Oil crackdown in the county - Santa Barbara News-Press

Good morning, Santa Barbara County

Here’s what we have for you today:

Santa Barbara County set to ban new onshore oil and gas drilling, and block idle wells from restarting.
Father, daughter launch ‘Superpod’ podcast to teach awareness of environment, self care
Electrician Jason Carlton hopes to spark City Council with his business owner expertise
I love election season, and we are in the thick of it right now. The News-Press has published several profiles of candidates and more are still to come. Below, in our “Looking Back” section, I share my News-Press profile on Bob Hansen, a perennial candidate, from 2003.

I miss candidates like Hansen. He was a rabble-rouser, but he had a heart. He lived in his RV, and he loved Santa Barbara. He knew the community and the culture. He focused on issues, not gossip, or people’s personalities. He advocated for more public restrooms downtown, more legal places to park your RVs overnight, more warming centers during the winter, and he advocated for better overall treatment of the homeless.

Hansen knew he would never win a seat on the City Council. He knew, however, that he would get his issues out there in the public eye by running for office. When you met him he was gruff, sometimes adversarial, but respectful. Even though he never won a seat on the council, he was one of the characters that made a difference at City Hall.

I wrote Hansen’s news obituary two years ago at Noohawk, my former employer. I learned even more about him from talking to his family. We don’t have a voice like Hansen who raises issues on behalf of the homeless anymore. We could still use more of those downtown public bathrooms.

Joshua Molina

News-Press Editor

Stories you should know about

California lawmakers urge criminal penalties, emergency legislation to rein in unchecked AI. (Los Angeles Times)

The Bari Weiss Era of “60 Minutes” begins. The long-running CBS News program returned for a high-pressure 59th season on Sunday amid questions about pleasing President Trump. (New York Times)

What they know about the nonprofit at the center of Newsom’s federal probe. The 25-year-old foundation that funds his travel has drawn scrutiny for years under governors of both parties. (The San Francisco Standard)

Protest Bob

Twenty three years ago today I wrote a profile about the late Bob Hansen, who was running for Santa Barbara City Council

Video of Mayoral Debate

Eric Friedman, Wendy Sims-Moten and Kristen Sneddon take part in a mayoral debate hosted by the Santa Barbara News-Press and Newsmakers with JR. The event was produced by TVSB. About 240 people attended. Watch the full video here or by clicking on the video below. The debate was moderated by jouranlists Joshua Molina and Jerry Roberts.

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