• Santa Barbara News Press
• Fund-raising team living on emotional edge
• Buying the bluffs
• Santa Barbara Independent
• It's Time to Buy the Bluffs
• What Is At Stake
• Calling Carp's Bluffs
• The Coastal View
• $1.5 mil from Coastal Conservancy
• Jack's Bagels - last minute funding
• Citizens for Carp. Bluffs - column
• Bluffs sale imminent

By Ted Rhodes

     Poised at the gateway to our county with windrows of majestic Eucalyptus and breathless views to sea, the Carpinteria Bluffs stand for the very quality of life that makes Santa Barbara County so special. If we can not hold on to such natural assets, we stand a chance of losing forever an essential piece of our local character.
     The character of a place is rarely lost all at once, but bit by bit over many years, until one day, you take a look around and realize what made your surroundings once so special is gone. By then, it is too late. Had it been threatened all at once, you might have been able to hold onto it, but it does not occur that way. What happened to that little town we used to call Newhall? What happened to the rolling hills of Orange County where only a few years ago they were still running cattle? And what happened to the San Fernando Valley? I have an aunt in her nineties who still insists upon calling it "the field."
     Growth and progress should be nothing to fear, but when I look at the way some of our Southern Californian neighbors have chosen to grow, I am reminded of a quote made cryptically once by an American pilot during the Vietnam war: "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." Back where I grew up, the only orange grove now remaining there is but a well-traveled two-lane boulevard by that name. It was a landscape painter friend of mine who first pointed out to me how peculiar it is we name so many of our construction projects for the very same natural features we end up burying beneath them. Hence, a grassland becomes a cluster of homes called "The Meadows" and a patch of some of the richest farmland in the entire country becomes the site of a tract home development called "Strawberry Fields."
     Does modern urban growth always cause such drastic loss of character? No it certainly does not--not if a community can maintain a strong vision. Unfortunately, only a few towns in Southern California such as Pasadena, Claremont and Santa Monica have held onto a clear enough vision to insure their own character. Most have not. What is the community vision, you ask, for all that prime farmland between Ventura and Camarillo? Sadly, there is no firm vision, only urban sprawl. Your question may be too late.
     Much of the character of Southern California that I remember as a child indeed is gone. During the fifties, the San Gabriel Valley east of Pasadena was a landscape that still included orchards, orange blossoms, smudge pots and small towns nestled against mountains capped by snow in the winter. Yes, there was a bustling city of Pasadena at one end of the valley, but much of the landscape still included open space. Over the years, bit by bit, we let the valley to the east of us be transformed into an endless sprawl of freeways, shopping malls and industry. As happened elsewhere in Southern California, what were once orchards and vineyards came to produce a bumper crop of new housing tracts and shopping centers.
     There is no denying that we needed to grow. I only take issue here with how we let our communities develop. If we sit back and allow our home towns to expand outward with little sense to the tenets of good planning and design, countless drab strip malls and gargantuan shopping centers inevitably pop up everywhere, spreading across the land like an invasive crab grass of concrete, canned music and vast parking lots. Development in this fashion sacrifices urban character and vitality for convenience.
     Our neighborhoods are becoming defined by discount stores and fast food convenience. Already, it is possible to walk into a typical shopping mall on the outskirts of a town like Glendale, California and come across the identical retail outlets as one might find in an identical mall on the outskirts of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Is this where our Yankee ingenuity has lead us-to a vast interstate network of identical, uninspiring factory outlet stores and video/pizza parlor malls named for bygone but once distinctive natural features? When we lose our regional landmarks, do we not also stand to lose our national character?
     What is it about Chicago that makes it different from San Francisco or Boston? Each of those cities has its own unique character and sense of place. What would New York City be without its Central Park or the Hudson River? What would San Francisco be without its hills, Golden Gate Park, Angel Island or the bay?
     The City of Santa Barbara is special for the integration of its Spanish heritage into a unique town character. That is something for which we all can be grateful. For those who came before us, it took significant resources and incredible doses of visionary thinking to bring Santa Barbara such character. It also took an earthquake, which leveled much of the town in 1925.
     Our county is also special. An incredible array of natural assets makes the entire county extraordinary, from the brilliant orange bloom of California poppies on Figueroa Mountain and Hurricane Deck to the remotest grove of ancient, twisted oaks crouched against the wind on the far side of Santa Cruz Island.
     As the South Coast landscape changes to meet new population and economic pressures, we must work harder to preserve those special places that give us natural sustenance, enhance our quality of life and define our local character. What would our urban South Coast be like without East Beach, Hammonds Meadow, the Douglas Family Preserve or the Carpinteria Bluffs?
     When you walk out upon the Carpinteria Bluffs and stop to gaze from the ocean to the mountains, it is possible to take in a rare sweeping view of California landscape virtually unchanged for thousands of years. You stand amidst a city, and yet, you discover the city magically has dropped from sight behind a grassland knoll to leave you alone with nature. It is both humbling and breathtaking. Everytime.
     What an opportunity we have to hold on to such a special place as the Carpinteria Bluffs. What if, thirty years from now, our children could return with their children to the very spot where we once stood to be in awe once more of these natural coastal wonders and to be so humbled? That is the legacy we should strive to pass on to our children.

By ANTONIO A. PRADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER 

     Euphoria and angst alternate in the minds of volunteers trying to raise a total of nearly $4 million to buy the Carpinteria Bluffs for an open-space preserve. They're approaching the 30-day mark before their fund-raising deadline. 
       Euphoria, because they are riding a wave of public support that has reached unprecedented levels. Angst, because they have $1.85 million more to raise by New Year's Eve. 
     When the clock strikes midnight, they hope the New Year marks Carpinteria's newest, and perhaps most popular, acquisition of public land. 
     As the Dec. 31 deadline looms, individual donations keep coming, businesses are holding fund-raising promotions, and a door-to-door campaign gets ready to ask Carpinteria residents for more contributions to preserve one of the last remaining coastal open spaces between Goleta and Rincon Point. 
     "We're real pumped up about everything that's going on," said Ted Rhodes, president of Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs, a group formed two years ago to spearhead a drive to buy 52 acres of coastal cliff land off Bailard and Carpinteria avenues for open-space preservation. 
     "But on the other side of that coin is that we have a lot of work to do." 
     Rhodes' group is counting on last-minute individual contributions, and is still seeking the support of a major donor to take the fund-raising effort over the top. 
     The county Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a $350,000 grant from the Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund, money that comes from by payments by oil companies as a requirement for their coastal oil and gas production facility permits. 
     County administrators have recommended that the board approve the grant Tuesday. 
     Last year the citizen-led bluffs purchase effort got $100,000 from that fund. 
     The citizens' group also expects to receive seven private foundation grants, totaling $450,000. 
     If those expectations come through, Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs could get by with just raising $850,000 by month's end. That would involve invoking a $1 million "bridge loan" approved by the California State Coastal Conservancy board. 
     Rhodes doesn't want to count on getting that loan because he is concerned that it might slow down the momentum of public support. 
     "If we use that, it'll be difficult to raise the money later, because people will sit back and say "you've already got the property,'" Rhodes said. 
     That loan, approved Oct. 22 alongside a $500,000 grant from the state conservation agency, must be paid back in two installments over two years. 
     Christie Boyd, Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs vice president and head of its grassroots fund-raising campaign, hopes Thanksgiving prayers start coming through during a two-week, door-to-door drive set to begin this weekend. 
     "People should be ready to expect a knock on their door," Boyd said. 
     Carpinteria residents visited by bluffs campaign volunteers will be asked to contribute $174 to "adopt" 100 square feet of the oceanfront property, she said. 
     Donors who buy into the "adoption" plan will receive colorful honorary deeds depicting watercolor paintings of the picturesque bluffs, Boyd said. 
     They also hope potential donors will attend an afternoon open house scheduled for Dec. 12 at the Benton Oil building located nearby on a different stretch of bluffs along Carpinteria Avenue. 
     "We're hoping people will come out there and tour the bluffs, and see how much we have to save them," Boyd said. 
     Rhodes said he's continuing talks with potential major benefactors in hopes that one will step forward with a large donation. 
     With that in mind, in September the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs announced that the first $1 million donor will get to name the open-space preserve, provided the moniker contains the word "bluffs." 
     Other lower-cost opportunities include naming the bluffs' long-term maintenance endowment for $500,000, the eucalyptus grove for $304,000, and for smaller but substantial amounts, naming meadows, recreation areas, overlooks and trails. 
     The naming challenge inspired Robert Needham, a Carpinteria resident and member of the city's Planning Commission, to start the "Bob's Bluffs" campaign. 
     His idea is for people nicknamed "Bob" around the world to contribute $10 each. If 100,000 men who share the popular nickname do that, they'll raise $1 million Ñ enough to name the parcel in honor of Bobs everywhere. 
     "I was just trying to get some individual donations," said Needham, whose friends call him Bob, of his ambitious call. 
     "It was just kind of a notion, actually. Maybe we'll get enough to get a trail named after us." 
     Needham said his challenge was also designed to draw attention to what some consider a rare opportunity to buy a huge chunk of oceanfront cliffs for a bargain price. 
     He said that people who want to see the bluffs stay open space should pitch in and not depend on a big last-minute donation. 
     "I was afraid that people were waiting for someone to come down from the hills in Montecito," Needham said. 
     Results of his challenge haven't yet been tallied, but Boyd said checks from Bobs near and far have come in. 
     The $3.95 million purchase price offered to the citizen effort was reached after talks last spring between Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, and landowner Shea/Vickers Development, LLC. 
     That price is far below the undisclosed market value determined by an independent appraiser, according to David H. Anderson, a past Land Trust president and negotiator in the deal. 
     Terms of a land-purchase option secured in August, with the Land Trust's help, call for a Dec. 31 fund-raising deadline. 
     The option could be extended, but that could add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the purchase price, according to Michael Feeney, the Land Trust's executive director. 
     If the effort succeeds, Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs plans to turn over ownership of the bluffs to the city. 
     If the purchase drive fails, Orange County-based Shea/Vickers plans to move forward with plans for a business park on the property Ñ a proposal that runs contrary to the resort and homes called for in municipal zoning and faces opposition by city officials. 
     Located just off Highway 101 in eastern Carpinteria, the bluffs property is one of the few large plots of undeveloped coastal lands remaining in southern Santa Barbara County. 
     As such, the bluffs have long been a political battleground in Carpinteria, with their fate tied to the political fortunes of the city's public officials. 
     City councils have been elected, re-elected and tossed out over positions they've taken on that land, and the question of what development, if any, should be allowed there has been debated publicly for decades. 
     Volunteer leaders of the open-space acquisition effort hope the wave of public support for their effort keeps growing, and that it crests the $3.95 million mark soon. 
     "I feel we have this mandate to make this happen," Boyd said. 
     "We need to really make this happen." 
     To help: call Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs at 684-3712, write P.O. Box 700, Carpinteria 93014 or visit http://www.earthisland.com/bluffs on the Web. 

     That defining-the-community concept also works in connection with the Carpinteria bluffs, a strip of coastal land on the Ventura side of Carpinteria that has been the subject of debate and controversy for many years. A partial resolution now seems possible. 
     Officials of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County have negotiated a deal with owners of 52 acres of the bluffs that gives the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs until the end of this year to raise $4 million to buy the land. The group has just more than $1 million in hand. 
     Still, collecting $3 million in private and public contributions in less than four months will be a challenge -- not unlike the whirlwind fund-raising campaign a couple of years ago in which private citizens, with some public help, purchased the Wilcox property on the Santa Barbara bluffs. That effort was nudged over the top by actor Michael Douglas, who kicked in the final $600,000 to make the deal work. Thus, the property's new name -- the Douglas Family Preserve. 
     Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs has been together for about two years, with the sole purpose of moving the bluffs from private to public ownership. The Land Trust's negotiations were important, because the $4 million price is significantly below the appraised value of the land, although no one is saying exactly how much below; a private appraisal several years ago put the value of the entire 82 acre bluffs property at more than $20 million. 
     The bluffs property is similar to the Douglas Family Preserve in another respect--- it is one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels between the Ventura County line and the upper reaches of Goleta. 
     If you want to be an angel, send a check to Citizens for Carpinteria Bluffs P.O. Box 700, Carpinteria 93014. Big and little angels' contributions will be equally appreciated. And your contribution also could help bring to a conclusion one of the longest running controversies' in Carpinteria history. 

      The Coastal Conservancy unanimously approved granting $500,000 to the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs in their effort to acquire the 52 acre site in the eastern end of the city of Carpinteria. At the same time thefunding agency allocated a reimbursable grant for another $1,000,000 which must be re-paid in two years. 
      In a glowing atmosphere following the vote the only discouraging word came from a board member concerned with the Citizens' ability to re-pay the loan over such a short period. Conservancy Chairman Robert Kirkwood jokingly replied, "We've found it is easier to extend a grant pay-back period than it is to shorten one." And added, experience has shown that putting a short time-frame on these reimbursable grants seems to help to get them paid off. 
      In support of the aggressive nature of the community in this fund-raising effort, 

Local Dignitaries meet on the Bluffs.

board member Gary Hernandez said, "I feel you people will raise the necessary funds because I was personally solicited for support." 
      Janet Diehl, the project manager of the bluffs for the Coastal Conservancy, said, "No community I know has taken on this kind of commitment especially when so much of it comes from the private sector." 
      Senator Jack O'Connell briefly addressed the board saying, "I've learned on the Senate floor, when things are going well it's best to clam up." He enthusiastically supported the project calling it "the gateway to Santa Barbara county." "This community has a history of reaching ambitious goals," he said. 
      Regarding other actions the Coastal Conservancy have talked with in Carpinteria, Mayor Donna Jordan pointed to the new wetlands park and improvements to the downtown. "Your board has had so much positive effect on the quality of life of this town," she said. 
      First District Supervisor Naomi Schwartz reiterated her support for the purchase of the bluffs, saying the next funding period for the Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund (CREF) is coming up for allocation before the Board of Supervisors. She said she would be a strong voice for funding the bluffs purchase. 
      The Citizens for the Bluffs are hoping for $350,000 from CREF '98-'99. Last year it received $100,000. 
      The Coastal Conservancy was presented with a summary of estimated costs which included both CREF figures as well as both Coastal Conservancy Grants. It also gave a firm figure of $705,954 collected from private donations as of October 5. The total of funds collected or promised is $2,305,945. This leaves $1,644,046 still to be found, according to Conservancy figures 
      Of this figure the Citizens have several private foundation grants pending totaling over half million dollars. In addition the CREF grant for $350,000 would help considerably, but Ted Rhodes, president of the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs, says he would be surprised if the Bluffs acquisition effort received all $350,000. "That's just about all the money they have to allocate for this period," Rhodes said. 
      Rhodes is not happy with the Coastal Conservancy mathematics. "We still need to raise $2.6 million between now and December 31," He said, "I maintain our fundraising strategy is still to raise between $2 and $2.5 million from major donors and between $500,000 and $700,000 from community donations and fundraising events." 
      The Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs have until the end of the year to raise the additional money to complete the purchase agreement with the property owner Shea/Vickers. 

      The Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs had a good idea. They decided to treat the board members of the Coastal Conservancy with a boat ride along the Carpinteria shoreline. They received quick support from Chevron Oil who allowed them to use their pier and provided a boat, but incidental costs were estimated at $350, and with less than 18 hours to go no one had come forward with the money. 
      Consequently, Stu Shulman of the Citizens Public Relations Committee took it upon himself to walk across the street from the Citizens office in the public library's new annex and ask the people at Jack's Bagels for the $350. 
      Shulman said, "As soon as I explained it to (co-owner) Doralee (Jacobson) she wrote a check for $350 on the spot." 
      Ms Jacobson also took the boat ride with the Coastal Conservancy board members next morning, and along with the other boat people heard David Griggs of the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History give a historical report of the bluffs area. Griggs explained the history of the various oil and asphalt industries in the earlier part of this Century. 
      Leaving the boat the group walked back to the bluffs and saw various groups of artists at work. The artists come to the bluffs regularly for inspiration and artistic solace. 

Signs of Support 
To show widespread support for the Bluffs purchase, we're looking for people to volunteer at least a small part of their lawn to host a sign of support. The idea is we are going to recycle election signs by turning them over and silk screening the back with a message of support for the purchase of the Bluffs. Starting next Monday you can pick them up at our office or call us and we'll come out and put one up for you. Cate School students will help with both the silk screening and putting up the signs. The good Graffs at Paper Star in Carpinteria are volunteering their silk screening shop to make the signs. Other volunteers are needed to put up the signs as well. Help us spread the word. Will you let us put a Bluffs yard sign in your front yard? Give us a call at 684-3712. 

Bluffs Unplugged 
Mike Lazaro of World's Safest Productions is heading up the' first ever Bluffs Unplugged concert which will be at the Plaza Theatre on Carpinteria Avenue. Featured performers will be Anastasia and John, Jennifer Terran and the Bluffs Blues Band. There are only 260 seats in the Plaza so tickets will go fast. Consider yourself forewarned. All proceeds beyond the cost will go towards the purchase of the Bluffs. 

Fundraising Ideas Needed 
Our goal is to raise $35,000 per day between now and December 31.We like to think we've thought of everything but we continually learn we haven't. So volunteer that idea you've been nurturing. One caveat though, once you volunteer it, you may be moved to see it through. 

Support the businesses supporting us!!! 
Monday is Bluffs Day at the Coffee Grinder. Eye of the Day donates 10% of your purchase towards our effort to buy the Bluffs. 

By Gary A. Schlueber 
     The huge chunk of Carpinteria Bluffs land presently owned by Shea/Vickers could soon come under a conservation easement in perpetuity and thus fulfill a decades long dream for many dedicated local residents. "This is truly the reflection of the will of the community," said Christie Boyd, vice-president of the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs. 
     The Santa Barbara Land Trust working in conjunction with the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs announced Monday in an exclusive interview with Coastal View, they are entering into a purchase agreement with Shea/Vickers who decided to sell the 52 acre undeveloped parcel for $3.9 million if the prospective buyer can close escrow by December 31. 
     The land is partially bisected by Ballard Road and bordered by the railroad tracks on the south, Turbodyne on the east, Carpinteria Avenue on the north and the Serena-Brown property on the west. 
     According to Vera Bensen, a spokesperson for the buyers, earnest negotiations with Shea/Vickers began in May when in answer to the land owners plea of 'show me the money,' the Citizens came up with $450,000. 
     Ron Metzler of Shea/Vickers said until David Anderson (of the Land Trust) came to them with this deal they never received what he considered a serious offer. Shea/Vickers has owned the land for two years, he said. 
     Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs, a volunteer non-profit group, has raised $50,000 in approximately two-years of concerted efforts at various fund raisers. This money will be put down as a nonrefundable deposit when escrow is opened shortly. The other monies to make up that $450,000 came from Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund ($100,000), and the Wallis Foundation ($300,000). 
     According to a joint release by the Land Trust and Bluffs people they have funding commitments to date of $1,085,000. Besides those mentioned above, $35,000 had been pledged by the Turpin Family Foundation on August 17 and $500,000 has been recommended by the staff of the California Coastal Conservancy and awaits board approval. 
     "We are fortunate to have helping us in our efforts the resources of Land Trust of Santa Barbara County which has a long track record of success including the recent acquisition of the Sedgwick Ranch and many years of work to save and restore the Carpinteria Marsh," said Ted Rhodes, president of the Citizens for the Carpinteria Bluffs. 

Making Tuesday 's announcement on the Bluffs (l-r) City of Carpinteria Mayor Donna Jordan, Ron Metzler of Shea-Vickers, David Anderson of Santa Barbara Land Trust, and Ted Rhodes of Citizens for Carpinreria  Bluffs.

     Rhodes also thanked the owner of the land. "We are also most grateful to Ron Metzler and others at Shea/Vickers for their support of our fundraising efforts and for the opportunity provided for the public acquisition of their bluffs property," he said. 
     The Land Trust has until September 30 to perform due diligence, in other words, to do a title search making sure it is clear of encumbrances. At the same time the Citizens will we this time to get on the fast track with fund raising. "Within the next few weeks, we hope to announce to the community our plans for a major capital campaign," Rhodes said. 
     At the press conference to announce the deal held at the bluffs on Tuesday, the select crowd of board members and other stakeholders who have worked for two years to Purchase this land seemed undaunted by the prospect of raising over two million dollars in around 105 days. David Anderson estimated it at about $30,000 per day. 
     While funding from the Federal government seems nil, there are various state agencies and charitable trusts which can now be tapped. This is because a purchase agreement has been made. According to the Land Trust's Michael Feeney, one of the best ways to meet this tight deadline is to get a bridge loan or loans from members of the community who have the wherewithal to joan at low or no interest. This will allow time to apply to those sources which take annual applications. 
     If the December 31 deadline is not met, the deal is still alive in potential but the price of the land will rise. The first increment is for a ninety day period, then a second incremental jump will take effect for another ninety day period. Feeney was reluctant to divulge the additional amounts of those increments. 
     Carpinteria Mayor Donna Jordan called the announcement on the bluffs "an historic meeting." she said the city "will be as cooperative as possible'' to make this purchase a reality. To that end, on Friday the City Council met in a closed session and, according to Jordan, "agreed to a six month recess" on any actions related to the law suit between Shea/Vickers and the City of Carpinteria.