Sounding off

Joe Giordano

My wife and I went to visit her daughter in Santa Barbara this past

weekend. While the two ladies went shopping I spent the day wandering

around that beautiful city.

State Street was blocked off for a car show, but I’m not an automobile

enthusiast, so I kept walking until I got to Anapuma Street where I

followed some signs pointing to an Earth Day festival.

The lawn near City Hall was dotted with dozens of booths and thousands

of people. I wish we had this kind of environmental involvement here in

Laguna Beach.

There were booths for Community Energy Alliance, Community

Environmental Council, recycling programs, ocean pollution, creek

pollution, clean water, dog owner’s duty, Green Gardeners, how to use

clothes dryers, etc. Great ideas one and all.

Then I came to a booth titled The Donald Bren School of Environmental

Science and Management, University of Santa Barbara.

What? I came to a screeching halt and re-read the title. I shook my

head in disbelief. I felt like I was in some kind of time warp or maybe I

was having an out-of-body experience. I walked over to the booth and

asked if it was truly our Southern Orange County Donald Bren. The young

lady manning the booth rolled her eyes.

“Yes sir, it is the same Donald Bren.”

“Does he live up here or have any property up here?”

I could feel my face getting redder by the minute.

“No sir.”

She kept her eyes down and her voice was very controlled.

“Am I the first to ask these questions?”

It occurred to me that she was not happy to see an Orange County

resident.

“No sir, others have been by today.”

“You know he just contributed thousands of acres to Orange County for

open spaces.”

I was trying to be nice, no sense taking out my anger and frustration

on this young lady.

“We all are very happy with his decision especially the hundreds of

acres he set aside in Laguna Canyon. By the way, when did the school

open?”

“Some three years ago, but the grand opening was this week, April 19.”

“Wonderful.”

I smiled and started to walk away.

“How much did he contribute?”

“$60 million.” She again averted eye contact.

“‘Thank you.”

I started to walk away again, turned to ask her the all-important

question, “Why Santa Barbara?” But I couldn’t bring myself to bother this

nice young lady anymore. I walked away shaking my head and for some

reason very, very angry.

We all thank Bren for his recent contributions to our open space,

particularly in the canyon, and his generous contribution to UC Santa

Barbara is laudable. But why in heaven’s name Santa Barbara? Couldn’t he

just have made the donation to UC Irvine or Cal State Fullerton and built

them a new campus, say on Coast Highway where that shopping center is

going up?

I don’t know why I’m so angry, but I am.

* JOE GIORDANO is a Laguna Beach resident. To contribute a Sounding

Off piece, write us at P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, CA, 92652, fax us at

494-4321 or send e-mail to o7 [email protected] .