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This week’s listings on the back page
Council says yes on P and U
The bear facts
Litigation threats push city oil drilling ban to November By Peter DUgré
“When it comes to litigation, that’s an old threat, and we’ve never shied away from it. We should make the best decision given the information.”
The Carpinteria City Council played political action committee at its Oct. 13 meeting by officially endorsing Measure U, the $90 million Carpinteria school bond initiative, and Measure P, the Santa Barbara County ban on hydraulic fracturing among other oil extraction techniques. Although on a roll, the council was unable to find consensus on its third heady topic, whether to ban oil drilling in Carpinteria, specifically at Venoco Inc.’s ––Mayor property, where the company has applied to drill.
Brad Stein
Litigation threats
City Councilman Al Clark had proposed addressing whether to change zoning at Venoco’s Dump Road Oil and Gas Processing Plant earlier in the year, and since then Venoco’s application for its Paredon Project has been deemed complete by city hall, clearing it to begin the long approval process. At the Oct. 13 meeting, city staff said that as part of ongoing analysis of city zoning codes, there are several options to alter the zoning code in ways to either ban drilling there or to more closely regulate drilling projects. Venoco’s property is zoned coastal dependent industrial, which allows it to conduct operations serving the offshore oil platforms. Its zoning designation also currently allows it to drill for oil. The council could alter zoning in several ways, either by prohibiting oil drilling at coastal dependent industrial sites or by changing the zone of the site altogether. Several oil industry representatives and Venoco’s local Vice President Ian Livett addressed the council and stated in no uncertain terms that acting to prohibit drilling on the property would induce litigation. Livett characterized the timeliness of the city’s analysis of the company’s zoning as “a direct attack on Venoco’s application,” and said changes “would force Venoco to take all measures necessary to protect its property.” Venoco’s Paredon Project, a plan to drill into both onshore and offshore oil and gas reservoirs from the Carpinteria processing facility on Dump Road, has been
COUNCIL continued on page 20
Tim Gallup and his fiancée were driving to their home on MontValMar Ranch when they noticed this black bear in a tree alongside the road. gallup used a zoom lens to shoot the photo, and reported that the bear was about 15 to 20 feet up in the oak.
Black bear sightings continue in foothills A few weeks after a Carpinteria woman survived a black bear attack off Highway 150, reports of new bear sightings have cropped up. MontValMar Ranch residents reported a black bear perched in a tree between 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 and early evening on Oct. 11. Karen Burns, who informed Coastal View News of the sighting, said she had reported the bear to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which did not investigate. MontValMar Ranch is about 1/2 mile west of Carpinteria High School on Foothill Road. Additionally, regular Franklin Trail hiker Jenny Cota saw a bear on the trail at around 6 a.m. on Oct. 9. The bear was on switchbacks about 1/2 mile from the top of the trail, and its back was as wide as the trail, she said. “He turned his head to look back, grunted and kept walking,” Cota commented. She and her companion had seen flashlights ahead of them on the trail and called out to fellow hikers. They then decided to hike down, and later realized that the bear had slipped in between them and the other hikers, who were only a couple switchbacks ahead. Cota said she still plans to hike the trail, but not as early.
Bear country precautions
Source: california DeparTmenT of fiSh anD WilDlife
While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a bear. • Never approach a bear or pick up a bear cub. • If you encounter a bear, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to appear as large as possible. • If attacked, fight back. • Keep a close watch on children, and teach them what to do if they encounter a bear. • If a bear attacks a person, immediately call 9-1-1. •