Santa Maria nixes "hands-off" water policy
Santa Maria measure W2004 passed by a narrow margin, meaning
that the city council has won the privilege of poisoning the water with
whatever they please. B.J. thinks there's a good possibility that the
reverse sense of the measure (vote YES to prevent fluoridation) may
well have confused enough voters to change the result.
Bakhaus lauds tactical discovery
Robert Bakhaus hailed the discovery by William Wagener, Gail Lightfoot
and others of the overpowering efficiency of polling place petitioning
as a great help in the quest of restoring liberty through the tool of
tax sunset petitions.
IVRPD Brown Act case finally over
The three-year legal action spearheaded by Robert Bakhaus against
the Isla Vista Recreation & Park District finally came to trial
in the week before Christmas. With six separate violations of
the Brown Act (California's open meetings law) alleged, Judge Anderle
found for the plaintiffs (Santa Barbara County Libertarian Party and
Mr. Bakhaus) on two of them.
Insisting they'd done no wrong, the Board of the District chose to
fight the charges for three years, rather than simply settling at
the beginning, along the way spending two to three hundred thousand
dollars of IV tax money. Losing on any of the counts makes them subject
to an assessment for the fees of the plaintiff's lawyer, Mr. William Hansult.
According to Bakhaus, the Board has decided not to appeal.