Central Coast roundup

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The City of Santa Barbara seeks for community feedback on a draft ordinance that will guide its efforts in implementing a new civilian oversight system of the Police Department (SBPD).

The ordinance is an important step towards further strengthening accountability and transparency. 

This is an historical effort and the City’s first collaboration with the community on police oversight.

“The City strives for transparency and accountability in its operations, and community input is vital to make those efforts successful. It is critically important that we hear from you during this stage of the process and throughout the implementation of the new civilian oversight system,” shared Barbara Andersen, Senior Assistant to the City Administrator. 

The draft ordinance elevates and assigns new duties of police oversight to the long-standing five-member Fire & Police Commission. 

Among its new duties, the Commission will be receiving reports with data on the number and type of internal and external complaints received and subsequent action taken, including the number of officers disciplined and the level of discipline imposed. 

The Commission will also review and discuss with the Chief of Police, in open session, individual investigations when they become disclosable under the California Public Records Act. 

Moreover, the Commission will receive presentations from the Chief concerning any officer involved shootings once determinations of findings have been made by the agency conducting such an investigation. 

“The draft ordinance also prioritizes community participation and engagement as a key component of strengthening understanding of what our law enforcement officers are confronting every single day in ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors in the City of Santa Barbara,” said Andersen.

This includes rigorous training for Commissioners as well as providing more opportunities for community input and education on policing practices in Santa Barbara.

In addition to soliciting public input, over the next several weeks, City staff will engage with various community members and organizations to gather comments on the draft.

CHALLENGE TO HOUSE HOMELESS

Santa Barbara County is participating in a 100-day challenge set by Governor Newsom to reduce homelessness throughout California by resolving encampments along county freeways and railroad corridors. 

These local housing efforts are made possible by a $2.5 million State of California Encampment Resolution Funding (CERF) grant awarded to the County to move people indoors, reducing danger from fires and vehicle/train right-of-way pedestrian strikes. 

“While more people are slipping into homelessness than ever before, we are also making the strongest effort in our history to bring people in from the streets and encampments. I believe that the 100-Day Challenge, in conjunction with our other work, can help us bring services to and house more individuals than last year,” said First District Supervisor, Das Williams.

The Challenge officially launched on July 6, and will conclude on October 14.

It was informed that to meet the 100-day timeline, the countywide team will map all the camps in the transportation corridors, create a by-name list of inhabitants and enroll person(s) in services using outreach workers.

The County also said that is working with its cities, along with Caltrans, Union Pacific Railroad, and with other community organizations who have experience in resolving homelessness.

“Turning a blind eye to encampments along transit corridors is neither safe nor humane. It puts the general public at risk and allows some of our most vulnerable community members to further risk victimization. Encampment resolution through shelters, housing, and intensive case management is the only solution for our state and community to turn the tide on homelessness.” said Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson.

Homeless advocates with lived experience agree the 100-Day Challenge could accelerate encampment cleanups. 

“I’ve been saying all along we need to have places for people to go. The ‘move-them-along’ approach is inhumane. The reason they’re camping next to the freeway is because there is no place else to go. Let’s change that,” said David Hopkins, formerly homeless, now working with the Committee For Social Justice in homeless outreach.

NEW BUSES IN SM

Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) has been awarded $6.6 million from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low–No grant for the purchase of 6 electric buses, as part of $1.66 billion in grants awarded nationwide by the FTA.

“We’re truly grateful to have been awarded this highly competitive funding. It will go a long way in supporting our ongoing approach to modernizing public transit and further improving the quality of life for Santa Maria residents. With these funds, SMRT will complete the final phase of transitioning to zero-emission vehicles and be carbon-free by 2024,” said Transit Service Manager, Gamaliel Anguiano.

SMRT has begun its transition to a zero-emissions bus fleet with plans to be 100 percent electric by 2024, well ahead of State mandates. 

With the adoption of the City’s 2022-24 budget, the Transit Division is authorized to spend about $22 million in Federal and State funding over the next two fiscal years to support the purchase of as many as 15 electric buses, in addition to the two electric buses already ordered.

Federal Low-No funding has the distinction of provisioning for partnerships between transit providers and bus manufacturers.  SMRT has partnered with Gillig. Inc. in its Low-No grant application for the purchase of six electric buses to add to its impending fleet of Proterra and New Flyer electric buses.  

All buses will come with the new SMRT branding livery, additional passenger amenities, as well as the latest in air quality management equipment. 

There is also a virtual bus driver training simulator included in the grant as part of the SMRT’s workforce development program.

VENTURA PANEL

The City of Ventura’s is asking for community participation in the next critical phase of its General Plan Update related to land use alternatives. 

The series of participation opportunities kicks off with an in-person workshop at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30, at the Museum of Ventura County, located at 100 East Main Street. Additionally, the City will host a virtual workshop at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 1. 

“For the last two years, the City’s General Plan team has hosted dozens of workshops and outreach events as well as heard from thousands of residents about their vision for the future of Ventura,” shared Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. “This next phase of the General Plan Update process combines all the shared input and ideas to offer alternative options related to how we use our land.”

The General Plan is a high-level guiding document that sets the vision for the City and the goals and policies of how and where the City should grow and change over the next 20-30 years. 

A part of the General Plan is a land use map that shows the type of uses desired in the City, where they should go, and intensity of those uses. This includes housing, retail, parks, schools, industrial, and many other uses.

This next phase of the General Plan Update process will include a series of maps that will lay out areas where land uses could be adjusted to meet the needs and desires of the community for the next 20 years. 

These land use alternatives will examine different ways to achieve the outcomes identified in the draft vision statement. The feedback received to date from the visioning work, online surveys, workshops, and events shape the basis for these maps.

Community members will have the opportunity to review the different land use maps for distinct subareas of the City, to ensure specific considerations and input is captured throughout the City, and provide feedback.

Additional participation opportunities that will be coming up include online surveys, neighborhood community council meeting presentations, and in-person and virtual office hours.

HEALTH

On August 5, the Ventura County Health Care Agency graduated the next class of future health care leaders from the HOPE Program, a partnership between multiple departments and divisions of the Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA).

HOPE, which began in 2014, and is led by Dr. Cheryl Lambing, provides local high school, community college and university students the chance to train in various aspects of health care, regardless of their background or potential barriers to entering this field. 

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of 25 trained during the five-week program, which concluded with a culmination ceremony attended by, families, VCHCA staff and leadership.

“The HOPE program was an invaluable step in the advancement of my career in health. Observing the doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, scrub techs, and other health professionals allowed me to determine how each individual working in a hospital contributed towards a patient’s wellbeing and showed me the importance of teamwork in patient care. Additionally, I gained exposure to multiple surgical specialties, which gave me insight into which one I might want to pursue in the future,” said one of the graduates.

The goal of HOPE is to inspire the next generation of health care leaders through authentic clinical exposure pathways, insight into research and evidence-based exploration into professional goals and expanded leadership opportunities. 

HOPE highlights many aspects of health care and VCHCA including, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Medical Examiner’s Office, Healthcare for the Homeless, as well as numerous departments including Family Medicine, Surgery, Medicine, Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Pathology, Oncology, Phlebotomy, Facilities, BioMed Diagnostics and Technology, among others.