Welcome to Santa Barbara’s Blog 3.0… and a special thank you to all of the readers, contributors, and sponsors who have been a part of the Blog, many since 2005. You may notice a few changes:

• A CNN headline news feed, as chosen on the Blog Poll, now resides at the top of the page. This is a perfect chance to set Santa Barbara’s Blog as your homepage (Firefox, Internet Explorer). Keep up on all the national headlines, while still enjoying local news, banter, opinion, and commentary.
• A larger, 3-column site has been customized to reflect today’s browser sizes, and to give more exposure to Blog sponsors. Please support Blog sponsors.
• The new ShareThis feature let’s you instantly access all of your profiles, blogs, friends, and contacts and makes it easy to share Blog articles. You can also create avatars, or picture profiles for the comments section.

Readers can still comment anonymously and a multiplicity of opinions are always welcomed. The Blog Poll remains, so please take a look around and continue to share you voice on the topics that shape Santa Barbara.

One of the most active Blog posts remains… the arrest of a former Santa Barbara High School tennis coach, Peter Jeschke, for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student, among other indiscretions.

The Santa Barbara School Districts’ response was immediate… “allegations of inappropriate behavior by any adult on our campuses must be investigated immediately. Adults are in a position of trust and a violation of that trust cannot be condoned,” said Superintendent J. Brian Sarvis. The coach was released.

This Wednesday, Jeschke, who is represented by local bulldog attorney Allen Bifano, was ordered to stand trial on 19 criminal charges… “It does appear that the charged crimes have been committed and the defendant is guilty,” said Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Harry Loberg. Peter Jeschke is scheduled to be arraigned on May 22nd.

Still looking for that perfect Mother’s Day gift?

The Blog recommends… a subscription to the Santa Barbara News-Press.

The Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County is expressing concern about the long, drawn-out Democratic primary…

“This year’s Presidential primary season has been an exciting opportunity for our great Party. A talented and history-making field of candidates has drawn millions of new voters to primary elections and caucuses across the United States. Increased participation by youth, women, and people of color has infused the race with new energy and excitement. As a party, we know that such excitement is crucial if we are to achieve our goals of putting a Democrat in the White House and reversing years of malign neglect at the hands of the Bush-Cheney Administration. We do not agree with those who have called upon either of the leading candidates to exit the race in the name of unity. Our diversity and debate are assets.”

“However, we are deeply concerned about the tone and timbre of the discussion surrounding the increasingly heated debate over who will lead our Party in November. It is disturbing to hear supporters of either candidate declare that they will walk away from political engagement or, worse, support our opponents should their preferred candidate fail to win the nomination. This sort of talk does nothing to move this country closer to peace, prosperity, sustainability or social justice. As both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama have stated, the differences between them pale in comparison to their stark contrast with John McCain. Our door is open to activists and supporters on both sides of the current contest. We will need everyone to work together if we are to avoid the Democratic habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.”

According to the League of Women Voters, their building height limit initiative, as detailed on the Blog, survives attacks. Here is a portion of the League’s response…

“We are like tall trees in the midst of hurricane. We are being bombarded by talks of compromise agreements, treaties, interim ordinances, and misleading and confusing information and editorials. But pleased be advised, we are continuing to gather signatures on the petition to lower building heights.”

“We would love an interim ordinance that we could live with, but unfortunately the current draft that was circulating was not it. If the right ordinance came along, and if the city put its own measure on the 2009 ballot, and if it was acceptable, we might support it. But that is a whole lot of ‘ifs’, and we believe that we have a duty to those who sign our petition to carry on and get our measure on the ballot.”

According to the Santa Barbara Daily Sound… Josef Fritzl, the worst person on Earth, is from the new European country of Austia.

The dog, cat, and rat… often seen kanoodling together on State Street for tips.

Today, the Santa Barbara City Council will discuss and consider a proposal to demolish the existing two-story 11,900 square foot commercial office building on the corner of Anacapa and Victoria Streets, 101 E. Victoria Street. The building would then be replaced by 17,607 square feet of commercial space comprised of 50 condominium office units on a parcel of approximately 19,725 square feet. Each commercial condominium would be approximately 320 square feet and the proposal calls for 50 parking spaces, 45 of which would be underground.

Outside of one week during Fiesta… how about a moratorium on cascarones?

On the Docket… this week, Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will make final recommendations on an ordinance to transfer development rights (TDR) from Naples on the Gaviota Coast to a more appropriate urban area.

The Environmental Defense Center had this to say about the TDR…

“the Naples site north of Goleta is one of 16 premier biodiversity hotspots in the world. The site hosts agriculture and recreation, and it provides a buffer to urban encroachment up the Gaviota Coast.”

“Now, an Orange County developer would like to create a luxury subdivision of up to 72 mansions and associated second units (144 units, total) in the middle of paradise. Fortunately, our County’s Local Coastal Plan calls for a program of “transferable development rights” (TDR), which would relocate sprawling suburban development to a more appropriate urban area, where agricultural lands and open space are not threatened, and where services and infrastructure exist to accommodate more density.”

“On Wednesday, the Planning Commission will consider the final details of this TDR program – the future of the Gaviota Coast may rest on the moment. Please join EDC, Surfrider and the Naples Coalition in supporting TDR and saying “no” to inappropriate urban sprawl.“