Letters

• The Voice of the Village • 27 February – 5 March 2020 MONTECITO JOURNAL 11 FREE IN HOME CONSULTATION www.MontecitoKitchens.com Don Gragg 805.453.0518 License #951784 LETTERS Page 304 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 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Not Sorry T hank you for your questions and observations regarding the power of apology in the February 20-27 editorial. Among other things, the editorial points to a number of principles of concern, the value of the press and ethics and honesty in politics. After the next election these issues will persist. We count on the MJ for important coverage at all levels of the political discourse to highlight accountability. As for Das Williams not apologizing for the cannabis mess, it is not that he is unwilling to apologize for the ordinance; it is simply that he likes the ordinance and this ordinance helps his supporters. After all, he assisted in writing it with input from the cannabis lobby. From the beginning, while it was being considered, citizens objected because it clearly favored cannabis operators. Residents continue to object to the near-unrestrained growth of the cannabis industry in our community.

Williams has said more than once he will not change anything in Carpinteria. “If I move cannabis operations to be 1,000 feet from schools as mandated by federal guidelines, those around the High School will be put out of business.” “I’d rather have the students smell cannabis (it’s been three years now) than… lose a teacher.” Teachers are not funded by county tax money by the way… The record reflects that at nearly every Planning Commission and Supervisor’s meeting citizens plead for carbon filtration to be required to safely filter out the odors of cannabis. The cannabis industry refuses and Das Williams refuses to support the citizens on this issue.

The fact is Williams could have voted to change cannabis guidelines in Carpinteria as he did for Santa Ynez, but chose not to. Why? Because his cannabis industry supporters do not want him to.

Could it be he really is beholden to the cannabis operators? While saying he would not take more money from them, a PAC was formed and cannabis money is flowing into it. Did he give back the earlier donation of $8,000 given to him by Barry Brand, who was just arrested for illegal growing, volatile manufacturing and selling on the black market? This is why he won’t apologize.

Das Williams is not sorry about the students, residents or avocado growers affected by the allowable 186 acres of cannabis in Carpinteria’s four-mile-long valley. Santa Barbara’s over abundance of cannabis and poor ordinance has been written about in many major newspapers, including The New York Times and three times in the Los Angeles Times, twice on the front page, and just recently in Politico. Residents are pitted against operators just wanting clean air, not cannabis odor or industrial vapor misting into the valley 24/7. Why apologize when you are not sorry? He has the backing of the Santa Barbara Democrats and the Sierra Club so he is taking full advantage of their seemingly blind endorsements. The citizens of Carpinteria deserve to be heard. We want to preserve the quality of our community, clean air for one, but it is being abused for financial gain. Some people do not like to apologize; it appears Das Williams is one of them.

Nanci Robertson Santa Barbara County Dangerous Intersection I get that we live in a sleepy little town that hasn’t changed much in 50 years and that is part of what I love most about Montecito. However, about two years ago Caltrans actually changed a little corner of our world; specifically, the corner of Hot Springs, Middle, and Sycamore Canyon; for the better. If you have ever driven west from the Hot Springs/Olive Mill Triangle in the afternoon you noticed that traffic usually backs up all the way to Casa Dorinda.

In an effort to decrease traffic congestion and speed up the afternoon commute, they repainted the arrows on the two lanes going west towards the roundabout. It used to be, if you wanted to turn left down Middle or go straight towards Von’s that you would stay in the left lane. If you wanted to turn right and drive up Sycamore Canyon then the right lane was for you. However, someone decided to paint straight arrows on both lanes. So now, the left lane is for turning left or going straight and the right lane is also for going straight or turning right. If both cars go straight, then you merge after the intersection. Two cars get to clear the intersection instead of one. It’s perfect!

Perfect, if you are someone who pays attention to street signs and enjoys change when it benefits the community. Apparently, I’m the only one. From the very beginning, I have had people honk at me, heckle me, flip me the bird, and even had a woman tailgate me to write down my license plate number. I only pray that she called the police. I would love to have heard that phone call.

At first, I was really angry that people would react in such a horrendous way. If you haven’t had a woman as old as your grandmother honk, flip you off, and scream curse words at you, you haven’t lived. Admittedly, I wasn’t behaving any better. When someone would honk or give me the middle finger salute, I returned the favor.

Then I realized that people in Montecito need a little time to accept change. I continue to use the new lane as a straight away and endure all the violence outburst. But I keep telling myself that when people drive down this road again, they will remember me. Maybe check the new road paint. And soon, it will start to trickle down into everyone’s psyche. I am still waiting. Two years later, and I am still waiting.

I thought I would write to you and see if we could mention this in the Journal because yesterday, it got dangerous.

I passed a long line of cars waiting in the left lane to go straight. I pulled into the right lane and when it was our turn to pull through the four way stop, I proceeded to go straight and then merged in front of the truck that was next to me. The driver, waving his hands and screaming, tailgated me all the way to the roundabout. I was in the right lane preparing to go around towards the freeway entrance. He pulled up next to me on the right to drive down Old Coast Highway. Of course, he didn’t pull up to my window and say anything to me directly. He just waited until we had room to merge and then proceeded to cut in front of me and drive towards the freeway.

I ended up on the median in the middle of the roundabout with my kids in the car all because this moron can’t read a road sign. Enough is enough!

Danny Eades Montecito Capps for Supervisor I am supporting Laura Capps for District 1 Supervisor and I am hoping the Montecito Journal will endorse her candidacy prior to the March 3rd election. I am supporting Laura because I believe in her commitment to restor-