Street Smarts: Santa Barbara hotelier to lead statewide association
Tom Patton, general manager and partner at the Ramada by Wyndham Santa Barbara, is taking the reins as board chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association after being elected earlier this month at the group’s annual meeting in Newport Beach.
Patton, Vice Chair Hee Won Lim of the Pacific Palms Hotel and Secretary/Treasurer Dhruv Patel at Ridgemont Hospitality take over the board as the industry is facing a host of post-COVID problems.
Founded in 1893, the association represents more than 6,000 hotels, motels and boutique inns that employ some 235,000 workers.
SPOTTINGS
The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort hosted the annual Montecito Bank & Trust Community Dividends luncheon on Nov. 21, which handed out $1.2 million to 179 worthy nonprofits. Spotted: Anne Towbes, Peter Jordano, Janet Garufis, George Leis, Cari Shore, Jennifer Strong, Lynn Karlson, Rebecca Benard, Jeff Paul, Eric Harrison, Mary Maranville, Steve Ortiz, Melissa Baffa, Kathy Odell, Lynn Andujar.
NEW LAW COLLEGE TRUSTEES
Von T. Nguyen Deroian, Julius Sokenu and Lori Trofemuk are the newest members of The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law Board of Trustees. All three were elected unanimously this fall. Nguyen Deroian is a graduate of the law school and is the criminal supervising judge at Santa Barbara Superior Court; Sokenu is president of Moorpark College; and Trofemuk is an employment lawyer based in San Diego.
LUNCH WITH LAUNCHPOINT
Mike Ricci of Launchpoint Technologies, a winner of the Business Times’ Fastest Growing Companies award this year, will present on the difficulties of building electric propulsion systems for aircraft at the Dec. 8 virtual meeting of the Science and Engineering Council of Santa Barbara. The program begins at noon and you can find out more at scieng.org.
GOOD WORKS
The Museum of Ventura County aims to raise at least $10,000 through Nov. 30 to keep admission free at the main campus in Ventura and the Ag Museum in Santa Paula. You can donate directly at venturamuseum.org, share the crowdfunding page or repost on Instagram on Giving Tuesday.
SANITY RESTORED IN LOMPOC
In one step toward regulatory sanity, the Lompoc City Council recently approved an ordinance that streamlines review of lot line adjustment; and removes duplicate standards and application requirements for planned residential developments and residential condominiums; and makes projects of 15 or more units possible outside of a special overlay zone.
SEASON OF GIVING
American Riviera Bank is asking individuals to nominate a nonprofit to receive a $75,000 grant as part of its Season of Giving program. The money will be provided in lieu of the annual American Riviera holiday party, which remains on hiatus in 2021.
TAKE A BOW
• Happy fifth anniversary to Anacapa Architecture which is celebrating at its 1023 State Street offices on Dec. 10 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The firm’s Santa Barbara projects include Coastal and SLTWTR creative agency offices.
• Invoca, based in Santa Barbara, has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave Conversation Intelligence: Sales And Marketing, Q4 2021 report.
• ChannelE2E, a CyberRisk Alliance information resource, has named Valeo Networks to the Top 250 Public Cloud MSPs list for 2021. Kudos to founder and CEO Travis Mack.
IN MEMORIAM
Condolences to friends and family of former Amgen HR executive and Atara Biotherapeutics Chief People Officer Steve Bertram, who died in October from inoperable brain tumors. He was 57 and lived in Camarillo.
FINAL SCENES
• HAPPY CHANUKAH: Best wishes to our friends in the tri-county Jewish community.
