TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9

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(photo by Santa Barbara Independent)

Speak up to reduce county jail population and jail expansion

County Board of Supervisors Meeting
Item D2

Tuesday, December 9
Santa Barbara and Online

Santa Barbara County Action Network urges you to speak up at the Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow, Dec. 9 to reduce the jail expansion to only one pod and increase programs and practices that reduce the jail population (Item D2)

We agree with the position taken by the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara and Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) in their Dec. 7 letter to the Board of Supervisors, which makes the following points:

Jail Reduction Data Demonstrate the Need to Reduce the Jail Expansion

  1. End incarcerating people who do not belong in jail
  2. Expand programs the reduce jail population
  3. Improve practices that drive high jail admissions
  4. Ensure accountability and public participation 
  5. Improve technology to speed case resolution

Download the letter here: Public Comment - LWV - CLUE SB

The board letter and more information is here: https://santabarbara.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7772306&GUID=5B7FEB42-A8F4-4859-B7B3-D9D95FE35FE2&Options=&Search=

  

CALENDAR

 

  

SPECIAL EVENTS

  
Tues
Dec 9 		950am Polluters Pay Resolution - BOS SB
Online
Tues
Dec 9 		  Reduce county jail population and jail expansion SB
Online
Tues
Dec 16 		  Support BOS re Sable  
       
   

CALLS TO ACTION

  

Now -
Jan 5

  

Urge EPA to restore clean water protections

 Online

Now -
Jan 6

  

DEIR for Shelby Residential Project

 Online
Goleta

Now -
Jan 23

  

Oppose new oil and gas lease sales off California coast

 Online
       
   

WEEKLY EVENTS

  
Every Monday 4pm-
530pm

Support Palestinians

 SM
Every Thursday 4pm

Culture of Protest

 Online
       

Items in red are new since our last action alert.
Items in blue are SBCAN items.

          

 

SPECIAL EVENTS
  

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9

 

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MESSAGE FROM CLIMATE FIRST: REPLACING OIL & GAS

Polluters Pay Resolution at Board of Supervisors

Tuesday Dec 9, 2025 ⋅ 10am – 1pm
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING BOARD HEARING ROOM,
FOURTH FLOOR 105 EAST ANAPAMU STREET, SANTA BARBARA
 
The Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors are planning to vote on a Polluters Pay Resolution at the December 9th meeting in Santa Barbara. (Administrative Item A17)

Reminder: This is the #1 action we can take locally to generate support for this critical piece of climate legislation that will bring climate resilience to our communities!

We will meet outside the county building on the Anapamu side and walk in together at 9:50am. Wear red!!

See the toolkit for participation here, and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Email Lauren Leland at [email protected]
 
 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16

 We urge you to join with Santa Barbara County Action Network and our allies to support the Board of Supervisors' denying a transfer of permits from Exxon to Sable.

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MESSAGE FROM SANTA BARBARA CHANNELKEEPER

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Will Reconvene to Consider Findings for Denial of Sable Permit Transfer 

On December 16, the County Board of Supervisors will meet on the issue of transferring the operating permits of the Santa Ynez Unit, which includes the pipeline that ruptured and caused the 2015 spill at Refugio Beach.  

This hearing is being held to complete action the Board of Supervisors initiated on November 4, when it last met on this issue. At that meeting, four of the five Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors determined that due to Sable’s extensive list of violations that the company has racked up as well as questions of financial capacity, they could not make the finding that the company has the training, skills, and resources to operate the facilities in question. 

Santa Barbara County staff had previously recommended approval in its staff report, despite the lengthy list of violations including twenty-one criminal charges brought by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney, a lawsuit from the state Attorney General, and a historic $18 million fine from the state Coastal Commission. In November, the Board of Supervisors voted to continue the hearing to allow Santa Barbara County staff to prepare findings to support denial of Sable’s application. 

On December 16, there will be a full hearing to consider the findings for denial of Sable’s application to transfer the permits from Exxon. It will be as important as it was in November to turnout in support of the County’s Board of Supervisors denying the permit transfer. So, one more time, we are asking the community to wear red and come out in support of our coast! 

Written public comments one page or less can be submitted via email by 5pm on Monday, December 15. Once the agenda for the meeting is finalized, we will share more details about the opportunities for public comment.

[email protected]

  

CALLS TO ACTION
    

RESTORE CLEAN WATER PROTECTIONS

 

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MESSAGE FROM SANTA BARBARA CHANNELKEEPER

Proposed Definition of “Waters of the United States” Threatens Water Protections 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rule on November 17 that would significantly narrow the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS), the cornerstone of federal Clean Water Act protections.  

By redefining which waters qualify for federal protection, the draft rule removes longstanding safeguards from many rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes, and other critical waterways. If adopted, countless waters that communities, wildlife, and ecosystems depend on would be left vulnerable to unchecked pollution and destructive development. For Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, this could mean greater risks to clean drinking water, degraded habitat for fish and wildlife, and increased contamination flowing into the Pacific Ocean. 

The Clean Water Act has already suffered significant setbacks following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA, which sharply curtailed protections for wetlands and other waters across the United States. Instead of working to restore lost safeguards, the newly proposed WOTUS definition would deepen those rollbacks, further limiting federal authority to prevent pollution before it reaches rivers, aquifers, and coastal waters. 

This proposal also comes amid a broader pattern of proposed environmental rollbacks by the EPA. Earlier this year, the agency initiated efforts to revise wastewater standards for coal-burning power plants and reconsider Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, among other plans. The EPA has also announced plans to weaken limits on PFAS, dangerous “forever chemicals,” in drinking water and has shuttered key EPA offices responsible for addressing disproportionate pollution impacts in low-income, rural, and frontline communities. 

Together, these actions threaten to reverse more than half a century of progress toward cleaner water and healthier communities. Clean Water Act protections have been essential in reducing dangerous pollutants, restoring damaged waterways, safeguarding wetlands, and ensuring that industries cannot use rivers and streams as dumping grounds. 

Channelkeeper will be submitting detailed comments and urging EPA to restore, not dismantle, our nation’s clean water protections. We will recommend that EPA not finalize their proposed changes to the definition of WOTUS. Community members are invited to provide comments before January 5, 2026. Click below to provide comments.
Submit Comments

SB Channelkeepers email: [email protected]

 

DEIR FOR SHELBY RESIDENTIAL PROJECT

 

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Shelby Housing Project Draft EIR released
for proposed housing site next to El Encanto Creek
north of Cathedral Oaks Rd., Goleta

The developer is proposing to encroach into the 100-foot Streamside Protection Area.

MESSAGE FROM THE CITY OF GOLETA

The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Shelby Residential Project is now available online for the upcoming Environmental Officer Hearing (EHO) Meeting on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 5:00 P.M.

Rincon Consultants has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA implementation guidelines. This NOA is being circulated pursuant to CEQA. A Draft EIR (DEIR) has been prepared pursuant to the requirements of CEQA (Public Resources Code, §§ 21000, et seq.), the regulations promulgated thereunder (14 Cal. Code of Regulations, §§ 150000, et seq.), and the City’s Environmental Review Guidelines. The City is requesting written feedback from the public, interested organizations, and responsible trustee agencies about the scope and content of the environmental information that will be addressed in the DEIR. The DEIR will address the environmental issues discussed in the project’s initial study.

A meeting to take comments on the  Draft EIR will be held by the City Environmental Hearing Officer on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM.  

The Environmental Hearing Officer (EHO) will conduct a hybrid meeting to solicit comments on the adequacy of the analysis of the environmental issue areas, and alternatives to the Project studied within the DEIR. The Environmental Hearing Officer meeting will be held in the Goleta Council Chambers located at 130 Cremona Drive, Goleta, CA.

ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION: Please register for Environmental Hearing Officer Meeting to be held on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT at: 

 https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zGonRjciS2it6KZ5G79kpg
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Webinar ID: 823 6641 9914
Passcode: 769637

A copy of the  DEIR can be found on Shelby Residential Project page here.

A copy of the Notice can be found here.

PUBLIC REVIEW OF THE  DRAFT EIR (DEIR):
The  Draft EIR is available for a 45-day public review period from November 26, 2025 - January, 2026. The  Draft EIR is available on the City’s website at:http://www.cityofgoleta.org/your-city/planning-and-environmental-review/ceqa-review/shelby-residential-development-project  Please limit comments to environmental issues only.

For more information about this project, contact Darryl Mimick, Supervising Planner at 805-961-7572 or via email at [email protected].  

Questions? Contact Us

 

OPPOSE NEW OFFSHORE OIL & GAS LEASES

 

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 MESSAGE FROM SANTA BARBARA CHANNELKEEPER

New Five-Year Offshore Drilling Plan Includes California Waters 

The U.S. Department of the Interior released a Five-Year Offshore Drilling Plan on November 20. The plan proposes six new oil and gas lease sales off the California coast—including the Santa Barbara Channel—in addition to twenty-one new lease sales in Alaska and seven lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. The six leases in federal waters off California’s Coast would be the first new lease sales since 1984. 

Channelkeeper opposes the plan to open up the California coast to new offshore oil and gas development offshore. As we know through experience, offshore drilling can lead to significant oil spills, which are catastrophic to the sensitive and biological rich Santa Barbara Channel, as well as the robust tourism and fisheries industries that are supported by these important coastal waters. 

The release of the new offshore drilling plan opened a 60-day public comment window, which will close on January 23, 2026. Because the Department of the Interior will not be holding public hearings on this significant proposal, organizations are coming together to host People’s Hearings during the public comment window to allow the community to learn about the proposal, hear from community leaders, and show support for protecting California’s coast from new offshore oil and gas development. Santa Barbara's People's Hearing is in development and currently slated for mid-January, 2026. Be on the lookout for more information as soon as details are finalized. Click here for talking points to consider as you draft your comments.

Submit comments:  https://www.regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2025-0483-0001

SB Channelkeepers email: [email protected]

 
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Jeanne Sparks and Ken Hough, Co-Executive Directors