7:45 A.M. TUESDAY, FEB. 25 

We need you to tell the Board of Supervisors to say NO to Sable during the BOS hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Wear green if possible.

A Texas oil company called Sable is trying to restart the pipeline that caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill, which released 142,000 gallons of heavy crude oil into the surrounding environment, devastating 150 miles of the California coast and injuring or killing and untold number of animals. The pipeline and offshore production have been shut down since the spill.

SBCAN opposes this restart and is represented by the Environmental Defense Center in this case.

At the Feb. 25 hearing the Board will consider transferring permits for the oil pipeline from ExxonMobil to Sable. The Supervisors’ review involves determining whether Sable has the financial and operational capacity to run these facilities. We say, "No, they don't! Don't enable Sable!"

Show up at 7:45 a.m. to provide support for a press conference and rally. Bring friends! We need people to hold banners, signs and other props to enhance the visuals for the press. Signs will be provided – we just need YOU!

Make your own public comment at the hearing that starts at 9 a.m. It’s likely you will have only one or two minutes to speak. Here are some talking points:

• Another spill from these facilities is likely and would be devastating to the county and Gaviota Coast.
• Sable cannot afford to cover the cost of remediation if a spill occurs during restart or shortly thereafter. The public should not have to pay to clean up another oil spill.
• The Board cannot approve the transfer of permits from ExxonMobile to Sable because Sable has not met the conditions of the permits. 
• Sable has received notices of violations from three state agencies. The questionable behavior of Sable's management team shows that the Board cannot trust them to responsibly operate this project.
• Add your own thoughts, especially how the oil spill affected you personally.

Testify virtually by Zoom, register here. 

Email comments are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24 and should be submitted to [email protected].

Click here for more information prepared by EDC, which represents SBCAN and other groups.

Talk about this issue with friends and family. Many Santa Barbara residents don't know about this dangerous pipeline proposal. Please refer them to this excellent Independent article and urge them to get involved!

Agenda Item (D1) Staff Report and Board Materials are here.

THURSDAY, APRIL 17

Register now for Santa Barbara County Action Network's first FREE Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs) Trauma-Informed Workshop!

Thanks to a grant from the City of Goleta and our wonderful speaker Susan Jones with Creative Behavior Systems, you have the opportunity to discover your nonprofit organization’s potential to efficiently serve its constituency.

This workshop is specifically catered to nonprofit organizations who serve our low-income and houseless population residing in Goleta. 

Susan Jones was among the first to provide Trauma-Informed Workshops in the nation. She worked directly with Jane Stevens who is the author of the ACEs study and was a part of Dr. Nadine Burke's early focus groups. She began providing workshops to school districts with high rates of low-income students. Today, she works across the country helping school districts, businesses, city governments and more be more effective for those they serve.

Register NOW for our FREE workshop using this link: https://forms.gle/NNsZJUkAFjhgpbxL8

For more information, see our website.

Please share this information with others who may be interested.

Amid all the bad news, we can celebrate when there is good news. The Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District sent this out on Feb. 20, 2025:

49 International Shipping Companies Opt In to Protect Endangered Whales & Reduce Air Pollution in Coastal Communities

"In the 2024 Season, BWBS [Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies] verified that 743 vessels, across 49 of the world’s largest shipping lines, opted-in to reduce their speeds. BWBS’ 2024 Season – the program’s 10-year anniversary – was the most significant yet, marking a jump in total participating shipping lines – from 33 to 49 – and an increase in distance traveled at “whale-safer” speeds ...

"In 2024, cumulative program cooperation rates continued to trend upward in both the San Francisco and Southern California VSR zones. Program-wide, 85% of the total distance traveled by participating vessels – equating to 425,981 nautical miles – was traveled at the requested whale-safer speeds of 10 knots or less. Out of all of the traffic traveling within the VSR zones, 78% of all container ships and 97% of all auto/RORO ships elected to participate in the BWBS program."

Click here for more information.

NOON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27

PROTECTING OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY FORUM

Co-sponsored by SBCAN

NOON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

SBCAN COMBINED ROUNDTABLE

SBCAN will hold a Combined Roundtable at noon on Friday, February 28.

Join us to find out about how community members and organizations like SBCAN can support sustainability in our county's education system for generations to come. Our focus is on how to better support teachers and students. 

We are inviting school board members, parents, teachers and other community members to participate.

We will send out a revised agenda later. 

To register for the Zoom Combined Roundtable, use this link: 

       https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zYYy8J6-QLeGY8RLLXdLUQ     

FEB. 26 THROUGH SUNDAY, MAR. 2

Public Review of the Santa Maria General Plan Update
Draft Policy Frameworks

PUBLIC NOTICE FROM THE CITY OF SANTA MARIA:

The Draft General Plan Policy Frameworks are available for public review and comment from Wednesday, February 5 to Sunday, March 2. 

WHAT’S BEING PLANNED: The Community Development Department is preparing a Comprehensive update to the City’s General Plan. This document creates the master plan for Santa Maria’s growth for the next 20-30 years. The City is anticipated to grow by 30,000 to 40,000 residents during that time, meaning the community must identify where and how to build thousands of additional housing units, and where to build new parks, schools and other development. The Policy and Plan Development phase is currently underway with the completion of draft Policy Frameworks for each of the nine elements of the City’s updated General Plan. The Policy Frameworks are a step in the General Plan Update process prior to drafting General Plan Elements. The frameworks highlight key direction for each General Plan Element including goals, policies, and implementation activities to achieve that direction. 

WHERE YOU COME IN: The public review period will be an opportunity to review the draft Policy Frameworks for the General Plan and provide your feedback. All of the frameworks as well as a form for providing feedback are available at the project website: https://www.imaginesantamaria.com/policy-frameworks

Upcoming Public Meetings where you can learn more and provide feedback:

Office Hours with Planning Staff:

Wednesday, February 26 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Community Development Department Conference Room, 110 S. Pine St., Santa Maria

Comments may also be submitted within the public review period to Dana Eady, Planning Division Manager, by email at [email protected], or mailed/delivered to the City of Santa Maria Community Development Department (110 South Pine Street, Room 101, Santa Maria, CA 93458) by Sunday, March 2. 

Department:                       Community Development

Contact Person:                Dana Eady, Planning Division Manager

Telephone Number:          (805) 925-0951 ext. 2444

Email Address:                 [email protected]

 --

AVISO PÚBLICO:

Revisión Pública de los Marcos de Política Preliminares de Actualización del Plan General

Los documentos del Borrador de los Marcos de Política del Plan General están disponibles para revisión y comentarios públicos desde el miércoles 5 de febrero hasta el domingo 2 de marzo. 

LO QUE SE ESTÁ PLANEANDO: El Departamento de Desarrollo Comunitario está preparando una actualización integral del Plan General de la Ciudad. Este documento crea el plan maestro para el crecimiento de Santa María para los próximos 20-30 años. Se anticipa que la ciudad crecerá de 30,000 a 40,000 residentes durante ese tiempo, lo que significa que la comunidad debe identificar dónde y cómo construir miles de unidades de vivienda adicionales, y dónde construir nuevos parques, escuelas y otros desarrollos.

La fase de Desarrollo de Políticas y Planes está actualmente en marcha con la finalización de los borradores de los Marcos de Políticas para cada uno de los nueve elementos del Plan General actualizado de la Ciudad. Los Marcos de Políticas son un paso en el proceso de Actualización del Plan General antes de redactar los Elementos del Plan General. Los marcos destacan la dirección clave para cada elemento del Plan General, incluidos los objetivos, las políticas y las actividades de implementación para lograr esa dirección.

DÓNDE INGRESA: El período de revisión pública será una oportunidad para revisar el borrador de los Marcos de Políticas para el Plan General y proporcionar sus comentarios. Todos los marcos, así como un formulario para enviar comentarios, están disponibles en el sitio web del proyecto: https://www.imaginesantamaria.com/policy-frameworks

Horario de oficina con el personal de planificación:

Miércoles, 26 de febrero, 1:00 a 2:30 p.m. en la Sala de Conferencias del Departamento de Desarrollo Comunitario, 110 S. Pine St., Santa Maria

Los comentarios también pueden enviarse dentro del período de revisión pública a Dana Eady, Gerente de la División de Planificación, por correo electrónico a [email protected], o enviarse por correo/entrega al Departamento de Desarrollo Comunitario de la Ciudad de Santa María (110 South Pine Street, Room 101, Santa Maria, CA 93458) antes del domingo 2 de marzo. 

Departamento:                   Community Development

Persona de contacto:           Dana Eady, Planning Division Manager

Número de teléfono:          (805) 925-0951 ext. 2444

Correo electrónico:        [email protected]

From:  Mark van de Kamp, MPA, DTM, Public Information Manager

Santa Maria City Manager’s Office
Office: (805) 925-0951 ext. 2372 / cell: (805) 720-4038

[email protected]

Santa Maria City Hall, 110 East Cook Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454
Join the Santa Maria Team

SUNDAY, MARCH 9

SAVE THE DATE!

SBCAN Annual Membership Meeting
2 p.m. Sunday, March 9
St. Marks-in-the-Valley, Los Olivos and online

Our guest speaker will be the new mayor of Buellton, David Silva.

More details to come!

COMMENTS EXTENDED THROUGH 5 P.M. MARCH 11

COUNTY HIKING TRAILS – DRAFT COUNTY RECREATION MASTER PLAN

Recreation Master Plan

The Santa Barbara County Recreation Master Plan represents a once in a generation opportunity to promote and plan for trail development and to protect and expand the County's trail system.