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recession at the expense of general employees. White noted that even during the recession the council approved the expansion of the force by three new officer positions and that the council authorized Chief Cam Sanchez to “over hire” new officers to reduce the service gap that occurs when an experienced officer retires and a new officer is hired to fill that gap. Likewise, White highlighted the council’s decision to start a “restorative justice” program to deal with the homeless, deploying one full-time cop coupled with a handful of non-sworn social workers to connect those on the streets with the appropriate social services and another handful to assuage the concerns of shop owners that inappropriate behavior by street people will be addressed. During the POA press conference, not a word was uttered regarding the mayoral race, pitting incumbent Helene Schneider against Wayne Scoles, a vocal gadfly and neighborhood activist from the Mesa who has frequently
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COU R ETSY VAN DEN B ERG AI R F ORC E BASE
affect water rights, property values, and existing regulations.
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The second test launch this week of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base was scheduled, as of press time, for Thursday morning between 3 and 9 a.m. The first launch (pictured) took place last Sunday around 3 a.m. and was declared a success. According to a Vandenberg statement, the purpose of the missions is to confirm system components are working properly and to provide the Dept. of Defense and Dept. of Energy with the collected data to “ensure a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent.” The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would reduce federal funding for food stamps by nearly $40 billion over the course of the next decade. Part of the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act, the measure would cut aid for four million Americans, or about eight percent of the nearly 48 million people currently receiving monthly food assistance benefits. Maria Gardner, deputy director for Economic Assistance for Santa Barbara County, called the looming cuts “incredibly rough,” explaining that based on national numbers, it’s reasonable to expect that 3,000 Santa Barbarans — 10 percent of county participants — would be eliminated from the program. The bill will now move to the Senate in the coming weeks. Goleta announced plans this week to become the state’s ninth “Silver Status” California 12
THE INDEPENDENT
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complained that city police aren’t doing enough about street gangs, homeless, or illegal immigrants. Scoles, to date, has not raised enough money to trigger campaign reporting requirements, and Schneider is considered all but a shoo-in. The POA’s Beecher said the union is endorsing the mayor but said Friday’s focus was on the council race. He added that the union expects to spend about $50,000 on behalf of its chosen candidates but that union members will probably not be walking as much as they have in years past. Now that City Council races are conducted via write-in ballots, he said it’s harder to calibrate when to dispatch union precinct walkers to voters’ neighborhoods. In years past, the police endorsement was frequently made in conjunction with the firefighters unions, the famed “Guns and Hoses” ticket. This year, the police and firefighters have chosen to pursue separate endorsement paths, though it remains to be seen which candidates the firefighters will back. Green Community, following in the environmentally friendly footsteps of cities like Ventura, Simi Valley, and Santa Monica. To reach that silver status, the city will have to demonstrate to the eight other cities that it made significant strides in areas such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, and water conservation. California Green Community encourages cities throughout the state to reduce their environmental impact and bestows silver, gold, and platinum awards.
The parent company of KEYT announced Monday that pending final approval from the Federal Communications Commission, it will soon co-own Santa Maria’s CBS affiliate KCOY and purchase FOX affiliate KKFX in San Luis Obispo. News-Press & Gazette Company (which is based in St. Joseph, Missouri, and has no relation to the Santa Barbara News-Press) will also buy KMUV and KION in Monterey. Current KCOY owner Cowles Media will continue to take care of the station’s management and programming duties while News-Press & Gazette will provide news, back-office, engineering, and sales support services. The announcement comes a year after the NewsPress & Gazette Company bought KEYT from Smith Media for a reported $14.25 million. Details on the latest deal were not disclosed. The Isla Vista Mural Project will celebrate its third creation at The Plaza Lofts — I.V.’s new apartment building on the corner of Pardall and Embarcadero del Mar — next Monday at 4 p.m. Facing Giovanni’s Pizza, the colorful panorama was the work of students in Urban Art Workshop, a course at UCSB last spring quarter. Students, professors, and landlords collaborated to bring art and culture back to the petite college town with the help of UCSB’s Community Housing Office (CHO), Isla Vista Arts, and the UC Institute for Research in the Arts. As management companies change, a CHO rep said, old murals often get painted over, so efforts to ensure art in town persists are crucial.
NATIONAL The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Friday that would open national forests — including Los Padres National Forest — for mandated logging to finance public schools and roads in nearby communities, which