High school commencement ceremonies aren’t for another week, but since I had senioritis back in the day it’s not surprising I have it now.
Congratulations to the Class of 2022, whose members’ perseverence is legendary. After the last 2½ years, they can do anything.
Noozhawk is celebrating the achievements of these star seniors with our Class of 2022 Graduation Section. Announcements are free, and they’re easy to submit.
We invite you to add your graduate to our mix. Click here and our instructions will walk you through the submission process.
While the Class of 2022 is deserving of all accolades, the same can’t be said for some of the adults supposedly in charge of their education, but we’ll get into that in a minute.
According to our Google Analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 96,866 readers this past week.
These weekly Best of Bill columns are a compilation of — and my own take on — our Top 5 most-read stories of the past seven days.
Please remember this is my opinion column as Noozhawk’s publisher. It is not a news story.
1. Dos Pueblos High Faculty Senate Has Harsh Words for Superintendent, School Board
The rumblings of dysfunction surrounding the Santa Barbara Unified School District have become too obvious to ignore, with the Dos Pueblos High School Faculty Senate issuing a scathing rebuke of Superintendent Hilda Maldonado and the school board that hired her.
Teachers from Goleta Valley Junior High and Santa Barbara High sent similar letters the next day. And more than four dozen sign-toting teachers protested outside the May 24 school board meeting at district headquarters at 720 Santa Barbara St.
As our Josh Molina reported May 23, 75 of Dos Pueblos’ 100 teachers signed a letter to the SBUSD board declaring no confidence in Maldonado and accusing the trustees of a “dereliction of duty.”
“We expressed no confidence in the superintendent months ago,” according to the letter obtained by Noozhawk. “We must express that we are rapidly losing confidence in each of you as board members, because of your negligence and continued failure to actively listen to your staff’s concerns in order to carry out your board duties.”
Ordinarily, I’d summarize the letter’s points in the interest of space. But I just can’t ignore the extraordinary bluntness.
The Dos Pueblos faculty called for the following:
» An immediate accounting of SBUSD spending practices and an explanation of why the district is spending additional federal and state monies as well as district reserves at an “alarming” rate.
» An immediate new, and consensus, hiring practice that includes a panel of SBUSD leaders who have been working in the district for at least five years, rather than what appears to be a committee of one, consisting of Maldonado.
» Hiring SBUSD personnel with secondary experience wherever appropriate.
» Board acknowledgement of the overwhelmingly condemnatory November survey results the Santa Barbara Teachers Association released on Maldonado’s leadership and performance, along with trustee visits to every campus to hear firsthand teacher accounts of ongoing issues and concerns.
» Extensive exit interviews of all SBUSD leadership personnel by the district’s human resources director and overseen by trustees to promote transparency and candor.
“Through these initial remedies and further redress for failed leadership in our district, our hope is that our community can begin to repair the appalling damage caused not just by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also by the actions of the superintendent and by your delinquency,” the letter states.
Daaaaamn.
Hired in 2020 to replace Cary Matsuoka, who had abruptly retired, Maldonado has been just as underwhelming. High-profile and senior SBUSD staff have been running for the exits and the district has been plagued by controversies, many of them self-inflicted.
Thanks to Josh’s dogged reporting, Noozhawk has been the only news organization covering district doings and undoings week in and week out. Much of the time, it’s a terribly unserious Board of Trustees demonstrating how out of touch it is with what should be public education’s ABCs.
Maldonado and the trustees — board president Rose Muñoz and members Virginia Alvarez, Laura Capps, Kate Ford and Wendy Sims-Moten — usually blame COVID-19 for any shortcomings. In the case of the Dos Pueblos faculty’s censure, none of the six took Josh up on his request for comment.
Muñoz later announced through the district that the board would hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. May 31 to review Maldonado’s evaluation and goals for 2022 and 2023.
It may be too little, too late as teacher tensions are reaching the boiling point, and large factions of parents are seething for other reasons. Teachers at several other schools are expected to soon follow the leads of the Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara highs and Goleta Valley Junior High faculty.
“I feel teacher input is not being heard on big decisions and little decisions,” longtime Santa Barbara High science teacher Jose Caballero told Josh. “Our survey was largely swept under the rug and ignored. Teachers are fairly unified at various sites.”
2. San Marcos High School Student Identified as Victim Who Died After Trail Rescue
The hiker who died after being rescued from a Santa Barbara trail on May 21 was identified as 17-year-old Jake Parks, a senior at San Marcos High School.
As our Janene Scully first reported that afternoon, authorities said crews from the Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County fire departments were dispatched after a hiker collapsed from an apparent heat-related medical emergency on Tunnel Trail, about 1½ miles from the Mission Canyon trailhead.
The victim was carried back to the trailhead and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment. Tragically, he later died.
Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick identified the victim as Parks, and told our Giana Magnoli that the Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the circumstances and cause of his death.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
3. BizHawk: ‘Axe-citing Times’ Coming to State Street With New Santa Barbara Axe Club
For years, boosters of downtown Santa Barbara have been arguing for a more experiential nightlife to draw in visitors and keep them coming back.
According to our Josh Molina, entrepreneur Brett Michaelson is taking a whack at the opportunity.
It’s not my intention to do a hatchet job on Josh’s story, but I just can’t help myself. It’s a target-rich environment for my inner copy editor in need of a pun streak.
But I’m missing the mark, or flying off the handle.
Michaelson is opening the State Street Axe Club next month at 427 State St., and he’s already honing his sense of humor.
“Axe-throwing is fun, competitive and addicting, and we look forward to some ‘axe-citing’ fun here on State Street,” he told Josh.
The business, in the storefront formerly occupied by the Midnite Sun gift shop, will have 12 protective axe-throwing lanes along with instructors, safety lessons, games and a variety of axes to hurl. Michaelson says it’ll be a good place to hang out with friends or to take a date, and there may be occasions for those with a more competitive edge to show off their blades of glory.
As an Eagle scout, I can tell you there’s something cathartic about tossing an axe. Maybe it’s the primal connection to our forebears who threw them for food and defense, or perhaps it’s the sharper and more complex differences from that much more common game missile, the dart.
Whatever it is, you’ll be hooked the first time you bury the hatchet in a bullseye.
4. Mark Patton: Santa Barbara Mom Has the Pull to Row Her Way to Hawai‘i
Santa Barbara’s Adrienne Smith — an Ironman athlete, wife, mother and local small business owner — is one of four women who will be attempting to row their way into the record books next month.
But their quest is no ordinary test of endurance. The crew of Smith, fellow Santa Barbaran Sophia “D.J.” Denison-Johnston, and Libby Costello and Brooke Downes, will be embarking from San Francisco with a goal of reaching Waikiki Beach in Hawai‘i in under 35 days, 14 hours and 23 minutes — the current record.
As our Mark Patton reported in his May 22 column, the four have been training for their 2,800-mile voyage as part of the Danville-based Lat 35 team entry in the “Great Pacific Race,” which is expected to get underway between June 19 and 23.
Smith joined the adventure at the encouragement of her husband, Jason, himself a triathlete who had been providing endurance training for the other squad members, all college rowers.
“It’s absolutely the most challenging thing I’ve ever attempted,” she told Mark. “Challenging on all levels … Physically, emotionally, being gone from my family, handling everything logistically from making sure my business is covered, my child care is covered, and that we have all the things we need as a team.”
Their 29-by-5-foot vessel is no luxury yacht. Designed to right itself if it capsizes, the boat has two tiny, air-tight cabins on each end with room for three oarswomen at a time in the middle. Their gear includes a satellite phone, several tracking devices, a water-maker that can produce about seven gallons of fresh water a day, and solar panels.
They’re rowing it alone, without the accompaniment of a support boat, so they’ve got to pack more than a month’s worth of food as well.
In addition to her husband, Smith will be temporarily leaving behind their 4-year-old daughter, Reese, and her business, Power of Your Om yoga studio in downtown Santa Barbara. That’s a tremendous sacrifice in its own right, but she’s looking forward to the challenge.
“To sign up to row across an ocean, you kind of trust that person next to you also has some of the same values and interests, and the ability to work through any predicaments,” she said.
“The end-goal is to make it across as fast as possible.”
I can’t wait to follow their progress, and Noozhawk will keep you updated on their trek.
You also can donate to help their quest and their cause, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Click here to make an online Venmo donation through their Instagram account: @lat35racing.
5. Movie Producer David Guillod Ordered to Trial on 8 Sexual-Assault Charges; Judge Rejects Others
Hollywood movie producer and talent manager David Guillod will have to stand trial on charges that he assaulted two alleged victims while they were intoxicated and unconscious, but a Santa Maria judge rejected charges related to four other women.
The incidents allegedly took place in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties between 2012 and 2020.
As our Janene Scully reported, the 55-year-old Guillod — who served as executive producer of Atomic Blonde, Extraction and The Intruder — had faced up to 21 felony charges involving a half-dozen women. The six had accused him of assorted sexual crimes while they were intoxicated or drugged.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James Voysey said he found probable cause to proceed to trial with eight charges related to two alleged victims, one of them Ted actress Jessica Barth.
But he rejected charges related to four other accusers, questioning their credibility based on their own statements and actions after the alleged assaults.
Guillod, who has pleaded not guilty, was ordered back to court on June 14 for arraignment.
• • •
Good Reads
Here are six stories that are well worth your time:
» Santa Barbara County Events To Remember Meaning of Memorial Day — All gave some, some gave all. North County editor Janene Scully has a roundup of local Memorial Day events honoring the men and women who gave their lives while serving our country in the U.S. military.
» ‘Fractional Ownership’ Home in Santa Barbara Sparks Controversy Amid Housing Crisis — Pacaso, a luxury second home co-ownership platform, has arrived in Montecito and Santa Barbara and locals are none too happy about it. Our Josh Molina checks out the real estate.
» Pepper Spray, Tasers Used to Quell Series of Weekend Fights at Santa Barbara County Jail — Noozhawk’s news team and I heard about reportedly race-related rioting among inmates at the Santa Barbara County Jail not long after violence broke out the afternoon of May 22. It took the Sheriff’s Department three days to get back to our Tom Bolton about it, and then a spokeswoman revealed only antiseptic details. This community deserves better than that.
» Dr. Richard B. Shelton of Goleta, 1937-2022 — Dick Shelton, a former Goleta schools superintendent and a giant among local educators, died May 23 of a heart condition. He was 85. Rest in peace, Dick, and prayers to his wife, Wendy, and their family.
» Susan Miles Gulbransen: Parent Shares Her Experience Seeking Support for Child with Depression — Columnist Susan Miles Gulbransen writes a heartfelt, and heartbreaking, story about a friend with a child navigating the bewildering mental health care system. Which reminds me that Noozhawk will begin publishing the second phase of our Mental Health Care in Crisis series next month.
» Check out our new pet project, our Four-Legged Friends & More section.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Firefighters Reach 40% Containment for 20-Acre Vegetation Fire on Santa Barbara’s Westside.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
This isn’t actually much of a story, but that’s the San Andreas Fault. Take the long weekend to explore the earthquake intersection of Wallace Creek in the Carrizo Plain National Monument in remote southeast San Luis Obispo County: San Andreas Fault Spectacularly Offsets This Creek.
• • •
Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed can never have too much @sadiethealaskanmalamute. You’re welcome.
• • •
Americans Held Hostage: Day 269
It’s been 269 days since America abandoned Americans in Afghanistan. An untold number of those U.S. citizens and green card holders are still in hiding from the Taliban. Nobody cares, though — least of all the U.S. government, which has pivoted to Ukraine and a thousand other “transitory” crises.
• • •
Watch It
I’m going back to the Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam because Spirit is doing wingers and rearranging her nest.
(Friends of Big Bear Valley video)
• • •
How You Can Help Noozhawk
Noozhawk is proud to be the go-to source of news for locals like yourself. You trust and rely on us to provide timely, relevant and thorough coverage of the issues that shape Santa Barbara County.
And we get up early — and stay up late — excited to report what’s going on in our community so we can keep you informed and engaged.
While most of Noozhawk’s revenue comes from advertising and sponsorships, we believe that reader contributions are a vital source of support — financially and fundamentally. We believe that if we ask our readers to contribute what you think we’re worth, we can build a sustainable business model for local news.
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today! Yes, I’ll set up a monthly donation today!
Your loyalty membership helps us continue to provide you with unmatched local news and in-depth reporting on the issues that you care about.
Please note that personal contributions to Noozhawk are not deductible as charitable donations.
Thank you for your support.
— 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.