Remembering Pearl Chase
An avid reader of BlogaBarbara reminded me that today would have been Pearl Chase's 118th birthday -- the woman who fought for everything that is great about Santa Barbara had a few things to say that are interesting in the context of what is happening today.
Also, considering the several f$@# you's I got today for my post on the SBNP and free speech from whom I can only assume live in their ivory tower, I can't help but imagine standing at Butterfly Beach and saying this Pearl Chase quote to myself and perhaps changing the focus just a slight little bit:
“History brought tradition,
Tradition brought with it a sense of pride.
Pride led to responsibility,
Responsibility led to concern,
Concern led to action
Action led to justice in achievement.”
Also, considering the several f$@# you's I got today for my post on the SBNP and free speech from whom I can only assume live in their ivory tower, I can't help but imagine standing at Butterfly Beach and saying this Pearl Chase quote to myself and perhaps changing the focus just a slight little bit:
“Get the message across and make politicians feel they must pay attention to the people.”
posted by Sara De la Guerra | 11/16/2006 06:52:00 PM
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29 Comments:
Pearl Chase was a Great Lady and thank you Sara for remembering her.
If she was alive I'm sure she throw the News Press into the wendy and cover it with a lid so as not to offend the neighbors with its foul odor.
Bless you Sara De le Guerra.
If Pearl Chase was alive today, I'm sure she'd be fighting the densification of the South Coast.
Perfect quote, Sara. Do you think Wendy's even capable of understanding it, much less learning from it?
No, neither do I.
I agree, 9:22; when Miss Chase used her influence over low-income housing, it was for such model developments as Arboleda Acres, which allowed families not only their own modest homes, but enough land that they could garden and even a few chickens or a cow, to provide well for themselves. It's doubtful that the notion of packing people in like sardines was anything that she, Bernhard Hoffman, or her brother, Harold Chase, developer of Hope Ranch, ever would have envisioned. The story goes that Miss Chase's heart was broken by the terrible fight over the developers'plan to build two 9-story condos on the site of what is now Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. At the time, every civic leader, prominent business person, and even Chase's longtime friend Thomas Storke insisted the project would be the best thing that ever happened to Santa Barbara--providing jobs and much needed housing. It took a community uprising and a lawsuit, during which time the judge in the case declared that the project would "do violence to the neighborhood." A zoning irregularity was discovered, and the project was halted. How lucky we are today to be the beneficiaries of such willingness of others to stand up and speak truth to power. Pay attention to the people indeed. Thank you Pearl Chase and the citizens you've inspired to this day.
The News-Press Mess has made the pages of American Journalism Review.
http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4236
Wendy McCaw, like Pearl Chase, believes in holding politicians accountable and standing up for Santa Barbara.
Wendy McCaw, like Pearl Chase, believes in protecting Santa Barbara against environmental depredation and outsiders who want to ruin our town for personal gain.
Wendy McCaw, like Pearl Chase, is willing to fight for Santa Barbara. In today's context, this means taking on corrupt labor unions, out-of-town developers and their local political cronies, densification advocates and disgruntled activists posing as journalists.
Pearl Chase was an extermely strong advocate of converting Santa Barbara State College into UCSB.
Odd how Isla Vista, arguably the least Chase-like spot on the South Coast, has been the progeny of that effort.
I think Pearl Chase is used on many sides of the housing debate. Some people think that she would be fighting densification of the South Coast, some think that she would be fighting for affordable housing. Unfortunately those two are "apparently" in direct conflict with each other.
In the end, I fear Santa Barbara will continue to go vertical, and Goleta will continue to chop down trees and bulldoze open space, and whatever Pearl Chase was fighting for will be long forgotten.
Cheri Rae,
Thanks for chiming in. I bring up the densification issue because of the irony with the Newspress situation, and the relevance of Sara's nod to Pearl Chase. One of the great services that Travis Armstrong, in particular, has done for the community is to hold the current power base in check regarding the trend of densifying the South Coast.
From my point of view, it is clear that those that favor density have had a bone to pick with Travis over this issue, and that conflict seems to have contributed to the rage against the Newspress. And yet, here we are, romantically recalling the vision of Pearl Chase.
I would like to see more people understand that vision, and to realize that the resistance to density is not about economics or classism -- but it is about the character and quality of life in this place. And that we need not trade one for the other.
ajr.org article is what Vanity Fair shied away from reporting. Devastating to anyone who considers themselves an ink stained wretch. Travis is becoming a high comic hysteric. The evil toady look is never very attractive. How long can you physically and emotionally fill that role? At what point do you finally become so unattractive and embarassing that even your patron finds its necessary to shed herself of your presence? Slapping Barney? Craig Smith? The sand is falling in the hourglass. The tragedy is how close it was too being a great paper. Think how it could have been handled. It's a hell of a long way from Katherine Graham to here. What a shame.
Sal Si Puedes
The character and quality are gone and whole place looks like a bunch of taco bell stands. Wonder if that was the goal?
Man, Nelville, that last post is so out there, I have to wonder if you are for real.
I look forward to another News-Press editorial like the last one. I am still working some bugs out of the translator.
When you get around to sending out those resumes, here's a place that's hiring:
http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm
The reference to the DPRK website might, in a very strange way, be not suitable for publication as it might be worse than a slap on the face or a good name-calling. Ouch.
Most of us are not "going in" for socialism and I will not take "intensified actions" for the "people's dynamic drive". You have actually made me more scared of the DPRK than I already was -- especially with their not so well-written press release in support of Syria.
Speaking of politicians who were "fired" by the people----GOODBYE TO GANDRUD......and not a minute too soon....
Biltmore Vigil TV Schedule
This has little to do with Pearl Chase, but few if any readers seem to look at the postings even a couple of days old...
So everyone can see for themselves all the insinuated burning effigies, tire necklaces, Molatov cocktails, and obscene hatespeech out there on the sidewalk in front of Biltmore Hotel last Saturday for the candlelight vigil, here is the cablecast schedule (cable TV, not cabal TV) for this half-hour special production by Larry Nimmer, shown by the Rival Media, Santa Barbara Channels, Community Access Cable Channel 17:
Friday, 11/17 at 8 pm
Saturday, 11/18 at 6 pm
Sunday, 11/19 at 2 pm and 10 pm
Tuesday, 11/21 at 7:30 AM
Wed., 11/22 at 10 AM 6:30 PM
Thurs., 11/23 at 5:30 PM and 10:30 PM
Nelville---- I'm not certain but I do believe it is a mortal sin to use the name of Pearl Chase in the same paragraph--let alone sentence as Wendy Mc*****
please, have some decency
I had a little time before I go to sleep so thought i would check in on my favorite soap the NEWS MESS.
I must say these latest posts on the blog show that somebody's feather are truly getting ruffled by the posts on here and spiting out more trash (oops i mean more wendy) to cover the facts....I'm an outsider but found that the article ...http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4236... a truly honest and forthright portrayal of the facts. I urge all of the people in Santa Barbara to read it and hope that the other papers in the area reprint for all to see.
I truly love the the child that made the observation that the that garbage trucks in your area have the monogram WM on them and it seems all to fitting and that the containers are now called "wendys" .. The saying there is nothing more honest than the innocent never rang truer.
Who ever you are Sara my God bless you and keep you and yours safe and pure.
Thanks also to Wendy McCaw and hers for making this whole show possible for the whole world to enjoy and have a good laugh.... and remember Wendy & Co. we are not laughing with you but at you.
A good night to all.
Best regards,
East Coast Reader
i sure hope that Nelville Flynn is getting paid for his/her posts and support.
lol lol Waste Management = WM how f$@#ing funny is that, Sara i'm surprised is took a kid to come up with that one. lol lol..looks like Wendy is going to have a day of the week named in her honor Trash Day will become the official Wendy Pickup Day, also please remember to park on the correct side of the street that day so we don't all become "Wrong Ways". And to think ol'Nipper can have service seven days a week how lucky is that? Oh wait I guess that makes him a Collector. i mean Baron von Collector.
Not wanting to belabor the whole DPRK thing, but isn’t it a sad day when the news site for the most paranoid Stalinist dictatorship in the world has more open access than the homepage for a mid-sized American newspaper?
Nelville---- I'm not certain but I do believe it is a mortal sin to use the name of Pearl Chase in the same paragraph--let alone sentence as Wendy Mc*****
please, have some decency
A little advice. In your guys campaign to try to discredit Wendy and Travis and the NewsPress, you might want to tone down the rhetoric to make what your trying to do or say more palatable. Otherwise you just sound like a bunch of bitter wannabees. It's just simple tactics, and most of you aren't very good at making a point, because you go over the top with ridiculous statements, metaphors etc.
Actually, 9:17, Wendy et al have already discredited themselves. The vitriolic editorials, the frivolous and vindictive lawsuits, the firings, Huff & Puff's over-top-slambakes on PR Newswire, Nelville's disingenuous posts -- there's really nothing others can do that top all that.
anon 9:17---
if anything, those of us watching first hand the carnage wrought by Wendy and Travis over the past several months have been quite tame--trust me, it's not rhetoric--if anything, we've understated the attendant tragedy(ies)
Hey, Neville, as usual, you missed a few:
Wendy McCaw, unlike Pearl Chase, holds others "accountable" for fabricated sins while failing to hold herself and her corrupt allies responsible for her/their foolishness and disastrous conduct.
Wendy McCaw, unlike Pearl Chase, is a misanthrope who cares not a wit for anyone but herself. She'll give millions to build a wading pool for a whale or to get front row tickets at the County Bowl but not a nickel to help poor kids.
Wendy McCaw, unlike Pearl Chase, is nothing close to an environmentalist. She uses more petroleum in a month — in the form of fuel for her jet, yacht and sports car and to heat and cool her estate — than most of us use in a lifetime.
Wendy McCaw, unlike Pearl Chase, is a cowardly bully, who misuses her vast wealth to fight anyone who dares question her or her inept henchmen.
To paraphrase Lloyd Benson, we all know about the vast contributions that Pearl Chase made to our community, and it's safe to say, "Wendy McCaw is no Pearl Chase!"
if anything, those of us watching first hand the carnage wrought by Wendy and Travis over the past several months have been quite tame--trust me, it's not rhetoric--if anything, we've understated the attendant tragedy(ies)
I give you people advice on toning it down, and then you fire back with words like "carnage" "vitriolic" "vindictive" etc.
Wendy McCaw, unlike Pearl Chase, is a misanthrope who cares not a wit for anyone but herself. She'll give millions to build a wading pool for a whale
Sounds like she, at the very least, cares for a whale.
9:17 AM and 10:59 PM Said:
“I give you people advice on toning it down, and then you fire back with words like ‘carnage’ ‘vitriolic’ ‘vindictive’ etc…
…A little advice. In your guys campaign to try to discredit Wendy and Travis and the NewsPress, you might want to tone down the rhetoric to make what your trying to do or say more palatable. Otherwise you just sound like a bunch of bitter wannabees…”
Dear Duke/Duchess Delusional, Glorious Dispenser of Stern Advice to the Poor, Bitter, Wannabee Souls of the Kingdom: I suggest that you dispatch one of your courier knaves to urge King Wrongous Wayous and Queen Wendela to hire a better group of court jesters than the ones currently blogging on their behalf.
If Santa Barbara has become such an embarassment. Move.
Dear Duke/Duchess Delusional, Glorious Dispenser of Stern Advice to the Poor, Bitter, Wannabee Souls of the Kingdom: I suggest that you dispatch one of your courier knaves to urge King Wrongous Wayous and Queen Wendela to hire a better group of court jesters than the ones currently blogging on their behalf.
Good one. Having fun in Camelot? Who's delusional?
"Somebody" has likened Rob Lowe to the "new"Pearl Chase. Please. Neighbors have to run for cover when he hits their radar screen.
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