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Effort to save 63 trees Residents collect signatures to deter Santa Barbara County from removing many Modoc Road trees for Class I Bike Path
State public pension fund loses $29B in market downturn By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) announced Wednesday a preliminary -6.1% net investment return for the 12-month period that ended June 30, representing its first loss in more than a decade. CalPERS said Wednesday that “tumultuous global markets” played a role in the system’s first loss since the 2009 financial crisis. Factors like “volatile global financial markets, geopolitical instability, domestic interest rate hikes and inflation” impacted public market returns, CalPERS wrote in a news release. “We’ve done a lot of work in recent years to plan and prepare for difficult conditions,” CalPERS
Chief Executive Officer Marcie Frost said in a statement. “Despite the market conditions and their impact on our returns, we’re focused on long-term performance and our members can be confident that their retirement is safe and secure.” CalPERS’ private market investments did better than its public market investments over the last year. CalPERS announced Wednesday that its investments in public equity returned -13.1% and fixed income investments returned at -14.5%. Meanwhile, the system’s private equity investments returned at 21.3% and real assets returned at 24.1%. Public market investments make up the majority – about 79% – of the CalPERS total fund, according to the system. Investment returns play a large Please see PENSIONS on A4
Carbajal touts securing $16.6 million-plus for SB County projects KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Eva Inbar, left, and Shelly Cobb, volunteers with Community Association for the Modoc Preserve, stand in front of some of the Canary Palm Trees that are slated to be cut down for a new Class I bicycle path on Modoc Road in an unincorporated area outside Santa Barbara. CAMP has collected more than 1,400 signatures on a petition urging Santa Barbara County not to remove 63 trees to create the path.
Money is in legislation passed by House By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Bicyclists and a motorist pass a row of trees along Modoc Road.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
There are more than 1,400 signatures on a petition to save 63 mature trees on Modoc Road. The “Save the Modoc Trees” effort has been organized by the Community Association for the Modoc Preserve. CAMP is fighting to save the droughttolerant trees, which have been targeted to be cut down along the Modoc Road by Santa Barbara County to construct a $5.35 million, 3,930-feet long Class I bike path. The area is outside the Santa Barbara city limits. “This neighborhood community only found out about this project a short three weeks ago, while many people are on summer vacations; they feel that Santa Barbara citizens were not allowed input, denying us due process,” according to the petition. Eva Inbar, a volunteer for CAMP, told the News-Press that residents found out about plans
to remove the trees through the neighborhood grapevine. “That’s one of our real complaints is we were not notified,” she said Thursday. “There was a letter sent to some people within a certain range. But this is quite different, and there needed to be more public information. “We had some very energetic people, and they are organized and put this petition out because they love the preserve and the trees.” The draft of the Mitigated Negative Declaration indicates that cutting down the trees will not have a significant aesthetic or environmental impact. The Notice of Intent indicates an Environmental Impact Report is not needed. “No significant impacts were identified; therefore, mitigation is not required. Residual impacts would be less than significant,” according to page 20 of the MND. CAMP strongly disagrees that an EIR is not needed and said there is significant aesthetic and environmental impact.
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Class II Bike Paths, such as this one on Modoc Road, are separated from traffic by a painted line. Santa Barbara County is working on creating a Class I Bike Path, which would have a physical barrier between the bicyclists and motorists.
“We believe in the visual, aesthetic value of the trees,” Shelly Cobb, volunteer for CAMP, told the News-Press. “Back in 1999, we fought for this land to
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Rep. Salud Carbajal
between Santa Barbara and Ventura. Once completed, these carpool sections will complete 30 continuous miles of threelane traffic between Ventura and Goleta. Construction of the remaining HOV, or carpool, lane sections is expected to begin in March 2023 and be completed by summer 2026. “Representative Carbajal has been a champion of the Highway 101 Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project for many years and we appreciate his strong and consistent support,” Marjie Kirn, executive director of Santa Barbara County Association of Governments said in a news release. “Out of hundreds of projects in the bill, this $7 million for Highway 101 is one of the largest included, which really shows his effectiveness. “This leadership in Washington, D.C., couldn’t come at a better time. Federal support is critical for continuing to make progress in supporting our region’s number one transportation priority.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com
LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
be preserved for posterity, and we were extremely proud of our efforts voting to preserve this for perpetuity. Please see TREES on A4
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal announced Thursday he has secured more than $16.6 million for projects to benefit Santa Barbara County residents in the federal funding bills passed by the House. The legislation, which passed Wednesday, covers federal spending for Fiscal Year 2023. According to Rep. Carbajal’s office, the bill provides funds to help expand Highway 101 carpool lanes and supports upgrades to public spaces in Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Santa Maria. “I have, and always will, use my seat in Congress to work to deliver real results for Central Coast residents,” Rep. Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, said in a statement. “I am proud to have secured over $22 million for local projects – including nearly $17 million for Santa Barbara County – that will improve our quality of life once approved by the Senate and signed into law for the upcoming fiscal year. “With these funds, we will be able to make critical upgrades that will reduce traffic, renovate public spaces, and improve access to food and clean water across the Central Coast.” Rep. Carbajal requested funding for these and other Central Coast projects through the House Appropriations Committee. In total, Rep. Carbajal secured $22,466,540 for 14 projects across the House’s funding bills that were approved in recent weeks by the House Appropriations Committee, according to his office. So far, the House has advanced 12 of Rep. Carbajal’s projects to the Senate. In the past week, Santa Barbara County projects advanced to the U.S. Senate including $7 million to support construction of one the two remaining sections of carpool lane expansion of Highway 101
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 7-16-30-40-44 Mega: 16
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 1-8-0-8
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 2-31-32-37-70 Mega: 25
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 8-10-11-13-25
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-04-02 Time: 1:46.13
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 10-20-23-49-65 Meganumber: 22
Thursday’s DAILY 3: 4-9-5 / Midday 3-8-1