Montecito's Most Unusual Harvest

The best things in life are

LOCALLY OWNED | GLOBALLY CONNECTED

13 - 20 February 2020 Vol 26 Issue 7

The Voice of the Village

S SINCE 1995 S

VILLAGESITE.COM DRE 01206734

MONTECITO’S MOST UNUSUAL HARVEST

HOW THE MONTECITO SANITARY DISTRICT TURNS OUR FECAL MATTER INTO BRAND-NAME FERTILIZER (STORY BEGINS ON P.24)

Village Beat

UCSB grad Lindsay Leonard thanks grandmother for 11 years of success at helm of Santa Barbara Fiduciary, p. 32

Meet the Teacher

Cold Spring School receives California Exemplary Arts Award under Superintendent Amy Alzina’s leadership, p. 14

Guide to Homeowner’s Insurance

Do you think you have the right type of insurance coverage? Jerry explains all..., p. 22

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

13 – 20 February 2020

M O N T E C I T O E S TAT E S. C O M

RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE

M O N T E C I T O E S TAT E S. C O M

The Premiere Estates of Montecito & Santa Barbara CAL BRE 00622258

805 565/2208 13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 5 Guest Editorial

It’s been 25 years since the formal adoption of the Montecito Community Plan. Now it’s time to look forward to the next quarter century of challenges.

6 Montecito Miscellany

Santa Barbara Choral Society holds a soirée; author Susan Wakeford Angard throws a bash at Tecolote; Gretchen Lieff opens her doors for a Super Bowl party; the Lobero Theatre Chamber Music project will go annual; a Lutah Maria Riggs home hits the market; remembering Kirk Douglas; plus sightings

8 Letters

The Chair of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party clarifies an endorsement; Assembly candidates Steve Bennett and Jason Dominguez win praise, as does Supervisorial challenger Laura Capps; readers debate Prop. 13; plus Santa Barbara’s dirty little secret

10 This Week

MERRAG Community Awareness Event; Michael Booker, author of Gods of Our Time: A Paris Love Story, signs books at Tecolote; Dr. Richard Hansen shares Mayan secrets at Karpeles Manuscript Library; plus weather from Jack Martin

Tide Chart 12 Village Beat

Two years after the 1/9 debris flow, Ashley Road Bridge Reopens; Supervisors dedicate $10.1 million toward rebuilding; Santa Barbara Fiduciary marks 11 years in business; local historian Erin Graffy hosts a special lecture series on Montecito history

14 Meet the Teacher Photography by Spenser Bruce

Dream. Design. Build. LOVE 412 E. Haley St. #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.965.9555 | frontdesk@beckercon.com| www.beckerstudiosinc.com @beckerstudios

Amy Alzina, Superintendent of Cold Spring School District

22 Jerry Meandering

If you live in Montecito and have questions about homeowner’s insurance, Jerold Oshinsky has the 411

23 Brilliant Thoughts

Why think in terms of beginnings and endings – what about a circle, or even a sphere?

24 On the Record

Montecito Sanitary District includes 76 miles of sewer lines and pumps more than 60,000 gallons of wastewater each day. A pilot project aims to recycle that amount of water; meanwhile solid waste ends up fertilizing our food. Nicholas Schou follows the feces.

27 A Village Voice

A proposed $6 million building project at the Montecito Sanitary District raises eyebrows

Laughing Matters No Strings Attached

28 Spirituality Matters

Sunburst Sanctuary hosts a Dive into Silence weekend retreat as well as weekly meditation practice; White Lotus Yoga Center provides a respiratory relief retreat; meditation Teacher Radhule Weininger delivers a dharma talk; Yoga Soup throws an anniversary party; how to connect with horses in Santa Ynez

29 Library Mojo

Kim Crail on the Montecito Library’s latest offerings, including Native American storytelling and the book club’s March selection, Winter Soldier

35 On Entertainment

ALO guitarist/singer-songwriter Dan Lebowitz talks to our very own Steven Libowitz; Sammy Miller and his mission to bring jazz to the people via the young members of his seven-piece Congregation

INTRODUCING

MONTECITO R ANC H ESTATES SUMMERLAND, CALIFORNIA

Only a few ocean and mountain view parcels remain in the exclusive gated community of Montecito Ranch Estates. Stunning +5 acre parcels available separately or choose a completed custom estate with the finest amenities. Pricing from $3,250,000 for parcels with approved plans to $8,300,000 for a finished estate.

42 Calendar of Events

Guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad play at the Lobero; Christian Reif leads the Santa Barbara Symphony in a Valentine’s Day weekend performance; trumpet virtuoso Dan Rosenboom hits the Piano Kitchen; Lithuanian pianist Egle Januleviciute performs at First United Methodist Church; Anita Hill talks feminism at UCSB; and more

46 Classified Advertising 47 Local Business Directory

MEDICARE ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD

Concerned?

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Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

We Can Help!

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13 – 20 February 2020

Guest Editorial

by Bob Hazard Mr. Hazard is an associate editor of this paper and a former president of Birnam Wood Golf Club.

Montecito – The Future Starts Now!

I

t has been more than 25 years since the formal adoption of the Montecito Community Plan, crafted by concerned citizens, who were charged with protecting and preserving the special, small town, semi-rural residential character of our community.

Back in 1995, semi-rural meant the lack of sidewalks and traffic lights, narrow winding roads, subtle road signage, low-density residential development, limited commercial development, unobstructed community and neighborhood view corridors, extensive greenery, easy access to walking and riding trails, uncrowded beaches and recreational facilities, convenient shopping, clean air, friendly and courteous small-town neighbors, fine elementary schools with low student/teacher ratios, and diverse housing, architecture, landscaping and property sizes. With the exception of unforeseen potential community gridlock on local lanes, the 1995 Montecito Community Plan has served us well.

Since 2018, Montecito has had its share of negative publicity – life-threatening fires and floods, serial evacuations, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and increased homelessness. Such negative and undeserved perceptions need to be reversed. The start of this new decade is the ideal time for residents of Montecito to pause and plan for resolving the most critical challenges facing Montecito over the next 25 years.

3,000 PROJECTS • 600 CLIENTS • 30 YEARS • ONE BUILDER

Montecito Association Planning Efforts

As a healthy start, the Montecito Association’s Land Use Committee, under the able leadership of chair Dorinne Lee Johnson and Executive Director Sharon Byrne, has identified the “Top 5 Priority Issues for Montecito.” Land Use hopes to spend the next 12 months developing solutions to the issues that they perceive to be Montecito’s five greatest concerns:

Building Peace of Mind.

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EDITORIAL Page 404

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

5

Monte ito Miscellany

by Richard Mineards

Richard covered the Royal Family for Britain’s Daily Mirror and Daily Mail, and was an editor on New York Magazine. He was also a national anchor on CBS, a commentator on ABC Network News, gossip on The Joan Rivers Show and Geraldo Rivera, host on E! TV, a correspondent on the syndicated show Extra, a commentator on the KTLA Morning News and Entertainment Tonight. He moved to Montecito 12 years ago.

SB Choral Society Soirée

Santa Barbara Choral Society Board: Claudia Scott, Karen Williams, JoAnne Wasserman, Todd Aldrich, Deborah Rosique, Margo Callis, Jody Dolan Holehouse, and Val Noronha (photo by Priscilla)

I RETREAT TO ROMANCE Escape to the Santa Barbara hills for an enchanting getaway with your love.

t was an evening of high note when board member Todd and Allyson Aldrich hosted a sunset soirée for Santa Barbara Choral Society at their Montecito ocean view aerie.

“It’s a nice way of saying a big thank you to our Canto Society members who are the real foundation of all the work we do,” says Karen Williams, president.

More than 35 supporters turned out for the charming musical bash including Dick and Marilyn Mazess, Margo Callis, veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman, Bob and Micki Lally, Marylove Thralls, Barbara Burger, Peter and Karen Brill, Val Noronha, Debra Stewart, and Tom and Jody Dolan Holehouse.

The society’s next concert is Choral

MISCELLANY Page 184

Dick Magro, Marlyn Mages, Karen Williams, and John Baker at the Aldrich abode (photo by Priscilla)

Via Maestra 42’s Renato, hostess Allyson Aldrich, Debra Stewart, Karen Brill, and Marylove Thralls (photo by Priscilla)

800 ALVARADO PLACE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93103 RESERVATIONS.ELE@BELMOND.COM | 805 845 5800

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EE Montecito Journal Retreat to Romance quarterpage ad 0220.indd 1

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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13 – 20 February 2020

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13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

HALF PG MJ

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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LETTERS

We are the “real” in real estate professional.

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

Endorsement Clarification

Mitch Morehart 805.689.7233 mitch.morehart@compass.com DRE 00828316 Beverly Palmer 805.452.7985 beverly@compass.com DRE 1319565 Susan Pate 805.895.9385 susan.pate@compass.com DRE 01130349 themorehartgroup.com

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MONTECITO JOURNAL

TO THE EDITOR

A

s the Chair of the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party, I would like to respond to the recent editorial which portrays the timing of the Party’s endorsement as unfair.

All our endorsement deadlines are listed on our webpage in advance, so individuals interested in being endorsed have ample time to apply. I am available to explain our schedule and process with any interested party, as is Joe Pierre, our Endorsement and Resolutions Committee Chair; his information is listed on our webpage at https://www.sbdems.org/. I had two conversations with Laura Capps before our deadline. She knew about our process, our timing, and was given the opportunity to participate.

She did not apply, so we were not able to consider her for an endorsement.

As for why we do endorsements when we do, this is something the local party committee has considered carefully and will continue to study.

In some years we have endorsements to make in many races throughout the county, from water boards to school boards to city councils to mayoral races, and more. Our careful process involves application reviews and individual candidate interviews; we could not do all of these in time to be of any use to our endorsed candidates if we waited until the filing deadline.

For this cycle, we wanted the supervisor endorsements completed by the time candidates could begin gathering signatures. Also, because of the change of primary from June to March 3, we wanted candidates to be in communication with voters as soon as possible.

We encourage our members to participate in our process. I urge anyone with questions to contact me.

Gail Teton-Landis, Chair Santa Barbara County Democratic Party

Steve Bennett for Assembly

Historically the representative of our 37th Assembly District, diverse in population and occupation, has been from Santa Barbara County. That’s in large part because Santa Barbara County makes up over 50% of the District and we like to vote for candidates with whom we are familiar. However, to effectively represent this District, the successful candidate

“If you text ‘I love you’ to a person and the person writes back an emoji — they don’t love you back.” — Chelsea Peretti

should be the one that is experienced with and understands the interactions of those often-competing interests created by our diversity. This time the best candidate is not a Santa Barbara County candidate, but instead candidate Steve Bennett from Ventura County.

And that’s why I’ve focused on Steve. He’s served for 20 years on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

He is an independent leader who wrote one of the strongest campaign reform laws taking big money out of local politics. He’s an environmental leader who co-authored local SOAR Initiatives to protect open spaces from encroaching Los Angeles style urban sprawl and passed laws to prevent oil companies and other corporate polluters from contaminating our air, land, coastal waterways, and drinking water.

When Steve, with an MA in economics from Brown University, was elected County Supervisor 20 years ago the Ventura County treasury reserves were at zero. Steve won approval of new fiscal policies, which have built the County’s rainy-day reserve fund to 13% of the budget. Steve’s leadership helped balance 10 budgets in a row resulting in the rating raise of the county’s General Obligation bond to AA+, the highest rating possible. Steve has supported expanding the County’s social network of vital community services such as women’s health, public safety, and senior service, enabled by funds made available through his financial leadership.

With a professional background as a former educator and administrator, he is committed to increasing funding for our public schools. This includes more money for the classroom, expanding access to early childhood education, and increasing the number of afterschool programs and career education opportunities.

Steve Bennett ticks all the right boxes as the most qualified candidate to be our assembly member. He is a fiscally responsible environmental advocate, is committed to serving the underserved and protecting women’s issues, is an advocate for the education of our students and most of all, has years of experience in county government dealing with issues similar to those we face statewide. We need a representative who is able to balance

LETTERS Page 264 13 – 20 February 2020

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BIRNAM WOOD GOLF CLUB, MONTECITO

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ewly offered architecturally elegant estate residence situated on an unusually private, park-like setting within the golf club, with only one directly adjacent neighbor. Enter onto a dramatic diamond hatched expansive dual entry motor court. Majestic front doors open to a high ceiling gallery. Within, find a visually stunning and spacious living room with fireplace, gorgeous garden view formal dining room with its own fireplace, a large room with a full bath which is a retreat well-suited as a family, media, sitting room or guest room. Awaken to restful views of the rose garden and Santa Ynez Mountains through tall windows and doors of the enchanting master bedroom, with its fireplace and beautifully appointed en suite bathroom. Off the entry gallery is a welcoming kitchen with sleek cabinets, granite countertops, a separate casual dining area. Other features are a secluded suite with a private entrance, ideal as an office, guest room or media/library hideaway, and a versatile bonus room which could serve as a home gym, tv room, art studio or office. This inviting estate is only a minute from the gated entrance and clubhouse with golf center and tennis facility.

Offered at $5,280,000

Steve Slavin

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 805.886.3428 | steve@steveslavin.com | SantaBarbaraLuxuryHomes.com DRE# 00493760

The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2020 Coldwell Banker Realty. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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This Week in and around Montecito

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

(If you have a Montecito event, or an event that concerns Montecito, please e-mail newseditor@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 MERRAG Community Awareness Event Chaplain Jerry Gray with non-profit organization “Chaplain 24/7” provides this Course on Disaster Psychology for family and community safety and emergency preparedness. Topics include: What is “Disaster Trauma”?

What are the causes of a “traumatic crisis”?

What are the psychological impacts of a disaster on you, your family members, and neighbors?

What are the emotional or physical symptoms of trauma for various age groups?

What is “psychological first aid” and how can it be used after a disaster?

What steps can you take to reduce your own stress?

What ‘not’ to say when providing support to disaster survivors.

When: 10 am to noon Where: Montecito Fire Department, 595 San Ysidro Road RVSP: Email Joyce Reed at jreed@montecitofire.com or call (805) 969-2537 Tech Help Sessions Reserve a 30-minute session with library staff for help with basic computer skills (email or internet), downloadable library materials, and the Black Gold App When: 10 am to 12 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Appointments: (805) 969-5063 Knit ‘N Needle Fiber art crafts (knitting, crochet, embroidery, and more) drop-in and meetup for all ages at Montecito Library When: 2 pm to 3:30 pm

Where: 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Farmers Market When: 8 to 11:15 am Where: south side of Coast Village Road

Porsche Taycan Launch Event Witness the unveiling of the first all-electric car with the genuine soul of a Porsche. This vehicle features the exhilarating performance and iconic Porsche design in every cut and detail that you expect to find in a world class sportscar yet it’s something altogether new to behold.

When: 6-8 pm Where: Porsche Santa Barbara Showroom, 402 S Hope Ave

Wine & Cheese Tasting Complimentary wine and cheese tasting at Montecito Village Grocery When: 3:30 to 5:30 pm Where: 1482 East Valley Road Spanish Conversation Group at the Montecito Library The Montecito Library hosts a Spanish Conversation Group. The group is for anyone interested in practicing and improving conversational skills in Spanish. Participants should be familiar with the basics.

When: 1 pm to 2:30 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Info: 969-5063

ters who explore Paris and their own hearts and souls to find whether love is possible When: 3-4 pm Where: Tecolote Book Shop, 1470 East Valley Road

Tech Help Sessions Reserve a 30-minute session with library staff for help with basic computer skills (email or internet), downloadable library materials, and the Black Gold App When: 3 pm to 5 pm Where: Montecito Library, 1469 East Valley Road Appointments: (805) 969-5063 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Book Signing Join Michael Booker, author of Gods of Our Time: A Paris Love Story, for a reading and book signing of this smart, funny, and emotional love story set in the 1920s, featuring charac-

A Taste of Italy Belmond El Encanto welcomes famed Cocktail Specialist Walter Bolzonella of Belmond Hotel Cipriani for an evening of cocktail demonstrations and tastings. This one-night-only event is free and open to the public and cocktails are priced individually. The Venice-made man is an icon in one of Italy’s greatest culinary capitals and even has a celebrity reputation, having poured his friend George Clooney a drink before the actor walked down the wedding aisle in 2018.

When: 4-9 pm Where: Belmond El Encanto, 800 Alvarado Place, Santa Barbara MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Mayan Archeology Lecture Join Dr. Richard Hansen, director of the Mirador Basin Project, for an entertaining and enlightening evening exploring the wonders of Guatema-

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Hgt Low Hgt Low 4.8 6:33 AM 4.8 7:52 AM 4.9 9:28 AM 4.9 11:03 AM 5 12:15 PM 5.2 1:10 PM 5.4 1:53 PM 5.6 2:29 PM

Hgt Hgt 1 1 0.8 0.4 -0.1 -0.5 -0.8 -0.9

High High 12:27 PM 1:42 PM 3:32 PM 5:41 PM 7:06 PM 7:57 PM 8:33 PM 9:03 PM

Hgt Low Hgt Low 4.3 6:41 PM 3.5 7:27 PM 2.9 8:26 PM 2.9 9:50 PM 3.2 11:19 PM 3.5 3.7 3.9

“Love is telling someone their hair extensions are showing.” — Natasha Leggero

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Mind, Body & Soul Internationally renowned Aura Expert Pamala Oslie shares how our aura colors interact in relationships. With audience participation, Oslie demonstrates her insight and ability to read and explain colors. Bring your family and friends to this fun and exciting event.

When: 7 pm Where: Marjorie Luke Theater, 721 East Cota Street Price: $24 Info: mindbodysoul.brownpapertickets.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Santa Barbara Architecture Talk Join architect and art historian Anthony Grumbine, principal of Harrison Design, as he explores the storied history of our local architecture. His talk, “Victorian to Spanish Colonial Revival: The University Club as an Early Model,” includes a buffet lunch.

When: 12 pm Where: University Club of Santa Barbara, 1332 Santa Barbara Street Admission: $28 for members; $40 for public.

Info: RSVP required: memberservices@uclub.org

M on t e c i to Tid e G u id e Day Low Hgt High Day Low Hgt High Thurs, Feb 13 12:32 AM Fri, Feb 14 1:21 AM Sat, Feb 15 2:19 AM Sun, Feb 16 3:27 AM Mon, Feb 17 4:39 AM Tues, Feb 18 5:44 AM Wed, Feb 19 12:27 AM 2.4 6:38 AM Thurs, Feb 20 1:17 AM 2.2 7:24 AM

la’s remote El Mirador excavation.

For more than 40 years, Dr. Hansen has been exploring what may be the largest archeological site in the world, located deep in the El Peten rainforest.

Learn about the mysteries that remain and the efforts to preserve this amazing site for future scholarship and exploration.

When: 6:30 pm Where: Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 West Anapamu

Hgt Hgt 0.5 1.2 1.9 2.4 2.5

13 – 20 February 2020

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Sedgwick Reserve Public Hike Our docent guides will lead multiple levels of hikes to accommodate a diversity of abilities while offering insights into the unique geologic history, flora, and fauna of our spectacular Reserve. In addition to our hikes, we will offer a wildlife viewing on Saturday morning. Join some of our legendary “Wednesday Birders” for an easy natural history stroll around the historic Sedgwick ranch headquarters.

When: Check-in at 8:30 am Where: Sedgwick Reserve, 3566 Brinkerhoff Avenue, Santa Ynez Info: sedgwick.nrs.ucsb.edu

Peter and the Wolf The Santa Barbara Youth Symphony performs the classic Prokofiev tale of adventure and bravery in partnership with the Community Arts Music Association. Pre-concert activities include a demonstration of orchestral instruments, a children’s activity area, a photobooth with animal imagery, and a reception for sponsors and VIP guests. Tours of the theater will be offered following the performance.

When: 2 pm Where: The Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street Info: granadasb.org

References Available (lots of them!)

JACK’S WEEKLY FORECAST

by Jack Martin

A

fter an offshore pressure system weakens on Wednesday, it will move east. This will allow onshore winds that will bring back some morning dampness. On Thursday a low from the north will pass through but will do nothing more than cool us down a bit. A cut off low is likely to form south of our area, so not much rain will occur for us. We will then return to offshore winds with no chance of any rain for the next seven days. Not great for us. We want rain now.

FREE IN HOME CONSULTATION

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Dan Encell

Director, Estates Division Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Call: (805) 565-4896 DanEncell@aol.com

The greatest professional compliment a client can give their real estate agent is to use their services again (and again...)

So far I have had: 55 clients use my services twice; 33 clients use my services three times; 16 clients use my services four times; 9 clients use my services five times; 7 clients use my services six times; 2 clients use my services seven times; 4 clients use my services eight times; 1 client use my services nine times; 2 clients use my services ten times; 1 client use my services eleven times; and 1 client use my services thirteen times!

If you need professional real estate assistance, please give me a call at (805) 565-4896 All calls are confidential.

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

11

HEADING TO THE HILL? AFFORDABLE SKI AND SNOWBOARD

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.

EQUIPMENT RENTALS WITH FREE TRAVEL DAYS!

Ashley Road Bridge Reopens

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arlier this week the Ashley Road bridge reopened after being closed for more than two years following the catastrophic events of the 1/9 debris flow. This Thursday, February 13, a reopening ceremony will be held on the bridge at 10:30 am. “Each step in the recovery and rebuilding process is a reason to celebrate,” said Lael Wageneck with the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department.

The bridge, located between Sycamore Canyon Road and East Mountain Drive, was one of several Montecito bridges damaged or destroyed in the debris flow; the bridge was demolished in June 2018, and a temporary bridge was constructed for emergency vehicles until construction on a permanent bridge commenced in August 2019.

The original bridge was built in 1918, and during the debris flow, the creek channel was inundated by

debris that came from the Thomas Fire burn area. It is estimated that the debris went 14 feet over the Cold Spring Basin, which the County is seeking to expand from 1.5 acres to 2.4 acres to increase its capability.

During the debris flow, the bridge’s stone railings were demolished and washed away downstream, and the spandrel wall along the right side of the arch was significantly damaged. Sections of the abutments had also broken away and washed downstream. “You couldn’t even tell that there was once a bridge here,” Wageneck said during a recent visit to the site. The debris that demolished the bridge would continue down Cold Spring Creek, eventually merging with Montecito Creek downstream and demolishing the bridge as well as several homes near Parra Grande on East Valley Road.

VILLAGE BEAT Page 324

FOR SALE 1027 State St, Santa Barbara

Coast 2 Coast Collection A

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

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TURN-KEY RESTAURANT Prominent restaurant building with all FF&E in the heart of downtown.

Vaulted ceilings with skylights, brand-new HVAC and roof (installed in 2019), and a heated patio on State Street. High-visibility frontage and signage to pedestrian traffic.

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12 MONTECITO JOURNAL

“My friends tell me I have an intimacy problem. But they don’t really know me.” — Garry Shandling

13 – 20 February 2020

Ne w L i s t i n g. . .

2049 Boundary Drive • Birnam Wood, Montecito • Offered at $6,275,000

Newer Construction • Impeccable Design • Birnam Wood Conveniences 4 Bed, 4.5 Bath Residence • Single Level • Completed in 2019 • Designed by Michael L. Hurst• Incredible Scale & Attention to Detail

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Sprawling Veranda w/ Fireplace • Fairway, Ocean & Island Views • Approximately 0.91-Acre • Moments to Montecito’s Upper Village

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Agent

in Santa Barbara MLS*

©2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. CalDRE 00968247. * Individual Agent By Sales Volume in 2019 for Santa Barbara MLS.

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

13

MEET THE TEACHER

by Sigrid Toye, Ph.D. Ms Toye is a former L.A. Unified School District teacher and has worked as an educational-behavior therapist in private practice since 1979.

Amy Alzina: Cold Spring School

Fifth graders working on their Ukulele Adventure project

Cold Spring School’s Sara Di’ Saldo (music and drama), Dr. Jean Gradias (steam teacher), and Amber O’Neill (art teacher)

C

ontaining myself from shameless bragging about the outstanding schools in our community is something that is extremely difficult to do! I’ve had the good fortune to visit quite a few of them over the last few years – from preschool to high school – and there’s never been a moment where I haven’t been

14 MONTECITO JOURNAL

impressed, in fact awed, at the excellent educational opportunities the children and young people are offered in the Santa Barbara area. Each school has its own individual approach, character, and philosophy but what they all have in common is excellence in education and teachers that truly care.

So far my pride has been appropriate

for an objective columnist but if my pride spills over just a tad this time, I hope you’ll understand.

It came to my attention that one of our local schools nestled in the Montecito foothills has been chosen as one of the top elementary schools in the state of California. On January 7, 2020 the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, announced that Cold Spring School was selected for the California Exemplary Arts Education Award. To be recognized as an Exemplary Arts Awardee the school must offer access to the arts and STEAM (ScienceTechnology-Engineering-Art-Math) with instruction to all students in a minimum of three of the five arts disciplines: Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts. The schools recognized this year represent a broad cross-section of educational models that serve a diverse demographic of varying sizes across the State of California.

But there’s more to tell! The California Department of Education made its determination based on Cold Spring student scores from the 201819 school year – from September 2018 to June 2019 – an academic year that began just months after the devastating dual disasters that impacted the entire community of Montecito.

Think about that! Beginning with the Thomas Fire that inundated the South Coast with unbreathable air, voluntary and mandatory evacuations, the uncontrolled flames approached the hills of Montecito accompanied by 70-mile an hour gusts of wind. The advent of the resulting flames closed Cold Spring School for two weeks ahead of the winter break, a welcome but too short hiatus from Mother Nature’s wrath.

Tragedy struck once again however, days after the children returned to school. The great “every 200 years rainstorm” and the massive mud tsunami of January 9, 2018 decimated and isolated the entire area. The Montecito

“Honesty is the key to a relationship. If you can fake that, you’re in.” — Richard Jeni

Amy Alzina, Superintendent of Cold Spring School District

community was devastated as hundreds of homes were lost along with friends and loved ones swept away in the great wall of mud. The debris flow touched Cold Spring School in a deeply personal way. Amy Alzina, Superintendent of Cold Spring School District recalls, “The single worst moment for me was when I discovered that two of our students, a kindergartner and a 6th grader, had been carried away. It was hard for me to get my mind around that.” Little Pasta Sutthithepa, the kindergartner who lost his life during those dark hours, continues to be in the hearts and minds of everyone at the school.

The Exemplary Arts Education Award for which Cold Spring School is presently honored is an exemplary achievement considering the challenging school year of 2018-19 in the months following the disaster at a time when Montecito was still recovering. Residents who lived through these tragic days can appreciate how difficult it is to cope after a weather event as monumental as this one: imagine then, the task of not only completing a year marred by evacu-

TEACHER Page 204 13 – 20 February 2020

MICHELE W

MICHELE WHITE

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13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

15

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13 – 20 February 2020

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

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

17

MISCELLANY (Continued from page 6)

Brander and Michelle Higgins, David Lacey, Michael and Roxy Lawler, Scott and Christine Smigel, Brendon Twigden, Edie Caldwell, Robert and Amy Lewis, Michael and Roberta Griffin, and Thiep Cung.

Author Susan Wakeford Angard debuts first book in her trilogy

Bob Lally, SBCS conductor JoAnne Wasserman, Phillip of Via Maestra 42, Ross Williams, and Karen Decker (photo by Priscilla)

John and Eleanor Lynn, Barbara Burger, and Marylove Thralls at the Santa Barbara Choral Society event (photo by Priscilla)

The principal character is a daredevil film director, who having lost everything meaningful in life, moves to Iran to shoot a Boeing Super Bowl commercial, meeting a world-renowned photographer, torn between his Persian and British heritage.

The couple become embroiled with SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police, which threatens her project, her romance and her life.

The second book in the trilogy The Persian Glories is scheduled for publication in June and, as for the final part, Below the Crescent Moon, Susan, who resides in Encino Hills, says: “Lord knows!”

Super Party Animal activist Gretchen Lieff and fiancé Miles Hartfeld opened the doors of their charming Arcady home for a Super Bowl LIV bash.

As guests noshed on comestibles by caterer Elena Wagner, Miles mixed lemon drop martinis as the Kansas City Chiefs clobbered the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Miami on a Fox TV show watched by 99.9 million viewers.

As usual, the creative commercials, which were reportedly selling for $10 million for a 60-second slot, were major talking points, not the mention the highly risqué half time show from Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, with some critics describing it as “pornographic.”

Among the sports fans were Fred

Double Treble The Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project, which launched with pianist Alessio Bax and violinist Benjamin Beilman last month, had the second performance of its triple feature with pianist Louis Schwizgebel at the weekend.

The Swiss keyboardist was accompanied by violinists Beilman and Ida Kavafian – a teacher at the Curtis Institute –, cellist Clive Greensmith – a veteran member of the Tokyo String Quartet –, and violist Heiichiro Ohyama, former maestro of the now defunct Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra.

The quintet participated in an entertaining program with Beethoven’s quartet for piano and string in E-flat major, Prokofiev’s sonata for two violins in C major, and Brahms’ quartet for piano and strings no. 1 in G minor.

It is planned to make the event an annual festival.

Bravo to that...

MISCELLANY Page 344

Pianist Louis Schwizgebel impresses (photo by Marco-Borggreve)

(Sitting) Linda Shobe, Peter Brill, Mikki Lally, and Cathy Binger with (standing) Tom Holehouse, hosts Allyson and Todd Aldrich, and Louise Lindberg (photo by Priscilla)

Tapestry at Trinity Episcopal Church on March 21-22 featuring songs from the Renaissance to more contemporary works, including spirituals.

Lion’s Share Former Los Angeles TV commercial producer Susan Wakeford Angard threw a bijou bash at Tecolote, the lively literary lair in the upper village,

18 MONTECITO JOURNAL

to celebrate her first book On Wings of a Lion, The Persian Glories Saga, part of a trilogy set in the days of the Shah of Iran’s deposition in 1978.

Susan, an eyewitness to the Islamic Revolution, describes it as a “sweeping historical epic with a twist of romance and the pacing of a thriller.”

It took her three and a half years to write.

Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfeld host Super Bowl LIV bash (photo by Priscilla)

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13 – 20 February 2020

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Agent

in Santa Barbara MLS*

©2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. CalDRE 00968247. * Individual Agent By Sales Volume in 2019 for Santa Barbara MLS.

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

19

TEACHER (Continued from page 26)

The Ukulele Adventure is a STEAM-based project

A Cold Spring School student proudly holds up her ukulele

ations and chaos but opening school in the Fall of 2018 in the aftermath of these disasters. Miraculously, however, together with grit and determination, not only did Cold Spring School survive … it thrived! Placing this achievement in its proper context gives this well-deserved award an even deeper meaning than just academic success – it’s a testament to determination and survival. The students, faculty, parents, and members of the Cold Spring community pulled together to make this happen despite the challenges they faced. A pretty awesome accomplishment, wouldn’t you agree?

Amy Alzina and her dedicated staff take pride in the achievements of their students that earned Cold Spring School the California Exemplary Arts Education Award. “I’m so proud of our team and our students to make this happen,” proclaims Alzina. “Our school is fully committed to academic excellence with STEAM in our curriculum from kindergarten to 6th grade.”

An example of one of these experientially based learning programs is the 5th grade STEAM project, the Ukulele Adventure, that integrates the concepts of math with science, engineering, technology and art. It requires the children to begin the project by

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using math, the x/y coordinates in this case, to create a design. After reviewing a ukulele’s parts and functions, the 5th graders graph design patterns of their own using x/y coordinates which they input into a software program. Revising and improving their designs is complex work and is followed by the use of Adobe Illustrator to further customize their ukuleles with artwork, sound holes, and meaningful quotations. The final steps include the actual assembly of the ukulele: gluing, sanding, painting stringing, and tuning their customized instruments. “The 5th grade ukulele adventure is our most integrated and ambitious project based learning endeavor yet,” notes Alzina, “making this one of the most technically challenging design projects and also the most complex we have taken on to date.”

Being the exceptional hands-on program that it is, implementing the STEAM requirements involves a great

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deal of teacher integration, coordination, and time requiring strong collaboration and trust amongst all Art, Music, Classroom and STEAM teachers. All teachers have to be willing to look at their student data honestly to identify critical areas of growth around the essential standards. Once identified they have the freedom to be innovative and creative around a specific project for their students to build or create. It’s the finest example of project based learning because all teachers are working in collaboration toward a common project.

There is to me, no other choice but to indulge in just a little bit of bragging having the good fortune to live in an area where the schools are as excellent as Cold Spring School. I congratulate the students, faculty, and parents on the exemplary achievement. Thanks especially to Superintendent Amy Alzina for your leadership during the difficult time. Congratulations to you all!

•MJ

Design/Production Trent Watanabe Published by Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC PRINTED BY NPCP INC., SANTA BARBARA, CA Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA 93108.

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13 – 20 February 2020

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

21

Jerry Meandering

by Jerold Oshinsky A Partner with Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, Jerold Oshinsky has more than 35 years of experience litigating insurance cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. Chambers USA consistently has designated him as the only lawyer to be accorded “Star” ranking in its national insurance category. Jerry has been a resident of Montecito for 14 years.

Homeowner’s Coverage Issues

M

any of us living here in Montecito have confronted actual or potential risk of loss to our homes in the last several years from the massive fires and mudslides that attacked our community. A question, critical to our economic well-being, is whether our homeowner’s insurance protects us against such calamities. We would hope that the answer would be an unequivocal yes, but the actual answer is not so clear and may depend on which policy you purchased. This is not a case of one size fits all. The insurance policies are not uniform, and I will provide some guidance here to help you understand what you have purchased or should purchase in the future.

My New Homeowner’s Policy

You have just been sold a new Homeowner’s Policy from “your agent” without realizing that the agent always officially represents the Insurance Company, even though the agent may be your friend. And you just received in the mail 125 pages of apparent Insurance Coverage gibberish. Now what? The first point is to recognize that one half of the policy buys coverage for damage to your property.

That will be our focus today. The second half of the policy covers claims against you for personal liability. That will be the subject of a future article.

Here are some of the key Insurance Coverage issues that warrant your attention: 1. Dwelling 2. Replacement Cost/Extended Replacement Cost 3. Other Structures 4. Additional Living Expense/Loss of Use 5. Contents/Personal Property 6. Code Upgrades 7. Miscellaneous Issues

Dwelling

All Homeowner’s policies contain policy language that effectively provides coverage for direct physical loss or damage to your home caused by a covered cause of loss unless excluded or limited. Fire is a typical covered cause of loss, but ironically, mudslide damage is excluded from standard form Homeowner’s policies. So how do we obtain insurance coverage for the damage caused by mudslides? The answer is that the mudslides would not have happened but for the fires which burned away the protective layers and exposed the mud and boulders to the massive rainstorms that occurred on the evening of January 9, 2018. In legal terms, the fires were the proximate cause of the mudslides and the fires usually were covered by the policies. In fact, both the Insurance Commissioner and FEMA issued advisory rulings that the fires coupled with the massive rainstorms caused the mudslides and the insurance companies did not formally contest that conclusion. More recently some insurance companies have tried to limit fire coverage to $5,000. Those endorsements are being challenged in court as unlawful. Just be sure that you are not stuck with one of those endorsements when you renew your coverage.

Replacement Cost/Extended Replacement Cost

How much coverage should you purchase for your dwelling? Price is of course a factor, but for the most part, you should request replacement cost/extended replacement cost coverage. Replacement cost means how much would it cost to replace your house if it is damaged or lost, as contrasted with actual cash value which takes into account depreciation and provides much lower recovery. Since most people guess wrong when they predict what the replacement cost of their homes would be, some insurance companies offer additional coverage called extended replacement cost coverage which can provide an additional 25%, 50%, or even 100% of your coverage limit for your dwelling. I also recommend that you ask for a provision in your policy that requires your insurance company to evaluate your limits every year and advise whether they are adequate.

Other Structures

The typical Homeowner’s Policy provides coverage for Other Structures.

That coverage also could be written on a replacement cost/extended replace-

22 MONTECITO JOURNAL

ment cost basis. The classic example is a detached garage, an artist’s studio or a guest house. Sometimes the lines are not that clear. For example, if you happen to own an Astro Turf lawn, I know of one Insurance company that would treat that to be an Other Structure and not a lawn. Often the coverage for Other Structures is subject to a specific coverage limit which is often a percentage of the dwelling limit. Whether or not you want the Astro Turf lawn to be treated as an Other Structure or as a lawn will be driven by your policy limits. For example, your policy probably covers trees, plants and lawns and ironically while the coverage for trees, plants and may be limited to a dollar amount per tree or plant, coverage for the lawn may be unlimited. What is a tree might even be disputed by the Insurance Company. I had a case where the property owner had a large cactus collection that was destroyed by a windstorm. The insurance company took the fantastic position that the cacti were subject to the coverage limits of the trees. I proved that cacti were succulents and not trees and were therefore subject to the general limit of the policy which was very substantial.

Additional Living Expenses (ALE)/Loss of Use

While you have been dispossessed from your home by the fire and mudslide, you need a place to live. The Homeowner’s Insurance policy grants you the right to find a living environment that is consistent with your normal standard of living, but once again the amount of coverage can vary widely from policy to policy. At one extreme are policies which grant you Additional Living Expense with no dollar limit on the amount that you can spend. At the other extreme are policies where the living expense counts toward the policy limit. That is completely unacceptable. Another important ALE issue is the length of time ALE is available to you. Even if the Insurance Company tries to limit you to a year or two, if California has declared a State of Emergency, you can extend your ALE to a time period of no less than 36 months or more if you show substantial need.

However, these provisions do not increase the amount of ALE available to you, they just increase the time period that your ALE can be accessed.

Contents/Personal Property

This important coverage covers what you own inside your house; furniture, art, clothing, jewelry, incidentals. A typical provision measures your contents coverage as a percentage of your dwelling coverage, but it can be any number that you negotiate. The sticking point here is your inability to conduct an inventory of what you lost in a fire. Because of that practical impossibility, the Insurance Commissioner has gotten consent from virtually all of the insurers who write Insurance Coverage in Santa Barbara to waive the condition of an inventory as a prerequisite to obtaining coverage for your loss of personal property.

Code Upgrades

This is a very important consideration. Your damaged home was most likely built many years ago, and to rebuild or repair today will require that you meet current building code requirements and you should make sure that you have sufficient insurance coverage for code upgrades. Like your other coverages, the amount of code upgrade coverage is a percentage of the dwelling coverage.

Here is perhaps the most important point I want to convey to you. If you have a total loss, you are allowed by a California statute to calculate your damages, including the cost of code upgrades and use that money to build or buy elsewhere. In the words of the old Woody Allen movie, “You can take the money and run.”

Miscellaneous Issues

There are many other issues set forth in a typical Homeowner’s Policy that we could discuss today, including coverage for debris removal, inflation guard, itemized coverage for special pieces of art or jewelry that you want to cover separately and even exotic tropical fish, but for now I want to leave you with one vital issue-Statute of Limitations. Every Homeowner’s Policy provides a specific time period in which to bring a lawsuit for coverage or lose that right forever. The usual time period is one or two years from the date of loss. You cannot let that time frame expire without getting an extension or filing a lawsuit.

Conclusion

So, what is the point of telling you about this now? We have already had our fires and mudslides, but now is the time to make sure you have a complete copy of your policy and then check it against the issues I have raised here. And above all, remember that the purpose of insurance is to provide coverage and not for the Insurance Company to run for cover.

•MJ

“Love is a lot like a backache: it doesn’t show up on X-rays, but you know it’s there.” — George Burns

13 – 20 February 2020

Brilliant Thoughts

1.90

by Ashleigh Brilliant 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

Soup to Nuts

L

ife is full of beginnings and endings – and sometimes they are so memorable that we tend to forget what comes in between. For example, I could not quote you any other words of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities – but I know it begins with “It was the best of times – It was the worst of times” – and I know it ends with the hero, about to be guillotined, saying “It is a far, far, better thing I do than I have ever done. It is a far, far, better place I go to than I have ever known.”

Similarly, I must shamefully admit that the only words I can quote from Melville’s Moby Dick are its first three: “Call me Ishmael.” But I can also give you the first three words of the Bible in English (It is just one word in Hebrew): “In the beginning.”

As for last words, among my personal favorites are those of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel, Vanity Fair: “Come children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out.”

Then there is the opening line of Paul Clifford, an 1830 novel by the British writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton – which has become famous for all the wrong reasons: “It was a dark and stormy night.” Somehow this line has been mocked into a cliché, and – rather unfairly to Bulwer-Lytton – it has become celebrated as the epitome of bad writing – so much so that a “bad writing contest” has been built around it.

We have many different ways of expressing the ideas of beginning and ending. Those interested in racing think in terms of “start to finish.”

The gastronomically inclined may say “from soup to nuts.” The alphabet makes it convenient to say, “A to Z” or, if you prefer the Greek version, “Alpha to Omega.” But numbers tell a different story. You can start at One, but then, simply with the use of convenient “plus” and “minus” signs, you can go forward or backward – and, either way, there is no end in sight. “Infinity” and “Eternity” both mean literally “endlessness.”

Then, of course, there are good old Birth and Death. Depending on your Biological or Metaphysical predilections, these ideas can be hard and fast, or fast and loose, so it’s no good thinking of them, in Chess parlance, in terms of opening gambits or end-games. The truth is that, where 13 – 20 February 2020

such abstruse matters are concerned, nobody really knows what the truth is.

Let me get to safer ground, where I actually have some personal knowledge. As you may know, I have published 10,000 different epigrams – and occasionally people ask me, what was the very first one? Of course, when I wrote it, I had no idea that it was to be the first of such a lengthy series, and chose it to be number One, more or less at random, when I was publishing the first few on postcards. It is the one that says, “LET’S KEEP THE CHRIST IN CHRYSLER.” This was never a popular message, except in Detroit, where it had a certain local resonance.

The idea came to me when I happened to see a sign saying, “KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS.”

7-MONTH CD SPECIAL

But why think in terms of beginnings and endings at all? What about a circle – or even a sphere?

What impressed me was that this message was on a car (probably not a Chrysler) as a bumper-sticker. So, the very primitive illustration I drew to go with it showed it on a car, seen from the rear, with a little Santa looking out backwards from the driver’s seat.

And now I feel obliged to tell you about Number 10,000 (created some 38 years later), which actually has the same little bearded figure, though not dressed as Santa. He is sitting and waving from the top of a billboard, which has the message: “YOU ARE NOW LEAVING THE UNIVERSE – Please come again!”

But why think in terms of beginnings and endings at all? What about a circle – or even a sphere? Only too obviously, they don’t start or stop anywhere. Steven Hawking, the great physicist and cosmologist, said that wondering what preceded the beginning of time was like asking what’s north of the North Pole.

Yet our minds, which, unlike those of cosmologists, are accustomed to dealing with the finite, still like to think in terms of openings and closings, even if the distinction between them isn’t always clear. That may be one reason why, at the ENDING of our college years, we have a ceremony called COMMENCEMENT. •MJ

2/12/20

Dr. Richard Hansen

Director - Mirador Basin Project For more than 40 years, Dr. Hansen has been exploring what may be the largest archaeological site in the world, a collection of some 51 ancient Mayan cities that are located deep in the Peten forest in northern Guatemala.

Join him for an entertaining and enlightening evening exploring the wonders of El Mirador and the archaeolgical treasures it has revealed. �earn about the mysteries that remain and the e�orts to preserve this amazing site for future scholarship and exploration.

• The Voice of the Village •

Free to the Public Monday, February 17 6:30 PM

Karpeles Manuscript Library

21 West Anapamu, Santa Barbara, CA (805) 962-5322 Sponsored by BGT Experiences

MONTECITO JOURNAL

23

ON THE RECORD

Nicholas Schou

Nicholas Schou is an award-winning investigative journalist and author of several books, including Orange Sunshine and Kill the Messenger, his writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Atlantic, and other fine publications. If you have tips or stories about Montecito, please email him at newseditor@montecitojournal.net.

Let It Flow

T

he Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) was formed in 1947 with the sole purpose of collecting, treating and disposing of the community’s wastewater, but it didn’t actually come online as a completed sewage system and treatment facility until the early 1960s. Today, the MSD serves approximately 3,100 customers in Montecito, with only a scattered number of parcels still using their own septic systems. With a total of 76 miles of sewer lines, the system pumps approximately 550,000 gallons of waste per day, all of which ends up at the MSD’s treatment center at the end of a private road just south of the 101 Freeway.

Earlier this week, I took a tour of the facility, along with Woody Barrett, one of MSD’s governing board of directors, and Alex Alonzo, the plant’s operations manager. Guiding the tour was Marc Ciarlo, a Grade 5

Operator, the highest level attainable in the state of California, and Daniel Jacquez, the chief plant operator. My visit began where everything that is flushed down the drain in Montecito ultimately ends up, at MSD’s inflow pump station.

After descending two steep staircases – the pipe brings sewage into the facility a full two stories underground – we enter a small, slightly foul-smelling concrete chamber and gather over a steel grate. Several feet below us is a swift-moving river of raw sewage that has just arrived. Before the water is pumped upstairs into the treatment area, it must first pass through a channel grinder, a pair of motor-driven rotary cylinders with teeth that rip apart any trash or debris entering the facility.

Because Montecito only has a few restaurants and hotels feeding into the pipes – Coast Village Road, being

Raw sewage entering the Montecito Sanitary District, two stories underground

part of Santa Barbara, isn’t part of the system – MSD doesn’t get the same variety of waste that most cities need to treat. That said, because of Montecito’s semi-rural nature, there are always unwanted travelers in the pipes. A rake propped up in the corner is used to pluck out stubborn pieces of non-organic material.

“Large pieces of debris impact the performance of the pumps,” Ciarlo tells me. “Sometimes we get flushable wipes,” which gum up the works, he adds. “Don’t flush those.”

Unsurprisingly, MSD’s treatment facility operates on a diurnal schedule. During the night, when most people are asleep, the flow into the plant trickles to a stop. But by mid-morning, the flow begins its inexorable rise to a steady peak volume that lasts throughout the day and evening.

There are instruments to measure the rise in flow, Ciarlo says. “If it’s an inch above the target set point, it sends a message for the motor to speed up.”

ON THE RECORD Page 454

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• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

25

LETTERS (Continued from page 8)

all the issues and conflicts that arise in a diverse community and at the same time get things done that impact the District positively.

Please visit’s Steve’s Website, https://stevebennettforassembly. com/ to learn more about him or find him on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/Bennettforassembly/.

Julia Springer Former MUS Board of Trustees, Trustee Former 30-year Montecito Resident

Jason Dominguez for Assembly

Please consider casting your vote for Jason Dominguez for Assembly. He is an independent voice and supports the community interests, not special interests. Dominguez has a track record on the City Council of Santa Barbara.

He fought to keep over-development from taking place. He banned smoking on State Street and in parks and beaches. He kept the water flowing during the worst drought in history.

Finally, as finance chair, he returned a multi-million-dollar budget surplus.

Dominguez will hold the line on taxes, hold people accountable, and lead with integrity. Dominguez had a fullfledged career before turning to politics. He is a Stanford and Berkeley educated teacher turned attorney who worked as a local prosecutor than a war crimes prosecutor in Africa and Europe. For more information, please check out his website at jasondominguez.org.

Lucy Hayden Santa Barbara

Who Knew?

Like most, I was a neophyte when it came to local politics. While I had a

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26 MONTECITO JOURNAL

bit of experience at the national level, I was clueless concerning how the “Machine” worked locally. Well, I’m here to report that the Machine is alive and well in Santa Barbara County.

Allow me to explain: In District 1, our Supervisor filed his Campaign Contribution Statement on January 23, for the period January 1 – January 18. Remember, being a party endorsed incumbent matters. Why you might ask? Because with incumbent power comes the right to influence salaries and pensions for many of our hard working County employees, including: our Deputies, DA Investigators and Firefighters. Folks whose work I truly admire!

Anyway, in 18 short days our Supervisor raised nearly $54k in contributions – approximately 43% coming from unions. SEIU Local 620 and our Deputy Sheriff’s Association each gave $10k and last year our Fire Fighters gave $25k. Understand, both of these agencies endorsed the incumbent before Capps officially entered the race – now that’s what I call a “Machine.”

Concerning elections themselves, SB is wrongly different. Unlike S.F. ($500), Ventura ($750) and L.A. ($1,500), our banana republic (where influence knows no bounds) has no such individual limitations. This is just fine for the incumbent but not for his fair-minded, honesty-first, challenger.

And, how about the obvious need for an Ethics Commission. We continue to live through a Cannabis-controlled era where accusations and suspicions abound. Believe you me, the need to preserve and foster the public trust is needed here more than anywhere on the planet – campaign financing, government ethics and lobbying all need reform. Capps, of course, sees the need for change. Our incumbent, who seems more focused on the 90 or so Cannabis growers and not the 450,000 other county residents, well…

In the end, please don’t believe that our local races are all that fair. Our candidates can speak about national issues (e.g. Citizens United) but when it comes to the cash they grab it – whether it’s from unions, special interests, corporations or individuals and if they don’t dark money Political Action Committees begin to spring-up to replenish the swamp. It’s already happening!

When much of your funding comes from unions and special interests, you can afford Christmas cards, New Year’s cards, frequent direct mail, digital ads, and heavy TV. I’m only sorry my birthday isn’t before March as I’m half expecting voter-gifts. I really do love election years! All this funding means your challenger becomes hugely outgunned, the quintessential underdog. We have come to expect

this at the National level but when our Supervisor races become million-dollar affairs, something is seriously wrong!

But hey, this is America and if we don’t make a change in March and November we can all expect more of the same. Whether you’re in a union or not vote your conscience and know the “Machine” is real. Go Capps!

Jeff Giordano SB County Resident

Laura for Leadership

In the midst of the political and cultural angst that permeates our times, Laura Capps represents the best that is in all of us.

Outraged by the transactional nature of politics she has witnessed in the first district, she was moved to take on Das Williams for 1st Supervisor.

Laura listens intently, because she cares deeply. She has the mind of a researcher who digs deep to find answers and seeks collaboration with experts to develop solutions to difficult issues.

We need smart. Here are two perfect examples.

First, for years Laura has been a core member of a team of 150 community leaders around the country who look to each other to better understand how to deal with a variety of issues including: homelessness, climate change, affordable housing, poverty, education. We need her leadership, informed by this experienced perspective.

Second, when faced with seemingly intractable problems in her position on the School Board, Laura looks beyond the obvious, finding solutions in other districts that are having success, then taking those learnings, and applying them here.

Laura is resourceful, visionary, inspiring, and dedicated to our community.

She will not stop at “no” to the many obstacles that our bureaucracy can throw at her/us.

I am for Laura Capps.

Bobby Shand Montecito

No Thanks

I could never vote for Andy Caldwell. It’s that on his radio show he doesn’t take all comers. All the phone callers are scripted. When Socialism is the topic, Venezuela is to be the example of Socialism, not any of the top producing Socialist countries.

In discussing the Plains All-American oil spill Caldwell mentions an idea of giving oil companies a pass on killing dolphins. His identity is crowned with a bloody “Judeo-Christian” war against anything East of the Jordan River where no country is to have sovereignty against foreign intrusion. No

“If you can stay in love for more than two years, you’re on something.” — Fran Lebowit

thanks to Andy. Get serious.

Matt McLaughlin Santa Barbara

Renters’ Burden

It may seem harmless to vote for Proposition 13 until you realize this property tax on apartment buildings will be passed onto renters. If passed it will be a burden on low income earners. Please vote No on Prop 13, a regressive tax.

Peter Hunt Former Montecito resident

Lost and Found

This photo was found on Alisos Drive. If you recognize these individuals, please email letters@ montecitojournal.net so it can be returned to its owners.

A wonderful neighbor and Montecito Association member brought this photo in to our office. He found it on his property up on Alisos Drive. We hope you can help us connect with its rightful owner.

Kind regards, Sharon Byrne Montecito Association

Santa Barbara’s Dirty Little Secret

Discrimination being practiced, right in front of everyone and all the tourists that comes to Santa Barbara, every Sunday for the last 50 years, at the Arts and Crafts Show on Cabrillo Boulevard, where a handful of photographers and artists, with the city’s blessing, prevent the craftspeople from setting up around the pier on Sundays.

Everyone knows that the area around the pier is where most of the tourists that come to Santa Barbara congregate, what with the parking, restaurants, skate park, bike rentals and the “Funk Zone.”

Even though there are many 13 – 20 February 2020

more craftspeople than photographers and artists, they still refuse to permit the craftspeople to set up around the pier area claiming, “they cannot sell expensive art next to cheap crafts.”

Is their fear any rational reason to hold the rest of Santa Barbara hostage to “arbitrary discrimination”? I say no. What say you, Santa Barbara?

How long must we endure this black mark on our beautiful city?

The city fathers should be embarrassed and ashamed to allow this to continue one more day, when someone could easily end this illegal “arbitrary discrimination” immediately, by simply ordering the removal of the word, ‘section’, from the rules.

No more sections. No more discrimination. One show. One list.

Jim Koorey Member of Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show starting in 1970

Prop. 13?

Once again the Dems are out to tax Californians. AG Becerra got a major property tax on the ballot for 2020.

It is an attempt to raise our property taxes and repeal Prop. 13. It is misleading and under the radar. Instead of presented as the repeal of Prop 13, it is relabeled “Education and Local Funding.” Unlike the original taxpayer protection of 1978, this year’s Prop 13 will put taxpayers on the hook for $27 billion. “The politicians plan to borrow $15 billion from Wall Street and then make taxpayers pay it back plus 80% in total interest. (Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association) Why don’t they spend the state’s $21 billion surplus on upgrading school facilities and providing higher education?

Then too, a hidden provision of this proposition will encourage local school districts to increase their borrowing by more than 60%. Local school debt is paid back with higher property taxes. (Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association) On March 3rd, vote NO on this Prop. 13 ballot.

Fool me once, your fault. Fool me twice, my fault.

Diana Thorn Carpinteria

Das’ Basin Vote

Das Williams’ rhetoric on his post1/9 efforts should be considered in light of one inconvenient fact: on June 6, 2017 he introduced the motion and voted to remove five flood control basins including Cold Spring and San Ysidro (Agenda A-16, File 17-00421).

Fortunately, the County did not implement his vote before 1/9 so one can only imagine the increased destruction had it. Facts over rhetoric. I won’t trust our community’s safety to his 13 – 20 February 2020

flawed judgment and will vote for Laura Capps.

David Green Montecito

Life Long Learning

I just finished reading your article “Lessons in Life Long Learning,” I like your writing; easy to read, funny but with a serious message. Learning is the space of life and a good way to live many interesting and long years.

Retirement can be lethal, but also, if well managed, it is the time to give new vitality to our brain cells. It opens the opportunity to be relevant, important and healthy.

I know that when time came to hang my professor’s gown up and face thousands of hours, days and years without any idea how it will be without important professional duties and a serious schedule. I decided to teach Spanish to adults in very small groups or in one on one sessions.

My salvation! I am 91 years old and still teaching five days a week. My health is fine and I look forward to go to my office every day for thirty years.

To your point. I see how older people begin learning a skill, a language, and how it gives them new energy and spikes their sense of curiosity and discovery.

Thank you, Ernie. Your words were very meaningful.

Alonso Benavides

Confidential Voter Status

On page 22, the Official California 2020 Voter Guide states “...Certain voters... may qualify for confidential voter status if they are active members of the Safe at Home Program...” https://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2020/ primary/pdf/voter-info.pdf Is voter privacy a privilege granted by bureaucrats? Why shouldn’t all voters automatically be given “confidential voter status”?

On same page, it’s stated that “Voter info may be provided to a candidate for office, a ballot measure committee or other person for election, scholarly, journalistic, political or governmental purpose as determined by the Secretary of State, driver license and social security numbers, or your signature, as shone on your voter registration card, cannot be released for these purposes.”

Is it possible that someone could become a “candidate” or falsely claim journalistic/scholarly privilege in order to obtain opposition research for some nefarious purpose? Granted, most politicians are fine, upstanding and uncorruptible citizens, but if only 1/1024th of them abuse access to voter information, shouldn’t ALL politicians be punished or restricted?

I know that it’s nearly impossible,

A Village Voice

by Dana Newquist

Down Our Drain?

N

ot many people pay much attention to the Montecito Sanitary District.

Neither did I. When solicited by the Water Security Team, I learned how change in the MSD direction was needed for several vital reasons. So, I became a candidate.

Woody Barrett and I were voted by you, our community, in as directors, thank you!

Our main inspiration in running was to be a “team” of directors and help Water District to recycle our waste water as part of building a sustainable water portfolio.

Droughts have happened, and will happen again. We need to prepare!

Instead, where are we after a year of solidly trying to serve our community on the MSD board?

1. A vote of 3-2 (Barrett & Newquist against) for a building at the cost of $6,000,000 of rate payer money. This money, your money, could be used for many more worthwhile purposes, especially recycled water.

MSD staff then contended that no permits were needed for approval. The County disagreed. The “Essential Services Building” that isn’t for essential services will be going before the Montecito Planning Commission for the Coastal Development Permit. Your opinion will count on this decision.

2. I am a member of the Public Outreach Committee with Tom Bollay. In a recent meeting, Diane Gabriel, the Sanitary District Manager, made a request for approval to hire a Public Relation Firm (Davis Public Affairs) to the tune of $100,000 annually. I submitted that the board would not approve. The request was changed to $50,000. On a vote of the Board held on 1-15-2020 of which I was absent, the $50,000 was approved with a nay vote from Director Barrett.

My question is how on earth would any Sanitary District, particularly one this small, justify this level of expense for publicity?

3. At the recent Montecito Journal hosted debate held at Hahn Hall, Supervisor Das Williams told the audience that he would be in favor of the consolidation of the Sanitary and Water Districts. For the public good, this may be a good idea.

The opinions stated above are from a concerned community member.

Montecito is very special; let’s keep it that way!

•MJ

Laughing Matters

No Strings Attached

A

piece of String walks into a bar and says to the bartender: “I’d like a vodka and tonic, please.”

For some unknown reason, the bartender takes a long hard look at the String and then, with a level of hostility that surprises the String and the surrounding customers the bartender says: “Sorry, we don’t serve String here!”

Dejected and humiliated, the String walks out of the bar and sits by himself outside on the curb. After a few minutes, and a rousing pep-talk from himself, the String decides he’s better than that. So the String stands up, lights himself on fire, shreds himself apart and then, with all of the self respect he can muster, marches back into the bar and up to the bartender.

“I said I’d like a vodka tonic, please!” The string announces with a newfound level of confidence.

“Hey,” says the Bartender, “aren’t you the piece of string I just threw out of here?”

The String looks the bartender straight in the eye and declares: “I’m a frayed knot!”

Send us your best joke, we’ll decide if it’s funny. We can only print what we can print, so don’t blame us. Please send “jokes” to letters@ montecitojournal.net hardly-ever-happens, one-in-a-billion chance and totally-unjustifiable-paranoia to think that CDL’s, SSAN’s and signatures could be “leaked,” stolen or accidentally hacked. Bank, medical and businesses data is constantly being bought and sold on the black market and even the Pentagon has

• The Voice of the Village •

been hacked.

Why should we believe that personal 2020 voter registration and census information is safe and secure?

What could possibly go wrong?

Dale Lowdermilk Founder NOTSAFE(dot)ORG Santa Barbara, CA •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL

27

Spirituality Matters

by Steven Libowitz “Spirituality Matters” highlights two or three Santa Barbara area spiritual gatherings. Unusual themes and events with that something extra, especially newer ones looking for a boost in attendance, receive special attention. For consideration for inclusion in this column, email slibowitz@yahoo.com.

Slipping into Silence at Sunburst

O

ver the last few years, the Dive into Silence weekend retreat at Sunburst Sanctuary has provided respite for all sorts of seekers, including at least one Montecito resident who wanted to find some solace after all the nervous-system challenges of the Thomas Fire and debris flows in the winter of 2017-18.

Others have attended as a way to find ways to make big changes in health, increase self-discovery, and/or alter one’s outlook on life. But you don’t need to be desiring anything other than whatever experiences occur in silence, discovering for yourself the joy and opportunity of quietness at a powerful group retreat.

Attendees at this year’s Dive into Silence event – slated for February 20-23 at Sunburst’s Lompoc sanctuary – will have the chance to learn and experience powerful practices that might leave you feeling aware and present, including guided walking and sitting meditations, chanting, contemplation through the use of mandalas, sacred music and yoga and other guided movement. But the greatest gift, at least on my retreat back in February 2018, was the opportunity to be with what arises – or, more accurately, falls away – when nobody’s talking.

That’s why plenty of unstructured time is built into the schedule where participants can be by themselves in any of Sunburst’s community spaces that include a spacious modern version of a rustic lodge, a meditation temple and a chapel, or wandering around the sanctuary’s magnificent 4,000-acre space that include rolling oak-dotted hills, meadows, hiking trails, and lots of wildlife. Nourishing

meals prepared by the staff are served three times a day (mindful eating as shaped by Thich Nhat Hanh was one of the highlights for me – who knew oatmeal could be such a fulfilling experience?) while guests will also be able to take home practical tools for creating a wider, calmer expression of life back home.

All meals, programs and activities are included in the sliding scale donation of $175 to $300, and onsite lodging and camping options are available for an additional donation ranging from cabins ($20/night per person, if sharing) to tent or vehicle for camping ($15/night), or you are welcome to commute from home or a hotel. Call (805) 736-6528 for more information or to make a reservation, email con tactus@sunburst.org, or visit https:// sunburst.org/silence.

Moments to Meditate

If a weekend seems like too big of a commitment, by the way, visitors are always welcome at Sunburst’s weekly meditation that take place every Sunday morning at the sanctuary that exists as a community of practice dedicated to personal and planetary awakening. No experience necessary, and beginners are welcome. You don’t have to do anything specific, or do it “right” – just come experiment with observing your mind without judgment or anxiety. The gathering begins at 10:30 am with live, spirit-filled music followed by a short, insightful talk and then a quiet meditation period, after which everyone is invited to the home-cooked, vegetarian brunch at the lodge across the way. Upcoming topics include

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28 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Find Joy Within (February 16), Keys to Inner Peace (February 23), Faith’s Many Facets (March 1), The Value of Spiritual Goals (March 8), Creating Positive Habits (March 15), Becoming a Divine Instrument (March 22), and Developing Intuition (March 29).

Pranayama Practice

White Lotus Yoga Center hosts its second weekend event of the year, a respiratory relief retreat called The Pranayama Conspiracy. The heart centered yoga retreat weekend workshop taking place February 14-16 is all about consciously honoring breath, which enlightened yogis have practiced and perfected for centuries. Co-leaders Ganga White and Tracey Rich will show participants how to fully utilize your respiratory system with proper breathing techniques, ways to experience the complete breath, bandhas and breath, breathing to balance energy, reduce stress and/or recharge, Pranayama for health, spiritual development and psychic sensitivity, how breath effects and balances the emotional body, the relationship between breath and meditation, and more.

White, the founder of the White Lotus Foundation who counts more than 50 years of experience, has been called one of the “architects of American yoga” by the Yoga Journal for contributions serving as one of the early developers of Flow Yoga, creator of Partner Yoga in the 1970s, and co-creator with his wife, Tracey Rich, of the No. 1 internationally best-selling Total Yoga videos with sales over 1.8 million copies. Rich is also a director of the White Lotus Foundation who worked on the design and development of the Santa Barbara Retreat Center since its inception in 1983.

Asana classes and magnificent vegan or vegetarian meals will also sustain the weekend retreat, dubbed a “conspiracy” for the breathing definition of the word. All levels are welcome.

Admission is by a $700 donation. Call 805-964-1944 or visit www.whitelotus. org/sacred-breath-yoga-retreat-regis tration.

Soup Snags Weininger

Popular Santa Barbara meditation teacher Radhule Weininger found herself needing to arrange for a new location for her weekly downtown gatherings after her longtime location at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum was unable to continue to host. After a short stint at the Museum of Contemporary Art at Paseo Nuevo, Weininger’s weekly meditation night has found a new permanent home at Yoga Soup, although the night will change from Tuesdays to Wednesdays.

Weininger, who was also the resident teacher of mindfulness practice at the La Casa de Maria Retreat Center

“There are only three things women need in life: food, water, and compliments.” — Chris Rock

for 17 years before the January 9, 2018, debris flows obliterated the space, will offer “Heartwork: Living Life Fully with Mindfulness and Compassion,” based on her recent book of the same name, every Wednesday from 7-8:30 pm beginning February 19. A 20-minute dharma (inspirational and instructive) talk will be followed by 25 minutes of mindfulness practice and a 15-minute compassion meditation and a brief discussion. At times the structure will vary, perhaps with visiting guest speakers or aligning compassion meditations with music. Beginners and experienced students are welcome to attend the gatherings which are being offered on a donation basis, as they are elsewhere (Mondays at 6 pm St. Michael’s Church in Isla Vista with Weininger, and Thursdays at 2 pm the Sacred Space in Summerland led by Juliet Rohde-Brown, PhD).

More Cups of Soup

Concurrently, Yoga Soup’s Empowered Presence with Kiaora Fox moves from Wednesdays to Thursday evenings, when Fox’s 5Rhythms practice offers direction to explore your edges, grow your movement vocabulary, break up your habits and create new found freedoms and fuller breath. Also new at Yoga Soup, an ongoing Sunday Night CommUNITY Class, a donation-based, open-to-all exploration of the mind, body and spirit, led by Alisa Deen 7:15-8 pm every Sunday, and weekly Silent Tea Ceremonies from 8-9 am on Fridays and 7:30-8:30 am Mondays (starting February 24), when Lizzie Smith hosts time to sit in reverent silence and connect to nature, ourselves and one another through Tea Medicine.

Meanwhile, Yoga Soup is also set to celebrate its 14th anniversary with international kirtan superstar Dave Stringer & Friends plus a party on Saturday, February 15. The festive evening gathering begins in the studio’s “living room” space with sharing nourishing refreshments and special beverages before moving into the adjacent big studio to lift voices and hearts – and move the body – to the sounds and spiritual seduction of calland-response singing by Stringer, a Grammy-nominated producer, singer-songwriter and innovative modern Kirtan artist. Soup and simple delights follow. Admission is $20 in advance, $25 day of. Also on tap this week at the studio: another Floating Sound Bath with Shane Thunder at 7:30 pm on Sunday, February 16 ($25/$30) and the launching of InCourage Chorus 13-week spring season, slated for Monday evenings 7-8:30 pm, beginning February 17. Yoga Soup is located at 28 Parker Way off lower State St. Call (805) 965-8811 or visit www. yogasoup.com/category/events •MJ 13 – 20 February 2020

Library Mojo

,

by Kim Crail

Kim is the Branch Lead of the Montecito Library. Questions or comments?

Contact her: kcrail@santabarbaraca.gov

Library Learners: They’re just like us!

T

he library scene is thriving these days. Here are a few examples of the groups that are breezing through on a daily basis: Babies, toddlers, and school-age kids love the library, from rolling up (literally) in strollers to attending Preschool Storytime with their doting caregivers. The older kids stun us with their independence, hunger for knowledge and learning. The youngsters in Montecito are impressive for their charm, manners and multiple intelligences. Staff are always excited to see them, research their new interests and help them along their road to reading and civic life.

Technology users in general take full advantage of our open wifi, public computers and loanable internet hotspots. More and more people have their own devices and are looking for places to plug in and take care of business. There is increasing interest in download and streaming options as well and staff provide individual instruction as needed.

Our book and audiobook lovers are our bread and butter. Nonfiction readers attack magazines, books and newspapers (we have the Wall Street Journal again!) with wild abandon, possibly knowing everything. Our fiction readers delight in the pure joy of reading and walking in another’s shoes. They slay their favorite authors’ works, building empathy and social skills.

Thrillers, mysteries, romance, science fiction, westerns, dystopian – the sky’s the limit!

Maybe you see yourself in one or more of these categories or break the mold completely.

Native American Storytelling

Thursday, February 20 at 4 pm, we are hosting a presentation by Chumash and Tataviam Elder and proud California Native American Alan Salazar. Learn about traditional paddling of tomol (canoes) and more about tribal history and culture.

Salazar has been a preschool teacher, juvenile institutions officer, Native American consultant/monitor, spiritual advisor and member of the California Indian Advisory Council for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. He uses traditional storytelling to teach stu13 – 20 February 2020

dents of all ages.

Please join us for this unique opportunity for both kids and adults.

reif conducts

Montecito Library Book Club

tchaikovsky & mozart february 15 + 16 | 2020 Christian Reif, C O N D U C T O R Thomas Mesa, C E L L O Michael Gilbertson: Graffiti: Concerto for Chamber Orchestra Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations, Op. 33 Mozart: Overture to La Clemenza di Tito, K.621 Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K.543 German-born, wunderkind conductor Christian Reif joins the Symphony after completing a three-year post as Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony.

Our discussion of Normal People by Sally Rooney last Saturday had no shortage of topics to unpack. Attendee Chris noted how well the book “exemplified the complexities of relationships between young adults” and Pat Musarra noted that it was a good study of “the growth of the two main characters and how they matured” over the arc of the novel.

Our March selection is The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason led by Janet.

This 2018 historical novel, set in World War I Vienna, tells the story of a young medical student facing the grim realities of a war hospital. We hope that you can read the book and join us to discuss it at our next meeting on Saturday, March 14 at 11 am.

Reif will lead the orchestra through Michael Gilbertson’s Graffiti, followed by Tchaikovsky’s stunningly brilliant Variations on a Rococo Theme performed by charismatic cellist Thomas Mesa.

Reif and the orchestra return for a final set featuring the fresh elegance of Mozart’s Overture to La Clemenza di Tito and the timeless, captivating Symphony No. 39.

Concert Sponsors: Dan & Meg Burnham | Corporate Sponsor: Mission Audio/Video

upcoming concerts... an american in paris march 21 + 22, 2020 Constantine Kitsopoulos,

CONDUCTOR

carpenter conducts poulenc & saint-saëns april 18 + 19, 2020

Upcoming Special Events

Nir Kabaretti, C O N D U C T O R Cameron Carpenter, O R G A N

An Afternoon of Native American Storytelling with Chumash/Tataviam Storyteller Alan Salazar Thursday, 2/20 at 4 pm

beethoven’s 250th birthday celebration

Poetry Club discusses the Poetry of Charles Lummis alongside Susan Orlean’s The Library Book Thursday, 3/5 at 3:30 pm

Nir Kabaretti, C O N D U C T O R Alessio Bax, P I A N O

See you at the library!

•MJ

may 16 + 17, 2020

Full list of guest artists on our website!

805-899-2222 | thesymphony.org

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

29

“The glamour of a high-flying hotel has found a natural bedfellow in the glamour of contemporary circus... It’s a stylistic match… Beautiful images and inventive acts.”

The Toronto Star

Cirque Éloize Tue, Feb 18 / 7 PM (note special time) Granada Theatre Tickets start at $25 $19 UCSB students and youth (18 & under) A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price

Corporate Sponsor:

From Brazil

Grupo Corpo Bach & Gira

Tue, Feb 25 / 8 PM / Granada Theatre Tickets start at $35 / $19 UCSB students

Thu, Feb 20 / 8 PM UCSB Campbell Hall Tickets start at $55 $19 UCSB students

Texas music legend Lyle Lovett will be joined in concert by his long-running backup band, combining his rich sound, singular gift for storytelling and wry sense of humor in an intimate acoustic performance that showcases his rich and eclectic oeuvre.

Presented through the generosity of Loren Booth

2020 Grammy Nominee for Best American Roots Song

Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal

She Remembers Everything

A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price

Wed, Mar 4 / 8 PM UCSB Campbell Hall Tickets start at $45 $15 UCSB students With an iconic sound that transcends country, pop, rock and blues, Rosanne Cash’s new album She Remembers Everything is a lush and soulful collection of songs that embraces women’s narratives and reckons with a flawed and fragile world.

Brazil’s leading contemporary dance troupe returns with a phenomenal double bill that showcases the 21-member group’s extraordinary range and delivers a dazzling celebration of Brazil in all its diversity. (Mature content.)

Presented in association with the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance

Part of the A Century of Empowerment series

Dance Series Sponsors: Annette & Dr. Richard Caleel, Margo Cohen-Feinberg & Bob Feinberg, Irma & Morrie Jurkowitz, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald

Corporate Season Sponsor:

30 MONTECITO JOURNAL

13 – 20 February 2020

Jill Lepore

This America: The Case for the Nation Fri, Feb 21 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall Tickets start at $20 / $10 all students (with valid ID) “The most prolific, nimble, and interesting writer of American history today.”

UCSB Environmental Studies Program 50th Anniversary Celebration

Bill McKibben

Our Changing Climate: A Global Movement of Reform Sat, Feb 29 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall $10 / $5 UCSB students and youth (18 & under)

The Washington Post

“One of the nation’s most important environmental activists.” The Washington Post

Harvard historian, New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author Jill Lepore offers a magisterial account of the rise of America and an urgent reckoning with our divided nation.

Bill McKibben offers a call to arms 30 years after he first set the stage with his watershed book The End of Nature.

Presented through the generosity of Meg & Dan Burnham

Presented in association with Community Environmental Council

Additional Support: Judy Wainwright & Jim Mitchell History Matters Series Sponsors: Loren Booth and Ellen & Peter O. Johnson

Part of the Forces of Nature series

Author of one of Time magazine’s All-Time 100 Best Nonfiction Books

Bestselling Author of The Uninhabitable Earth

The Body: A Guide for Occupants

Surviving the World: Making the Best of a Burdened Planet

David Wallace-Wells

Bill Bryson

Mon, Mar 2 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre Tickets start at $25 / $15 UCSB students

Thu, Mar 5 / 7:30 PM / The New Vic $20 / $10 UCSB students

A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price

“Bryson is fascinated by everything, and his curiosity is infectious.”

The New York Times Book Review

“A masterly analysis of why – with a world of solutions – we choose doom.” Nature David Wallace-Wells asks key questions and reminds us that everything is within our control. This, he says, is the moment to truly engage with what climate change really means.

The bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the human body that is guaranteed to provide a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular.

Brian Greene

Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe

Part of the Forces of Nature series

“Capable of untangling the mysteries of the universe, with a knack for clearly explaining it all to the rest of us.” Wired

Mon, Mar 9 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre Tickets start at $25 / $15 UCSB students A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price

Celebrated theoretical physicist Brian Greene takes us on a breathtaking journey from the big bang to the end of time as he invites us to ponder meaning in the face of this unimaginable expanse.

Presented through the generosity of Dorothy Largay & Wayne Rosing

(805) 893-3535 | www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

Books will be available for purchase and signing at each event courtesy of Chaucer’s

Granada event tickets can also be purchased at: (805) 899-2222 | www.GranadaSB.org 13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 12) The Ashley Road bridge replacement project is complete and the bridge is open to the public, following a two-year closure

The bridge was demolished during the 1/9 debris flow

According to Wageneck, the new bridge is a structural and aesthetic improvement from the previous bridge. It includes a higher arch and longer span to allow a 100-year storm event to pass under the bridge, and has a natural sandstone facade to match the style of the previous arch bridge. Designed with strength and safety in mind, the two-lane, 64-footlong bridge handles all current loads, including permit loads over 36 tons of total weight. It is also outfitted with federal test level crash rated barriers and steel approach rails, that have been patinaed to look original. The old bridge had unreinforced footing that was undermined by the creek, while the new bridge has four deep foundation piles at each abutment that go down 30 feet deep. The old bridge

32 MONTECITO JOURNAL

also had a smaller arch that could be overtopped in a 25-year storm event.

The project also includes drainage slabs with three-foot-deep cutoff walls at the bridge corners to protect the bridge during a future debris flow; the improved drainage systems adjacent to the bridge were also designed to catch surface runoff and keep excess water off the road.

The reopening of the bridge is a welcome sight for nearby residents, many of whom have had to use alternative routes to access their homes. Ashley Road is used as a thoroughfare, in part to access Cold Spring School; the bridge closure has increased traffic on other local roads and increased the distance to school for many students.

The cost to replace the bridge was $1.8 million, and was funded

by FEMA Federal Aid for Disaster Funding ($1.4 million), California Office of Emergency Services State Aid for Disaster Funding ($341,000), and the Santa Barbara County General Fund ($114,000). The project is strictly within County boundaries, unlike many of the other damaged bridges, which were in Caltrans’ territory.

“We’ve worked hard on this project, and are excited for the community to be able to utilize the bridge again,” said Lisa Valencia Sherratt from the office of First District Supervisor Das Williams’ office.

Supervisor Williams will speak at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, along with Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, Public Works Director Scott McGolpin, and others.

More Rebuilding News

Also in the news on the rebuilding front: earlier this week the County Board of Supervisors dedicated $10.1 million toward restoring haul routes and roads within the Montecito community and surrounding area that were damaged due to the 1/9 debris flow and emergency response. The funds were recently received as part of the County’s litigation settlement with Southern California Edison and will address 60 proposed road sections that are of highest priority to be restored to pre-debris flow conditions. Top priority roads include North Jameson Lane, Olive Mill Road, Channel Drive, Hot Springs Road, East Mountain Drive, Romero Canyon, San Leandro, and others.

This initial portion of the settlement, totaling $28.1 million, partially reimburses the County for costs incurred resulting from the Thomas Fire and debris flow disaster and recovery efforts. In total, the net financial impact on the County related to the disasters and ensuing storm readiness and response is estimated at approximately $94 million. In addition, the settlement agreement sets aside between $2.8 million and $15.8 million associated with pending dam-

“My wife was afraid of the dark... then she saw me naked and now she’s afraid of the light.” — Rodney Dangerfield

age reimbursement claims and grant requests to FEMA and CalOES totaling $54 million in costs. Depending on the outcome of the claim reimbursement and grant process with FEMA and CalOES, and in addition to whatever funds FEMA and CalOES approve, the County could expect to receive some of this set-aside funding over the next few years related to these infrastructure projects.

The Board also allocated $2 million to the Flood Control District and almost $8 million to the General Fund, which County staff recommended for one-time expenses related to emergency preparedness, response, recovery and public safety needs. The remainder of the funding will be set aside for litigation defense costs against SCE and potential future audits by the federal Office of Inspector General as part of routine practices performed after all FEMA declared disasters.

For more information, visit www. countyofsb.org.

Santa Barbara Fiduciary Celebrates 11 Years in Business Lindsay Leonard is the owner of Santa Barbara Fiduciary, which celebrated 11 years in business last month

Santa Barbara Fiduciary – which is based in Montecito – recently marked 11 years in business. Owner Lindsay Leonard says the idea for starting the company arose from her experience helping her grandmother navigate Alzheimer’s; Leonard says she strug-

VILLAGE BEAT Page 364 13 – 20 February 2020

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

33

MISCELLANY (Continued from page 18)

Enamored by Emma More than 200 years after her death in 1817, Regency writer Jane Austen is as popular as ever.

A new film version of her novel Emma, directed by Autumn de Wilde and starring Bill Nighy, Josh O’Connor and Rupert Graves, is being released later this month, and Masterpiece Theatre on PBS is running Sanditon, based on Austen’s unfinished 24,000 word 11-chapter novel, which has been wonderfully adapted by Andrew Davies.

And now the Ensemble Theatre Company has staged a musical adaptation of Emma by Tony Awardnominated composer Paul Gordon, who also worked his magic with Austen’s work Sense and Sensibility, delightfully directed by Andrew Barnicle – who two years ago directed Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly, an imagined sequel to Pride and Prejudice – with music direction by Brent Schindele.

Broadway veteran Samantha Eggers is superb as resident busybody Emma Woodhouse and Doug Carfrae as her doddering dad, with a wonderful supporting cast of Kevin Earley, Parker Harris, Kevin McMahon, Anna Mintzer, James Olivas, Brett Callo, Jenna Lea Rosen, Janna Cardia, and Chelle Denton.

Stephen Gifford’s scenic design is terrific, as are the costumes by Bruce Goodrich, and choreography by Jean Michelle Sayeg.

The show runs through February 23 and is not be missed.

Bid on Lutah A 1930s Gilded Age Hot Springs Road property designed by Lutah Maria Riggs, the first licensed female architect in our Eden by the Beach, is being auctioned off.

The impressive residence is set to sell without reserve to the highest bidder via leading global firm Concierge Auctions.

Previously offered for $12.5 million, the five-bedroom, six full and four-half bathroom property features formal gardens designed by esteemed painter Lockwood de Forest, and a swimming pool, hot tub and cabana with wet bar and wine room.

In addition to ocean views, the home boasts opulent finishes, including

Lutah Maria Riggs estate up for grabs

34 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Dana and Andrea Newquist with the late Kirk Douglas at his 103rd birthday party

marble floors, Carrara marble countertops, intricate molding and wainscoting, and soaring coffered ceilings.

Bidding, which opens for three days on February 24, will be held via con ciergeauctions.com.

Back on the Market Having just put his Ventura beach house on the market for $2.95 million, Montecito actor Christopher Lloyd, 81, has now listed a second home for sale.

The .3-acre Spanish-style 1950s two-bedroom, one-bathroom property in Santa Barbara has a garage converted into a small studio, and is priced at $1.7 million.

The three-time Emmy winner, who starred in the Back to the Future movie franchise, has a starring role in the upcoming feature Welcome to Pine Grove! with Ellen Burstyn and AnnMargret.

New Ambassador Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry is getting royally connected.

The former Dos Pueblos High student has been named as an ambassador for the British Asian Trust at a London gala attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

Katy, 35, first met Queen Elizabeth’s son, founder of the trust in 2007, at a party in Mumbai, India, last November.

“I want to shine my light on the work the trust will be doing in South Asia and to be a part of finding solutions to child trafficking,” says Katy.

“Children are vulnerable and innocent, and have to be protected.”

King is Queen Prolific New York songwriter Carole King, 77, has had a helluva career!

Starting as a staffer at Manhattan’s legendary Brill Building, she has written or co-written 118 songs that have been featured on Billboard’s Hot 100 and her album Tapestry topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971, and remained on the charts for an astounding six years.

The four-time Grammy winner’s record sales are estimated at 75 million worldwide.

So it is no wonder the two performances of the American Theatre Guild’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Granada were both sold-out shows, with talented Kenny Caughell as the singer and James D. Gish as her co-writer and husband Gerry Goffin.

The two hour hugely entertaining show featured a host of hits sung by soundalikes of Neil Sedaka, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Little Eva, and The Righteous Brothers.

The supporting cast of husband and wife fellow songwriters Kathryn Boswell and James Michael Lambert,

and Matt Loehr as record producer Don Kirshner, just added to the show’s abundant energy and exuberance.

Liquid Gold French fashion house Chanel has just launched the world’s chicest water bottle.

The “flack bag” comes with a gold colored metal bottle, black screw-on cap, a detachable lambskin holder in Chanel’s signature quilted design, and a long gold chain to sling across the shoulder, which is selling for an eye watering $5,800 at the top London department, Harrods.

Perfect for walks on the local trails!

Rest in Peace On a personal note, I remember two very different local icons who have moved to more heavenly pastures.

Kirk Douglas, who shuttled between his home in Montecito and Beverly Hills, was one of the last actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age, starring in more than 90 movies and garnering two Oscar nominations.

He was also a gracious host and I remember joining him and his wife of 65 years, Anne, 100, for dinner parties with society doyenne Beverley Jackson, and actress Bo Derek and her beau, actor John Corbett, at their charming art-filled home a tiara’s toss from Pierre Lafond.

“Kirk’s life was well lived and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet,” says his Oscar-winning son, Michael Douglas, 75, a former resident of our rarefied enclave.

Although Kirk received great acclaim for the 1960 classic Stanley Kubrick film Spartacus, he told me his favorite was Lust for Life, the 1957 Vincent Van Gogh movie that earned him one of his Academy Award nominations.

The other icon is Valery Ryvkin,

“My wife gets all the money I make. I just get an apple and clean clothes every morning.” — Ray Romano

Valery Ryvkin R.I.P.

artistic director and principal conductor of Opera Santa Barbara for nine years, who has died aged 59 from a rare form of cancer.

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, he moved to the U.S. at the age of 18 after studying at the Leningrad State Conservatory, continuing his music education at Juilliard in New York.

Known as “a singer’s conductor,” he served as an associate professor of voice and opera at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music, and worked with the University of Cincinnati, the ISing International Festival in Suzhou, China, Los Angeles Opera’s Young Artists Program, USC, UCSB, Opera San Jose, and the Pittsburgh Opera.

He was also a member of the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, and artistic director of the Greensboro Opera in N. Carolina from 2005 to 2011.

Sightings: Oscar winner Michael Keaton getting his Java jolt at Pierre Lafond... Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson noshing at the Honor Bar... Oscar winner Kevin Costner at the Nugget in Summerland Pip! Pip! Readers with tips, sightings and amusing items for Richard’s column should e-mail him at richardmin eards@verizon.net or send invitations or other correspondence to the Journal.

To reach Priscilla, e-mail her at pris cilla@santabarbaraseen.com or call 805-969-3301 •MJ 13 – 20 February 2020

On Entertainment

by Steven Libowitz

ALO gets Zen about Venn

A

nimal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) guitarist/singer-songwriter Dan Lebowitz was thrilled to be interviewed by someone with the same last name, albeit spelled differently, for the first time in his two-decades long career. Perhaps even more than talking about the music itself – we learned that both of us can trace our roots through Ellis Island, pronounce our names the same and often need to spell it out more than once over the phone, but while he likes the two-syllable nickname Lebo, not so much for your intrepid columnist.

But make no mistake: Lebowitz is still absolutely passionate about music and all of its possibilities, a value shared by all of his ALO bandmates, the core of which – Lebowitz, keyboardist-singer Zach Gill, and bassist-vocalist Steve Adams – met in grade school and coalesced into a professional band while attending UCSB in the 1990s.

Which might explain why, 20 years after leaving Isla Vista, ALO still revere their time together and have never stopped growing and exploring.

That love – for each other, for the music, for growth – is on display in the self-described funk ‘n’ roll jam band’s new Creatures EP series, as Vol. 1: Spark, was released in the summer, while Vol. 2: Weave came out last month, just in time for ALO’s annual Tour D’Amour XIV; the 14th version arrives, appropriately at SOhO, ALO’s longtime stomping grounds since leaving town after college, on February 14, Valentine’s Day. Lebo gave his namesake a glimpse into ALO’s inner world from the early days to the latest music over the phone earlier this week.

Q. I have a question about the band’s name, which seems to have morphed back and forth between Animal Liberation Orchestra and ALO. How does that work?

A. Zach and Steve and I have been playing together since we were in seventh grade, but we switched drummers a whole bunch of times.

Whenever there was someone new, like every six months or so, we’d change our name. This one was the one that we had when we started doing well. We were in our junior year at UCSB, and we were all studying music and playing in various orchestras and ensembles as well as rehearsing with the band in a garage. They seemed pretty similar, except with the band it felt more like we were liberating our inner animal, getting your ya-ya’s out in a way you couldn’t in a class. We shortened it for the same reasons as my name – you really don’t 13 – 20 February 2020

like being called Libo? – because people were just abbreviating it anyway, and simultaneously we didn’t want to be confused with the animal liberation movement of hardcore rights advocates. I was vegetarian, but it wasn’t our mission. But I still love it when the full name comes up because I like to talk about the early days.

Speaking of that, very few bands that form in high school or earlier keep going far into adulthood. Case in point, Santa Barbara’s Toad the Wet Sprocket, although they just did a reunion show in town.

What’s your secret?

The same thing that has allowed us to last so long is part of what maybe has held us back – that we love to do other outside projects… It’s like a Venn diagram. We all have various interests and they come together in ALO. When we just did ALO, everybody was trying to get all that into the place where we intersect. While it’s good to be pulled out of your comfort zone, you can’t stray too far from what you want to do because otherwise you get resentful. We realized that, and opened the possibility of doing outside things. So Steve and [new drummer] Ezra Lipp have a project. I play with Phil Lesh and The Dead, Zach of course has his solo stuff and tours with Jack Johnson. That helps keep ALO pure. Now when we get together it’s because we want to. And you get the best of what we like with each other.

Consequently we can’t always take all offers that come our way, because we’re too spread out, and it’s hard to coordinate our schedules. But it also makes ALO special when we do get together; it’s our lifelong project and we can be pure with it. ALO is musically much richer because of all of what we bring back to the band.

Speaking of Ezra, how has having a new drummer changed ALO’s sound or dynamic after 15 years with Dave Brogan?

When Dave just wasn’t able to tour anymore, the idea of auditions seemed like it would be draining. Steve and I had played with Ezra in other projects, so it was easy. It was obvious that he would be a good fit. Started as a single tour and it worked out great.

The spirit is still the same although there’s a different feel that’s hard to put into words. It’s still right in line with what we’ve always been.

You’ve always been at SOhO for Valentine’s Day too. Why keep up that tradition?

It’s like it’s ALO season. It’s become

the most steady gig in our band’s history, something we can count on. It’s fun for our families. It makes VD more of a season than just a single day holiday.

Fans go on chunks of the tour with us and we play into the theme, maybe do covers of love songs, and we have great props like giant hearts that are covered in sequins and light up.

Will we hear new songs from the Creatures series?

Yeah, we love that format.

Logistically we can just catch a moment, hop into the studio and bash it out, with a really clear concepts rather than an album that can be all over the map because we have multiple writers and styles. They’re all like little creatures just emerging, bringing it back to our original name. The new one was about having all the tunes that are fun to play live with a dance vibe rather than the ones that are introspective and reflective.

Is it different when you play in Santa Barbara?

Oh yeah. I have so many fond memories of jumping on our skateboards in IV, and when we’d see someone bringing a keg into a house, we’d ask them if they wanted to have a band play. We did that all the time. We practiced Monday-Thursday and then did parties in IV on the weekends. It was

an irreplaceable education experience, where we learned the most. So when we’re back, there’s the memories and also, in a weird way, a smell – the beach air, the eucalyptus. So as soon as I arrive I have all those great feelings come up. It’s almost like a drug in the way it alters you. We have so many roots there. For all of us, it was such a positive experience and it’s great to have all that come back up.

Pop Tarts

Elsewhere in pop music, drummer Sammy Miller’s mission to bring jazz to the people via the young members of his seven-piece Congregation, finds the “evangelists of swing” making a proselytizing visit to Santa Barbara, where the Grammy Awardnominated, Juilliard-trained Miller and Co. will draw on a century of American songs to share the power of community through their globally conscious music at UCSB Campbell Hall on Thursday, February 13…

That’s the same evening that Shawn Thies, Santa Barbara’s own priestess of passionate connection via music, shares a Valentine’s Eve performance of jazz with both world and Americana twists aided by friends/collaborators Randy Tico, George Friedenthal, Tom Lackner, John Goux, and Tom Buckner at SOhO. •MJ

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• The Voice of the Village •

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VILLAGE BEAT (Continued from page 32)

gled to meet the demands of rapid changes in her grandmother’s health and needs, and wanted to help others facing similar challenges.

Leonard, who graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara where she earned a degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, has work experience in research and development of next generation antibody therapeutics and of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer; she also worked in two well-known asset management firms in the Santa Barbara area as a junior analyst before starting her own company. She has been a licensed California Professional Fiduciary since 2010 and has certifications in Professional Fiduciary Management for Conservators and Trustees. She is a National Certified Guardian, a Registered Trust & Estate Practitioner (TEP), and member of the Santa Barbara Estate Planning Council.

Leonard recently sat down with us to answer some questions about her fiduciary business: Q. What is a private professional fiduciary?

A. Legally, a fiduciary relationship is “any relation existing between parties to a transaction wherein one of the parties is in duty bound to act with the utmost good faith for the benefit of the other party.” I serve in legal positions of trust, such as trustee, power of attorney, personal representative, executor, and health care agent, as well as to assist those already serving in those positions. My company manages matters for clients including daily care, housing and medical needs, and also offers financial management

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Inc.

805 969-1995 Luxury Vacation Rentals Short or Long Term

Interior Design Services also available Hire the best in the industry to manage your income property.

services ranging from basic bill paying to estate and investment oversight.

We are trustworthy advocates for the elderly and individuals in need, we protect their wishes and best interests, and we understand the mechanics of trust and estate administration so we are able to work quickly and efficiently through the processes needed to be accomplished.

A private professional fiduciary can be appointed as an alternative to a family member or bank; a professional fiduciary can be a wise alternative solution to naming family members as successor agents in estate planning for a variety of smart reasons. For example, the role of successor trustee involves considerable time expended in preparation of financial analysis; shepherding of assets; searching for and tracking down lost information; tax reporting; traveling to financial, debt related, creditor and other business entities for research; evaluating, repairing and making decisions concerning real and personal property; determining status and then preparing an accounting to beneficiaries to provide status of the trust estate – this takes time and acumen that family members might not have or be willing to devote.

When children or siblings are appointed to bear the burden, subjective interpersonal relationships may get in the way of decision making that requires clear thinking and objectivity.

Often the unresolved familial emotional issues (“Mom always loved you best”) and lingering grief issues interfere with proper, timely and necessary trust management.

Many times, the designees are not proximately located near the assets: this increases the difficulty of managing/maintaining them, dealing with agents and handling other trustee responsibilities. Unlike banks, financial advisors or corporate trustees (who profit from fee income derived from assets invested), private professional fiduciaries are completely independent, usually earn set hourly fees,

J ARROTT & CO.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS

SPECIALIZING IN 1031 TAX-DEFERRED EXCHANGES AND

Please stop in and visit us 25 years serving the Santa Barbara community

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

36 MONTECITO JOURNAL

TRIPLE NET LEASED

M ANAGEMENT F REE

INVESTMENT PROPERTIES WITH NATIONAL TENANTS

Len

CALL Jarrott, MBA, CCIM

805-569-5999

http://www.jarrott.com

and therefore are free from conflicts of interest. Essentially, a private professional fiduciary combines the advantages of a family member/friend with the advantages of a corporate trustee: you get the benefit of a personal relationship and the accountability of a bank (fiduciaries are in fact held to a higher standard).

What services do you provide?

Our services generally fall within four categories.

Fiduciary Services: We serve in fiduciary appointments, such as trustee, executor, durable power of attorney, and health care agent, to help preserve, grow and distribute our clients’ wealth the way they want – both during their lifetime and the lifetimes of those important to our clients.

Administration Assistance: We assist executors, trustees, and guardians to administer estates and trusts in an organized, timely, tax-efficient manner, while seeking to minimize fiduciary stress and family conflict and helping to preserve positive personal and family legacies.

Daily Money Management Services: As personal financial matters become more complicated – finding time to focus on the daily tasks of money management becomes more difficult.

Our daily money management services ensure nothing falls through the cracks including necessities like paying monthly bills, assisting with tax records, balancing checkbooks, decoding medical bills, and negotiating with creditors.

Successor Fiduciary Planning: We provide guidance to clients looking to appoint us to act on their behalf at some point in the future and help define goals, planning and processes to ensures wishes are understood and documented.

What motivated you to start Santa Barbara Fiduciary?

I sometimes refer to Santa Barbara Fiduciary as my grandmother’s parting gift to me, as it arose out of the challenges I faced when my grandmother (my rock, my mentor and my first best friend in an ocean of dysfunctional family relationships) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and began needing all sorts of assistance.

While she was facing physical and mental declines, I was dealing with the grief of losing someone while they were alive. I also was burdened with the responsibility of evaluating and managing her finances, getting a crash course in legal challenges, and dealing with family issues.

Once I contacted the gas company to find out her current balance, and in response to my effort to get them paid, they insisted on me having something called a “power of attorney” and refused to tell me what she owed! My grandmother also left notes around

“A kiss may not be the truth but it is what we wish were true.” — Steve Martin

her home for my granddad, who had died more than 15 years before. As things got worse, she was adamantly opposed to help from any caregiving agencies.

I am the eldest of four, so the role of guiding and supporting others along their paths is natural to me. There was an unspoken bond/promise between me and my grandmother that I would be there for her in the end. Now I want to be there for other individuals and families facing similar journeys.

Are there other common pitfalls or scenarios that may trigger someone to seek the services of a private professional fiduciary?

Yes, when establishing trusts and other estate documents, frequently clients try to designate multiple children as agents, so as not to appear to favor one or another, but by designating co-trustees or co-agents under a power of attorney or health care directive to act together instead of consecutively, they generate opportunities for disagreement and impasse. It can be a source of friction and even litigation in conflicted families. At the very least, when the children are named jointly, it becomes cumbersome to get all signatures required for all actions to be taken. As well, though many family members and friends might waive fees for serving as trustee, most trusts provide for “reasonable compensation,” which creates concern to other remainder beneficiaries.

Fewer will have problems with employing the services of an independent, outside and objective third party – especially one identified as a private professional fiduciary. Also, in blended family situations, couples may want to consider having someone other than the surviving spouse serve as trustee, or having the surviving spouse serve with a co-trustee.

Only rarely in friendly families might the trustee or a co-trustee who serves with a surviving spouse be a remainder beneficiary, because any funds distributed to the surviving spouse will reduce the remainder beneficiary’s ultimate distribution. Otherwise, a conflict of interest may arise, which has spawned considerable litigation in blended families. Appointing a private professional fiduciary instead will avoid this problem.

How do people find the right fiduciary for their situation?

Not all fiduciaries handle all matters. For example, some fiduciaries prefer trust administration over court appointed conservatorships and probate administration. Some fiduciaries are more willing than others to get involved when family members are at odds with one another.

Experience, personality, reputation, gender, age, rates, and the manner in which charges for services are 13 – 20 February 2020

accrued; location, support staffing and availability are all factors that may be immensely relevant. A fiduciary generally will make himself or herself available to meet family members so the family can assess the fiduciary’s background and potential approach to a situation. For example, if the subject elder resides in an assisted care living facility in a nearby town, finding a fiduciary who knows the staff at the facility may be helpful.

Private professional fiduciaries practicing in the state of California are required to be licensed by the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau under the California Department of Consumer Affairs. While being licensed is a requirement, it may not determine whether a fiduciary is a good fit for your particular circumstances and family dynamics. It’s always a good idea that you meet with and interview three private professional fiduciaries to present a list of questions addressing your specific needs to ensure that you find the professional who best suits your individual situation.

I’ve been a licensed California Professional Fiduciary since 2010 and have certifications in Professional Fiduciary Management for Conservators and Trustees. I am a National Certified Guardian, a Registered Trust & Estate Practitioner

(TEP), and member of the Santa Barbara Estate Planning Council. I earned certificates in Professional Fiduciary Management for Conservators and Trustees from Cal State Fullerton Extension.

Once the best match is found, then relax! You’ll be in expert hands.

For more information about Santa Barbara Fiduciary, visit www.sant abarbarafiduciary.com.

History of Montecito

Beginning on Tuesday, February 25, local historian Erin Graffy will host a special lecture series on Montecito history, as part of Santa Barbara City College’s School of Extended Learning. “In the past I’ve hosted lectures on Santa Barbara history, and I’ve been asked to focus now on Montecito,” Graffy said. “We’ll cover such themes as the farming history of the area, interesting people and estates, the history of such landmarks as The Miramar, and much more.”

Graffy says Montecito has a rich and storied history, and attendees are bound to learn many interesting facts.

The three-part series is on Tuesdays from February 25 through March 10, from 3:30 pm to 5 pm at the Schott Center on Padre Street. The cost is $48 and those interested can sign up at www.sbcc.edu.

•MJ

THE 2020 METER REPLACEMENT PROGRAM IS UNDERWAY! Thanks to all customers for your understanding during this much needed upgrade.

We’ll be replacing every water meter in the District, and you’ll be notified when it’s your turn! Residents do not need to be home during this service.

If you have any questions, or need to update your account contact information please call us at 805.969.2271.

When fully automated, new meters will have many benefits including improved leak detection. In the meantime, please continue to monitor your usage.

Instructions for reading the new meters can be found on our web site.

The Office will be closed: Monday, February 17, 2020 in observance of President’s Day www.montecitowater.com • 805.969.2271

It’s still winter! Main breaks are more common during colder weather: Report concerns about water leaks 24/7.

A Healthy Heart is a Gift for Life

MWD February 2020 Journal Ad Montecito Water District 1/4 page advertisement runs February 13, 2020.

February is American Heart Month, a great time to spread the word about preventing heart disease.

Sansum Clinic’s cardiology team members have extensive training and expertise, and are dedicated to a special level of care and concern for heart patients and their families.

Our cardiologists are leaders in their field, and the only physicians between Los Angeles and the Bay Area trusted with some of the world’s most advanced heart devices, extremely complex procedures and groundbreaking clinical trial work.

Our cardiology team would love to help you learn more about your heart health and ways you can prevent coronary heart disease.

Visit cardiology.sansumclinic.org or call (805) 898-3138 to schedule an appointment.

13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

37

ORDINANCE NO. 5932 AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

Notice Inviting Bids

SANTA BARBARA AMENDING THE SECTIONAL ZONING

FY2020B PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE PROJECT Bid No. 5789 1.

2.

Bid Submission. The City of Santa Barbara (“City”) will accept electronic bids or sealed bids for its FY2020B Pavement Maintenance Project (“Project”), by or before February 27, 2020, at 3:00 p.m., online at PlanetBids.com or at its Purchasing Office, located at 310 E. Ortega Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. Each bidder is responsible for making certain that its Bid Proposal is actually submitted or delivered to the Purchasing Office. PlanetBids electronic receipt or the receiving time at the Purchasing Office will be the governing time for acceptability of bids. Telegraphic, telephonic, electronic, and facsimile bids will not be accepted.

MAP

OF

THE

CITY

AS

ANNEXATION OF ASSESSOR’S PARCEL NO. 057-113-007 The above captioned ordinance was adopted at a regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council held on February 4, 2020.

The publication of this ordinance is made pursuant to the provisions of Section 512 of the Santa Barbara City Charter as amended, and the original ordinance in its entirety may be obtained at the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, Santa Barbara, California.

(Seal) /s/ Sarah Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager

2.3 Estimated Cost. The estimated construction cost is $6,800,000.

License and Registration Requirements.

ORDINANCE NO. 5932

3.1 License. This Project requires a valid California contractor’s license for the following classification(s): A. 3.2 DIR Registration. City may not accept a Bid Proposal from or enter into the Contract with a bidder, without proof that the bidder is registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5, subject to limited legal exceptions.

4.

Contract Documents. The plans, specifications, bid forms and contract documents for the Project, and any addenda thereto (“Contract Documents”) may be downloaded from City’s website at: http://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=29959. A printed copy of the Contract Documents may be obtained from CyberCopy Shop, located at 504 N. Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, at (805) 884-6155.

5.

Bid Security. The Bid Proposal must be accompanied by bid security of ten percent of the maximum bid amount, in the form of a cashier’s or certified check made payable to City, or a bid bond executed by a surety licensed to do business in the State of California on the Bid Bond form included with the Contract Documents. The bid security must guarantee that within ten days after City issues the Notice of Award, the successful bidder will execute the Contract and submit the payment and performance bonds, insurance certificates and endorsements, and any other submittals required by the Contract Documents and as specified in the Notice of Award.

Prevailing Wage Requirements.

6.1 General. Pursuant to California Labor Code § 1720 et seq., this Project is subject to the prevailing wage requirements applicable to the locality in which the Work is to be performed for each craft, classification or type of worker needed to perform the Work, including employer payments for health and welfare, pension, vacation, apprenticeship and similar purposes.

6.2 Rates. These prevailing rates are on file with the City and are available online at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR. Each Contractor and Subcontractor must pay no less than the specified rates to all workers employed to work on the Project. The schedule of per diem wages is based upon a working day of eight hours. The rate for holiday and overtime work must be at least time and one-half.

6.3 Compliance. The Contract will be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the DIR, under Labor Code § 1771.4.

7.

Performance and Payment Bonds. The successful bidder will be required to provide performance and payment bonds, each for 100% of the Contract Price, as further specified in the Contract Documents.

8.

Substitution of Securities. Substitution of appropriate securities in lieu of retention amounts from progress payments is permitted under Public Contract Code § 22300.

9.

Subcontractor List. Each Subcontractor must be registered with the DIR to perform work on public projects. Each bidder must submit a completed Subcontractor List form with its Bid Proposal, including the name, location of the place of business, California contractor license number, DIR registration number, and percentage of the Work to be performed (based on the base bid price) for each Subcontractor that will perform Work or service or fabricate or install Work for the prime contractor in excess of one-half of 1% of the bid price, using the Subcontractor List form included with the Contract Documents.

11.

BARBARA,

SECTION 30.05.020, PERTAINING TO ZONING UPON

2.2 Time for Completion. The Project must be completed within 145 working days from the start date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. City anticipates that the Work will begin on or about April 2020, but the anticipated start date is provided solely for convenience and is neither certain nor binding.

6.

SANTA

Project Information.

2.1 Location and Description. The Project is located on various streets throughout the City, and is described as follows: Repair various streets by performing asphalt dig outs to repair failed areas; tree root pruning; various PCC improvements including but not limited to concrete curb and gutter replacement, curb extensions, sidewalk replacement, spandrel and cross-gutter replacement; asphalt cold milling and asphalt hot mix overlay; reconstruction of existing non-compliant curb ramps; retrofit existing curb ramps with truncated domes; construct new curb ramps adjacent to overlay streets; construct decomposed granite and pervious concrete walk ways; install railing; install conduit, pull boxes, install traffic loops; install traffic striping and marking; relocate and protect existing signs and roadway name stamps; landscape; perform traffic control, notifications, and postings, complete and in place.

3.

OF

REFERENCED IN SANTA BARBARA MUNICIPAL CODE

Instructions to Bidders. All bidders should carefully review the Instructions to Bidders for more detailed information before submitting a Bid Proposal. The definitions provided in Article 1 of the General Conditions apply to all of the Contract Documents, as defined therein, including this Notice Inviting Bids.

By: ___________________________________

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

) ) COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA ) ss. ) CITY OF SANTA BARBARA ) I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced on January 28, 2020, and was adopted by the Council of the City of Santa Barbara at a meeting held on February 4, 2020, by the following roll call vote: AYES:

Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Alejandra Gutierrez, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Mike Jordan, Kristen W. Sneddon; Mayor Cathy Murillo

NOES:

None

ABSENT:

None

ABSTENTIONS:

None

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Santa Barbara on February 5, 2020.

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager I HEREBY APPROVE the foregoing ordinance on February 5, 2020.

Date: ________________

/s/ Cathy Murillo Mayor

William Hornung, C.P.M, General Services Manager Publication Dates: 1) February 5, 2020 2) February 12, 2020

Published February 12, 2020 Montecito Journal

END OF NOTICE INVITING BIDS

38 MONTECITO JOURNAL

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Miller Group Construction & Development, 1224 Coast Village Cir #20, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Robert F. Miller III, 559 Friendly Ct., “Women love a self-confident bald man.” — Larry David

Murphys, CA 95247. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 7, 2020. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby

13 – 20 February 2020

ORDINANCE NO. 5933

ORDINANCE NO. 5934

AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE

AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

AIRPORT

SANTA BARBARA ADOPTING A MEMORANDUM OF

DIRECTOR

AGREEMENT

WITH

TO

EXECUTE

FEDERAL

A

EXPRESS,

LEASE INC.,

A

UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF SANTA

DELAWARE CORPORATION, FOR 59,410 SQUARE FEET

BARBARA

OF HANGAR AND OFFICE SPACE AND 10,500 SQUARE

OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION FOR THE PERIOD OF JULY 1,

FEET OF PAVED PARKING LOT SPACE AT 495 SOUTH

2019 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2021

FAIRVIEW AVENUE AT THE SANTA BARBARA AIRPORT FOR A TERM OF TEN YEARS WITH A FIVE-YEAR OPTION TO EXTEND

AND

THE

SANTA

BARBARA

POLICE

The above captioned ordinance was adopted at a regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council held on February

The above captioned ordinance was adopted at a regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council held on February 4, 2020.

4, 2020.

The publication of this ordinance is made pursuant to the provisions of Section 512 of the Santa Barbara City Charter

The publication of this ordinance is made pursuant to the

as amended, and the original ordinance in its entirety may be

provisions of Section 512 of the Santa Barbara City Charter

obtained at the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, Santa Barbara,

as amended, and the original ordinance in its entirety may be

California.

obtained at the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, Santa Barbara,

(Seal)

California.

(Seal)

/s/ Sarah Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager

/s/ Sarah Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager ORDINANCE NO. 5933 STATE OF CALIFORNIA

) ) COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA ) ss. ) CITY OF SANTA BARBARA ) I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced on January 28, 2020, and was adopted by the Council of the City of Santa Barbara at a meeting held on February 4, 2020, by the following roll call

ORDINANCE NO. 5934 STATE OF CALIFORNIA

) ) COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA ) ss. ) CITY OF SANTA BARBARA ) I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced on January 28, 2020, and was adopted by the Council of the City of Santa Barbara at a meeting held on February 4, 2020, by the following roll call vote: AYES:

Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Alejandra Gutierrez, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Mike Jordan, Kristen W. Sneddon; Mayor Cathy Murillo

Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Alejandra Gutierrez, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Mike Jordan, Kristen W. Sneddon; Mayor Cathy Murillo

NOES:

None

NOES:

None

ABSENT:

None

ABSENT:

None

ABSTENTIONS:

None

ABSTENTIONS:

None

vote: AYES:

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Santa Barbara

hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Santa Barbara on February 5, 2020.

on February 5, 2020.

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager I HEREBY APPROVE the foregoing ordinance

I HEREBY APPROVE the foregoing ordinance on February 5, 2020.

on February 5, 2020.

/s/ Cathy Murillo Mayor

certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL), filed by Brenda Aguilera.

FBN No. 2020-0000437.

Published February 12, 19, 26, March 4, 2020.

/s/ Cathy Murillo Mayor Published February 12, 2020 Montecito Journal

Published February 12, 2020 Montecito Journal

13 – 20 February 2020

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, CMC City Clerk Services Manager

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOMES805, 1187 Coast Village Road #187, Santa Barbara, CA 93108.

HOMES805 INC, 1187 Coast Village Road #187,

Santa Barbara, CA 93108.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on February 6, 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), filed by John Beck. FBN No. 2020-0000415.

Published February 12, 19, 26, March 4, 2020.

• The Voice of the Village •

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. 5812 DUE DATE & TIME: MARCH 4, 2020 UNTIL 3:00P.M. PEST CONTROL FOR CITY BUILDINGS Scope of Work: Contractor to provide comprehensive pest management services for buildings owned or leased by the City of Santa Barbara. All services must be in compliance with the City’s Integrated Pest Management Policy.

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 Caroline Ortega, Buyer at (805) 564-5351 or email: COrtega@santabarbaraca.gov A MANDATORY pre-bid meeting will be held on February 19, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., at the Facilities Conference Room located at 616 Laguna St, Santa Barbara, CA, 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.

LIVING WAGE Any service purchase order contract issued as a result of this request for bids or quotes may be subject to the City’s Living Wage Ordinance No 5384, SBMC 9.128 and its implementing regulations.

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Key 2 Fitness, 324 State Street STE C, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Brian Sawicki, 324 State Street STE C, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Published: 2/12/2020 Montecito Journal

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 30, 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

MONTECITO JOURNAL

39

EDITORIAL (Continued from page 5)

1. Widening of the 101 and the Resulting Invasion of Traffic Gridlock into Montecito

Our treasured Montecito lifestyle is being threatened on a daily basis by the reality of 100,000 cars, campers, trucks, and big rigs passing through Montecito on U.S. Highway 101. Vehicles that once whizzed past Montecito are increasingly being re-routed by sophisticated GPS systems through the heart of our community to avoid highway gridlock. With no new North-South Highway project on the Caltrans drawing board, 101 traffic is expected to increase by 4% per year, negating some of the advantages of an added part-time, high-speed express lane. Already, epic traffic loads jam the 101 when Interstate 5 is shut down for winter storms over Tejon Pass, or serious accidents close one or more existing lanes of the 101.

Locally, North Jameson Lane, Ortega Hill Road, and Lillie Avenue have already become “the third lane of the 101.” The lamentable closure of the southbound on-ramp to the 101 at the Cabrillo Blvd interchange in 2009 by the City of Santa Barbara, SBCAG and Caltrans has re-routed Santa Barbara beach traffic for the last 11 years through Coast Village Road to enter the 101 at Olive Mill.

Our elected leaders promised that all beach traffic could be redirected through signage to enter the 101 at Milpas; that prediction proved to be as shortsighted as the clouded vision of the walking dead.

Widening the 101 through Montecito is challenged by the most constricted right-of-way along the entire 101 corridor. Without wide shoulders on both sides of the vehicle lanes, nighttime construction through Montecito will be twice as slow and twice as expensive as construction in the wider right-of-way between Carpinteria and Sheffield Drive.

Two proposed roundabouts – one at the intersection of Olive Mill, Coast Village Road, North Jameson Lane and the on and off-ramps to the 101; and another at San Ysidro and North Jameson Lane – promise new congestion, especially if each roundabout is restricted to a single lane of traffic.

Local workers who commute to our community are finding that their drive times have nearly doubled in peak traffic periods. Finally, Caltrans tells us that this will be the last widening of the 101 for the next 75 years, so if we don’t get it right this time, there are no foreseeable fixes.

2. Community Safety and Security

Could the disaster of 1/9/18 happen again? We are told that the 1/9 Fire, Flood and Debris Flow was a 100-year, or even a 500-year event. Yet what happened on 1/9/18 – was a more extreme repeat of what happened in Montecito in 1969, and again in 1995. Montecito was warned by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1969 that our small debris basins were inadequate compared to Carpinteria.

We knew that our creek channels were overgrown and poorly maintained due to a lack of county funding for creek management programs. We knew that we lived beneath a bounty of boulders, many as big as a Volkswagen bus.

Following the 1/9/18 disaster, our community, fearful for its future safety, came together and privately raised millions in funding to install six ring nets on private property in the most dangerous creek channel canyons. There was not one dime of county funds offered or accepted. The promise was that the ring nets would double the catch capacity of our inadequate debris basins. Multiple agencies granted emergency permits, but the Department of Fish & Game limited its permits to only one to two years before demanding net removal. Without permit relief from Fish and Game, all six ring nets will soon have to be removed from Montecito, cutting our promised protection in half.

3. Water Reliability and Security

In this age of advanced technology, and with the largest water reservoir on the planet right on our front doorstep, we can achieve permanent water independence, including totally eliminating the future threat of drought.

South Coast dependence on an aging, expensive, State Water Project, designed

to serve 23 million Californians in a state that is now home to 40 million residents, is both foolish and dangerous. Today, California farms and communities have been promised state water allocations of 4.23 million acre-feet (AF) per year.

On average, the State System is delivering only 2.4 million AF per year, a 44% shortfall. The water shortfall is being masked by local groundwater wells that are being over-pumped, which rapidly depletes healthy underground water basins.

The State Water Project steals water from Northern California to deliver it to thirsty Central Valley farmers and coastal Southern California cities. Its 21 dams and surface reservoirs, power plants, pump stations, 700 miles of canals, pipelines and tunnels are inadequate and environmentally unsustainable. The State Water Project is also the largest consumer of electrical power in the state.

Fear of future drought can be eliminated if only we are bold enough to take the right steps.

4. Undergrounding Montecito Utilities

Look… up in the sky: It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s the recent trimming of roadside trees by Southern California Edison reveals even more of our hideous overhead power lines, featuring primary and secondary conductors, transformers the size of oil drums, telephone lines, cable lines, and refrigerator-sized cellphone transmitters. The recent conversion from distressed wooden poles to steel and concrete makes the overhead landscape even more repugnant.

Imagine what this mishmash of overloaded poles, crossarms and sagging overhead lines will look like by 2099.

Key areas of Montecito are already undergrounded, including Coast Village Road, the Upper Village shopping district, Birnam Wood, Ennisbrook, and parts of San Ysidro Road. Particularly ugly power lines and power poles lie along 192 East Valley Road. That’s a good place to start if Caltrans, Edison, Cox Cable, Verizon and funding for Water Main replacement can be used to pay the undergrounding bill.

Undergrounding plans should include the heavily traveled arterials of Hot Springs Road, Olive Mill Road, Sheffield Drive and the remainder of San Ysidro Road, plus Schoolhouse Road and San Leandro Lane. Burial of utility lines along the rest of Mountain Drive, which is already partly undergrounded, and Sycamore Canyon Road would make a huge difference in visual appeal and fire safety.

5. Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

For the past 20 years the typical Montecito weather forecast has been “Sunny with a dash of ocean breeze.” Recently, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report to the United Nations, the world has already warmed by 1-degree centigrade since 1850. If global temperatures rise by another 1.5 degrees, humans will face unprecedented climate-related risks and weather events. Gone will be coral reefs and artic summer ice. California sea levels, which have risen by less than nine inches in the last 100 years, are projected to rise more than nine feet by 2099. Coastal California is predicted to see extensive flooding and increased erosion. Isla Vista’s crumbling cliffs will topple into the sea and Montecito’s prime beachfront property could retreat to north of the 101.

Montecito Needs Our Help

Our 26th President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, noted, “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called ‘whining.’” He is right! The great Albert Einstein added this piece of advice: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created the problem… If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about the solution.”

What do we want our community to look like by 2050? Creative problem solving is the process of redefining challenges and seeking opportunities, coming up with innovative and affordable solutions, and then taking action. What rules can we break? What can we do that is different and better?

•MJ

WENDY GRAGG 805. 453. 3371

Luxury Real Estate Specialist for Nearly 20 Years

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Specialist 40 MONTECITO JOURNALLuxury Real Estate“Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe.” — Jackie Mason

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13 – 20 February 2020

• The Voice of the Village •

MONTECITO JOURNAL

41

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

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Assads, Again – CAMA’s Masterseries presents Sérgio & Odair Assad, the guitar-playing brothers from São Paulo, Brazil, who began playing Brazilian folk melodies and transitioned to classical guitar in their teens, training under the most prominent instructors in Brazil. Wise move. Now considered by some critics as “the best two-guitar team in existence, maybe even in history,” they’ve been noted as performing with “telepathic unity” as their career continues to grow in stature. In a special Valentine’s Day return to the Lobero, the Assads will play works by Giuliani, Albéniz, Piazzolla, Rodrigo, Villa-Lobos, Jobim, Gismonti, and Sérgio Assad. WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $45-$55 INFO: (805) 9630761 or www.lobero.com SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Symphony’s Reif-er Madness – Hailed as one of his generation’s most promising conducting talents, Christian Reif leads the Santa Barbara Symphony through an engaging and light-hearted program appropriate for Valentine’s Day weekend. Reif, who until recently was Resident Conductor at the San Francisco Symphony, has impressed critics with a combination of poise and interpretive prowess, which he’ll lend to two of Mozart’s most

celebrated compositions, the overture to La Clemenza di Tito and Symphony No. 39. Also being played tonight and tomorrow afternoon are Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, performed by Cuban-born cellist and rising star Thomas Mesa – the top prizewinner at the 2016 Sphinx, 2013 Thaviu, and 2006 Alhambra Orchestra Concerto competitions – and Graffiti: Concerto for Chamber Orchestra, which Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Michael Gilbertson was inspired to write after observing the creative drive of San Francisco’s street artists. WHEN: 8 pm tonight, 3 pm tomorrow WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street COST: $29 & up ($20 for ages 20-29, $10 all students) INFO: (805) 8992222 or www.granadasb.org ‘Absurd in the Anthropocene’ – Dan Rosenboom embraces the chaos of the complicated and often surreal times referred to in the title in his new album released at the end of last month, which finds the internationally recognized trumpet player and composer-producer-entrepreneur staying true to his abstract musicianship and virtuous experimentalism as he follows inspirations that run the gamut from Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman to Frank Zappa, Soundgarden, and Squarepusher. What’s also not absurd is the generous crew of musicians Rosenboom recruited for the project, including producer and

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Gore and More – Lauren Yee calls her 2012 play Hookman “existential slasher theater,” which the Chicago Tribune expanded upon by terming the 75-minute “creeper” “high-end gore with a progressive twist.” Either way, this is no Nightmare on Elm Street, as Yee’s work probes the psyche of a college freshman named Lexi who has been through some tough stuff including alienation, teen angst and dealing with grief while also featuring a killer with a hook for a hand. Hookman is an early play by the rising contemporary playwright whose awards include the Steinberg Playwright Award, the Horton Foote Prize, and the Francesca Primus Prize. Michael Bernard directs the “slasher comedy” featuring a cast of UCSB students who take on the work he describes as “ full of surprises and taking on some pretty heavy issues in a way that is unexpected and refreshing (with a) tone that can go from silly to serious before you even realize the shift has happened.” WHEN: Today through February 23 WHERE: UCSB Performing Arts Theater COST: $17 general, $13 children & seniors in advance, $19 & $17 at the door INFO: (805) 893-2064 or www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu

42 MONTECITO JOURNAL

EVENTS

by Steven Libowitz

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Beleza Brazil – The new program from five-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves is devoted to the “beauty of Brazil,” a sentiment brought to the fore in the concert coming to the Lobero. Brazilian music has always been a passion of Reeves’, as evidenced by just about every one of her recordings, but this is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist’s first program devoted entirely to the beautiful music of Brazil. Featuring a masterful band (John Beasley on keyboards, Romero Lubamo on guitars, Itaiguaro Brandao on basses, and Rafael Barata on drums) backing up Reeves’ magical, timeless voice that is wedded to her winning stage presence, the show should prove to be a most captivating concert. As Wynton Marsalis exclaimed, “She has one of the most powerful, purposeful, and accurate voices of this or any time,” perhaps pointing to why Reeves was recently named a 2018 National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master – the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists. WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $45-$55 INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

keyboard master Jeff Babko; legendary drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Nova, and Zach Danziger; renowned bassists Jimmy Johnson, Tim Lefebvre and Jerry Watts Jr.; longtime collaborator Gavin Templeton and jazz icon David Binney on saxophones; guitarists Tim Conley, Alexander Noice and Jake Vossler; electronics wizard Troy Zeigler; and horn-players Brian Walsh, Ryan Dragon, Juliane Gralle and Javier Gonzalez. Local audiences have two chances to catch the master’s music in motion as Rosenboom’s Absurd in the Anthropocene release tour featuring a half-dozen of the accompanists in various configurations stops at the tiny Piano Kitchen tonight, and the NAMBA Performing Arts Space (47 S. Oak St., Ventura) tomorrow. WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Piano Kitchen, 430 Rose Ave. COST: $10 INFO: (430) 7673283 or www.facebook.com/The-Piano-Kitchen-150090325053979 Not in Kaunas Anymore – Egle Januleviciute, who began playing piano at age four in her hometown of Kaunas, Lithuania, eventually earned three advanced degrees, including a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from UCSB, where she later also served on the piano faculty.

She has toured Lithuania, Germany, Finland, Japan, Italy, Belgium and the former Soviet Union both as soloist and collaborative artist and has recorded commercially for nearly 30 years. Currently teaching piano here in Montecito at Westmont College and Cate School, Januleviciute will perform in recital this afternoon playing a program of Mozart’s Sonata KV 332 in F major; J. S. Bach’s Organ Chorale Prelude Jesus Christus, unser Heiland

“Marry a man your own age; as your beauty fades, so will his eyesight.” — Phyllis Diller

(arr. F.Busoni) and English Suite No. 2 BWV 807 in A minor; and Liszt’s Vallée d’Obermann from Années de Pèlerinage and Fantasy and Fugue on the theme of BACH. WHEN: 3 pm WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 305 East Anapamu (at Garden) COST: $10 suggested donation INFO: www.Eglej.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 TV at the Pollock – The CarseyWolf Center at UCSB is honoring the legacy of its founding sponsors – Marcy Carsey and Dick Wolf, whose work largely reshaped the modern television landscape – with a winter quarter series celebrating some of the best in classic and contemporary shows. Ranging from the traditional sitcom to recent dystopian drama, the series pulls great television out of the living room, onto the big screen, and into a communal conversation.

This week’s entries start with “Gender, Work and the Sitcom Family” (7 pm Thursday, February 13), featuring English professor Elana Levine examining TV’s role as a cultural forum and mass entertainment medium and themes of gender, work and family via screenings of episodes from three classic sitcoms: Father Knows Best, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Modern Family. Also, actress Robin Weigert, who played Calamity Jane in the highly-acclaimed period drama Deadwood, will talk about the show after a screening of Deep Water (7 pm Tuesday, February 18). WHERE: Pollock Theater, UCSB campus COST: free (reservations recommended) INFO: (805) 893-5903 or www. carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock 13 – 20 February 2020

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Quarter-century of Cirque – Cirque Éloize, the second most famous European style circus hailing from Quebec, celebrates its 25th anniversary with “Hotel,” a new work channeling Art Deco-era Hollywood glamour and featuring a combination of acrobatics, theater, dance and live music. Éloize, whose Santa Barbara visits date back to early in the 2000s with a series of memorable shows at the Lobero, continues to reinvent circus while featuring classic acts like the Cyr wheel, juggling, hand-tohand, aerial ropes and straps, clowning and the Chinese pole. Hotel is the story of a place full of stories, one where we mingle with strangers for a moment, from the waiter, overwhelmed by the events, to the mischievous maid, to the devoted handyman and his inseparable dog, all intricately woven together. As with all Cirque Éloize shows, Hotel balances thematic rigor with physical risk and a jazzy score featuring vocals and piano, plus instruments played by the performers. WHEN: 7 pm WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street COST: $45-$60 adults, $25 youth 18 and under INFO: (805) 899-2222 / www. granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535 / www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

Chaucer’s Choices – Local author and investigative journalist Michael Bowker heads to the midtown bookstore to share and sign his first fiction novel Gods of our Times, an emotional and powerful tale that transports readers back to the robust energy and romantic lights of 1920s Paris to chronicle the life of Sophie Masson, a painter and healer and a woman ahead of her time who connects with an irresistible and troubled journalist sent to Paris to interview the artistic ‘gods’ gathered in France at the time… France at a much earlier time is the setting for Frank Frost’s latest suspense novel The Grottos of Barigoule, which centers around two American couples living in the present village of Barigoule who discover the history of a local atrocity that was part of the massacre of more than 3,000 “heretics” in southern France in the 16th century.

The book is the third novel from Frost,

GranadaSB.org

805.899.2222 Santa Barbara Symphony presents

REIF CONDUCTS TCHAIKOVSKY & MOZART Sat FEB 15 8pm Sun FEB 16 3pm

the nonagenarian author whose career boasts scores of academic publications from his time at UCSB and elsewhere, a stint as a Santa Barbara County Supervisor in the 1970s, and a decades-long gig as a pianist with the Ulysses Jazz band….

Two-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter-director John Sayles’ (Passion Fish in 1992 and Lone Star in 1996) latest novel, his fifth, Yellow Earth takes place at the site of Three Nations reservations on the banks of the Missouri River in North Dakota set shortly before the Standing Rock confrontation arose, and weaves together narratives of competing worlds through masterful storytelling. WHEN: 7 pm Thursday, February 13 (Bowker), Tuesday, February 18 (Frost) and Wednesday, February 19 (Sayles) WHERE: Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center COST: free INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com •MJ

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents

CIRQUE ÉLOIZE HOTEL

Tue FEB 18 7 pm

The Granada Theatre presents

PETER AND THE WOLF Sun FEB 23 2 pm

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents

GRUPO CORPO

BACH & GIRA

Tue FEB 25 8pm

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Goldenvoice presents Still Climbing the Hill – Anita Hill brought the issue of sexual harassment to the forefront of our national conversation 28 years ago in her testimony during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Clarence Thomas, empowering women from all walks of life to fight sexual harassment and helped foster equality for women in the workplace. While she paid the price for her bravery by having to undergo unparalleled character assassination and worse, Hill now finds echoes of her struggle in the #MeToo movement, Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and today’s volatile social and political climate. Her moment in history back in 1991 evolved into a lifelong battle against discrimination and for race and gender equality. A prominent woman leader in academia, Hill lectures on anti-discrimination law, gender, race, social policy and legal history as Professor of Social Policy, Law and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University, and also serves as the Chair of the Hollywood Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace. Her talk tonight, entitled “From Social Movement to Social Impact: Putting an End to Sexual Harassment” – in which she speaks of progress and setbacks, outlining the arc of sexual harassment, asking “Have we learned nothing since 1991?” – serves as the inaugural lecture in the UCSB Feminist Futures Initiative. WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Campbell Hall, UCSB campus COST: $20$35 INFO: (805) 893-3535 www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

13 – 20 February 2020

HERB ALPERT & LANI HALL Fri FEB 28 7:30 pm

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents

BILL BRYSON

THE BODY: A GUIDE FOR OCCUPANTS Mon MAR 2 7:30pm Thank you to our Season Title Sponsor

1214 State Street, Santa Barbara

• The Voice of the Village •

Donor parking provided by MONTECITO JOURNAL

43

Notice Inviting Bids BID NO. 5821 STATE STREET CORRIDOR BRICK SIDEWALK REPAIR 1.

Bid Submission.

The City of Santa Barbara (“City”) will accept electronic bids for its State Street Corridor Brick Sidewalk Repair Project (“Project”), by or before February 27, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. through its PlanetBids portal. Bidders must be registered on the City of Santa Barbara’s PlanetBids™ portal in order to submit a Bid Proposal and to receive addendum notifications. Each bidder is responsible for making certain that their Bid Proposal is actually submitted/uploaded with sufficient time to be received by PlanetBids prior to the bid opening date and time. Large files may take more time to be submitted/uploaded to PlanetBids so plan accordingly. The receiving time at on PlanetBids’ server will be the governing time for acceptability of bids. Telegraphic, telephonic, electronic, and facsimile bids will not be accepted.

If any Addendum issued by the City is not acknowledged online by the Bidder, the PlanetBids System will prevent the Bidder from submitting a Bid Proposal. Bidders are responsible for obtaining all addenda from the City’s PlanetBids portal.

Bid results and awards will be available on PlanetBids.

2.

Project Information.

2.1 Location and Description. The Project is located on both sides of State Street, from Gutierrez Street to Victoria Street in Santa Barbara, CA, and is described as follows: Smooth out undulations and replace damaged bricks in the sidewalks.

2.2 Time for Completion. The Project must be completed within 60 consecutive working days from the start date set forth in the Notice to Proceed. City anticipates that the Work will begin on or about March 2020, but the anticipated start date is provided solely for convenience and is neither certain nor binding.

2.3 Estimate. The estimate for this Project is $125,000.00 2.4 Bidders’ Conference. A NON-MANDATORY bidders’ conference will be held on February 19, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., at the following location: 800 block of State St. and Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara, CA for the purpose of acquainting all prospective bidders with the Contract Documents and the Worksite. No relief will be granted to contractors for any conditions or restrictions that would have been discovered if they had attended the prebid meeting.

3.

License and Registration Requirements.

3.1 License. This Project requires a valid California contractor’s license for the following classification(s): “A” General Engineering Contractor, C-8 Concrete Contractor, or C-29 Masonry Contractor 3.2 DIR Registration. City may not accept a Bid Proposal from or enter into the Contract with a bidder, without proof that the bidder is registered with the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code § 1725.5, subject to limited legal exceptions

4.

Contract Documents. The plans, specifications, bid forms and contract documents for the Project, and any addenda thereto (“Contract Documents”) may be downloaded from City’s website at: https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=29959

5.

Bid Security. The Bid Proposal must be accompanied by bid security of ten percent of the maximum bid amount, in the form of a cashier’s or certified check made payable to City, or a bid bond executed by a surety licensed to do business in the State of California on the Bid Bond form included with the Contract Documents. The bid security must guarantee that within ten days after City issues the Notice of Award, the successful bidder will execute the Contract and submit the payment and performance bonds, insurance certificates and endorsements, and any other submittals required by the Contract Documents and as specified in the Notice of Award.

6.

Prevailing Wage Requirements.

6.1 General. Pursuant to California Labor Code § 1720 et seq., this Project is subject to the prevailing wage requirements applicable to the locality in which the Work is to be performed for each craft, classification or type of worker needed to perform the Work, including employer payments for health and welfare, pension, vacation, apprenticeship and similar purposes.

6.2 Rates. The prevailing rates are on file with City and available online at http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSR. Each Contractor and Subcontractor must pay no less than the specified rates to all workers employed to work on the Project. The schedule of per diem wages is based upon a working day of eight hours. The rate for holiday and overtime work must be at least time and one-half.

6.3 Compliance. The Contract will be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the DIR, under Labor Code § 1771.4.

7.

Performance and Payment Bonds. The successful bidder will be required to provide separate performance and payment bonds for 100% of the Contract Price regardless of contract dollar amount, as further specified in the Contract Documents.

8.

Substitution of Securities. Substitution of appropriate securities in lieu of retention amounts from progress payments is permitted under Public Contract Code § 22300.

9.

Subcontractor List. Each subcontractor must be registered with the DIR to perform work on public projects. Each bidder must submit a complete Subcontractor List WITH ITS Bid Proposal through the PlanetBids portal.

Failure to do will result in rejection of your bid. The Subcontractors List shall include the name, location of the place of business, California contractor license number, and percentage of the Work to be performed (based on the Base Bid) for each Subcontractor that will perform work or service or fabricate or install work for the prime contractor in excess of one-half of 1% of the bid price.

10.

Instructions to Bidders. All bidders should carefully review the Instructions to Bidders before submitting a Bid Proposal.

11.

Retention Percentage. The percentage of retention that will be withheld from progress payments is five (5) percent.

By: _______________________________________ William Hornung CPM, General Services Manager Publication Date: 2/12/20 Montecito Journal

44 MONTECITO JOURNAL

Date: ________________

original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL), filed by John Beck. FBN No. 20200000350. Published February 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Jhana Studio, 5809 Encina Rd. #101, Goleta, CA 93117.

Max Hennard, 5809 Encina Rd. #101, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 17, 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), filed by Thomas Brian. FBN No. 20200000191. Published February 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Clearwater Engineering, INC., 28 El Arco Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Clearwater Engineering, INC., 28 El Arco Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 13, 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), filed by Maria F. Sanchez. FBN No. 20200000132. Published February 5, 12, 19, 26, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Sotero Landscaping, 104 Los Aguajes Ave Apt. #1, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Raul Sotero, 104 Los Aguajes Ave Apt. #1, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 24, 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), filed by Maria F. Sanchez. FBN No. 20200000274. Published January 29, February 5, 12, 19, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: The Locals; The Locals, Santa Barbara, 209 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

Evokelife LLC, 804 Grove Lane, Santa Barbara, CA

“Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery.” — Erma Bombeck

93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 21, 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), filed by John Beck. FBN No. 20200000201. Published January 29, February 5, 12, 19, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Orchid Cleaning, 104 Los Aguajes Ave Apt. #1, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Orquidia Hernandez, 104 Los Aguajes Ave Apt. #1, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 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), filed by Maria F. Sanchez.

FBN No. 2020-0000224.

Published January 29, February 5, 12, 19, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Khemia Haircare, 5575 Hollister Ave Ste C, Goleta, CA 93117. Eleni Tziouvaras, 2019 Bath Street Unit C, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 6, 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), filed by Margarita Silva. FBN No. 20200000064. Published January 22, 29, February 5, 12, 2020.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Amorita, 6267 Covington Way, Goleta, CA 93117. Elisiana Qori Aldenderfer, 6267 Covington Way, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 13, 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), filed by Margarita Silva. FBN No. 20200000134. Published January 22, 29, February 5, 12, 2020.

13 – 20 February 2020

ON THE RECORD (Continued from page 24)

Residence Time. “The biomass resides from anywhere from fourteen to twenty days before it makes its way to solids removal,” says Ciarlo. By comparison, water leaves the plant and enters the ocean 10 to 20 hours after arrival.

The final step in the solid waste disposal process is a belt filter press. “We use polymer as a coagulant to fuse the particles together,” Ciarlo says.

“It’s a compression process where the water is squeezed, and the solids are concentrated and trapped on the belt and the scrapers take the solid waste on to the conveyer belt and into the dumpsters.”

Harvest Blend Separating solids from water, one step at a time

Scrapers salvage solid waste material

A backup generator is in place to keep the plant running in the event of a power loss, which if not swiftly resolved, would lead to a sewage spill. The last time this happened was during the January 9, 2018 debris flow event. “During the debris flow, when the water turned off, it flipped over automatically,” Ciarlo says. “We do a load transfer test every month and it’s incredibly reliable. If the power goes off for days, it’ll run for days.”

microorganisms to live, consume and reproduce. Amazingly, even while standing just a few feet away from the frothing liquid, there is no noticeable odor.

“The water isn’t brown because of fecal matter,” Ciarlo insists. “It’s because of all the microorganisms in there. If you took a small handful of soil, you have millions of microorganisms right there, so think of that in terms of all that brown water; it’s just microorganisms breaking down and speeding up the decomposing process.”

Microorganism Warfare

After being pumped upstairs from the inflow pump station, Montecito’s wastewater flows to a pair of swimming pool-size aeration basins, each 17 feet deep. “This is our suspended growth activation sludge system,” Ciarlo tells me. “We have a microbial community colony; about 15,000 pounds of microorganisms are what are being used to decompose and degrade the organic matter coming into the treatment zone.”

In other words, according to Ciarlo, all the bugs that help break down the sewage originated in our collective stomachs. “If you think of your own gut, the bugs are right there,” he explains. “The gut microbiome is dependent on your diet, so the colony of microorganisms we have are there because of the diet of wastewater food coming into the plant. It’s biomimicry: We have engineered a system that’s mimicking what the human body does.”

The two aeration tanks before us are being injected with a constant, high-pressure supply of air via fine bubble diffusers which cause the earthy brown surface of the two pools to churn with turbulence. At 370,000 gallons each, the tanks hold a total of 740,000 gallons of water for anywhere from six to 18 hours, depending on the flow. The supply of oxygen allows the 13 – 20 February 2020

Mixed Liquor

After being aerated, the water is pumped into two secondary clarifier tanks, where it turns into what sanitation industry people refer to as “mixed liquor.” The term refers to the visibly bifurcated nature of the liquid waste: clear on top and dark on the bottom, like a cocktail. The two-tone appearance comes courtesy of gravity. All the solid organisms, which will eventually become recyclable sludge usable for fertilizer, quickly sinks and settles at the bottom. Meanwhile the clear water filters through a series of weirs before being blasted with industrial strength bleach and dechlorinated with sodium bisulfate and finally emptied into the ocean.

Currently, MSD does not recycle its clean water, which is pumped into the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 40 feet some 1600 feet offshore from Butterfly Beach. (With help from an Israeli firm, MSD has a pilot project underway to recycle water and hopes to provide up to 60,000 gallons per day of it to customers including the nearby Santa Barbara Cemetery.)

Long after the purified water is pumped into the ocean, the solid waste that has been collected in the clarifier tanks remains onsite, where it is subjected to what can perhaps best

Solid waste makes its final lap towards the dumpster

be described as microscopic warfare.

“The microorganisms coming into the plant multiply and make more organisms,” Ciarlo says. “To operate this plant we need to maintain a target biomass population. So in order to do that we have to offset the new growth by eliminating some of that activated sludge.”

This task is accomplished via an aerobic digester, which helps thicken the sludge into a bubbly stew like chocolate pudding being mixed in a blender. “The food source here is the waste sludge,” Ciarlo continues.

“The microorganisms in this tank are surviving by eating other microorganisms. So we are getting some volume reduction and also getting pathogen destruction.”

High Quality Sludge

The Montecito Sanitary District employees 17 full-time people, including Carole Rollins, a laboratory manager and four maintenance workers who constantly survey the underground lines that lace the hills above MSD’s treatment plant. “We’re accredited through the state of California,” Rollins observes. “They keep an eye on us and inspect us. We submit data to the state.”

On the wall of the laboratory is a poster showing the microscopic profiles of all the microorganisms whose numbers need to be measured by MSD, which submits data to the state on a regular basis. Ciarlo points to a bubbling flask of liquid on the countertop; it is wastewater being injected with oxygen, thus mimicking the aeration process. After removing the air supply, the mixture vertically separates into clear liquid and solid waste. “Our duty as operators,” Ciarlo argues, “is to get the highest quality sludge.”

The length of time that solid waste spends at MSD’s treatment plant is referred to as an SRT, or Solids

• The Voice of the Village •

After my tour, I sit down with the Montecito Sanitary District’s general manager, Diane Gabriel, who serves on behalf of the five member board.

Gabriel starts off by telling me that, unlike other utilities, MSD doesn’t charge a monthly bill for its services.

Rather, per Proposition 13, each property owner in town must pay one half of one percent of their property taxes to fund the agency.

“We have to charge for our service,” Gabriel points out, adding that the revenue has funded the agency’s recycled water initiative; MSD has set aside $1.1 million over the next two years to fund the project. “The funds are coming from everybody and recycled water is to the benefit of everyone in the community, especially when it comes to drought-proofing,” Gabriel says. “Now we are able to look at recycling at a much larger scale.”

Outside, at the far end of MSD’s treatment facility, two conveyor belts deposit solid sludge into a pair of rolling container-size industrial dumpsters. “They bring us two empty bins and take the full bins away,” Gabriel says. “We are paying them for the trucking, but they are performing more treatment on the waste, composting it.”

Engel & Gray, the contractor that picks up the dumpsters, transports the waste to Santa Maria, where it is mixed with various other waste products and transformed into Class A fertilizer sold at locations such as Home Depot under the brand name Harvest Blend.

“It would be virtually impossible for us to become a composting facility,” Gabriel adds. “You need to have that out in ‘ag’ land, [where] they are bringing in vineyard waste and chicken poop and garden waste and they turn it into a nice product called “Harvest Blend Compost,” which you can buy at Home Depot.

We are fortunate to have operators who know the math, but also – since it’s more than science – know the art.”

•MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL

45

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Valentine’s Day,

A B O X

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