County 7-3
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted on 9/1 to write another letter opposing offshore oil drilling in federal waters off the county’s coast. With a five-year offshore energy plan in the works at the federal level starting in 2010, the board also chose to support a safety and environmental management system that would be required by all offshore oil operators. Three separate drilling areas off the coast of Santa Barbara County are up for discussion.
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More than 70 firefighters and other related personnel from agencies throughout Santa Barbara County have headed south to join the fight against the Station Fire in Angeles National Forest, which, as of press deadline, was 140,150 acres large. County Fire spokesperson Captain Dave Sadecki explained that 18 engines had already left this week. He also said that the county had received a request for the assistance of its hand crew. “We still have resources available if they are needed,” Sadecki noted.
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Former Sheriff’s Department employee Shawn Terris appeared before the Civil Service Commission on 8/20 to appeal a layoff notice she received for her county job on 8/7. Claiming that not only was the layoff a symptom of ongoing harassment and discrimination against her by the county but also that it failed to adhere to county’s layoff protocol, Terris will have a Commission Hearing in early September to assess the matter.
