Santa Barbara Independent

The oil spill just north of Refugio State Beach on May 19, 2015, coated miles of shoreline and marine habitat, and dolphins, elephant seals, sea lions, pelicans and other birds. | Credit: Paul Wellman (file) Nine years ago, a badly corroded pipeline near Refugio State Beach ruptured and spilled what experts now believe was more than 450,000 gallons of oil. Much of the oil poured into the ocean, creating the worst spill in the Santa Barbara area since the catastrophic 1969 event that helped spur the modern environmental movement. I understand the immense power of oil spills. My own life has been profoundly shaped by disasters like the Pipeline 901 spill, and I'm tired of watching marine life suffer. In 2010, just days after my first time seeing a pod of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, my joy was suffocated beneath more than 200 million gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. In those dark days, I couldn't look away as the ocean became a toxic slurry of death. I felt compelled to shift my priorities and abandoned my childhood dream of becoming a marine mammal veterinarian so I could join the fight to stop offshore drilling. The Pipeline 901 rupture brought those awful memories back. This spill killed and injured brown pelicans, California sea lions, dolphins, and fish, among many other animals. Beaches and fisheries shut down as oil blanketed the coast. The spill also shut down seven offshore oil and gas platforms that the pipeline serviced — all but three of which are now slated for decommissioning. But the danger hasn't passed. Efforts are underway to restart the aging and corroded oil infrastructure, despite fierce opposition from landowners, Chumash people, and environmental groups. The Pipeline 901 spill happened almost a decade ago, but many of us remember it as though it was yesterday and want to make sure nothing like it ever happens again. Unfortunately, oil spills keep happening. In October 2021 I took a hiatus from work to decompress and enjoy the sea and my passion for diving. But when I surfaced from one of my dives in San Diego surrounded by floating tar, a few weeks after the 2021 San Pedro pipeline spill in Huntington Beach, it was a harsh reminder that the ocean isn't safe until offshore drilling stops and all platforms are decommissioned. We simply can't count on industry to prevent another oil disaster, so we need more help from government agencies, lawmakers, and the public. Recently a company called Sable borrowed money from Exxon and purchased the entire pipeline system, the three offshore oil-drilling platforms, and an onshore processing plant. Now it's trying every possible avenue to restart operations. Transfers of ownership are an oil-industry shell game to avoid paying the true costs of cleanup. Often, at the end of an oilfield's life, the big companies sell their assets to an underfunded entity that then goes bankrupt, abdicating cleanup responsibility. At a time of record-breaking industry profits and a desperate need to decarbonize, there's no excuse for oil companies to avoid cleaning up their mess. Every government agency should be skeptical of Sable's recent efforts The state pipeline regulator, Cal Fire, should not allow the onshore Pipeline 901 to restart, especially since the agency would need to grant a waiver allowing Sable to proceed without the best possible oil-spill prevention technologies. The State Lands Commission should not renew or extend any leases for pipelines in state waters due to the significant risk of another subsea pipeline spill. The Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District must not renew air-pollution permits (currently open for public comment) for these shuttered operations with outdated, inadequate air-pollution controls. Before shutting down, these facilities were the largest source of greenhouse gases in Santa Barbara County and a major source of several serious air pollutants. The federal government should stop extending the offshore oil leases in federal waters that would have expired years ago. And federal, state. and local regulators should absolutely not allow Exxon to transfer assets to Sable without requiring financial assurances for all cleanup obligations and ensuring coverage for a worst-case scenario oil spill. Offshore drilling has to end, and governments have to stop granting permission to pollute. The risk of devastating oil spills and the cost of cleanup are too high. As we enjoy our beautiful beaches and ocean this summer, let's not forget the seasons when we had to stay away, the precious wildlife we lost, or the dirty industry that caused it. Brady Bradshaw is a senior oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Taxes and the Income Gap by Peter Kuper, PoliticalCartoons.com Why are we consulting real estate speculators and economists on housing costs and community development, as seen at the recent UCSB Economic Forecast for Santa Barbara County? We should consult biologists, social scientists, financial experts, and ordinary residents. Considering the apparent conflict of interest when involving individuals like Rick Caruso, Gene Deering, and Peter Rupert in community development is essential. While they may have valuable insights, their roles as real estate speculators and economists bias their perspectives. This is particularly true for the first two, who stand to profit from further private market property development, which could influence their recommendations. Economics is not a deterministic science; it's a highly politicized philosophy. Economic theory has so far failed to produce a single useful tool that can reliably predict anything. Peter Rupert, in fact, is on record stating that he cannot make useful predictions. If one understands asset pricing and math, i.e., financial theory, it's readily apparent that we could cover every inch of Santa Barbara County in high-density housing units, and it would not lower the cost of housing until traffic density, noise, and crowds ruin the very quality of life that keeps rental yield in Santa Barbara County competitive with that of stocks and bonds. If one understands asset pricing and math, i.e., financial theory, it's readily apparent that global shelter and investment demand are both far greater than the housing that can be squeezed into the county. People and capital are mobile and, in all practical terms, unlimited compared to Santa Barbara County's capacity. So why should we let real estate developers and their lackeys determine our future? Affordable Housing and Functional Downtowns State Street is a massive failure because a handful of landlords have been allowed to turn downtown into another utterly impersonal corporate strip mall. And that means, perhaps counterintuitively to Americans who tend to believe that states are independent and self-financing entities, that every state and local government needs federal “parity” funding to provide necessary goods and services in every viable community. The federal government is the only funding entity that is not constrained by anything other than inflation. The private sector, states, and local government have much more immediate and tight budget constraints. Santa Barbara County should demand that Sacramento fund the purchase of private properties if Sacramento wants us to create more affordable housing. The county should also use county land to build county-owned housing that is then leased to local residents at a fixed percentage of the local median household income. The time has come to impose limits on growth, and we must end the negative influence that private real estate developers and their hired guns have on American communities.

Hope to see you Saturday MAY 18th at 4:00pm at Tecolote Book Shop for Richard Bangs • The Art of

Governor Newsom's May budget revision would axe billions of dollars in vital human services and climate programs. But, somehow, $400 million in surplus grift for PG&E is left untouched. Senate Bill 846, enacted in 2022, authorized giving PG&E a $1.4 billion zero-interest, forgivable bridge “loan” to pursue the extension of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. It was to be repaid by a matching federal DOE energy grant. PG&E got the grant in January. As it happens, PG&E only asked DOE for $1.1 billion — reasons unknown — and the chances of the state being paid back the missing $300 million are negligible. Receipt of the DOE grant eliminated the need for any more state funding. Last month, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee tried, unsuccessfully, to limit the amount of state disbursements to $600 million. The state has already doled out $1 billion of the loan to PG&E, and Newsom wants to gift them the remaining $400 million — which is $300 million more than can be repaid by the federal grant! It's easy math — taxpayers will lose. Reasonable people can disagree about the wisdom of the Diablo Canyon extension, but who thinks stuffing $400 million of unneeded money into PG&E's pockets is reasonable? Taxpayers need to let their legislators know this unnecessary expenditure should be redirected to higher priorities. In a fiscal crisis, where genuine needs are being stripped from the budget, PG&E is now swiping food from other plates. Somebody needs to stop them. David Weisman is executive director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility Legal Fund

A lot of misinformation has appeared in the news lately about changes coming to the real estate industry and what they mean for homebuyers and sellers.

I know this will ignite a discussion, but we don't need to tax every sale in the county. A half-percent property tax on homes that are sold for over $10 million would raise a lot of money. In 2023, there were 36 properties that sold for more than ten million dollars in our county. Those properties came to over a half-billion-dollars! Asking the 36 individuals or families or corporations that purchased $529,155,309 in property to pay another 0.5 percent would yield $26,457,765. If a half-percent increase on properties over $10 million can cover the bill, and the UHNW (ultra high net worth) buyers of these homes, in fact, really can afford it a nd they stand to gain a lot of wealth by investing in those homes. Most UHNW individuals allocate a significant portion of their portfolios to equities, commercial real estate, and bonds. The majority of their wealth stems from the value of their primary and secondary homes. The number of wealthy individuals globally is expected to increase by 28.1 percent over the five years to 2028. The U.S. is home to the most UHNWIs in the world — 241,253! Just this year alone (yes, in just five months) a half-percent tax would have brought in $11 million from the 11 homes that closed over $10 million — the average sales price was $17 million. I don't think an $850,000 bill will keep the ultra-rich from buying, but I do think that a regressive sales tax will further widen the economic imbalance that already exists. It's an imbalance that seems to be worsening.

Ali Wong is a comedian, writer, actress, and director known for her comedy specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife, and Emmy-nominated Don Wong. Ali

Congratulations on a wonderful editorial, “ No Dog but Dog .” In the last few months I thought I was going mad with my reactions to the state of the world, but as you pointed out, it's the world that is mad! Whew, what a relief! If you know of any mental health tips, please do pass them on. The world has desperate need in these tumultuous times.

Julia Child used to come to The Spot, a small burger joint in Carpinteria. She always said it was her favorite cheeseburger. I saw her there once having lunch, a very fun and outgoing person. But we heard of many other visits. It's still there, at Linden and Dorrance Way. It's not as good since it changed hands. I lived on Dorrance Way for five years, quite the surf scene back then. The Spot was our local hangout for lunch, along with Ralph's Market. And The Palms for a great steak all-you-could-eat dinner: $3.50 all the salad, beans, bread you wanted. (You cooked your own steak!) Both long gone now. Carpinteria was great then, cheap rents, and good music. My old house at 4840 Dorrance is actually the old Summerland train station. They loaded it on a flatcar and moved it to Carpinteria. I don't believe anyone else knows or remembers that fact. But you can still see it in the architecture. Things have sure changed.

Geothermally speaking, Santa Barbara is famous/infamous for having a fickle flow of seasons. Clear delineations between annual seasonal time are rarely apparent, with degrees of heat, chill, overcast skies in summer, and blue skies in winter confusing our sense of what happens when. In our classical music season calendar, however, we can count on comforting regularity and an uncommonly rich tapestry of concert-going options, almost year-round. Case in point: Just as the traditional fall-to-spring classical concert season has all but wrapped up, the Ojai Music Festival brings its international and contemporary-geared gleam in early June, and then the spotlight all but belongs to the world-renowned Music Academy. For eight weeks, the Academy (née the Music Academy of the West for its first 74 years), keeps an innately talented roster of fellows more than busy with studies and performances, ushers some of the top classical musicians into the 805, and, for the serious music-hungry public, an embarrassment of concert riches to keep summer ennui at bay. For all of the predictable bounty of programming, this 77th annual edition brings with it a change of the administrational and conceptual guard. Former Academy head Scott Reed has passed the leadership baton over to Shauna Quill, whose résumé includes time leading the Grammy-winning New York Youth Symphony. Nate Bachhuber — with experience as administrator with the respected likes of the L.A. Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony — takes the reins as Chief Artistic Officer. The first official event of the 2024 season is the fundraising gala dinner and performance at the Academy's picturesque Montecito home base of Miraflores on June 1, a high-priced occasion for a cause. Food and drink in gala-ville are always top-notch, as is the talent on hand — this year, famed cellist and Music Academy alum Joshua Roman. But the Academy's dense schedule of performances — often with intentionally affordable ticket options — begins in earnest with the return of the Takács Quartet, at Hahn Hall on June 14 and closes on August 3 at the Granada Theatre, with the Academy Festival Orchestra performing Mahler's Symphony No. 6, Tragic , conducted by Finnish maestro Hannu Lintu. Apart from such regular weekly concert series as the “x2” Thursday encounters with professional artists and fellows, and the “Fellows Friday” programs designed and performed by an all-fellow cast, there are many other special calendar-marking events this season. High on that list is the “Fauré Project” with violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Jeremy Denk and cellist Steven Isserlis on July 5 at Hahn Hall. Denk and Bell also perform a twofer recital at the Granada on July 2. Faculty member (and badass pianist/thinker) Denk gives a performance-lecture on Charles Ives's epochal Concord Sonata (June 19 at Lehmann Hall) while two other famed pianists, Timo Andres and Connor Hannick — aided by select fellows — offer up a special showcase performance of the complete Philip Glass Piano Études (July 13 at Hahn Hall). Each summer features a fully staged opera, along with other performances showcasing the superlative voice department. Among the world-class singers ennobling this department's pedagogy have been Lotte Lehmann and Martial Singher early in the Academy's history, and a long stint led by the dynamic (and generous-spirited) diva Marilyn Horne (after whom the main house at Miraflores was named). This year, we get our second Carmen of the year (July 12 and 14, at the Granada Theatre), after last fall's Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) production. But if the OSB version heeded traditional values, the Music Academy production is something else again, in what promises to be an elaborately reimagined and rethought treatment by director Ken Cazan and flamenco choreographer Manuel Gutierrez, conducted by famed repeat visitor to the Academy, Daniela Candillari. Among the many on-the-town traditions, the list of Saturday-night orchestra concerts at the Granada, by the always strong fellow-filled Academy Festival Orchestra (AFO), ranks among the most satisfying symphonic evenings in town all year. This year's overall AFO program is unusually broad and adventurous, including a rare performance of Stravinsky's proto-modernist masterpiece Rite of Spring (June 29), on a program with music of L.A.-based composer Joan Huang and the late, revitalized African-American composer Florence Price, conducted by Anthony Parnther. AFO circa 2024 is also stretching out on a notably inclusive roster of orchestral works, as well as repertoire pillars worth hearing, as with the Wagner, Sibelius, and Mahler triple-play menu of the opening orchestra concert, led by Osmo Vänskä on June 22. Another keen point of orchestral interest is the night when John Adams's moving post-modern Violin Concerto lands in the AFO's hands at the Granada on July 27, under the baton of great American composer David Robertson. The concert also features eminent violinist Leila Josefowicz — who made the debut recording (listen here ) and recently performed a Hahn Hall recital hosted by UCSB Arts & Lectures. For those wanting to dive deeper, the aforementioned highlights are extensively expanded upon by a bevy of masterclasses and other performances. At a festival preview event in March, the self-described “newbie” Quill emphasized that, at the Music Academy, “the strength of the program is why we received over 800 applicants for fellows. It's quite something. We have a great program, and having it here in Santa Barbara is a huge part of what makes it special.” Soon enough, Santa Barbara music lovers will be invited to join in the feast of a fest. See musicacademy.org for the entire summer festival schedule and program. By Dick Saar, Vista | Sun May 19, 2024 By Paige Kaye, S.B. | Sat May 18, 2024 By Michele Allyn, President, Santa Barbara Association of Realtors | Sat May 18, 2024 By David Weisman, San Luis Obispo | Sat May 18, 2024 Sun, May 26 12:00 PM Santa Barbara Mon, May 27 11:00 AM Santa Barbara Wed, May 29 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Tue, May 21 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Fri, May 24 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, May 26 11:00 AM 93103, Santa Barbara, CA Sun, May 26 12:00 PM Santa Barbara Mon, May 27 11:00 AM Santa Barbara Wed, May 29 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Tue, May 21 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Fri, May 24 7:00 PM Santa Barbara Sun, May 26 11:00 AM 93103, Santa Barbara, CA Sun, May 26 12:00 PM Santa Barbara Mon, May 27 11:00 AM Santa Barbara Wed, May 29 7:00 PM Santa Barbara