Local Politics · Santa Barbara County
The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to 57 of California's 58 elected elections officers, including Santa Barbara County Registrar Joe Holland, demanding they purge allegedly noncitizen voters within 48 hours. Holland, who has been absent from the county Elections offices for over two years due to health challenges, did not respond to contact attempts by county supervisors or CEO Jana Petersen before the deadline passed. A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected the DOJ's emergency filing, with judges questioning both the reliability of the alleged noncitizen-voter numbers and federal authority over state election jurisdiction. The letter listed 180 specific names for Santa Barbara County, though those figures remain unverified.
Housing & Development · Goleta, CA
The Goleta Planning Commission voted 2-1 on Monday night to recommend that the City Council defer a decision on the Greenbark 30 Battery Energy Storage System, citing fire risks and neighborhood incompatibility. Scale Microgrids LLC proposes installing 36 Tesla Megapack 2 XL battery units on a 2.1-acre site along Viajero Drive near Ellwood Generating Station, Ellwood Elementary School, and Westmont of Santa Barbara senior-living community. The project would provide up to 30 megawatts of stored power but requires a General Plan amendment to change the site's zoning. Commissioners Jennifer Fullerton and Cary Penniman voted to defer; Commissioner Katie Maynard opposed deferral, noting the city approved a similar battery storage system on Cortona Drive without requiring additional study. The project will next go before the Goleta City Council at a later date.
Local Politics · Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County has selected Maria Gardner as the next director of its Department of Social Services, with a start date of Nov. 10 pending formal approval by the Board of Supervisors. Gardner brings approximately 30 years of experience with the department, having advanced from a frontline Child Welfare Services social worker to assistant director and most recently chief financial and administrative officer. She succeeds Daniel Nielson, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 13 years leading the county's largest public service agency through events including the Montecito Debris Flow and the COVID-19 response.
