Michael Bennett Has Visions of Disneyland in Old Town

BlogaBarbara has an active discussion going on about The Pacific Coast Business Times reporting that Goleta Council Member Michael Bennett told his buddies at the Chamber of Commerce that he would like to create a "semblance of Disneyland" in Old Town Goleta.

Funds Won't Buy Votes, Three New Councilmen Say

Sonia Fernandez at the Goleta Valley Voice has an article this week about the three new Goleta City Council members who received large, last-minute contributions from developers looking to build in the city.

Onnen also said he would not recuse himself from council proceedings unless required to by law.

(Interesting comment on Onnen's part...)

“It seems to me (the contributions) would have some effect, otherwise why would people give that much money? It seems that you would want to get a return on your investment,” said local resident Jeff Haight. “I would hope that that’s not the case.”

(And this seems a little bit closer to the truth. But we shall wait to see what happens. Bishop Ranch suit against the City is still pending, and a decision whether to go forward or not is supposed to happen on March 15th.)

Click here for Sonia's complete article.

Feb 20 Council Meeting... Interesting Undertones

While the evening council meeting appeared relatively uneventful, one couldn't help to notice the paper monarchs pinned to the shirts of those making public comment on the Brock/Lange Appeal of the Zoning Administrator Approval of Goleta West Sanitary District Hollister Avenue Interceptor Replacement Project. One can only draw a conclusion that 'Cynthia's butterfly' is alive and well and was fluttering about the evening council meeting, making sure that Councilmember Bennett saw that indeed, monarchs can still be found in Goleta. (The council unanimously voted to deny the appeal, for those who are interested.)

After the public hearing and council debate, most of the public, if not all in attendance, left the council meeting. During council comment, Councilmember Bennett brought up a point about fees charged to parties filing appeals, and asked that staff returned with information regarding fees when filing appeals. City Manager Singer asked that his request be rolled into the fee updates that would be coming before the council no later than June, but probably in May.

Was it just me, or could one draw a conclusion that the Brock-Bennett rift is still alive and well?