Good Land Native

[ Excerpt from SB Independent, 1/19/2006 ]

Homeward Bound?
Good Land Native Das Williams
Enters 2nd District Race
by Martha Sadler

Das Williams officially announced his entry into the race for 2nd District supervisor last Tuesday, addressing the press from the More Mesa bluffs. Emphasizing a dedication to both social justice and the environment, Williams several times invoked the name of former 2nd District Supervisor Bill Wallace, who served four terms on the board while Williams was growing up in Goleta during the ’80s. Williams noted that Wallace formed a progressive environmental coalition that saved More Mesa and other open spaces from development.

Speeches by Williams’s supporters — including former state Assemblymember Hannah-Beth Jackson and Williams’s fellow Santa Barbara City Councilmembers Helene Schneider and Roger Horton — emphasized his bold personality and political savvy. If elected, Williams would likely find himself in a 3-2 minority on most environmental issues; regardless, he assured that his constituents would be respected. Williams said he would oppose both luxury developments and efforts to split the county while fighting for more worker housing and open-space preservation.

Although he has only served half his term on the Santa Barbara City Council, Williams has been endorsed by five of his fellow councilmembers. Another left-leaning environmentalist, Janet Wolf, announced her candidacy last week, joining recently termed-out conservative Councilmember Dan Secord. Williams promised to stay on the board, if elected, through the redistricting battles coming in 2011...

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