Santa Barbara 1st District Supe Candidates Discuss Vison for Black Community

In the middle of Black History Month — with 16 days left in the campaign for Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor, Saturday, incumbent Das Williams and challenger Laura Capps sat down to have a very specific conversation about their vision for the Black/African-American community. A dialogue that was the first of its kind in the region was held in the Black History Month Culture House, presented by the Black Rock Coalition, which is nestled in the State Street location of Youth Interactive, a space that would otherwise sit unused. And instead of trading barbs, which has become more common in the closing weeks of the million-dollar race, each candidate sat down with Santa Barbara resident Warren Ritter who plucked from prepared questions on a variety of topics ranging from housing, child care, the economy and of course, cannabis. 

“I came because of the specific topic and perspective,” said Charlotte Gullap-Moore, a 9-year resident of Montecito. “I want to vote for people who are aware of my issues. How are you going to know about it if you are not around us?” she added as she pointed out the absence of other elected officials or candidates for other offices.

According to US Census data from 2010, Santa Barbara County is made up of 446,000 residents of which 2.4 percent are African American or Black. This number has declined over the decades. Local estimates indicate that it takes just over 9,000 votes to win the first Supervisorial District seat. If the district evenly reflects the demographics of the county, the first district has about 2,140 Black residents (just over 10,700 countywide). Given this numerical breakdown, the Black vote could easily be a deciding voting block in this election.

During Capps’ introduction at the discussion, she touted her local rearing in Santa Barbara’s upper east side and leaned on the perspective she would bring to the County’s governing body based on her broad experience in public service outside of the area, as well as locally. That includes stints working in the Clinton White House and in the U.S. Senate as Communications Director for Sen. Ted Kennedy, as well as being raised in a politically active home, the daughter of Lois and the late Walter Capps, who both served in Congress. The younger Capps highlighted that she has been an ardent supporter of advancing implicit bias training as a member and current President of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Directors, a move that is being challenged in court by a local community group as being discriminatory against white, Christian and conservative students. 

“In fact, I led the renewal of that contract,” Capps boasted.  

In the opening of his portion of the discussion, Williams also pointed to his local ties, but with a much more diverse experience admitting that as a child being raised by a single mother he attended 8 different elementary schools. His plunge into public service, he says, is driven by a burning need to help make the world look more like it ought to be. Idealistically, for Williams that means more housing production to increase available housing stock, which in turn would help more people afford to live locally as opposed to living in neighboring counties and commuting into the Santa Barbara area, which he said nearly 35,000 people do daily. 

For new Santa Barbara resident, Maynard Jackson III, the conversation with the candidates about issues specific to the black community was a helpful and welcome opportunity. Jackson, the only son to Atlanta’s first African-American Mayor, moved to the Santa Barbara area from the major southern city with his wife, Wendy, in September. The couple had also attended the debate hosted by the Montecito Journal on Jan. 27th, which was the first of more than about a half dozen times the candidates pitted against one another on public display. 

Williams frequently referenced his experience serving in the State Assembly prior to being elected to the county board of supervisors as an asset for his representation of votes. He specifically pointed to his support of the Local Control Funding Formula, while in the assembly, as a way to make the funding formula for schools more equitable and in fact double the per pupil spending for the previously lowest funded schools. 

“What’s at stake is income inequality,” Williams said. “Education is the key to wealth equity.” 

Despite the fact that the Santa Barbara area is ranked among the wealthiest communities in the country, the county has the second highest poverty rate in the state, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. 

Capps explained her understanding of what that means by pointing out the crippling impact of a $400 expense on a struggling family. That is why she says it’s important as a public servant to help bridge the information gap on programs that would most benefit our community’s impoverished residents, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“Our housing and homelessness issue is a dignity issue,” Capps said to the intimate crowd of community members.

Cannabis, however, has emerged as the hot button issue of the campaign, with Capps disciplined on the claim that Williams’ acceptance of $62,000 in campaign donations from individuals connected with the industry is unethical. But for this conversation the topic veered into the idea of social equity programs similar to those implemented in cities like Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago where licensing entities offer priority applications and support to individuals who have been disproportionately impacted by previous criminal cannabis activity. 

Capps said that it is worth exploring such programs and that disparities in enforcement and sentencing of black and brown communities was among the top reasons why she supported Proposition 64 that have been implemented in Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago. She said it was the disparity in cannabis sentencing as the reason why she supported Prop. 64 of 2016, which legalized and regulate recreational cannabis.

Williams on the other hand said that by prioritizing such criteria during the “community benefit” public portion of the permitting process, communities of color could have more say over inclusion and equity issues. He also boasted about the number of good paying jobs, that start at a $15 minimum wage with benefits, provided by the cannabis industry and pointed to the positive impact the regulated industry is having on decreasing the structural budget deficit of Carpinteria Unified Schools. 

Both candidates had their own unique approach to answering a question about privilege and their understanding of racial difference and indifference. Reluctantly, Capps a mother of a third-grader at Roosevelt Elementary, noted that her son has biracial heritage. His father, Capps’ ex-husband Bill Burton, is part African-American and served as Deputy White House Press Secretary for President Barack Obama. 

Williams, who is of Dutch-Indonesian background, pointed out that he is among the several local elected officials of color that have been elected by a majority white electorate. He adds that the significance of that is not lost on him, but it is not worth much celebration, because more can be done. 

“Black history here is powerful and something that is not just legacy, but one that is part of the future,” Williams said in closing. “We need to maintain a vibrant African American community in Santa Barbara in a way that is beyond symbolic, but in economics as well.”

An odds maker's view — Santa Barbara Mayoral race

If you know anything about me you know I love a good horse race. And with 5 candidates in the Santa Barbara Mayoral race, it is turning into a display equitable to the edginess of the equine racing. So here’s my lay of the odds in the Santa Barbara Mayoral graded Stakes — calling it how I see it. 

— Cathy Murillo: 5/1 (Campaign manager/trainer— Mollie Culver)

— Frank Hotchkiss:  3/1 (Campaign manager/trainer— Cory Bantilan)

— Angel Martinez: 7/1 (Campaign manager/trainer— Brian Robinson)

— Hal Conklin: 2/1 (Campaign manager/trainer— Stephanie Langsdorf)

— Bendy White: 12/1 (Campaign manager/trainer— Jeremy Lindaman)

My odds making explained: 

The 5/1 odds on Murillo come in light of her dominant presence in certain parts of the city, particularly two of the six districts, the eastside and her home west side, both known for their culturally rich blue collar atmosphere. Couple that with the fact that the trainer/campaign manager, Mollie Culver, is like the local Bob Baffert of political races, being a part of the machine has it’s benefits — access to the machines top engineers and operatives. That could pay huge dividends come race day, especially in this marquee matchup. It’s unclear the impact of what is a clearly contorted attack ad that dropped as a commercial during game 6 of the World Series featuring the local favorite LA Dodgers; but one thing is clear, you don’t spend money on an attack ad like that unless polling indicates the candidate needs to be attacked.  

Odds for Hotchkiss lay in at 3/1 because he was the candidate with an early clear path to victory. Lining up on the political spectrum he is clearly the far right outlier, given the cluster of candidates with Democratic ideals in the race, being the outlier could prove numerically beneficial, but that will largely depend on overall turnout. Despite having about the most well connected of a Republican campaign manager locally in Cory Bantilan, without the GOP prop engine mounting an enthusiastic GOTV effort to pull votes from Martinez, I’m not convinced that they have enough numbers locally to pull this one off with so many other candidates on the other side drumming up support. 

Martinez, being the lone candidate in this race whose name has been on a local ballot before comes in with 7/1 odds. A moderate longshot (see what I did there), he gets a bit more of an edge than the normal candidate for being the first time on the ballot given the star appeal that comes with being the CEO of a local company that trades on Wall Street. He seems to have invested heavily in gaining name identification among the 20 through 40-something crowds and in the first election post Trump, we can’t be quite as predictive of the actions of the electorate. Couple that with his hispanic surname among misogynistic Latino voters who won’t vote for a woman — Latina or not — and the fact that he is working with veteran trainer/campaign manager Brian Robinson, formerly of Gregg Hart and Measure A victories, Martinez is the scrappy wild card in this race who has eaten into the base of his opponent to the right. 

Conklin, being the only candidate that’s been there before gets the 2/1 odds. Although it’s been quite some time and generations of local voters removed, something is to be said for having been to the mountain top and still gathering worthy and relevant endorsements along the way, sans the local party, but let’s be real, he’s way more of a moderate than a Dem anyway. While a Conklin win may seem unlikely to the casual observer given his relatively low campaign profile, he has worked the back room for years and forged relationships that he is surely cashing in on for this run. Working with a stealthy trainer/campaign manager, Stephanie Langsdorf is thus far proving fruitful with an optimally-timed and themed mail piece that arrived in many mailboxes the same time as ballots. Never underestimate the power of subtle campaign suggestions. 

Bendy, being the last contestant out of the gate gets the 12/1 longshot odds. He is working with an embattled trainer/campaign manager Jeremy Lindaman, which make his late entry and lackluster campaign presence understandable. While his is clearly the most solid on things of the wonkish policy genre, the role of mayor is less policy wonk and more captain of the cheerleader squad.  

All that being said, ultimately I cast my vote a few weeks ago when ballots first came out, so my skin is in the game and the race is on.

If we were at the track I’d wager a $5 Trifecta on Murillo, Hotchkiss, Martinez, box it. $5 on Conklin WPS and $10 on Murillo for the win. But that’s just me, maybe it’s just my annual 6-month withdraws from the Kentucky Derby. 

— James Joyce III is a recovering journalist living in Santa Barbara, CA.

Devin the Dude Rocks The Roxy — Bridging H-Town and LA

For the past several years, on the eve of the Kentucky Derby I am usually in comfort with my old Kentucky home.

This year, however, on the day where Star Wars fans get a kick out of saying, “May the Forth be with you” — that of May 4 — I worked all day as usual and put a treat at the end as a consolation prize. 

I got to start my day speaking with at-risk youth during the Youth Empowerment Summit sponsored by Young Leaders Society of Ventura County. Continuing with my work of the day through the afternoon; once complete I packed up with my Roll Dogs to make the quick trip to LA to see Houston hip hop artist, Devin the Dude perform at the historic Roxy Theater. For those of you who don’t know much about Devin the Dude, when you look into his glazed over eyes, you see a man who understands his niche.

Acclaimed as mostly an underground success in Houston, his brilliant flows tell stories relatable to every-man and his struggles. He has fun while doing it, which seems few and far between these days in the hip hop industry. That softened do-as-I-do bravado of his public persona seems raw and authentic backstage as well. Most of Devin the Dude’s dedicated fan base attending a show situated more than 1,500 miles from his Houston home, mouthed nearly every word to every song along with him. Aside from a new one he dropped, I believe it was called “420 Highway.” Beat was live!

The entertainers glances into the crowd and following smiles of approval — multiple times — was just a hint into the sheer enjoyment of the entertainers on stage, as the crowd equally enjoyed the show. In the house — Coughee Crothaz, Spice 1, Jugg Mugg and a host of other artists representing H-Town and the West Coast. Quality entertainment for the sake of being entertained.

Then as the show neared it’s end, amongst the haze of Cali’s fruits that now filled The Roxy the connection between entertainers and crowd rounded second base. Increasingly with the exchange of dap from the stage we all became part of the family. The Roxy became the impromptu host of Devin the Dude’s family reunion. Part of that may have been that one of my Roll Dogs, T, is from Houston. And evidently, if you’re from H-Town and you’re not in the city, you’re “kin folk.” (With a set of secret handshakes to check authenticity).



Switching from concert to experience..., enjoy a few photos: 

 A Devin the Dude classic:

Not Everyone Can Be a Smooth Operating Ninja

That’s what I was back in middle school. Taller than most. Darker and quicker too. 

A few memories from those days revolve around shop class, but one in particular comes to mind from inside Mr. Horgas’ domain. If I recall, we were working on custom projects — from blueprint to final stain, and mine ended up being a CD rack. Side note: At one point I pulled the ultimate loving son move and designed a parrot shaped clock for my mom; cut that one with the jigsaw. (No she is not a Buffett fan, she actually raised and bred parrots during my childhood).

But for this particular project I ended up using the “band saw.” Similar to a table saw in its function, the band saw gets its name because its blade runs like a belt on your car motor. Being a bit advanced on my project, I took the time to assist the ladies in class with their cuts, but only if they needed it — few resisted my assistance.

Well that, in part is what got me in trouble.

While assisting nameless young lady, I must have been distracted for a second while making a cut, because damned if that band saw didn’t cut into my right index finger. You know the one that rests on the “j” key and is also used to hit the “y” and “n.” Chewing through the tip of my finger — nail and all — this damn blade didn’t know it was working with a smooth operating ninja. It ate about a half an inch in and I pulled back. Now the tip of my finger looked like a snake’s tongue. 


That was until the blood started to gush. Saw still running I grabbed my finger with the opposing hand and walked over to Mr. Horgas who had been helping another student. I waited my turn, but then the finger started to throb and I interrupted Mr. Horgas to ask for a Band-Aid, because “I nicked myself on the band saw.”

He looked at my finger, gushing blood and his eyes engaged — “Whoa, time out on the band saw,” he exclaimed with his baritone southern draw. I didn’t laugh then, but the replay in my head is funny every time. Till this day, I can repeat that “time out on the band saw” line to certain people and it elicits immediate laughter.

Despite the medical bill situation, the little mishap ended up not being all that bad. Luckily I was covered by insurance at the time, but that wasn’t always the case. I tend to have a fairly high pain tolerance, so I don’t remember much of that — well, aside from the first few days when I could feel the replay of the sharp blade eating through the center of my finger as if it were nameless young lady’s piece of wood.

Being that it was my index finger on my right finger and that is the hand I use to write, I could choose an “assistant” to help me with my notes in class. Most certainly an attractive and friendly young lady.

These days, with a scar on my finger and healthy respect for power tools, the man I work for — California Assemblymember Das Williams — is authoring a piece of state legislation to help the common man have ninja like results also in the event their flesh comes in contact with the blade of a table saw. Technology exists that can stop the blade of a table saw — applicable to other types of saws as well — quick enough to drastically limit the injury. The proposed law would require that all table saws manufactured for sale in California after 2015 would require ninja reaction technology to detect flesh and stop it in a split second.

Federal stats document more than 67,000 injuries similar or worse than mine a year. That ads up to more than $2.36 billion in medical costs annually; same federal data, not me. It’s that high in part because the average medical cost for the blade contact injuries is about $35,000 a pop. Such available technology may not drop the number of injuries, but it sure makes them less damaging. Get this, the blade stops before it cuts off your digit. If it were you, your finger would be left with just a knick instead of, well, the alternative. 

Imagine that, just like an airbag softens the impact of an auto accident, the ninja reaction saw technology serves a similar function. And one day just as all cars come standard with airbags, so will power saws come with ninja reaction technology. Because after all, not everyone can be a smooth operating ninja.

This scribed in the hope for a lot of hungry blades out there that only get a taste — I salute my finger.

[Check this video about the legislation and technology]  

 

Beats, Rhymes & Life

A reflective review of the movie- Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.

Those three words pretty much sum it up.
The quest for the right beats to unleash meaningful rhymes that both reflect and project life.

Much of my musical taste and outlook on life has been shaped by the musical group A Tribe Called Quest. It's laced in my writing, often referenced in my arguments and is imbued in my swag.

The dichotomy created by the varying elements of this eclectic hip-hop group represent the complexity that comes with knowledge of self. For instance, balancing the duality of being beholden to nurtured Afrocentrism, while the unyielding enlightenment causing acquiescence to mainstream society prevails.

Stepping out on a limb, I'll say this is the only movie I have ever watched where I was literally smiling from ear to ear throughout. Even when I was about to cry. Not because I'm like the crazed fans I recall seeing pour tears at the sight of Michael Jackson, rather because there is something about my connection with the music they make that hits my core.

There was a reason why it never felt right for me to step into the starting blocks of a single high school track meet without first listening to nearly all of the Midnight Marauder TAPE. "Aiyyo swing, swing, swing to chop, chop, chop..." always happened right before the 110s.

There is a reason why I can visualize neighborhoods in New York that I have never visited. Although I don't, I too represent Linden Boulevard.

Having made the cross country trip, solo, by vehicle, at least 5 times in the past decade and having lived in 5 states, mostly as an adult, my life has been an Award Tour. And for that the Tribe has laid much of my life's soundtrack. Much of the rest they have either been influenced by or they have in-turn influenced.

Such is the case for my current local link to the film. Oxnard native Madlib did the score for the movie. Wait a minute, a cat from Oxnard, where I currently live, of all places, was tapped to do the music for what turned out to be more than a documentary about my all-time favorite hip hop group?

During the documentary when the movie's director, Michael Rapaport asks the question of on-again-off-again group member Jarobi White, "What's the hardest thing about being in a group?" His answer - "Constantly considering someone else even before yourself," that, in my view, was one of the most introspective moments of the film. Not only is that a universal theme of generic relationships, it is a struggle that has plagued many before them and likely many to follow.

The Tribe remained relevant through my formative years partly because of their conscious and whimsical wordplay. I would argue that your mind processes differently when listening to music from the Native Tongue era.

In retrospect of their break up and upon witnessing the chemistry that I only got to see on stage first hand once - Rock the Bells 2008 at the Gorge (footage is in the film) - I question, could the Tribe regain relevance in a society inundated with images of sex, drugs and violence? As a culture as a movement, hip hop has evolved, but the guidance of our more wise and conscious elders could remain useful in the game.

Now if they would only listen to their own words,
Phife: You on point Tip
Q-Tip: All the time Phife
Phife: Then play the resurrector and give the dead some life.

James Joyce III is based in Southern California and saw the film during the opening weekend at the sole west coast theater showing the movie at the time.

A Bi-Coastal Reaction - jumpstart the juices

So I finally made it back.
For the first time since moving to California in 2009 under less than desirable circumstances, I found myself back in my native state.
The 410/443.

The last time I had been on this turf it was amidst witnessing one of the most historic events of my lifetime. The initial inauguration of President Barack Obama. A lot has changed since then. No longer merely an observer, but now a participant. The words "Change" and "Hope" have a much heavier connotation. And there is now an ice box where my heart used to be.

Circling back happened at the request of a childhood friend who requested my presence in his wedding. The timing and and the numbers in my bank account aligned and it was my honor to be a part of Joe and Marianne's very special day. Although I do urge them in matrimony to build close ties with other black folks as well; as for all the diversity there was at the wedding - beautifully held in the sculpture garden of the Baltimore Museum of the Arts - I was the lone darkie. (Yes, I am conscious of such things)

Yet that also played in my favor.

The urging to "get to bloggin" again came from a suspected family member. I was approached by a bubbly Korean girl who saw that my last name too was Joyce and wondered if we were related. She married into the name and later turns out we are not related, but when she added me on Facebook the tail end of her message simply reads, "Also, please update your blog. mmkthanks..." Ok, Ok!

Strange thing, I don't know of a single cousin of mine that shares the last name Joyce.

The trip back home — cause for black folk home is always where you were raised — also gave me a chance to catch up with two Maryland staples that I have been greatly missing: Steamed Crabs and Utz salt & vinegar potato chips. Check and Check. There was a few brief moments in the hectic weekend to catch up with a few family members, including a quick stop to visit my mom. Then it was back across the country. Tis a beautiful one we have indeed.

Getting back to west coasting was a transition. The attitudes are vastly different. For example, damn a pedestrian. Crosswalks in Maryland are treated much differently than in Cali.

Soon following this one was my first trip to San Francisco — vastly different indeed.

California Livin'

The morning started with a coffee and a blueberry muffin on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Total bill, $4.20; that’s California living.

Life experiences — mostly career and women — have carried me from my native Marlyand to the great state of Ohio, a drive across the country and brief stop in southern California. A few years in Indiana, several more in Washington state and then back in Ohio for a quarter of a year and then once again I land in SoCal. Through my travels and intimate observations of regional cultures, I conclude; there is nothing quite like California living.

Especially, southern California Living. Cold is redefined. As is fine.

In SoCal, the ability to adapt to the bilingual and bicultural lifestyle is key. Lemon and chili powder or Tap on everything. You make chips/ papitas instead of just snacking on them. Knowing that there is a right side to the tortilla is not essential, but a keen since to the obscure idiosyncrasies of a people can go a long way. (One side of the tortilla has a slightly different texture to better hold the meat, cilantro and onions).

Seemingly, only in California can a mediocre east coast hustle, mixed with an element of midwest swag be part of the formula to thrive in a “down economy.” It’s here that I’ve been able to network my way into a state job as a field representative for a smart, savvy, progressive and cool ass Assemblymember.

California living is about learning to trust the roots of the towering palm trees as they sway in the wind. “Tay ina win.”

This one has been on my mind for a while, but taken me a while to push out. Why you ask … California Living.

— James Joyce III

Two quotes that feel good to me:

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
--Ben Franklin

Experience is an author's most valuable asset; experience is the thing that puts the muscle and the breath and the warm blood into the book he writes.
-Mark Twain