Letters To The Editor

We all want good jobs for ourselves and our neighbors, excellent schools, and a robust economy. Ditto for a clean and healthy environment in which our children and grandchildren can live, play, and thrive long into the future. These are not mutually exclusive possibilities. Nevertheless, those who stand to profit from fossil fuel production often […]

I have waited my whole life for someone like Bernie Sanders to run for president. A good person who has spent his life fighting for justice. Economic justice. Racial justice. Educational justice. Environmental justice. Bernie speaks clearly to me on all our major issues.  Health care is a human right, Medicare for all is our […]

Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District needs bold new leadership. Take a look around at our public spaces, roads, and bridges. The disrespect and disrepair is evident. Lackluster leadership has left us with conditions that resemble third world nations. Let’s put a person in charge with an engineering background and a backbone, to stand up and […]

Did you know that not “everybody has the right to live in Santa Barbara County”? That’s according to Karen Jones, candidate for the 3rd District county supervisor seat currently held by Joan Hartmann, contested by Jones and retired U.S. Army Col. Bruce Porter. Jones described her two opponents as out-of-state federal retirees in a pejorative […]

Please join me in voting for Joan Hartmann in the upcoming election for the 3rd District supervisor.  I have known Joan for several years and have found her to be a caring, compassionate, intelligent woman, willing to listen to all sides of an issue. Joan has reached out to residents here in Los Alamos to […]

Follow the money. We can all access official campaign contribution information by going online. It’s at sbcvote.com. When I did recently, it became clear that Joan Hartmann, our county supervisor, has received contributions from lots of average folks. Bruce Porter, however, is getting his contributions from a very small group, a handful of wealthy donors […]

As a daughter who took care of aging parents until their passing, I saw firsthand how dedicated Joan Hartmann is to our senior citizens. Joan worked closely with the staff of the Solvang Senior Center to secure a long-term lease so the center could stay in its present location. She is currently doing the same […]

What if you are a registered voter, but not registered with a political party? Can you still vote in the March 3 Democratic presidential primary? You can. If you signed up to vote by mail, you should have received your ballot by now. However, it may not have the list of Democratic presidential candidates printed […]

Why does it matter who is the 3rd District county supervisor? If you have a city council, what’s left for county government to do? The answer is that the county covers a much broader range of services than city government, including health care services for children, seniors, and the disabled; services for alcohol, mental health, […]

I recently received a mailer exhorting me to “vote against Joan Hartmann.” I wasn’t advised who I was supposed to vote for. However, in tiny letters I found the source: “Paid for by Porter for Supervisor.” Perhaps Bruce Porter was reluctant to ask people to vote for him because of his misleading statements. Porter’s mailer […]

Our 3d District County Supervisor, Joan Hartmann, is a highly responsive representative for local interests. When the Vandenberg Village Community Services District asked if she could get county permission for us to drill some test water wells on county property, she helped us out. We asked and she delivered. As a veteran, I suggested to […]

I support Bruce Porter for Santa Barbara County supervisor. I’ve known Bruce for a number of years. He has an amazing passion for our community and its citizens and has dedicated countless hours in volunteer time to work hard for the benefit of others. As chairman of the Santa Barbara County Chapter of the American […]