The Shame of Santa Barbara

Journo panel tackles study ranking county #2 in poverty - plus new pot reforms, L.A. fire exiles, Roy Lee's debut, big win for old trees

Amazing but true, Santa Barbara County’s population has the second highest level of poverty among California’s 58 counties, despite the globally glorified wealth and celebrity of many of our 441,257 citizens.

That’s the key local finding in a new study of statewide data by the Public Policy Institute of California, as reported this week by the Indy’s Ryan P. Cruz:

Nearly 70,000 people in the county are living in poverty (using the California Poverty Measure, which takes into account cost of living and social safety net programs), meaning one out of every six adults, and one out of every five children, are living at or below the poverty line. In Santa Barbara County, this threshold equates to $41,750 a year for a household of four.

Ryan joins Melinda Burns, Josh Molina and the genial host on this week’s edition of Newsmakers TV to assess the economic and social implications of the report, in advance of an upcoming conference of 15 community organizations aimed at organizing a comprehensive strategy to boost upward mobility countywide.

The panel also breaks down the policy and politics behind the swift action by the recently-sworn Board of Supervisors to require cannabis growers in the Carpinteria Valley to install effective odor controls; examines new Supervisor Roy Lee’s key role in the move; and looks at the large number of L.A. residents who’ve fled the deadly wildfires by coming to Santa Barbara, and the repercussions for the local rental market.

Plus: Mega-kudos to Newsmakers correspondent Cheri Rae for a smashing victory in saving the Italian Stone Pines of Anapamu Street, helping to convince SB City Council members to overturn — unanimously - efforts by the Parks and Rec Department to consign them to the dustbin of history.

All this and more, right here, right now on Newsmakers TV.

Check out the new show via YouTube below, or by clicking through this link. The podcast on Soundcloud is here, and also available on Spotify, Apple and other platforms. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 8 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.