Letters to the Editor
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
Has Summerland ‘Spoken’?
T
he front-page “hook” for the Summerland cannabis dispensary article repeats a statement from a Summerland Citizens Association email regarding the survey results (which I reject outright). While eye catching, it is not a fair presentation of the facts and could lead a reader to infer that Summerland has “spoken” (another exaggerated claim by those who conducted the survey). There are several problems with their claims. The first is the statement that 97 percent of the business owners in Summerland don’t support a cannabis dispensary in Summerland. How do we know how the survey was conducted and by who? Was there undue influence? I suspect that business owners would prefer to avoid taking any controversial stances and remain in good favor with all Summerland residents particularly those residents who are influential and active in Summerland affairs. Frankly, I don’t care much about what Summerland business owners think about a cannabis dispensary. Were they surveyed for the Rusty’s Pizza location or the Summerland Winery tasting room? What about Red Kettle? If a future wine tasting room were to be proposed, would all the businesses be surveyed as to allow it or not? I am a strong
supporter of reasonable government regulation but to conduct business development in this manner is absurd. Secondly, with only 25 percent of the residents responding, I don’t think (without further statistical analysis) that entire community has “spoken.” There could be many contributing factors that affected who chose or was willing or available to respond to the survey. In my mind those who conducted the survey had an agenda and were looking for a way to bolster their position at the expense of a true community response. While I am not a customer of cannabis shops nor do I smoke it, I have visited several. If done properly and responsibly, they are very innocuous and low key. In fact, two I visited in Aspen and Telluride had a very exclusive air about them and the interiors were more akin to a fine jewelry or clothing store than a seedy “drug outlet.” The implication that a cannabis outlet will have an outsize influence on the commercial areas of Summerland is patently false if strict guidelines and regulations are in place. Parking and traffic will not suddenly become a nightmare because of one (hopefully successful) new business in town. We need more businesses in Summerland! And, additional commercial activity will
The best little paper in America (Covering the best little community anywhere!) Executive Editor/CEO Gwyn Lurie • Publisher/COO Timothy Lennon Buckley Editor At Large Kelly Mahan Herrick • News and Feature Editor Nicholas Schou Associate Editor Bob Hazard • Copy Editor Lily Buckley Harbin Arts and Entertainment Editor Steven Libowitz
Contributors Scott Craig, Julia Rodgers, Ashleigh Brilliant, Sigrid Toye, Zach Rosen, Kim Crail Gossip Richard Mineards • History Hattie Beresford • Humor Ernie Witham Our Town Joanne A. Calitri Society Lynda Millner • Travel Jerry Dunn • Sportsman Dr. John Burk • Trail Talk Lynn P. Kirst
help everyone, despite the dire statements made in the survey. And fear not, the moral integrity and spiritual purity of Summerland will not be the least affected by a single responsibly run cannabis store. Regards to you, James T. McClintock Jr.
More Blackouts
We seem to be able to land men on the moon but are unable to deliver electricity consistently. Our neighborhood in Montecito experienced a blackout on Sunday for about ten hours, compliments of Southern California Edison. If we dig deeper as to why these blackouts are occurring all over Southern California, we may find a probable cause. The emphasis on very expensive windmills and solar systems, prompted by our Governor and legislators, may be the reason. And what will be next to make our life miserable? Frank McGinity
All Candidates Welcome
The Coalition for Neighborhood Schools will host a forum for Santa Barbara Board of Education candidates on Thursday, September 17, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm via Zoom. All candidates have been invited. The forum will be moderated by former School Board Member Lanny Ebenstein. The Coalition for Neighborhood Schools has been active for 20 years and focuses on creating broad-based support for neighborhood elementary and secondary school improvement.
LETTERS Page 244
The Dangers of Eucalyptus
Yet another eucalyptus branch down. Different tree, same street. This one missed us and other tourists by seconds. Jane Walker Wood Orfalea
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Design/Production Trent Watanabe Published by Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC PRINTED BY NPCP INC., SANTA BARBARA, CA Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA 93108. How to reach us: Editorial: (805) 565-1860; Sue Brooks: ext. 4; Christine Merrick: ext. 3; Classified: ext. 3; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Letters to Editor: Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H, Montecito, CA 93108; E-MAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net
10 – 17 September 2020
• The Voice of the Village •
MONTECITO JOURNAL
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