Program:

 

Tim Bigelow introduced our speaker, former Mayor and Councilman for the city of Santa Barbara Hal Conklin.  He worked for Southern California Edison for several years plus serving on many local non-profit organizations.   Mr. Conklin is a candidate for mayor in the up coming election.  One of the non-profits was helping people in Ethopia .  They helped people get out of the relocation camps.  Many of these parents gave their children as sex slaves to support the family.  The organization hired them to plant trees- 100 million were planted in 2005.  Today they plant 100,000 trees per day and employ 300,000 people. 

Prior to the Santa Barbara earthquake in 1925, Pearl Chase and others laid out a plan to redesign the downtown city of Santa Barbara.  After the earthquake these plans were ready to design the city as it is today.  The other notable year was in 1969 with the oil spill in the waters off our coast.  Citizens were willing to help along with hundreds from the non- profit organizations. The third thing Mr. Conklin pointed out was the selection and development of Paseo Nuevo in 1984-1987. This was a collaborative effort by the local citizens and community leaders and not a dictum from the City Council.   Prior to that, a bond to build the shopping center on Victoria and State Street, was proposed by the City Council and was soundly defeated.  Mr. Conklin’s message was, “involve the citizens to make these important decisions”.  That is why he is running for mayor again, “I am a good facilitator.

Raffle:  money prize- Guy de Mangeon was unable to draw the red marble.

              Fruit/vegetable box- guest- Patrick Swymer

 

Next meeting:  October 4^th- Ali Bauerlein- Inogen Corporation