GUEST OPINION

Selective outrage is a moral hazard

Our entire nation was aghast and justifiably outraged at what we witnessed in Memphis, Tenn. when a group of police officers essentially beat a man, Tyre Nichols, to death, whose apparent crime was driving erratically and resisting arrest.

Having said that, selective outrage is a real problem in our society today.

In the last couple of months, we have seen some Santa Barbara Westside gangbangers arrested for allegedly murdering an innocent bystander on Stearns Wharf for the benefit of their criminal gang. Another group of gangbangers allegedly executed an entire family in Goshen, Calif., which included an infant — most likely at the behest of Mexican drug cartels.

Finally, a police officer was gunned down in Selma, Calif., by a guy who should have been in prison until 2026, because of previous convictions, were it not for California’s desire to empty our prisons of tens of thousands of inmates, many of whom are lifelong criminals.

Where is the outrage for these victims?

According to a county grand jury report from three years ago, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department offered a list of 18 named gangs: two in Santa Barbara, three in Goleta/Isla Vista, three in Lompoc, two that have ties in Lompoc and Santa Maria, and eight in Santa Maria.

Some gang members from San Luis Obispo County also reside in Santa Barbara County.

All told, there are several thousand gang members in our county, while California has an estimated 300,000 gang members.

Read that again: 300,000 gang members not including wannabees.

These gangs engage in human trafficking, gun and drug running, property crimes, and violent crimes including murder.

At most, in California they receive a slap on the wrist for all the above, especially if they are juveniles. Often criminals in California are caught and released faster than an endangered fish.

This has to do with the fact that California reduced some

500 felonies to misdemeanor status, meaning they no longer count as a strike on their record.

The bottom line? In California, criminal gangs understand that crime does pay. I often wonder how California can claim it doesn’t have enough money to build more prisons and subsidize more investigation and prosecution units throughout the state, but somehow it came up with $12 billion in a futile attempt to end homelessness.

As I mentioned previously, a great number of the homeless could be removed from our streets if they too were prosecuted for their lifestyles of crime in our community.

One would be hard pressed to determine which program has failed society the most. The social justice/criminal justice reform movement that treats criminals as if they are the victims, or the multi-billion-dollar efforts to house people and reintegrate them into society sans the requirement to quit doing drugs and abusing alcohol?

One story discussed on my radio show last week speaks to the intersectionality of all the above as these problems are not confined to California or the United States. Daniel/ Sophie Eastwood is currently serving a life sentence for murder in a Scottish prison. Daniel, who was born a man, progressed from identifying as a woman to identifying as an infant girl. He has since been supplied with a pacifier, diapers, meals blended in the fashion of baby food, and get this, he demands that his guards hold his hand whenever he leaves his cell.

The story of Daniel/ Sophie Eastwood brings me to a point of this story lost on our society in general.

Gangbangers, the homeless and career criminals should not be treated as if they don’t know what they are doing, avoiding the just consequences of their life choices. They are sentient adults — not innocent, helpless babies/victims, although the trend is to treat them as such.

National security blunders

T he primary duty of the president of the United States is to protect America and its citizens. Is President Joe Biden carrying out this obligation or is he putting America in grave danger?

First, look at the southern border. Are President Biden’s “open door” policies keeping us safe? How can they when drugs, criminals and several men on the terrorist watch list have crossed the border?

Second, why was a Chinese surveillance spy balloon allowed to enter the skies above America and cross the entire mainland? Incredibly, it passed over several military bases and nuclear sites, no doubt collecting valuable information and sending it directly to communist China. What damage was done to our national security as the balloon invaded our airspace? Isn’t invading a nation’s airspace a violation of its sovereignty? And when did President Biden know about the spy balloon, and why wasn’t it blown up over the ocean before it crossed into America?

Going forward, President Biden and our leaders need to face reality. China is our number one enemy. This trial balloon was a test to see how America would react.

Will China use balloons for electromagnetic pulse attacks, more surveillance or even bioweapons in the future?

These are very dangerous times for America. Consequently, as a nation we need a strong, quick thinking and fast acting president.

Joe Biden is not that man.

Diana and Don Thorn Carpinteria

Better planning at no cost

The Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department is tasked with smoothing the way for thousands of new homes.

Especially in unincorporated towns, which have little say in their own affairs, the process could be improved.

A single green-lighted development in a small town like Los Alamos could increase its population by 10% or more. That has a significant impact on traffic, safety, crime, scarce water resources, flood control, demands on limited landline and internet infrastructure, noise and air pollution.

Current P&D procedures do not make it easy for existing residents to be involved until irreversible decisions have already been made. A plan to build 59 homes here, that could grow to as many as twice that number, stands as an example. Another plan, now in the “pre-application” process, would add 69 more homes, with a potential total of 138 if ADUs are counted.

Only neighbors within 300feet of the proposed project are normally sent advance notification. Certainly projects of this magnitude in a small town could impact most residents.

Further, P&D standard noticing for the proposed project is done in dense, stilted language. Why not begin with a summary paragraph in plain English, with the basic facts and their import?

Other adjustments to protocol would be to display the notice in our post office for all to see, and to do so at least several weeks before public P&D decision-making meetings.

Instituting these changes, which would not add a single dollar to the county budget, requires action by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. These process adjustments in transparency, candor, timeliness and democracy, would lead to smarter, better-informed development … and more positive attitudes toward county government.

Seth Steiner Los Alamos

It could happen again

There has been much controversy about the proposed Los Alamos “Village Square” mega-development, but one issue requires the public’s and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ attention.

The developer, Legacy Estates, responded to concerns about potential flooding and mudflow near the development by stating, and I am not making this up, “as for mudslides, the Save Los Alamos (advocacy group) letter claims the project is ‘at the foot of a very steep hill.’ In fact, the closest hill is 320 feet from the project boundary. We measured it.” 320 FEET? The 2018 mudslide in Montecito traveled many miles. The debris flows were up to 15 feet in height of mud, boulders, and branches, moving at speeds of up to 20 mph, which reached beaches 2.25 miles from the mountains. These mudslides killed 23 people, destroyed 130 homes, and caused hundreds of millions in

With today’s increased risk and understanding of atmospheric rivers, flooding and mudflow, they know that this project would never be approved. The project itself exists in a flood zone.

The Board of Supervisors knows the dangers of building housing near hills prone to mudflows. As Supervisor Das Williams pointed out at the Feb. 7 Board meeting, “we have had a terrifying reminder of what a climate-enhanced disaster can do … Just a few weeks ago, we had flooding that was all over the county… These present us with a challenge… a challenge to not forget past events … Government has … the mission to fulfill (which) is to not just look for the next few years but to look for the arc of history and to look into the future.”

Devastation to life and property has happened before. If the board does not act to require additional environmental study, it could happen again.

Brian Ross Adams Los Alamos

Beaches shouldn’t be dumps for debris

Iam at my wits end like many resident and business owners in Carpinteria.

On Jan. 9, our Ash Avenue beach was dictated by the County of Santa Barbara as being a location to dump debris and mud from the flood basins. This happened in 2018 after the Montecito mudslides, and our beach have been polluted ever since.

I have contacted the district office of EPA out of San Francisco. I have called the Coastal Commission, appeared at Carpinteria City Council meetings, called County Supervisor Das Williams’ office, called NOAA, Heal the Ocean, Central Coast Water Board and many other agencies. They claim materials being dumped are safe and not raising bacteria levels. What is the threshold for reporting this? Our beach is muddied water. It’s mud instead of sand, and one cannot participate in recreation there.

There needs to be a better alternative than to have our town endured the carnage happening with dump trucks going around. Is this going to happen every time it rains?

Why can’t this be dumped in multiple landfills, used for construction purposes or dispersed more evenly?

Carpinteria thrives on tourism. That is how people make a living, and we are not going to be able to support that with the state of our beaches at this moment. But we are told to get over it and that it’s not a big deal.

Would you like to take your kids to play at our beach? The California State Parks have posted signs at their beach to stay out of the water; hazardous materials submerged. What is going on here?

I have started a petition for change to the County Supervisors office. I’m waiting for a call back from a supervisor personally. You can sign the petition at www.change.org/ STOPTHEDUMPCARPINTERIA.

Please, can another side to this sediment dumping story be told?

Thank you.

Michelle Carlen Carpinteria resident and business owner