Shock, Awe, and Support

In these troubling times both domestically and abroad, it’s great to see, in the just-certified election of Carpinteria’s Roy Lee as the new Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor, a heartening example that our system of one-person, one-vote does actually on occasion work as it was intended, and to be reminded of the essential role of a free local press in informing citizens so that we can connect, contribute, and work together to improve our society. 

Many remember the ugliness of the 2020 Das Williams v. Laura Capps supervisorial race. Williams was weakened by media exposure of his role – detrimental both fiscally and environmentally – in crafting regulations for the nascent pot-growing industry while accepting contributions from those connected to it. Capps, with her admirable platform of campaign finance reform, transparency, and affordable housing, and with her solid reputation on the Santa Barbara school board, appeared to be headed toward victory. But locals didn’t count on Williams going low with a “dirty tricks” campaign of negative radio ads and mailings, some calling Capps an “extreme progressive” and attacking her mother, former U.S. Congresswoman Lois Capps, as well as our beloved former Supervisor Susan Rose. 

This election season, as I had been traveling extensively and figured Williams was headed for another reelection, I was suddenly shocked to learn via our very own MJ, that the supervisors hadn’t followed through on hopes/plans for the county to take over the ring nets project. And where was Williams, who should have been the strongest voice on this? Next, I was further jarred awake by Gwyn Lurie’s excellent editorial about the need for change in the supes seat and endorsement of the dark horse candidate from Carpinteria. We used to own a beach house at Sandyland, and my now-adult children fondly remember Uncle Chen’s, but Lee clearly had little political experience. However, on the strength of Lurie’s strong and logical arguments, I went online and made a contribution to Lee – large enough for him to phone and thank this stranger personally. I knew I’d done the right thing after Williams suddenly cancelled a scheduled interview with Jerry Roberts with an arrogant sneer: “…. you do not appear to be able to be objective when it comes to my work in office, and you have made it clear to your audience that you disdain everything about me.”
Sic transit gloria mundi.

Huge thanks are due from our community to Lurie, Roberts, Josh Molina, Nick Welsh, and all the other print and media professionals who continually strive to fill in for the absence of a local daily newspaper that would and should be on top of all of our county’s – and country’s – issues. Our Fourth Estate, grateful that we have your voices and leadership.

Eileen White Read

A Bear’s Dream

Carlos, The Bear, was rolling around in his bed feeling restless. He had a bad dream earlier, or at least he thought he had been dreaming. His fur was sweaty and his breathing sharp. It had to have been a dream, he thought, because everything he saw was just too bizarre for it to be reality. 

He had been asleep since November, having watched the news prior to bedding down for his hibernation and everything looked pretty good. He had felt good as he put his head to rest on his new, ergonomic pillow, he was warm tucked in under his down comforter and had drifted off to rest the Winter away. 

But wait, there’s more! 

Come early February, he dreamt he saw the Orange One, ranting as usual, this time at a judge, not so unusual, and a lady, who was suing him for a lot of money, not unheard of, but this was different, she won! Then, he saw a weather map that showed an atmospheric river, stretching all the way past Hawaii headed towards California with more moisture than ever before.

Then came the news about a glacier melting and the gulf stream slowing down. 

The talking heads of news were spouting pundits, rallying the Orange One, saying he’s the one for office, while our senior citizen commander was staring into oblivion, seemingly in a different world. 

It didn’t seem fair, waking from a long, deep sleep to find the new reality before him. This clearly wasn’t a dream; it was an election year, and he knew the circus had just begun. So, he tuned in to KBEAR and danced to clear his head. 

Same as it ever was…..

Carlos, The Bear

Big Talent, Big Heart

Thank you for the lovely article about Tom Snow.

My husband and I were neighbors of Tom and Mary Belle in the early aughts. I was, in those days, a volunteer at the Goleta dog shelter. I had been in advertising before retiring to Santa Barbara and was full of ideas to promote the homeless dogs at the shelter. One idea was to air a compilation of photographs of the dogs that had been taken by a renowned professional photographer. (The shoot was secured thanks to the resourcefulness of another volunteer, Lynnie Shaw.) I had an idea for a song to use for the soundtrack and called my advertising contacts in New York about getting the legal clearances for use of the song. Um, no way you can use that song! Tom offered me a demo he had written and recorded. He also secured all of the legal clearances I would need, from publisher to artist. The song was beautiful and perfect for the project. I will be forever grateful for his thoughtfulness and generosity. Yes, a big talent and a big heart!

Kimberly Lowell

Wake Up and Smell the Sewage Spill

When reading your article “Miramar Beach Closed Near Montecito Due to Sewage Spill,” I was disturbed at how vulnerable our oceans are to human-caused disturbances. Our oceans are heavily at risk, and we need to protect them, both to ensure our own future, and to keep our planet beautiful for generations to come. 

As a young person, it pains me to see a continually degraded ocean. The idea that one day extinct sharks will be described with the same air of fantasy as unicorns is a thought that scares me. It’s a symptom of the larger issue that humans have failed to respect our planet. We are reaching a turning point. If we don’t begin to push back against the rapid destruction of our oceans, there won’t even be future generations to apologize to. 

But there is hope in existing solutions for ocean protection. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) function similarly to a “National Park for the Sea,” giving partial or full protection to areas of the coast. Research has shown that they are extremely effective, and in areas that are designated as MPAs, there have been significant rebounds in biodiversity and habitat. 

As the state of California, we have the unique ability to contribute to expanding those MPAs. I hope that elected officials and the California Fish and Game Commission will hear the pleas of young people across our state, and the world, and increase protections for our oceans at this crucial time in human development. 

Thank you, 

Sierra Ferrante, UCSB Student and Chapter Chair of CALPIRG Students at UCSB

Form an MPA

As I read your recent article “Miramar Beach Closed Near Montecito Due to Sewage Spill” I realized how truly delicate our oceans are to human impact and how desperately we need to protect them.

As a kid, I was constantly at the beach, its vast ecosystems inspiring me to pursue a career in a STEM field. To this day I chase the wonder I felt looking at the mini ecosystems of tide pools, fascinated by the diverse life my two sisters and I found within them. 

To ensure that future generations can experience this same wonder, we need to push for the expansion and continued protection of our Marine Protected Areas, where pieces of our coastline are protected in order to preserve biodiversity. This has been proven to be one of the most effective tools in protecting our coastline and will guarantee that we are not just waiting for its inevitable collapse.  

Hudson Truchard