Hey, we all made it to 2018! If you’re disappointed that there aren’t autonomous flying cars, jetpacks, or a resort on the moon by now, I empathize with your lofty hopes. But as a realist, I’ve got to look at the world we’ve got.
I’m definitely one of those people who get a warm and fuzzy feeling of optimism around the New Year, but after 2017, it’s hard to hold on to the idea that things will start improving just because the Gregorian calendar starts over.
I mean, think about it. I don’t even need to breach politics to explain why 2017 was a challenging year. Just the number of natural disasters, from wildfires to hurricanes or floods to earthquakes, should be concerning.
How is 2018’s wildfire season going to look, especially considering 2017 was another dry year? Is it going to stay dry in 2018? Or will rain only cause more brush to grow, making the fire season worse?
California is barely out of the drought, but Santa Barbara County stayed in drought territory. According to fire officials, the rain we did get was responsible for all the brush that went up in the Alamo, Whittier, and Thomas fires. Are we damned if we do or damned if we don’t get rain?
I sure hope that 2018 isn’t going to bring another “deadliest mass shooting,” which was the case in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 1. Some Central Coast residents were caught in the fire of that incident while enjoying the Route 91 Harvest music festival. Days later, dozens were mowed down in a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. It’s a terrible feeling to see mass shootings become a regular part of the national news cycle, and to surrender to the “not if, but when” mentality around shootings.
I can be cynical all day, but it is important to note improvements when you see them. In terms of local violence, including gun violence, the city of Santa Maria saw only two homicides in 2017. That’s compared to the city’s deadliest year in 2015, which included 13 homicides, most of which were gang-related stabbings and shootings. And then, in 2016, five of the city’s total of nine homicides happened in January alone.
I think the Santa Maria Police Department’s (SMPD) sweep of alleged MS-13 gang members, called Operation Matador, had a lot to do with the return of normalcy. One of the homicides in 2017 was suspected to be gang related, according to the SMPD. There was also a body found in the riverbed, which was deemed a “suspicious” death. Violence is terrible, but at least Santa Maria’s most recent numbers below national averages.
I sure hope that the SMPD’s DUI checkpoints are making some kind of difference on DUI-related accidents and deaths in the city. They know they won’t find any intoxicated drivers when they do those, but officials say checkpoints can scare people into calling an Uber. I sure hope they’re right, or they may just be telling drunk drivers which part of town to avoid. We don’t have the stats on that one yet.
Going into 2018 while considering 2017 does induce me to make some mention of politics. Our president, Donald Trump, began the New Year much like he spent the last, posting to Twitter about how corrupt he thinks his own Department of Justice is, even calling them the “Deep State” this time.
Ho boy, and it’s a midterm election year. Give me strength!
The Canary never needed a jetpack. Send your thoughts to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 4-11, 2018.