‘Country rube’ pans Porter mailer
Candidate Bruce Porter must think 3rd District residents are a bunch of “country rubes.” Why else would he send out a slick malicious “big city” mailer portraying Supervisor Joan Hartmann as misleading voters with false promises while she crosses her fingers behind her back?
Considering Porter’s lack of credibility recently exposed in the press, perhaps it is not surprising that he would attack Hartmann’s credibility. Despite denials, Porter was clearly involved in a scheme to disenfranchise 3rd District voters through the misnamed “Rock the Vote SB” that was designed to reduce local voter turnout.
Porter obviously has plenty of special interest money to burn by commissioning his disinformation campaign, but his message is blatantly at odds with reality. We all know that Joan Hartmann is one of the most hard-working, civil, competent and candid supervisors to serve Santa Barbara County.
Porter attempts to add insult to injury and distortion by including an unflattering doctored portrait of Hartmann in his mailer. It is true that Porter is running against three female candidates, but does he expect to win by cornering the votes of misogynistic males? Would he attack a male opponent the same way?
This is hardly the type of leadership Santa Barbara County needs. I may be a “country rube” but Porter’s smear campaign insults both my intelligence and my values. Knowledgeable 3rd District residents will vote for Joan Hartmann, who is honestly mindful of the concerns of county residents.
Lansing Duncan
Solvang
Hartmann’s policies hurt education
For the last 10 years I have been actively involved in reviewing and granting scholarships for high school students in the Santa Ynez Valley. A good education is one of the most vital elements of a thriving community. We have been fortunate, until recently, that there has been community and county support for superior education.
In just three short years, Joan Hartmann’s votes and policies have cut millions of dollars of revenue that should have gone to schools in the Santa Ynez Valley and surrounding areas. That number will grow every year until Hartmann is voted out of office and replaced by Bruce Porter.
Supervisor Hartmann concocted a plan that effectively diverts money away from local schools and into the county general fund. In 2017 Hartmann chose to negotiate the terms of the Camp 4 agreement in secret, and the results have devastated local schools. The agreement included $178,000 to be paid to Santa Barbara County for 10 years, in lieu of paying property taxes. Normally, about half of the property tax goes to local schools (where the Camp 4 children will attend), so $89,000 should have been designated for Santa Ynez Elementary School and Santa Ynez Valley High School every single year. But instead, the agreement called for every penny to be sent to the county general fund and none (or nearly none) of it will reach local schools.
But it gets worse. New construction planned for Camp 4 would normally add additional dollars to local schools through developer’s fees, as 143 new homes will undoubtedly generate more students. At current rates, 143 new homes would have added about $1.2 million to local schools. The new homes would ordinarily also generate higher property tax rates as new homes were built on raw land, but there is no provision in the Hartmann agreement to take that into account. At approximately $1 million per home for 143 homes, that’s another $143 million every single year in lost revenues, not even accounting for allowable increased under Prop. 13. But Hartmann chose not to include any of this in her agreement and none of the money will be used in the classroom.
Elsewhere, Hartmann’s policies on the Santa Ynez Unit in Las Flores Canyon have already resulted in losses of over $2 million to Santa Ynez High School and increased class size in Buellton schools. A study done by UCSB calculates losses to Santa Ynez High School of about $494,000 every single year — which is the equivalent of six teachers. The UCSB study calculated losses to Goleta schools at $2.2 million per year and County Fire at $1.2 million per year. The same policies have nearly bankrupted Vista Del Mar School District on the Gaviota Coast, in existence for 93 years. Some Gaviota students are already being bused to school in Buellton.
Interestingly, Supervisor Hartmann never bothered to pick up the phone to talk to elected school board members or school district superintendents to discuss the impact of her actions or ways to mitigate them. I guess it wasn’t a good photo op.
I am supporting Bruce Porter for 3rd District County Supervisor because he fully understands the issues, supports improved local schools, can dialogue with educational leaders and has the financial acumen to solve these financial issues. Bruce was a member and president of the Santa Ynez High School District and understands the impact of county funding on the futures of our children, the leaders of tomorrow. As an engineer, he has deep experience with roads, highways, parks and utilities. He has built a business and created jobs for local residents. He has served and supported numerous nonprofits to serve our community’s most needy families. He is not beholden to any political party or special interest group. Bruce Porter is the best choice for 3rd District Supervisor.
Richard Nagler
Solvang
If Karen Jones wins, we all win
I support Karen Jones for Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor. She is ready to take on the significant issues that impact our community and the broad issues facing the county.
Everyone should have received their Voter Guide and ballot by mail. Santa Barbara County charges candidates $2,166 to publish a Statement of Qualifications in the Voter Guide. This is on top of the candidate filing fee in excess of $1,300.00. This is a local election; it’s a shame that it is so expensive to enter the race. Karen opts to use social media, her website, interviews, neighborhood and campus walks to get her message out. She will engage and answer any questions you may have.
Karen Jones is fearless, result oriented, and “always open to hearing other people’s ideas and never afraid to expose the fallacies in arguments.”
Karen Jones is not a board sitter. She challenges the status quo. Being the only woman ever elected to serve on the Santa Ynez Valley Community Services District Board, she has made great strides in getting projects moving forward. It is particularly fascinating that she was selected by colleagues to serve as president of the board for a second consecutive term.
Karen Jones was elected and serves on the Santa Ynez Valley Airport Authority, representing the users/non-users of the airport. The SYV Airport Authority is responsible for safety, securing FAA grants, county leases and hangar construction, to name a few.
Karen Jones will never turn a blind eye to waste, fraud or abuse of public resources.
Karen Jones stands for trust, moral obligation, truth and common sense. To learn more go to: www.VoteKarenJones.com
Please Vote for Karen Jones for Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor, on March 3. If she wins, we all win.
Michelle de Werd
Los Olivos
Thank You, Supervisor Hartmann
Supervisor Joan Hartmann has earned the continued support of the people of Vandenberg Village. The Vandenberg Village Park & Playground effort has made significant strides since she came into office; she was able to take an idea from her constituents, get the right people together, and bring this project to fruition.
Eight years ago, the Vandenberg Village Association, which has long advocated for a tot lot, created the V. V. Park & Playground Coalition (VVP&PC) to advance the project. When Supervisor Hartmann was elected, things really took off: the VVP&PC discussed the idea at one of her first community office hours. Joan put the group in touch with the county Community Services Department, and over the course of two years, hosted several more meetings. The result was that the tot-lot design grew to be a large 1.5 acre park/playground that accommodated all ages. The masterplan has been fine-tuned and is ready for action.
The recently passed Proposition 68 makes available grants for new parks and open spaces. The VVP&PC, with significant guidance from Joan’s office, submitted a grant. As the project is now essentially ‘shovel ready,’ there is great optimism that the Village Tot Lot will receive funding.
Hartmann gets things done because she works for her constituents every day. Her background in law and in public advocacy makes her a seasoned and talented decision-maker. She spends the necessary time to research the issues and she always shows great civility.
Please join me in re-electing Joan Hartmann 3rd District Supervisor.
Marell Brooks,
Vandenberg Village
Hartmann serves our senior citizens
As a daughter who took care of aging parents until their passing, I saw first-hand how dedicated Joan Hartmann is to our senior citizens.
Joan worked closely with the staff of the Solvang Senior Center to secure a long-term lease so the center could stay in its present location. She is currently doing the same for the Buellton Senior Center, which is located on a County Fire Department site. Talk of moving the center to a different location proved very unpopular with seniors and Buellton residents, who want the center to stay in its present convenient, central location. Joan helped negotiate a long-term lease for the current center. She even arranged for the fire department to provide electricity during a power outage, so it can serve as a warming center and food distribution site in an emergency.
In addition, Joan currently chairs the Adult and Aging Network that is developing a Master Plan for Seniors in response to Gov. Newsom’s initiative. This will determine future policies and procedures for Santa Barbara County seniors for year to come.
In addition to supporting seniors, Joan also chairs the K.I.D.s Policy Network and is the alternate for the County’s First Five Children and Families Commission. She also has promoted policies to ensure the libraries in the county can continue to offer hours, services and programs to all citizens.
I strongly urge you to support Joan Hartmann on March 3. She truly is dedicated to providing critical services to the citizens of Santa Barbara County.
Judith Dale
Buellton
Re-elect ‘Wonder Woman’ Hartmann for 3rd
I think 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann is one of our local Wonder Women.
The vast district includes the urban centers of Goleta, Isla Vista and Guadalupe, the Gaviota Coast, our bountiful agricultural lands, Vandenberg Air Force Base and the Santa Ynez Valley. It is the largest and most challenging district due to its sheer size, great diversity of constituencies and enterprises.
Joan Hartmann’s performance in office represents everything a public servant should be. She is knowledgeable, responsive and committed to meeting not only her constituents’ needs, but also the needs of residents and local businesses countywide.
Given her core belief that we succeed when we work together, it’s no surprise that she gets along well with all her supervisor colleagues as well as the rank and file county employees. Joan demonstrates her commitment to responsiveness and openness by being available — in addition to holding office hours in three offices, she holds monthly pop-up office hours throughout her district.
Having served as 3rd District Supervisor for eight years, I know that it is hard work. Joan’s success in meeting our challenges head-on is due to her high level of energy, intelligence and integrity. I am proud to support her and strongly urge you to re-elect Joan Hartmann for Supervisor this March 3rd.
Gail Marshall,
Carpinteria
Porter claims against Hartmann misleading
I recently received a mailer exhorting me to “vote against Joan Hartmann.” I wasn’t advised who I was supposed to vote for. However, in tiny letters I found the source: “Paid for by Porter for Supervisor.” Perhaps Bruce Porter was reluctant to ask people to vote for him because of his misleading statements.
Porter’s mailer claims that Joan broke a promise about the Vista Del Mar School, causing its financial difficulties. He footnotes his claim, but his source cites as causes a combination of the Refugio Oil Spill and state changes in education funding, issues over which Joan has no control. Then, without any authority, he contends that the negotiations over Camp 4 diverted tax money from education to the general fund. Sorry, wrong there too.
Next, Porter contends that Joan broke some promise about cannabis. Again, Porter’s citation doesn’t support his statement, and instead states that the county benefitted by an extra $1.2 million in revenue from cannabis operations. He wrongly contends that Joan allowed cannabis into the county without restrictions; Joan has in fact fought diligently to regulate the industry.
Third, Porter asserts that Joan broke a promise about infrastructure, resulting in unsafe parks, bridges and roads. Yet again, Porter cites a document that doesn’t support his contention, the County Road Maintenance Plan. In fact, Joan has consistently voted to fund deferred maintenance of county infrastructure.
If you value honesty and integrity in government over lies and innuendo, please join me in voting to re-elect Joan Hartmann.
France Komoroske
Santa Ynez
Hartmann best for Los Alamos, district
Please join me in voting for Joan Hartmann in the upcoming election for the 3rd District Supervisor.
I have known Joan for several years and have found her to be a caring, compassionate, intelligent woman, willing to listen to all sides of an issue.
Joan has reached out to residents here in Los Alamos to hear our concerns and offer creative solutions. Her involvement in our community, through monthly public meetings and attendance and support of our community events shows that she is a woman of service and integrity, who truly wants the best for Los Alamos and all the communities she serves.
She has established a clear track record of supporting local business and creating an environment to encourage business development.
Joan has represented the 3rd District with distinction, often taking on projects and completing tasks behind the scenes without any fanfare or notoriety.I know she will continue to serve the with the same passion and dedication that has been a hallmark
of her professional life.
It’s vital that we vote our values, so I’ll be voting to re-elect Joan Hartmann.
She’s been an effective advocate for us all.
Carole Bloom,
Los Alamos
