County rezone workshop and SM firefighters picket

Written by
March 19, 2024

Two events for your consideration today:
  1. Public comment welcome at Board of Supervisor’s Rezone Developer Workshop at 2 p.m.
  2. Santa Maria firefighters ask public to join them as they picket Santa Maria City Hall at 4:30 p.m.

From the County of Santa Barbara:

Board of Supervisor’s Rezone Developer Workshop
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 2 p.m.

The public is welcome to comment in person at the Betteravia Center or the Planning Commission Hearing Room in Santa Barbara. There will not be ability to comment via Zoom for this workshop.

The Board has released the agenda for their workshop. Owners/agents for some of the potential rezone sites will present the Board with their visions for development of housing and community amenities on their sites. 

For those planning to attend in person, the presenters have been invited to prepare materials to share at tables in the respective lobbies at the Betteravia Center and the County Administrative Building after their presentations.

• North County owners/agents will make their presentations at the Betteravia Center, 511 E
Lakeside Parkway, and will table in the lobby outside the hearing room in Santa Maria.

• South County owners/agents will make their presentations in the Planning Commission Hearing Room and will table in the lobby at 105 E. Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara. Access to the hearing room and lobby are from Anacapa Street.

The Board will not take any action. The workshop will be streamed live. For information regarding how to watch this Board of Supervisor’s workshop visit here: https://www.countyofsb.org/1814/Hearing-Process 

The public is welcome to comment in person at the Betteravia Center or the Planning Commission Hearing Room in Santa Barbara. There will not be ability to comment via Zoom for this workshop.

The public will be able to comment via Zoom at the Planning Commission Hearings on Mar. 27 and Apr. 1, and at the Board of Supervisor’s hearings later in April. More information to come.

The workshop will start at 2:00 p.m. The planned agenda is as follows:

1. Opening Remarks – P&D (5 minutes)
2. South County Developer Presentations (80+ minutes)
3. North County Developer Presentation (50+ minutes)
4. Break – Review Projects in Lobbies (30 minutes)
5. Board Questions (15-30 minutes)
6. Public Comment (TBD)

This is a Board workshop not a hearing. There will not be a staff report.

From the Central Coast Labor Council:

Our newest Central Coast Labor Council affiliate, IAFF Local 2020, the Santa Maria Firefighters union is taking to streets this evening during the Santa Maria City Council meeting and they need our support to send the clear message that this community stands with its firefighters! 
 
Join us Tuesday, March 19th at 4:30pm at Santa Maria City Hall (110 E Cook Street) to picket the Santa Maria City Council Meeting to support our city's firefighters. 
 
The city of Santa Maria refuses to bargain in good faith with their firefighters. Currently, they are getting paid 14% below the market average. As a result, the fire department is struggling with staffing levels and retention of new firefighters. Forty Percent of firefighters in the last ten years have left the department in search of higher wages elsewhere.
 
The city is no longer at the bargaining table and refuses to include market pay analyses as part of any agreement. Santa Maria Firefighters Local 2020 need your help to put pressure on the city council to come back to the bargaining table and agree to a FAIR CONTRACT. 
 
The city council meeting will hear public comment at 4:30pm before going into closed session. Join us to stand up for Santa Maria's firefighters!! 

Leonardo Decasaus,
Mobilization Coordinator
Central Coast Labor Council
(820) 799-1988
[email protected]
816 Camarillo Springs Rd, Ste N
Centralcoastlabor.org