Archive | September, 2010

Letter to the Editor

All of the deceptive practices carried out by the officials of the City of Bell reveal that without effective exposure of day-to-day happenings, it is possible to deceive those members of the public who try to stay informed as well as officials from other agencies, including law enforcement charged with the responsibility to be vigilant to questionable practices. Some of Bell’s executives used multiple-year employment contracts to protect themselves from possible reductions in salary which otherwise could happen during a recession.

The public would like to think that public officials now question their own practices and voluntarily disclose employee costs with clear and accurate descriptions of salaries and complicated benefit packages. However, as recently as September 9, 2010, the Santa Barbara School Districts Board approved a one-year extension to June 30, 2012 to the existing 2008-2011 contract for the Associate Superintendent. According to the agenda, approval was granted after more than one closed session; suggesting some discussion or disagreement. By this extension, the Associate Superintendent is conveniently protected for one year from any organizational or budget changes a newly-elected Board might seek to make.

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It’s all in the timing: with NBC’s weeklong initiative called “Education Nation,” the upcoming release of the critically acclaimed “Waiting for Superman,” and the issues of union protection, teacher competence, standardized testing and student achievement front and center, it’s time to pay attention to those campaigning for a seat on the local school board.

Meet the candidates, hear them respond to questions from the moderators, ask a question of your own—make an informed choice for two, among incumbent Kate Parker, Monique Limon, Loren Mason and Dean Nevins.

Upcoming events include:

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According to a report by Forbes Magazine, 93108 is the tenth most expensive zip code in the United States. The median home price is reportedly $3,151,220.

The Santa Barbara City Council will be hearing Cottage’s request for additional approvals of the project this afternoon.  According to the Staff Report the condo project is now owned by Villa Riviera Real Estate Company, with former St. Francis Hospital CEO Ron Biscaro named as Chief Executive Officer.

Today, the Santa Barbara City Council will discuss and consider another tax on tourists. The proposed hotel tax will be purportedly used to market Santa Barbara as a vacation destination. Does the American Riviera really need to be promoted?

According to officials, the answer is yes. If the City Council approves the Santa Barbara Tourism Business Improvement District tax, hotel owners would be charged between 50 cents-to-$2 per occupied room, per night.

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Santa Barbara is not only leading the way in the field of “Rigs to Reefs” but may be a pace-setter for the notion of what I like to call “Pier to Perch.”

Oil drilling once took place just offshore a half mile down-coast from Haskell’s,  Bacara Beach. Supporting the drilling apparatus was an old oil and gas pier.

Two oil wells operated until 1958. Forty-seven years later ARCO Company dismantled most of the pier but left behind eight concrete supports, which became the foundation for an artificial reef.

For nearly a half century, the cormorants and brown pelicans roosted on the pier’s old pilings; in 2005, when the pier was removed, four above-water platforms were fashioned for the birds. The artificial reef is expected to nurture marine life, including the kelp forest and assorted invertebrates plus calico bass, sand bass, halibut, perch and rockfish. — Follow-up piece on Rigs to Reef by John McKinney

By John McKinney

As recorded by Dr. Love’s submarine cam, it’s an underwater world as colorful as any exotic locale. Thousands of rockfish, including the distinctive boccacia (Italian for “big mouth”) swim past tall colonnades layered with mussels and topped by bright white, orange and strawberry hued anemones.

Imagine the best tidepool you’ve ever seen flipped from horizontal to vertical.

Above the surface, though, the camera reveals a marine scene that’s anything but pristine. Turns out, what appears to be a reef is really a rig—an oil-drilling platform that now serves as a sanctuary for sea creatures great and small.

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In 2006, California’s global warming law was passed in an effort to slash greenhouse emissions 15% by 2020. Proposition 23 would delay implementation of the law until California unemployment drops to an improbable 5.5%.
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Sea Otter Awareness Week 2010 will be celebrated through October 2nd. Every year, Defenders of Wildlife organizes and promotes Sea Otter Awareness Week to teach people about the integral role that sea otters play in the nearshore marine ecosystem and to promote research and conservation programs.

Sea otters play a critical role in the marine ecosystem as a keystone species. They promote a healthy kelp forest that, in turn, supports thousands of organisms. Sea otters are also an indicator or sentinel species. They are dying of diseases that have land-based connections. Since humans and sea otters eat many of the same seafood items, high rates of sea otter disease may be a warning for both human health and marine ecosystem health.