Thursday, October 22, 2020 9
Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
MONTECITO L AW G ROU P Attorney Stefanie Herrington has far exceeded our expectations in her trust and estate work for us. Her consultation with us and and her preparation and presentation of comprehensive trust and will documents demonstrate a high level of professional expertise, flexibility and deep knowledge of state and federal laws as well as local customs and challenges. We chose Stefanie 559 SAN YSIDRO ROAD, SUITE J Herrington because we were impressed by her intelligence, MONTECITO, CA 93108and service to the upbeat attitude, and tireless leadership community of Carpinteria, particularly Carpinteria Girls, Inc. Stefanie’s personable and flexible approach has enabled us (805) 293-6363 to navigate easily through difficult and uncertain issues. Her WWW.MONTECITOLAWGROUP.COM clear and warm communication with a light touch of humor and thorough, creative solutions to thorny issues have inspired STEFANIE HERRINGTON us with confidence and trust in the road ahead.
Carpinteria’s Trash Mob picks up pounds of litter at each workday. At the intersection of highways 101 and 150, Trash Mobsters collected 13 bags of debris in one day. From left are Marlene Hazen, Jim King, Sally Galati, Donna Jordan, Bill Crowely, Chris Sobell and Bryan Mootz.
ATTORNEY
Trash Mobsters shake down big litter zones
— Anne Fraser
STEFANIE HERRINGTON 559 SAN YSIDRO ROAD, SUITE J ATTORNEY STEFANIE HERRINGTON STEFANIE HERRINGTON ATTORNEY MONTECITO, CA 93108 ATTORNEY 559 SAN YSIDRO ROAD, SUITE J
559 SAN YSIDRO ROAD, SUITE J MONTECITO, CA 93108
(805) 293-6363 559 SAN YSIDRO ROAD, SUITE J MONTECITO, CA 93108
BY DEBRA HERRICK
Among the many problems related to the pandemic, Carpinteria is now showing signs of an uptick in litter. Bryan Mootz of Carpinteria Beautiful said that he’s been “unpleasantly surprised” by the amount of trash the organization’s volunteers have picked up over the last couple of months. On an average day Mootz and his volunteer crew, affectionately named the Trash Mob, can fill over a dozen Caltrans trash bags, upwards of 45 pounds of litter and debris. Hot spots for the mobsters include Via Real by Santa Monica Road, Santa Claus Lane and the interchange of highways 101 and 150. These heavily used locations are experiencing more trash during the pandemic, according to Mootz. “It is a lot more than normal,” said Mootz, “A lot of food containers and doggy bags, cigarette butts, and for some reason, especially on Santa Claus Lane and Hwy 150 at Bates, human toilet paper and paper towels used as toilet paper.” When the pandemic cut off regular meetings for Carpinteria Beautiful, Mootz put out a call to the nonprofit’s 55 “adopt-a-spotters” to do more than their once a week trash pick-up. Mootz also established a new group volunteer initiative, the Trash Mob. “The idea was to keep in contact with members and to keep the vibrancy and sense of purpose alive,” said Mootz. “We’re picking a spot every weekend and we go out and do it.” During September—California’s Coastal Cleanup Month—Carpinteria Beautiful volunteers joined the Santa Barbara Channelkeepers and Explore Ecology to collect and document trash in Carpinteria. Across the state, thousands of volunteers participated in the monthlong cleanup effort. Over 10,000 people participated in 3,000 cleanups across the state, gathering close to 70,000 pounds of trash from neighborhoods, local parks, creeks and other natural spaces, reported Explore Ecology. “Trash in California can flow easily through stormwater systems to reach the coast and ocean once the rains begin, so cleaning neighborhoods and inland areas is one way of preventing trash from polluting the coast,” stated Julia Keane, environmental educator of Explore Ecology. “Californians cherish our coast, and they proved it yet again under the most trying circumstances most of us have ever faced,” said Jack Ainsworth, executive director of the California Coastal Commission. “Everything in California flows downhill to our coast, so while this year’s
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With a day’s work done for the Trash Mob at Santa Claus Lane, Bryan Mootz loads his truck with the haul to take it away for disposal. cleanup effort may have been unusual, it was still an important and effective way to engage in coastal stewardship.” Keane also noted that according to past cleanup data, 75% of the debris that volunteers remove is composed of plastic—most of it single-use, disposable plastic—a material that never completely biodegrades and is harmful to the environment. “Plastic pollution can kill wildlife, leach toxins into the environment, and even introduce them into the food chain,” stated Keane. “Since up to 80 percent of the trash on the California coast originates on land, volunteers across the state helped prevent enormous amounts of trash from ever reaching the ocean, no matter where they participated.” This September, across 68 miles in Santa Barbara County, 776 volunteers cleaned up 3,918 pounds of trash and picked up 17,444 pieces of litter. Top items collected were cigarette butts (3,130), plastic pieces (2,848) and food wrappers (2,064). In Carpinteria, Explore Ecology recorded 18 cleanups, 46 volunteers, 269 pounds, 21 bags and 1,517 total pieces including 307 cigarette butts, 303 pieces of plastic and 228 food wrappers. But those numbers sound low to Mootz, who noted that Carpinterians might not have reported all of their data. Mootz said that at each Trash Mob day, his crew was collecting on average a dozen bags of litter, which would put Carpinteria’s trash numbers much higher. “Coastal Cleanup Month was a great way for us to see how many people care about their environment and their neighborhoods,” said Keane. “It was very encouraging to see everyone get outside and participate in socially distanced cleanups throughout their communities. However, the momentum doesn’t have to stop here. You can make this a regular habit by bringing a bag every time you go for a walk.”
Seahouse Affordable Housing Lottery Accepting Applications until November 20th, 2020 The City of Carpinteria will be accepting applications for an affordable housing lottery. Two two-bedroom and two three-bedroom* condominium residences at Seahouse by Warmington Residential will be offered through this lottery. Visit SeahouseAffordables.com for full application instructions and deadlines. Number of Persons in Household
1
2
3
4
5
Maximum Annual Income
$122,920
$140,480
$158,040
$175,600
$189,648
*Purchasers of 3 bedroom units must be households of at least 3 persons. This can change if the director waives the requirement in the event the developer/owner is unable to find a qualified household of at least 3 persons.
Units available through the Lottery Process: Address
Plan / Lot
Bedrooms
Sale Price
4006 Green Heron Springs Drive
Plan 1B / Lot 3
2
$391,500
4022 Green Heron Springs Drive
Plan 1XBR / Lot 7
2
$391,500
4045 Green Heron Springs Drive
Plan 2A / Lot 18
3
$471,000
4005 Green Heron Springs Drive
Plan 3CR / Lot 29
3
$471,000
The lottery will be drawn with the following preferences. One preference point is earned for each criterion below if at least one member of the household is: • • •
Employed in a critical work force job with may include firefighting, law enforcement, public agency/government service, public or private school teacher, nursing/health technician, or emergency technician. Employed in the City of Carpinteria. Living within the City of Carpinteria.
The application period will be open between September 21st and November 20th, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. The completed application can be submitted online at SeahouseAffordables.com or dropped off at the Seahouse Sales Gallery. If you have questions about the application or submittal requirements, please contact Nick Bobroff, Principal Planner, at (805) 755-4407 or nickb@ci.carpinteria.us. Warmington Residential and the City of Carpinteria are committed to providing equal housing opportunities for all people regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, familial status, or disability. If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination, contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Hotline at 1-800-669-9777.
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