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Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Big Step to Legalize Utility-Scale Solar, Save Water, & Drive Safely!

by Community Contributor • July 14, 2021 • Comments Off

One Step Closer to Legalizing Utility-Scale Solar

It meant a lot to me to be able to have my oldest daughter, Ya’Ash, sit beside me on the dais today as we provided direction to staff on the development of our Utility-Scale Solar ordinance – meaning we are one step closer to legalizing utility-scale solar in our County. We must live our values and move away from our dependency on fossil fuels by creating clean energy locally. I fight so hard on turning the tide on climate change to ensure our children, including my daughters, have a habitable planet to live on. While I was in the legislature, I missed the final vote on SB 350 in 2015 (a bill that I carried on the Assembly side and, at the time, created the highest goal for clean energy in the country at 50%) due to Ya’Ash’s birth so having her by my side today was extra meaningful. I’m still fighting for clean energy and we’ve made incredible progress in the last six years and more progress is yet to come!

P.S. As meaningful as it was to have Ya’Ash next to me today, it was necessitated due to a lack of child care options in the summer for working parents. Another issue we must keep fighting for!

Everyday Safety on Highway 101

With the onset of summer and many COVID-19 restrictions lifted, traffic on Highway 101 has picked up. Construction of our congestion-relief strategies is also in full swing between Carpinteria and Summerland (online at www.SBROADS.com). For everyone’s safety, the construction area has a reduced speed limit of 55 mph. The temporary roadway alignments are designed to the 55 mph speed limit. I have asked for, and you should expect, more CHP officers on patrol. This is because people are driving way too fast for a construction zone, accident frequency is up, and people are getting hurt.

Caltrans has also added advanced warning signs that use sensors to alert drivers to where traffic is slow. You can see these signs east of Bailard Ave and west of Milpas St. These signs change with traffic patterns and provide helpful warnings up to 4 miles in advance of slow areas.

We’ve seen preventable collisions lately, and we all have a role to play in keeping our community safe. Drive safely, Slow for the Cone Zone, and enjoy your summer.

Drought Emergency Declared

Last week, Governor Newsom declared a drought emergency in nine additional counties including Santa Barbara and directed state agencies to take further actions to bolster drought resilience and prepare for impacts on communities, businesses, and ecosystems. This brings the total number of counties under state declarations to 50. The declaration accelerates actions that may be needed to protect public health, safety, and the environment, including those related to water rights and curtailment. At today’s Board of Supervisors hearing, we also adopted a Proclamation of Local Emergency Caused by Drought Conditions. Just a few years ago, we were also in a dire drought situation. Now is the time to try to get ahead of it by working diligently to conserve water.

The Governor issued an Executive Order encouraging voluntary conservation of water at 15 percent of 2020 usage. The State Water Board will track the state’s progress toward achieving this 15 percent goal and the Department of Water Resources will monitor hydrologic conditions. Below are some common-sense measures that can be undertaken to save water including:

Irrigating landscapes more efficiently. As much as 50 percent of residential water use goes to outdoor irrigation, and much of that is wasted due to evaporation, wind, or runoff caused by inefficient irrigation methods and systems. Watering one day less per week, not watering during or immediately after rainfall, watering during the cooler parts of the day, and using a weather-based irrigation controller can reduce irrigation water use, saving nearly 8,800 gallons of water per year.
Running dishwashers and washing machines only when full. Full laundry loads can save 15–45 gallons per load. Full dishwasher cycles can save 5–15 gallons per load.
Finding and fixing leaks. A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste nearly 3,200 gallons per year.
Installing water-efficient showerheads and taking shorter showers. Keeping showers under five minutes can save 12.5 gallons per shower when using a water-efficient showerhead.
Using a shut-off nozzle on hoses.