December 2007

Happy Holidays to SB CAN members and friends! Please take a few moments to review the upcoming events and news. Here they are in brief:

1. SB CAN North County Community Awards Nominations due Jan. 9
2. Greka Oil Spills, Public Hearing on Jan. 15
3. Save Gaviota Coast! Public Comments due on Naples Project Jan. 23
4. Opportunities to Become Involved in SB CAN

Now the details:

1) SB CAN 2008 North County Community Award Nominations

Mark your calendars! Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN) and Santa Barbara Council on Research and Education (SB CORE) will be hosting our fourth annual North County Community Celebration Dinner on Sunday, April 27, 2008, in Santa Maria at Atria Maria del Sol. Awards will be presented to individuals and organizations in the North County who have made significant contributions to the community.

Last year's award recipients included: Nancy Johnson (Social Justice Award); Lansing Duncan (Environmental Protection & Sustainability Award); Bess Christensen (Giving Back to the Community Award); Super Carnacia La Chiquita (Working Families Award); and Don Ward, (“Looking Forward” Award).

Please take the time to nominate someone from your community who deserves recognition.

Criteria for Awards

· Must be established in the community (Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, and Guadalupe areas.)
· Must have demonstrated commitment to social equity, diversity, social and economic justice, and environmental protection
· All awards open to individuals, local businesses, and community organizations

Award Categories

1. SB CAN Social Justice Award – For promoting fairness, tolerance, equality, respect and compassion for all people in our community.

2. SB CAN Environmental Protection and Sustainability Award – For valuing, protecting, and preserving our natural resources and environment.

3. SB CAN Giving Back to the Community Award – For giving back selflessly to the community through volunteer activities and community projects.

4. SB CAN Working Families Award - For helping working families to obtain affordable healthcare, housing, educational and job opportunities; or to improve wages, benefits, working conditions, and worker rights.

5. SB CAN “Looking Forward” Award – For strong leadership and vision in community building, civic engagement, and improving the quality of life in our community.

Mail or email your nomination to SB CAN by Jan 9, 2008.
Santa Barbara County Action Network, P.O. Box 23453, Santa Barbara, CA 93121,805-722-5094 / deborah@sbcan.org, www.sbcan.org

2) Public Hearing on Greka Oil Spills, January 15

WHAT: Public hearing on Greka oil spills near Los Alamos
WHEN: January 15, 2008
WHERE: Board of Supervisors, Betteravia Government Center, 511 East Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria

Background:
At the December 11 Board of Supervisor’s meeting, SB CAN supported Supervisors Wolf and Carbajal in demanding an immediate hearing to investigate the repeated oil spills and violations at the Greka Oil facility near Los Alamos. The latest incident on December 7 spilled 34,000 gallons of oil into a creek bed near Palmer and Dominion Roads. This came after three additional spills in November. Overall, 250 violations have been cited against Greka during the past 8 years. It’s time to find out why, and how to prevent future violations.

Join us on January 15 to voice your concern about these threats to the local environment and human health.

3) Save Gaviota Coast! Public Comments on Naples Project due January 23

The Gaviota Coast has long been recognized as one of the most beautiful and environmentally diverse regions in the county. A proposed development at Naples of more than 140 homes poses significant threats to natural resources and scenic viewsheds, as well as promoting urban sprawl and leapfrog development.

The Santa Barbara County Department of Planning & Development has released a Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Santa Barbara Ranch project at Naples on the Gaviota Coast. Written comments on the Revised Draft EIR are due January 23, 2008.

The Revised Draft EIR is available at: http://sbcountyplanning.org/projects/03DVP-00041/index.cfm.

Send your comments to:
Planning & Development Department
123 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101

4) Opportunities to become involved in SB CAN

Take this opportunity to join an SB CAN committee and make a difference county-wide! Like most nonprofits, SB CAN could not exist without the support of its volunteers. Fortunately, participating on one of our committees can be lots of fun as well. To volunteer, Contact Olivia Uribe at 563-0463, or email Olivia@sbcan.org

H.O.T (Housing Open Space and Transportation) Committee - This committee is the heart of SB CAN. It is here where we tackle some of the most important and pressing needs in our community dealing with affordable housing, preserving open space and agricultural lands, and encouraging alternative transportation. Want to know the inside story on Measure D, Naples Coalition, Goleta's General Plan revision, or the city of Santa Barbara’s General Plan Revision? Come and find out! And alert us to the things happening in your community that we need to know about.

SB CANNES Film Series (north &south) - Help us plan the showing of films with a social justice and environmental perspective. Each film presentation will be followed by panel discussions of relevant issues, helping us to understand their impacts upon our communities. In 2008 we will be planning film events in both the south and north county.

Oscar Party - This committee plans our annual Academy Awards Extravaganza. Help us make the 2008 Oscar Party the best yet!

North County Awards Dinner Planning Committee – One of our largest fundraisers, this event brings together progressives from across the county to celebrate and honor local community heroes.

South Coast Dinner – We are now planning our first ever South County Awards Dinner for Fall 2008. This dinner promises to be a fresh, new and an exciting event for all of Santa Barbara progressives to attend.

End-of-the-year Gift
Too busy to volunteer? There’s another way to get involved with SB CAN and support our work, and that is to make a generous end-of-the-year donation to SB CAN.

Your gift of $25, $50, $100, $500 or more will help us continue to be the strong progressive voice and active leader throughout the county. You can make your gift online at our website: www.sbcan.org. Or you can mail your check to: SB CAN, P.O. Box 23453, Santa Barbara, CA 93121-3453.

Contributions to SB CAN are not tax-deductible because we are a 501c4 nonprofit, which allows us to advocate for new laws and policies. If you prefer to support our non-partisan work, a tax-deductible donation can be made payable to SB CORE (Santa Barbara Council On Research and Education), our 501c3 educational partner.

Thank you!

Deborah Brasket
SB CAN Executive Director
805-722-5094 / Deborha@sbcan.org / www.sbcan.org