John Jostes, former Santa Barbara City planning commissioner, won the prestigious lifetime Sharon M. Pickett Award for his work mediating protracted and seemingly intractable land use conflicts. Over the years, Jostes put in time mediating multi-partied conflicts over Colorado River water rights, the restoration of the Guadalupe Dunes, and steelhead restoration efforts along Santa Paula Creek. Most recently, he helped restore a sense of civility and open communication among the long-feuding factions making up the Milpas Action Task Force.
