Where's the News-Press during Fiesta?

A faithful reader just wrote to me about the fact that for the first time in recent memory -- probably forever, the News-Press is not producing the Fiesta insert. Word on the street is that they didn't have enough advertising reps to do the job. Or, was that.....advertisers?

Another wrote to me earlier this week about the News-Press being dropped at their office doorstep for eight months for someone that hasn't worked there since. Is this how the subscription numbers stay up? How long can they afford people not paying their subscriptions? Just before newspaper sweeps -- it might have made sense. What do they do now, however?

Then there was this strange Craigslist posting which should be rated for adults only about Nipper running around town on his bicycle....strange.

If I was the owner of the News-Press -- I would make sure that my company did everything we could to sponsor Fiesta as it is a time-honored tradition that dates back to probably Charles Storke. It would be a great way of saying we are as strong as ever, no? If you want to be treated as a business making business-like decisions, you should make them with the community in mind as well. The News-Press not sponsoring Fiesta is a major blow their image-- and I have a feeling they figure no one will notice while their just about sole columnist says something like "Pip! Pip! for Now!".

Community Post: Dr. David Bearman on Medicinal MJ

For some time local authorities have raised the legitimate concern about the need for adequate regulation of cannabis dispensaries. Setting aside the allegation that former DA Thomas Sneddon refused to address this issue with the City Council, the real fault for this problem can be laid squarely at the feet of the federal government and their encroachment on states rights. (see opinions of Thomas and O'Connor in Gonzalez v. Raich ). We once had such regulations regarding medicinal cannabis. That is, until the U.S. government abrogated states rights and stepped in with the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act (declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1969 in the Timothy Leary case).

Pharmacists had been dispensing cannabis in powdered, whole leaf and tincture form, either alone or in combination with other ingredients at least since 1854 when cannabis was first placed in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Pharmacists continued to dispense cannabis containing drugs, under existing regulations, until 1941 when, due to the cumbersomeness of the tax, most pharmaceutical companies stopped making cannabis containing pharmaceuticals and it was dropped from the USP.

Dr. Ron Paul (R) TX, a physician and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, has pointed out that over the last 40 years, U.S. Presidents have expanded their power at the expense of Congress, and Congress has expanded their power by impinging on states' rights.

Dr. Paul's position is consistent with the dissent in the Gonzalez v. Raich, by conservative Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Clarence Thomas and the late Chief Justice Rehnquest who pointed out that the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution granted the power to regulate medicine to the several states. The federal government should not thwart the will of the voters by preventing doctors from writing cannabis prescriptions and pharmacists from filling them.


Recent articles in local media have strongly implied that if someone looks healthy, they are healthy. Any doctor who took such a position would be guilty of malpractice and you and I would consider them a quack.. You cannot discern if a person is disease free merely by looking at them. That is why we physicians do a history and physical, review medical records and order x-rays and lab tests where required, before making a determination of good or ill health.

PTSD, for example, is a very debilitating condition where the patient looks fine to the naked eye.. A recent federal government report estimates that over 35% of our troops returning from Iraq will suffer from PTSD. Only a small percentage of our troops with PTSD have been physically maimed in combat. All the rest suffering from PTSD look like healthy young men. Research and experience has demonstrated that cannabis is frequently effective in treating PTSD Do we deny these returning veterans an effective treatment for PTSD because they look great?

Most people with migraines, seizures, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, failed back surgery syndrome, and many other conditions may look healthy to the casual observer. Sadly the mere fact that someone looks healthy has little bearing on whether or not they are healthy.

Frankly we must not let common sense fly out the window when discussing medicants arbitrarily labeled as illicit. If we are comfortable with existing regulations for pharmacies, pharmacists and physicians lets let them practice their professions according to the dictates of science, their experience, training and professional ethics. Right now the federal government's usurpation of our allegedly constitutionally guaranteed States Rights trumps common sense.

Sincerely,

David Bearman, M.D.

PS: This issue has a long and interesting history. For more extensive coverage read my 132 page book "Demons, Discrimination and Dollars: A Brief History of the Origins of American Drug Laws". In November my 4X longer book "Drugs, Discrimination, Demons and Dollars: A Not So Brief History of American Substance Control Policy" should be available.

On Point: What About Cannabis?

We've had a lot of blog chatter about Mary Jane this week and I have a feeling BlogaBarbara is up to the color orange with Homeland Security...meanwhile, a faithful reader tells me that the British Press is saying one joint can make you mentally ill and the new prime minister is working on intuition that this study is correct. Hard to believe that the study is correct, hard to believe the prime minister hasn't at least done a Clinton-esque experimentation. Here's a snippet:

A single joint of cannabis raises the risk of schizophrenia by more than 40 per cent, a disturbing study warns.

The Government-commissioned report has also found that taking the drug regularly more than doubles the risk of serious mental illness.

Overall, cannabis could be to blame for one in seven cases of schizophrenia and other life-shattering mental illness, the Lancet reports.

The grim statistics - the latest to link teenage cannabis use with mental illness in later life - come only days after Gordon Brown ordered a review of the decision to downgrade cannabis to class C, the least serious category.

The Prime Minister is said to have a 'personal instinct' that the change should be reversed, with more arrests and stiffer penalties for users.

I'd like to hear from other experts on this subject -- are we all doomed? It's hard to believe that cannabis has such an effect.

Community Post: Gang Injunction the Word?

Written today by ANON 6:21 PM as a commment....what do you think?

Travis today asks for a gang injunction which is another right-on editorial if anyone wants more proof he is touching the nerves of the community right now in the right way.

The sense of safety of the many needs to outweigh letting the "few" feel-good.

As he correctly points out, the good kids in gangs have no penalty with an injunction and the rest of us may be protected against the bad ones.

And it is time our little town and its elected officials sends all gangs a message what our community standards are and it is their choice to agree or not agree with them. And know there are consequences when they step over a line.

Good gang kids should be the first ones in line asking for an injunction because there is no reason they want to put up with the bad gang kids either.

If the police can't figure this out, then it is time for a new police chief to work better with our entire community.

The loudest voices asking for more neighborhood protection come right from the neighborhoods that foster most of the gang activity.

It is time to listen to those on the front lines, and most of them are Hispanic parents trying to do best for their own kids. They don't like seeing punks get away with terrorizing everyone else too.

Who was it here who made the chilling obervation an unintended consequence of illegal immigration is kids black-mailing their illegal parents with threats of turning them in if they don't give these kids their way.

Time to take that choice away from these little tyrants and for the society that benefits from illegal immigration to clean up its own house and streets.

What part of this message does the city council not get?

When a Cause Celeb is Really a Cause Celebre

A reader 'passed along' an editorial from the News-Press today that has to raise the question yet again about the wall between editorial, ownership and the news. We've had a few probable trolls lately telling us that Travis is making sense lately -- but when does Travis step aside and let Nipper write the editorial?

The editorial brings up the 'PC Crowd's' call for cutting our use of plastic water bottles by saying we are 'all wet' and that global warming is an italicized-for-emphasis cause celeb (actually cause celebre (sans les accents) not the book title Cause Celeb). I brought this issue up a few weeks ago while blogging about LiveEarth.

Why was there not an admonition of some sort that the writer (likely given the syntax) and/or at least the owner of the very newspaper that is being read is an author and known expert on the issue. Is it too convenient to not include bylines on editorials? 'Oh...Travis wrote that...not me".

Full disclosure is a part of running an ethical newspaper that keeps a wall between ownership, editorial and the news. This should have been an opinion on the right read page -- with Arthur's name on it. Why wasn't it? Anything else could be looked at as a conflict and any reader has to wonder why his financial ties to bottled water weren't disclosed. Even if TKA actually wrote the editorial, the information should have been disclosed.

The News-Press wants you to believe that they are anti-growth but goes on to question global warming like it is a fad. I wonder often about the disconnect between an editorial one day and an editorial several days later. Although it is not too scandalous, now I know it is a question of not knowing the difference between celeb and celebre.

Community Post: Cappello is at it again.

I was watching a DVD of the last season of the Soprano's and was trying to figure out how much is too much to get on the vig....and what in the world is a sfogliatelle when I got this community post which WAS WRITTEN BY AN AVID READER with concerns about the Santa Barbara News-Press' main attorney....what do you think? Can anyone explain? -- Sara
=================
This time he is using a grief-stricken family to pad his pockets and settle a long-standing personal dispute.

According to local news reports, last week a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Gottesman family relating to the drowning of their son. We all feel for the family and losing a child is the worse thing that can happen to a parent. But does the Ottesman family really know what they have gotten themselves into?

Barry has been in cases involving harm to others and the only one to benefit was Barry and his firm. Barry was the attorney epresenting 133 people that suffered because of contaminations spread by a local Boeing facility. Barry was good, the group as awarded $30 million – Barry’s take was $18 million! The story of this transaction even made CNN!

And if Barry is not doing it for the money, then perhaps it has something to do with trying to exact revenge on Richard Berti ho was listed as an owner of the club where the drowning took place. Evidently, Richard and Barry don’t get along because Richard refused to pay Barry’s astronomical fee for some legal services.

Barry was the one who sought out the Gottesman’s and had them fire their attorney, they didn’t come to him – I wonder why?

The Gottesman family deserves to be taken care of; not be victimized by Cappello and his greed for money and revenge.

Signed,

Tired of Cappello’s Manipulation of Santa Barbara

CNN.com
www.http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/02/pzn.01.html

Simi Valley Acorn
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2006/0120/Front_Page/002.html

Rep. Capps and Miller Urge NLRB to Act

The Santa Barbara Independent reports today that our very own Lois Capps and respected Rep. George Miller from Los Angeles urged the NLRB to act now on the News-Press Mess issue.

“The NLRB should move in a timely manner to resolve the News-Press case and all other certification cases,” the joint letter stated. “Delay in such cases undermines the Act, with a disparate impact on employees particularly in cases where it is found that the election complied with the law and the employees chose union representation.”

Circuit City Stabbing Not Much in the News?

A faithful reader sent in a report of hearing about another stabbing near Circuit City and said KEYT News had a brief uninformative blip on their 6:00 pm Saturday newscast. He heard about it through an interesting Santa Barbara police scanner feed website strangely called The Way of the Gun and wondered why it hadn't shown up just about anywhere else....any news on this from any of our other readers?

Don't Let Rudeness Prevail ?!?

Today's post was best put by an anonymous comment earlier today listed below....the only thing I'd add to the list is going after your truly a few months ago :)

+++++++
Their Sunday editorial today ("Don't Let Rudeness Prevail") astonishingly ends,

"let's all vow to begin to do our part by saying "good day" to our neighbors and being a bit kinder to those we encounter."

Are you kidding me?

This from a woman who is:

--suing her editor-in-chief who quit for $25 million,

--suing the Independent,

--suing the American Journalism Review reporter,

--fighting with her own neighbors through her homeowner's association,

--starting a trial next month with the NLRB, which is prosecuting her for much worse than "rudeness,"

--threatening local shop owners,

--sliming her former editor on the front page of her newspaper for child pornography,

--going after local ministers,

--firing long-time dedicated News-Press employees for questioning her skills and temperament,

--attacking local chambers of commerce,

--attacking local leaders,

--allowing routine shotgun blasts from Travis Armstrong and Laura Schlessinger against multipe local targets?

"What lazy, cheap, power-hungry hypocrites," as Schlessinger said in a different context last week, before complaining about hostile and mean bloggers this week.

Delusional, dumb or something worse?

Do they think readers are stupid? No wonder we are quitting the paper in droves.

Suicide Prevention Barriers on Cold Springs Bridge

From a highly-respected environmentalist citizen stringer who thought this would be a good topic...
=============
I think that you would do an important public service by giving your readers an opportunity to comment on the proposal by CalTrans to install so-called suicide prevention barriers on the Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge on Scenic Highway 154. Information about the proposal can be found on the CalTrans website.

The Independent had a story about it on June 5 2007.

CalTrans has made promises to those who favor the barriers that it will "expedite" the approval process, while many in the community question the wisdom of such an approach and point to the need for a careful (not expedited) consideration of impacts on important scenic, aesthetic and historic public resources. For example, the Land Use Committee of the Citizens Planning Association has stated:

"Approaches to suicide prevention should be carefully and comprehensively planned to assure that important public resources are not unnecessarily degraded or destroyed. The Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge on Scenic Highway 154 is an important scenic, aesthetic and historic public resource, widely renowned for the dramatic grace and beauty of its design.

The fact that the bridge has been used occasionally for the commission of suicide (once a year on average since its construction) does not warrant any kind of "expedited process" to install so-called suicide prevention barriers that will have significant adverse impacts on the scenic, aesthetic and historical features of this important public resource.

For that reason we strongly support a full and comprehensive review of any and all proposals for the installation of such barriers, including a careful consideration of a full range of project alternatives."

Big Mouths? Takes One to Know One

Dr. Laura took on Craig Smith and the the now-defunct Santa Barbara Newsroom today like her buddy Wendy had won the war.

Here's a mean-spirited snippet to give you an idea of how that went over:

Where is Sara McCune's check? She was vocal enough about being willing to pay tens of millions of dollars to buy the News-Press, but she wasn't willing to put up the hundreds of thousands to keep its so-called substitute afloat.

What lazy, cheap, power-hungry hypocrites.

I think News-Press management sees the writing on the wall and that the August 14th court date does not bode well according to their many, many legal consultants. Dr. Laura should remember that opinion is opinion but that a wall between the owner of the News-Press and her columns is worth more than whatever Wendy could pay her.

Community Post: Account from the Fire

Thanks for posting the info Sara. I'm here in SYV. The winds are calm where I am which is a few miles away from where the evacuation area is. The fire information person who was answering everyone's questions today downtown said that today the winds had shifted again (a good thing).

Last night was a sudden shock & a wake up call to most of the residents who were accutely aware of the fire but not feeling threatened by it until everything changed at 8pm.

This was because the winds had shifted. It is all about the wind now.

I don't know if the 200 people who had to evacuate were allowed to go home or not. Its not just people, its livestock (horses etc). I think there are many more livestock than people in this area.

As big as this fire is getting, nature has been kind. Other than the heat and the rough terrain, the winds have been relatively mild & the humidity high. Both blessings. Hopefully things will remain so.

The fire men & women are everywhere you go. All amazing heros for what they do.

An anonymous donor set up a fund at the Los Olivos Market so that the folks fighting the fire could pick up whatever supplies they needed.

I love this valley.

PS I'm appreciating Ray Fords updates in the Indie & I am regularly checking in on the inciweb site every few hours- they are on top of it.

Au Contraire, Mon Frere!

Many of you have questioned the blue lines and that's fine -- but does Citizen Stringer have a point? -- Sara
========================
Does the News-Press just now adopt a position simply because the City of Santa Barbara is promoting the opposite position or action? The editorial and letters today still promote the defunct position that sea level rise is still uncertain and a controversy. No other letters with a different point of view have ever appeared. Has the News-Press really become a "conservative" newspaper publication after all?

Evacuation Order from the Sheriff for Happy Canyon

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department has issued an "Evacuation Order" for the residents of Happy Canyon Road above Baseline Road, including the communities of Tunnel Ranch, Peachtree Canyon, Rancho De Los Vistadores, and the Sedgwick Ranch. The Zaca Fire is at McKinley Ridge and is an immediate threat to life and property. Residents who live in or around the identified communities are advised to immediately evacuate. An Evacuation Center has been established at Santa Ynez High School, 2975 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez, 805-896-2980.

If you are unable to evacuate and need assistance call 911.

Evacuation Warning

A Evacuation Warning has been issued for the following areas: Residents East of Figueroa Road, North of Roblar, East of Mora, North of Baseline Avenue, and West of Lisgue Canyon (Sedgwick Ranch). The Zaca Fire is a potential threat to life and property. Residents living in these identified areas should prepare for evacuation. An Evacuation Order may be issued as a result of the fires threat. Residents may voluntarily evacuate to the Evacuation Center that has been established at Santa Ynez High School, 2975 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez, 805-896-2980.

Landecker New EDC Executive Director

I've received several reports from our readers that former Santa Barbara Council Member and President of Citizens Planning Association David Landecker has been named the Environmental Defense Center's new Executive Director. The announcement, which I assume was made at the EDC's TGIF, means Landecker is replacing former director Cameron Benson who took the Water Czar job at the City of Santa Barbara.

Community Post: The U Plan SB Saga

David Pritchett sent the following in:
=======================
Writing of the blogs and maybe community-access TV taking over the debate, like NewsRoom, here is another. Now that the 4 public "workshop" meetings are done as Round One of the public outreach for Plan Santa Barbara 2030 General Plan Update, what do readers think and where should this process go from here?? For cynical, veteran City Watchers, the whole suite of meetings did leave a bit of an impression that all those good ideas recorded on the big sheets of paper indeed would disappear and a dissatisfying, unambitious plan would result in a year, with overly dismissive reasons why the Big Ideas were not included. Time will tell; here is the first installment in the U Plan SB saga.

Santa Barbara Newsroom Signs Off

It is with a heavy heart that I report that sbnewsroom.com signed off tonight after just a few short months of reporting what we should be getting from the News-Press from these very reporters...here's the text of their press release:

Date: July 13, 2007

To: All Media

From: The Illegally Fired Reporters of the Santa Barbara News-Press

Re: Closure of SBNewsroom.com

We are closing down SantaBarbaraNewsroom.com as of today so that we can switch gears and crank up the campaign again as we approach the Aug. 14 trial date, during which the National Labor Relations Board will prosecute the News-Press on more than one dozen unfair labor practice charges, including our illegal terminations.

While we were able to reach some of the public through our web site, we need to be out in the community now bringing attention to the upcoming trial date and to the fact that this fight is long from over.

Please see the commentary on our web site for more information. Thanks.

Thanks to all of you for bringing us the news when you didn't have to and believing in a cause that is worthwhile.

Announcement from SB Newsroom

On the one-year anniversary of the Santa Barbara News-Press meltdown, the eight reporters who were illegally fired for their union organizing efforts have put together a 25-minute documentary chronicling the dramatic events of the past 12 months.

Produced by Melissa Evans and edited by Lew Marklin Marsh, the documentary features seven of the fired reporters recounting the story in chronological order.

The documentary will air on the SB Newsroom television show on Channel 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 12; 11 a.m. Saturday, July 14; and 8 p.m.. Sunday, July 15. The production will also be posted on the Santa Barbara Newsroom Web site on Friday, July 13.

Community Post: CC, PC, ABR and HLC Joint Meeting

This in from a citizen stringer:
===================
There's going to be an important meeting next week at the Cabrillo Pavilion of the City Council with the Planning Commission, the Architectural Board of Review and the Historic Landmarks Commission. It's a workshop to discuss big buildings, the proposed height limitation in the city or perhaps just in the El Pueblo Viejo district. Or maybe more? There's nothing on the city web site that I can find about it.

This seems to be under the radar: I think it is scheduled for 8:30 am on Wednesday, July 18th, but it's not on the television schedule, not yet on the city commission agendas; not on the city calendar which is totally useless anyway. They don't seem to be publicizing this at all! Why not?

It certainly should be televised on Channel 18. They may say that they can't do tv at the Pavilion but that's not so. They may also say they're planning small group discussions which wouldn't be conducive to television. But they did televise the General Plan discussion - and then the roundup of the small groups.

The issues of big house, big buildings as on Chapala Street, is this the future of Santa Barbara?, are of great public concern. The public, representatives of some of the civic groups, will be speaking at this at public comment, and listening with interest to our representatives - and certainly there should be television.

Light a fire for public radio...

Here's a discussion that Doc Searls has started that I'd like to do several posts on in the coming days....Where are you going to go for live information when a life-threatening wildfire bears down on your town? He makes a great point that we have some great radio stations in Santa Barbara but nobody is doing live news of this kind. Our NPR stations are great but don't really cover local news. KCSB covers some local news but doesn't have the resources to cover something like this fire. Radio News-Press has clearly proven to not be an option. I, for one, miss Dick Williams -- who was always there, day and night.

It's a complicated issue -- but let's start talking about it.

Daily Sound Fights for a Free Press

The Daily Sound's editorial today (July 10, 2007) is a worthwhile read about their opposition to the Deputy Public Defender's attempt to subpoena photographs from the March 14th gang brawl at Sak's Fifth Avenue. Their arguments are interesting but perhaps most telling is their assertion that they have sought a meeting with Deputy Public Defender Atkins and have been refused. According to The Sound, she's unhapppy with the coverage her client has received and refuses to speak with their reporters. Is The Sound is right to ask why someone on the public payroll would take such a stance? How is this different than Operation Cold Shoulder?

Zaca Wildland Fire

Over the last few days I've been a bit shell shocked by the news of the fire and feel remiss in not offering a place to post your thoughts on what is turning out to be a quite serious incident. With reports of a helicopter crashing, I've got my tail between my legs and feel like I've had my head in the sand.

I've been reviewing InciWeb's no frills, very firefighter-like account of what is going on in the San Rafael wilderness and towards the Sisquoc River. These are beautiful areas that deserve a lot more coverage than what I and others have failed to give it...I wonder if the fire had started closer to human structures if the media and common people like myself would have taken more decisive action sooner to let others know of the danger and the damage. This is not to say the media hasn't covered the fire -- but what cuts through our consciousness and wakes us up to what is going on?

Doing the Right Thing...

I was watching Live Earth this weekend and noticed that a lot of artists were drinking water out of plastic, disposable bottles...Linkin Park's lead singer even threw one out to the audience like he was so cool. I was almost 'driven to tears' but at least I saw hope in the fact that Sting drank from a ceramic cup -- good to see The Police after all these years.

Doing the right thing is not always something we keep in the forefront...because of our busy lives. I was reading the Santa Barbara Newsroom commentary tonight and realizing that more than a few of us need to put our money where our mouth is. They deserve all the support we can give.

News-Press Mess One Year Anniversary

With 6 resignations on July 6, 2006 -- the News-Press Mess began a year ago today (for most of you by the time you read this). Posted between a tribute to artist Ray Strong and a description of what was soon to become the Indy Media Blog, little did I know that these six resignations would create the beginnings of a national controversy that is still playing itself out a year later.

A few days after reporting the resignations on BlogaBarbara, I ran a post about Travis Armstrong quoting civil war editor William Story:

"A newspaper's duty is to print the news and raise hell." We feel that we have achieved this in some measure and will continue to do so in the future.

TKA and company have certainly taken the 'raising hell' to heart (and more than in 'some measure') -- where, however, is our local news that we keep on hearing News-Press management holds so dear? And, why is 'raising hell' more important than delivering unbiased news; as well as, fair and honest editorial?

Just to be clear -- this means more than a reporter or two covering local news, telling the whole story even if it hurts (because you know it will be good for business in the long run) AND showing respect to public officials, non-profits, clergy and anyone that might hold a different view. Taking the high road and respecting the community you write for is good for business and sells subscriptions. MySpace is not edging out the News-Press, News-Press owners and management is edging out the News-Press.

Rightly so -- I hope the reporters keep up the good fight. I also wonder, however, how the workers from the News-Press printing plant and other non-reporter departments are doing as we tend to concentrate on the journalists. Where are they a year later?

KCRW Podcast

Here's the podcast of Roberts, Cannon and Bergman from KCRW mentioned in the post the other day.

McCaw Makes Attack Letter Open Source

As a "purposely uninformed blogger", I wanted to make sure my readers weren't in the same boat as I regarding Wendy McCaw's opinion of my work...here's her Letter to Readers which is really a blistering attack on Lou Cannon. Here's a taste:

The world has passed you by. Young people today no longer wear watches, no longer read newspapers, no longer watch TV news. They communicate by text messaging and in MY SPACE. They distrust the mainstream media, in large part because they distrust the decrepit ideas asserted by the old generation who claim to be "experts" such as yourself. You exemplify the basis for this distrust with your reference to "various inquiries" allegedly finding that we committed some journalistic sin.

I'm not even sure where to start after reading this piece which sounds a bit too similar to a property-rights advocate protecting their right to build lot line to lot line. In McCaw's view, the bottom line is more important than journalistic standards and telling the whole story. Basically, she's telling us that ethics in journalism isn't as important as protecting her assets. Interesting how you don't have to pay to read her rant.

Roberts, Cannon & Bergman on KCRW (NPR)

This from one of our NPR stations...KCRW. -- Sara
====
The role of the publisher in today’s newspaper world has come under increased scrutiny and has brought into question the continued viability of the firewall separating news coverage from editorial opinion. We’ll focus on this issue at the Santa Barbara News Press, incoming management at the Los Angeles and the potential sale of the Wall Street Journal. KCRW airs this discussion, hosted by station Manager Ruth Seymour, and featuring Jerry Roberts, Lou Cannon and Lowell Bergman, on “The Politics of Culture,” Tuesday at 2:30 on 89.9 KCRW (106.9 in Santa Babara) and KCRW.com.

Mayor Blum on Juarez

This is for a new topic from an Anonymous -- I don't agree with the conclusion as I think that a 14 year old is only just 14 and I see the Mayor's point (much like I saw Salud's point although I disagreed with his email to a constituent)...but differentiate the vindictive comments and it is a topic worthy of discussion. Should a 14 year old face life in prison? I don't think so...

Again...as with the post on Carbajal a week or so ago, I did not write this....but feel like our readers should have access to community posts as much as possible.

Sara
--------------------
Did anyone see the Daily Sound on Friday, with the first extensive comments by Marty Blum, giving her opinion on the recent stabbing on State Street and musing about how she was a part-time third grade teacher at Roosevelt School and how the stabbing victim was a nice little boy, and that 14-year-olds don't understand their actions. (Gosh, why would juarez even think to wear gloves? It wasn't for yard work.) I wonder how the police department and the DA's office feel about reading her schoolmarm comments. She sure didn't sound like a mayor in that interview.

Fire Near Red Rock

From KSBY:
============
June 30, 2007
Reported by: Tina Leonard
SANTA BARBARA
A brush fire is burning off Paradise Road off of the 154, also known as San Marcos Pass. The fire was reported at 6:32 this evening and over 100 firefighters are on scene. The fire has grown to 300 acres, but is not threatening any cities. The fire is moving moderately fast eastward, away from all cities. Campsites at Red Rock have been evacuated. All access to Paradise Road is closed.