Santa Barbara County's Third District Supervisor
Spring 2018
Friends,

Greetings from the Third District. As we spring forward, I am happy to report that despite u nprecede nted challenges this winter, our County is well on the path toward recovery. I thank our first responders, County departments, and front-line emergency operations staff for their heroic efforts through these unprecedented and devastating disasters. Although the road to recovery is long, particularly for those most directly affected by these disasters, we will get there together.

As we look toward the future, I welcome input from residents and our business community about how we can work together in rebuilding our vibrant community. 

Please enjoy this spring newsletter and as always, I invite you to contact me with ideas and questions.
Warmly,
News and Upcoming Events
All Aboard! Commuter Rail Arrives

After decades of planning, a commuter rail finally launched for Central Coast commuters. Commuters from Los Angeles and Ventura Counties can beat traffic by taking a smooth ride with Amtrak into Santa Barbara or the Goleta Depot in time for a normal work schedule. The new commuter rail in combination with the Clean Air Express offers diverse transit options to commuters all over the County.

Join Me For Tanglewood Cleanup Day This Saturday

On Saturday, April 14, in partnership with Serve Santa Maria , my office is participating in a volunteer clean-up and beautification effort for the community of Tanglewood. I invite you to come and join me for this effort. There are dozens of homes in the neighborhood that would appreciate this volunteer upkeep help.

Serve Santa Maria has asked that volunteers, if they can, to please bring lawn mowers, edgers, leaf blowers, brooms, rakes, shovels, or other gardening tools to help neighbors with landscape maintenance. The Santa Barbara County Public Works department has graciously donated dumpsters for hauling large discarded items.

The morning will begin at the Maldonado Youth Center (600 S. McClelland Street, Santa Maria) with registration from 8:30 to 9:00am. C offee and donuts will be served with a short opening program then volunteers will be dispatched to Tanglewood. A free brown bag lunch will be provided to all volunteers prior to leaving for the worksite.

Special thanks to Pastor Carl Nielsen for his leadership in this Tanglewood beautification effort. If you have any questions, please call Alma Hernandez, Northern County District Representative, at 805-699-1140.
Third District Commissions and Advisory Boards

As a County Supervisor, one of my favorite roles is to appoint community members to serve on Countywide advisory boards and commissions. Citizen volunteers from across the County sit on nearly 70 boards, commissions and committees.

These deliberative bodies assist the Board of Supervisors in developing policy in subject areas including: health and human services, land use, parks, public facilities, and public safety. Follow the link below to see current commission vacancies and to learn about how you can apply for a position on a commission or advisory board.

Cannabis Questions?

Over the past year, in response to the statewide voter-approved Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act , the Board of Supervisors has been developing ordinances, a regulatory framework, and enforcement mechanisms for the emerging cannabis industry.

The County continues to receive many questions from the public regarding cannabis cultivation and regulations. The best resource for information about cannabis regulations and upcoming County-led cannabis meetings is at the County's Cannabis website .


Noteworthy Board of Supervisors Agenda Items:
(Dates can change)

Budget Workshops............................. 4/16, 4/18 and 4/20

Budget Hearings ............................... 6/11, 6/13 and 6/15

Eastern Goleta Valley Community Plan ...... 6/19 and 7/3

Hoop Structures Ordinance Amendment ... 7/3 and 7/17

Energy and Climate Action Plan ................................ 7/3

Libraries

The Board of Supervisors recently moved to stabilize our library system Countywide by voting to:

  • Authorize a new library zone, Zone 4, which encompasses the Goleta Library, with improved service to Isla Vista;
  • Lay the groundwork for the possibility of adding Buellton and Solvang libraries to the new Zone 4 in the future;
  • Take 5% of the County's total annual per capita contribution and have the Countywide Library Advisory Committee (LAC) strategically allocate those funds as-needed for struggling libraries;
  • Cap administration fees charged by each zone administrator to no more than 20% of per capita dollars that the County contributes;
  • Maintain the current distribution for its per capita allocations.

Many thanks go to Third District Library Advisory Commission representative Judith Dale in helping the Board of Supervisors develop a fair resolution that will benefit all libraries Countywide. Read more about the discussion and Board vote here.
Community Choice and
Renewable Energy
 
Consultants are completing the final work on a Community Choice Energy feasibility study for Santa Barbara County. The Board of Supervisors will consider this study in June or July. This feasibility study will help determine if our County should proceed with a new locally-controlled electricity provider which could provide cleaner energy at prices competitive with existing utilities. There are currently nine operating Community Choice Energy programs in California. Sonoma Clean Power, which serves a similarly-sized county population, has saved its ratepayers more than $62 million in utility bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 42%.
 
Visit  Clean Power Exchange  for more information about Community Choice Energy. 
 
Santa Barbara County is also preparing an energy project for possible submission into Southern California Edison’s (SCE) solicitation for more solar, energy storage, and energy efficiency projects along the South Coast. This solicitation is an exciting opportunity to create a cleaner, more resilient, local energy system.
Sunny Fields Spur Trail Study
The City of Solvang, in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department, has prepared an alignment study for a proposed Sunny Fields Spur Trail, to connect the existing bike trail along Highway 246 to Sunny Fields Park and existing bike lanes along Alamo Pintado Road. Click here to view the Sunny Fields Spur Trail Study .

The public is encouraged to email comments and questions about to study to Matt van der Linden , Solvang's Public Works Director, by April 20, 2018.
Sign up for County Emergency Alerts

The devastating fires and 1/9 Debris Flow are critical reminders of the importance of signing up to receive emergency alerts through the County's "Aware & Prepare" program. 

If you have not already registered,  use this link to sign up . It only takes a moment and can make all the difference for you and your family in the event of a fire, flood, or other disaster. For more information visit ReadySBC.org .   
OFFICE HOURS 

The Third District is geographically the largest and most diverse district in the county, spanning from UCSB, Isla Vista, up the Gaviota Coast, into the Santa Ynez Valley and up to Vandenberg Village and Guadalupe. We hold regular office hours throughout the district. Here is where we will be next*: 

Solvang
Wednesday, April 25, from 4-6pm at the Solvang Farmers Market

Guadalupe
Thursday, April 26, from 10am-12pm, at the Little House by the Park at 4681 11th Street, Guadalupe

Los Alamos
Thursday, April 26, from 4-6pm, at Bedford Winery 448 Bell Street, Los Alamos

Isla Vista
Thursday, May 10, from 1:30-3pm at the Coffee Collaborative at 6560 Pardall Rd., Isla Vista

Vandenberg Village
Thursday, May 24, from 4-6pm at Vandenberg Village Library at 3755 Constellation Road, Lompoc

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call 805-568-2192 or email our office Scheduler at gfischer@countyofsb.org

*Office hours can be subject to unforeseen changes, please call ahead to verify.
Out and About in The Third District
"Runaway" - A Pop-Up Art Installation at Cachuma Lake

Runaway is an innovative pavilion created by Greg Corso and Molly Hunker of the award-winning design and architecture collaborative, SPORTS. “Runaway” is on loan from the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and on display at the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area through the end of the year.
Isla Vista Community Services District Has a New Home

970 Embarcadero del Mar in Isla Vista has a new tenant. I attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Isla Vista Community Services District, which now has a room of its own to help meet community needs and offer enhanced services to Isla Vista residents.
Carbon Farming at the Chamberlin Ranch

Outside of Los Olivos, Chamberlin Ranch is the site of an innovative carbon farming pilot project where they are spreading compost on range lands in order to create healthier, more productive soils and grasses, increase carbon sequestration from the atmosphere, and capture more rainwater in the soil. This carbon farming pilot is a partnership of the Chamberlin Ranch, the Cachuma Resource Conservation District, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the Community Environmental Council.
Contact Us

 Santa Barbara Office
105 East Anapamu Street, 4th Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 568-2192

Solvang Office
1745 Mission Drive
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 686-5095

Santa Maria Office
511 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 111
Santa Maria, CA 93455
(805) 346-7210

Joan Hartmann , 3rd District Supervisor
Jefferson Litten , Chief of Staff
Gina Fischer , District Representative & Scheduler
Elizabeth Farnum , Central County District Representative
Alma Hernandez , Northern County District Representative