Raising Our Light

RAISING OUR LIGHT

in

Melody Beattie (photo by Priscilla)

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Advice for what matters most, when you need it most

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Working with a dedicated Merrill advisor means you get personalized investment strategies from Merrill plus access to comprehensive financial solutions only Bank of America can deliver.

The JJD Group

Donna Weidl, CPWA®, CFP ®, CDFA® Senior Vice President Wealth Management Advisor 805.963.6308 • donna.weidl@ml.com

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 1424 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 fa.ml.com/jjdgroup

Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Data as of 3/31/22. Source: Forbes.com (August 3, 2022). Forbes “Best-inState Next Generation Wealth Advisors” ranking. SHOOK considered advisors born in 1983 or later with a minimum 4 years as an advisor. Advisors have: built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures: telephone and in-person interviews to measure best practices, client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of Forbes and not representative nor indicative of any one client’s experience, future performance, or investment outcome and should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.

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“Celebrate endings — for they precede new beginnings.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie

by Sharon Byrne

This coming Monday, January 9, marks the five-year anniversary of the Debris Flow in Montecito of 2018. We lost 23 community members in that disaster. Houses were obliterated, roads were covered in mud, and first responders – on active duty since the Thomas Fire broke out on December 4, 2017 – scrambled to evacuate people stranded in the mud. The events after the sun came out that January morning unfolded like a long, slow-motion trainwreck. Around each bend, another bout of bad news and further loss.

Disasters are experienced intensely, personally, and collectively, and unfold in distinct phases:

1. Impact – the shock as it hits, trying to grasp the spread and scale, and survive.

2. Heroics – when we rush to save everyone we can from the impact. Startling feats of courage and humanity occur in this phase. Neighbors pulled each other out of the mud, and one of our Montecito Fire team used her clothes to cover a woman who’d been burned out of her home and thrust into the deluge.

3. Community Huddle – the survivors come together for grief, reassurance, a sense of community, and a way to pull through this.

4. Disillusionment – this phase sets in when we realize we aren’t going back to ‘normal,’ that things have permanently changed, and fixing the problems, whether it’s rebuilding a destroyed home, or restoring key infrastructure like bridges, is going to take far longer than hoped.

5. Reconstruction and Recovery – this phase can last years to decades, depending on the scale of the disaster, but offers enormous opportunity for creating new infrastructure to build resilience, and a stronger, more cohesive community.

If you’re new to Montecito, you may have seen some of the after-effects of the Thomas Fire and Debris Flow disasters, like rebuilding and road repairs. Survivors can get nervous in hot, dry weather, with high winds, and any time helicopters are hovering. We lived through two months of helicopters overhead, initially trying to douse California’s first giga-fire in our mountains, then rescuing survivors of the Debris Flow. During rain, we watch our creeks more carefully than perhaps other communities. While our destroyed bridges have been replaced, homes are being rebuilt, and new infrastructure is protecting us to a greater extent, those who survived these disasters have a unique sense of connectedness to this Montecito community, to what can happen here, and how important it is to be prepared.

As we approach the five-year anniversary, we will hold space to commemorate our loss, the people that are no longer with us, the impacts to our youth and families, our businesses, our community members, our sense of ourselves as Montecitans, which changed dramatically during that time. It’s also a time to continue to heal, and to be grateful for partners with whom we forged new relationships to create a stronger community here.

We invite you, wherever you are on your journey, to join us at whatever level you wish, to an in-person collective gathering at Montecito Union School on January 9 at 6 pm.

The Raising Our Light event will include:

– A short program of speakers and a reading of the names of those we lost

– Bell ringing from local churches and schools to honor the victims

– Searchlight illuminated at Montecito Union School as a beacon of community support and solidarity

– Soup, coffee, and hot chocolate kindly provided by the Rosewood Miramar Beach

Community remembrances are an important part of the healing process. You will be able to hear the bells and see the light across Montecito. If you would like to participate privately, you can watch the KEYT livestream from your home.

The next day, January 10, the Montecito Association will host our annual meeting to thank our departing directors Houghton Hyatt and Chad Chase, and seat our two new board members, Mindy Denson and Patrice Serrani. We welcome you to join us at 4 pm. The meeting is on Zoom for convenience and ease of access. Please email info@montecitoassociation.org for more info.

Editor’s Note:

At the end of last year, we asked readers to write in with their experiences about the 1/9 Debris Flow for the collective memory of our community as we approach the five-year anniversary of the event. Here are three previously untold stories from our readers that reflect the camaraderie we experienced, the challenges we felt, and the recovery we’ve faced as we continue to build a more sustainable and resilient Montecito.

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association

The Kitchen Angels

Debris Flow at the Casa Dorinda Retirement Community

by Barbara T. Hadley

Located at the intersection of Hot Springs and Olive Mill roads, Casa Dorinda was dubbed “ground zero” for the events of January 9th. The Debris Flow occurred in the early morning hours when over 200 on-campus residents were still asleep and there was a skeleton staff of less than 10. The torrential waters skirted the main campus, leaving little damage to the campus except to a few perimeter apartments. As the debris pounded towards the ocean, it did, however, leave bodies, cars, and personal effects on Casa’s property. There was no electricity, no water, and limited gas on site. Casa Dorinda encompasses three living components: Independent Apartments and Villas; Personal Care, which is semi-independent with 24-hour care available as needed; and a Skilled Nursing Facility for residents who need 24-hour medical assistance.

At 4 am the roads surrounding Casa became clogged with mud and turbulent waters so that there was no entrance or exit to the campus. Back-up generators turned on at the Medical Center and in the main Casa dining room. Emergency water was hauled out of storage. The last vehicle to enter the campus was a bread delivery truck which then could not exit. CEO Brian McCague slogged approximately six long blocks through hip-high mud to arrive, through a back entrance, mid-morning. All other staff were stranded. Casa has a resident volunteer Warden Program, trained with walkie-talkies, to act in case of emergencies. By 6:30 am they were alerted to action. As Casa’s then Resident MRA Board Member, I was asked by the Director of Operations, who was stuck on the freeway in Ventura, to go to the dining room to make coffee and set up a cold breakfast.

A handful of residents wandered into the kitchen asking if they could help and “The Kitchen Angels” went to work. The “Bread Man” unloaded his truck. We pillaged the pantry and found large cans of tuna that were turned into over 300

sandwiches. Meanwhile, several women started large pots of chili, to accompany our abundant bread stash, for dinner. After the initial breakfast, we learned that we had no water for cleaning dirty dishes. Thus, we retreated to paper and plastic. With no electricity, residents with flashlights in hand began arriving for dinner at 4:30 pm. We found battery candles. We ladled one large scoop per resident so we would have enough. On day two, our group was more organized and we served a real breakfast and lunch.

At noon on January 10th, the Food Director arrived to find his kitchen functioning albeit in some disarray. We volunteered to help with dinner, however, we were assured that he had enough staff to take back his domain. Dinner on January 10th was amazing. The dining staff barbecued everything in the freezer, cooked everything in the refrigerators, and brought out their best wines. Our beleaguered residents and staff clung together as the family we are, and then, by dusk the following day, the entire campus, escorted by highway patrol, was evacuated for four long weeks, during which time many more stories evolved.

Barbara T. Hadley, Casa Dorinda Resident

Get Out Now! Entries

from a Holdout

by Richard Schultz

Richard Schultz, recently widowed, anticipated a quiet, uneventful winter at his home in Montecito, California. Instead he found himself confronted by two terrifying natural disasters – first, the Thomas Fire, the worst in California’s history at the time, burning 273,000 acres and over 200 Montecito homes, followed by the subsequent mudslide that left 23 people dead.

At the end of moving there was not one box left in our new home. I can’t imagine going through this difficult process without the SB SOS team, they were a godsend. – Susan

My house in Montecito is north of East Mountain Drive, adjacent to the burning Los Padres National Forest. The sun is obliterated by thick smoke and the few people who are still on the village streets, wear masks. I don’t want to leave my home. I don’t want any more upheaval in my life.

December 10

Voluntary Evacuation has suddenly turned to Mandatory Evacuation. Five burly firemen from Montecito appear at my house; six more from another fire department join them an hour later. Both groups are happy to see my portable gas-powered pool pump equipment and they lay it all poolside with 250 feet of my fire hose in tidy rows.

I put a carryon bag on my bed and start throwing medicine, checkbooks, and some clothing into it. (I’m not thinking clearly.) I wonder where I should go. “Go! Get out now!” The firemen tell me. Nothing is said about where to go, what to take, how long I’ll need to be away – just “leave.”

The phone rings. I debate whether to answer, but I do and find it is an informed friend inviting me to stay with her family for a few days until it is safe to return to my house. The timing of her call is miraculous. I hastily accept and drive to her home in Santa Barbara. I stay for one day, two days, ten days… thirteen days before I can return home.

I am afraid to see what is left. The low plastic lights along the driveway are burned, melted. Black soot is everywhere. My house is still there! It’s dripping wet and smells of smoke; the windows are dirty with soot. My wide rosemary hedge and irrigation system along my driveway are burned, lost. My pool is nearly empty except for a few inches of thick black water in the bottom.

Four men are dismantling nozzle-holding metal tripods that were set around the house, and replacing padded porch furniture previously moved away from the house. One man is taking pictures of

my wet house. I ask and they tell me they are not firemen; they work for my homeowner’s insurance company. The company’s own firetrucks had been on my property and they had helped the firemen save my home.

No one can tell me what has happened to my portable pool pump. I’m not sure I care at this point.

I get inside to see the upholstered furniture has been moved to the center of the living room. I see black soot shoe smudges starting at the front door. I follow them upstairs.

Two bank envelopes full of cash and my .38 caliber pistol are missing. I wonder why I did not take those with me.

My home is otherwise intact. I am so grateful I cannot bring myself to complain to the men on the scene. I thank them all profusely for their efforts to save my home.

January 9

I’m not leaving. It’s another Mandatory Evacuation, but I’ve told the sheriff I’m going to stick it out at my home. I know the risk; I know the burned Los Padres hillside behind me has nothing left living to hold the earth and debris in place. The deluge predicted tonight is expected to cause mudslides.

All my neighbors within sight evacuated. But weary from the fire evacuation, I decide to remove my cars from garage and have my gardener help me acquire enough sandbags to protect all my doors and swimming pool. I make a quick trip to the supermarket for a huge load of groceries and as much drinking water as I can buy.

The raging, powerful rain flood and mudslide came that night as predicted. The deluge is reported to be brief and noisy, but as a 90-year-old with severe hearing loss, I simply slept through the entire event. I wake up to utter silence and lack of human motion in Montecito. This was the beginning of 19 days of sensory deprivation.

That morning I hear no traffic of any kind in Montecito, no sound – it is like

a ghost town. Then came my reality – no electricity, no running water, no natural gas, no dial tone, no internet, no TV, no newspaper, and no mail. My sole means of communication was my “flip phone,” that is, while my battery lasts. It is like camping out in a luxury shelter with a view.

Two sheriff policemen on patrol find me in my home after several days as a single “holdout.” They ask me about drinking water; I show them what I have. They return with a 12-pack of bottled water and a bag of food. They advise me to evacuate.

My knowledge of what was happening in Montecito and the outside world comes solely from my four adult children and close friends, all living in other cities and states, who have my cell phone number. How long will that last without electricity?

After about a week, the electric flickers on periodically. I keep my cell phone plugged in and use my electric oven to take the chill off. I scoop water from my swimming pool for washing and to keep my toilet flushing.

The county sheriff, knowing that I am a holdout, checks in on me every three or four days, often leaving me with more bottled water and always urging me to evacuate.

Then Montecito begins the slow process of recovering from this double disaster. Only from my cell phone informants do I learn that streets and areas most damaged from the mud and debris are to be given priority in the cleanup. Early on, two missing persons are found dead in mud and debris. My property, adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest, is high on the hillside making it among the last to be restored.

Along with tree trunks, there are enormous piles of brush and boulders the size of small cars; large sections of existing water mains and natural gas pipes are not only exposed, but some are grossly displaced by the mudslide, even to distant locations. All of this results in numerous streets being made impassible. Restoration of utilities will be a slow, methodical process extending 20 plus days into February.

I am getting cold, running out of fresh food and optimism. With no human con-

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

Day Low Hgt High Hgt Low Hgt High Hgt Low Hgt

Thurs, Jan 5 1:41 AM 2.6 7:58 AM 5.9 03:24 PM -0.8 10:09 PM 3.5

Fri, Jan 6 2:16 AM 2.6 8:31 AM 5.9 03:56 PM -0.8 10:39 PM 3.5

Sat, Jan 7 2:49 AM 2.6 9:04 AM 5.9 04:27 PM -0.7 011:10 PM 3.5

Sun, Jan 8 3:23 AM 2.5 9:37 AM 5.7 04:58 PM -0.6 011:41 PM 3.5

Mon, Jan 9 3:58 AM 2.6 10:09 AM 5.5 05:28 PM -0.4

Tues, Jan 10 12:15 AM 3.5 4:38 AM 2.6 10:42 AM 5.2 05:59 PM -0.1

Weds, Jan 11 12:50 AM 3.6 5:25 AM 2.7 11:18 AM 4.7 06:29 PM 0.3

Thurs, Jan 12 1:27 AM 3.7 6:24 AM 2.7 11:59 AM 4.1 07:00 PM 0.7

Fri, Jan 13 2:06 AM 3.9 7:45 AM 2.6 12:54 PM 3.5 07:33 PM 1.1

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” — Oprah Winfrey

tact, entertainment, or direct news I am beginning to revert to an alternate reality. I have finished reading five new books that were Christmas presents and am now into my library and The Life and Works of Vladimir Lenin. I find myself starting to reminisce, initially over my wife’s recent death, followed by unresolved childhood, adolescent, and adult events. I am stuck with my own mind. Could this be “Mindfulness”? These troubling thoughts are not something I can share with folks on the other end of my cell phone.

My dial tone finally reappears after 10 days. I still have no running water, natural gas, internet, or television. I have rationed my bottled water wisely, but no fresh food and still no human contact. For me, Montecito is still silent except for the thumping sounds of overhead helicopters. My existence is starting to become disorienting!

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net

President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net

VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net

Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net

Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe

Office Manager | Jessikah Fechner

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Nadel, Bryce Eller

Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye

Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Gabe Saglie

Published by: Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.

How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

Montecito Moms

Jacqueline Duran Key to your Finances

by Dalina Michaels

Jacqueline Duran knows money – but more than helping you make cash –she wants to help her clients plan for their futures with confidence and integrity.

“I didn’t start out wanting to be in finance,” Duran explains, “I went to college for biology and pre-med and was on track to go to med school. But then I got into some business classes and took a left turn!” That left turn led her to buying a flower business in Carpinteria she owned and managed for five years.

“I loved it, and I loved working with people, but I didn’t like the hours and being gone on the weekends.”

She met someone who worked for Merrill Lynch Financial and started to take an interest in investment management classes and learning opportunities.

Duran has been in Santa Barbara since she was 12. “My family moved here from Mexico City and I didn’t speak a word of English – it was a little overwhelming.”

Fortunately, she had an amazing mentor in a math teacher at La Cumbre Junior High, who encouraged her to take more math classes and get involved in MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement). “When you don’t speak the language, it’s hard… but that’s why math is great. I didn’t know what the teachers were saying, but I could figure out math problems and so that became my focus.”

Now, after more than 12 years in financial planning with big box companies, she is excited to be branching off on her own.

“I learned so much from Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. But it was time for me to create my own path. Fortunately, all my clients decided to follow me as well and so now I am looking forward to this new chapter.”

This chapter includes personalized service, and most of all, really listening to her clients’ needs.

“Because I am on my own, I can be a true fiduciary and put my client’s interest first and not have to use specific services; I can find what is best for each client and really tailor a financial plan to their needs.”

She goes on to explain: “Whether someone has two million or twenty, many people want the same overall goal:

To make and sustain their investments and also to plan for the future. I meet with a client’s lawyer, or trust attorney, along with their CPA, to make sure we are all on the same page.”

Duran knows that the biggest part of her job is instilling trust and confidence in her clients. “Sometimes if you have multiple people running different aspects of your wealth, then they don’t know what you have, and you could be putting yourself at risk or underinvesting. My goal is to understand the full picture.”

That trust Duran knows only comes with time: “My first clients were people who knew me since I was a teenager. Now, most of my clients are referrals and that makes me happy because I want to focus on the highest level of quality for my clients.”

Managing a new business along with her family (husband Alex, and kids, Henry and Bradley), means there is a lot of work. And she is involved in our community: she serves on the Montecito School District Board and she works with several nonprofits including the Santa Barbara School of Squash, which helps underserved students through sport, squash, and education. Jacqueline is also a Rotarian and a member of the Women’s Fund.

Duran still finds time to relax: “My perfect day in Montecito is going for a jog across town, bringing a beach chair and sitting down at Miramar Beach, and a dinner at Loquita!”

If you want to get in touch with Jacqueline Duran, you can reach her at (805) 284-2037 or her website: www.durancapitalmanagement.com

“Santa

fabulous.

his crew were the BEST from day one. He was honest, timely, flexible, artistic, patient and skilled. They understood my vision and built my dream home”.

-Santa Barbara Resident

Jacqueline talking with longtime clients

Dalina Michaels former television news producer and writer. She is a Montecito native and graduated Westmont College with a degree in Communication Studies and Theatre Arts.

Montecito Miscellany New Owner Takes Over the Wine Bistro Property

by Richard Mineards

Montecito hedge fund titan Graham Duncan is the new owner of the late Pierre Lafond’s Wine Bistro in the Upper Village.

Duncan, co-founder of East Rock Capital, a multi-family investment office, bought the former Montecito home of Lisa Hearst Hagerman, granddaughter of legendary publisher William Randolph Hearst, for $19.4 million in March 2021.

The property, built in 1992, has five bedrooms and six bathrooms over 9,921 square feet on three acres. It also has a motor court with space for 12 plus autos.

Duncan, who graduated Yale in 1996, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the board of the Sohn Conference Foundation, which raises money for pediatric cancer research.

The Wine Bistro closed in July 2021, and has been empty since then. Duncan’s company, East Valley Kitchen LLC, is named on the eatery’s liquor license application.

The Symphony Pops

Santa Barbara Symphony, under bubbly guest maestro Bob Bernhardt, conductor of the Louisville Orchestra for 41 years, played its annual fun-filled New Year’s Eve Pop concert at the Granada with the music of James Bond, the Beatles, John Williams, Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd-Webber while guests donned party hats and quaffed Champagne.

Bernhardt, who missed last year’s

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Retail Boutique

In our lobby, we o er an array of curated products that you and your dog are sure to love.

“I’ve found that most people consistently underestimate their dog’s potential.

My purpose in life is to help people bring out the best in their dogs.”

NATHAN WOODS

Professional

“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” — Robin Sharma

Hedge fund tycoon Graham Duncan buys Pierre Lafond’s Wine Bistro

Mela Dailey and Bob Bernhardt performing at the NYE Pop concert (photo by Nik Blaskovich)

Photo by Todd Rosenberg Photography

7th

Polar Dip Supports Adam’s Angels

On a cold, windy, rainy New Year’s Eve afternoon, Adam McKaig texted me that he would be doing the Santa Barbara Polar Dip on New Year’s Day to benefit his nonprofit, Adam’s Angels. The event was founded by Hugh Margerum and Julie DeAngelis seven years ago with a single mission: “To bring people together by diving in the ocean every year on New Year’s Day.”

The requirements: no wetsuits, get completely wet in whatever time that takes, swimming optional. The event is held on the beach area across from the Cabrillo Boulevard Rainbow Arch. This year, over 100 people showed up, along with babies, doggies, costumes, hats, and floaties! There were 32 Adam’s Angels volunteers in for the dip, including Katy Perry’s parents, Keith and Mary Hudson, and Santa Barbara Trolley Company owner Teddi Drew with her children, aka The Drew Crew.

The sun gods were in fine favor for the event after a week of heavy rains, however, gale force winds and ocean swells posed an invigorating challenge. I texted my pro-surfer friend for the forecast, which was reported as: water

temperature at 59 degrees F with swells at 5.9 feet at 11 seconds from 267 degrees, air temperatures at 58 degrees F with west northwest winds at 14-15

story and photos by Joanne Calitri

event because of COVID, was joined by Grammy winning soprano Mela Dailey, also a ten-time nominee for the highly entertaining 90-minute show, which was guaranteed to get the audience singing and dancing in their seats.

Other works in the varied program included music from the musicals Chicago, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Music Man – with “76 Trombones” conducted by symphony board member Robert Weinman – Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, and “Hey Jude,” “Get Back,” “Yesterday,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Yellow Submarine” from the Fab Four’s extensive catalog.

A glorious way to welcome in 2023.

A 2023 Kick Off Luncheon in the Garden

As usual, tout le monde was at the New Year’s Day lunch thrown by affable gardening guru George Schoellkopf and international artist Gerald Incandela at their magnificent Summerland aerie.

The tony twosome, who fly between

their estates here and Washington, Connecticut, kicked off 2023 in splendiferous style with free-flowing vintage Bordeaux and Moët champagne, beef brisket that took three days to prepare in the baronial kitchen, English trifle prepared by George (a particular favorite), tiramisu, and persimmon pudding.

As usual, it was quite the turnout with Larry Feinberg and Starr Siegele, Robyn Geddes, Allan Glaser, Barbara Woods, Anne Towbes, Anne and Nick Fuchs , Trish Reynales , and Sandy Knox-Johnston

Always a cracking start to the New Year!

Yuletide Angels

Uber realtor Adam McKaig hosted his 10th annual Adam’s Angels Yuletide Lunch at the Veterans Building for 500 homeless while corralling a host of rockers, including Kenny Loggins, Maitland Ward, Jackson Gillies, The Traveling Hurtados, and Jan and Henry Ingram to entertain.

Ed Carty and Barbara Woods (photo by Robyn Geddes)

George Schoellkopf hosted a luxurious New Year’s Day lunch (photo by Robyn Geddes)

Robert Weinman, Santa Barbara Symphony guest conductor for The Music Man (photo by Nik Blaskovich)

THE FINEST MONTECITO & SANTA BARBARA HOMES

Guests noshed on 400 pounds of ham, and gargantuan amounts of potatoes and green beans, prepared by volunteers from the American Legion and elsewhere, finishing off the meal with Pepperidge Farm cookies.

The ubiquitous Drew Wakefield

emceed the event while singer Katy Perry’s father, Keith Hudson, offered an opening prayer.

Among the supporters turning out to help were Donna Reeves, Melissa Borders , Dana Hansen , Carmen Munoz, and Warren Butler

A Bountiful Feast at the Rescue Mission

David Fletcher, the head of food service at the Rescue Mission, certainly had his hands full for the Christmas Feast, which attracted 600 guests.

More than 52 turkeys, 29 hams, 120 pounds of potatoes, 20 pounds of broccoli, 40 pounds of collard greens, and 70 pounds of green beans went into the bounteous banquet, not to mention 12 gallons of ice cream in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies and cream flavors.

The Rescue Mission has an annual budget of $2.5 million and helps more than 2,000 people yearly. Between Thanksgiving and New Year,

“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” — Josiyah Martin

they expect to serve more than 10,000 needy people.

Opening the Castle Doors

Milt and Arlene Larsen opened the doors of their former club, the Magic Castle, to let the public know that the space by the Bird Refuge is now available for rental.

Sarah Anticouni ’s Groovy Vintage Clothing is already leasing space in the property, the former Cafe del Sol, so guests, including Alan and Lisa Parsons , Ginni Dreier , Teresa Kuskey and Rick Oshay , Ian and Denise Barrows

and

,

Lorraine McIntire

Adam’s Angels Christmas volunteers happily entertained, cooked, dished, and served to many appreciative and thankful guests (photo by Priscilla)

Brian Mann (keyboard), Kenny Loggins, L.P. Bertleson (Cajon), and Maitland Ward on the guitar (photo by Priscilla)

Guests Luis and Raul enjoying their dinner and conversations (photo by Priscilla)

Marco receiving a Christmas gift of new shoes from SBRM volunteers Joy Van Wickle and Kim Mullen (photo by Priscilla)

Santa Barbara Rescue Mission volunteers and staff helped serve 600 guests at the Christmas Feast (photo by Priscilla)

Encounters

by Ashleigh Brilliant

Acounsellor I once had habitually used the concept of enfolding in your arms metaphorically, to mean “accept” and “deal with.” If I told her “I’m having trouble,” she might say “Embrace trouble!” But she never said, “Hug trouble!”

You’ll have a hard job finding the word “hug” either in the Bible or in Shakespeare – but the concept of putting your arms around somebody, or something, to express warm, friendly, perhaps loving, emotions, is part of a universal language. One of the strongest expressions of this idea comes in the wise advice Polonius gives to his son Laertes, in Act I of Hamlet:

“Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.”

Those hoops of steel make a very vivid image. They always remind me of the metal rings around a barrel, keeping the wooden staves together and in place.

There are, of course, innumerable other usages in songs and poetry, of the hugging theme, from the sexual to the sublime. Holding someone you love seems to be one of the best things you can do with your arms.

And yet “arms” and related words, more often than not, refer to the opposite type of usage, having to do with weaponry and fighting, as in “Armaments,” “ArmsRace,” “Armor,” the call “To Arms!” and even “Armageddon.” (The latter derives from a real place called Megiddo, in what is now Israel, strategically located, and therefore often fought over.)

The Latin poet Virgil’s epic, The Aeneid, was in many ways a glorification of armed conflict. Its legendary hero, Aeneas, originally a leader of the men of Troy, having been one of the few on his side who survived the long war in which that city was besieged by the Greeks, wanders for years adventurously around the Mediterranean (including a year-long affair with Dido, the Queen of Carthage) and finally settles in Italy, where he turns out to be the actual founder of Rome.

How do I know all this? Not, in this case, from Google. Part of my British education was a study of Latin, in which one of our “set books” was a section of The Aeneid . (My main purpose was to qualify for admission to Oxford or Cambridge, which in those days – mid-Twentieth Century – still required Latin.) I did fairly well at Latin, but still failed to get into either of those prestigious universities, and had to settle for the much lower-class University College, London. So, all I was left with was some knowledge of

Latin, which however is often useful in understanding the derivation of many English words. (And also words in French, Spanish, or other Romance languages – the word “romance” itself deriving from “Roman.”)

But, getting back to the more affectionate uses of one’s arms, I am reminded of the poem, “Jabberwocky,” from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass (a sequel to Alice in Wonderland) which is full of made-up words. It climaxes with a passage in which an anxious father greets his son, who’s returning from a dangerous mission – his encounter with a ferocious monster:

“‘And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’ He chortled in his joy.”

Of course, nothing beats that truly loving hug to express joyful affection. And, as we are well aware, hugging is often only a prelude to kissing. But there is a prelude to hugging, called holding hands, whose sexual power was expressed by the Beatles, in their song, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Speaking of hand-power, in the early days of experimentation with electricity – around the time of Benjamin Franklin’s tinkering with kites, keys, and lightning – it was found that a mild electric current could be transmitted between people holding hands – and this worked even with a long line of hand-linked persons. In fact, the length of the line seemed to make no difference, so long as it was unbroken. The “signal” reached from one end of the line to the other in no measurable time. But nobody then conceived the idea of actually sending messages this way. And it was another century before transmission along wires led to the beginnings of telegraphy.

This may help to explain the sparks of “static electricity” which are sometimes experienced between people, or between one person and an object, such as a carpet. So the “tingling” often said to be felt between lovers isn’t necessarily pure poetry.

Robert’s Big Questions Effective Altruism?

by Robert Bernstein

Iam writing this during the end of year “Season of Giving.” Most of us will ask the same question: What is the most effective giving? How do you decide? There is a difference between feeling good and actually doing good. There is a new movement of “Effective Altruism” led by philosophers including Peter Singer, Toby Ord, and William MacAskill.

A group “Giving What We Can” offers an online Effective Giving Guide. Start by identifying the most important causes. Then identify the most effective organizations working on those causes. They claim that some organizations are 100 times more effective than others. They note that some organizations even make things worse!

If we send food to a region suffering famine, we have to be careful not to put farmers out of business in that region. Their advice on identifying the best causes? “Find big, tractable, and neglected problems.” Tractable means there are known solutions that can be put into practice. Neglected means low-hanging fruit that has not yet been picked. “Big” means getting to the root of the problem on the biggest scale possible.

They identify three “high impact cause areas”: Global health and development; animal welfare (primarily ending the cruelty of factory farms); safeguarding the long-term future.

With regard to the latter, the Climate Crisis is an obvious target. But they include less obvious issues like Artificial Intelligence safety and Biosecurity.

They note several factors in evaluating effectiveness: Transparency, proven track record, theoretical basis of action, room for more funding. Some organizations are very effective by working at a small, personal scale. These can be valuable, but they are often saturated with funding and cannot grow.

I have observed that people often burn out working on big issues because they don’t see the impact. They end up working in a soup kitchen or planting trees because they can see the fruits of their labor and get immediate rewards and thanks.

International rescue individual prisoners of conscience inevitably leads to wider awareness of justice.

Something similar holds with the Climate Crisis. Individual actions like riding the bus or biking instead of driving can help, but they are not enough. But, if people start doing these things, it is the start of buying into bigger changes. People come to realize that better public transit and bike routes are needed.

And people start to see less obvious solutions: Educating girls leads to fewer unwanted babies, which is a huge benefit to the Climate Crisis.

How to know how effective an organization is? There are “charity evaluators.” A famous one is Charity Navigator, which shows how efficient an organization is at funding actual projects rather than overhead or advertising. But they are not good at evaluating the effectiveness of the actual projects.

“Giving What We Can” recommends the evaluator “Giving Well.” But this focuses mostly on global health and development. Search online “Giving What We Can” “best charities” to see a list of their funds on a wider range of issues.

In my ideal world there would be no such thing as “charities.” There would be economic, environmental, and social justice. I will write more on this another time.

The economist John Maynard Keynes famously said, “In the long run we are all dead.” It is a mistake endlessly to take short-term measures to save lives while ignoring the long-term root issues. But, real people don’t live in the long run. They need to eat today. It is essential to do both.

My dear late friend Ralph Fertig devoted his life to bicycle transportation activism. That is where he put all of his time, effort, and money. He explained this: He could spread his effort around. But, by focusing clearly and intelligently on one issue, he was being most effective.

We each must find what feels right for us. Ideally, through effective organizations. And, if we and these organizations do our job well, we will put such organizations out of business!

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

In the 1980s the U.S. was laying waste to Central America by funding terrorist organizations and governments. Millions of Americans donated to organizations to stop the injustice and bloodshed. But it was hard to see the results. Some organizations found a middle path: Do direct aid in a way that raises awareness of the larger problems. After all, how will you feel if you help build a school or hospital in Nicaragua and Reagan’s contra terrorists burn it down? You start to see the bigger picture very quickly. Likewise, helping Amnesty

Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook.com/ questionbig

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” — J.P. Morgan

Five Science-backed Ways to Reach Your New Year’s Resolutions

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“The issue is not the resolutions themselves, but how we approach them,” says Katy Milkman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business who researches the “fresh start effect.”

Make meaningful, value-driven resolutions: When a goal fits with your priorities, it’s much easier to keep it. For instance, spending less money is a good goal, but there are many ways to spend money (and targeted ads urging you to do so). A supervising psychologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Charissa Chamorro, suggests that you think about your top five values and how your goal of spending less fits in with these values.

Get super specific with how you’ll work towards your goals: Milkman says that the problem with resolutions is that they are too vague: I’ll be more patient, I’ll volunteer more, and I’ll save money. These goals are great, but they don’t tell you how to realize them. Plan how you’ll reach your benchmark goal after you’ve set it. Research shows that people are more likely to reach their goals when they have a plan for how to make a change.

Break your resolution down into mini-goals: Most people cannot withstand a major life change, and major milestones can feel overwhelming and stressful. Milkman says that people often give up on their goals if they are too easy or too hard, so breaking them up into smaller goals helps people stick to them.

Make your mini-goals fun and rewarding: If you want to read more, buy yourself a latte before you start a new book. Or download your favorite podcast to listen to while you go on your self-imposed daily walk. “By combining a temptation with a chore,” says Milkman, “that chore becomes something you associate with pleasure, and you start looking forward to it instead of dreading it.”

Be prepared for when you mess up or want to quit: Instead of beating yourself up for making mistakes or giving in to temptations, remind yourself that the key to reaching your goals is persistence, not perfection. Studies show that missing a few days of a new behavior doesn’t stop it from becoming a habit. When you make a mistake, focus on your goal again.

The Senate is on the Verge of Enacting

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After 10 years of effort, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which would mandate reasonable workplace accommodations to allow pregnant workers to safely work, is likely to pass. The Senate voted 73-24 to add it as an amendment to the mustpass omnibus government spending measure, and the House will shortly consider it. If both pass the omnibus, President Joe Biden will receive the PWFA.

Half of the workforce is comprised of women, and approximately 85 percent of them will have children. Pregnant women in all professions are at risk of workplace prejudice. Over 20 percent of pregnant workers perform low-wage occupations, which are often physically demanding but offer little control over workplace conditions.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission receives pregnancy discrimination complaints from low-wage sectors like retail, food services, and administrative services. These three industries consistently make up a third of complaints.

The PWFA requires employers to provide pregnant workers with light duty, the opportunity to have a water bottle on the job, and unpaid leave for doctor’s appointments (unless they pose an undue hardship). Since 2012, advocates have introduced it in Congress.

“Pregnancy should never be a barrier for women who want to stay in the workplace,” said Senator Bob Casey, one of the sponsors. “This legislation would provide commonsense protections for pregnant workers, like extra bathroom breaks or a stool for workers who stand, so they can continue working while not putting extra strain on their pregnancies.” Thirty states and five localities have adopted the PWFA, which is the most in the decade since its introduction.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which is now in effect, is intended to allow pregnant workers to continue working. However, it allows pregnant worker workplace accommodations if “similar” individuals are given the same permission, and courts have long held that those who are injured on the job, who frequently receive accommodations, are not sufficiently similar to pregnant workers. Additionally, the Americans with Disabilities Act only covers pregnant workers with certain health conditions, leaving healthy pregnancies unprotected. “Neither of them provide an explicit right to accommodation,” Sarah Brafman, national policy director at A Better Balance, stated in 2020.

There is much more to be done, but this one step could potentially assure that pregnant women don’t have to choose between their health and their finances.

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We can answer the question that kept you up last night.

Maria Ressa

How to Stand Up to a Dictator

Thu, Jan 19 / 7:30 PM

UCSB Campbell Hall

Celebrated for her commitment to free expression and democratic government, journalist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa tells the story of how democracy dies and offers an urgent cry for us to recognize the danger before it is too late.

An Evening with Amor Towles

Thu, Feb 2 / 7:30 PM

UCSB Campbell Hall

Through his evocative, absorbing novels including Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles has become a critical favorite and a popular success.

Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour

Christian Sands, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Lakecia Benjamin, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn

Sun, Jan 29 / 7 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

Celebrating 65 Years, the illustrious Monterey Jazz Festival sends six of its finest jazz ambassadors – including Grammy-winning vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling – to Santa Barbara as part of its popular touring program.

Pink Martini featuring China Forbes

Cirque FLIP Fabrique

Fri, Feb 3 / 8 PM / Granada

Theatre Tickets going fast!

“A rollicking around-the-world musical adventure.”

– Thomas Lauderdale, bandleader/pianist

Elegant, fun and blessed with flawless musicianship, the globetrotting Pink Martini is a perennial Santa Barbara favorite that guarantees an evening of enchanting international entertainment.

Muse

Sun, Feb 5 / 7 PM Granada

Theatre

Canada’s thrilling FLIP Fabrique explores what it means to be your true self in Muse, a refreshing view of contemporary circus that combines breathtaking artistry and athleticism and challenges gender roles.

Kurt Elling

Dee Dee Bridgewater

Montecito Reads Another Visit From the Agents

Take a sneak peek of Montecito by Michael Cox in this ongoing serialization of his yet-to-be-published book. This fictional story is inspired by “tales of true crime THAT HAPPENED HERE.” After Hollis’s home visit from Agent Andrews, he receives another knock at the door. Chapters 44 and 45 are available online at montecitojournal.net and the QR code below.

and crew. He looked nice. He looked professional. He looked somewhat like me.

Next was Agent Randall, a five-feet-two African American woman with piercing obsidian eyes and a magnificent explosion of curly hair. She nodded; no smile. Physically, she was the polar opposite of Agent Smith from my last batch of FBI visitors, but she was no less intimidating.

I said hello, hollered into the kitchen that I would be in the gar-office, and led the two agents around the house. Now a veteran of FBI visits, I scanned the street as we walked, noticing the black Chevrolet Suburban parked across the street and yet another agent standing outside the vehicle. I thought back to Agent Andrews and crew, with their P90X muscles, natty suits, and Mercedes Benz Sprinter. They must have been the advance guard, I reasoned; this was the calvary. Though I would have expected FBI agents to be assigned to this case and work it to conclusion, what did I know? Other than what I had seen on the silver screen, the answer was not much.

As before, I made the gar-office as hospitable as possible, finding and dusting off a second folding chair for my two visitors. We all took our seats; I smiled, waiting for my update.

“Appreciate you talking with us, Mr. Crawford,” Agent Quinton said. “Of course.” I assumed there would be many more meetings to come until the Cyrus Wimby affair could be filed away.

“We just have a few questions,” Agent Quinton said, flipping through a manilla folder until he found what he was looking for and holding it up for my viewing pleasure. “Have you seen this man before?”

I cocked my head slightly, examining the black and white photo. My mouth went slack.

Montecito

by Michael Cox

Chapter 46

The next morning, we woke to crisp, fog-free skies. Sometimes paradise makes it hard not to smile.

I confessed to Cricket that I could not take another run-in with Cyrus. She called me a wimp but agreed to let me stay home with Trip while she escorted Isabel to school. As penance, I would be Trip’s stand-in teacher for the day; a penalty I secretly enjoyed.

One of my sidelines of study during Trip’s hospital convalescence was researching how to teach reading and spelling to kids with dyslexia. I was sure to begin as a below average tutor, but my hourly fee was excellent. Already, Trip and I were developing a solid teacher-pupil relationship in math. Trip loved to talk and hated worksheets. So, I worked up a curriculum to make math a conversation about the things that interested him; needless to say, Legos featured heavily in these lesson plans.

Of course, I could not pretend to be Trip’s teacher forever. Both of us would eventually have to grow up. Trip would have a second of many surgeries the following week to begin the repair of nerve damage in his quadricep; his physical therapy would begin shortly thereafter. But already Montecito Union Elementary had made gracious arrangements to accommodate his massive wheelchair and – barring further setbacks – the plan was to have him back on campus by the beginning of November.

My growing up was harder to schedule. Technically, I was still the Chief Executive Officer of ExOh Holdings, but the clock on that experiment was nearly zero. I spoke hypothetically with Paul about my independent contractor idea and he thought it was perfect. He suggested that CryptoWallet had several delayed projects in need of someone with skills just like mine. This made me smile as I thought of all the bore holes I had dug in CryptoWallet’s supposed security. If Paul were right, and I landed CryptoWallet as an initial client, my new business would be off and running. Paul and I even brainstormed before coming up with the perfect name for my new shop: Fogbank Consulting.

As exciting as that was, it could not begin until the current chapter in my life was closed. And so, I waited.

Just after lunch – a meal I was beginning to enjoy again for the first time in months – the bell rang. Once again, I spied navy blue suits through the front door’s sidelight windows: the FBI was back. I wanted to throw the door open and scream hallelujah. Instead, I calmly opened the door and smiled. Despite the subdued relative greeting, I still wondered how often FBI agents were greeted with smiles.

Two new agents stood outside my door that afternoon, a man and a woman. As with Agents Andrews, Smith, and Green, they flashed their bi-fold wallet credentials and introduced themselves.

The first to speak was Agent Quinton: brown eyes, a putting green of brown hair, and a brown tie. Lean and angular, he looked like a cross-country runner. His suit was navy but not nearly as tailored as the ones worn by Agent Andrews

“Maybe this picture will jog your memory,” Agent Quinton said, holding up a second photo of the man, this time taken in front of my home with yours truly standing next to him.

The photographed man was Vlad: menacing, didn’t-know-where-Cyruslived Vlad.

“How did …,” I started then stopped.

“Do you know this man?” Agent Quinton repeated.

“Yes,” I said. “Well, I mean, I have met him,” I clarified. “Obviously, right. There I am in a picture with him.” I chuckled uncomfortably as my mouth went sandpaper dry.

“How do you know this man?” Agent Quinton said, filing away his photos.

“Well,” I stammered. “He approached me in front of my house one day. It was a few months ago. I had never seen him before. He told me that his name was Vlad and that he was looking for my boss and then I told him that I was on my way to see my boss, so he told me to get in his car and he would drive us both over there.” My nervous recollections sounded like the sort of sloppy story my children would tell. Stay calm, Hollis, I told myself. These guys are on your team.

Agent Quinton turned to Agent Randall and nodded.

“Who is your boss?” Agent Randall asked, speaking for the first time. Unfortunately for me, her voice was as piercing as her eyes.

“Are you kidding me?” I said with a nervous laugh. Surely Agent Daniel Andrews had given the rest of the FBI team the backstory along with my dossier on Cyrus, right? Why were we repeating things? Did they just need to hear me validate prior information? What a waste of time. “Look, I appreciate the need to be thorough,” I said. “But I think if you’ll go back and read—”

“It’s actually a really easy question,” Agent Randall interrupted. “But if you’d rather be cute about it, we can move on. I really don’t care.”

I raised my hands in surrender. “I am sorry. I wasn’t meaning to—”

“How does your boss know Vladimir Petronovski?” Agent Randall again interrupted.

I flinched. Not that Vlad’s full name meant anything to me, but the full ring of it was ominous. “Well, I’m not certain, but Cyrus – Cyrus Wimby, that’s my boss’s name – Cyrus made it sound like he and Vlad had been business partners before,” I said. “Vlad was in town to get an update on the business I was involved in: ExOh Holdings.”

SANTA BARBARA

HOPE RANCH MONTECITO

Scan here for Chapters 44 & 45

“I see,” Agent Quinton said. “So, were you present during their meeting?”

“I was only there for the beginning,” I said. “I was dismissed; Cyrus sent me home in an Uber.”

“Is this you exiting that meeting, approximately ten minutes after you arrived?” Agent Randall said, flashing yet another eight-by-ten black and white photo. My forehead wrinkled. “Yes,” I said. “Where did you get these photos?”

Agent Randall filed the photo away without answer. “What do you know about Vladimir Petronovski, Mr. Crawford?”

Why were they asking about Vlad? He certainly seemed like a shady character, but shouldn’t they be asking me about Cyrus? A creeping fusion of anxiety, fear, and bewilderment weighed on me like a stone. “I really don’t know him at all,” I protested. “Somehow, you guys have found photographs that bookend the only time I ever met him; what are the chances of that?”

Another nervous laugh. “We have never communicated other than that brief ten-minute period, and Cyrus didn’t tell me anything about their meeting other than what I’ve already relayed. That’s it; that’s all I know.”

The Agents again looked at each other, communicating in silent head nods and subtle twitches just as Agents Andrews and Smith had. They must teach this code at FBI school, I thought. Agent Quinton went back to his manilla folder and pulled out four more photos. “Do you recognize any of these men?”

I examined the photos one at a time. Three of the four were hard-looking men, reminiscent of Vlad. Thankfully, I had never seen any of them before. The fourth sent a shiver down my spine.

“This one,” I finally said when my voice returned. “I don’t know his full name. I only know him as Landon. He was introduced to me as Cyrus’s longtime friend and was set to be the Chief Executive Officer of ExOh.” I paused. “But he died in a surfing accident, and then Cyrus asked me to take that job.”

Agent Randall snorted and shook her head. “Surfing accident? That’s a good one.”

“It’s true,” I argued as facts, lies, and mysteries swirled in my head like a storm cloud. “I was one of the people who found his body on the beach.”

“Sure, sure,” Agent Randall said. “One hundred percent accident.” She stood and moved to examine my gar-office in more detail. Not that there was anything to hide, but the naked exposure of a stranger rifling through my things made me uncomfortable. Even if my things were flat-tired bicycles and old garden equipment.

“What is your relationship with Cyrus… Wimby was it?” Agent Quinton asked. Wimby was it? Was this guy joking? Was I supposed to believe that the last name of the chief bad guy had escaped his memory? I swallowed my frustration and smiled. “I work for Cyrus Wimby. I’m the Chief Executive Officer of ExOh Holdings,” I said. “At least for a little while.”

Agent Quinton cocked his head. “You expect your employment to terminate?”

“I don’t see how that can be avoided,” I said with another nervous laugh. “Do you?”

The agents looked at each other quizzically just as Cricket hollered from the back door of our house, “Do you guys want some water?”

“Yes! Please!” I said. Lickety-split, Cricket appeared with three cold bottles. I greedily gulped mine down, soaking my sandpaper throat.

“Can I get you anything else?” Cricket asked.

The agents awkwardly shook their heads, no.

“Ok,” she said. “Shout if you change your minds.” Then she left as quickly as she arrived.

Agent Randall retook her seat, her eyebrows arched; Agent Quinton cracked a confused smile. They each took a sip of water then resumed their inquisition. “How long have you worked for Cyrus Wimby?” Agent Quinton asked. At this question, I likely rolled my eyes. Granted, rolling your eyes at a pair of FBI Agents is unlikely to be well received, but it happened reflexively. As before, I had already answered this question with Agent Andrews. Re-plowing old fields was a waste of all our time. I hoped we could jump through this validation exercise quickly and get on to new material. “Eight months,” I said.

“And tell me about your company,” Agent Quinton continued. “What

does ExOh Holdings do?”

I sighed. Dumb move.

“Do you have a problem?” Agent Randall asked as much with her eyes as her voice.

I shook my head, no. “I’m sorry. It’s just – with all due respect – we’ve been over this already.”

Agent Quinton looked at his partner; Agent Randall shrugged. “We have?” “Well,” I backtracked, “not me and you, we. But with Agent Daniel Andrews and his partner Agent Smith.”

Agent Randall reclined, crossing her arms over her chest. Agent Quinton, meanwhile, leaned forward, elbows on knees, his hands clasped in prayer. My heart began to gallop.

“Tell me about Agent Daniel Andrews,” Agent Quinton said. My eyes darted pleadingly from one agent to the other. “Agent Daniel Andrews?” I repeated as if the problem was that they had not heard me correctly. “Of the FBI? He’s the head of the Global Trade Surveillance unit, has a master’s degree from Cornell… is a guest lecturer at Harvard. He’s tall, muscular, looks like… like… like one of you?” I heard my voice squeak, my confidence disappearing like water circling a bathtub drain.

Again, the agents consulted each other in their indecipherable, wordless language. Agent Quinton turned from his partner back to me and rested his chin on top of his clasped hands. “Here’s the thing, Mr. Crawford. The FBI doesn’t have a Global Trade Surveillance unit.”

“And,” Agent Randall added, “There is no Agent Daniel Andrews.”

Tune in next week for more Montecito

Michael Cox is a 2005 graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Wall Street refugee. Including Montecito, Michael has written three novels, each in various stages of the path to publication. He can be reached at mcox@alumni.gsb.stanford.edu.

Joyce Sosner:

In PassingMarch 27, 1930 – December 2, 2022

Library Mojo 2022:

In Brief

by Kim Crail, Librarian at Montecito Library

As we welcome the start of a new year, we would like to share some pictures from the Montecito Library from the past year. We are notoriously bad at asking for people to pose (privacy is bedrock for library folks), but are trying to make more of an effort to document some of the joy and lifelong learning experiences at our little branch library.

Origami

Local Knowledge

Local presenters, like historian Betsy Green , beekeeper and photographer

It’s hard to capture the everyday conversations and connections with our staff, but we would be remiss in not mentioning the incredible origami displays that rotate monthly made by our very own library star, Janet. Have you gotten one of her amazing bookmarks? They have become a hot commodity over here.

Music

Music at the library makes our hearts sing. Our annual Día Celebration featured Santa Barbara Flamenco students of all ages dancing in the Community Hall. Our Summer Reading Program, in addition to encouraging children to read and

“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” —

Thomas Jefferson

talk about their books, featured musician Craig Newton who gave a lesson on 10 instruments from around the world.

Amazing origami display by Janet

Flamenco SB performed for our Día Celebration

Craig Newton shared 10 musical instruments for the Summer Reading Program

Space Talks for kids with Tom Farr

Library Locally owned and operated for over 42 years 14 State Street | 962-0049 | Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5

Mojo IT’S SNOWING! FREE INSTALLATION WITH RACK PURCHASE

Head To Toe Gear For The Whole Family Custom Boot Fitting Custom Heat Moldable Boots Custom Insoles Affordable Rentals & Demos DUMP ALERT! 5 FEET of new snow and more on the way!

J

oyce Sosner, beloved wife of Norman for 66 years, passed away on December 2, following a bad fall which caused serious internal injuries. She is grievously mourned by her sons David and Jeremy , their wives Leonie and Sissy, grandchildren Marina and Noah as well as countless friends in Hawaii and Santa Barbara where her generous community volunteerism raised large sums of money for a number of charities, mainly the Santa Barbara Symphony. She was much admired for her creative “Affairs to Remember,” a highly successful program of entertaining fundraisers in which she recruited the help of volunteer hostesses, musicians, and singers.

Stories Matter

Let’s Travel

by Leslie Zemeckis

With the holidays behind us, if you’re like me, you long to travel. Well, this month’s list of books will send you from Havana to Singapore, and all from the comfort of your couch.

In Armando Lucas Correa’s tremendously moving The Night Travelers, we arrive in Berlin in this story spanning three generations of women. Ally, a single mother, and her bi-racial daughter Lilith are caught in the rise of Nazi power, who wish to rid the country of those not “pure” of race. In desperation, Ally sends Lilith to Cuba, where later, Lilith is caught in the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s and is forced to make the same agonizing decision as her mother, to send her daughter Nadine to the U.S. for safety. Years later, Nadine moves to Berlin for college and the past of all three women collides. This is a stunning story of sacrifice and love.

In a remote Alaskan town, the entire city resides in one giant building. Oscar-nominated Iris Yamashita’s debut fiction is City Under One Roof. Detective Cara Kennedy arrives in the strange city to investigate the appearance of a severed hand and foot. When she is trapped in the eerie city by an avalanche, she must deal with hostile residents who don’t seem to want answers to the possible murders. This is an original and page-turning debut.

The Mitford Affair drops us into 1930s London amongst six sisters, some who have a compulsive attraction to Hitler and fascism. Marie Benedict catches the exact breezy notes of the upper society sisters, that turn all too ominous as Diana, Unity, and even their parents fall under the spell of Hitler leading to a disastrous conclusion for at least one of the sisters. A tale about spies, the upper crust, and where one’s loyalty lies, with family or country?

A cross the pond we go to Wiltshire in The Girls Who Disappeared. After a night of partying with three friends, teen Olivia crashes her car, seriously injuring herself. Mysteriously all three of her friends have vanished. Two decades later, on the anniversary of the girls’ disappearance, a journalist, Jenna, appears in town hoping to unravel the mystery. Soon Jenna begins to hear babies crying and mysterious figures appear in the woods. Is the girl still out there and now coming for Jenna? Author Claire Douglas writes a taught mystery shrouded in guilt and secrets.

Aheart-wrenching tale of one woman’s search for her children is the heart of Eleanor Shearer’s River Sing Me Home. Rachel is a runaway enslaved woman in the Caribbean determined to find her five children sold and given away. A story about what a mother will do – even if it will hurt to know the answers – to find what became of those she loves the most. Rachel is a strong, determined woman willing to do anything for the truth and this book is magnificent.

Kyla Zhao writes a fun tale with Fraud Squad, a sort of Rich Asians set in a world of Singapore’s high society. Samantha, slogging along in an entry-level position in a PR firm, longs to write for S, the high fashion magazine. When she meets Timothy, an heir to a vast fortune, she convinces him to turn her into a socialite to hilarious and unexpected results.

Leslie Zemeckis is an award-winning documentarian, best-selling author, and actor. The creator of “Stories Matter,” professional female authors mentoring the next generation of female storytellers, co-sponsored by SBIFF.

My children and friends report to me by phone, a burst of progress in the restoration of utilities but with warnings of contamination and safety issues. Water explosions come in spurts from my open faucets. This is followed in two days – on January 27 – by the lifting of mandatory evacuation.

Though still without natural gas or internet service, I have survived these two terrible sequential Montecito tragedies.

Richard Schultz

Debris Flow in Riven Rock

A Personal Journey Through a Sea of Mud

Dear Montecito You Should Be Reading More Queer Stories

by Stella Haffner

It is always a pleasure to host artists in the Dear Montecito column. I feel that their stories and reflections help ground us, particularly when the current event landscape feels so urgent and so claustrophobic. As the opening to our 2023 column, I wanted to invite a young writer to use this space to reflect on the closing of 2022 as a year of change. This week we are reading a piece from emerging non-binary writer and recent graduate of UCSB, Julia Barrera (they/them).

Dear Montecito,

by Frank McGinity

I’m reluctant to report on our experiences with the January 9th flood. It was difficult because 45% of our home was damaged. We couldn’t even get into our property for a month to view the damage. Yet the final result turned out to be very successful. But we mourn the 23 people who died as a result of the tragic flood. My neighbor – Roy Rohter – who lived across the Hot Springs creek from our home, was killed. If we had been home and opened our front door, we would both be dead as well.

We live in Riven Rock, a neighborhood of 34 homes surrounded by a thick stone wall surrounding 87 acres. This is where Stanley McCormick lived for 40 years. He was the son of Cyrus McCormick, the inventor of the mechanical reaper and one of the leaders of the Industrial Revolution. Unfortunately, Stanley had a form of schizophrenia and was confined to Riven Rock with his two male nurses.

But half of this beautiful estate, which Stanley created, turned to a sea of mud on January 9th, 2018. Four homes were completely destroyed. Our home took a big hit, The mud entered the rear of the house and disseminated our office, entry hall, and back bedroom. There were boulders so large in the rooms, our contractor had to chisel them apart in order to remove them. I found a TV from the office and a mattress near our front gate – 500 feet away. Can you imagine the fury of that mudslide? We were fortunate that the living room, library, and even the swimming pool remained untouched. The living room, built around 1915, was built as Stanley McCormick’s personal theatre.

My two sons, Greg and Tim, came up from Los Angeles to help us salvage some of our personal belongings. But you had to be careful. I sank in two feet of mud and had to be pulled out. There was an ironic twist to salvaging what was in the garage. We had two parking spaces in the garage filled with boxes and paraphernalia. Today the garage is completely empty.

The landscape looked like a sea of mud or a moonscape. Over 100 trucks loads were needed to remove all the mud from the house, landscape, and yard. The only part of our landscape remaining was a 190-pound statue of Emperor Qin, which we purchased in Xi’an, China. Emperor Qin (circa 220 BC) was ruthless, but considered one of the strongest rulers in China’s history.

There were a few bright spots. Our Riven Rock community pulled together, and invested, to return the neighborhood to what it was before the flood. My two sons were a big help in this time of need. And even my grandson, Marty, was a help as well. He emptied his piggy bank and sent the coins to Grandpa.

Property insurance, of course, was a big part of our successful recovery. We were very fortunate.

Frank McGinity

The morning of November 20, I woke up and learned there had been a mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ club in Colorado Springs, taking the lives of five people. Scrolling through condolence posts and digital outpourings of grief on social media, I felt sorrow one could only feel as an inextricable part of a grieving whole. I felt the echoes of Pulse, the countless Twitter threads of missing and murdered trans women of color, the pictures of the bloody faces of queer women beaten on the subway. This story felt so familiar, and yet cut so deep.

It is easy to feel like LGBTQ+ people are bound by an endless cycle of tragedy and violence. To be queer in America is to be in a state of whiplash, fighting for self-love and community as the world burns around you. However, on the front of our battle against destruction are our stories. The evidence that we have lived. Sometimes the only thing we leave behind that others cannot own.

In this letter, I wanted to reflect on the importance of queer storytelling, not just for the queer community, but for those outside of it. Montecito, I believe you should be reading more queer stories, and I will tell you why.

As a queer, nonbinary writer, my identity has been the central focus of most of my pieces, particularly during my undergraduate education at UCSB. With each flourish of the keyboard, I explored myself in beautiful and limitless ways, crafting my narrative on my own terms with unflinching honesty. I wrote candidly about my coming out experience and my gender identity, channeling thoughts I believed I would never get to say, and building dreams I had only imagined. Recording my narrative became a catharsis, helping me to affirm that my experiences were real, that my identity was real. Being able to have that self-exploration motivated me

to seek out community, hoping to find kinship in the act of storytelling.

As a Raab Writing Fellow and Feminist Studies honors student, I embarked on projects cataloging not only my own story but other LGBTQ+ students’ stories, including my senior thesis and a multimedia zine. In many ways, those projects were love letters to future members of the queer community, those who were questioning their identities and needed the reassurance that there were others out there like them.

But queer stories have an added, incredibly important benefit: they are the vessels that introduce queer life to the world, dispel myths, and humanize us. What happened at Club Q was no isolated incident, nor a case of a “lone wolf” or “bad apple.” What happened at Club Q is what Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls “the danger of a single story.”

In a TED Talk in 2009, Adichie recalls an experience where her American college roommate was surprised that she knew how to use a stove or speak English; when Adichie was asked to play her “tribal music,” the roommate was shocked to be presented with a Mariah Carey tape. This was the impact of her roommate’s “single story of Africa”: the expectation of someone completely different from what she had been taught.

Many non-LGBTQ people consume and reproduce an incredibly dangerous “single story” about the queer community, especially about trans and gender non-conforming people. In this narrative, cisgender, heterosexual people are the heroes in a crusade to defeat queer people, the one-dimensional monsters under

“It

is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot

Julia Barrera

The Riven Rock property and driveway before (left) and after

knot gusts (side shore). I mentioned it to DeAngelis who promptly laughed and said, “We don’t care, everyone who showed up is going in the ocean.”

After calling the attendees together by megaphone, Margerum gave a briefing of the dip requirements, prizes, proof of the dip certificates for those who do it, donations to Adam’s Angels, and set up the group for photo ops.

As it got close to the 11:30 am start time, the swimmers stripped down to their swimsuits or less, and formed lines across the shoreline chanting “polar dip” over and over while doing calisthenics to stay pumped up. Next, Margerum gave the shout for the 10-second mark and everyone counted down out loud together, and festively shouted as they ran into the ocean, some hand-in-hand, jumping and splashing. The waves were relentless, and the scene of 100 swimmers on the beach stopped traffic along Cabrillo Boulevard.

After the dip, there were lots of hugs and huge smiles on many cold-water-reddened bodies, most who bravely jumped back into their warmer clothes to sip beverages and savor the swim.

For McKaig, it was his first polar dip, and he shared with me afterwards via text, “What a great event! I’ve wanted to attend this event for the past two years, but real estate work got in the way. I committed to this year’s polar dip while bagging non-perishables with fellow volunteer, Hugh Margerum. When it was announced that Adam’s Angels would be the beneficiary, it heightened the level of excitement. I counted 32 Angels in the ocean dip, but could be much more. Hugh and Julie put on a successful community event that had us all shivering with fun, excitement, and cold welcoming the new year. I am hooked! As far as donations, we don’t have a tally yet. Should one still want to donate, they can find us at adamsangels.life.”

411: Instagram @polardipsb

Society’s First Babies of

2023

Your Montecito Journal news correspondent is happy to report and welcome our town’s first babies of 2023, starting with Rose Peters, a girl and first child to parents Por Soua and Grayson Peters of Goleta. Born at 3:33 am on January 1 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Rose weighed in at 6 pounds

and was 18.75 inches in length. Society Invites nods to Maria Zate, Manager of Public Relations for Cottage Hospital, who is on call for me every year for this 24 hour news!

As a special report, I am keeping our baby announcements on throughout the month of January, inviting all to stay posted and feel free to contact me at the email in my bio for any birth announcements!

Branden Aroyan, NASA geologist Tom Farr , and legendary actor Anthony Zerbe, all shared their craft with us and made this place a little brighter.

Regular Gatherings

Our ongoing events continued to create community. Knit ‘n’ Needle and Stay & Play were our most popular programs, meeting weekly and providing a space for fiber artists, caregivers, and young children to get together. Our Poetry Club drew newcomers as well as several Santa Barbara Poet Laureates, as volunteer leader Carole Baral passed the torch to Carli this year. I’d like to give a special shoutout to

anyone who has attended Book Club in 2022. It’s been stimulating and enjoyable to get to know you better and hear your perspective as we’ve read books that have been a mix of challenging, heartwarming, thought-provoking, and delightful.

Looking to 2023

We have some new ideas in the works and expect to spend another wonderful year learning and laughing with you. Please come in to join one of our programs, sign up for a library card, explore and use our digital library, get a book recommendation, or spend some time browsing for inspiration.

Whatever goals you are hoping to accomplish in 2023, the Montecito Library is here for you.

January Events:

Stay & Play - Tuesdays, Drop in anytime 9-10:30 am

Knit ‘n’ Needle - Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm Montecito Book Club: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui - Tues, 1/24, 12-1 pm See

Joanne A. Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

Beekeeping presentation with Branden Aroyan

Poetry Club hosted a reading by Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Emma Trelles

Poetry Club meeting outside with special guest poets Paul Willis and Sojourner Kincaid Rolle

Final Book Club of 2022

Kim is the Librarian at the Montecito Library. Questions or comments? Contact her: kcrail@santabarbaraca.gov

Expansion of hours back to normal for 2022

Rose Peters with her parents Por Soua and Grayson Peters (photo courtesy SB Cottage Hospital)

Rose Peters is the first baby born in 2023 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (photo courtesy SB Cottage Hospital)

On Entertainment Abundance After the Winter Dry Spell

by Steven Libowitz

The arts and entertainment scene in Santa Barbara stays particularly fallow in the current year-spanning four-week period, as none of the major producing organizations in town are staging events between mid-December and mid-January, save for the Santa Barbara Symphony’s annual New Year’s Eve concert. The Lobero is the first downtown to spring back into action, via a January 14 date with John Tesh, the news reporter/ sportscaster/Entertainment Tonight host turned pop singer-pianist-composer, followed by two shows with Los Lobos, the great Grammy-winning band from East L.A., who will play an electric concert followed by an acoustic show January 20-21.

Everybody else will be back in business by mid-February if not sooner, with Camerata Pacifica the last to resume performances via an enticing concert featuring the return of both clarinetist Jose Franch-Ballester and former principal violinist Paul Huang on February 17. In between, the Santa Barbara Symphony starts off 2023 on January 21 with the cleverly titled program “Plains, Trains & Violins” that boasts the concert world premiere of the late Academy-Award winning former Montecito resident Elmer Bernstein’s Toccata for Toy Trains arranged into a concert piece by his son Peter. CAMA comes back to the Granada on January 25 with the return of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Riccardo Muti, who is winding down his final season with the CSO this year.

On local theatrical stages, UCSB’s Launch Pad gets thing underway with its Amplify (formerly BIPOC) Reading Series Festival on January 13-14, while the Rubicon Theatre Company jumps back into action via a January 25-February 12 engagement with Outer Critics/Drama League Award-nominated The Realistic Joneses, which reteams RTC favorites Joe Spano and Faline England in a piece praised to be both profound and hilarious. The Ensemble Theatre Company fires up in early February with a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama in Selling Kabul, a tense, terse, and timely nail-biter running February 2-19.

Westmont wets its whistle with The Flying “A,” a collaborative event centered around the silent film industry written by local theater prof Michael Bernard and directed by the back-on-campus John Blondell, running February 24-March 4. SBCC’s Theatre Group marches back to the Garvin, March 1-18, for Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors, the 2015 work that is something of a sequel to his first Broadway box office smash Lend Me a Tenor, a quarter-century earlier.

But by far the biggest programming outfit in the area remains UCSB Arts & Lectures, the behemoth that continues to extend its reach across categories, genres, and venues all around town. It’s a rather sobering thought to realize one could simply limit buying tickets to only A&L and yet see excellent events in every genre imaginable. (Not that this is something we recommend.)

That’s a fact not lost on Charles Donelan, the former longtime arts editor of the Independent who took over the position of senior writer/publicist at A&L at the beginning of the academic year in late summer.

“The experience of becoming a part of the organization has given me a new appreciation of the extreme versatility of Arts & Lectures as a presenting organization,” he said. “We’re operating simultaneously on multiple fronts successfully, going head-to-head with the best in

On Entertainment Page 334

children’s beds. We are flat caricatures of predators, degenerates, and moral evils.

It is easy to find this story in films like Silence of the Lambs and Dressed to Kill, where transness is associated with violence and perversion, but the past two years have seen a dramatic escalation in its scale and visibility in the real world. 2022 was a record year for anti-trans legislation (155 bills introduced, 136 more than in 2018), which have particularly focused on connecting trans and gender non-conforming identities with child abuse. Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric online has skyrocketed with the use of the words “groomer” and “pedophile” increasing by 406% after the passage of Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law and other legislation.

This story, which characterizes queer and trans people as dangers to society, especially to children, naturally leads to horrific acts of violence – bloody faces on the subway, bodies in a nightclub, and missing person reports – as well as psychological warfare, systematic erasure from public life, and the criminalization of our existence. It is easy to crush someone when their humanity is one-dimensional.

In sharp contrast, as a member of the queer community, I have had the privilege of chronicling a fraction of the multitudes of queer expressions, a beautiful array of colors in every hue imaginable, ever expanding, deepening, evolving. An amalgamation of so many lives lived with honesty, compassion, joy, and love. No two experiences, no two identities, were alike.

You would think the most important readers of these stories would be other queer people, but some of my most impacted readers were those unfamiliar with LGBTQ+ experiences. After reading through an emotional short story of my coming out experience, my mother began using my pronouns more confidently and sought out knowledge about gender non-conforming terminology. A friend of mine ran to me in tears after reading my zine on gender-diverse UCSB students, saying how she had never imagined how beautiful our experiences could be; she hugged me so tight I could feel the imprint of her arms long after.

Storytelling builds empathy; when we read stories, we are taken on a journey through unique individuals’ lives. Who are they? What have they experienced? What are their joys, their struggles, their reasons for living? These are the precise questions

that a single story cannot answer. In a stereotype, there is no depth, no detail, only “because.” What I have experienced throughout my journey as a queer writer is that words have the endless potential to transform our feelings about each other. Because when you are truly vulnerable with your story, there is a chance your audience will feel vulnerable too.

I want a future of heightened vulnerability, a future with more storytelling. By writing, I participate in making that future a reality. Wearing my story, my identity, my heart on my sleeve, I hope someone different will show me theirs too.

Although it doesn’t solve every problem with systemic homophobia and transphobia, although it doesn’t bring back those we have lost, I call on nonLGBTQ+ people to uplift, support, and most importantly, read the queer stories that are out there. I welcome those with curiosity, those with apprehension, those with confusion, those with a lack of knowledge, and even those with hate, and I welcome them to actually get to know us.

I aspire to give them more stories to read because I know we are more than the sum of all our tragedies. We are more than a social media post, a shocking headline, or a spectacle. We are more than just a single story.

In memory of stories cut too short in Colorado Springs:

Daniel Aston (he/him)

Kelly Loving (she/her)

Ashley Paugh (she/her)

Derrick Rump (he/him) Raymond Green Vance (he/him)

Best, Julia Barrera

From the shores of Scotland, Stella Haffner keeps her connection to her home in Montecito by bringing grads of local schools to the pages of the Montecito Journal

Mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato comes to the Granada for a fusion of music, movement, and theater

MONTECITO PLANNING COMMISSION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING*

DATE OF HEARING: JANUARY 18, 2023

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The following methods of participation are available to the public.

1. You may observe the live stream of the Montecito Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: https://www.countyofsb.org/1333/CSBTV-Livestream; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20

2. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:

• Distribution to the Montecito Planning Commission - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

• Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the Montecito Planning Commission meeting in-person. Please note, we are following all local and State guidelines and are no longer requiring face coverings indoors. Please be advised that the Public Health Department is still strongly encouraging County staff and members of the public to mask and social distance themselves in public areas.

• Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the Montecito Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar.

When: January 18, 2023 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Montecito Planning Commission 01/18/2023

Register in advance for this webinar: https://countyofsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zzDEkYwbSSaFUveSIXgkmw

OR PARTICIPATE VIA TELEPHONE:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 213 338 8477 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 720 928 9299 or +1 971 247 1195 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 602 753 0140 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 470 250 9358 or +1 646 518 9805 or +1 651 372 8299 or +1 786 635 1003 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 267 831 0333 or +1 301 715 8592 or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0282 (Toll Free)

Webinar ID: 841 9856 1227

The Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of the participation methods listed above.

The Montecito Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 a.m. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the Montecito Planning Commission. Anyone interested in this matter is invited to speak in support or in opposition to the projects. Written comments are also welcome. All letters should be addressed to the Montecito Planning Commission, 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, California, 93101. Letters, with nine copies, and computer materials, e.g. PowerPoint presentations, should be filed with the secretary of the Planning Commission no later than 12:00 P.M. on the Friday before the Montecito Planning Commission hearing. The decision to accept late materials will be at the discretion of the Montecito Planning Commission.

Maps and/or staff analysis of the proposals may be reviewed at https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/hearings/mpc.sbc or by appointment by calling (805) 568-2000.

If you challenge the project 16PMC-00000-00023, 14RVP-00000-00005, 22AMD-00000-00003, 22CDH-00000-00010, 22CUP-0000000008, 22CDP-00000-00032, or 21LLA-00000-00005 in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Montecito Planning Commission prior to the public hearing.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this hearing, please contact the Hearing Support Staff (805) 568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.

* This is a partial listing of the items to be heard at the Montecito Planning Commission Hearing of January 18, 2023 Previously noticed Case Nos 22AMD-00000-00003 and 22CDH-00000-00010 (Santa Barbara Cemetery Grading Project) was continued to this hearing from the hearing of November 16, 2022. See previous notice for full descriptions of these items. If you have any questions, call Planning and Development at (805) 568-2000.

22CUP-00000-00008

22CDP-00000-00032

Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Sections 15303(e)

Clark Sound Wall

1136 Hill Road

Alex Tuttle, Supervising Planner (805) 884-6844 Steve Conner, Planner (805) 568-2081

Hearing on the request of Martha Clark to consider Case Nos. 22CUP-00000-00008 and 22CDP-00000-00032 for a Minor Conditional Use Permit and associated Coastal Development Permit to allow construction of a 12-foot-tall sound wall within interior lot setbacks in compliance with Sections 35-172 and 35-169 of the Article II Coastal Zoning Ordinance, on property zoned Single Family Residential (20-R-1); and to determine the project is exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15303(e). The application involves Assessor Parcel No. 009-351-007, located at 1136 Hill Road, in the Montecito Community Plan area, First Supervisorial District.

21LLA-00000-00005

Exempt, CEQA Guidelines Section 15305(a)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HWY 1 RV, 332 Oak Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454. HWY 1 RV LLC, 1110 Myles Lane, Nipomo, 93444. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 16, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0003043. Published December 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 11, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Real True Publishing, 1341 Skyline Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. Randall Rademaker, 1341 Skyline Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 15, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0003036. Published December 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 11, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ETS Translators, 4716 Amarosa, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Irene D. Rebollo Franco, 4716 Amarosa, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 9, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0002961. Published December 14, 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 2023

days after the date this notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, or you must petition to file a late claim as provided in Section 19103 of the Probate Code. A claim form may be obtained from the court clerk. For your protection, you are encouraged to file your claim by certified mail, with return receipt requested.

Steven F. Bliss, Esq., Attorney for Christian James Wittak, Successor Trustee of the Wittak Family Trust, dated February 26, 1997. Dated: December 8, 2022 Electronically Filed at the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara by Darrel E. Parker, Executive Officer, 12/12/2022 by April Garcia, Deputy. Published December 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 11, 2023

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME:

CASE No. 22CV04931. To all interested parties: Petitioner Francis Andrew Aguilar filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Frank Andrew Aguilar . The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed December 16, 2022 by Sharon Leyden. Hearing date: February 21, 2023 at 8:30 am in Dept. SM 2, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published January 4, 11, 18, 25, 2023

ORDER FOR PUBLICATION OF SUMMONS

Knight-Boland Lot Line Adjustment

1690/1696 East Valley Road

Alex Tuttle, Supervising Planner (805) 884-6844

Veronica King, Planner (805) 568-2513

Hearing on the request of Charlie Knight to consider Case No. 21LLA-00000-00005 for approval of a Lot Line Adjustment in compliance with Section 21-90 of County Code Chapter 21 and Section 35.430.110 of the Montecito Land Use and Development Code, to adjust the boundaries between four legal lots consisting of 1.34 acres, 0.08 acres, 0.79 acres, and 0.04 acres, to reconfigure into two lots of 1.26 acres and 0.98 acres, on property located in the One-Family Residential (2-E-1) Zone; and to determine the project is exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15305(a).The application involves Assessor Parcel Nos. 007-120-094, 007-120-096, and 007-120-097, located at 1690 and 1696 East Valley Road in the Montecito area, First Supervisorial District.

MONTECITO COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION RECORDING SECRETARY (568-2000)

Published January 4, 2023

NOTICE

TO CREDITORS Case No. 22PR00606

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the creditors and contingent creditors of BERNADINE J. WITTAK, that all persons having claims against the decedent are required to file them with the Superior Court, at 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Attn: Probate Department and deliver pursuant to Section 1215 of the California Probate Code a copy to Christian Wittak, as trustee of the trust dated November 17, 2007, wherein decedent was the settlor, at 5539 San Patricio Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93111, within the later of four months after December 21, 2022, or, if notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, 60

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” — Vern McLellan

OR CITATION: CASE No. 22CV03792. Notice to Defendant: David Gerrity : You are being sued by Plaintiff: Aiden Hespos Goodman et al. You and the plaintiff must go to court on February 14, 2023 at 9 am in Department 4 of the Superior Court of California, Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. If you do not go to court, you may lose the case. If you lose, the court can order that your wages, money, or property be taken to pay this claim. Bring witnesses, receipts, and any evidence you need to prove your case. Name and address of the court: Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-1107. Filed December 21, 2022, by Johnny Aviles, Deputy Clerk. Published January 4, 11, 18, 25, 2023

town, which shows that the organization is working at a very high level whether it’s classical music or popular music, or dance, or theater, and the lectures.”

Indeed, there’s plenty of top-notch programming among the 35 events being staged before the school year comes to a close, starting January 19 at Campbell Hall with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa sharing “How to Stand Up to a Dictator,” her analysis of avoiding the death of democracy followed just two days later by the hot as heck stand-up comedian Tig Notaro, whose Campbell Hall date on January 21 has already sold out.

On January 24, UCSB A&L brings mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato to the Granada for Eden, an iconic, groundbreaking theatrical tour de force fusing four centuries of music, movement, and theater to explore our individual connection to nature and its impact on our world. Three days later, the Granada gets a visit from the chamber music dream team of pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Leonidas Kavakos, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a concert that’s also already sold out. Another astonishing endeavor takes place just three days later when the world’s leading contemporary music group Ensemble Intercontemporain makes a rare appearance to present Olga Neuwirth’s score for the 1924 satirical silent film Die Stadt ohne Juden (The City Without Jews). Music director Matthias Pintscher conducts the work as part of A&L’s Justice for All Programming Initiative that addresses issues of social injustice, in this case the unfortunately timeless rise of anti-Semitism.

Jazz makes its debut on January 29 with the annual visit from the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, which brings Grammywinning vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling as part of a six-piece sensation congregating in Campbell Hall. Two days later, UCSB screens the first evening of Hiding in Plain Sight, Ken Burns’ two-part documentary about the youth mental health crisis in America.

All this and we’re not even out of January yet. February’s highlights encompass the arrival of theater with Canada’s thrilling Cirque FLIP Fabrique troupe’s self-expressive themed Muse on February 5. While

Kodo’s soul-stirring taiko drummers shake up the Granada on February 10, dance debuts with both boundary-busting Step Afrika! on February 16, followed by beautiful ballet on February 25-26 with Ballet Preljocaj’s Swan Lake, a pinnacle performance of the Tchaikovsky classic.

You’ll have to visit A&L’s well-organized website to discover all the upcoming events, which include the first episode of the Arts & Lectures co-commissioned FRAGMENTS, cellist Alisa Weilerstein’s groundbreaking project for solo cello that weaves together the 36 movements of Bach’s solo cello suites and 27 newly commissioned works as six hour-long chapters; actress Isabella Rossellini in conversation with Pico Iyer; and The Look of Love, the latest from the Mark Morris Dance Group that serves as a choreographic homage to Burt Bacharach’s music.

Visit artsandlectures.ucsb.edu for more information.

The Growth of González

When COVID crushed live entertainment in March 2020 for more than a year, Gilberto González turned to working in the studio environment. González, a guitarist who was raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, but has spent just shy of a quarter-century in Ventura County, began recording regularly at Emmet Sargent’s Beagle Studios, making video recordings with a core band of local luminaries plus a couple of singers captured separately in the studio and professionally mixed together along with shots of scenery.

The core band consisted of longtime colleagues Randy Tico, the versatile bassist-composer who had produced a handful of González’s albums; pianist Jorge Estrada, a colleague from Guadalajara who has supported Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernández for decades; percussionist Pete Korpela, the L.A.-based studio and touring percussionist who has collaborated with everyone from Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer and Rickie Lee Jones to Al Di Meola and appeared on dozens of film soundtracks, including the blockbuster Avatar sequel; and drummer Kevin Winard, whose long list of credits range from Paul Anka and Sérgio Mendes

to Rosemary Clooney and Steve Tyrell “I’ve been spending four hours or so every week for two years working on the videos as hard as anything I’ve ever done because I want it to sound great, like it was coming out of Capitol Records,” González said.

Early on, the guitarist asked local favorite Lois Mahalia, the versatile singer who has toured with Joe Walsh and Kenny Loggins and performed in jazz bands and nightclub settings as well as a singer-songwriter, to join him as the vocalist for one of the videos.

“It was just so beautiful, just amazing,” he recalled. “Since then, we’ve made five videos together and each one is more beautiful than the last.”

Mahalia has recorded González’s arrangements of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” and the Johnny Mathis standard “Misty” among her selections, while also standing out in the 18-song video series is singer Téka, the transplanted Brazilian guitarist, vocalist, and a Santa Barbara stalwart, who shines on tracks such as “This Masquerade,” the Leon Russell song, arranged by González (as are all of them).

Meanwhile, once venues began reopening, González also returned to performing live, almost exclusively as a solo guitar player as he’d already left his pre-pandemic mainstay of backing the exuberant nouveau flamenco guitarist Roni Benise in the latter’s self-named band. Gonzales spent a dozen years with Benise, appearing at the Arlington Theatre plus elsewhere in town, and all over the country, as well as on every PBS TV special and other videos.

“I played everywhere with him, from the street fairs to the big theaters and arenas for almost 14 years,” he recalled. “But it was right for me to spend more time at home and work on my own thing.”

So while the guitarist had held down a two-year gig greeting guests with his music in the lobby of the Bacara Resort and also appeared regularly at the Four Seasons Biltmore as well as at such restaurants as Carlito’s and Cava in Montecito, instead he secured one of the coveted guitar slots at Montecito’s venerable San Ysidro Ranch, performing several times a month.

“I’ve just been working really hard on getting gigs, focusing on playing my music live as much as I can,” González said. “Christmas, which was the last time

I was at the Ranch, I played for eight hours straight. It was great, but that was the longest gig of my life.”

Now, this weekend for the first time, the two aspects of González’ recent career are coming together as the guitarist-arranger has created a concert at Alcazar Theatre, the intimate Art Deco-style theater in Carpinteria. Not only will all of the instrumentalists from the videos be on hand, but both Mahalia and Téka are also appearing, a rare opportunity to see them both on the same stage.

“I have been dreaming about doing this concert but I had to wait until we had enough material to present to the people,” González said. “Now is the time because Jorge is moving back to Mexico soon.”

The show is very much meant to be a showcase concert for the band, the singers, and González’ Brazilian and Cuban style arrangements of a lot of standards along with one of his originals and a couple of compositions from Mahalia, a total of about 18 songs or so.

“I do all kinds of stuff like weddings, private events, corporate gigs, hotels, and I play a little bit of everything, but I’m so looking forward to this concert because it’s our first time to be able to perform together live. It’s my dream to have people want to book this show for bigger things, maybe corporate events or opening for someone like Michael McDonald. It’s really going to be a great night.”

The Gilberto González-led quintet featuring singers Lois Mahalia and Téka performs 7-9 pm Saturday, January 7, at the Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door; $40 VIP tickets include preferred seating and one drink. Call 805-684-6380 or visit www.thealcazar.org.

Steven

Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

Ensemble Intercontemporain will perform an original score by Olga Neuwirth for the 1924 satirical silent film The City Without Jews

Gilberto González spent the pandemic and beyond exploring the recording studio and jumping back into live performances around town

able to do some holiday shopping while quaffing the libations and noshing on the comestibles.

A boffo bash...

Friendly Breaks

Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow is still friendly with all her celebrity exes, she has revealed.

When it comes to “conscious uncoupling,” the Goop founder, 50, has had many A-list exes in her romantic history over the year.

The Oscar winner, currently married to TV producer Brad Falchuk, 51, says she has a policy of turning breakups into friendships when she answered questions from fans on her Instagram site.

“When you spend inspiring time with someone, it’s nice to have it morph into

friendship,” she says. “I don’t want to have bad blood with anyone, ever.”

Paltrow’s exes include former Coldplay rocker husband, Chris Martin – by whom she has two children, Apple, 18, and Moses,16 – former Oscar winner Ben Affleck from 1997 to 2000, and another Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt, a romance that lasted three years.

A Prized Truffle

Former TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey has been gifted a whopping two-pound truffle by luxury Italian brand Sabatino Tartufi.

The company advertised its eightounce truffle olive for $1,899.99, but the version the Montecito resident has received is four times its size and appears to be quite unique.

“Never

“It’s the largest white truffle found this year in Umbria,” declares Oprah, 68. “I’ve gone truffle hunting with them, you know, almost a decade ago and so they know I love truffles. I always get my truffles from them.”

New Board Members at the Music Academy

How appropriate that a man named Singer would be the new board chair of the Music Academy.

Maurice Singer, a founding principal of The Evergreen Advantage, a real estate investment trust – a current board member who has served from 2010 to 2018 – succeeds Eileen Sheridan, who was board chair of the Miraflores campus from 2020 to 2022.

There are also four new board members – Michele Brustin, former executive director of the Performing Arts Association of New York State; Daniel Dokos, partner at the international law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges; Rachel Fine, executive director of the Yale Schwarzman Center; and Joshua Ramirez, a realtor with Compass Real Estate in Santa Barbara, and co-founder of Princeton North, an innovative branding and marketing company.

The new directors join a group of 23 local and national education, performing arts, and corporate executives and leaders.

SBCC Scholarships

Santa Barbara’s City College Foundation awarded around $1,037,775 in scholarships to more than 770 students for the 2022-23 academic year.

“The success of every student is our goal and scholarships play an important role in that effort,” says Geoff Green, foundation CEO. “We are honored to support these scholars and grateful to the generous donors who continue to invest in our community’s college and its students.”

The President’s Scholarship and the Towbes-Luria STEM Achievement Scholarship were among those awarded. The two scholarships, each a $10,000 multi-year award, are the top prizes available through the foundation.

Alejandra Ceja is this year’s recipient of the President’s Scholarship, which is endowed through the estates of Eugene and Janet Aiches and by the Luria Foundation, while Sofia Gotthold is the recipient of the Towbes-Luria STEM Achievement Scholarship.

Barbara Walters Remembered

I remember legendary TV broadcaster Barbara Walters, who I knew well both professionally and socially.

The pioneering journalist who broke countless barriers during her 50-year career was 93 when she died at her New

— Germany Kent

York home.

Barbara was the first woman to host NBC’s Today Show in 1974 after joining the Peacock Network as a humble researcher.

In 1976 she moved to lusher financial pastures at ABC co-hosting the evening news, another major first.

We first met when I moved to Manhattan from London in 1978 and became good friends.

When she launched and co-hosted The View in 1997, I became a regular guest on the panel with Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, and Star Jones talking about the Royal Family, as well as appearing on her syndicated radio show.

Barbara, who co-hosted the program for 17 years before stepping down in 2014, was also a fixture on 20/20 for 25 years until leaving in 2004.

A true legend and trailblazer...

Pelé Remembered

On a personal note, I remember Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, who died in São Paulo after a valiant battle with colon cancer aged 82.

I have fond memories of a fun-filled evening at the Copacabana Palace in Rio with Brazilian Formula One world champion Emerson Fittipaldi and the global soccer icon when I was flown down from New York in 2011 when the vibrant city’s officialdom attempted to win the right to host the Olympic Games, which was eventually staged in the South American city in 2016.

Regarded by many as the greatest soccer player of all time, he won three World Cups for Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970, and scored 643 goals in 659 official matches for his club Santos.

Pelé also scored 77 times in 92 games for his country’s national team.

An extraordinary legacy and extraordinary athlete...

Sightings

TV host Jane Lynch and comedienne Kathy Griffin noshing at Tre Lune... Oprah and beau Stedman Graham in Maui for Christmas and New Year... Gwyneth Paltrow frolicking in Barbados.

Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask when needed, and get vaccinated. And Happy New Year!

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than a decade

underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.”

Arlene Larsen, Helene Schneider, and Caroline Chufar (photo by Priscilla)

Sarah’s Vintage Consignment is currently at the Magic Castle (photo by Priscilla)

Francisca was a member of the old Spanish De la Guerra family. Her father was New Yorker Thomas Bloodgood Dibblee, who, together with his brother Albert, partnered with William Welles Hollister to found one of the most successful sheep businesses in California. They were later owners of Rancho San Julian, and Thomas built a palatial mansion on the Mesa for his family. Returning from convent school in Paris in 1906, their 18-year-old daughter Carmelita met and married New Yorker Francis Townsend Underhill that same year. Underhill was the multi-talented scion of a wealthy and socially prominent family of Mayflower lineage. He was a true Renaissance man, who had first visited Santa Barbara in 1878 and eventually built lives in both the East and the West. He was a member of exclusive social clubs in New York and Santa Barbara, a rancher, avid horseman, landscape architect, expert whip, author, yachtsman, architect, and breeder of dahlias and hogs. In 1900, tiring of living a split life, he divorced his Eastern wife, donned an enormous signature sombrero, and moved to California permanently. Mattei’s portrait of Carmelita seems to reveal both her vulnerability and strength. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Celebrating History

The Artist Clarence Mattei

by Hattie Beresford

“Clarence Mattei painted a portrait of our nation from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Shoreline… His portraits formed an album of an era which was melding the personalities of the fearless, rugged stagecoach drivers of the Wild West to the quiet confidence and well-bred sophistication of East Coast Philanthropy,” Erin Graffy, local historian, wrote in a 2004 article.

An exhibition of this important artist’s work is currently on display at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The portraits range from East Coast visitors, who came to call Santa Barbara home for at least part of the year, to ordinary working men and women from the days of his youth.

Born in 1883 to Felix and Lucy Mattei, Clarence grew up in Los Olivos where his father had the foresight to build a tavern and hotel at the terminus of the narrow-gauge Pacific Coast Railway, which connected to San Luis Obispo and Point Harford. The hostelry’s warmth and hospitality drew visitors well into the 21st century.

One of five brothers, Clarence’s artistic aptitude was evidenced early as he sketched the scenes of the world around him. As a child he taught himself to draw by copying famous paintings. When the New York heir to the Duryea Starch fortune, Harmanus Barkulo Duryea, Jr., brought his bride Ellen Winchester Weld to visit the tavern, Clarence’s life changed forever. Harmanus, who had been wintering in Santa Barbara with his widowed mother and brother since 1888, was an avid horseman and founder of the Arlington Jockey Club and member of the Santa Barbara Club.

At the Mattei hotel in Los Olivos in 1899, Ellen was so impressed with Clarence’s drawings and sketches that the couple decided to place the country boy under their patronage and sent the 16-yearold Mattei to the Mark Hopkins Institute in San Francisco to begin his formal training. From there he would go to New York and become a member of the Art Students League and then to Europe to study and explore a variety of styles and genres at the Académie Julian and elsewhere.

move permanently to Santa Barbara.

Curated by museum staff in conjunction with Erin Graffy, the exhibit displays a range of Mattei’s subjects and media, as well as photographs of his family and life. In oil, charcoal, pencil, and gouache, his portraiture captures the personality and character of his subjects. While the oils and drawings of business and civic leaders as well as prominent Montecitans are formally poised, a more studious look reveals much about the deeper personages. The pencil sketches of familiar friends and ordinary people are brilliant in expressing through posture and facial expression much about each subject and the historic times in which they lived.

A visit to this lovely exhibition plus the continuing exhibition of the Mountain Drive Community and the permanent exhibit of Santa Barbara’s history is the perfect outing for a rainy afternoon (or a sunny one)! The Santa Barbara Historical Museum is located at 136 East De la Guerra Street and is open Wednesday, 12-5 pm; Thursday 12-7 pm; and FridaySunday, 12-5 pm. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Contact (805) 966-1601 for more information.

(Sources: Noticias, autumn 2004; “Portraits of a Community: The Art of Clarence Mattei” by Erin Graffy; Montecito Journal, “The Arlington Jockey Club” by Hattie Beresford; contemporary newspapers )

west in 1872 to teach math and Latin at Santa Barbara College. A printer’s apprentice at age 14, then survivor of Civil War prison camps, he attended Cornell University and became a teacher. In Santa Barbara, he met and married a pupil of his, Martha More. He then moved to Los Angeles to found the Los Angeles Daily Herald. In this endeavor he was financed by his father-in-law, T. Wallace More, who had married the daughter of American ship’s mate Daniel Hill, who had married Rafaela Ortega. She was the daughter of the first commander of the Presidio and owner of the Spanish, then Mexican, land grant, Nuestra Senora de Refugio. Due to the panic of 1873, Storke sold the L.A. paper and returned to Santa Barbara where he became an attorney. He would help his son found the Santa Barbara Daily News and later the News-Press. Mattei captured the determined but somewhat suspicious expression of a man wearing the trappings of a well-to-do professional. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Mrs. Oakleigh (Helen) Thorne and her husband were winter visitors from New York. She was an avid gardener and was determined to have a California garden. In 1917, they purchased a 19-acre estate called Las Tejas in Montecito, and she set to work designing and planting. The Thornes became part of the seasonal social fabric of Santa Barbara until concerns over an attack on Santa Barbara during WWII caused them to sell out. Mattei’s portrait captures her determined nature. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

In 1908, Clarence returned to New York and set up a studio where he painted portraits of the elite of the Gilded Age. He also spent part of the year in Santa Barbara and became part of the developing artists’ colony of the 1910s and ‘20s. It seemed an ideal life.

By the early 1920s, however, Mattei had wearied of the more lucrative East Coast art business and told his Santa Barbara friends, “I would rather fish off the edge of the wharf here than paint the finest portrait in New York.” In 1923, he decided to

Hattie Beresford has been writing a local history column for the Montecito Journal for more than a decade and is the author of several books on Santa Barbara’s historic past

This gouache study of a distinguished, elderly black man with cane expresses the man’s age not only through hair color but also through the posture and position of the body. Gouache studies such as this were often used for book and magazine illustrations. (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

An undated pencil study reveals a tired working man, perhaps a train conductor, taking a break (Courtesy Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Herminia Carmelita Claudina Dibblee Underhill personified the melding of the old and the new and the East and the West. Her mother

New Yorker Charles Albert Storke was summoned

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5

1st Thursday – After December’s big holiday event, this month’s self-guided evening tour of art and culture venues featuring art openings, live music, receptions, talks, wine tastings, and hands-on activities is most assuredly scaled back for the January lull. But there is still all to see – and sip – downtown tonight. Among the highlights: Sullivan Goss (11 E. Anapamu St.) celebrates the opening of “In Search of the Modern West,” an exhibition examining where the mythos of the American West intersects with influences of European modernism… Domicile (1221 State St., Suite 7) hosts emerging photographer Jack Campbell , whose striking double exposure landscapes captured on film highlight the California and Mediterranean coasts… Elizabeth Gordon Gallery (15 W. Gutierrez St.) presents an exciting collection of contemporary California art, this month featuring Greg Miller , who brings a sense of nostalgia to his art, which can be viewed while sipping wine and enjoying tasty bites… WHEN: 5-8 pm

WHERE: Lower State Street and side streets

COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday

Early Entertainment in Enero – 1st Thursday’s entertainment arena finds Echoswitch, the family band featuring a father and his two sons along with a family friend, who bill themselves as Santa Barbara’s best hard rock band playing favorite anthems from the 1980s and beyond, holding down the hot spot on the 800 block of State Street… DJ Sacco Naz spins the beats out in front of the new Paradise Hookah Hut (432 State St.) which also serves kava and specialty teas while hosting a showcase of artwork by locals G. Stabb and Ashley Larman … The great guitarist Tony Ybarra provides the soundtrack for the Santa Barbara Historical Museum’s (126 E. De la Guerra St.) exhibition of portrait artist Clarence Mattei, who worked in New York and Paris before returning to his Santa Barbara roots (his father Felix founded Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos)... And SBIFF’s SB Filmmaker Series (1330 State St.) screens Sky Bergman’s Mochitsuki , chronicling a close-knit, intergenerational community reveling in the ceremonial creation of mochi in preparation for Japanese New Year.

WHEN: 5-8 pm

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6

Bonus Screening – Each summer, the Asian American Film Series offers films exploring the history and cultures of the Asian communities that once thrived in and around the Santa Barbara Presidio area as well as films that speak to the Asian American experience everywhere. With its 14th annual festival still six months away, the film series presents a special bonus screening tonight of Free Chol Soo Lee, a 2022 documentary from directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi. The 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was racially profiled and wrongfully convicted of a Chinatown gang murder in San Francisco in 1973. Sentenced to life, he spent years fighting to survive until investigative journalist K.W. Lee took a special interest in his case, igniting an unprecedented push for social action that would unite Asian Americans and inspire a new generation of activists. A virtual Q&A with directors Ha and Yi plus a surprise guest will follow the screening.

WHEN: 6 pm

WHERE: Alhecama Theater, 914 Santa Barbara St.

COST: free

INFO: (805) 965-0093 or www.sbthp.org/aafs

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6

Deep Purple – The Purple Ones, a Prince tribute band from Oakland, aim to treat the music and vibe of Prince’s legacy with the utmost respect. The act was created in 2012 when Morty Okin, who co-founded the Michael Jackson tribute “Foreverland” and Neil Diamond tribute “Super Diamond,” set about building the homage to Prince from the ground up. The Purple Ones’ musical director is Levi Seacer Jr., the former bassist, guitarist, and co-founder of Prince’s New Power Generation. He leads an 11-piece band that includes a full horn section capable of the musical dexterity required to take on Prince’s demanding catalog plus Prince-related artists

The Revolution, Sheila E., Morris Day & The Time, and others. Unlike a typical tribute band, there is no impersonator or look-a-like trying to imitate Prince, nor do the band members dress up in Prince-style costumes or wigs. Which is partly why The Purple Ones’ growing fan base over the years has included long-time Prince devotees and even Brown Mark and Matt “Doctor” Fink from The Revolution, and renowned percussionist (and brother of Sheila E.) Juan Escovedo, who have performed with TPO onstage. Who knows who might turn up tonight at the band’s funk machine dance party only 60 miles outside of Los Angeles?

WHEN: 9 pm

WHERE: Ventura Music Hall, 1888 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura COST: $20 INFO: (805) 667-8802 or www.venturamusichall.com/events

WHERE: Lower State Street and side streets

COST: free INFO: (805) 962-2098 or www.downtownsb.org/events/1st-thursday

Art in California – This evening’s Art Matters Lecture from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art features Jenni Sorkin , UCSB Professor in the History of Art & Architecture, providing a “behind the book” talk about her 2021 publication of the same name. Art in California focuses on the distinctive role the state played in the history of American art, from early 20th-century photography and Chicanx mural painting to the fiber art movement and beyond. Shaped by a compelling network of geopolitical influences – including waves of migration and exchange from the Pacific Rim and Mexico, the influx of African Americans immediately after World War II, and global immigration after quotas were lifted in the 1960s – California has a vibrant center of artistic activity, its influence extending far beyond its physical boundaries, which Sorkin surveys in this illustrated presentation.

WHEN: 5:30 pm

WHERE: Mary Craig Auditorium at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State Street (entrance in the rear) COST: $15 general, $10 museum members, free for students INFO: (805) 963-4364 or www.sbma.net

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7

Are You With Me? – Apparently early January is an extra special time for tribute bands. Or maybe they’re touring all year but we’re too busy covering original music, dance, and theater to even notice. Either way, tonight at SOhO is a second consecutive chance to catch a certified cover band paying tribute to the catalog of one of the all-time classic rock acts. Doctor Wu is planning a plethora of hits and deep cuts in its long set of Steely Dan’s groove-laden, genre-busting, heady-meets-soulful songs. The 11-piece band – which boasts Tony Egan as lead vocalist backed by three other singers, bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards providing the jazz-rock rhythm section plus a four-piece horn section – has been bringing Steely Dan’s iconic music to life all over Southern California since 2000. (Never mind that Steely Dan itself started touring again back in 1993 after a 19-year hiatus from live performances, and last crisscrossed the country this summer. No doubt that ducats for Doctor Wu

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” — Melody Beattie

The pianist Antonio Artese is no stranger to Santa Barbara as the Italian musician and composer – who studied with Massimo Marzi and Bianca Maria Orlando in Rome and with the romantic virtuoso Sergio Fiorentino in Naples before capturing First Prize in the Rachmaninov International Piano competition back in 1985 – has been an on-and-off again local since the early ‘90s. That’s when he received recognition by the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation here in Santa Barbara, and eight years later was awarded the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from UCSB, which came after a diploma in the same field from the Conservatorio “Santa Cecilia” in Rome (1983) and Theoretical Philosophy and musicology elsewhere in Italy. Still much sought after in both Europe and the U.S. as a recital pianist, Artese also vacillates between jazz and classical music, and the art of improvisation versus composition. It’s in the former guise that he returns to SOhO to present his latest jazz album, tellingly titled Two Worlds, which evinces inspiration from Bill Evans’ piano trio as well as Northern European minimalism. Artese will be playing with his West Coast trio, which features local stalwarts Jim Connolly on bass and Matt Perko on drums.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court

COST: $18 in advance, $20 at the door INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com

are decidedly less expensive, however, making this something other than a royal scam.) Doctor Wu does pride itself on a close-as-can-be re-creation of the textures and authenticity of Steely Dan’s sound, and you can’t beat SOhO for acoustic and a generous dance floor. Plus, if the grooves get your juju going, you can come back to the club later for tonight’s salsa night with a full live band.

WHEN: 6-7:30 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $25

INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11

Peter’s ‘Picture’ Book – Peter Blauner is an Edgar Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of several thrillers, including Slow Motion Riot, The Intruder, and Sunrise Highway, whose books have been translated into 20 languages. Blauner’s latest, Picture in the Sand, is a sweeping intergenerational saga told through a grandfather’s passionate letters to his grandson in which he passes on the story of his political rebellion in 1950s Egypt in order to save his grandson’s life in the post-September 11 world. The culmination of two decades of writing and research that took him from his Brooklyn home to Cairo and back a half-dozen times, Pictures is an epic that has drawn praise not only from reviewers such as Publishers Weekly, called it “Historical fiction at its absolute best – heartfelt, anchored in real events, and extremely well told,” but also celebrated writer Stephen King, who dubbed the book “an authentic tour de force that he found “impossible to put down.” Hear the story behind the story when Blauner comes to Chaucer’s Books tonight to talk about Pictures

WHEN: 6 pm

WHERE: 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center

COST: free

INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com

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Glenn Novack, Owner. 805-770-7715 info@movingmissdaisy.com MovingMissDaisy.com Consignments@MovingMissDaisy.hibid.com

THE CLEARING HOUSE, LLC

We are a locally owned and operated business installing underground pet containment fences and providing boundary training. We are looking for a Full Time Installer/Service Technician to service existing fences and install new pet containment systems. No experience is needed, full training provided, clean driving record required. Email your resumé to hannah@montecitodog.com if interested.

PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY

Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara

In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+, Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance Motivation, and Consistency

John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com

Want to improve the way you move?

House calls for personalized exercise sessions for those with PARKINSON’s DISEASE and SENIORS. Certified in PD specific exercises (PWR! MovesParkinson’s Wellness Recovery) evidenced-based moves which target the key areas affected by PD.

HEALING SERVICES

Live pain-free with time-tested techniques. Long-established Montecito healer with 40 years of experience. Complementary phone consultation w/ remote or in-person healing.

Please call (805) 701-0363, More information available: drgloriakaye.com

WRITING SERVICES

Recognized as the area’s Premier Estate Liquidators - Experts in the Santa Barbara Market! We are Skilled Professionals with Years of Experience in Downsizing and Estate Sales. Personalized service. Insured. Call for a complimentary consultation. Elaine (805)708-6113 Christa (805)450-8382

Email: theclearinghouseSB@cox.net Website: www.theclearinghouseSB.com

TRESOR

We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation.

1470 East Valley Rd Suite V. 805 969-0888

POSITION WANTED

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Organize receipts for taxes, pay bills, write checks, reservations, scheduling. Confidential. Semi-retired professional. Excellent references.

Sandra (805) 636-3089

Trusted, Experienced Caregiver, CA State registered and background checked. Vaccinated. Loving and caring provides transportation, medications, etc.

Lina 650-281-6492

POSITION AVAILABLE

HELP required to assist executive. Handle business correspondence, Insurance claims, etc. Computers literacy and typing ability necessary. Charles – 805-698-6299

Josette Fast, Physical Therapist 805-722-8035

At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve your bone density and aid in more energy, strength, balance and agility. Please call for a complimentary session!

Call Now (805) 453-6086

AVAILABLE FOR RENT

RENTAL WANTED

I’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage I need to relocate and am seeking a studio or 1BR apt., ADU, cottage, etc. in SB or Montecito (but open to Carpinteria to Goleta). Occupancy by January 1 preferred. I’m clean and responsible, non-smoker and no pets. Excellent references available. Let’s talk! Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com

LOOKING FOR A MIRACLE

Professional married couple who are getting ready to retire from 37 years in health services, are looking for a possible miracle. Would you or do you know anyone who would sell us a

“You