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YYY

Monday, June 4, 2012
By Carol Bemis, Santa Barbara

Ever changed your mind? Your endorsement (“No on Measure Y“) states that Mark Lee intends building Veronica Meadows on 50 acres. This is a smearing of the facts. Mark Lee intends to build Veronica Meadows on 14.8 acres, and 44 acres of open space with a six-acre park.

Yes, there will be an impact – a bridge, construction; changes. When all is said and done the area will be improved, cleaned up, accessible to the public, and safer – much safer. Creek restoration, removal of non-native plants, and revegetating with native species. You we “We are not certain Arroyo Burro actually needs with kind of medicine.” ?????? Granted, there are no crystal balls, but there is plenty of broken glass, trash, etc. that is not going away!

A word about “urban transit lines.” There is a bus stop at Las Positas and Jerry Harwin Parkway. Not to mention is entirely possible to walk there from the Indy office via the Micheltorena overpass and on to Valerio street, entering Elings Park the back way, near the park headquarters. Anybody can do it. I’m in my late ‘60s and I can do it. With that in mind, a creekside path to Alan Road and Hendry’s would mean you could walk from downtown to Hendry’s. Still, there’s that pesky Las Positas crossing. But wait! The Daily Sound reported this week that the Santa Barbara City Council “will pursue control” of Las Positas between Cliff Drive and Highway 101. Helene Schneider was quoted as saying, “By moving forward here, we are opening up opportunities never thought of before.” Hmmm. Could that include a stop light???

Please re-read the City Attorney’s “Impartial Analysis of Measure Y – 2012.” The third paragraph states, “could result in some environmental impacts,” “could impact wildlife,” “could result in noise during construction” (pretty likely actually). The bridge “abutments,” which is where the bridge comes in contact with the ground, will be permanent, hence “no feasible mitigation measures.” The tall, dense riparian habitat – mostly bamboo – could be home for those dusky-footed woodrats. But bamboo? A chiefly topical plant – a native plant?? Doubtful, very doubtful. Very doubtful indeed!

So, Indy editors, meet me at Las Positas and Jerry Harwin Parkway? You can walk or come by bus.– Carol Bemis, Santa Barbara

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Judging Measure Y from the mailings turned out to be an easy task. As a local who with a great neighborhood spent 19 years preserving Ellwood Mesa, I think we learned to recognize it all – developer-speak, biostitution (science for the money, honey) and pretty much every bona fide ecologist, land conservationist, neighborhood association, faculty, or land use group we have. We know how neighbors get courted for signatures and when there’s bull being slung around.

I checked the fine print on this developer’s Yes on Y pieces – out of a few dozen listed supporters, not one name belonged to a credible conservationist. (Two I recognized as transportation activists, neither representing a related group.) But with Measure Y, even an outsider could make a bull’s-eye guess how to vote. It’s “no.” All you have to do is weigh the stack of slick, greeny-blue “yes’ promos against the few “no” pieces. Does anybody think the guys with the money buy our attention these days by hogging media everywhere but here? I will send this local specimen a message at the ballot box. No! – Christina Lange, Goleta

Christina Lange is the president of Friends of the Ellwood Coast

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