Action Alerts
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Martin Luther King Jr Day Events
Friend --
Here are some Martin Luther King Jr. Day events you might be interested in:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration
1 p.m. ~ Saturday, January 13, 2018 at UDW, 402 S. Miller St in Santa Maria
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Join us at our Roundtables Thursday in SM and Friday in SB
We hope you will join us at a roundtable meeting:
SBCAN North County Roundtable
Thursday, January 11, 2018, 6:00 PM
Rabobank Conference Room, 1554 S. Broadway, Santa Maria, CA
AGENDA
(times are approximate)
- Call to Order; Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
- Open Discussion on Issues for 2018, Including How Recent Fires and Floods Might Influence Our Work. (50 min.)
- Status of 750+ Unconventional Oil Wells Proposed for East Cat Canyon. (5 min.)
- The Neighborhoods: Proposed New Housing Near Rancho Maria Golf Club. (5 min.)
- Solvang: Proposed Expansion of Sphere of Influence and Annexation. (5 min.)
- Open Streets Event in Santa Maria. (5 min.)
- Stormwater Management Plan. (5 min.)
- Open discussion about other items of interest. All (5 min.)
- Suggestions for next month’s agenda (February 8). (5 min.)
SBCAN South County Roundtable
Friday, January 12, 2017, Noon
Union Bank’s Board Room, 15 East Carrillo St., Santa Barbara, CA
AGENDA
(times are approximate, and feel free to bring your lunch)
- Call to Order by Chair Dick Flacks. Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
- Mobile Home Issues. Sharon Rose. (5min.)
- Open Discussion on Issues for 2018, Including How Recent Fires and Floods Might Influence Our Work. (50 min.)
- Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
- Next meeting. Our next meeting is scheduled for February 9.
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2018 SBCAN Dues are Due!
Please read the attached letter and you will see there is good reason to pay your dues before the end of the year--especially if you pay them through the Santa Barbara Gives! program. The letter refers to a Membership Meeting to be scheduled in January, but we are now looking for a date in February to avoid certain conflictsThank you for your support.
If you already responded to our last notice, thank you and sorry for the duplicate message.
Ken Hough
Executive Director
SBCAN
(805) 563-0463 -
Time to renew SBCAN membership
Even as ash is falling over most of the county and some of you are having to evacuate, we need to look ahead to 2018. If you are able to focus on this and read the attached letter, you will see there is good reason to pay your dues before the end of the year--especially if you pay them through the Santa Barbara Gives! program.If you are too preoccupied with the fire, we understand and we will send reminders once the emergency is over.
Ken Hough
Executive Director
SBCAN
(805) 563-0463
Message from SBCAN President Margaret Connell:Dear Friend --
We at Santa Barbara County Action Network appreciate the support you have shown us over the years that has made it possible for us to continue nurturing our strong local network of progressive folks and creating bridges between environmental and social justice activism.
For sixteen years Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) has been the preeminent non-profit organization working on both sustainability and social justice issues throughout the county. We have many partner organizations, to be sure, but we always strive to be countywide and working on a wide range of progressive issues—especially looking for issues that might fall through the cracks otherwise.
In January 2018 we will again convene our annual Membership Meeting in Los Olivos and I urge you to participate. We are still determining the date and guest speakers. We will discuss recent issues and actions for 2018 (see below). The social hour will be a great chance to renew friendships and build support for SBCAN’s future.
With increasing competition for foundation support, we are all the more reliant on our members, major donors, and fundraisers. Therefore, we hope that you will make a membership donation that suits your budget and helps SBCAN continue its educational and advocacy role.
This year The Fund for Santa Barbara and The Santa Barbara Independent invited us to participate in a new fundraising program. We urge you to make your donations before the end of 2017 at this site:https://www.sbgives.org/nonprofit/santa-barbara-county-action-network/ By doing this, you will increase our chances of winning a share of matching funds raised to reward those non-profits who generate sizable donations.
If you prefer, it is easy—as always—to contribute at: https://sbcan.nationbuilder.com/membership_annual_dues. There is also an option for automatic monthly payments at https://sbcan.nationbuilder.com/membership_monthly_dues. You can also mail a check to P.O. Box 6174, Santa Maria, CA 93456.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in January at our annual membership meeting.
Sincerely,
Margaret Connell, President
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Meetings Dec 5, 2017 - SB County oil report, Goleta clean energy and bike plan, SM housing
SBCAN ACTION ALERT
Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 5, is a busy day for issues of interest to SBCAN members.1. Oil and Gas Briefing.
The County Board of Supervisors will be hearing a wide-ranging informational report from the County's Energy Division. The report includes information about the three proposed East Cat Canyon oil projects, data on violations over the last three years (the vast majority of citations issued by the County Petroleum office, the Fire Department, and the Air District are to one company...Greka, of course. The meeting is in Santa Barbara, but can be watched on cable or at Santa Maria's Betteravia Government Center. The agenda item is #4 and the link to the meeting agenda and staff reports is:
https://santabarbara.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=528352&GUID=4008C6D1-6A69-4AB4-B896-8CC0E7FCA91C&Options=info&Search=
Here is a direct link to agenda item 4:https://t.e2ma.net/click/oa5j1/oapbgu/wo9uih
During its afternoon session, around 2 PM, Goleta's City Council will consider adopting a 100% renewable energy goal by 2030.
During its evening session (same agenda listed above) the City Council will hear a report on the status of the Bicycle Master Plan.
4. Santa Maria's Consideration of Auxiliary Dwelling Unit Regulations.
State law now requires that local jurisdictions allow second units on single-family properties, but--within certain limits--cities and counties can regulate ADUs. SBCAN's Board of Directors recently voted to oppose restrictions that would run counter to the intent of the state law.One such restriction would be to require that the owner of the property be required to live on the property, either in the main house or in the ADU. The Santa Maria planning staff recommended that requirement in order to "maintain neighborhood character." The Planning Commission voted 3-2 to NOT include that requirement. SBCAN will encourage the Council to follow that recommendation and we encourage local residents to do so as well.The agenda for the meeting is here: http://archive.cityofsantamaria.org/CouncilAgendas/2017/Dec_05/2017-12-05.htm -
SBCAN Roundtables Thurs and Fri in SM and SB
Hi Jeanne –
Join us for our roundtables in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara:
NEW LOCATION!
SBCAN North County Roundtable
Thursday, November 9, 2017, 6:00 PM
Rabobank Conference Room, Northeast Corner of South Broadway and Battles
Santa Maria, CA
AGENDA
(times are approximate)
- Call to Order by Janet Blevins; Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
- Report on Joint Meeting of County Planning Commission and Agricultural Advisory Committee: Ken Hough. Topics include: streamlining the processes related to Farm Worker Housing, Right to Farm issues, updating the Ag Viability CEQA Thresholds, Economics of Agriculture and the effects of regulations on sustainability, how the ACC can best inform the Planning Commission on future development issues such as the Rancho La Laguna subdivision, and Cannabis issues. (20 min.)
- Status of 750+ Unconventional Oil Wells Proposed for East Cat Canyon. (10 min.)
- The Neighborhoods: Proposed New Housing Near Rancho Maria Golf Club. (10 min.)
- Open discussion about other items of interest. All (10 min.)
- Suggestions for next month’s agenda (December 14). (5 min.)
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City of SM wants your input on the design of downtown - Oct 23 & 24
The city of Santa Maria is holding important workshops Monday and Tuesday to get input on the future of its downtown and how to make its streets safer, efficient and fun. We hope you can participate in one or more of these workshops:
Help enliven Downtown Santa Maria and build a better Broadway!
Share your opinions and help guide your fellow neighbors at upcoming Community Design Charrette events this Monday 10/23 and Tuesday 10/24.
All activities will be in English and Spanish!
¡Todas las actividades estarán en inglés y español!Monday, October 23, 2017
9:00am - 1:00pm
Downtown Walking Tour, Discussions and Lunch
Walk the Downtown with the project team and help us develop goals and objectives.
@ Community Development Conference Room
110 S. Pine Street, No. 101. Santa Maria, CA
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Community Workshop #1
Bring your friends, family, and neighbors to have an engaging community conversation about the future of Downtown Santa Maria!
@ Shepard Hall, Santa Maria Public Library
421 S McClelland St, Santa Maria, CA 93454
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting
Engage with the project team to discuss and visualize your visions for Downtown.
@ Community Development Conference Room
110 S. Pine Street, No. 101. Santa Maria, CA
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Community Workshop #2
Bring your friends, family, and neighbors to have an engaging community conversation how to make downtown streets safer, efficient, and fun!
@ Shepard Hall, Santa Maria Public Library
421 S McClelland St. Santa Maria, CA 93454 -
SBCAN SC Roundtable Fri, Oct 20 at noon - join us!
SBCAN South County Roundtable
Friday, October 20, 2017, Noon
Union Bank’s Back Patio, 15 East Carrillo St., Santa Barbara, CA
DRAFT AGENDA
(times are approximate)
- Call to Order by Chair Dick Flacks. Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
- Reflections on City of Santa Barbara Election. Dick Flacks will lead a discussion about the politics and policy issues in play with this upcoming municipal election. Issues include how to revive retail on State Street, whether to approve a sales tax to better maintain infrastructure, and more. (30 min.)
- Status of Average Unit Density and Tenants Rights in the City of Santa Barbara. Frank Rodriguez of CAUSE and Mickey Flacks will lead a discussion of these issues. (15 min.)
- “Soul of the City:” John Klein will brief us on the short film he is producing, which is both a tribute to an unsung Latino leader and role model in Santa Barbara, Francisco Aguilera, and a reminder to the community of the fragility of the public land known as East Beach.
- Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
- Next meeting. Our next meeting is scheduled for November 10.
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NC Roundtable cancelled tonight, SC Roundtable rescheduled
The North County Roundtable scheduled for tonight has been cancelled. We hope you will attend the county's Storm Water meeting instead. (See yesterday's action alert.)
The South County Roundtable scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed to next Friday, October 20. We will send more details later.
Thank you,
Ken Hough
SBCAN Executive Director -
Broke: The Santa Barbara Oil Pipeline Spill of 2015 documentary needs your help
Hi Friend –
Longtime SBCAN member and supporter Gail Osherenko has produced a film about the 2015 oil spill at Refugio Beach. Now she has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise needed funds to complete and promote the film. It will be about 55 min long.
Please go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/880772739/broke-the-santa-barbara-oil-pipeline-spill-of-2015?ref=newest to read about the film and the campaign and to view the short trailer.
And after you make a pledge, forward the information via Facebook or other methods. Thanks!
Here's the message from Gail Osherenko: