BlogaBarbara Person(s) of the Year - 2008

Many thanks to all of you who put nominations in the hat for the BlogaBarbara person(s) of the Year. There were a good amount of nominations and given the events of the last year -- the result should be pretty obvious.

The BlogaBarbara Person(s) of the Year will yet again go to a group of people rather than an individual. In my mind, we would be fools not to name the many firefighters of the Gap and Tea Fire as the recipients for 2008. It is amazing to think how we went through two very serious fires this year and the work that went into fighting each of them. Our community is thankful and many of us were lucky not to have lost our home even though many of us did. We also saw an impressive display of interagency cooperation as local governments, the state, the feds and fire departments across the west worked to keep our community safe.

Runner Ups:

• Gangs - a nomination that is worthy as their impact was far too great with an increase in violence that was noticeable everywhere.
  
• Bill Mahan for organizing the height limitation ordinance. This nomination may have been a bit orchestrated but is well received for his efforts.
  

Other worthy nominations included:

• Barack Obama -- who I did not consider as his achievements are more national in scope.
  
• Wendy McCaw for further diminishing the quality of local news.
  
• The City College Nine Plus One -- wasn't sure what this reference was about...I must have been sick that day.
  
• City Bureaucrats -- for draining the life out of downtown. This might be up to interpretation in a recession but I saw the point.
  

Nominations for BlogaBarbara Person(s) of the Year

It's that time of the year again. It's December and we are all looking back at what happened in the last year.

The criteria is the same as it has been since 2006 -- for better or worse, who had the most impact on our community in the last year?

Prior winners include the fired News-Press reporters and the Zaca Fire Firefighters. If that line didn't put you in the space to nominate who I would nominate, I'm not sure what would. Far from a fait accompli, please give me your suggestions as runner-ups have always been an important part of the BlogaBarbara Person(s) of the Year process.

The BBPOY will be announced within the last couple days of December and nominations will be taken until the 25th of this month.

BlogaBarbara's Person(s) of the Year and My Resolution on the DL

It didn't take much consideration on my part to name the brave firefighters of the Zaca Fire the BlogaBarbara Person(s) of the Year. I can't think of any issue which had us on edge so much in the last year as this fire and the incredible men and women that protected us from destruction. I also can't think of many of us who didn't think about what was essential to who we are that we would need to take if we were to evacuate. How many other people could we be more thankful to?

Who Are The Runner Ups?

Wendy McCaw: Eight Santa Barbara was pretty much right when he said that Wendy McCaw "is so 2006". At the same time, allowing Jerry Roberts to be smeared like so many political hit pieces on her newspaper under the "staff report" moniker makes her no better than a Willy Horton brandishing Karl Rove or sock puppet James Carville on Social Security.

The Gang Melee at Saks or perhaps more appropriately the "nameless, faceless, Latino youth archetype": Anyone and everyone involved with the "melee" should be considered as it made us think about what is going on in our city. From the victim to the Public Defender's incredible push to gain photographs from anyone who had a camera -- this story had an impact on our lives as Santa Barbarans. It was also, as Eight Santa Barbara pointed out, a major issue in the Council race.

Our Soldiers Who Serve: Don Jose is right to acknowledge our local boys that fight for freedom -- whether we like our President's definition of freedom or not. They put their lives on the line for us and for our country and we should be proud. Most importantly, they put their lives on the line for each other as Americans -- something we don't think enough about in this day and age.

"Selfish NIMBY Property Owner In Love With His (or Her) Speeding Car": This nomination make sense as we have all seen it. We were concerned in 2007 (if not 2005 and 2006) about the influence of new, LA-based home owners that bring a different way of life to Santa Barbara than what we are used to. For better or for worse, this is a reality we must begin to accept.

"I'd say we should give it to the boy who died riding his bike to school- Jake B.": The fact that people began to put his face on their car as a sticker amazed me and may be a by-product of the deep feeling and even empathy that speaks to the above nomination. Why are we so intent on getting where we need to go? Shouldn't we be organized enough to be able to take our time? This poor boy's death is a product of the cell phone generation that does not pay attention to the world around them. Again, for better or for worse...

"Jerry Beaver, for putting an end to the idiotic blue line": Maybe. Was this really such a big deal? It supposedly would have brought down property values at the same time as the mortgage crisis when we didn't know it was happening. Was the Blue Line really a patsy for the rather abnormal course of the economy?

Observer suggested "Anonymous good samaritans for hiding their light beneath the bushel baskets with countless charitable acts that serve to "pay it forward." Definitely qualified".

I agree with Observer but would suggest it as a resolution for the New Year. Whatever you and I can do -- maybe especially on the down low -- should be what we aspire for the next year. That is my resolution --- not so much on the DL.

Happy New Year to you all and thank you for taking BlogaBarbara into 2008.

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.