Santa Barbara News-Press: January 03, 2023

Rain expected this week

Moderate to heavy rainfall could cause urban flooding, overflowing streams, officials say

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected most of this week in Santa Barbara County, with the heaviest rain expected in the middle of the week, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Rainfall will be heaviest in the middle of the week in most of Santa Barbara County, accompanied by high winds, officials said, noting the area could get an additional two to four inches of rain along the coast and possibly three to five inches in the mountains.

There could be some urban flooding and some streams could overflow, officials said. High winds and wind gusts could topple some tree limbs, they added.

The NWS forecast said rain was likely Monday night. The chance of precipitation was 80%.

Today, however, is expected to be partly sunny, with a high near 62 degrees, and southeast winds of 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday night, however, could see gusts as high as 20 mph.

Rain is expected to return on Wednesday, with a high of 62 degrees. It will be windy, with a southeast wind of 25 to 30 mph

decreasing to 15 to 20 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

There could be heavy rain Wednesday night, along with wind. Again, the chance of precipitation is 80%.

On Thursday, rain should fall

mainly before 10 a.m. The chance of precipitation is 80%. The high should be near 60. It should be breezy.

Thursday night there will be a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.

County residents could get

a break on Friday, which the NWS forecast says will be mostly sunny, with a high near 62, while Friday night will be partly cloudy, with a low around 44 degrees.

email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

Man accused of stalking Ariana Grande to appear in court

Arrest came after alleged break-in at pop singer’s Montecito home

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The man charged with allegedly stalking pop singer Ariana Grande and allegedly breaking into her Montecito home is scheduled to appear in court Thursday to set a date for his preliminary hearing.

Aharon Zebulon Israel Brown, 24, is charged with three felonies and two misdemeanors in connection with the alleged June 26 break-in at her home which ended in his arrest.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is being held without bail at the County Jail.

Sheriff’s deputies responded shortly before 8 p.m. to a burglary alarm at a residence on the 200 block of Miramar Avenue in Montecito, according to Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrested Mr. Brown on suspicion of stalking, burglary and damaging power lines, all felonies, and misdemeanor allegations of obstruction of a peace officer, violating a court order and tampering with firealarm equipment, Ms. Zick said at the time.

Ms. Grande, who celebrated her 29th birthday the same day, was not home at the time. The “Thank U Next” singer reportedly bought her Montecito home in 2020 from Ellen DeGeneres for $6.7 million.

The complaint filed against Mr. Brown charges him with first-degree residential burglary for allegedly breaking into Ms. Grande’s home “with the intent to commit larceny or any felony.”

Prosecutors added a special allegation that this was a serious and violent felony.

Mr. Brown is also charged with

allegedly cutting a utility line, a felony, in that he did ‘unlawfully and maliciously take down, remove, injure, obstruct and sever a line, appurtenance and apparatus.”

Prosecutors added a special allegation alleging aggravating factors, in that the alleged crime involved great violence, great bodily injury, threat of great bodily harm “or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness;” that the alleged victim was “particularly vulnerable;” and that the defendant “threatened witnesses, unlawfully prevented or dissuaded witnesses from testifying, suborned perjury, or in any other way illegally interfered with the judicial process.”

Perhaps the most serious felony he’s charged with is stalking, in that between Feb. 1, 2021 and June 26, 2022, the defendant, while the subject of a temporary restraining

District Attorney Joyce Dudley retires

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

After more than 32 years as district attorney, Joyce Dudley decided earlier this year not to seek a fourth term and instead retire.

On Friday, she described her decision as “bittersweet and somewhat scary.”

Ms. Dudley began working at the age of six in her father’s restaurant in Queens, New York. She has never been unemployed until her final day of work on Monday, which was followed by a small retirement party.

Ms. Dudley will swear in District Attorney-Elect John T. Savrnoch today at 11 a.m. at the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s

COURTESY PHOTO Retiring District Attorney Joyce Dudley

COURTESY PHOTO Ariana Grande

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Pedestrians stroll past a deserted Paseo Nuevo shopping mall off State Street during Saturday’s rain. More rain is expected this week.

Drivers navigate through the flooded intersection of Yanonali Street and Anacapa Street in the Funk Zone on Saturday.

At left, trash is collected despite the rain on Saturday. At right, the Arlington Theatre was playing an appropriately titled movie for the weather.

Multiple agencies respond to creek impacted by oil seep

CARPINTERIA — A Unified Command between Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response have been established to manage the Toro Incident.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Montecito Fire Protection District and Carpinteria

Summerland Fire District personnel responded to a report of oil in a creek in the 1000 block of Toro Canyon Road in Carpinteria.

First responders from South Coast Hazmat Response Team (Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara City and Santa Barbara County Fire Departments) responded and initiated protective actions that included damming, and the use of absorbent pads and booms to minimize the impact of the oil.

The oil is from a natural seepage well built by the Occidental Oil Company in 1882. The Environmental Protection Agency retrofitted the site to prevent seepage in the 1990s by

building an oil and water separator facility at the well. The county has monitored that facility since 2009.

The Toro Incident Unified Command has contracted Pacific Petroleum California for cleanup to reduce the impacts to the community, environment and wildlife.

While there are currently no reports of affected wildlife the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Oiled Wildlife Care Network has been activated.

The amount of oil released, impacts and cause are currently under investigation.

— Neil Hartstein

California planning gun microstamp database

By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) - On July 1, 2022, California Penal Code section 31910 was revised. The change required semiautomatic pistols sold in California to have microstamping technology. A microstamp acts like a fingerprint in identifying ammunition cartridges and the gun from which it was fired. The firing pin imposes an identifying stamp on the round’s primer as it’s discharged.

The revision now only requires one microstamp in the interior of the handgun instead of two. Supporters hoped that this change in the penal code would encourage manufacturers to employ the technology in their

McCarthy’s bid to become GOP Speaker is not a sure thing

By TOM GANTERT THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) - Kevin McCarthy, the U.S. Representative from California, is having difficulty securing enough support to be elected speaker despite making key concessions to weaken power for the top spot.

Republican House members were posting questions about Rep. McCarthy on social media as late as Monday afternoon.

“Why do Members have trust issues with Kevin McCarthy?” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said in a Twitter post. “Every major budget bill that passed under his leadership of the last GOP-controlled House was passed with more D than R support, for starters.”

Arizona Republican Andy Biggs, who announced he was challenging Rep. McCarthy, said the California Republican is in “bargaining mode” as he tries to get enough votes to be Speaker.

“I do not believe he will ever get to 218 votes, and I refuse to assist him in his effort to get those votes,” Rep. Biggs said in a Twitter post.

National media are reporting that Rep. McCarthy was working to garner support among Republicans before his party was to assume the House majority, according to the New York Times.

“The standoff underscored Mr. McCarthy’s precarious position within his conference and all but guaranteed that even if he eked out a victory he would be a diminished figure beholden to an empowered right flank,” the New York Times reported.

CNN reported that Rep. McCarthy had a Sunday evening conference call with Republicans where he said he would agree to rules to make it easier “to topple the speaker,” but still wasn’t guaranteed to have enough votes. There were nine hardliners that the concessions were not enough and they weren’t sold on him but progress was being made, according to CNN’s anonymous sources.

Fox News reported that the right wingers of the GOP are not sold on Rep. McCarthy. In a letter to the Republicans, Rep. McCarthy said he would allow any five members of the majority party to initiate a vote to have the Speaker removed if warranted, Fox News reported.

Rep. McCarthy told Fox News Digital he was confident his concessions will win the support of GOP lawmakers who were undecided.

firearm products.

Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with the California Department of Justice, is proposing an additional rule to bolster the use of microstamping. The new rule proposes that the unique microstamp of every handgun in California be kept as a record with the Department of Justice to identify firearms used in criminal activity.

A statement released by the California Department of

Justice addressed to “Firearm manufacturers and Interested Parties,” invites comments on specific questions “in developing new regulations to achieve the law’s objectives in the most effective manner.”

The department does not ask whether the rule should be made but rather poses questions on procedure once it is implemented. They invite input on questions such as:

• Who is best suited to provide

the microstamp to the DOJ?

• When should the microstamp be provided to the DOJ?

• How should the microstamp be provided to the DOJ?

• If a microstamp part needs to be replaced, should the regulated replacement part have the same microstamp as the original?

The department will accept comments from interested parties until 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2023.

L.A. is California city with most guns linked to crime

By SAMUEL STEBBINS 24/7 WALL ST. VIA THE CENTER SQUARE

The United States is the only country in the world with more civilian-owned firearms than people. While most of the nearly 400 million firearms in the U.S. belong to law-abiding citizens, some portion of them inevitably end up in the wrong hands.

Every year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives traces hundreds of thousands of firearms that were either used, or are suspected to have been used, to commit a crime. While not all firearms used in criminal acts are traced, ATF data reveals that in every state, there is at least one city that appears to account for a disproportionate share of crimes involving a firearm.

The ATF traced a total of 54,228 firearms in California in 2021. Of those, 8,036, or 14.8%, of all guns traced in the state were linked to crimes in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Los Angeles accounts for only 9.9% of the state’s total population, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.

The ATF traced a total of 54,228 firearms in California in 2021. Of those, 8,036, or 14.8%, of all guns traced in the state were linked to crimes in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Los Angeles accounts for only 9.9% of the state’s total population, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.

Sacramento accounted for the second largest share of firearm tracings in the state in 2021, at 4.1%, while San Diego ranked third, accounting for 2.7% of all firearms traced by the ATF that year. Sacramento and San Diego make up 1.3% and 3.5% of California’s total population, respectively.

Report: Soon 100 million U.S residents will be on Medicaid

By JON STYF THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – The United States will have 100 million residents on Medicaid in the next 72 days, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability, meaning that nearly one-third of all Americans will be on the program for health care.

Over the past three years, states have been prevented from removing recipients from the program through a federal COVID-19 emergency. Now, the date when states can begin re-registering recipients is April 1, when that emergency ends.

Federal matching funds for the additional recipients will discontinue on that date, Tennessee’s program Director Stephen Smith said at a recent program budget hearing. He said that his department has to have surplus funds on hand to cover recipients as the department begins what will be called a redetermination of benefits that is projected to cut enrollment from its peak of 1.7 million recipients in Tennessee back to the 1.4 million mark before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For years, FGA has been warning about the rising number of people on government welfare programs. Now, we’re nearing a grim milestone—nearly one-third of the country will be on Medicaid,” said FGA Data and Analytics Director Hayden Dublois,. “Our research and data show as welfare enrollment increases, workforce participation decreases. We’re in the midst of a nationwide workforce crisis, yet the Biden administration is pushing policies to entice people into government dependency at record levels while limiting opportunities to achieve the American Dream.”

FGA says that the emergency declaration has led to 24 million enrollees in Medicaid nationwide, with more than 21 million of which would not have qualified for the program under previous standards.

“The pandemic-era policy keeping more than 21 million ineligible enrollees on Medicaid is costing taxpayers more than $16 billion per month. Despite the recently enacted legislation allowing states to redetermine eligibility beginning in April, the Biden administration is slow walking the process and hoping states will be sluggish to act,” Mr. Dublois said. “In approximately 76 days, 100 million people will be on Medicaid. States should begin preparing now so that they can remove the millions of ineligible enrollees and reclaim program integrity as quickly as possible.”

California alone has nearly 15 million Medicaid recipients as of Aug. 31 with the most recently reported data showing 96.2 million recipients receiving Medicaid benefits. FGA predicts that number will reach nearly 99 million in January.

New York has a reported 7.6 million recipients while Texas and Florida have 5.6 million enrollees in the most recently available data.

Mr. Smith explained that, in Tennessee, it will take time to redetermine eligibility for TennCare recipients.

“We don’t just snap our fingers and go back to normal,” Mr. Smith said. “That means that the cost of serving these individuals won’t just shut off in June.

“Unfortunately, as we’ve discussed many times, Congress acted and appropriated additional federal matching dollars to states, so we’re drawing down more federal dollars to assist with the increased cost tied to the enrollment growth.”

Orcutt Branch Library to benefit from $2M in federal funding

Money to go toward acquiring, retrofitting new building

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

A long-standing project to build a new Orcutt Branch Library received $2 million in direct federal funding this week. The money is for the acquisition and retrofit of a new building. This brings to $5 million the amount pledged for the project.

“This is exciting news for the county, the library, and patrons who visit the Orcutt Branch Library,” said Dawn Jackson, Library Director. “Libraries provide a learning environment to foster joyful exploration, opportunities for community members to connect with others, and a host of resources to positively impact lives.”

The Orcutt Branch Library is open six days a week. It moved to its current location ten years ago. The library leases space at 175 South Broadway in Old Town Orcutt, and the facility is

no longer adequate to serve the growing community. The city of Santa Maria Public Library operates the Orcutt Branch Library under contract with the county of Santa Barbara.

The $2 million in funding was announced by Congressman Salud Carbajal. Fourth District County Supervisor Bob Nelson and Ms. Jackson have been working with key stakeholders on this initiative, who include the Friends of the Orcutt Library. This funding augments an existing $2 million from community donations and $1 million from other sources, including the county.

Ms. Jackson is excited the county is receiving this money and looks forward to continuing a successful partnership with the county.

Questions may be directed to the city manager’s office, (805) 925-0951 extension 2372.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

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The new rule proposes that the unique microstamp of every handgun in California be kept as a record with the Department of Justice to identify firearms used in criminal activity.

Westmont men’s basketball closes out 2022 with a win Sports

By JACOB NORLING WESTMONT SPORTS WRITER

After going into Christmas break on a four game losing streak, Westmont Men’s Basketball (9-5) returned with a vengeance on Friday night in Santa Barbara. On the final day of the 45th annual Tom Byron Classic, the Warriors closed out 2022 with an 84-57 win over the British Columbia Thunderbirds (11-6).

“Tonight’s energy came from our practices this week,” said Westmont head coach Landon Boucher. “We had some of our best practices of the year leading up to this one, and it shows a lot of character to do this coming off four tough ones.

“To go into Christmas break with that frustration and come back to work like we did, it says a lot about who this team is and who this team can be. Even though UBC is really good and has a size advantage, I came into tonight really confident.

“Our message to the guys coming into tonight was, ‘be who you’ve been all week’. They did that, and then turned it up even more.”

Zeke Viuhkola led the club with 17 points, while Anthony McIntyre and Tone Patton Sr. each had 13 of their own. Cade Roth had eight points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds, while Cly Griffith Jr. had 10 points to go along seven rebounds.

As a squad, the Warriors snapped their slump from beyond the arc, making 14 of 30 three-point attempts. Viuhkola, who didn’t

miss a three-point attempt in the first half, led the team with four conversions from downtown.

“Our bench was phenomenal,” applauded Boucher. “Our starters came out hot, but we got a huge boost from our bench to build on that early advantage. Cly had one of his better games he’s had all year, and to have that go along with what Zeke brought, it completely changes the shape of this team.

“Jalen Townsell, off the bench, played so well tonight, and so did Kyler Warren. Kyler created six points for us off a couple assists in the second. We are a different team when we all play for each other, and that’s what it looked like tonight.”

Defensively, Westmont held UBC to a 36.7% clip from the field (22-60) while forcing 18 turnovers. Westmont regained their rhythm in transition as well, where the team scored 29 points off of the Thunderbird’s turnovers.

Overall, Westmont out-rebounded UBC 48-33.

“I can’t emphasize enough how different we look when we rebound,” offered Boucher. “To out-board them 48-33 with their size advantage just shows how we got after it tonight. Cade had 11, Cly had 7, and Tone had six. It just shows that as a group we made a collective effort. Those are extra points that add up.”

The Warriors pulled no punches early, when a Roth 3-pointer put Westmont up 11-2 going into UBC’s first timeout. Two minutes later, Griffith connected on a three of his own, and

a minute after that, Roth finished a dunk in transition that sent the Warriors into another timeout leading 23-4.

At the 11:25 mark in the period, Viuhkola hit Westmont’s fourth three of the half, stretching the deficit to 25 at 29-4. With 1:40 left in the half, Viuhkola was at it again, this time converting his fourth 3-pointer in as many attempts to put Westmont up 54-24.

The second half saw the Thunderbirds play the Warriors closer, but still, Westmont comfortably maintained their advantage in the final period. At night’s end, Westmont reentered the win column with an 84-57 victory before the New Year’s holiday.

“Getting back into the win column is great,” nodded Boucher,” and I’m proud of the fact that we got better this week. Since we left the Utah Tech team room, we’ve talked about the fact each and every day, we have to get better.

“This week, we did get better every single day, and it led to a pretty good performance.”

The Warriors return to GSAC play next weekend in Northern California, when they battle both William Jessup and Menlo. On Thursday, Westmont will tip-off in Rocklin at 7:30 p.m. before beginning their Saturday contest at 2 p.m. in Atherton.

Jacob Norling is the sports information assistant at Westmont College.

email: sports@newspress.com

SBCC men’s basketball comes up just short against Chaffey

By MICHAEL JORGENSON SBCC SPORTS WRITER

In its final game of 2022 Friday at the Sports Pavilion, the SBCC men’s basketball team found itself in a dogfight with Chaffey coming up just short in a 76-71 defeat.

The Vaqueros (5-11) came out strong leading by nine points late in the first half as they tried to hand the Panthers (11-3) just their fourth loss of the season. However, Chaffey used a 20-8 run midway through the second half to go up by double-digits and hang on for the win.

Freshman Aidan Mandel led SBCC with 16 points and 13

rebounds. Guards Wilfrid Nado, Trevor Lee and Elijah Simpson all put in 12.

In a back-and-forth first half, freshman guard Luke Dillon came off the bench and provided a big spark. After blocking a shot at the rim, he would hit back-to-back threes from each corner to put SBCC up 27-19.

The Panthers began the second half on an 8-0 run, but the Vaquero guards helped keep them in front.

Nado converted a three-point play with a highlight left-handed shot high off glass to put SBCC up 3837. A crafty, stutter-step reverse layup by Lee was soon followed by a Nado triple to make it 45-41.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

SB boys basketball finishes Holiday Classic with win

The Santa Barbara High School basketball team defeated Moorpark to finish the Holiday Classic on Friday, winning 80-61 to finish the tournament 3-1.

Santa Barbara took an early lead in the game, going up 23-15 by the end of the first quarter. The lead would never be relinquished, and grew to 12 points early in the second quarter.

The second quarter also saw Santa Barbara’s only true scare of the day, however, as Moorpark cut the lead to two points with about four minutes left in the half. That was as close as the game got, however, as Santa Barbara quickly extended the lead out to double digits with a run that included a pair of threepointers from sophomore DJ Wilson.

It was all downhill from there for Santa Barbara, as they maintained a lead of at least nine points the rest of the way, eventually extending it to 19 in the closing minutes of the game.

“We had great contributions the last couple games from all nine guys that are healthy,” said Santa Barbara Coach Corey Adam. “I’m proud of the guys as they continue to make strides in the right direction.”

Luke Zuffelato finished the game with 28 points, earning all-tournament honors by maintaining an average score of 28.5 points per game. Carter Battle contributed 13 points to the win, while Owen Debusk added 12.

Santa Barbara will return to action Jan. 5 with a home game against Ventura.

SM girls water polo has mixed results to close out Holiday Cup

The San Marcos girls water polo team edged out Laguna Beach in the Holiday Cup semifinals before dropping a close game to Orange Lutheran in San Marcos’ first-ever trip to the tournament’s final round.

San Marcos’ win against Laguna Beach was a close one, as the team earned a 13-12 victory. Senior Ava Stryker and freshman Charlotte Rasin led the way with five goals each. Elaia Hamilton came away with 12 saves, including two penalty blocks.

With the win, San Marcos advanced to the finals, eventually falling in another close game when Orange Lutheran came away with the 14-12 victory.

Sophia Panossian scored four goals in the contest, while Reagan McEachen earned four ejections and Lucy Haaland-Ford contributed four steals while playing tough defense.

Simpson hit a runner in the lane to give the Vaqueros a slight 4948 edge with just over 12 minutes remaining, but that would be the last team SBCC led the rest of the way. After going 6-of-11 from the field in the first half, Mandel was held without a second half field goal until the final seconds.

Santa Barbara had an efficient three-point shooting day knocking down 46.2 percent (6-13 3FG) from range and only turned the ball over three times, but the Panthers’ offense was too hot in the second half as they outscored SBCC by 12 over the final 20 minutes.

SBCC will now look forward to its conference opener next

“I’m extremely proud of my team, we stepped up to challenges and overcame a lot of adversity,” said Royals Coach Chuckie Roth. “We are getting better and I truly believe in this group.”

DP girls basketball falls to Calabasas

The Dos Pueblos girls basketball team lost to Calabasas on Friday, falling by a score of 68-61.

“This was our most intense game of the season so far. We had the lead majority of the game but didn’t play poised down the stretch,” said Dos Pueblos Coach Manny Murillo. “Lauren Robles erupted this game, hitting five threes and had 19 points, making big shot after big shot including a drive that resulted in a 3 point play. Our defense was solid 75% of the game but this game is 4 quarters not 3. We turned the ball over way too many times in the second half to earn the win.”

Robles’ 19 points led the team, and she also contributed five rebounds and a steal. Justin Katz scored 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and a steal while Carly Letendre contributed eleven points, five rebounds and a steal.

Evette Allen and Gianna Nichols each added nine points and four rebounds and Savannah Riley led the team in rebounds with nine.

Dos Pueblos fell to a 7-8 record with the loss, but remains 2-0 in league matchups.

Bishop Diego falls in Avalon Classic Championship

The Bishop Diego girls basketball team lost the championship game of the Avalon Classic, falling to Avalon by a score of 38-34.

Galilea De La Cruz led Bishop Diego with 24 points, while Jayme Coronado came away with seven.

Though Bishop Diego started out slow and trailed for the majority of the game, the team managed to make it close in the fourth quarter, starting the period down 29-19 before coming back to tie the score at 34. Avalon regained the lead with about 90 seconds left in the game, eventually winning by a scant four points.

“I’m proud of how we battled despite not playing the way we are capable of,” said Bishop Diego Coach Jeff Burich. “I’m proud of how we battled … we had way too many unforced errors and it’s hard to win when you are outshot 25-13 from the free throw line.”

The team falls to a 16-2 overall record with the loss, and will open league play on Thursday against Santa Clara.

- Compiled by Matt Smolensky

Wednesday at Cuesta at 7 p.m. Michael Jorgenson works in communications/media relations at Santa Barbara City College. email: sports@newspress.com

‘I will have uninterrupted time with those I love’

DA

Continued from Page A1

Office. Ms. Dudley plans to leave Wednesday for an extended trip to Colorado.

“I grew up quite poor and I always dreamed about being able to ski to my heart’s content, so that is what this trip is all about,” said Ms. Dudley. “For me, this trip is also about discovering who I am without the most cherished positions I have held throughout my life: mother of four boys, wife (Ms. Dudley’s husband John died in 2019), and district attorney for the county of Santa Barbara.

The best way to describe how I feel now is the old adage: ‘Parting in such sweet sorrow.’

The best part of my new life is that I will have uninterrupted time with those I love, including my children and grandchildren.”

Ms. Dudley said that she deeply appreciates the people she has worked with, as well as the people of the communities she has served.

Ms. Dudley said how thrilled she is that John Savrnoch will be her successor, and she feels her office is full of extraordinary professionals in every division.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

UNZUETA, Catalina Belen

On Christmas afternoon, in the comfort of home, encircled by family, Catalina Belen Unzueta passed from our world to Heaven.

Catalina, Belen to family, Cathy to a special few, was born on November 15, 1938, in El Paso, Texas. When Catalina was five, her mother, Consuelo, moved the family to Los Angeles, and then to Santa Barbara. Catalina graduated from Santa Barbara High School, and went on to attend Santa Barbara City College. Catalina’s brother, John, introduced her to his good friend, Martin Unzueta, who became the love of her life. Catalina and Martin shared many of the same interests, if sometimes in different ways; when it came to music, our Mom loved to dance, Dad doesn’t, he loves to sing and she was so happy to see him get up and join a Mariachi. Ambitious, and willing to step beyond some of the social confines of those years, Catalina went into banking, working originally for Bank of America and then switching to Crocker Bank. United by their Catholic faith and an abiding love for God, their commitment to family, a deeply rooted work ethic, and a love of travel, Catalina and Martin began planning their future and were married, the first time, in a civil ceremony on October 1, 1960, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 1961, Catalina gave birth to her first child, Michael, the next great love of her life. In 1965, the little family built and moved into their home on L’Aquila Lane, setting down roots that would anchor their life together. Mom was happy in her work, in her role as a wife, mother, and daughter. Catalina loved long driving trips with Martin; together they explored Canada, Mexico, and, bundling Michael up into their pick-up truck with blankets, a cooler, and a Coleman stove, they made the first of what would be many trips to the Redwoods. Years later, Mom’s face would light up when she shared memories of those early years as a family of three; weddings, work, weekend barbecues with friends, and special breakfast dates with Michael made up her days. In 1969, much to their surprise, Catalina and Martin added to their family when she gave birth to their daughter Mary-Ann, and, because they could, they tried for one more and their youngest child, Jesus, was born in 1970. Sundays often saw the family routinely attending mass at St. Anthony’s and, with their children and her mom in attendance, Martin and Catalina were united in Holy Matrimony. For the next 49 years, the couple had fun celebrating not one, but two, October anniversaries. Some of the memories Mom loved looking back on were camping, hauling us to the Plunge, weekend forays to Sav-On’s for ice-cream, summer baseball games in the cul-de-sac, and Sunday nights spent watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Always there to support our different interests, Mom inevitably encouraged us in our different paths. Mom never stepped back from hard work and was right there to help Dad excavate the back yard, and to brave police barricades to get back home to help Dad fight off flames during the Sycamore Canyon fire. Mom could be counted on to help us with whatever we needed, she was our best cheer-leader, always reminding us we could be whatever we wanted, or were called, to be.

Though she really enjoyed the numbers aspect of her banking work, and the friendships she built with clients, Catalina eventually left banking and went to work for the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara. Catalina’s compassion for people, and her desire to help others, made her a favorite of the people she assisted and, long after she retired, people would greet her on the street and thank her for the way she had reached out to them. Those same qualities in our Mom, her willingness to serve, her tendency to greet people with a smile and to do what she could to put someone at ease, perfectly suited her work with the Altar Society of the Old Mission where she had fun decorating the sanctuary and serving refreshments on Sundays after mass.

She loved being our mom, but being a Grandma topped it all, and in that role, Grammy shone. Her big heart, her capacity for joy, her sense of fun, her willingness to show up for school fundraisers, to stretch out for a good floor picnic and movie marathon, her ability to listen, to adapt, to counsel, and to never judge, made her the best Grammy ever. As a wife, a mother, a Grandmother, she was treasured and we will never stop missing her.

Catalina is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Martin Unzueta, her children and their spouses, Michael Unzueta (Laurence Miller) Mary Unzueta (Jeff Hilmer) and Jesus Unzueta (Christyn Unzueta). Catalina is also survived by her grandchildren, Jordan McAlister (Matt), Michael T. Bradshaw, Ethan, Lucas, Andrew, Arie, and Catalina Unzueta.

There will be a rosary on Wednesday, January 4, at 6:00 p.m. at Welch-Ryce on Sola Street, and a funeral mass on Friday, January 6, at 11:00 a.m. at Old Mission Santa Barbara. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Santa Barbara, at 1528 Chapala Street, Suite 204, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, attention: Donor Services.

School choice options expand across U.S.

By

(The Center Square) – More parents overwhelmingly chose school choice in 2022 after expressing frustration with lockdown policies, school boards and mandates. As more state legislators look to expand school choice policies in 2023, Florida is seen as a model to follow, according to several reports and polls taken throughout the year.

In 2022, the majority of parents surveyed in a major study said they wanted other options for their children’s education other than the public school districts their children were zoned to attend.

In “Never Going Back: An Analysis of Parent Sentiment on Education,” the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools surveyed more than 5,000 parents to learn more about the reasons why they increasingly chose different educational options after the 20202021 school year.

According to the survey, 93% of parents surveyed said one size doesn’t fit all in education. More than 25% said they switched the type of school their children attended; 86% said they want different options for their children to attend a school other than in the district where they are zoned or assigned to attend.

Among parents who switched schools, charter schools were a popular choice. Roughly three in four parents surveyed said they want more public charter school offerings in their area.

Nearly 90% of parents surveyed said after switching school types, they or their children experienced a positive change as a result of the switch; 57% said their children were

happier.

Roughly 83% of parents said education had become a more important political issue in 2022 than it was in the past. Nearly as many, 82%, said they were willing to vote outside of their party when it comes to educational issues. The 2022 report followed a 2021 report, “Voting with Their Feet: A State-level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends,” which found that at least 1.4 million students left their district schools during state lockdowns in the 20202021 school year. The report, which analyzed data from 42 state educational agencies, also found that nearly 240,000 new students enrolled in public charter schools during the same period.

After schools began lockdowns and remote learning in the spring of 2020 and parents began observing what was being taught in the classroom or learned that only a few hours of remote learning instruction were being provided a week, enrollment in charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling surged nationwide, the report notes. At the same time, enrollment in district schools plummeted.

“The data suggests parents like the freedom to choose the best educational experience for their children,” the report states. “This is true across all races, political ideologies, and geographies. It may be the one thing just about everyone in America can agree on. Choice is better, and now that parents know what it feels like, we think it is likely they are never going to give it up and go back to the way it used to be.”

This also was after significant learning losses were reported among K-12 students in 2021, a direct result of school shutdowns, remote learning and social and emotional

isolation resulting from state and local policies, several reports found last year. Mental health concerns stemming from lockdown policies also were increasingly reported by parents.

In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law a universal school choice program that makes all Arizona’s school-age children eligible for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, a statefunded account that lets parents spend money on tuition and other education expenses. Before this bill became law in the summer of 2022, the state limited this account to disabled students, those in failing schools, and other specific circumstances.

Many groups and state legislators are hoping to replicate Florida’s educational success in 2023. Florida was seen as a beacon of school choice and academic excellence in 2022 after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state legislature blocked school districts from closing schools, opposed mask mandates and prioritized parental rights in education legislation.

The results were improved academic outcomes across all indexes, according to 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress data. The national rankings indicated that Florida students are “well ahead of their peers, especially with younger and educationally at-risk students who were harmed the most from distance-learning in other states,” Gov. DeSantis said.

NAEP ranked Florida’s students third nationwide in Grade 4 reading and fourth in Grade 4 mathematics. Florida’s Hispanic students also ranked first in the U.S. in 2022 for reading and students closed several educational gaps in a year when many other states were still restricting students from inperson learning.

Man allegedly threatened singer in multiple incidents

COURTContinued from Page A1

order, a court order or an injunction prohibiting “following, harassing or threatening JANE DOE, did willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follow or harass this victim and made a credible threat with the intent that the victim be placed in reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury to himself or herself and his or her immediate family.”

Ms. Grande sought and obtained the restraining order after Mr. Brown reportedly showed up repeatedly at her Los Angeles residence last year, brandishing a weapon and making threatening statements.

He was arrested in September 2021 after he showed up at her LA home with a large hunting knife and threatened her. In an earlier incident, her security team reportedly pepper sprayed him.

Mr. Brown also is charged in the complaint with disobeying

a civil harassment restraining order, a misdemeanor, that was issued in Los Angeles County, a misdemeanor.

He is also charged with resisting, obstructing and delaying sheriff’s deputies in the discharge of their duties, a misdemeanor, in connection with the June 26 incident.

Jennifer Karapetian, senior deputy district attorney, declined to discuss any aspect of the case.

For the record, the complaint filed against Mr. Brown does not mention Ms. Grande by name. Instead, it refers to the alleged victim throughout as Jane Doe.

Jennifer Karapetian, senior deputy district attorney, also declined to confirm Jane Doe’s true identity.

“The victim is Jane Doe. That’s all I can say,” said prosecutor Karapetian, supervising deputy district attorney in the department’s Vulnerable Victim’s Unit. “We protect her confidentially just like any other case. Until there is information

KOVANDA, Nancy Pauline

Nancy Pauline Kovanda, the daughter of Maurice and Pauline Costello, was born on January 15, 1933. She passed away peacefully at age 89 on December 23, 2022.

She was predeceased by her sister, Jeanne Spale, and her two brothers, Maurice Costello Jr. and Robert Costello, her daughter, Deborah Kovanda, and son, Stephen Kovanda.

Nancy graduated from Cathedral High in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Nancy met Norman Kovanda in June 1950 at a teenage dance at the Summer Pavilion in Lincoln. They were both 17 years old. They dated for four years until Norman graduated in 1954 from the University of Nebraska. They were married on February 12, 1955 and started a marriage that lasted until now, 67 years later.

They had four children, Deborah, Sandra, Jeannie, and Stephen Kovanda, in Denver. They moved to Santa Barbara in 1962.

Norman and Nancy started a tax and investment business in 1964, heading it until their retirement in 2019, 55 years later.

Nancy was a fond fan of Nebraska Cornhusker football. GO Big Red!

Nancy is survived by her husband, Norman, daughter, Sandra Kovanda, grandson, Dean Kovanda, daughter, Jeannie (Rob) Graham, grandson, Steven (Kathleen) Symer, great-grandsons, Nathan and Jack Symer, granddaughter Kristin (Geoff) Payton, greatgrandkids, George and Eleanor Payton, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Nancy will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She was a wonderful woman.

Nancy’s memorial will be held at burial site at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, Friday January 6th, at 1:15PM, located at 901 Channel Dr., Montecito, CA.

that is part of the public record or part of court proceedings, the victim’s name is still confidential.”

Mr. Brown’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Lauren Gartrell,

Today Wed.

City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W

Cuyama 57/40/c 58/45/r Goleta 63/51/c 62/51/r

Lompoc 61/51/c 62/50/r

Pismo Beach 60/50/c 62/52/r

Santa Maria 60/50/c 60/52/r

Santa Ynez 60/48/c 62/51/r

Vandenberg 60/53/c 62/53/r

Ventura 62/55/c 57/54/r

did not respond to a request for comment. email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

2.4’ 9:03 p.m. 3.4’ 2:20 p.m. -0.6’ Jan. 4 7:20 a.m. 5.9’ 12:54 a.m. 2.6’ 9:41 p.m. 3.4’ 2:56 p.m. -0.7’ Jan. 5 7:55 a.m. 5.9’ 1:33 a.m. 2.6’

p.m. 3.5’ 3:29 p.m. -0.8’

59/51/r Sacramento 51/41/c 58/51/r

San Diego 62/57/r 66/57/c

San Francisco 55/47/c 58/51/r

San Jose 57/46/c 60/53/r

San Luis Obispo 60/49/c 61/52/r

Santa Monica 59/54/c 61/57/r

Tahoe Valley 34/22/c 41/33/r

83/73/pc 84/71/pc

Minneapolis 32/30/sn 32/25/sn

New York City 56/52/r 62/47/sh

Philadelphia 61/56/r 66/53/sh

Phoenix 59/48/r 63/46/pc

Portland, Ore. 47/37/c 45/41/sh

St. Louis 72/36/pc 43/31/c

Salt Lake City 34/25/c 36/28/c

Seattle 48/38/c 47/42/sh

Washington, D.C. 66/61/c 69/54/sh

Beijing 38/17/pc 41/16/pc Berlin 46/40/c 51/47/r Cairo 69/54/pc 67/51/pc

Cancun 83/75/pc 84/72/pc London 54/52/r 57/47/c

Mexico City 73/52/s 73/52/s

Montreal 39/32/r 36/21/sh

New Delhi 63/41/pc 63/42/pc Paris 52/48/pc 57/54/r

Rio de Janeiro 89/74/pc 85/73/t

Rome 62/49/c 62/44/pc Sydney 81/68/pc 75/64/r Tokyo 50/37/pc 49/38/s

COURTESY PHOTO

District Attorney Joyce Dudley will begin her retirement with a skiing trip. “I always dreamed about being able to ski to my heart’s content,” she said.

Life theArts

CALENDAR

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

TODAY 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Interlopings: Colors in the Warp and Weft of Ecological Entanglements” is an exhibit that runs through March 12 at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara.Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit features weavings dyed with pigments from non-native plants on Santa Cruz Island. The weavings were created by artists Helen Svensson and Lisa Jevbratt. For more information, see sbbotanicgarden.org.

10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Vitalant blood drive at the Marian Regional Medical Center, 1400 E. Church St., Santa Maria. For more information, go to vitalant.org.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit “Parliament of Owls” runs through Feb. 5 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. For more information, go to www.sbnature.org.

7:30 p.m. The American Theatre Guild will present the North American tour of “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” a theatrical concert celebrating the music of Aretha Franklin, at The Granada, 1214 State St. Tickets cost $59 to $114. To purchase, go to granadasb.org.

JAN. 4 7:30 p.m. The American Theatre Guild will present the North American tour of “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” a theatrical concert celebrating the music of Aretha Franklin, at The Granada, 1214 State St. Tickets cost $59 to $114. To purchase, go to granadasb.org.

JAN. 5 1 to 5 p.m. Vitalant blood drive at the Lompoc Police Department, 107 Civic Center Plaza, Lompoc. For more information, go to vitalant. org.

JAN. 13

‘Chocolates from Tangier’

Local author, whose parents survived the Holocaust, to sign copies of her book

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Chaucer’s Books will host local author Jana Zimmer to sign her new book, “Chocolates from Tangier,” at 6 p.m. Jan. 19.

Chaucer’s is at 3321 State St., Santa Barbara.

Ms. Zimmer was born in 1946, the only child of two Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia, who fled with them as a refugee from the communists to land in Canada days after her second birthday. Ms. Zimmer became a collage/mixed media artist after her mother came to live with her in 1995. In her artwork, through text and image, she explores

issues of memory, exile, and responsibility.

“A second-generation Holocaust survivor weaves together fragments of her family’s history and witness testimony in narrative and collage, using her art as transformation and remembrance.” author Wendy Holden said, discussing Ms. Zimmer’s book. “ ‘Chocolates from Tangier’ is a bold and innovative ensemble piece that comes straight from the heart. With illustrations by way of words, letters, poems and her own impressive images, artist Jana Zimmer brings her parents’ Holocaust story to life in a moving and meaningful way. Beautiful.”

“Never, never, never ask Daddy about her.”

For 50 years, Jana Zimmer obeyed her mother’s directive, until her mother died, leaving behind a trove of family photos and documents, mostly in Czech, with just a few cryptic notes as explanation, for her only child to knit the family’s past together.

Late in her own life, Ms. Zimmer became a visual artist. The words and images in this book convey her journey to understand her parents and their experiences in the Holocaust, filtered through her own discoveries decades after returning to her birthplace, Prague, and to Terezin, where her family was first interned.

Exhibitions of Ms. Zimmer’s artwork in 2007, both in Prague and at the Terezin Ghetto Museum, were mainly inspired by her half-

sister, Ritta, who perished in Auschwitz before Ms. Zimmer was born, and by her father’s grief over that loss. Ritta’s drawings made in Terezin, now in the Prague Jewish Museum’s collection of children’s artwork from the ghetto, populate Ms. Zimmer’s book as well as spare photographs and mementos that reflect Zimmer’s internal world — that of a “Holocaust replacement child.”

In 2015, an exhibition in Germany allowed Ms. Zimmer to explore her relationship to her mother’s experiences as survivor of Terezin, Auschwitz and Mauthausen, and as a Jewish slave laborer in a Nazi aircraft factory in Freiberg, Saxony, in 1944.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

Architectural foundation to host mining-inspired exhibit

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara has announced its upcoming exhibit, “Veins: Mining Family History Through Copper.”

The solo exhibition consists of photography, video, text and installation art by Mayela Rodriguez.

An opening reception will be held at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, 229 E. Victoria St., on Jan. 14 from 1-3 p.m. The exhibition will run from Jan. 14 through March 11.

The exhibit expands upon Ms. Rodriguez’s prior explorations of her lineage and her father’s

family, whose members are from Cananea, Mexico where the Buenavista del Cobre mine is located. For this exhibition, she uses the theme of copper as a lens into her own evolving identity.

In 2017, when Ms. Rodriguez was a master’s of fine arts student at the University of Michigan, she wrote to the Buenavista del Cobre mine requesting information about her distant uncle, Aurelio Rodriguez. She had grown up hearing intriguing stories about this uncle who allegedly pitched rocks into the mine as a child and later in life became a professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers.

After many months, Ms. Rodriguez received a package

from the Buenavista del Cobre mine that contained a 13-inch by 18-inch sheet of copper wrapped in plastic.

Carrying the copper with her, Ms. Rodriguez then embarked on an ambitious pilgrimage to sites that she and her family have called home: Santa Barbara, the Imperial Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Detroit, Mich.

“I was interested in discovering what it meant to simply exist with my copper,” said Ms. Rodriguez.

“How could our pilgrimage both transform it and me? By developing a relationship with my copper in this way, I realized that the copper was not just a slab of metal excavated from the depths of Mexican earth but a

vessel to hold all my concentrated questions, thoughts and insecurities about my identity as a Mexican American.”

“Veins: Mining Family History Through Copper” expands on recent work by contemporary artists who use globally traded commodities as visual metaphors for ways that personal identity inhabits and is shaped by socio political contexts: Minerva Cuevas’ use of chocolate in her exhibition, “Feast and Famine” (Mexico City, 2015); Kara Walker’s monumental sculpture, “A Subtlety,” made entirely of sugar (Domino Sugar Factory, Brooklyn, N.Y, 2014); and Minga Opazo’s exhibition, “Siempre Más/Always More” at

the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara (2020), which featured weavings and textiles made of found and recycled clothing.

Mayela Rodriguez is an artist and educator who positions art as a collective, inclusive and healing process. By facilitating the production of community-made collections, she seeks to remind participants and students of the inherent power of their creative voices in making change.

Most recently, Ms. Rodriguez has worked on collaborative projects with Latinx communities in Santa Barbara and New Cuyama and elsewhere.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

7 p.m. Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar will perform a free concert at Isla Vista Elementary School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Isla Vista, as Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara resumes its programming.

7 p.m. The Los Angeles Reed Quintet will perform during the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, 2901 Nojoqui Ave., Los Olivos. The program will include music by Mendelssohn, Mahler, Ligeti, Nina Shekhar, Yanjun Hua, Corelli, Fred Coots, and Sam Lewis

JAN. 14

7 p.m. Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuélla will perform a free concert at Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, 1065 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe. The concert is presented by Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara .

JAN. 15

7 p.m. Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuélla will perform a free concert at The Marjorie Luke Theatre at Santa Barbara Junior High School, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara. The concert is presented by Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara.

JAN. 17

1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Vitalant blood drive at the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, 4436 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. For more information, go to vitalant.org.

JAN. 19

2 to 5:30 p.m. Vitalant blood drive at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, 524 Chapala St., Santa Barbara. For more information, go to vitalant.org.

JAN. 21

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform its “Plains, Trains & Violins” concert at The Granada, 1214 State St. The concert includes Miguel del Aguila’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, “The Journey of a Lifetime” (El viaje de una vida) with violin soloist Guillermo Figueroa and the concert world premiere of Elmer Bernstein’s “Toccata for Toy Trains.” The orchestra will also perform Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). Tickets cost $35 to $175. To

COURTESY PHOTOS

Author Jan Zimmer is the only child of two Holocaust survivors from Czechoslovakia

It’s important to keep moving forward

Istarted this column right after 9/11 in my local paper, the Ventura County Star.

About six months later the column went national, I was offered a show on the local NPR station, and I was consulting for a hit television show.

My career, I was told, was meteoric, but I was truly too busy to notice. My focus was on getting the message out, doing my best work, and having a nice time in the process. Yes, I loved it.

These days, instead of doing radio, I’m doing a lot of Zoom interviews, and I see most of my clients on video. I still write my little fingers to the bone, but that meteor is starting to hit the atmosphere and is naturally slowing down.

Everything has a life-cycle, which means that nothing lasts forever, and change is the only constant. Again, that’s normal, but most of us fight change, and lately we’ve had more than usual to deal with.

COVID-19 changed our lives forever. Young students are still trying to catch up, many older folks are still isolating to stay

healthy, and those of us in the middle are getting squeezed like a tube of toothpaste. No matter where you are in life, or what stage of it you are in, you are likely struggling. The new normal is that life will never be normal again. If we do what we can to move forward, even if the directions have changed for whatever reason, then we will feel better. It’s a pretty simple process; you won’t avoid feeling the losses or wishing things were different, but forward motion both physically and emotionally allows you to absorb more positivity.

The real truth is that sometimes positivity has to be created, and doing it is up to us.

Accepting the new world is also part of the healing process. The question is, “What can you do right now to make your world a better place to be?” My suggestion is for you to make a plan to begin, create, and realize something you want to do.

It doesn’t have to be a total reinvention of your life. Any goal

will keep you moving forward, and that momentum will help propel you to your next great thing. Meanwhile, the whole process acts as a serotonin builder and naturally makes you happier.

New projects have that “new car smell,” and that works on your brain and makes you excited as well. Forward motion will propel your creativity to the next level. Because you are thinking on a different level, you will come up with new ideas and ways to implement them. It’s a lot of fun, actually. In fact, if it feels like work, you may be doing it wrong.

You don’t even have to have a solid direction to move forward, but just go with your gut and give it a try. If it doesn’t feel right, try something else. If it does feel right, then go for it.

Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an award-winning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books and a blogger for PsychologyToday. com with more than 28 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@bartongoldsmith.com. His column appears Saturdays and Mondays in the News-Press.

Free screening of ‘Mochitsuki’

SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will offer a free screening Thursday of Sky Bergman’s “Mochitsuk,” which covers how

one community celebrates the Japanese New Year, bringing together tradition, family and love all through Mochi.

Showtimes are every 15 minutes

from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the SBIFF’s Education Center, 1330 State St.., Suite 101, Santa Barbara.

— Katherine Zehnder

Shelters seek homes for pets

Local animal shelters and their nonprofit partners are looking for homes for pets.

For more information, go to these websites:

• Animal Services-Lompoc, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc.

• Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Goleta, asapcats.org. ASAP is kitty corner to Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter in Goleta, bunssb.org. BUNS is based at Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Companion Animal Placement

Assistance, lompoccapa.org and facebook.com/capaoflompoc.

CAPA works regularly with Animal Services-Lompoc.

• K-9 Placement & Assistance League, k-9pals.org. K-9 PALS works regularly with Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, sbcanimalcare. org. (The foundation works regularly with the Santa Maria Animal Center.)

• Santa Barbara County Animal Services in Goleta: countyofsb.org/ phd/animal/home.sbc.

• Santa Barbara Humane (with

campuses in Goleta and Santa Maria), sbhumane.org.

• Santa Maria Animal Center, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc. The center is part of Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society/DAWG in Buellton, syvhumane.org.

• Shadow’s Fund (a pet sanctuary in Lompoc), shadowsfund.org.

• Volunteers for Inter-Valley Animals in Lompoc: vivashelter. org.

Dave Mason

Travelers to share experiences at SB Museum of Art

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art has announced the following programs in its Travel Lecture Series:

• Author’s talk and book signing: “When the Dog Speaks, the Philosopher Listens” at 4 p.m. Jan. 18.

Nigel McGilchrist’s book, released in July, looks at the moment in history when a way of thinking that can truly be called “Western” was born. It was a fruitful coming together of the ancient knowledge of the East with the restless curiosity and ingenuity of the Greek mind.

It was a hinge moment in which what people understand as the scientific way of thinking first gained traction. And yet, it was a science that was also deeply imbued with spiritual awareness and a sense of the beauty and unity of creation, according to a news release.

• Lecture by Nigel McGilchrist: “Venice & the Veneto” at 10 a.m. Jan. 19.

Venice is known as one of the world’s most beautiful cities and one of its most anomalous human creations. Built in the water of a lagoon, it needed, as it grew in

size and importance, a hinterland of its own that both protected its approaches from the land, and provided it with agricultural produce and timber.

This became the area known as the Veneto — the flat-lands and alpine foothills that extend to the North and West of Venice.

• “A Conversation between Cherished SBMA Travel Leaders: Susie Orso and Nigel McGilchris: at 10 a.m. Jan. 29.

Susie Orso and Nigel McGilchrist converse and reminisce about the Santa Barbara Museum of Arts Travel Program over its busy half-

century of history—discussing the real significance of travel, how travel is done at its best, and what instructive lessons they’ve learned during their abstention during the pandemic years. They share stories and joyous moments and pictures from recent journeys, far and wide.

All programs are at SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara Cost is $10 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers.

To purchase, go to tickets.sbma. net.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

Teen anime night at the library

SANTA MARIA — The Santa Maria Public Library invites teens interested in anime or manga for a night of fun. A special afterhours evening event gives teens a chance to meet with peers and enjoy a meal, a movie, and themed crafts. Registration is required and can be completed at the Youth Services desk or at the library’s online events calendar at www.

CALENDAR

Continued from Page B1

purchase, go to granadasb.org.

JAN. 22 3 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform its “Plains, Trains & Violins” concert at The Granada, 1214 State St. The concert includes Miguel del Aguila’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, “The Journey of a Lifetime (El viaje de una vida)” with violin soloist Guillermo Figueroa and the concert world premiere of Elmer Bernstein’s “Toccata for Toy

cityofsantamaria.org/Library.

Teen Anime Night will be held on Friday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the Library’s Shepard Hall. The library is located at 421 South McClelland St., Santa Maria.

Follow the library on social media for updates on programming, resources, and services. On Facebook, search for Santa Maria Public Library

Trains.” The orchestra will also perform Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). Tickets cost $35 to $175. To purchase, go to granadasb.org. 4 to 5 p.m. “Roy Dunn: Capturing Imagery of Our Wild Neighbors” will take place at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature, 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang.

JAN. 24 2 to 6 p.m. Vitalant blood drive at Camino Real Marketplace, 7046 Marketplace Drive, Goleta. For more information, go to vitalant.org. 7 p.m. UCSB Arts & Lectures presents mezzo-soprano Joyce

and on Instagram: @santamaria_ publiclibrary.

Hours of operation and more information about the library and its resources are available at www. cityofsantamaria.org/Library.

Questions may be directed to the Library’s Youth Services division at 805)-925-0994, ext. 8564.

— Katherine Zehnder

DiDonato and a music ensemble in “Eden” at The Granada, 1214 State St. “Eden” explores the individual human connection with nature and features music from four centuries. Tickets cost $46 to $131 for general admission and $20 for UCSB students with ID, one hour before the performance, and youths 18 and younger. To purchase, go to granadasb.org.

JAN. 25 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vitalant blood drive at Allan Hancock College, 800 S. College, Santa Maria. For more information, go to vitalant.org.

Dave Mason

—

COURTESY PHOTOS

Nigel McGilchrist will discuss traveling during Santa Barbara Museum of Art programs in January.

Susie Orso and Nigel McGilchrist will discuss their experience as travelers during a program at the museum.

Thought for Today

HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

ARIES — Today is a great day to let your artistic nature shine through, Aries. Your sense of color and pattern is right on target and your words are more poetic than usual. Create a time and space for your creative inner nature to manifest on the physical plane. Let your fantasy world spill onto a piece of paper for others to see.

TAURUS — Your emotions may be confused today, Taurus. People may seem to rub you the wrong way, and you may feel like you’re all alone in the world. Keep in mind that you’re very sensitive and capable of picking up things that other people miss. You cut through the masks and see right to the core of every issue.

GEMINI — You may be out of step with the rest of the world today, Gemini, but don’t sweat it. This is a good day to finish projects. Your head may be in the clouds and your emotions foggier than usual. Bring more of your fantasy world to the current reality. Don’t just talk about lofty ideas and beautiful dreams — live them.

CANCER — Stay grounded and focused today, Cancer, You can accomplish a lot if you set your mind to it. You may sense a blurry cloud lingering - this is your emotion talking. Amid all the goal-oriented pursuits, mental processes, and workrelated issues, you have given short shrift to your feelings. It’s OK to cry.

LEO — Today’s events may cause disruption in your routine, Leo. Your emotions may seem clouded, and other people may challenge aspects of your ego. Relationships with the opposite sex may not be great today, so don’t try to force an issue that you know will end up in conflict.

VIRGO — Turn up your fantasy dial and let your imagination run wild. Your intuition is strong today, Virgo, and you should give your emotions room to flow. Work to clear the blockages that keep you from doing things you truly want to do. Get your ideas on paper and manifest more of your fantasy world in reality.

LIBRA — Issues may be clouded today, Libra. The things

that seem real may actually be illusions. You might find that you feel a bit more reserved than usual and that you want to hold tight to your material possessions for comfort. Keep in mind that other people are extremely important to you now and you would benefit greatly by offering your hand to those who are less fortunate.

SCORPIO — Terrific energy flows your way today, Scorpio. Make sure that what you’re dealing with is genuine. There’s a tendency for people to get lost in their fantasy worlds. Be aware that what seems practical today could be the opposite tomorrow. Your emotions may seem confused, but if you concentrate on releasing instead of judging them, you can sail through the day without any trouble.

SAGITTARIUS — The heaviness of the day weighs on you, Sagittarius. Take your time with projects and carefully evaluate all the facts before making a decision. People can be deceptive, so be careful in all your dealings. You may be going through a period in which you care less about material possessions and concern yourself with spiritual things.

CAPRICORN — Your fantasy world is especially piqued today, Capricorn. Your need to escape physical reality is strong. Be careful about how you go about this. Dreams may take you there, but be rational so you aren’t left more confused than before. Keep your energy pure and clean.

AQUARIUS — People may tug at you from all sides today, Aquarius. No matter which way you turn, someone is there. Be patient and levelheaded. Your time will come. For now, look at these challenges as lessons for the future and learn from them. Your point of view isn’t the only one in the world.

PISCES — Today is a great day to check off all the items on that list of yours, Pisces. Get it done. At the same time, realize that your emotions might be a bit clouded and that things that seem genuine may actually be just a mirage. Issues of a spiritual nature are of primary concern. You should make sure you’re nurturing this side of your being. Think with your heart.

SUDOKU

CODEWORD PUZZLE

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Here’s a play-or-defend problem: Would you rather try to make or beat today’s four hearts? (North’s cue bid of three diamonds promised a heart fit and invitational strength or more. Why that induced South to bid game is a mystery.)

A trump lead lets the defense prevail: East can win and shift to a diamond effectively. But say West leads the ace and a second club. Then which side would you bet on?

Declarer leads a trump at Trick Three, and East wins and leads a third club, letting West score his ten of trumps. If dummy discards a diamond, West can exit with a diamond. South’s queen wins, but he loses a spade.

SPADE EXIT

If instead dummy discards a spade, West can exit with a spade. South loses a diamond.

To make four hearts, dummy must underruff(!) on the third club. If West exits with a diamond (a spade is no better), South takes the queen, draws trumps, leads a spade to the queen and cashes the ace. He then runs his trumps, squeezing West between spades and diamonds. DAILY QUESTION You

5 4 9 7 6 3

6 2 5 4. Only your side is vulnerable. The dealer, at your left,

opens three diamonds. Your partner doubles, and the next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: You might beat three diamonds a trick or two, but your chances to score a vulnerable game are too bright to settle for an uncertain penalty. Your partner has a good hand with support for the major suits.

Cue-bid four diamonds to let him choose the trump suit.

South dealer N-S vulnerable

Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language.

Every number in the codeword grid is ‘code’ for a letter of the alphabet. Thus, the number 2 may correspond to the letter L, for instance.

All puzzles come with a few letters to start. Your first move should be to enter these letters in the puzzle grid. If the letter S is in the box at the bottom of the page underneath the number 2, your first move should be to find all cells numbered 2 in the grid and enter the letter S. Cross the letter S off the list at the bottom of the grid.

Remember that at the end you should have a different letter of the alphabet in each of the numbered boxes 1- 26, and a word in English in each of the horizontal and vertical runs on the codeword grid.

“A people free to choose will always choose peace.”

— Ronald Reagan