MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Sheriff Jim Anderson snagged some high-profile endorsements for
his re-election bid last week, winning kind words from Santa
Barbara Mayor Marty Blum and former City Councilmember Babatunde
Folayemi. Also endorsing Anderson at last Wednes-day’s courthouse
extravaganza – which featured an impromptu performance of “God
Bless America” by former actress Jane Russell (pictured) – were
Santa Barbara City Councilmember Roger Horton, Ventura County
Sheriff Bob Brooks, and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Patrick
Hedges. Lompoc Police Chief Bill Brown – Anderson’s
opponent – announced last week that he’d been endorsed by SEIU
Local 620, which represents non-sworn employees of the Sheriff’s
Department.

Developers Bill Levy and Roy Millender and their attorney were
socked with a $22,000 court-ordered sanction for filing a frivolous
lawsuit to block enforcement of a legal agreement. The
agreement – which Levy struck himself – required him to repay the
$170,000 that former La Cumbre Country Club golf pro Sam Randolph
lent him in 1997. The Court of Appeal concluded Levy’s lawsuit had
no legal merit. The court also rejected Levy’s claims that the
agreement was usurious and that Randolph verbally agreed to an
extension so Levy could secure funding for his time-share condo
project.

Santa Barbara Assemblymember Pedro Nava called “unacceptable”
the findings of a state audit concluding that California’s
emergency preparedness is being hampered by bureaucratic infighting
and red tape. The audit found that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
has let tens of millions of dollars in federal emergency
preparedness funding go unspent. “California is not prepared to
respond to disasters and acts of terrorism, especially those that
are catastrophic in nature,” Nava said.

Santa Barbara volleyball players Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser
did the city proud last weekend by winning their eighth AVP
tournament of the year, the most tourneys won by a single team
since 1997. Rogers and Dalhausser beat Santa Barbaran Dax Holdren
and his partner Sean Scott at the Best of the Beach Tournament in
Lake Tahoe.

Santa Barbara News-Press reporter Leah Etling resigned last
Friday, bringing the number of reporters, editors, and
photographers who have quit Santa Barbara’s embattled daily to 23.
Etling – who covered news and outdoor endurance events – is the
daughter of former Santa Ynez columnist William Etling, who was
terminated three weeks ago. Leah Etling was supportive of Teamster
efforts to unionize the newsroom. Her departure adds new urgency to
the question dogging union organizers: whether enough union
sympathizers will remain in the newsroom for the union election
scheduled for September 27.