Most of us conduct much of our business in Santa Maria and are already negatively impacted by traffic congestion. Adding 345 Amazon delivery vans and 34 long haulers to that traffic mess is irresponsible and dangerous. An Amazon Distribution Center operating 24/7 is slated to be approved in August by the Santa Maria City Council.  An estimated 600 low paying warehouse jobs are not worth the environmental and traffic impact. Next day delivery isn't worth the price our community will pay for this project on the West end of Stowell.  

           Anyone wanting to appeal this decision need only pay the $14,000 filing fee to the SM Planning Commission along with the reasons why you think this is a bad idea.  That fee is the highest in CA, most appeal fees are $200-1000.   

           Let’s not join the 10,000 Amazon workers who had to strike for better pay, working conditions and benefits.  Let’s provide high quality career-building job opportunities to keep our young workers well-paid and motivated to buy a home and raise their families here. 

Write to the SM City Council and request an Environmental Impact Report before deciding on this project. 

 Donna Pulling

Orcutt resident