SB CAN endorses Santa Barbara County Water Guardians’ Initiative 

On March 26, 2014, the SB CAN Board of Directors endorsed the Healthy Air and Water Initiative, which was recently filed with the County of Santa Barbara  by the Santa Barbara County Water Guardians.  The filing is a notice to circulate a petition to put the measure before the county board of supervisors.  The board could then choose to implement the measure outright or to put it before countywide voters in November.

In essence, the measure would ban enhanced oil-recovery techniques, such as fracking, cyclic steaming, and acidization, while allowing traditional oil-extraction projects to continue.

Here's information about the initiative from SBC Water Guardians:

1.  North County H.O.T. Committee Meeting - Thursday, March 13
2.  South County H.O.T. Committee Meeting - Friday, March 14
3.  North Garey Oil Project - Wednesday, March 12

The details:

SB CAN FUN ALERT

Save $5. Register for SB CAN's Oscar Viewing Gala by tomorrow -- Saturday, February 22.
See below for more information.

And David Rovic's performance is coming up -- Tuesday, February 25. Mark your calendar!
See below for more information.

We hope you'll join us for SB CAN's 10th annual Oscar Viewing Gala at the beautiful home of Susan Rose and Allan Ghitterman in Santa Barbara on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 5 p.m. We also hope you will help SB CAN to keep working on progressive causes on your behalf as a sponsor of this event.

The Oscar Viewing Gala is a fun way to connect with other progressive members of the community while enjoying the Academy Awards on big screen TVs and indulging in a bountiful buffet. We’ll give a prize to the person who makes the best prediction of the winners. Appetizers, desserts and wine are included in the ticket price.

North County H.O.T. Committee Meeting
Thursday, February 13, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Rabobank, 1554 S. Broadway, Santa Maria (on the corner of Broadway and Battles Road)

South County H.O.T. Committee Meeting
Friday, February 14, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
NEW LOCATION: Rabobank, 2^nd Floor Conference Room, Santa Barbara (on the corner of Carrillo and Anacapa Streets)

DETAILS BELOW:

Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN)

Action Alert

February 6, 2014

1.  Board of Supervisors' hearing on proposal to convert agricultural land in Lompoc Valley to urban uses
2.  North County H.O.T. Committee Meeting
3.  South County H.O.T. Committee Meeting
4.  David Rovics performance in Santa Barbara

The details:

1. Board of Supervisors' hearing on proposal to convert agricultural land in Lompoc Valley to urban uses
February 11, 2014
Board of Supervisors Hearing Rooms in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria

On February 11, the County Board of Supervisors will consider the recommendation of the Planning Commission to deny the rezone and conditional use permits for the Mosby Recreational Fields. This is a really important meeting and all concerned county residents should attend and let the Board know how important it is to protect our agricultural resources.

These recreational fields (paintball, remote-control car track, and two soccer fields) were installed without permits on agricultural lands east of Lompoc. Now, the property owner is seeking permits after the fact to make these uses legal.

We hope you'll join us for SB CAN's 10th annual Oscar Viewing Gala at the home of Susan Rose and Allan Ghitterman in Santa Barbara on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 5 p.m.

1.  HIGHWAY 101 HOV LANES

As has been widely reported, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Board of Directors on Thursday, January 16, in an 11-2 vote, acted to keep the Highway 101 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on track. Retention of the left-hand on and off ramps was rejected.

Last August, when SBCAG adopted the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), SB CAN supported adoption of the plan, but urged the SBCAG board not to shorten the HOV lane as some SBCAG board members had suggested in May. We let them know if they shortened the HOV lane, that would have triggered a new RTP and jeopardized the project. We also would have withdrawn our support of the project. Many others joined us in calling for retention of the entire HOV lane.

 Santa Barbara County Action Network

ACTION ALERT

1.  FRACKING: Following up on our earlier message, please know that a major public hearing about fracking regulations is happening Monday, January 13 at the Betteravia Government Center from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Some of our colleagues have planned the following protest to begin at 2 p.m.  SB CAN encourages its members and friends to attend both events and speak your minds.

At our H.O.T meetings last week, we agreed that a major focus of our comments should be on water: the potential to pollute our groundwater and the surety that fracking--if allowed in California and in Santa Barbara County--will send millions of gallons of precious water far below the surface of the Earth, never to be recovered.

Monday, January 13
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Hearing Room
511 East Lakeside Parkway
Santa Maria, CA 93455

Fracking Protest: 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Public Hearing on Proposed DOGGR Regulations: 3 p.m.-7 p.m.

We hope you enjoyed the holidays.

We’re ready for an exciting 2014 and would like to hear from you. Please join us at a H.O.T. Committee meeting near you:

Thursday, January 9, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
North County H.O.T. Committee Meeting
Rabobank
1554 S. Broadway, Santa Maria (on the corner of Broadway and Battles Road)

Friday, January 10, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
South County H.O.T. Committee Meeting
Union Bank’s Santa Barbara Community Partners Center
11 E. Carrillo, Santa Barbara

Our Housing, Open space and Transportation (H.O.T.) Committee meetings are open to all, and all who come are welcome to comment about issues of concern to them.

The issues we'd like your input on are HOV lanes, County Oil Production Tax and proposed DOGGR Fracking Regulations: