http://www.erincarlstrom.com/index.php en miles@kurland-digital.com Copyright 2011 2011-06-19T22:10:50+00:00 http://www.independent.com/news/2012/jan/31/hazardous-materials-banned-highway-154/ http://www.independent.com/news/2012/jan/31/hazardous-materials-banned-highway-154/#When:22:01:04Z Authorities announced Monday that trucks carrying hazardous materials are no longer allowed to travel Highway 154. With Supervisors Doreen Farr and Janet Wolf at his side, along with the mayors of Goleta and Solvang, Assistant Chief Scott Howland of the California Highway Patrol’s Coastal Division Office said that this marked the completion of a process put in motion in December 2010. In August of that year, a truck careened off of the 154 — commonly known as the San Marcos Pass — and crashed into a home on State Street, killing three residents. Since then Santa Barbara County officials have been stepping up efforts to improve safety along the highway Hazardous waste was already not allowed on route 154, but now all hazardous materials fall under the ban. Trucks delivering HazMats to locations along the route will be exempt from the new restrictions, but all other trucks marked as carrying dangerous materials will have to use Highway 101 or else face hefty penalties: $500 and up to 60 days in prison. “This is really a great day for Santa Barbara County,” Farr said. “Now the volume of large trucks will be reduced, and drinking water from Lake Cachuma will be ensured.” Farr also noted that the CHP was “fantastic to work with” and thanked her colleagues for support. “I live in the Santa Ynez Valley. I travel the pass all the time,” she said, adding a personal touch to her remarks. 2012-01-31T22:01:04+00:00 http://www.independent.com/news/2011/jan/18/new-county-wide-homelessness-collaboration-wins-fe/ http://www.independent.com/news/2011/jan/18/new-county-wide-homelessness-collaboration-wins-fe/#When:19:51:54Z On Friday January 14, local government, non-profit, business and faith communities won an eleventh hour battle for a 30-day federal deadline extension that will allow for the first step in an ambitious campaign to house the most vulnerable of those living on the streets in Santa Barbara County. Supervisor Doreen Farr and Congresswoman Lois Capps were instrumental in advocating for the waiver requested by the County’s Housing and Community Development Department when it appeared that HUD was likely to decline the request. “Our elected leaders are representing a truly community-driven goal, through their efforts to ensure this urgent change at the highest level of housing policy,” said Rob Fredericks, volunteer co-leader of the Common Ground Santa Barbara South County team and Deputy Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara. This prioritization will target limited existing housing resources to those most in need, thereby saving lives and impacting the community through an immediate visible reduction in street homelessness and use of high cost emergency services. 2012-01-18T19:51:54+00:00 http://www.dailynexus.com/2012-01-17/supervisor-discusses-local-issues-upcoming-election/ http://www.dailynexus.com/2012-01-17/supervisor-discusses-local-issues-upcoming-election/#When:21:59:56Z Doreen Farr, supervisor of Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District, hosted an open forum on Thursday afternoon at Coffee Collaborative to hear concerns from Isla Vista community members and give feedback on recent political decisions and the upcoming election. Sitting at an outdoor table overlooking Pardall Road from 1 to 3 p.m., Farr listened to community input about her work on the Board of Supervisors and spoke with students, I.V. residents and business owners about local issues Erik Anciaux, president of the Campus Democrats, said Farr has consistently been a strong proponent of I.V. residents’ liberties. “I was riding my bike down the street and saw Doreen and just wanted to say hi. I’m a big fan of her work for I.V., especially student voting rights,” Anciaux said. “Elsewhere in the county, especially with Mr. Pappas, we’ve seen disinclination of people to work with I.V., but Supervisor Farr has done a great job representing I.V. and being open to the concerns of our residents.” Farr will continue to hold open forums on the second Thursday of every month at Coffee Collaborative, located at 6560 Pardall Rd. 2012-01-17T21:59:56+00:00 http://www.dailynexus.com/2012-01-10/pappas-run-supervisor/ http://www.dailynexus.com/2012-01-10/pappas-run-supervisor/#When:21:54:09Z After losing to Farr in 2008 by a slim margin, Pappas challenged the legitimacy of Farr’s election in Santa Barbara Superior Court, claiming improper voter registration proceedings in 18 Isla Vista and UCSB precincts. Though the Superior Court dismissed the case, Pappas continued to pursue a string of appeals until last month when the California Secretary of State’s Office announced that it found insufficient evidence to recommend filing criminal charges. In August, the Santa Barbara County Superior Court ordered Pappas to pay Farr $700,000 in compensation for legal fees incurred by his series of unsuccessful suits and appeals, which continued for much of the past three years. “He’s lost every step of the way,” Farr said. “We’ve had at least five different entities look at this and all come to the same conclusion, that there was no fraud. According to Farr, Pappas’ inquiries into the legitimacy of the UCSB and Isla Vista ballots indicated his view of the voting blocs in question. “No matter what Mr. Pappas may have said in the first campaign, I think that when he tried to invalidate the value, the worth of all of the ballots at UCSB and Isla Vista, he was making a statement there that the students really need to understand,” Farr said. 2012-01-10T21:54:09+00:00 http://www.noozhawk.com/article/060711_santa_barbara_county_hydraulic_fracturing/ http://www.noozhawk.com/article/060711_santa_barbara_county_hydraulic_fracturing/#When:00:21:41Z Opponents raise concerns over extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors took a long look at the oil and gas industry’s practice of hydraulic fracturing Tuesday. While the process may not be a household term, there was plenty of opinion about the matter — for and against. Santa Barbara County regulations don’t specifically address hydraulic fracturing, but a discretionary Oil Drilling and Production Plan is required for any oil or gas drilled in an inland area within a state field that uses groundwater as a means of flooding a subsurface formation. Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr said she brought the item before the board because she’s received letters of concern from constituents, primarily addressing water quality. The supervisors received a report on the topic Tuesday and will revisit the issue at their Aug. 2 meeting. 2011-12-20T00:21:41+00:00 http://www.independent.com/news/2011/dec/15/state-finds-no-fraud-2008-county-supervisor-electi/ http://www.independent.com/news/2011/dec/15/state-finds-no-fraud-2008-county-supervisor-electi/#When:21:57:01Z Secretary of State’s Office Says Farr Beat Pappas Fair and Square                                                               The California Secretary of State’s office found no evidence of fraud during the 2008 county election for 3rd District Supervisor despite many claims to the contrary made by Santa Ynez Valley Journal owner and rancher Nancy Crawford-Hall and losing candidate Steve Pappas.  County elections chief Joe Holland said there was no election fraud. Judge William McLafferty, who heard Pappas’s contest of the election in civil court, threw the case out after just a few days. An appellate court upheld McLafferty’s decision, and then Judge Colleen Sterne, in awarding Farr roughly $700,000 in attorney’s fees, also agreed, saying “important rights were vindicated.” Now, both the state’s fraud division and the District Attorney have joined in. “I certainly hope Mr. Pappas will finally accept how they decided,” Farr said in response to the DA’s announcement. “To do otherwise is misleading the public.” 2011-12-15T21:57:01+00:00 http://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2011/10/social-host-ordinance http://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2011/10/social-host-ordinance#When:22:05:48Z The ordinance was voted into effect by the Board of Supervisors with a 4 to 1 vote last year and implements new civil penalties for party hosts found serving alcohol to anyone under 21. The fines range from $500 to $2,000 with the first offense including a mandatory education class. The ordinance passed despite the protest of the Isla Vista and UCSB community and has led to an assumption among many students that community groups were dismissive of student concerns. Similar ordinances, such as the one passed in Ventura County are usually directed towards curbing the drinking habits of high school students, not college students. Many people in the IV community have already expressed concern over the ordinance. Doreen Farr, a member of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and the only member to vote against the Social Host Ordinance, holds office hours the second Tuesday of every month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. outside of Coffee Collaborative as a way for people to discuss community issues. She has noticed that the ordinance has recently become a repeated topic in her discussions. “People are afraid they’ll be in charge of underage roommates that they have no control over,” Farr said. 2011-10-18T22:05:48+00:00 http://www.independent.com/news/2011/jul/07/county-drops-protest-casino-liquor-expansion/ http://www.independent.com/news/2011/jul/07/county-drops-protest-casino-liquor-expansion/#When:22:07:17Z Santa Barbara County is officially withdrawing its protest of the Chumash Casino Resort’s potentially expanded license with the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC), an expansion that would allow the Chumash to serve alcohol in the hotel, a showroom, and the casino buffet. Opponents cite increased crime rates and aggravated law enforcement issues in the area since the four-story casino opened in 2004. In 2008, the Sheriff’s Department made a total of 149 arrest or offense reports generated by deputies at the casino. The numbers do not include total calls for service nor statistics from other law enforcement agencies. In 2009, the number went up to 154, and in 2010 the total number of arrest or offense reports at the casino was 155. Drug- and alcohol-related crimes were most common: during the three-year span, there were a total of 97 alcohol-related incidents and 198 drug-related crimes. “There’s no other business that could have a liquor license with this kind of activity,” said casino opponent Doug Herthel. Doreen Farr, 3rd District supervisor, and 2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf voted to keep the protest in place, but the two were outnumbered. Farr said that the board must look at what is in the best interest of the community at large, calling the impacts of the casino “enormous.” “We’ve lost the balance on this issue,” said Farr, the only one of the five supervisors who hasn’t been given campaign money by the Chumash over the years. Since 1999, according to the Secretary of State, the Chumash have donated to the other four’s election campaigns —  2011-07-07T22:07:17+00:00 http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_9cd52456-9a2d-11e0-b3bf-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1lemQaj9s http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_9cd52456-9a2d-11e0-b3bf-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1lemQaj9s#When:22:10:50Z But there were many casualties in the $844 million “bare bones” spending plan — among them the Sheriff’s gang team, Community Work Service program, shift staffing at the Santa Barbara booking station, library funding and the fire season fuels crew. Additionally, the budget closes the county’s $72 million shortfall by eliminating 205 full-time-equivalent positions, reducing services, and with structural changes such as consolidating departments. Including the gang team, the Sheriff’s Department will eliminate or un-fund 50 positions, four narcotics detectives, a high tech crimes detective, rural crimes deputy, and a patrol car dedicated to the Santa Ynez Valley. The board fully funded the Human Services Commission at $1.2 million, and the Children’s Health Initiative to a tune of $150,000. The program provides health insurance to uninsured children in the county, and was supported by 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal, 2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf and 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr. The board also put $60,000 toward the Adult and Aging Network in the Social Services Department, but couldn’t get the votes for a map checker or veterans’ services 2011-06-19T22:10:50+00:00 http://www.independent.com/news/2011/may/05/county-curious-about-venocos-oil-extraction-techni/ http://www.independent.com/news/2011/may/05/county-curious-about-venocos-oil-extraction-techni/#When:19:58:50Z Asking for a full presentation on the subject to the board from staff early next month, Farr said simply, “I’ve learned that the activity they call fracking is actually taking place in our county right now. … This issue has been in the news a lot lately, and I think a simple information presentation would be beneficial to both the board and the public.” Specifically, the fear is that the liquid pumped into wells during fracking the ingredients of which are often industry-guarded secrets and, depending on whom you ask, can include a wild blend of chemicals, many of which are considered toxic can seep into water tables or slowly creep back up to the surface and pollute. There is also concern about how to properly dispose of fracking fuel once the work is done. All this being said, it is also important to note that, though a more conclusive federal investigation is currently underway, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled in 2004 that the process was essentially safe. According to Anthony, it was only after a public outcry in Monterey County about a Venoco-proposed fracking operation in the Hames Valley that he learned such an activity was already underway here in Santa Barbara. After doing a bit of research, Anthony found that Venoco is using fracking at two separate leases, on private land, just off Highway 135 near Vandenberg Air Force Base. “They are doing it pretty deep,” he put it, “like 11,000 to 12,000 feet [beneath the surface].” Anthony added, “In this case, [Venoco] did it without telling us. … And they have been resisting [providing more information].” 2011-05-05T19:58:50+00:00