News-Press Fail: Goleta Sanitary District is a Private Company that Collects Property Taxes?!?

David Pritchett published virtually the same post I would have published yesterday but didn't get to. The truth is I got so worked up I figured I better wait a day before I put it up. There is so much wrong with what we had separately decided to write about on so many levels...

His story over at Edhat is about the Santa Barbara News-Press story on Saturday about the Goleta West Sanitary District and the City of Goleta possibly splitting away from the district. Apparently, the loss of the Goleta Valley Voice hasn't translated to better coverage of Goleta politics in the News-Press which is something they had promised when axing the Voice.

There are several major problems with the News-Press article which Pritchett covers in detail. I hope the News-Press editor was sick that day:

• It was reported that the Goleta West Sanitary District is a “privately-owned sanitation company”. Nothing could be further from the truth as their board of directors are elected by voters every two years.
  
• The article said that this "company" collected property taxes. Wha?!? Taxpayer money being collected by a private company? I want that gig. That should have been the editor's first clue.
  
• The article twice confused this agency’s budget surplus with its fiscal reserves. This kind of math allows me to buy a home I can't afford and have you bail me out in a couple of years.
  

Pritchett asks if there will be a correction....somehow I doubt it but hope they surprise me.

Did David Pritchett really launch a City Council campaign by Facebook? Well, not quite...

Word on the street is that community activist and Off-Leash Public Affairs video producer David Pritchett apparently launched a campaign for City Council via Facebook last weekend. The truth is that a Facebook "status" post almost a month ago asked his network of friends what they thought about him running for council:

David Pritchett is thinking seriously about running for Santa Barbara City Council and wants to know your opinion about that.

Perhaps the confusion was in the wording as Facebook inevitably starts you off with the awkward “David Pritchett is…” when beginning a post on what you happen to be doing at that moment. If you’ve ever used Facebook you know that you are never sure what to do with it if you want to use the past tense. It’s also not easy to find the date as to when the post was made.

Techno-subtleties of Facebook aside, things got more confused when the item was posted outside of the relative safety of his Facebook network last weekend in a way that may have left some people thinking Pritchett was being more public about his intentions than what he had likely intended. What ensued was a Q & A grilling for a candidate who may not even end up a candidate and hasn’t even formally announced yet.

The ironic thing is that those of us involved with politics who also are technologically savvy have been waiting for candidates to get Facebook, blog, and social media savvy for several years. Das Williams did a decent job at it and others have tried – but there is a lot more candidates can do.

Pritchett, in showing his prowess at social media, may have shown us what other candidates have been afraid of…the anonymous blogger. Me? I’m used to people attacking me in their comments and asking me questions they wouldn’t ask their mother. I’ve learned to develop a thick skin and delete mean comments. Most candidates and potential candidates don’t have a lot of experience with that.

It seems like commenters can forget or do not appreciate how a new candidate is at a huge disadvantage when the discussion turns to topics they have not had an opportunity to write a white paper about. It is the commenter’s biggest issue and something near and dear to their heart – but the candidate may just need the commenter to help them form an opinion and identify unexpected issues, and, with apologies to Neal Kinnock and Joe Biden, build a platform upon which to stand. Hopefully Facebook, and local blogs like Blogabarbara can help that happen.