Help Save Our National Monuments!
Hi Friend –
Please note the deadline for comments--July 10--and please help save our National Monuments by commenting to the Secretary of the Interior.
We added links to the Center for Biological Diversity and Audubon for your convenience.
-- SBCAN staff
National Monuments Threatened
In April of 2017, President Trump issued an executive order to review the status of 27 National Monuments that have been created since 1996. This means there are intentions of perhaps rolling back their national monument status and in so doing, removing some or all of the cultural and environmental protections for these areas. Even though each one of these Monuments had extensive public involvement, Trump wants to do it all over.
Why this matters:
National Monuments are created through Executive Orders by sitting Presidents under the authority of the Antiquities Act. These places are areas that are home to irreplaceable resources such as Native American cultural sites and thriving ecosystems with threatened or endangered species of plants and animals.
Our Own Precious Monument Under Threat!
SBCAN SC Roundtable Fri, June 16 at noon - join us!
You're invited to:
SBCAN South County Roundtable
Friday, June 16, 2017, Noon
Union Bank’s Community Room, 15 East Carrillo St., Santa Barbara.
AGENDA
(times are approximate)
1. Call to Order by Chair Dick Flacks.Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)2. Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
3. Housing Issues in City of Santa Barbara. There are several controversies about housing affordability in Santa Barbara that warrant brainstorming and debate. Frank Rodriguez of CAUSE, who is working on these issues, will join us. We will have a freewheeling conversation about these issues:
- Downtown housing and fears of gentrification: Average Unit Density will encourage housing on the Lower East Side and this has raised anxieties about Milpas Street as a target of gentrification. How might this dilemma be resolved?
- Efforts to promote affordable rental housing come up against state laws that hamstring rent stabilization and inclusionary rules. How can these be changed?
- What is the status of current efforts to improve the AUD and strengthen renters’ rights?
5. Sales Tax Proposal for City of SB. Mary Rose will brief us on this proposal for Nov. ballot.
6. Other Items of Interest to Participants.
7. Next Meeting: Our 2017 calendar has a summer break. Next meeting is Sept. 15 unless changed.
Advocate for funding for persons experiencing homelessness and more
SBCAN Board Member Emily Allen asked us to forward the following information. Emily is involved with Common Ground Santa Barbara County, which is asking county residents to contact their county supervisors to urge them not to cut programs that impact people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable individuals and families. She asks you to advocate against these cuts by speaking during the county's budget hearings, or by calling or emailing your supervisor. More information is below:
Read moreImportant Santa Maria Groundwater Meeting Wednesday
Wednesday, May 7, at 2 PM, there is an important Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin meeting at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room at the Betteravia Government Center in Santa Maria. If you plan to drink water in North County in the future please attend! This is the only public meeting each year to talk about our groundwater quantity and quality. See details in the meeting notice below. The meeting addresses the groundwater basin Annual Report, which describes declining levels of groundwater and numerous pollution problems facing our groundwater.
SBCAN will have a list of important questions that we want to ask the report author. If you are interested in helping us on this, please come early and meet us in the foyer of the meeting room; we’ll be there by 1:30 PM to discuss our concerns and questions. We think the report glosses over the some of the major problems facing our water supply. Commenters only have until 10 AM the next morning to submit written comments on the report.
Help save Santa Barbara County Ranchland and Farmland
On Wednesday, May 31 the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider final approval of its earlier tentative decision to deny a proposal to subdivide 4,000 acres of farmland and ranchland, known as Rancho La Laguna, into 13 parcels for upscale estates.
Read more
Join us to honor Terri Zuniga, Rona Barrett, Ann & Rob Glasgow, Vibiana Saavedra and Alma Hernandez
Hi Jeanne –
Join us for the 2017 North County "Looking Forward" Awards Dinner & Fundraiser
Sunday, June 11 at 5 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria
Help up recognize six individuals for their outstanding contributions that make our community a better place to live!
CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM LAST YEAR'S EVENT
This year’s award recipients are:
- Terri Zuniga, “Looking Forward” Award, for strong leadership and vision in community building, civic engagement, and improving the quality of life in our community.
- Rona Barrett, Giving Back to the Community Award, for giving back selflessly to the community through volunteer activities and community projects.
- Ann & Rob Glasgow, Working Families Award, for helping to provide education, health care, nutrition, recreation and cultural services and opportunities to working families.
- Vibiana Saavedra, Social Justice Award, for promoting fairness, tolerance, equality, respect and compassion for all people in our community.
- Alma Hernandez, Environmental Protection & Sustainability Award, for valuing, protecting, and preserving our natural resources and environment.
Urge Sen Jackson to support Health Care for All in CA
As you may know, California has a new single payer health care proposal in the Legislature, SB 562 (Lara, Atkins), the Healthy California Act.
The Santa Barbara County Action Network Board of Directors is joining with a coalition of organizations seeking endorsements of the legislation. We have just sent our letter of support. We urge you to support this legislation as well, and if you are a member of a group that might also support the legislation, please ask the group to also send a letter.
The bill was passed by the Senate Health Committee on April 26. The next hearing will be with the Appropriations Committee tomorrow (May 25) and then a Senate Floor vote soon after. It must pass these votes so that it will go on to the Assembly in 2018. So time is of the essence.
Here are links to a sample letter that you can customize, the text of the 36-page bill and a fact sheet.
SBCAN: CEC info and discounts on installing solar panels in SM tomorrow, SB Thurs & more locations
The Community Environmental Council is expanding its solar panel program to be countywide.
The first of four workshops is in Santa Maria tomorrow:
Wednesday, May 24th at 6 pm
Elwin Mussell Senior Center, Silva Room, 1510 East Park Ave, Santa Maria
Programs will also be in Santa Barbara, Solvang and Goleta.
More info about the program is available online at SolarizeSB.com and in the flyer below.
Read more
Join SBCAN in recognizing community leaders in the North County on June 11
You're invited to the 2017 North County "Looking Forward" Awards Dinner & Fundraiser
Sunday, June 11 at 5 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria
Help up recognize six individuals for their outstanding contributions that make our community a better place to live!
This year’s award recipients are:
- Terri Zuniga, “Looking Forward” Award, for strong leadership and vision in community building, civic engagement, and improving the quality of life in our community.
- Rona Barrett, Giving Back to the Community Award, for giving back selflessly to the community through volunteer activities and community projects.
- Ann & Rob Glasgow, Working Families Award, for helping to provide education, health care, nutrition, recreation and cultural services and opportunities to working families.
- Vibiana Saavedra, Social Justice Award, for promoting fairness, tolerance, equality, respect and compassion for all people in our community.
- Alma Hernandez, Environmental Protection & Sustainability Award, for valuing, protecting, and preserving our natural resources and environment.
Gale McNeeley, accompanied by Betty Faas on piano, will sing a song selected by each recipient to each recipient
Chuck Osborne will play accordion
Read moreYou're invited to SBCAN's Roundtables on Thursday in SM and Friday in SB
We hope you'll join us Thursday in Santa Maria or Friday in Santa Barbara to discuss several important issues:
SBCAN North County Roundtable/North County Coalition Environmental Committee
Thursday, May 11, 2017, 6 PM
Cornerstone Community Room, Santa Maria, CA
AGENDA
- Call to Order by Janet Blevins; Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
- Review of Santa Maria Valley Environmental Issues. The environmental committee of the Santa Maria Valley Progressives has developed a list of issues and aspects of the issues. We will review the issues with an eye toward giving input to that committee and also toward suggesting priority issues that SBCAN should address. (40 min.)
- Rancho La Laguna. This mid-county proposal to subdivide a 4,000-acre ranch into 13 lots for luxury estates was conceptually denied by the County Planning Commission last month. The Commission will consider findings for denial on May 31. (10 min.)
- Open discussion about other items of interest. All (10 min.)
- Suggestions for next month’s agenda (May 11). (5 min.)
