Regarding the Nov. 13 article, “Conflict Erupts at Santa Barbara School Board Meeting Over Evangelical Club,” Santa Barbara Unified School District board president Wendy Sims-Moten clearly showed her prejudice when she rudely interrupted and cut off Carolyn Abate during the public comment period.
Sims-Moten claimed that members of the public are not allowed to read the Bible at school board meetings. Based on that uninformed and prejudiced comment, one has to wonder if she has ever read the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment.
Her clearly prejudicial stance disqualifies her from public service. She should be removed from the school board like any other openly prejudiced person.
Jeff Havlik
Santa Barbara
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Regarding the Nov. 16 article, “High Cost of Housing, Poor State of Education Hurting Democratic Power, Says Dan Walters,” as a former longtime Santa Barbara resident, I was quite surprised to read about Walters publicly taking Democrats to task about the recent election results.
Truth be told, it was needed and was coming sooner or later anyway, and Walters nailed it, however uncomfortable it most likely was for liberals to read. Holding truth to power is always a good thing.
One senses political changes are afoot throughout the country, with conservatives making marked inroads to the popular vote totals this election in California, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other states.
Understanding the current political leaning of Santa Barbara, I believe Noozhawk should publish articles and opinions equally from BOTH sides of the political spectrum and not tilt just to the left.
Stephen Slomski
Mesa, Arizona
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THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
It’s about time we read the truth about Santa Barbara and California. Born and raised here since 1963 and, wow, has it changed. Not for the better, I would add.
Go President Donald Trump and all the Republicans.
Karen Grier
Santa Barbara
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Last week I attended the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting to speak in support of Pioneer Valley High School Principal Shanda Herrera. I have been to several of these meetings since the buzz started during the summer.
The rumor was there was an email or text message that she sent out of frustration to a fellow district employee that the superintendent deemed unprofessional — a message that was meant to be private, taken out of context, and blown out of proportion.
Since this ordeal began, the rumors have circulated and people have been searching for more information and wanting to know what Herrera has done wrong, because surely there has to be more to it. The sad truth is … there really isn’t.
School leaders often become frustrated by district, state and federal mandates because they are the “boots on the ground” and know what is best for their students and school. Since none of this makes sense, people have been filling in the gaps with more and more elaborate rumors to the point that people are accusing Herrera of being racist and all kinds of other ridiculous allegations.
When I went to speak at the school board meeting, once again, there were tons of Herrera’s staff and community members who were there to speak on her behalf and on the content of her character.
Tale after tale about Herrera and all of the positive things she has done for her school and students; from supporting her teachers, knowing her students on a first-name basis, to helping a homeless student buy a dress and a homecoming ticket. The list of her positive contributions go on and on.
Unfortunately, every other speaker was an advocate from a nonprofit organization called
One Community Action. Of those people who I heard speak, one after the next, not a single one of them had been a student at Pioneer Valley High, or a student in the district, or even a community member of Santa Maria or Santa Barbara County!
These people admittedly drove two hours from Oxnard to speak out against a high school principal that they have never met! They shared over and over that they were there because
“community talks,” in other words, they heard the gossip and the rumors.
And they were so passionate and angry that they made that trip to advocate for change and against discrimination. And of course they did!
It would be horrible to have a school principal who treated her students unfairly or who discriminated against English language learners and marginalized youth … but Pioneer Valley High DID NOT have that kind of principal.
The school had a compassionate and dynamic leader who fought for her students and staff and always wanted the best for everyone.
Herrera knows her students and was fiercely proud of her kids. She always listened and did everything in her power to guide, support and encourage her students (and her staff). Having her removed from Pioneer Valley has been devastating.
My question to the people speaking out against Herrera (and all of the teachers who they claim are discriminating against these students) is who do you think will fight for your kids?
The teachers and school leaders who lie awake at night worrying about those students who seem sad, bullied, lonely, abused, hungry, etc.? Or a superintendent who has doubled his
own salary in three years or board members looking to run for political office?
They don’t know these kids personally, they aren’t the ones who care about them and worry about their well-being. I am a teacher myself, I have taught for more than 20 years, always with populations just like the students at Pioneer Valley. In fact, many of my students eventually go to high school at Pioneer.
I am proud to be a part of a community that cares deeply for our kids and wants nothing but the best for them always. I absolutely know that Shanda Herrera is an educator like that as well.
If you are looking to advocate for your students and give them the best opportunities in their future, blaming teachers and principals is fighting the wrong fight.
That is what we spend our careers and lives doing. We are on the same team. We are here for the kids and do everything in our power to provide them with the best education and resources possible.
Open conversations and asking questions is an understandable course of action, but slandering someone and sabotaging their career and legacy is deplorable and, most important, the people who suffer from this are our kids.
Shawna Perez
Santa Maria
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Ron Fink’s Nov. 19 commentary, “In Lompoc, Was It Just Politics or Something Else?” suggests that Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann “interfered” with the recent Lompoc mayoral race.
But those of us who worked closely with Lydia Perez during the campaign, have a different view.
For a first-time candidate, Perez ran a great campaign, working tirelessly to reach out to the Lompoc community. She held “meet and greets” at local venues and walked precincts to encourage Lompoc residents to get involved. She talked about the local issues: homelessness, affordable housing and infrastructure.
Yes, she had little name recognition at the beginning of the campaign, but by Nov. 5, many people saw her as a viable candidate and chose her over the incumbent and the oft-failed opposition candidate.
Fink claimed Perez was an unknown. Perhaps in his circles she was, but her supporters, many longtime residents, gave her a chance, got to know her, appreciated her work ethic, and worked hard to get her name out there.
In the local forum, she articulated her priorities and showed she would be a strong advocate for Lompoc.
Perez, with Hartmann’s help, had met with important elected county and state officials to get their endorsement. They recognized in Perez an intelligent, articulate woman who really embodies the values of the majority of Lompoc residents and who would make a wonderful advocate for the city, and so they endorsed her and made contributions to her campaign.
Perez did not win this election. In her concession letter, she wrote how appreciative she was to get to listen to the hard-working people of Lompoc who only want to be heard. She thanked those Lompocans who supported her by knocking on doors and making phone calls.
Many of us now look forward to 2026 when Perez will, hopefully, run again to represent the majority of Lompoc voters.
Leah Braitman
Lompoc
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During the February California Bar Exam, I faced an issue that highlights the need for understanding cognitive differences, particularly introverted intuition.
While taking the exam, my mind subconsciously identified patterns in the Scantron answers — a natural cognitive process.
Evidence of this pattern recognition prompted the California State Bar Association to fail my exam outright without due process or a fair review.
This decision was based on a misinterpretation of my cognitive style, not any intentional wrongdoing. The lack of awareness regarding cognitive diversity resulted in an unfair outcome and unnecessary distress.
Additionally, California has now abandoned this testing system, adding to the confusion without any honest acknowledgement or discussion of the underlying reason.
This experience underscores the importance of recognizing and accommodating different cognitive styles to ensure fairness in testing environments. We must foster understanding to promote an inclusivity and honest dialogue.
Demo Adamolekun
Carpinteria
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