Turns out, so much happened in 2020 that we really don’t have space to cover it all. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic is the big story, with social and political tensions taking a close second. Although California also had a record fire season in 2020, Santa Barbara County thankfully didn’t. Santa Maria made the national news for a violent incident after the election between Trump advocates and the opposition, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District gave out more failing grades than it did the previous school year, and the wine industry battled over a proposed business improvement district that was ultimately withdrawn. Plus, we are still reeling in the uncertainty of the pandemic—in its effects on the health care and education systems, the economy, everyday normalcy, and those whom COVID-19 infected. Who knows what 2021 will bring, but I think we’re all looking forward to it.
—Camillia Lanham
COVID-19
You can’t talk about 2020 without mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic, which started its tour of the Central Coast in late February. As toilet paper and dry goods disappeared off store shelves, Santa Barbara County and the state issued mandatory stay-at-home orders and closed schools to in-person education, restaurants were relegated to to-go orders only, and many businesses were forced to close their doors. Masks became mandatory, as did social distancing, and local governments struggled with how to stem the spread. As of Dec. 28, the county had 16,265 confirmed positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with 153 total deaths. Outbreaks impacted congregate living, with correctional facilities, senior care centers, and H-2A living situations all experiencing major coronavirus outbreaks and deaths. School districts and the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County stepped up to keep the community fed, local governments wrestled with decreased revenues, some businesses closed permanently, cases of domestic violence increased, and the pitfalls of virtual education impacted local school districts and students. The year is ending with renewed stay-at-home orders firmly in place and a pandemic surge that’s expected to last into the new year.
—Camillia Lanham
Sick behind bars
When COVID-19 first found its way to the Central Coast, it didn’t take long for jails and prisons to become a hotbed for contagion. In just a few weeks, an outbreak at the Lompoc Penitentiary went from the worst in the county to the worst among all federal prisons in the United States in early May. More than 1,000 inmates were infected, with 75 percent testing positive in the facility that implemented universal testing. Lawyers from Bird Marella P.C., the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Prison Law Office, representing inmates in a class action lawsuit, made the case that Lompoc prison leadership did not make full use of its ability to release prisoners into home confinement—and both a court order and federal inspection agreed in July. Lompoc prison wasn’t the only correctional facility to face legal action this year: The Santa Barbara County Jail reached a settlement in the years-long class action lawsuit led by Disability Rights California, the Prison Law Office, and King & Spalding LLP in July. These legal firms represented hundreds of incarcerated people to address what they called “dangerous and unconstitutional conditions at the jail.”
—Malea Martin
Projects pulled
Just days before Santa Barbara County came to a grinding halt from COVID-19, community members in early March gathered to protest the expansion of oil drilling in Cat Canyon. The March 4 rally took place before a public health community meeting, a hearing held by the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) to gauge local opinions and perspectives on oil drilling. Organized by climate-concerned groups, the pre-hearing rally included students, activists, and community leaders. At the time, there were three large-scale oil and gas projects proposed in the Cat Canyon oil field. But by late March, PetroRock pulled its proposed plans to develop 231 new wells in the Cat Canyon oil field. Two months later, Aera Energy withdrew its application for the East Cat Canyon project, citing a combination of historically low oil prices and uncertainty of the permit process, an Aera Energy representative said at the time. While the third company, Terracore, initially said it would push ahead with its plans, by early November it too withdrew its application.
—Malea Martin
Striking for change
Santa Maria farmworkers demanded, petitioned for, and secured a raise and safer working conditions amid COVID-19 this year. Their action started in early May, when more than 100 workers at Rancho Laguna Farms went on strike to demand better wages. They later alleged that the strike led to unfair retaliation, so a few weeks later, workers rose up again. Their petition demanded that Driscoll’s, the company Rancho Laguna supplies, take responsibility for unsafe working conditions that workers said they experienced. What started as a petition with 75 workers’ signatures turned into a viral online movement with more than 60,000 signatures. Driscoll’s accepted the petition, and Rancho Laguna owner Larry Ferini agreed to sit down with workers and negotiate. On June 22, workers received a raise to $2.10 per box of strawberries after meeting with Ferini, and Rancho Laguna also pledged to implement communication training for foremen and supervisors and to triple the amount of shade so workers could properly social distance during breaks.
—Malea Martin
Political unrest
Peaceful protesters in Santa Maria joined cities on the Central Coast and nationwide in late May to protest police brutality due to Minneapolis resident George Floyd’s death after being in police custody. After a night of unrest following the protests, Mayor Alice Patino set an emergency citywide curfew. In the months that followed, the lawn in front of Santa Maria City Hall served as the spot for multiple protests, rallies, and marches for locals speaking out against racial injustice—often met with opposition from community members bearing Trump flags and red MAGA hats. The nationwide political tension came to a head on Nov. 3, when President Donald Trump was voted out of office—President-elect Joe Biden received more popular votes than any candidate before him. An unprecedented 90 percent of Santa Barbara County voters cast their ballots by mail. Democrat Salud Carbajal held on to his 24th District position in the House of Representatives in a win over Republican Andy Caldwell. Local City Council races saw multiple incumbents hold on to their seats, but a number of fresh faces also took the dais.
—Malea Martin
Unemployed and uncertain
With the onset of the pandemic came one of the most rapid increases in unemployment that California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) has ever seen. In March, county residents filed 17,246 new claims—a 963 percent increase year over year. For every new claim made in March last year, county residents made 10 this year. It soon became clear that the EDD was not equipped to manage the sudden spike in unemployment applications. Central Coast elected officials said in early May that they were devoting a large portion of their staff time to helping their constituents troubleshoot the overwhelmed system. “In the last four days we’ve gotten over 500 contacts from constituents having issues with EDD,” Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) said at the time. “It never really operated well, even before this crisis.” Flash forward nine months into the pandemic, and things were beginning to look up: The unemployment rate dropped to 5.8 percent in November, down from 13.9 percent in April. But as November came to a close, Santa Barbara county again found itself in the midst of a shutdown, with new state stay-at-home orders reclosing indoor and outdoor dining as well as nonessential economic sectors.
—Malea Martin
Controversial Solvang
The city of Solvang started off its year by scrapping the Board of Architectural Review. The council took issue with the group, citing inconsistencies and outdated city design guidelines. Despite public opposition, the city established the Branding and Design Committee to take its place. During the summer, some members of the public decried Councilmember Chris Djernaes because of his opposition to renewing The Solvang Trolley and Carriage Company’s one-year license. The heated July 22 agenda item ended with a broken gavel, approval of the Solvang Trolley renewal, and Djernaes storming out of the meeting. That “disrespect,” according to a citizen-led group, is what prompted them to organize a petition to recall Djernaes and place the recall proposition on the Nov. 3 ballot. It passed. To end the year, the council disregarded Gov. Gavin Newsom’s most recent stay-at-home order by telling business owners it would not use city resources to enforce new orders and would continue to observe purple tier restrictions. When the newly voted-in council members and mayor attended their first council meeting on Dec. 9, they called out the former council’s decision to defy state orders, saying it was a “poor decision.” Then, on Dec. 18, City Attorney Chip Wullbrant resigned following questions about his compensation.
—Karen Garcia
A still budding industry
Californians voted to legalize the cultivation and sale of recreational marijuana in 2016, but in Santa Barbara County, leaders and residents are still working out the operational kinks of the new industry. Despite the various concerns raised by the county’s outspoken anti-cannabis crowd—largely made up of local vintners who worry about a lack of water to go around and the impacts marijuana odors and terpenes could have on nearby tasting rooms and vineyards—several big cannabis grows were approved by the Board of Supervisors throughout the year. In April, the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis sued the county over its approval of a Santa Ynez Valley cannabis farm operated by Busy Bee’s Organics. The Coalition for Responsible Cannabis has long complained that a number of the marijuana industry’s impacts on the environment were not fully understood or considered prior to the passage of the county’s cannabis ordinance in 2018. Then in June, the Santa Barbara County grand jury released a scathing report echoing opponents’ concerns and criticizing county officials for prioritizing the local cannabis industry over the needs and concerns of their constituents. A few weeks later, the Board of Supervisors approved an extensive list of regulations further limiting where cannabis farms can operate in the county, including a ban on cannabis cultivation in existing developed rural neighborhoods like Tepusquet Canyon east of Santa Maria. Those regulations won’t, however, impact a cannabis storefront coming soon to Orcutt, which county staff and residents are still working to select.
—Kasey Bubnash
This article appears in Dec 31, 2020 – Jan 7, 2021.
