A host of ideas about how the region might solve its transit problems in ever greener ways , from commuter rail and biofuels to better land use and housing policy , were voiced by a panel that convened Saturday in Santa Barbara. But Peter De Haan, programming director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, said the county is at the mercy of choices made at the state and federal levels and will be largely relegated to the sidelines until residents chip in. For the full story click here