In the Feb. 13 article, “Santa Barbara County Supervisors to Consider Giving Themselves $56,000 Annual Raise,” Supervisor Steve Lavagnino was quoted as saying, “the supervisors oversee 23 departments, a $1.6 billion budget and 4,700 employees …”
Without getting into a discussion about the validity of a raise in their salaries, I don’t believe Lavagnino’s statement is completely correct.
Santa Barbara County is managed by a County Executive Officer, currently Mona Miyasato, and she is the one who oversees the departments and the employees.
The Board of Supervisors sets the policies and approves the budget (prepared by county staff) for the county while the CEO is responsible for implementing the board’s policies, managing the day-to-day operations of county government, and providing strategic leadership to all county departments and employees.
There is no doubt that the supervisors have an important role in governing the county, but the CEO runs it.
Addison Thompson
Santa Barbara
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Regarding the Feb. 10 article, “SpaceX Rocket Delivers Twilight Show After Liftoff From Vandenberg,” please stop writing about the SpaceX and military launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base as though they are some special attraction at Disneyland.
Under the supposed mission of enhanced connection, we are enabling a single, private entity to fund, program and control global communications. We could not paint a larger target on our West Coast for North Korea.
Take the risk to our military and our nation seriously and stop pretending it’s some beautiful work of art in our skies.
Loretta Redd
Santa Barbara
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Regarding the Feb. 9 article, “Santa Barbara Housing Authority to Build 48 Low-Income Apartments,” it is very commendable that we do things like this project for our community members but there are some things not mentioned about which we should all be aware.
First, it was started that the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara paid $5.9 million to purchase the property, will pay $38 million to construct (and construction costs will increase; they always do), another $2.5 million in developer fees and soft costs of $4.83 million for a total of $51.23 million.
For 48 units, which we must assume will not be high-end, that is more than $1 million per unit.
It was mentioned that part of these costs were paid for with federal tax credits to fund the project (that reduces tax revenues), and the City of Santa Barbara provided $5 million (also taxpayer funds).
Further, we should realize that, as a public property, it is no longer on the property tax rolls as it was when it was a privately owned commercial property. So this reduced property tax income indirectly adds to the cost to taxpayers.
It is great that we help our fellow community members as with this new housing venture. but perhaps we should try to find a way to do these projects that don’t add to our already heavy tax burden.
Art Thomas
Santa Barbara
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Peter Sadowski’s Feb. 7 letter to the editor is an outstanding example of why Americans voted to close our borders.
He has succeeded in encapsulating what it means to live in a land of laws, and that ignoring those laws only leads to chaos and social disorder.
Excellently written. I applaud you, Mr. Sadowski!
Jane Renn
Santa Barbara
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Peter Sadowski’s letter to the editor was a compelling articulation of his perspective on why responsible nations enforce border controls and how the United States as a nation of laws, earns respect through such measures.
I find his argument persuasive and wish to further emphasize his points. When individuals cross the border illegally, they knowingly violate the law. For laws to maintain their integrity, they must be enforced.
U.S. citizens, including legal immigrants, rely on and deserve this justice. Immigration laws are designed to protect those who follow the rules, not those who disregard them.
For years, a permissive attitude toward illegal immigration has allowed millions to cross the border unlawfully and remain in states like California. This leniency has frustrated many legal citizens, who increasingly support measures to remove individuals engaged in criminal activity or associated with drugs and gangs.
Upholding the rule of law fosters an environment that attracts people seeking stability and opportunity. Conversely, circumventing these laws breeds resentment among those who abide by them.
The current approach to immigration has led us down a dishonest path. It is time to acknowledge this reality and seek humane solutions.
Immigrants are vital to this country. But their entry must adhere to established rules — a principle that does not equate to open borders.
J.W. Burk
Santa Barbara
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I read with great interest the Feb. 8 article, “Large Turnout for Town Hall in Opposition to Trump Administration,” about the meeting Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, held to inform his constituents about how to combat President Donald Trump and his agenda.
The mandate given to Trump by the majority of Americans to end illegal immigration was overwhelming. 40% of Californians voted for him and a vast number of the silent majority in California did, too. We are silent no more!
My tax dollars, my safety, my livelihood and my retirement funds should go toward those who are legal citizens of our country and no other. It is my opinion that Noozhawk’s grandiose presentation of Carbajal’s meeting only encourages dissension and more confusion when attempting to enforce the laws of our country regarding immigration.
I support the new mandate by President Trump. It is long overdue.
Roy Belluz
Lompoc
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Like a majority of Americans, I voted for President Donald Trump to close our borders to illegal immigration and reduce the size of the government. There was no need for Rep. Salud Carbajal to host a forum to further convince me I did the right thing.
R. Miller
Santa Barbara
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Rep. Salud Carbajal and other local Democrats don’t get it; their team lost the election, and they can’t figure out why.
Noozhawk reported that Carbajal and several hundred supporters met recently to chant and wave their signs. That seems to be their only strategy; have a conversation, rant, rave, wave and move on without solving anything.
A perfect example is immigration policy, which Congress has been working on for seven decades without a solution.
It seems that the main thing the Democrats are “concerned” about now was the recent focus on deporting large numbers of dangerous criminals who were allowed to enter the country without proper vetting by President Joe Biden’s administration.
They should be reminded that two previous Democrat presidents deported more than 17 million illegals (President Barack Obama, at 5.3 million, and President Bill Clinton, at 11 million) during their tenures.
They are also upset because the rest of the United States doesn’t seem to be buying in to their rhetoric any longer, thus in their view “democracy is threatened.”
Meanwhile, Sacramento is going to spend $50 million in taxpayer dollars to defend illegal immigrants who face deportation. One of the primary reasons the Democrats’ team lost was because of actions like this.
So, buckle up, more changes and solutions are coming because simply provoking large crowds doesn’t solve anything.
Ron Fink
Lompoc
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With climate deniers at the highest reaches of our federal government, it’s clear that the fight against climate change will have to be waged at the local level.
The Goleta City Council, by unanimously adopting a resolution to oppose the restarting of the Sable Offshore pipeline, has done just that. Its leadership should be followed by all the other cities in Santa Barbara County.
In its resolution opposing Sable Offshore, Goleta states that its official policy “opposes any new leasing of offshore waters of the western Santa Barbara Channel for purposes of oil and gas development.”
It then points out that the Republican-led House of Representatives approved the “Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act” (HR 6899) that would provide for leasing and development activities in federal waters off of local coastlines, including the western Santa Barbara Channel.
The 2015 Plains All American Pipeline leak spilled more than 120,000 gallons of oil into the environment, devastating the coast.
The devastation included polluting thousands of acres of shoreline and subtidal habitat, killing hundreds of marine mammals and birds, shutting down fisheries, and costing hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up.
More to the point, approving Sable Offshore’s request would restart three offshore oil platforms that had been shuttered since the Plains Pipeline shut down after the spill.
Restarting offshore oil drilling platforms is not only inconsistent with Goleta policy, but will double Santa Barbara County’s greenhouse gas emissions.
It would also be inconsistent with Santa Barbara County’s goal of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030.
On Feb. 25, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to allow ExxonMobil to transfer ownership of the three shuttered offshore oil platforms to Sable Offshore. Every city in the county should be on record opposing the transfer.
This because, according to a county environmental impact report, restarting the pipeline would “likely result in a spill every two years, along with a major rupture every six years due to pipeline corrosion.”
Robert Sulnick
Santa Barbara
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I read The Population Bomb in 1971. I have the same copy I read then on my bookshelf now. It was a major reason not to have children.
I read on Noozhawk people who don’t like additional housing in Santa Barbara. Population growth is part of life, in Santa Barbara and elsewhere. Population growth is also needed for economic growth.
We need more housing no matter what anyone thinks. It’s easy to have the “I’ve got mine” attitude, but that’s not good for society or the economy.
I also see complaints about additional vehicles. But I remember the time before SUVs, and now I see people driving huge, four-door trucks as passenger vehicles.
Station wagons would suffice to fill the needs of most of these people. If all these oversized vehicles were replaced with shorter station wagons, there would be few feared “traffic nightmares.”
I do my part by riding a bicycle as much as possible. I wonder how many of these drivers avail themselves of mass transit or anything else to alleviate traffic congestion? What type of vehicles do they drive?
Maybe the problem doesn’t lie in more housing. Maybe it lies behind the wheel.
Brian Epstein
Santa Barbara
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Having had to deal with the Federal Emergency Management Agency twice as a victim (the 2008 Tea Fire and the 2014 Twin Oaks/Cocos Fire in San Marcos), I have a different take than Robert Lewin in his Feb. 11 commentary, “Local Communities Need FEMA as Safety Net in Disasters.”
Financial assistance from the federal government is vitally important for disaster response, but I believe the control of that funding should be transferred from FEMA to local and state officials who would be faster with local resource deployment.
While the recent examples of discriminatory aid distribution from the Florida and North Carolina hurricanes and funding hotel rooms for illegal immigrants in New York City are excessively egregious, the “current” system is an inefficient bureaucracy.
I witnessed it firsthand with adjustors from Florida who were ignorant of local rebuilding costs and out-of-state recovery teams under contract to FEMA that froze out locals.
In contrast, the emergency management responses from both Santa Barbara and San Diego counties and the California Office of Emergency Services were much more impressive, direct and helpful.
Chris Allen
Santa Barbara
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The Feb. 7 article, “Santa Barbara Community Rowing Shines to Begin 2025 Spring Season,” grossly misstated that the group is “the only rowing organization in Santa Barbara County.”
The UC Santa Barbara Crew Club has been active for 60 years, producing championship teams, coaches, more than a dozen National Team members and a few Olympic medalists.
I was a member of the UCSB Crew during my undergraduate years, which inculcated a lifelong allegiance to the sport and association with the club.
The Santa Barbara Community Rowing program would not have evolved if it were not for the presence and use of the UCSB Crew facilities to develop their program at Lake Cachuma.
Dennis Whelan
Santa Barbara
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