I want to extend sincere thanks to Jim Richardson for 18 years of dedicated service to this community. This is difficult, time-consuming work and he’s deserving of our appreciation for his commitment. Even though he will be stepping down from his official role, he will always be my colleague and I look forward to many more policy conversations over coffee in the years to come.

Transitions can be tricky, but I trust the outgoing Council members will engage in the smooth and dignified transition our residents expect and deserve.

I am so happy to see how many Solvang residents stepped up to run for office and get involved in local governance. I hope this remains the case. This is after all a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Government relies on new ideas, new energy, and participation by all.

The policies set by our City Council, carried out by the office of the Mayor through the City’s departments, will be driven by a vision to protect our cultural heritage, balance the needs of residents with business-friendly growth while finding low cost solutions to water, sewer and all infrastructure challenges.

I eagerly embrace the challenges and responsibilities ahead and hope to have our community’s continued engagement. I am honored to have earned your vote and will work tirelessly to make this the best small city in California. There is much work to be done, and I look forward to getting started with the new City Council that the people of Solvang have chosen.

Ryan Toussaint

The post Letter to the Editor: Thank you Solvang appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Unfortunately what I’ve been witnessing and reading in the papers and online, printed by just a few individuals regarding ID1 and its board members and water manager, is just plain mean-spirited, accusatory and a blatant disregard for the truth.

This board is dedicated to the preservation of our valley and water resources.  They are kind individuals who have gone above and beyond their duty as board members to help people throughout our valley and beyond.  If you would just take time to get to know any of these men up for re-election, you would see they are men of integrity, knowledge and are just all around nice guys.

Please let’s not let a few individuals with an agenda, who just moved into our valley last year, taint our minds with their bold, untrue accusations and constant threats of lawsuits.  Let’s not throw decency and common sense out the door for the drama of just a few.  I would encourage these people who have such hate in them to go out to coffee with any of these board members, and you don’t have to agree with everything, but please be a kind human being and try to understand another’s reasoning by the good old art of discussion.

Robyn Clay

Solvang

The post Letter to the Editor – Be kind; ID1 board members are good people appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

In addition to national and statewide candidates on the Nov. 6 ballot, local voters will see three ballot measures and an unusually large number of candidates in Buellton, Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District.

In the high school district, 11 people are running for three school board seats.

In Solvang, incumbent Jim Richardson and City Councilman Ryan Toussaint are competing for mayor, while eight other people are seeking two council seats.

And in Buellton, where Mayor Holly Sierra is unopposed, seven people are competing for four City Council positions.

The Santa Ynez Valley Star will be profiling candidates in those races in our Oct. 2 issue.

Ballot measures include a tax on marijuana sales in Solvang, a parcel tax in the Buellton Union School District, and a bond measure in the Hancock College district.

Four forums have been scheduled over the next several weeks so voters can hear directly from the candidates. Sponsors of those forums include The Star, W.E. Watch, the Solvang Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Ynez Valley News.

The schedule of forums is:

• Thursday, Sept. 27, 7-9:30 p.m.: Santa Ynez Community Service District and ID1 (the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District, Improvement District No. 1) at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos.
• Wednesday, Oct. 3, 7-9 p.m.: Buellton City Council at Oak Valley Elementary School multipurpose room. In addition, information will be available about the Buellton Union School District’s parcel tax ballot measure.
• Thursday, Oct. 4, 6-7 p.m. meet and greet, 7-8:30 p.m. forum for Solvang mayor and City Council at Bethania Lutheran Church Parish Hall.
• Wednesday, Oct. 10, 6-8 p.m.: High school board candidates at the Little Theater on the high school campus.

The ballot measures are:

Solvang city cannabis tax (simple majority required to pass): Residents will be asked to vote on a measure that would allow the city to collect at least 5 percent and a maximum of 10 percent sales tax, with a maximum 1 percent increase per year, on cannabis sales. The city approved an ordinance in August allowing for one or more medicinal cannabis dispensaries within the city limits. Goleta and Lompoc have similar measures on the ballot.

Buellton Union School District Parcel Tax (2/3 approval required to pass): District voters will decide on a tax measure asking for $99 per parcel of land annually for eight years beginning July 1, 2019. The measure allows exemptions for homeowners who are 65 or older or who receive Supplemental Security Income for a disability. The tax would raise approximately $250,000 a year to improve STEM and arts programs, bring back a music program, maintain small class sizes, increase student access to technology, preserve reading intervention programs, and expand student health and wellness programs.

Hancock College District Bond Measure (55 percent required to pass): The $75 million bond measure will provide funding to upgrade the college. The bond measure will modernize and upgrade classrooms, facilities and technology and expand access to training programs that help students learn real-world skills. The length of the bond is 30 years.

Not on the ballot are positions where candidates were unopposed. People automatically elected include Buellton mayor Holly Sierra and school board members in Ballard (Stephen Jacobs and Chris Kazali), Buellton (Andrew Morgan), College School District (Molly Walker, Craig Little and Debbie Goldsmith), Los Olivos (Demory Fordyce), Solvang (Benjamin Olmedo, Meghan Garvey and John Winkler), and Vista Del Mar Union School District (Stephanie Mathis and Ryan Harrington).

Santa Barbara County is due to begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots on Oct. 9. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 22.

For more information, log onto www.sbcvote.com.

The post November ballot loaded with local candidates appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Santa Ynez Valley Elks Lodge 2640 presented We Support the Troops with a check for $2,500 from a grant made possible by the Elks National Foundation. The group will use the funds for food, hygiene items and other materials for active-duty military members, sending more than 100 boxes each month.

SYV We Support the Troops is an all-volunteer effort charged with soliciting the donations of supporters, purchasing the necessary goods requested by those deployed, and packaging and mailing the boxes to American troops serving in combat zones.

To get more information or learn how to volunteer, go to we-support-the-troops.org. For more about the Santa Ynez Elks Lodge, go to syvelks.com.

Poll workers needed for November election

The Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters office is looking for volunteers to serve as poll workers for the Nov. 6 election.

Community participation is key to staffing the nearly 170 precinct boards for the election, a spokesman said. Some large employers in the county show support by allowing and encouraging their employees to participate.

“Poll workers are on the frontline of democracy; without them voting does not happen,” said Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor and Registrar of Voters.

People who work at a polling place receive a stipend of $180 to $240 for Election Day and to attend training. Each polling place has one or more Precinct Boards composed of one inspector and two to four clerks. Each polling place has a coordinator and, if needed, a traffic clerk.

To learn more about the poll worker program and training process, go to sbcassessor.com/Elections/Pollworker.aspx. To sign up, call 844-259-0348 or email smpolls@co.santa-barbara.ca.us in the Santa Ynez Valley and North County, or sbpolls@co.santa-barbara.ca.us for South Coast polling stations.

Buellton Senior Center thanks volunteers, donors, staff and supporters

The Buellton Senior Center on Aug. 9 “gathered all the many people together who contribute time, money, food, and love to make the center such a wonderful place,” at the home of Executive Director Pam Gnekow and her husband Bill.

The Gnekows set up their tennis court for an outdoor dinner with stations for appetizers, barbecued tri-tip and chicken, baked potatoes with all the trimmings, green salad, decadent desserts and beverages.

Eighty-seven people attended and were called up in groups to be thanked and receive framed certificates with their names to acknowledge their contributions. Board President David Lehman, who is moving out of the area, was presented with a going-away gift for his new home.

Donors to get free dinner after Vikings blood drive

Donors at a blood drive hosted by the Vikings of Solvang from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, will receive a $25 voucher for dinner at a participating local restaurant.

The Vikings are volunteering to coordinate the event, which will be at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall, through United Blood Services (UBS) of the Central Coast.

“The Vikings rely on the generous people in the Santa Ynez Valley for a successful blood drive,” said Rene Martinez, this year’s Viking chief. “Our goal is to collect at least 100 pints of blood, and the free dinner is our way to thank you for your support — and for your donation of blood for those who need it.”

Walk-in donors are welcome, but UBS asks that donors make an appointment in advance, if possible, at www.blood4life.org, using sponsor code 1081, or by calling 805-543-4290, ext. 0.

Donors must be 18 or older. They are asked to eat a meal and drink plenty of water before arriving, and to bring photo identification. For more information call the Vikings blood drive chairman, Max Hanberg, at 805-688-6012.

The Vikings of Solvang are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides help for the medically related needs of qualified people and organizations in Santa Barbara County, with a goal of improving people’s quality of life.

For more information, go to www.vikingcharitiesinc.com.

Danish homestay program seeking host families

In February 2019, Santa Ynez Valley Union High School will have close to 30 new students when the Neils Brock Homestay program returns to the valley for a seventh year.

The program also allows local families to get a first-hand introduction to Danish culture by sharing their home and community with a Danish student.

The group of students, who are between 15 and 17 years old, arrives at the beginning of February and departs June 1. Once here, students attend the high school but are taught their own curriculum to align with their degree requirements back home.

North American colleges and universities are considered to be among the best in the world, and it is a priority for many Danish parents that their children get to experience the American culture and educational system first-hand. By becoming a homestay host, families will give a Danish student a chance of a lifetime.

Host families receive a $600 monthly stipend and in return are asked to welcome the student into their family and community.

For more information or to participate, contact Jutta Aichinger at jutta.aichinger@gmail.com or 805-637-8956.

For more information about Niels Brock and the Solvang project, visit www.brock.dk/solvang.

The post Lifestyle Briefs September B appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com

Throughout weeks of legal wrangling, two candidates for the board of a local water service district have seen their names on the November ballot, then removed, then restored just in time for the ballot to be printed.

The Santa Barbara County Elections Division approved Brian Schultz and Anita Finifrock on Aug. 9 and 10 as candidates for the board of ID1 — the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District, Improvement District No. 1 — but they were removed after attorneys for the district said that a section of state water code requires candidates to own property in the district.

After Philip Seymour, an attorney for the two candidates, challenged that decision, county Clerk-Recorder-Assessor Joe Holland informed all parties that he would restore Finifrock’s and Schultz’s names to the ballot. He cited a California Attorney General’s opinion that “concluded that the application of a property owner requirement to a particular district involved substantial questions of fact and law and was subject to judicial resolution after the election.”

He announced his decision on Aug. 27 and noted that his office was required to send the final ballot to the printer on Sept. 1.

With the two candidates again on the ballot, incumbent Brad Joos will face Allen Anderson, a retired business executive; incumbent Jeff Clay will face Finifrock, a communications manager; and incumbent Kevin Walsh will face Schultz, a retired fire chief.

“I am very happy that County Elections decided to reverse their decision and place Mr. Schultz and Ms. Finifrock back on the ballot and are protecting the rights of voters and candidates. ID1’s ‘holder of title or land’ rule is archaic and doesn’t override the California Constitution,” Seymour said in a telephone interview.

Seymour is a retired attorney who is a former chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center and for a number of local public figures, including former 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr.

Schultz also said he was glad to hear Holland restored him to the ballot.

“What concerns me is that ID1 is using rate-payer money to have lawyers challenge whether other rate payers (that pay their salary) are not allowed to run for trustee. If ID1 were private this might work, but this is a public entity and everyone who is in the district and registered to vote should be allowed to run,” Schultz said.

Finifrock could not be reached for comment.

ID1 General Manager Chris Dahlstrom said he doesn’t accept Holland’s decision.

“The Registrar of Voters has reversed course again by determining that they (Schultz and Finifrock) are qualified, regardless of what the statutory requirements are to be elected as a trustee,” Dahlstrom said by email on Aug. 29.

“ID No. 1 is currently working with the Registrar of Voters to straighten out whether or not these candidates are actually qualified in order to ensure that all candidates on the November ballot are actually qualified and avoid the waste of taxpayer dollars associated with an unqualified candidate,” Dahlstrom continued.

Seymour said he expected ID1 to challenge the decision, but doesn’t believe they will be successful.

“Those rules might apply for a private water district, but not a public entity like ID1. They aren’t a water district, they are an improvement district. It says so in their name,” he added.

ID1 was created in 1959 to deliver water to residential, commercial and agricultural users in the Santa Ynez Valley. It now serves about 2,700 connections. The district’s boundaries include parts of Solvang, although those voters get their water from the city. Solvang relies primarily on wells and state water but does buy some water from ID1.

For more information about the district, go to www.syrwd.org, call 805-688-6015, or visit the district office at 3622 Sagunto St. in Santa Ynez.

Noozhawk Managing Editor Giana Magnoli contributed to this report.

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Noozhawk North County Editor

During a special meeting on June 15, the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees agreed to put a $75 million bond measure on the November ballot, asking voters to approve funding for a fine-arts complex and other projects.

The 4-1 vote came three days after the board failed to reach the needed majority for the bond proposal to move forward, with a 3-1 vote on June 12.

The difference was the return of board member Larry Lahr, who had been ill the previous night. Board member Dan Hilker opposed the proposal during both meetings.

“Now the real work begins,” Board President Hilda Zacarias said after the final vote.

Hancock will ask voters to pass a $75 million bond measure, which would need 55-percent approval. Since Hancock will cancel $34 million in unspent funds from Measure I, which was approved in 2006, the 2018 bond would amount to $41 million in new money.

College leaders say the new bond is needed to complete the fine-arts complex and other projects, including those related to athletics and technology programs.

Hilker said his opposition centered on a belief that the bond was about the fine-arts building, adding that no speakers mentioned that project during the second meeting on June 15.

However, several speakers did talk about the fine-arts building during the June 12 meeting.

Hilker also called it “a fairy tale” that Measure I projects were done well, noting problems with the Public Safety Training Center and saying the college was not a good steward.

“The request for the money is for a lump sum to be thrown at all of these other projects that are not specific to getting the fine-arts building,” he said.

“I’d like to do the other things, but this is a bridge too far,” he said. “We need to have oversight on this and we have to have a plan.”

Lahr agreed the fine-arts building is the top priority, calling it a “no-brainer.”

“This will allow us to build the last piece of the puzzle,” he said, adding that any projects using bond funding will go to the board for approval.

Government agencies are required to appoint a citizens oversight committee to monitor bond measure spending, said board member Gregory Pensa, who represents the Santa Ynez Valley.

He also noted that the state has promised $24 million to help Hancock build the fine-arts complex.

“If we don’t pass this bond, we’re not going to be able to build this building and we’re going to kiss off $24 million,” Pensa said.

The school also received a $10 million gift from the estate of Patty Boyd, an arts patron and former faculty member, for a recital hall.

“To me, to not move forward on this would not be serving our constituents,” Pensa added.

Speakers on June 15 described decrepit conditions at the college’s athletic buildings, with one person comparing them to something out of a horror movie, while others talked about cold showers, broken shower heads and lots of rust.

“This is not an issue of us not maintaining the buildings,” Superintendent and President Kevin Walthers said. “This is an issue of buildings that are 55 years old. They’ve lost their useful life.”

Head trainer Cheo Munoz told the board about an incident where an athlete had suffered a serious back injury and the gurney would not fit into the training area where she was.

The gurney had to remain in the hallway, he said.

“This young athlete was made to walk on her own power and sit on her own on this gurney from the training room with a broken back,” Munoz said, adding that fortunately the woman recovered from her injury.

Another speaker, football player Colton Adam, noted that the inadequate facilities make it difficult for the coaching staff to recruit players.

“We might have a good program, but our facilities, they kind of turn athletes away that aren’t from here, and don’t have to come here because it’s close to home,” he said.

“A kid could go to another school down the road at Santa Barbara and go, ‘Wow, this facility is amazing.’ They’ve got a full locker room. All their facilities are beautiful and up to date,” he added.

Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

The post Hancock puts bond measure on November ballot appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Buellton is facing an unprecedented City Council election on Nov. 6, when all five seats will be on the ballot at once because of procedural changes and resignations.

The filing period for anyone interested in becoming a candidate opens Monday, July 16, and closes on Friday, Aug. 10. The deadline will be extended an additional five days, to Wednesday, Aug. 15, if one of the incumbents does not file to run again.

Candidates must obtain and file nomination papers with the Buellton city clerk.

On the ballot Nov. 6 will be a two-year term for mayor and two council members, and four-year terms for two other council members. A typical ballot contains either two or three of these positions in alternating elections.

However, in 2014 residents voted to directly elect a mayor every two years, ending a practice of the council appointing one of its members to be the mayor for a year.

When Holly Sierra became the first directly elected mayor in November 2016, the election cycle changed to electing the mayor and one council member on one ballot (in 2016 for the first time) and then three council members on the ballot two years later (this November).

On March 8 this year, however, the City Council changed the cycle again so that an elected mayor and two council members are on the ballot every two years. To set up that cycle, the council decided that of the three council positions that would have been on this November’s ballot, the candidate who finished third would serve a two-year term.

Then three council members resigned in 2017 when they moved outside the city limits. After appointing replacements to complete two of those terms, the council discovered it couldn’t make a third appointment because state law forbids having a majority of the council appointed rather than elected.

That left the fifth seat vacant until the Nov. 6 election.

For more information, go to Buellton City Hall at 107 W. Highway 246 or call 805-688-5177. The building is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday but closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.

The post Entire Buellton City Council on Nov. 6 ballot appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

With 100 percent of the precincts reported the election results, which have yet to be certified, show that Salud Carbajal has beaten opponent Justin Fareed in the 24th District U.S. Representative race, with more than a 17,000 vote lead. Carbajal has 67,210 votes to Fareed’s 50,290.

In the 3rd District Supervisor race environmentalist Joan Hartmann has taken the lead from Bruce Porter with 13,563 votes to Porter’s 11,511 votes.

In Buellton’s first Mayoral race Holly Sierra leads 1,001 over Dave King at 592 votes. Foster Reid is leading with 767 votes in the Buellton City Council race.

In Solvang Ryan Toussaint earned 991 votes and Hans Duus earned 941 votes to secure the two open seats over opponents Karen Waite and Brian Baca.

Newcomer Karen Jones is leading with Frank Mueller and Carl Maler have been elected to the Santa Ynez Community Services District.

Veronica Sandoval and Salvador Avila lead in the College School District for the two open seats on the school board.

Measure K2016 also passed with 4,283 votes, and the Transient Occupancy Tax increase in the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County also passed with 56,491 votes.

We will have follow up stories with the winners of the election in our December issue.

For full election results log onto SBCvote.com

The post Local election results show Carbajal, Hartmann leading appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Measure K2016 proposed by the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board of Education is leaning towards passing in a close race as early results are posted this evening.

So far there are 2,955 in favor and 2,282 against the $14.7 million dollar bond measure that has been compared to Measure L which failed in 2012.

In multiple town hall meetings and FacebookLive events on the Santa Ynez Valley Star Facebook page, Superintendent Scott Cory presented his arguments why Measure K2016 is unlike the previous failed measure.

He pointed out the money will go to critical needs only and there will be no new construction on the high school campus. He has proposed the bond be paid back in 15 years, saving $10.4 million in interest if it were to be a 30-year term. The total repayment would be $18.7 million.

They are also pursuing State modernization matching funds to help reduce the amount of the bond needed, and leveraging developer fees for additional projects. The district is also contributing from the reserves for the 2016-17 year $500,000.

Those against the Measure state that the district shouldn’t rely on the community to pay the costs, and property owners, renters and those on a fixed income, their money will be wasted on unnecessary items like a $1.9 million parking lot, $1.2 million for school lockers and $1.3 million for architecture fees.

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Third District Supervisor candidate Bruce Porter holds an early lead against challenger Joan Hartmann, with 6,293 votes tallied for Porter and 5,242 voting for Hartmann.

This seat will be vacated by outgoing Supervisor Doreen Farr, who held two terms in this position.

Both Porter and Hartmann have extensive resumes both in their professional lives and involvement in the community. Porter graduated from West Point and served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He also graduated from Stanford University with a master’s of science degree in civil engineering and computer science.

When he retired to the valley Porter became involved with the American Red Cross to help plan and respond to fires and disaster situations in Santa Barbara County, as well as build a facility in Santa Maria and find a backup headquarters.

Porter’s resume also includes being past president of the Solvang Rotary Club, which helped improve the Solvang Senior Center and worked to construct Sunny Fields Park and create scholarships for students.

In 2008 Porter was elected to the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School board of education and currently serves as its president. He was a part of the effort to maintain the district’s budget during the economic recession. He has also worked on projects at the high school to incorporate energy efficient lighting, revamped the recycling system and install water bottle stations.

“People have this misconception of being conservative in Santa Barbara County because of the entrenched political establishment. They portray me as someone who wants to ruin the environment, allow unbridled development and pave over the Gaviota coast. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have spent my lifetime protecting the environment and still finding ways to work with all parties to come up with solutions to benefit all,” Porter said.

In the Santa Ynez Valley the issue of wastewater, especially in Los Olivos, is of interest to Porter. In Isla Vista where Porter has been campaigning, people are also trying to create a community service district with a utility tax bond of 8 percent.

Porter added the job of the government isn’t telling people what they can do or what businesses should do, but creating opportunity.

“There should be incentives for people to bring more high-paying jobs to our county instead of leaving to Arizona or Texas. There are great spaces in Lompoc and Santa Maria and Buellton that would be perfect to create jobs of living wage so families can afford to live here,” Porter said.

The most important issue for Porter to address if he is elected is water, he said, as he believes the county needs to modernize and update the water system starting with creating a master plan.

“We need to expand our uses of recycled water and desalination facility while expanding Cachuma and conservation efforts,” Porter said.

He also is concerned about public safety as the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department is down about 30 deputies and the areas not contracted with cities such as unincorporated areas like Santa Ynez and Vandenberg Village.

Hartmann has an equally measurable career as a former teacher she loves education and believes there should be more options for early childhood care and vocational and trade schools. Hartmann worked as a high school and college teacher while pursuing her graduate degrees. She earned a Ph.D., was the first woman faculty member of the Claremont Graduate School, and served as director of its Public Policy Program. Hartmann was then appointed assistant professor of Environmental Studies and Government at Oberlin College, and later served as adjunct professor at USC.

She has also worked in the policy and budget offices and as legal counsel for several federal government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Interior.

“One of my significant achievements is helping to found the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, which was a cooperation of public and private partnerships among government agencies, business, and environmental interests, and we secured $628 million to restore rivers and wetlands, from Gaviota to San Diego. Our efforts increased water supplies, restored habitats, and created jobs,” Hartmann said.

Hartmann also spearheaded the Buellton Urban Growth Boundary initiative in 2008, which now requires a vote of the people before the city can expand its boundaries.

She was also appointed to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission and spent three years before resigning in January when announcing her candidacy.

“Before I left I also voted in favor of the zip line project by Stu Gildred, which I believe will be an asset to the community. I did get a lot of backlash from the environmental community, but after carefully researching the project and the property, it was a good fit, and Buellton also outlined more recreation for families in our visioning plan,” Hartmann said.

Hartmann said she believes there is always a way to solve differences, especially with hot button topics such as the winery ordinance, which imposes tight restrictions for vineyards and boutique wine label owners.

The post Bruce Porter leads in early election results appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.