Nominations for BlogaBarbara's Person(s) of the Year
I'd like to accept some nominations for the second annual BlogaBarbara Person(s) of the Year....last year it was given to the brave reporters and editors at the Santa Barbara News-Press who dared to organize.
The criteria is the same as 2006 -- for better or worse, who had the most impact on our community in the last year? Although I will not be blogging next weekend as I will be taking my traditional holiday break -- I will take nominations through Monday the 31st at 5 pm and post the winner on or about New Years Day.
Would it have to do with the News-Press "Shame on You" attack on Jerry Roberts early in the year? Maybe it would have to do with the gang melee, the new councils, Dr. Laura, Santa Barbara Newsroom, the NLRB, Barry Cappello or perhaps even The Blue Line? Let me know your thoughts and remember that you can review posts from the last year in the archive section to your left.
The criteria is the same as 2006 -- for better or worse, who had the most impact on our community in the last year? Although I will not be blogging next weekend as I will be taking my traditional holiday break -- I will take nominations through Monday the 31st at 5 pm and post the winner on or about New Years Day.
Would it have to do with the News-Press "Shame on You" attack on Jerry Roberts early in the year? Maybe it would have to do with the gang melee, the new councils, Dr. Laura, Santa Barbara Newsroom, the NLRB, Barry Cappello or perhaps even The Blue Line? Let me know your thoughts and remember that you can review posts from the last year in the archive section to your left.
posted by Sara De la Guerra | 12/25/2007 05:30:00 AM
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29 Comments:
I nominate the soldiers of Santa Barbara who volunteer to serve our country and community in a time of war. May our community be worthy of them.
Impact on the community, this community? "The criteria is (sic) the same as 2006 -- for better or worse, who had the most impact on our community in the last year?"
Without question and not even a near second, I'd say Wendy P. McCaw.
We have been without a good newspaper with in depth local coverage for more than a year and a half now and the effects of that lack of news are deepening.
I nominate all the EX subscribers to the Santa Barabara News Press. In the past twelve months, SBNP subscriptions have fallen MORE than 15%, probably closer to 20% when you include the prior reporting period.
Why is this important? It's like a citizen boycott- it proves that a substantial part of our community is disgusted not only with the tactics of the paper but with the lack of content. The people are speaking!
I nominate all in Santa Barbara who work to get the soldiers out of harms way.
I have great admiration for the soldiers, particularly because they are doing a duty that they were ordered to do by higher ups who are truly scoundrels.
Where are the weapons of mass destruction? Where is the Iraq-al Qaeda connection? Why is Afghanistan being reconquered by al Qaeda?
Why are we sending billions to Pakistan who use the money to fortify their military to annex portions of India that are Muslim dominated? Particularly when India is a democracy and Pakistan is not?
All the stupidity is not the fault of our soldiers; they are the Forrest Gumps.
yes i think a good choice is the soldiers who volunteer to keep our country and community safe.
2007 in Santa Barbara was clearly the
Year of the Selfish NIMBY Property Owner In Love With His Speeding Car
While it is a tough job deserving of our respect and admiration, I fail to understand how soldiers in Iraq are keeping our community safe.
Can anyone lately stick to the point of these Blogabarbara postings and questions?
I nominate my mom...
and my speeding car.
I'd say we should give it to the boy who died riding his bike to school- Jake B.
I wish riding a bike for pleasure was a safe way to go, here in the Valley we have very few options to ride in a secure bike lane- most of the road side space is 2 to 4 inches!
While we close streets for biking tours, we hardly have a safe place for nornal folks just wanting to ride for a nice afternoon jaunt.
Wendy McCaw, no question.
The story of the year is how she turned around the Santa Barbara News-Press, which was suffering at the beginning of the year from resignations and political strife, and once again made it into a newspaper Santa Barbara can be proud of.
She didn't just promise to eliminate bias. She did it.
She didn't merely vow to beef up local news coverage. She did it.
She didn't simply take on the political and union forces that were determined to drive the News-Press out of business. She defeated them.
Jerry Beaver, for putting an end to the idiotic blue line.
How about the men and women who worked all summer long battling the Zaca Fire?
biggest impact... biggest impact...
I'd have to nominate the 'nameless, faceless, Latino youth archetype' as the person of the year.
The City Council's attention was diverted to Youth and Youth Activities-- whether with success or without it-- and diverted hundreds of thousands in budget space, meeting time, resources in trying to cope with the issue of youth, gangs and violence.
The wisdom and effectiveness of the same Council was called into question over this 'Latino youth archetype'. The Council's handling of the issue became a central point of contention for both challengers and incumbents during the November Council elections.
The 'archetype' brought us numerous criminal investigations, brought our local newspapers into court over photographs, and took up countless drums of black ink in bold type 'above the fold'.
Letters, blog identities, blog posts, and even the central focus of an entirely new blogging entity-- the Conservative Turtle-- rose from the effects of the 'archetype'.
From the March stabbing through November's crime report, the 'Latino youth archetype' has dominated water-cooler discussion, government action, and civil discourse within the City.
McCaw was SO 2006.
Soldiers are on too big a scale to have made a significant and direct impact on the City, and it is hard to say this specific year was the year they impacted one thing the most.
The Blue Line was just a bunch of whiners in need of something to be angry about, in need of something to spark their outrage. People who turn into crusaders because a clerk at the grocery store had attitude, the ones who always cry for an audience with the business owner and CEO when they didn't get what they wanted (or failed to read the policy correctly... ask a bank teller about them). Cranky, childish folk.
Cappello has too much of an ego and might think he deserves it, but he didn't really do much to impact the greater community. Besides, he and anything else having to do with the News Press really didn't have an impact, so much as they offered an extension to THE story of 2006.
Just a few thoughts there.
1. If BlogaBarbara is a microcosm of the community then, judging from the many comments made here about him, Travis Armstrong might qualify.
2. Young Latino Gang Members have dealt unspeakable sorrow to several families directly and generated anger, fear, disgust, pity and a desire for vigilante justice amongst the community-at-large. Highly qualified.
3. City Council/Planning Commission for Chapala Gonzo Build-up, Transit Center design, etc. As Sara said, "for good or ill." Definitely qualified.
4. Anonymous good samaritans for hiding their light beneath the bushel baskets with countless charitable acts that serve to "pay it forward." Definitely qualified.
My vote is for the Fire fighters. We are all grateful to them...and what a tough fight they had!
We didn't burn down. Let's give all possible praise to the folks who kept the fire away. For months.
No-one this year. Nobody. Don't pick someone every year; that makes the award more meaningful in the years when someone is picked.
On a related topic, I think there should be a statue of Thomas Storke in Storke Placita, with his famous editorial masthead phrase engraved on it. In the sculpture style of Duke Sedgewick, to match the cowboy at Earl Warren.
Maybe Storke should be on horseback too, with the back end of the horse facing the News-Press building.
Dale Francisco for pulling off a major upset by defeating an incumbent and providing an alternative to the lockstep agenda pursued by the rest of the Council. His election is just the beginning of big changes to come.
1. The Wendy for making a once revered newspaper irrelevant while at the same time riling up the masses. For better or worse, she has given life to the shop worn terms, 'journalistic integrity' and 'journalistic ethics' by showing what happens when there are none. I think she continues to have an enormous impact on the culture and (un)civility of SB.
2. The Zaca firefighters who literally saved our chapparral asses and Mother Nature who will replenish our mountains with an explosion of fire-germinators in a spendid display of natural ecosystem self-healing.
4. Al Gore - for persevering and giving voice to the SB environmental ethic on a global scale.
3. Pres. Shrub - who for 8 years of warmongering, theft, incompetence and pillaging the kingdom has made it fertile ground once again for a Democrat to regain the White House.
My vote is still for the firefighters who dealt with the Zaca Fire, but I think a good mention should go to Ray Ford who wrote the best local articles and provided excellent photographs of the fire's progress.
Don Jose is intrigued by the statue of Tom Storke on horseback with the engraved masthead to be located in Storke Placita...hmmmm.
Don... I always thought Storke Placita was for Thomas Storke, but I had no evidence, and I thought he was somehow still too controversial.
Whatever his excesses (or whatever peculiar stuff happened with his son Charles) I think we can now safely say he is worth a statue in the Placita.
And he was quite a horseman; would match the Earl Warren statue.
Sara asked:
"...for better or worse, who had the most impact on our community in the last year?"
There's only one answer. The firefighters. Without them we wouldn't have a community.
Firefighters
Dear Anonymous 8:29:
Let's get that photo of Tom Storke on horseback posted up here on blogabarbara. Might be very inspiring for the community as it meanders through Plaza de la Guerra.
Try to get at least one shot with that rear angle you mentioned and the masthead "Without fear or favor."
I've seen the one of Charles Storke on horseback at the Fiesta. What a guy!
There were giants in our past.
Anon 8:29:
You mentioned the little tussle of great consequences between Charles and Tom Storke. It all started when Charles took responsibility for the tower addition on the Newspress building...
Wish Charles was still with us.
Pearl Chase is another candidate for a statue on the Plaza don't you think? She pretty much took care of the West side of the Plaza and most everything else you can think of that's worthy in the community.
I nominate Wendy McCaw as the Bloga Barbara person of the year.
2:00 p.m. 12/25
I'm one if the guy's in love with my speeding car.
If you see me coming get out of my freakjng way because I'm not slowing down for the likes of YOU!
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