Friday Lites: The Vagabond Lifestyle in Santa Barbara

By on May 11, 2012 in News

The vagabond lifestyle in Santa Barbara isn’t limited to the homeless and RV campers… junk-filled boots moor off the coast of the American Riviera.

Comments { 8 }

Keeping Santa Barbara Santa Barbara

By on May 10, 2012 in News

The 2012 class of Leadership Santa Barbara County teamed with the Dog Adoption and Welfare Group (DAWG) to improve the facilities for the no-kill, nonprofit dog rescue center. The renovated facilities will be unveiled tomorrow at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, 4 p.m., 5480 Overpass Rd.

Continue Reading →

Comments { 1 }

Local Government: Why Bother Getting Involved?

By on May 10, 2012 in Sharon Byrne

That was the question Santos asked me last night at the City Council hearing on the Milpas crosswalks at Yanonali and Ortega.

Both intersections have nothing other than a painted crosswalk and a yellow sign mounted on a pole to warn drivers to stop, notable exceptions to stoplights in a continuous visual line running down Milpas. Intersections outside the stoplight vernacular cause confusion. When a pedestrian steps into those crosswalks at Ortega and at Yanonali, they are dependent on sheer luck that 5 lanes of traffic will see them, and stop. Two fatalities and another injury in March prove this is a dangerous course of action. The police have written north of 30 tickets at a time at these intersections for drivers blowing through them. People don’t stop for anything but a red light.

So the neighbors asked for them, for years. The death of 15 year-old Sergio Romero last October ignited this issue. John Palminteri did Yanonali, however, was the sticking point.

The proposed solution there of flashing yellow lights didn’t seem effective. Traffic volumes at this intersection run at 20,000 cars per day. It didn’t qualify for a stoplight because people avoid it for fear of being run down, so the pedestrian counts were too low. In other words, in avoiding a known safety hazard, the neighborhood no longer met the criteria for the best remedy for it.

A neighborhood coalition formed to push for a stoplight at Yanonali and Milpas. Santos Guzman is the owner of El Bajio, a wonderful restaurant on Milpas at Yanonali. He was a cornerstone of that neighborhood coalition, along with the MCA, Father Marin of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, whose parishioner was killed in that intersection, Casa De La Raza, Latino Democrats (Latidems), and Casie Killgore, Franklin Elementary principal. Three city advisory committees also recommended a stoplight there.

I think most of us have this faith in democracy, as part of our collective roots. We the people should vote, articulate ideas, and participate in our government. We mostly trust government to keep our welfare foremost in their minds. We are always shocked when they don’t, even after repeated incidents of malfeasance. We still want to believe that our elected reps actually care about what we think.

Santos, like many, was suspicious that his voice counted, but felt called upon to make the case for Milpas pedestrian safety. He didn’t know he was signing up to lose two evenings just to speak for 2 minutes at public comment. Evenings are the busiest time for his restaurant, but he felt this was too important.

This enormous time requirement is a huge deterrent to involvement in government. If you knew that you’d burn north of 5-10 hours at lengthy government hearings, to contribute a few minutes of input, and that you would spend another slew of hours on research and organizing …well, you’d give up at the start. It’s just too much effort. People with fulltime jobs and families just don’t have the ability to regularly attend 3-hour meetings, and some issues require multiple hearings. The process grinds willing participants down, and eventually out.

Who has this kind of time? Enter the paid lobbyists, advocacy organizations, and nuts with nothing else to do.

But I digress… Continue Reading →

Comments { 33 }

Over-Stuffed: Too Much of Too Much

By on May 9, 2012 in Cheri Rae

By Cheri Rae

For the second time in less than six months, I’ve cleared out a home for a loved one who has passed away. In both cases, what was left—besides a lot of memories—was a lot of stuff.

Kitchen cupboards full of expired ingredients; mysteriously gunky glasses gathering dust; long-forgotten appliances, utensils and more pots and pans than anyone needs; closets full of old clothes, old bedding, old Christmas ornaments and so, so much more. A bunch of furniture, cartons of books, and papers; miscellaneous jewelry, coins and artwork collected over the years.

Over a long period of years all of this stuff was selected, paid-for and brought into their homes. And in the end, most of it was given away, donated, or even thrown out, its usefulness no longer important to anyone else.

There is a limit to sentimentality—and what feels important enough to hold onto after the dear one has departed. For me it’s the simple stuff: a picture, a favorite book, an embroidered hanky, a framed cartoon that’s a treasured keepsake. Continue Reading →

Comments { 3 }

Y oh Y, Santa Barbara?

By on May 9, 2012 in Loretta Redd

An awful lot of ink, sweat, talk and tears have gone into one little paragraph appearing at the very end of the vote-by-mail election ballot, known as MEASURE Y2012…

“Shall the City Council allow the construction of a public road and bridge on undeveloped City parkland where a bridge is necessary for a housing development, commonly known as Veronica Meadows, and provides public access along Arroyo Burro Creek?”

The ballot description of Mark Lee’s project is hardly recognizable, compared to all the articles I’ve read about it.

Where is all the stuff about the evil developer who has only spent a paltry ten years getting this project through Council, Coastal Commission and city planning? Where is the part about the invasion of wealthy taxpaying homeowners moving into the middle class Mesa and destroying the flow of traffic, the sun, the moon and the star alignments? Or the scary implication that they will build homes all the way up the Alps like grade of Campanille hill, actually remove the precious Arundo donax invasive weeds from 1800 feet of Arroyo burro Creek that a hamster couldn’t crawl through, and remove the lovely leaking deteriorated clay sewer line and upgrade the water line that rests on a trestle over the creek. My god, he wants to create a tawny little private enclave of environmentally insensitive snobs, and replace the EXISTING footpath waterline bridge with a huge, imposing expansion toll bridge that the public really won’t be able to use unless they are on land use attorney Steve Amerikaner’s Christmas card list. Continue Reading →

Comments { 27 }

Bringing Roundabouts to Goleta, California

By on May 9, 2012 in News

Today, the City of Goleta will be hosting an Open House to help drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians understand how to maneuver through a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Los Carneros and Calle Real. The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the City of Goleta Council Chambers, 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B. Continue Reading →

Comments { 3 }

Santa Barbara View Poll: Measure Y

By on May 8, 2012 in News

Responding to calls for true representation, one vote per person.

Comments { 7 }

Seed Money Planted for Top Student Plan at Santa Barbara City College

By on May 8, 2012 in Business by Ray Estrada

Santa Barbara Business Beat by Ray Estrada

At the SBCC Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s second annual New Venture Challenge competition on May 4, Santa Barbara City College student Justin Connell’s Garden on Wheels business plan won first place by rolling over the competition.

The challenge is a two-tiered business plan competition for students from Antioch University, SBCC and South Coast high schools who competed for $15,000 in start-up funds.

Designed for people who have difficulty bending and have little space, Garden on Wheels is an elevated mobile garden. The 38-inch-tall wooden garden has a sealed bed and draining system that recycle water.

A panel of judges for the student finalists grilled them on the stage at the  Fe Bland forum were competitors gave their best “elevator pitch.” The panel included Lynda.com co-founder Lynda Weinman, Noospheric founder Jacques Habra and Montecito Bank & Trust associate Chris Morales.

After received call from across the country about them, Connell said he has sold six of his gardens, including a model to Emeritus Senior Living, which might purchase his gardens for its 500 facilities. Continue Reading →

Comments { 1 }

Everybody in the Pool!

By on May 8, 2012 in Loretta Redd

Column by Loretta Redd

Vote by Mail ballots for the June 5th Primary Election will begin appearing in your mailbox this week. Get out your Star Wars Magic Wrist Decoders as you attempt to make sense of California’s new open primary system.

Anyone who doesn’t think we’ve legalized dope in this State has only to read the helpful voter guide from Secretary of State, Debra Bowen:

“California law requires that the term ‘party preference’ now be used in place of the term ‘party affiliation.’  On the voter registration form, a voter may choose whether or not to indicate a preference for a political party.  A voter with no party preference (NPP) is anyone who chose to not indicate a political party preference when he or she registered to vote.  Voters who were previously known as decline-to-state voters (because they did not have a party affiliation) are now known as having no party preference.”

There.

The PP became a PA and the DTS morphed into the NPP.  But please don’t confuse the ‘decline-to-state’ PP with the Independent PP.  A common mistake among voters.

What all of this gobbledygook does mean is that in California, thanks to the successful passage of Proposition 14 in the 2010 election, you can vote for any candidate, regardless of what party preference you registered under-(Democrat, Libertarian, Republican, Peace and Freedom, American Independent Party, etc….

So a ‘registered’ Republican can now vote for a Democratic candidate and vice-versa.

Basically, anybody can vote for anybody.  And where this may seem a little bizarre, the outcome of the “Top-Two Open Primary Act” is that all candidates running, regardless of Party, will appear on a combined ballot, changing the way elections are conducted for all statewide offices including: Continue Reading →

Comments { 8 }

Another Neighborhood Task Force

By on May 7, 2012 in News

Responding to complaints about helicopters landing and taking off at Cottage Hospital, as first published on Santa Barbara View, Cottage officials began holding special neighborhood meetings. The meetings haven’t been enough for neighbors of the hospital and the City of Santa Barbara has failed to address the issue; thus, local residents have once again taken up for themselves through the creation of a Helicopter Task Fork.

“The Task Force acknowledged that while the mission of the Cottage Hospital is health care, the helicopters are having a negative effect on the health and well-being of neighbors, especially those who live under the flight path. Task Force members stated plainly that they support the hospital’s medical staff, medical mission and applaud its commitment to saving lives.

The Task Force asked the hospital to recognize that its growth over the last ten years has resulted in a different footprint than what most of us knew when we moved into our houses. We asked the hospital to recognize that Cottage is a neighbor among neighbors and that it has an obligation and responsibility to its neighbors.

Several members related their personal experiences with the helipad. One member described how a tenant of many years had just given notice because she could not endure the sound of the helicopters over her house.”

Continue Reading →

Comments { 2 }

No on Measure Y Campaign Takes Flight

By on May 7, 2012 in News

Opposition to the well-funded Yes on Measure Y campaign kicks into gear today with a press conference at Arroyo Burro Creek and Estuary Restoration Area and bridge to Douglas Family Preserve, 10 a.m. The media advisory is being dubbed “No on Measure Y 2012: No Gifts of Parkland to Developers! It’s a planned gathering to show opposition to the ballot measure and to rebut misleading campaign statements by the developer-backed campaign.” Those urging a no vote on Measure Y include:

  • Mayor Helene Schneider
  • Supervisor Janet Wolf
  • City Councilmembers Bendy White & Cathy Murillo
  • Allied Neighborhoods Association
  • Citizens Planning Association
  • Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County
  • Democratic Women of Santa Barbara
  • Environmental Defense Center
  • La Mesa Neighborhood Association
  • League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara
  • Santa Barbara County Action Fund
  • Santa Barbara Urban Creeks Council
  • Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee
  • Sierra Club

Comments { 55 }

El Paseo Courtyard Under the Orange Tree

By on May 6, 2012 in SB Photos

Santa Barbara Photo of the Week by Bill Heller.

An evening at El Paseo. This is one of those little gems that gets overlooked on the first pass. This was actually taken at the same time as another shot that has been very popular. For whatever reason at the time I did not process all of the images from that evening. The purple in the sky came from a combination of a deep blue glow left in the sky, and the evening fog just starting to roll in reflecting the city lights back down at me. The long exposure enhanced the effect.

Controls from left to right:
+ Zoom in;
- Zoom out;
change the way the view moves when you drag;
toggle full screen

-Bill Heller

 

Comments { 10 }

Michael Jordan Endorses Measure Y Campaign

By on May 6, 2012 in News

Hot Topic Reset: Originally published on May 4, 2012.

While a dozen city leaders including Marty Blum, Steve Cushman, Dan Secord, and Grant House gathered on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to promote a yes vote on Measure Y in the June 5 election, yet another mailer hit Santa Barbara mailboxes.

The latest mailing includes a letter from Michael Jordan (current member of the Planning Commission, but not identifying himself as such, only as a former Chair of the Creeks Advisory Committee, yet using the phrase, “This is a unique opportunity that I believe has benefits from both a planning point of view and a clean water perspective.”). A second letter is on NOAA letterhead from its Santa Rosa office. Also included is a color brochure from this well-funded group. All three pieces now include prominent recycled symbols when none previously did, as reported on Santa Barbara View.

Continue Reading →

Comments { 45 }

Santa Barbara, California: Garden Town, USA

By on May 6, 2012 in Green & Garden, News

This Friday, Santa Barbara will be celebrating National Public Gardens Day. According to organizers, “we are so fortunate to have a vast array of public gardens and open spaces to choose from, coupled with nearly-perfect weather year round, truly making Santa Barbara “Garden Town, USA”. So, get inspired and explore Santa Barbara’s public gardens as part of National Public Gardens Day… click here for details. Continue Reading →

Comments { 0 }

East Beach in Santa Barbara, California

By on May 6, 2012 in News, Outdoors with John McKinney, SB Photos

The Guide to Santa Barbara has detailed overviews of all Santa Barbara County beaches by Santa Barbara View Outdoor Editor, John McKinney, The Trailmaster.

Extending a bit over a mile from Cabrillo Pavilion to Stearns Wharf, East Beach is quintessential Santa Barbara. The beach is bordered by lovely Chase Palm Park. Depending on which way you look, the palms frame views of the city and Santa Ynez Mountains or the wide blue Pacific. At the Cabrillo Pavilion end of the beach, you can break for refreshments, rent a body board, catch an art show or play volleyball on storied sand courts that have hosted many world-class tournaments. Near Stearns Wharf is Skaters Point, a fabulous skateboard park.

Facilities: Restrooms, restaurant/snack bar at Cabrillo Pavilion, Volleyball courts, skateboard park.

Cost: pay parking, $3 minimum for 3 hours.

Information: City of Santa Barbara, 805-897-2680

Directions: East Beach is located along East Cabrillo Boulevard from Cabrillo Pavilion Bathhouse (1119 East Cabrillo Blvd.) to Stearns Wharf at the foot of State Street. Parking is free along East Cabrillo and for a fee at two lots above and below the Cabrillo Pavilion.

Comments { 1 }