Food Files A New Brick and Mortar for Rascal’s And How the Community Can Help!

by Christopher Matteo Connor

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 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.

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 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 Barbara

Fond Farewells to Montecito by Michael Cox

Ladies 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 Robson

Dear 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 Kirch

Dear 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

Hamilton

Reflection 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 Director

Fictitious Business

NAME 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.