TV Spotlight on the Partnership

Screenwriter/Builder/Designer Les Firestein and former city fire chief Pat McElroy, founders of Partnership for Resilient Communities in Santa Barbara County, established after the Thomas Fire and the catastrophic mudslides a year ago, got priceless publicity, not to mention a $20,000 check, when they appeared on Montecito TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres‘s eponymous Los Angeles program.

The dynamic duo drove down to the Warner Bros. studios in bustling Burbank, where Ellen’s long-running show is taped, after Les, a longtime friend of the former Oscars host, reached out to her about the new organization, which is trying to raise $5.4 million to install steel nets to prevent disastrous debris flow in our community creeks in the future.

“We were contacted within 24 hours by a producer,” says Pat, executive director. “In less than 72 hours everything was arranged. It was like being shot out of a rocket.

“It was put on YouTube and has had more than 40,000 hits. Ellen has a powerful audience. She was very gracious to us and our families, who were all invited down. She encouraged everyone to check out our website and asked all of them to support us.”

As my photo shows, Les and Pat also received a substantial $20,000 check, courtesy of Shutterfly, a Redwood City company specializing in image-publishing services, towards their project.