Staff Report

The Santa Ynez Valley Grange, in partnership with Apples to Zucchini Cooking School, is excited to offer two series of cooking classes for both families and adults/teens: Family Cooking will be offered monthly on second Monday evenings starting July 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Batch Cooking for adults and teens will be offered monthly on second Sunday afternoons from 2 to 3 p.m., starting July 13.

The classes, led by Chef Bethany Markee, will meet at the Santa Ynez Valley Grange Hall Kitchen at 2374 Alamo Pintado Ave. in Los Olivos.

The Family Cooking class brings the family together to learn side-by-side how to prepare delicious meals. Classes are tailored for children and teens with a family adult. Share your favorite food memories and traditions, build healthy relationships with food and cooking, and let the kids show off all their emerging kitchen skills! The class will meet to prepare a meal and eat it together! 

Recipes to be covered include scratch-made pizza and seasonal garden salad; macaroni and cheese and roasted vegetables; chicken or vegetable soup and freshly baked bread; tomato bisque and toasted cheese sandwiches; and French crepes with a variety of “add-ins.”

Batch Cooking is a class for adults as well as teens who are 14 or older. The group will work with seasonally available local produce, using simple and repeatable cooking techniques such as roasting, sautéing, pickling, making soups, salad dressings, and sauces. Students will get to take home all the food prepared in class.

Attendance is limited to 12 per class. Participants may register online at AtoZcookingschool.org.

To find out more about other SYV Grange programs and membership, please visit syvgrange.org or email President Carey McKinnon at syvgrange@gmail.com. To check out more cooking classes from Apples to Zucchini, visit them at AtoZcookingschool.org or email Markee at bethany@atozcookingschool.org. 

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Staff Report

Rich Gamble, author of the Zack Tolliver series of books, and his wife Ann, will be moving from Los Alamos this fall to be closer to their son, who lives in northern California. They will be holding an “Overstock and Farewell” party from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the Bedford Winery in Los Alamos. 

“It will be an opportunity offering readers to ‘fill in the blanks’ of books in the Zack Tolliver series, for a reduced price, that they may not yet own, and, of course, the chance for us to see friends and neighbors once more,” said Gamble. “We would love to see all of you there.” 

Gamble says he will continue to write books, and, in fact, his next one is already in the works.

Bedford Winery is at 448 Bell St. in Los Alamos.

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One of the blessings of living on the Central Coast is the weather, and Elna’s Dress Shop wants to create something that inspires, brightens, uplifts, and puts a smile on your face. If you are going to make one addition to your wardrobe this season, make it a print.

From polka-dots, stripes, florals, or checks, every pattern offers a world of stylish possibilities. This is added to some of the basic items you have in your wardrobe: A pair of black, navy, grey, white, and tan pants. Brown pants in the fall are also important. Also, a basic is a black dress and/or black skirt. Let’s not forget a pair of denim pants, skirt, or dress for all seasons: fall, winter, spring, or summer.

Pick a basic piece of clothing that you feel is incredibly striking while also being understated and yet gives you confidence.

We will help you build a complimentary new piece of clothing to update your wardrobe.

A new season, as of Memorial Day first day of summer, brings in new styles. Elna’s Dress Shop is the place to come.

If planning your perfect wardrobe is something you have on your “ to do” list, you must select clothes you haven’t
worn for some time (say a year or more); perhaps it’s time to part with them. They are taking up valuable closet space for all the new “must haves” for the coming season. It is nice to air clothing out, as believe it or not, dust does settle in our closet.

Let us make suggestions, coordinating fashions with your lifestyle in mind. Wardrobe building is a free service at Elna’s.

All local customers are entitled to a 10% discount. If you aren’t on our mailing list, come in and sign up. Our service includes a 25% discount the month of your birthday if on the list. Also don’t forget the third Wednesday of each month is a 20% discount on all merchandise excluding Danish Costumes and already discounted clothing.

We are looking for part-time help. Apply at the store or call for an appointment at (805) 688-4525 or my cell number at (805) 570-3400.

Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We’re open Monday, closed Tuesday, and open Wednesday through Sunday.

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A stroke can come on silently and unexpectedly, but the truth of the matter is that the cause of a stroke has been a smoldering fire, growing in size over time … almost literally. 

A stroke occurs due to the poor function of the heart and kidneys, which results in bad circulation of the body’s fire and water chi elements. 

Ideally, the two need to be kept in constant movement, with one pushing energy upwards and the other pulling it downwards to create an almost gravitational pull of proper energy flow. When this is disrupted, the heat travels too far upwards and problems begin. 

In someone with advanced fire/heat circulation problems, the heat (which causes pressure) travels to the brain and causes weakened veins and arteries to break, which disrupts the blood flow to the brain, thus resulting in stroke. Veins and arteries become damaged with stress and improper care over your lifetime, usually assisted greatly by diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications, which weaken them quite a bit. A blood deficiency and blood clot also weaken the area by disallowing oxygen and nutrition to this location.

The good thing is that your body gives many warning alarms before a stroke occurs. Each alarm is part of your body’sline of defense. In a stressful moment when your body’s fire energy rises, it causes pain in the chest area. You can press in the area of your breastbone and test for pain there. If pain in that area goes ignored and your life continues on as it has, your defense line weakens, and the next line of defense is located in the shoulder area between the spine and scapula. If pain here is ignored, the next alarm is neck pain, and the last alarm is behind-the-ear pain. Pain in this area is very dangerous, and when it occurs, a stroke is usually imminent, typically within the night you feel pain there. It is very important to get to an emergency room if you’re feeling pain there. 

Another lesser sign of a fire/water management problem that you should also keep an eye out for is coldness in the body in and below the abdomen. This means the heat that should be traveling down through to your feet is residing in your upper body instead of completing the cycle of circulation throughout your entire body. In a healthy person, the body will keep the brain area cooler and the feet warmer, with everything in between at a comfortable temperature. 

Stroke is something that is very important to prevent. After you have had a stroke, your body malfunctions, and it is very difficult to work your way back. If you are recovering from a stroke, it is very important to pair your physical therapy with acupuncture, as your body needs to be balanced, well-circulating, and receptive for the retraining. 

For those who have had warning signs and are preventing stroke, a lifestyle change is necessary, beginning with stress management, as stress needs to be seriously limited. In addition, constitutional food, acupuncture to help detoxify the blood, and herbs all help to restore the proper heat and water circulation in the body. 

The body’s aches and pains are often brushed off as general aging, but it is important to see them as your body’s way of communicating problems to you. Covering them up with medications and ignoring them is not the right approach. Listen to your body, and it will tell you all you need to know. 

Dr. Lee’s office is located at 175 McMurray Road, Suite G, Buellton. Dr. Lee also has offices in Los Angeles and Paso Robles. To make an appointment, call (805) 693-5162 or (310) 666-8021

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The USRowing Youth National Championships, held in Sarasota, Florida, from June 12 to June 15, brought together the best youth rowers from all across the country for four days of intensive racing one of them was Santa Barbara Community Rowing’s Jacie Dingman, 15.

The Santa Ynez Valley teen came home from the 2025 USRowing Youth National Championships as the seventh-fastest U17 single sculler in the nation. 

Dingman clocked a time of 8:28.97 for her seventh-place finish in the A Final. The winner, Sydney Vilhelm of the South Orlando Rowing Association, had a time of 8:03.24. 

“We were super excited going into the race because this is the first time that Jacie has raced a single at Nationals whichis one of the most competitive boat classes alongside the 8+,” said SBCR coach Gracie Barbara. “She raced last year in a double and placed seventh with partner Elsa Loya, but the single is a whole different kind of race — mostly mentally.

“There were 27 girls in this category, and we did some research and knew Jacie was going up against some girls who were in this category last year and did well, so we knew she was going up against some speed — especially girls from the southeast region who row year-round and have raced on this course before,” Barbara continued. “So, our goal was to make top 16 in the time trials Thursday, and top 4 in the semis on Friday, which would put Jacie in the A finals on Sunday — both of which she did. Jacie does super well doing head-to-head, which was evident in her semifinal on Friday.”

Dingman was in agreement about her semifinal.

“ I had a really good semifinal,” she said. “I went in with the goal of making the finals and was able to execute my race plan and be very aggressive. Plus, I was able to time my final sprint well and start it early enough to make a difference.”

Barbara confirmed this, saying, “Jacie was neck and neck with a girl from Winter Park Crew for the first 1,750 meters, but Jacie has an amazing sprint, which meant she was able to get the last stroke and beat her by .02 second to come away with a second-place finish.”

However, by day 4 the heat and humidity in the Sunshine State were starting to take a toll on Dingman. 

“The heat is always a factor in Florida and we prepped for it, with Jacie rowing in long sleeves in the sun on Cachuma in the weeks leading up to Nationals. And we flew out early to Sarasota to acclimate,” Barbara said.

Dingman, though admitted she couldn’t fully counteract the high temperatures.

“By Sunday I wasn’t really feeling my best,” she said. “And the wind was crazy. I got blown off the starting block and was hitting buoys for the first 250 meters before I was able to get straightened out. So I started pretty far behind.”

Continued Dingman: “I wasn’t sure how much ground I could make up because I also just got hit by fatigue, but I decided just to try not to lose more ground.”

That presence of mind earned her a seventh-place finish and the admiration of many.

“This really something to cheer about —for our club and for Jacie — especially as she was the  youngest girl in the race,” Barbara said. “Jacie is only 15 — She’s technically U16 — but we raced her in the U17 group because she’s fast enough and she’ll be in this category next year, so it’s good practice.”

Barbara said Dingman has the potential to return to nationals in 2026.

“If she’s lucky enough to qualify again next year there are obviously things we’ll work to improve, but we’ll also for sure be trying for a medal,” Barbara said.

Reflecting on the experience, Dingman said, “Nationals is so much fun and such an incredible experience, and I have so much respect for everyone I met there. I’m also so grateful to everyone for making it happen — parents, Coach, my fellow rowers at SBCR, and I’m ready to come back and try to medal next year.”

For now,  the work continues. Following Nationals, Dingman went straight to USRowing’s Pathways Development Camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was invited to participate in the Girls Elite Pairs Camp, which places the top 16 athletes in the camp into pairs — a kind of boat with 2 rowers, each with one oar — coached by former Olympic medalists.

Santa Barbara Community Rowing is the only rowing organization in Santa Barbara County, based at Cachuma Lake. SBCR offers summer camps for youth ages 11+, as well as Learn to Row programs throughout the year for adults and kids.. For more information visit www.rowsbc.org/

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It was a glorious summer day for the 61st annual Old Santa Ynez Days Parade, which was held on Saturday, June 21. The theme of this year’s parade was the same as last year’s: “Where the West Went Wild!” Throngs of people gathered in the little town to enjoy this annual event, which celebrates the Old West the old-fashioned way. 

With the first notes of the national anthem, sung by Mia Goldman, the crowd became quiet, and everyone stood still with hand over heart until the anthem ended to uproarious applause.

The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade was Jillian Knight. According to her bio, Knight is a lifelong Santa Ynez Valley resident who was raised on a ranch in Gaviota before settling in Santa Ynez. She and her husband, Anthony, have been together for over 21 years and are raising their two children, Isabelle and Dominic, as fourth-generation locals. 

For over 25 years, Knight has dedicated herself to nonprofit work, both locally and nationwide. She has volunteered in disaster relief efforts, advocated for human rights, and supported vulnerable populations, including veterans, the disabled, single mothers, and low-income families. Despite living with a connective tissue disorder and physical challenges, she brings empathy and insight to her role as a board member and operations consultant of the Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program. 

“Volunteering has always been the most rewarding experience,” she said, reflecting on the joy she sees in students who benefit from the program. Her commitment to service continues to uplift and strengthen her community. Knight co-owns Grateful Heart Consulting, specializing in fundraising, event planning, and nonprofit compliance. She also administrates the SYV Local News & Emergency group on Facebook and provides the fire updates for the community. 

This year’s parade featured approximately 28 entries, which included multiple groups on horseback, dance groups, vintage cars and tractors, dogs galore, and, of special mention, Luna, the amazing high-jumping dog, who, according to her owner, Ann Clausen, would have jumped all day had she permitted, and a Scottish Highland bull whose enormous horns were painted like the American flag. The event also featured a variety of street vendors selling their wares, food trucks, a pie contest, a kid’s area with face painting, pony rides, bounce houses, and a variety of other activities for children to enjoy, provided by Waldorf School and SYV Children’s Museum. Music filled the air all afternoon, provided by Beau Red and The Tailor Made from Ojai; The Ripley’s, a local band, and featured singer Hayli Carlton.

Leading this year’s parade was the Sheriff’s Mounted Unit, followed by three members of the VFW carrying flags. TheGrand Marshal waved to the crowd as she passed by with hoots and hollers from the bystanders, followed by members of the SYV Therapeutic Riding Program, Santa Ynez Valley Rec Queen, Kaci Caplan, riding in a Corvette, then came the amazing jumping dog, Luna, followed by a large group of dog owners from Dogs of Santa Ynez walking their canine friends. 

Next up was SY Feed & Milling, Santa Ynez Valley Hounds, a foxhunting club, Santa Barbara County Cattlewomen, Domingos Family Tractors representing ag history, the Garcia Dance Studio from Lompoc, a miniature braying donkey and a Scottish Highland bull with patriotically painted horns. 

Then came the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, Los Rancheros Visitadores, Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue, a 1958 yellow Corvette, the Santa Ynez 4-H Club with a tribe of goats,  a vintage Jeep, the Santa Barbara County Trail Riders, the Santa Ynez Valley Elks Lodge, members of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School Folklorico Dance Club, more vintage tractors, a 1978 Flat Bottom Speed Boat called Bad Medicine, SYV Rodeo Western Heritage float, Old Santa Ynez Days Rodeo Queen Hailee Taylor, Santa Ynez Valley Penning Association, and last but not least, the Santa Ynez Jail holding a handful of local jailbirds.

But the day wasn’t all about the parade.

The Old Santa Ynez Days Pie Contest judges, Leonardo Curti and Joy Reinhardt, had a tough time picking winners from all the fabulous entries. The winner and Grand Champion was Mariah Montejano with her strawberry rhubarb pie. The Reserve Grand Champion was Cynthia Bacon with her triple berry crumble, for which she also won Best Filling; Best Crust was won by John Scott with his famous blackberry crumble. The Best Visual award went to Lisa Byrne, last year’s Grand Champion, for her fresh peach pie with butter crust crumble topping. 

“It was a seriously tough competition — every entry was delicious and represented a labor of love on the part of the creator,” said Nancy Hunsicker, coordinator of the Pie Contest and parade announcer. 

Following the conclusion of judging, the enthusiastic crowd enjoyed sampling all the pies, with a tip jar going to benefit the SYV Historical Museum.

Sponsors for the event were the following: Platinum: SY Band of Chumash Indians; Golden: Pony Cocktails + Kitchen; Silver: Mechanics Bank, St. George Construction, Charlotte’s of Santa Ynez, Uva Design Studio; Kid’s Corral: Santa Ynez Valley Rotary Club, Santa Ynez Valley Youth Rec; Beer: O’Connor Pest Control, Figueroa Mountain Brewing; Pie Contest: Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum; Frozen Wine Barrel: Inklings Printing Co.; Carriage Rides: Inklings Printing Co., Santa Ynez Feed & Milling; VIP Area: Pony Cocktails + Kitchen; and Entertainment: Hometown Insurance, Patriot Trailer Sales, Central Coast Landmark Properties, DMH Properties, and Robert Raucchaus.

“Business has been good, and the parade was really cute with the agility dog and the long-horned bull with the stars and stripes painted on his horns,” said Darlene Boyer, who along with Gail Page, manned a booth selling jewelry made by Diane Brown of Stone River Original. “It is so USA Americana with families, kids, dogs, and horses. It was beautiful; the whole day was refreshing.”

Charlotte Becerra, president of the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce, said the Old Santa Ynez Days in an excellent example of people working together.

“This event is produced completely by volunteers, over 40 of them,” she said. “They all have one thing in common: their love of the township of Santa Ynez and the people of this community. The main volunteers were: Event Chair/Vendors: Charlotte Becerra; Kid’s Corral: Barbie Duarte; Parade: Lisa Lyons; Logistics: Nicole Peña & Alvie Whitaker; Pie Contest: Nancy Hunsicker; Music: Chuy Vidales of Santa Barbara Wine Events; Badges: Brian Carillo; and Muscle: SYVUHS Pirate Football.”

“The Old Santa Ynez Days event was fantastic this year! The Chamber and dozens of dedicated volunteers work tirelessly for over six months to provide a fun, free, family event for the community,” Becerra saidWe are honored to carry this 61-year tradition on for the township and that, even after all of these years, it is still a fun, fantastic celebration and the whole town joins in the festivities,” said Becerra. “The Chamber works closely with the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum and the Western Heritage Foundation to provide three days of fun in the town. But we cannot do it without our amazing crew of volunteers and our generous sponsors, for whom we are most grateful.”

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Get ready to orbit the extraordinary at the Santa Barbara Zoo’s signature fundraiser, Zoofari Ball: Out of this World, on Saturday, Aug. 23. One of Santa Barbara’s most iconic charitable events, Zoofari Ball invites guests to experience the zoo like never before — under the stars in celestial style.

This year’s theme celebrates the mysteries and marvels of the cosmos, inviting guests to journey through the galaxy in support of the zoo’s mission to preserve, conserve, and enhance the natural world and its living treasures. Guests are encouraged to embrace the theme with inspired attire — from space cadet casual or futuristic vogue, to starlight chic or extraterrestrial avant-garde. 

Whether you’re in a space race through the silent auction or moonwalking on the dance floor, Zoofari Ball: Out of This World promises to be a stellar evening of entertainment, wonder, and wild fun. Celestial libations will flow freely while Events by Rincon returns to serve up a feast for the stars. A live DJ will spin galaxy beats during the silent auction, followed by a live band that will keep guests dancing into the night.

Always a highlight of the event is the Zoo’s summer travel raffle. This year’s experience, “Glamping Under the Stars,”offers the chance to win a celestial getaway for two with Under Canvas® including a five-night stay in a luxury, safari-style tent at the winner’s choice from America’s most breathtaking national parks. Only 200 tickets will be sold at $100 each; the package is valued at $4,000.

The Zoofari Ball Honorary Chairs are Amy & Jeff Pryor, and the event is supported by a dynamic committee including Marcy Bazzani, Nikki Bazzani, Sarah Berkus Gower, Danielle Bolster, Alexandra Bongiovanni, Christy Borneman, Alison Brainard, Lauren Bryson, Wendy Campbell, Brooke Costello, Hillary Courtemanche, Colleen Dennis, Mindy Denson, Whitney Duncan, Alexandria Ferris, Jessica Fisher, Patricia Griffin, Liz Hahn, Ian Harrison, Kelly Herting, Michael Hurst, Rachel Johnston, Kim Kirkhart, Cathy Kling, Sophie Koh, Tracy Krainer, Carol Ann Mayner, Sierra Muller, Sue Neuman, Kevin Nuss, Robyn Parker, Pam Powers, Shelley Schulte, Heather Schuyler Gray, Amy Shamus, Shannon Silk, Amy Sloan, Nana Talevi, Betsy Turner, Shannon Vernon. Alumni Committee members include Elaine K. Mah Best, Sue McCue, Nancy McToldridge, Elissa Rubin, and the Zoofari Ball event coordinators are Tyler Speier & Megan Nuss.

All proceeds from Zoofari Ball support the Santa Barbara Zoo’s ongoing work in animal care, wildlife conservation, and education — ensuring a future where both people and animals thrive.

For tickets to Zoofari Ball, please click here.

For more information on sponsoring the event, please contact Megan Nuss at mnuss@sbzoo.org or (805) 679-8442. 

About the Santa Barbara Zoo

The Santa Barbara Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. for members and 9:30 a.m. for general admission until 5 p.m. General admission is $35 for adults, $25 for children 2-12, and free for children under 2. Buy online and save $7 per ticket. Parking is $11. The Santa Barbara Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). AZA zoos are dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great visitor experience, and a better future for all living things.With more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and is the public’s link to helping animals in their native habitats. Visit sbzoo.org.

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The A.T. Still University Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) program has two incoming students at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. (SBNC). The program seeks students who align with their mission and whose personal goals include serving diverse medically underserved populations and who are professional, culturally humble, and have a desire to serve these communities. Applicants who are first-generation college students will also be given special consideration in the review process.

Gabriel Estrada has gained firsthand medical experience as a medical assistant at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics for three years. The UCSB graduate earned a degree in biological sciences in 2022. He learned that SBNC had become affiliated with the A.T. Still CCPA program and believed that, for him, the PA route was preferable to medical school.

“PAs collaborate much more with other healthcare workers as part of a medical team than physicians, and that team approach appealed to me,” Estrada said. “I also appreciate the program’s mission to work with vulnerable populations.” 

Estrada, 25, grew up in Lake Los Angeles outside of Lancaster and feels a real connection to SBNC. “This clinic reminds me of where I grew up,” he said. “I enjoy working with kids, adults, seniors and I get to speak Spanish…I like helping those who need it the most.” 

A.T. Still University (ATSU) has partnered with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to develop the Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) program. The goal is to educate community-oriented physician assistants who will provide “whole-person” primary care to our nation’s underserved communities. The program requires a minimum of 1,000 hours of medical work prior to starting the program.

Morgan Bienias, another incoming student in the ATSU program and medical assistant at SBNC, agrees that the community health care model is ideal for her. “The nature of the communities we serve attracts the kinds of providers and personalities I’m drawn to which makes the work environment much more positive and meaningful,” she said. “The PA program is a perfect match for me.”

Bienias, a 24-year-old from Corona, California, and a biology graduate from Westmont has also been working as an MA at SBNC for the past year.

Dr Mahdi Ashrafian, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics CEO, established the PA program because he wanted to create growth opportunities within SBNC for the staff. “These employees are now able to move up the ladder in their career as well as improving both their professional life and their finances,” said Ashrafian. “The program provides a pipeline for entry-level positions and demonstrates to them that they can come work here for couple of years and we will support them to further their careers.” 

The CCPA program is a 24-month Master’s degree program based in Santa Maria. Students spend one year on campus in Santa Maria for the academic phase of the program, and then students will enter the clinical phase, including 35 weeks of supervised clinical practice experiences in various medical centers and hospitals in the US. This includes six clinical rotations covering internal medicine, pediatrics, psychology, family medicine, surgery, OBGYN — each rotation is approximately six weeks and could be various health care locations, most likely in Santa Barbara County for Estrada and Bienias.

Students will spend at least one portion of their clinical year at a Community Health Center (CHC) to fulfill the goal of producing PAs who enter the CHC system and will provide primary care.

Both Estrada and Bienias hope they can eventually return to work at Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and work inpediatric care.

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Now entering its sixth month of operation in its new location on Dairyland Road, the Buellton Library was the topic of discussion during the Buellton City Council meeting on Thursday, June 26. Or, that is, the conference rooms in the facility.

Both business items on the meeting agenda concerned the two conference rooms in the library building: Meeting Room 1, which is next to the main entrance and being used mostly by the Friends of the Buellton Library as a used-book store, and Meeting Room 2, which is located next to the main section of the library, and looks out on the south lawn and patio.

The first business item dealt with guidelines for potential rental opportunities for the rooms. City staff put together a draft room rental application for review by council. Public Works Director Rose Hess said the sample application was based on the templates from CJPIA, the City’s insurance and risk management agency, as well as applications from other similar publicly owned rental facilities in the area, and staff was seeking input on the rules and regulations, hours of availability, and rental fees contained in the document.

Councilmember Hudson Hornick started off council questions asking about the possible noise coming from the room if the room was rented out for a party. The application banned “amplified music” in the room, but allowed bluetoothspeakers, which Hornick had an issue with, saying that bluetooth speakers are just as loud as regular speakers.

Councilmember John Sanchez inquired about providing trash receptacles for big events, and how they would dispose of it. Hess said any trash could be stored away for eventual weekly pickup from the county.

However, a big sticking point with the entire council was the proposed rental fees for the rooms. The sample application quoted prices of $500 per hour to rent the space for Buellton residents or business ($1,000 for out-of-towners) and a $1,000 cleaning deposit. All the councilmembers thought that as too high, with Mayor David Silva noting that nearby River View Park charges $40 per hour with a $100 deposit. Hess said the prices were based on rental costs in other cities and municipalities, but could be changed.

From there, councilmembers also speculated about what kind of events should be held in the conference rooms. While parties were discussed earlier as possiblities for the space, Silva expressed his desire for the rooms to be used for groups’ community meetings.

“We have River View Park, with space and playgrounds to accomodate those kinds of events,” the mayor said. “I don’tthink a birthday party lends itself for library purposes.”

Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis agreed, saying, “The library I envision more for professional meetings; the park is more designed for kids to go crazy and have fun.”

City Manager Scott Wolfe told county that he and Hess could “tighten up” the application with more specific guidelines reflecting the council’s input, and they could submit a revised application for a future meeting.

The second business item dealt specifically with Meeting Room 1, which has been used by the Friends of the Buellton Library, mostly as a used-book store to raise funds for the organization, and, in turn, the library.

The original plan, as explained by Wolfe, was to devote most of the room space to FOBL, and partition off the other part to create a smaller conference room. However, FOBL has used the remaining part of the room as a children’s “play area” with toys and games, and would like to keep the room open with the entire space belonging to FOBL.

During public comment, Former Buellton Mayor and County Library Advisory Board Member Judith Dale requested that a wall not be put in.

“I’m very against building the wall,” she said. “A wall can structurally interfere with the room, and really limits what can go on.”

Speakers Ashley Sloan and other former Buellton mayor, Holly Sierra, who’s now FOBL president, echoed Dale’sthoughts, with Sierra saying FOBL would be happy to offer the space if someone requested it for a meeting.

The four councilmembers were in agreement opposing a wall in the room, with Silva saying the $15,000 it would cost for installation were better spent elsewhere.

Since it wasn’t an actionable item, Wolfe said he would bring a request to keep the room intact and under the autonomy of the FOBL and put that on a future meeting agenda.

The City Council will meet next on Thursday, July 10, at 6 p.m.

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The Solvang City Council voted to extend its agreement with the City of Goleta to operate the city’s library, despite a greatly increased cost, during its regular meeting on Monday, June 23. Councilmember Elizabeth Orona was absent from the meeting.

In introducing the item, the first discussion item of the night, City Manager Randy Murphy explained the library situation in his report.

Goleta has been operating the library since 2019, when Santa Barbara County divested itself of that responsibility. The libraries operated by Goleta (considered the county’s Library Zone 4) include its own, Solvang’s, Buellton’s, and the ones in the unincorporated areas of Santa Ynez and Los Olivos.

The current five-year agreement for library management was set to expire June 30, one week after the meeting, and Murphy recommended council approve the deal for another year, albeit at a sizable increase: $284,855, which would bea nearly $100,000 hike from the previous agreement.

“We’ve been working under an agreement where they didn’t have any inflators [to increase the price], and they’ve been a good partner,” Muphy said. “Our finance staff has been in discussion with their finance staff, and have determined that this is a legitimate amount.”

Murphy also pointed out that the $284,855 amount was in the budget that the council had approved earlier in the meeting as part of the Consent Calendar.

However, councilmembers had their concerns about the larger price tag.

“A hundred thousand dollars, that’s a big nut,” Mayor David Brown said. “That’s almost a 50% increase; I’m trying to justify it.”

Goleta Director on Neighborhood Services Joanne Plummer, whose department includes the libraries explained earlier that both Goleta and Solvang had the right to renegotiate terms after each year, but during the first five years a number of factors hindered that.

“Right after the first agreement started, we had COVID, and after that there were changes in the leadership on both sides, and the sides were only recently able to get together and talk about another agreement,” she said.

Plummer said in the last five years, the libraries were working under increased costs under the same budget and operating at a loss.

“The last few years, we’ve been taking money out of reserves, and operating in the red,” she said. “We can’t keep operating under the current terms; we need to increase the cost.”

Councilmember Mark Infanti noted that Solvang’s library space is too small and asked who would foot the bill if the city found a bigger space to move into. 

“The city (of Solvang) would cover the cost of moving into a new facility,” Plummer said. “We would need to review the new space and determine what staffing would be sufficient, so there could be an increase there.”

Councilmembers Claudia Orona and Louise Smith both expressed the need for more information about the libraries, with Orona inquiring about staff size and the number of visitors to the Solvang Library, as well as the satellite locations in Los Olivos and Santa Ynez. Smith mentioned that libraries are offering numerous services other than just books, and wanted to know what the Solvang location had to offer in that area. Plummer said that could be found in the libaries’annual report.

Murphy reiterated that he felt the agreement was fair.

“The finance staff pored over this and determined it’s a legitimate increase,” he said. “The only way to cut expenses, is we could cut hours, but we’re already not open on Sundays and Mondays. I recommend approving it now to keep the library open.”

Eventually, Infanti, who serves on the city’s Library Committee, move to approve the contract, with Smith seconding, but not before Brown requested a report on the library’s progress in the future. Plummer assured council that was in the agreement and she could return in October for that report.

The council voted 4-0 to approve the agreement.

In other council business:

In a public hearing, the council unanimously adopted a resolution amending the appropriation limit for fiscal year 2025-26 to $26,362,892 for the General Fund. The number was determined by a calculation called Growth Factor that took into account per capita personal income and population change.

However, City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan reminded that notice of the public hearing was posted on June 12, 11 days before the meeting when the requirement for it to be posted is 15 days prior. Because of that, the item would remain for public review until the next could meeting, and it could be ratified then.

Council unanimously approved a agreement with SaberDome Corporation dba Lanspeed for information technology managed services in the amount not to exceed $7,937.72 per month plus any reimbursable expenses and service charges actually incurred and invoiced, for a total contract amount not to exceed $105,252.64.

Staff recommended the renewel with based on past experience, cost and software.

The City Council will next meet on Monday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m.

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