A big thank you to the members who helped facilitate today's meeting:
Photographer & Reporter: Nikolas Miramontes.
Opportunity Drawing: Anthony Clark.
Greeter, Scribe, & Coordinator: Lisa Gosdschan.
Raffle Tickets: Cathy Calabro
We were also thrilled to welcome several guests and visiting Rotarians:
Grant Sharp, a visiting Rotarian on his third visit and a prospective transfer.
Cass Ensberg, significant other of Tom Jacobs.
Mary Garza.
Henry Duran from the Interact Club.
Raquel Naranjo, a visiting guest from Westpac Wealth Partners.
Club Announcements
Interact Bake Sale Success: Jackie and Henry announced that the Interact Club hosted a bake sale two weeks ago. They successfully collected $400, which is being donated to Joe Lanza for his water well project.
Oktoberfest Sponsorships: Oktoberfest is scheduled for September 19th, which is exactly 12 weeks away. Jackie shared that sponsorship forms with different tier levels are available and need to be passed around to local businesses like CPAs, mechanics, and dentists.
President's Step-Down Dinner: Lisa reminded the club to RSVP for Jim's upcoming step-down dinner. The event will take place on July 1st from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM in the regular meeting room. So far, 33 people have RSVP'd.
Mega Bucks Highlights
Members shared exciting personal updates and contributed to the pot:
Mike Bergquist: Recently returned from a 9-day trip to Ireland, visiting Cork, Belfast, the Northern Coast, and Dublin. He also celebrated his younger son's 1st anniversary.
Tom Jacobs: Proudly announced he is becoming a grandfather for the 9th time to a baby boy in Connecticut. He woke up extra early to drive back from Ojai to make the meeting.
Marti Correa de Garcia: Shared an update about her Japanese student staying with her and Gil. The student, whose father is a Rotarian in Kanazawa East, Japan, just finished her last day of school at Santa Barbara High School and brought a flag to share!
Dr. Steve Young: A visiting guest shared that they had family visiting from Israel, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Miami, and Arizona to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah.
Henry Duran: Announced his acceptance into a selective summer research program working under an economist from Cambridge.
Member Spotlight: Amy Bankoff
Amy played "Two Truths and a Lie" to help the club get to know her better!
She started riding horses at age 8, turned professional at 16, and was a show jumper on the North American Young Riders team. By age 17, she was spending 48 weeks a year on the road.
She managed a retreat center in Fiji from 2010 to 2020 and founded the Fiji Spirit Gathering, a festival focused on yoga, music, and permaculture.
While her two children are indeed dual citizens of New Zealand, she did not travel to New Zealand with her partner in 2002. She actually traveled there by herself and met her partner while she was there.
The Lie: 3
Main Presentation: Lessons of El Mirasol
Cass Ensberg introduced our main speaker, Cherie Ray. Cherie is a preservationist, author, lecturer, community activist, and editor of "The Capital" (the Pearl Chase Society newsletter). She gave a fascinating presentation titled "Lessons of El Mirasol":
The land that is now the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden was originally a mansion built in 1902 for Mrs. Herter, which was later turned into the beautiful El Mirasol Hotel.
In the late 1960s, the hotel suffered two fires during the Christmas season and was slated to be knocked down.
An investment company proposed building two 9-story (107-foot) condo towers with 162 units, requiring a major variance from the city's 3-story (45-foot) limit.
While 29 civic leaders supported the high-rise, a grassroots group called "Save Our City" opposed it. Penny Davies wrote a pivotal letter to the newspaper in 1969 to fight the development.
Despite the planning commission denying the variance, the city council initially approved it in a 4-2 vote.
Citizens, including the powerful Pearl Chase, demanded a ruling from a judge and raised $30,000 to hire attorney John Sink.
Judge Harold Underwood ultimately ruled that the variance violated the city's rules. The property was later purchased and turned into the memorial garden we know today.
Cherie concluded by warning the club about new high-rise proposals currently threatening Santa Barbara, including an 18-story project under the state's "builder's remedy" law.
The meeting concluded with the opportunity drawing. The pot was won at $400 by Patricia Juin! Next week's speaker will be Steve Wagner from the Goleta Sanitary District. See you all then!
