“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Just as succinctly genious today as when they were written in 1776.
Happy 245th birthday, America.
Before we celebrate Independence Day, though, we have to get through my Best of Bill column, which is rarely succinctly genious. Or geniously succinct.
According to our Google Analytics, there were 115,748 readers of Noozhawk last week. What follows is my own take on our Top 5 most-read stories of the past seven days.
By the way, if you come across some opinion while you’re reading this, it’s because this is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Collision in Carpinteria Closes Northbound Highway 101 Lanes for Second Time Monday
Man, June 28 was not the day to be trying to travel north on Highway 101 from Ventura into Santa Barbara County.
Two major crashes — one at Seacliff, the other in Carpinteria and involving an alleged wrong-way driver in a stolen car — shut down the freeway for a large part of the day.
Around 7 a.m., the rollover wreck of a large truck blocked all three northbound lanes near the Seacliff exit, just inside the Ventura County line east of Carpinteria.
Minor injuries were reported, but major delays resulted as morning commuter traffic was rerouted up Highway 33 from Ventura, along Highway 150 around Lake Casitas and into Carpinteria.
As our Giana Magnoli was first to report, the highway was reopened about 10:40 a.m. after the wreckage was cleared.
No other details were provided, and the California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause and circumstances of the crash.
Less than an hour later, a wrong-way vehicle was spotted driving north on the shoulder of the freeway’s southbound lanes east of the Rincon.
As Giana reported for this story, a CHP motorcycle officer caught sight of the rogue motorist as the driver took the Highway 150 exit and proceeded to get back on the freeway — this time going the right way on the northbound side.
CHP Officer Shannan Sams said his colleague followed the reportedly stolen Mazda sedan for about two miles as he tried to pull over the vehicle. Even though he had his lights and siren on, the driver kept going.
Until the construction zone near the Linden Avenue exit.
“The driver of the Mazda abruptly applied the brakes, … causing the CHP officer to abruptly apply the brakes of his motorcycle,” Sams said. “A gray Jeep Grand Cherokee … collided with the left rear of the CHP motorcycle, and then collided into the rear of the Mazda.”
He said the chain-reaction collision ejected the motorcycle officer from his bike when it hit the pavement while the Mazda was propelled across the three northbound lanes and up and onto a concrete barrier along the freeway.
“The sole male occupant and driver of the Mazda was apprehended and arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle at the scene by CHP officers without further incident,” he said.
Authorities said the CHP officer, the suspect and the Jeep driver suffered moderate injuries and were transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
None of the parties was identified, and Sams said the circumstances of the collision were under investigation.
Not that he cared, but thanks to the idiot alleged car thief, traffic was backed up for miles until the freeway was reopened about 3:25 p.m.
For the record, the Seacliff crash was the No. 3 story of the week, but since smash-ups seemed to be the theme of the day, I went with a mash-up instead.
2. Santa Barbara Man Indicted in $12 Million Ponzi Scheme
A federal grand jury has indicted a Santa Barbara man on multiple counts of wire fraud and money laundering in what prosecutors allege was an elaborate Ponzi scheme to separate his victims from million of dollars of their own money.
As our Josh Molina first reported, 63-year-old Darrell Arnold Aviss was indicted June 29 in Los Angeles on 11 counts in the case brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
According to the indictment, Aviss stole approximately $12 million from victims who were promised their money would be used to purchase annuities from Swiss insurance companies.
In some instances, he allegedly promised interest payments ranging from 5% to 7% — quite a score in this day and age of interest rates of around, well, zero.
Aviss allegedly used his marks’ money to support his “lavish lifestyle,” which the indictment alleged included Ponzi payments to some of his victims, mortgage payments, luxury car leases, expensive watches, trips to Monaco, more than $100,000 in drinks and purchases at a Santa Barbara nightclub, and 20 tickets to a U2 concert and after-party. You know, the usual stuff.
Prosecutors say most of the victims were older than 60 in the con that ran from at least 2012 through the summer of 2020.
Aviss was arrested June 18, and is being held without bond. He’s due to be arraigned July 9.
3. Homeless Encampment Residents Moving In to Santa Barbara’s Rose Garden Inn
Believe it or not, the Santa Barbara City Council is finally doing something about the shambly, unpermitted and illegal camp sites lining the freeway. Will wonders never cease?
As our Josh Molina first reported June 29, the council voted unanimously to “ask” 50 homeless encampment residents to relocate to the Rose Garden Inn, at 3643 State St. adjacent to Chic-fil-A.
The accommodations — along with supportive services and security — would be available for a few months as part of a $1.6 million city project.
Council members and city officials say they’re concerned that a fire could start in one of the camps, which, let’s be honest, have been “spontaneously” combusting on a regular basis … for years, as Noozhawk’s reporters and photographers have amply chronicled.
The suddenly engaged municipal leaders cite Santa Barbara’s increasingly dire drought conditions, but I suspect it has more to do with the dramatic May 20 Loma Fire that, although not related to an encampment, still burned its way into the public’s consciousness like nothing since the 2017 Thomas Fire.
“If we were to have another fire, or devastating fire in the city, it would have a whole host of consequences,” said Councilman Eric Friedman, whose district includes the Rose Garden Inn. “It would be devastating to us.”
The city’s plan is to partner with City Net Santa Barbara, a nonprofit organization with a solid track record of working to end street-level homelessness through a variety of collaborations and coordinations.
Beginning July 5, bridge housing for about 50 homeless individuals will be provided for 120 days, with City Net staff managing the operation at the hotel, including 24-hour security.
The invitations will be issued to people living in squalor at six well-known sites along Highway 101: the northbound exit ramp between Laguna and Garden streets, the northbound entrance ramp at Castillo and West Haley streets, the southbound entrance ramp at West Carrillo Street, the southbound exit ramp at Castillo Street, the entrance and exit ramps at South Milpas Street, and the Union Pacific railroad underpass at Los Patos Way.
Officials say a state grant and Measure C sales tax money will be used to pay for the project. A budget breakdown lists facility and shelter, $677,899; labor at $455,753; operations, $282,140; contingency, $145,475; and materials and supplies, $38,957.
It’s not clear to me how success will be measured, but the bigger unknown is whether there’s a differentiation between the truly homeless and the menacing vagrants who pose a bigger threat to public safety than carelessness with matches.
4. Bill Macfadyen: Laguna Blanca School Community Rocked by Crash That Killed Popular Teacher
Our coverage of the June 22 death of popular Laguna Blanca School teacher Peter “Ace” Angeloff, and the Highway 154 motorcycle crash that killed him, continued to draw strong readership for a second week.
Funeral services are pending, but the school announced July 1 that a celebration of Angeloff’s life will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Hope Ranch campus, at 4125 Paloma Drive.
In an email to the Laguna Blanca School community, Upper School Head Melissa Alkire said additional tributes are being planned for the annual Alumni Soccer Match over the Thanksgiving break and the annual Angeloff Alumni Golf & Tennis Classic in the spring.
The 70-year-old Angeloff was a beloved physics teacher and golf coach at the K-12 school. He joined the faculty in 1983 and was among its longest-serving instructors.
5. BizHawk: Owner of Alessia Patisserie & Café Hopes to Whip Up Her Own Taste of Sweet Success
After spending her career working for others in the restaurant business, Alessia Guehr is making a name for herself with a place of her own. On July 1, she opened the mellifluous Alessia Patisserie & Café at 134 E. Canon Perdido in downtown Santa Barbara.
“The food is a little bit European-inspired, but more just an American café,” she told our Josh Molina.
Guehr’s specialty is croissants, and the bakery’s menu includes French-inspired pastries, cakes, candy, truffles, muffins, scones and cookies.
She says pastries and baking are second nature to her.
“This is not like coming to work,” Guehr said. “It’s like my life.”
The Dos Pueblos High School alumna’s professional life has included stints at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, Renaud’s Patisserie, bouchon santa barbara, Le Marais Bakery in San Francisco, and helping her dad, master chef Norbert Schulz, open up the Nook in the Funk Zone.
“My goal is for people to come and taste desserts and have food here that brings them back to a time in their life,” Guehr said.
“If someone has a bad day and they come in here and have a cake and it changes their day, that ultimately makes us feel like we are doing our job right.”
That Philosophy of Cake sure sounds tasty to me.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Gov. Gavin Newsom Orders Closures for Indoor Restaurants, Bars, Movie Theaters in Santa Barbara County.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
You can’t make this stuff up: In Advance of Sept. 14 Recall Election, Gov. Gavin Newsom Sues His Secretary of State to Fix His Campaign’s Mistake. As always, it was somebody else’s fault.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
What do Eagles, a rooster of a mailbox and @wingmanrodeo have in common? My Instagram feed.
• • •
Watch It
Well played, Budweiser. With a shout-out to our own Direct Relief for the assist! #GoFourthAmerica
(Budweiser video)
• • •
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— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Instagram: @bill.macfadyen, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
