Regarding the Dec. 2 article, “Old Town Goleta Gets in the Holiday Spirit with Parade,” as president of the Greater Goleta Santa Barbara Lions Club, I would like to say thank you to the community of Goleta for its tremendous support for the fifth annual Goleta Holiday Parade.

Over the last eight years, there have been five parades, with “timeouts” for smoke, COVID-19 and rain.

The parade this year was the most successful to date. With 70 entries and more than 1,400 participants, estimates reach as high as 5,000 people enjoying last Saturday night.

Many, many thanks to all our sponsors (especially the Elks Club, Fuel Depot and the City of Goleta), bands (we had four, including marching bands from Dos Pueblos High School and Pacifica High in Oxnard), walkers, musical groups, scouting groups, announcers, and especially to all the spectators who lined Hollister Avenue — four and five people deep at some locations.

Also, a special shout-out to all the news media outlets for covering our event.

Most important, thanks to all the Lions Club members, Goleta Rotary Club members and City of Goleta staff who were responsible for the operations involved in an event of this size.

Mark your calendar for Dec. 7, 2024. That is the date of the sixth annual Goleta Holiday Parade.

Ed Holdren
Greater Goleta Santa Barbara Lions Club president

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Thank you to Noozhawk for the delightful coverage of the Goleta Christmas parade and other holdiay parades in Santa Barbara County. After all that has been going on in the world, it was fun to see the happiness at these events.

Our family went to the Goleta parade for the third time now, and it was so worth it. It gets better every year. Thank you to the organizers who are responsible.

Marilys Pérez
Goleta

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Regarding Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen’s Dec. 8 column item on the UC Santa Barbara baseball field, I hope UCSB does not put in artificial turf.

It is bad for the soil, insects, worms, causes plastic pollution, and is bad for the health of those playing on it, even being linked to cancer. Plus the long-term cost is more than grass.

One of those reasons alone is enough to fight against putting in artificial turf.

Please watch the Netflix film, Kiss The Ground. We need to enrich our soil, not degrade it.

Mona Harnish
Santa Barbara

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Regarding the Nov. 28 story, “Assemblyman Hart, Senator Limón Present $750,000 for County Fire to Purchase Rescue Boat,” the prospect of enhanced capabilities for water rescues within Santa Barbara County is undoubtedly promising.

However, I believe there are pertinent questions that merit further exploration and understanding for a more comprehensive view.

The article highlights the independence from relying on U.S. Coast Guard assistance for water rescues, but I would like to see more thorough investigation in specific aspects:

• Historical Water Rescue Data: It would be beneficial for readers to understand the historical context of water rescues conducted by the county Fire Department in the past five to 10 years. Knowing the frequency, types and outcomes of these rescues can provide a clearer picture of the necessity and potential impact of this new fire boat.
• Operating Costs Analysis: The introduction of the fire boat brings along operational expenses that taxpayers will inevitably shoulder. Also, providing insights into the projected operational costs encompassing crew salaries, maintenance expenditures, harbor fees and insurance premiums would be welcome. Understanding the financial implications will allow taxpayers to gauge the long-term commitment and sustainability of this endeavor.

I sincerely hope Noozhawk will consider pursuing more in-depth investigations when reporting on “free money” from the government. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Tom Schleck
Santa Barbara

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Excuse my ignorance. If I correctly understand the Dec. 5 article, “GridStor Launches Goleta Energy Storage Facility — Largest Power Resource in the County,” this is an energy storage site that will supply the community with power when needed.

How do these batteries get their power? The story says wind and solar, but if this is the largest power source in the country, where are the largest wind and solar resources that are going to feed this beast?

Sounds a little like the cart before the horse, as if I sold you batteries to a car I haven’t built yet.

This is a nice photo op, as in “Look what I’m doing for you and how great it is for you and the environment. I spent a huge portion of our budget for something that you won’t be using for years.”

But there is a fix for this: raise taxes to cover the cost of draining the budget to pay for something we’ll use 10 years.

I’m sure Gov. Gavin Newsom is proud of you.

Bart Bader
Goleta

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Regarding the Nov. 27 story, “Monarch Butterflies Return to Goleta’s Ellwood Main Grove in Droves,” just a reminder to all residents of coastal California that the eucalyptus groves that the monarch butterflies are attracted to ARE NOT NATIVE.

They were brought here from Australia (think Morton Bay fig tree) to provide windbreaks along the coast. These windbreaks provided protection from the constant coastal winds that bent, burned and ruined field crops and orchards.

The wind also helps keep the frost from settling on sensitive crops.

Citizens need to make sure that these trees that are so important for the survival of the monarch butterflies are not removed in the name of progress or profit.

There are several eucalyptus groves on the old Cojo/Jalama Ranch that I’ve seen attracting thousands of butterflies in the past decades.

Rob Phelps
Former Lompoc resident

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I very much enjoyed Judy Foreman’s Dec. 3 column, “Jano Stack’s Tootsie Takes Fifth Evokes Magic of Childhood Christmases.” I grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and spent holiday time in New York City so it sounds like a wonderful tale.

I currently live in Cambria so it’s especially nice to know that I can read Foreman’s columns in Noozhawk to keep me in touch with what’s happening in Santa Barbara.

Thank you for the enjoyable review.

Kathryn Greene
Cambria

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It was not clear to me from Cynder Sinclair’s Dec. 5 commentary, “East Berlin Prepared Eric Friedman for Career in Public Service,” regarding the influence on Friedman’s time as a youth in East Berlin just prior to the Berlin Wall coming down whether he thought that was a positive event in world history or if he regretted it.

I have not read Friedman’s book but he is quoted as saying he was “impacted” by his time there and that it helped “shape his philosophy on transparent government.”

This issue  needs to be clarified.

Glenn Dorfman
Montecito

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As a Goleta resident who values the natural world and the beauty of Santa Barbara County, I am eager to see Joan Hartmann re-elected as Third District county supervisor.

The quality of our local environment is at the heart of our quality of life, which is why I am active with the Sierra Club. The local Sierra Club chapter has endorsed Hartmann for re-election because we recognize all the ways that she fights to protect the beauty that enriches our lives and drives our tourism economy.

Hartmann has worked tirelessly to improve access to trails and parks, understanding the importance of outdoor recreation to everyone from seniors to our youngest residents. That’s why she chairs both the KIDS and Adult and Aging Networks.

She is an impassioned advocate for transitioning from fossil fuels to green energy, including green economy jobs.

Her creative environmental activism goes back to her days as an attorney for the federal government, where she helped found the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, a novel public-private partnership. It’s been evident in her work to preserve the Gaviota coast, saving our county from becoming just another overdeveloped coastline like Orange County!

We need more people like Hartmann in local government: hard working, committed to our well-being and to protecting the environment on which we all depend!

Bill Woodbridge
Goleta

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