It’s been a week of fire and rain, preparedness and a little mudslinging. Fire consumed 70 acres in the hills above Montecito Oct. 29, days before Mother Nature sent a brief deluge of rain that gave us a taste of the storm waters to come, but was just a tad late to the fire.
I’ll tell you what a little rain does. It makes people think. It’s a good thing all those thinking minds have been convening to talk about just how ready the Central Coast is for El Niño. The Santa Barbara County Disaster Council met to collaborate on how various county agencies are preparing for winter storms and city of Santa Maria officials said they are at work cleaning gutters and drains of debris and branches to help prevent flooding.
Meanwhile rain caused a few accidents—one fatal—and knocked out power to hundreds of Central Coast residents.
Rain even dampened the presentation of computers to students and teachers by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, forcing the Nov. 2
donation presentation indoors. The donation was the fourth and final installment of donations generated from the 11th annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic, which raised $120,000 in technology grants for Santa Ynez Valley schools.
The Chumash tribe has done a lot by way of sharing the wealth with the community, and so they deserve a toast. Now that toast can take place on their very own casino floor.
Except that the community isn’t raising its collective glass. The Chumash decided to pursue a license that allows them to serve alcohol on the casino’s gaming floor. Actually the casino got a temporary permit—that can be renewed indefinitely.
Situated conveniently in the midst of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country, just down the road from Gainey winery, a few blocks from the Maverick Saloon, and a mere hop away from Dos Carlitos—which offers a fantastic tequila tasting flight, if you’re ever in the area—the Chumash Casino and Resort features gaming, dining, and plenty of beds for weary heads, with the addition of 220 more rooms in the works. But until now, alcohol service was limited to dining areas and hotel rooms. Now, visitors can imbibe while they indulge in gaming.
Because of the change, the Chumash Casino is now a 21-years-old-and-older facility that, like a lot of things the Chumash do, has critics wagging their fingers. Sheriff Bill Brown and 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr both oppose the license. They said it’s a matter of public safety.
Kelly Hoover, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement that the department is concerned for public safety and the risk of impaired drivers leaving the casino and driving on highways 246 and 154.
Because, you know, like me, those wine tasting tourists—unlike those casino tourists—take the fly-ways and wing it out of there. Or maybe they take one of the many, easy to hail taxicabs back to their points of origin. At least if they drink at the casino, as Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta points out, they have a place to sleep off their drink.
Of course I’m not one to come down on our local wineries. I love wine. I love beer. I am especially fond of our local wine and beer. Because of that I’ve been to my share of wine tasting rooms. I’ll admit, after visiting my second winery, I’m a different bird. If you see me at a third, well I’m more of a peacock, but I’m not the only one.
You see, the average winery pours four to five 1-ounce tastes. If you are considering buying a bottle, well you may get a couple more ounces to help you make up your mind about spending $45 on that bottle of syrah. Five ounces of wine is about a glass. Let’s say the average wine has an alcohol content of 14 percent (the average beer is about 5 or 6 percent in case you are wondering), so repeat that tasting at a couple of wineries and it’s not too hard to get tipsy.
Yet Supervisor Farr said that because they fall into a different category, wineries are subject to different liquor licensing criteria.
Maybe the body processes alcohol differently when you drink it in a winery versus a casino? After all how can I know? I’m just a bird.
The canary will drink her pinot noir anywhere she pleases. Send comments to [email protected].
