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IMMIGRANT FOODS ‘Culmination of a dream’:
Local author chronicles quest of intrepid botanist
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
HUNDREDS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS DRIVE DOWN STATE STREET TO PROTEST CONTINUED SHUTDOWN OF CALIFORNIA BUSINESSES
PROCEED,
WITH CAUTION County offers warning on large crowds, opportunity for some businesses to re-open
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
A large convoy of vehicles full of people protesting California’s current shut-down order during the COVID-19 pandemic make their presence known in Santa Barbara on Friday, May 1, 2020.
By JOSH GREGA
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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t was all American flags and blaring car horns yesterday afternoon in De La Guerra Plaza when a crowd of protesters showed up in front of City Hall in their automobiles to voice objections against the continued shutdown of California’s economy amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The Santa Barbara demonstration of the nationwide MAGA May Day, the protest was a drive-in that saw hundreds of local residents drive their cars around the circle of the courtyard before proceeding down State Street. Most of the participants stayed in their cars to observe social distancing.
Though the drive was originally intended to go straight down State Street to Stearns Wharf, the pier was closed and a roadblock on Mason St forced the procession to take a roundabout route that circled from Chapala Street onto Cabrillo Blvd. Some vehicles went their own way thereafter while others proceeded up Garden Street to return to De La Guerra Plaza. During the demonstration, the protesters honked their car horns as they drove down State and waved small Old Glories out their windows. Messages were emblazoned on signs waved by passengers and on the sides of cars. They ran the gamut from “We have rights,� to “Liberty is essential,�
to more pointed statements regarding the coronavirus shutdown like “The curve is flat,� and “Open businesses, not borders.� Though many at the demonstration were Santa Barbara residents, some attended from further away. Among them was Thousand Oaks resident Arthur Larson, who was of the opinion that the coronavirus case curve has been flattened and that the pandemic isn’t as lethal as initially expected. “The hospitals are empty. They’re laying off nurses because there are not that many COVID-19 cases,� he said. Considering this, Mr. Larson told the News-Press that the closure of public parks and beaches and the continued shutdown
Please see MEGA DAY on A2 KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
SANTA BARBARA REGGAE-ROCK BAND IRATION RELEASES NEW SINGLE “RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW� With temperatures near 90 on the South Coast, hundreds of people took to Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara on Friday. County officials have issued a warning that they will shut down county beaches and parks if crowds get too large or social distancing is not followed.
By NICK MASUDA By JOSHDIRECTOR GREGAOF NEWS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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ith sweltering and record-breaking heat enveloping anta Barbara-based reggae-rock Santa Barbara County, there were two distinctly differband Iration recently dropped itsfrom county officials on Friday ent messages coming afternoon. latest single “Right Here Right one hand, Health Officer Order clarified certain esNow,� the On second from aitsnew forthcoming businesses may with modified operations and soseventh sential LP “Coastin’,� due foropen release cial-distancing protocols — including recreational activities such on July 10. as golfing and tennis, as well as the opportunity for faith-based Aside from the album coming out organizations to function. this summer, Iration’s plans for the Just an hour before the order, the county sent out a stern warnremainder the congregating year remainat upthe incounty’s the ing of about beaches, parks and vehicle air, as cautionary measures against the access trails, threatening to shut them down if crowds became spread too COVID-19 make the large or people wereeventual not abiding by the state’s social-distancmandate. status ofingthe band’s primary income “The County is appreciative source, live performances, a mystery.that the community visits local parks responsibly. However, asofthe days become warmer more In response to the atmosphere people arebeen visiting beachesabout and parks, staying longer, and violatworry that has brought ing social distancing and guidelines about congregating,� a news by the coronavirus, the band decided release said. “Park staff will be monitoring its parks regularly rather recently that “Right Here Right and will close parking and vehicle access if parks become too Now� should beParks the album’s second crowded. with vehicular access closures may remain open single, as its message is applicable provided visitors practice safe,tophysical distancing of 6 feet or weathering the current situation. more.� As Iration’s lead singer and guitarist The song unites Iration with reggae-rock Please see ROUNDUP on A2 Micah Pueschel told the News-Press, that contemporaries like fellow Santa Barbara message is “To enjoy what you have and be band Rebelution’s lead vocalist and guitarist grateful for the things you have rather than Eric Rachmany, and Scott Woodruff, the focusingINSIDE: on the things that you don’t.� driving forceLOOKING behind reggaeTO andFIND dub band METRO ENTERTAINMENT ITS
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Stick Figure. Over the course of the single’s five minutes, Mr. Pueschel, Mr. Rachmany, and Mr. Woodruff in succession each sing verses expanding on the lyrics’ central eponymous sentiment, “living in the right here, right now.� The three vocalists and their respective groups have collaborated before on remixes such as the one Stick Figure did of his song “Smokin’ Love� and on several that Rebelution has done for its numbers. However, “Right Here Right Now� marks the first time the three singers’ voices have appeared together on a newly released song. “I think it’s the first time we’ve been together on an original song and not a remix, so that’s what sets this one apart,� Mr. Pueschel said. Mr. Pueschel wrote and recorded the main track of “Right Here Right Now� with his Iration bandmates, guitarist and vocalist Micah Brown, drummer Joe Dickens, bassist Adam Taylor, and keyboardist Cayson
Amid COVID-19, Goleta and NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER Santa Barbara Chambers of he next time you dip some chips in a bowl full of guacamole Commerce announce merger or order avocado toast for lunch, give thanks to David By MARILYN MCMAHON
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Fairchild. By NICK MASUDA DIRECTOR OF NEWS Or when you bite into a juicy peach, nectarine or mango, consider doing the same. ometimes unprecedented times can give organizations Why David Fairchild? the push they need to reinvent themselves. It’s a fair that is answered by Daniel in his first Onquestion Friday, after years of flirting with theStone concept book, Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globeand “The looking to take COVID-19 head on, the Goleta Chamber Trotting Botanist Who Transformed America Eats� (Dutton, of Commerce and the Santa Barbara What Chamber of Commerce $17). announced a merger, creating a singular entity representing “Mr. Fairchild, who died inthe 1954 at the age of 85, was a fearless bulk of the South Coast. botanist and explorer who often risked his life to travel to remote Kristen Miller, president corners of the earththe to bring back foods that had never been grown and CEO of the Goleta Chamber, in this country before — watermelon, avocados, dates, peaches, told the News-Press that it is a nectarines, mangoes and papaya, to name a few. dream come true. “He was arrested “It’s the robbed, culmination of a lotand of threatened with his life. He was like Indiana Jones or James Bond, always hunting for more exotic work, and it’s personally a culplants or food,� said Mr.said Stone, mination of a dream,� Ms. 35, a newcomer to Santa Barbara with his wife Miller, who Alanna will runFord. the merged organizations. The couple moved to the Mission Canyon area last year more I worked the Mr. Stone was an international from “The Washington, D.C., with where Goleta board, the more we all correspondent for National Geographic Magazine and earlier was a realized the regional nature White House correspondent for Newsweek. of the work that we are doing. “I became intrigued with Mr. Fairchild, who was on the board of Boundaries exist only in govNational Geographic, where The he was known as an explorer botanist. COURTESY PHOTO ernment, not in business. It was title. to digpresident into the &archives Kristen Miller, CEO moresuch that awefascinating push public pol-I decided andicy, found his diary, travel journal,of even loveChamber letters to the his Goleta ofhis wife we needed to be collective Commerce, will runBell,� the merged Marian, was the daughter of Alexander Graham said Mr. in ourwho marketing efforts. When it comes to all issues — housing, chamber announced Friday. Stone. transportation, we After 18 monthswhatever of intense—research, he spent another year writing needed to be working far more what he feels is “the story of an influential and consequential part closely together than we have ever had before.� of American history. It’s an adventure story of an age-old quest to Ms. Miller was particularly pleased that when she broke the discover what else is out there. We may think there is nothing new news to people in the community, no one seemed to be surto be found, but Fairchild proved there is another way to look at our prised. world,� “They’d tell me, ‘that seems right,’ and that tells me all I During travels tohave morethe than 50 countries, Mr. Fairchild need tohis know, we will support of the community,� Ms. found kale in Croatia, Miller said. red seedless grapes in Italy, pomegranates in Malta, papayas in Ceylon and Meyer lemons in China. Please seeUnited CHAMBER on A4 While on a two-week train ride in the States, he made a stop in Santa Barbara. During the short layover, which Mr. Stone writes about in his book, Mr. Fairchild spent time with “Dr. Francesco Franceschi, a longnosed plant enthusiast who cut for his visitor a slice of a curious squash — ‘zucchini’— he called it, emphasizing the full whimsy of the Italian name. Zucchini was new to Fairchild, and as a result of his tasting it in California, it qualified for plant introduction to farmers across the country. Its name is Italian for ‘little squash.’ � In the chapter, “Alligator Pear,� the author describes Mr. Fairchild’s discovery of avocados in Santiago, Chile: “The crop he was about to find would be mentioned in his obituary as a high achievement, perhaps the greatest of his life. As he bit into the oily flesh, Fairchild couldn’t have known he was holding in his hands the future crop of the American Southwest. But he had a hunch. “It was a black-skinned fruit, a variety of alligator pear, or as the Aztecs called it, ‘avocado,’ a derivative of their word for testicle. It grew in pairs and had an oblong, bulbous shape. The fruit had the consistency of butter and was a little stringy.� Mr. Fairchild is also responsible for the cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C., arranging with Japan for 300 trees to be planted and ending up with more than 3,000 of them. One of the chapters in the book, “A Brain Awhirl,� is devoted to the COURTESY PHOTO love story between Mr. Fairchild and his wife, Marian. A home listed by Berkshire Harthaway at 340 E. Loscentury, The “It’s a portrait of dating and courtship in the early 20th Olivos St. in Santa Barbara. couple had three children and seven grandchildren, one of whom lives in Santa Cruz,� said Mr. Stone. “When Mr. Fairchild married the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, he joined the illustrious family of science and invention. Many summers were spent at the family home in Nova Scotia when Mr. Bell was racing against Orville Wright to see who would invent the airplane first.� Asked if he had one takeaway from the 323-page book that is packed with information, Mr. Stone said, “Many foods we think of as American are not really American at all. They’re immigrants, just like families, and thanks to them, they have made the current By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS STAFFbecause WRITER of their diversity. American diet rich “Before Fairchild, our food was brown and bland with the focus one thing to truly seeand yourself insidewhich of a beautiful on oats,t’s beans, wheat, dairy livestock, was not great for new estate in one of the most scenic places Californutrition and not great for variety.� nia has to offer. It’s quite another to have that viewing Mr. Stone, who continues to write for National Geographic solely come via technology. Magazine, is also at work on another book scheduled for release in Such was the case for at least one buyer for Berkshire fall 2021. Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, which “It’sreported about the shipwrecks other fascinating tales of theTitanic, closure of the sale lastand week. the deep sea,� hesaw said. “Someone (the home) virtually in New York and she mmcmahon@newspress.com has not seen the property, she has not been to the Email: property and she bought the property sight unseen with all the virtual tours and will be closing without actually physically seeing the property,� said Kyle Kemp, district manager for Berkshire Hathaway. The agency has shut down its local office and agents
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Berkshire Hathaway reports virtual sale as listings, transactions dip during pandemic
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Our Mother’s Day Special Section Please see BERKSHIRE on A3
will be in Sunday’s Paper. Don’t Miss It!
FOOTING, A3see • YOGA TAKES HER CLASSES ONLINE, A8 Please IRATIONINSTRUCTOR on A8 LOTTERY , / 4 4 % 2 9 RESULTS
7EDNESDAY S 350%2 ,/44/ -EGANUMBER &RIDAY S $!),9 Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-10-11-15-30 Meganumber: 27 Friday’s DAILY 4: 7-6-3-7 Santa Barbara: 16.17 #ROSSWORD " (88%) 3PORTS " B1 A6-7 Goleta: 14.08 (76%) Friday’s DAILY 4:18 3-3-7-9 Friday’s Wednesday’s SUPER 2-9-15-34-46 Meganumber: 25 &RIDAY S -%'! -),,)/.3 -EGANUMBER &RIDAY S &!.4!39 Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 1-27-32-60-67 Meganumber: FANTASY 5: 2-18-20-30-31 B2-3 B1LOTTO: ,IFE ! 3UDOKU " Reservoir summary: Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 28-30-31-35-66 14 Time:Friday’s A8 &RIDAY S $!),9 $%2"9 4IME 7EDNESDAY S 0/7%2"!,, -EGANUMBER .ATION 7ORLD ! 6OICES ! Friday’s DAILY Meganumber: DERBY: 03-06-01 1:46.08 FANTASY 5: 8-11-19-36-37 Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 1-33-35-40-69 Meganumber: 24 Local .................A2-6 Lake Cachuma: 80.9% capacity Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 2-20-49-61-67 Meganumber: 20 Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 07-12-03 Time: 1:44.78 /BITUARIES ! 7EATHER ! A6 A6 &RIDAY S $!),9 -IDDAY Friday’s DAILY 3: 4-9-2 / Midday: 2-7-2 Gibraltar Reservoir: 100.2% Friday’s DAILY 3: 3-7-1 / Midday 0-4-7