The year 2008 will be remembered for a deadly shooting spree, catastrophic wildfires, dramatic political change and economic upheaval.

But it’s also the year that saw Santa Maria celebrate completion of its new library, and the community spirit remain fierce, with locals responding in force when thieves emptied a trailer containing bicycles belonging to Special Olympians.

Here is a rundown of the major local stories of the year that just ended:

Violence takes its toll

On March 18, in one of the deadliest attacks in Santa Maria history, four people were gunned down at Black Road Auto, a Santa Maria auto salvage yard.

Lee Leeds, the son of victim Robert Leeds, who owned the yard, has been accused of murdering his father along with Golden “Dave” Duboise, Ricardo Leal and Terry Majan in the attack. Criminal proceedings have been put on hold as Leeds has been determined mentally incompetent to stand trial.

In addition to the four killed at Black Road Auto, police said another five people were the victims of homicides this year in the city, including a 9-month-old and a 3-year-old child. Police have said that Santa Maria typically has two to three homicides annually.

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Another death that rocked the community this year came when Laura Cleaves, a longtime investigator with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, was killed in a car crash May 1 on Highway 154 near the intersection with Highway 246. Santa Barbara resident Ashley Johnigan, allegedly drunk when she slammed her Mercedes head-on into Cleaves’ car, will be tried on charges of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Two major wildfires

Flames again took a toll on Central Coast wildland — and entire neighborhoods in Montecito and Santa Barbara.

On July 1, the Gap Fire was sparked in the hills above Goleta, charring 9,443 acres of Santa Barbara County and Los Padres National Forest land before it was contained July 28. Thousands were forced from their homes as flames advanced.

The fire’s aftermath lasted longer, as crews worked furiously into the fall spreading hydromulch to help guard again winter rains washing away denuded hills.

Investigators determined humans caused the fire, but couldn’t pinpoint whether arson or a campfire ignited the blaze, which left six firefighters with minor injuries and destroyed four outbuildings. A juvenile faces undisclosed charges in the case.

In November, sundowner winds quickly whipped flames into a firestorm that raced through hillside Santa Barbara and Montecito neighborhoods, consuming 1,940 acres, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate, destroying 210 homes and damaging nine others. Ten college students are suspected of accidentally starting the blaze.

Firefighting costs were pegged at $5.7 million, but the losses were in the millions. Two people, Lance and Carla Hoffman, remain hospitalized from severe burns they received.

Changing of the guard

The winds of change swept through the Santa Barbara County’s political arena. After Brooks Firestone chose not to seek reelection for the Board of Supervisors 3rd District seat — the panel’s traditional swing vote — a field of five battled for the job in the June 3 primary.

A November runoff between top vote-getters Doreen Farr of Solvang and Steve Pappas, a Los Olivos businessman, ended with Farr, a former county planning commissioner, in the lead.

She begins her new job with swearing in Tuesday to represent the area stretching from Isla Vista and western Goleta through the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos into the Lompoc Valley.

On the Santa Maria City Council, incumbent Leo Trujillo was ousted after police Lt. Mike Cordero was elected. In Lompoc, newcomers Bob Lingl and Cecilia Martner defeated veteran Councilmen DeWayne Holmdahl and Will Schuyler.

Governments feel budget pinch

The newcomers arrive as state and local governments cope with financial troubles. Budget woes were especially felt in education. Local school district collectively cut millions of dollars from their budgets and laid off both temporary and tenured teachers.

County social services took the hardest hits from state budget cuts this year, and the state deficit is expected to swell to $28 billion by 2010 if legislators do not take action soon.

Santa Barbara County saved an estimated $10 million and dozens of jobs when its employees elected to have a non-paid holiday furlough, which began Dec. 22 and ends Monday.

Some challenges in 2008, namely the economic downturn, won’t end with the year. The economy has already claimed multiple local and chain businesses such as Mervyns, Circuit City and Linens-n-Things in Santa Maria, and Big Lots, Mervyns in Lompoc, leaving hundreds of residents unemployed. Baker’s Square restaurants in Santa Maria, Lompoc and Solvang also shut down.

New library debuts

On Aug. 23, with a large crowd on hand, Santa Maria celebrated the opening of a new city library. The $20 million state-of-the-art facility encompasses 60,000 square feet, making it roughly double the size of the old library, and includes a coffee shop.

During a ceremony, Mayor Larry Lavagnino grew emotional when told the area between the library and the two-level parking structure would be called the “Lavagnino Plaza” in honor of his work for the community building.

But the library isn’t the only thing Santa Maria officials hope will revitalize the city.

On Nov. 4, the City Council approved a blueprint to reshape downtown Santa Maria into a pedestrian- and destination-oriented area.

Community responds

In 2008, community spirit remained undeterred. When thieves stole bicycles belonging to Special Olympians prior to a September competition, donations from individuals and organizations were “overwhelmingly generous.” In fact, volunteers said the donations would allow an expansion of the regional program.

Also in 2008:

n Marine Cpl. Aaron Allen of Buellton was killed Nov. 14 in Iraq. Allen is the first graduate of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School to be killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan. Marine Lance Cpl. Jacob J. Toves, of Grover Beach, was killed in action Aug. 14 while supporting combat operations in southwestern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

n When a Navy missile shattered a wayward satellite into thousands of pieces Feb. 20, a center at Vandenberg Air Force Base played a big role both before and after the mission, tracking the craft, and later the debris, created by the collision.

The high-profile mission involved shooting down the National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft that failed shortly after blasting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2006. For the U.S. military’s attempt at destroying an orbiting satellite, crews in the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) plotted the craft’s path and relayed that information to other military crews involved in the effort.

n The Atlas rocket, a bird once on Vandenberg Air Force Base’s endangered list, roared back to life early March 13, ushering in a new era of space launch on the West Coast.

n In June, a new leader with a “terrific background for this job” assumed command of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Col. David A. Buck replaced Col. Steve Tanous as commander of the base’s primary unit.

n Another switch occurred in December, when Lt. Gen. William Shelton bid farewell to his duel-hatted job leading 14th Air Force and Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg. Lt. Gen. Larry James replaced Shelton during the Dec. 9 ceremony.

n Santa Maria-Bonita School District Superintendent Dave Francis retired after nine years with the district, while Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Superintendent Jeff Hearn said that he plans to retire in June. The Lucia Mar Unified School District also experienced a changing-of-the-guard in July when Superintendent Jim Hogeboom replaced interim-Superintendent Bill Brand.

n Orcutt Unified School District opened its anticipated charter school, Orcutt Academy, in August. The school, whose philosophy centers around “learning by doing” serves children in kindergarten through their senior year in high school.

n Former Santa Maria-Bonita Assistant Superintendent Cynthia Clark and three former TurnKey Construction executives — Harold Clark (no relation to Cynthia), Patrick Bannan and David Irwin — were indicted in April on 74 counts on charges related to the alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of more than $3.6 million in district construction funds.

n In a San Luis Obispo County courthouse Dec. 18, a jury declared transplant surgeon Dr. Hootan Roozrokh not guilty of felony dependent-adult abuse charges. Roozrokh was accused of ordering excessive amounts of morphine and Ativan at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in 2006 to speed up the death of disabled patient Ruben Navarro in order to harvest Navarro’s organs.

n Pismo Beach implemented paid parking in downtown in mid-March, stirring up controversy among residents and beach lovers alike. Costs range from $1 per hour for some areas, 75 cents for others.

n Lucia Mar Unified School District threatened in April to sue the Pismo Beach if city officials disbanded the Pismo Beach Redevelopment Agency. By disbanding the agency, the city would be off the hook for more than $400,000 in annual pass-through, or, tax-sharing, payments it owes the district. The Pismo Beach City Council will meet Jan. 6 to discuss the threatened litigation.

January 1, 2009