REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE JAIL EXPANSION

SBCAN asks you to urge Board of Supervisors to reduce the size of the planned jail expansion

• Monday April 13, the Board will discuss budgets for the Health Department and Social Services - the essential services needed to help keep people out of jail.
• April 15 is the day for Public Safety agencies (Sheriff, District Attorney, Probation, Public Defender). Please support increased funding for Public Defender staffing. The attorneys are carrying excessive caseloads. That means they must ask for continuances, which the courts usually grant. This leaves jail residents sitting in jail longer than necessary at $394/person/day. They need more attorneys, investigators, social workers and paralegals. We aren't yet sure what the Public Defender will ask, but we'll keep you posted.
• April 17, Friday is critical for decisions about the jail addition. 

Excerpts from an opinion piece by Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, Connie Alexander-Boaitey, Tracy Beard, Lisa Thornhill, and Gail Osherenko. Authors are representatives of NAACP Santa Maria/ Lompoc, NAACP of Santa Barbara, League of Women Voters of North Santa Barbara County (LWVNSBC) and LWV of Santa Barbara (LWVSB):

During Budget Workshops on April 13, 15, and 17, the Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County has the opportunity to avoid overbuilding the North Branch Jail (NBJ) in Santa Maria.

Facing a $23 million budget deficit in FY 2026-27, the Board can help fill gaps in health and human services that reduce crime and build healthy communities rather than perpetuating a dysfunctional system of over incarceration.

In April 2025, the Board approved planning to add 1.5 housing units (384 beds) to the NBJ while closing down all but the 116 bed Intake and Reception Center (IRC) at largely obsolete Main Jail in South County. General Services should bring updated cost comparisons of adding 1 or 1 ½ housing units to the April budget workshops.

Based on 2025 cost estimates, the County could save $44 million in construction costs and $147 million in construction, financing and operation costs over 20 years by downsizing the addition at the NBJ to only one housing unit (256 beds).

By not building the half pod (128 beds) the county would still have 748 beds. In February, our jails held an average daily population (ADP) of 765 individuals, many of whom are low risk and could be held accountable without incarceration. Our county can manage without 876 beds ...

Ask your Supervisor to maintain essential public health and social services, and not overbuild our jail. It’s time to stop perpetuating a dysfunctional system of over-incarceration.

Click Here To See The Entire Opinion Piece By Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, Connie Alexander-Boaitey, Tracy Beard, Lisa Thornhill And Gail Osherenko. 

Sign this petition to urge the County to save about $147 million in construction, financing and operational costs on expanding the North County Jail.

Click here to see a letter signed by 18 local organizations calling for no more than one additional jail housing unit (256 beds).

Thank you to the 40 participants who attended SBCAN's Roundtable on Friday, January 30 to focus on sustainable growth strategies for our county and reducing the jail population.
Click here to view the recorded Roundtable.

City of Santa Maria & Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County Tenant’s Rights Workshop

The City of Santa Maria's community programs & code enforcement division, in partnership with the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County will host a tenants' rights workshop to address tenant and landlord rights, housing violations, protected classes, housing discrimination and more. The workshop will be offered in English with Spanish interpretation as part of the City of Santa Maria’s ongoing fair housing outreach efforts.

• Date: Tuesday April 16, 2026

• Time: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

• Virtual via Teams, RSVP here

COMMENTS ON THE SCOPE OF AN EIR FOR THE SOLOMON HILLS PROJECT ARE DUE APRIL 17

One of the largest development proposals in Santa Barbara County history is beginning to undergo environmental review.

It would include up to 4,000 residential units and 760,000 square feet of commercial and institutional development in rural ag and oil land with important habitat and rare species between Los Alamos and Orcutt. The site is nearly 4,200 acres.

Learn more here: https://www.countyofsb.org/3729/Solomon-Hills-Project

View the conceptual site plan here: Conceptual Site Layout

Click Here to View the Notice of Preparation

Comments on the scope of the EIR must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026.

Submit comments to or ask to be added to the mailing list:

Alia Vosburg and Tina Mitchell, Senior Planners
Via Email: [email protected]
Via USPS: Planning and Development Department
624 W. Foster Road, Suite C, Santa Maria, CA 93455

HEALTHY OCEANS, STRONG COMMUNITIES

EARTH DAY
APRIL 22
2pm-330pm and 7pm-830pm

HANCOCK COLLEGE
ROOM M-310
"The Whale Room"

A film in Spanish with English subtitles about Marine Protected Areas followed by a panel discussion on a proposed Pt. Sal MPA

Co-sponsored by SBCAN and Sachamama

PROPOSED PT. SAL
MARINE PROTECTED AREA

SBCAN URGES YOU TO SUPPORT
THE PROPOSED PT. SAL
MARINE PROTECTED AREA

We have an opportunity to expand Caifornia's Marine Protected Area network with the creation of an MPA at Pt. Sal, roughly 50 miles northwest of Pt. Conception.

Officials are developing their recommendations now on several proposed areas. The California Fish & Game Commission is expected to vote to approve or deny them in May 2026. Our state agencies need to hear loud and strong support from the public now! 

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:

• Sign the petition for Pt. Sal SMCA
• Write a letter of support and email it to [email protected] ASAP
• Show up to speak in support at the public hearing on May 5, in Santa Barbara 

Point Sal State Marine Conservation Area 

• Point Sal is part of the ancestral territory of the Chumash people and holds great historical and cultural significance. The Point Sal State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) proposal is co-sponsored by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, and seeks to enhance Tribal co-stewardship. 
  • Designating this MPA would honor and strengthen Chumash stewardship of their ancestral waters, and elevate historical and present-day Chumash connections to the region.
• Point Sal is exceptionally rich ecologically, supporting diverse ocean wildlife and habitats—including kelp beds, rocky reefs, tidepools, sandy beaches, a migratory whale corridor, a critical larval retention zone, and a seabird and sea lion rookery. 
• Point Sal is an important area for baby fish and invertebrates in their earliest phase of life. Protecting it would help maintain these populations and boost ecosystem health. 
• Because Point Sal is remote and accessible only by trail, it remains relatively pristine and healthy. Safeguarding areas like Point Sal is increasingly important amid warming waters, shifting ocean conditions, and expanding uses such as aquaculture, offshore wind, and continued oil and gas activity.
• By adding Point Sal to the state’s MPA network, Central California’s coast will benefit from increased habitat connectivity, representation, and replication – all key to increasing biodiversity in our waters.  
• Safeguarding this unique and relatively undisturbed area now will help bolster ocean health and promote climate resilience into the future. 
• Click here for more information

SBCAN URGES YOU TO SUPPORT
THE PROPOSED MISHOPSHNO
MARINE PROTECTED AREA

Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area 

Note: SBCAN recently received an update on measures taken to alleviate concerns about the proposed MPA and decided to support it.

The California Fish & Game Commission will also consider a proposal to create a Marine Conservation Area at Carpinteria.

After hearing concerns from the commercial fishing sector, the SBCANboard decided not to take a position unless, or until, they could get more information.

The Natural Resources Defense Council gives these reasons to support it:

• Designating the Mishopshno SMCA would protect essential habitats—including sandy beaches, rocky reefs, and persistent kelp forests—that are showing signs of degradation.
• Mishopshno is the name of a thriving historical Chumash coastal village nearby where tomols were built, a traditional canoe used for hunting, transportation, and ceremonial voyages.  
  • Designating this MPA would honor and strengthen the Chumash peoples’ stewardship of the area and elevate their historical and present-day connection to the region. 
  • The Mishopshno MPA proposal is co-sponsored by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and seeks to support Tribal co-management and the continued use of marine resources for cultural and subsistence purposes for all Chumash people. 
• The Mishopshno SMCA would protect one of the state’s last remaining persistent kelp forests. California’s iconic kelp forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, with losses exceeding 90% in parts of the state—threatening wildlife, coastal communities, and overall ocean health.
• Including this SMCA in the MPA network helps to improve connectivity between southern coastal ecosystems and increase the network’s representation of rocky intertidal and rocky reef habitat.
• Click here to download more information

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:

• Sign the petition for Mishopno SMCA
• Write a letter of support and email it to [email protected] ASAP
• Show up to speak in support at the public hearing on May 5, in Santa Barbara 

NRDC: Benefits of Point Sal and Mishopshno MPAs  

• California has the chance to build on its legacy by adding new MPAs, such as the proposed Mishopshno SMCA and Point Sal SMCA.
• As climate change, biodiversity loss, and a hostile federal administration threaten to undermine progress made, it is time to strengthen our commitment to ocean conservation and ensure that California’s ocean is prepared for the changes ahead.
• These MPA proposals present an opportunity to strengthen the network to better prepare for current and emerging threats, and to include more thoroughly the groups that were underrepresented during the initial implementation – particularly California Native American Tribes. 
• California’s Fish and Game Commissioners should vote to approve these MPA proposals!

SBCAN AT 25

Honoring the Work. Empowering the Future.

As we enter SBCAN’s 25th year, we reflect on the impact our community has created together. Your support—whether through donations, volunteering, or simply championing our work—has helped us protect our environment, strengthen local communities, and empower residents to make a real difference.

We invite you to sponsor our annual celebration, SBCAN at 25: Honoring the Work, Empowering the Future on Sunday, June 28 at Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Your gift will help ensure that our work continues to grow and impact the community we all care about.

More than a fundraiser, SBCAN at 25 is a joyful gathering of our supporters—a chance to reflect on our collective achievements and envision the path forward for SBCAN in the years to come.

Because of supporters like you, SBCAN exists today as a thriving organization making a real difference in Santa Barbara County. Your participation as a sponsor will help us continue building a strong, resilient future together.

Please see the attached sponsorship form and make a gift at a level that feels meaningful to you, either by mail or online at sbcan.org/fundraiser. 

We hope you won’t mind a call from us in the next few days to check in with you.

Thank you for your continued support!

Click here to view this letter as a PDF

Click here for the sponsorship form

Tell Congress: REPEAL AUTOMATIC DRAFT REGISTRATION AND THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM

Send an email message to your House and Senate members using this computerized system sponsored by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL): https://fcnl.quorum.us/campaign/32642/

As the Trump administration escalates military threats and actions globally, a diverse coalition of peace, civil liberties, and faith groups is mobilizing against a significant and under-reported federal law that paves the way for a military draft.

Please see our coalition's media release and full statement with 50+ organizational signers.

We are available for an interview or to provide further comment via the contacts listed in the release, Kate Connell and Edward Hasbrouck.

www.sbcan.org

[email protected]

Jeanne Sparks and Ken Hough, Co-Executive Directors
Santa Barbara County Action Network