Why Donate to the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund?

Anyone wondering what difference a Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund can make need only scan the voluminous work done by just one Santa Barbara Independent reporter: Christina McDermott. 

A native of Washington State, McDermott — a linguist by educational background — cut her teeth journalistically as an public radio reporter in the wild isolation of Alaska, a land where everyone has to be able to do everything with anything just to stay alive. She joined the Independent news team more than a year ago thanks to the financial support that’s provided through the Mickey Flacks Fellowship.

For those who forgot or never knew, Mickey Flacks was among Santa Barbara’s most dogged advocates for affordable housing, among other struggles for social justice, environmental sanity, and other progressive causes. The Independent launched the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund back in 2020 to honor her memory and keep Mickey’s work alive. The $100,000 we’ve raised since have empowered numerous editorial projects, and the Mickey Flacks Fellowship marks the epitome of those efforts. 

Thanks to her fellowship, McDermott spends many of her waking hours trying to unravel Santa Barbara’s forbiddingly complex and expensive housing landscape. A bona-fide wonk who knows how to break things down into plain language, McDermott has bird-dogged the improbable path of the eight-story housing project proposed to be built right behind Santa Barbara’s Old Mission. That infuriating proposal is one of the biggest threats to Santa Barbara’s soul ever and, in the true spirit of Mickey Flacks, we have McDermott to thank for keeping us all informed.

Heroically, McDermott is translating the byzantine blizzard of California housing bills designed to limit local control and stimulate the development of new housing units. That information is critical in determining whether these buildings will actually build affordable housing for everyone — our teachers, nurses, first responders, retired neighbors, and others — or whether they’ll just be token nods by developers as they continue to pad their wallets. (Read all of her stories here.)

McDermott’s quest is only possible due to the generosity of our readers who have supported the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund. We are so thankful for your support that we want to ask for more. 

Why? So we can continue to keep reporters like Christina McDermott focused on the issues that Santa Barbarans must understand to keep our community a special place.

Christina is on the job. We want to keep it that way. Please give generously. 

But don’t just take it from me. 

Here’s how Christina explains it: 

“I joined the Independent nearly a year ago and hit the ground running, learning about housing policy (and reality). About a month into my fellowship, I started research on the proposal to build big behind the Santa Barbara Mission on Los Olivos Street, later publishing my first feature story on the project. I’ve followed up on that story through the year, speaking to architects, planners, and community members alike as well as tracking down the paper trail. 

“Like a house, housing coverage is full of angles. Alongside my coverage of the Mission project, I’ve written about the debate around building workforce housing in Montecito, the county’s new rental inspection program in Isla Vista, and multiple schemes targeting homeowners, among other stories. Over the course of two months, I interviewed dozens of low-income seniors about their lives after the news their home is up for sale, culminating in a cover story. Homelessness has not been outside my purview, from covering a community discussion in Solvang to writing about the memoir of longtime homeless activist Nancy McCradie. 

“In addition to my written work, the Mickey Flacks Fellowship gives me the freedom to produce audio stories to provide even more depth to my reporting as well as an additional format for folks to absorb information. Currently, I’m working on a long-form audio and print series on the history of housing in Isla Vista, speaking to dozens of people and tracking I.V.’s development through time. Stay on the lookout for it this fall! 

“I’m learning a lot. And I think you deserve to as well, through clear, fact-based reporting. Local journalism — the kind I’m able to do because of the fellowship — is ultimately about giving our community the news they need to stay informed. It serves to connect us and ground us. If not for me, then for whoever comes after me, please contribute to the fund.”

If you’re interested in supporting a fellowship long-term, please contact Brandi Rivera at brandi@independent.com.

The Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund is fiscally sponsored by Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) in order to receive tax-deductible donations. EIN: 73-1676916 SBCAN PO Box 6174 Santa Maria, CA 93456. Checks should be made payable to SBCAN with journalism fund in the memo.