Walk the Talk
Supervisor Williams: “We have had a terrifying reminder of what a climate-enhanced disaster can do … just a few weeks ago, we had flooding that was all over the county … these present us with a challenge … a challenge not to forget past events … ” — 2/7/2023 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supervisor Hartmann: “We were hit with the massive atmospheric rivers, and we are still digging our way out.” — 2/7/2023 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supervisor Nelson: “If we don’t learn from our mistakes, it could be 100 houses in future storms.” — 2/8/2020 Santa Ynez Valley News.
Supervisor Capps: “As Supervisor, I will build on my decades of experience to tackle the urgent and interconnected issues of today: poverty, housing, homelessness, drought, and climate change … ” — 1/31/2022 Santa Barbara Independent.
Supervisor Lavagnino: “There’s things we’re going to learn from this, there’s always a chance to look back … ” — Santa Maria Sun 1/18/2023
The Save Los Alamos coalition is imploring the board to vote no on the discretionary item, Village Square Subdivision (TR 14,608) Agreement for Construction and Dedication of Flood Control Improvements, and to call for a supplemental/subsequent EIR. At the February 7 board meeting, it was suggested that the improvements are a regional benefit; it is nothing but mitigation for the development. During a Legacy Development informational meeting, the Legacy’s representative told residents that the flood control improvements don’t improve conditions for established residences; they just can’t make it worse.
Currently, all decisions on Village Square are being made based on a 2005 EIR, which claimed no significant landslide risk. The Santa Barbara County Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, November 2021, classed Los Alamos as having high landslide susceptibility.
The Board of Supervisors should not approve this project. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15162 subdivision (a), the Board of Supervisors must require a subsequent EIR for the project so that newly available information of substantial importance may be reviewed.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will talk the talk, and on February 28, we will see who walks the walk.