Comments by RHS
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Posted on October 13 at 4:58 p.m.
Not stated in this story is that Mayor Blum sent her email warning only to the Democratic voter list. If there is an issue should "our" mayor send out her advice to all registered voters?
As far as blaming the Post Office for any of this, that's absurd. They do a great job. If people don't pay attention to what is delivered to them its not the carriers fault.
Posted on August 22 at 3:36 p.m.
No comment on what the police and fire unions are going to do now? They won't set it out. One assumes they will be for the candidate that has proven to be supportive--Helene Schneider, and against the candidate that is overtly hostile--Dale Francisco. If the past is prologue we should assume that expensive full color fliers of uniformed safety personnel will fill the air and mail and frighten people into voting for their choice. This does leave room for thoughtful conservatives to rally behind Steve Cushman but we need to remember where and how he has made his living. The idea of another Downtown Organization shill leading policy should make us consider if we are happy with the direction the city has taken for the past few decades. I for one don't think tourism should be the highest level of economic aspiration and would like to believe that voters want some attention paid to the real neighborhood problems that continue to be neglected. Sidewalks in communities without them, affordable housing (yes including renovation of neighborhoods, more apartments and encouragement of multi-family sharing of large homes by allowing rental of rooms and "mother in law" conversions are issues that would make our town a better place. The Poodle cold shoulder and denigration aside, some of the other candidates do have ideas that we should consider, like Isaac Garretts' proposed district elections.
Posted on August 14 at 10:31 a.m.
Dudley a highly respected attorney in the legal community? Nonsense. She is seen as a blatant self-promoter and bully with marginal skills at best. Clearly she is now ready to turn on Stanley who probably should resign. But there are many people more qualified to be DA than one who has participated in so much of the ethically questionable efforts of this office over the past 10 years. Get someone from the outside and clean up the hubris.
Posted on July 2 at 10:01 a.m.
So here is another example of why SBCC should build dorms to house out of area "students." I am certain they bring high academic and social values to our town.
Posted on June 25 at 10:11 a.m.
Whoa! This stuff is so far off line. At least some attention should be directed to the claim that the DA is uniquely prosecuting someone for what was said at a DMV hearing. This is certainly rare--DAs almost never even know what happens at such hearings. DDA Perlin's comments that Amijo pled 'no contest' to the DUI and this is proof that he lied is also absurd. Perlin and any person handling such matters knows that the PRIMARY purpose of entering a no contest plea is to avoid saying "guilty." Such a plea means the defendant understands the evidence is strong enough to convict him and the court will treat him as guilty but he is not saying that. It preserves rights to challenge such a claim in subsequent proceedings.
All together this prosecution does smell of pettiness and personal vendetta.
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Posted on April 21 at 4:45 p.m.
Without seeming too callous, does anyone know what the cost of responding to such events is and whether or not the responders have the authority and interest to bill for the taxpayer expenses incurred when such hobbies go wrong? It seems that once or twice a week we read about private plane crashes and read and watch the emergency service agencies engage in what must be tremendously expensive search and recovery operations. Doesn't it seem that persons who wish to engage in such activities should have to carry indemnification insurance?
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Posted on March 12 at 12:16 p.m.
So many opinions and so little facts. Here are some to consider:
1. Homelessness is increasing everywhere. People are not coming to Santa Barbara to be homeless, there is just more homelessness. Casa residents identifying their last housing as in Santa Barbara has increased by 20%. At the same time some of "ours" are in shelters elsewhere.
2. Stores are not closing because of homeless presence. Its the economy stupid. The LATimes today talks about Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and West LA businesses closing and the amount of storefront vacancies. These problems are everywhere. Stop scapgoating the victims of the bad economy for the results of the bad economy. Get some logic. (And if their esthetic is bothering you to look at, why not build a place they can go and be out of sight.)
3. Moving treatment and care centers out where "land is cheap" doesn't work and has been tried. State of Ca built a huge mental health prison facility near Coalinga (as I recall) which it couldn't open because professional staff wouldn't live out there.
4. Each community produces its share of homelessness. Santa Barbara needs to recognize and accept its responsibility. More, Carpinteria, Goleta, and the County have failed to do even as much as the city has done.
5. Of course some homeless people say things like I don't want to work, take care of me, I need help, etc etc etc. This is part of their failure to function properly. This is what makes them unable to compete. Don't be bitter. Think about whether sleeping out in the rain and cold with no shelter and with odd handouts and occasional food and being harassed by the authorities and derided by the good burghers subject to all the illness and risk that such entails is an easy life. Mentally ill people say odd things but they should not be bound by what they say, duh!
6. The cost of housing the homeless is peanuts compared to what is spent on, for example, replacing the sidewalks every few years on State Street and other things taxpayers are expected to fund for businesses and favored groups.(such as the millions spent on the restoration of the Granada).
Posted on March 12 at 11:42 a.m.
Francisco, Falcone and Williams refused to support this measure because it would dilute the impact of the powerful interest groups that have funded them and which continue to dominate city hall.
This is a major step toward more participatory democracy and a blow to special interest group power.
A tip of the hat to Helene Schneider, Grant Houses, Marty Blum and Roger Horton for doing the right thing for the right reason.
Posted on March 7 at 2:44 p.m.
Isn't it bizarre that the city thinks it should allow 200 people to shelter for four months of the year and then throw half of them out and then prosecute the ones it throws out for being without a place to sleep at night??
This isn't what I want my city tax dollars to do.
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Posted on October 26 at 10:10 a.m.
It makes me somewhat anxious that the city elections staff is apparently giving out demographic information on the age and political registration of the ballots received. If this is true I wonder why?
On Low Voter Turnout Cause for Concern