2006 - Page 10 of 269 - The Santa Barbara Independent

Angry Poodle By Nick Welsh

Trim Your Dog

FICUS FRACAS OR HOW LOWE CAN YOU GO? Recent events call to mind the ancient philosophical riddle: If a hedge is clipped in the wilds of Montecito without its celebrity owner’s consent and the News-Press isn’t there to report it, did it really happen? I can assure you I was not there last summer when, under the mistaken understanding that he had permission, Jim Neuman trespassed onto the property of actor Rob Lowe, his Padaro Lane neighbor, to trim the hedge that blocked Neuman’s million-dollar coastal view.

Opinion By Barney Brantingham

Barney’s On the Beat

Fired: Randy Alcorn, the newspaper’s veteran chief financial officer, was canned Monday, a major loss to a paper already staggering under lost circulation, defecting advertisers, and ongoing controversy.

Alcorn said he had planned to resign anyway, deeply discouraged that the paper had degenerated into a “propaganda campaign and petty vindictiveness” instead of dealing with the serious problems of running a daily newspaper. But, he told me, owner Wendy McCaw made “a pre-emptive strike,” firing him Monday afternoon because “we didn’t see eye-to-eye and she wasn’t comfortable with me.”

Uncategorized By Ethan Stewart

Charting the Unknown

Bob No»l Announces Charter School Funding

A month after winning reelection to the Santa Barbara School Board, Bob No»l took the first step toward delivering on his main campaign promise at Tuesday’s board meeting-and it turned out the reality of his campaign was far from what the other boardmembers had expected. Completely surprising his collegues, No»l proudly announced he had recently received some $405,000 in startup grant money from the state to pursue his goal of opening a charter school for grades 7-12 in the Santa Barbara School District. But the year ahead promises more than a few challenges if No»l is to realize his dream.

Uncategorized By Nick Welsh

Third Time’s the Charm

Veronica Meadows Approved

For developer Mark Lee, visits to the City Council chambers have been occasions for genuine dread. During his first visit, councilmembers pointedly told Lee to drastically redesign his controversial housing plans, proposed for the Las Positas Valley alongside Arroyo Burro Creek. The second time, the same councilmembers told Lee they liked his original plans for Veronica Meadows better. But this Tuesday, they gave Lee the five-vote supermajority he needed not only to annex his property into city limits, but to build 25 new houses.

By Nick Welsh

PushMe- Pull You

Meeting behind closed doors last week, the Santa Barbara City Council voted 4-3 to simultaneously implement Measure P, the pot initiative approved by two-thirds of city voters in November, and to challenge its constitutionality in court. Because of this, Santa Barbara will be the first city in California to challenge the legality of a spate of statewide measures designed to undermine public and legal support for the war on drugs.

Starshine By Indy Staff

Confessions of a Mall Santa

Starshine gets to the bottom of what makes all those mall Santas tick. She finds that there are three types of Santa, and delivers the goods on each.

Arts & Entertainment By Indy Staff

Santa Barbara New Year’s Events 2006

While you’re making plans for the December holidays, don’t forget that the end of 2006 is right around the corner. To help you decide how best to spend your New Year’s Eve, we’ve listed some events happening around town that are sure to ring in 2007 with a bang.

Columns By Michael Seabaugh

Work It, Boomers

The Baby Boomer generation will never be called the “Greatest Generation.” That title has already been grabbed deservedly by our parents who endured the Great Depression and waged the last truly necessary war. History is still out on us, but one thing is for sure: We will be called the Longest Generation.

By Ethan Stewart

Uniform Chaos

Debate Rages over Agricultural Policy Reform

It took nearly a year, but 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone finally gave his Santa Ynez Valley constituents the Uniform Rules public workshop they’ve been asking for. More than 100 landowners, farmers, ranchers, and environmentalists turned out Tuesday night at the Veterans’ Memorial Building in Solvang to listen to Firestone and county staff spell out the details of the proposed Uniform Rules changes and their implications for the approximately 550,000 acres of local Williamson Act agricultural land they govern.

By Indy Staff

Citizen’s Alert

Thu., Dec. 14
Brazil Discussion: Lecture and slideshow on the agriculture of the Brazilian drylands presented by permaculture teacher Marsha Hanzi. 7-9pm. Santa Barbara City College, East Campus, Room A-162. Suggested donation of $5. Call 962-2571 for more.

Year: 2006