SBCAN editorials

The community continues to help the most vulnerable homeless persons in the county

Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:29
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by Ken Hough

More than 550 volunteers gathered on Jan. 22 and 23 before the break of dawn to seek out and interview homeless folks living on the streets of Santa Barbara County.

Common Ground Santa Barbara County brought together volunteers from more than 100 organizations to count people living on the streets throughout the county and to identify those who are most at risk of premature death due to their homelessness.

Several members of the Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN) were involved in the Vulnerability Index Survey and Point in Time Count. Teams headed out from logistics centers throughout the county to find people where they spent the night before dispersing for the day.

The January results are not available yet, but in 2011 volunteers contacted 1,536 people and 1,143 surveys were completed. Of those surveyed, it was determined that 932, or 79 percent, were “vulnerable,” or at high risk of mortality if they remained on the streets.

Common Ground, in partnership with the 100k Homes Campaign and the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness (C3H), is dedicated to housing the most vulnerable homeless people. As of now, 117 of those identified in 2011 have been housed, including 25 families. 

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Continuing to help the most vulnerable
Date: 
8 Feb 2013 - 12:00am

City election policy is needed

Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:46
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by Joann Marmolejo

When the voters of Santa Maria went to the polls this past November, they voted for two people to fill the expired terms of two council members and for a mayor to replace outgoing Mayor Larry Lavagnino’s vacant seat.

Now voters find the Santa Maria City Council is again faced with the responsibility of how to fill the remaining two years of a vacated city council seat because a city council member was successfully elected to a different office.

In the past, two vacancies were due to a council member being elected to the office of mayor, and two city council vacancies occurred when a city council member was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

The City Council filled three of these past vacancies with the next highest vote getter, and the council filled one vacancy by appointment after interested persons filled out applications.

In 1994 when Council member Tom Urbanske was elected to the Board of Supervisors, the next highest vote getter, Bob Orach, was appointed to fill the unexpired two-year term on the City Council.  

Again two years later in 1996, when Council member Abel Maldonado was elected mayor and the City Council accepted applications from interested persons, Larry Lavagnino was chosen to fill the unexpired two-year term on the City Council, although he was not the third highest vote getter.   

Read printed editorial: 
City needs election policy reform
Date: 
11 Jan 2013 - 1:00am

A solar energy plant may be coming to Cuyama

Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:43
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by Joann Marmolejo

            Santa Barbara County may get its first utility-scale solar energy plant. Although small compared to many other projects, the proposed 40 megawatt Cuyama Solar Array Project could produce enough electricity for 13,000 homes. It would displace 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year (the equivalent of taking 4,900 cars off the road). It would occupy 327 acres of actively cultivated, irrigated land, 167 of which may need to be removed from the Williamson Act ag preserve.

            The sun is powerful. Each hour it sends solar energy to Earth equal to the amount of energy used by humans worldwide each year. It’s free. It’s renewable. It doesn’t produce radioactive waste. It’s available everywhere the sun shines making for self-reliant societies. It doesn’t pollute. It doesn’t require strip mining or oil wells or transportation. It can’t be monopolized, nor the market manipulated, and no fear of losing it will pressure us to go to war to protect our national security.

            Solar energy should be a big part of our energy supply. It can’t be the only solution. It doesn’t supply as much energy in cloudy weather and none at night.

We could store energy in batteries for those times, but they are costly and bulky and currently not feasible for large solar farms.

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Solar energy plant may come to Cuyama
Date: 
14 Dec 2012 - 1:00am

Shop Local! What does that mean?

Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:41
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by Joann Marmolejo

While I totally support the idea of shopping locally I wonder, “What does that mean?”

Does it mean shopping within the City’s tax base so the City will receive more Measure U funds?  Do we shop at stores owned by local people living in our community and maybe paying a little more to help support them?  Do we shop at a grocery chain store that employs local people and pays their employees, our neighbors, decent wages and benefits?

Does the concept include shopping at a store owned by one of the richest families in the world, that pays their employees, again our neighbors, low wages so shoppers can have those low prices?

To shop within the City’s zone of Measure U, we probably will need to shop at a store owned or run by companies or corporations based elsewhere in the world, because we have very few truly locally-owned places to shop. Most of the stores in our area are based somewhere else in the world and run by boards whose sole purpose is to make money for their stockholders, so that’s not really shopping local. 

Saying “shop local, hire local” sounds better.  If we need repairs done on our home we may get several estimates, but in the end we usually hire a local business to make the repairs.  If our car gets damaged, we usually end up using a local business to fix it. We have a wide range of local businesses to choose from in this area. But shopping for clothing, bedding, decorations, etc. is different because we have few choices of places to shop that are truly local for these items. 

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Shop local: What does that mean?
Date: 
16 Nov 2012 - 1:00am

Get involved in planning Los Flores Ranch Park

Submitted by admin on Wed, 02/20/2013 - 13:37
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by Joann Marmolejo

            Sometime next year, the City of Santa Maria will start taking input on the future uses of Los Flores Ranch Park, a 1,774-acre property acquired by the city for a regional landfill and passive recreation just southeast of Orcutt in the Solomon Hills.

            The hilly site is dotted with oak trees and bushes. Several species of small animals call the place home, including mice, squirrels, birds, rabbits, fox, coyotes, possum, bobcats, skunks, snakes and raccoons. Mountain lions and wild pigs have also been seen there. More than 150 head of cattle openly graze the land and a few domestic animals are kept within a fenced-in area. Greka Oil and Gas operates oil facilities on 250 of its acres.

            Currently hiking, biking, picnicking and equestrian uses are allowed.

            The city will develop an Open Space Management Plan. They are planning on passive uses, but some people have already suggested uses such as soccer and baseball fields.

            We believe recreation should be compatible with the rural nature of the site. Noise-producing activities should not be allowed to disturb the quiet nature of the area. Seldom do we get a break from the noise of the city. Let us have one place where that noise is limited.

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Help plan Los Flores Ranch Park
Date: 
14 Sep 2012 - 1:00am

Catching the beneficial buzz of bees

Submitted by admin on Tue, 08/21/2012 - 16:07
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Thank you, honeybee.

Bees work hard to make honey. A bee visits 50 to 100 flowers per trip to take nectar and pollen to the hive. In her lifetime —about six to eight weeks —a worker bee will produce one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. Thousands of bees in a hive fly more than 55,000 miles and visit about 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey — about the amount one American will consume in a year.

Honey may have some health benefits. It’s been said to help heal some burns. It’s thought to increase the good bacteria in the intestinal tract. It’s used as a cough suppressant. There are many other health claims. Just be cautioned that it is not for children under 1 year old and some people are allergic to it.

We depend on honeybees for much of our food. They pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops nationwide each year, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts, according to Zac Browning of the American Beekeeping Federation.

“Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” Browning said.

Local farmers benefit from the bees pollinating squash, apples, avocados and raspberries as well as vegetables and flowers to produce seeds.

For the past several years, bees have been on the decline.

Read printed editorial: 
Catching the beneficial buzz of bees
Date: 
10 Aug 2012 - 12:00am

Protecting consumers at checkout

Submitted by admin on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 11:29
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Do you check the prices of the items you buy at the store to make sure they ring up the way they are supposed to?

The County Ag Commissioner’s Office advises you to do so, and if the price is not right, get the store to rectify it. If the store is not responsive, call the Ag Commissioner’s Office at (805) 934-6200. They will usually investigate within 24 hours, according to Guy Tingos, deputy director of the office.

Often mistakes are made when an item is on sale or just after it goes off sale. A store may forget to take the sales price off the shelf although it has changed in the database. The customer is entitled to the lowest posted or quoted price, whether the price is in an advertisement or on the shelf.

In November 2010, the county in conjunction with the state conducted a survey to find out the rate of overcharges countywide. Inspectors purchased 380 items from 25 stores including mini marts, auto parts, department, hardware, and grocery stores. They were overcharged on 28 items, or 7.3 percent of the cases — almost three times the statewide average of 2.6 percent. 

Because of that, the county decided to inspect a percentage of stores every year, rather than just responding to complaints. The program began in May and is funded by fees ranging from $40 to $240 on stores that use bar code readers (scanners) to determine check out prices.

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Protecting consumers at checkout
Date: 
13 Jul 2012 - 12:00am

Buy food from local farmers and keep ag viable into the future

Submitted by admin on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 13:29
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            Before you spend your money at the market buying blueberries from Brazil, try getting the tastiest and freshest food at a local farm stand and help preserve local agriculture into the foreseeable future.

            There are wonderful farmers markets and numerous strawberry stands throughout the valley. A new vegetable stand, Blosser Urban Garden (BUG), just opened last month at 915 S. Blosser Road. It belongs to Jerry and Alejandra Mahoney.

            Jerry is a third generation farmer. His father started growing vegetables after World War II. Before that, the family was in the dairy business.

            The Mahoney family cultivates 400 acres of broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and celery. In 1995, Jerry and his brothers decided to try growing organic vegetables on 60 acres of land. Jerry was especially interested in organic farming because his children were little and they loved to go into the fields, however, big tractors and pesticides made it dangerous.

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Buy from local farmers, keep ag viable
Date: 
8 Jun 2012 - 12:00am

Should you vote in June primary?

Submitted by admin on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 13:44
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If you’re asking yourself whether you should vote in the June primary, the short answer should be yes.

It has been said that President Kennedy won by one vote in each precinct. Of course, there are a lot of precincts across the United States, but it just goes to show the importance of one vote.

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Should you vote in June primary?
Date: 
11 May 2012 - 12:00am

Leadership and vision can move move mountains (and create trails)

Submitted by admin on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 13:37
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            When the Sheriff’s Department closed an unofficial trail system in Orcutt last summer, cross country coach and photographer Luis Escobar found there was nowhere for his students to run. People were getting tickets for hiking on trails they had traversed for years.

            Luis wanted legal, public trails. He asked other hikers he met in Orcutt if they would get involved in an effort to create a public trail system. Santa Maria Valley Open Space was born. Thanks to the group’s efforts and Luis’s vision, the county has moved forward on its plan to develop 44 miles of public trails in Orcutt. Some of the trails should open this month.

            Luis shows us the importance of becoming involved and that the action of one person can have a tremendous impact on the community. Because of that, and to encourage others to do more, Santa Barbara County Action Network will recognize Luis with its “Looking Forward” Award for leadership and vision during its 2012 North County “Looking Forward” Awards Dinner on Apr. 29 at the Santa Maria Inn.

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Leadership, vision can move mountains
Date: 
13 Apr 2012 - 12:00am