VOICE Magazine: May 29, 2026

YEARS OF GATHERINGIN GOODL

Old Spanish Days

at Rancho La Patera & Stow House

THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

5:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.

Tickets: $100.00 all inclusive Benefi ting Old Spanish Days & Goleta Valley Historical Society Goleta Valley Historical Society • Rancho La Patera & Stow House • 304 Los Carneros Rd., Goleta

Enjoy an evening at the beautiful Rancho La Patera gardens to sample appetizers, wine and beer from local restaurants, wineries and breweries, as well as a performance by the 2026 Spirit of Fiesta and Junior Spirit, musical entertainment, and dancing under the stars to Area 51!

No tickets will be sold at the door. 21 and older only.

An o cial Old Spanish Days event in collaboration with Goleta Valley Historical Society. Buy Tickets Now!

BLight & Flight

By Daisy Scott / VOICE

RIDGING LANGUAGES, CULTURES, AND HISTORY IN TRANSCENDENTAL SONG,

Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin shines as a modern, interdisciplinary master of choral music. From his groundbreaking piece Baba Yetu, a Swahili rendition of The Lord’s Prayer, to innovative concept albums and a new finale to Puccini’s unfinished opera Turandot, Tin has demonstrated time and again that voice holds the power to unite, uplift, and celebrate all of humanity.

On Sunday, May 31st, local audiences will have the rare opportunity to listen to their friends and neighbors perform Tin’s empowering compositions guided by the maestro himself when the Santa Barbara Choral Society presents Light & Flight at Trinity Lutheran Church on La Cumbre Road. With tickets still available for the 7pm concert, Tin will be joined by SB Choral Society Artistic Director JoAnne Wasserman to conduct a program of modern choral masterpieces.

“I thought it would be great to do,” shared Tin with VOICE. “I very much like Santa Barbara and it was a nice way for me to get a chance to perform some of my music with a very good group of singers.”

A collaborative choral experience, Choral Society members will team up with singers from the Santa Clarita Master Chorale and the Torrance-based Los Cancioneros Master Chorale to provide a rich, full-bodied choral experience. They will be accompanied by a full orchestra and guest soloists soprano Christina Bristow, tenor Jimmer Bolden, mezzo soprano Becca Clarke, and tenor Felipe Prado-Caceres. Together, they will bring Tin’s beautiful music, including his Turandot ending, to life.

music world by storm in recent decades. He burst onto the choral scene with his 2005 hit Baba Yetu, which he wrote for the video game Civilization IV. Thoughtful and cheerful, the Swahili prayer song became the first work created for a video game to win a Grammy. Tin has since gone on to compose additional scores for the Civilization games, writing sweeping and dramatic scores to accompany lyrics that pull from epics such as The Iliad and Beowulf Tin explained that these experiences have shaped his creative ability to write music in an interdisciplinary way, marrying visuals and music.

“With Baba Yetu, with my other themes for Civilization VI and VII, a lot of how the music emerged was just an instinctual response to the graphics of the game, the visuals of the menu screen, conversations I had with developers,” explained Tin. “I think that when you come up working in the sort of multimedia tradition as I did…you have to write quickly and accurately to the product that you’re adding music to and so you develop these instincts: someone will show you a picture and instinctively a melody will pop in your head.”

In a fun twist of fate, Tin’s video game compositions have also attracted more opportunity than a historic Grammy Award. When Francesca Zambello, the Artistic Director of Washington National Opera, heard her son playing Civilization VI, she was so impressed by its beautiful choral music that she contacted Tin to commission a new ending for Turandot

not how we like to work as artists and so ultimately I had to stop trying to think about finishing in Puccini’s voice, but instead focus on writing a piece that was in my own voice that would be a suitable ending to Turandot.”

Pure serendipity also introduced Tin to the Choral Society. A few years ago, Tin was in a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles when he noticed Artistic Director JoAnne Wasserman studying a vocal score of his music at a nearby table. The two struck up a conversation, and Wasserman explained that she was considering performing Tin’s music with her chorus in Santa Barbara.

“It was quite a delightful surprise; I haven’t quite had that exact situation ever happen to me,” said Tin. “It really made my day.”

Tin ended up attending the Choral Society’s concert of his music in 2023 and was struck by the choir’s talent. When Wasserman pitched the idea of a choral collaborative concert to conclude this year’s season, Tin was more than happy to sign on as a guest conductor.

“From my last experience in Santa Barbara, everyone was very nice, and the singers were terrific, and I’m hoping for a repeat of that experience,” said Tin.

“It is probably the most challenging and daunting commission I ever accepted,” remarked Tin about Turandot, adding with a laugh, “I was a little bit insane for saying yes to it, but I’m never one to shy away from a challenge, I suppose.”

Currently based in Santa Monica, Tin has taken the

After months of research into the opera’s history and Puccini’s musical devices, as well as collaborating with librettist Susan Soon He Stanton, Tin created a dynamic work that has been praised by critics and opera fans alike since its 2024 premiere. Japanese figure skater Yuma Kagiyama even performed to Tin’s Turandot at the 2026 Winter Olympics, sharing the composition with an international audience on the 100th anniversary of the original premiere of Turandot in Milan, the very city where it debuted.

“I think everyone who’s ever tried to complete Turandot will tell you that it is very hard to step into the master’s shoes and every composer has a voice because there are certain instinctual things that we do that are unique to us,” explained Tin. “To betray those instincts is

On Sunday, Tin will lead the Santa Barbara Choral Society and its partners in performing Baba Yetu and Turandot as well as selections of his other original compositions, including Waloyo Yamoni, a Lango rainmaking prayer that inspired the creation of Tin’s song cycle The Drop That Contained the Sea. His additional albums have included the Grammy-winning Calling All Dawns, To Shiver the Sky, and The Lost Bird.

“I think that every time I tackle a new commission and a new piece, the exact nature of the commission, the exact sort of circumstances I’m in personally and creatively, and the exact nature of the world that we live in sort of influences how I tackle everything,” said Tin. “So it’s always fluid and it’s always changing.”

Sunday’s concert will also feature Artistic Director Wasserman conducting composer Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, a reflection of themes of light through spiritual Latin texts. For tickets ($30) visit sbchoral.org

Featured Artists – Sheryl Knight & Linda Mutti “Art From the Heart”

Both Artists Will Do A Painting Demo: Saturday, June 13 / 11 to 2

Fine Art Destination Since 1992

Fine Art Destination Since 1992

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

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

Come Visit and Let Our Art Inspire You!

Come Visit and Let Our Art Inspire You!

SB Police Department Members Honored with H. Thomas Guerry Awards for Superior Performance

SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE SANTA BARBARA POLICE DEPARTMENT were awarded the H. Thomas Guerry Award for Superior Performance on May 14th. Named in honor of Santa Barbara Police Officer H. Thomas Guerry, who was killed in the line of duty in 1970, the award recognizes outstanding law enforcement professionals. This year’s recipients of the award include Officer Diefenthaler, Officer Rohrs, former Officer Alvarez, Detective Sergeants Cipres and Ragsdale, Detective Amezquita, and Detective Ford.

Detective Sergeant Cipres, Detective Sergeant Ragsdale, Detective Amezquita,

and Detective Ford received the award for their performance in a life-threatening situation involving an armed suspect in a confined space within a populated area. Their restraint, teamwork, and bravery ensured that there were no injuries to officers, suspects, or bystanders.

Co-Response Officer

Diefenthaler, CoResponse Officer Rohrs, and former Co-Response Officer Alvarez received the award for their work with

the Co-Response Unit, a specialized team that pairs sworn police officers with Behavioral Wellness clinicians to respond to individuals experiencing

Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics to Pass Through

South SB County

CARRYING THE TORCH RUN FLAME OF HOPE in support of Special Olympic athletes, the 2026 Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Southern California will make its way through South Santa Barbara County with a special ceremony held from 1:15 to 1:35pm on Tuesday, June 2nd at the Santa Barbara

Police Department. The ceremony will include remarks from Special Olympics representatives and Police Chief Kelly Gordon.

Since its creation in 1981, the Law Enforcement Torch Run has been the largest public awareness and fundraising

Waterhouse Gallery

initiative for Special Olympics Southern California. This year’s South SB County Torch Run will include participation from: CA State Parks Department, CA Highway Patrol, UCSB Police Department, SB County Sheriff’s Office, SB Police Department, SB County District Attorney’s Office; SB County Probation Office, SB Airport Patrol, and SB Harbor Patrol. sosc.org/letr

mental and behavioral health crises. The unit was recognized for their handling of multiple complex incidents involving such individuals.

Cottage Health Welcomes Laurie Siegel to Board of Directors

LAURIE SIEGEL has been appointed to the Cottage Health Board of Directors. Siegel is President of LAS Advisory Services and also serves on the boards of Factset and CECO Environmental, where she chairs the Human Resource and Compensation Committees for both. She is the Vice-Chair of Direct Relief, where she also serves as Compensation Committee Chair. Previously, Siegel was Chief Human Resource Officer of Tyco International and held senior leadership positions at Honeywell. Siegel was named a Top 100 Director by the National Association of Corporate Directors, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MA in city planning awarded jointly from the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard School of Design, and a BA from the University of Michigan. cottagehealth.org Laurie Siegel

South Coast Business & Technology Awards

RECOGNIZING INNOVATION, LEADERSHIP, AND SUCCESS in the area’s business and technology sectors, the 2026 South Coast Business & Technology Awards will honor seven standout organizations and individuals at a ceremony on June 23rd at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The 2026 honorees include: Carey Group President Trudi Carey (Pioneer Award); the UCSB Department of Technology Management (Excellence in Service); AppFolio President and CEO Shane Trigg (Executive of the Year); Mission Wealth (Company of the Year); ChipAgents founder and CEO Dr. William Wang (Entrepreneur of the Year); and Dimer Instruments and Unwrap (Rising Stars). Prior to the ceremony, a regional business networking event will take place in the Plaza del Sol, also at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The event’s net proceeds will benefit the Scholarship Foundation of SB. sbscholarship.org

Environmental Defense Center Welcomes New Board Leadership

AS IT APPROACHES CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY, the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), a Central Coast-based nonprofit environmental law firm, has announced its 2026 Board of Directors officers. EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org

LAUREN TRUJILLO, EDC Board President, is the Foundation Director of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation and brings extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising and community engagement. Her background includes managing large-scale membership and donor programs at SFMOMA and leading fundraising efforts for a multi-million-dollar capital campaign. She has worked with several local organizations, including the Isla Vista Memorial Project, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, and is committed to expanding community engagement and advancing equity in nonprofit work.

GERARDO AYALA, EDC Board Vice President, is a longtime Santa Barbara resident with extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, community outreach, and advocacy. He currently works with the Santa Barbara County Education Office as a liaison to homeless families and served as Development Director for People United for Economic Justice Building Leadership Through Organizing (PUEBLO), a predecessor to Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE). Ayala has held leadership roles on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Fund for Santa Barbara, the Marjorie Luke Theatre, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and has also served on the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.

DAVID POWDRELL, EDC Board Treasurer, is a Certified Public Accountant with a long history of nonprofit leadership and community involvement. He currently serves as the President of the Carpinteria Rotary Club, is the former chair for the Carpinteria Arts Center, and was named “Carpinterian of the Year” in 2014. With decades of experience in financial management and oversight, he provides critical support to EDC’s fiscal stewardship. Powdrell also has a longstanding passion for environmental preservation, including documenting the Gaviota Coast through photography.

TONI CORDERO, EDC Board Secretary, is a tribal advocate, retired environmental and civil rights attorney, and an active member of the Chumash community with deep ancestral ties to the Santa Barbara area. She practiced environmental, civil rights, and cultural resources protection law in California for more than 30 years, including serving in senior leadership in the California Attorney General’s Office. Her work has included protecting natural resources and Tribal cultural sites, enforcing environmental laws, and advocating on issues affecting Tribal communities. Cordero has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, the Surfrider Foundation, and the ACLU of Southern California.

Red Cross Responds as Wildfire Season Opens Early in California

LOCALS ARE URGED TO DONATE AND VOLUNTEER with the American Red Cross as they continue responding across several counties in Central California amidst wildfire season. Multiple fires have forced thousands of people to leave their homes, with the Sandy Fire in Ventura and Los Angeles counties causing as many as 17,000 evacuations. The Red Cross is working to open shelters and offer a safe place for people to go. Volunteers are needed to help run these shelters, and professionals are needed to provide Disaster Health/Mental Health Services. Volunteers with the Disaster Action Team are also needed to help people begin recovering financially and emotionally from disaster. To learn more or volunteer visit redcross.org. Donations can be made online or by calling 1800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999

Opera Santa Barbara Welcomes New Director of Production

GRAYSON ALLRED will serve as the new Director of Production for Opera Santa Barbara beginning this July, succeeding Helena Kuukka, who has held the position since 2022. Grayson was selected through a national search. He is moving to Santa Barbara from Abilene, Texas, with his wife, Anila, their two-year-old son, Amir, and six pets. In Texas, Allred has been the Director of Operations & Programming at the historic Paramount Theatre for four years, following seven years as Technical Director. He has overseen hundreds of concerts, theater shows, film showings, and community events. Grayson attended Abilene Christian University and earned his M.S. in Biology from Angelo State University. He is a veteran of the Texas Army National Guard. operasb.org

Dr. Vejas Skripkus Joins Cottage Primary Care

DR. VEJAS SKRIPKUS, a board-certified physician specializing in family medicine, has joined Cottage Primary Care, Santa Barbara on Bath St. Prior to joining Cottage, he served as the Executive Director of Student Health Services and the Campus Physician at UCSB. Dr. Skripkus’s clinical interests include care of the whole family including children, reproductive health, and contraception management as well as HIV prevention. Dr. Skripkus earned his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and completed his family medicine residency at the University of Southern California, where he served as chief resident. He also earned a Master of Health Administration from USC and completed advanced training in healthcare leadership through the Keck Medical Center of USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. cottagehealth.org/primarycare

Great Jazz, Great Food: The Grand on State Has It All

By Richard and Amanda Payatt / VOICE

OMETHING WE HAVEN’T HAD IN A LONG TIME IS COMING TO STATE STREET: A JAZZ VENUE. The Grand on State, next to the Granada Theatre, will have its grand opening on May 30th. The venue will be open Thursdays through Saturdays to start, and then add Sundays in the coming months. They will open at 5pm and close… late. In their soft opening test runs, late has come to mean midnight, and even later. You know, just like a real jazz club. The musical style will be Straight Ahead Jazz, and the Great American Songbook. In short, songs you already know, played with the verve of skilled jazz musicians, of which Santa Barbara has no shortage.

The Grand is a gift to us by Jenna Berg and her husband Brian Mann. Mann is a highly talented pianist. He has worked on albums and gone on tour with the likes of Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But jazz grew to become his passion. This venue gives him the chance to play with his favorite local musicians, like drummer Randy Tico, saxophonist Colin Richardson, and vocalist Leigh Vance. The idea is to help support the area’s local jazz musicians by giving them frequent gigs, while giving the community a place to hear great jazz regularly.

The format is for three sets per night, with the music starting at 6pm.

“Come in any time. Relax,” said Berg with a smile. “Treat it like your living room. Come and go when you want to.”

The doors open at 5pm, with people also coming just to enjoy the brilliant cooking of The Grand’s French-trained chef, Marguerite Cerredo. Brian and Jenna’s original intent was not to open a restaurant, but the menu kept growing, and the customers

kept coming for the food. The beef bourguignon is so mouthwateringly well-cooked that it doesn’t need a knife. The tarte tartin (an onion tart) is crunchy where it should be and also melts in your mouth where it should. Cerredo’s French cuisine is as good of an expression of the form that we have had in Santa Barbara since Mousse Odile closed back in the ‘90s.

The light bites, like the Mediterranean platter, are perfect for nibbling while listening to music, but save room for the desserts. The raspberry and pistachio thousand-layer cake will drive you wild. The upside-down apricot and ricotta cake as well as the sunshine citrus cake are so tart and piquant that you will want some champagne to go with it. Cerredo even makes her own herbal tea infusions every day. They are all definitely worth trying.

The bar has a well-curated range of wines, with a regular liquor license just a few weeks away. If you come to dine after the music starts, don’t worry. The staff knows how to serve you without making much noise or fuss. That will allow everyone to enjoy the music and still get the delights from the kitchen.

“You swim from one sense to another here; soft velvet seats, cooking smells, and music,” said Berg. “You just melt.”

So we don’t quite know what to tell you: Come for the food and stay for the music, or come for the music and stay for the food. Either way, just come on in. Order something wonderful. Sit back and relax for some really good music.

1218 State St, next to the Granada Theatre • Th-Sa, 5pm to Late, first set begins at 6pm • TheGrandonState.com • 805-708-7670

Applications Now Open for the 94th Annual Children’s Fiesta Parade

FIESTA’S YOUNGEST PARTICIPANTS ARE INVITED TO SHOW THEIR SPIRIT when the annual Children’s Fiesta Parade, Desfile de los Niños, returns on August 8th along Cabrillo Boulevard. Applications are now open through July 6th, with all children invited to join in the fun at no cost to participate.

The Children’s Fiesta Parade has been a tradition for many local families, with some participating for five generations. Families, friends, and youth organizations create and decorate their floats, carts, and wagons each year to join the lively foot-powered parade. Participants typically dress in colorful costumes, with music and dance performances throughout the route to add to the fun along Santa Barbara’s waterfront.

Ice cream is provided at the end of the route for all participants. The parade will begin at 10am on Sunday, August 8th and is organized by the City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department

To learn more and apply visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/ChildrensParade

Santa Barbara Foundation Releases

Solicitudes abiertas para el 94º Desfile de los Niños

EL DEPARTAMENTO DE PARQUES Y RECREACIÓN DE LA CIUDAD de Santa Bárbara está aceptando solicitudes para el evento anual del Desfile de los Niños (Children’s Fiesta Parade), un apreciado evento familiar que se lleva a cabo durante la semana de “Old Spanish Days Fiesta”. El desfile, que cumple 94 años, se celebrará el sábado 8 de agosto en el Cabrillo Boulevard.

New Report and Invites Community to Inaugural State of Nonprofits in SB County Events

PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND KEY UPDATES FOR THE COMMUNITY, the Santa Barbara Foundation will host its sold-out Inaugural State of Nonprofits in Santa Barbara County Event at the Santa Barbara Hilton Beachfront Resort from 8am to 10:30am on Tuesday, June 2nd. A waitlist is available, and those unable to attend or guests who are interested in learning more are also invited to a free public webinar to hear and see highlights of the report findings on Thursday, June 4th from 10 to 11am.

“We are here to help the local nonprofits that keep our county thriving,” said Santa Barbara Foundation president and CEO Jackie Carrera. “The insights in this report — which we’ll share at the public events — will highlight the collaboration and support needed to ensure they can have their greatest impact serving our communities.”

Both events will cover findings from a new report as well as feature a panel discussion with nonprofit leaders. Topics of the report, which was produced by the Santa Barbara Foundation with the UC Santa Barbara Gevirtz Graduate School of Education’s Center for Evaluation and Assessment, include distribution of services across regions of the county, financial health and financial forecasts, employment information, and how different nonprofits collaborate. To be added to the event waitlist email Kelly Lazarus at Klazarus@SBFoundation.org. For info and to register for the webinar, visit: sbfoundation.org

Celebrate National Disability Independence Day with Hillside

COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF ALL ABILITIES are invited to celebrate Disability Independence Day, commemorating the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with a family-friendly festival at Hillside from 11:30am to 3pm on Saturday, July 25th. Entry is free, with tickets available to purchase food, play carnival games, and enter a raffle at a nominal cost. The day of fun will also include face painting, a petting zoo, DJ of Ability Chris Benedict, the Santa Barbara Bubble Guy, a balloon animal twister, a cake walk, and booths from local partner nonprofits that provide supportive services for people with disabilities. Creative activities, including a slime station and the chance to paint birdhouses, will also be available, as will be the Hillside Honey harvested from Hillside bees and produced by San Marcos Farms.

All proceeds from the festival will help support the residents of Hillside who are living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Hillside provides each of them with needed therapeutic treatments, skills-training, specialty medical care, and adaptive equipment. hillsidesb.org

El Desfile de los Niños ha sido una tradición para muchas familias locales, algunas de las cuales han participado durante cinco generaciones. Familias, amigos y organizaciones juveniles crean y decoran cada año sus carrozas, carros y carretas para unirse al desfile a pie. Los participantes suelen vestir trajes coloridos y presentar bailes a lo largo de la ruta llena de música, añadiendo un ambiente festivo por la orilla del mar de Santa Bárbara.

Se invita a todos los niños a participar en el desfile sin costo alguno. Al final del recorrido, habrá helado para todos los participantes. Las solicitudes deben entregarse a más tardar el lunes 6 de julio de 2026. Más información y enviar su solicitud visite: SantaBarbaraCA.gov/ChildrensParade

Alejandra Navarro Named 2027 SBC Teacher of the Year

ALEJANDRA NAVARRO, a first-grade Dual Language Immersion teacher at Goleta Union School District’s El Camino Elementary School, has been named the 2027 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year by the SB County Education Office.

“Every challenge, every long day, and every moment of hard work has been worth it when I look out at a classroom full of students who are not only bilingual, but who truly understand that being bilingual is a superpower,” Navarro said.

“It is a superpower that will open doors for them into new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities.”

An advocate for language learning, early literacy, and inclusive instruction, Navarro has dedicated 19 years to the Goleta Union School District and has spent the last seven years serving students and families at El Camino Elementary School, where she launched the district’s first Dual Language Immersion program. She was also named Teacher of the Year at both the school and district level this year.

A native of Carpinteria and a mother of two school-aged children who both attend El Camino, Navarro is known for creating classrooms where students learn to read and write while also building confidence, connection, and pride in who they are. As Santa Barbara County’s recipient, Navarro now becomes eligible for consideration for the California Teacher of the Year award. sbceo.org

To have your news included in VOICE Magazine, please email information to writer@voicesb.com

On the Street with John Palminteri

Photos and Stories by John Palminteri, Special to VOICE

Santa Rosa Island Fire Continues

THE SANTA ROSA ISLAND FIRE, that started May 15th is 97 percent contained at 18,379. The Sandy Fire in Simi Valley, that started May 18th is 90 percent contained at 2183 acres. This is a photo from an early stage from 6,500 feet.

Grant Awarded to Dos Pueblos HS Environmental Club

THE WAKEFIELD BELIEVE BIG CHARITABLE FOUNDATION has presented a grant for $2,500 to the Dos Pueblos High School Environmental Club. It will continue to fund the tower gardens that create lettuce for the student prepared salads.

Vagabond Inn Moves Into Carpinteria

MOTEL 6 IS OUT OF CARPINTERIA. Both locations have been re-branded as Vagabond Inn sites, north and south of Highway 101. Summertime rates start at $84.

A HORSE WAS SUCCESSFULLY RESCUED after it fell into a ditch off San Marcos Pass Road on Sunday. Crews from the Santa Barbara County and City Fire Departments used a rope system to bring the uninjured horse back up to a safe area.

Santa Barbara Honors Memorial Day

HUNDREDS TURNED OUT AT THE SANTA BARBARA CEMETERY for a Memorial Day ceremony. The morning had patriotic songs, a highlighted focus on each branch of the military, a flyover, a performance of Taps, and a solid community remembrance.

The event is presented by the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation (PCVF) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1649. The keynote speaker was retired Navy Rear Admiral John Weigold, a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Also appearing was the UCSB ROTC Color Guard, the Gold Coast Pipe & Drum Band, singer David Gonzales (Star Spangled Banner),

the Santa Barbara Choral Society, and The Prime Time Band. There was a flyover by The Condor Squadron with the missing man formation.

UCSB Chancellor Inauguration Ceremony

THE INAUGURATION of the new UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Dennis Assanis took place at 10am on Wednesday, May 27th. He is the sixth chancellor in UCSB history.

Construction on The Palms Revitalization Begins

IT OPENED IN 1912, and now The Palms in Carpinteria with a new owner is getting a new look. Demolition has begun. The classic sign will remain in a modified look. Plans include a restaurant, a market/cafe retail area on the ground floor, a banquet/ event space on the second floor, and a bar and dining area on the roof. No live roof top music, but it will have a sound system and views to the ocean.

A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL was held on May 26th to support the survivor of the rape and strangulation in Tropicana Gardens on May 9th. The vigil was held at Greek Park in Isla Vista.

A VEHICLE ROLLOVER the night of May 23rd was spotted by a passerby on lower San Marcos Pass. CHP said the driver got out and got a ride home. Smitty’s was called for a truck tow.

Goleta Opens Splash Pad

GOLETA HAD A SPLASH PAD RIBBONCUTTING at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park last week. The splash pad is now open through Labor Day Weekend, operating six days per week from 10am to 6pm (the facility will be closed on Wednesdays).

The splash pad features 34 water jets. Children are required to have adult supervision and enjoying the splash pad is free.

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

Children’s Summer Movie Programs Kick off Next Month

ESCAPE THE HEAT AND ENJOY FAMILY-FRIENDLY FILMS when local theaters kick off their children’s summer movie programs next month! The fun will all begin on June 17th, which will mark the return of Metropolitan Theatres’ Metro Summer Kids Movies programming at Camino Real Cinemas, as well as the launch of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s new “Zoovies” outdoor screenings at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

trips and group summer camp outings.

“Our family friendly program brings films for all ages back to the theatre and offers our youngest guests and their families a fun way to spend their summer by watching their favorite films on the big screen,” said Natalie Eig, Vice President of Marketing for Metropolitan Theatres Corporation.

Metro Summer Kids Movies

Discover old and new favorites all summer long when Metro Summer Kids Movies presents $2 movies at Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta each Wednesday at 10am, running June 17th through August 12th. In addition to being fun for locals, the weekly showings are a great activity for field

This summer’s film schedule includes:

June 17th: How to Train Your Dragon

June 24th: The Secret Life of Pets

July 1st: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

July 8th: Hotel Transylvania 2

July 15th: The Garfield Movie

July 22nd: Shrek 2

July 29th: The Wild Robot

August 5th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

August 12th: Sing

For movie schedules and tickets visit MetroTheatres.com

DPNews Honored at High School Div. of Pacific Southwest Regional Emmy® Student Awards

BEING HONORED ACROSS MULTIPLE CATEGORIES for both writing and production, students from Dos Pueblos High School’s award-winning DPNews program earned top recognition at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter Student Production Awards. This was the first year high school students were included in the regional Emmy® competition.

“This recognition at the regional Emmy level validates the realworld, industry-standard work our students are producing every day,” said DPNews adviser John Dent. “To see their storytelling compete, and win, at this level in the very first year high schools were eligible is incredibly meaningful.”

Awards were presented in Non-Fiction for Breaking the Oil Chain by Ari Ludkovski, Casey Engel, Michael Shinn, and Kieran Learmonth; Public Service Announcement for A Breakup with Lawns for Rocky Thoman, Sam Mitchell, and Jonathan Harling; Commercial for NFHS Covering it ALL! for Townes Widger and Stephen McElroy; Newscast for DPNews Live from Tampa Bay by Natalee Zbinden, Alex Gardiner, Nathan Vincent, Sophia Pixley, Micah Barnhart, and the DPNews Staff; Editor for Purpose in Every Frame by Sophia Pixley; Talent for Purpose in Every Frame by Sophia Pixley; Photographer for The Dark Watchers by Evan Pinsker and Tyler McCutchen; Photographer for Your Story Starts Here by Alex Gardiner, Everett Womack, Sam Blakely, Abby Selzler, and Selah Blackwell; Director for STN Promo – So Much Drama by Alex Gardiner, Everett Womack, Sam Blakely, Abby Selzler, Selah Blackwell; and Director for Your Story Starts Here by Alex Gardiner, Everett Womack, Sam Blakely, Abby Selzler, and Selah Blackwell. dpnews.org

Zoovies at the Zoo!

A new summer tradition will arrive to the Santa Barbara Zoo when the Santa Barbara International Film Festival debuts Zoovies, a series of outdoor screenings on the Zoo’s hilltop. Before each movie, zookeepers will discuss conservation and the different animals to be seen at the zoo.

To center these films as accessible experiences for the community, SBIFF will be distributing 300 free Zoovies passes for each film through Santa Barbara-based Family Resource Centers for underserved children and families. Participants with the following resource centers are eligible: Family Resource Center – Santa Barbara; Foodbank of Santa Barbara County; Girls Inc.; LEAP; SYV People Helping People; and United Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara.

Goleta Library to Host Summer Read-A-Palooza

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, READ! Starting on June 1st, the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries are inviting patrons of all ages to participate in their Read-A-Palooza Summer Reading Program. Running for nine weeks through July 31st, the program gives patrons the chance to earn fun weekly prizes by logging their reading progress a minimum of four days a week. There will also be entries into grand prize drawings, and the chance to earn extra entries by participating in activities at home and around town.

All participants are invited to attend the GVL Express Summer Reading KickOff event on Saturday, June 6th from 11am to 2pm on the field behind the Goleta Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). This free family-friendly event will feature live entertainment, lawn games, and a chance to get your all-access pass to Read-A-Palooza.

“This year, the goal is to create lifelong readers by encouraging a daily habit of reading,” said Children’s Librarian Kaeley Christensen. “The program celebrates consistency as a key to literacy success, and readers of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to participate in the same way.” You can pick up a paper reading log at any of the libraries or register online through the free Beanstack app or at goletavalleylibrary.beanstack.com

“We’re delighted to partner with the SB Zoo to bring outdoor movies this summer - fulfilling common goals of both of our organizations, to educate and delight our audiences,” commented SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

The Zoovies schedule includes:

June 17th at 5:30pm: The Lion King July 8th at 5:30pm: Finding Nemo August 12th at 5:30pm: Zootopia Zoovies are made possible with the support of the Nora McNeely Hurley Foundation. To learn more visit sbifftheatres.com/zoovies

Scholarship Foundation of SB Awards $8.4 Million in Scholarships

2,288 SANTA BARBARA COUNTY STUDENTS received scholarships totaling over $8.4 million for the 2026-2027 academic year through the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara. Public ceremonies honoring this year’s awardees were held at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Garden and at the Santa Maria Fairpark Convention Center.

“We are tremendously proud of this year’s scholarship awards total, which is nine percent above what our organization provided to local students in 2025. This is the direct result of increased support from our generous donors,” said Foundation Interim President and CEO Tim Dougherty. “We are grateful to be part of a community that clearly values education and creating opportunities for young people. Our impactful work this year and every year would not be possible without the many philanthropically minded people who call Santa Barbara County home.”

Of the $8,457,996 awarded this year, $4,147,018 will help support students in North County communities, and $4,184,997 will help support students in South County communities. Scholarships can be used for undergraduate, graduate, and vocational studies, including law school and medical school. The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships. sbscholarship.org

Planning Commission Reviews State Street Plan

By Mark Whitehurst / VOICE

E-BIKES AND

TRAFFIC

CIRCULATION were the top concerns at the Santa Barbara Planning Commission’s review of the State Street Master Plan last week, where they gave tentative approval to the plan and made comments to share with staff and City Council.

“I did not see any speed control for bicyclists in the plan,” commented commissioner Brian Barnwell. Nearly every commissioner voiced strong concerns about e-bikes and safety on State Street.

State Street Master Planner Tess Harris and consultant Stefanos Polyzoides presented the draft plan to the commission and said they would ask for direction on five items from the commissioners following their comments.

Following the presentation, each commissioner gave wide ranging comments

and insights into the plan, which included the following areas: traffic circulation, housing, infrastructure, storm water management, parades, and safety. These items were more narrowly focused than the items Harris asked direction for at the end of the meeting.

“There needs to be a traffic control system [for the bikes]… Rome and Paris have speed bumps, chicanes, styles… why wasn’t something in there on this when speed is an overriding concern?” asked commissioner Barnwell.

Harris responded, “The city has a Speed Enforcement Action Plan… the 30 foot sidewalks and the textured surface should make a difference.”

Remaining focused on the speed and flow of traffic, several commissioners asked about side streets.

“Is the circulation study completed?” asked commissioner Donald DeLuccio, concerning the one way streets of Anacapa

Jill Nida’s Commitment to Hospice of SB

FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, Jill Nida has been a steadfast advocate, volunteer, and champion for Hospice of Santa Barbara. Over the past 37 years, Nida has served as Board Chair twice, Board Member, Auxiliary Member, and Capital Campaign Chair for the Riviera office building. She was also honored as a Hero of Hospice in 2015. She served on the HSB Board and is Board Emeritus. She was instrumental in the HSB butterfly logo design and aqua color, and has supported many of HSB’s fundraising community events, including the Millennium Mask Project that was displayed in Paseo Nuevo and culminated in a celebration at the Music Academy of the West.

Nida’s journey with HSB began before she ever joined the organization. When she was 14 years old, her father died. Nida felt isolated in her grief, as her classmates and peers did not know how to talk about grief with her. Nida’s experience ultimately inspired her to ensure that other children would not feel so alone, and she joined HSB’s Auxiliary in 1989 knowing she wanted to help start a children’s grief/bereavement program. Over the years, Nida’s connection to HSB deepened in personal ways, as the HSB team supported her after the death of her mother and when her husband, Joe Nida, was diagnosed with a lower motor neuron disease, closely related to ALS. She is grateful to HSB for giving holistic support to the community that meets the “specific needs of each individual.” hospiceofsb.org

and Chapala, which have been recommended by the consultants to be turned into two way streets. The city Traffic and Circulation Committee is reviewing the draft plan in order to make recommendations.

Harris referred to the transportation section in appendix C of the draft plan, noting, “There has been no analysis for two way streets.” The conversation moved to Anacapa, Chapala, Guiterrez, and Haley possibly becoming two way streets to improve traffic circulation in and out of State Street. The 1300 and 400 blocks of State were also drawn into the discussion.

“We need to go to two way streets,” stated commissioner John Baucke.“The 1300 block is a weird vortex… it’s the local entry and yet seems lost in translation… it should be somewhere in the plan,” continued Baucke.

Harris replied, “It was not studied for various reasons in this iteration [of the plan].”

Parade procedures and policy were

Jana Petersen to Serve as Next SB County Executive Officer

JANA PETERSEN has been selected by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to serve as the next County Executive Officer. With the approval of her contract on June 9th, she will assume the role on August 20th, 2026. Petersen will succeed Mona Miyasato, who will retire this summer after nearly 13 years in the position.

“It is an honor to be chosen by the Board of Supervisors,” Petersen said. “The County of Santa Barbara’s mission of ‘One County, One Future’ energizes my public service spirit. I am passionate about demonstrating the value of local government to the community, and I look forward to continuing to enhance the initiatives and priorities of the Board.”

Petersen currently serves as County Administrator for Boulder County, Colorado, a role she has held since January 2020. Boulder County has a population of 330,000 and includes ten incorporated towns and cities, as well as a large unincorporated area composed of rural, mountainous, and plains communities. During Petersen’s tenure as, Boulder County reshaped services to be more accessible and virtual in the aftermath of the pandemic, the county supported victims of the devastating Marshall Wildfire and wind event. County staff also completed several critical infrastructure projects.

Petersen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver.

Santa Barbara’s County Executive Officer serves as the primary advisor to the Board of Supervisors on matters related to the efficient and effective administration of county government. countyofsb.org

raised by commissioner Deluccio, to which Harris responded, “There is a draft… but, it is in effect now.... The master plan allows for parades to come back… some might not come back, like horse parades.” Deluccio asked Harris if the policy could change and she replied, “yes.”

Harris presented a list of items to the commission for them to give staff direction on the plan. Chairperson Lucille Boss asked each commissioner what they thought on every item and if they approved. The list follows: 1) Do you endorse flexible pedestrian first vision as the framework? 2) Do you support the flexible design approach with 30 ft sidewalks and a 20 foot travel lane/ emergency access area? 3) Do you support the Civic and Commercial District as the first priority investment area? 4) Do you support incorporating 1,000 to 2,000 new housing units in the master plan area? 5) Do you agree with action items in the implementation chapter?

Every Planning Commission member affirmed the direction of the State Street Master Plan regarding the five items.

New Furniture Showroom to Fill Former CVS Space on State Street

AIMING FOR A MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND OPENING, A Royal Suite Home Furnishings, a family-owned California retailer, is launching a 13,700-square-foot showroom at 1109 State Street. This business will occupy the space formerly occupied by the downtown CVS and mark A Royal Suite’s fourth location. The company dates back to the 1970s and also has a showroom in Oxnard.

“Santa Barbara has a strong sense of home and community—and that’s what we’re excited to be part of on State Street,” said owner Norb Moniz. “We’ve made great friends with our Santa Barbara customers who visited us in Oxnard, and we’re looking forward to serving them closer to home.”

Known for its American-made furniture and custom design offerings, A Royal Suite brings a hands-on, serviceoriented retail model that emphasizes longterm relationships and personalized pieces. For State Street, the lease represents a step forward in reactivating one of its largerformat vacancies.

aroyalsuite.com

Celebrate Summer Reading with Santa Barbara Public Library

DIVE INTO MONTHS OF READING FUN when the Santa Barbara Public Library hosts their annual Summer Reading Program for child, teen, and adult readers from June 6th through August 7th. An Adult Summer Reading Kickoff celebration will be held from 5 to 7pm on Thursday, June 4th at Fox Wine Co, followed by an All Ages Summer Reading Kickoff from 11am to 1:30pm on Saturday, June 6th at Michael Towbes Library Plaza.

Children can pick up an Adventure Log at any library location to set their goals and track their reading progress. Each time they visit the library and talk with a staff member about their reading, they’ll earn colorful beads to create a personalized reading chain. Bring your completed log to Central Library on Friday, July 31st for a free Mr. Softee cone and prizes.

Teens and adults can participate by picking up a DIY zine at any library branch. Throughout the summer participants can use the zine to document their reading, with limited totes and stickers available for participants. For more information visit library.santabarbaraca.gov/classes-events/summerreading-2026

Celebra la lectura de verano con la Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara

NIÑOS, ADOLESCENTES Y ADULTOS pueden celebrar la lectura este verano participando en el Programa anual de lectura de verano de la Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara, que se llevará a cabo del 6 de junio al 7 de agosto. Todos los miembros de la comunidad pueden inscribirse en persona en las bibliotecas Central, Eastside o Montecito, o en cualquier parada de la Biblioteca Móvil.

Se invita a todos los participantes a establecer sus propias metas de lectura y elegir cómo les gustaría participar, ya sea explorando nuevos títulos de libros en las estanterías, leyendo unas cuantas páginas cada día o descubriendo un nuevo género. Además del reto de lectura, la Biblioteca ofrecerá una amplia variedad de programas y eventos gratuitos para todas las edades durante el verano. Consulta el calendario de la Biblioteca con regularidad para obtener más información.

Los niños pueden reclamar un folleto de aventuras en cualquier biblioteca el cual podrán establecer sus metas y llevar el seguimiento de su lectura. Cada vez que visiten la biblioteca y hablen con un miembro del personal sobre lo que han leído, recibirán coloridas cuentas para crear una cadena de lectura personalizada. Trae tu folleto de aventuras completamente terminado a la Biblioteca Central el viernes 31 de julio y podrás recibir premios y un cono gratis de Mr. Softee.

Los adolescentes y adultos pueden participar reclamando un fanzine “hazlo tú mismo” en cualquier sede de la biblioteca. Durante el verano, los participantes podrán utilizar el fanzine para documentar sus lecturas, desde sus citas favoritas hasta un libro que haya cambiado su perspectiva sobre algún tema.

El verano es el momento perfecto para ponerte al día con la lectura o ayudar a los niños a evitar la “pérdida de aprendizaje de verano” fortaleciendo hábitos sólidos de lectura. La Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara fomenta lectores de por vida y fortalece la comunidad a través de la alfabetización. Todos los eventos y programas son gratuitos y disponibles para todo el público en general.

Para más información, visita: library.santabarbaraca.gov/es/clases-y-eventos/ programa-de-lectura-de-verano-2026

‘Deskilling’ is bad. This is worse.

Authors of book about classroom AI say loss of foundational knowledge is biggest threat

By Liz Mineo, Harvard Staff Writer May 11, 2026

EDUCATORS SHOULD TEACH

STUDENTS how to use AI tools but with an emphasis on the ethics, social impact, and potential biases of the tech, experts said Thursday during a conversation sponsored by Harvard Education Press.

Stephanie Smith Budhai and Marie Heath, who co-authored Critical AI in K–12 Classrooms, told Teddy Svoronos, senior lecturer of public policy at the Kennedy School, that responsible use of AI requires a healthy dose of skepticism. In other words: Resist the hype by asking hard questions.

“Does this really align with our visions of education?” said Heath, associate professor of learning design and technology at Loyola University Maryland. “Does this serve communities, as opposed to the folks who are developing this technology and telling us it’s going to be transformative?”

Budhai, associate professor of educational technology at the University of Delaware, said that teacher education programs should include training on how to help students examine the effects of AI inside and outside the classroom, including its environmental impact. A sort of critical AI literacy is needed, she said.

“We’re not saying we have to be antitech,” said Budhai. “We’re saying: Let’s think about the bigger questions. … Students need to build a critical consciousness around the ways we interact with AI and understand how it works.” She added: “They need to really understand the harms of it.”

Educators are concerned about students’ over-reliance on AI and its possible impact on critical thinking, problem-solving, and relationships, the authors noted. The threat is not just to skills students might lose as they outsource essays and other assignments to machines, they said. It runs deeper.

“Students don’t know how to write a topic sentence because they’re asking AI for the topic sentence,” said Budhai. “They’re ‘never-skilling,’ which is even scarier than ‘deskilling,’ which is losing the skills they had because they’re over-relying on AI. Neverskilling means they’ve never learned the skill because they are using AI for everything, so they don’t even have foundational skills.”

Heath, a former high school social studies teacher, worries about the impact of

AI on social interactions and civic life.

“I think about the ways that these technologies, particularly generative AI, allow us to be frictionless in our activities, and it sort of reduces the need for human interaction,” she said.

“For democracy to function, we need to be able to sit in discomfort, and we need to know what it feels like to disagree and to be disagreed with. One of the things that we give up when we turn to this technology is the ability to sit in discomfort and practice being uncomfortable.”

The authors also zeroed in on the problem of biases, explicit and implicit, in AI tools. In researching “Critical AI in K–12 Classrooms,” they asked AI for book recommendations for Black and white high school students, and they found that the lists and even the feedback had implicit biases, with the books for Black students disproportionately about crime and poverty.

In a separate research project, Heath detected biases when AI provided feedback on students’ written work.

“AI is laden with all the biases of society,” she said. “If it perceives that the student is either from a higher socio-economic class or white, the feedback it gives is very conversational in tone, like, ‘Have you thought about XYZ?’ If AI perceives that the student is either socio-economically disadvantaged or is a Black or brown student, it uses a very direct, authoritative tone.”

The message from the tool, Heath said, is, “‘I know what’s right’ and ‘You should do this this way.’”

Sharing takeaways from their findings, Budhai and Heath urged educators to pause over a simple question — why? — before deploying AI the classroom.

“For people who train teachers to use technology, it’s really important to have a framing where anytime you’re using technology, it’s for a purpose,” said Budhai. “We call it ‘purposeful technology use.’ I tell students, ‘How does this help meet the learning objectives?’ Because if it’s not actually doing it, why are we using it?”

Printed with permission: Harvard Gazette online article, May 11, 2026

Parents demand Santa Barbara Unified adopt ‘tech with intent’ policy and greater oversight over iPads

By Julianna Lozada

Santa Barbara News-Press 5.20.26

THERE’S AN OLD SAYING IN SANTA BARBARA: Keep LA 100 Miles Away. … unless it’s about tech policy at schools.

The conversations surrounding how iPads are used at Santa Barbara Unified schools and the privacy and child development issues associated with them all came to a fever pitch May 19th at the district’s board meeting.

Parents’ demands? Adopt the same techuse policy as the Los Angeles Unified School District and fix the security issues in districtissued devices.

“What LA has done was striking,” said Casey Hare, a parent who worked with Techwise SB. “We could have been a leader here, but we didn’t do it…LA has shown us the way. LA has shown us what we could not do, even though we knew the right path multiple years ago.”

They were there to speak on a report from the Balanced Learning and Technology Task Force regarding use and regulation of districtissued iPads.

The LAUSD policy parents want implemented at SBUSD refers to a resolution approved by the LAUSD board recently to reduce student screen time, adopting the policy of “technology with intention.” For SBUSD, this means that the district should be more intentional with how iPads are used in the classrooms.

What parents want

Parents at the meeting presented two overarching issues with the iPads: its impact on their child’s development and the regulation and monitoring over use.

During public comment, parents argued that iPads should not be the default in curriculums, but rather that they should only be used when of unique educational value. Instead of the subject revolving around using tech, tech should be adapted to the subject.

“The community is asking for less reliance on these online platforms, and yet, it seems like students are still tethered to this as an only option,” said Emily Zacarias, a Goleta Union School Board member.

Some of the demands parents outlined included banning YouTube and non-educational platforms on the iPads, creating an option for students to “opt-out” of iPads, setting screen time limits, and ending device use during lunch, breaks, and in passing periods.

A group of 50 parents packed the district’s meeting on May 19th, arriving early with signs reading “if it’s good enough for LAUSD, it is good enough for SBUSD!” and “pencils not pixels.”

A group of 50 parents packed the district’s meeting last night, arriving early with signs reading “if it’s good enough for LAUSD, it is good enough for SBUSD!” and “pencils not pixels.”

Many were there waiting to speak on a report from the district’s Balanced Learning and Technology Task Force, which surveyed students and teachers about tech use and provided recommendations going forward.

The room was packed, prompting several attendees to pour into the overflow room.

On top of Tuesday’s meeting containing a multitude of items, it also started nearly 40 minutes late.

The tech-use report that parents were waiting to speak on wasn’t brought up until two hours into the meeting. It could’ve been later, had the board decided to not move it higher on the agenda.

As the night went on, some parents decided to leave one-by-one, but a majority, driven largely by frustration with the district, committed to staying until it was their turn to speak.

their personal Apple ID, and access AI platforms like ChatGPT.

He presented his findings in a report, sent it to the board and filed a public records request earlier this month for privacy agreements with vendors like ChatGPT that access student data. He compiled several recommendations addressing these issues including the hiring of an outsourced chief informational officer.

“My whole family is affected by YouTube use,” Simon Bentley, a parent and IT consultant, told the News-Press. He said that his son is “a lot nicer without the screens” and sees a huge difference in his ability to be rational.

A petition created by a coalition of parents called “Pencils Not Pixels” on Friday to “Tell SBUSD: Reign in the Rampant Use of Screens,” which listed these demands, has since garnered over 400 signatures.

The demands stem from parents’ concern over the impact of iPad use on their kids’ safety and development but also in their relationships with them, especially when the iPads go home.

“A child with access to an iPad that includes YouTube and ChatGPT with no adult oversight is empirically at risk for serious harms, through cognition, attention, executive function, and wellness,” said Mona Damluji, a parent and associate professor at UC Santa Barbara. “The burden should not be on individual parents or the individual children to defend against the potential harms of school-issued iPads.”

Bentley was also concerned about the district’s shortcomings in not providing students with a secure digital learning environment. Kids are smart, Bentley said, and will find loopholes.

After a friend’s daughter suffered nightmares from a horror game accessed on a district-issued iPad, he decided to do his own research, both in his capacity as a parent and tech professional.

He found that in the district-issued iPads, students can bypass content filters, log in to

Ali Bjerke, a parent who also works in tech, gave examples of these loopholes during public comment. She said that a student searched, “can I get blood if I’m on lexotan,” “use paper soaked with drugs to pass in prison,” and “Japanese anime of S&M male-on-male abusive fatal relationships,” and several blocked sites. What the district is doing

The district is trying to find a middle ground in addressing parents’ concerns while ensuring students adapt to the digital world.

The district transformed its tech-use committee into a “Balanced Learning and Technology Task Force,” which recently conducted a student survey and teacher questionnaire about iPad usage with all but one SBUSD school, La Cumbre, which is currently being surveyed.

Steve Venz, chief operating officer of the district’s Educational Technology Services, serves on the task force along with board members Sunita Beall, Celeste Kafti, parents, and school staff.

with the parents’ demands. They include blocking student YouTube access, ending device use during lunch and breaks, turning iPads off and putting them away as default, blocking cameras, restricting personal Apple ID logins and blocking AI platforms.

Board members Gabe Escobedo, Kafri, and Beall validated parents’ concerns about screen time and knowing how iPads are being used at home. The main discussion among board members was around equity—how does the district still make sure all students have access to a device?

“I know that during COVID, we talked about equity,” Beall said. “We needed device access because we were all remote… I think if we say the word “equity,” we really should define what that means and what circumstances we say it is a better idea to have a device at home.”

He presented the task force’s recommendations based on the results of the survey, which found that students and teachers tended to support iPad use, much to the dismay of some parents.

Nick Burwell, a parent of kids at Dos Pueblos High School and Goleta Valley Junior High, said that “much of the report is instead focused on student survey results” instead of “evidence that technology increases learning or leads to better outcomes for the students.”

“Why are they asking the kids about this,” Burwell asked. “We don’t have them vote on whether candy and soda should be available for free at school.”

However, the recommendations presented by the task force were seemingly in alignment

For Escobedo, equity is having the option to access an iPad.

“If a family does not have access to a device, that they are able to get one from the district…it’s more of like an “opt-in” versus just a writ large, everybody gets a device,” Escobedo said.

Kafri, eliciting applause from the crowd, said, “it is less equitable to send devices home when kids have unfettered access, and we can easily get data on what kids are using their iPad for at home.”

Though no actionable policy was taken at Tuesday’s meeting, Board President Bill Banning stated, “I don’t know that we get a whole lot from tonight’s conversation other than an absolute sense of alignment in purpose and intent for ourselves and for the children in our school district.”

This story was originally published by the Santa Barbara News-Press. Printed with permission • 5.20.2026 • newspress.com

Santa Barbara’s Cultural Night Out 1

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

Galleries, Museums, & Art Venues

1. VOICE Gallery • La Cumbre Plaza, 110 S. Hope Ave., H-124 • The aura of summer merges with vibrant movement in SummerDance at VOICE Gallery. See artwork by local artists in media ranging from metals to photos, prints, and paintings. Meet your next partner and enjoy the creative season. Treats and sing-along with Harold Kono.

June 4th • 5 to 8pm

5. domecíl • 1223 State Street • Stop by domecíl to experience the ethereal work of Santa Barbara artist Adam Peot. Featuring expressive brushwork and paintings that explore the abstract intersections of human history, spirit, and nature, his work resonates with both old souls and young hearts alike. Through his art, Adam hopes to offer a sense of inspiration, reflection, and peace.

6. 10 West Gallery • 10 W. Anapamu St. • In The Pink — A group show featuring flowers, pink sunsets, and lots of robust abstracts in various

media from oil and acrylic paintings, bronze, stone, and resin sculptures, plus mixed media and encaustic. Through June 21.

7. REH Contemporary Studio & Gallery • 12 W. Anapamu St. • REH Contemporary introduces this new gallery with Soft Opening, featuring the works of artist/owner Ruth Ellen Hoag. Happy to be moved uptown, Hoag gives visitors a preview of new work, a peek at work in progress, as well as the schedule of studio classes and workshops.

2. Art & Soul • 1323 State Street

• Step into Viridian Shores, Lucia de Miguel’s solo exhibition inspired by coastal landscapes, global travel, and imagined escape. Through vivid aerial perspectives and intimate shoreline portraits, this exhibition transforms memories. Ocean beauty invites viewers to daydream, explore, and reconnect with nature’s wonder. June 4 - July

19.

3. Santa Barbara Fine Art • 1321 State Street • SB Fine Art and Heal the Ocean celebrate

Liquid Corners, a painting by artist John Wullbrandt that was inspired by Heal the Ocean’s birthplace. All proceeds from Wulbrandt’s painting will benefit Heal the Ocean’s environmental efforts. Also: “Liquid Corners,” an exclusive beer served by Rincon Brewery for a $5 donation.

4. Ensemble Theatre Company

• 33 W. Victoria St. • Ensemble Theatre Company presents Every Brilliant Thing. In this luminous solo show, one man revisits his life through a list of every wonderful, delightful, and surprising thing that makes it worth living. Stop by our ticket office for buy-one-get-one free tickets on June 4th at 7:30pm.

8. Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery • 33 W. Anapamu St. • We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Hunt Slonem, a leading figure of American Neo-Expressionism. His works, held in over 250 museum collections worldwide, explore bunnies, birds, butterflies, and tropical flora through rhythmic repetition, saturated color, and textured brushwork, creating immersive compositions inspired by nature.

9. Sullivan Goss • 11 E. Anapamu St. • Sullivan Goss celebrates the opening of The Art of Collecting, an exhibition which invites you to ask our curators about the complex process of fine art acquisition. Also on view: Meredith Brooks Abbott.

10. Santa Barbara Museum of Art • 1130 State Street • Visit SBMA for 1st Thursday extended hours, 5–8pm! Explore staff favorites in A Few of Our Favorite Things: Staff Selections from the Permanent Collection, multi-media and textile works in Remixed: Entwined Histories and New Forms, and reimagined realities in As if in a Dream: History, Fantasy, Future.

11. Fuzion Gallery & Boutique • 1115 State Street • We are showcasing canvas artworks by local mural artist, tattoo artist, DJ, and all around Wizard of the Arts, Chadillac Green. Our guests will enjoy a Live DJ and Specialty cocktails by HeartNSoul Mixology.

12. Gallery 113 • 1114 State Street #8 • Co-op gallery for members of the Santa Barbara Art Association. Our Artist of the Month is Cindy Star. Cindy works with both digital and acrylic

mediums to create imaginative and colorful paintings from real life and fantasy. Other featured artists working in various mediums will be on hand to discuss their June exhibits.

13. Waterhouse Gallery • 1114 State Street #9 • The Gallery features figurative works, interiors, and cityscapes, by some of today’s finest nationally known local and Oak Group artists. Enjoy works by Ray Hunter, Derek Harrison, Wyllis Heaton, Camille Dellar, Ann Sanders, Thomas Van Stein, Nancy Davidson, Rick Garcia, Ellie Freudenstein, and Ralph Waterhouse.

14. Ace Rivington • 1100 State Street • Josh Conviser in conversation on ultrarunning, passion, and presence. Josh’s memoir, Only Forward, traces his path from a torn achilles through long efforts across the Grand Canyon, Alps, and the trails above Santa Barbara. The photographs are taken mid-run, the writing pulled from trail notes. Drinks, photography, and conversation promised!

15. The Crafter’s Library • 9

E. Figueroa St. • Join The Crafter’s Library for our fifth year anniversary celebration. We will have giveaways, crafts, cocktails, and karaoke all night long! Join us at 6:30pm for cake!

16. The Yes Store • 1015 State Street

• Come celebrate our 60 talented local artists while enjoying music, drinks, and treats! View our collection of Eileen Richardson’s 1980s art pottery!

A Santa Barbara artist whose work is in The Smithsonian Museum. Looking for locally handmade gifts or something special for yourself? Look no further than The Yes Store!

17. 3D Studio Gallery • 1011 State Street • Visit the privately owned art gallery by worldrenowned 3D Pop Artist Charles Fazzino. Visit 3D Studio Gallery to experience the world of the Master of 3D Pop Art with a close-up look at his collection of intricate 3D masterpieces!

18. Finch & Fork

| The Kimpton Canary Hotel •

feathers. We will have a solo guitar and refreshments.

31 W. Carrillo St. • We are transforming our lobby into a vibrant mini-market featuring local artists! Grab a drink from the bar, browse unique handcrafted pieces, and enjoy the perfect pairing of oysters. Support local creatives, unwind after work, and soak up the heart of Santa Barbara’s arts scene, all under one stylish roof.

22. Music Academy of the West • 901 State Street • Join us for an open house at the Music Academy of the West’s Music Education Center at 901 State Street. Explore the building today and preview renderings of what’s to come. Enjoy a glass of wine and learn about the future of music education and performance downtown!

continue to shape who we are and how we understand ourselves today.

19. SuperMoss • 922 State Street

• Join us for another 1st Thursday at SuperMoss where preserved moss is center stage. Explore handcrafted pieces and discover unique plant arrangements in a relaxing, immersive green atmosphere. Meet fellow art and plant lovers, chat with crafters, and find something special to bring home from our locally-owned shop!

23. Soul Sucker • 814 State Street STE 38 • Shop ceramic work by Marina Grimmett, Rian Gladnick, Orcutti Putty, and Wishy Washy Ceramics with DJ Blasé, zine-making with Honey Boy Press, charm-making with CreaTiffity Studios, and a queer artist showcase at Grassini Tasting Room featuring Marina Grimmett, lyra ramirez purugganan, Miriam MacMillan, Sammy Brenner, Mitchell Mark McCartney, and Soul Sucker.

20. SBIFF’s Santa Barbara Filmmaker Series • SBIFF’s Film Center, 916 State Street • Join us at the NEW Film Center every 1st Thursday for free screenings of short films by Santa Barbara filmmakers. Check sbiff.org/sbfilmmakers for film info. Showtimes 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, and 7pm. (showtimes subject to change)

21. Arrediamo - Fine Art & Traditional Rugs Gallery • 911 1/2 State Street • We offer the Southwest’s largest collection of handmade contemporary, traditional and antique Persian, Turkish, Afghani, Tribal, and Tibetan rugs. This 1st Thursday features a Native American Zia design with

24. Grassini Family Vineyards 24 El Paseo • Celebrate PRIDE with a queer artist showcase at Grassini in partnership with Soul Sucker and LouBud Wines. Enjoy complimentary tastings, discounted glasses, ceramics & visual art featuring work by Marina Grimmett, Rian Gladnick, lyra ramirez purugganan, Miriam MacMillan, Sammy Brenner, Mitchell Mark McCartney, & Soul Sucker.

25. Paint at Paseo • 651 Paseo Nuevo • Join us for a free and fun guided painting workshop with Creative Wellness Artist Khaatia Vantiger. For June the theme will center around a bright hibiscusand-bird composition with a warm summer sun atmosphere — something joyful and seasonal that reflects movement and arrival into summer. RSVP encouraged.

26. Studio7 Architecture and Allied Arts • 112 E. De La Guerra St. #4 • Through expressive portraiture, Ancestral Sketches journeys through ancestral memory, migration, and cultural identity. From ancient civilizations to revolutionaries, campesinos, musicians, and dreamers, the series explores how the stories, movements, and histories carried by our ancestors

27. Santa Barbara Historical Museum • 136 E. De La Guerra St. • Join the Museum for music, wine, and more! Our latest exhibitions, The Gift: Recent Additions to Our Story and Ludmilla Pilat Welch: Serene Santa Barbara along with our permanent galleries, will also be open for visitors. All ages welcome!

28. Idyll Mercantile • 703 Chapala St. • Come celebrate summer at Idyll Mercantile with groovy tunes by DJ Donny Bru & Co, libations by Apiary, and fresh, local seafood by Santa Barbara Fish Market & The Cultured Abalone Farm.

29. SBCAST • 513 Garden St. • Media Arts and Technology (MAT) at the University of California, Santa Barbara is a transdisciplinary graduate program that fuses emergent media, computer science, engineering, electronic music, and digital art research, practice, production, and theory. The MAT department will showcase the cutting-edge research and new media artworks of our students.

Entertainment

Flight 805 • 800 Block of State Street • Flight 805 is a journey through the music that made rock n roll: Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones. Added are some of the bands that followed like STP, Black Crows, and Soundgarden, as well as some uptown vibe from groups like Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and The Cars to name a few. The quartet of Tom Banigan (bass ), John Adair (lead guitar & vocals), Mike Morse (guitar & vocals) and Michael Rivers (drums & vocals) bring a highflying show to 805 venues and beyond.

UCSB Econominc Forecast: The A.I. REN AISSANCE

“Thus for the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem-how to use his freedom from pressing economic cares, how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well.” – John Maynard Keynes

By Harlan Green, Special to VOICE, May 26, 2026

THE 2026 UCSB ECONOMIC FORECAST

SUMMIT was not only a report on the economic well-being of the Tricounties, but also how artificial intelligence is beginning to change our lives for better (or worse).

Santa Barbara County’s economy is growing very well, UCSB Professor Peter Rupert said in his headline during his 2026 Economic Forecast report, even better than California’s and the national economy:

• Santa Barbara County

real GDP rose 4.4 percent in 2024, outpacing the U.S. at 2.8 percent and California at 3.2 percent.

• California grew 3.2 percent over the same year, and the United States grew 2.8 percent. Among Central Coast peers, San Luis Obispo County edged Santa Barbara at 4.6 percent, while Ventura County grew 3.6 percent. This was the last full year the data was available. That’s why California has the fourth largest economy in the world, behind the U.S., China, and Japan.

ECONOMIC VOICE

By Harlan Green

Artificial intelligence is creating an economic future first pondered by British economist John Maynard Keynes in a 1930

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essay entitled Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren, quoted above.

Keynes’s quote was the theme of the speakers at the packed Granada Theatre. The Forecast was moderated by Forecast Director Rupert. During the event, we heard that we are experiencing a new renaissance created by technologies that give us the means to create a world of abundance for all if used wisely.

Lord Keynes, one of the architects of modern economic theory, was the first to ask, how will humanity use our time when we are freed from producing the necessities of life?

Artificial intelligence will enable such freedoms for us, touted speaker and A.I. pioneer Zack Kass, author of bestseller, The Next RENAISSANCE: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential, in which he said:

“If directed wisely, it will secure our needs, accelerate discoveries that serve human flourishing, and unlike the products that commoditize our attention today, free us to invest in connections, creativity, and love.”

Igor Mezic, UCSB Professor of Mechanical Engineering, put it another way in his presentation, noting that A.I. is growing so fast that its digital network capacity may

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

Please call for current rates: Erik Taiji, 805-895-8233, NMLS #322481

MONTECITO BANK & TRUST

Please call for current rates: 805-963-7511 • Coastal Housing Partnership Member

SB MORTGAGE GROUP

Simar Gulati, 805-403-9679

U.S. BANK

Please call for current rates: Teri Gauthier, 805-565-4571 • Coastal Housing Partnership Member

soon surpass the billions of neural pathways in the human brain but think much faster, so we had better prepare for it!

How will humanity change because of it? Clerical jobs are already being lost, but Kass cites the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report that by 2030 we will see a net gain of 78 million jobs globally, but they will be in jobs that require more human interaction, such as by healthcare workers, teachers, and scientists making new discoveries.

“I see us free, therefore,” said Keynes, “to return to some of the most sure and certain principles of religion and traditional virtue…We shall once more value ends above means and prefer the good to the useful. We shall honour those who can teach us how to pluck the hour and the day virtuously and well, the delightful people who are capable of taking direct enjoyment in things, the lilies of the field who toil not, neither do they spin.”

Will this be possible in today’s chaotic world? The lesson we should take from our history is that the U.S. and world economies have been able to grow regardless of the wars, pandemics, and depressions that have occurred, averaging two to 2.5 percent annual growth since the mid-1800s, said Professor Rupert.

Harlan Green © 2026

Follow Harlan Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarlanGreen

Santa Barbara South County Sales

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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VOICE Magazine • Community Market • LEGAL NOTICES

CHRIS AGNOLI

Taylor

(805) 682-4304

chris@suncoastrealestate.com www.chrisagnoli.com Experience you can count on! The Multi-family Investment Specialist

PUBLIC NOTICE

City of Santa Barbara

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Santa Barbara will conduct a regular meeting on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, which begins at 2:00 P.M. in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. At this meeting, the City Council will vote to adopt a Zoning Map Amendment to amend the zoning for a 0.78 acre portion of the Santa Barbara Airport property from A-A-O/S-D-3 (Aircraft Approach and Operation/Coastal Zone) to the A-F/S-D-3 (Airport Facilities/Coastal Zone).

You are invited to attend this meeting and address your verbal comments to the City Council. Written comments are also welcome up to the time of the meeting, and should be addressed to the City Council via the City Clerk’s Office via email at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov, or by mail at P.O. Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 931021990.

Public comment may be given in person at the meeting or remotely via Zoom. Members of the public who wish to give public comment remotely may do so by completing the Zoom registration at the URL provided on the front page of the agenda.

On Thursday, June 25, 2026, an Agenda with all items to be heard on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, will be available at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, and at the Central Library. Agendas and Staff Reports are also accessible online at http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/CAP.

The Agenda includes instructions for participation in the meeting. If you wish to participate in the public meeting, please follow the instructions on the posted Agenda.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need auxiliary aids or services or staff assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator’s Office at 5645305. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will usually enable the City to make reasonable arrangements. Specialized services, such as sign language interpretation or documents in Braille, may require additional lead time to arrange. (SEAL)

/s/ Sarah Gorman City Clerk Services Manager May 29, 2026

Window cleaning, painting, roofing repairs, drywall, plumbing, concrete, and more.

Alex Castillo: 805-403-0202

Alex Towing

Cars, trucks, trailers, all sizes and shapes

• Goleta to Oxnard

Alex Castillo: 805-403-0202

STEVE GOLIS

sgolis@radiusgroup.com www.radiusgroup.com 805-879-9606

CA Lic. 00772218

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE – CHANGE OF NAME, CASE NUMBER : 26CV02566

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• Virtual Building Inspections

805.698.4318

William J. Dalziel Lic#B311003 – Bonded & Insured BillJDalziel@gmail.com WilliamDalziel.work

MOVING • HAULING

We know how to move you! Professionally Equipped Truck Santabarbarastudentmoviers.com 805-403-0202

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as SASSY NAILS at 2530 S Broadway, STE I, Santa Maria, CA 93454. QTKENNYNAILS LLC at 2530 S Broadway, STE I, Santa Maria, CA 93454. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on April 20, 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. 2026-0001006. Published May 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026.

Petitioner: Dana Kabashima and Markus Beck filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Rylan Kabashima Beck and Scout Kabashima Beck to PROPOSED NAME: Rylan KabashimaBeck and Scout Kabashima-Beck. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: June 29, 2026; Time: 10:00 am; Dept.: 5; ROOM: [ ] other (specify): at the: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the courts website. To find your courts website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.) 3 a. [X] A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks before the date set for hearing on the petition in a newspaper of general circulation: [x] (for resident of this county) printed in this county: VOICE MAGAZINE. Date: 05/6/26 /s/: Colleen K. Sterne, Judge of the Superior Court. Legal #26CV02566 Pub Dates: May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 2026.

Insertion Date: Print: 5.22.26 & 5.29.26 Digital included 5.20.26 6.87”x2 col; $65.68 x 2 insertions = $131.35

5.22 & 29.26 Public Notice.UWMP 2025.Norma Welche

To place your classified, email advertising@VoiceSB.com

PUBLIC NOTICE

City of Santa Barbara

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Santa Barbara will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 during the afternoon session of the meeting which begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. You are invited to attend this hearing and address your verbal comments to the City Council. Written comments are also welcome up to the time of the hearing, and should be addressed to the City Council via the City Clerk’s Office via email at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov, or by mail at P.O. Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990.

Public comment may be given in person at the meeting or remotely via Zoom. Members of the public who wish to give public comment remotely may do so by completing the Zoom registration at the URL provided on the front page of the agenda.

On Thursday, June 11, 2026 an Agenda with all items to be heard on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, will be available at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street, and at the Central Library. Agendas and Staff Reports are also accessible online at http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/CAP. The Agenda includes instructions for participation in the meeting. If you wish to participate in the public hearing, please follow the instructions on the posted Agenda.

The hearing is to consider the adoption of the City of Santa Barbara 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, according to the requirements of California Water Code Division 6, Part 2.6, Chapter 3, commencing with § 10620. A copy of the proposed Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan is available for public review online at www. SantaBarbaraCA.gov/WaterVision. The preparation and adoption of the Urban Water Management Plan is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under California Water Code § 10652.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need auxiliary aids or services or staff assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator’s Office at 5645305. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will usually enable the City to make reasonable arrangements. Specialized services, such as sign language interpretation or documents in Braille, may require additional lead time to arrange.   (SEAL)

/s/ Sarah Gorman, MMC City Clerk Services Manager May 13, 2026

Insertion Date: Print: 5.29.26/ Digital included 5.27.26

VOICE Magazine • Community Market • LEGAL NOTICES

10.56” times 3 columns = $151.43 • 5.29.26 SHO hearing 6.10.26.Kira Esparza

RE: 526 Sea Ranch Dr; 1036 San Diego Rd; 217 Anacapa Street; 2521 Borton Drive

NOTICE OF PUBLICATIONS ON APPLICATIONS REGARDING PROVISIONS OF TITLE 28 AND/OR 30 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA (SBMC)

The Secretary of the Staff Hearing Officer has set a public hearing for Wednesday, June 10, 2026 beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the David Gebhard Public Meeting Room, 630 Garden Street.

On Thursday, June 4, 2026, an Agenda with all items to be heard on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 will be available online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/SHO. Agendas, Minutes, and Staff Reports are also accessible online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/SHO.

TELEVISION COVERAGE: This meeting will be broadcast live on City TV-Channel 18 and online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTV. See SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityTVProgramGuide for a rebroadcast schedule. An archived video of this meeting will be available at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PCVideos.

WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT: Public comments may be submitted via email to PCSecretary@SantaBarbaraCA.gov before the beginning of the Meeting. All public comments submitted via email will be provided to the Commission and will become part of the public record. You may also submit written correspondence via US Postal Service (USPS) addressed to PC Secretary, PO Box 1990, Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990. However, please be advised, correspondence sent via USPS may not be received in time to process prior to the meeting and email submissions are highly encouraged. Please note that the Commission may not have time to review written comments received after 4:30 p.m. the Tuesday before the meeting.

All public comment that is received before 4:30 p.m. the Tuesday before the meeting will be published on the City’s website at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PC. Comments provided via USPS or e-mail will be converted to a PDF before being posted on the City’s website. Note: comments will be published online the way they are received and without redaction of personal identifying information; including but not limited to phone number, home address, and email address. Only submit information that you wish to make available publicly.

APPEALS: Decisions of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council. For further information and guidelines on how to appeal a decision to City Council, please contact the City Clerk’s office at Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov as soon as possible. Appeals may be filed in person at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall or in writing via email to Clerk@SantaBarbaraCA.gov and by first class mail postage prepaid within 10 calendar days of the meeting at which the Commission took action or rendered its decision.  Appeals and associated fee postmarked after the 10th calendar day will not be accepted.

NOTE TO INTERESTED PARTIES: Only those persons who participate through public comment either orally or in writing on an item on this Agenda have standing to appeal the decision. Grounds for appeal are limited to those issues raised either orally or in written correspondence delivered to the review body at, or prior to, the public hearing.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:  If you need services or staff assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator’s Office at (805) 5645305. If possible, notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will usually enable the City to make reasonable arrangements. Specialized services, such as sign language interpretation or documents in Braille, may require additional lead time to arrange.

• 526 Sea Ranch Dr

Assessor’s Parcel Number: 047-021-017

Zoning Designation: A-1/S-D-3 (One-Family Residence/Coastal Overlay)

Application Number: PLN2025-00219 Filing Date: 5/2/2025

Applicant / Owner: Brett Ettinger, Ferguson-Ettinger Architects, Inc. / Clause Family Trust

Project Description: New detached Accessory Dwelling Unit.

• 1036 San Diego Rd

Assessor’s Parcel Number: 029-202-027

Zoning Designation: RS-15 (Residential Single Unit)

Application Number: PLN2025-00062

Applicant / Owner: Brian Miller, Brian B Miler Design / Abu-Omar Family 2022 Revocable Trust

Project Description: Modification to allow proposed two-car carport to encroach into the interior setback.

• 217 Anacapa Street

Assessor’s Parcel Number: 033-052-007

Zoning Designation: OC/HRC-2/S-D-3 (Ocean-Oriented Commercial/Hotel and Related Commerce/Coastal Overlay)

Application Number: PLN2025-00273 Filing Date: 6/6/2025

Applicant / Owner: Carlos Diaz / ANACAPA-HELENA 2013, LLC (CA)

Project Description: Coastal Development Permit for outdoor dining parklet for Mony’s Mexican Food.

• 2521 Borton Drive

Assessor’s Parcel Number: 041-291-002

Zoning Designation: E-3/S-D-3 (One-Family Residence/Coastal Overlay)

Application Number: PLN2026-00014 Filing Date: 1/8/2026

Applicant / Owner: Will Sofrin, Will Sofrin inc / Kerum Jennifer Stacey

Project Description: New primary residence with attached ADU

Insertion Date: Print: 5.29.26 and 6.5.26 Digital included 5.27.26 and 6.3.26

2.86”x2 col; $27.34 x 2 insertions = $54.68

5.29 & 6.5.26 Public Notice.Goleta Sanitary Distric.Reese Willson

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Board of Directors of the Goleta Sanitary District will hold a public hearing on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the District Board Room, One William Moffett Place, Goleta, CA 93117. The purpose of the hearing is to consider approval of an energy storage project pursuant to Government Code Section 4217, which authorizes public agencies to enter into energy service contracts when the anticipated project costs will be less than the marginal cost of the agency’s energy use if such project was not completed. All interested persons are invited to attend and comment. Written comments may be submitted prior to the hearing. For more information, contact the Goleta Sanitary District at (805) 967-4519.

DATED: May 15, 2026

GOLETA SANITARY DISTRICT

By __________________________________

Robert O. Mangus, Jr. Secretary of the Governing Board

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:

The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as SASSY NAILS at 2530 S Broadway, STE I, Santa Maria, CA 93454. QT KENNY NAILS LLC at 2530 S Broadway, STE I, Santa Maria, CA 93454. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on May 8, 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. 2026-0001234. Published May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 2026.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:

The following Individual is doing business as TREEHOUSE DISTRIBUTION at 5662 Calle Real #136, Goleta, CA 93117. CHRISTOPHER WILLINGHAM at 5662 Calle Real #136, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on May 1, 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. 2026-0001179. Published May 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026.

To place your classified ad, email advertising@VoiceSB.com

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:

The following Corporation is doing business as SEE GLOBAL NETWORK at 6500 Hollister Ave, Suite 120, Goleta, CA 93117. SURGICAL EYE EXPEDITIONS INTERNATIONAL at 6500 Hollister Ave, Suite 120, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on May 14, 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. 2026-0001285. Published May 22, 29, June 5, 12, 2026.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT:

The following Limited Liability Company is doing business as AMERICAN RIVIERA CLEANING CO at 5708 Hollister Ave, Suite A PMB 1074, Goleta, CA 93117. AMERICAN RIVIERA CLEANING CO LLC at 5708 Hollister Ave, Suite A PMB 1074, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara on May 22, 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. 2026-0001366. Published May 29, June 5, 12, 19, 2026.

ENJOY AN ICONIC TALE OF CINEMATIC NOSTALGIA when the director’s cut of Cinema Paradiso, written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, is screened by the CarseyWolf Center at UCSB’s Pollock Theatre at 2pm on Saturday, June 6th. Prior to the screening, Interim CWC Director and UCSB professor Ross Melnick will give a critical and historical introduction of the film. Free, RSVP recommended. Visit carseywolf.ucsb.edu

CINEMA EVENTS

American Direct Cinema Revisited • Screenings & talk with filmmaker Gordon Quinn • UCSB Pollock Theatre • Free, RSVP: carseywolf.ucsb.edu • 2pm Sa, 5/30.

Hunter Hawkins Screening/ Single Release • Singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker celebrates the release of new single Here Now with a screening of companion film Awake: Pinky’s Journey • Alcazar Theatre • $1520 • thealcazar.org • 7:30pm Fr, 6/5.

Cinema Paradiso (Director’s Cut) • A Sicilian filmmaker returns to his home town for the funeral of his mentor • UCSB’s Pollock Theater • Free, reservation recommended • carseywolf.ucsb.edu • 2pm Sa, 6/6.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Game On: MOXI Family Party

DIVE INTO THE REALM OF VIDEO GAMES when the MOXI hosts a special, after-hours family party with blockbuilding challenges, collectible creature quests, and hands-on adventures from 5 to 8pm on Saturday, May 30th. Costumes without weaponry are encouraged, and food and drinks will be available for purchase. For tickets ($15-35) visit moxi.org

Friday 5/29

CHILDREN

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

DANCE

Debut! 2026 • SB Dance Arts’ Boppin’ Babies and Tots first showcase • Center Stage Theatre • $19-44 • centerstagetheater.org • 5pm Fr, 5/29.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Special Lecture Event: Elizabeth Cree • Dr. Robert Weinman discusses the Music Academy’s summer opera • Lehmann Hall, MAW • Free with RSVP: musicacademy.org • 1pm Fr, 5/29. Chess Club • All ages and experience levels welcome • Faulkner Gallery • Free • 2:30-4pm Fr, 5/29.

MUSIC

Celebrating the Music of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers • Tribute band • AlcazarTheatre • $3545 • thealcazar.org • 7:30pm Fr, 5/29. Ojai Blues Fest • Two days of blues concerts • Ojai Art Center • $26-109 • ojaiartcenter.org • 6pm Fr, 5/29 &

Potluck des Français à SB • Informal gathering open to all who enjoys French culture • Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery • 5pm, Fr, 5/29.

Saturday 5/30

CHILDREN

Little G‘s • Storytime featuring Unicorns in Uniforms • Godmother’s Books • Free, reservation recommended • 11am Sa, 5/30.

Pathfinders: Finding Feathered Friends • Children ages 8-13 learn about Woodland birds • SB Botanic Garden Backcountry • Free, registration required • sbbotanicgarden.org • 11am12:15pm Sa, 5/30.

MOXI Family Party: GAME ON

• Hands-on retro video game inspired activities • MOXI • $15-35 • moxi.org

• 5-8pm Sa, 5/30.

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.

12:30pm Sa, 5/30.

British Beat • Tribute concert to the legends of 60s British rock • Lobero Theatre • $49-69 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Fr, 5/29.

Matt Perko and Special Guests • Jazz sets • The Grand on State • $25-35 • thegrandonstate.com • 7:3010:30pm Fr, 5/29.

The Midtown Men • Stars from original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys • Chumash Casino • $35-55 • chumashcasino.com/entertainment • 8pm Fr, 5/29.

OUTDOORS

Santa Cruz Island Day Trip • Guided walk around Scorpion Cove

• Meet at Ventura Harbor • $175-200 • sbbotanicgarden.org • 8:15am-6pm Fr, 5/29.

SBC Courthouse Docent Tours

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

SPECIAL EVENTS

Xtreme Backyards • Central California spa and hot tub show • Earl Warren Showgrounds • Free • xtremebackyard.com • 12-7pm Fr, 5/29; 10am-7pm Sa, 5/30; & 10am5pm Su, 5/31.

COMEDY

South Coast Stand-Up Comedy

• Featuring comics: Scotty Cav, Frank Lucero, and Vargus Mason • Alcazar Theatre • $15 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sa, 5/30.

DANCE

Oz Travels with Dorothy

• Inspire Dance Santa Barbara’s annual Spring performance • $28 • centerstagetheater.org • 4pm Sa, 5/30.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Contemporary Music Series Festival • Workshop for contemporary techniques for Flute • Department of Music, Xenakis Studio, classroom #2215 • Free • music.ucsb.edu • 4-5:30pm Su, 5/30.

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

Honeysuckle Possums • Cold Spring Tavern • 1:30-4:30pm Sa, 5/30.

Scholarship Showcase Concerts • Free concert by SB Music Club recipients • St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church • 3pm Sa, 5/30.

The Grand Celebration • Music all night long for The Grand on State opening • $85, includes entree and drink • 6pm-midnight Sa, 5/30.

UCSB Middle East Ensemble • Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall • $13 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm Sa, 5/30.

OUTDOORS

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

SPECIAL EVENTS

One Shining Night • Gala supporting Mental Wellness Center • Alma Rosa Estate • Sold out, waitlist: give.mentalwellnesscenter.org • 5pm Sa, 5/30.

SBCC Foundation Spring Forward! Gala • Celebrate and support Santa Barbara City College • SBCC West Campus, Great Meadow • $350 • sbccfoundation.org • 5pm Sa, 5/30.

Enchanted Evening • Gala fundraiser for United Boys & Girls Clubs • 4849 Foothill Rd, Carpinteria • $100 • tinyurl.com/5autmz5p • 6pm Sa, 5/30.

Sunday 5/31

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.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Collages of the Classical • Helen Morales discusses how artists use Greek myth • SB Museum of Art • $10-15 • sbma.net • 11am Su, 5/31.

Mystery Writers Panel • Meet new Literary Branch Chair, Kathleen Kaiser and four local authors • Ojai Art Center • $5 donation • 2pm Su, 5/31.

Author Talk • Shannon Algeo discusses The Power in Your Hands • Godmothers Bookstore • $23+ • godmothers.com • 6pm Su, 5/31. Empathy Cafe • Practice listening skills and communication • Riviera Theatre, upstairs • Free • 11am-1pm Su.

MUSIC

UCSB Student Carillon Recital • UCSB Storke Tower • Free • 10am Su, 5/31.

Live Music at the Library • Concert by The Funky Neighbors, presented by SBPL & SB Black Culture House • SB Public Library Plaza • Free • 1-4pm Su, 5/31.

Light & Flight • Grammy-winner Christopher Tin conducts the SB Choral Society • Trinity Lutheran Church • $30 • sbchoral.org • 3 & 7pm Su, 5/31.

Live Music at the Library

KICK OFF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC MONTH when Santa Barbara Black Culture House, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Public Library, presents a free Hip Hop-Bebop fusion concert by The Funky Neighbors on Library Plaza from 1 to 4pm on Sunday, May 31st. Free and open to the

Teresa Russell • Cold Spring Tavern • 1:30-4:30pm Su, 5/31.

OUTDOORS

Peace of Mind Walk • Fundraising walk for Mental Wellness Center • Alma Rosa Winery • $70 • almarosawinery.com/peace-of-mind • 9am Su, 5/31.

Mother’s Day Trishaw Rides • Free 1 hour rides each Sun. in May • Email cwa.carp@gmail.com to RSVP, details at cyclemaynia.org • 1-3pm Su.

Sunday Architecture Tour • Meet at Public Library Plaza at 40 E Anapamu St • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.

SPECIAL EVENTS

AD&M 20th Anniversary event • Two shows featuring The Dance Hub Performance Group and special guests • The Dance Hub • $10 • adam-tdh.org • 2pm & 4pm Su, 5/31.

Kalo Taxidi Farewell to Hermes • Free send-off party for museum sculpture with art activities, refreshment, and toasts • SB Museum of Art • 12-1:20pm Su, 5/31.

Palate to Palette • Fundraiser gala for Carpinteria Arts Center • Sold out, to join waitlist call 805-684-7789 • 4-7pm Su, 5/31.

Monday 6/1

CHILDREN

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

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Garden Talk • Adaptive/Assessable Gardening • Zoom • Free • ucanr.edu • 7pm Mo, 6/1.

A Natural History of Human Longevity • Micheal Gurven discusses adulthood transitions and population aging • SBMNH Fleischmann Auditorium • Free • 7pm Mo, 6/1.

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

MUSIC

UCSB Chamber Orchestra • An evening of classical works • UCSB’s Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall • $10 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm Mo, 6/1.

Tuesday 6/2

COMEDY

Carpinteria Improv Drop-In Class • Learn or practice skills • Alcazar Theatre • $10 • 7pm Tu.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Women in Architecture • Faydra Gage, P.E. & Jenny Viveros, EIT, discuss Architecture and Engineering • Sherry & Associates • $0-17 • aiasb.com • 5:30pm Tu, 6/2.

Rooted Nutrition Jumpstart

• Interactive workshop in healthy eating • Eastside Library Patio • Free, registration recommended • 5:30pm Tu, 6/2.

Kelly Mooney & Katy Mooney

• Discuss their book UP!: The Playbook for Every Woman on the Rise • Godmother’s Books • $17 • godmothers.com • 6pm Tu, 6/2.

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

MUSIC

Lord Huron • Indie rock band with special guest FIGHTMASTER • Santa Barbara Bowl • $42-109 • sbbowl.com • 7pm Tu, 6/2.

UCSB Ensemble for Contemporary Music • Directed by Jonathan Moerschel, featuring compositions by UCSB students • Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall • $10 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm Tu, 6/2.

Enlightened Harmonies: A Celebration of Jewish Choral Music • Performed by Adelfos Ensemble • Trinity Episcopal Church • $15-20, ages 18 and under free • adelfosensemble.org/tickets • 7:30pm Tu, 6/2.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Special Olympics • 2026 Law Enforcement Torch Run Ceremony • Santa Barbara Police Department • 1:15pm Tu, 6/2.

Board Games + Brews • Community game night • Night Lizard Brewing Company, 607 State St • 6-9pm Tu.

The Timeless Gala

CELEBRATE PASSION AND ARTISTRY when Momentum Dance Company presents The Timeless Gala, a production featuring Momentum dancers from ages 3 to 18 that will span ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and more. Performances will be held at 12pm and 5pm on Saturday, June 6th at the Lobero Theatre. For tickets ($35-65) visit lobero.org

Wednesday 6/3

CHILDREN

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

DANCE

Downtown West Coast Swing

Dancing • Lessons followed by open dance • Night Lizard Brewing Company • Free • 6-8pm We, 6/3.

Kinetic Lab • Student dance performance • UCSB’s Hatlen Theater • $11-17 • theaterdance.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm We, 6/3 through Fr, 6/5.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Gregory Orfalea • Discusses and signs his book Wonder + Shame • Chaucer’s Books • Free • 6pm We, 6/3. 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

UCSB Chamber Players • A concert of classical masterpieces • UCSB’s Karl Geiringer Hall • $10 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm We, 6/3.

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

SPECIAL EVENTS

Cocktails and the Summer Garden • George Yatchisin discusses how to use garden space as a source for cocktails • Trinity Lutheran Church • Free • 7pm We, 6/3.

Thursday 6/4

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Medication Matters

• Haley Stewart discusses psychopharmacology in mental health and substance use disorders • Casa Serena • Free • 11am-1pm Th, 6/4. State of Nonprofits in SB County • Key findings and recomendations from the 2025 report • Virtual meeting • Free • sbfoundation.org • 10am Th, 6/4.

Parasitic Oscillations • A Reading and conversation with Madhur Anand on art and science • SBMA, Preston Morton Gallery • Free • sbma.net • 5pm Th, 6/4.

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

MUSIC

UCSB Music of India • North Indian classical music for sitar and tabla • UCSB’s Karl Geiringer Hall • $10 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm Th, 6/4. Live Student Showcase • Vocal and piano performances spanning rock, pop and more • Center Stage Theater • $19 • centerstagetheater.org • 6:30pm Th, 6/4.

Sam Grisman Project • Bass player Sam Grisman and rotating group of acousticians • Lobero Theatre • $45-85 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Th, 6/4.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Adult Summer Reading Kickoff • Pick up a Summer Reading Zine, make a library card and more • Fox Wine Co • Free • 5-7pm Th, 6/4.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Continued

Opera in the Park

BASK IN OPERATIC MELODIES

BENEATH THE OPEN SKY when Opera Santa Barbara presents a free Opera in the Park program from 3 to 4:30pm at Godric Grove at Elings Park on Sunday, June 7th. Themed A Celebration of American Song, the concert will celebrate the United State’s 250th birthday with selections from American opera, musical theatre, and art song. Guests are encouraged to pack a picnic and bring blankets and seat cushions. For tickets ($20 advance, $25 at door, ages 18 and under free) visit operasb.org

Friday 6/5

DANCE

Australia’s Thunder From Down Under • Male dance performance • Chumash Casino Resort • $35-55 • chumashcasino.com • 8pm Fr, 6/5.

Alice! (in Wonderland) and Other Dances • Blending of classical ballet and contemporary • Center Stage Theater • $20-50 • centerstagetheater.org • 7pm Fr, 6/5 & Sa, 6/6, and 2pm Su, 6/7.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Climate Fridays • Melissa

Hetrick discusses Santa Barbara’s Waterfront Adaptation Plan • CEC’s Environmental Hub • Free, RSVP recommended • 4pm Fr, 6/5.

Tai Chi at the Garden • Traditional Tai Chi & Kung Fu hosted by Master Yun • SB Botanic Garden, Island View Lawn • $10-15 • sbbotanicgarden.org • 9am Fr, 6/5.

Creative Framing • Embellish a frame or mat • EE Makerspace • $40 • exploreecology.org • 6pm Fr, 6/5.

MUSIC

UCSB Gospel Choir • Student singers perform traditional and contemporary gospel music • UCSB’s Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall • $10 • music.ucsb.edu • 7:30pm Fr, 6/5.

Scholarship Showcase Concert • SB Music Club recipients

• Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church • Free • 3pm Sa, 6/6.

An Evening of Folk & Fiddle • Featuring The McCrees and Friends and Phil Salazar and Tom Corbett, known as America’s Odd Couple • Alcazar Theatre • $20-35 • thealcazar.org • 7pm Sa, 6/6.

OUTDOORS

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

SPECIAL EVENTS

All Ages Summer Reading Kickoff • Sign up for the summer reading program and pick up free books • Michael Towbes Library Plaza • Free • 11am-1:30pm Sa, 6/6.

Be Our Guest On Ice • Skating inspired by the music of Beauty and the Beast • Ice in Paradise • $20-30 • iceinparadise.org • 6:30pm Sa, 6/6.

Every Brilliant Thing

CELEBRATE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING when Ensemble Theatre Company presents the interactive one-man play Every Brilliant Thing at The New Vic. Previews start with a pay-what-you-can night at 7:30pm on Wednesday, June 3rd, with opening night to be held at 8pm on Saturday, June 6th. Performances will continue through June 21st. For tickets ($25-104) visit etcsb.org

Christopher Cross • Rock performance • Lobero Theatre • $60175 • lobero.org • 7:30pm Fr, 6/5.

Desperado • Eagles tribute performance • Granada Theatre • $7595 • granadasb.org • 7pm Fr, 6/5.

Saturday 6/6

CHILDREN

Little G’s • Pete Oswald reads Kindergarten Gets Ready • Godmother’s Books • Free, RSVP: godmothers.com • 11am Sa, 6/6.

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.

DANCE

The Timeless Gala • Presented by Momentum Dance Company • Lobero Theatre • $35-65 • lobero.org • 12pm & 5pm Sa, 6/6.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Alex Elle • Discusses her book The Company We Keep • Godmother’s Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Sa, 6/6.

MUSIC

Oddly Straight • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Sa, 6/6.

National Trails Day Volunteer Event • Learn about trail restoration and help improve conditions on Rattlesnake Canyon Trail • Skofield Park • RSVP required, contact EUllrich@SantaBarbaraCA.gov • 8:30am-2pm Sa, 6/6.

World Oceans Day • Interact with sea animals and learn about ecosystems • Sea Center on Stearns Wharf • Free admission • 10am-4pm Sa, 6/6.

POP! • Presidio Orchard Party featuring wine tasting, bites, live music, and activities • El Presidio de Santa Barbara • $100 • sbthp.org • 4-7pm Sa, 6/6.

Sunday 6/7

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.

LECTURES/MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS

Darby Saxbe & Emily Jacobs

• Discuss Dad Brain • Godmother’s Books • $23 • godmothers.com • 6pm Su, 6/7.

MUSIC

Opera in the Park • An afternoon of live, American music • Godric Grove at Elings Park • Free-$25 • operasb.org • 3-4:30pm Su, 6/7.

Eleanor • Kandis Chappell portrays First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt • Rubicon Theatre • $30155 • rubicontheatre.org • 7pm We, 5/13 through Su, 5/31.

Bodies Unbound • A OneWoman Theater Piece written and performed by Cynthia Waring • REH Contemporary Gallery • Free • 2pm Sa, 5/16 & 5/30.

Chamber On The Mountain

• Pianist Hui Wu with guest Joo Kim • Logan House, Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts • $40 • chamberonthemountain.com • 3pm Su, 6/7.

Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan • Blend of guitar and harmonica blues, rags, and good time music • Cold Spring Tavern • Free • 1:30-4:30pm Su, 6/7.

John C. Reilly is Mister

Romantic • Comedy storytelling set to live music • Lobero Theatre • $55125 • lobero.org • 7pm Su, 6/7.

Every Brilliant Thing • To help his mother through depression a child makes a list of every brilliant thing in the world • Ensemble Theatre Company • The New Vic • $25-104 • etcsb.org • 7:30pm We, 6/3 through 6/21.

OUTDOORS

Sunday Architecture Tour • Meet at Public Library Plaza at 40 E Anapamu St • Architectural Fdn of SB • $20 • afsb.org • 10am Sun.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration • Enviormental Defense Center Fundraiser, with food, wine, and an auction • Rancho La Patera and Stow House • $150 • environmentaldefensecenter.org • 2-5:30pm Su, 6/7.

Therapeutic Massage

Specializing in injuries, Sports massage, Swedish, Lymphatic, Somatic massage & Life Coaching v.gabriela@yahoo.com 805-453-1139 www.comefromyourheart.com

Santa Barbara

County Polls, Ballot DropOffs Open for June 2nd Election Day

SERVING THE THOUSANDS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS

who will be casting their votes in the Statewide Direct Primary Election, the Santa Barbara County Elections Office will run polling locations throughout the county from 7am to 8pm on Election Day, Tuesday, June 2nd. Ballot DropOffs are also open and being monitored from now up to the 8pm voting deadline. All vote by mail ballots must be dropped off at a drop-off location by 8pm on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Ballot Drop-Offs in the immediate area include: Carpinteria City Hall, Goleta City Hall, Goleta Valley Community Center, the County Administration Building, Santa Barbara Elections Office, MacKenzie Park, Santa Barbara City College - West Campus, Santa Barbara City Hall, and the UCSB Student Resource Building.

For a complete list of polling locations and additional Ballot Drop-Offs visit countyofsb.org/164/Elections

Old Spanish Days Fiesta Mercado De La Guerra to Expand

ONE OF FIESTA’S

CHERISHED HOTSPOTS WILL BE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER this year as Old Spanish Days officials plan for Mercado De La Guerra to expand onto two blocks of State Street during the 2026 Fiesta festivities running August 5th to 9th. El Presidente Colin Hayward made the announcement alongside Spirit of Fiesta Jenna Ramirez on Tuesday.

“Everyone is looking forward to a great Fiesta this year, and we are extremely excited to be expanding the popular Mercado De La Guerra onto State Street,” said Hayward. “The Mercado is such a big part of the Fiesta experience. It’s our center for so much of the community celebration, and we are looking forward to having more booths, more entertainment, and more food opportunities so that everyone in our community can continue to have a memorable Fiesta during August.”

Hayward also announced Fiesta’s Historic Parade, El Desfile Histórico, will once again run along Cabrillo Boulevard from Castillo Street to the Chromatic Gate, just past the Hilton Beachfront Resort, on Friday, August 7th.

Fiesta Pequeña will also return to the steps of Old Mission Santa Barbara on the opening night of Fiesta, Wednesday, August 5th. Noches de Ronda will return Thursday through Saturday, August 6th to 8th. The El Presidente Party, one of the two major fundraisers that helps Old Spanish Days provide Fiesta events free to the public, will be held on the Saturday prior to Fiesta. The Arts & Crafts Show will take place along Cabrillo Boulevard during Fiesta weekend. All festivities will be supported by volunteers and feature local businesses, restaurants, entertainers, and community groups. sbfiesta.org

Santa Barbara Beautiful Tree of the Month — May 2026

Himalayan Maple Acer

oblongum

By David Gress / Special to VOICE

HIMALAYAN MAPLE

is a rather odd maple tree - one that fails to have nearly every aspect usually associated with maples. It is not deciduous - its leaves neither change color nor fall off in autumn; rather, it is evergreen the year round. Moreover, its leaves are neither lobed nor indented - like the stylized maple leaf on the Canadian Flag; instead, they are lance-shaped and bear smooth margins that may be slightly scalloped.

The only thing “maple-ish” about it are its seeds, which are the traditional winged samaras.

As its name implies, Himalayan Maple is native to the lower humid Himalayan regions of Nepal, Kashmir (now named Bhutan), western China, and northern India, at elevations of 2,000 to 6,500 feet. It was first imported into Great Britain in 1824, and was introduced into Santa Barbara in the early 1900s by Dr. Francesco Franceschi, one of our pioneering local horticulturists.

“perfect,” which means each flower contains both male and female sexual parts; these can cross-pollinate with another tree or self-pollinate, greatly aiding reproduction. Pollinated flowers produce hard seeds with paper-like wings (1-inch long), called samaras, which will spin off in crazy circles when the wind blows. The seeds occur in large bunches near the ends of branches - and can persist on the tree for more than one season.

Other common names for the Himalayan Maple are “Kashmir Maple,” “Oblong Maple,” and “Flying Moth Tree.” As with all the species of maples, it has recently been reclassified into the Sapindaceae (Soapberry) plant family, though its botanical name remains Acer oblongum. The genus name, Acer, is the Latin word for “maples.” The specific epithet, oblongum, is also Latin and means “oblong,” referring to the long and narrow leaves.

Himalayan Maple is one of two evergreen maples that are grown in our area. The

are seen as street trees in the 2200 block of Santa Barbara Street.

Himalayan Maple is a smallto medium-sized tree that can reach a height of 25feet (though it often remains shorter), is rather slow-growing, and carries a dense oval-shaped crown.

The most notable feature is its thick, graceful, and glossy foliage. Its leaves are long (5 inches in length; 2½ inches in width), leathery, dark green on the top side, and pale whitish green on the underside. New growth can be an attractive reddish bronze color.

other is appropriately named “Evergreen Maple”, the botanical name of which is Acer paxii (the name honors F. Pax (1858-1942), a taxonomist of maples). It grows to be a little larger (up to 40-feet) than the Himalayan Maple - and has threelobed leaves that are more similar in shape to those of common deciduous maples. It is native to the mountain forests of southwestern China.

Himalayan Maples (Acer oblongum) are seen as street trees in the 300 to 500 blocks of East Micheltorena Street, on the northeast corner of Vista de la Cumbre and Calle Rosales, and in the 2000 block of Santa Barbara Street. Evergreen Maples (Acer paxii)

The light gray bark makes a striking contrast against the vibrant foliage. When the tree is young, its bark is smooth; with age, it develops cracks and irregular plates that peel off.

In December and January, clusters of small, inconspicuous, yellow-green flowers appear among the leaves. The flowers are

Himalayan Maple prefers full sun - but can tolerate partial shade. It can grow in many soil typesbut prefers a deep sandy loam. It can survive with our normal rainfall - but generally needs an occasional deep watering during the dry season and especially during periods of extended drought. It is cold hardy to 20⁰ F. It is surprisingly easy to propagate from seeds - when started in a moist planting mix, germination occurs within a few weeks.

In our community, Himalayan Maple is grown primarily as an ornamental tree due to its attractive evergreen foliage and small size. It is useful in private gardens and in parks and

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

Eagles Nest Ocean Views

Santa Barbara’s Premiere Ocean View Apartments

• Every apartment has outstanding ocean views with the very best island and sunset views in town.

• 32 one bedroom apartments, each with granite counter tops and a magnificent view.

• Recently updated on a dead end street with a reserved carport parking spot for each unit.

• Only six blocks to the ocean and on a bluff top with mild ocean breezes year round. All the top floor units have high beamed ceilings and no steps, so easy access for all ages.

• See the best of Santa Barbara from this park-like setting.

For more information or to schedule an appointment call John at 805-451-4551.

John R. WhitehuRst Property Manager/Owner

805-451-4551 • SBOceanViewRentals.com Home Realty & Investment DRE#01050144

June 1st to 27th, 2026

SummerDance

1st Thursday Reception • Thursday, June 4th • 5-8pm La Cumbre Plaza 3rd Friday Artwalk • June 19th • 5-7:30pm

Art Venues

10 West Gallery • In the Pink: through June 21 • 10 W Anapamu • 11-5 We-Mo • 805-770-7711 • 10westgallery.com

Architectural Fdn Gallery • Lindsay Skutch: Pinhole Noir, through May 30 • 229 E Victoria • 805-965-6307

• 1–4 some Sa & By Appt • afsb.org

Arrediamo Fine Art & Traditional Rugs Gallery • 911.5 State St • arrediamo.com

Art & Soul Gallery • New Day May 21 through May 24; Lucia De Miguel: Viridian Shores June 4-July 19• 1323 State St • artandsoulsb.com

Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UCSB • Fault Lines • through Jun 7 • MFA thesis show • 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 • 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

Lompoc • 1-4 Sa & Su • 805-737-1129 • 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 • Roland

Petersen Undiminished: A Centennial Celebration through Aug 11 • History & Danish culture • 1624 Elverhoy Way, Solvang • 805-686-1211 • 11-5 Th-Mo • elverhoj.org

Faulkner Gallery • Covering 40 Years: through May; Oak Group: Preserve & Cherish June 2-29 • 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

Communities through July 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 • Fine Print, Hard Lines: Housing and Exclusion in Santa Barbara; 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 • Scaling the Walls • 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 • Solstice Workshop Open • 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 • Claudette

Carlton: Watercolor Works • May 28 through June 28 • 119 E Cypress Av,

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 • Palete to Palette • through May 31 • 12-4 Th-Su • 865 Linden • 805-684-7789 • carpinteriaartscenter.org

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

Marcia Burtt Gallery • Peggy Gruen and At The Beach through June 21 • Landscape paintings, prints, & books • 517 Laguna St • 1-5 Th-Su • 805-9625588 • artlacuna.com

Mate Gallery • Beach images alongside vintage oils, gifts • 1014 Coast Village Rd • 805-895-6283 • mategallery.com

Toni Scott LCCCA Elevate Gallery La Cumbre Plaza toniscott@earthlink.net

Santa Barbara Art Works • Arts Education for All • 28 E Victoria St • 805-260-6705 • M-F 8:30-4:30 • sbartworks.org

Fuzion Gallery & Boutique • Hand blown glass, 100 + artists • 1115 State St • fuzionglass.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 • Ann Wirtz: Limitless: through May 30; Sheryl Knight & Linda Mutti: Art from the Heart June • Daily 10-4pm • 2920 Grand Av • 805-688-7517 • gallerylosolivos.com

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

Grace Fisher Fdn • Inclusive Arts Clubhouse • Paintings by Grace Fisher • 121 S Hope, La Cumbre Plaza • WeSu 11-5pm • gracefisherfoundation.org

Indah Gallery • Mark Russell Jones, opens May 14 • Fri-Sun 12-5 • 2190 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez • 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

Kathryne Designs • Local Artists

• 1225 Coast Village Rd, A • 10-5 Mo-Sa; 11-5 Su • 805-565-4700 • kathrynedesigns.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 • 11-6pm Tu-Sun • 653 Paseo Nuevo • mcasantabarbara.org

Legacy Arts International • Wed-Sun 12-8pm • 310-880-6671 • legacyartsb.com

Palm Loft Gallery • 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 • 805252-9659 • @peregrinegalleries

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

Pippin • La Aracada’s newest art, antiques, and Lifestyle boutique • 1114 State #24.

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

REH Contemporary • 12 West Anapamu • Studio of Ruth Ellen Hoag and gallery for local artists • 805-6890858 • RuthEllenHoag.com

Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art • Textual Integration • through May 31 • 410 Palm Av, B3, Carpinteria • 805-576-6152: weekends & by appt • RubensteinChan.com

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

Santa Barbara City Hall Gallery

• Scaling The Walls • featuring Arts Alliance members • 735 Anacapa St .

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 June; 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 • Aquean: through Jul 26 • The Chumash, Whaling, Commercial Diving, Surfing, Shipwrecks, First Order

Art Venues

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; Magical Realism: Latin American Photographers in Dialogue through Jun 14; RandomAccess Memory: Internet Art, through Sep 27; As if in a Dream: History, Fantasy, Future: through January 3; 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 • 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 • 805682-4711 • sbnature.org

Santa Barbara Tennis Club - 2nd Fridays Art • SB Visual Artists, through May 26 • 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 • Hunt

Slonem: a leading figure of American Neo-Expressionism • through Jun 7 • 33 W Anapamu St. • Wed-Sat 11-6 • 805610-1203 • seimandileprieur.com

Stewart Fine Art • Early CA Plein Air Paintings + European Fine Art + Antiques • 539 San Ysidro Rd • 11-5:30

Art Events

3 Day Exhibition: Young Imaginations • Art & Soul Gallery • students of Bright Start Child Development Center • 106pm Fr-Su, 5/29-31.

Palete to Palette • Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center Fundraiser • Tickets call for availability-805-684-7789 • 4-7pm Su, 5/31.

Kalo Taxidi Farewell to Hermes • Free send-off party for museum sculpture with art activities, refreshment, and toasts • SB Museum of Art • 12-1:20pm Su, 5/31.

Mo-Sa • 805-845-0255

Sullivan Goss • Meredith Brooks

Abbott: Capturing Our Time through Jun 22; The Art of Collecting, May 29 through Jul 27 • 11 E Anapamu St • 10-5:30 daily • 805-730-1460 • sullivangoss.com

Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum • 122 W Canon

Perdido • 11-4 Fr-Sa; Su-Th by appt • quinlanmuseum.com • 805-687-4623

SYV Historical Museum & Carriage House • Art of The Western Saddle • ongoing • 3596 Sagunto St, SY • 12-4 Sa, Su • 805-688-7889 • santaynezmuseum.org

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

UCSB Library Ocean Gallery • Unyielding Voices: Global Resistance and the Black Radical Tradition • through Jun 12 • library.ucsb.edu

Voice Gallery • Abstract Art Collective’s Spring Show, through May 30; SummerDance through June • La Cumbre Plaza H-124 • 10-5:30 M-F; 1-5 Sa-Sun • 805-965-6448

Waterhouse Gallery Montecito •

Notable CA & National Artists • 1187 Coast Village Rd • 11-5 Mo-Su • 805962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com

Waterhouse Gallery SB • Notable CA & National Artists • La Arcada Ct, 1114 State St, #9 • 11-5 Mo-Sa • 805962-8885 • waterhousegallery.com

Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum Of Art • Habitual Curiosity: Paintings by Chelsea Roberts (‘18) through Jun 20; Altered Realities 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

Art of Wellness program offers students space to pause, create and connect

By Debra Herrick

ANEW UC SANTA BARBARA PROGRAM aims to meet a growing need among students: support for managing stress and anxiety in everyday life.

Launched this winter, “Art of Wellness” combines meditation, creative exercises and informal communitybuilding in a series of workshops open to all students. The program is led by France Winddance Twine, a sociology professor who recently stepped into the role of associate vice chancellor of culture and inclusive excellence, with a focus on mental health–related programming.

a guided art activity. Students are provided with materials and invited to participate at their own pace.

“They just have to show up,” Twine said.

In one recent session, students from diverse backgrounds created abstract drawings inspired by Pablo Picasso’s “Constellation” sketches, placing dots on paper and connecting them into images. The exercise is intended less as an art lesson and more as a way to shift attention and reduce stress.

“I want to help you get back to that state of nonjudgment where you can just stop and doodle,” Twine said.

Textual Integrations closing celebration • Celebrate local artists and enjoy roving minstrels • Rubenstein Chan Contemporary Art, 410 Palm Ave, Unit B3, Carpinteria • 2-5pm Su, 5/31.

1st Thursday • Art venues open late for a cultural night out. See pages 16 & 17 for complete listing • 5-8pm Thu, 6/4.

Carpinteria Creative Arts Market • Pottery, beach art, cards, jewelry, sewn articles • 8th St & Linden Av • Free • 2:30pm-6pm Thu.

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

Held every other Wednesday at 2pm in Mosher Alumni House Room 2104, “Art of Wellness” sessions help students develop skills and strategies to cope with stress and cultivate compassion. Each session includes a free lunch from locally owned South Coast Deli.

Twine said the idea emerged from both her professional background and what she has observed in recent years.

“Beginning during the pandemic and then afterwards, I noticed that I had more and more students who had anxiety disorders, had depression,” she said.

Before pursuing her academic career, Twine was employed as a mental health worker at the Institute of Psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Her initial area of specialization was with men and women struggling with eating disorders. A decade later while at UC Berkeley, she worked at the Mission Crisis Center providing outpatient clinical services. That experience, combined with what Twine has observed in the post-COVID era, a noticeable shift in student well-being, led her to think about how the university might expand its approach to support.

At the same time, she began exploring creative practices during the pandemic, taking part in online art programs and reconsidering the role of art in daily life.

“I started really thinking about art as a form of therapy,” she said.

The resulting program is designed to be accessible and low commitment. Workshops typically begin with a short meditation, followed by

The workshops conclude with a shared lunch, which Twine sees as an important part of the experience. Students from different majors and backgrounds — including STEM, humanities and the arts — have attended, often bringing friends.

Attendance has ranged from eight to about a dozen students per session so far, with participation growing through word of mouth. Twine said some students have returned regularly and have begun incorporating techniques introduced in the sessions into their routines.

“I’m trying to provide a new tool, an interdisciplinary space, and an experience that doesn’t cost them any money,” she said, “that just creates a little sanctuary moment.”

The program also emphasizes flexibility and low pressure. Students are not required to share personal information or produce finished work, and no prior experience with art or meditation is needed.

“This is not about judgment,” Twine said. “This is about a space for you to play for 30 minutes.”

Twine said she hopes the program will complement existing campus resources by offering an additional, informal setting where students can build coping skills and connect with others.

“I want it to be a place where they can just show up and not feel like they have to perform,” she said.

“Art of Wellness” will continue through the spring quarter, with sessions scheduled every other week on Wednesdays. Twine plans to expand outreach and refine the program based on student feedback.

Her goal, she said, is straightforward: to give students practical tools and a supportive environment during what can be a stressful time.

“I just want them to feel that they can create a moment where they’re not stressed,” she said. Printed with permission of UCSB Office of Public Affairs and Communications.

UPCOMING LECTURE EVENT: ELIZABETH CREE

Fri, May 29, 1 PM • Lehmann Hall

Join Dr. Robert Weinman for an inside look at this summer’s can’t-miss opera, and explore the story and music behind this gripping work. • Co-presented with VISTAS Lifelong Learning, Inc.

SB Botanic Garden conservation director: Santa Rosa Island fire a ‘wake-up call’

Firefighters have contained 97 percent of the fire, which, driven by high-powered winds, spread to over 18,300 acres, torching through onethird of the island

By Julianna Lozada / Santa Barbara News-Press 5.27.26

ON FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 15TH, a 67-year-old shipwrecked sailor crashed his boat into the rocks of Santa Rosa Island and later sent emergency flares into the air for help.

Authorities said the flares started a fire, and environmentalists watched closely as the blaze began to creep toward the Torrey Pines groves, one of only two places in the world where the rare tree species naturally grows. But, much to their relief, while patches of trees did burn down, the majority “remain largely intact.”

“We all hoped the fire would never reach the Torrey Pines, but it did,” said Heather Schneider, director of conservation and research at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. “Now that it’s looking like it was a mostly low-intensity fire and that most trees are still intact, I think we all breathed a big sigh of relief.”

mainland California—Santa Rosa Island hosts approximately 500 plant and 100 wildlife species, of which 46 are endemic to the Channel Islands.

“Islands are special in that way,” Schneider said.

They have numerous unique flora and fauna both by virtue of being habitats that can house ancient lineages of plants like the Torrey Pines but also the plants, brought by animals, humans or wind, that have evolved to become unique to their mainland counterparts, she said.

For Schneider, the scope of the fire was a “wake-up call.”

“At least in modern history, there hasn’t been a fire nearly this big on that island,” Schneider said.

A self-proclaimed “seed nerd,” Schneider leads research and recovery efforts at the garden to protect California’s native plants.

Firefighters have since contained 97 percent of the fire, which, driven by highpowered winds, spread to over 18,300 acres, torching through one-third of the island.

As firefighting efforts begin to wrap-up on Santa Rosa Island, one of eight California Channel Islands, local environmentalists are wondering how conservation efforts will move forward to restore one of the most unique ecosystems in the world.

The island, located 40 miles off the Ventura Coast, is 53,000 acres of rugged coastline, deep-cut canyons and rolling grasslands. Because of its geographical isolation and unique microclimate— which is cooler and foggier than most of

able to evaluate the impacts of the fire,” Schneider said.

once there; what remained was found on areas inaccessible to grazing animals.

Over the past few years, her team at the garden has been harvesting seeds from the Torrey Pines grove on Santa Rosa Island for its own conservation grove at the garden, which was just installed in March.

“It’s eerie timing with how recently we just installed that,” Schneider said. “This is why we do what we do and why we undertake these long-term efforts.”

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is the official seed bank of Channel Islands National Park, holding the largest collection of seeds from Channel Island plants across California, including all the rare plant species that are in the path of fire.

The seed bank acts as an “insurance policy” that the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and others keep in case they need to do any replanting in its conservation grove.

“Thanks to those efforts, we have a nice repository of seeds that we can use to either do seeding or grow plants and put plants back out on Santa Rosa Island if we find that we need that after we’re

Schneider says she’s been in touch with personnel at Channel Islands National Park about the garden’s ability to help. But once the fire’s contained, she and the garden will have more of an idea with what that would look like. Some of the earliest steps they’ll take are getting out onto the island, assessing the damage and then deciding what kind of recovery or restoration needs to be done.

While Santa Rosa Island attracts avid campers and hiking enthusiasts year-round for its natural beauty and undeveloped coastline, anthropologists’ main draw is the 13,000-year history of the island’s occupants, and the larger story they tell about the history of human civilization.

In 1959, the archeologist Phill Orr made a ground-breaking discovery on the island, uncovering the remains of some of North America’s oldest inhabitants.

Before European colonists first settled on the Channel Islands 200 years ago, the Chumash tribe lived on the island for nearly 10,000 years. In the 1800s, the island came under the rule of Mexico, then the Carrillo brothers and their daughters, whose husbands began ranching on the island.

Ranching on the Channel Islands lasted nearly 150 years, which introduced sheep, pigs, elk and deer. In 1986, the National Park Service purchased Santa Rosa Island and began removing those non-native species from the island in the 1990s to help recover native vegetation. When USGS scientists surveyed the island in the 1990s, they were unable to locate much of the native plant species

After the last of these invasive animals were removed in 2012 and 2013, “the islands have been on a trajectory of recovery,” Schneider said.

“There was a lot of natural recovery, and there’s been a lot of work by Channel Islands National Park, the garden and other island collaborators to also do active restoration and recovery,” Schneider said. “So in a way, [the fire] feels like a little bit of a reset. It’s definitely a perturbation of a recovering system.”

Schneider says this fire will also be a good learning opportunity for understanding how the pines respond after.

“I think between that, the lowintensity fire and the garden’s conservation grove, I feel cautiously optimistic,” Schneider said.

But with climate change exacerbating the threat of more frequent, larger-scale disasters, Schneider is also thinking about the possibility of another big disaster.

As a conservationist, she’s paying attention to changing temperature and rainfall patterns that could impact the germination of Channel Islands plants and lead to their gradual decline.

“In modern history, fire has been relatively rare on the island,” Schneider said. “I know that a lot of us are thinking about, under hotter, drier conditions, could we start to see more fire? How do we prepare for that?”

This story was originally published by the Santa Barbara News-Press. Printed with permission • 5.27.2026 • newspress.com

Santa Barbara County transportation officials tee up more than a quarter billion dollars for projects through 2031

The Measure A sales tax revenue will fund regional and local projects that include the final phases of Highway 101 widening, bike paths and street maintenance

By Tom Schultz / Santa Barbara News-Press 5.25.26

PEDESTRIAN, BIKE, TRANSIT AND HIGHWAY PROJECTS

across Santa Barbara County are on the cusp of a $50 million funding injection, an annual rollout of local sales tax revenue that could hit the streets as soon as July.

The fiscal year 2026-27 funds are a slice of more to come—with $270 million expected to be distributed over the next five years.

A whopping 79 percent of county voters in 2008 approved Measure A, a half-cent sales tax for transportation. Originally expected to generate $1.05 billion from 2010 through 2040, officials now estimate the total at $1.6 billion, and say so far the funding has matched inflation.

California counties have this type of funding stream.

The SBCAG board of directors recently reviewed the latest slate of projects, with little fanfare, and is expected to adopt the spending plan in late June.

South Coast Projects

In the most visible and expensive endeavor, the work to widen Highway 101 along the South Coast continues on a near-daily basis. The bulk of it began in 2016 in Carpinteria and then crews moved northward, with construction recently focused on reconfiguring lanes and access ramps through Montecito.

Over the next five years, the 101 fix will receive more than $63 million from Measure A, with nearly half that to be allocated in 2026-27 as the project nears its completion south of Salinas Street in Santa Barbara in late 2028. Landscaping is scheduled for 2029 and 2030, according to SBCAG.

“We’re lucky to have Measure A,” said Sarkes Khachek, program director at SBCAG, the agency tasked with distributing all that money.

“The public can see Measure A on a daily basis, whether it’s a city repaving a road or somebody who’s using Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District,” Khachek said, noting 25 of the 58

All told, 13.4 percent of Measure A revenues generated, estimated at $140 million in 2008 dollars, will go to the 101 project—to match an estimated $285 million in state and federal funding and help fully fund the project, officials say.

Elsewhere along the South Coast, officials say allocations over the next five

years will fund specialized transit for elderly and disabled residents (at $1.5 million), carpools and vanpools (at $1.8 million), bike and pedestrian paths and trails including improvements to the Franklin Creek Trail and the southern segment of the San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path ($2.4 million) and Safe Routes to School ($1.6 million).

Higher allocations along the South Coast include funds for the Coastal Express commuter bus service ($6.5 million) commuter rail between Ventura and Santa Barbara ($6.4 million) and Santa Barbara MTD operations ($14.8 million).

disabled residents (at $1.2 million), carpools and vanpools ($514,000), Safe Routes to School (nearly $900,000) and Clean Air Express commuter bus service ($5.8 million).

The spending plan also includes $12 million for several North County roadway projects— including Highway 166 safety improvements and construction of a new interchange at highways 101 and 135 in Santa Maria.

In addition, the city of Carpinteria over five years will get $5.2 million, Goleta $11.8 million and Santa Barbara $26 million, primarily for street maintenance, alternative transportation, and other priorities identified by local officials.

North County Allocations

In the North County, the fiveyear spending plan includes funds for specialized transit for elderly and

In response to locally identified priorities, the city of Buellton will receive $2.3 million, Guadalupe $6.3 million, Lompoc $15.8 million, Santa Maria $40 million and Solvang $2.5 million—mostly for street maintenance, safety improvements and alternative transportation.

In addition, Santa Barbara County will receive more than $50 for million for North County and South County improvements.

This story was originally published by the Santa Barbara News-Press. Printed with permission • 5.25.2026 • newspress.com

Another Success Story

“Ashley and Paul guided me through a difficult trust sale with compassion and expertise. Their contacts and oversight prepping the property, led to multiple offers and a sale 10% over asking within a week of coming on the market.” - Seller, 136 Cedar Lane, Santa Barbara 93108