#51 The Goodland Outlook

Dear Goleta Neighbors and Friends of The Goodland Coalition,

As you might have noticed, we send you The Goodland Outlook only when issues affecting Goleta pop up that we think you want to know about, like the ones listed below. Telling you about these issues and what you can do about them is in keeping with our mission of:

  • • Advocating policies that protect, preserve, and improve Goleta’s unique character;
  • • Encouraging and facilitating participation of Goleta residents in community planning and decision-making.

Please review the “short take” below and then scroll down for details on what interests you most.

1. OPPOSE DANGEROUS OIL TRUCKING PROPOSAL

We are asking you to join The Goodland Coalition, the City of Goleta, the Goleta School Board, the Goleta Water Board, many Goleta residents and businesses, UCSB student groups, and other community and environmental groups in asking that the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission recommends denying ExxonMobil’s oil trucking project. We want to avoid the dangerous oil spills, risks of traffic shutdowns and increase in dangerous diesel emissions that will occur if this proposal succeeds.

2. SUPPORT CITY OF GOLETA’S APPEAL COUNTY APPROVAL OF A CANNABIS PROJECT IN WINCHESTER CANYON

Please join The Goodland Coalition and neighborhood groups supporting Goleta’s appeal of this project. The city is appealing because of two major concerns: the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) hazards known to occur in the well water which will be used to irrigate cannabis growth, and an odor abatement plan for the outdoor grow using the most effective odor abatement technologies is needed.

3. PARTICIPATE IN REDISTRICTING OF SB COUNTY CITY OF GOLETA AND OF THE GOLETA WATER DISTRICT

As you may already know, redistricting is going on locally to adjust for the 2020 census population changes, and for transitioning Goleta and Goleta Water District to a process where we will be able to vote for only one representative for each, depending on where we live. This is your chance to weigh in on the process in each jurisdiction.

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1. OPPOSE DANGEROUS OIL TRUCKING PROPOSAL

The Goleta Goodland Coalition unanimously joined the City of Goleta, the Goleta School Board, the Goleta Water Board, many Goleta residents and businesses, UCSB student groups, and other community and environmental groups in asking that the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission recommends denying ExxonMobil’s oil trucking project.

Only some of the reasons we oppose it include the following: 

·     Danger from spills: ExxonMobil proposes trucking more than one billion gallons of crude oil via 25,000 round-trip truck trips a year for up to 7 years on our local 101 – on a windy stretch of road with a high accident rate.

·      Risk of freeway shut downs: Highway 101 the only freeway in or out of Goleta and oil tanker accidents have shut down the freeway for extended periods of time, including one incident that shut down the freeway during the Thomas fire when people were trying to evacuate. 79 tanker truck crashes have occurred in California in the last 21 years, 12 of which were in Santa Barbara County, leaving 56 people injured, 28 people dead and spilling over 100,000 gallons of oil.

·      Increased dangerous diesel emissions: ExxonMobil would be using diesel trucks, and according to the California Air Resources Board, “Diesel engine emissions are believed to be responsible for about 70% of California’s estimated known cancer risk attributable to toxic air contaminants.” 

What you can do: 

·      Email the Planning Commissioners today demanding they deny this dangerous proposal. ExxonMobil’s plan will result in more oil spills, air pollution, and increased climate change at a time when we need to pursue clean energy alternatives. Email your comments today to dvillalo@co.santa-barbara.ca.us.

·      Speak up virtually at the public hearings on September 29 and October 1. Please register in advance to give public comment. 

2. SUPPORT CITY OF GOLETA’S APPEAL COUNTY APPROVAL OF A CANNABIS PROJECT IN WINCHESTER CANYON

The City of Goleta is appealing the County of Santa Barbara’s recent approval of a cannabis project located just outside of the City’s limits near the Winchester Canyon Road neighborhood. The project calls for the development of approximately 17 acres of nursery and outdoor cannabis cultivation, and includes storage, drying and processing of the cannabis in two buildings on a property zoned for agricultural use located at 222 Winchester Canyon Road, about 0.5 miles outside of City limits.

The City’s has two major concerns about this project: 

The first relates to the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) hazards known to occur in the well water which will be used to irrigate the outdoor cannabis nursery stock and cannabis being cultivated in the fields.

The second concern is the cannabis odor from the outdoor cultivation. Neighbors living down-canyon from the site have previously experienced nuisance cannabis odors when there was an unpermitted grow at this site. The project currently lacks an adequate odor abatement plan. Thus a plan must be required to control the cannabis odors which are expected to occur during the cannabis blooming and harvesting periods from June through November. The City’s issues are more fully explained at this link: https://www.cityofgoleta.org/city-hall/planning-and-environmental-review/county-cannabis-permitting

After the City files their appeal with the County (due 9/27), the next step in the appeal process is for a hearing of the project before the SB County Planning Commission, which at this writing, is expected to occur early in 2022.

Once The Goodland Coalition has further info about the timing of the appeal hearing, we will alert our readers on how to support the City in their appeal efforts. It will be very important that the County hear from Goleta residents. 

Please note that while a permit has been approved, with an appeal being filed, the project will not start their cannabis cultivation activities until there is resolution of the appeal.

For additional information about the project and the appeal process, please contact the County’s project planner Chris Schmuckal at cschmuckal@countyofsb.org or (805) 568-3510. 

3. PARTICIPATE IN REDISTRICTING OF SB COUNTY, CITY OF GOLETA AND OF THE GOLETA WATER DISTRICT 

As you may already know, redistricting is going on locally to adjust for the 2020 census population changes, and for transitioning Goleta and Goleta Water District to a process where we will be able to vote for only one representative for each, depending on where we live. 

You may also know that for the first time the City of Goleta and The Goleta Water District will be creating districts, and with one exception, will be electing City Council Members and Goleta Water District Commissioners BY DISTRICT, instead of at large. This will begin with the 2022 elections but the effort to create districts has started so it will be completed well before the 2022 elections. 

Yes, each of us will fall into one of four City of Goleta districts and one of five Goleta Water Districts districts, and we will be able to vote for only on people running in our respective districts. The exception is that everyone in Goleta will get to vote for Goleta’s Mayor (whose current term ends in 2024.) 

We, the public, are invited to provide input on all of these 3 redistricting efforts. So below are the websites for SB County, City of Goleta, and Goleta Water District where you will find information and videos on how you can provide your input via emails, workshops and remote testimony. You can even use online tools to actually propose boundaries for the new districts.

To learn how you can help determine the districts you will be living in for each of these jurisdictions, check out the websites below, and let your voice be heard.NOTE: Click here to see Agenda for Goleta Water Districts’ Redistricting Workshop Tuesday, September 28 at 6pm. http://www.goletawater.com/meetingdocs/document-gate.php?f=agendas/Agenda_for_Election_Code_10010_Hearing_9-28-2021_Final.pdf SB County: https://drawsantabarbaracounty.org/ City of Goleta: https://drawgoleta.org/ Goleta Water District: http://www.goletawater.com/about-the-district/transitioning-to-district-based-elections-for-2022 

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FYI: CITY OF GOLETA CONTACT INFORMATION:

To send an email to Mayor Perotte, city council members Aceves, Bennett, Kasdin, Kyriaco, and Richards and City Manager Greene, copy the following and past it into the TO: section of an email.

pperotte@cityofgoleta.org, raceves@cityofgoleta.org, jkyriaco@cityofgoleta.org, skasdin@cityofgoleta.org, krichards@cityofgoleta.org, mgreene@cityofgoleta.org

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