There was a time when Labor Day was the start of the political campaign season. The calendar has been moving forward, however, as the absentee voting trend became an avalanche and term limits at the top of the ticket intensified down-ballot jockeying. That’s fine by Noozhawk because this fall’s Santa Barbara election campaign is already one of the most exciting in years.
The mayoral and council races have been in full swing for months, and we’ve seen just about everything. At one point, almost the entire City Council was in play. We’ve had high-profile candidates drop in, and drop out. There have been campaign boo-boos and candidate no-nos. Endorsements and candidate forums have been as plentiful as the names on the ballot. And we haven’t even reached the sign-stealing accusations portion of the campaign. Add the level of intrigue surrounding Measure B, where politics has sure made strange bedfellows, and it’s a journalist’s dream.
We know we’re not alone, though, so we decided to jump into the race with a Noozhawk Politics section that makes its debut today. It’s a more efficient way to find the political news you want, and we’ll be adding more features in the weeks to come. We’re also pleased to have the participation of Calbuzz, the California politics blog written and edited by Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine, and Planet Santa Barbara, a fellow online local news publication run by my friend, Matt Mason.
We want your feedback, we want your participation, and we want your comments on the stories. But, please, honor our Ground Rules for Posting Comments. Passionate partisan arguing doesn’t bother us, but there’s no reason to resort to playground name-calling and personal attacks. Seriously. In the last few weeks I’ve had mirror conversations with Democrats complaining about mean Republicans and Republicans complaining about mean Democrats. If you want to play, write by our rules.
Meanwhile, click here for Politics. Remember, you’ll be casting your vote in just over a month.
— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
