Wayne Mellinger’s May 25 commentary, “The City Stepped Around Him” — about the man he calls “Ernesto” who died beside a bus bench — is meant to indict our collective conscience.
But the indictment belongs against the Democratic-controlled governments.
California has spent billions of dollars on homelessness. The California State Auditor’s Office has said that the state has not adequately tracked whether much of this spending works.
No one in authority can convincingly tell us where the money went.
Santa Barbara government is no innocent bystander and operates inside the same progressive catechism: more money, more agencies, more process, more news releases, more tolerance for visible disorder, and more human beings dying in plain sight.
A genuinely caring city would measure its virtue by whether sick, addicted, mentally ill, and destitute people are actually brought indoors, treated, supervised and protected.
Santa Barbara government is very good at displaying concern. It is awful at producing results.
The passerby who hesitated is not the principal culprit. The principal culprit is a governing class that has had money, time, authority and public permission, and has still produced a city where suffering becomes scenery.
Ernesto did not die because Santa Barbara lacked compassion. He died in a place overflowing with declared compassion. That is precisely the scandal.
Peter Sadowski
Santa Barbara
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Santa Barbara County is currently updating its “Open Space Element” — the blueprint for how we conserve and protect our natural and agricultural lands for the next 20 years.
The Open Space Element ensures open and agricultural lands for their value for production, recreation, our beautiful views and area wildlife — things we all appreciate.
The survey asks residents to value open space for things like “tourism” and “military training operations.” These are commercial and institutional uses, not conservation goals.
Under California law, open space is a public trust meant to protect wildlife habitats, local agriculture and scenic beauty.
By framing our wildlands as potential tools for economic development via tourism or military operations, the county risks prioritizing industry over the majestic landscapes that define our region.
Please attend a planning workshop to ensure the county hears a clear message: Preserve open space for its ecological and agricultural value.
Workshops are scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. June 1 at Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall, 1745 Mission Drive, and June 3 at the Goleta Valley Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave.
Visit countyofsb.org/4366/Open-Space-Element-Update for details.
Kathy Rosenthal
Solvang
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Vaquitas are a type of small porpoise and they are the most endangered animal in the world, at less than 10 left.
Vaquitas live in the Gulf of California in the vaquita refuge. Their main threat is illegal fishing with gill nets, which are designed to trap heads and kill anything that swims through them.
Vaquitas are very sensitive to stress and cannot be taken out of the wild for any reason.
The only people who are helping the vaquitas now is an organization called Sea Shepherd, which protects endangered ocean animals. They are on boats patrolling the refuge 24/7 to stop illegal fishing.
They started monitoring that area in 2015 after the vaquita population went from 567 in 1997 to just 59 in 2015. Now in 2026, their population is less than 10.
I learned about vaquitas volunteering at the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf and I learned about Sea Shepherd while researching vaquitas for a school project.
I realized how endangered they were and knew they needed help. Thank you for helping me spread the word.
Aria Maiani
Santa Barbara fifth-grader
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Time, we never seem to have enough of it.
Currently there is debate pending in Congress concerning the elimination of the bothersome practice of changing our clocks twice each year.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics “Daylight Saving Time (DST) was enacted as a legal requirement by the Uniform Time Act of 1966.”
Many people mistakenly think that DST provides more daylight each day; this is false. The amount of daylight changes every day and is the result of where your place on earth is in relation to the sun.
Changing the clock does not affect the amount of daylight or time available.
When I was I the Air Force I served in Europe, Asia and Alaska; the clocks did not change twice a year in any of these places, and for a cumulative 10 years my body clock didn’t have to adjust just because the government said it should.
No one seemed to mind that the clock didn’t change, and there was still the same amount of daylight and time available each day.
I say eliminate Daylight Saving Time; it serves no useful purpose.
Ron Fink
Lompoc
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I urge Santa Barbara County voters to support Luis Esparza in the June 2 judicial election.
Superior Court is where families turn in their most difficult moments — custody disputes, housing crises, questions of freedom. Those people deserve a judge who brings patience, fairness and genuine respect to the bench.
Esparza brings all of that. He has practiced law in this county for more than 22 years, is bilingual in Spanish, and has served on the county Grand Jury and as a State Bar Special Master. He has a clear plan to reduce the case backlogs that leave families waiting years for resolution.
Accountability matters, too. The California Commission on Judicial Performance publicly admonished the incumbent judge in December 2024 for courtroom conduct that many in our community found troubling. Santa Barbara deserves better.
Luis Esparza represents that standard. Please join me in voting for him on June 2.
Nicholas Stein
Santa Barbara
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For more than 40 years, the people of Santa Barbara have known my father as Judge Tom Adams. During that time, he has dedicated his life to serving this community with fairness, integrity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to justice.
But to me, for the past 53 years, he has simply been Dad.
He has been my coach, Scoutmaster, mentor, role model and best friend. Some of the most important lessons I learned in life did not come from what he said, but from the example he set every day.
No matter how demanding his responsibilities were, he always made time for his family, his faith, and the people who needed him.
One of the qualities I admire most is his commitment to helping young people. As a Scoutmaster, he spent countless hours mentoring and guiding others, not because he had to, but because he genuinely cared.
Through his leadership and encouragement, my brother, 13 of my closest friends, and I all achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
Many people know my father for the decisions he made in the courtroom. Those of us who know him best know the man behind the robe — a man of character, humility, wisdom, patience and compassion.
He taught me what it means to be a good father, a good man and a person of integrity.
To Santa Barbara, he may be Judge Tom Adams. To me, he will always be Dad, and I could not be more proud of him.
Thomas Reagan Adams III
Santa Barbara
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As a retired Santa Barbara County probation officer with more than 25 years serving our local courts, I am writing to strongly support Luis Esparza for Superior Court judge.
Probation officers work every day on the front lines of the justice system. We see firsthand how a judge’s decision affect public safety, victims and whether offenders successfully turn their lives around.
Esparza understands this reality. He respects the critical role probation plays in holding people accountable while giving them a real change at rehabilitation.
Too many judicial candidates have never worked inside the system. Esparza has shown he values the partnership between the bench and probation.
He will make thoughtful, fair decisions that protect our communities without ignoring the human element that every good judge must consider.
I urge voters to join me in supporting Luis Esparza for judge. Our courts need someone who truly gets it.
Sylvia Talaugon
Retired Santa Barbara County probation officer/manager
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I am writing in strong support of Judge Thomas Adams and his re-election to the Superior Court bench.
Adams has devoted decades of service to Santa Barbara County with integrity, fairness and professionalism.
Throughout his career, he has presided over an extraordinary range of cases, from juvenile and family matters to complex criminal and civil proceedings, always demonstrating patience, wisdom and respect for everyone who enters his courtroom.
I was a deputy district attorney for several years, and Adams presided over many cases I handled. What sets him apart is not only his legal knowledge and experience, but also his temperament.
Attorneys, court staff, litigants and fellow judges consistently describe him as prepared, thoughtful, decisive and compassionate. He listens carefully, treats people with dignity, and approaches every matter with fairness and common sense.
In a time when public trust in institutions is critically important, Adams continues to exemplify the qualities we should expect from members of the judiciary: integrity, experience, humility and dedication to justice.
Santa Barbara County has been fortunate to benefit from his many years of service, and our community would continue to be well served by his re-election.
Joshua Lynn
Santa Barbara
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