pau l wellm an
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politics
salud soars
Captures Lion’s Share of Delegate Votes
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by K e l s e y B r u g g e r
After months of scrambling, efforts to secure an emergency day shelter for homeless people on the South Coast during El Niño rains have paid off. Managers of the Earl Warren Showgrounds signed a contract to provide shelter space for up to 35 rainy days in the next three months, the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara will provide trained shelter employees, and Luke Barrett — with four years of experience in homeless outreach and service — will function as project coordinator. Barrett’s skills were donated by the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness, which just hired him as a regional coordinator. Getting the homeless from downtown shelters, the library, and warming shelters — for free — is Easy Lift Transportation. Though not as conveniently located as the Veterans Memorial Building or the National Guard Armory, Earl Warren got the nod because it was considerably cheaper and had far fewer bureaucratic hurdles. According to Barrett, Earl Warren provides plenty of space, an excellent kitchen, and lots of drop-off space. It’s also far enough from surrounding neighbors not to pose any immediate issues. Barrett said Earl Warren is offering space to a host of social service providers and that hot lunches would be served and a clothes drop-off center set up. With this weekend’s heavy rains, driving winds, and biting cold, area shelters and warming centers found themselves either packed to capacity or pretty close. For the first time ever, the PATH-Casa Esperanza shelter — with 200 beds — had to turn people away (PATH stands for People Assisting the Homeless). The new day shelter will be activated the first time weather forecasters predict a 50 percent chance of rain or more. Funding comes from the County Board of Supervisors who — Nick Welsh set aside $90,000 three weeks ago for this effort.
chez steps down in February. A permanent appointment is expected to take place in July. Crombach, Casey said, does not intend to apply for the position. After much discussion and a split vote, the Santa Barbara City Council approved a basketball court and fitness area as part of the planned $1 million renovation of the Cabrillo Ball Field. Designs will be drafted for a junior-size court (74’ x 42’) with regulationheight hoops, along with a workout zone with 10 exercise stations. The additions would be placed in the little-used no-man’s-land between the Chromatic Gate and the baseball diamond, which would get an outfield fence to delineate the separate areas. “It has been very difficult to find a location that is suitable,” said Councilmember Gregg Hart of the long-running effort to put a court near the waterfront. “This is one of the few locations where it is possible.” The project must now be approved by the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Planning Commission. A two-year freeze on live music at three downtown community centers is starting to thaw as Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation officials have moved to gradually allow nonamplified live music, deejays, and mariachi bands to perform at the Westside, Franklin, and Louise Lowry Davis community centers. The music ban was enacted in response to noise complaints leveled by neighbors about family festivities like quinceañeras, birthdays, and other celebrations. The ban on amplified bands will remain in place. According City Parks and Rec Czar Jill Zachary, a paid monitor
will be on site to ensure musical performers don’t get too loud and that people attending don’t get too rowdy. In addition, security deposits for hall rentals will increase from $200 to $500.
COUNTY County officials granted ExxonMobil an emergency permit to truck nearly 18 million gallons of oil along Highway 101 during the next six months. The temporary permit allows the company to dispatch up to 30 trucks — each holding 6,300 gallons of oil — per day from Las Flores Canyon, where the viscous crude has sat idle since the Refugio Oil Spill, to Santa Maria and Kern County facilities. Officials reasoned Exxon might not be able to safely empty its storage tanks if they failed during a natural disaster. Last June, they denied Exxon’s application to run 192 trucks per day indefinitely in order to allow production to commence. Earlier this week, the Montecito Fire Protection District scrapped plans to purchase an empty lot at the corner of San Ysidro Road and San Leandro Lane, where it had hoped to build a new fire station. At a special meeting on 1/25, residents of the surrounding neighborhood came out in force against the plan for the 0.85-acre parcel, citing traffic, noise, and flashing lights, among other potential disturbances, according to district spokesperson Joyce Reed. The district’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to cancel escrow on the $1.5 million purchase, forfeiting its $45,000 deposit.
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finally, shelter
race. She said, “… it is critical that we send he same day Salud Carbajal posi- a champion of women’s equality and a longtioned campaign signs in the time advocate to Congress.” At a recent event windows of his new State Street for the Women’s Political Committee, which headquarters, he all but secured did not have enough votes to endorse either an endorsement from the state Democratic candidate, Jackson stressed the importance of Party in the race for the open congressio- supporting local female candidates. nal seat. The pre-endorsement bolsters his By many accounts, the state party prealready-sturdy, deep-pocketed campaign endorsement is a significant loss for Schneiagainst Democratic chief rival Helene der. As a practical matter, Carbajal can slap Schneider. Last Saturday, 83 percent of the 24th District’s Democratic Party delegates voted for Carbajal while just 10 percent backed Schneider. Eight percent selected “no endorsement.” Bill Ostrander, who is known as the campaign finance reform candidate, received none. Delegates are Salud Carbajal Helene Schneider appointed by state and federal elected officials or represent clubs in the the state party logo on mailers and will receive access to campaign voter files, among county’s Democratic Party. Carbajal far exceeded the 70 percent other resources. It is unclear how many assets required to receive the pre-endorsement, a the state party will pump into this race. Walter decision very difficult to reverse. (Had he won Capps, who preceded his wife in Congress 50-70 percent, an endorsing caucus would before he suddenly died in 1997, badly lost have made a decision at the February party the state party endorsement but still won the convention.) A state party spokesperson said election. nearly 100 percent of endorsed candidates Likewise, Walter Capps did not receive advance to the general election. Given June’s the Democratic Congressional Campaign open primary, that candidate could face Committee (DCCC) endorsement. A another Democrat. DCCC staffer said the committee prefers Hours before the vote, Schneider issued not to engage in the primaries, but it does on a press release, charging, “… the system is rare occasions. Carbajal’s official campaign rigged, meant to protect the politically-con- financing report lists the DCCC among its nected, the powerful or their hand-picked contributors. Carbajal’s campaign clarified successor.” “[R]egardless of what happens at the committee itself is not a contributor but today’s delegate vote,” she added,“I’m running it acted as an intermediary for two political a campaign from the campaign up — not the action committees, Turquoise PAC and Progressive Choices PAC, which each donated top down.” Echoing the national momentum of anti- $1,000. establishment candidates, Schneider, 45, Last July, Schneider called for 10 debates alleged she faced political intimidation, ret- and has since expressed disappointment one ribution, and behind-the-scenes maneuver- did not take place before the pre-endorseing to block debate opportunities since she ment meeting last Saturday. (A spokesperson announced her candidacy last April. Voters for Carbajal maintained there was “no debate are looking for someone to speak about the about debates,” and from day one the issue issues, Schneider said, “not someone who is was about scheduling and having them modgoing to take orders from the Washington erated in a fair way.) insiders.” Her supporters allege delegates were On the Republican side, second-time pressured to back Carbajal, 51, whose victory congressional hopeful Justin Fareed, 27, was deemed inevitable. Fears proliferated of surprisingly outraised San Luis Obispo Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian in the splitting the blue vote, they added. It is true that scores of Santa Barbara elect- last reporting cycle. To date, Fareed raised eds, including the retiring Congressmember $869,398 (with $767,265 cash on hand) comLois Capps, have rallied behind Carbajal. pared to Achadjian’s $386,915 (with $257,084 What’s more, Carbajal, who is known for in his campaign piggy bank). But Achadjian, his fundraising skills, has raised $1.4 million 64, has spent 50 percent more than Fareed, (with $970,309 cash on hand) compared to including $60,345 on mass mail. Schneider’s $479,183 (with $246,947 in her At least four more candidates — Tyler war chest) as of December 31. (It is worth not- Gross, Jeff Oshins, Steve Isakson, and Matt ing candidates can only spend a portion of Kokkonen — recently jumped in the race, as that money on the June 7 primary election.) well. All candidates (except Kokkonen, who Deviating from her Dem politicos, Sena- lost to Achadjian in the 2010 Assembly race) tor Hannah-Beth Jackson unapologetically are expected to debate on February 4 at the backed Schneider, the only woman in the Spanos Theatre at Cal Poly at 6 p.m. n
cont’d page 10 independent.com
february 4, 2016
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