BUELLTON IS OUR TOWN

Both Doreen Farr and Steve Pappas endorse Measure E. See below.

Each of the six endorses Measure E.

Will endorse Measure E in October 23rd issue.

"The Valley News recommends a 'yes' vote on Measure E, and 'no' on Measure F. In essence, approving Measure E amounts to Buellton citizens voting for themselves."

"The News-Press endorses this citizens-led effort. We recommend that Buellton residents vote Yes on Measure E...[and] vote No on Measure F, the City's 'watered-down' measure designed to counter Measure E."

Urban Growth Initiatives: Measure E: YES; Measure F: NO

Can Buellton expand to the tune of 2,000 additional acres and 30,000 extra people—as has been suggested—and still maintain its enviable small town charm and character? Can it do so without cannibalizing valuable agriculture lands nearby? We think the answer to both these questions is clearly “no,” and strongly support Measure E, which seeks to keep the urban sprawl genie corked firmly in the bottle. (And don’t be fooled by Measure F, a Trojan horse concocted by the real estate interests to compete with Measure E.)

Measure E, City of Buellton. SB CAN endorses this citizen-driven "Urban Growth Boundary Initiative," which will require a vote of Buellton citizens before any land can be annexed to the city. This measure promotes careful community participation in the planning process, which is a cornerstone of democracy.

I have lived in Buellton for 63 years and I do care about what happens here. Even though I am a real estate Broker, I believe that cutting out the chance for future housing development will enhance the existing housing market we have already built. I believe that if Buellton is to grow at all in the future it would be by developing a high tech Industrial Park to provide jobs for the people who live here and cut down on all the commuting that occurs in the County due to the lack of work/live balance. When and if that proposal ever happens, I think the whole public should vote to make the decision.
Ron Anderson Real Estate

I support the UGB because too often drugs, gangs and crime go along with runaway growth.
Heather Barrett, Psychiatrist who works with troubled youth

I support UGBs because they place the most significant decision about a community’s character—its size—in the hands of the people who live there. The result of knowing that backroom deals aren’t preempting their key role, means people have a greater trust in their government and more qualified people seek office.

I am an artist and paint landscapes in the Buellton area. More and more I find myself hurrying to paint beautiful places before they disappear, so at least my work can document that they once existed. I support the UGB so that I can paint living not disappearing landscapes.

Speaking as a former Oregon County Planning Commissioner, I am fairly certain that without an Urban Growth Boundary, that in 15-20 years, Buellton will have oozed half-way to Lompoc, a gray-blue haze of smog will routinely obscure the texture of wooly hillsides and dim the sun. In the morning and evening hours, 246 will be a slow, writhing snake of grumbling metal and fumes. Property crime, like burglary of our homes and cars, will be commonplace and as we make multiple circuits of the lot at Albertsons, looking for a parking space, our kids will be hanging out with kids we don't know, at a mall of national chain stores, all sucking the financial life out of Buellton.

It will be then, that you will marvel at the amount of money that you would be willing to pay, and the amount of sweat that you would invest, to retrieve what we have now. Join us. Let’s be the city that saw it coming and took action.

The UGB would relieve development pressure on agricultural lands so they will stay productive. We can then eat food grown close to home that will be healthier and fresher, and won't have to be shipped over long distances.

My family has lived and farmed in the Buellton area for several generations and has seen a steady decline in agricultural space. I am working to pass the UGB so that my children and grandchildren will be able to continue to buy produce and food grown locally, as well as maintain the quality of life their ancestors enjoyed.

I have lived in Santa Barbara County since my tour of duty with the USAF. That equates to approximately 35 yrs.. I’ve watched the Goleta sprawl take place and all the orchards, avocado and citrus groves get overturned by one development after another. I can say the same thing about Santa Maria and Orcutt. We moved to Buellton to escape urban sprawl and enjoy a rural life style by choice. If you have been a commuter like I have, you really appreciate coming home to this small rural area.

We have a small window of opportunity to ensure for ourselves, family and the generations to come to protect this community from uncontrolled development, traffic and the general quality of life that we all enjoy and take for granted. It’s time to take a stand and become part of the decision making process of how we want our area to develop. This burden of responsibility should be carried by the community, not elected term city officials. The effects of these types of decisions can’t be reversed. We can’t restore the farmlands, hills and natural beauty once the cement dries.

One of the main tenets of my campaign is that people have a say in determining the future of the area in which they live. This initiative puts the residents of Buellton back in the drivers seat and allows them to determine the character of their community.

Buellton can still grow to become any size or shape. The question is: who decides, the thousands of residents or a few politicians?

We would like to endorse UGB in its efforts to maitain the rural character and agricultural areas in and around Buellton. The future depends upon the present generation to preserve adequate, accessible farmland and wildlife habitat....too many areas have been lost to poor planning of residential and commercial development in these sensitive sites.

This group is inspirational and the community of Buellton is on its way to stable future and slow growth.

Vote "NO" on Measure F. Measure F fails to provide a meaningful voice to the people of Buellton in decisions that affect the long-term future of our community. Measure F does not protect the City's small-town character or help prevent urban sprawl for the full life of Buellton's General Plan. The General Plan, our "blueprint for growth" through 2025, is based on the current city boundaries and has the community's stamp of approval.
By maintaining Buellton's current City limits for only 6 years, Measure F will fail to promote downtown revitalization or to maintain property values within Buellton. Measure F will instead promote speculation on farmlands on the outskirts of town by those awaiting its expiration.

Measure F was placed on the ballot at a special meeting, with only 24 hours notice, where not one member of the public spoke for it and many spoke .against it. The people of Buellton deserve better.

Measure F was not created by the people of Buellton and it was not created for the people of Buellton.

Please vote "NO" on Measure F.

I would like to commend the residents of the City of Buellton for insisting on being heard! By obtaining almost twice the number of signatures needed, Measure E will be on the ballot November 4th. It is a welcomed demonstration of true democracy that the citizens of Buelton will have their opportunity to vote for or against Measure E.

Measure E will forbid the City Council from extending its urban infrastructure or expand into the rural lands surrounding Buellton without explicit voter approval. This policy would remain in effect until 2025, expiring the same year as the present Buellton General Plan (Measure F would expire in 2014).

In making their decision on November 4th, it is critical that voters stay focused on the facts and make the best decision they can based on those facts. There are two things in particular that I would like to bring forward:

The first is that the vast majority of land surrounding Buellton is still part of the Williamson Act. This Act commits property owners, by contract, to keep the land Agricultural for at least the next 10 years.

Second, is that I strongly oppose the State Housing Mandates. These mandates are antiquated and riddled with fraud. As County Supervisor I will fight to return all housing and planned development to the local cities and communities within the County and remove it from State Control while resisting unwanted high density developments in unincorporated areas of this District. I am against rezoning Agricultural lands in the unincorporated areas to high density housing and I will oppose it at the County level.

My hat is off to the citizens of Buellton; you now have an opportunity to decide your own future on November 4th.

The UGB will prevent concrete from consuming the land. The land acts as a sponge to soak up water and recharge our aquifer, a major source of our drinking water. Hardscape, on the other hand, concentrates pollutants and funnels them into the Santa Ynez River, contaminating drinking water.

Having experienced the permanent loss of dairy farms and fields due to the lack of protective urban boundaries in my home town in Wisconsin, I strongly endorse a voter-created Urban Growth Boundary here in Buellton. Once paved, agricultural and open space lands are gone forever. Thekla Sanford, Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards

I am a Baby Boomer on the cutting edge of a new epidemic -- Alzheimer's Disease. In the next 20 years, AD will certainly touch a family you know. Living in a small town, with old-fashioned family values, is essential with dementia. The pharmacist at Long's knows my drug interactions better than my doctors, and the postmaster or librarian always send me home when I get lost.
Phil Smith, MFA, retired artist
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I enjoy my right to vote on local taxes and tax increases. I would also like to be able to vote on Buellton’s future growth by way of an Urban Growth Boundary. Direct Democracy; each citizen voting for what he desires.

My husband and I have lived in Buellton 22 years and enjoy the small town atmosphere, the sense of belonging, knowing your neighbors and being greeted by name from local businesses. We strongly support the UGB, because with more growth comes heavy traffic, smog, and once again over crowded schools. It will empower the residents of Buellton and give them the say in the decision making process regarding the size and character of our town.

We retired to Buellton from Oahu. In our three years here, we've seen three high-density housing units go up within half a mile of our little place near 246 and Avenue of the Flags. We support the UGB because in Hawaii we have already experienced how suburban sprawl can pave over Paradise.