Board to consider SYV Community Plan

The county board of supervisors will consider adopting the findings and approving revisions regarding procedures for rezones and general plan amendments at its Jan. 22 meeting in Santa Barbara.

It also will accept a notice of exemption and adopt a resolution approving a revision of the county rezone procedures of the valley plan. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. at 105 E. Anapamu St. Suite 407. For more information, visit www.countyofsb.org.

 

Santa Barbara gang member stabbed

Police are still investigating two gang stabbing incidents that occurred at Alice Keck Park, 1500 Garden St., Jan. 2. According to police reports, a 17-year-old male sustained minor cuts to his torso and an arm after he and his brother were chased by members of a rival gang. The 17-year-old teen was admitted into Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for observation. Later the same night another gang member arrived at Cottage Hospital with a badly lacerated hand. None of the suspects was cooperative when questioned by police.

Route 192 retaining wall to be finished in February

The one-fourth mile section of Route 192 near Summerland is expected to re-open late February.

The closure is still in effect 24-hours a day on the 3100 block of Foothill Road between Toro Canyon Road and Nidever, and motorists west of the closure will continue to be allowed to access Highway 101 by using Toro Canyon Road.

Drivers east of the closure will be detoured to Nidever Road back to Via Real.

 

County to hold budget workshop

Confronted with budget challenges, county staff will hold a strategic budget workshop at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Board of Supervisors’ Conference Room, 105 East Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara.

The workshop is intended to address and formulate solutions to the many budget challenges of the 2008 fiscal year budget. Major budget problems will be discussed and alternative strategies presented.

The preparation of the county’s final budget is expected to be drafted after the workshop.

 

Board to hear financial status of ADMHS

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will consider recommendations regarding fiscal year 2007 budget adjustments and reforecast for its Alcohol Drug and Mental Health Services program Feb. 5. Because the program is in deficit for fiscal year 2007 by $3.4 million, the board will attempt to develop a plan to address the shortfall. The hearing follows a Jan. 8 board meeting at which more than 20 speakers expressed concern that the ADMH program might be cutback. For more information, visit www.countyofsb.org.

 

Dr. Schulman named 2007 Physician of the Year

The county board of supervisors on Jan. 8 presented Dr. Elliot Schulman the Physician of the Year award for 2007.

Schulman has worked for the county for 23 years, and has played a leadership role in developing programs that include pandemic flu planning, the Sexual Assault Response Team and the Homeless Health Project.

He served as the Public Health Department’s Medical Director for eight years and as a health officer for 15 years.

 

Board approves destruction of records after three years

The board of supervisors voted unanimously on Jan. 8 to approve the destruction of inactive records that were created before 2004.

Records dated through Dec. 31, 2003 will be destroyed. 

Government Code requires inactive records to be kept for a maximum of three years.

 

Citizens plant trees along Highway 101

The Goleta Valley Beautiful Committee,  in conjunction with Caltrans, planted 140 trees near southbound Highway 101. The new trees are located between the southbound ramp and the Union Pacific Railroad, just north of the Los Carneros overpass.

The planted trees include Coast Live Oaks, Island Oaks, Sycamores, California Buckeye, Catalina Ironwood, Cottonwood and Big Leaf Maple. The project was funded through a $33,000 environmental enhancement and mitigation grant from the California State Resources Agency.

 

New ADMH director appointed 

The board of supervisors on Jan. 8 officially appointed Dr. Ann Detrick as the new director of Alcohol Drug Mental Health services.

Detrick held the position of deputy commissioner for the state of Massachusetts.  She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. degree in social psychology from the University of Massachusetts. She is replacing Doug Barton, who will be staying on as a part-time consultant to help deal with financial challenges the program is facing. “I think Dr. Detrick is an excellent choice that [the] board has made and we look forward to better times in the future,” Barton said.

 

Board suspends Cuyama aquatics project

The board of supervisors at its Jan. 8 meeting voted 3-2 to suspend the Cuyama Aquatics Complex project until an undetermined future date. The complex would have cost $2.1 million and would have provided the Cuyama community with a state-of-the-art recreational facility that would have included a pool, a wet play area, and parking.

“With all the bad news on the budget, I think it’s time we set this aside until we can pay for it,” said 4th District Supervisor Joni Grey.

Salud Carbajal, 1st District Supervisor and 5th District Supervisor Joseph Centeno, voted against the suspension.