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Proud to be a Ukrainian
Dunn School student from Ukraine hopes family can join her someday in America
Goleta business park bought for $50.7 million Sale is fourth highest price for South Coast commercial (non-hotel) property By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
“I have a lot of pride in my nation right now. I am really proud to be Ukrainian right now,” said Zlata Mitchell, a Ukrainian student attending Dunn School in Los Olivos.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Zlata Mitchell has never seen a country as strong as her homeland: Ukraine. The student, who stressed she’s proud to be a Ukrainian, attends Dunn School, a boarding school in Los Olivos, where she’s a half a world away from the Russian invasion. “I really love Ukraine even though I am only half Ukrainian,” the high school sophomore told the News-Press last week. “I prefer Ukraine because it is my home. “Growing up in Ukraine, I have never seen a nation stronger and more humane, and I have traveled a lot,” she said. Ukraine has been an independent democracy since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Ukraine was the first of 10 republics to secede. In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained defiant as he leads the resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion and seeks help from European countries and the U.S. “I am really proud of our president,” Zlata said. She noted it’s a scary time for Ukraine, but added, “How the people have been fighting back is incredible. It’s crazy how the Ukrainian nation is helping themselves. Ukraine is fighting for their independence. We have been doing amazingly. “I have a lot of pride in my nation right now. I am really proud to be Ukrainian right now,” she said, noting Ukrainians have a lot of hope in their leaders. Zlata, whose mother is Ukrainian journalist and TV host Olia Freimut, talked about her
family in Ukraine. “Thankfully, everyone was able to evacuate. “My aunt, little cousin and grandma had to go the refugee route, by driving to the west of Ukraine and crossing the border into Poland,” she said. “Traffic is horrible, and you have to go around Russian troops. “Male family members cannot leave by law,” she said, referring to the Ukrainian requirement that all men ages 1860 participate in the fight against the Russian troops. “I am really worried about my male family members.” Zlata expressed gratitude for the freedom and opportunities she enjoyed while growing up in Ukraine. She added that she liked how her country evolved, especially in terms of culture and the film industry. Sent to America by her mother, Zlata arrived in Santa Barbara County in August 2021 to attend Dunn School. After the Russian invasion started, the Los Olivos school established the Emergency Ukrainian Scholarship Fund for the school’s Ukrainian students. The fund supports current students from Ukraine and aims to bring additional displaced Ukrainian students to the U.S. to attend Dunn School. The goal is to raise $240,000, which would cover three full international scholarships for a full academic year, including tuition, room and boarding, incidentals such as school supplies, living expenses and homestay support during school breaks. “I am very excited to see more Ukrainian students coming in, and this is a great opportunity to escape to safety in a time of war,” Zlata said.“This program is a big step, and it shows that they (Dunn School) care.”
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Zlata said she likes the school’s academic program, especially in the humanities subjects such as English history. She said her current favorite subject is world history, but added that next year, she can attend another history class of her choice. “The environment here is really professional,” she said. “They really make sure you succeed and spend a lot of time and effort, especially with a student who is struggling.” Los Olivos, a rural town in the Santa Ynez Valley, is different from the big cities where Zlata was raised. “I grew up in Kyiv and also lived in London, but here it is a smaller community life, where everyone knows everyone,” Zlata said. In Ukraine and in America, Zlata’s career goals have been influenced by her mom’s work as a Ukrainian journalist. “I have always wanted to live in or close to L.A. because of my mom’s work,” Zlata said. “I have been raised on film sets, and now I
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would like to be a film director or film producer. I still feel connected to L.A. even though it is a little bit farther from Santa Barbara. Zlata said she would like to stay in America and hopes to attend UCLA. She loves creative endeavors. “I like the idea of seeing something in your head and seeing it come together,” Zlata said. “I want to be able to bring social justice issues and political topics into film. That is one of my main life goals.” Zlata has hopes that one day her family can join her in America. “I would love for them to come here, but I want to give them more time. It would be wonderful if we could reunite in one country.” If you would like to donate to the school’s fund and make the dreams of others Ukrainians like Zlata come true, go to www. dunnschool.org/ukraine or call the school’s office of philanthropy at 805-686-0627. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
Santa Barbara redistricting panel narrows map choices
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Zlata Mitchell said her career goals have been influenced by the work of her mother, Ukrainian journalist and TV host Olia Freimut. Zlata would like to create movies dealing with social justice and political topics.
By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
And then there were four. The Santa Barbara Independent Redistricting Commission has narrowed proposed electoral maps to just four “tentative finalists” at the latest meeting. Map 101RE appeared to be the frontrunner during Monday’s redistricting meeting with multiple Santa Barbara City Council members speaking in favor of it. This plan has a total population deviation of 6.3%. District 1 would have a 50% Latino citizen votingage population while District 3 would only have a 42% Latino CVAP. Population deviation refers to the difference in population sizes among districts. The current district map for Santa Barbara has a population deviation of nearly 20%, much higher than the 10% threshold deemed to be constitutional, according to demographer Daniel Phillips.
Under the 101RE plan, the Santa Barbara Airport would remain in District 5, and the Eucalyptus Hill neighborhood would remain in-tact within District 4, a concern raised earlier in the redistricting process. District 1 would maintain a presence on State Street and East Beach, and District 2 would be confined to the Mesa area while also including Santa Barbara City College, Stearns Wharf and the Harbor. District 3 stretches up to La Cumbre Junior High School down to West Beach and includes part of the downtown area. District 4 includes a small coastal presence and the whole Upper East neighborhood, and District 5 includes Arroyo Burro Beach (aka Hendry’s Beach). District 6 covers most of the downtown area as well as the Oak Park and part of Laguna neighborhoods. Councilmember Kristen Please see REDISTRICTING on A5
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Majestic Asset Management has purchased an 11.9-acre, sixbuilding industrial /research and development campus in Goleta for $50.7 million. The purchase was made during an off-market transaction. Majestic Asset Management is renaming the site Tech Park @ Engage. The asset was part of a portfolio of commercial properties managed by The Towbes Group. The closing price of $50.7 million represents the fourth highest price on record for a commercial (non-hotel) property on the South Coast. Francois DeJohn and Steve Hayes of Hayes Commercial Group represented the buyer in the transaction. “Majestic has become the most prominent value-add management firm on the South Coast,” Mr. DeJohn said in a statement. “It is always looking to invest in buildings and elevate them to top-quality projects. Majestic has changed the office/ R&D landscape in Goleta, while facilitating the growth of the area’s tech, engineering, medical device and defense sector.” Located at 315-346 Bollay Drive and 320-340 Storke Road, the 194,625 square-foot business park is prominently positioned near the corner of Storke Road and Hollister Avenue in Goleta’s bustling tech and engineering core. It has always been a multitenant project and is currently occupied by Lockheed Martin, Alcon Research, Electro Optical Industries, The Good Work Space, DeLabs and Santa Barbara Imaging Systems. One of the buildings is currently available for lease. It was
recently vacated by Inogen when the company expanded to the adjacent Cabrillo Business Park. Inquiries regarding leasing the vacant building, which is at 326 Bollay Drive, should be directed to Francois DeJohn and Steve Hayes at Hayes Commercial Group. An entity created by Michael Towbes, a local businessman and philanthropist, owned the 11.9acre campus since 2000. Following Mr. Towbes’ death in April 2017, the Towbes estate sold three commercial assets in recent years, including the AppFolio campus at 50-90 Castilian Drive in 2019. Consistent with Mr. Towbes’ long history of support for the community and philanthropic leadership, proceeds from the sale of these assets will benefit several prominent local nonprofits. Based in Agoura Hills, Majestic Asset Management owns, develops and manages investment properties primarily in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The company said its portfolio in the greater Santa Barbara area has included about 30 successful commercial and apartment properties. After relatively slow office and industrial sales activity in 2021, Goleta has seen two substantial sales so far in 2022. Before this sale, 6500 Hollister Ave. was purchased by an investor for $21 million in January. The Storke and Bollay transaction is the fourth largest commercial sale ever recorded on the South Coast after the sales of 3805 State St. for $63 million in 2021, 50-90 Castilian Drive for $61 million in 2020 and 1 & 71 S. Los Carneros Road for $53 million in 2006.
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