I Madonnari Street Painting Festival
Nearly a thousand butterflies
Popular event returns this weekend to Santa Barbara Mission - A6
Special exhibit opens Saturday at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History - B1
Our 166th Year
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F R I DA Y, M A Y 2 7, 2 0 2 2
More aid for college students
ELECTION 2022
Lavagnino expresses pride in county’s team work
Carbajal unveils updated bill to expand Pell Grant
And supervisor backs ExxonMobil permit, sees pendulum swinging back to being tougher on crime
NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
Steve Lavagnino, the 5th District supervisor, said the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has become more of a team in recent years.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series on candidates in advance of the June 7 primary. By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal unveils updated legislation to expand the Pell Grant during a news conference at Storke Plaza at UCSB.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal came to UCSB this week to announce legislation that is designed to expand the Pell Grant and make college more affordable. He was joined by students from UCSB and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo during the news conference Wednesday in Storke Plaza. Rep. Carbajal’s Degrees Not Debt Act would double the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,800 a year, decreasing the amount of student loan debt for individuals pursuing higher education. “American college students
owe nearly $2 trillion in student loans, and the tools that we have to prevent students from taking on additional debt to complete their education aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of higher education — even at our public colleges and universities,” Rep. Carbajal said in Storke Plaza. “As someone who was the first in his family to graduate college and someone who relied on Pell and other federal aid to earn that degree, I know it’s unacceptable that the value of these programs have eroded in recent years. “The numbers don’t lie: Pell needs a dramatic overhaul,” Rep. Carbajal said. “That’s why I’ve renewed my push to double the maximum Pell Grant award to
improve Pell’s ability to cover the costs of a modern education, and I’m pleased to have universal support from the Central Coast’s student organizations as well as many of our colleges and universities.” At Wednesday’s press conference, students shared their experiences with the Pell Grant and voiced support for the legislation. Angela Bradley, a single mother and a UCSB sociology major, said the Pell Grant enabled her to return to school. “The Pell Grant gave me more time to focus on school and spend a little more time with my kids,” she told the media in Storke Plaza. “It also helped me put gas in my
car … purchase more nutritious groceries, and buy books and supplies I needed for school. Even with the help of the Pell Grant, I had to use my credit cards to supplement the other needs of my family. “If the Pell Grant were doubled the amount that it is today, it would enable me to get through school with less stress, less debt, and more time to earn my degree in a timely manner … It could also offset the rising cost of food and gasoline,” she said. Sara Steichen, a political science major graduating this year from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a first-generation college student, said the Pell Grant proved to be a Please see CARBAJAL on A2
At left, Angela Bradley, a UCSB sociology major and single mother, talks at the press conference about how the Pell Grant enabled her to go back to school. At right, “Thanks to the federal Pell Grant…(my) loans were definitely diminished, which helped me and my mom and all our worries,” said Sara Steichen, a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. But she added that the current amount of the grant doesn’t cover all of her tuition and dormitory costs.
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Steve Lavagnino, who’s running unopposed for reelection for 5th District supervisor in the June 7 primary, is proud of what the Board of Supervisors has achieved in Santa Barbara County.
That includes, according to Mr. Lavagnino, replacing political theater with something better. “What I am most proud of is getting our board to work together instead of as adversaries,” Mr. Lavagnino told the News-Press. “The history of the board was fighting and name calling. It was political theater. “Supervisors from the South and North County Please see LAVAGNINO on A6
Indiana, 14 other states argue to keep California from setting climate regs By J.D. DAVIDSON THE CENTER SQUARE REGIONAL EDITOR
(The Center Square) — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is part of a 15-state effort to stop what he says is the ability for California to use state courts to establish climatechange policy for all other states. Mr. Rokita and 14 other attorneys general, all Republicans, filed an amicus brief arguing federal courts rather than state courts should hear common-law nuisance claims against fossil-fuel energy companies filed by several California communities. “It is absurd to enable a single state’s judiciary to set policy on a global issue that affects all 50 states,” Attorney General Rokita said. “A California court’s finding against the energy companies would require the companies to change the way they operate not just in California but everywhere in the world they do
business.” According to a news release, the U.S. Supreme Court previously recognized cases involving interstate emissions affect unique national interests, but a panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled California courts applying California law must decide the claims. The attorneys general’s brief wants the full appellate court to consider the case. “Permitting 50 different state judiciaries to set global emissions standards would lead to utter chaos,” Attorney General Rokita said. “I will keep fighting for Hoosiers on this issue. We must preserve common sense, the rule of law and sound legal precedents.” Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming all signed on to the brief. There are 27 Republican attorneys general.
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A8
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 9-38-42-43-47 Meganumber: 17
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 0-2-0-2
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-5-6-63-68 Meganumber: 25
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 11-13-19-20-27
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 01-12-09 Time: 1:43.50
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 19-28-39-42-57 Meganumber: 17
Sudoku................... A5 Weather................. A8
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 5-7-1 / Wednesday’s Midday 4-5-0