Letters To The Editor

As three area oil companies prepare to submit their plans to upgrade oil production in the East Cat Canyon oilfield, a growing chorus of familiar voices has appeared in local media with dire predictions of future disasters should those projects gain approval. One writer, a principal architect of the failed Measure P anti-oil campaign, wrote […]

Betsy Schaffer is the best choice for county auditor-controller. My name is Jim McClure, and I spent almost 30 years in the Navy as a supply corps officer and have an MBA from Stanford. After retiring as a captain in the Navy, I began a second 20-year career in county government, first as a division […]

When will any journalist say that, while Hillary Clinton was being dragged through every investigation invented by Republicans in Congress and the media, the FBI, CIA, and NSA erred on the side of silence about Donald Trump’s conspiracy with the Russians? When will writers and TV personalities admit Bernie Sanders was never vetted and given […]

Lynn Hogan, a county employee since 1988, has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $2 million from the county. Over the past nine years, an employee with a drug addiction outsmarted the Santa Barbara County Auditor-Controller’s Office. Their lax internal controls, antiquated financial systems, and incompetence led to theft that went on for nearly a […]

There are two candidates running for auditor-controller, and I have supervised both the candidates. After six years working in the office, one candidate left to become the treasury investment officer. That position is much more suited to her background and her degree in finance. You have to ask the question: How does investing over a […]

Maybe the fumes from the dark coal mine finally overcame even your ultra-biased worldview to the point of absurdity (“Strange days indeed,” May 10)? I have a few true liberal friends, who though they can be just as polarized as yourself, they don’t let a visceral hate for the president overtake reason and logic. To […]

It has been a tough period for the Sheriff’s Office�”murders, a dozen major wildland fires, and the recent mudslides along with the ongoing duties of protection, custody, and safety. I’m sure there are deputies who are tired and cranky, but “time for change” is not a reason to replace Sheriff Bill Brown. Before you decide […]

In the past several weeks there have been several letters to the editor claiming the oil companies may, might, could contaminate our aquifer and the air we breathe, or disturb natural habitat as they drill for oil and gas, or inject wastewater back to where it was pumped from. The oil fields are already there, […]

For more than 11 years, Sheriff Bill Brown has served the people of Santa Barbara County with integrity and dedication. His re-election is supported by elected officials and community leaders across the political spectrum. Bill is the immediate past president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association and one of California’s most respected law enforcement leaders. […]

Lightning does strike twice in the same place. Yes, it does at the Lompoc Unified School District’s (LUSD) board, which has placed on the June 5 ballot a requirement for a new school bond for the second time in two years. This bond, titled Measure Q2018, is designated for $79 million to be spent over […]

Jennifer Christensen is the county’s chief investment officer and an experienced financial professional. It is no secret that Santa Barbara  County is heading into some serious financial budget and fiscal issues. We need an experienced and well-qualified individual as our auditor-controller. That is why a number of past and current local mayors and the county […]

In the last few days I have seen letters to the editor referring to our Founding Fathers. In my opinion they had more smarts than the total combined assembly of both houses of Congress today. John Kennedy had this to say at a dinner in Washington back when he was president: “I think this is […]