Hi Friend --

There are two climate strikes on Friday: one in Santa Barbara, one in Santa Maria.

We encourage you to attend one close to you.

Here's an update on SBCAN September Roundtable Meetings:

North County Roundtable

South County Roundtable

SBCAN South County Roundtable
Friday, Sept. 13, 2019
Noon to 1:30 p.m.

NOTE NEW LOCATION
Santa Barbara Public Library
40 E. Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Note: The Santa Barbara Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of the meetings or meeting room users.

AGENDA
(Times are approximate. Feel free to bring your lunch.)

1. Call to Order by Chair and SBCAN Co-President Dick Flacks. Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
2. Community Choice Energy. Alelia Parenteau, City of Santa Barbara; Ashley Watkins, County of Santa Barbara; and Michael Chiacos, CEC will all be joining us for this month’s featured topic. (60 min.)
3. Immigration Issues. Jacqueline Inda. (10 min.)
4. Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
5. Open discussion about other items of interest. All (5 min.)
6. Our next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 11, 2019.

Here is an important update from SBCAN's South County Co-President:

Dear Friends:

Right now 60,000 grocery workers at Ralphs and Vons/Albertsons from Mammoth to the Mexican Border are without a contract. The struggle is very real as workers fight for better wages, access to hours, protection of benefits, and community-supported stores.

Two months ago, workers voted to authorize negotiators to call a strike if necessary.

Our friends at United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770 say, “Thanks so much for your support on our grocery campaign!  We're in the final stretch with final bargaining happening next week.  We've been leafleting customers the past week letting them know of the impending strike, and how to stay informed.  Over 1,000 members have participated so far.   

“Since we're in the last few days, we really need the community's help to get us to the finish line.  Tomorrow (August 28, 2019) we'll be in Goleta from 3-5pm with members.” 

SBCAN encourages its members to join UFCW to keep the momentum going and let the members know that the broader community stands with them. Please come to Ralph's at 5170 Hollister Ave., Goleta, CA 93117 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow to show your support. 

Thanks for your support. 

Sincerely,

Dick Flacks
SBCAN Co-President 

Here's an update on SBCAN August Roundtable Meetings:

North County Roundtable

South County Roundtable

SBCAN South County Roundtable

Friday, July 19, 2019, Noon to 1:30

AT A NEW (TEMPORARY) LOCATION

The Fund for Santa Barbara, 26 W. Anapamu St., Suite 110

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

AGENDA

 (times are approximate, and feel free to bring your lunch)

1. Call to Order by Chair and SBCAN Co-President Dick Flacks.Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
2. Conversation with Das Williams, District 1 Supervisor, Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors, Regarding Cannabis, Community Choice Energy and Other Issues. (45 min.)
3. Housing Issues: (a) Evictions in San Vicente Mobile Home Park; (b) Other Mobile Home Park Issues; (c) Creative Housing, and (d) Possible housing symposium. Sharon Rose, Emily Allen, Linda Honikman, Matt Lowe, and Patricia Solorio. (20 min.)
4. Transition-to-Employee-Ownership Project sponsored by the Sustainable Economy Group. Hal Hill will report on this. (10 min.)
5. Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
6. Open discussion about other items of interest. All (5 min.)
7. Our next meeting is scheduled for August 9, 2019. After that meeting, again at the Fund for Santa Barbara, we will be moving to a new location to be determined.

Several Lights for Liberty rallies are happening locally tonight and tomorrow.

The following information about Lights for Liberty is from their website at https://www.lightsforliberty.org. Links to local events are also on that page.

North County Roundtable

The North County Roundtable meeting, which was scheduled for July 11 at 6 p.m., has been cancelled. Instead, we are encouraging our members to attend the public hearing on a proposed residential development known as The Neighborhoods of Willow Creek & Hidden Canyon. The project is a mile and more outside the urban area and would place 146 homes in the areas between the fairways of the Rancho Maria Golf Course on Highway 1 west of Santa Maria and Orcutt.

The hearing is Thursday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria before County planning staffand is intended to receive comments about the adequacy of the Draft Environmental Impact Report. There are Class 1 Significant Impacts that cannot be avoided. We have not reviewed the DEIR extensively and do not yet know if we will argue that there are inadequacies. The comment period ends on August 5, 2019, so this hearing represents a chance to learn what others have to say so SBCAN might produce a letter commenting on the DEIR. 

Hearings on the merits of the project and consideration of approval or denial will be held at a date to be determined, when the Final EIR is available. Information is available on the County’s website at: https://www.countyofsb.org/plndev/projects/neighborhoodskeysite21.sbc 

South County Roundtable

The South County Roundtable meeting, which was scheduled for July 12 at noon, has been postponed one week. It will meet at noon on July 19 at a new location: the Fund for Santa Barbara’s office, 26 W. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara.

First District County Supervisor Das Williams will be our featured guest, speaking on cannabis and other topics.  We will send an agenda for the meeting in a few days.