Santa Maria Sun / News

SBCAN welcomes a new director

BY JEREMY THOMAS

The Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN), a nonprofit organization advocating for social and economic justice, has named Ken Hough as its new executive director.

Hough, a board member of SBCAN for two months, replaces Joyce Howerton, who retired after almost three years on staff with the organization.

Hough previously worked for the Santa Barbara Association of Governments (SBCAG) in the mid-1980s, and later served in several executive positions at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments for 22 years. He retired in 2008, but has remained active in local nonprofits.

“After a long career working for the regional and local governments, I wanted to give back and get involved with a nonprofit,” Hough told the Sun. “I love Santa Barbara County, and I’m enjoying the job.”

Some of Hough’s goals include keeping the board of directors well-coordinated and focused on issues in the North County such as hydraulic fracturing and SBCAG’s regional transportation plan.

“The issues there are what are we going to spend future transportation money on,” Hough said. “A lot of it is already dedicated because of Measure A, but there’s some funding that’s going to be in play.”

SBCAG will hold public workshops on the transportation plan on Sept. 20 in Solvang and Sept. 24 in Santa Maria.

Hough took over his new duties on Aug. 1, and SBCAN’s board president Joann Marmolejo said her organization was fortunate to have him step in right away.

“He’s very qualified with his experience in transportation, housing, and land-use planning, and we look forward to his leadership,” Marmolejo said in a prepared statement.

Marmolejo added the organization was sorry to lose Howerton, but that she would “soon return to community life.”

Howerton, a former three-term mayor of Lompoc and candidate for 4th District county supervisor, was a founding member of SBCAN and served as the group’s North County vice president for several years.

Howerton told the Sun she’d continue working on projects with the organization—particularly the issue of fracking—but felt like it was time for a change.

“I just needed a break,” Howerton explained. “It just seemed like a perfect opportunity that SBCAN would have somebody who was interested in stepping up at a time when I was interested in stepping down.”