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Report: Bacara Resort & Spa being sold
Clear skies make lunar eclipse a spectacle in Santa Barbara
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara Resort & Spa — an upscale, glamorous Goleta resort — is being sold for $3.8 million. That’s according to the Pacific Coast Business Times, which reports that the hotel is among 25 hotels in a portfolio that Watermark Lodging is selling to private real estate funds. According to the newspaper, those funds are being managed by Brookfield Asset Management. The News-Press called the Bacara resort Monday to confirm the sale but couldn’t reach a representative. A longtime hallmark of the
Santa Barbara County tourism industry, the Bacara is known for its creative approach to savory and sweet dishes. It’s also known for its picturesque setting in rural Goleta, its golf course, its saltwater swimming pools, its luxury spa, its salon and fitness center, and a ballroom that can fit more than a thousand people. The Bacara also boasts a Director’s Lounge and Screening Room for movie premieres, as well as direct access to the beach. Located on 78 acres, the Bacara opened in 2000 at a cost of more than $200 million. In 2017, it became part of the luxury Ritz-Carlton chain. email: dmason@newspress.com
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Above, a total lunar eclipse glows red in the Santa Barbara Sky on Monday. Below, people gather at the Winslow-Maxwell Overlook on campus at Santa Barbara City College to view the eclipse with help from the SBCC Astronomy Club, which brought out telescopes for the public to view the moon.
NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
The Bacara Resort & Space opened in 2000 on 78 acres in Goleta and became part of the Ritz-Carlton chain in 2017.
Disgraced teacher seeks to radicalize SB school district Editor’s note: This is the third story in a series. This article originally appeared in the Daily Wire, which publishes its articles at dailywire.com. Luke Rosiak is an investigative journalist for The Daily Wire. By LUKE ROSIAK and KENNY XU THE DAILY WIRE
AG candidate Eric Early to campaign in Santa Barbara County By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Eric Early, a conservative candidate for attorney general, is headed to Santa Barbara later this month. Mr. Early is a co-owner and managing partner at Early Sullivan, a firm specializing in business, entertainment and real estate. On his campaign website, he boasts of clients such as the
Recall Gavin 2020 campaign. “I will do everything possible to make California and Californians safe again,” Mr. Early told the News-Press in a recent interview. It’s a mantra that sounds similar to former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” rally cry — and that’s not a coincidence. Mr. Early ardently bills himself as a “Trump Republican,” which means a myriad of things to him: stopping
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illegal immigration, protecting gun rights, lowering taxes, being tough on crime and addressing so-called critical race theory teachings in schools. And it’s the latter issue that makes his upcoming campaign stop in Santa Barbara County a bit of a homecoming. Mr. Early is proud of his work with a group called Fair Education Santa Barbara, which Please see EARLY on A4
A teacher and avowed communist who named himself after an Egyptian god successfully pushed a woke curriculum on the very district that would later fire him over his conduct with a student. Matef Harmachis, whose original name is Leigh Barker, was convicted of battery in 2017 for an incident that occurred against a female student in his classroom, then spent years on paid disciplinary leave before finally being fired. But before he was fired, he successfully lobbied the Santa Barbara board of education to require all students to take courses in ethnic studies, a branch of critical race theory. His effort to radicalize the
curriculum came despite being accused of groping and biting the female student, threatening and grabbing others, and preaching his toxic brand of socialism from in front of the blackboard. “He would hug me all the time,” said the female student, who The Daily Wire is referring to as “Maria” in order to protect her identity. Over time, the unwelcome hugs became longer and tighter, and he asked Maria to call him “daddy,” she said. Inside the classroom where Mr. Harmachis held court, pictures of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro dotted the walls, according to Maria, who recalled that Mr. Harmachis was “very open” about his support for communism. Mr. Harmachis was also open about sex and birth control with his students, Maria said. He offered massages to female students, made sexual noises, and once told his history class “I could have sex with any of the girls here,” according to Maria. On May 4, 2017, Mr. Harmachis grabbed Maria’s buttocks during Please see SBUSD on A3
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