Posts Tagged: Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara funds CE; Faulkner Farm supporters write letters to editors

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to save the local UC Cooperative Extension programs by approving additional funding, according to the Aug. 11 Lompoc Record.

“State cuts to the UC system, combined with local funding reductions, would have reduced the Extension program’s presence in Santa Barbara County to practically nothing without the infusion of cash from the Board of Supervisors,” writes reporter Sam Womack.

In other South Coast news, Ventura County residents have been writing letters to the editors of the Ventura County Star and the Santa Paula Times voicing opposition to the Hansen Trust Advisory Board’s recommendation to sell Faulkner Farm.

In the Aug. 9 Ventura County Star, Douglas Nelson and Nicholas Deitch of Mainstreet Architects + Planners write that they were hired by UC to provide a Master Plan for the Hansen Agricultural Center at Faulkner Farm.

“We worked for over a year with the first Hansen Trust Advisory Board, UC staff, UC Cooperative Extension and design focus groups from the local community,” they wrote. “Through a collaborative process, we developed a long-range plan for the Hansen Trust - a plan that was based on principles and goals reflecting the vision of benefactor Thelma Hansen.” They call the recommendation to sell Faulkner Farm “a very short-sighted decision.”

In the Aug. 6 Santa Paula Times (available only in print form currently), Mike Mobley and Ginger Gherardi of Santa Paula urge readers to “help in preventing this travesty by writing a letter” to President Yudof and VP Dooley.

Santa Barbara supervisors express support for UCCE

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on July 27 said it intends to keep UC Cooperative Extension in Santa Barbara County, according to the Lompoc Record.

All five supervisors expressed support, but requested contract language detailing the number of university academics dedicated to the county, and clarity in where the additional funding for a total of $180,000 would come from. They will meet on Aug. 10 to make a final decision on the funding, which would ensure UC Cooperative Extension programs continuing in Santa Barbara County.

On June 22, the board didn’t have enough votes to approve funding, but later decided to reconsider the proposal, according to an article in the Santa Ynez Valley News.

Not John, Paul, George and Ringo

"The Beetles." When you hear those two words, you think of four Liverpool musicians named John, Paul, George and Ringo. Not so at the...

Dining on herbs

HUNGRY--This is a beetle, Lytta sublaevis (Meloidae) chowing down on fresh herbs. (Photo by Michael Caterino)

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