By Hilda or High Water

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20-27 JAN 2022 VOL 28 | ISS 3

Real Estate – Inventory is low,

Entertainment – Satsang returns

Village Beat – Gatehouse at entrance

Rumors – No, Caruso isn’t buying

but gems still abound, P.29

JOURNAL

of Edgecliff Lane approved, P.12

to his Montana roots, P.20

the giving list

the Upper Village, P. 24

SERVING MONTECITO AND SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA www.montecitojournal.net

Cancer Foundation provides local state-of-the-art cancer care, page 14

By Hilda or High Water Santa Barbara Schools Superintendent Super Intends to Get the Job Done

Interview by Gwyn Lurie

S

ome jobs are just plain hard. Hard because no matter what choices you make, some people are bound to be disappointed. I sometimes felt that way when I served on the Montecito Union School District Board, because everyone wants what’s best for their children, but not everyone agrees on what’s best. So I would remind myself of Eleanor Roosevelt’s sage words: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.”

I’ve thought about this a lot as I’ve watched our schools try to constantly adapt to confusing and ever-changing information and guidelines, not to mention their need to respond to the political biases and agendas of community members and other stakeholders.

Smack at the center of it all is our relatively new Superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Hilda Maldonado. And she would be the first to tell you that she didn’t have a red carpet rolled out for her when she arrived, three months into the pandemic, as the first Latina and only the second woman ever to hold that position – not to mention doing so at a historically challenging time.

At times I’ve felt that the press Supt. Maldonado has received has been unduly harsh given the herculean challenges she has faced since the day she

Hilda (Story continues on page 5)4 5)4

Gwyn Lurie is CEO and Executive Editor of the Montecito Journal Media Group

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Montecito JOURNAL

20-27 January 2022

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20-27 January 2022

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

16

1 4 7 0 E A S T V A L L E Y R O A D MONTECITO, CA • (805) 695-0220 Seen Around Town – Hillary Hauser exhibits Fantastic Fish paintings at Lobster Town U.S.A. Gallery; UCSB Arts & Lectures celebrates the holidays; and Santa Barbara Courthouse docents hold annual luncheon

19

Community Voices – Dan Meisel on conspiracy theories and the harm they can cause On Entertainment – Satsang reconnects with his roots in Montana; Kulāiwi brings Native Hawaiian music to SOhO; and more entertainment news around town

C

Starting on the Cover – State of the Schools: Gwyn Lurie sits down with Santa Barbara Unified School District’s Hilda Maldonado

6

Montecito Miscellany – Own a historic piece of Montecito for $78 million; Opera Santa Barbara’s Semele impresses at Lobero; and much more

20

8

Letters to the Editor – Bryan Rosen offers solutions to the parking woes on Riven Rock, while Carlos the Bear is on the move again Tide Guide

22

9

Dear Montecito – A Cate alum speaks out about the school’s recent sexual abuse scandals

23

Brilliant Thoughts – What to do with a lifetime supply of life?

24

Rumors and Actual News – Sharon Byrne addresses some rumors floating around town

28

Our Town – Painter Stephen Holland exhibits latest works at Silo118 Gallery in the Funk Zone

29

Real Estate – A look at four homes on the market in Montecito, ranging from $3.5 million to over $19 million

“My grandfather was a big believer that there’s not a giving gene.

And I think he’s right, that no one is born with the innate desire to give their stuff away. Instead, he believed in teaching me the importance of giving. The importance of providing for others.

The importance of being engaged, and active, and caring about others. Not just with money, but with time, and relationships, and resources. It was part of my everyday life. And I believe that’s what allowed me to have that understanding.”

30

Calendar of Events – A look at what’s going on all around town

34

Your Westmont – Author Michael Lewis headlines President’s Breakfast March 4 and local artist Marie Schoeff is featured in the Ridley-Tree Museum

38

Classified Advertising – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales

– Casey Wasserman

39

Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles Local Business Directory

10

Village Beat – Montecito boy scout Salvador Hernandez organizes five local blood drives in pursuit of an Eagle Scout Award; Leslie Person Ryan announces stationery store on Coast Village Road for sale; Edgecliff Lane gatehouse approved; and a parklet update

14

The Giving List – Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara’s goal is to provide stateof-the-art cancer care right here in Santa Barbara

4

erspectives by Rinaldo S. Brutoco – “Jabberwocky”: PG&E and Edison are at P it again!

The Optimist Daily – Some tips for two winter hobbies with wonderful payoffs: bird feeders and jigsaw puzzles

Montecito JOURNAL

“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” — Buddha

20-27 January 2022

Hilda (Continued from Cover)

Superintendent Hilda Maldonado aids in the week-long testing efforts across the Santa Barbara Unified School District, including here at Santa Barbara High (Courtesy of SBUSD)

arrived. I wondered how she was feeling about where things are at in the school district where, if you believe what you read, you might imagine the district is in a state of chaos.

But don’t believe it. Maldonado is soldiering through. As Winston Churchill famously said, “When you’re going through (COVID-19) hell… keep going.”

Q. Eighteen months into your job at the district, how are things going?

A. Well, I came with this agenda of changing the world. I was very hopeful about many things that we could do here to improve outcomes for all students. And we’ve been able to put some things in place, but we keep being thrown off our course. So, I’ve learned that having to be adaptable and flexible, and dealing with paradox and uncertainty and ambiguity, is what leadership calls for right now.

You joined our school district in July 2020. Just three months into the pandemic.

Yes... I came in with a real optimism that it’s going to be over soon... And I came out of L.A. having just had a teachers’ strike. So I went from a major teachers’ strike to the pandemic. I knew the teachers’ strike had a beginning and an end. And I think with the pandemic, at first I had this similar belief like, “Okay, there’s going to be a beginning and an end.”

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But maybe not so much. That’s what I’m starting to hear from the scientific community – that it might make more sense to think of managing COVID as something that’s with us for a long time, like the common cold or the flu, as opposed to this idea that there’s a beginning and an end to COVID because the absolute end could be a long time coming.

To that point, when I was working initially as a new leader with cabinet members, I leaned in on some articles from Harvard Business Review that talked about what other people were doing at the time. And I found this really cool article to share with my cabinet members that talked about something called the Stockdale Paradox, which talks about this idea of being optimistic but also realistic at the same time. So I had us read it, talk about it. And I had our principals read it, talk about it. And that was last year in the fall where we really talked about how to manage this by understanding what happens to people in crisis.

Admiral Stockdale described what happens to us as humans, especially those of us who are very optimistic, who are like, “Okay, by December, it’ll be over,” “Or by March it’ll be over, or by July.” And then when we start to see that it’s not happening, the decline that happens psychologically for people who are expecting that very defined ending. And so we’ve leaned in hard on, instead, this idea of keeping ourselves going, of sustaining.

Of not putting an end date on our energy and our effort. I leaned in hard on this myself as a leader to keep myself going like, okay, I’m optimistic, but at the same I’m also going to be realistic.

How is the morale of the teachers right now?

Very low... I would say that all of us, teachers and staff, are having a difficult time because... we started with Delta, that gave us one set of guidelines. Now we have Omicron, which gives us a different set of guidelines... That curveball that keeps changing our behaviors is what is tiring everybody. So the balance I have to strike is “Okay, we have these new guidelines, but now we’re still going to keep going even though the finish line keeps moving.

It has been a mixed bag. When I walked classrooms all last week and this week, the people that are there that are safe, that are healthy, they’re happy. The kids that are in school are happy, they’re learning, but we’re also cognizant of the fact that, whoa, we have about 20 percent or so of our people missing. And it’s that space where it’s hard to figure out how to impart, “We’re going to be okay.”

Hilda Page 184 184 20-27 January 2022

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Montecito Miscellany Historic Montecito Property on Market for $78 Million

Marla Phillips, Nichol Clark, Bob and Megan Stoll, Jackie McIntyre, and Lana McIntyre at the opening night of Semele (Photo by Priscilla)

by Richard Mineards

O

ne of the last undeveloped properties in Montecito, Mar Y Cel – Sea and Sky –, a 350-acre estate in the Santa Ynez Mountain foothills above our rarefied enclave, is up for grabs for $78 million.

The sprawling property includes the Tea Gardens built in the 1900s by industrialist Henry Bothin, a 200-seat amphitheater, and, rather uniquely, the remains of stone aqueducts and water works, Romanesque arches, and Greek-like statues.

The estate, a series of 18 parcels, is being sold by Keith Schofield, 83, a research chemist and retired UCSB professor, and his wife, Kay Robinson Schofield, 74.

The couple bought the property for $14 million in 2000 with the intent of building a family compound.

About 150 acres of Mar Y Cel are held in conservation by the Trust for Santa Barbara County.

In addition to the 18 parcels, three other parcels spanning about 12 acres are being offered separately for $12 million.

Roof Racks for surf, snow, & bike

‘Semele’ Stuns

Cargo boxes and baskets

Opera Santa Barbara was again in fine

form when it presented Handel’s Semele at the Lobero, which was first performed in 1744 at London’s Covent Garden.

A fusion of elements of opera, drama, and oratorio, the popular work is taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses with Semele, the mother of the god Bacchus, superbly played by soprano Jana McIntyre, with tenor Robert Stahley as Jupiter, mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit as Juna, and countertenor Logan Tanner as Athamas, the last three in

Miscellany Page 364 364

Christina Pezzarossi, who played Ino in Semele, with Associate Director/Choreographer Nicola Bowie (Photo by Priscilla)

Kostis Protopapas with Susan and Palmer Jackson Jr. (Photo by Priscilla)

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“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity.” — Francis Bacon Sr.

20-27 January 2022

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VOICES & VIEWS Letters to the Editor Riven Rock Parking Solutions

A

few days after New Year’s Day, Riven Rock Road was a mess due to the large number of vehicles parked on it. Some were on the dirt, but quite a few were on the roadway protruding over the white line. It must have been a ticketing bonanza.

People are coming from all over to visit the hot springs.

Ticketed cars still pose a hazard in terms of emergency vehicle access. The present solution isn’t working.

Two “No Parking” signs aren’t enough.

Because white lines on country roads are seldom enforced, and the public doesn’t expect there to be a problem if they park over them, a better solution is needed.

Here’s how to get cars off of Riven Rock.

Provide a reasonable number of parking spaces on upper Riven Rock, and/or on East Mountain Drive. Plants or rocks can be put on the dirt next to Riven Rock to prevent parking there.

Paint the curb on Riven Rock red. Inside the red, white letters can say “No Parking: Tow Away Zone.”

Or signs stating “no parking” could be placed every 15-20 feet. That would be very unsightly.

The first time a car parks next to the red a $200 ticket could be given (people are only being fined $37.50 now). The second time a vehicle is illegally parked, it can be towed away. This will work if a database is set up so the officer can check a license plate. If such a database isn’t feasible, then the vehicle can just be towed.

The public is well aware that they’re not supposed to park next to a red curb. The California DMV driver’s manual makes this clear. I spoke with a resident of Riven Rock, and he doesn’t have a problem with cars being towed if people do. The law is supposed to be enforced. Leniency could be shown to those who stop for a minute or so to drop someone off.

This is not a mean-spirited approach since it will be clearly stated on the curb

that parking’s not allowed.

Too many vehicles block roads all over Montecito. Gardener trucks jut out on roads even narrower than Riven Rock.

Where I live on lower Cold Spring Road, when the grammar school has an event, cars stick way out into the road, making passage of emergency vehicles more difficult.

An even-handed approach is fair and needed in Montecito. The fire department could send a mailer to Montecito residents asking them to do their part, and to watch where their gardeners park.

A public process is the right way to do things. Notices can be placed at the Hot Springs trailhead and in newspapers. A public process should allow neighbors on Riven Rock to get relief, but also be fair to hikers. Time is of the essence. A solution needs to be found before fire season arrives.

Hikers who want to visit the hot springs can also park at the Cold Spring or San Ysidro trailheads. Or they can park near the Mount Carmel Church, and walk an extra fifteen minutes to get to the Hot Springs trailhead. There are plenty of places for hikers to park. They can also take the public bus, or ride a bicycle.

Sincerely, Bryan Rosen

Bear Rambles Shaken, but not stirred by an odd feeling, Carlos, The Bear, had a hard time deciding if he should risk going into Santa Barbara to see an upcoming concert.

What with COVID, the hassle of an Uber and no date to join him, he was getting flummoxed when his computer screen lit up with a special weather statement. A Tsunami Advisory had been issued for the West Coast of the USA! Deciding between KT Tunstall at The Lobero or Jason Isbell with Shawn Colvin at The Arlington would have to wait, the Tsunami warning had him freaked and he

needed to find out more. The statement said the event would begin at around 7:45 am the following day, locally. Phew! He had plenty of time to look further into this alarming matter. He searched Google and found that the waves were created by an underwater eruption of a volcano in distant Tonga.

Curious, Carlos found video taken by a satellite of the explosive eruption. Good Grief!! It looked like an atom bomb. Then, just by happenstance he glanced at his barometer, there on the chart was a spike from the exact time the pressure wave passed through The Cito.

Oh my, Carlos thought, 2022 is starting off with a BIG Bang then grabbed his Go Bag and began heading to higher ground.

As he walked up Romero trail he figured if he rode this one out, he’d try and make both shows!

Michael Edwards

The Golden Rule J.W. Burks’ letter, “Lady Justice Wears a Blindfold,” is disturbing for his opposition to CRT, Critical Race Theory. Why should the notion that teaching simple fairness, decency, including the stories of injustice, be viewed with such opprobrium? Does he really believe that being “anti-racism,” or “ethnic studies,” is “trendy”?

I taught an entire social studies unit about the Plains Indians to my 5th grade class. It was mandated by the L.A. Unified School District in the ‘60s. We learned about the rich culture, the fascinating customs, their sophisticated art – that was ethnic studies. Invariably kids asked, “But where did they go?”

Teachers were encouraged to deal directly with fair-play. One year I had twin sisters in my class. They were quiet, shy, studious. Their Orthodox Jewish mother dressed them NOT in the latest fashion.

They were subtly rejected because they were socially pretty awkward, and they were plump.

You can be sure this teacher took on Solange, Debbie, and Karen, the three Smarty-Pants, well on their way to become “mean-girls,” when I caught them planning to steal the twins’ Kosher lunch bags and

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE Day Low Hgt High Thurs, Jan. 20 4:10 AM 2.3 10:18 AM Fri, Jan. 21 12:07 AM Sat, Jan. 22 12:41 AM Sun, Jan. 23 1:19 AM Mon, Jan. 24 2:02 AM Tues, Jan. 25 2:53 AM Weds, Jan. 26 3:50 AM Thurs, Jan. 27 4:50 AM Fri, Jan. 28 5:49 AM

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Hgt High Hgt Low -0.5 2.3 10:54 AM 5.2 05:58 PM 2.3 11:36 AM 4.6 06:30 PM 2.2 12:29 PM 3.9 07:04 PM 2 01:44 PM 3.2 07:43 PM 1.5 03:41 PM 2.7 08:35 PM 0.6 05:48 PM 2.7 09:46 PM -0.2 07:11 PM 3 011:05 PM -0.9 08:05 PM 3.4

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“We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake.” — Francis Bacon Sr.

trade them for Swift’s salami sandwiches.

The next day I assigned the entire class to write about a time when they felt left out. Not a single child out of 32 failed to write something. Guess who wrote the most powerful story? Yep, Solange, who had been ousted by her step-mother’s children whenever she went to visit her remarried father. I lent her my copy of D’Aulaires’ Fairy Tales, she immediately turned to “Cinderella” and wrote a poem about being a step-daughter.

We read Eleanor Estes’ The 100 Dresses, one of the best children’s stories ever written about ostracization. I hope it’s still in print. The After-School Blue-Birds made a play out of it.

Another year, after a new boy from Texas joined my class and was ridiculed for his twang and odd gait, I decided on an experiment. I divided the class into two groups, (unbeknownst to them, all the kids who wore blue versus all the ones who wore any other color).

Then I kept all the blues in from recess, I told them to clean out their desks and keep quiet while I took out my coffee thermos and corrected papers. Confusion, anger, upset... One girl threatened to walk out. I threatened to keep her after school. After a few minutes, a delegation rose up to tell me how unfair… etc.

It was time to come clean when the very confused multi-colored children returned.

We held the best discussion ever of what it’s like to feel discrimination. The homework was to write a paragraph, “When I was a BLUE...” while the other half wrote how they felt to be sent out without knowing why their friends were being “punished.”

At least three kids wondered if that was how it felt to be Black? One even wondered if her adopted Chinese cousin felt that way.

Not a single parent complained!

Thanks to Bloom’s Taxonomy, there was a huge emphasis on “critical thinking,” in the ‘60s. Whether teaching science, math, language, or social studies. Kids can think critically regardless of age. Ask a five-yearold why it’s not a good idea to pick on his/ her smaller sibling? (Preferably not while in the act.) His sense of injustice will emerge, I promise.

When I taught Early American History in 6th grade, starting with the 13 Colonies when we, the people, revolted from British rule… it made sense to the kids why we sought Independence. Inevitably, the history of our country’s prosperity led to the study of the South. It too should be taught, not to make white kids feel guilty, but to make us aware of its hurt and what to do about it.

Kids LOVE writing solutions to adult problems. It makes them feel mature and important.

Call it CRT, I prefer to call it The Golden Rule.

Josie Levy Martin

20-27 January 2022

Dear Montecito Cate School

by Stella Haffner

I

n October of 2021, universities around the United Kingdom started making headlines after the rise of a threatening new epidemic: injectable date-rape drugs. I remember the buzz at my own university as students called for stricter safety measures in bars and clubs. The fear of this new weapon for sexual assault and the lack of response from venues encouraged one conclusion: If administrators can’t be held directly responsible for what happens on their property, they don’t care.

In our town, we see a similar conclusion brewing as the narrative of Cate School’s on-campus abuse unravels. While much of the dialogue has focused on the sexual misconduct of the 17 faculty members named in the Oppenheimer report, community members and Cate School alumni have increasingly called for a more comprehensive look at misconduct on the Mesa campus, especially student-on-student abuse.

When a person creates a machine but another pulls the lever, who is responsible for the outcome? According to the Cate School administration, not them.

Testimony from alumni has continued to reveal that abuse was not only treated as permissible – with a strong precedent being set by the continued support and employment of predatory faculty members – but also an expected part of the boarding school’s culture.

Former and current students address experiences of misogyny within Cate School, citing a chronic problem present from the dress code to fellow students’ slut-shaming. It is this trickle-down effect into disrespectful, misogynistic, coercive, and even violent behavior from Cate students that we discuss today.

Dear Montecito, Cate School at one point represented a dream for me. I’m from a small town where I attended an even smaller middle school; by the time I was thirteen, I desperately wanted to escape. I was shy, bookish, and felt out of place amongst the kids I’d been with since preschool. I’m not from Southern California, but I have family there, so when I visited Cate it felt like the perfect blend of new and familiar; the eucalyptus trees reminded me of my grandma, but I didn’t recognize a single face.

I was on vacation the week admission decisions were released. I remember refreshing the hotel computer again and again until the notice came through – I was in! Immediately, my heart lifted thinking of boarding a plane and speeding away from my hometown’s suffocating sameness. For me, being thirteen had been marked mostly by loneliness, but when I imagined swapping clothes with my roommate or giggling over shared lunches with teammates, I felt excited for the future, for the first time in years.

Social anxiety made my adjustment to Cate difficult, but I slowly found my place: in the art loft, in the outdoors program, and, eventually, in the dorm rooms of other quiet, artistic students. These new friends and I spent many a night huddled over illicit hot-pots of ramen, watching YouTube or singing show tunes. During the school week, my confidence grew exponentially as I began to be recognized for my writing. I felt safe, comfortable, and at home.

In my junior year, I began dating a fellow classmate – let’s call him W. I was ecstatic, both to finally have a boyfriend and because I really liked him. We studied the same language and were both dedicated students, in a way that initially gave our relationship a delightfully competitive edge. I was happy to be with someone who valued my mind instead of being intimidated. I was also excited to explore physically with him – and terrified of what would happen if I wavered in that enthusiasm.

Since the moment I arrived on campus, I’d heard about other students, mostly girls, being pushed past their limits, controlled by their partner’s threats of slut-shaming rumors, emotionally manipulated by “if you loved me, you would…” or simply physically forced.

And with an administration who seemed to only acknowledge our sexuality when they were forbidding us from exploring it, there was no space to openly discuss the line between wanted and unwanted attention. I remember friends telling me partners had forcibly groped them, held them down and taken their stillness for consent; I also remember these friends being afraid to report because they could be disciplined for having been sexually curious in the first place, for having followed their own desire into an interaction turned poisonous.

That is, if the administration even acknowledged their complaint as anything more than “hearsay.” Keeping quiet might have protected people who hurt us, but it didn’t feel like the alternative was even an option.

One off-campus night with W., I slipped my hand into his pants for the first time but then stopped, unsure. He didn’t push, but said, “You know, you’re lucky to have a boyfriend who’s okay waiting. A lot of guys wouldn’t be.” Knowing what I knew about other relationships at Cate, I found myself agreeing.

Of course, the “not-like-other-guys” shtick didn’t last, and his frustration escalated quickly. First he would just storm off in a huff, then guilt me for “mistreating” him (a.k.a. not

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Montecito JOURNAL

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VILLAGE BEAT Montecito Blood Drive

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

M

ontecito boy scout Salvador Hernandez, a senior at Santa Barbara High School, is pursuing the highest advancement award the Boy Scouts of America offers to Scouts: the Eagle Scout Award. Hernandez’ Eagle Service Project is a series of five blood drives in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Montecito; Hernandez has spent the last several months planning and organizing the drives, which begin this weekend.

“I knew I wanted to plan blood drives for my service project because I really wanted to help others in the community,” Hernandez told us earlier this week. “There is a severe blood shortage right now and I want to help change that.”

Hernandez is a Senior Patrol Leader with Montecito Troop 33, which is led by Telford Work. The troop was formerly led

by Dave Cantin, who died along with his son and fellow Eagle Scout, Jack Cantin, in the Montecito debris flow on January 9, 2018. Currently only 8% of scouts achieve

Eagle Scout, although a much higher number of Montecito Boy Scouts have achieved the honor in the past. Hernandez started his scouting journey as a cub in Carpinteria at age seven, and became a Boy Scout at 10 years old.

“Scouting is important to me because I like being able to engage with the community, and to be able to be there for other scouts going through hard times,” Hernandez said. Currently working at a local nursery while attending high school, Hernandez hopes to have a future career in law enforcement or fire-fighting.

The blood drives are as follows: Saturday, January 22 at El Diaz Church, 2107 Santa Barbara St. 10 am–4 pm Friday, February 11 at Montecito Fire

Department, 595 San Ysidro Road 1 pm –5 pm Monday, February 14 at Santa Barbara High School (only open to students and staff ) Friday, February 18 at Carpinteria

Fire Department, 911 Walnut Avenue 3 pm –7 pm Thursday, February 24 at LDS Church in

Montecito Boy Scout Salvador Hernandez is hosting a series of five blood drives in Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Carpinteria as part of his Eagle Scout project (photo courtesy Christina Favuzzi)

Carpinteria, 1501 Linden Ave 1 pm–7 pm The blood drives are being hosted through the American Red Cross and Vitalant. To sign up for the blood drives on 1/22 and 2/24, visit redcrossblood.org, click on Find a Drive, and use the code Eagle33. For the rest of the blood drives, visit vitalant.org.

The Montecito drive can be most easily found by using the blood drive code 1216

while searching on the Vitalant website.

Letter Perfect for Sale Montecito’s Letter Perfect at 1150 Coast Village Road is for sale, and owner Leslie Person Ryan is ideally seeking a buyer who would like to keep the 38-year-old busi-

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Village Beat Page 124 124

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The lead sponsors of the London Symphony Orchestra partnership are Linda and Michael Keston and Mary Lynn and Warren Staley.

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Village Beat (Continued from page 10 10))

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Letter Perfect on Coast Village Road is for sale as owner Leslie Person Ryan moves on to the nonprofit sector

ness as a stationery and gift store, saying the shop, located prominently in the Villa Fontana shopping center, next to Montecito Deli, has unrealized potential.

Ryan, who jokes that she started the shop when she was 10 years old, says the time has come to sell the high-end shop, so she can focus on her other passion: community farming. The board of the Santa Barbara Agricultural Farm and Education Foundation, the organization Ryan founded last year in an effort to bring sustainability and food stability to Summerland, has asked her to be the CEO of Summerland Farm, which she cannot do while still running Letter Perfect. Ryan began leasing the farm, which is located on a 6.84-acre property at the top of Temple Street in Summerland, to farm fruit and vegetables for her Sweet Wheel Farm and Flowers business, which she created following the 1/9 Debris Flow that essentially left Summerland residents without access to food for multiple days.

The Foundation purchased the farm late last year, and Ryan has been busy farming organic produce to sell at an open-air market next to the gas station on Lillie Avenue; it’s open every day and is stocked with seasonal, fresh produce, homemade food products, and flowers. Most recently she has planted three acres of organic wheat for flour tortillas and organic oats, which she will sell wholesale. “I just can’t give my all to both the store and the farm,” she told us earlier this week.

Letter Perfect has been a popular retail establishment on the road for 38 years, offering custom stationery orders, design services, classes, gifts and cards, custom logos, and much more. “When you start doing wedding invitations for a kid whose birth announcement you created, you realize it’s a very special position to be in the community,” Ryan said. She would like to help a new owner learn the ropes, and says she has solidified a long-term lease agreement with the owner of Villa Fontana. Since announcing the sale earlier this week, she has received several inquiries from interested buyers, all of whom would like to continue her legacy of high quality stationery and gifts.

“It’s been an extremely rewarding experi-

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings

ence and an honor to have had this experience with the community. It’s just time for me to be in the nonprofit sector now,” Ryan said. The future plans for Summerland Farm include utilizing the farm space not just to feed Summerland residents through Sweet Wheel Farm Stand, but donating fresh produce to various nonprofits. The farm will also include an educational component, offering schools in the area a place for students to learn about agriculture, farming, compost, pollinators, and more.

Ryan also hopes to expand the farm to include a community donor garden, warka towers (devices designed to harvest water from the atmosphere), a greenhouse area, a fire break, compost, bicycle trails, and areas for chickens and goats to roam.

To inquire about the sale of Letter Perfect, Leslie Person Ryan can be contacted at per sonryan@aol.com.

Gatehouse Approved The proposed 24-hour gatehouse at the entrance of Edgecliff Lane was approved at Montecito Board of Architectural Review last week, after gaining unanimous approval by the Montecito Planning Commission in December. The location of the gatehouse is near the entrance to Hammond’s Beach at the end of Eucalyptus Lane, and will be built adjacent to the existing, un-manned entry gate.

The 100-square-foot gatehouse will serve all eight oceanfront properties along Edgecliff Lane, after the neighbors collaborated and decided to build it following a reported increase in vandalism, theft, and noise violations on the private lane.

The project, designed by Warner Group Architects, includes a small building, which will house an office and bathroom. It will be built with Santa Barbara sandstone and muted materials in order to blend in with the surrounding landscape.

The homeowners are planning to staff the gatehouse 24 hours a day, and it will be up to them to manage and fund the staffing. Project designers were required to rework the site walls on the project to

Village Beat Page 244 244

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THE GIVING LIST Comprehensive, State-of-the-Art Cancer Care

by Steven Libowitz

T

he Cancer Center of Santa Barbara was founded 73 years ago based on the simple concept that a city that is one of the most desirable places on Earth to live should also have state-of-the-art cancer care available locally. The name, locations, and internal structure has changed over the years, but the nonprofit’s goal has never wavered, with its formal mission of “ensuring superior cancer care for all residents of Santa Barbara County regardless of means.”

“We know that people have better outcomes when they’re treated in their own communities,” explained Stephanie Carlyle, Director of Philanthropy & Administration for the stand-alone Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, the financial backbone of the Cancer Center since its inception.

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Montecito JOURNAL

The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara and Ridley-Tree Cancer Center work together to provide a comprehensive diagnostic, treatment, prevention, and research program that allows cancer patients to receive the highest level of care without leaving Santa Barbara. The partnership also aims to keep the Central Coast on the vanguard of modern cancer care by investing in cutting-edge medical equipment, the recruitment of highly trained medical personnel, active participation in clinical research, the integration of oncology services, and the thoughtful introduction of promising new methods of treatment.

All of which contributes to the fact that despite the belief that specialists in Los Angeles might be able to offer better care, Santa Barbara’s Ridley-Tree Cancer Center at Sansum Clinic – its name since 2017 when the new comprehensive center steps

Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara was founded on the promise of superior cancer care available locally

from Cottage Hospital was constructed to combine three locations into one – offers equal if not superior services, Carlyle said.

“I’ve quite often heard that when somebody goes down to UCLA to seek treatment that they’re told there are world-class facilities right there in Santa Barbara,” she said.

“And when people head down to get a second opinion, sometimes they hear from that doctor that the person who taught them is actually practicing in Santa Barbara.”

Staying in town also allows all aspects of treatment and services to be centralized in one location, including lots of services beyond physicians and medicine.

“The Foundation through our fundraising supports not only patients’ physical health, but also the mental and psychosocial aspects of the disease that might enhance their recovery,” Carlyle said. “That’s primarily where our funding goes.”

Among those ancillary services are integrated Patient Navigation, Genetic Counseling, and Oncology Nutrition programs to meet the multi-layered needs of patients; Oncology Social Work services to help patients with psychological, social, and financial stresses and featuring individual family counseling, case management, support groups, assistance with home care and long-term care, insurance, transportation, finances, and advocacy. Additionally, Wellness Programs and Classes offer a wide range of activities to provide a healing and supportive atmosphere for patients and caregivers, including yoga, painting, flower arranging, exercise programs, meditation, and even a music therapy program, while Community Outreach & Prevention programs act to reduce cancer risk among patients in our community.

“These are services that are generally not covered by insurance and not traditionally available in a community of our size,” Carlyle explained, adding that the grants to cover those programs run about $3 million per year. “Most of those grants come as a result of the fundraising that we are able to do in the community.”

Which is why, Carlyle said, gifts of any

“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” — Emilie Coue

size are welcome, from estate planning and gifts of stock portfolios to one-time donations.

“The more that we raise, the more money we are able to grant to the Cancer Center to support these programs, and also eventually allow them to expand based on need in the community, and add new ones that enhance healing.”

That need – which is already sizeable as the center served more than 12,000 individuals representing more than 67,000 visits to oncology departments in 2020 – might grow as a side effect of the pandemic, as with information about increasing risks due to the new COVID variants, people might be refraining from getting screenings and seeing their physicians.

“There may be a lot of people who end up being diagnosed once they feel safe to come out again, so there will be a need for additional staffing and expansion of programs,” Carlyle said. “Even beyond the pandemic, as things morph and change, as we move into the future and learn about better treatments or new programs, we want to be able to make them available as soon as possible. All that requires funding.

So every gift matters.”

If the pandemic protocols and social distancing guidelines allow, The Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara is hoping to re-establish its signature community events, including the Barbara Ireland Walk & Run for Breast Cancer and the Cancer Center Walk/Run – which transitioned to virtual participation last year – as in-person gatherings once again.

“We tend to be a little bit more cautious because either participants or donors may very well be cancer patients or survivors, and we need to take their health and safety into consideration,” Carlyle said.

“Hopefully once the Omicron surge passes, we’ll be able to meet in person again.”

Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara is located at 601 West Junipero Street. For more information, call (805) 898-2116 or visit https://cfsb.org.

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The feature would be Hillary and her “Fantastic Fishes” paintings.

Hillary is a recognized photojournalist with a focus on the ocean – adventure, politics, and conservation. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1966 and moved to Los Angeles to be Skin Diver Magazine’s assistant editor. Underwater cameras were coming into their own, so Hauser began the popular “Fish of the Month” feature, which became The Book of Marine Fishes.

Since, she has published six books about the sea and numerous articles about underwater adventure for National Geographic, Esquire, Redbook, and Reader’s Digest, among others. And she began to paint Fantastic

Some of Hillary’s fishes

Fishes. She assembled her own frames, used durable duck cloth to paint on and, using acrylic paints she produced over 300 pieces exhibited in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

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In 1998, local beaches were being closed because of pollution so Hillary took the “bull by the horns” and co-founded HTO,

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Hilda (Continued from 5) Can you talk about what has gone into the decision to keep the schools open?

I don’t have a choice. I cannot close schools by myself... The law as it stands does not allow me to offer that [learning by] remote choice that we had last year. The current law states that if a parent doesn’t want their child to have in-person schooling, they need to choose independent study. The only way I can close the schools is in consultation with Public Health and the county superintendent. And it has to be because I am low on staff available to teach kids. And we’ve not reached that threshold.

Additionally, if I were to get to that point where I was short of staff and I had to close, then I have to call them “snow days”; they would be categorized as emergency days. And then I have to tack those days on to the end of the school year because I am still obligated to offer [schooling] for 180 school days.

Does that come down from the governor’s office?

It’s Education Code Section 51747G and 51749.6B. It’s an assembly bill.

Are you receiving a lot of pushback from parents for keeping the schools open?

I have not received a lot of parents asking me to close schools... Actually, I have received less than 10 emails asking me that, from teachers or parents, honestly.

“I’ve learned that having to be adaptable and flexible, and dealing with paradox and uncertainty and ambiguity, is what leadership calls for right now. “ – Santa Barbara Schools Superintendent Hilda Maldonado

What is the feedback you’re getting from teachers?

I’ve been walking schools with the Teachers Union president. They just want to know what’s next. So, going back to the Stockdale Paradox, what’s going to happen next? When are you going to test us again? And what’s that going to look like? People need to just hear a lot of reassurance from me, why it’s safe to be in school and that I’m willing to support them with N95 masks, adequate ventilation, purifiers, those kinds of things.

Does the district have enough rapid COVID tests?

Yes. We do. We had a supply of about 24,000. I believe we’ve used about 12,000 of those in this round of testing. That’s just in our own internal supply. As you know, in December, we distributed close to 16,000 at-home kits. And in addition to that, we have the contract with Aptitude at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. This week we received 26,000 additional tests. So, we have a pretty good supply for us to do a couple of more rounds... But with that said, we have about 3,000 people that had been out for about two weeks that are going to start to come back, and we’ll need to use some of the testing supplies for that. And then decide what our next round of testing is going to look like. If we’re going to do the massive testing again or if we’re going to do more of the randomized, where we just randomly choose kids, keeping an eye on where the outbreaks might be. And the hard part is the tracking of cases, depending on if you’re at day one and coming back for day five, day eight, day 11, all those things are crazy making.

Have any kids ended up in the hospital?

Not to my knowledge. I have not heard of one yet.

Can you talk about the mental health impact COVID has had on students and what, if anything, the district is doing to support these kids? ...In the school walks I’ve had, I’ve asked kids, “How are you doing? How are you feeling?

Are you happy being in school in person?” And they’re all saying, “Yes, keep the schools open,” but I hear second and third hand how much kids need us to stay open, for the sports, for the extracurriculars, for the opportunities to be with their friends. We do have a system of reporting mental health issues through the CALM and FSA contracts that we have. And we have personnel at school that are there to get the referrals for either family counseling at the elementary or individual student counseling at the secondary levels. I know that their cases are full. I know that there are wait lists.

In early December I convened a group of ASB presidents along with our student board member. And we talked about the issues that were coming up and those kids told me that some of their friends are experiencing depression, lack of motivation, lethargic feelings about life and school, worried feelings.

And the kids in that group also expressed to me, “Can you help us?” Like we sit here in these offices and we’re like, “Oh look, we have the contract from CALM and FSA and here’s the website and here’s how you do it.” And we pat ourselves on the back and we think we’re doing great. But how that gets translated to a student is not clear. And what we heard

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Montecito JOURNAL

Santa Barbara High Principal Elise Simmons registers students prior to taking a COVID-19 test on January 10 as part of a district-wide testing mandate (Courtesy of SBUSD)

from those kids in December (Laura Wooster, who’s my student engagement specialist, was there in the room with me. And so was Shawn Carey.) We heard from the kids, “We don’t know how to access that. Where is it? How do we find it? How do we help other kids know it’s there?” So that’s what Laura is working on.

Is it difficult with the COVID testing and the daily protocol that it’s an honor system? Because I do hear from some of the kids that people are going to school when they know they have COVID, but they don’t feel like they really have an alternative.

Maldonado: Not only is this an honor system, but I also cannot force somebody to take the test.

And so that’s why we offered the other options. And we can’t prove that they’re positive.

So that’s another challenge.

Is there any silver lining to all this?

Yes. There’s definitely a silver lining. And I think the silver lining is that we have realized that we have to take care of one another. What I do and the choices that I make today impact you, impact the student next to me, my friends that are in my classroom, my neighbors, my teachers, that we’re all connected. We have learned that we are not separated as people, that we really are here as a community responsible for each other. That’s my perspective. That’s the silver lining that I see.

Do you have a good relationship with the other professionals in the district? Principals, other staff members, do you feel like you’ve built up the kind of relationship and trust that you feel you need?

I think to a degree with some, not so much with others. [During COVID] I haven’t always been able to interface with a lot of people. I’ve been stuck trying to make decisions really last year in the office. So I had more of like the closer view with my cabinet who were translating for me a lot.

And then there’s so many decisions you make as a superintendent. The COVID stuff is just one aspect. There’s budgets; there’s so many other things. Like with our community, there are decisions I have to make that they have to live with and translate and some are more happy to do it for me than others.

What about in the greater community? I know when we spoke a year ago, you felt like there had not been a red carpet rolled out for you in Santa Barbara. How are you feeling now?

I feel that my relationships with local leaders are really good. For example, Van Do-Reynoso (County Public Health Director) and I communicate a lot via text. The new mayor, Randy Rowse, knows me because his son works for me and so we’ve had a couple of exchanges... Some of the council people as well, I feel like if I reach out, they immediately respond to me. I’m building a relationship with the new City Administrator, I’m building relationships now more with the City of Goleta administrators and the mayor because of the whole issue around the SRO (School Resource Officer) at Dos Pueblos and San Marcos. I have a great relationship with the Police Chief, Barney Melekian. Bill Brown, the Sheriff, and I don’t agree on everything, but we have a respectful relationship.

The supervisors and I have not had a lot of conversations anymore, but I think they have their own hands full. And guess what, we have vaccine clinics in our schools, just like I asked for a year ago. And now they’re begging me to have them in our schools. So in that sense things have come full circle.

I know that some of the press you’ve received, you feel is not fair and inaccurate. I’m wondering what you feel is the biggest misconception about your leadership?

I would say the misconception about my leadership is that I am difficult to work with.

It’s sort of the way the stories are coming out. I am a firm but fair person. And I’m also

Hilda Page 234 234

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate.” — Shauna Niequist

20-27 January 2022

VOICES & VIEWS Community Voices Conspiracy Theories Can Do Real Harm

by Dan Meisel

T

he recent targeting of a Colleyville, Texas Jewish community in connection with grievances it had nothing to do with was just the latest in a trend of rising antisemitic violence and conduct in recent years. We have seen some of it here, with 26 credible reports of antisemitic incidents in the Tri-Counties last year (more than double the incidents in 2020), including antisemitic assaults, fliers, and school incidents in the Santa Barbara area.

To understand antisemitism, we must recognize it as not merely a prejudice or feeling of animus toward Jews, but also as a conspiracist world view. We often think of conspiracy theories as the domain of extremists, and they certainly have played a prominent role in violent crimes fueled by extreme ideologies. But conspiracy theories also have become a prominent part of our online media threads, podcasts, and popular episodic series, where conspiracy-of-the-day seems to be rivaling “true crime” in followers.

Conspiracy theories often emerge from people’s desire to seek accessible explanations for complex phenomena, unexplained mysteries, or even straightforward events.

Conspiracies can be used to delegitimize unwelcome events, such the false claims by some Republicans that the January 6 Capital incursion was a “false flag operation” designed by liberals. Conspiracy theories also have been used to demonize groups of people for various purposes.

Antisemitism is a particularly pernicious example. It has existed for millennia based on an enduring and unique duality. Unlike other bigotries that only treat their targets as inferior, antisemitism has historically involved treatment of Jews both as inferior and as diabolically powerful. Whether due to the Jewish association with monotheism or the false claim that Jews killed Jesus, the myth of Jewish power seems buoyed by the fear that a people who could defy or even kill another’s deity could be capable of controlling banking, global media, and even the weather.

These myths were useful for groups in need of a scapegoat or common enemy to unify support. Czarist Russians who needed to undermine growing support for socio-political reform concocted lies about Jewish plots to enslave the world. Hitler spread the same lies to blame Jews for national economic hardships among others, and the enduring myths later appeared prominently in propaganda in the Middle East and North Africa after the creation of Israel. White Supremacist ideology in the U.S. and Europe has also long drawn upon these conspiracist ideas of Jews as the hidden puppet masters controlling the strings of global events, including its “Great Replacement Theory” of immigration.

Despite being factually debunked long ago, these big lies continue to influence and contaminate mainstream thinking on any number of subjects, from public health to geopolitics. The big lies also filter down to less extreme lies – that Jews cannot be trusted with leadership, that they are disloyal, that they are greedy, and so on. These derivative – though no less reprehensible – lies may seem less fantastical, reinforced by

stereotypes or anecdotal experiences, and therefore more credible.

Perhaps less obvious, however, is that responding to a myth of power has appeal across the political spectrum. Both conservatives and liberals can find in antisemitic narratives of malicious Jewish dominance an attractive explanation of the source of perceived ills that both conforms to and confirms their particular world view. The liberation narrative can be appealing no matter what your concept of social justice may be.

We see the liberation narrative in conservative political ads accusing Jewish candidates (including depictions of said candidates with an exaggeratedly large nose) of buying votes, questioning their loyalty, and portraying them as controlled by wealthy Jews. We see it in the amplification of The Great Replacement Theory by popular conservative media, and we see it in former President Trump’s multiple comments about Israel having had “absolute control over Congress” and questioning the national loyalty of American Jews who don’t vote for him.

We have also seen the liberation narrative from the left in claims of Jews controlling banking, Hollywood, professional sports, or the entire world. The liberation narrative is particularly evident in pro-Palestinian advocacy and criticism of Israel. We see activists and elected officials understandably concerned about the human rights of Palestinians, but not concerned about the falsity of claims that Jews are wealthy, controlling, or sinisterly powerful as they speak of Jewish control from “behind a curtain,” of Israeli leaders exploiting others “for a profit,” or of self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people (aka Zionism) as inherently “oppressive.” Accusing Israel of “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” “settler-colonialism,” or “white supremacy” is not just factually incorrect (a discussion for another day) and offensive to a population with claim to indigeneity. It is using inflammatory terms of emancipation to generate opposition to Israel’s legitimacy – and leveraging the myth of Jewish power to do so.

Antisemitism from the right and left is not a tale of equivalence, but antisemitism stems from the same conspiratorial roots regardless of its ideological source.

The damaging impact of conspiracy theories reaches far beyond antisemitism.

Conspiracy theories about Muslims fueled anti-Muslim hate in the wake of September 11, former President Trump’s claims about Mexican immigrants were echoed in the manifesto of a man who killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas, and conspiracy theories about the origins of COVID-19 have contributed to a shocking rise in hate incidents against Asian Americans.

Antisemitism doesn’t just harm Jews. It is part of a broader social problem that wreaks broader social havoc against other marginalized communities as well. The rise in antisemitism we see locally and nationally has unsurprisingly coincided with a rise in hateful acts and violent acts against many other communities. We need to be better aware of how conspiracy thinking distorts and masks ills in our society. It will not help us solve our problems, and it can result in tremendous harm to those wrongly accused

of causing them.

Dan Meisel is the Regional Director of Anti-Defamation League Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties

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Montecito JOURNAL

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Finding the ‘Good in the Heart of Life’

By Steven Libowitz

T

he COVID pandemic has been an ongoing career if not a personal crisis for a lot of musicians around the world. But for Drew McManus, the shutdown actually afforded him a chance to slow down, regroup and, most importantly, reconnect with his roots in the mountains of Montana. Although he was born in the western state, McManus grew up in the Midwest urban areas of Des Moines and Chicago. And even though he’d relocated back to Montana, his newfound success blending country music and skateboard rock into his own brand of Americana had kept him away from home much of the time.

“My life before music was very full of fishing and skiing, rock climbing and ice climbing, but I’d been grinding really, really hard for about seven years straight. Music sort of stole me away in the most ideal times of the year to be in the mountains,” explained McManus, the singer-songwriter who named his band Satsang, a Sanskrit word meaning “a spiritual discourse” or “sacred gathering together for the truth.” “So when the pandemic hit, I didn’t panic at all. I reveled in having some time to be left alone and not have to think about offers and which festivals to play. I just figured I’d ski and then when the snow melts, I’d go fishing. The break let me get back in touch with the land.”

Meandering in the mountains – both in Montana and the Himalayas in Nepal – had been his salvation from an abusive childhood and troubled teenage years that led to bouts with addiction and fears that he’d follow his brother in winding up in jail, or worse. The time off due to the pandemic also let McManus dive deeper into therapy he’d started just prior to the shutdown, seeking healing for early wounds that still ruled much of his world.

The result of both of those pursuits is Satsang’s latest album, All. Right. Now., whose closest cousin might be the Ram Dass book Be Here Now as opposed to the ‘60s rock hit

by Free. From a title that also has more than one meaning – McManus is most partial to

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Satsang plays SOhO on January 26 (Photo by Greyson Christian Plate)

the notion that everything is happening in the present moment – to the scope of the songs, it’s a record McManus reckons he’s been destined to make ever since he picked up a guitar as a kid.

“I worked through a whole bunch of stuff during the break, and lyrically the record represents me processing my life,” he said. “It found me at the most authentic place that I think I’ve ever landed.”

On the other hand, the music, which represents Satsang’s return to McManus’ country roots, was molded by the mountains.

“It’s so easy for us to get caught up in our stories and the stress of being a human, which is pretty intense,” said McManus, who admitted his music has always been dictated by his environment and the phases of his life, from punk rock’s anger to quasi-reggae’s inclusiveness. “But the mountains don’t care about any of that. When you’re out there, it’s what it is and has always been. There’s nothing fabricated in any way. That allows for introspection rather than all of the external processing that we typically do. So the album was me just trying to make a soundscape tribute to Montana, an audio map of this place that I love.”

The songs cover a large swath of the breadth of human experience, from fear and bittersweet moments to ones of sheer joy and gratitude, including not in the least the experience of fatherhood. McManus wrote “Malachi” for his newborn son, who was born with a liver issue that doctors said meant he needed to spend his first night under blue lights to break down bilirubin. Instead, he and his wife took turns holding the infant against their own bare skin, with McManus writing in his notebook phrases that formed the basis of the song.

McManus choked up a bit just repeating the story, which he said he often does on stage in his solo shows, which is how he’ll appear at SOhO on January 26. “We rage pretty hard when I play with the band, but solo it feels like I’m in somebody’s living room, so I get to talking and usually overshare. Sometimes I say stuff on the microphone that’s probably more than I meant. But it’s really cathartic.”

The record, the music, loving his family and his band, and communing with nature in the Montana mountains is all just part of living in the moment and “the good in the heart of life,” part of walking what he calls “the tightrope between the ethereal and the physical.”

“Between combat sports, doing psychedelics, and riding motorcycles and horses, I try to do things that keep me connected to that feeling in my tummy and expediting the work of living in the moment. So with my songwriting, I just try to stay out of the way and not think at all, but just allow whatever I’m feeling to come out.”

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Kulāiwi has only been together for less than two years, but the three Hawaiian musicians that make up the group – Lehua Kalima, Shawn Pimental, and Kawika Kahiapo – have been making music of the islands for decades. Between them they have claimed dozens of Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, which is considered Hawaii’s equivalent of a Grammy, and earned actual Grammy nominations and awards. Kulāiwi means “land of my ancestors,” and the trio of singer-songwriter-guitarists joined forces to share the music that springs from their collective native Hawaiian roots.

“We’ve all been friends for years, but hadn’t all shared the stage together,” said Kalima, who is also a founding member of the renowned trio Na Leo Pilimehana. “But

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Montecito JOURNAL

21

Perspectives “Jabberwocky”

PG&E and Edison are at it again!

by Rinaldo S. Brutoco

I

nvestor-Owned Utilities (“Utilities”) are plotting to kill California’s solar program. Apparently, avarice, and the ability to get away with causing 85 percent of area lost in recent forest fires in California, are not enough, and they are now coming up with ways to dramatically reduce all new solar installations in California.

Can you believe that sentence? It is hard to express our shock at the magnitude of this solar crisis at a time when civilization’s very survival is being threatened by accelerating climate change. The Utilities’ unholy shared monopoly has become so bold that they are now proposing to unwind California’s Net Energy Metering (“NEM”) program in an unconscionable “profit grab” that could set solar adoption back by decades, and by negative example, across the country as well. How to describe such farcical financial scheming? The best word is “Jabberwocky.”

Best known for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll published a sequel entitled Through the Looking-Glass shortly thereafter in 1871. The book’s premise is simple: Alice wonders what reality would be like on the other side of the mirror. In pursuit of this reverse image, she jumps through her reflection and stumbles upon a poem written in “mirror writing” that can only be deciphered and read by holding it up to a mirror. The moral of the story: some things can only be “read” if you read them in reverse to discover what is really being said.

Such is the duplicitous nonsense that the Utilities want us to believe is the “logic” behind a proposed solar tax aimed at unfairly penalizing most solar rooftop owners unless they are very rich. Alice was living in a dream state – but unfortunately, we’re not, so we have to deal with this threat head on.

Currently California has a “Net Metering” statute that allows rooftop solar owners the ability to send excess power to the grid at a retail price equal to what the Utilities pay themselves for energy. Under a proposed CPUC decision issued in December, existing and potential rooftop solar owners will be assessed a fixed charge of $8/KW of system capacity, regardless of whether the energy generated is actually exported to the grid.

This charge is also retroactive, undermining the economic feasibility of purchases made years ago by early adopters.

Such a fundamental reversal of existing policy could only come about with the passive acceptance of Governor Newsom, and any readers who know him should call at once and let him know that this proposed regulation by his Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will produce a political firestorm which he may not survive.

22 Montecito JOURNAL

Winter Hobbies with Wonderful Payoffs

Over 650 separate environmental and “good government” groups, our congressional Delegation, business leaders, municipalities, etc. have already weighed in.

According to a statement by Save California Solar, a coalition made up of more than 600 diverse organizations, here’s what’s at stake: “Despite the overwhelming popularity of rooftop solar in California and more than 120,000 public comments submitted in support of net metering, the CPUC proposed a giveaway to investor-owned utilities that would boost utility profits at the expense of energy consumers, family-supporting jobs and California’s clean energy future. Solar advocates around the state are disappointed the CPUC fell for the utility profit grab by proposing the highest solar penalty fees in the nation and drastically reducing the credit solar consumers receive for selling the excess energy they produce to their neighbors.”

“With this proposal, California would abandon its longheld position as a clean energy leader, threatening the jobs of tens of thousands of hard-working men and women who provide clean, reliable energy for millions of consumers today.”

– Executive Director of the California Solar & Storage Association (CLSSA) Bernadette Del Chiaro All of you Tesla fans should also know that the company is working hard to “Stop the Solar Tax.” Sammy Roth at the L.A. Times also has a great explainer on the subject titled, “Everything You need to know about California’s Plan to Slash Solar Incentives.”

So, what do you need to know? The CPUC is planning a monthly “solar penalty fee” of $8/kW (an added $57/month for average solar installs, but much higher for larger installations) going forward, and retroactively. Should the law go into effect, even with a proposed partial credit of $15/month for the first 10 years, the deal stinks!

Should this proposed decision be adopted by the CPUC, California would have the worst solar tax of any state in the nation! We, as early adopters who put solar on our roofs are supposed to be “grandfathered” against this type of ex post facto tax which will indefinitely be about $80/month for larger houses.

In addition, although they will continue to charge 19¢/kWh to us for Utility supplied

All you need to know about winter bird feeders

H

ere are some tips for backyard birders of any level to make the most of their bird feeders, even in the coldest months.

Bird species – Some of the most common species to visit your feeder when it’s cold include finches, sparrows, chickadees, and cardinals, but it is not uncommon to spot an unexpected bird.

Bird feeders – If you want to attract a wide variety of species to your yard, it’s best to have a wide variety of bird feeders.

Covered to protect seed – Make sure birds have a wide cover over feeding ports, perches, and dispensing trays so the seed isn’t at risk of being buried by falling snow. Fly-through platform feeders do especially well.

Placement for good shelter – Situate your feeders close to the house or near protective covers like hedges or a brush pile where they will be at least partially sheltered from severe winds.

Larger capacity – Large-capacity feeders don’t need to be refilled as much. However, this is only recommended if the seed is protected from moisture.

Cleanliness to protect birds – To make sure you’re offering birds healthy sustenance untainted by mold, mildew, or other unfavorable conditions, make sure to clean and sterilize your feeders regularly.

Winter foods – The best seeds to fill your feeders with will be high in fat or oil. Some good choices include: black oil sunflower seed, hulled peanuts or peanut hearts, or white millet seed.

Jigsaw Puzzles: A hobby that’s great for your brain

If you’re looking for some motivation to start a puzzle, here are six benefits of doing them.

Simultaneous exercise for your left and right brain – Neurotransmitters are fired all over the place when we’re completing a jigsaw, meaning our whole brain is getting a workout.

Relieve stress by entering a meditative state – This meditative state makes heart rate and blood pressure decrease and leaves us in a calmer mind state than before.

Spending quality family time – Working together in this activity is a great bonding exercise and conversation starter!

Work on short-term memory – Brain-cell connections are strengthened, therefore speeding up mental functioning and improving memory.

Improved visual-spatial reasoning – Visual-spatial reasoning is improved as a whole, a skill important for tasks like operating vehicles, reading maps, and replicating dance moves.

Decreased risk of neurological diseases – Research published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience showed an increased amount of puzzling leads to a decreased risk of

Alzheimer’s. energy, we will be forced to sell any sunshine excess for less than 5¢/kWh, instead of the current better, though still miserly, 15¢/ kWh. Those bandits! Forcing us to receive even less so they can mark up the solar energy we generate by 400-500 percent when they sell it to our neighbors.

Here’s how the Executive Director of the California Solar & Storage Association (CLSSA) Bernadette Del Chiaro summarized this “clean energy and jobs disaster” (her words): “With this proposal, California would abandon its long-held position as a clean energy leader, threatening the jobs of tens of thousands of hard-working men and women who provide clean, reliable energy for millions of consumers today. Governor Newsom needs to clean this mess up and get California back on track as a solar leader.”

Here’s how Abigail Ross Hopper, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association (the largest U.S. national solar trade association) summarized it: “The only winners today are the Utilities, which will make more profits at the expense

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James

of their ratepayers. We urge Governor Newsom to act quickly to change this decision – at risk are 65,000 solar jobs, the security of our electricity grid, and the health of California residents and our planet.”

There’s so much on the line and everyone who uses electricity should be shining our communal flashlight on this mega Utilities gift.

So where is the “jabberwocky”? Simple: the “rationale” for this giant heist is that the poor won’t be able to pay for the grid if everyone puts solar on their roofs. What a crock of nonsense. Universal adoption of solar by all customers will save so much money to the point that the poor, renters, and all energy users can be subsidized indefinitely, and our utility bills will still go down!

That’s “mirror logic” of the first order. Read the Utilities/CPUC rationale yourself and

you’ll see that it’s all jabberwocky.

Rinaldo, an entrepreneur, is the founding president and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital

20-27 January 2022

Brilliant Thoughts Purely Passionate

by Ashleigh Brilliant CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE WON A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF LIFE! ut what to do with that supply?

For some people, what makes life worth living is something they are passionate about. “Passion” has many connotations – religious, sexual, psychological, even culinary. But the essence of it is very strong positive feeling and interest.

(Despite our culture’s emphasis on passionate enthusiasm, you may like to know that the word “enthusiast” has, like other words in our language, undergone a great change of meaning. There was a time, especially during England’s long period of religious conflicts, when that word was equated with fanaticism. The bylaws of the highly prestigious British Royal Society actually stipulated that any person discussing religion or politics at a Society meeting was to be summarily ejected, for being an “enthusiast.”)

But isn’t there something which, all can agree, has precedence over everything else in life? I suppose the only reasonable answer is LIFE itself. When people say seriously, “It’s a matter of life and death!” we don’t stop to ask for details.

We must give way, we must co-operate. If we have any purpose at all in this world, it is to help preserve each other’s lives.

That’s why there are strong movements to prevent suicide, to abolish capital punishment, to provide medical aid to those most in need. Even the dying – even those who want to die – as a general rule, must, by all socially acceptable standards, be kept alive as long as possible (unless they have given legally valid instructions to the contrary).

Things weren’t always this way. For many centuries, the lives of people on the lower levels of the social scale were relatively cheap. This was partly because of prevailing beliefs that the world we know is not the only world there is – so, whatever’s wrong with things as they are in this corner of reality could be rectified in a life to come. But with the decline of such religious beliefs, non-believers have been left to face the shattering possibility that this life is all there is.

That need not be a totally dark outlook. If it’s the best possible life it can be, shouldn’t one life be enough? But that’s a pretty big “If.” Things being as they are, consider how much still stands in the way of a totally good life: pain, loss, illness, failure, betrayal – not to mention wars, pestilence, and any number of natural or unnatural disasters (as if you didn’t know about all this already). To many of us, it is the general wretchedness of life that makes its inevitable end seem so unfair. As the popular expression goes, which we often see expressed in more vulgar terms: “Life is

B

20-27 January 2022

terrible – and then you die.”

Yet, even if no heaven of any description were in the offing, a guarantee of feeling good all or most of the time, and of a peacefully painless ending, would probably be enough to satisfy most people.

That, no doubt, is why drugs have always been so popular, starting with alcohol, and going back to the first edible or potable fermentations. “Better living through Chemistry,” as the advertisements used to put it, or “messing with your brain,” as more critical observers would have it, can indeed alter your whole outlook.

If we have any purpose at all in this world, it is to help preserve each other’s lives.

I speak from personal experience. Until my late 30s, I had never touched alcohol or smoked tobacco, let alone indulged in anything “stronger” – not from any moral conviction, but simply because I didn’t like the tastes and smells. I still don’t like them, and still don’t drink alcohol. But some friends finally cajoled me into trying pot – and for me, life was never the same again. For the first time, I had a method of changing, and usually improving, reality, at least temporarily.

This still didn’t make me really passionate about living – nor, for that matter, has anything else – but it did, in the absence of any agreeable alternative, make life more tolerable.

Nevertheless, many of my fellow mortals have the capacity (which I seem to lack) of finding meaning in activities which, in any cosmic perspective, are meaningless time-fillers, like hobbies, sports, politics, money-making, even warfare.

But, as you know, my peculiar personal enthusiasm, of promulgating my own thoughts, is relatively harmless. So, in closing, let me offer you one of them which may soften some of the less cheerful things I’ve said here: LIFE CAN BE GOOD WHILE IT LASTS – AND IT’S GUARANTEED TO

LAST YOUR WHOLE LIFETIME.

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016.

Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

Hilda (Continued from 18 18)) making or passing down decisions that aren’t always made by me alone in this office. I’m collaborating with lots of people on keeping us safe. And I think the other big misconception is... I’m not the only leader that has people that are leaving. But I’m the only one that’s been written about.

Do you think that kind of scrutiny and criticism just comes with the job?

My aspiration was to be a school principal. That was the height of what I wanted to achieve in life. And I was a single mom with an eight-year-old son when the opportunity presented itself. When I talked to my mom about it, she said to me, “Just don’t ever forget you are not a gold coin.” I was like, “What are you talking about? What does it mean? Of course, I am not a gold coin.” She goes, “Everybody loves a gold coin. Right?

Nobody’s going to ever reject a gold coin. So don’t expect everybody to love you and be okay with you because you are not a gold coin, you are just a person doing the best that you can.” My mom only went to second grade. That’s the top of her education. And she’s the wisest woman I know who has given me so much wisdom and all these little idioms and I just hold onto those because they’ve helped me get through a tough first year as a principal. And this same advice has helped me navigate my path as a superintendent here.

Who do you feel is bearing the biggest brunt of this whole COVID experience?

Students and children. The reason I am an educator is because I believe in future generations. I absolutely love young people. I think that when I leave this world, I hope I change lives for kids in the right way. For me that’s my life’s work.

Here in Santa Barbara but also in other parts of the world, in communities, the virus has changed how we live and how we conduct ourselves in the world. And in the U.S., we value individualism and individual choice, and this virus basically has swept in and created this new way of behaving that’s kind of stopped us in our tracks and said, you’ve got to look at what’s happening to others.

Hopefully this next generation, this COVID generation, will be better than us about taking care of each other. But the biggest impact is kids have lost these natural stages of development that you go through from the early preschoolers that start to parallel play with each other, then start to learn to communicate and then create groups and sort of grow up and go through their developmental stages. All that has been interrupted. And that’s put some kids at a loss in learning how to be with each other, especially when it comes to the social skills that we need to be successful later on in life.

I am just so grateful for the people that support us, that cooperate with us, that understand why we’re making the decisions that we’re making, and also my staff. I’m talking about the support staff, teachers, and administrators, who have gone above and beyond.

I have an amazing staff that pivots with me and supports the things that we need to do to support kids. So in spite of it all, I have a lot of gratitude for a lot of people’s support.

What are your top priorities at this point for the district under semi-normal conditions?

Well, we have to get our hands around what we’re really doing in the elementary reading program. Teachers need time, they need time to learn the new math that we adopted because our math courses are not what they should be. So while we have lots of kids that are doing extremely well, we still need to get better at our broader student outcomes in those areas.

And then of course we have our emergent multilingual students that need a lot of supports from us, along with our gifted and talented students who also in their own way have different needs around learning and teaching. And then we have our students with disabilities and, for us, being able to differentiate on all those spectrums is also very much needed. God willing, if I could just stop worrying about the pandemic and sit with teachers and talk to them about curriculum so we could look at things together and make the better decisions we need to so that we can improve outcomes. That’s what I so look

forward to doing.

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Montecito JOURNAL

23

Village Beat (Continued from page 12 12))

A gatehouse approved for Edgecliff Lane; it will be staffed 24 hours a day and provide security for the eight beachfront homes along the lane (rendering courtesy Warner Group Architects)

increase the road width for the Montecito Fire Department; the nearby popular public access trail and road easement to access the beach will not be impacted.

“It’s a lovely little addition to that part of Montecito,” said MBAR member Claire Gottsdanker after the board granted the project unanimous final approval. “I just think this is going to be so sweet right there.” Construction is expected to take several months.

Update on Parklet Time Extension In response to our reporting in last week’s edition that the City of Santa Barbara is con-

sidering adopting an ordinance that would extend operation of restaurant parklets on Coast Village Road until December 31, 2023, we heard from several local business owners and Montecito residents, all with differing opinions, who said they would like the opportunity to weigh in on the issue.

The original Emergency Economic Recovery Ordinance was adopted in May 2020 in response to the emerging pandemic, allowing for restaurants to add outdoor seating without licensing requirements, as a tool to allow businesses to survive when they weren’t able to open indoors. That ordinance was then extended through March 8, 2022, allowing the parklets and outdoor dining throughout

city limits to remain, despite the official “reopening” of California on June 15, 2021.

Now, Santa Barbara City staff is recommending to the City Council to adopt an Economic Recovery Extension and Transition Ordinance, which would provide an additional 22 months for businesses within city limits – including on Coast Village Road – to operate expanded outdoor business facilities and parklets.

When the parklets were first built on Coast Village Road in 2020, members of the community raised concerns about accessibility for those with disabilities, impact to surrounding businesses, emergency access, and cohesive aesthetics, and City staff brought the issues to City Council to discuss some possible changes to guidelines to address some of the concerns. Since the inception of the parklets,

travel on sidewalks on Coast Village Road has become more difficult, and some retail businesses told us at the time that outdoor dining and parklets made their businesses less visible. The parklets utilize roughly 27 parking spots along Coast Village Road, which some business owners contend is a problem for access to other businesses along the road.

City planner Jason Harris tells us that next week there will be two opportunities for public comment on the ordinance extension: at noon on Tuesday, January 25, the Ordinance Committee will review the proposal, and later in the afternoon the full City Council will consider adopting the ordinance. Links to both meetings can be found on the calendar at www.sant abarbaraca.gov/CAP. Questions and comments can also be sent to outdoordining@

SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

Rumors and Actual News

by Sharon Byrne

A

few persistent rumors have spread through the Montecito community, thus proving the old adage that a lie can get halfway round the world before the truth can even get its boots on. Here are a couple that we’ve thoroughly debunked: – Rick Caruso is buying the Upper Village and plans to turn it into Brentwood North

via rampant development. False. This one got quite a bit of play before it was squashed.

Norm Borgatello and Richard Gunner own most of it, and they’re not selling.

– Harry and Meghan are looking at property and possibly moving to Birnam Wood.

Apparently, this one was started by a hopeful realtor listing a property in Birnam, who

Village Beat Page 334 334

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20

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24 Montecito JOURNAL

20-27 January 2022

Home is our favorite destination OPEN SUN 12-2

2347 E Valley Rd | Montecito | 6BD/8BA DRE 01402612 | Offered at $6,495,000 Marcy Bazzani 805.717.0450

888 Lilac Dr | Montecito | 6BD/8BA DRE 01447045 | Offered at $33,500,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

3627 Campanil Dr | Santa Barbara | 4BD/2BA DRE 02070430 | Offered at $4,950,000 David Allen 805.617.9311

4160 La Ladera Rd | Santa Barbara | 6BD/8BA DRE 01447045 | Offered at $19,995,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

1395 Oak Creek Canyon Rd | Montecito | 4BD/8BA DRE 01447045 | Offered at $19,500,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

1220 Franklin Ranch Rd | Goleta | 3BD/5BA DRE 01463617 | Offered at $12,500,000 Knight Real Estate Group 805.895.4406

121 Via Del Cielo | Santa Barbara | 5BD/5BA DRE 00895030 | Offered at $10,000,000 Ron Dickman 805.689.3135

4815 Sandyland Rd Unit A | Carpinteria | 4BD/4BA DRE 01391451 | Offered at $4,200,000 Lynn Z Gates 805.705.4942

130 Santa Rosa Pl | Santa Barbara | 4BD/3BA DRE 02070430 | Offered at $3,695,000 David Allen 805.617.9311

1356-1358 Plaza Pacifica | Santa Barbara | 2BD/4BA DRE 00907671 | Offered at $3,495,000 Alyson Spann 805.637.2884

7796 Goldfield Ct | Goleta | 3BD/4BA DRE 00907671 | Offered at $3,200,000 Alyson Spann 805.637.2884

2521 Whitney Ave | Summerland | 4BD/3BA DRE 00780607/00520230 | Offered at $2,895,000 Henderson/Edick 805.689.1066

PENDING

1010 Hot Springs Ln | Montecito | 5BD/7BA DRE 01421934 | Offered at $10,500,000 Vivien Alexander 805.689.6683

PENDING

1091 E Mountain Dr | Montecito | 3BD/4BA DRE 01348655 | Offered at $3,596,000 Andy Katsev 805.896.2010

LAND

1045 Tisha Ct | Santa Barbara | 5BD/4BA DRE 02012810/01766267 | Offered at $1,995,000 Timmerman/Gamberdella 805.689.9970

59 San Dimas Ave | Santa Barbara | 4BD/2BA DRE 00837659 | Offered at $1,495,000 Patricia Griffin 805.705.5133

00 Vista Oceano Ln | Summerland | 11.30 ± Acres DRE 01447045 | Offered at $11,950,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

LAND

525 Hot Springs Rd | Montecito | 2.01 ± Acres DRE 01447045 | Offered at $5,750,000 Riskin Partners Estate Group 805.565.8600

LOCALLY OWN ED | G LO BALLY C O N N ECT ED WE REAC H A GLO BAL AU D I E N CE T H ROUG H OU R EXC LUSIVE AFFILIAT ES LEARN M O RE AT VILLAG ES IT E .C O M 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.

20-27 January 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

25

Seen (Continued from page 16 16))

country. For more information, call the office at (805) 965-7570 or visit https:// www.healtheocean.org.

More guests at the UCSB reception: Laura O’Connor, Jillian Muller, and Kate Shah

becoming its executive director. It is an internationally recognized citizens’ action group in Santa Barbara. She received the venerated NOGI Award from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences for Distinguished Service in 2009.

The painting of fishes that Hillary is standing in front of is called “Clownfish on Corals.” According to Hillary, “The fishes look like decorations on a holiday tree. The clownfish is actually a type of damsel fish and is sometimes called an anemone fish, because it lives inside anemones. The coating on its scales protects it from anemone stings, which protects it from predators.”

While we got to browse through all the rooms of paintings, there was wine to sip and a cone of various treats that was so pretty it resembled an ice cream cone filled with flowers. There was music by Ben Boyce & Friends and brand new copies of the HTO Newsletter. Many thanks to owner Maire Radis and her family for staging the show and the help they give HTO. The HTO folks would like you to know that “Heal The Ocean has always been a very small organization with a big bite.”

They are focused on Santa Barbara, but their methods are now serving as a model for other coastal communities across the

Let’s discuss your real estate needs.

Arts & Lectures Holiday Party UCSB Arts & Lectures invited its Producer Circle members to a holiday party in the Arlington Courtyard. There were cozy firepots and signature holiday cocktails along with DJ Darla Bea. United Way of Santa Barbara was also there to promote their seasonal toy drive for kids.

After the reception there was a line outside the Arlington to see the first concert in 20 years for Béla Fleck. It was in support of his newest album titled “My Bluegrass Heart,” which features some of the greatest instrumentalists in bluegrass history. With him were Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Bryan Sutton.

Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta Billeci welcomed and announced, “This is the last performance for the 2021 year. More coming in January.” For information call (805) 893-3535 or visit https:// artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.

where the birds love to play. That was under the leadership of lighting expert Ann Kale with more lamps to be cleaned in the future.

The docents’ President Aparna Rao handed out service pins with the oldest being for 25 years. Kudos went to Joseph Padilla, who is Team Leader for County General Services and is always available and helpful.

Then thanks went to Marie Morrisroe for funding new draperies for the loggia. Nick Sebastian was chair of the luncheon and had the San Marcos High School choir come to sing Christmas songs for us. Merry Berries

and Happy New Year!

Ms Millner is the author of The Magic Makeover, Tricks for Looking Thinner, Younger and More Confident – Instantly.

If you have an event that belongs in this column, you are invited to call Lynda at 969-6164.

Christmas Get Together The Glen Annie Golf Club was the venue for the Santa Barbara Courthouse docents’ annual holiday luncheon. This was one of the first times they have met together since the pandemic when all the courthouse doors were locked. I had just completed a docent training course and passed the final when eight other students and myself were locked out too. Hopefully it will be open in a couple of months.

But good work has been going on during the shutdown, like cleaning that gigantic chandelier outside of the Mural Room

Marie Morrisroe and docents’ president Aparna Rao

Robert Ooley, Judy Weisman, and Rodney Baker at the Santa Barbara Courthouse docents’ luncheon

The Morehart Group Paige Marshall Mitch Morehart Beverly Palmer Susan Pate

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Montecito JOURNAL

27

Our Town

From Commercial Portraits to the Streets of the Bronx: Artist Stephen Holland

by Joanne Calitri

T

o start 2022 off strong in the local art world, renowned painter Stephen Holland, at 80 years young, is exhibiting his latest works in a show titled “Longneck Circus,” at the Silo118 Gallery in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara.

The new art is a breakout session for Holland, who spent his career painting commissioned portraits of sports’ greatest athletes, such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Joe DiMaggio, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, the L.A. Dodgers, the L.A. Kings, the 100th Anniversary of the Olympics, and of musicians for The GRAMMY Charities Art Collection. His works are in the American Sport Art Museum and Archives, and the Smithsonian Catalog of American Portraits, which includes his portrait of Barack Obama.

The elements of the “Longneck Circus” series are founded on his childhood experiences living in the Bronx, mixed with his life here in California. He is set free of accu-

rate portraiture and nose dives into abstract expressionism using caricatures, each with a notably long neck disproportionate to the body, hinting a strong phallic finger that directs contrary movement across the canvas, yielding an open focal point. The street scene caricatures play music, dance, ride bikes, are food vendors, gun slingers, police, and politicians. He uses ink, sand, and acrylic on canvas in three scales – large at 4’ x 5’, medium 4’ x 3’ and smallest at 17” x 11.5” – and all are unframed, signed originals for sale.

Stand back in the gallery to view this unbiased nod to Willem de Kooning’s complex figurative work and to Saul Steinberg’s New Yorker Magazine art of unnaturally shaped people to chronicle history’s social and political moments. Praise the mix of art with cartoon characters to make uncompromised statements about life around us so we can laugh about it! Get close to the textures and custom paint colors, along with heavy dabs of cerulean blue and cadmium yellows, outlined in black ink to appreciate the interplay of technique used in each piece.

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28 Montecito JOURNAL

Artist Stephen Holland with his wife, J’Nelle, at his exhibit at Silo118 Gallery in the Funk Zone (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

When asked about his pieces being phallic, he told me with his unmistakable New York accent, “It is not my intent nor focus.” Rather, he shares, “I’m having the most fun creating art every day, not worrying about it except to ask myself, is the painting strong enough?” We continued talking about the art:

and dance in my mind. I listen to all music; this work is a lot of Brandi Carlile, Avett Brothers, and Mumford and Sons. All my paintings are of my wife, J’Nelle. There is a harmony there with us, we have been together 24/7 since the start in 1971, and I am painting that harmony and love I feel being around her.

Q. Has the lockdown affected your work and focus as an artist?

A. Most of this series started during lockdown in 2020. Some of these were ink drawings I did in my 20s as social commentary and anger I had at the time as an addict, but had put away. In 2018, the sports world started to change and then the lockdown in 2020 happened. I thought, I should just paint what I want now. I can focus on something that I have wanted to do for years; create from ideas I’ve had since growing up in the Bronx on the streets during the 1950s60s. There are only 50 paintings done so far; my focus has slowed down so my paintings take more time, but I am having so much fun I can’t stop! I am not finished doing this series: this is my next venture!

What is your process in painting these?

The canvas is filled with the figures in action, a departure from portraiture where the focus is solely on the person. I get to play here, be in the flow of the scene I am re-imagining. I use Nova Color acrylic paint, some straight out of the tube, other colors I mix myself. The colors I am after are like the rich colorful Sunday comics, along with black ink outlines of shapes.

How did New York School’s abstract expressionism influence you?

Artist Philip Guston moved from realism to abstract expressionism and deep psyche paintings, he was into comics like myself.

The move to abstract expressionism is to have freedom, to be more spontaneous. My work now just flows out of me, even the process and struggle to get something out is still enjoyable!

What is your inspiration for the new work?

These are very lyrical; I listen to music

As a wrap Holland shared, “I studied under Sri Swami Satchidananda; I think it rubbed off on me. I have such great love and life with J’Nelle, and as she says every day to me, I wish this for everyone!”

Find Stephen Holland’s works at Silo118 (118 Gray Street), where owner Bonnie Rubenstein reopened in-person gallery exhibitions in November 2021, after being solely online. Her gallery shows eclectic and avant-garde works from various places and

cultures, reflecting many ideas.

411 Steve Holland: www.longneckcircus.com Instagram: @longneckcircus Silo: www.silo118.com Joanne is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

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20-27 January 2022

REAL ESTATE Montecito’s Market

formal dining room Upstairs, the primary bedroom suite boasts stunning mountain views, soothing fireplace, walk-in closet, and an office/bedroom with Juliet balcony. The newly-built RDU (Residential Dwelling Unit) comes with an elevator, vaulted ceilings, and approximately 1,060 square feet of living space. Swim in your gorgeous pool with fountains and then relax in your hot jacuzzi, while viewing the Cathedral Peaks.

by Mark Hunt

I

f you are moving to Montecito, you are likely doing so for a specific reason or for a few.

We arrived 20 years ago to raise our daughter here, among the many generations of family we had in the area at the time, and so we could reset from city life to a more chill, yet high energy and vibrant community. We found all that and more. Our time with our daughter in the 2000s at Montecito Union School was amazing, often referred to as time in the Montecito Bubble. But it is not really a bubble, it was (and still is) just a safe and beautiful, easy to navigate day-to-day environment with others who appreciate their good fortune in settling here in Montecito, all trying to maintain a community we can be proud of.

We came for the beauty, for hiking, and for being close to Los Angeles, but a world away. A chance to live close to the beach in a town with culture and a vibe. Many move here for those same reasons, or because they’ve enjoyed vacationing here over time and decided on Montecito as a first or second home location, or simply because a friend just moved here, etc…

One thing’s for sure, we have 600+/- new residents that have moved in since COVID began (that is 60%+/- more than normal in the same time frame in yearly averages). I keep mentioning that fact in this forum, because it truly is an astounding number of new residents in a short period of time. So many services and providers are needed. So many remodel projects happening. Builders, architects, remodel experts, property inspectors, equipment rentals, resource demands, domestic staff, babysitters, tutors, teachers, landscape management, etc... all needed by our new residents as they settle in.

On the Montecito Real Estate statistics front, our inventory is very low, with only 40 homes and condos on the market across all price ranges. As for sales, we have only seen five closed escrows as of January 15, 2022 in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This is down from all average months where we would normally see seven to 10 sales in a two-week period regardless of the month. And yet with our slowing sales volume, the prices go higher and higher… Two of these five sales were over $10,000,000, and the least expensive sale thus far in 2022 was an off-market sale on Santa Rosa Lane for $4,500,000. I am seeing a story that keeps repeating itself the past few months: fewer sales, higher price points.

The properties featured here represent the various price points we see many sales fall into.

Stylish condos $2.5 to $5+mil near the beach, homes in the $6’s, and as always, something amazing to be seen listed over $10,000,000.

1356-1358 Plaza Pacifica – $3,495,000 Located in the beachside, guard-gated community of Bonnymede, this elegant, single level, two-bedroom, three-anda-half-bathroom remodeled condo is a rare find. The designer-style pied-à-terre attaches to an exquisite 600 square foot, southwest facing white marble terrace, perfect for relaxing and entertaining. Features not to be missed include floor to ceiling windows in the living room and primary bedroom, a kitchen with top-end appliances, a stunning 20’ x 20’ primary bedroom with its own separate kitchenette, an adjacent guest bedroom, and a versatile den, suitable for use as an office, media room, or third bedroom.

Additionally, an underground two-space garage comes with two large storage closets.

Enjoy the amenities of Bonnymede including oceanfront sundeck, private pathway to the beach, swimming pool, tennis court, rose garden, and more. This unit is available for purchase fully furnished, including artwork if desired, and is located within the Montecito Union School District.

390 Woodley Road – $6,495,000 Stunning mountain views are yours in the coveted Pepper Hill enclave of Montecito!

Experience indoor-outdoor living with this romantic, Spanish Mediterranean estate set on 1.08 acres in the Cold Spring School District. The gated main residence features central A/C and includes four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two double-car garages, a grand kitchen area, breakfast bar, cozy sitting area, fireplace, breakfast nook with mountain views, and a 20-27 January 2022

2347 East Valley Road – $6,495,000 Tucked behind beautiful gates awaits an impressive estate built with exceptional design details throughout. This home is gracious in size and scale and topped with voluminous ceilings showcasing extraordinary carved wood details. The home rests on a .88-acre level lot and includes over 7,000 square feet of living space, which is a significant sized home for under $7,500,000 in our current market.

Inside you will find six spacious bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, chef ’s kitchen, formal dining, entertainer’s living room, library, media room, office, GFA, central A/C, sound system, and more. Outside, enjoy two fireplaces, inviting oversized pool, and multiple areas to lounge and entertain. A grand rural feel just minutes to the Upper Village, beach, school, and shopping all within the Montecito Union School District.

1395 Oak Creek Canyon Road – $19,500,000 Created over the course of five years by renowned architect Peter Becker, international designer Rosie Feinberg, and the incredible build team at Giffin and Crane, this spectacular and romantic top of the world ocean-view estate captures the authentic spirit of an Italian villa and combines the work of old-world artisans with the conveniences of modern technology.

Located within the Oak Creek Canyon estates area just above East Mountain Drive and resting on six prime Montecito ocean-view acres, the 9,000-square-foot, mainly one-level floor plan features gracious formal rooms, divine details, an elegant kitchen and lounge, a library, wine room, and an ethereal primary suite. Walls of glass and steel doors open to a south-facing loggia, pool terrace, and guest house, all overlooking beautiful ocean/island panoramas and within the Montecito Union School District. This estate on Oak Creek Canyon Road was recently reduced in price from $21,500,000 to $19,500,00 and is surrounded by other significant estates, located not far from the San Ysidro Ranch and the shops and restaurants in the

Upper Village.

Mark and his wife, Sheela Hunt, are real estate agents. His family goes back nearly 100 years in Santa Barbara. Mark’s grandparents – Bill and Elsie Hunt – were Santa Barbara real estate brokers for 25 years.

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

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

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

Montecito JOURNAL

29

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Calendar of Events

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

by Steven Libowitz FRIDAY, JANUARY 21 Suddenly, She Sees – Three weeks ago, the Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall performed just before the ball dropped in Times Square in New York, as the annual year-ending shindig managed to bring in 2022 albeit scaled back to one-quarter of its planned audience. With any luck the latest variant of COVID-19 will also allow Tunstall to play tonight’s show at the Lobero, which has been rescheduled two or three times over the past two-plus years due to both pandemic concerns and her own health issues. Back in August 2020, Tunstall did get the chance to perform on the theater’s historic stage as part of the Lobero’s virtual pay-per-view streaming series, a solo showcase for the Scottish sensation who was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her breakthrough single “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” back in 2005, which was followed up with the Top 10 hit “Suddenly I See,” which was also featured on several TV soundtracks. Although her latest studio album, 2018’s WAX, received international acclaim for its visceral focus on the electric guitar, Tunstall is touring solo again this winter, focusing more on her folk-rock roots. Befittingly, the opener is a fellow singer-songwriter, Charlie Mars, who was born and raised in Mississippi but is best-known for his “Texas Trilogy” series of country and folk-inflected pop albums that includes 2009’s Like a Bird, Like a Plane, 2012’s Blackberry Light and 2014’s Money. His latest, Beach Town, shares tales of real-life Gulf Coast characters that have touched his life, although the 12 tracks – unlike the all-solo original series – include collaborations with some of Nashville’s most respected writers.

WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $46-$106 INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com Belly Up – Santa Barbara’s Beth Amine, who teaches her own creation called “Joyous Movement” at senior communities and whose 2017 book, Joyous Every Day Living, offers a simple system of habits to cultivate a long, healthy, and happy life, is finally getting back to another of her loves: Belly dancing. Amine, who regularly hosted variety evenings featuring the exotic dance style, has booked her first such show of the new year at a favorite stomping ground of The Wildcat.

The colorful and spicy show will also feature burlesque, drag, Latin, and aerial performances from a few of Santa Barbara’s top entertainers including Bella Donna, Baheyya El-Ghazal, Yulia Maluta, Krischana, and Ximena.

WHEN: 7-9:30 pm WHERE: The Wildcat Lounge, 15 W. Ortega St. COST: $10 INFO: (805) 962-7970 or www.wildcatlounge.com

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22 Snapshots with Souza – Until 2017, the photographer Pete Souza was very much a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. After stints at newspapers around the Midwest, he served as Official White House Photographer for President Reagan from 1983-1989, later returning to the White House to become Chief Official White House Photographer for the entire two terms of President Barack Obama. His eight years working for the nation’s first Black president resulted in his 2017 book Obama: An Intimate Portrait that debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list and became one of the top selling photography books of all time. But a year later, his second book, Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents, which also debuted at the top of the Times list in October, was a portrait in presidential contrasts of the Obama and Trump administrations told through a series of visual juxtapositions. Based on those books, Souza himself became the subject of a documentary film in November 2020. The Way I See It shared his vision of Reagan and Obama through the photographer’s eyes and camera that captured both the official responsibilities of the most powerful man in the world and more personal moments that showed the man beyond the office. The film also revealed how Souza transformed from a respected White House photographer and photojournalist to a searing commentator on the importance of having someone with empathy and dignity in the office of the presidency after Trump assumed the office. Now the photographer himself is coming to town to offer his illustrated presentation called “Two Presidents, One Photographer.”

WHEN: 8 pm WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $49.50-$69.50 ($10 discount for students and seniors) INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 22-SUNDAY, JANUARY 23

The Dude Who Wrote ‘Dune’ – UCSB Pollock Theater’s Script to Screen series resumes via the virtual world of Zoom with a discussion with Eric Roth, the co-screenwriter of the 2021 adaptation of epic 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. Roth, an alumnus of UCSB, owns an Oscar for co-writing Forrest Gump as well as four other nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Insider (1999), Munich (2005), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and A Star Is Born (2018).

Dune earned three Golden Globe nominations and might also find itself decorated again when the new Oscar nominations come out next month. Roth raps with Pollock Theater director Matt Ryan for a Zoom chat that will likely touch on a lot of those movies. Register online at www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock. Dune can be seen on HBO Max. WHEN: 2-3 pm COST: free INFO: (805) 893-5903 or www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock

30 Montecito JOURNAL

Marc His Words – For more than a quarter-century, the writer and stand-up comedian Marc Maron has found success with his raw, honest, and thought-provoking (or, some would say, decidedly acerbic) comedy in a number of genres, from late night talk shows to standup specials to the Netflix original series Glow in which he stars as the sarcastic director of a women’s wrestling show. But it’s his landmark podcast WTF with Marc Maron, produced in his garage in Highland Park, that is truly revolutionary, as he changed the landscape of the medium via revelatory conversations with such iconic personalities as Robin Williams, Keith Richards, Todd Glass, and even President Obama. Maron’s mini-tour of the West Coast called “This May Be the Last Time” kicks off at the Lobero Theatre tonight.

WHEN: 7:30 pm WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $51-$121 INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

Covering the Classics – Two of the most beloved bands in rock and roll history get the tribute treatment at SOhO this weekend. The local sextet No Simple Highway mostly played its version of Grateful Dead songs at countless parties and campfires for years before deciding to get serious and tighten up its act to bring it to the stage in early 2014. Eight years later, the band has a following of its own via bringing a fresh energy to the Dead’s repertoire, from jumpy cowboy ballads to deep-space jams and everything in between… The BeaTunes are the rare Beatles cover band to let the music stand for itself, as its motto is “No tracks. No wigs.

No costumes.” The quartet endeavors to faithfully recreate the recordings to the best of their abilities, letting the timeless songs of the most popular band in history soar on their own. From the early “Fab Four” days to Let it Be and other late recordings, all the Beatles’ music gets the BeaTunes’ best as the members search for new ways to bring more realism to the show, with every sound you hear on stage being played live by the band.

WHEN: Highway 8 pm Jan. 22, BeaTunes 7:30 pm Jan. 23 WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $15 in advance, $20 at the door

INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com

“When you see a new year, see realities and limit fantasies!” Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

20-27 January 2022

Celebrated Violin Virtuoso

Joshua Bell, violin Peter Dugan, piano

Thu, Feb 3 / 7 PM / Granada Theatre Tickets start at $45 / $15 UCSB students Includes an at-home viewing option A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price

“One of the most imaginative, technically gifted and altogether extraordinary violinists of our time,” (The Washington Post) Joshua Bell appears with pianist Peter Dugan.

Pre-concert Talk by Derek Katz, UCSB Associate Professor of Musicology 6 PM / Granada Theatre, McCune Founders Room Free to concert ticket holders

Event Sponsor: Sara Miller McCune Corporate Supporting Sponsor: Presented in association with the UCSB Department of Music America’s Jazz Treasure

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Fri, Feb 4 / 8 PM / Granada Theatre Tickets start at $40 / FREE for UCSB students Includes an at-home viewing option A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price

Nine-time Grammy winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient Wynton Marsalis returns with the legendary Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, comprising 15 of the nation’s finest soloists, ensemble players and arrangers.

Lead Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold

Event Sponsor: Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher

(805) 893-3535 | www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu Granada event tickets can also be purchased at: (805) 899-2222 | www.GranadaSB.org

Major Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold Sheila Wald 20-27 January 2022

Dance Series Sponsors: Margo Cohen-Feinberg & Bob Feinberg, Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher, Barbara Stupay, and Montecito JOURNAL

31

Owner: Montecito Union School District Project name: 2122-1 Library/Media Center Project Location: 385 San Ysidro Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108

Owner: Montecito Union School District Project name: Building D Windows And Doors, Phase II #2122-2 Project Location: 385 San Ysidro Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: REMOVAL OF EXISTING BOILER/CHILLER HVAC AND INSTALLATION OF VRF HVAC IN THE MEDIA CENTER. ASSOCIATED UNINSTALLATION AND REINSTALLATION OF CEILING AND WALL FINISHES REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION. REMOVAL OF EXISTING CONCRETE MECHANICAL CURBS AND REPLACEMENT WITH NEW CONCRETE MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT CURBS. Approximate Start Date is (TBD)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: REPLACE EXISTING SINGLE-PANED WOOD WINDOWS WITH DOUBLE-GLAZED CLAD WOOD WINDOWS AND EXISTING SINGLEPANE GLAZED WOOD DOORS WITH DOUBLE GLAZED CLAD WOOD DOORS AND EXISTING PANEL WOOD DOORS WITH CLAD WOOD PANEL DOORS AND MATCHING METAL TRIM. REINSTALL EXISTING DOOR HARDWARE TO MAXIMUM PRACTICAL EXTENT, INCLUDING EXISTING WIRELESS CARD READER ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM. Approximate Start Date is (TBD)

Bid Deadline: Bids are due on February 15, 2022 no later than 2:00 p.m.

Bid Deadline: Bids are due on February 15, 2022, no later than 2:00 p.m.

PLACE AND METHOD OF BID RECEIPT: All bids must be sealed.

Personal delivery, courier, or mailed via United States Postal Service and addressed to Montecito Union School District, 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. ATTN: Leo Perez

PLACE AND METHOD OF BID RECEIPT: All bids must be sealed.

Personal delivery, courier, or mailed via United States Postal Service and addressed to Montecito Union School District, 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. ATTN: Leo Perez

PLACE PLANS ON FILE: Montecito Union School District, Business Department, Second Floor, 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, www.tricoblue.com

PLACE PLANS ON FILE: Montecito Union School District, Business Department, Second Floor, 385 San Ysidro Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, www.tricoblue.com

MANDATORY JOB WALK: Meet at Montecito Union School Front Office, on January 27, 2022 at 9 a.m.

Attendance is mandatory and will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Failure to be on time and attend the entire job walk will disqualify your bid as non responsive. Owner will require sign in / sign out signatures.

MANDATORY JOB WALK: Meet at Montecito Union School Front Office, on January 27, 2022 at 9 a.m.

Attendance is mandatory and will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Failure to be on time and attend the entire job walk will disqualify your bid as non responsive. Owner will require sign in / sign out signatures.

This is a prevailing wage project. Owner has ascertained the general prevailing rate of per diem wages in the locality in which this work is to be performed for each craft or type of worker needed to execute this contract. These rates are on file at Owner's office, and a copy may be obtained upon request, or at www.dir.ca.gov. Contractor shall post a copy of these rates at the job site. ALL PROJECTS OVER $1000 ARE SUBJECT TO PREVAILING WAGE MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT BY THE LABOR COMMISSIONER

This is a prevailing wage project. Owner has ascertained the general prevailing rate of per diem wages in the locality in which this work is to be performed for each craft or type of worker needed to execute this contract. These rates are on file at Owner's office, and a copy may be obtained upon request, or at www.dir.ca.gov. Contractor shall post a copy of these rates at the job site. ALL PROJECTS OVER $1000 ARE SUBJECT TO PREVAILING WAGE MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT BY THE LABOR COMMISSIONER

It shall be mandatory upon the contractor to whom the contract is awarded (CONTRACTOR), and upon any SUBCONTRACTOR, to pay not less than the specified rates to all workers employed by them in the execution of the contract.

It shall be mandatory upon the contractor to whom the contract is awarded (CONTRACTOR), and upon any SUBCONTRACTOR, to pay not less than the specified rates to all workers employed by them in the execution of the contract.

Payment Bond for contracts over $25,000 and a Performance Bond for all contracts will be required prior to commencement of work. These bonds shall be in the amounts and form called for in the Contract Documents

Payment Bond for contracts over $25,000 and a Performance Bond for all contracts will be required prior to commencement of work. These bonds shall be in the amounts and form called for in the Contract Documents

Pursuant to the provisions of Public Contract Code Section 22300, CONTRACTOR may substitute certain securities for any funds withheld by OWNER to ensure CONTRACTOR's performance under the contract. At the request and expense of the contractor, securities equivalent to any amount withheld shall be deposited at the discretion of OWNER, with either OWNER, or state or federally chartered bank as the escrow agent, who shall then pay any funds otherwise subject to retention.

Pursuant to the provisions of Public Contract Code Section 22300, CONTRACTOR may substitute certain securities for any funds withheld by OWNER to ensure CONTRACTOR's performance under the contract. At the request and expense of the contractor, securities equivalent to any amount withheld shall be deposited at the discretion of OWNER, with either OWNER, or state or federally chartered bank as the escrow agent, who shall then pay any funds otherwise subject to retention.

Securities eligible for investment shall include those listed in Government Code Section 16430, bank and savings and loan certificates of deposit, interest bearing demand deposit accounts, standby letters of credit, or any other security mutually agreed to by CONTRACTOR and OWNER. CONTRACTOR shalle the beneficial owner of any securities substituted for funds withheld and shall receive any interest on them. The escrow agreement shall be in the form indicated in the Contract Documents.

Securities eligible for investment shall include those listed in Government Code Section 16430, bank and savings and loan certificates of deposit, interest bearing demand deposit accounts, standby letters of credit, or any other security mutually agreed to by CONTRACTOR and OWNER. CONTRACTOR shalle the beneficial owner of any securities substituted for funds withheld and shall receive any interest on them. The escrow agreement shall be in the form indicated in the Contract Documents.

To bid on or perform the work stated in this Notice, CONTRACTOR must posses a valid and active contractor's license of the following classification B No CONTRACTOR or subcontractor shall be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of 4104 of the Public Contract Code, for a public works project (submitted on or after March 1, 2015) unless currently registered with the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and qualified to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code 17225.5 No CONTRACTOR or subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project (awarded after April 11, 22015) unless registered with the DIR. DIR's web registration portal is: www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Contractor.html.

To bid on or perform the work stated in this Notice, CONTRACTOR must posses a valid and active contractor's license of the following classification B No CONTRACTOR or subcontractor shall be qualified to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal, subject to the requirements of 4104 of the Public Contract Code, for a public works project (submitted on or after March 1, 2015) unless currently registered with the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and qualified to perform public work pursuant to Labor Code 17225.5 No CONTRACTOR or subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project (awarded after April 11, 22015) unless registered with the DIR. DIR's web registration portal is: www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Contractor.html.

CONTRACTOR and all subcontractors must furnish electronic certified payroll records (eCPR) to the Labor Commissioner monthly in PDF format. Registration aat www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Certified-PayrollReporting.html is required tto use the eCPR system.

The following notice is given as required by Labor Code Section 1771.5(b)(1):: CONTRACTOR and any subcontractors are required to review and comply with the provisions of the California Labor Code, Part 7, Chapter 1, beginning with Section 1720, as more fully discussed in the Contract Documents. These sections contain specific requirements concerning, for example, determination and payment of prevailing wages, retention, inspection and auditing payroll records, use of apprentices, payment of overtime compensation, securing worker's compensation insurance and various criminal penalties or fines which may be imposed for violations if the requirement of the chapter. Submission of a bid constitutes CONTRACTORs representation that CONTRACTOR has thoroughly reviewed the requirements.

The contractor must follow the Davis-Bacon regulations and the provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act may also apply to the DBA-covered contract.

OWNER will retain 5% of the amount of any progress payments.

This Project does not require prequalification pursuant to AB 1565 of all general contractors and all mechanical, electrical and plumbing subcontractors.

BID PACKET will be available at www.tricoblue.com and provided at the job walk to attendees.

Advertisement Dates: January 12 & 19, 2022

32 Montecito JOURNAL

CONTRACTOR and all subcontractors must furnish electronic certified payroll records (eCPR) to the Labor Commissioner monthly in PDF format. Registration aat www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Certified-PayrollReporting.html is required tto use the eCPR system.

The following notice is given as required by Labor Code Section 1771.5(b)(1):: CONTRACTOR and any subcontractors are required to review and comply with the provisions of the California Labor Code, Part 7, Chapter 1, beginning with Section 1720, as more fully discussed in the Contract Documents. These sections contain specific requirements concerning, for example, determination and payment of prevailing wages, retention, inspection and auditing payroll records, use of apprentices, payment of overtime compensation, securing worker's compensation insurance and various criminal penalties or fines which may be imposed for violations if the requirement of the chapter. Submission of a bid constitutes CONTRACTORs representation that CONTRACTOR has thoroughly reviewed the requirements.

The contractor must follow the Davis-Bacon regulations and the provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act may also apply to the DBA-covered contract.

OWNER will retain 5% of the amount of any progress payments.

This Project does not require prequalification pursuant to AB 1565 of all general contractors and all mechanical, electrical and plumbing subcontractors.

BID PACKET will be available at www.tricoblue.com and provided at the job walk to attendees.

Advertisement Dates: January 12 & 19, 2022

“Endings birth beginnings and beginnings birth endings.” Craig D. Lounsbrough

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: North Star Legal Advisors, 145 Santo Tomas Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Jonathan L Blinderman, 145 Santo Tomas Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 10, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0000068. Published January 19, 26, February 2, 9, 2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Villa Fontana Apartments, 503 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA , 93101. Berti Fontana, LLC, 4581 Via Benditat #B, Santa Barbara, CA 93110; PFH Holdings, LLC, 503 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA , 93101; Carole Fontana, LLC, 241 Middle Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108; Alex Pananidas, 503 Bath Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 17, 2021. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2021-0003396.

Published January 5, 12, 19, 26, 2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Golden Ginkgo Wellness, 32 E. Micheltorena St, Santa Barbara, CA , 93101. Jacquelyn L Sugich, 236 West Victoria St #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 27, 2021. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2021-0003446.

Published January 5, 12, 19, 26, 2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Marstrand Property Services; Marstrand; Marstrand Property Management, 230 California Street, Santa Francisco, CA , 94111. John A Morais, 2531 Borton Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 8, 2021. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2021-0003300.

Published January 5, 12, 19, 26, 2022.

20-27 January 2022

Dear (Continued from page 9)

Village Beat (Continued from page 24 24))

wanting to do much more than kiss). Later, he threatened to punch me if I didn’t acquiesce to his increasingly intense sexual demands. On the worst night, he had me pinned against a wall, breathing down my neck; for years after, I had nightmares about the feeling of a dark room and a sweaty, wiry body pressing into mine. Ultimately, I gave him my virginity to make it stop. But it didn’t.

For years when telling this story, I focused on the gritty details of what he did. I paged obsessively through online articles about verbal and psychological abuse, memorizing the signs so I could make sure to mention all the ways he fit them. I was terrified of not being taken seriously. But that’s the thing about abuse – it makes you doubt yourself on a fundamental level. It’s made me doubt my own memory, the appropriateness of my emotional response, and my ability to ever be in another romantic relationship. W. was incredibly charismatic, a wordsmith with (to my eyes) legions of fans throughout the school, from faculty members to freshman girls who followed him like Beatles groupies. He could explain away any outburst or threat, insinuate that it was my fault and that he was the victim. I accepted the blame for his emotional volatility and kept myself quiet with the at-leasts: At least I’m not the classmate who was recorded during a hookup without her consent. At least we were roughly the same height and age, not a petite freshman and a giant senior. But also: I said yes, but “no” would have meant violence and abandonment. I had come to Cate looking for intimacy and connection, and this was how I’d been taught to get it, to keep it.

I went to college a heartbroken bundle of rage and shame, seeking to once again begin anew. I took classes in geology and modern dance and archeology. After joining a sports team full of funny, ferocious women, I grieved when I learned how many of them had stories just like mine. I had crushes, and I had flashbacks, and I forged friendships with men that taught me how to trust them again. I learned to ski, and I prepared for the outside world.

During the Me Too movement, W. began weighing heavily on me once again. I ended up writing a letter to Ben Williams detailing the abuse and requesting W. not ever be invited back as a convocation speaker or other position that might suggest he is any kind of role model. Ben responded and we had a phone call, during which he was conciliatory, apologetic, and promised that the school would do better. I mentioned not reporting while still a student because I was afraid of being disbelieved or punished, and urged Ben to move the school away from a culture of secrecy and shame. At the time, I was glad for the space he gave me to talk, how many times he asked for my suggestions of how to make things better. Now, given the apparent lack of follow-through, I wonder if he was just pandering to discourage me from making more trouble, as well as asking a survivor to do the school’s work of coming up with a path forward.

My story is a single point among dozens proving Cate has a chronic problem with sexual abuse and assault and yet chose to look the other way every time they were made aware of it. Sure, deep institutional change takes time, but it’s beyond disappointing to hear the administration try to say they didn’t know. We all knew. It was the air we breathed, from the school’s policing of female students’ bodies, to their decision to allow a known faculty predator to remain on campus, to the tacit acknowledgement that certain boys would be allowed to become serial abusers with no repercussions simply because they came from certain families.

Last time I wrote about W., I desperately wanted to be heard by the school, to feel like I had punched a hole in his seemingly impenetrable reputation. Now, four years later, I’ve been through extensive therapy (I am lucky enough to have a family willing and able to pay, which many survivors are not). It has helped me beyond belief. I no longer feel like W. is a ghost lurking in the corners of my life.

I am learning what it means to live life without the burdens I picked up at Cate. I arrived there a kid who loved stories, art, and writing, and I now make a living at the intersection of all three. I hope to be a journalist one day, focusing on labor or environmental stories.

For now, my apartment is filled with my own paintings and photographs. I call my Cate friends regularly, marveling at how far we’ve come.

I also feel some sympathy for W. While his actions will never be excusable, I know he was a young man dealing with a great deal of pain and trauma on his own. I hope he has sought help in the years since. I hope to god he isn’t still burying his issues in the bodies of people who love him. In many ways, I feel like the school failed us both.

Recently, I’ve fallen in love again, for the first time since W. I don’t want to treat my current relationship as just a funhouse reflection of my first one – it’s so, so much more, completely on its own terms. Nor do I want to suggest that the only path to healing from trauma is through someone else. But it feels important to share that, for those of us survivors who want it, intimacy without fear or caveats is possible. For me, this relationship has been shot through with equal parts joy for the present and grief for the past, for how much I once thought I had to endure in order to be loved.

I wish I had seen more relationships like this during my time at Cate. I hope the Mesa can one day be a place that teaches us how to get there, instead of funneling us into the jaws of abusers and telling us it’s our fault. I wish uncomplicated love for all of you.

Signed,

A Cate alum from the 2010s

wanted to gin up interest in it, but had no idea that worldwide press would jump on anything that mentions these two. If you put out a story that they got allergies, the Sun, Globe, and other tabloidesque outlets will run it on the spot. You know, the point of them moving here was to have a nice community to fit in, enjoy, and be part of.

We’re pretty good around here at respecting people’s privacy. Realtors who want to overhype a listing – be warned.

From the shores of Scotland, Stella keeps her connection to her home in Montecito by bringing grads of local schools to the pages of the MJ

20-27 January 2022

Things worth talking about that are actually true:

– We have a new mayor in Santa Barbara, Randy Rowse. Here’s hoping he brings a breath of fresh air to city government, responsiveness, and a willingness to embrace Santa Barbara’s future. We also hope he feels he has a partner in Montecito, as we have a very successful homeless-outreach project that is community-based and backed. We’d love to see a stronger partner in the City of Santa Barbara, since there is no passport check at our respective boundaries, and citizens, sheltered and unsheltered, move back and forth freely.

– We will have a new Assembly Representative. Possibly by June. We were served well by Monique Limón, now our California Senator. Steve Bennett of Ventura was elected in 2020, but as a result of redistricting by an independent citizens’ redistricting commis-

sion, will no longer have Santa Barbara County in his district. He will be running for Assembly District 38, encompassing more of Ventura County. There is a new district boundary for the 37th Assembly District that will be in effect for the June 2022 Primary.

Three candidates have already put their names in:

Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Gregg Hart City of Santa Barbara Planning Commissioner Gabe Escobedo Santa Barbara City College Trustee Jonathan Abboud, who also ran in the 2020 Primary.

Odd-on-favorite to win: Gregg Hart.

If he garners more than 50% of the vote in the June 2022 primary, he’ll win the seat at that point.

For Montecito, state representation has become incredibly important. Our legislators have helped with disaster recovery, deploying California resources here.

We’ve worked with them on insurance issues, resources to combat homelessness, California roads like Highway 101 and 192, and housing legislation. Having a solid representative in the 37th Assembly district will be important to Montecito.

I’m not a fan of gossip, but I am a huge proponent in paying attention to the things that really affect Montecito. Stay

tuned to this page for those items.

Estate and Property Management Your Property is our Priority, We Take Care of it as if it was our own, Giving You Freedom to Enjoy Your Life Without Worry.

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33

Your Westmont

Author Michael Lewis Headlines Breakfast

Author Michael Lewis speaks in Santa Barbara on March 4

by Scott Craig

M

ichael Lewis, bestselling author of blockbuster books such as Moneyball and The Blind Side, speaks with Westmont president Gayle D. Beebe at the 17th annual President’s Breakfast Friday, March 4, 2022, from 7:30 am to 9 am in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.

Tickets cost $125 each and go on sale Friday, February 4, at 9 am at westmont. edu/breakfast.

Lewis, a financial journalist, has published 16 books, including The Fifth Risk, Moneyball, The Blind Side, and The Big Short, about topics ranging from politics, baseball, Wall Street, and the pandemic.

Both of his books about sports became Oscar-nominated films.

“Michael Lewis takes a fresh, hard look at the ever-changing value systems that drive our economic markets, political landscapes, and cultural norms, and how organizations can adapt their strategies to facilitate growth among all three,” says President Gayle D. Beebe.

Lewis’ newest book, The Premonition:

A Pandemic Story, follows three central characters, including former Santa Barbara County public health officer Dr. Charity Dean, who all put their careers on the line to try to avert catastrophe.

His New York Times No. 1 bestseller Flash Boys revealed how the legal but highly questionable practice of high-frequency trading allowed certain Wall Street players to work the stock market to their advantage. Two of his most popular releases, The Big Short and Boomerang, are set in the global financial crisis. His other works include The New New Thing, about Silicon Valley during the Internet boom; Coach, about the transformative powers of his own high school baseball coach; Losers, about the 1996 presidential campaign; and Liar’s Poker, a Wall Street story based in part on his own experience working as a bond salesman for Salomon Brothers.

A columnist for Bloomberg News, Lewis also contributes to Vanity Fair. His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Gourmet, Slate, Sports Illustrated, Foreign Affairs, and Poetry Magazine. He has served as editor and columnist for the British weekly The Spectator and as senior editor and campaign correspondent for The New Republic. He has filmed and narrated short pieces for ABCTV’s Nightline; created and presented a four-part documentary on the social consequences of the internet for the BBC; and recorded stories for the American public radio show This American Life. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Princeton and a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics.

The Westmont Foundation, local businesses, and individuals sponsor the President’s Breakfast to promote discussion of significant issues. This year’s Lead Sponsor is Bank of the West. Gold Sponsor’s include Davies, David and Anna Grotenhuis, In Memory of Jim Haslem, HUB International Insurance Services Inc., La Arcada, Warren and Mary Lynn Staley, Sunset and Magnolia Interior Design, and

Union Bank with special thanks to Tim and Ashley Snider.

Past speakers include the late Gen. Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Robert Gates, Walter Isaacson, Thomas Friedman, David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Brooks, Gen. Stan McChrystal, Gen. Michael Hayden, Peggy Noonan, Daniel Kahneman, and Nancy Koehn.

Art Exhibition is ‘Amplifying the Between’ Santa Barbara artist Marie Schoeff explores a profound yet unpretentious relationship with nature and spirituality in a new exhibition, “Marie Schoeff: Amplifying the Between” at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art from through March 26.

Schoeff ’s imagery, rooted in drawing, explores the ethereal, a transcendent space in a spiritual realm. Her strong sense of physical place creates a unique attachment to lines of latitude and longitude where one spends significant time. She studied art on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and has lived and worked in Santa Barbara for nearly four decades.

“Marie relies on attentive study of the actual world,” says Judy L. Larson, R. Anthony Askew professor of art history and museum director. “Her artistic processes create an amplification of commonplace experiences that transport the viewer between earthly and intangible realms.”

Schoeff, a native of Moscow, Idaho, graduated from Cal State Sacramento and earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting/ drawing at Hunter College in New York City. In 1983, she and her husband, Dane Goodman, moved to Santa Barbara, where she taught art at UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College, and Westmont.

Beginning in the late 1990s, Schoeff ’s work shifted from landscapes to iconic female forms using sensual color, rounded shapes, and flowerlike bodies. Drawing the female body was also a very personal response to raising her young daughter.

Another major influence at this time was Schoeff ’s immersion into the writings of Carl Jung and his theories on archetypes, dreams, symbolism, and the collective unconscious. “I respond particularly to Jung’s premise that humans are innately image-makers,” she says. “My studies of Jung’s work encouraged me to pursue my own pictorial language, with faith in its abil-

“Day 6” (2018) monoprint with drypoint and relief on Fabriano Tiepolo paper

ity to connect to others on a more primal level. I see my lines and forms as stand-ins for the female body and references to universal experience. Female forms in my work echo my reflections on being a woman, a mother, and a daughter. Drawing for me is a meditative process, an amplification of the between, the linking of the ordinary with the spiritual. I suppose my work traces my life experience.”

In the early 2000s, Schoeff experimented with printmaking, resulting in a group of large-scale monotype and drypoint prints.

“Amplifying the Between” features a selection of her recent multi-sheet prints and other works that were begun in 2014 and completed during one of seven summer residencies that Schoeff organized with fellow artists, Linda Ekstrom and Linda Foster.

“Marie’s imagery reveals beauty – humble truths that make us, the viewers, feel encouraged or gratified,” Larson says.

The museum is open weekdays from 10 am to 4 pm, and Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. For more information, please call the museum at (805) 565-6162 or visit westmont.edu/museum.

Guests will be required to wear face masks while inside the museum. If you are experiencing any of COVID-19 symptoms, please

do not visit the museum.

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College.

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“Evening Knows” (1989), pastel and charcoal on paper (Photo by Bill Dewey) “We are the authors of our destinies.” Nike Campbell-Fatoki

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35

Miscellany (Continued from page 6)

Kostis Protopapas, Jana McIntyre (Semele), and Robert Stahley (Jupiter) (Photo

by Priscilla)

off the superb show, wrapping with Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

But the undoubted highlight was Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor brilliantly performed by RussianAmerican keyboardist Olga Kern in her fourth CAMA concert.

A Gold Medal winner at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, she was the first woman to do so in more than 30 years.

A Piece of History their OSB debuts.

Set in the 1920s at a Los Angeles estate among the orange groves, the hugely entertaining production, which I might describe as Noël Coward meets Handel, had enormous ap-peel.

San Francisco conductor Emily Senturia, also in her debut, worked her baton to perfection with deserved kudos going to stage director Sara Widzer, associate director-choreographer Nicola Bowie, projection designer Yuki Izumihara, and costume designer Stacie Logue.

A performance of decidedly high note...

Land Ho! Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt has splashed out $65 million for 120 acres of undeveloped land in Beverly Hills owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, three years after it was initially listed for $150 million.

Known as Enchanted Hill, the land once housed a 20-acre Wallace Neff-designed mansion built in the 1920s for screenwriter Frances Marion and her husband, silent cowboy movie star Fred Thomson.

In the late 1990s Allen picked up the land for about $20 million and razed the property with plans to build his own home. But he died in 2018 at the age of 65, just a few months after putting it on the market.

Schmidt, who has an estimated worth of $23 billion, last year bought the 12-bedroom, 11-bathroom Bel Air 2.5-acre estate of the late hotel magnate Barron Hilton, who died in 2019, for $61.5 million.

Two years ago he purchased Solana, the 11-acre Montecito estate of Bill and Sandi Nicholson, for $30.8 million, which was originally listed at $57.7 million. The five-bedroom aerie, which I visited many times, has panoramic views of our Eden by the Beach.

Schmidt, 66, also owns a George Washington Smith-designed estate, just a tiara’s toss from Lotusland, which he bought from TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for $20 million in 2007.

Making Appearances Prince Harry is to discuss “personal stories and challenges” in his first appearance of the year at a virtual summit next month as he continues to earn his keep away from royal life.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, will attend a virtual event on February 3 for BetterUp. While Queen Elizabeth’s grandson receives a salary from BetterUp, the company has not disclosed how much he earns or if he has any shares or stock options.

The announcement is sure to spark speculation that Prince Charles’ youngest son will kick off the year with more bombshell revelations.

Stay tuned...

CAMA Comeback Kicks Off

CAMA – Community Arts Music Association – kicked off its 103rd season with its first performance in 22 months at the Granada with one of the world’s leading orchestras, the 75-year-old Royal Philharmonic from London under the trusty baton of Russian music director Vasily Petrenko, who took charge less than a year ago.

Our tony town was the first stop of a 14-city U.S. tour, which will culminate in New York at Carnegie Hall. It was the orchestra’s 13th performance in Santa Barbara, second only to that of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

British composer Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes kicked

Royal Philharmonic Music Director Vasily Petrenko (Photo by Ben Wright)

36 Montecito JOURNAL

The Beverly Hills estate of the late acting legend Kirk Douglas was snapped up within a month of going on the market for $9.015 million, $750,000 more than the $7.495 million asking price.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom 4,648 sq. ft. home where Kirk and his wife, Anne, lived for three decades, is in the Flats neighborhood on a lot of less than four tenths of an acre.

Built in 1921, the estate also has a two-story studio that adds an extra bedroom and two additional baths to the property.

It also has its own backyard Walk of Fame – 22 stones signed by many Hollywood stars including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ronald Reagan, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, and Barbra Streisand.

Kirk, who also owned a home in Montecito, died in 2020 aged 103 and Anne died in April 2021, at 102.

Going, Going, Gone Carpinteria actor Ashton Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, have sold their first marital home in Beverly Hills for $10.35 million.

Kutcher, 43, and the actress, 38, originally put the mansion on the market for $13.995 million in May, 2020, which means they sold it for $3.605 million less than the original asking price.

The 7,351 sq. ft. home, which has five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms, was purchased by the tony twosome in 2014 for $10.2 million.

The couple reduced the price from $13.995 million to $12.25 million, then $11.3 million before selling at $10.35 million for the final purchase price.

The Life of Sidney Oprah Winfrey is executive producing a documentary for Apple on the late actor Sidney Poitier, who just died aged 94.

It has been in production for more than a year, I learn. The project comes from Harpo Productions and Network Entertainment, with Reggie Hudlin as director.

Poitier, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and in 2009 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, was the first black man to win a Best Actor Oscar for 1964’s Lilies of the Field.

He additionally earned two further Academy Award nominations, ten Golden Globe nods, and two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.

“I drink your health, your wealth, your fortune for long years to come.” C.J. Cherryh

Hello, Commander Longtime Santa Ynez Valley resident Bernie Taupin, best known for his long running and fruitful collaboration with piano man Sir Elton John, has been made a Commander of the British Empire – CBE – in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year honors list.

Taupin, 71, received his award for his services to music.

He famously rewrote the 1973 hit “Candle in the Wind” as “Goodbye England’s Rose,” which Elton memorably performed at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 at London’s Westminster Abbey.

Last year another local British rocker, Alan Parsons, received the Order of the British Empire – OBE – in the monarch’s birthday honors list.

Call for Talent Ensemble Theatre Company is now accepting applications for its fifth annual Young Playwrights’ Festival for aspiring writers aged 14 to 19.

The four-month-long program provides writers a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn the craft of playwriting.

As part of the process, the participants develop a 10-minute play that is subsequently presented with professional directors and actors for a public audience.

The free program, made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, accepts up to 10 students from Santa Barbara County.

The deadline is January 29. Applications are online at https://etcsb.org/education/ young-playwrights-festival.

Remembering Grace On a personal note, I remember Grace Mirabella, former editor-in-chief of Vogue, who died at her Manhattan home at the age of 91.

Mirabella ran the Conde Nast glossy from 1971 through 1988 when my former New York Magazine colleague Anna Wintour stepped into the role.

Her tenure at Vogue’s helm saw circulation rocket from 400,000 to 1.2 million.

Mirabella, who started working at the fashion magazine in the 1960’s under the legendary Diana Vreeland, then landed her own women’s glossy, Mirabella, at the invitation of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, which ran from 1989 until 2000.

A charming lady of great vision.

Sightings Back to the Future actor Christopher Lloyd picking up his New York Times at Pierre Lafond... Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman at the Rosewood Miramar... Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson noshing at the Honor Bar Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask when need ed and get vaccinated.

20-27 January 2022

Finding (Continued from page 20 20))

the March festival, requiring not only vaccinations and booster shots for those who are eligible but also proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 48 hours prior to picking up festival passes, while some of the events will also require another negative test for admission.

Masks will be required not only inside theaters but also while in line for all festival events and screenings while the theaters will operate at reduced capacity. Visit www.sbiff.org for details.

Continued Coping with COVID-19

Kulāiwi brings Native Hawaiian sounds to SOhO on January 25

once we actually sat in for a show together, it was a lot of fun and we realized there was a very good synergy together.”

The bandmates each boast strong vocals and abilities to harmonize as well as a folk-pop approach, easy-going attitude and an affinity for stage banter. And Kalima said that while they come from different backgrounds, the members give each other lots of room, but come together in that “We all love Hawaii and Hawaiian music and feel motivated to spread the word about what’s happening culturally as well as musically on the islands. We have a commitment to our people and to keeping Hawaii as Hawaiian as possible, and our music kind of is a reflection of that.”

The stories also emerge through hula dancer Pono Fernandez, who will perform interpretations for more than half a dozen of Kulāiwi’s songs when the group plays SOhO on January 25.

“Music is a very good conduit for sharing culture and history, but the hula gives a lot of visual impact,” Kalima said. “It’s not just sit back, close your eyes, and pretend you’re somewhere else.

We want people to engage with us. We want people to learn something, and we want them to come away feeling like they know Hawaii a bit better.”

Rubicon Reemerging?

The answer: not yet. Nearly two years after the pandemic brought the arts world to a sudden halt, and more than seven months since California allowed theaters and clubs to reopen with proper protocols, Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre Company has yet to open its doors to any events at all. There’s still no official word on a season or specials, but at least the website has been updated to proclaim: “New schedule to be announced soon!”

But RTC has taken some steps to secure its future once plays and audiences return as the 24-year-old company has received a sizeable donation and a commitment for a future legacy gift that allowed the Rubicon to purchase a four-unit property on Poli Street, which will be used to house visiting artists near the theater while its historic venue in downtown Ventura’s cultural district will be renamed Rubicon Theatre Company at The Karyn Jackson Theatre in honor of the benefactor who made the largest single gift in Rubicon’s history.

UCSB Arts & Lectures has canceled or postponed all of its events through the end of the month, with the rescheduled shows encompassing the Punch Brothers concert (moved to April 5), Andrea Elliott’s lecture (March 9) and Ballet Hispánico’s performance of “Noche de Oro: A Celebration of 50 Years” (April 29). Tickets for the postponed performances are valid for the new dates. “Yamato: The Drummers of Japan” canceled its entire current American tour in the wake of Japan strongly discouraging its citizens from traveling to the U.S. at this time, with the Omicron variant obliterating the schedule.

A&L is also adopting updated policies requiring that all performance attendees ages five and up be fully vaccinated to the maximum extent for which they are eligible, including boosters, and strongly recommending the wearing of high-grade masks or doubling up.

That leaves a gap between February 1-4 for the old policies – which only require “full” vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours – a span that includes Emmy and Tony Award winner John Leguizamo’s event on February 2 at Campbell Hall on campus, and the recital featuring violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Peter Dugan at the Granada on February 3.

But for those who are particularly cautious, tickets for both events also include an at-home live stream viewing option. Visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu for details, viewing, and refund options or other questions…

Tony winner Anaïs Mitchell + Bonny Light Horseman has also postponed their North American tour that included a January 27 date at the Lobero Theatre, with no announcement yet regarding rescheduling. So far, no other artists have adjusted appearances at the venue, including Karla Bonoff, the 1970s and ‘80s hitmaking singer-songwriter who is a longtime resident of Montecito, who will play the Lobero on February 4.

After previously suspending ticket sales for its February production of Carmen Jones, the Ensemble Theatre Company has decided to postpone the musical adaption of Bizet’s opera that was slated to run February 3-20 at the New Vic Theatre. No new dates have been announced…

Meanwhile, we’re told that SOhO, which hosted more than 40 dancers grooving to Area 51 all sporting no face coverings at all as recently as mid-December, actually gave rapid COVID-19 tests to everyone before admission to the SANGRE NUEVA show last Saturday night.

Elsewhere, other than the Santa Barbara Symphony rescheduling last weekend’s Fandango Picante performances to May 1 and 5, marking its first-ever Thursday night concert, it seems the Granada is also going forward with its schedule intact. But its new rules also vary from the norm since June 15: guests must be vaccinated (although not boosted) or supply a professionally administered negative COVID-19 test result taken within one day for antigen tests and two days for PCR tests. Given all that variance and with the Covid remaining remarkably – pardon the play on words – fluid, it’s wise to check with venues

right up through show time for updates.

Steven has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1998, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

Focus on Film The 33rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival that would have wound up its star-studded week last Sunday was completely canceled by concerns about COVID. The 2022 Sundance Film Festival, slated to be a hybrid in-person/online event, has gone all virtual for its January 20-30 screenings and events. Individual screenings afford a chance to likely see several of next year’s potential sleeper hits and even potential Oscar nominees from the comfort of home. Meanwhile, the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, which were set to be presented on January 31 in Los Angeles, will now be held on March 14.

But fortunately the Santa Barbara International Film Festival ties its timing to run about three weeks before the Academy Awards in order for its crowd-pleasing tributes to serve as an important destination for Oscar hopefuls, so its March 2-12 dates are not yet being threatened as yet. In fact, SBIFF just announced its slate of eight emerging actors who will receive its Virtuoso Award on March 5 at the Arlington Theatre, with two actors each from Belfast (Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan) and CODA (Emilia Jones and Troy Kotsur) joining Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Simon Rex (Red Rocket), and Saniyya Sidney (King Richard) in the evening that has become a fan favorite for its efficiency and fast pace.

Several of the actors and most of the directors of those films and many other award-hopeful movies have already participated in Q&A sessions following screenings for SBIFF’s Cinema Society, including King Richard and CODA. They are accessible on SBIFF’s YouTube at www. youtube.com/c/officialSBIFF. Meanwhile, SBIFF has indeed announced the most stringent protocols in the arts world for 20-27 January 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

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20-27 January 2022

JOURNAL

Mini Meta newspaper

Last Week’s Solution:

By Pete Muller & Andrew White For each of the first five mini crosswords, one of the entries also serves as part of a five-word meta clue. The answer to the meta is a word or phrase (five letters or longer) hidden within the sixth mini crossword. The hidden meta answer starts in one of the squares and snakes through the grid vertically and horizontally from there (no diagonals!) without revisiting any squares.

PUZZLE #1

Executive Editor/CEO | G wyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz Editors -At-Large | A nn Louise Bardach Contributors | Scott Craig, Julia Rodgers, Ashleigh Brilliant, Sigrid Toye, Zach Rosen, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Stella Haffner, Pauline O’Connor, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Gretchen Lieff, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Bob Roebuck, Leslie Zemeckis Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford Humor | Ernie Witham Our Town | Joanne A. Calitri Society | Lynda Millner Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Gabe Saglie Account Managers | S ue Brooks, Tanis Nelson Office Manager | Jessikah Moran

1

2

3

4

5

4

6

6

7

7

8

B I L E

E A S E L

G R A S S

G S R E A C S

GRASS

N A S T

S O U T H

K O R E A

I N A P T

M E S H

THAT

M A I N

Down 1 "That place" 2 Eldest royal children, often 3 Sea eagles 4 It's found above une moustache 5 "What time?"

4

2

U R I A H

R I N G O

1

7

7

8 8

J S A I M ME S

TURNS

3 5

A B C R E H O T OW S O N

BROWN

2

C H A F R E C U X A C T T R O S A N

F R O N D

ASTROTURF

3

4

5

6 7 8

Down 1 Queen or princess, e.g.

2 American-founded gaming company with a Japanese name 3 Winnie-the-Pooh's only article of clothing, apparently 4 A solid 4.5 out of 10, say 5 Like some winks

2

3

Across 1 With 4-Down, themed NYC affair 4 "We Got the Beat" girl group 6 ___-garde (on the cutting edge) 7 Potential pigeon perch 8 Indian state known for silk and tea

Down 1 Qxd5 and Be3, in chess notation 2 "Zounds!"

3 Pacific nation of over 160 islands 4 See 1-Across 5 Educational acronym

META PUZZLE

4

1 6

2

5

3

4 6

7 8 9

Down 1 Minor tributary, maybe 2 Fancy country residence 3 Venture (forth) 4 2020 presidential candidate Klobuchar 5 Phillipa with a Tony nomination for "Hamilton"

S N A R E

PUZZLE #3

5

6

N O D E S

1

2

Across 1 Cofounder of Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 5 Double-reed instruments 7 Event for a free-lance worker?

8 "Get __ here!"

9 "___ she blows!"

9

Down 1 Reduplicative nickname 2 Mingling, say 3 "The foundation of every state is the education of its ___": Diogenes 4 Saltine cracker brand produced by Keebler 6 Acrab, e.g. (but it's in Scorpio, not Cancer!)

Across 1 Kind of luck 5 Actor Oscar in "Dune" and "Star Wars" 7 Denounce publicly 8 Letter that literally means "big O" 9 John Milton setting

Down 1 Carthaginian queen abandoned by Aeneas 2 1972 Bill Withers hit 3 Spray in self-defense 4 Burst (in) 6 Blue hue

LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY FRENCH VINTAGES Art Collectibles & Furniture

Graphic Design/Layout | Esperanza Carmona Design/Production | Trent Watanabe

How to reach us: Editorial: (805) 565-1860; Sue Brooks: ext. 4; Jessikah Moran: ext. 3; Classified: ext.

3; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Letters to Editor: Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; E-MAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

T O K E

PUZZLE #2

Proofreading | Helen Buckley

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 G, Montecito, CA 93108.

M E T R O

PUZZLE #5

3 5

Across 1 Pharmacy involved in the U.S. COVID vaccine rollout 4 Diva's moments in the spotlight 6 With 7-Across, rhyming citrus soda 7 See 6-Across 8 Kick starter?

I V I E D

1

Across 1 Is no longer 4 Night-light enthusiasts?

6 Phisher's domain 7 Styles seen on magazine covers 8 Pedantic peeve

PUZZLE #4 1

Y O U V E

NEVER

8

Across 1 "That time" 5 "What place?"

6 Giant in the condiment industry 7 Goofs up 8 Eight-bit gaming console, briefly

A B N E R

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20-27 January 2022

Montecito JOURNAL

39

“Good Food for Good People”

LUCKY’S steaks /chops /seafood /cocktails

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