Any discussion of the flaws in government begins with the need for an educated populace. The current educational establishment betrayed local students and caused them great harm by interrupting their school attendance for the plague plandemic. Not to keep the kids from being infected, but because the teachers were afraid to come to work. Funny thing, grocery store checkers were brave enough to have high public contact jobs. And now these teachers and administrators have been given raises by those who bleat "Stand with Teachers". While the children are shown in the tests to be failing in the basics. What those tests do not show is the DEI indoctrination that is given classroom time, edging out the "three Rs". Just as dangerous as kids who cannot read or do math up to grade level is this gender indoctrination and institutionalized racism, and their being allowed to have the distraction of cell phones in class.
Does anyone think our global enemies are letting their younger generation flail in this way?
Good Qs Brian…answer is, they stole much of the C19 funds (taxpayer monies, add it to our $35 trillion debt) through their NGO partners…EVERYTHING IS RIGGED!
That is correct, and Unions were the ones keeping children home along with the goal of sowing of the seed of victim mentality, which is also important to our enemies and I have seen it first hand.
Christy Lozano - I am forever glad I grew up in a time where we were not taught to be victims. We were told we were not working up to our potential, and try harder ! I understood that for whatever reason I was dyslexic and couldn't do math, but I approached it with an attitude that it must mean I was "otherwise abled" and I focused on making myself ambidextrous and other skills that neurotypicals couldn't do.
Yes Pat you are an overcomer and you are stronger for it. This current culture does not want an overcomer wrecking what they have planned because we are their biggest threat! Great job to you! This is one of the big reasons we get along:)
Yay, Christy! You are absolutely correct. And thank you for mentioning Justin Shores - he has repeatedly shown courage while remaining openminded, something that shows his true strength. The fundamental problem with Santa Barbara's current government is they won't stand up for a realistic vision of the future for this county. Their attitude is “why can't we have it all?”
Like: “Why can't we make a fortune turning Santa Barbara into a just another high-rise coastal city, triple the population overnight and give everyone affordable housing and have no traffic problems or water shortage? Why can't it be an even better paradise where the homeless live together in a car-less downtown shooting up and using the sidewalks as a bathroom and still the businesses and tourism there thrive? Why can't we expand the SB airport to the size of La Guardia and the people of Goleta who are trying to get sleep so they can work three jobs to afford to live there be thrilled? Why can't we put in more and more bike lanes and people will find some way to stop needing streets to drive cars to where they need to go? Why can't we order up diversity in Santa Barbara without it bothering our political donors in Hope Ranch and Montecito? Why can't we ensure getting the youth of Santa Barbara to vote for us by not requiring them to learn anything in our public schools and magically giving them socialist living without requiring they contribute to the work force?
Because dear Santa Barbara government: that doesn't happen anywhere. It doesn't work anywhere. And you haven't been working for us and you need to start remembering who pays for your fantasy life here. Or get out of here so we can find people who will preserve what's great, yet let Santa Barbara grow in rational, truly environmental way. Go save Democracy elsewhere. We'll have a better chance of saving it here without you.
I agree Polly and these people need to have their allowances taken away. I think somebody can run for Mayor in Goleta and win and just base their campaign on what they just did to Hollister Ave thru Old Town! It is simply ridiculous!
Kudos to Ms. Lozano for her courage and willingness to stand up against injustice. The elephant in the room is the amount of power and influence public sector unions have and are willing to use in order to promote their goals. Having just finished a strike by SBTA, does anyone have any doubt that we will be in the same exact situation when the contract expires in 3 years? If past history is any indication of the future, the SBTA will be right back at it, banging the drum of gender and racial inequality and getting our kids to carry the water for them by skipping class and hitting the picket line.
These people have no shame and will do anything to maintain power…sound familiar? Yes, this is the mantra of the Democratic machine that runs our State and community. The solid blue line is impenetrable to conservatives. How? During any election cycle, the Dems have a vocal coalition which pounds the pavement and gets in people’s faces to get out the vote.
All of this is based on the DEI, grievance paradigm. Simply put, anyone who is of color, gay, non-Christian has a legitimate grievance against any who is white, straight and Christian. Very similar, they are owed their power by virtue of past injustice perpetuated by, you guessed it…whitey! Sorry to be blunt, but this DEI sham is so obvious and racist that folks are so tired and want a level playing field.
Add in the religious furor of environmentalism and you have a voting block which is unbeatable! Oh, and if conservatives get too pushy, they simply call in the “Goon Squad” from the Teamsters to flex their muscles. I saw this first hand at UCSB. Yes, our State funded Universities are not only indoctrination centers, but a hotbed of disloyalty and grievance to our society. Where do you think teachers learn this from?
Power to the people, stick it to the man!
This all is textbook Saul Alinsky, “Rules for Radicals.” Get vocal and get confrontational!
I’d add only that something else lacking too often from the local political scene in addition to courage is gratitude. We’re lucky enough to live in a beautiful, relatively unspoiled part of the world. Amazing weather, gorgeous setting, and one of the few American cities that has attractive harmonious architecture and a pleasant (whatever its flaws, lol) downtown.
Let’s have the gratitude to recognize our good fortune as well as the courage not to screw up what we’ve been given. SB’s a very special place, but bad decisions, corruption and cluelessness could ruin it irretrievably virtually overnight. First, let’s not let that happen.
I read this solid article by Ms. Lozano titled “Honor in Courage” and I quote “Like the lion in the Wizard of Oz most (I would say all, but I don’t like statements that encompass totality) people in leadership positions in Santa Barbara County lack courage. Most – it seems – suffer from cowardice, a word the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “lack of courage to face danger: shameful fear.”
Then Ms. Lazano states that she is held by her duty of Honor as a former military officer and veteran and states that the So-Called-Leaders of Santa Barbara lack “Honor in the Face of Adversity”
Then Ms. Lazano states in her final conclusion “We need to be done with talking. It’s time to act.”
Let me be very clear so there is no misunderstanding. “The Existential Threat” to the Santa Barbara
Community are the very people that Control the entire Local Government that involves the Santa Barbara Police Department, the Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department, the Santa Barbara District Attorneys Office, sworn-to-officers of the Santa Barbara Courts, Attorneys and the Judicial Officers and all Santa Barbara Government Agencies combined. The entire local government system needs serious reform in the wake of Abuse of the Citizens of the Santa Barbara Community.
These are very strong and sweeping conclusions you all may say but then again you have not seen what I have seen which is pure evil. Something that you would never imagine could occur in the United States with all of it's Constitutional Protections. So Time to Act …. right. I certainly cannot advise what to do and the right act because there are many differing opinions. When I saw that evil in 2017, I immediately called The FBI's public corruption hotline is (888) 722-1225. You can also submit a report online at tips.fbi.gov. There are alot of Whistle-Blowers in this Town that have provided actionable info
The basic goal of Government is the serve the people and not hurt it's Citizens. Your Choice.
You are on the money, implicating the criminal justice system. Clearly, the fix is in. Legislatively, laws such as Prop 47 allow for crimes to be not prosecuted, especially for those of certain “groups.” Ever wonder why these huge “smash and grab “ thefts go unpunished? Does anyone know how many unsolved murders there are, especially in black communities?
Law abiding citizens have been sold out by Prosecutors who have been compromised by special interest such as George Soros and his web of evil.
BTW, does anyone realize that Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota had the state flag changed because it was racist? Now, it is said to resemble the Somali flag. You can’t make this up!
LT, Tim Walz also deserted his National Guard unit just prior to being deployed to Iraq (retired just in time) and there are many of his deserted soldiers now (and have been) speaking up…both he & Harris are phony empty suits…still not sure that we won’t see a change of puppets at the DNC convention next weeks.
LT, you miss my point. The Santa Barbara District Attorneys office, as many do in the US,
have compromised thier ethical obligations and sworn duty to follow the law as they prosecute alleged criminals. They conceal, hide, manufacture and destory evidence that are called Brady Violations that are now epedemic in the US>>>>>>>> https://theappeal.org/the-epidemic-of-brady-violations-explained-94a38ad3c800/
And I quote from weblink above>>>
"In courtrooms across America, prosecutors regularly withhold evidence from the defense that could blow holes in their cases. That’s a violation of the Brady doctrine, based on a 1963 Supreme Court ruling that requires them to disclose any information favorable to the defense. When prosecutors withhold evidence they are duty-bound to turn over, they undermine the Constitution, the Supreme Court’s case law, and the premise of justice."
Wait, what? Missed your point, how so? Let me throw out some names…George Gascon, Fani Willis, Letitcia James, Larry Krasner just to name a few. Clearly, these Prosecutors selectively go after those whom they choose, while letting others go free. Yes, on occasion, they have put their thumbs on the scales of justice and Lady Justice is NOT blind.
This, while turning our inner cities into hell holes. Again, the number of unsolved crimes, especially murder is unbelievable!
Here locally, I did have an occasion to deal with Former DA, Joyce Dudley. I found her to be professional and fair, which is to be expected and all anyone can ask for!
Hello LT you have not read my post. Let me be very very clear.
The Santa Barbara DA's office, like many here in CA and across
the US typically commit Brady Violations "
"In courtrooms across America, prosecutors regularly withhold evidence from the defense that could blow holes in their cases. That’s a violation of the Brady doctrine, based on a 1963 Supreme Court ruling that requires them to disclose any information favorable to the defense. When prosecutors withhold evidence they are duty-bound to turn over, they undermine the Constitution, the Supreme Court’s case law, and the premise of justice."
You state "Here locally, I did have an occasion to deal with Former DA, Joyce Dudley. I found her to be professional and fair, which is to be expected and all anyone can ask for!"
You have obviosely not been involved with the SB DA's Office on a regular
Thank you for that information Howard and you are right that action based responses will be what gets us down the road. Sometimes they may not seem like big actions but they will add up if we all do them. Let do all we can and keeping doing until these people are removed.
The discussion here is spot on! When some of us published a 2008 voter fraud study, we were immediately slammed with “Nothing to see here” by the Santa Barbara Court, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, Santa Barbara County Counsel. We also sent all the evidence to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump- things like 15 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment or 35 people living in a vacant lot, both in Isla Vista! We also included all final tallies over 100%. Then we all left CA fearing for our lives!
Thank You for pointing up brave Patriots willing to take a stand. We need to see more courage from all citizens now that it is time to take a stand against the Communist/Marxist who are attempting to collapse Our Great Nation (state-by-state, community-by-community).
For those that can see, God woke us up for a reason…stay in the fight…in the end, God Wins!
This caused Lot to offer his virgin daughters instead. A classic example of lack of courage, and not trusting God to solve the crisis. He was saved only by the angels who dragged him and his family out of town before the whole place was destroyed. His wife was so conflicted she looked back and became the famous pillar of salt. The point of this story is that the Bible is a great source of wisdom, which used to inform all of us in what courage and character looked like, or not. Lot would have been a great politician in modern times, as he was trying to be back then. We could learn a lot about courage by studying the true source of wisdom, the scriptures. They are definitely not on the syllabus of our schools.
Shouldn't the word "Opinion" be prominently displayed at the top? Most people aren't aware that "Teacher's Lounge" is an "Insights from local educators" which equals opinion, not fact. I do hope that my fellow readers possess the ability to use their critical thinking skills and do their own fact checking when consuming their news.
For example, the basis for Lozano's comments re Randy Rowse is that he is a Republican. Implied is that he should be serving Republicans (shouldn't elected officials be listening to their conscience as well as the good of the people?). Although RR tends to vote moderately, he says that he has been a Democrat most of his life:
“By nature, the mayor is a non-partisan office,” Rowse says. “People have served as Democrats or Republicans and nobody cared. I was a registered Democrat for most of my life and later became a registered Independent, but I have never really paid attention to party politics or voted along party lines.” Montecito Journal April 1, 2021
To Victoria: All I can say to Randy's statement that he has "never really paid attention to party politics" is why was he so keen on endorsing anyone for Superintendent? Especially after having received political assistance from local Republicans? Seems like a slap in the face to me.
Hi Jim, "not paying attention to party politics" and "being keen on endorsing someone for Superintendent" are not mutually exclusive. A slap in the face? Local Republicans were wise to support RR because he was the least liberal candidate who had a chance at victory. The buck stops here, however (i.e., the Republicans' literal and/or figurative buck was spent to get him elected and nothing more). Did they expect something else in return?
To Victoria: I guess you're right; Randy Rowse doesn't feel obligated to help the party that brought him to the party. It's just so disappointing. Look, for example, what has happened to Christy Lozano since she challenged the school system hierarchy: she lost her job as a teacher and has been effectively locked out of her chosen profession. She has so much to offer, yet, the institution is so hidebound it has no room for a different opinion or for anyone who challenges the status quo. I guess there really is no room on the City Council for people who question their orthodoxy either.
Hi Jim, there's a lot to unpack here. Allow me address just this one point: "I guess you're right; Randy Rowse doesn't feel obligated to help the party that brought him to the party. It's just so disappointing." My thoughts: Are you saying that RR did something wrong not to engage in a quid pro quo arrangement with the republicans, that granting political favors in return would have been the "right" choice to make? This sounds unethical to me. To be honest, this kind of thinking strikes me as sleazy.
Victoria: Well, two things seem clear. 1) if Randy had been a Democrat, he would have gotten all the help he needed and would have supported anybody they'd have chosen. Dems just know how to play the game. 2) I'm disappointed because it's tough enough to get a common-sense politician elected, but when that elected official doesn't have any fondness or affiliation for other common-sense office seekers, they simply become place holders until they wander off, alone, and are replaced by someone more to the liking of those in power. Has Randy even tried to back or sponsor, or cheer on, someone more like him, or tried to build a coalition of like-minded politicians? I don't think so. I don't know if "thinking" something is sleazy, but I do know that politics itself is a sleazy game. Folks like Randy could help change that if they had a mind to.
Good morning, Jim. Regarding point #1, no this is not true. If RR chose to be a Democrat then his views, his MO, would not magically change to conform with the platform (and he is "independent" by nature, right?). The DCC endorses the candidate that aligns with their platform, toes the party line, which means RR would not be the one. In the last mayor's race, the DCC supported Cathy Murillo, not RR (for obvious reasons). Thus, he was not supported, nor did he (or would he ever) support the candidate they chose. He did not nor would not play this game you say Democrats know how to play. Have you ever observed him on the dais? Haha
Re point #2, I'm sorry you feel disappointed in RR. What I hear you saying is that you wish he were more of an ambitious politician type who possesses cheerleading skills. But he's not. Cathy Murillo was, but she would not have been your first choice, unfortunately (haha). It seems you expect to have something that doesn't exist, at least in RR. I feel that your expectations of other people are unreasonable.
In response to my comment, "Are you saying that RR did something wrong not to engage in a quid pro quo arrangement with the republicans, that granting political favors in return would have been the "right" choice to make? This sounds unethical to me. To be honest, this kind of thinking strikes me as sleazy." you said, "I don't know if "thinking" something is sleazy, but I do know that politics itself is a sleazy game," which really dodged the point. Did you expect political favors of him or not? Because you criticized him for not paying back the Republicans' favor for their support in the election.
And finally, to your comment, "Folks like Randy could help change that (that politics is a sleazy game) if they had a mind to." Really? How (realistically) could he achieve this?
Have you read my articles in The Teacher’s Lounge? They are filled with facts. Critical thinking skills are great skills to have and necessary when reading what I write about. So I am safe in assuming you haven’t read one and that your comment is your opinion?
Also I did not state Randy’s party affiliation, I spoke about a deal that was made with the Republican Central Committee. That’s different than what you are saying.
I am not sure the point you are trying to make or why the conversation seems difficult, maybe its because its in writing, but that facts are the important parts of the article.
-Randy Rowse endorsed Susan Salcido for Superintendent of Schools in 2022.
-Salcido's very own schools at the County Office of Ed in 2022 had a 0% proficiency rate. And schools in SB Co. (70,000 children) half were not proficient to read & two-thirds could not do math. That is a poor, non-courageous endorsement.
-Rowse declined to meet with me to hear the facts during my race against Susan and by the way, the first thing Susan's team did was sue me in a court of law to get my name off the ballot. I won the lawsuit.
-Bob Nelson and Steve Lavagnino have given an exorbitant amount of money, $250,000-$500,000 and counting to many organizations associated with Black Lives Matter. They vote in lock step with the other county supervisors and give the taxpayer moneys away to terrible organizations. See the latest list of gifts they have made here.... And remember what I said, they don't sacrifice their own gifts, they sacrifice your tax payer money. These are facts my friend.
Hi Christy, no, I have not read your articles in The Teacher's Lounge. I don't doubt that they contain both facts and opinion (or that you can identify these in my comments). What concerns me is the manner in which your facts are presented, that they might have the unintended (?) effect of misleading the reader.
I said, "the basis for Lozano's comments re Randy Rowse is that he is a Republican."
In your 5th paragraph you said, "Why would Randy reach across party lines to do that?" What did you mean by "reaching across party lines?"
I said, "Implied is that he should be serving Republicans." Yes, this (my conclusion/the implication) is my opinion derived from my reasoning, yet I stand by the logic. Jim Buckley's comment below reinforces this conclusion, although I do recognize that his words are his own.
Victoria, your point is an important point! What you are seeing is these political realms is where we have lost ourselves. We no longer look at the importance of how things are affecting the people who elected us and it’s become a big game.
I asked to meet with Randy Rowse and his wife, (who I believe was a teacher) to share my views during the election. They declined to meet with me. It is a very sad state of affairs we are in:(
Christy, could you tell me specifically which point you are referring to? I find your writing unclear, and then going off on tangents. It's difficult to respond without clear communication. Thank you.
Christy, you said "your point is an important point!" and I asked what point you were referring to. Is it really that difficult to answer this question?
Re coffee, not at this time. I'm too far behind on reciprocating social invitations!
Randy is not a democrat, yet he endorsed a Democrat after the Republicans supported his campaign and helped him win. Democrats would never do that!! Unless of course it was a democratic dressed in Republican clothing.
Okay, so he has been a Democrat and now he is an Independent? (I don't keep track of these things) And, as an Independent, he endorsed a Democrat after the Republicans supported his campaign? My thoughts: What does independent mean to you? And so what? I don't see the problem. You appear to be saying that one should only support a candidate of their own political party even though they prefer a candidate of another political party. I find this small minded and ridiculous. To your comment, "Democrats would never do that!" I say, what?? This is inaccurate, and how could you even know this? (you don't. It's not true). I feel that your expectations of others are unrealistic.
The problem is that you are not reading what I am writing. I am not the one who has come up with the rules, ideas, games etc. I am the one explaining what's going on. These parties have come up with all this non-sense. If you think it's ridiculous, I am in agreement with you, and you can go talk to them about it too.
I stand by my assertion that there is no problem with endorsing a candidate from a different political party, or even voting for them (except in, say, the presidential primaries). I've always been able to vote for my preferred candidate without a hitch. Yes, I am reading what you're writing (in this discussion). I am ignoring most of the tangents, however.
I totally agree with some of the comments regarding the absolute corruption of the entire political system from top to bottom. My observation is that at the very bottom lies the teachers union. They are turning our children against everything that makes the United states the greatest political establishment to exist on this world for at least all of the known history of it! We need to eliminate the teachers unions and demand a proper education for the youths of America. I’m not exactly sure how to execute that goal, but it would start with someone like Christie running our school boards and doing away with the department of education and returning control of schools back to the states and local populations. Once people could see how well school systems could be run they would demand more from their local boards instead of the unions telling everyone how it’s gonna be. If you can’t fire a bad teacher, how can you properly educate the children?
We need more conservatives to speak their minds. Stop being silent, stop being bullied by your left leaning or just ignorant family, friends, coworkers.
Have discussions, not just about the national stage. But talk about what is occurring right here in our own yard.
SBUSD has a 95% graduation rate with LESS than half being able to read and write at grade level. The math doesn’t add up.
Our City is millions in debt and they are spending millions on an artist architect to “beautify” an underpass. Reminds me of when all that money was spent on Milpas to put up the Maize street lights in an area no one walks in. To celebrate Hispanics.
They didn’t spend the money to beautify the area, they spent the money with an artist. Why? Why him?
SBUSD spent $1,800/Hour on a consultant to counsel aggrieved black families. He was not a Dr, not a psychologist, has never counseled before, but he was black and very cozy with a board member. That same board member then rented a house on the West Side just to run for a county position. She did not care about the Westside.
Similar to when Murillo moved her nephew into a district just so he could run for office.
Our Mayor has been in City Hall for twelve years and not one person can justify why they voted for him other than “he’s a good guy”. No policies, no change.
City council are non-partisan offices. School board position are non-partisan offices. Take party politics out of all local elected offices. There was a reason they were originally made non-partisan. There is more to gain getting back to non-partisan local issues than getting caught up in partisan turf wars.
The injection of government employee union member money and election support into our local affairs has distorted our publicly funded government operations beyond all recognition. At least celebrate a candidate's "bi-partisan" support, if that is the best we can do right now.
As I read the saga of politicians lacking courage, Genesis Chapter 19 came to mind. Lot, the nephew of the patriarch, Abraham, chose the prime real estate to live in. Sodom was comfortable, although inhabited by people whose life choices offended God. When Hod sent judgement on the city, Lot was in the gates of the city, a place of leadership. The locals demanded he true the angels over to them for sexual relations.
seems the same to me Jenn…since my boyhood, always had a strong feeling that I (we) would see the Second Coming of Christ…I think He is already here working behind the scenes but will soon come to light, this time as a Lion!
Not to me, he's outvoted all the time, the only council member that works with him is Eric Friedman. BTW, you do know that SB being a Charter city the mayor has no more power than any of the council members?
Simply put: Most if not all Republicans lack integrity and a spine from top to bottom. The Republicans are the reason the entire state of California is now under a super majority of the Democrats. Case in point Randy Rowse, Bob Nelson etc. All a bunch of cowards and Trotskyites.
Any discussion of the flaws in government begins with the need for an educated populace. The current educational establishment betrayed local students and caused them great harm by interrupting their school attendance for the plague plandemic. Not to keep the kids from being infected, but because the teachers were afraid to come to work. Funny thing, grocery store checkers were brave enough to have high public contact jobs. And now these teachers and administrators have been given raises by those who bleat "Stand with Teachers". While the children are shown in the tests to be failing in the basics. What those tests do not show is the DEI indoctrination that is given classroom time, edging out the "three Rs". Just as dangerous as kids who cannot read or do math up to grade level is this gender indoctrination and institutionalized racism, and their being allowed to have the distraction of cell phones in class.
Does anyone think our global enemies are letting their younger generation flail in this way?
Ask where the $35 million in covid funds went.
Ask what they had to do to get that money, masks, repeated pressure to jab kids, host drug clinics on campus, pressure yea hers to get jabbed, etc..,
Good Qs Brian…answer is, they stole much of the C19 funds (taxpayer monies, add it to our $35 trillion debt) through their NGO partners…EVERYTHING IS RIGGED!
That is correct, and Unions were the ones keeping children home along with the goal of sowing of the seed of victim mentality, which is also important to our enemies and I have seen it first hand.
Christy Lozano - I am forever glad I grew up in a time where we were not taught to be victims. We were told we were not working up to our potential, and try harder ! I understood that for whatever reason I was dyslexic and couldn't do math, but I approached it with an attitude that it must mean I was "otherwise abled" and I focused on making myself ambidextrous and other skills that neurotypicals couldn't do.
Yes Pat you are an overcomer and you are stronger for it. This current culture does not want an overcomer wrecking what they have planned because we are their biggest threat! Great job to you! This is one of the big reasons we get along:)
Yay, Christy! You are absolutely correct. And thank you for mentioning Justin Shores - he has repeatedly shown courage while remaining openminded, something that shows his true strength. The fundamental problem with Santa Barbara's current government is they won't stand up for a realistic vision of the future for this county. Their attitude is “why can't we have it all?”
Like: “Why can't we make a fortune turning Santa Barbara into a just another high-rise coastal city, triple the population overnight and give everyone affordable housing and have no traffic problems or water shortage? Why can't it be an even better paradise where the homeless live together in a car-less downtown shooting up and using the sidewalks as a bathroom and still the businesses and tourism there thrive? Why can't we expand the SB airport to the size of La Guardia and the people of Goleta who are trying to get sleep so they can work three jobs to afford to live there be thrilled? Why can't we put in more and more bike lanes and people will find some way to stop needing streets to drive cars to where they need to go? Why can't we order up diversity in Santa Barbara without it bothering our political donors in Hope Ranch and Montecito? Why can't we ensure getting the youth of Santa Barbara to vote for us by not requiring them to learn anything in our public schools and magically giving them socialist living without requiring they contribute to the work force?
Because dear Santa Barbara government: that doesn't happen anywhere. It doesn't work anywhere. And you haven't been working for us and you need to start remembering who pays for your fantasy life here. Or get out of here so we can find people who will preserve what's great, yet let Santa Barbara grow in rational, truly environmental way. Go save Democracy elsewhere. We'll have a better chance of saving it here without you.
I agree Polly and these people need to have their allowances taken away. I think somebody can run for Mayor in Goleta and win and just base their campaign on what they just did to Hollister Ave thru Old Town! It is simply ridiculous!
Goleta is not The Goodland to them it's The Dumping Land.
Kudos to Ms. Lozano for her courage and willingness to stand up against injustice. The elephant in the room is the amount of power and influence public sector unions have and are willing to use in order to promote their goals. Having just finished a strike by SBTA, does anyone have any doubt that we will be in the same exact situation when the contract expires in 3 years? If past history is any indication of the future, the SBTA will be right back at it, banging the drum of gender and racial inequality and getting our kids to carry the water for them by skipping class and hitting the picket line.
These people have no shame and will do anything to maintain power…sound familiar? Yes, this is the mantra of the Democratic machine that runs our State and community. The solid blue line is impenetrable to conservatives. How? During any election cycle, the Dems have a vocal coalition which pounds the pavement and gets in people’s faces to get out the vote.
All of this is based on the DEI, grievance paradigm. Simply put, anyone who is of color, gay, non-Christian has a legitimate grievance against any who is white, straight and Christian. Very similar, they are owed their power by virtue of past injustice perpetuated by, you guessed it…whitey! Sorry to be blunt, but this DEI sham is so obvious and racist that folks are so tired and want a level playing field.
Add in the religious furor of environmentalism and you have a voting block which is unbeatable! Oh, and if conservatives get too pushy, they simply call in the “Goon Squad” from the Teamsters to flex their muscles. I saw this first hand at UCSB. Yes, our State funded Universities are not only indoctrination centers, but a hotbed of disloyalty and grievance to our society. Where do you think teachers learn this from?
Power to the people, stick it to the man!
This all is textbook Saul Alinsky, “Rules for Radicals.” Get vocal and get confrontational!
Power to the people
Is correct! We need courage to come together, figure out a plan, and take them down. And just maybe a vote will do that! I am praying it will.
Solid, smart and stirring piece, Christy, thanks.
I’d add only that something else lacking too often from the local political scene in addition to courage is gratitude. We’re lucky enough to live in a beautiful, relatively unspoiled part of the world. Amazing weather, gorgeous setting, and one of the few American cities that has attractive harmonious architecture and a pleasant (whatever its flaws, lol) downtown.
Let’s have the gratitude to recognize our good fortune as well as the courage not to screw up what we’ve been given. SB’s a very special place, but bad decisions, corruption and cluelessness could ruin it irretrievably virtually overnight. First, let’s not let that happen.
I read this solid article by Ms. Lozano titled “Honor in Courage” and I quote “Like the lion in the Wizard of Oz most (I would say all, but I don’t like statements that encompass totality) people in leadership positions in Santa Barbara County lack courage. Most – it seems – suffer from cowardice, a word the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “lack of courage to face danger: shameful fear.”
Then Ms. Lazano states that she is held by her duty of Honor as a former military officer and veteran and states that the So-Called-Leaders of Santa Barbara lack “Honor in the Face of Adversity”
Then Ms. Lazano states in her final conclusion “We need to be done with talking. It’s time to act.”
Let me be very clear so there is no misunderstanding. “The Existential Threat” to the Santa Barbara
Community are the very people that Control the entire Local Government that involves the Santa Barbara Police Department, the Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department, the Santa Barbara District Attorneys Office, sworn-to-officers of the Santa Barbara Courts, Attorneys and the Judicial Officers and all Santa Barbara Government Agencies combined. The entire local government system needs serious reform in the wake of Abuse of the Citizens of the Santa Barbara Community.
These are very strong and sweeping conclusions you all may say but then again you have not seen what I have seen which is pure evil. Something that you would never imagine could occur in the United States with all of it's Constitutional Protections. So Time to Act …. right. I certainly cannot advise what to do and the right act because there are many differing opinions. When I saw that evil in 2017, I immediately called The FBI's public corruption hotline is (888) 722-1225. You can also submit a report online at tips.fbi.gov. There are alot of Whistle-Blowers in this Town that have provided actionable info
The basic goal of Government is the serve the people and not hurt it's Citizens. Your Choice.
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family.
Walther,
You are on the money, implicating the criminal justice system. Clearly, the fix is in. Legislatively, laws such as Prop 47 allow for crimes to be not prosecuted, especially for those of certain “groups.” Ever wonder why these huge “smash and grab “ thefts go unpunished? Does anyone know how many unsolved murders there are, especially in black communities?
Law abiding citizens have been sold out by Prosecutors who have been compromised by special interest such as George Soros and his web of evil.
BTW, does anyone realize that Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota had the state flag changed because it was racist? Now, it is said to resemble the Somali flag. You can’t make this up!
LT, Tim Walz also deserted his National Guard unit just prior to being deployed to Iraq (retired just in time) and there are many of his deserted soldiers now (and have been) speaking up…both he & Harris are phony empty suits…still not sure that we won’t see a change of puppets at the DNC convention next weeks.
LT, you miss my point. The Santa Barbara District Attorneys office, as many do in the US,
have compromised thier ethical obligations and sworn duty to follow the law as they prosecute alleged criminals. They conceal, hide, manufacture and destory evidence that are called Brady Violations that are now epedemic in the US>>>>>>>> https://theappeal.org/the-epidemic-of-brady-violations-explained-94a38ad3c800/
And I quote from weblink above>>>
"In courtrooms across America, prosecutors regularly withhold evidence from the defense that could blow holes in their cases. That’s a violation of the Brady doctrine, based on a 1963 Supreme Court ruling that requires them to disclose any information favorable to the defense. When prosecutors withhold evidence they are duty-bound to turn over, they undermine the Constitution, the Supreme Court’s case law, and the premise of justice."
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family
Walther,
Wait, what? Missed your point, how so? Let me throw out some names…George Gascon, Fani Willis, Letitcia James, Larry Krasner just to name a few. Clearly, these Prosecutors selectively go after those whom they choose, while letting others go free. Yes, on occasion, they have put their thumbs on the scales of justice and Lady Justice is NOT blind.
This, while turning our inner cities into hell holes. Again, the number of unsolved crimes, especially murder is unbelievable!
Here locally, I did have an occasion to deal with Former DA, Joyce Dudley. I found her to be professional and fair, which is to be expected and all anyone can ask for!
Hello LT you have not read my post. Let me be very very clear.
The Santa Barbara DA's office, like many here in CA and across
the US typically commit Brady Violations "
"In courtrooms across America, prosecutors regularly withhold evidence from the defense that could blow holes in their cases. That’s a violation of the Brady doctrine, based on a 1963 Supreme Court ruling that requires them to disclose any information favorable to the defense. When prosecutors withhold evidence they are duty-bound to turn over, they undermine the Constitution, the Supreme Court’s case law, and the premise of justice."
You state "Here locally, I did have an occasion to deal with Former DA, Joyce Dudley. I found her to be professional and fair, which is to be expected and all anyone can ask for!"
You have obviosely not been involved with the SB DA's Office on a regular
basis.
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family
Thank you for that information Howard and you are right that action based responses will be what gets us down the road. Sometimes they may not seem like big actions but they will add up if we all do them. Let do all we can and keeping doing until these people are removed.
The discussion here is spot on! When some of us published a 2008 voter fraud study, we were immediately slammed with “Nothing to see here” by the Santa Barbara Court, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, Santa Barbara County Counsel. We also sent all the evidence to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump- things like 15 people living in a 2 bedroom apartment or 35 people living in a vacant lot, both in Isla Vista! We also included all final tallies over 100%. Then we all left CA fearing for our lives!
Looks like nobody did anything about it-
Thank You for pointing up brave Patriots willing to take a stand. We need to see more courage from all citizens now that it is time to take a stand against the Communist/Marxist who are attempting to collapse Our Great Nation (state-by-state, community-by-community).
For those that can see, God woke us up for a reason…stay in the fight…in the end, God Wins!
This caused Lot to offer his virgin daughters instead. A classic example of lack of courage, and not trusting God to solve the crisis. He was saved only by the angels who dragged him and his family out of town before the whole place was destroyed. His wife was so conflicted she looked back and became the famous pillar of salt. The point of this story is that the Bible is a great source of wisdom, which used to inform all of us in what courage and character looked like, or not. Lot would have been a great politician in modern times, as he was trying to be back then. We could learn a lot about courage by studying the true source of wisdom, the scriptures. They are definitely not on the syllabus of our schools.
Shouldn't the word "Opinion" be prominently displayed at the top? Most people aren't aware that "Teacher's Lounge" is an "Insights from local educators" which equals opinion, not fact. I do hope that my fellow readers possess the ability to use their critical thinking skills and do their own fact checking when consuming their news.
For example, the basis for Lozano's comments re Randy Rowse is that he is a Republican. Implied is that he should be serving Republicans (shouldn't elected officials be listening to their conscience as well as the good of the people?). Although RR tends to vote moderately, he says that he has been a Democrat most of his life:
“By nature, the mayor is a non-partisan office,” Rowse says. “People have served as Democrats or Republicans and nobody cared. I was a registered Democrat for most of my life and later became a registered Independent, but I have never really paid attention to party politics or voted along party lines.” Montecito Journal April 1, 2021
https://www.montecitojournal.net/2021/04/01/former-councilmember-and-paradise-cafe-owner-randy-rowse-joins-mayoral-race/#:~:text=“By%20nature%2C%20the%20mayor%20is,or%20voted%20along%20party%20lines.”
Writing comments is not my full time job, or I would pick apart many assertions made in this piece. I urge the reader to do this for him/herself.
To Victoria: All I can say to Randy's statement that he has "never really paid attention to party politics" is why was he so keen on endorsing anyone for Superintendent? Especially after having received political assistance from local Republicans? Seems like a slap in the face to me.
Hi Jim, "not paying attention to party politics" and "being keen on endorsing someone for Superintendent" are not mutually exclusive. A slap in the face? Local Republicans were wise to support RR because he was the least liberal candidate who had a chance at victory. The buck stops here, however (i.e., the Republicans' literal and/or figurative buck was spent to get him elected and nothing more). Did they expect something else in return?
To Victoria: I guess you're right; Randy Rowse doesn't feel obligated to help the party that brought him to the party. It's just so disappointing. Look, for example, what has happened to Christy Lozano since she challenged the school system hierarchy: she lost her job as a teacher and has been effectively locked out of her chosen profession. She has so much to offer, yet, the institution is so hidebound it has no room for a different opinion or for anyone who challenges the status quo. I guess there really is no room on the City Council for people who question their orthodoxy either.
Hi Jim, there's a lot to unpack here. Allow me address just this one point: "I guess you're right; Randy Rowse doesn't feel obligated to help the party that brought him to the party. It's just so disappointing." My thoughts: Are you saying that RR did something wrong not to engage in a quid pro quo arrangement with the republicans, that granting political favors in return would have been the "right" choice to make? This sounds unethical to me. To be honest, this kind of thinking strikes me as sleazy.
Victoria: Well, two things seem clear. 1) if Randy had been a Democrat, he would have gotten all the help he needed and would have supported anybody they'd have chosen. Dems just know how to play the game. 2) I'm disappointed because it's tough enough to get a common-sense politician elected, but when that elected official doesn't have any fondness or affiliation for other common-sense office seekers, they simply become place holders until they wander off, alone, and are replaced by someone more to the liking of those in power. Has Randy even tried to back or sponsor, or cheer on, someone more like him, or tried to build a coalition of like-minded politicians? I don't think so. I don't know if "thinking" something is sleazy, but I do know that politics itself is a sleazy game. Folks like Randy could help change that if they had a mind to.
Good morning, Jim. Regarding point #1, no this is not true. If RR chose to be a Democrat then his views, his MO, would not magically change to conform with the platform (and he is "independent" by nature, right?). The DCC endorses the candidate that aligns with their platform, toes the party line, which means RR would not be the one. In the last mayor's race, the DCC supported Cathy Murillo, not RR (for obvious reasons). Thus, he was not supported, nor did he (or would he ever) support the candidate they chose. He did not nor would not play this game you say Democrats know how to play. Have you ever observed him on the dais? Haha
Re point #2, I'm sorry you feel disappointed in RR. What I hear you saying is that you wish he were more of an ambitious politician type who possesses cheerleading skills. But he's not. Cathy Murillo was, but she would not have been your first choice, unfortunately (haha). It seems you expect to have something that doesn't exist, at least in RR. I feel that your expectations of other people are unreasonable.
In response to my comment, "Are you saying that RR did something wrong not to engage in a quid pro quo arrangement with the republicans, that granting political favors in return would have been the "right" choice to make? This sounds unethical to me. To be honest, this kind of thinking strikes me as sleazy." you said, "I don't know if "thinking" something is sleazy, but I do know that politics itself is a sleazy game," which really dodged the point. Did you expect political favors of him or not? Because you criticized him for not paying back the Republicans' favor for their support in the election.
And finally, to your comment, "Folks like Randy could help change that (that politics is a sleazy game) if they had a mind to." Really? How (realistically) could he achieve this?
Have you read my articles in The Teacher’s Lounge? They are filled with facts. Critical thinking skills are great skills to have and necessary when reading what I write about. So I am safe in assuming you haven’t read one and that your comment is your opinion?
Also I did not state Randy’s party affiliation, I spoke about a deal that was made with the Republican Central Committee. That’s different than what you are saying.
Btw, I stand by my original statement that this is an opinion piece. As an educator, I do hope that you know the difference.
Where do you teach?
I am not sure the point you are trying to make or why the conversation seems difficult, maybe its because its in writing, but that facts are the important parts of the article.
-Randy Rowse endorsed Susan Salcido for Superintendent of Schools in 2022.
-Salcido's very own schools at the County Office of Ed in 2022 had a 0% proficiency rate. And schools in SB Co. (70,000 children) half were not proficient to read & two-thirds could not do math. That is a poor, non-courageous endorsement.
-Rowse declined to meet with me to hear the facts during my race against Susan and by the way, the first thing Susan's team did was sue me in a court of law to get my name off the ballot. I won the lawsuit.
-Bob Nelson and Steve Lavagnino have given an exorbitant amount of money, $250,000-$500,000 and counting to many organizations associated with Black Lives Matter. They vote in lock step with the other county supervisors and give the taxpayer moneys away to terrible organizations. See the latest list of gifts they have made here.... And remember what I said, they don't sacrifice their own gifts, they sacrifice your tax payer money. These are facts my friend.
https://keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/2024/04/03/racial-equity-fund-of-santa-barbara-county-announces-approved-recommendations-tuesday/
Hi Christy, no, I have not read your articles in The Teacher's Lounge. I don't doubt that they contain both facts and opinion (or that you can identify these in my comments). What concerns me is the manner in which your facts are presented, that they might have the unintended (?) effect of misleading the reader.
I said, "the basis for Lozano's comments re Randy Rowse is that he is a Republican."
In your 5th paragraph you said, "Why would Randy reach across party lines to do that?" What did you mean by "reaching across party lines?"
I said, "Implied is that he should be serving Republicans." Yes, this (my conclusion/the implication) is my opinion derived from my reasoning, yet I stand by the logic. Jim Buckley's comment below reinforces this conclusion, although I do recognize that his words are his own.
Victoria, your point is an important point! What you are seeing is these political realms is where we have lost ourselves. We no longer look at the importance of how things are affecting the people who elected us and it’s become a big game.
I asked to meet with Randy Rowse and his wife, (who I believe was a teacher) to share my views during the election. They declined to meet with me. It is a very sad state of affairs we are in:(
Christy, could you tell me specifically which point you are referring to? I find your writing unclear, and then going off on tangents. It's difficult to respond without clear communication. Thank you.
Lets have coffee and a real chat. I don't think what I have written is unclear and I would be happy to explain in person anytime:)
Christy, you said "your point is an important point!" and I asked what point you were referring to. Is it really that difficult to answer this question?
Re coffee, not at this time. I'm too far behind on reciprocating social invitations!
Randy is not a democrat, yet he endorsed a Democrat after the Republicans supported his campaign and helped him win. Democrats would never do that!! Unless of course it was a democratic dressed in Republican clothing.
Okay, so he has been a Democrat and now he is an Independent? (I don't keep track of these things) And, as an Independent, he endorsed a Democrat after the Republicans supported his campaign? My thoughts: What does independent mean to you? And so what? I don't see the problem. You appear to be saying that one should only support a candidate of their own political party even though they prefer a candidate of another political party. I find this small minded and ridiculous. To your comment, "Democrats would never do that!" I say, what?? This is inaccurate, and how could you even know this? (you don't. It's not true). I feel that your expectations of others are unrealistic.
The problem is that you are not reading what I am writing. I am not the one who has come up with the rules, ideas, games etc. I am the one explaining what's going on. These parties have come up with all this non-sense. If you think it's ridiculous, I am in agreement with you, and you can go talk to them about it too.
I stand by my assertion that there is no problem with endorsing a candidate from a different political party, or even voting for them (except in, say, the presidential primaries). I've always been able to vote for my preferred candidate without a hitch. Yes, I am reading what you're writing (in this discussion). I am ignoring most of the tangents, however.
I totally agree with some of the comments regarding the absolute corruption of the entire political system from top to bottom. My observation is that at the very bottom lies the teachers union. They are turning our children against everything that makes the United states the greatest political establishment to exist on this world for at least all of the known history of it! We need to eliminate the teachers unions and demand a proper education for the youths of America. I’m not exactly sure how to execute that goal, but it would start with someone like Christie running our school boards and doing away with the department of education and returning control of schools back to the states and local populations. Once people could see how well school systems could be run they would demand more from their local boards instead of the unions telling everyone how it’s gonna be. If you can’t fire a bad teacher, how can you properly educate the children?
Thank you Christie.
We need more conservatives to speak their minds. Stop being silent, stop being bullied by your left leaning or just ignorant family, friends, coworkers.
Have discussions, not just about the national stage. But talk about what is occurring right here in our own yard.
SBUSD has a 95% graduation rate with LESS than half being able to read and write at grade level. The math doesn’t add up.
Our City is millions in debt and they are spending millions on an artist architect to “beautify” an underpass. Reminds me of when all that money was spent on Milpas to put up the Maize street lights in an area no one walks in. To celebrate Hispanics.
They didn’t spend the money to beautify the area, they spent the money with an artist. Why? Why him?
SBUSD spent $1,800/Hour on a consultant to counsel aggrieved black families. He was not a Dr, not a psychologist, has never counseled before, but he was black and very cozy with a board member. That same board member then rented a house on the West Side just to run for a county position. She did not care about the Westside.
Similar to when Murillo moved her nephew into a district just so he could run for office.
Our Mayor has been in City Hall for twelve years and not one person can justify why they voted for him other than “he’s a good guy”. No policies, no change.
Wake up people, wake up your friends and family.
City council are non-partisan offices. School board position are non-partisan offices. Take party politics out of all local elected offices. There was a reason they were originally made non-partisan. There is more to gain getting back to non-partisan local issues than getting caught up in partisan turf wars.
The injection of government employee union member money and election support into our local affairs has distorted our publicly funded government operations beyond all recognition. At least celebrate a candidate's "bi-partisan" support, if that is the best we can do right now.
As I read the saga of politicians lacking courage, Genesis Chapter 19 came to mind. Lot, the nephew of the patriarch, Abraham, chose the prime real estate to live in. Sodom was comfortable, although inhabited by people whose life choices offended God. When Hod sent judgement on the city, Lot was in the gates of the city, a place of leadership. The locals demanded he true the angels over to them for sexual relations.
It seems the World’ has become Sodom and Gomorrah…
It’s disgusting
seems the same to me Jenn…since my boyhood, always had a strong feeling that I (we) would see the Second Coming of Christ…I think He is already here working behind the scenes but will soon come to light, this time as a Lion!
Amen..!
Randy has been a disappointment...
Not to me, he's outvoted all the time, the only council member that works with him is Eric Friedman. BTW, you do know that SB being a Charter city the mayor has no more power than any of the council members?
Wait, Celeste Barber is Eric Friedman's mother??? That is so cool, he's the only council member that has a clue!!!
Simply put: Most if not all Republicans lack integrity and a spine from top to bottom. The Republicans are the reason the entire state of California is now under a super majority of the Democrats. Case in point Randy Rowse, Bob Nelson etc. All a bunch of cowards and Trotskyites.