A bill to add about 1,400 acres of agricultural land, known locally as Camp 4, to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ reservation in Santa Ynez has been sent to the U.S. Senate with a recommendation that the bill be approved.

House Resolution 1491, officially the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017, was approved unanimously on June 13 by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The bill supports a decision made by the Secretary of the Interior on December 24, 2014.

The tribe has said it plans to build 143 homes and a small tribal hall on the land.

The bill was passed by the House of Representatives in November 2017. It includes an agreement between the tribe and Santa Barbara County to create tribal housing that is consistent with local building codes.

The proposal has faced local citizen opposition, but multiple House members, including Rep. Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara, have supported it, as have California senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

Patty DeDominic named Outstanding Woman Leader

Santa Ynez Valley resident Patty DeDominic was named Outstanding Woman Leader for 2018 at an International Women’s Day Breakfast hosted by OWL, the Organization of Women Leaders, in partnership with the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and the Commission on the Status of Women.

Echoing 2018’s powerful start in the wake of such budding initiatives as #TimesUp and the Women’s March, among others, the theme of this year’s breakfast was “Nevertheless, She Persisted: Honoring women who fight against all forms of discrimination against women.”

The breakfast championed silence-breakers, achievers and many more outstanding women who overcame barriers and shattered glass ceilings in their careers, lives and beyond.

DeDominic built and sold several multimillion-dollar companies. She founded PDQ Careers, an HR consulting company that provided executive search and staffing solutions to organizations such as AT&T, USC, Children’s Hospitals, and the Automobile Clubs of California, Arizona and Texas.

She was named CEO of the Year by the LA Business Journal, was inducted into the Women’s Business Owners Hall of Fame, is the former chairwoman of the Foundation for SCORE, and is the former president of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

VFW,  Legion invite veterans to free barbecue

All local veterans and their spouses or significant others are invited to a free Veterans Appreciation Barbecue at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 14, in Santa Ynez.

County and national Veterans Administration representatives will answer questions on VA benefits and care at the event co-hosted by Solvang VFW Post 7139 and American Legion Post 160.

For more information or to RSVP, call Alvin Salge at 805-693-9133 or 805-245-1763 or email at alvinsalge@ymail.com.

Real estate firm opens Santa Ynez location

Engel & Völkers has partnered with Kris Johnston, broker and owner of Central Coast Landmark Properties, to launch an office of Engel & Völkers in Santa Ynez.

The Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Engel & Völkers Santa Ynez with a ribbon cutting June 9.

Johnson has a career spanning more than 30 years in real estate investment and development.

“We love what we do, we are passionate about beautiful properties, and are dedicated to achieving the best results for our clients. Maintaining the same incredible team, but boasting a new name, larger territory and chic new storefront, we will truly be globally connected with an added level of service,” Johnston said.

“With its exquisite real estate and lifestyle, Santa Ynez is the perfect fit for our expansion. This market is a prime playground for our clientele throughout California, and Kris is among the very best in the industry, providing the expertise, service and world-class network that one would expect from Engel & Völkers,” added Engel & Völkers License Partner Paul Benson.

Engel & Völkers Santa Ynez is at 1090 Edison St., Suite 102. For more information, visit www.krisjohnston.evusa.com.

Chumash return ancient remains to San Miguel Island

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the National Park Service have returned the ancient remains of a Native American man who died 10,000 years ago, known as Tuqan Man, to a burial site on San Miguel Island.

The remains of Tuqan Man, who died about 10,000 years ago, were discovered on San Miguel Island, examined and returned to the island for secure burial. Photo contributed.

Tuqan Man was discovered inadvertently in 2005 by archeologists from the University of Oregon who were surveying an archeological site on the island. The ancient remains were found exposed and eroding into a gully within the site.

After the discovery, the National Park Service (NPS) consulted with the Chumash tribe and together they decided to excavate the unprotected burial of Tuqan Man to prevent it from eroding from the cliff and being lost in the sea.

A full scientific study was conducted due to the cultural and scientific significance of the prehistoric remains. Federal law required the NPS to determine if the remains of Tuqan Man were Native American, and if so, whether they could be transferred to a Native American tribe.

After analysis and consideration, the NPS determined that Tuqan Man is Native American and that the remains have a significant cultural relationship to American Indian groups and to the maritime culture found on the northern Channel Islands for over 13,000 years.

The tribe recently returned Tuqan Man to his grave on San Miguel Island.

Free class to teach tips on heart attack recovery

Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation patients, family and friends are invited to attend a free class to learn tips on how to recognize the emotional reactions and common symptoms after a heart attack as well as ways to prevent and reduce depression and fight stress with healthy habits.

The class, “Emotions & Heart Disease: Getting Back on Track After Heart Attack or Surgery” will be offered for the first time at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital  from noon – 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11. It will be held in the front conference room of the hospital at 2050 Viborg Road in Solvang.

Leading the class will be John Berberet, a licensed marriage and family therapist who manages the Employee Assistance Program at Cottage Health.

Helping facilitate the class will be Registered Nurse Marsha Griggs, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital’s cardiopulmonary rehabilitation coordinator. She has a hereditary heart condition and uses many of the techniques that she teaches her patients.

For more information, please call Marsha Griggs at 805-686-3990 or visit www.cottagehealth.org/syvch.

State OKs Central Coast energy network plan

Three Central Coast counties have won approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for a business plan that will let them receive CPUC funding directly to implement regional energy-efficiency programs.

The goal of the Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) is to allow Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties to launch programs that help residents reduce energy use and meet the goals of local climate-action plans.

The CPUC approval on May 31 allows the three counties to receive ratepayer funding directly from the CPUC rather than through investor-owned utilities.

The plan outlines proposed energy efficiency programming and budgets to meet state guidelines.

The CPUC directed 3C-REN to put special emphasis on customers who are considered “hard-to-reach,” which they define as those without easy access to program information or who generally do not participate in energy efficiency programs due to a combination of barriers, such as language, business size, geographic reasons, and an ownership/renter relationship.

To see the 3C-REN Business Plan, visit www.ventura.org/environment/energy-efficiency.

Hospital offering CPR course on July 9

A CPR class for adults and children who are 10 years old or older will be taught from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday, July 9, at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.

Based on American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for the lay public, the training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation will be led by Registered Nurse Tina Collins of the Cottage Health Education Department.

The class fee is $25 per person, and pre-registration is required by July 3.  Register or get more information at www.cottagehealth.org/classes-events/ or by calling 805-569-7325.

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Recent Santa Ynez Valley transplant Patty DeDominic was honored with a Women of Achievement Award, along with Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, by the Association for Women in Communications at a luncheon at El Paseo Restaurant in June.

“I am really honored to be chosen and I hope I am helping give women a voice in our community. Women need to know they can be powerful,” DeDominic said.

DeDominic was honored at the luncheon for her role founding the International Women’s Festivals. Schneider was honored for her time on the Santa Barbara City Council. Following the tradition of recent years, Poet Laureate Emeritus Perie Longo presented poems especially composed for the inspiring pair.

In 1979 DeDominic founded PDQ Personnel Services Inc. and later acquired CT Engineering, which grew into a powerhouse staffing agency. She sold those businesses in 2006 and she currently operates DeDominic & Associates, a specialized business consulting firm that offers professional services to enterprise builders and philanthropists.

She was recently elected to the Solvang Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and has served many nonprofits, including SCORE and the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.

The AWC-SB provides access to role models and leaders in the communication fields as well as access to scholarships, current trends and related research and technologies for their members. AWC-SB inspires members to assume leadership roles and or work collaboratively with others in shaping a better future for themselves and their communities.

Leaders who’ve received the Women of Achievement Award in the past include former Congresswoman Lois Capps, Dr. Nancy Leffert, Marianne Partridge, Marsha Bailey, Paula Lopez, Perie Longo, Lynda Weinman, Starshine Roshell, Catherine Remak, and Sara Miller McCune.

For more information log onto www.awcsb.org

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