Please join us at the City of Santa Maria's hearing Thursday, March 30 (tonight) to let your opinion be known on how the new voting districts in the city should be drawn. It will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Vet's Hall, 313 W. Tunnell, Santa Maria.

The City of Santa Maria has started the process of changing from electing city council members "at large" to electing them by voting districts. The number of districts has not yet been determined, but many people think it will be four with the mayor's position being at large. It could be drawn into five districts with a rotating mayoral position. Some cities have even more districts.

The Santa Barbara County Action Network board of directors is supporting CAUSE's suggested map with four districts intersecting at Main and Broadway and the mayoral position at large. See Santa Maria Times article for that map as well as more information.

The districts will each elect their own representative who will need to be responsive to neighborhood issues such as development, transportation, maintenance or safety. Running for election in a district requires fewer resources than running citywide and would open up the council to more candidates.

We need to make sure the lines are drawn fairly to not dilute the voting rights of our working-class immigrant neighborhoods.

Your input and involvement in this process is needed.

Please join us.

Join Santa Barbara County Action Network, Safe Energy Now North County and Food & Water Watch to learn about the history of oil development in Santa Barbara County and our plan to fight new extreme oil development and promote clean energy in the Trump Era.

Topics Include:

• 750 new oil wells in Santa Barbara County and our vision for no more extreme oil extraction in Santa Barbara County
• Local transition to 100% renewable energy and the proposed wind farm in Lompoc
• Statewide strategies and solutions
• Adam Scow, Food & Water Watch’s California Director, will talk about why Food & Water Watch opposes Cap and Trade as a solution to combat Climate Change

Please join us at our upcoming forums: Big Oil Targets Santa Barbara County!

SOLVANG:
Monday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m., Veterans Memorial Hall, 1745 Mission Dr.

SANTA BARBARA:
Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m., Faulkner Room, Santa Barbara Library, 40 E. Anapamu

It's up to us, as Santa Barbara County residents, to push for 100% renewable energy and an end to new extreme oil development. Learn how you can take action and get involved!

You're invited to Gale McNeeley and Chuck Osborne's performance of "One World, One Heart" in Santa Barbara on Sunday, March 26:

Hi Friend --

Support Renters Rights
TUESDAY, MARCH 21 
RALLY at 5:30 p.m. in front of City Hall at De La Guerra Plaza
CITY COUNCIL MEETING at 6 p.m.

Hi Friend --

You're invited to Gale McNeeley and Chuck Osborne's performance of "One World, One Heart" in Santa Ynez on Sunday, March 19:

or on March 26 in Santa Barbara (see below).

Singer Gale McNeeley and Accordionist Chuck Osborne Tour the Central California Coast this March with “One World, One Heart”  - A Celebration of the Music and Peoples of the World.

The Arguello Group, one of four groups in the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club, has invited SBCAN members to a meeting this Friday, March 17, at 6:30 PM at the Presbyterian Church at 1600 Berkeley Dr., Lompoc

Jim Hines, President of the Los Padres Chapter has been in Washington, DC this week lobbying Congress to protect our National Parks and other wild lands from the policies of the current administration. He will speak about what he learned while there and how we can make a difference in this battle as well.

SBCAN board members Janet Blevins and Rebecca August co-chair the Arguello Group and they wrote:

Friday, March 17, 2017, Noon

NEW LOCATION: Union Bank’s Community Room, 15 East Carrillo St., Santa Barbara. 

DRAFT AGENDA

(Times are rough estimates)

1. Call to Order by Dick Flacks.Introductions; Agenda Review (5 min.)
2. Brief updates from participants. (2 to 5 min. each)
3. Phillips 66 Rail Terminal. The SLO Board of Supervisors upheld the Planning Commission’s denial of the project on March 14; lessons learned, possible next steps. (10 min.)
4. Debrief on SBCAN’s March 12 GREAT Community Brunch and Panel Discussion. Rep. Salud Carbajal keynoted the event and Dave Davis moderated a GREAT (Gathering Resistance and Effective Activism Together) panel. We would like to hear what those of you who attended gleaned from the discussion. (20 min.)
5. On-Shore Oil Forum Monday, March 27. Alena Simon from Food & Water Watch and Ken Hough will report on an upcoming forum to explore the ramifications of upcoming proposals for on-shore oil development in East Cat Canyon and elsewhere. (10 min.)
6. Affordable Housing and Renters Rights. Dick Flacks will report on a meeting he will have just come from. (10 min.)
7. Open discussion about other items of interest. (10 min.)
8. Next meeting. Our next meeting is scheduled for April 14 and Das Williamswill speak to us about the County’s 2017 budget process and issues. 

On March 14 the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to uphold their Planning Commission's decision to reject Phillips 66's proposal for a rail spur that would bring dangerous crude oil trains through Santa Barbara County. SBCAN and many other organizations and individuals were at the public hearing to urge the Board to uphold the denial. SBCAN Executive Director Ken Hough was quoted in the Santa Maria Times: 

SBCAN Action Alert
March 11, 2017

Phillips 66 Rail Terminal Public Hearing on Monday, March 13

On March 13 starting at 9 AM the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will consider whether to uphold their Planning Commission's decision to reject Phillips 66's proposal for a rail spur that would bring dangerous crude oil trains through Santa Barbara County. Please join SBCAN and many other organizations and individuals to urge the Board to uphold the denial.

We understand that speakers who request just one minute will speak first, followed by those who want two minutes, and lastly, those who want three minutes. The public hearing may last beyond the first day, but people requesting to speak need to turn in their speaker slips on the first day.

SBCAN has been working against this rail terminal for nearly two years. In July 2015 we published this report "Impacts and Risks from Oil Trains and the Phillips 66 Rail Spur Project" detailing the potential impacts of the project in Santa Barbara County. It focuses on the impacts and risks in Santa Barbara County of existing oil-train traffic and the increased impact and risks that could occur if the project is approved.

Please join us! 

Date: Monday, March 13, 2017 
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM 
Address:
1055 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

The March South County Roundtable  is rescheduled to Friday, March 17 at noon in Santa Barbara. 

Meanwhile, it is not too late to get tickets to attend SBCAN's GREAT Community Brunch on Sunday, March 12: