Standing with Maria

The Y Renewal – After 15 years, the Montecito YMCA’s renovation project is closer to approval and the county is seeking comments, P.8

A Lummis-nating Home – An homage to Southwest style in the heart of L.A. – visit the historic home of the flamboyant writer, Charles Lummis, P.19

Podcasting Powers – From potty training to managing screentime, Sarah Powers and her podcast, “The Mom Hour,” covers it all, P.25 What’s in Stock – It’s been a dry real estate market for a while now, but new homes are starting to flow again, P.32

SERVING MONTECITO AND SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA

www.montecitojournal.net

The Marine Conservation Network brings understandable aquatic education to all, page 40

Moving Numbers

A year ago, Dignity Moves built 34 tiny homes to help with transitional housing in SB and now the numbers are in, page 14

STANDING WITH MARIA

Democracy’s tipping point… The inevitable impact of AI… The sociological strike of social media… Maria Ressa covers these pressing topics and more in her new book, How to Stand up to a Dictator MJ’s Gwyn Lurie speaks with Ressa before the Nobel laureate’s upcoming talk at UCSB’s Campbell Hall, to find out what can be done and where there’s hope (Story starts on page 5)

Artful Minds

It's National Mental Health Awareness Month and you can support the Mental Wellness Center at their 27th annual art faire, page 30

BY THERESA REBECK

DIRECTED BY JONATHAN FOX

“A fast-paced workplace comedy that even non-foodies will find hilarious!” THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Tickets starting at $40!

etcsb.org

Box Office: 805.965.5400

SANTA BARBARA’S PROFESSIONAL THEATER COMPANY

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Editorial – Gwyn Lurie speaks with Maria Ressa before her UCSB A&L talk at Campbell Hall this Thursday

Montecito Miscellany – FSA fundraiser, author Loria Stern, attorney Steven Gilbar’s book, chef Susanto Bhattacharya, and more

Village Beat – Montecito Natural Foods’ new home, the Y renovations move forward, the eucalyptus trees being removed on Park Lane, and a MWD statement

Letters to the Editor – Readers' missives on food trucks, the SB library, and Robert Bernstein’s Big Questions column

Tide Guide

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P.19

Message from the MA – Last year, Dignity Moves built 34 tiny homes in downtown SB to help with transitioning housing, and the now the numbers are in

Your Westmont – Exhibition features local artists, David Brooks headlines LEAD conference, and the college choir in Japan

Curious Traveler – The historic L.A. home of Charles Lummis is a structural serenade to the Southwest

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PAINTINGS • DRAWINGS • SCULPTURE • JEWELRY • AND MORE

Beachfront opposite Chase Palm Park Santa Barbara

Admission is FREE

On Entertainment – Q&A with Chubby Checker; Prime Time Band’s free concerts; “Mixed Up” exhibit at Westmont; Arts Faire; and Old Spanish Days

Brilliant Thoughts – Ashleigh weighs in on the phenomenon of Big Moves – in all their forms – and how they can benchmark our lives

The Optimist Daily – What’s brewing? Converting wastewater into beer, that’s what. Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company and Epic Cleantec unite in the name of Epic OneWater Brew.

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Sat 20 May 11am to 3pm

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Montecito Moms – Mom Hour Media cofounders Sarah (Wysel) Powers and Meagan Francis are the duo behind the weekly onehour podcast “The Mom Hour”

Foraging Thyme – It is “thyme” to grasp the nutritional properties of herbs such as parsley and mint, while trying your hand at preparing quinoa tabbouleh

Community Happenings – The Mental Wellness Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness join forces for National Mental Health Awareness Month

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Our Town – The Women’s Fund of SB's annual Celebration of Grants, which provided $925K for a panoply of recipients

Real Estate – The restocked Montecito market has seen a substantial spike in inventory; feast your eyes on four listings

Society Invites – VNA Health’s Mother’s Day Fundraiser honoring Rona Barrett and Dame Olivia Newton-John, and Transition House Mad Hatter’s yearly luncheon

Calendar of Events – Curtis Symphony Orchestra; Las Cafeteras music; The Drifters and Coasters at Rubicon; The Book of Mormon; Quire of Voyces; and then some

The Giving List – The Marine Conservation Network is bringing ocean education that is a sea breeze to understand

Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads

Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

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

Standing up to Dictators… and Facebook… to Save Democracy

by Gwyn Lurie

Idon’t have many heroes. Maybe because I’m too easily disappointed. Or that just beneath my optimistic surface lives a somewhat jaded self. Or perhaps it’s simply that it’s hard to find heroes these days who stand up to the test of time, not to mention under the harsh glare of modern-day journalism. But when the folks at UCSB’s Arts & Lectures arranged for me to interview Maria Ressa in anticipation for her May 18th talk at Campbell Hall, the fearless Filipina Journalist, former CNN correspondent, co-founder of Rappler, and the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for holding the line in the existential battle for truth, I must admit I got a little weak in the knees.

Even before Ressa became the first Filipino ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, this beyond-brave Journalist was already a strong candidate for my personal, very short hero list. And by the time our hour-long, mind-blowing, and a little terrifying, conversation ended, Ressa was solidly on my list. Malala, Gloria Steinem, Frieda Kahlo; you have company.

Okay, I get that our country is deeply divided. As is our world. Seemingly more so every day. But why? This extreme division has never made sense to me since I know that most of the issues over which we spar are complicated, and that “truth,” in most things, is usually found somewhere in the mushy middle. And facts, by definition, can be proven. So why then are so many of us clinging to the extremes? Or, as Ressa

Editorial Page 114

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

Maria Ressa will be speaking on May 18th at Campbell Hall

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the AntiDefamation League (ADL), will be at Campbell Hall on May 22nd with the MJ ’s Gwyn Lurie as a moderator

Montecito Miscellany

Dream on: FSA Fundraiser rakes in $160K

by Richard Mineards

Santa Barbara’s 124-year-old Family Service Agency hosted its first Dreams in Bloom fundraiser with 170 guests and raised around $160,000 toward programs that serve more than 24,000 annually, ensuring access to food, shelter, and other basic needs.

The boffo bash at the historic Rockwood Woman’s Club, co-chaired by the tony triumvirate of Maria McCall , Sandy Nordahl , and Katya Armistead , had grant writer Jan Campbell as the Master of Ceremonies with CEO Lisa Brabo making the introduction.

Ubiquitous Janet Garufis, chairman and CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust, served as auctioneer with lots including a beachfront Mexican villa, a week’s stay at a Zulu South African safari lodge, and a vacation in the enchanting Georgian city of Bath, England, beloved by the late author Jane Austen.

“It couldn’t have been a nicer evening,” enthused Brabo. “Everybody has been most generous!”

Among the heavenly hoard of supporters were Michael and Marni Cooney , John and Tania Burke , Carole MacElhenny , Dana and Andrea Newquist , Sybil Rosen , Dirk

Miscellany Page 434

Presenting sponsors Carole MacElhenney, Michael Cooney and Marni Cooney (photo by Clint Weisman)

FSA CEO Lisa Brabo; Montecito Bank CEO Janet Garufis; FSA Board Co-Presidents Molly Carrillo Walker and Tricia Price (photo by Clint Weisman)

Master of Ceremonies Jan Campbell (photo by Clint Weisman)

Develop Committee Co-Chairs Sandy Nordahl, Maria McCall, and Marni Cooney (photo by Clint Weisman)

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In addition to Michael’s commercial success, his personal works have seen global recognition as he is revered for his immersive thirst for visual storytelling. Travels ranging from Africa to British Virgin Islands to his home base in Montecito, CA, Michael Haber shares his joie de vivre with poetic captures that feel iconic yet simultaneously intimate. Haber’s latest book, The ELEMENTS, is currently on tour through the United States.

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Village Beat

Montecito Natural Foods to Open in Upper Village

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

Longtime Montecito

Natural Foods employee

Matt Mosby has confirmed that the beloved store, which has been in business nearly 60 years and is closing its Montecito Country Mart location next month, is planning to reopen in the upper village. “We are excited to make the move to the new location, and I know our customers are completely thrilled,” Mosby told us last week.

Montecito Natural Foods, which has been owned by Gabe and Slim Gomez for 30 years, has offered health food products, vitamins, beauty products, and more to the Montecito community for decades. Earlier this year we reported the store’s impending closure after being given notice that its lease was not up for renewal by Country Mart owner James Rosenfeld , who declined our request for comment on the matter. An employee – who wished to not be identified – told us the closure would be a big loss for Montecito, as many customers depend on stopping to pick up vitamins and supplements, or have them delivered. “Many of our customers don’t shop online, and going to Lazy Acres or Whole Foods will be too far for them,” the employee said.

Local social media pages were abuzz about the closure, with commenters lamenting the loss of another longtime, locally-owned store. “We are the second longest-running business on Coast Village Road,” said Mosby, “The closure would have single-handedly caused the loss of jobs for six older people who are employed here.”

Now, the Gomez duo has negotiated with upper village owner Norm Borgatello to occupy the space once occupied by George Meta Jewelry near Montecito Village Grocery. The space was most recently used as a pop-up for lifestyle shop, Santa Ynez General. “The location and parking are just great,” Mosby said, adding that because the space is smaller than the current location, the offerings will be pared down. “We will mainly be cutting back on grocery items, since Montecito Village Grocery offers a lot of the same stuff we do.” Longtime customers can expect to still find their favorite vitamins and body care, as well as the same knowledgeable, friendly staff.

The new space is expected to open on July 1.

County Seeking Comments on YMCA

The County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department (P&D) is soliciting comments on the adequacy and completeness of the environmental document prepared for the proposed renovation, enhancement, and expansion of the Montecito YMCA, located at 591 Santa Rosa Lane.

The YMCA is seeking to revise its Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to update the Montecito YMCA Master Plan, which has been in the works for 15 years. The revised CUP would allow for the demolition and reconstruction of existing buildings and the construction of several new buildings, as well as the continuation of

Montecito Natural Foods will close its Montecito Country Mart location in June and reopen in the upper village in July

Letters to the Editor

Food Trucks are Part of the Real World

Iread in last week’s edition [of MJ ] that someone has told the food trucks not to come to Montecito because of complaints. I find this shocking – that someone would complain when the people eating lunch at these trucks are mainly working for them!

I am a direct next-door neighbor to the Olive Mill food truck, living at Casa Dorinda. I am delighted to see them there – in fact, I have been known to walk down to the food truck and enjoy a delicious lunch from it, as well!

This is the kind of stuff that gives Montecito a bad name as being snobby, elitist, and unfriendly.

Linda Beuret, Montecito

We are Lucky to Have the SB Public Library

Through a personal experience, I recently discovered the scope of the extraordinary services offered by The Santa Barbara Public Library. A friend of mine was frustrated in seeking employment. Someone suggested that she might try the library for assistance.

To our great surprise, a friendly and responsive librarian made us aware of help in preparing a resume and tips on presenting yourself to advantage in a job interview. The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful. I am happy to report that the result was success in attaining the position that my happy and grateful friend was hoping for. A further benefit of my experience was a discovery of the many other beneficial opportunities that are available at our library – everything from helping to prepare your taxes, to “English as a second language” classes, to preschool story time for kids and

moms. The extent of the community benefit of our library was a wonderful surprise. We are very lucky to have this free resource as just another exceptional aspect of what makes Santa Barbara such a special place to live.

Sincerely,

Grateful community member

Big Answers for Big Questions Column

I disagree with several of Mr. Robert Bernstein’s comments in Big Questions. The first is about Ray Kurzweil’s statements in several of his books about the Singularity.

Mr. Kurzweil’s arguments are about rather prolific contentions, easily quantifiable and defined by simple equations. True, but invariably limiting. With the explosion of connectivity in the internet, all the opinions published, right or wrong, lead to new venues, new answers, and new questions, obviously.

Hence: What is reasonable to project accurately, with so many falsehoods and such few actual truths published? It’s hilarious, the stuff we make up from pure conjecture. Seriously intelligent scientists publish nonsensical theoretical considerations, to fund ridiculous postulations about unobservable quanta. CERN, Hadron Collider, et cetera. Billions in R&D funds suggest there are parallel universes. Others, like the Church, rely on human perception. Fear and need of an afterlife, reincarnation, angels and devils all exist as proof of faith, that Heaven and Hell exist, just to get all of us believers to contribute. Tell the Vatican and/or all believers in God this proof cannot exist, because it is just not there. There

are huge differences in being agnostic and atheistic.

What if we turned this Bernstein argument around? If Moore’s Law exists onward, and his theory still applies, why haven’t we, the human race, not communicated with other more highly developed intelligences yet? According to Kurzweil, Moore’s Law will continue to apply. According to Drake and others, millions of civilizations must exist. Not so fast.

My contention is no. Too many simple assumptions are incorrectly applied.

1. “ Carpe Diem quam minimum credula postero .” We cannot know what the future holds. From CV to meteorites, and from nuclear annihilation to cascading catastrophes, intelligent life may just abruptly stop here on Earth tomorrow.

2. SETI has revealed nothing, and our searches have become incredibly effective with technology and software. Drake’s famous equation is wrong; too few factors were considered about our existing reality.

3. Artificial intelligence, according to Mr. Kurzweil, cannot be contained. Just as the atom bomb, once unleashed, could not be disinvented (per Einstein’s request); the prospect of a higher intelligence ultimately making decisions for us about our own well-being seems to be a rather plausible argument.

I believe SETI is unsuccessful in finding telltale radio emissions, because there aren’t any – a plausible assumption. Occam’s Razor. Intelligent life may sprout up, but it also ends suddenly. Obviously, our life here on Earth on many occasions could have simply ended. I’m certain we, the human race, will not reach the wondrous maturity of ultimate intelligence because of one simple overriding, omnipresent law in the universe. It’s the simple law of change. Everything is

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

cyclical, everything is converging, dissipating, modifying and/or expanding, contracting and just changing. Hot, cold, hard, soft, brightness, darkness, even ignorance and wisdom. The Laws of Thermodynamics are well known. We exist in polarities, and everything forever is in a state of constant change. I exist, maybe. Or not?

Mr. Bernstein, just the facts. Neither Heaven nor Hell exists, just plain nothing, once again.

Quentin Parker Architect

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net

President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net

VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net

Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net

Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

Administration | Jessikah Fechner

Administrative Assistant | Valerie Alva

Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Nadel, Bryce Eller, Bob Levitt

Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick

Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin, Jeff Wing

Proofreading | Helen Buckley

Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye

Gossip | Richard Mineards

History | Hattie Beresford

Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri

Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook

Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie

Published by:

Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC

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.

How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

argues in her must-read tome, How to Stand Up to A Dictator, are we, in reality, not so divided; and is the idea that we are a fiction that’s being orchestrated by people and platforms that are profiting grotesquely from that notion?

Ressa writes, “The very platforms that now deliver the news to you are biased against facts, biased against journalists. They are, by design, dividing us and radicalizing us – because spreading anger and hatred is better for Facebook’s business… This is anger and hatred that coalesces into moral outrage that then turns into mob rule.”

In no uncertain terms, Ressa names the evil protagonist starring in this real-life thriller. “Facebook represents one of the greatest threats to democracies around the world, and I am amazed that we have allowed our freedoms to be taken away by technology companies’ greed for growth and revenues.”

In How to Stand up to a Dictator , Ressa argues that there are three assumptions implicit in everything Facebook says and does: “First, that more information is better; second, that faster information is better; third, that bad information – lies, hate speech, conspiracy theories, disinformation, targeted attacks, information operations – should be tolerated in service of Facebook’s larger goals. All three are great for Facebook because they mean that the company makes more money, but none of them is better for users in the public sphere.”

And by the public sphere, she means us. Everyday people who get their news from social media and are constantly being riled up by the political indignance of our “friends.”

But, as you’ll read in this interview, Ressa is not without hope, or solutions, sounding a clarion call for legislation to hold technology companies accountable, for more investment in investigative journalism and more collaboration between news organizations and those who care about democracy and facts.

But the part Ressa rests squarely on our shoulders, yours, and mine, is the imperative to stand up to bullies. Because, as she repeatedly reminds us, “silence is complicity.” And as Human Rights Attorney Amal Clooney writes to Ressa in her book’s forward: “If you, a Nobel Peace laureate, can be locked up for nothing more than doing your work, what chance is there for others?”

I hope you will attend the May 18th Arts and Lecture event at Campbell Hall and that you will read this book –and when you do, that you will begin to see how we are being used and manipulated not only to the advantage of a few masters of the metaverse, but more importantly, to the grave disadvantage of ourselves.

I also hope that you will sign up to attend Arts & Lectures conversation which I will be moderating with Jonathan

Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), at Campbell Hall on May 22nd. The team at Arts & Lectures has done an amazing job of curating their speakers from a list of key players in the fight for democracy.

Gwyn Lurie (GL): I’m very inspired by your journey. And I’m so happy that you’ve gotten the recognition you have, not only because I think what you have to say is so important, but just for your safety.

Maria Ressa (MR) : Actually, that’s one of the first things that did change. I had no approval to travel. They denied travel four times, including the time when my mom was getting an operation; and post Nobel, that was the first time they gave me the right to travel again, and I still have to put in for requests to travel and it goes all the way to the Supreme Court.

American media is zooming into Ukraine, but have you heard anything about Myanmar or about Pakistan? The chaos in Pakistan early this week, I had friends there who were saying they needed to leak information to me. The world is on fire and news organizations have fewer resources, and I worry that our younger journalists coming in – they want to be influencers rather than journalists. If you want to be an influencer, you shouldn’t be a journalist.

GL : In your book you write about the difference between “objectivity” and “good journalism” and how objectivity is really a myth. But hasn’t that always been true, that by virtue of what you report on and what you don’t report on, it’s subjective?

MR : Correct. Always. But the difference between when news groups had that gatekeeping power, and now, is that you could hold someone accountable. The biggest difference in our information ecosystem today is its impunity. We now have evidence of Russian disinformation attacking America at the cellular level. And yet, neither the companies that enabled it, nor the country itself, have been held to account. I think that that’s part of it. And if this continues, our values have been eroded. These are all cascading failures. In 2018, MIT came out with

the study that shows how lies spread six times faster than facts. You lace that with anger and hard data shows its effect. For example – that in 2017, women in the Philippines were attacked at least 10 times more than men.

The reason why the world is upside down, and why on the Doomsday clock for democracy we’re in the last two minutes, is because that is the incentive structure that has been created by the new gatekeepers. In my Nobel lecture, I called it a behavior modification system. It really is. We’ve seen this in the Philippines.

GL: I’m curious, did you ever consider going into politics instead of journalism?

MR: Oh my god. I would never go into politics. No, I’m a journalist. The best part about journalism is I fell into it. In 1986, I was pre-med at Princeton when I got the Fulbright Scholarship to go from the U.S. to the Philippines, largely in search of my roots.

I had deferred admission to law school. I had deferred admission to medical school... I had had corporate job offers and I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I never felt completely American. So, I thought if I go do the Fulbright in the Philippines, that would give me a year to understand where I came from and to figure out who I am.

Editorial Page 264

GL: Can you explain why you’ve been targeted?

MR : …journalism is under attack. We don’t have a business model like Tech companies that have not only poisoned or corrupted our information ecosystem, they’re also microtargeting. News organizations don’t do microtargeting in the same way that social media companies do… we don’t have a business model.

That one algorithm is a recommendation engine for growth for all the social media platforms. What they didn’t realize was friends of friends pulled society apart, pulled apart the public spheres so that you can no longer have a functioning democracy.

existing programs including a selection of recreational, fitness, and well-being programs for all age groups.

Back in 2013, an extensive expansion plan was submitted to the County; that former plan required that overflow parking be available off-site at Lower Manning Park, but the Y was unable to secure a long-term parking agreement with the County Parks Commission, and instead sought to revise the plans and lessen the parking need, so that all parking could be on the 4.25-acre site.

A new conceptual design was developed in 2018, which included a change in architectural style and a significant reduction in programming, including eliminating the YMCA’s preschool program. These are still the current plans, which were developed and revised after countless community meetings with concerned neighbors, that include a remodeled and slightly expanded main building, which does not include a second story as originally planned. The existing 7,416 square foot main building would be expanded and renovated, resulting in a structure of approximately 10,336 square feet. The main building will house weight training, cardio, offices, childcare, group fitness, and a flex/ meeting room. A new locker room building will be nearly the same size as the current locker rooms, and will include family changing rooms.

A new multi-purpose/gymnasium building is slated for the northwest corner of the site, requiring multiple trees to be removed. It will serve as a place for basketball, volleyball, and adult wellness classes. The current sports court area will be used for a secondary parking lot now that all parking is required to be on site; the new plan has lessened the parking requirement to 96 spaces. The pool will also be revamped and widened from five lanes to seven.

The project includes the removal of 10 native trees, which will be mitigated by planting 75 native trees onsite. The project also proposes to increase the membership level limit to 1,950 memberships from an average of 1,550 memberships. Frontage improvements for the project are expected to include construction of sidewalk, curb, and gutter, lighting, utility improvements, and removal of two native trees.

The Negative Declaration prepared for the project identifies and discusses potential impacts, mitigation measures, residual impacts and monitoring requirements for identified subject areas. Significant but mitigable effects on the environment are anticipated in the following areas: aesthetics, biological resources, cultural resources, fire protection, geologic processes,

noise, and water resources/flooding.

The document is available at www.countyofsb.org/2709/CEQA-Notices-andEnvironmental-Documents. Parties may comment by submitting written or oral comments to the project planner, Chris Schmuckal at 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, cschmuckal@countyofsb.org, or 805-568-3510, prior to the close of public comment on June 19, 2023 at 5 pm. Please limit comments to environmental issues such as traffic, biology, noise, etc. Due to the non-complex nature of the project, a separate environmental hearing will not be held.

The YMCA plans will be in front of the Montecito Board of Architectural Review this week as well.

The YMCA is located at 591 Santa Rosa Lane in Montecito.

Park Lane Tree Removal

Several of the iconic eucalyptus trees along lower Park Lane in Montecito have been removed after at least three of the non-native trees have fallen, causing damage to heritage oak trees and a nearby home. We’ve received several letters asking us about the tree removal and the effect on the aesthetics of the picturesque lane.

According to social media postings, the removal of the trees, which took place on private property, did not require a permit. The trees in question had been trimmed back from overhead SCE lines, which, according to the homeowner, caused them to be weighted towards nearby properties, posing a hazard.

Statement from MWD

The following statement was requested by the Montecito Water District to be published:

Regarding the “Keep on Truckin” letter by Mike Clark published in Letters to the Editor last week (May 11 – 18, 2023); p. 10, the opinions expressed were solely those of the author and do not represent an opinion authorized by Montecito Water District.

The Montecito YMCA project is still in the planning stages after 15 years in the making

The row of eucalyptus trees on lower Park Lane have long been an iconic Montecito locale

Several trees have been taken down in the last few weeks due to fears of falling on nearby homes and electric lines

Kelly Mahan Herrick, also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond.

Message from the MA Dignity Moves Presents at the Montecito Association

agency we work with. We referred one of our Hands Across Montecito clients to Dignity Moves downtown.

It’s been open for almost a year now, and Jack gave a pretty impressive update.

Of the 34 individuals that had moved into Dignity Moves:

Eight found jobs

Nine transitioned to stable housing

29 connected to health care, and 28 connected to mental health services

All residents work with an Intensive Case Manager to create an exit plan for their new home.

This is really good progress, as the folks accepted into Dignity Moves tend to be the toughest cases; those who’ve experienced chronic homelessness. The site does not allow drinking or drug use, visitors, weapons, or violent behavior. Pets and partners are welcome, and possessions are housed safely in one’s unit.

by Sharon Byrne

At our board meeting on May 9th, we had two surprises:

We did our first hybrid meeting at the Montecito Fire Station on San Ysidro Rd., and we sure appreciate their hosting us.

We welcomed Jack Lorenz from Dignity Moves as our guest speaker, and he wowed the crowd in person and online.

The Hands Across Montecito outreach team already knew Dignity Moves. Kath Washburn, one of our founding members, had adopted one of the Dignity Moves units in downtown Santa Barbara, outfitting it with welcoming items for the new residents, who would be individuals experiencing homelessness in the downtown area. Kath arranged a tour for us, and we were solidly impressed – 34 tiny homes had been constructed on a county courthouse lot using private donations. Services to help people leave homelessness would be on site, provided by Good Samaritan, another

Jack said that often what people do when they first arrive is sleep. When you are living unsheltered, you are very at-risk of being attacked, having your things stolen or removed, or encountering enforcement. So you just really don’t sleep. Lack of sleep can cause poor decision-making, obviously, and also substance use.

Dignity Moves functions as interim supportive housing. It’s not meant to be permanent, but a place to get stable and on your feet, so you can transition to permanent housing. It’s truly a dignified approach. Clients have privacy and safety, something homeless shelters cannot deliver.

Dignity Moves is also providing the missing ingredient we’ve long been looking for: the number of beds needed. On any given night in Santa Barbara County, 563 shelter beds are needed for people experiencing homelessness. We currently have 140. There are 123 in the pipeline, leaving a shortfall of 300. If we close that gap, it becomes possible to enforce illegal camping.

Message from the MA Page 164

thank you to these businesses whose donations helped make crane country day school's 2023 annual spring benefit such a success!

Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners

Acme Hospitality

A-Frame Surf

Alamati Wines

Andersen’s Danish Bakery & Restaurant

Aveda

Beach House Santa Barbara

Bikini Factory

BMW of Santa Barbara

Bryant & Sons

Ca’ Dario Montecito

California Wine Festival

Calirosa Tequila

Channel Islands Expeditions

Chaucer’s Bookstore

Chocolats Du Calibressan

Clare Swan Montecito

Clare V. Montecito

Coast & Olive

Condor Express

CorePower Yoga

D.D. Ford Construction

Dining With Di

Dioji K-9 Resort & Athletic Club

DÔEN

Evolutions-Medical and Day Spa

Flow Yoga & Wellness

Frank Schipper Construction Co.

Hal Price Artist

Horse, Heart & Connection

Hudson Grace

Ice In Paradise

Island Packers

J. McLaughlin

Joe’s Cafe

K Frank

Kanaloa Seafood

Kitchenette

La Purisima Golf Course

Lemondrop Montecito

Linda Baffa Yoga

Little Dom’s Seafood

Lobero Theatre Foundation

Local - Montecito

Lonson Family Farm

Lure Fish House

M. Special Brewing Company

Maison K

Margarita Adventures

Melville Winery

MITTSU

Montecito Bank & Trust

Montecito Fitness

Montecito Inn

Montecito Plastic Surgery

Montecito Village Grocery

Occhiali Fine Eyewear

Olio e Limone Ristorante

Or Kahlon Pilates

Pacific Park - Santa Monica Pier

Palma Colectiva

Pane e Vino Trattoria

Paper Moon Photography

Porch

Randy Solakian Estates Group

Rooted Vine Tours

Rosewood Miramar Beach

Rusty’s Pizza Parlor

Salt-Caves Santa Barbara

Sanders & Sons Gelato

Santa Barbara Fishouse

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club

Santa Barbara Sailing Center

Santa Barbara Trapeze Co.

Santa Barbara Venture Partners

Santa Barbara Water Polo Camps

SB Biergarten

Skin Essentials

Skin Prophecy / Skin Care Institute

Skydive Santa Barbara

Sony Pictures Studio

Sotheby’s - Realtor, Jason Siemens

Sterling Huddleson Architecture

The Bunker Golf

The Flying Royals

The Granada Theatre

The Grazing Place

The Tennis Shop of Montecito

The Ultimate Escape Rooms

Third Window Brewing Co.

Toy Crazy - Montecito

Trader Joe’s Santa Barbara

Truong & Co. Custom Design Jewelry

U.C.S.B Summer Day Camp Program

Via Vai Trattoria and Pizzeria

Yellow Belly

Yoga Soup

Last year, Dignity Moves installed 34 tiny homes on a county courthouse lot (Courtesy photo)

Jack Lorenz of Dignity Moves (Courtesy photo)

MARÍA MARTÍNEZ

musicacademy.org

Classically-trained musicians, from new talents to legendary icons, converge at the Music Academy to bring you a summer filled with strings, horns, and operatic arias. Over 120 performances, including symphonies led by world famous conductors, a 1979-set CABARET, and a very modern take on LA BOHÈME.

Get your tickets today at musicacademy.org

MUSIC ACADEMY SUMMER FESTIVAL 2023 JUN 12 - AUG 5

ANA

2023 Mosher Guest Artist Soprano

Dignity Moves has a winning formula and is seeking to close that gap. They leverage publicly owned, under-used or unused land. They pull private donors in to fund the units. The county provides the services that help people transition out of homelessness. These services are key.

Dignity Moves will be constructing 94 units in Santa Maria, an additional 94 units in the South County, 25 family units down here, and another 87 sites on county-owned land. The County of Santa Barbara and Marion Medical Center are each contributing $2,000,000 to these projects, and the Santa Maria site will contain 30 recuperative beds for those leaving hospital care.

It was a great presentation, and you can see it on our website under meeting minutes – all our meeting videos are posted there. If you’d like to support Dignity Moves to build this next set of transitional temporary housing, please go to their website at dignitymoves.org

Quick Newsflashes:

Montecito Fire was very busy this past weekend: Female hiker suffered a rattlesnake bite on Romero Canyon Trail and was airlifted to Cottage.

The Romero Canyon trail is CLOSED still, from the rain damage earlier this year. Our friend Ashlee Mayfield at Montecito Trails Foundation said the closed trails have more overgrown brush because teams haven’t been able to get in to do maintenance. Thus, they have more hazards. If a trail is closed, please respect that. Don’t be the person that causes first responders to have to get you out because you decided your good time trumps that ‘trail closed’ sign.

During this rescue fire fighters spotted a bear on an adjacent trail. We’ve had bear sighting reports on Ashley Rd, and Sycamore Canyon at East Valley. California Fish and Wildlife is on it. Could they be last year’s cubs that ran off when their mom was hit and killed on Ladera?

participation is encouraged.

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association

MFPD then rescued a fox kit caught in a soccer net on Schoolhouse Rd. The kit ran off to rejoin his family, waiting nearby. (photo courtesy of Montecito Fire)

Sheep will be grazing at Ennisbrook Open Space starting this week. Welcome to Montecito! (photo courtesy of Montecito Fire)

Your Westmont

Famed Ceramist Juries “Mixed Up”

by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott

The Westmont RidleyTree Museum of Art highlights the exceptional talent of local artists in its annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition, “Mixed Up,” from Thursday, May 18, to June 17. The public is invited to a free, opening reception on May 18 from 4-6 pm. Award winners will be announced at 5:15 pm.

Rae Dunn, popular Bay Area artist, designer, author, and illustrator, juried this year’s show. She reviewed several hundred submissions from area artists, ultimately accepting 50 works by 45 artists for the exhibition.

Dunn, who will display a small exhibition of her work in the downstairs space below the museum, is most recognized for her line of household wares sold throughout the United States. She began to pursue a career in ceramics full-time and founded her own brand in 1995. She has authored several books, including 2015’s Wilma’s World: Good Advice from a Good Dog, France: Inspiration du Jour and In Pursuit of Inspiration: Trust Your Instincts and Make More Art

All the pieces in “Mixed Up” are for sale, with 30 percent benefiting the museum. Westmont began hosting local artists in juried exhibitions more than 30 years ago at the Reynolds Gallery.

David Brooks Speaks at Leadership Conference

A stellar lineup of internationally renowned speakers, authors, CEOs, visionaries, and luminaries descend on Westmont’s eighth annual LEAD Where You Stand Conference from Saturday, May 31, to Monday, June 2, at the college’s Global

Leadership Center. The event’s speakers will offer empowering leadership principles and best practices for any sphere or line of work and service.

David Brooks, New York Times columnist and bestselling author, headlines an inspirational group of speakers at the conference. Dr. Charity Dean, a public health executive, Marcus “Goodie” Goodloe, a Martin Luther King Jr. scholar, Malcom Guite, a poet and priest, and Erin Meyer, author and expert in cross-cultural communication, will also share their perspectives.

Other speakers include Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe, musician and author Steve Bell, Westmont Provost Kim Battle-Walters Denu and Jeff Schloss, T.B. Walker professor of natural and behavioral sciences at Westmont, and director of the Center for Faith, Ethics and Life Sciences.

Purchase tickets to the three-day event, which cost $299, at westmont.edu/lead. The college, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary, expects the leadership conference to sell out.

The Mosher Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership and the Montecito Institute sponsor the event.

Brooks has written two No. 1 New York Times Bestsellers, The Road to Character and The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. One of America’s most prominent political and social commentators, he contributes a bi-weekly, op-ed column for the New York Times and regularly appears on PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered

Beebe, Westmont president since 2007, has spent more than a quarter-century in higher education. He has authored or edited more than 40 articles and 10 books including, The Shaping of an Effective Leader: Eight Formative Principles of Leadership. Under Beebe’s leadership, the college has raised more than $400 million for various projects and added 390,000 square feet in new or renovated facilities on campus and in downtown Santa Barbara.

Bell, a Canadian Christian songwriter and storyteller, has produced 20 solo CDs and won numerous music-industry awards. He has also written and co-authored a number of books to encourage Christians in their faith, including Pilgrim Year, a seven-book series on the spirituality of the Christian calendar year.

Dean, CEO and co-founder of the Public Health Company, brings together the best expertise in public health disease control with private-sector tech innovation to build autonomous disease-control decision capabilities in scalable software. Previously, she served as assistant director of the California Department of Public Health and part of the executive leadership team directing California’s strategy and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Denu, Westmont provost and dean of the faculty, has more than a quarter-century of experience in executive leadership in higher education. She has worked as vice president for educational programs for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C. At Azusa Pacific University, she served as vice president and chief diversity officer.

Goodloe has written the books King Maker: Applying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Leadership Lessons in Working with Athletes and Entertainers and Habits: Six Steps to the Art of Influence. He travels the country mentoring students and educators, business professionals, athletes, and entertainers, and faith communities on a range of issues, including cultural and interpersonal relationships, leadership, team and synergy, character formation, and faith.

Guite, an English poet, singer-songwriter, Anglican priest and Life Fellow and former Chaplain of Girton College (Cambridge), lectures widely in England and

Sharon Schock’s oil painting “Shadows and Reflections I”

David Dixon’s oil painting “Peaceful Stroll”

David Brooks at LEAD Where You Stand

Curious Traveler

Los Angeles in Three Great Houses: Part 1

by Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr.

Cities and civilizations leave enduring footprints. Think of Egypt’s Pyramids, the rows of statues on Easter Island, the white columns of the Parthenon in Athens. But Los Angeles has an unhappy habit of knocking down its past, its iconic buildings and houses – paving paradise to put up a parking lot and leaving no trace in the dust.

Yet there are a few footprints to follow, if you know where to look. They lead to remarkable houses, starting with the city’s oldest, the Avila Adobe, built in 1818 and still standing downtown on Olvera Street. Wealthy Californio rancher Francisco Avila built adobe walls three feet thick and sealed the roof with horsehair, rocks, and tar from the La Brea Tar Pits. His home was a social center in the early days of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Ángeles, and reminds us that today’s multicultural city was once solely Hispanic.

Three other remarkable houses sum up the story of Los Angeles. One was the home of a flamboyant writer and regional booster of the late 1800s who drew dreamers to Southern California. One was the mansion of the lucky man who drilled the first oil well in Los Angeles, striking it rich and living the California Dream. The last is a staggeringly modern residence that shows how L.A., even while guilty of erasing much of its past, perpetually turns its face toward the future.

The Lummis House

A writer, editor, and activist for historic preservation and Indian rights, Charles Lummis arrived in the Southland in 1884. He had walked 3,500 miles from Ohio – in his street shoes – writing a weekly travelog on the way for the Los Angeles Times about his tramp through new and strange lands. The prejudices of his New England upbringing and Harvard education fell away, and he developed a deep love for the natural beauty and cultural diversity of the Southwest.

Lummis’s colorful articles earned him a national name, and after 143 days on foot, he arrived in Los Angeles to become the first city editor of the Times. A sort of pioneer of personal branding, Lummis dressed in flamboyant western style with buckskin leggings, a Navajo sash, a sombrero with a rattlesnake hatband, and an ammunition belt. His boss, Harrison Gray Otis, observed that Lummis’s garb “was not reassuring to the mind” and may have been “calculated to excite the curiosity of the police.”

Lummis’s work ethic and long hours as an editor led to a mild stroke that left him partially paralyzed, so in 1888 he moved to New Mexico to recuperate. There he freelanced articles about the Southwest, but when his exposé of corruption in his adopted town of San Mateo put his life in danger, Lummis decamped to the Native American pueblo of Isleta. (An assassin followed and shot him, though not fatally.)

By 1895 he was healthy and living again in Los Angeles, advocating for the

The Lummis Home incorporates stones pulled from a nearby creek in the Arroyo Seco and a round tower drawing from Hopi designs (photo by Graham Dunn)

n t a B a r b a r a C h a r i t y

L

E s t a t e o f L a d y L e s l i e R i d l e y - T r e e

' F a s h i o n & E n t e r t a i n m e n t ’

T h e P a r t y C o n t i n u e s . . .

A u c t i o n R e l e a s e P a r t y C o m i n g t h i s S p r i n g

On Entertainment

Check(er) Mate Sill Twisting

by Steven Libowitz

It’s startling to realize that while the Lobero Theatre has been a beacon for the arts in Santa Barbara for 150 years, Chubby Checker has been around for more than half of those years, and is still going strong. As part of the Lobero’s year-long Ovation celebration, the now-81-year-old 1960s rocker who propelled “The Twist” to the top of the charts twice in two years and then saw the reprise, “Let’s Twist Again,” soar even higher is headlining a free community block party event on Saturday, May 20, from 3 to 8 pm. Also performing are local favorites Glen Phillips, Spencer the Gardener, and the La Boheme Dancers

We caught up with Checker (born Ernest Evans) over the phone from his Philadelphia-area home, where his infectious spirit was palpable 3,000 miles away.

Q. What made you want to do a version of “The Twist” when Hank Ballard, who wrote it, had recorded it only a few months before in 1959?

A. His song hadn’t been a hit, and it wasn’t happening. I took a dead item and made it something that it would never have been without Chubby Checker. I’m so glad he wrote it, but what we did to that song was something completely different. And we had to campaign that thing for about six months while I was still in high school to tell people what it was all about, get on American Bandstand, which is when it took off.

Q. Did you anticipate what would happen, that you would have this impact on pop music and, particularly, dancing, turning into such a craze?

A. I thought it was a good song, but we had no idea what we were messing around with. But it changed the dance world completely forever. Before Chubby Checker, guys didn’t look at their girlfriends while they were dancing because you were too close together. But with the Twist, you were watching her exploiting her sexuality while she was fully dressed, and she was looking at you. Chubby put that on the dance floor. The whole world changed in those two minutes and forty-two seconds.

Q. I can’t imagine having all that success while still in high school. How was it for you?

A. That was all I wanted to do ever since I was four years old, when my mom took me to see Ernest Tubbs. I bragged and talked about it and boasted right on up until I was 17. I was really uncomfortable as a kid and got my little singing group together at 11. Then all of a sudden I was on stage, a professional in the 11th grade in South Philadelphia High School.

How did I feel about being up there? Thank God it happened!

Q. People may not know that you had other hit songs that kept the dance craze going.

A. Oh yeah, you had the Pony, the Fly, the Shake, and that old nasty dance from 1949 called the Hucklebuck. The Pony, by the way, is what a pony does: He hips and he hops. I just want to throw that out there, because the whole foundation of hip-hop is built on that song that Chubby Checker put out there. Sixty years later, it

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Brilliant Thoughts

Big Moves

by Ashleigh Brilliant

Crossing oceans has been a feature of my family background. My mother’s parents, a poor English couple, started the trend by moving from London to Toronto, where my mother was born (one of five) and grew up as Amelia Adler (quite a good-looking girl, if the photos are any indication). Ocean travel was then still only by ship, and a ship took Amelia, when in her 20s, over to England to visit some of her relatives who had not emigrated. There she met a young British bureaucrat named Victor Brilliant, who fell in love with her, and induced her not only to marry, but to settle with him an ocean voyage away from what she would always consider her “home.”

For a few peaceful years (the early 1930s), they lived a conventional suburban life, having two children – me and, two years later, my sister, Myrna. When I was 5, Amelia took both her children back across the ocean on what was planned to be a short trip to see her family in Toronto. This turned out to be one of the biggest moves of our lives. Everything was changed by a gentleman named Hitler. The onset of what became the Second World War made it too dangerous for ocean crossings. We stayed in Toronto for two years.

Then it was my father who made the next big move – though he almost didn’t survive the attempt. Hoping to rejoin us, he was on a British merchant ship at the height of what was called the Battle of the Atlantic. It was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Most of the people aboard got off in time. So, our family was reunited, but this meant another big move, from Toronto to Washington, D.C., where my father was stationed.

Five years later came more moving. The war was over, and we had to go back to an England I could hardly remember. But I remembered America very well, and took the first opportunity, after going up through school and college in London, to come back. It was California that particularly attracted me, and at the end of this move, I settled for a while in Los Angeles.

Most of my moves were then on the West Coast, with what appears to have been a final one to the resort town of Santa Barbara.

But in the meantime, there began for me a whole new series of moves, of the type we call “Travel,” or, more vulgarly, “Tourism.” Here the essential difference is that, instead

of finishing up in a place called “Somewhere Else,” you find yourself (in the words of a well-known song about California) “Right Back Where I Started From.” Some of these outings, however, were on so grand a scale that they almost qualify as veritable Big Moves. There were, for example, two occasions – of 3½ months each – on which I sailed (as a teacher) entirely around the world on board a large cruise ship which had been converted into a “floating university.”

Then there were some fantastic (in the sense of fantasy-fulfilling) journeys I made with my wife, Dorothy. One included going overland all the way across Australia. Another had us crossing the widest part of South America as the midpoint of a three-month jaunt from San Francisco to Cape Town, South Africa.

But there are other big moves we make in our lives, besides the geographical ones. One such move can, for many of us, be a change of “faith.” I was born into a moderately Jewish family, attended Hebrew School, and had a Bar Mitzvah. And, at my parents’ insistence, both of the women with whom I was ever seriously involved (one of whom I actually married) were officially converted to Judaism. Yet I am now, and for most of my life have been, a total non-believer; not only having no religion, but not really believing in anything at all.

I have also had a big change of careers. I started out as a teacher (in, of all places, Hollywood High School), but soon realized that, for me, the job must be at a higher level. After four years spent getting a UC Berkeley Ph.D., my first full-time college teaching role was my last. I somehow wound up as perhaps the world’s only professional writer of epigrams. So, finally, here’s one on big moves:

No journey is ever complete until you come home again, or until some new place becomes home.

doesn’t matter who’s singing. If you’re dancing and you are looking at each move, Chubby’s there. I haven’t left the dance floor young.

Q. Why do you think you’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I mean, Hank Ballard got inducted back in 1990.

A. They must have a good reason, but I’m singing (“The Twist”) the No. 1 song of all time, which is in the HOF. But I don’t care about that. I’m coming to Santa Barbara and if you are looking for an oldies show, stay home. You’re coming to see an icon, a legend, a man that changed the whole music industry, and it’s still changed because of Chubby. Disco is Chubby Checker. When you throw your hands in the air and wave like you just don’t care, you’re doing Chubby Checker and the Fly. Do I do new songs in my shows? Hershey doesn’t need a new Hershey bar, ‘cause everybody’s still eating (the original). How do you do better than the No. 1 song of all time?

Q. I have to tell you that I think it’s kind of cool that you still have that brashness and confidence you talked about having at five years old even now, literally 75 years later.

A. Every time I play on the stage, my dream is renewed because that’s all I ever wanted to do. You just hold onto that, and the light is always shining.

Sounds Around Town: Live Music for the Ages

If you have the inclination and the stamina, you can catch live performances from some of the oldest members of the musical community and several of its youngest on a single Saturday this weekend. The Prime Time Band , a group of amateur musicians whose ages span from 40 to 90-plus but definitely skews toward the higher number, actually serves as an entry point to music making for mature adults as part of its mission. The other half is providing free concerts for the community. PTB’s Spring Concert, under the direction of Westmont alum Dr. Paul Mori , takes place at a new location of Elings Performing Arts Center at Dos Pueblos High School at 2 pm on Sunday, May 21. The “America’s Musical Landscape” theme encompasses Broadway favorites, a medley of John Williams ’ film scores, a salute to Benny Goodman, and hit tunes from The Mamas & The Papas. Details at www.ptband.org.

At the other end of the age spectrum, AHA!’s annual Sing it Out! lights up the Lobero Theatre at 6 pm, an uplifting performance by 11 teens and one AHA! staff member that serves as the culmination of a transformative 14-week process of courageous self-discovery and overcoming individual challenges. The daring dozen take to the stage to “sing their hearts open,” each offering lead vocals backed by a live band loaded with local luminaries. Proceeds from the concert support the nonprofit’s work in the Santa Barbara community. Tickets at www.lobero.org/events/aha-sing-it-out-4.

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.

Arts Alive: Westmont, Waterhouse, and Walking Tour

Local artists are the focus of “Mixed Up,” the new exhibit at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition was curated this year by Rae Dunn , popular Bay Area-based ceramic artist, designer, author, and illustrator most recognized for her line of household wares, who will also display a small exhibition of her own work in the downstairs space below the museum. “Mixed Up” makes its debut on Thursday, May 18, with a free opening reception from 4 to 6 pm, with the announcement of award winners at 5:15 pm.

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood

The Prime Time Band will perform at 2 pm on Sunday, May 21, at Elings Performing Arts Center at Dos Pueblos High School

All the pieces in the exhibition, which runs through June 17, are for sale, with 30 percent of the purchase price benefiting the museum. Details at www. westmont. edu/museum or (805) 565-6162.

Friday, May 19, brings the monthly art walk at the La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts – which has more or less taken over the activity from the Funk Zone after the departure of The Arts Fund Gallery during the pandemic. Plan to visit each of the galleries from 5 to 8 pm for curated art works and, often, artists on hand to discuss their pieces, plus wine, beer, and snacks as well as live music, participatory craft tables and community art installations in the middle of the common area. Call (805) 6876458 or visit www.shoplacumbre.com/Directory/Details/727958.

The Waterhouse Gallery’s Montecito location at 1187 Coast Village Road celebrates the opening of an exhibition of new works from two local artists on Saturday, May 20. Both Rick J. Delanty , whose acrylic and oil paintings include depictions of Casa del Herrero, Miramar Beach, and the entrance to the Four Seasons Biltmore, and Ray Hunter , whose watercolors include scenes of the Goleta Slough, Leadbetter Beach and the Arlington tower, will be on hand for the 3 to 6 pm artists reception. Visit www.waterhousegallery.com/events or call (805) 886-2988.

Mental Wellness Center’s 27th annual Arts Faire has a new name after more than a quarter-century. Reimagined as Artful Minds, the festival will take place outside from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday, May 20, on the beachfront opposite Chase Palm Park. The event showcases the creative work of more than 60 local artists who are living with mental illness, covering a variety of visual and craft mediums including painting, drawing, jewelry and sculpture. Many of the exhibitors first discovered their talents as participants in Mental Wellness Center’s Fellowship Club, where peer educators and an art specialist help them explore their emotions through self-expression. Artful Minds provides an outlet for those living with mental health challenges to celebrate their creativity and be recognized for their talents in a safe, supportive space. In addition to the artwork, the event also features food trucks offering lunch options, coffees, and smoothies. Visit https://mentalwellnesscenter.org.

Focus on Fiesta

Despite its official title, Old Spanish Days is making it abundantly clear this year that it’s not an organization firmly attached to being stuck in its old ways. Not only did Fiesta, one of the area’s most popular and long-standing cultural festivals, earlier announce that it had chosen a male as Spirit of Fiesta for the first time in history (Jack Harwood, who we profiled last week in this space), but has also selected an elder of the local Chumash community as the Fiesta Parade grand marshal.

Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto, whose ancestors have been a part of the Santa Barbara community for generations, was named to occupy the prominent position in this year’s El Desfile Histórico (Historical Parade) as it travels along Cabrillo Boulevard (a new route necessitated by the proscenium dining spaces on State Street), where it will pass her ancestral village, Syuxtun (also known as Ambassador Park), once one of the largest Chumash villages on the South Coast.

The selection honors local history, culture, and traditions beyond the Spanish/ Mexican heritage that traditionally forms the focus of Fiesta, and honors the Chumash for their multi-generational contributions toward building the Santa Barbara community. Ygnacio-De Soto’s great, great grandmother, Maria Ygnacia, was the last survivor of those born at Syuxtun, while her mother Mary Yee is regarded as the last native speaker of the Chumash language.

Serving as the Fiesta Parade grand marshal – where she will ride in a historic horse and carriage with other family members on Friday, Aug. 4 – won’t be Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto’s first foray into the “entertainment” world in front of a large local audience, as the Chumash elder appeared onstage at the Granada last fall as part of the multimedia premiere of Santa Barbara composer Cody Westheimer’s Wisdom of the Water, Earth, Sky with the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Cheers to Water Recycling: Turning Wastewater into Beer

After years of drought, water recycling is a pressing issue in California. In effect, one water-recycling company is looking to raise awareness about the possibilities of water reuse. With the help of Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, Epic Cleantec created a beer made from greywater recycled from a San Francisco apartment building. The result is the Epic OneWater Brew, a beer that is reportedly delicious!

The goal of the project is to spark conversations and interest in water recycling, which has become necessary in California. Although it’s not available for sale, the beer showcases the untapped potential of water reuse. The current commercial regulations on recycled drinking water are strict, but with more innovation and collaboration, there are possibilities for the future.

But how does beer made from wastewater taste? Drinkers who were initially skeptical were pleasantly surprised by its crisp and drinkable taste, with no notes of shower or laundry.

The recent downpours across California haven’t eliminated the need for water recycling projects.

The process of turning greywater into drinking water is not technologically challenging. However, the real challenge is making sure that the regulators are on the same page in terms of public health. While there are plans to turn greywater into potable products and sell them, the priority is to ensure that water recycling projects are safe and compliant.

Epic Cleantec is working to tackle the issue of water scarcity in other ways as well. The company is running the first approved greywater recycling system in San Francisco, where buildings erected after Jan. 1, 2022, are required to install onsite water reuse systems. Epic’s system at Fifteen Fifty, the 40-story apartment building in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, is built to recycle 7,500 gallons a day, or 2.5 million gallons a year.

The recent downpours across California haven’t eliminated the need for water recycling projects. As we move further into the 21st century, it’s essential to recognize that relying on whether it rains to know if we’ll have enough water for our communities is a problem.

So, even though beer made from wastewater might sound strange, it’s demonstrating a potential step toward a more sustainable future. It’s an engaging and fun way to start conversations on water recycling and the untapped potential of water reuse. With more companies like Epic Cleantec working to recycle greywater, we can tackle water scarcity, pint by pint.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

North America on theology and literature. His books include Word in the Wilderness, Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination and Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Erin Meyer, author of The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business is a professor of management practice at INSEAD Business School, based in Paris. She co-authored the book No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention , which became a New York Times best seller in October 2020.

Schloss directs the Center of Faith, Ethics and Life Sciences and is T.B. Walker professor in the natural and behavioral sciences at Westmont. He is internationally known for his scholarship on interactions between evolutionary theory and religious faith, examining whether humans are naturally wired for faith.

The annual conference, which began in 2015, has also featured keynote speakers Doris Kearns Goodwin, Geoffrey Moore, and Jon Meacham

College Choir

Travels to Tokyo for an International Tour

Following Commencement, the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers took off on a nine-day tour to Tokyo, Japan — the first international choir tour since the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Daniel Gee ’13, director of choral activities, the choir's itinerary includes joint concerts with Japanese collegiate ensembles, including those from Waseda University and the Tokyo College of Music, as well as performances at Tokyo Union Church, Tokyo Christian University, and the Christian Academy of Japan.

As part of its tour repertoire, the choir will perform pieces by Japanese composers such as Ko Matsushita, Maki Ueda, and Takatomi Nobunaga, as well as what Gee describes as “a multifaceted representation of American choral music.” This mix of pieces ranges from Western Classical, the Black American spiritual, and gospel tradition, and Latin American traditions.

Many of this year’s seniors on the tour experienced their first year in College Choir in 2020-21, when Gee joined the faculty. It was a challenging start to his time at Westmont due to COVID-19 restrictions. These students first rehearsed with him by

Zoom, making this year’s international tour together an especially meaningful way to conclude their choral experience at Westmont.

Daniel Gee and the choirs head to Japan

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

Montecito Moms

Sarah Powers: Podcaster

by Dalina Klan

We could call her Podcaster Powers, but this Montecito Mama is close to being a native – and we are thrilled to introduce her to the MJ this week!

Sarah (Wysel) Powers moved to Montecito with her family in 1986 when she was five years old. Her mornings were spent walking to school (Montecito Union) and stopping at Pierre LaFond for a giant cookie or chocolate croissant. Flash forward 35 years later… she is still stopping at Pierre’s (for a coffee and maybe still that massive cookie), but now with her own kids!

Powers comes from a professional writing and communications background –everything from ghostwriting to corporate communications. In 2016, she and her business partner, Meagan Francis, co-founded their company, Mom Hour Media, and launched the podcast, “The Mom Hour.”

First, what is a podcast? Powers explains: “It is an audio program you can listen to using a phone or tablet or computer. It is like the radio programs of decades past, but you don’t have to catch them on a specific day and time!”

The best part of a podcast is that they are free and open-source for the most part, and there are podcasts on every topic imaginable. Some aim to teach or educate, some are simply for entertainment.

Powers and her partner say their podcast is conversational: “Many people like to listen while they drive, or, in the case of our audience, while they rock a baby in the middle of the night or push a stroller around the neighborhood! There’s an intimacy to the listening experience and, at the same time, it’s extremely flexible when it comes to when and how you consume your podcasts.”

“The Mom Hour” is an hour-long weekly audio program for parents. Powers and Francis bring their perspectives as moms of many kids (eight between them!), with different backgrounds and points of view and take a conversational, nuanced approach to motherhood and parenting topics. They are not parenting experts in the clinical or professional sense, but they offer real-life experience and judgment-free encouragement to newer moms who are wondering if their experience is normal or looking for light at the end of a sleep-deprived, tantrum-filled tunnel.

To date, they have done more than 630 episodes on topics such as making friends as a mom, potty training, sharing about kids on social media (or not), managing screen time, talking to kids about money,

Santa Barbara experiences over my own and it’s really special to see.”

Powers says that being her own boss has given her the flexibility to continue to be a mom while also focusing on her career:” I don’t share everything about our kids, however, we do lean into topics that are relevant to our lives and create episodes around ideas we’re genuinely interested in.”

There are different ways to make money as a professional podcaster, but working with advertisers is the most common. At “The Mom Hour,” Powers sells advertising spots on her show in the same way a television network might; brands have a message they want to reach a target demographic (i.e., moms of young kids), and they take a couple of “commercial breaks” in each episode.

Powers and husband Bryan (who works for Mercer Advisors) have three kids: Luc (14) and Reid (12) attend Santa Barbara Middle School, and Violet (10) is a 4th-grader at Montecito Union.

but local habits die hard.”

If you have a mobile phone, you already have a podcast app on it – even if you’ve never used it! Search for “The Mom Hour” in any podcast app and it’s easy to find.

and more. The show has been downloaded more than 15 million times and they now have more than a dozen contributing voices who add their stories and perspectives on the podcast.

And the best part about it: Powers can do it all from home, which is now back here in 93108. After attending college in the Chicago area and then getting married and living in Phoenix and Orange County, she and her husband came back because of (you guessed it) COVID.

“We muddled through online school and shifting work paradigms through the spring of 2020, and with summer we made the decision to move to Santa Barbara. My kids get tired of hearing me point out old places I went to school, had a job, hung out with friends – but as time goes on, they’re now layering their own

So, what’s a perfect weekend for this Montecito native? “My 10-yearold and I love to do what we call a ‘Village Saturday.’ We park the car and bring a basket, and see how many quaint errands we can do on foot: the Montecito Library is a must, plus a stop at the Post Office, the hardware store, the grocery, and the dry cleaner. And I usually pick up sandwiches at Wine & Cheese. I know it goes by a new name,

Dalina Klan is a former television news producer and writer. She is a Montecito native and graduated Westmont College with a degree in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts.

Sarah Powers Family (from left): Bryan, Reid, Sarah, Luc, Violet

Sarah Powers Podcasting (photo by Leo & Laine)

I’m doing these commencement speeches now. I just did Vanderbilt and I’m doing one on Sunday. And it’s such a different world from the world I grew up in, from the America I grew up in. Anyway, I fell into journalism at an incredible moment. It was 1986, the People Power Revolution sent an electric charge through society…

[ The People Power Revolution was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that saw the country transition from authoritarian rule under Marcos to a democracy. It was during this period that Ressa embarked on a career in journalism. A time where, as Ressa writes: “…in the 1980s, another agreed-upon fact, a foundation of our shared reality, was that without good journalism, without the sound production of facts and information, there would be no democracy. Journalism was a calling.” ]

When I was in my twenties, it was either go back to the United States or stay [in the Philippines] and do this startup. Rappler was much, much later, but do this company called Probe. And it was incredible. It’s the best way I could have learned television because we did it the way we thought it should be done, instead of following what others had done. If I had been in the U.S., it would be very, very different than what I wanted to do. And journalism was the best. I loved it.

The reason why I can’t see going into politics, is because what I loved about journalism is it continued the ideals I grew up with. And this is my worry now for this next generation. What are the ideals? It is that in the end truth wins, in the end there’s a meritocracy; in the book I wrote about this, the empty mirror that you search for knowledge, you search for a view of the world and you have to have enough confidence to do that; but not so much confidence that it becomes an arrogance that simply fills the mirror with your image. When you take yourself out of that picture, your image no longer obscures the objective truth that lies behind it. So, it’s like the Buddhist version of the myth of the cave of Plato.

Once I fell into journalism, I loved that the head of state would ask me, what are the principles? And that once you get beyond the ceremonial proforma questions you need to ask, that powerful figure and I are getting used to each other as people. How incredible to have somebody who has to make these really tough decisions, and you can ask them any question you want. I mean for television there’s a form, and I wrote about this, it’s the most unnatural way of being natural. But it was such an opportunity to continue to learn, I continue to understand why things happen. That’s why I fell into journalism.

Polarization is another way to describe this. You pull them out, you don’t hear. Democracy is all about listening to all sides and then making up your mind independently.

GL: Social media was something that, from early on in your career, you invested in heavily, right? You saw it as an opportunity for citizen empowerment. But then, as you say in your book, it ended up “tearing down everything you hold dear.” Do you think that your strong embrace of Facebook in building Rappler added to Facebook’s power?

MR: Definitely. And that’s why it felt like a betrayal. But when I look back over it, it’s the same mistake lawmakers make. News organizations have a set of standards and ethics and we self-regulate. Why would we expect tech companies – whose primary motivation is profit, who have no standards or ethics manual, who don’t actually embrace putting guardrails on, like protecting the public sphere – to behave like news organizations? In retrospect, I should have known that. But I guess I thought they were like CNN, because I was there in the beginning days of CNN; I was there during a tailwind. I was there when we were making mistakes because we were growing so fast.

I set up the Manila bureau and the Jakarta bureau and my team in Jakarta was one of 12 teams that tested out new technology and new equipment. So, I gave Facebook that same courtesy. When you’re a fast-growing organization, you make mistakes. But if you are guided by the right principles, you come out of it and you fix it. This is why I realized that news organizations, journalists, are different. Every decision we made for the public put us at risk every step of the way. When in the time of Duterte we published the three-part weaponization of the internet series, I had an idea that it could be dangerous. I rolled that past our board; I secured board approval because I thought the series may actually threaten the business. Now if they had said no, I would’ve fought it. And ultimately our shareholders believe in and give journalists the power. Because I’ve worked in organizations where the businesspeople win over the editorial all the time. We created an organization that isn’t like that… But, we were the first ones that were attacked in the courts for it and hopefully we’re winning.

On that part, I can’t really talk about it because I’m kind of like on a gag order,

but… I had 10 criminal warrants of arrest starting in 2019 and eight of them came within three months of each other. I just kept getting arrested and then posting bail. But all of them came out of the Philippine depository receipts, it was five tax evasion charges from that event in November 2015. It was the civil cases and the criminal cases.

GL: So, in 2017, you met with Mark Zuckerberg [Facebook CEO] and that’s when you said “97% of the Philippines are on Facebook” and he said, “Maria, where’s the other 3%?” Were you shocked that he said that, or did you already start to know by then that he was a big part of the problem?

MR: I was still working with Facebook at that point, and I laughed when he said that. I still was hoping that they would do the right thing and I thought they just didn’t understand it. I don’t know why I gave Facebook the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t know until post Cambridge Analytica, and we became fact-checking partners of Facebook in 2018. What happened in January 2018 was that they pivoted, and Mark Zuckerberg began saying that they were all about family and friends. So, they started threatening news. So, a news organization in Slovakia dropped 60% of page views. We tracked this on a daily basis with Rappler. We dropped maybe 15% based on their choices.

Then when Cambridge Analytica happened, that was March 2018 … we tracked the networks for disinformation. And the way we were able to take apart the tactics was because we were plugged into the APIs, which they shuttered as soon as Cambridge Analytica happened. And ostensibly it was because of data privacy issues. But that’s not true. I think it was because they didn’t want anyone else exposing exactly what was happening. And 2019 was when I really went frontal, and I started demanding answers.

When you look at how long it took me, it’s because I’m old power. I grew up at a time when if there is an issue, you sort it out, you pound it out behind the scenes. And in that sense, I wasn’t working like a journalist, I was working as the head of an organization, and it was a tough thing. So, I guess it was 2019 when I started getting arrested. In fact, the first time I got arrested, there were Facebook people in the office, and I thought that would send ripples, but it sent no ripples.

GL: Can you explain what Astroturfing is, or the fake bandwagon effect?

MR : Sure. AstroTurf is fake grass, right? So, what we did was we started looking, we started pulling the data and one of the things I think people didn’t realize was that it’s not just the post itself. Let’s say ABC News posts something, and then what happens is in the comment section – this is where the propaganda comes in – lies come in, and they come in quick and fast. There’ll be 20,000 comments… [but they’re not real] and it makes it look like it’s a grassroots statement: We hate what ABC is saying. But in the end, it’s all been done by the same small group. It is insidious manipulation. And what it makes people feel is that, oh, if this many different people are saying this and they believe this, it must be right.

We applied what used to happen with traditional media to this technology platform – which allows exponential lies and in fact spreads lies faster, distributing the lies more. So that was one of the first things they did, astroturfing. And how did I discover this? Because I saw it on my own feed. I saw suddenly so many people turn against me. I guess I still do, but I had a great reputation in the Philippines. The reason why the largest network asked me to come back home and run the largest news group is that I was reforming so many of the things that they were working on. But I watched people switch overnight from the long track record I

The fearless Filipina Journalist, former CNN correspondent, co-founder of Rappler, and the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Maria Ressa

had to – “She’s lying, she’s a criminal.” – and I was like, this is not normal. And that’s what made me begin to pull the data thread and see where it would lead. So, Astroturfing is like fake grass. It is fake. It’s trying to create a groundswell that is manufactured and controlled.

GL : So you have this theory, about friends and then friends of friends and then friends of friends of friends. Do you think that the original business plan of Facebook always intended to lead to this place? It started out as a way to connect with our friends. But ultimately that became a vehicle for gossip or for influencing people. And now we’re more influenced by our friends than we are by ads or by authority. Do I have that right?

MR: Yes. So a book called Socialnomics, which was very early on, kind of laid out that you listen more to your family and friends. If a family member tells you to go have hummus, you would be more prone to go get hummus than if there was a blinking ad or if you watch it on CNN, right? So that was already kind of established as human behavior. Your question is, did they mean for this to go there? No, I don’t believe that they meant for that to happen. I don’t think they’re evil. Although when they see it, when they see genocide and they don’t do anything, I think they cross the line. But in general, was this their vision? No, they didn’t know. What they did have is an iterative AB testing. They tested different ideas in a way that journalists don’t. Because we don’t test things.

What we do, I guess the closest we come, is we (reporters) learn how to tell stories better, but it’s about the story. It isn’t about manipulating the audience; it is about capturing their attention. So, I think what they did is they just wanted to make more money. It’s a profit motive and the way you make more money is by keeping people scrolling on your site. It’s about that metric. It’s time on site, and the way that happens is that you recommend things. Where they went crazy is they never thought about the harm that AB testing could do. So, in the book I actually take what every social media organization uses, which is friends of friends. It’s chapter seven, “How friends of friends broke Democracy.” That one algorithm is a recommendation engine for growth for all the social media platforms. What they didn’t realize was friends of friends pulled society apart, pulled apart the public spheres so that you can no longer have a functioning democracy. That’s the gap that opens. So that tech people will call it, Eli Pariser calls it, Echo Chambers

Polarization is another way to describe this. You pull them out, you don’t hear. Democracy is all about listening to all sides and then making up your mind independently. What these algorithms have done is splintered our public sphere. It’s like taking one editor and replicating that editor a million times. The last part is an algorithm that makes you stay scrolling longer, and it radicalizes. We’re splintering this way and then we’re radicalized downward. This is the most interesting thing about America today. They think the problems are out there, but they don’t realize, this is radicalization. It’s radicalization, but it’s not in security matters, it’s in politics and it’s an extreme radicalization. And part of the reason I think I saw it earlier is because I studied this. This is what my first book was about.

GL: You refer to the Philippines as ground zero for the terrible effect that social media can have on a nation’s institutions and its culture and the minds of its people. Can you tell me why, in your opinion, does the rest of the world need to pay attention to what has happened in the Philippines?

MR: I think the time to have paid attention was in 2016. I was in Mountain View and I pointed out to the Google News Initiative that all the data we had indicated this was happening and I think people thought I was crazy and I was like, this is coming for you. And when did it hit America? When did you finally have evidence of it? January 6th… and we haven’t solved any of these problems.

I mean, let me move it forward. AI is machine learning. This is the first time that humanity was subjected to common-use AI, which in social media is a curation and growth model. In December last year when generative AI was rolled out, again, we didn’t learn a lesson, governments didn’t learn the lesson that you cannot test these things in public.

It’s like giving a drug company carte blanche to test all their drugs in the

town square. And then if half the town square dies, “Oh I’m sorry you died. This is important for us to keep testing the drugs.” So, what they’ve done now with generative AI, we’ve let it out of the gate, it’s testing AI in public and you are expecting people who will be affected by this, to test it for these large American companies.

And the harm be damned, because here’s the reality... the basic tenet of the first generation AI was to personalize your feed. I also thought that was insane because I was like, wait, that will create huge problems – if everyone has their own personal feed, how do we have a public sphere? When you each have your own version of reality, that’s called an insane asylum. Think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Their basic premise doesn’t work, and they keep rolling it out.

I just gave a commencement speech, and the hard part is: How do you tell kids to live by values that are being thrown out? Because at the very base level, information is corrupted from the beginning.

GL: Not only do they keep rolling it out, but people keep investing in it. And politicians understand that this is a way to control the airwaves. They understand that this is a way to discredit their opponents and to keep control of the narrative. But we keep using Facebook. So, what do we do? Would you advise people to get off Facebook?

MR : No, no, you can’t. We can’t. A news group can’t because that is now the primary distribution system. Social media is, especially if you’re a digital first and digital only news site, which Rappler is, there was no way that we could do that. Okay, what do we do? Well let me give you one stat. In August 2022, a few months before ChapGPT was rolled out, there was a survey of about 800 folks from Silicon Valley who were working on AI. And they said that 50% of those surveyed said that if you roll this out today, that there would be a 10% or greater chance that it would lead to an extinction event. Extinction, like human being extinction event.

So, Tristan Harris and I were talking, and he said, “Maria, if you are told that there’s a 10% or greater chance that the plane would crash, would you board the plane?” So, this is what we’re doing. And generative AI is significantly different because of the parameters that they use. What makes generative AI different is that it doesn’t do phrases anymore. In the past it used to be phrases, chunks. Now they do every word trying to replicate the way a human brain thinks, and the growth is off the scale. In the past, to invest – Silicon Valley would want hockey stick growth. But this is exponential.

GPT-2 was 1.5 billion parameters for every word you would go through. GPT-3, which we used to create about 50,000 pages for our May 2022 elections, was 175 billion. It went from 1.5 billion to 175 billion. GPT-4, which they just released, is 1 trillion parameters. And then they’re going to be releasing GPT-5 at the end of this year. Developers have said that the reason ChatGPT hallucinates is that they put so many variables in place it’s impossible for them to understand. But what GPT-4 can do is it can code itself. It is growing on its own. They cannot control it. That’s why these engineers thought that releasing it in the wild could lead to an extinction event. We don’t know what it’s going to become. But all you see coming out of Silicon Valley are all of the, “Oh this is incredible. It can write all your drudgery notes.” This is part of what I talked about at Vanderbilt. Good God, if you are outsourcing your writing, how will you learn to write.

If you don’t learn the drudgery of writing, how are you actually going to write novels? How are you going to write stories if you don’t do this every day?

So what needs to happen is something very simple; accountability. You have to stop the impunity. They must be accountable for every single harm that comes along the Editorial Page 384

Foraging Thyme

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ¼ cups water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon garlic paste

¼ cup shallot, diced

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 each english cucumber, diced into ¼-inch pieces

2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered

1 cup flat leaf parsley, de-stemmed and chopped

½ cup basil, chopped

½ cup mint leaves, chopped

½ cup scallions, finely chopped

Method of Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool completely.

by Melissa Petitto

So many incredible things to taste, smell, and explore at the Farmers Market this week. I honestly had a hard time deciding what to write about, but I chose herbs because we often overlook the medicinal properties of these intriguing flavorful add-ons that tend to take a back seat to the main ingredients in recipes. There are so many herbs to choose from, but this week I want to dive into the healing properties of parsley and mint.

Flat-leaf parsley is the more potent type of parsley and has been shown in its raw form to have many health benefits. In its dried form, the cancer-fighting properties increase! Parsley is a rich source of Vitamin K, which has been linked to bone health. The feathery leaves contain a good amount of Vitamin A for the eyes and flavonoids for cancer prevention. Parsley is also a diuretic, helping to reduce bloating and blood pressure.

Mint is also a good source of Vitamin A, which is critical for eye health and night vision. This fragrant herb has been shown to help reduce the symptoms of IBS (or irritable bowel syndrome) as well. Mint also helps relieve the symptoms of indigestion, increases brain function by its aroma alone, and may help when applied topically for pain associated with breastfeeding, such as cracked nipples.

One of the ways I love to use fresh herbs is in a salad such as tabbouleh. In this recipe, I chose to use quinoa instead of the traditional bulgur wheat. Please enjoy!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

½ teaspoon sea salt

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Once the quinoa is completely cooled, add the quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, basil, mint, and scallions, then fold to incorporate and coat with the dressing.

Melissa Petitto, R.D., is an executive chef and co-founder at Thymeless

My Chef SB, was a celebrity personal chef for 16 years, just finished her 10th cookbook, and is an expert on nutrition and wellness.

Classic Tabbouleh (photo by cyclonebill)

Red Quinoa (photo by blairingmedia)

CEO and National Director, Anti-Defamation League

Jonathan Greenblatt

Fighting Hate for Good

Mon, May 22 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

FREE (registration required)

Drawing on the Anti-Defamation League’s decades of experience in fighting hate through investigative research, education programs and legislative victories, as well as his own personal story and his background in business and government, Jonathan Greenblatt offers a bracing primer on how we can strike back against hate.

Indigenous Multimedia Artist

Nicholas Galanin

Let Them Enter Dancing and Showing Their Faces

Wed, May 31 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

FREE (registration recommended)

Multidisciplinary artist Nicholas Galanin, who is of Tlingit and Unanga descent and a citizen of Alaska’s Sitka Tribe, explores conceptions and misconceptions surrounding Indigenous identity.

(805) 893-3535

www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

Justice for All Lead Sponsors: Marcy Carsey, Connie Frank & Evan Thompson, Eva & Yoel Haller, Dick Wolf, and Zegar Family Foundation

Now

If you can be of help, please call Ed ~ at 805/770-0979. More

Community Happenings

Empowering and Supporting Individuals with Mental Illness

The numbers are just as alarming in our own backyard. The Santa Barbara Unified School District reported that there were 56 “suicide incidences” in the first semester of the 2022 school year. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among Santa Barbara County youth ages 10 to 24, according to Cottage Center for Population Health. The mental health challenges are sobering and surging, impacting 1 in 5 young people, notwithstanding income level or class.

But not all the numbers are dire.

This year, more than 5,000 local students in more than 100 classrooms will receive the Mental Wellness Center’s Mental Health Matters curriculum, educating them in how to recognize the first signs of mental distress and learn what to do about it. The curriculum is taught to 6th and 9th graders at 42 schools, including Cold Spring, Crane Country Day, Laguna Blanca, Santa Barbara Jr. High, and Santa Barbara Senior High schools. Initially funded in 2008 by longtime Montecito residents, Dorris and Arnold Medved, today the program aligns seamlessly with common core English Language Arts requirements, making it required teaching.

“We know that 50% of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and the recent years of disruption to school (caused by Covid), as well as increasing social pressure and economic stressors, have escalated the incidence of anxiety and depression amongst youth,” said Cameron.

by Ann Pieramici

May has long been recognized as National Mental Health Awareness Month, yet never before has the issue of mental health commanded the national conversation as urgently as it does today. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has made mental health his top priority, declaring it “the defining public health crisis of our time,” much like when Dr. C. Everett Koop led a crusade against smoking in the 1980s.

Fortunately for Santa Barbara, Mental Wellness Center (MWC) has been at the forefront of advancing mental wellness in our community for 75 years, offering essential support services, safe, affordable housing, advocacy, and educational outreach. Through its partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the organization also provides emotional support programs, family classes, and peer-led groups.

George Kaufmann, a Montecito resident of over 24 years, found his way to the MWC-supported NAMI when his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

“We didn’t know anything about treatments, prognosis, or how to cope, until we found Mental Wellness Center and NAMI,” George said. “We found our tribe – people who got it and had lived through it.”

George and his family received support and guidance, acknowledging that it was their lifeline to surviving a difficult 10 years during their son’s early adulthood. “Now that I’m retired and on the other side of what has been a very long journey towards recovery for my son, I try to teach the NAMI family support classes offered at MWC whenever I can,” said George.

“To be there for others in our community desperate for understanding and relevant information from someone who has walked in their shoes is the least I can do.”

“We are often the first place people turn when presented with a mental health challenge or mental illness diagnosis,” said Annmarie Cameron, Mental Wellness Center executive director. “We serve the entire community through all aspects of recovery, either via our direct programs or referral sources. All programs are offered free of charge, so that there are no barriers to entry.”

The organization also excels at educational outreach, which is critical to understanding the warning signs and symptoms before they escalate. By educating younger generations about these indicators and fostering an environment devoid of stigma, Mental Wellness Center aims to curtail the progression of mental illness.

And the timing has never been more critical.

Nationwide, youth mental health challenges are soaring: suicide rates for those ages 10 to 19 jumped by 40% since 2001, emergency room visits for self-harm rose 88%, and 1 in 6 youth admit to having made a suicide plan in the past year.

“Mental health education is critical, especially when offered during the developing years, to give our children the skills they need to navigate their young lives during these complex social times,” she said.

And Cold Spring School teacher Jean Gradias agrees. “I am convinced that this program is reaching kids and educating them about mental health at exactly the right moment in their lives,” she said. Adolescence is a time when students are forming their own personal opinions and perspectives about real-life issues. The material covered in Mental Health Matters provides students with the information and compassion in order to understand mental health and its related disorders.”

“Creating a space to talk and providing mental health education is vital in all schools,” said Dawson Kelly, a senior at San Marcos High and member of his school’s Wellness Connection Council, a leadership club started by the Mental Wellness Center.

The Wellness Connection Council is composed of high school students who serve as ambassadors for mental health education, prevention, and advocacy on their respective campuses.

“The council has had a tremendous impact on me individually, as well as on our district. I have noticed that the stigma around mental health is lessening as the council continues to create a safe space for young people to talk about mental health in an open and honest way,” said Kelly.

Community members can support Mental Wellness Center during this heightened month of awareness by attending the organization’s 27th annual arts faire. “Artful Minds” takes place Saturday, May 20, from 11 am to 3 pm on the beachfront opposite Chase Palm Park and showcases the talents of approximately 60 local artists living with mental illness across a variety of visual and craft mediums. The event is free, and food trucks will be on hand selling lunch, coffee, smoothies, and more.

For more information, visit https:// mentalwellnesscenter.org.

Mental Wellness Center goes green, joining organizations around the country to light up green for Mental Health Awareness Month (photo by Sophie Cameron)

Participating artists hard at work. The entire community is welcome to the 27th annual Artful Minds show depicting the work of nearly 60 local artists living with mental illness, across a variety of visual and craft mediums. Show takes place Saturday, May 20, 11 am to 3 pm on the beachfront opposite Chase Palm Park.

Our Town 19th Annual Celebration of SB Women’s Fund Grant Recipients

by Joanne A Calitri

The Women’s Fund (WF) of Santa Barbara’s 19th Annual Celebration of Grants reception was held for members and their guests on May 9 at the sold-out Marjorie Luke Theatre. The Women’s Fund is an all-volunteer-led collective donor organization that enables women to combine their charitable dollars into significant grants addressing the critical needs of women, children, and families in south Santa Barbara County. To date, they have given $10.5 million to 140 nonprofit programs in SB, Goleta, and Carpinteria.

The event commenced with a private reception for the winning grant recipients and photographs. The program took place in the theater and opened with a welcome by WF Chair Jamie Dufek, who introduced the Grant Research Committee Co-Chairs, Marita Hawryluk and Yonie Harris

Hawryluk explained the research and selection process for awards, which is so important to the group that it was outlined in detail in the event program handed to each attendee. The WF does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Its Research Committee draws information from a master list of more than 150 community agencies. Factored in is input from its members and local community experts regarding the most critical needs of the community.

From all the data, 40 agencies were selected to submit a proposal with detailed fiscals. Site visits to the agencies were done. A final list of 18 agencies was placed on a voting ballot for the WF’s members. From that ballot, 10 were selected for the 2023 awards. Harris introduced each agency, whose representatives then presented a brief statement to the attendees about what the funding they received is going toward, with slides showing their work. Some reps shed tears of gratitude as they shared their stories.

The total amount funded this year was $925,000. The grant recipients are:

2nd Story Associates – $50,000 to fully furnish 28 new studio units in a supportive housing development for extremely low-income homeless individuals.

Alpha Resource Center of Santa Barbara – $140,000 for the installation of automated doors and air conditioning in program areas of a building serving the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Alzheimer’s Association (California Central Coast Chapter) – $30,000 to help pay for targeted educational materials, outreach, and support programs to inform and educate 150 Spanish-speaking families about Alzheimer’s and dementia, and facilitate access to appropriate care.

Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara – $100,000 to hire a half-time bilingual community mental health navigator for a two-year pilot program that will work with clients to find and access appropriate mental health resources.

The grant recipient agencies’ reps: Ros Fredricks, Joshua Weitzman, Lindsey Leonard, Kathryn Westland, Lisa Brabo, Steven Sharpe, Cheryl Sweeney, Elizabeth Sorgman, Jennifer Smith, Julissa Peña, and Flo Berger (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Food from the Heart – $75,000 for a truck to be customized for use in its harvesting program that uses local surplus produce, which becomes part of the meals supplied to low-income clients who are recovering from surgery or dealing with a serious illness.

Hillside House – $100,000 for a van adapted to accommodate four wheelchairs or 14 seated passengers to serve low-income residents with severe intellectual and developmental impairments.

Independent Living Resource Center – $100,000 over two years to hire a youth advocate to provide focused, personalized services to 45 youth with disabilities who will lose the specialized help they have been receiving from the school system when they graduate.

Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County – $100,000 over two years to help hire a legal assistant who will relieve attorneys of administrative work, so they can take on more cases and help more survivors of intimate partner violence.

Santa Barbara County Immigrant Legal Defense Center – $130,000 over two years will help the Immigrant Legal Defense Center (ILDC) hire a social work case manager to address a range of needs of the clients’ children while the ILDC attorneys provide legal services.

St. Vincent’s SB – $100,000 over two years to pay for the salary of a peer support specialist. The specialist will help families successfully navigate the critical and often challenging 90-day orientation period that begins a 27-month program – providing on-site transitional housing and wraparound services to help families become self-sustaining, stable community members.

Concluding the event, Dufek said, “Congratulations to all our recipients. We are so inspired by the work you do. We thank the research committee and co-chairs, all our 1500 members, 12 group captains and sponsors. I invite you to sign up again with a larger donation and to invite your friends to be a member, as our goal for 2024 – which is our 20th year celebration – is to have $10 million in funding to provide, and our campaign is called One Million or More for 2024.”

411: https://womensfundsb.org

The Women’s Fund SB Grant Research Committee co-chairs and board chair, from left: Yonie Harris, Jamie Dufek, and Marita Hawryluk

(photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Real Estate Inventory is Up

by Mark Ashton Hunt

This week it’s all about the Montecito market, and I don’t mean the Upper Village grocery store. I’m talking about the Montecito real estate market.

After months of low-housing inventory and lower, post-pandemic sales volume (OK, make that a year or so), we are finally seeing a restocking of the available homes for sale in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in Montecito’s 93108. At the same time, numerous closed sales in the past two weeks have moved much of March and April’s lower-to-mid-priced inventory into the sold or pending category, and we are seeing many new listings hit the market each week.

To illustrate this point with stats, Montecito had 28+/- homes and condos for sale to choose from in mid-April in the MLS, and it had been that way for many months. Now in mid-May, we have 44 homes and condos available across all price ranges – a 50% increase in available housing inventory.

On the recently sold side of things, in April there were only 10 sales recorded in the MLS in Montecito’s 93108, down from average years, where we would normally see a dozen or more closed escrows during April.

Of significant note here is that four of those 10 sales in April were more than $10 million. Forty percent – that is news. May has already seen nine closed escrows in the MLS as of May 11, all less than $10 million, which is more in line with our normal market activity in the area.

So, if you plan to be one of the lucky few to buy a home in Montecito this month, here are four options in a variety of sizes, styles, locations, and prices from which to choose:

2946 Hidden Valley Lane – $5,700,000

This renovated Andy Neumann

Spanish Estate rests on a private, gated, and fenced 3-acre lot that boasts a long private driveway, off-street parking, ocean and mountain views, all in a private setting. Features include a grand living room with a fireplace and wood-beamed ceilings, a large island kitchen with high-end appliances, formal dining and breakfast rooms, a library with built-in shelving and ocean views, and an oversized infinity pool surrounded by both covered and uncovered patios.

The primary bedroom suite includes a spacious sitting area, walk-in closet, and luxurious open-concept bathroom. Two additional bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom, provide privacy and comfort. Embrace the indoor/outdoor lifestyle this entertainment-friendly home offers and be surrounded by nature just a few blocks up the hill from East Valley Road.

865 Romero Canyon Road – $7,995,000

Welcome to this 2.81-acre Montecito property that includes an authentic East Coast farmhouse of almost 6,000 square feet, surrounded by stunning oak trees and manicured landscaping. This six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom home is within the Montecito Union School District and features gracious living spaces, providing a perfect place to gather and entertain friends and family. Large windows throughout the home frame the oaks and mountain views, and let in natural light. Step outside into a rustic wonderland, where meandering walking trails lead you through

ASHTON HUNT

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

the gardens and around the property. An aviary adds charm and reinforces the character of this outdoor oasis, while space for a riding arena makes it potentially ideal for equestrian enthusiasts. Of additional interest and opportunity is the converted barn on the property that has been transformed into additional living spaces to be used as one sees fit.

301 San Ysidro Road – $8,300,000

Conceptualized by prolific architect John Kelsey and built in 2008, this home has often been referred to as the architect’s ‘’Little Masterpiece.’’ Tucked away at the end of a lane, just down the road from Montecito Union School, the ¾-acre parcel boasts mountain views from its tranquil setting. The approximately 3,400-square-foot home is encircled by agave and mature oaks. Welcomed by a glass entry, guests are next greeted by voluminous ceilings and ample windows that invite warmth and natural light into the home.

A striking circular dining area flows into the kitchen that includes stainless-steel appliances and custom cabinetry. The primary suite comes replete with walk-in closet, glass sliders to a private patio, and a spa-like bathroom. The retreat-like backyard includes an outdoor fireplace and multiple seating areas. Framed by majestic mountain views, the sunny patio is landscaped in drought-resistant greenery. Garden pathways meander through the property, revealing a shady Bocce court perfect for alfresco entertaining.

1439 Irvine Lane – $11,250,000

In a prime location, resting above the heart of the Golden Quadrangle and within the Montecito Union School District is this ocean-view, Mediterranean estate designed by renowned architect Don Nulty. This lovely, gated residence offers easy access from a less-traveled street off East Mountain Drive. Additional on-site guest parking and an impressive grand entry welcome visitors. The home proudly showcases elegant social and private rooms, as well as the expansive patio, ideal for entertaining, and dining al fresco.

The grand living room is anchored by a handsome fireplace and features stone floors and large French doors with sweeping vistas. The chef’s kitchen has been newly remodeled and hosts top-of-the-line appliances and custom cabinetry. The primary suite enjoys an abundance of natural light and has its own private balcony overlooking the ocean. The sparkling pool with spa is surrounded by beautifully curated gardens and a patio with a built-in barbecue and fireplace.

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.

THANK YOU MONTECITO!

With thanks to many generous donors and community leaders, “The Triangle”, at the corner of Olive Mill and Hot Springs roads, will once again be a beautiful oasis of drought tolerant, native trees and plantings and return our most visible intersection to a tranquil and verdant setting. This beautification initiative is thanks to an amazing collaborative effort and funds raised through our community foundation.

Montecito Community Foundation is especially grateful for significant financial support from:

The Ann Jackson Family Foundation

WWW Foundation

Susan and Riley Bechtel

Brent Harris

Brown Family Trust

Omaha Community Foundation

&

The critical work of in-kind sponsors; The Garden Club of Santa Barbara

Arcadia Studio

Casa Dorinda

MGS Enginering

The Montecito Assocation

Dolores Airey

Todd and Allyson Aldrich

Antoinette Amorteguy

Donald Anderson

Anonymous

The Armour Family Fund

Michelle Armstrong

Elizabeth Atwater

Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation

Diane Baskin

Randall Bassett

Terri and Don Bennett

Peter and Linda Beuret

Daniel and Karen Bernstein

Bruce and Sharon Bevon

Leslie Bhutani

Shelia and Michael Bonsignore

Hugh and Kelly Boss

Marianne Bowie

Deborah Branch

Ingrid Brandes

Greta Breeden

John C. Brunch

Hope Bryant

Brian and Anne Busacca

Barbara Carrington

Dori Carter

Casa Dorinda

Janet Cheetham

Walter and Lynn Clay

Julia Collins

Beth and Ron Cooper

Nancy and Thomas Crawford

Ian and Anna Cronshaw

John Degroot

Patricia and Thomas Dickson

Paul Didier

Adrienne Edmonston

Monica Eiler

Barbara Eliasen

Dennis Evangelatos

Kathleen Feldstein

Doug Ford

Tisha Ford

Judith Foreman

Colleen and Ted Friedel

Inge Gatz & Steven Gilbar

David Gersh

James and Diane Giles

Give Lively Foundation

Allan Glaser

Jordan Glenn

Diane Graham

Anita Green

David and Ruth Green

Patricia Gri n

John and Marcie Gudebski

Roberta Guigliano

Susan and Gary Gulbransen

Richard and Mimi Gunner

Jeremy Halbreich

Cynthia and John Hall

Sarah Hanacek

Perri Harcourt

Marilyn and Je rey Harding

Andrea Hein

Bob and Vicki Hazard

Stephen and Patricia Hicks

Andrew Hixon

Josephine Hodge

Vicki and Lachlan Hough

George and Shari Isaac

George and Peggy Ittner

Stewart Hudnut

Virginia Hunter

Jim and Chana Jackson

Richard and Lucille Janssen

Jarvis Foundation

Bruce and Harriet Johnston

Sally Jordon

Gerd and Peter Jordano

Jackie Inskeep

Connie L. Kennelly

Hope Kelly

Connie Kennelly

Bob and Mary Kidder

Rick Kline

The Kirby-Jones Foundation

David and Carolee Krieger

Mary Lambert

Robert and Mary Ann Latham

Ronald Latimer

Kathleen McCauley Laurain

Elizabeth Leddy

Lopker Family Trust

Janet Loughlin

Lillian P. Lovelace

Pierina Lowdermilk

Carole MacCorkle

Lucille Mayer Fund

Bob and Siri Marshall

Kathleen Marvin

Kathleen and Michael McCarthy

Frank McGinity

Dennis McGowan

Bill and Susan McKinley

Edward McKinley

Alixe and Mark Mattingly

Gretchen and Marshall Milligan

Chris Mills

Montecito Bank & Trust

Morgan Stanley Gift

Diane Morgan

Patricia Moylan

Diane Munro

Henry and Nanette Nevins

Carol and Stephen Newman

Richard Nordlund

The Nurture Foundation

Steve and Jennifer Rogers Giving Fund

Giovannina Pauletto

Pauline Paulin

Jean M. Perlo , J. Carl and Karen Peus

John S. and Ellen Pillsbury III

Steven and Marnie Pinsker

Lenny Raimondo

Nancy Jane Read

Robert B. and Ruth Reingold

The Roberts Bros. Foundation

Karen S. Roberts

Linda and Thorn Robertson

Richard and Jan Rockenbach

Heidi and Marshall Rose

Jennifer Rose

Sybil Rosen

The SAGE Trust

Michel and Mary Saint-Sulpice

Martha Salas

John and Suzanne Sanford

Santa Barbara Foundation

Hal and Christine Saunders

Maryan Schall

Greg and Julia Schechter

Nancy Schlosser

Mark and Leslie Schneiderman

Seana Sears

Kay Sellers

Robert and Doris Shafer

Ingrid and Jim Shattuck

Dareld Shaver

Charles Sheldon

Jason and Jennifer Seimens

Wayne G. and Sharol Siemens

Tom Snow

Warren R. and Mary L. Staley

Rachel and David Stein

Theodore and Kay Stern

Mathew and Kate Stoll

Marc Summers

Patricia Tenney

Mary Thomas

Juliet Tibma

Cynthia Tippett

Suzanne and Gary Tobey Fund

Betsy and Chip Turner

Linda Turner

Ian and Adrienne Underhill

Susanne and Peter Van Duinwyk

David and Polly Van Horne

Leslie von Wiesenberger

Jean and David von Wittenburg

The Wadsworth Family Fund

Shirley and Ken Waxman

Nicholas N. and Patricia D. Weber

Alex Weinstein

Donna Weinstein

Gilbert White

Robert E. and Carolyn C. Williams

Karl and Julianne Willig

Samuel and Carolyn Wolcott

George and Beth Wood

Howell and Linda Wood

George and Judy Writer

Crystal Wyatt

Geof and Laura Wyatt

David M. Yager

Gary Yoshimura

Joan and Gebhardt Zacher

John Ziliotto

The Montecito Community Foundation thanks and recognizes the many individual donors who made tax deductable gifts to help make this possible!

Society Invites

VNA Health’s Mother’s Day Fundraiser

by Joanne Calitri

The VNA Health’s 22nd Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon Fundraiser, a.k.a. Love fest, took place May 12 at the SB Hilton Ballrooms. The event celebrated Dame Olivia Newton-John as their Remembered Mother and Rona Barrett as their Honored Mother.

The sold-out-for-months event with more than 300 attendees saw many familiar faces of philanthropy in our town, some of them multi-generational – such as Barrett’s appearance with granddaughter Holly Browning, two grandsons, and four great-granddaughters.

The event opened with a champagne reception, silent auction and shopping areas in the ballroom hallway, while Chris Fossek performed Spanish music on guitar.

VIP photo-ops for Society were done on the outdoor patio, and included Barrett’s and Newton-John’s families. Also photographed were the event committee, board members, and VNA caregivers, featuring Barrett, John Easterling, Don Easterling, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, James Driskill, Jane Seymour, Pamela Dillman Haskill, Anne Smith Towbes, Diane Meyer Simon, Director of VNA Health Foundation

Lailan McGrath,VNA Health President & CEO Kieran Shah, and Board of Directors Chair Ben Phillips, Mark Mattingly, Suzi Schomer, Christie Glanville, Neil Levinson, Dr. Christopher Thrash, Jane Habermann, and Judy Murphy

Seen at the event were Hannah-Beth Jackson, Joanne West, Diane Blair, Michael Erikson, Chris O’Connor, Haley McGuire, Coriander Stasi Shah, SB History Museum Executive Director Dacia Harwood and husband Riley – parents of Spirit of Fiesta 2023 Jack Harwood – Jodi Fishman-Osti, Susan Bridges, Jelinda and

Barry DeVorzon with son Daniel, and David, Easter, Arielle, and JT Moormon with Easter’s mother and brother.

The program and luncheon commenced with a welcome and thanks by Shah, who surprised McGrath by flying in her children, Noah and Andrew Fell, and Andrew’s wife, Lindsey, for the luncheon.

The first program presenter was Amanda Campuzano R.N., who shared her story of becoming a visiting nurse following the help and care she received from the same when her father passed away.

Tributes to Dame Olivia Newton-John included a performance by the San Marcos HS Theater of “You’re The One That I Want” from the movie Grease. Accepting the award for her mother, Chloe shared, “I’m not good at public speaking but for my mom I’ll do anything. Thank you for all you’ve done, I miss you… Happy Mother’s Day, mom!” Her husband, John, spoke about meeting Olivia: “When we met, I did not know who she was nor her career. We had shared a love on a magnitude I did not know existed. She had a joyful spirit that moved people into love and light.”

Jane Seymour also spoke briefly about her friend. A video of Newton-John’s life was accompanied by the Moody Blues song “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.” Another video of tributes from friends around the globe featured Elton John, Dolly Parton, and Keith Urban, who spoke for many saying, “We remember her music and her Humanitarian Legacy.”

Tributes to Barrett included a flamenco dance performance by the Spirit of Fiesta 2023 Jack Harwood and the Maria Bermudez’s Flamenco Performing Arts

Studio dancers, “As Time Goes By” sung by Rick Hersey, and surprise guest speaker Fannie Flagg sharing anecdotes of their friendship: “I’ve known Rona for so many years it’s embarrassing!”

Her foundation Executive Director Tony Morris shared the letter Barrett wrote to him in 1975 when she was on Good Morning America, and he asked for career advice. Morris also read a letter of congrats from Barrett’s husband, Daniel McNeet She was honored by her granddaughter Browning, who said, “My grandma is cooler than your grandma because she cares about your grandparents and other seniors.”

As she was walking to the stage to accept her award, Barrett stopped by a few tables to chat and was given the microphone. “It’s been a while since I

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson

The VNA Health Mother’s Day 2023 Luncheon Committee (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

From left, John Easterling, Pamela Dillman Haskell, Jane Seymour, and Kieran Shah

(photo by Joanne A Calitri)

The family of Dame Olivia Newton-John from left, James Driskill, Chloe Lattanzi, John Easterling, and Don Easterling (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Spirit of Fiesta 2023 Jack Harwood with the 2018 Spirit of Fiesta Jesalyn McCollum; guitar by Andres Vadin (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Kieran Shah, Lailan McGrath, Rona Barrett, and Diane Meyer Simon

(photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Rona Barrett with her award and family (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

held a mic,” she exclaimed with her classic smile. “I’ve been on TV for 40 years, and now helping our seniors is – to me – the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Andrew Firestone led the auctions and introduced the program speakers. For Firestone’s nine years of emceeing the luncheon, Shah presented him with a classic red Liverpool Football Club T-shirt of his favorite team.

The luncheon concluded with many hugs, gift bags and oh, yes… those Hilton chocolate chip cookies!

411: As of press time, the luncheon was expected to exceed prior funding goals, though there is still time donate at vna.health/givetoday

Mad Hatter Returns! 24th Annual Transition House Fundraiser

members who had needed the services of Transition House at one time and now are working to help others, saying, “One-third of our current employees have lived at Transition House as children.”

The live auction led by Andrew Firestone raised the $50,000 needed to match an anonymous donor’s $50K challenge, upping the fundraiser to more than $200,000. In the words of Florence Michel, Auxiliary President: “We are a small but mighty team of 33 volunteers, who have gone from raising $33,000 24 years ago to this! Thank you!” Later, Firestone did another ask for a second anonymous donor of $25K, which was matched.

The 24th Annual Transition House Mad Hatter luncheon took place on May 11 at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara SB grand ballrooms. The 230 guests wore all manner of millinery attire with designer matching outfits. The theme was Garden Party at the Ritz. Hats ranged from antique 1920s lace, feathered hats, Vegas fedoras with an Ace of Hearts card, handmade flower garden hats, and hats with blinking lights.

Sipping mimosas, guests toured the silent-auction items in the ballroom, while the San Marcos Jazz Band performed standards. All the auction items had bids and included 14-karat gold bracelets, antique fans, antique sterling silverware, pottery, glassware, vacations, tickets to shows at the Granada Theatre and Lobero Theatre, membership to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, dance classes, wine baskets, and dinner gift certificates at Ca’Dario and Lucky’s restaurants.

The program commenced with the welcome and “thank you” from Co-Chairs Diane White – a founder in 1993 – and Jean Keely, Transition House Auxiliary member of 12 years. Executive Director Kathleen Baushke provided the statistics of needs and accomplishments. She introduced staff

The hat contest winners were Katreece Montgomery for the most beautiful hat, Kendall Klein for most humorous hat, and Felipe Garcia for most creative hat.

Funding raised at the Mad Hatter luncheon benefits Transition House’s children’s programs, and supports its mission of helping capable and motivated families with children attain the life tools and respectful residential services designated to alleviate poverty and restore self-sufficiency. TH thanks its $5,000 sponsors for this year’s event: Peter and Becky Adams, Garth and Kathy Nobis, Chuck and Missy Sheldon, the King of Heart Sponsors Casa Dorinda, CenCal Health, Montecito Bank & Trust, Jean Rogers, The Towbes Group and Mike and Nancy Sheldon

San Marcos HS Theater performs “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease. (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Mad Hatter Silent Auction Co-Chairs

Jacquie McMahon, Judy Cresap, Nancy Kozak and Cheri Jasinski (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Mad Hatter Event Co-Chairs Diane White and Jean Keely (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Transition House Board President

Florence Michel and VP Mimi Veyna (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Best of Hat winners, from left: Felipe Garcia, Kendall Klein, and Katreece Montgomery with emcee Andrew Firestone (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Joanne A. Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, MAY 18

Curtis, CAMA, Community – Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music is one of the top music conservatories in the world, boasting such illustrious alumni such as Leonard Bernstein, Peter Serkin, Yefim Bronfman, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, and Yuja Wang, not to mention Montecito native baritone Evan Hughes. Each year, the 100-plus aspiring young musicians of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra work closely with internationally renowned conductors and the institute’s celebrated faculty, much as Music Academy fellows do here each summer. The difference is, Curtis’ students then go out and play concerts in the U.S. and around the globe. Tonight, Community Arts Music Association (CAMA), in partnership with MA, is bringing the current version of the ensemble, led by conductor Osmo Vänskä, the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, for a special Community Access concert. Two of classical music’s most popular and time-honored masterpieces – Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful Scheherazade and the virtuosic Schumann Piano Concerto, featuring Bronfman as soloist – form the heart of the program. Dai Wei’s Awakening Lion, a new work commissioned for this tour, opens the concert.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.

COST: $86 regular; $10 community access, free for ages 7–17

INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org

FRIDAY, MAY 19

Folk Music of the Future – ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! closes out its 2022-23 season with one of the most popular and well-traveled bands on the Chicanx scene. Las Cafeteras’ infectious live performance that blends son jarocho and spoken word in a sonic explosion of Afro-Mexican rhythms, electronic beats, and powerful rhymes has taken them around the world. In remixing roots music as modern-day troubadours, the band has played shows from Bonnaroo to the Hollywood Bowl, and WOMAD New Zealand to Montreal Jazz. Born and raised east of the Los Angeles River, the members of Las Cafeteras take folk music to the future by documenting stories of a community seeking to “build a world

FRIDAY, MAY 19

Doo-Wop Downtown – Re-live the golden age of street singing turned vocal sensations when two legendary groups of the era team up for five shows over two days at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. Both the Drifters and the Coasters are certified American treasures, with both having been among the first vocal groups to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1988 and ’87, respectively). The Drifters, whose “Under the Boardwalk” is the most played R&B hit of all time and count the classics “Up on the Roof,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” and “On Broadway” among their other hits, apparently has a roster of all new singers for 2023. Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, as the group is now known, boasts members who date back more than two decades in delivering such hits as “Love Potion No. 9,” “Charlie Brown,” “Yakety Yak,” and others that made them among the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. Fans will get to sing along to many of the classic tunes in what promises to be a nostalgic journey down memory lane for many, or an introduction to a bygone era for others.

WHEN: 2 & 7 pm today; 2, 5:30 & 8 pm tomorrow

WHERE: Rubicon Theatre Company, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura

COST: $69.50, discounts for students, seniors, military, and Equity members

INFO: (805) 667-2900 or www.rubicontheatre.org

SATURDAY, MAY 20

Book It! Mormon Arrives – The Book of Mormon, the record-smashing Broadway musical collaboration between the creators of TV’s South Park (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) and the composer of Avenue Q (Robert Lopez) about two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attempting to preach the faith in a remote Ugandan village, has finally made it to Santa Barbara. Winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, as well as a Grammy for its soundtrack, Mormon makes the most of its story of the earnest young men’s lackadaisical reception from the locals, who are facing such serious issues such as HIV/ AIDS, famine, female genital mutilation, and child molestation, not to mention oppression by the local warlord. What sounds like something that could have gone off the rails instead turned into one of the best-reviewed and most successful musicals of all time. The New York Times called it “heaven on Broadway” and “the best musical this century,” noting that the Mormon is “blasphemous, scurrilous and more foul-mouthed than David Mamet on a blue streak… But its heart is as pure as that of a Rodgers and Hammerstein show.” Book your tickets now as Mormon plays just thrice in closing out The American Theatre Guild’s current Broadway in Santa Barbara series.

WHEN: 8 pm today, 1 & 6:30 pm tomorrow

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.

COST: $64 to $149

INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org

where many worlds fit.” Las Cafeteras electrify traditional instrumentation like the 8-string Jarana, 4-string Requinto, Quijada (donkey jawbone), and Tarima (a wooden platform) while adding in rock and hip-hop, as well as singing in different languages, honor the past while taking folk music to the future.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: Marjorie Luke Theatre at Santa Barbara Junior High, 721 East Cota St. COST: free

INFO: (805) 884-4087 ext. 7 or www.facebook.com/VivaelArteSB/

SATURDAY, MAY 20

Voyces Carry – We don’t have a lot of information about the program for this weekend’s pair of concert from Quire of Voyces, the 30-year-old a cappella choral group founded and still led by artistic director Nathan Kreitzer, other than a promised highlight is the singing of an Icelandic hymn in the native language. What we do know is that the ensemble that elegantly pairs top-notch performances of rarely heard a cappella works from the Renaissance with modern hymns, songs, and spirituals, and even a commissioned work never fails to be anything short of stirring in their twice-a-year shows at the acoustically stunning and historic St. Anthony’s Chapel.

WHEN: 3 pm today & tomorrow

WHERE: St. Anthony’s Chapel at Garden Street Academy, 2300 Garden St. COST: $20 general, $15 students & seniors

INFO: (805) 965-5935 or https://quireofvoyces.org

SUNDAY, MAY 21

Bowled over by Brad – Country music superstar Brad Paisley bucks up Unity Shoppe’s coffers with his biggest benefit event for the nonprofit yet. One of country music’s most decorated male solo artists, Paisley’s awards include three Grammys, two American Music Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 14 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year recognizing him as the most successful CMA Awards co-host in history, alongside Carrie Underwood, for 11 consecutive years. Paisley wrote 21 of his 25 No. 1 hits, and in 2008 became the first artist to achieve 10 consecutive Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 singles. Paisley’s past works have amassed nearly 5 billion career streams. Tonight, he brings all of that appeal to the Santa Barbara Bowl for a benefit concert, with all proceeds directly supporting Unity Shoppe. Paisley

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.” – Dolly Parton

Streaming the Open Seas – The HBO Max mini-series Our Flag Means Death is a loose adaptation of the true adventures of aristocrat turned would-be pirate Stede Bonnet. The series follows the captain and his eccentric crew as they sail the high seas in search of adventure and treasure in the early 18th century, along the way hooking up with the notorious Captain Blackbeard, who becomes his mentor, confidant, and more. Blessed with sharp writing and a terrific ensemble cast, the fictitious take on these historical figures created an endearing and compelling story filled with goofy humor and delightful character dynamics that was praised for its refreshing and playful take on the pirate era of history, as well as its positive representation of LGBTQ+ characters and relationships. Writer Eliza Jiménez Cossio does a Q&A session following a screening of the pilot episode and episode 4, “Discomfort in a Married State.”

WHEN: 2 pm

WHERE: Pollock Theater, UCSB campus

COST: free (reservations recommended)

INFO: (805) 893-5903 or www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/pollock

and his family, who are part-time Montecito residents, have been volunteering with Unity Shoppe – which provides free food, clothing, and personal care items to residents in need – for more than 10 years, including annual appearances at Unity’s holiday celebration, a.k.a. Christmas telethon. In 2020, Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, replicated Unity’s choice-based service model in their hometown of Nashville, Tenn., but the entertainer still has a special place in his heart for the Santa Barbara organization. Opening is Dawes, the Los Angeles-based folk-rock band led by Taylor Goldsmith, with whom Paisley co-wrote “Same Here,” the country star’s new single that also features a special appearance by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: 1122 N. Milpas St.

COST: $54.50 to $135.50

INFO: (805) 962-7411 or www.sbbowl.com

TUESDAY, MAY 23

Turtle Talk – Celebrate World Turtle Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo with naturalist and author Sy Montgomery and illustrator Matt Patterson. The pair’s latest collaboration is The Book of Turtles, a picture book that’s suitable for both children and adults, as it features Patterson’s lifelike art alongside astounding facts about turtle evolution, turtle talents, celebrity turtles, and information on how to help protect turtles.

Montgomery and Patterson’s visit to Santa Barbara isn’t just a random stop on their promotional tour, as our zoo is part of a national effort to help save the Western Pond Turtle, California’s only native freshwater turtle species, from a possible threat of extinction. The zoo’s five Western pond turtles were all rescued from their native habitats after being found with injuries. While many rehabilitated turtles are returned to the wild, medical exams revealed that these individuals likely could not survive. They are now ambassadors for their species in the zoo’s hilltop locale. The Turtle Talk event is free, but reservations are required. Non-alcoholic beverages will be served and copies of The Book of Turtles will be available for purchase.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: 500 Ninos Drive

COST: free

INFO: (805) 962-5339 or www.sbzoo.org

way. And we have enough existing laws to do that. If lawmakers had the political will, they would revoke the 1996 Communications Decency Act Section 230. Because Section 230 pretends these companies do not have editorial control.

GL : But the minute they can take anything they want off their site, they have editorial control.

MR: Yes. That’s right.

GL: What has come out of your Real Facebook Oversight Board?

MR: We’re still together. The first thing is we had three demands and within 24 hours Facebook met them. We did this largely because I’m worried about the 2024 elections. Because as I said, the doomsday clock is ticking, and there’s the cascading impact. People are being manipulated on three basic levels.

The first is personal. So now after January 6th, you’re running after the people who were there who committed violence on January 6th.

The second layer is sociological. Groups. We know this from studying terrorists that groups behave differently. Individuals alone wouldn’t do some of the things groups would do. This is why a mob forms. And these are studies from all the way back. There are the conformity studies, like the Milgram study on authority. The Milgram experiments show that if you actually give someone the authority to give electric shocks to another person – even if that person is hurt or you hear them screaming for you to stop – because you have been given authority, you can potentially kill a person. And these are good people who were tested.

So, you have these studies, but now we have social media. Sociologically, we behave differently in groups, and that last part, is communal violence. We’ve seen it in India. In Pakistan, you’ve seen genocide in Myanmar, and I knew this from when we started Rappler, anything in the virtual world spreads at least four times faster. This was at the beginning in 2012. So, the last part, we haven’t done enough studies about emergent human behavior.

Astroturfing is like fake grass. It is fake. It’s trying to create a groundswell that is manufactured and controlled.

If you’re doing genetic research, you use vesicular fruit flies. You see emergent behavior from a whole, and you cannot predict what will happen to the species from the individual parts. That is what emergent behavior is. Essentially, it’s evolutionary because we are changing the plasticity of our brains. We are pumping toxic sludge through our information ecosystem. We’re changing our attention spans. It’s changing emotions and that changes the way we look at the world and the way we act, the way we vote.

So those are the three layers. But then the other part is, we are democratically electing these illiberal leaders; Rodrigo Duterte was elected democratically. He was the first of the political dominoes. Brexit happened about a month later. And then you had all the elections. Trump in November…

This is not in the book, but V Dem – from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden – uses a much more sophisticated way of looking at how democracy has regressed. In 2022, the V Dem said that 60% of the world was under autocratic rules. The next year in 2023, that number went up to 72%. So in 2022, I didn’t pay that much attention because I thought, well that includes India and that’s a big country, and China. By 2023, when it goes to 72%, you got to know that the world is tilting. So, the tipping point for democracy is 2024 and between January this year and then – there will be 90 elections. Turkey is having its elections May 14th. So that’s critical and Europe is right next door, and if nothing significant has changed... three key elections will be Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim population; India, the world’s largest democracy, the path is already kind of clear where India’s headed; and then the United States. If those three show regression, then that’s the tipping point.

GL: Do you have hope?

MR: Always. How can you not have hope? I just gave a commencement speech, and the hard part is: How do you tell kids to live by values that are being thrown out? Because at the very base level, information is corrupted from the beginning. I always use Stranger Things as an analogy – everyone watches it in the Philippines – we’re in the Upside Down. I still have hope. We will turn it right side up, but the time is now, the window is closing.

yet was a springtime when the buds forgot to bloom.” – Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Published May 18, 2023

County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development

Lisa Plowman, Director

Jeff Wilson, Assistant Director

Elise Dale, Assistant Director

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Channel Islands YMCA proposes to develop a new Master Plan that includes facility upgrades, new development, special events, and a membership cap increase

PROJECT LOCATION: The project site is located on the corner of Santa Rosa Lane and San Ysidro Road, commonly known as 591 Santa Rosa Lane, APN 007-270-005, in the Montecito Community Plan area, 1st Supervisorial District.

PUBLIC COMMENT: The County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department (P&D) is soliciting comments on the adequacy and completeness of 13NGD-00000-00008. You may comment by submitting written or oral comments to the project planner identified below prior to the close of public comment on June 19, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Due to the non-complex nature of the project, a separate environmental hearing will not be held.

PROJECT DETAILS: The project is a request by the owner, the Channel Islands Young Men’s Christian As sociation (YMCA) and Brian Banks, the agent for the owner, for a revised Conditional Use Permit to update the Montecito YMCA Master Plan, originally approved under Case No. 78-CP-75, for the purpose of renovating, enhancing, and expanding the existing facilities. The revised conditional use permit would allow for the demolition and reconstruction of existing buildings and the construction of several new buildings, as well as the continuation of existing programs including a selection of recreational, fitness and well-being programs for all age groups. The project will increase the total interior spaces of the facilities to approximately 22,638 square feet. The existing 7,416 square foot main building would be expanded and renovated, resulting in a structure of approximately 10,336 square feet. The 12,797 square foo t outdoor sports court would be replaced with a new 9,425 square f oot multi-purpose building. The existing 3,300 square foot locker room would be rebuilt with a new 2,717 square foot locker room. The pool will be expanded from 5 lanes to 7 lanes. The project includes the removal of 10 native trees, which will be mitigated by planting 75 native trees onsite. The project also proposes to increase the membership level limit to 1,950 memberships from an average of 1,550 memberships. Frontage improvements for the project are expected to include construction of sidewalk, curb, and gutter, lighting, utility improvements and removal of 2 native trees.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FINDINGS: P&D has prepared a Draft Negative Declaration (ND) (13NGD-00000-00008) pursuant to Section 15073 of the State Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the County of Santa Barbara Guidelines for the Implementation of CEQA. P&D’s issuance of a ND affirms our opinion that any significant adverse impacts associated with the proposed project may be reduced to a less than significant level with the adoption of mitigation measures and that the project does not require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The ND prepared for the project identif ies and discusses potential impacts, mitigation measures, residual impacts and monitoring requirements for identified subject areas. Significant but mitigable effects on the environment are anticipated in the following areas: Aesthetics, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Fire Protection, Geologic Processes, Noise, and Water Resources/Flooding. If the project description changes, P&D will require a reevaluation to consider the changes. This reevaluation will be subject to all regular fees and conditions. If you challenge this environmental document in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues raised by you or others in written correspondence or in hearings on the proposed project.

DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY: If a copy of the draft ND is not attached, the draft ND may be obtained and all documents incorporated by reference in the ND may be reviewed at P&D offices located at 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara and on the P&D website at https://www.countyofsb.org/2709/CEQA-Notices-and-Environmental-Documents

HOW TO COMMENT: Please provide comments to the project planner, Chris Schmuckal at 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, cschmuckal@countyofsb.org, 805-568-3510, prior to the close of public comment on June 19, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Please limit comments to environmental issues such as traffic, biology, noise, etc. You will receive notice of the dates of future public hearings to consider project approval or denial.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in the hearing, please contact Hearing Support Staff (805) 568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.

Published May 17, 2023

Montecito Journal

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SPLURGEVINTAGE, 127 1 st St, Solvang, CA 93463. Susan A Otten, 127 1 st St, Solvang,

CA 93463. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on May 5, 2023. This statement expires

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Heritage Medical Transportation, 915 La Paz Rd, Montecito, CA 93108. Yohannes Denu, 915 La

Paz Rd, Montecito, CA 93108. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on April 25, 2023. 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.

The Giving List Marine Conservation Network

“I worked at the shark tank, and was known as the Shark Lady because I had a couple of sharks there that would actually come and lay in my arm and rest for about 20 minutes and not move,” Ray explained. “But at the time, I was there as an interpreter and we were instructed to only talk in scientific terms about the sharks when children came through. There were many tourists who knew nothing about the ocean, their eyes would glass over because they didn’t understand what I was talking about. It was a disconnect because our whole point at the Sea Center was to educate the public on what’s right here in the ocean and how to conserve it and protect it and they weren’t getting that.”

But when Ray returned to talking to kids with terms and on a level that they could relate to, the children lit up and wanted to know more about the sharks, what roles they play in the ocean, and why we need to conserve them.

“That’s when I realized where the missing link was, that the conservationists and the scientists have their own language, but the general public may not understand the issues,” Ray said. “It’s not just about being in the ocean. Everything that we eat, drink, and breathe originally comes from the ocean: our climate, our food, our medicine, everything. And whatever you put into the water from wherever you are located ends up back in the ocean. So it’s vitally important for everyone to communicate and work together to protect the oceans.”

by Steven Libowitz

Kimberly Ray, the founder and CEO of Marine Conservation Network, remembers what it was like to grow up in and on the water. As the daughter of a fisherman, she spent countless hours swimming, diving, snorkeling –“Whatever I could do to get in the water,” she recalled.

Wanting to continue that path, Ray earned a degree in marine biology at the University of Miami, and worked in the field in Florida for several years before relocating to Southern California 30 years ago and eventually making her way to Santa Barbara. Here is where she founded the nonprofit whose aim, in a nutshell, is to protect and restore the oceans and waterways in the face of continued climate change and overfishing.

It was while working at the Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center on Stearns Wharf – one of many ocean-oriented organizations where she had volunteered up and down the coast – that Ray got the impetus for creating the Marine Conservation Network.

At first, Marine Conservation Network merely created locally produced videos with Ray sharing her knowledge in ways everyone could understand. But in its short seven year history, the nonprofit has expanded its efforts to include a series of videos featuring interviews with other small organizations, create some hands-on programs such as beach cleanups, inaugurate educational efforts largely focused toward kids called Youth Ambassadors, and work to establish a platform that serves as a clearinghouse for all ocean-related organizations, scientists, and environmentalists to collaborate, share research, and coordinate advocacy efforts.

“That’s what makes us different from the other marine conservation organizations here in Santa Barbara and elsewhere that are doing a fantastic job,” Ray said. “We’re working on bringing organizations to one central location to where the public can work together with the organizations on the same level.”

Ray is particularly proud of the Youth Ambassadors program, which aims to allow children to explore their interest in the ocean from whatever point of view works for them, whether that’s working alongside a marine biologist, doing research, or simply participating in beach cleanup efforts.

In its seven years of operation, the Marine Conservation Network has expanded to include videos and educational programs, including its Youth Ambassadors

“We provide these different pathways that these kids can take to get their feet wet, so to speak,” she said. “If they want to work with a scientist in a lab, or spend time at a kelp farm, we can help arrange that through our partners. There are courses and certificates they can earn. In the real world, you don’t get that opportunity until it’s way far down the line and you’re practically ready to get your degree. But it really helps to reach kids at as young an age as possible.”

The nonprofit is also actively working to set up marine conservation clubs in the public schools, initially at high schools but eventually in middle schools, too.

Private donations, of course, can help the process along. But the Marine Conservation Network also has a vast need of opportunity for volunteers, even from those who don’t enjoy sand between their toes or putting their heads under water. The organization’s website is beautiful but sorely needs reorganization and expansion to more clearly communicate MCN’s activities.

“I put it together myself and I know nothing about computers,” Ray said. “I’m proud of what I created, but I need somebody to help me take it to the next level.”

The network is also planning a summer fundraiser, and would benefit greatly from securing someone with experience and expertise in putting such events together.

“We were up to 10 employees and were getting ready to do our first in-person fundraiser before Covid hit,” Ray recalled. “Now we’re down to only half as many people. But we’re ready to ramp back up again.”

The ocean awaits. Dive in.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller

Kimberly Ray standing in front of the remains of a whale

preservation of California missions and editing the magazine Land of Sunshine (later Out West). The publication was produced by the chamber of commerce, but under Lummis it grew from promotional rag to literary magazine, showcasing the work of regional writers and artists, and celebrating the Southwest’s rich cultures and the romance of early California.

For his home, Lummis bought three acres just east of downtown in today’s Highland Park, paying $650. In 1897 he began building a 4,000-square-foot “castle” he called El Alisal, or “Place of the Sycamore,” after a towering tree on the property. The house was his love letter to the Southwest. A round tower resembled Hopi designs, and he incorporated New Mexico-style corner fireplaces, huge log beams, and Native American rugs.

Another goal was to celebrate the humble and handmade, inspired by England’s Arts and Crafts movement, a reaction against manufactured goods and standardized factory production. “A man’s home should be part of himself,” he said. “Some activity of his head, heart, and hands should make it really his.”

His rustic house was clad in stones pulled from a nearby creek in the Arroyo Seco (now the Pasadena Freeway). Boys visiting from Isleta Pueblo did the heavy lifting, while Lummis crafted quirky, charming woodwork for doors, windows, and built-ins. Utterly unlike the Victorian houses of the day, his home looked like a piece of folk art.

It was also a social center, and Lummis’s talent for networking was way ahead of its time. At his frequent parties, which he called “noises,” luminaries – who ranged from naturalist John Muir to movie idol Douglas Fairbanks – might meet a survivor of the Wounded Knee Massacre, watch Will Rogers perform rope tricks, and revel with artists and musicians. Lummis purposely designed the main room with a concrete floor so that after his bashes it could easily be cleaned with a bucket.

Lummis’s moral shortcomings were also on view. During his life he had three wives,

two divorces, and some fifty extramarital affairs, scrupulously recorded in a notebook coded in Greek. He also alienated his children and battled alcoholism.

Yet Charles Lummis managed to write sixteen books and hundreds of influential articles, document the Southwest’s vanishing cultures in photos and rare recordings, become head of the Los Angeles Public Library, and founded the nearby Southwest Museum, whose fine collection of Native American artifacts included his own donations.

High spirited, flawed, eccentric, but of deeply serious intent, Charles Lummis had a profound love for the Southland. It infuses his house, a pioneer in the residential history of Los Angeles.

Visiting:

Lummis House: 200 East Avenue 43, (323) 226-1620; open Sat. & Sun. from 10 am – 3 pm

McPherson Parsonage: 1801 Park Ave., (213) 989-4444 for reservations; tours Mon. to Thurs. at 1 pm, Fri. at 10 am

for 35 years. The author of 11 books and 600+ magazine and newspaper pieces, he has won three Lowell Thomas Awards, the “Oscars” of the field, from the Society of American Travel Writers. His “Curious Traveler” column in the Montecito Journal received the SATW gold medal.

Another Side of L.A.: Aimee Semple McPherson’s Parsonage

Los Angeles has always been an incubator for magnetic religious personalities, and in the 1920s no one could touch evangelist, faith healer, and media celebrity, Aimee Semple McPherson. At her pioneer megachurch, Angelus Temple, she preached the “old-fashioned gospel” for a packed house of more than 5,000 people three times every Sunday.

“Sister Aimee” livened up her sermons with humor, stage sets, costumes, and music. One service was inspired by her getting a speeding ticket. Dressed in a traffic cop’s uniform and riding a motorcycle with a blaring siren to the pulpit, she hit the brakes and shouted: “Stop! You’re speeding to Hell!”

She gained notoriety for her two divorces and a mysterious disappearance that captured national news but seemed to have been staged and was possibly a romantic rendezvous. Yet Sister Aimee did much charity work, mobilizing her radio audience to help in disasters, funding free medical clinics, and feeding more people than any other organization in Los Angeles.

Aimee Semple McPherson’s surprisingly humble parsonage home, located across from Echo Park Lake, preserves period kitchen appliances and a dramatic, black-tiled bathroom. Among artifacts from her life are a travel trunk and a large metal megaphone she used to preach from the back of her “Gospel Car.” The movement she launched in Los Angeles spread widely; her Foursquare Church now claims to have four million members in 142 countries.

Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr. worked with the National Geographic Society

Charles Lummis filled his home with Southwest style (photo by Graham Dunn)

The home is a window in the mind and personality of Charles Lummis (photo by Graham Dunn)

The unexpectedly quaint room of evangelist, faith healer, and media celebrity, Aimee Semple McPherson (photo by Graham Dunn)

(above) Ron explains the commercial equipment at a community kichen in Santa Maria, CA. Learn more about Community Kitchens at sbcfan.org.

PHOTO J ANDREW HILL / PHAROS CREATIVE

Brandts , Scott and Ella Brittingham , Brendon Twigden , Judith SmithMeyer , Steve and Amber Ortiz , and Alex Murkison

A blooming good night...

Baker’s Bash

conductor JoAnn Wasserman, herself celebrating her 30th anniversary.

The performance featured soprano soloist Tamara Bevard and tenor Jimmer Bolden with Mozart’s Requiem and works by Palestrina, Durufle, Gjeilo, Lauridsen, Aaron Copland and Christopher Tin A glorious season...

12,000-bottle wine collection.

Among the foodies turning out were Penny Bianchi , Robin Fell , Cynthia Spivey, Lorie Porter, Bennett Barbakow, Natalie Noone, Caroline Thompson, Greg Marks, Jo Saxon, Rebecca DeSantis, and Scott Adelson

Uber party planner Merryl Brown and Ashley Adelson hosted a blooming boffo bash at Villa Corbeau, Ashley’s charming Riven Rock estate, just a tiara’s toss or two from the $15 million, six-acre home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The fun sun-soaked fête celebrated former Ojai resident Loria Stern’s Eat Your Flowers: A Cookbook, which took the author four years to write. She bakes more than 2,000 cookies a week for customers nationwide.

“I am now working on a follow-up, but the title is a secret,” she informed me. “Maybe Bloom with a View!” I quipped as more than 100 colorfully clad guests tucked into her famous shortbread cookies emblazoned with flowers while quaffing wine and champagne.

“I was inspired by the romance of wild edible flowers and medicinal herbs.”

Examples of her cookbook creations include botanical steamed tamales, basil flower eggplant in hoisin sauce, and a prickly pear cocktail.

From Page to Stage

Positive Thinking

Montecito actor Michael J. Fox, 61, says the cure for Parkinson’s disease is “closer than it has ever been.”

The now retired star, who was diagnosed with the degenerative condition when just 29, has raised more than $2 billion for the cause and says he is optimistic the disease can be eradicated following “a single breakthrough.”

In a U.K. TV interview, Fox declared:”I feel like a cure is closer than it’s ever been. I think we found this biomarker, which is huge in identifying the disease and their being able to treat it earlier.”

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is the largest nonprofit foundation of Parkinson’s disease research in the world with more than $1 billion of research projects to date.

Puttin’ on the Ritz

Susanto Bhattacharya, who started his culinary career in a small town in India, is the new executive chef at the Ritz Carlton Bacara.

“I am passionate about providing a symphony of flavors collected on multiple trips to exotic locations around the world,” says Bhattacharya, who has worked with three celebrated Michelin chefs, including Raymond Blanc, whose eatery, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, I had the pleasure of dining at with Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson, when he was a partner in the Oxfordshire restaurant.

Music in the Air

Local literature lover and attorney Steven Gilbar was busy promoting his latest work, The Little Book of Montecito Actors at Tecolote in the upper village.

The 207-page book spotlights the stars of stage and screen who have lived in our rarefied enclave over the years, including Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell to more modern icons like Kevin Costner, Steve Martin, Julia LouisDreyfus and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Almost 100 actors are featured in potted biographies from the days of silent film to the Golden Age of Hollywood to the present day.

Anniversaries Abound

Santa Barbara Choral Society wrapped its 75th anniversary season with a “Mozart to Modern” concert at First Presbyterian Church under veteran

With skills acquired in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa, including the Caribbean, he will oversee the oceanside hostelry’s six culinary venues, including the Angel Oak, housing the tony resort’s

It was definitely an evening of extremely high note when Venezuelan male soprano Samuel Marino sang in his U.S. premiere with Camerata Pacifica at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall before winging to the U.K. to appear at the famous Glyndebourne opera festival.

Marino, 20, studied voice and ballet in Caracas and at the Paris Conservatory for Voice in France, with songs by Handel, Mendelssohn, Monteverdi, Vivaldi, and Mozart in his extensive history.

He showed his strengths in the Baroque repertoire magnificently in Bach’s Cantata, "Non sa che sia dolore" with 11 instrumentalists, including Paolo Bordignon on harpsichord.

The entertaining concert, the final performance of the chamber orchestra’s 33rd season, also featured works by Adams and Pergolesi.

A delightful tour de force.

Quint-essential

Santa Barbara Symphony concluded its seven-event Concert Aperitif series with a quintessential performance.

Loria Stern with one of her flower cakes (photo by Elizabeth Messina)

From left: Sarah Smith, Isabella Duddy, Kate Kim Shah, Danielle Michaan, and Jenny Bogan (photo by Elizabeth Messina)

From left: Nicole Callahan, Katie Cooper, Rebecca DeSantis, and Ashley Adelson (photo by Elizabeth Messina)

Attorney Steven Gilbar publicizes his latest work with friends Benjie Aerenson, and Karin Collison (photo by Tyler Geck)

Santa Barbara Choral Society ends is 75th anniversary season (photo by Zach Mendez)

Susanto Bhattacharya, the new executive chef at the Ritz Carlton Bacara (Courtesy photo)

Male soprano Samuel Marino hits the heights (Courtesy photo)

Todd and Allyson Aldrich opened the doors of their stunning Montecito aerie for a recital by Russian violinist Philippe Quint, 49, who played in the orchestra’s Platinum Sounds: The Symphony Turns 70 concert at the Granada two days later.

Playing a 1708 “Ruby” Antonio Stradivari instrument, the multi-Grammy Award nominee and Juilliard, New York, student, Quint gave a preview of his imaginative weekend performance of Mendelssohn’s concerto in E minor, one of the most prominent and highly recognized works in the concerto repertoire for violin.

The concert opened with Concerto Grosso featuring all the symphony’s principal players, composed by Jonathan Leshnoff, which was previously commissioned for the symphony’s 60th anniversary, and wrapped with Brahm’s monumental Symphony No. 1 in C minor, which took the composer 21 years of revisions to declare ready to perform publicly in 1876. Music supporters turning out for the aperitif sunset soirée included Barbara Burger , Dan Burnham , Fred and Nancy Golden , Stewart Hudnut , Sybil Rosen , Joan Rutkowski , Robert Weinman , Rachel Kaganoff Stern , Adam and Soraya Budgor , and Mikki Andina

Skol!

It was anything but glacial when Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafsson perfumed a 95-minute Mozart and Contemporaries concert at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall.

The hugely entertaining show shed light on lesser-known musical figures, including Italian composers Domenico Cimarosa and Baldassare Galuppi, and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the fifth child and second son of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Olafsson, who studied at the Miraflores campus in 2004 with keyboard legend Jerry Lowenthal, was on the last stop of his U.S. tour for the UCSB Arts & Lectures concert, which also featured work by Haydn.

After a standup ovation Olafsson, Gramophone magazine’s Artist of the Year, played a Bach organ sonata encore.

A captivating communicator who this season alone has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the London and Bergen philharmonic orchestras.

It was also the last musical performance of the current A & L series.

Squash Vegas

The racketeers were out in force when the Santa Barbara School of Squash celebrated its third annual Viva Las Vegas! gala at the 1114 Sports Bar in La Arcada with 130 guests raising around $40,000.

Former U.S. Number One squash champion Robert Graham , executive director, is about to embark on an $8-million capitalization campaign to build an 8,000-sq.-ft. complex of four to six squash courts with high-tech classrooms and office space in a “community education and enrichment center” serving up to 500 students made up of fifthto 12th-graders.

“We had two courts at the Santa Barbara Athletic Club, but now we are without any courts at all,” explained Graham.”We have been playing in racquetball courts at the YMCA and are changing one court for squash as a test, which is costing around $20,000.”

He is hoping some generous benefactor will provide the full funding, but if not he hopes that events and grants will provide the necessary monies to build the complex he envisages.

Ubiquitous Andrew Firestone emceed the event and conducted the paddle raise, while magician Gene Urban and dj Fab provided entertainment. Supporters included Lucy Firestone,

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Kathy Washburn and Kathryn Martin (photo by Juli Askew)

Carol Kosterka, Betsy Atwater, Sybil Rosen and Concert Aperitif Chair Mikki Andina (photo by Juli Askew)

Michelle Eulenhoefer, Carla Amussen, Meg DiNapoli and Pam Cox (photo by Juli Askew)

Kathy Washburn, Nancy Golden and Kathy Weber (photo by Juli Askew)

Pianist Vikingur Olafsson with NancyBell Coe. Olafisson was Music Academy ‘04, Nancy Bell’s first year as director (photo by Isaac Hernandez)

Marti CorreaGarcia, Gil Garcia, Gustavo Duran, Alex Duran, Jacqueline Duran (SBSOS board member), Stacey Mertus, Elizabeth Krenz, William Conway (photo by Desiree Teran)

A dinner table with Jo & Fran Adams, Janet & Chip McKenzie, Lee & Phil Skeen, Rachid Labgaa, Ramsey & Heidi Maune (photo by Desiree Teran)

SBSOS students Jesus Arriaga, Daphne MirandaGonzalez, Jorge Gonzalez, Jesus Delgado, Valentino Martinez, Monica Paredes, Sofie Ramirez (photo by Desiree Teran)

Nigel

One for the Books

Prince Harry’s Spare San Franciscobased ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer, 58, has revealed their relationship became so fraught while working on the best-selling book that he ended up shouting at the Riven Rock resident.

“I was exasperated with Prince Harry,” says Moehringer, who received $1 million for his work on the Penguin-Random House project.

“My head was pounding, my jaw was clenched, and I was starting to raise my voice. And yet some part of me, as his cheeks flushed and his eyes narrowed, a more pressing thought occurred: ‘Whoa, it could all end right here.’”

The incident last year in a Zoom call is recalled in an article Moehringer has written for The New Yorker magazine.

“Although it was the first time Harry and I had argued, it felt different. It felt like we’re hurtling towards some kind of decisive rupture, in part because Harry was no longer saying anything. He was just glaring into the camera.”

Finally, King Charles’s youngest son accepted the writer’s explanation and replied with a mischievous grin, “I really enjoy getting you worked up like that.”

“I burst into laughter and shook my head, and we moved on to the next set of edits.”

Pluck of the Irish

Riverdance, the iconic Irish dance show created by Michael Flatley, is marking its quarter century.

I first saw the production with Flatley at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in 1996, and since that time more than 27.5 million people have seen the energized production around the world.

A new show, marking 25 years as part of a 53-city tour across the U.S. through June, landed at the Granada with Fergus Fitzpatrick and Maggie Darlington as principal dancers backed by a musical quartet including villein pipes, drums,

fiddle, and saxophone.

The show, with wonderful video set backdrops from Alan Farquharson , motion graphics in high-res by Cosmo Av, and direction from John McColgan , even featured flamenco, a dervish ensemble, and tappers, a twosome of color in a Brooklyn, N.Y., scene reflecting on the historical migration of the Irish to America.

Composer Bill Whelan ’s music added immensely to the new production, an exhilarating ride of precision and passion. It was a helluva night of magic and spectacle!

“Moon Riviera…”

Riviera Ridge School celebrated its first off-campus gala in four years with an Under the Moroccan Moon bash at the Montecito Club.

“We wanted to create a memorable and magical experience for our wonderful families, faculty and staff,” enthused Chris Broderick , head of school, as guests tucked into a three-course, Moroccan-inspired dinner.

The fun fête was co-chaired by Ivana Firestone, Analise Maggio and Alexandra Ramirez, with the ubiquitous Andrew Firestone, whose children are school students, auctioning off a week at a Rincon Beach cottage, a catered party at the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion, and school-focused perks including a VIP parking space and front-row seats at the school graduation ceremony. The Montecito Club event raised $330,000 and had a sell-out crowd of 215 guests.

Casting Pearls before Shrine

A jewelry set made for the late Princess Diana and reputed to have been a gift from her film producer beau, Dodi Fayed, is going up for sale next month.

The diamond and pearl necklace was famously worn by the Princess of Wales at a gala evening for the ballet Swan Lake at London’s Royal Albert Hall in June 1997 – her last official engagement before her tragic death in Paris.

The necklace, made up of 178 dia-

monds totaling 51 carats and five South Sea pearls, was returned to the Crown Jewelers Garrard so they could design a matching pair of earrings.

Known as the Swan Lake suite, the jewels will be auctioned at Guernsey’s in New York in June and are expected to reach a sale price of between $5 and $15 million. They have belonged to a prominent Ukrainian family since 2008.

Club Ed

In partnership with the Santa Barbara City College Foundation, the Rotary Club of Montecito has awarded ten $1,250 scholarships to students at City College pursuing studies in a career technical education program.

Club president Tony Morris says: “For nearly 30 years, our club has provided vocational scholarships for deserving students nominated by faculty members. We look forward to many more years of this educational tradition.”

The club is celebrating 70 years of community service.

Hot Wheels

A Nissan car driven by the late Santa Barbara actor Paul Walker in the 2009 film Fast & Furious 4 has just sold at auction for a world record $1,357,000.

The 2000 Bayside Blue Skyline R34 GT-R, built and painted to Walker’s exacting specifications, was described as “a genuine piece of cinematic and modern motoring history.”

The sale figure doubled the previous record in 2022, when $577,500 was paid for a GT-R.

Marten Ten Holder , managing director of Bonham’s Collector Cars in London, gushed: “This is an incredible result, well-deserved for such an iconic car... The ultimate example of the mighty ‘Godzilla.’”

Sightings

Rocker Kenny Loggins at the Panino sandwich shop in the Montecito Country Mart... Actor Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine, at Loveworn on Anacapa Street... Oprah Winfrey delivering the graduation speech at her alma mater, Tennessee State.

Pip! Pip!

Live performances entertained guests

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than 15 years

Gallimore , Houghton Hyatt , Hugh and Carol Margerum, Peter and Kathryn Martin, Jerry and Joan Rocco, Maria McCalll, and Rick and Mary Dochterman

SBSOS Executive Director Robert Graham with Frank Huerta (Board member) and Daniele Huerta, the largest donors on the night (photo by Desiree Teran)

Lily Hahn and Belle Hahn on Joseph the Camel (photo by Dominic Petruzzi)

(From left) Andrew Firestone, event chairs Ivana Firestone, Analise Maggio, and Alexandra Kolendrianos Ramirez with Head of School Chris Broderick (photo by Dominic Petruzzi)

(photo by Dominic Petruzzi)

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It’s Simple. Charge is $3 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $10 per week/issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email text to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860 and we will respond with a cost. Deadline for inclusion is Friday before 2 pm. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex (3% surcharge)

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and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

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Affiliates

2023 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.

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