Comments by LRaf
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Posted on November 13 at 7:54 p.m.
Great. People who don't check a computer before they go to the beach (or are even familiar with Channelkeeper) will still not get on-the-spot information as to whether the H20 is polluted or not at area beaches. Thanks Channelkeeper for doing the work and posting at 2 places. Thanks supes for refunding them. However, our stupid state should stop these mandates they can't pay for, let counties contract out the testing and reduce the requirements for this type of testing, it's not rocket science.
On Poop Patrol
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Posted on October 29 at 10:23 a.m.
It's not so simple. I refer you all to read the Independent's previous story at http://www.independent.com/news/2009/oct....
Don't forget to read the comments at the end. I'm supporting 2 things, youth BMX where the current track is located now (with modern updates added) AND preservation of open space/coastal wildlife habitats at South Park. We can have both.
2 of 4 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on October 29 at 10:09 a.m.
Because many of us are deviating from the real issues of passive use vs. recreational use AND the voiding of a long standing legal "Covenant Restricting Use" since 1999, I can't deny this song playing over and over in my head: (from Wikipedia) "Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally performed by Joni Mitchell. It reached #67 in 1970 (U.S., Billboard). Mitchell got the idea for the song during a visit to Hawaii. She looked out of her hotel window at the spectacular Pacific mountain scenery, and then down to a parking lot. Joni said this about writing the song to journalist Alan McDougall in the early 1970s: “I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song". The song is known for its environmental statement (from the lyrics "Paved paradise to put up a parking lot", "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now") and sentimental sound.
So folks... sound familiar? We don't need more pretty perfect green soccer fields, our kids simply need modernized amenties at the CURRENT BMX site while keeping the South Park for low-key passive use, preserving FOREVER one of the last remaining pieces of open space/urban wildlife habitats in all of SB! My kids love roaming around on South Park after they ride their bikes over there, nothing like good 'ol plain dirt and open space. Take a walk thru this wild side next to rural neighborhoods and then try to envision the Park's ill-conceived plans.... we know what we've already got here and lets not let it be "gone". To the Park folks, I'm willing to pay for this if you keep it all "passive". How much for that simple use membership?
2 of 3 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on October 26 at 5:51 p.m.
As a past BMX parent AND someone who has been riding mtn. bikes on the South Park area since 1985, several things are clear to me. One, the park has never "liked" BMX for one reason or another and has been wanting to expand those perfectly manicured soccer/baseball fields for quite some time. But many of us have always felt the current track area is just fine, it just needs modern amenties. Past BMX track managers suffered many years of uncaring park management denying them electricity, bathroom facilities, adequate parking, but hey... BMX made it into the Olympics in record time while soccer participation has dropped nation-wide. Go figure. Two, the South Park area over off Cliff Drive was previously owned by the Jesusites and never had more than a scattering of some simple farming on it here and there. South Park is NOT on old landfill— that is where the present BMX track and soccer fields are. South Park represents the classic example of a healthy urban wildlife oasis and serves as a wildlife corridor down from the foothills via the creek drainages and up into the Wilcox property. The wildlife in this Coastal Sage Scrub habitat speaks for itself and the amount and diversity of animals species representing what SB used to look like is amazing, including coyotes, fox, bobcat, deer, hawk species, road runners, a variety of reptiles and birds, and I wouldn't ever doubt seeing a mountain lion someday (though that would be a bit scary). Passive use would not involve running a BMX track over there and the current mtn. biking trails are borderline as it is but very nice to ride on. So it seems rather clear to me that the South Park area should stay as it is first and foremost because of what it really is.... one of the last remaining pieces of open-space property in the whole of SB County representing an urban wildlife environment. Keep the hiking and biking trails, they fit in... they are passive. But ditch all the other non-passive plans and hold true for what the original vision had in mind. Just as the saying goes, once it's gone— it's gone forever. I bet the community would rally for another WIlcox, er sorry DFP. Where do I contribute?
0 of 1 people thought this was a good comment.
Posted on September 28 at 9:21 p.m.
Anything or anyone the Sperlings throw money at will cause me to run the other way.
Posted on August 27 at 5:32 p.m.
Just what we need, more tourists! Lets have some more tacky yogurt stores and Mrs. Fields cookies so we can all look alike. How about helping businesses that actually contribute to middle class sustainability in our town: light manufacturing, etc. Tourism is fickle, the industry is heavy on unskilled labor, there's plenty of hotels/motels already, and the carrying capacity of our streets and highways is maxed out. ENOUGH! Use our city revenue for the people who live and work here. I'm so tired of our city ignoring us!
Posted on August 15 at 10:27 a.m.
Throughout the Zaca Fire burn area, there were enough "pockets" of unburned areas that offered refuge for fleeing animals and then a source of healthy vegetation to provide new seeds when the time was ripe to spread. Seeing this firsthand and how much has already grown back, I can tell you... mother nature will outlast us all no problem. As for us humans, we should be more concerned with our sources of water and our unsustainable population growth. As for our local population of alarmists and anthropomorphics, take a hike and chill out.
Posted on July 10 at 8:50 p.m.
Seasoned? Yeh right. Get married, have kids, run a business, come back in 10 years. Then maybe you'll get my vote if you're really sincere about the public's interest.
Posted on June 18 at 8:26 a.m.
Good points to research from DrDan. As a kid growing up in Santa Paula I remember taking jeep trips deep into the Sespe and up Hopper Mtn. just to go see these amazing birds (plus a few bears, some trout and many a snake). Anyway, the whole condor project is a touchy subject. Why do we spend millions of taxpayers dollars to help keep alive a species left over from the Pleistocene era when large abundant predators left plenty of carcasses for large carrion feeders to consume? Add to that the fact that condors were routinely killed by settlers and later ranchers back in the 1800s (blamed for killing young livestock when it was actually the golden eagles), habitat loss, don't forget the fashionable egg collecting days of the early 1900s, more habitat loss, DDT, lead bullets, did I say habitat loss? etc. I have to admit though, it has been a thrill for our family to have seen 3 in the last 3 years: 2 in the local backcountry and one soaring out over Pt. Conception. Sadly though, if left completely alone today— condors would continue to go extinct. So yes we are interfering with Nature with one big costly zoo experiment. Does it ever end? Maybe this one is just too much of a dead end to keep going...
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Posted on November 14 at 5 p.m.
This is pathetic... am I getting this right? A visually impaired woman plus an obviously narrow-minded hard of hearing investigator plus a ridiculous out-of-touch dept. of social services all wasting our taxpayers money? Incidences like this make me want to puke.
On Teacher on Trial