DETAILS:

1.  Emergency Permit Request for Trucking Crude Oil, ASAP

Dianne Black, assistant director of County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department, will decide whether to grant a permit to allow "emergency" trucking of crude oil as a result of the pipeline spill at Refugio. 

The permit requests permission for nearly 200 trucks a day to travel from the Las Flores Canyon facility up Highway 101, through Santa Maria on Main Street to Bonita School Crossing to Phillips 66 on the Nipomo area. Routes to other facilities also proposed. SBCAN sent a letter to Ms. Black asking her to deny the permit. 

If you share our concern, click here to see the letter we sent. Click here to see the permit application. Email Ms. Black at [email protected]. This is not scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors. The decision rests with Ms. Black. Since we do not know when she will make the decision, we recommend that you email her right away.

2. City of Santa Maria Bikeway Master Plan, 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9

The City of Santa Maria is looking for input on its Bikeway Master Plan. We urge you to get involved to make our streets safer for bicyclists.

This is a message from city staff:

Hello All,

City staff from Public Works and Community Development will be hosting a public workshop to discuss projects from the Bikeway Master Plan.  Specifically, staff is interested in hearing your needs as a cyclist.  Your input at this workshop is important.  Here is the information for the workshop.

• Where – Santa Maria Public Library – Shepard Hall - 421 S. McClelland St.
• When – Tuesday, June 9, 2015
• Time - 6 pm to 7:30 pm

Any questions or comments, please contact me via email or by phone at 925-0951 Ext. 225. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all there.

David Beas

Click here to see the plan.

3.  Phillips 66 Rail Spur at the Goleta City Council, Tuesday, June 9. 

Council will consider sending a letter to San Luis Obispo County urging denial of the proposed rail spur, in light of risks of oil train accidents, explosions, and fires on the Union Pacific mainline. 

This item was on the agenda at an earlier Council meeting, and the proposed letter prepared by staff was excellent. The item was postponed until the June 9 evening session. Public testimony, including from SBCAN was heard, however, since people did come to testify at the afternoon session. SBCAN urges people to come to this meeting to encourage Goleta to join many other cities, including Carpinteria, to call for denial of this project that would put our communities and our coastal environment at risk.

For the council agenda, click here.

4.  Santa Barbara County Community Choice Energy, County of SB, Wednesday, June 10

The Community Environmental Council is leading a coalition on this effort to give us the ability to choose clean energy for our electricity. The City of Santa Barbara voted to allocate $50,000 for a feasibility study on the issues. The Board of Supervisors will address the issue again on June 10.
     
Message from CEC:

For years, CEC has been leading the push for Santa Barbara County to take advantage of a powerful tool that would offer our communities local control of our energy and a choice for cleaner electricity at competitive rates.

Community Choice Energy is the single, most impactful action that we can collectively take in a shift away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy.

We secured a big win this week when the Santa Barbara City Council voted to partially fund a feasibility study for Community Choice Energy.

After years of work, success is within our grasp, but we need your help.

Next Wednesday, June 10, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will vote on the remaining budget for this feasibility study.

Urge them to vote YES. Sign on to support Community Choice Energy and tell local leaders that you want choice now.

We can have clean energy. You can help.

To take action:

• Click here to sign a petition to the Board calling for Community Choice Energy: http://www.sbenergychoice.org/join-us/. 

• Speak at the County Board of Supervisors Budget Hearing

Date: Wednesday, June 10
Location: County Admin 4th Floor, Board Hearing Room – 105 E Anapamu St.
Time:
Community Choice Energy is scheduled be heard under Community Services Budget at 10:30 am, with public comment beginning at 11:30 am. **If the hearing is behind schedule, public comment may get pushed until after lunch**

• Personalize a letter to the County Board of Supervisors 

Customize and sign an individual letter or business letter of support and send the signed letter to the Santa Barbara County Clerk of the Board, [email protected].

More details:  http://sbcenergychoice.org/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Community%20Choice%20Energy&utm_campaign=Take%20Action-%20Refugio%20Oil%20Spill%20Response%205-29-15.

 5.  Budget items regarding homeless issues before County Board of Supervisors continue on June 10 and 12.

This message is provided by SBCAN Board Member Emily Allen:

Be A Budget Advocate: Santa Barbara County Budget Impacts On People Experiencing Homelessness

Few public decisions have a greater impact on people’s lives than decisions about public budgets and spending. This is when governments make fundamental choices about our values and priorities. It is critical for all of us to be engaged in these decisions. Learn and take action to shape budget choices! 

Santa Barbara County Budget Hearings: 
105 E. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara OR 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria. Subject to change. Check: www.countyofsb.org or call the Clerk of the Board at (805) 568-2240.

Wednesday, June 10 @ 1pm (public comment at 2 pm)
Friday, June 12 @ 9 am (final public comment). 9:15am (board deliberations and decision making).

·       Committee for Social Justice is requesting $10,000 for the Emergency Jail Ride Program. [June 10]

·       New Beginnings is requesting $10,000 for the Safe Parking Program. [June 10]

·       Common Ground Santa Barbara County is requesting $40,000 for housing focused street outreach for people experiencing homelessness. [June 10]

·       Casa Esperanza is requesting $120,000 for shelter operations. [June 10]

The Budget Decision Makers

Make a call, write a letter or send an email! 

Santa Barbara County Supervisors 

1st District: Salud Carbajal, Phone: 568-2186 | Email: [email protected]

2nd District: Janet Wolf, Phone: 568-2191 | Email: [email protected]

3rd District: Doreen Farr, Phone: 568-2192 | Email: [email protected]

4th District: Peter Adam, Phone: 737-7700 | Email: [email protected]

5th District: Steve Lavagnino, Phone: 346-8400 | Email: [email protected]

Copy and paste these emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],[email protected], [email protected]

Thank you for taking the time to be a budget advocate!

6. Relocation of OASIS Senior Center in Orcutt before the County Planning Commission on Thursday, June 11. Hearing starts at 9 a.m. at 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria. Item is #2.

The County Planning Commission will consider the request of OASIS Senior Center to relocate to a property on Clark Avenue just west of Highway 135. County planning staff is recommending against project approval based on it not being consistent with the Orcutt Community Plan.

SBCAN Board of Directors voted to endorse the project.

The County has already received 55 letters in favor of the project. If you would like to add your support, send an email to the Planning Commission, c/o David Villalobos, [email protected].

For more information: http://sbcountyplanning.org/boards/pc/cpc_documents.cfm?DocID=15950.