression upon encountering extreme cuteness 23 "___ cold, ..." 24 "Hocus Pocus" actor Katz 25 Riot 29 Troll, maybe 30 Hectic MD workplaces 31 Mil. designation 32 Place to find cookies
33 "Pink Moon" singer 34 This, for example 35 Grub 37 Weaponized sticks 41 Former first family forename 42 WWII general 46 See 15-Across 47 Cookie collection 48 Blessed sound? 49 Remnants 50 Apply, as paint or a guilt trip 51 Knife blade material for early man 52 "Bread and ___" (Judy Collins album) 53 Suicide Squeeze and Hopothermia, for short 57 30-Down part: Abbr. 58 Adjective for a 70-year-old polevaulter 60 AKA, for companies 61 Charlamagne ___ God
© 20206 Pete Muller – 13 August 2020
Bob Hazard Mr. Hazard is an Associate Editor of this paper and a former president of Birnam Wood Golf Club.
Looters Attack More Than a Courthouse
M
any in Montecito are conflicted. The senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has jarred 100 percent of us into re-examining the fight for equal rights and justice under the law. Unfortunately, while our country attempts to come together in its search for racial justice, a highly visible minority of violent rioters and anarchists has hijacked Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy of peaceful protest to wreak havoc and destruction on innocent victims in the name of social justice. The media insists that America is becoming more “systemically racist,” ignoring the enormous progress made since the 1960s. Calls for defunding or abolishing police, redirecting funds to social programs and requiring all officers to undergo training to combat racism and white supremacy, have become the new norms for police reform. Terrified of being branded as racists, many of us mumble that we are all for racial justice and peaceful protest, but not for violence and anarchy. Unfortunately, we are seeing more violence, more anarchy, and less willingness to rationally examine the destruction and chaos that accompanies social justice reform.
The Spread of Violence in America
When a community turns on and pillories its own police force, officers become more risk-averse, and crime rates soar. According to CNN, New York City has seen its homicide rate for the first half of the year jump 23 percent over 2019, led by a huge spike in recent violence. In Chicago, murder capital of the US, homicides jumped 39 percent during the last week of June and the first week of July compared to the same period last year. Los Angeles has seen double-digit rises in homicides for the past two months. The leading cause of death for young Black males is homicide. The threat to Black lives from street crime in ghetto neighborhoods is massively greater than any threat posed by police misconduct. Every year, approximately 7,500 Black Americans are victims of homicide, and the vast majority of Black victims, around 90 percent, is killed by other blacks, mainly by gunfire.
Unsafe in Seattle
On June 8, Seattle allowed rioters to establish a police-free CHOP zone dubbed by the Mayor as the new “Summer of Love.” When it spun out of control, Seattle police retook its Capitol Hill Precinct on July 1. On July 25, “peaceful protestors” in Seattle gathered outside the juvenile court and detention facility, set fire to portable trailers and smashed the windows of nearby cars and businesses. An explosive device gashed an eight-inch hole in the police 3rd precinct building. Fifty-nine officers were injured throughout the day. Seattle Councilwoman Lisa Herbold suggested firing all the white officers in the Seattle Police Department. Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best ripped into the Mayor and City Council for creating an environment that makes police officers vulnerable to harm when stripped of basic crowd control techniques, such as tear gas.
Peaceful Protests in Portland
Each day peaceful protestors marched in Portland. Each night, for two months, a mob of organized rioters laid siege to Portland’s Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse and the Multnomah County Justice Center in a hellbent attempt to burn them down. Federal law enforcement officers were systematically attacked by angry mobs pelting officers with rocks, bricks, frozen water bottles, canned goods, slingshots with ball bearings, incendiary devices, mortar fireworks, and balloons and bags filled with urine, bleach, and fecal matter. Surrounding the courthouse was a relatively small number of federal law enforcement personnel (about 100) charged with protecting the courthouse from being overrun and destroyed by protestors armed with hammers and baseball bats. When the perimeter fence was breached, law enforcement pushed back demonstrators several blocks. What unfolded nightly around the courthouse cannot reasonably be called a peaceful protest. It is by any objective measure an assault on the government of the United States. Conspicuously missing in action was adequate protection of the federal buildings by city and state law enforcement. The riots in Portland started on May 28, three days after the death of George Floyd and continued through August 1. It was not until the July 4 weekend that deputies from the US Marshal Services and Homeland Security were called in. 6 – 13 August 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the use of federal marshals as calling in “Stormtroopers.” The media says “camouflaged stormtroopers in unmarked cars were whisking kidnapped innocent victims off the streets without a warrant.” The use of the word “kidnapping” alleges that federal agents had committed a crime. However, no court or judge had said that was the case. In at least one case, federal officials have said they put someone in an unmarked van for questioning because they believed that person had committed a crime. Oregon Governor Kate Brown accused the president of “a blatant abuse of power by the federal government.” Was the federal action legal? Yes. The US Marshal’s Service is specifically instructed to provide security and law enforcement services to all federally owned and leased buildings. Some 100 federal officers, mostly from Portland, were assigned to the courthouse defense.
The War on Law Enforcement Has Dangerous Unintended Consequences
Vicious attacks on law enforcement by the press branding police as racists, and elected officials, scrambling to avoid taking personal responsibility, have left law enforcement increasing reluctant to intervene in legitimate calls for assistance in cases of assault, domestic violence, drunkenness, robberies, rapes, physical beatings, arson and looting. Is that an outcome that citizens support? Are we fearful that if we speak up, we will each be labeled as a racist? In a display of professionalism, most law enforcement officers are reporting for duty despite increased risk to personal safety. Small business owners in riot-torn neighborhoods, faced with stolen and looted merchandise, burned out stores which may never re-open and personal physical violence, praise police for their courage and pray for their elected officials to show some backbone. Closer to home, Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo took a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance to show her support for “Black Lives Matter.” That is not a “Profile in Courage” moment for our Mayor, or her City Council, in the eyes of many war veterans who honor our flag, police officers who are uniformly accused of racism and those who want an end to violence as a prerequisite to good faith negotiations.
Defund the Police
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio slashed $1 billion from the largest police force in the country with an operating budget of about $6 billion. The cut effectively canceled a 1,200-person police recruiting class, curtailed overtime spending and shifted school safety deployments and homeless outreach away from the NYPD. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti vowed to cut as much as $150 million that was part of a planned increase in the police department’s budget. Demonizing and defunding law enforcement agencies is dangerous. When the media paints all police officers as racists, law enforcement officers across the country retire at record rates, convinced that elected officials do not have their backs.
Law Enforcement Presence at the Democrat National Convention
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, with less than three weeks to go before the Democratic National Convention, some 100 law enforcement agencies have reputedly pulled out of an agreement with Milwaukee police to provide adequate security after being told that tear gas and pepper spray cannot be used, if necessary, to control large crowds. Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales asks, why would police departments want to knowingly send their officers into harm’s way without every tool at their disposal? Why would police departments want to guard and protect the very individuals that are trying to abolish their profession? If Democrats believe the police should be defunded or abolished, they should have no problem holding their convention without law enforcement being present.
What Should Be Done?
Everyone supports the First Amendment right to peacefully protest, but to ignore destruction and anarchy is to abandon the basic rule-of-law stability that is needed to unite us during this politically divisive time. At the very least, we should be able to agree as a nation that there is no place in this country for armed mobs that seek to establish autonomous zones beyond government control, or tear down statues and monuments that law-abiding communities chose to erect, or destroy the property and livelihoods of innocent business owners. The most basic responsibility of government is to guarantee the rule of law, so that its citizens can live their lives safely and without fear. •MJ
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
27
SEEN (Continued from page 15) The Great Arch at the Courthouse
Board president Tony Vallejo, President of Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club David Bolton, CEO Michael Baker, and Executive Vice President of Advancement Laurie Leis, uniting the two clubs
cents an hour, they asked for a raise. Their wage was increased to 50 cents an hour. The Spirit statue is an allegorical expression of Santa Barbara’s closeness to the sea. Sadly it was carved from very porous sandstone that began to crumble. The Courthouse Legacy Foundation raised about $731,000 to carve a replica. Nick Blantern and
his team of five British stone carvers worked on the Courthouse lawn where everyone could watch. I’m told that the model, Maya, used to bring her chair, set it up on the lawn and tell folks that she was the one who had posed for the original when she was young. It took about a year to complete. The grand arch was inspired by
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28 MONTECITO JOURNAL
President of the United Boys and Girls Club board Tony Vallejo, Roger Aceves (former “club kid”), and CEO Michael Baker at the Boys and Girls Clubs uniting ceremony
Roman triumphal arches and the sculptures on the arch were carved by Cadorin. At the top of the arch is an inscription in Spanish which reads, “God gave us the country; the skill of man hath built the town.” When the pandemic is over, tours will begin again.
United They Stand
After eight months of negotiations, the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara is joining the United Boys and Girls Clubs of the County. This is the first time since the first club was founded in 1938 that all the clubs from Carpinteria to Lompoc will operate together. This affects 5,000 kids along with 450 volunteers now joining staff. The merger came between the boards of each organization. It began July 6 with the downtown club opening for summer camp. The rest of the clubs will follow with a focus on youth who have fallen behind in homeschooling during these past few months. Many children are struggling with math homework, fighting peer pressure or trying to figure out their futures. As president of the board of the United Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County Tony Vallejo said, “The clubs have been a safe and fun place for the children of our community (myself included!) for a very long time. Our mission to help the children
“I’m paranoid. On my stationary bike, I have a rear view mirror.” – Richard Lewis
of our community, especially those that need us most, has never been more important than now in these difficult times. It will help us unite this generation of club kids from across the city through joint programming.” Tony was a club kid and his son was too. It will help youth, no matter where they live, to have the same opportunities. “Today, in a world of rising costs of operation, a merger like this makes so much sense and this coming together will benefit all area youth in regard of programming and services,” said David Bolton, president of the board Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara. “All of this would not be possible without the generous support of so many, from Carpinteria to Goleta, from Montecito to Hope Ranch and from Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez and Lompoc. These are truly our community’s clubs.” Michael Baker will continue as CEO of United. Laurie Leis, who has served as the executive director of the Downtown Club for three years, has joined United as its executive vice president of development. At the opening, all these folks gathered in front of the Boys and Girls Club on Canon Perdido under an arch of blue and white balloons in early July to make their uniting official. Instead of cutting a ribbon, they tied ribbons together – uniting. •MJ 6 – 13 August 2020
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montecito.bank 6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
29
EDITORIAL (Continued from page 5)
Common Courtesy is Becoming Less So
One of the things I’ve always appreciated about our little hamlet is how considerate most people are. When driving we think twice about flipping someone off, if for no other reason than the high odds of running into that same bad driver at the post office. When businesses are in trouble, we have a Cash Mob. When there’s a debris flow, we help dig out each other’s homes or raise funds to put debris nets on the mountain. We’re not perfect, but certainly there’s a long tradition here of people actively taking great care with one another. So what does all this have to do with Donald Trump? Whatever you think of our President, whether you think he has made America great again, or worse than ever, the one thing I have not heard refuted by anyone is that Donald Trump (and many of the responses to Donald Trump) have lowered the level of discourse and civility in this country. And, yes, there are plenty of Dems that have been happy to roll around in the muck with him. I know way too many people who lamented the passing of John Lewis and the lofty ideals he represented but voiced a sense of schadenfreude when notable anti-masker Herb Cain succumbed to the coronavirus. I personally found no satisfaction in the passing of Herman Cain. I find it sad, even tragic, that Science has so fallen from its vaunted position that easy practices that could be taken to stop the spread of COVID are ignored and even flouted by so many – and most of the public remains simply confused about these harmless practices they could implement to save their own lives. Think about this irrefutable fact: in just the last 100 years, life expectancy in this country has gone from 54 years in 1920 to about 80 years today. That’s a 50% increase in just 100 years. I’d say that’s pretty remarkable. Humans didn’t get better – those extended lifespans are because of Science. Medical science, nutritional science, agricultural science. Yet more and more, scientific facts have somehow become just more noise in the loud, distorted boom box that is our national discourse. Certainly this trend pre-dates our current President, and has been accelerated by social media. But Trump is “better” at media and messaging than any of us. He seems to have been built for it, and has more ability to dominate it than anyone else on Earth. And, as with COVID, no one has come up with a magic bullet or even pontoons to bring the level of discourse back up.
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Even in such dark days as the McCarthy era, US Army Chief Counsel Joseph Welch finally was able to derail the McCarthy juggernaut in one fell swoop with his famous “Have you no shame?” speech that captured the country’s attention and changed the narrative of the red scare by appealing to the better angels of our nature. So where is our era’s Joe Welch? And if such a person existed and had the courage to call out, would we listen? With all of the noise, would we even be able to hear them? It has become acceptable to be nasty, to bully, and to race-bait. And I’m not just talking about the President and some of his supporters. I’m saying the President provides the cultural marinade we all soak in. And once you’ve soaked in that brine, it’s very hard to get the smell out.
“Even in such dark days as the McCarthy era, US Army Chief Counsel Joseph Welch finally was able to derail the McCarthy juggernaut in one fell swoop with his famous “Have you no shame?” speech that captured the country’s attention and changed the narrative of the red scare by appealing to the better angels of our nature. So where is our era’s Joe Welch?”
I actually believe we need to actively take back our civil discourse. And It’s got to start with each one of us trying to be more tolerant. Less entitled. More open minded. Less quick to judge. Just plain kinder. When I first joined the MUS School Board (2010) it was a particularly turbulent time in the district’s history. One of the first things we did as a new Board was to develop “norms and values.” That short list of expectations we created helped us build a productive and cohesive Board that, I believe, resonated throughout the school community for years to come. The norms were not so much simple as elemental and included things like: “assume best intentions, be open, respectful and responsive, board members should feel free and safe to express their opinions and beliefs, maintain a sense of humor…” I’d like to propose some community-wide norms and values to which, at least in principal, we all agree. I’m not suggesting a “good behavior” mob, just some sensible standards to which we all aspire. Do you think that’s a worthy endeavor? Please send us some of your ideas for what those norms and values might be. And please see Mimi deGruy’s interview with Parker Matthews for another disturbing and thought-provoking story that points up the need for us to be better (page 11). And remember, everyone is fighting a massive battle you know nothing about. So be kind. •MJ
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6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
31
ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 16)
started on this before the George Floyd killing. What prompted you to undertake your adaptation of such a famous work? A. I’d been asked before about doing an African-American version of Pygmalion, which I thought might be kind of interesting because at the time there was a lot of discussion about how hip hop was destroying language and the moral character of Black youth. Especially how the cultural signifiers of how we dress and how we speak has people deciding what kind of class you’re in. It was very ripe to look at those issues that were happening in the Black community. But I didn’t really crack it back then. So when Risa asked me if I had anything to work on for the summer, this came to mind because it would be interesting to revisit it right now in these times. Meaning the protests increased awareness of racial issues that have come since George Floyd? When people are saying no longer are we going to be silent, we’re going to speak, because in our culture sometimes we get muted by power structures. The idea of actually speaking up for your rights, of feeling that there’s not going to be some backlash because you did. The theater is one of the places that is very, very biased. Women and people of color are always worried whether they’re going to be the only one in a season, for example. When I first started out, there would be maybe three for the entire country. So you twist yourself into a pretzel to get your work done authentically, have it be respected, and then get another chance at the table. Oftentimes, that has caused people to be silent, to be in their own oppression with their silence. But now people are saying no more of that. And if you’re going to be an ally, your silence when you see wrong being done is just as destructive. How did that help you find your way
into the play? The central character speaks in a way that she would be judged for not using the King’s English. She has her own vernacular in which she’s very musical in her language. What class do we assume she is when we hear her speak and she’s not putting the adjectives, verbs, and nouns in the correct order? My sense was to explore how we do speak up with power, and continue to speak out when we are attacked. That’s what’s going on right now, with young people being very brave and getting out there with their signs and their slogans and their protests, while some of the older generation are fearful about that. The character of Higgins, called Herbert in my play, is a professor and he has his sense of what is a Black person with dignity. He has an attachment to that appropriated whiteness. Our initial discussion with the cast today was so interesting because everybody comes from very different backgrounds, but said that at some point they have struggled with that, or still are. It brings up code switching, where you speak a certain way when you’re with one population, and a different way with your family, and maybe another one when you’re at work. That’s something people of color are often expected to do. Hearing that, I’m curious about what your intention is with “Elocutia.” Is it meant to educate or enlighten and/or entertain? Do you want to speak to all audiences? Or maybe how you want it to land? With any work I do, I look first and foremost at what am I really concerned about? That’s how I start. You always want to be entertaining, but you also want to raise questions even if you don’t have all the answers. Our job as a dramatist is not to have the answers or even to judge what I’m writing but to reflect the world as we see it back to the world, ask some questions and have people engage with that. And then maybe they don’t feel so alone,
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or they feel challenged, or feel like maybe they learned something and might look at things differently. But I also think people are going to find it rather funny as well as disturbing in parts because it does hit close to the bone. There are some things that are quite wrong. I think that whatever their history is, what they bring, is how they’ll experience it. The beautiful thing about theater is that we tend to experience it communally and then hopefully leave there and talk about it. We don’t have a lot of institutions where we get that chance. That brings me to Zoom for a moment. How does all that translate to an online format? The one thing I will say is that it’s difficult to do comedy, because it’s all about timing, picking up cues, and being able to see the other person. So it’s a bit of a challenge, but we’ve got great actors and I think you’ll get a sense of where I might be going even though it’s nowhere near a complete work yet. And Zoom also lets us work with actors who don’t have to come to Santa Barbara. So we can get Chuck Cooper, and also Irwin Appel, and those two together are just hysterically funny. How is the work itself being shaped by the process with Launch Pad? Yesterday, we were working on a scene and when we took our break I asked for twenty minutes instead of just five because the actors taught me so much in that one moment that I wanted to rewrite on the spot. They’re so skilled you can see where you’re dipping and diving. I knew what exactly to do after hearing them read it. They help in shaping the piece, and raising the stakes by asking very good questions about what I was intending, which makes me re-examine where I was going and what I meant. I love actors because they can really teach you what you intended, or how to make something clearer. They can be lightbulb moments. I’m grateful for Launch Pad because you get to be away from the pressure. Working with students who have so much energy, you’re also helping the next generation who are going to be practitioners out here. It’s a very nonthreatening environment, and some-
times you can do your best work. You contributed three pieces to Alone, Together which I imagine was a different experience since those short works were written to be performed on Zoom. I am curious not so much about that experience itself, but more about if it in any way shaped you as a playwright or communicator to have that restriction. I know that for me structure can often provide an opportunity for more creativity within the confines. Has what you learned doing your Zoom plays shown up in other ways? When Risa asked me to get involved, I was having a very difficult time concentrating and focusing on anything. I had several rewrites to do but wasn’t getting work done. But she said it was 10 minutes or less, so I thought maybe I can handle that. For whatever reason doing that helped unlock whatever else was going on and I’ve been writing ever since. Also, it’s such a different medium because you have to be patient, and maybe listen differently, which might not be a bad thing. But what I love about artists is that we find a way to continue to work. Toni Morrison said it best: “When things are tough, it’s no time to wring your hands in despair. That’s when artists get busy.”
Fiesta Comes to Montecito Virtually all of Old Spanish Days’ annual celebration of the city’s heritage have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. But apparently even a deadly disease can’t rain metaphorically on the most popular events in the five-day Fiesta as the 2020 El Desfile Historico has been reimagined as the Caravan Fiesta Parade. As always, the parade takes place on Fiesta Friday, which this year falls on August 7, and starts at 12 pm. But rather than drawing thousands of people from town and far beyond to downtown State Street for a cavalcade of floats, marching bands, flamenco dancers, cheerleaders, and more, the pandemic parade will feature classic cars and decorated vehicles traveling with a police escort through Santa Barbara and Montecito
ENTERTAINMENT Page 364
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Celebrating History
Fiesta del Museo
by Hattie Beresford
T
hough the beautiful and elegant Fiesta del Museo is cancelled this year, Project Fiesta: A History of Old Spanish Days is not. And what better place to see the latest exhibition than outdoors in the spacious and beautiful courtyard of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, where fresh air and social distancing create an idyllic environment? In addition to panels highlighting five decades of Fiesta, two new exhibitions are on display in the arcade. One comes from the postcard collection of John Fritsche, an avid local historian and collector who donated dozens of albums to the museum because he wanted people to enjoy the thousands of images he’d collected, archived and preserved. Eclectic in nature, the albums include a section filled with Fiesta postcards that span the decades. Several panels display selections of these images and a streaming video of additional postcards plays nearby. Sometimes what’s written on the cards is as interesting as the pictures. For the photo of a carreta carrying six costumed revelers and drawn by
Unidentified beautiful woman leaning on a carreta circa 1940. Anyone know who she is?
In the 1960s, most of the elements of the modern Fiesta were in place, including Noches de Ronda and the Children’s Parade
two long-horn oxen, the witty selfstyled auto salesman wrote, “8 cylinder motors – streamlined body – disc wheels. Excepting for 4-wheel brakes, this speedwagon embodies the very latest specifications.” A postcard from 1936 shows a large crowd of spectators in front of the post office. This building was remod-
eled to become today’s Museum of Art, which is in the midst of another remodel today. On the back of one card, a visitor wrote that in late summer Santa Barbara always has “…a wonderful parade. Wealthy people have so many fine horses on their big ranches and they like to ride horseback. So much silver on their bridles
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and saddles… Cindy.” One of those saddles is on display as well; its hand-tooled leather, silver medallions and turquoise embellishments are a fine example of Fiesta equestrian finery. The Oreña family carriage from 1885 is also on view.
HISTORY Page 344
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HISTORY (Continued from page 33)
The idyllic courtyard at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum offers plenty of space in which to see the new exhibit The features of the Spanish carreta were lampooned by one postcard writer. Additionally, there were no fears of attacks by wild animals on the bumpy roads of Spanish California. The ear-piercing screech of the wheels kept the grizzlies and coyotes at bay.
Another image from the “Unidentified” cache of photos. Who were these hat dancers?
Social distancing reminders, museum style
Gaspar Eugenio Oreña had married into the historic De la Guerra family. The carriage was passed down through their descendants and when one of them, John “Jack” Rickard, served as El Presidente in 1948, he rode in the family carriage. The carriage was donated to the Carriage Museum, but in 2014, when John’s son Dennis Rickard served as El Presidente, the pioneer family again
rode in their historic vehicle. Recently, as the museum embarked on a significant upgrade to the safe storage of their archive, they uncovered a large collection of Fiesta photographs, all unidentified. Several of these have been enlarged to almost life sized and make quite an impact on one wall of the arcade. The museum said it would be thankful for any assistance identifying the people who
A panel depicting several of John Fritsche’s postcards
A beautiful saddle of tooled leather and turquoise studded silver medallions is on display
34 MONTECITO JOURNAL
are portrayed. Longtime residents of Santa Barbara are encouraged to come by and help with this. Who knows, you might find granny posing as a young romantic señorita! Though we are all missing the gaiety of Fiesta this August, the charming courtyard of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum with its splashing fountains and dappled shade offers an “Hope for the Best. Expect the worst. Life is a play. We’re unrehearsed.” – Mel Brooks
The white horse is a clue. It must be a Camarillo but was it Adolfo or Leo or someone else? Hard to tell, but the horse is gorgeous!
inviting afternoon and an evocative look at Fiesta’s past. The exhibit is free to the public and open on Thursdays, 12 pm to 5 pm; Fridays, 12 pm to 7 pm; and Saturdays, 12 pm to 5 pm. Everyone is welcome. Donations, of course, would be gratefully accepted. •MJ 6 – 13 August 2020
Fitness Front
during quarantine, I stumbled upon Clay Studio, a super cool haven for exploration in clay, from handbuilding to wheel throwing to 3D printing, and more. This hidden gem is a nonprofit, creative hub for the Santa Barbara arts community and for anyone interested in exploring the ceramic arts. Founded originally in 2012 by artist Patrick Hall and reopened in January 2020 in a new state-of-the-art facility in Goleta, Clay Studio fosters the creative process, with the goal “to enrich lives by teaching and promoting the ceramic arts.” The caring, experienced staff, including program and creative director Erica Ales and studio manager Dini Dixon, can help you develop your potential in any direction you choose.
by Michelle Ebbin Michelle Ebbin is a renowned wellness/massage expert, and the author of four books. She appears regularly in the media to discuss the benefits of natural therapies and healthy living. She lives in Montecito with her husband, Luke, and three boys. Instagram @MichelleEbbin
Throwing Clay:
A Mental, Physical & Spiritual Well-Being Workout
With pottery, your hands become your creative outlet and the stress relief is palpable While recent COVID-19 safety guidelines have prohibited holding in-person classes, Clay Studio is offering live virtual handbuilding classes and workshops for adults, teens, and kids. You can work on your pieces at home and they will finish and fire your pieces for you. My son took a weeklong “Clay At Home” workshop and was fired up (no pun intended). Clay Studio provided all the tools and clay, and he spent hours learning new techniques and creating masterpieces. They also offer no-contact clay pickup, drop-off, and glazing for those who would like to work at home but wish to fire and glaze their work at the studio. They have monthly memberships, which are an opportunity for participants to come and work independently with supervision from a studio manager. Member open studio time is a great way to meet other local artists, share ideas, and inspire one another. During this pandemic, working with clay has become one of my favorite forms of therapy. In this bizarre time of no-touch, simply getting your hands on some clay for a little while can relax your body and soothe your mind. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced ceramicist, check out Clay Studio. For more information visit www.claystudiosb.org or call 805-565-CLAY. •MJ
While recent COVID-19 safety guidelines have prohibited holding in-person classes, Clay Studio is offering live virtual handbuilding classes and workshops for adults, teens, and kids
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t seems apropos to be writing about one of my newfound loves, pottery, on the 30-year anniversary of the movie Ghost, in which a clay-splattered Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze share the pottery wheel in one of cinema’s most famous romantic scenes. As inspiring as that movie scene was, after months practicing how to “throw clay” (the term for shaping clay on a spinning wheel) I can tell you that while pottery is as sensual and mesmerizing as it looks, it’s definitely not as easy to do! Yet even when things don’t turn out as you planned (as in your bowl collapses like it does for Demi and Patrick), working with clay is one of the best creative outlets with numerous mental, physical, and spiritual health benefits. I must admit, I’m obsessed. Pottery, I’ve learned, is much more than a form of functional art. It’s one of the most relaxing, therapeutic, and challenging artistic activities I’ve ever tried. I had never come close to a pottery wheel before, but I was surprised how quickly I became addicted to the feeling of clay spinning beneath my hands and new creative ambitions swirling in my head (“I’m going to make a bowl!”), both of which provide a calming respite from the worries of the day. And right now, there are many. There’s something so soothing about the tactile feeling of moving and molding clay that allows you to block out distractions and shift your focus to self-expression and the creative process. It’s a great way to explore, experiment, and tune into yourself for a little while. As I wrote in my book, The Touch Remedy, the sense of touch is the first to develop in your body and it’s directly connected to creativity. With pottery, your hands become your creative outlet and the stress relief is palpable. Believe it or not, it’s also a good physical workout as you use your arm muscles to “wedge” the clay (to get air bubbles out), and your core muscles to remain steady, especially when trying to center clay on the wheel. It’s a whole body feeling and once you get used to it you can lose yourself in a dreamlike state. Hours fly by like minutes. A few months ago, in search of something for my 11-year-old son to do 6 – 13 August 2020
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ENTERTAINMENT (Continued from page 32)
neighborhoods. The route begins, as always, at the Carriage Museum on Castillo Street, but rather than heading up State Street – which has been blocked off since Memorial Day in favor of foot traffic and restaurant tables – the parade will wind its way through the Mesa, the West Side, across Las Positas and past MacKenzie Park (site of one of the Mercados), touch the lower tip of San Roque, round Garden Street kitty corner to the Mission (where the TV-broadcast only version of La Fiesta Pequena takes place the night before), cut across De La Guerra (right past the plaza that would normally host the other Mercado), down North Alisos Street (just a block from Milpas, where the children’s parade would take place on Saturday morning), across the Old Coast Highway and on into Montecito via Coast Village Road, down Olive Mill to Channel Drive and past the Biltmore to Cabrillo Boulevard, where it will pass by East Beach and Stearns Wharf on the way back to the Carriage Museum. Later that night, Fiesta 2020 wraps up with the finale of its summer concert series Fiesta Music and Dance Fridays featuring performances by Fiesta mainstay The Bomb and flamenco-style acoustic guitarist and composer Chris Fossek, a favorite of locals for his residencies at the Biltmore’s Ty Lounge. Visit www.sbfi esta.org for details.
Focus on film
Singing Savior on Celluloid Guitarist Bruce Goldish was one of Santa Barbara’s most beloved folk heroes even before his unfortunate run-in with an auxiliary police officer. That encounter forced the musician to temporarily halt his habit of bringing his van to Parking Lot. No. 9, pulling out his guitar, and entertaining and often mystifying State Street pedestrians coming out of the movies at the Fiesta Five or shopping at Marshalls with resonant tones that seem enchanting and ethereal. The resulting controversy – fortunately for all of us resolved in Goldish’s favor – sparked more interest in the guitarist, whose pop-up performances had become something of a soundtrack for the section of State
Street (block isn’t accurate, as the dulcet tones could be heard up and down the street). Among those whose curiosity was piqued was local filmmaker Michael Love, who created the film State Street Serenade about the musician who started the gig on a lark a dozen years ago and kept showing up and turning a fumes-filled parking lot into a cathedral with amazing acoustics simply because he loves to play. The short premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2019, and will now be the subject of the third installment of SBIFF’s Film Talk, its new online series of screenings and discussions between festival programmers and local filmmakers. Senior Programmer Mickey Duzdevich chats with Love – at 6 pm on Thursday, August 6. No doubt they’ll touch on the fact that Goldish’s day job is serving as an ICU nurse, meaning he’s been pretty busy in recent months. But he has still kept up a regular regimen of public playing, including immediately taking up residence again in the parking lot when State Street reopened for Memorial Day weekend. Catch the movie at https://vimeo. com/364398840 and register for the talk at sbiff.org.
Eco-Film Night at the Drive-In
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, Community Environmental Council and other local environmental nonprofits come together to sponsor the local premiere of 2040, an Australian documentary directed by and starring Damon Gameau that looks at the effects of climate change over the next 20 years and what technologies that exist today can reverse the effects. Structured as a visual letter to Gameau’s four-year-old daughter, the film blends traditional documentary footage with dramatized sequences and high-end visual effects to create a vision board for his daughter and the planet. Described as “an exercise in factbased dreaming,” the film features interviews with numerous academics, ecological experts, and entrepreneurs and with an eye toward serving as an aspirational journey to discover what the future could look like if we simply embraced the best solutions that
exist today. 2040 has received good reviews, with The New York Times calling the doc an “accessible, informative, and optimistic look at solutions to the climate crisis.” The premiere takes place Monday, August 10, at the West Wind Drive-In, with the screening getting underway once night falls. Tickets are available at the drive-in kiosk for $10 per person or $20 per car. Safe distances protocols will be followed. Call 805-962-2571 or visit www.sbpermaculture.org.
Chaucer’s ‘Launches’ New Online Author Series
Does humanity have a destiny “in the stars”? What motivates figures such as billionaires Elon Musk and Yuri Milner? How important have science fiction authors and filmmakers been in stirring enthusiasm for actual space exploration and settlement? Is there a coherent motivating philosophy and ethic behind the spacefaring dream? These are among the questions addressed by Santa Barbara science journalist Fred Nadis in his new book Star Settlers: The Billionaires, Geniuses, and Crazed Visionaries Out to Conquer the Universe, which the author will discuss online for Chaucer’s Books. While millions of people have long been fascinated by space exploration and astronomical discoveries, many elite scientists, technologists, science fiction enthusiasts, and billionaires take the subject much more seriously, espousing and acting on a belief that humanity’s ultimate purpose is to populate the stars. Star Settlers traces the waxing and waning of interest in space settlement through the decades, and offers a journalistic tour through the influential subculture attempting to shape a multiplanetary future. Publishers Weekly has called Star
Science journalist Fred Nadis will discuss his new book Star Settlers online on August 19, hosted by Chaucer’s Books
Settlers “a grounded but far-reaching treatise (that) introduces readers to some fascinating dreams of the future,” while Kirkus Reviews said the book is a “futuristic, optimistic, and intellectually stimulating report for space enthusiasts or readers with celestial wanderlust.” Nadis, a historian and essayist with a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in the “Public Understanding of Science and Technology” program to complete his new book, which follows 2013’s Man from Mars: Ray Palmer’s Amazing Pulp Journey. The biography of the Golden Age science fiction editor Ray Palmer was a Locus Nonfiction Award Finalist for Nadis, who has lived in Santa Barbara since 2005. He’ll talk about Star Settlers with Dr. Jatila Van Der Veen, Project Scientist and Lecturer in the Physics Department at UCSB and Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at SBCC, on Wednesday, August 19. Visit www. chaucersbooks.com for details. •MJ
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6 – 13 August 2020
COMMUNITY (Continued from page 21)
situation, but I know the Miramar Club member had his membership privileges revoked until the end of the summer. Which is not insignificant, because as I understand it, he was going to the Miramar nearly every day. He apologized in-person to the Miramar employee and wrote me a letter apologizing for commenting on my attire, just my attire. The apology explained his remorse but lacked acknowledgement of any bigger issue. I think the temporary loss of membership privileges seems fair, and I am accepting his perfunctory letter of apology. Maybe he will read this article and understand this incident isn’t about merely commenting on someone’s clothing. It is about categorizing people in dangerous ways based on their skin color. It is about conscious and unconscious racism. And hopefully, given everything that is happening in our country, creating awareness of how seemingly harmless words can lead to dangerous and even fatal outcomes for people of color. It is also important to add that the Miramar is stepping up communication to all of their employees about the existence of a hotline that employees can call anonymously to report these kinds of incidences. I think your response to his response is generous, and that type of generosity helps encourage more community discussion. These are conversations we need to be having because no matter how culturally aware we think we are, we have a lot to learn. I know for myself, at least, I worry about saying the wrong thing but that’s no reason not to talk. If you say something uncomfortable, you feel bad, you own it and you learn. But if we avoid these conversations altogether, we don’t move at all. That was one of the reasons it felt so good to go back to the Miramar. Had I not gone back, this man would have been able to move forward without ever considering the impact of his words. He would have moved forward truly unaware, while I would have moved forward weighed down by his words. I would have had to live with my silence. A silence that impacted not only me but others who might not feel like they have a voice. I think people say these things and
have these biases and don’t realize the implication of their words. They don’t realize their words have immense power over others. Unfortunately, racism exists in our community, if or when this happens again to you or someone you are with – how would you respond next time and what would you do? That is a good question, and before I answer it, I want to say that the point of me sharing my personal experience isn’t to get sympathy. I am fine and will be fine. If anything, I am grateful for this experience because of the reflection it has forced; my reflection of this incident makes me a stronger and, I think, better person. At the same time, the point of this is not to vilify an individual. It has been a couple of weeks since this incident happened and putting it out there is kind of uncomfortable. In sharing my story, what I am hoping is to create some awareness and understanding that Montecito isn’t an exception to racism. It exists here as it does everywhere else. It manifests in so many ways. Many times, I think we are not even aware of it. Now to answer your question, if I were placed in this situation again, I truly hope I would speak up and engage with the person showing intended or unintended racist behaviors. My goal wouldn’t be to get in a verbal argument, but simply ask “why?” I would call him out and question the motives behind his racist remark. While this seems absurd, and I genuinely wish it was an absurd concept, we have sadly seen some version of this scenario in video footage on social media and the news too many times. Words are casually tossed out, police are called because someone sees a person of color and identifies him or her as a looter, police arrive and the innocent person objects to being detained, the objections are interpreted as resistance, that perceived resistance results in handcuffing, handcuffing results in being unable to breathe, being unable to breathe results in not breathing. I realize being in the familiar setting of so many childhood memo-
ries helped quiet the crazy fears that entered my mind in this moment. I’ve grown up on this beach, lived in this community for fourteen years, and know a sizeable number of the people who live here. I recognize I’m fortunate in this way, many people of color are not accosted and belittled in a “safe place.” For other people, the outcome could be humiliation – or more severely – detention, incarceration, or fatality. I feel really lucky that this incident happened at the Miramar, a place where I’d hope people would know my face; if the police were called, hopefully someone in the club or on the beach would vouch for me. Is there anything else you want to say? I think that we can all do better, myself included. We can stop being bystanders and instead stand up and become vocal advocates against racism. I read Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me when I was fourteen and re-read the book the night of this encounter. I highly recommend
Coates’s book, which he writes as an open letter to his son, a black man growing up in America. He writes, “Destroyers will rarely be held accountable.” Because my family, our community and I held the Miramar management accountable they were pushed to do the right thing. If we enable people to be exempt from behaving a certain way, we create a culture of impunity. If the people who make these comments go unchecked, it allows people to live their lives unaware of their discriminatory actions. It really gives people free rein to continue to speak with the same harmful language. As a community, I hope we can all hold each other accountable and work every day to hold ourselves accountable. I hope it is okay if I give a commercial plug. If you’re interested in reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, please stop by our local bookstore, Tecolote, to find a copy. If they don’t have one in stock, I’m sure Mary and the Tecolote team would be happy to order it for you. •MJ
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LETTERS (Continued from page 10)
The Democrat Party, at its inception, divided people by race and continues to do so to this day with the adoption of its “Identity Politics.” So, please, don’t ascribe to Republicans the DNA so deeply imbedded in the Democrat Party. Danute’s lovely litany of “dog-whistles,” “foghorns,” “welfare queens” and the like are simply tiresome, as those of us of a certain age remember when the elected Democrat Bull Connor was Birmingham Public Safety Commissioner; it was he who called out the dogs and firehoses to suppress Black dissent in that city. When Joe Biden, in a mock Southern accent, warned Black audiences that Republicans “Want to put y’all back in chains,” was he referring to the chains that a century of Jim Crow Southern Democrat segregation kept them in, or was it the chains of the previous 300 years of slavery that Democrats oversaw? Just curious. I’ve tried to keep this short, but Danute (she asked to call her that rather than “Mrs. Handy”) then wondered which “promises” President Trump has kept, so here are just a few: Construction of a barrier on our southern border has begun in earnest. A reduction in the corporate tax from 35 percent to 21 percent; a tax incentive to encourage businesses to return overseas profits to the US. Allowing the US to become self-sufficient in energy via de-regulation and cultivating a pro-business “Made in the USA” agenda. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Recognizing that China, via its World Trade Organization status as a “developing nation,” had gutted the productive capacity of many US smaller cities; President Trump added tariffs to redress that problem. The North American Free Trade Agreement did much the same in this hemisphere,
and that too has been rectified. There are many more, smaller changes that have produced many more positive results. As for naming the period when America was great, well, gee, I guess I’ve figured America was always great, that it was always the “shining city on the hill” that President Reagan frequently rhapsodized over. James Buckley
Keep It Up
I can now safely say I am enjoying this new iteration of the Montecito Journal. Our famed MJ appears to be in good hands with Gwyn Lurie at the helm. I have been enjoying the well-written columns by our stellar librarian, Kim Crail, my animal loving friend Gretchen Lieff and the editor herself, Ms. Lurie. I did notice that Richard Mineards has been away. Hopefully his absence is merely a sabbatical and he will return to write more splendid columns in the future. Stay safe! Michael Edwards
Hey Joe!
Don’t do it Trader Joe’s! Don’t succumb to the cancel culture or “woke” culture that has lost its sense of humor! The Trader labels of Jose’, Ming and Giotto are part of the good-natured and benign charm that permeates your stores. It makes us smile and appreciate your references to international flavor. It is not demeaning but clever and fun. We like being introduced to diverse ethnic cuisine selections in a light-hearted way. We need some fresh air of good humor to be introduced to Briones Bedell, 17-year-old high
school student who charged Trader Joe’s with harmful racism in labelling some food products. If anything, such over-sensitive reactions demonstrates the sorry example of what high school teachers are doing to our students. Is Traders Joe’s really going to cave on this thinned-skinned nonsense? J. W. Burk
Mighty Good Article
Dear Gretchen Lieff, your article, “A Mighty Force” (MJ # 26/31), for the Montecito Journal is so powerful – it hit me right in the heart. Your words along with Orlando Bloom’s eulogy on his Instagram had me in tears. Thank you for sharing your story of Daisy and Diesel. The pain of losing our Maxie Boy years ago came flooding back over me. I think that’s why I felt such empathy for what turned out to be Orlando and two friends at our door looking for their lost dog. He was so grateful when I gave him our staple gun and suggested he post his signs in Arcady (our neighborhood). It wasn’t until much later that day I finally realized who he was, only to be surprised again when he knocked on our door to return the stapler along with sincere thanks for lending it to him! Of course I invited him in for drinks and dinner, he called Katie to join us. It was a lovely evening (I made up that last part, Ha!). Anyway, I wanted to know that your words touched me. Good job neighbor! Sincerely, Sallie Shahid-Saless
Super Series
I want to thank you for publishing Nick Schou’s carefully researched three-part series, on cannabis in Santa Barbara County. I found Mr. Schou’s
reporting to be informative, accurate and eye opening. Kudos to Nick for a well-written and unbiased three-part series. Jill Stassinos
Blenders, Tear Down This Poster
I was compelled to email our local business Blenders when I noticed a poster for the Black Lives Matter movement in the store and online. Here is what I conveyed to them. I am a customer and notice BLM posters in the store and online. Are you aware that the BLM movement is a Marxist movement? Part of the mission statement is to eradicate capitalism. Eventually they will even get to the capitalistic stores like yours that have the posters promoting them and consequently your demise. In addition the group would like to disrupt the traditional Western civilization nuclear family and replace it with a village. That includes all those families stopping in the store after school to give the kids a snack before a practice. Any perusal will validate my points as the leaders openly admit it. It is Martin Neimoller, who, regarding World War II, is quoted as saying the following: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.” Unless you support this kind of oppressive society please take the posters down and find another way to support this minority group if you feel so strongly about their oppression in the most opportunistic country in history. Mike Marchese •MJ
CA$H ON THE SPOT CLASSIC CARS RV’S • CARS SUV • TRUCKS ! u o y o t e m MOTORHOMES We co 702-210-7725 38 MONTECITO JOURNAL
“Tragedy is what happens to me; comedy is what happens to you.” – Mel Brooks
6 – 13 August 2020
CITY OF SANTA BARBARA - GENERAL SERVICES DIVISION PO BOX 1990, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93102-1990 INVITATION FOR BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be received via electronic transmission on the City of Santa Barbara PlanetBids portal site until the date and time indicated below at which time they will be publicly opened and posted for: BID NO. 5859 DUE DATE & TIME: SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 UNTIL 3:00 P.M. AUTOMATIC DOOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR Scope of Work: Routine inspection, preventative maintenance and repair (including both parts and labor) for the automatic doors at the Santa Barbara Airport Airline Terminal. Bidders must be registered on the city of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids portal in order to receive addendum notifications and to submit a bid. Go to PlanetBids for bid results and awards. It is the responsibility of the bidder to submit their bid with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. The receiving deadline is absolute. Allow time for technical difficulties, uploading, and unexpected delays. Late or incomplete Bid will not be accepted. If further information is needed, contact Jennifer Disney Dixon, Buyer II at (805) 564-5356 or email: jdisney@santabarbaraca.gov A MANDATORY pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., at the Airline Terminal Lobby, located at Santa Barbara Airport, 500 James Fowler Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, to discuss the specifications and field conditions. Please be punctual since late arrivals may be excluded from submitting a bid. Bids will not be considered from parties that did not attend the mandatory meeting. FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE ACT Contractor agrees in accordance with Section 1735 and 1777.6 of California Labor Code, and the California Fair Employment Practice Act (Sections 1410-1433) that in the hiring of common or skilled labor for the performance of any work under this contract or any subcontract hereunder, no contractor, material supplier or vendor shall, by reason of age (over 40), ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, sex, gender identity and expression, marital status, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics), national origin, race, religious belief, or sexual orientation, discriminate against any person who is qualified and available to perform the work to which such employment relates. The Contractor further agrees to be in compliance with the City of Santa Barbara’s Nondiscriminatory Employment Provisions as set forth in Chapter 9 of the Santa Barbara Municipal Code. BONDING Bidders are hereby notified that a Payment Bond in the amount of 100% of the bid total will be required from the successful bidder for bids exceeding $25,000. The bond must be provided with ten (10) calendar days from notice of award and prior to the performance of any work. The bond must be signed by the bidder and a corporate surety, who is authorized to issue bonds in the State of California. Bidders are hereby notified that a separate Performance Bond in the amount of 100% of the bid total will be required from the successful bidder for bids exceeding $25,000. The bond must be provided with ten (10) calendar days from notice of award and prior to the performance of any work. The bond must be signed by the bidder and a corporate surety, who is authorized to issue bonds in the State of California. PREVAILING WAGE, APPRENTICES, PENALTIES, & CERTIFIED PAYROLL In accordance with the provisions of Labor Code § 1773.2, the Contractor is responsible for determining the correct prevailing wage rates. However, the City will provide wage information for projects subject to Federal Davis Bacon requirements. The Director of Industrial Relations has determined the general prevailing rates of wages and employer payments for health, welfare, vacation, pensions and similar purposes applicable, which is on file in the State of California Office of Industrial Relations. The contractor shall post a copy of these prevailing wage rates at the site of the project. It shall be mandatory upon the contractor to whom the contract is awarded and its subcontractors hired to pay not less than the said prevailing rates of wages to all workers employed by him in the execution of the contract (Labor Code § 1770 et seq.). Prevailing wage rates are available at http://www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/PWD/index.htm It is the duty of the contractor and subcontractors to employ registered apprentices and to comply with all aspects of Labor Code § 1777.5. There are penalties required for contractor’s/subcontractor’s failure to pay prevailing wages and for failure to employ apprentices, including forfeitures and debarment under Labor Code §§ 1775, 1776, 1777.1, 1777.7 and 1813. Under Labor Code § 1776, contractors and subcontractors are required to keep accurate payroll records. The prime contractor is responsible for submittal of their payrolls and those of their subcontractors as one package. Payroll records shall be certified and made available for inspection at all reasonable hours at the principal office of the contractor/subcontractor pursuant to Labor Code § 1776. The contractor and all subcontractors under the direct contractor shall furnish certified payroll records directly to the Labor Compliance Unit and to the department named in the Purchase Order/Contract at least monthly, and within ten (10) days of any request from any request from the City or the Labor Commissioner in accordance with Section 16461 of the California Code of Regulations. Payroll records shall be furnished in a format prescribed by section 16401 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, with use of the current version of DIR's “Public Works Payroll Reporting Form” (A-1-131) and “Statement of Employer Payments” (DLSE Form PW26) constituting presumptive compliance with this requirement, provided the forms are filled out accurately and completely. In lieu of paper forms, the Compliance Monitoring Unit may provide for and require the electronic submission of certified payroll reports. The provisions of Article 2 and 3, Division 2, Chapter 1 of the Labor Code, State of California, are made by this reference a part of this quotation or bid. A contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of Section 4104 of the Public Contract Code, or engage in the performance of any contract for public work, as defined in this chapter, unless currently licensed to perform the work and registered pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5 without limitation or exception. It is not a violation of this section for an unlicensed contractor to submit a bid that is authorized by Section 7029.1 of the Business and Professions Code or by Section 20103.5 of the Public Contract Code, provided the contractor is registered to perform public work pursuant to Section 1725.5 at the time the contract is awarded. This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations. CERTIFICATIONS In accordance with California Public Contracting Code § 3300, the City requires the Contractor to possess a valid California C-61 / D28 - Doors, Gates and Activating Devices OR C-61 / D-8 Doors and Door Services contractor’s license at time the bids are opened and to continue to hold during the term of the contract all licenses and certifications required to perform the work specified herein. CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE Contractor must submit to the contracted department within ten (10) calendar days of an order, AND PRIOR TO START OF WORK, certificates of Insurance naming the City of Santa Barbara as Additional Insured in accordance with the attached Insurance Requirements. ______________________________ William Hornung, C.P.M. General Services Manager
6 – 13 August 2020
Published 8/5/2020 Montecito Journal
• The Voice of the Village •
F I C T I T I O U S B U S I N E S S NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Bob’s Vacuum, 5276 Hollister Ave, 403, Goleta, CA 93111. Gilbert J Short, 520 Pine Ave Spc 29, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 15, 2020. 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. 2020-0001714. Published August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020. F I C T I T I O U S B U S I N E S S NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Lena’s Nail Studio, 1482 East Valley Road Suite 4, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Lena Truong, 101 La Calera Way, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 23, 2020. 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. 2020-0001817. Published July 29, August 5, 12, 19, 2020. F I C T I T I O U S B U S I N E S S NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Bright Hand Painted Interiors, 644 Windsor Ave, Goleta, CA 93117. Caroline Hambright, 644 Windsor Ave, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 22, 2020. 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. 2020-0001801. Published July 29, August 5, 12, 19, 2020. F I C T I T I O U S B U S I N E S S NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Lightscapes by Spark Creative Group, 75 Robin Hill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117. LBPS Events INC., 75 Robin Hill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 15, 2020. 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. 2020-0001721. Published July 22, 29, August 5, 12, 2020. F I C T I T I O U S B U S I N E S S NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: The Lucky Group, 2441 Calle Galicia, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. Noel Lucky, 2441 Calle Galicia, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on July 9, 2020. 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. 2020-0001675. Published July 15, 22, 29, August 5, 2020.
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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Far Flung Travel
by Chuck Graham
The Nesting Ground
The mating ritual of the California least terns is a comical process that incorporates the catch of the day
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he Santa Clara River Estuary was a graveyard of tattered driftwood, tangled kelp balls, a rotting sea lion carcass that was so putrid it could only attract a pair of turkey vultures. A high ceiling of overcast kept the early morning comfortably cool. The sand was coarse and gritty, perfect for breeding and nesting western snowy plovers and especially
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California least terns. There aren’t many places left along the California Coast where least terns can nest without disturbance. Locating them isn’t easy either. Scanning with my binoculars at a certain level was my best strategy. Standing on top of the berm was a mistake. Most animals, especially when they’re busy breeding, denning, nesting, and rearing young, don’t want to look up at a potential threat. They are easily spooked. Staying low is always the best option, but when it comes to least terns and a steep berm is involved, standing is simply fine. The berm at the Santa Clara River Estuary grows gradually. The best scanning placed me at the bottom of the berm, so I was head level where least terns sunned themselves and plovers scampered after beach hoppers. The birds remained comfortable and they continued with their feeding, preening, breeding, tending to their unhatched eggs or hungry chicks. California least terns are the smallest terns in North America. In California they are listed as endangered due to the usual suspects, habitat degradation, disturbances by dogs and people, so no big surprise there. Mostly white with a black cap and a yellow beak, I typically heard their calls of kee-zink, kee-zink before spotting them, usually as they swooped along and hovered momentarily overhead. Without binoculars it was almost impossible to track them. Once they landed in the sand locating them became even more difficult. So I did a lot of waiting and watching. Seems like when I did that and patience took over, things came together in some form. If parents weren’t busy trading out on incubating their eggs, then they were focused on making the next least terns. There’s a somewhat comical
The chicks double and triple in size within a few days of their birth
Nesting is a period of relaxation, at least until it’s feeding time
breeding ritual that involves the catch of the day, if you’re a least tern, that is. The male catches the small baitfish and brings it back to where hopefully at least one receptive female awaits. The male will circle a potential mate several times while holding the fish in his beak. If the female is receptive, she will take the fish and mating commences. Sometimes they mate while the male still holds onto the slippery fish. Somehow the whole ritual reminded me of a Seinfeld episode. It’s several weeks before the eggs hatch, and once they do activity ramps up. I kept relocating the same chicks and watched them double and triple in size as the days progressed. I was impressed. When even just a few days old, they can gulp down a whole fish. At just a couple days old they are about the size of a 50-cent piece. The baitfish was longer than their minute bodies. Even at triple their own size it was still a monumental effort for them to choke a whole one down. I
“I don’t know what to say so I’ll just say what’s in my heart...badoom, badoom, badoom.” – Mel Brooks
saw another chick ingest a fish that it couldn’t swallow, and it walked around with a portion of the fish sticking out of its beak for the entire morning. I always knew when a parent came to feed its chicks. It would be calm with the chicks nestled in a natural depression in the sand, but once a parent flew in with fish, the chick’s demeanor changed immediately. Their tiny wings were extended and their mouths were agape as they stumbled across an obstacle course of windswept granules of coarse sand, cobble, decaying giant bladder kelp and splintered driftwood, just to reach their attentive parents and their catch. By August, most least terns begin their return trip to South America, their fall and winter stomping grounds. By next spring, usually April, they come back to various beaches in California, the ones that may appear to be the least desirable, the beaches that appeared a little like they did 300 years ago. •MJ 6 – 13 August 2020
Summerland Buzz
by Leslie A. Westbrook
A third-generation Californian, Leslie, currently resides in Carpinteria but called Summerland home for 30 years. The award-winning writer assists clients sell fine art, antiques and collectibles at auction houses around the globe. She can be reached at LeslieAWestbrook@gmail.com or www.auctionliaison.com
The Gardening Lady of Summerland
Sonya Harris keeps the seaside town in the green
Sonya Harris, the chatty native of Christchurch, New Zealand moved to sunny California from London in the early 1970s, during the “time of the oil crisis” (photo by Jack Herschorn)
M
ost people recognize Sonya Harris from, er, behind. Often seen bent over the landscape edging the 101 northbound entrance, or the Summerland Memorial Garden or other spots in town, Sonya has taken it upon herself to keep the seaside town looking healthy and green ever since the Summerland Heights homes were built on Ortega Ridge circa 1999. It was during that period that Harris followed “a calling” from Mother Nature (and she keeps ringing) and has taken her marching orders seriously as she wages her own campaign to keep Summerland from becoming an eyesore. “I got this call from Mother Nature at some ungodly hour and she said, ‘Take your knowledge and move it outside!’” she said. “When Ortega Hill was disabled when homes were built on the top, I collected what I call the warts and bunions – rocks being thrown off the hill – as gifts from Mother Nature that I could incorporate into walls and garden borders around town.” She added that her grandfather was a stone mason. Working with rocks and plants is in her blood. “My message from Mother Nature was: You can’t have all those people spending all that money in 6 – 13 August 2020
Summerland and then leaving for Santa Barbara with the northbound 101 entrance looking the way it did,” she said. “It was sad at all the entrances and exits!” The terraced hill by the Big Yellow House hill is Sonya Harris’s handiwork. And she’s attended to the corner of Harding and Lillie Avenue she “doesn’t know how many times.” Plus she’s rebuilt all the center bays through the main thoroughfare. Her goal is inspired by “all the people that spend all that money at the other end of town” and then depart, heading north on the freeway. She wants them to leave with a good and lasting impression of Summerland. “What about the southbound exit and underpass entrance to town?” I asked the fairy godmother of Summerland public open spaces. “Yesterday I was cutting the fence line at the freeway where some plastic had been stuck to the fence line for ten years. She wants her best side showing,” she said, referring to Mother Nature like a dear, but stern, friend. “Where do you get your plant material?” I asked. “Mother Nature takes care of it,” the lady with the green thumb replied, adding, “She allows me only enough rock to do edging or building.”
Harris also tends after the Memorial Garden by the fire station and a memorial to the 23 people who have “flown to heaven” from the debris flow of her own making. She even has a theory about the debris flow after the Thomas Fire: “They shot so much water to the fire that Mother Nature took umbrage and threw rocks at us! Those creek beds are all filled again. There’s money to clean it up – but not keep it clean!” She says that gophers have been rebuilding the memorial garden in front of tennis court for the debris victims and are eating the agave now. “I can’t do too much unless I can find plants that they don’t like,” she said. “There’s a stringy plant that looks like an onion with yellow soft flower attached. I don’t think they eat jade.” “Where do you get the plants for your projects?” I asked. “I go up and down and check properties that I take care of. I double check and don’t let them over grow,” Harris said. “I take knowledge from Mother Nature.” Harris has spotted some large agave she’d like to re-plant. But she says she hasn’t “got a male to lift them up – it has to be intelligent muscle power,” noting that she is unable to push a wheelbarrow uphill due to a bad back. The chatty native of Christchurch, New Zealand moved to sunny California from London in the early 1970s, during the “time of the oil crisis.” She was working for a sister company to Harrod’s and there was no heat in the building. In fact, she said, there was no heat anywhere, unless one had a fireplace. Harris landed in Montecito and was living with her brother, friends, and her daughter when she “saw the carpet floating” after a plumbing disaster and she fled to higher ground on Harding Avenue in hilly Summerland. Trained as a milliner, Harris made costumes for theatrical productions as well as wedding dresses during her career. The woman who has taken it upon herself to clean up and plant all these years. Thus creating her personally self-motivated Summerland beautiful project could use some help. “The freeway side going south is covered in garbage and nobody wants to pick it up,” she said, “Someone asked me what he could do (to be of help). I told him, ‘Take an extra bag and when you see garbage – pick it up.’” “Are you trying to also enlist help with the gardening?” I pressed. “I can create assignments,” she said. “The huge garden behind the school is where help would be ideal – but we have to work as a team.”
• The Voice of the Village •
You won’t see the trained milliner wearing a chapeaux either. I asked her why not? “I’d have to go back and find it stuck in a tree,” she laughed. Harris has been surveying the backside of the Summerland mobile home park that has been covered for two years with “miles and miles of plastic.” It’s a stretch that reaches from the top of Ortega Hill (between the mobile homes and QAD) to keep the earth from falling down on the property below. “Even the 350 goats that were used to clearing the weeds ignored that semi-sheer cliff!” Harris laughed, then getting serious. “It’s been covered three times – no one knows what to do?” “Any ideas?” I asked. “It’s sad because there’s other possibilities,” she said. “My thing would be to cover that hill which is all clay with net, put pipes in it, to release water, and plant it.” She concluded on a hopeful note: “Anything is feasible. It just takes time and energy!”
A Final Love Note
From the Gandhi of the USA ohn Lewis (1940-2020), activist and congressman, penned an essay that ran in The New York Times on the day of his funeral. Lest we be reminded, or perhaps you missed it if you were hiding under a rock, here are a few highlights worth remembering or even clipping out and putting on your fridge.
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“Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”
And most famously
quoted, many times over:
“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” Rest in peace, kind warrior, guiding light to so many. And thank you for your service, kindness and inspiration. Be sure to stir up some good trouble in heaven •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL
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NOSH TOWN FRESH CATCH:
by Claudia Schou
SUMMER’S SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
S
ummer is a great time of year for grilling fish, and Santa Barbara Harbor, with its fleet of 200 smallboat commercial fishing vessels, boasts a bounty of seafood this season. Wild king salmon, ahi tuna, halibut, white sea bass, black cod and spiny lobster are just a few. If you’re already in the mindset of shopping for produce that’s in season then apply that to your seafood selection. You will be reducing your carbon footprint while supporting local businesses. While global fish markets have been hard-hit amid the COVID19 pandemic, the local demand has increased, according to Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of local fishermen. The organization is working to create a “Maritime Collective” to meet the growing demand for local seafood. The harbor has seen a doubling of vendors at Saturday’s Fisherman’s Market and household Travis Riggs, VP of Santa Barbara Fish Market, says when it delivery services like Get Hooked comes to grilling fish, “look for steak-y or firm fish such as Seafood, a Community Supported swordfish, yellowtail, tuna, opah and white sea bass” Fishery program, have taken off this year, according to Executive Director Kim Selkoe. You can still buy fresh catch straight from the boats in the harbor every Saturday from 7:30 am to 11 am. Santa Barbara Fish Market is shipping boxes of frozen local fish to households regionally and nationwide. We recently spoke with Travis Riggs, VP of Santa Barbara Fish Market, to get the rundown on the best environmentally friendly fish to cook during the dog days of summer. Q. Where does SB Fish Market source from? A. Our bread and butter is the fish that hits the dock, a stone’s throw from our shop here in the Santa Barbara Harbor. We have long-lasting relationships with hard-working fishermen and women that supply healthy, tasty and sustainable fish year-round. Has the price for seafood increased during the pandemic? Yes and no. Seafood markets are unstable due to the ever-changing pandemic, restaurant closures, as well as issues with flights coming in from abroad and export restrictions. Though there have been some pricing declines locally, fishermen are still getting fair prices. What’s in season at the moment? Right now we are having another amazing king salmon season. Santa Barbara fishermen are following salmon just north of Santa Barbara up to Bodega Bay. Our local fleet is also working hard targeting white sea bass, a delicious whitefish unique to our area in California. Other fish regularly hitting the dock right now are halibut, rockfish, yellowtail, bluefin tuna, black cod, ocean whitefish, and rock crab. What’s best for grilling? Look for steak-y or firm fish such as swordfish, yellowtail, tuna, opah, and white sea bass. These will hold up on the grill without breaking or falling apart. Care to share some tips for seafood grilling? 1) Pull your fish out of the fridge at least ten minutes before cooking. This will help the fish cook evenly. 2) After seasoning your fish with salt, pat dry before cooking. This will keep it from sticking to the grill. 3) Get your grill hot. Fish will stick to your grill if it’s not hot enough. 4) Season your grill. Once your grill is hot, rub grill grates with a rag or paper towel with oil. This will help your fish from sticking and will give you those beautiful grill marks. 5) Don’t move your fish. Once you place your fish on the grill give it a few minutes to build a crust before moving it. This will get you a nice char as well as prevent it from sticking. What’s an underrated fish that you absolutely love?
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Grenadier is one of the most under-loved species we see. This fish is often caught as bycatch from the black cod fishery and is an excellent clean-tasting whitefish fantastic for tacos. It also happens to have one of the largest biomasses in our oceans, making it not just tasty but sustainable. For salmon novices, what is the difference between king salmon, Scottish salmon, and Atlantic salmon? Which is best on sushi night? King salmon is wild. Regardless of what you see on any menu, all Scottish and Atlantic salmon are farmed. Both Scottish and Atlantic salmon are the same species; they are just grown in different areas of the world. Wild salmon are loaded with the complexities of the life it lived, the food it ate, the ocean it lived in, and the way it was caught, and this all adds to its unique flavor. The uncontrolled variables make for one hell of a bite. Since European farming standards are more strict than Canada and Chile, which produce the majority of Atlantic salmon, Scottish is a better option for raw applications. When you see raw salmon at your favorite sushi spot, it’s usually Scottish salmon due to the fact that it carries raw consumption certification while most Atlantic salmon does not. Let’s talk sea urchin, which intimidates some people. Uni, the edible part of the sea urchin, is the taste of the sea – sweet, briny, creamy and with a nutty finish. Santa Barbara sea urchins are known throughout the globe as being the best in the world. You just have to try it and you will see why these spiky sea creatures get all the hype. Do you have an elevator pitch for salmon? Salmon are anadromous. They have a natural GPS in their head which navigates them back to the exact river they were born. It’s one of the most amazing miracles of the sea. So next time you have a bite of wild king salmon, remember their journey. For more information about Santa Barbara Fish Market or to inquire about free delivery, visit sbfish.com.
TASTING NOTES WITH JOHAN DENIZOT, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF BELMOND EL ENCANTO
S
ummertime calls for outdoor picnics, lighter fare, and crisp regional wines. I love a classic Maine Lobster Roll this time of the year; it pairs best with wine from our Santa Ynez neighbor, Sunstone Vineyards, and another Central Coast favorite of ours, DAOU Vineyards in Paso Robles. Belmond El Encanto’s Maine Lobster Roll is dressed with lemon mayo, romaine, tomatoes, and scallions on a warm soft roll. These bright flavors are brought forward in a bottle of Sunstone’s Belmond Sauvignon Blanc, Charming Vista and a full-bodied DAOU Cabernet. We launched a partnership with Sunstone Winery for this bottle as we appreciate the organic growing that is inherent within the Santa Ynez vineyard. The impeccable structure and acidity of the Charming Vista Sauvignon Blanc pairs perfectly with the lobster roll. The DAOU Cabernet can be seen as an unlikely pair with a seafood-forward dish, but the wine’s rich and voluptuous aromas of chocolate, plum, and black fruit flavors balance out the buttery lobster and compliment the spices nicely. The winery also does an excellent job of showcasing the Central Coast’s rare soil that makes for the perfect Cabernet Sauvignon.
CHEF JOHAN DENIZOT’S SUMMER LOBSTER ROLL INGREDIENTS: Serves 4 8 oz cooked lobster meat 4 large leaves of celery, rinsed and patted dry 1 tomato 2 scallions 2 celery stalks 2 slices of thinly sliced red onion 4 soft brioche hot dog roll Lemon aioli INSTRUCTIONS: The Maine lobster roll at Belmond El Encanto pairs best with Sunstone’s Belmond Sauvignon 1. Boil lobster in large pot for 10 to 12 min. 2. Remove lobster from pot and let it cool down Blanc, Charming Vista and a full-bodied DAOU 3. Crack the lobster shell and remove meat, Cabernet including claws 4. Cut lobster meat into 1/2 inch pieces 5. Make lemon aioli by combining 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, lemon zest, sliced scallions (reserve a few sliced scallions for garnish) 1/2 tsp. sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 6. Mix lobster meat with lemon aioli 7. Assemble brioche buns on a large platter, add a few celery leaves along the outer edges, sliced tomato, and lobster aioli mixture. Garnish with chopped celery and a few slices of thinly sliced scallion. •MJ
“As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes.” – Mel Brooks
6 – 13 August 2020
DINE OUTSIDE |TAKE OUT Montecito Journal wants to let readers know who’s offering a taste of summer with take out and delivery service and outdoor dining. We encourage you to support your local dining venues and wine boutiques!
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6 – 13 August 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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ON THE RECORD (Continued from page 6) A kitchen volunteer prepares soup
The Carriage House patio is now open for dining
“I’m in town. These are big money sales and the last thing I would be thinking of is selling at any price. There is no price I would sell the Biltmore at for any reason.” The same thing goes for the Montecito Club. “I am trying to make the Club the best club in the United States, and the Biltmore the best hotel. To say we are for sale is the furthest thing from my thinking.”
San Ysidro Ranch Opens Three Outdoor Restaurants to Public Warner said he had kept the San Ysidro Ranch open throughout the pandemic because the 41-cottage property is well suited for social distancing. The only time the hotel has been closed since Warner purchased it in 2000, was in the aftermath of the January 8, 2018 mudslides, which destroyed half the property. Unlike his other properties, Warner’s San Ysidro Ranch, with its scattered cottages and plentiful outdoor space, is tailor-made for social distancing. “Obviously the Ranch is different than the other hotels,” Warner explained. Until recently, the Ranch’s two dining options, the Stonehouse, an intimately lit gourmet restaurant, and Plow & Angel, a cozy bar and bistro, were closed to the public and only serving guests via room service. Now, both restaurants are open to the public and offer outdoor patio seating – options include the upper terrace, lower garden, and wine cellar-adjacent locations. Warner said the Ranch had added a third outdoor option for both guests and the public. “We added another place up there, the Carriage House,” Warner continued, referring to the historic building that used to be known as the Hydrangea Cottage. “So now there are three outdoor restaurants. Anybody can eat there. It’s outside. But you’re not eating on the street like on Coast Village Road. We had two hundred people up there this past weekend.” Warner has remained apprised of the goings-on at his various hotels, be they open or closed during the pandemic. “We’re always trying to be up to date,” he concluded. “And yes, we’re involved.”
Organic Soup Kitchen Unveils New Helpline
Since 2009, the Organic Soup Kitchen has been the only organization in Santa Barbara County to deliver nutrient-rich soup meals to low-income families and homeless individuals. What started as a homespun effort to provide healthy meals to the homeless in local parks, has gradually become a successful, self-sustaining enterprise with its own kitchen that works with cancer specialists to create recipes that help strengthen the immune system, increase energy, and promote body healing. As the Montecito Journal reported in March, the kitchen hand-selects organic produce and adds healthy fats, oils, and non-irradiated spices. Even the salt is Himalayan, which contains more nutrients than typical table salt, creating a unique soup base full of essential vitamins and minerals. The meals go out to clients once a week in sealed packages that are hand-delivered throughout the county. “It has to be a very sterile product,” founder Anthony Carroccio told us at the time. “All our produce is organic; all the herbs and spices are non-radiated,
44 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Organic Soup Kitchen Founder Anthony Carroccio
and we hermetically seal the soup in a container so no pathogens can get in.” Organic Soup Kitchen expanded its operations when the pandemic began so that its 20 or so volunteers could prepare and deliver meals to more than 600 low-income seniors, chronically ill individuals, and cancer patients. The longer the health crisis continues, the more isolated its already vulnerable clients have become, the organization has said. The kitchen has now added a free call-in helpline to provide its clients with a direct connection to its staff. “Handing food to the masses is not what we do,” said Andrea Slaby, Organic Soup Kitchen’s chief operating officer. “Our clients are not statistics who receive a brown paper bag lunch. We develop a relationship with our clients starting with the intake form we require.” Before the pandemic, the kitchen’s volunteer drivers would check in face-toface with each client during meal deliveries. Because that is no longer an option, the helpline provides what the organization calls “an alternative opportunity to break the cycle of isolation.” Slaby said soup meal orders had tripled since the pandemic started. “Ninety-five percent of our clients are struggling with serious medical and financial challenges,” she said. “We want to provide extra emotional support during this time of extreme fear and stress.” The helpline will operate as a two-way resource and will be available for any client to call in for specific support or simply to talk. Slaby said kitchen staffers would make weekly calls to check on each client’s emotional and physical health. The information is then uploaded onto each client’s personal chart to help the kitchen better meet each individual’s immediate needs; any needs that fall outside the kitchen’s area of specialty are referred to outside agencies and services who can respond appropriately. For more information, visit www.organicsoupkitchen.org or call 805-364-2790. To make a donation, simply visit www.organicsoupkitchen.org/give-once. •MJ
“Life literally abounds in comedy if you just look around you.” – Mel Brooks
6 – 13 August 2020
VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 12)
Xavier Scordo and team have taken their hairstyling and nail services outside, in order to adhere to state guidelines
stations on the front patio of his namesake salon, offering four hairstyling stations and one manicurist station, as well as a special shampooing station on the side of the building. “It didn’t make sense for us to open if we couldn’t offer color and shampoos, as that is the majority of our business,” he said. “We wanted to make the space look beautiful, and feel as normal as possible.” The space feels complete with planters, mirrors, electricity for hair drying, and more. Scordo, who hails from Paris, moved to Montecito about five years ago to work for Jose Eber at the Four Seasons Richie Ramirez of Richie’s Barber Shop is open for Resort the Biltmore. With over 27 years business on his back patio of hairstyling experience, Scordo has worked in television and print styling, and owned his own salon in Paris for many years. He says he came to Montecito to enjoy a quieter lifestyle, and while he had no intention of buying a salon, the opportunity arose to purchase Belle de Jour. “My life has always been about opportunities, so I decided to take it!” he said. Scordo and his team, which includes former Belle de Jour owners and stylists Michele Mallet and Joel Mallet, as well as stylist Emily Miller and nail technician Bobbi Younce, are ready to serve their clientele in the fresh air. Clients and stylists are required to wear face coverings, and have their temperature taken before services. Scordo says they are prepared to continue to work outside, as long as the weather permits. Xavier Scordo Salon is located at 1236 Coast Village Road. Over at Richie’s Barber Shop in Coast Village Plaza, owner Richie Ramirez is relieved that Governor Gavin Newsom has allowed barber shops and salons to offer their services outdoors, following in the footsteps of restaurants, who were allowed to expand into outdoor space and parking areas back in May. Salons were ordered to close mid-March, and were allowed to reopen for indoor services on May 26, only to be shut down again on July 14. A week later, State guidelines were modified to allow for some personal care services to take place outside. “We’ve been through the ringer, having to close and then able to reopen, only to be told to close again. At this point we are grateful to be able to serve our customers in this way,” Ramirez told us earlier this week through his face mask, adding that several other salons and barbershops have chosen not to reopen at this time, for various reasons. Ramirez and his team are open for business on the shop’s back patio, overlooking the parking lot on Coast Village Circle. With three of his five barber chairs in use outside, Ramirez says they are keeping busy, and are at about 45% of normal business. The back patio allows for more privacy and to maintain hygienic standards, rather than being on the front patio next to restaurants, who are also under restrictions to only serve food outside. “This is the perfect place for us to set up shop,” Ramirez said. To schedule a haircut, call (805) 280-5521.
California’s beautiful coast and opening up in such an iconic destination,” said Montesano in a statement. “The Malibu Country Mart is truly the heart of this wonderful community and we are honored to be joining it.” An integral part of The Montesano Group, founded by Montesano of Lucky Brand fame – and in collaboration with longtime partners Jimmy Argyropoulos In addition to announcing the impending opening of a secand Herb Simon – Lucky’s ond Lucky’s Steakhouse location in Malibu, the eatery has has honored the classic relaunched lunch service American steakhouse tradition since its 1999 opening in Montecito. The acclaimed restaurant is beloved by locals and celebrities alike for its USDA prime steaks and fresh seafood, classic cocktails and award-winning wine cellar, warm and friendly atmosphere, and unparalleled service, led by General Manager and Executive Chef Leonard Schwartz. The new Malibu restaurant, led by Executive Chef Michael Rosen, will feature a classic steakhouse menu, similar to the Montecito location. The space has been designed by Montecito’s The Warner Group Architects, and is both comfortable and glamourous, similar to Montecito’s location. It will be open for both lunch and dinner, and is expected to open mid-September. The Montesano Group includes Lucky’s Steakhouse, Tre Lune Restaurant, D’Angelo Bakery, and Joe’s Café, along with retail clothing store Civilianaire, located in Montecito. Malibu Country Mart encompasses six acres of prime real estate in the heart of Malibu, with a mix of high-end and luxury retail, dining, and service offerings. The buildings are complemented by gardens, unique sculptures, outdoor dining and picnic areas, and the popular children’s playground (www.malibucountrymart.com). Here at the Montecito Lucky’s, the eatery recently relaunched lunch service, the first time offering it from their newly built parklet terrace. The menu includes small plates and starter salads, main course salads including a Cobb, the Tuna Niçoise, and Poached Salmon Salad, sandwiches like the Lucky Burger, Reuben Sandwich, Maine Lobster Roll, and more, and an array of other dishes and sides. Lunch hours are Monday through Friday, 11 am to 2:30 pm. For more information, please visit www.luckys-steakhouse.com.
Suzani Feature Event at Kathryne Designs
Kathryne Designs on Coast Village Road currently has a limited time offering of Suzani tapestries and textiles, featuring a collection from Uzbekistan. Suzanis are one-of-a-kind hand embroideries using silk threads on cotton, silk, or linen foundations. The designs are inspired by ancient Ottoman, East Indian and some classic Chinese motifs. They reflect the beauty in nature with vines, flowers, trees, animals, and orbs representing the sun and moon. The motifs symbolize joy, long life, prosperity, fruitfulness, and hospitality, and the tapestries can be used for upholstery, framed to create an amazing work of art, draped over sofas, tablecloths or bed toppers. Kathryne Designs is located at 1225 Coast Village Road; visit www.kath rynedesigns.com for more information. •MJ
Lucky’s to Open at Malibu Country Mart
Lucky’s owner Gene Montesano announced this week that his iconic Montecito steakhouse will boast a second location at the Malibu Country Mart this fall. “From Santa Barbara to Malibu, we are thrilled to be expanding down 6 – 13 August 2020
Kathryne Designs has a special Suzani textile event happening now
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (805) 565-1860 ESTATE/SENIOR SERVICES THE CLEARING HOUSE, LLC
DO YOUR RIVIERA LIFE A FAVOR Visit myrivieralife.com The Clearing House is hosting another lovely Montecito sale, Vista Dorinda, August 8, 9 at 1383 School House Road (private lane off of main road). Attendant will direct you - parking is limited. Call Elaine 805-708-6113 or Christa 805-450. Covid protocols will be in place.
PHYSICAL TRAINING DEAR FRIENDS The Clearing House will resume hosting estate sales in late-July. We will follow CDC and local COVID-19 guidelines to protect our customers and staff. We look forward to seeing you all again. 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
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unconditionally. A congenial living situation is the first priority. Visit www.jimdreaver.com, email jdreaver@aol.com, or cell 310-916-4037
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SPECIAL SERVICES AWAKENED MEDITATION TEACHER, Jim Dreaver, author of END YOUR STORY, BEGIN YOUR LIFE and the new UNTRIGGERABLE seeks wealthy patron/benefactor who shares Jim’s mission of healing our world through awakening to the revolutionary teaching -that our ego comes-andgoes, but “we”, as awareness, are always here. This frees us to love
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Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary Menagerie 2340 Lillie Avenue Summerland CA 93067 (805) 969-1944 Donate to the Parrot Pantry! At SB Bird Sanctuary, backyard farmer’s bounty is our birds best bowl of food! The flock goes bananas for your apples, oranges & other homegrown fruits & veggies.
CONSTRUCTION WINDOWS, DOORS & REMODEL Construction, State licensed, Bonded. URGENT repairs and restoration Consultant will come to you!!
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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 Monday before 2 pm. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex
46 MONTECITO JOURNAL
SEMI-RETIRED DESIGNER with impeccable local references desires to rent a quiet guest house or apartment (max $2,500.) Michael 805 208 7056 mburridge1@mac.com
“Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said.” – Mel Brooks
Volunteers Do you have a special talent or skill? Do you need community service hours? The flock at SB Bird Sanctuary could always use some extra love and socialization. Call us and let’s talk about how you can help. (805) 969-1944
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED K-9 PALS need volunteers to be foster parents for our dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes. For more information info@k-9pals.org or 805-570-0415. 6 – 13 August 2020
ADVERTISE IN THE LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY (805) 565-1860 Greg Brashears Open for Dine-in or Take out Place take out order at
Real Estate Appraisals
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AUGUST 20
ELIN MARTINEZ Senior Researcher, Children’s Rights Access to Education & Covid-19
SEPTEMBER 17 EMMA DALY Acting Deputy Executive Director, Media 1st Amendment & Freedom of Press
OCTOBER 15
BILLY HOFFMAN & RUBIN RUIZ Life Without Parole Project Managers, Children’s Rights Division
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NOVEMBER 19 LAURA PITTER Deputy Director, U/S. Program Criminal Justice & Mass Incarceration
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• The Voice of the Village •
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“Good Food for Good People”
LUCKY’S steaks /chops /seafood /cocktails
Dinner & Cocktails Nightly, Lunch Monday-Friday, Brunch Saturday & Sunday Montecito’s neighborhood bar and restaurant. 1279 Coast Village Road Montecito CA 93108 (805)565-7540 www.luckys-steakhouse.com
