Kenneth Kahn has been re-elected as Tribal Chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, marking his fifth consecutive full term leading the tribe’s governing body. The recent election also reaffirmed the leadership of Business Committee members Mike Lopez, Maxine Littlejohn, Gary Pace, and Raul Armenta, who will each continue serving two-year terms.

The Chairman and Business Committee oversee the legal, business, and policy affairs of the tribe while working to ensure the economic well-being of its members. Kahn, 48, was first elected to the Business Committee in 2003 at age 25, making him the youngest member ever elected to the board. Over the years, he served as Secretary-Treasurer and Vice Chairman before being elected Chairman in a 2016 special election. Beyond his tribal leadership role, Kahn serves on the California Truth and Healing Council and as Vice Chair of the Native American Rights Fund.

Returning as Vice Chairman, Mike Lopez enters his sixth consecutive term on the Business Committee. Lopez, who served a decade on the Santa Ynez Gaming Commission, also holds leadership roles with the California Nations Indian Gaming Association and the United Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara County.
Maxine Littlejohn, re-elected to her sixth term, continues as Secretary-Treasurer. A Business Committee member since 2000, she briefly left to serve on the Gaming Commission before rejoining the board in 2015.

Gary Pace, a longstanding figure in tribal leadership, begins his 12th consecutive term. He first joined the committee in 2004 following a special election and has helped guide the tribe through two decades of growth.
Raul Armenta returns for his sixth consecutive term after first joining the committee in 2016. Prior to that, he served nearly 20 years on the Gaming Commission.
Since the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934, federally recognized tribes like the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians have operated under self-governing constitutions. These governing systems, rooted in tradition and cultural identity, enable tribes to manage their own affairs while preserving their heritage.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, located in Santa Barbara County, remains the only federally recognized Chumash tribe in the United States. Its reservation was officially established in 1901.

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A Buellton woman has been arrested for attempted murder of her boyfriend. On Sunday, March 30, at approximately 1:58 a.m., a deputy came upon a male subject in the roadway on Highway 246 at Valley Station Road. As the deputy attempted to usher the subject from the roadway, he discovered that the man had several stab wounds and lacerations to the shoulder, hip, chest, back and hand. The victim told deputies that his girlfriend had stabbed him and was inside a nearby residence in the 200 block of Valley Station Road. 

While deputies were rendering aid to the victim and attempting to control his bleeding, the suspect, 40-year-old Lydia Alicia Gonzales, stepped outside of the residence and threw cans of beer at them. Gonzales was quickly taken into custody and was safely restrained despite being extremely combative. Gonzales was booked at the Northern Branch Jail for felonies including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and domestic violence. She is being held on $1 million bail. 

The victim was transported to an area hospital and is in stable condition. 

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On Feb. 18, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, commander of the Air Education and Training Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Chad Bickley, AETC command chief, visited Vandenberg Space Force Base. Their visit focused on briefing personnel on missile maintenance training developments and coincided with a Congressional Delegation’s engagement with base leadership. Robinson also toured the 532nd Training Squadron, receiving mission briefings and engaging with students and instructors on the latest advancements in missile maintenance and operations training.

2025 State of Vandenberg Addresses Mission and Regional Impact

The annual State of Vandenberg event, held on March 14 in cooperation with the Santa Maria Valley and Lompoc Valley Chambers of Commerce, provided updates on the base’s mission and regional impact. U.S. Space Force Col. Mark Shoemaker, commander of Space Launch Delta 30, presented the 2025 Vandenberg Commanders Community Service Award to David Goldy, the 576th Flight Test Squadron Honorary Commander.

Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, highlighted the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test launch mission at VSFB, emphasizing launches scheduled five years in advance. Additionally, Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, Commander of U.S. Space Forces – Space, underscored the base’s strategic importance and future operational goals.

Honorary Commanders Tour Firefly and NASA Facilities

On March 25, a group of honorary commanders from Vandenberg and Los Angeles Air Force Base participated in a base tour that included visits to Firefly Aerospace and NASA facilities. The program aims to strengthen community partnerships by informing local leaders about the Air and Space Force missions. Attendees engaged with Firefly staff and Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs members to gain deeper insight into Vandenberg’s collaboration with commercial partners.

VSFB Honors Chief Master Sergeants in 2025 Recognition Ceremony

Space Launch Delta 30 hosted the 2025 Chief Master Sergeant Recognition Ceremony on March 28, honoring the newly selected Chief Master Sergeants. The event celebrated their promotion and dedication to upholding the highest standards of excellence within the U.S. Space Force.

As Vandenberg Space Force Base continues to evolve, these key events demonstrate its commitment to excellence in leadership, training, and community collaboration, reinforcing its pivotal role in national security and space exploration.

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On a busy weekend in Solvang, a number of Santa Ynez Valley demonstrators gathered along Mission Drive in front of the Veterans Memorial Hall to participate in a national day of protest on Saturday, April 5.

The protest, referred to as “Hands Off,” was against the recent policies of President Donald Trump, including newly imposed global tariffs, cuts to government agencies and federal workforce, and raids to round up undocumented immigrants, among other policies made by the president after his reelection in 2024.

According to the Associated Press, demonstrations were organized for more than 1,400 locations in all 50 states, with an estimated 3 million participating.

Among the ones on the Central Coast was the one in Solvang (there were also demonstrations in Santa Barbara and Lompoc) spearheaded by Solvang resident Christine Pickavet, with help from Santa Ynez resident Leslie Churchfield.

“I wanted to go to Santa Barbara, and I saw there was one in Lompoc, but I knew we had a strong presence of people here in Solvang to do one,” Pickavet said. “So I contacted Leslie, and we got the word out.”

Pickavet said she organized the demonstration mainly to give people a voice, and there was no one issue over the others that prompted her to protest.

“We wanted something here in Solvang for local representation for our voices, because I think it can lean the other way sometimes,” she said. “I just wanted everyone who shares our perspective to know that they’re not alone here in the Valley, and I knew it could gather even if it was just Leslie and I on the corner.”

Plans for the protest were curtailed somewhat by the Bricks and Builds weekend-long event, which was an inaugualconvention for Lego builders and enthusiasts. Organizers had reportedly sought to use Solvang Park, but the Bricks and Builds already had activities and entertainment set up there. The protesters gathered instead at Mission Drive in front of the Veterans Hall, which was the main location of the Lego event.

Most demonstrators had handmade signs that they held up for passing motorists to see, many playing off the “Hands Off” idea, and others referring to more specific subjects, like the tariffs, governmental cuts, immigration, and LBGTQ+ issues. Motorists could be heard sounding their horns, presumably in support, as they passed the protesters.

“The reactions from people passing by has been very positive,” Churchfield said. “We’re getting a lot of honks.”

While the more than 100 protesters had a few issues to protest, Nancy Dale of Solvang said it all stemmed from what she thought the federal government was becoming.

“With who’s in charge now, I feel the government is becoming autocratic, and that really scares me,” she said.

Amy Derryberry of Solvang, who came to the demonstration with Dale, agreed, saying, “I think it’s become a power grab that’s unconstitutional and with all of [Trump’s] that are completely not qualified for any of the offices that they’reat.”

Ultimately, for Churchfield and other protesters, it was the satisfaction of being a part of something bigger, and letting her voice be heard.

“We’re taking part here, but it’s the National Day of Protest, and we’re standing strong with apparently two and a half million other Americans, and that feels good,” she said.

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The S. Y. Valley Residents Association, a Santa Ynez Valley community group, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Solvang challenging the city’s processing of the application of the Wildwood development near Solvang’s eastern gateway, the corner of Highway 246 (Mission Drive) and Alamo Pintado Road.  

SYVRA’s lawsuit contends that the City Planning staff acted improperly: 1) in processing the defective preliminary application for the Wildwood project, 2) in unilaterally revising the full development application, and 3) in ultimately finding the development application complete.  The lawsuit asks the court to declare the application void and of no effect and to issue a writ of mandate requiring the city to cease processing the application. It also asks the court to vacate the determination of completeness made by City Planning and to deem the City Planning manager’s actions to unilaterally revise the application a violation of state law.

The Wildwood Project was proposed by developer Joshua Richman/Lots on Alamo Pintado, LLC of Oakland, California, to be constructed both on undeveloped lands northwest of the corner of Alamo Pintado Road and Old Mission Drive and on a portion of the open space area of the Mission Oaks subdivision. The developer filed the application as a “Builder’s Remedy” project, including a 100-unit multi-family housing development that includes seven buildings, reduced parking, and setback requirements. Current zoning on the site allows up to 56 units, 36 of which are planned for affordable housing.

Applications for Builder’s Remedy projects were permitted to be filed during the period that Solvang was out of compliance with the state’s Housing Accountability Act, whereby the city was required to update the Housing Element of its General Plan to identify affordable housing locations. The city’s Housing Element was out of compliance with state housing laws for eight months, from June 15, 2023, until Feb. 12, 2024. While the city was out of compliance, the developer filed a Builders Remedy “Preliminary Application” on Oct. 6, 2023. Once the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development certified the city’s revised Housing Element in February 2024, no new Builder’s Remedy projects could be applied for, but projects already in the pipeline that were compliant with the Builder’s Remedy law could still proceed.  

SYVRA observed that the developer failed to submit a compliant “Preliminary Application” for the Builder’s Remedy project because it failed to include signatures from all of the landowners of the proposed project site, including the owners of the Mission Oaks subdivision lands, which is specifically required by the Builder’s Remedy statute. The city notified the developer of the omission, but the developer did not respond. The Builder’s Remedy law requires the preliminary application to be voided if defects in the application are not corrected within six months of submittal. SYVRA said the developer failed to correct the defective preliminary application in a timely manner, and when the Housing Element was certified, the developer could not amend or resubmit a Builder’s Remedy project application for Wildwood. 

The SYVRA claims that despite being notified of the defects in the proposed Wildwood project’s preliminary application, the city and its planning staff then accepted and began processing the developer’s subsequent full application for the Builder’s Remedy project. The developer continuously refused to supply required information requested by the city and then revised its full project application to reduce the number of affordable housing units to 13, which further disqualified the Wildwood project from processing as a Builder’s Remedy development. The City Planning staff then unilaterally revised the application to conform to the affordable housing requirements of the Builder’s Remedy law, and determined the application for the Wildwood project was complete, a critical milestone in the city’s project review process.  

“We are not opposing the project — we are simply asking that it be brought into compliance with the law,” said a SYVRA spokesperson. “We believe in thoughtful development that benefits the entire Santa Ynez Valley and provides needed affordable housing, while respecting our community’s rural character and the integrity of the city’s zoning and land use planning laws.”

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The Buellton City Council put in a little extra time in the first full week of April, conducting its regular meeting on Thursday, April 10, before holding a special meeting on Saturday, April 12, at the Buellton Library to discuss future budget priorities.

In the regular meeting, for which Mayor David Silva was absent, the council listened to a presentation by the United Way of Santa Barbara County on its Brighter Futures Childcare Initiative, a program designed to improve access to childcare for low- and middle-income families in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Later, in the meeting’s first business item, Steve Ortiz and Rose Levy of the United Way of Santa Barbara County gave a presentation explaining the organization’s Brighter Futures Childcare Initiative. Having the United Way come to explain the program was something suggested by Councilmember Hudson Hornick, who has two children in the Zaca Preschool in Buellton, and said he has seen the difficulty that some have had in getting affordable childcare.

“I’ve talked with Shelley Grand, the executive director of the preschool, and she told me she has a waiting list of 100 to get into the school,” Hornick said. “This is just a staggering obstacle for families to get proper care.”

In her presentation, Levy pointed out that the county has a child-space deficit (people waiting to get in to childcare) of 9,371, and their are over 1,000 on waiting lists in the Santa Ynez Valley alone.

Levy said the issues facing families trying to get their kids into childcare include high tuition rates, difficulties ofrunning a childcare facility, lack of providers, and inability of parents to fully participate in the workforce.

The Brighter Futures Initiative tries to narrow the gap with scholarships for the “missing middle” (middle-income families), and programs to encourage more childcare, among other things.

Levy suggested ways for Buellton to engage would be create revenue sources to help strengthen the childcare sector,and gave examples from elsewhere in the county.

“In Goleta, they have the Measure B sales tax; in Aspen, Colorado, they use a real estate transfer taxes; and in Hood River, Oregon, they use [transit occupancy tax] to fund childcare opportunities,” she said, naming just a few of many.

Levy said the city can also help by looking at its land-use policy to make it less restrictive for preschool and childcare facilities to open.

In response, Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis said she could direct staff to look at Buellton’s land-use policy, whileCouncilmember John Sanchez suggested the city could incentivize future housing project to include a building or facility for childcare. Hornick, who has already joined a county coalition on the issue, said he would like to explore the possiblity of partnerships with the United Way to help the process.

In other business, the council agreed to install signs at the transit stop near the Buellton Library on Valley Dairy Road. In the March 13 meeting, staff was directed to find a solution other than a red curb to prevent parking at the stop.

Director of Public Works Rose Hess recommended signs prohibited parking while the transit buses were still in operation, which Hess said would be from approximately 6:49 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday. After agreeing to keep a red curb in front of the fire hydrant just before the Dairyland Road intersection, the council voted 3-0 to approve the signs.

On Saturday, April 12, the City Council convened in a conference room at the Buellton Library for a special meeting to discuss budget priorities, one that City Manager Scott Wolfe said would be an “informal discussion” on the city’s budget needs. Hornick had suggested the meeting at previous regular meetings because he believed the council would have to deal with a deficit in future years.

However, after Finance Director Shannel Zamora gave her presentation, which had new numbers that showed the city would be operating with a surplus for the rest of its 10-year forecast, Hornick said the discussion was probably unnecessary as the forecast now did not show a future deficit, thanks to, among other things, an expected spike in the Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT).

The councilmembers still decided to go over the budget priorities that were listed in an earlier meeting.

Among the listed items included in the projection:

Willemsen Property Parking Lot: Cost given at $2.6 million which will be split between separate fiscal years. Sanchez voiced his opposition at a stairway up to the library, but Wolfe assured that they would be looking to build a ramp instead.

Highway 246 Safety Improvements: To cost $2 million, to be split between fiscal years.

Motor Officer add to Sheriff Contract: Listed at $270,200 per current contract proposal.

Median 3 (Avenue of Flags) design/improvements: Listed at $3 million — $850,000 paid in FY 2024-25 and $2.15 million paid in FY 2025-26.

Children’s Museum: City has agreed to partner up with museum on Willemsen property, projected as $800,000, with a $350,000 start-up contribution, $150,000 per year in years 1 and 2, with a $150,000 match at 2 for 1 in year 3.

Two items on the list not projected included a splash pad (thought to be part of Children’s Museum budget), and a shade canopy at the River View Park playground (deemed not feasible due to frequent high winds at park).

The City Council will meet next on Thursday, April 24, at 6 p.m.

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With the recent devastating fires in Pacific Palisades and Pasadena still fresh in everyone’s minds, the steps to protect one’s home and property from wildfires becomes more and more important.

With that thinking, Santa Ynez Valley residents attended a public meeting to address fire safety and preparedness, co-hosted by Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, Buellton Mayor David Silva. and Solvang City Councilmember Elizabeth Orona on March 31 at the Solvang City Council chambers.

With other local leaders from the Valley present, the meeting had fire personnel and county evacuation experts on the panel to give presentations and answer questions from the audience on fire safety and prevention.

Orona opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and noting that the meeting was held for local residents to be “more aware, more informed, and more prepared” for potential wildfires in the area.”

“Not that we weren’t already conscious of it, but it is important for intercommunities to be coordinated and planning our reponses,” Orona said. “Fire safety and fire abatement is most effective when we work together and follow programs.”

Silva then spoke and urged to practice preparedness for not only fires, but other emergencies.

“Even smaller emergencies can cause havoc,” he said. “Buellton’s a commuter city, and if an emergency happens here at the wrong time, you could be miles away. That’s why you need to be proactive in the neighborhood; emergencies aren’talways going to be with a FEMA element attached to it.”

Hartmann then spoke and delivered a message that would set the tone for the evening: “Resilience is built on relationships, and having social connections gives you a better chance for survival.”

She then introduced Santa Barbara County Fire Marshal Fred Tan, who said that the key for residents is to maintain fire mitigation by keeping vegetation clear around one’s property, and that the county is doing its part in that.

“We take a lot of action in this county, my deputy fire marshal, Vince LaRocco, is the backbone of the mitigation,” Tan said. “We’ve conducted the Spalding-Midland burn, a roughly 1,600-acre project that creates about a 10-year buffer to protect the communities and next year we’re planning the Sedgewick burn, which should help clear more vegetation and keep us safer from wildfires.” 

After Tan spoke, Hartmann then introduced Anne-Marie Parkinson, the executive director of the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, for which Hartmann is a board member. The Fire Safe Council works with fire agencies to reduce risk, and also with neighborhoods, encouraging them to collabarate on fire prevention and mitigation.

Parkinson spoke to the audience about Firewise USA, a program that provides collaborative framework to help neighbors, get organized, understand risk, and work together to decrease wildfire risk. She began her presentation by showing a video of actor James Woods recounting how he saved an elderly neighbor after authorities lost track of him during an evacuation.

“I got chills seeing that, because that is the whole point of Firewise,” Parkinson said. “That man was rescued because the neighbor [Woods] knew him, knew where he was, knew his son’s number, and the man is alive because of that.”

She then went on to say the county had 30 Firewise communities in Santa Barbara County and were looking for more, hoping to have the whole county under the program. The Firewise program promotes creating a committee, identifying boundaries and risk assessments, and putting together an action plan.

Hartmann then proposed a Firewise community be formed in the Santa Ynez Valley and eventually link it to others in the county.

“We’re working on a Firewise community in Lompoc, and we just finished one on the Gaviota coast,” she said. “Having one in Santa Ynez Valley can help bridge the effort to be ready for fires.”

The next speaker was Sara Aguilar, director of animal services for Santa Barbara County, who advised on the evacuation of animals during a fire.

Emergency time is short options shrink immediately,” she said. “You can’t just load your animals in a car, or take them to a hotel. Saving animals can be risk to human lives. The key is to have a plan for evacuation.”

Aguilar also provided a QR code for a livestock registry that can be used so those with the county who are evacuating your animals know the particular and eliminate any confusion at your property. She also suggested an evacuation practice at night to make sure you can load your animal and get out quickly. She said if you can do that at night, it will be much easier during the day.

After the speakers were done, the floor was opened for questions and comments from the audience.

The first audience member pointed out that air support is important for fighting fires, but that the county is currently working with “Vietnam-era helicopters” that need to be upgraded.

“It cost money, but the investment is important, and we have people in this area with money,” the man said. “If the chiefs bring the proposal forward, we’ll support you.”

That speaker also proposed more night capabilities for aircraft, when the conditions were better, and also said partnering with the Chumash Fire Department could also be beneficial.

Another audience member pointed out the shortage of roads to get out of Valley towns during a fire or other catastrophe.

“We have one road in and one road out: I don’t get how it can work,” she said. “We can’t get out on the 4th of July, how will we get out if there’s a fire? where’s the infrastructure?”

To that end, Tam urged an early warning notificiation, and for the people to be self-aware and leave early if they feelthey need to instead of waiting for officials to order them out.

“We’re phasing in an evacuation plan,” he said. “It’ll be a challenge, but with early detection, we should do OK.”

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Solvang Rotary and Linda Vista Foundation joined forces on Feb. 8-17 for some challenging philanthropic work in Guatemala for the third year in a row. 

Solvang Rotarians Linda Johansen, Jan Clevenger, Dr. Art Kaslow, Dr. Bobby Brugnone, and Joe Brown teamed up with Linda Vista Foundation CEO Stu Gildred and his sister Tiffany Enermann as well as his new Director for Latin America Ana Paula Perez Martinez. 

“Because there were only five Solvang Rotarians leaving from the Solvang area this year, we had to improvise our round-trip transportation to the LAX airport,” Johansen began. “To the rescue was fellow Rotarian Tresha Sell and Rio Vista who offered to provide the group with a van and driver in each direction. We were lucky enough to have Maynard Bentley, a dear friend to some of us, be our driver. Thank you Rio Vista, the Sell family, Maynard, and employee Tyler for getting all the arrangements made to help us. It takes a village for sure on these trips whether it be additional funding from private Rotarians or our Club, or both. We love and appreciate so much our village of helpers as we all pay our own way as well as help to pay for all of the services that we provide in the underserved communities.”

And once the group got to Guatemala it was more planning for transportation.

“We have always flown Avianca for this mission from Los Angeles directly into Guatemala City and stayed there overnight before leaving early the next morning for a long drive to our first destination,” Johansen continued. “We rented two vehicles and divided up our team with Stu Gildred driving in the lead car followed by Dr. Bobby Brugnone and his team members. We communicate between the cars with our high-tech walkie-talkies for directions and entertainment. This helps to keep these long difficult dirt road drives bearable. We have always made those long car rides fun with joke-telling and games.”

Johansen explained that the group’s mission was dedicated to projects for the underserved in the remote mountainous village of San Martin Chiquito, particularly the indigenous Mam tribe, who are of Mayan descent. They speak no Spanish, only Mam. 

“We all stayed at the nonprofit called Local Hope and Xela Aid Eco Guest House facility and worked in the same compound as well. For our afternoon arrival at Xela Aid, we were greeted by the staff and school children who treated us to a dancing performance in their native costume in the inner courtyard,” Johansen said. “It was wonderful and the children were so adorable. One by one the children managed to get our entire group out on the dance floor with them. The program ended with the children giving us all handpicked bouquets of flowers for our rooms. There were lots of hugs for the children and they all hugged us right back! These adorable pre-school-aged children were part of a scholarship fund established for 50 students into the Montessori program.”

The group’s projects at Local Hope Xela Aid were the completion and delivery to local families of handmade chicken coops with chickens for a sustaining project for the families, water filter systems, working in the computer lab with students, aid for the special needs classrooms, guitar lessons and several days of intense dentistry.

“The dentistry was tough as the indigenous adults and children that we saw had received absolutely no dental treatment, so it was a bit like a war zone in there. There were a lot of infections and extractions and it was absolutelyheartbreaking to see little children in this condition,” said Johansen.  “We all wanted to scoop them up in our arms and bring them home to a better life, which included better dental and health care.”

Johansen provided some impact numbers from 2024 for Xela Aid which was founded by humanitarian Leslie Baer Dinkel: Health care, 6,362 patients served; safe water, 27,610 served; 23,425 emergency food; 8,626 hot meals for children and seniors; 72,864 Pre-K learning participant hours; 83,160 Study Center participant hours; computer lab, 64,080 participant hours; and special needs, 94,438 learning, physical and therapy hours. The number of people served in 2024 was 16,626.  

“Again, one person had a vision that turned into this reality for the community of San Martin Chiquito. One person’sefforts can and does make a profound difference,” said Johansen.

“Before leaving Xela Aid, we all took advantage of the indigenous women and their weaving skills by shopping in their co-op store, where all participants divide the monies,” she continued. “The women of this tribe have found great power in knowing that their weaving skills are valued and are banding together in many different co-ops to sell their stunningly beautiful hand-woven items. The women are now very successful in their own right and helping to provide for their families.”

The group departed Xela Aid, driving over three hours on marginal roads to their next stop, which was San Jose La Maquina, which is where they stayed for several nights for their well dig project.

“The villages are so remote and have no hotel facilities or ever receive tourists, so we stay as close as possible with the well-digging crew in whatever community that they find with a hotel that is habitable for us all,” said Johansen. “Last year’s ‘find’ had brown water coming out of the tap, so thank heavens for wet wipes.

“We eat breakfast starting at 5 a.m. with the crew as well as dinner later every evening about 7 p.m., having about 30 minutes to wash up after the day’s well dig. We initiated Jaime and staff after dinner to play Left Right and Center, which is a gambling game at $3 per game, which was fronted for them. We had an absolute blast playing with them andwe all forgot all of the aches, pains and emotional angst that comes when you volunteer in these remote villages.”

Johansen explained that they have worked with the same water well company, Asocaviva, and owner Jaimie Torres and his amazing crew, including Carla Castellanos who teaches the women and children in each remote village they serve. 

“They speak only Spanish and we women step up to help Carla with the classes when we aren’t helping with the well dig,” said Johansen. “She has put an incredible amount of time into her lessons, trying to speak English as well so that they are all exposed to some English vocabulary. We do songs, skits, interactive games and arts and crafts. The lessons are all built around oral and physical hygiene as well as environmental hygiene, trying to teach them about sanitation and bacteria. We even have ‘poop’ props that we use in our skits, and the women and children hang on to every word and repeat it all back to us and interact with these lessons. 

“It is wonderful to be able to hug and love all these remote villagers that see little or no visitors ever. To let them know they matter, and that we care about their wellbeing is a beautiful gift. It is even more remarkable how Jaime finds these remote locations and makes sure that they get the coveted staple in life, clean water.” 

However, the task isn’t without its difficulties.

“The unfortunate part of the well dig is the remote villages are at least 1½ to 2 hours’ drive from our hotel location in each direction,” explained Johansen. “The roads are always dirt and the conditions very hash with huge potholes and rocks. As the crow flies, this year’s well community was less than 15 miles from our hotel site, and it took us almost two hours one way to get where we needed to be.”

And the conditions weren’t optimum, either.

“Dusty is the understatement as we followed the well crew truck and another vehicle,” Johansen continued. “You could barely see where you were driving. As is customary in Guatemala, our car rental had no wiper blades so Bobby had to improvise with our car windshield wipers stuffing newspaper, tissue paper and toilet paper under the wipers so we could see a bit. You certainly learn how to improvise with what you have on these remote philanthropic trips. Whether you are digging ditches, building chicken coops, water filter kits, home structures or doing dentistry, you just do the best you can with what you have available to you, knowing that it matters and that doing something is always better than doing nothing.

“At the well site, the local women along with the pastor’s wife, made our lunch daily and served us food for our celebration and prayer vigil when the well came in with fresh water. This well was dug to 249 feet as the water is still contaminated with bacteria and fecal matter if you don’t dig deep.”

Once the well was completed the group, including the villagers, held a celebration. 

“The celebration for the completed water well is always wonderful, with children playing in the fresh water as it shoots out of the pipe,” said Johansen. “We celebrated in their beautiful parish and the village pastor led the service. Stu Gildred from Linda Vista as well as Jaimie Torres from Asocaviva also shared beautiful words to the members of the community. Jaimie and Asocaviva always give out beautiful white bibles to the women in the villages. These bibles are so coveted even though most of the villagers are illiterate.”

“Our last breakfast with the crew at 5 a.m. before leaving for the well dig was filled with special comments and lots of hugs as Jaime was presented his own game of Left, Right and Center to take back to his family and to play on the well digs. They rotate a week of work on and off and have a long waiting list of villages to receive water wells,” said Johansen. “We know there will be lots of fun and laughter for them with their new game, especially since their currency, the Quetzal, is certainly not as valuable as U.S. money.” 

Following the well-dig celebration, the group drove four to five hours to Lake Atitlan, where they stayed at the Sacred Tree for a little rest and relaxation before returning home.

“We visited several school sites and found some projects to help with in the Santa Cruz La Laguna area which is on the other side of the lake,” Johansen said. “Travel around Lake Atitlan is by boat taxi, so that is always an adventure as well. You are never dry when you get to your destinations and getting into the small boats from the higher docks takes a village and is an adventure in itself.”

Members of the group were left satisfied with an interesting trip all in the name of a good cause.

“Our hearts are full and our souls fed from another successful trip to Guatemala with the Linda Vista Foundation and the Solvang Rotary. Next year’s destination will be Colombia and we are working out all of the details for that trip now,” said Johansen. “There is never a shortage of projects to work on, and there is a great need in this world. Be a part of the change, make a difference and give to the underserved. Your life will be changed in the most profound ways.”

If you are interested in helping or joining a possible humanitarian trip with the Solvang Rotary and Impact Adventures and Linda Vista Foundation, contact Linda Johansen at lindyjo2003@yahoo.com.

“In 2024, over 40,000 lives were directly impacted by the initiatives Linda Vista Foundation supported,” Johansen said.”More than $150,000 in grants were distributed to 17 incredible organizations working tirelessly to achieve meaningful change in their communities. These numbers reflect not just the power of funding, but the transformative impact of collaboration and shared purpose. Each life touched, each community uplifted, is a testament to the power of what we can achieve together. Let’s keep building bridges, fostering hope, and driving progress in Latin America. You too canhelp in whatever capacity is right for you. Join our team and make a difference!”

For those inspired by the group’s recent service trip, Impact Adventure Tours offers the opportunity to embark on a transformative journey to Mexico, Colombia, or Guatemala. Specializing in customized trips for groups of up to 14 people, they combine meaningful service work with immersive cultural experiences. Whether it’s volunteering, exploring, or both, each trip is designed to create a lasting impact. 

To learn more or to plan a trip, visit impactadventuretours.com or contact Ana Paula Perez at lindavistafoundation@gmail.com.

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A week before the Solvang City Council chambers would be the site of a Valley-wide community meeting on fire prevention, councilmembers heard the yearly “state of the fire department” report from department officials and also received the Fire Abatement and Brush Removal Program Update.

For the Fire Chief Year in Review Presentation, Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig was joined by Deputy Chief for Emergency Services Garrett Huff and Capt. Lonny Maniscalco of the Solvang fire station, where the council chambers are located.

Huff gave the Year in Review address, beginning with the department new addition, the Regional Fire Communication Center.

“The new communication center opens May 12, which is slightly overdue,” Huff said. “However, it will provide dispatch services for all emergency medical services and non-federal resources on one common operating platform.

He then recited the statistics for the county in 2024. Overall, the county fire department had 17,082 incidents in 2024, broke down by the following: Rescue/EMS, 9,915; fires, 372; public service calls, 1,416; vehicle accidents, 843; public concern, 3,969.

For Solvang, which had 681 incidents over the year, they broke down as follows: Rescue/EMS, 412; fires, 8; public service calls, 96; vehicle accidents, 14; public concern, 96.

Huff said incidents were up 7.24% from 2023, although fires were down 33.3%.

After the report, Councilmember Mark Infanti asked about the old ambulances that the city had stopped using, with Huff answering that the county wants to dispose of/liquidate the vehicles and it will be an agenda item for the April 1county Board of Supervisors meeting.

Mayor David Brown asked what a typical response time was for emergency personnel in Solvang. Huff said he didn’thave the numbers in front of him, but estimated the typical response to be 4 to 6 minutes.

After that, Maniscalco came to the podium to address three well-known fires in Solvang last year, all involving restaurants.

The most recent one was at Solvang Brewing Co. on Mission Drive, which happened on Jan. 25 of this year. The others were the blaze last Oct. 13 at the Fire and Vice in Buellton, and the one in December at the former Sear Steakhouse. Maniscalco said casualties were avoided because Solvang Brewing and Fire and Vice were closed, and the Sear Steakhouse building had been unoccupied for the last six months as it’s up for sale.

The fire captain also noted that the Solvang Brewing and Fire and Vice fires were caused by oily rags left unattended, which is a big fire hazard, and the restaurants did not have a sprinkler system or automatic fire detection.

Later in the meeting, the city’s management analyst, Olivia Uribe Mutal presented the item Discussion and possible action to Receive and file the Fire Abatement and Brush Removal Program update.

Mutal said that clearing vegetation near properties is as important as ever.

“Solvang faces significant wildfire risk, and the burden is on county for fighting fires, but on the city for code enforcement,” she said. “Before the risk was just raised during the spring and summer months; the risk is now almost year-round.”

Mutal did note some things were being done, noting recent vegetation management at Hans Christian Anderson Park, and plans to contract the California Conservation Corps, and even to get goats to graze on some of the park lands.

She also announced the release of the updated fire mitigation maps (see brief below).

In other business:

The council approved an emergency item to approve a modification of the liquor license held by Chumash Casino and Resort. The casino modified the license in order to establish a “happy hour,” which it considered crucial to compete with other establishments.

After a long discussion about local short-term rentals, council directed Planning Director Rafael Castillo and staff to look into drafting an ordinance and other measures to crack down on STRs.

The next City Council meeting will be Monday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m.

Proposed Fire Hazard Severity Map Update – 2025

Consistent with California Government Code Section 51178, the State Fire Marshal is responsible for identifying areas throughout the state as Moderate, High, or Very High fire hazard severity zones. These designations are based on consistent, statewide criteria, including fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other contributing factors — such as wind patterns —t hat influence the likelihood and behavior of wildfire.

As part of this ongoing process, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for areas under local responsibility, including the City of Solvang. These routine updates incorporate the latest science and data to better reflect current wildfire risk conditions.

The maps classify land according to potential wildfire severity and are used to inform building standards, real estate disclosures, emergency planning, and community safety initiatives. Solvang’s draft map was released on March 10, 2025, and is now available for public review and comment. In accordance with state law, the Solvang City Council must adopt and designate the updated zones by ordinance within 120 days of receipt.

Areas on the map: 

• Gray areas: Not zoned for wildfire risk
• Yellow, orange, and red areas: Reflect increasing levels of fire hazard (Moderate, High, Very High)

View or download the proposed map here: https://www.cityofsolvang.com/568/Proposed-Fire-Hazard-Severity-Map-Update

For more preparedness information: www.readyforwildfire.org

Public Input Welcome

Residents are encouraged to review the map and submit feedback during the 30-day public review period. 

Submit comments to planningdept@cityofsolvang.com

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