Karen Dwyer Joins Coastal Housing Coalition Board of Directors
Express Employment Professionals owner says she's looking forward to tackling workforce housing issues.
Karen Dwyer has been elected to the board of directors of the Coastal Housing Coalition, board president Steven Amerikaner announced.
She also serves on the Santa Barbara County Workforce Investment Board and is actively involved with the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Dwyer earned an MBA in international business from Woodbury University and earned a business degree from UC Riverside.
“One cannot talk about employment in Santa Barbara without also addressing housing needs,” Dwyer said. “I am delighted to be part of an organization that is looking to address the workforce housing issues.”
For more information on the Coalition, call executive director Debbie Cox Bultan at 805.882.1475 or visit www.voicesforhousing.org.
Rochelle Rose represents the Coastal Housing Coalition.
» wrote on 08/12/08 @ 11:32 AM
The Coastal Housing Coalition is nothing more than a lobbying organization for developer interests. Its board is controlled by Mike Towbes and his crony and sycophant, land use attorney, Steve Amerikaner. They exist on grants from the Coastal Housing Partnership. This group fleeces governmental bodies for large membership dues for which it promises primarily bogus services in helping employees obtain discounted fees from Realtors and mortgage brokers. They then give over 75% of the money they take in to the Coastal Housing Coalition to enable it to influence the county and cities to make policies that enrich those who derive profit from the production of housing.
Check out their form 990’s. The Coastal Housing Coalition describes itself as an educational group. Yet, on one recent 990, they list only $616 as being expended on public education. The balance of the more $156,000 they took in (mainly from a grant from the Coastal Housing Partnership) was spent on salaries for its staff to lobby for high density land zoning for the benefit of the likes of Towbes and Amerikaner. What a scam!
» wrote on 08/12/08 @ 04:45 PM
Why wasn’t my earlier comment regarding this organization posted? It was pretty straight forward and factual. I’m sorry to see that you only print points of view in line with your own.
[Editor’s note: Don’t flatter yourself. Unlike your “publication,” Noozhawk doesn’t have a point of view. Sorry there’s no conspiracy here for you but we were busy with other business today.]
» wrote on 08/12/08 @ 08:23 PM
Looks like Travis has been able to log on to the Noozhawk. Did Wendy authorize that?
» wrote on 08/12/08 @ 08:54 PM
The comment by “Watch Dog” is filled with errors.
The Coastal Housing Coalition is a group of local employers dedicated to addressing our region’s housing crisis and the adverse impacts the shortage is having on our community’s economy, environment, and civic life. Two of the twelve board members come from the construction industry. Just 5% of its funds comes from developers. It is not “controlled” by developers.
Does “Watch Dog” believe there is no housing crisis? If so, he is in a very small minority. A recent survey by UCSB showed that the top issue of concern to local residents is affordable housing. It is no surprise that CHC has a broad base of support.
When members of our critical workforce – nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers – can’t afford to live here, when young families and the middle class are forced to commute longer and longer distances, the South Coast is in danger of losing its community character. CHC is working to preserve that character.
As we plan for our region’s future, we have serious choices to make. Will we continue to export our housing needs to neighboring communities, or will we address our needs by creating housing for our local workforce? Will we make take responsibility for our environment, reducing our carbon footprint, by getting more cars off the road?
CHC is committed to working on these important issues, focused on the values and vision for our community’s future. Its truly regretable that “Watch Dog” is flinging baseless accusations at CHC’s dedicated volunteers from behind a mask of anonymity, all of which makes a civil debate on this important issue more difficult to achieve.
CHC works with a diverse group of local employers and community organizations, as well as a network of hundreds of South Coast residents and workers concerned about the lack of housing affordable to our local workforce. We are selective about the projects we support, and lend our name only to housing projects and policies that will create much needed affordable housing for our local workforce.
More information about the Coastal Housing Coalition can be found at http://www.voicesforhousing.org. Join us!
» wrote on 08/12/08 @ 09:58 PM
Coastal Housing Partnership has been providing housing assistance
benefits to member employers for over 21 years. It was started by a
group of employers (including several government agencies) to assist them
with the challenges of recruitment and retention in light of the high
cost of housing on the South Coast.
Over the past 21 years, Coastal Housing Partnership has assisted over
10,000 local employees achieve home ownership. More than 5,000
employees have attended our home buying education workshops.
Coastal Housing Partnership currently has 64 member employers who collectively employ over 40,000 workers. Less than 20% of Coastal Housing Partnership membership consists of government agencies. These government agencies, like so many other
local employers, have come to Coastal Housing Partnership seeking solutions to their recruitment and retention issues as they relate to housing.
The Coastal Housing Partnership proudly champions the work of the
Coastal Housing Coalition. We have our employer members’ support in
doing so, since they understand that providing housing that is
affordable to our local workforce is an essential element in preserving our community.
» wrote on 08/13/08 @ 05:39 AM
No conspiracy, Noozhawk? Then why didn’t you disclose that William Macfadyen, publisher of Noozhawk, is also on the board of the Coastal Housing Coalition. It must be the reason that Amerikaner and Gage responded so quickly. Macfadyen had to have called and told them he was going to print my posting and that they needed to respond. Otherwise, I doubt they would be lurking over a day old story waiting to see if someone had something to say about it.
For all of his blustering, Amerikaner does not dispute what’s on his organization’s tax returns. The IRS should investigate these guys for for possible violations of their nonprofit status.
Amerikaner talks about all of the support he has. Yet, every time he appears before the county or city, it is only he and Towbes and maybe the paid director of CHC speaking in support of his positions. I’ve never seen him be able to turn out the hordes of corporate supporters he says he has to help him back up. This is in sharp contrast to the many citizens that testify in opposition to the Coastal Housing Coalition’s demand for high density rezones of agricultural land. Fortunately, Amerikaner, Towbes, et al have not been very successful in converting their lobbying efforts into more paved over land. The fact is citizens don’t want Santa Barbara turned into LA for Amerikaner’s and Towbes’ economic benefit.
Sure Amerikaner and Towbes say they want more affordable housing, because they know that it takes the construction of ten market rate homes to subsidize one affordable home and that’s where Amerikaner and Towbes cash in!
And Steve, stop with your self serving “housing crisis” mantra. There is no housing crisis, there is a people crisis. We need to control our population so that we don’t have to destroy our environment to house them.
Noozhawk, I hope you’re not too busy today to print this.
Thank you,
Watch Dog
[Editor’s note: May I suggest you buy Reynolds Wrap for your head rather than the generic aluminum foil you’re using. I think you’ll find it far more effective. A complete roster of the Coastal Housing Coalition board of directors can be found at http://www.voicesforhousing.org/voice_board_members.htm. A complete list of the Coastal Housing Partnership board of directors can be found at http://www.coastalhousing.org/chp_board.htm. Have a nice day.]
» wrote on 08/13/08 @ 10:14 AM
Does Travis Armstrong know that Bill Macfadyen isn’t a girl? Shouldn’t he be attacking Kristen Amyx or Marty Blum or Helene Schneider or Karen Ramsdell or Janet Wolf or Lois Capps or Hannah-Beth Jackson or Susan Rose or ... Am I missing anyone?
For someone so keen on disclosure, why is he hiding behind the “Watch Dog” name?
» wrote on 08/13/08 @ 10:50 AM
Nice comeback, Noozhawk.
» wrote on 08/13/08 @ 11:35 AM
I have a question: What’s the difference between employers advocating on behalf of housing for their employees and the Santa Barbara Newspress editorializing on behalf of a pet issue? Why does Travis and his puppet master get to be the only voice in town?
No offense, Noozhawk.
[Editor’s note: None taken. We don’t take editorial positions. We think that if we provide our readers with the information, you all are smart enough to come to your own conclusions about it.]
» wrote on 08/13/08 @ 01:06 PM
Bill Macfadyen has been an active, effective and selfless advocate and volunteer in our community for more than 20 years. If he were trying to hide his involvement in this organization, why is it fully disclosed on his About Us page?
What’s not there is a mention of the 15 years he spent at the Santa Barbara News Press. But I’d be ashamed of that, too.
[Editor’s note: Not at all. I’m proud to have worked for The New York Times Co.]
» wrote on 08/13/08 @ 02:34 PM
To “Just Curious”, I have no problem with employers advocating on behalf of their employees. What I, and a lot of others, have a problem with is the use of taxpayer money to fund lobbying efforts for a pro-development point of view. Let Amerikaner and Towbes fund this out of their own pockets or from private contributers. To take taxpayer money under one pretense and then funnel it to a second organization to use for another is wrong. To “Watch This”, I am not Travis. You show your bias by assuming so. It appears that you are willing to jump on any band wagon as long as it’s against the NP. I am thankful though for the work the News Press has done in exposing and fighting the agenda of the self serving, developer crowd. There are many more who feel the same way.
» wrote on 08/14/08 @ 11:03 AM
you lost me at newspress :(
» wrote on 08/14/08 @ 11:13 AM
... it’s got to be Gary Earle (sp?) These two clowns are one and the same.
» wrote on 08/14/08 @ 05:23 PM
If you ask me, the denial itself is suspect. We all know Travis always tells the truth. Bwaaahahahaha!!!
» wrote on 08/14/08 @ 05:48 PM
To “If Not Travisty”:
Is name calling the extent of your contribution to the dialog? I’ll put you in the same category as that of the editor with his previous snide comments. I notice that neither of you have disputed any of my facts.
I am not Gary Earle, but I do thank Gary for keeping people informed about groups like the Coastal Housing Coalition.
» wrote on 08/14/08 @ 08:10 PM
To “Scott S”: Petulance is one of the most unlikeable human characteristics.
» wrote on 08/15/08 @ 10:22 AM
“To “Scott S”: Petulance is one of the most unlikeable human characteristics.”
Sorry, Travis, but I didn’t know what that word meant. So I looked it up in the dictionary and there was your picture. It was a group photo. With your boss.
» wrote on 08/15/08 @ 11:40 AM
To “Scott S”: You should quit while you’re behind. With each of your comments you add further proof of your predilection for peevishness. Again, I am not Travis. Perhaps you should go to Blogabarbara. I think they’re currently running a couple of Travis bashing posts to which you could add your thoughts.
» wrote on 08/15/08 @ 09:25 PM
Congratulations to Karen for her willingness to work for local companies wanting to stay in the area and have some of their work force actually living here.