life and property are continuously compromised

As Santa Barbara County continues to dig out and rebuild after a nearly endless stream of atmospheric rivers hit our region, let us not waste what could be an immensely valuable teaching moment.

The very first lesson?

The protection of life and property is no longer the highest goal of government. Quite the contrary. This should be evident considering what has happened in our community over the past decade. A cycle of fires, floods and fools that resulted in heartbreaking fatalities and unbelievable destruction to neighborhoods and infrastructure.

The Thomas fire, among others, devastated the watershed. The devastated watershed then fomented the deadly debris flow in Montecito. And, five years later, despite a new debris basin and steel nets erected across canyons, we flooded once again, incurring some $150 million in damages, albeit with no loss of life.

How can we continue to ignore the fact that the cycle of fires and floods is neverending? How can we better prepare for the next cycle by way of mitigating the effects of these cyclical events?

The truth?

Our government won’t let us!

The second lesson pertains to floods. Santa Barbara lives on a very narrow shelf sandwiched between high mountains that produce copious amounts of water runoff and the ocean, which can wreak all sorts of damage by way of high waves and brutal winds. The sensible thing to do? Relative to flooding, we must ensure that every river, stream and creek is maintained to ensure maximum water flow capacities. Regarding storm damage from the ocean, we must armor the coast with sea walls and other types of protection, including the boulders that are currently being dropped in front of the Santa Barbara Yacht Club.

The problems with these common-sense strategies? Various government agencies seek to diminish the carrying capacity of water ways in their quest for preserving and enhancing riparian

Lake Cachuma

Lessons from the local storms

1.Flood Control, Fish and Wildlife and the other governmental agencies need to work together to let land owners and flood control clean out creeks. There is no reason for all the destruction if properly maintained. For example, see Alamo Pintado Creek at the State 246 bridge in Solvang, showing the damage to buildings, businesses and wiping out whatever ecosystem was in the creek. This is preventable.

habitat. To make waterways conducive to such things as fish passage, they don’t support the construction of debris basins and clearing rivers, streams and creeks of foliage because of the habitat value of the same.

Yet, in a storm event, the foliage poses two problems. One, it impedes the flow of water until such a time as it becomes debris! Second, when debris gets washed down the way, it plugs up culverts, which then causes the flow of water to find another path that offers less resistance.

The water escapes the channel and floods neighborhoods, streets, and freeways!

Regarding armoring the coast, I will never forget how many times boulders were dropped on Goleta Beach, only to be picked back up and dropped back down again. This is because the Coastal Commission will only allow temporary protection in dire situations. After the emergency passes, they throw us back to the mercy of Mother Nature, and the cycle begins all over again.

Meanwhile, up in North County, farmers and ranchers are fuming because the rivers, streams and creeks that run through their property are not maintained by the county, and they themselves are not allowed to do their own maintenance either. This has to do with the protection of the creeks and the surrounding habitat by the same regulatory agencies that afflict South County.

Damages to North County’s farmland from these recent storms is in the millions, and we are not done yet, especially as it affects the Lompoc Valley and the city of Guadalupe this early in the storm season.

The point here is that South and North County have something in common. Urban areas and farm fields are being sacrificed by way of regulatory machinations that protect natural habitat and ecosystems over and above the protection of life and property.

2. Flood and drought cycles are normal. Throughout California’s history, extreme dry years and wet years are normal. They’re not because of climate change.

3. Do not let water out of Lake Cachuma or any reservoir to try to keep a year-round river running to re-create steelhead runs as done in the past.

This depletes our water reserves and fails its goal.

4. Quit forcing more housing in California. State mandates cause communities to build in more risky areas because that is all that is available in most coastal communities. That increases the need for more water, all to meet arbitrary state housing numbers. Local control is best.

5. People first. This means homeowners, renters, commercial property owners and farmers — who produce your food — get priority over fish, insects, animals and weeds when making decisions on maintenance of creeks and rivers.

6. Willow trees should be declared a noxious weed and eliminated without restriction from any stream bed. Willows grow like weeds. They use a large amount of water depleting our water supply and plug up the natural flow.

7. Build more reservoirs. Ninety-five percent of the water from the recent storms runs off into the ocean.

It has been approximately 40 years since the last reservoir was built in California. Billions of dollars in bonds have been approved for this with no results while California’s population has increased from around 25 million to 40 million people during the same time.

Reservoirs increase our water storage and help prevent floods.

Allan Jones Solvang

Library is more than just books

As a relatively new resident of our community, I’ve found the Santa Barbara Public Library is a constant source of delightful surprises.

Take, for instance, its crowd pleasing program, “The Library of Things.” Now library members can explore and even borrow an array of fun objects to explore at home at your leisure with family members, friends or individually: how they work, what their secrets are, how our lives can be improved.

Learn more about it at library. santabarbaraca.gov/books-more/ library-things or even better, visit the downtown library, 40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, to see what’s offered.

This is just an example of the curated collections that await us.

The library is so much more than books. It’s a community center filled with engaging and enlightening programs from learning to art, to kids and teen activities and a Library on the Go van that comes to you. All it takes is a free library card.

Public funding covers just a portion of the expenses for library operations and our tireless and creative librarians’ work. It takes private support to elevate our library and push it further into the 21st century with these vibrant activities.

I hope you’ll join me in supporting the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation to ensure our library can continue to innovate unique activities like

“The Library of Things.” Thank you.

Peter Ginsberg Board member, Santa Barbara Library Foundation in Solvang

Editor’s note: The foundation’s website is sblibraryfoundation.org.