Hot Springs Stakeholders Meet, and Concerns Over SBC Sheriff’s Dept. Response Time
The Montecito Association November meeting was held in person at the Montecito Library community room and on Zoom, led by MA President Doug Black and Executive Director Houghton Hyatt.
Rock Rockenbach updated on the path built by the Bucket Brigade near his house on Barker Pass, which had multiple issues. He said SBC Public Works came out and fixed it.
Pat McElroy and Joe Cole reported on the Hot Springs Trail [HST] Stakeholders meeting last week at the Montecito Library with Congressman Salud Carbajal and Senator Monique Limón.
The meeting arose after past concerns around jurisdiction, considering the that the space falls under different organizations’ oversight depending on where one is along the trail. McElroy and Cole said, “There were approximately 30 in attendance representing the Hot Springs area – SB Sheriffs, CHPs, SB Fire Safe Council, Montecito Fire, Montecito Creek Water Co, Montecito Water District, the Forest Service, SBC Parks, SBC Public Works, SBC Planning & Development, California Fish and Wildlife, California Water Quality Control, National Marine Fisheries, 1st SBC District Supervisor Das Williams and incoming Roy Lee. It went well. Concentrated on everyone’s issues. First time everyone was in the same room at the same time. Will be the first of many meetings. Nothing was off the table. It was a good discussion. The cross collaboration was charted out on paper and gave a framework to move forward. This process is to continue until resolution to the problem. There is recognition everyone is not on the same page. All requests for public to attend need to go to Carbajal andLimón, who are in charge of scheduling the next meeting. We represented a lot of the neighbors who did not wish to be there due to concerns about harassment. The amount of jurisdictions involved make it complex. There wasn’t another meeting scheduled at the time so they could review everything, and which agencies need to be involved. It was brought up that the reason neighbors-citizens are fighting each other is the regulatory agencies are not taking the actions they would normally require. The regulatory agencies don’t want to touch it, but we said you need to because something bad is going to happen up there. What’s happening is that every agency is standing away or is understaffed, and it all falls to Montecito Fire and SB Search and Rescue. You are not going to get higher than Carbajal’s office, who will be putting pressure on the U.S. Forest Service to do something. At the end of that meeting Carbajal said, ‘There’s gaps in law enforcement and we need to figure out how to close the gaps.’ To determine who owns each geographical area of it and the agency responsible for it. We have had four meetings with Roy Lee, and he has met with the HST neighbors. Lee asked us to put together concerns, which he will bring to the SBC Board of Supervisors. There was an incident the other day with hikers illegally at the springs and Montecito Fire had to come out.”
Superintendent of the Montecito Union School District [MUS] Anthony Ranii briefed us on the school renovations nearing completion. All teachers, including himself as well, are taking literacy info sessions to assess school programs. MUS received a grant from the local air quality control board to replace gas-powered gear with electrical. Ranii then expressed serious concern about a MUS safety incident a month ago, saying, “We have been working on safety for a few years and it is a top priority for the school. A night custodial crew was cleaning the classrooms, and an unhoused person got into one of the classrooms and slept there overnight. We have it on video. When we found him, we called the Sheriff’s Dept, and they took 45 – 60 minutes to respond. School was starting and I had to ask the homeless person to leave, which he did. We will now do two safety checks at night and clean only one room at a time. To be clear, I’m not pointing at the Sheriff’s Dept., but the delays to respond are a large danger zone for our students.” Parents at the meeting said they are paying higher taxes and should have police regularly stationed in Montecito.
Lt. Richard Brittingham was on Zoom to reply and said that he spoke with his deputies about the incident. “At the time the call went out, traffic was 30 minutes to get to Montecito from Carpinteria,” he said. “The deputy told me he took side streets to get to MUS faster.” In fielding questions, he said, “Montecito and Carpinteria deputies work together. We can ask for resources from CHP or Goleta Valley for large incident events. The deputy looks at the call and sees what response it needs. To add more deputies and staff is above me, and goes to the Board of Supervisors. We can’t have a dedicated deputy in Montecito because there is no place to do the write-ups except Carpinteria. The Rosewood Miramar Beach with its added retail shops informed us that they are going to put an office in there for us, which will cut down on our response time. We are trying to get more staff, but like a lot of other agencies, are also understaffed. SBC deputies work with SB City deputies backing each other up with calls. The staffing decisions come from the City and SBC Sheriff’s Office and were allotted before I got here. The city spends a lot of time backing up Montecito, they are not stationed in one place, they drive the entire area. All the deputies work together, and it goes through the same dispatch center. I do not know where tax dollars go, it is my responsibility to oversee law enforcement in the area.”
Trish Davis added that years ago, the deputies used to write their reports at the Montecito Library, with their vehicle parked out front, which was a deterrent for crime.
Superintendent & Principal of the Cold Spring School District [CSS] Amy Alzina stated she supported Ranii. “This is not the first time we have we have tried to work with the City and SBC. There should be one sheriff in our neighborhoods 24/7, our kids should be our first priority in safety.”
Black concluded the public discussion. “We need to help you [Brittingham] with your staffing. You are doing the best you can. Lt. Brittingham and Houghton Hyatt will be meeting on this, and it will be an ongoing situation.” He asked the MA Board for input on the issue. Mindy Denson suggested a subcommittee work directly with the Sheriff’s Dept. and Lt. Brittingham and she volunteered to lead it. Volunteers added to her committee were Andrea Newquist, Inken Gerlach. MUS Superintendent Ranii offered to help.
Montecito Fire Chief David Neels recapped the Ventura County Mountain Fire, saying, “It is a dynamic reminder about how winds can cause significant issues. Our partnerships with our responders support 10 people and 15 engineers, aircraft. Those relationships are built when we respond quickly and help other counties who have also been there for us. We are still on the threshold of sundowner winds; concern is still there due to winds. Our fire stations are getting our holiday gift boxes ready for your food and toy donations. The annual mudslide disaster remembrance event is scheduled for January 9, 6 pm, at MUS.”
Montecito Sanitation District General Manager John Weigold reported that Carbajal visited the department, and they showed him how they used the funding he got them. All their FEMA projects around the creek beds are done and rebuilt with heavy rock.
Ruth Green reportedon the Montecito Community Foundation, saying, “We are an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 1966, and provide a way for people to make tax deductible donations for Montecito community improvements. Our area is the same as the Montecito Fire Protection District boundaries and this year we extended to include Coast Village Road. Grants we provide include both capital improvements and community events like benches at the park; the triangle restoration project with partners Garden Club of SB and Casa Dorinda; Montecito Trails Foundation for trail restoration; Friends of Montecito Library for laptops and other items; Casa del Herrero donation for rain damage; road signs; and Bucket Brigade’s paths around Montecito. Upcoming are working with the CVR Associates for landscaping and Lotusland.”
Black asked for input on the Bucket Brigade pathways project, the issues being liability, landscaping, pedestrians, parking on the paths, right-of-way to build the paths, the contractor, and who is in charge of the path design/aesthetics. Bill Macfadyen made a motion which passed to request information from all relevant parties involved in the paths to be given to the MA regarding these key points.
Upcoming events: the Hathaway Tree Decorating December 4 from 3-4 pm; the Holiday Car Parade at 5 pm, December 14; and the Menorah Lighting on December 26.
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