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Resident alleges harassment and property damage at Buellton community garden; council hears complaint
Summary
At a Buellton City Council meeting, resident Kevin Little accused the community garden's administration of ousting the elected board chair, dismantling compost infrastructure, confiscating property, and harassing him and his family; he said he filed formal complaints with the sheriff and city and urged council action.
A Buellton resident told the city council he has been the target of prolonged harassment and property destruction by the administration of the local community garden and urged the council to act.
Kevin Little said he helped create and support the community garden and later witnessed what he described as an improper takeover of the garden's board. He accused named garden figures of ousting the elected chair, dismantling compost infrastructure, destroying a youth sunflower planting and strawberry plants, banning him from the garden, and making harassing phone calls and a 911 call that he said endangered his two-year-old son. "Why has this city continued to do nothing and ignore my pleas while this issue continues to fester in our community?" he asked the council.
Little said he reported the incidents to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, informed the city manager, and filed formal complaints with the state and the city. He named Greg Ericson and Dalton Scott as representatives of the garden administration and said a prior chair, Devon DeFazio, had been removed.
Council members acknowledged the complaint but did not take immediate action during the meeting; staff thanked Little for bringing the concerns forward. Later in the meeting, council members asked city staff to work with the community garden and with event organizers on logistics for planned public programs and to determine whether changes to city policies would be required for larger events, but there was no explicit directive documented in the meeting record to investigate the specific harassment allegations that night.
The council did not announce a timeline for follow-up on Mr. Little's formal complaints. City staff or the sheriff's office would be the appropriate parties to update the complainant on any investigative steps.
