Wildfire Preparedness Meeting This Thursday

Local residents are reminded to attend the Wildfire Preparedness Meeting hosted by Montecito Fire on Thursday, June 26, at 6:00 pm in the Montecito Union School Auditorium. This panel discussion will bring together representatives from Montecito Fire and adjoining fire departments, MWD, SBC Sheriff’s Office, SBC Office of Emergency Management (OEM), CHP, and SBPD for a full picture of wildfire risk in Montecito, our evacuation challenges, and how you can prepare today. The OEM will give an overview of the new evacuation program, Genasys. There will also be a Q&A session following the panel discussion. Questions should be submitted beforehand at montecitofire.com or emailed to [email protected]. Light refreshments will be provided by San Ysidro Ranch and seating is limited. Doors open at 5 pm. 

Casa del Herrero Centennial Community Day

Casa del Herrero is celebrating its 100th Anniversary on June 29, from 10 am to 5 pm. The day event features your choice of three two-hour sessions for individuals and families. During that time, guests visit the house, gardens, join in arts and crafts, and learn about its history. The event is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust and Lucifer Lighting Company. A formal evening centennial celebration event is scheduled on September 6. Reservations and tickets are required.

411: www.casadelherrero.com

LCO & the Milky Way’s Galactic Bulge Project

Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) announced Friday, June 13, that the data from their three-year LCO Key Project to monitor the Galactic Bulge of the Milky Way is now available.

Here’s the brief from the team: “LCO participated in the ROME/REA Project with international researchers led by Dr. Yiannis Tsapras at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. The project’s two areas were a regular survey of selected fields in the Galactic Bulge plus additional observations made in response to alerts of microlensing events within those fields. The project took advantage of theLCO telescope network by using its geographically distributed sites to maintain around-the-clock monitoring of the fields, while using the multiple telescopes at each site to simultaneously coordinate targeted observations of high priority events. The wealth of stars within the field means that the resulting data is not only highly valuable for microlensing but also for a wide range of other galactic time domain science. The three years of observations and data reduction by a team of scientists have resulted in a catalog of light curves that are available through the NASA Exoplanet Archive.” 

The data release was announced in a paper led by LCO Senior Scientist Dr. Rachel Street. Dr. Street gratefully acknowledges support from a NASA grant.

411: https://tinyurl.com/LCOMilkyData

Updates from Assemblymember Gregg Hart 

For his monthly report, Assemblymember Hart, District 37, reports that seven of his bills have passed the Assembly and are now under consideration in the Senate. His bills are:

AB 14 – California Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program: Establishes a statewide voluntary vessel speed reduction program to prevent boat strikes on whales and reduce harmful air emissions.

AB 471 – Equitable Air District Board Compensation: Allows certain county air districts, including Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, to provide equitable compensation to board members.

AB 632 – Local Housing and Safety Compliance: Strengthens local enforcement of State housing law, fire safety regulations, and unlicensed cannabis activities by expanding penalty collection options for local governments to deter the most serious violators.

AB 1039 – Equitable Access to State Grants: Requires State agencies to provide nonprofit organizations up to 25% of funds in advance for all new contracts and grants. The bill promotes equity and reduces barriers to entry by providing startup funds to nonprofits that deliver essential community services.

AB 1108 – Forensic Accountability, Custodial Transparency, and Safety (FACTS) Act of 2025: Requires independent medical examinations into the deaths of individuals who die in law enforcement custody. The bill aims to mitigate potential conflicts of interest when a sheriff’s office handles cases involving its own personnel.

AB 1448 – Protect California’s Coast: Strengthens environmental protections, public oversight and safety requirements for offshore oil drilling in California. This bill prohibits the State Lands Commission from approving any expansion of offshore oil drilling along California’s coast and places tighter restrictions on the renewal, extension or modification of existing leases.

AB 1466 – Groundwater Adjudications: Enhances California’s groundwater sustainability efforts and protects small family farmers that face expensive litigation by ensuring broader representation in the groundwater management process.

Teens to Perform in China Cultural Exchange

Three 15-year-old violinists from Santa Barbara Strings, a string orchestra and chamber music program led by Solvang resident and violinist Mary Beth Woodruff,will travel to Shandong, China, this July for a two-week intercultural orchestra program. The violinists are Allison Feinberg, Jane Smylie, and Claire Woodruff. Selected through a rigorous audition, the teens will join peers from both the U.S. and China in a music immersion experience hosted by the Cyrus Tang Foundation at Shandong University. The program includes rehearsals, cultural excursions, and collaborative concerts featuring music by Grieg, Bartok, and others. “I’m thrilled to share music and culture,” said Feinberg. Claire Woodruff added, “I can’t wait to know what life is like for a high school string player, just like me, all the way across the planet.”