The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara could greatly benefit production of affordable housing in Santa Barbara by speaking out against the extreme bias in average unit-size density zoning against affordable housing.
AUD zoning makes it economically impossible to build apartments with an average unit size of 450 square feet.
The remedy is trivial: add one line to the AUD density table for the downtown zone. The single line addition would allow projects with an average unit size of 450 square feet and a density of 126 units per acre.
This would result in NO difference in building sizes. Parking is not an issue, because none is required in the downtown zone.
Steve Johnson
Santa Barbara
• • •
Josh Molina’s March 24 article, “UCSB Settles Housing Lawsuits with Santa Barbara County, City of Goleta,” in which UCSB has agreed to build 3,500 new student housing units and pay $3.7 million to Santa Barbara County and $2.3 million to the City of Goleta, is too typical of these government-to-government lawsuits.
Paying Goleta and the county for other projects in lieu of building the housing that UCSB agreed to years ago is just transferring taxpayer funds from one bureaucratic agency to another. The public pays for it either way, but the impacts to local housing remain.
Agreeing to “fix” the problem by 2029 is just kicking the can down the road once again.
Apparently the message we are supposed to take away from this is problem solved. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Addison Thompson
Santa Barbara
• • •
Thank you to Judy Foreman for her March 24 column, “When Aging Gives You a Dressing Down, Win One From the Zipper.”
It’s an “oh, so true story.” I laughed and felt appreciation for my friends.
Yes, zippers are a wonderful invention until they’re not. I wish my grown-up daughters could read this to see that I am not the only one with these issues.
Thanks again. Keep Foreman’s articles coming.
Dale Obern Hoeffliger
Santa Barbara
• • •
As an independent 69 year old, I enjoyed and identified with Judy Foreman’s zipper tale.
Word of advice for her if she wears that dress again: Tie a long strand of sturdy dental floss to the end of your recalcitrant zipper and tuck the floss into your dress. Then you can pull on the floss to unzip at the end of the night.
Fran Finney
Santa Barbara
• • •
Judy Foreman hit it out of the park again with the zipper debacle she shared! My wife could relate to her frustration, but doing yoga helps her reach places that become off limits when you travail through your 70s and higher!
Thanks again for the great column and the laughs it brought to both of us!
Harry Strong
Santa Barbara
• • •
Judy Foreman is hilarious. I had never read her column before the DMV article; then this week my eye caught the heading about the “Zipper” and now I’m hooked.
By the way, I passed the DMV test the first time; it was strange because I think they made a mistake.
Since I am 74 years old, they told me I had to take the test in the office. Beforehand I studied and finished the online 24-practice-tests with 36 answers.
I went online to find out what else I should do and it said, “Here, take this little test,” which, I did, and it said “YOU PASSED!” OK, now what?
I went into the Santa Barbara DMV just to ask questions. For example, was I to take the driving test, as well? I was met with the most wonderful female employees; they were so much fun!
They said I passed the required test (What?! I thought I was supposed to take it at the DMV office) and they just needed to take my photo. Oh, gawd, if I had known that, I would have put on my false eyelashes and done my eyebrows.
Anyway, great experience, albeit a little puzzling, but I’ll take it.
Foreman’s zipper story was definitely relatable to me. My friends and I are all in our 70s — most I’ve known for 50 or more years and, thankfully, we are still alive, albeit, some are the walking wounded.
But, as my husband says, “If you’re breathing, you’re achieving.” Judy, thanks for the laughs!
Catherine Duvendeck
Camarillo
• • •
Ohhhhh, my … how I can relate. So many body movements to get it off … which I considered a good workout.
Judy Foreman’s party dress is stunning, and she surely looked stunning in it. Who would have known that she might soon be wearing it into the next day?
Thank you for sharing her fiasco. Many of us gals can relate.
Gerd Jordano
Montecito
• • •
Judy Foreman’s recent columns on aging really hit home for me and, although I don’t wear dresses, I often spend way too much time putting on my socks and buttoning my shirt.
She had me laughing out loud and looking forward to more about her journey through the “Golden Years.”
Alan Griffin
Montecito
• • •
I so enjoyed Judy Foreman’s zipper story, and can relate to the aging process, but not wearing dresses. That is a cute dress worth wearing again.
Suggestion: Before you put it on, tie a pretty ribbon on to the zipper and then wear a shawl deep enough to conceal the ribbon, depending on how long the ribbon is to where your reach zone starts.
Good luck and stay healthy.
Gary Colman
Santa Barbara
• • •
Thank you, Judy Foreman! I am laughing out loud relating to this one, once again! You describe so vividly and hysterically an experience we all know!
Oh, to aging together. And giggling all the way!
Alixe Mattingly
Montecito
• • •
I have been reading the letters to the editor about Judy Foreman’s March 10 column, “Driver’s License Renewal Tests Taker’s Resolve — But That Passes.”
I just renewed my Real ID at 90 years old. I did study the booklet and took the online DMV tests so I could learn the system before taking the test in person.
I passed the first time, so we seniors can do it, too.
Justin Ruhge
Lompoc
• • •
This wasn’t a huge project, but it means a lot.
This past week, a crew from Goleta’s busy Public Works Department established a much-needed crosswalk at Girsh Park along speeder-plagued Pacific Oaks Road.
Scores of youngsters and their families sometimes risk life and limb crossing Pacific Oaks with their gear to participate in year-round sports and other activities at the park.
So here’s a shoutout of thanks to Mayor Paula Perotte, City Councilman Stuart Kasdin, City Manager Robert Nisbet and, especially, assistant public works director Nina Buelna for recognizing a public safety need and shepherding this vital crosswalk and prominent signage into reality.
Goleta is a young city learning how to do it right. Keep up the good work like this!
Frank DiMarco
Goleta
• • •
Rebecca Caraway’s March 28 article, “Goleta Section of Cathedral Oaks Road Still Closed for Storm Damage,” paved the way for the attention that is needed by our city council to gather up these departments that are responsible and get them organized and focused on mission success (road repair completions).
Currently, the Goleta road repair department is handing off the road repair ball and can’t see the end zone. Therefore, citizens’ cars are getting damaged due to poor roadways.
Now that Cathedral Oaks Road is closed, the detour roadways that are already damaged due to poor road maintenance will soon look like Cathedral Oaks, too.
Give me a truck with some asphalt and a couple of laborers and I’ll get the holes filled while the road repair leaders are playing in the backfield trying to figure out where the end zone is.
I use the football analogy because football players hustle to the line and move the ball every play. Why can’t city and state employees do the same, including the city council.
It seems like we have lost our enthusiasm and hustle. We need to stop accepting mediocre.
Bart Bader
Goleta
• • •
In response to my March 24 commentary, “Truths About the Housing Authority and Workforce Housing,” Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara executive director/CEO Rob Fredericks missed my points in his own commentary, “Santa Barbara Housing Authority Rebuts ‘Misconceptions,’ Highlights Efforts to Meet Local Needs.”
I clearly stated that the HACSB provides a valuable service to our community. Fredericks says, “the current level of available affordable housing in our community is insufficient.” I agree, and not only for rental housing, but home ownership.
I admit to an error in stating the HACSB was a nonprofit organization. It is exempt from taxation, therefore still not contributing to our much-needed city funding for essential services, etc.
As for the highest number of evictions, in a recent housing forum, Fredericks admitted this was true, but defended his agency by saying it is the largest property provider.
Verification data changes, but as the largest rental provider, it points to having higher numbers than private providers. (FYI: In repeated requests for eviction numbers from city officials, they are not forthcoming with this information.)
As for “renovictions” being a false statement, they did have temporary relocations that private providers do not usually have vacant units to do the same.
Fredericks cites the Federal Uniform Housing Act to protect tenants, but the City of Santa Barbara also has very similar ordinances now that do much of the same.
He states that tenants had the guarantee of the same-rental price returns, which is true, as tenants are only required to pay 30% of their income, but my guess is these newly renovated units are subsidized by the Housing and Urban Development Department at higher rents than before the renovations took place. Private landlords do not have the same revenue sources as the federal government.
The waitlist prioritization is still true. Yes, the HACSB is advocating for workforce housing with a total of 264 units to date, but it does not address the workforce I was advocating for, since most applicants would not qualify, waitlist or not.
As for incentives to progress, what are the numbers on how many nondisabled, nonsenior recipients have been able to exit the system? HACSB employees, who work directly with voucher recipients, admit this is a shortcoming of the agency.
Voucher portability, Fredericks admits, is “complex.” One might question how many recipients have used this option effectively in the last year, if any.
As for the HACSB driving up rents being incorrect, I do believe there is a link. I don’t believe they are the driving force but are a contributing factor.
I didn’t state that the Housing Authority can build housing for less than the private sector, but that it was a “prevailing thought.” I was being facetious when I asked what federal project can be built for less than the private sector?
Fredericks touts the Housing Authority and all it does. I was not admonishing HACSB for those efforts. I was simply shedding light on the agency, and suggesting that we need to go further in our efforts to encourage other options to satisfy the need for missing-middle, workforce housing.
Full transparency: We support and partner with the HACSB as 25% of our rentals are Housing Choice Voucher program units.
Loy Beardsmore
Santa Barbara
• • •
Karen Telleen-Lawton’s March 25 column, “Update on the Right to Repair Bill,” was spot on. We should be able to repair items rather than simply buy replacements.
This reminded me of the recent Ocsar-winning film for short documentaries, The Last Repair Shop. If you love music AND you agree that there is great value in repairing things, please watch it!
Jane Wilson
Santa Barbara
• • •
Regarding the March 28 article, “Beyond the Surface: Uniting Against Bullying for Safe Schools and Communities,” I agree that bullying is a real problem for our children.
But I remember it being an issue when I was young, too. Most people I know can remember being bullied, and it is generally surrounding identity — something a person can not help.
I am an assistant teacher at Adams School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District and I am passionate about teaching kindness.
While a student teacher getting my credential/master’s degree at UCLA and then teaching fifth grade in Los Angeles, I developed what I call my “Kindness Tree Project.” It has a strong anti-bullying theme and message. It is a year-long lesson that teaches kids to take responsibility for their actions and how they affect others.
In my experience, the results of this lesson have been incredible. I am on a mission — and my ultimate dream is — to get my Kindness Project published as a “teacher’s guide” so it can be used in as many classrooms as possible.
Paige Swanson
Goleta
• • •
I agree with the message of Robert Sulnick’s March 21 commentary, “Earth Day 2024 Should Be About Stopping Climate Change.”
We face countless environmental challenges, but at this time the climate emergency must be our highest priority, and this Earth Day is the day to broadcast that message louder than ever!
There are many ways to address climate change, but the most powerful is to impose a national tax on fossil fuels. This would send an immediate financial message to all businesses and consumers, directing them away from carbon-polluting products and toward safe, renewable alternatives.
Lower income folks could be protected by a monthly carbon dividend check.
This is the essence of the “Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act” proposed by Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara. The Citizens Climate Lobby chapter of Santa Barbara works to promote passage of this bill, and we welcome new volunteers!
Dennis Thompson
Santa Barbara
• • •
In his March 26 commentary, “Rocket Launch Processes Have Improved Markedly Since ’60s,” Ron Fink details the improvement of rocket launches over the decades.
He seems to opine that once big, bad government got out of the way, business could take over and finally make money out of hurling satellites-cum-space junk into the final frontier.
There are a lot of people in Lompoc who love these rockets, and a lot of people are cocksure there’s money to be made from them. But there is also a faction of people who live in Lompoc who hate the stupid rockets.
Each launch is like a small earthquake; they rattle your windows, set off car alarms and shake the whole house. They freak out pets and old people.
And unless you actively monitor them, they can scare the hell out of you. Worst of all, cracks are appearing in stucco, plaster and even some of our murals.
And these rockets are not like trained monkeys that go off as scheduled. We have a rocket scheduled for launch for the night of March 30 that’s been delayed at least twice.
And in the end, those of us who are not pro-rocket are just going to have to put up with it. So no, I’m not going to sit back, listen and watch the show.
Leah Braitman
Lompoc
• • •
I enjoy Ron Fink’s writings. His story is similar to mine, as I came to then-Vandenberg Air Force Base in the mid-1970s, and had many years of dual coast launch site experiences.
There were ups and downs as large contracts came and went, often with unexpected timing.
Things have changed in great new ways, and we see how good ideas and good people make that so.
Great words, Ron!
Gary Minar
Solvang
• • •
As a longtime property owner in Goleta, I read Noozhawk for local news coverage. I find that your coverage tends to be fair and timely, and I appreciate that.
I was, however, taken aback by Joe Guzzardi’s March 24 commentary, “Weaponized Immigration Wrecking Sovereign America.”
The headline alone is so over the top as to be absurd. I understand that this is an opinion piece but I think Noozhawk does a disservice to your readers and to yourself by publishing such extreme rhetoric.
Similar to other opinion pieces by Guzzardi, this one quickly devolved into a blatant attack on President Joe Biden’s administration, ignoring the fact that immigration policy is actually determined by Congress rather than the president.
The essay contains some interesting information; it is the tone, tunnel vision and utter lack of respect that I find offensive. People can disagree, even seriously, without such hyperbole.
This sort of inflammatory rhetoric is a black eye for legitimate journalism and is a real problem for our society today. I really expected more from Noozhawk.
R. Merrifield
Nevada City
• • •
Regarding Susan Shields’ March 22 letter to the editor, she need not be disquieted nor sad about the temporary “empty white-walled rooms” at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
As a docent for more than 20 years, I can assure Shields that great shows will fill those halls soon. The cancellation of “Three American Artists” was to have been a very costly exhibit considering transportation, insurance, etc.
In some cases, even the presence of the museum/artists’ representatives to witness the unpacking, the mounting. Then again, the shipping back accompanied by said representatives.
The very successful Van Gogh exhibit certainly required that kind of prodigious expense.
The decision to call off the show had absolutely nothing to do with censorship — there was nothing to censor.
Presently, there are plenty of works on view that might be viewed as risky or controversial.
Consider the Greek god, Hermes, “the nude surfer dude,” as one of the teen-agers I toured named him. Not only is he the patron God of thieves and politicians, but in his idealized naked portrayal, he now greets visitors in Ludington Court with his missing member. (It was recently restored at the Getty while our museum was being remodeled.)
In Thayer Gallery, American artist Walter Kuhn’s showgirl, “Trudi,” stands life size in her brassiere, staring back at the viewer.
Upstairs, there could be little more controversial than American artist Justin Mortimer’s painting, “Dog,” part of the exhibit “Made by Hand/Born Digital.”
Unfortunately, one of our most provocative works, a room-sized mural, is outdoors and often overlooked. The stunning 1922 “Portrait of Mexico,” by David Alfaro Siqueiros, the Mexican social-realist painter, is virtually a “shout at the public,” with its themes of poverty, capitalism, corruption … and Siqueiros’ own naïveté about the false promise of Communism.
I invite Shields to return to see some of these rich and fascinating art works currently on view. She will not be disappointed.
Josie Levy Martin
Montecito
• • •
I have not received a response or apology from any Noozhawk journalist for the March 6 article, “UCSB Multicultural Center Remains Closed After Posting of Antisemitic Signs, Targeting of Student Leader.” The gross falsified account of campus events is whitewashing history.
How much money does Noozhawk get from Zionist donors? An exposé is overdue for corrupt journalism. Shame on Noozhawk for taking no accountability for the conflation of Zionism with Judaism.
Free Palestine.
Sarah Berg
UC Santa Barbara
• • •
In light of my March 15 letter to the editor about the closing of the UCSB Multicultural Center and the actively anti-semitic actions on campus and the community, I feel a need to recognize and laud two students.
Maggie Modovsky and Charlene Macharia, I have learned, protested for a cause deep to their hearts without disrupting the academic flow on campus. These women enacted hunger strikes that demonstrated their true humanitarian beliefs.
I salute them for taking a constructive form of protest that proves sincerity and commitment while not alienating others with hatred and chaos.
I hope the UC Board of Regents looks to them as inspiring and responsible, and reopens the center with this example of peaceful, respectful protest as a model for all students to emulate.
If all the world could call attention to these causes like these women, healthy change would occur and communication between alternate viewpoints would grow.
Let’s celebrate our humanness and sameness! Then, and only then, will these noble ideals be realized, and it starts with each of us now.
Brian Massey
Bow, Washington
• • •
Once again, during the March 5 primary, the animosity and undercurrents surfaced that exist within the political classes in Santa Barbara County’s districts one, two and three.
For whatever reasons, in my 44 years here in the First District there has been no effort to organize tolerant conservatives and moderates (like me), until this year when unite2win805.com was created.
Hundreds of laborious, tedious hours were expended organizing the precinct project by one remarkable leader to enable neighbors to connect to get out the vote.
To continue to deliver results, hundreds of committed conservatives, moderates, Constitutionalists, business owners and workers are now needed to volunteer as precinct captains to organize neighborhoods and streets.
You’re wanted, needed and are essential to impact electoral outcomes! Get involved or nothing will change!
Denice Spangler Adams
Montecito
• • •
A contradiction exists within the Santa Barbara County Democratic Party. The group strives to create a world, “free from prejudice, hatred, exploitation, abuse and reckless greed,” yet the party has not supported a transition away from the most dangerous industry: the war industry.
Between May 2018 and March 2024, the federal government awarded $6.6 billion through 15,000 contracts and grants to defense companies and universities in Santa Barbara County, according to USASpending.gov.
Administration and lobbyists for nondefense departments fight tooth and nail for a mere $1 million in funding, yet the war industry easily receives 1,000 times that. $1 million more for nondefense departments is too much, but $1 billion more for the Defense Department is never enough.
Ask yourselves the following questions:
- Is the Defense Department 1,000 times more important than agriculture, education, energy, housing, health, transportation and federal public lands?
- Does the global U.S. military footprint breach our constitutional contract of “common defense” and “general welfare”?
- What can our city councils, county supervisors and congressman do to transition?
- How can I help correct this contradiction to achieve solidarity and sustainability?
The time is now for the heart of California’s 24th Congressional District to put advertised values to practice. To support the transition. To divest from the war industry. To delineate this in the Democratic Party’s platform.
It is complementary to its social and ecological objectives. You have my support. You have our support.
Bill Tyler
Santa Barbara
• • •
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