Carpinterian Matt Organista likes to mix up his exercise regimen. He runs, swims and cycles, and does all three at such a high level that he has been invited to the Triathlon Age Group World Championships in London, England this September. In order to get there, the 23-year-old triathlete will be raising funds to cover an estimated $4,000 in expenses. His first fundraiser, a spaghetti dinner, is scheduled for Saturday, June 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Carpinteria Woman’s Club, 1059 Vallecito Road. The cost for dinner is $10 per adult and $5 per child under 12. Organista, who ran track at Westmont College, called the world championship the climax of his year. He hopes his performance on the international stage can help propel him to professional status. Anyone who wishes to offer support can email Organista at morganista@westmont.com.

Cate School’s Joshua Yaro was the top local performer at the CIF preliminary Track and Field championships held at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium on May 11. The senior star who will be playing soccer at Georgetown University next fall qualified for the CIF Division 4 championship meet in the 100m, 200m, long jump and triple jump.

Carpinteria High School’s Bryson Frazer ran his personal best of 50.15 in the 200 to place third and qualify to run again at the championship on Saturday, May 18 at Mt. SAC. Frazer will also run with the boys 4x100 relay team of Jonathan Esqueda, Kyle Millhollin, Matt Kliewer and Frazer and the 4x400 team of Millhollin, Ian Craddock, Kliewer and Fazer, both of which qualified by turning in their best times of 2013. The 4x100 team finished seventh in 44.54, and the 4x400 team finished fifth in 3:29.97.

Also qualifying for the Warriors were Xavier De Alba in the discus. He threw a personal best 134-11 to grab sixth place. Kliewer qualified in the pole vault by clearing a personal best 11-06. Freshman Jimmy Graves will be an alternate in the pole vault with his 11-06 jump that matched his own personal mark and his CHS freshman record.

Warrior girls missed the cut but set three personal records in four events. Nicole Pepper ran a 17.68 in the 100 hurdles; Gaby Fantone ran a 51.19 in the 300 hurdles, and Gabi Montes De Oca reached 32-04 ½ in the triple jump.

For Cate, freshman Joel Serugo qualified in the triple jump (43-03.25) and will be an alternate in the long jump (20-08.75). Yaro ran the 100 in 10.96 and the 200 in 22.10 and leapt 22-11 in the long jump and 44-08 in the triple jump.

Carpinteria High School baseball secured second place in Frontier League by defeating first-place Malibu High School, 3-1, at home on May 9, the final day of the season. Malibu lost just two league games this season, both to the Warriors.

“(Malibu) is a really good team that is playing with a lot of good energy. The win today will only boost the confidence of our club as we head into the playoffs,” Warrior coach Pat Cooney commented.

The Warriors (12-10, 10-5) scored their three in the first inning. Duncan Gordon delivered a two RBI single, scoring Anthony Rodriguez, who had reached on a lead-off single, and Marcus Hutchinson, who had walked. Derrick Shirley-Moore crossed for the third run on a ground ball by David Olvera. Gordon, Rodriguez and Max Damron each had two hits.

Malibu (23-4, 13-2) also did its limited damage in the first inning when it jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Then Hutchinson, pitching for the Warriors, allowed no runners beyond second base for the remainder of the contest. In what Cooney called Hutchinson’s “best pitching performance of the year,” the senior right-hander yielded just five hits and zero walks while striking out five batters.
“Marcus really kept the hitters off balance. At the same time, his pace and efficiency kept our defenders ready,” Cooney stated.  
It was senior day at John Calderwood field for the Warriors who graduate seniors Rodriguez, Damron, Olvera, Hutchinson, Joe Caudillo and Shirley-Moore. “All of our players stepped up, and it was great to see the seniors have success in key roles. Some of them hung around a little bit at the end soaking in the closure of the regular season. No matter what happens in the post season, this team can be really proud,” Cooney stated.

The Warriors host a CIF Division 6 playoff game on Friday, May 17, at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of the wild card game between Vasquez and Rosamond high schools. Vasquez (15-8) is the second-place team from Desert Mountain League, and Rosamond (12-8) is an at-large entry from High Desert League.

By Peter Dugré

Disciplined training culminated in a successful competition for three women and a man who train at Carpinteria Athletics. Hannah Goodfield, Christina Norris, Suzanne DeFriez and Gokhan Filiz all walked away with medals and trophies from the Global Physique 2013 Golden State Championship Fitness Competition held at Marjorie Luke Theater in Santa Barbara on April 20.

Goodfield, a personal trainer at Carpinteria Athletics, won second place in the Fitness Bikini competition and third in Fitness Modeling in her height category. She said that getting back into shape following the birth of her son last year motivated her to put in the work to hone her physique. “Being a trainer, it was good to display how it can actually happen,” she said.

DeFriez was trained by Goodfield and won third place in the Bikini Fitness category of the masters division. Norris finished in fifth place, also in Bikini Fitness. And Filiz, who is now a trainer at Carpinteria Fitness, was fourth in the men’s Physique competition.

The women worked together on their moves, according to Goodfield, who said the competition comes down to walking and posing with their hard-earned physiques. To prepare, they bulked up for few months before tightening up their diets and increasing cardio to tone into sculpted show form.

Contributed by the Carpinteria Valley Water District

For Carpinterians who enjoy a good rain shower, this past winter has been quite a disappointment. As of May 1, seasonal rain totals for the Carpinteria Valley measured 7.9 inches or 42 percent of the annual average—the third lowest rainfall total since 1948. And rainfall throughout Santa Barbara County is less than 50 percent of “normal.” It’s a picture of concern for water availability, especially if the rainfall patterns since mid-2010 continue through the next year.

Local rainfall averages around 19.5 inches annually and is very important to Carpinterians. As it runs off from the Santa Ynez Mountains and foothills above the valley, it also percolates into the upper layers of soils within the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin. This creates a major source of supply, up to 1,250 acre feet a year for Carpinteria Valley Water District, and even more for growers with wells. An acre foot of water, which is enough to cover a football field with one foot of water, meets the annual needs of several residences in the valley.

Rainfall is also essential for Carpinteria’s surface water supplies from Lake Cachuma, which are dependent upon run-off in Santa Ynez River watershed. Annually the district delivers about 3,200 acre feet of water from the lake to its customers. When rainfall is above average, Lake Cachuma will fill and send water over the spill gates of Bradbury Dam, down into the lower Santa Ynez River. Rainfall in the Santa Ynez River watershed this past winter, however, was insufficient to offset demand. Lake Cachuma storage declined by approximately 18,000 acre feet between October and May.

Precipitation, mainly in the form of snow falling on the Sierra Mountains in Northern California, is also important as the district’s third source of water, obtained through the State Water Project. When the Sierra snowpack is poor, like this year, the state limits the amount of water that State Water contractors can receive. This calendar year, the district can only receive up to 35 percent of its potential 2,000 acre feet allotment, or 700 acre feet of water. The district expects to use most if not all of this 700 acre feet this year. The state’s reduction in deliveries associated with the project is intended to prolong available supplies in case the current dry year over time becomes part of an actual drought.

So what does this mean for water users in Carpinteria Valley? Despite two below-average rainfall years, at this time the district does not foresee any need to begin a program to significantly reduce consumer demand for water.

Carpinterians have already learned to do an excellent job of using water wisely, contributing to our ability to weather two dry years. And the district does not anticipate water shortages in the coming year. As water supply conditions continue to evolve, however, the district will continue to inform Carpinterians of any changes, for better or worse. In the meantime, please continue to use water wisely.

Multiple pedestrians were witness to a man bashing in the windows of two cars parked on the corner of Carpinteria and Ash avenues just before 10 a.m. on the morning of May 10. The suspect fled toward Linden Avenue after shattering multiple windows but was apprehended and arrested by Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department deputies a block away from the crime scene. When police located the man, he still possessed the 4-foot metal post witnesses said he had used to break car windows.

Two men who arrived on the scene and claimed to know the suspect said that he had vandalized a third car at a Foothill Road nursery before arriving on Carpinteria Avenue. One of the men said that the suspect’s home had been robbed two months prior and during a physical confrontation with the burglar, the suspect had been hit over the head with a baseball bat and sustained a severe injury. He had been prone to erratic behavior ever since, according to his acquaintances.

Handcuffed and sitting on the curb, the suspect responded calmly to deputies’ questioning for several minutes, but put up a fight when the officers attempted to place him in the back of the police car for transport to jail. Four officers were needed to contain the man in the back of the vehicle.

By Lea Boyd

Herman Zittel tried his best to move away quietly before Coastal View News could write a story about all the great things he has done for the Carpinteria community. But when you have given your time and energy the way Zittel has for the last 30 years, people are bound to sing your praises whether or not you feel like joining in the song.

“The guy is just amazing,” said David Griggs, curator and director of the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History, where Zittel volunteered for decades. Zittel’s wealth of historical and practical knowledge has continued to surprise Griggs over the 26 years they have worked together. During that time Zittel regularly lent his services for the good of the museum. “We’re going to miss his sage advice on the board and his muscle at the flea markets,” Griggs said.

After his wife, Betty, passed away last December, Herman decided it was time to move to Susanville, where a three-bedroom tract house cost less than a Carpinteria mobile home and his daughter is less than two miles down the road. It was a typical Herman decision—rational and reasonable—but it leaves Carpinteria absent one well-respected, well-learned community servant, a man who worked tirelessly in support of his passion for books and history.

Asked about the tens of thousands of hours he has logged as a volunteer for the Carpinteria Valley Historical Society and Friends of the Carpinteria Library, Herman, whose modesty can be relied upon, shrugged his shoulders and said, “You just do it because it makes you feel good.”

For most of their years in Carpinteria, Herman and Betty’s volunteering was a two-for-one deal, and Herman is quick to include Betty in his accounts of time spent giving back to the community. “We did it all together,” he said.

Without Betty, Herman’s chances of getting to know Carpinteria as more than a dot on a map were slim. Betty had lived in Carpinteria before marrying Herman and moving to Northern California. They both worked for the U.S. Forest Service at the time, and when Herman decided to take an early retirement in 1982, Betty convinced him to move to her beloved Carpinteria. He remembers her saying, “I’m going to go to Carp. It’s my paradise.” Soon it became his, too.

The pair became involved in local goings on soon after the move. They started volunteering at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore and later became its managers. Herman served on the Friends board of directors for years, finally retiring a few years ago when Betty’s health began to decline. Susan Williams, former Friends of the Carpinteria Library Used Bookstore manager and long-time volunteer under Herman’s leadership rattled off his finer points: “Amazing source of book knowledge and all other trivia. Able to lift giant boxes of books with a single hand. One great guy. Carp’s loss.”

Leading up to his June 4 departure, Herman has continued to devote significant time to the historical society. He has served on the board of trustees since 1999 and held the vice president position for the last several years. He became the museum’s photo curator in 1996, and in the ensuing 17 years has meticulously catalogued hundreds and hundreds of photos from Carpinteria’s early days. Over the last few weeks, Herman has trained his replacement curator, Paul Foley, in order to leave the museum in good shape for his move.

One of the pastimes Herman looks forward to continuing, and growing, with the move north is his participation in groups dedicated to preserving immigrant trail history. A skilled cartographer, Herman has drawn several important maps to depict the routes of the 49ers and the Western settlers on the Oregon Trail. His relocation to Susanville, a town he lived in prior to his move to Carpinteria, puts him back in the heart of the immigrant trail territory.

Herman’s avid photography and book binding hobbies will also go north with him, and he claims to be bringing enough books to have reading material until he turns 185.

Though generally positive when discussing his move, Herman admitted, “It’s going to be a little hard to pull anchor here.” He said that the great weather is one of his favorite aspects of Carpinteria, but the people are what endear the town to him most.

After the move, Herman said, he plans to drop by Carpinteria periodically on trips south to see family members. With his dry sense of humor, he added, “And I’ll be back eventually, helping the flowers grow,” in reference to joining Betty in their double plot at the Carpinteria Cemetery.

Coastal View News Publisher Michael VanStry received a pleasant surprise at the Association of Free Community Newspapers conference in Denver, Colo., between April 25 and 27. VanStry, who was the chairperson and de facto emcee for the conference, stepped back from the podium to listen to the Publisher of the Year presentation only to learn that he had been selected by secret committee as the AFCP Publisher of the Year.

VanStry, who co-publishes CVN, DEEP and Carpinteria Magazine with Gary Dobbins, was recognized for both management of the three free publications he actively oversees and his involvement in the national association. Upon receiving the award, VanStry thanked Dobbins and his crew of employees. He first attended an AFCP conference in 2004, he told the audience, and was amazed that there were so many others out there with community publications similar to what he, Dobbins and Rosemarie Fanucchi started in Carpinteria in 1994. VanStry credits membership to AFCP with helping to improve and grow all three RMG Ventures publications.

Carpinteria resident Louis Bristol, who has been accused of raping two minors, will appear in court on May 24 to determine whether his case will proceed to trial. The preliminary hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Clifford Anderson. Bristol, 28, was arrested on Feb. 27 and charged with nine counts including forcible rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object and sexual battery by restraint on the alleged victims, ages 14 and 16, whom he met through his position as a youth pastor at Carpinteria Community Church. Bristol is being held on $500,000 bail. Following the May 24 hearing, Judge Anderson will decide whether evidence presented in the case warrants a trial. 

Local dress making benefits girls around the world

By Erin Lennon

Carpinterian Zoe Iverson is an important cog in a local assembly line of friends and neighbors that she has gathered to clothe girls in need. The network has created nearly 200 dresses over the past year, touching the lives of girls in Africa, Mexico and Haiti.

The nonprofit Little Dresses for Africa inspired Iverson with its simple dress pattern and mission: create pillowcase sundresses, and ultimately cultivate self-confidence, for girls in Africa.

“It’s my belief that we have so much here, and I’m especially connected to little girls,” said Iverson who was a longtime early education teacher. “I think if you can give hope to these children who have nothing, it’s very important that you do.”

The pillowcase dress is an invention of the pioneer days and is made out of supplies available throughout the house. The simple sundresses are also ideal for the African climate. However, as an artist, Iverson has put her own spin on the dresses and their delivery, with an added pocket and outreach to girls in Mexico and Haiti as well as those in Africa.

“We try to make every dress really special,” said Iverson. “The pattern doesn’t call for it, but we put a lace pocket on every dress.”

Iverson’s journey began nearly a year ago after speaking to a friend from Ventura’s Trinity Lutheran Church, which was planning a visit to the Masibumbane HIV/AIDS Mission that it sponsors. With her interest piqued, Iverson learned that the traveling parishioners were willing to take a collection of the dresses with them. She contacted the mission’s director, Robert Kluge, who replied with the names and ages of 100 girls from the organization.

Iverson issued a call for help in an email sent to 40 friends and acquaintances. Within two months she received 100 pillowcases as well as use of the space and sewing machines in the Carpinteria Community Church sewing room, a facility managed by Louise Moore.

Two Saturday sewing parties brought together nearly 25 women and produced more than 20 dresses as those with sewing experience operated the machines and those without prepared the pillowcases.

Word of the effort spread through the community as Iverson continued sewing the dresses at home. Her neighbor even joined the effort as well as five of the women from the Ventura church. The bi-county group met its goal, with 80 dresses coming from Carpinteria and 20 from Ventura.

These 100 dresses were just the beginning. Unexpectedly, Penny Velazquez requested 30 dresses to distribute to girls in Tanzania while teaching locals traditional bead stringing as a way to create jobs through the tourism industry. Another 25 dresses followed when Lynda McGraw of Huntington Beach prepared to visit Haiti for the third time.

“We will be sending dresses with her each time she goes. There is a need for more,” Iverson said. Another 35 dresses are already sewn for McGraw’s next trip.

What began as pillowcase dresses has now spiraled off into five groups that are delivering necessities to the people who need them, according to Iverson.

She and others are now saving hotel soaps, school supplies, shoes, hand towels and other items as well as the customary pillowcases for different projects. But Iverson is still committed to her simple, light wear.

“It’s been really fun, and it has made me fall in love with sewing again,” Iverson said.

People who are interested in donating their sewing skills or dressmaking supplies such as pillowcases, wide bias tape and trim can contact Iverson at 684-5339.

By Peter Dugré

Charlie Gardner will forever remember what he calls his “bitter-sweet” Boston Marathon experience. When he finished the race in 2:54:37, the culmination of months of determined training matched his expectations for the ambitious accomplishment. The roar of the crowd made him feel like “Rocky beating the 10 count,” he said. But about an hour and 15 minutes after he had crossed the finish line, the joy was zapped from the day by terrorists who detonated two bombs that killed three and seriously injured racers and spectators at the acclaimed event.

At the time of the blasts, Gardner, along with his coach Jacqueline Hansen—former Boston Marathon winner and women’s world record holder—was a block away from the explosions, headed to the finish line. Had circumstances been different, they would have used their credentialed access to take their front row bleacher seats, very near to the bombs, to greet another Hansen-trained athlete, who luckily for them was coming in slowly.

“We were about five minutes away from sitting in the bleachers. I had taken a long shower; thank God for that,” Gardner said.

Gardner heard the blasts and thought it was part of construction on that Monday morning. “I thought, ‘Did something fall off a building?’” he said. Then police and medics and the bomb squad rushed into the bomb zone while others fled. “It was chaotic, but the response time was amazing.”

With the area on lockdown, Gardner took shelter at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, a restricted venue to which his coach, who was celebrating the 40th anniversary of her marathon victory, had access. All of the elite runners, the winners, were at the hotel. For a time the non-guests, like Gardner who was registered at a different hotel, were sent into a basement conference room to wait.

The shock of the tragedy began to settle in. Nobody knew what was going on. “I didn’t know if that was the hotel I wanted to be in. You’ve got bombs going off, and all of the elite athletes are there, so this was the perfect target,” he said.

Eventually, the experience, which Gardner called “eerie,” brought people together. Everyone was locked in until about 8 p.m. Strangers shared the horror in common. Some of the people Gardner came to know were marathon medical support staff from Seattle and Florida. They had anticipated treating dehydration and instead treated amputations. Thoughts of his daughters reverberated in Gardner’s mind over the emotional wait.

The feeling of togetherness in the wake of tragedy prevailed through the next day, after which Gardner left for New York for another scheduled part of his trip, which was planned as a 40th birthday celebration. On Friday, April 19, he had intended to return to Boston as a tourist to watch a Boston Bruins hockey game. The city was again on lockdown due to the manhunt that resulted in the death of one bombing suspect and capture of a second, so Gardner instead went to the airport in New York and flew back to Los Angeles, cutting his trip short.

Gardner, a former Carpinteria High School and University California, Santa Barbara, track captain and shot put and hammer throw competitor, was driven in his training for one of the world’s most celebrated races. Coming from an athletic background on the opposite side of the sports spectrum from endurance running, he showed versatility in finishing 1,208 out of around 27,000 runners after being ranked 2,245 going in. He’ll remember giving his all in the race, overcoming leg cramps; “I basically ran the last few miles on one leg,” he said, and the promise of tradition and elevated purpose delivered by the venerable marathon. But the horror that followed has attached itself to the to the entire trip, race, months of training and Gardner’s 40th birthday.

“Aside from the tragedy, there were a lot of great things,” he said. “And afterward, everyone came together. I’ll always be part of the Boston Marathon.”

Less than three years ago, Leo the dog was serving his second sentence in the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter with K-9 Pals. In 32 months, with the love and training of new owner Dorothy Diehl, Leo went from being a two-time shelter inmate to a two-time agility champion.

When Diehl found Leo at the shelter, she noticed a special spark in the young terrier mix. It was one of those classic pound puppy moments, she explained; he caught her eye just before she left the shelter empty-handed. Over the next several weeks, Diehl recognized Leo’s innate attention to detail, his ability to learn and his eagerness to please. She enrolled him first in basic obedience training, then started preparing him for agility competitions.

On March 30, 2013, Leo and Diehl attended the American Kennel Club agility trial in Ventura, where Leo earned his Master Agility Championship, the highest title in AKC. Last July Leo had earned his Agility Dog Champion, the top title in United States Dog Agility Association. 

“Inside of every shelter dog is a champion waiting to be born,” said Diehl. “I think the previous owners were not prepared to put the necessary training into Leo to actualize his potential.”

In the agility competitions, Leo must follow Diehl’s commands precisely. He pays strict attention to every signal from his master in order to complete a course that involves jumps, climbs, twists and turns. His success in competition qualified him for last year’s national agility competition in Colorado, though Diehl opted not to attend.

Leo recently passed his public access test to become a service dog, and Diehl’s newest challenge is preparing Leo to become a hearing dog.

“Really the most noteworthy aspect of the story, to me, is that dogs in shelters have so much to offer,” Diehl iterated. “I wish people would consider them when looking for a pet.”

––Lea Boyd

Warriors set 29 personal records
By Peter Dugré

The 94th Annual Russell Cup Track and Field Invitational, a massive all-day competition at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium known as one of the longest-running and largest meets of its kind, saw Warriors rise to the occasion to set 29 personal records. In the varsity meet, Oaks Christian won both the boys and girls competitions. In all, competitors set 10 Russell Cup records on April 13.

Junior speedster Bryson Frazer scored points by finishing in the top six in each of his events to lead the Warrior boys. Frazer placed third in the 200m in 22.44 seconds, the third best time in CHS history and his personal best. He also placed sixth in the 100m (11.39) and was part of the fourth-place 4x100 relay team and the third-place 4x400 relay team. Jonathan Esqueda, Kyle Millhollin, Matt Kliewer and Frazer ran the 4x100, and Kliewer, Ian Craddock, Millhollin and Frazer ran the 4x400.

The Warriors finished ninth of 43 teams in the boys competition with 25 points. “Although we didn’t win an individual event, many CHS athletes were able to step onto the award stand,” coach Van Latham commented. Finishers in the top four medal.

Other top finishers for the Warriors were junior Peter Ramos, who finished fourth in discus with a 142-feet, 10-inch throw, a personal record by 14 feet. Millhollin also took to the awards podium by posting a fourth-place 400m performance (52.22 seconds).

Varsity Warrior girls were unable to medal in any events, but several set personal records. Brook Hymer ran a 52.67 in the 300m hurdles to set a personal record, and Nicole Pepper ran the same event in 54.13 seconds for her own best time. Kristina Burch set her personal record of 31 feet, 10 inches in the triple jump and another personal best 87 feet in the discus. Sierra Gracia set her personal record of 8 feet, 3 inches in the pole vault.

Cate’s top performer was Joshua Yaro in the long jump with a second-place leap of 21 feet, 1 inch.

Latham commented that the outpouring of volunteers is what makes the enormous undertaking of the Russell Cup possible. This year, longtime meet volunteer Ann Nomura was named Honorary Meet Director. “We received numerous compliments from the visiting coaches saying the Russell Cup is their favorite meet of the year. This is due to the scores of volunteers who make the meet run smoothly and efficiently. They make Carpinteria shine, regardless of the weather,” Latham said.

Cate School girls and Carpinteria High School boys emerged victorious from the head-to-head swim meet at Cate School on April 10. Cate’s girls collected a resounding 107-55 victory, and CHS boys edged Cate 78-73.

Several Rams swimmers put in CIF consideration performances and set school records. Anna Lueck, Sophia Soriano, Maddie Schragger and Lydia Stevens swam a 2:07 in the 200 Medley Relay. Zach Allen, Guhan Iyer, Sam Kim and Sam Pelham set a Cate School record of 1:51.7 in the 200 Medley Relay. Zach Allen set two Cate School records of 23.24 in the 50 free and 51.87 in the 100 free. Caroline Montgomery swam 2:09 in the 200 free for CIF consideration; Maddie Schrager swam a personal best 2:28 in the 200 IM for CIF consideration.

For the victorious Warrior boys, first-place finishers were Thomas Fly in the 200 freestyle (1:57.58), Noah Reed in the 200m individual medley (2:30.98), Casey Walter in the 500 freestyle (5:29.91) and the 200 freestyle relay team of Reed, Omar Aguilar, Sergio Castaneda and Josh Alpert (1:55.6) and the 400 freestyle relay team of Alan Chavez, Walter, Chris Fedderson and Fly (3:42.96).
Warrior girls first-place finishers at the meet were Hope Grant in the 50 and 500 freestyle (27.38, 5:49.30), and the 200 freestyle relay team of Allison Wagner, Brenda Rodriguez, Leticia Cruz and Hope Grant.

“The Bet,” a big screen comedy produced by Community Film Studio Santa Barbara, will premier this weekend thanks, in part, to the hard work of Carpinterians. Finola Hughes of “General Hospital” fame directed the film, and Amy Orozco, a local writer, played a small acting role as a waitress in the movie.

Filmed in Santa Barbara last August, the romantic comedy pits a teenager against his grandfather in a wager over who will find love first. If the teen succeeds, he wins his deceased father’s vintage muscle car, and if the grandfather wins, the teen has to rebuild the family porch and re-do the landscaping.

Orozco, who is the editor of Carpinteria Magazine, was one of 300 volunteers to lend a hand in the Community Film Studio’s inaugural effort. She praised the concept of a nonprofit, all-volunteer film company based on the structures and principles of a traditional community theater. “I’d love to have more ‘good little films’ to watch,” she said. “I think the studio’s idea is one whose time has come, or is long overdue.”

Having never acted outside of Carpinteria’s Plaza Playhouse Theater, Orozco said, “I was really nervous on the set, but it was all in a good way. My scene is very short and by the time it finished I was getting comfortable and wanted to do a lot more filming.”

“The Bet” gave Hughes, who has acted in movies and television for decades, her first opportunity to direct. According to Orozco, Hughes was easy to work with, full of helpful acting tips and a real “roll up your sleeves kind of person.” The day Orozco filmed, the makeup person had not arrived, so Hughes did Orozco’s makeup before stepping back to direct the scene.

Carpinterians will have an opportunity to see the work of Hughes and Orozco when the film premiers on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, at 7 p.m. at the Arlington Theater, 1317 State Street. General admission is $12.50, and advance tickets can be purchased at TheBetMovie.com or directly at the Arlington box office. There will be a question and answer session with key cast and crew immediately following both nights of screenings.

The middle-of-the-night arrest of Fernando Huerta Perez, 27, in Carpinteria likely preempted a future crime, according the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. Perez, a Carpinteria resident, was discovered sitting inside his vehicle under the influence of drugs and in possession of weapons and other criminal tools while parked in the 1100 block of Casitas Pass Road on April 8 at 1:15 a.m. Deputy Amjadi noted the man’s presence and made contact with him due to the time of night and his proximity to businesses that are open 24 hours a day and could be targeted in a robbery.

Perez was found to be under the influence of a stimulant and arrested. A loaded revolver was found in his waistband, and a further search revealed methamphetamine, methamphetamine pipes, a Derringer pistol and a loaded SKS assault rifle with a high capacity magazine, masks and two-way radios. Due to the fact Perez had been arrested on weapon and drug-related charges in January, his bail was set at $95,000. He posted bail and was released from jail last week.

By Erin Lennon

The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board praised Caltrans’ updated plans for the Linden Avenue and Casitas Pass Road Interchanges and Via Real Improvements project at an ARB meeting on April 11. The large-scale, $63 million project, which is slated to begin in early 2015, will continue to undergo modifications as it makes its way through the city planning process.

“Caltrans was very responsive to our concerns,” said ARB Vice-Chair Scott Ellinwood who was also a member of the project’s Design Review Team. “… aesthetically, I think they’ve followed our recommendations well.”

The interchange improvement project has been on the minds of Carpinterians since the 1970s, with community opposition limiting the project’s progress in the 1990s. However, traffic between Santa Barbara County and Ventura County continues to increase, which has prompted the widening of Highway 101. Improvements to Carpinteria interchanges and local traffic flow have been incorporated into the widening project to help the city meet the demands of the greater number of cars on the road. In addition to widening the Linden Avenue and Casitas Pass Road overpasses, the project will replace Highway 101 bridges that cross Carpinteria Creek and extend Via Real into a continuous frontage road across the creek to Casitas Pass Road and Linden Avenue.

Caltrans is working to balance the project’s structural needs with Carpinteria recommendations to personalize the local stretch of the highway 101 widening project. The Carpinteria City Council created the Design Review Team in 2011 to meet this goal.

“Both the Caltrans design team and the DRT evaluated a number of characteristics that are in the community currently to try to draw from and find some area where the design would be compatible with the characteristic flavor of Carpinteria,” said Jonathan Leech, contract planner for the city, who included the team’s 39 recommendations in his staff report.

The ARB is charged with providing design input to ensure the Carpinteria stretch of the project embodies the local spirit. Members of the board lauded Caltrans’ efforts to lower the overpasses, add architectural features, increase landscaping throughout the project and modify the bridge railings and pedestrian fencing to better reflect local style.

Caltrans will return to the ARB on May 16 to address board inquiries regarding aesthetic items such as landscaping, sound wall placement and pure decoration. The Planning Commission’s review is currently scheduled for Sept. 3.

Board member Richard Johnson introduced discussion of character designs on the bridge faces and other ways to decorate the large masses. “It gives it some detail as opposed to when Caltrans came in here and painted their brush across the highway and went home,” said Johnson. “Somebody cares a little bit.” Ellinwood commented that the DRT had investigated this point but found few options that weren’t “overly fussy.”

The ARB also went to work addressing the design of the columns on the Casitas Pass Road and Linden Avenue overpasses. The flush, T-shaped center column abutment does not visually correlate with the chamfered end columns that extend past the bridge base, according to board members.

The board also considered the maintenance of community connectedness in terms of the project. Board member William Arulace questioned the placement of the 12-foot sound wall along Via Real, saying it visually divided the city’s north and south sides.

“It’s going to create a tunnel effect, and it’s just going to make a no mans land along Via Real,” said Arulace. He suggested placing the necessary sound wall on the property line side of the street.

Within strict parameters marked by severe setbacks from the highway, width restrictions and local input, Caltrans Landscape Engineer David Emerson must fill the landscaping jigsaw puzzle. He sought input on plant choices from the ARB. Caltrans will use landscaping to dress the project in native species that provide visual value with minimal maintenance, said Emerson. “The idea is that the plant won’t overgrow the container that it’s in so maintenance doesn’t have to go out and trim it,” said Emerson. “But I would like something that can get as robust as possible.”

Current plans leave the avocado orchards to the north of Via Real intact and protect Carpinteria Creek by framing the overhead bridges with boulders that will filter storm water runoff.

The next ARB meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 5775 Carpinteria Ave.

When Carpinteria Boys & Girls Club has needed community contributions over the decades, Harry and Michele Van Wingerden have been among the first to step up. For their unwavering support, the Van Wingerdens will be the 2013 honorary chairs for the 29th Annual Benefit Auction & Dinner on May 18.

“Harry and Michele were chosen for their dedication to the children in the Carpinteria community. They have been active supporters of the Carpinteria Boys & Girls Club through attending the auction, donating and educating our youth through yearly pumpkin patch tours,” stated Louise Cruz, auction chair.

Harry, who called the selection a great honor, is a past board member of the club, and the couple’s children and now grandchildren have attended the club where Harry coached sports teams. “I applaud the club for its afterschool program. Where do boys and girls go if there’s no club? It’s an important, stable environment where kids can go and thrive,” Harry, owner of Myriad Flowers, said. “The auction helps to keep the club going and provides important scholarships. Money spent at the auction pays off two-fold, three-fold, in so many ways.”

This year’s auction, the first held with Jamie Collins as Unit Director, is shaping up to be an entertaining event. With a cowboy theme, the “Saddling up for a Bright Future!” auction will take place at the clubhouse, 4849 Foothill Road, beginning at 4:30 p.m., and guests can participate in games, raffles and silent and live auctions all while elbowing up to the bar and having dinner.

Live auction items include trips to Oregon, Denver, Italy and Africa, and silent auction items include Dodger and theme park tickets. To purchase tickets for $75 per person, sponsor a table or donate auction items, call 566-3417 or email carpmembership@unitebg.org.

A woman who reportedly fainted at the wheel on April 5 drove her vehicle into oncoming traffic and collided with a GMC Yukon on the corner of Carpinteria and Maple avenues. “I was just selling veggies and bam!” said Katie Shepherd of The Farm Cart, who was within a few yards of the accident when it took place. The woman driving the SUV said she had passed out while driving, Shepherd said, and she remained dazed for several minutes after the collision. She and the child in the backseat were both fine, and Ramon Munoz, the driver of the Yukon who said that the woman’s car came out of nowhere, was also uninjured. The accident happened around noon and slowed traffic through town until the two vehicles were towed.

Users trespassing until official opening
By Lea Boyd

Friends of Franklin Trail has discovered that blazing bureaucracy can be far more time consuming than blazing a trail. And while the nonprofit has been working its way through the permitting process and will begin construction next month in an effort to open the trail in late summer, more and more anxious trail users are trespassing in an attempt to access the still incomplete route into Carpinteria’s frontcountry.

“People can’t wait for it to open, and I’m one of them,” said Friends co-chair Jane Murray. “But we’ll all have to be patient.”

An average of three groups of hikers a week are found illegally entering the Persoon family’s property in the lower region of the future trail, Murray said. Most believe that the trail is already open and are attempting to locate it, and property owners have tired of requesting that the public exit their private property, which is under agricultural production. When the trail opens, it will be lined with chain link fencing in the quarter-mile section that runs through the Persoon ranch and certain stretches on the periphery of Carpinteria High School.

Anyone found on private property in search of the trail can be cited for trespassing until the trail is officially opened. Trespassing on a farm or ranch is an infraction punishable by a $75 fine for a first offense and $250 for a second offense.

At the completion of the first phase, the trail will be about three miles roundtrip, beginning at a designated parking area on Meadow View Lane then running along the edge of Carpinteria High School, through Persoon property and up into the Horton ranch. Murray said that though the lower reaches will be fenced, once the trail enters Horton property it will be about a half-mile of unfenced single track flanked by chaparral. She described it as switchbacking along a ridgeline and offering beautiful views.

Working closely with the Land Trust for Santa Barbara, Friends of the Franklin Trail has secured funding for the entire project—a trail that will ultimately take hikers, cyclists and equestriennes through Rancho Monte Alegre and into Los Padres National Forest where it will ascend the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains and come down to connect with a network of backcountry trails in the Santa Ynez River recreation area. The full project will

require three phases of permitting, design work and construction.

When Friends of Franklin Trail first organized itself and began plotting to reopen of the historic trail, which has been closed for decades due to its overlap with private property, the anticipated opening was to be in 2012. As announced by the Land Trust this spring, “It takes a lot of planning and permitting to get past the stage of inspiration to perspiration. We’re almost there.”

The behind-the-scenes work is nearly complete on the first phase. Initial trail construction will take place on the Horton ranch, which is in the jurisdiction of Santa Barbara County. Work on the lower portion, which falls within the City of Carpinteria, will require additional permitting.

“We’re moving in the right direction, and there are no more stumbling blocks,” said Murray. “It’s just taken an awfully long time to get through the red tape.”

Boardmembers request muted colors

Carpinteria Valley Arts Council plans for making a visual splash at its downtown arts center were generally well received by the Architectural Review Board on March 28, though board members advised CVAC to tone down the splash a bit.

The four proposed shade sails, designed to be eye-catching and to replace the wooden trellis at the entrance of the property at 855 Linden Ave., were the major topic of concern. The ARB recommended the applicants choose a more subdued color palette, rather than the proposed bright, primary colors, and shift the structures five feet back from current plans.

The purpose of the site improvements, according to CVAC representatives who spoke at the ARB meeting, is to draw additional attention to the now nondescript property. The nonprofit, whose mission is to promote the arts, is working to heighten its visibility as it gears up for a capital campaign to fund a new, multi-million dollar building on the site. Site improvements reviewed by the ARB last week are intended as short-term and relatively inexpensive; CVAC plans to break ground on the new art center, which is already approved by the city, in the next four to five years.

Along with erecting the sails, CVAC is seeking to replace the existing chain-link fence fronting the property with a clear plastic panel fence that will mimic the curved front of the future arts center, a design known as “The Wave.” Plans incorporate hardscape and landscape areas that reflect the layout of the future center, and the repaved area will be painted to indicate the floorplan of the approved building. Large potted plants will be set along the sides of the property.

Having received the ARB’s support for the project, CVAC will amend plans for review by the Carpinteria Planning Commission. City Planner Nick Bobroff said that the planning commission review is tentatively slated for May 6.

––Lea Boyd

By unanimous vote of the Carpinteria City Council, April has once again been named Carpinteria Beautiful Month. The hard-working, all-volunteer organization will ramp up its efforts and its visibility this month, hosting various activities that culminate in the annual Home and Garden Tour on April 27. The self-guided tour of five outstanding local homes will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $30 and are available at Susan Willis, Sandcastle Time, Cotton Company and Porch. Other events that Carpinteria Beautiful will participate in this month are the city’s Hazardous Waste Disposal Day on April 13, bus bench painting, Earth Day and Adopt-a-Spot trash pickup. For more information or to volunteer with Carpinteria Beautiful, call 684-4818.

Carpinteria resident Louis Bristol, who has been accused of raping two minors, had his bail reduced from $2 million to $500,000 following a March 27 hearing in Santa Barbara Superior Court. Bristol, 28, was arrested on Feb. 27 and charged with nine counts, including forcible rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object and sexual battery by restraint on the alleged victims, ages 14 and 16, whom he met through his position as a youth pastor at Carpinteria Community Church.

In reducing Bristol’s bail, Judge Clifford Anderson stipulated that Bristol cannot enter Carpinteria and specifically cannot go to his former church or place of employment, the Holiday Inn Express, where he was accused of committing the crimes. If released on bail, Bristol must not contact any minors or the victims and their families and will be electronically monitored and subject to searches at any time.

Deputy District Attorney Paula Waldman had asked for a denial of bail reduction. In documents presented to the court, Waldman alleges that Bristol sent unwanted pornographic images of himself masturbating to a third victim and sexually harassed a former co-worker. The DA’s office has filed further charges on Bristol for misdemeanor unwanted distribution of pornography to the adult victim. Following the hearing, Waldman said that the $500,000 bail is still elevated above regular bail schedule, giving consideration to the risks.

A hearing for the defense and prosecution to set a preliminary hearing date is scheduled for May 2. As of April 3, Bristol was still in custody at Santa Barbara County Jail.
--Peter Dugré

By Alonzo Orozco

Tallying the first eight points in game one against local rival Cate School, Carpinteria High School boys volleyball built upon the early momentum en route to a 25-9, 25-15, 25-7 Warrior sweep of the Rams at Warrior Gym on March 22. “My only concern was how focused (the Warriors) were going to be with spring break just hours away,” explained Carpinteria coach Marc Denitz.

After the Warriors earned the first sideout at the beginning of the opening game for a 1-0 lead, setter Jesus Ortega helped put the coach’s mind at ease by serving up the next seven points to make it 8-0 CHS. However, Denitz seemed more impressed with Ortega’s overall ability to distribute the ball among his teammates than with his adept serve. “This is his first year that he’s been setting on varsity, so he’s learning a lot. His setting’s really improved, consequently our play is more exciting,” said the pleased coach of his versatile junior.

Ortega’s passing would lead to a number of kills, particularly by Joseph Gamez, whose cross-court, angling spikes continually sped past Cate’s middle blockers throughout the evening. The Warriors’ front line also stood strong with Ben O’ Hara in the lead clogging up the middle and stuffing multiple Ram efforts at the net. “He’s really taken control of the middle, even against all teams that we’ve been playing,” said Denitz. As a result of CHS’s outstanding teamwork, the Warriors weren’t challenged in the opening set, winning by a score of 25-9.

Cate fought back in the second game, winning the game’s first point, as Hershel Jordan and Morgan Pierce made their presence known on the front line, blocking Warrior attempts and keeping the Rams within striking distance. Mo Batal also contributed with some scrappy play, digging balls out for Cate to keep rallies alive. Jordan’s spike down the middle, and a subsequent Warrior line violation brought the visitors within four at 12-8. But with O’ Hara smothering the middle and Ortega’s steady serving, CHS pulled away, capturing the second game by a score of 25-15 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five game match.

The Warriors seemed to wear down the Rams in the third game. When CHS’s Eduardo Garcia’s sliding dig of a Cate serve landed harmlessly over the net, the home team jumped out to a 6-1 lead. With Erik Arciniega’s speedy serve and Chris Gaggero and JV upstart Victor Saldana’s hard hitting, the Warriors went comfortably ahead 15-2. CHS went on to win the final game, 25-7 for a 3-0 victory.

It was a good win for the Warriors, who started out the season losing four of their first five matches. Meanwhile, the Rams’ (0-2) season has just gotten under way. For Cate coach Richard Pertsulakes it was just a matter of execution. “We had 20 hitting errors in three games, so we basically gave them a game on errors,” commented Pertsulakes.

By Peter Dugré

Said to have a “sophisticated style” by judges, Carpinteria High School senior Allie Nixon rose above the competition to earn the distinction of being named Santa Barbara’s reigning Teen Star following the finals in the singing competition at Granada Theater on March 23.

Nixon garnered audience votes by text message after singing “Dog Days are Over” by Florence and the Machine to advance to the final round of three from a field of 10 finalists. She then secured the title after singing “E.T.” by Katy Perry in a “slowed-down,” “jazzy” style, according to Nixon. She called the announcement of her victory a “complete surprise” and said she felt “very blessed.” She earned a $1,000 prize, a recording studio session and gigs to open for prominent local acts through the victory.

Fellow CHS senior Kendall Kincaid also advanced to the finals and sang Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” Kincaid and Nixon qualified out of more than 100 contestants from throughout the county to perform at the Granada on March 23.

Nixon said for the final round Kincaid, her best friend, became her coach and biggest supporter through the tense moments. “She was a huge part of the win,” Nixon said. “It meant so much to have my best friend there.” Both Kincaid and Nixon tried out last year but were not called back for the live performance.

Justin Sinclair, also of CHS, played instrumentals for Nixon—the accordion for “Dog Days” and guitar for “E.T.”—and Nixon credited him for helping to make the cover songs more original and suited to her style. “(Sinclair) deserves a lot of credit,” Nixon said.

Nixon said she has not had professional vocal training and has learned a lot from siblings in her musical family. She is involved in musical theater and choir at CHS.

Teen Star Santa Barbara is a benefit for Santa Barbara County Schools and supports the arts.

By Peter Dugré

Carpinteria High School junior Duncan Gordon connected for a triple in the seventh inning of a Frontier League win over Villanova Prep on March 15 at CHS’s John Calderwood Field. Parked on third base, Gordon represented the winning run until sophomore Nick Walker belted a bases-loaded, one-out single to left field to drive him in for a 7-6 Warrior win.

“It was good that we won in the end, but it was a gray hair kind of game,” Warrior coach Pat Cooney said. Although the Warrior offense amassed 14 hits, five errors by the defense allowed Villanova to take the lead in the second and third innings before the visitors tied the score at 6-6 in the fifth inning.

The Warriors scored a run in the first, but three walks and two errors in the top of the second allowed Villanova to forge ahead, 3-1. Then in the bottom of the second, Warriors Mo Sanchez, David Olvera and Anthony Rodriguez each recorded singles before Derrick Shirley-Moore collected two RBI on a two-out single to cap a three-run Warrior second inning.

Although the Warriors had regained a 4-3 lead, Villanova benefited from one hit and two errors in the top of third to go ahead 5-4. The Warrior offense, which recorded 14 hits in the game, came to the rescue once again to put the team up 6-5 after three innings.

“On the bright side, our defensive lapses did not carry over, and we came back after each let down. We got big hits in tough spots throughout the game. Both pitchers were poised under tough circumstances,” commented Cooney.

Winning pitcher Nick Walker took over for the Warriors, relieving Max Damron from an escalating pitch count in the fourth inning. Walker, a sophomore, threw four effective innings, yielding just one run before helping his own cause with the game-winning RBI.

Gordon batted 3-for-4, and Olvera, Rodriguez and Marcus Hutchinson each had two hits.

The Warriors stood at 3-3 overall and 2-0 in league following the victory. The team was gearing up to face Fillmore High School on March 20 after press time in another league contest. On Friday, March 22, the Warriors host league leading and undefeated Malibu in what could be a standings-altering affair at 3:30 p.m.

Though Venoco will continue to occupy the office building at 6267 Carpinteria Ave., the company’s rent checks now will be written to a new name. As announced this week, investor Victor Schaff purchased the 50,955 square-foot building, which was listed for $16.45 million, for an undisclosed amount. Schaff is the largest owner of office properties in Carpinteria, and the purchase is the largest sum ever paid for a Carpinteria office property, according to a press release.
Widely known as the “Venoco building,” the property has been leased by the oil and gas company since 2004, and the building was constructed in 1997. Venoco has executed a 10-year lease extension there.
“I never imagined becoming the owner of the most prestigious office building on the Central Coast, right here on the Carpinteria bluffs,” said Schaff. “Adding this unique office building to my portfolio speaks of my great confidence in the Carpinteria and South Coast office market.”
Greg Bartholomew of Hayes Commercial Group, which represented the seller, called the the building a “trophy property,” and added that, “Even with the large price tag, there was substantial interest from investors from across the country.”

The March 13 preliminary hearing scheduled for Michael Norris, a former Carpinteria resident arrested on multiple counts of child molestation, was continued to March 28. Norris, who had been living in Costa Rica, turned himself into authorities in February after learning that there was a warrant out for his arrest. He was charged with multiple counts of child molestation, including continual sexual abuse of a minor, contact with a minor with the intent to commit sexual abuse, distributing and producing pornography to a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years of age. According to Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Ladinig, further exchange of information and the possibility of entering into plea discussions led to the hearing postponement.

Carpinterian Louis Bristol remains in jail on $2 million bail after a hearing on March 13 was continued until March 27. Bristol, held on nine counts including forcible rape, penetration by a foreign object and sexual battery, has been accused of using his position as a Carpinteria Community Church youth pastor to gain access to two underage victims. Matters to be discussed at the continued hearing are a possible bail reduction and the setting of a preliminary hearing date. According to prosecutor Paula Waldman with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, a third victim has come forward. Although charges have not been filed against Bristol for a third victim, the new information factored into the delay of the latest hearing. Also, Bristol’s attorney Larry Powell received discovery documents on the morning of the hearing and asked for more time to review them.

CVAC launches multiyear plan for art center
By Lea Boyd

If Carpinteria Valley Arts Council were an individual, he would be considered generous, community-minded and highly respected by most everyone he knew. He would be somewhat unkempt but with the potential to be very strikingly handsome. A bit introverted and shy, he also would be modest to a fault. These are, in essence, the findings of a feasibility study conducted last year to determine whether the organization is ready to launch a capital campaign to fund a $5 million, city-approved art center at 855 Linden Ave. Before a campaign will succeed, the study concludes, CVAC must undergo a makeover, shed its modesty and become an extrovert.

“The community needs to know who we are and what we stand for,” said Sherri Frazer, newly hired CVAC executive director whose position came out of a recommendation in the feasibility study. “We need to get people to fall in love with (CVAC). They need an emotional connection.”

Discovering that the community was not quite ready to fund the two-story building designed to house art classes, galleries and studios was a disappointment, CVAC board president David Powdrell admitted. He recognizes, however, that employing a patient strategy and waiting a year or two before launching a capital campaign will be best for the organization in the long run. “It’s a matter of taking some little steps before we take the big step,” he said.

The building, designed by Andy Neumann to be an art piece in and of itself, initially sparked controversy, but by the close of the city permitting process, Carpinteria’s notoriously nitpicky decision makers were wholeheartedly on board with the plans for a structure whose transparent, curved, wave-like façade looks out at the heart of downtown Carpinteria.

But the buzz generated through the permitting process, which took over a year, eventually faded into the background and community conversation shifted to other topics. CVAC simply continued to do what it had done for years, hosting rotating juried art shows, operating its summer camp for children and coordinating its annual Artists Studio Tour. Or so it seemed.

“We have been quietly plotting, putting a game plan together,” Powdrell explained while sitting at a picnic table at the art center site. “And now it’s time to come out with what’s happening here. It’s going to be magical here.”

The game plan to bring about magic is multifaceted. Hiring Frazer, who Powdrell said “rose to the top” of the 37 applicants for the position, was one of the first steps. She brings over a decade of experience with nonprofits and several years in the marketing industry.

The board also added new members with key experience. Retired teacher Marty Selfridge will serve as a liaison with the local schools, helping the organization to fill gaps in art programming that have arisen due to state funding cuts. Amanda McIntyre, longtime supporter of the arts throughout the Santa Barbara area, will lead the organization’s new Ambassador’s Council, a group charged with cultivating potential donors.

With a paid staff person at the helm, a fortified board of directors and a recent and completely unexpected $80,000 gift from the estate of Elizabeth Hayden, the organization is poised for the next steps: better branding itself, bringing cohesiveness to its programs, utilizing social media to its advantage, resurrecting gala fundraiser “Palette and Palate” and improving the existing center.

Currently CVAC’s property, which was gifted to the nonprofit years ago by now-deceased artist Patty Sim, consists of a small gallery separated from the Linden Avenue sidewalk by a chain link fence, a drab wooden pergola, an array of wooden picnic tables and scattered potted plants.

One of the most striking findings of the study, which was prepared by Netzel Grigsby Associates, was a lack of community familiarity with CVAC. Netzel relied on interviews conducted with 34 individuals identified as influential community members who could help a capital campaign through leadership and/or financial contributions. Among those interviewed, 27 percent lacked sufficient awareness of the organization to rate its image, 42 percent couldn’t rate its effectiveness, and 54 percent could not rate its programs and services.

In an effort to draw more attention to the center and shine a brighter light on CVAC’s mission to promote the arts, the organization has drafted plans to improve the property until the new center can break ground. The pergola will be replaced with bright, canvas sails in primary colors, and instead of the chain link, passersby will walk along a curved, transparent fence that mimics the façade of the future center. The cement ground covering will be resurfaced, and extensive landscaping will be installed. Powdrell estimates that the temporary improvements, which will soon be considered by the Carpinteria Architectural Review Board, will cost about $35,000.

“We would like to be aesthetically pleasing to people in this area,” said Frazer. “We want to draw them in to what’s going on in this space.”

Future fundraising lies at the core of all the organization’s plans. Not only will site improvement raise CVAC’s profile, but elements such as marked out rooms representing the future art center will provide potential donors with a feel for what could be.

The Netzel study found that though CVAC needs to raise awareness of its role in the community, those who are familiar with the organization regard it positively and perceive its programs for youth and for advancing the arts as highly successful. No major donors came forward during the study interviews, however, and a minority of interviewees thought that a $6.9 million goal to fund the center and an endowment would be realistic.

Powdrell blames the sluggish economic recovery for some of the interviewees’ hesitation to commit funds or place confidence in CVAC’s ability to raise the funds. “Frankly, when they went out and asked for dollars, we were in a recession,” he said. “I think we’re coming out of it now.”

If the economy cooperates and CVAC effectively transforms itself from shy guy to leading man, Carpinteria should see a ground breaking at 855 Linden Ave. within five years.

By Peter Dugré

The campus of Carpinteria High School is warming up as the calendar turns to spring. Readers can expect a robust season of action among the sports included below, baseball, softball, boys tennis and track and field.

Baseball
The odds of Warrior baseball winning a league championship have greatly increased this season after the team’s move to Frontier League, a realignment that “levels the playing field,” according to coach Pat Cooney. Playing its brand of small ball, the 2013 Warriors will rally behind a core of six seniors in an attempt to keep the pressure on opponents while competing for league supremacy and a playoff berth.

Getting the call at pitcher will mainly be seniors Marcus Hutchinson and Max Damron, who both bring varsity experience. Hutchinson also plays a smooth shortstop and is a run generator at the front of the batting order. When not pitching, Damron roams the outfield.

Also rejoining the squad is the big bat of Derrick Shirley-Moore, a senior, middle-of-the-order hitter who has a knack for knocking guys around the bases. Shirley-Moore occupies the corners of the infield, swapping between first and third base. Fellow senior Joe Caudillo plays first base as well. Other seniors are center fielder Anthony Rodriguez, a sure glove up the middle, and utility man David Olvera, a versatile defender and runner.

The team also features juniors Kevin Stein returning at catcher, Mo Sanchez at second base and Duncan Gordon, a double-threat with a strong bat and sure glove.

The battle for Frontier League will be waged against Santa Paula, Santa Clara, Fillmore, Malibu and Villanova Prep. Malibu and Carpinteria have played tight ball games in past meetings, and Santa Paula and Fillmore are similar to Carpinteria in school size. They should also pose challenges in a league that will likely come down to the wire, according to Cooney.

The team lost its season-opening doubleheader against non-league Santa Ynez High School and looks to balance the 0-2 start while hosting Cabrillo High School in a home doubleheader on Saturday, March 9, starting at 11 a.m. Following that, the league home opener will be Friday, March 15, at 3:30 p.m. versus Villanova Prep. Cooney said every game throughout the league schedule, which pits CHS against each foe three times, is important. “If the last week of the season matters to us, we will have achieved our goal of competing for a league championship and playoff spot,” Cooney said of a no-gimme league run where the championship might not be settled until the final pitch.

Boys tennis
As is often the case with Carpinteria High School sports, the boys tennis team enjoyed success in the Frontier League, but the reward is a move up to a whole new league, the ultra-competitive Tri-Valley League, where CHS teams often fare worse. From last year’s Frontier League championship team, the Warriors return All-Leaguers Ben Murray, Collin Nathanson and Jonathon Cleek. Their task is to catch teammates, many gripping a tennis racquet for the first time, up to speed with the new sport.

Coach Charles Bryant, who is in his second year with the team, said team chemistry is one of group’s greatest strengths. “The boys really pull for each other and get along great,” he said. “What we lack in experience we gain in attitude.” He hopes the strong bond along with a rigorous preseason schedule will bring the team into form for a run against the TVL, which contains many tournament players a notch above last year’s competition.

Bryant said that by the second round of league play—teams match up twice—he believes the Warriors will show signs of progress. He also holds out hope of qualifying for playoffs. “Our improvement over the season will be the key to our success,” he said. “We will work the boys hard, and hopefully we can make some headway in this tough league.”

Softball
Pitcher Catalina Maldonado and the Warrior softball team have elevated their game in recent seasons. This year the trend will have to continue for the team to compete in Tri-Valley League. The Warriors won Frontier League last season and played into the semifinals of Division 6. Gearing up for this season, the landscape has changed. The Warriors play the regular season in TVL, and playoffs are in Division 2, a high division that’s a testament to the strength of the league.

Coach Henry Gonzales, who has been at the helm the last three seasons, said the team has what it takes to compete in TVL. “Being in TVL is where we want to be. Now we just need to show people we belong,” he said.

Maldonado, last year’s Frontier League Most Valuable Pitcher, enters her senior year having gunned down batters since she was a freshman. Her skills will be needed to keep opponents off the base paths. “(Maldonado’s) very capable of pitching against (TVL) caliber players,” Gonzales said. “We’re lucky to have her on our side to keep us in ballgames and to win ballgames.”

Maldonado has also done a lot of the heavy lifting on offense for the Warriors over the past three seasons. Her bat, combined with those of fellow seniors Elena Schneider and Erin Saito, will be counted on for run production. Schneider plays second base and Saito plays outfield, and both are top-of-the-order run producers. Senior Delaney Henderson, a transfer from Saint Joseph High School, will play shortstop. The senior leaders will go into battle alongside junior Alyssa Freeman and sophomores Hannah Galsterer, Natalie Saito and Paulina Barbosa.

Gonzales said that jumping to TVL means every team will have an ace pitcher of Maldonado’s caliber. Particularly stiff competition will come in the form of Oaks Christian and La Reina high schools.

Track and field
The storied Warrior track and field program looks to write a new chapter this season behind a group of speedy middle-distance runners and impact throwers on the boys side. A league realignment, which sought to balance Frontier and Tri-Valley leagues by sending Oaks Christian and Nordhoff high schools to Frontier, should make personal and team goals more attainable for the Warriors. Recent seasons have featured a loaded Tri-Valley League that squeezes athletes out of CIF contention due to an overabundance of qualifiers.

For the boys, senior Kyle Millhollin and transfer student Bryson Frazer will go head-to-head with each other and the rest of the league in the 400m and other middle distances. The duo gives the Warriors a strong nucleus in the 4x400 relay, which the team won at the early season Rincon Races. Throwers Peter Ramos and Xavier De Alba will be point collectors, as well, hurling the discus and shot put.

The girls team is still seeking its identity and will build on the promise of a collection of pole vaulters and hurdlers. Nicole Pepper has a strong foundation to build off in the hurdles. The vaulters include Morgan Wallace, Sierra Garcia, Brooke Hymer and Claire Sorosky, one of which will end up breaking away from the pack, according to Coach Van Latham.

The team is led by captains Matt Kliewer, De Alba and Millhollin, on the boys side, and Linda Buchmiller and Sierra Garcia for the girls.

In an always busy time of year for Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium, the team hosts Russell Cup on April 13 and CIF Prelims on May 11. The league realignment will likely result in more Warriors competing on May 11.

Art supporters Amanda McIntyre and Marty Selfridge recently joined the Carpinteria Valley Arts Council board of directors, bringing “a wealth of fresh and exciting new talent,” according to the organization. McIntyre has been a major player in the Santa Barbara art community for years and has decided to focus her attention on Carpinteria’s art community now. She will be chairing the newly formed Ambassador's Council, a select group of influential community leaders who share the same passion and vision for promoting the arts in Carpinteria. Selfridge, a retired Carpinteria Unified School District teacher, will work on ways for the Carpinteria Valley Arts Center to collaborate with local schools, whose budgets continually get cut for art and art-related programs. 

A group of outdoor painters that is always after the perfect Carpinteria vantage point have put their work on display at Lucky Llama for the month of March. The group exhibit by Carpinteria Plein Air Painters focuses on local scenes painted on the spot. Artists include Chris Sobell, Meg Ricks, Cezanne Totton, Ginger Plum, Lily Sanders, Babs Runyon, Kathe Hines-Knight, Linda Collins, Cristine Crooks, Anne Fraser and Suzanne VanDuinwyk. They’ll gather at an artists reception on Saturday, March 9, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the local café, 5100 Carpinteria Ave. Carpinteria Plein Air Painters meet on Friday mornings to paint local scenes. For more information on Lucky Llama’s March show, call 684-8811.

By Lea Boyd

Five Carpinteria eighth-graders recently had their chances of attending college increase by $500 and a priceless vote of confidence. Annalisa DeAlba, Ana Delgado, Jessica Irabon, Alisa Lemere and Yulisa Rosales each earned a Strong, Smart and Bold Eighth Grade Scholarship as part of a nationwide initiative by Girls Incorporated to expand college bound programming for girls.

After encouraging five participants in the organization’s Eureka! program to apply and helping them to submit letters of recommendation and a two-page essay last fall, Girls Inc. of Carpinteria learned in February that its members had claimed five of the 18 scholarships offered to teens throughout the nation. “The Eureka! program is committed to getting girls on track for high school graduation and prepared for the college application process,” said Jessica Wetzel of Girls Inc. Carpinteria. “This scholarship serves as motivation to continue working toward college goals and gives the girls a taste of the scholarship application process at a very young age.”

In their essays, the applicants wrote about their best qualities and how Girls Inc. has helped them to cultivate these strong, smart and bold attributes. Delgado said that thanks to Girls Inc., she has developed strength academically, emotionally, physically and socially. She stated in her essay, “I have learned how to steer clear of negative influences and now know what to do if I am asked to give in to the crowd.”

The Eureka! program, which launched locally in 2012, includes 25 local eighth-graders. These girls spent four weeks last summer at U.C. Santa Barbara in hands-on science and technology programs and participating in college prep and self-esteem building activities. Eureka!, which is a three-year program, has already had a huge impact on the girls, according to their scholarship essays.

Alisa Lemere wrote that Eureka! has “taught me a lot and really motivated me to go to college….” Yulisa Rosales commented on the confidence and pride she gained when Eureka! challenged her to overcome fears of deep water. After Rosales swam the length of a pool despite her unease, her instructor commented, “All of the girls in the program were inspired by (Rosales’) bravery and commitment to growth.”

Not all of the girls dove into Eureka! head first. DeAlba had second thoughts during the first week of the intensive, time-consuming program but soon became comfortable with her peers and instructors. With renewed excitement, she committed herself to Eureka! and began exploring career options. “(DeAlba) now knows that she can make her future what she wants it to be,” stated Wetzel, “and that by starting to think about these things now, she is making positive steps toward having the life she wants for herself.”

The five young women recognize that there are still many challenges ahead of them if they want to put their hard-earned scholarship money to good use. They have set their sights on attending college—some as the first members of their families—and succeeding in careers of their choosing. Securing the $500 scholarship is just the first step toward their long-term objectives.

“I work very hard to keep my grades above average to make my parents proud and to stay on track with my goals,” Irabon stated. She and her fellow scholarship winners are preparing for college when most of their peers are just beginning to think about high school.

Carpinteria youth pastor Louis Joseph Bristol pled not guilty to nine counts including two of forcible rape, two of forced sexual penetration by a foreign object and one of sexual battery by restraint at an arraignment in Santa Barbara County Court on March 1. All charges are alleged to have been committed on two minors.

Bristol, 28, surrendered himself to the sheriff’s department on Feb. 27 after inappropriate text messages between him and a Carpinteria Community Church high school youth group member led to an investigation into allegations that he used his youth pastor position at the church and his assistant manager job at Holiday Inn Express to commit crimes against two girls, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.

Detectives allege Bristol committed the crimes against a 16-year-old and 14-year-old victim. They believe he met the victims in a church youth group and committed the crimes at Carpinteria Holiday Inn Express. The crimes allegedly occurred starting in September of 2012. The sheriff’s department believes there may be other victims.

Coastal View News contacted Carpinteria Community Church pastor Jarrett Johnson, who would not elaborate on the criminal investigation in progress. Johnson said, “Hearts are broken about this one on all sides.”

In a press release, Johnson stated, “In keeping with the church’s policies of providing safety for the congregation and protection for church employees in such times, these allegations were immediately reported to authorities.” Bristol has been placed on leave by the church.

Bristol is scheduled to appear before Judge Clifford Anderson on Wednesday, March 13, to set a preliminary hearing date. At the hearing, Bristol’s attorney, Larry Powell, can also present a case to reduce the $2 million bail that his client is held on. Powell did not return a phone call requesting comment before press time.

Bristol is also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor on allegations that he furnished marijuana to the victims and other members of the youth group. If convicted, Bristol could face up to 20 years in prison.

––Peter Dugré

Carpinteria youth pastor Louis Joseph Bristol has been charged with multiple counts of child molestation, child rape, lewd acts upon a minor and furnishing an illegal substance to minors, according to a statement issued by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department on February 28.

Bristol, 28, was arrested on Feb. 27 after inappropriate text messages between him and a Carpinteria Community Church high school youth group member led to an investigation into allegations that he used his position at the church and his job at Holiday Inn Express to commit crimes against two female juvenile victims.

Bristol is accused of sexually molesting and raping the victims, one of which on multiple occasions between late 2012 and 2013 in vacant hotel rooms. He is also accused of selling marijuana to the victims and others in the youth group. Bristol is in Santa Barbara County Jail on $2 million bail awaiting arraignment.

Detectives believe there may be more victims. Anyone with further information should call Detective Chris Corbett at 684-5405 x424 or call the anonymous tip line at 681-4171.

By Alonzo Orozco

In its first season as a CIF SS Division 6 contender, Cate School boys soccer made a deep playoff run but ran out of time in its semifinals battle against top-ranked Carter High School. The Rams had won consecutive Division 7 crowns before bumping up to Division 6 this season. The following is a blow-by-blow account of Cate’s run through round 2, quarterfinals and semifinals. There may be more to come if the Rams petition to enter the CIF Regional tournament.

Rams win round 2 on the road:
Cate School boys soccer survived a three-hour drive and a formidable challenge at Banning High School to pick up a 1-0 victory on Feb. 20. The Rams outshot the Broncos 18-3 but the only shot to find the net was a 25-yard blast from junior Tyler Douglas 35 minutes into the contest. Rams coach Peter Mack credited senior captain Joshua Yaro for strong defensive play and directing the back line. Freshman goalkeeper Keller Mochel posted his second straight playoff shutout. Also, the Rams showed resilience in battling the frigid temperatures and strong winds.

Shutout streak continues in 2-0 quarterfinals victory:
In a very physical match, the Cate School boys soccer team tallied a goal in each half en route to a 2-0 quarterfinals victory over visiting Ontario Christian on Feb. 22. A hard foul on Cate captain Joshua Yaro set the tone early. “It’s hard to walk away from those things (rough play), and we don’t always; but I think you saw today that (the Rams) see the bigger picture,” commented Cate head coach Pete Mack. The early foul was committed by Knight Christian Dirksen, a six-foot, five-inch, 200-pound team captain who clipped Yaro’s ankles. Both teams saw players hit the pitch, keeping the medical staff busy.

Cate received brilliant play from midfielder Geoffrey Acheampong, who directed the attack, distributing the ball to teammates and keeping play at the Ontario Christian end for much of the first half. “I’ve just been amazed at how much (Acheampong’s) grown as a player … he likes to carry the ball, but he’s finding his teammates, he’s finding them early,” said Mack of the talented sophomore. In the 21st minute off a corner set piece, Acheampong found Yaro with a cross in front of the goal. Yaro drilled the ball past OC goalkeeper Brandon Mouw, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.

The point was all the Rams needed as the defense limited the Knights to a single shot on goal. OC came into the game with an overall record of 20-2, finishing 13-1 in the Ambassador League.

Cate found the back of the net near the 50th minute on a ball from Tyler Douglas to Joel Seguro, who directed it across the goal to a charging Abraham Tall. Tall toed the ball across the line for the score and a 2-0 Ram lead.

Rams run out of time in semifinals:
Cate’s home semifinal match on Feb. 26 against Carter High School featured two swift and highly skilled squads. The Lions, champions of the San Andreas League, came in with an overall record of 22-0-5 and ranked 12th in the state. Carter wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard when midfielder Ricardo De Rueda picked up a loose ball in the Ram zone and drilled it over leaping Ram goalkeeper Keller Mochel from 25 yards out to give the visitors a 1-0 lead just 12 minutes into the game.

But Cate countered quickly from the kickoff, putting pressure on the Lions that resulted in Geoffrey Acheampong’s blast being turned away by Carter goalkeeper Moises Rodriguez. Both teams played at a furious pace, each attacking and countering the entire afternoon. The Rams broke through with the equalizer near the 19-minute mark, when midfielder Justin Kim, on a long chip from Joshua Yaro into the box, slipped the ball past Rodriguez to make it 1-1. Kim pushed the Rams forward throughout the day. At the midway point, the teams left the pitch still tied at one.

At the 48-minute mark, the Lions forged into the lead on a penalty kick following a Rams hand ball. Carter defender Juan Magana picked the right corner, driving it past Mochel to make it 2-1. Around the 55-minute mark, the Rams nearly tied the game again when Acheampong’s free kick narrowly sailed over the cross bar.

When Lions midfielder Albert Caro’s low liner off a set-piece found its way off a Cate defender’s leg into the net near the 58-minute mark, it looked as though the Rams’ quest for a third straight title was about to end. But a goal by Yaro on a nice feed from sophomore midfielder Iman Fardghassemi suddenly made it a 3-2 game with a little less than 20 minutes to play. However, two big saves by Rodriguez thwarted the comeback and sealed the 3-2 win for Carter.

Mack summarized his team’s performance; “There’s not a better group of kids. They’re depleted both emotionally and physically; that’s all you can ask.”

Following a restructuring meeting on Feb. 25, the Carpinteria High School Athletic Boosters Club seated a new board of directors. The new board includes, from top left, President Chris Kelsey and First Vice President Mike Damron, and from bottom left, Secretary Christie Cooney, Treasurer Kathleen Gordon and Second Vice President Lori Bowles.

By Erin Lennon

The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board found more negatives than positives in a proposed multiuse plan for the corner of Carpinteria and Holly avenues during the board’s Feb. 21 meeting. Board members concluded that, in its current form, the project fails to harmonize with the neighborhood or enhance the look of downtown Carpinteria.

M3 Multifamily’s design for a multiuse plan is dominated by a 33-foot-tall commercial building, a height three inches above the municipal code maximum. Plans, drafted by BBP Architects, also include two 600-square-foot one-bedroom apartments in a structure behind the commercial property.

The two-story commercial building would house a large retail space on the ground level, fetching high-end rents, according to M3’s Jon Martin, with M3’s corporate office on the second floor. The building’s sidewalk-hugging position caught the attention of city staff and ARB members. City planner Nick Bobroff said, “I don’t think we have any other large buildings on the Carpinteria Avenue corridor that come out to the property line.”

Developers said they drew on language from Carpinteria’s General Plan, arguing that their style would communicate to visitors and residents that they were entering the city’s downtown T. The development, they said, would act as a type of gateway with a paseo and outdoor space to buffer and beautify the establishment. However, it was not the gateway that the board sought.

The plans include 12 parking spaces, though 14 are required for a project of its scale. Nearby resident Jason Rodriguez voiced concerns over the already tricky parking situation on Holly Avenue. The Carpinteria Valley Association also questioned the project’s effects on the area and its appropriateness for the space.

“This imposing structure is inconsistent with the neighborhood and with Carpinteria’s small beach town character,” said CVA representative Michael Hanrahan. “We believe it is also in violation of the general plan and would have too many adverse effects on the area.”

Echoing the board and city staff’s thoughts on the zero setback, Hanrahan said the plan encroached on passersby and disrupted the flow of pedestrian traffic, especially on the corner of Carpinteria and Holly avenues.

The board also called out the project’s aesthetics, asking for more variation in the flat design and a clearer tie between the proposal and Carpinteria’s beach community look and that of Carpinteria Avenue.

“You’re hoping to refer this to art deco, but it seems a very feeble impression of a style,” said boardmember Scott Ellinwood. “We have some better examples in town.”

M3’s Martin and BBP architect Tracy Burnell stressed the viability of the project, saying concessions will take away options for high-end retailers and the ability to construct the project on what they called an awkward property.

“We’re at that classic applicant problem where we’re reading what the legislative guideline of the city is and doing it, and then you guys are killing us,” said Martin.

The board will revisit the plans on March 21.

A 56-year-old felony fugitive who escaped from his electronic monitoring device six months ago was apprehended by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputies after being recognized at a Linden Avenue restaurant on Feb. 24.

Steven Kunes, a Pennsylvania resident who has also lived in Montecito, has an extensive criminal history that includes forgery, grand theft and commercial burglary. He was serving a sentence at the county jail and was approved for electronic monitoring on Aug. 1 of 2012. On Aug. 22, an alert went out that his device had been cut at the Fed Ex office on Hope Avenue. Kunes fled the area after mailing his device to a custody deputy at the Santa Barbara County jail. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
At around 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 24, a man patronizing a restaurant in the 700 block of Linden Avenue identified Kunes, who was sitting at the bar, from a booking photo on the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. A friend of the man confirmed his suspicions and called 9-1-1.
Kunes was arrested and is in Santa Barbara County Jail pending an arraignment on escape charges. No bail is set.

By Erin Lennon

At the Feb. 21 Carpinteria Architectural Review Board meeting, Leach Mounce Architects presented conceptual plans to demolish the current Carpinteria fire station, replacing it with a new single-story station fitted for safety and quick response. The board applauded the design concept, but raised inquiries concerning project height and the lack of landscaping.

Plans devote 8 percent of the property to landscaping, as opposed to the required 20 percent. To make up for the lack of landscaping, the board suggested a permeable ground covering and also suggested the design team consider strategies for dealing with storm water runoff.
The overall design, praised by the board, includes a contemporary H-shaped structure with metal roof and siding. The large apparatus port allows a readied truck to stay clear of the sidewalk, and a drive-through orientation erases the need for complex maneuvers.

“When you need help from a fire station, you want the most advanced equipment, the best methods and the best training you can get,” said architect Howard Leach. “And this station expresses that. It’s a contemporary station expressing contemporary techniques and methods by the fire department.”

The 48-foot-tall training tower drew concern for its possible interference with the aesthetic of Carpinteria’s civic sub-district. The proposed tower surpasses the existing structure by over eight feet. New training potential would present itself with the proposed tower. Fire fighters would have oppofrtunities to develop skills for situations that involve multiple levels, and the tower would include balconies, repelling cleats and access windows. The tower would keep emergency staff in town as opposed to training in Santa Barbara.

The board requested relocating the loud backup generator away from neighboring residences and removing the large braces from the rooftop dormers to create a more cohesive look.

By Alonzo Orozco

Aggressive from the start, Carpinteria High School relentlessly stayed on the attack, earning a 1-0 victory on Feb. 15 at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium over visiting Santa Monica High School to advance to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Boys Soccer Division 4 Playoffs. “Credit goes to a couple of the JV guys that came up (to the varsity squad) and stepped up this game, Francisco Arroyo being one of them and Eric Contreras being the second one,” said Carpinteria head coach Leonardo Quintero of the two young Warriors who helped direct the offense and win possessions at midfield.

The match pitted the Vikings, who finished second in the Ocean League with a 9-10-2 record, against Co-Tri-Valley League champion Carpinteria who ended up 11-4-3. True to the disparity in the two schools’ records, the Warriors opened the game by controlling possession with crisp passing. “I believe we had most of the possession in the first half. I’d say maybe about 60-40 (percent),” analyzed Quintero.

The Warriors’ first good opportunity came early on when midfielder Ruben Miranda’s shot from 10 yards out was stopped stone cold by Viking goalkeeper Eric Stocker. Even when midfielder Luca Rigonati was forced to leave play as a result of a yellow card and Carpinteria was left short-handed, the Warriors continued to put on the pressure. Ricardo Arroyo’s blast near the 20-minute mark from 35 yards out was also turned aside by Stocker.

But it wouldn’t take much longer for the Warriors to get on the scoreboard. Arroyo’s cross into the box resulted in a bang-bang goal with midfielder Luis Cisneros knocking in the ricochet rebound to put the Warriors up 1-0 a little more than midway through the half. Although the Warriors had the upper hand, Santa Monica started to battle back. Warrior goalkeeper Lalo Garcia’s diving save helped to preserve a 1-0 halftime lead. “(Garcia) really didn’t see (the shot), until it came from the back of his teammate’s shoulder,” explained Quintero of the Viking’s best chance for the equalizer.

The Warriors continued to keep the heat on in the second half, tallying three shots on goal in the first five minutes. However, a misplayed ball at the CHS end nearly led to a Santa Monica goal when Garcia was caught off his line. Fortunately for the Warriors, the shot sailed wide left. Moments later, the Warriors countered as defender Genaro Hurtado’s header barely went off target, keeping it a 1-0 game.

Garcia would be tested one more time, as Viking defender Omar Sanchez’s low skidding shot near the 78th minute was once again pushed aside by the Warrior goalkeeper. Pleased by the outcome, Quintero still saw room for improvement; “We did miss a few opportunities in the first half. They have their mind set on a CIF championship, but I tell our guys it’s one step at a time.”

By Erin Lennon

The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District unveiled plans for a new $5 million Carpinteria fire station at its Feb. 19 meeting and took the first steps toward a $10 million bond measure to fund construction of a Carpinteria firehouse as well as the $5 million Summerland station that has been in the works for the last two years. Residents could be asked to approve the bond six months from now.

“The (Carpinteria station) is not designed or built to withstand an earthquake,” said CSFPD Chief Mike Mingee. “Obviously neither is the Summerland station. In fact, that one’s crumbling without an earthquake. So, I think both buildings are critical issues that we need to look at.”

If funding and permitting can be secured, the 1960s-era Carpinteria station will be replaced with a single-story building with dormers above to illuminate a large central area for equipment. Thus far, Leach Mounce Architects have forgone the typical Spanish Revival aesthetic for one that mimics that of the nearby Palm Lofts, a style that representative Matt Huntington said was more exciting and modern.

The proposed training equipment at the station will also be modernized. An underground area would train rescue personnel in retrieving people from confined spaces, and a 48-foot training tower complete with access windows, balconies, attached repelling cleats and a shingled roof readied to be axed would prepare fire fighters for diverse sites and circumstances. Plans also include an exercise room and multipurpose meeting room for training and community use.

While the Carpinteria station is in its conceptual phase, a new Summerland station on the corner of Lillie Avenue and Temple Street has already been permitted through the county. A two-story, 5,390-square-foot, earthquake-ready building has been approved to replace the current 80-year-old station sandwiched between Lillie Avenue and Highway 101. The Summerland firehouse has been the focus for nearly two years, but the district says its aim is to address both aging stations.

While the designs are in order, the funding is not. The solution of primary interest is a district-wide general obligation bond in which the community pays the bill through a property tax. KNN Public Finance estimated in 2011 that to fund both projects, a property assessed at $500,000 would pay $60 per year to repay the bond.

“We’ve been on this track for about 30 months and are coming to a point where we have community involvement in Summerland and a design sitting here for Carpinteria,” said Mingee. “I think the board has spent almost $200,000 to get us to this point… where I hope the board will have some serious discussion about finance options.”

The board approved measures allowing Mingee to enter into contracts with the three main players on the election team. CSFPD will hire Keygent LLC for financial advising and SCI Consulting Group to poll the community and prepare arguments in favor of the measure as well as ballot language. Stradeling, Yocca, Carlson and Roth will provide bond counsel services, including drafts of all legal documents, clear, flexible ballot language and resolution drafts. Both the financial analyst and the bond counsel will only receive payment if the bond passes. SCI will receive between $20,000 and $25,000 upfront to poll the community and then provide its in-depth findings. For a $10 million bond, which has not yet been decided on, Keygent would likely earn between $30,000 and $40,000, and Roth would take home $50,000 over the 20-year life of the bond. However, those fees are estimates and may change as the bond process is completed.

If SCI determines that the community would support a bond measure, residents of within CSFPD should see a ballot in their mailboxes on Aug. 27.

“This is faster than we typically move,” said SCI representative Mary Schilts Taylor. “But it is doable. There is time enough, and it’s important enough to ask your community what they believe in.”

The board must adopt and submit its bond resolution to the clerk of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors by April 4. SCI will poll the community on what kind of bond, if any, it is willing to support and deliver its findings to the district board on March 27.

Low supply turns down market up

By Peter Dugré

Fewer homes on the market and historically low interest rates have flipped the buyers’ real estate market from 2012 onto its head. Overnight it has become a sellers’ market with buyers lining up to get into new homes.

Data for January and a quick look at both the Carpinteria and South Coast Santa Barbara markets shows that very few homes are available in the under-$700,000 bracket. When they become available, it’s a matter of days before they’re scooped up. Demand outpacing supply has pressured prices far above where they were last year at this time.

Local agent Bill Crowley, owner of Ocean View Realty, pointed out that the real estate slump finally bottomed out early in 2012. “Sometime near the beginning of the summer, prices hiked up a lot,” Crowley said.
A recent bidding war for a home in the mid-$500,000 range illustrated the state of the market. A two-bedroom, two-bath, plus small studio, property at 1397 Vallecito Place was listed in January for $545,000, and according to local agents, offers poured in. It was the only house in the price range on the market. Nancy Hussey of Coldwell Banker estimates that offers were floated above $600,000 and that at least 13 bids were made in one week. The property remains in escrow but is a prime example of the upswing in prices. It’s worth noting that the home was foreclosed on and sold to investors at auction for $411,600 in October of 2012. The new owner, MTI Capital, was able to ride the market to what appears to be a lucrative flip of the home just three months later.

Similar homes sat on the market for months before this recent shift in the real estate landscape. Both Hussey and Crowley surmise that the window has closed on single-family homes under $600,000. They said many of the clients trying to get into single-family homes now are first time buyers who had waited out the crash and are now trying to take advantage of interest rates.

The data from Multiple Listing Service shows a steep rise in the median sales price for the month of January 2013 over its 2012 position. Last year, the median was $515,000 and this year it shot up to $824,000. Single family homes on the mountain side of the freeway between Linden and Santa Ynez avenues had been selling in the upper $400,000 to low $500,000 range when there were more on the market in 2011 and early 2012, according to sales listing attained through Fidelity National Title Insurance Company. Lately, comparable properties have more often sold in the low $600,000 range.

The new Lagunitas neighborhood near Via Real and Bailard Avenue has added supply to the Carpinteria market and has benefited from the scarcity of homes for sale. “When (Lagunitas) first started building a year-and-a-half ago they looked dead in the water,” Crowley said. “Starting in June and July, they started selling like hot cakes.” The single family homes in Lagunitas are listed between the low $700,000s to over $900,000. And the price uptick brought the new two- and three-bedroom condos in Lagunitas over $500,000.

First time homebuyers who had their interest piqued by last year’s prices and the historically low interest rates have seen the buyers’ market disappear, Hussey said. She has advised clients to appeal to sellers’ emotions by inserting photos and a cover letter with their offers. An offer from a young couple might beat that of an investment group hoping to turn a buck, not turn a key.

Daisy Love Merrick, an 8-year-old Carpinteria girl who courageously battled four rounds of cancer, passed away on Feb. 16. Daughter of Reality Church Pastor Britt Merrick and granddaughter of world-famous surfboard shaper Al Merrick, Daisy struggled with the disease for the last nearly three and a half years, enduring 30 rounds of chemotherapy and six major surgeries.

A memorial for Daisy will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. at the Santa Barbara City College Sports Pavilion. The event will also be streamed live at prayfordaisy.com. In a message on the Pray for Daisy blog, Daisy’s mother, Kate, wrote, “Please join us as we celebrate the strong, kind, brave, goofy, thoughtful, amazing girl we call Daisy Love.”

By Erin Lennon

An emerald tangle of weeds carpets the drainage channel running behind Rochelle Terry’s house on Malibu Drive, creating a growing hurdle for the drainage water flowing within her property line and stirring fears of flooding as Terry, her neighbors and the City of Carpinteria try to figure out who is responsible for clearing the channel.

During a Jan. 26 special meeting, Terry approached the Carpinteria City Council to address which public agency, if any, should be maintaining the section of the Franklin Creek drainage channel flowing behind 12 properties along Malibu Drive. City officials didn’t have an answer.

Santa Barbara Flood Control dug this portion of the channel in the late 1950s to convey water to the ocean as tract housing was constructed in the area, attempting to keep the newly occupied properties dry. The dirt channel was temporary, dug before Carpinteria became a city in 1965, according to Carpinteria Public Works Director Charles Ebeling. The plan was to transition the open ditch, channelized with a cement mixture after Carpinteria’s 1969 flood, into an underground pipeline, but it’s still open. Ebeling has been unable to locate a record of an easement in his preliminary investigation, making the channel private property and creating a maintenance conundrum.

“Something major is going to happen,” said Terry. “The walls are going to cave in or something.” The weeds are high and thick, and waters cannot move freely within the channel, which has large cracked sections and is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

“The county built something with the intention to get the easement and there was no follow through; that’s my assumption,” said Ebeling. However, the westernmost three of the 12 properties are under a county flood control easement as part of the channel inlet, according to Tom Fayram, Deputy Director of Santa Barbara County Flood Control.

“These days we have to concentrate on what we do have a responsibility to maintain and step away from items we are not responsible for,” said Fayram. The Carpinteria Public Works Department will investigate the lack of easement, but the maintenance Terry is looking for is still out of reach.

“The bottom line is that a public agency like the city or county flood control cannot physically maintain the channel because workers would have to enter private property,” said Ebeling.

Terry purchased her property in 1961 knowing that the channel was within her property line but thinking it was under a county easement. She’s frustrated over the years of research she has undergone to figure out who is responsible for doing the maintenance her family has been performing.

“I used to be out there with my teenage kids breaking up weeds to keep the channel flowing,” said Terry. “It’s been an ongoing problem.”

Even after Carpinteria was incorporated, county flood control performed maintenance nearly twice a year, and would come out to the channel when called about a problem, according to Terry, with all maintenance stopping approximately three years ago.

Ebeling believes the city will take charge of maintaining the channel and discuss what the county’s role may be.

Regular channel maintenance, which includes weeding, will cost a nominal amount, but “repairs and reconstruction, that’s a much bigger issue and could be significantly more expensive,” said Ebeling. Public works will complete an investigation, which Ebeling has roughly outlined to include a look into whether the easement exists and an appraisal of the channel’s physical condition followed by obtaining temporary rights to access the channel for clearing. The plans may change, but the goal is the same.

Ebeling says it’s likely that the investigation will take a couple of months and culminate in a proper easement, an answer as to which public agency will be wading in the water and peace of mind for Malibu Drive residents.

Former Carpinteria resident Michael Norris, 67, who was wanted on multiple counts of child molestation, turned himself in and was arrested by Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department detectives on a plane that had just arrived at LAX from Costa Rica on Feb. 14. Norris has been living in Costa Rica since 2006. Allegations that Norris sexually abused a minor over several years when he lived in Carpinteria prompted an investigation in February of 2012, which led to a warrant for his arrest issued in December.

Norris is charged with multiple counts of child molestation, including continual sexual abuse of a minor, contact with a minor with the intent to commit sexual abuse, distributing and producing pornography to a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years of age. After his arrest, he was transported to the Santa Barbara County jail where he was booked. Bail has been denied.

While living in the farm town of Quepos, Costa Rica, Norris learned of the warrant for his arrest in Santa Barbara County. He agreed to return and negotiated his surrender with sheriff’s investigators. In a past conversation with Coastal View News, Lt. Kelly Moore said that if Norris had failed to voluntarily return, the Sheriff’s Department would have sent officers to retrieve the suspected child molester.

Norris’ arrest was a coordinated effort between investigators from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Felony Fugitives and Criminal Investigative Divisions and United States officials in Costa Rica who assisted in monitoring his whereabouts and ensuring he boarded the plane.

The second meeting of Carpinteria High School and Cate School girls water polo of the season was a rerun of the first. The Warriors solidified their superiority this season by defeating the Rams 13-6 on Feb. 6 at Carpinteria Community Pool. In addition to completing the season sweep over the crosstown and Tri-Valley League rival, the Warriors earned their half of a second straight Tri-Valley League co-championship, sharing the honor with Malibu High School.

The teams were locked in a defensive battle for three quarters before the Warriors’ fast break finally wore the Rams down. Warrior senior Maddie Brooks outscored the Rams on her own with seven goals. Hope Grant added four goals, and Andrea Delgado and Maya Grant each chipped in one. Warrior goalie Vanessa Vega had 19 saves, including a 5-meter penalty block that prevented Cate from tying the score in the third quarter. At the time of the penalty shot, the Warriors led just 4-3 midway through the third quarter, but two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Warriors built a 10-3 advantage.

For the Rams, junior Sophie Maes scored three goals, Sophia Soriano had two and Maddie Schrager had one. Cate coach Nathan Alldredge attributed the Warriors’ late-game run to key mistakes by the Rams. He commented, “... A dropped pass, a steal, a turnover and a couple of fast breaks saw Carpinteria score six in a row.”

The Warriors’ co-championship is the second in program history after last-season’s first ever.

By Lea Boyd

Described as “long overdue” by Carpinteria Planning Commissioner Jane Benefield, a project to improve the Casa del Sol motel and apartments, at 5585 Carpinteria Ave., was approved at the commission’s Feb. 4 meeting. The renovation is mainly superficial, with building height and number of units and rooms remaining unchanged, but the upgrade should put an end to ongoing efforts by the city and neighbors to improve the living conditions and curb appeal of the notoriously under-maintained property.

The project will add 516 square feet to the existing 19-room motel, which occupies two buildings. The rooms will each gain some square-footage and have their interiors improved. The exteriors of the 12-unit apartment building and the motel will be renovated into a southwest style. Additionally, new landscaping will be installed and parking areas reconfigured.

Cited for multiple zoning violations, including the unresolved issue of an unfilled pool fronting the building, property owner Dario Pini, who also owns four other complexes in the vicinity, has been under the scrutiny of the city and property neighbors for months. Neighbor Susan Allen called the property’s maintenance “deplorable” and said that the city and community should be “ashamed that we’ve offered these kinds of units to the public.”

As a condition of approval, the Casa del Sol renovation must get underway within six months, a tighter timeframe than the city’s typical 12-month window to begin construction. Additionally, the city is requiring that construction be completed within 18 months of approval.

“There have been some problems on site that have been documented,” said Commissioner Glenn LaFevers, “but we’re moving in a positive direction and I think that’s great.”

A $5 million upgrade to the Carpinteria Fire Station, a new Summerland Station and a potential bond measure to fund the two projects will all be up for discussion at the Tuesday, Feb. 19 meeting of the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the city council chamber at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. The district has been permitted to move forward with its plans for a new Summerland Station, but finding funding for the $5 million station is the next hurdle. An upgrade to the Carpinteria station is a newer topic of conversation, and conceptual plans for the project will be presented at the next board meeting. According to a press release from Fire Chief Mike Mingee, the 60-year-old Carpinteria Fire Station does not meet the seismic standards required of essential services buildings. He stated, “Our fire stations are not designed to provide a safe refuge for our fire firefighters and our fire engines. We can’t help anyone if we can’t survive the quake.” The Feb. 19 meeting is open to members of the public.

By Lea Boyd

The officers of the Carpinteria Skate Foundation have their 20-years-younger selves in mind when they envision what could be for the .66 acres of newly acquired city park land next to the Amtrak station on 5th Street. The 30-somethings grew up with “Skateboarding is not a Crime” stickers on their backpacks and beat up wooden ramps in their driveways. Now they’re skilled professionals—an architect, a business owner and an electrician among their ranks—and they are eager to devote their talents to giving Carpinteria kids the recreational outlet they never had.

“Kids who are traditionally susceptible to drugs, violence and gangs gravitate to skating for its individuality,” said Jason Lesh, vice president of the foundation. With a skate park in town, he said, there would be a positive place for youth who don’t fit the team sport mold and who might otherwise wander down the wrong path.

The skatepark is key to the group’s vision for the city property, but foundation members have become passionate about creating a space with opportunities for young and old. Their conceptual plan now includes a community garden made up of nearly 60 individual plots. According to Lesh, the group wants to see a project that brings together different generations and a diversity of community demographics. The fitness component of skateboarding marries well with the health component of growing fresh fruits and vegetables, he noted.

Though the Skate Foundation has been working diligently for the past few years with its sights set on the 5th Street property, ultimately Carpinteria City Council will make the decision on what type of park will be built on the land the city purchased from Union Pacific last year for $355,000. “Certainly, it’s not been decided,” said Matt Roberts, Director of Parks and Recreation.

A council subcommittee made up of Vice Mayor Gregg Carty and councilman Wade Nomura has been established to research options and advise the council on how to proceed with the new land, which Union Pacific sold under the condition that it be kept as open space or developed into a park. Roberts said that a skatepark will be considered, and examples of both successful and unsuccessful skate facilities will be used to determine if that use would be compatible with the area and best for the community.

Through a few public outreach events, the Skatepark Foundation has rallied with impressive support behind its concept. Recently a potential donor came forward with a six-figure pledge (conceptual plans would cost about $860,000 to build) if the city signs off on the skatepark concept. The support exists in numbers as well. Over 2,000 signatures have been collected in favor of a skatepark in Carpinteria.

It may, however, be the people whose names are absent from the petition that dramatically affect the outcome of the decision. “There are some concerned neighbors,” said Matt Roberts. Noise is the main trigger of opposition from nearby residents, but neighbors have also expressed concern over liability issues and increased neighborhood traffic.

The Skate Foundation is willing to bend over backwards to adapt its plans to appease the neighbors and develop a concept that is acceptable to all, said Lesh. However, the group will battle to preserve a skatepark element within the plan. The foundation’s conceptual plans aim to reduce noise by setting the skatepark features closest to the railroad tracks and positioning the community garden along 5th Street to act as a noise buffer. Additionally, the skateboarding area is designed below ground level as a means of directing the acoustics up rather than out.

Councilman Al Clark said at a recent meeting that he is in favor of a skatepark in Carpinteria but not certain that 5th Street is the right location. This is consistent with the neighbors’ message as well. Lesh argues that 5th Street is optimal. Proximity to downtown businesses could have a positive effect on Linden Avenue retail and restaurant sales, and the central location will allow easy walking, bicycling and skating access to a recreational facility geared toward youth.

Long-time Carpinterians remember the proposed skatepark’s predecessor, and Skate Foundation members are quick to point out the differences between their plans and the wooden skatepark erected at the Amtrak station parking lot in the mid-1990s. That park came to an unhappy end due to complications related to the state’s liability law in existence at that time. Skaters were required to sign a legal waiver at city hall to be on the downtown park premises; then they were given a sticker to wear on their helmet indicating they had assumed liability. The system was cumbersome, and no one was designated to enforce the rules, said Lesh. As an unintended consequence, the police and local residents were forced to step up and patrol the park. “It was a regulatory nightmare,” Lesh said. The park was dismantled not long after it was constructed.

Liability risks for skateparks in California have dropped dramatically since then. The state passed a law in 1998 to protect municipalities from lawsuits by simply requiring signs to be posted informing users that they skate at their own risk. This game changer led to dozens of new skateparks throughout the state. Lesh and the rest of the Skate Foundation officers hope that the newer law will help pave the way for a local park.

Mary Methmann, who works in the administrative office for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, was arrested on Feb. 6 for stealing over $10,000 worth of jewelry from a Goleta residence. When an investigation into the theft turned up evidence implicating Methmann, she was served a search warrant and arrested at her Carpinteria apartment.

In addition to the most recent charge of residential burglary, Methmann will be prosecuted for an internal theft case triggered by a Jan. 4 complaint alleging that she stole $50 from the Sheriff’s Office. She was placed on administrative leave on Jan. 29 after a criminal investigation linking her to the crime committed when she worked in custody records at the sheriff’s main jail facility.

“We are extremely disturbed that someone from within the Sheriff’s Office would betray the public trust in this manner,” Sheriff Bill Brown said.

Methmann, who has worked for the department since 2005, was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $50,000.

The long-vacant lot at the corner of Holly and Carpinteria avenues sprouted story poles this week and will be considered for a mixed-use project at the city’s Feb. 21 Architectural Review Board meeting.

Plans submitted for city review include a two-story, approximately 6,000-square-foot main building fronting Carpinteria Avenue that would house commercial businesses on the ground floor and the offices of the applicant, M3 Multifamily, upstairs. A second structure with ground floor parking and two upstairs apartments is proposed for the rear of the property. The living spaces would be 600-square-foot, one-bedroom rentals.

M3 Multifamily, which is currently located in Santa Barbara, invests in and manages apartment complexes throughout the western United States.

The lot that M3 has set its sights on developing was formerly the home of a gas station and underwent soil remediation in 2007 after being identified as contaminated. The site has been given a clean bill of health, but future development will be required to meet special construction specifications in the case of any lingering contamination from the former service station.

By Peter Dugré

Local avocado growers escaped a mid-January freeze with only minor product damage, allowing many ranchers to breath a sigh of relief after bracing for potentially crop-killing temperatures that reached as low as 25 degrees. According to grower Rick Shade of Shade Farm Management, “The bullet creased my hair but didn’t break my skin.” Although ranches sustained spotty areas of frost burn, early assessments are that what is expected to be a big harvest in 2013 will sustain only minor losses.

Shade said he and others in the business pulled all-nighters to avert serious damage. Wind machines were audible throughout Carpinteria Valley on the coldest nights as the big blowers keep dense, cold air circulating. Other measures to prevent freeze damage were keeping the soil moist and irrigating. “Running the irrigation warms up the ground and warms up the whole area,” said Frank Algeria, District Field Manager for Calavo. The 45 to 50 degree water is balmy compared to frigid low-30s that prevailed between Jan. 13 and 16.

Grower Bradley Miles said that along Highway 150 brown leaves are noticeable from the road but aren’t widespread. “You can see that some trees got their cookies baked a little, but if you look at little farther, you see nothing,” he said.

In addition to browning leaves, which is an easy way to detect damage, sometimes the stems suffer from frost and will not be immediately perceivable. Growers see fruit dropping from the weakened stems 10 days to two weeks following the freeze. Miles said dropped fruit is best left alone and not sent in to packing houses because of its inferior quality. And while losing some fruit might bring down numbers for the overall harvest year, Miles pointed out that with such an abundance on the trees, shedding some avocados might make room for others to “size up.”

Shade called the latest cold spell “one of the strangest cold events I’ve ever encountered,” due to the unpredictability of where the coldest temperatures would occur. Typically the lowest troughs of the valley get deep freezes, but he said damages on properties he manages came in atypical locations. He said it was “hard to figure” why, and “Sometimes mother nature just has her way.” For the local industry, what was likely the worst of this winter has passed without delivering a knockout blow. However, some individual ranchers made out worse than others. Shade said it was nothing compared to some past events, like the devastating freeze of 1990, when no measures could contend with the cold.

By Peter Dugré

Carpinteria High School administrators dread the day when Jill-of-all-trades educator Elise Unruh no longer teaches the band, theater, choir and yearbook. For her devotion and value, Unruh earned 2012 Educator of the Year honors from the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce at the Jan. 26 Community Awards Banquet.

“She does it all,” CHS Principal Gerardo Cornejo said. “For us to find someone to replace her would be very difficult to say the least.”

The opportunity to do it all is the greatest perk of working in a smaller high school, according to Unruh. “I get to do a little bit of everything,” she said.

Where Unruh goes beyond the call of duty, according to Cornejo, is in all the hours she commits to the school and its students after the final bell. She conducts the marching band at football games, takes photos for yearbook, teaches jazz band and produces numerous concerts and shows each year. Evident in all this dedication, Cornejo said, is that “(Unruh) is one of those teachers who just loves what she does.”

Unruh, who has spent 27 years teaching in Carpinteria Unified School District and 37 years in education, dramatically changed course when in college in order to embark on a career path that she would enjoy. She switched majors from chemistry to music, a decision she forever applauds having made.

It was apparent last March that Unruh had left an impression on her many students during an alumni gathering and performance. Dozens of former CHS students joined in the reunion concert, which celebrated 30 years of CHS theatrical productions in the Muses drama program.

According to Unruh, the reward she gets is when the students perform and perform well. She proudly remembers leading the marching band to the Southern California Championships, but every time the crowd goes quiet and the band or Muses class performs, it’s a big moment. “I know it’s successful when I get goose bumps, and that happens every time out,” she said.

By Peter Dugré

Janis Smith can attest to the value of technology in education. The 37-year classroom veteran has embraced updates to the way information is taught to elementary school children, and her leadership in that department is one reason she earned the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year award at this year’s Community Awards Banquet on Jan. 26. She uses every tool available to teach her students.

“Smith is an innovative educator. She continuously reflects on her teaching practices and considers additional methods we can use to accelerate our students’ learning,” commented Aliso School Principal Holly Minear.  

Smith’s efforts are partially responsible for Aliso School being one of only a few schools in Santa Barbara County where 100-percent of its students have computers in their homes. She has coordinated with Computers for Families to help achieve that result.

Many of Aliso School’s successes are connected to Smith. According to those who recommended her for the annual award, she is a “proven leader,” who fosters teacher collaboration in school. When Principal Minear is off site, Smith is the teacher in charge. Aliso has taken great strides in standardized testing and surpassed state-mandated thresholds on the Academic Performance Index.

Of her efforts, Smith said she is only a piece of a positive learning environment. “It’s not an individual award; it’s a school award. We work as a team together,” she said, noting in particular fellow teacher Kimberly Young, with whom Smith team-teaches.

Smith is co-developer of the Aliso Summer Academy, which extends the school year and technology-using opportunities for many kids. She acquired private funding for the program, which helps keep student minds active during the long vacation, when kids are most likely to forget what they’ve learned.

She has also been praised for using Kid Biz, a software tool that provides daily real life situations prompting vocabulary acquisition and problem solving. Carpinteria Unified School District has been pushing for teachers to incorporate various software programs in classrooms, and Smith has been at the forefront of the beneficial movement toward tech teaching.

“Above all, she is a team player on our campus and seeks ways to improve our students’ learning in a collaborative—not competitive—manner,” Minear said.

Key win places Warriors in first-place tie

By Alonzo Orozco

Cheered on by a poolside bleacher full of Warrior faithful, the Carpinteria High School girls water polo team charged from behind to win a crucial match against visiting Tri-Valley League rival Malibu High School. Warrior captain Hope Grant’s goal with 13 seconds remaining completed a furious comeback, earning CHS an 8-7 victory on Feb. 1 at Carpinteria Community Pool. The result avenged a loss to the Sharks earlier in the season, and locks the Warriors into a tie with the Sharks for first place in TVL for the second straight season.

“If we both finish our business (win their respective remaining games), it will be tied again, and it will be a co-championship again,” said CHS coach Bryan Swarm of his team and Malibu, which ended up sharing the league title last season.

It looked as though the Warriors would have a tough time staying on course, as their shots continuously fell off target in the first half. “I think we were getting some good looks at the cage, [the shots] just weren’t dropping,” explained Swarm of Carpinteria’s slow start.

The situation looked bleak when the Warriors trailed 7-4 with under three minutes to play in the third quarter. But, when Carpinteria’s Maddie Brooks scored near the two-minute mark, the lead was cut to 7-5. Then, as Hope Grant’s lob over the head of Sharks’ goalie Sara Toussieng reached the upper corner of the net, it suddenly became a 7-6 game with under a minute to play in the quarter and remained that way until the start of the final quarter.

Both teams tightened their defense as the fourth quarter turned into a physical confrontation. Aggressive challenges by Leticia Cruz and Grant at the CHS zone and one meter area helped to keep the Warriors within a goal. Warrior goalie Vanessa Vega made the key stop of the game when she turned back a penalty shot by Malibu’s Linda Brown with a little over five minutes left. The save, one of eight for the senior goalie, kept the Warriors within striking distance.

With about a minute to play in the game, a Brooks shot once again eluded Toussieng to even the score at 7-7. Grant’s eventual game winning goal, the final tally of the game, gained a split on the season with the Sharks as both teams sit at the top of the standings. Grant and Brooks each scored four times on the afternoon to account for all of the Warriors’ goals. Emma London and Jenny Hill-Corta each netted three to lead the Malibu attack.

Swarm was particularly pleased with the Warriors’ resolve as they ended up shutting out the Sharks in the final quarter. “They could have given up at any time … Even though (the Warriors) were down by three, they believed in each other enough to come back,” concluded Swarm.

The victory again demonstrated that the CHS water polo program is on par with Malibu, which had a lock on the TVL title until last season. The Warriors were 13-9 overall and 6-1 in TVL after the victory. The team’s final league game will have been played against Cate School on Feb. 6 after press time.

Geoffrey Acheampong awarded Player of the Game

By Peter Dugré

Under the lights at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium on Jan. 28, all of the highlights belonged to the Cate School boys soccer team. The Rams invaded Carpinteria High School and grabbed a 5-1 win in the Crosstown Showdown against the CHS Warriors, taking this year’s rivalry match between the two talent-filled boys soccer programs. For his two goals, Cate sophomore Geoffrey Acheampong, an elusive ball handler, earned the Coastal View News Player of the Game. The Rams now hold a 2-0 edge in the annual match since its inception last season.

An aggressive opening attack for the Warriors ended with the Rams countering and collecting a 1-0 lead before two minutes ticked off the clock. The Warriors got a taste early of the speed and skill of Cate senior Joshua Yaro, who received the ball at the center of the field and split two defenders in a burst up the middle before he fed Tyler Douglas in stride. Douglas blasted a low hard shot across the face of Warrior keeper Joey Gamez and set the tone for a lopsided Rams win.

Following the game, Acheampong who was celebrating his birthday, said he had requested that goal from Douglas as a gift earlier that day. “We were studying in the library, and I said, ‘Tyler can you please do me a favor on my birthday and score a goal.’” Acheampong came to Cate from Ghana, Africa, where he studied and played soccer at the Right to Dream Academy.

Acheampong got his chance 15 minutes into the game when he was isolated with a single defender. Fancy footwork freed him for a 12-yard strike just under the crossbar. “We’ve lost a couple of games this year ... it was a wake up call for the whole team,” Acheampong explained of the team’s renewed focus.

The Warriors generated opportunities in the first half, but were thwarted by Rams goalie Keller Mochel, who intercepted many Warrior crosses before they could find their target. Yaro, an impact player on both ends of the field, had key stops in front of the Rams’ net. Defender Matthew Firestone also did some dirty work on the Rams’ back line to hold the Warriors at bay.

Warrior coach Leo Quintero commented, “We didn’t create enough opportunities in the first half.” The Warriors had seven shots in the first half but could not get one off for the game’s first 13 minutes. Overall, Quintero said, the Warriors, “took one to the chin,” and “will learn and go on to the next chapter.”

The Warriors continued to attack during the first 20 minutes of the second half but came up empty. Several entry passes into the box resulted in opportunities but not in clean shots. For the Warriors, Lalo Mejia, Omar Vasquez and Ruben Miranda controlled the ball for much of play, but their efforts were fruitless.

Yaro created a high-speed breakaway opportunity for himself and finished the run by drilling the shot to give the Rams a 3-0 lead 15 minutes into the second half. Acheampong scored on a penalty kick after Douglas was dragged down in the box with less than five minutes remaining.

Genaro Hurtado, determined in the waning minutes, nailed a header on a Carlos Orozco feed for the Warriors’ lone goal.

As time ticked down, Leighton Brillo-Sonnino placed a shot in the upper left corner of the Warrior net to end scoring at 5-1.

“Carp is an excellent team and this is a very, very good win,” Cate coach Peter Mack commented. “As the game wore on, our confidence grew, and we were able to establish our own rhythm and style of play, marked by consecutive, creative short passes, and opportunistic wide runs.”

The five goals allowed was the most this season by the Warriors, who typically count their defense as one of their greatest assets. In seven Tri-Valley League games, the Warriors have yielded a total of three goals, and most recently, the Warriors shut out ranked, Division 1 team Ventura High School.

The Rams, ranked fourth in CIF SS Division 6, improve to 8-2-1 overall and are 4-0 in Condor League. The Warriors, who have yet to crack the top 10 in Division 4 polls, fall to 9-3-3 overall and are 5-1-1 in Tri-Valley League with some important league games looming in the next week.

By Peter Dugré

On a Carpinteria Mount Rushmore, the mug of Lou Panizzon would get heavy consideration for a center spot. The Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce further cemented Panizzon’s name into local history by naming him Carpinterian of the Year for 2012 at the annual Community Awards Banquet on Jan. 26.

Panizzon’s award, a lifetime achievement honor that could have been bestowed in any given year, came the year in which the longtime educator and football coach retired from the Carpinteria Unified School District Board of Education, concluding his over four decades of service in local education.

According to 2011 Carpinterians of the Year Wade and Roxanne Nomura, who introduced Panizzon at the ceremony, Panizzon has been such a worthy candidate for so long that “a few of the members of the selection committee were wondering if he had been elected before.” Panizzon has been inducted into the UCSB athletic Hall of Fame, Santa Barbara Athletic Round-Table Hall of Fame, CIF Hall of Fame and Carpinteria High School Hall of Fame for his coaching.

In his heartfelt speech, Panizzon said that he has been dedicated to a community that helped to raise his brother and him after they lost their mother. Known for his candor, Panizzon commented, “I learned early on that the people in this community take care of each other—we’re all part of a team.” Upon shedding some tears while flanked by his family at the podium, Panizzon interjected, “I’m Italian, so I can cry.” His parents emigrated from Italy.

Panizzon was raised in Carpinteria and attended local public schools. After graduating from UCSB and serving as a U.S. Army officer in Vietnam, for which he received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, he returned to teach at Carpinteria High School. At CHS he served for 15 years as the head football coach and was part of making Warrior football into a feared and revered program. Panizzon coached the team to nine Tri-Valley League championships and five CIF titles, and has been personally recognized as coach of the year over 10 times by several organizations. He also coached the baseball team to a CIF title.

At the ceremony, Congresswoman Lois Capps said, “When I look at you and think of all the young people’s lives you’ve touched in a positive way, I think about how they’ve been blessed by your service.”

Over his long teaching career, Panizzon rose through the ranks to athletic director, assistant principal and principal. Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal said, “If there’s anybody who epitomizes public service and giving back, it’s you.”

Panizzon’s legacy lives on at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium, which he helped to build through a $1.25 million fundraiser that culminated with the stadium’s dedication to veterans in 2009. Mayor Brad Stein said, “(Panizzon) is so unassuming. He sees a job that needs to be done and just does it.”

By Peter Dugré

By the time dignitaries finished showering praise on 2012 Jr. Carpinterian of the Year Andrea Delgado, it seemed they all wished they could achieve at the Carpinteria High School senior’s level. From the podium at the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce Community Awards Banquet on Jan. 26, Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal told Delgado, “I really think you could be president someday. Don’t cut yourself short.”

Delgado boasts the enormous resume and grade point average of a future president, and she carries the title of president pretty regularly in her many clubs and activities. She’s the Associated Student Body president, president of Rotary Interact Club and vice-president of Junior State of America.

Carpinteria Mayor Brad Stein asked, “How do you find the time?” He also said, “Congrats from the city council, and we’re going to look forward to great things.”

Juggling a rigorous course load, Delgado has maintained a 4.43 GPA to rank in the top five of her class. Her studies are geared toward science, and her career goal is to become a pediatrician. Delgado has also gained recognition for her leadership while competing on both the water polo and swim teams.

“You represent the best and the brightest of the future of this country,” Congresswoman Lois Capps said while congratulating Delgado.

The prize comes with a $4,000 scholarship from CVCC. Delgado also has already received a $15,000 scholarship as one of only 10 girls in the U.S. to be granted the Girls Inc. National Scholar award. She hopes to use the scholarships to attend Brown University in Rhode Island. In receiving the award, Delgado said she has been inspired to achieve by the community.

In a statement to the selection committee, she said, “Once I establish my career, I plan on giving back to the youth in my community, just like Girls Inc. has done for me,” Delgado said.

Jr. Carpinterian of the Year runners up, Audrey Lent and Gabriela Mendoza, will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and all of three award finalists will receive a one year premium membership from online educator lynda.com.

Tona Wakefield, who works as the Jail Discharge Planner in the Santa Barbara County Jail, was honored with a Words to Deeds Paradigm Award for her leadership in criminal justice and mental illness. Wakefield, a long-time Carpinterian, works to prevent homeless inmates from being sent back to the streets after release from county jail. To this end, Wakefield identifies indigent inmates with serious mental illness, develops discharge plans, reinstates benefits and refers inmates to benefit acquisition teams throughout the county. In addition to her work at the jail, Wakefield was appointed by First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal to the Advisory Board on Drug and Alcohol Problems, a board that she served on from 2005 to 2011. She was also appointed as an alternate member of the Mental Health Commission and worked as the Family Advocate with the Mental Health Association in Santa Barbara County. She received her Words to Deeds Award from the Forensic Mental Health Association of Counties on Jan. 24 at a ceremony in Sacramento.

Who needs the Lakers? Carpinteria High School girls basketball player Elena Schneider sank a lay up in a Jan. 8 victory over Fillmore High School. The Warriors have let the good times roll into the new year and into Frontier League, winning the league opener at Warrior Gym, 45-21, over Fillmore. The Warriors will put their five-game winning streak on the line against La Reina High School at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 10, at home.

At Fillmore High School, Carpinteria High School boys soccer won its first test of the new year in a 2-0 Tri-Valley League opening victory. Senior captain Genaro Hurtado opened up the scoring in the fifth minute by knocking a header into the net off an Angel Varela corner kick. The game remained tight at 1-0 until the Warriors built a 2-0 lead in the 65th minute on a Lalo Mejia goal that was produced from a Ricky Arroyo assist. Coach Leo Quintero credited goalie Lalo Garcia for recording his first shutout and called him the “player of the game” for keeping the FHS Flashes at bay. The Warriors host Oak Park High School in another TVL match on Friday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m. at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium.

Bob Lieberknecht, a major player in Carpinteria water works for nearly 50 years, was honored for his tenure on the Carpinteria Valley Water District Board of Directors at a surprise luncheon on Jan. 7 at the Carpinteria Woman’s Club. The who’s who of Santa Barbara County water turned out for the event, as well as Lieberknecht’s friends and family members. Lieberknecht is pictured above with his wife, Pat.

Wade Nomura of the Carpinteria Morning Rotary Club was recently selected to chair the 2013-2014 Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee. Nomura and his committee will be charged with creating the 35th annual entry for the club and one that raises awareness of Rotary’s efforts at bringing peace to the world through its many humanitarian service projects. Wade is only the second committee chair in 35 years to come from the Central Coast Rotary District. Last year, Wade’s wife, Roxanne Nomura, walked alongside the float, having participated with Wade in a Polio eradication mission to India and in water, sanitation and health projects in Mexico.
The Rotary Parade Committee also organizes a meeting of the international presidents of Rotary, Optimist, Kiwanis and Lions clubs, service organization leaders that meet together only once a year. This year, Wade served as one of the hosts for the event.

The scale of recognition for Albertsons remodeled store continues to grow. Recently parent company SUPERVALU received two of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 GreenChill Environmental Achievement Awards, one of which, the Best Certified Store Award, specifically honored the Carpinteria Albertsons for being the first in the nation to use only all-natural refrigerants. The cutting edge technology utilized in the local store also helped SUPERVALU to earn the highest score among national grocery retailers in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2012 Leadership Index. Nationwide SUPERVALU reduced its emissions by 3 percent in the past year and reduced total waste by more than 11 percent across its network of 2,400 retail stores.

A Summerland burglary on Jan. 3 led to a high-speed police chase on southbound Highway 101 that ended in the arrest of two Santa Paula men in Oxnard. Justin Tyler Steele, 25, and Ryan Anthony Ramos, 22, were arrested with a large amount of stolen property believed to be from throughout the Santa Barbara area, including a possible stolen vehicle.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department responded to Summerland at 6:30 a.m. on a report of a burglary in progress in the area of Calle Culebra. Based on a witness description of the vehicle fleeing the crime area, deputies located the car and began a pursuit. The vehicle reached speeds over 100 miles per hour, and the CHP eventually took over the pursuit. With the assistance of the Ventura County Sheriff’s helicopter and an Oxnard Police K-9 unit, the two suspects were arrested for evading arrest, grand theft, possession of stolen property and possession of a stolen vehicle and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail where they have since posted bail.

Anyone with information on the suspects, and anyone who was a victim of a burglary in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, is asked to contact Detective Mike Scherbarth at 684- 5405 x423.

Following a multi-month investigation, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department recently posted a warrant for the arrest of former Carpinterian Michael Johnson Norris, 67, who is wanted for several felonies including child molestation and attempted oral copulation of a child. According to Lt. Kelly Moore, the suspected child molester is currently living outside of the United States, and the sheriff’s department is in the process of negotiating with Norris’ lawyers for a surrender. Moore said that essentially the department has communicated the message “either you come back or we’re coming to get you.” Norris is rumored to be living in Costa Rica, and when apprehended, his bail will be set at $250,000. The Sheriff’s Department is not releasing further details of the case.