Santa Barbara Sentinel #1/6

GOLETA GIRL

Jana helps a purple heart find its way home

REAL ESTATE

what is the appropriate season to list your home?

THE DISH

Pickles & Swiss opens its doors; Cat Cora consults for Dream Foundation

BY MICHAEL CALCAGNO, p. 23

BY Jana Mackin, P. 18

BY WENDY JENSON, p. 6

SANTA BARBARA

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once a week from pier to peak

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Lights, Music, Action

by Matt Mazza

PLAY US A SONG, PIANO PEOPLE I Was Wrong About Denver

I

hated Denver, once, a long time ago.

Couldn’t stand the place.

It was a cold December, and I had been making the trip to Colorado’s capital city frequently over the previous few months in connection with a contentious arbitration my firm was handling. It was no fun out there, tense and basically meanspirited, my own personal least favorite type of lawsuit.

By the time the hearing rolled around, things had gone from bad to worse. I was there handling the case alone with a small team at the ready back in California, participating remotely. And I was in the belly of the beast—trying the case in the mock trial room of a reputable Denver-area law firm, with a legion of lawyers from the most senior to the most junior in the firm on the other side of the proverbial table.

They came at my client’s General Counsel and me in waves, hometowning us at every possible turn, generally obstructing our path forward and making the experience entirely miserable for all involved.

We finally finished up closing arguments on a Thursday evening, and I rode the elevator down alone. It was dusk, incredibly cold, and snow had started lightly falling on 16th Street as I began my walk back to ...continued p.2

SBVIEW.com PAGE 10

PRESIDIOSPORTS PAGE 16

PLAN b PAGE 20

LOVEMIKANA.com PAGE 21

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MAZZA’S MISSIVE

ONTENTS

Cover

by Matt Mazza

Mazza’s Missive – Matt recalls a terrible few

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days in Denver that were turned around by a mysterious piano man (hmmm, maybe that didn’t come out right), and finds himself enjoying a great morning on State Street listening to people play the pianos that were recently installed. And Santa Barbara-based nonprofit Unite to Light does some good for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

(What a great town we live in.)

...continued from cover Montecito Jazz Project musician Tom Towles knocks out Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” in Paseo Nuevo much to the delight of a couple passersby.

L etters to the Editor – Superintendent Dave Cash is thrilled with the passage of Measures A and B and Proposition 30, but we’ll have to wait a few weeks to get an understanding of the financial impact; Annette Shimada congratulates the Sentinel on the paper and the hard work producing it; and Jon Jacobs ribs the Sentinel’s “political record.” (Thanks Jon.)

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T he Sentinel’s Take – The Sentinel editorial staff was all jazzed up for a tight election but soon realized that it wasn’t as close as the purported pundits prognosticated. And a City Council meeting includes insane ramblings on humans’ relationship to reality and a full-blown concert from the talented cast of SBHS’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone. Guess which one we liked better.

the hotel. The typically bustling pedestrian mall was devoid of life.

I’d missed my flight out. Another night of hotel food and a lonely glass of wine beckoned.

Things felt bleak.

But as I walked, head low, a beautiful piano concerto suddenly filled the still winter

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T he Dish – Wendy Jenson checks out new Paseo Nuevo sandwich shop Pickles & Swiss, and then heads over to Bacara Resort & Spa to learn a bit about Celebrity Chef Cat Cora’s role in crafting the cuisine for the Dream Foundation’s impending 11th Annual Celebration of Dreams Gala.

air around me. I searched but couldn’t find the source, at first thinking it was from a stereo or nearby bar. The music grew louder with each step until I finally found its creator, sitting directly in front of me, yet somehow hidden from sight. ...continued p.9

P residio Sports – Bishop Diego’s undefeated football team is sanctioned by CIF; SBART Athletes of the Week are Santa Barbara High’s surprise junior quarterback James Hale and San Marcos’ killer volleyball player Kristen Berlo; and AYSO’s John Maloney is Presidio’s Sports Volunteer of the Month. All the local sports scores and stories of the week are here, too.

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Goleta Girl – Jana Mackin tracks down the rightful owner of a long-

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I t’s Crime Time with SBPD – Violence rages across Santa Barbara as three marijuana-induced crimes are committed over the past week. (Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but stay vigilant Santa Barbarians—the potheads are coming!)

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Santa Barbara View – Executive Director of the Milpas Community Association Sharon Byrne brings us up to date on recent developments in the neighborhood (thanks Sharon); Loretta Redd contemplates the birth of the Latino equivalent of the French Quarter in Santa Barbara on Haley and Milpas Streets; and Ray Estrada covers the winners of Startup Weekend Santa Barbara (congratulations, sounds like there were some interesting concepts and businesses at Citrix Online in Goleta for the competition last weekend).

T he Weekly Capitalist – Was the damage and ruin caused by Hurricane Sandy actually good for the economy? (Spoiler alert: Of course not, even despite the rhetoric of at least one prominent economist. But go read Jeff’s column anyway.)

forgotten Purple Heart just in time for Veterans Day in Saving Private Rene. (Terrific story, Jana, thanks for the hard work.)

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Plan B – Briana Westmacott wrestles with Hurricane George, a

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malevolent force of nature in the form of a delinquent Golden Retriever puppy. Can the family survive the mass destruction that ensues?

L OVEmikana – Be Active bird Kim Wiseley introduces Lolë—a women’s eco-chic active wear brand that just opened a pop-up boutique on State—to Santa Barbara, and then doubles up with a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Squares. (They’re good, we tried them.) And check out LOVEmikana’s Weekend Guide as we head into a busy Saturday and Sunday around town.

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esidential Real Estate – Sotheby’s agent Michael Calcagno helps R sellers understand timing issues in light of buyer profiles, and Justin Kellenberger runs the numbers on some of Michael’s picks for the week. What does around $5,000 per month get you in SB, anyway?

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BRENTWOOD COLLECTION Editor-in-Chief • Matt Mazza Design/Production • Trent Watanabe Advertising/Sales • Tanis Nelson • Sue Brooks Contributing Partners Opinion • sbview.com Sports • Presidiosports.com Santa Barbara Skinny • LoveMikana.com Columnists Goleta Girl • Jana Mackin She Has Her Hands Full • Mara Peters Plan B • Briana Westmacott The Dish • Wendy Jenson Journal Jim • James Buckley Real Estate • Michael Calcagno Commercial Corner • Austin Herlihy The More Things Change • Hattie Beresford The Weekly Capitalist • Jeff Harding Published by SB Sentinel, LLC, Tim Buckley, Publisher PRINTED BY NPCP INC., SANTA BARBARA, CA Santa Barbara Sentinel is compiled every Friday 133 EAST DE LA GUERRA STREET, #182, Santa Barbara 93101 How to reach us: 805.845.1673 E-MAIL: matt@santabarbarasentinel.com

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K athleen C ooper f

F i n e Pa p e r s

Letters

Although you might not believe it, we actually want to hear from you. So if you have something you think we should know about or you see something we've said that you think is cretinous (or perspicacious, to be fair), then let us know. There's no limit on words or subject matter, so go ahead and let it rip to: Santa Barbara Sentinel, Letters to the Editor, 133 East De La Guerra Street, No. 182, Santa Barbara, California 93101. You can also leap into the 21st century and email us at letters@santabarbarasentintel.com.

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ast night was a wonderful night for the children in Santa Barbara! It’s thrilling to see the results of the great work in support of kids in our schools with the passage of Measures A & B. Further, with the passage of Proposition 30, we will have the opportunity to meet with our employee associations to negotiate the impact of the proposition. We won’t know the financial impact, however, until the Governor and the Legislature act in response to Proposition 30, which may take several weeks. But as soon as we know more, we will share that information.

David E. Cash, Superintendent Santa Barbara Unified School District (Editor’s Note: Thanks for your letter, Mr. Cash, we too are thrilled with the outcome that will undoubtedly benefit local schools and children. With that said, we are looking forward to seeing the financial impact of the Proposition and Measures A and B, and hope only that all revenue raised does in fact go to the schools and, in particular, to the children.

Like you, we will keep our eyes on this as it moves forward. Thanks again for your letter, and most especially for your hard work here in Santa Barbara.—MSM)

Congrats!

Matt – Congratulations on a beautiful publication! Really gets away from the ubersmall town feel of some of the other papers.

It must be a ton of work to put it together every week…take care and keep up the good work.

Annette Shimada Goleta (Editor’s Note: Thanks, Annette, I appreciate your kind words. And you’re right, it is indeed quite a bit of work to put the paper together each week. But our small team is pretty darn efficient and doesn’t shy away from some heavy lifting. We hope you’ll keep reading…we’ll certainly keep putting it out.—MSM)

Getting Them Wrong Matt – I’ve been reading the Sentinel each week since it came out in early October and pretty much enjoy the look and feel of it, not to mention the new content and even the ads. By my count, however, the Sentinel came out on the losing side of six of the fifteen propositions and measures it weighed in on. Not exactly the greatest political record

for your first go around…maybe reading the text of the various bills isn’t the right answer.

You might consider just reviewing the hate mail and other political advertisements in your mailbox every day. Here’s to wishing you better luck next time.

Jon Jacobs Santa Barbara (Editor’s Note: We actually got seven propositions and measures wrong, Jon, not six, but we weren’t exactly striving for a good “political record.” In fact, I’ve personally come out on the wrong side of things more times that I care to remember—but I suppose that’s really the point. Standing up and being counted and getting it wrong is just as important as standing up and being counted and getting it right. Come to think of it, I might be more concerned if we had them all “right,” since that might reflect a lack of independent thought. Like I’ve said before, I (we) will not simply toe the proverbial line for one party or another, we will do our best to think through each issue in light of its practical consequences.

In any event, and without rehashing each and every position we took, I stand by our ballot and look forward to reading the bills in the next go around. Who knows, maybe we’ll get even more “wrong” then. I’m frankly just glad to have a reader who took the time to count our results—and write a note about them.

Thanks very much for putting out the effort.

Oh, and if we’d just paid attention to the often hilarious attack ads we received, then we’d likely have refused to vote at all. I guess we would have got all of them wrong if that were the case. —MSM)

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take We Were All Set For A Real Barnburner

“

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eck and neck,” the websites and headlines screamed. “Too close to call,” proclaimed the pundits. Perfect, we collectively thought, just the kind of night we like here at the Sentinel. (Well, after the kids go to bed, anyway.)

So we popped some Orville Redenbacher in our office microwave, picked up a sixpack, turned on the radio and settled into our dusty old brown corduroy couch for what we thought would be a thoroughly enjoyable and long night of journalistic debate, analysis and general mutual harassment.

But the whole thing was pretty much over before it started. That intellectual debate and wonderful mutual harassment we fully expected quickly turned to name-calling and abusive humiliation, and our tiny party soon was over.

We even have three beers (of six total) left in the mini-fridge. (That’s a first.)

Now, we’ll admit, the decisive nature of Obama’s win was a bit of a surprise given the recent polling numbers and trends. And apparently voters thought Abel Maldonado’s relentless stream of attacks on Representative Lois Capps in the run-up to the election was too much (or not enough?). Senator Feinstein was a shoe-in.

We weren’t particularly surprised that Prop 30 passed pretty easily, but we were astounded by how handily Prop 38 was defeated. (The public unions continue that amazing success rate our Editor-in-Chief mentioned in his response to Dr. Edo McGowan’s letter last week.) The death penalty survived in California, which we think is pretty wild given that we know that (1) innocent people have been put to death, (2) execution does little to deter violent crimes and (3) execution costs more than imprisonment for life.

But that’s the way these things go.

The ever-contentious Prop 37 regarding labeling genetically modified foods failed, and that was a reasonably big surprise to us. The overwhelming majority of all comments we received were in strongly in favor of 37, and we thought its passage was pretty likely.

The auto insurance discount in Prop 33 also failed. And we’ll be taxing multi-state businesses harder to fund a new Clean Energy Job Creation Fund, as set forth in Prop 39.

Prop 32 failed, too, so unions will continue to deduct monies automatically from members’ paychecks (perhaps further enabling them to continue that fantastic run mentioned above). Corporations will continue to participate in California elections as before.

Measures A and B passed this time around, so local schools will get their dollars.

Goleta’s transient occupancy tax was increased to 12% by the passage of Measure H. And, since Measure G also passed, Goleta will now require a vote on any proposed zoning changes to large agricultural parcels.

Funny how it all seems such a big deal and then it passes with a few moments in the polling stations and an American Flag sticker.

And the sun rises. And the sun sets. And the weeks and months and years roll by.

Things change. Things stay the same.

Election season is fantastic.

A NEW TAKE So fantastic, in fact, that we as a paper just can’t stop engaging in political, social and economic issues. And so we attended the November 6, 2012 City of Santa Barbara City Council meeting to ensure our participation in and understanding of the issues facing Santa Barbara as they develop at the local political level. We’ll be doing that most every week from here on out, and will raise key issues as they come up in an effort to help facilitate and maintain an informed public.

Those who have never attended a City Council meeting should know that they are quite interesting. (And they are free and open to the public, which creates an intriguing cross-section of local personalities.) This particular meeting began with a short ceremony recognizing City employees who have devoted their lives to public service. Everyone from librarians to tree-trimmers and police records specialists were celebrated, briefly, and a special moment with Mayer Helene Schneider was devoted to longtime Santa Barbara Airport Assistant Director Hazel Johns. (Congratulations Hazel.)

But that poignant moment was followed quickly by what might best be described as a relatively bizarre public comment period. The first participant began his two minutes with the age-old question about our collective relationship to “reality” and offered a fairly tortured explanation of how that relationship is destroyed by our relationship to “money and the fiat currency.”

That’s it, blame the bankers. (We’re not totally sure how this fits into a City Council meeting but guess that isn’t particularly important. Just blame the bankers.)

Then came a very pleasant surprise. Santa Barbara High School Theatre Director Otto Layman introduced the SBHS cast of The Drowsy Chaperone, and they burst into song, accompanied by a pianist in the corner of the room. Editor-in-Chief Matt Mazza

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mentioned this production in his column last week, and we all enjoyed the impromptu performance so much that we will definitely be attending the show.

Bravo, Otto and a talented SBHS cast; break a leg out there.

The meeting went on for a couple more hours, with perhaps the most interesting issue focused on by council members being a grant of funds to the Ensemble Theatre that will, assuming it actually happens, really help not only that group in connection with its acquisition and further development of land on Victoria Street but also Unity Shoppe and a few other local non-profits. Just about an hour’s worth of debate was directed at the issue, and most but not all council members expressed real support for the grant and project. (Bravo, again.)

We understand their enthusiasm. The theater project may well dovetail quite nicely with the Alma del Pueblo and Santa Barbara Public Market project we wrote about last week, and we remain excited to see the results of the thoughtful revitalization efforts aimed at Santa Barbara’s cultural and performing arts district.

Before we go, we thought we’d congratulate all the candidates in the November 6 election on an informative and educational election season. Even those whose bids for office weren’t successful played a key role in helping shape the political, social and economic contours that affect us all, and we wish you each good luck and Godspeed.

Now let’s continue the push to address issues important to the community in a thoughtful and reasonable way.

We’ll see you all in the trenches.

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Pickles & Swiss owners Karyn Montgomery, Mark Keen and Anne Marie Montgomery.

by Wendy Jenson Fan of meats and sweets and a former magazine

editor, Wendy has worked at Santa Barbara Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and Us Weekly (the latter three in NYC). Currently a public relations consultant, she’s concerned about getting plump while working on this column. (photos by Wendy Jenson)

Sandwich Heaven

Hunter Matos, Blake Hayasti, Jonathan Godinez and Aron Potuzak ready to sling sandwiches at Pickles & Swiss.

P

ickles & Swiss is a stylish new sandwich shop in Paseo Nuevo.

A family owned business, it’s a collaboration between Anne Marie Montgomery, her daughter Karyn Montgomery, and Karyn’s husband Mark Keen. Anne Marie is an elegant French woman who speaks five languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and English. She’s an excellent tennis player, artist and chef.

Karyn is equally creative, having come up with the shop’s name and branding.

High energy and enthusiastic, Karyn acts as greeter, order taker and cashier. Occasionally, she punctuates a sentence with a few claps followed by, “Yeah!”

Karyn and Mark are newlyweds. He’s British and in charge of the line.

The trio invested 13 months and their life savings into Pickles & Swiss. The shop is small (744 square feet) but impressive, over

Chipotle Turkey Club, $8.75; the Honey Gobble features turkey and honey mustard, $7.95; and Grilled cheese (gruyere and sharp cheddar) dipper served with house-made tomato basil soup; $8.95.

Poster by Karyn Montgomery, inside Pickles & Swiss located in Paseo Nuevo.

two stories high with a skylight. For seating, there’s a rectangular central table with two benches, stools against a wall counter, and outside tables.

Attention is paid to quality and the smallest of details. Juices are squeezed fresh every morning. Meats, cheeses and vegetables are sliced daily. Three-pronged squeeze bottles ensure a generous helping of condiments and sauces. Breads are from Ethnic Bread on De La Vina. The Swiss cheese is from Switzerland and the meats are Boar’s Head.

The Beef Pot Roast Dipper is tender and perfectly seasoned by Anne Marie, $10.95.

The Grill Cheese Dip is served with her tasty Tomato Bisque, $8.95. One of the most popular items on the menu is Mama’s Meatball Marinara, $10.95. Pickles & Swiss is sandwiched between WhoDelicious cupcakes and Planet Beauty in Paseo Nuevo. Open every day from 11 am till close (between 5 pm and 7 pm).

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Celebrity chef Cat Cora made television history in 2005 as the first and only female Iron Chef on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Now she is consulting on the cuisine for the Dream Foundation’s 11th Annual Celebration of Dreams Gala on Friday, November 16th at Bacara Resort & Spa. Honorees Nigel

Dream Foundation taste testers sampled a Dessert Trilogy of angel wing-topped Chocolate Torchon, Tiramisu and Strawberry Passion Fruit Cheesecake.

Lythgoe (So You Think You Can Dance), Katy Perry and the Families of Dream Foundation will be in attendance, so the cuisine has to be stellar.

Dream Foundation is the first and largest national wish-granting organization for adults and their families battling life-threatening illness. “The Celebration of Dreams Gala is imperative to Dream Foundation’s existence,” says Dream Foundation Founder/President Thomas Rollerson. “The event generates nearly one-third of the foundation’s entire operating budget, which in turn allows for the fulfillment of thousands of

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Lori Murray, VP/Mortgage Lender Bacara Executive Chef David Reardon, Celebrity Chef Cat Cora and Bacara Pastry Chef Daniel Sampson produce blue-and gold Dream Foundation logos for the dessert.

final dreams.”

Cora became involved with the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit when she participated in a dream for a fan.

When Cora’s father fell ill, he became a dream recipient. Says Cora, “The Dream Foundation arranged for him to have a conversation with Garrison Keillor, one of his favorites.” For the gala’s live auction, Cora generously arranged a package featuring a table for two at Rao’s, the legendary and impossible-to-book Harlem restaurant.

Two weeks before the gala, a lunchtime tasting was held at Bacara. Taste testers included Cora, Thomas Rollerson, Gala Co-Sponsor Colleen Taylor, Jelinda DeVorzon and Mireille Noone. DeVorzon and Noone are gala co-chairs along with Bui Simon. Cora and Bacara Executive

plated,” says Cora.

The mission of Dream Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families facing a life-threatening illness by fulfilling a heart’s final wish.

Dream recipients are those individuals who have been given a year or less life expectancy. Dreams range from basic need items, like a working stove, to bedside reunions and meaningful experiences with children and loved ones. At this time, tickets to the gala are available through sponsorship only.

Cocoa Loco Part II In last week’s issue, The Dish failed to include a photo of Maya SchoopRutten’s exquisite handmade chocolates at Chocolate Maya. Check it out below.

Handmade confections by chocolatier Maya Schoop-Rutten at Chocolate Maya.

Chef David Reardon are collaborating on the evening’s menu, which even includes a gluten-free vegan option. So how does one cook for 500 gala guests? “Dishes have to be elegant, forgiving and beautifully

Tips: If you have any juicy restaurant tidbits (openings and closings, key staff changes, celebrity sightings, and the like) please contact me at wendy@ santabarbarasentinel.com.

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It'sCrimetime...

...with the SBPD

A variety of crimes are committed every day in Santa Barbara; most of these crimes are petty but they do offer a window into if not the soul of the perpetrator, at least his or her thought process. Our following (and totally unsolicited) thoughts, observations, and comments are put forth for your consideration.

pound?) before becoming “disturbing,” and whether she was attempting to use officers’ radios to call another planet or just down the street. Either way, her brazen consumption of pot in her own home on a Saturday night and consequent serious misconduct is frankly offensive to all notions of human decency. Throw the book at her.

Thieving Pothead!

CRIME: SBPD arrested a middle-aged Santa Barbara man after he was caught stealing ice

Attack Of The Potheads

A

few weeks ago, we started down a path that appeared to be leading toward a promarijuana position in light of the incredibly high proportion of crimes committed in Santa Barbara that involve alcohol but not pot. Our heady intellectual rationale went something like this: potheads don’t really do much of anything; they especially don’t commit violent crimes, so why not swap the legalization of marijuana for the demonization of alcohol (criminalization may be too much), which really serves as the foundation for a tremendous range and volume of bad acts around town. We even suggested that the only thing we’d have to do as a community if we legalized pot would be to increase police presence around ice cream trucks and donut shops.

Well, it turns out that we were right about some things… and wrong about others.

Potheads are not as innocent and gentle as they seem, so be vigilant Santa Barbara. Let’s stomp out this vile weed before it causes any more damage than it did this past week.

cream and milk from a Milpas convenience store. A search incident to arrest uncovered a cellular telephone that appeared to belong to someone else. When questioned about the phone, the man, a transient, told officers that he had traded some marijuana to a “young foreign woman” in exchange for the phone.

OBSERVATION: It appears that marijuana may cause uncontrollable cravings for dairy products—even ice cream. (Our advice to increase police presence around ice cream trucks and donut shops, seems almost – dare we say it? – prescient. Candy and cookie aisles should also be watched carefully.) Apparently, young foreign women visiting Santa Barbara are willing to trade their cellular telephones to local transients to get their hands on this pernicious weed.

COMMENT: This stuff is more powerful than we initially thought. We need to lock it down,

Violent Pothead!

quick, before more potheads steal frozen treats and drinks to soothe their dry mouths and singed esophaguses. Be on the lookout for docile burnouts with bloodshot eyes acting strangely in the cold sections of local grocers. Smoothie shops too—smoothies are delicious and soothing. Violent (or at least dessert-deprived) potheads could be anywhere that sweet and refreshing goods are sold, really, so be on high alert Santa Barbara.

you guessed it, marijuana, last Saturday night when questioned by SBPD at her home.

She proceeded to grab several officers’ radios and attempted to use them, and was generally “disturbing” before being detained.

Gateway Drug!

CRIME: A 26-year-old Santa Barbara woman admitted to being under the influence of,

OBSERVATION: The nerve. A grown woman actually smoking marijuana in her own home

in Santa Barbara. Patently unbelievable. And then she attempted to utilize police officers’ radios while they were questioning her. This is more serious than we thought.

COMMENT: It is unclear how much marijuana this woman actually ingested (one full

CRIME: An eastside man was pulled over for having a tow-ball that obstructed his license plate. When he opened his glove box to grab his insurance and registration, SBPD spotted what seemed to be a large bag of marijuana. A further search turned up a small amount of cocaine and a few pills, and the man—who was sober and said he didn’t use pot or anything else—was arrested for possession.

OBSERVATION: That’s it, the jury is in, here’s more proof (as if any is needed) that marijuana is indeed a dreaded “gateway drug.” Pot = pills = raging cocaine freak. Period.

Case closed. (We have another theory that basically equates caffeine use with PCP addiction but we will save that for another time.)

COMMENT: We view this as a (stoned) chicken and egg problem. Actually, no we don’t;

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we’re just shocked that a person can be pulled over for a tow-ball obstructing a license plate. Isn’t that what all tow-balls do, depending upon the perspective of the viewing party?

And aren’t potheads supposed to be really paranoid about getting busted? So why drive around town with your stash in the glove box of a vehicle with a tow-ball? Maybe smoking marijuana makes you dumb enough to do so. Who knows? Who cares?

The bottom line is that marijuana is dangerous, even very dangerous. Just look at the facts: This week alone there were three—count them, three!—pot-related crimes. And that may just be the tip of the proverbial green-hued, skunk-smelling iceberg.

So, please, keep your (red, irritable) eyes peeled for any heavy dairy consumers. Be alert.

Watch for people driving very slowly with tow-balls on their cars or trucks, maybe stopping 25 yards before intersections with stop signs or lights. And anyone giggling and using or pretending to use police radios should be suspect as well.

It’s high time we rid our streets of deadly marijuana, and the Sentinel is leading the charge.

Be good this week, folks; we’ll be watching.

Note: On November 6, 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington passed state-level initiatives legalizing the recreational use of marijuana by their respective constituents. That’s quite a step past where states like California have tread and will likely result in an interesting dance with the federal government, which remains high on anti-marijuana rhetoric and action. In related stories, prices of dairy products spiked across the greater Northwest region and Denver didn’t see any rioting in the streets. Boulder, Aspen and Vail were similarly quiet, despite a strange unexplained weather phenomenon resulting in a thick smoky haze covering the entire state.

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Marceline Canterbury, born and raised in Hollywood, presently lives off of social security in her car…but she stays happy and positive and loves the piano installation— and her own composition is quite lovely.

There was a man, an old unkempt man in tattered clothes and worn-out shoes, probably homeless, sitting at a brightly painted standup piano right there on the street. He acknowledged me with a brief smile as he played beautifully to nobody in particular.

I smiled, tucked my hands into my jacket pockets and stood there in the snow for twenty minutes, listening to my own private concert on the 16th Street Mall.

Turns out that I was wrong about Denver.

(And we ultimately won that arbitration, to boot.)

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Pianos On State Last week, I was delivering papers early Friday morning on State Street and was treated to a similar experience, courtesy of the recent installment of Pianos on State. I came strolling around the corner at Victoria and State and crashed right into a beautiful piece being played by a local Santa Barbarian I’ve often seen around town. I was in a hurry, though, so I walked past with a quick smile, reminiscing about my Denver encounter.

As I moved further down the street, I came across more pianos and more players—first out in front of Prana, then on the corner by Old Navy, out in front of Business First Bank, then Bank of America, Paseo Nuevo and the far corner of State and Ortega. Each and every piano was hand-painted, adopted by a local company and being thoroughly enjoyed by the musically talented or frolicking kids or interested noodlers, but most importantly by the people standing around listening or walking by with a grin.

Noleta sisters Isabella (further) and Chloe (closer) Batres enjoy some time together tickling the ivories in front of Old Navy. Nice work, girls…now go learn Heart and Soul and you’ll be really jamming!

I ran and got my camera, and spent the balance of the morning walking the street and listening to and talking with the players.

It was a lot of fun.

These pianos, you see, can really bring out the best in our friends and neighbors.

I haven’t seen any of them destroyed or vandalized in any way (so far anyway, so stay cool people), only cherished by the many walking by or playing them. And they get people talking—players seem happy to discuss the pieces they are playing or how they started with the piano, and listeners

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Opinion, stories, events, and people that shape Santa Barbara

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Milpas on the Move – Restriping, Holidays, and Tasty Tidbits Lane restriping of Milpas is complete; the street now turns into one lane north of Cota.

Sharon Byrne

Sharon Byrne is executive director for the Milpas Community Association, and currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the Salvation Army Hospitality House and Santa Barbara County Alcohol and Drug Problems

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By Sharon Byrne

L

ane restriping is done! Further construction will ensue to build a median and the mastheads for the pedestrian flashing yellow lights, but the restriping is done. To get you acquainted with the new striping, I’ll take you on a little drive heading northbound. First notice that they warn you that it’s going to a single lane ahead, as you approach Haley; and as you head up to Cota, a right turn is newly required for the outside lane. This is what opens up the bike lane.

North of Cota, the street goes to one lane, with a bike lane and widened parking. Early feedback is that traffic is not adversely impacted, and it sure seems safer to park on Milpas with the bike lane in place. The obvious observation is that bikers feel the parking lane should be protecting them from the moving cars, rather than the bike lane protecting the parking lane!

Approaching Ortega, you can see that

on 2012 Milpas Holiday Parade.

One of the best secrets that only locals know about Milpas Street is its amazingly good eateries and markets. You might not have had the chance to peruse them all, so I’ll share Milpas Tasty Tidbits with you in this column. Armed with the inside scoop when scouting for a great meal or looking to score some delightful delectable from a local market, you’ll be set. The weather is projected to turn a bit cold and damp this week, which makes it a perfect time for a caldo.

If you’ve never had that tasty concoction, it’s a steaming hot bowl of delicious broth loaded with veggies and either fish or meat.

At El Bajio (129 N. Milpas), the musthave is the Caldo de Camaron – a zesty, spicy bowl of shrimp, zuccini, carrots, and onions, garnished with avocado, and served with rice and tortillas. Hot, nutritious and delicious, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for a

Yellow flashing lights and a raised median will be installed at the pedestrian crossing mid-Milpas.

the south pedestrian crossing has been replaced with triangle striping, and there is a yellow painted area that will eventually be a concrete raised median to provide pedestrians with a refuge island.

The city team was in and out fairly quickly for both the slurry seal and the restriping. Bonus: they were done by 3:00 pm on Halloween so as not to impact the Trick-or-Treat on Milpas. Kudos!

The final construction, including the lights and the medians, should be done by December 14th. Here’s hoping for greater safety for everyone.

Speed Note: You may or may not know: the speed limit on Milpas is 30 mph. We see drivers speeding on the street, so slow down! But we also see people running out in the middle of the block to cross the street, stepping out from behind cars, and bicyclists that sometimes ignore safety protocols. With the new road configuration in place, whether you’re walking, biking or driving, please pay

Head to one of Milpas’ gems, El Bajio, for its Caldo de Camaron, spicy broth with veggies and shrimp, with avocado on top.

close attention and be safe! Of course, that goes for far more than just Milpas Street…

59th Annual Milpas Holiday Parade is December 15th at 11 am. We love it because it’s a unique parade combining all things youth (dance teams, marching bands, clubs, after school groups, youth activity teams, you name it) with classic and lowrider cars, and lots of fun. The street is closed for the event, and everyone piles in to watch.

Milpas merchants love kids (they stockpiled candy and decorated for Halloween), and it’s a really family-centric community, which is the reason for the big emphasis on starring our city’s youth in our parade. This year’s parade theme is “A Better, Brighter Youth” and our Grand Marshall will be 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal. For parade entry forms, go to www.mcasb.org and click

foggy, chilly day. I often schedule meetings at El Bajio just so I can have it for lunch.

For a quick boost of health on-the-go, grab one of John Dixon’s wheatgrass shots ($1) and a pint of his freshly squeezed orange or carrot juice at Tri-County Produce. You’ll be feeling right-as-rain in no time.

Giving Birth to a Neighborhood

by Loretta Redd

C

ities are fluid entities. As often as we hear from residents and tourists alike that Santa Barbara is “so beautiful” and that they “don’t want it to change,” our city is constantly undergoing transformation.

I looked at one of the rare bound editions

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Loretta Redd’s diverse background includes being a psychologist, business owner, non-profit director, Air Force officer, writer, speaker, and executive coach. Loretta has served on several Santa Barbara city committees and has been a candidate for public office.

Loretta Redd

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of Santa Barbara’s first General Plan, adopted by Council in 1964, as a reminder of both how our town has both resisted and embraced change. In the span of almost 50 years, we’ve grown from 12,000 to over 35,000 households and our median family income has risen from $6,400 in 1960 to over $65,000 in 2006.

Fifty years ago, there were areas of town called by different names than what we hear today. There was the High School neighborhood, Wilson, Oceanfront, Cottage Hospital, Northside, and el Sueno.

Times change, neighborhoods change.

Cities are mercurial; they respond to commercial, transportation, economic, demographic and other influences. Take for instance, the 1964 description of what we would know as lower Milpas – “Modest homes with high single family density of 10 dwelling units per acre. An area close to the freeway zoned for trailer parks. The General Plan proposes this should expand. The location of this area close to the freeway and within a quarter mile of the beach is an excellent site for facilities catering to the traveler.”

Another description from the fifty year old General Plan, regarding upper Milpas: “One of the major problems with this area of commercial zoning since 1925, is that very few commercial developments have taken place…the present zoning works against the best interests of the property owners as there is no demand for commercial activity…the owners are in the middle of a squeeze that keeps the area stagnant.”

Hardly stagnant today; issues regularly come before City Hall and Public Works on how to safely route the overwhelming traffic through this compact commercial area, and the concomitant problems of a dense, transitional neighborhood of mostly moderate income homes with a relatively high proportion of Spanish speaking residents.

In the 1964 General Plan, there were more mentions of the riding trails in Santa Barbara, than there were of Hispanic and Latino residents. But today, the influence of other cultures is deeply felt and for the most part, much appreciated.

If the concentration of Latino and Hispanic residents had existed in 1964, I am fairly certain there would have been a neighborhood defined by its influences; perhaps named ‘Milpas.’ So why not create a Master Plan for a new area, incorporating the best of Latino influences, integrating the culture of small business, ethnic foods, respect for the Church, community centers and the tradition of walking and paseos?

I don’t mean a gringo gentrification project, or creating a Disney-esque picturesque rendition of a pueblo village, but rather intentionally creating an

ethnically commercial bridge along Haley Street, from State to Milpas, then following Milpas down to the ocean.

There are some neighborhoods whose concepts are built around architectural design, such as the Victorians in the Brinkerhoff district, or the craftsman style homes in the Bungalow Haven.

Even Montecito’s Upper Village equates a familiar anchor center of shops and parks with a geographical area, so why not do the same with the Milpas corridor?

Combining culture and color into a commercial destination could result in the Latino equivalent of New Orleans’ French Quarter; it could promote a sense of respect and pride in what is now a hodge-podge of storefronts and whose residents and shoppers are regularly hassled by derelicts.

Which brings us to the quagmire of controversy at the other end of Milpas: Casa Esperanza. I say, let’s incorporate it into the plan for this new neighborhood…but as a youth hostel, not a homeless shelter.

Casa Esperanza, as a hub of outreach and services should obviously be enlarged, and serve as shelter, job training, and recovery center. But it doesn’t belong in its current geographical locale.

As a frequent visitor to San Miguel de Allende, a colonial town and significant part of the Mexican Revolution, I have come to appreciate its color, cultural richness and similarity to Santa Barbara. Rarely do you see tagging and graffiti in San Miguel – not because of a lack of youth with nothing to do, or the absence of gang activity… but rather because the locals have pride in the look of their town, and recognize that

its commercial success and tax base adds significantly to their quality of life.

A distinct Milpas area that celebrates its changing demographics, and encourages participation by its residents and business owners could easily become a thriving destination point. The same centers of activity and culture, such as the Franklin Eastside Center, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Casa de la Rasa, could be invited to blend with the Milpas Community Association, business groups and both Chambers of Commerce.

I am not advocating for political districts.

That is a topic of another discussion; it has been tried and it failed to do little but create competition between districts for public works priorities and council member attention. I am not suggesting that we segregate or ghettoize Latino families and businesses. Quite the opposite…I am hopeful that we can use the ‘new’ Milpas neighborhood as a blended center of culture, education, religion and commercial enterprise.

Even Sunset Magazine recently described Milpas as a “hidden gem.”

“The street runs from the Santa Barbara Bowl amphitheater through a largely Latino neighborhood and ends at a wide white beach bordered by swaying palms…”

All the ingredients for a phoenix of pride from the current barrio of high crime, dense traffic and unsightly storefronts are there. A ”mezcla,” or mixture, of resident input and leadership, with Council direction and staff approval might just create the most popular neighborhood in Santa Barbara. I think our 1964 General Plan visionaries would surely approve.

A Santa Barbara View

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Business Beat

By Ray Estrada

Second Startup Weekend Drums Up South Coast Business

A

bout 90 entrepreneurs joined together in teams and hashed out business ideas along with mentors and judges at the second Startup Weekend Santa Barbara from Nov. 2 to 4 at Citrix Online in Goleta.

The grand prize went to the Memory Garden team, a business that creates spaces where Alzheimer’s patients and their families can come together and grow memories.

The team won a one-year license on RightSignature, an incorporation package from the law firm of Buynak Fauver Archbald & Spray, a month’s hot desk space at Synergy Business & Technology Center, and entry into the Nov. 14 MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast and UCSB Technology Management Program Micropitch 2012 elevator pitch competition.

The best mobile application prize went to InterAxz, a social mobile gaming app that goes through a screen watched by an audience. The team also won a one-year license for RightSignature and desk space at the Ventura Ventures Technology Center.

The prizes for the best presentation and crowd favorite went to a company called Follow Along, which is a web platform that connects professors to students. Students are able to follow professor’s slides and ask ...continued p.15

photo by BillHeller.com

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The Weekly Capitalist

by Jeff Harding

Jeff Harding publishes The Daily Capitalist, a blog on economics and finance. He is the president of Montecito Analytics, LLC, and is a real estate investor who lives in Montecito.

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Can Hurricane Sandy Be Good For The Economy?

H

ey! Did you hear the good news?

Hurricane Sandy will create jobs and provide economic growth that will help drag our economy out of the doldrums.

According to University of Maryland economist Professor Peter Morici, there is actually a benefit to mass destruction: However, rebuilding after Sandy, especially in an economy with high unemployment and underused resources in the construction industry, will unleash at least $15-$20 billion in new direct private spending – likely more as many folks rebuild larger than before, and the capital stock that emerges will prove more economically useful and productive.

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This kind of thinking blows my mind– mass destruction apparently is the newest tool in the Keynesian bag of economic stimulus. But unfortunately that is not atypical of contemporary economic thought. On its face the argument seems plausible: people will be hired to repair the damage, money will be spent to rebuild, that money will flow through the local economy, thereby stimulating growth.

The only problem is that it isn’t true.

In fact this is one of the oldest fallacies in economic thought, yet it gets repeated by even prominent economists every time we have a disaster. French economist Frédéric Bastiat explained this in his 1850 essay “That Which is Seen and That Which is Unseen.” In his famous Parable of the Broken Window he discusses the consequences of the lad who throws a stone through a shopkeeper’s window. A crowd gathers around and people say, well, now

the glazier will have work, thus it is a good thing. Not so, as Bastiat explains: Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glazier’s trade—that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs—I grant it; I have not a word to say against it; you reason justly. The glazier comes, performs his task, receives his six francs, rubs his hands, and, in his heart, blesses the careless child. All this is that which is seen.

But if, on the other hand, you come to the conclusion, as is too often the case, that it is a good thing to break windows, that it causes money to circulate, and that the encouragement of industry in general will be the result of it, you will oblige me to call out, “Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen.”

It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way, which this accident has prevented.

Before the broken window he had a window and six francs. Afterward he had a new window and was out six francs.

There is a loss, not a gain. This concept is now referred to in modern economics as “opportunity cost.” Whenever something is so destroyed, there is always a loss, not a gain. If it were good, why don’t we just start destroying older buildings for example?

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all the new construction. Some people have said that even war has a silver lining. Put in such a context it’s obvious that it is a really stupid idea.

But the lesson hasn’t been learned. Even today we have similar schemes that ignore the unseen costs. The most famous recent example is “Cash for Clunkers,” that inane program enacted by the Washington Wise Men in 2009. The ostensible justification was to get older gas guzzlers off the road for the benefit of civilization.

The deal was that the cars traded-in had to be destroyed. What it really was, was a government stimulus program to help Detroit. The government paid out almost $3 billion. Like most such programs it was a massive failure.

This from Wikipedia:

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mpg for the new cars purchased to replace them, translating to a 58% fuel efficiency improvement.

A study published after the program by researchers at the University of Delaware concluded that for each vehicle trade, the program had a net cost of approximately $2,000, with total costs outweighing all benefits by $1.4 billion. Another study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that the program improved the average fuel economy of all vehicles purchased by 0.6 mpg in July 2009 and by 0.7 mpg in August 2009.

“Some people have said that even war has a silver lining.”

On August 26 the DOT reported that the program resulted in 690,114 dealer transactions submitted requesting a total of $2.877 billion in rebates.

At the end of the program Toyota accounted for 19.4% of sales, followed by General Motors with 17.6%, Ford with 14.4%, Honda with 13.0%, and Nissan with 8.7%. It led to a gain in market share for Japanese and Korean manufacturers at the expense of American car makers, with only Ford not taking a significant hit. Meanwhile, Japan’s own program excluded U.S. cars. The DOT also reported that the average fuel efficiency of trade-ins was 15.8 mpg (miles per gallon), compared to 24.9

The result was that 690,114 older, serviceable vehicles were destroyed with no net gain, and you and I paid $2,000 for the privilege. If you track auto sales, all the program did was to pull future auto sales into the present. Sales shot up to a 14.5 million-unit rate during the program and then fell off a statistical cliff. It took until this year for sales to reach the peak achieved during the program.

They didn’t see that coming. They never do.

Hurricane Sandy was a tragic, destructive event. We will have to rebuild, but think of what was lost. Tell the victims what a great opportunity they now have to better themselves and the economy. I doubt you’ll see many smiles.

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My kids aren’t exactly in need, but they are enjoying Unite to Light’s solar powered light nevertheless.

UCSB Gaucho and Isla Vista resident Calla Martyn does her thing in front of Montecito Bank & Trust. (Go Gauchos.)

seem to want to know about what they are hearing. If you watch, you’ll see people from all walks of life laughing and talking around the various installations, and that is terrific.

Here’s a suggestion: Take a slow walk down State at some point before November 12, 2012 (that’s the final day of the program) and see what and who you find playing the pianos. I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised. And if you play, then go pick your favorite piano and treat the town to a few tunes. You’ll be glad you did.

Got A Light?

We saw a real disaster in Hurricane Sandy (or was it Superstorm Sandy?) recently.

Millions of people back east were stranded without power and other basic necessities for days; some even died as a consequence of the storm. Communication and transportation were difficult or impossible.

Business ground to a halt. We were crippled as a nation, really, and tragic stories continue to pour out of the region.

But, as is often the case in these types of

unfortunate circumstances, a few terrific Santa Barbara institutions sprang into action in an effort to help those in need.

One of them, Unite to Light, is a local non-profit organization founded by Dr. John Bowers, Director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency at UCSB, and local attorney Claude Dorais. They’ve designed an all-purpose solar powered light, primarily aimed at enabling kids in less-developed areas of the world to have the gift of light in a socially responsible and healthy way so that they can read and study in the evening or at night.

But that’s not all Unite to Light’s product can do.

“The practical applications for the lights are limitless, really,” Vice President Dawn O’Bar told me, “there is just no telling what they may be used for.”

Unite to Light has already provided nearly 25,000 lights to 54 countries, including thousands to various African nations, and 2,000 to Japan and more to Haiti after their respective disasters.

Not bad for 18 months of work.

“No day is the same for me,” Dawn related, “Just this morning I was on the phone with a potential Indian partner and we are always looking for new places in need, for new outlets for the product.”

In fact, Unite to Light is currently working on a new product that includes a USB port and cell phone charger so that people in disaster (and other) situations without normal power sources are able to charge their phones and other accessories.

(Great idea, frankly, another one with

endless potential beneficial applications.)

When Dawn and Unite to Light heard about the devastation caused by Sandy, they were immediately at the ready. They initially collaborated with Direct Relief International—a truly wonderful Santa Barbara-based organization in its own right—to get at least some lights to those who needed them most. Then they worked directly with Sandy’s victims (including a 98-year-old New Jersey man who lives alone and was without power for five days) to try to ease the burdens facing them and even save some lives.

Great work, Dawn and the rest of the Unite to Light team, this is just the kind of positive impact that makes the world a better place and we are lucky to have you as part of the fabric that makes up Santa Barbara.

(Oh, Dawn, that light you gave me works really well, and has already been a hit with my daughters as they read at night. And we actually have electricity…imagine the effect on those who don’t!)

Lost and Found Look, I’m not sure if this will do any good but figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.

A local senior citizen called the office and left a message that she had lost a “black fabric pouch with a fabric belt” (also known as a fanny pack, I think) that she uses as her wallet. She believes the item was lost on the Number 11 City Bus, between 11am and 1pm on Monday November 5.

There is a reward, and it can be returned to the Sentinel without any judgment or questions. If anybody has it, come on, do the right thing. She just wants her wallet back.

(And Marika, there’s no charge for this so don’t worry about it. Peace.)

Stuff I Like The Santa Barbara Downtown Organization needs volunteers for SB’s 60th Annual Holiday Parade on November 30,

2012. The Annual Parade began way back in the 1950s as part of a tradition to decorate State Street with a 40-foot-tall Douglas fir Christmas tree during the holidays. Now, more than 50,000 spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on a colossal contingent of high-stepping marching bands, fabulous holiday floats, spectacular performance groups, local personalities and, of course, the most anticipated appearance of the evening...the annual arrival of Santa Claus. Get out there and have some fun with your kids and grandkids (or even with a friend or two), Santa Barbara, and contact Georgette at gfriedman@sbdo.org for details on volunteering.

Who doesn’t like a wine tasting? The Santa Barbara Chapter of the American Wine Society is putting on a tasting featuring Tannat, an oft-forgotten grape from the southwest of France that has been adopted by Uruguay as its national grape. Although it is usually used as a blending component, Tannat can produce some soft and silky wines in the hands of the right winemaker, so head down to the SB Maritime Museum on Wednesday, November 14 at 6 pm to check out something new, even for many seasoned wine drinkers. (Participants can also check out the Maritime Museum, which is always a treat, as well.) The tasting is limited to 30 guests, and will run non-members $40 (including passed hors d’oeuvres). Check out www.awssb.org for details.

On Saturday, November 10, the Park Entrance atrium of Santa Barbara Museum of Art will see the installation of nine newly commissioned sculptures from California-based artist Martin Kersels’ “Charm” series. Though it will remain on view for an extended period, there will be a celebration of the installation from 1 to 3pm on Saturday, November 10, featuring a student sculpture competition, a music performance and interactive art making.

Should be fun for the whole family, so go check it out. Admission is free.

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Bright Spots Shine at 2013 Travel Outlook

W

hile some experts appeared to throw cold water on several bright spots that shone through stormy economic clouds at the 2013 Travel Outlook for Santa Barbara County, the head of the

Ray Estrada

Ray Estrada is a writer, editor and media consultant who has worked for newspapers, radio news, wire services and online publications for the past 40 years. He has taught journalism at the University of Southern California and now runs his own consulting business based in Santa Barbara.

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Maggie’s

local visitor and convention bureau was undaunted by the Nov. 6 discussion.

Kathy Janega-Dykes, president and CEO of the county’s Visitor and Convention Bureau, told about 100 hospitality and tourism officials at the Four Seasons Biltmore on Tuesday morning that the bright spots for 2013 include 21 planned cruise ship visits to Santa Barbara Harbor – more than twice the number of visits in 2012 – three new hotels and a doubling of her organization’s marketing budget.

Despite rising gasoline costs and other factors, more cruise ship visits and increased hotel occupancy will boost the county’s economy, Janega-Dykes said.

“The price of gasoline has not been a significant factor” in visitors coming to Santa Barbara, mostly from Los Angeles, Janega-Dykes said, as shown by a nine percent increase in the county’s bed tax.

“What happens in Los Angeles affects our business as well,” Janega-Dykes said.

Perhaps that is why the bureau hired L.A.based PKF Consulting USA to conduct the 2013 Travel Outlook. PKF’s Bruce Baltin delivered that report with more details on the national economy than on Santa Barbara, but what he did not say, and was asked about later, also was significant.

“2013 will not be as good as 2012,” Baltin said. “Every submarket in Santa Barbara County is at its peak.” Those comments make sense since they had nowhere to go but up in the midst of the recession.

Baltin said 2013 means 73.3 percent of the county’s lodging occupancy, which is a 5.1 percent increase over 2012. “Even though hotel occupancy is good, the economy is bad,” he said. Despite that, Baltin said, the 102-room Marriott Courtyard in Goleta opened in August, preceded by State Street’s Hotel Indigo’s transformation in March, and the remodeled El Encanto Hotel is expected to open in March 2013.

Initially, Baltin said he didn’t know what was happening with the 13-year derelict Miramar Resort. However, when questioned about it, he said L.A.-based developer Rick Caruso says he can start demolition in the first quarter of 2013.

Baltin also said the late Fess Parker’s family plans to start work on a boutique hotel at the corner of Cabrillo Boulevard and Calle Cesar Chavez “within three to five years.”

However, Baltin said he had no idea what was happening with Parker’s hostel near Highway 101 and Helena Street, which has been completed on its exterior, sealed up, but never occupied since it was built almost three years ago.

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questions in real time, giving the professor insights into student’s knowledge areas.

Prizes awarded included a one-year license for the team on RightSignature and entry in the MIT Enterprise Forum/UCSB Technology Management Program elevator pitch competition. The team also won a public relations and marketing package from Kaldera Marketing.

The best music, arts, entertainment and culture business was Date Night, a mobile application that allows couples to find and explore new and personalized dating experiences. The team won a year license with RightSignature and the opportunity to present at the Nov. 9 New Noise Music Conference and Festival along with VIP badges to that event.

The prize for best market validation went to CrowdQ, a crowd-funding platform for the Latino community. The prize for best branding went to Like Umm, a mobile application to help improve speaking skills by eliminating expressions such as “umm,” “like,” “so” and so on. A prize for the best non-web technology focus went to PermEzone, a service that shares practical information about sustainable food systems using mobile phone technology.

The Startup Weekend business brainstorming beehive electrified a corner of the sprawling Citrix Online campus in the GoTo Café with dozens of commercial ideas pitched, researched and evaluated from a Friday night start through a Sunday evening awards ceremony.

Organizer Kyle Ashby, of Kaldera Marketing, did not seem upset that slightly fewer participants signed up for the second Startup Weekend as compared to the 118 at the first Santa Barbara Start up Weekend on June 1 to 3 at the Synergy Business & Technology Center near Santa Barbara’s East Beach.

“We’ll probably have two of these a year,” Ashby said. “Next one will be in May or June.”

The 55-hour event – an extra hour because of Sunday’s switch to Standard Time – was another all-volunteer effort to bring together entrepreneurs and business leaders.

The glass walls of the Citrix building were covered with sheets of white paper with hand-written descriptions of business ideas and other information.

But the walls did not confine entrepreneurs of a variety of ages who spilled out onto the patio where blues skies and 80-degree temperatures were buffeted with a soft ocean breeze beneath shady trees.

As at the first event, business teams created their ideas and conducted market research, market validation, business model development, designed and developed mobile and web applications. Dozens of laptop computers were used in the process.

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Bishop Diego’s Undefeated Football Team Sanctioned by CIF

By Barry Punzal

B

ishop Diego was not commenting on Monday whether it would appeal the sanction imposed against its football team by the CIF-Southern Section.

The CIF-SS informed Bishop Diego last Friday it would not be allowed to play a home game during the CIF playoffs because of an alleged violation of the undue influence rule.

Bishop Diego posted a 10-0 regular season record and won the Tri-Valley League championship, thus earning a firstround home game for the CIF Northwest Division playoffs. But the sanction means the Cardinals will travel to South Torrance (an at-large team) on Friday night for a firstround game.

Subsequent games also would be played on the road, even if the No. 1-ranked Cardinals won a coin flip.

The CIF-SS, after the results of an investigation by school officials, determined Bishop Diego violated the undue influence rule when a flier publicizing an admissions event at the school for 8th graders in October was made available to a Santa Barbara Youth Football League team by a YFL parent.

Thom Simmons, director of communications for CIF Southern Section, said the sanction is typical for the violation.

“This sanction does not keep the athletes — who violated no bylaws — from being able to participate in post season competition while still punishing the school for those bylaw infractions,” he said in an email to the online site Noozhawk.

The flier was published as an advertisement in the Santa Barbara News-Press and online.

It invited 8th graders to the school for Spirit Day activities and promoted the Homecoming football game.

Paul Harrington, the Head of School at Bishop Diego, said in a letter on the school website, that the YFL parent does not have a student at Bishop Diego and has no affiliation or connection to the school.

But, “CIF officials deem that a line was crossed, resulting in the sanction…,” Harrington wrote.

He added in the letter: “The C.I.F. findings in this matter do not find any misconduct by any of our staff or coaches in violation of C.I.F. rules. I stand behind our coaching staff and can assure you that we, as a Catholic school rooted in sound ethics and moral values, always play by the rules.”

Harrington told Presidio Sports in an email, “It was not clear by CIF as to who reported the alleged violation.”

He said the school was notified of the

alleged violation via phone call from the CIF Commission of Athletics in the third week of October.

“As a result of the call, we were asked to conduct an investigation which we completed over the following week,” he said.

Simmons said his office was given evidence that a rule was violated, and it contacted Bishop Diego to investigate the matter.

“They did so, and their response confirmed a violation had occurred,” Simmons said.

“At that point, a penalty was applied.”

The school was informed of the sanction on Friday morning.

The CIF playoff pairings were determined on Saturday and released to the media on Sunday.

PresidioSports.com will be posting any updates on the situation.

SBART Athletes of the Week: James Hale & Kristen Berlo

By John Dvorak Santa Barbara High’s James Hale and San Marcos’ Kristen Berlo were named Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athletes of the Week at Monday’s press luncheon.

Hale stepped into his first start of the season in the Dons’ biggest game of the year and the junior backup quarterback had a better game than anyone should have predicted.

Hale completed 14 of 19 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Dons to a 24-17 victory at Dos Pueblos and

San Marcos girls’ volleyball player Kristen Berlo, Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week.

Santa Barbara High junior quarterback James Hale, Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week.

the Channel League title.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Dons head coach Doug Caines. “A very impressive performance by him.”

Hale even drew praise from Dos Pueblos head coach Nate Mendoza.

“I got a lot of respect for tough players and he’s a tough one,” Mendoza said.

The Female Athlete of the Week also led her team to a Channel League title. Berlo was key in bringing home San Marcos’ first Channel League championship in girls volleyball since 2002. Berlo recorded a team-high 13 kills on 18 attempts in the Royals’ title-clinching victory over Buena last week.

Honorable mentions include Cecilia Instebo, SBCC Cross Country; Madison Hale-Megan Grant, Santa Barbara High Tennis; Tugce Canitez, Westmont Basketball; Emilio Gonzalez, Santa Barbara High Football; Jarred Evans, SBCC Football; Justin Brosnan, Bishop Diego Football.

Sports Volunteer of the Month: AYSO’s John Maloney

By Randy Weiss In the 10-plus years John Maloney has been involved locally with AYSO, tens of thousands of youth soccer players have benefitted from his selfless service and countless volunteer hours.

That’s a lot of young athletes.

Maloney’s contribution to helping kids and families experience the true joy of sport as a coach, referee and in leading the local American Youth Soccer Organization has led Presidio Sports and Pacific Western Bank to name the longtime AYSO Region 122 Commissioner as our local Sports Volunteer of the Month.

“John is the ultimate volunteer,” shares Ken Sorgman, AYSO Assistant Referee Administrator.

It’s early Saturday morning, last day of the regular season and it means one thing …

It means like nearly every single Saturday since early September, Maloney, 52, has already been here for hours with his allvolunteer team setting up and lining fields, lugging goals into position, readying the referee stations… basically doing whatever it takes to ensure the day’s schedule of a

‘hundred-plus’ games runs smoothly.

Presidio Sports caught up with Maloney at beautiful Girsh Park, already vibrantly alive with soccer life everywhere.

It’s challenging to imagine all the precise planning, logistical details, scheduling and coordination involving many moving parts to help make this Girsh-AYSO scene all possible…

And Maloney quickly deflects individual accolades.

Instead, he shines the spotlight on AYSO and all who contribute significantly to its ongoing success as one of the largest all-volunteer sports organizations on the Central Coast – if not the largest.

It’s all a labor of love for Maloney throughout the year and it’s believed that he has ‘just the right touch’ — a rare and special blending of professional engineering training with his always-positive, can-do spirit, with his warm and engaging personal attributes, a seriously playful sense of humor and a hands-on, collaborative leadership style to make it all work in a fun way.

He started as an AYSO volunteer coach and referee 15 years ago when elder daughter Meghan (now 22) was playing. Both she, sister Carleigh (19) and even niece, Ashlie (20, who has lived with them these last seven years) all enjoyed long AYSO careers — only to be surpassed by ‘Pops’ who is still going strong!

Way back then, Coach Maloney was known for innovative training techniques – such as placing Barbie dolls on the far sides of the goal so these young female athletes would shoot away from the goalie. Hit the doll(s) and chocolate after practice!

Maloney has been at the AYSO helm for the last 12 years and it’s very likely this could be a lifetime volunteer gig – there’s nobody obviously ready or willing to jump into lead this 1,200 all-volunteer member organization and its expansive Board of Directors, now 27 members strong.

It’s gotten so big that Maloney can no longer host these board meetings at his home, where he served as the ultimate host.

Instead, they now meet regularly in the Mesa Café’s banquet room.

“They are very accommodating and very generous to us,” he says of restaurant staff.

And in leading AYSO, Maloney is not afraid to try something new – like the recent ‘Silent Saturday’ — as in no vocal sideline cheering — only clapping.

“It got mixed reviews from parents,” he claims. “The really good thing is that you could hear all the kids on the field talking to each other.”

He’s not sure if they’ll try it again next year…

And with playoffs looming large, with its always-predictable higher level of tension and sideline stress, Maloney proactively just sent out, like he does every year at this same time, what he refers to as his ‘Huga-Ref ’ email to remind all coaches, parents and families that it’s only a game and to appreciate those responsible for calling the action.

His own kids are grown — both daughters

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AYSO John Maloney, Sports Volunteer of the Month.

have successfully landed in Colorado.

And he works hard to ensure that all families can have a similar positive playing experience to what his family enjoyed years ago.

Wife, Valerie, has been by his side all along.

In addition to having served on the AYSO Board for eight years and as U6-U8 girls division director for three, she led the 2002 charge to launch its Very Important Player (VIP) Division in providing a truly ‘equal playing field’ for kids with challenges and special needs — and was director for the first three seasons.

For many, if not all, it was/is their first ‘team experience.’

Like Christina Shackelford, now age 17 and a third-year DP Charger, who was one of these inaugural VIP players. Her dad, Tyson, was the first VIP coach.

“She was so excited that she wore her uniform to bed the night before her first game,” says Christina’s mom, Sherrie. “And she wouldn’t take it off afterwards. She was so excited to play every Saturday!”

“VIP has fluctuated over the years. We had four teams at one point. And we’ll have about fourteen kids here ready to play in about an hour,” Maloney indicates.

Throughout it all, it’s safe to say that nobody does AYSO quite like him.

Mention ‘John Maloney’ to someone who knows him, anyone whom he has touched through many years of soccer or some other aspect of local community life, and you get the same universal reaction — a smile sneaks across their face.

Oh, and a funny story on his impact: “When he coached my daughter, he would occasionally yell out, ‘Dead Ants!’ as the opposing team kicked-off. Everyone on the field would fall on their backs and stick their arms and legs straight into the air,” laughs soccer mom Teri Klobucher.

“Or when we had a parent meeting at my home years ago, it was around Halloween,” embellishes another former team mom.

“Well, John surprised us when he arrived dressed as a pirate with capes and eye patches for everyone… and that’s how we had the meeting!”

“John is never hard to find in a crowd and especially in a crowd of soccer parents – he is always making something good happen,” shares Fred Kass, seasoned former AYSO soccer ref and local cancer doc.

Yes, our October 2012 ‘reluctant honoree’ John Maloney, is an incredibly dedicated leader, a totally fun guy, with the biggest heart around and the best cheerleader AYSO could ever have in promoting the joy of sport and in making a positive difference in so many lives.

Today.

Tomorrow.

Over the years.

And especially on Saturdays!

Weekend Sports Calendar

By Barry Punzal It’s Veterans Day weekend and the Select Staffing Santa Barbara International Marathon is doing its part to pay tribute to the men and women who have served our country.

The fourth annual marathon and half marathon is on Saturday. The half marathon begins at 7:15 am at the Page Youth Center and the marathon goes off at 7:30 am from Dos Pueblos High. The finish for both races is at Santa Barbara City College’s La Playa Stadium.

Race organizers have set up events that will honor veterans during the races.

There will be a fly over of four U.S. T-34 aircraft and the last mile of the courses will be known as the “Veterans Mile” (starting at Cliff Drive and La Marina Drive at Shoreline Park to La Playa Stadium). The mile will be lined with military vehicles, American flags and campaign flags from all the wars/ conflicts of the 20th century. All veterans are encouraged to line up along this last mile.

A vintage World War II Army Jeep, named the “Pierre” from Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum, will lead the way for the full marathon. Pierre will be driven by retired Lt. John W. Blankenship, co-founder of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum & Library.

The SBIM has partnered with the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Museum.

“The Santa Barbara International Marathon takes place annually on Veterans Day weekend, so it is a perfect time to celebrate and honor some of our greatest and most dedicated citizens – our veterans,” SBIM Technical Race Director Dan Campbell said.

“Santa Barbara has a large supportive veteran population, and we want to make Santa Barbara the place to celebrate Veterans

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The Santa Barbara International Marathon, taking place this Saturday, November 10, attracts runners from all over the world.

Day weekend,” said Blankenship. “Training for a marathon takes a lot of dedication and tenacity; both are values that service men and women exemplify.”

The marathon field will include runners who are veterans, including the 25-member National Guard Team of Elite Runners.

They are led by Sgt. First Class Michael Hagen, the team coordinator. His team members are from all over the country and have won numerous awards, most recently at the Kauai, San Francisco and Missoula marathons.

The official marathon shirts will have the words, “The first 25 miles are for me, the last mile is for the veterans.”

The combined races will attract more than 6,000 runners to Santa Barbara. The runners come from all over the world Kenya’s Moninda Marube returns to defend his title. He holds the course record of 2:22:38.

The half marathon will feature elite runner Alvina Begay. She placed fifth at the 2012 USA Half-Marathon Championships in June, finishing in 1:12.25. She also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters.

Local favorite Andrea McLarty will be running the half marathon this year. She won the inaugural SBIM Marathon, the Half Marathon in 2010 and took second in 2011.

“We are excited Santa Barbara is drawing runners of all abilities from the elites to the first-time marathoners,” race co-director Rusty Snow said. “It is a great course with a very supportive crowd of people lining the streets and cheering on runners. Santa Barbara is an amazing place to run.

“Growing up in a single-parent home, I learned first hand that the strength of a running community is a positive influence on kids and the community at large,” Snow added. “SBIM’s dream has always been to make Santa Barbara a world-class running destination and empower local youth runners and encourage and enhance running at all levels.”

The Santa Barbara Marathon has partnered with the Santa Barbara Athletic Association (SBAA), a not-for-profit that supports running in the Santa Barbara community.

SBIM will donate thousands of dollars that will go back to support youth running

programs in Santa Barbara County. As well, SBIM has partnered with the Community Environmental Council (CEC), a not-forprofit with a mission to educate and wean Santa Barbara off of fossil fuels, and Sansum Diabetes Research Institute research center devoted to the prevention, treatment and cure of diabetes.

Other events worth checking out: FRIDAY High school football – CIF Playoffs: Cathedral (8-2) at Santa Barbara (8-2), 7:30 pm – After scoring an emotional win over crosstown rival Dos Pueblos to earn a share of the Channel League title, the Golden Tornado (the school’s playoff nickname) open the Western Division playoffs against a team that has a quarterback headed for LSU. Hayden Rettig, a 6-4 senior, has thrown for 20 touchdowns in leading the Phantoms to an 8-2 record. The team finished third in the tough Mission League.

High school football – CIF Playoffs: Culver City (6-4) at Dos Pueblos (7-3), 7:30 pm – The Chargers received a psychological boost when it was granted a home game after falling to Santa Barbara in the Channel League title game last week.

They’ll be looking for someone to step up and help the running game in the Western Division playoffs. Culver City has a balanced attack, led by the passing and running of quarterback Xan Cuevas.

The Centaurs finished third in the Ocean League.

High school football –CIF Playoffs: Bishop Diego (10-0) at South Torrance (4-6), 7:30 pm – Bishop figures to have a chip on its shoulder after the CIF-SS ordered the TriValley League champion to play all their playoff games on the road because of an alleged rules violation. South, the fourthplace team from the Pioneer League, has lost four of its last five games.

College football –– West L.A. at SBCC, 7 pm – The Vaqueros look to finish the season with a .500 record.

SATURDAY College women’s basketball – SBCC Bash by the Beach: The third-place game of the season-opening tournament is at 3 pm and the championship is at 5 pm. Joining the host Vaqueros are L.A. Southwest, Fullerton and Glendale.

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W W W. S A N TA B A R B A R A S E N T I N E L .CO M Private First Class Rene J. Van Heirseele at the house of his sister, Edith Bergling (now 95 and alive and well), in Waukegan, Illinois, just before he shipped overseas in 1945.

In the background is Van Heirseele’s niece, Charlene, about three at the time (now 70 and also doing quite well).

by Jana Mackin

A journalist and a poet, Jana has lived everywhere from New Orleans and Butte, Montana to Saudi Arabia, where she taught English to children.

Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The Washington Post and San Francisco Examiner. She now lives in Goleta.

Saving Private Rene

A Long Forgotten Purple Heart Finds Its Way Home Just In Time for Veterans Day

“For many reasons, I felt a deep duty, an ethical and moral obligation to Rene J. Van Heirseele, to ensure that the Purple Heart was returned to its rightful owner.”

Bill Chamberlain stumbled across the Purple Heart in a Goleta garage that had been filled with garbage for fourteen years.

Nice work Bill!

T

his is a story that begins simply, in the bowels of a hoarder’s garage in a small Old Town apartment complex, just a couple weeks ago. After multiple attempts to contact the defaulting longtime lessee of the space went unanswered, Bill Chamberlain, a 56-year-old Goleta resident, resolved to spend his Sunday cleaning the place out, ridding it of what appeared to be mostly garbage that had sat there for nearly fourteen years.

Bill had no idea what he was about to discover.

Hours turned to days of work, and Bill removed and brought to the local dump over three tons of stuff—everything from water-damaged cardboard boxes stuffed full with relics of somebody’s past to the bodies of long dead rats and skunks and raccoons that had once called the garage home. By the third day, the presently unemployed carpenter had pulled most

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Leave No Man Behind

Josie (center) and Rene (far right) married on September 21, 1940, and this is their official wedding photo. Rene’s brother, Raymond, and Josie’s sister, Marie, are also pictured.

everything out except for some larger furniture, and he was working alone when he came across a heavy metal filing cabinet that he couldn’t lift and toss into the dumpster by himself.

So he did what anybody might do; he pulled out a few drawers to lighten the load. And that’s when he found it, hidden in a beat-up old box among some ancient cufflinks and rings.

It was a National Purple Heart—the United States military decoration awarded to those men and women killed or wounded while serving their country.

Bill wasn’t quite sure what to do with the heirloom that nobody seemed to know anything about, so he brought it to his friend and neighbor—a local reporter and the recent widow of an Air Force veteran.

Me. “I don’t want you to cry,” Chamberlain said gently, “but I want you to have this.”

I took the Purple Heart in my hands, carefully, and turned it over. Inscribed on the back were the following words: “For Military Merit: Rene J. Van Heirseele.”

I wept quietly.

I thanked Bill for coming to me, and placed the Purple Heart next to the black and white photo I keep of my deceased husband, Major James Andrew Mackin, Jr., a highly decorated USAF fighter pilot who flew 200 missions over Vietnam, smiling from the cockpit of his Phantom jet during the War. He died suddenly about 14 months ago.

For many reasons, I felt a deep duty, an ethical and moral obligation to Rene J. Van Heirseele, to ensure that the Purple Heart was returned to its rightful owner. And so I began to work on tracking that person down.

Dozens of calls and emails to potential sources and leads returned little or nothing.

The landowner-lessor of the garage knew nothing about the medal or of its potential lineage. The garage lessee had disappeared for all intents and purposes, and all potential avenues quickly turned to dead ends.

Countless Google searches were similarly fruitless.

Then I turned to a series of local Veterans and others potentially in the know. First was Mark Gisler of the US Navy, an E-5 in damage control who served in the Persian Gulf and other areas on the John Paul Jones DDG-53 from 1995 to 1999.

(Mark now serves as the Executive Director of the Salvation Army Hospitality House.)

Next was Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, who hosted the 2012 Santa Maria Stand Down last month, and U.S. Representative Elton Gallegly, a retired

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Local Veterans’ Outreach Specialist Jake Sanders helped lead the charge to find Private First Class Rene J. Van Heirseele. Thanks Jake!

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four-star General. Then I spoke with the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, and eventually with the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. There was little to go on, and I was just about out of ideas.

But then I spoke with Jake Sanders, a Santa Barbara-based retired Navy quartermaster who served in the first Gulf Experience from 1987 to 1993.

Miraculously, it was Jake who ultimately cracked the code, sending me the following simple email on October 31, 2012: “VAN HEIRSEELE FOUND.”

The Purple Heart Goes Home Jake had worked tirelessly, and was able to find two key documents: (1) A list of World War II casualties from Lake County, Illinois that listed Van Heirseele and (2) a Depression-era, 1930 U.S. Federal Population Census that cited immigrants Felix and Leona Van Heirseele and their seven children. (Van Heirseele was the second to youngest kid.) Further research was conducted, family members were contacted and interviewed, and Van Heirseele’s story slowly came to light.

Private First Class Rene J. Van Heirseele—the son of an immigrant bricklayer from Belgium—enlisted in the Army in 1944 and did his training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before shipping out overseas in 1945. He was killed in action in WWII on June 13, 1945, near the end of the Battle of Okinawa (the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War) and just two months shy of the dropping of an atomic bomb at Hiroshima that helped prompt the war’s end. At the time of his death, his widow, Josie Belle Foster, was pregnant with their third child—who was named Rene Van Heirseele, Jr. in honor of his war-hero father.

After more Google searches, cold calls and emails, I eventually was able to make contact with Rene Jr., 67, who now lives in Twaine Heart, California. He had previously lived for a number of years in Santa Barbara and Goleta and was friends with the person

who rented the garage. And he’d stored his file cabinet with the Purple Heart inside many, many years ago. (Ironically, Rene Jr. was born and spent time in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, only about 25 miles from Port Washington, childhood home of my fighter pilot husband. Cheeseheads, the both of them.)

“I’m happy,” Rene Jr. told me, “I thought it was here with me. I found the other medals he was awarded but didn’t realize that the Purple Heart was in the file cabinet.”

“Can I get it back?”

Bittersweet Surrender “I can’t stop thinking about him,” said Jake, 43, who now works as an independent contractor for the Independent Living Resource Center as their Veterans Outreach Specialist. (The Independent Living Resource Center offers all disabled veterans in the tri-county area an array of support services and help.)

Neither can I. The truth is that Private First Class Rene J. Van Heirseele has left an indelible impression on me, one that won’t go away for a long time, maybe ever. Now, every time I gaze across the room at that photograph of my deceased husband in his Vietnam-era fighter jet, I think of Rene and his Purple Heart. And I can almost hear my beloved Major James Andrew Mackin, Jr. laughing and talking like old times.

••• On November 6, 2012, the SB County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution proclaiming Santa Barbara County a Purple Heart County in honor of the men and women who have served our country and community as members of the armed forces.

Further, Veterans Day is Sunday, November 11, 2012, and I hope that each and every one of you will take a moment to remember those who sacrificed their lives for—and those who continue to dedicate their lives to—the safety and security of us all. These brave individuals deserve our respect and gratitude. Please make the effort to show them some of each. I know I will.—Jana Mackin

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Plan B

by Briana Westmacott Hailing from NorCal, Briana has lived in Santa Bar-

bara for the past fifteen years. While she is indeed an adjunct faculty member at SBCC and has contributed to LOVEmikana, Wake & Wander and Entrée Magazine, much of her time is spent multi-tasking her way through days as a mother, wife, sister, wantto-be chef and travel junky. Writing is an outlet that ensures mental stability… usually.

Hurricane George

W

e had plenty of warning that the wrath of Hurricane George was going to hit us squarely, head on—but we didn’t heed it. Had we known the catastrophic irreversible damage that we would endure, had we been able to see the future, as it were, we may have acted very differently. We may have evacuated, run for our lives, saved our most beloved heirlooms from certain destruction. But we didn’t.

And now, after George smashed our home and brought us to our collective knees with his fury, we will never be the same. We will never forget.

How could we? Georgie’s our new Golden Retriever puppy, and the damned dog won’t get off our living room couch.

It all began simply enough. I just wanted to stop the kids’ incessant begging. (“We want a puppy, Mommy, we neeeeed a puppy, Mommy. You had a puppy when you were a kid, Mooommmmmyyyyy.) So I googled “Golden Retriever puppies.”

And I was doomed.

As soon as my daughters and I had a visual on one of those precious pups, we were hooked. The girls literally NEVER stopped talking about the new dog we were getting, and my days became (more than) slightly absorbed with puppy pondering and planning. My husband—smart guy that he is—quickly and completely shot the whole thing to the ground. But nearconstant begging and pleading from the kids and I really wore him down. His defeat came slowly, hour by hour, day by day, his daughters turning the screws each morning and again after school and before bed. Then I’d raise it as we hit the sack. You get the idea.

The truth is that he didn’t stand much of a chance. George was on his way.

The morning he arrived was like all others. It was a sunny spring day; the flowers and trees in our yard were all abloom. The grass was a stunning carpet of bright green hues.

There wasn’t even the slightest hint of the mass destruction that was about to unfold.

The dog was a vision, glowing, with his blond fur and brown eyes. He won our hearts immediately. The moment the girls understood that George was permanently ours was indeed a priceless one—but the next twelve months presented a series of very real and very expensive price tags.

A light dusting of fur was the first sign of things to come. Within twenty-four hours of his arrival, our black area rug was literally coated with the golden hue that is George. I’ve been saving for one of those robotic automatic vacuums ever since he did his first shake in the living room and a fur-bomb exploded. I swear that his

The girls playing with their beloved George on the freshly vacuumed area rug. (I guess it really was all worth it.)

A family picture strategically positioned to capture only a part of the lawn that Georgie has NOT destroyed.

shedding defies the laws of nature—I mean how is it physically possible for that much fur to come off of his body…constantly?

Then he started nipping the girls by accident (out of excitement), and quickly developed a propensity for leaping over the couch and taking people out when they arrived at our front door.

Storm clouds moved in overhead. There was a chill in the air.

So I quickly (and optimistically) enrolled George in dog school. That was an interesting experience. Think of it this way: Dozens of neophyte owners with misbehaved dogs running around and screaming at their respective (and sometimes other people’s) animals. Nice way to spend six weeks.

Our trainer had a voice that stopped me dead in my tracks, but didn’t seem to have any meaningful effect on George. I remember being proud when we graduated, but I also recall not being certain for whom the novice diploma was issued.

Either way, my pride was fleeting. Back on the home front, Georgie took to shoe chewing. He predominantly stuck to the kids’ shoes, although my husband did lose one of his favorite flip-flops in the great chewing war. (I took some precautions and moved my Fryes up high.) But still I can count at least 20 pairs destroyed, typically

by one shoe being torn to shreds before being discarded, half-eaten, underneath the swing-set or trampoline or wherever.

Pretty much anything left on the ground was fair game for George. Socks.

Stuffed animals. Pillows. CDs. Whatever.

Countless items of untold value have been shredded to bits.

I once thought he even ate a pair of my boobs.

It was a Sunday morning and I was putting the laundry together when I noticed my outfit from the night before was missing one key part, the cutlets, the chicken breastlike fillers that some women—myself included—stuff into their bras before they go out for a night on the town. (I like to give old Georgie the benefit of the doubt and think that’s why he ate them, he thought they were chicken breasts.)

For a whole week I stressed and sweated, not wanting to mention boobie-gate to my husband, and desperately wishing I had purchased the pet insurance we quickly dismissed just a couple months prior. I did poo checks. I did belly massaging. It was torture.

Eventually, though, I found my “accessories” in my kids’ dress-up bin.

(Always a fabulous visual as a parent, my children playing with my Victoria’s Secret supplies. But I digress.)

We came up with a plan: In order to combat the mass destruction of our clothing and shoes, we took to putting George outside in the yard when we would leave. But we failed to take into account the amount of damage—structural and otherwise—that a single puppy could cause to the backyard.

Georgie focused much of his effort on and around our (formerly) lush lawn, which now resembles something closer to a war zone after the landmines have been detonated. (I’m referring to the holes he dug here, of course, but there are also plenty of landmines that George leaves above ground too.) I’m still baffled at what, exactly, George is digging for, but he continues to drill down deep into the belly of our backyard leaving dirt and grass clumps and stones strewn about. The term disaster is woefully inadequate.

And all the while, my husband just

shakes his head slowly, knowingly, and fills another hole.

In the end, we would do it all over again for George. He’s a part of our family now.

He’s a brother to the girls and Misty Kitty (although she continues to hate him).

He’s our (hole-digging, shoe-chewing, almost boob-eating) George.

And the truth is that we are grateful to him for paving an entryway into a new community—the wonderful SB dog community. It soon became clear that we are spoiled here, with our dog parks, dog beaches, dog sections in restaurants (Café Stella has a sweet spot for you and your happy hound), hell, we even have dog parades. I can’t imagine it gets any more pooch friendly than that. (Not that I have participated in many of these doggy adventures just yet, I’m still nervous about bringing Hurricane George to the outside world.)

So, should you be considering the perfect puppy present to go under your tree this year with visions of the iconic red bow tied around the neck of a sweet ball of fur… please be forewarned.

Puppies are cute for a reason. And Georgie might just be the cutest darn dog I’ve ever seen.

Briana’s Best Bets

O

ur hearts go out to those who experienced losses due to Hurricane Sandy. People are still in need of food, supplies and support.

Please make a contribution to the Red Cross at www.redcross.org.

Every bit makes a difference.

Montecito Country Mart now has George (yes, I was overly excited and entirely biased when I saw it).

This pet shop carries all sorts of unique supplies for your dogs (and cats) including gourmet cookies, a variety of toys and spa treatments.

If you really want to spoil your prized pets, head to George to see what they have in store. But know that we have tried overt bribery with our dog without tremendous success…and yet we continue to bribe him anyway. Who’s training who here?

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BE

weekend guide

ACTIV E

Living Out Loud

.com

By Kim Wiseley

S

ort of sums up our Santa Barbara lifestyle in a nutshell, doesn’t it?

That’s why we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Lolë to town. Earlier this week, the women’s eco-chic active-wear brand opened a pop-up boutique at 740 State Street. We went down immediately and checked it out.

Whether you are an “active” gal or not, the boutique is filled with stylish items that you can “move in everyday.” Lolë’s vibrant, mood-boosting products are designed to help you embrace comfort, feel fabulous and live responsibly.

“Live responsibly?” you ask.

Just try the Refresh Pant, which is made from fabric that comes from recycled plastic bottles. Or how about the Jude Top made from 100% organic Lolë has opened a pop-up shop at 740 State Street; cotton. And, try this one on for size – the super- head to De La Guerra Plaza on Saturdays (starting soft, 100% biodegradable Intonation Top. They’re November 17) for free community meet-ups filled with yoga and fitness. fabulous. Go ahead, go in and see for yourself.

But Lolë is more than just comfortable and responsible (and great looking) clothes. It also doubles as an urban oasis, a place where the community can come together, spread positive energy and be inspired to live healthier and happier lives. Every Saturday from November 17 – December 22, Lolë will be holding free community “meet-ups” at De La Guerra Plaza.

From 9:30-10:30am, you’re invited to participate in yoga and fitness sessions led by the best of the best of our very own local instructors, including Drea McLarty, Stephanie Bessler, Maya Fiennes and more. All ages, shapes, sizes and experience levels are welcome.

Visit www.lolewomen.com for more information and meet-up specifics. Come on Santa Barbara, let’s unite and live out loud everyday!

By Kim Wiseley

It’s Hip to be Square

Y

eah, that’s right, like Huey Lewis said, it’s hip to be square this holiday season. Here’s a simple sweet treat to either keep around the house or give as a gift. Easy to make, fun to use and costfriendly, these Mexican Hot Chocolate Squares are sure to spice up the season.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Squares - mini bread pan (we used one approx. 9x6x3) parchment paper - 3 tbsp. sugar - 1/4 cup heavy cream - 1 tsp. vanilla - 1 tsp. ground cinnamon - 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne red pepper - 2 tsp. cocoa (Hershey’s works great!)

- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces (head to Chocolate Maya for gourmet chocolate!)

Directions Step 1: Heat the cream, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, red pepper, and vanilla in a small sauce

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by

• LOVE IS FREE

Lolë [pronounced lo-lay], verb (used without object): 1. To Live Out Loud Everyday. 2. To Embrace Comfort.

Wine & Dine

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pan until steaming but just below boiling.

Whisk all the ingredients together well.

Step 2: Put the chocolate chips/pieces in a mixing bowl. Pour the steaming cream mixture over the chocolate pieces. Let sit for a few minutes while the cream melts the chocolate.

Then stir it all together. (Note that the mixture will be thick and fudge-like.)

Step 3: Line your bread pan with parchment paper.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan. Set in the refrigerator until the mixture is set (approximately 2 hours).

Step 4: Once chocolate has set, lift the parchment paper and pull out the block of chocolate.

Cut the chocolate into 6 even squares.

Step 5 - How to Enjoy: Mix one chocolate square with 8 ounces of hot milk. Stir until dissolved, add toppings (e.g., marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate shavings) and enjoy! Or you can package the squares up with directions on how to use and give as a gift! Two words: Muy bueno.

Check out LOVEmikana for step-bystep instructions and photos, at www.

LOVEmikana.com.

What: Santa Barbara International Marathon & Half Marathon Where: The marathon starts at Dos Pueblos High School and the half marathon starts at the Page Youth Center on Hollister. Both races end at La Playa Stadium at SBCC. When: Saturday, November 10th, 7:30 am Why: Runners from Santa Barbara and around the world will take on this 13.1- and 26.2mile challenge through the American Riviera.

How: Make signs, clap, cheer, encourage and support!

What’ll It Cost Me: Free (you’ll actually earn the appreciation of participants!)

• LOOSE CHANGE

What: Grab a Bite Where: Intermezzo Bar + Cafe, 819 Anacapa St When: Fridays, 4pm – close and Saturdays, noon – close Why: The swanky cafe recently expanded its walls, brought on talented chef Nik Ramirez and added savory new menu items.

How: Start with the Thai High cocktail and Rock Shrimp Mac ‘n Cheese. Proceed to indulge in a Santorini Salad and Exotic Mushroom and Pancetta Flatbread.

Finish with the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. (Our eyes may be bigger than our stomachs...)

What’ll It Cost Me: Prices start around $10 and go up from there.

• HEY BIG SPENDER What: New Noise Music Festival Where: Various stages throughout downtown Santa Barbara When: Friday, Nov 9th and Saturday, Nov 10th Why: Connect with 40+ speakers and musicians to talk music and listen to some new sounds.

How: Rock on and be sure not to miss the Funk Zone Block Party starring one of our favorites, Gardens & Villa.

What’ll It Cost Me: $5 – $55

ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL proudly presents

THIRD THURSDAY SALON SERIES #2: GUEST SPEAKER

LORI COOPER:

“understanding your body type and how to dress for it” thursday, november 15th 3:00 - 6:00 PM cost: $20.00

refreshments will be served reservations required * please note this event closes at 20 guests

1114 state street no. 22 la arcada courtyard santa barbara, ca 93101 805.722.4338 encantosantabarbara.blogspot.com

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W W W. S A N TA B A R B A R A S E N T I N E L .CO M

YOUR

MILES CAN BRING THEM HOME. Reunions, final trips with children, urgent bedside goodbyes: these are dreams that require airline travel.

...Linda was able to have them all at her bedside. She died peacefully with all six children, their spouses and her grandchildren at her side. This photo is of Linda, just days before she passed, holding her youngest grandchild (who flew up with your help).

– Linda’s hospice social worker

This year, Dream Foundation will need the equivalent of 10 million airline miles to support final travel-related dreams.

By donating miles in any amount over 1,000, you can offer meaningful memories and the peace of mind of leaving nothing unsaid.

Make this step. Make a difference.

You can give dreams wings.

Dream Foundation enjoys charity miles accounts with

To donate go to www.dreamfoundation.org/donate or call 805-564-2131.

The mission of Dream Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families facing a life-threatening illness by fulfilling a heart’s final wish.

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REAL ESTATE

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2926 Serena Road

C

By Michael Calcagno Michael has consistently been ranked in the

ontemporary 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom home with mountain views and all new major systems. It is also completely remodeled with Birch hardwood floors, kitchen with limestone counters, 10-foot ceilings and great room.

top 1% of Sotheby’s agents worldwide. Shortly after joining Sotheby’s, he partnered with Nancy Hamilton to form one of the most successful real estate teams in Santa Barbara.

Michael can be reached at Michael@HomesinSantaBarbara.com

‘Tis The Season?

O

ne of the most common questions I’m asked when someone is thinking of selling his or her home is “When should we come on the market?” Seems like there might be a fairly easy answer to that question but truth is that there is a lot to consider about the state of the local market, macro and micro-economic trends and even the specifics of the house in question in order to give a reasonably considered answer.

And yet the fact remains: The time at which a seller lists his or her property is a key factor in the relative success or failure of the sales process. “Timing is everything,” as they say (whoever they are), and, despite the importance of the aforementioned factors, my experience is that knowing your likely buyer profile is really the key to picking the right time to list. In order to understand a home’s buyer profile, the seller must first know the property well enough to determine to whom it might appeal most. Is the home family oriented? Is it a Riviera bungalow perfect for a weekend retreat? Maybe a beach cottage on the sand? Each house presents a unique set of circumstances that plays into the buyer profile analysis, and thus into the optimal timing of going to market.

So once he or she knows the likely buyer profile, how does a seller determine when to list the property?

Take the example of a family home in a good school district. The seller should know pretty quickly that his or her ideal buyer is a family with school-aged or younger kids, and that it is overwhelmingly likely that Mom, not Dad, will be the driver of the purchase decision. (Sorry guys, but it’s true.) And when will Mom do most of her searching and investigation? While the kids are at school, of course, from home or work.

My experience in this circumstance, believe it or not, is that summer may thus not be the best time to list a house with this buyer profile—summer tends to be hectic for families with planned vacations and busy days with play dates, sporting events and planned visitors. So I would look to early spring as the perfect time to list a house like the one in this example, just after the holidays and related vacations have died down and families are starting to look forward to summer and the next year. (To be sure, family homes sell all year round but I have seen many go in the spring under more favorable conditions for the Seller.)

This is just one example of timing considerations, and each home presents a new set of circumstances for pre-listing analysis. Here’s a breakdown of a few properties that are already on the market. Enjoy!

List price: $1,200,000 Down payment (20%): $240,000 Loan amount: $960,000 Loan payment: $4,337 (30 yr fixed at 3.55% (3.62% APR))

Property taxes estimate: $1,100 Home insurance estimate: $100 Total Monthly Payment:

$5,537

227 Selrose Lane

T

his stylish 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom Mesa home is privately situated adjacent to and overlooking the Douglas Family Preserve. The home has classic shingle siding and nautical blue shutters to complement.

List price: $1,395,000 Down payment (20%): $279,000 Loan amount: $1,116,000 Loan payment: $5,042

5 West Padre Street

A

n extensively remodeled downtown Santa Barbara home with three spacious bedrooms and two remodeled baths. Exterior walls give the feeling of privacy and security, and lead to an interior with high open-beamed ceilings, hardwood flooring and designer kitchen and cabinetry.

(30 yr fixed at 3.55% (3.62% APR))

Property taxes estimate: $1,278 Home insurance estimate: $100 Total Monthly Payment:

$6,420

List price: $995,000 Down payment (20%): $199,000 Loan amount: $796,000 Loan payment: $3,596 (30 yr fixed at 3.55% (3.62% APR))

Property taxes estimate: $912 Home insurance estimate: $100 Total Monthly Payment:

$4,608

Mortgage statistics provided by Justin M. Kellenberger, Senior Loan Officer at SG Premier Lending Group, Inc. Justin can always be reached at justin@sgpremierlending.com.

Note: The foregoing economic breakdowns do not include potential tax benefit analyses since that will ultimately depend upon a number of additional factors. But home ownership can indeed have tremendous tax-savings potential and should be considered with your realtor and/or tax accountant as part of the ownership decision.

Coast 2 Coast Collection First Year Anniversary Celebration!

Join us for the festivities all weekend long!

November 9, 10 & 11th

Shop our new holiday collections of tableware, vintage jewelry, candles, handbags, frames, barware, linens and gifts.

New items from Christofle, Bernardaud, Juliska, Lalique, Mariposa, Match & VIETRI Gift with your purchase of $100 or more.

La Arcada Courtyard 1114 State Street, Suite 10 ~ Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Store Hours: Mon-Sat 10am~6pm & Sunday Noon~5pm www.C2Ccollection.com