Santa Barbara News-Press: May 22, 2023

nEWs-PRE ss sPECiAL REPORT

s anta Barbara’s deficit expected to more than double in 2025

But there is some good news for the city staff on how to deal with the challenges

Editor’s note: This is the second of a threepart News-Press series on the city of Santa Barbara’s budget. Part 3 will be published in Tuesday’s edition.

By NEIL HARTSTEIN

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Perhaps the best thing about the proposed Fiscal Year 24 budget for the city of Santa Barbara is that it’s not the

proposed FY25 budget.

The $3.8 million structural deficit in FY 24’s General Fund? That’s peanuts compared to the $8.9 million structural deficit in FY25.

The $2.7 million in proposed budget cuts for General Fund departments in FY24? Chicken feed compared to the $4.1 million in budget cuts proposed for FY25.

In either case, plugging the gap between money needed and money on hand is a daunting task, but staff, armed

with long range economic forecasts, have been preparing for this moment for more than a year and, according to Finance Director Keith DeMartini, are more than up to the challenge.

There is actually good news, a lot of it, now and in the future, which will aid the city staff in their task.

BUdGET s ARE inCREA sin G

Department expenditure budgets grow

every year, Finance Director DeMartini told the News-Press exclusively in a series of interviews.

“Every department’s operating budget is adjusted to account for rising costs from salaries, benefits, insurance, inflation, projects, etc.,” he said. Staff’s recommended 2% budget cuts, necessary to help balance the budget, “is applied to that status quo budget in FY24, not their adopted budget in FY23.”

And the bottom line for at least the

Class of 2023

1,500 SBCC students graduate during commencement at La

three highest-funded departments in the General Fund is that their FY24 budgets will either stay the same as this year or actually go up.

The Fire Department, for example, had a FY23 adopted budget of $34.6 million.

In FY24, its proposed budget is $34.3 million, down about $300,000. Yet its budget cuts come to $623,000.

The Police Department, with the largest budget, received $51.2 million

Please see BUDGET on A4

California’s unemployment rate rises to 4.5%; 67,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs

By SETH SANDRONSKY

SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

THE CENTER

(The Center Square) – Job growth rebounded in California recently. Employers added 67,000 nonfarm new hires between March and April. Meanwhile, the state’s month-over-month unemployment rate rose 0.1% to 4.5%, according to the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Employment grew in 10 of 11 of California’s 11 industry sectors in April compared with six in March. Private education and health care employers led the way in April with 21,700 new hires versus 7,000 in March.

In the leisure and hospitality industry, California employers added 13,100 new hires, the secondstrongest month-over gains. Driving this job growth were performing arts, spectator sports and related industries, and the food services and drinking places industry groups. All four NBA teams in California participated in the NBA playoffs, with the LA Lakers playing against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals now. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector registered a month-over gain of 10,300 jobs, due to demand for labor services from parts dealers, gas stations and fuel dealers, truck transportation, and support activities for transportation, according to the state EDD.

California’s construction sector gained 2,100 new jobs in April after losing 8,200 jobs in March. The year-over change in employment registers a loss of 5,100 jobs. This negative figure is perhaps an outcome of Federal Reserve Bank interest-rate hikes, increasing the price of loans, upon which the construction industry depends on.

after their

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN

Although the clouds were gray and the air was cold, the Santa Barbara City College’s 2023 graduates were anything but.

On Friday evening, 1,500 students walked across the stage to officially graduate from SBCC. The 74th annual graduation took place in La Playa Stadium with the college in front of the crowd and the beach behind.

The event began with first-year student Iyana Brown performing the national anthem.

Afterward, the interim superintendent and president, Kindred Murillo, gave opening remarks to the graduates.

“Graduates, your graduation today is a testament to your strength, your resourcefulness, and resilience. You persevered through a pandemic … Think about that. You did not give up,” said Dr. Murillo in the beginning of her speech. The tone of Dr. Murillo’s speech was optimistic yet assertive, giving the graduates a sense of pride as well as a call to action.

“One of the greatest gifts you can give is gratitude,” she continued, “and it is so important to express gratitude to those who have contributed to your success as students.”

Dr. Murillo ended her speech by asking the graduates to stand and

Please see SBCC on A3

“The number of jobs in the agriculture industry decreased from March by 2,100 to a total of 432,800 jobs in April,” the EDD reported. “The agricultural industry had 10,000 more farm jobs in April 2023 than it did in April a year ago.” With recent heavy rainfall, California’s farm output is a big part of the state’s economy.

“Citing California’s improved water supply and increased almond shipments in early 2023,” the California Farm Bureau reported, “growers and almond sector leaders say the outlook has improved for the state’s No. 3 crop, valued at $5 billion. Three years of drought and a drop in the almond price prompted growers to remove orchards and plant fewer trees. However, conditions changed this winter after atmospheric river storms brought above-average snowpack and filled empty reservoirs.”

The geography of California’s economy continued to register uneven employment. Marin County had the lowest statewide unemployment rate of 2.8% in April compared with 3.8% in March. Rural Colusa County had a 14.2% unemployment rate in April versus 19.2% in March, the highest of California’s 58 counties for the second straight month.

Ashley McBryde, Uncle Kracker, Switchfoot and tribute band to perform in Santa Maria - B1

Graduates react during the ceremony.

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Graduates celebrate

name is called during the SBCC graduation ceremony at La Playa Stadium on campus on Friday.

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Playa Stadium

Fun at the Strawberry Festival

Above

Above right, Workers from Peirpont Bay Strawberry Ranch sell boxes of strawberries during the event. At right, a pair of festivalgoers have a seat by a sign announcing the event.

UCSB’s Mortensen Ties Record, Gauchos Win Blue-Green Rivalry Series

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS WRITER

Matt Wilkerson has company atop the UCSB baseball career home run list. Against Cal Poly on Saturday, Broc Mortensen launched his 42nd homer as a Gaucho, tying Wilkerson for the most career long balls in school history. Mortensen’s homer, a solo shot, scored the fourth run of the game for Santa Barbara (35-16, 18-8 Big West), helping the Gauchos

defeat Cal Poly (19-33, 9-17 Big West), 4-2, securing the series win over their rivals from San Luis Obispo.

Thanks to Long Beach State’s win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night, the Gauchos are now in sole possession of first place in The Big West with four games to play. Currently, Santa Barbara needs to win all four remaining games to claim the conference title.

Please see UCSB on A4

SpaceX launch successful

Fog led SpaceX to delay its Friday morning launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, but the company’s Falcon 9 rocket did take off Saturday morning at 6:16 from the base’s Space Launch Complex 4 East.

The rocket carried the Iridium OneWeb mission into low-Earth Orbit. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster returned to Earth and landed on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.

— Dave Mason

$750 million approved by the California Board of Ed to transform state schools

By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH

THE CENER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) - One hundred twentyeight schools throughout California were awarded a total of $750 million in the largest designation of educational funds budgeted to transform thousands of schools in California into community schools.

The grants are part of a $4.1 billion community schools investment to dismantle learning barriers that lead to inequitable student performance by providing supportive services beyond classroom learning.

“With today’s approval of historic levels of funding for community schools, California yet again affirms our commitment to creating schools where all students can thrive,” Gov. Gavin Newsom stated.

Within the framework of community schools are integrated student supports that include the “coordination of trauma-informed health, mental health, and social services” and “professional development to transform school culture and climate that centers on pupil learning and supports mental and behavioral health, trauma-informed care, social emotional learning and restorative justice.”

The concept for key learning conditions entail “positive sustained relationships that foster attachment and emotional connections; physical, emotional, and identity safety; and

a sense of belonging and purpose,” among others.

State Board of Education President Linda

Darling-Hammond said: “Children learn best when they are healthy, happy and deeply engaged in learning. And schools operate at their best when families are connected and empowered to work toward common goals.”

California’s community schools value the collective wisdom derived from experience, family, history, and culture as part of a commitment to assets-driven and strengthbased practice within the framework of cornerstone commitments. It also “expects the presence of restorative practice rather than punitive, exclusionary discipline that detaches students from school and from needed supports, too often activating a school to prison pipeline.”

With a commitment to powerful, culturally proficient and relevant instruction it redefines “traditional constructs who teaches, where we learn and how we build understanding.”

At community schools leadership is shared with students, families, staff and community members.

“I am grateful to Governor Newsom, the Legislature, State Superintendent Thurmond, and my fellow board members for continuing to prioritize family partnerships, equity, and a ‘whole child’ agenda in public education,” Ms.

Darling-Hammond affirmed.

As part of the proven practice framework, “strategies to engage school and community interest holders in a coherent process of identifying and curating assets and wisdoms throughout the community” are employed through Community Asset Mapping and Gap Analysis.

The Community School Coordinator is responsible for the overall implementation of all strategies at the school site involving partnerships and programs.

“From ending hunger in the classroom to providing mental health services to our students, we’re equipping schools to meet the diverse needs of their students inside and outside the classroom. As education continues to be under assault in other parts of the nation, we are proud to be a leader in providing our students with the resources they need to succeed,” Gov. Newsom said.

Tutoring, nutrition programs, free school meals, health care, counseling, and other social programs are all part of California Community Schools.

As part of the $750 million disbursement which was unanimously approved by the California State Board of Education, Lancaster Elementary was the highest awardee at $30 million to implement the program.

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New legislation would drastically cut power of federal labor board

By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – Newly introduced legislation would significantly limit the power of the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency that currently holds broad sway over businesses, including small businesses.

Critics say the agency, which aims to help private sector workers, has become highly politicized, doing the bidding of labor unions that are working with the Democratic party as small businesses pay the price.

U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., introduced the “Small Businesses Before Bureaucrats Act” this week. In 1958, Congress set standards for which businesses the NLRB had jurisdiction over, which includes any retail business with annual revenue topping $500,000 and nonretail businesses with annual revenue over $50,000.

Because of inflation, more and more small businesses have been caught by the dated figures, which originally only applied to much larger businesses.

Rep. Good’s legislation raises the threshold for NLRB’s jurisdiction, raising it to $5,000,000 for retail businesses and $500,000 for nonretail businesses.

“The NLRB has used outdated standards to impose greater power over businesses which never should have been regulated by the Federal Government in the first place,” Rep. Good told The Center Square. “This

Suspect arrested in May 6 stabbing

SANTA MARIA – A suspect in a

May 6 stabbing incident in Santa Maria was arrested Friday and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on an outstanding warrant for

is consistent with Biden Administration’s weaponization of federal agencies against everyday Americans to implement its radical agenda.”

Rep. Good’s office said this would mean that “more than 50% of retail and non-retail businesses will be exempt and relieved from NLRB jurisdiction.”

“Unelected bureaucrats should not be empowered to cripple small business owners with burdensome regulations and tilt the playing field in favor of union bosses,” Rep. Good said. “Our nation’s small businesses should be able to operate as freely as possible without government intervention.”

Max Nelsen, director of Labor Policy at the Freedom Foundation, said that the NLRB is no longer a neutral arbiter between labor and business but has sided with unions for political reasons. That alleged bias, along with the NLRB’s steadily growing power, has impacted small businesses.

“Instead, under President [Joe] Biden, the NLRB has been stacked with union attorneys who presume to know what is best for American workers and whose mission in life is to drag as many of them into unions as possible, knowing that increased union membership, revenue and political clout will be deployed largely to the benefit of the Democrat Party,” Mr. Nelsen told The Center Square.

Mr. Nelsen argues the NLRB’s jurisdiction should be indexed with inflation.

“Updating and indexing the NLRB’s

jurisdictional thresholds to inflation, as H.R. 3400 would do, is a commonsense reform that would better reflect the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act and help shield American small businesses, and the workers they employ, from the predations of a long-politicized bureaucracy currently captured by Big Labor partisans,” he said.

The NLRB did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Meanwhile, House Oversight Republicans have launched an inquiry into the NLRB’s Inspector General David Berry, alleging that Mr. Berry has rebuffed attempts at Congressional oversight of the agency.

“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating your attempt to undermine a legitimate congressional investigation by investigating a subpoena issued by Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W Committee) Chairwoman Virginia Foxx to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that was based on whistleblower accounts,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., wrote in a letter to the IG last month. “This is a novel attempt to redefine—and indeed, reverse—the relative powers of inspectors general and the body (i.e., Congress) that created them. The Oversight Committee is baffled by such absurd efforts to obstruct a congressional investigation by a retaliatory investigation initiated by an agency inspector general.”

TRAFFIC, CRIME AND FIRE BLOTTER

attempted murder generated by Santa Maria Police detectives. The suspect, Eddie Ray Dominquez, 35, was arrested around noon by a California Department of Corrections Fugitive Apprehension Team, who located Mr. Dominguez in the Arroyo Grande area.

He was turned over to SMPD detectives investigating the case before being booked into custody on his outstanding warrant. Santa Maria police responded about 2:15 a.m. on May 6 to reports of a stabbing in the 200 block of E. Tunnel. The victim sustained several stab wounds during the

incident.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact Detective Hesch at (805) 928-3781 ext. 1349, or the SMPD Communications Center at (805) 928 -3781 ext. 2277.

– Neil Hartstein

‘I got through the hardships of academic life through the help of SBCC’

Graduates wave to their loved ones sitting in the stands, below, during the

Friday.

SBCC

Continued from Page A1 thank their friends and family for coming to support them at this celebration.

Next, the president of the Academic Senate, Dr. Melanie Eckford-Prosser, gave a greeting to the graduates and crowd. Her speech was heartfelt, sharing how excited she was to see the graduates complete something so meaningful.

Andrianina Rajaosera, a graduating student and a student trustee, gave the student’s remarks at the graduation.

She shared her thanks, echoing the sentiment of Dr. Murillo, and shared a bit of her story to the crowd.

Ms. Rajaosera is an international student from Madagascar and has found a home in Santa Barbara.

“I am grateful for the support I have received here!” exclaimed Ms. Rajaosera. “I got through the hardships of academic life through the help of SBCC.”

There was a touching moment when Ms. Rajaosera shared with the crowd that her family from overseas was at the graduation and had no idea she was going to speak.

Ms. Rajaosera finished her speech by having the graduates yell “I did it!” in honor of their

accomplishments. The crowd went wild when she finished her speech. Then the time came for all of the graduates to be handed their diplomas. One by one, students walked across the stage and had their name and academic emphasis read. You could faintly hear a roar of applause and cheers from

each student’s support group in the crowd. After almost an hour of recognition and celebration, the SBCC students were dismissed, and the SBCC Brass Ensemble ended the event with the music of “Pomp and Circumstance.” email: abahnsen@newspress.com

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

SBCC graduation ceremony at La Playa Stadium on campus on

Mortensen ties school’s career home run record

HOW IT HAPPENED

Mortensen was not the only Gaucho hitter to leave the yard on Saturday; Zander Darby got the scoring started with an opposite-field solo shot in the first inning, just over the wall and just inside the foul pole down the left field line.

Santa Barbara tacked two more runs on the board in the second inning, thanks to some small ball. With John Newman, Jr. on second and two outs, Nick Oakley smacked a grounder to Cal Poly’s first baseman, who made a great play to glove it, but Oakley hustled down the line, forcing a quick throw, which the pitcher could not handle as he covered first base. Not only was Oakley safe, but the ball rolled away into the Mustangs’ dugout, allowing Newman, who had advanced to third on the play, to come home and Oakley to take second. Corey Nunez lined a base hit back up the middle to plate Oakley from second and make it 3-0 Gauchos.

On the mound, Mike Gutierrez was solid through his three innings of work, allowing

just an unearned run in the top of the third, while tallying four strikeouts. The only hit he allowed was a double, which would come around to score in that third inning on a throwing error which would have made the third out.

Tyler Bremner relieved Gutierrez to start the fourth and was excellent, working 4 2/3 innings and earning the win. He allowed just three hits and only one run on a fifth-inning solo home run. The freshman righty struck out six Mustangs and walked only one.

He had also been pitching with extra insurance, thanks to Mortensen. The redshirt senior, playing his penultimate game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, got all of a two-strike pitch to lead off the fourth inning, sending it well over the right field wall for his 11th home run of the season.

That long ball also tied the UC Santa Barbara record for home runs in a career, Mortensen’s 42nd in a Gaucho uniform.

With the score still at 4-2 in the top of the eighth, Hudson Barrett relieved Bremner with two outs and runners on first and second, promptly stranding them there. The freshman lefty was back out for the ninth and collected his sixth save of the season, allowing just one

walk before striking out the final batter of the game.

ON THE STAT SHEET

• Broc Mortensen tied Matt Wilkerson’s career home run record in 49 fewer games (167 to 216), with Mortensen averaging a home run basically every four games. His next home run will put him alone atop the list.

• Tyler Bremner earned his fifth win of the season in relief, working 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk, while striking out six Mustangs.

• With Christian Kirtley, John Newman, Jr., Broc Mortensen, and Corey Nunez all collecting base knocks in Saturday’s game, every Gaucho to record a plate appearance in this series so far now has at least one hit.

• Hudson Barrett collected his sixth save of the season on Saturday. His single strikeout keeps him atop The Big West’s freshman strikeout leaderboards, ahead of teammate Tyler Bremner by one K. Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com

Sales tax, TOT rising, but more slowly than before COVID-19 pandemic

BUDGET

Continued from Page A1

to spend in FY23. Its proposed FY24 budget is $60.8 million, an increase of $9.6 million.

And that figure would have been even higher had it not been for the proposed 2% in budget cuts to help balance the budget.

“If the department did not have a $1M expenditure reduction target in FY24, their budget would’ve increased by $1M to $61.8M,” Finance Director DeMartini noted.

And Parks and Recreation? Its FY23 adopted budget was $21.5 million. In FY24, the department is slated to receive $38.8 million, a whopping $17.3 million hike.

REVENUE IS RISING

And it’s not just because of inflation, although that does play a role in the increased department budgets, the finance director said.

Revenue from sales tax and transient occupancy tax is growing, he said, maybe not at the pace it did before COVID-19, but it is going up.

“Sales tax dropped by $3M to $21M in FY2020 during COVID, but has since bounced back, and is projected to reach a new record high over $28M in FY2023,” he said. “Staff is projecting this high level to continue with moderate growth.”

As for TOT, “Pre-COVID, about $20M annually was generated,” he said.

“It dropped to about $15M annually for FY20 and FY21. And now it has reached record high levels, over $26M, with occupancy returning to pre-COVID levels along with record average daily rates.

“Staff is projecting a continued higher level of revenue with very modest growth, knowing there are economic forecasts showing recession scenarios.”

But growth, “moderate” or “very modest,” is growth nevertheless, which means revenue from the sales tax and TOT is heading in the right direction, no matter how slow it is.

And with summer approaching, it’s a sure bet that people will be flocking to Santa Barbara to experience America’s Riviera first hand. And that includes dining, shopping and staying at local hotels/motels, which translates into increased revenue from sales tax and TOT. Sales tax and TOT are two of the three main revenue sources feeding the General Fund.

The third is property tax, “which continues to grow at an annual rate anywhere between 4-8% a year,” despite limitations imposed by Proposition 13 and the city’s low housing inventory resulting in fewer sales and reassessments.

ENTERPRISE FUNDS OK

Staff doesn’t have to worry about finding ways to fund the city’s Enterprise Funds, which account for 43% of the proposed $667 budget in FY24.

That’s because they operate

more like a business.

“None of the Enterprise Funds rely on any General Fund money,” he said. “They are set up to be self-sustaining and must generate enough revenue to cover their operating and capital expenses.

“Overall, most enterprises are in good fiscal health and have adequate reserves.”

RESERVE FUNDS LOW BUT STILL OK

“As of the end of FY22, the General Fund had $39M in reserve, which met the city’s reserve policy target,” Finance Director DeMartini said. “The city has strategically used reserves during the Great Recession, Thomas Fire and most recently during COVID to sustain our operations, continue to meet the needs of the community and reduce impacts to staffing.

“With exercising a great deal of fiscal management, the city made it through each economic event and has committed to replenishing reserves when they’ve been used.”

But then came January’s record rainstorms, when Santa Barbara had to pull out all the stops to keep the city running and its residents safe, and to do that, it relied on drawing money from its Reserve Funds. That’s what they’re there for.

Still, that means the city’s reserves are lower than they were projected to be by the end of FY23.

“Staff are projecting an ending Reserves balance in the General Fund of $36.9 million,” the finance director said. “The reserve policy target is $42.2 million, so we’re projected to be under the target.”

What’s more, they are projected to further decline into FY24 with the use of Reserves in order to balance the budget, he said.

Staff are asking the Santa Barbara City Council to approve combining $1.1 million in reserves with the $2.7 million in budget cuts to close the $3.8 million gap and balance the FY24 budget.

Rather than sit on their collective hands and wait for summer sales tax and TOT revenue to pour into city coffers, staff are actively working to meet the $42.2 million reserve policy target.

“It is a priority to address our reserves, and through Vision 2030, staff will work to ensure we meet the target reserve policy,” Finance Director DeMartini said.

NEW REVENUE SOURCES

A year ago, staff unveiled its Fiscal Sustainable Initiative.

“The objectives of this initiative are to identify and assess options that will increase revenues, create efficiencies, eliminate redundancies, and make continual process improvements that may ultimately reduce costs,” the finance director said.

“We are committed to implementing long-term solutions to address budgetary challenges for many years to come.”

One approach now under way

is a Cost Recovery and Fee Policy aimed at recovering the city’s costs of providing services to individuals for their sole, exclusive benefit.

“Overall, the policy is a guide and can be used to help determine the level of subsidy for a specific purpose,” Mr. DeMartini said.

“There are some services the city provides that benefit a specific individual …. This would be a tool that helps categorize fees and assist in determining the level of cost recovery.

“For example, public safety services, such as police and fire are services that benefit the entire city so charging a full cost fee for use of service would not be good policy. On the other hand, getting a permit to remodel a kitchen is an individual benefit.”

There are other revenuegenerating options on the horizon as well.

“These options have been evaluated initially by staff and will be presented and discussed in detail with the Finance Committee and City Council in the coming months,” he said.

FISCAL YEAR 2025

It’s important to remember that, in the end, projections are just that: projections.

So when staff project a structural deficit of $8.9 million in FY25 requiring $4.1 million

in additional budget cuts, it’s just their current estimate of what’s going to happen should things not improve.

And by all indications — from budgets that continue to grow despite budget cuts to increasing revenue from sales tax, TOT and property tax to new revenuegenerating options — it appears they will be.

Which means their projection could very well change — for the better.

Staff recognize that possibility — and are keeping their fingers crossed.

“The Finance Department develops a status quo budget to kick-off the budget process which is based on known cost increases, such as salaries and benefits,” Finance Director DeMartini said. “The reduction target was calculated based on those assumptions.

“It is too early to tell if there might be revised expenditure reduction targets for FY25,” he said. “Once we’re into FY24 and have actual data to develop projections for both revenues and expenditure, and then develop revised projections for FY25, we’ll analyze whether the expenditure reduction targets set now are accurate or need to be adjusted.” email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

SMITH, Ronald

Santa Barbara- Ron Smith was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. When he passed, he lived in Newhall, California. He is survived by his brother Steve, a niece and nephew, and was preceded in death by his parents, Eldon F. and Florine Smith. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1975, in the centennial graduating class and was part of the SBHS Marching Band trip to Europe in the summer of 1973.

Ron worked in the family construction business started by his grandfather, Eldon H. Smith, and continued by his father. When Ron’s father died, Ron continued the concrete pumping part of the business. As Santa Barbara faced water supply issues, business slowed. He started doing part-time work for pyro shows and in 1993, went full-time in the pyro business. In 1994, Ron was on tour for seven months doing pyro and special effects for Pink Floyd’s US and world tours. Ron became a major force in the pyro and special effects industry doing pyro for 15 Super Bowls, opening and closing ceremonies for three Olympics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Galaxy, and University of Texas football and basketball games, New Year’s Eve shows in Hong Kong and Las Vegas, and doing special effects for Oscar, Emmys, Grammys, and similar ceremonies, concerts, awards shows, and television shows such as Dancing With the Stars. When he passed, Ron was working with Strictly FX.

A memorial service will be held for Ron at 10:30 am on Saturday, May 27, at Welch Ryce Haider mortuary, 15 E. Sola Street, Santa Barbara.

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Ashley McBryde, Uncle Kracker, Switchfoot and tribute band to perform in Santa Maria

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

The Santa Barbara County Fair will kick off July 12 with a tribute band playing hits by the Eagles and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The lineup of concerts was announced Friday for the fair, which will take place July 12-16 at the Santa Maria Fairpark.

On July 13, Grammy, CMA and ACM winner Ashley McBryde will perform at the fair. The Grand Ole Opry member made her major label debut in 2018 with “Girl Going Nowhere.”

Ms. McBryde earned a 2021 Grammy nomination for best country album for her album “Never Will.”

She’s also known for her Grammy-winning duet with Carly Pearce — “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” which became No. 1 and earned the singers the ACM and CMA award for Musical Event of the Year.

Ms. McBryde also received the 2022 CMA International Artist Achievement Award.

The fair’s concerts will continue July 14 with country star Uncle Kracker, whose No. 1 hits include “Follow Me,” “Smile,” and the Kenny Chesney duet “When The Sun Goes Down.”

Uncle Kracker broke Billboard’s records for the most weeks at No. 1 on any chart with his cover of “Drift Away.” The Detroit native, who was with the Kid Rock band, topped the chart for 28 weeks.

Switchfoot will perform July 15. The band has sold nearly 10 million copies of its 12 albums.

Among those albums is “The Beautiful Letdown” (2003), which went double platinum) and the Grammy-winning “Hello Hurricane” (2009). Switchfoot has succeeded with many hit singles on alternative radio, and the band has performed sold-out tours. In fact, the band has sold more than 5 million tickets in 40-plus countries.

In addition, Switchfoot has raised over $2 million to help kids through the band’s BRO-AM Foundation.

Switchfoot members are Jon Foreman (vocals and guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Jerome Fontamillas (keyboards, guitar) and Chad Butler (drums). email: dmason@newspress.com

FYI

The Santa Barbara County Fair will take place July 12-16 at the Santa Maria Fairpark, 937 S. Thornburg St., Santa Maria. To purchase tickets, go to www.santamariafairpark.com.

Life theArts

Concerts at the fair

CALENDAR

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@ newspress.com.

TODAY 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, has reopened its permanent mineral exhibit of rocks and crystals that is on view in the small hall off the museum’s central courtyard. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. The exhibit, which opened April 22, is included in museum admission. Members are always admitted free. For others, prices vary from $14 to $19. For more information, visit sbnature.org/minerals.

Noon to 5 p.m “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free. Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, visit www.sbhistorical.org.

Appointment on weekdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. “Holly Hungett: Natural Interpretations” is on view through May 20 at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara’s gallery, 229 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. For more information, call the foundation at 805-965-6307 or go to www.afsb. org.

7:30 to 8:45 p.m. The Allan Hancock College Symphonic Band will perform at the Fine Arts Complex at the Santa Maria campus, 800 S. College Drive.

MAY 23

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The James Castle exhibit is on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is free from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information, see sbma.net.

MAY 25

7 p.m. UCSB Department of Theatre and Dance students will perform Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at UCSB’s Movement Studio, Theater/Dance West Room 1507. The Russian playwright’s story has been interpreted by Libby Appel and is being directed by Annie Torsiglieri.

Admission is free.

MAY 26

7 p.m. Dos Pueblos Theatre Company is putting on “High School Musical!” at the Elings Performing Arts Center at Dos Pueblos High School, 7266 Alameda Ave., Goleta. The musical chronicles a high school love story, as the main characters Troy and Gabriella find themselves choosing between music and school. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $5 for seniors and students, and free for children 10 and under.

7 p.m UCSB Department of Theatre and Dance students will perform Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at UCSB’s Movement Studio, Theater/Dance West Room 1507. The Russian playwright’s story has been interpreted by Libby Appel and is being directed by Annie Torsiglieri.

Admission is free.

9 p.m. Spooky Mansion will perform at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club, 1221 State St., Suite 205, Santa Barbara. The concert will also feature Tino Drima. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $18 at the door. To purchase, go to www.sohosb.com. The concert is for ages 21 and older.

MAY 27

7 p.m . UCSB Department of Theatre and Dance students will perform Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at UCSB’s Movement Studio, Theater/Dance West Room 1507. The Russian playwright’s story has been interpreted by Libby Appel and is being directed by Annie Torsiglieri. Admission is free.

MAY 28

2 p.m. UCSB Department of Theatre and Dance students will perform Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” at UCSB’s Movement Studio, Theater/Dance West Room 1507. The Russian playwright’s story has been interpreted by Libby Appel and is being directed by Annie Torsiglieri. Admission is free.

JUNE 3

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. The McGuire/Moffet Band and Cadillac Angels will perform at Cold Spring Tavern, 5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara. For more information, visit www.coldspringtavern.com.

4 to 7 p.m. Zoo Brew, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s annual fundraiser that caters to beer and animal lovers alike, will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. with a VIP hour from 3 to 4 p.m. The zoo is at 500 Ninos Drive, Santa Barbara. General admission tickets are $75 per person and include unlimited beer tastings and one Zoo Brew 2023 commemorative tasting cup, and VIP tickets are $110. All proceeds benefit the animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo. For more information, call 805-962-5339.

— Dave Mason

At left, the fair lineup includes Uncle Kracker, whose hits include “Follow Me,” “Smile” and the Kenny Chesney duet “When The Sun Goes Down.” At right, Switchfoot, which has many hits on alternative radio, is among the performers at the fair.

PHOTOS COURTESY SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FAIR

Grammy-winning country star Ashley McBryde will perform at the Santa Barbara County Fair in Santa Maria.

Symphony members to teach at Westmont academy

By SCOTT CRAIG WESTMONT COLLEGE WRITER

The Westmont Academy for Young Artists, a two-week summer music program for talented music students ages 1218, has grown to include esteemed teaching artists from the Santa Barbara Symphony along with Westmont music faculty.

The program will take place

Aug. 7-11, 14-19 on Westmont’s allSteinway campus in Montecito.

Registration, which costs $1,200, is open through June 1 for students interested in improving their instrumental technique and musical artistry through lessons, workshops and chamber music. Generous merit-based and needbased scholarships are available.

“Students will learn how to perform under pressure, practice efficiently, and prepare for auditions and colleges, along with lessons and chamber music coaching on their primary instrument,” said director Han Kim, Westmont associate professor of music and head of strings, who launched the program in 2015.

The symphony’s involvement in WAYA is part of a deep, multi-faceted relationship with

Westmont that formally began in 2018 to deepen the opportunities available for youth to study music at all levels while creating a pipeline to provide lifelong musical opportunities in the community.

The faculty includes Daniel Gee, conductor of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony and director of the Westmont College Choir, who will be joined with other community choruses

to perform at the symphony’s “Beethoven 9: An Ode to Joy, Hope and Community” on Oct. 1415 at The Granada.

“Our instructors include nationally acclaimed musicians, performers and teachers,” Dr. Kim said. “We will teach, inspire and mentor students through lessons, performances, workshops and classes.”

Scott Craig works in media relations at Westmont College.

Breaking the chains of discord

You and your partner walk by one another without so much as a word spoken, and the thought of touching or caressing each other is as far from your desires as the moon. You may have been living in separate rooms, and divorce may not have been mentioned, but the thought of it is almost a constant in each other’s mental universe.

Emotionally, the two of you are in a negative feedback loop, and if you don’t break it, it may well cause a breakup.

When discord is ever present in a relationship, there is little room for enjoying life together. The resentment can be so thick that everyone else notices. Friends may even try to avoid you because they don’t want to get caught up in the emotional destruction derby.

Many people see negative behaviors and bad vibes as something to steer away from, and you may be feeling exactly the same way. One thing is certain: Action must be taken if you want to save the relationship.

To begin the process, you must both get out of denial mode and admit to each other that a problem exists. You will have to put your

differences aside so that you can, at the very least, begin to talk about what’s been going on.

Breaking out of this negative pattern will require a new game plan.

Maybe it’s time to see a counselor. Perhaps an apology — or a lot more than one apology — needs to be made. It could all have started with one really big misunderstanding. You can’t fix something unless you know what’s broken.

Identifying the beginning of your relationship’s downward spiral can be enlightening, but you also have to heal the pain that has occurred as a result. You can begin the healing process by being kinder to each other. This can be as little as saying hello when your partner comes through the door. The point is to try to acknowledge each other in a friendly way whenever you’re together.

There’s nothing worse than living with someone who is putting out anger and venom when you’re around. Most people feel it but don’t truly understand what’s beneath the hostility.

Admittedly, things can get pretty confusing if this dynamic has been happening for a long

time. As a couple, your best course of action is to agree that you have both been disagreeable for a while now and that the time has come to drop your resentments and start afresh. This is an excellent exercise for all couples.

Lastly, you should remind each other of your commitment to healing the relationship. Promise one another that you are going to work through the misery and that you will use warmth and kindness as you work on making things better between the two of you. Working things out may not be as simple as it sounds. In fact, you can count on this project requiring some consistent effort. The worthwhile reward will be having your relationship back on a positive track and being ready to move forward again.

Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an award-winning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books and a blogger for PsychologyToday. com with more than 28 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@bartongoldsmith.com or 818-879-9996. He has lived and practiced in Westlake Village for more than two decades. His column appears Saturdays and Mondays in the News-Press.

Water agency winners announced

By KIRA LOGAN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The Santa Barbara County Water Agency recently announced its 24th Annual WaterWise High School Video Contest winners.

Eighteen students from two schools in the county submitted nine videos. Students were asked to create a 30-second video centered on the theme, “Does Lawn Belong?”

While the Water Agency and local water providers arrange for monetary prizes to the winning schools, private sector sponsors

provide awards for the student winners as follows:

First Place: “Water IS Life” by Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta will receive $1,000. Students will win a $500 prize provided by Carollo Engineers.

First Place Spanish: “Adiós el Desperdicio de Agua” by Dos Pueblos High School will receive $1,000. Students will win a $500 prize provided by La Buena 105.1FM.

Second Place: “Does Your Lawn Belong?” by Dos Pueblos High School will receive $500. Students will win a $250 prize provided by

Geosyntec Consultants. Third Place: “Lawn = Yawn” by Santa Ynez Valley Union High School will receive $300. Students will win a $150 prize provided by Ewing Irrigation.

People’s Choice Award: “Does Your Lawn Belong?” by Dos Pueblos High School with 212 likes on YouTube. The school will receive $500, and the students will win a $500 gift card provided by Dudek.

Student videos can be seen on waterwisesb.org.

email: klogan@newspress.com

Shelters seek homes for pets

campuses in Goleta and Santa Maria), sbhumane.org.

& Assistance League, k-9pals.org. K-9 PALS works regularly with Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, sbcanimalcare. org. (The foundation works regularly with the Santa Maria Animal Center.)

• Santa Barbara County Animal Services in Goleta: countyofsb.org/ phd/animal/home.sbc.

• Santa Barbara Humane (with

• Santa Maria Animal Center, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc. The center is part of Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society/DAWG in Buellton, syvhumane.org.

• Shadow’s Fund (a pet sanctuary in Lompoc), shadowsfund.org.

• Volunteers for Inter-Valley Animals in Lompoc: vivashelter. org.

— Dave Mason

COURTESY PHOTO

“Water IS Life” by Dos Pueblos High School placed first in the Annual WaterWise High School Video Contest.

WESTMONT COLLEGE PHOTOS

Dr. Han Kim, Westmont College associate professor of music and head of strings, launched the Westmont Academy for Young Artists in 2015.

The academy’s faculty includes Dr. Dan Gee, conductor of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony and director of the Westmont College Choir.

Diversions

Thought for Today

“We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”

— Tom Robbins

HOROSCOPE

By Horoscope.com

Monday, May 22, 2023

Aries: Everyone needs to be loved, Aries, but it shouldn’t be your only objective in life. It isn’t the end of the world if your charms fall flat every once in a while. Today you may be tempted to be a little less charming and seductive with the people around you. Some may even say you aren’t acting like your usual self. Ignore them.

Taurus: There are days when a little humility can be good for you, Taurus, and this might be one of those days. It’s as if the planets are talking to you about sincerity and taking you far away from the trappings of superficiality and popularity. The things that are important to you today are much deeper concepts of humanity and compassion.

Gemini: Your fiery willpower can help you move mountains, Gemini. But you already know that. When it’s combined with your legendary optimism, it’s a powerful tool you just can’t do without. Today you will reap the rewards for your hard work over the last month, in every aspect of your life. The fire that burns inside you and gives you your incredible determination has its limits.

Cancer: Today could discourage even the most ardent of passions, Cancer. Even if some people say you’re a bit cold, know that there’s a veritable volcano burning underneath all that ice. Today you may once again find yourself at a distance from your feelings, as if you were regaining control over your emotions. Be careful about being too cynical about things.

Leo: Leo, you should try to be tolerant of other people’s social and political positions. You may have to deal with certain people whose personal plans are jeopardized by events beyond their control. Don’t judge them. Don’t immediately defend one viewpoint without thinking how the situation affects the other person’s life.

Virgo: This is a day for doubts, for asking those hard questions that you need to answer. If you like to meditate, Virgo, think about spending a little more time at it today. You could learn a lot about yourself. You will see the

whole palette of human emotion in other people, from joy to disappointment.

Libra: It may seem that you’ve been accumulating a lot of excess nervous tension and stress, Libra. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to count on the people around you to make it any better. What your partner wants and what you want may not coincide. It could be time to think about reenergizing your relationship.

Scorpio: You may feel physical and emotional tension today, Scorpio. Are you taking the time to care for your body? Has someone been putting a lot of pressure on you lately? Are you an emotionally satisfied person? The way you feel physically is a good indicator of your mental state.

Sagittarius: People love to be with you because you have such natural charm, Sagittarius. But today you may not feel especially charming or like talking to anyone. You may have a secret inside that’s screaming to get out. If someone confides in you today, do you think you could confide in him or her, too? You should get an answer to that question today.

Capricorn: Your partner may be all over you today, Capricorn! Are you in the mood to listen? Are you interested in some love? Probably not. You may have had a hard day and just feel like some quiet time together. You aren’t up to the demands your partner may make on you. You don’t need to worry about it. It happens to everyone from time to time.

Aquarius: You’re often moved by emotion, Aquarius. You like situations that make you feel alive. Today your love life may give you just that kind of adventurous feeling. If that’s the case, don’t get so far into your emotions that it becomes too much for you. There is such a concept as too much of a good thing!

Pisces: You’re a helpful person, Pisces, yet in your relationships, you often seem to confuse helping with parenting. You tend to do a lot of self-sacrificing. Today you may learn how to say no when you feel your partner has gone beyond the limits of what you can give.

DAILY BRIDGE

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

Monday, May 22, 2023

Ben Hogan once double-bogeyed the first hole in a tournament, then reeled off eight birdies and shot 66. Asked how he had managed to overcome his bad start, Hogan replied, “That’s why they make 18 holes.”

A deal comprises 13 tricks; a good defender applies himself to every one. Today’s West led a heart against four spades, reasonably enough, and grimaced when South put up dummy’s jack, winning. South then led a trump to his king, and West took the ace and led the queen of hearts. South won, cashed one more trump, then ruffed his last low heart in dummy. He returned a club to his ace, drew West’s last trump and had 10 tricks.

FIRST TRUMP

West gave up too easily. If he ducks the first trump, South fails. If South leads a second trump, West wins and leads a third trump, and South has a heart loser. If South tries to ruff a heart in dummy before leading a second trump, East scores his nine of trumps on an overruff. Don’t give up! Keep looking for a way to beat the contract.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

10 Q 3. Your partner opens one club, you respond one heart and

SUDOKU

CODEWORD PUZZLE

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3-by-3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9. that means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Sudoku puzzles appear on the Diversions page Monday-Saturday and on the crossword solutions page in Saturday’s Life section.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Answers to previous CODEWORD

How to play Codeword

Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language. Every number in the codeword grid is ‘code’ for a letter of the alphabet. Thus, the number 2 may correspond to the letter L, for instance. All puzzles come with a few letters to start. Your first move should be to enter these letters in the puzzle grid. If the letter S is in the box at the bottom of the page underneath the number 2, your first move should be to find all cells numbered 2 in the grid and enter the letter S. Cross the letter S off the list at the bottom of the grid. Remember that at the end you should have a different letter of the alphabet in each of the numbered boxes 1- 26, and a word in English in each of the horizontal and vertical runs on the codeword grid.

PUZZLE

he bids one spade. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: This is a close judgment call. If partner’s opening bids are known to be sound, bid 3NT. You have 12 high-card points plus a five-card suit and two tens. If his style is to open light, shapely hands, you might settle for a jump to 2NT. He should treat that bid as invitational. South dealer

Seattle is on the receiving end of White House’s latest homelessness initiative

By SPENCER PAULEY

THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – The White House is partnering with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness to launch a new initiative that plans to help Seattle and five other areas in the U.S. with homelessness.

All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, will set the goal of reducing homelessness in the country by 25% by 2025.

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, with its 19 federal member agencies, will partner with state and local governments to address homelessness in Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles,

Phoenix Metro and the entire State of California.

According to the 2022 Point-inTime Count, the Seattle and King County area have 13,348 homeless people. That is the third largest homeless population behind New York City and Los Angeles, which are over 60,000.

The White House will embed a federal official in each community to accelerate locally-driven strategies to reduce homelessness, as well as deploy federal teams to identify opportunities for regulatory relief and navigate federal funding streams in support of actions to reduce homelessness.

“This is an opportunity to leverage the expertise of

our federal partners and opportunities for federal funding,” Interim CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority Helen Howell said to The Center Square in an email. “We appreciate the support of the White House and [U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness] in championing a place-based, person-centered, and housing first approach to bringing more people inside.”

The White House stated in a press release that the All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness Initiative builds off of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act. For instance, the Treasury Department’s State and Local

Recovery Fund dedicated more than $2.5 billion for homelessness projects in the six All Inside sites. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also released a package of grants earlier this year that totaled $486 million to help 62 communities address homelessness. Washington state received $8.4 million from the package.

“With our partners at King County and the [King County Regional Homelessness Authority], we have a new opportunity to leverage support from the federal government and make a difference reducing homelessness and bringing people inside,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a statement.

Building industry calls for halt to Washington cities’ natural gas ban in wake of ruling

By TJ MARTINELL THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) - The Building Industry Association of Washington, or BIAW, is asking three city attorneys to halt their local natural gas bans on new construction in response to a recent 9th circuit court decision that overruled a similar ban in Berkley, California. The federal court decision invalidated the local ban, arguing that federal law preempts local jurisdiction for installing natural gas piping.

Arizona

By CARLY MORAN THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) – The seasonally adjusted Arizona unemployment rate decreased to 3.4% in April 2023 from 3.5% in March 2023.

More than 60,000 Arizonans found work over the last 12 months, bringing the unemployment rate down by 0.1%. This change follows the national unemployment rate, which also decreased from 3.5% to 3.4% in April.

Arizona’s seasonally adjusted labor force has increased by 1.8% this past year, or by 63,628 individuals. This April’s unemployment rate is 0.2 percentage points lower than in April 2022, when unemployment was at 3.6%.

When not adjusted for seasonal employment, Arizona employment increased by 13,800 jobs in April. This is a larger net gain than prepandemic rates, which averaged 9,500 new jobs each April.

A large portion of this change comes from an increase in government jobs. Prepandemic, an average of 900 people were publicly employed each April. In 2023, the government sector gained 3,500 employees in Arizona alone.

Within the public sector, leisure and hospitality received the largest net gain, with 5,100 individuals employed in April. Private education and health services follow with 4,300 people newly employed.

The transportation, finance and manufacturing industries all experienced employment losses this April, with 900, 1,000 and 1,000 fewer individualsD respectively.

More than 60,000 Arizonans found work over the last 12 months, bringing the unemployment rate down by 0.1%. This change follows the national unemployment rate, which also decreased from 3.5% to 3.4% in April.

BIAW is currently involved in a lawsuit against the state over a natural gas ban passed by the Washington Energy Code Council. Roughly 30% of Washington homes use natural gas. A Washington bill that would have imposed a similar ban on Puget Sound Energy failed to clear the Legislature.

In a May 18 letter to Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison, BIAW General Counsel Jackson Maynard wrote that our state is under the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit, so a final decision will be binding in our state and on local governments, as well as the parties to

the case in California. We would prefer to be advisory on this issue rather than adversarial, if possible.”

BIAW sent the same letter to the city attorneys for Shoreline and Bellingham, which have also imposed natural gas bans on new construction.

In a statement, Mr. Maynard said that the “lack of energy choice not only affects housing affordability and availability, it also harms potential homeowners in areas where electrical outages threaten families’ abilities to stay warm or cook.”

The ‘presumptive right’ to vote in Washington state

By TJ MARTINELL THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) - In the state of Washington, a person must prove they’re 21 to purchase alcohol, rather than the seller presuming their age until shown otherwise.

But that presumption exists regarding voter registration.

State law does not require a person to prove they can vote when registering. Instead, it adheres to a “presumptive right” to vote, and registered voters are only removed if discovered to be ineligible by the county auditor or the Secretary of State’s Office.

Although this approach has led to some instances of people ineligible to vote registering thinking they could vote, or being unknowingly registered, state and local officials say these occurrences are rare.

“It’s fair to say that there’s a presumptive right for a person who is seeking registration,” Washington Association of County Auditors President Lori Larsen told The Center Square. Larsen is also the Stevens County Auditor.

“We start with the assumption that they [a person registering to vote] are eligible,” she added. “If something comes up that suggests otherwise, we can take action.”

Many people in Washington register to vote when registering with the state Department of Licensing, or DOL, for a driver’s license. Under state law, anyone seeking an enhanced driver’s license must prove they are a U.S. citizen. Gov. Jay Inslee signed SB 5112 this week, automatically registering these individuals to vote. This requirement does not apply to non-enhanced driver’s licenses. Unless it’s delayed again, an enhanced driver’s license will be required for domestic airline travel starting May 7, 2025. The lack of direct verification can result in people, such as foreign nationals, accidentally being registered to vote when obtaining a driver’s license. DOL Licensing Service Manager Saralyn Door wrote in a June 2022 email to other DOL employees that this happens “every so often maybe once a month if that.”

Ms. Larsen told The Center Square that her county is looking at two similar incidents of people not being eligible to vote registering. One accidentally registered but never voted, while another registered to vote, believing they were legally allowed to vote in elections not involving the federal government.

The Center Square has previously reported that foreign nationals reached out to DOL as far back as 2018 to notify them that they had been registered to vote despite insisting they were not eligible to do so and lacked the documents to prove their citizenship.

Ms. Door’s email was in response to an August 2021 incident where a 17-year-old foreign national was registered to vote while obtaining a non-enhanced driver’s license at a licensing service office, or LSO. The incident was reported to the Secretary of State’s Office. Deputy Director of Elections Stuart Holmes contacted DOL about it in June 2022.

While registering for a non-enhanced driver’s license, a DOL representative is supposed to list the requirements for a resident to be eligible to vote, though Ms. Larsen said, “our lived experience is that it’s not always happening.”

Those eligibility requirements are that the person be:

• a citizen of the United States;

• a legal resident of Washington state for at least 30 days immediately before the next election at which they vote;

• at least 18 years old by election day, or 16 years old to pre-register to vote when they turn 18;

• not disqualified from voting due to a court order; and

• not currently serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections for a Washington felony

conviction, and not currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction.

The DOL representative is then supposed to ask the person two questions:

• “Are you a United States citizen?”

• “Are you at least eighteen years old or are you at least sixteen years old and will you vote only after you turn eighteen?”

In an email to The Center Square, DOL Communications Manager Christine Anthony wrote, “to the best of our capabilities, we provide those questions in the customer’s native language, and we allow them to bring family or friends to help with interpreting the questions. If the customer answers no to either of the two questions, we do not give them a voter registration application. If they say yes, we transfer the information to the Secretary of State for further verification.”

According to an email from DOL Licensing Services Manager Matthew Murray to Ms. Door, the foreign national’s application had him marked “yes” when asked those questions, “which would come after the LSR [license service representative] provides the customer with the voter oath that lists the citizenship requirement. I do see that the customer provided a foreign birth certificate, which suggests that they are indeed not a citizen, but as no other citizenship documentation was presented at the time of issuance (not required for this non-EDL transaction), that doesn’t prove/disprove they don’t have a U.S. citizenship document at home or in a lockbox somewhere.”

Ms. Anthony wrote in the email to The Center Square that DOL does not verify a person’s claim of voter eligibility, stating it “rests exclusively with the Secretary of State’s Office and the county auditors. They [the voter] are passed to the SOS for further verification and that’s something that would be caught there.”

She added that “the affidavit signed at registration indicating the applicant is declaring themselves eligible to register to vote and knowingly providing false information is a Class C felony in accordance with RCW 29A.84.130. They would be risking a lot to fraudulently claim they are eligible to vote.”

The Washington State Voter Registration Database was created in 2002 and is maintained by SOS. It is required under state law to “screen against any available databases maintained by other government agencies to identify voters who are ineligible to vote due to a felony conviction, lack of citizenship, or mental incompetence.” Among the agencies SOS partners with are county auditors, election management system vendors, the Social Security Administration, DOL, the Department of Health, the Department of Corrections and the Office of the Administrator of the Courts.

The Secretary of State’s Office became aware of the August 2021 incident not through screening but because the foreign national’s immediate family reported his voter registration to one of their local legislators.

According to Pierce County, “state law does not provide for citizenship verification upon registration.” Instead, it allows private citizens and the county prosecutor to challenge a voter’s eligibility, but the burden of proof rests on the accuser.

The county reports that “election officials may not verify citizenship when they receive a voter’s registration, and there exists no official list of citizens to check citizenship status against. If the required information for voter registration is included – name; address; date of birth; a signature attesting to the truth of the information provided on the application; and an indication in the box confirming the individual is a U.S. citizen – the person must be added to the voter registration file.”

“When we talk about voter eligibility verification, the voter himself or herself by their attestation by their oath on their voter registration form, they are making an assert of eligibility,” Ms. Larsen said.

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