The Bolton Bowl – Local producer and this year’s El Presidente, David Bolton, heads to the Super Bowl for his eighth Spanish broadcast, P.8 Film Focus – Highlighting some of the documentaries at SBIFF and a chat with two of their directors, P.18
Stretch It Out – Astrid de Wild discusses her background, wellness, and how Pilates stretches both the body and the mind, P.32 Help these Rascal’s – Popular vegan restaurant has found a new brick and mortar space but could use some help, P.38
www.montecitojournal.net
The Community Hot Rod Project is more than just a collection of cars, it’s about bringing technical skill and vocational training back to the community, page 28
Westmont professor John Blondell and writer Michael Bernard bring local history to life and fantasy in Diamond to Dust, page 16
It’s stylish, sweet treats with these fashioninspired desserts from Lucky’s and San Ysidro’s Stonehouse, page 36
Six years in and the learning and fun are STEAMing up at MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation. See where they have been and what is in the works (Story starts on p. 5)
reusable
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MOXI has Moxie – The museum celebrates six years of bringing interactive, STEAM learning to the community
Village Beat – Montecito Fitness opens, Walk Montecito trails need help repairing, and the Firestone sisters have a new fragrance
Montecito Miscellany – A Super Bowl in Spanish, DeGeneres renews vows, Pink Martini, FestForums at MOXI, and more
Letters to the Editor – Susan Keller responds, readers question Bob Hazard, and a panoply of missives praise Michael Cox’s novel Montecito Tide Guide
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Our Town – Summerland Elementary School reopens and the new ForestWatch app provides important updates to the public
P.14 Society Invites – Festival of Hearts Friendship Center fundraiser and “Off the Record” with special guests
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Your Westmont – A talk explores a play about the historic Flying A Studio, the nursing program hosts an open house, and baseball is off to a torrid start
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On Entertainment – SBIFF documentaries, Ted Nash, The Vow from Hiroshima, and Valentine’s dinner shows
Brilliant Thoughts – When it comes to fingers, lefties, and righties, you’ve gotta hand it to Ashleigh Brilliant
Robert’s Big Questions – Robert Bernstein is in tune with good vibrations as he dissects math, science, and life as we know it
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Community Voices – An open letter from Sansum Clinic and Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Teams and Jerry Oshinksi reflects on Kobe Bryant
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The Optimist Daily – Get a grasp on lab-grown, 3D printed skin grafts and the most recent progress in this technology
The Giving List – There’s more to Community Hot Rod Project than rubber meeting the road
Body Wise – Pilates instructor Astrid de Wild takes a break to sit down for a chat
Communicating Matters – The new year is underway, and these intentions and suggestions will help you keep it on track
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Foraging Thyme – Carrots and this tasty recipe are the root of good health and food Nosh Town – Louis John has designs on desserts and discusses sweets and fashion
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Food Files – A new brick and mortar for the vegan joint, Rascal’s, needs some support
In Passing – David Rolo Martin, a Santa Barbara resident known as a “visionary” in the oil industry, passes away at 91
P.40 Stories Matter – Thrillers, historical fictions, and several book selections for Black History Month
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Library Mojo – A new storytime and Poetry Club meeting at the library and some brain education, if you forget where it is
Calendar of Events – Kodō at the Granada, Arturo Sandoval’s jazz, Paul Anka charms Chumash, pianist Betty Oberacker is keyed-up, and more
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads
MOXI’s Innovation Workshop is open daily to all museum guests, offering everything from collaborative projects to engineering challenges
by Rachael Quiesel
MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, was first incorporated in the 1990s as the Children’s Museum of Santa Barbara. It was the brainchild of many dedicated community leaders with Jill Levinson, Alixe Mattingly, and Nancy Sheldon spearheading the campaign to construct the sandcastle-shaped building. Groundbreaking didn’t occur until 2015 and its iconic, arched door opened in early 2017.
MOXI will celebrate its sixth anniversary this February and the museum has come a long way from a roving pop-up with no brick-and-mortar home to the fixture on State Street and top tourist attraction it is today.
The first and only museum of its kind in Santa Barbara, MOXI is working to help close the achievement gap in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education. It supports local schools, nonprofits, and other aspects of the educational ecosystem by providing resources and programming for students, teachers, and families. It also trains informal science educators, providing a place for them to learn, share ideas, and collaborate. Contact with MOXI, whether virtual, at-home, in the classroom, or in-person, inspires kids to pursue STEAM careers and sparks a lifelong love of museum-going. I know it has for me.
Upon entering, I was greeted by a giant globe covered in rectangular screens. When I touched one, my hand left a glowing purple imprint. The museum is always bustling with kids who bound from exhibit to exhibit, tinkering, testing, and most of all –touching cool things. All of the museum’s exhibits are designed to educate the public through hands-on experiences.
With its soaring ceiling, the three-story building provides a visually stunning backdrop for the 17,000 square feet of multi-sensory exhibits. These are divided into six focus-areas: speed, light, forces, interactive media arts, technology, and sound. I must have been in the latter – as propped up on its side, lying along the floor, is a guitar big enough to be strummed by Paul Bunyan. Director of Marketing & Communications Angie Bertucci greeted me then gestured towards the giant instrument.
“My husband is a guitarist and whenever he comes in, he can’t help but tune it,” she said. Given that 15,000 students come through these doors in a normal year, it likely needs a lot of tuning.
In 1969, Frank Oppenheimer, particle physicist, dreamed up what became San Francisco’s renowned Exploratorium. Since then, interactive science museums have skyrocketed in popularity. Oppenheimer and his colleagues recognized the need for museums to engage the public in learning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts. This innovation transformed science museums from intimidating, hands-off, eyes-only experiences to laboratories where the public was encouraged to experiment.
Fifty years later, the need is still here. An updated analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects increasing growth for many STEM occupations in the U.S., particularly “epidemiologists, medical scientists, biochemists and biophysicists, and biological technicians, among others.” I would add climatologists, computer scientists, and all medical professionals to this list.
MOXI’s expertly designed exhibits and programming promotes the skills needed to succeed in STEAM, including creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, agency, and collaboration. As noted in the National Science Board’s Vision 2030 report, “K–12 STEM education and high achievement for all students plays a critical role in
104th Concert Season
SEASON SPONSOR: SAGE PUBLISHING
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2023, 7:30PM
Dennis Russell Davies, Artistic Director & Chief Conductor Maki Namekawa, piano
All-Czech Program!
BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ: Sinfonietta “La Jolla,” H.328
LEOŠ JANÁČEK: Taras Bulba
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Symphony No.6
For more than a half century, renowned American conductor Dennis Russell Davies has led many of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies and is widely considered one of the most innovative and adventurous conductors in the classical music world. In 2018, Maestro Davies became the Artistic Director & Chief Conductor of the Filharmonie Brno, an orchestra with roots that go back to the 1870s, when composer Leoš Janáček endeavored to establish a Czech symphony orchestra in Brno (the traditional capital of Moravia), now the second largest city in the Czech Republic. Appropriately, Maestro Davies’s stimulating CAMA concert will feature an outstanding All‑Czech Program of works by Janáček, Dvořák, and Martinů
Sponsors: Edward S. DeLoreto • Lois S. Kroc • Shanbrom Family Foundation
Co-Sponsors: Anonymous • Bob Boghosian & Beth Gates-Warren
For more information visit camasb.org
SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW Granada Theatre Box Office ⫽ (805) 899-2222 ⫽ granadasb.org COMMUNITY
by Kelly Mahan HerrickKaitlyn Furr and Ben Kirkwood have opened a new private training facility on Coast Village Road called Montecito Fitness. The luxury studio is located in the former location of Trattoria Mollie, which closed in 2018. “When we saw this space, we knew we wanted to be here,” Furr told us during a recent visit to the facility, which opened at the beginning of the year.
The duo have lengthy backgrounds in the fitness space: Furr has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist along with other certifications; she gained the majority of her personal training experience during her three years at Equinox. Kirkwood has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Sports Science and was a high school and collegiate athlete in football, basketball, and track. His most recent work has been as a coach at Orange Theory Fitness in downtown Santa Barbara. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Group Fitness Instructor through AFAA, among other certifications.
Furr says the pandemic has changed people’s fitness habits, with many people preferring a private training atmosphere instead of working out at a big gym. The last few years, Furr has built her clientele through house calls and a workout
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“Interestingly enough, my career doing Super Bowl coverage started at the same Phoenix venue in 2015,” says David, whose 30-year live sports career includes more than 1,000 productions, including professional and international soccer, the World Cup, regular season NFL, the NFC championships, professional lacrosse, college sports, and championship boxing.
“This is my ninth straight year of producing NFL broadcasts for a Latin America audience. It’s been such a fun run, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Miami, Tampa, a frigid cold Minneapolis, and last year in Los Angeles, plus now two in Phoenix.
“I owe so much to my Spanish teachers, from elementary to high school at Montecito Union to Santa Barbara High, to the many legendary local coaches and players who instilled such an admiration and respect for sport.
“Life is full of challenges. But always strive for your dreams. Always work hard.”
After tying the knot 15 years ago, former TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, 65, and actress wife Portia de Rossi, 50, renewed their wedding vows at their $70 million Montecito estate.
The dynamic duo’s good friend, Kris Jenner, matriarch of the Kardashian clan, officiated at the intimate ceremony with guests including near neighbor Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Portia, who starred on Ally McBeal, wore the classic gown from her Los Angeles wedding in 2008, while Ellen dressed down in a blue jacket and khaki slacks with sneakers. Brandi Carlile sang the Roberta Flack classic, “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face.”
Ellen, who thought she was attending a bash to celebrate Portia’s half century, shared the occasion on her Instagram page.
When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field against the Philadelphia Eagles at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., this Sunday, Santa Barbara producer David Bolton, director of the California Missions Foundation and this year’s El
Presidente of Old Spanish Days, will be handling the live international Spanish language broadcast for Fox Sports for the eighth consecutive year.
David’s company, Cultural Global Media, will produce and coordinate the seven-hour live coverage of Super Bowl LVII in the 63,400-seat locale, with his efforts and cameras seen by millions of viewers from Mexico to Argentina.
For Cultural Global Media, it will be four long days of set-up, rehearsals, and the big game with tickets selling for more than $6,000 a ducat.
“The days are long, sometimes 16 hours or more,” adds David. “I have been fortunate to work with many of our crew for 20 years. We’re a well-oiled team! It will end some three hours after the final whistle of the game.”
Pink Martini, the 11-member group of talented multi-lingual musicians, made their 10th appearance in our Eden by the Beach, part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures series.
The venerable Granada was sold-out as pianist Thomas Lauderdale, the Portland, Oregon-based founder, and his
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Escape the mundane and experience the power of musical transformation. From Maurice Ravel’s compelling Bolero, which begins small and transitions into a sonic tidal wave, to Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration about human transitions, to jazz saxophone legend Ted Nash’s personal journey as depicted on his newest composition Transformation for Symphony Orchestra and Narrator. You’ll emerge refreshed, re-energized and ready for reality.
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Ifeel I must reply to the Journal’s article (“The MPC Shuffle”) of Jan. 26 regarding my removal from the Montecito Planning Commission, as it contained several errors. Additionally, there were important issues that I raised at the hearing before the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors to which they did not respond, and which the Journal did not address in its article.
It is important to note that Supervisor Das Williams was not required to show any cause for the board to approve my removal from the MPC. Williams initially had demanded that I submit my resignation, which – admittedly – would have been less stressful and less public for me. However, I wanted to make a personal appearance in order to express my concerns about what had transpired. Taken together, the actions by two disgruntled MPC commissioners and Supervisor Williams are suspect at best; they potentially violate proper procedures and policies, and they provide clear evidence of collusion, bad faith, and unfairness on their part. Specifically:
1) Tyranny by the minority: I was told in early January that two MPC members were threatening to resign if I served as chair this coming year, as was anticipated, given my position as 1st vice chair this past year. They gave no specific reasons, they refused to speak with me about it, and then – after I offered to step aside as chair – they enhanced their demand and called for my complete resignation from the MPC. Again, I had no indication of their opposition during the many past years we served together, and neither they nor Supervisor Williams gave me any explanation as to why this was so imperative or urgent – since I had only one more year on my term, and I had announced my intention to step down after that. I have since discovered that the remaining two commissioners were as blindsided as I was by this unexpected opposition; they also had not been aware of any problems nor observed any cause for complaint.
2) Election interference: I also learned that these two remaining commissioners
supported me, both to continue on the commission and to be chair. We three would have formed a quorum at the scheduled meeting on Jan. 18, but that meeting was canceled per the direction of Supervisor Williams. Thus, he was able to include my removal from the MPC on the Board of Supervisors Agenda for their January 24 meeting, prior to any MPC meeting. Supervisor Williams and the two opposing MPC commissioners conspired to prevent my lawful election as chair, and Williams unnecessarily canceled a scheduled MPC meeting in order to accomplish that.
3) False claims of retaliation: After I spoke during the Public Comment period at that Board of Supervisors meeting on January 24, Supervisor Williams then alleged that I attempted to force the resignation of Commissioner Ron Pulice last year. I had no opportunity to respond, to refute this false claim. In fact, what I did – at the January 2022 meeting – was to bring up the fact that Pulice was no longer a resident in Montecito when he was in line to become chair. People in Montecito had noted the high-profile sale of his home in 2021 and knew that it is required by law (specifically, under Section 2-26(b) and Section 2-26.2(b) of Ordinance No. 4468 that established the MPC) that commissioners must be residents of Montecito in order to serve on the MPC. They contacted me about it. I wanted the process to be transparent and above-board, and my airing this issue at our meeting gave county counsel the opportunity to state that Pulice could complete his term even if no longer a resident. Pulice said he was actively looking to buy another home in Montecito and that – if he still was not a resident in 2023 – he would resign from the commission.
As a result of this exchange of information, I voted for him as chair for 2022. By the way, Pulice still is not a resident of Montecito, and Supervisor Williams reappointed him in December, ignoring the ordinance requirement.
4) The function of the MPC: The ordinance creating the MPC states that
appointees should have an interest in the planning field, prior community service, and knowledge of the district. MPC acts as a decision-making body whose decisions are informed by the Montecito Community Plan and appealable to the Board of Supervisors. The MPC has no staff except designated personnel in the Planning Department. The MPC is solely responsible to the Board of Supervisors. Thus, recommendations to the MPC from the Board of Architectural Review are exactly that, only recommendations. Therefore, regular deference to the MBAR gives that body more authority than was intended by the ordinance. Furthermore, Planning Department staff works for the County, not for Montecito, so complete adherence to recommendations of Planning Department staff means that Montecito has no autonomy as a community and has ceded all power to the County of Santa Barbara. The few criticisms leveled at me about my work on the MPC were in these two areas: my lack of deference to MBAR decisions and my questioning of Planning Department recommendations. It appears that I was simply doing my job as a Planning Commissioner.
5) The appearance of sexism: Three years ago, these same two commissioners tried to block the other female commissioner from becoming Chair after she had served as 1st Vice-Chair. I opposed their actions, and – ultimately – their effort was unsuccessful. Now, they have successfully managed to oust me, the other female commissioner. Paula Lopez Ochoa – incoming president of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee – spoke on my behalf at the Board meeting on the 24th, and Supervisor Capps suggested that – if removed from the MPC – I should be replaced by another woman commissioner. When he initially proposed in December that I move to another, less prestigious County commission, Williams told me he had a male architect in line as my replacement on the MPC, which I felt would be wrong and completely contrary to the intended composition of that body. The very day after the Board of Supervisors meeting, Williams suddenly announced that he
was considering three female candidates for the position, contrary to what he previously had told me.
I was expecting the Board of Supervisors’ vote to remove me from the MPC – given their policy of supporting each other’s recommendations in the matter of commission appointments – but I was very disappointed that the more important issues I raised were not addressed or even acknowledged by the board. I am raising them again now.
Sincerely,
Susan KellerMontecito resident and community volunteer
Bob Hazard’s plea to reinstate restaurant parklets is an obvious attempt to keep restaurants’ windfall COVID profits flowing. The emergency COVID dining restrictions ended on June 15, 2021, yet restaurants were permitted to keep their expanded parklet seating, allowing them to reap profits unrelated to the pandemic. Mr. Hazard overlooks the fact that Coast Village’s restaurants were not the only ones who were harmed by the COVID pandemic. He builds a case to restore parklets, benefiting five restaurants, while ignoring the harm they do to retailers. Remember that retailers too were impacted by fire, flood, and COVID.
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The elimination of parking spaces along Coast Village Road significantly exacerbated an already serious parking problem. Mr. Hazard seems to imply that parking is not a big problem, but as we all know, it is. A petition to the City by 25 retailers and seven property owners (of which I was one) spelled out the harm caused by parklets and demanded their removal.
Mr. Hazard extolls the so-called benefits of the extra millions (according to Mr. Hazard) they made from the emergency restaurant ordinance, but none of those wonderful millions trickled down to retailers.
Now these restaurateurs claim that they will lose millions of dollars because they have to go back to life as it was before the pandemic. The assertion that they are losing millions is a bit of a joke. It was a temporary benefit to keep them alive during the pandemic, not to make them millions in windfall profits. But for the pandemic, the City would never have allowed parklets. It’s all about money, folks.
Mr. Hazard then wanders off into traffic issues. He rightly complains about traffic jams on Coast Village Road, the construction related to the new roundabouts, and the freeway construction to come. All these projects will negatively impact the street. That is another reason why the parklets need to be removed. Aside from reducing parking, they create congestion and hazards by encroaching on the street. If anything, during this construction, it is even more important to have a free(r) flowing parklet-free street.
Mr. Hazard also criticizes the City of Santa Barbara for its hands-off approach to Coast Village Road. I’m not sure what that has to do with the parklets, but he has a point. I should remind him of the recent formation of the Coast Village Business Improvement District which was approved by property owners on the street. The goal of that organization was to address many of the problems he brings up: cleanliness, maintenance, street and median improvements, traffic and safety, and business promotions. As I pointed out in a previous Journal letter, change for the good is coming to Coast Village Road. We property owners and businesses on Coast Village Road want a level playing field. It’s time for the parklets to go.
Jeffrey Harding
In reading Bob Hazard’s opinion piece, “The Wrong Solution to the Wrong Problem at the Wrong Time,” in the Feb. 2 MJ, I noticed two glaring errors.
First, Hazard states, “In 2008, the City of Santa Barbara made a tragic decision for CVR when then-Mayor Helene Schneider and her transportation director Rob Dayton opted to close the southbound on-ramp to the 101 at the Hot Springs/Cabrillo interchange.”
It was not the S.B. mayor, nor the City Transportation Department that mandated
by Joanne A Calitri
On Saturday January 28, the Summerland Elementary School held a community-wide reception to celebrate the re-opening of the school. After being closed since summer 2021, this re-opening signifies a complete rebuild from the soil on up to new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, a library, an office and an outdoor playground funded by Measure U at approximately just under eight million dollars. During construction, over 50 students, teachers and staff had relocated to the Carpinteria Main school.
It was all love and thanks as the Summerland community joined with the school’s teachers, students, the Carpinteria Unified School District (CUSD) members, the architects, construction crews, funders and neighbors. Guests were greeted by students handing out their thank you note drawings. The school’s mascot and motto, “Home of The Waves” is back in full and ready to go.
The formal program commenced with a welcome by CUSD President Diana Rigby who spoke about the project. She then introduced the speakers, which included CUSD Board President Jaime Diamond, Summerland Citizens Association President Phyllis Noble with Kathy West on the history of the school, with former Summerland Elementary teacher Ceil Schnepple sharing anecdotes of student life and teaching at the school. The team efforts were then talked about by KBZ architects Joe Wilcox and Dawn Ziemer, Elizabeth McGillivray of McGillivray Construction, Jay Sullivan representing the Measure U Team, the project’s funding discussed by CUSD Assistant Superintendent Maureen Fitzgerald, and Krissy Yonker of Parents for Summerland (the school’s PTA) speaking for herself and the other co-presidents, Tammy Lashlee and Heather Pozzebon
In closing, Rigby directed all the teachers and students up for the ribbon cutting to
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A play not be missed!”
“Thank you so much for your guidance and support during the purchase of our first home. From the time we first connected, it was clear to us why your team is the best of the best. We will always feel grateful that you championed for us. We can’t wait to work with you again for our next property!”
-Kendal and Mike
Key sponsors are Louise and David Borgatello, Judy and Vincent Wood, and Penny and Wayne Covert (photo by
someone who has suffered from the indignities of dementia. Speaking on behalf of our committee, producing the Festival of Hearts is a labor of love.”
by Joanne A CalitriFeb. 4 saw the 24th annual Festival of Hearts Friendship Center fundraiser at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort Montecito. The theme this year was Kentucky Derby Style, with guests dressing in colorful hats and retro-outfits.
It was a fun (and fashionable) time for event co-chairs Kathy Marden and Sue Adams: “We have a particular fondness for this event, because it benefits our communities’ seniors who experience difficulties that dementia presents to this population. Through the programs offered at the Friendship Center, our members are social and happy while their families and caregivers enjoy peace of mind that their loved one is safe and engaged.
“It is a great cause and one that has special meaning, because many of us know
Event committee members Marcella Simmons , Karolyn Hanna , Jeffrey Krutzsch, Greta Liedke, Monica VidgerTrent, Steven Sharpe, Maggie Mixsell, Executive Director Heidi Holly , and Associate Director Amy West, all worked diligently throughout the event to ensure everyone was greeted and toured the “Heart-art” silent auction with works by more than 40 artists. The Strada Swing Band played French gypsy jazz during the cocktail hour. After lunch in the ballroom, emcee Geoff Green led the live auction and raised just under $15K. The total fundraising goal was set at $60K by Development Director Sophia Davis to continue to support the organization’s program HEART, an acronym for Helping Elders at Risk Today.
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around the mishaps and innovation of the Flying A and how it helped shape more than a century of storytelling. Diamond to Dust will be performed in Westmont’s Porter Theatre February 24-25, March 2-4 at 7:30 pm, and March 4 at 2 pm.
As co-founder and director of the Lit Moon Theatre Company, Blondell will direct Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya later this spring.
Westmont’s John Blondell discusses the world premiere play that will bring Santa Barbara’s silent film history to the stage in a Westmont Downtown Lecture Thursday, February 16, at 5:30 pm in the Community Arts Workshop (CAW), 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. “The Film Within a Play: Celebrating Santa Barbara’s Flying A Studios on Stage,” is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required. Ample free parking is available. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.
Blondell, director of Diamond to Dust:
A Flying A Fantasy, will be joined by select cast members, who will perform a scene from Diamond to Dust
“The talk promises to be a wide-ranging discussion about an important story in Santa Barbara’s history, the ins and outs of theatrical performance, sneak peeks into theatrical process, and how all these impact our students in the show, and ultimately our audience,” Blondell says.
Santa Barbara was one of the centers of American film from 1912-21 with the American Film Manufacturing Company, known as the Flying A, which made more than 1,000 films.
Blondell and Michael Bernard, who wrote the play, collaborated to produce a revealing, live theater event that centers
In the fall, Blondell will enter his third year as Westmont’s global ambassador in the performing arts. In the meantime, he will direct Richard III for Prague Shakespeare in Prague, Prometheus Bound in the ancient Roman theater of Heraclea in Bitola, Macedonia and Peer Gynt in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. He also helped curate the Verona Shakespeare Festival, which will run August 24-31 in Verona.
Westmont Downtown: Conversations about Things that Matter is a free lecture series sponsored by the Westmont Foundation. The foundation also sponsors the 18th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast with keynote speaker Doris Kearns Goodwin on March 10.
The next Westmont Downtown Lecture will feature Rebecca McNamara, Westmont assistant professor of English, who will speak about “Care in Times of Crisis: Suicide and Emotions in Medieval England” on April 13.
Westmont hosts an information session for its new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program on Wednesday, February 15, from 5:30-7 pm at Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing, 26 West Anapamu Street. The open house will be an opportunity for prospective students to meet faculty, admissions and financial aid representatives and tour the downtown campus that houses the nursing program. The college is currently accepting applications for the fall 2023 semester with a deadline to apply on March 31. This will be the 16-month program’s third cohort. The first group, which started in spring 2022, will graduate at a pinning ceremony May 6.
Bryan Peck pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two baserunners against Embry-Riddle
In their first seven games of the young baseball season, the No. 13 Westmont Warriors have been hot at the plate, hitting .314 and scoring 74 runs against Saint Katherine and Embry-Riddle (AZ). The Warriors completed a four-game sweep of Embry-Riddle Feb. 4-5 at Russ Carr Field. Starting pitchers Eric Oseguera (.82 ERA), Chase Goddard (3.60 ERA), and Bryan Peck (3.75 ERA) have also been dominant.
Westmont will take on Oregon Tech (2-1) in a final tune up on Feb. 10-11 before the start of Golden State Athletic Conference play. Doubleheaders are on tap for both Friday and Saturday with the first pitch on both days at 11 am. The Hustlin’ Owls of Oregon Tech come to Montecito after winning two out of three games from Jessup University.
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Beautifully renovated Structure of Merit, circa 1903, w/ 4-bed/3-bath main residence and 2 guest units.
STREET LISTED AT $4,375,000
Influenced by the pictorialist movement of the early twentieth century, Edward S. Curtis set out to create a photo and ethnographic record of Indigenous peoples living in Western regions from the Mexican border to Alaskan shores. 100 years later, Native people still contend with “Indian” stereotypes that are consequences of Edward Curtis’s vision. This exhibit endeavors to present his breathtaking photogravures within the context of American colonialism.
Here comes the Santa Barbara International Film Festival: more than 200 movies, including 52 world premieres and 78 U.S. premieres, representing more than 40 countries and just about every film genre ever invented, including a wide swath of documentaries elucidating myriad topics. The usual Oscar nominee-decorated/movie star actor tributes and an even more Academy Award-hopeful adorned series of industry seminars – featuring something like nine of the 10 nominated screenwriters, about half of the 20 nominated actors, three-fifths of the directors up for Oscars, and dozens more artisans and others. Free screenings of some of the most anticipated films, free filmmaker panels, and more community education and outreach programs. There’s also the heartwarming Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies (named after the late Montecito filmmaker/nature cinematographer Mike deGruy), which this year features an in-person Q&A with celebrated director Guillermo del Toro, following a screening of Pinocchio
Yes, it’s time to once again roll out –not only the Red Carpet to welcome the paparazzi-pulling movie stars – but also roll back your regular life to partake in everything else SBIFF, as the 38th annual film festival takes over town once again.
Below, find interviews with filmmakers from two of the docs focusing on icons of the 1970s and today, as well as a completely unscientific selection of a few more films we find intriguing for any number of reasons. But don’t take it from me. Heck, I haven’t even seen a movie inside a theater since the pandemic started. Rather, dive in sight unseen, as at least half the fun of the fest rests in scanning the program guide, picking something that strikes your fancy for any reason at all, and let your mind and eyes go dancing in the dark.
You thought the COVID crisis was tough on you? Imagine being Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had experienced some controversy when he was the Chief Medical Advisor to the president during the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but nothing like the rancor, vitriol, and threats of violence as the physician-scientist and immunologist continued serving through the COVID pandemic.
In the two-hour documentary Tony –A Year in the Life of Dr. Anthony Fauci, which makes its world premiere at SBIFF before airing on PBS on March 21,
director Mark Mannucci captures Fauci at work and at home for just shy of two years, spanning Inauguration Day 2021 through his retirement after 50 years last December, with the doctor showing sides few have seen before.
“In my first meeting with him, he told me ‘I don’t want a hagiography. I want the wart and all.’ That’s what we shot and what’s in the film,” Mannucci said.
Over the long shoot, Mannucci said he developed a relationship of trust, partly through two-hour discussions the pair would have when the cameras weren’t rolling.
“I was struck by the fact that he’s a real guy,” he said. “He’s a tough boss. He’s passionate about his work, but he doesn’t hesitate to call people out if they’re doing something that displeases him. He’s a charming and entertaining person, not the unflappable guy who delivers every word cautiously that you see on CNN. He’s like your buddy from Brooklyn.”
Sharing being native New Yorkers is what allowed Fauci and Trump to actually make it through the four years of the latter’s presidency.
And we also get to see a moment in a poignant scene toward the end of the film where Fauci ’fesses up about one or two things he might have gotten wrong during the early days of the pandemic.
“That’s one of the dividends of having gotten to know him, that he felt comfortable admitting a mistake to me (on camera),” Mannucci said. “I was pushing him to be honest, of course, but it was quite a remarkable moment for him to be confident enough in the fact that he had done enough right to be able to say he was wrong about that. I was gratified by his candor.”
The director believes audiences will be too.
“Besides being entertained by a very witty, colorful, and funny guy, they’re
Putting on the serious ritz were guests Rona Barrett, Karolyn Hanna, Terri Diamond, Louise and David Borgatello, Matt Lum , Karen Chackel , Board President Cynder Sinclair, Executive Director of Easy Lift Ernesto Paredes, Holly’s husband, Rick, and daughter Marissa; First County Supervisor Das Williams, SB City Council members Kristen Sneddon and Joe Holland, All Saints by the Sea the Rev. Vicky, Easter Moorman, Jan Ingram, Henry Garrett, David Selberg, Judy and Vincent Wood, and Penny and Wayne Covert.
John Blondell (professor of theatre arts, Westmont) discusses “Diamond to Dust,” the world premiere play that brings Santa Barbara’s silent film history to the stage. Select cast members will perform a scene from the play.
Community Arts Workshop (CAW), 631 Garden Street
Thursday, February 16 | 5:30 p.m. | FREE
For more information, please call (805) 565-6051
Friendship Center thanks the following sponsors: David and Louise Borgatello; Karolyn Hanna; Rosewood Miramar Beachfront Resort; Al Anglin and Vangie Herrera; Complete Care at Home; Channel Islands Post Acute; Epic Life Wealth Management; Cal-Western Landscape, Inc.; Castle Wealth Planning; CenCal Health; Easy Lift Transportation, Inc.; Kristin Frascella and Giovanni Vigna; Inge Gatz-Gilbar; Andriana and Sophia Hohlbauch; Kenneth and Frances Jewesson; Matt Lum; John and Gloria McManus; Linda Yawitz; Valerie Anewalt; Channel Islands Fiduciary Group; The Consciousness Network; Terri Dimond, All About Seniors Real Estate; First American Title Insurance Co.; Heffernan Foundation; Hospice of Santa Barbara; HUB International Insurance Services, Inc.; Quinn Fiduciary Services; Santa Barbara Home Improvement Center; San Ysidro Pharmacy; Mary Walsh; Isabel Wendt; Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck; Care West Insurance; Garcia Architects, Inc.; and Monica Vidger-Trent.
And a thank-you nod goes out to the valet team at the resort; if you know, you know.
411: https://friendshipcentersb.org
At her “Off the Record” event on Feb. 4 at the El Encanto Hotel, Julie Weiner, Chief Development Officer of CommUnify, stated that she hopes it will be an annual fundraiser. The event is a novel approach by the organization – this speaker engagement series features some of our town’s finest top stars with an intimate audience of 50 people, followed by a VIP dinner.
For this “pilot” event, the interviewer of the celebrity guests was our own well-bred and read, witty and warm Montecitan Dante Di Loreto. Guests were multi-talented and awarded actor-dancer Cady Huffman, and awarded actor-director Anthony “Tony” Edwards, both Santa Barbara born and San Marcos High graduates.
They shared that growing up in S.B. was a town with multiple avenues of live performance theaters, including their high school stage, noting much respect for their strict and demanding drama teachers and directors. For Cady, it was her dance instructors who saw her talent, providing ways to help out at the studio so she could pay for lessons. They went from teenagers to the top in their respective genres. Cady got to Broadway and was selected from 1,000 dancers by Bob Fosse. She was in many plays including the Big Deal, La Cage aux Folles, The Producers, and also in film and TV. Tony went from high school performances to Los Angeles, and was cast in films such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Revenge of the Nerds, Miracle Mile, and the award-winning television series ER.
Of keen interest to the audience were those unpublished, behind-the-scenes stories told at the event, with much laughter and insider quips. The conversation and learned wisdom culminated when Di Loreto and the others discussed what happens when things don’t work out, and the simple question of: What is creativity?
The key take-aways were that most of the time it does not work out. It is rare that all the pieces and the team have a similar synergy on set; you have to persevere in the face of constant rejection, and yes, the set isn’t always a happy place (note well, Top Gun fans), but it gets done.
Many times, while doing the work, its impact, greatness, and lasting legacy is not a concept realized until after it is all done and out there. One of the lessons learned from their genius mentors, such as directors John Huston and Fosse, was that even they had to buck against the tide to get their dream projects supported.
In closing, Cady said, “Broadway and movies are not the destination. You have to go out and get your next gig. Your job is to know what your gift is and go out in the world and do it.” And on creativity, Di Loreto added, “It’s essential to our existence.”
Guests at the event included CommUnify Chief Executive Officer Patricia Keelean, Judy and Rob Egenolf of the Egenolf Group, Carole Ridding of Silverhorn Jewelers Montecito, Scott Zegar and Ary Rosales of the Zegar Foundation, and Montecito Bank & Trust President and COO George Leis and its MClub Director Maria McCall, and Rod Lathim.
Founded in 1964 by the SB County Board of Supervisors, the organization’s mission is to support residents to improve and maintain their health, resilience, and financial security, via educational programs and services including Head Start, seniors’ needs, job training, financial advisors, and addressing the causes of poverty.
411: www.communifysb.org
Most of us have two of them. We once had four, but Evolution specified that we would do better with just two and relegated the others to transportation, making a big distinction between hands and feet.
These upper extremities are fringed with independently movable digits called fingers, but one, called a “thumb” on each hand is of special importance, because it is “opposable” to the other four, making possible the “grasp,” which matters so much both physically and metaphorically. (I hope you grasp my meaning.)
But the word “digit” has had a life of its own. Because of the number we have, it came to be applied to the first ten Arabic numerals – zero through nine. The early computers attempted to use all 10. But then it turned out that all the programmers really needed were two symbols representing “yes” and “no,” or “on” and “off,” which naturally employed zero and one. So, when we call a device “digital,” it is simply one whose electronics work on that principle of ones and zeros.
When it comes to the whole hand, there is apparently no medical term for hand doctors. The closest is “orthopedic surgeon, specializing in the hand.” The only one I ever went to, or needed, was a man whom I remember fondly as the best doctor I ever had, because he was always successful with whatever problem I brought him. The only time his surgical skills came into play and he actually had to operate, was when I had what’s called a “trigger finger.” This term has nothing to do with firearms (as suggested by the metaphorical “itchy trigger finger”) but designates a condition in which you have trouble bending a particular joint. In my case, a thumb would not open or close smoothly, but only with a sort of “jerk” or “snap.” All it took to “cure” this condition was a swift operation to sever a certain tendon.
But those digits on your hand all have names. Until recently, however, there was one whose name I myself didn’t know. The other four have names pretty well agreed upon: Thumb, Index Finger, Ring Finger, and Little Finger. But what do you call the one between the Index and Ring Fingers?
The answer “Middle Finger” is mathematically correct. There are two digits on each side – so that puts it in the middle. But couldn’t there be some more meaningful designation? I know that a certain gesture has given this particular digit a vulgar reputation. But there ought to be something more “romantic,” like “THE LOVE FINGER.”
One aspect of having hands is what’s commonly known as “Handedness.” There are three main conditions. You can be right-handed (which about 90% of all people are) or left-handed, or both-handed (“ambidextrous”). I’m not sure just what evolutionary purpose this divergence has served, but “lefties,” though they form a sizable minority, are generally at a disadvantage in our society, because manufacturers tend to favor the right-handed, in terms of tools or appliances.
There seems to be very little correlation with intelligence, but, in matters of health, left-handedness is definitely a liability.
Are there any advantages to being left-handed? Yes, especially in a wide range of sports. Those often called “Southpaws,” tend to prevail in a wide range of such activities, including boxing, baseball, cricket, fencing, and bowling. In many of these cases, it helps when your opponent is right-handed and isn’t used to coming up against lefties. And, of course, you may just enjoy the feeling of being different from the majority.
But there are also many superstitions about left-handedness – and I’m afraid none of them give much comfort to lefties. The tendency is to associate anything on the left with evil and the Devil.
Hence, the idea that, if you spill salt, you should throw some over your left shoulder, warding off Satan. And of course, the Latin word for left has itself, at least in English, come to have unpleasant connotations: sinister. In politics too, the left is associated with radical extremism. This goes back to the French Revolution of the 1790s, when, in the National Assembly, supporters of the king tended to gather on the speaker’s right, and opponents on his left.
Naturally, since they’re so numerous and widespread, there are today worldwide organizations devoted to improving the image and protecting the interests of left-handed people.
In that case, let me conclude here –before this contribution of mine gets out of hand.
Over a year ago, I wrote an article “Wrong but Interesting?” wherein I noted that an idea can be wrong but still valuable for generating new ideas. In that article, I noted an example of an idea that I found wrong, and also not interesting: That “everything is vibrations.”
I love the Beach Boys song “Good Vibrations” for its beautiful metaphors and how the music itself represents these good vibrations. But it is a metaphor and not a literal reality. I might say that I am “on the same wavelength” as my wife, or that I am “in tune” with a friend I am talking to. These are analogies that date back to the early days of radio.
Early radios were finicky, and you were very aware of tweaking the knobs to get your radio exactly in tune with the transmitter.
It might help to understand why it seems that vibrations are everywhere.
More than 2,500 years ago, Pythagoras discovered that the musical pitch of a plucked string is inverse to its length. He imagined the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets played a “Music of the Spheres” beyond our awareness.
At the other end of the scale, string theory proposes that all matter is ultimately formed out of tiny strings vibrating in different ways.
In my physics and math studies, one of the earliest systems we learned is the “harmonic oscillator.” A common example is a pendulum. Another common example is a weight hanging from a spring.
It is within any system that if you push the thing away from its resting position, something tries to push it back toward its resting position. In everyday life, we don’t see many actual pendulums or weights hanging from springs. But one of the wonders of mathematics that I love is the idea of approximation. It turns out that almost everything in the world “to first order approximation” is a harmonic oscillator!
Doesn’t this mean that the “New Age” people are correct that everything is about vibrations? And being in or out of tune, synchrony or harmony? Not really.
But digital devices use what is called Pulse-code Modulation (PCM). If you look inside a computer, do you think you will see lots of things vibrating? Again, in a trivial sense the answer is yes. Because almost everything looks like a harmonic oscillator to the first approximation.
More than 200 years ago, the mathematician Fourier showed that any arbitrary waveform or signal could be represented as a sum of different pure sine wave vibrations. You simply have to adjust the amplitude, frequency, and phase of each vibration and add them up – and, voilà, you have your chosen signal. We call this collection of summed sine waves a “Fourier Series.”
But is this a useful way to understand what is going on inside a computer? No. Computer scientists think in terms of on/off bits. And in terms of gates that take a set of inputs and create a logical output based on those inputs.
Yes, in principle, you could do a Fourier analysis of the signals in a computer and be hypnotized by the ever-changing vibrations. But when you awaken from your trance, you will realize you have learned nothing useful about what is happening.
Likewise for our brains. In the 1800s, scientists discovered brain waves. It is a fact that there are characteristic frequencies of these brain waves, and each is associated with a certain activity. From slow Delta waves in deep, dreamless sleep on up through Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. The latter at frequencies up to 100 Hz, associated with higher mental and motor functions.
But this clearly covers only very coarse behavior of our 86 billion brain neurons. Imagine what your TV picture would look like if everything was just simple vibrations! Nothing but mesmerizing moiré patterns. Your TV picture is created by complex interactions of actors, cameras, and coordinated illumination of pixels.
Yes, it is trivially true that “everything is vibrating.” But the wonders of the world are far more rich, interesting and complex!
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.
If “everything” is a harmonic oscillator, then this actually makes it less interesting as an explanation.
Back to the radio analogy. If radio was all about just getting in tune with the transmitter, then you would hear nothing at all. It is the breakdown of the perfect tuning that carries all of the interesting information. This is called “modulation.” You are familiar with Amplitude Modulation (AM) and Frequency Modulation (FM).
Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook.com/ questionbig
ensuring that the United States is meeting the needs of the modern workforce and maintaining America’s position internationally.”
Unfortunately, current data from the National Science Foundation shows persistent performance gaps according to students’ socioeconomic status and race or ethnicity. For example, mathematics scores for low-income students in a national cohort of eighth graders were 30 out of 500 points lower than scores for high-income students. The long-term effects of the under-representation of minorities in STEM fields, such as inequity in medical care, are devastating.
Among their colleagues, both locally and across the U.S., Robin Gose – MOXI’s Ed.D., President, and CEO – and her team are respected as leaders in social justice efforts for their dedication to diversity and inclusion. The demographics of museum audiences and staff in the U.S. are out of sync with the country’s demographics overall, but that’s not true at MOXI, where those served mirror the population of Santa Barbara County.
“We’ve got partnerships with over a dozen different local nonprofits who serve underserved or historically underrepresented groups in the STEAM fields as well as adults with disabilities,” said Gose.
In July 2021, MOXI and 18 other museums across Santa Barbara County rolled out Museums for All, a program to make museums more accessible for those receiving food assistance benefits. People who show their CalFresh card can access the museum for as little as one dollar.
The museum hosts inclusive events and programming, such as Mellow Mornings for children and adults with autism, as well as other cognitive disabilities. It offers support to teachers with guides and videos that supplement their lesson plans, and its various educational camps are in high demand. Its Thanksgiving camp, the Academy of Wonder and Wizardry, offers wand building and transfiguration as part of its “world of magic through science” curriculum. The camp sold out in under an hour. Their summer camp, which engages kids in the practices of scientists and engineers, sold out during early bird registration.
“That desire and demand is there,” said Gose, “so that has been very exciting.” I peeked into the makerspace where kids were standing over craft tables while expertly handling rulers, wires, and colorful bits that light up. The museum has gone to great lengths to serve children who would otherwise not have access to this space, which offers kids opportunities to use a 3D printer, among other technologies. More than 60% of visiting students are from Title I schools.
MOXI’s Innovation Workshop is open daily to all museum guests, offering everything from collaborative projects to engineering challenges – such as December’s theme “It’s Lit,” which involved applying circuits to LEDs. Perhaps the best resource is the floating preceptor, who teaches visitors how to use the technology and encourages them to keep trying.
MOXI is also among 14 members of the Environmental Alliance of Santa Barbara County Museums who have united to creatively explore the impacts of climate change through focused exhibitions, media campaigns, and educational programming. From April through August 2022, kids were challenged to create solution-oriented artwork in relation to climate change. Much of this art was displayed, along with Environmental Graphiti, a gallery of graphs as art, and images of locals working to combat the effects of climate change.
Going along on my own adventure, Bertucci then led me through a bifold glass door and into The McMillan + Kenny Families Fantastic Forces Courtyard, where I launched a quarter-sized ball in the Turntables exhibit. It’s satisfying to watch it go round and round until the centripetal force breaks and the ball rolls off to the side. I resisted the temptation to launch a
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facility in her garage in Santa Barbara; she looks forward to using the new Montecito space to expand what she was previously able to offer. The duo’s clientele range from those with limited mobility to former athletes, and everything in between. They also work with clients who are golfers, avid runners, bikers, and casual pickleball and tennis players, within a range of ages.
Montecito Fitness offers free weights, dumbbells, kettlebells, cable machines, an echo bike, and ski erg machine in a spacious, 2,300-square-foot space that feels aesthetically pleasing, private, and luxurious. Clients can also enjoy the infrared sauna, coffee bar, eucalyptus cold towels, and Normatec compression boots. “We wanted to build a space that clients wanted to linger in after their session,” Kirkwood said. The studio is solely used for one-on-one personal training sessions.
While Kirkwood and Furr are running the facility alone, they envision eventually bringing in other like-minded trainers who want to utilize the space for their clients looking for a convenient location, intimate and luxurious facility in which to get their workouts in, which also offers ample parking. “We are continuing to build a tight-knit community and look forward to offering member-only events in the future,” Furr said.
Kodo, Tsuzumi: One Earth Tour
Fri, Feb 10 / 8 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $20 (Best for ages 8 and up.)
Award-winning Materials Scientist and Science Evangelist
Ainissa Ramirez
The Alchemy of Us: Uncovering Hidden Figures in Science Whose Inventions Changed Our Way of Life
Thu, Feb 23 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
FREE (registration recommended)
“Timely, informative and fascinating.”
– Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction
Dr. Ainissa Ramirez promotes a love of exploration, making complex scientific processes both clear and mesmerizing to just about everyone.
President of the American Psychological Association
Dr. Thema Bryant
Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self
Fri, Mar 3 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
FREE (Registration recommended)
“Dr. Thema Bryant is teaching people how to come back to themselves and handle challenges along the way of self-discovery.”
–
NedraGlover Tawwab, New York Times
bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace
Rigorously trained on the island of Sado in the Sea of Japan, Kodo’s soul-stirring taiko drummers bring a youthful joy to their unstoppably energetic, intricately designed and meticulously choreographed displays.
Thu, Feb 16 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall
“In the bodies of these skilled performers, the beat is obviously unstoppable.” The New York Times
Step Afrika! continues the long tradition of stepping, integrating contemporary dance and art forms with songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation into a performance that will leave your heart pounding.
Event Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold
A Timeless Tale Reinvented
Angelin Preljocaj, Artistic Director
Two Performances!
Sat, Feb 25 / 8 PM / Granada Theatre
Sun, Feb 26 / 3 PM / Granada Theatre (matinee)
Combining Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake with new arrangements, choreographer Angelin Preljocaj reinvents the timeless tale of love, betrayal, seduction and remorse into a modern ecological tragedy.
Dance Series Sponsors: Margo Cohen-Feinberg & Bob Feinberg, Ellen & Peter O. Johnson, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald
Special Thanks
Scan to watch trailer
January 20th marked three years since the first laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19 was detected in the United States, followed a few short months later with the World Health Organization and CDC’s declaration of a global pandemic. At the time, none of us could have imagined how much our lives would be upended, or for how long. We only knew that COVID-19, then known as the “novel” coronavirus, posed a serious health threat and was likely to be the greatest public health challenge we would face in our lifetime. It was also very clear, as other local healthcare practices closed down and temporarily shuttered their doors, that our patients and our community needed us more than ever.
Much has happened over the past three years. The World Health Organization COVID-19 dashboard reported 663,640,386 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, along with 6,713,093 deaths since the onset of the pandemic and the CDC reported a total of 1,099,866 deaths in the U.S. as of last week. In California, since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly 12 million cases have been reported with a total of 101,982 deaths, which translates to 1 in 387 residents having perished due to COVID-19. In addition to the many lives lost, many others have been forever impacted from this scourge, which has left both physical and emotional scars, not only for patients and families, but also for the healthcare workers who have diligently, empathetically, and selflessly cared for them.
Sansum Clinic rose to the challenge, finding new ways to work, new ways to collaborate with local healthcare partners like the Public Health Department and Cottage Hospital, and new ways to communicate with each other to ensure our community and our organizations had the most current scientific information about COVID-19 testing, treatment, and prevention. We quickly implemented new ways to provide healthcare both on an individual basis (via telehealth) and on a larger public health scale. We were among the first in the community to begin immunizing Santa Barbara’s healthcare workers and patients once COVID-19 vaccines became available, and we were the first to offer patients safe, car-based COVID-19 testing, opening a special trailer location just for this purpose. We ran the community’s only large COVID19 vaccine clinics just for children at our Pediatrics Department. In addition, we were the only ambulatory care facility in southern Santa Barbara County to provide Evusheld to protect immunocompromised patients against COVID-19 infection. And our Clinic ultimately became a COVID-19 “test to treat” site within our Urgent Care Department.
We were able to do all this only because of the grit and perseverance of our dedicated clinical and administrative staff members. Nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, registration staff, physicians, advanced practice providers, IT employees, marketing staff, and facilities and administrative logistics teams worked countless hours to provide these services – both during and often after regular business hours. They cared for patients with COVID-19, but also countless others who needed safe, ongoing medical or surgical care for their acute or chronic conditions despite all of the challenges the pandemic threw our way, from staffing shortages due to illness, to supply chain issues. The good news is we have finally reached a turning point after a long window of offering these services on a wide
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It seems like a century ago, but it was only three years. January 26, 2020, started out as a normal Sunday morning in Santa Barbara. The grandkids came over for their Sunday morning brunch with French pastries. Our oldest soccer playing grandson went over to SBCC to referee an adult league soccer match, one of his special talents as a 16-year-old. The other two grandsons decided to play a couple of sets of tennis. My wife and I drove over to watch them play at the polo club. Some friends also watched for a while and others played on nearby courts. No quarantines yet, just simply a normal Sunday morning in Santa Barbara. We took for granted our freedom of movement. How could it be any different?
I was thinking about how we moved here from the East Coast 20 years ago, and although I was an experienced lawyer, I nevertheless had to take the California Bar Exam. In addition, not only my legal status but also our alliances were shifting from N.Y. Yankees to the L.A. Dodgers, from N.Y. Islanders to the L.A. Kings, from N.Y. Cosmos to the L.A. Galaxy, from the N.Y. Knicks to the L.A. Clippers and L.A. Lakers, especially the L.A. Lakers when Kobe was in action. I remember that shortly after we moved here, my wife and I were having breakfast with our son and daughter-in-law in Venice or Santa Monica. A TV set in a store window was broadcasting the N.Y. Knicks vs. the L.A. Lakers. As the Knicks scored, I let out a little cheer and my daughter-inlaw looked at me and reminded me that “we were in Laker Country now.” And slowly, like Neil Diamond, we became Californians (“I am, I said”). Fortunately, I started to represent clients in Santa Barbara, which often allowed me to work at home and travel to my Los Angeles office or fly to my New York office when needed. Since the quarantine, I have worked entirely at home, mainly because of Civil Orders of Authority that effectively required that I work at home, and I continued that practice because it made no negative impact on my practice… and my clients were all at home as well.
I grew up in the ‘50s in Brooklyn, a hotbed of scholastic basketball. While we were still living on the East Coast, our then teen-age son, flew with me to the West Coast where I was scheduled to speak at a legal seminar in Marina del Rey. As we deplaned, he asked me if we would see anyone famous. Almost immediately, we recognized Magic Johnson in his Laker uniform, leaning on top of a phone booth and placing a call. We were very impressed with his big 6’9” frame. Years later, after we had both become Californians, my son and I saw the L.A. Dodgers win a World Series game; we saw the L.A. Kings prevail in the Stanley Cup; and sadly we were there when the L.A. Lakers blew a 24-point half-time lead to the Boston Celtics, but then exact revenge the following year. We also watched, in the middle of the night, as the U.S.A. Olympic Basketball Team, thought by many to be able to roll over the Spanish team in the Olympic Final, was in trouble. I knew that the Spanish team was a serious competitor because it featured Pau and Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, José Calderón, and Rudy Fernández, and it took a world-class effort by Kobe and Dwyane Wade to put that game away.
As COVID-19 took over our lives, it is most remarkable to me that most of us complied with the stay at home and social distancing orders without governmental enforcement.
Sports has always been part of my life, even as an attorney. In fact, some of my more challenging sports cases involved disability policies that protected the teams against serious injuries to their star players. I represented the Orioles and the Red Sox, who had taken out insurance policies on two of their injured stars. I noticed that the policies had insured these players as “baseball players,” which concerned me because, if an athlete got hurt, the insurance company could argue that he could still have played as a designated hitter or pinch runner and that the player be insured for his actual position on the field. If he were a pitcher and could not pitch, the insurance would kick in. Similarly, with respect to a Notre Dame quarterback, the proposed insurance covered him as a football player. I negotiated a modification to cover him as a Quarterback.
That would prevent the insurance company from arguing that the policy would not apply if he could play another position other than Quarterback.
At about 10:30 am on January 26, 2020, a Sunday, my wife showed me a text that she had just received – Kobe Bryant and his basketball playing daughter Gianna, and seven others, had been killed in a helicopter crash on their way to Gianna’s basketball practice – I said, “Come on, don’t kid around.” I thought about the times when UCSB provided the facility for a Kobe Bryant basketball camp. We were there when Kobe came in to sign autographs and shoot around for a while; or the many times when he scored the winning buzzer beater at a Lakers game. When Kobe often was asked about not having a son to follow in his footsteps, Gianna would say, “I’ve got this!” I slowly began to feel as I did on the night that RFK was shot. We were living on the East Coast and Sandy woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me that Kennedy had been shot. I said, “I know.” She said, “No, not JFK, RFK.” This was just after his victory in the Presidential primary in 1968 in California. A few years before, I unexpectedly saw RFK at a presentation at the Lincoln Memorial. I snapped a few photos attached here, but sadly lost the one where he posed for a photo one on one. I saw RFK again where he delivered a stirring speech at Columbia Law School in support of his successful campaign to become a Senator from New York. Just like with Kobe, I have always felt a personal and emotional connection to him. Losing both challenged our beliefs that the good guys usually prevail.
The text about Kobe and Gianna and their travelling companions was true. We wondered if our East Coast friends could begin to understand the sense of our loss, the emptiness, the despair. Kobe was part of our digital lives. We traveled in the periphery of the same circles as Kobe, intersecting on occasion, whether he knew it or not. Not only were Kobe and his friends and family not safe, but our entire country now shares even greater universal risks, seemingly unguarded and unprotected and not knowing when a new virus will strike or a new massacre by an irrational shooter. Fortunately, there are many people in our country that dealt with the pandemic and respected our social distances and successfully created vaccine options. We certainly cannot tolerate any further encroachments on our civil liberties by electing politicians who quite frankly don’t give a damn and could conceivably support an insurrection. For me, one escape has always been music.
After all these years, I think that Billy Joel expressed how I felt when I heard about the helicopter crash: “Only the Good Die Young.”
It was a normal Sunday morning in Santa Barbara… or was it?
The science of bioengineered skin grafting is making remarkable progress thanks to a team at Columbia University, led by Asst. Prof. Hasan Erbil Abaci
Currently, bioengineered skin is only available in flat sheets, which work well for grafting onto generally smooth, featureless body regions, but for more complicated places (like hands), these sheets require lots of stitching together to fit into all the curves and crevices of the body. This process is complex, time-consuming, and ineffective.
However, the scientists on Abaci’s team have developed a way of producing it in 3D forms that can be put onto the body like a piece of clothing.
The team’s approach begins with a 3D scan of the body portion that requires the graft. This scan is utilized to create a hollow, permeable, life-size model of the part using three-dimensional printing.
The model’s exterior is then seeded with skin fibroblast cells (which form connective tissue), collagen (which gives skin structure), and keratinocyte cells (which make up the outer layer of the skin). The model’s interior is perfused with growth media, which feeds the cells on the outside.
Once the cells have matured into actual skin, it is removed from the model in one 3D piece, pulled over the actual body part for which it was designed, and sutured into place. Growing skin in this method takes around three weeks, which is roughly the same length of time as growing typical flat sheets.
So far, 3D grafts composed of human skin cells have been effectively placed on the hind legs of mice in lab testing. The procedure only took around 10 minutes, and the grafts were completely incorporated into the surrounding mouse skin after four weeks. Furthermore, the one-piece grafts were discovered to be mechanically stronger than those created from multiple stitched-together sheets.
Needless to say, much more study is required before human trials can begin. Nonetheless, it is hoped that patients will be able to get such grafts generated from their own cells in the future. It’s also possible that the technology will provide a superior option to face transplants, which presently use cadaveric facial tissue.
“Three-dimensional skin constructs that can be transplanted as ‘biological clothing’ would have many advantages,” Abaci remarked. “They would dramatically minimize the need for suturing, reduce the length of surgeries, and improve aesthetic outcomes.”
To learn more about the studio and business, visit
com. Montecito Fitness is located at 1250 Coast Village Road.
A month after a significant rain event damaged Montecito homes, roads, and trails, Walk Montecito – a project by the Bucket Brigade – is still digging out from the catastrophic damage to the neighborhood trail network. “We need the community’s support to get through this,” said Bucket Brigade founder Abe Powell
The Olive Mill neighborhood Trail was damaged when Montecito Creek jumped the bank, and the Hot Springs Trail was damaged in more than a dozen locations. “If these were sidewalks, they would be concrete and we would not need to repair them,” Powell said. “When a creek jumps its banks and flows down a decomposed granite trail, that trail doesn’t have a chance no matter what kind of stabilizers are used.”
Repair on the trail network began late last week, and Powell is asking for both financial support and the patience of drivers in the areas where reconstruction is taking place. Powell said traffic in Montecito due to construction at the Olive Mill roundabout is making trail repair difficult, expensive, and more dangerous for crews.
For more information, visit www.sbbucketbrigade.org/walk-montecito.
Mary and Lucy Firestone held a launch party last week at Kunin Wines to introduce their newest perfume, called Open. The fragrance is the second from the sisters and their brand, Wild Precious Life.
“Open is all about opening our minds and hearts,” say the sisters, whose first perfume, The First, has a cult following and is sold in more than a dozen stores and hotels across California. Open, which is a blend of essential oils including rose, magnolia, black tea, and sandalwood, is currently available online at www.firestonesisters.com and at Maison K on Coast Village Road. The launch comes on the heels of the release of Mary’s book, Trusting the Dawn, which was released last fall. Mary, a survivor of the 1/9 Debris Flow in Montecito, wrote the book to help others who are healing from trauma. For more information, visit www.maryfirestone.co.
Kevin Haeberle, the Santa Barbara native who heads a nonprofit called The Community Hot Rod Project and the self-described “gearhead,” wants people to know that the organization isn’t only about hanging out with hot rods.
Sure, Haeberle has an impressive resumé that includes being selected fresh out of high school to be one of eight people in the annual BMW STEP program, where he built prototypes and movie cars, and later, after training at the prestigious Wyoming Technical Institute, went on to build specialty cars for Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin.
Yes, the Community Hot Rod Project (CHRP) took over hosting the Cars & Coffee events every Sunday at Lower Manning Park in Montecito during the pandemic, plus added similar events on the second and fourth Saturday at South Coast Church in Goleta. Indeed, CHRP also does some community outreach events that shows people how to fix their cars, and not only participates in larger car shows but also created a big one of its own in town – the 2022 Auto Rally at the Glen Annie Golf Club last May.
But, like a finely tuned engine or gearbox, the project’s image still needs a bit of tweaking.
“A lot of people think we’re just about car shows and don’t quite understand the full concept of what it is we want to do,” says Haeberle, the organization’s founder and president.
So, let’s clarify.
“The Community Hot Rod Project’s
main goal is opening a vocational training center here in Santa Barbara,” Haeberle says plainly, pointing out that Santa Barbara hasn’t had any such educational training available since Santa Barbara high schools cut auto shop and many vocational training programs from curriculums in the late 2000s.
The center, Haeberle says, will focus on “the dying art” of old school customization and all of the techniques involved, plus incorporate new modern technology in crossover training.
“Our nonprofit is looking to fill the void where students used to be able to learn the basic tools, skills, and trades, who can then fill the vacant spots in the workforce,” he says. “Dealerships and mechanic shops are hurting for technicians. There are tons of jobs, but not enough people.”
That’s because for two decades-plus, “kids have been pushed to go to college and get a degree, and are being steered away from working in the trades, getting their hands dirty, and actually making or fixing things.”
To that end, Community Hot Rod Project has launched a $1.5 million campaign to develop and build the vocational training center as a state-of-the-art facility for both education and car culture, housing workshop space, classrooms, offices, and a conference center in a vintage speed shop design that will also feature an out-
door event center.
The new center will be a way to exponentially expand upon the events the organization is currently hosting, which are largely about outreach and awareness, Haeberle says.
“We’re using Cars & Coffee as a place for gearheads to gather and invite the community out to view the private collectible cars within the community,” he says. “It’s essentially just getting community awareness for our nonprofit and what we’re trying to do.”
Having the center will be the realization of Haeberle’s vision to pass on to the next generation the knowledge and passion first kindled when his dad
taught him how to work on cars back in grade school.
“When we teach metalwork and fabrication, with some of the top builders and fabricators from all over California who want to be a part of this project, it brings in the properties of physics and geometry,” Haeberle explains. “In developing custom parts, it crosses over with other vocational trades. It’s not just hot rods.”
The CHRP’s efforts are largely geared toward people of all ages and backgrounds, but, Haeberle says, the bigger focus is on kids who are in elementary school up through high school.
“If you get ‘em interested when they’re young, it can become a lifelong thing. It’s like going out for sports or learning a musical instrument. Not everybody likes football or baseball, the piano or violin, but at least they understand it. They’ve had a chance to try it out. That’s what we want to create here –the opportunity to get into something that’s fun and educational early on in life. There’s really nothing like getting your hands dirty and working next to others in getting a job done. It’s not just how to work on cars – we’re teaching life-building skills.”
Meanwhile, the auto rally and a fundraising gala are coming, with details still to be firmed up. Haeberle, like everyone at the nonprofit, donates time and energy so that 100 percent of incoming funds can go toward creating the training center. “I’ve just been so busy with everything else,” he says.
Now, if there’s a desire to be a part of where the project is headed, financially or otherwise – Haeberle will find the time to talk. Feel free to reach out to him on his mobile phone, (805) 2808745, the one that appears in the Giving List book and online.
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play of abiding family love centers on an Afghani former interpreter for the U.S. military in hiding from the Taliban at his sister’s home in Kabul. Tension mounts as he plans his escape with his wife and newly born first child.
The four-member cast of the poignant show – Rishan Dhamija as the interpreter, Nitya Vidyasagar as his sister who hides him, Christine Mirzayan as the friend and neighbor, and Beejan Land as the brother-in-law – are all making their ETC debuts.
A play not to be missed. It runs through Sunday, Feb. 19, at the New Vic.
fellow Harvard classmate China Forbes led the group singing songs in Armenian, Croatian, Persian, French, Italian, and Japanese, just part of their 25-language songbook since making their European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
Since then, the band has gone on to play with more than 50 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the San Francisco Symphony, and the BBC Concert Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Forbes, who has written many of the tony troupe’s iconic songs and has sung with Rufus Wainwright, Michael Feinstein, and the late Carol Channing among others, was in fine form with such
hits as “Hey Eugene,” “Sympathique,” and “Clementine.”
Last year, she received the Ella Fitzgerald Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival where past winners have included legends such as Etta James, Liza Minnelli, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick Jr., and Tony Bennett
The concert was the perfect musical libation. As usual, Pink Martini left us shaken and stirred!
The sixth annual FestForums, which serves the festival industry from ticketing, sponsorship, programming, sustainability, and marketing, hosted a boffo bash at MOXI for 300 guests to
mark the launch of the two-day event in Santa Barbara.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” said Laurie Kirby, co-founder and president. “It is a magical event and the first one in three years, given the pandemic restrictions.”
After cocktails on the main floor with Brazilian guitarist Benise entertaining with flamenco and ballet dancers, the action moved to the roof with a night on the tiles with Skip Martin, lead singer of the rock group Kool & the Gang. In the past, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Jon Anderson have graced the fest’s stages.
The festival attracted more than 1,000 visitors over 48 hours with venues including the Lobero, the Music Academy, and La Lieff Tasting Room in the Funk Zone.
The Get Together concert at the historic Lobero Theatre featured Jesse Colin Young and his daughter Jazzie, as well as Chris Stills, son of rocker Stephen Stills
Vic
Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) kicked off its first performance of the New Year with the suspenseful Californian premiere of the thriller Selling Kabul, written by Sylvia Khoury and directed by Nike Doukas
An off-Broadway hit and 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama, the suspenseful
After three years of enforced layoff because of the pandemic, Santa Barbara’s Master Chorale, under new director David Lozano Torres, was in fine voice when it performed Haydn’s great masterpiece The Creation, an oratorio written in 1797 based on the book of Genesis, at First Presbyterian Church.
Now in its 39th season, the group stages the finest choral music from the 16th through 21st centuries.
The concert starred soprano Christine Hollinger, a regular member of the Opera SB chorus, tenor Lorenzo Johnson, who is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance at UCSB, and baritone Matthew Peterson, a graduate of Yale School of Music who Miscellany Page 434
Lunch & Learn | THURSDAY, FEB 23RD • 11:30AM
Join us for a presentation on our beautiful community. Afterwards, take a tour and enjoy a delicious lunch. To RSVP, please call 805.319.4379.
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by Ann Brode
“Each person that comes to me has something to teach me, to this day that is the truth, I keep learning.”
Astrid de Wild brought Pilates instruction to Santa Barbara in 1992. Since then, she has helped thousands of people attain their fitness and healing goals. She is one of those extraordinary professionals who bring a delightful combo of charm, intelligence, compassion, and mastery to our wellness community. Everyone I know speaks highly of Astrid and her fine work.
Pilates is a brilliant form of physical exercise designed to increase strength, resiliency, balance, and self-awareness. Also, Astrid has been a brilliant ambassador. Over the past 45 years, she has shared her unique exuberance, teaching, and training others to teach. Recently, I had tea with Astrid to talk about her experience and love for Pilates.
Q. Tell me a little about how you became a Pilates instructor.
A. I began studying ballet at 7 but was hardly the perfect ballerina. I was this tall, skinny colt-like thing with endless legs that did not fit the ballerina stereotype. During my college years in Amsterdam, I fell in love with modern dance, eventually studying the Martha Graham technique and dancing with a small company. Then, in my late 20s, I decided to leave Europe and follow a longtime dream of living in California. In Los Angeles, I was doing a desk job when somebody told me about this little place in Beverly Hills where they did some strange exercise, involving strange equipment. I went in and a passion was born! From the very moment I was introduced to the Pilates Method, I knew that this would be my life’s work. Of course, I had no idea how and where and what. I think we only get a few of these absolute certainties in life – and when they happen, you better take them.
I know you had a studio and practice in L.A., so what brought you to Santa Barbara? Well, Santa Barbara seemed like a better place to raise my daughter. So, I sold my house and business, and my family moved up here. People thought I was crazy. I just had no fear then. And, I had such a strong belief and trust in the intelligence of the Pilates Method, I knew I could make a life here! Once I’d built a studio in our house and started working, some of my old Beverly Hills clients found me and that was the beginning. In a matter of months, it took off and I was so, so busy.
And you’ve been busy ever since. As a wellness professional in this community, you have been a reliable coach and inspiration for so many. I wonder, what has inspired you through the years?
Each and every person I’ve worked with has been an inspiration. Seeing and listening to someone’s desire to be healthier, happier, and more comfortable is an
With dining this good, your friends may show up at lunchtime and stay through dinner.
inspiration. Helping them discover and develop their body’s inherent strength, balance, and even joy is an honor. Because the method helps people participate in the positive changes, it forges a new relationship with their body. Imagine how inspiring it is to see someone discover their potential to work around an injury, regain strength and flexibility, and feel better about themselves!
Say more about the connection between feeling better physically and feeling better emotionally.
Doing Pilates strengthens the core muscles, resulting in better alignment and posture. This affects the way people sit, stand, and walk. Then, sitting with greater comfort, standing a bit taller, and walking with ease translates to feeling better about themselves.
It’s well-documented that posture influences the way others perceive us! Sitting, standing, and walking a bit taller sets up a positive feedback loop.
Another feedback loop happens when I design a specific Pilates sequence to address pain, discomfort, or injury. As someone begins to feel better, stronger, and more resilient over time, they feel better about their body and ability to do things. Instead of balance and mobility holding them back, they can move forward with confidence. This is especially true for seniors.
We’re all familiar with the mind-body connection. This is a great example of the bodymind connection. I know you shifted your successful practice from a studio downtown to
your home studio in Montecito. How has this changed your practice?
After 25 years of having studios in Santa Barbara, I again work out of my home, in a beautiful space, tucked away in the hills of Montecito. I work quietly, mostly one on one, a few duets. My work is stronger than ever, my joy in the work is greater than ever. It is truly full circle.
“Astrid understands the body as it ages and is so very experienced and skilled that she can accommodate each client’s unique needs and especially make modifications from day to day. She’s the best! Plus, fun and engaging.” – Margaret H. Briggs, Ph.D.
To contact Astrid de Wild, call (805) 451-7837. In addition to individual work with Astrid, several fine studios offer individual, group, and online classes, including:
Be Well Pilates with Alexis at (805) 334-0216 or www.bewellpilates.com
Grass Roots Pilates with Nicole and Jen at (805) 324-4796 or www. grassrootspilatessb.com
Simpatico with Mindy at (805) 565-7591 or www.simpaticopilates.com
Why not make an appointment to see what Pilates can do for you?
BILL WAS WALKING ON A GOLF COURSE WHEN HE EXPERIENCED SHORTNESS OF BREATH AND BECAME VERY FATIGUED. After being referred to Dr. Joseph Aragon, Director of Structural Heart Disease Program at Cottage Heart & Vascular Center, Bill was diagnosed with three separate heart issues over the next year and a half. The Cottage Heart & Vascular Center offered three minimally-invasive treatments, TAVR, Watchman™ and MitraClip™.
“All three procedures were easy on me. I feel better, have more energy and am back to enjoying life,” said Bill.
The Cottage Heart & Vascular Center is nationally recognized for cardiovascular expertise and medical management of complex heart and vascular conditions. Cottage is one of the region’s most experienced heart centers specializing in minimally-invasive treatment.
In approaching resolutions, it’s beneficial to step back and reflect on what you’ve learned and accomplished during the previous year. Be sure to keep looking until you come up with something you are proud of.
With that in mind, it’s easier to set some goals for the coming year. The idea is to shift your attention away from your shortcomings, bad decisions, and less than stellar behaviors, and just focus on making yourself more to your liking. Your ambitions don’t have to be earthshaking, but should reflect how you’d like to grow towards your potential.
For me, it’s asking myself, “What will bring me more joy, love, and peace for 2023?” I pose this question because happiness and personal fulfillment revolve around these three emotions. Joy, love, and peace are also the opposite of our other three emotions: sadness, anger, and fear
Here are some suggestions for ways to create the coming year one to remember. I’ve also noted what emotion each enlivens.
1. Lavish praise on yourself for what you do and who you are. (Joy) This combats the tendency to compare oneself to the wonderful things others may know, have, or accomplish. Praise can take the form of appreciating yourself at the end of the day or whenever you notice you’re subtly, or not so subtly, belittling yourself.
2. Vigilantly combat your negative judgments of others by looking for the positive. (Love) Find something good in what others wear, say, or do. There must be some positive thing you can substitute to counter your trashy thinking. The goal is to find our commonality, not to accentuate our differences.
3. Voice an appreciation in every interaction. (Love) This is a corollary to number two. Saying something positive isn’t being a Pollyanna but merely an opportunity to uplift yourself and others. It feels good to be the sender as well as being the recipient. Giving voice to what you appreciate is an exercise to build positivity and goodwill.
4. Don’t offer unsolicited advice. (Love) When not requested, sharing your “wisdom” is rarely received as you intended. I’ve learned (but sometimes forget) that I must ask for and receive permission before imparting my views on others about their situation. When I don’t, my sage advice lands with a thud since I’m out of my own backyard.
5. Procrastinate less. (Peace and Joy) If you are called to do something or assume a
responsibility; then just do it. You’ll waste less time and energy. If there is a call to make, pick up the phone. It won’t get any easier tomorrow.
6. Speak up when it matters. (Joy) Being passive and letting situations unfold in ways that don’t resonate or feel productive will eventually leave you feeling angry and/or sad. When we don’t chime in, it’s easy to withdraw from the interaction. If speaking up is difficult, just gulp and take the leap. You can always preface what you say with, “This is hard for me and...”
7. Set modest guidelines for exercise and eating. (Joy) It is a proven fact that eating good food and moving the body increases health and feelings of well-being. Maybe just limit the amount of coffee, wine, ice cream, chocolate, or fast food you eat. Try making it a priority to go for a walk at least every other day.
8. Live in the present. (Peace) This could take the form of daily meditation, being in nature, playing with your dog, or just spending less time in your head. The more time you stay out of the past and the future, the more you feel grateful and in awe for what’s in front of you right now.
9. Check-in with your intuition. (Joy and Peace) When uncertain about a given course of action – pause, breathe, and ask within (not your mind) what you know is best. This strategy can be used whether it is accepting an invitation for a social activity, taking a job offer, leaving a relationship, or finding a new living situation. No matter how large or small the question, answers from within, rather than our “should,” hold us in good stead.
10. Forgive transgressors. (Peace, Love, and Joy) If someone has wronged you, deal with your sadness, anger, and/or fear. Then seek to truly walk in their shoes and remember we are all just doing our best. Look for your part and your lessons. After you do your inner work, determine what if anything you need to do to fully resolve the issue at hand and if so, do it. See if you can make it all the way back to love.
Instead of a smörgåsbord approach to change, I suggest you pick one or two things and put your energy into those goals. It’s easier to stay focused on them, rather than overwhelm yourself with too many good intentions.
I suggest you write your goals on paper or your favorite electronic device and on the first day of each month, review and remind yourself of them. Focusing on a couple of gems throughout the year will help brighten your 2023 and keep you moving in your desired direction. And don’t forget to praise yourself for all your little steps.
Jude Bijou, MA, MFT, is a psychotherapist, educator, and workshop leader. Her theory of Attitude Reconstruction evolved over the course of 40 years working with clients and is the namesake of her multi-awardwinning book.
signify the official opening of the school, and guests were then invited to tour the campus and classrooms.
Keynote attendees included Teacher in Charge Shannon Colson with teachers Alison Bryant and Cristina Villa, their Office Manager Terri Hall, and school Custodian Ofelia Hernandez; CUSD Trustees: Vice President Andy Sheaffer, Aaron Smith, Sally Green, Eric Bridgford, Jayme Bray, and Jaclyn Fabre; Measure U team members including Jim Pettit, Jeanessa Lopez, and Miguel Baeza; Citizens Bond Oversight Committee of Chairperson Gary Blair, Vice Chair Angelina Lane, Jennifer Cota, Terra Stephan, John Duston, John Franklin, and Eric Panofsky; the CarpSummerland Fire Department Marshall Mike LoMonaco and team, First District County Supervisor Das Williams, Carpinteria City Manager Dave Durflinger, Steve McGillivray, and former student John Morrison for the bagpipe music.
411: https://summerland.cusd.net
Director of Conservation and Research for The Los Padres ForestWatch Bryant Baker has announced their new phone app for the public to find real time information on forest and trail closures and conditions.
Baker says: “Due to damage caused by severe winter storms earlier this month, many trails and roads have been closed to public access. It’s important to know where the public can and can’t go. We’re excited to release a new interactive tool to explore the status of trails and roads throughout the southern Los Padres National Forest, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and dozens of local parks and preserves.”
The app details regional trails, access roads, major roads, regional protected areas, ranger districts, designated wilderness, and shows public access status.
Head over to the app via the QR code or the link: https://arcg.is/OjTar
Los Padres ForestWatch protects wildlife, wilderness, water, and sustainable access throughout our region’s public lands along California’s Central Coast for the benefit of our communities, climate, and future generations. They work in conjunction with all local forest services and local trails organizations. Check out their website for updates, events, careers, and internships!
411: https://lpfw.org
test flight, and we dashed upstairs.
As we headed up, we were draped with sunlight, sending streaks through the stained-glass window and lighting us up with an array of purple, pink, green, and teal. Once we arrived on the second level, we were met with a fantastical assortment of speed-focused exhibits. Taking center stage is the Muzzy Family Speed Track. In this permanent fun zone, visitors build race cars and zoom them down the threelane coaster-like track.
Bertucci and I paused for a moment to watch two kids race their modded-out cars. The winner cheered; the loser got busy building a more aerodynamic model. We exchanged knowing looks then strolled down a hall that opens into a game room, including a pinball machine visitors can tweak to their taste. At first glance, it looks like an ‘80s-era arcade piece, but is actually an open-faced magnetic board with obstacles, ramps, and targets that can be swapped mid-game. I tried it out and all too soon the metal ball dropped through my flippers.
Back in the museum’s office space, I was plotting a return trip to redeem myself when Gose mentioned that her children are frequent visitors. Her nine-year-oldson, Owen, is already thinking like the next director of MOXI.
“Um, mommy,” Gose said, replicating one of her and her son’s frequent interactions, “Do you need advice for new exhibits? I have some ideas.’’
It’s a good thing Owen has ideas as MOXI is clearly going to be around for a while.
MOXI’s new after-school program for the 2022-2023 school year brings the museum experience to students off-site. Museum staff will facilitate open-ended, student-centered design challenges based on different exhibit areas of the museum.
The after-school program was successfully piloted at three Santa Barbara Unified Title I schools: Monroe Elementary, McKinley Elementary, and Cleveland Elementary. It will soon be prototyped with fifth and sixth graders at six different campuses across two school districts, where it will serve about 100 students with an approximate 600 hours of on-campus facilitation that culminates with a field trip to MOXI. The program will also be tested at three Goleta Union schools in the spring of 2023.
“It’s not necessarily that every kid is going to be able to walk out and know Newton’s laws of motion,” said Gose, “but they will be able to walk out with a keener sense of innovation, attention to detail, ability to ask questions, plus an interest and an ability to test, retest, and build and create. And have that comfort with taking risks and comfort with failure and trying it again and iterating so they can get to what feels like success for them.”
If you’d like to learn more about visiting MOXI, reserving a field trip for your school, or finding ways to show your support, visit moxi.org or call (805) 770-5000.
Walking through the Santa Barbara farmers market this week, I keep coming back to the carrot. This often-overlooked vege table is one that when at its peak, is so utterly sweet and delicious that it can be eaten without adornment.
I love the colors of the heirloom carrots – bright purple with an orange center, radiant orange, vibrant red, and dynamic yellow. Each having its own health benefits tied to the color: purple carrots are packed with heart disease reducing anthocyanins; orange carrots are linked to healthy vision with their high levels of beta-carotene; red ones contain lycopene, which has been shown to lower the risk of certain cancers; and yellow carrots have been linked to eye health and cancer prevention with its high levels of lutein. The carrot is also a good source of vitamin A, biotin, vitamin K1, potassium, and vitamin B6, and has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol.
As I am admiring these exquisite veggies, my brain is whirling with recipe ideas to bring to you in your homes. When a carrot is roasted, the sweetness and earthiness comes through in high definition, and paired with some spices, herbs, nuts, and a tahini sauce… Let’s get in the kitchen!
Yield: Serves 4
8 each large heirloom carrots, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
For the sauce:
½ cup tahini
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 each garlic clove, crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons pistachios, crushed ¼ cup mint, stems removed and chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make sure all the carrots are roughly the same size; if some are thicker, quarter them.
3. In a large bowl, toss the carrots with the coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, and olive oil.
4. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
5. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes. Flip the carrots over and roast another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the carrots start to char on the edges and are tender. Drizzle with the maple syrup.
6. While the carrots are roasting, make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Set aside.
7. When the carrots are done, arrange on a platter, drizzle with the tahini sauce, top with the crushed pistachios and chopped mint.
by Claudia Schou
One of the most memorable aspects of dining out is a well-made dessert that sets the tone for a night on the town.
On the heels of the awards season, the world’s fashion designers are preparing to roll out their latest luxury creations. Similarly, local pastry chefs have added to their menus a smörgåsbord of desserts inspired by haute couture and the silver screen.
Pastry chefs fold many talents into one mold. They are part artist, architect, and designer. Their job is about creating the right balance of flavor, texture, and structure to tantalize the senses and transport the diner to another place and time. It’s an art form that supports the menu’s narrative while creating a new culinary experience for food lovers.
It’s no secret that pastry chefs look to the world of fashion for culinary inspiration. And like a well-constructed gown, there is nothing more decadent than a well-made dessert.
“It’s the marriage between function and creative art, and a little bit of fantasy,” said Louis John. “Dessert and couture are indulgences to be admired and savored.”
As the owner of Louis John Boutique, a high-end consignment shop located in a nondescript building formerly known as Sears at La Cumbre Shopping Center, he is constantly on the lookout for classic wardrobe pieces to add to his boutique’s collection of gently worn luxury clothing with a mission to please fashion enthusiasts looking for sophisticated wardrobe staples, and also doing his part to reduce fashion from landfills or incinerators.
Melissa Petitto, R.D., is an executive chef and co-founder at Thymeless My Chef SB, was a celebrity personal chef for 16 years, just finished her 10th cookbook, and is an expert on nutrition and wellness.
John – who was recently hired by a local auction house to catalog and execute the auction of some 700 pieces of fashion wardrobe belonging to the late society fashion maven Lady Ridley-Tree – is no stranger to high-end fashion. His boutique offers a Who’s Who of fashion staples from Yves St Laurent, Chanel, Armani, St. John, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Gucci, just to name a few.
John is equally comfortable discussing the latest fashion trends as he is what’s trending on local menus. Design inspiration is his favorite topic, particularly if it takes place in the kitchen.
Recently, John joined MJ for a dessert tasting in search of designer appeal.
The Designer: Pastry Chef Michelle Straub
The Creations: Grand Marnier soufflé ($24) served with Tahitian vanilla crème anglaise and cardamom gelato; spiced pumpkin cake ($20) served with fromage blanc gelato, roasted pepitas, and accented with an orange lace tuile; the triple crunch chocolate cake ($21) layered with salted caramel and milk chocolate feuilletine crunch; Meyer lemon tart ($20) made with raspberry meringue and poppy seed sablé.
MJ: San Ysidro Ranch features some inventive desserts on its dinner menu. Where do you find your culinary inspiration?
Michelle Straub (MS): I look for inspiration in nature. There’s a lot of that here. The ranch is a huge inspiration; it’s homey so you don’t want to elevate (the dessert)
in a way that feels out of place. I take inspiration for flavors, garnishes, and colors from our Meyer lemon trees, lavender and rosemary bushes, mint and flower gardens throughout the property. The Meyer lemon tart utilizes lemons from our trees, and our mint chocolate chip ice cream is made with fresh mint from our garden. I constantly rotate flavors like lavender from our property into specials to match the season and mirror the beauty of the property.
I start by jotting down a few flavor concepts, drawing bubbles with offshoots of flavors that go together and figure out how those flavors fit into the dessert. Often I ask myself if an element would go really well on a dessert or how I can take that inspiration and turn it into a dessert. It’s a lot of building on ideas and testing those ideas. First, I begin with a base, and then I think about what’s going to complement the flavors.
MJ: The ranch’s Grand Marnier soufflé is perfectly puffy, refined and simply divine. How do you assemble it?
MS: Grand Marnier is the base of the seasonal soufflé. It’s dusted with powdered sugar and then served with a dollop of cardamom gelato. The server finishes it tableside with a Tahitian vanilla crème anglaise (a custard sauce) infused with whole vanilla beans.
[John and I share a moment of silent ecstasy as we savor a bite of the soufflé and gelato on our palates, and then another and another.]
Louis John (LJ): The sponge-like texture of the Grand Marnier soufflé reminds me of the classic bouclé fabric of a canary yellow Chanel bouclé jacket.
MJ: It’s light and fluffy and the cremé anglaise is smooth, rich and very satisfying. For some reason, I’m thinking of the film Clueless right now.
MS: The spiced pumpkin cake is another popular menu item. It’s served warm and features allspice cardamom and cinnamon. The cake itself is situated on a pastry crème made with kabocha squash, which is a Japanese squash.
After the cake is situated on the kabocha pastry crème, I place a decorative orange tuile in between it and a scoop of fromage blanc gelato, which tastes like a tangy crème cheese ice crème. The orange tuile is made with sugar and orange zest. Then I add roasted pepitas (on the kabocha crème) for a little crunch.
cake. It features chocolate cake, salted caramel, and a sour cream-like chocolate frosting. There are chards of milk chocolate feuilletine (a crispy confection made from thin, sweetened crêpes) in the frosting, so each bite has a subtle crunch.
MJ: For the chocoholic, this is a memorable dessert. I love how the layers of this cake are thick like a trifle. It is bejeweled in crunchy cocoa-colored shiny pearls and caramelized popcorn. A pair of decorative chocolate wafers rise up like wings of a bird. It’s a bit avant-garde.
LJ: It’s like wearing pearls with a little black dress, but the contrast of the pearls and the golden popcorn make it sophisticated with a touch of youthful edginess.
MS: Those elements are like accessories, yet you don’t want the details to over-power the dessert; you want them to complement the texture and flavor. I want to add a new dimension and a little bit of flair to my desserts.
The Designer: Leonard Schwartz
The Creations: The salty turtle sundae ($15), made with vanilla ice cream, homemade caramel sauce and chocolate sauce and sweet and salty pecans; Gene’s affogato ($15) vanilla ice cream and espresso with a side of button cookies; classic cheesecake ($15), served with berry compote; mixed berry shortcake made with fresh baked biscuit, raspberry compote, fresh whipped cream, and seasonal berries.
MJ: Lucky’s offers a delicious, easy-going dining experience here, with a bit of discretion in the air, like an old Hollywood establishment.
Leonard Schwartz (LS): We get our inspiration from notable and historic establishments in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, such as Tadich Grill, among others. These desserts reflect a kind of Americana, though to some extent they’re based on French cooking technique. They’re still classic American desserts.
Stonehouse Restaurant’s classic dessert selection features a seven-layer chocolate cake outfitted with caramelized popcorn and cocoa-crunch pearls and a Guo Pei-esque pumpkin spice cake
LJ: The gelato has the appearance of a smooth and satiny Dior gown, but if you look at the whole dessert – the boldness of the orange tuile looks like embroidered lace – it has a Guo Pei feel. It’s a beautiful ensemble.
MS: The triple chocolate crunch cake is the ranch’s homage to the seven-layer
The salty turtle sundae, without shame, is made with Häagen-Dazs ice cream. We make our own homemade caramel sauce and not-very-sweet chocolate sauce. The pecans are boiled and then cooked in brown butter with sugar, and we make our own whipped cream in-house. We sell more of these than any other of our desserts combined.
Gene’s affogato is my favorite dessert because it has everything I want in a dessert, which is espresso and ice cream.
For the shortcake, we bake the biscuits and prepare raspberry purée sauce daily. The
When life throws you curveballs, what does the owner of the vegan joint Rascal’s do? In short, Dalan Moreno gets to work and gets things done!
After a sudden and unexpected notice to vacate his downtown residency on Cota Street on November 4, 2022, Dalan was left in a moment of uncertainty. But if 17 years of being vegan in Santa Barbara has taught him anything, it’s how to adapt and work with what he’s got.
But finding the perfect spot doesn’t happen overnight. So with a wealth of contacts he built over the years, Dalan set up pop-ups at Muni and Blue Owl, worked private events for Dune, and even partnered with the local nonprofit, Rooted Santa Barbara, which held an event with Sansum Diabetes Research Institute to encourage Spanish speaking healthcare workers to think of food as medicine and eat healthier meals with a plant-based focus.
But as it’s been his dream to have a real brick and mortar vegan restaurant in town, a place to call his own, there was simply no other choice but to make it happen. And happen it has!
On January 1, 2023, Dalan signed a lease for a spot on Haley Street. But of course, it’s never as easy as “Here’s the keys, you’re good to go!” That’s like expecting a restaurant not to charge you for extra avocado. In your dreams, pal!
Here’s where we come in. Due to all the costs getting a restaurant in working order, Dalan has reached out to the community, asking for assistance to give him the jumpstart he needs to thrive and provide delicious vegan food to everyone who wants it.
So for those who have enjoyed Dalan’s food, or to anyone simply interested in having more food options in our city, a GoFundMe has been set up to help him reach his goal. Please visit this link if you feel inclined to give:
www.gofundme.com/help-rascals-vegan-get-a-brick-and-mortar
And as a thank you to the community, with the donations come some tasty perks. $25 will get you one of his famous elotes, $50 a free entrée, and with donations $500 and up Chef Dalan Moreno will host a private meal for up to four. Check the GoFundMe for more details!
If there’s anything Dalan wants, it’s to serve up some tortas and elotes to all of you as soon as humanly possible!
Okay, enough taco’ing about it. Let’s make it happen!
the closure of the southbound 101 onramp. It was CalTrans. I was on the Planning Commission then and had a lengthy discussion during a public hearing with the CalTrans team about that. CalTrans was mandating the elimination of left-hand on ramps throughout the state due to safety issues. And when you think about it logically, they were correct that an uphill onramp into fast-lane traffic, with the visibility hampered due to the uphill nature of the ramp, was not very safe. I and other commissioners tried to push CalTrans to incorporate a right-hand onramp at that time. CalTrans’ position was that they were building an enhanced onramp at Milpas and that their planned enhanced signage would cause the southbound traffic to use that new onramp. I was skeptical, but it was not sufficient an issue over which to hold up the Coastal Development Permit. We can see in the aftermath that CalTrans was wrong.
The second factual error is about the Olive Mill Road roundabout. Hazard states: “In 2018, the City of Santa Barbara decided that Montecito needed a new single-lane roundabout at CVR and Olive Mill to speed ten lanes of current in and out traffic from a five-way intersection at the Gateway to Montecito.”
The fact is that it was not the City but – once again – CalTrans that proposed the roundabout. Their 101 future traffic analysis showed that the northbound offramp volume would unsafely queue onto the mainline. Many potential solutions were evaluated, and the roundabout was deemed the best solution. The project is a combined City, County, and CalTrans project. Numerous formal public hearings and informational meetings have been held over the years about it, including at the Montecito Inn. I’m surprised that Bob apparently didn’t attend those or read about what was going to happen and why.
I have usually agreed with Mr. Hazard’s point of view on various subjects in MJ But in this case, he should have done more research into the facts. As has been said many times, everyone is welcome to their own opinions but not their own facts.
Regards,
Addison Thompson, Santa BarbaraLadies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for using your valuable ink and newsprint over the past months to delight us with the twists and turns of the novel Montecito, and thank you to the author, Michael Cox, for making it available! It was great fun seeing Hollis’ suspicions grow as he got himself knee deep, and then hip deep, and finally neck deep in Cyrus’ financial shenanigans. The usual anticipation of your Thursday editions was enhanced, knowing we would get a few more chapters of this engrossing story. It was like being back in the 19th-century craze of the serialized novel, with Mark Twain and others capturing the attention of
the nation’s readers. Here’s hoping one of our local show-biz folks was equally entertained and helps to get the novel published and/or turned into a streaming TV series. And finally, pretty please, do another!
Sincerely,
David Taylor, Montecito
Sad to see it end... enjoyed reading your work. Keep writing.
Annette RobsonDear Michael,
I feel like I’ve lost a friend! Such a great character. I have so enjoyed your novel… and was actually sad when I found it to be the last chapter. My friend and I would so look forward to Thursdays… walk to Pierre’s and delve into the Journal, hoping there was another chapter printed… saying, “I wonder what Hollis is up to this week.” I hope you have more up your sleeve.
Wishing you more success, however you choose to proceed… a mini-series – why not? The world is fascinated with “Montecito.” But, for sure… we encourage another Montecito Reads for us.
Until we meet again,
C. Lee KirchDear Mr. Cox,
I really enjoyed reading your novel in the MJ. I’m sorry I don’t have an agent or publisher to recommend, but I am certain you will get it published.
I kept thinking Cyrus faked his death and would come back to Hollis with more threats and another 58 chapters. But your clever ending, of course, allows for that, anyway. Maybe Montecito: The Sequel?
And, of course, everyone is wondering who it’s based on and how much is true?
Montecito Journal made a good decision in printing the serial version. It motivated me to pick up MJ for months. Best of luck to you for getting your book version published.
Cheers, Katey O’Neill
Loved, loved, loved your story! Every Thursday we called “periodical day” and went out to get a Montecito paper. Some days I would read your story right away, and then some days I would savor your story and wait till Friday or Saturday to read it.
I would call your serialized novel a hit!
It’s always fun to have something to look forward to.
Here’s to another story!
L. Berrett, 5th-generation Santa Barbaran
Hi Michael
Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I enjoyed reading your novel, Montecito, every week in the MJ Being a lifelong resident, I feel you did an excellent job of capturing the true flavor of S.B. and Montecito. I wish you luck in getting your novels published because I would definitely buy them.
Best, Michael
HamiltonReflection and Gratitude (Continued from 26) scale. Our immunization tent will close at the end of January, but we will still provide COVID-19 vaccines and boosters at our pharmacy and doctors’ offices.
There are many reasons for optimism looking at the months ahead into the spring and summer. Most national metrics are heading downward, with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and test positivity all down by around 20% in the past two weeks. In California, cases have decreased by 48% and deaths have decreased by 30% in the past two weeks and in our own local community data, over the past week the number of reported cases has decreased by 14% and in our own Urgent Care data, the test positivity continues to trend down, now at 7%.
In addition to that good news, we have learned many lessons and have many more tools in the tool belt, such as:
- Bivalent boosters, which are now approved for nearly everyone six months and older, continue to demonstrate protection against all of the latest Omicron subvariants, including the new, more transmissible subvariant XBB.1.5, which is quickly becoming the dominant subvariant. Although this variant is more transmissible than prior variants, there is still no indication that it results in more serious illness than prior subvariants.
- A plentiful supply of COVID-19 vaccine, bivalent boosters, along with prophylactic medications like Evusheld and antiviral treatments like Paxlovid. In addition, the FDA will be discussing new and simpler strategies for vaccinating individuals against COVID-19 using a similar strategy to what is used for annual flu vaccinations, with annual vaccinations to target the current circulating variants. More to come on that front.
- Best practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19 like masking, physical distancing, and avoiding crowded indoor spaces when transmission rates are increasing.
Now past the crisis phase, we have transitioned to a world where we need to coexist with COVID-19, and flex all of the advancements that have been developed along the way, locally and globally. There are so many people across all areas of Sansum Clinic who deserve recognition for their actions over the past three years, which allowed us to provide the high-quality care that our patients deserve. Our Clinic’s role was vital, and our collective efforts and resolute focus on patient care surely saved lives and protected our community. That is certainly something we all should be proud of and must always strive to uphold.
With my sincere gratitude,
Marjorie Newman, M.D., Sansum Clinic Medical DirectorNAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: T.D Services, 21 Betty Drive, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105. Tim A. Deran, 21 Betty Drive, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 27, 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. 2023-0000213. Published
February, 1, 8, 15, 22, 2023
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Plateful, 205 Oceano Ave, Apt 7, Santa Barbara, CA, 93109. Miriam C Burroughs, 205 Oceano Ave, Apt 7, Santa Barbara, CA, 93109. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 12, 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.
With both sadness and celebration of a life well-lived, we announce the passing of David R. Martin at 91 years young. His family’s and friends’ hearts ache to have lost the presence of such a great man.
“Dave” was an energy industry leader since the mid-1950s, having earned his master’s in Geology at UCLA after serving in the USAF during the Korean War. Along with several other young geologists, he was hired by Armand Hammer and then helped build Occidental Petroleum (OXY) from a small drilling company in Bakersfield, Calif., to the significant international exploration and production corporation it is today, finally retiring as the President of OXY’s Oil & Gas Division.
He was a visionary leader who had a nose for finding new oil reserves and for finding opportunities where others only saw obstacles. One of his discoveries was, and continues to be, the largest oil field in all South America. He was passionate about his work and proud of helping to create value in the world. He was among the best storytellers of all time, and considering his many international adventures and his skill in diplomacy and deal-making with foreign governments – his stories were the stuff of legends.
2023-0000082. Published
February, 1, 8, 15, 22, 2023
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Ivonne’s Mexican Art Boutique, 420 Old Coast Hwy Unit A, Santa Barbara, CA, 93103. Maria Ivonne Zarate, 420 Old Coast Hwy Unit A, Santa Barbara, CA, 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 23, 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. 2023-0000161. Published
February, 1, 8, 15, 22, 2023
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: La Peche Events, 841 San Roque Road, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105. Kimberly S. Stone, 841 San Roque Road, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 19, 2023. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the Coun -
ty 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. 2023-0000146. Published January 25, February, 1, 8, 15, 2023
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ServiceMaster Restoration & Cleaning by Integrity; ServiceMaster by Integrity Construction; Furniture Medic by Cabinet Restorers; ServiceMaster Restoration Services; ServiceMaster Recovery Management, 4893 McGrath St, Ventura, CA, 93003. Sharjo, LLC, 5451 Industrial Way, Benicia, CA 94510. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on January 12, 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. 20230000081. Published January 25, February, 1, 8, 15, 2023
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR
David was a devoted husband of nearly 68 years to Sarah “Sally” Martin, whom he cherished and loved deeply, and together they spent many years supporting the arts and assembling an impressive collection of California Regionalist painting, primarily watercolors of Depression-era California scenes. He was an inspirational father to his two sons, Jon and Mat and their wives Michele and Karen, a beloved grandfather to Sarah, Nathan, Anna, and Leah, and a generous friend to many. He was fortunate enough to have his family living close by in Santa Barbara.
He died peacefully at home with family at his side after a 20+ year battle with prostate cancer. He was a native Californian who liked to tell of his childhood growing up on a farm in rural San Fernando Valley, catching crawdads in the free-flowing L.A. River.
David will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him. His legacy of success, hard work, generosity, love, and compassion will live on in the hearts of those he touched. A graveside service to celebrate David’s life was held at The Santa Barbara Cemetery on Tuesday, February 7th, at 10:30 a.m. Arrangements entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.
22CV04680. To all interested parties: Petitioner Neal Stuart Mazer filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Neal Stuart Hiken . 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 January 18, 2023 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: March 15, 2023 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published February 8, 15, 22, and March 1, 2023.
PARENTS - FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR SCHOOLS. RADICAL SEX ED, GENDER
TRAINING, PORNO BOOKS, CRT, ANTI AMERICA
TRAINING - FORCED ON 12 YEAR OLDS BY RADICAL SCHOOL BOARDS IN MONTECITO AND SANTA BARBARA
by Leslie Zemeckis
Fans of Bret Easton Ellis will be thrilled with The Shards, his first book in 13 years. Bret (fictional Bret) is 17 years old, attending a preppy academy, taking massive quantities of drugs, and obsessing over Robert, the new kid in school – handsome and a threat – and a serial killer roaming around Los Angeles. Ellis returns to the 1980s and his genre of louche, superficiality, and beautiful characters obsessed with themselves. Don’t be lulled by the lingering pace, its Ellis masterfully drawing his audience in towards a bloody climax.
Maddie is in her twenties, often the only Black person in a room, and doesn’t have the perfect family. Her father is sick with advanced stage Parkinson’s, her mother spends years in Ghana, and her brother is mostly absent, except when he needs to borrow money. It falls to Maddie to care for her father which earns her the nickname “Maame” – the responsible one – and the title of Jessica George’s debut novel. Maddie struggles to break free of her responsibilities and insecurities, endlessly Googling for the answers about dating and job interviews and life. George charmingly captures Maddie’s struggles with the marginalization she faces every day, and I am sure you will fall in love with Maddie as much as I did.
Nick Tabor’s Africatown is a moving portrait of the last slave ship out of West Africa that landed in Alabama. The treatment of the enslaved persons is not a happy tale, nor is their eventual freedom, even though they built a community called Africatown that exists today. Tabor explains with heartbreaking details the lack of reform, restitution, and any sort of fairness the formerly enslaved people endured once slavery was abolished.
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F
inlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third installment from Elle Cosimano. Finlay is a suspense writer who continually finds herself mixed up with real life criminals, being chased by the mob, and dead people inconveniently turning up where she is. Her nanny/ assistant Vero is a hoot of a character, who manages to get the duo into dangerous and hilarious situations. The two fall in and out of trouble at lightning speed as a Russian mobster threatens their lives. It is complicated, and a funny romp worth diving into.
It’s One of Us by J.T. Ellison is a wholly original premise. Olivia and Dan can’t remain pregnant. When a woman’s body is found and the DNA irrefutably points to the killer being Dan’s child, the couple are thrown into a nightmare situation. Dan doesn’t even know he has children, though he admits to donating to a sperm bank in his college days. Turns out there are at least 28 potential killers out there and it might just be up to one of them to solve the murder.
The Woman with the Cure is Lynn Cullen’s latest about Dorothy Horstmann, who helped develop the polio vaccine. Turned away from a residency at Vanderbilt because of her sex, Dorothy went on to prove polio traveled through the blood, despite her male colleague’s skepticism. Cullen movingly describes what it was like to have polio in the 1940s, and Dorothy’s compassion and determination to find a cure.
Children between the ages of three and five (and their grownups) are invited to the Montecito Library for a weekly Preschool Storytime starting in February. We will be meeting every Thursday from 10-10:30 am. Come by to meet new friends, read stories, sing songs, and make crafts.
This is a great opportunity to introduce little ones to group listening and participation in a small environment. Our Preschool Storytime went on hiatus during the pandemic, switching to outdoor options and then being replaced by Stay & Play on Tuesdays, which has been popular with younger toddlers.
This returning program will provide more structure than our Tuesday program, with the idea of getting “bigger” little ones ready for kindergarten. Seeing some of our former Preschool Storytime regulars return now as elementary school kids was a great reminder that we needed to bring this back!
For the month of February, our focus will be farm animals… E-I-E-I-O.
Meet at the Montecito Library for a free, interactive educational series that will answer your questions about memory loss, healthy aging, and how to be a caring member of our community.
Our February class is “Where Are My Keys vs. What Are My Keys For?” Forgetfulness and changes in cognition are a normal part of aging, but when do those changes become a concern? Join us to learn about normal and abnormal brain changes and techniques you can use to approach a loved one about whom you have concerns.
This program is offered in partnership with the California Central Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. We encourage all community members and caregivers to attend to learn more about this important topic.
Our Poetry Club has switched to the third Wednesday of every other month, which will occur on all even months this year.
You are invited to learn more about Robert Creeley as we explore the fascinating life, incredible friendships, and impactful, prolific work of this distinguished poet and award winner. Frequently associated with the “Black Mountain Poets,” Creeley was an exceptionally influential American author,
poet, and professor. His linguistically spare, but electric, emotionally charged style of verse gave important prominence to lived personal experience. Please bring a favorite poem by the featured poet to discuss. All are welcome.
Stay & Play - Tuesdays, Drop in anytime 9-10:30 am
Preschool Storytime (age 3-5)
- Thursdays, 10-10:30 am
Knit ‘n’ Needle - Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm
Learn Library Apps: Consumer Reports
- Wed, 2/1, 10-11 am
Library On the Go Van @ Cold Spring School - Wed, 2/1, 3:30-5:30 pm
Poetry Club: Robert Creeley
- Wed, 2/15, 2-3:30 pm
Brain Education Series: “Where Are My Keys vs. What Are My Keys For?”
- Wed, 2/22, 10-11 am
Montecito Book Club: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
- Tues, 2/28, 12-1 pm
See you at the library!
whipped cream is made fresh and served alongside an assortment of seasonal berries and powdered sugar on top.
MJ: The shortcake bread is elegant, not quite like a biscuit but more like a pastry biscuit.
LJ: The taste and texture are a bit extravagant, similar to the desserts and costume design (by Milena Canonero) you see in the film Marie Antoinette, with heaps of whipped cream and luscious berries.
LS: The cheesecake with berry compote is also very light. It’s basically a variation on a New York-style cheesecake. The graham cracker crust is made with butter, graham crackers and a hint of cinnamon.
LJ: There’s a balance of sugar that isn’t too crusty. The ivory cake and golden crust drum up visions of Lana Turner’s costume design (by Irene Lentz) in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).
MJ: Stealing a man’s wife is one thing, but don’t even think about touching his dessert!
going to see a side of Fauci that’s very hard to impeach.”
That includes some of the folks who have said nasty things about him over the last few years.
“They see the film and they say, ‘Oh, alright. I kinda like him now.’”
reviews, including a strong notice from The New York Times
Fourteen years later, Schmidt has expanded upon the book as the producer and screenwriter of Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection, which has its world premiere at SBIFF.
Karen was the female half of the brother-sister duo that scored 12 Top 10 hits in a span of five years, including “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” collecting three Grammys, a TV variety show, and more than 100 million of sales for their hookfilled, easy-listening tunes.
“That Story movie was pretty accurate, except it was just a very whitewashed version of the truth, covering over things that happened in her family,” Schmidt explained. Which is why Schmidt, for both the book and the new doc, interviewed her former drummer, her closest friends, contemporaries such as Carol Burnett, and second-generation fans like Kristin Chenoweth, as well as Barry Morrow, the Santa Barbara screenwriter of The Karen Carpenter Story and the actress who played her, both of whom were still affected by the experience.
The film features lots of archival footage of the Carpenters, as well as a number of audio clips of Karen, culled from radio stations and elsewhere that have never been widely heard.
Rachel Hendrix – starring Lori Singer (from Fame and Footloose) as a creative writing professor who experiences a relapse of grief one year after the death of her husband. Directed by Victor Nuñez (Ulee’s Gold, Ruby in Paradise).
Killing Me Softly with His Songs – A doc about the life and work of composer Charles Fox, who wrote the title song, “I Got a Name,” and “Ready to Take A Chance Again,” as well as iconic TV show themes for Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, and Wonder Woman
Rachel’s Farm, in which Rachel Ward explores the possibilities of the regenerative farming revolution, a subject near and dear to Santa Barbara’s heart.
Visit https://sbiff.org for showtimes, tickets, and the full guide of movies being shown at this year’s event.
cated her life to abolishing nuclear weapons ever since, and her moving story is told through the lens of her growing friendship with a second-generation survivor, Mitchie Takeuchi – also the film’s producer. She’ll join director Susan Strickler following the screening at SBCC’s Fé Bland Forum on Friday, Feb. 10.
There’s no little irony in the fact that Randy Schmidt only developed his interest in the 1970s pop hitmakers the Carpenters from watching the 1989 TV movie, The Karen Carpenter Story, given that he’s the driving force behind the new documentary Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection, that aims to set the record straight.
“The day after that, I was in our local library researching and never really stopped,” Schmidt said. “I became the internet Carpenter’s guru for around 15 years, talking about what I learned about her life.”
Schmidt said he was waiting for someone to write the book he wanted to read about Carpenter’s music and all the pressures that led up to her untimely death at 32 from heart failure due to anorexia. He began to interview some of the people who knew her and decided to write it himself. The result was the 2010 book Little Girl Blue, which received great
For Schmidt, the film culminates more than three decades of his work on Karen’s story, but his effort isn’t just about digging for the truth. It’s also to be a part of introducing the next generation to the late singer’s work.
“First and foremost is her voice, which is like nothing I’ve ever heard,” he said. “She had such a conversational quality like she’s speaking directly to you, so warm and yet dark and melancholy. There was a sadness that was like she had a story she was trying to tell you, but she couldn’t quite let it all out. But you could hear it within the voice. I want everyone to hear it. The Carpenters’ music is dated, but her voice is so timeless that it could be a hit in any decade.”
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer –Thomas von Steinaecker’s already heralded dive into the enigmatic auteur director behind Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Fitzcarraldo; and Grizzly Man
“I’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage downtown I now need to relocate. Ugh!
I’m looking for a solo space (cottage, apartment, guest quarters, etc.), locally, with rent in the low $2Ks, available by the end of February-ish. Nonsmoker, no pets, great references. Might you know of something?” Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com .
The culmination of jazz saxophonist/ composer/educator Ted Nash’s expansive winter residency in town and over Zoom this year comes next weekend (Feb. 18-19) when the Santa Barbara Symphony premieres his Transformation – a rethinking and newly arranged for orchestra take on a segment of his 2021 collaboration with Glenn Close, Transformation: Personal Stories of Change, Acceptance, and Evolution. But first, there’s another installment of his periodic collaboration with local musicians in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. This time around, rather than have the jazz lovers take their inspiration from works of art, Nash challenged them to use their own imagination in keeping with the theme of transformation.
“When we find inspiration outside of ourselves, it’s our own creativity and imagination that has us explore our own thoughts and feelings based on what we were exposed to,” he explained. “You don’t necessarily have to have the most sophisticated background in composing or even in music – just a willingness to embrace the things you feel and think –and find ways in music to express that. That’s what I’m trying to encourage here.”
Hear the results in a free concert at Mary Craig Auditorium at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. See next week’s issue for more from Nash on the Symphony premiere.
Yes, you actually can find a movie screening with the filmmakers that isn’t part of SBIFF this week, as the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation presents The Vow from Hiroshima, an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when she survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Thurlow has dedi-
Still stuck about where to take your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day? SOhO might have the solution. Veteran Santa Barbara songbird Shawn Thies , who has emotional richness amid the silky smoothness, is bringing along a bunch of her musical friends for a Tuesday, Feb. 14, dinner show at 7 p.m. at the restaurant-nightclub, including local stalwarts George Friedenthal , Randy Tico , Maitland Ward , Bill Flores , and David Hunt … Alternately, you can also sip cocktails and/or dine with your dear one block away with Nic & Joe at Crush Bar & Tap, billed as Santa Barbara’s first queer bar, open to people of all identities all the time. That’s where the smoky-sultress jazz pop singer Nicole Lvoff and innovative arranger/guitarist (and Indy arts writer) Joe Woodard , a.k.a. the band Lucinda Lane when they’re doing originals, will perform selections from their ever-expanding songbook of Beatles, Joni Mitchell, bossa novas, jazz standards, and more.
For something edgier, ask your honey to head to Center Stage Theater for the first show from Anima, Theater of the Feminine Underground, since the pandemic. Anima’s mission is to provide a stage for women to share their voices and visions for the purpose of catalyzing collective transformation through creative expression, which takes the form of 10 pieces that might range from spoken word to music, movement, or experimental theater, providing a glimpse into the creator’s inner world.
Three days earlier, Center Stage also hosts Yulia Maluta’s eighth annual Colors of Love dance show, a celebration of love, cultures, and unity with live dancers and singers including Latin, Samba, Flamenco, Belly Dance, Argentine Tango, Swing, Pole Art, and more. Singer Terrill Williams Carter is featured in the Saturday, Feb. 11, event.
Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage
performs regularly with Opera SB as a Chrisman Studio Artist.
A glorious start to the new season...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has raised $13 million since its formation in 2020 with $3 million given away to their charitable causes, including cash for 12 million COVID-19 vaccinations.
The monies raised by the Sussexi’s charitable organizations was also handed to organizations supporting refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Archewell’s first “impact report” says its money helped pay for 12.66 million COVID shots around the world, while working with the anti-poverty charity Global Citizen.
The donations equated to 23% of income.
Bravo!
Former Montecito TV talk-show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, who just celebrated her 69th birthday in L.A., are set to appear on former First Lady Michelle Obama’s new podcast with Amazon Audible.
The new project, The Light Podcast, debuts March 7 and remains exclusive to Amazon for two weeks, at which point it will become universally available.
It will be an eight-part series discussion with topics including race and relationships.
Actor Ashton Kutcher was not happy his ex-wife Demi Moore detailed their marital problems in her 2019 bombshell memoir Inside Out
The Carpinteria resident, 44, who graces the cover of Esquire’s first ever digital cover story, fumes he was “f**king pissed” at his former spouse, 60, for reigniting a media frenzy over his personal life.
“I’d finally gotten to the place where the press had really laid off me and my wife Mila Kunis and family. And then the next day, the paparazzi were at my kids’ schools,” the father of two reflected on the renewed interest in his first marriage following Moore’s book release.
During the interview, the People’s Choice Award winner recalled exactly how his “life changed” the moment news broke over his relationship with actor Bruce Willis’ ex, who is 15 years his senior.
“I was 26, bearing the responsibility of an eight-year-old, 10-year-old, and 12-year-old,” he said of becoming a stepfather in his mid-20s. “That’s how some teen parents have experienced their 20s.”
My congratulations to Montecito rocker Adam Levine, 43, and his former supermodel wife Behati Prinsloo, 34, who have just welcomed their third child. The tony twosome, who wed in 2014, already have daughters Gio Grace and Dusty Rose , aged four and six, respectively.
No word yet of the sex or name of the latest addition to the family...
Montecito comedy legend Carol Burnett will be celebrating her 90th anniversary with some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
NBC has announced an upcoming two-hour special honoring the icon on her birthday, “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter and Love,” which will air on April 26.
Joining in the celebration, which is shooting at the Avalon Hollywood Club in the Big Orange, will be Montecito singer Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Julie Andrews, and Amy Poehler.
“I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career,” gushes Carol. “I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”
Other stars lined up for the celebration are designer Bob Mackie, Lily Tomlin, Laura Dern , Marisa Tomei , Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, Sofía Vergara, and Vicki Lawrence
Quite the crowd...
Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow has closed the London branch of her Goop lifestyle store franchise after losing $1.8 million in revenue as a consequence of the global pandemic.
The wellness brand, famous for its vagina-scented candle and psychic
vampire repellent spray, was originally launched by the Oscar winner in 2008 as a weekly newsletter.
It has since developed into an internationally recognized brand with Paltrow, 50, opening her first U.K. store in affluent Notting Hill in 2019.
But the shop was forced to close its doors as the coronavirus pandemic swept across Britain in March 2020 and has remained closed ever since.
Mahri Kerley, bubbly owner of the popular book emporium Chaucer’s, obviously has a sense of humor. Accompanying her display of Spare, Prince Harry’s best-selling memoir, is the notice: “Book by local author.”
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has honored 23 student artists during a presentation and reception at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Chosen as winners of the founda-
tion’s Art Scholarship competition, each received a scholarship and their selected art submissions will be exhibited in the museum’s Family Resource Center through Feb. 12.
“This was our first scholarship reception in three years, and there was a remarkable electricity in there,” says Mary Dwyer, interim foundation president and CEO.
“The student work on exhibit was superb, and it was evident that all assembled enjoyed celebrating the students’ creative triumphs in person once again.”
Each year, the organization invites high school seniors in southern Santa Barbara County to submit a portfolio of original work for its art scholarship competition. A panel of prominent local artists – R. Anthony Askew , Isaac Hernandez, and Patti Jacquemain –judged the submissions.
There were 97 students competing this year, with each winner receiving a $2,500 scholarship, with the Schall Family Best in Show winner Annabel Contreras from Dos Pueblos High getting an additional $1,000 scholarship.
Michael Douglas and actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones noshing at Local... Warbler Katy Perry and actor fiancé Orlando Bloom at the G’Day USA arts gala in L.A... Actress and game-show host Jane Lynch enjoying Taco Tuesday at Los Arroyos on CVR.
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 a decade
Anka’s Aweigh – Octogenarian singer-songwriter Paul Anka may not be churning out hits anymore, but the Canadian one-time heartthrob is still crooning and charming his way on stage in his eighth decade of performing. Anka’s “Diana,” with its aching refrain, hit No. 1 on a Billboard R&B chart way back in 1957 when the singer was just 16, and he placed four more Top 20 songs in the next year, including “It’s Time to Cry” and “(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings.” “Lonely Boy” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart just a year later, followed immediately by “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” which rose to No. 2. Fifteen years later, Anka again topped the pop chart with “(You’re) Having My Baby.” A prolific songwriter, Anka also penned “Johnny’s Theme,” the theme song for The Tonight Show that played every weeknight for Johnny Carson’s 30-year stint as host, and he also wrote the lyrics for the Frank Sinatra hit “My Way” and Tom Jones’s “She’s a Lady”, and co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous No. 1 single “This Is It.” Tonight’s Anka brings his smartly titled “Greatest Hits: His Way” tour to the Samala Showroom at the Chumash Casino Resort up in Santa Ynez, where you are likely to hear lots of folks singing along for the trip down memory lane.
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: 3400 E. Highway 246, Santa Ynez
COST: $79 to $139
INFO: (800) CHUMASH (248-6274) or www.chumashcasino.com
Centuries of Chamber Music – Veteran Santa Barbara pianist Betty Oberacker gets the lion’s share of the work this afternoon, when the Santa Barbara Music Club continues its 2022-23 season of free bi-weekly concerts downtown with a program that spans works by composers from the Baroque, Romantic, Impressionist, and contemporary musical periods. Oberacker, a UCSB professor emeritus who enjoys an active chamber music performing, teaching, and coaching schedule, opens the concert with Bach’s “Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903,” then joins clarinetist David Singer for Schumann’s “Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces), Op. 73,” and violinist Nicole McKenzie for Debussy’s “Sonata Violin and Piano in G minor.” All three conclude the concert by performing Suite for Violin, Clarinet and Piano, Op. 157b” by Darius Milhaud, one of the early faculty members at Music Academy of the West.
WHEN: 3 pm
WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu St. (at Garden) COST: free
INFO: www.sbmusicclub.org
Kodō’s Career in Taiko – In a new production, Kodō, the professional taiko drumming troupe based on Sado Island, Japan, looks back at its impressive 40-year history and peers forward to its next chapter, with the drummers continuing to bring a youthful joy to their endlessly energetic, intricately designed and meticulously choreographed displays. Tonight’s “Tsuzumi” program opens with “Dyu-Ha,” created by Maki Ishii, a modern composer who was introduced to Kodō by conductor Seiji Ozawa, as a gift to congratulate the ensemble on its debut in 1981, and is being performed for the first time in North America since 1989. Ishii’s masterpiece “Monochrome” and other Kodō signature pieces such as “O-daiko,” “Yatai-bayashi,” and “Zoku” will follow, coupled with new compositions by the next generation of taiko creators.
WHEN: 8 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.
COST: $46 to $71
INFO: (805) 899-2222/www.granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535/ www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
Rhythms & Soul on the Horn –Arturo Sandoval, the Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer who been playing his instrument for more than six decades, is surely among the most decorated of jazz musicians as he has won 10 Grammys, six Billboard Awards, an Emmy, the Hispanic Heritage Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was recently honored with a Doctorate in Fine Arts from the prestigious University of Notre Dame. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie and has become one of the great guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist, and composer. At 73, Sandoval remains one of the most multifaceted musicians of our time and is still recording, having last year released Rhythm & Soul, receiving rave reviews for his collection of new originals that draw on a wide swath of Latin music, from traditional Cuban Son to Brazilian Bossa-Nova and Samba to Caribbean Soca. Ever the showman, Sandoval remains capable of delivering the effortless high notes and improvised runs of dizzying speed and accuracy, and he continues in concert to present a diverse and exhilarating show featuring Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop, straight ahead jazz, and more.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $46 & $56 ($106 VIP tickets include premier seating and a pre-show reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres)
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com
Jazz Jam with Jeff – After a break that started with distance and was exacerbated by the pandemic, erstwhile beloved Santa Barbara trumpet and keyboardist Jeff Elliott heads back to his old stomping grounds of SOhO to lead an old-time jam session for the Santa Barbara Jazz Society. Elliott held down a weekly jam session slot at SOhO for more than a decade before he moved up to San Luis Obispo County. Today, he’ll be backed by S.B.’s finest rhythm section in bassist Randy Tico and drummer Kevin Winard – with Elliott often playing trumpet and keyboard simultaneously – for a procession of professional and want-to-be instrumentalists and singers sitting on SOhO’s stage. It’ll be like old times, grounded by the trio of old-timers who just keep getting better.
WHEN: 1 to 4 pm
WHERE: SOhO, 1221 State St., upstairs in Victoria Court
COST: $35 general; $25 Jazz Society members; $10 professional musicians, singers, and full-time students; free for participating musicians/singers
INFO: (805) 962-7776/www.sohosb.com or (805) 687-7123/www.sbjazz.org
Czech Mates – The roots of Filharmonie Brno go back to the 1870s, when thenyoung composer Leoš Janáček endeavored to establish a Czech symphony orchestra in Brno, the traditional capital of Moravia that is now the second largest city in the Czech Republic after Prague. The present orchestra was created in 1956 and has been among the leading Czech orchestras in both size and importance, where the programming of works by Janáček has always been at the core of the orchestra’s repertoire. Appropriately, music director Dennis Russell Davies – the American maestro who has conducted many of the world’s finest orchestras and opera companies over his half-century career – has created an all-Czech program for Monday’s CAMA concert with Bohuslav Martinů’s “Sinfonietta La Jolla, H.328,” and Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 6” bookending Janáček’s Taras Bulba, with pianist Maki Namekawa as special guest.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.
COST: $36 to $116
INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org
Chumash Maritime Wisdom – Chumash elder Puchuk Ya’ia’c (Alan Salazar) visited the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum last November to discuss “Chumash Maritime History – Past, Present, & Future.” Today, Salazar and Mona Lewis return to talk about and read from their book Coyote Rescues Hawk, a traditional Chumash story in which Hawk is captured by Swordfish and rescued from an underwater abode by the cunning Coyote. The book includes information about the history of the Chumash plank canoes (tomols) and Salazar’s involvement revitalizing their use in modern times, as well as Lewis’s illustrations and art activities for the reader. Following the reading, Salazar and Lewis will conduct a workshop for participants to create their own traditional seaweed rattles.
WHEN: 1 to 4 pm
WHERE: Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190
COST: $25 (includes all materials needed to create the rattles, including nature-based pigments for decoration)
INFO: (805) 962-8404 or www.sbmm.org
Mariachi Opera Back at the Luke – ÁNIMO Theatre Company is bringing its original work El Bracero – A Mariachi Opera to Santa Barbara. Set in the 1950s at the height of the 15-year-long Bracero program, the one-act work fuses mariachi music, ballet folklorico, and powerful opera-style set pieces in a story that highlights the challenges and injustices faced by seasonal immigrant workers who came to the U.S. as part of the program. Serving as both a cultural and educational experience that teaches an important part of Mexican-American history that is often overlooked, El Bracero premiered at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Center, not far from the fields where the Braceros once worked. El Bracero was written by Visalia’s Rosalinda Verde and features mariachi music performed by Mariachi Águilas de Oxnard de J. Carlos Ozuna
WHEN: Sunday, February 16, 5:30 pm
WHERE: Marjorie Luke (721 E. Cota St.)
COST: Free ($3 processing fee)
INFO: https://animotheatre.org
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Step It Up – Drums were once outlawed among enslaved Africans in the American South as a way of curtailing communication, connection, and culture. But the expression of rhythm could not be suppressed: instead, slaves transmitted through body percussion including juba, hambone, tap dance, and stepping. The 28-year-old company Step Afrika! continues and extends the long tradition of stepping – percussive, highly energetic art form developed through the song and dance rituals performed by African-American fraternities and sororities in which the body becomes an instrument, using footsteps, claps, and spoken word to produce complex poly-rhythms. Step Afrika! integrates contemporary dance and art forms with songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation to create a cohesive and compelling artistic experience. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Campbell Hall (also available as a livestream)
COST: $30 to $45 general; $15 youth
INFO: (805) 893-3535 or https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Held at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, the seaside celebration of Pinot Noir will feature more than 150 wineries, tastings, seminars, and delicious pairing dinners.
Use code: MONTECITO23 for discounts on Grand Tasting tickets.
DISCOVER. INDULGE. CELEBRATE. worldofpinotnoir.com
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I’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage I need to relocate and am seeking a studio or 1BR apt., ADU, cottage, etc. in SB or Montecito (but open to Carpinteria to Goleta). Occupancy by January 1 preferred. I’m clean and responsible, non-smoker and no pets. Excellent references available. Let’s talk!
Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com
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$8 MINIMUM TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD
It’s Simple. Charge is $2 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $8 per week/issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email text to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860 and we will respond with a cost. Deadline for inclusion is Friday before 2 pm.
We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex
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K-9 PALS need volunteers to be foster parents for our dogs while they are waiting for their forever homes.
For more information
info@k-9pals.org or 805-570-0415
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© 2022 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHHS and the BHHS symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.
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