Greens in Santa Barbara County Unite and Grow

The Green Party of Santa Barbara County reports a spike in activity and hopes being more visible will help grow their numbers. Along with being in the trenches, GPSBCo is creating a long overdue infrastructure — website, e-newsletter, social media, a schedule for regular meetings, and a variety of protocols, to name just a few building blocks.

Santa Barbara County sits in between 110 miles of coastline on the west and the Los Padres National Forest on the east. The population is as diverse as its topography. Agriculture is a key economic force throughout the county, and the Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc and Vandenberg Space Force Base are two of the region’s employers. The University of California Santa Barbara is globally recognized for its excellence in teaching and research. (It’s where California’s next governor, Dr. Butch Ware, teaches!) The City of Santa Barbara is known for its skyrocketing-high real estate and equally astronomical cost of living.

GPSBCo members co-sponsored a booth at the Santa Barbara Earth Day celebration in April. Dr. Ware attended, and the event was declared a success based on the engagement with visitors and other exhibitors. Part of the GPSBCo’s strategy is to form coalitions with other like-minded organizations and give voice to all people, especially those not represented in today’s duopoly.

Photo: Donna Pulling, Dr. Butch Ware and Amy Orozco

According to activist Amy Orozco, other in-the-trenches activities include Tesla protests, showing up for the immigrant community during ICE raids and at local government meetings, letter writing campaigns to the county Board of Supervisors to protest missile launches harming coastal marine life, and beseeching elected representatives to stop funding the genocide in Gaza.

Donna Pulling, who moved to California from Arizona three years ago and serves as an alternate delegate from California to the Green Party US, says, “There's a support system and commitment to the Party here that Arizona lacks. I’ve become more active locally and nationally.”

In her role, Donna follows the National Committee discussion forums to learn how the party works, attends webinars, and meets other Greens across the country. “This has strengthened my belief in the Party and its eventual success. We have an amazing array of young and old, intelligent people in the Green Party US,” she adds.

The next monthly meeting of the Green Party of Santa Barbara is scheduled for August 7. For more information or for a link to the meeting, email gpsbco@gmail.com. Check Facebook too.