Successes in Defeat

The following is a letter Das recently sent out to many of us...

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Volunteers, Donors, and Supporters,

I just want you to know how much I am strengthened in this time by the phone calls, emails, and recent conversations with so many of you, and the love and support I've felt from all of you (whether spoken or unspoken). The work, heart, and resources you committed make me feel that we are in the midst of a large effort to change things.

And this effort for change must be ongoing. We continue to be in the midst of a tough time in this county and nation. Changing things means taking risks, and risks mean you don't prevail every time. I have learned so much, tactically and personally, that it would be impossible to count this a failure. There are other successes in the midst of this hard time:

1. Keeping a primary campaign positive. There are so many temptations to get negative in a campaign, but it was not appropriate. We fought with honor.

2. Ensuring that the head-to-head contest was in November. Both our polling and several matriarchs of the environmental movement (with sympathies both with me and Janet) concluded that a June election was risky. Tuesday's results would have been much different if Dan had spent an additional $80,000 or more. There was a larger chance that in a two or three person race, Dan could have garnered 50% +1. Our main mission, as I told many of you throughout the campaign, was to deny Dan 50% in June. While it did not turn out as we hoped, we did accomplish that mission.

3. A very strong grassroots campaign, especially in terms of people mobilized in the last two weeks.

Beyond smaller personal and tactical considerations (how I can do things better), there was one great lesson: the environmental movement's focus has moved away from campaigns. Currently it is well-suited to advocacy, but not to electoral action. Things have changed in the last twelve years, and we do not have the army of volunteers early enough in campaigns to make a difference with absentee voters.

To ensure that our efforts were not in vain, I will be putting time in pulling new people into our efforts, and creating a structure and life to the environmental movement which is vital if we are to elect candidates who are going to protect this community.

In appreciation,

Das Williams

Switch to Biodiesel

[ Excerpt of SBN-P article of June 15, 2006 by Joshua Molina. ]

City switching to biodiesel


... beginning July 1, Santa Barbara will move from diesel fuel to a blend with virgin soybean oil to help power its fleet of 150 vehicles. Known as "B-20," the new fuel will consist of 80 percent diesel and 20 percent soy oil.

Santa Barbara will be the first city in the county -- and among just a few in California -- to run its diesel fleet on biodiesel.

"It is fantastic," said Dave Davis, executive director of the Community Environmental Council. "We are very impressed with the city's desire to move forward in a progressive way."

The decision comes as Santa Barbara recasts its image as an environmentally aggressive agency. In recent years, the city has installed solar panels on its bookmobile and an Eastside fire station. It created a "green team" to examine and improve its sustainable building practices. In addition, Santa Barbara has a self-imposed goal of recycling 70 percent of its waste from the county landfill by 2010.

The soaring cost of fuel in the last year has pushed the cost of diesel fuel to within 10 cents of biodiesel, making the transition more cost-effective, said Gary Horwald, fleet supervisor for Santa Barbara. The city spent about $130,000 on diesel fuel last year and Mr. Horwald said he expects that cost to stay about the same next year.

The biodiesel will be used to run street sweepers, fire trucks, beach-cleaning tractors and other large vehicles in nearly every city department.

Using B-20 will not require the city to alter its vehicles; using 100 percent biodiesel, known as B-100, would have required new fuel tanks, pumps and lines inside the vehicles. Also, B-100 is still about 40 cents more expensive than diesel.

The plan is to purchase the biodiesel from McCormix Corporation, which has stations in Santa Barbara and Goleta and will deliver the fuel to the city's underground tanks.

McCormix sells B-20 blend for $3.39 per gallon, the same price as the diesel it sells.

Santa Barbara will be the largest user of biodiesel in the county, likely buying about 50,000 gallons of biodiesel. But McCormix General Manager Steve Olsen said as the cost of diesel fuel rises, he expects more environmentally aware motorists to turn to biodiesel...

In 1999, distributors sold only about 500,000 gallons of biodiesel. In 2005, that amount soared to 75 million gallons, according BIODIESEL, the national trade organization.

While the California Air Resources Board has not yet approved transit buses to run on biodiesel, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District spokesman David Damiano said that MTD would be interested in considering biodiesel if it is approved for use...

Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams said that the move to biodiesel is a good environmental step, but Santa Barbara can do better.

"This by itself is not enough. This is a step toward a more environmentally friendly city. It is credible. It's good. It is less bad than the alternative."

The next move for the city, Mr. Williams said, is to get even more aggressive.

"One of the next steps we should be taking is recyclable vegetable oil," he said. "Just about every restaurant that has a fryer can be a significant source of fuel."

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com


Santa Barbara News-Press

GV Slow Growth

[ The following is a Letter to the Editor, SBN-P, from Gary Earle, printed June 15, 2006. ]

Letters: Slow-growth faction alive and well
Gary Earle, Goleta Valley


Developer lobbying groups, such as the Coastal Housing Coalition, have embarked on another pro-dense housing disinformation campaign. They claim the results of the supervisors' race and other events show residents, particularly of the Goleta Valley, have changed tacks and reject the concept of slow, well-planned development and protection of green spaces for their neighborhoods.

However, an examination of the facts proves the opposite. Candidates Joe Guzzardi and Das Williams ran on a "slow growth, sound planning" platform and their combined votes garnered over 40 percent of ballots cast.

Dan Secord advocated for a community plan update and a planning commission for the Goleta Valley, and opposed any rezoning of agricultural land to high-density housing.

Even Janet Wolf, who was perceived as the most developer friendly of the candidates, agreed the valley should have an updated plan and opposed rezoning of prime ag land to high-density housing.

In addition, the Goleta Valley Visioning Committee is drafting language supporting the preservation of ag land and open space, and the Planning Commission recently heeded residents' requests to exempt the valley from site selection for the housing element environmental impact report. Most valley residents also would view as positive the commission ruling last week that the Noel Christmas Tree Farm be reverted to its prior zoning of only 3.3 housing units per acre, one of the least dense residential zonings for a large parcel in the area. Housing advocates had sought significantly higher densities.

Saying with a straight face that there's a shift in attitude toward high-density development is something that can only be tried by those on the receiving end of a developer's paycheck.


Santa Barbara News-Press

Public Art Returns

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article of June 14, 2006 by Joshua Molina. ]


... Santa Barbara will take another plunge into the world of public art in September.

The city is taking a more conservative approach than it did in 2002...

The City Council on Tuesday approved the artists whose work will be on display through November. They are Liz Amidon, Ken Bortolazzo, Donald Davis, Jeff Elings, Matthew Furmanski, Colin Gray, Ed Inks and Rafael Perea de la Cabada. All are from the tricounties.

The "State of the Art" project is a collaboration between the city and the county.

"I am really thrilled it is back," said Mayor Marty Blum. "Art makes you think outside the box. It challenges you."

The city plans to spend up to $36,000 for the installation and removal of the pieces, which will be placed between the 600 and 1200 blocks of State Street. The council must still formally approve the contract later this summer.

A public art project earlier this year, featuring sculptures of steelhead trout, an endangered species, was led by the Community Environmental Council.

City and county officials believe that displaying art in public places engages the community and exposes the art to people who might not otherwise see it. The program also develops Santa Barbara's reputation as a first-class arts destination, they said.

"The goal is to encourage and promote public art," said Ginny Brush, executive director of the county's Arts Commission.

The artists and their works were chosen by Rita Ferri, visual arts coordinator. Some of the pieces were commissioned for the project.

"I am very excited to see this move forward and bring art back to State Street," said Councilwoman Helene Schneider.

Addressing those who may be uncomfortable with public art, Councilman Brian Barnwell said, "It makes you stop and think about other things."

Art is supposed to challenge people, said Councilman Das Williams, and it can often serve as an education for people who are not normally interested in the arts.

"The whole point is to expand your thinking," he said.

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com


Santa Barbara News-Press

"Das is Dead"

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article, June 11, 2006 by Joshua Molina. ]

Despite election loss, Williams has no regrets


Tasting his first political defeat [2nd District Supervisor, 6/6/2006], Mr. Williams must now gear up for another campaign next year, when he seeks a second term on the Santa Barbara City Council. While some political opponents have been reveling in his defeat, many of his council colleagues, and other observers, are ready to move on and embrace him.

"Everybody loses. Hell, I lost an election," said Councilman Brian Barnwell, who lost a bid for school board in the early 1990s. "It is like playing a game of baseball. You miss, you commit an error. You strike out three times in a row. OK. The next day you come back at it. And he is a come-back-at-it kind of guy. He is young and healthy."

Mr. Williams spent much of the last six months torn between walking precincts and walking City Hall. His time was divided. He was distracted.

He became a lightning rod for controversy and was blamed for fracturing local Democrats who had to choose between him and Janet Wolf, who beat him by eight percentage points in the June primary. He finished third with 21 percent of the vote.

Cast as a man in a hurry, Mr. Williams usually incites one of two reactions in people: adoration or contempt. He ran for the post in the face of opposition from the political establishment and may never be forgiven by a handful of old-guard Democratic insiders.

Now, the 31-year-old is in the position of attempting to mend fences or he runs the risk of getting shut out a second time when he runs for re-election next year.

... colleagues and observers say Mr. Williams is far too talented politically and too knowledgeable about the issues that affect Santa Barbara to be in any real danger of losing.

"He is a worthy, viable and an active member of the community and he ain't lost none of that juice," said Mr. Barnwell. "Do I think he is going to have trouble getting re-elected? I don't think so."

Mr. Williams never seemed completely at ease on the county campaign trail. Usually smooth, articulate and persuasive, he came off stiff in his campaign commercials and lacking the charisma and magnetism that he frequently displays. His boyish smile was replaced by a mature, serious look.

An urban guy who backs affordable housing and environmental initiatives, Mr. Williams performed well in Eastside and Westside areas when he won his council seat in 2003. But he didn't play as well in the suburbs of the 2nd District.

Santa Barbara voters are more liberal and Mr. Williams has pushed a liberal agenda: living wage, environmental protection and affordable housing, in the city.

Even his political opponents acknowledge that his loss in the 2nd District was more about him being the wrong candidate for that constituency, rather than someone voters don't want in office.

The woman whose post he was trying to win, Susan Rose, said he has done some good work in Santa Barbara, but that her district wants a more seasoned and experienced candidate. She backed Ms. Wolf.

"I believe Das can be successful in the future," said Ms. Rose, who was among the high-profile Democrats who didn't want him to run. "But I absolutely believe he needs to finish what he started on the City Council."

Ms. Rose said that she was impressed with some of the things Mr. Williams did while on the council. But she also was agitated with his political "divisiveness."

"He has been impacted by what happened," Ms. Rose said. "If he wants to continue in politics, he needs to build relationships. The best thing he can do at this point is go back to the council and do the job that he was elected to do. And do his homework. I know he can do a good job if he does that."

It appears that Mr. Williams is already trying. On election night he went to Ms. Wolf's party, hugged her, and threw his support behind her. He and the rest of his colleagues on the council now all support Ms. Wolf.

In an interview with the News-Press, Mr. Williams said that although he feels disappointed about losing, he would feel worse if he didn't run.

He accepts his defeat.

"If it is the will of the voters, that's fine," he said. "If I made the decision (not to run) because of the will of a few kingmakers in the party, I would not have felt I did the right thing."

The councilman said he took a risk and "with risk comes the possibility of defeat."

Although one of his goals during the rest of his council term is to build stronger relationships with those unsure about him, Mr. Williams said he will not worry too much about the political opponents ready to write his epitaph. Whether he ran for supervisor or not, his political enemies still would have found something about him to criticize, he believes.

"The same people who are saying 'Das is dead' would have been saying it anyway," he said. "They would have said 'Das lost his nerve.' "

He is glad that his focus now is solely on the City Council.

"I love this job," he said. "I love being a City Council member. I love serving the people of Santa Barbara."

Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, who is a supporter of Mr. Williams, said she welcomes him back. Next year, he will assume the title of Mayor Pro Tem -- Mrs. Blum's backup and the second-in-command on the council. He also has four strong allies on the seven-member council and is part of the progressive bloc that could shape council policies for years.

"Das has a bright future and his whole life ahead of him," Mrs. Blum said. "His focus now will be on the city."

Friend and colleague Helene Schneider, who took a political risk by backing him instead of Ms. Wolf in the primary, said Mr. Williams will do just fine in his future political endeavors as long as he remains focused.

"His re-election in the city of Santa Barbara should be based on his work in the city of Santa Barbara. Period. End of story," she said. "No one, Das included, should be penalized for exercising his or her right to run for public office."

e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com


Santa Barbara News-Press

Poodle Campaign BBQ

[ Excerpt from Nick Welsh's "Angry Poodle Bar-B-Que, SB INDEPENDENT, June 8, 2006. ]

But the dud award of this election goes to Das Williams’s campaign for the 2nd District supervisor’s seat. Williams finished third out of a field of four candidates, barely beating Just-Say-No neighborhood preservationist Joe Guzzardi for last place. (Despite his showing, Guzzardi did twice as well as most handicappers thought he would.)

Coming in first — though only by a smidgen — was Dr. Dan Secord, the sole Republican in the race, who comes across as a mix between Father-Knows-Best and Marcus Welby, MD. Facing Secord in November will be Janet Wolf, a longtime Goleta resident, former Goleta School Boardmember, and darling of the Democratic establishment.

Williams, now serving his first term on the Santa Barbara City Council — is as smart, charismatic, hard-working, and impassioned a political player as Santa Barbara has seen in many moons. Few political animals anywhere radiate such comfort in their own skins, yet the TV commercials that Williams bought and paid for show him as just the opposite — stiff, awkward, and a little bit weird. Whoever made those commercials should be sued for malpractice, but as bad as they were, they constituted only a small portion of his woes.

Williams’s main problem was that he was the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. I always figured Goleta and Noleta were too white-bread and suburban for such a decidedly urban hep cat like Williams, a former I.V. surfer dude and progressive activist given to wearing born-again bling. To his enduring credit, Williams is one of the few lefty enviros who has actively sought to fuse neighborhood protection, open-space preservation, and social-justice agendas into one political package, however unwieldy it may be. In downtown Santa Barbara, that might sell. But in Goleta and Noleta — where NIMBY activists liken affordable-housing advocates to Nazis and affordable-housing advocates reciprocate by comparing the NIMBYs to Southern racists — that’s a trickier proposition. There, it’s more like riding two horses heading in opposite directions at full speed. Little wonder that both sides in this equation suspected Williams was trying too hard to be too many things to too many people. Nor did it help Williams’s case that he seemed to start checking out a 2nd District race almost within months of taking his seat on the City Council. That kind of itchy-pants ambition doesn’t sit well in Santa Barbara, no matter how freaking knowledgeable you might be on land-use issues.

The final nail was Williams’s effort to unseat fellow councilmember and Democrat Iya Falcone in last November’s City Council race by actively supporting and fundraising for anti-Iya candidate Dianne Channing. Williams was hardly the only Democrat to find Falcone’s high-handed style off-putting, but it wasn’t a fight Williams could hope to win and he didn’t come close. As a result, Iya’s friends in the politically influential police and firefighters unions have become Das’s enemies, and the guns-and-hoses power bloc came out strongly for Janet Wolf, Das’s chief Democratic rival in the 2nd District race. Likewise, Democratic Congressmember Lois Capps — who’d gotten involved in the Williams-Falcone fracas on Iya’s behalf — jumped in on Wolf’s behalf as she’s never jumped into a local primary before.

Let’s hope Wolf’s supporters can be as gracious in their victory as Williams has been in defeat. In the first place, gloating’s never attractive. Besides, the two sides need each other if they hope to win in November. Certainly, they need each other if they hope to have a local Democratic Party that’s worth a damn. And when Das gets finished licking his wounds, let’s hope he can get focused on the here-and-now-of council business. He may not be right for Goleta, but he’s still got a whole lot to offer in Santa Barbara.   

— Nick Welsh

The Santa Barbara Independent :: opinions :: Calling All Dogs

Secord/Wolf Advance

[ Excerpt from SBN-P article, June 7, 2006 by Barney McManigal. As of the morning after election day, results are as follows: ]

Dan Secord: 30.6%
Janet Wolf: 29%
Das Williams: 20.8%
Joe Guzzrdi: 19.5%


Dan Secord and Janet Wolf outpaced rivals in Tuesday's race to succeed county Supervisor Susan Rose, winning places in a November runoff after battling for months in the tight four-way contest...

Since last fall the two have been locked in a close battle with Das Williams and Joe Guzzardi for the 2nd District seat on the Board of Supervisors.

In Tuesday's polling, Mr. Williams finished third, with 21 percent of the vote, and Mr. Guzzardi came in last, winning 19 percent. About 10,000 absentee ballots remain uncounted.

Because no candidate won more than 50 percent, the top two finishers must face off in the Nov. 7 nonpartisan election.

... the runoff ends a season of in-fighting that has forced local Democrats to take sides and depleted limited campaign resources...

Housing issues have dominated the race all year, with each contender pledging to protect neighborhoods like the eastern Goleta Valley from over development. The 2nd District stretches from the harbor to Goleta, and has about 85,000 residents.

But recent votes by supervisors to exempt the South Coast from state mandated growth and to update the Goleta Valley Community plan have diminished the focus on housing.

Ms. Wolf, endorsed by top public safety unions, has emphasized the housing needs of the region's critical work force of nurses, teachers and police. Dr. Secord has also highlighted problems facing the aging South Coast work force because young families can't afford homes in the region.

Mr. Guzzardi and Mr. Williams failed to make it into the runoff despite aggressive last-minute pushes...

"You learn much more from your defeats than you do from your victories," said Mr. Williams, who joined supporters at Paoli's in Santa Barbara. "This shouldn't have been about me. This should be about having a slow-growth vote on the Board of Supervisors."

Mr. Williams said he would work hard to get Ms. Wolf elected. "I think she's shown more strength than most people gave her credit for."

Mr. Guzzardi's last-place finish follows three failed bids for City Council in the 1990s...

Besides collecting the most votes, Dr. Secord and Ms. Wolf also took in the most campaign donations, reporting $187,447 and $204,804 this year. Mr. Williams and Mr. Guzzardi have raised $170,341 and $41,000, respectively.

e-mail: bmcmanigal@newspress.com


Santa Barbara News-Press

Campaigns $

[ The following is an excerpt from the 2nd district campaign contributions inventory done by Martha Sadler, printed in the SB INDEPENDENT, 6/1/2006. ]


... While none of the candidates running for 2nd District supervisor has approached the record $230,000 raised in 2004 by 1st District Supe Salud Carbajal, the money continues to flow in the race to replace Susan Rose. The following is a summary of contributors who have given money since mid March, and the totals for the 2006 calendar year.


Janet Wolf:

Leading the pack is Wolf, whose campaign coffers swelled to more than $200,000 — including a $10,000 gift to herself — with $25,000 from the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Association, and another $20,000 from the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriffs Association. Wolf also received considerable support from Democratic incumbent Rep. Lois Capps — running for re-election in November — whose campaign ads featured endorsements of Wolf with an estimated in-kind donation value of $12,000. Friends of Salud Carbajal contributed $17,999 to pay for Wolf’s campaign mailings during this period. Wolf received some $10,000 from out-of-town land developers, while her largest individual contributor was Montecito philanthropist and Democratic donor Lillian Lovelace — wife of Jon Lovelace, heir and CEO of Capital Group Companies, one of the world’s leading investment management organizations. Lovelace made two donations to Wolf in ’06, totaling $10,500. While TV ads have been Wolf’s biggest expenditure, she was the only 2nd District candidate to report spending money on slate cards. Wolf paid a total of $3,275 to be included on the Parents’ Ballot Guide, California Voter Guide, and Early Voter slate cards mailed to homes and available on Web sites. Wolf had roughly $55,000 remaining.


Dan Secord:

Longtime Santa Barbara City Councilmember “Doctor Dan” raised $178,036 by the end of the reporting period with no loans or unpaid bills outstanding. Secord received several generous boosts in ’06, including $7,500 from the California Real Estate PAC and $3,000 from the Republican Lincoln Club of Santa Barbara. Although Secord returned two $1,000 contributions from out-of-town developers, he collected donations from local developers including Michael Towbes, the Blankenships, and Pacific Capital. So far, Secord spent $20,000 on radio ads, more than any other candidate. At the end of the reporting period, Secord had $80,000 left to spend.


Joe Guzzardi:

At the end of the reporting period, the self-professed grassroots candidate had raised the least, with a total of $40,174 that included an initial $100 loan to himself. His largest contributor was Mesa resident Lessie Sinclair Nixon, a liberal philanthropist and former attorney who gave $12,000. Guzzardi garnered numerous donations from activists associated with Citizens for Sensible Planning, who oppose high-density housing in the eastern Goleta Valley. He also collected $125 from anti-roundabout activist Michael Self. Guzzardi spent $10,323 on campaign literature and yard signs, more than he spent on TV or radio; as of May 20, he had some $10,000 remaining.


Das Williams:

With two years left on his Santa Barbara City Council term, Williams’s bid to jump to the Board of Supervisors was kick-started last December with $25,000 from University of Phoenix mogul and environmentalist Peter Sperling, listed by Forbes as one of the world’s wealthiest people in 2003. Williams’s 2006 contributions totaled $119,000, with no loans or unpaid bills. He received $12,500 from the Service Employees International Union, whom Williams collaborated with to institute a living wage for city contract workers and also to prevent Wal-Mart from putting down roots in Ventura. The International Union of Operating Engineers in Pasadena contributed $6,500 worth of in-kind printing services. Williams’s second-largest contribution was for this period was another $12,000 from Sperling. Victoria Ward, a Goleta foothills homeowner, contributed $10,000. Williams garnered thousands from the Santa Barbara Hotels Group and various private hotel owners; he also received numerous donations from environmental and arts advocates. Williams showed an ending cash balance of almost $20,000.


The Santa Barbara Independent :: news :: Follow the Money

County Board Direction

[ The following is Das' Letter to the Editor that was published in the June 2, 2006 edition. ]


Now that the county has prioritized a community plan process and shifted the rezoning to the north, some may think everything is fine. Wrong. There are two major flaws to this argument.

The first is that traffic congestion and air pollution caused by a sprawling North County will be detrimental to the quality of life for all Santa Barbara County residents. The second is that a Community plan only protects the unincorporated area if there is a Board of Supervisors that will honor it. Community plans can be changed on any given Tuesday by a majority vote. It is imperative that we have a supervisor who will fight to protect the integrity of the plan.

The recent move to split comprehensive planning away from Planning and Development means county residents have fewer protections from detrimental developments.

The mission of the department has changed from "protecting us from unplanned growth" to "where to build developments to generate more tax money."

That's what this pressure to grow is all about: money. Some wish to raise revenue at seemingly any cost, even by sacrificing the beauty of our community. Recent recommendations include new oil development, auto malls and "village centers" on our remaining open space.

The county is moving in the wrong direction on land-use issues. The board deserves thanks for prioritizing a community plan, but much has to change within the institution if we are to protect our community from harmful development. I will fight to protect our community's environment and quality of life.

Santa Barbara News-Press