Where Did The Name "Mission County" Come From?

(Note: this is part one of a two part contribution from Santa Maria blogger "Reenee" in an occasional series of items from North Santa Barbara County residents.)

by Reenee,
from Santa Maria, who holds forth on her blog: hastalosgatosquierenzapatos

Because I get so very cranky about things that I see happening in this town, I decided to share on this blog. I have been described by some family and friends as a very liberal conservative. Others simply call me a wacko and dismiss my rants as they walk away from me with their hair standing on end.

My response to these accusations and compliments is a hearty thank you! You noticed! As my mother once told me, "If they are talking about you, you're important to them."

Now I’d like to opine on a couple of subjects. First, I want to expound on the county split.

The County Split: Who Benefits?

No, let me back up a bit further. Whose idea was it to come up with the name "Mission County?" Was there a vote? When? Where? Did I not get the memo? The name of the proposed new county is almost as dumb as the idea. Whose brain-child was this?

I seem to remember some grumblings over the county supervisors a while back, but is that still a valid complaint? After all, there are new faces on the board. Are "we" still not represented fairly in the north part of the county? Does it mean that "we" are still not getting our way?

I think that I'd probably be all for the split if I was one of those developers or construction companies who will make out like fat rats at the landfill when the need for new county buildings arise. However, being a lowly taxpayer, I'm simply not looking forward to more taxes to make up for the astronomical debt we'd start out with.

Are the county split proponents aware of who is using most of the county services that are paid with funds that are generated chiefly by the south county? I’ll tell them. Santa Maria is!

Santa Maria Home Sales Booming

Are they paying attention to who is buying all the houses around here? A news story in the Santa Barbara News Press in June of 2004 told us that "nearly 1,000 homes had been built in the past year in Santa Maria, and another 2,400 are under review--more new housing than anywhere else in the county."

The article continues, "but they are primarily market-rate homes selling for at least $400,000; and middle-class couples of all ethnicities who work in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo are snapping them up." And, "according to the city, fully two-thirds of the local work force earns less than $18,000 per year."

Let's look at the industries in this valley. The major employers in the Santa Maria area include agriculture and Vandenberg Air Force Base. Given this data, I doubt that the two-thirds mentioned above are buying any of those houses. There was a story not too long ago about the high number of people that live here and work in the Santa Barbara area, I cannot remember the exact percentage, but it was ugly.

The Future of Santa Maria

This all reminds me of what one of our appointed city council members said, "We don't want Santa Maria to become a bedroom community." OK, let me get my "Duh" stick. Hello! This had been happening for years before this profound statement and is obviously still happening. I'm not sure acute awareness is a prerequisite to be elected to the city council.

Oh wait! This council member was appointed!

(part two from Renee appears here on Sunday.)