Touring with the Candidates
Despite all the talk yesterday on Measure A, there is a city council race in less than a month as well. Who would know with the traditional Labor Day kick off slipping into almost mid-October?
Larry Nimmer, who should be nominated for some kind of award real soon for his civic involvement, produced the following videos of all the candiates on Google Video. You can see Bob Hansen's Laker bobble-heads and Bob's John Travolta hat from Urban Cowboy. There is also Helene Schneider's tour of the Westside and Das William's library, chile relleno and a cute story about how he reads to his partner --- some highlights of this series that is sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
Nimmer has brought the decidedly mature and wise LWV into the 21st Century and is to be commended for his non-partisan effort to increase voter participation in the age of YouTube. These videos are a must see if you are serious about the next election and checking out what each candidate has to say.
Larry Nimmer, who should be nominated for some kind of award real soon for his civic involvement, produced the following videos of all the candiates on Google Video. You can see Bob Hansen's Laker bobble-heads and Bob's John Travolta hat from Urban Cowboy. There is also Helene Schneider's tour of the Westside and Das William's library, chile relleno and a cute story about how he reads to his partner --- some highlights of this series that is sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
Nimmer has brought the decidedly mature and wise LWV into the 21st Century and is to be commended for his non-partisan effort to increase voter participation in the age of YouTube. These videos are a must see if you are serious about the next election and checking out what each candidate has to say.
Labels: Larry Nimmer, Santa Barbara City Council
posted by Sara De la Guerra | 10/11/2007 12:01:00 AM
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The complete two hour Touring With The Candidates is also available on The Santa Barbara Channels, Channel 21, as follows:
Oct. 10 Wed. 8:00pm
11 Thu. 8:30am & 8:30pm
12 Fri. 9:30am & 9:30pm
13 Sat. 11:30am & 8:00pm
14 Sun. 8:30am & 4:30pm
15 Mon. 8:00pm
16 Tue. 2:00pm
17 Wed. 9:00am &3:00pm
18 Thu. 8:30am & 8:30pm
19 Fri. 7:00am & 12:00pm & 9:30pm
20 Sat. 5:30am & 7:30pm
21 Sun. 5:00am & 9:00pm
Additional times will be added after Oct. 21st.
SBTV 21 is also airing three minute candidate statements and will be airing a forum with all the candidates.
How can anyone be "serious about the next election?" Same ol', same ol'
Anon 6:02... if the election is the "Same ol', same ol'" whose fault is that? This town is small enough so that individuals can still have a major impact IF they care enough to spend the time and energy to do so. If you believe that you have something important to say then you ought to say it and organize others into support of candidates you like instead of whining about how the current politicos don't suit you. It is supposed to be a democratic process. If it is not, that is because too many of us don't participate.
There is certainly no limitation or qualification for stepping up and running for office: take a look at Hotchkiss and Giddens!!!
Could Das be more of a cliche? I guess that's why this city is becoming more and more "Berkely by the Sea".
I just finished the "TOURING" with all the candidates. The incumbents are much more rounded.
I will probably vote for Williams and Schneider. Barnwell I could replace beacause his focus, as too often, are the visuals of Santa bah bah rah. Barnwell, as a commish or council member doesn't understand "mixed use and the intricacies of placing a skateboard park "home adjacent." He should know better by now.
Hansen, Giddens, Hotchkiss, Francisco are too narrowly focused to get my vote. Did I hear Hotchkiss use the "f" word, 5.22 minutes into his interview? Out of all four, Hansen is the most rounded out of all these challengers.
Litten is the most interesting fresh face and independent challenger. Unfortunately the TOUR did not get beyond his core issues. I completely disagree with Litten's opinion on the "light blue line." I would need to know more about Littens thoughts on housing, transporation and the arts before voting for him.
Can't wait to see the League of Women Voters replay to get a better feel for the candidates views.
Hansen's tour is the best - hands down.
Donaldo @9:39
That's not fair about Barnwell. He's the only one on the council (other than Grant House) who's been recently on the Planning Commission and understands the complexity of housing AND zoning issues.
Sure, visuals are important but he's also a real estate appraiser. He thoroughly understands - or seems to "mixed use" --- the difficulty seems to me that he gets tripped up in the details with the ideas sometimes racing ahead of the speech.
As was apparent at last night's CPA/LWV forum none of the other candidates have any experience or knowledge from the years on the planning commission. Williams' and Schneider's on-the-job training is helpful, something being better than the nothing (re zoning issues) of Francisco and Litten or the axes to grind of Giddens and Hotchkiss.
Btw, did anyone else notice the consort there in the audience, a quick glimpse, at Bob Hansen's Victoria Theater performance?
I voted for Hansen after seeing that video
6:34 AM --- Was it the "40" in a brown paper bag he busted out or the illicit drug he got without a prescription? Quite a video....
city watcher @ 8:28 a.m. 10/12
re: Barnwell's Tour
Longevity on the on the dais or the profession of being an appraiser does not make a good land-use transportation planner be. I recall Barnwell's self-hair pulling deliberations during the placement of the skateboard park. Now the populist Barnwell is considering the same scenario again by intensifying the uses at at least two parks.
My problem with Barnwell is that regardless of what he says he is still known for trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. He doesn't understand conflicts of uses except in the case where he can use the conflicts to pit the homeless against the skate board "community" and baseball fans which Barnwell did in his TOUR. This was most was an unfortunate use of one segment of the community against another and really says quite a bit about Barnwell's true character.
Barnwell states he is a protector of neighborhoods. My observations is that he is a developer of, in and around neighborhoods. His TOUR through the "Bungalow Haven" Barnwell states that some neighborhoods needs protecting. So would Barnwell elaborate on which already well defined neighborhoods do not need protection?
Barnwell's Tour reveals at least two neighborhoods that he is not willing to "protect" from over and inappropriate use. The Pershing Park neighborhood and the North end of the Samarkand Neighborhood are revealed as in less need of protection in order to make way for two of Barnwells pet projects.
Barnwell was very creative in the tour. Changed his hat and shirt with each new stop. I was getting tired of his lip smacking and eccentric and extra long nasal inhalations prior to every exuberant thought. Barnwell is an autocrat, a pozer, and a performance artist in this Tour and together with his record I would be willing to let him step down from the council dais.
BTW was that a legal unit in Barnwell's backyard?
Bob seems the most genuinely human or at least the most genuinely caring of other humans of the candidates. I respect him a lot for that and his willingness to stand up. ...I probably won't vote for him, though: I don't think he really wants to sit through those long, not infrequently boring meetings.
Great series and gift by Larry Nimmer. Are the videos from prior campaigns archived? It would be interesting to compare the three incumbents this time and 4 years ago!
Barnwell is tiresome, blowhardy and not at all deserving of another term.
Bob Hansen looks pretty darn good in comparison
Let's try to get to the why you wouldn't vote for a candidate or an incumbent rather than what you think of them as an individual -- shall we?
Sara I appreciate your last comment (4:55), but part of the point of the tour is to meet the candidates as individuals. We see them in their homes and we see the city (briefly) as they see it. This too is important is judging whom to vote for.
Bob Hansen's comments at the city council on Tuesday public comment - see them online , click on video, were right on. He said in effect that the filming lost a lot of its value because the News-Press refuses to include Channels 17 and 21 in its TV Guide. Amazing the "news"paper is so petty!!!
Barnwell is far from perfect, and he could have done much more to protect neighborhoods. But he did, after much dithering, come down on the side of FARs as regulations rather than suggestions and he seemed to influence other council-types in that direction (especially Schneider, who often appears to let Barnwell articulate a view and then fall into line with him!)
The danger here is that people who favor a knee-jerk reaction against the short comings of the current council might fall for the BS that know-nothings like Hotchkiss and Giddens are trying to sell. Make no mistakes, although Barnwell might be a luke-warm protector of neighborhoods, Hotchkiss and Giddens are against any building limits and are staunch enemies of any neighborhood protections.
To Anon 9:26am - interesting commentary about Schneider. She certainly did not let Barnwell influence her votes on Veronica Meadows, the Century 21 condo conversion and the 7-market rate condo project on the Westside - Barnwell voted for each of these projects while Schneider opposed them, giving specific rationale behind each of her votes.
Talk about trying to rewrite history. Andyone who actually has participated in city council hearings knows what fluff every single incumbent just dished out.
None of them can take credit for initiating anything; only reacting to outraged residents who were constantly ignored and abused by all three of these incumbents.
And now they have the nerve to claim they were the ones bringing these benefits to the city voters. What lies.
They had to be beaten on the head with sticks to get them to do any of the things they now are taking credit for.
All three of them sold out the neighborhoods, ignored neighbors oppositions and are now claiming they were the ones who preserved the quality of life for the rest of us. What a crock. Send them all packing. They ignored and destroyed and now are blatently coat-tailing the efforts of outraged residents who had to take matters into their own hands to the point they could no longer ignore the damage they collectively did.
Surprisingly, Das had the weakest video, Brian's was ridiculous and Helene, while articulate is still clueless about real city problems.
Sorry incumbents, too many of us see the problems you have all consistenly ignored or exacerbated while in office. You are all history.
Barnwell wringing his ex post facto hands about the Chapala high rises after serving on the Planning Commission and City Council takes the prize for more over-blown crocodile tears acting.
Helene standing next to graffitti and marijuana joints on the Westside totally ignoring the level of crime and blight in this part of town and the disaster that San Pasqual project has become gets second prize for worthless crocodile tears.
And Das, if you can't clean up your own apartment, how can you clean up this city?
Let me get this straight:
1. No one wants a professional baseball stadium at Pershing Park. No one.
How can Barnwell talk about protecting neighbhorhoods when he stands foursquare for destroying the WestBeach with noise, lights, parking, and late night activity in the middle of an area with no adequate mass traffic access.
2. Not a single candidate talked about the economic realities of city government: 80-90% of city budget going for over-bloated city staff, benefits, entitlements and now a four day work week.
This leaves almost no money for all their social benefit visioning, besides responding to job protections and job security demands of the over-bloated city staff that runs circles around every single sitting city council member.
No one talked about tourism being an important city cash cow and how graffitti, gangs and pan-handlers taking over the city are destroying Santa Barbara's tourism appeal.
3. Several candidates mentioned city parks getting overrun with the homeless, as if it was an acknowledged bad thing (which it is) but no one said what they would do to stop all the addled-headed city programs that in fact encourage slackers and homeless to come here abuse this city and blight our parks day and night.
Schneider talked about the 10% of the homeless who take 80% of city resources and brags about giving them free homes in the middle of town town to stay as long as they want, but it is the 90% of the other bums who still irritate the heck out of the rest of us, degrade our parks and downtown and who remain homeless by choice problem.
4. Scheider acknowledged there are no parks and no remaining open spaces in the West and East side of the city, yet this is exactly where the city council is cramming super dense housing with no limits and no mention that the currently approved denser market-rate units are in fact now being sold for short-term vacation rentals for tourists at the expense to the surrounding neighborhoods who had these bonus density units and parking modifications crammed down their throats over their loud opposition.
5. No ownership by any council member of the total failure of the inclusionary-housing taking of private property to squeeze in more and more sub-standard units for the lucky few who win, by who knows what means, the city lottery for these few units that come at the very high price to the rest of the neighborhoods. No mention of any accountability for these programs to see if they provide the intended benefit. Unlikely.
6. No mention of the multiple lawsuits against the city by angry neighborhood groups who had to resort to this last desparate method in the face of blatent city law breaking, again cramming down more and more housing and overlooking environmental destruction.
7. No mention of making the city staff accountable for their salaries with an intensive program review, to see what exactly we are getting for our tax dollars. Not single mention of any economic and budget concerns whatsover.
8. No one gives a flip about clean city buses when the routes are so lousy and next to impossible to figure out, when compared to any other industrialized nation's public transportation systems.
Ours is archaic and shameful. Put the new transportation center by the railway station like every other civilized nation does for sensible urban planning. Stop pandering for more low income housing handouts downtown and call it smart growth.
9. No mention about city council members spending more time at out of town meetings patting themselves on the backs, while never visiting their own city until it is election time.
According to their videos they are perfect and deserve to be re-elected, to do more damage to this city. None of the sitting council members listed the problems that exisit and how they would solve them, and how their consistently miguided decisions created most of them in the first place.
10. Thank you League of Women Voters for making these videos available for free, so we can get to know the candidates on an equal footing without the interference of city staff union money (in fact, our tax dollars being used to pay those self-serving union dues) used to foster their own personal causes in glossy campaign literature.
I like Frank Hotchkiss' laugh as he answers the door.
Hotchkiss is the only one who sounded confident about his motives for running and offered a clear picture of his agenda.
Voters simply cannot get suckered again by Barnwell's claim he is protecting the neighborhoods. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. No way, Barnwell this time.
Schneider will sell us out for a handful of federal dollars quicker than you can scream slow the growth.
And Das was surprisingly off his message, with little of popular appeal nor in touch with where this city has been going right under his liberal nose. Nice to see Das now calls the Upper East home. Easy to recognize the Villa Constance balconies.
No need to apologize for affordable housing Das, when this is what you were able to buy on your city council salary. Why not something more affordable in the neighborhoods you crammed in all the extra city housing. Hmmmmm ........
Hotchkiss sounded confident with his "Get out of the gang or get out of town" proclamation, too. Our national government clearly demonstrates that confidence does not equate to competence or intelligence.
Really folks if Hotchkiss is your savior you must be desperate. Did you see his tour?
Hotchkiss spent the first 5 1/4 minutes of his TOUR dropping names, starting with Gil Garcia while forgetting only one name completely. Hotchkiss twice assures the voter of the encouraging news that local stuff-art is inexpensive. After recalling one artist name, Liebschitz, Hotchkiss exclaims "sh" "f**k!" (just slide and start at 5:15 and replay for a little hilarity.)
Hotchkiss, an "actor" uses "street theatre" (which he doesn't approve of) at the scene of a downtown murder which would have worked well if he hadn't been off script a bit when recounting the victim's name. Lots of tuff-talk for gangs. Hotchkiss a self described teenage "punk" who secondly wants to talk to the kids....something he can do right now or even after he looses the election ..... but he won't because this candidate is all puffery.
Hotchkiss wants to ensure at least 2 parking space per unit but doesn't mention the predictable problem accomodating the pair of BMW's on the roadways. I was hoping Hotchkiss would mention petitioning to straighten out and widen A.P.S. and Alston Roads between the Mission throug the Rivera to Moneycito for his Bimmer Community. That's a petition I'd sign.. displaying real leadership....since its in his own hood.
The Tour provides an interesting look at the various candidates, yet will have no bearing on the outcome of the council race.
(Don't know why Larry spends so much time snooping through their homes.)
No matter, the incumbents will win...just as they always do. Despite their obvious flaws, Santa Barbara incumbents win 99.9% of the time. Other than Babatunde, name the last incumbent who tried to win and lost.
And while I'm at it...shame on Marianne and Nick for being soooo predictable, and for helping to guide the sheep in such a poor direction. Independent? A one-word oxymoron.
I nomintated Larry for the Santa Barbara Independent's 2007 Hero Awards. I hope they choose him because he for sure deserves it!
Chrissy Strassburg
www.girlmanmedia.com
Grace Florenz lost because she committed the same sin as Das. She ran for County sup two years into her term and was dumped by the voters when she ran as an incumbent.
How soon you forget. Babatune lost because his liberal social agenda was way out of tune with the vast majority of voters who want some one to run this city; not run our lives.
The aggressive swift-boating of Hotchkiss sounds like he is the one the incumbents are most afraid of beating. One of them will lose their seat for sure. Only mystery is which one.
Barnwell looks the weakest, though the Chippendale shots of Das did nothing to help his chances. And doesn't the Hatch Act prevent political candidates from campainging on their own public turf?
I'm truly pleased so many people made the time to watch all these videos. Just thought a couple posts deserved some response:
1. This wasn't a campaign commercial. It is supposed to be a chance to meet a candidate as a person, that's why I don't "stay on message." Contrary to what my detractors believe, my entire existence is not political. My life apart from politics revolves around the ocean, my faith, birds, and Jennifer, and therefore those are the trappings that you see.
2. If there was any message I was trying to get across, it was "take the bus." We've made it so easy, convenient, and cheap, there's really no reason to hassle with parking, out-of-control gas prices, and crazy red-light running drivers 5 days a week. Cut down to 3, or 2! Be part of the solution, and read the Daily Sound while you do it!
3. Whether you call my neighborhood "Oak Park" (which is what my neighbors call it) or "Upper East," I bought a Villa Constance condo because it was absolutely the most affordable in the entire City. Because I have another job in addition to the full time I put into the City, I don't qualify for price controlled affordable housing, but more power to those who do. Not everyone can afford $487,000 for a one bedroom condo. That's grasping at straws to say I'm all of a sudden not one of the people because I bought a condo.
4. It was a great idea of Larry Nimmer's to do these videos; you get a different feel for folks and it makes me appreciate even my opponents as human beings and a part of this community. Keep it up Larry!
Much hope for Das
Harriet Miller, while a sitting council member, ran and lost the 2nd district supervisor race to Jeanne Graffey. Miller, reported to be wildly popular (even though I and others didn't care for her) went on to run and get elected mayor.
Nice show of backbone finally, Das. Thank you for responding. Too bad you had to be goaded into responding clearly and directly about your agenda. You hit a homerun on your public transportation points. Thank you.
That is the bully-pulpit leadership style this town craves and has sorely missed these past post-Harriet years. Why don't you stick around town and see if you can actually accomplish all of this instead of going for higher office. There is much to do here and you could be the one to do it.
Bit of seasoned advice: Be clear, direct, up-front, articulate choices. Don't ask us to subtly get your messages.
That is what was so wrong with the Blue Line that outraged so many. No one needed a waste of city funds to be abstractly hinted we are blowing away our natural resources.
That is what made us all so crazy. Installation art about a topic that everyone knows about now is a few days late and a few dollars short.
Hotchkiss hit the nail on the head in his video about the Blue Line. If this indeed is the serious problem and the city council wants to do something serious about it, then DO IT.
At this late date, don't ask us to view some addled art project and hopefully make a connection about something. Leadership, that is what we wanted. Not a silly blue line.
We want leaders who will lead; not just react when things finally blow up in their faces. Look at all the issues the city council only re-acted to:
1. City knew about all the homeless camps along the railway and Highway 101 for years and did nothing.
Yet, in a few weeks CalTrans stepped in, cleared the brush and got rid of them because they had far too long been a transportation safety issue. I am surprised Union Pacific does not charge the city for all the delays to their train routes (which you want encouraged) because of all the homeless camps along the rightaway the city far too long ignored.
2. City knew about all the homeless camps on TV hill for years which intimiated nearby residents and created an extreme fire hazard for the uphill dwellers. And the city did nothing. It took the fire department's independent action finally got the landowners to clear the brush and make this hill off limits for homeless camps.
3. The city ignored years of pleas to bring back the bike patrols as they watched their neighborhoods go down hill with gang crime, grafitti, hate crimes in broad daylight and younger and younger drug dealing.
Yet, only after a kid gets killed in downtown does the city council take credit for bringing back the bike patrols, which may already be too little too late when there has been a death to be revenged.
We need a clear agenda of priorities and a clear program to accomplish them. We don't need four more years of a city council who only reacts to things and creates showcase solutions that look good for public awards but do nothing to solve any of the real city problems.
And we don't need four more years of failing to see the problems created by the solutions. We need more substantive and diverse discussions ahead of time to anticipate the "unintended consequences".
Transition House was presented years ago as the solution for all the State Street pan-handling, but it is now worse than ever because we did not say that is all these people get. Play by the rules, sign up for Transition House and become productive or move on to another community.
Instead the council kept creating more and more programs which only encouraged more and more homeless to come here, ruin the downtown and intimidate seniors from shopping and enjoying their own hometown.
Leadership means saying no too -- and not just to the residents and voters here who see their town being destroyed for the benefit of the few at the cost to the many.
You cannot build your way out of this. Stop defining affordable housing as the only solution for all these problems. Because that prevents you from seeing more direct solutions which are learning to live within limits.
And that means limiting the numbers of people who get to call Santa Barbara home.
Hotchkiss gets this. I sure hope a few more candidates get it too before the final votes are cast.
Anon 11:14 10/16
I really wish people would stop blaming the homeless, the kids, the gangs, the council, etc. You want diversity but yet you probably don't really want to hear a diverse opinion. consider that maybe you are possibly a burden here and much more so than anyone without the home that I suppose you have.
And sorry to point out to you paragraph four in Hotchkiss's official statement>>>>
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/810131D0-DB7F-4299-8918-335F67D16A4F/0/CandidateVideoTranscriptHotchkiss.pdf <<<<
Hotckiss doesn't have a clear stated direction except to twist and divide. In this paragraph he's actually telling tenants to vote for him for more affordable condos!!!
As much as I hate to consider never ending development...it seems to be the reality. So the question is how do we develope. I do not agree with Hotchkiss pro car model. Hotckiss's model of transportation and development will be contrary to the city's adopted policies which, like it or not, are much better than most communities policies.
Again Hotckiss is no savior. I'll use a previous republican on replublican News Press published commentary to describe what I beieve will be Hotchkiss's effectiveness. Essentially Hotchkiss effectiveness will be that of a "fart in the wind."
Hotchkiss will be a "fart in the wind" if only he is elected. Then he is a lonely minority voice of one, but at least a refreshing and engaging one.
But if you elect the slate of Hotchkiss, Giddens and especially Francisco, then some real action will take place though even they would not have majority control. But at least common sense discussions will take place. ...finally.
There has to be more input from the private property side of Santa Barbara that is getting literally bull-donzed by feel-gooders who leave the residents and the neighborhoods with their misguided messes, as witnessed by every single incumbents tour of their "accomplishments".
If they pointed the camera in a different direction they would have seen the problems their solutions created which they refuse to acknowledge but which the neighbors have to live with every single day.
Nope can't agree with you, it is time for serious change and we should be happy to have such a serious and qualified group to choose from for that change.
There have to be some serious changes in how we do the business of city government in this town, starting with the city setting policy and holding city staff accountable for carrying it out and not the other way around. It is time for leadership; not pandering and reacting. We have had enough of that and we are badly adrift. Badly.
The majority here do own homes and it time they take back the city agenda and stop giving away this city to everyone who does not.
We have done enough for the homeless. Now it is time to do something for the private property owners before this give away mentality destroys the very nature of this town.
You have to have some golden eggs to fleece if you are going to keep up all your give-away programs and it is time you started taking their temperature to see just how much longer you will still be able to fleece them. Like less than 24 more hours?
You progressives are fouling your own nest. And we are sick and tired of this. Bye.
You err. Here is a free clue. Hotckiss is not presenting himself as a savior.
He is presenting himself as the common sense voice that is sorely needed and missing in action these past 4 years. Good enough for me.
Phone calls and yard signs now out for Hotchkiss - nice clear theme "Common Sense for a Change". He hit the right buzz word because no incumbent can touch him on this one.
Don't overlook the other common sense candidate who has a lot more than a clue about what's going on at City Council. Dale Francisco has been involved for years, he has a lot of good ideas and is willing to listen to the citizens. What a concept.
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