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State appeals assault weapon ban case By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The four founders of Save San Marcos Foothills — from left, Julia Laraway, Dani Lynch, Samantha Eddy and Nancy Tubiolo — stood side by side during a Thursday celebration of the acquisition of the San Marcos Foothills Preserve.
The women behind Save San Marcos Foothills Crusaders thrilled as gate opens to West Mesa
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
It was back in September 2020 when four local women — Nancy Tubiolo, Samantha Eddy, Dani Lynch and Julia Laraway — met for the first time on a Zoom call with one goal in mind. To save the West Mesa of the San Marcos Foothill Preserve from development. Little did they know at the time that their shared goal would send them on an impassioned mission that would culminate in the collection of $18.6 million in
donations to save the foothills. felt like “a weight had been lifted,” On Thursday, the four women as they stood together on the land had reason to celebrate as officials they helped to save. opened the gate to the West “It’s a really symbolic moment,” Mesa property for the first time Ms. Lynch told the News-Press in months. That Thursday at the site. evoked emotion The preserve is To see streaming video a special place for from the four GO TO women, who joined each of the four newspress.com women, who often together to found Save San Marcos visit with friends Foothills. and family to walk The four women linked arms on the winding dirt trails and as they walked onto the preserve, enjoy the picturesque mountain squealing with joy as tears rolled views. So when signs for proposed down their cheeks. development began popping up Each of the four women agreed it on the property last summer, they
developed some serious concerns. This began an effort that started to slowly grow as the women founded Save San Marcos Foothills, a coalition of community members with the intention of stopping the proposed development. The group expanded its social media platform and canvased at the preserve every Saturday. Soon, Save San Marcos Foothills became a recognized effort across Santa Barbara. “It was kind of this beautiful transition,” Ms. Lynch told the Please see PRESERVE on A4
At left, “There were a lot of people, a lot of smart people, who said that can’t be done. And we’re here to say, not only could it be done, but it was done. We did it,” 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart said during Thursday’s event. Center, Marc Chytilo, the attorney for the Foothills Forever campaign, called the completion of the fundraising effort a “miracle” during Thursday’s event. At right, Chuck Lande, a developer from the Chadmar Group, congratulated the Save San Marcos Foothills group on its successful fundraising effort during Thursday’s event.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke at a press conference Thursday after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an appeal to protect the state’s ban on assault weapons.
organization. “It is insulting to read his decision where he called the kind of weapon that killed my son akin to a pocket knife,” she said. “Pocket knives were not Please see APPEAL on A3
City of SB reviews $166.2 million budget, projects By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Santa Barbara City Council discussed its $166.2 million budget for the next fiscal year during a hearing on Wednesday night, determining what projects would receive city funding in the coming year. This year’s budget is partially built upon increases in sales tax and Measure C tax revenue in the past six months. In addition, the city is slated to receive about $21.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, which will account for a portion of $34.9 million in revenue the city lost during the pandemic. “The city of Santa Barbara has revenue loss in excess of what ARPA is saving us from,” Finance Director Keith DeMartini said Wednesday, noting that there is about $13.2 million in revenue loss the ARPA funding will not cover. While council members will cast their votes on the city’s final budget on June 22, officials on Wednesday voted on a range of projects to receive funding during the next fiscal year. Within next year’s proposed budget, city council members unanimously voted to allocate $70,000 to fill a vacant bilingual administration support spot in the City Administrator’s Office. Unanimous support was also voiced to allocate $11,000 for the implementation of a budget transparency tool in the City Finance Department, which would give council members insight on how external budget
requests are acquired from the community. During Wednesday’s meeting, officials discussed multiple requests from City Fire, ultimately approving two of the three proposed budget items. The council voted 6-1 to allocate $236,000 to the implementation of a Community Wildfire protection plan, and members unanimously voted to allocate an additional $10,000 to develop a “Ready, Set, Go” program. Council members shot down a request of $134,000 to fill an inspector position for fire prevention. The council decided to allocate $17,500 to support a Child Care Study from the Human Resources Department, which will seek insight on childcare needs across the city. Officials approved both budget requests from the Santa Barbara Public Library, granting $142,000 for a social services worker and $150,000 for an upper level needs assessment of the library and the eventual development of a teen resource center. Unanimous support was also achieved for the funding of two summer programs. The city will allocate $5,000 to the Santa Barbara Police Department for the implementation of a summer program to support youth impacted by the Liberty Street shooting. The council will also allocate $40,065 for a summer nights program championed by the Parks & Recreation Department. A number of outside agencies Please see COUNCIL on A3
L O T T E RY RESULTS
INSIDE Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an appeal Thursday to protect the state’s ban on assault weapons, arguing that U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez’s decision is “a legal outlier.” The judge granted Mr. Bonta a 30-day stay to give time for an appeal. During the stay, assault weapons remain illegal. Judge Benitez overturned California’s 32-year ban on assault weapons June 4, calling the law unconstitutional and ineffective in preventing mass shootings. He opened his statement by likening an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to a Swiss army knife, as both serve as a “home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment.” The comparison was criticized by defendants of the ban in a news conference Thursday. Mattie Scott, who lost her son to gun violence in 1996, spoke during the state attorney general’s briefing. She is also the California president of Brady, a gun control
Sudoku................. B3 Sports Roundup . A8 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-14-23-42-44 Meganumber: 9
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 9-2-3-3
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 9-22-39-41-54 Meganumber: 19
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 10-16-26-28-29
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Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 0-3-4 / Wednesday’s Midday 2-3-4