Concerts in Your Car in Ventura
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Time for a change?
After Ventura moved to remove Junipero Serra statues, changes may be on the horizon locally
Supes discuss racial equity Special meeting includes recent decrease in jail population By JOSH GREGSA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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he Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on Thursday to receive reports on lowering the jail population and how to further racial equity within the county. Both are local examples of national issues that have been thrust into the spotlight since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd. Lowering the average daily population of the County Jail was the focus for the early part of the meeting, during which strategies for keeping mentally ill individuals away from jail and toward treatment was a frequent topic. These strategies included Stepping Up, a national program dedicated to diverting those who committed crimes as a result of mental illness away from jail, and the Criminal Justice Mapping Project, a joint effort between County criminal justice departments and Behavioral Wellness also aimed toward
By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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ith Confederate statues and monuments being removed or taken down across the country, it appears that some changes could soon occur on a local level. Just one day after the Ventura City Council voted 6-0 to remove a pair of statues of Father Junipero Serra in front of and inside City Hall, a similar petition has been circulating calling for the removal of the Father Serra statue from the Santa Ines Mission in Solvang. Started by county resident Maurissa Vigil, the petition to Solvang Mayor Ryan Toussaint calls for the removal of the statue of “a man who spent the majority of his life kidnapping, enslaving and stripping away the culture of indigenous peoples,” the petition reads. “Throughout his life he spread pain, misery and disease to the point where it has been discovered that more indigenous people died under him than were born,” it continues. “We as a community need to say we acknowledge this little known history and not pay homage to this man causing further confusion and pain. We want the statue removed as keeping it standing shows reverence and respect for someone who murdered and enslaved so many.” As of Thursday afternoon, the petition had garnered 603 signatures. Many who signed the petition were in agreement of the removal of the statue found just outside the 19th of 21 missions located throughout the state. “I believe the time is now to get rid of that wrongful statue, as it is a sign of pain and misery for so many people,” one person wrote. Another person called for
COURTESY PHOTO
The Ventura City Council voted to have a statue of Father Junipero Serra that sat out front of Ventura City Hall be moved to Mission San Buenaventura. Since this photo was taken, a chain link fence was installed to protect the statue from vandalism.
From left, Mike Cano poses two years ago with Bishop Diego High School students John Harris, Marcy Prischak and Miranda Alvarez.
Bishop Diego coach and administrator passes away at age 62 By MARK PATTON NEWS-PRESS SENIOR WRITER
M NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOS
COURTESY PHOTO
At left, the statue of Father Serra stood outside the Santa Barbara Mission, before and after it was beheaded in September 2017. The statue is no longer there. At right, A petition has been circulating to remove the Father Serra statue that sits outside the Santa Ines Mission in Solvang.
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finding incarceration alternatives for the mentally ill and reducing the pre-trial jail population. According to a Criminal Justice Mapping report, this effort led to the county receiving three grants to support these endeavors. These include a $3.1 million State Hospital Diversion Grant for diverting mentally ill individuals accused of felonies who are incompetent to stand trial toward treatment away from hospitals with limited beds, a $6 million CREDO47 grant for directing people accused of minor crimes into treatment or programming instead of jail, and a $2.1 million Bureau of Justice Assistant Grant for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Bill Brown remotely addressed the board about County Jail’s average daily population. During the first 15 days of July, the jail had an average daily population of 578 inmates, down from the 898 inmates it had during July 2019. However, Sheriff Brown remarked that the jail’s average daily population is currently “artificially low” because the
ike Cano, a renowned sports official and beloved coach and administrator at his alma mater of Bishop Diego High School, passed away on Wednesday after a short bout with cancer. Mr. Cano, 62, had completed a one-year tenure as the Cardinals’ interim athletic director just two weeks ago. He also coached several sports at the school and served as the moderator for the school’s Associated Student Body. “The void that Mike’s absence is sure to leave here at Bishop is palpable,” head of school Karen Regan said. “His impact on our
students as a coach, teacher, and administrator was so positive and it feels unfair that given the current circumstances, we cannot come together as a community to properly celebrate his life right now. “We look forward to the day when we can honor him and the impact he had on so many.” Mr. Cano, who graduated from Bishop Diego in 1976, worked from 1985 to 2015 as the water distribution supervisor for the city of Santa Barbara. His 37year career with the Channel Coast Officials Association began even earlier, in 1979, as a football referee and as an umpire for both baseball and softball. He eventually became president of Please see cano on A8
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