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.

SBCAN ACTION ALERT

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.

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)

1. Call to Order by Janet Blevins; Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
2. 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.)
3. Status of 750+ Unconventional Oil Wells Proposed for East Cat Canyon. (10 min.)
4. The Neighborhoods: Proposed New Housing Near Rancho Maria Golf Club. (10 min.)
5. Open discussion about other items of interest. All (10 min.)
6. Suggestions for next month’s agenda (December 14).  (5 min.)

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:

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)

1. Call to Order by Chair Dick Flacks. Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
2. 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.)
3. 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.)
4. “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. 
5. Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
6. Next meeting. Our next meeting is scheduled for November 10.

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

Hi Friend –

SBCAN and others encouraged several of our local jurisdictions to urge SLO to deny the project. The SLO County Board of Supervisors upheld the Planning Commission's denial. Now, the last-ditch lawsuit has been dropped.

Here's an article in The Tribune: Phillips 66 agrees to drop lawsuit over oil trains to Nipomo refinery