Well, my feathers are more gray, there are fewer of them, and the bags under my eyes have gotten so big they’re about to get banned in California. It was a busy year (see page 8), with so many important stories competing for our attention on the local level alone, it’s hard to believe it’s already over!
Our local news went worldwide at the beginning of the year after the tragic Jan. 9 debris flows in Montecito, and the rest of the state has continued to make international headlines with more massive and deadly wildfires.
Central Coasters have lived with wildfires for generations, but nothing like what we’ve seen recently. The Thomas Fire–the approximate cause of the Monetico debris flows–wasn’t completely contained until January. At the time, it was the largest fire in California history. That’s no longer the case after this year’s fire season, but local residents and government officials are still dealing with the repercussions, physical and financial, from the Thomas Fire and the debris flows.
Local and state officials scrambled throughout 2018 to refine disaster response methods with new emergency alert systems, better technology, and legislation. Unfortunately, politics infected much of the discourse over how best to manage wildfires in the state, with debate raging in Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meetings between fire officials and environmentalists over the role of prescribed burns in managing the wildfire threat. That debate continued at the state level, with President Donald Trump even weighing in via Twitter to blame forest management in the state.
Trump loomed large over this year’s news cycle as the midterm elections got going, with that much-talked-about Blue Wave swelling to see the Democratic Party take back the House of Representatives by a record-breaking 40 seats from the Republican Party. More Santa Barbara County voters cast ballots than in any midterm, mirroring nationwide turnouts.
Local Rep. Salud Carbajal swept his perennial challenger Justin Fareed away after record voter turnout ensured the 24th District would stay blue this year. During his victory speech on election night, Carbajal was clear about the significance of the voters’ mandate, saying Democrats “finally have the tools … to investigate, to ask questions, and to make things more transparent.”
While Carbajal was protecting a safe seat, local candidates rode the election-day enthusiasm to some unlikely victories.
The Santa Maria City Council saw newcomer Gloria Soto overtake Councilmember Michael Moats in the newly minted District 3. The significance of a young progressive Latina who works for Planned Parenthood sitting on Santa Maria’s council isn’t lost on this bird, but neither is the re-election of Etta Waterfield, which shows the strong, conservative heart of the town.
And I have to admit, my often beady eyes may have welled up a bit (for just a second!) when the current council welcomed Soto with a standing ovation (see page 4) during her swearing in, Waterfield and Mayor Alice Patino included. A heartfelt reach across the aisle like that shouldn’t feel like a splash of cold water, but in today’s current political climate, it sure did! I think President Trump could learn a thing or two from representatives like these.
But if 2019 is anything like 2018, I wouldn’t count on it. I don’t know about you, but I’m strapping in for what’s coming next, here on the Central Coast and in the highest halls of power, because you can bet it’s going to go by fast.
The Canary will see you next year. Send your thoughts to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 27, 2018 – Jan 3, 2019.