"The Lofts"

[ Excerpt from SBN-P, 2/27/2005, article by JOSHUA MOLINA ]


Upper State Street is at the center of a ferocious fight over housing, traffic and the future of development in Santa Barbara.

In one corner is architect Barry Berkus, whose innovative designs and willingness to take risks have earned him both praise and scorn.

This time he wants to build 55 one-bedroom condos, or lofts as he refers to them, a block from La Cumbre Plaza, in a three-story development that he sees as a melting pot of cultures, lifestyles and occupations.

However, Mr. Berkus is facing an army of angry opponents who want to stop or slow growth and say his project will degrade Santa Barbara by worsening traffic and setting a dangerous precedent that other developers will follow.

"My opinion of Berkus is, he is like a wolf," said Joe Guzzardi, a Samarkand resident, candidate for supervisor, and vice president of the Allied Neighborhood Association, which opposes the project. "You know how they mark their territory. He is just going around Santa Barbara and urinating on different pieces of property with his monstrosity architecture that doesn't fit and is too big."

... Mr. Berkus' project has been approved by the Planning Commission, but four powerful community groups have appealed, forcing the City Council to sort it out. In addition to the Allied Neighborhood Association, established community organizations Citizens Planning Association and the League of Women Voters have come out against the project. The fledgling Coalition for Sensible Planning is also against the development, mounting its no-growth positions in the city for the first time...

Mr. Berkus said the naysayers don't understand planning and that they say "no" to all growth because they lack creativity. "These are people who don't have vision," Mr. Berkus said. "They are running in fear because change is here. You are not going to stop growth."

The project comes at a time when Santa Barbara is sizzling with debate over what type of housing is needed in a city where the middle class is fleeing because of an out-of-reach housing market where the median cost of a house is $1.2 million.

Developers no longer build rental apartments because such projects would not be as profitable in a city where the land is so expensive. Instead, developers are seeking to maximize the value of their land by building condominiums, fitting in as many units as the city will approve.

But when those condos go on the market, they often sell for nearly $1 million, too expensive for most working Santa Barbarans. As a result, middle-class residents and families are moving to more affordable communities such as Ventura, Oxnard, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Lompoc and Santa Maria, and driving to their jobs in Goleta and Santa Barbara.

All of the commuting has resulted in increased traffic congestion on Highway 101 in both directions at different times of the day.

... many believe that the small, quaint Santa Barbara that they remember is vanishing with every high-density condominium project approved by the city.

To many, Mr. Berkus' project symbolizes that slow erosion, particularly in an area of Santa Barbara where several other housing and commercial projects are in the pipeline.

"This is the problem -- you got it right here" said a fired-up James Kahan, pointing to a steady hum of traffic on State Street near the project site. Mr. Kahan, the president of the Allied Neighborhood Association, a former assistant city attorney for Santa Barbara, wrote the appeal letter for the project's opponents...

Mr. Berkus couldn't disagree more.

He proposes a three-story project, with office space on the bottom and condos above. He plans to build an underground parking garage with 101 spaces. Of the 55 units, 17 of them, he says, will be sold below the market rate. Those 644-square-foot units would sell for between $175,000 and $219,000, he said.

The rest of the condos well sell at market rate. They range from 1,083 square feet to the largest unit at about 1,700 square feet. Mr. Berkus said he hopes most of the market rate units will sell for less than $1 million...

He said his project, on two parcels at 3885 and 3887 State St., will house the "critical work force" of nurses, teachers, police officers and firefighters who can stay in town and close to their jobs...

Anne Anderson is a high school English teacher who supports the project...

The opponents believe that the upper State Street area should be studied as a whole, not just one project at a time...

If the project goes through, about 17 people who live in a converted motel would be displaced. The residents have mental illness or physical disabilities.

Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams doesn't want to see the residents put on the streets and would like to see a stronger, more concrete relocation plan, and even more affordable units. Replacing 17 affordable units with 17 affordable units, but then building 38 market-rate condos, doesn't equate to a community benefit, he said.

Further, he thinks the project is too big, should be moved back from the street and needs to lose some of the commercial space. A vision for the overall area is needed, he said.

"We should have a very strong plan for what to do with all the blocks between Hitchcock (Way) and Five Points because there may be good opportunities for affordable housing there," Mr. Williams said...

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com


Santa Barbara News-Press

Joe Guzzardi Announces

[ Excerpt from SBN-P, 2/26/2006, article by BARNEY McMANIGAL ]

Pledging to fight hardest to protect South Coast neighborhoods from high-density development, Joe Guzzardi formally declared his candidacy for county supervisor Saturday...

"First and foremost, I will fight the state housing mandate," said Mr. Guzzardi, 51...

Most candidates for 2nd District, which stretches from the Santa Barbara waterfront to the city of Goleta, have made preserving neighborhoods a top priority. Besides Mr. Guzzardi, contenders Dan Secord, Das Williams and Janet Wolf have ramped up their rhetoric in recent months, pledging to fight plans for dense housing that lack proper planning...

While his positions have won him accolades from residents, his three unsuccessful bids for City Council in the 1990s -- including a near win in 1999 -- have tarnished his credentials among some political elites, who say he can't win...

So far, members of neighborhood groups, like the Coalition for Sensible Planning, have played a high-profile role in his campaign, forming an ad hoc organization, the Committees to Save Santa Barbara and the Goleta Valleys...

Taking aim at opponents, he [Guzzardi] asserted that Dr. Secord, a former Santa Barbara city councilman, "has been approving projects that are harmful to neighborhoods since he's been on the (city) Planning Commission."

... While he notes that Mr. Williams has opposed several projects since he joined the council in 2004, Mr. Guzzardi said the sitting Santa Barbara councilman has created only the appearance of neighborhood preservation, and has failed to back residents on key votes.

"Time and time again it appears that (Mr. Williams) is creating a facade, and that's why I don't trust him," Mr. Guzzardi said.

When asked about former Goleta school board member Janet Wolf, Mr. Guzzardi warned that the 11-year education veteran "has no track record."

But Mr. Guzzardi's challengers reject those statements.

Saying he was "disappointed" by the remarks, Mr. Williams, who nominated Mr. Guzzardi to a city planning panel last year, said he has accomplished more because he holds public office.

"Joe says good things about neighborhoods, but if you want results on neighborhood protection and preserving open space, I've produced those results," Mr. Williams said.

Ms. Wolf said she wants to "bring people together" on the housing issue. She has pledged to protect neighborhoods, but declined to take on the state mandate.

"Density and design standards are important, but so are the firefighters, nurses and sheriffs that keep our community safe and healthy," Ms. Wolf said.

Seeking to shift the discussion back to the region's housing needs, longtime affordable housing advocate and county Housing Authority Commissioner Mickey Flacks said that the MTD property where Mr. Guzzardi made his announcement Saturday has not cultivated crops for a decade and has been used as a storage yard for oil-emitting buses.

For years county officials and developers have discussed building homes for low-income residents on the site, and point to the parcel's proximity to mass transit lines as a potential benefit.

"The precious ag land is a brown field," Ms. Flacks said.


Santa Barbara News-Press

06 - Goleta Community Plan

Continuing Das' candidate profile statements ...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Goleta Community Plan

The Goleta Valley should have the same protections that other areas of the county possess. First, a comprehensive community plan should be prepared before any rezonings. Second, if the county does upzone some of the land, it should be accompanied with a downzone so that the remainder of our urban ag land is kept open space forever.

Third, it is not efficient to separate the department of Planning and Development; it merely leads to bad planning and inconsistencies with the General Plan.

05 - Housing

Continuing Das' candidate profile statements ...

-----------------------------------------------------

Housing

A public perception exists that protection of the environment and quality of life is inherently in conflict with justice for working people. I reject that notion, and instead feel that protection of our environment is the highest form of justice for people of any economic class. Further, saving open space and agricultural land does not have to be in conflict with the building of a modest amount of affordable housing.

In fact, if properly located in an area already built out, with ready access to transit and walking distance to shops, it can reduce the traffic impact that we already experience from commuters.

Like you, I see exaggerated media reports asserting that residents of the 2nd district are intolerant of affordable housing. I have spoken with thousands of Goletans and Santa Barbarans, and I believe they will accept a modest amount of affordable housing if the large tracts of open space and ag land are protected.

The threat to neighborhoods is not the 162 affordable units required by the state, if properly located, but in state mandates that are set up so that five times more units of luxury housing might get built along with it. The changes that are being discussed, including a blanket rezone of 15 acres at 20 units per acre with no guarantee of affordability, could lead to thousands of units unless we put restraints on what can be built.

Before we can proceed with the State’s mandates we must ensure there are no inherent contradictions between the mandates and state law regarding community and circulation plans. That is why I am now working with Assemblymember Pedro Nava on legislation that would allow local jurisdictions to put affordable restrictions on the rezone, making sure that less luxury housing will ever get built and that whatever is built is affordable. To ensure that housing is prioritized in built-out commercial areas, the legislation would also ensure that mixed-use units count towards the state housing allocation.

04 - Urban Ag Land

Lane Family Farms.


(Image courtesy of the The Santa Barbara Review)

Continuing Das' candidate profile...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Urban Agricultural Land

Local farms are a part of our history and way of life in the Goleta Valley. Although, these farms are community assets their future is uncertain. I oppose any re-zoning of these parcels of land that would take them out of active agriculture.

We must fight to ensure that natural space is preserved and that local farms remain viable businesses that sustain our regional food supply. We need a local farmers’ co-op for purchase of a cooling dock & refrigerator, and to sell to larger markets and trademark posters that say "we carry local produce." One part of sustainability is having enough housing so people that work here may live here, another part of sustainability is securing our locally grown food supply.

Walk With Das #1

Das at Veronica Meadows

Hello Friends,

It's time to get your walking shoes out and help put Das on the Board of Supervisors. Please join us this Saturday at 9 am--we will be walking door to door in the 2nd district to talk to voters about Das and why he is the best candidate for the job of 2nd District County Supervisor.

Meet at Das's house at 2631 #1 State St. You can park on Chapala between Alamar and Constance, Das's place is a condo that overlooks Chapala. The time is 9:00 am, bring your walking shoes and it would be a good idea to bring some water and maybe a snack.

It's so important to get out and talk to people in the 2nd district about Das�just look at what is happening in our county right now. We are at a critical juncture in the history of our County. The current Board of Supervisors majority is focused on loosening environmental protection ordinances and diluting strong land use policies. They have systematically engaged in reducing public input in the process. We need a voice on the Board of Supervisors who will not compromise with special interests in the name of cooperation and diminish our environmental quality of life in the process. We need someone on the Board of Supervisors who is more than a sound-bite advertisement for environmental and neighborhood protection.

Das has a proven record of working to protect the quality of our neighborhoods and our environment. Das has made sure neighborhoods were represented in the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance update, he worked with the creeks division to crack down on polluters and working with councilman Horton obtained $2 Million to address sewer overflows in the City of Santa Barbara. Das is a proven leader with the experience and strength to stand up to a pro-development majority on the County Board of Supervisors, he needs you help to put him in office.

So put it in your calendar today and plan on meeting up at Das's house Saturday February 18th at 2631 #1 State St. at 9am.

Jim Taylor
Field Organizer
Friends of Das Williams
( friendsofdaswilliams@gmail.com )

Clean Race

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article by Barney McManigal, 2/15/2006 ]

... Responding to what he described as negative attacks against his supporters, Das Williams on Tuesday pledged to run a clean campaign for county supervisor and called on his opponents to do the same.

Flanked by Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum and fellow City Councilmen Roger Horton and Grant House, Mr. Williams staged a Valentine's Day event to change the tenor of the race to succeed retiring Supervisor Susan Rose.

"In only its first five weeks, this campaign has been disappointingly negative," Mr. Williams said, referring to a string of incidents targeting his candidacy, which has been the subject of controversy among some top-level Democrats and other contenders in the race...

"If someone doesn't take the first step, this campaign will be downright ugly by June."

... Some have criticized Councilwoman Helene Schneider's decision to support Mr. Williams [over Janet Wolfe].

More recently, candidate Joe Guzzardi described a $25,000 donation to Mr. Williams by Montecito resident Peter Sperling as "obscene."

Since he began campaigning, Mr. Williams has not criticized opponents personally...


Santa Barbara News-Press

Living Wage

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article by JOSHUA MOLINA, 2/8/2006 ]

... The council's three-member Finance Committee moved a step closer to making final recommendations at a near three-hour meeting at City Hall on Tuesday. The panel members will wrap up the final details and then send the matter forward for a final vote on either Feb. 28 or March 7, at a special night meeting of the council.

The proposal to raise the hourly wages for employees of some businesses that contract with the city has sparked opposition from business groups and support from socially liberal activists.

"This is more conservative than the Republican governor's minimum wage proposal so we shouldn't allow this to be cast as a radical measure," said living wage supporter and councilman Das Williams.

The current plan calls for a living wage of $14, $12 and $11. Companies that have at least $15,000 in service contracts with the city would have to pay their employees the wage. Employers would have to pay the high number if they don't provide health insurance benefits. Companies would pay the lower wages if they provide health insurance and other benefits and perks...

Councilwoman Helene Schneider disputed any suggestion that unions would demand higher pay if a living wage ordinance were created.

"We really need to focus on the facts before us, and not the fear of what could happen in the future," Ms. Schneider said.

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com

Santa Barbara News-Press

Joe Guzzardi Quote

Santa Barbara Independent Quote of the Week:

"Das wants people to think he’s Joe Guzzardi. But I already am Joe Guzzardi. And let me tell you, he’s no Joe Guzzardi."
  —— 2nd District Supervisor candidate and neighborhood advocate Joe Guzzardi, commenting on political rival Das Williams’s advocacy on behalf of neighborhood preservation.

----------------------------------------------------

It's good to be proud of who we are, but Das would
never make a public statement like the above, because
this race is not about ego. It's about neighborhood
preservation and no one running -- except for Das --
has the record of already trying to accomplish that.



newsoftheweek

03 - Urgency of My Campaign

Continuing excerpts from Das' candidate profile...

--------------------------------------------------

The urgency of my campaign

Today we face the realities of a Board of Supervisors who proclaim their concern for the community but act in ways contrary to our established environmental ethics and trample the values we share as a community. The current Board of Supervisors majority is focused on loosening environmental protection ordinances and diluting strong land use policies. They have systematically engaged in reducing public input in the process. I am deeply concerned that our County has strayed from the balanced perspective that leaders like Bill Wallace and Tom Rogers fought so hard to establish and uphold.

We are at a critical juncture in the history of our County. We need a voice on the Board of Supervisors who will not compromise with special interests in the name of cooperation and diminish our environmental quality of life in the process. We need someone on the Board of Supervisors who is more than a sound-bite advertisement for environmental and neighborhood protection. We need forthright leadership, and I will never shy away from speaking out when others try to take away what generations have fought so hard to achieve. It is not my job to build consensus on bad policy, but to stand against it.

Santa Barbara County, and especially the 2nd District, needs a Supervisor with the tenacity, passion, commitment and experience to protect what we hold so valuable: green open space, clean air and water, livable and compatible neighborhoods, and the opportunity for people to reach their best potential, regardless of their income. I have the proven track record to be that leader for the 2nd District.

Westside Condo's

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article by Joshua Molina, 2/8/2006 ]

S.B. council approves Westside condo project


In a dramatic hearing rich with passionate testimony, a majority of the City Council rejected pleas from a Westside neighborhood to block a seven-unit condominium project.

The debate exemplified the broader community struggle over housing and density in Santa Barbara's increasingly crowded neighborhoods and tapped into the deep divisions over development.

In this case, the neighbors lost their fight to block the project.

... The Planning Commission had already approved the project. Neighbors appealed the matter to the full council where the outcome was a mystery to the end.

After six council members explained their positions, the council was split 3-3. Councilwoman Iya Falcone remained silent. When it came time for a formal vote, Ms. Falcone voted in favor of the condos, without explanation. When pressed after the meeting, she declined to comment.

Mayor Blum and council members Williams and Schneider voted against the condos. In addition to Ms. Falcone, council members Grant House, Roger Horton and Brian Barnwell voted in support of the project.

... Those in favor of the project said the one- and two-bedroom units were "affordable by design" because they were small and would provide housing for working families who have been squeezed out of Santa Barbara because of the hot real estate market.

... in today's dollars the condos would sell at a starting price of about $700,000. The units, however, won't be done and on the market until 2008 or 2009...

"These units will be the lowest-priced units on the market," [councilmember Grant House] said. "This project represents the kind of housing that is needed in downtown Santa Barbara today and into the future."

Ms. Schneider, a Westside resident, took exception to the idea that the housing would be affordable.

"The term affordable by design is a bogus term," Ms. Schneider said. "There's no such thing as affordable by design in Santa Barbara."

Mr. Williams said the project was wrong for the neighborhood and that it was unfair to force it on the residents.

"This project will unquestionably gentrify the neighborhood," he said. "It is more expensive than what is there now. It doesn't make sense for the city as a whole."

Mrs. Blum added that she is "conservative when it comes to neighborhoods."

...

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com

Santa Barbara News-Press

02 - Early Endorsements

Continuing the numbered series of excerpts from Das' candidate profile:

-------------------------------------------------

My early endorsements

I am honored to have the support of four of my fellow colleagues on the Santa Barbara City Council. Mayor Marty Blum, Helene Schneider, Roger Horton, and Grant House support my candidacy because they know it is critical to have an ally on the Board of Supervisors when dealing with pressing regional problems. I also have the support of former Assemblymember Hannah-Beth Jackson, former Supervisors Gail Marshall, Bill Wallace and Frank Frost, Mark Holmgren of the Save San Marcos Foothills Coalition, Judy Orias of the Hidden Valley Neighborhood Association and numerous other community members.

01 - Why I'm Running

With this post, we're beginning a series of statements taken from Das' candidate profile. These all will be numbered sequentially, from 01, 02, etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Why I'm Running


I grew up in the Goleta Valley, starting my path to public service walking precincts for Bill Wallace 13 years ago. When a pro-growth majority seized control of the Board in the early 1990’s, it was painful to watch places that I loved be bulldozed to make way for special interests and their poorly planned developments. We can’t get those special places back again, but we can and we must fight to keep what was done to the western Goleta valley from becoming the fate of the Gaviota Coast, local open space areas like More Mesa, and the remaining urban ag lands which characterize the 2nd District.

As a City Councilmember working on local solutions to our most pressing problems, I have found root causes that originate in regional land-use & transportation planning. To make real headway on the issues of open space preservation, traffic reduction, and pollution requires effective advocacy at the Board of Supervisors level.

Early Lead in Fundraising

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article by BARNEY McMANIGAL, 2/7/2005 ]


... Leading the pack in early fundraising for what could be a record-breaking race for county supervisor, Das Williams took in close to $28,000 last year -- $25,000 of it from one man.

The Santa Barbara city councilman's large gift from Montecito philanthropist Peter Sperling exceeded totals raised by the three other candidates for the June 6 race to succeed retiring Supervisor Susan Rose.

For the same six-month period that ended Dec. 31, 2005, former Goleta school board member Janet Wolf reported raising $17,300, while former Councilman Dan Secord raised $8,600, according to records released this week.

A fourth candidate, county emergency services specialist Joe Guzzardi, claimed no campaign cash for that period but did not file papers until this year.

The totals reveal a strong early start for Mr. Williams but shed no light on candidates' subsequent fundraising in the race for 2nd District supervisor.

... Mr. Sperling, an executive at Internet software company CallWave, contributed $7,500 to Mr. Williams' 2003 council race. He has also donated to a variety of liberal causes, including efforts to preserve Ellwood Mesa and to defeat the 2002 recall of former Supervisor Gail Marshall.

... Mr. Williams said the donation reflected support for his environmental policies.

"I think he respects my courage and wants to see more than anything our urban ag land and the Gaviota coast preserved, and that I have the ability to accomplish that," Mr. Williams said.

All four candidates have worked around the clock this year raising money for the hotly contested race, which will be decided in June if one contender captures more than 50 percent of the vote. If no challenger triumphs, the top two finishers would face off in November.

Candidates have until March 22 to disclose money raised this year, but several already say they have augmented their coffers considerably...

Both Dr. Secord, a Republican who held a $100-per-plate dinner attended by 100 people in January, and Ms. Wolf, a Democrat, declined to say how much they raised this year.

Mr. Williams, a Democrat, estimates that he has received $10,000 this year.

Dr. Secord said he plans to raise between $300,000 and $350,000. Ms. Wolf cites a $275,000 target, and Mr. Williams is aiming for $240,000.

Despite his limited fundraising efforts last year, Dr. Secord said he was in a good position. "This is just the beginning," he said.

Ms. Wolf said she plans to hold a series of fundraisers but will also focus on door-to-door visits with constituents -- something Mr. Williams emphasizes, as well...

One potentially critical factor in the campaign could be the level of neighborhood support that surfaces for a candidate. Mr. Guzzardi, who lacks party support, is depending on a large grass-roots turnout.

To some extent, it appears he may have it.

Members of the Goleta Valley-based Coalition for Sensible Planning have indicated they will rally behind Mr. Guzzardi's campaign.

Coalition President Gary Earle said Mr. Guzzardi could draw strong support from neighbors concerned about efforts to build high density housing in their backyard.

"Because Joe has declared he will not take money from housing developers, we will run a frugal but effective campaign," Mr. Earle said, comparing Mr. Guzzardi's campaign to the biblical tale of David and Goliath. "We recognize this is a David versus Goliath struggle, but the last time I checked, David won."

e-mail: bmcmanigal@newspress.com

Santa Barbara News-Press

Waterfront Department $$$

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article by JOSHUA MOLINA, 1/1/2006 ]


Santa Barbara's Waterfront Department may have to come up with $431,000 to pay for beach maintenance and parking lot operations.

Right now, those services are paid for by the city's general fund. The city's three-member Finance Committee, however, wants to shift the responsibility to the Waterfront Department. This would free up money for the general fund, which is facing a $500,000 budget deficit going into next year.

If the City Council were to shift the costs from the Parks and Recreation Department to the Waterfront Department, the move would result in a major policy change for the city...

City Councilman Das Williams has led the charge to make the Waterfront Department pay for services on which it already collects the revenue.

"As general taxpayers, we should no longer be subsidizing slipholders and leaseholders as much as we are," said Mr. Williams, who suggested that the motivating factor for his plan was to balance the city's budget this fiscal year.

The move has upset the Waterfront Department community... Waterfront Department Director John Bridley could barely maintain his composure. He rolled his eyes and looked uncomfortable when Mr. Williams spoke. He said that the Waterfront Department would not be able to absorb those kinds of costs.

"We will have to raise additional revenues or we will have to cut expenses," said Mr. Bridley, saying that Mr. Williams' idea would result in a "significant impact."

The only areas where the Waterfront Department has immediate control to raise revenues is through increasing slip fees or raising parking rates. Mr. Bridley, however, was cautious about doing anything that would discourage locals or tourists from parking in waterfront lots...

But Mr. Williams hammered home the idea that it is unfair for the city's general fund to pay for services at the beach when the Waterfront Department collects the revenue. That essentially amounts to a financial subsidy for people who own boats and have slips in the harbor, he said.

In an effort to be sensitive to the Waterfront Department's budget, the Finance Committee suggested that if a transfer of costs occurs, it be phased in over a three-year period. In addition to looking at the $431,000 option, Councilwoman Helene Schneider, also a member of the committee, suggested a lower amount, $257,000, which would be phased in over two years.

City Administrator Jim Armstrong and the Finance Department will now work with Mr. Bridley to come up with budget options and ways that his department could absorb the costs.

The Waterfront Department has a $10.1 million budget.

Further complicating matters for the Waterfront Department, some mass transit activists are pressuring the city to make the waterfront pay to operate the "wharf woody" electric shuttle, which transports people from one end of the waterfront to the other.

Right now, the service is paid for by Measure D funds, a half-cent sales tax. Advocates believe general taxpayers should not pay to subsidize a bus service primarily for wharf users and that the money would be better spent on downtown bus lines that serve a broader base of residents...

"Yeah, I think slip fees are going to have to go up a little bit more. We would not want to increase parking fees so high that it would then result in people not coming to the beach at all. There's that balancing act," Ms. Schneider said.

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com

Santa Barbara News-Press