Santa Barbara Agriculture and Farm Education Foundation

The Sweet Wheel Summerland Farm, needs help to pay a large Santa Barbara County fine for an obsure county ordinance of having one car parked on the farm overnight that was helping the farm with deer problems. The chemical-free 7-acre urban farm and local nonprofit that helps feed citizens that are food insecure, has launched a GoFundMe campaign for funds needed to repay Santa Barbara County’s fine. Attorney fees and permit staff fees to fight the fine incurred by the non profit are separate and large. The non profit estimates those fees as over $4000.00.

The nonprofit was charged with an obscure ordinance violation for parking a car overnight on private land. The vehicle, equipped with a deer cam, was used to monitor and protect crops from overnight wildlife intrusion. When the violation was brought to the attention of the nonprofit, the vehicle was immediately removed. The county originally issued a fine of over $2000. 00 that included previous inspections for multiple non-violations. Those inspections were deemed non violations that included inspections for a restroom for the farm, a tool shed on the farm, a water bin for the farm, a check on whether the farm had a rooster and a farm trailer for a combine. Also the county inspected that the farm was not "operating an illegal recyling center." That specific inspection was county was concerned tthat the farm was giving local citizens free composting in the form of an enclosed yellow compost bin from Marborg that was picked up weekly as an opportunity to keep food waste out of land fill. The county continued to keep this case open for months to investigate.

Despite multiple attempts for months to address the issue with the Das Williams, Sweet Wheel Farms received no assistance. from the first district. Other district supervisors believed that our civil rights were being taken away. The only response was from William’s Chief of Staff Darcel Elliott “Just because you are doing good things for people doesn’t mean you are above the law”.

The land was leased and farmed by Sweet Wheel prior to the nonprofit leading a community campaign against the county that wanted to try to develop the land. The non profit eventually bought the 7 acre farm land saving it from development. At the time, county supervisor Das Williams was an advocate for turning the farm into public housing. Since then, the county has performed several inspections including inspecting chicken coop for roosters, a water tank, a porta-potty to give farm worker relief, and a farm tool shed. The County has threatened to withhold permits and licenses for the nonprofit until the large fine was paid.

The farm has received several awards in the past few years. The Eco Food Hero award and the Visiting Nurses Association gave the CEO special recognition this year. The farm was recently recognized for its forward thinking food delivery services.

CEO Leslie Person Ryan pointed out the waste of non profit resources on fines like these: “Unfortunately, every dollar that we pay for bogus fines like these, makes food insecurity more prominent in Santa Barbara.”

Contributions of any size to the Go Fund Me will directly support its efforts to resolve the fine and focus on its core mission. The farm donates food to 200 medical patients and financially fragile food recipients weekly, from Carpinteria to Goleta, including cancer patients, disabled individuals, veterans, and single-parent and no-parent households.