Archive | March, 2011

At the State of the City Breakfast, the UCSB Economic Forecast Project promoted a new website for the community with detailed data, analysis, and visuals…

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At the State of the City Breakfast, Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider said she, along with other mayors from around the country,  signed the below civility accord and pledged her commitment to the following principles:

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500 city officials and business leaders turned out this morning for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the City Breakfast. So what is the state of the city of Santa Barbara?  Business Woman Award Winner Joanne Funari summed it up in one sentence… “the positive is that the negatives are getting smaller.”

What are the two biggest challenges facing the city of Santa Barbara in 2012, according to City Manager Jim Armstrong? (answers below)

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Let’s take a closer look at one of those home loans, the most expensive one in the program: The purchase price of a home at $1,790,000 in a fine neighborhood in Santa Barbara. The employee in the City Attorney’s office was awarded a 5-year pin for employment by the city this January (who presumably can now expect a 25% forgiveness of the points loan of $31,392, or approximately $7,800).

The monthly salary of this employee, in the most recent collective bargaining agreement is between $8,376.01-$10,181.04

It appears that the buyers had a down payment of approximately $730,000 when they purchased this house. Did they really need the additional $173,175 at very low interest—what is almost interest-free money—to find suitable housing in the City of Santa Barbara?

We will not disclose the name or address of the city employee, but here are the facts as documented on City and County files:

Document: Deed of Trust April 7 2006

Purchase price per tax assessor: $1,790,000.00

Second Mortgage: (provided by the City as part of the Employee Mortgage Loan Assistance Program): $147,150.00  Deed of Trust is recorded. The Promissory Note of the same date is not recorded.   Current interest rate  0.56%

First Mortgage: (provided by Santa Barbara Bank and Trust) $882,850.00 dated April 4, 2006 Deed of Trust recorded.

Points Loan: $ 31,392.00  (Provided by the City of Santa Barbara as part of the Employee Mortgage Loan Program. Apparently this loan is not recorded.  Is this loan also interest only for five years?)   The chart provided by City Finance Director Robert Samario shows no payments on principal to date.

Among the questions that still need to be answered are the following:

• 1)    What portion of this loan program covers the monthly administration costs to accept and record payments, determine the applicable interest rates and verifications necessary?
• 2)    Does the City issue 1099 forms to the employees who have these loans? Does the City consider the below market loan rates “extra compensation?”
• 3)    What are the written rules and terms for forgiveness of the points loans?

Santa Barbara City Employee Mortgage Loan Assistance Program (EMLAP).
(click to enlarge)

Today, the Santa Barbara City Council will receive a presentation from the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau and Film Commission (CVB). Did you know, the City’s annual contract with CVB to promote tourism is $1,349,535?

According to the agenda, the contract with CVB helps support the expenses of administration, advertising, consumer and trade information services, public relations, sales, and the Film Commission… and all those glossy magazines.

Following the rains, a lake now sits where St. Francis Hospital once stood; not to mention, a leaking fuel tank. The soil below this pool of water was once too contaminated to be disposed of at Tajiguas Landfill or elsewhere in Santa Barbara.

By Betsy Cramer

The City Council subcommittee on the General Plan Update continued its efforts on Friday, chewing again on density issues, adding to the discussion floor area ratios (FARs) and touching on form-based coding. The afternoon concluded with discussing adding a Historic Element to the General Plan.

Principal Planner John Ledbetter’s hopes that the density discussion would be finished on Friday were not realized, but the subcommittee seemed to near that staff goal. “Seemed,” because there remain details and the always lurking threat of a stalemating 4-3 vote if councilmembers won’t compromise long-held positions. But the details don’t need to be decided at this stage.

It’s apocryphal that laws, like sausages, are better not to be seen being made. The General Plan is a city’s ultimate local law and it’s to Santa Barbara’s credit that the process is very open, televised with repeated re-runs on on City TV, Channel 18, available online. It doesn’t make it much more palatable, except to appreciate the openness. Even so, I wonder how many people not involved in the process are watching what sometimes resembles a dripping faucet. It is for that reason, I offer an overview of this step in what is a complicated and multi-million dollar process.

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The quote below found in the an appendix of the SB General Plan Update is from the “Santa Barbara View.” “The City intends to expand the home loan program for its workers. The General Plan Update appendix, section H12.2, under City Assistance reads: Expand and improve the existing Homebuyer’s Assistance Programs.”
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Another reason the General Plan Update and the nasty issues against the long term good will of the City and Taxpayers in Santa Barbara has to be stopped! For those of you in other communities read closely and look to the planning and long term details in you city planning.

Many have questioned the hard position taken against the General Plan Update, and the control of City Hall for 40 years. This is one classic example of why there needs to be a house cleaning.

After the ongoing exposures of insider deals, really stupid street plans to support deadly high density infill, and more growth in government (read that as your tax dollars) the General Plan Update once again has been exposed as being a seriously flawed and intentionally BIG GOVERNMENT document.

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Series on Santa Barbara County beaches by  John McKinney @TheTrailmaster

Located directly across from the famed Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel, this lovely little beach is enjoyed by hotel guests and locals—particularly from Montecito. It probably boasts more celeb sightings than other beaches, though the unwritten SB rule is you act blasé and leave the VIPs alone. Unlike most other Santa Barbara area beaches, Butterfly has a “normal” north-south orientation, so you can actually view the glorious sunsets over the water it what feels like the conventional California manner.

Facilities: None

Directions: From Highway 101 in Montecito, exit on Olive Mill Road. Turn oceanward and drive a half mile to Channel Drive, which curves around the Biltmore. Parking is scarce—limited to Channel Drive and what you can find along Butterfly Lane and other residential streets.

Column by Barbara Hirsch

Recent events emphasize how drilling for oil and gas, mining for coal, generating nuclear energy and its waste all bring perils to people and environmental destruction. The cleanest, safest power plants are the ones not built – simply using less energy is (so clearly) the sanest way to make more available in the future. And much safer. Consider some hazards of using less energy, before embarking down this path.

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Weekly Column by Cerena Childress – Sustainability, Eating Fresh and Organic

After the Rains Report and ‘To Do’s

Soil temp at Pilgrim Terrace Community Garden is down from the 60 degrees it was a week ago.  It’s about 56 degrees, midday, in open unmulched space.  Transplants are doing well, though a bit soggy.  Seeds didn’t come up, maybe washed away.  Black, and gray, aphids are making a showing.  Mildew has jumped on old peas – nature’s way of saying they’re done; remove them.  Do what you do for snails.  I feel ok to use Sluggo.  A few trellises are tilting after the winds.  Prop and tie.  Plants are either rain pounded, soggy and spent, easy to pull, or vibrant and begging for harvest!  Keep up with your broccoli side shoot harvest, snack those peas, leaf that lettuce, grab some large leaf greens – chard, kale, any of your Brassicas – and a tall leek, to add to a luscious veggie stew!  Carrot and raisin salad?  Oh, yes.  Red cabbage slaw is so crisp, tasty, and good for you!  Strawberries are yummy cereal toppers to start the day between your teeth!

Tomatoes & Wilt Part 2, Favas, Basil

It may seem a bit early to talk about tomatoes, but tisn’t!  Hey, it’s always ok to talk about tomatoes, right?!  There are important things to know about that start well before planting time!  Read on….

Last year I tried the dandelion cure – either I didn’t do it right, not enough dandelions soon enough, or it doesn’t work.  But this year I am going to plant toms where the dandelions grew into big patches, just in case there are any residual benefits!  This year I found this info from Gene Bazan, Ph.D, about toms and favas and I have fava seeds!!!!

Favas First, then Tomatoes!  Or….

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