SB County supervisor taking on bigger, more diverse district
Santa Maria Times (CA) - Sunday, August 28, 2011
Marga K. Cooley; Associate Editor
mcooley@santamariatimes.com
While the amount of territory in Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal’s 1st District nearly doubled as a result of this month’s redistricting changes, adding the sparsely populated Cuyama Valley resulted in few new people but significantly broadened the scope of resources he represents.
The two-term supervisor said, however, that resources in the newly acquired northeastern part of the county — mainly agriculture, oil, and solar power — aren’t much different than those he already represents in Carpinteria or Summerland.
And he said that while he “cares greatly about the environment,” he has a track record of supporting agriculture and will work to represent all the interests in the additional 279 square miles he’ll be representing come Sept. 8.
Acknowledging that the Cuyama Valley poses a unique challenge, both in diversity and distance, Carbajal points to a voting record that he says illustrates his ability to bridge such gaps and to solve problems.
“A good public servant tries to bring divergent points of views and divergent issues together, and challenges all stakeholders to find common ground,” Carbajal said last week, speaking from his office in Carpinteria. “I hope to do that in Cuyama as well. It’s great when you can dissolve those historical tensions, certainly you have to make hard decisions, but how we can all win is the main approach.”
A split Board of Supervisors approved the new redistricting map Aug. 9 — something it does once every decade based on U.S. Census numbers to balance the populations in each district and ensure every vote carries the same weight.
The 1st District was the only one of the five supervisor districts that needed to add people to balance the population.
The map that received final approval was drawn by Carbajal as an alternative to an initial controversial effort by South Coast resident George Relles.
Under the new map, Carbajal’s district grew from 347 square miles in 2001 to 626 square miles in 2011, and pushes into the North County for the first time.
Supervisor Janet Wolf’s 2nd District grew from 243 square miles in 2001 to 898 square miles in 2011, of those 629 square miles are ocean; and 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr’s district grew from 952 square miles in 2001 to 1,345 square miles in 2011.
Both 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray and 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino saw their districts shrink because the bulk of population growth over the last 10 years was in the North County.
Gray’s district shrank from 293 square miles in 2001 to 173 square miles in 2011, and Lavagnino’s district dropped from 914 square miles in 2001 to 683 in 2011.
Carbajal’s new district spreads north to the San Luis Obispo County line and includes Cuyama and New Cuyama, territory long held by the 5th District. It also absorbed about 7,000 people in the city of Santa Barbara and a sliver of water front area along the Pacific Ocean.
Gray and Lavagnino opposed the plan approved by their board colleagues.
Carbajal, who was elected to the Board of Supervisors in March 2004 and will seek re-election in 2012, points to his vote in February that denied agricultural restrictions posed by the California Coastal Commission in the county’s coastal zone as an example of his commitment to agriculture.
The board voted 4-1, with Wolf voting no, to go back to the drawing board on updating the county’s local coastal plan after the state commission ordered changes that, among other things, included standards for grazing, cultivated agriculture, the size of dwellings on agriculturally zoned property, and restrictions on animal keeping.
“Carpinteria is a huge agricultural community with open fields and green houses, flowers and avocados, but because of their concerns I did not approve moving forward with the submittal of the land use plan,” Carbajal said. “Those issues are essential to Cuyama as well,” Carbajal said.
In the Cuyama Valley irrigated agriculture is the dominant land use, with 20,000-25,000 acres devoted to primarily row crops rotated between root vegetables, alfalfa and grains.
The largest crop by acreage is carrots, with an estimated 6,000 acres cultivated in 2008, representing approximately 17 percent of the statewide carrot production.
While oil production in the area has declined since the 1940s, there still remain about 80 active wells, mostly in the South Cuyama Field.
Carbajal said that he will represent everyone, oil and agriculture, and added that his track record illustrates “a very balanced approach.”
But he also said that “no one gets a free pass.”
“There has to be an understanding ...,” he said. “There needs to be consideration for the impacts of those very important thriving sectors. We want to help them thrive, but impacts need to be mitigated.
“That’s why I think in the South County there are discussions about permitting. You want a win-win, and the public health is protected as well as the environment.”
To serve the 1,000 or so people in the region, Carbajal said he’ll establish office hours in New Cuyama, will visit on a monthly basis, and said he expects a strong presence from county staff.
He said he’s also working closely with Lavagnino’s office to make the transition, and that his staff has already scheduled briefings on issues such as solid waste, child care and parks.
“I want to get thoroughly briefed and understand all the issues, all the stakeholders, meet with as many individuals in the community as I can,” he said, describing his relationship with former 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno as a partnership.
“It’s important to recognize that it’s a working-class community,” Carbajal continued. “It’s a small community, an agricultural community and it’s important to understand that they have various needs.”
Because the area is unincorporated, he said, it demands a higher level of service.
“They don’t have a city council or an infrastructure of municipal services, so we need to make sure we’re fulfilling our responsibility.”