Santa Barbara Independent 11/6/25

6-13, 2025

Supes Vote Against Sable by Nick Welsh Developer of Eight-Story Project Sues State, City by Christina McDermott

Big Win for Prop 50 by Jean Yamamura A Nod to Home Cooking at Corazón Comedor by Leslie Dinaberg

A Look at Santa Barbara’s Robot Scene, from Chinese Restaurants to Retirement Homes

BY MATT KETTMANN | PHOTOS BY INGRID BOSTROM

Sustainable Heart

Sustainable Heart

Sustainable Heart ~ Transformational Life Counseling ~

Sustainable Heart ~ Transformational Life Counseling ~

Sustainable Heart ~ Transformational Life Counseling ~

~ Transformational Life Counseling ~

Sustainable Heart ~ Transformational Life Counseling ~

~ Transformational Life Counseling ~

Relationships • Occupation and Career • Meditation

Relationships • Occupation and Career • Meditation

Relationships • Occupation and Career • Meditation

Relationships • Occupation and Career • Meditation

Relationships

Relationships • Occupation and Career • Meditation

Grief and Loss

Grief and Loss • Major Life Transitions • Anxiety

Grief and Loss • Major Life Transitions • Anxiety

• Major Life Transitions • Anxiety

Grief and Loss

Grief and Loss • Major Life Transitions • Anxiety

Grief and Loss

Grief and Loss

Spiritual Issues • Communication • Conflict

Spiritual Issues

Communication Meditation Anxiety Conflict Occupation and Career Major Life Transitions Dream Work

• Major Life Transitions • Anxiety

Spiritual Issues • Communication • Conflict

• Major Life Transitions • Anxiety

Spiritual Issues • Communication • Conflict

Spiritual Issues • Communication • Conflict

Spiritual Issues • Communication • Conflict

Michael H Kreitsek, MA

Michael H Kreitsek, MA

Michael H Kreitsek, MA

Michael H Kreitsek, MA

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology

Michael H Kreitsek, MA

Michael H Kreitsek, MA

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology

Transpersonal Counseling Psychology

www.sustainableheart.com

Counseling From a Buddhist Perspective 805 698-0286

Counseling with Wisdom and Compassion 805 698-0286

Counseling From a Buddhist Perspective 805 698-0286

Counseling with Wisdom and Compassion 805 698-0286

Mindful Support for Uncertain Times 805-698-0286

Counseling From a Buddhist Perspective 805 698-0286

Counseling From a Buddhist Perspective 805 698-0286

Santa Barbara Favorite An Evening with

David Sedaris

Fri, Nov 7 / 7:30 PM Arlington Theatre

“David Sedaris is an icon of indignation in a world that keeps on irking.” The Guardian (U.K.)

Irish Literature for the 21st Century Colm Tóibín

in Conversation with Pico Iyer

Wed, Nov 19 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

“Tóibín is simply one of the world’s best living literary writers.” The Boston Globe

National Book Award-winning Poet An Evening with

Martín Espada

Thu, Nov 13 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

“A captivating storyteller and memoirist... One of our most important contemporary poets.” – Joyce Carol Oates

American Book Award-winning Author and Poet An Evening with

Ocean Vuong

Wed, Dec 3 / 7:30 PM / UCSB Campbell Hall

FREE pre-signed copies of Vuong’s new book, The Emperor of Gladness , will be available while supplies last

“A master of juxtaposition willing to tell difficult stories with courage.” The Guardian (U.K.)

Heal the Ocean proudly salutes the generous Sponsors and Supporters who have made our 2025 Imaginary Gala fundraising campaign such a success!

This year's theme is “Above and Below” to create awareness of the connection between ecosystems “above” on land and “below” the sea. This year is extra special, as we embark on our 27th year of operations with Heal the Ocean’s new Executive Director, Karina Johnston, at the helm! With Hillary’s ocean pollution expertise and Karina’s coastal resilience work, Heal the Ocean moves forward to protect our ocean and coastline for generations to come.

2025 IMAGINARY GALA SPONSORS

HUMPBACK WHALE

Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Brad Hall

ORCA

Kirby-Jones Foundation

Adam & Kara Rhodes/WWW Foundation

Sam & Sherilyn Scranton

Rev. Trust

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

Nora McNeely Hurley & Michael Hurley

HARBOR SEAL

Marcy Carsey/Carsey Family Foundation

Thomas & Nancy Crawford

Roy E. Crummer Foundation

Cheryl Tomchin/ Tomchin Family Foundation

CALIFORNIA CONDOR

The Dolotta Family Charitable Foundation

BROWN PELICAN

Anonymous (2)

Tom & Sheila Cullen

Zora & Les Charles/ Cheeryble Foundation

Steve Starkey & Olivia Erschen

Henry & Nanette Nevins

Jack & Sheri Overall

Pat & Maire Radis

Garland & Brenda Reiter/Garland & Brenda Reiter Family Foundation

Peter & Nini Seaman

CHANNEL ISLANDS FOX

Jill Taylor & Raymond Link

Travis Turpin/Turpin-Allebrand

Family Charitable Foundation

Alex & Gina Ziegler

SPINY LOBSTER

Eli Aizenstat/Kaimana

The Larry Barels Family

Big Speak

Frank & Marlene Bucy

Donald & Noelle Burg

John & Gloria McManus

Frank C. Herzog III & Marla J. Mercer

Charles & Eileen Read

Jonathan & Elise Wygant

SNOWY PLOVER

Kent & Brier Allebrand/

Turpin Family Charitable Foundation/ B&B Foundation

John & Caron Berryhill/Agnes B. Kline

Memorial Foundation

Carbon2Cobalt

Krista & Rich Coffin

John Mike & Marcia Cohen

Hilary & Ned Doubleday

2025 IMAGINARY GALA SUPPORTERS

SUNFLOWER SEA STAR

Steve Aizenstat

Brad & MJ Bakove

Rodney & Sharon Berle

Stephen & Maria Black

Louise Gainey

Lee Heller

Tom & Ami Kearns

Richard & Connie Kennelly

Andy & Yvonne Neumann

Penny Mathison & Donald Nulty

Eric & Kit Peterson

Anouk Priebe-Garcia

Catherine M. Rose

Tony Allina, M.D. & Christiane Schlumberger

Ed & Karen Shiffman

Ron & Jeanie Sickafoose

Bendy White & Kathy Snow

Dana Justesen Trexler

Shannon Trotta

Wildcat Lounge

Jim Winter

STRIPED SURF PERCH

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Gary Bruemmer

Cinda Erdman

Dorian Hirth

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Lori Lewis

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Jacob Tell

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Tracey Willfong

Bruce Raph & Karen Yoon

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Ann Frank

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Impact.com

Ani Jiménez

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Chris & Connie Lambert

Kim & Dwight Lowell

Blair & Steve Raber

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Christopher Seidman & Barbara Lynn Gallisath/Seidman Gallisath Family Fund

Michel Saint-Sulpice & Mary Staton

Jonathan Gans & Abigail Turin

Gebb Turpin/Turpin Family Charitable Foundation

Evan Turpin/Turpin-Allebrand

Family Charitable Foundation

Charles Vinick & Susan Venable

Clayton Verbinski Zog Industries

RED ABALONE

Valerie & Branden Aroyan

Manuela & Rob Cavaness

David, Jeannie & Roxy Clark

Bob & Alea Cunningham

Tom Evans

Wendy Foster

Jennifer Fry

Karen Gallivan

Lois Gunther

Ralph Clevenger & Mary Jane Headlee

Susanne Humbel-Heierling

Alex Katz

Linda Krop

Curtis & Kelly Lambert

Jon & Sue Lewis

Sheila Lodge

John Lyon

Valerie & David Powdrell

Peter Sawyer Jessica Scheeter

Bruce Dobrin & Karla Shelton

Judy Stewart

Barbara Willett

Caroline Young

Calendar Editor Terry Ortega

Calendar Assistant Isabella Venegas

News Reporters Ryan P. Cruz, Callie Fausey, Ella Heydenfeldt Senior Arts Writer Josef Woodard Mickey Flacks Fund Fellow Christina McDermott

Copy Chief Tessa Reeg Copy Editor Nathan Vived Sports Editor Victor Bryant

Web Content Manager Don Brubaker Social Media Coordinator Maya Johnson

Food Writer George Yatchisin Travel Writers Macduff Everton, Mary Heebner

Art Director Xavier Pereyra Associate Production Manager Bianca Castro Graphic Designers Leah Brewer, Diego Melgoza

Columnists Dennis Allen, Gail Arnold, Sara Caputo, Christine S. Cowles, Laura Gransberry, Betsy J. Green, Shannon Kelley, Austin Lampson, Melinda Palacio, Cheri Rae, Hugh Ranson, Amy Ramos, Starshine Roshell

Contributors Ingrid Bostrom, Rob Brezsny, Cynthia Carbone Ward, Ben Ciccati, Cheryl Crabtree, John Dickson, Roger Durling, Camille Garcia, Chuck Graham, Keith Hamm, Rebecca Horrigan, Gareth Kelly, Kevin McKiernan, Zoë Schiffer, David Starkey, Ethan Stewart, Brian Tanguay, Tom Tomorrow, Kevin Tran, Jatila Van der Veen, Isabelle Walker, Maggie Yates, John Zant

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Columnist Emeritus Barney Brantingham Photography Editor Emeritus Paul Wellman

Founding Staff Emeriti George Delmerico, Richard Evans, Camille Cimini Fruin, Laszlo Hodosy, Scott Kaufman Honorary Consigliere Gary J. Hill

IndyKids Bella and Max Brown; Elijah Lee, Amaya Nicole, and William Gene Bryant; Henry and John Poett Campbell; Emilia Imojean Friedman; Rowan Gould; Finley James Hayden; Ivy Danielle Ireland; Madeline Rose and Mason Carrington Kettmann

Print subscriptions are available, paid in advance, for $120 per year. Send subscription requests with name and address to subscriptions@independent.com. The contents of the Independent are copyrighted 2025 by the Santa Barbara Independent, Inc. No part may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must accompany all submissions expected to be returned. The Independent is available on the internet at independent.com. Press run of the Independent is 25,000 copies. Audited certification of circulation is available on request. The Independent is a legal adjudicated newspaper court decree no. 157386. ISSN 2834-3174 (Print) ISSN 2834-3204 (Online) Contact information: 1715 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 PHONE (805) 965-5205; FAX (805) 965-5518

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2025

Renowned for his “exquisite touch and poetic insight” (The Guardian), Canadian master pianist Louis Lortie presents a special all-Ravel program. This can’t-miss recital celebrates the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth with an unforgettable immersion in his dazzling and colorful piano masterpieces. 7:30 PM · Lobero Theatre

Sponsor: Robert Castle

Co-Sponsor: Edward S. DeLoreto Concert Partners: Maureen & Les Shapiro

No one does Halloween quite like the Indy team! On Friday, October 31, our band of ghouls and goblins gathered together at the Independent office for our annual Halloween Parade. Marching up and down State Street. with candy in hand, the team spread some spooky cheer to people passing by while they hunted down a “haunted” house for a group photo.

This year’s parade featured a scarecrow, a nosy reporter, a member of the Mighty Ducks, Mermaid Man from SpongeBob, a robot, Lola Bunny, a Triceratops, our very own Nick Welsh, Claudia from Interview with the Vampire, a rancher, a “pot-head,” Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, three Loraxes speaking for the trees (with a pup-shark!), Chef Linguini with Remy from Ratatouille, a scary werewolf, and the game of Twister brought to life!

Our Editor-in-Chief Marianne Partridge (rancher) judged the costume contest and awarded our Office Manager Tanya Spears Guiliacci first place for her simple yet punny “pot-head” costume. Alas, there were no Halloween tricks at play, and everyone who joined us got some kind of treat. And from the entire Indy team, we hope you had a spooky and safe Halloween!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2026

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Riccardo Muti, Music Director Emeritus

7:30 PM · The Granada Theatre

BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98

STRAVINSKY: Divertimento, arranged from Le Baiser de la Fée (The Fairy’s Kiss) RAVEL: Boléro

Sponsors: Michele Neely Saltoun and Anne Smith Towbes, In honor of the memory of Andre Saltoun and Michael Towbes • Beth Gates Warren & Bob Boghosian • Edward S. DeLoreto • Ellen & Peter Johnson

Co-Sponsors: Elizabeth & Andrew Butcher • Carolyn & Sam Wolcott With support from Edward O. Huntington

Midge Campbell-Thomas President, Bank of America Ventura/Santa Barbara

NEWS of the WEEK

by RYAN P. CRUZ, CALLIE FAUSEY,

Steve Lavagnino Sinks Sable’s Boat

by Nick Welsh

The first county supervisor to speak after a marathon public hearing this Tuesday about Sable Offshore oil company, was the 5th District supervisor representing the Santa Maria area, Steve Lavagnino.

The chambers were packed with redshirted environmentalists worried about climate change and with once and future Sable workers worried about their jobs; 95 people had signed up to speak. Mercifully, not all did. Those who did speak were passionate and moving.

Then it was the supervisors’ turn to speak. “I’ll be Ohtani today,” Lavagnino said, referring, of course, to Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ freakishly gifted pitcher and hitter. But it soon became clear that Lavagnino was not in a mood to crack wise. Instead, he proved that nobody’s as scary as a funny guy in a serious mood. Without raising his voice, Lavagnino lowered the boom on Sable. And when he finished, the only sound in the room was that of the company’s stock value plummeting even further than it already had.

Lavagnino began by talking about a conversation he had with his wife 16 years ago when he was considering whether to enter his first political race, running for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. His wife, he noted, hated politics. She hated the long nights he’d be gone away from home; she hated the intrusions it would bring into their private lives. But she was 100 percent behind him, she said,

County Supes Vote 4-1 Against Combative Oil Company HOUSING

if he promised to always vote his conscience.

Steve Lavagnino’s voting record shows he is about as pro-oil a politician as can be found anywhere in Santa Barbara County. It’s the only industry that creates so many high-paying jobs, he said. It’s an industry that generates millions of bucks a year in property taxes that can pay for parks and roads and mental health services. But in the last nine months, Sable Offshore finally pushed prooil Steve Lavagnino too far. This Tuesday, he voted his conscience.

“Without spilling a single drop of oil, Sable

has managed to push back the reputation of the oil industry 20 years,” he said. “If I was another Santa Barbara oil or gas operator, I’d be livid.”

Two years ago, Sable Offshore had purchased the Exxon oil processing plant up the Gaviota Coast. This Tuesday, Sable a Houston-based company boasting a bounty of recycled executives who cut their professional teeth in the Santa Barbara oil patch was seeking board approval for Exxon’s final development permit to be legally transferred to Sable.

Developers of Eight-Story Building Behind Mission Sue State

The development team that’s proposing to build an eight-story apartment building behind the Santa Barbara Mission sued the State of California and the City of Santa Barbara on October 24 in federal court. The lawsuit alleges that part of a state trailer bill that passed last month, Senate Bill 158, illegally singles out the Mission LLC’s project by requiring it to undergo environmental review. It also alleges that the city’s housing element is noncompliant.

In June, a new state law exempted many housing projects with affordable units and in urban areas from environmental review.

In September, Senator Monique Limón, who represents Santa Barbara County as well as parts of Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties, made changes to that law, including specifications that “de-exempt” housing projects in certain-sized cities within certain-sized counties, and with specific properties. Based on those speci-

fications, only the project behind the Mission is “de-exempt” in the state.

Along with alleging that the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment in both the U.S. and California constitutions, the Mission LLC’s lawsuit said that Santa Barbara’s state-certified housing plan, called a housing element, is noncompliant.

The lawsuit says that an October ruling against the City of Redondo Beach means that cities cannot fulfill their density requirements by using a “zoning overlay” zoning for residential in an area that does not allow residential units as Santa Barbara does. Judging Santa Barbara’s housing element invalid would open up the path for more builder’s remedy projects, projects where a developer can bypass zoning laws as long as their housing project includes a portion of affordable units.

The Mission LLC is currently involved in separate lawsuits with the City of Santa Bar-

bara and Santa Barbara County. It alleges that the city illegally found the fourth submission of the project’s plans incomplete last May.

On the county level, the lawsuit alleges that because the Mission LLC rents to a religious organization, they should not have to pay property taxes. That organization, the Unitarian Universalist Mission, has connections to the Mission LLC itself. State documents show that the organization’s CEO and CFO are Craig and Stephanie Smith, respectively. The Smiths are connected to The Mission LLC’s Chief Operating Officer, Ben Eilenberg, via another builder’s remedy project on Grand Avenue. All three are on a website for a company called Industrial Partners Group, although Eilenberg’s profile has been obscured in white text.

Currently, the Mission LLC owes approximately $293,000 in property taxes on 505 East Los Olivos, the property behind the Mission. They have not paid taxes on the property since 2022. —Christina McDermott

ENVIRONMENT

State officials are entering a new phase in the decades-old Hollister Ranch Public Access Program, attempting to open up the six elusive beaches along the Gaviota Coast to the public. The planning update, released in September, includes an in-progress environmental review and public input sessions to assess preferred opportunities for access, such as trails, shuttles, or limited vehicle access and their relative impacts. In-person workshops are scheduled for 5-8 p.m. on 11/12 at Oak Valley Elementary School in Buellton and on 11/13 at the Goleta Valley Community Center. Spanish translation will be provided at all workshops. A virtual session will be held 11/17, 6-7:30 p.m., via Zoom.

HEALTH

Following the Trump administration’s attacks on reproductive healthcare, the state of California is picking up the check, Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week. The $140 million in promised funding will help the state’s more than 100 Planned Parenthood clinics continue operating “until the state can find additional resources next year,” Newsom’s office said. While Planned Parenthood California Central Coast which is being shorted $17 million (half its budget) does not know exactly how much the region’s clinics will be receiving and when, CEO Jenna Tosh said she’s grateful for the state’s action as they weather what’s been called a “backdoor abortion ban.”

Sutter Health is acquiring Hayashida Physical Therapy, one of Santa Barbara County’s most recognized outpatient rehab providers. Founded in 2002 by Maury Hayashida, DPT, the practice has two locations in Santa Barbara and Goleta, both of which will continue operating under Sutter’s umbrella after the deal closes, expected 1/5/26. Sutter’s existing Goleta Physical Therapy office will also be folded into the new network. Patients will continue seeing the same therapists, and officials say insurance access may improve under Sutter’s broader network of accepted providers. The merger will also preserve Hayashida’s orthopedic physical therapy residency program and connect it to Sutter’s broader orthopedics and sports medicine service line.

COURTS & CRIME

Juan Fernando Rios, who earlier this year was arrested in connection with a fatal State Street stabbing but was ultimately cleared of murder charges, was taken into custody 10/31 on a new set of alleged gun and drug offenses. The Sheriff’s Office said that around 12:20 a.m., a deputy pulled over Rios, 28, near the intersection of Las Positas Road and Rebecca Lane after observing him make an unsafe turn with an unsecured load. During the stop, “Deputies determined that Rios was a convicted felon and was carrying a loaded firearm that was not registered to him,” officials said. “He was also found in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia,” and was driving on a suspended license due to a prior DUI. Rios is currently in custody at County Jail on $50,000 bail.

COMMUNITY

Filling the SNAP Gap

Nonprofits, Orgs Step Up to Help Thousands Short on Food

by Christina McDermott

At an elementary school in Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon, volunteers stood in front of a long line of folding tables stacked with food. There are bags of chicken and cartons of eggs; paper bags laden with dry goods such as cereal, peanut butter, and canned fruit; and other bags of fresh produce. Giggling children wiggled and played as the volunteers handed the food to adults. The space is a monthly distribution site for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, an area nonprofit.

FRI-SUN, NOVEMBER 7-9 IN STORE ONLY

Foodbank, along with other organizations in the area, is ramping up its efforts to feed people as tens of thousands in Santa Barbara County wait to see if they will receive any of their SNAP benefits in November. Last Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) did not release the federal money that funds the largest food assistance program in the country. Two federal judges have said the USDA needs to use a contingency fund to pay SNAP benefits, and the Trump administration has said it will pay half of the benefit. But no clear plan on when or how this will occur is in place, and President Trump said on Tuesday that he won’t distribute the benefits.

otherwise go to waste and distributes it to people in need. In a press release, Veggie Rescue said that so far this year, the organization has already delivered more than 500,000 pounds of rescued food to more than 65 nonprofit partners. They drive three refrigerated vehicles, transporting food within 24 hours for free.

Now, Veggie Rescue is looking for more partners farmers and ranchers, yes, but also people with fruit trees or gardens where volunteers can harvest. People with home gardens and extra produce can drop off donations, too.

In Santa Barbara County, about one in every seven people receive SNAP benefits, called CalFresh in California, according to data from Santa Barbara County’s Department of Social Services. Those benefits help people about 40 percent of them children have enough food to eat. They pencil out to about $313 a month on average, depending on the size of the household.

Many people in the county are working to fill the gap the lack of SNAP benefits creates. Here are a few organizations where people can get access to healthy food. For folk who want to help, these organizations take food and monetary donations, and they may have volunteer opportunities.

Foodbank of S.B. County: The Foodbank (foodbanksbc.org) provides fresh produce and groceries to people through 55 different distribution sites around the county, from churches to schools to other nonprofit locations. The Foodbank purchases food, sources it from area farmers, receives it through donations, and gains it as part of federal programs. Recipients can register with the Foodbank to pick up groceries or prepared meals; the Foodbank says you don’t need to provide much information, just your name and number for internal distribution purposes, and they can record anonymous visits for people in need. In its last fiscal year, the organization said it served about 209,000 people, and worked with 2,000 volunteers.

Veggie Rescue: The nonprofit Veggie Rescue (veggierescue.org) “rescues” food that would

Route One Farmers Market: On October 30, Route One Farmers Market (routeonefarmersmarket.org) in Lompoc announced its “Help a Neighbor” program. Route One Farmers Market is a nonprofit that aims to increase food access for the community, in part by accepting EBT benefits at the farmers’ market. Route One said the freeze on the benefits could devastate people in the community. Along with people living near the poverty level, many folks in the Lompoc area are employed by the federal government and are not getting paychecks due to the government shutdown. Farmers, too, will see a loss in sales if people cannot use EBT benefits to buy their food at the farmers’ market.

People can donate to the “Help a Neighbor” program, and Route One will allocate that funding for local sales. The organization has already raised $2,000.

Organic Soup Kitchen: Organic Soup Kitchen (organicsoupkitchen.org) provides nutritious and hearty soups for low-income people recovering from chronic illness or disease. The nonprofit says it feeds more than 800 people a week. The soups are designed by nutritionists and chefs. People recovering from illness who do not qualify as low-income can buy the soups; that money goes to help the nonprofit continue to serve people, it said.

Organic Soup Kitchen is asking for donations, as they said that many people they serve rely on SNAP benefits. The soup kitchen also had volunteer opportunities. n

Big Win for Prop 50

Two-Thirds of Voters Say Add Democrats to the House

by Jean Yamamura

Proposition 50 passed by a landslide 5.1 million to 2.9 million votes across California, or 63.9 percent come Wednesday morning. In Santa Barbara County, the measure won by 64.9 to 35.1 percent, with only one-third of registered voters turning out for the November 4 election. The “Election Rigging Response Act” will amend California’s Constitution to temporarily redraw congressional districts until the 2030 Census and create five Democrat-heavy districts.

Governor Gavin Newsom was out front and vocal to rally voters during California’s “90-day sprint” to the polls. “After poking the bear, this bear roared,” Newsom said in a sober victory speech, noting Trump’s all-time low in the polls and continuing “efforts to rig the midterm election.”

Added to the win in California are new Democratic governors in Virginia and New Jersey and the election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s mayor. As for Trump’s approval rating, The Economist/YouGov’s most recent poll found that only 39 percent of adult citizens approved of his performance as president, while 58 percent disapproved. Trump maintained an 86 percent approval rating among Republicans.

A relentless snail mail and electronic advertising blitz by both sides, pro and con, reflected $254.5 million in contributions as of November 2. Of those, $171.6 million went to Yes on Prop 50 and $82.9 million to No. More than a quarter of a million donations came in, some as small as $4, others in the millions, and from Hawai‘i to Florida but primarily California.

In the million-dollar “yes” camp, the top donor was Newsom’s Yes on 50 committee, which raised $102.3 million and reportedly had to ask people to stop donating at one point, donations were so heavy. Montecito residents Wendy and Eric Schmidt donated a total of $2 million to several committees.

Among the “no” faction was Charles Munger Jr.’s Protect Voters First committee, named for the ballot proposition that established the citizens redistricting commission in 2008 ($32.7 million). Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab” raised $6.6 million and earned Santa Barbara County’s 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson’s early support and the County Farm Bureau.

Prop 50 was gerrymandering district lines, which he did not support, said Nelson, and disenfranchised rural districts. “I was one of the main proponents behind the redistricting commission in

our county,” he noted. “There was kind of a lot of noise from other states,” he said, “but two wrongs don’t make a right.”

With a 219 to 213 vote advantage in the House, Republicans hope to gerrymander as many as nine more seats from Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, or Ohio. After California’s possible five Dem seats, one or two more could come from Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, or New York. But the outcome rests with voters during the 2026 midterm elections.

The passage of Prop 50 means the fight to gain a firmer grip on the U.S. House of Representatives is on. “Tonight, California voters fought back against the president’s efforts to avoid accountability and amass power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections,” said Assemblymember Gregg Hart. “As other states change the rules in the middle of the game, California will not stand idly by. I am proud to have coauthored ACA 8 [Prop 50], empowering the people of California to make this extraordinary decision, meet the moment, and protect our democracy.”

Newsom, in his uncharacteristically grave speech, noted the turbulence Trump engenders: federalizing the National Guard, anticipating military deployment to cities, and threatening to examine California’s vote for criminality as he takes hold of the Department of Justice. Trump’s reign would end, Newsom said, the minute Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was sworn in as House Speaker: “It’s all on the line.”

Before the ink on Wednesday morning’s vote tally was dry, Republicans filed suit against Prop 50. Arguing that the new map illegally takes Latino residents into account, the state GOP’s legal action is the second filed by Republicans against the measure and asks for a temporary restraining order. The first attempt, which was to block the vote, was unsuccessful. n

FALL in Love with Native Plants

Green Minds Meet

Enviros Confer with Congressmember on Feds’ Anti-Climate Policies ENVIRONMENT

by Callie Fausey

Voices from all over the political, educational, philanthropic, and activism spectrum were represented Monday for an hour-long discussion hosted by the Community Environmental Council (CEC) about how the feds are ripping through environmental protections like paper and how their organizations have been affected or how they’ve persisted, or how they can help.

It was a way to mash heads together as the Trump administration rescinds age-old environmental protections including the Roadless Rule and parts of the Endangered Species Act makes cuts to clean energy, tries to open up the California coast to new offshore oil leases, and turns its back on climate science and research.

Sitting in the center of the circle, hosts Congressmember Salud Carbajal and CEC Chief Executive Officer Sigrid Wright listened to the more than 20 panelists share their plight and offer potential community solutions.

Carbajal called them the region’s “antidote to the Trump administration’s misinformation campaign.”

“I mean, it’s an environment that we’ve never seen from any presidential administration,” Carbajal later told the Independent “This new wave of federal disinvestment threatens to unravel years of hard-won gain and puts our region already impacted by climate change at even greater risk.”

Topics included the many ways U.S. policy feels as though it is moving backward. Alelia Parenteau, director of the City of Santa Barbara’s clean energy program, spoke of the tough choices being made at the local level such as which Santa Barbara beaches to save from sea-level rise as her 45-person staff loses morale “if the federal government can’t support them.”

Speakers lamented the whiplash of losing federal funding and then having it reinstated by a judge, a common battle between the administration and nonprofit organizations. Garrett Wong with the County of Santa Barbara noted the state’s challenges, saying California currently “does not produce real solutions to creating energy affordability” and has recently prioritized housing production over environmental protections.

Others highlighted fears of federal

actions to drill or develop national forests, including Los Padres, and other protected ecosystems. Sable Offshore was brought up many times, considering its attempts to restart offshore oil production and transport it through Santa Barbara County. Leaders from UC Santa Barbara spoke of the administration’s “devastating impacts to science” as it defunds existing research UCSB has lost about $17 million in grants or refuses to fund new initiatives.

On the other hand, panelists suggested how philanthropy and other financing methods may be able to underwrite some projects and noted what local governments are doing or could do more of. Parenteau with the City of Santa Barbara said that “local governments are currently organizing a Climate Policy Alliance. Climate-forward cities in California are joining forces to get more space at the state legislature and eventually, the federal legislature, so I invite you to give us access,” she told Carbajal.

Others highlighted what they have been able to accomplish despite it all such as the CEC, which saw record electric vehicle adoptions in 2025, according to climate projects manager Sean McArthur.

“It feels like we’re really suffering from this hope gap,” Wright said when asked what inspired her to host the panel. “What can we do to lean into this moment together? There’s still opportunity, and we are the birthplace of the modern environmental movement, and this is still really important.”

Although panelists did a lot of “comparing notes of what it feels like to have your cage rattled,” she said, Santa Barbara is a “lighthouse community.”

“I did really feel some sparks or pockets of opportunity,” she added.

Carbajal agreed. He acknowledged the ongoing government shutdown, saying it made the conversation one with a heavy emphasis on federal grants even more striking. But at the end of the panel, he offered words of encouragement: “We’ll get through this,” he said, if the community continues to discuss and strategize “how to deal with the challenges before us.”

“I hope our community can continue to shed light on the chaos that’s coming from this administration,” he said. “The Central Coast doesn’t wait for permission from Washington to do what’s right.”

Adelante Celebrates Day of Dead

Adelante Charter School hosted its annual Día de los Muertos on Sunday, bringing together hundreds of students, family, and Eastside community members to celebrate not only the Mexican tradition of “Day of the Dead,” but also to celebrate the school’s 25th anniversary as a dual-language immersion school in Santa Barbara.

The event was packed with traditional Latino music, dances, food, and a community “ofrenda” or altar to the dead created by Adelante’s 6th-grade students and parents. Each grade performed a choreographed dance, complete with matching costumes and face paint, while vendors hosted booths with games, photos, ticket raffles, bounce houses, and arts and crafts activities.

Between the student dance performances, Adelante boardmembers and staff received recognition from state and local government representatives, who showed up to present certificates in honor of the school’s 25th year. Juan Antonio Cid Dávila,

a representative from the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, spoke on behalf of Mexican Ambassador Santana Velázquez about the importance of dual-language institutions such as Adelante, which recently achieved unprecedented test scores in both English and math.

“Adelante was born during challenging times, when many immigrant families faced uncertainty and fear due to the immigration policies,” Dávila said. “Yet, even in these difficult moments, the school became a place of hope, a safe space where children of Mexican heritage can attend school with pride, in two languages and with two cultures.”

Despite recent fears over immigration enforcement, Adelante staff ensured that Sunday’s Día de los Muertos festival was safe for the several hundred that showed up throughout the day. “It’s been affecting us, but we are working together, and the parents know they can count on us,” said Principal Javier Bolivar. “It’s been a long journey, but it’s great.” —Ryan P.Cruz

Starlinks, Dummy Nuke Launched

Two rocket launches took place this week from Vandenberg Space Force Base, one by SpaceX that delivered another 28 Starlink satellites to its megaconstellation of 8,800 satellites currently in orbit, and another by the U.S. military that tested the “reliability and readiness” of an unarmed nuclear missile.

The Halloween afternoon launch by SpaceX marked the company’s 15th orbital mission for the month of October, divided between its facilities in Florida, Texas, and Vandenberg. Nine minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket detached from the payload, performed a midair flip, and descended to land on an autonomous drone ship named “Of Course I Still Love You,” a reference to a sentient starship in a science fiction novel.

The launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in the early morning hours of November 5 was successful in testing “the continued reliability and accuracy of the ICBM weapon system,” a cornerstone of America’s national defense, said Lt. Col. Karrie Wray. The

launch was initiated from aboard a Navy aircraft and monitored by an Air Force base in Wyoming, with the Minuteman III travelling more than 4,200 miles to a test range in the Marshall Islands equipped with sensors that measure the missile’s performance in its last stages of its flight.

The pre-planned mission marked the first weapons test since President Donald Trump demanded last week that the Pentagon “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing. Vandenberg’s public affairs office insisted Wednesday’s launch was “routine and was scheduled years in advance.” The last Minuteman III test occurred in May, and the Navy tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile in September.

While some Minuteman III warheads are capable of carrying multiple reentry vehicles allowing each missile to destroy three separate targets those warheads were partially disarmed and reduced to one vehicle as part of the 2014 New START treaty between the U.S. and Russia. The treaty expires in February 2026.

Thank you to Our 2025 Gala Sponsors!

New Beginnings extends our heartfelt thanks to the many donors and sponsors who made the 2025 New Beginnings Annual Benefit Performances a remarkable success. Your generosity and partnership help us continue providing critical services for those in our community who need it most — supporting our mental health clinic.

Thank you for helping us make a difference — together.

Ingenue Sponsors

Julianna Dain

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Dramatist Sponsor

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Prompter Contributor

Beds 4 U Community West Bank

Cottage Health

Montecito Bank & Trust

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Oshay Family Foundation

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Understudy Sponsor

Mindpath Health

Mowrer Homeless Justice Fund

Hon. Susan Rose Zegar Family

Usher Contributor

American Riviera Bank

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In Kind Sponsor

Adam Peot Guitar

Arnoldi’s Cafe

Bill’s Copy Shop

Bouchon

Brander Winery

Brophy Bros.

Cheshire Cat Inn & Cottages

Donna & Patrick Will

EdHat

Fresco

J. Le May Studios

La Lieff Wines

La Sumida Nursery

Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards

Margerum Wine Co.

Montecito Journal

Sarita Relis Photography

Santa Barbara Independent

Stolpman Vineyards

Summerland Quartet

Tony Ybarra Music

The Sheriff’s Office has released more details on Melodee Buzzard, the missing 9-year-old girl from Lompoc. They said that there is evidence that on 10/8, the girl’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, changed the license plate on the rental car she used for her road trip with Melodee to a New York license plate: HCG9677. The Sheriff’s Office also said that video surveillance from the Utah-Colorado border region shows Melodee on 10/9 the last known sighting of her at this time and it believes Buzzard’s rental car traveled through the following areas on or around 10/9: Green River and Panguitch, Utah; Northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Anyone with information on the case can contact the detective line at (805) 681-4150, the anonymous tip line at (805) 6814171, or submit a tip online at sbsheriff.org/home/ anonymous-tip.

against an adult,” the department stated. Police also linked him to a robbery on 10/25 at a local business near 2000 State Street. He was booked into County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

Baroness Jewelers in Goleta was burglarized 8/15 with the suspects making off with millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry, some of it belonging to customers. But the Goleta shop may not have been the only target. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the heist appears to be part of a string of similar burglaries across California. The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who had jewelry at Baroness Jewelers for repair, resale, or consignment to contact them. “Detectives are working to identify specific stolen items that could help connect suspects to the crime and aid in the possible recovery of stolen property,” Zick said. So far, no arrests have been made, and investigators have not released any suspect descriptions or surveillance footage.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the agency made 17 arrests and issued 80 citations in Isla Vista the weekend before Halloween, 10/24-10/26. Just one arrest and 11 citations were made the following weekend, 10/31-11/2. That arrest occurred just after midnight on 11/1, when deputies contacted a group of five juveniles and one adult in violation of nighttime curfew at a beach access point near the 6500 block of Del Playa Drive. During the investigation, one 16-year-old male juvenile consented to a search of his backpack, where deputies found several fixed-blade knives,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “Deputies then conducted a probable cause search of the juvenile and located a loaded .357 magnum revolver in his pants pocket.” The gun was later confirmed to have been reported stolen out of Arizona. The 16-year-old was arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall, and the other juveniles were cited and released to their parents.

Eduardo Gallardo-Arizmendi, 22, was taken into custody by Santa Barbara Police detectives on 10/30 in the 100 block of East Carrillo Street in connection with a violent sexual assault, burglary, and robbery earlier that month. SBPD said that in the early hours of 10/18, officers responded to a report of a prowler in the 100 block of Juana Maria Avenue. “Once officers arrived, they learned that an unidentified suspect had entered a home through an unlocked door and committed a sexual assault

Nine days after deputies fatally shot a man inside the Ralphs grocery store in Goleta, the Sheriff’s Office released new details on the incident. The incident began around 2:39 p.m. on 10/20, when deputies responded to reports of “a suspect actively assaulting a victim with a weapon” at the Magnolia Shopping Center on Hollister Avenue, authorities said. The victim, an adult male, had reportedly intervened after witnessing the suspect, U.S. veteran and IT specialist Abdou Rahman Nyan (pictured), 34, of Connecticut, abuse his dog. The victim was stabbed twice and treated at a nearby hospital before being released. Nyan then reportedly fled into the nearby Ralphs, where deputies located Nyan barricaded inside a public restroom at the back of the building before he “suddenly opened the door, pushed through the barricade, and charged toward the deputies clutching a metal trash can as a barrier while holding a knife in each hand,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Verbal commands were issued, and one deputy deployed their Taser, before both deputies opened fire, firing six rounds. Deputies secured both knives and immediately began performing lifesaving measures on Nyan, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Neither deputy was injured, and both remain on administrative leave while the incident is under active investigation. n

SABLE CONT’D FROM P. 7

Santa Barbara County is the only California county that requires board approval for such transfers. Why? Back in the 1990s, the county staff and supervisors were seriously worried that some big oil company would sell to a fly-by-night company that did not have the expertise or the financial ability to clean up an oil spill, should one happen. And one did. In May 2015, a pipeline ruptured up by Refugio Beach, causing a major oil spill. That cleanup cost the pipeline operator back then Plains All American Pipeline Company $870 million.

Stories like that have everything to do with why the county supes passed the only such transfer ordinance on the planet. Now, Sable is trying to reactivate that pipeline so it can reactivate Exxon’s processing plant, which, like all offshore oil operations in Santa Barbara, has been shut down since that 2015 spill.

All that is why Sable is being put through its paces. Was Sable, the supervisors wanted to determine, a responsible and competent operator? Did it have the skill and experience to run so dangerous an industrial operation? And did it have the resources to clean up any mess that might result?

County energy staff told the Planning Commission that Sable did. The County Planning Commission then voted 3-1 last October to approve Sable’s request for a permit transfer which was appealed to the supervisors. Early this February, the county supervisors deadlocked 2-2, with one supervisor, Joan Hartmann, abstaining under the advice of county counsel.

At that February meeting, Lavagnino voted to approve the permit transfer. That was not surprising. Lavagnino was definitely pro-oil last week when he objected strongly to a proposal to phase out all existing onshore oil development in Santa Barbara County. “It’s un-American,” he declared. And loudly.

Back in February when the supervisors were deadlocked over Sable, Sable sued the county, arguing that the tie went to the runner. The county and the Environmental Defense Center, which has led the charge against Sable from the beginning, sued back.

A federal judge in Los Angeles, Dolly Gee, ruled in favor of the county and the environmentalists and against Sable. A 2-2 vote was not an action, and the supervisors, she said, had to act. Accordingly, she ordered the supervisors to re-hear the matter. If they tied again, Gee ruled, the supervisors would have to keep trying every 45 days until they resolved the matter one way or the other.

This Tuesday was that day. Everyone had reason to believe Lavagnino would vote in Sable’s favor again. But he explained a lot has changed since February. For starters, he said, Santa Barbara’s district attorney has filed 21 criminal charges against

Sable for violating environmental laws designed to protect creeks and streams in the coastal zone from being contaminated. Five of those charges were felonies. The other 16 were misdemeanors.

Then the Attorney General of the State of California also filed a similar action against Sable for clearing the land, digging up the pipeline, and making more than 120 repairs on the pipeline without permits a pipeline that, after the oil spill 10 years ago, was discovered to be seriously corroded. The Attorney General accused Sable of seeking to “bamboozle” government officials with a host of dodges and subterfuges that were both cynical and in bad faith.

Plus, Lavagnino continued, there was the $18 million fine imposed on Sable by the California Coastal Commission for doing exactly the same thing. Lavagnino who had been a card-carrying Republican until Trump’s first term has his share of criticism of the Coastal Commission. But Sable’s strategy, he said, has been to bulldoze as many government agencies as it could. In measured tones, he told Sable, “That has not been helpful.” Whether fair or not, he said, oil companies are held to a higher standard of conduct.

pursuing as part of its Plan B strategy to bypass the oil pipeline issue altogether.

But that was just Lavagnino’s warmup pitch. “This decision today does not lay at our feet on this dais. It lies with the misguided management of Sable…. The evidence in this case is overwhelming. There is something wrong with the strategy of Sable’s leadership.”

Lavagnino attributed the company’s bulldozer tactics to a sense of desperation. Though he didn’t go into details, Sable’s financial position was enough to make anyone desperate. When it bought out Exxon's platforms and plant in February 2024, it borrowed nearly $700 million from Exxon. Exxon would give Sable just two years to secure all the permits the company needed and start up production. By any reckoning, that was an almost insurmountable target. According to the deal, if Sable wasn’t in production by March 2026, Sable would have to pay Exxon its money back.

What really tore it for Lavagnino was the reporting he read and heard over the past weekend in a business trade online news publication called Hunterbrook. A disgruntled Sable investor had leaked a tape recording of a Zoom meeting held last week by company CEO Jim Flores with a group of investors. Lavagnino said what he read qualified as some of the worst stuff he’d ever read. In the tape, Flores can be heard outlining why the company will need to spend $200 million to extend its deadline with Exxon another year. That infusion of additional investment capital presumably from Exxon itself would dilute the stock value of existing investors. Typically, such a discussion should not happen with just a small group of investors. Securities and Exchange Commission rules require companies to notify all their investors at the same time with information of such import. Otherwise, Flores would be subject to accusations of sharing insider information. In another federal administration with a more traditional understanding of ethical investment boundaries, such allegations might lead to some federal oversight action.

But one of Sable’s most outspoken supporters is former golf champion Phil Mickelson. In the tape, Flores suggests that a golf date with some famous left-handed golfer Mickelson is left-handed might make points with the Secretary of Commerce. (The Secretary of Commerce reportedly stated he had no idea who Mickelson was.)

Initially, Flores and Sable dismissed the leaked tape as an AI creation. This Monday, the company announced that it would be investigating allegations that Flores shared insider information.

This Monday, Sable also confirmed that it was seeking $225 million to expand its initial window of opportunity with Exxon by an additional year. Nowhere on the tape did Flores discuss the $1.7 billion the company is reported to be

The company announced two weeks ago that it was approaching federal government officials to secure the necessary permits to locate an offshore oil storage and treatment tanker somewhere five to seven miles off the coast. Oil from Sable’s three offshore platforms could be offloaded onto the tanker where it could be stored and offloaded again to ships carrying the black gold to wherever the market for oil was strongest.

For the County of Santa Barbara, this would be a genuinely shocking development; getting Exxon into a pipeline and out of such an offshore treatment tanker had been a major accomplishment. An oil spill on the waters would be infinitely harder to contain than on land, air quality would deteriorate, and jobs would be lost.

In the leaked tape, Sable CEO Flores talks about seeking financing for the offshore option from the federal government; he opined about maybe putting Donald Trump’s name in big gold letters 75 feet high on the side of the tanker as an enticement. He wanted it big enough, he said on the leaked tape, that Oprah Winfrey could read it from her Montecito living room.

The story got traction in the business press. Sable’s stock value tanked from the high of $35 a share in May to less than $6 Tuesday morning.

Ultimately, the supervisors voted 4-1 to deny Sable the permit transfer it sought. The inclination of the other three supervisors Joan Hartmann, Laura Capps, and Roy Lee had never been in doubt. The big surprise was Steve Lavagnino. It was a genuine moment. And in that moment, he was Shohei Ohtani. And this Tuesday, Ohtani hit a leadoff grand slam.

The supervisors will revisit the matter December 16 when they discuss the findings that must be made to deny Sable the transfer permits it sought. Whether that’s enough to slow down Sable is another matter. Exxon showed up Tuesday to notify the supervisors that if the transfer permits were not forthcoming, they intended to sue.

Later Tuesday evening, Sable Vice President Steve Rusch issued a statement affirming its commitment to energy affordability and reliability and “recommencing oil sales in a safe and efficient manner.” Sable, he said, had met all the requirements needed for the transfer to have been granted; county planning staff said so. “Not only have we demonstrated all required operator capabilities and financial requirements, but we have gone above and beyond those requirements. Sable will continue to defend our vested rights to pursue domestic energy supplies that are critically needed to make California more affordable and prevent our state’s energy infrastructure from collapse.”

To strain the baseball metaphor past the breaking point, the game is far from over.

Ella Heydenfeldt contributed reporting to this story.

Spotlight on a Cottage Primary Care Physician

Cottage Primary Care

Santa Barbara - Bath St.

Nastassia Sylvestre, MD

SPECIALIZING IN:

Primary Care for adults. Clinical interests include preventive health, women’s health and health education

MEDICAL DEGREE:

CONDITIONS TREATED:

•

• Asthma

• Cold and flu

• Diabetes

University of Michigan Medical School

RESIDENCY:

University of Michigan Medical School

BOARD CERTIFICATION: Internal Medicine

EXPERIENCE:

•

• High blood pressure

cottagehealth.org/bathpc

• High cholesterol

• Infections

• Mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression

• Skin conditions

Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, Clinician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago

Ethical AI and SB 420

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant concept; it’s here shaping decisions around housing, healthcare, employment, and even criminal justice. We can no longer afford to let this powerful technology grow unchecked. The AI “wild west” must be managed for the safety and dignity of all Californians.

I’m urging the public and our elected representatives to support Senate Bill 420, the California Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.

California is home to many of the world’s most influential AI companies. These corporations are leading AI development and spending heavily to lobby against regulation. Despite their influence, California’s Senate recently passed SB 420, authored by Senator Steve Padilla, in a powerful stand for public interest.

SB 420 establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework for high-risk automated decision systems (ADS). Key provisions include:

• Impact: Developers and adopters of high-risk ADS must evaluate the potential consequences of their systems.

• Transparency: Individuals must be informed when an AI system is used to make decisions about them, and be given the right to appeal those decisions to a human reviewer.

• Governance: Corporations must maintain oversight mechanisms and align with government standards.

• Enforcement: The Attorney General or Civil Rights Department may issue 45-day notices for violations, allowing developers time to correct issues before penalties are imposed.

Some tech companies argue that regulation stifles innovation, but SB 420 proves otherwise. It ensures that innovation serves the public good, positioning California as a global leader in ethical AI.

I urge Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Senator Monique Limón and readers to support this bill. Ethical AI is not just a tech issue. It is a civil rights issue, and it is one that affects all of us.

—Parker Knoles, Goleta

Home Disaster Relief

Our family lost our home of 35 years in the Palisades Fire this January, and I’m asking that the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors provide property

tax relief by belatedly adopting Proposition 171, a bill approved by voters in 1993, allowing qualified disaster victims to carry their Prop 13 tax assessments between counties without first selling their damaged property.

We are blocked from acting on our long-delayed dream of returning to Santa Barbara after many years because selling our lot is impossible. The burn area remains generally uninhabitable.

While 14 of California’s 58 counties have adopted Prop 171, this county has not. Similar legislation, 2020’s Prop 19, requires the sale of the property prior to transfer of the tax bill.

Given the state’s history of disasters, future events are inevitable. If this happens, Santa Barbara County residents can transfer their assessments to counties that adopted Proposition 171, like Ventura or Los Angeles, but not vice versa. Adoption now is the right thing to do, showing decency, fairness, and support for those in need.

—Robert and Janelle Bridges Pacific Palisades

Time is of the essence, as many of us who have been affected are still searching for permanent housing.

Home Cost Relief

An affordability story in the Independent showed that you need to have an annual income of $115,000 in order to afford a one-bedroom apartment costing $2,900 a month. Do we truly think that is affordable for families that make nowhere near the annual income?

We must support those in our community facing this crisis, continue to back housing projects, and advocate for change to restore housing stability.

—Jocelyn Franco, S.B.

For the Record

¶ Last week’s article “More Trials and Tribulations for Sable Oil” erroneously reported that the oil company is seeking $12.7 billion to finance the costs of employing offshore storage and treating vessels in federal waters. That was a typo. The actual number, reported by Reuters, is $1.7 billion.

¶ Our October 23 story about the Blind Boys of Alabama quoted founding member Jimmy Carter extensively; we note that Carter is a retired member of the band.

The Independent welcomes letters of less than 250 words that include a daytime phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Send to: Letters, S.B. Independent, 1715 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101; or fax: 965-5518; or email: letters@independent.com. Unabridged versions and more letters appear at independent.com/opinions

The extractive linear economy and policies focused on endless growth have produced unparalleled socioeconomic inequality and the Climate Crisis. Communities around the world are calling for new economic models that are regenerative towards people, place, and ecosystems. Ancestral ‘Ōiwi (indigenous Hawaiian) economic systems were built around people’s relationships and understandings of wai (water). This talk will explore the lessons that can be drawn from the Hawaiian Ancestral Circular Economy. NOV. 12, 2025 5:00

Emergency Preparedness Gets an Upgrade in Santa Barbara County

ReadySBC.org/emergency now provides precise information for your address

Stay informed during a crisis with Santa Barbara County’s new emergency zones map.

During emergencies, learn:

• What’s happening in your area: Get information on evacuation orders, shelter-in-place advisories, and what actions you might need to take.

• Where to go for help: Locate open shelters, community resources, and safety instructions nearby.

• How to stay informed: Find current road closures, emergency resources, and safety guidance.

The system is available on smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Access the map 24/7 and remember to bookmark it.

Important: To get urgent alerts on your phone, email, or through phone calls, you must sign up for ReadySBC Alerts.

Iconic Creatures at Risk

BY PEGGY OKI

For more than 50 years, both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have been cornerstone laws of species conservation in the United States. Both laws were passed in response to overwhelming public support. The Trump administration in unprecedented ways is now attacking both critical laws.

Contrary to facts, Congressmember Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced the “ESA Amendments Act of 2025,” stating, “The Endangered Species Act has consistently failed to achieve its intended goals and has been warped by decades of radical environmental legislation into a weapon instead of a tool.” Also attacking the ESA, Congressmember Tom McClintock (R-CA) introduced the “Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act of 2025.”

disturb marine mammals while imposing burdensome data requirements that could delay or prevent protections.

Strong, science-based measures in the current ESA and MMPA are essential to prevent losses among species, including the current population of 73 critically endangered southern resident killer whales. Their survival depends on robust legal safeguards, including measures under the ESA for six species of endangered salmon that are the whales’ primary food source. If passed, these proposed amendments would weaken protections and delay action for endangered species, including all marine mammals, from increasing threats. These include ship strikes, ocean noise and water pollution, bycatch in fisheries activities; further threats come from coastal development and resource extractive industries such as fossil fuel and, more recently, impending seabed mining.

how communication plays a role in making change in

Hear from two Carpinteria City Council members who will share tips for the best ways to get your message across and how they communicate with constituents. They'll speak about their professional journeys, successful communication strategies, and their perspectives on ways to advocate for yourself and others.

The ESA protects 938 plants and 743 endangered animals, from snails to blue whales. Thanks to the ESA, the law has prevented the extinction of 99 percent of listed species, helping save iconic creatures of the United States, including the bald eagle and southern sea otter.

Proposed amendments would change course on regulatory interpretations relating to the scope of protections for endangered and threatened species and migratory birds. Recent proposals aim to gut the Endangered Species Act’s effectiveness by redefining what is considered “critical habitat.”

Proposed amendments to the ESA would make it easier to remove species from the endangered list before their populations are truly stable. If enacted, these changes would prioritize industry interests over science, leaving imperiled wildlife even more vulnerable. Think air and water pollution, unbridled exploitation of habitat all for “Drill, Baby, Drill!”

In the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an estimated 208,600 sea turtles and more than one million birds died. Workers observed more than 1,400 marine mammals in the surface slick. All 21 species of dolphins and whales found in the Gulf were exposed to oil through subsurface, surface, and air contamination.

The Marine Mammal Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government, reported the genetically differentiated bottlenose dolphins of Louisiana’s Barataria Bay in the Gulf were at an estimated population of more than 3,000 prior to the Deepwater Horizon spill. Many of the dolphins died in the oil spill. More than 10 years later, the 2,000 remaining dolphins continue to face lower birth rates, impaired stress response, chronic respiratory problems, and other diseases similar to those also reported in humans.

The future of all wildlife, especially those listed “endangered,” must be safeguarded as we also protect ourselves. Think of them as the “canary in the coal mine.” The group Cetaceans.org encourages everyone to send a handwritten letter to their member of Congress. Be a voice for an endangered species dear to you. For an even greater impact, consider including a drawing, painting, photograph, poem, or digital creation. Art has a unique ability to move people and communicate creatively and help your message resonate on a deeper level.

Equally as important is the landmark Marine Mammal Protection law (MMPA) which has safeguarded dolphins, whales, manatees, seals, sea lions, otters, and polar bears. Currently in the U.S., 20 species of marine mammals are federally listed as endangered along with five listed as threatened; 25 species are listed as “depleted.” Thanks to the MMPA, not a single marine mammal species has gone extinct in U.S. waters despite increasing ocean use. It has also helped keep our oceans healthy and created the world’s largest wildlifewatching industry.

A draft rollback amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Congressmember Nick Begich (RAK) calls to remove protections for lesser-known populations. Amendments threaten all marine mammals by rescinding scientifically backed precautionary measures, narrow the legal definition of “harassment,” thereby allowing activities that may

Write to strongly urge your U.S. congressmember to oppose these three dangerous amendments: the draft affecting the Marine Mammal Protection Act by Congressmember Begich; and those affecting the Environmental Protection Act: H.R.1897 “ESA Amendments Act of 2025,” and H.R.180 “Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act of 2025.”

In Memoriam

Rudy Castillo 1929–2025

A Son of Santa Barbara

BY MIKE DANLEY

When he was named to be the Grand Marshal of the Old Spanish Days parade in 2024, Rudy Castillo was the oldest surviving El Presidente of an event that itself was turning 100 years old. Even before he became El Presidente in 1976, Rudy was known to be one who led by example, always working long hours alongside board members and volunteers.

When Rudy was elected to the Old Spanish Days board back in 1962, he told the members, “I cannot bring status or financial assets to Old Spanish Days. I am not a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but I can bring my back. If you still want me, I would be honored to become a board member.”

Rudy Castillo was born July 8, 1929, at home on Edison Avenue in Santa Barbara. He grew up during the Great Depression, his family, like so many others, struggling through the lean times with a large home garden where they grew all their fresh vegetables. During those years, his father, Isaiah Castillo, was a caddy at country clubs, working for 25 cents an hour plus tips. His mother, Isabella Ramirez, was a lemon sorter at Johnson Fruit Company in Santa Barbara.

Rudy attended Lincoln Elementary School, Santa Barbara Junior High, and Santa Barbara High School during the World War II era. Around the age of 10, he became a serious baseball player. His position was catcher. He was a great defensive player and a solid batter, hitting around .300 his whole career.

Rudy’s high school baseball coach, Clarence Schutte, arranged for him to try out for the Dodgers in 1949 and 1950. Rudy was a contender to be on the team’s catcher roster, but when the Dodger organization offered to send him to play in the minor league, Rudy turned them down. Rudy kept playing baseball in local and regional leagues until the age of 55 with one exception. In 1951, he was drafted into the army.

Inducted into the Army on February 21, 1951, Rudy was sent to Camp Roberts for three months of intensive infantry training. After that, he went directly to Seoul, Korea, as part of Fox Company of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division. Rudy remembered the complete devastation of the city: “All that was left was half of one building. The rest was rubble.”

Honorably discharged in 1953, Rudy returned on a Saturday to Santa Barbara, where his old friend Jimmy Andros asked him to come to work with him the following Monday. Rudy had Sunday off and reported to work early Monday morning. Rudy was grateful to his old friend, and they remained close.

That same year, Rudy married Phyllis Kendrick. They had four children but eventually ended their

marriage. Five years later, Rudy married Brenda Coffey, who brought her two daughters into the family. Rudy’s work with Old Spanish Days began when he joined OSD and the Native Sons of the Golden West in 1959. His cousin Richard Hidalgo asked him to volunteer at Mercado De la Guerra, where Rudy learned every aspect of the operation over the next five years. He became known as the problem solver for issues that inevitably arose. Security, vendor relations, portapotties, entertainment, electrical and safety concerns, and more had to be worked out with the city, county, Old Spanish Days, and the public.

“We had many issues to work out with the Health Department because we were serving food,” Rudy recalled. For more than 20 nonprofit vendors, Fiesta was their number-one fundraiser each year. Mexican records playing on a phonograph filled the air at the mercado. Dance schools and the Fiesta Spirits performed to the delight of the crowd.

When Rudy was elected El Presidente for the 1976 celebration, “… it was the U.S. bi-centennial year, [and] me and the board wanted to incorporate this important anniversary into our Fiesta poster,” said Rudy. Breaking with tradition, the design featured the Liberty Bell, a Franciscan Padre, a Spanish explorer, and the courthouse archway: “The word campos, which means ‘camp,’ is carved into the stone. Campos was the married name of my great-grandmother, and I wanted to honor her and the family in this personal way,” Rudy said.

When asked what the biggest challenge was, Rudy quickly replied: “money” was always the biggest hurdle of putting on Fiesta. In 1976, the celebration had no corporate sponsors. Instead, the biggest revenue came from ticket sales to events. Rudy sold close to 500 tickets himself. The other big difference, according to Rudy, was the volunteer board, their families, and friends did all the work decorating, setting up and breaking down of tables and chairs, and the meal preparation.

Rudy’s family continues his Old Spanish Days tradition. Rudy Castillo Jr. works at the Carriage and Western Art Museum, restoring and maintaining the carriages that are used in the Fiesta Parade. When Rudy rode in a carriage in 2022, his two granddaughters, Chloe and Angelina, joined him in the prettiest carriage of the parade. So many in the crowd called out to “Uncle Rudy,” cheering him on as he waved back, calling their names in appreciation and delight. n

obituaries

Arla Lue Marie Martindale 07/02/1940-10/22/2025

Arla Martindale, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother passed away Wednesday October 22nd surrounded by her family. Born on July 2nd, 1940 in Beloit, Wisconsin.  She was a cherished youngest child of Wilber and Luella Johnson who called her “Sunny” because she was the sunshine of their lives.

She attended the University of Wisconsin, Santa Barbara City College and completed her education at University of Southern California in Business Management and Communications.  She had been actively involved in Real Estate until 1977. As a Realtor she has won numerous awards for her outstanding accomplishments.  She was the first woman to hold the title of “Outstanding Realtor of the Year’ in 1979.A distinction based on consistent sales totaling over a million dollars, personal and professional integrity.

She was President of the Real Estate Masters from 1979 to 1983 which is a training program for realtors. Because of the tremendous response it was put on video and sold nationally.

In 1983 she earned credentials as an Accredited Financial Consultant.

She was Chief Executive of the editorial staff for a timely financial news publication through Merrill Lynch Co. from 1980-1983.

She was a broker and owner of Management West. A property management/investment company throughout Southern California.

She took an interest in social and political organizations in her municipality. She was active in community organizations promoting general welfare and local business opportunities, helped to implement plans for growth and improvement of her community. She was also a member of National Association for Female Executives.

She was the President of Christian Women’s Association from 1972-1975, which is

a nondenominational national organization. She was on the national speaking circuit for Christian organizations. She was well known for her expertise in motivational lectures and Biblical exposition. She would conduct seminars and workshops on motivation.

Being a third generation RLDS she had held various offices in the church: District Women Leader, Christian Education Commissioner, Leadership Commissioner, Zionic Relations Commissioner.

Arla was very proud to be one of the first women to be called to the position of priest during the early years when women had not been able to hold such a position.

She was the Central California District chair for Temple Funding and District and Branch Missionary Commissioner.

Arla was a member of the Santa Barbara Branch of the Community of Christ Church and held the office of Seventy. Our mother’s greatest job and everlasting joy was being a mother to her children and a devoted grandmother and great grandmother. Children were number one to her and she was never to busy to be there, caring for us before herself.

Keith and Arla’s home was a place people of all ages felt welcomed and embraced.  Her natural ability to make others feel included was indeed a special gift.  Her warmth and uncanny ability to listen deeply made their home a beacon for others.

She leaves behind her husband Keith Martindale, their sons Kenneth, Jr. (Michele), Kim, and daughters Sherryl (Doug), Kathleen (Eric),Linda (Jim) and Melany (Pete). Granddaughters Kendall, Skylar, Catherine and Katy. Grandsons Michael, James, Shane and Chris (Laureline) and great grandchildren Caleb and Cyia. And a precious canine companion Luna.

While we know everything in life changes and nothing stays the same in our hearts and memories we will be forever grateful to have been loved by our mother and how wonderful it was to have her in our lives.

You are invited to a Celebration of Life service to be held November 9th at 2:00pm at the Community of Christ Church 4675 Via Los Santos Santa Barbara, CA 93111.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Arla’s memory may be made to Outreach International or a charity of your choice.

Continued on page 18

obituaries

Grenda A. Moran

In Loving Memory of Grenda A Moran 2nd Anniversary 30th October 2023 also her husband Robert (Bob) who passed away December 8, 2024 at age 102 years.

Loved and missed by their friends and family and Gerard.

Jaclyn Henretig 04/21/1945 – 10/17/2025

Jaclyn Henretig died peacefully at home on Friday, October 17th after a long, patient struggle with brain tumors.

Her wife and stepson were with her, and she was skillfully attended by caregivers from the Love and Care agency and the medical staff at Central Coast Hospice.

Jaclyn is survived by Delia, her partner and wife of 28 years, her brother Bob, his wife, a niece, two nephews, two cousins, and their spouses. Jaclyn nurtured many. She is also survived by the family she married into, to whom she was a loving stepmom and grandma.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1945 and raised in Astoria, Queens and Long Island, Jaclyn graduated from Adelphi University and taught Physical Education in the Garden City High School. While studying Aston Patterning on Monheggan Island in Maine, a fellow student invited her to visit Santa Barbara. She came, and never left.

A massage practice led to a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and she worked as a therapist at the Human Relations Institute. When HRI became Pacifica Graduate Institute, she co-founded the Community Counseling Center (now known as the Community Counseling and Education Center) where she was Clinical Director, working as a supervisor of therapists seeking licensing. Jaclyn maintained a private practice and was skilled in Deep-Knowing and Process Development. She was honored and loved by colleagues, clients, and mentees.

Mourned by her large,

extended community, both in Santa Barbara and her other home, Bodega, Jaclyn will be sorely missed.

A memorial service is planned for Saturday, December 6 at 2:30 pm at the Vedanta Temple in Montecito.

Doris Jean Elias 03/02/1949-10/16/2025

Doris Jean Elias, who went by Dee at age, 76 passed away peacefully and surrounded by her loved ones on October 16th, 2025 in Santa Barbara

Doris “Dee” was born on March 2, 1949, to Harry and Adele Elias in Cario, Illinois. Dee grew up in North Royalton, Ohio and graduated from E. E. Root High School in 1967. She went on to have a career unlike any other. Starting as an American Airlines Flight Attendant in the late 60’s and early 70’s to a Century 21 Relator, Jazzercise Teacher, Physical Therapist, Esthetician, Author, and most famously was the small business owner of DeeTours of Santa Barbara.

She never lived the same year twice. She was constantly planning, laughing, taking care of others, traveling and spending time with her best friends, life partner Bill, her daughter Sarah, her son-in-law Sean, and her grandson Jude, or traveling to see her brother Harry, sister-in-law Doretta and their extended family in Cleveland.

She never let a challenge stop her from following her dreams. When Dee was a teenager, she made fake press passes with her best friend Paulette and snuck into the Beatles hotel room in Cleveland, Ohio before their show. This experience shaped her life and dreams in the best possible way.

When she was a single mom with newborn baby, she worked overtime and pushed herself through school to have a stable career and home for her daughter in Fresno, California.

When She Wanted to have her own business, she found a stretch Jeep limo and gave wine tours to hundreds of people, and was voted one of the best tours in Santa Barbara.

Dee decided to share her story of meeting the Beatles when she was a teenager and wrote the novel “Confessions of a Beatlemaniac” in which she traveled to Beatles conventions all over the US and England with her book. Dee’s hobbies and interests

included baking, painting, gardening, making “personalized” cards for her friends and following the careers of Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Benson Boone! Always the bleeding heart, she traveled all over the world to help impoverished children and gave out school supplies and toys. She continued her volunteer work in Santa Barbara by working with the Santa Barbara Food Bank and more recently after her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, raised money for the Purple Project. Always caring and thinking of others was her purpose and what made her the happiest. She strived to always be kind and spread as much love as possible, not just to her friends and family, but to anyone and everyone.

Dee’s most famous quote was, “ If I can meet the Beatles, I can do anything!” And she did with every ounce of herself!

She is survived by her life partner Bill, her daughter Sarah, son-in-law Sean, and grandchild Jude. The family extends heartfelt thanks to her many friends, family, and the wonderful care of the Serenity House for their support and compassion.

Dee has asked, via Bill and Sarah, that their be no service. She had hoped that in lieu of flowers friends make a donation to Santa Barbara Food Bank or Purple Project.

Rest in peace an see you on the other side Dee Dee.

Hermila Monarres 01/13/1938 – 10/26/2025

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Hermila (Yañez) Monarres, a beloved sister, wife, mother, grandmother, comadre and friend. Surrounded by family and friends, Hermila passed away on October 26th, 2025 in Santa Barbara, CA, due to complications suffered from a slip and fall accident at the age of 87. She was a daughter of the late Ignacio and Francisca Yañez.

Hermila was born on January 13th, 1938 in El Paso, Texas. She was the first-born of 11 siblings in her family. Growing up, her mother relied on her greatly in caring for and helping to raise her siblings. She was active in sports and excelled in track, basketball and baseball up until she graduated from Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas. Her father gave her a high school graduation gift of a trip to Santa Barbara. She arrived in Santa Barbara at the age of 18

and stayed with an aunt, eventually finding a job as an electronics assembler at Delco Electronics. A devout Catholic, it was at church that she would meet the young man that would become her future husband, Arturo. They would enjoy weekend picnics and one of their favorite pastimes, dancing! They soon became a loving married couple. She dedicated her life to her family. A loving woman, Hermila was a devoted mother and grandmother, sharing her joy, love and happiness, while teaching her children and grandchildren strong moral values and characteristics.

She was especially proud of her grandchildren and would lovingly boast that she provided day-care and baby-sat each grandchild at some point in their lives. Her home was always open, she welcomed all, with the kitchen and dining room table always ready with the most delicious food. Her children enjoyed talks with her, along with her sometimes silly, goofy sense of humor.

She chose to live a life of meaningful acts of love, in service to her family and those around her. Hermila was an avid walker and would enjoy brisk daily morning walks along the beach boulevard. She was also known and respected by many for her over 10-year job as a hostess/greeter and new employee orientation facilitator at the Santa Barbara & Goleta McDonald’s Restaurants.

Hermila is survived by her husband of 62 years, Arturo Monarres, two sons and two daughters-in-law, Daniel Monarres and Kip S. Monarres, Arturo Monarres Jr. and Deidre Monarres, and two daughters and two sons-in-law, Leticia MonarresTorres and Eriberto Torres, Lorena Monarres-Horst and Jarad Horst. In addition, Hermila is survived by ten grandchildren, Joseph A. Monarres and Sophia (Meyers) Monarres, Lauren E. Monarres, Olivia R. Monarres, Arturo A. Monarres III, Antonio D. Torres, Samuel E. Torres, Benjamin I. Torres, Jessica M. Torres, Jade A. Horst and Jamison A. Horst.

Hermila was preceded in death by her sister Adela Cruz (Jose), her sister-in-law Maria Elena Yañez and her brother-in-law Henry Perez. She is survived by siblings Ignacio Yañez Jr. (Maria Elena), Bertha Perez (Henry), Salvador Yañez (Aurora), Yolanda Quezada (Oscar), Magdalena Estrada (Raul), Maria Theresa Rocha (Philip), Consuelo Yañez, Graciela Rodriguez and Sylvia Valdez (Martin). She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her. Rosary service for Hermila will be held 7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 13th, 2025 at WelchRyce-Haider Funeral Chapel, 15 E Sola Street, Santa Barbara. Funeral service/Mass will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 14th, 2025

at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 21 E Sola Street, Santa Barbara. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, 199 N Hope Avenue, Santa Barbara.

Sue Kumm 07/13/1939 – 10/02/2025

Carolyn Sue Kumm, formerly Carolyn Sue Miller, peacefully passed away on October 2, 2025. She was born on July 13, 1939, in Fort Worth, Texas. Carolyn's life was one marked by love and dedication. After marrying her beloved husband, Allen Kumm, they relocated several times, due to Allen's job, before finally settling in Goleta.

Carolyn devoted herself to raising her three boys - Shay, Lance, and Mark - with unwavering love and support. Following her years as a devoted mother, Carolyn found fulfillment in her work as a clerk at Crawford & Company until her well-deserved retirement.

Carolyn's resilience, strength, and devotion to her family was rooted in her christian faith. She was an active member of Good Shepard Lutheran Church. She was always ready to lend a helping hand, from teaching Vacation Bible School to after service clean-up.

She was known for her culinary skills, often delighting her family with delicious meals during gatherings. Additionally, Carolyn found solace and joy in gardening. Her garden was full of beautiful blooms which radiated her warmth and loving personality.. Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, Allen, and is survived by her sons Shay (Robin), Lance (Coni), and Mark (Jennifer), as well as her cherished grandchildren Anikka and Everett. Her memory will be treasured by all who knew her, and her legacy of love will continue to inspire those whose lives she touched. A gracious and kind soul, Carolyn will be dearly missed by her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing her. Allen & Carolyn will be interned in the Goleta Valley Cemetery.

Michael William Mealiffe

07/16/1940– 10/22/2025

Michael Mealiffe, a beloved husband, father, friend and multiple-world-record-holding swimmer, died on October 22 in Santa Barbara, CA. He was 85. He’ll be most remembered for his enormous kindness, his empathy, and a smile that brightened the day of anyone lucky enough to be on the receiving end of it.

Michael came into this world along with his identical twin brother Patrick, on July 16, 1940 in Marysville, CA. Their father worked for Standard Oil and was transferred every two years, so the boys moved all over California until they landed in Fresno, where they spent their high school years.

Every day, for over sixty years, Michael could be found happily doing laps in whatever pool was nearby. His love of the water began when he and Pat swam for the Fresno Warriors. Michael was on the 200 yard medley relay team that set the national high school record in 1959, and in 1961 he broke the world record for the 110 yard butterfly.

Consequently, it was no surprise that he was recruited by USC, where he became a threetime All-American starting in 1962.

He married fellow Fresnan Karen Ring in 1963 and together they raised two children. After graduating from USC, Michael began to work in television production, first for CBS, and then for Sid and Marty Krofft Productions, where – over 17 years – he worked on many of their popular and still-beloved children’s television and variety show programs, including H.R. Pufnstuf, The Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monster, as well as Donnie and Marie.

He left CBS to work for Worlds of Wonder, the toy company responsible for two of the biggest bestsellers of the 80’s, the Teddy Ruxpin animated talking doll and Lazer Tag. Michael finished his career casting commercials for The Casting Studio in Hollywood.

In 1989 Michael came out as a gay man, met the love of his life, Dean Pitchford, who would be by his side for the rest of his life, and returned to competitive swimming when he joined the West Hollywood Aquatics team, aka WH2O. It was with that team that he competed at the 1990 Gay Games, where he made history

when he broke two Masters world records in the 50 and 100 meter butterfly and won six gold medals. His achievement received considerable media coverage, including a mention in Sports Illustrated, and it stopped Gay Games critics from the casual dismissal that LGBT competitors weren’t ‘real athletes.’ The 2018 documentary Light In The Water chronicles the early years of WH2O, and Michael’s coming out story and his swimming accolades figure prominently in that film.

In 2009 he was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame.

Michael is survived by Dean, his husband of 34 years; his daughter Shannin and son-in-law Don; his son Gavin and daughterin-law Leah; his grandsons Brandt and Evan; and more friends than you could ever imagine. He was very much loved. His was a life well lived.

Ellie Johnson 01/14/1935 – 10/25/2025

Elenore (Ellie) Johnson, a beloved mother, grandmother and friend, passed away on October 25, 2025 at the age of 90. Ellie spent most of her life in Santa Barbara, CA. How can one summarize 90 years in a few paragraphs? We will do our best.

Ellie was born in Seattle, Washington, to Helen and Vernon Kershner, and has an older sister Laverne (Lovey). Lovey survives her and lives in Kirkland, Washington. Their mother was a secretary who somewhat scandalously continued to work after the children were born (unusual in those days), and her father worked as a civil engineer for City Light. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree at University of Washington, Ellie became a teacher, specializing in speech therapy.

Ellie had a love of travel (possibly inspired by her father who spent time in the navy as a radio operator in the 1910s visiting ‘the Orient’), and soon after quit her job and voyaged to Europe by ship! After sightseeing for some months, she landed a job working for the US Army in Germany. She worked first in Nuremberg then in Heidelberg at the Special Services center. She started out as a GS5 and ended up as a GS7 working as the Club Director. Ellie lived there for 3 years, traveling on the weekends, meeting people and visiting countries around Europe.

Once she decided to return home, she lived on a houseboat in Seattle, which is where she first

met Bruce Johnson. Bruce had the houseboat next door. Ellie wrote later that the first time she met Bruce, she thought “this man will last.” They had a whirlwind romance and got married about 3 months later. Henry and Wilma Large also lived on a houseboat nearby, and the four of them became lifelong best friends.

In 1968, Ellie and Bruce moved to Santa Barbara, California, after Bruce was offered a professorship (Economics) at UCSB. They’d fallen in love with this paradise after visiting. They purchased a home for $31,000, which was more than a year’s salary at the time! Ellie became a mother a year or so later, to Karla, Paula and Martin and devoted herself to raising them and supporting the family. She loved being a mother and later wrote “It was like a switch being turned on. I loved you children instantly.”

Many adventures later when Bruce retired from UCSB, Ellie supported him in his next dream to be a business owner - they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and opened Bulls Eye Billiards as an Olhausen Billiards partner. Daughter Karla came down to help establish and run the store. Seven years later in 1999, Bruce sadly passed away.

Karla and Ellie closed the business, and Ellie moved back to Santa Barbara, and dedicated her time to volunteering with the Assistance League. She also was able to fulfill her dream of traveling more of the world, visiting Paula in France and then New Zealand, taking wonderful trips with friends, and later organizing many trips with daughters and grandkids.

A rewarding part of Ellie’s life at this point was volunteering for the Assistance League of Santa Barbara (now the Community Friends of Santa Barbara). She volunteered over decades to almost all of their programs, including the Ukulele Lulus, Friendship Luncheons, Hillside Secret Pals, clothing students and foster youth, and also managing the book section of their marvelous Thrift Shop.

Ellie also helped her children and grandchildren (Caleb, Clara, Lily), over the years, and invited daughter Paula’s family to live with her, in order to remain in Santa Barbara rather than move somewhere more affordable but far away. Ellie noted that this benefitted her as much as the grandchildren, as she got to watch them grow up, not be so lonely and get support as she aged. Everyone appreciated this multi-generational arrangement.

After the pandemic, Ellie’s son Martin stepped up to take on financial tasks when it became too much. In 2022, he put his own life on hold and moved to SB to become her primary caregiver, enabling Ellie to stay in the fam-

ily home as long as possible, until 24-hour care became necessary.

Ellie passed away peacefully with her three children with her on Saturday, October 26, 2025. Her memory will forever live on in the hearts of family and friends.

A Celebration of Life will take place in Santa Barbara, California, February 15, 2026. Please visit https://www.mykeeper.com/ EllieJohnson to RSVP.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Community Friends of Santa Barbara. https://cfofsb.org/pages/ donate.

Robert Steven Blois 11/23/1951-10/26/2025

Robert Steven (“Steve”) Blois passed away on October 26, 2025, due to complications from mesothelioma.

Steve was born on November 23, 1951 in Phoenix, AZ. He moved with his family to Santa Barbara, and then to Goleta in 1965. He attended Dos Pueblos High School and became an Eagle Scout. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1973, where he also served as president of his chapter of the Delta Tau fraternity. He settled in Camarillo, CA in 1978 with his first wife (Barbara Ray Blois) and had two children, Jessica Blois and Jaime Blois Lewis. He married the love of his life, Brenda Kennedy Blois, in 2022, and moved to Lake Nacimiento and Goleta.

Steve spent his career setting the foundation and leading Blois Construction, Inc. into one of the most respected heavy civil contractors in the Southern California region before retiring in 2003. His respect for and ability to connect with everyone, from the brand-new laborer to the highest executive, is what made Steve special. After retirement, he established Valley Vista Consulting, serving the construction industry with his extensive knowledge and experience. Steve was passionate and active in advancing his industry through the Ventura

County Contractors Association (President, 1990), the Associated General Contractors of California (President, 2007) and the Construction Education Foundation. One of Steve’s other interests was water policy. He served for many years on the Board of Directors for Crestview Mutual Water Company in Camarillo and was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 to serve on the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board. Steve also served on the Calleguas Municipal Water District, where he served as their representative to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Most recently, he served on the Board of Directors for the Nacimiento Regional Water Management Advisory Committee.

Steve contributed to many other efforts. He was a management Trustee for the Laborers of So. Cal. Health & Welfare Trust Fund. He served as an advisory Board member of the Camarillo Boys & Girls Club. He also served on Cal State Channel Islands' Foundation Board from 20032012, with service as Board Chair from 2009 - 2011 and he received CSUCI’s Robert J. Lagomarsino Award in 2013 for his support for the university.

As a high school senior, Steve was an exchange student in Germany through the American Field Service intercultural program. As an adult, he was active for many years in AFS programs in California, serving as a host family for young students and helping support student placement and programming.

Steve enjoyed traveling to new places and spending time with people - he was very social and made sure to check in with everyone in his life regularly. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Bob and Jean Blois, Steve had a huge commitment to service and community. He was generous with his time and knowledge. He respected everyone and was great at connecting with and bringing people together. He prized education and was excited to learn new information and skills.

Steve is survived by his wife Brenda, his daughters Jessica Blois and Jaime Blois Lewis, his son-in-law Blake Lewis; his three grandchildren Claire, Owen, and Jacob Lewis; his brothers Doug Blois (Dian), Scott Blois, Jim Blois (Alice), and Mike Blois (Juli), and their families; his stepchildren Jeff Kennedy (Trudy) and Kristin Kiefer (Scott) and their families. A memorial service will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Steve’s name to AFS Intercultural Programs, the Boys and Girls Club, CSU Channel Islands, or the Associated General Contractors of California Construction Education Foundation.

Roy Allen Hauser 03/20/1945-03/10/2025

Roy Allen Hauser, born in Oakland, CA on March 20th, 1945, passed away during the early hours of March 10th , 2025. A longtime resident of Santa Barbara, CA, his heart and soul were bound to the ocean. He knew what he wanted and needed in his life from a very young age and did what he needed to do; what needed to be done, to find a life on and in the water. His early years were spent around the docks of San Pedro where he learned the skills needed to not only pilot a boat, but to build one himself. He was a naturally gifted and passionate sailor. He was doing something he loved. Once Roy got a taste of the sea and what was below the waves, he found his calling. He was a pioneer, a trailblazer of sorts in the early days of recreational Scuba diving. More importantly he realized what a gift it was to do what he was doing and quickly learned to appreciate the beauty and mystique of the nature hidden within the ocean. He knew it was important to dive with respect to the life and landscape in the depths of the sea because without protection it could be lost forever. He would become a strong supporter for ocean conservation throughout his life.

On February 13th, 1966, he married his high school sweetheart, Linda Phillips to be by his side on this journey. Unfortunately, life has its twists and turns and doesn’t always go as planned. Roy’s lifelong dream was cut short after a diving mishap left him paralyzed in 1977. He would have to learn how to live life from a wheelchair from now on. It took some time, but Roy accepted the hand that fate had dealt him. He did not live his days in pity and would not let anyone tell him that he should. He took what was given to him and lived his best life.

To his family and closest friends, he was the epitome of ‘The Old Man and the Sea’, somewhat literally and figuratively. His dignity and human spirit prevailing over his struggles, and persevering over the face of defeat; “even though a person may be physically defeated, their spirit can remain unbroken”. He never quit; he adapted and lived. Roy is survived by his ex-wife

Linda Hauser, his son Matthew Hauser Sr., his grandchildren Matthew Jr., Michael, Nicholas, and Haley, and his 3 great grandsons Rory, Ryder and Archer.

A celebration of life gathering is to be held at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara on November 8th , 2025, from 2pm till 4:30pm.

A no-host food and drink remembrance will be held at the Ranchero Room at Harry’s Plaza Cafe at 5pm.

If you’d like to share any pictures you may have or a thought or two to be shared, you can forward these to glen@truthaquatics.com.

Edward R. Usher

12/19/1947-10/19/2025

Edward Robert Usher was born on December 19, 1947, in Glendale, CA. Ed passed away peacefully on October 19, 2025, in the place he loved most, Bridgeport, CA with his wife, Suzanne by his side. He was raised in Alhambra, CA by his parents, Charles Roland Usher and June Hunewill Usher.

Ed attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and afterwards became a journeyman carpenter. In 1976, he started his business, Edward Usher Construction. After numerous custom home projects, in 1984 Ed started Mission Roofing. Ed lived by his lifelong code of: Honesty; Quality; Follow through (do what you say you are going to do); Fairness. One of his customers once told him he was one of the last boy scouts.

Ed met Suzanne Mary Dunham in Bridgeport, CA in 1967 when they were both working at his uncle’s Twin Lakes Pack Station. In 1968, they were married in Carson City, Nevada. They raised two wonderful children, Karen Marie Usher Widler and James Edward Usher in the Carpinteria/Santa Barbara, CA area. They moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1998. Vacations were spent in Bridgeport, CA where they were able to enjoy the company of Ed’s Hunewill family on the cattle ranch his ancestors established in the 1850’s. Ed and Suzie purchased property in Bridgeport, which had originally been part of his great-grandfather’s homestead. They built a beautiful home with the dream that became a reality, to have the home be a place where their family could meet and share their love of the beautiful Sierra

Nevada area and reconnect with extended family and friends from the Bridgeport area. Edward Robert Usher was preceded in death by his son, Jim Usher, his parents, June and Roland Usher, his sister and brother-in-law, Wanda and Bernie McBride. Ed is survived by his wife of 57 years, Suzanne, daughter Karen Widler (Mitch), daughter-in-law Roxanne Usher, grandchildren Ethan Edward Usher (Maisie), Margaret Frances ‘Maggie’ Usher, and Waylon Widler, great-grandson Everett James Usher and brother Charles Usher (Barbara). Numerous nieces, nephews and extended family and all those that called him “Uncle Ed”. Ed will be deeply missed by all, and his love was beyond measure for his family and friends.

A celebration of Ed’s life will be held in Bridgeport on May 30, 2026 after the snow melts. Information about Ed's Celebration of Life can be found at https:// edusherscelebrationoflife.rsvpify. com

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Ed’s favorite charity:

Jim Usher Cal Poly Rodeo Memorial Scholarship https://www.paypal.com/ donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_ bu?on_id=KTD8ENFYLKKCQso urce=url&ssrt=1761067356407

Checks can be sent to: Jim Usher Memorial Scholarship Rodeo Boosters, PO Box 13727, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-3727

Nadine T. Schlothauer 01/29/1931 – 09/13/2025

Nadine T. Schlothauer, 94, passed away peacefully on Sept. 13, 2025, at Vista del Monte Retirement Community in Santa Barbara, surrounded by her family.

Born on Jan. 29, 1931, in Newcastle, Wyoming, Nadine was the daughter of Lovell and Oleta (Lewis) Thomas. Her father worked as a railroad calligrapher, and her mother was a dedicated homemaker.

Nadine loved to share stories of her childhood living at the railroad depot with her parents and older sister Natalie. It was there that she developed a deep affection for books, and throughout her youth she devoted countless hours to reading.

Nadine graduated from high

school in 1949 and attended the University of Wyoming, where she was a proud member of the Chi Omega sorority. She graduated with honors in 1953, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Shortly after graduation, Nadine began her professional career as an English teacher at Worland High School.

In 1955, Nadine married her beloved husband Carl “Jack” Schlothauer, with whom she shared 70 years of marriage until his passing earlier this year.

The couple moved from Wyoming to Los Angeles, California, in 1958 to begin new careers and start their family. After several moves throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Nadine and Jack settled in Santa Barbara in 1969, where they developed deep community ties and lasting friendships.

Later, Nadine worked as a teacher’s aide at Santa Barbara City College for more than two decades, retiring in the mid-1990s.

She was a devout member of the First United Methodist Church, and was active in many school, church and community organizations.

Nadine and Jack shared a lifelong love of travel, theater, and symphony performances.

Above all else, Nadine cherished her role as a wife and mother.

She is survived by her daughter Lisa (Stephen) Decker of El Dorado Hills, California; and her son Tom Schlothauer of San Juan Capistrano, California.

Nadine was predeceased by her husband Jack Schlothauer; parents Lovell and Oleta Thomas; and sister Natalie Thomas.

Nadine and Jack’s ashes are interred in the Sunrise Urn Garden at Santa Barbara Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be directed to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation www.bcrf.org or the Legacy Funds of Santa Barbara First United Methodist Church www. fumcsb.org/memorials.

Carmelita Belle DeCarlo Williams 11/03/1940-10/15/2025

Wednesday, October 15, 2025, after a short illness. She was

cared for in

her final days by her devoted son, Christopher Williams, who never left her side.

Carmelita was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan on November 3, 1940, the second child of Americo and Mary Frances DeCarlo. She loved the Lord from an early age and was a joy to her parents and older brother, Damian.

Her formative years were spent in St. Louis, Missouri, where she graduated from Mercy High School. After graduation, she moved with her family to Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where she supported them financially while Mr. DeCarlo attended nursing school.

Four years later, Carmelita drove her mother and younger sisters, Mary Rose and Dorothy Jean, to Venice, California, where she became a legal secretary at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica.

She met and married Eugene Williams, and together they welcomed two sons, Michael and Christopher. The Williams family later settled in Santa Barbara, California, where Carmelita worked in the Santa Barbara School District Head Office.

After retiring with 25 years of service, the family moved to Buckeye, Arizona, where Carmelita continued to work at Amazon Warehouse for 14 years. Carmelita was a faithful servant to God and her family — always placing others before herself and offering constant love, generosity, and grace. She remained a devoted Catholic throughout her life, and we pray that her reward is great in heaven.

She is survived by her loving husband Eugene Williams, sons Michael and Christopher Williams, daughter-in-law Eva Williams, granddaughter Katarina Bucifal Olvera, sisters Dorothy Benveniste and Mary Rose DeCarlo, nieces Gina Hudson, Kristin LaBarge, and nephew Peter Dolbee.

May the Lord have mercy on her faithful soul.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, November 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church, 5444 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93111. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society in her memory.

Timothy Ross aka "TR" 1947-2025

Tim passed away unexpectedly at Cottage Hospital on Wednesday, October 22, from a heart problem.  He was born Timothy King Ross on March 9, 1947, in Missouri, to parents Frank and Winniemae Ross. The family moved to Santa Barbara in 1961, residing on the Westside.  He attended local schools and graduated from SBHS in 1965. He enlisted in the Navy and served his country in Vietnam as a Navy Seabee and received an honorable discharge.  He was very proud of his service.

From an early age, he was interested in cars, hot rods, and surfing.  He had a fascination with colors, both on cars and surfboards.  In high school, he started working in the auto body industry.  After returning from Vietnam, he tried refinishing furniture for a while and then decided to move to Hawaii to surf. When that adventure didn't quite work out, he came home and started in the auto body and paint industry. He worked for several body shops, including SB Nissan, Torg's Top Shop, Tony Cavalli, George Palomarez, and many more.  A favorite story among his body shop friends was when he would blow off a car with air, and his hairpiece would often flap up and down. He then moved into the sales part of the industry and worked at The Color Wheel, Larry's Auto Parts, and Central City.  Somewhere in the middle of this, he went to cosmetology school, where he cut and styled hair for several years. He married Sandee in 1967 and had one son, Michael Aaron Ross. They divorced in 1971. Over the last 40 years, he resided in a house on the Westside with a succession of dogs and could often be seen walking his dog around the neighborhood. TR was always immaculately groomed and neatly dressed.   He could be cantankerous at times, but lovable all the same.

He was predeceased by his son Mike, but is survived by a brother Taylor Ross, Chicago, his former wife, Sandee, Santa Barbara, and his 3 grandchildren, Payton, Ciara and Tanner, all of Santa Barbara, and his last dog, T-Rex. All will miss him.

He will be interred at Bakersfield National Cemetery on November 12th, with full military honors.

At his wish there will be no services.

Contributions in his memory can be made to KENNELS2COUCHES.ORG which is a Santa Barbara dog rescue.

John M. Rapacz, 82, of Santa Barbara, California passed away on August 31, 2025. Born in St. Johnsville, New York, to John and Gladys Rapacz, John's life was marked by compassion and a playful wit. He earned his undergraduate degree from Buffalo State College and went on to complete an MBA at the University at Buffalo. After working for various businesses in Buffalo, John made a bold and inspiring career change, pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Once he arrived in Santa Barbara, John never looked back. The year-round sunshine and ocean breeze became the backdrop to a life of outdoor activities and meaningful work. He dedicated his career to supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, offering his expertise and empathy to organizations such as Devereux, St. Vincent's, and the Tri-County Regional Center.

John's love of sports began in childhood, attending basketball camp and traveling to Yankee and football games with his parents. That passion endured throughout his life - he was a devoted fan of the Clippers, Yankees, and Buffalo Bills, often found poring over the latest Bills draft statistics. Watching Bills games with his Santa Barbara friends was a highlight.

His creativity shone through in his whimsical "picturegrams," witty and imaginative visual creations that he delighted in sharing with his family and friends. John's playful spirit and kindness toward both people and animals created a lasting impression on everyone fortunate to know him. John is survived by his wife, Corey and his sister, Carole.

Thomas Jean Morrison

03/23/1935-10/25/2025

This is a love story, and a life story. Tom and I have known each other since 6th grade when I transferred to school in his world of Carpinteria. We have always been friends but not girl and boy friend.

We attended different universities but majored in art and architecture. Our lives took different paths in different locations but we always knew where the other one was & what he or she was doing. We looked at each other with different eyes at our 50th high school reunion and began a terrific 20 year journey together at an age where most people don’t consider “New Beginnings”!

At first we couldn’t believe our compatibility. You like to camp? You enjoy hiking & biking? You relish exploring? Yes! Yes! We each discovered a new pal with whom to enjoy the outdoors in ways our previous spouses had rejected.

We quickly embarked on camping trips to Big Sur, the National Parks of Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, California and British Columbia and Alberta, following Tom’s formula of nights in lovely resorts interspersed with nights in a tent. We kayaked near the whales in Magdalena Bay and paddled through the Grand Canyon. Then we looked to the special wonders first discovered in our college History of Architecture classes and explored Petra, the Pyramids of Egypt, Angkor Wat, the shrines and temples of Japan.

Contemporary wonders were woven into our itineraries - Dubai, Singapore, I. M. Pei’s spectacular museum in Doha and his Miho Museum outside Kyoto, Naoshima and the art islands of Japan, Christo’s Gates in Central Park.

Tom was fortunate to make his passion his profession of architecture. An elementary school and a public library in Long Beach are projects from his early career, as were many homes and remodels from his middle life in Phoenix where he relocated. In the late 1970s, Tom and three partners rode the disco craze when, at the apex of the fad they were opening a new restaurantbar-dance floor spot every three weeks throughout the United States and Canada. Their concepts were unique and fascinat-

ing. One place was dazzled with Tiffany glass, another with the stained glass from one of Boston’s earliest churches. The next decade marked a very different emphasis: after several hospital projects, Tom was the Project Manager for the Mayo Clinic’s new location in Scottsdale.

The desert was home to Tom and his family, but, always, his dream was to return to coastal California. That dream was realized in 2005 when the widower and the divorcee moved Into her family home on the Mesa bluffs.

In his kind and considerate manner, Tom didn’t criticize the remodel already underway with a different architect, but in his quiet an determined way added his ideas - a large triangular clerestory window that floods the house in light, and a stained glass window through which the sunset beams. Also, he decided that he would build the circular deck ‘called out’ by our landscape architect for the bluff edge, and in his generous way, let my son saw the last edges, so the project would feel like his, too.

This ocean deck became Tom’s favorite spot as we spent hours there with a book in our lap or binoculars to our eyes, reading, relaxing and watching the activities in the channel - gray whales migrating, dolphins jumping, pelicans flying in their enlarged V, container ships passing the islands, sailboats zipping by in a race & lobster fishermen pulling up their many traps. All of this is well documented by Tom’s legacy of terrific photographs, particularly the hundreds of sunsets from ‘his deck’.

A subtle leader, Tom was student body president in high school, and a track star with many blue ribbons who was invited to compete at the international level in the Games in Vancouver. He still holds the 100 yard dash record at Carp High.

Throughout his life, he has been a kind, decent man with a subtle sense of humor and unwavering integrity. Friends would share intimate parts of their lives because he was always trusted.

Goodbye, Tomcat. We love you. “We are forever thankful for our time together and all the memories.” “My favorite lefty!”

“What a good man.” “So much love.” “Sweet funny Tom.”

His niece said, “He was that smiling uncle who was always kind & fun. Like my dad, Tom was a special person. I’m playing a concert tomorrow and at the rehearsal last night, I chose the piece to dedicate to Tom: Threnody by William Grant Still. Beautiful, sensitive but strong music - like Tom.”

Goodbye from your Partner, Nancy Brock and daughter, Courtney Miranda, and grandchildren, Celine Miranda, Zoe

05/16/1946-08/31/2025

Thomas E. Murray, III passed away peacefully on August 31, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born in Bronxville, New York on May 16, 1946. He grew up in a large family in Westchester County, NY.

At 14 years of age, Tom went to work at the 34th Street Heliport in Manhattan which was the start of his long and successful flying career. Tom learned to fly before he learned to drive and he taught flying from the age of 17. He continued to teach flying, even while he attended Georgetown University and also while he served in the Army. Tom was an excellent pilot and he enjoyed a full career as a Pilot Instructor, not just in New York and Washington D.C., but also in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Tom was very proud of his time serving in the US Army Old Guard at Ft. Myer in Washington, D.C. Later in life, he was active in helping disabled Veterans.

In 1991, Tom met Gail and they were married a few years later. Tom was a devoted husband and stepfather and together they had a full and happy life raising Gail’s two sons in Santa Barbara.

A people person with a wonderful sense of humor and a big heart, Tom never met a stranger. He enjoyed meeting friends for lunches or taking walks. He often took family members, as well as friends and neighbors on local training flights, which they all enjoyed immensely. He was an active part of the Santa Barbara community and member of the YMCA for decades, making many friendships there.

Tom leaves behind his beloved wife, Gail, of 34 years, their two sons and three grandsons, his sister, nieces and a nephew. He is greatly missed.

A Look at Santa Barbara’s Robot Scene, from Chinese Restaurants to Retirement Homes

BY MATT KETTMANN | PHOTOS BY INGRID BOSTROM

M

y family is seated in the back corner of Meet Up Chinese, and the slender, shiny robot is standing right next to me, its metal knees slightly bent to stay balanced, its fingers seeming to nervously twitch.

It has no eyeballs on its tiny head, but that flashing blue strip is certainly staring me down. There’s no discernible mouth, but its friendly, cartoonish voice is suggesting we order the restaurant’s “zesty” orange chicken or, if we like spicy, the kung pao, each of which comes with steamed rice. And do we want a drink? Do we want to play rock-paper-scissors?

With other families watching in mostly stunned silence, I can tell that it’s probably the first time any of us have witnessed this inherently fascinating, slightly creepy humanoid robot in action. ChaCha, as it’s named, arrived at the Las Positas Road restaurant earlier this year, an upgrade to the wheeled, stiff-

armed, tray-holding fembot named Shadow that started bringing food out to customers back in 2022.

Meet Up’s owner Yong Wang saw Shadow as a remedy to the challenges of COVID her Mandarin name, “Shadu,” translates roughly to “disinfect” and her novelty did create buzz, catch headlines, and more than triple sales during that tough time. But ChaCha represents an even brighter hope for Wang, and very possibly a new future for all of us.

“In the United States, small business owners are all facing labor shortages and very expensive labor costs that is the biggest challenge,” said Wang, noting that immigration crackdowns only exacerbate the problems. “You cannot increase the menu price every single year. Your diners will not pay for that.”

Humanoid robots could alleviate some pain for restaurants, but that’s just the start. Wang sees their further potential as hotel porters, security guards, farm workers, and much more.

He’s far from alone. The entire robotics industry is projected to jump from its current $60 billion estimation to more than $200 billion by 2032. More than four million robots already work in factories worldwide, with at least one million maintaining Amazon warehouses alone. They’re increasingly enmeshed in the military, health care, and transportation industries, with way more to come.

The potential for humanoids like ChaCha may be most staggering: Morgan Stanley predicts that more than one billion may be in use globally by 2050, representing a potential $5 trillion market.

Wang is moving fast to get ahead of the competition. Since I first met ChaCha in June, he’s purchased a second Unitree G-1 model (they cost about $50,000); designed a wheeled-but-two-armed model through another company (should arrive any day now); and assembled a team of young engineers, mostly ones he first attracted by showing off the robot last spring at UCSB. They taught the robots to dance and then placed sixth in a hospitality challenge at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, which was held in Beijing in August.

Together, they’ve launched a startup called StarBot Robotics, whose 10 employees work out of offices at both UCSB and the restaurant. They just returned from the Nvidia GTC AI conference in Washington, D.C., last week, booked a booth for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, and just started wearing their first company jackets. Most critically, StarBot already attracted two clients: one a dental

office, the other a citrus company, looking for help with picking fruit.

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come in just half a year,” said Jerry Yang, the 19-year-old UCSB student who’s handled most of the programming and is now StarBot’s chief technical officer.

Almost equally amazing, though, is how far the robots haven’t come, at least in being helpful restaurant employees. They still need significant help to do everything they supposedly do welcome guests, explain the menu, take orders, and process payments while true human-replacement tasks such as delivering food and cleaning tables seem very far off.

We all get excited about robots in our future, but are these the droids we’re looking for?

Both Wang and Yang readily admit that there is much work to be done. They hope to have fully functional robot servers in about a year, with significant skill upgrades every couple of months.

The soon-to-arrive wheeled model which they believe is the first such robot in the world to be used in restau-

rants should be a faster programming challenge. Like the Shadows (there are two now), it’s much more stable, not requiring energy or expertise to balance; and like ChaCha, it has arms to pick up and drop off things.

Meanwhile, the speedy, somewhat scary rise of generative AI in which machines actively learn on their own will only speed up robot evolution everywhere.

This simultaneous promise and problem of robots at Meet Up directly mirrors the robot world at large. “It’s not as far along as people think,” said Yang of his experience watching the competition at the Beijing games. “Apart from big companies, it’s still very early stages.”

That was reiterated at the Nvidia conference last week, where presenters reminded attendees that, for the last 60 years, the robot has been just around the corner. The question for Meet Up, StarBot, and the rest of us is whether we’re finally turning that corner.

EXPERT ADVICE

This story was just going to focus on restaurants, but every time I talked about the Meet Up robots, everyone wanted to know more.

People of all ages and walks of life were both amazed and unnerved by the photos and videos, especially of the ChaChas dancing. I started learning about other robots in town: the roving waiters at Vista del Monte retirement home, the farming robots working Santa Maria strawberry fields, the Octobots robotics club at Dos Pueblos High School.

Then I realized that I’d written about robots in Santa Barbara almost 20 years ago when I profiled UCSB grad and robotics pioneer Yulun Wang. Under his company Computer Motion, Wang empowered the world’s first remote robotic surgery ever in 2001, with a doctor in New York City and patient in Strasbourg, France. Then he cofounded InTouch Health, whose robots now rove around hospitals and connect patients to faraway doctors all over the world. His current company is Sovato, which is scaling up the potential for remote robotic surgery.

He’s been pondering that since he realized robots might be the next big thing after the IBM PC came out in 1981. “Computers are the brain, and robots are what lets the brain affect the physical world,” explained Wang, much like our brains can’t do much without our bodies. “But it’s taken longer to get things to where robots are more ubiquitous.”

A confounding hurdle is that what humans think is hard can be easy for computers, while what we think is easy, such as walking or picking up a cup, turns out to be quite hard for robots. “Getting computers to beat people at very complex things like chess happened a while ago,” explained Wang. “But getting a robot to be as capable as a 3-year-old has been really, incredibly difficult.”

It’s also taken time to identify where robots are viable solutions. They’ve been in restaurants for quite a while now, but because they’d only replace relatively low-cost labor, the investment doesn’t always pencil out. Said Wang, “It’s often easier to get robotic adoption when, like in my case, you’re enabling surgeons.”

Generative AI is “a major step forward,” he explained. “The concept of a personal robotic assistant is very much in the possible range where it wasn’t before.”

The convergence of AI and robots is fueling a resurgence of interest in robots at his alma mater. “Incoming students are wanting robotics,” said Wang of UCSB. “My guess is the high interest is because of AI. That’s a new capacity.”

What did he think about the current state of robots?

UCSB’s resident robot expert is Katie Byl, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. This polymath crossword writing for The New York Times, pro blackjack playing with the college crew fictionalized in that Kevin Spacey film 21 got hooked during her robot battle class at MIT. “It’s like playing with toys,” she said, “but there’s real math and science behind it.”

Though some aspects have taken longer than expected when she started working on robots 20 years ago, Byl remains optimistic about the potential for robots on multiple fronts: exploration of hostile environments, search and rescue, fighting wildfires,

warehousing and manufacturing, and particularly health care. That goes for robots in nursing and surgery roles, and for robotic exoskeletons that can help injured people move.

Much of the innovation is now happening at private companies rather than universities, and that’s a good thing. “Whether spaceships or robots or probably, at one point, the lawnmower, the whole goal is to get it out to the industry,” said Byl. American companies aren’t necessarily in the lead. “A lot of it is happening in China, to a greater degree than what I would have predicted 10 years ago,” said Byl. “It’s very impressive, the amount of robots coming out of there.”

She wonders how comfortable people will be with more robots in our lives, especially the humanoid ones that can elicit fearful reactions. “Everyone wants a robot at home that can help them clean and wash the dishes,” she said. “But it’s going to be interesting whether or not people truly feel comfortable with increased intelligence around them.”

Data will likely be collected, tracked, and monetized, although that doesn’t seem to be bothering those who rely on Alexa and habit-tracking browsers. “Our comfort with the lack of privacy is growing,” said Byl.

She’s less optimistic about restaurant waiters revolutionizing the world anytime soon. “I feel like the waiters and waitresses of the world have pretty good job security right now,” she said. “What they’re doing is actually pretty challenging, whether it’s taking orders or setting out silverware. If you want a robot to do the same task right now, it’s painfully slow.”

FOR YOUNG AND OLD

Don’t tell that to Wall-E and Eve, the two robots roaming the dining room at the Vista Del Monte retirement community in Santa Barbara’s Hidden Valley neighborhood. Their job is very straightforward: deliver hot food (while keeping it hot in their robot bellies) to the tables that ordered it, where human servers will drop off each plate, and then they return to the kitchen for the next round. They’ve been a big help and hit with residents.

“It just really helps elevate the hospitality, and reduces the amount of time someone might be waiting for an order to be taken,” said Wendy Cafferky, Vista Del Monte’s head of sales and marketing, explaining how it frees up the servers. “They’ve just been a really good fit.”

There’s been a lot of adoption of new technologies across the senior living industry, especially for Vista del Monte’s nonprofit owner Front Porch. “Vista del Monte is very forward-thinking when it comes to technology and wanting to be on the forefront,” Cafferky said, noting that 70 percent of the residents are former educators who witnessed tech take over schools. “These are the people who can really appreciate that.”

Residents recognize the robots’ impact too. “When we get our food, he serves the whole table,” said Barbara Thorne of how the entire table’s food is delivered at once. “He doesn’t serve one person and come back later.”

And they provide a great deal of entertainment. “We enjoy their little melody,” said Mitzi McCarthy of the songs they play while rolling around, including the occasional “Happy Birthday” when appropriate. Added Martha Saatjian, “It’s fun to see how they negotiate when they’re about to collide!”

Robots are also making inroads in the Central Coast’s agricultural empire. The San Luis Obispo company Tric Robotics builds tractors that use ultraviolet light and vacuums to fight pests on strawberry farms in Santa Maria. They raised $5.5 million in seed

money this past summer, and now have 12 robots and 27 full-time employees working at five different farms. Down in Carpinteria, another company named Productive Robotics builds “cobots” (collaborative robots) that aid in myriad manufacturing tasks, from welding and milling to packaging and testing. They’ve been doing so since 2010, when they transitioned from building robotic cameras that shot some of Hollywood’s classic space and sci-fi flicks.

There are certainly other robotics-related companies around town, and expect more to come, because the next generation is fired up about their potential. That’s what I saw last month at an open house for Dos Pueblos High’s robot team Octobots, whose more than 50 students build a new robot to compete against other schools in a unique set of challenges each spring. Robots were a beloved part of the renowned Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy until 2016, and the Octobots brought the energy back to campus upon forming in 2022. There are now about 3,500 teams and 100,000 participants from 28 countries involved in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), and the Octobots have nearly made the world championships in Houston the past two years.

The season starts in early January, when teams gather to watch a livestream revealing what this year’s challenge is. “It’s dead quiet,” explained Zeo Pereira, a senior at DP and the Octobots captain. “Then when it stops, everyone starts talking, and it goes on ’til the evening.” The first challenge is just deciphering the rulebook, and then they have about eight weeks to build a robot from scratch that can complete complex tasks that replicate real-world scenarios. Last year’s, for instance, simulated aspects of helping coral reefs and algae in underwater environments.

Pereira came to DP from Anacapa School as a sophomore, so he was unable to join the engineering program that’s for incoming freshmen only. But he always loved engineering and building things, so Octobots filled that niche. It is a major time commitment: three hours after school every day during the season, and then another five or so hours every weekend.

“I’ve been telling all of my friends to come join,” he said, noting that not all teammates are engineers, as some focus on marketing or on the business side of raising the tens of thousands of dollars required to support the program. “People don’t realize that Octobots is not just robotics.”

But he’s more certain than ever of his path. “I want to be a mechanical engineer,” he said. “I definitely know that’s what I want to do.”

CHACHA VS. THE LEMON

Yong Wang didn’t know anything about restaurants or robots before he dove headfirst into each.

The first leap was when the Shanghai-raised entrepreneur took over the Stone Age restaurant on Milpas Street from a friend who was moving to Texas in 2018. “I had no idea about the restaurant business,” said Wang, who first came to the United States in 2008. “I don’t cook at all.” He’d once worked for both a cruise ship and a hotel, but most recently was running his own import-export company out of Irvine.

Six months later, he was ready for a bigger place, and one closer to the Asian students at UCSB, which is how he came to take over the former Empress Palace on Las Positas. He brought in live music and curated a menu that mixes Chinese-American fare with authentic dishes from his homeland. Then came COVID.

“We were failing. I had to figure it out, and robots were the way,” said Wang. “People were very happy with that. The diners, their grandsons and granddaughters, they all came to see the robot.”

When the humanoid robot arrived this past January, he was even more in the dark than when starting the restaurant. “I’d never seen a humanoid robot in my life,” he said. “We had to train the robot by ourselves. I didn’t even know that.”

Less than a year later, with the help of his StarBot team, the horizons look limitless. They’re now dialing in what’s needed for robots that can patrol the perimeters of buildings 24/7, for robots that can pluck lemons off of trees, for robots that can check-in hotel guests, take them and their bags to the room, and deliver a new bathrobe when needed.

But the basic restaurant training continues. On a recent Friday, I watched ChaCha try to pick up a bright yellow lemon and can of CocaCola, which it first identified as a green apple and red cup. StarBot’s head of engineering Ricky Wu explained that some of the delay and confusion is because each command and thought process is being sent up to the internet and then coming back. Once they complete their own local server, the flow should be much faster and accurate. That’s just one of the many riddles to come.

Though ChaCha couldn’t take our order or drop off our food that day, the friends who joined me for a later lunch of smashed cucumbers, dryspicy chicken, king mushroom with bok choy, pork belly with jalapeño, and Coke-soaked chicken wings didn’t seem to mind. We were eating excellent Chinese food while watching the future in front of our eyes. Yes, that future is still flailing a bit, but I’m betting that ChaCha and the StarBot team will one day figure it all out. n

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7 3:30-5:30PM

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“If

PALM PARK FESTIVAL

Presented by SB Independent GOLDEN HOUR

Friday, November 7, 2pm-6pm · Carousel House

· Featuring Hoodlum Friends – Surf Rock

· Drink Garden & More!

COMMUNITY DAY

Saturday, November 8 · Carousel House

· 9AM: HOKA Community Shakeout Run

· 10AM: HOKA Yoga in the Park

· 11AM-2PM: DJ Darla Bea, Kids Games, Face Painting & more

RACE DAY

https://santabarbarahalf.com https://santabarbarahalf.com

RACE DAY

Sunday, November 9

· 7AM: Half Marathon presented by HOKA

· 8:30AM: UCLA Health 5K

· 10AM: HOKA Kids Fun Run presented by Cowabunga Daily

· 8AM-12pm: Funk Zone Finish Line Festival

Santa Barbara Half Marathon Celebrates 5 Years

of Community Impact

ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE

The sold-out Santa Barbara Half Marathon presented by HOKA & UCLA Health 5K returns Sunday, November 9, welcoming 7,000 runners from around the world. Since 2021, the event has raised over $130,000 for local youth sports and schools, with a record $60,000+ expected this year. The Santa Barbara Running Association, the event’s official beneficiary, has promoted movement and connection in the community since 1948.

Sunday, November 9 ROAD CLOSURES, TRAFFIC & SUPPORT

Expect road closures and traffic downtown, especially near the waterfront, from 5:30am–8:30am. Local entertainers will be stationed along the course to cheer on runners.

PARTICIPANTS

PARTICIPANTS

Arrive early and review parking tips at santabarbarahalf.com/parking. No official event parking is provided. Avoid the Funk Zone and waterfront lots off Garden St.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

We invite you all to come out and cheer on the runners in a city-wide celebration of movement! Visit santabarbarahalf.com for road closure updates or email raceday@runlocalevents.com with questions.

For non-emergency concerns on race morning, call the Run Local Race Day Line at (805) 225-7958.

I NDEPENDENT C ALENDAR

As always, find the complete listings online at independent.com/events. Submit virtual and in-person events at independent.com/eventsubmit

THURSDAY 11/6

11/6: UCSB A&L Presents: Sherrilyn Ifill: Reimagining a New American Democracy Sherrilyn Ifill, Howard Law School professor, former president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and one of the preeminent civil rights lawyers of our time, will share insights on the 14th Amendment and citizenship, the importance of local civic engagement, and the role that colleges and universities play in carrying forward the democracy project. 7:30pm. Campbell Hall, UCSB. UCSB students: free; GA: $20. Call (805) 893-3535. artsandlectures.ucsb.edu

11/6-11/9: Rubicon Theatre Presents: Million Dollar Quartet This show takes place on the night of December 4, 1956, when a twist of fate brought Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley together at Sun Records in Memphis for an unbelievable jam session that features songs such as “Blue Suede Shoes,”“Great Balls of Fire,” and more. Thu.-Fri.: 7pm, Sat.: 2pm, 7pm, Sun.: 2pm. Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. $20-$79.50. Call (805) 667-2900. rubicontheatre.org

11/6-11/7, 11/9: A&L Presents: ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Gaby Moreno Guatemalan Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated artist, and the only prominent Latina in the Americana genre, Gaby Moreno will bring her warm and soulful rock-alt sound to the area. Thu.: 7pm, Carpinteria Veterans Memorial Bldg., 941 Walnut Ave., Carpinteria; Fri.: 7pm, Isla Vista Elementary, 6875 El Colegio Rd., Goleta; Sun: 6pm, The Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St. Free. Call (805) 893-3535. tinyurl.com/Gaby-Moreno

11/6-11/7: MOVE S.B. County: Iluminando La Noche Free Bike Light Distribution Con el fin del horario de verano, las mañanas y las tardes oscurecen antes, lo que hace que sea aún más importante circular en bicicleta de forma segura y visible. Recoge una luz recargable gratuita para tu bicicleta y haz que te la instalen (para los ciclistas que más la necesiten) y aprende consejos de seguridad e información sobre Bici Centro. With the end of daylight savings, mornings and evenings get darker earlier, making safe, visible cycling even more important. Pick up a free rechargeable bicycle light and have it installed (for cyclists who need them most) and learn safety tips and information about Bici Centro. Thu.: 5pm: Carpinteria: Linden & Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria; 5pm: Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Rd., Isla Vista; Fri.: 5pm: Goleta: Goleta Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave., Goleta. Call (805) 845-8955. movesbcounty.org/events

11/6-11/9: San Marcos High School Theater Presents: CLICK! You Didn’t Say It Was Haunted A camera club led by Ben (Austin Javanabacht) and Pippa (Amber Coltrin) arrives at an eerie estate for a photo shoot contest, only to encounter a colorful cast of surprise guests, mistaken identities, quick escapes, and unexpected twists. The show runs through November 15. Thu.-Sat.: 7pm; Sun.: 2pm. San Marcos High School, 4750 Hollister Ave. GA: $5-$10; VIP: $20. Call (805) 967-4815 or email michele@mauvisual .com. tinyurl.com/Click-SMHS

FRIDAY 11/7

11/7: Fall 2025 Alumni Mixer for Catholic High, Dolores, and Notre Dame School Calling all alumni of Catholic High, Dolores, and Notre Dame schools to enjoy an evening of music, appetizers, an open bar, and school tours as you reconnect with classmates and celebrate 100 years! RSVP on the website. 6:30-8:30pm. Notre Dame School, 33 E. Micheltorena St. Free. Call (805) 965-1033 or email frontdesk@notredamesb.org notredamesb.org/upcoming-events

FARMERS MARKET SCHEDULE

THURSDAY

Carpinteria: 800 block of Linden Ave., 2:30-6:30pm

FRIDAY

Montecito: 1100 and 1200 blocks of Coast Village Rd., 8-11:15am

SATURDAY

Downtown S.B.: Corner of State and Carillo sts., 8am-1pm

SUNDAY

Goleta: Camino Real Marketplace, 10am-2pm

TUESDAY

Old Town S.B.: 500-600 blocks of State St., 3-6:30pm

WEDNESDAY

Solvang: Copenhagen Dr. and 1st St., 2:30-6:00pm

(805) 962-5354 sbfarmersmarket.org

FISHERMAN’S MARKET

SATURDAY

Rain or shine, meet local fishermen on the Harbor’s commercial pier, and buy fresh fish (filleted or whole), live crab, abalone, sea urchins, and more. 117 Harbor Wy., 6-11am. Call (805) 259-7476. cfsb.info/sat

11/7-11/9:

S.B. High School Theater Presents: The Breakfast Club This play, based on the 1985 movie of the same name, tells the story of five high school students from different walks of life who endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. Every performance will feature a new grouping of actors. The play runs through November 16. Fri.-Sat.: 7pm; Sun.: 4pm. S.B. High School Theatre, 700 E. Anapamu St. GA: $10-$15; reserved: $25. tinyurl.com/BreakfastClub-SBHS

BY TERRY ORTEGA & ISABELLA VENEGAS

11/6-11/7, 11/9, 11/12:

SOhO Restaurant & Music Club Thu.: Birchwood, Monkfish, and The B-Sides, 8pm. $10-12. Ages 18+. Fri.: Channel Frequencies Presents: Emo Nite with The Framers, Sluttony, and Carmela, 8pm. $15-20. Ages 21+. Sun: SBAcoustic Presents: Alberto Lombardi, 7:30pm. $25-30. Wed.: Young Singers Recital, 5:30pm. 1221 State St. Call (805) 962-7776. sohosb.com

11/6, 11/9: Lost Chord Guitars Thu.: Peter, George, and Arwen. $10. Sun.: Julia Logan. $10. 1576 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang. 8pm. Ages 21+. Call (805) 331-4363. lostchordguitars.com

11/7: The Brewhouse Wake of the Flood (A Grateful Dead Tribute Band), 7-9pm. Free. 229 W. Montecito St. Call (805) 884-4664. tinyurl.com/WakeOfFloodNov7Nov

11/7: Carhartt Family Wines Live music. 5pm. 2939 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. Free. Call (805) 693-5100. carharttfamilywines.com/eventscalendar

11/7: M.Special Brewing Co.

(Goleta) Matthew Clark Trio. 6860 Cortona Dr., Ste. C, Goleta. 7-9pm. Free Call (805) 968-6500. mspecialbrewco.com

11/7-11/8 M.Special Brewing Co.

(S.B.) Fri.: La Misión. Sat.: Aliway. 634 State St. 8-10pm. Free. Call (805) 308-0050. mspecialbrewco.com

11/7-11/8: Maverick Saloon Fri.: Tex Pistols, 8:30pm-11:30pm. Sat.: TD Lind and the Aviators, 9pm-12am. 3687 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez. Call (805) 6864785. Ages 21+. mavericksaloon.com/eventcalendar

11/8-11/9: Cold Spring Tavern Sat.: Kelly’s Lot. Sun.: Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan. 5995 Stagecoach Rd. 1:304:30pm. Free. Call (805) 967-0066. coldspringtavern.com

11/8-11/9: Hook’d Bar and Grill Sat.: Marika and The Ohms, 4-7pm. Sun.: Mannish Boys, 1-4pm. 116 Lakeview Dr., Cachuma Lake. Free. Call (805) 350-8351. hookdbarandgrill.com/music-onthe-water

11/8: Eos Lounge Murphy’s Law, 9pm. $12.36. 500 Anacapa St. 9pm. Ages 21+. Call (805) 564-2410. eoslounge.com

11/9: Longoria Wines Live music. 3-5pm. 732 State St. Free. Email info@ longoriawine.com longoriawines. com/events

11/10: The Red Piano Church on Monday: Doc Ventura, 7:30pm. 519 State St. $5. Call (805) 358-1439. theredpiano.com

11/9: Arrowsmith’s Wine Bar Brian Black, 7pm. 1539 Mission Dr., Solvang. Free. Call (805) 686-9126. arrowsmithwine.com/events

11/7: Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) Presents: Cavalleria Rusticana OSB returns to visceral Italian drama with Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, a story of doomed romance, betrayal, and revenge in 19th-century Sicily. 7:30pm. Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. $99-$199. Call (805) 963-0761. lobero.org/events

11/7: Queen of Arts Artisan and Craft Faire Find handcrafted goods at a variety of price points with a selection of ceramics, glass, handbags, holiday items, jewelry, home goods, pantry items, textiles, skin care, stationery, and more. 3-6pm. Elverhøj Museum of History and Art, 1624 Elverhoy Wy., Solvang. (805) 686-1211 or email info@elverhoj.org elverhoj.org/queen-of-arts

11/7: Profs at the Pub: The Mysteries of Creativity: On the Writing of Our Beautiful Boys with Professor Sameer Pandya Join UCSB professor, department chair, and author Sameer Pandya for a discussion on the several different influences from EM Forster’s novel A Passage to India to American football and an old family photograph that shaped the writing of his new novel, 2025’s Our Beautiful Boys, which he will read from with a Q&A to follow. . 6:30pm. Captain Fatty’s Brewery, 6489 Calle Real, Ste. D, Goleta. Free. Email affiliates@ia.ucsb.edu tinyurl.com/Sameer-Pandya

SATURDAY 11/8

11/8: Lincoln Elementary School Presents: All Year Reunion and Potluck

S.B.’s first elementary school, at the corner of Cota and Anacapa streets was established in c. 1870. All alumni, families, and friends are invited to share memories during an open mic. Bring a side dish or beverage of choice to share; hamburgers, soft drinks, and cake will be served. RSVPs are required. 11am-2pm. Shoreline Park, 1237 Shoreline Dr. Free. Call (805) 705-3209 or email alicepriscillapost@aol.com. coalitionforneighborhoodschools.com

11/8: S.B. Reads: Vietnamese Stories and Crafts Children of all ages and families are invited to celebrate Vietnamese culture and explore themes in this year’s S.B. Reads selection, The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen in a day of storytelling and crafts with students from the Vietnamese Student Association at UCSB. 11am-1pm. Montecito Library, 1469 E. Valley Rd., Montecito. Free Call (805) 969-5063. tinyurl.com/Vietnamese-Crafts

11/8-11/9: S.B. Mesa Artists Studio Tour (MAST) The public is invited to see the working studios of 11 artists with the opportunity to glimpse into their creative process. 11am-4pm. View the map on the website for studio locations. Free sbmesaartists.com

11/8: The Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience Famed dog trainer Chris Perondi will bring his cast of rescue dogs, who will entertain with tricks, big-air stunts, dancing, and athletic feats. 5-6:30pm. Solvang Theaterfest, 420 Second St., Solvang. Children (ages 12 and under): $15; GA: $25. Call (805) 686-1789 x0. solvangtheaterfest.org

11/8: Santa Barbara Music Club Thomas Mellan, USC Thornton School graduate and worldrenowned bad-boy of organ music, will perform works by Liszt, Alkan, and Guillou, as well as original work. 3pm. First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu St. Free. Email concerts@sbmusicclub.org sbmusicclub.org

a courtship with an American girlfriend with madcap adventure and humor, and the sorrow of losing his father by suicide and his mother-in-law’s struggle with cancer. 3-4pm. Tecolote Book Shop, 1470 E. Valley Rd., Montecito. Free tinyurl.com/Runaway-Life

11/8: Be Momentum Presents: Third Annual Choreography Showcase The evening will feature choreography by CSD School of Performing Arts, Momentum Dance Company, The Dance Network, Tristan Santillan, Hailey Willems, Santa Barbara City College, and more all sharing the stage for one unforgettable night of movement and artistry with proceeds to benefit Be Momentum. 7pm. Center Stage Theater, 751 Paseo Nuevo. $28-$48. Call (805) 963-8198. centerstagetheater.org

SUNDAY 11/9

11/9: Aly & AJ: North American Silver Deliverer Tour Platinum-selling sister duo Aly & AJ will bring their California rock and countrytinged folk to S.B. in support of their sixth studio album, Silver Deliverer, with singer-songwriter Amanda Shires to open the show. 8pm. Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St. $34-$87. Call (805) 963-9589. independent.com/events/aly-aj

MONDAY 11/10

11/10: S.B. Parks & Rec Older Adults Clubs: Scrabble Club All level players are invited to this weekly social group designed to connect older adults through their love of Scrabble The group is open to English and Spanish speakers. 1-4pm. Louise

6-12 OCT.

TUESDAY 11/11

11/11: CAMA Masterseries: Ravel at 150 Louis Lortie, Piano Acclaimed Canadian pianist Louis Lortie will captivate with an all-Ravel program in celebration of the composer’s birth. 7:30pm. Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. $48-$58. Call (805) 963-0761. lobero.org/events

WEDNESDAY 11/12

11/12: SBCC Theatre Arts Department Presents: Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley This student showcase is a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, set two years after the novel ends, and centers around the bookish middle sister Mary and an unexpected guest who might be her match. The play shows through November 22. 7:30pm. Jurkowitz Theatre, SBCC West Campus, 721 Cliff Dr. $10-$20. Call (805) 965-5935. theatregroupsbcc.com/current-season

11/12: S.B. Reads: Comic Chaos Share a love of graphic novels with other schoolaged kids with an activity inspired by The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (pick up your copy after registration!). 4-5pm. Island Rm., Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St. Free Recommended for ages 8-12. Call (805) 962-7653. tinyurl.com/Comic-Chaos

11/12: AWC-SB Event: Your Voice, Your Future Learn how communication plays a role in making change in our communities. Elected officials will share tips for the best ways to get your message across and how they communicate with constituents. Register online. 5:30-7pm. Workzones, 351 Paseo Nuevo. AWC-SB Members: free, Non-Members: $25. Email news@awcsb.org. awcsb.org/your-voice-your-future

Science Rocks!

11/6: KITP Public Lecture: Listening to Black Holes with LIGO Dr. Maya Fishbach, assistant professor at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, will summarize what gravitational waves are, how we detect them, and what they are teaching us about black holes, their progenitor stars, and the cosmic expansion history. You can also attend by Zoom. RSVP to attend in-person. Reception: 5pm; talk: 6pm. Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Main Seminar Room, UCSB. Free. Email friends@kitp.ucsb.edu. kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/mfishbach25

11/7: Astronomy Talk: SPHEREx: NASA’s New 3D Cosmos-Mapping Machine SPHEREx launched on March 11, 2025 is the newest addition to NASA’s elite space telescope fleet producing a first-of-its-kind 3D spectroscopic map of the entire celestial sphere. Join to hear from the mission’s instrument scientist, CalTech Research Scientist Phil Korngut, PhD, who will tell the tale of this new observatory’s development and implementation. 7:30-9pm. Farrand Auditorium, S.B. Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol. Free. Call (805) 682-4711 x164. sbnature.org/calendar

11/10: Science Pub: Sea Bass, Selfies, and Science Molly Morse, senior manager of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UCSB, will discuss her leading-edge research at UCSB of identifying individual fish and tracking their movement across California’s kelp forests using pattern recognition computer algorithms to analyze diversubmitted photos. 6:30-8pm. Dargan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, 18 E. Ortega St. Free Email kperry@sbnature2.org sbnature.org/calendar

DSB WORLD’S GREATEST JOURNEY TRIBUTE BAND

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 / 8PM

TICKETS START AT $25

COLBIE CAILLAT AND GAVIN D e GRAW

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 / 8PM

TICKETS START AT $59

FELIPE ESPARZA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 / 8PM

TICKETS START AT $55

Join the Circle today to get member pre-sale alerts (like Poncho Sanchez & Branford Marsalis Quartet) and discounts for more up-coming hot events, while supporting jazz, blues, roots music, and enjoying great perks! Join at lobero.org.

Just Announced! On-sale now.

TUESDAY MAY 5

PAT METHENY

SIDE EYE III +

Pat Metheny continues the evolution of Side-Eye with a new tour featuring new music. This is contemporary jazz at its finest — innovative, accessible and absolutely unmissable for both longtime fans and newcomers to Metheny’s musical world.

FRIDAY NOV 21

Get ready for a musical experience that’s electric, virtuosic, and straight from the heart. The Django Festival Allstars bring the legendary Django Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz legacy roaring into the 21st century — and it’s hotter than ever. This all-acoustic ensemble blends old-school swing with fresh energy and contemporary flair.

Disney Concerts and AMP Worldwide present Disney’s Moana Live-To-Film Concert North American tour, featuring a full-length screening of the beloved movie accompanied by live performances of a unique on-stage musical ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters and vocalists, celebrating the music and songs from this awardwinning Walt Disney Animation Studios classic.

NIGHTS AT THE OPERA

OPERA SANTA BARBARA RAISES THE CURTAIN ON ITS 31ST SEASON

Opera is in the air again, and not a moment too soon. When we last engaged with the multi-sensory and logistically challenging medium, the Music Academy of the West presented a vibrant version of Don Giovanni in July. Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) to the rescue, with the first of its three productions this season, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana (“Rustic chivalry” in English), at the Lobero Theatre on Friday night, November 7, and Sunday afternoon, November 9.

Now in its 31st season and an important piece of Santa Barbara’s classical music puzzle, OSB was founded by Marilyn Gilbert and Nathan Rundlett and has been courageously run by multi-hatted director/conductor/bon vivant Kostis Protopapas for the past decade. Officially, Protopapas started out as artistic director and moved upward and outward in duties in 2017. He and the company weathered the storms of COVID

and landed in a happy groove with productions at the Lobero.

The 19th-century Cavalleria rusticana, which premiered in 1890, is a relatively compact (by opera standards) 90-minute piece, often paired with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci the opening production of last year’s OSB season, and a memorable, Italian cinema-referential outing. Tragedy, jealousy, vengeance, seduction, and fateful Easter bells are ingredients in the tale of a returning soldier with a score to settle, in classic operatic fashion.

OSB’s fall season opener is a new production directed by Layna Chianakas and starring Santa Barbaran Max Potter, seen in last season’s Marriage of Figaro; Xavier Prado, the Zorro in the 2024 season; and Todd Thomas.

JAGGED

LITTLE

Mascagni’s Sicilian-set opera has snuck its way into pop culture and especially cinema, and in some lofty places, including the soundtracks of the, yes, operatic Raging Bull and The Godfather Part III In Francis Ford Coppola’s conclusion to the Godfather trilogy, the opera was granted a critical close-up in an opera performance during the film’s final “movement.”

While the OSB company has leaned heavily on the kindness and crowd appeal of Italian opera in years past, this season’s trio of offerings make up an ideal and diverse sampler plate of the history and GPS of opera. Next up on the list is Handel’s Baroque classic Caesar and Cleopatra (Feb. 27 and Mar. 1) and the season closes with a contemporary American piece based on a very

An evergreen favorite in the

Caesar and Cleopatra returns to Santa Barbara by popular demand, in its abridged two-hour version, down from the original four-hour epic.

With Elmer Gantry, composer Robert Aldridge and librettist Herschel Garfein have brought Sinclair Lewis’s inherently operatic novel made more generally popular with the 1960 film starring Burt Lancaster— to the opera stage. As a point of deserved civic and organizational pride, the opera premiered in 2007 and is receiving its California premiere here at the Lobero.

Three centuries, three operas, three ripe opportunities to bask in the presence of what opera can bring, by a company with a solid track record and will to thrive.

—Josef Woodard

For more information and tickets, see operasb.org.

PILL BRINGS BROADWAY AND ALANIS MORISSETTE’S MUSIC TOGETHER

Out of the Box Theatre Company kicks off their 15th season with the musical Jagged Little Pill, where Broadway meets Alanis Morissette — just in time to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Morissette’s pivotal album of the same title. This musical (book by Diablo Cody) also features Morissette songs beyond the album as the narrative backdrop for the story of a nice suburban family with dark secrets.

The show is directed by Samantha Eve and choreographed by Meredith Ventura and will be produced at Center Stage Theater November 14-23. Morissette’s unbridled angst is expressed through the sins of the Healy family, all of whom, says Eve, “understand what it is to swallow the ‘jagged little pill’ and deal with the tough parts of life.” Eve calls the musical a story about communication, healing, growth, and “learning how to remain honest, empathetic, curious, and loving with one another through the struggle.”

The Jagged Little Pill production thanks Rod Lathim and the Access Theatre Endowment Fund for their generous funding of the ASL interpreters that make this musical uniquely accessible to the deaf community. “When Joseph Saraceni messaged us to ask if he could audition as a deaf actor, I was immediately intrigued by the idea that the role of Nick Healy could be played as a deaf character,” says Eve. “We were able to connect with and hire a local ASL interpreter to help us communicate clearly

throughout our rehearsal process. From there, we connected with ASL teachers at SBCC, deaf community members, ASL students, and finally with Pro Bono ASL, a social justice and community service organization based in Los Angeles. With all of their help, we have been able to explore this show in an entirely new way.” There will be a fully ASL-interpreted performance on Sunday, November 16, and a talk-back after the show.

—Maggie Yates

centerstagetheater.org for

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is the first of playwright Lauren Gunderson’s popular series of Pride and Prejudice sequels written for the stage. Co-authored by Margot Melcon, this new tale takes place at the elegant Darcy estate of Pemberley two years after the end of Jane Austen’s novel. It’s the dead of winter, and Lizzy, the lady of the house, hosts members from both sides of the family for the holidays.

The play details a whirlwind yuletide romance for Lizzy’s bookish younger sister, Mary Bennet (played by Yildiz Soyal). The young woman’s surprise suitor is Arthur De Bourgh (played by Tristan Fleming), a distant relation to the Darcy family. Fleming calls De Bourgh a “socially awkward scholar” with a healthy inheritance whose penchant for “nerdy prattling” creates sweetly comedic moments. “Throughout the play, De Bourgh gains integrity and individualism through his attraction to and interest in Mary,” says Fleming.

For Soyal, originally from Sweden, working with a period-appropriate aristocratic-British accent has been a challenge. But, as an accomplished performer in her home country, she has been able to accommodate the needs of theater for an English-speaking audience, and she has appeared in other English-language works, including Les Misérables and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Mary is smart and verbal and witty,” says Soyal, “… and since this is based on Austen, the course of true love does not run smoothly!”

Soyal calls Gunderson and Melcon’s script true to Austen’s charm and wit. “Austen’s work endures because it’s brilliantly delightful,” she says, “as we hope the play will be.”

Fleming agrees, calling Austen’s work timeless. “This play in particular is super well-written, a love letter to Jane Austen’s work. It’s witty, clever, and very impactful.”

Christmas at Pemberley is a student showcase produced by the SBCC drama department and directed by Katie Laris. The show runs at the Jurkowitz Theatre November 12-22. See bit.ly/4o8NRrA for more information and tickets.

JANE AUSTEN,

STEP INSIDE ARTISTS’ HOMES

MESA ARTISTS STUDIO TOUR OFFERS AN INTIMATE LOOK AT THE ARTISTS — AND THE SPACES —THAT DEFINE THEM

Though polished, there’s something undeniably cold about the classic art gallery those with asylum-white walls and air-conditioned rooms so chilly you feel as if you might freeze. Don’t get me wrong, not all galleries are like this; places such as the Louvre in Paris or the Met in New York have quite the opposite effect. But the best experience of all? Seeing an artist’s work in their own personal space.

During the annual Mesa Artists Studio Tour a free, selfguided event that takes place November 8-9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. you can do just that. For two days, visitors can step into eight homes and studios of Mesa-residing artists. The tour offers a rare opportunity not only to see their work but to purchase it.

It’s a tradition that Mesa artists have practiced for 21 years, though much has changed since its inception. In the early days, visitors had to rely on their brochure to find each house, which, as photographer Helena Day Breese notes, included “very detailed instructions on how to find the address because we didn’t have any GPS.” Now, GPS is widely available, making it easy to find each artist’s home along this year’s five-mile route, which is accessible by car, bike, or even on foot.

The lineup features artists across a range of mediums, including painting, photography, and mosaics, with works displayed throughout their respective homes. Visitors can expect to see the work of Ellen Yeomans, Lena Savage, Brian Kuhlmann, Chris Owen, Wendy Brewer, Helena Day Breese, Sol Hill, Jim Martin, Misa Art, and Karin Aggeler.

tographs intriguing.” Her photography journey began with a childhood fascination with cameras that grew into a passion for capturing stories through images. After taking a photography class and publishing her first book, she went on to work as a freelance photographer for the Santa Barbara News-Press, continuing to refine her craft over time. “Finally,” she says, “I got to the point where I feel like I can actually join this group.”

The artist selection process for the studio tour is straightforward. New artists apply by submitting photos of their work, and the group is always on the lookout for fresh faces. Current members then review the submissions and vote anonymously to decide who will be accepted a system designed to ensure consistency and fairness. Typically, no more than 10 artists are chosen each year. “It’s not an overwhelming number of artists,” notes Aggeler. “So, it makes it a really nice way to spend a day or weekend.”

As it turns out, the artists love sharing their spaces as much as we love exploring them. “For me, it’s interesting too, when people look at my work,” shares ceramicistturned-abstract-painter Karin Aggeler. “And of course, they see it in their own way and relate to it because it’s abstract, so they might see something totally different from the way I see it.” Aggeler says that watching people view her work and observing their interpretations gets her thinking about new ideas. “It’s a really neat thing to be able to interact with people that actually spend time to look at your work.”

Day Breese, a first-time participant, agrees. “I love to see people’s reactions to my projects, because I try and make pho-

Both Aggeler and Day Breese express that living in the Mesa profoundly influences their art. Aggeler finds inspiration in the ocean, natural beauty, and tranquil atmosphere, feeling truly at home there. Day Breese highlights the area’s scenic landscapes, vibrant photography and art communities, and ample support and inspiration for artists. Both believe the Mesa and Santa Barbara areas nurture creativity and provide a special environment for artistic growth.

“As an artist,” Bresse shares, “you just couldn’t ask for anything better.”

—Tiana Molony

For more information, see sbmesaartists.com.

PEACE, LOVE & HAIGHT

MAX TALLEY BRINGS CALIFORNIA’S 1960S COUNTERCULTURE TO LIFE

Max Talley’s latest novel, Peace, Love & Haight, captures the essence of a cultural revolution in a vivid chronicle of protagonist Freddie Dorn’s escapades during a focused six-month period, from July to December 1969. Talley says he aimed to combine “crime fiction, literary fiction, and historical fiction” in the tome, which takes readers on a vibrant “trip” through the streets of San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Marin County, Los Angeles, and beyond.

Talley’s prose reflects, as he describes it, “a thick stew of music, art, drugs, free love, counterculture.” His detailed descriptions reflect an impressive deep-dive into researching the historical setting, from accurate dates and times, bridges and boardwalks, to streets, sounds, and scents.

Why did you choose to write about this particular era in U.S. history? I was a kid in 1969, barely starting school. My conservative father bought all the Beatles albums, so my earliest memories are of hearing them. I’m a 20th-century history buff and got interested in that specific era when I was in college during the ’80s. I loved the music, the posters, the youth protests, all the paraphernalia of the ’60s. … The Vietnam War was churning along all through the ’60s. By 1969, vets were returning, sometimes physically or mentally wounded. They were part of the tapestry of what was going on. Perhaps I wanted to show the horrors of the war and the aftereffects on veterans that haunted America more than 7,000 miles away from the actual battle.

A major theme appears to be the rise and eventual fall of the ’60s Haight-Ashbury hippie era, which culminates in the Altamont free concert in December 1969. For the novel to succeed as a crime or suspense thriller, I needed the darkness at the end of the 1960s. My intent was not to blame hip-

pies for the excesses. It was the charlatans, the violent cult leaders, bogus religious types, would-be revolutionaries, motorcycle gangs, and street criminals who wanted to take advantage of the times who darkened the initial utopian ideals. I’m pro-hippie, pro-beatnik, and I think the idea of expanding your mind and breaking away from a soulless life based only on making money to acquire goods is still valuable; it’s just much harder to do nowadays economically.

References to music and legendary ’60s musicians are woven throughout. Tell us about your choices of songs, bands, musicians, and art. I picked bands I loved, and used songs from 1968 and 1969 for many chapter titles. I seasoned the book to be a thick stew of music, art, drugs, free love, and counterculture, so that a reader would feel immersed in that time. … I used David Crosby, members of The Monkees, etc., because they were there, either in San Francisco or in Laurel Canyon. My love of album cover art and concert poster art led me to mention artists who did that specific work, in connection with protagonist Freddie Dorn running an art gallery on Haight Street.

You teach at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference (SBWC), right? I first went to the SBWC in 2005 as a student sharing my work. The Conference stopped and restarted, and eventually I started teaching a workshop beginning in 2017. I learned a lot as a student. Not sure you can teach writing, but you can certainly tell people what to avoid doing. I think the annual Conference keeps the fires burning, gets you to finish whatever project you’ve been procrastinating on.

—Cheryl Crabtree

Max Talley (maxtalley.com) will read from Peace, Love & Haight, answer questions, and sign copies at Chaucer’s Books on Tuesday, November 11, at 6 p.m.

(HALF) MARATHON MAN

THE ARTIST BEHIND THE RACE’S AWESOME ART

Here comes the sun … on a T-shirt and he’s running! Sol himself is the centerpiece of the artwork for this year’s Santa Barbara HalfMarathon, coming November 9 to Santa Barbara’s main streets. To inspire runners and help promote the many parts of the event (including public events on November 7, 8, and 9), race organizers annually call on a local artist to create work that is used on T-shirts, posters, and the muchcoveted finisher’s medal available only to the people who complete the grueling 13.1-mile trek.

This year’s artist, Daniel Sulzberg, brings a long record of creative success and ideas to the task. Raised in an artsy family his father was a longtime gallery owner in the Bay Area and his brother Bruce is a very busy artist Sulzberg was always doodling. Not until a college professor told him about the world of illustration did he think it was a money-paying life. “I only really knew about fine art,” he says. “And my dad [warned] me, ‘Don’t do that for a living.’ ”

space on a page!” laughs the artist.) Sulzberg then created the running-sun character for the finishers’ medal, as well as a larger poster and T-shirt design. During one of his idea-generating runs, Sulzberg just felt the warmth of the right idea, so to speak.

While still filling notepads with colorful characters, Sulzberg worked as a screenwriter (on TV’s Smallville, among other projects) before becoming an advertising creative director. He turned full-time to the drawing pad in 2018 and has never stopped. Sulzberg’s colorful, bouncy, curvy work is packed with personality. You’ve seen his work, whether you realized it or not, with brands such as Google, Red Bull, and DoorDash; in magazines and newspapers from New York to Hollywood; for sports outlets such as the Dodgers, Galaxy, and the NHL; and don’t forget a series of feeling-groovy beer cans for San Francisco Brewing Company!

During COVID, Sulzberg got into running, partly, he jokes, as a way to work off some of the beer he got in partial payment for the can work, and partly to, well, get out of the house.

“The sun! What else is more in tune with our town?” he says. “It’s the sunshine. Everyone talks about how good our weather is. And the idea that we spend a lot of time outdoors. And the sun has a very positive effect on us as humans. The natural rays make us feel good. So, I thought he would make a great main character for this.”

And so he is. Sunglassed, headbanded, and besneakered, Sol charges at you in the main drawing, looking inspiring and fit for a run around the galaxy while all you have to run is 13.1 miles.

“Running was like this magic thing where everything got worked out in my head,” he says. “I would get back to the computer after a run, and it would all just come right out. And I didn’t waste any more time. So, I wondered what if I keep pushing this kind of superpower and see where it takes me. I also started to notice that I had a lot more patience as a dad, too,” which Sulzberg’s young kids certainly appreciated (they are 8 and 5). “All the things in my life kind of started to click for me, and running was kind of the answer for me to kind of balancing out my life.”

So, how do these strands connect?

Being the go-getter type and having seen a friend artist Madi Manson handle the task in 2024, Sulzberg reached out to the S.B. Half-Marathon organizers. They were thrilled to hear from him, familiar as they were with his work in which never a millimeter is wasted. (“I have a terrible fear of empty

Inspired by Sulzberg’s art, race organizers also created a 3D version, a costumed mascot that will surely be part of hundreds of postrace selfies. Sulzberg also notes that the artwork will appear on various merchandise that runners, friends, and fans alike can buy at S.B. Half-Marathon events. Look for T-shirts, hats, sticker packs, and more.

Speaking of which: Even if you’re not one of the 7,000 runners set to take on 50 percent of Pheidippides’s the original Greek messenger who carried the big news of his team’s win at the Battle of Marathon 26 miles back to Athens in 490 BCE challenge, you can take part in other Half-Marathon events. The Palm Park Festival is Friday, November 7, from 2 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, November 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then on Sunday, race day, join the finishers and friends at the Finish Line Festival from 9 a.m. to noon in the Funk Zone.

Race organizers offered to send Sulzberg a medal in thanks for his art. But he said he’d be lacing up his sneakers on November 9 instead. “I told them no free medal I gotta earn it!” —Jim Buckley

For more information, see santabarbarahalf.com.

FROM HYGGE TO WHODUNITS

ELVERHØJ’S BOOK CLUB CONNECTS READERS THROUGH DANISH STORIES

In the heart of Solvang, where windmills grace the skyline and pastry shops perfume the air, the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art has added another layer to its celebration of Danish culture through the written word. The museum’s book club, launched in March 2024, brings together avid readers for a distinctly Danish-inspired literary experience.

“We wanted to create something that celebrated Danish and DanishAmerican culture in an engaging way,” says the museum’s Executive Director Sandie Mullin, who helped start the group. “Books are such a natural bridge between history, culture, and community.”

Each selection connects to Denmark through its author, setting, or spirit. The group’s first read, The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell, set the tone a lighthearted exploration of happiness and hygge that sparked rich conversation. Since then, the club has evolved into a community-driven circle, with members collectively choosing what to read next.

In October, the group ventured into the gripping world of Nordic noir with The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the first in his popular Department Q crime series. “We just fell in love with the characters and the intricate mysteries,” Mullin says. “It’s become this shared journey every twist and revelation keeps us coming back.”

For November, the club is tackling Victim 2117, the eighth installment in the series. The timing coincides with Netflix’s recent adaptation of the Department Q novels but with a twist. “The show is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, not Copenhagen!” Mullin notes with a laugh. “It’s a great series, but we were ahead of the trend we’d already been deep into the books.”

The literary gatherings are held at the museum and are designed to feel conversational and inclusive. Mullin starts with a few prompts to spark ideas, and then the discussion unfolds naturally. “It’s very free-flowing and organic,” she says. “People bring such different perspectives it feels less like a class and more like a conversation among friends.”

The club’s mix of cultural connection and camaraderie has resonated strongly with locals. “We have a very dedicated core group of members, with others cycling in as their schedules allow,” Mullin says. “It’s really about coming together to share ideas and explore stories that reflect who we are as a community.”

—Shannon Brooks

The next Elverhøj Museum Book Club meeting is Wednesday, November 19, from 6 to 7 p.m. Details are available at elverhoj.org.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 | JUEVES, 6 DE NOVIEMBRE 7 PM | CARPINTERIA VETS MEMORIAL BUILDING

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 | VIERNES, 7 DE NOVIEMBRE 7 PM ISLA VISTA ELEMENTARY

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | SÁBADO, 8 DE NOVIEMBRE 7 PM | GUADALUPE CITY HALL

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 | DOMINGO, 9 DE NOVIEMBRE 6 PM | MARJORIE LUKE THEATRE

Doors open half an hour before the show start / Las puertas se abrirán media hora antes del espectáculo Reception follows the performance. / Habrá recepción después del espectáculo.

FROM HOCUS POCUS TO SERIAL KILLER RICHARD SPECK

ACTOR TOBIAS JELINEK GETS SPOOKY FOR THE SEASON

At 15 years old, Santa Barbara–raised actor Tobias Jelinek had his breakout role as Jay, the glam-rock mean kid from Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. Now, 30 years later, he finds himself involved in another spooky-season phenomenon (albeit a darker, less family-friendly story) playing convicted killer Richard Speck in Ian Brennan’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story on Netflix.

When the show premiered earlier this month, Jelinek devoted a day to watching all eight episodes (though he admitted to taking a break halfway through the intense subject matter, after Gein’s descent into necrophilia). He wasn’t the only one binging Monster the show became an overnight sensation, the top-streamed show in 70 countries. “I couldn’t believe how fast people blew through it,” says Jelinek, who immediately began receiving messages about the show from around the world. “People love horror,” he says, “the macabre nature of humanity.”

Jelinek filmed Monster in Chicago, where he followed the path of Speck’s mass murder, his attempted disappearance into skid row, his suicide attempt, and his arrest at the hospital after a doctor recognized his tattoo from news broadcasts. His scenes were shot in the Stateville Penitentiary, where the real Speck was incarcerated until his death in 1991.

“I knew very little about Speck going into it, but the language [of the script] was so complete, so inspired. It was very easy to go into the role he fulfills in the Ed Gein story. He is the extreme,” says Jelinek. He says that Monster attempts to humanize Gein and explore the impression he made on culture, his violent bouts of psychosis having inspired such films as Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs

Speck, meanwhile, has a sordid story of his own. He was interviewed in the ’70s by the Chicago Tribune’s Bob Greene, who described him as having a kind of celebrity swagger. After Speck’s death, his notorious prison video, which Jelinek calls “half confession, half pornography,” was leaked,

shocking the public. “He knew how to traumatize and manipulate the American public through media,” says Jelinek. “It’s the confession, the drugs, the sex. He’s like, ‘You think I’m in here doing my time, but I’m running the joint.’ ”

Jelinek still celebrates his Hocus Pocus legacy, appearing at various fan conventions and Halloween-inspired events, including those in haunted hotspot (and the setting of Hocus Pocus) Salem, Massachusetts. Jelinek calls these experiences a “pop-culture campfire,” where fans have access to their favorite performers. “When we meet people, they say we bring back the ’90s for them,” he says. “And the fact that we’re willing to go out and talk to them and hear whatever questions they have or share whatever memories pop into our head about the experience, it counts for something.”

Jelinek will be back in Salem next October for the town’s 400th anniversary. “The Salem witch hunt and trials, Ed Gein,” he says, “they’re both these moments in the American psyche where we really saw a shift. And I do think Speck is one of those, as well.”

WELCOME BACK, GABY

TREASURED ¡VIVA EL ARTE DE SANTA BÁRBARA! SERIES HOSTS GUATEMALAN-BORN, L.A.-BASED SINGER GABY MORENO

¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!, now in its 20th anniversary season and impressively endowed with $7 million thanks to the efforts of retired UCSB Arts & Lectures leader Celesta Billeci, welcomes the return of Guatemala-born and Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno this weekend. She wowed the crowds and classrooms in 2018 and as per the project’s mission, her four-day residency includes performances at local schools, and four free concerts, at Carpinteria Veterans Memorial Building on Thursday (Nov. 6), Isla Vista School on Friday (Nov. 7), Guadalupe City Hall on Saturday (Nov. 8), and the traditional climactic show at Marjorie Luke Theatre on Sunday night (Nov. 9).

Moreno is a subtle and compelling artist, deftly blending musical traditions from her native land and elsewhere in Latin America with artful pop and rock turns, and a bold voice versatile enough to handle genre shifts and rangy emotional dynamics, from soothing to Linda Ronstadt–like beltings. She is a Grammy winner “Best Latin Pop” album for X Mí (Vol. 1) who, after moving from Guatemala City to L.A., opened for Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco before launching out on her own.

Moreno, who has also performed locally at SOhO and the Lobero, has a dozen-strong discography that includes a collaboration with pop legend Van Dyke Parks on 2019’s ¡Spangled! She described that album as “a Pan-American journey. We chose songs from Latin America; we chose songs from the United States. It’s always his arrangements he’s a national treasure, for sure. It features Jackson Browne; it features Ry Cooder; it features musicians from Mexico and Brazil. The album embodies all of that.”

Her latest album is Dusk, a characteristic bilingual admix of pop, Latin, and bluesy flavors. Moreno addressed her layered musical identity. “I’m an immigrant. I’m a bilingual artist. I come from two different worlds. I love American music just as much as I love Latin American music. I’ve tried to fuse them together.

“That’s how I came up with the term ‘Spanglish folk-soul.’ People were always asking me, ‘How do you describe your music?’ I would say, ‘Oh God, I don’t

know…. Spanglish folk-soul.’ Technically, it’s not just that, but I draw from different influences, mainly blues and soul and jazz, but I also very much like the Boleros and music from maybe the first four or five decades of the 20th century in Latin America.

“In the end,” she said, “I just do what I’m passionate about, what I feel is honest. I don’t follow any trends. I just try to be true to who I am, to what I love listening to. If people can relate to that and connect with that, that’s a wonderful thing.

“As an immigrant, it’s also important for me to relay that message to all the people who are here in this country who are also working hard, honest people who are just trying to make a living, who left their homes behind to follow their American dream. There are a lot of us out here. I’m one of them too. I’m here by myself, while my family is in Guatemala.

“It’s a blessing to be able to have music to communicate this kind of message to people. It’s a message of hope, a message of unity, telling everybody I’m with them and I’m part of them. We can all move forward together.”

Following Gaby Moreno (Nov. 6-9), ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! continues with Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles (Jan. 15-18, 2026), the popular Hispanic hybrid band Las Cafeteras (Mar. 19-22, 2026), and Ballet Folklórico del Rio Grande (Apr. 16-19, 2026). —Josef Woodard

AESTHETES OF THE CARIBBEAN

SEIMANDI & LEPRIEUR GALLERY PRESENTS EXHIBITION NUMBER TWO, WHOSE PARADISE? FEATURING A HANDFUL OF MARTINIQUE-CONNECTED ARTISTS

Earlier this fall, Santa Barbara’s art scene gained an intriguing and must-see new addition with the opening of the Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery, a sleek and renovated gallery space devoted to art from Martinique and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Behind the operation is the couple Fanny Seimandi and Julien Leprieur, from France by way of a 10-year period living in Martinique, where they grew to appreciate the unique islander perspective of contemporary art in that area.

For its inaugural show, the gallery was given over to the fascinating, quasi-primitive yet erudite blackand-white work of Ricardo Ozier-Lafontaine, in the exhibition Fertilum. With the current group show Whose Paradise? the focus expands to showcase a diverse handful of Martinque-connected artists (some are from the island but now based in Paris), giving a sampling of the breadth of work in that area. Differences of medium, message, and points of view aside, these artists, in various ways, give credence to the show’s subtitle “reimagining the tropical paradise through Caribbean contemporary art.” Another point of commonality is a concern for interpreting natural influences and basking in the inherent beauty of the “paradisiacal” island while seeking new, cliché-free avenues of expression on the subject. Nature, while a strong undercurrent, is revisited, reexplored, and abstracted. Anyone seeking affirmation or travelogue-esque pretty tropicality won’t find it here.

Ozier-Lafontaine has two pieces under the rubric of “Aesthetic Research The Dragonflies of Loving Care.” Dense, tightly knit skeins of leaf-shaped forms cohere into slightly dizzying visual meshes all presented in his characteristic black-and-white, apart from a single beam of a red dot in the mix. Op art aspects blend with tough loving natural notions. In sharp contrast, color veritably sizzles and soothes in Karine Taïlamé’s vivid acrylic paintings. Pastel and fluorescent hues are the central force in this art, with gently varied color grounds hosting tactile protrusions of paint, suggesting leafage and the physicality of nature. The two largest pieces range

from the oceanic scene in “Unique” to the surreal floral outburst of “Magnificentia.”

In Taïlamé’s work, as well as that of her gallery mates, suggestion is an operative attitude, in art aimed at sidestepping stereotyped depictions of island paradise. Across the room, for instance, further natural reconstruction is at work with the oil pastels of Dora Vital. Imagery of silhouetted leaves and enigmatic fragments of plant life blend with matters of light and dark reflecting the dramatic atmospheric conditions and changes in the Caribbean.

“Nocturnal Garden 2” is a large piece seemingly in some unspecified undersea or dream-like space, versus the pink-suffused skyscape of “Untitled.”

Nature plays itself in Anabell Guerrero’s photography. The realistic clarity of her starkly lovely blackand-white images of sea and cloud play, with different formations at different moments, contrasts with the light-touch of photo manipulation of her images of forest thickets. Her vision of natural “beauty” is a rugged, untamed one, minus the prettification and hierarchical points of focus in traditional landscape photography, in which flowers, mountains and vistas take center stage.

In yet another stylistic and mediumistic corner, Pierre-Roy Camille (a Martinique native living in Paris) engages a unique artistic process. He uses stencils, spray paint, grids, and leaf tracings in his image-making toolkit, to distinctive trans-media ends. The resulting art has an evocative and mysterious character, as with “Memories of a Magician,” fabricated visions of regal sculptures lost amid palm trees. His “Blinded by the Lights” series, conversely, are murky, quirky visual riddles, with nature and the nature of light as jumping-off points in pursuit of a new abstract objective.

With Whose Paradise? this valuable young gallery continues to offer a fresh perspective, presenting artists from a “paradise” with fresh ideas about their home, and contemporary artistic practice. Vive le différence —Josef Woodard

Whose Paradise? is on view through November 22 at Seimandi & Leprieur Gallery (33 W. Anapamu St.). See seimandileprieur.com.

BLUEGRASS, FUNK Fri 11/7 8:00 PM CHANNEL FREQUENCIES PRESENTS: EMO NITE WITH THE FRAMERS, SLUTTONY, AND CARMELA ALT ROCK

Sat 11/8 5:00 pm PRIVATE EVENT

Sun 11/9 1:00 pm SANTA BARBARA JAZZ SOCIETY PRESENTS: COLIN RICHARDSON BOSSA NOVA Sun 11/9 7:30 pm SB ACOUSTIC PRESENTS: ALBERTO LOMBARDI GUITAR VIRTUOSO Wed 11/12 5:30 am YOUNG SINGERS RECITAL Thurs 11/13 8:00 pm SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS WITH POI ROGERS ROCKABILLY Fri 11/14 6:00 pm *SOLD OUT* AN EVENING WITH EILEN JEWEL

Thanks to our community, Dream Foundation has fulfilled nearly 2,000 final Dreams for those who served our nation.

As we celebrate 10 years of Dreams for Veterans, we invite you to help us continue this mission so that every veteran may experience the comfort, gratitude, and dignity of one final Dream.

Were You Married in Santa Barbara County in 2025? We Want to Hear from You! THANK YOU FOR 10 YEARS OF HONORING OUR HEROES.

Share stories of your wedding with the Santa Barbara Independent from how you got together and who proposed, all the way to your big day. Tell us what were your choices for venue, colors, clothes, ceremony, and reception? What worked out, what didn’t, and any and all unexpected events–happy or otherwise.

We are planning the 2026 Santa Barbara Independent Wedding Guide, which will be published in Early 2026. We are looking to celebrate the weddings that have happened in Santa Barbara County.

Send us your story and share your wedding photos to weddings@independent.com. Be sure to let us know how to contact you.

Outdoors

Circling San Miguel

So metimes , the weather on San Miguel makes me a little paranoid. Every time I go out to the windswept place, I search for a friendly window to circumnavigate my favorite of the Channel Islands.

Kayaker Circumnavigates His Favorite of the Channel Islands

It was late September, and I was attempting to sleep the night before a potential circumnavigation, but 40 mph northwest winds kept me awake. Growing nervous, I jumped out of my sleeping bag at 1 a.m. and ran down Nidever Canyon to check on my and Zack’s kayaks.

They were tucked behind a steep sandstone slab seemingly out of the wind, but I was wrong. My kayak had lifted off and blown 30 yards down the beach. Eating sand, and with my headlamp burning bright, I pulled our kayaks into a flotsam of driftwood and coastal sage scrub, as secure a place as I could find under the darkness of scenic Cuyler Harbor.

Back at the top of the canyon, I slept easy the rest of the night. A predawn launch awaited the next morning. As northwest winds dissipated through the evening, my confidence swelled. San Miguel possesses 27 coastal miles, but I guesstimated 20 miles of paddling around the island’s teeming reefs, sandspits, wave-battered rock outcroppings, sandy pocket beaches, and throngs of pinnipeds.

The Indicators

There may not be a better, more advantageous indicator of how a circumnavigation might go around San Miguel than burly Harris Point. Located on the northwest fringe of the island, it’s always been reliable for gauging winds, swell, currents, and fog.

Harris Point faces into the northwest and has always predicted what sea conditions lie ahead. If it’s blowing too hard, it’s easy to turn around and paddle back to Cuyler Harbor. If it’s calm and no fog, I can easily see all the way past lonely Castle Rock. That late September morning, sea conditions were ripe for paddling around an island that is close to the mainland but makes me feel very far away.

Squadrons of Brandt’s cormorants perched like pelagic centurions reveled on the wave-battered crags. Sea conditions, favorable or not, never thwart these sleek swimming seabirds. With the point in our rearview mirror, the next sign we searched for was waves slamming into Castle Rock. From afar, it appeared lifeless. But closer inspection revealed raucous California sea lions and northern fur seal pups hauled out on sheer crags, while others bodysurfed its populous reefs.

As the California Current swirled and swelled around the daunting pinnacle, and unruly surf heaved and deposited onto its northern periphery, an opportunistic peregrine falcon surveyed the surrounding waters, seabird fodder being their prime sustenance.

From there, Zack and I rested atop a thick canopy of giant bladder kelp, while contemplating a path in and around Point Bennett, where a graveyard of shipwreck remnants clung to ragged reefs, and the largest congregation of seals and sea lions in the world continued to proliferate. The kelp swayed with the ebb and flow of an incoming tide, but the path through and around Point Bennett is anything but simple, and that morning was no different.

Wildlife Outpost

Point Bennett has never been boring, whether observed from its wind-groomed sand dunes or especially from a kayak. Paddling among the food chain offered us a sea level view of the throng of pinnipeds that numbered well into the thousands northern elephant seals, northern fur seals, California sea lions, spotted harbor seals, and a few Guadalupe fur seals and stellar sea lions.

Throughout the year, all six species converge at Point Bennett, and on any given day there are roughly 30,000 animals utilizing the long sandspits, coves, and rock outcroppings slathered in seabird guano for hauling out, breeding, and pupping.

Point Bennett was a perpetual cacophony of yelps, snorts, mews, barks, and bellows that carried far beyond the main colony of animals. Its aroma carried even further. There was plenty of entertainment provided by pups that recently graduated from the steep berm that buffers basking pinnipeds from crashing surf and into its aqua marinecolored waters.

There, these wide-eyed youngsters frolicked in the shallows, while body-whomping in the shore break.

Resembling rambunctious children like it was their first day at the beach, they were swept up the gritty berm and into the basking hordes, disrupting the piles of midday sun worshipers.

Just east at Adam’s Cove, we watched flotillas of seals and sea lions performing what appeared to be some sort of aquatic ballet. Northern fur seals and California sea lions can thermoregulate while on the water, using their pectoral and tail flippers like solar panels.

While napping on the water, they held their flippers into the air, soaking in the sun. However, northern fur seals took it a step further, bringing their pectoral and tail flippers together forming what biologists call “jugging,” or a “jug handle,” a subtle motion while they relaxed in turbulent seas.

Gone Swimming

I’ve circumnavigated San Miguel Island around eight times, and I always tell myself: “Expect to go for a swim. It’s inevitable.”

Swell, wind, and current converge from three different directions around the island. Sooner or later the conditions were going to send me overboard.

Crook Point on the south side had waves cracking across unpredictable mysto reefs, waves cresting near and far. Paddling just outside the unruly surf, Zack yelled, “Wave!” I spun my kayak around just as an eight-foot wave pitched in front of me. A yard sale of gear ensued. My kayak got away from me, and I commenced with about a 100-yard swim in open water. It was slow going as I swam with my paddle and drybag in one hand. Even so, an inefficient onearm side/breaststroke eventually returned me to my kayak. It’s a wild place, San Miguel Island. In all respects, I wouldn’t have it any other way. n

Anna Janelle Jewelry’s Forever Home

L“ook Great, Feel Great, Be Great,” reads the sign hanging inside Anna Janelle Jewelry on State Street. It’s precisely how owner Anna Janelle Cardenas wants you to feel donning one of her pieces, not only looking your best but feeling that way too, in every aspect of your life, from sitting at home in your sweatpants to giving a presentation at work.

Warmth Arrives

by Tiana Molony

“Because when you look great, you feel better about yourself,” she says. “And when you feel better about yourself, you will show up better for your community for the people around you.”

On September 20, Cardenas celebrated the grand opening of Anna Janelle Jewelry’s new flagship location. Inside, you’ll find a range of pieces, including sterling silver, fine jewelry, and especially 14-karat gold-filled items, which she says are more durable than gold plating but less expensive than solid gold. “I like to tie in that Dutch minimalism with the coastal Santa Barbara vibes,” she shares of her designs, which are meant to be classic, minimalist, and versatile for everyday wear.

She also loves incorporating gemstones into her pieces. “I am a gemstone addict,” she jokes, “and I have to really rein it in when I go to gem fairs.” Many of her designs feature a variety of stones, adding subtle pops of color to her timeless creations.

valuable professional insight into the industry. Their business remained a part-time project while they balanced other jobs.

Until one day, Cardenas’s boyfriend was offered a work opportunity in Amsterdam, prompting her to move abroad. In 2017, she launched her own business there, building her website and selling her jewelry at outdoor European markets and stands. This hands-on approach helped her establish herself in the Netherlands. “It was freezing cold out there,” she recalls, “so it was painful, but yeah, that’s how I got my start.”

Originally from Clarksburg, a rural town in Northern California, Cardenas moved to Santa Barbara in 2003 to attend UCSB, where she studied communications. “So, nothing at all to do with jewelry,” she notes with a laugh. “But I have a very artistic background, both in performing and fine arts.”

It all began during weekly craft nights with a close friend, where they made various pieces of jewelry. They quickly got hooked, ordering more supplies and teaching themselves new techniques. That enthusiasm led them to take jewelry classes at SBCC and start a small side business while working full-time.

They called it Dodds and Boschee and sold their jewelry on Instagram and Etsy and at pop-up events. During this time, Cardenas also worked for Sheryl Lowe, a jeweler in Montecito, as a production manager an experience that provided her with

After two years in Amsterdam, she returned to Santa Barbara, where she continued selling at local markets and joined a pop-up collective with other makers. The experience gave her the confidence to open her own store at Paseo Nuevo in 2021, marking the official start of her shop. “It was terrifying,” she recalls, “to take that leap.”

While she was grateful for her time in Paseo Nuevo, Cardenas knew it wasn’t her forever home. She wanted a more visible location with steady foot traffic and her new spot next to Dune Coffee Roasters was the perfect fit.

The new space is exactly what she always envisioned for the brand: bright, airy, and minimalist. She views it as her long-term home and looks forward to settling in, continuing to create beautiful jewelry, and supporting her family and staff.

“So, this time, I wanted to do it right,” she says, “and the way that I want it to be for, hopefully, many, many years to come.”

Handshakes, Hugs, and Namastes

Gorgeous Indian fashion merged with laughter and the scent of masala chai as Sangam Santa Barbara’s 2025 Sangam Diwali Utsav began. Held at Dos Pueblos High School on Saturday, October 25, the gathering offered a record crowd of more than 480 attendees the opportunity to enjoy Indian tradition through song, dance, culture, food, and friendship.

Annual Diwali Festival Celebrates Indian Culture

by Rob Peck

Festivities kicked off with guests enjoying samosas, vada, masala chai, and mango lassi courtesy of Masala Spice. They bid on silent auction items ranging from car wash vouchers to gift baskets to original acrylic paintings by California artists. Sangam (“confluence”) Diwali (the Hindu festival of lights) Utsav (“celebration”) is more than a celebration and exhibition; it’s a reunion for many. Handshakes, hugs, and namastes abound.

While performers held last-minute huddles discussing their routines, groups of old friends caught up on the news and gossip of the past year. Younger kids were entertained by the rangoli coloring station while older ones found corners of the venue to hold their own discussions and compare their outfits. In the background, alongside managing last minute details, the organizing committee cheerfully celebrated as they watched the fruits of months-long planning come together. Indeed, it’s been a busy year for Sangam Santa Barbara as it recently became a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit, opening doors to sponsors and ambitious plans. The Sangam is considering more events throughout the year including potential Holi, Indian Independence Day, and Garba functions.

The audience itself reflected a healthy mix of people with roots across both India’s many regions as well as California’s. While the crowd was dominated by Santa Barbara and Goleta locals, people from Los

Angeles up to San Jose made the journey to enjoy the festivities. There was a strong showing from current UCSB and SBCC students as well as alumni, for whom the utsav serves as an ad-hoc Desi alumni reunion of sorts. Organizers were pleased that roughly 15 percent of attendees were non-Indian, as one of the event’s goals is to share Diwali joy and Indian culture with the wider community.

In the Dos Pueblos auditorium, attendees enjoyed 28 performances by a total of 95 participants. With so many artists eager to perform, this year’s program shied away from solos to give as many as possible time to shine. Over the course of two hours, acts showcased quite the range of Indian culture: North to South. Bharatanatyam to Bollywood. Stories told ranged from Hindu epics expressed through precise eye, hand, and foot movements to a bilingual skit about work-from-home culture that enjoyed raucous laughter.

The range extended well beyond India’s borders as well, including a rendition of Raye’s “Oscar Winning Tears,” and a unique mash up of Bharatanatyam and Irish step dancing. When asked about the latter concept, Deepa Dawson, one half of the performance and the proprietor of Naadabhoomi Dance Academy, stated, “The main idea of our Bharatanatyam and Irish duet is the coming together of two different and diverse cultures, sharing the joy of dance. The two styles are very different, yet strangely similar in many ways and beautifully complementary.” Performers ranged from 6 years old to “you-don’task-an-auntie-her-age years old.” They represented a mix of members of local dance troupes and bands to groups of friends to the S.B. Gully Boys cricket team.

With the performances concluded and stomachs growling, everyone made their way from the auditorium to the cafeteria to enjoy a vegetarian buffet. Offerings included a selection of rice, breads, and gravies. Guests particularly enjoyed the dessert of gulab jamun immersed in a mango mousse. While the event formally concluded around 8 p.m., people stayed at the tables and in the parking lot far later for one last bite, conversation, or smile. As the diya lamps dimmed and the final cups of chai were polished off, the glow of Diwali lingered, serving as a reminder that joy shared is joy multiplied. n

Mickey Flacks was a dogged advocate for affordable housing, among other progressive causes, so the Santa Barbara Independent launched the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund soon after she died in 2020 to keep her work alive.

Christina McDermott

Thanks to her fellowship, our reporter Christina McDermott spends many of her waking hours trying to unravel Santa Barbara’s forbiddingly complex and expensive housing landscape.

McDermott’s quest is only possible due to the generosity of our readers who have supported the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund. Christina is on the job. We want to keep it that way. Please give generously.

Read Why You Should Donate and Find all of Christina’s Work below independent.com/mickeyflacksfellow

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FOOD& DRINK

fresh eats

A Nod to Home Cooking at Corazón Comedor

Inspired by his childhood memories of cooking alongside his mother and grandmother, Chef Ramón Velazquez has doubled down on the homage to his culinary roots in Guadalajara, Mexico, with a newly refreshed menu at Corazón Comedor, his standalone spot at 29 East Victoria Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

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FOOD & DRINK

BY LESLIE DINABERG

While the new brunch menu looked enticing chilaquiles with crispy tortillas, two fried eggs, frijoles de rancho, crema, queso fresco, avocado, and pickled onions; huevos rancheros with eggs, crispy tortilla, frijoles de rancho, fire-roasted salsa, Jack or Oaxacan cheese, crema, and queso fresco; and the Los Alamos Burrito made with eggs, tater tots, peppers, Jack cheese, bacon, and pico de gallo we were there for the dinner hour. So, I started my night with the refreshing Tradicional Margarita, which they make with Sabe Tequila, a brand that blends premium-grade Japanese sake with blanco tequila from Jalisco, Mexico. At the manager Ray’s suggestion, we also had the potato and cheese flautas, served with two delicious salsas, which have become one of the hallmarks of Velazquez’s food.

cious, and we substituted plantains for the rice and beans, which brought a nice sweetness to contrast with the grilled meat. We also tried two of the new “special” tacos: the Campechano, made with braised brisket, longaniza, papitas, onions, and seared cheese on a flour tortilla (excellent, especially when balanced with the fire-roasted tomato salsa); and my favorite, the milanesa with breaded chicken breast, papitas, Oaxacan beans, seared cheese, and avocado salsa cruda on a flour tortilla with fries on top. Milanesa is very popular in Mexico, especially in the Yucatán, explained Ray. Both of these tacos are under $10 (as is the Camarones Gobernador with seared shrimp), while two others are just $10.50 (Mulita de Asada with skirt steak and quesabirria with slow-braised short-rib), because with the refresh they made the menu less expensive. They also have an assortment of simpler tacos ($5.50-$6.75 each) made with everything from rajas and chile relleno to pork belly, shredded chicken, beef tongue, smoked mushrooms, birria, brisket, skirt steak, and barbacoa.

“The owner wants to support the community,” said Ray of the reduced prices.

In addition to the updated menu at Comedor being less expensive than the previous offerings, there is also a more casual counter ordering service style with Lotería cards as the numbers, and a self-serve salsa bar. They still have nice tableware and real silverware, but the vibe is a bit more cozycasual now, with colorful pops of vibrant Mexican art on the walls of this bright and comfy space.

Corazón Comedor (29 E. Victoria St.) is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant offers brunch, lunch and dinner. See corazoncomedor.toast.site.

Chef Velazquez, who moved to Santa Barbara from Mexico in 1989, developed his culinary skills at local restaurants, including as a sushi chef at Arigato for almost nine years and as executive chef at the now-closed Cielito in La Arcada. He realized his lifelong dream of opening a restaurant that celebrated the richness of his culture and its bold flavors, first with Corazón Cocina in the Santa Barbara Public Market (which began as a pop-up at Three Pickles deli in 2014) and then expanded his reach with additional locations in Ventura and Carpinteria, as well as with the restaurants Little Heart Cafecito (also in the Public Market), Alma Fonda Fina (in Montecito), Cocina Jaguar (in Ventura), Beast Taqueria (recently closed, was inside M. Special Brewery), and the recently rejuvenated Corazón Comedor.

Digging deeper into Comedor’s new menu, the Enchiladas Rancheras plate with grilled skirt steak was deli-

Sips & Tips

Made up primarily, but not exclusively, of libations of one sort or the other, our pantry of samples has received some interesting new (and newish) products lately. Here’s a bit of what we’ve been sipping lately.

My infatuation with spritzes started in Italy, with the bright orangey-colored Aperol spritzes that are practically as ubiquitous as wine. It’s hard to beat the taste when you’ve got a view of Lake Cuomo, but the Santa Barbara region is giving them a pretty good run for their money with multiple innovative variations on the spritzes available on bar menus from Dom’s Taverna, Buena Onda Empanadas, La Paloma, and Gracie (and I’m sure many others).

FROM BUBBLE WATER TO SPRITZES, SPIRITS, WINE, BEER, AND FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGES

— HERE ARE A FEW THINGS WE’VE BEEN TASTING RECENTLY

BY LESLIE DINABERG

Also getting into the spritz action are some manufacturers in the area. Ventura Spirits (venturaspirits.com) has a lovely Angeleno Amaro made from orange zest, white wine, and brandy, as well as their traditional limoncello made from organic Ventura County lemons. Both are great mixed with sparkling wine or sparkling water if you want a low-alcohol spritz. They even have canned versions of the Angeleno Spritz and Limoncello Spritz available if you’re on the go.

Also getting in on a uniquely American aperitif and digestif trend is atōst (atost.co), a farm-to-bottle Central Coast–based company. A grape-based aperitif with slight hints of orange, strawberry, and rose, this one works particularly well as a spritz with sparkling wine but tastes quite good as a sipper on its own as well.

I’m a fan of all things bubbly (people, too, not just alcohol) and that includes the Drinkmate instaFizz (idrinkproducts.com), a sparkling water bottle that allows you to basically carbonate anything anywhere. The portable bottle itself comes in a slew of colors with 10 carbonation cartridges. It looks like a regular water bottle with an extra bit of

sparkle, making it a great gift for someone looking to elevate their beverage game.

If you don’t want to make your own sparkling water bottles, PATH (drinkpathwater.com) has a line of sparkling flavored water with reusable bottles that are quite attractive. The flavors include lemon lime, grapefruit mango, and raspberry orange. I’ve been refilling mine over and over and even put them in the dishwater. They also have a special limited edition 2025 Autism Acceptance Bottle featuring a design created by a student of Exceptional Minds (exceptional-minds.org), a nonprofit academy preparing artists on the spectrum for careers in entertainment and digital arts (which the purchase helps support).

Dornfelder, a German dark-skinned grape used for red wine, was not familiar to me, so when the folks at Pali Wine Co. (paliwineco.com) offered to send me a bottle of their first vintage, I was eager to try it. It’s a hearty red with a nice dark berry note. I quite enjoyed the 2023 Pali Vineyard Dornfelder, and, as promised, it paired fabulously well with pizza.

Mike Love of the Beach Boys has a San Diego–based company called Club Kokomo Spirits (clubkokomospirits.com), designed to inspire a “top-shelf sensory visit to the islands of the Caribbean.” For those of you too young to get the reference, listen to the Beach Boys’ song “Kokomo.”

The small-batch rums do indeed evoke that island vibe, especially the Tahitian Vanilla Rum, and they are also available in a variety of canned cocktails.

Shandies are quite popular in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, and the 805’s own Firestone Walker (firestonewalker.com) has a version they call “Mind Haze Rage,” which is a trio of lemonade-infused turbo Radler beers that clock in at 8 percent ABV: Original Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade, and Grapefruit Lemonade. If you like shandies (I do), these are pretty fun.

There are a lot of so-called “functional” libations out there these days, and I quite like both the taste of and low-impact buzz of Goodmellow’s ( goodmellow.co ) THC-infused beverages. They have four flavors grapefruit habanero, strawberry hibiscus, white peach tea, and Meyer lemon elderflower which are all pretty good (the grapefruit was my fave), and unlike some THC products, which surprise me at the end of the night, these kick in pretty quickly and feel pretty similar to a glass of wine. According to the manufacturer, “each formula includes a proprietary blend of ashwagandha, GABA, L-theanine, terpenes, THCV, and CBG to help reduce stress, elevate mood, and encourage presence.” They also actually taste good. n

New House Santa Barbara provides a clean, sober and healthy environment that allows men with alcohol and other drug problems to begin their journey of recovery and reclaim their selfesteem and sense of purpose. We operate three houses in Santa Barbara and pride ourselves on our supportive atmosphere with the common goal of recovery, based on twelve-step programs. Scholarships are available.

Donations are vital to our mission

FOOD & DRINK

sbnewhouse.org | 805-962-8248 to donate or learn more

The Grand Coming to State Street

The Grand on State is coming to 1218 State Street (next to The Granada Theatre) in the former home of Namaste Indian Bistro, Bedda Mia, Mollie’s, Tupelo Junction Café, and Marcello Ristorante. The concept, brought to you by Jenna Berg and her musician husband, Brian Mann, centers on a grand piano as the focal point of the stage, with plans for live jazz performances, cocktails, and a full dining menu.

From to Teens From Tots to Teens

• shares personal stories of parents

& DRINK

FOOD

“A one-of-a-kind jazz and dining experience coming soon to State Street,” says Berg. “The Grand is a gathering place where fine dining meets live music, just steps from the iconic Granada Theatre. Rooted in the rich cultural fabric of downtown Santa Barbara, our venue offers an elevated culinary experience paired with the soulful sounds of jazz and other refined musical performances. Whether you’re joining us for a romantic dinner or a post-theater drink, The Grand invites you to unwind in a warm elegant space where every detail is curated to delight the senses.” Visit thegrandonstate.com

MENDOCINO FARMS COMING TO LA CUMBRE PLAZA: Mendocino Farms, a Los Angeles–based sandwich and salad chain founded in 2005 that is expanding across several U.S. states, is coming to 3851 State Street, the former home of Panera Bread. The company began as a small operation beneath the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown L.A. and has since grown into a regional brand with locations in California, Texas, and Washington.

• highlights kid-related businesses and services

• continues our award-winning coverage of issues that are important to families

• serves as a hub for our annual issues like the After-School Activity Guide

• includes a children/family-focused event calendar

Known for its rotating menu of sandwiches, salads, and seasonal items, Mendocino Farms emphasizes sourcing ingredients without added hormones or artificial additives. The company says it works with local farms and small producers whenever possible and aims to accommodate a wide range of diets, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

While Mendocino Farms operates in the fast-casual segment, its restaurants are designed to resemble neighborhood cafés rather than standardized chain layouts. The brand’s “Eat Happy” motto reflects an emphasis on customer experience and hospitality, which remain core parts of its training and culture.

Private equity firm TPG acquired a majority stake in Mendocino Farms in 2017, providing capital for growth outside California. Despite its expansion, the company has stated that its goal is to keep the original concept intact a community-oriented restaurant built around approachable food and personal service. More information about Mendocino Farms, including menu updates and locations, is available at mendocinofarms.com

KANOK THAI CUISINE OPENS IN SOLVANG: Owner Preaw Chamchoi tells me she has opened Kanok Thai Cuisine at 435 Alisal Road in Solvang. Fifteen years ago in Santa Barbara, Chamchoi and two friends opened TAP Thai restaurant on De la Vina Street with just eight tables and a big dream that grew from Santa Barbara and then to Goleta, where she continued sharing her love and passion for Thai food. The eatery is open daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. They are closed on Wednesdays. Visit kanokthaisolvang.com

CHOP CHINESE FOOD CLOSES IN ISLA VISTA: Last April, reader Brendan told me that the Red Pepper Express at 966 Embarcadero del Mar in Isla Vista had closed and was replaced by a new restaurant named Chop Chinese Food. Reader Jonathan D. recently let me know that Chop Chinese Food closed on October 31 after a little more than six months in business.

CHASE UPDATE: The Chase restaurant at 1012 State Street closed temporarily last year from a fire when it experienced extensive smoke damage. Reader Barry S. has heard from a contractor at Chase that it should reopen some time in December.

John

Zuppa del Giorno

Insalata Verde

WINNER WINNER

ANTIPASTI E INSALATE

Fresh vegetarian stock soup, dairy free. Please ask for the soup of the day

Organic mixed greens tossed with balsamic dressing, shaved Grana Padano cheese

Bruschetta di Pomodoro

Chopped tomatoes, basil and garlic on grilled ciabatta bread *add mozzarella

Insalata Con Ricotta

Organic greens with fresh Ricotta cheese, sun dried cherries roasted red and yellow peppers . Tossed with sun dried tomato and basil dressing

Insalata del Buongustaio

Fresh creamy Burrata cheese with local heirloom tomatoes and basil

Served on bed of baby arugola with lemon Parmigiano dressinging

Insalata di Franco

Organic greens tossed with balsamic dressing, fresh handmade bocconcini mozzarella, tomatoes, grilled zucchini and eggplantplant

Insalata di Mare

Fresh sea food salad with baby octopus, calamari and local heirloom tomatoes. Served on bed of baby arugola with lemon Parmigiano dressing.

Carpaccio di Bresaola Con Rucola

Thinly sliced cured beef Bresaola on a bed of baby arugula tossed with lemon Parmigiano dressing. Topped with shaved Grana Padano cheese

Insalata Tricolore

A crown of organic greens tossed with balsamic dressing, topped with a chunk of Gorgonzola dolce cheese, walnuts, and thinly sliced Alto Adige Speck Prosciutto

Insalata di Spinaci con Pollo in Carpione

Lightly breaded chicken breast, marinated in sage agrodolce sauce. Chilled, with heirloom tomatoes on a bed of baby spinach, lemon Parmigiano dressingdr

Insalata Portobello

Organic greens tossed with balsamic dressing, topped with Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese roasted peppers and marinated Portobello mushrooms

Tagliere di Affettati, Italian Cold Cuts Board

Prosciutto di Parma, mortadella and sopressata salame

I Italian Cheese Board

Pecorino Toscano, Piemontese Raschera and Creamy Gorgonzola Dolce, served with fig jam, walnuts, sun dried cherries and grilled bread.

Antipasto Sampler Platter

From our deli case: Butter bean with tuna salad grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, mixed olives, farro grain salad, tomato & mozzarella, green beans and sopressata salame

Primi

Gnocc hi di Ricotta al Pomodoro e Basilico

Not your usual gnocchi... Three large domes of ricotta based gnocchi made without wheat are served with a fresh tomato and basil sauce.

Farfalle al Pesto

Bowtie pasta in fresh basil pesto sauce

Penne alla Puttanesca

Tube pasta in a sauce of anchovy, capers, tomato and Kalamata olives

Linguine con Gamberoni

Long flat noodles with tiger shrimp, fresh tomato, saffron and arugola

Risotto Con Asparagi e Pancetta

Traditional Italian rice with fresh asparagus and pancetta

Ravioli Zuccotto

Pumpkin and ricotta cheese filled ravioli in a browned butter and sage sauce

Ravioli Spinaci

Spinach and ricotta cheese filled ravioli in a lemon Alfredo cream sauce with fresh basil

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Homestyle eggplant parmesan

Bucatini all’Amatriciana “La Legge!”

Traditional dish from the Lazio region, with zesty Pancetta and fresh tomato sauce

Dedicated to Renato’s dear friend Judge Ruggero Aldisert and his beautiful wife Agatha

Penne alla Bolognese

Short cut pasta tossed with our slow cooked beef and pork ragu’ (Ragu’ vegano available)

Lasagna di Campagna

Homemade vegetarian lasagna with Porcini and Portobello mushrooms

broccoli and zucchini

Lasagna alla Bolognese

Traditional beef and pork meat lasagna from old family recipe

Penne alla Boscaiola

Tube pasta with Italian sausage, Portobello mushroom and walnuts in tomato cream sauce

Polenta del Montan aro

Classic fresh polenta dish, with sautéed Portobello and porcini mushrooms, a drop of white truffle oil

** Side of ant pasto any sauce, or veggies $7 95 **

The Family Support Center offers a variety of free evening workshops and an Open Computer Lab.

4-6 Week Offerings Include:

English/Spanish sessions & FREE childcare available!

Classes are offered at Transition House’s administrative office located at 425 E. Cota St.

For more information, or to register, contact Denise Mendez at (805) 966-9668. For a current schedule of classes, visit www.transitionhouse.com.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by

Rob Breszny

ARIES

(Mar. 21-Apr. 19): In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to the American wildlife area known as Yellowstone Park after a 70-year absence. They hunted elk, which changed elk behavior, which changed vegetation patterns, which stabilized riverbanks, which altered the course of the Lamar River and its tributaries. The wolves changed the rivers! This phenomenon is called a trophic cascade: one species reorganizing an entire ecosystem through a web of indirect effects. For the foreseeable future, Aries, you will be a trophic cascade, too. Your choices will create many ripples beyond your personal sphere. I hope you wield your influence with maximum integrity.

TAURUS

(Apr. 20-May 20): I authorize you to explore the mysteries of sacred laziness. It’s your right and duty to engage in intense relaxing, unwinding, and detoxifying. Proceed on the theory that rest is not the absence of productivity but a different kind of production the cultivation of dreams, the composting of experience, and the slow fermentation of insight. What if your worth isn’t always measured by your output? What if being less active for a while is essential to your beautiful success in the future?

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20): You are not yet who you will become. Your current struggle has not yet generated its full wisdom. Your confusion hasn’t fully clarified into purpose. The mess hasn’t composted into soil. The ending that looms hasn’t revealed the beginning it portends. In sum, Gemini, you are far from done. The story isn’t over. The verdict isn’t in. You haven’t met everyone who will love you and help you. You haven’t become delightfully impossible in all the ways you will eventually become delightfully impossible.

CANCER

(June 21-July 22): By the time he became an elder, Cancerian artist David Hockney had enjoyed a long and brilliant career as a painter, primarily applying paint to canvases. Then, at age 72, he made a radical departure, generating artworks using iPhones and iPads. He loved how these digital media allowed him to instantly capture fleeting moments of beauty. His success with this alternate form of expression has been as great as his previous work. I encourage you to be as daring and innovative as Hockney. Your imaginative energy and creative powers are peaking. Take full advantage!

LEO

(July 23-Aug. 22): In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” He was proclaiming a universal truth: Real courage is never just about personal glory. It’s about using your fire to help and illuminate others. You Leos are made to do this: to be bold not just for your own sake, but as a source of strength for your community. Your charisma and creativity can be precious resources for all those whose lives you touch. In the coming weeks, how will you wield them for mutual uplift?

VIRGO

a sweet ambient presence in the daily flux. I invite you to live like that for now, Libra. Practice feeling reverence and respect for every little thing that makes your life such an amazing gift. Feel your appreciation humming through ordinary moments like background music. I guarantee you that this experiment will boost the flow of gratitudeworthy experiences in your direction.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Martin Luther King Jr. said that harnessing our pain and transforming it into wise love can change the world for the better. More than any other sign, Scorpio, you understand this mystery: how descent can lead to renewal, how darkness can awaken brilliance. It’s one of your birthrights to embody King’s militant tenderness: to take what has wounded you, alchemize it, and make it into a force that heals others as well as yourself. You have the natural power to demonstrate that vulnerability and ferocity can coexist, that forgiveness can live alongside uncompromising truth. When you transmute your shadows into offerings of power, you confirm King’s conviction that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Apophenia is the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns in seemingly random data. On the downside, it may cause a belief in delusional conspiracy theories. But it can also be a generator of life’s poetry, leading us to see faces in clouds, hear fateful messages in static, and find key revelations in a horoscope. Psychologist CG Jung articulated another positive variation of the phenomenon. His concept of synchronicity refers to the occurrence of meaningful coincidences between internal psychological states and external events that feel deeply significant and even astounding to the person experiencing them. Synchronicities suggest there’s a mysterious underlying order in the universe, linking mind and matter in nonrational ways. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, I suspect you will experience a slew of synchronicities and the good kind of apophenia.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Philosopher Alfred Korzybski coined the phrase “The map is not the territory.” In other words, your concepts about reality are not reality itself. Your idea of love is not love. Your theory about who you are is not who you are. It’s true that many maps are useful fictions. But when you forget they’re fiction, you’re lost even when you think you know where you are. Here’s the good news, Capricorn: In the weeks ahead, you are poised to see and understand the world exactly as it is maybe more than ever before. Lean into this awesome opportunity.

AQUARIUS

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Who would have predicted that the first woman to climb Mount Everest would have three planets in Virgo? Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei did it in 1975. To what did she attribute her success? She described herself not as fearless, but as “a person who never gives up.” I will note another key character trait: rebellious willfulness. In her time, women were discouraged from the sport. They were regarded as too fragile and impractical for rugged ascents. She defied all that. Let’s make her your inspirational role model, Virgo. Be persistent, resolute, indefatigable, and, if necessary, renegade.

LIBRA

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Among the Mbuti people of the Congo, there’s no word for “thank you.” Gratitude is so foundational to their culture that it requires no special acknowledgment. It’s not singled out in moments of politeness; it’s

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Babies are born with about 300 bones, but adults have 206. Many of our first bones fuse with others. From one perspective, then, we begin our lives abundant with possibility and rich with redundancy. Then we solidify, becoming structurally sound but less flexible. Aging is a process of strategic sacrifice, necessary but not without loss. Please meditate on these facts as a metaphor for the decisions you face. The question isn’t whether to ripen and mature that’s a given but which growth will serve you and which will diminish you.

PISCES

(Feb. 19-Mar. 20): Beneath every thriving forest lies a lacework of mycelium. Through it, tree roots trade nourishment, warn each other of drought or illness, and make sure that young shoots benefit from elders’ reserves. Scientists call it the “wood-wide web.” Indigenous traditions have long understood the principle: Life flourishes when a vast communication network operates below the surface to foster care and collaboration. Take your cues from these themes, Pisces. Tend creatively to the web of connections that joins you to friends, collaborators, and kindred spirits. Proceed with the faith that generosity multiplies pathways and invites good fortune to circulate freely. Offer what you can, knowing that the cycle of giving will find its way back to you.

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The Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) and its psychologists and other mental health providers provide the UCSB campus community with mental health and support services for faculty, staff and adult family members who are covered by UC insurance in the form of brief counseling and referral assistance, as well as psychological well‑being and workplace wellness programming. They also provide counseling that is delivered in a short‑term model with referrals to campus and community resources being an important component of therapeutic interventions and develop and deliver wellness programming in conjunction with the supervisor. Licensed psychologists provide direct supervision to a part‑time practicum trainee. Reqs: PhD/ PsyD/ LMFT/ LCSW/LPCC in clinical or counseling psychology or social work. Must have a California PhD, PsyD, LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC license at all times during employment in order to practice and function in this clinical role. 4‑6 years Experience in conducting evidence‑based assessment, crisis intervention, and short‑term counseling with adults. 4‑6 years Experience developing and delivering psychoeducational workshops. 4‑6 years Experience providing therapy and workshops in Spanish (Strongly preferred). Notes: Maintains confidentiality and upholds the highest ethical and legal standards in all relevant aspects of ASAP work and related program activities. In the event of an emergency, the employee in this position may be required to report to duty in support of the campus’ emergency operations plan and/or the department’s emergency response and/or recovery plans. During or immediately following a designated emergency, the employee will be notified to assist in the emergency response efforts, and mobilize other

staff members if needed. Credential verification for clinical practitioner. Mandated reporting requirements of Child Abuse and Dependent Adult Abuse. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Hiring/Budgeted Salary or Hourly Range: $93,000 –$115,000/yr. Salary or Hourly Range: The budgeted salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $67,200 to $119,600/yr. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu, Job # 82050

BFS FINANCIAL & TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS ANALYST

CONTROLLER

Serves as a technical leader and subject matter expert for the campus cashiering system (CashNet), the student receivable system (BARC), departmental receivables within Oracle Financial Cloud (OFC) and the Business and Financial Services (BFS) website. The Analyst applies advanced business process, systems analysis, and solution design expertise to support system operations, collaborate with functional leads on improvements and required changes, and work closely with technical resources to identify and resolve issues, enhance automation, and ensure effective integration and performance of these systems. Responsibilities include leading analysis and design for system enhancements, process improvements, and data integrations; creating detailed technical specifications; coordinating with vendors and campus stakeholders; and ensuring that system capabilities align with institutional objectives. The Analyst contributes to technical change initiatives, supports testing and implementation, and helps maintain compliance with applicable policies and standards. As the designated Webmaster for the BFS website, the Analyst serves as the primary contact for all aspects of the site, which is a complex platform that incorporates specialized coding developed internally to meet BFS’s unique operational and communication needs. Responsibilities include site design, content management, and the development of customized, data‑driven solutions. The Analyst maintains current knowledge of best practices in web development and accessibility standards to ensure the BFS site remains accurate, functional, secure, and user‑friendly. As a member of the BFS Systems Support Services team, the Analyst provides high‑level user support, develops and delivers training, and mentors other staff. This role requires the ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and contribute to initiatives that support UCSB’s financial systems strategy and operational excellence. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training. 4‑6 years Experience performing advanced business systems analysis, including requirements gathering, documentation, and translation into technical specifications.

4‑6 years Demonstrated ability to lead system testing, integration validation, and acceptance of complex financial or business systems. 4‑6 years Experience initiating and implementing process improvements that increase efficiency, compliance, or automation. 4‑6 years

Experience with the integration of complex, diverse, internally and externally developed implementations of business functions to build scalable systems. 4‑6 years Experience leading projects, including working well with others in a physically distributed team, and cooperating across team and organizational boundaries. 4‑6 years Experience with coordination and communication with vendors and external and internal service providers. 4‑6 years Working programming knowledge using web development technologies or languages such as HTML. 4‑6 years Experience in an analytical role within the banking professional services industry. Experience with cash and billing operations. Notes: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employee sponsorship. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Hiring/ Budgeted Salary Range: $79,200 to $95,250/year. Full Salary Range: $79,200 to $143,400/year. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu Job #82195

COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST WITH LGBTQ+ SPECIALIZATION

COUNSELING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Independently performs diagnosis and psychotherapy on a full range of cases with demonstrated expertise in LGBTQ+ mental health. Provides individual therapy to assess the level of pathology and to determine appropriateness of a short‑term therapeutic modality for students with serious psychological concerns. Assesses for suicidal ideation and provides appropriate crisis intervention services. Conducts culturally appropriate therapeutic interventions. May consult with senior specialist/manager on highly complex issues. Coordinate care with Student Health and provide on and off campus referrals as needed. Provide consultation to staff, faculty, and students as requested. Develop and deliver psychoeducational programs to address the cultural and mental health needs of underrepresented populations. Psychologist is expected to liaise with LGBTQ+ campus organizations in order to provide regular outreach to student communities and stay informed about issues impacting students. Be able to approach clinical service provision from a cultural perspective. Provides clinical guidance and oversight to other professional staff related to LGBTQ+ mental health. Train and supervise staff, interns, practicum students, or peers as appropriate. Maintain current license to practice psychology in the state of California and must continue to meet state requirements for license renewal.

workweek will be considered. Reqs: PhD or Psy.D. in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from an APA‑accredited doctoral program. License to practice psychology in the State of California or obtained within 6 months ‑ Required. (6 month date of eligibility is based on the CA Board of Psychology‑ BPC § 2946(b) which allows a psychologist licensed in another state, territory, or province who has applied to the Board for a license in this state to perform activities and services of a psychological nature without a valid California license for a period not to exceed 180 calendar days from the time of submitting their application or from the commencement of residency in this state, whichever occurs first‑ Note this is not the same date as your start date). Thorough knowledge associated with providing evaluation, diagnosis and psychotherapy services. Thorough knowledge of applicable laws and standards of professional conduct. Thorough knowledge of diagnostic/psychological testing methodologies. Highly effective written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Thorough skills associated with conducting complex diagnoses, problem‑solving, and critical thinking. Ability to work in a highly collaborative manner with diverse client groups, members of the medical staff, and faculty. Ability to conduct complex analysis and develop and present recommendations and a course of treatment. Knowledge of electronic/medical records systems. Demonstrated ability to provide culturally appropriate therapeutic interventions. Computer literacy. Demonstrated experience working with LGBTQ+ communities.Demonstrated knowledge of LGBTQ+ psychology and culture. Notes: Credentials verification for clinical practitioner‑ license to practice psychology in the state of CA or eligible within 6 months. Occasional evening and weekend hours required (telephone and/or onsite). Employment is contingent on successful completion of our credentialing, privileging, and background check processes. (6 month date of eligibility is based on the CA Board of Psychology‑ BPC § 2946(b) which allows a psychologist licensed in another state, territory, or province who has applied to the Board for a license in this state to perform activities and services of a psychological nature without a valid California license for a period not to exceed 180 calendar days from the time of submitting their application or from the commencement of residency in this state, whichever occurs first‑ Note this is not the same date as your start date) Mandated reporting requirements of Child Abuse. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Hiring/ Budgeted Salary Range: $105,350.76 to $126,240.39/year. Full Salary Range: $95,415.62 to $161,600.66/year. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu Job #81992

COUNSELING

PSYCHOLOGIST

COUNSELING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Independently performs diagnosis and psychotherapy on a full range of cases. Provides individual therapy to assess the level of pathology and to determine appropriateness of a short‑term therapeutic modality for students with serious psychological concerns. Assesses for suicidal ideation and provides appropriate crisis intervention services. Conducts culturally appropriate therapeutic interventions. May consult with senior specialist/ manager on highly complex issues. Coordinate care with Student Health and provide on and off campus referrals as needed. Provide consultation to staff, faculty, and students as requested. Develop and deliver psychoeducational programs to address the cultural and mental health needs of underrepresented populations. Psychologist expected to participate in campus organizations which have a demonstrated commitment to diversity and cultural issues. Be able to approach clinical service provision from a cultural perspective. Train and supervise staff, interns, practicum students, or peers as appropriate. Maintain current license to practice psychology in the state of California and must continue to meet state requirements for license renewal. Flexible hours within a 40‑hour workweek will be considered. Reqs: PhD or Psy.D. in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from an APA‑accredited doctoral program. License to practice psychology in the State of California or obtained within 6 months ‑ Required. (6 month date of eligibility is based on the CA Board of Psychology‑ BPC § 2946(b) which allows a psychologist licensed in another state, territory, or province who has applied to the Board for a license in this state to perform activities and services of a psychological nature without a valid California license for a period not to exceed 180 calendar days from the time of submitting their application or from the commencement of residency in this state, whichever occurs first‑ Note this is not the same date as your start date). Thorough knowledge associated

with providing evaluation, diagnosis and psychotherapy services. Thorough knowledge of applicable laws and standards of professional conduct. Thorough knowledge of diagnostic/ psychological testing methodologies. Highly effective written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Thorough skills associated with conducting complex diagnoses, problem‑solving, and critical thinking. Ability to work in a highly collaborative manner with diverse client groups, members of the medical staff, and faculty. Ability to conduct complex analysis and develop and present recommendations and a course of treatment. Knowledge of electronic/ medical records systems. Demonstrated ability to provide culturally appropriate therapeutic interventions. Computer literacy. Notes: Credentials verification for clinical practitioner‑ license to practice psychology in the state of CA or eligible within 6 months. Occasional evening and weekend hours required (telephone and/or onsite). Employment is contingent on successful completion of our credentialing, privileging, and background check processes. (6 month date of eligibility is based on the CA Board of Psychology‑ BPC § 2946(b) which allows a psychologist licensed in another state, territory, or province who has applied to the Board for a license in this state to perform activities and services of a psychological nature without a valid California license for a period not to exceed 180 calendar days from the time of submitting their application or from the commencement of residency in this state, whichever occurs first‑ Note this is not the same date as your start date). Mandated reporting requirements of Child Abuse. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Hiring/Budgeted Salary Range: $105,350.76 to $126,240.39/year. Full Salary Range: $95,415.62 to $161,600.66/year. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race,

or

or

FARM

LAS VARAS RANCH

The Ranch Hand is responsible for providing unskilled and semi‑skilled physical labor in support of the daily operations of running a working cattle ranch and avocado/lemon orchards. Duties include; assisting with raising and maintaining crops, operating farm equipment and machinery, assisting with maintaining ranch grounds, and assisting in the care and raising of livestock. Reqs: High School Diploma or equivalent. Notes: Must be able to work some weekends and overtime. Must be able to operate farm machinery and tools. Must be able to drive a tractor and light truck. Required to hold a valid driver’s license, have a driving record that is in accordance with local policies/procedures, and/or enroll in the California Employer Pull Notice Program. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Hiring/Budgeted Hourly Range: $21.05/hr. to $25.17/hr. Full Salary Range: $21.05/hr. to $27.23. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu Job #76913

Continued on p. 54

EMPLOYMENT LEGALS

SR. CUSTODIAN

RESIDENTIAL OPERATIONS

Performs duties in accordance with established standards and instruction, for University owned Residence Halls, Apartments and Dining Facilities. The Sr. Custodian promotes a customer service environment to residents and clients. Assists with the development and maintenance of a work environment which is conducive to meeting the mission of the organization and supports the EEP. Responsible for completing job duties that demonstrate support for the Operations Team. Initiates communication directly with co‑workers and or supervisor to improve and clarify working relationships, identifying problems and concerns, and seeking resolution to work‑related conflicts.

Reqs: Working knowledge and experience utilizing the following equipment: vacuums, conventional and high‑speed buffers, extractors, and related custodial equipment desired. Will train on all equipment and chemicals used. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with others as a team. Must have effective communication skills. Ability to interact as a team member with sensitivity towards a multi‑cultural work environment.

Notes: May be required to work schedules other than assigned to meet the operational needs of the department. Required to hold a valid driver’s license, have a driving record that is in accordance with local policies and procedures, and/ or enroll in the California Employer Pull Notice Program. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Pay rate/range: $25.74/hr. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu Job #81810

SR. PARKING REP RESENTATIVE

PARKING SERVICES

Enforces University parking regulations by issuing citations and courtesy warnings to vehicles illegally parked. Identifies vehicles to be “booted” and process them according to California Vehicle Code. Keeps current of campus events and their locations. Directs traffic and escort vehicles including semi‑trucks and buses. Informs supervisor of problems as they arise. Provides parking instructions and give directions. Reqs: High School Diploma. Demonstrated exceptional customer service by providing and delivering professional, helpful, high quality service and assistance. Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to collaborate with students, staff, faculty and the general public. Ability to grasp new concepts. Ability to maintain professionalism and composure under high customer demand and challenging customer interactions. Ability to work as part of a team, maintain a positive attitude and work together to achieve a common goal of providing world class customer service. Excellent written and verbal communication. Notes: Maintain a valid CA driver’s license. Must wear prescribed uniform while on duty. Ability to work outside year round in inclement weather using established foul weather gear provided by the department. Ability to stand and walk for most of each shift and walk an average of 6 to 8 miles daily over hilly terrain, around parked

cars in both covered and uncovered parking facilities. Required to hold a valid driver’s license, have a driving record that is in accordance with local policies and procedures, and/ or enroll in the California Employer Pull Notice Program. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Hiring/Budgeted Hourly Range: $25.45 to $26.42/hour. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu Job #81774

SR. SUPERINTEN DENT OF GROUNDS

RESIDENTIAL OPERATIONS

Under the general direction of the Director of Residential Operations, this position serves as a member of the Residential Operations Management Team with specific responsibility for the overall housing and campus property. Provides supervision and leadership to a staff of 28 FTE and 10 students. This position provides design leadership and vision of the implementation and management of a comprehensive grounds maintenance and landscape operation for all Housing, Transportation and Parking Services (TPS) parking lots, parking structures, The Club and Guest House, The University Center, Henley Gate, Commencement Green, and other portions of the UCSB campus of approximately 200 acres and 2,870,587 square feet and a budget of $1.5 million. Also responsible for major maintenance programs with budgets of approximately $4 million. Incumbent collaborates with Design, Facilities, Safety Services, Cheadle Center for Biodiversity, the Campus Architect, Campus Sustainability Partners, and other members of the campus community with regard to landscape and environmental concepts, environmental plans, housing and residential development, costs and renewals of the physical and environmental environment, including reinvestments in the permanent landscape, hardscape, trees, and irrigation and storm water drainage infrastructure. Reqs: High School Diploma. 4‑6 years experience in the landscaping industry. 4‑6 years experience in dealing with regulatory agencies, specifically water districts and municipalities. 2 ‑ 4 years of experience with demonstrated leadership and supervisory. Must possess a valid California DPR Qualified Applicator’s License or Certificate Category A, or a California Structural Branch 2 license. Must also maintain licenses through the accumulation of the required Continuing Education Units (CEUs), respective to each license within 1 year. Notes: Required to hold a valid driver’s license, have a driving record that is in accordance with local policies and procedures, and/or enroll in the California Employer Pull Notice Program. Satisfactory criminal history background check. Pay Rate/Range: $113,100 to $124,800/year. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law. Open until filled. Apply online at https://jobs.ucsb.edu Job #82102

miscellaneous tools.

ADMINISTER OF ESTATE

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER

ESTATE OF: JEFFREY A. SHUCK No.: 25PR00520

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of: JEFFREY

A. SHUCK

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by: EBBY INIGUEZ in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara.

THE PETITION requests that (name): EBBY INIGUEZ be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The Independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 12/18/2025 AT 9:00 a.m. Dept: 5 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, located at 1100 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

ANACAPA DIVISION

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58 (b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE‑154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code Section 1250. A Request for Special notice form is available from the court clerk. Darrel E. Parker, Executive Officer 10/13/2025 by Monica Buenrostro, Deputy. Attorney for Petitioner: Rebecca S. Koch, Esq; 317 East Carillo Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101; 805‑963‑8611 Published: Oct 23, 30. Nov 6 2025. NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JAMES KAY aka JAMIE KAY CASE No.: 25PR00540

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of: JAMES KAY aka JAMIE KAY

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by: DAVID KAY, III in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara.

THE PETITION requests that (name): DAVID KAY, III be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required

to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The Independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 01/15/2026 AT 9:00 a.m. Dept: 5 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, located at 1100 Anacapa Street PO Box 21107 Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Anacapa Division.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58 (b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE‑154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code Section 1250. A Request for Special notice form is available from the court clerk. Darrel E. Parker, Executive Officer 10/23/2025 by Monica Buenrostro, Deputy. Attorney for Petitioner: James F Cote, Esq.; 222 East Carrillo Street, Suite 207, Santa Barbara, CA 93101; 805‑966‑1204 Published: Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

BULK SALE

STATE STREET STORAGE 4001 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93110

Notice is hereby given that between November 6 and November 16, 2025, at www.StorageTreasures.com, the undersigned, State Street Storage, will sell at public sale by competitive bidding the personal property heretofore stored with the undersigned by the following occupant(s):

Unit 1316 (10×10) — Jesus Garcia Sofa; TVs (2); lamps; nightstand; mattress; box spring; clothing; shoes; kitchenware; toys; boxes; cleaning supplies; gym bag; microwave; curtain rod.

Unit 1602 (4×7) — Gabriel Angeles Duffel bags (6); clothing; music crate; end table.

Unit 1703 (5×6) — Joshua Hopkins Camping supplies; crates; 5‑gallon buckets (6); holiday decorations; baby stroller; car seat; luggage.

Unit 2324 (4×10) — Maxwell Millman Duffel bags (5); skateboards (4); snowboard bag; computer monitors (3); refrigerator; TV; stereo speakers; PS4 video games; clothing; laptop and keyboard; Epson projector.

Unit 2414 (10×20) — Gloria Jansen Burns Sofas (2); armchairs (4); rocker; coffee tables (3); end tables (3); lamps (4); cabinets; paintings (2); filing cabinet; chest.

Unit 2606 (5×8) — Gorge Tierrablanca Bicycle; clothing; luggage; bags; backpacks.

Unit 2702 (6×7) — Bryan Jensen Desk; coffee tables (2); end tables (2); lamps (2); fan; painting; silver candleholders; books.

Unit 2805 (5×10) — Edward Norris Scripts; jewelry; books; computer; computer parts; VHS tapes; clothing; chair.

Unit 3117 (10×15) — Vincent Marquez Coffee table; lamp; mattress pad; carpets; duffel bags; cookware set;

Unit 3203 (5×10) — Terrence Early Chairs; file boxes; holiday decorations; large floor radio.

Unit 3229 (5×10) — Gretchen Hauer Cardboard boxes; air conditioner; plastic storage containers; paintings; vase; stepladder.

Unit 3425 (4×4) — Alec Katzman Shoes; miscellaneous boxes.

Unit 3700 (5×7) — Monique Williamson Cardboard boxes; clothing storage bags (8).

Unit 3710 (3×5) — Jennifer Shaw Wooden desk; cardboard boxes; touchscreen car radio; plastic storage bins; guitar case; computer monitor; painting; miscellaneous car parts.

Unit 3712 (4×5) — Kim Kelley Generator; miscellaneous clothing.

Unit 3901 (5×7) — Josh Martinez Desk; fan; boxes of books; chest; a kid’s bike; boxes of toys and games.

Unit 3924 (5×10) — Eder Herrera Desk; wooden shelving; boxes of miscellaneous tools; boxes of gift‑wrapping supplies.

Occupants are encouraged to contact State Street Storage immediately to resolve the account and avoid the sale; redemption is available any time before the sale is completed by paying the full amount due.

FBN ABANDONMENT

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

The following Fictitious Business Name is being abandoned: ESM CREATIVE STUDIO: 593 Picacho Ln Santa Barbara, CA 93108 The original statement for use of this Fictitious Business Name was filed 1/16/2024 in the County of Santa Barbara. Original File no. FBN 2024‑0000096. The persons or entities abandoning use of this name are as follows: Emma K Spencer (same address) The business was conducted by an A General Partnership. Registrant commenced to tranact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jan 9, 2024 Signed by: EMMA SPENCER/PARTNER Filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 9/10/25, FBN 2025‑0002122 E73. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in the Office of the County Clerk, Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

The following Fictitious Business Name is being abandoned: MORPHY SPENCER CREATIVE STUDIO: 593 Picacho Ln Santa Barbara, CA 93108

The original statement for use of this Fictitious Business Name was filed 10/09/2024 in the County of Santa Barbara. Original File no. FBN 2024‑0002377. The persons or entities abandoning use of this name are as follows: Emma K Spencer (same address) The business was conducted by an A General Partnership. Registrant commenced to tranact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jan 1, 2024 Signed by: EMMA SPENCER/PARTNER Filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 9/10/25, FBN 2025‑0002123 E73. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in the Office of the County Clerk, Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE MULLET, THE MULLET COCKTAIL BAR, THE MULLET HI‑FI COCKTAIL BAR, THE MULLET HI‑FI BAR 116 Santa Barbara Street, Suite B Santa Barbara , CA 93103; Good Beer Company LLC 421 Mountain Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93103 This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under

the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 26, 2025. Filed by: PETER BURNHAM/CEO with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 6, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002308. Published: Oct 23, 30. Nov 6, 13 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOHM CORP: 7031 Shepard Mesa Rd Carpinteria, CA 93013; Bohm Corp (same address) This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jun 17, 2020. Filed by: JON‑RYAN SCHLOBOHM/CEO with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 3, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002298. Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BALANCING SB: 5258 Rhoads Ave Santa Barbara, CA 93111; Engmyr Consulting LLC (same address) This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 23, 2025. Filed by: JENNIFER ENGMYR/MEMBER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 1, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002281. Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROLLED OATS POTTERY: 339 2nd St. Solvang, CA 93463; Jane K. Schwarzwalter PO Box 144 Santa Ynez, CA 93460‑0144 This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 18, 2025. Filed by: JANE SCHWARZWALTER/OWNER/ARTIST with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 18, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E76. FBN Number: 2025‑0002193. Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MORAN PRECISION: 322 E Micheltorena St. Apt 18 Santa Barbara CA 93101; Derek Moran (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 30, 2025. Filed by: DEREK MORAN/PRINCIPAL with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 30, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002271. Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HINCHEE HOMES, MILTON HOUSE, JESSICA HOUSE: 825 N. Kellogg Ave. Santa Barbara , CA 93111; Jessie Hopkins Hinchee Foundation (same address) This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Dec 4, 2024. Filed by: LEY WERTZ/ SECRETARY with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 10, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002356. Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: RARE WILDER: 485 Caino Laguna Vista Goleta , CA

93117; Courtney R Salviolo (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 3, 2025. Filed by: COURTNEY SALVIOLO/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 10, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002354. Published: Oct 16, 23, 30. Nov 6 2025.

FBN2025‑0002102

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Fictitious Business Name: NURSES PROJECT Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 24681 La Plaza, Suite 300 Dana Point CA 92629 County of Principal Place of Business: Orange County Name of Corporation or limited liability company as shown in the Articles of Inc. / Org. / Reg.: CLOVERLANE FOUNDATION, State of Inc./Org/Reg. CA Business Mailing Address: 24681 La

a misdemeanor punishable by a

not to exceed

($1,000). Signature: Blaine Price Printed

of

BLAINE PRICE

Signing:

Clerk’s

Filed in

County of

Barbara on September 08, 2025. NOTICE ‑ In accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Except, as provided in subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or Common Law. (See Section 14411 et seq., business and professions code). Business Owner is responsible to determine if publication is required. (BPC 17917). Filing is a public record (GC 6250‑6277). JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, County Clerk ‑ Recorder Filing CN118402 CLOVERLANE... Oct 16,23,30, Nov 6, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CONNECTIVE TISSUE COACHING AND CONSULTING: 360 Oliver Road Santa Barbara , CA 93109; Kari L O’Driscoll (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on

MARKETPLACE

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HOUSES/DUPLEXES FOR RENT

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crosswordpuzzle

ByMattJones

Across 1. Summer getaway

Soft-serve option

Ultra-fast flyers

Bread spread

Promising words

Maui party 17. 1998 Barbara Kingsolver novel, with “The” 20. 1983 Barbra Streisand musical

Word symbolized above 7 on a keyboard 22. Plant deeply

Big head

Mecca pilgrim

Principals in a company

“Horrors!”

They may get bounced around

“Oracular Spectacular” band

Dice dot

Tennis return, sometimes

Pot-au-___ (French stew) 40. Australian postgrad schools

42. Trees with cones 44. Duck hangout

45. Pool, in other words

48. “Here’s the surprise!”

49. Home of the U.S. version of “Have I Got News For You”

50. “A Town Like Alice” novelist Nevil

52. Hardwood tree

55. Rightmost column in the periodic table

59. Temporary place to live before moving out, maybe 62. Finito

63. Justice Kagan

64. “M*A*S*H” actor Alan

65. Julia, in “Ocean’s Eleven”

66. Alaskan carving

67. Slovenly sort

Down

1. Plagiarize

2. Tissue additive

3. Chicken chow ___

4. “Fifth wave” genre that sounds more like indie rock

5. “ Carry On Wayward ___” (song that actually doesn’t have “My” in the title)

6. East Coast convenience store chain

7. “ Put ___ my tab”

8. Welsh comedian ___ Gilbert, former presenter of “Never Mind the Buzzcocks”

9. “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” subject

10. Snack once pitched by Randy “Macho Man” Savage 11. Temporarily replacing 12. Scheherazade’s specialty 13. Took to court

18. Sister in Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” 19. With “The,” Jeremy Allen White show 24. ___-wan Kenobi

25. “___ the Greatest Dancer” (1979 Sister Sledge song)

26. Descriptor of some kids’ books 27. Charging animal

LEGALS (CONT.)

is/are doing business as: DRAGONFLY

INDUSTRIAL: 14 East Sola Street

2 Santa Barbara , CA 93101‑1685; Anthony L Castelo (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Aug 28, 2025. Filed by: ANTHONY LOUIS

CASTELO/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 4, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002091. Published: Oct 23, 30. Nov 6, 13 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NERY’S SWEETS: 435 W Padre St Apt W25 Santa Barbara CA 93105; Nereida Corona (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Filed by: NEREIDA CORONA with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 26, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002251. Published: Oct 23, 30. Nov 6, 13 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ECO WONDER

WORKSHOP: 25 Arlington Avenue #12 Santa Barbara , CA 93101; Jennifer Griffith (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 30, 2025. Filed by:

JENNIFER GRIFFITH/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 10, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002338. Published: Oct 23, 30. Nov 6, 13 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT

File No. FBN2025‑0002313

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Discovery Home Training, 1503 E Main St, Santa Maria, CA 93458 County of SANTA BARBARA Total Renal Care, Inc., 2000 16th St, Attn JLD/SecGovFin, Denver,

CO 80202

This business is conducted by a Corporation

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Total Renal Care, Inc. S/ STEPHANIE N. BERBERICH, SECRETARY, This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/06/2025. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13/25 CNS‑3959819# SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: SANTA BARBARA HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGES: 27 W Anapamu Street 454 Santa Barbara , CA 93101; Thomas J Miller (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 17, 2025. Filed by: THOMAS J MILLER/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 25, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002240. Published: Oct 23, 30. Nov 6, 13 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. FBN2025‑0002313

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Discovery Home Training, 1503 E Main St, Santa Maria, CA 93458 County of SANTA BARBARA

Total Renal Care, Inc., 2000 16th St, Attn JLD/SecGovFin, Denver, CO 80202

This business is conducted by a Corporation

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A.

Total Renal Care, Inc. S/ STEPHANIE N. BERBERICH, SECRETARY,

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/06/2025. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 10/23, 10/30, 11/6, 11/13/25

CNS‑3959819#

SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. FBN2025‑0002413

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:

Personal Ceramics 836 ANACAPA ST UNIT 20009, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93102 County of SANTA BARBARA

Dear Harlem World,, LLC, 836 ANACAPA ST UNIT 20009, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93102

This business is conducted by a limited liability company

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A.

Dear Harlem World,, LLC

S/ RANDALL LAMONT PERSON JR,

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/21/2025. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20/25

CNS‑3953033#

SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOS GARDENING & LANDSCAPE SERVICES: 95 Tecolote Ave 3 Goleta , CA 93117; Edmar E Santiago (same address) This business is conducted by A LIndividual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 8, 2025. Filed by: EDMAR ESTRADA

SANTIAGO/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 8, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E63. FBN Number: 2025‑0002323. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOS MADERA‑SPIRITS: 615 San Ricardo Dr Santa Barbara , CA 93111; Baraza Group LLC (same address) This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 19, 2023. Filed by: ADRIAN BARRAZA/PRESIDENT with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 21, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph

E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E35. FBN Number: 2025‑0002410.

Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as:MY MOBILE PEDS: 321 North Calle Cesar Chavez Santa Barbara , CA 93103; Kristen Anne Hughes Medical, Professional Corporation (same address) This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. Filed by: KRISTEN HUGHES/ PRESIDENT with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 23, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E35. FBN Number: 2025‑0002439. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as:SHINING

PRINCE ENTERTAINMENT: 1227

Carpinteria Street Santa Barbara , CA 93103; Shining Prince LLC (same address) This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jun 27, 2008. Filed by:

GEOFFREY P BOSSIERE/MANAGING MEMBER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 22, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002425. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SANTA

BARBARA SEAFOOD COMPANY: 7906

Winchester Cir Goleta, CA 93117; Dylan Root (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 3, 2025. Filed by: DYLAN ROOT with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 3, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E76. FBN Number: 2025‑0002300. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

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--------

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File No. FBN2025‑0002312

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:

ENHANCED PRACTICE

SOLUTIONS, 248 LOS ALAMOS AVE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93109 County of SANTA BARBARA ENHANCED PRACTICE

SOLUTIONS LLC, 248 LOS ALAMOS AVE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93109, CALIFORNIA

This business is conducted by a limited liability company

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Not Applicable. /s/ NICHOLAS HEWITT, MANAGING MEMBER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/06/2025. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20/25

CNS‑3978783#

SANTA BARBARA

INDEPENDENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORMA NEGRETE IMMIGRATION: 270 Storke Rd, Suite 3 Goleta, CA 93117; Lefemine Inc PO Box 80237 Goleta, CA 93118 This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jan 24, 2006. Filed by: NORMA NEGRETE

LEFEMINE/CEO with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 24, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002458. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SEAWRIGHT INFLATABLES: 7664 Southcliff Drive Fair Oaks, CA 95628; Anders M Seawright 266 Orange Ave Unit A Goleta, CA 93117 This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 29, 2025. Filed by: ANDERS SEAWRIGHT with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 10, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002340.

Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVANCING

COLLECTIVE TRANSFORMATION: 621 Chapala St Santa Barbara, CA 93101; Uffizi Order PO Box 217 Santa Barbara, CA 93102 This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 01, 2025. Filed by: RICH SANDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 24, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E4. FBN Number: 2025‑0002454. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HONEST PROJECTS LLC: 144 W. Alamar Ave Santa Barbara , CA 93105; Honest Projects LLC (sameaddress) This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 21, 2025. Filed by: PABLO GUTIERREZ/MEMBER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 20, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E35. FBN Number: 2025‑0002402. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: H. QUALITY PAINTING: 428 W. Islay St, Apt #4 Santa Barbara , CA 93101; Victor Garcia 6798 Ojai Ave Ventura, CA 93001 This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 22, 2025. Filed by: VICTOR GARCIA/ OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 14, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E76. FBN Number: 2025‑0002365. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WHITEWING

Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Free author`s guide 877-729-4998 or dorranceinfo.com/ads"

Water damage cleanup & restoration: A small amount of water can lead to major damage in your home. Our trusted professionals do repairs to protect your family & home value! 833-887-0117. Have zip code ready!

Professional lawn service: Fertilization, weed control, seeding, aeration & mosquito control. Free quote. Ask about first application special! 833-860-0811

DIRECTV Stream - Carries the most local MLB games! Choice Pkg $89.99/mo for 12 mos Stream on 20 devic-es. HBO Max included for 3 mos w/Choice Package or higher. No contract or hidden fees! Restrictions apply. IVS 866859-0405

Wesley Financial Group, LLC timeshare cancellation experts over $50 million timeshare debt/fees cancelled in 2019. Free info package. Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. 833-308-1971 (not available in FL)

Bath & shower updates in as little as 1-day! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & military discounts available. 1-877-543-9189

Prepare for power outages today - Generac Home Standby Generator. Receive free 5-Year warranty w/ qualifying purchase. 855-948-6176 to schedule free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

Dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. 400+ procedures. Real dental insurance - not a discount plan. Free info kit! 855-526-1060 www.dental50plus.com/ads #6258

Santa Barbara , CA 93101;

O

Kroef (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 4, 2025. Filed by: AHMED RAGAB/CEO with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 22, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E49. FBN Number: 2025‑0002418. Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PKX BIO: 3463 State Street Suite 257 Santa Barbara CA 93105; Bexson Biomedical Inc (same address) This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 7, 2025. Filed by: AHMED RAGAB/CEO

commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 09/21/2015. /S/ THOMAS A.A. COOK, SECRETARY This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/14/2025. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20/25 CNS‑3977836# SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

LEGALS (CONT.)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT

File No. FBN2025‑0002420

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:

MECHANICAL DRIVES & BELTING, 2915 EAST WASHINGTON BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90023 County of SANTA BARBARA

LOS ANGELES RUBBER COMPANY, 2915 EAST WASHINGTON BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90023

This business is conducted by a Corporation

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 03/2015. Los Angeles Rubber Company

S/ David Durst, Chief Executive Officer

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/22/2025. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/26/25

CNS‑3981728# SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SANTA BARBARA ESTATE LAWYER: 69 Santa Felicia Drive, Suite 109 Goleta, CA 93117; Studio 108 Goleta, LLC 15 Sanderling Lane Goleta, CA 93117

This business is conducted by A

Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 15, 2025. Filed by: AMY BANKOFF/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 24, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002228. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: THE OPTIMIST

DAILY: 1101 Anacapa Street, Suite 200 Santa Barbara, CA 93101; World Business Academy (same address)

This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Aug 01, 2022. Filed by: RINALDO BRUTOCO/PRESIDENT with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 20, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002407. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CENTRAL PACIFIC: 1284 West Main Street Santa Maria, CA 93458; Joseph E Doud III (same address) Derrick P Doud (same address) Buck Management, LLC (same address) Double D Investment Management, LLC (same address) This business is conducted by A General Partnership Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jan 01, 1984. Filed by: JOSEPH E. DOUD III/GENERAL PARTNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 02, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E30. FBN Number: 2025‑0002287. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: MIG SERVICES: 3345 State Street, #3482 Santa Barbara, CA 93130; Matthew Garcia PO Box 3482 Santa Barbara, CA 93130 This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 15, 2025. Filed by: MATHEW GARCIA/OWNER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 24, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002465. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WALMART #2507, WALMART PHARMACY #10‑2507, WALMART VISION CENTER #30‑2507: 2220 S Bradley Rd Santa Maria, CA 93455; Walmart Inc. 1 Customer Dr. Bentonville, AR 72716 This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Aug 07, 2025. Filed by: GEOFFREY

EDWARDS/SECRETARY with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 23, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002435. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person(s)

is/are doing business as: WALMART #1989, WALMART PHARMACY #10‑1989, WALMART VISION CENTER #30‑1989: 701 W Central Ave Lompoc, CA 93436; Walmart Inc. 1 Customer Dr. Bentonville, AR 72716 This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Aug 07, 2025. Filed by: GEOFFREY

EDWARDS/SECRETARY with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 23, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002434.

Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s)

is/are doing business as: WALMART

MARKET #5659, WALMART

PHARMACY #10‑5659, : 500 S Blosser Rd Santa Maria, CA 93458; Walmart Inc. 1 Customer Dr. Bentonville, AR 72716 This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Aug 07, 2025. Filed by: GEOFFREY

EDWARDS/SECRETARY with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 23, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002436.

Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WALMART

MARKET #5658, WALMART

PHARMACY #10‑5658: 2240 S Bradley

Rd Santa Maria, CA 93455; Walmart Inc. 1 Customer Dr. Bentonville, AR 72716 This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Aug 07, 2025. Filed by: GEOFFREY

EDWARDS/SECRETARY with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 23, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002433.

Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AURA

RESTAURANT: 511 State St Santa Barbara, CA 93101; Bzb Investments Inc (same address) This business is conducted by A Corporation Registrant commenced to transact business under

the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 20, 2025. Filed by: HAO YUAN BAO/CFO with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 20, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E63. FBN Number: 2025‑0002391.

Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT

File No. FBN2025‑0002334

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:

GEMINATACTICAL GROUP, 396 TORO CANYON RD, CARPINTERIA, CA 93013 County of SANTA BARBARA BRACE L.L.C, 3125 STALLINGS DR, NAPA, CA 94558, CALIFORNIA

This business is conducted by a limited liability company

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Not Applicable. /s/ MASSIMO FALSINI, MANAGER

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/09/2025.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/26/25

CNS‑3979215#

SANTA BARBARA

INDEPENDENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT

File No. FBN2025‑0002414

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Clean Coast Windows, 1333 Marigold Way, Lompoc, CA 93436 County of SANTA BARBARA Eduardo Vallejo, 1333 Marigold Way, Lompoc, CA 93436

This business is conducted by an Individual

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. S/ Eduardo Vallejo

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on 10/21/2025.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/26/25

CNS‑3963903#

SANTA BARBARA

INDEPENDENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DROP KNEE

PHYSICAL THERAPY: 5160 Hollister Ave Goleta, CA 93111; Samantha L. Iannucci 4860 Telephone Rd Ste 103 PMB 1017 Ventura, CA 93003 This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Sep 21, 2025. Filed by: SAMANTHA IANNUCCI with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Sep 29, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002260. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: NOLETA PRESS

LLC: 444 Los Feliz Drive Santa Barbara, CA 93110; Noleta Press LLC (same address) This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 08, 2025. Filed by: MARYANNE KNOGHT/MANAGING

MEMBER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 28, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E71. FBN Number: 2025‑0002493. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BE WELL

PILATES: 2941 De La Vina Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105; Alexis Pittmon (same address) This business is conducted by A Individual Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Oct 13, 2015. Filed by: ALEXIS PITTMON with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct

HOLLISTER LOFTS - COMMUNITY FORUM

Please join us for the 2nd community forum to learn more about the Hollister Lofts permanent supportive housing development on Hollister Avenue next to Fire Station 13. At this community event, you will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara and representatives from Santa Barbara County’s Second District Office and the Community Services Department.

With construction beginning soon, we are excited to share updates on this affordable housing development and welcome your comments and questions.

Monday November 10, 2025

Living Faith Church – 4597 Hollister Ave

Doors open at 5:30pm, program to begin at 6:00pm.

HOLLISTER LOFTS - FORO COMUNITARIO

¡Acompáñenos en el segundo foro comunitario para conocer más sobre el desarrollo de vivienda permanente con apoyo Hollister Lofts en la Avenida Hollister, junto a la Estación de Bomberos 13! En este evento comunitario, tendrá la oportunidad de hablar con representantes de la Autoridad de Vivienda del Condado de Santa Bárbara, así como con representantes de la Oficina del Segundo Distrito del Condado de Santa Bárbara y del Departamento de Servicios Comunitarios.

Con el inicio de la construcción próximamente, ¡nos entusiasma compartir actualizaciones sobre este desarrollo de vivienda asequible y recibir sus comentarios y preguntas!

Lunes 10 de noviembre de 2025

Living Faith Church – 4597 Hollister Ave

Las puertas se abrirán a las 5:30 p. m., el programa comenzará a las 6:00 p. m.

COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA BOARD OF SUPERVISORS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Tuesday, November 18, 2025 In the Board of Supervisors’ Hearing Room 511 Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria, CA The meeting starts at 9:00 a.m.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the following matter will be heard by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., in the Board of Supervisors’ Hearing Room, 511 Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria, California.

The Board will consider a Proposed Fee Ordinance to Update Transportation Impact Mitigation Fees for the Goleta and Orcutt Planning Areas. This item involves changing and increasing transportation impact mitigation fees in accordance with the Mitigation Fee Act, California Government Code section 66000, et al.

At least 10 days prior to the meeting, the required data indicating the amount of cost, or estimated cost, required to provide the service for which the fee or service charge is levied and the revenue sources anticipated to provide the service will be on file at the Public Works Department at 123 E Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 or 620 W Foster Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93455 and is available upon request at 805-568-3064 This data will also be available through the Clerk of the Board prior to the public hearing.

For current methods of public participation for the meeting of November 18, 2025, please see page two (2) of the posted Agenda. The posted agenda will be available on Thursday prior to the above referenced meeting for a more specific time for this item. However, the order of the agenda may be rearranged, or the item may be continued.

Staff reports and the posted agenda are available on the Thursday prior to the meeting at http://santabarbara.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx under the hearing date or contact the Clerk of the Board at (805) 568-2240 for alternative options.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors by 4:00 PM on Friday before the Board meeting. For information about these services please contact the Clerk of the Board at (805) 568-2240.

If you challenge this project in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Board of Supervisors prior to the public hearing. G.C. Section 65009, 6066, and 6062a.

Mona Miyasato CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

By: Sheila de la Guerra, Deputy Clerk

LEGALS (CONT.)

20, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E76. FBN Number: 2025‑0002404.

Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME

STATEMENT The following person(s) is/ are doing business as: THE MARLO: 293 Alisal Road Solvang, CA 93463; Solvang Hospitality Group 29 LLC 2108 N St Ste N Sacramento, CA 95816 This business is conducted by A Limited Liability Company Registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Jun 01, 2025. Filed by: GIDEON SPENCER/MANAGING MEMBER with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on Oct 22, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL) by E66. FBN Number: 2025‑0002419. Published: Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

LIEN SALE

EXTRA SPACE STORAGE, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 10 S. Kellogg, Goleta, CA 93117. November 18, 2025, at 3:30pm.

Vanessa Powelllorca

Skye Hughes

Corina Huerta

The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.

Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

NAME CHANGE

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: ELENA JACINTO JIMENEZ CASE NUMBER: 25CV05985 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: PETITIONER: ELENA JACINTO JIMENEZ A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree changing name (s) as follows: PRESENT NAME: MELISSA HERNANDEZ JACINTO PROPOSED NAME: MELISSA HERNANDEZ JACINTO THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 3, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 3, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101, ANACAPA

DIVISION A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/15/2025, JUDGE Thomas P. Anderle of the Superior Court. Published Oct 23, 30. Nov 6, 13 2025.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: ALEXANDRA MARIE MALESKY

CASE NUMBER: 25CV06139 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: PETITIONER: ALEXANDRA MARIE

BRIESKE A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree

changing name (s) as follows:

PRESENT NAME: ALEXANDRA MARIE

MALESKY

PROPOSED NAME: ALEXANDRA MARIE MABARDI

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 10, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 3, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101, ANACAPA

DIVISION A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/20/2025, JUDGE Thomas P. Anderle of the Superior Court. Published Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION

TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME: SUSUNA CUEVAS ALCOCER

CASE NUMBER: 25CV06212

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

PETITIONER: SUSUNA CUEVAS

ALCOCER A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree changing name (s) as follows:

PRESENT NAME: AYLIN CUEVAS

CUEVAS

PROPOSED NAME: AYLIN CUEVAS

CUEVAS

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 10, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 3, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101, ANACAPA

DIVISION A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper

NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING

Hybrid Public Meeting – Held in Person and via Zoom November 18, 2025 at 5:30 P.M.

Title 16 (Subdivisions) and Title 17 (Zoning) Amendments to Implement State Planning Law and Provide Various Minor Zoning Changes and Clarifications (Case No. 25-0003-ORD)

ATTENTION: The meeting will be held in person and via the Zoom platform. The public may also view the meeting on Goleta Channel 19 and/or online at https://www.cityofgoleta.org/goletameetings

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Goleta City Council will conduct a public hearing to consider adopting amendments to Title 16 (Subdivisions) and Title 17 (Zoning) of the Goleta Municipal Code (GMC) to address State law consistency, remedy issues identified during implementation of Title 17, and provide clarity to existing regulations in Title 17. The date, time, and location of the City Council public hearing are set forth below. The agenda for the hearing will also be posted on the City website (www.cityofgoleta.org).

HEARING DATE/TIME: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 5:30 P.M.

PLACE: Goleta City Hall, 130 Cremona Drive, Goleta, CA, 93117 and Teleconference Meeting; this meeting will be held in person and via Zoom (with detailed instructions for participation included on the posted agenda).

PROJECT LOCATION: The amendments would apply citywide, including all areas of the City within the Coastal Zone.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed amendments to Title 16 and Title 17 of the GMC address State law consistency, remedy issues identified during implementation of Title 17, and provide clarity to existing regulations in Title 17. The topics for these amendments include:

• State Law Implementation Related to Single-Family Residential Development Pursuant to Senate Bill 450 (2024), Community Clinics Providing Reproductive Health Services, State Density Bonus Law, Parking Waivers, Noticing for Changes in Allowed Uses, and LowBarrier Navigation Centers.

• Minor Revisions Related to Fence and Retaining Wall Heights, Trash Enclosures, Inclusionary Housing, Projects Approved Prior to Title 17, Consolidated Expiration Dates, Stay of Design Review Board Appeals, Changes to Prior Permits and Approvals, Timelines for Design Review Levels, Height Modifications, and Automobile Uses.

• Other Clarifying Revisions.

PREVIOUS HEARING: The City’s Planning Commission considered the proposed amendments at a recommendation hearing on October 27, 2025.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The amendments are not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (California Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et seq.) pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines (Title 14, Chapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations) because the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378(a) but it is an organizational or administrative activity by government that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment pursuant to Section 15378(b)(5).

The amendments are also exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because the activity is covered by the general rule which exempts activities that can be seen with certainty to have no possibility for causing a significant effect on the environment.

Furthermore, pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21083.3 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15183, projects that are consistent with the development density of existing zoning, community plan, or General Plan policies for which an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was certified shall be exempt from additional CEQA analysis, except as may be necessary to determine whether there are project-specific significant effects that are peculiar to the project or site that would otherwise require additional CEQA review. There is no new substantial information indicating that the impacts of adopting the amendments will be more severe than described in the General Plan EIR and there are no cumulative or off-site impacts from the proposed amendments that were not addressed in the General Plan EIR.

Finally, amendments to Title 16 and Title 17 to implement Senate Bill 450 (2024) are exempt from CEQA pursuant to Government Code Sections 65852.21(k) and 66441.7(n). These provisions state that a local agency ordinance to implement the provisions of Senate Bill 9 (2021), as amended by Senate Bill 450 (2024), are not a project under CEQA.

PUBLIC COMMENT: Interested persons are encouraged to provide public comments during the public hearing in person or virtually through the Zoom webinar, by following the instructions listed on the City Council meeting agenda. All letters/comments should be sent to cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.gov. Letters must be received on or before the date of the hearing or can be submitted at the hearing prior to the conclusion of the public comment portion of the public hearing.

FOR PROJECT INFORMATION: For further information on the project, contact Andy Newkirk, Supervising Planner, at (805) 961-7544 or anewkirk@cityofgoleta.gov. For inquiries in Spanish, please contact Marcos Martinez at (805) 562-5500 or mmartinez@cityofgoleta.gov. Staff reports and documents will be posted approximately 72 hours before the hearing on the City’s website at www.cityofgoleta.org

SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION: Live Spanish interpretation will be available. No advance request for Spanish interpretation services is required.

NOTE: If you challenge the nature of the above action in court, you may be limited to only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the City at or before the public hearing (Government Code Section 65009(b)(2)).

NOTE: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need assistance to participate in the hearing, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 961-7505. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable City staff to make reasonable arrangements. Publish Date: Santa Barbara Independent, November 6, 2025

of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/20/2025, JUDGE Thomas P. Anderle of the Superior Court. Published Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: ELIZABETH ROBINSON ATWILL

CASE NUMBER: 25CV06072

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

PETITIONER: ELIZABETH ROBINSON

ATWILL A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree changing name (s) as follows:

PRESENT NAME: ELIZABETH

ROBINSON ATWILL

PROPOSED NAME: ELISA ROBINSON

ATWILL

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 5, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 4, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101, ANACAPA

DIVISION A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/16/2025, JUDGE Donna D. Geck of the Superior Court. Published Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME: AYSAN JANELLE WALSH CASE

NUMBER: 25CV06241

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: PETITIONER: AYSAN JANELLE WALSH

A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree changing name (s) as follows:

PRESENT NAME: PHOEBE AUTUMN

GEMMA KING

PROPOSED NAME: SWEETHEART

PHOEBE AUTUMN GEMMA KING

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 19, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 4, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101, SANTA BARBARA‑ ANACAPA DIVISION A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/24/2025, JUDGE Donna D. Geck of the Superior Court. Published Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM von WIESENBERGER and TAYLOR MITCHELL von WIESENBERGER CASE NUMBER: 25CV06196 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: PETITIONER: CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM VON WIESENBERGER AND TAYLOR MITCHELL VON WIESENBERGER A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree changing name (s) as follows: PRESENT NAME: VINCENT WILLIAM

von WIESENBERGER PROPOSED NAME: DANE WILLIAM VON WIESENBERGER THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 8, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 5, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101, ANACAPA DIVISION A copy of this Order to Show

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Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/20/2025, JUDGE Thomas P. Anderle of the Superior Court. Published Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION

TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF

NAME: CALEIGH HERNANDEZ & BRAYTON CAMPBELL CASE NUMBER: 25CV06393

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:

PETITIONER: CALEIGH HERNANDEZ & BRAYTON CAMPBELL A petition has been filed by the above named Petitioner(s) in Santa Barbara Superior Court for decree changing name (s) as follows:

PRESENT NAME: MILO ALEXANDER

CAMPBELL

PROPOSED NAME: MILO HAMISH

CAMPBELL

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall 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 December 17, 2025, 10:00 am, DEPT: 3, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA 1100 Anacapa St Santa Barbara, CA 93101,ANACAPA BRANCH

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published in the Santa Barbara Independent, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition. Dated 10/30/2025, JUDGE Thomas P. Anderle of the Superior Court. Published Nov 6, 13, 20, 26 2025.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 25CV06217

Superior Court of California, County of SANTA BARBARA

Petition of: HARRIS YALE HURST for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner HARRIS YALE HURST filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: HARRIS YALE HURST to HARRISON YALE HURST

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: DECEMBER 8, 2025, Time: 10:00 AM, Dept.: 5, The address of the court is 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 court’s website. To find your court’s website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/find‑my‑ court.htm.)

A copy of this Order to Show Cause must 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, printed in this county: SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

Date: 10/15/2025

COLLEEN K. STERNE

Judge of the Superior Court

11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27/25

CNS‑3980353#

SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE

A public meeting concerning the current plans, development, policies, and capital improvement programs of the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation will be held on‑site and remotely on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 4:00pm. To attend this meeting please email rick@sbbowl.com for meeting instructions by 6pm on Wednesday, November 19th.

SUMMONS

CITATION FOR PUBLICATION UNDER WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE

SECTION 294

CASE NUMBER: 25JV00303

1. To: Caitlin Leigh Furbush and anyone claiming to be a parent of: Baby Girl Furbush AKA: Ethereal Zeanith Furbush born on: July 21st, 2025 at : Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, California

2. A hearing will be held on 12/18/2025 located at Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, Branch name; Santa Maria Juvenile Division (time): 01:30 PM court address above (specify address): in Dept.: SMJ 1

3. At the hearing the court will consider the recommendations of the social worker or probation officer.

4. The social worker or probation officer will recommend that your child be freed from your legal custody so that the child may be adopted. If the court follows the recommendation, all your parental rights to the child will be terminated.

5. You have the right to be present at the hearing, to present evidence, and you have the right to be represented by an attorney. if you do not have an attorney and cannot afford to hire one, the court will appoint an attorney for you. 6. If the court terminates your parental rights, the order may be final.

7. The court will proceed with this hearing whether or not you are present.

Attorney: Rachel Van Mullem (SBN 209837) 105 East Anapamu St., Room 201 Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Clerk, by K. Escobar‑Jaskulsky

Date: 10/17/2025

Published: Oct 30. Nov 6, 13, 20 2025.

TRUSTEE NOTICE

NOTICE OF DISPOSITION OF COLLATERAL To: Harold W. Boggs Janet E. Boggs 3270 Ridgeview Drive Santa Maria, Ca 93455 WT Capital Lender Services File # 25‑14377‑165 Account # ****14 From: WT Capital Lender Services, a California corporation 7522 North Colonial Avenue, Suite 111 Fresno, California 93711 Phone: 559‑228‑8393 Beneficiary: Community West Bank, a California banking corporation, (f/k/a Goleta National Bank) 7100 N. Financial Drive, Suite 101 Fresno, Ca 93720 This communication is made in an attempt to collect upon a debt or judgment and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Community West Bank, a California banking corporation, (f/k/a Goleta National Bank) hereinafter (“Community West Bank” or “CWB”) will sell your mobile home, 1985 Horizon Triple‑wide mobile‑home, which is registered with the Department of Housing and Community Development under the Registration/Serial numbers CAHK01369172700A, CAHK01369172700B, CAHK01369172700C and Label/Insignia numbers CAL306154 and CAL306155, and CAL306156 and Decal No. LAH1834 located at 3270 Ridgeview Drive, Santa Maria, Ca 93455 to the highest qualified bidder in public as follows: Date of Sale: 11/19/2025 Time: 1:00 PM Place: The north door of the main entrance to the County Courthouse, 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, Ca 93110 Additional collateral included in the sale: Exterior accessories such as steps, porches, awnings, storage sheds, and other personal property located on the mobile home space, which customarily are used by a resident of a mobile home park in the ordinary occupancy of a mobile home on a mobile home space, whether or not such exterior accessories are fixtures or attached to the mobile

home; and Any and all accessions, attachments, accessories, replacements of and additions to any of the property described herein (such as tires or batteries attached to a car, a motor attached to a boat, or appliances and fixtures attached to a mobile home) together with all proceeds (including insurance proceeds and refunds of insurance premiums) if any, and sums due from a third party who has damaged or destroyed the Property or from that party’s insurer, whether due to judgment, settlement or other process. The sale is based on the mobile home’s Certificate of title and is for the mobile home only. The sale is not for the leasehold estate upon which the mobile home is presently located. Qualified bidders with an interest in the leasehold estate can contact the mobile home park/community in advance of the sale. Qualified bidders, other than CWB, bid at the sale with notice that they are purchasing the mobile home only and may be subject to eviction by the mobile home park/community. Such sale is being made by reason of your default on 5/5/2025 under that certain Security Agreement, dated 5/21/2004, between you, as debtor, and Community West Bank, a California banking corporation, as secured party, and pursuant to the rights of the undersigned under said Security Agreement and Section 9610 et seq. of the California Commercial Code The sale will be made without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, encumbrances, possession, quiet enjoyment, or the like. At any time before the sale, you may redeem the collateral in accordance with Section 9623 of the California Uniform Commercial Code anytime before we sell it by paying the full amount you owe (not just the past due payments), including our expenses and fees incurred. Please be advised that if you notify my office within 30 days that all or a part of your obligation to CWB is disputed, then I will mail to you written verification of the obligation and the amounts owed to CWB. In addition, upon your request within 30 days of receipt of this letter, I will provide you with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor. You may request an accounting by calling WT Capital Lender Services at (559) 228‑8393. If I do not hear from you within 30 days, I will assume that your debt to CWB is valid. The state Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act require that, except under unusual circumstances, collectors may not contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. They may not harass you by using threats of violence or arrest or by using obscene language. Collectors may not use false or misleading statements or call you at work if they know or have reason to know that you may not receive personal calls at work. For the most part, collectors may not tell another person, other than your attorney or spouse, about your debt. Collectors may contact another person to confirm your location or enforce a judgment. For more information about debt collection activities, you may contact the Federal trade Commission at 1‑877‑ FTC‑HELP or www.ftc.gov. The account is due and owing the sum of $28,228.20 plus interest at the contract rate from 10/23/2025, plus any amounts necessary to reimburse WT Capital Lender Services for reasonable foreclosure fees and costs as well as any other sums to which Community West Bank, may be entitled to under the terms of your agreement. To learn the exact amount you must pay, call us at WT Capital Lender Services at (559) 228‑8393. If you want us to explain to you in writing how we have figured the amount that you owe us, you may call us at (559) 228‑8393.

Dated: October 17, 2025 WT CAPITAL LENDER SERVICES, a California corporation By: Nate Kucera, Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of Secured Creditor, Community West Bank (IFS# 41329,

10/30/25, 11/07/25)

APN: 027‑181‑002 FKA 027‑181‑02 TS No: CA08000531‑25‑1 TO No: 250416774‑CA‑VOI NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE (The above statement is made pursuant to CA Civil Code Section 2923.3(d)(1). The Summary will be provided to Trustor(s) and/or vested owner(s) only, pursuant to CA Civil Code Section 2923.3(d)(2).) YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST

DATED July 31, 2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT

A LAWYER. On December 3, 2025 at 01:00 PM, at the main entrance to the County Courthouse, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps, as the duly Appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust recorded on August 3, 2006 as Instrument No. 2006‑0061105, of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Santa Barbara County, California, executed by CHARLES B BUTLER AND SYLVIA BUTLER, HUSBAND AND WIFE, as Trustor(s), in favor of WORLD SAVINGS BANK, FSB, ITS SUCCESSORS AND/OR ASSIGNEES as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore described is being sold “as is ‘. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 17 W VALERIO ST, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93101‑2523 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee’s Sale is estimated to be $1,021,900.68 (Estimated). However, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary’s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier’s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the Trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee’s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. Notice to Potential Bidders If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a Trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a Trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are

or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same Lender may hold more than one mortgage or Deed of Trust on the property. Notice to Property Owner The sale date shown on this Notice of Sale may be postponed one or more times by the Mortgagee, Beneficiary, Trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about Trustee Sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may visit the Internet Website address www. insourcelogic.com or call In Source Logic at 702‑659‑7766 for information regarding the Trustee’s Sale for information regarding the sale of this property, using the file number assigned to this case, CA08000531‑25‑1. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Website. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. Notice to Tenant NOTICE TO TENANT FOR FORECLOSURES AFTER JANUARY 1, 2021 You may have a right to purchase this property after the trustee auction pursuant to Section 2924m of the California Civil Code. If you are an “eligible tenant buyer,” you can purchase the property if you match the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction. If you are an “eligible bidder,” you may be able to purchase the property if you exceed the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction. There are three steps to exercising this right of purchase. First, 48 hours after the date of the trustee sale, you can call 702‑659‑7766, or visit this internet website www.insourcelogic.com, using the file number assigned to this case CA08000531‑25‑1 to find the date on which the trustee’s sale was held, the amount of the last and highest bid, and the address of the trustee. Second, you must send a written notice of intent to place a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 15 days after the trustee’s sale. Third, you must submit a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 45 days after the trustee’s sale. If you think you may qualify as an “eligible tenant buyer” or “eligible bidder,” you should consider contacting an attorney or appropriate real estate professional immediately for advice regarding this potential right to purchase. Date: October 27, 2025 MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps TS No. CA08000531‑25‑1 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 Phone: 949‑252‑8300 TDD: 711 949.252.8300 By: Loan Quema, Authorized Signatory SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ONLINE AT www.insourcelogic.com FOR AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: In Source Logic AT 702‑659‑7766 Order Number 118281, Pub Dates: 11/06/2025, 11/13/2025, 11/20/2025, SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT