City Council Candidates To Hold Forum
Candidates for three open seats on the Santa Barbara City Council are scheduled to attend a question-and-answer session on Monday, Oct. 13, at the Santa Barbara Public Library Main Branch. Each candidate will be allowed a two-minute opening statement, followed by an opportunity to respond to three pre-assigned questions. The questions regard city priorities, new waterfront development and the planned revision of the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance. Audience members will also be able to submit written questions for the candidates to address.
Organizers hope audience members will also ask questions about local creek protection, increasing city population and tight budget constraints on city services.
Nine candidates are set to appear, including Brian Barnwell, Scott Burns, Robert Cawley, Babatunde Folayemi, Michael Magne, Charles Quintero, Bruce Rittenhouse, Helene Schneider and Das Williams. Folayemi is a Democratic incumbent .
The Citizens Planning Foundation, a group committed to environmental safeguards over concessions to private interests, and the League of Women Voters, a group that works to inform voters and encourage active participation in politics, are co-sponsoring the forum, which will be videotaped and broadcast on Channel 17.
Sheriff’s Department Employee Investigated
An internal investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department has led the district attorney’s office to look into criminal charges of destruction of evidence against Deputy James Means.
Means, who has been on administrative leave since the investigation began in July 2003, will now resign effective Oct. 12, even though the investigation into the misdemeanor charge is not complete.
Santa Barbara Celebrates National Coming Out Day
The Pacific Pride Foundation and the Gay & Lesbian Resource Center will host a local conference on National Coming Out Day on Friday, Oct. 10. The conference will be held at the Santa Barbara Court House at 2:00 p.m.
The conference will feature speakers ranging in age, gender and sexual identities encouraging lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people to be honest about their sexual orientation and gender identity to family members, friends and co-workers.
Mayor Marty Blum will also present a proclamation in celebration of National Coming Out Day.
– Compiled by Daniel Haier
