VOICE Magazine: August 29, 2025

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Slowing Those Bikes Down

By Mark Whitehurst / VOICE

STAYING CALM HAS A PHYSICAL SIDE when it comes to bikes and the devices creating more community-minded street traffic. Calming devices are coming of age at the same time the streets of Santa Barbara are abuzz with all shapes and sizes of bikes.

Calming devices are like hand signals for bike users — they send important messages to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles. As these devices evolve, for the city to continue

to be a leader in regards to safe street mobility (Santa Barbara was one of the first cities in the nation to develop a bicycle plan in 1974) their use of calming devices will need to evolve as well.

When talking about traffic calming, some traffic engineers refer to the three “E’s:” Engineering, Educating the community, and Enforcement. These same engineers say it takes all three to build safe streets

for everyone. The City of Santa Barbara has recently passed some ordinances in regards to e-bike rider education and enforcement, but has a lot of room to include a range of engineering responses, including calming devices.

Following are a few of the calming devices planners and street designers can implement to combat unsafe actions and speeding:

• Vary road surfaces with different textures and / or colors

• Speed cushions

• Curvy or winding lanes

• Changing the environment with trees or landscaping

• Raising intersections

• Speed dips

• Rumble strips that cause sound differentiation

• Speed humps

• Raised pedestrian crossings

• Speed tables

• Traffic circles

• Chicanes, which create a horizontal sight deflection

• Entrance changes with Ballards Expanding on built-in safety features,

planners and designers have developed a design philosophy based on “All Ages and Abilities” (AAA). This design philosophy expands the idea of building infrastructure for safe cycling so that the varying needs of cyclists of all ages and abilities are considered. It is not only adults who are riding to work or tourists out for a spin in the sun, it is also seniors out for a moment of community, children and parents out to explore their town, a disabled person using adapted cycles enjoying their independence. So many people use Santa Barbara’s streets.

Celebrating Heroes Doing Outstanding Work In Our Community

13th Annual Heroes luncheon to honor community award recipients and feature Keynote speaker David Kessler at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort

By Christopher Davis / Contributor

RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITY, Hospice of Santa Barbara is honored to announce the 2025 Heroes of Hospice award recipients. CenCal Health will receive the Medical Award, YouthWell will be honored with the Partner Award, and Angel Flight West will receive the Volunteer Award.

The honorees will be celebrated at Hospice of Santa Barbara’s 13th Annual Heroes of Hospice luncheon on Sunday, September 14th, from 11 am to 1:30 pm at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort (1759 S Jameson Lane, Montecito).

The event also marks 51 years of Hospice of Santa Barbara’s compassionate care and service to the community.

In addition to recognizing this year’s outstanding honorees, Hospice of Santa Barbara is incredibly excited to have bestselling author and one of the world’s foremost experts on death and grief, David Kessler, as this year’s keynote speaker. It is a privilege to have him share, among other things, his unique experience of children in grief, which is the focus of our event this year.

During the event, CenCal Health will receive the Medical Award in recognition of its leadership in championing healthcare access for children. Providing health coverage for one in four people in Santa Barbara County, CenCal Health has been in operation since 1983, and is recognized as the

oldest Medicaid-managed care program of its kind in the country.

“CenCal Health is an incredible partner to Hospice of Santa Barbara and provides access to high-quality health services, along with education and outreach, for thousands of low-income and marginalized families in Santa Barbara County,” said David Selberg, CEO of HSB. “They know that our entire community thrives when we all achieve optimal health together.”

YouthWell will be honored with the Partner Award for its essential work in coordinating mental health and wellness services for youth across the region. YouthWell collaborates with HSB to help children navigating grief, with their mental wellness and with developing self-care practices.

“YouthWell plays a critical role in providing an important safety-net of support in our community for children and teens and their families in crisis,” noted Selberg.

Angel Flight West will receive the Volunteer Award for its unwavering commitment to providing free medical transportation to individuals and families in need. The organization links volunteer pilots and commercial airlines with people whose non-emergency health needs require longdistance travel to access care.

“Angel Flight West is a gift to all the communities they serve, including here in Santa Barbara,” said Selberg. “With their donated flights, they are the transportation bridge for those in need of medical care and the facilities that can help them.”

For more information and tickets, visit hospiceofsb.org/heroes

Hospice of Santa Barbara provides professional counseling, support groups, and patient care services free of charge to individuals and families who are grieving the death of a loved one or experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness. Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides counseling in our offices and on seventeen local elementary, junior high and high school campuses to children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Hospice of

In addition to recognizing this year’s outstanding honorees, Hospice of Santa Barbara is incredibly excited to have best-selling author and one of the world’s foremost experts on death and grief, David Kessler, as this year’s keynote speaker. It is a privilege to have him share, among other things, his unique experience of children in grief, which is the focus of our event this year.

Sunset Sessions Planned For Plaza del Mar Band Shell All

MUSIC AND THEATRE PERFORMANCES WILL BE OFFERED FREE at the Plaza del Mar Band Shell on Thursday evenings during September, presented by the City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department.

The series will be called Sunset Sessions and will feature a variety of acts, including live music, theater, poetry readings, and stand-up comedy.

The community is invited to bring blankets, chairs, and picnics to enjoy an evening of family-friendly entertainment in one of the City’s oldest parks. 2025 Sunset Sessions Schedule:

• Thursday, September 4th, 6-7:30pm: Acoustic concert by Carly Powers and Will Breman

• Thursday, September 11th, 6-7:30pm: Theatre performance, Wisdom of the Elders, by Boxtales Theatre Company

• Thursday, September 18th, 6-7:30pm: Poetry and short story readings by Gunpowder Poetry Group

• Thursday, September 25th, 7-8pm: Stand-up comedy by Don’t Tell Comedy SantaBarbaraCA.gov/SunsetSessions

Sesiones al atardecer traerán música, teatro y arte a la Plaza del Mar Band Shell

EL DEPARTAMENTO DE PARQUES Y RECREACIÓN de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara anunció sesiones al atardecer (Sunset Sessions), una nueva serie de eventos comunitarios gratuitos.

Las presentaciones se llevarán a cabo en el histórica Plaza del Mar Band Shell todos los jueves de septiembre y ofrecerán una programación variada con música en vivo, teatro, lecturas de poesía y comedia.

Se invita a la comunidad a llevar mantas, sillas y su picnic para disfrutar de una tarde de entretenimiento familiar en uno de los parques más antiguos de la Ciudad.

Programa de Sesiones al atardecer 2025:

• Jueves 4 de septiembre, 6-7:30pm: Concierto acústico de Carly Powers y Will Breman

• Jueves 11 de septiembre, 6-7:30pm: Obra de teatro Wisdom of the Elders, por Boxtales Theatre Company

• Jueves 18 de septiembre, 6-7:30pm: Lecturas de poesía y cuentos cortos a cargo de Gunpowder Poetry Group

• Jueves 25 de septiembre, 7-8pm: Show de comedia en vivo con Don’t Tell Comedy

SantaBarbaraCA.gov/SunsetSessions

Come Visit and Let Our Art Inspire You! Featured Artists – Linda Hanly & Ellen Yeomans “It

Fine Art Destination Since 1992

Exhibiting work by over 50 Regional Artists with a stunning selection of media, styles and subjects

PEAC Summer Institute Helps First Generation Students Prepare for College

GIVING STUDENTS A JUMP START on learning how to engage with university-level research, attending an international leadership and entrepreneur conference, and enrolling in college courses before high school, the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s PEAC Summer Institute has completed a successful 13th year. Created to support students who are the first in their families to attend college, the 2025 summer program served 130 incoming high school freshmen.

“We are so incredibly proud of the work our students have accomplished this summer,” said SB Unified Superintendent Dr. Hilda Maldonado. “Their dedication to learning and growing is inspiring, and these unique opportunities, made possible by our wonderful community partners, are a testament to our commitment to ensuring all students have a pathway to success.”

Once again, the summer institute was hosted on Santa Barbara City College campus. Students enrolled in college courses to learn more about critical thinking, time management, and planning for college. They also met students from all three SB Unified high schools and enjoyed field trips to learn more about the farm-to-table concept and horticulture.

SBUnified PEAC high school students also received scholarships through the PEAC Foundation and local donors to attend a week at the international LEAP Leadership and Entrepreneur Conference, held this year at Pepperdine University.

Students additionally engaged in the opportunity to conduct university-level research

2025-2026 New Student School Board Member

CARLOS VAZQUEZ, a senior at San Marcos High School, will serve as the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s new Student School Board Member for the 2025-2026 school year. Vazquez brings leadership experience and a commitment to student advocacy to his role. Currently, he is a member of the Santa Barbara Youth Council, has been President of his AAPLE Academy class for the past three years, and is Co-President of the San Marcos MEChA chapter, an organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting Latino culture on campus. sbunified.org

Housing Authority of SB Distributes 400 Backpacks to 200 Families

GETTING LOCAL KIDS

READY FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB), in partnership with its nonprofit affiliate, 2nd Story Associates, hosted its 13th Annual Tools for School event earlier this month. HACSB distributed approximately 400 backbacks, each filled with school supplies, to about 200 families.

Over 20 local youthserving agencies attended the free Tools for School event, providing critical information about available resources to families. The backpacks were provided through a generous grant and HACSB’s partnership with U.S. Bank. HACSB also expanded its collaboration with Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, who were onsite with their Mobile Health Clinic to provide a range of health services to attending children and families. hacsb.org

at UCSB’s Summer Research Academies. Selection for this program was a competitive process and provided students the opportunity to choose an interdisciplinary research track in STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences to develop a high-level project with their peers from all over the world under the guidance of experts.

“The PEAC Scholars met the challenge of intensive college research courses headon,” said Dr. Lina Kim, UCSB Director of Academic Programs. “The critical skills the students gained from our specially designed events, such as technical writing, effective collaboration, and professional communication, will serve them well as they plan their higher-education journey and future careers.”

The program’s opportunities were made possible by the PEAC Foundation, Towbes Foundation, Santa Barbara City College, and UCSB. sbunified.org

New Digital Equity Website Offers Back-toSchool Tools for Local Families

AS SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FAMILIES SETTLE INTO BACK-TO-SCHOOL SCHEDULES, access to digital tools and reliable internet is more essential than ever for academic success. To support students, parents, and educators, the Santa Barbara County Digital Equity Coalition (SBCDEC) has launched a new online hub designed to help every resident stay connected and ready for the academic year: SBCDEC.org

Developed in partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation and the Economic Development Collaborative, SBCDEC.org is a one-stop site for digital inclusion resources. Visitors will find user-friendly information about affordable internet plans, free or low-cost device programs, digital literacy classes, and local tech support aimed at helping families thrive in today’s digital learning environment.

“As we head into a new school year, SBCDEC.org is a timely and powerful tool for families navigating the challenges of digital access,” said Beatriz García, Santa Barbara Foundation Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships. “From homework to virtual parent meetings, digital connectivity is a basic need—and this site is here to help.”

While especially useful for those navigating the new school year, SBCDEC.org is a year-round resource for anyone looking to get connected and build digital skills.

The Santa Barbara Digital Equity Coalition brings together a diverse group of partners, including non-profit service providers, educational institutions, and local government, to work together to close the digital divide through accessible, affordable connectivity and improved digital literacy. The Coalition coordinates local and regional collaborations to empower community members to fully engage in the digital world and increase opportunities for education and workforce development.

The Santa Barbara Foundation convenes the Digital Equity Coalition.

To learn more, visit SBCDEC.org or contact Beatriz García at bgarcia@sbfoundation.org

Westmont to Welcome 400 New Students

WESTMONT COLLEGE’S WARRIOR WELCOME this Labor Day weekend will welcome 400 new first-year, transfer, and nursing students. 18 percent of the incoming class are first-generation college students (71 individuals), with new students representing a total of 23 U.S. states and 24 countries with 12 percent coming from Santa Barbara County. Westmont awarded four-year academic scholarships ranging from $15,000 to nearly $41,000 each year to more than 95 percent of entering new students. westmont.edu

SB Neighborhood Clinics Hopes to Acquire MyChart in Capital Campaign

LOOKING TO STEAMLINE MEDICAL CARE for the thousands of patients who visit Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, SBNC is currently hoping to acquire MyChart, a leading electronic health record software product, as a part of its Capital Campaign.

Already used by many providers throughout Santa Barbara County, MyChart would integrate with SBNC’s patient records systems, allowing patients to easily view their records, schedule appointments and message their providers right from the MyChart app. This system would also make SBNC’s records compatible with Cottage Health, Sutter Health (Sansum Clinic), and UCLA, enabling efficient sharing of patient health records when a patient receives care from multiple providers or locations.

“Having shared patient medical records between SBNC, Cottage Health and Sutter Health/Sansum will lead to greater efficiency for both providers and patients while improving quality of care,” said Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian, SBNC CEO. “It will also save time and money by eliminating the burden of having to request and then obtain access to these records by other providers. All the information will be in one centralized location.”

MyChart users can book or cancel appointments online without having to call or wait on hold to speak to an appointment scheduler. Patients can also view records, lab

Sansum Clinic Expands Dermatology and Gastroenterology Teams

WELCOMING FOUR NEW BOARD-CERTIFIED PHYSICIANS, Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, has improved care in dermatology and gastroenterology. All physicians will see patients at the Pueblo Care Center. sansumclinic.org

DR. ANDREW KWONG, dermatologist, earned his medical degree from the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine where he also completed his dermatology residency. He completed micrographic surgery and dermatologic oncology fellowships at Larkin Community Hospital and Skin and Cancer Associates in Miami, Florida.

DR. TONY JIANG, dermatologist, received his medical training and his PhD at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed a dermatology residency at the University of Pittsburgh with a focus in research, specifically related to the treatment of a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that starts in the T-cells and affects the skin. Dr. Jiang recently serves a diverse dermatology practice in Pittsburgh providing medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology care.

DR. THOMAS MELLOR, gastroenterologist and internist, earned a Doctor of Osteopathy degree at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an internal medicine internship and residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He completed a gastroenterology fellowship at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and he joins Sutter’s Greater Central Coast from his former role as the Division Head of Gastroenterology at the Naval Medical Center in Bremerton, Washington.

DR. JEFFREY REBHUN, gastroenterologist, earned his medical degree from the University of QueenslandOchsner Clinical School of Medicine in Brisbane, Australia. He completed an internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Illinois in Chicago and a gastroenterology fellowship at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon.

reports, summaries, and clinical notes 24/7. Users may additionally request prescription refills online, choosing whether to pick them up or have them shipped to their home. Patients can also have direct contact with their primary care providers, pay bills, check insurance coverage, and opt to use the MyChart system in Spanish.

“Accessibility has more to do with the literal access to healthcare facilities and this system allows our Spanish-speaking patients to review their records in Spanish, improving patient satisfaction and outcomes,” said Ashrafian.

Patients can also use MyChart as a means of logging data of their daily vitals, allowing them to take charge of their health and share that information with their provider.

“When physicians and healthcare professionals can quickly and efficiently view and share patient medical records, we see firsthand how health outcomes can be improved,” said CenCal Health CEO Marina Owen. “CenCal Health applauds Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinic for bringing these improvements in connectivity to their patients and to CenCal Health members.”

SBNC’s Capital Campaign also includes the construction of the new Westside Clinic location. sbclinics.org

Lynn Fitzgibbons, MD, Appointed Endowed Chair in Graduate Medical Education

LYNN FITZGIBBONS, MD, has been appointed by the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation as the Craig Mally and Louise Stewart, MD, Endowed Chair in Graduate Medical Education. This position will strengthen Cottage’s graduate medical education program by supporting clinical research, specialized training, and advanced technology. Dr. Fitzgibbons is Cottage Health’s Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. She earned her medical degree from UC San Diego, completed a residency at SB Cottage Hospital, and holds academic appointments at the USC Keck School of Medicine and UC Santa Barbara. Board certified in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, she also serves as the Medical Director for the Cottage Center for Population Health. cottagehealth.org

Cottage Children’s Medical Center and

Children’s Hospital LA to Collaborate for Central Coast

TO EXPAND PEDIATRIC CARE FOR CENTRAL COAST FAMILIES, the Cottage Children’s Medical Center (CCMC), based at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, has become a member of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Care Network. The move means that local children with complex conditions can get greater access to care close to home.

and with families to coordinate specialty care for children at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as needed. The child can return to CCMC for follow-up care or ongoing treatments closer to home whenever possible.

CCMC and CHLA will work together to train and educate nurses and residency fellows, and CHLA will be the pediatric partner of choice for CCMC referrals.

“We welcome Cottage Children’s to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Care Network,” said Bhavana Arora, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the CHLA Care Network. “We’re excited about this collaboration. It opens the door for Central Coast families to have more convenient access to lifesaving and life-changing patient care, research, and clinical trials.”

Later this year, CCMC plans to open its new location, Grotenhuis Pediatric Clinics, adjacent to SB Cottage Hospital. cottagehealth.org Dr. Jeffrey Rebhun

“Our focus at CCMC is high quality care for our pediatric patients locally. This affiliation is a huge leap forward in reducing the burden placed on families to travel multiple times a year for a chronic condition that requires a large academic center like CHLA,” said Miriam Parsa, MD, MPH, Chief Pediatric Medical Officer of Cottage Children’s Medical Center. Families throughout the region will not need to make any change in how they access care at Cottage Children’s Medical Center. If CCMC does not offer the specialty indicated for a complex diagnosis, Cottage and CHLA will work together

Letter to the Editor

Battistone Housing For Low-Income Seniors Is Being Sold

August 27, 2025

Dear Editor,

I don’t know if you’re already aware that a wonderful complex, started by the Battistone Foundation and home to 190 low-income seniors, is being sold by auction! Yes, a “Call for Offers” started Aug. 13, 2025 and will run for about 30 days.

I am worried and concerned that these affordable homes that have been here and housed seniors for over four decades, would not be available to house the current seniors and future seniors in the Santa Barbara community. There are no guarantees that it will remain affordable or even for seniors as some 25 for profit and non-profit prospective bidders were invited to the Battistone auction.

I am one of the retirees living at the Battistone Foundation. I’ve proudly taught school here in Santa Barbara for almost 20 years. As a former teacher at Monroe Elementary, I see my former students in town; many of them are in University or some have entered the workforce. I was very fortunate to find safe, affordable senior housing in a central location in SB—within walking distance to groceries, parks, medical care and transit.

Like many other residents here, I live on a fixed income. Vision, mobility and financial issues make moving—let alone driving—impossible for many of us.

We need your help— to connect with a non-profit partner and angel philanthropists—to preserve this unique complex so that the current seniors and the future seniors may live and age in dignity.

Labor Day Protest at De La Guerra

LOCALS WILL UNITE TO PROTEST BILLIONAIRE AND CORPORATE GOVERNMENT INFLUENCE with a Labor Day protest at 11am on Monday, September 1st at De La Guerra Plaza. Organized by Women’s March Santa Barbara and other local activist groups, the protest will be one of hundreds due to take place nationwide this Labor Day. Participants are encouraged to bring signs, testimonies, and come ready for warm weather with cool clothing and water. Women’s March SB also hosts a weekly protest from 4 to 6pm on Thursdays in front of the SB Courthouse.

Clean Slate Clinic to Help People Clear Criminal Records

A CHANCE TO CLEAR A CRIMINAL RECORD, the free legal Clean Slate Clinic assisting Santa Barbara County residents in expunging criminal records, felony reduction, and arrest record sealing will take place on Friday, August 29th, 2025 from 10am to 4pm at The Colleges of Law – Santa Barbara campus located at 20 East Victoria St.

“Our office is committed to helping people lead productive and engaged lives while keeping public safety at the forefront. Criminal records that are now qualified for legal expungement can prevent people from obtaining employment or housing,” said John T. Savrnoch, Santa Barbara County District Attorney.

The Clean Slate Clinic was organized by SB County District Attorney’s Office, SB County Probation Department, SB County Public Defender’s Office, SB Defenders, People’s Justice Project, and CRLA, with The Colleges of Law –Santa Barbara hosting the clinic.

A criminal record—no matter how old or how minor—can be a significant barrier to reentry for people. Under federal law, any probation violation for any type of misdemeanor disqualifies an individual from welfare benefits, including food stamps, low-income housing, and Supplemental Security Income for the elderly and disabled.

Criminal record expungement confers numerous benefits. When applying for most jobs, individuals who successfully expunge their criminal record can lawfully answer “No” if asked whether they have been convicted of a crime. Moreover, an employer is not permitted to consider an expunged conviction that is discovered through a background check in making a hiring decision. If you are interested in clearing your criminal record, please make an appointment to receive services at the Santa Barbara Clean Slate Clinic on August 29th at (805) 902-CRLA or reentry@crla.org. Walk-ins are welcome.

We here at the Edgerly are a community. We care and support one another and our neighbors. We residents are long-time contributors to Santa Barbara: We worked here as librarians, nurses, veterans, teachers, firemen, UCSB staff, barbers, artists and more. Many helped build this community. We are simply asking to remain part of it.

If we must leave Battistone, then we must leave SB County. Our well-being is at risk. If forced out of Santa Barbara, being so displaced, leads to loneliness and isolation. We will be separated from our friends, neighbors, social & medical support groups.

The recent press reports over 3,400 people are already on the waiting list for affordable housing in the area. So, if we are displaced, where would we go? Even temporary relocation due to renovation poses real hardship.

• Who would pay for moving costs, storage, and deposits?

• How would vulnerable seniors (especially those aged 85-98, many without family) manage?

Please help shine a light on this urgent issue. Aging with dignity should be a shared community value, and we hope you will help us protect this rare and essential housing.

With Sincere Thanks,

Karine Anderson Resident

A Conversation & Presentation On Alternative Building

ENJOY AN EVENING CENTERED ON THE STORY OF HUMAN SHELTER, when the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network presents a conversation with Lloyd Kahn of Shelter Publications, joined by Bill Steen of the Canelo Project.

Both Lloyd Kahn and Bill Steen have long been fascinated by the story of human of shelter. In books and practical teachings, they have shared how diverse cultures adapt and build shelter according to their needs; using materials close at hand; often with great beauty. Bringing it into the present; both write and teach to modern day audiences. Come learn and share their journey and expertise.

Kahn has written & published numerous books through the decades on how to build shelter; gaining a devoted following now international in scope. A pioneer in the DIY movement; he has worn many hats including photographer; carpenter; designer; architect; author and publisher; now with a popular Substack. Starting as the Shelter editor for the iconic Whole Earth Catalog, he was inspired to start Shelter Publications; an independent 50-year-old publishing company.

Bill Steen is the co-founder of the Canelo Project in Elgin; Arizona. After building a straw bale home in the late 1980’s with his wife Athena for their family; they began conducting straw bale & clay plaster workshops in southern Arizona and Mexico. Bill is the co-author with Athena of The Hand Built House; The Straw Bale House; Beautiful Straw Bale; The Small Straw Bale House; and The Canelo Project. Bill and Athena were honored recently as recipients of the 2025 Annual Santa Barbara Permaculture Network Eco Hero Award for their many years of Natural Building leadership & commitment.

The event takes place on Sunday; September 7th; 6:30–8:30 pm; $10 donation; at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop; 631 Garden St; Santa Barbara; CA. For more information visit sbpermaculture.org.

Aso scheduled is an ALL-DAY Immersion with Lloyd Kahn & Bill Steen on Saturday, September 6th from 9:30am to 5pm. they’ll be joined by three local regional Natural Builders, Art Ludwig, Betty Seaman, and Ray Cirino.

The Immersion will take place at beautiful outdoor location with natural building structure examples on site which will be shared with registration. Lunch will be provided. The cost is $100. To register visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lloyd-kahn-bill-steen-together-tickets-1538957656779

SB Ranked No. 1 for Bicycle Crashes Among Similar-Sized CA Cities for Three Years

Grand Jury Report Rolls Over City’s E-Bike Response

NBy Daisy Scott / VOICE

OT ENOUGH HAS BEEN DONE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF E-BIKE SAFETY in Santa Barbara according to the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury’s June 2025 report, prompting the Santa Barbara City Council last week to respond with a letter asserting it will launch an internal needs study to evaluate what the Santa Barbara Police Department needs to increase e-bike enforcement efforts.

Councilmembers shared with VOICE that they agree with the report’s findings and the need to accomplish more.

“I think the Grand Jury got it exactly right,” said Councilmember Kristen Sneddon. “We made progress by developing an ordinance, but we still need meaningful enforcement and education. Personally, I would support an impound program to trade a non-electric bike for the electric bike until the user went through a training or participated in community service related to safer uses of e-bikes. We need to implement the Grand Jury recommendations, for the safety of the often young riders and for the safety of pedestrians.”

“I agree with what they said,” said Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez. “I feel like it will be a joint community effort. It’ll take the city, county, school district, and parents to come together to make sure e-bikes are ridden safely and responsibly.”

Statistics provided by the SBPD indicates that there has been a steady trend of e-bike riders being at fault for accidents, which also appear to be on the rise. 71 of the 107 e-bike riders were at fault for collisions in 2024 and 32 riders were at fault out of 73 incidents in 2023. By contrast, there were only ten collisions reported in 2022, with six of those riders being at fault.

the city’s passing of a new e-bike safety ordinance in February 2025.

The city’s new ordinance forbids dangerous riding practices and tampering with e-bikes, implementing fines and a required e-bike safety education program for minors in violation.

Per the Grand Jury report, a study by the National Traffic Safety Administration found that Santa Barbara ranked #1 in both 2020 and 2021 for bicycle crash victims out of 105 cities of a similar size in California.

It is important to note that while these rankings did not distinguish bicycle crashes from e-bike specific incidents, the Jury cited it as a validation of rising worries over e-bike safety.

The most recent data available via the California Office of Traffic Safety’s crash rankings reveals that in 2022 Santa Barbara ranked #1 out of 104 similarly-sized California cities for bicycle crashes, once again not differentiating between bicycles and e-bikes.

The Grand Jury highlighted that the Santa Barbara’s new 2025 safety ordinance means that SBPD officers have greater ability to enforce safe riding rules and practices. Yet it noted that broader change in community e-biking practices will only come about through “strategic” and “consistent” enforcement — meanwhile, no additional funding has gone to support SBPD enforcement.

All Santa Barbara City Councilmembers (excluding Mike Jordan, who was absent) voted on July 19th to send a letter formally responding to the report, 57 days into the Grand Jury’s mandatory 90-day response window.

The letter notes that the SBPD dedicated 130 hours in May 2025 to enforcing the new ordinance, agreeing with the Jury’s findings that a SBPD needs study and additional funding are needed.

Photos by John Palminteri

Administration and the finance department to conduct an internal needs study to assess funding and staffing needs. The study will be completed by April 1st, 2026. The SBPD also agreed to begin delivering quarterly reports of e-bike accident statistics to the City’s Fire & Police Commission by December 1st.

Jury Additionally Calls for Greater Public Information Campaign

Public education and information will also be essential to curbing e-bike accidents and ensuring this increasingly popular, environment-friendly mode of transportation becomes a safer aspect of daily life.

“We need to implement the Grand Jury recommendations, for the safety of the often young riders and for the safety of pedestrians” — Councilmember Kristen Sneddon

The Jury recommended that the City work alongside e-bike education groups, local bike businesses, and with the SB Unified School District to continue teaching students that the rules of the road also apply to e-bikes.

“For young riders who have not yet taken a driving test, these rules are not ingrained and sometimes not even known,” wrote the Jury. “The Jury learned that not all parents know them either, or they are not aware that these rules apply to young e-bike riders.”

“The proliferation of e-bikes has presented significant challenges for Santa Barbara County’s South Coast, and especially the City of Santa Barbara, where State Street has become an e-bike promenade,” wrote the Grand Jury.

Citing these numbers and anecdotal evidence of rising concern over e-bike accidents, the Grand Jury report called upon the City of Santa Barbara to ensure that the SBPD actually has the funds and staff it needs to realize the additional enforcement duties brought about by

“Enforcement of e-bike violations is an added responsibility that has required the Police Department to reallocate existing resources and adjust operational priorities,” conceded the City’s letter. “This has affected staffing flexibility, especially during peak school community hours and on State Street. Additional funding would support overtime deployment or dedicated positions.”

Following the Jury’s recommendation, SBPD will collaborate with City

“The advent of e-bikes marks a broad cultural shift in how he community interacts in shared spaces, and addressing this change will require a collective effort to educate the public on the City’s new e-bike ordinance,” said the Jury.

The Jury added that the city has initiated a “limited” public information campaign, which has limited awareness (and by extension, effectiveness) of the ordinance.

“Although some outreach has occurred, a broader and more sustained public education campaign is necessary to raise awareness and encourage compliance, particularly among young riders and their families,” the city conceded.

Age also continues to be a major safety consideration. The Jury reported that between October 2022 and October 2024, 40 of the 84 individuals who were seen at the SB Cottage Emergency Department following an e-bike accident were between the ages of eleven to 20.

The city affirmed that it will continue to expand public awareness campaigns and continue hosting educational programming. This includes the city’s contract with MOVE SB County to host Safe Routes to School Education, K-12, and the SBPD’s plans to host educational workshops and distribute helmets with MOVE at area schools. The programming is made possible through a California Office of Traffic Safety grant awarded to the SBPD this past May.

“This is obviously a growing community concern that deserves attention and it has ours, as it does yours,” said Barry Remis, MOVE Programs Administrator, to City Councilmembers.

Under the new ordinance, if a minor is found in violation of the new e-bike safety ordinance, they are asked to attend a safety course through the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA). If the youth does not attend, their guardian must pay a fine. Read the full Grand Jury Report at sbcgj.org To view Santa Barbara’s guidelines on e-bike safety visit santabarbaraca.gov/e-bike-safety

Police and Fire Commission to Review City’s Response to Grand Jury

Santa Barbara’s Police and Fire Commission will meet at 4pm on Thursday, August 28th. They will receive a presentation on the city’s response to the Grand Jury report on E-Bikes in Santa Barbara. In-person attendance is welcome, with a livestream and online public comment available at santabarbaraca.gov/fire-police-commission

On the Street with John Palminteri

Free Ice Cream!

THEY DIDN’T ASK MY AGE but may have known I am a Senior reporter and always get the SCOOP! It was National Senior Citizens Day on August 21st and Rori’s was treating all seniors to a free single scoop at any Rori’s scoop shop from Arroyo Grande to Santa Monica.

My Morning Jacket Wows Crowds

MY MORNING JACKET PERFORMED LAST WEEK at the landmark Santa Barbara Bowl. They’re “ONE OF THOSE BANDS THAT’S A MUSTSEE-LIVE whenever they come around,” according to Ricky Biggs KJEE 92.9 FM Montecito-Santa Barbara.

RV Fire Stopped at Cachuma

A FULLY ENGULFED RV at Cachuma Lake County Park caused serious concerns when it broke out the afternoon of Friday, August 22nd, but Santa Barbara County Park Rangers kept it in check until Santa Barbara County Firefighters arrived a few minutes later. The combined effort kept it from the vegetation. One injury was reported.

Be Wary for Phone Scams

THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS WARNING THE COMMUNITY ABOUT PHONE SCAMS: Hang Up, Don’t Pay! Scammers pose as officials and attempt to pressure victims into paying money.

In these scams, callers claim you owe fines, missed tolls, or face arrest unless you make an immediate payment through gift cards, wire transfers, or electronic apps. These calls can sound convincing, but they are fraudulent. The Sheriff’s Office will never demand payment over the phone, request gift cards, or threaten arrest for unpaid fines.

If you receive a suspicious call: Hang up immediately. Do not send money or share personal information. Call the Sheriff’s Office to verify.

“These scammers rely on fear and urgency to trick people into handing over money,” said Chief Deputy Brad Welch. “We want our community to know they always have the right to hang up and call us directly to confirm whether the call is legitimate.”

You can reach the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center at any time of the day or night at (805)683-2724. The Sheriff’s Office encourages community members to share this warning with family, friends, and neighbors—especially seniors, who are often targeted by these schemes.

SBA Jet Bridge Collapses During Maintenance

A

JET

BRIDGE AT SANTA

BARBARA AIRPORT collapsed while undergoing maintenance on the morning of Tuesday, August 26th. It was out of service and without passengers.

The airport says:

Two airport staff sustained minor, non life-threatening injuries and were transported to Cottage Hospital for treatment.

The jet bridge is currently under investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident. Out of an abundance of caution, all other jet bridges have been visually inspected and no concerns have been identified.

“This is the first time something like this has happened at Santa Barbara Airport, and we are taking the steps to determine what the exact cause was,” said Chris Hastert, Santa Barbara Airport Director. “It appears to be an isolated incident, but the safety of our passengers and our staff remain our number one priority.”

The jet bridge will remain out of service until further notice. Flight operations are not expected to be impacted. Passengers should continue checking directly with their airline for latest flight status.

Heat Wave Draws Business to Waterfront

SOME BUSINESSES ARE THRIVING IN THE EXTREME HEAT, especially at the Santa Barbara waterfront. After some tricky weather days earlier this summer with some fog and overcast, the all day sunshine and warm evenings help with the “economic catch of the day.”

Boat Smashes on Butterfly Beach

A 27-FOOT BOAT that drifted on shore to Butterfly Beach in Montecito on Sunday shattered into pieces Tuesday morning before it could be towed out. Debris was strewn in and out of the surfline for 100 yards or more.

This summer we have had more boat crashes on Montecito and Carpinteria beaches than most people can remember in recent years. Santa Barbara County is working with the environmental group Heal the Ocean and community leaders to have a new rapid response team to recover these vessels before they create a hazard in the near shore waters.

John Palminteri is a veteran news reporter and anchor for Newschannel 3-12 TV and both KJEE and KCLU radio in Santa Barbara/Santa Maria/Ventura. Off the air, he’s often bringing his smile and positive energy to the microphone at fundraisers and civic events. John’s social media presence has one of the largest followings in Santa Barbara, and this page has the weekly highlights.

Twitter: @JohnPalminteri • Instagram: @JohnPalminteriNews www.facebook.com/john.palminteri.5

NATURE’S PALETTE

SCAPE EXHIBIT & SALE

Benefiting Explore Ecology’s Environmental Education Programs

SEPTEMBER 12TH & 13TH

MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST - LEHMANN HALL

Friday, September 12, 2pm - 7pm, Reception 5pm - 6:00pm Saturday, September 13, 10:30am - 4:30pm

FREE Summer Cinema Fridays at 8:30 PM at the SB County Courthouse Sunken Garden

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

CITY OF SANTA BARBARA

2022-2023 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) To All Interested Persons, Groups and Agencies

Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report

The City of Santa Barbara is seeking public comment on the 2022-2023 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The CAPER evaluates the City’s performance on the 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan (AAP), which listed activities that would be performed during the year to achieve the performance measures outlined in the City’s 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan (CP). The CP is a 5year planning document which primarily determines the City’s housing and community development needs, issues, and resources. The CP helps the City determine strategies to address those identified needs using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds.

The City of Santa Barbara is seeking public comment on the Program Year 2024-2025 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The CAPER summarizes and evaluates previous achievements using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds allocated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing on the CAPER will be held on held before the City’s Community Development and Human Services Committee (CDHSC) Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the David Gebhard Meeting Room, 630 Garden St.

The Draft CAPER will be available online at www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov on September 11th, 2023. Comments must be received by September 26th, 2023. For more information, contact the Community Development Department, Housing and Human Services Division, at (805) 564-5461 or e-mail to: HHS@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

The 2024-25 draft CAPER will be available for a 15-day public review period from September 8, 2025, through September 23, 2025. Written comments will be accepted during this period by email at HHS@SantaBarbaraCA.gov. Public comments will also be accepted during the public hearing. The draft CAPER will be available through the City’s Human Services/CDBG program website at https://santabarbaraca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/CAPER.pdf.

Copies of the Draft CAPER will also be available at the following locations: Public Library Main Branch, 40 East Anapamu Street; and the City Clerk’s office, 735 Anacapa Street. For more information, contact the Housing and Human Services Division, at (805) 564-5461 or e-mail to: HHS@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

Fun, Art Music & More!

1st Thursday in Santa Barbara ~ September 4th, 5 to 8 pm

ART AND CULTURE IS WHAT MAKES

SANTA BARBARA AN INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION and on 1st Thursdays, the city lights up and a celebration begins at more than 23 Museums, Art Galleries, and quality businesses as they open their doors for summer fun and experiences.

Here is sampling of some highlights of the night’s events to consider as you stroll the streets of Santa Barbara. The night air will be filled with music by the SB1200 Band who will play in the 800 block of State Street. An electrifying ensemble, they’ll be performing your favorite R&B, hip hop, and pop hits. This band is headed by bandleader, keyboardist, and rapper, Mr. Eric Raymond. You will be “transported to your happy place” by the silky smooth

vocals of lead singer, Iyana. The SB1200 four piece rhythm section will have your feet tapping as the beat brings you alive.

Then step over to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art at 1130 State for a free tour of the museum and explore the galleries. If you feel creative, drop by the Art Learning Lab for a hands on activity.

The put your party hat on for two anniversary

celebrations, Opal Restaurant at 1325 State Street is lighting candles for 25 years in business and domecíl at 1223 State Street is pulling out all the stops for its colorful 4th anniversary. They’ll be showing the vibrant work of contemporary painter Delmar León.

Just a Tiera’s toss away at Sullivan Goss An American Gallery, 11 East Anapamu, will be the opening reception for The Muralists, which brings together a diverse group of artists from the past and present who have played a major part in creating Santa Barbara’s public art legacy.

Up the street at Seimandi & Lepriur, 33 West Anapamu, is the newest gallery in town for all to see.

And, don’t forget to join the last dance of summer at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 East De la Guerra, where you will find an intriguing opening celebration

featuring plein air painter Ludmilla Pilat Welch. Her body of work stands as an important historic record as many of these remnants of Santa Barbara’s past slowly disappear from the landscape. Also, at 6:30 pm join DJ Darla Bea for that Last Dance of the Summer party in the Museum courtyard.

See the complete schedule on pages 16 and 17.

Call For Artists For Storefront Beautification Program

AVACANT WINDOW BEAUTIFICATION

To download a PDF guide with a map, Just scan the QR code and click on the “Murals” icon (shown above).

PROGRAM HAS BEEN LAUNCHED in Downtown Santa Barbara. The program is designed to transform empty downtown storefronts into vibrant, eye-catching displays of local creativity. The program was organized by the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA), in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture, the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, and Santa Barbara Signs.

Santa Barbara County–based artists, photographers, and graphic designers are invited to submit new or existing original artwork for consideration. Selected pieces will be enlarged, formatted to fit unique storefront dimensions, and printed on window film. The deadline to submit is Friday, September 5th, 2025.

The program celebrates Santa Barbara’s artistic spirit by turning vacant windows into welcoming visual experiences for both the community and visitors. As part of DSBIA’s ongoing commitment to revitalize the downtown district, it brings together property owners, artists, and cultural partners to reimagine vacant spaces as opportunities for beauty and engagement.

Submissions will be reviewed and selected by the DSBIA Placemaking & Identity Committee. Works that are recommended by the Committee will be placed into a curated image bank for current and future use. DSBIA will work with property owners to match art to vacant storefronts.

New Venue Bridges Artistic Horizons

RADIATING

By Daisy Scott / VOICE

HOSPITALITY, ELEGANCE, AND BOLD CREATIVITY,

visitors immediately sense that Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery is a passion project in every sense of the phrase. The newest gallery in downtown Santa Barbara, the peaceful space brings international flair to the Arts District, specializing in French and Caribbean contemporary artists who work outside of the United States.

“We present these works in the U.S. because they deserve a wide audience and to be experienced in conditions that reflect their visual and conceptual strength,” explained Fanny Seimandi, who owns and operates the gallery with her partner, Julien Leprieur.

Located in Bluebird Café’s former site on Anapamu St., the gallery marks a second act, dream-come-true moment for both Seimandi and Leprieur. Prior to this, Leprieur worked as an engineer and Seimandi served as a criminal judge.

Arts District,” explained Leprieur.

Currently, the pair represents five French and Caribbean artists, including Ricardo Ozier-Lafontaine, the focus of the gallery’s debut solo show, Fertilum

Working only in black and white — save for a dramatic red fingerprint that serves as each work’s final touch — OzierLafontaine defies stereotypes that Caribbean art must be colorful.

Standing before the large, encompassing canvases in the gallery, visitors cannot help but be drawn into the intricately penned details that punctuate each work’s mystical, abstract creatures; forms the artist calls “Intercessors” who traverse this world and other dimensions of being. A looped video projection depicts Ozier-Lafontaine at work to gallery visitors, mediating artistic intent and process.

Yet art always remained a source of profound joy. Their appreciation only grew through the ten years they lived in Martinique, where they became increasingly drawn to the unique beauty and range of Caribbean art. Seimandi went on to earn her Master’s in Art Market Studies from the Sorbonne and the two felt increasingly compelled to “act as a bridge,” sharing the art they loved with a broader audience who would otherwise never experience them.

“Discovering these artists in Martinique was a true visual shock: their approach to material, their treatment of nature, and the unique quality of light all contribute to work that is both powerful and contemporary,” said Seimandi.

Moving to America was also always in the cards for Seimandi and Leprieur, who were both enamored with American culture from a young age. In 2024, they took their children on the ultimate California roadtrip, driving from Sonoma to San Diego. When they stopped in Santa Barbara, they knew they had found home.

“The preserved architecture reminded us of parts of the French and Italian Riviera, the people’s undeniable interest in culture, and, of course, Santa Barbara’s exceptional quality of life led us to seek a beautiful space in the heart of the

Two other Martinique artists — painter Dora Vital and multidisciplinary artist Karine Taïlamé — will be the focus of the gallery’s next show, opening October 2nd. This next exhibition will offer a stark visual contrast to the gallery’s current monochromatic show, centering the artists’ mutual emphases on light and nature’s vibrant beauty.

Seimandi explained that their first step in determining which artists to share with the community is reflecting on whether or not she and Leprieur would want that art in their own home.

“There must be a genuine visual impact and emotional resonance,” said Seimandi. “While we were sometimes encouraged to feature well-known Caribbean artists recognized by institutions and museums, we never include work with which we don’t feel a personal connection.”

Seimandi and Leprieur are also planning to coordinate annual group exhibitions that will be created by and center on local young contemporary artists. The pair is already communicating with UC Santa Barbara’s art program to launch an initiative that will involve artists in every step of the exhibition process, from publicity to artwork installation and lighting.

“For us, this annual group exhibition will deepen our ties with the Santa Barbara community, and who knows, we might help discover a future major name in the art world!” said Leprieur.

Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery will be open for 1st Thursday from 5 to 8pm on September 4th.

West Anapamu St • 11am-6pm Wed-Sat • seimandileprieur.com

Small is Beautiful

VOICE had early access to an exhibit of exquisite oils featuring Santa Barbara in the early 1900s by artist Ludmilla Pilat Welch, opening September 4th.

By Isaac Hernández de Lipa / VOICE

AGIANT RED SIGN WITH JUST HER FIRST NAME, LUDMILLA, welcomes visitors into the Smith-Walker Foundation Gallery at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Everything else in this exhibit is relatively small, the largest painting being not wider than 20 inches. But every single piece is a tiny treasure, painted with great delicacy and style.

The 44 oil paintings provide a comforting nostalgia, from when the good land of Goleta was precisely that, as portrayed in a giant beautiful landscape with tiny cows, seen in Goleta Foothills. Likewise, Ocean from the Riviera features a tiny figure against the vastness of the natural landscape, with not a single house in view.

If you don’t know who Ludmilla Pilat Welch was (April 1, 1867 - May 17, 1925), don’t be ashamed. She lived in the shadow of her famous artist husband, Thaddeus Welch, whom she married when she was just 16 and he was 39. They met in the woods outside her birth town of Ossining, New York, where she was sketching. He became her art teacher and companion, the pair often painting side by side. One of the pieces at SBHM was signed by both of them.

The daughter of Anna Pilat and Austrian political refugee Charles F. Pilat, who left his country after a failed republican uprising led by Carl Schurz, she grew up surrounded by art, music, and literature. The prolific Ludmilla painted everywhere she went, including Georgia in the early 1890s, and in Mt. Tamalpais, California, starting in 1894, where she lived with her husband until Thaddeus’ poor health brought them to Santa Barbara in 1905, to the benefit of Santa Barbara art lovers and historians alike.

Ludmilla’s paintings are not only exquisite and filled with light, but they also provide a historic documentation of our town from 1905 to 1925, although the art isn’t dated, and was often painted on cigar boxes or on the reverse of other canvases.

All of the paintings here are from the SBHM collection. Quite a few feature Santa Barbara adobes in ruins. Many didn’t survive, although some, like the Historic Adobe in the SBHM grounds, are still here.

The Welches, who lived at 211 East Sola Street, built their own adobe house on the Fellowship colony on the Mesa. They had some experience with building, as they’d erected a previous home on a steep ravine in Mt. Tamalpais, in the middle of nowhere, where they’d grown their own food, pulled water from a creek down below with a two-bucket pulley system, and lived on mussels and mushrooms.

The exhibit also features some rare portraits and an expressive oil, Women Painting, probably part of the all-women Art Study Club to which Ludmilla belonged, and which exhibited at the Arlington Hotel in 1911, according to historian and SBHM contributor Hattie Beresford.

There are two tiny oils, one of Robin Hood, Ludmilla’s cocker spaniel, and a Self-Portrait that sits alone on its own wall. Ludmilla looks in charge here, watching her collection of paintings. But, all the way across the room, there’s another portrait that looms larger, the profile of Thaddeus Welch, watching over Ludmilla.

“She didn’t try as hard to make a living from art as he did,” Beresford told VOICE “It had to do with being a really young woman. It was his career that drove her life, what he wanted to do, not what she wanted to do.”

This exhibit is only the tip of the iceberg for a prolific painter with work featured in the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, the Oakland Museum of California, the Bolinas Museum, and the Historical Museum Foundation of Sonoma County, among other collections.

Ludmilla painted countless small but beautiful artworks and probably would have done many more, had she not died on May 17, 1925, in a train accident in Florida on the way to visit family in New York.

Ludmilla runs from Sept. 4th, 2025 to March 22, 2026. It opens on 1st Thursday, Sept. 4th from 5 to 8pm For more info visit: sbhistorical.org

Santa Barbara’s

Cultural Night Out

1ST THURSDAY is an evening of art and culture in downtown Santa Barbara that takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Participating art venues offer free access to art in a fun and social environment from 5-8pm. 1st Thursday venues also provide additional attractions, such as live music, artist receptions, lectures, wine tastings, and handson activities. State St also comes alive on 1st Thursday with performances and interactive activities.

September 4 th • 5 to 8pm

Galleries, Museums, & Art Venues

1. Voice Gallery • La Cumbre Plaza, 110 S. Hope Avenue, Unit H‑124 • In Touch with Nature reverberates with color, dynamic growth, and mystery. Local artists in their chosen media responded to the theme for a vibrant yet peaceful exhibition. Stop in, meet the artists, sing along with Harold Kono, and sample tasty bites and sips.

2. Waterlight Studio • 18 W. Micheltorena STE D • Handcrafted ceramic vessels by Suzanne Schwager, blending intricate glazing

techniques with decades of artistic practice. Inspired by her studies at UCSB and mentor Sheldon Kaganoff, Suzanne has been perfecting her ceramic work since the 1970s. All pieces are handmade in Santa Barbara and available for purchase.

3. SBIFF’s Santa Barbara Filmmaker Series • SBIFF’s Education Center, 1330 State Street #101 • On Thursday, September 4th we are featuring The Perfect Duo, the short film made by students in SBIFF’s After School Cinema Class at Santa Barbara Junior High School. A father and son comedy duo try to break into the world of comedy while also trying to save their home and their family. Showtimes: 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 6:30pm, and 7:00pm. Runtime: 8 mins.

4. Art & Soul • 1323 State Street • Entre Mundos opens at Art & Soul this 1st Thursday! Beatris Burgoin presents paintings of migration, memory, and belonging. Through expressive portraiture and evocative landscapes, this exhibition explores the complexity of living between worlds—never fully belonging to either, yet drawing strength, identity, and beauty from both. Each work is rooted in love—for people, for place, and for the ongoing journey of becoming.

5. Santa Barbara Fine Art • 1321 State Street • Endless Summer in SB – Santa Barbara Beaches featuring John Comer, Richard Schloss, Kelly Hine, Arturo Tello, Michael Drury, John Wullbrandt, and Rob Robinson. Honorary local: Rodolfo Rivademer. Guest artist: Andy Vogel. Photographer: Robert Werling & Larry Iwerks, Marcia Burtt, Ray Strong & more!

6. domecíl • 1223 State Street

• Join domecíl in celebrating its colorful 4th anniversary with the vibrant work of contemporary painter Delmar León. Her bold palette, rich textures, and intuitive movement across

the canvas reflect the energy of life, nature, and the human soul— inviting viewers to step into the creative process. Leland Francis will also be popping up with candles and fragrances to mark the occasion.

7. The Knit Shop • 1221 State Street, Suite 7 • Fiber Art: Dive into a world of color and texture with the artwork of Brecia Kralovic Logan complementing the fabulous fiber at The Knit Shop in Victoria Court. This exhibit will feature new collaged works on canvas that explore the synergy of multiple mediums combined with Brecia’s signature hand dyed silk fabrics.

8. 10 West Gallery • 10 W. Anapamu St. • Shades of Summer — An eclectic mix of contemporary artwork from artists living in the Santa Barbara area. Abstract impressionism and expressionism, urban landscapes of New York City, stitched collage, ceramic vessels, and resin sculpture. Image: Pat McGinnis, “Inspiration I,” resin on driftwood base.

9. Seimandi & Leprieur, French Art Gallery • 33 W. Anapamu St. • Don’t miss the final weeks of Fertilum by Ricardo Ozier Lafontaine. His only solo exhibition in the United States presents monumental black and white paintings, up to 12 feet long. Rooted in ancestral memory and pre Columbian forms, the works create a contemporary visual language both powerful and immersive.

10. Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery • 11 E. Anapamu St. • Join us for the opening reception for The Muralists, which brings together a diverse group of

artists from the past and present who have played a major part in creating Santa Barbara’s public art legacy. Also on view: Robin Gowen and our Summer Salon II

11. Santa Barbara Public Library • Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu St. • Raíces y Sueños with Jacqueline Valenzuela — Join us for a special reception featuring Los Angeles artist Jacqueline Valenzuela. This exhibit explores Chicana identity and lowrider culture through bold portraiture and urban landscapes. Part of SBPL’s Raíces y Sueños programming, this show honors lowriding as an expression of identity, tradition, and transformation.

12. Santa Barbara Museum of Art • 1130 State Street • Join us for 1st Thursday at SBMA, free and open from 5–8 pm! Explore our diverse galleries from Vian Sora: Outerworlds, to Elliott Hundley: Proscenium, and Portraits Revealed. Feeling creative? Drop by the Art Learning Lab for a hands-on art activity related to our exhibitions!

13. Gallery 113 • 1114 State Street #8 • Santa Barbara Art Association. Artist of the Month is Bonny Butler. Her exhibit is titled A Color Affair. Featured artists: Sue Slater, Barbara Hershberg, Skip Lau, Darlene Roker, and Sandy Fisher.

Love public art? So do we! Scan the QR code to find incredible works all over

Voting opens 9/4/25— pick your favorite and help us celebrate 100 years of public art in Santa

14. Waterhouse Gallery • 1114 State Street #9 • The gallery will be highlighting local landscapes by some of today’s finest nationally known local and Oak Group artists. Enjoy works by Ann Sanders, Ray Hunter, Thomas Van Stein, Kevin Gleason, Rick Garcia.

15. Slice of Light • 9 W. Figueroa St. • Slice of Light Gallery’s two-year anniversary exhibition is up now! To celebrate our time in Santa Barbara, we’re displaying gorgeous photography and art from J.K. Lovelace, Ben Coffman, and Eric States. Stop by to enjoy fine wine and a beautiful array of art and photography.

16. Crossroads Trading Co. • 1025 State Street • Stop into Crossroads Trading at 1025 State St. to shop, sell, and consign the best of resale fashion while enjoying bubbly drinks (non-alcoholic), a DJ set, curated seasonal racks, and gift card giveaways.

17. The Yes Store • 1015 State Street • Come celebrate local arts while enjoying music, drinks, and treats! View the work of all our incredibly talented local artists. Looking for locally handmade gifts or something special for yourself? Look no further than The Yes Store—your local arts gallery.

18. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) • 1021 Anacapa St., 3rd Floor • Celebrate 30 years of collaborative science! Explore our programs and discover information you can taste with 2025 Artist in Residence, Beth Altringer Eagle—

flavor innovator transforming how we experience data. Enjoy food and non-alcoholic drinks.

19. Finch & Fork | The Kimpton Canary Hotel • 31 W. Carrillo Street • $2 oysters, cocktails, and shop local, all under one roof! Every 1st Thursday the Canary Hotel lobby transforms into a haven for art and music lovers. Join from 5pm–8pm to shop jewelry, clothing, and art from local vendors. Take a seat at the bar and enjoy $2 oysters & cocktails and bites whilst DJ Dansauce provides the beats.

20. Arrediamo Rug Show • 911 1/2 State Street • Arrediamo specializes in importing only the finest, authentic, handknotted, vegetable-dyed, hand-spun wool or silk rugs for your home or office. We are proud to offer the Southwest’s largest collection of handmade contemporary, Southwest, traditional, and antique Persian, Turkish, Afghani, Tribal, and Tibetan rugs.

21. Paint at Paseo • De La Guerra Place, Paseo Nuevo • Marie McKenzie, Ojai-based oil painter and sculptor, explores underwater scenes inspired by kelp forests and her transformative freediving experience. Through her art and partnership with SeaTrees, she raises awareness for ocean restoration. She will lead a free all-ages watercolor workshop on galaxies and stars—materials provided!

22. Coastland Salon • 740 State Street #203 • Join us for an intimate art show featuring a young local creative. Sip, vibe, heal. Celebrate art, wellness, and community in one unforgettable evening.

23. Santa Barbara Historical Museum • 136 East De La Guerra Street • Join the Museum for their opening celebration featuring plein air painter Ludmilla Pilat Welch. Her body of work stands as an important historic record as many of these remnants of Santa Barbara’s past slowly disappeared from the landscape. Also, at 6:30 pm join DJ Darla Bea for a Last Dance of the Summer party in the Museum courtyard. Image: Ludmilla Pilat Welch: Serene Santa Barbara.

Sponsor

SB 1200 • 800 Block of State Street • Introducing SB1200 Band, an electrifying ensemble, performing your favorite R&B, hip hop, and pop hits. This amazing band is headed by bandleader, keyboardist, and rapper, Mr. Eric Raymond. You will be transported to your happy place by the silky smooth vocals of lead singer, Iyana. The SB1200 four

to have you

and

ART VENUES

Casa del Herrero • Gardens & House • by reservation • 1387 East Valley Rd • tours 10 & 2 We & Sa • 805-565-5653 • casadelherrero.com

Casa Dolores • Bandera Ware / traditional outfits ~ ongoing • 1023 Bath St • 12-4 Tu-Sa • 805-963-1032 • casadolores.org

Channing Peake Gallery • Form and Frame: Abstraction, Community, and the Language of Art • 105 E Anapamu St, 1st fl • 805-568-3994

Colette Cosentino Atelier + Gallery • 11 W Anapamu St • By Appt • colettecosentino.com

Community Arts Workshop • 631 Garden St • 10-6pm Fri & By Appt. • sbcaw.org

Corridan Gallery • James Paul Brown A Joyful Vision & gallery artists • 125 N Milpas • 11-5 We-Sa • 805966-7939 • corridan-gallery.com

10 West Gallery • Shades of Summer through Sept 14 • 10 W Anapamu • 11-5 We-Mo • 805-7707711 • 10westgallery.com

707 Gallery • Santa Barbara Visual Artists Summer exhibition through August • Paseo Nuevo #707 • 11-7 daily • sbvisualartists.com

Architectural Fdn Gallery • The Taut And The Lush By Madeleine Ignon • Sep 6-Nov 1 • 229 E Victoria • 805-965-6307 • 1–4 some Sa & By Appt • afsb.org

Art & Soul Gallery • Entre Mundos by Beatris Burgoin opens Sep 4 • 1323 State St • artandsoulsb.com

Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB • Reopens Sept 13 • museum.ucsb.edu

Art From Scrap • Explore Ecology • exploreecology.org

Atkinson Gallery, SBCC • gallery.sbcc.edu

Bella Rosa Galleries • 1103-A State St • 11-5 daily • 805-966-1707

The Carriage and Western Art Museum • SB History Makers: Silsby Spalding, WW Hollister, Dixie; Saddle & Carriage Collections • Free • 129 Castillo St • 805-962-2353 • 9-3 MoFr • carriagemuseum.org

California Nature Art Museum

• Yosemite: Sanctuary in Stone, Photographs by William Neill through Sep 1 • 1511 B Mission Dr, Solvang • 11-4 Mo, Th, Fr; 11-5 Sa & Su • calnatureartmuseum.org

Casa de La Guerra • Telling Stories of Mexican California: Real Life & Myth Making • Through Aug 31 • $5/ Free • 15 East De la Guerra St • 12-4 Th-Su • sbthp.org/casadelaguerra

CPC Gallery • By appt • 36 E Victoria St • cpcgallery.com

Cypress Gallery • Creating Through Chaos: Manic Creative • through Aug 24; Impressions of La Purisma ~ Aug 28- Sep 28 • 119 E Cypress Av, Lompoc • 1-4 Sa & Su • 805-737-1129 • lompocart.org

Elizabeth Gordon Gallery • Contemporary Artists • 15 W Gutierrez • 805-963-1157 • 11–5 TuSa • elizabethgordongallery.com

El Presidio De Santa Bárbara • Nihonmachi Revisited; Memorias y Facturas • 123 E Canon Perdido St • 10:30-4:30 Daily • sbthp.org

Elverhøj Museum • Suzi Trubitz: Through the Years • through Sept 1 • history & Danish culture of Solvang • 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang • 805686-1211 • 11-5 Th-Mo • elverhoj.org

Faulkner Gallery • 40 E Anapamu St • 10-7 Mo-Th; 10-5 Fri, Sa; 12-5 Sun • 805-962-7653.

Fazzino 3-D Studio Gallery • 3-D original fine art • 1011 State St • 805730-9109 • Fazzino.com

Gallery 113 • SB Art Assn • 1114 State St, #8, La Arcada Ct • 805965-6611 • 11-5 Mo-Sa; 1-4 Su • gallery113sb.com

Gallery Los Olivos • Rhapsody In hue: Vicki Andersen & Neil Andersson

• through Aug 31 • Daily 10-4pm • 2920 Grand Av • 805-688-7517 • gallerylosolivos.com

Ganna Walska Lotusland • Gardens • by reservation • 695 Ashley Rd • 805-969-9990 • lotusland.org

Grace Fisher Fdn • Inclusive Arts Clubhouse • Paintings by Grace Fisher • 121 S Hope, La

Cumbre Plaza • We-Su 11-5pm • gracefisherfoundation.org

Indah Gallery • 12-5 Fri-Sun • 2190 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez https://www.maxgleason.com/indah-gallery

James Main Fine Art • 19th & 20th Century Fine art & antiques • 27

E De La Guerra St • 12-5 Tu-Sa • Appt Suggested • 805-962-8347

Jewish Federation of Greater SB • Portraits of Survival interactive ~ Ongoing • 9-4pm Mo-Fr • 524 Chapala St • 805-957-1115 ext. 114 Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum • Monarchy: Power, Intrigue, and Legacy: focusing on notable European monarchs, and their reigns• through Sept 30; a million+ historical documents • 21-23 W Anapamu • 10-4 Tu-Su • 805-9625322 • karpeles.com

Kathryne Designs • Local Artists • 1225 Coast Village Rd, A • 10-5 Mo-Sa; 11-5 Su • 805-565-4700 • kathrynedesigns.com

La Cumbre Center For Creative Arts • Fine Line Gallery; Elevate Gallery; Illuminations Gallery • Multi-Artist Stuido/Gallery Spaces

• La Cumbre Plaza • 12-5 Tu-Su • lcccasb.com

Lompoc Library Grossman Gallery • 501 E North Av, Lompoc • 805-588-3459

Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center • Open theme from local artists through Sep 28 • 12-4 Th-Su • 865 Linden • 805-684-7789 • carpinteriaartscenter.org

Maker House • 1351 Holiday Hill Rd • 805-565-CLAY • 10-4 Daily • makerhouse.org

Marcia Burtt Gallery • Tranquility: through Aug 31• Contemporary Plein Air • Landscape paintings, prints, & books • 517 Laguna St • 1-5 Th-Su • 805-962-5588 • artlacuna.com

MOXI, The Wolf Museum• of Exploration + Innovation • 10-5 Daily • 125 State St • 805-770-5000 • moxi.org

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara • Cole Sternberg: the wind is heavy which blows between a horse’s ears, through Sept 28 • 11-6pm Tu-Sun • 653 Paseo Nuevo • mcasantabarbara.org

MCASB Satellite @ the Riviera Beach House • In Motion: Marie McKenzie & Marlene Struss through Oct 12 • 9am-9pm Daily • 121 State St • mcasantabarbara.org

Palm Loft Gallery • 410 Palm Av, Loft A1, Carpinteria • 1-6 Fr-Su & By Appt • 805-6849700 • palmloft.com

Patricia Clarke Studio • 410 Palm Av, Carpinteria • By Appt • 805-452-7739 • patriciaclarkestudio.com

Peregrine Galleries • Early CA & American paintings; fine vintage jewelry • 1133 Coast Village Rd • 805-252-9659 • peregrine.shop

Peter Horjus Design • Studio • 11 W Figueroa St • peterhorjus.com

Portico Gallery • Jordan Pope & Gallery Artists • Open Daily • 1235 Coast Village Rd • 805-729-8454 • porticofinearts.com

Santa Barbara Art Works • Arts Education for All • 28 E Victoria St • 805-260-6705 • M-F

8:30-4:30 • sbartworks.org

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden • Join the Enlichenment through Dec 7 • 1212 Mission Canyon Rd • 10-5 daily • 805-682-4726 • sbbg.org

Santa Barbara Fine Art • SB landscapes & sculptor Bud Bottoms • 1321 State St • 12-6 Tu-Sa & By Appt • 805-845-4270 • santabarbarafineart.com

Santa Barbara Historical Museum • Project Fiesta: through Sept; Edward Borein Gallery and The Story of Santa Barbara ~ ongoing • 136 E De la Guerra • 12-5 We, Fri-Su; 12-7 Th • 805-966-1601 • sbhistorical.org

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum • The Chumash, Whaling, Commercial Diving, Surfing, Shipwrecks, First Order Fresnel Lens, and SB Lighthouse Women Keepers ~ Ongoing • 113 Harbor Wy, Ste 190 • 10-5 Daily • 805-962-8404 • SBMM.org

ART EVENTS

Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening • Exclusive VIP reception for new location at 1011 State St • Fazzino 3D Studio Gallery • Free • fazzino.com • 12pm Fri, 8/22.

Night of the Cricket • Laura Rasey Miller exhibition at CAW • An Exhibit of Picture Book Illustrations • Reception and Book Party — 3-6pm Sat, 8/23; Exhibit 11am-5pm 8/22-24.

Preview Reception & 24th SB Studio Artists Tour • Meet the artists before embarking on a tour to explore private workspaces of professional artists • CAW • $25 reception & tour • santabarbarastudioartists.com • 5-8pm Fri, 8/29.

Handbuilding With Elise Arnold • Experience clay making a vase, mug or unique art • Maker House Classroom • $65 • canvas.makerhouse.org • 5:30-7:30pm Mon.

Intro to Linoleum Block Printing • Carve & print linoleum blocks • CAW • $90 • sbprintmakers.com • 10am-3pm, Sat, 8/23.

SB Arts & Crafts Show • Local artists & artisans • Free • 236 E Cabrillo Blvd • 10-5 Sun.

Carpinteria Creative Arts Market • Local pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry, and sewn articles • 8th St & Linden Av • Free • 2:30-6 Thur.

Santa Barbara Museum Of Art • Proscenium: Elliott Hundley through Aug 31; By Achilles’ Tomb: Elliott Hundley and Antiquity @ SBMA through Feb 22; Vian Sora: Outerworlds through Sept 7; Letterforms through Sep 14; Tibetan Paintings through Aug 17 • 1130 State St • 11-5 Tu-Su; 5-8 1st Th free; 2nd Sun free TriCo residents • 805-963-4364 • sbma.net

Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History • Butterflies Alive! through Sep 1; Drawn from Nature through Sep 7 • 2559 Puesta del Sol • 10-5 We-Mo • sbnature.org

Santa Barbara Sea Center • Dive In: Our Changing Channel ~ Ongoing • 211 Stearns Wharf • 10-5 Daily (Fr & Sat 10-7 until 7/27). • 805-682-4711 • sbnature.org

Santa Barbara Tennis Club - 2nd Fridays Art • Goleta Vallery Art Association • opening Sep 12 • 2375 Foothill Rd • 10-6 Daily • 805682-4722 • 2ndfridaysart.com

Santa Ynez Vallery Historical Museum

• From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care • 3596 Sagunto St • sbcasa.oeg • 12-4pm Wed-Sun.

Sahyun Genealogical Library • 1925

Santa Barbara Earthquake: Stories and Lives Remembered • 316 Castillo St • Tue/Thu 10-4; Sun & 3rd Sat 1-4 • https://SBGen.org

Seimandi & Leprieur • Fertilum by FrenchCaribbean artist Ricardo Ozier-Lafontaine • through Oct 5 •

33 W Anapamu St. • Wed-Sat 11-6 • 805-6101203 • seimandileprieur.com

Slice of Light Gallery • Ben Coffman; Passage: Photography by JK Lovelace • 9 W Figueroa St • Mo-Fr 10-5 • 805-354-5552 • sliceoflight.com

Stewart Fine Art • Early CA Plein Air

Paintings + European Fine Art + Antiques • 539 San Ysidro Rd • 11-5:30 Mo-Sa • 805-845-0255

Sullivan Goss • The Muralists; Robin Gowen: A Wild Hush through Sep 22; The Fateful Eight through Aug 25; Summer Salon II through Sep 22 • 11 E Anapamu St • 10-5:30 daily • 805-7301460 • sullivangoss.com

Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum • 122 W Canon Perdido • 11-4 Fr-Sa; Su-Th by appt • quinlanmuseum.com • 805-687-4623

SYV Historical Museum & Carriage House • Art of The Western Saddle • ongoing • 3596 Sagunto St, SY • 12-4 Sa, Su • 805-6887889 • santaynezmuseum.org

Tamsen Gallery • Agrios by Komatis • 1309 State St • 12-5 We-Su • 805-705-2208 • tamsengallery.com

UCSB Library • Creative Currents through Sep 16 • library.ucsb.edu

Voice Gallery • Santa Barbara Visual Arts through August • La Cumbre Plaza H-124 • 105:30 M-F; 1-5 Sa-Su • 805-965-6448 • voicesb.art

Waterhouse Gallery Montecito • Notable CA & National Artists • 1187 Coast Village Rd • 11-5 Mo-Su • 805-962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com

Waterhouse Gallery SB • Notable CA & National Artists • La Arcada Ct, 1114 State St, #9 • 11-5 Mo-Sa • 805-962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com

Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum Of Art

• Building A Collection: 2008 - 2025, Honoring Judy L. Larson • through Aug • Weekdays 10-4, Sat 11-5 • westmont.edu/museum

La Fête du Carnaval

STATE STREET BALLET ANNUAL GALA

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2025

MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST

Step into a world of Parisian charm and festive elegance as State Street Ballet invites you to celebrate 31 years of artistry, community, and imagination.

For sponsorships, tickets, and more information, visit statestreetballet.com

2nd to 27th, 2025

September

In Touch with Nature

In Touch with Nature, September’s exhibition at VOICE Gallery reverberates with color, dynamic growth, and mystery. Local artists, in their chosen media, responded to the theme for a vibrant yet peaceful exhibition.

1st Thursday Reception September 4th • 5-8pm

3rd Friday Reception September 19th • 5-8pm

Cynthia Erivo to Receive SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film

CELEBRATED FOR HER POWERFUL VOCALS and compelling performances on stage and film, Cynthia Erivo will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 18th annual Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence in Film. Erivo will accept this award, which benefits SBIFF’s year-round educational programs, at a black-tie dinner party on December 4th at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara.

The Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film is presented to lifelong contributors to the art of cinema in front of and behind the camera. Erivo joins the ranks of critically-acclaimed honorees such as Ryan Gosling, Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Dame Judi Dench, and others.

“Cynthia Erivo is a singular talent whose depth, range, and fearless commitment to her craft embody the spirit of excellence my father championed throughout his life. It’s entirely fitting that she receives the Kirk Douglas Award, which celebrates bold artistry and enduring impact in film,” said actor Michael Douglas.

A Tony, GRAMMY, Emmy Award-winning, and three-time Academy Award nominated actor, singer, and producer, Erivo has been most recently applauded for her role as Elphaba in director Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the musical Wicked. The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place February 4th to February 14th, 2026. For tickets to the Kirk Douglas Award dinner or film festival passes visit sbiff.org

An Evening with Lloyd Kahn Publisher & Author of Shelter Books

Joined by Bill Steen

Canelo Project Straw Bale & Clay Plaster Builder & Author Sunday, September 7th, 6:30pm • Donation $10 Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop SBCAW, 631 Garden St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

50 Years

Documenting Tiny, Small, and Alternative Homes

“Shelter is more than a roof over your head”

• A beautiful conversation & presentation of years of alternative building knowledge

• Shelter Publications is a 50-year-old independent publishing company known for its highquality books about home building. Bill Steen

Also a special ALL-DAY Immersion with Lloyd Kahn & Bill Steen Saturday, Sept 6, 9:30-5pm

Lloyd Khan & Bill Steen, joined by 3 local Natural Builders • Learn from the best! $100

EVENTBRITE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lloyd-khan-bill-steen-together-tickets-1538957656779

Hosted By Santa Barbara Permaculture Network www.sbpermaculture.org • Contact Margie@sbpermaculture.org

City of SB Creates New Role, Names Anthony Valdez First

Deputy City Administrator

By Daisy Scott / VOICE

JOINING A REORGANIZATION OF CITY PROJECTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, Anthony Valdez has been appointed to the brand-new position of Deputy City Administrator for the City of Santa Barbara.

Beginning on September 15th, Valdez will oversee a staff of about 37.5 full-time employees from the city’s Public Works and Community Development departments, as well as a large team of part-time staff consisting of downtown parking and Downtown Ambassador employees, according to Public Information Officer Bryan Latchford.

“I’m honored to join the City of Santa Barbara at such a pivotal time,” commented Valdez in the city’s statement. “This community is known for its beauty, vibrancy, and civic spirit—and I’m excited to help shape a future that reflects those values.”

“With Anthony’s leadership, we’re not just filling a new position—we’re building a new foundation for how we serve our community,” said City Administrator Kelly McAdoo in a press release. “His experience and energy will be invaluable.”

At this time, the City of Santa Barbara does not have a permanent Public Works nor a Community Development director, with acting directors filling both roles.

Valdez’s new role will consolidate projects that were based out of both of these departments, including Housing & Human Services, Affordable Housing, Community Grants, Rental Housing Mediation, Homelessness Services, Community Vitality Initiatives, the State Street Master Plan, Economic Business Assistance, Downtown Services, and Downtown Parking, Maintenance, and Operations.

“This new structure allows us to take a more collaborative, strategic approach to some of the most complex and urgent challenges facing our city,” said McAdoo. “By elevating these programs and aligning them under a single leader, we’re positioning Santa Barbara to make meaningful progress on housing, homelessness, and downtown revitalization.”

Originally from San Francisco, Valdez arrives to Santa Barbara after serving as Assistant City Manager for the City of Bakersfield. His experiences include leading a citywide grants program annually amounting to $50 million, a youth jobs program that served over 100 locals each year, and the opening of a 300-bed navigation center for people experiencing homelessness.

Valdez is a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School. He earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco as well as a BA in political science and Certificate in Advanced Leadership Studies from American University.

He is the Vice President of the Municipal Management Association of Northern California and is a board member of California Local Government Management Collaborative (Cal-ICMA).

To learn more about the City Administrator’s office visit santabarbaraca.gov/government/city-hall/city-administrator

Locals Invited to Ride Free on the 19X Express Bus as the School Year Begins

HELPING LOCAL STUDENTS GET TO SCHOOL, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), in partnership with Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD), is offering free rides on MTD Route 19X from August 25th to September 12th. The 19X line provides direct service between Carpinteria, Eastside Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara City College.

“We want commuters to take advantage of the free 19X service as the Fall semester begins,” said Marjie KIRN, Executive Director of SBCAG. “The 19X route is a fast, convenient option between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara that also helps relieve the stress of traffic on Highway 101.”

The 19X Express Bus operates weekdays with limited stops to ensure faster travel times. Riders can view the full route schedule at sbmtd.gov/routes/19x

Grand Opening

The Museum of Tibetan Art & Culture and Legacy Art Studios

La Cumbre Plaza

Opening ceremony August 30th at 2 pm

There will be a performance by Lama Tashi Norbu and Crispin Barrymore of Legacy Art Studios

The Museum Exhibition will be open Saturday and Sunday, August 30th and 31st, 11 am to 6 pm

It’s Taxation Without Representation

“Oh, and as for all these tariffs: Whatever you think of them (and I am not a blanket opponent), they are taxes. They are sales taxes. Where in my copy of the United States Constitution does it say that the president has the power unilaterally to impose whatever sales taxes he wants, on whatever products he wants, at whatever moment? I must have skipped school the day they taught that in civics.” - Bret Arends, MarketWatch

By Harlan Green, Special to VOICE

IQUOTED MARKETWATCH

COLUMNIST BRETT ARENDS

because it was a cause of our Revolutionary War for those that remember the Boston Tea Party. King George III tried to tax American colonists and it didn’t work. Why does ‘King’ Trump believe it will work when he promised he would bring down inflation on “Day 1?”

We are already seeing the result in almost all prices. Walmart and Target have already announced that they will raise some prices because they can no longer absorb the increased cost of their imported goods from the tariffs.

assassinated and Vice President Teddy Roosevelt succeeded him and initiated the modern Progressive era of reform.

Britannica has more to say about its history: “The great burst of industrial activity and corporate growth that characterized the Gilded Age was presided over by a collection of colorful and energetic entrepreneurs who became known alternatively as “captains of industry” and “robber barons.”

By Harlan Green

It’s Trump’s attempt to bring back President McKinley’s Gilded Age of robber barons and rampant corruption that prevailed in 1900, until McKinley was

They grew rich through the monopolies they created in the steel, petroleum, and transportation industries. Among the best known of them were John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Leland Stanford, and J.P. Morgan”.

The Foreign Trade Court that has jurisdiction on such matters has ruled Trump’s tariffs without

congressional approval are illegal. Yet they gave Trump the opportunity to continue the tariffs while it was being appealed.

And though Trump agreed to repay the tariff taxes he has already collected if he loses the case on appeal, he continues to levy the tariffs. Why? They already amount to more than $130 billion the Treasury must repay that it has already collected. And, because he knows our federal debt is unsustainable, and so he must find some way to pay for the tax cuts in his big beautiful tax cut bill that are projected to add $5 trillion to the federal debt.

On May 16th, Moody’s Ratings downgraded the U.S. credit rating, citing an “inability of the nation to address large and growing deficits.” This downgrade means that for the first time ever, all three major credit ratings agencies have downgraded U.S. credit below their top AAA rating.

Trump is therefore begging an appeals court to allow the tariffs. It could lead to a “GREAT DEPRESSION” Trump said on social media, with Americans “forced from their homes” that will threaten social security and Medicare.

But what if the higher tariffs lead to stagflation, the

Santa Barbara Mortgage Interest Rates

DRAPER & KRAMER MORTGAGE CORP.

Please

Please

combination of slow growth and inflation that caused so much grief in the 1970s? Economists are saying it’s a risk. Higher prices are already affecting consumers that power 70 percent of economic activity and the retailers.

So what do we need that can stop Trump’s highway robbers from not

only milking the American people of their money and social benefits, but reversing the environmental and public health protection that protected Americans until Trump’s big beautiful tax cut bill and DOGE firings that eviscerated the federal government?

Do we need another revolution? Which non-profits will you support?

Harlan Green © 2025 Follow Harlan Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarlanGreen Harlan Green has been the 18-year Editor-Publisher of PopularEconomics.com, a weekly syndicated financial wire service. He writes a Popular Economics Weekly Blog. He is an economic forecaster and teacher of real estate finance with 30-years experience as a banker and mortgage broker. To reach Harlan call 805-452-7696 or email editor@populareconomics.com.

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AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER: 25CV01665 . Petitioner: Aaron Mikhael Osorio-Tobar filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Aaron Mikhael Osorio-Tobar to PROPOSED NAME: Aaron Flash George. 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. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: October 20, 2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 5; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 8/19/2025 /s/: Colleen K. Sterne, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #25CV01665 Pub Dates: August 29, September 5, 12, 19, 2025.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER: 25CV04586

Petitioner: Lelia Kimberly Carter filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Lelia Kimberly Carter to PROPOSED NAME: Kym Carter. 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. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: October 8, 2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 3; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 8/14/2025 /s/: Thomas P. Anderle, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #25CV04586 Pub Dates: August 29, September 5, 12, 19, 2025.

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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER : 25CV04386 . Petitioner: Brian William Center filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Brian William Center to PROPOSED NAME: Brian William Ivie. 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. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: October 3, 2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 4; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 7/24/2025 /s/: Donna D. Geck, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #25CV04386 Pub Dates: August 8, 15, 22, 29, 2025.

Where to Learn About Local Government Meetings

The Santa Barbara City Council meets most Tuesdays at 2pm • To learn more about the council and other City department meetings, visit www.santabarbaraca.gov

The Goleta City Council meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 5:30pm • To learn more about the council and other City department meetings, visit www.cityofgoleta.org

The Carpinteria City Council meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 5:30pm • To learn more about other City departments visit www.carpinteriaca.gov

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meets most Tuesdays at 9am • To learn more about other County departments visit www.countyofsb.org

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER:

25CV04672

Petitioner: Walter Manuel Raymond Ballesteros, Jr. filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Walter Manuel Raymond Ballesteros, Jr. to PROPOSED NAME: Wally Manuel Hernandez. 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. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: October 6, 2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 5; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 8/19/2025 /s/: Colleen K. Sterne, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #25CV04672 Pub Dates: August 29, September 5, 12, 19, 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following Corporation is doing business as MORA XTREME SOCCER INC at 338 Betteravia Road, C, Santa Maria, CA 93454. MORA XTREME SOCCER INC at 1631 S. Rose Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on August 1, 2025. 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. 2025-0001833. Published August 29, September 5, 12, 19, 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT: The following Individual is doing business as PEAK TECH INSTALLATIONS at 891 Cieneguitas Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. JAE M MERCADO at 891 Cieneguitas Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on August 19, 2025. 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. 2025-0001984. Published August 29, September 5, 12, 19, 2025.

Petitioner: Christina Lynne Ruiz filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Brisa Milana Arlington to PROPOSED NAME: Anya Brisa Milana Arlington. 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. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: September 12, 2025; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 4; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 7/16/2025 /s/: Donna D. Geck, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #25CV04112 Pub Dates: August 8, 15, 22, 29, 2025.

VOICE Magazine • Community Market • LEGAL NOTICES

N ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA AMENDING THE SANTA BARBARA MUNICIPAL CODE (“SBMC”) BY ADDING SECTION TO 17.20.005 RELATING TO TRANSFER OF SLIP PERMITS IN THE SANTA BARBARA HARBORCING UPON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE ENABLING ORDINANCE

The above captioned ordinance was adopted at a regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council held on August 19, 2025.

The publication of this ordinance is made pursuant to the provisions of Section 512 of the Santa Barbara City Charter as amended, and the original ordinance in its entirety may be obtained at the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, Santa Barbara, California.

(SEAL)

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, MMC City Clerk Services Manager

ORDINANCE NO. 6186

STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) )

COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA ) ss. )

CITY OF SANTA BARBARA )

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced on August 12, 2025, and adopted by the Council of the City of Santa Barbara at a meeting held on August 19, 2025, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Wendy Santamaria, Kristen W. Sneddon, Mayor Randy Rowse.

NOES: None.

ABSENT: Councilmember Mike Jordan.

ABSTENTIONS: None.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Santa Barbara on August 19, 2025.

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, MMC City Clerk Services Manager

I HEREBY APPROVE the foregoing ordinance on August 19, 2025.

/s/ Randy Rowse Mayor

6187

To download a PDF guide with a map, Just scan the QR code and click on the “Murals” icon (shown above).

AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA AMENDING THE SECTIONAL ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA, AS REFERENCED IN THE SANTA BARBARA MUNICIPAL CODE TITLE APX, SECTION SM.010, PERTAINING TO ASSESSOR PARCEL NUMBER 025-311-023 LOCATED AT 2020 CHAPALA STREET

The above captioned ordinance was adopted at a regular meeting of the Santa Barbara City Council held on August 19, 2025.

The publication of this ordinance is made pursuant to the provisions of Section 512 of the Santa Barbara City Charter as amended, and the original ordinance in its entirety may be obtained at the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, Santa Barbara, California.

(SEAL)

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, MMC

City Clerk Services Manager

ORDINANCE NO. 6187

STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) )

COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA ) ss. )

CITY OF SANTA BARBARA )

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced on August 12, 2025, and adopted by the Council of the City of Santa Barbara at a meeting held on August 19, 2025, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Wendy Santamaria, Kristen W. Sneddon, Mayor Randy Rowse.

NOES: None.

ABSENT: Councilmember Mike Jordan.

ABSTENTIONS: None.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Santa Barbara on August 19, 2025.

/s/ Sarah P. Gorman, MMC

City Clerk Services Manager

I HEREBY APPROVE the foregoing ordinance on August 19, 2025.

/s/ Randy Rowse Mayor

CINEMA

This is your last chance to catch the free summer film screenings hosted by UCSB Arts & Lectures at the SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens. Bring your family and lawn chairs at 8:30pm this August 29th to watch the film Dog, a movie that follows a former Army Ranger and a Belgian Malinois racing down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral.

Before the screening there will be a live music set by DJ Darla Bea, an information table staffed by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation and Santa Barbara County Animal Services, and raffle prizes including an A&L ticket voucher/swag bag; MB&T picnic supplies/swag bag; one free day of doggy daycare at Dioji; a $50 gift card for Montecito Pet Shop and a $50 UCSB book store gift card for UCSB students.

CINEMA LISTINGS

Free Summer Cinema: Dog • A road-trip comedy starring Channing Tatum • Hosted by UCSB Arts and Lectures • SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens • Free • artsandlectures.ucsb.edu • 8:30pm Fri, 8/29.

Desolation Center • Punk history , live music and documentary screening, Q&A • The Rubicon Theatre • $45 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm Fri, 8/29.

Carpenteria Film Festival • The magic of cinema from independent filmmakers • The Alcazar Theatre • Tickets Online • carpfilmfest. com • Fri-Sun, 9/5-9/7.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Friday 8/29

COMEDY

Magic with Gene Urban • Magic and mindreading • Satellite SB, 1117 State St • Free • satellitesb.com • 6-9pm Fri.

Friday Night Laughs • LA

Comedians • Java Station • $20 • santabarbaracomedyclub.com • 7pm Fri.

DANCE

Carhartt Family Wines Live Music • Dance, sip wine and food trucks • 2939 Grand Ave • Free • carharttfamilywines.com • 5-8pm Fri.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

An Educating Conversation • Featuring local historians and authors Michael Hardwick & Jarrell Jackman • Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library • $50 RSVP • sbac.ca.gov • 6-8pm Fri, 8/29.

SBC Courthouse Docent Tours

• Free • www.sbcourthouse.org • 10:30am Mon-Fri & 2pm daily.

MUSIC

The Rhythm Industrial Complex Live • Afrobeat, reggae and funk. Dancing • Carr Winery • Free • sbac.ca.gov • 7-9pm Fri, 8/29.

Morris Day and The Time • Collaborator with Prince on “Purple Rain”. Performing “Jungle Love” • Chumash Casino Resort • $49-$79 • www.chumashcasino.com • 8pm Fri, 8/29.

Tab Benoit • I Hear Thunder Tour • Lobero Theatre • $50-$110 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Fri, 8/29.

Twin Shadow • Indie pop • SOhO • $34 • sohosb.com • 9pm Fri, 8/29.

Karaoke Fridays on State • Longoria Wines, 732 State St, SB • 6:308:30pm Fri.

OUTDOORS

Going Batty at the Nature Center

• Observe local wild bats • The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake • Free • clnaturecenter.org • Dusk, Fri & Sat through Labor Day.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Sunset Ska Party • Live reggae/ ska, dancing and drinks. 21+ • Kimpton Canary Hotel Rooftop • $20 • canarysantabarbara.com • 6pm Fri, 8/29.

Saturday 8/30

CHILDREN

Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages • Free w/ admission • SBNature.org • 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.

Crafternoon: Fiesta Finds!

• Fiesta inspired crafts, ages 5+ • EE Makerspace • $8 • exploreecology.org • 11:30am-1pm, Sat.

COMEDY

South Coast Stand Up Comedy •

World class comedians with special guest An Embarrassment of Pandas • The Alcazar Theatre • $15 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sat, 8/30.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

SB GO Club • Play or learn the ancient strategic board game. All levels

805-448-5335 • Free • Mosaic Coffee, 1131 State St • 11-4 Sat.

MUSIC

Candlelight Concert • Music of Vivaldi-The Four Seasons and Queen vs. ABBA • The New Vic • $41-$72 • etcsb.org • 6:30pm, 8:45pm Sat, 8/30. The Sweeps • With Golf Sucks, Rainbow City Park and Bloodsugar • 28 Anacapa St • $10 • studiosoundroom.com • 7pm Sat, 8/30.

Mykal Rose • Reggae icon with militant, roots sound • SOhO • $35 • sohosb.com • 9pm Sat, 8/30.

Intermediate Guitar • Carpenteria Arts Center • Free • carpinteriaartscenter.org • 11am12pm, Sat.

OUTDOORS

Community Tree Planting Day • Plant a tree and conserve the Monarch habitat • Ellwood Mesa Main Grove • Free • https://tinyurl.com/37m3rn9j • 9am-1pm Sat, 8/30.

Community Science and Volunteer Day • Study nature and service the environment • Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens • Free • sbbotanicgarden.org • 10am-12pm Sat, 8/30.

Twilight Tour • Stroll the garden on a self guided tour • Montecito Branch Library • $75 • santabarbara. com • 4:30-6:30pm Sat, 8/30.

Library On The Go • Browse books for adults and children • SB Highschool Swapmeet • Free • library.santabarbaraca.gov • 8am-1pm Sat, 8/30.

Power Hour • Workout with Napoleon Jinnies • De La Guerra Pl by Paseo Nuevo Cinemas • Free • 1011am Sat.

Architectural Walking Tour • History of buildings in SB • 229 E. Victoria St. • $20 • afsb.org • 10am, Sat.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Darla-Chella Birthday Music Festival • Disco desert party. Drinks and food • Buena Onda • $25 • https://tinyurl.com/yc39nbwv • 6-11pm Sat, 8/30.

Summer White Party • Seafood, DJ, and a view • Sunstone Villa • $50 • sunstonewinery.com/events • 6-10pm Sat, 8/30.

Ice In Paradise Blood Drive • In partnership with Vitalant. All donors skate for free • Ice In Paradise • Free • iceinparadise.org • 12pm Sat, 8/30.

Sunday 8/31

DANCE

Dance Hive • Ecstatic Dance and expression • Yoga Soup • $20 • inspiratia.org • 12:30pm Sun.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

Poetry Grows Here: Presidio Neighborhood • Hosted by the Santa Barbara Poet Laureate George Yatchisin and Gunpowder Press • 920 Anacapa Street • Registration Required • https://presidioneighborhoodsb.com/ poetry-grows-here • 12-2pm Sun, 8/31.

Tubby The Tuba!

A FREE CHILDREN’S CONCERT, presented by the Santa Barbara Chamber Players, will feature the animated character Tubby the Tuba along with students from local high schools and Santa Barbara City College. They will also be performing favorites such as Rossini’s William Tell Overture, John Williams’ iconic Theme from Star Wars, and more. The free concert is sponsored by the Santa Barbara Bowl and the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation. The show is on September 7th at 3pm and features Gene Pokorny who is principal tuba with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. sbchamberplayers.org

Shark Sundays • Q&A with a naturalist while they feed the sharks • At the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf • Free • sbnature.org • 11:30 Sun, 8/31.

Empathy Cafe • Practice listening & empathy • 2040 Alameda Padre Serra, Unit #224 • Free • theempathycenter.org • 11am Sun.

MUSIC

Katerina Mccrimmon: Naked • Cuban-American performer, storyteller and broadway singer • Rubicon Theatre • $55 • rubicontheatre.org • 8pm Sun, 8/31.

Teresa Russell • Blues and Rock band • Cold Springs Tavern • Free • coldspringtavern.com • 1:30-4:30pm Sun, 8/31.

Calibre 50 • Mexican Banda Groups including Cuisillos, Industria Del Amor and more • Earl Warren Showgrounds • $ • www.vmg.com • 4pm-12am Sun, 8/31.

The Local Folk • With Chris Beland and Ray Williams • SOhO • $15 • sohosb.com • 6pm Sun, 8/31.

OUTDOORS

Domingo Tour • AFSB guided stroll through SB’s Architectural charm • begins at SB Downtown Library • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.

Sundays At The Ranch • Barn animals, outdoor fun & tractor rides. • Rancho La Patera and Stow House • 11am – 2pm Sun.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Tailgate PCO Finals • Watch the winner take the trophy • SB Polo and Racquet Club • $200-$400 • sbpolo.com • 3pm Sun, 8/31. Candlelight Vigil • International Overdose Awareness Day. Honor those impacted by overdose and harmful divisive immigration policies • SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens • Free • familiesact.org • 7:30-9pm Sun, 8/31.

Monday 9/1

CHILDREN

Labor Day Skating Camp • Professional coaching staff for ice

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Romantic Candles in Concert

STEP INTO THE MAGIC at The New Vic Theatre where candlelight concerts return to Santa Barbara for an unforgettable night of music. Performing the music of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at 6:30pm and a second show of songs by Queen vs. ABBA at 8:45pm, experience a live, multi-sensory musical concert on August 30th. For tickets ($43-72) visit candlelightexperience.com

skating • Ice In Paradise • $85 • https://tinyurl.com/3n64kjnr • 9am3pm Mon, 9/1.

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS

Scrabble Club • Louise Lowry Davis Center • All levels/ English/Spanish • Free • 1-4pm Mon.

Parliamo • Italian conversation, all levels • Natural Cafe, 361 Hitchcock Way • parliamo.yolasite.com • Free • 5-6:30pm Mon.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Dine-Out for Hunger • Support families facing hunger benefit for Foodbank of SB County • SB County • Registration Required • foodbanksbc.org • 12pm Mon, 9/1.

Tuesday 9/2

COMEDY

Carpinteria Improv Drop-In Class • Learn improv with friends • Alcazar Theater • $10 at door • thealcazar.org • 7-9pm Tue.

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS

Family Caregiver Support Group • Adult survivors of brain injury • zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84933596481 • 9-10am 2nd Tues.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

Knitting & Crochet Club • Louise

Lowry Davis Ctr • All levels/ English/ Spanish • Free • 9-11:30am Wed. Mending Matters • Sewing & mending • Explore Ecology, 302 E Cota St • $15 • exploreecology.org • 5:30pm-7:30pm Wed.

Le Cercle Français • French conversation, all levels • The Natural Cafe, 361 Hitchcock Way • https://tinyurl.com/5ejbd9ye • Free • 5-6:30pm Wed.

MUSIC

Open Jam at Revolver Pizza • Bring an instrument. Jam with other musicians • 1429 San Andres St • Free • revolversb.com • 6-9pm Wed.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Tiles on Deck • Mah Jongg benefiting the SB Maritime Museum • 113 Harbor Way • $125 • sbmm.org • 11am-3pm Wed, 9/3.

Thursday 9/4

CHILDREN

Music & Movement • Shoreline Park • Free • calendar.library.santabarbaraca. gov • 10:30-11am, Thu.

DANCE

Flamenco Intimo • Tablao featuring artists from Mexico & Spain

Argentinian Tango

TAKE AN ADVENTURE IN DANCE with tango legend Fernanda Ghi and choreographer Meredith Ventura in three acts of Malena: Between Freedom and the Embrace. Witness the raw rebellion of dancing alone, blending the passion of Argentine tango with contemporary dance on Saturday, September 6th at 7:30pm at the Lobero Theatre. The performance features the Fernanda Ghi Dance Company, The Selah Dance Collective, and is presented by Nomad Tango. For tickets ($27-58) visit lobero.org

Weekly Protest • Protesting current administration and calling for human rights • Women’s March SB • SB County Courthouse • 4-6pm Thu.

Friday 9/5

Interm. Spanish Conversation • Central Library • Free • 10-11am Tue.

Chess Club • Louise Lowry Davis Center • All levels/ English/Spanish • Free • 1-4pm Tue.

Wednesday 9/3

CHILDREN

Imagine That! • An hour of crafting • Central Library 40 E. Anapamu St • Free • library.santabarbaraca.gov • 4-5pm Wed, 9/3.

Bilingual Music & Movement • Ages 0-5 • SB Public Library • 10:1510:45am, Wed.

Read to a Dog • Practice reading with a therapy dog! • Free • Eastside Library • 3-4pm, Wed.

COMEDY

Carney Magic • Theatrical magic show, comedy. Illusions by John Carney • Rubicon Theatre • $55 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm Wed, 9/3.

DANCE

Sizzling Salsa and Bachata

• Lessons by Brenda Ruiz and open dance • 634 State St • Free • downtownsb.org • 6-8pm Wed, 9/3.

• SB Historical Museum • RSVP required • $35-500 • sbhistorical.org • 8pm Thu, 9/4.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

Book Talk & Signing with Jinny Webber • Serpent Visions book signing event • Chaucer’s Books • Free • chaucersbooks.com • 6-7pm Thur, 9/4.

MUSIC

Danny Wheetman & Jerry Fletcher In Concert • Deep Americana roots, stories and songs • Rubicon Theatre • $45 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm Thur, 9/4.

SPECIAL EVENTS

1st Thursday • Downtown art and culture event • Free • downtownsb.org • 5-8pm Thur, 9/4. See pages 16, 17 for complete listings.

COMEDY

Rubicomedy • Laughter hosted by Artie Lopez and six crazy comedians • Rubicon Theatre Rose Room (Downstairs) • $20 • rubicontheatre.org • 9:45pm Fri, 9/5.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

Climate Fridays • learn about regional climate change issues • CEC’s Environmental Hub • RSVP • cecsb.org • 3:30-5:30pm Fri, 9/5.

Galactic Atmospheres & Galactic Rain • UCSB Physics

graduate student Ish Kaul • At the Museum Farrand Auditorium • Free • sbnature.org • 7:30-9pm Fri, 9/5.

MUSIC

Mood Indigo • David Jackson, John Reynolds ,Casey MacGill • Rubicon • $30 • rubicontheatre.org • 1pm Fri, 9/5.

The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse • It’s Summertime American Tour 2025 • SB Bowl • $55-$91 • sbbowl.com • 6pm Fri, 9/5.

Trevor and Sylvie Sing: A Rubicon Love Story • Songs of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell • Rubicon Theatre • $25-$55 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm Fri, 9/5.

Sheila E. • American singer, songwriter, actress and multiinstrumentalist • Chumash Casino Resort • $49-$79 • chumashcasino.com • 8pm Fri, 9/5.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Twenty Four Blackbirds Fall Party • Music, drinks and dessert. Tours of the chocolate factory • 428 E Haley St • RSVP • sbac.ca.gov • 5-8pm Fri, 9/5.

Santa Barbara Ghost Tours

Walk with Professor Julie as she shares tales of mystery and history... & meet friendly spirits Call or text to schedule your walking tour! • 805-905-9019

Theatre

Lies

TRANSPORT YOURSELF INTO THE 1950’S and find out if a notorious German World War 2 radio propagandist is telling the truth, or is it all lies?

Enjoy the West Coast Premiere of Lies by Jerry Slaff, directed by R. Michael Gros and featuring Leesa Beck and Nik Valinsky. Lies is an allegory about lying in government, and a meditation on what truth actually is. Presented by DramaDogs and PlayFest Santa Barbara at the Center Stage Theater, Lies will run from Thursday, August 28th through September 6th, with shows starting at 7:30pm and 2pm on Saturdays. For tickets ($29) visit centerstagetheater.org

Theatre Listings:

Lies • An allegory about lying in government presented by Drama Dogs • Center Stage Theater • $31 • centerstagetheater.org • 7:30pm, 2pm, 8/28 through 9/6.

Songs For Nobodies • Songs by Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday and Maria Callas • Solvang Festival Theater • $25 • pcpa.org • 8pm Thur, 8/28 through 9/7.

Katerina Mccrimmon: Naked • A Cuban-American performer with her solo Broadway tour • Rubicon Theatre • $55 • rubicontheatre.org • 8pm Sun, 8/31.

Eleemosynary • Staged reading by Lee Blessing. The play explores the relationship between three headstrong women • Ojai Art Center • Donation • ojaiact.org • 6pm Sun, 9/7.

Saturday 9/6

DANCE

Tango Meets Classical - MalenaBetween Freedom and the Embrace • Argentinian tango and contemporary dance • Lobero Theatre • $27 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Sat, 9/6.

LECTURE & WORKSHOPS

SBMAL Open House • See treasures and a tour of the Mission archive library • 2201 Laguna St • Free • sbac.ca.gov • 9:30am-12pm Sat, 9/6.

FEATURING:

Southern Magnolia ~ Magnolia grandiflora

By David Gress / Special to VOICE

SOUTHERN

MAGNOLIA is a broad-leafed evergreen tree that has been widely planted in Santa Barbara since its introduction here in the late 1800s. The magnificent specimens standing on San Andres Street are now over 100 years old. This species’ popularity is clearly due to its stately appearance, dense canopy of evergreen foliage, and stunning white flowers.

Its dense, rounded crown features ovate leaves with smooth edges that measure 5- to 10-inches long and 3- to 5-inches wide. The thick leaves are a glossy dark-green color on the upper surfaces - and often bear rustcolored soft hairs on the under surfaces. Given this remarkable color display, sprays of these beautiful leaves are often used in flower arrangements.

together meaning “large or beautifully flowered.”

From June through September, pure white flowers appear, scattered amongst the dark foliage. These impressive blooms bear 6-12 thick petals and are quite large; each can be up to 12-inches across! These are considered “perfect flowers,” because each has a prominent yellow spike in the center that carries both male and female sexual parts. They have a delightful fragrance that reminds one of a refreshing spring rain. Bees are the primary pollinators.

Pollinated flowers develop a long (3to 5-inches) cone-like fruit, consisting of follicles covered with brown fuzzy hairs. When mature, each follicle will split open to reveal a shiny bright-red seed. The tasty seeds are eaten by hungry birds and other animalsand subsequently spread abroad with a dollop of fertilizer.

It is a slow-growing tree. However, at maturity, it can reach 50- to 60-feet in height and 45- to 50- feet in width. When the tree is young, its bark is light gray and smooth; with age, it will turn dark gray with long flaking scales.

“Southern Magnolia” is its common name in our community; in its native range, its other common name is “Bull Bay.” It is in the Magnoliaceae plant family and is known botanically as Magnolia grandiflora. The genus name, Magnolia, honors the French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715). The species name, grandiflora, is a combination of the two Latin words, “grandis”, meaning “big”, and “flor,” meaning “flower,”

Southern Magnolia is endemic to the southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida and eastern Texas, where it enjoys the moist, rich soils of the coastal plains. It demonstrates strong adaptability to our local Mediterranean climate, requiring only infrequent deep watering once

established. It grows best in full sun and deep sandy loam soil. It requires very little pruning and is generally free from serious insect and disease infestations.

Seedling grown trees can be quite variable in size and growth habit. Consequently, many cultivars have been selected by horticulturists and propagated in the nursery trade by cloning; these offer shapes and sizes that can fit into almost any landscape. The cultivar named ‘Saint Mary’ is a medium-sized tree that grows only 20to 25-feet tall with an equal spread; its leaves and flowers are also smaller than M. grandiflora.

Another outstanding smaller cultivar is named ‘Little Gem’. It is an adaptable, delightful, and sustainable even-smaller cultivar that has become widely planted in the last 20 years, because of its compact uniform growth habit and its low maintenance requirements. It grows in a rounded pyramidal shape to a height of only 15- to 20-feet with a spread of just 10- to 15-feet. It is also favored because, after planting out, it flowers quickly and over a longer period than other cultivars.

Other commercially available cultivars in our area that were selected for their desirable floral, foliage, and growth characteristics are ‘Majestic Beauty’, ‘Samuel Sommer’, and ‘San Marino’.

Given the wide selection of different cultivars, Southern Magnolia makes a perfect choice for gardens of all sizes. It can add a distinctive look to parks, streets, and commercial landscapes. It is a fine shade tree. It can also be trained as an attractive espalier against fences and walls, where space is limited.

Southern Magnolias are beautiful, slow growing, and long-lived trees, which certainly will continue to grace the streets and gardens of Santa Barbara for current and future generations to enjoy.

There are many examples of mature Southern Magnolias in our community. As street trees, they stand in the 800-1900 blocks of San Andres Street, in the 900 block of East Mason Street, in the 1100 block of Nopal Street, in the 900 block of Bath Street, in the 300-400 blocks of East Cota Street, and in Dixon Street. A majestic specimen holds court in East Alameda Park.

Tree-of-the-Month articles are sponsored by Santa Barbara Beautiful, whose many missions include the increase of public awareness and appreciation of Santa Barbara’s many outstanding trees and, in a long-time partnership with the City Parks & Recreation Department, the funding and planting of trees along the City’s streets. www.sbbeautiful.org

When ICE arrests US citizens, There’s Little Clear Path for What Happens Next

By Lillian Perlmutter / Santa Barbara News-Press 8.25.25

SAN DIEGO — BARBARA STONE WENT TO A SAN DIEGO COURTHOUSE TO WATCH ICE AGENTS ARRESTING IMMIGRANTS. She ended up in handcuffs.

Stone, a 71-year-old grandmother, was volunteering with a group called Detention Resistance, observing ICE agents in the hallways outside immigration courtrooms. On July 2, as officers surrounded an immigrant leaving a hearing, she raised her phone into the air to video the arrest.

As Stone remembers it, she and the agents exchanged words. A female agent said Stone pushed her. “Actually, she pushed me,” Stone replied.

Assaulting a federal officer is a crime that can result in thousands of dollars of fines or years in prison.

Stone says when she tried to walk away from the scene, the ICE agents chased her down the hallway, cornered her in a stairwell and placed her in handcuffs.

“I just kept thinking this is so absurd,” Stone says.

Stone’s arrest is just one version of a pattern now playing out across California, where ICE agents, in pursuit of undocumented immigrants, also detain U.S. citizens who they say get in their way.

Agents have accused Americans of obstruction, interfering with law enforcement or even assaulting an officer — allegations that advocacy groups and individual arrestees dispute.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a law-enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security, traditionally is intended

to target only immigrants. The agency does not publish regular statistics for arrests of U.S. citizens, and ICE does not always publicly acknowledge why people were arrested or released. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to multiple requests for comment about their efforts or about Barbara Stone’s case.

But interviews, media reports and recent legal filings make clear that more such arrests are happening. Once detained, there’s no clear path for how Americans are treated.

Some in California have been accused of crimes and held for hours, then released. Others have been put in local jail pending charges. Some have been processed to be deported, until officers later determine their citizenship.

Many of these detentions have involved significant violations of civil rights, according to attorneys such as Mark Rosenbaum with the advocacy group Public Counsel.

“The pattern or practice that ICE has been following is arrest first, ask questions later,” Rosenbaum says.

In Barbara Stone’s case, she was taken to a detention room for questioning while officers reviewed security footage of the alleged assault. She says one agent’s hand was so tight around her arm that it left her bruised.

Stone said the officers at the courthouse who questioned her admitted that they believed the ICE agents had made up the assault claim, while also saying they were waiting for a cell to open up at the county jail in order to bring charges against her.

“They were playing with me,” Stone says. “It’s all a farce. … I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Activists

video ICE; detentions follow

On the day Stone was detained, 17 ICE agents were present at the courthouse, to surround and arrest immigrants one by one as they finished their mandated court hearings.

The agents covered their faces; one wore a gun strapped at the thigh. Stone and other members of Detention Resistance said the ICE agents referred to themselves as “the Gestapo.”

Stone’s group fanned out around the agents, to film them from every angle.

Though she says her memory of the event is hazy, Stone remembers a jostle among the agents, bystanders and the immigrant in the tight hallway.

After she was handcuffed and led away, Stone was detained in a room with a oneway mirror — her purse and phone were confiscated, and held on the other side. Law enforcement officers from different agencies cycled through to speak with her, most of them presenting “a veneer of politeness.” Men arrived to question her, telling her they were from the Federal Protective Service, the agency tasked with ensuring the safety of ICE agents. “Who’s here to protect me?” Stone asked, to no response.

“It was clear they didn’t have any evidence,” Stone says.

In earlier statements to broadcast media, ICE said Stone “assaulted an ICE officer as they were conducting immigration enforcement,” adding that anyone who assaults or obstructs law enforcement “will face consequences which could include arrest.”

ICE did not respond to an inquiry about whether agents at the courthouse referred to themselves as “the Gestapo.”

After Trump took office in January, raids began taking place in community centers,

in parking lots, at workplaces and outside courtrooms where immigrants have shown up for legally mandated appearances to regularize their status with the government.

Immigrant advocacy groups responded by positioning volunteers in these locations to observe and film.

Over half of the immigrants arrested by ICE in that time have had no prior criminal record.

As ICE — facing a quota administration officials have put at 3,000 arrests per day — is carrying out raids in more public places, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a series of statements describing what it says are escalating levels of risk its officers now face. ICE said assaults on officers increased 500% in June, then in July said the increase was 700%. Earlier this month, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claimed ICE now faces a 1,000% increase in assaults. To date, the agency has not shared data to back up these claims.

Individual news reports document various cases of people accused of interfering with ICE officers.

On June 19, Arturo Hermosillo was detained after filming an ICE raid in a parking lot. He said agents told him that he obstructed their path by not moving his car correctly. He was held for several hours in the Department of Homeland Security building in Los Angeles and released without charges.

Job Garcia, a grad student, was detained while filming a raid at a Home Depot after he shouted at an undocumented truck driver not to open the door when agents approached. He was held in a federal jail in Los Angeles for over 24 hours before he was released with no explanation or charges, according to a federal civil claim he later filed.

Adrian Martínez, an employee at a Walmart

What’s allowed, what’s not?

ICE sometimes arrests U.S. citizens, accusing them of obstructing or interfering with immigration enforcement. Legal experts say anyone has the right to observe immigration raids. Here are some guidelines experts offer:

• Anyone anywhere can film an ICE raid.

• But anyone who touches an ICE officer could be accused of assault.

• Anyone who interferes or causes a disturbance could be accused of obstruction — that could be by standing in the way, or even by yelling.

What happens to people accused of obstructing ICE?

• Anyone who is detained has the right to speak to a lawyer.

• Anyone detained but not arrested should not be held for more than a few hours.

• Attorneys say you should contact a civil rights lawyer upon release.

What happens if agents try to deport someone who is actually a U.S. citizen?

• ICE is not legally allowed to racially profile.

• Agents should be able to confirm people’s citizenship within a few hours and release them.

• Attorneys say they should contact a civil rights lawyer upon release.

in Pico Rivera, was jailed for three days after he attempted to intervene to keep ICE from arresting an elderly janitor. A U.S. attorney originally claimed that Martínez punched an ICE agent in the face, but security footage from the Walmart showed the agents throwing Martínez to the ground instead. Martínez is facing a felony charge of impeding or interfering with a federal agent and is working to get the case dismissed in court.

Rosenbaum says that ICE agents are not always following the law, but bystanders’ rights to observe them couldn’t be more clear, regardless of their immigration status.

“Even if you’re a citizen of Mars, you’re allowed to film the government,” he says.

Thornier, though, is the question of what constitutes interference.

Any physical contact with an officer could be considered assault, and any loud noise or disturbance, like shouting or blocking an ICE vehicle, is similarly classified as obstruction, Rosenbaum says.

Any U.S. citizen who is detained has the right to swift processing and access to a lawyer, even if they are not under arrest. This detention should last only a “reasonable” amount of time, with the sole purpose of determining whether a crime occurred.

And unless your phone holds potential evidence related to a crime, it would be against the Fourth Amendment for ICE agents to seize it. “It’s hard to imagine a circumstance in which it would be reasonable to take the phone,” Rosenbaum says.

These rights apply to everyone, in any place where a raid occurs, Rosenbaum says.

Whether authorities follow the law is another question altogether.

ICE arrests others too — and starts deportation efforts

ICE has arrested U.S. citizens who say they were not bystanders filming a raid — they just happened to be in the area — and processed them as if they were undocumented immigrants.

On June 24, agents tackled Andrea Velez, a marketing designer, to the ground as she walked to work in Los Angeles. “They were just telling me that I was being arrested for interfering or resisting arrest,” Velez told reporters. “I don’t think I was. I was just resisting because I didn’t know where I was going to end up or who was taking me,” she said.

She was held in immigration detention for over 24 hours before her citizenship was confirmed to authorities. She says she repeatedly told the ICE agents that she was a citizen, but they doubted her claims. ICE originally charged Velez with assault, but the Department of Justice dropped the charges.

On July 10, ICE agents dragged a U.S. army veteran, George Retes, out of his car at gunpoint and held him for three days in immigration detention, without the opportunity to change clothes, call his family or meet with a lawyer. Retes worked as a security guard at a farm in Camarillo, where ICE agents arrested dozens of undocumented workers. “What happened to me wasn’t just a mistake — it was a violation of my civil rights,” Retes wrote in a statement.

In July, Rosenbaum was part of a group that successfully argued for a temporary restraining order to stop raids in seven Southern California counties due to racial profiling on the part of ICE agents. In a news conference, Secretary Noem called the judge in the case “an idiot” and said: “None of our operations are going to change.”

Even before the current Trump administration’s deportation push, federal auditors found that immigration systems make it possible to deport citizens erroneously. The climate of aggressive enforcement may be enough to make some citizens unsure how they’ll prove their legal status if they encounter ICE.

Rosenbaum says that while people shouldn’t have to carry a passport, anyone concerned about being profiled could consider carrying a photocopy to ease their worries.

More importantly, he says, people whose rights have been violated should file legal complaints in their cases. Arrests motivated by racial bias are not mistakes on the part of ICE, Rosenbaum says, but illegal acts. “The government isn’t supposed to accidentally do anything,” he says.

Even though the government has now acknowledged that it is not heeding all court orders, Rosenbaum says anyone who is the victim of an illegal arrest or detention should seek relief through the legal system, in an attempt to hold law enforcement accountable. There are numerous pro bono civil rights law groups operating in Southern California to avoid legal fees.

“When law enforcement is out of control, as it is right now, it’s not unreasonable to be worried, but you’re better protected by understanding your legal rights than you are by avoiding it for fear of reprisals,” Rosenbaum says.

Arrests have lingering effects

Barbara Stone was held in the same room for eight hours. Despite asking for a lawyer “about 15 times,” she says, she was not permitted to talk to one. She was not under arrest, but she was also not allowed to leave.

Rosenbaum called these actions “unconstitutional” and “egregious.”

Then, without issuing charges, the officers released her.

Stone says while she was in custody, she imagined what that same situation would feel like for one of the immigrants she saw arrested outside the courtroom.

“I’m not a victim,” she says, noting how she knew even in the worst case scenario, she would be shielded by systems that would not protect deportees. “I just cannot believe seeing these defenseless people being dragged away in the elevator,” she says. “How can we ever get used to this?”

At first, she thought she would return to immigration court to observe ICE. Now, she has decided to express her support in other ways. She is not afraid of ICE, she says, but does not want to be the center of attention.

Arrests of bystanders have changed the way other activists interact with agents too. The group Stone was with still observes in court, but gives the agents a wider berth when they arrest immigrants.

“I see them with their masks on and I want to say something, but I know that I can’t do that, so I stay silent and I just try to look them in the eye,” says Gretchen Bitterlin, an observer at the San Diego immigration court who volunteers with a different interfaith coalition.

She says she “won’t take the chance” to film the ICE raids she witnesses.

Since returning home, Stone says, the bruises from the agents grabbing her and the scrapes from the handcuffs have faded, but that did not signal the end of the ordeal. After her case was broadcast on national news, Stone’s husband received an anonymous phone call with an AI-modified voice, threatening the couple. They have since decided to add extra security lights to their home. Stone says she is plagued by recurring nightmares, in which people break into her home and she cannot escape.

When agents released Stone at the courthouse after her eight-hour detention, they returned her purse, but not the phone she had used to record video that day. The phone was “a weapon,” they told her. Nearly two months later, she still has not gotten it back.

Lillian Perlmutter covers immigration for the Santa Barbara News-Press and NEWSWELL.

Printed with permission of Santa Barbara News-Press and NEWSWELL.

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