Letters to the Editor

A Burning Issue

Do they read the Montecito Journal in distant Hope Ranch? I hope so.
For several months oil has been seeping out of the bluff between Hope Ranch and the beach and it is hot enough that it is burning underground. There have been repeated efforts to stop it by burying it but this is not working; it is getting worse and worse. Attached are a couple of recent pictures, one at night when it was actually burning red hot.

Perhaps it is time for a different approach. There are plenty of geologists at UCSB. Maybe water should be injected to cool it so it just becomes a regular seep. Or maybe a pipe should be put in so it all comes out safely in one place. Currently it is spreading up the hillside. Who knows when it will start a brushfire or actually get to the top? The location is very easy to find now, a bit over a mile to the west of boathouse at Hendry’s beach.

Anxious Beachcomber
Hope Ranch

(Editor’s note: We have actual proof of Hope Ranch residents regularly perusing the current issue of Montecito Journal but we are told if we released their names they would have to… do something serious about our current living status. The real estate market in Hope Ranch has been hot lately. Perhaps this is one of the reasons. – J.B.)

Sucking It Up

I’d like to comment on the letter in a recent issue sent by Gene Tyburn (“Who’s In Charge,” MJ # 25/6). It was great to see that I am not the only one that has wondered why this common sense solution to our water woes has not been pursued. As purely a layman’s observation it seems to me that Cachuma Lake’s capacity could be increased dramatically by a simple dredging out when conditions allow. I also think it’s way past time to consider a moratorium on building, until the lake’s capacity is increased, as any fool should realize the area’s existing residents’ water interests are being sacrificed and given or sold to the developers, which in turn increases the capacity of our over-burdened and deteriorating road system. 

Mr. Tyburn states, “The people who run the County of Santa Barbara must be brain dead… and this is not brain surgery.” I’m not that pessimistic. I do not think they are “brain dead,” but it does appear they are definitely suffering from severe ossification of that organ. Looking on the bright side, maybe in the not too distant future the medical profession can take a break from looking for that elusive cure for cancer and work on it. I envisage something like a simple enema-type of procedure that would clear out all the crap that’s been implanted into them by their years spent in institutions of “higher” learning.

And speaking of the “reclaimed salt water that tastes like crap,” Mr. Tyburn is closer to the mark than he thinks, as, why shouldn’t it? The intake for the desalinization plant is but a stone’s throw from the sewer discharge; nice ehhh? I bet that makes everybody feel all warm and fuzzy. Not to worry though, all the politicos get bottled water courtesy of us suckers that put up with it.

Larry Bond
Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: Montecito Journal is the perfect and most effective forum in which to bring up these issues. That being written, people who live here are accustomed to getting the job done; hence the successful money-raising effort. So, we don’t actually need some political gas bag taking credit for confiscating someone else’s money to give to a third party. Just doing it themselves should be the motto and model for many – if not most – other communities. – J.B.)

Corrections Required

Okay, now I am a descendent of Presidio de Santa Barbara and Montecito’s Old Spanish Town, as reported in a recent Montecito Journal article about the 56th Annual Meeting in the Presidio Chapel. After that we all went over to the Alhecama Theatre for the reception. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Genealogy & Descendants Committee, Mary Louise Days said that Matthew Mora would be in the Journal. It was my cousin Priscilla Sesma who took the picture outside the theater. Whoever wrote the information did it wrong! Solano is stupid. It should have been spelled Soldado, and my friend Anne Petersen, who is the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, was not even mentioned.

Also, in the other picture by Priscilla, the name of Louise Days is wrong! Her first name is Mary Louise. The last article I’m bringing up was posted in the Journal 30 August, 2017. I know it’s a little late to complain about it. It was Lynda Millner who interviewed me, my sister Ann Schroeder, and my cousin Paul Murrietta. Well, Lynda really spelled my maiden name wrong! I go by Suzi Calderon Bellman. It’s not Calderoon. That was so wrong of her to do that. I remember seeing her at the Biltmore when the King of Spain was there in 2013 when he was the Prince of Asturias. I also met him in 1995 at the Presidio. 

So please correct the errors. Anne already knows what is wrong.

Suzi Calderon Bellman
Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: Okay, got it – J.B.)

A Grass Roots Idea

As a constituent and member of, I am writing you to tell you about a great new service that will allow many people to quickly communicate with their elected officials. The Congress Web service from The Soft Edge, Inc. can be used by organizations on their website or corporate intranet.

Here is How Congress Web Works: Organizations contract for the Congress Web service with The Soft Edge, Inc. The organization simply places a link from their site to the Congress Web server. The Congress Web pages integrate seamlessly into the organization’s web site as the Legislative Action Center web pages for the organization. In the Congress Web Legislative Action Center, site visitors can see the issues being tracked by the organization, learn more about these issues, then compose and send a message to their legislators concerning the issues.

Congress Web simplifies the message preparation, requiring only the name, mailing address, and email address of the user to produce letters and emails addressed to the correct legislators. The unique One-Click-Letters feature minimizes the time spent on the site by producing all correspondence with the click of only one button. Visitors who just want to learn more about their legislators can bypass the Issue’s section, searching directly for legislators using a ZIP code, legislator name, or committee name.

The Soft Edge, Inc. takes care of everything. Issue information and issue letters are emailed to The Soft Edge. Changes to the site are performed in minutes. There is no software to learn. The whole process couldn’t be simpler. Using the Congress Web Reports page, the organization can produce up-to-the-second printed activity reports. Several report styles provide a comprehensive view of the correspondence activity. A database of site visitors is also available. The site visitors database can be downloaded for use by the organization in other grass roots activities.

Most Grass Roots efforts are one way. You send out an Action Alert and hope for a response. With this service your grass roots participation is immediate and measurable. Participants also have fun using Congress Web. If you feel as I do that Congress Web is a great way to create Grass Roots involvement then call The Soft Edge, Inc. at (703) 442-8353 to sign up today.

Anabel Ford
Santa Barbara

Sundance and Davos

“Society relies on storytellers. The choices they make, the risks they take, define our collective expressions,” said Robert Redford at the Sundance Film Festival during this year’s event in January. In 1969, Redford created a film festival in which independent “storytellers” could emotionally influence audiences without distinction between fiction and nonfiction. “Creative nonfiction” is the phrase used to describe using a writer using fiction to further their opinions of nonfictional events. Redford chose his semi-isolated, small ski resort and studio outside Provo, Utah, for the sharing of opinions.

As the economic aspects of the festival grew, so did the composition and affluence of the audience. In response, Sundance Film Festival was moved to the former mining, and current ski town, of Park City, Utah. Once a year, participants from all over the world ascend 40 miles up the mountains from the Salt Lake City airport to overwhelm the town of only 8,378.

In the early 1990s, my legal representation required frequent trips to our facilities in Salt Lake City, where the mountains added to the top-secret security measures necessary for the making of their rocket motors. My responsibilities were to reorganize our facilities to reflect the changing economics of managing our 6,000 employees in Utah caused by the presidents changing from Reagan to Clinton. Stress relief caused my first visit to Park City, and the mountains, skiing and golf will cause 2019 to be my 26th.

Two years after Redford, in 1971, German-born Klaus Schwab invited European business leaders to the semi-isolated ski town of Davos, Switzerland (current population: 11,136). The meetings focused on how European firms could catch up with U.S. management policies. Similar to Park City, as the economic aspects of the conference grew, so did the composition and affluence of the audience. In 1974, political leaders were invited, and in 1987 the name was changed to the World Economic Forum. 

At Sundance, in 2019, the theme included the buzzword “inclusion,” which can be defined as “people not being treated unfairly because of their race, sex, sexuality, religion or age.” The use of double negatives, like “not” and “unfairly,” provides for a subjective standard. 

At Davos, in 2019, the theme was “Globalization 4.0,” or “countries coming together as one big global economy.” The Prime Minister of Germany said countries should “remember others’ interest, then shape a ‘win-win’ policy.” However, the inclusion of those “migrating” to Germany is creating turmoil for existing taxpaying residents, as is illustrated by the exit vote in Great Britain. Similar turmoil caused the leaders of the U.S., Britain, and France, to forgo their usual attendance at Davos. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe re-iterated the U.S. free-and-fair trade policies presented at last year’s conference.

U.S. participation at Davos included interviewers from major networks trying, unsuccessfully, to have business leaders label U.S. trade policies as harmful, a discussion on “inequality” was led by the CEO of the magazine that featured Trump dressed as a king on its cover (TIME, June 7, 2018), and a discussion on “poverty” led by the chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall. N.Y. Times reporter Paul Krugman labeled these and other discussions, as “inclusion.”

Does the prevalence of opinions on the lack of “inclusion” mean that Redford’s words, “Society relies on storytellers”? Or that “the choices they make, the risks they take, define our collective experiences,” are now conveyed by creative nonfiction at Davos as well as Park City?

Brent Zepke
Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: “Creative Non-Fiction” goes by another name: “Fake News,” and it’s been used for decades already – J.B.)

Richard’s Ten Years

Wanted to give a shout out to Richard Mineards and the Journal for your great coverage of the Museum and Sea Center for these many years. Richard has always been so good to us in how he presents the many events and programs we do, and on behalf of all of us here at the Museum, I wanted to acknowledge him, his column, and your good publication.

Luke J. Swetland

A Great Time

We have been vacationing and having a second home in Santa Barbara since 1963.

Of course, we like to stay up to date on everything going on in the Santa Barbara-Montecito area. Richard Mineards’ “Miscellany” is the best way to really keep up on everything that is going on there. Thanks Journal for giving us this talented journalist. 

Keep it up, Richard, and thanks for a great 10 years.

Glen Holden 

Polo Pleased

I wanted to reach out to say how much we have enjoyed the many years of Richard Mineards’ column in the Montecito Journal. As longtime active players-members of the Santa Barbara Polo Club, we especially appreciate the excellent coverage he gives the club not to mention all of the other great organizations in Montecito and Santa Barbara.

Make sure Richard keeps up the good work for another 10 years!

Chuck and Margarita Lande

Keep ‘Em Coming

Just like to say that I have greatly enjoyed Richard’s column for the last ten years. Keep the articles coming.

George Schoellkopf

Subscription Worthy

Please accept my Congratulations on Year 10 of Richard’s column. I am an avid reader and am always fascinated by the doings in your small town. Your area is blessed with wonderful programs and enough generous people to keep them going. Your paper, via Richard’s column provides a wonderful means to acknowledge the contributions of your citizens. I hope that they all have subscriptions.

Margaret Willers

A Top Fiver

When I think about the things I love in Montecito, your devoted columnist Richard Mineards is in the Top Five. Reading his clever columns keeps me informed year round. And in person, his sense of humor and world knowledge is unsurpassed. Thanks for letting us all have a glimpse of the Mineards World each week. 

Charles Ward

Un-Missable

Would never miss this column, also when I lived in NYC. Had it on e mail. Congratulations, Richard, and more and more to come, I hope… Loads of Love.

Marilyn Horne

Lucky Us

Thursdays have been a lot more fun since Richard Mineards started writing his column ten years ago. Thanks, Richard, for keeping us in the loop on all things Montecito. You have such a wide breadth of words and experience. We are lucky to have you in our rarefied enclave.

Anne Towbes

Wanting More

We have been reading Richard’s column for 10 years. Always interesting and sometimes provocative. Here’s to 10 more successful years or as many as he wants.

Marv and Gray Bauer

Hard to Believe

It’s hard to believe that it has been 10 years that Richard Mineards has been faithfully reporting on the comings and goings of interest in our “fair city.” There is hardly a concert or performance or gala event that hasn’t been covered by Richard, and always with the barb or wry observation or two that make his columns so enjoyable. The arts community is greatly appreciative of his staunch support. Here’s to 10 more years of faithful reporting. Pip! Pip! Hooray.

Marylove Thralls 

Good News Indeed

Just learned the good news (we need some of that these days). Richard Mineards’ (aka Mr. Pip) Miscellany column is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in the MJ, perfect time to celebrate Valentine’s Day too!

Jean von Wittenburg

Our Fortune

How fortunate and blessed we all are. Looking forward to the next 10 years of Richard and the Montecito Journal.

Bob Fell

Congrats

Congratulations to all on the 10th anniversary of Miscellany, it is always fun to read.

Chris Lancashire

Spot of Heaven

Congratulations only begin saying just how much your column, Montecito Miscellany, and Montecito Journal are appreciated. Tens years equate to thousands of eyes, myriad smiles, chortles and guffaws, and the countless times we’ve been informed and entertained.

How many people can say they’ve delighted and titillated an entire community for a full decade? How many people can discern the inner workings, hear the heartbeat, inhale the very breath of our little spot of paradise? You send us bouquets of prose, heady and full blossomed. You offer us tidbits of interest, entwining the very roots of this community, so we may flourish together.

You continue to mark the achievements and issues we face and you do it all with a stylish sense of community. A most heartfelt thanks to you, Richard, for your Montecito Miscellany column.

Our spot of Heaven wouldn’t be the same without you.

Nina Terzian

Tony Tiara Tossers

Congratulations to Richard Mineards on his 10th Anniversary with the Montecito Journal. Always a fun read, “Miscellany” brings far more to our village than a list of names at events. 

The column is a good source on the backgrounds of those locals making the news and their associations outside Montecito. And this makes for an intriguing read, not to mention the selling of Montecito.

A rarefied enclave of posh tony tiara tossers indeed!

Robyn Geddes

Social Glue

Ten years go fast when you are having fun. Miscellany has become the glue of our social life in Santa Barbara.

Gerald Incandela