Carolee Krieger is back to inform readers about Montecito’s water sources

If you have something you think Montecito should know about, or wish to respond to something you read in the Journal, we want to hear from you. Please send all such correspondence to: Montecito Journal, Letters to the Editor, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA. 93108. You can also FAX such mail to: (805) 969-6654, or E-mail to letters@montecitojournal.net Right Side of History A s I read the LA Times coverage of the independent SB Grand Jury’s scathing report on the unethical way our cannabis policy came to be, I meetings, and there are definitely some things they’re not telling you, or outright lying about. First, “Our Recycling Program,” as Specializing in Fine Homes had one silver lining thought: “Thank touted in their ad, exists only in the goodness the Montecito Journal had the MSD’s mind. There is NO recycled wisdom – and guts – to be on the right water facility of the sort their ad sugside of history by endorsing Capps.” Truth will tell. Laura gests. What they have done is spend $160,000 for a small test unit that pro• Concept to

Bobby Shand cesses a small amount of waste water that has so far been used to flush the Completion Say It Don’t Spray It MSD’s lines, not even to irrigate the landscaping at the MSD’s own facility. Recently, I believe Tuesday June 18th, my friends are I took a hike up The excess from this small test program is mostly drained into the ocean. • Exceptional San Ysidro Trail. About a half a mile up the trail, we saw workers in the There is NO commercial production of recycled water. They haven’t built Home Design middle of the creekbed spraying. The one, despite years of pressure from the spraying wasn’t being done directly in Montecito community to do so. the water but on islands surrounded by the creek I approached the workSecond, the two elected board directors, Newquist and Barrett, object that • Board of ers and asked a man what they were doing. I was told that spraying was the conceptual pilot recycling program is too small. If it ever gets built, Architectural being done to stop plants from growing in the creekbed. I asked him if it’s only going to recycle about 5% of the available water. Reviews Monsanto’s Roundup was being used. Third, the Montecito Water District He replied “no” and that the herbicide has signed NO contract for MSD’s being used was completely safe. As I walked back, I stopped and recycled water, from a facility not even built yet, and neither has the Cemetery. • All Phases of looked in the cab of the truck that had the words “County of Santa Barbara” So, this ad is just a lie. The Sanitary District is spending Construction on it. There were quite a few containers which had labels clearly stating the con$100,000 for a publicity firm to run ads like this for them. Entitlement tents were toxic to humans and animals. What they really want is for you

Dogs go to the creekbed quite a bit. to look the other way while they use Children may play down there. I saw no signs posted that pesticide spray$6,000,000 of ratepayer money to build an expensive new building. That’s • Custom quality ing was going on. What if there were a heavy fog or light rain, and some why they put in small print that they look forward to getting approval at Construction herbicide was washed into the water? the Montecito Planning Commission There are pools downstream that peoand the Santa Barbara County. ple go into. There’s also where San Running deceptive ads like this “Santa Barbara Design and Build was fabulous. Don and his Ysidro Creek empties into the ocean, a is an egregious waste of customer crew were the BEST from day one. He was honest, timely, place in which people wade barefoot money. Shame on the MSD! Montecito fl exible, artistic, patient and skilled. They understood my across the creek. deserves better. vision and built my dream home”. I understand the need to control growth in the creek to prevent debris Very truly yours, Edwin C. Martin, Jr. -Santa Barbara Resident flows and flooding. But there’s a better way to do it, like manually digging up the plants. The county could recruit volunteers to do this. How many other Montecito creeks is the President Putz Mark Twain’s comment that “the Populace adopts the Morals of its Don Gragg county planning on spraying? Hikers, be careful that you, your children and your dogs don’t rub against the herbiMonarch” resonates today as our country stumbles forward, the blind leading the blind. It is open season on 805.453.0518 cide treated plants. bad behavior (watch your top knot on

Bryan Rosen freeways) and it is somehow way cool Shame on the MSD to be crude, rude and aggressive since our screens erased social graces and distanced us, long before COVID-19. WWW.SANTABARBARADESIGNANDBUILD.COM I saw the full page ad in the Montecito Journal last week that was run by It does seem that the US has had a dumbosis pandemic for a number of FREE CONSULTATION the Montecito Sanitary District. This decades now, although some might Ca Lic # 887955 ad violates everything about truth in advertising. I attended past MSD LETTERS Page 274 9 – 16 July 2020 • The Voice of the Village • MONTECITO JOURNAL 11