VOICE Magazine: March 13, 2026

Nir Kabaretti Conductor

Hanzhi Wang Accordion

VIVALDI | “Winter” from The Four Seasons

CRISTIAN CARRARA | Red Ferrari

(co-commissioned by Santa Barbara Symphony, Orchest ra della Toscana, Musica Insieme – Bologna, Richmond Symphon y Orchestra & FVG Orchestra) Accordion Concerto

PUCCINI | Capriccio Sinfonico

RESPIGHI | The Pines of Rome

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A Night With Janis Joplin Arrives to ETC

WBy Daisy Scott / VOICE

ITH HER GRITTY VOCALS AND LIBERATED ENERGY, Janis Joplin continues to define rock, the blues, and music as the ultimate form of self-expression despite it being over 50 years after her death. This April, locals will have the rare chance to discover this cultural icon’s inspirations, story, and heart as Ensemble Theatre Company presents A Night With Janis Joplin.

by Loren Haar

Styled as an intimate concert experience, the show will star Mary Bridget Davies, who debuted the role on Broadway, earning a Tony Award nomination for her gripping portrayal of the Woodstock rock star.

“She was a conventional girl who achieved unconventional things,” said Davies. “It’s really a vagabond story of having the right talent and stumbling into the right places and accidentally becoming a cultural icon. I’m sure she’d be tickled to know that we’re all still talking about her and doing shows about her.”

Davies will also collaborate as co-director alongside ETC Artistic Associate/Director of Education Brian McDonald, who delivered last season’s shoe-tapping production of Million Dollar Quartet. In deciding to bring another musicianfocused musical to The New Vic, McDonald wanted to not only explore Joplin’s identity as a person and a performer, but also to create another communal, joyful theater-going experience.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time working on Million Dollar Quartet and witnessing the infectious joy radiating from each audience made the experience truly unforgettable,” said McDonald. “I want to play in a playground where there’s a lot of joy and share that joy with audiences.”

McDonald’s excitement for the project only grew when Davies signed on, giving Santa Barbara the rare chance to experience A Night With Janis Joplin with its original star.

“Audiences are going to be blown away by her,” said McDonald. “It’s uncanny, the sound, the quality, and the spirit she has.”

Davies discovered that she could imitate Joplin’s voice in high school after a childhood of listening to the rocker with her parents. She has used this long-held talent to critical acclaim time and time again, reviving her Broadway role over the course of a national tour and, more recently, in London for her 2024 West End debut.

Her decade plus of singing as Joplin has allowed Davies to evolve her performance and bring more nuance to the role. Not only has her voice grown, but she has also experienced what Joplin (who died of an overdose at the age of 27) was tragically denied: what Davies calls the “luxury of living.”

“I was more focused on her wit, power, and vigor,” explained Davies about her early years of portraying Joplin. “And now, I [appreciate], oh my God, was she emotional, tender, inquisitive, and intelligent, and it’s so much more to work with... I have always felt a kinship to her, and it feels like a responsibility to tell it as honestly as possible.”

A Night With Janis Joplin explores Joplin’s on-stage persona as the bold singer whose electric performances at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock catapulted her into fame, as well as her kindness, compassion, and vulnerabilities. Just as it did in reality, music punctuates her life story, as Davies, accompanied by an onstage band, delivers renditions of Joplin’s greatest hits such as Piece of My Heart, Me and Bobby McGee, Ball And Chain, Cry Baby, and others.

“This probably should have been called ‘A Piece of My Heart,’ because that’s what I really feel like is being shared with us,” voiced McDonald.

Rounding out the musical are four “Joplinaires,” actors who alternate representing the various blues and soul artists who inspired Joplin, including Odetta, Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, and Nina Simone. ETC’s Joplinaires will be performed by actors Sadé Ayodele, Jenna Gillespie Byrd, Melissa Musique, and Sha’leah Nikole.

By incorporating the “Joplinaires,” A Night with Janis Joplin recognizes and celebrates the profound impact Black women musicians had on Joplin’s rich, unique sound.

“When we did Million Dollar Quartet it was the same thing: all these songs, all this music, was not originated by these guys, this was music that was inspired by and originated in Black homes, Black streets, and Black culture,” said McDonald. “We can’t talk about Janis without talking about these women.”

Davies encourages all to jam out at the New Vic in celebration of Joplin’s story and spirit.

“Come to the theater and be wildly entertained,” said Davies. “These are real musicians, real actresses, real women up here, singing and losing their minds for you every night. It’s very fun!”

To further engage audiences, ETC has planned special events throughout the production’s run, including pre-show talks on April 8th, 15th, and 22nd, as well as a cocktail night on April 10th and a Pride Night on April 16th that will also feature a post-show talkback session.

“Our patrons have come to expect the extraordinary, and with Tony-nominated Mary Bridget Davies bringing Janis Joplin to life on our stage, we are delivering exactly that,” commented ETC Executive Artistic Director Scott Devine.

“This is the kind of raw, electrifying performance that stops you in your tracks — the kind audiences travel for, talk about, and never forget. A Night with Janis Joplin is everything we love about live theatre, and we cannot wait to share it with our community.”

Previews start with a community pay-what-youcan night on Wednesday, April 1st and continue on April 2nd and 3rd. Opening night will be held at 8pm on Saturday, April 4th, with performances continuing through April 26th. For tickets ($40-119 general, $35 for ages 35 and under, $25 students) visit etcsb.org

SOUTH COAST KIDS CREATE SOUTH COAST KIDS CREATE

Elementary Student Art Show

Friday, March 13th

Reception 5:00-7:00 pm

Saturday, March 14th, 10:00 am-3:00 pm

Santa Barbara County Education Office Auditorium

4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd Santa Barbara, CA 93110

Free and open to the public, over 250 pieces on display

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS THANKS TO PARTNERS

ICE immigration resolution sparks political attacks, accusations at Santa Barbara City Council meeting

By Joshua Molina, Santa Barbara News-Press, 3.11.26

City Councilman Mike Jordan abruptly walks out amid back-andforth exchange between mayor Randy Rowse and councilmember Wendy Santamaria over role of police officers during ICE actions

EMOTIONS ERUPTED AT TUESDAY NIGHT’S SANTA BARBARA CITY COUNCIL MEETING

during a discussion about ICE and their aggressive tactics on the South Coast.

Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse and councilmember Wendy Santamaria clashed, spurring councilmember Mike Jordan to get up and abruptly walk out of the meeting.

Mayor Rowse disagreed with Santamaria’s concerns that Santa Barbara Police Department officers aren’t doing enough to block ICE agents and protect the community during arrests and raids.

“The comments Ms. Santamaria made about [how] we’re protecting ICE’s property and lives more than we are protecting our community, or the assertion, that’s disgusting,” Rowse said. “That’s not true.”

Rowse said he was getting “frosty,” over criticisms of the police department.

“Let’s stand together as a team,” Rowse said. “Let’s not pick each other apart from the inside. That’s the part that’s kind of got me frosted right now.” He also said that some of his colleagues were putting on a show for the audience.

Santamaria fired back. She said that the mayor was getting “defensive” and took a word he used and gave it right back to him.

“If we are getting frosty or flustered up here then maybe leadership isn’t for you,” Santamaria said.

Rowse has spent much of his adult life in public service, including two terms as a councilman, nearly four years as mayor, and prior to that multiple terms on the downtown parking committee.

The exchange toward the end of the meeting capped a tensionfilled discussion over a proposed resolution re-affirming the city’s stance against ICE and its tactics in the community. The City Council could not agree on the language Tuesday night, but voted 6-0 to direct city staff to return with a more specific statement condemning ICE agents, and other actions the city can take to protect residents. Jordan did not vote because he left.

Police Chief Kelly Gordon repeatedly criticized ICE agents, but said that police officers cannot intervene because immigration is within the jurisdiction of the federal government. She said that the police department does not assist federal immigration authorities. In fact, she said, the city is receiving fewer alerts from federal authorities that ICE is even present.

She said police officers aim to de-escalate the situation if called to it, but that they have no authority to intervene with a federal agent that pepper sprays or uses excessive force on a person.

Gordon and others said that the ICE agents are not trained properly, but that they are still federal agents and have jurisdiction over the police department.

Rowse said the federal agents don’t know what they are doing, but that is vastly different from the skills and abilities of Santa Barbara Police Department officers.

“ICE is sending us a bunch of wannabe mall cops that haven’t been trained,” he said. “They don’t know how to de-escalate. They do not know how to handle crowds. We do.”

Rowse said the police are getting criticized for not being more “Rambo-esque.”

“I don’t know what people want,” Rowse said.

Several of the council members expressed grief over what is happening in the community with raids and deportations. Some members of the public who called into the meeting said that a man released from the Santa Barbara County jail Tuesday was beaten badly by ICE agents and law enforcement did not help him.

“This moment that we are in calls all of us and calls the city as an institution to respond with moral clarity,” said councilwoman Meagan Harmon. “The tactics, the undermining of our constitutional due process, the trauma that is

inflicted on our community, this moment requires of us that we respond.”

Harmon expressed concern about the city using license plate readers and collecting other data on people, suggesting that it was violating people’s privacy rights. Earlier in the meeting Santamaria requested that the city cancel its contract with Flock Safety, which collects data through cameras around town for the purpose of public safety. Harmon said the city needs to consider whether collecting any surveillance data at all on residents is worth it anymore if it gets in the hands of federal authorities.

The city staff plans to audit the data to see if any of that information has been leaked to ICE agents.

Sneddon too criticized the

abilities of ICE agents.

“They are untrained, unvetted, they are escalating their tactics regularly,” Sneddon said. “Their tactics are the threat. The community that is responding to this escalation is not the problem. The community that is responding is unarmed, unprotected, unfunded.”

Sneddon, a teacher at Santa Barbara City College, said her students have had family members who have been deported.

“The federal agents are injuring, terrorizing, endangering our community members and they are using excessive force,” Sneddon said. “They choke people, they push people, they bear spray people and they take people, no due process, no cause, no rights.”

Eric Friedman also praised the work of the police officers and said the problem is with federal agents. He said he worries about what would happen if an ICE agent and a police officer battled each other at an event.

“The last thing we want is for an incident to happen that gets elevated to the federal government and they send even more resources into Santa Barbara to send a message to us,” Friedman said.

Santa Barbara to Participate in National No Kings Event on March 28th

UNITING IN PROTEST WITH MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, Santa Barbara will join in the third No Kings National Day of Nonviolent Action on Saturday, March 28th. The event will begin at 11am with local nonprofits at Alameda Park, followed by a rally at 12:30pm, which will feature speeches by local political and community leaders. The event will end with a march to De La Guerra Plaza that will begin at about 2pm.

“Our community is mobilizing to push back against President Trump’s violent, authoritarian actions,” said Ian Paige, Vice President of Indivisible Santa Barbara, the principal organizer of this event.

“We’re bringing together local residents from all walks of life to share a simple message: We don’t do dictators or kings in America.”

There are over 2,000 No Kings events scheduled nationwide, with more to follow. To learn more visit NoKings.org

Santa Barbara’s Channel City Club Explores the Space Race

By Colleen Graffy / Special to VOICE

FOR SANTA

BARBARANS, THE "SPACE RACE" IS A SENSORY EXPERIENCE. We are well acquainted with the sonic booms that rattle our windows as SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets rise from Vandenberg Space Force Base. On February 25th, however, the Channel City Club hosted an event at the University Club that shifted our focus from the noise below to the "quiet contest" above.

Guest speaker Michelle Hanlon—dubbed the "Godmother of Space Law"— provided an insider’s briefing on “Weaponizing Space: The Quiet Contest Above.” Hanlon, Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi, warned that the next great conflict will not be fought with kinetic weapons, but through "Lawfare"—the power to define the rules of the orbital domain.

The scale is staggering. While 13,000 active satellites currently orbit Earth, the numbers are set to explode. SpaceX has applied for one million satellite berths, while China plans to launch "mega-constellations" of 200,000 satellites. Hanlon noted that the nation writing the "rules of the road" for this crowded highway will effectively control the global economy.

The contest extends to the lunar South Pole, a "high ground" rich in water ice and Helium-3. Hanlon explained how the U.S.-led Artemis Accords are in direct competition with a China-Russia coalition to secure permanent outposts. She warned that by arriving first and establishing "safety zones," a nation could effectively claim territory without technically violating international treaties.

In its 80th year, the Channel City Club continues to bring these vital global dialogues to our doorstep. The flashes we see from Vandenberg are just the visible tip of a quiet contest that will define our species’ future.

To learn more about future events or to join the Channel City Club, visit channelcityclub.org

ShelterBox Celebrates International Women’s Day: Women in Action

By Isaac Hernández de Lipa / VOICE

THE MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST OPENED ITS DOORS on March 3rd for ShelterBox USA’s 10th annual celebration of International Women’s Day, with a panel featuring four advocates for women’s rights: author Kim Cantin, actress Jordana Brewster, safeguarding specialist Karen Rasmussen, and Olympic track-andfield medalist Brittany Brown.

“We work to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of women, to recognize and empower women, and continue to push for more progress,” said Kerri Murray, ShelterBox CEO and moderator. “In places where we work, like Somalia, 80 percent of people who are forcefully displaced are women and children. While women suffer disproportionately, they are at the core of community recovery, they are the bedrock of bringing communities back together.”

Kim Cantin, author of Where the Yellow Flowers Grow, lost her husband and son during the 2018 Montecito Debris Flow. She miraculously survived along with daughter Lauren, who was rescued from under 20 feet of mud. Kim recounted that horrific experience before explaining how the community helped her heal.

“I was gifted through this tragedy when

my life pivoted to witness some of the kindness that I’ve seen,” said Cantin. “I found the importance of helping people in a time of need; that’s what ShelterBox does. Anything you do to help someone else, you may not understand what a difference you’re making.”

Yale graduate and actress Jordana Brewster discussed her own challenges: “As a woman, the rules kept shifting and I kept trying to adapt. And I let other people define what I should be or what was acceptable or not. I was auditioning for Fast and Furious and they were like, ‘It’s totally up to you, sweetie, but maybe lose a little weight.’ I’d do it, and they’d say, ‘Now you’re too skinny.’ And I thought, ‘I can’t win, no matter what I do.’ Eventually I came to the conclusion that I have to be true to myself. I feel like my mission is to be truthful.”

Safeguarding consultant Karen Rasmussen shared her work with NGOs implementing safeguarding strategies.

“We developed policies, procedures and guidelines, including codes of conduct and safe and confidential reporting mechanisms,” explained Rasmussen. “Whether it’s NGOs, scouting, religious institutions, whenever you have a power difference there's a possibility for abuse. Whether we want to talk about it or not, abuse is happening. It makes us

uncomfortable, but that’s one more reason to talk about it. If we’re uncomfortable, how do you think victims feel? We tackle the issue of impunity; something that we’re looking at now with the Epstein files, the fact that there were thousands of people around that universe who saw what was happening and either were too afraid to report or there was no clear way for them to report.”

Olympic 200-meter medalist Brittany Brown shared about her experiences being an athlete in the USA.

“If you don’t have a shoe sponsor, you’re broke, basically,” said Brown. “I was working jobs and pursuing my career of being a professional athlete… working with people with Alzheimer's, also busing tables, working at daycare...”

She managed those responsibilities and career while also dealing with endometriosis. “I’m always tired. I show up at the track, I deal with a lot of pain,” said Brown, who’s featured, alongside comedian Amy Schumer and others in the documentary Endo, premiering at the TriBeCa Film Festival next June.

CNN anchor and international correspondent Sara Sidner received ShelterBox's 2026 Warrior Award in recognition of her fearless reporting from the world’s front lines, her extraordinary courage in the face of personal adversity, and her unwavering leadership that uplifts women everywhere. Although Sidner could not attend, she promised to attend next year’s ShelterBox celebration. The event ended with a short performance by Hunter Hawkins. To learn more visit shelterboxusa.org

Cats, wildlife and more: Charities reap $1-million windfall from Santa Barbara woman’s legacy

By Chris Woodyard, Santa Barbara News-Press, 3.10.26

Backus’ legacy was evident last month as representatives of 13 organizations gathered at the Carpinteria Community Library to both remember her and to accept $75,000 checks from her estate.

TO THOSE WHO KNEW HER, Kathi Backus was a devoted community volunteer, whether it was trying to calm anxious felines dropped off at a local shelter for cats or restoring native plants on the Channel Islands.

And though she died suddenly in January, 2025, Backus’ legacy was evident last month as representatives of 13 organizations gathered at the Carpinteria Community Library to both remember her and to accept $75,000 checks from her estate.

Backus was a 79-year-old Santa Barbara woman who reveled in a wide variety of endeavors. Besides her volunteer work, she was a bird watcher, ham radio operator, gardener, animal lover and ragtime piano player. Beset by heart trouble, she arranged for her estate to be divided among the causes she cared the most about upon her death.

is reserved for the ultra-wealthy,” DeVan wrote in an email to the News-Press. “She wasn’t a billionaire or the head of a foundation. She was someone who took the time to think about what mattered to her and made sure her values were reflected in her estate plans.”

Backus’ bequest to the Friends of the Carpinteria Library is the largest single gift from an individual it has ever received, De Van said. Backus’ estate also delivered checks for the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, Channel Islands Restoration and the Red Cross.

The biggest bulk of the organizations benefitting from Backus’ estate were related to animals, both domesticated and wild. They included Animal Shelter Assistance Program for Cats (ASAP Cats), Best Friends Animal Society, Santa Barbara Humane, Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, Tree House Humane Society, Volunteers for Inter-Valley Animals (VIVA), Santa Barbara Audubon Society, and Santa Barbara Zoological Foundation.

Kathi Backus was a Santa Barbara woman who dedicated herself to volunteerism and a wide variety of interests, which she remembered in her estate planning.

were working to restore native plants. And he bonded, too, over their mutual interest in ham radio. Without hesitation, he can recall her call sign: KF5WB.

“She was a lot of fun to be around and had a terrific sense of humor,” he added.

The Syncopated Times, a website devoted to jazz, ragtime and swing, described Backus as a “well known figure in the California ragtime community,” both as a performer and composer. She played at a Los Angeles club in the 1970s and one of her original rags, the “Skunk Hollow Blues,” was recorded on a CD.

Moorhouse, based in Ventura, said he got to know her after over 25 years of managing her finances. In contrast to more highpowered clients, he said Backus was working at Blue Gem Sunglasses when he first met her. He helped her cultivate her living trust, starting with 10 organizations that morphed into 13, with the knowledge of her love of birds and other animals.

the post-mortem gift of $75,000. “I never knew she had such assets,” Wiebe said. The proceeds are going to care for cats, including a mobile spay and neuter unit —deemed important for an adoption organization that takes in and tries to find homes for about 1,300 cats a year.

The Santa Barbara Zoological Foundation intends to devote its share to a conservation center at California State University, Channel Islands. It’s expected to open by 2030. “We’re really excited about building a center where students and conservation scientists can work together,” said Liz Hahn, director of advancement.

Some of the other organizations haven’t chosen a particular need to fulfill with the hefty donation. With ongoing programs like bird watching excursions and bird count trips for both adults and kids as well as a devotion to protection of open spaces, the Santa Barbara Audubon Society said the funds are much appreciated.

Her certified financial planner, Jeff Moorhouse, and a board member of the library, Ashley DeVan, were touched by her generosity. They felt her gifts deserved more than just having funds quietly deposited into the organizations’ accounts. Rather, they invited all the beneficiaries to meet both to receive the checks and celebrate the life of someone who lived modestly yet found it within herself to offer support to causes she cared about after her passing.

To DeVan, Backus’ bequests send a powerful message.

“Her story gently challenges a common misconception: that meaningful philanthropy

Backus had lived for years in a cluttered home that had been passed down to her. Ken Owen, executive director of Channel Islands Restoration, recalls a visit to the house where he was able to see her gardens. At least five cats roamed the property.

She was also keenly intelligent and inquisitive about the world around her. For instance, Backus had also had a passion for learning to identify both plants and birds.

“She preferred scientific names over common names,” Owen said. “She liked to show off a bit.”

Owen said he spent four days with Backus once on the Channel Islands where they

Once Moorhouse said he returned from a duck hunting trip. Backus phoned him having apparently seen a photo of his trip on social media. Braced for a verbal lashing over his choice of sports, Backus surprised him by instead saluting hunters. Their hunting license fees help pay for wildlife habitat restoration, she explained. Needless to say, Moorhouse was relieved.

Backus volunteered every Monday for about two decades at ASAP Cats on Overpass Road, said Executive Director Jessica Wiebe. Backus liked to handle the intake of cats being brought to the shelter, often strays or kitties that owners say they can no longer care for.

“Kathi liked it because there were less people and more cats,” Wiebe said. Backus’ reserved temperament and soothing approach suited her well to the task. “She was kind of quiet but told you what she thought.”

Wiebe said Backus donated to ASAP Cats over the years but she was surprised at

“We are really honored to have been selected for this. It’s energizing,” said Executive Director Katherine Emery.

Friends of the Carpinteria Library, also, hasn’t earmarked the funds for any special project. But DeVan said the money sure is appreciated. And in some ways, unexpected. After all, she said Backus only came to know the library from having stumbled upon it: it’s where the bus stop is situated.

“Santa Barbara is no stranger to generosity. We have galas, naming opportunities, plaques, benches, and buildings that tell the story of big gifts made in visible ways,” according to DeVan. “But every so often, a story surfaces that reminds you philanthropy doesn’t have to be loud to be transformative.

“That’s the story of Kathi Backus.”

Community News

Wyatt Family Donates $5 Million to SB Neighborhood Clinics

New Westside Clinic to be Named Wyatt Family Health Center

IN A TRANSFORMATIONAL INVESTMENT

IN COMMUNITY HEALTH, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (SBNC) has received a historic $5 million gift from the Wyatt family of Santa Barbara — the largest philanthropic contribution from an individual family in the organization’s history. In recognition of this generosity, SBNC’s flagship facility, currently under construction, will be named the Wyatt Family Health Center.

“My husband and I (and our family) were truly inspired by the quality of care and the number of lives touched by SBNC. It is the community’s ‘little engine that could,’ powered by dedicated physicians and staff who lead with compassion and respectfully treat everyone who crosses their threshold,” said Monica Wyatt. “We were deeply moved by how seamlessly SBNC is woven into the fabric of this community - a place where families can access care close to home, where children and seniors are treated with dignity, and where highquality healthcare is available to all, regardless of income or race.”

Wyatt family members familiarized themselves with SBNC’s work by participating in meetings, touring clinics, and meeting staff and patients over the course of several months.

“After thoughtful consideration, they shared how deeply they believe in our mission,” said Dr. Mahdi Ashrafian, CEO of SBNC. “This is not only the largest family gift we’ve ever received — it represents something even more meaningful: a long-term partnership. The Wyatt family is committing to the health and well-being of our community for generations to come.”

The three-story, state-ofthe-art Wyatt Family Health Center will expand access to comprehensive medical care for more than 8,300 local children, adults, and seniors every year. Designed as a central hub, the facility will strengthen and coordinate services across SBNC’s neighborhood clinics in Isla Vista, the Bridge Clinic, the Westside, Eastside, and Goleta locations, as well as its dental offices.

Scheduled for completion in December 2026, the new center is expected to increase SBNC’s overall patient capacity from

US-Israeli War on Iran Report

THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAELI WAR ON IRAN has resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of displaced people in the Middle East, it was reported in the last 24 hours by the Pentagon, United Nations, and a variety of agencies and news outlets. The cost of the first six days of the war on Iran was reported at $11.3 billion by the Pentagon to Congress and journaled by the New York Times on Wednesday.

Iranian civilian deaths have been estimated at 1,200 people, military personnel and government worker deaths are estimated at 3,910 by the Hangar Human Rights Organization and the United Nations. Iranians injured are estimated at 17,000.

It was reported by the New York Times the new Iranian leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured and he lost his father, mother, wife, and son in the first wave of attacks by the United States and Israel.

The Israeli air strikes on Iranian surrogates Hezbollah in Lebanon, has resulted in the death of over 500 people, with 1,444 injured and the displacement of over 700,000 people, according to the World Health Organization and Reuters reports.

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday seven U.S. soldiers have died in the war on Iran and 140 soldiers have been injured.

According to an article on Reuters: in Israel, twelve have people died; Iraq, 16 people died; Syria, four people were killed; United Arab Emirates, six people have died; Kuwait, two people; and in Oman, one person has died.

20,000 to 28,300, meaning a 41.5 percent increase in patients annually. The new center will house medical, behavioral health, and dental services under one roof.

“Thousands of people in our community go without regular checkups, struggle to manage chronic conditions, or miss preventive care because they are uninsured or underinsured,” said Laura Wyatt. “This new facility will provide dignified access to the same high-quality care that insured patients receive. That’s something we believe everyone deserves.”

Today, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics serve more than 20,000 people each year. Ninety-two percent of patients are low-income, and nearly one-quarter are children and adolescents.

Cottage Health Child Care Center Expansion Approved by City of SB Planning Commission

TO INCREASE ACCESS TO CHILD CARE for healthcare workers and their families, the Orfalea Children’s Center at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is currently set for expansion. The project was unanimously approved by the City of Santa Barbara Planning Commission last month.

The Orfalea Children’s Center currently has a waitlist of more than 300 Cottage Health employees, demonstrating the urgent need for additional child care capacity. The expansion will serve infants and toddlers ages 0 to 3, while also continuing care for currently enrolled children through preschool years.

The Planning Commission’s approval grants a Conditional Use Permit for construction of a new two-story, 6,847-square-foot building adjacent to the existing center at the corner of Castillo and Los Olivos streets.

“This is an important step in supporting our employees and their families,” said Ron Lafrican, Administrative Director, Human Resources at Cottage Health. “Reliable, high-quality child care helps strengthen our workforce and the care we provide to our patients.”

Construction on the expansion is expected to begin in early 2027, following completion of construction drawings and the City’s permitting process. Additional details, including construction timelines, will be shared as the project moves forward. cottagehealth.org

Community News Police Blotter

“Adopt-A-Home” Campaign to Furnish Housing Authority’s New De La Vina Housing

COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO HELP FURNISH 31 NEWLY RENOVATED STUDIO

APARTMENTS by participating in a new “Adopt-a-Home” campaign. Launched by the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB), in partnership with its nonprofit affiliate, 2nd Story Associates, the campaign will support new housing at 3055 De La Vina Street, which will provide new long-term, adaptive reuse housing for 31 chronically homeless or formerly homeless people in Santa Barbara. A grand opening is scheduled for June 2026.

new units as homes. The campaign aims to raise $50,000 to furnish all 31 studio units. This includes $37,000 for room furnishings ($1,300 per unit) and an additional $13,000 for mattresses and frames from local vendor, Beds4U.

Cockfighting Investigation Confiscates 58 Birds

AN INVESTIGATION INTO SUSPECTED ANIMAL ABUSE AND ILLEGAL BIRD FIGHTING has led to the seizure of 58 birds believed to be used in cockfighting. The cockfighting investigation, which is ongoing, is a joint effort between Santa Barbara County Animal Control Officers and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office detectives and Rural Crimes deputies. There were two search warrants served in the Lompoc area.

The first search warrant was served in the 800-block of East Pine Avenue in the City of Lompoc. During the search, officers discovered items commonly associated with cockfighting, including sharp blades known as “slashers” or “navajas,” which are attached to birds during fights. Several chickens were also found living in unsanitary and overcrowded conditions at the property. Investigators also served a second search warrant at a related location in the 3000-block of Avena Road in unincorporated Lompoc. At that property, officers seized 58 game fowl type chickens. Many of the birds showed physical signs consistent with cockfighting, including removed combs and wattles, trimmed natural spurs, and healing wounds.

“This campaign provides a unique opportunity for our community to directly contribute to the well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Rob Fredericks, HACSB Executive Director/ CEO. “By helping us furnish these studios, our supporters are doing more than donating. They are helping us turn this former hotel into a true home for those who have been without one for far too long.”

Adopt-A-Home will help fund essential items needed to complete the

Community members can support either by purchasing items to donate through Amazon Wishlists for individual studios, the community room, or outdoor communal areas, or directly contributing to the general campaign fund to help HACSB reach its $50,000 goal.

The former 32-unit motel will offer residents rental assistance through the Section 8 program, ensuring they pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.

For more information or to donate, visit 2nd-story.org/donate or hacsb.org

CALM Welcomes New Trustees to Board

HELPING PREVENT AND HEAL TRAUMA across Santa Barbara County, CALM has appointed two new members to its Board of Trustees. calm4kids.org

CHUCK MERRILL, MD is a Santa Maria physician and healthcare leader with over four decades of experience serving local families. From his early work focusing on pediatric trauma and emergency care, to developing residency programs in Family Medicine and Obstetrics/ Gynecology at Marian, he has been committed to improving systems of care, advancing medical education, and strengthening community health. Dr. Merrill has also been actively involved in community service, youth athletics, and local philanthropy.

MEGAN RHEINSCHILD has worked at the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office in the Victim Witness Assistance Program for nearly 30 years, overseeing comprehensive services, support, and advocacy for victims of violent crime and their families. She also leads inter-agency collaborations with local, regional, and state partners to address human trafficking and sexual assault, and to meet the needs of survivors. She is a Governor’s Appointee as the Victim Representative for the California Interstate Commission for Adult and Juvenile Supervision and the Victim Representative for the National Interstate Commission for Juveniles.

No arrests were made and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to cockfighting activity at these or any other locations is encouraged to contact Santa Barbara County Animal Services at 833-422-8413 or submit information online at sbcanimalservices.org

1988 Santa Maria Cold Case Closed

FOLLOWING A JURY TRIAL, Aloysius James was found guilty of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of murder in the commission of the rape of Ofelia Sandoval, 30, who was killed on September 18th, 1988, in Santa Maria. The verdict brings to a close the 1988 cold case, according to Santa Barbara District Attorney John T. Savmoch, in an announcement last week. James is facing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

According to the court record, Ofelia Sandoval was discovered strangled to death, on the floor of her home on the evening of September 18th, 1988. Santa Maria Police Officers investigated her death in 1988 and collected countless pieces of evidence. Her death was ruled a homicide. Despite valiant efforts, the case went cold in 1989. Over the years, many different SMPD detectives worked on the murder of Sandoval. In the early 2000s the Department of Justice used technology to develop a DNA profile of an unknown male found on items in Ofelia’s room. The male DNA profile did not match to any known DNA profiles.

However, the Santa Maria Police Department never gave up on trying to solve the Sandoval murder. In 2018, the FBI partnered with SMPD to obtain a covert DNA profile from Aloysius James. In 2023, the Department of Justice developed the same male suspect DNA profile from samples taken at Sandoval’s autopsy in 1988. SMPD detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of Aloysius James and booked him into custody in Georgia on April 16th, 2024. The conviction marks the culmination of almost 38 years of work on the murder of Ofelia Sandoval. Sentencing is set for April 14th, 2026, at 8:30am in Department 6 in Santa Maria before the Honorable Judge Imel.

Santa Maria Man Sentenced to 50 Years to Life

FOUND GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, Alfredo Junior Alaniz, 25, resident of Santa Maria, was sentenced to 50 years to life in the state prison for the murder of Mario Merino Gonzalez on May 16th, 2021, according to Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch, last week.

Following a jury trial on December 11th, 2025, when Alaniz was found guilty of FirstDegree Murder, the jury also found special allegations he committed the murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang and he personally used a firearm and personally discharged a firearm causing death. On March 4th, 2026, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Kristy Imel sentenced Alaniz to two consecutive sentences of 25 years to life for the murder and the firearm enhancement, for an aggregate term of 25 years to life in the state prison.

According to the court report, during the early morning hours of May 16th, 2021, Alfredo Alaniz, a Santa Maria gang member, shot Mario Merino Gonzalez 16 times, 15 times in the back, on North Lincoln St. in Santa Maria. At the time of his death, Gonzalez was 19.

Step into an evening where chandeliers glitter, voices soar, and passion takes the stage. Indulge in a Michelin-starred feast by Caruso's Chef Partner Massimo Falsini, luxurious libations, and performances by Opera Santa Barbara’s acclaimed singers, State Street Ballet, and enchanting Venetian street artists.

A celebration of Bob Weinman — and of every patron, artist, and dreamer whose light keeps our Opera stage aglow.

Community News

MOXI Names New Board Members

TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO INSPIRE VISITORS OF ALL AGES TO EXPLORE SCIENCE AND CREATIVITY, three community members have joined the Board of Directors for MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation. For 2026, Board leadership will include Kelly Almeroth in her second year as Chair, Graham Bell as Vice Chair, Angela Krablin as Treasurer, and Casey Summar as Secretary.

HEATHER HAMBLETON has been a Santa Barbara resident for more than 20 years. Currently, she is serving as Chair of Cottage Hospital’s Tiara Ball as well as on the Advisory Committee for Hope Refuge and the SB Museum of Natural History. She has also served on the Board of the Junior League of SB. A parent of three young children who enjoy exploring and learning at MOXI, Hambleton is looking forward to helping inspire the next generation of curious thinkers, problem-solvers, and creators, with the goal of igniting a lifelong love of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

MARK KORTE-NAHABEDIAN is Chevron’s Corporate Affairs Advisor for the West Coast Decommissioning Program. He has worked in diverse roles at Chevron, including as an energy transition advisor and as a geologist. Prior to working at Chevron, he worked as an exploration and development geologist specializing in subsurface resources across California. Korte-Nahabedian serves on the board of directors for the SB South Coast Chamber of Commerce, The United Boys and Girls Club of SB County, and the Goleta Education Foundation. He is also a member of the Sanctuary Advisory Council for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Mark lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, Kara, and is a proud father to three children.

CÁITRÍN MCKIERNAN is a partner at the international law firm Steptoe LLP, where she advises multinational companies on anti-corruption compliance and internal investigations. A former Fulbright scholar to China and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Taiwan, Cáitrín received her B.A., with Highest Honors in Chinese History, from Stanford University. She received a J.D. from UC Berkeley, School of Law, with a certificate of specialization in international law. McKiernan grew up in Santa Barbara and attended the Midland School in Los Olivos. Beyond her law practice, she founded and hosts The Steptoe Coffee Club for Women in Law, a monthly gathering that facilitates discussions among legal experts.

New SB Strings Executive Director

Dos Pueblos HS Honored with Global First Amendment Press Freedom Award

FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO STUDENT VOICES AND INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM, Dos Pueblos High School has received the 2026 First Amendment Press Freedom Award. This makes DPHS one of only 26 schools worldwide, including 12 U.S. states and the United Kingdom, to receive this honor.

The award distinguishes schools that protect students’ First Amendment rights and is presented by the Journalism Education Association (JEA), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), and the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society.

“As a former journalist and former adviser to our school newspaper at DPHS, this award is especially meaningful to me,” said DPHS Principal Bill Woodard. “It affirms our commitment at DPHS to empowering student journalists with authentic voice, responsibility, and freedom of expression. Very proud of our students and their advisers for their work, which earned this prestigious honor.”

For DPHS, the recognition celebrates DP News, the school’s student-run media program, where student editors maintain full editorial control over their content through professional policies and practices. To qualify, DPHS underwent a rigorous evaluation process, proving that its administration serves as a mentor to student journalists rather than a gatekeeper.

“We are incredibly honored to be named a 2026 First Amendment Press Freedom Award recipient,” said Media teacher John Dent. “This recognition affirms what we work toward every day at Dos Pueblos — empowering students to lead, to ask hard questions, to tell authentic stories, and to publish without fear or prior review. I am deeply proud of our student editors and producers who uphold the highest standards of journalism while exercising their First Amendment rights responsibly. This award belongs to them and to a school community that understands that protecting student press freedom is essential to protecting democracy itself.”

Dos Pueblos High School will be officially honored on April 16th at the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Minneapolis.

“Our schools must be places where students don’t just learn about democracy, but practice it every day. We are preparing future leaders,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, Superintendent of Santa Barbara Unified School District. “Supporting the First Amendment means trusting our students to find their voices, ask tough questions, and report with integrity. We are incredibly proud of the Dos Pueblos students and staff for setting a national standard for student press freedom.” sbunified.org

Locals Invited to Participate in “A Tamale Named After You” Contest

KYLE ABELLO has been appointed the first Executive Director for Santa Barbara Strings. This position will work with Santa Barbara Strings founder and Artistic Director, Mary Beth Woodruff, to provide quality training and education for young string musicians. Abello was raised in the Santa Ynez Valley. He was the founder of the Buellton Recreation Department and served as Recreation Director for the City of Buellton for 20 years, during which time he helped establish the Buellton Community Recreation Center, the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden, and PAWS Off-Leash Dog Park. Abello has served on the Boards of the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation, Santa Ynez Valley Chorale, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District, and currently serves on the College Elementary School District Board. Abello lives in Santa Ynez with his wife, Yana, and their twins, Skylar and Tristan, who play the violin and cello, respectively, and are enjoying the music education of Santa Barbara Strings. santabarbarastrings.org

IN HONOR OF NATIONAL TAMALE DAY ON MARCH 23RD, Santa Barbara tamale lovers are invited to submit their original ideas for new, delicious dishes to the “A Tamale Named After You” contest. Hosted by local tamale chef, Richard Lambert, who founded National Tamale Day in 2015, the contest winner will have their tamale named after them and added to the menu for Lambert’s local takeout tamale service, in addition to receiving a dozen free tamales.

“I call them the original comfort food, although the ingredients have changed greatly over time,” said Lambert in a statement. “Our contest hopes to show that new ideas and the tradition of tamales can go hand in hand.”

Contest entries will be completely judged on creativity. Submitted tamale ideas can have meat or be meat-free, be vegetarian or vegan, or range from sweet to savory. The tamale must be different from those currently on Lambert’s menu. Entries mus be submitted by March 21st. The winner to be announced on National Tamale Day on the 2rd. To enter visit www.jotform.com/form/260498584741166

On the Street with John Palminteri

Photos and Stories by John Palminteri, Special to VOICE

A Thrilling Home Game

THERE WERE MANY EXCITING MOMENTS during the UCSB men’s basketball final game of the year in a packed Thunderdome. However, the Gauchos lost at the buzzer, 64 to 63, to UC San Diego.

Montecito Fire Chief Honored

MONTECITO FIRE

CHIEF

DAVID NEELS retires at the end of March, after 36 years of public safety service. He has been the Montecito Chief since 2023. Chief Neels was honored this week by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Lompoc Fire Chief Brian Fallon has been chosen as the new Montecito Chief starting April 1st.

First Responders Updates

A MAN SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT INJURIES after falling from the Carpinteria bluffs Monday. The man was found on the beach using a drone. A helicopter took him with leg and back injuries directly to Cottage Hospital. Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, Montecito Fire Protection District, the Santa Barbara City and County Fire Departments, American Medical Response, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, and the Air Support Unit were on it.

All Paws Aboard! Guide Dogs Cruise SB Harbor

SIX DOGS WERE GIVEN A RIDE in the Santa Barbara waterfront area Saturday to help them get comfortable with boats as part of their training with Guide Dogs for the Blind. Training in different situations can take 13 to 15 months. The ride was coordinated through Celebration Cruises’ on board the Lil’ Toot which offers daily trips from the harbor to Stearns Wharf and back.

UCSB Gets Input for Former Staples Building

UC SANTA BARBARA HAS A NEW BUILDING in downtown Santa Barbara. It is the former Staples store on State St. near Gutierrez St. What would you like to see happen there in the future? Multiple uses? UCSB is looking for your input. The space was open on 1st Thursday to gain community feedback.

Adams Angels Helps Local in Need

AFTER HEARING 91-YEAR-OLD IVAN RASMUSSEN had his 23-year-old car totaled by a reckless driver recently in Santa Barbara while it was parked, Adam’s Angels rallied with a donated Infiniti car. It was delivered over the weekend. Rasmussen said he was so grateful at the generosity. He lives on a limited income in senior housing. He drives for light errands and to work out at the “Y.” He also made it to the UC Santa Barbara basketball game Saturday, one of his favorite outings. Adam’s Angels formed during COVID to meet urgent community needs and has a well organized team to feed the hungry and to help both seniors and veterans. Adam McKaig was joined by several team members when the keys were presented including Mike Bishop, Gary Warkenten, Lillian Warkenten, Tara Zanecki and John Stampe.

Chumash Tomol Stolen

THIS CHUMASH TOMOL HAS BEEN STOLEN from West Beach in Santa Barbara. There is an urgent request for the community to be on the lookout or report any suspicious activity they have seen in the area where the canoes are stored.

A REPORTED RECKLESS DRIVER, trying to escape police, crashed into a tree in Santa Barbara and ran Thursday night on Calle Cesar Chavez St. at Gutierrez St. After leaving the scene, police say the driver returned and surrendered. No injuries were reported. A parked truck was damaged in a collision near Soledad St. several blocks away during the brief police chase. It was called off prior to the crash. Multiple police units and Thomas towing responded. Police say the vehicle was originally spotted with no headlights on and that’s when police began the enforcement action. The driver was subsequently arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges including felony evading and hit-and-run, with a bail set at $75,000.

DP Students Win Video Contest

DOS PUEBLOS HIGH STUDENTS WON a national financial literacy contest “Lights, Camera, Save!” with clever videos that promote savings and future planning.

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

LIVE ART & WINE TOUR LIVE ART & WINE TOUR DOWNTOWN SANTA BARBARA

Join us for a night of fine wines, delightful pairings, and live art.

4/30 4/30 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

SuperMoss Opens First Retail Shop in Downtown SB

By Daisy Scott / VOICE

AGARDENER’S OASIS

HAS OPENED DOWNTOWN

as SuperMoss celebrates the launch of its first store on State Street. Located mere minutes away from the Gutierrez Street garage where SuperMoss got its start in the 1980s, the shop marks an exciting new local chapter for the company, which now acts as a leading national supplier of preserved mosses for gardening, floral arrangements, and home decor.

Its flagship store celebrates all of these aspects, offering an artistic inventory of decorative, preserved mosses and plants as well as gardening supplies, do-it-yourself kits, and botanical accessories. A ribbon cutting and grand opening will be held at 4pm on Thursday, March 19th.

“We have Lotusland, the botanical garden, the rose garden at the mission, and so much to do with gardening in our

community,” shared Melissa Franzen, SuperMoss major accounts manager. “So we really felt like it would be a good place for us to open a retail store and share what we do and hear the stories of how people are using our products.”

Ever interested in plants and flowers, SuperMoss owner and founder Uri Dolev first began preserving mosses with a friend in Provence, France. He decided to bring the decorative moss market to the United States, launching the company out of Santa Barbara in 1989. Since then, SuperMoss has grown into a nationallyoperated wholesale company that sources a wide range of preserved, decorative mosses from around the world.

“He figured out how to take something that’s wild in nature and make it beautiful for a long time,” said Franzen, explaining that their mosses are preserved with non-toxic, food grade chemicals.

Franzen explained that SuperMoss prioritizes sustainability. In addition to growing its own mosses, the company collaborates with international communities to responsibly harvest, leaving at least 30 percent of mature

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mosses in designated areas to promote regrowth.

“We’ll get calls from some of the national forests that are doing clear cutting for natural burns,” added Franzen. “They’ll have us come in and clear out the moss so it doesn’t get burned.”

SuperMoss bought 922 State Street several years ago, basing its corporate offices out of the building’s upper level. They decided to launch the store on the first floor to connect with Santa Barbara’s rich community of artists, gardeners, and plant lovers.

In the coming weeks, SuperMoss will begin to host plant and floral workshops so that experienced and aspiring gardeners or decorators can expand their skills.

A welcoming retail environment, the SuperMoss store is filled with examples of how customers may utilize their products to create their own green works of art, including a beautiful dried moss mural of a giraffe that takes up an entire wall.

There is a varied selection of orchids and plants, in addition to mosses and rocks to round out decorative displays. Playful pots are also available, and, if desired, the store will arrange customers’ selected plants or mosses into a pot of their choice upon purchase.

Terrariums, bird feeders, bug homes, gardening tools, and a boutique assortment of greeting cards, books, and stationary round out the plant-themed inventory.

922 State Street • Open 11am-6pm Mon to Fri, 9am-8pm Sat, and 11am-5pm Sun. • supermoss.com

Unity Shoppe 2026 Spring Food Drive

INVITING LOCAL BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY

MEMBERS to support of families experiencing food insecurity throughout Santa Barbara County, the Unity Shoppe will host its 2026 Spring Food Drive from March 16th through April 17. Participating businesses will collect donations of non-perishable food items via donation boxes. Items that are especially needed include soups/stews, rice, pasta, canned and dry beans, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, cooking oil, pasta sauce, and canned tomato products. Unity Shoppe will manage the delivery and pick up of all donation boxes, making it easy for businesses to participate and give back. Donations collected during the drive will directly support Unity Shoppe’s free grocery programs, which serve individuals and families with dignity and care.

Businesses interested in hosting a food donation box are encouraged to contact Becky at becky@unityshoppe.org or (805) 979-9519 for more information.

Italian Stone Pines Planted On Arbor Day

By John Palminteri / Special to VOICE

ARBOR DAY IN SANTA BARBARA WAS CELEBRATED WITH THE PLANTING OF 40 STONE PINES on Anapamu Street, a presentation of a City Proclamation, and a tree planting at three local schools. California celebrates an Arbor Week and Santa Barbara Beautiful participated with the City Park and Recreation Department in all of these events.

“Santa Barbara Beautiful values our living, growing world, and one of our longstanding commitments has been to support the Santa Barbara urban forest,” stated Kerry Methner, President of SBB at the city hall ceremony presided over by Mayor Randy Rowse. “We have collaborated with the city for decades to support tree planting. The tally of trees planted is now over 14,000.”

At the proclamation ceremony, Methner addressed the council and assembly, “Today we accept this proclamation with pride, knowing that by working together our City will again be named a Tree City USA and, importantly, that many local students have been touched by the Arbor Day School Tree planting program. Part of the school program includes providing books to each school and local library. This year’s books include: Nature’s Best Hope and California Trees.”

A special thank you and shout out was given to Parks & Recreation Director Jill Zachary, Urban Forest Supervisor (and Santa Barbara Beautiful board member) Nathan Slack, and former City Arborist and SBB Horticulture committee co-chair David Gress.

Every afternoon’s last light seems to emanate from the boughs of our neighborhood’s towering Norfolk pine, all of its surprisingly supple fingers singing golden Glorias back at the setting sun. I always consider the Norfolk as hyperbole disguised as tree, something sure to shame us humans so many feet below on mere ground.

Despite how much open air its articulated branches expose, the tree still offers hidden havens to hawks by day and owls marking the darkening sky with inquisitives calling down evening. But still then the pine finds a way to light, holding as many of the heaven’s stars for those who spend the sweet time to slow and stare and see and remember all of wonder.

George Yatchisin

The City Poet Laureate, George Yatchisin commemorated the day with the reading of a poem.

Restoring 40 Italian Stone Pines on Anapamu Street was one of the highlights of the day, with member of Santa Barbara Beautiful, the Forestry Division of the City Park & Recreation Department, neighbors, and members of the Pearl Chase Society all helping to plant the trees. SBB provided $2,700 to fund the project. Some of the aging historic trees have fallen in harsh weather or due to old age and several areas were barren, after a canopy of trees once covered the route. In its prime, the route between Garden St. and Anapamu St. was

a picturesque walk or drive and often written up by historians.

“The trees were here before the sidewalk, before the paving, they created this arcade that the infrastructure grew around,” said Rick Clossan who has spoken several times in favor of the new Italian Stone Pine trees.

Santa Barbara City Urban Forest Superintendent Nathan Slack shared, “the trees won at the end of the day in the City of Barbara. That happens a lot and it is what makes the community super unique.”

The City of Santa Barbara maintains over 60,000 open space, park, and street trees.

For more information visit SBBeautiful.org

Santa Barbara Planning Commission advances short-term rental measure despite misgivings

The proposed ordinance is aimed at regulating homes and units rented to vacationers and others for less than 30 days, such as those offered through Airbnb. The issue has surfaced in many cities with tourism appeal.

By Chris Woodyard / Special for the Santa Barbara News-Press 3.8.26

ADIVIDED SANTA BARBARA

PLANNING

COMMISSION voted to advance a controversial short-term vacation rental ordinance to the City Council without resolving several key provisions.

Even commissioners supporting moving the proposed law forward in the 4-2 vote expressed regret that it departs unfinished after hearing a raft of concerns from short-term rental supporters. But city staff laid out a schedule that means the measure—about a decade in the making—will have to land before the City Council for approval by May.

Sticking to that schedule instead of working out some of the rough spots in the measure irked some of those who attended the three-hour hearing.

“It was obvious during deliberations that none of the commissioners were comfortable with the ordinance as presented,” said Jarrett Gorin of consulting firm Vanguard Planning in an interview afterward. “They forwarded it after being pressured by the city attorney.”

The proposed ordinance is aimed at regulating homes and units rented to vacationers and others for less than 30 days, such as those offered through Airbnb. The issue has surfaced in many cities with tourism appeal.

The new rules would specify what areas that short-term rentals are allowed. They impose requirements aimed at minimizing the impact on neighborhoods.

The new rules would also cover “home shares” in which homeowners rent rooms to paying guests.

The discussion Thursday lasted about three hours and it didn’t take long the for the commission to uncover trouble when it came to specifics. Commissioners wrestled with proposed solutions, but ultimately decided to let staff try to iron out the remaining issues as the measure goes to its next stop, the Ordinance Committee.

In the end, Chair Lucille Boss proposed moving the proposal forward with a list of issues still left up in the air. They include whether to allow waivers for the number or type of required on-site parking spaces at a property, impact on city revenue from transient occupancy taxes, how to make sure landlords pay those fees, various enforcement details, what method would be used to make sure rentals don’t oversaturate any particular area and how to bring unpermitted short-term rentals into compliance.

Further complicating the issue is that it had to be dealt with on two levels—one for inland areas and the other in the so-called coastal zone where the California Coastal Commission will have to sign off the city’s plan.

Boss was joined by commissioners Donald DeLuccio, Devon Wardlow, and Leslie Wiscomb in supporting moving the proposal to the Ordinance Committee. Benjamin Peterson and John Baucke voted against, saying it should stay with the commission until agreement can be found on remaining issues.

prohibition on short-term rentals. Gorin, for instance, told the commission that the measure continues to classify shortterm rentals as commercial properties, which in turn makes them subject to commercial, not residential, development standards. As such, “it’s effectively going to function as a ban.”

Other foes said short-term rentals would be put at a disadvantage compared to hotels.

Tiffany Haller, who runs a property management firm, displayed a photo of a hotel sign suggesting guests park their cars on the street if there aren’t enough spaces on hotel property. Yet the new short-term stay rules would require two parking spaces for every unit with three bedrooms or fewer.

Before the vote, trepidation and misgivings abounded on various aspects even among those who eventually supported it.

“We need more work done,” Wiscomb said.

“I’m a little uneasy in the direction that we’re going,” Wardlow said, later adding, “I want to ensure that if we’re doing this and we’ve taken ten years to do this, let’s do it right.”

Their comments came after hearing from many landlords, property managers, and others wary of the proposed new rules and a few residents who wanted it to pass.

Opponents worried the ordinance is written with such tough restrictions that it could amount to de facto

Free Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event

A FREE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION EVENT will be held by the of City of Santa Barbara’s Sustainability & Resilience Department and MarBorg Industries. The collection location for city residents will be at Santa Barbara City College’s Lot 2-C (La Playa Stadium Parking Lot) on March 14th from 9am to 1pm.

Materials accepted: Antifreeze, Batteries, Used motor oil/filters, Paint (latex, oil-based, stains, etc.), Fluorescent light bulbs, Cleaning supplies, Garden chemicals. For additional details about the Household Hazardous Waste event, and to learn more about what items will be accepted, please contact MarBorg at (805) 963-1852. Visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CleanCommunity. No business waste will be accepted.

She warned that many of the short-term rentals currently operating legally and paying taxes wouldn’t be able to meet provisions of the new law as currently written.

But the same time, a few residents pointed out why they believe the ordinance is needed. They said some short-term rental guests drive too fast through neighborhoods and party late into the night. Craig Leeds said he used to allow his nineyear-old granddaughter to walk to a friend’s house in his neighborhood, but now he escorts her “because it’s not safe with the short-term rentals there.”

He said guests hold karaoke parties until 2am—”it blasts through the windows”—and short-term have made his Yankee Farm/Braemar neighborhood “miserable.”

“I’ve lived here 50 years and I really don’t want to have to move just because of short-term rentals ruining my life,” Leeds said.

This story

Evento gratuito de recolección de residuos domésticos peligrosos

EL DEPARTAMENTO DE SOSTENIBILIDAD Y RESILIENCIA de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara y MarBorg Industries organizarán un Evento GRATUITO de Recolección de Residuos Peligrosos del Hogar (HHW) el sábado 14 de marzo, de 9:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m., en el estacionamiento 2-C del Santa Barbara City College (estacionamiento del Estadio La Playa). Se anima a los residentes de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara a aprovechar esta oportunidad para desechar de manera segura materiales domésticos peligrosos.

Materiales Aceptados, Anticongelante, Baterías, Aceite de motor usado y filtros, Pintura (látex, a base de aceite, tintes, etc.), Focos (fluorescents), Productos de limpieza, Productos químicos de jardinería. Para obtener más detalles sobre el evento de Residuos Domésticos Peligrosos y conocer qué artículos serán aceptados, comuníquese con MarBorg Industries al (805) 963-1852. Visite SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CleanCommunity. No se aceptarán desechos comerciales.

A Very Weak Employment Report

“Total nonfarm payroll employment edged down by 92,000 in February, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment in health care decreased, reflecting strike activity. Employment in information and federal government continued to trend down.” BLS.gov

By Harlan Green, Special to VOICE

• March 9, 2026

THE U.S. ECONOMY

LOST A TOTAL OF 92,000 PAYROLL JOBS IN FEBRUARY and the unemployment rate edged up to 4.4 percent, occurring just when President Trump began his Middle East war.

What timing! It will be an unmitigated disaster, not only because the war will be so badly done, but because of its timing. We will soon have soaring inflation, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1970’s

decade of stagflation, and the American public doesn’t want it, per the latest PEW Research poll:

• Trump’s approval rating stands at 37 percent, down from 40 percent in the fall.

• By more than two-toone, Americans say the administration’s actions have been worse than they expected (50 percent) rather than better (21 percent).

• Only about a quarter of Americans today (27 percent) say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans, down from 35 percent when he returned to office last year. That change has come entirely among Republicans.

ECONOMIC VOICE

By Harlan Green

The Bureau of Labor Statistics report basically canceled out the +126,000 job gain in January, which may be a predictor of what’s to come this year with a looming economic stagnation.

Included was the loss of 69,000 healthcare workers employed in December and January, currently the highest job growth sector, because of a Kaiser Health employee strike which has since been settled. It’s not a pretty picture. Every other sector lost jobs except for social assistance workers in February. So why would President Trump go to war when the U.S. economy is losing so many jobs?

Crude oil prices have risen the fastest on record, according to DOW Jones Market Data, and are at $100 per barrel at this writing and still rising.

The U.S. economy is frozen in place because American businesses also want to see what will happen with the tariffs as Trump’s attempts to use another trade statute that may also be illegal without doing the required analysis that justifies the higher levies.

Santa Barbara Mortgage Interest Rates

Contact your local loan agent or mortgage broker for current rates:

DRAPER & KRAMER MORTGAGE CORP.

Please call for current rates: Russell Story, 805-895-8831

PARAGON MORTGAGE GROUP

Please call for current rates: 805-899-1390

HOMEBRIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES

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Israel's Netanyahu is said to have told him Khomeini and his staff would be in one place above ground last Saturday where they could be bombed to oblivion; and they were. What if it had been a meeting to discuss Trump’s latest proposals for peace?

Trump ran his many failed businesses by declaring bankruptcy when they went under, but he can’t do the same with the U.S. economy because it must pay its bills by law. But there are other effects of such mismanagement—U.S. dollar devaluation, higher interest rates, and investors fleeing U.S. financial markets, which they are already doing.

Reuters reports U.S. investors are pulling money out of their own stock market at the fastest pace in at least 16 years “as Big Tech returns fade and betterperforming overseas markets look more attractive.”

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And the Fed can’t move either. With fewer jobs being created it should be dropping interest rates further to stimulate hiring, but oil prices are driving up inflation so it might have to raise interest rates instead to slow rising inflation.

But he would rather rule by fiat, even start a war because

“In the last six months, U.S.domiciled investors have pulled some $75 billion from U.S. equity products, with $52 billion flowing out since the start of 2026 alone, the most in the first eight weeks of the year since at least 2010, according to LSEG/Lipper data.”

He won’t be able hide the signs of his mismanagement style in a slowing economy, in other words. If not congress, it will really be a very unhappy consumer who determines what happens next; at the ballot box or elsewhere.

Harlan Green © 2026 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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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:

The following Individual is doing business as MAMA COLLECTIVE SYSTEM at 4608 Chilon Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. JESSICA ANGULO at 4608 Chilon Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93110. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on January 28, 2026. 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. 2026-0000250. Published February 20, 27, March 6, 13, 2026.

The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as FIRST EPIC at 40 Oceano Ave, 10, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. BRIMER VENTURES, LLC at 40 Oceano Ave, 10, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on January 30, 2026. 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. 2026-0000291. Published February 27, March 6, 13, 20, 2026.

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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

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The following Corporation is doing business as GEMA at 10 E. Yanonali St. 141, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. KIDS MEDIA INC. at 10 E. Yanonali St. 141, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on January 30, 2026. 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. 2026-0000296. Published February 27, March 6, 13, 20, 2026.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:

The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as COVENANT CONSTRUCTION AND CABINETRY at 138 Santa Felicia Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. COVENANT WOODS PRODUCTS, LLC at 5680 Surfrider Way Unit 107, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on March 3, 2026. 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. 2026-0000522. Published February 27, March 13, 20, 27, 2026.

CINEMA

Foreign Film Series:

The Secret Agent

KLEBER MENDONÇA

FILHO’S POLITICAL THRILLER

The Secret Agent, starring Oscarnominated actor and recent SBIFF Virtuoso award honoree Wagner Moura, will screen at 6:30pm on Thursday, March 19th at the Alcazar Theatre as part of its Foreign Film Series. For tickets ($12-15) visit thealcazar.org

CINEMA EVENTS

Oscars 2026 Watch Party • Watch the Oscars on the Big Screen, featuring a VIP reception before the screening • Arlington Theatre • Screening free, reception tickets $20 • Patio reception 1pm, GA doors open 3pm Su, 3/15.

The Secret Agent • Political Thriller following Marcelo as he flees from his mysterious past back to his hometown of Recife, Brazil • Alcazar Theatre • $12-15 • thealcazar.org • 6:30pm Th, 3/19.

A War on Childhood • A feature documentary and community impact campaign led by Martin Papazian about the impact smartphones have on childhood, followed by a panel discussion • Alcazar Theatre • Free, reservation recommended • thealcazar.org • 5pm Sa, 3/21.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Friday 3/13

CHILDREN

Read with a Dog • Children practice reading to a furry friend • Central Library • Free • 3:30-4:30pm Fr.

COMEDY

Jason Stuart • Santa Barbara Comedy Club show • Speakeasy Comedy Bar • $20 • sbcomedyclub.com • 7pm Fr, 3/13.

DANCE

Convergence: into the center

• Contemporary dance presented by UCSB Dance Company • Hatlen Theater, UCSB • $13-17 • theaterdance. ucsb.edu • 7:30pm We, 3/13.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Alejandra Switala & Quenton Xavier Blache • Talk and Q&A with two members of Sphinx Virtuosi • CAMA • Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West • Free • camasb.org • 7:30pm Fr, 3/13.

MUSIC

Electric Elton • Elton John tribute led by Sean Trombley • Lobero Theatre • $65-82 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Fr, 3/13.

UCSB Gospel Choir Winter Concert • Traditional and contemporary gospel music • Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall • $10 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm Fr, 3/13.

Central Coast Jazz Guitar Fest

• Featuring concerts, workshops, clinics, and open jam sessions • Santa Ynez Valley Marriott Hotel • $39-354 • jazzguitarfest.com • 3pm Fr, 3/13 through 3/15.

Red Piano • Rotating pianists play requests • Red Piano • Every night.

OUTDOORS

SBC Courthouse Docent Tours

• Free • www.sbcourthouse.org •

10:30am Mon-Fri & 2pm daily.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Glow X - A High-Definition

Neon Experience • Silent disco featuring DJ Danny Welch, Aerial Performers, and professional body paint and shimmer stations • 28 W. Victoria St • $30-40 • eventbrite.com • 7pm Fr, 3/13.

Junior League of Santa Barbara Rummage Sale

• Raising funds for programs supporting survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking • Carrillo Recreation Center • $20 admission (presale), free admission (public) • santabarbara.jl.org • Pre-sale 6pm Fr, 3/13 & Public sale 8am Sa, 3/14.

Saturday 3/14

CHILDREN

Kids Club • Entertainment featuring creative arts, STEM projects, and more • De La Guerra Place • Free • 10am Sa, 3/14.

Crafternoon • Fun crafts, ages 5+ • Explore Ecology Makerspace • $8 • exploreecology.org • 10am-12pm, Sat.

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

DANCE

Irish Dance • Firedance Academy • Paseo Nuevo • Free • 1pm Sa, 3/14.

A Spring Celebration of Dance • Showcase by State Street Ballet Young Dancers featuring live accompaniment by the SB Youth Symphony • Lobero Theatre • $19-60 • lobero.org • 6pm Sa, 3/14.

Configuration 2026 • Hip hop, contemporary, and jazz numbers presented by SB Dance Arts • Center Stage Theater • $25-60 • centerstagetheater.org • 7pm Fr, 3/14.

Gabriela Radu, CMT

Therapeutic Massage

Specializing in injuries, Sports

v.gabriela@yahoo.com

805-453-1139

www.comefromyourheart.com

Line Dancing Lessons • Maverick Saloon • $10 • 6-8pm Sat.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Buckle Up with First Responders • Family event offering free car seat inspections and installations, complimentary pancake breakfast, face painting • Westside Neighborhood Center • 9am to 12pm Sa, 3/14.

Community Dye Bath • Bring up to 3 items to dye at the Community Natural Dye Bath • EE Makerspace • $5 per item • exploreecology.org • 1pm Sa, 3/14.

SBCC Science Discovery Day

• Free family event • SBCC’s East Cliff Campus • 1-4pm Sa, 3/14.

The Sacred Circle With Diana Raab, PhD • A gathering for women 60 and over to connect and reflected through conversation, meditation and journaling • Godmothers Books • $39 • godmothers.com • 2pm Sa, 3/14.

Victory Vegetable • Gardening for the beginner: 4 week class • Goleta Community Garden, Armitos Park • Free, registration: ucanr.edu • 1pm Sa, 3/14; 3/21; & Tu, 3/24.

Santa Barbara Go Club • All levels welcome to learn this ancient game • Free • Mosaic Locale, 1131 State St • 805-448-5335 • 11am-3pm Sa.

MUSIC

A Quintet of Trios • Featuring Jane Hahn on flute, Nancy Mathison on clarinet, Tom Turner on viola, and pianists Mi Young Kim and Pascal Salomon • St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church • Free • sbmusicclub.org • 3pm Sa, 3/14.

Francisco Fullana and Robert Koenig • Spanish violinist, Francisco Fullana joins UCSB Piano Professor Koenig for works by Leclair, Prokofiev, Sarasate, Ravel • 1407 E. Cabrillo Blvd • $100 • campuscalendar.ucsb.edu • 7pm Sa, 3/14 & 3/15

Red, White, & Blues II • Choral Society’s piano-only winter concert: An American History of Song • Trinity Lutheran Church • $10-30 • sbchoral. org • 7pm Sa, 3/14 & 3pm Su, 3/15.

Sage City Band • Classic rock band covering songs from the ‘60s to present • Cold Spring Tavern • 1:30pm Sa, 3/14.

DoubleWide Kings • Playing music of the Allman Brothers Band • Alcazar Theatre • $75-200 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sa, 3/14 & Su, 3/15.

Santa Barbara Youth Symphony

WITNESS YOUNG ORCHESTRAL TALENTS AT WORK when the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, composed of high-school aged musicians from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, puts on a classical performance led by Youth Symphony Music Director and Westmont music faculty member, Dr. Daniel Gee. Come support this elite youth ensemble at 4pm in the Lobero Theatre on Sunday, March 15th. Free admission

SB Drum Circle • Free, all welcome • Chase Palm Park • 3-6pm Sa.

OUTDOORS

Ellwood Butterfly Habitat Restoration • Volunteer to help save Monarch butterflies • 410 Santa Barbara Shores Drive • Free, register: bucketbrigade.volunteerhub.com • 9am-1pm Sa, 3/14.

Elings Park Transformation

Project • Volunteer opportunity clearing weeds, monitoring plant health, and planting native seedlings • Elings Park • sbbotanicgarden.org • 9am-12pm Sa, 3/14.

Star Party • Observe space through SB Museum of Natural History’s 20inch telescope • Palmer Observatory • Free • sbnature.org • 7:30pm Sa, 3/14.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Clean Air Ride & Drive • Test drive all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, featuring food from local vendors • Goleta Community Center • 9am-1pm Sa, 3/14.

Mosaic Makers Market • Shop local vendors • Mosaic Locale, 1131 State St. • 10am Sa, 3/14.

St Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl & Block Party • Access and drink discounts at 10+ different venues • Start at Whiskey Richards • 3pm-all night Sa, 3/14.

Blue Water Ball • Fundraiser celebrating Channelkeeper’s 25th anniversary • Cabrillo Pavilion • $300-4000 • bluewaterball.org • 5pm Sa, 3/14.

VADA Draw • Night supporting SBHS visual arts program • Community Arts Workshop • $145+ • sbcaw.org • 7pm Sa, 3/14.

Sunday 3/15

CHILDREN

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

Sundays at the Ranch • Fun for the family, barn animals and tractor rides • Stow House • Free • goletahistory.org • 11am-2pm Sun.

DANCE

AMPlify UNITY Through their eyes • Arts Mentorship Program’s community-driven celebration, featuring traditional and cultural dance to contemporary and hip-hop

Wonder Women: Family Fun Event • Hands-on, science activities for families while spotlighting women in ecology led by Michelle Cyr• Elings Park (Upper parking lot by main office) • Free • sbbotanicgarden.org • 10:30am Sa, 3/14.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

• Center Stage Theater • $36-56 • centerstagetheater.org • 4pm Su, 3/15.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Empathy Cafe • Practice communication and listening skills • Riviera Theatre, upstairs • Free • 11am-1pm Su.

MUSIC

Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan • Blend of guitar and harmonica blues, rags, and good time music • Cold Spring Tavern • 1:30pm Su, 3/15.

Santa Barbara Youth Symphony • Led by Dr. Daniel Gee • Lobero Theatre • Free, no RSVP required • lobero.org • 4pm Su, 3/15.

OUTDOORS

Beach Cleanup • East Beach behind Skater’s Point skate park• RSVP to join • sbnature.org • 10am12pm Su, 3/15.

Sunday Architecture Tour

• Guided stroll • Begins at SB Downtown Library • Architectural Foundation of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Be a Skating Star • Family-friendly competition for skaters of all ages • Ice in Paradise • Free for spectators, $40 entry fee and registration required for competitors • iceinparadise.org • 12pm-1pm Su, 3/15.

2026 Buellton Wine & Chili Festival • Featuring 30+ wineries and craft beverage producers, a chili and salsa competition, local vendors, and live music • Flying Flags Buellton • $25-75 • buelltonwineandchilifestival.com • 12pm-4:30pm Su, 3/15.

Monday 3/16

CHILDREN

Baby & Me • Develop your baby’s preliteracy skills, 0-14 months • Central Library • Free • 11-11:30am Mo.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Art 4 Grief Support Group • Guided expressive art techniques facilitated by Certified Grief Educator Daniel Kanow • Community Arts Workshop, Olson Gallery • $75 (for both sessions) • art4grief.com • 6pm Mo, 3/16.

PFLAG March Zoom Meeting

• SB Transgender Advocacy Network, special guest • Free, register to

pflagsantabarbara@gmail.com • 7pm Mo, 3/16.

Creative Cluster • Sarah Emma Ruth’s 12 week exploration of Julia Cameron’s Artist Way • Community Arts Workshop • $25-49 • sbcaw.org • 5:30pm Mo, 3/16 through 4/20.

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

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

SB Bridge Club • Play bridge, meets daily • 2255 Las Positas Rd • Schedule and RSVP: bridgewebs.com/sbbc542

Tuesday 3/17

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

COMEDY

Carpinteria Improv Drop-In

Class • Learn or practice skills • Alcazar Theatre • $10 • 7pm Tu.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

CEC Climate Stewards Course

• Explore climate solutions through lessons and field trips • Over Zoom with in-person field trips • $360 • cecsb.org • 6:30pm Tu, 3/17.

2026 Volunteer Training Program • Become a SB Maritime Museum volunteer • SB Maritime Museum • apply online at sbmm.org • Training begins 9am Tu, 3/17.

Storytelling is the Revolution • Free poetry workshops for 18+ • Community Arts Workshop • Free, register: sbcaw.org • 5-7pm Tu & Th, through March.

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

MUSIC

St. Patrick’s Day Bash: Spencer & the Worried Lads • Irish, Calypso, Tex-Mex, indie music, and more • SOhO • $10+ • sohosb. com • 6pm Tu, 3/17.

Wednesday 3/18

CHILDREN

Creator’s Club • Bilingual, weekly STEAM activity • Eastside Library • Free • 2-3pm We.

DANCE

Pilobolus’s Other Worlds • A dance collection based on the spaces we inhabit within ourselves, the world, and the universe • American Theatre Guild • Granada Theatre • $48-83 • granadasb.org • 7:30pm We, 3/18 & Th, 3/19.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Everyone Has a Story • Memoir writing workshop with memoirist and poet Diana Raab • Montecito Library • Free, registration required • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 10am We, 3/18.

Nonprofit Accounting Bootcamp • Four-part seminar series introducing students to the basic accounting concepts relevant to nonprofit organizations • Webinar • Free-$225 • callutheran.edu • 1pm We, 3/18; Th, 3/19; We, 3/25; & Th, 3/26.

Adult Ceramics for Beginners

• Inspired by quilt patterns and text art • SBMA Ceramics Studio at The Downtown Club • $200-240 • sbma.net • 6pm We, 3/18 -3/25.

Knitting & Crochet Club • Louise Lowry Davis Ctr • All levels/English/ Spanish • Free • 9-11:30am Wed.

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

MUSIC

Open Jam • At Revolver Pizza. Jam with musicians • 1429 San Andres St • Free • revolversb.com • 6-9pm Wed.

Measure For Measure

Theatre

A SUSPENSEFUL TALE OF DECEPTION, POWER, AND MORALITY is on display at the Severson Theatre in Santa Maria as PCPA presents the Shakespearean social drama Measure For Measure. Performances continue this week at 7pm on Friday, March 13th; 1:30pm and 7pm on Saturday, March 14th; and 1:30pm on Sunday March 15th. For tickets ($25-51) visit pcpa.org

Measure For Measure • Shakespeare’s social drama • Severson Theatre • $25-51 • pcpa.org • 7pm Fr, 2/27 through 3/15.

A Small Family Business • Social satire about a corrupt family furniture business • Garvin Theatre • $16-27 • theatregroupsbcc.com • 7:30pm Th-Sa, 2pm Su, through 3/21.

The Addams Family • Lights Up! Theatre Company presents a musical on this wacky family • Marjorie Luke Theatre • $36-80 • luketheatre.org • 7pm Th, 3/12 through 3/15.

The Play That Goes Wrong • An unusual play full of comedy and planned disaster • Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks • $80 • 5startheatricals.com • 7:30pm Fr, 3/13 through 3/29.

by

In Your Dreams • InterAct Theatre School presents a story about growing up in the modern age • Marjorie Luke Theatre • $18-28 • luketheatre.org • 2pm & 5:30pm Sa, 3/21.

Disney’s High School Musical • Youthclusive presents this story of the blossoming relationship between jock Troy and singer Gabriella • Center Stage Theater • Free-$43 • 7pm Fr, 3/20; 2pm & 7pm Sa, 3/21; 2pm Su, 3/22. Shakespeare Kids • Los Angeles based Educational Shakespeare Production Company presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Merry Wives of Windsor • Alcazar Theatre • $5-10 • 5pm Su, 3/22.

BUTLER

Shared Waters: How Fishermen and Offshore Oil Work Together

EXPLORE 40 YEARS OF COLLABORATION between commercial fishermen and the offshore oil industry when Mary Nishimoto, liaison for the Joint Oil/Fisheries Liaison Office (JO/FLO) of South and Central California, gives a presentation on the history, role, and importance of JO/FLO in maritime communication at 7pm at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum on Thursday, March 19th.

For tickets ($5-20) visit sbmm.org

SPECIAL EVENTS

Communities in Peril: Open House • Hands-on activities about coral reefs with local kelp forests • Cabrillo High School Aquarium • 6pm-8pm We, 3/18.

TechTopia Summit 2026 • Showcasing people, ideas, and technologies shaping the future of SB •

UC Santa Barbara’s OASIS • Registration required • sbscchamber.com • 2:30pm6pm We, 3/18.

Thursday 3/19

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Alien Worlds: Six-class Course

• Krissie Cook explores discoveries in distant solar systems • SB Museum of Natural History • sbnature.org • $120150 • 5pm Th, 3/19 through 3/26.

Create Clear Community Guidelines to Protect Your Constituents • Conversation on how organizations can prepare for and respond to threats of harassment, led by Ashley Costa and Casey Summar • Webinar • Free • nprnsb.org • 10am Th, 3/19.

Jordan Salcito • Discusses her book Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, and Everyone We Know

• Godmothers Bookstore • $17 • godmothers.com • 6pm Th, 3/19.

Elizabeth Gilchrist • Discusses her book Rich People in Santa Barbara: Two Novellas • Chaucer’s Books • Free • 6pm Th, 3/19.

Money Talk: Budgets, fees, and financial management •

Part 3 of a workshop series for artists looking to build a public art practice • Via Zoom • Free, registration required • sbac.ca.gov • 6pm Th, 3/19.

Trail Talks: More Mesa • Biologist John Storrer discusses trails, natural resources, and conservation in the local Coastal Open Space More Mesa • Central Library, Faulkner Gallery • Free • calendar.library. santabarbaraca.gov • 6:30pm Th, 3/19.

Fishermen and Offshore Oil • Mary Nishimoto, PhD discusses the history and role of Joint Oil/Fisheries Liaison Office • SB Maritime Museum • Free-$20, registration recommended • sbmm.org • 7pm Th, 3/19.

Word and Life • Discuss Ecological Spirituality by Diarmuid

O’Murchuover Zoom • $80 • Register: wordandlife.us • Meets 10-11:30am Th, through 3/19.

Knit ‘n’ Needle • Fiber arts club • Montecito Library • Free • 2pm Th.

MUSIC

Las Cafeteras • Chicanx band blending son jarocho and spoken word • Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara • Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building • Free • 7pm Th, 3/19.

Nefesh Mountain • Band blending bluegrass, Americana, folk, blues, and country • SOhO • $22-26 • sohosb.com • 7pm Th, 3/19.

OUTDOORS

1925 Earthquake History

Downtown Walking Tour • Visit sites of buildings that crumbled, rescues, and recoveries • SB Historical Museum • $20-30, reservation required • sbhistorical.org • 5:30pm Th, 3/19.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Community Blood Drive • Santa Barbara Airport, Historic Ovington Terminal • 9am-3pm Th, 3/19.

SuperMoss Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening • New garden focused business • 922 State St. • 4pm Th, 3/19.

Friday 3/20

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOP

Finish Up Fridays • Bring an almost finished project or one to start and enjoy tea and cookies • EE Makerspace • $15 • exploreecology.org • 2:305:30pm Fr, 3/20.

Contractor Power Hour • Food, drinks, and get up to speed on the shift toward electrification • SB Contractors Assn • Shalhoob’s Funk Zone • sbcontractors.org • Free, register • 4-6pm Fr, 3/20.

Sarah Shahi • Actor, producer, and author discusses her book Life is Lifey about chaos of life • Godmothers Bookstore • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Fr, 3/20.

Free Concerts with Las Cafeteras

EXPERIENCE AN EXPLOSION OF AFRO-MEXICAN RHYTHMS when the Los Angeles band Las Cafeteras returns to Santa Barbara for a series of free concerts throughout the community, hosted by ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Celebrated for blending traditional Mexican folk, rock, hip-hop, soul, and electronic beats, the band will begin their regional tour at 7pm in the Carpinteria Vets Memorial Building on Thursday, March 19th. Additional shows will be held at Isla Vista Elementary at 7pm on Friday, March 20th; Guadalupe City Hall at 7pm on Saturday, March 21st; and at the Marjorie Luke Theatre at 6pm on Sunday, March 22nd.

artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/learn/viva-el-arte-de-santa-barbara

MUSIC

Beethoven 32 • Camerata Pacifica Presents Principal Pianist Gilles Vonsattel in a solo recital • Music Academy of the West • $35-75 • cameratapacifica.org • 7pm Fr, 3/20.

Pepe Aguilar • Grammy-winning singer blending traditional Mexican music with modern pop and rock • Chumash Casino Resort • $120-300 • chumashcasino.com • 8pm Fr, 3/20.

The Brasscals • Street brass band founded in Santa Barbara • Night Lizard Brewing Company • Free • 8pm Fr, 3/20.

Las Cafeteras • Chicanx band blending son jarocho and spoken

word • Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara • Isla Vista Elementary• Free • 7pm Fr, 3/20.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Orchid Escape • SB International Orchid Show featuring displays designed by master growers and artists, workshops, lectures, and behind-the-scenes VIP tours • Earl Warren Showgrounds • $25-55 • sborchidshow.com • 9am-5pm Fr, 3/20 through Su, 3/22.

Saturday 3/21

CHILDREN

Pathfinders: The Great Insect Hunt • Children ages 8-13 will learn about insects and native plants • SB Botanic Garden • Free with admission to The Garden • 11am Sa, 3/21.

Nature Journaling with John Iwerks • Record garden life in your sketchbook through drawings and writings • SB Botanic Garden • $25-35 • sbbotanicgarden.org • 9am Sa, 3/21.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Orchid Escape

STOP AND SMELL THE ORCHIDS at Santa Barbara’s 78th annual International Orchid Show. Explore the vibrant beauty of these diverse flowers through VIP tours, lectures, workshops and demos, plant sales and more! Plus, exclusive after-hours events include immersive yoga, sound baths, and fine dining. This blooming spectacle will take place from 9am to 5pm, daily, at Earl Warren Showgrounds from Friday, March 20th through Sunday, March 21st. For tickets ($25-55) visit sborchidshow.com

Wiggle, Read, Create: Bluey • Dress as a Bluey character and create Bluey headbands, paint a Gnome Husband, and hunt for Long Dog • Faulkner Gallery • Free • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 11am Sa, 3/21.

Crafternoon • Fun crafts, ages 5+ • Explore Ecology Makerspace • $8 • exploreecology.org • 10am-12pm, Sat.

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

COMEDY

The Good Good Show • Julie Weidmann’s comedy show • Night Lizard Brewing Company • Free • 7:30pm Sa, 3/21.

DANCE

Recess! • State Street Ballet’s family program featuring Alexei Kremnev’s Carnival of the Animals, Jerome Robbins’ Interplay, and a new contemporary work • Lobero Theatre

• $20-127 • lobero.org • 2pm & 7:30pm Sa, 3/21 and 2pm Su, 3/22.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Repair Cafe • Volunteer fixers help restore broken appliances, toys, clothes, electronics, bikes, and more

• CEC’s Environmental Hub • Free • cecsb.org • 10am-1pm Sa, 3/21.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Bloomberg Asphalt Art Initiative

• Engagement event led by artists Eduardo Jimenez and Irene Ramirez, where the final artwork design for the State and Carrillo intersection will be revealed • SB Farmers Market • 11pm Sa, 3/21

Santa Barbara High School Swap Meet • Featuring the Library on the Go van • Santa Barbara High School • 8am-1pm Sa, 3/21.

Spring Exhibitions Opening Celebration • Reception for three upcoming exhibitions at SB Museum of Art, featuring an interactive weaving installation, photobooth, and DJ • SBMA’s Front Terrace • $10-20 • sbma.net • 6pm Sa, 3/21.

Solstice Equinox Party • Dance performances, music, BIGGEST Little Elephant Parade® debut • Son y Sabor, 409 State St • 7pm Sa, 3/21.

Sunday 3/22

CHILDREN

Storytime @ the Sea Center • All ages • Free w/ admission • SBNature.org

• 10:30–10:45am Sat & Sun.

Sundays at the Ranch • Fun for the family. Enjoy barn animals and tractor rides • Stow House, 304 N Los Carneros Rd • Free • goletahistory.org

• 11am-2pm Sun.

Spring Equinox Sound Bath

• Kymberly Marciano’s well-being session featuring breathwork and guided meditation • Lotusland • $6095 • lotusland.org • 1:30pm Sa, 3/21.

MUSIC

Concierto Íntimo: José Antonio Rodríguez • Performance by guitarist José Antonio Rodríguez, co-hosted by Flamenco!

Santa Barbara • SB Historical Museum, Covarrubias Adobe • $151000 • sbhistorical.org • 7pm Sa, 3/21.

Las Cafeteras • Chicanx band blending son jarocho and spoken word • Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara

• Guadalupe City Hall• Free • 7pm Sa, 3/21.

Free Radicals • Band blending jazz, funk, reggae and hip-hop • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30pm Sa, 3/21.

OUTDOORS

Spring Equinox Walkabout

• Lanny Kaufer leads a three-hour respite to reconnect with nature • Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve • $45 • ojaivalleygreencoalition.org • 9am Sa, 3/21.

The Architectural Walking Tour

• History of buildings in SB • City Hall steps at De la Guerra Plaza • $20 • afsb.org • 10am, Sat.

A Small Family Business at SB City College

By Daisy Scott / VOICE

SOCIAL SATIRE

HOMEGROWN

at the Garvin Theatre this month as the Theatre Group at Santa Barbara City College presents A Small Family Business. Written by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn in the late ‘80s in response to Margaret Thatcher’s administration, the comedy offers a critique of moral hypocrisy and capitalistic greed that is truly, all in the family.

Attendees entering the Garvin are greeted by a massive, beautifully detailed set of a two-story house, complete with kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and additional smaller rooms. It is the magnum opus of longtime Scenic & Lighting Designer Patricia L. Frank, who will be retiring at the end of this season after over 40 years of working with SBCC.

COMEDY

Kathy Griffin: New Face, New Tour • Comedy performance • Granada Theatre • $42-62 • granadasb.org • 7pm Su, 3/22.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Colette Jane Fehr • The licensed marriage and family therapist discusses her book The Cost of Quiet: How to Have the Hard Conversations That Create Secure, Lasting Love • Godmothers Bookstore • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Su, 3/22.

MUSIC

Las Cafeteras • Chicanx band blending son jarocho and spoken word • Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara

• SBMA’s Front Terrace • Free • 1pm Su, 3/22.

The Addis Collective and The Rhythm Industrial Complex • An afternoon of live music featuring The Addis Collective, an Ethiopian jazz group followed by The Rhythm Industrial Complex, bringing a blend of afrobeat, funk and reggae • Fox Wine Co., Topa Topa Brewing Co., and The Nook • Free • 3pm Su, 3/22.

Pub Sing • Dauri Kennedy, Andrew Manos perform Irish tunes and folk songs • Creekside Restaurant & Bar • santabarbararevels.org • 4pm Su, 3/22.

The towering layout serves a key role in the production by allowing multiple conversations and scenes to play out at once. Viewers quickly pivot between different factions of the McCracken and Ayres families, who run a furniture business. When Jack McCracken (Paul Canter), a man whose only wealth lies in his principles, takes over, he finds himself navigating a full-fledged family fraud that snowballs into blackmail, seduction, and failed efforts to resist the ultimate temptation: money.

Familiar, returning Theatre Group performers make up the family’s two central couples. Paul Canter plays the increasingly frantic Jack McCracken with Anikka Abbott in the role of his wife, Poppy; Nicholis Sheley plays the pseudo-macho Clifford McCracken opposite the charming Felicia Hall as the equal parts sexy, determined, and smart Anita.

Performances continue through March 21st. For tickets visit theatregroupsbcc.com

Las Cafeteras • Chicanx band blending son jarocho and spoken word • Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara • Marjorie Luke Theatre • Free • 6pm Su, 3/22.

Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan • Blend of guitar and harmonica blues, rags, and good time music • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30pm Su, 3/22.

OUTDOORS

Sunday Architecture Tour

• Guided stroll • Begins at SB Downtown Library • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Children’s Resource Fair • Meet with staff from organizations that provide free educational enrichment, childcare, summer programs, and tutoring • Cental Library • Free • calendar.library.santabarbaraca.gov • 10:30am-1pm Su, 3/22.

And the Oscar Goes to... Arlington Theatre to Host Free Oscar Watch Party

By Robert F. Adams / Special to VOICE

THE ARLINGTON THEATRE HAS ANNOUNCED WHAT PROMISES TO BE A SPECTACULAR

AFTERNOON of Oscar watching on Sunday, March 15th. The Arlington’s salute to many of the best films released in 2025 includes a VIP Reception in the Courtyard Patio that starts at 1pm, and at 3pm, free-of-charge, visitors will be welcomed inside the historic theatre for live coverage of the Academy’s Red Carpet, followed by the live broadcast of the official Academy Award ceremony starting at 4pm.

The Oscars will be hosted by Conan O’Brien from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the event's 98th ceremony. This will be a special evening to see who wins, and the latest fashionable outfits and jewelry will be on display.

The movies favored to obtain golden statues this year include two films from writerdirectors: Paul Thomas Anderson, for his politically-charged One Battle After Another, and Oakland-based Ryan Coogler’s exploration of the American blues, African heritage, and vampires in Sinners. Both have multiple nominations, are expertly shot by their cinematographers, and are strikingly original stories. These movies are definitively atop the awards heap as Sinners was the box office champ and was honored for Best Ensemble at the recent Actor Awards. One Battle After Another has earned the best movie plaudits from most of the critics' lists as well as at the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.

Another keen competition is heating up in the Best Actor category with Timothée Chalamet, a leading contender for his brash portrayal of an opportunistic ping-

pong player in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme. He is vying against Michael B. Jordan’s dual and subtle portrayals of twins, Smoke and Stack, in Sinners

Other accomplished nominated movies include Joachim Trier’s Norwegian generational family drama Sentimental Value (up for a whopping nine bids), Guillermo Del Toro’s unforgettably illustrative Frankenstein, Chloé Zhao’s heartrending drama about love and loss in Shakespeare’s life, Hamnet (its star Jesse Buckley is likely to win Best Actress), and Brazilian director Kleber Filho’s resonant political thriller The Secret Agent Bugonia, Train Dreams, F1 The Movie, and Marty Supreme round out the Best Picture list.

The international movies were phenomenal this year and nominees include It Was Just An Accident by the courageous Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, the harrowing films Sirāt from Oliver Laxe and The Voice of Hind Rajab from Kaouther Ben Hannia, as well as the aforementioned Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent. One quality common among these films is that they are universal, holding up vivid mirrors to current global concerns including the trauma of war, identity, and heritage, even if some of the stories are set in the past.

The evening will be a tribute to the movie making of 2025 and the magic of the silver screen.

For more information visit arlingtontheatresb.com

Tiffany Chung’s exhibition at the AD&A Museum maps history within deep geological time

By Debra Herrick

HUMAN HISTORY IS BRIEF when measured against the age of the Earth.

At UC Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum, Tiffany Chung’s mid-career survey exhibition considers human history alongside the planet’s much longer timeline. Tiffany Chung: indelible traces brings together more than 70 artworks spanning 25 years by the Vietnamese American artist and UCSB alumna.

Known for her detailed hand-drawn and embroidered maps, Chung depicts history as layered and interconnected. She combines statistical data, archival research, and lived experience to build fuller accounts of historical events — and to represent what has been left out or remains unclear.

Organized by the AD&A Museum and guest curated by Orianna Cacchione, deputy director at the University of Richmond Museums, the exhibition reflects a practice grounded in research.

That research takes visual form through various mediums, in which mapping plays a key role.

“I’ve been acutely aware of the power of cartography,” Chung said, referring to its long history as a tool of colonial authority and state control. At the same time, she sees mapping as a way to “counter official historical accounts, reclaim what has been erased, and shift established narratives, as an act of refusal.” Through layered compositions, she synthesizes vast amounts of material into what she describes as “palimpsests of condensed imagery and information that otherwise can be incomprehensible.”

Rather than simplify the past, her maps

hold contradictions. While they translate data into image, they also render it “both legible and illegible,” resisting the idea that history can be reduced to a single storyline.

“Maps draw out the complexity and the inaccessibility of the past, of the unknowable, allowing space for multiple perspectives and interpretations,” she said.

“What is most arresting about Chung’s art is her ability to document and give voice to the memories etched into these landscapes. In much of her work, the artist takes on the role of ethnographer and historian to chronicle what the cartographic records and statistics cannot: the lived experiences and personal accounts these topographies have witnessed,” said AD&A Museum Director Gabriel Ritter. “Ultimately, Chung is able to translate vast datasets and world histories into aesthetic objects that speak from the heart in deeply moving and personal ways.”

Much of Chung’s work — spanning drawing, embroidery, video, and sculptural installation — examines the climate-conflict crisis and forced migration. But her research reaches beyond human-centered narratives.

and migration has always been what we do.”

“As I continue to unpack the impact of our progress,” she said, “I’m interested in tracking the movements of plants, of spices, of foods, of languages, and the traces of Neolithic earthworks and ditched enclosures in Europe and Southeast Asia.”

Looking at these movements reframes displacement as ongoing rather than exceptional. “Human movements are ancient

Tracing these migrations also reveals how deeply people have reshaped the natural world. “It reveals that we’ve often left our traces in the natural world and altered the landscape and flora and fauna since prehistoric times,” she said. Archaeobotanical remains of spices, grains and tools found across continents point to long histories of exchange.

“The transplanting of botanical organisms from their native environments to all corners of the Earth indicates the extent of human migration and our colonization of nature, resulting in significant changes in various forms of biodiversity,” she added.

A recent shift in her work grew out of encounters with deep time. Research in Chemnitz, Germany, on an early Permian forest buried beneath the city, and at the Petrified Forest National Park of the Triassic Chinle formation in Arizona, reshaped her sense of scale.

“The most recent shift in my work is the recognition of how microscopic our human history is when situated within a vast stretch of Earth’s deep time,” she said. “Being in awe of such earth’s ancient remnants, I felt profoundly humbled learning that these depositional environments can indicate processes and climate events that had taken place in deep geological time.”

That awareness informed Spheres of Time, an immersive multi-channel audio and 360° video installation currently screened at the AlloSphere at UCSB, and continues through the exhibition.

The presentation also marks a homecoming. Chung earned her MFA at UCSB in 2000, where she was advised by Professor Emerita Kim Yasuda and Professor Emeritus Colin Gardner, and where she developed the analytical and visual framework that continues to shape her practice. “Grad school taught me critical thinking in building the conceptual framework for each project,” she said. It was also where she refined her approach to making and discussing art. Living outside of the U.S. after graduate school and meeting artists from around the world, she added, “reignited my childhood curiosity about the world through literature.”

Throughout her career, Chung has worked with archives and lived experiences outside official accounts. “It’s important to recognize there is a space between a person’s lived experience and the act of someone observing or learning about it,” she said. “Empathy is not the same as understanding or knowing the actuality of surviving war and disaster.” Borrowing from Trinh T. Minh-ha, she described the need to “‘speak nearby’ rather than to speak for someone.”

Being given a platform, she added, carries responsibility — not only to highlight people’s stories and memories, but to share that space “with care and the right ethics.”

Tiffany Chung: indelible traces is on view through April 26th at the AD&A Museum.

South Coast Kids Create and Children’s Creative Project

Youth Art Exhibition to Feature 250+ Student Works

SSanta Barbara Maritime Museum

Coastal Canvas Comes to Life

By Kelly Mitchell, MFA, Children’s Creative Project

OUTH COAST KIDS CREATE

Free and open to the public, over 250 pieces on display

is partnering with Children’s Creative Project to present a vibrant student art exhibition celebrating the creativity of young artists from across the region. The showcase features artwork from kindergarten through 6th grade students representing 29 local schools in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and Goleta, with more than 250 pieces on display.

SOUTH COAST KIDS CREATE SOUTH COAST KIDS CREATE

Elementary Student Art Show Elementary Student Art Show

A community reception will be held on Friday, March 13th, from 5 to 7pm

Elementary Student Show Elementary Student Show

ACOLLABORATION BETWEEN 12 PREDOMINATELY SANTA BARBARA-BASED LANDSCAPE ARTISTS is piquing the imaginations and memories of visitors to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. On view through March 29th, Where Mountains Meet the Sea, features work by Nancy Davidson, Rick Delanty, Camille Dellar, Rick Garcia, Derek Harrison, Willis Heaton, Ray Hunter, Craig Nelson, Ann Sanders, Ann Shelton Beth, Thomas Van Stein, and Ralph Waterhouse.

Friday, March 13th

Collectively, their work captures the ethereal glow of sunrise over the Santa Ynez Mountains, the golden calm of tide pools at dusk, and the quiet drama of coastal cliffs shaped by wind and time.

Reception 5:00-7:00 pm

Cathedral Oaks Rd, Santa Barbara. Families, educators, and community members are invited to attend and celebrate the students’ achievements.

Free and open to the public, over 250 pieces on display

“This exhibit is a love letter to the landscapes we live in,” said SBMM Curator Emily Falke. “Each painting reflects not just the beauty of our region, but the personal connection these artists have to it. Visitors will feel immersed in a familiar, yet newly illuminated Santa Barbara.”

Saturday, March 14th, 10:00 am-3:00 pm

The exhibition will remain open for public viewing on Saturday, March 14th, 10am to 3pm.

Free and open to the public, over 250 pieces on display

Saturday, March 14th, 10:00 am-3:00 pm

This collaborative showcase highlights the shared mission of South Coast Kids Create and Children’s Creative Project to

Santa Barbara County Education

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS TO OUR

Santa Barbara County Education Office, sparks

inclusive arts education for students from preschool through grade 12.

The exhibition includes drawings, paintings, mixed-media works, and more— each piece reflecting the unique perspectives

Santa Barbara County Education Office Auditorium 4400 Cathedral Oaks Rd Santa Barbara, CA 93110

From sun-drenched ridge lines to the shimmering shoreline, this exhibit invites visitors to experience the vibrant palette and shifting moods of the California coast as seen through the eyes of its finest local painters. Each piece is a tribute to the stunning intersection of land and sea that defines Santa Barbara County— and to the artists who call it home.

“Painting the Santa Barbara coast is a never-ending source of inspiration. The changing light, the drama of the mountains, the serenity of the sea—it’s a landscape that speaks to both artists and art lovers alike,” said Ann Sanders.

Admission to the exhibit is included with general museum entry. For info visit sbmm.org or call

Founded in 2000, the Santa Barbara Maritime celebrates the maritime history of the Santa Barbara

programming. SBMM remains committed

coastal environment.

ART VENUES

10 West Gallery • Wild World • through Mar 29 • 10 W Anapamu • 11-5 We-Mo • 805-770-7711 • 10westgallery.com

Architectural Fdn Gallery • People and Places through Mar 14; Lindsay Skutch: Pinhole Noir, Mar 28May 30 • 229 E Victoria • 805-965-6307 • 1–4 some Sa & By Appt • afsb.org

Art & Soul Gallery • Jane Chapman: Echoes of Earth and Sky • through Apr 1 • 1323 State St • artandsoulsb.com

Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB • Tiffany Chung: indelible traces • through Apr 26 • 12-5 Wed-Sun • museum.ucsb.edu

Art From Scrap • Explore Ecology • exploreecology.org

ArtLabbé Gallery • free art, music, & exercise classes to our individuals with special needs & family members • Tu, We, Th, Sun 12-5:30; Fr 12-5 • 111 Santa Barbara St, #H • artlabbe.org

Atkinson Gallery • Julia Ford: Swings and Roundabouts • Through Mar 17 • Tu & We 10–2 • SBCC Humanities East Campus Rm 203• atkinsongallerysbcc.com

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

The Carriage and Western Art Museum • Old Spanish Days Trophy Saddles; Victoria Stables Wagon • Ongoing • Free • 129 Castillo St • 805-962-2353 • 9-3 Mo-Fr • carriagemuseum.org

California Nature Art Museum • Ocean Forests: Our Coastal Communities through July 20; Between Earth & Sky through April 20; Lulu Hyggelig: California’s First Thomas Dambo Troll • ongoing • 1511 B Mission Dr, Solvang • 11-4 Mo, Th, Fr; 11-5 Sa & Su • calnatureartmuseum.org

Casa de La Guerra • Santa Barbara 1925 – 2025: A Portrait in Maps; Once a Don, Always a Don • ongoing • $5/Free • 15 East De la Guerra St • 12-4 Th-Su • sbthp.org/casadelaguerra

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

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

Channing Peake Gallery • Form and Frame: Abstraction, Community, and the Language of Art • through Spring 26 • 8-5 M-F • 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 • Glorious California • 125 N Milpas • 11-5 We-Sa • 805-966-7939 • corridan-gallery.com

Cypress Gallery • Flight of Imagination • Through Mar 29 • 119 E Cypress Av, Lompoc • 1-4 Sa & Su • 805737-1129 • lompocart.org

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

Elverhøj Museum • Snapshots: Traveling with H.C. Andersen • Through Mar 22 • History & Danish culture • 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang • 805-6861211 • 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 • Members of the SB Art Assn • 1114 State St, #8, La Arcada Ct • 805-965-6611 • 11-5 Mo-Sa; 1-4 Su • gallery113sb.com

Gallery Los Olivos • New Perspectives through March • Daily 10-4pm • 2920 Grand Av • 805-688-7517 • gallerylosolivos.com

Ganna Walska Lotusland • Gardens

• by reservation • 695 Ashley Rd • 805969-9990 • 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 • reopens Mar 12 • Roy Vessil: Galls & The Secrets of the Universe • 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 • a million+ historical documents • 21-23 W Anapamu • 10-4 Tu-Su • 805-962-5322 • 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 Studio/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 • Natural Beauty • Mar 5 through Apr 26 • 12-4 ThSu • 865 Linden • 805-684-7789 • carpinteriaartscenter.org

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

Marcia Burtt Gallery • Still Life and Grandeur through April 19 • Landscape paintings, prints, & books • 517 Laguna St • 1-5 Th-Su • 805-962-5588 • artlacuna.com

Mate Gallery • beach images alongside vintage oils, gifts • 1014 Coast Village Rd • 805-895-6283 • mategallery.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 • San Milano Drive: DJ Javier through April 26 • 11-6pm Tu-Sun • 653 Paseo Nuevo • mcasantabarbara.org

MCASB Satellite @ the Riviera Beach House • Makahiya: I Wanted You to Feel the Same by Godofredo Astudillo • through Apr 5 • 9-9pm Daily

• 121 State • mcasantabarbara.org

Museum of Tibetan Art & Legacy Arts International • Wed-Sun 128pm • 310-880-6671 • lamatashinorbu.org / legacyartsb.com

Palm Loft Gallery • A Garland of Groovy Gifted Goddesses through Mar 22 • 410 Palm Av, Loft A1, Carpinteria • 1-6 Fr-Su & By Appt • 805-684-9700 • palmloft.com

Patricia Clarke Studio • An American Girl project; Primal Wild; Correspondences, Erasing Lines, and Facing Ourselves • 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

Public Market • Local artists Melinda Mettler & Anna Stump • 38 W Victorica • 8am-9pm Su-We; 8am-10pm Thu-Sat • sbpublicmarket.com

Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art • Gerrie Shapiro: It’s Complicated • through Apr 5 • 410 Palm Av, Unit B3, Carpinteria • 805-576-6152: weekends & by appt • RubensteinChan.com

Santa Barbara Art Works • Arts Education for All • 28 E Victoria St • 805-260-6705 • M-F 8:304:30 • sbartworks.org

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden • 1212 Mission Canyon Rd • 10-5 daily • 805-682-4726 • sbbg.org

Santa Barbara Fine Art • Places from the Heart • Landscapes & sculptor Bud Bottoms • 1321 State St • 1-6 We-Sa & By Appt • 805-845-4270 • santabarbarafineart.com

Santa Barbara Historical Museum • The Gift; Ludmilla Pila Welch: Serene Santa Barbara through Mar 26; 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 • Where Mountains Meet the Sea • through Mar 29 • 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

Santa Barbara Museum Of Art • Remixed: Entwined Histories & New Forms, through Aug 30; Piece by Piece: Collage & Assemblage through Mar 22; By Achilles’ Tomb: Elliott Hundley and Antiquity through Jun 1 • 11-5 Tu-Su; 5-8 1st Th free; 2nd Sun free Tri-Co residents • 805-963-4364 • sbma.net

Santa Barbara Museum Of Natural History • The Living Print through May 30; Drawn from Nature through Mar 26 • 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 • 805-682-4711 • sbnature.org

Santa Barbara Tennis Club - 2nd Fridays Art • Goleta Valley Art Association Mar 7-Apr 1 • 2375 Foothill Rd • 10-6 Daily • 805-682-4722 • 2ndfridaysart.com

Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum • 3596

Sagunto St • 12-4pm We-Su • santaynezmuseum.org

Sahyun Genealogical Library • Research family history • 316 Castillo St • Tue/Thu 10-4; Sun & 3rd Sat 1-4 • SBGen.org

Seimandi & Leprieur • Shapes of Surrealism • through April 26 • 33 W Anapamu St. • Wed-Sat 11-6 • 805-610-1203 • seimandileprieur.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 • Sidney Gordin: Space & Form; Phoebe Brunner: A Radiant Solitude through Mar 23; Sarah Vedder: State of Grace; Spring Salon • through Apr 27 • 11 E Anapamu St • 10-5:30 daily • 805-730-1460 • sullivangoss.com

2ND FRIDAYS ART @ SBTC Presents

The Goleta Valley Art Association

Featured Artists

GVAA was founded in 1962 and has grown from 16 members to nearly 200 members over the years. With over 20 artists being represented this year, the show will prove to be an informative and diverse collective of artists.

JUROR of AWARDS: Carissa Luminess

The Santa Barbara artist earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting and a Master of Arts in printmaking from the State University of New York at Albany, where she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Art.

RECEPTION & AWARDS: March 13th, 4:30 - 6:00pm

EXHIBIT DATES: March 7th - April 1st

GALLERY HOURS: 10:00am - 6:00pm daily

By Janice Lorber

Susan Tibbles: Gallery Curator and Director of Exhibitions

Santa Barbara Tennis Club, 2375 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 805.682.4722

www.2ndFridaysArt.com • TheGoletaValleyArtAssociation.org

Echoes of Earth and Sky by Jane Chapman

A LUMINOUS EXHIBITION OF MIXED MEDIA WORKS by Santa Barbara native Jane Chapman is on display at Art & Soul and an artist talk is planned for March 18th, from 5 to 7pm.

The show titled Echoes of Earth and Sky distills the spirit of Santa Barbara into layered, abstract reflections that bridge land, sea, and psyche. Working in oil, mixed media, and collage, Chapman creates visual meditations on interconnectedness — between environment and self, community and solitude, earth and atmosphere. Drawing from the Channel Island–dotted Pacific horizon and the ascending rhythm of the Santa Ynez Mountains, her compositions pulse with grounded earth tones and expansive washes of coastal light.

“Textural strata within the work suggest geological memory, while translucent veils of color evoke shifting skies and dissolving shorelines,” commented Gallerist Kim McIntyre. “Each painting unfolds as an emotional and environmental cartography — an interior landscape mirroring the outer terrain. Fragments and gestures emerge and recede in an intuitive yet intentional process, echoing the continuous dialogue between humanity and nature.”

Chapman is a graduate of UCLA. Her creative life extends beyond the canvas into the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara. She comes from a family rooted in the local food and hospitality community — including the beloved Montecito Café and Jane Restaurant. Chapman is also the founder of The Communal Table Santa Barbara.

Echoes of Earth and Sky is on view through March 29th. artandsoulsb.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 • 805-688-7889 • santaynezmuseum.org

Tamsen Gallery • Jeff Bridges: Pictures • through Apr 30 • 1309 State St • 12-5 We-Su • 805-705-2208 • tamsengallery.com

UCSB Library Ocean Gallery • Art of Science through Mar 17; Unyielding Voices: Global Resistance and the Black Radical Tradition • through Jun 12 • library.ucsb.edu

Voice Gallery • Sisters • through Mar 28 • La Cumbre Plaza H-124 • 10-5:30 M-F; 1-5 Sa-Sun •

ART EVENTS

2nd Fridays Art @ SBTC Opening Reception • View juried show of works by Goleta Valley Art Assoc. members • SB Tennis Club • Free • 4:30-6:30pm Fr, 3/13.

Opening Reception • Roy Vessil: Galls & The Secrets of the Universe • Indah Gallery • 5-7pm Fr, 3/13.

Opening Reception • Natural Beauty • Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center • 4-6pm Sat, 3/14.

VADA Draw • Original art pieces donated by local artists are raffled off at the VADA Draw event, featuring local food and beverages and music • Community Arts Workshop • $50-1500 • vadasbhs.org • 7pm Sa, 3/14.

Sketching in the Galleries • Open to all skill

805-965-6448

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 • Beyond the Wilderness: Ansel Adams in 1940s Los Angeles through Mar 28; Habitual Curiosity: Paintings by Chelsea Roberts (‘18) through Jun 20 • Weekdays 10-4, Sat 11-5 • westmont.edu/museum

The Yes Store • Art by Local Artists • 1015 State St • M-F: 11am-6pm; Sa:10:30am-6pm; Su: 10:30am-5pm • theyesstore.com

levels • SBMA, Museum Galleries • Free with museum admission • sbma.net • 11:15am Sa, 3/14.

In Conversation with Phoebe Brunner & Roger Durling • Artist Phoebe Brunner discusses her new solo exhibition A Radiant Solitude with SBIFF Director Roger Durling • Sullivan Goss • Free • 3pm Sa, 3/14. It’s Complicated Opening Reception • Innovative multimedia works by Gerrie Shapiro • Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art, 410 Palm Ave, Unit B3, Carpinteria • Free • 5-8pm Sa, 3/14.

Carpinteria Creative Arts Market • Pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry, sewn articles • 8th St & Linden Av • Free • 2:30-6 Thur. SB Arts & Crafts Show • Local artists & artisans • Free • 236 E Cabrillo Blvd • 10-5 Sun.

2nd to 28th, 2026

March

Reception Wine sponsor Gretchen Lieff, La Lieff Wines

Stop in for a taste during 3rd Friday’s Gallery Row Artwalk

La Cumbre Plaza 3rd Friday Artwalk • March 20 • 5-7:30pm

15% of art sales will be donated to Planned Parenthood of

Santa Barbara County Supervisors to greenhouse pot growers: ‘Enough is enough’

By Melinda Burns • Special for the Santa Barbara News-Press, 3.11.26

County board denies all requests for extensions of the March 18 deadline for installing state-of-the-art odor control technologies.

EIGHT YEARS AFTER COUNTY OPENED THE DOOR WIDE TO THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY, the Board of Supervisors gave notice Tuesday that it was pulling in the welcome mat.

Just a year ago, the board ordered all greenhouse growers, most of them in the Carpinteria Valley, to get “multitechnology carbon filtration,” commonly called “scrubbers” — or some “equivalent technology” — up and running inside their greenhouses by March 18, 2026.

If they missed the deadline, the growers risked losing their business licenses, the supervisors said. Scrubbers have proven to help prevent the “skunky” smell of pot from escaping through the vents on greenhouse roofs into urban neighborhoods.

But the board gave the growers had an out: If they encountered supply chain delays or problems with power upgrades, they could make a one-time request for a deadline extension of up to 12 months.

Flash forward to this Tuesday, and only 11 out of 22 growers in the valley had met the deadline, according to a report

to the board from county Planning & Development. Three more were expected to meet the deadline, the report said, and eight were requesting 12-month extensions.

But the board said no. Voting 4-1 in Santa Maria, the supervisors flatly denied all eight requests, even tossing out some two- and six-month extensions that county planners were recommending.

The first to say, “Enough is enough,” was Supervisor Roy Lee of Carpinteria. Since 2018, when an earlier board approved an industry-friendly cannabis ordinance, paving the way for the valley to become a Mecca for commercial pot, Carpinterians have filed more than 4,000 odor complaints with the county. None of them have been enforced.

In 2024, Lee’s support for scrubbers helped him win his seat on the board. And on Tuesday, he said he didn’t think the growers had made “an honest effort” to install scrubbers.

“What I’m hearing today is that decisions were made late, projects started really late and engineering started even later,” Lee said. “These are self-imposed delays .. Every operator knew the rules and knew the timeline … At some point, deadlines have to mean something, and if we keep pushing back on them, the only people paying are the people living in my community … Enough is enough, that’s how I feel.”

‘They didn’t listen‘

The greenhouse operations of the eight growers requesting extensions cover 39 acres greenhouse cannabis, or about a third of the 115 acres — about 87 football fields’ worth — now under cultivation in the valley.

Supervisor Laura Capps, who represents much of the Goleta Valley, noted that most of the growers asking for extensions had signed a voluntary pact in 2021 with the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis, a citizens’ advocacy group, promising to install “best available odor control technologies” in exchange for the coalition’s promise to put lawsuits on hold.

When the pact fell through two years later, Capps said, she and then-Supervisor Bob Nelson starting working on a mandate for scrubbers and warned the growers that it was coming. As of late 2022, an expensive scrubber developed in the Netherlands by the Envinity Group had been shown to eliminate 84 percent of the smell of cannabis inside a valley greenhouse, on average.

“The industry didn’t listen,” Capps said. “We did meetings. There was an election. They didn’t listen .. . And instead of putting money into the technology back then, they started figuring out ‘how can we delay this, how can we get out of this, how can we look into cheaper versions’?”

“We’re here to deliver for people,” she said, adding that the smell of pot has

been “a nightmare for some people who Supervisor Lee represents … so, I support Supervisor Lee.”

Nelson, now the board chair, representing a district that includes Orcutt and portions of the wine country west of Buellton, said he was disappointed that the growers didn’t contact him to try to work out a solution until right before last year’s vote on scrubbers. And again this week, he said, they called him at 4 p.m. on Monday.

“To me, it’s a game of delay,” Nelson said.

Supervisor Joan Hartmann said she was familiar with the smell of cannabis under cultivation in open fields in her district, which includes the Santa Ynez Valley and portions west of Buellton.

“I just can’t face the people of Carpinteria, having lived with what the smell is,” Hartmann said. “I have to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ The burden of proof now goes to the growers.”

And it was the eight growers whom Supervisor Steve Lavagnino had in mind when he cast the sole “No” vote on Tuesday, saying they should be granted a few more months to install new odor-control systems. Two growers told the board they had each spent about $800,000 on the equipment alone.

Finally, Lavagnino reminded his colleagues that the industry had brought the county $60 million in tax revenues to date.

“It’s tough for me to say to somebody who has already bought the equipment, ‘Lay off employees and we don’t want the revenue,’”Lavagnino said.

Looking over at Lee, he added, “I know you’re standing up for your community. I’m just in a different spot on this one … My biggest fear is, all these people are going to install these things, and the neighbors are going to tell you it still stinks.”

What comes next

In specific “findings” backing up their “no” vote, the board cited the growers’ months-long delays in submitting odor control plans to Planning & Development and their failure to order, purchase and install the necessary equipment “in an expeditious manner.”

Under county rules, the County Executive Office can revoke or deny the business licenses of any grower who fails to submit an odor control plan to Planning & Development, get it approved, install scrubbers or an equivalent technology and have them operational by this March 31.

Growers can appeal revocations or denials to the Los Angeles Office of Administrative Hearings, a quasi-judicial state tribunal that handles such disputes. The appeals must be heard within 60 days.

Meanwhile, seven of the eight growers requesting extensions are proposing models other than Envinity scrubbers, setting the stage for future disputes over which technology works best to get rid of the smell of pot.

At two operations — CP1 Supply Systems at 4505 Foothill and Emmawood at 5888 Via Real — Tristan Strauss, the owner, is currently installing odor-control systems manufactured by Genesis Air Inc. of Lubbock, Tex. Strauss is the CEO of Headwaters, a bulk cannabis supply company in California.

Eric Edwards, an attorney for Headwaters, told the board that the company chose a Genesis product in part because it was produced in the U.S. and would not be subject to the present tariffs on imported goods.

“This is not a case of an operator trying to avoid or delay compliance,” he said. “It’s simply taking longer than we had hoped … Our goal was to select something that we could easily install and didn’t require extensive electrical upgrades.”

And at Valley Crest Farms, a greenhouse operation at 5980 Casitas Pass Road that is embroiled in a class-action lawsuit filed by the coalition, 45 Genesis

Air purifiers have been installed, or nine more than the 36 recommended by the company’s engineers, Benjamin Warner, a representative for the owner, Philip Fagundes of Parlier, Calif., told the board.

A ‘red flag’?

But during a test last summer at Autumn Brands, owned by Hans Brand at 3615 Foothill, the Genesis purifiers were shown to remove only 41 percent of the smell of pot inside a greenhouse, on average. These devices cost $9,000 each.

Capps said the board had written the scrubber mandate with the Envinity model in mind. As of 2024, they cost $24,000 each. Envinity scrubbers have been installed in seven greenhouse operations in the valley, at a ratio of up to 10 per acre.

The Genesis Air purifiers, Capps said, are just “half as good … You pay for what you get.”

The Genesis model relies on photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), a process in which ultraviolet light creates a chemical reaction that in turn breaks down smelly gases.

Capps noted that the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has recommended against the use of PCO devices for cannabis odor reduction because of safety concerns, primarily ozone formation. As a result, the Air Pollution Control District of Santa Barbara County recommends but does not require that PCO units be equipped with carbon filters for cannabis odor control.

On Tuesday, Planning & Development officials told the board that tests of the Genesis devices in the valley without carbon filters did not detect ozone at

At Bosim 1628 Management Co., a greenhouse operation at 1628 Cravens Lane, the owner, Howard Keum of Las Vegas, also is proposing to install Byers scrubbers. Keum has not yet ordered them because of delays in power upgrades, the board report shows.

Envinity scrubbers are proposed at only one operation — G&K Produce and K&G Flowers at 3561 Foothill, owned by Graham Farrar and Kyle Kazan. County records show that these greenhouses have been the No. 1 target of residential odor complaints. The growers have not submitted an odor control plan to the county for scrubbers.

Jared Ficker, a consultant for Farrar and Kazan, said they had encountered significant delays in power upgrades for the Envinity models. According to the board report, the scrubbers have not yet been ordered.

anywhere near the levels that are harmful to humans. Just this week, they said, Planning & Development approved Hans Brand’s odor control plan for the Genesis devices that are now online at Autumn Brands.

Capps responded that a technology that is “equivalent” to carbon filtration “does not mean something that comes with a red flag from a state agency.”

In his remarks to the board, Hans Brand defended his choice.

“We feel very confident that the Genesis is working,” he said. “We did test for ozone, and there’s nothing there. It’s not dangerous … It works without the carbon … I don’t like to be called out about a technology that is good, that is proven, that is safe, that is legal.”

As his two minutes at the podium ran out, Brand said to Lee, “You should have talked to me.”

Byers is back

Meanwhile, at three operations — Primetime Farms at 5554 Casitas Pass; New Generation Farms and Blue Whale Agriculture at 5775 Casitas Pass; and CKC and Life Remedy farms at 5138 Foothill — the Pacific Dutch Group has signed a contract to purchase carbon filtration systems sold by Byers Scientific, a Bloomington, Ind. firm that was founded by Marc Byers of Summerland, according to the board report and Tadd McKenzie, the group’s president.

Back in 2021, these were the first carbon filtration systems to be installed in cannabis greenhouses — at what is now Farmlane, at 1400 and 1540 Cravens Lane.

“We were holding out that another technology might emerge that didn’t require as much power,” Ficker told the board. “ … We’re kind of stuck with a technology we can’t totally execute, even though it’s highly desired.”

In letters and public comments, Carpinterians asked the board to deny all extension requests and require Envinity scrubbers. They said they were tired of filing complaints about the smell of pot that plagues their community in hot spots from the beaches to the foothills.

“We’re still dealing with the horrible, horrible smell,” said Danielle Hahn, the co-owner of the Rose Story Farm and a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Valley Crest. “Nobody should have to live like this. The odor is constant.”

Tuesday’s three-hour hearing came at the end of a 10-hour day for the supervisors, ending in the evening hours.

“The board looked at the plight of the citizens of Carpinteria and they did the right thing,” said Lionel Neff, a coalition board member. “Finally, the county came through.”

Melinda Burns, a former senior writer for the legacy Santa Barbara News-Press, is an investigative reporter with 40 years of experience covering immigration, water, science, and the environment.

Printed with permission of the Santa Barbara News-Press • 3.11.26 • newspress.com

UCSB researchers develop a genetic sensor that could allow MRIs to image molecular-level changes

By Cameron Walker / The Current 3.4.26

YOU’VE SEEN PEOPLE SLIDING INTO THE TUBE OF A MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) MACHINE on your favorite medical drama, or maybe you’ve been inside one yourself, waiting as the noisy scanner makes images of your brain, heart, bones or other structures, which doctors use to identify injury or disease.

Since the 1970s, MRIs have been important diagnostic tools, combining a magnetic field and radio waves to produce snapshots of the body’s interior without using ionizing radiation, which can create health risks at higher doses. An MRI can typically capture changes in anatomy, but the molecular-level changes that could further aid understanding of disease have been beyond its reach.

Now, in a new article published in Science Advances, UC Santa Barbara researchers report the invention of a modular, genetically encoded, protein-based sensor that enables MRI machines to visualize molecular activity inside cells — a development that could transform how scientists study cancer, neurodegeneration and inflammation.

“You can see the structures of your tissues — whether it’s the brain, the heart, the kidneys or the stomach — but you don’t get molecular information,” said Arnab Mukherjee, an associate professor of chemical engineering in UCSB’s Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering. “So, the only time you can know that something is going wrong or something has changed is if you take another MRI, and the structure and morphology of the tissue changes.” For many diseases and conditions, he added, by the time the structure has changed, the disease has progressed.

Ever since he was a postdoctoral researcher at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Mukherjee has been looking to improve the usefulness of MRIs for identifying real-time changes at the molecular level to aid basic science and animal studies, which may have future applications for human health. “If we can see these molecular-level changes happening in real time, then we can ask questions like, ‘How do tumor cells metastasize?’ or ‘How does neurodegeneration progress at the molecular level as an animal ages?’” he said. “There’s currently no way to do that.”

A sensor-based approach

Mukherjee and his colleagues are applying concepts related to synthetic biology to catch structural and molecular changes “in the act.” To that end, they have

created a protein-based sensor that can be genetically engineered into cells, allowing an MRI to visualize molecular processes. The technique could increase understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, cancer development, inflammation and other irregularities that cause changes in health. The team has developed a sensor that is modular, allowing researchers to attach or substitute specific proteins to target different processes within cells. Their Science Advances article details the sensor and its LEGO-like architecture.

Photo Credit: National Cancer Institute

To enable the MRI to detect such fine-grained changes in cells, Mukherjee and his team had to find a sensor that the MRI would be able to “see” inside cells, tissues and other structures. An MRI works by creating a magnetic field, which aligns most of the hydrogen atoms in the structure being scanned. Radio waves then use the remaining hydrogen atoms to create an image. It’s a powerful way to peer inside the body, but it cannot be used to obtain molecular level information.

with different proteins to make genetic “circuits” that can be tailored to what a researcher is studying. Asish Ninan Chacko (Ph.D. ’26), then a chemistry and biochemistry Ph.D. student in Mukherjee’s lab, worked to fine-tune the system. “This protein can be regulated using a lot of chemical signals,” which can be added like building blocks to the sensor, said Chacko. “We can even replace this particular protease with another type of protease, and use it to detect many different processes.”

Building blocks

Since the 1960s, researchers have been using genes found in jellyfish-derived fluorescent proteins to tag proteins, genes and individual molecules in a cell and then watch what unfolds under a fluorescence microscope. These glowing proteins have allowed scientists to watch processes such as an immune cells’ response to a pathogen or the growth of tumor cells in real time.

At Caltech, Mukherjee began looking for proteins that would allow an MRI to do something similar, that is, to give off a “glow” that could be picked up in the magnetic field and then imaged. This molecular precision would give researchers and, someday, health-care providers, the ability to track the progress of neurodegeneration in the brain or to see whether a particular drug is successfully keeping cancer cells at bay.

His work led him to aquaporin, a protein that forms an hourglass-shaped channel in the cell membrane, allowing water to move in and out of the cell. “Our water molecules are tiny, tiny magnets,” Mukherjee said. “If you can control or affect the rate at which water molecules move back and forth across the cell, you can make that magnetic signal specific to certain types of cells or biological processes, which would allow the MRI to report on this process at the molecular level, thus providing much more detailed information than are currently possible.”

Arnab Mukherjee’s research has been recognized with a James G. Boswell fellowship in molecular engineering and magnetic resonance imaging (2014), a NARSAD Young Investigator Award (2018), 2019 NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), and a Discovery Award from the Department of Defense (PRMRP, 2019).

Once Mukherjee arrived at UCSB, in 2017, he started working to make this approach useful for visualizing a variety of cellular targets and processes. He and his colleagues began combining aquaporin

The interchangeable system, called MAPPER (for modular aquaporin-based protease-activatable probes for enhanced reporting), makes it possible to use aquaporin-driven MRI to track a number of chemical processes inside cells in a laboratory setting. “That’s a first in this paper,” Chacko said, “because so far in the scientific literature, you’ve seen only four or five genetic sensors, each used to detect a unique analyte” — the chemical or compound being measured. “In this paper, we describe close to ten systems we can detect with this one setup.”

The researchers envision their tool being used to improve the reliability of animal studies in disease progression, while reducing the demand on lab animals. “Right now, if you need to access an animal’s internal organs as part of a study, there is no way to do it without sacrificing the animal. And you’re limiting your experiment to a single snapshot in time — which can be misleading because animals vary in their metabolism and response to treatment,” Chacko said. “Our approach allows continuous imaging of the same animal over the course of a study, giving a far more accurate picture of disease and of biology.”

Because of the building-block nature of the system, that is, the ability to stack aquaporin with a custom array of proteins to visualize different processes, researchers would not need to design a new MRI sensor from scratch each time they wanted to monitor a new chemical or process. Instead, they could add different components to the MAPPER system — enabling them to develop a sensor within a few months, explained Mukherjee, who envisions creating a summer training program for undergraduates to learn the process.

“We want to take these sensors and put them in the hands of people who will actually use them,” he said, “whether that’s neuroscientists, who would be able to use MAPPER to look at calcium changes in the brain, or developmental biologists, who could use the tools to track mouse development from embryo to adult.”

Printed with permission of UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications