Montecito's Magic Man

8 – 15 JUN 2023 VOL 29 ISS 23 FREE

JOURNAL

Shelton Remodel – Clark’s Oyster Bar in the former Cava spot on CVR gets a Jeff Shelton facelift and the ABR likes what they see, P.6 Exceptional Civilian – A Q&A after Sharon Byrne is awarded for her work with the Montecito Association and Hands Across Montecito, P.16

Montecito’s Magic Man

www.montecitojournal.net

The Giving List

New Beginnings gets its own new beginning with the grand opening of their Collaborative Center, page 20

From a family traveling act to the father of the renowned Magic Castle, the legacy and final moments of Milt

Larsen’s magical life are recounted by his wife and longtime collaborator, Arlene, and the MJ’s Jim Buckley (Story starts on p. 5)

A Problem with Food Trucks?

The Music Academy’s 76th Summer Festival kicks off! See inside for an overview of the 100+ activities and a rundown of the first week’s events, page 34

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GLOBAL HARMONY / VIRTUOSOS AND VISIONARIES

INTERNATIONAL SERIES at the Granada Theatre

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Season Sponsor: Esperia Foundation

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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In Remembrance – Milt Larsen has passed and his wife and longtime collaborator, Arlene, recounts their magical life together

Village Beat – Updates on Short Term Rentals, the Jeff Shelton remodel for Clark’s Oyster Bar, and last year’s Park Lane homicide

The Optimist Daily – Summer is (supposedly) here and it’s time to head outdoors to set your sights on these celestial spectacles

Tide Guide

Local Happenings – Food trucks and roadside vendors have been in the area and Sharon Byrne weighs in on the complexity of the situation

Montecito Miscellany – The Music Academy’s magical gala, seeing the Sistine Chapel, the Memorial Day ceremony, and more miscellany

Our Town – The graduation coverage continues with Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s 8th grade class, plus the Sakya Royal Family are coming to Tara Ling Santa Barbara

Society Invites – It’s oceanside views and fundraising for a cause at Hillside’s annual Sunset Soirée By-the-Sea

Exceptional Civilian Award – Eileen Read speaks with award recipient Sharon Byrne about her work with those experiencing homelessness

Your Westmont – Baseball wins the NAIA World Series, and an alum oversees the county’s IT services

AVI AVITAL, mandolin

HANZHI WANG, accordion

Monday, October 16, 2023, 7:30PM

Lobero Theatre

SIR STEPHEN HOUGH, piano

Thursday, November 16, 2023, 7:30PM Lobero Theatre

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 7:30PM

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 7:30PM Granada Theatre

HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD, piano

Thursday, February 22, 2024, 7:30PM

Lobero Theatre

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

Friday, March 8, 2024, 7:30PM

Granada Theatre

SPHINX VIRTUOSI

Friday, March 15, 2024, 7:30PM

Lobero Theatre

ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS

Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 7:30PM Granada Theatre

Season Subscriptions On Sale Now!

For more information, visit camasb.org

COMMUNITY ARTS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF SANTA BARBARA

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On Entertainment – ETC’s Seared is heating up the New Vic with a tasty show and the Ojai Music Festival brings a medley of strings and styles

The Giving List – New Beginnings opens its Collaborative Center this week to accommodate its new programs, staff, and offerings to the community

Brilliant Thoughts – These are the meals that left a warm or cold memory in Ashleigh’s mind

This Week at MA – It’s been 76 years, and the Summer Festival is starting stronger than ever

Stories Matter – Summer is on the way (despite the gray skies) and these page-turners make good beach companions

Calendar of Events – A flair of Fiesta flamenco, the circus goes to Paris, the Surf Film Fest cruises into town, great SCOTS at SOhO, and more

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

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

Photography: Spenser Bruce

Isata Kanneh-Mason Joshua Bell Avi Avital Zubin Mehta

In Remembrance

Montecito’s Magic Man Passes On

By Jim Buckley

As MJ reported last week, Milt Larsen passed away on Sunday, May 28, after what had been a whirlwind week for the 92-year-old founder of Hollywood’s Magic Castle. The Sunday before he died, Milt and his wife, Arlene, attended a production of their longtime touring production, “It’s Magic!” in Cerritos, California. They watched the entire show before heading back to their place on the Mesa in Santa Barbara, where they had lived for the past 18 years.

Before that, Milt and Arlene had spent 16 years of their charmed life in a ramshackle but cozy cottage at the end of Eucalyptus Lane in Montecito. The three-quarter-acre property boasted 200 feet of oceanfront shoreline and could justly be described as “magical,” as indeed their lives had been.

On Monday, May 22, Milt was in Hollywood, dealing with a problem with the elevator at the Magic Castle. On Thursday, May 25, he was honored at the annual Academy of Magical Arts awards show in Hollywood where he received a nearly fiveminute-long standing ovation. He was recipient of a Golden Hammer for the many wonderful things he’d built during his career. Friday, May 26, it was lunch at the Magic Castle with friends, acquaintances, and business partners.

Sunday, May 28, was a day of rest. Arlene talked with Milt two or three times a day – she in Santa Barbara and he in Los Angeles. During their last conversation, she sensed he was tired so suggested he “put your feet up and relax. I’ll talk to you tomorrow…”

“And that was it,” she recounts. “He went to bed.”

Arlene learned of Milt’s passing at noon the next day and by 5 pm had a press release drawn up and delivered to their friends, relatives, and the press.

That’s the way I want to go,” she says, “partying up to the last moment.” She mused that “he loved his martinis and old-fashioneds,” and was pleased to note that he “did everything he wanted to do before he left.”

Arlene is 15 years younger than Milt, and they had planned his early departure well ahead of time, so she – and he – were prepared. The couple spent 54 years together, beginning in 1969, when she signed on to work as a costume designer for the hit TV

In Remembrance Page 224

Milt and Arlene at their Mesa home

(Courtesy photo)

Milt with his longtime collaborator, classic Disney songwriter Richard [A Spoonful of Sugar] Sherman (photo by Don Seth)

Village Beat Update on Short-term Rentals

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

At a Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting earlier this week, Executive Director Sharon Byrne and First District Supervisor representative Darcel Elliott gave an update on plans for a Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance for the Coastal Zone in Montecito. As it stands now, the only ordinance pertaining to STRs in Montecito is in the inland zone, where the only type of allowable short-term rental is a homestay, when an owner or long-term tenant is on the property during the time of a short-term tenancy.

According to Byrne, the tax collector’s office has sent out 23 letters in the Coastal Zone and 33 letters in the inland zone in Montecito to enforce STRs – both illegal and legal – that do not have business permits and are not paying Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). Even illegal STRs are required to pay TOT taxes, Byrne said. Elliott reported that all enforcement at the County level is reactive, not proactive, and that in order for the County to be proactive, they would need to hire a full-time staff member, to the tune of

$145,000 per year. “The County just does not have the budget for that,” she said. “That position cannot be funded at this time, but Das [Williams] is open to asking for that funding in the future.”

To report an illegal STR, Elliott recommends using the Planning & Development website to file a complaint at www.countyofsb.org/160/PlanningDevelopment.

Because of the volume of work associated with various other projects including the Housing Element, the County has had to postpone any work on an updated STR ordinance for the Coastal Zone until 2024/2025. Currently, STRs in the Coastal Zone are unregulated, as the Coastal Commission rejected Santa Barbara County’s attempt at prohibiting STRs in the entirety of Montecito in May 2018.

Jeff Shelton Remodel on Coast Village Road

Plans to remodel the building that was once the home of Cava were in front of the Santa Barbara City Architectural Review Board last week. The building, located at 1212 Coast Village Road, will be reimagined by well-known architect Jeff Shelton

in his iconic, whimsical style.

The plans propose renovating the façade of the restaurant building and adjacent office on the site, as well as proposing to remove two diagonal parking spaces that will be relocated. Shelton’s plans include his quintessential decorative tile in blue and yellow colors, cement plaster, ironwork, decorative pots, signage, and awnings.

Comments from the ABR were mostly positive, with board members calling the project “delightful” and in compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. The project received design approval, and will need to return for final approval. One board member, Steve Nuhn, voted in

opposition to the project, stating concerns with neighbor compatibility. The tenant improvements are in preparation for the opening of Clark’s Oyster Bar, an Aspen and Austin-based eatery that will offer an upscale seafood menu. No word yet on the planned opening.

Update to Park Lane Homicide Investigation

On May 27, 2022, 96-year-old Violet Evelyn Alberts, a longtime resident of Montecito, was found deceased in her residence on the 900-block of Park

The former home of Cava on Coast Village Road will receive a Jeff Shelton facelift

THE SYMPHONY PRESENTS

An Evening with Sinatra

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THE ARTISTS

Nir Kabaretti, Conductor Tony DeSare, Vocals and Piano

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Appreciate the magic of June and celebrate Nature’s summer spectacles

The arrival of June signals the return of our favorite warm-weather activities. BBQs, sunscreen, fire pits, camping, gardening, and a plethora of other sense-awakening activities are finally back in full swing after a long winter’s hibernation. This enchanted month is a natural spectacle where the stars above compete with the glittering fireflies below. Now is the time to celebrate and discover June’s many wonders, both by day and by night.

Behold the beauty of the Arietids meteor shower (June 7)

The Arietids meteor shower is a celestial spectacle worth seeing, with its brilliant display of shooting stars. While it is mostly visible during the day, there is still a possibility to see these shooting stars before sunrise on June 7 and 8. And, for a truly unique experience, use a ham radio to listen in on the meteor shower’s radio echoes. Allow the universe’s wonders to serenade you.

Enjoy summer’s arrival with the earliest sunrise of the year (June 14)

As summer approaches, June brings us the year’s earliest dawn. Take advantage of these wonderful moments before the day really awakens.

Dwell in darkness and investigate the New Moon (June 18)

This month, enjoy the glories of the universe without the distraction of moonlight. Allow the pure views of galaxies and shooting stars to spark your imagination. Set your sights on the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) to see the aftermath of a recent supernova.

Bask in the summer solstice and the longest day (June 21)

The summer solstice officially kicks off summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Earth reaches its greatest tilt on this day, giving us the longest day of the year.

Admire a celestial trio in the evening sky (June 21)

Turn your attention westward as the sun sets on the summer solstice to watch a cosmic dance. Venus, the brilliant evening star, is joined by a delicate crescent moon and Mars’ ferocious light.

Enjoy the late sunsets with the Bootid Meteor Shower (June 27)

Sit back, relax, and enjoy an incredible display of colors as the sun slips beneath the horizon. As the night progresses, keep an eye out for the Bootid meteor shower.

Embrace the wonders of June and allow nature’s charm to inspire you. Whether you’re looking at shooting stars, enjoying early sunrises, or contemplating the secrets of the night sky, this month provides numerous opportunities to connect with the wonder that surrounds us.

Lane. A victim of a home invasion, the autopsy confirmed her death to be a homicide. Through their diligent investigation, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Detectives have identified the motive and do not believe this crime was random.

Prior to her murder, Alberts was the victim of fraud which was being investigated by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. The suspect involved in the fraud has been in custody since August 9, 2022. However, Detectives are still attempting to identify the suspect responsible for the murder.

Detectives are announcing the release of additional information to coincide with the one-year anniversary of her murder. The Sheriff’s Office has developed information regarding a suspect vehicle seen entering and leaving the property during the time of the murder. The Sheriff’s Office is reaching out to the public to identify the owner or occupant of the midsize SUV whose photo is included here. Detectives are asking Montecito residents to check any surveillance footage from May, 2022 for this vehicle.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office is also announcing a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for her murder. If you know the subject associated with this vehicle, please contact the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

A photo of a midsize SUV has been released in connection with investigation of a homicide on Park Lane last year

Bureau at (805) 681-4150. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact the Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line at (805) 681-4171, or email tips@ sbsheriff.org.

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.

newspaper

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

Administration | Jessikah Fechner

Administrative Assistant | Valerie Alva

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

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

Local Happenings

The Food Truck... Or... yet another reminder that things are seldom as simple as they seem

by Sharon Byrne

Iwant to say thanks to Penny Bianchi, Sally Bromfield, and others for reaching out to the Montecito Association on the food truck situation and engaging in a very complicated conversation.

This is not a simple case of a food truck being asked to leave Montecito by some pesky neighbors.

How we got here:

- Food trucks began appearing in Montecito early in 2022.

- We received a lot of complaints. So did sheriffs and CHP.

- The food trucks were parked on Olive Mill, on the 192 in front of the Randall Rd debris basin, at Butterfly Beach, and in the Casa Dorinda triangle (pre-landscaping).

- The complaints were about safety – you couldn’t see around the food truck when trying to navigate these roads, food truck patrons were parking haphazardly, etc. The food truck on Olive Mill partially blocked the bike lane at times.

The legal situation:

- The Montecito Land Use codes do not allow food trucks.

- Vendors can’t get a license from the county to sell roadside.

- The food truck’s presence here signaled other would-be roadside vendors that they too could drop people off to sell oranges, flowers, toys, or merchandise:

When I approached the roadside vendors, alarm bells went off. Except for the large operation immediately above, it was clear these were not micro-entrepreneurs just trying to make a go of it. They were working for someone, and they were afraid of that person. They didn’t have bathrooms nearby, or shade. They were being dropped off early in the morning and picked up in the evening. I

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Food trucks have been visiting Montecito since early last year

A roadside retailer at the Casa Dorinda triangle

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Montecito Miscellany

Musical Magic in Montecito

by Richard Mineards

The Music Academy’s 76th anniversary gala, The Magic of Miraflores, paid homage to the distinguished 25-year career of president and CEO Scott Reed, who started his successful relationship as an intern and is now moving on to another trajectory in fundraising when the summer festival concludes in August.

More than 350 guests turned out for the popular sunset soirée on the tenacre oceanside campus raising around $700,000, which benefits both the full scholarship program – with 137 fellows globally spending their summer in our rarefied enclave – and Sing!, a children’s choir program for first-to-sixth grade students in Santa Barbara County.

The boffo bash, co-chaired by the tony triumvirate of Belle and Lily Hahn, and Mindy Budgor, included classical guitarist Chris Fossek and a star-studded concert with former 2014 student soprano Michelle Bradley, winning the Marilyn Horne song competition and now a regular performer with New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

After a rendition of Chopin’s “Polonaise

in A-flat major” with Music Academy 1997 fellow Vassily Primakov on piano in Hahn Hall, Bradley – now accompanied on piano by 2001 alumna Natasha Kislenko – sang works from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, Holby’s “In the Wand of the Wind,” Verdi’s “Surta e la Notte” from Ernani, the African American spiritual “Plenty Good Room” and “If You Believe” from the Broadway hit The Wiz Bradley then joined the Sing! chorus with Erin McKibben, program director, and pianist Shiqi Xu for “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand.” The concert concluded with the youngsters singing “We Are the World.”

A fulsome video tribute was also paid to Reed, who said: “It has been a special place to spend such a large portion of my career. I am proud of all we have accomplished.”

Among those attending the magical musical moment were chairman Maurice Singer, Robert and Christine Emmons, Thomasine Richards , Anne Towbes, Brian and Patti Herman, Janet Garufis, Robert Weinman , Luke Swetland , Xorin Balbes and Truman Davies, Robert and Val Montgomery, Seymour and Shirley Lehrer, Jonathan Bishop, Peter and Kathy Martin , Jennifer

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Scott Reed with Gala Co-chairs Belle Hahn, Mindy Budgor, and Lily Hahn (photo by Carly Otness)

Elisabeth Fowler, Katy Powers, and Marcus and Claire Boyle (photo by Carly Otness)

Immediate past Music Academy Gala Co-Chairs Val Montgomery and Kandy Luria-Budgor (photo by Carly Otness)

Our Town

Our Town’s 21st Annual Graduation Issue 2 of 3

Make new discoveries.

by Joanne A Calitri

Our town’s schools are holding their graduations from May 21 through June 9th this year. The eight local school graduations are covered in order of occurrence. This issue has Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the YMCA Preschool.

The Montecito Journal wishes much success and offers congratulations to our graduates, school faculty, staff and parents!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel 2023 Graduation

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) 2023 Eighth Grade Graduation – “Go Lancers!” – was held on Friday, June 2 at 2 pm at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, filled to capacity with family and friends. OLMC’s graduation ceremony marks the first occupancy of the church since 2019.

The grads’ procession saw them wearing traditional cap and gown in the school colors of blue and white. Adorned with flower leis, the students wore gold or red cords signifying scholastic achievement. Pastor, Fr. Lawrence Seyer, led the graduation Mass accompanied by students reading selected passages. Seyer said, “…like the gospel, graduation is about growth, the growth you’ve had since arriving here, and will experience, finding love and lasting happiness using the guidance and wisdom from your faith.” OLMC music and drama teacher Bridgette Snyder provided lovely acoustic guitar and vocals for the occasion.

Following the opening service, the graduation ceremony began with the welcome by Principal Tracie Simolon; “…OLMC is a partnership and we thank the parents and friends who supported the graduates on their journey. When I look at our graduates it reminds me of the scripture passage, ‘You were born for a time such as this, you are the divergent thinkers, leaders and compassionate servants.’” Fr. Seyer blessed the graduate’s biographies, which they presented to their parents with a red rose. Next, teachers read vignettes about each student, and diplomas were presented by 8th grade teacher Mrs. Lauren Bergesen, Simolon, and Fr. Seyer. Citizen of the Year award went to Joaquin Gaona and Iliana Perez Juarez; Lancer award to Eden Wynne, Faculty Award to Mina Handall, and many receiving scholastic awards GPA greater than 3.5.

The student address was given by Class President Joaquin Gaona; “We finally made it, time to turn the page, this is not the end. We arrived here to be the best version of ourselves, from fires to the pandemic – you are proof of being the strongest. It’ll get more demanding, but you are ready.”

The OLMC Eighth Grade 2023 graduates are: Bennly Cartagena Oliva, Aidan Dunn, Tiago El-Aaidi, Natalie Fleming, Joaquin Gaona, Kaitlyn Garcia, Mina Handall, Abigail Hubbs, James Kellis III, Emmett Lombardi, Syndney Masterson, Elizabeth Medina, Cora Nimmons, Iliana Perez Juarez, Malena Sodomka, Stella Swan, Danay Urena, and Eden Wynne.

June Retreat with H.E. Khondung Avikrita Vajra Sakya Rinpoche in Goleta

Tara Ling of Santa Barbara is announcing an in-person weekend retreat with H.E. Khondung Avikrita Vajra Sakya Rinpoche, the Head Lama of Phuntsok Phodrang, Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. The retreat is Saturday June 24 from 9 am to 4:30pm and Sunday June 25 from 9 am to 12 pm at the Embarcadero Municipal Improvement District building in Goleta.

The visit is three generations of the Sakya Royal Family and the first time that H.E.

Town

OLMC graduates with Principal Tracie Simolon, their teacher Lauren Bergesen, and Pastor, Fr. Seyer (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Society Invites

Hillside House Annual Sunset Soirée By-the-Sea

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i n f o @ m o v i n g m i s s d a i s y c o m

by Joanne A Calitri

The Hillside House held its annual Sunset Soirée By-the-Sea fundraiser at the Cabrillo Pavilion on Saturday June 3, a sold-out event. Funds raised are directly used for enrichment activities for the quality of life of Hillside House’s residents, including outings to parks, beaches, activities, socialization with the community, and the staff that makes it all happen for them.

The event program started with a wine reception and silent auction to the music of the duo Pricey Diggs singing rock covers. During that time, I happened to meet Chana and Jim Jackson of the Ann Jackson Family Foundation Montecito who are longtime supporters of Hillside House. Jim explained that Hillside’s principles of inclusiveness and cross organizational relationships –exemplified, for instance, by the Alpha Resource Center – is important; “The experiences their residents have is most important to them. Instead of having a single institutional building for people with disabilities, Hillside wants to build a community of housing units for them, a neighborhood. Funding to build it, along with program services like swim, yoga, and other activities for the residents is why we are here.”

More noted attendees included John and Yvonne Ogden, Sally Wilcox, Andrew and Jordan Dohogne, Janna and John Price, Olivia McGovern and Jason Price,

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Michael and Ruth Rassler with Norris and Barry Goss (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Lisa and Jim Wilcox (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Chana and Jim Jackson with Yvonne and John Odgen (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

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Exceptional Civilian Award

Sharon Byrne Awarded for Her Work with Hands Across Montecito and the MA

by Eileen Read

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office awarded its Exceptional Civilian Award to Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne , citing her “extraordinary dedication to others and her collaborative work” with the Sheriff’s deputies, primarily in creating and managing the Hands Across Montecito project to address homelessness. The award described Ms. Byrne as “an accomplished neighborhood advocate who has dedicated her career to supporting the people and improving the communities in Santa Barbara County.” Sharon sat down with journalist and Hands Across Montecito Founding Board Member Eileen White Read to discuss why it appears to be so difficult to get unhoused people to leave the streets, and whether she believes new projects and policies will help reduce homelessness in our village and our county – particularly as soaring apartment rental prices have cut many working people out.

Q. Sharon, the Sheriff’s award is so well deserved, and it’s fitting that you are receiving it as we’re almost at the three-year anniversary of the Hands Across Montecito project – as well as five years at the Montecito Association. You have made such strides in persuading Caltrans and, more recently, Union Pacific, to help us clean out camps from the wooded areas between the freeway, and the railroad tracks, and the beach. But I remember we got started because you organized a meeting after several of us called to complain about vandalism in our gated beachside communities, electric bikes stolen from garages, and evidence of drugs and stolen bicycles that we found in the wooded areas along the tracks. We called

you because we thought it was criminal gangs, and I remember being shocked at our first get-together when you used the words homeless and Montecito in the same sentence. You were already very on top of this issue.

A. What you didn’t know was that I had already connected your ‘crime wave’ to the homeless because I had been walking the railroad tracks with Luis Alvarado from the County’s Behavioral Wellness department and Lt. Butch Arnoldi. I knew there were homeless young people staying near the beach because I chaired the county’s Behavioral Wellness Commission. It was when you folks from Bonnymede and Montecito Shores and Sea Meadow came to me that I connected your location with foot crimes and with who was likely committing them. It wasn’t a pickup truck going past the guard at the gatehouse to get those bikes! We also found evidence of ramExceptional Civilian Award Page 234

Sharon Byrne, along with the Hands Across Montecito team and their partners, have been working locally to help those experiencing homelessness

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Manager,

Your Westmont Warriors Finish on Top

in 12 years. During his first six months, he’s mapping a new strategic plan to make IT its own department.

“The existing IT team has been keeping the day-today operations going,” he says. “I want to focus on an innovative plan for technology in the county.”

by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott

Westmont

Athletics ended its final season in the NAIA with the baseball team diving onto a celebratory dogpile. The Warriors secured a nail-biting 7-6 World Series victory over the hosts, LewisClark State, claiming the college’s 10th national championship. Westmont will compete in NCAA Division II this fall after more than seven decades with the NAIA. This was Westmont baseball’s first national championship and the first by a Westmont men’s team in 51 years.

Though both teams combined to commit eight errors, there were moments of brilliance, including a stellar pitching performance by Gabe Arteaga of Santa Barbara, who earned the win. Parker O’Neil walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th inning to plate the eventual deciding run. Brady Renck of Longmont, Colorado, who had two hits and scored twice, concluded the season, batting .398, and is near the top in several record career categories.

In a postgame ceremony, two Warriors were named to the All-Tournament Team. Ryan DeSaegher, who hit .375 over six games and drove in 11 runs, was named the AllTournament third baseman.

Lucien Wechsberg, who made three appearances, was named as a pitcher to the All-Tournament team. Wechsberg pitched five and two-third innings and recorded two saves. He did not allow a run and surrendered just five hits. He struck out seven and did not allow a walk.

Looking back, the Warriors began the season with new head coach Tyler LaTorre and without catcher Simon Reid, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers after his junior season. In March, the Warriors had dropped in the NAIA baseball coaches’ ranking to No. 18.

“It’s a community — this group of players is not alone,” LaTorre said. “They have faith in something greater than themselves. That shows on the field. These guys are not just playing baseball; they are playing for something bigger.”

Streamlining the County’s IT Services

Alumnus Chris Chirgwin (’95) brought more than two decades of executive IT leadership and consulting experience to Santa Barbara County as its first Chief Information Officer

Chris competed in track and field at Westmont, earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and dreamed of pursuing a career in international business. He returned home to Oregon to complete an MBA at the University of Portland and fell in love with emerging technology, enrolling in as many IT and information-systems courses as they offered. “I knew I wanted to take my career in that direction,” he says. “In the midst of the dot-com craze, things were really taking off. The internet was becoming mainstream. That whole ecosystem fascinated me.”

While at the University of Portland, he started his own web development company, teaching himself web programming languages. After earning his MBA, he began working for a Portland-area software company. During his time in Portland, he reconnected with a former classmate, Dan Hislop (’93).

“Dan told me he’d started a new job at Lanspeed, a small IT company in Santa Barbara, and they were looking for someone to lead the web development group,” Chris says. “I thought that sounded pretty good.”

Chris began a long and fruitful relationship with the IT-services firm. He started as director of web development before advancing to vice president of sales and marketing. In five years, Chris became president; a year later he purchased the company, serving as CEO and owner.

“My wife and I had welcomed our first daughter, and we were trying to decide what was next for my career,” he says. “I was looking for a new challenge.”

After 16 years, Chris sold the company and worked as a consultant to the new owner during the transition. Not long afterward, Santa Barbara County began its nationwide search for a CIO.

Chris plays an active role in the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to streamline the county’s core business processes. “We have more than 100 applications that touch finance, budgeting, HR and training, and this new ERP will reduce that number significantly and modernize many applications,” he says.

He also oversees an effort to update a public safety radio network for the county fire and sheriff’s departments, moving applications and data to the cloud to optimize resiliency and performance. “We gain a lot by sharing data across multiple departments, which have been decentralized and siloed for a long time,” he says.

He remembers encouraging conversations with Coach Russell Smelley and has monthly lunches with Roy Millender, a retired economics and business professor. “Westmont expanded my perspective and worldview,” he says. “The professors challenged me to grow as a person and think more broadly. They helped me become who I am today.”

Westmont baseball claims its first Red Banner (photo by Jacob Norling)

Athletic Director Robert Ruiz poses with the trophy

Chris Chirgwin, Santa Barbara County CIO

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

On Entertainment

Adversarial and Amusing Aromatic Adventure ‘Seared’ Arrives at New Vic

by Steven Libowitz

It’s likely that Jonathan Fox’s tenure at Ensemble Theatre Company will be seared into the local theater community’s collective memory for many years to come. ETC’s artistic director is departing after 17 years at the helm, a period that saw the company move from the quaint Alhecama Theater to the gleamingly refurbished New Vic, and produce several modern and timeless classics – including the world premiere of Fox’s own adaptation the Woody Allen movie Husbands and Wives.

But first Fox is directing Seared, Theresa Rebeck ’s culinary dramedy about a brilliant but arrogant chef whose business partner finally sees profits on the horizon, if only the chef hadn’t refused to recreate signature scallops for the masses after his signature dish gets a rave review.

The play, which is set in a restaurant kitchen and features live cooking on stage, addresses a bunch of current niches, including foodies, the entrepreneurial challenge of scaling up, and the art vs. commerce equation. The conflict comes from each of the four characters having different agendas, and while that premise isn’t revelatory, Fox said the playwright has fashioned relatable characters to move the story forward.

“Sudden success can be very tumultuous, and not everyone sees the path forward in the same way,” Fox explained. “There’s intriguing situations, lots of passion, and real questions that come up.”

The director has assembled a cast that, while all new to ETC, are at least familiar with the profession portrayed in the play. Like most in the acting world, three of the four cast members have worked in restaurants.

“They’ve experienced it from the inside and are able to bring a lot of authenticity to the parts,” he said. “As part of his research, the actor who plays the chef has actually made every single dish mentioned in the script.”

Fox expects the audience to be enthralled with the story, and it doesn’t hurt that the aromas from the cooking action will engage their sense of smell. But whatever their experience, Fox said he’s happy to be directing Seared as his last production before moving on from ETC.

“It’s a fun show to be leaving with,” he said.

Seared performs June 8-25 at The New Vic. Call (805) 965-5400 or visit www.etcsb.org.

A Melding of Strings and Styles at Ojai Music Festival

If the Music Academy’s eight-week summer festival (see separate feature) is the main course on the current classical calendar, the equally venerable Ojai Music Festival is a savory and sumptuous appetizer as the already contemporary boundary-pushing fest takes a further step afield with the highly-decorated roots music superstar Rhiannon Giddens as 2023’s musical director and nearly ubiquitous performer for the June 8-11 weekend affair. The banjo-wielding multi-hyphenate singer-instrumentalist-composer-archivist

Giddens serves up a smorgasbord of selections and has tapped a number of her colleagues in the Silk Road Ensemble, including Chinese pipa master Wu Man and Iranian-born kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor, plus Ojai vets Stephen Schick (himself a former musical director at Ojai), the percussion ensemble red fish blue fish, and the quickly-emerging Attacca Quartet (both as ensemble and individuals).

Wu Man and the Attaca will team up to perform Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera, the pioneering East-meets-West piece the pipa player has been performing with the Kronos Quartet for more than 20 years. The work evokes the spirits of Bach and Shakespeare – in the manner of ancient folk traditions and traditional shamanistic Chinese music, complete with elements of paper, water, stone, metal and vocals. This new production, created especially for Ojai, incorporates dance via dancer/choreographer PeiJu Chien-Pott and is reimagined through Jon Reimer’s direction.

“My singing and my pipa part is the ghost, and echo with the quartet, but now the dancer is like a shadow and with the lighting design it brings a new dimension to the piece, and with these musicians who are new to me, it’s very exciting for me,” she said.

Man is also eagerly anticipating her other appearances at Ojai, which include collaborating with Giddens on her own pipa-and-banjo piece based on Chinese folk tunes with Giddens also singing in Chinese.

“We’re always talking about how similar the pipa and banjo are, at least the sound and color the way we play,” she said about the four-string instruments, with the Chinese pipa dating back more than 2,000 years. “So I wrote this piece for us.”

Wu Man will also perform two other duos, both composed for her by UC San Diego colleague Lei Liang: “vis-à-vis” with Schick, and “Mother’s Songs” with Attaca violist Nathan Schram. “Pipa with the viola has never happened before, those two instruments, which should be very interesting,” she said with a laugh. Man will also perform a selection of solo pipa pieces on Sunday morning’s Early Music program. She will be world premiering work based on seven scholarly translations drawn from 25 manuscripts – part of a cache of rare documents dating to the ninth century and discovered in the Dunhuang “Library” Caves in Central Asia. “Each tune is very short, maybe a minute and a half. But you can totally taste the music, which is a combination between Central Asia, European, and Chinese colors; a very different musical scale. It’s just amazing. I can’t wait to share with the audience and see what they think of this kind of music.”

Which probably holds true for both audience and performer for the full four-day festival. Visit www.ojaifestival.org for details and tickets.

To perform his role, Andrew Elvis Miller had to learn how to cook each dish in the play (photo by Zach Mendez)

Wu Man (left) and several of her fellow Silk Road Ensemble members have been tapped to perform at the Ojai Festival (photo by Max Whittaker)

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

The Giving List New Beginnings

by Steven Libowitz

When New Beginnings began serving Santa Barbara as a nonprofit half a century ago, providing confidential, therapeutic psychological testing, assessment, and counseling to low-income individuals and families in the greater Santa Barbara area was its core mission.

Experienced masters-and-doctoral-level counselors support clients exploring life transitions, relationship issues, and any number of other concerns – including anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, abuse, compulsive behaviors, substance abuse, job loss, stress, aging, isolation, and anger management. New Beginnings has always worked on a pay-what-you-can basis, offering the most affordable sliding scale fee in the area, based on income and other financial circumstances.

But in recent years, the organization has recognized the interconnectivity of other issues for its clients and moved to address those areas by establishing new programs. While counseling remains a foundational program for the agency, there are three new programs that now form a four-pillar approach to achieving its mission to provide quality, affordable counseling, shelter, case management, and education; offerings that strengthen the community and provide clients with the ability to lead healthy and productive lives.

Its Safe Parking Program – which provides safe overnight parking to individuals and families living in their vehicles – is the first of its kind in the nation and has been replicated by dozens of communities, while its Rapid Rehousing component involves case management to transition program participants into permanent housing and employment.

New Beginnings’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families program – with the lofty aim of ending veteran homelessness within Santa Barbara County – helps veterans attain housing stability through short-term case management and financial assistance, and its Life Skills Parenting & Education Program teaches critical hands-on skills,

mindfulness strategies, and overall life skills to those who need practical tools to establish and maintain stability in their home environments.

One result of all that good work, though, has been that the expansion of services rendered its headquarters in downtown Santa Barbara far too small and obsolete.

“We’ve been needing to hire additional staff – just in a counseling area alone – as the number of associates and psych assistants that we had was increasing to the point where we just literally didn’t have sufficient capacity,” explained Executive Director Kristine Schwarz . “There simply wasn’t enough space for anybody.”

A second office to house the Safe Parking and Rapid Rehousing program specialists came with its own set of issues because of the logistics, she said.

“It was really difficult for the staff and wasn’t good for any sort of collaboration or coordination, not at all efficient or expedient. It made it very challenging to have resource-sharing across programs, when sometimes minutes can make a difference between getting somebody into housing or not.”

When the homeless services programs continued to expand as a result of additional CARES funding and the investment that the state is making into addressing homelessness, there was thought of adding a third office.

Instead, New Beginnings decided to take a prompt from its own name and find a

Safe Parking client Brad smiling in his new home

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Brilliant Thoughts Something I Ate

by Ashleigh Brilliant

You are a stranger on the road, passing within sight of a dwelling. The people who live there invite you to come and share their meal. It doesn’t sound that remarkable. It might almost be Biblical. And in a way, it was – because this happened in the Land of the Bible. But it was modern Israel, and I, in my late teens, was the traveler – hitchhiking at that time in the north of the country, only five years after it had become a State. What made that meal particularly memorable for me was that my unexpected hosts were Bedouin Arabs, and at the time of its birth, this country had had to fight for survival against all the surrounding Arab countries, from which came armies of invaders.

But Israel still had a large Arab population (which indeed is proportionately even larger today) and the peace which prevailed was a very uneasy one, with “terrorist” incidents disturbingly frequent. But these people were inviting me to be a guest in their hillside tent, under the legendary Arab code of hospitality. So, since I was hungry anyway, I happily accepted, glad to have this new experience. Our communication had to be through the children, who had learned a little English in school. There was no furniture in the tent, so we were all sitting on cushions on the ground. Our simple repast was, of course, based on the type of Arab bread with which people today have become more familiar.

What I remember even more than the meal itself was that, when I was leaving, the children ran after me offering coins (which of course I didn’t accept); apparently another part of the hospitality code that I hadn’t heard about before.

Another meal that haunts my memory – for very different reasons – was partaken of as part of my professorship on board a “floating university” sailing around the world. We were visiting Japan, and I was a guest teacher at a High School English class there. It was winter, and quite cold, but there appeared to be no heating system in the school, yet all the classroom windows were open. I naturally was hoping for some opportunity to get warm. When lunch time finally came, I was taken to the “faculty lounge,” and they did indeed have some kind of wood or coal-burning stove in the center of the room. I was told that lunch was on the way, and of course what I longed for was a good hot meal. Maybe you can guess

what it turned out to be. That’s right – the least appetizing to me that it could possibly be: COLD FISH. I had never been fond of “sushi,” but under those circumstances I found it absolutely revolting.

Of course, I had to avoid offending my hosts, so I made a pretense of eating, and even enjoying, what was served. But this was one of the most ghastly eating experiences of my life.

As the setting of one of my least likely, or most surprising, gastronomic memories, I would nominate Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Within living memory, along with Timbuktu, Lhasa has long been considered a byword for strangeness, remoteness, and inaccessibility. None of these supposed features discouraged my wife Dorothy, however, who specialized in traveling to the hitherto virtually unknown. And sure enough, since the demise of “Red China,” it had indeed become much easier, purely for the purposes of tourism, to reach that fabled objective. I accompanied my spouse on this adventure, and I was quite prepared for all kinds of hardship, particularly in such matters as accommodation and eateries. I was therefore astonished to find that among the facilities now offered to Lhasa visitors was a purely western-style Holiday Inn, with its own cafeteria!

But for an eating surprise in reverse, I offer you a delectable fruit I was delighted to discover on a first visit to Costa Rica. It had many large seeds buried in the pulp, but, once these were removed, what was left was extraordinarily juicy and flavorful. It was called a cherimoya, and when we came home to Sana Barbara I lost no time in announcing my discovery – only to find that what to me was something new and exciting was, in fact, well-known, and was actually grown and sold locally! The only way of dealing with my chagrin was to start growing cherimoyas, quite successfully, in my own garden.

show Truth or Consequences, for which Milt had become a writer.

Their wedding was held at their beachfront property in Montecito on August 27, 1989; it was a first marriage for both. He was 55, she 39. They had agreed to marry some months before but kept putting it off, afraid they’d spoil what had been a great 20-year friendship. Milt decided, however, that the marriage should happen and that they should throw a party where they would announce their engagement and a wedding day.

What Arlene and nearly all the invitees didn’t know was that Milt had decided the actual wedding would take place at the party.

His days as chief writer for Truth or Consequences – whereupon the subject would be kept in the dark – played into his plans, and it all worked out, even though his Best Man – Milt’s brother – never showed up and hadn’t been told of the wedding arrangement. Instead, Milt’s longtime friend Richard Sherman (the two met as teenagers) served as Best Man. Sherman and his brother Bob were the Sherman Brothers songwriting team, whose successful tunes ranged from Disney World’s “It’s a Small World” to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and the score for Mary Poppins, The Parent Trap, and many others in between.

In 1974, Milt opened the Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica, and went to England to gather the material he used to build the inside of the theater, that included a half-circular bar, ornate structures galore, and even the chairs. He, Dick Sherman, Arlene, John Shrum (Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show art director), and Toni Kaye (choreographer for The Carol Burnett Show), worked together to put on Music Hall-type performances featuring old English songs, and specialty acts (including a doctor-witha-seal routine that never quite got itself together).

The Mayfair Music Hall is gone now but it lives on in two movies: Harriet & Walter Go To New York (starring Elliott Gould, James Caan, Michael Caine, and Diane Keaton), and Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks’s send-up of gothic horror that starred Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, and Gene Hackman. Dr. Frankenstein’s hilarious “Puttin’ On The Ritz” medical re-animation demonstration takes place at the Mayfair.

One of the last things he did before his death was to write a song that he’d In Remembrance Page 304

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.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

After leaving a successful legal career, Milt’s father, William Larsen, Sr., created a magic family traveling act – an early source of magical inspiration for Milt (Courtesy photo)

Milt was a writer for the classic game show Truth or Consequences – it was also where he would meet his future wife, Arlene, a costume designer for the show (Courtesy photo)

pant drug use and a ‘chop shop’ of stolen bike parts. We even found an improvised skateboard park. And there was a massive crowd camping across from the cemetery, an absolute party scene. We found out the main character was in that spot because his parents had thrown him out of their family home. We persuaded his mother to take him back in.

Q. From day one, I have been so impressed by the way you follow the homeless people we meet with your big spreadsheet with names and descriptions that you continually update with information about this and that person. Including all sorts of details like where they are from, what drugs they have been using, who they have partnered with, where they hang out during different parts of the days and weeks.

A. It’s called a “named list.” You use that named list to start working with people and digging into what they need: What are we doing for Joe? He might need detox. But Marlene, she might just need a bus ticket to go home to her mom. It’s humanitarian to follow individual people, always asking what they need, what should we try this time that didn’t work previously. The named list also helps you evaluate yourself, figure out how well you are doing, and it allows us to share information with our partners like Citynet, government agencies, and so on.

Q. I know you count about 35 people as having been served by the program each year, but I always wonder, how many of them have stayed off the streets?

A. Of the 35 that are we following now, I’m proud to say that three of them have been housed permanently. Another two we housed for two years, and they stayed in their housing but recently decided to go back on the streets. At least 25 have left Santa Barbara/Montecito for other nearby environs, and some of them migrated to other parts of the county. It’s a very transient population, they don’t have a home base, and many of the people we encounter aren’t from Santa Barbara. I’m thinking for example about these three young guys who were camping near the Bird Refuge; they were from San Francisco but somehow decided to come here for the summer, then they went back up there.

Q. What about three elements of homelessness that make people hard to work with: drugs, crime, and mental illness?

A. There’s a lot of drugs, and there’s a lot of intra-homeless crime. They steal each other’s drugs. Last year, someone allegedly sexually assaulted another homeless guy’s girlfriend. For homeless women, fear of sexual assault turns out to be a big issue, and it’s one of the reasons why we have women experiencing homelessness coming down the railroad tracks from Santa Barbara into Montecito. There are fewer homeless people here, and they want to escape from aggressive men who might be in the big encampments downtown. Mental illness – well, you know we have a manifestation of that issue right here in Montecito ....

Q. You are referring of course to the individual who lives in front of Pointe Market on Coast Village Road. I see her almost every morning when I go to get my coffee and paper. I try to talk to this person, and I know the name, but I get the impression this person considers me a busybody associated with helping the homeless – a label with which the individual does not want to be associated.

A. There might be light at the end of the tunnel for this individual, who is suffering from an acute mental illness. Even in the three years we have been dealing with this individual, she has gone downhill physically and mentally, and we’ve been in contact several times with the distraught daughter and sister, who have witnessed a long slide into mental illness. In California you can’t force someone into treatment, so Governor Newsom pushed through the CARES Act, which allows first responders and social workers to refer a person showing signs of acute mental illness to the court system. It’s being rolled out county-by-county, and Santa Barbara is scheduled to adopt its legal framework regarding this law by 2024. I promise all Montecitans, we will be nudging this person into that system. When you think we have devoted so many resources to this one person, we could be helping 15 people. We have referred that individual to assisted outreach treatment, three times to adult protective services, and to the public defender who wants to help because this individual has an outstanding warrant for trespassing.

Q. This would be a major accomplishment ‘lighting this one little candle’ for our village, and such a step forward for this senior citizen – about whom so many of us worry. But turning to the big picture, so often you and I have spoken about Santa Monica’s management of the homeless, and their large number of available shelter beds that give their homeless outreach teams a strong talking point to persuade people to get out of their tents and to come indoors. This is related to the now-infamous “Boise decision” by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which holds that unless a city or county has enough beds available for every unhoused person, the government cannot enforce no-camping, no-sitting, or no-lying ordinances. Do you see any movement toward getting more beds made available here in Santa Barbara, since our numbers of unhoused

are not in the tens of thousands like L.A.?

A. That’s the goal. The county – and I still sit on the county’s Behavioral Wellness Commission – is trying to achieve this by partnering with Dignity Moves to build three more of the ‘tiny house’ communities as quickly as possible. We already have hundreds of shelter beds available throughout the county. I would say, if things go well with this new program, we might be able within two years to have enough places so that everyone can be offered a bed. And hopefully that will mean we can outlaw tent camping, and that will mean fewer fires being set, hopefully less crime among the homeless, and so on. It’s important to get people off the streets so that we can interview them, help distinguish between people who have chosen a lifestyle of living on the street and don’t ever want to come indoors, and the people who desperately need help.

Q. The ‘tiny home’ concept seems to be working in other places too, such as two sites in L.A. County. But have you folks on the Be Well Commission considered what will happen after the three-year leases expire? Are the leases renewable?

A. I don’t know what will happen with the tiny homes in the long run, but I do think solutions like this are what we need to do.

Q. I want to join you in being very hopeful that this vision will come to fruition. It does seem, though, that mitigating the goal of housing the unhoused is the ever-skyrocketing cost of housing in South Santa Barbara County. Montecito of course being the crown jewel in terms of housing prices – clearly people at this economic rung aren’t going to move to our village – but we keep seeing examples like in Isla Vista, the disappearance of relatively affordable apartments.

A. I see housing in Santa Barbara County going in two very divergent directions. If what we are going to build is more and more expensive housing, we are going to displace more and more people. If rents are going to continue to rise and everything we construct is luxury, then there won’t be places where the formerly-housed can rent when they find a basic job and want a basic apartment. There was a fancy apartment complex called The Marc that came online in 2016, and I remember they started charging $2,700 for a one-bedroom. Then people who owned other apartments, not even nice apartments, then raised their rents to $2,500. And now prices are going higher and higher. We are continuing to build nothing but very expensive stuff, there’s going to be nothing for the people at the bottom of the rung to rent. And we have timeshares and vacation rentals taking more rental homes off the market.

Q. What can we do?

A. The best thing our most generous Montecito villagers can do is to continue to support programs like Hands Across Montecito and our partners Citynet, Dignity Moves, Heal the Ocean, New Beginnings and any of the other nonprofits that are working so diligently to serve the larger community by reaching out to those who haven’t had access to the American Dream.

Master Gardener and environmental advocate Eileen White Read, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and retired nonprofit CEO, has spent 27 years in Santa Barbara County, the past decade at the beach at Montecito’s Bonnymede with her husband, Charles, an energy lawyer. She co-chairs its Landscaping Committee, which is spearheading a renaissance of the condo community’s environmentally fragile eleven acres.

Ultimately, it’s your experience that matters.

We do everything with that idea clearly in mind. So, go ahead, enjoy yourself with great amenities and social opportunities. Savor fine dining every day. And feel assured that assisted living services are always available if needed.

Lunch & Learn | THURS., JUNE 22ND • 11:30AM

Join us for a presentation on our beautiful community. Afterwards, take a tour and enjoy lunch. To RSVP, please call 805.319.4379.

Avikrita Vajra Sakya Rinpoche will be visiting Tara Ling SB sangha to offer teachings. Also in attendance will be H.E. Jamyang Dagmo Sakya a Tibetan princess [Princess in the Land of Snows], two of her Lamas’ sons with their wives, and her grandson –the current Head Lama of Sakya Monastery.

Attendees will be guided and learn FourArmed Chenrezig Initiation, Chenrezig Phowa Transmission & Teaching, and Padmasambhava Life Empowerment. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is required.

Organizing the event is Vidya Carmen Gauci, the resident lay teacher of Tara Ling SB. She has been offering classes in classic teachings of Tibetan Buddhism at the request of Lama Dagmola since 2012. Tara Ling SB is a volunteer-based, non-sectarian, nonprofit Tibetan Buddhist center, supported through donations from the local sangha of students.

In an email interview, Gauci shared:

Q. Why was Santa Barbara selected to have a Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism?

A. H.E. Jamyang Dagmo Sakya (Lama Dagmola) has been offering Tibetan Buddhist teachings and initiations at the invitation of her many close SB students since the late 1990s. In 2001, The Dalai Lama-Endowed Chair of Tibetan Studies was established at UCSB, and several of the teachers in this program at UCSB are Lama Dagmola’s close students who invited her to offer teachings locally.

Tara Ling SB was established in 2012 when Lama Dagmola asked me, as one of her close long-term students, to lead this satellite center of Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism.

There are two Tara Ling satellite centers established by Lama Dagmola at the specific request made to her by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness gave the name “Tara Ling” and he specifically wished to see Lama Dagmola, as one of a handful of revered senior Tibetan women teachers in the West, offer authentic Tibetan Buddhist teachings in the non-sectarian tradition to sincere students in Southern California. Lama Dagmola is a highly qualified senior lama (now 89) and matriarch of the Sakya-Kohn family.

Q. How did you get involved in the center and why?

A. I am originally from New York, and since age 20 have been a dedicated yoga and dharma practitioner. I began in the Vedanta tradition of Hinduism and lived as a monastic resident at the New York Vedanta Society in New York City for seven years while I completed my fine arts degree with a minor in philosophy, taught art at Marymount High School, and trained for a monastic vocation under the close guidance of the Head Swami.

I moved to the Vedanta Temple and Convent in SB, to officially become a nun in the Ramakrishna Order. I lived, studied, and practiced there as a nun for five years, and offered service in sacred art, having trained at the School of Sacred Arts in New York City.

When I came out of the convent, I took yoga teacher training at the SB Yoga Center, and took classes by a UCSB Tibetan Buddhist teacher at the Unitarian Society of SB. This teacher kindly introduced me to one of his root Lamas, which was Lama Dagmola, who became my root Lama in 2002. She officiated my wedding in 2006 and has been my principal teacher and spiritual mentor ever since. This UCSB teacher went on to establish the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies (SBI) in 2003, and asked me to teach and offer local dharma classes in Tibetan Buddhism as well as coach meditation. I assisted in offering many dharma retreats with SBI in Santa Barbara. Many of the students from the SBI dharma study group that I led became students of Tara Ling Santa Barbara.

I had my Vidya Gauci Decorative Fine Arts business for 15 years and won commissions to do the ceiling art at the Santa Barbara Airport and co-design the floor mosaic with colleague Lori Ann David. I completed decorative fine art installations for many prominent private and commercial clients and properties in Montecito and SB and am presently retired from this business.

confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

The Tara Ling Santa Barbara group at their SB center (photo by Juan Pinnel)

Her Eminence Jamyang Dagmo Sakya and Vidya Gauci at the SB Tara Ling Center (photo by Juan Pinnel)

Gerald and Carol Smith, Virginia Lee Harvey-Troesch, Nancy Read, Ray and Mary Freeman, Firooz Zahedi, Jim and Della Peterson, Alpha Resource Center Executive Director Josh Weitzman with wife Jamie; David and Louise Borgatello; Gary and Susan Gulbransen; and Lucrezia DeLeon. Also, Hillside President and CEO Michael Rassler with wife Ruth; Director of Operations Gail Metzger; Director of Nursing

Nonye Ogoamaka RN, MBA; Board Chair Brad Frohling with wife Cynthia; Vice Chair Norris Goss with husband Barry; Board members Kirk Gilbert MD with wife Pam, Nancy Werner with husband Russ; Hady Izadpanah; Alma J. Janabajab; Lisa Wilcox with husband Jim; Chief Development Officer Cheryl Sweeney with husband Tim; Development Assistant Elizabeth Arendt; new Marketing and Events Manager

Angela De Bruyn; committee members and event contributors Carol Fell with husband Doug; Jan Kopf with husband Bob, and artist Jessika Cardinahl

Rassler and Frohling welcomed the guests and thanked key sponsors and their staff. Program keynote speakers Lisa and Jim Wilcox shared about being parents of a child with a disability; “Shalom, we wish you shalom – peace. The divorce rate for parents with a disabled child is 95%. We are married 32 years, it has been hard, and we are thankful for Hillside where our son lives. We thank you for being here to support Hillside.”

Goss presented the Person of Purpose Award to Virginia Lee Harvey-Troesch, and Metzger presented the Advancing Abilities Award to Jose Silva, Facilities Director with Hillside for 16 years.

Emcee Drew Wakefield raised $27.5K for the five listed live auction items along with a Sunstone Winery event added by John Price during the auction. He then raised over $20K during the Ask. The event concluded with live music and conversation. For donations and to schedule a visit of Hillside House, see 411.

411: www.hillsidesb.org

Angie Huff, Architect

Andrew and Jordan Dohogne, Janna and John Price, and Olivia McGovern and Jason Price (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Jim and Marcia Wolfe with Jamie and Josh Weitzman (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

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

Zacharias, Kerry Methner, Erin Graffy, Christopher Lancashire, Jane Lynch, Mary Dorra, and Jane De Hart

An evening of decidedly high note...

SEE the Sistine

No need to crane your neck seeing Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Vatican’s iconic Sistine Chapel.

The internationally acclaimed exhibition of the glorious artwork has just opened at the Old Mission with the reproduction in a format that allows art lovers to get face-to-face with the legendary masterpiece through 34 artfully displayed reproductions, including world renowned pieces like The Last Judgment and The Creation of Adam

“This exhibition is like a sanctuary, you’re transformed into a completely different world,” says Martin Biallas, CEO of Los

Angeles-based SEE Global Entertainment, producer of the colorful exhibit.

“When I visited the Sistine Chapel in Rome there were long lines and we were rushed through. This exhibit allows everyone an opportunity to see the amazing art at their pace and up-close, and at an affordable price so they can enjoy an inspiring and unforgettable experience.”

The heavenly show, brought to you by state-of-the-art technology, is on exhibit at the Mission’s Serra Chapel and Friar’s Lounge through September 4.

Compared to the price of a round trip air ticket to the Eternal City and a room at the Hotel Hassler Roma — one of my favorite hostelries overlooking the Spanish Steps, and just a few Gucci-clad footsteps from the Via Condotti — this viewing is an absolute bargain.

Among those at the opening of the

Maria McCall, Adam McKaig, John Stampe (kneeling), Fr. Joe Schwab, Majalisa Van Thyne, Mary Hudson, Connie Casas, Melissa Borders, and Nadia Bernardi

bustling Buonarroti bash were Mayor Randy Rowse , Roger and Debby

Dan, Mayor Randy Rowse, Donna Reeves, and Wilson Quarre

Michalengo’s “The Great Flood” with Joel and Jamie Knee, and Joan and Jerry Rocco (photo by Priscilla)

Aceves , Das Williams , David Bolton , Janet Garufis , George and Laurie

Leis , Dana Hansen , Christopher Lancashire , Donna Reeves , Adam McKaig , Oscar Gutierrez , Gretchen Lieff , Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey Nowak , Maria McCall , Gillian Launie , Maitland Ward ,

John Palminteri , Luke Swetland , Wilson Quarre and Peggy Wiley , and Mark Whitehurst

Land on the Horizon

Actor Kevin Costner, 68, has mortgaged a ten-acre plot of prime undeveloped coastline on Padaro Lane in order to finance the development of his forthcoming

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EXPIRATION SELL-BY SHOPPING-LIST

PLAN BULK LEFTOVERS

FOODBANK FREEZE USE-BY

David Bolton, Peggy Wiley, Fr.

(photo by Priscilla)

(photo by Priscilla)

Western movie franchise Horizon

“I’ve mortgaged ten acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house,” the Oscar winner tells Deadline. “But I did it without a thought.

“It has thrown my accountant into a f**king conniption fit. But it’s my life and I believe in the idea and the story.”

Costner, who has been trying to bring the four-part movie series to life for more than 30 years is thought to have personally raised up to $50 million of Horizon’s $100 million budget with the move.

But he says it will be the last time.

“I’ll tell you what. I’m never gonna do this again. I’m never putting my f**cking money into another movie after these four,” he fumed.

Costner has quite a property portfolio, including a 160-acre ranch near Aspen, Colorado, and three side-by-side oceanfront properties in Carpinteria, plus the ten-acre parcel of land he just mortgaged.

He bought his first property in the town in the late 1980s, the second a decade later, and a third in 2017.

The parcel of land, which has a small cottage on it, was purchased in 2006 for $28.5 million. Part of the property was sold off in 2009, and he put the remaining ten acres up for sale for $60 million in 2017.

For the Love of Steve

TV talk show host and singer Kelly Clarkson has paid homage to Montecito funnyman Steve Martin, 77, and his role in the 2009 film It’s Complicated co-starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, which was filmed in Santa Barbara.

In her just released new single “I Hate Love,” Clarkson, the first American Idol winner in 2002, features a reference to Martin in her lyrics – and he is also playing banjo on the track.

“I hate love, and The Notebook lied,” she sings. “It’s Complicated is more like what happens, so you can keep Gosling and I’ll take Steve Martin.”

Clarkson, 41, saw Martin play banjo on live streamed videos during the early days of the pandemic and talked to her record producer about it. Martin quickly responded positively to coming on board with the project.

“My ideal moment is his coming on my talk show and then us performing it, but I’ll take him just coming on the show so we can talk and hang out so I can, like, meet him,” she says.

A dynamic duo, indeed...

Court Inquiry

The U.S. government will appear in federal court this week to answer questions regarding Riven Rock resident Prince Harry’s visa application after he admitted using illegal drugs.

The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C. based conservative think tank, is suing President Joe Biden’s administration to force officials to release the Duke of Sussex’s immigration files.

The organization wants to know how King Charles III’s youngest son managed to get into the U.S. considering his admissions in his bestselling memoir Spare to using cocaine, cannabis, and magic mushrooms.

The case is being held in front of a federal judge in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, with the U.S. Government also represented.

A decision to unseal immigration records could have major implications for Harry’s residential status in the U.S. given an admission of drug use can see a visa application rejected.

The Heritage Foundation is aiming to establish whether Harry’s drug revelations in Spare were mentioned in his visa application.

Stay tuned....

Shining a Light on Compassionate Care

Compassionate Care of Carpinteria had a record turnout of more than 150 guests when it hosted its fifth annual The Light Shines Ahead lunch at the Rincon Beach Club, raising around $40,000.

The boffo bash – chaired by Marybeth Carty – featured guitarist Hector Hurtado’s music before speeches from David Selberg, Hospice of Santa Barbara CEO, and Adriana Marroquin, CCC’s community manager, and an energized money-raiser led by the ubiquitous Geoff Green, head honcho of the City College Foundation.

Guest speakers were Beth Cox, who lost her father to melanoma just 26 days after diagnosis, and Virginia Benson Wigle, whose husband was taken by cancer. Wigle has since set up the fundraising charity Starfish Connection, which facilitates emergency gap grants to those facing sudden financial crises.

Among supporters turning out were former district attorney Joyce Dudley, Das Williams, Carpinteria mayor Al Miscellany Page 284

Marybeth Carty, guest speakers Beth Cox and Virginia Benson Wigle, and David Selberg (photo by Christopher Davis)

Bravo Gustavo

The venerable Granada was not surprisingly sold out when the Los

Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra under Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel performed for the last concert of CAMA’s 104th season international series. It was one of the last chances to see Dudamel, 42, at the orchestra’s helm – he took over from Finn Esa-Pekka Salonen who had been in charge for 17 years in

Our Focus

Helping to relieve human suffering by providing grants to local agencies whose missions focus on areas of health care, emotional support, palliative and hospice care.

Our Promise

OF SANTA BARBARA

~ founded in 1956 ~

“Our mind is enriched by what we receive, our heart by what we give.”

- Victor Hugo

WEBSITE: stfrancisfoundationsb.org

PHONE:

(805) 563-4702

PLEASE CONTACT: Tina Frontado, Executive Director tina@stfrancisfoundationsb.org

for a conversation regarding donor advised funds, legacy giving, bequests, grants and more.

All donations go to those directly in need. ALL fees associated with our Foundation’s operating costs are covered by the Foundation. No amount of your donation goes toward overhead.

Our Vision

With cherished memories of the past, and a vision to the future, we look forward to continuing to assist those most in need in our community. We invite all who share in our vision to join us in our mission.

“Throughout our 15-year relationship, Manchester Capital Management has been honored to offer St. Francis Foundation our financial expertise and unwavering support in their mission to help those in need within our community.”

2009 – before he heads to the East Coast as musical director of the New York Philharmonic in 2026.

The musicians, who are also celebrating their 104th anniversary, have visited our Eden by the Beach an astounding 300 times in that period, with 145 appearances at the Granada.

The concert also marked the retirement of CAMA president, Robert Montgomery , after eight and a half years.

After two experimental world premieres of Ellen Reid ’s “West Coast Sky Eternal,” commissioned by the orchestra, and Gabriella Smith’ s plucky performance of “Lost Coast: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra” with Gabriel Cabezas, the concert ended with Beethoven’s instantly recognizable “Symphony No.7 in A major.”

The LA Phil returns to our rarefied enclave on Dec. 12 under conductor emeritus Zubin Mehta with works by Schumann and Mahler.

A Salute to the Memorial Day Ceremony

Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation had a record turnout of more than 1,000 people when it held its annual Memorial Day ceremony at Santa Barbara Cemetery.

The Pledge of Allegiance was read by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Patricia Rumpza , with the national anthem sung by retired police sergeant David Gonzales

Santa Barbara Choral Society, under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman, sang the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “America the Beautiful,” while the Prime Time Band played the “Washington Post March” and “76 Trombones,” and the Gold Coast Pipe Band rendered the bagpipe classic “The Green Hills of Tyrol.”

The colorful and solemn ceremo-

ny wrapped with Bob Burtness and Howard Hudson playing “Taps” and an impressive flyover of the 61-year-old six plane Condor Squadron.

Guest speakers included Col. Robert Long, commander at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, and Lt. Christian Sandstedt of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Black Fin

House on the Market

Billionaire Bruce Kovner, 78, has put his Carpinteria home on the market for $55 million.

The impressive house is one of two mansions in the Loon Point compound, which he originally marketed for $160 million.

Caxton Associates founder Kovner spent 14 years assembling The Summit, with several properties being swallowed up in the venture along the way.

The new property on the market is an 11,000 square foot Mediterraneanstyle house with five bedrooms and nine bathrooms, ensconced in more Miscellany Page 334

Clark, Laura Capps, Tina Frontado, Randy and Dana VanderMey, Lynda Fairly, Evan Turpin, and Heidi Holly.

Morgan and AJ Bluhm with Chris and Mandy Gocong (photo by Christopher Davis)

Dana VanderMey, Heidi Holly, Dianne Travis-Teague, and Charles Caldwell (photo by Christopher Davis)

The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation held its annual Memorial Day ceremony with over 1,000 community members in attendance (photo by Christopher Davis)

Past MJ writer Lynda Millner with her husband Don Seth, 95, a Merchant Marine and the only WWII Veteran at the ceremony (photo by Christopher Davis)

The ceremony was filled with patriotic song, words, and moments (photo by Christopher Davis)

- Cory Boggs, Wealth Manager Manchester Capital Management

Perched

1759 S JAMESON LANE, MONTECITO, CA 93108

@CARUSOS @CARUSOS

promised to both his wife, Arlene, and his “bookie” wife, Carol Marie (she kept the books). It’s called “My Two Loves” and it’s been professionally recorded; Richard Sherman put it to music; Arlene was too emotionally broken up to play it or read it for me.

Milt’s only frustration, Arlene says, is that he couldn’t help her more with the Magic Castle Cabaret the couple created in the former Café Del Sol location on Los Patos Way in Montecito.

The couple’s motto in life was “If it’s not fun, we don’t want to do it,” and they absolutely lived by that maxim.

There will be a private memorial held at the 1,238-seat Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles in due time. The theater is the first location where Milt ever performed his magic, some 64 years ago (1959).

Milt Larsen’s legacy (of which Arlene is a major factor) includes Pazzazz! The Musical, Hollywood’s Magic Castle, the “Smash Flops” collection of humorous songs with Richard Sherman, Victory Canteen with Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters (script by Milt Larsen and Bobby Lauher, songs by the Sherman Brothers), the Variety Arts Center, DAWGS! The Musical, It’s Magic!, Caesars Magical Empire

theater) and much, much more. Milt

UC

Shark Shark Night Night

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

at Caesars Palace (replaced by Celine Dion’s

Larsen’s entire vaudeville collection has been donated to and is now housed at

Santa Barbara.

Milt and Arlene at the Magic Castle Cabaret opening (photo by Don Seth)

DAWGS! The Musical is one of many of Milt’s endeavors that epitomized his love for laughter and entertaining others (Courtesy photo)

Milt with Carol Marie, his longtime bookkeeper, at the Magic Castle Cabaret (photo by Don Seth)

asked a few questions in Spanish and was nervously handed a burner phone to talk to the ‘boss,’ in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, or Santa Clarita. The ‘boss’ didn’t care that they might be violating labor and county regulations, and neither did the ‘boss’ care about their worker.

These are indicators of labor exploitation, and likely human trafficking, where the person vending is coerced by organized criminal forces. I contacted the sheriffs and the District Attorney, as they investigate human trafficking cases, and they responded quickly.

Next door, the City of Santa Barbara is deluged with illegal food cart operators. The mayor observed a flatbed unloading a slew of carts on the waterfront early in the morning. The vendors are made to operate all day and then get picked up at night. We attended a city meeting on this, as the city is three weeks into enforcement operations, and struggling. We asked the District Attorney, Sheriff, the Mayor, and city council if a human trafficking operation is masquerading as food cart vendors. We also asked for, and received, assistance from our Assembly Rep Gregg Hart to connect with the Attorney General’s office, as they have human trafficking resources.

Labor trafficking is a massive statewide problem. Kern and Tulare counties have done some great work on it, and our Sheriff and District Attorney are very good at human trafficking investigations.

The taco truck operator, for instance – had they queried how to get a permit to operate in Montecito – would have learned the same thing we did: food trucks are not allowed per the Montecito Land Use codes, and you can’t obtain a license from the county to vend roadside.

What about the workers who need lunch?

We understand people felt sorry for the workers who patronized the taco truck. Regrettably, with the closure of Little Alex’s and Giovanni’s, there are now very few options for a quick, affordable lunch in Montecito. We would be willing to work with our local businesses to encourage them to develop offerings to meet that need.

To change the Montecito Land Use codes to permit food trucks would require Planning and Development. Their queue is notoriously backed up. We have been waiting for a Vacation Rental Ordinance for five years. We also would like to see a Formula Business ordinance, to protect the Montecito Village from big box stores. Neighbors who’ve long contended with problematic STRs might not agree with prioritizing food trucks above their concerns.

A food truck ordinance would also require the county to regulate the food trucks –hours of operation and locations they can operate. Can any taco truck from L.A. or San Luis Obispo get a permit? Or would it be restricted to South-Coast based operators?

We hope this helps clarify what looked like a simple situation, and turned out to be rather complicated, with possible ramifications in human rights.

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association

A larger roadside operation spotted in town

Another example of roadside vendor sales spotted in the Montecito area

MONTECITO PLANNING COMMISSION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING*

DATE OF HEARING: JUNE 21, 2023

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The following methods of participation are available to the public.

1. You may observe the live stream of the Montecito Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV-Livestream; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20

2. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:

• Distribution to the Montecito Planning Commission - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

• Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting in-person.

• Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the Montecito Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar.

When: June 21, 2023 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Montecito Planning Commission 06/21/2023

Register in advance for this webinar: https://countyofsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_olD3btqjQx-EEDYWWKQzFg

OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

The Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of the participation methods listed above.

The Montecito Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Montecito Planning Commission. Anyone interested in this matter is invited to speak in support or in opposition to the projects. Written comments are also welcome. All letters should be addressed to the Montecito Planning Commission, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, California, 93101. Letters, with nine copies, and computer materials, e.g. PowerPoint presentations, should be filed with the secretary of the Planning Commission no later than 12:00 P.M. on the Friday before the Montecito Planning Commission hearing. The decision to accept late materials will be at the discretion of the Montecito Planning Commission. Maps and/or staff analysis of the proposals may be reviewed at https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/hearings/mpc.sbc or by appointment by calling (805) 568-2000.

If you challenge the project(s) 22LLA-00000-00001, 23MOD-00001, or 22DVP-00000-00020 in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Montecito Planning Commission prior to the public hearing.

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

* This is a partial listing of the items to be heard at the Montecito Planning Commission Hearing of June 21, 2023.

22LLA-00000-00001 Heart So Big LLC/Lamborn

23MOD-00001 Family Trust Lot Line Adjustment

Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Sections 15305

Hearing on the request of Hearts So Big, LLC and Lamborn Family Trust to consider:

• Case No. 22LLA-00000-00001, to adjust the property lines between two legal lots of 0.925 acres and 0.290 acres to reconfigure into two legal lots of 0.92 acres and 0.295 acres, on property located in the OneFamily Residential (2-E-1) Zone, pursuant to Section 21-90 of County Code Chapter 21 and Section 35-134 of Article II;

• Case No. 23MOD-00004, to allow for a side setback encroachment of less than 1% by an existing single-family dwelling pursuant to Section 35-179 of Article II;

• Case No. 3CDP-00029 to adjust the property lines between two legal lots of 0.925 acres and 0.290 acres to reconfigure into two legal lots of 0.92 acres and 0.295 acres, on pr operty located in the One-Family Residential (2-E-1) Zone , pursuant to Section 35-169 of Article II; and

• Determine the project is exempt from environmental review pursuant to Section 15305 of the State Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

No physical development is proposed. The application involves Assessor Parcel Nos. 009-170-073 and 009-170-056, located at 1188 Summit Road and 1171 Mesa Lane in the Montecito Community Plan area on property located in the One-Family Residential (2-E-1) Zone, First Supervisorial District.

22DVP-00000-00020 Brown Addition Development Plan

Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301, 15303

Hearing on the request of Anthony O. Brown, Property Owner and Applicant, to consider:

• Case No. 22DVP-00000-00020 for approval of a Development Plan to allow a 390 square-foot (gross) two-story addition and minor exterior alterations to an existing single-family dwelling in compliance with Section 35.472.080 of the Montecito Land Use and Development Code (MLUDC); and,

• Determine the project is exempt from environmental review pursuant to Sections 15301 and 15303 of the State Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project is located at 2350 Bella Vista Drive in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.

MONTECITO COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION RECORDING SECRETARY (568-2000)

Published June 7, 2023

Montecito Journal

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Ray Walker Design, 519 W. Quinto St, Apt A, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Stitch House LLC, 2636 Woodstock Rd, Upper Arlington, OH, 43221. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on May 17, 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. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2023-0001294.

Published May 31, June 7, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Utopia Technology; Montecito Security Systems, 27 W. Anapamu St, Suite 316, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. James Budow, 27 W. Anapamu St, Suite 316, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara

County on May 18, 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. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2023-0001304.

Published May 31, June 7, 14, 21, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Premier Roofing, 4888 Kodiak Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93111.

Tony Haro, 4888 Kodiak Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on May 16, 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. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2023-0001279.

Published May 24, 31, June 7, 14, 2023

AMENDED

“There is no script. Live your life. Soak it all in.” – Dick Costolo

23CV01714. To all interested parties:

Petitioner Tatiana Esmeralda Morales-Rodriguez filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Tatiana Esmeralda Bonilla

The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must

file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed May 25, 2023 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: July 19, 2023 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

new home to house all of its programs.

The organization’s own new beginning began late last month when they moved into their new home at 530 East Montecito Street, Suite 101, and the New Beginnings Collaborative Center gets its official public debut on Friday, June 9, with a grand opening ribbon cutting celebration.

Even in the few short weeks since the move, the improvement has been palpable, Schwarz said.

“It really is meeting our needs including having a dedicated area for clients. Before, our counseling clients would walk down the same hallway where program and administrative staff were working. There wasn’t a sense of safety. Now it’s much more welcoming and inviting, with a reception area to greet our clients and space for clients to be able to come here and look for resources, jobs, apartments, or get online and fill out a benefit application – whatever they need.”

Schwarz said that by working together in one location in the new location, the staff are now able to provide much more efficient services to New Beginnings’ clients.

“We can collaborate and cross-offer programs. If someone walks in because they’re a veteran seeking housing, they get exposed to other programs that we have and might ask about counseling,” she explained. “They can literally get an intake on the spot.”

The 9,000 square foot New Beginnings Collaborative Center has been a huge boost to staff coordination and morale, Schwarz said, which will result in the ability to serve clients better.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful. Staff and counselors who never really got to interact before are talking to each other and understanding the other programs much better,” she said.

The space can also accommodate many more volunteers than ever before, and Schwarz happily reported that more than a half-dozen applications have already been turned in.

The New Beginnings Collaborative Center is also emphasizing the second half of its name, making arrangements for community partners to have office hours on site, Schwarz said. For example, she’s invited Apples to Zucchini Cooking to take advantage of the center’s huge kitchen to teach young adults and seniors emerging from homelessness how to cook and take care of themselves nutritionally. There are opportunities for other partners to participate.

“This allows for our clients to really have a centralized place where they can access a number of different types of services all right here,” she said.

New Beginnings is still furnishing its new digs, and has a need to stock its pantry and lots of other items. Donations are gratefully accepted any time, including at Friday’s grand opening.

“But really it’s a fun celebration for everyone to enjoy, appreciate the hard work we all do, and see our new digs,” Schwarz said.

New Beginnings

Kristine Schwarz. executive director 805-963-7777

https://sbnbcc.org

than five acres on a promontory overlooking the Pacific. It was completed in 2018 and is full of reclaimed and antique materials and fixtures.

Kovner’s net worth is estimated by Forbes at $6.6 billion.

Ranch Available

A 4.2-acre equestrian property next to actor Kevin Costner’s Carpinteria estate is up for grabs at $109 million.

The estate, Rancho Cariñoso, is owned by Artie Cameron III, a 40-year-old investor and avid polo player, who inherited the beautiful property that has been in his family for decades.

He built a modest ranch house in 2014 and used it as a beach retreat and riding getaway for his horses.

The original Padaro Lane property of nearly 18 acres was purchased by his father, also Artie Cameron, in 1978 for $1 million.

Both father and son used to play polo at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, just a gallop away. The son is now a regular player at Indio near Palm Springs.

Paying Homage to Paul

The late Santa Barbara actor Paul Walker’s brother Cody has named his newborn son with his wife Felicia after his late sibling as the tenth anniversary of the Fast & Furious star’s tragic death approaches in November.

Cody, 34, also an actor, has named his son Paul Barrett Walker, who is known as Bear by his friends. He was born in April in Arizona.

He joins a family that includes daughter Remi, 5, and another son, Colt, aged 2.

Walker died in 2013, aged 40, in a tragic car accident in Santa Clarita.

Happy Birthday Henry

On a personal note, I wish the former peripatetic U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger congratulations on his

100th birthday.

Kissinger gained global renown working in the administration of the disgraced President Richard Nixon.

I met the world statesman and his towering wife, Nancy, 89, through a dear friend, the late New York socialite Pat Buckley, wife of broadcast journalist Bill Buckley, and would see them often at the Buckleys’ ground floor two-story Park Avenue apartment, or the Kissingers’ opulent pad at Manhattan’s oh-so-tony River House.

At the height of his career, Kissinger was probably the most influential man on Earth.

I vividly remember when he spoke extemporaneously for almost an hour at a cocktail party at the Four Seasons Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

A true statesman, who presided over détente with the Soviet Union and a historic rapprochement between the U.S. and China.

Sightings

Former TV talk show host James Corden visiting Prince Harry in Riven Rock... Actor Orlando Bloom enjoying the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo... Former TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and actress wife Portia de Rossi shopping at Field + Fort in Summerland.

Pip! Pip!

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

Veteran Client Corey housed with his daughter

This Week at MA Summer Festival 76 Starts Strong

by Steven Libowitz

After 75 years of having the Music Academy (née “of the West”) in our backyard – marked last summer by a celebratory return to fully in-person programming – it can be easy to take the institute’s summer festival for granted. But the truth is, the Academy not only keeps the classical music scene afloat during what would otherwise be the fallow season, it also provides a true treasure trove of opportunities to dive deeply. Locals can see 130-something of the most talented emerging and already burgeoning young fellows performing in a variety of settings, and growing in real-time in master classes. Lucky locals enjoy as well summertime concerts, opera, and themed programming from the top-echelon instrumental and vocal stars on both the faculty and visiting artists roster, plus cutting-edge conductors, directors and more.

Year 76 will be getting underway on Tuesday just a few weeks after president and CEO Scott Reed announced the end of his 13-year tenure at the helm, a period that has both solidified the Music Academy’s financial footing and expanded its reach and reputation, including two four-year partnerships with world-renowned orchestras (the latter one with the London Symphony Orchestra continues this year with a bunch of LSO players in residency for a midsummer week). But it’s also Year Four for Chief Artistic Officer Jamie Broumas, whose vision and programming acumen have resulted in a number of new ventures and innovative initiatives. That includes the X2 series that pairs fellows with the faculty for high-profile concerts; Chamber Night concerts with faculty-coached fellows performing post-wine reception salon-style shows; meet-the-conductor previews for the Academy Festival Orchestra concerts (Stéphane Denève, Osmo Vänskä, Anthony Parnther, JoAnn Falletta, and Hannu Lintu this year); collaborating with acclaimed opera director James Darrah to turn MA’s opera scenes

into an annual Cabaret show (focusing on the music of 1979 for 2023); and commissioning composers to create and/or curate music on campus, among many others.

All those are back for 2023 with new additions – ranging from the Celebrity Series concert nights augmenting the ongoing Mosher Guest Artist recitals, to a residency with famed New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, who is working with 10 fellows on their aspirations to write about classical music and hosting a critics’ roundtable on campus. Yes, there’s more – including Una Noche en Miraflores, a collaboration between multi-Grammy winning soprano Ana María Martínez and teaching artist César Cañón, who together create an immersion into Spanish language song, culture, and dance that features Flamenco star Manuel Gutierrez and Flamenco guitarist Andres Vadin.

“Everything we do, and all of these people we invite, are committed to our mission of providing the fellows with the best possi-

ble training and preparation for a career in classical music,” Broumas said. “Then we build these gifted invitees into the curriculum for the week that they’re here.”

So belly up to the (classical musical) bars and drink up from the vast Music Academy cask bursting with more than 120 performances and events. Tickets start at $10 (and free for accompanying youth ages 7-17). Visit https://musicacademy. org and check this space weekly for features and a calendar highlighting some of the week’s events.

Tuesday, June 13: Opening day at Miraflores features no master classes at all. Instead, the events calendar boasts a triple-header of former fellows performing at Hahn Hall – specifically the winners of last summer’s competitions, reconvening on campus to kick off the summer rather than at concerts spread out over the winter and spring. Each of the winners in solo piano, instrumental duos, and voice/vocal piano will also be playing a world premiere piece commissioned for the concert as part of their prize package. Pianist Adria Ye gets the first recital slot at 3 pm when she’ll play a Beethoven sonata, Brahms’ “Variations on a Theme by Schumann,” and will debut Stewart Goodyear’s Rhapsody. At 5 pm tuba player Joshua Williams and pianist Yu-Ting Peng take the stage to perform Beethoven, Schumann, and Piazzolla before premiering Grammy-nominated composer Christopher Cerrone’s “Groundswell.” Last year’s Marilyn Horne Song Competition winners Joanne Evans (mezzo-soprano) and Tzu Kuang Tan (piano) close out the festivities with eight art songs and other selections, including the premiere of “Aubade with a Chance of Rain,” by Tom Cipullo, last year’s composer-in-residence. (3, 5, and 7:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $40 each, or $100 for all three).

Wednesday, June 14: The Washington Post calls the Takács Quartet “one of the most esteemed and beloved string quartets today.” But of course we already know that, with the Academy having years ago installed the Takács Quartet as its quartet-in-residence in early summer, including an opening week concert. The fearsome foursome – which now features former MA faculty violist Richard O’Neill as its newest

member bookending cellist András Fejér, who co-founded the quartet 48 years ago at the Music Academy in Budapest – will perform the “Quartet in E-flat major, H. 277,” of Fanny Mendelssohn, older sister to the more famous Felix, and Schubert’s “String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887.” (7:30 pm; Hahn Hall; $65).

Thursday, June 15: Two more Takács tie-ins today, including the first master class of the summer with the quartet coaching several fellow ensembles in Chamber Music (1:30 pm; Lehmann Hall; $10), followed immediately by Takács violinist Edward Dusinberre discussing his recent book Distant Melodies: Music in Search of Home with the quartet performing illustrative excerpts (3 pm; Lehmann; free)... For those who prefer reeds to reading, longtime MA faculty clarinetist Richie Hawley, whose parents live in Montecito, kicks off the first of his six masterclasses this summer at Hahn (3:30 pm; $10)... Focus on film: in its first-ever Met Live in HD presentation under the auspices of the summer festival, the Academy hosts an encore presentation of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, in a daring staging by renowned English director Simon McBurney that incorporates projections, sound effects, and acrobatics. Music Academy alum Kathryn Lewek (soprano) and Brenton Ryan (bass) portray the Queen of the Night and Monostatos (7 pm; Hahn; $28).

This Summer Festival will mark Scott Reed’s last as president and CEO (Courtesy photo)

Last year’s Marilyn Horne Song Competition winners Joanne Evans and Tzu Kuang Tan will close out the opening day of the festival (photo by Zach Mendez)

Stories Matter Summer Stories

by Leslie Zemeckis

In The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop, do not expect a light “beach read” but rather a dark exploration of what many young women experience. On an idyllic Greek Island, 17-year-old Rachel falls hard for aloof older man Alistair – rendering her blind to his manipulation and intimidation of the girls working for him. Dual timelines tell the story of a Rachel then and a Rachel now, as she grapples with a traumatic end to her Greek interlude. Now married, Rachel finds herself irresistibly drawn once again into Alistair’s sinister machinations as girls from the past come together to right a wrong.

girlfriend walked out with priceless treasures thrust into knapsacks and purses, tucked into oversized jackets, and even hurriedly shoved down pants. Finkel recreates all the breath-holding details of the heists, and the psychological desire to own more and more that ultimately cost Breitwieser his freedom.

Seventeen-year-old Abbas has a unique talent as a woodcarver. These skills lead him to an apprenticeship with an alcoholic French clockmaker, who is in turn commissioned by the Sultan to carve a giant automaton of a tiger attacking a British soldier. Tania James’ dynamic new novel, Loot, sets Abbas’ story in 18th century India. The action spans across India, France, and England, as Abbas seeks to recover the automaton after it is stolen by the British. With sly humor and quirky characters, James gives us a glorious adventure while asking the larger question; who really owns art? The real automaton on which the story is based can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Bestseller Nancy Horan of Loving Frank returns with The House of Lincoln. The story is as much about Abraham Lincoln’s rise to power from Springfield, Illinois to the Capital, as it is about the political and social awakening of 14-year-old Ana, a Portuguese immigrant who works in the Lincoln household. Ana and her best friend, Cal, an African American, are both subjected to varying degrees of prejudice and danger. The book is a compelling read, and timely, as Horan explores how slavery divided this country – and the lasting aftermath of that division.

“We are the circle of good that surrounds her…” quotes a character in the latest Lisa See historical novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Yunxian is born into an aristocratic family in 15th century China. Raised and educated by grandparents that are both doctors, Yunxian hopes to continue treating female patients. Once married, though, she is expected to give up her practice and settle into a more confining lifestyle. Author See celebrates female friendships and their transportive power by surrounding Yunxian with a circle of women who support her through years of tragedy and triumph. Allowed to once again practice medicine, Yunxian goes on to become one of the most influential women doctors of her time. Inspired by the true story of a 15th-century woman physician in China, See’s detailed descriptions of foot binding and other customs in the Ming dynasty make this a fascinating world to dip into.

“T he Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession” by Michael Finkel is a mind-blowing true tale of the world’s most prolific museum thief, Stéphane Breitwieser – who stole two billion dollars’ worth of antiquities and kept the plunder stored in his room in his mother’s apartment. Finkel conducted numerous interviews with Breitwieser, amongst others involved, who claimed that – over the eight years he thieved throughout Europe – he did it for the love of the object, never attempting or intending to resell his ill-gotten gains. The blatant heists were pulled off during casual museum tours with lax security. Breitwieser and his

What if once a year, on your birthday, you were erased from the memories of everyone who had ever met you? What if parents, employers, lovers, and friends suddenly remembered nothing about the past year they spent with you? That is the problem posed by author Michael Thompson in How to Be Remembered. Given up as a baby because his parents simply don’t recall ever having a child, Tommy is placed in foster care, where he grows up understanding the inevitable day when his birthday rolls around, and he must start his relationship over again. And again. This story will pull at your heartstrings when Tommy falls in love and seeks a way for his beloved to remember him.

In 1942, Hazel leaves her home in Kansas to work for Douglas Aircraft as a “Rosie the Riveter” – a female worker for the defense industry during World War II. She excels at her work, and is despondent when the war ends and the men return from overseas to take her job. In Nicola Harrison’s Hotel Laguna, Hazel accepts a job as assistant to a cantankerous artist living in Laguna Beach. She falls for a local bartender there, all the while struggling to find her place in society. Should she inhabit that day’s traditional female role, or should she pursue her dream of one day flying airplanes? Hotel Laguna perfectly captures a magical moment on a Southern California beach where dreams are golden.

Leslie Zemeckis is an award-winning documentarian, best-selling author, and actor. The creator of “Stories Matter,” professional female authors mentoring the next generation of female storytellers, co-sponsored by SBIFF.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

Flamenco Íntimo – Newly named Spirit of Fiesta Jack Harwood – the first male dancer to hold the post in Old Spanish Days’ history – is the special guest for this periodic intimate evening of flamenco at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Andres Vadin’s approach to the flamenco guitar is to highlight it as a universal instrument with no boundaries, and indeed his career has taken him worldwide and included collaborations on Latin Grammy-nominated albums. Award-winning dancer Manuel Gutierrez has also enjoyed a prolific career, headlining flamenco festivals in Spain, Albuquerque, Los Angeles, and throughout the world. Figaro raved about Gutierrez, saying “The dance is strong, voluptuous, and spectacular... a profound type of Flamenco and incredibly explosive.”

WHEN: 7-8:30 pm

WHERE: Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 East De la Guerra Street

COST: $100 for two tickets

INFO: (805) 966-1601 or www.santabarbaramuseum.com

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

Town and Gown and All That Jazz – Following up on last spring’s blockbuster performance for the Santa Barbara Jazz Society’s monthly show at SOhO, the UCSB Jazz Ensemble returns to the club with a fresh lineup of musicians and material. The ensemble will perform material drawn from the entire academic year including selections from its winter quarter tribute to Women in Jazz as well as arrangements from Grammy-winning writers John Daversa and Steven Feifke and well-known classics by Toshiko Akiyoshi and Maynard Ferguson. Graduating senior Bella Holland, a Santa Barbara native, will sing a selection of Cuban and Brazilian jazz, while other vocal performances include Nina Lim offering a rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s recording of “All of Me.” The concert is directed by UCSB Continuing Lecturer Jon Nathan, now in his 28th year as ensemble director.

WHEN: 1-4 pm

WHERE: SOhO, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court

COST: $25 general, $20 Jazz or Blues Society members, $10 professional musicians, singers, and full-time students

INFO: (805) 962-7776/www.sohosb.com or (805) 687-7123/www.sbjazz.org

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

Surf Film Fest – The 3rd annual Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival celebrates Santa Barbara’s rich surf history and culture through the diverse storytelling styles of filmmakers, artists, shapers, and surfers who started it all. The festival showcases captivating surf cinema from a wide variety of film directors including talented up-and-comers and renowned veterans. Friday night’s highlights include the 2022 short Mind Surfing: The Conner Coffin Story, about a Santa Barbara native turned U.S. Open Pro Junior champion and directed by Keith Malloy; and Bill Delaney’s 1977 classic surf movie, Free Ride, which pioneered revolutionary slow motion water photography – previewed by a Q&A session with Montecito surf legend Shaun Tomson and others. Saturday starts with a Grom Program of curated shorts featuring Surf Happens Rincon Classic Youth division winners. The arguable centerpiece of the afternoon is the world premiere of Rebirth the Kill by acclaimed surf film director Josh Pomer – updating the classic surf action series with exclusive new footage of crazy airs, long tubes, and hard carves shot last summer to create an adrenaline-filled ride for audiences. New this year is an outdoor Surf Film Festival Block Party featuring exhibitors and local artisans, plus live music all day.

WHEN: 6 pm-12 midnight Friday, 10 am-12 midnight Saturday; Block Party 12-8 pm Saturday

WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

COST: $46 & $81 Friday in advance, $56/$106 day of; Saturday 10 am Grom $14, single screening admission $26, all-day pass $106 in advance, $14/$21/$126 day of; Block Party $15 in advance, $20 day of, free with all other tickets except single screening

INFO: (805) 963-0761/www.lobero.com or www.santabarbarasurffilmfestival.com

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

The Big One Is Back… Ooh La La –In its all-new 2023 production, the California-based touring single-ring Circus Vargas presents “Bonjour Paris,” channeling the City of Lights via a variety of high-energy acts. The action-packed extravaganza aims to deliver the ultimate live family entertainment experience of the year, boasting aerialists, acrobats, and other awe-inspiring artists to both amaze and delight. Humans do all the tricks in the animal-free Circus Vargas, veering between acts of artistry, daring feats of courage, and routines of breathtaking beauty. Expected under the big top for the company’s residency in town are its popular Wheel of Death (acrobats on the outside of what looks like a carnival ride), Globe of Death (motorcycles criss-crossing inside a wire sphere), plus contortionists, jugglers, trampolinists, a teeterboard specialist, hoop performers, and more. The two-hour show is all but guaranteed to excite and delight audiences of all ages. Circus Vargas + “Bonjour Paris” … C’est magnifique!

WHEN: 19 total afternoon and evening performances from June 9-19

WHERE: Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 N. Calle Real COST: $29-$75 adults, $10 discount for children (2-10), $5 discount for seniors (60+) and military INFO: (805) 687-0766/www.earlwarren.com or https://circusvargas.com/tickets

Metro Summer Kids Movies – Wondering what to do with the wee ones until school reopens? Try taking the tykes to two-dollar movies, with two different choices at two locations each week. Metropolitan Theatres offers the program every Wednesday morning at Fiesta 5 Theatres downtown, and every Thursday morning at Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, with different much-loved movies running at each location. Enjoy family favorites such as The Croods, Secret Life of Pets, The Boss Baby, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar – back on the big screen and super-sized compared to streaming on an iPhone. See the website for the full schedule to plan in advance for some summer cinema fun.

WHEN: 10 am Wednesday & Thursday mornings, June 13-August 10

WHERE: Fiesta 5 Theatres, 916 State St., and Camino Real Cinemas, 7040 Marketplace Drive, Goleta COST: All tickets $2 with no fees, available at the box office or www.metrotheatres.com, or the Metropolitan Theatres mobile app INFO: www.metrotheatres.com/metro-summer-kids-movies-2023/

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

Pursuing and Purging in Print – Emmy Award-winning broadcast and print investigative journalist Tamara Leitner has traveled the globe covering natural disasters as a network correspondent for The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and MSNBC – exposing the underworld of body brokering, diving into Mexican drug cartels, reporting from inside Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Tent City prison camp, and bringing to light a decades-old government cover-up of the later illnesses of American soldiers who had been ordered to bury the toxin Agent Orange on a U.S. military base in South Korea. But her latest book has its beginnings in her own backyard. In 1999 she awoke to an active crime scene outside her Arizona apartment – her neighbor’s sexual assault by a man who would later be identified as serial rapist Claude Dean Hull II, who escaped justice for decades. Leitner’s Don’t Say a Thing: A Predator, A Pursuit, And the Women Who Persevered is a powerful true-crime memoir in which the now Santa Barbara-based author seeks closure from the personal demons inhabiting her decades-long compulsion

Montecito

“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.”

– Oprah Winfrey

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

SCOTS Nights at SOhO – Aside from boasting one of the best names in the history of rock and roll, Southern Culture on the Skids have a unique take on Southern rock, blending in healthy dollops of rockabilly, boogie, R&B, country, blues, swamp music, and elements from other non-Southern influences, all delivered with an almost tongue-in-cheek party band ethos. Founded 40 years ago by singer-songwriter-guitarist Rick Miller in the college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, SCOTS reached cult status with 1991’s “Too Much Pork for Just One Fork” and scored a major label debut five years later with Dirt Track Date. The current lineup (Miller, Dave Hartman on drums, and Mary Huff on bass and vocals) has been playing together for more than three decades, so when the pandemic put the kibosh on SCOTS’ busy touring schedule, they congregated in Miller’s living room to make 2021’s At Home with Southern Culture on the Skids. Hear the latest and the classics when Southern Culture on the Skids shows up at SOhO tonight. L.A.’s Emily Rose & the Rounders open.

WHEN: 8 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court

COST: $18

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

to follow the investigation. Leitner signs and talks about the book at Chaucer’s.

WHEN: 6 pm

WHERE: 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center

COST: free

INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

Fiesta Ranchera – Old Spanish Days heads west to the gorgeous grounds of Goleta’s Rancho La Patera gardens for its perennially popular pre-festival event. Sample generous and sumptuous bites, glasses of wine and beer from local providers (more than 23 as of last week) in front of the Stow House, then head over to the tree-lined stage and dance floor for performances by the 2023 Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta, romantic songs from guitarist Tony Ybarra and band, and dancing under the stars with party band favorites Area 51.

WHEN: 5-10 pm

WHERE: 304 N. Los Carneros Road, Goleta

COST: $85 in advance (no tickets sold at the door)

INFO: (805) 681-7216/https://goletahistory.org/fiesta-ranchera or (805) 962-8101/www.sbfiesta.org/calendar/11616-fiesta-ranchera

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

Symphony & Sinatra – The Santa Barbara Symphony says so long to its 70th Anniversary season with a special oneshot show featuring singer Tony DeSare and orchestra recreating Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits. Travel back to when swing was king and crooners ruled. Relive magic moments of bygone decades with the critically-acclaimed singer/pianist DeSare, who blends Ol’ Blue Eyes with a bit of Billy Joel, for orchestra-backed arrangements of such beloved songs as “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “My Way,” “Come Fly with Me,” “Night and Day,” “New York, New York,” and many more. “An Evening with Sinatra” invites the audience to dress to impress (à la “The Way You Look Tonight”), hum along with selections from the Great American Songbook, sip festive cocktails, and capture the evening’s memories at the Supper Club-themed selfie station –something Sinatra himself would surely have signed off on.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street

COST: $35-$175

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

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OBITUARY WRITER

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BURIAL PLOT FOR SALE

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AUTOMOBILES WANTED

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HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS

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TUTORING SERVICE

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We buy Classic Cars Running or not. Foreign/Domestic, Porsche/Mercedes Etc. We come to you. Call Steven – 805-699-0684 Website – Avantiauto.group

KNIFE SHARPENING SERVICES

EDC Mobile Sharpening is a locally owned and operated in Santa Barbara. We specialize in (No-Entry) House Calls, Businesses and Special Events. Call 805-696-0525 to schedule an appointment.

TILE RESTORATION

Local tile setter of 35 years is now doing small jobs only. Services include grout cleaning and repair, caulking, sealing, replacing damaged tiles and basic plumbing needs. Call Doug Watts at 805-729-3211 for a free estimate.

MiniMeta

ByPeteMuller&FrankLongo

Foreachofthefirstfiveminicrosswords,oneoftheentriesalsoservesaspartofa five-wordmetaclue.Theanswertothemetaisawordorphrase(fivelettersor longer)hiddenwithinthesixthminicrossword.Thehiddenmetaanswerstartsin oneofthesquaresandsnakesthroughthegridverticallyandhorizontallyfrom there(nodiagonals!)withoutrevisitinganysquares.

1279 Coast Village Road, Montecito

and for lunch fridays 11AM-2:30PM reservations via OpenTable or by phone 805-565-7540

join us for brunch saturday and sunday 9AM-2:30PM

Dos Pueblos Abalone (4pcs)

Jimmy the Greek Salad with Feta

arugula, radicchio, belgian endive and sauteéd onion

Sliced Steak Salad, 6 �oz ,

arugula, radicchio, shrimp, prosciutto, cannellini beans, onions

Chopped Salad ������������������������������������������������������

Cobb Salad tossed with Roquefort

romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, peppers,

Lucky’s Salad

Charred Rare Tuna

two shrimp, 2 �oz crab, avocado, egg,

Seafood Louie

w/ grilled chicken breast

Caesar Salad

reggiano parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette

Arugula, Radicchio & Belgian Endive Salad

roquefort or thousand island dressing

•

corned beef, sauerkraut and

Reuben Sandwich ���������������������������������������������������

mushroom sauce, french fries

Sliced Filet Mignon Open Faced

bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado

Grilled Chicken Breast Club on a Soft Bun

choice of cheese (burger patty is vegan)

Vegetarian Burger, 5 oz

choice of cheese

Lucky Burger, 8 �oz

choice of hash browns, fries, mixed greens, Caesar, fruit salad

• Sandwiches •

LUCKY’S steaks / chops / seafood . . . and brunch

sliced