A History of Dirty Tricks?

A reader sent the following images from a MySpace page claiming that this is State Senate candidate Tony Strickland -- one picture clearly shows him very happy that he had stolen a few lawn signs during a political campaign. It certainly looks like him.

Years later -- perhaps his tactics and techniques have gotten a bit more sophisticated with mailers which prey on Proposition 13 fears and call other candidates names.

Unfortunately, the lower level dirty trick of stealing lawn signs will always be around. Candidate wives even do it too (although the following might have been a misunderstanding).

I got this from a different reader about the race in Goleta (with an appropriate YABBADABBA):

I was at the Storke Drive-In dropping off signs for John to put on the pole and I was talking to the guys working on the driveway. They told me a woman in a Bronze Honda SUV had come and taken the signs on Tuesday. As we were talking, the van pulled up and I walked toward my car and the SUV. I was going to get paper to write down her license number. She got out of the car and I said I understood she had taken our signs. She said she had permission to have signs there and we didn't so she was removing them. I explained that John had given us permission and that she was stealing. She said she only checked on the Drive-In and across from Costco. She asked my name and I told her and asked hers. It was Don's wife Deanna Gilman. The guys told me afterwards that she had also taken down the signs at the gas station on Hollister. The guys wrote down her license for me. It is YABBADABBA. The guys will be working the rest of this week and Monday of next so we should be safe during the day.

John came by and I told him she said she was going to call him to check that we had his okay. Neither he nor I expect that to happen. I guess they don't have any help and have to do it all themselves.

They are talking about the property owner of the gas station on Fairview who also owns the old drive-in property across from Home Depot on Storke. Deanna Gilman should probably check before she chucks...

Follow Up to October Goleta Surprise...

The Daily Sound wrote the following about the press conference decrying the Citizens for a Healthier Goleta. In it Gilman and Blois correctly decry some negative mailers that Friends of Goleta have sent -- at least they filed paperwork though.

Note: forgot to hit publish this morning! Thus the cross reference in the last post's comments....

October Goleta Surprise?

It turns out the Citizens for a Healthier Goleta hasn't filed their pre-election report. Big surprise! Just who is this committee that purports to represent Goletans? I'm still wondering why they never talk about health care with a name like that...word on the street is that Jean Blois' was late too because it was sent by mail. The law is pretty clear that it is supposed to be filed on time. Here's a press release from the Easton camp. -- Sara

Goleta Planning Commissioner Ed Easton and Former Mayor Margaret Connell will hold a press conference Tuesday, October 28th at noon at Goleta City Hall. There they will announce details related to an investigation of the "Coalition for a Healthier Goleta" by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

The Coalition has failed to file required financial disclosure statements with the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Goleta for two consecutive filing periods. This means that with one week left before Election Day, Goleta voters remain uninformed about the sources of contributions that pay for the groups advertising.

Easton and Connell will comment on recent advertising, paid for by the Coalition, that make unfair claims about Easton and Connell, benefiting candidates Don Gilman and Jean Blois. The Coalition is led by prominent Gilman and Blois supporter Roy Zbinden, who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council in 2004.

Copies of the television advertisement will be made available to reporters at the Press Conference

More details to follow...

Cryptic, Ransom-like Note from Coalition for a Healthier Goleta

Erstwhile former Goleta Council candidate Roy Zbinden sent what I will playfully call a "ransom-like note" to the Santa Barbara Independent. It doesn't have a thing to do with health care.

Why the sensational description? The Indy said it best -- "At present, the citizens of Goleta still do not know who belongs to this concerned group, and more importantly, who is paying their bills." I can just imagine Nick Welsh carefully opening the note with latex gloves...when reporter Ben Preston went to Zbinden's house, the ajar door was closed and the deadbolt locked. Why the conspiracy? Why did they bother communicating with the press? Perhaps the "we" is misplaced as Zbinden used the first person at an interesting place in his missive:

Goleta residents want things fixed — and they want leaders who can make decisions based on what is good for our city and our residents, not on any personal bias or agenda.

I have been a Goleta resident for more than thirty years. I want to see our city thrive.

The Coalition for a Healthier Goleta has come together as a group made up of long-time active Goleta residents to voice our concerns in an effort to educate Goletans about those important issues.

Fixed? What does that mean? If this wasn't enough, Zbinden pulled a "I won't talk to the 'liberal' media" card, saying "This will be the Coalition’s only statement regarding our goals and activities. Our materials speak for our issues and views".

He should stop taking his cues from the McCain/Palin campaign -- transparency is what works in politics today. The world is too open to do otherwise. Joe the Plumber for instance turns out to be a donor to McCain from before the debate. Also, Sarah Palin and family have appeared to get a $150,000 wardrobe shopping spree -- including $75,000 at Neiman Marcus -- for what? A month? Today, she also said that the Vice-President is "in charge" of the Senate...read the Constitution lately? To be fair, Joe Biden hasn't given a press conference in a longer amount of time than Sarah Palin (although he has clearly given many times as many in his lifetime). Still, when will they learn?

Margaret Connell Announces

As expected, former council member and Mayor Margaret Council announced she will be running for one of the two seats open this November on the Goleta Council. Here's part of the press release she sent out tonight describing a media event tomorrow in front of Bishop Ranch. -- Sara

"The current council has a poor record of listening to Goleta residents and ignoring their concerns about growth and traffic congestion. I am running to ensure that residents, not special interests and developers have a voice on the city council."

Connell's long track record of community involvement has earned her the support of current councilmember's Roger Aceves and Jonny Wallis, as well as County Supervisors Janet Wolf and Salud Carbajal. Former councilmember Cynthia Brock and current city council candidate Ed Easton, a member of the Goleta Planning Commission also endorse Connell.

Wallis Announces Support for Easton

Goleta Council Member Jonny Wallis announced Friday that she will NOT be running for reelection this fall and endorsed Ed Easton for the position. Not unexpected, it brings up speculation as to who else will run for the second seat available.

Word on the street is that former-Council Member Margaret Connell will come out of retirement in the coming days to announce her candidacy.

Some people will likely say that she had her turn -- the truth is, however, that Connell is extremely capable and knowledgeable and got caught in a poor situation with a slate that was ill advised in the last election. It will be interesting to see what she has learned during her hiatus and what her approach would be with a council where the future of growth lies in the balance.

Bishop Ranch Pulls Application

This just in from Bishop Ranch LLC -- one less issue to talk about in November. -- Sara

Bishop Ranch Withdraws City of Goleta General Plan Amendment Initiation Application

July 11, 2008 - - An application to initiate the study of options for the future of Bishop Ranch scheduled to be heard by the Goleta City Council next Tuesday, July 15, 2008, has been withdrawn by the applicant following the release of a staff report recommending denial of the requested initiation. The project hearing will not take place.

Not wanting to waste valuable City of Goleta time or resources, the applicant stated there is no reason to move forward. “It is very clear that while there is substantial support in the community to fully study and review the future of Bishop Ranch that same support does not exist at the City, neither with the staff nor with the council,” stated Michael Keston, the applicant.

The subject Bishop Ranch property, first zoned for housing in 1951, is a 240-acre site along the 101 Freeway and neighbored on two sides by homes. According to public records it has not been farmed since the 1940s. The application was the result of model community collaboration, a four-month Community Working Group process undertaken from late 2007 through January 2008 involving hundreds of local residents.

“In withdrawing this plan, it is important that I publicly thank the hundreds of Goleta residents who worked with us for long hours to fully understand the challenges the City faces to fulfill State housing demands without having to build high density multi-family housing,” added Keston.

“A diversity of Goleta residents came forward and worked hard to create a consensus plan, I appreciate the effort and I regret this vision will not go forward.”

Without the plan there will be no project hearing on Tuesday. Keston requested all those who have indicated that they will attend the Goleta City Council meeting stay home and enjoy time with their families.

Community Post: What did the News-Press expect?

PLEASE NOTE: Although I don't agree with all of Goleta Watchers assumptions about each of the three newer members of council, the News-Press editorial the other day brought up some questions as to what they expected when they endorsed Onnen, Bennett and Aceves. Aceves has proven to be what he said he would be, a moderate. He's also surprised a few environmentalists who didn't expect his support on key issues. Still, what will happen in Goleta this fall will be interesting to say the least. I'm including two relevant snippets of the News-Press editorial below. -- Sara

The News-Press supported the three challengers who won in 2006 because Goleta needed a more responsive government. Their win was not a mandate for an extreme pro-growth agenda. The community trusted their assurances that rampant development wouldn't be in store under their watch.

What happens to an area known as Bishop Ranch -- agriculturally zoned land off Highway 101 between Los Carneros and Glen Annie roads -- may set off the South Coast's biggest battle over development.

.....What's troubling is that development-connected interests -- which now have the council's ear -- appear to be following the same road as the last council bloc in terms of not listening to community concerns and desires.

--two parts a Santa Barbara News-Press editorial 05/13/08

======Community Post===========

I know you can't run the full SB News-Press editorial of May 13, Sara, but it's worth considering. In 2006, the NP threw its support hard against the slow-growth incumbents in Goleta of Brock, Connell, Hawkhurst in favor of the Chamber of Commerce-supported team of Bennet, Onnen and Aceves, who were raring to team up with council-member-for-life-Blois.

Those four immediately got to work ripping apart the General Plan that had been the subject of hundreds of earnest community meetings and to favor Bacara/developer requested changes. Not only to favor, but to have the city pay for what the Bacara wants. They've also worked to push out the law firm that had been involved with the city from its beginnings and to get in its place other lawyers more likely to be amenable to the present pro-growth Council. Again, a 3-2 vote.

Now, the last important large open space is headed for development, the Bishop Ranch property off Cathedral Oaks. Pretty much as promised by the N-P candidates it's headed for massive development, close to 1,200 dwelling units plus commercial space; and now the NP stirs and cries weakly, whoa!

Aceves seems to be trying to back away from some of the extreme measures of his associates, but it's too late: the votes are consistently 3-2 (Aceves/Wallis) in favor of development. The last council was responsive to the public but the public could not stand up against the rush of money that came in in the wake of the NewsPress endorsement -- or at least it did not. And the then council members did not see it coming and ran weak campaigns.

There will be an election this November with two seats up, Blois's and Wallis's. Undoubtedly Blois will run, but will Wallis? It will be interesting to see Blois run on her actions of the last two years of tearing down the general plan and welcoming in development. It will be interesting, too, to see if the News-Press continues its support of unrestrained development candidates of what was once the good land.

A Goleta watcher