Tuesday’s On the Beat
GETTING GASSED: “Having
just returned from Sacramento, where gasoline is available at $2.97
a gallon, it still puzzles me why Santa Barbara’s prices are so
much higher,” notes Goletan Gary Lapman. “Are there special
requirements by our county regarding the formula for the product
sold here, or is all gas in California the same? I shudder every
time I see the record profits that the oil companies are bringing
in currently. I’m sure it would bother me ever so slightly less if
everyone were paying the same price. What, besides the obvious, is
so damned special about Santa Barbara? Is it that we are just too stupid
to protest and will pay the price because the appearance is that we
can well afford it? Any idea if the so-called ‘gubmint’ has checked
into the oil companies record profits and their legality (re:
gouging)?” Gary, I’ve been asked this same question for decades.The
best answer I ever got from anyone involved in petrol policy is:
“Everything costs more in Santa Barbara, doesn’t it?” Like real
estate. Oil companies charge more here because they can get it.
It’s what the traffic will bear, and I guess we have to bear it
until someone figures out a way to lighten the load. Meanwhile, we
can drive less, use alternative transportation like
the bus, drive
fuel-efficient vehicles, ride bikes, or fuel the family buggy with used cooking oil. The
government is of no use here, since Big Oil
and the automotive industry have a firm grip on the steering wheel
in Washington.
ORPHANS BANISHED: Why, readers ask, was the
orphans’ mariachi band from Mexico that played on the Mission steps
during Fiesta Pequena refused permission to play inside at the
mass, as has been traditional for many Fiestas? The word I get is
that there’s a new administration at the Mission that vetoed
mariachi music in the hallowed halls. Oddly, the kids did play at
Our Lady of Sorrows, I’m told.
MORE PIZZA: Is there some trendy significance
to the fact that JR’s service station on the Mesa is giving way to
Giovanni’s pizza parlor? Putting food in your
mouth instead of petrol in the tank? Realtor Scott Williams reports
that Danny and Debra Babai, who began Giovanni’s restaurants
more than 20 years ago, are building at Meigs
Road and Cliff Drive. There’ll also be another commercial unit, an
office space, and four residential units.
SWEET SAVOY: One of the best things about
moving over to The Independent is that the delightful
Savoy Truffles café and deli (24 W. Figueroa St.) is so close. Paul
and Kathy Shields (Dos Pueblos High grads with my kids) opened it a few
months ago. You help yourself to soup and salad or order a sandwich
or dishes from the showcase and relax. Paul learned his stuff at
San Ysidro Ranch and 10 years with Lazy Acres. (The name, of course, is from the
Beatles’ song. Words are posted by the door,
fortunately, because I could never quite catch up with the lyrics
while listening.)
KONA KOUNTRY: Restaurant king John Scott (The
Harbor and Longboards, El Paseo, Harry’s Café, and the Tee-Off,
plus Scotch and Sirloin at the Ventura Harbor) has opened the Kona
Ranch House on Calle Real in Goleta. Menu includes a 28-ounce
rib-eye paddle steak, luau pork ribs, and huli-huli chicken.
PIRATES TO SHOOT: Guadalupe Dunes
will be the scene of a shoot for Disney’s upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean III, according to Martine White, county
film commissioner. No date set for the three days of shooting.
WHERE’S THE SAUSAGE? Elza Petersons found me
during Fiesta to explain why the Edelweiss Choir
stopped selling those juicy sausages at the Northside Mercado
during Old Spanish Days. “They raised the fees every year,” until
it became impossible to stay, she said. “We’re nonprofit.” But you
can find their sausages and sauerkraut at places such as the
Goleta Lemon Festival and Carpinteria Avocado Festival, she told me.
GOT A PET?: Realtor Nancy Nolan and Amy Love
have started WeTakePets.com, aimed at helping responsible pet owners
to find rentals and other pet resources in Santa Barbara.
HEALIN’ THE OCEAN: Hillary Hauser has rounded
up Seinfeld star and Montecito resident Julia Louis-Dreyfus to be honorary chair of Heal the Ocean’s
benefit concert September 30 at QAD in Summerland. For info, call
965-7570.
9/11 HYMN: Lacy David
reports that her “An American Hymn,” written with Lee Holdridge,
will be sung by New York cop Daniel Rodriguez to commemorate the fifth anniversary
of 9/11 on the Crystal Cathedral broadcast around the world, and that
evening on the Chabad Telethon.
